Once again, into the wild blue yonder. Vanilla found herself saying that phrase more and more often as these excursions into Ultra Space had continued. Her previous adventures into the Ultra Sea hadn't produced much information about her father's whereabouts, much like any other time, but she couldn't just throw in the towel just yet. "Here we are." Vanilla said idly, looking around at the surroundings as the scent of coral and salt greeted her. Her trusty RotomDex, Proxii, flew up to come beside her as he scoured the land. "Blegh. This place still looks as dumpy as the last time we were here."

They weren't alone this time. A woman with white hair and a more fanciful way of speaking was leading the charge of the two. Proxii raised a plastic eyebrow at her speech about what the other Pokémon had found in the depths here, but followed along. "Even the Ultra Beasts here haven't found where this ends? I bet that will be totally safe. Definitely nothing down there that's going to want us dead." It was followed by a sharp elbow into his case as Vanilla perked up about hearing her name called.

"Born ready!" she said happily. "I've been down here a couple of times now. I think I know what's going to be waiting down there for us."

"Try not to get bit this time." Proxii remarked with a trademark snicker. "Navy's not here with any medicine."
"It was only once! I'm not letting that happen again."

Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

By some small miracle, the girl that Vanilla had been with would waggle a bag of antidotes in front of the two bickering friends while piping up about a lesson learnt. Proxii got a huge grin on his monitor face as his trainer gave a pout, shaking her head in defiance. "Th-Thank you." She cautiously grabbed Proxii and shoved him inside of her coat pocket. She had almost lost him in one of these expeditions before, and she would be damned if she'd let it happen again. Vanilla gave a nod towards the older girl as she followed her descent.

As she trailed behind, Vanilla pondered how she knew of Navy. For whatever reason, much like Thomas Benoit, Michael Navidson had somehow been intertwined into her life. They crossed paths a few times since that fateful day in Navy's gym. She appreciated his help and dedication to ensuring she wasn't going to kill herself by ignorance, although she was hopefully not going to be smothered to death by him helicoptering over her. Vanilla looked back to the other girl. "So how do you know Navy?" she asked curiously. "Were you a gym challenger as well?"

An unsettling silence drifted over the two. It put her at ease for a moment, until she would begin to feel her fears circle around her head. Silence was usually not the greatest thing to be around in the Ultra Space. A hand shot to her belt, fetching a Pokeball while preparing herself. "Ready to go. I've been to this place two times. What's one more into this aquatic hell?"

Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

Yep, that definitely sounded like Navy. Vanilla grinned wide and began to laugh to herself. She surely didn't seem to have caught on about how they actually met, or the specifics of that. "I can believe it. He's helped me a couple of times too. Maybe I can be a deputy-in-training?~" It was weird joking around with adults. She was immature to be going around talking and acting like somebody older than she was, but it felt weird to talk like this with kids her age. Just another side effect of growing up too fast, she guessed.

They dive further and further into the abyss. Any light source is slowly disappearing behind them and leaving only the cold chill of the void. It made Vanilla uneasy, swimming a little closer with the woman while they descended into the void. The Ultra Sea was never this scary before and it terrified her. Were all those missions before just child's play compared to this? Going down, down, down into the bottom of this place? Hopefully Baki wouldn't be able to catch onto the teen's fear. "I-It sure is dark, huh?" she asked, trying to deflect and make small talk. The Nhilego continued to lead them further.

Some time later, they become tethered together alongside a lecture about staying close. It only proved to scare the girl more, knowing full well what she could have possibly meant by people not coming back as they were. It terrified her to the core. But that brief exposure of her freight was covered up as Vanilla gave a confident nod. "Uh-U-Understood..." she stammered out and would keep up speed with the woman.

Something moved out of the corner of her eye. Vanilla looked to her left as she couldn't make out any shape or anything. But she was certain something was present! "Did you see that?" she asked Baki, her head spinning around to try and find that mysterious shape. When nothing produced itself, she huffed. "Something is here with us. I swear I saw something swimming beside us..."

Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

Vanilla was given her orders and they were clear, keep moving forward. She didn't know if she could turn around even if her heart wasn't beating as fast as a Rapidash. Could Baki tell that she was horrified by what was inside of these depths? Maybe it showed in how quiet Vanilla had gotten, or that she had practically latched onto the other girl by this point. There was no way that she was getting separated and eaten whole like this. Not on her watch!

"Still wi-with you…" They're swimming together with the literal spotlight for everything nasty swimming around them. The voices surrounding them chattering about like hushed murmurs of a schoolroom. There's nothing else that can be considered real down here as far as she can tell. But it's so lifelike. Shapes twist and contort around her while the younger girl neared her breaking point. All it took was a familiar shape, the shape of a thousand bladed teeth of the Dynamax beast that she had watched swipe at her during the delve inside of the tomb. A shadow rushed by and flew in front of her that she'd let out a yelp and then succumb to her fears.

"Ah-I can't do this anymore!" Vanilla freaked, clinging onto the older one as she'd tremble in absolute fear. Her expression was one of true terror, panicking as emotion overwhelmed logic. "Ah-I can't, I just…Make it stop, please make it stop…"

Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

Vanilla clung onto the woman's arm for dear life, not letting go as the shadows flickered around them to no end. She desperately wished for them to finally leave, panicking hardcore. It was only by the deputy's might that the two of them were finally left alone by whatever the hell had just tried to swim by and rummage around with them. Vanilla opened her eyes some and looked around, surprised to one again see nothing around them as they continued to descend into the open waters below. Chills ran across her body as Vanilla slowly let go of her partner. "I-Is it gone?" she asked, going back to the light that the Nhilego had remained busy guiding them towards.

As the two continued to swim along, vague colors and outlines would begin to grow more visible. She almost had to stop and focus on what they were, swaying back and forth as the water seemed to remain so still. Lights flashed in an unorganized pattern while they looked about. One such thing was drawing ever so closer until it was directly within their view. Once close, the lights would then suddenly dim themselves in response to them growing near, before vanishing entirely. There wasn't anything like it back home by far. Then it dawned on Vanilla! They were plants. The fronds clearly visible when they moved by. How far down they went was yet to be discovered, but judging on their current depth, it was pretty damn far.

"What do you think it is?" Vanilla asked.

Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

18. experience bioluminescent plants or pokemon suddenly douse their lights in response to a threat.

Vanilla was pulled back from the geyser blowing bubbles around them, and for good reason. Vanilla was likely going to just pop one out of interest had Tsubaki not intervened. Intrusive thoughts aside, the two continued their slow descent into the darkness as the lone Nhilego would continue to follow the only source of light leading them into the chasm. They passed by clusters of crystals on the walls of all colors, ones that Vanilla had wondered if they had some sort of energy like tera crystals. But they were too far away to really investigate, and she doubted that Tsubaki would let them stop and look. SO they kept swimming, swimming, swimming.

Their light source had soon come into view after some time had passed. As the two drew closer, Vanilla was surprised to see a broken spotlight, its power source somehow not fizzled out in this sea. She stopped alongside Tsubaki to watch the light swing around on the end of a huge broken chain. Just swinging back and forth in the depths. "Huh, I guess this was what we were looking for." she said, sounding a little disappointed at the discovery. "I was expecting something more...helpful than a broken warning light."

Just then, a great creature rushed up in front of them, its massive size apparent as it showed itself to the two. Vanilla yelped and swam backwards towards Tsubaki as a giant crystalized Lanturn would look at the two, its form twisted into an ethereal shadow that always seemed to shift around. It didn't seem to happy to see the two of them once more, opening its maw to display giant, sharpened teeth. "U-Uh....Maybe we should get out of here now?"

Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

31. encounter a light, bioluminescent or megalopolan-made that intentionally or accidentally lures you into danger.