gardevoir acts as their vanguard while serperior brings up the rear. shoal cave is a place he's been many times, but tonight its air feels different on his skin as he marches through it carefully. the rumbling of shoal cave has been the talk of the town in mossdeep for a week or two now -- to have someone like nikolai assigned to investigate it feels like a gift they don't deserve.

"oh, thanks for letting me come. i really needed to see what was going on for myself." the overly-polite disposition comes so naturally that he easily forgets he is in comfortable company.

he's felt the vibrations a few times, but nothing substantial. they are a growing concern, though, and he wonders if the rumbles will become something large enough to threaten valeria's structural integrity from deep beneath the island.

"it's a relief to know you're the one heading this up! who knows what's down here these days."

water laps at the shore within the cavern, eagerly reaching for his feet as they move him further into its depths. he looks at his clock: the hand points to the 1. "it's a little past 1 in the morning, so low tide will give us plenty of time to see what's going down in the deeper areas."

they won't have much time before the water begins to rise once again, threatening to trap them far within the misty lumen of shoal cave.

[attr="class","sbody"]

[attr="class","sbody"]

a friendly smirk meets nikolai's chuckle, gilbert's tone easily matching nikolai's. "that depends, is it working?" without much more jest, they move deeper.

as they walk, gilbert eyes nikolai curiously. he feels like the full truth eludes him, that nikolai is withholding information. he doesn't press for more -- he's never been pushy, and he knows nikolai. if they were in over their heads, gilbert would know. that, or nikolai would have turned him away. instead his lips remain pursed together to allow his friend to lead them on.

his own heart picks up, the sound of the mudbray's call enough to startle him. lucis' serpentine form immediately moves closer to gilbert: its protective nature keeps it close enough to protect his master while assessing the threat. tail flicking playfully, the serperior slithers into action along the sandy surface, a single leaf blade enough to bring down the enemy pokemon. another squeal and the mudbray falls to the ground; gilbert can see nikolai capturing the bergmite. he, too, pulls out a spare pokeball and tosses it at the mudbray.

"just about..." faux rushed, he walks over, feet smashing the sand that lucis had already carved his path in. pokeball in hand, he grins at nikolai.

"shall we?"