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Summary: Stella (A mew) and Mewtwo enjoy some swimming together, and happen across a fan of them they decide to help and hang out with
Themes: Breath holding, peril
My part of a trade with squirtlerocks07. Stella belongs to them.
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Bubbles rose up from the depths of the sea, as two visiting Pokemon enjoyed spending time exploring the aquatic environment together. One, a mew who went by Stella, happily blew some bubbles as she looked over to see how her partner was doing. Said partner, Mewtwo, was certainly having a good time as well, and nodded to Stella, telepathically letting her know his lungs were still comfortable, as were hers. The two had been out there for some time already, and while it certainly hadn't been all on one breath, it'd been on fewer than one might think.
For as long as their breath holding abilities would allow, the two would see what the seabed held. On the newest dive, the two had come across a school of magikarp that allowed them to tag along for a while, which they both did. It was an interesting experience to have so many fish around them, especially when they swam into the center and were practically surrounded. The bubbles coming from Stella and Mewtwo were at times the only way to tell the two were in there, and said bubbles would occasionally confuse the magikarp they'd brush against, one magikarp making a quick attempt to bite one of said bubbles, making Stella giggle out more.
As much as they wished it could last longer, Stella and Mewtwo were unlike the magikarp they were swimming with, and it was time for them to surface again. Carefully swimming out of the school, they waved goodbye before making their ascent, the two divers reaching and gasping air without issue. At this point, they'd been swimming long enough that they needed a bit of a rest, so they both made their way to shore and sat down on the sand while discussing which area to explore next.
Their chat was interrupted however, as they heard someone call out to them. A little wide-eyed turtwig was rushing toward them, clearly very much excited to see them! Mewtwo prepared to psychically hold her back as she approached just in case, but didn't need to as she stopped short of the duo. She explained that she was a huge fan of both mews and Mewtwo, and that happening across the two was practically a dream come true for her! Both Stella and Mewtwo were happy to meet her, and the trio had a conversation that eventually came to the subject of what the two legendaries were up to.
After hearing their explanation, the turtwig's excitement faltered a bit. While she knew how to swim, she'd never been underwater before, and had always been scared to. Stella and Mewtwo looked at each other, briefly telepathically discussing whether they'd be up for helping, since they figured they could let the turtwig tag along for a while... They turned back to the newcomer and told her they'd do what they could. The turtwig's excitement mostly returned, and despite her fear, she was ready to get started.
Stella and Mewtwo got up, the group heading to the water. The turtwig was at least okay with wading, and got out and put on some goggles from her shell that she always kept in case she ever felt brave, but quickly grew nervous as the water got deeper, stopping just before the point where she'd need to start swimming. Having been ready for that, Stella stopped right away as well, while Mewtwo took a moment, the former patting the turtwig's shell and offering some words of encouragement. Mewtwo offered to help the turtwig swim using his telekinesis, but she shook her head, not wanting to make her idols go through extra effort for her.
With just a bit of convincing, the turtwig got confident enough to start swimming, though she kept nervously looking below her. Stella and Mewtwo both kept an eye on her just in case, but she did well enough. Soon though, it was time to dive, and the turtwig's lack of confidence returned. Mewtwo let her know that he'd help boost her up to the surface if anything bad happened, and Stella told her about all the cool things this part of the ocean held, and the turtwig felt better enough that she wanted to try diving. The group did some deep breathing, and as Stella and Mewtwo both dove... The turtwig hesitated, almost seeming like she wasn't going to dive, but she tightly shut her eyes and gasped a breath before diving for the first time in her life!
The turtwig whined, keeping her eyes shut as bubbles trickled from her nostrils, before she heard Stella's voice in her head trying to calm her. Mewtwo's joined in, letting her know he was proud of her becoming more brave so quickly. Slowly opening her eyes, the turtwig saw the two legendaries smiling at her with puffed cheeks of their own, and she smiled just a little herself. Holding Stella's hand, she mentally responded that she wanted to keep going, and the group went deeper to show the new friend around.
Gradually, the turtwig was feeling better and better, eventually even letting go of Stella to swim on her own! While the turtwig wasn't too good at holding her breath, the two psychic types occasionally used their telekinesis to make and hold together big bubbles of their breath for her to inhale, which she did despite her not wanting to put the two out so much. The trio had fun exploring together, Stella and Mewtwo showing the turtwig some of the interesting things they'd found, including a cave they hadn't seen the inside of yet.
Looking inside, the turtwig started getting nervous again... Which wasn't helped by how stale the bubbles she was getting were at that point. The group agreed to head back up for fresh air, quickly doing so, and the legendaries let the turtwig know that they didn't expect her to want to go in that cave. But, they were wrong! The turtwig had gotten quite a bit more confident in her time with her favorite two Pokemon, and as long as they promised to stay close to her, she'd be willing to see what the cave held. Stella happily hugged them, and she and Mewtwo both agreed to help.
After some more preparation, the group returned back down underwater, wasting no time in swimming into the cave. The sunlight wasn't getting all that far in, and as it grew darker, the turtwig started having second thoughts... But as the group turned the first corner, the light returned, strange sparkling points lining the walls, floor and ceiling! The three slowed down to take in the sight, all of them surprised to have already found something so interesting. Of course though, the cave continued on, and none of them were going to be satisfied until they'd seen its end, so they swam on, glad to have light again.
Some time passed, the odd lights continuing to illuminate the path as if they were guiding the three divers. The turtwig inhaled an offered bubble, then another and another, her determination not faltering for a moment even as Stella and Mewtwo began growing a little nervous... But finally, they reached what seemed to be the end of the cave. The light sources were far more dense in there, and in roughly the middle there was a pedestal with something on it. When the three swam over, they found it had a gold necklace with a pendant that held a large diamond! They barely held back a gasp of surprise at the sight of it; it must have been worth a fortune!
But, all the money in the world couldn't fix a more pressing issue, as the three were beginning to run low on breath. With no air sources having been found in the cave, they needed to get out, and quick! Stella put the necklace on the turtwig, and they and Mewtwo bolted back the way they came. All three had nearly fully red faces... Maybe they should've been more careful, this was going to be close. With a quickened pace, they returned through the long tunnels, still occasionally giving bubbles to the turtwig despite them gradually being less help. The prior confidence the turtwig had was gone now, and she began losing bubbles in a stream before Mewtwo covered her mouth for her. She certainly didn't mind the help at this point, and told him and Stella not to hold back in helping.
At that, Stella and Mewtwo began using their telekinesis to boost the group along faster, carefully avoiding hitting the walls as they rapidly navigated the tunnels. Their faces had all gone blue, and giving the turtwig bubbles wasn't doing anything any more, so they all put their focus on escaping and holding their breath. Stella and Mewtwo both covered their mouths as well, and the turtwig whined in both fear and desperation for air, beginning to shiver a little from both.
Up ahead, there was a spot where the little points of light weren't there any more - the last stretch! They all struggled on, turning the last corner to finally get to see outside. Just as they left, their faces had gone purple, and the turtwig grew lightheaded, her body about ready to just start gasping... She tightly shut her eyes, trying to hold her mouth with her little legs while Stella and Mewtwo did the work of getting the group to the air they desperately needed. Mewtwo's mouth briefly opened to suck in, barely managing to swallow the water before it could get to his blazing lungs, while Stella started losing air in bursts of bubbles, unable to hold her breath any longer...
All three gasped at the same time, filling their starved lungs with... Air! At the last possible moment, they'd all surfaced together, their speed actually sending them out of the water entirely for a moment. They struggled to keep themselves from sinking back underwater as they all desperately gasped and panted, unable to talk either verbally nor mentally for the moment. It took almost a full minute for anyone to say anything, as Stella, still panting heavily, apologized to the turtwig for nearly drowning her. Mewtwo agreed, feeling awful for pushing her so far on her second dive ever. The turtwig didn't say anything for a moment, looking down at her necklace... And she smiled a little. Despite the danger, this had been worth it to her, which she made clear to her new friends. The three laughed, agreeing to be more careful in the future, and returned to the shore. THAT had certainly been enough diving for the day, even for the turtwig. But, the three still relaxed together for quite a while, Stella and Mewtwo allowing the turtwig to keep the necklace. The turtwig hoped this wouldn't be her last adventure with her two idols... And it certainly wouldn't!
But, that would be for another time.
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Summary: A yoshi explores an underwater maze, though it doesn't go so well
Themes (Adult): Drowning, snuff, long tongue
Won by Seabold
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Standing on a sandy beach, a nude green yoshi looked around to ensure he was in the right place, once again checking for the landmarks he'd heard of. A few note blocks around, some tall pillars of rock sticking out of the water, a circle of shells in the sand... Yep, this was the right spot. He'd overheard from some koopas a while back that allegedly there'd be a cave underwater nearby, one that had a power star at the end of it! Not only did someone have to keep that from getting to Bowser, the yoshi knew he'd get a good bit of fame for finding one of those... For that, he'd come prepared.
Sitting down on the sand for the moment, the yoshi opened up the small bag he'd taken with him, pulling out a couple weighted bracelets and anklets. His swimming skill was... Less than impressive, but with those he could pretty much move like he could on land, if a bit more floaty than normal. Clicking them into place around his limbs and making sure they were snug, he glanced into the bag again as he closed it, seeing the 1up mushroom he'd bought before making the trip. He really didn't want to have to use that, he'd be saving it for a last resort... But, if it came down to it, it wouldn't be his first time needing to rely on one.
Getting up again, with a little bit of difficulty due to the extra weight, he started toward the water, taking deep breaths both to calm his nerves and prepare his lungs. Apparently it was going to be like a maze in that cave... But, he had a breath hold of roughly 10 minutes, and he was sure there'd be ways to extend his dive down there. As he waded into the water and it went higher up his body, he stopped himself just before he would've walked off a point where the seabed dropped off to a substantial depth. This would be where he'd start... With some more deep breathing, the yoshi soon took in as much air as he could, and jumped, quickly sinking underwater.
As he descended, he took the time to look out at the ocean. This section of it looked great, quite a few coins around and some cheep cheeps swimming not too far away... When this was done, he'd probably be returning to explore outside. But, right now, he had something important to do, and as he let out a little grunt from landing on the seabed, the yoshi looked around for the cave's entrance. Sure enough, there it was, fairly close by! Wasting no time, he started jogging over, managing a good pace thanks to having had some practice moving around underwater with his weights. The sight of the cave was a bit intimidating, this was going to be his first time having a ceiling above him underwater... Reminding himself that it was going to be worth it, he went straight inside.
While he could see well inside, there wasn't a whole lot TO see; there were some plants around on the bottom and occasionally on the walls, but it was mostly sand on the bottom and bare stone for the walls and ceiling, and even the sand gradually gave way to more stone. Not really minding that, the yoshi pressed on, coming to a split path before too long. He looked for any sort of sign of which way the power star was, though he didn't come up with anything. Not really knowing what else to do, with neither path looking better, he picked a direction at random and continued. Gradually, it became clear that the place being called a maze absolutely made sense; there were quite a few twists, turns, path splits, a few crossroads... He did his best to remember how to get back out, and ignore a growing ache in his lungs.
Eventually, he was beginning to strain, about 4 minutes having passed. He started to consider turning back and refilling at the surface before continuing... And as he reached a somewhat larger chamber that was a dead end, he decided to do so, turning around to head back. But, just before he'd leave, he saw a glint of gold high up out of the corner of his eye. Was it the star? Hopping a few times to try to get a better look, he saw it was a collection of coins up on a high ledge. While that was certainly disappointing, coins would still be helpful. But, how was he going to get up there quickly enough that it'd be worth it...
Above him, some stalagtites jutted out from the ceiling, likely from a time where the cave hadn't been flooded. They looked just barely close enough to work. Tilting his head back, the yoshi shot out his tongue toward them, jumping to get just a little extra distance... And managed to securely wrap part of his tongue around one, beginning to pull himself up! It'd cost him a few bubbles to open his mouth, but he knew it was going to be worth it, and got himself onto the ledge where he reeled his tongue back in. With that, he smiled and started touching the coins. Each one vanished into sparkles with their iconic ding, and each time he felt the ache in his lungs be eased just a little. He'd always wondered how coins could restore the breath of people that collected them... But he was glad they did. With his lungs soon comfortable again, the yoshi hopped off the ledge to sink back down to the floor, continuing his search.
Minutes upon minutes ticked by, his lungs being kept mostly sated by occasional sets of coins. They were getting a little less frequent over time, leaving a lingering urge to breathe that was gradually becoming more intense. This cave was huge, getting back outside would take a while, and he needed to have enough breath left to make that trip if it ended up being needed... As he thought about that, he noticed he was starting to get an erection. That tended to happen when he'd held his breath underwater for a lengthy amount of time, and while he didn't understand why it happened, the feeling of it was nice, helping distract him a little from his need for air.
As he turned the next corner, he paused in confusion. He'd definitely been in that next section before, he was coming from an opening he hadn't previously gone down... Right? Fear started building up as he grew unsure of where exactly he was. He doubled back, trying to find a different way, but found that the way he'd came had a path he hadn't noticed before, and he didn't remember which he'd come from... He was lost, and steadily growing closer to drowning. The yoshi broke into a run, trying not to panic as he reminded himself there'd be more coins and that he'd be able to leave using the power star once he found it.
But, as more time passed, he started to lose hope. Some of the places he reentered were ones that had HAD coins, but were bare of them now, leaving no way to extend his breath hold. All the exertion and his pounding heart were burning through his oxygen quick, and eventually his lungs were burning... He had to cover his mouth, bubbles beginning to leak away as he gained a purple blush. He HAD to be close to his goal, he'd been in that cave for so long... The star was going to be his only way to get out without drowning.
Said star refused to be found. The yoshi's blush turned blue, and he shivered all over as he desperately tried to keep holding his breath... The next section of cave he rushed into had a coin he'd missed, and he bolted for it, but even that hardly helped. After just a little more wandering, he stopped, his cheeks puffing up bigger. This was it, he couldn't stop himself any more... He uncovered his mouth as it opened wide, a cloud of used up bubbles erupting from it, before water rushed in in their place. He coughed hard, a few more little bubbles being spat out, and took in even more water, drowning as he repeatedly gasped.
His eyes went wide as he remembered something important. Putting one hand to his neck to try to stop himself from inhaling - to no avail - he fumbled with his bag to get it open, needing to get at the 1up inside. He pulled it out, it slipped from his grip, and his repeated failed attempts to grab it properly were interrupted by an even heavier coughing fit that forced him to have that hand join his other on his neck, doubling over in pain and tightly shutting his eyes. When he managed to make himself go for the 1up again, he swatted at where he though it'd be, and found nothing... Frantically looking around, he saw that it was sliding away on the cave's floor! He couldn't lose it, or he was done for!
Trying and failing to grab the mushroom with his tongue, the yoshi started to chase after it. He was slower than before thanks to his attempted breaths of water, and was only just gaining on it, but it had to be enough... Trying to use his tongue a few more times, he found he was too dizzy to aim properly, missing it every time. He hiccupped, and dove for the 1up once he thought he was close enough... Missing completely, as it hit a rock in a way that made it abruptly change direction. Why did these stupid things have to move...
He struggled to his feet, but his chase was beginning to go even worse. Weakening from drowning, the 1up was gaining ground, starting to get away from him. He wasn't going to be getting it unless it turned toward him. Sluggishly grabbing a rock from the floor, he threw it to try to get it in front of the mushroom, but it barely went 2 feet from him. The hopeless, waterlogged yoshi stumbled to a stop, weakly breathing water as he blearily watched his lifeline slide away... His eyes slowly rolled back, and he lost his balance, collapsing onto his back.
His vision dimming, the yoshi stared up at the cave's ceiling, going numb almost all over... He felt a sudden pleasurable twitching feeling at his crotch, his cock spurting cum just from his drowning. Maybe he'd enjoyed this on some level... But, without the 1up, this was it. He fought to stay awake, for what that was worth, but soon his eyes were beginning to close... Barely able to notice another shining gold thing, he used what little was left of his consciousness to see what it was. It was... A power star. His last thought was of how close he'd been, as he drifted into a drowned sleep...
Not too long after that, the 1up was sliding back toward him, having hit things in exactly the right way to reverse direction. It bumped into his foot, making his leg spasm, but nothing more - that wasn't enough to activate 1up mushrooms. It reversed direction again from the bump, and soon flickered out of existence, further hammering home the yoshi's fate.
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Summary: An elephant girl stumbles into and explores the depths of an oasis
Themes (Mature): Drowning, prolonged drowning, can't swim
Won by ZantzuSui. Esh belongs to them
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Out somewhere in the wild, a sizable oasis sat, a sort of hub for the area with just about everything one could need. At its outskirts, a newcomer was arriving; an anthro elephant, Esh. She wore nothing but a headband, as was the usual for her, and after sitting down next to the water to rest she began to take in her surroundings. She was feeling a bit hungry after the trip to get there... Her gaze eventually landed on a tree with some ripe-looking fruit at its top, leaning out over the water. That would work, as long as she was careful.
After a bit more relaxing, Esh got back up and headed for the tree. When she reached its base, she looked down into the water below it. It seemed surprisingly deep, the ledge next to the tree dropped off quickly... While she couldn't swim, she still stubbornly believed this to be her best option. Slowly and carefully, she began to climb the tree, feeling it bend and hearing it creak from her weight. Surely the trunk itself would be enough to hold her, she'd just need to keep a good grip on it.
And, that she did, gradually making her way along. There were a couple times where she'd slightly slip, but this wasn't Esh's first time doing something like this. Eventually, sure enough, she managed to reach the top, and smiled as she began helping herself to some well-earned fruits. Eventually, she had to adjust position a little to keep going... And she slipped again, this time not managing to recover and falling off entirely! She yelped before gasping the deepest breath she could as she plummeted, and held her breath just in time before she splashed below the surface.
The elephant sank and sank, landing on the bottom of the oasis with a thud. Holding back a frustrated sigh, she sat up to observe her new surroundings. It was... Surprisingly pretty. Plenty of plants and fish were around, and the sunlight shining down clearly was making everything glimmer just a little. Maybe she could take some time to explore, instead of heading straight back for the shore? Smiling a little between her puffed cheeks, she decided that was what she'd do, getting up and beginning to slowly walk along the bottom while looking around.
Esh explored for a while, taking in the sights. While it wasn't as if this was her first time underwater, it WAS her first time in an oasis, and this one was an interesting place. Every now and then, a curious fish or two would swim over to investigate her, it likely being a rare sight for an elephant to visit the area. She didn't mind the company, and didn't pay them much mind. Gradually though, she was beginning to feel a need to breathe, and it was going to be a frustratingly long walk to get to the shore... But seeing how close to the surface some areas got, she likely wasn't going to have to go very far, though it'd take some climbing.
Heading over to a raised area that was an underwater plateau of sorts, she began her climb toward air. It was easier than climbing the tree had been, thanks to the water making her lighter, but it was still fairly slow. Bubbles leaked from her trunk with grunts of both exertion and strain from holding her breath so long, and her cheeks began to bulge a little bigger as a slight purple tint formed on her face. Still, she stayed determined, pulling herself up again and again, realizing she'd ended up quite a bit deeper than she'd expected.
And, eventually, she'd made it, and got up to stand on the plateau... Still a few inches underwater. Repeatedly hopping up and down would be annoying, but thankfully she didn't have to, reaching up with her trunk instead. It was long enough to get above the water, and she gasped through it, starting to catch her breath. Awkward as it felt, using her trunk as a snorkel was working well, and slowly her breathing calmed to a normal pace. Feeling fine again, and figuring she could continue her exploration, Esh gasped down another deep breath and let her trunk return underwater, hopping off the plateau to sink back to the bottom again.
This time around, she went deeper than before, wanting to see just how far down the oasis would go. Getting used to walking around down there, she was able to manage a better speed than before, carefully managing her movements so she wouldn't slip. Going farther from the surface didn't bother her, she knew she could make it back without much trouble. Eventually, she was at the bottom, and looked up at the surface. She'd guess that she was about... 60 feet from the surface. It was rare for her to be so far underwater, but always interesting when she did it.
There was still a fair bit of interest in that deep area, and still feeling like she had a good amount of time, Esh decided to check it out while she was down there. A few minutes passed, the elephant distracted from her slowly growing need for air... Until a heave of her chest brought it to her attention. She was still awfully far away from somewhere she could get air, it was going to take a while... She began to rush back the way she came, to return to the more shallow section. She tried to go faster, attempting a sort of awkward run, which worked for a few seconds before she slipped, falling forward and spurting out some bubbles from the impact. That certainly wasn't going to help her odds.
Having returned from the deep section, Esh covered her mouth and held her trunk as she looked for a nearby way to get close to the surface, her blush already going purple... Once she found another plateau similar to the first, she rushed for it and started climbing. Bubbles were continually leaking away now, her lungs beginning to burn as her ascent went annoyingly slowly. She tried to focus on the climbing instead of her lungs, not even looking up much to keep herself from panicking over how much distance may or may not have been left.
Said distance soon reached its end, as one of her hands reached the top! She pulled herself the rest of the way up, her blush turning blue, and after standing she wasted no time in releasing her trunk and raising it up to inhale... Which she did before she realized the surface was too far. The water she sucked in reached her throat, driving her into a coughing fit that spilled out all the stale air she had left, and she only barely stopped herself from inhaling again. The burning in her chest rapidly grew worse now as her eyes went wide, and she jumped a few times to try to reach the surface, her trunk still now quite getting there... Then, she gasped again, having reached her limit.
This time, there wasn't enough air to cough it out with, and the water reached her lungs. Gurgled, watery coughs rung out as Esh struggled, grabbing her neck, her face going a deeper blue... She couldn't just stand there and drown, she had to actually get air! Still choking, she rushed off the edge of the plateau, dropping back down to the bottom, and started heading for a different one that she could tell went higher. Each aquatic breath built up a dizziness in her head, and she could feel herself growing weaker over time. She was panting by the time she got to the next plateau, and let go of her neck to try to climb... With weakness spreading through her body, and her lungs full of water, she wasn't strong enough to lift herself with her arms any more. She'd have to reach the actual shore.
Abandoning climbing, she made her way along the bottom as fast as she could, though that speed was faltering. The elephant did her best to keep herself focused, staring ahead while taking slower and slower breaths, though her vision was dimming, her mind going fuzzy... Eventually, she'd calmed, slowly walking and not really looking at anything any more, her eyes lidded. She had to remind herself of where she was intending to go, and she was barely even breathing any more, watching something bright above her get closer...
Her head broke the surface, and water poured from her mouth and trunk. It took a moment for her realize what had changed, and as she audibly slurped air past the water sitting in her airways, she started coming back to awareness. Another coughing fit began, purging the water from her starved lungs and desperately gasping, getting out of the oasis' water and collapsing on the shore. Even once the coughing stopped, she breathed heavily, exhausted all over and feeling an ache in her lungs. No more going in water for now, definitely... After a while, Esh sat up, smiling a little. At least she'd enjoyed herself before she'd started drowning... But she could use a nap for a while.
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Summary: A rat freediver finds an aquatic society deep underwater, and needs air from there to get back, but they don't know what that is
Themes: Bubbletalking, near drowning
Won by Blik. Blik belongs to them
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Reaching the section of ocean he'd set out for, Blik stopped and kept himself on the surface as he checked his gear one last time. His goggles were secure, the wetsuit he was wearing that had a built in merfolk-style monofin was still comfortable, its battery doing fine... He was ready. The rat had heard that, below where he was, some distance down in the ocean there was... Something interesting. The person he'd heard it from hadn't said more than that, but he was eager to see what was there regardless. While he hadn't brought scuba gear, he figured he could just check out what was down below, and if it turned out it'd take a long time to explore, he'd return with it some other time. After preparing with some deep breathing, Blik held his breath and dove, swimming straight down.
As he held his breath, a ring lit up on the front of his suit, part of it beginning to slowly disappear clockwise. It marked how much oxygen he still had, and while its position made it awkward for him to check it himself, he obviously didn't need to - it was more for the convenience of anyone he'd happen to be diving with. Even though he was alone, he didn't see much reason to turn it off, it didn't have much impact on the suit's battery. Plus, on the off chance he found an intelligent aquatic creature, it could come in handy.
The descent continued, very few bubbles leaving the experienced freediver rat's lungs. Water pressure was gradually building up around him, and while it wasn't uncomfortable yet, Blik knew it'd be an issue if he went extremely far... With the seafloor not yet visible, it seemed like that could have a decent chance of happening. But, he wasn't planning on giving up unless it was excessively deep, he had to see whatever was allegedly down there.
After a minute and a half of more swimming, as the sunlight from above grew dark, lights were starting to become visible below. Not from bioluminescent fish, these were too bright to be that... Maybe there was some kind of underwater facility? That'd certainly be an interesting find, though one he likely would be in trouble for discovering. As he continued down, Blik quickly found out what it really was, the tops of... Buildings, coming into view. Below and around, person-sized fishlike beings with arms, going about their business... Somehow, it was an underwater town!
Smiling in excitement, Blik ignored the discomfort in his lungs as he continued toward the town - this was NOT something that he wanted to have wait! As he entered, the fish people gave him some looks of confusion, as he'd expected, but he didn't mind. Just above the seafloor, he swam along, bubbles more carelessly leaving him as he took in the sights. He definitely didn't understand their written language, all the signs and text around having symbols that were meaningless to him, though from overhearing snippets of conversation he could tell they at least spoke English. What an odd coincidence...
From what little he could tell, the town wasn't too dissimilar from one on land, having houses, stores, places that seemed to be for entertainment... He was definitely going to have to study their written language so he could get more detail about the place. For now, he decided to try talking to someone, hoping they'd be able to understand him through his inevitably bubbly speech. Swimming up to a clownfish person that was just as confused about his presence as most of the other people, he did his best to talk clearly.
"Hbli! Yoblur toblwn ibls reblallbly coblol!"
"Um... Thanks? I can barely tell what you're saying..."
"Yeblah, soblrry, noblt mublch Ibl cabln dblo ablout-" He was interrupted by a trio of insistent beeps from his suit, as the ring on its front was now just over two thirds gone. In all the excitement, he hadn't been paying much attention to how much longer he could hold his breath, and even missed his suit's first warning! At this point, he might not make it to the surface in time... Surely there was air in or near the town somewhere, right?
"Dbl-dblo yoblu knblow whblere Ibl cabln fiblnd aiblr?"
"Air...? I don't know what that is." Maybe it was going to be harder than he'd thought. He tried to figure out how to explain what it was.
"Ublm... Itbl's thble stbluff thblat's ablove thble sublrfablce, thblat doblphiblns brbleatblhe."
"...You're asking where you can find something, and you clearly know exactly where it is. I really don't understand what you're getting at."
"Ibl-iblt nebleds tblo ble clbloseblr thblan thblat!"
"Okay, that makes more sense... There's only one surface though, you'll have to just go up there for it."
Blik was starting to get frustrated, as his lungs were starting to burn a little. "Ibl nebled thblese!" He pointed to the bubbles he was letting out.
"Oh! You should've just said that, there's some bubble pools not far from here! I can take you right to one, I don't have much to do." The clownfish gestured for the rat to follow, which he did. While he was definitely glad to finally get a chance to breathe, it was clearly still going to be an annoyingly long swim to get there... He tried not to focus on how badly he needed to breathe.
After a while of swimming, the fish and the diver arrived below what looked like an air pocket, bubbles occasionally rising up from cracks in the seafloor and spilling from the already-full pocket. "Alright, here we are. Is this enough for you?" With a nod, Blik bolted for the pocket, finally surfacing into it to-
An alarm sound came from his suit. This wasn't air, it was gas of some kind! Breathing it would just make things worse! With only a moment of hesitation, he returned back down to the fish, who was clearly confused. "You don't seem any better... Did that not help?" Blik shook his head.
"Well, there's another close by, maybe that one will work. And I don't know whether it's bad that your face is turning purple, but that doesn't seem like an ability you have..." The two rushed for another pocket, and Blik started needing to cover his mouth during that swim, starting to get extremely low on breath, which what little remained of the ring on his suit made abundantly clear.
The second pocket was reached, looking similar to the first, and the rat went straight for it. Knowing he wouldn't make it to a third, he accepted the risk and gasped in whatever was there... This time, it was air! The ring on his suit refilled as he caught his breath, panting the surprisingly fresh-tasting air. After about a minute, he felt okay again, and after some more deep breaths, he dove back down to return to the fish, who smiled at him.
"You're looking better! That must be whatever that "air" stuff is."
"Mmhm! Reblady tblo keblep gobling!"
"Well, we've already been together for a little while, and you seem pretty eager to explore, so how about I show you around a little?"
"Soblundbls goblod tblo mble!" Now, much more casually, the two swam together. Blik had to carefully choose what to ask with his limited air, but he was still learning quite a bit from his guide, and enjoying his time down there. Next time though, he'd definitely have to bring his scuba gear.
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Summary: Niko (From OneShot), despite not being able to swim, crosses water to get to the Glen
Themes: Breath holding, can't swim
Won by WhoWantsAPizza
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Niko couldn't figure out how to continue on in the mission they'd been given. Far off in the distance was the tower they needed to reach, to restore the sun of the dying world they'd found themselves in... Yet it was past water, and they couldn't swim at the best of times, let alone while holding the oversized lightbulb they apparently had to bring there. So, they had to find another way, but they'd just hit dead end after dead end. One thing had looked promising - a boat with what looked like a robot attached to one part - but said robot was rusted to the point it wouldn't work, and the boat's oars were built into it, impossible to remove.
Stumped, Niko sighed as they sat down on the shore, looking out at the tower that looked impossibly far away. There HAD to be something they could do, they couldn't just let the world die... As their gaze started to wander, they noticed something. The waves in one section of the water were just a little bit different... They got up and went over to investigate. As they got closer, the reason it was different started becoming clear: It was more shallow than the rest of the water, maybe only a couple feet deep. It extended pretty far out, farther than Niko could see, and in the direction of the tower as well. Maybe it'd be their way across!
Wasting no time, they waded into the water, which was a little bit chilly but nothing they couldn't handle, and began what they imagined was going to be a long trip. They walked, and walked, and walked... It was a little boring at first. Slowly, the depth would change, increasing and decreasing, sometimes being up to Niko's neck and sometimes barely even reaching their knees. To help pass the time, they watched the light from the bulb play off the water's surface, making it shimmer and sparkle as they splashed their way along...
Eventually, it started to change. The depth was increasing again, with no sign of slowing down, and Niko soon had to tilt their head back and even stretch upward a little to keep breathing... With a sudden moment of bubbly sputtering, they stepped back a bit, realizing they weren't going to be able to stay above the surface if they went any farther. But it wasn't as if they had much other option, and they didn't want this long trip to have been for nothing... Niko sighed, took a deep breath, and stepped forward to continue, quickly ending up underwater.
They squinted a little to see through the water as they walked as fast as they could - which was still fairly slow. The bottom thankfully wasn't getting any farther from the surface, and their hat still poked above the surface a little as bubbles trailed behind it on both sides. Niko would admit, this wasn't particularly awful... But they did still wish they could just go back to wading instead. About a minute passed like this, and strain was beginning to build in the cat's chest. The bottom still wasn't going up, but they'd already planned what to do, pausing and jumping up. In the brief time they could, they carefully took a deep gasp to try to catch their breath before they'd sink back down. They could quickly tell, doing this was going to work!
The mostly-submerged trip continued, Niko starting to feel a little more confident about their chances. Trudge along the bottom, hop up to breathe every minute or so, then continue... They were thankful they had the bulb, its glow was making it much easier to see where they were going. Gradually though, they were getting a little bit tired from the jumping, and while it wasn't an issue yet, it'd be a problem if they took too long. The next shore was getting closer though, dry land finally in sight again... They'd just have to keep it up for a few more minutes, then they could relax and see where they'd be going next.
Before that could happen though, another problem made itself known. They could just barely make out that up ahead the bottom was going to go a lot farther from the surface, and this time stay that way for quite some distance. For that stretch, they weren't going to be able to just jump up to breathe like they'd been doing, it'd all have to be done in one breath. At this point, going back would take ages, and they'd end up just as clueless as they were before they started trying this strategy... They had to keep going. Surely they could hold their breath along enough. With a few more hops and gasps, and a little extra breath held in puffed cheeks, Niko continued forward to the deeper area.
As they began to leave the surface behind - hopefully just for now - they began being even more thankful they had a light source; without the bulb, they wouldn't have been able to see a thing, the already dim world's light not penetrating far underwater. They looked up to check how far down they were and quickly regretted it, growing nervous at how much distance was between them and the air they needed, as little bubbles would float up toward it. The cat wished they could follow those, and resolved to learn to swim once they were done restoring the sun.
A minute ticked by, and the breathless strain returned. Niko couldn't simply jump to breathe this time, they still had a while to go. They could just make out the bottom beginning to curve back up up ahead, but was it going to be soon enough? It had to be. Their chest began to heave, and they tried their best to speed up, occasionally letting out little bubbly whines. Another 30 seconds passed, and fear was filling the cat, beginning to be more and more concerned that they might not make it... They certainly wouldn't have made it back to where they started if they doubled back at this point, they had to keep going no matter what. Soon, they'd been underwater for 2 minutes, and they began to shiver a little from how badly they needed to breathe, a tingling burning beginning to form in their chest as they tightly shut their eyes...
It caught them off guard when their head went above the surface again, and they let out a loud gasp, panting and rushing forward to throw themselves onto land at last, the bulb landing safely in the grass with a thud. They stayed for some time, catching their breath and resting from all the determined walking they'd just done. Niko wasn't sure that had been the optimal way to go about getting there, but it'd certainly worked, and that was one leg of the journey complete at last. Ahead was a much different sight from the place they'd left, with far more in the way of plant life and even trees. Maybe this one would be at least a little better than where they'd come from... Eventually they got up again, grabbed the bulb - thankful it was unharmed when they'd dropped it - and pressed onward to continue toward the tower. They wondered what else this odd world was going to have in store for them... Hopefully that'd include a towel.
seabold, 
