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Standing on the last bit of dry ground before depths of water that lead into the lowest section of the temple, hopefully it seems as though any nerves Steve has have more to do with what lies ahead of them rather than the people he's travelling with.

Buttsnack has tried to be reassuring, but he's not the most naturally comforting Pokémon. By now the Swampert has gone off into the water to scope things out, trying to work out what looks like the most promising route. He pops his head back up at frequent intervals, not wanting to lose track of what's going on back on land. He looks as though he's starting to get impatient, so Steve turns to look at the others.

"So are we doing this?"

He says this like they've been standing around the water's edge for ages. They haven't really. They've had a reasonable amount of time to prepare themselves, but not much more than that.

Doppio's level of preparedness is up for debate.

His team should be fine; save for Gomma, who has tricks other than raw power up his sleeve, they ought to be able to measure up against any wild Pokémon who lurk this deep. He's even remembered to bring Corvo along, in case he makes any discoveries he might want to keep to himself for the sake of his and the Boss's own interests - professionally speaking. Whether Corvo would be able to get out of here on his own, he's not sure, but Pesci is clever; if there's any need for it, he's sure his Gyarados can help.

It's more himself that he's worried about. Sure, he can swim, but he's never considered he might have to do it inside some kind of lost and potentially dangerous temple. And sure, he may have tried to come down here by himself before the Seekers stopped him, but that doesn't mean he wasn't still worried. If he let worries and fears stop him in his tracks, Doppio would never get any work done.

... That said, the wetsuit he's changed into isn't too much, is it? It's not like he brought an entire air tank... Which reminds him -

"Shouldn't we come up with some kind of system to communicate underwater? What if we stay down there too long and start running out of air?"

Riku had plenty of Pokemon to choose from. He could've even gone for his mainstays, but given the likelihood of Aquatic encounters, he decided to tailor his team a bit differently than usual. With all the water, it'd be foolish to keep Flare out and about, even in his Mega Charizard X form. For now, he's recalled him to his Pokeball, but Drench the Swampert seems more than willing to pick up the slack, cheerily puffing out his chest and beaming at the other Pokemon.

The Toxicroak and Heliolisk might seem odd at a glance, but their Dry Skin ability well equips them for the terrain and potential threats within.

Fortunately, for Doppio's question, Riku cracks a smirk and says, "We can use Axis to communicate telepathically."

He gestures to the nearby Metagross, who bows in response.

"Figured it'd pay to bring a Psychic type along just in case. Guess it worked in our favor this time around."

Most of Steve's team are in their balls, safely attached to his belt for now. The two exceptions being his two water types. Buttsnack may be keen to get on, but Glover seems happy to socialise. The Poliwrath almost seems to radiate positivity. She pumps her fist in a cheer, happy the other trainer has thought this expedition out so well.

Steve is less convinced.

"Psychic?" His voice goes strangely high as he glances over at the Metagross. Does that mean he knows everthing? If he wasn't worried about Riku before, then he is now, but it's not as though he can back out. He hesitates, but can't think of any reason why he would argue about having telepathy to help them out. "That's cool. I thought about that, but I figured electric types would be better if we have to fight."

It's probably fairly clear he did not think about that. He's still wearing regular clothes despite knowing their exploration would involve being underwater. Relatively light so he can tolerate the heat, but still. There was not much planning involved on his part.

"Telepathically...?!"

Doppio knows about Psychic Pokémon, of course, as does the uninvited fourth member of this exploration team - they've been here long enough. Until now, however, neither of them have stopped to think about the possibility that Psychic Pokémon may be able to do something like that. And while Doppio's concerns are, for the most part, similar to Steve's... Diavolo's run deeper. Deeper even than the secluded corner of Doppio's body that he occupies.

"I... I, um... didn't know Pokémon could do that! And that's a Psychic-type?" Doppio makes eye contact with Axis, swiftly regrets it, and settles for pointing instead. "That's incredible! I-I never could have guessed..."

Oh, his head is starting to hurt. He brings a hand to his mouth, grips his own cheeks, unsure if his palm or his face are sweatier all of a sudden--

"Rrrringalingalingaling!"

And a call comes, the shrill tone muffled and obscured by a gently guided hand.

"I-I'm sorry! I have to take this really quick!"

Vinegar Doppio, master of subterfuge, runs out of the room for an emergency call. Give him a minute.

...What.

Riku and his assorted Pokemon stare for several moments as Doppio runs off, just trying to process what's going on. Talk about weird timing.

Ugh. Well, while he's off doing... whatever it is, Riku turns his attention back to Steve.

"Yeah. Psychic Pokemon can communicate with people telepathically. Bit unsettling at first, but it definitely makes communication easier, especially with other Pokemon."

The Metagross, for now, remains quiet. He's watching, but opting not to weigh in on the conversation for the time being beyond a vague... bow? Bob? Of acknowledgement.

Riku does point to his Heliolisk, though, who puffs up her chest in pride.

"But I hear you about electric types. Helps that I've got one that's immune to water attacks. Same goes for my Toxicroak."

Wow. Yeah. Doppio being weird isn't news to Steve, but this is out there even for him. He is definitely going to blow their cover if he keeps on being like this. Steve is definitely sweating slightly at Doppio's utterly bizarre abandonment, but he's not going to blow this for them. Hopefully.

It's a relief when Riku decides to continue the conversation instead of ask questions because Steve does not have the answers there.

Sort of anyway. This guy is clearly a strategist. Now he's kicking himself for not thinking of the defense side of things. Not that he'll admit to it.

"Mine don't need to be immune against water. They should be able to take whatever's down there no problem."

He shrugs, doing a very poor job of not looking defensive over his Pokémon choices as he stares through the doorway Doppio had left from, hoping he'll be back soon. Where is that guy?

Luckily, the call doesn't last long, and just as luckily, it is quiet enough to not be overheard by human ears. It helps, of course, that Doppio knows how to muffle his whispers, and that Diavolo can speak to him without making a sound.

In any case, it's nothing complex. Intimidating, yes, but not complex - the Boss simply informs Doppio that, due to how deep he has delved into the temple, it seems he will be unable to reach him until he returns, and incidentally, on a completely unrelated note, Doppio should be careful, given the revelation that Riku's Pokémon has telepathic abilities. Hey, nothing he can't handle! Doppio is the underboss of Passione for a reason, and he'll definitely be the underboss of the Team Rocket division of Passione one day!

Then Doppio hangs up and returns to the room, and Diavolo strategically retreats into the deepest recesses of his mind. He'll have to make an educated guess as to when to return.

"Sorry about that, uh... T-The Seekers just wanted to make sure I didn't run off by myself again." Flawless! "Did I miss anything, or are we ready to go?"

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For Doppio & Riku

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