[Silver]

“Time to get up,” Buka said loudly while walking into the room.

“Eep!” Typhoon squeaked, nearly hitting his head on the bunk above with surprise.

“Hmm?” Harbor asked, rolling over and opening just one of his eyes.

“Ah!” Oko jumped to the ground and struck a defensive pose.

“There’ll be no need for that,” Buka said. “We’ve been selected for a mission, get your things. I want to head out before the sun is all the way up.”

[Silver]

“Oh is it that early?” Typhoon said meekly.

“Do we gotta?” Harbor asked, rolling back over.

“Yes! Are you kidding? An important mission is ahead of us, you better not let me down,” Oko said, practically dragging Harbor out of bed.

“Alright, alright, don’t touch me,” Harbor said, brushing off Oko and getting out of bed.

Meanwhile, Typhoon had slowly been filling up his bags, and Harbor’s too. Oko always had his bags packed of course, so he was impatiently pacing around the room waiting for the others to get ready.

[Silver]

Buka waited outside the door for the boys to get their things ready. Eventually, they all tumbled out of the room with their packs and looked at least mildly ready to get started. Buka didn’t reach other than to stand up and begin walking toward the door.

“Okay Buka,” Oko said. “What’s the mission? I’m ready!”

“You’ll be coming with me,” Buka said plainly.

Oko looked confused. Why would Buka come with them? He was the captain! Plus, it had been ages since they forced him to have a babysitter on a mission.

[Silver]

Though he didn’t dare open his mouth to protest. If they were sending Buka with them, then perhaps they had a good reason?

“What are the parameters, captain?” Oko said, trying to sound respectful through the small amount of resentment he carried. He liked being the captain!

“We are to explore the Ree’ne Sea,” Buka explained. He wasn’t about to say more.

“Oh, so it’s top secret, is it? You’ve chosen the right team to go with you, we’ve got a few successful missions behind us now,” Oko said confidently. Buka just quietly nodded.

[Silver]

“Hey Harbor,” Typhoon said quietly, hoping that Oko couldn’t hear. “Do you think something is going on? Why would Buka want to go with us to the sea?”

“I’m not sure,” Harbor said. He yawned widely. “Whatever it is, we should keep our focus up, I bet it’s important.”

“Hmm,” Typhoon said with a nod. He would do anything that his team thought was a good idea. While he hadn't known them that long, they had grown a close bond over their few missions together.

[Silver]

The sea was a long trip from the base, so they all quickly understood why Buka wanted to leave so early. By lunch time, they were all extremely tired and in need of a break. Buka allowed them to stop and eat, but was eager to get started again before long. Oko nervously buzzed around their campsite waiting for them to be done.

“You gotta relax,” Harbor said. “You’re making everyone feel weird.”

“Mhm,” Typoon agreed with a nod.

“Fine, fine,” Oko plopped down next to them.

[Silver]

“Look,” he whispered, leaning in close to the others. “I haven’t been on a mission with someone like Buka for a long time, I really want to get it right. You guys have my back, right?”

“Of course!” Typhoon said immediately. Harbor just nodded along without saying anything.

After waiting for longer than he wanted to, but long enough to let his friends finish their food, he wandered back over to Buka. “We’re ready, captain,” he said.

[Silver]

Buka cracked a small smile. Oko had come a long way from the overly excited young ‘mon he once was. He was shaping up to be a real team leader, which is why Buka was willing to allow him to come along this time. As for the rest of his team? Well Buka was sure they’d do fine.

They travelled for the rest of the day before reaching the rocky beach that led into the sea. All four of them could hardly wait to get into the water. After a long hard trip, being in some cool water would feel amazing.

[Silver]

“Are we going to keep going, uh, at night?” Typhoon asked, looking over at the sun setting into the water.

“Yes, we must,” Buka said with a nod.

Typhoon looked nervously over at Harbor, who simply tapped him on the side. “It’ll be alright, Buka will keep us safe.”

Buka, of course, knew they could keep themselves safe. Or he wouldn’t have asked them to come along. The ocean was different at night. They would soon find that out.

[Silver]

“Now,” Buka said. “The reason we are here.”

Oko perked up and hopped in very close for the explanation. Buka continued. “I have been given this,” he held out an object with a crystal of some kind stuck in it. “The crystal will become active once kept within the water for some time.”

“That doesn’t seem very hard,” Harbor blurted out.

“Perhaps,” Buka said with a nod. “However, I do not think we will be the only ones here, so we must be on high alert. I asked you to accompany me because I think travelling as a group is wise.”

[Silver]

“Great,” Oko said. He was ready to kick some butt!

Typhoon seemed less certain, but he wanted to do his best for his team, so he didn’t say anything. They couldn’t be in too much trouble as long as Buka was there, right? Did he already think that? He couldn’t remember. There were just so many things to be concerned about!

“Alright, lead the way,” Buka said, looking directly at Oko.

“Me? You’re the captain,” Oko said. His voice was more timid than usual.

[Silver]

“I think you should lead. I will be nearby to keep an eye on you, do not worry,” Buka said with a genuine laugh. Harbor and Typhoon shared a quick glance - they had never heard him laugh before!

“Ookay,” Oko said, looking unsure. He shook his head. He had to be a leader! He nodded firmly and said, “Alright, team, let’s head this way. We can scale the rocks and dive into the deeper water there.

[Silver]

Harbor and Typhoon nodded along and got started on climbing over the huge rocks. Some of them were even bigger than they were! It was slow moving until they hit the water, making diving in that much sweeter.

“Finally,” Harbor mumbled, sinking into the waves. The water took the pressure off of his fins and allowed him to lazily float about for a while. Perfect.

“This way,” Oko suggested, swimming past Harbor and submerging himself in the water. Harbor lazily flipped over and headed in after him.

[Silver]

Buka followed the three smaller ‘mons so that he could keep an eye on them, but he was happy to let them take the lead.

It was empty and dark under the water. Near the beach, the water was murky from the constant sand being stirred up. It was hard to tell what was going on at all. Nonetheless, Oko moved with confidence. He didn’t know how to do anything else.

As they swam, Typhoon occasionally caught a glimpse of a single Wishiwashi swimming by. One by one they passed the group, rapidly and awkwardly swimming toward something unseen.

[Silver]

“Hey Oko,” Typhoon called out. “I think we should follow the Wishiwashi!”

“Wha-?” Oko said, turning just in time to see one pass. He hadn’t even noticed them. He felt embarrassed for not knowing, but what he said was, “good catch, let’s tail ‘em.”

Harbor looked back to see what Buka's reaction was, but it was hard to tell. He was so stoic all of the time that it was difficult to tell what he was thinking. It made Harbor a bit uneasy, but he wouldn't say as much.

[Crystal Synthesis Complete]