9: So I’m a Riolu, Very Cool.

Cole – Riolu

 

“You who can now hear my voice… 

“Might you be… a human?

“Please… listen to my plea.

“We need your—HELP!!”

 

 

“…strange dream,” I mumbled as I slowly opened my eyes. I must be playing too much Pokemon—I dreamt of this Munna crying for help as she was being chased by a Hydreigon. Something about saving the world…

In reality, it wasn’t a dream. That fact hit me like a pile of bricks as I realized I definitely wasn’t in my room. Or in a bed, for that matter. No, I happened to be lying on the grass under a tree, leaves drifting down onto my face. “…what the… I’m outside?” I brushed off the leaves with my paw.

…my paw?? My eyes widened as I got a better look at my hand. My arm—no, not just that, my entire body —was covered in blue and black fur. “…you’ve gotta be kidding me… I-I’m still dreaming, right?!” Looking to my right, I spotted a very convenient river right beside me to look at my reflection.

“No way. No freaking way,” I whispered as I immediately recognized the Pokemon that stared back at me when I looked at myself. “I-I’m a Riolu?!” I had somehow been turned into the blue punchdog and whisked away to this forest in my sleep. 

“It… it really must not have been a dream… does this mean I’m in that… ‘Pokemon world’ right now then?” I seemed to be atop a mountain—I could spot a vast layer of trees below me. The wind rustled my fur, a strange sensation I wasn’t used to yet. I could hear the sound of water crashing down as a big waterfall poured down the river. The water divided up each plateau, and wooden bridges were placed around for people to cross. Some stray logs were lying on the bridges for some reason. Along the sides of the peak were what looked like various cave entrances.

 

A Shinx came running out of the hole closest to me. “Hah… hah…” Our eyes met, and she jolted back. “O-oh! Wait, you’re not a feral!”

“It talked…” I murmured as the electric feline ran up to me. 

“You’re not Dunsparce… hey, whatcha doing in a dungeon like this?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m clearly not a Dunsparce…” Heh, I’m so lucky I didn’t end up as a ‘mon as shitty as that. “Though… a dungeon?” I looked around. “This is far from being a dungeon… more like a mountain peak.” For one, a dungeon would be inside. And it’d be more dreary, more dim, more spooky. This place is none of those things. There was never any sort of dungeons in Pokemon—no, wait, is this supposed to be like those Mystery Dungeon spin-offs? I hardly touched those… seemed like furry bait to me. Though that sounds kinda ironic now, doesn’t it?

“Well yeah, that’s why this dungeon is called Stompstump Peak!” She laughed. “How’d you end up here?”

“Uh… I woke up here?” I shrugged. “Not sure how.” I contemplated on whether or not I should tell her I was originally human.

“You woke up here…?” she repeated. “What, did you fall asleep here? At least you didn’t take a nap inside the dungeon itself… still, it’s not safe to be dozing off in a place like this!” she scolded me.

“…right.” I decided to put it off for now. “So… why are you looking for a Dunsparce?”

“Oh, I’m on a rescue mission! I’m here to save a Dunsparce who got lost at the top of the peak!” she explained before opening up the satchel strapped around her torso. “Wait a sec…” She nabbed a flyer out of her bag with her mouth and laid it down on the ground.

“[D Rank] Please! I can’t seem to find my way out of Stompstump Peak! Please, help me!! — Dunsparce | Location: Stompstump Peak, top floor | Reward: 200 Poke”

“So… you’re doing this for cash?” I asked.

“What? No! I don’t care about the reward. It isn’t really much, anyway…” the Shinx said. “What’s important is saving the poor lil guy! It’s the right thing to do. He needs help!”

“Well, that’s true.” I nodded.

“…so, uh…” The Shinx sheepishly grinned, looking to the side for a moment. “This is a bit of a strange request, but… mind giving me a paw in rescuing Dunsparce?” She glanced at the top of the peak. “We’re only about halfway there, I think… I don’t think I can handle all these ferals by myself. Besides, I don’t think I’m allowed to take a request like this alone… especially since I’m not a rescuer yet. Kinda just stole the flyer and ran off with it.”

“Rescuer? But you’re already rescuing somebody. Wouldn’t that make you a rescuer by definition?”

“I mean rescuer as in part of a rescue team! I always wanted to be in a team… just couldn’t find anyone who’d be willing to make one with me, or let me into theirs.” She sighed. “I thought it’d be fun to play the hero… didn’t realize how hard it is when you’re alone. I think I did pretty good so far, getting through this place!”

“Was it… really that hard for you to climb a mountain?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah! Especially since this peak doubles as a Mystery Dungeon!” she exclaimed. “Anyway… can you lend me some help here, Riolu?”

I stared at the Shinx with a deadpan expression. On one hand, I just woke up in this video game world as a bipedal canine, and diving headfirst into danger this quickly is a terrible idea. Especially with this cat I don’t know. On the other hand… she could probably do me a favor if I help her out. She might be of good use if I get friendly with her. 

My reasoning was like this: if this was anything like the PMD games, then that means this must be the very first—or at least one of the first—dungeons in the game. That must mean it’s gotta be pretty easy. 

Besides, I shouldn’t worry too much about getting hurt. Pokemon don’t die, they faint. And I can defend myself pretty well—I took karate lessons when I was little. Never thought I’d be saying this, but thank God I ended up a Riolu. Those skills have gotta transfer over, no? And if not, I can adapt. I… might need to, after all.

“…alright. I’ll help you out.” I smirked. 

The Shinx gasped, tail flicking from side to side. “Really?! T-thank you so much, Riolu!”

“The name’s Cole Bennett.”

“Cole Bennett… that’s a long name,” she giggled. “I’m Swift! Nice to meet you, Cole Bennett!”

“…you can just call me Cole. Anyway, why don’t you lead the way, Swift? You know where to go, don’t you?”

“Yeah! Um, let’s check over there!” She pointed to the area across the river. “We’ll have to cross the bridge—ah shit. It’s blocked.” Our path was blocked by the big wood logs sitting around on it. One of the bridges must’ve been left unfinished—it looked like the same wood they used for them. 

“…uh, what’re we supposed to do about these?” I walked over to the blocked bridge.

“Uhhhh I dunno!” Swift simply shrugged. “Just push ‘em aside, I guess.”

I tried to move them, but they were just too heavy. I grunted as I pushed with all my strength. I could only get them to move a couple of inches at best.

“Try Tackling it or something!” Swift instructed me.

“Oi… why don’t you help me instead?” I looked back at her—she was just sitting there, watching!

“Ehh…”

“Agh, fine! I’ll do it myself.” Backing up, I dashed forward, shoulder pointed towards the wood as I rammed into it. I could feel something surge inside of me, almost like a boost of energy as I Tackled the pile of logs, knocking them off of the bridge and into the water.

“Hah… there we go. Hope whoever was constructing these bridges won’t be too upset their work’s now wet.” Their fault for putting ‘em there, though.  

I stared at the logs as they floated down the river, each making a giant splash as they fell down the waterfall to the bottom of the peak, getting caught by some rocks and stopping right in front of another cave entrance, conveniently forming part of a bridge. 

“…wait a sec.” I stared at the logs floating in the water. “Were we supposed to do that? Whoever left them here, did they intend for someone to just… knock them into the water so they could do that?”

“Maybe! We must be pretty lucky then, heh!” Swift grinned.

“That’s… incredibly stupid,” I muttered. Is this supposed to be one of those super-easy puzzles? I mean, this is a Pokemon game, right? I guess that’s par for the course. Looking at the logs again, I wondered how I suddenly mustered up the strength to knock them all down at once. Did I… figure out how to use a move already? Man, I must be good at this. And it’s only been, what, not even an hour since I woke up? “…welp, I’m not gonna question it. Let’s get a move on.” 

We headed across the bridge, which led to what looked like nothing but more trees. “Dunspaaarce! Are you here?” Swift called out.

“Wh-wha?! W-who’s there?!” A tiny voice from the top of the peak yelled back.

“Down here!” She looked above, where the voice came from.

A yellow and blue bug/snake/whatever it’s supposed to be peeked over the edge, looking down at us. “R-rescuers?!” he exclaimed. “Oh, thank goodness… I’m saved…” Looks like there was no point in crossing the bridge…

“Holy crap he thinks we’re rescuers–” Swift quietly cheered. “This is like a dream come true for me!”

“What kinda dream is that?” I asked her.

“Oh come on, Cole! Haven’t you ever dreamed of being one when you were a kid? They’re all just so cool!” She looked as if she had stars in her eyes.

“…no.” I just learned what a rescuer even was…

“Ehh?! You’ve gotta be pulling my tail…”

“H-hey!” Dunsparce yelled, getting our attention back. “C-can you come up here already? Please… I’m too scared to come back down.”

“Pfft- seriously? How the hell did you get up there in the first place?”

“I went through that center cave!” He gestured down to the entrance right at the bottom, the one across the river.

“…how’d ya even get there? There’s no bridge!” Swift exclaimed.

“I-I floated over the water with my wings! How else?” To demonstrate, the snake flapped its tiny wings, hovering about a couple of inches in midair.

“…wait, those are actual wings?” I mumbled to myself. I didn’t think they worked… “Oi, why don’t you float down then? We’ll catch you!”

“N-n-no way!! I’m too high up!” he shouted. “I’m afraid of heights…”

If you’re afraid of heights, why’d you come to a mountain range, of all places…? I thought to myself before shaking my head. “Ugh, alright then! We’ll come to you!” 

 

Just then, another Pokemon came running out of the exit Swift came out of. “Danny! Where the hell are you?!” An Emolga frantically ran across the bridge, his gaze bouncing around before landing on us. “Hey! You! Have you guys seen my friend Danny anywhere?!”

“M-Morgan?!” The Normal-type above us was surprised. “Y-you’re here too?!”

“Here to rescue you, dumbass! What were you thinking, going in here all by yourself?!” Emolga—or rather, Morgan—growled.

“I-I can explain—”

“Agh, save it for later! I’m coming for ya!”

“N-no! You don’t have to! Riolu and Shinx over there, t-they’re rescuers! They can come up to get me!” Danny the Dunsparce shook his head. “Y-you’ve bailed me out too many times, Morgan… I don’t wanna burden you even more!”

“You think letting some strangers do it instead’s gonna get me to stop worrying?!” Morgan then looked at us. “Oi. You two can go on home. Danny’s my friend—he’s my responsibility. I’ll go get him myself.”

“Uh, we’re not letting you do that! We, uh… we’re licensed rescuers, and you aren’t! Leave it to the professionals!” Swift bluffed.

“…where are your badges then?” Morgan raised an eyebrow.

“Uhh… they’re… at home?” the Shinx shrugged with a rather unconvincing smile.

“…you two aren’t rescuers, aren’t you.”

“Nope,” I answered bluntly. “Gonna be honest, she roped me into this.”

“H-hey!” She huffed.

 

The electric flying squirrel scoffed. “Even more reason not to trust you guys.” He ran over to the edge of the plateau we were standing on. “Welp, guess I’ve just gotta do it myself! Later!” He did a quick wave before spreading his wings and jumping off, gliding down to go through the route to the top.

“That’s… not gonna end well for him,” Swift said. “Oh well. Let’s catch up to him, shall we?” She started running back the way she and Morgan came.

“Do we have to go back through there? That’s gonna take a while, probably.” I looked around and spotted a rope ladder hanging by the edge. “Oh! That’s convenient too.”

“What’s convenient?” She stopped.

“Found a ladder. We can go down this!”

“How am I supposed to go down it? I’m a quadruped, ladders aren’t really designed with me in mind… Besides, it doesn’t even reach the ground! That’s why I had to take the long way up here!”

“Oh come on. Cats always land on their feet, don’t they?” I chuckled. “It can’t be that hard—these steps are pretty big, they look like they’d be easy for you to grab onto.”

“Er… if you say so.” 

---

It took a solid two minutes for the Shinx to climb down. “Come on, you’re almost there!”

“Holy shit I feel like I’m about to slip—” Swift was desperately clinging onto one of the ladder rungs, her fur standing on end.

“Just jump off! You’re close enough to the ground!”

Eventually, Swift mustered up the courage to drop—she mewled as she let go of the ladder, falling to the ground and landing on her paws safely. “…phew…”

“See? Not that hard.”

“Oh shut it, you biped. Imagine standing on two legs instead of four.”

“Don’t need to imagine, I’m already doing it.” I grinned cheekily, and she pouted. We ran over to the pile of logs in front of the peak’s entrance. They’re floating in a group so conveniently clustered that we could probably stand on them.

“We can make this jump.” Getting a running start, I leaped over the river, landing on the wood and stumbling forward onto the ground. I waved my paw, gesturing for Swift to follow me into the so-called dungeon.

 

The cave’s crags looked unnatural as hallways seemed to be carved out of them. Lit torches lined up across the walls in an orderly fashion, really giving off a dungeon-y vibe. 

Running into the cavern, I could hear the walls rumble from behind me, sending a chill up my spine. “H-huh?” I stopped and looked back at where we came in, and the entrance was sealed shut. “W-We’re stuck in here!”

“For now, yeah. You can’t leave a Mystery Dungeon the way you came from—we need to find the exit. We’ll most likely end up at the top, where Dunsparce is!” Swift explained.

Stepping forward, I gazed around. We were in a big room with corridors on our left and right. “…you weren’t kidding, this really is a dungeon… is there treasure in here?”

“Yeah! Of course there is! You just gotta be lucky. And make sure not to get mauled by any ferals!”

“I’ve never been in a place like this before… it’s a little eerie,” I commented.

“Yeah, that makes sense. Most civilians avoid these kinds of places like the plague.” Swift nodded. “…despite that, there’s an abnormally high amount of ordinary ‘mon getting lost in dungeons. They must really be into adventure like me!”

 

“Have you ever gotten lost in a dungeon?” I asked.

“Once. When I was very little. I forget what the dungeon was called, but it was deep in the forest… I wandered in too deep,” Swift explained. “I was so lucky to have been found by this pair of rescuers! I remember ’em well—an ice Vulpix and an Absol. Never got their names, though. But anyway, they were just so cool! I vividly remember watching them take down the ferals ganging up on me as I cowered in a corner. One minute the wild ‘mon were preying on me, next minute, boom! They’re gone!” She wagged her tail. “They didn’t even know I was there in the first place! They were looking for someone’s dropped parcel that just so happened to be in the same dungeon.”

“That sounds amazing.” I nodded my head before looking back and forth between the two paths. This whole rescuer thing is starting to seem cool to me. “…hey, let’s go this way.” I pointed to the right. “Right’s always right, right?”

“Pfft- sure!” Swift followed right behind me as we went down the right corridor. “…anyway, the reason I wanna become a rescuer is that I wanna be like those two that saved me. Rescuing people solely to rescue ’em. Not for cash, not for fame, not for anything except the satisfaction of helping a fellow ‘mon. You get me?”

“…I get that. It pays to help others, in more ways than one.” I smiled. Not only does it feel good, but most people will certainly return the favor. I scratch their back, they scratch mine. Give and receive—that’s how the world works. 

 

“GAAAH!!” A desperate and familiar-sounding scream came from down the path.

“Ah crap, is that Morgan?” I asked.

“Sounds like it… Let’s go help him!” Swift started dashing towards the voice, and I followed her.

Midway through the hallway, we spotted the Emolga frantically running from a trio of Sewaddle. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shiiiiit!” I almost burst out laughing as I saw the cocky flying squirrel now fleeing for his life from a pack of cute little bugs, of all things. But then again, they weren’t exactly so little—they all looked about the same size as him. One of them spewed out some silk at Morgan, landing right at his foot, sticking him to the ground and causing him to trip and fall spectacularly. “Ack-“

He tilted his head up and saw us watching it all unfold. “Oi! C-can you lend me a paw already?!” he snapped.

“Oh, right.” I took on a fighting stance. “Hey, bugs! Over here!” I hollered at the Sewaddles. Alright, first battle. All I gotta do is squash these guys. Should be a piece of cake, no? I reaffirmed myself as I put up my fists. I glanced over to Swift, who seemed to already be charging up electricity as sparks began to fly around her forelegs.

The three grass caterpillars stared right at the two of us, now ignoring the Emolga. They all attacked in unison—two spitting out more silk at me with String Shot, and another sending jagged leaves my way with Razor Leaf. I quickly avoided getting caught by the strings, but in the process, the leaves left cuts all over my skin, and I winced. 

Gritting my teeth, I rushed toward the one closest to me, gearing up for a kick. I punted that bug like it was a football, and I knocked it a good couple of yards back. Touchdown! (That’s how it works, right? I never played football before.)

Meanwhile, Swift shot out a Thunder Shock, striking another bug with electricity, frying it quite easily. “Woo! Too easy!” she exclaimed before running towards the final Sewaddle standing. “I got the last one!” She leaped at it and chomped down with her fangs, using Bite before it could even react. I could hear a crunch before the Shinx dropped the bug from her mouth. Not even a minute had passed, and all three Sewaddles were knocked out. Not dead, mind you—fainted. Told you Pokemon don’t die here.

…Pretty sure, at least. That last one looks like it’s oozing out bug juices. Gross.

 

“You okay?” Swift walked over to Morgan, helping him get the silk off his foot with her claws.

“…I-I’m fine… ugh, you really saved my ass. I didn’t realize there were so many of those things crawling around here.”

“It was only three though. And they were Sewaddle. You really couldn’t handle a bunch of bugs on your own?” I scoffed, crossing my arms.

“N-not if those bugs are all just as tall as you! They’re so big to a ‘mon like me!”

“…but they’re bugs.”

“…w-whatever!” he stammered, frowning as he got back up. “I’m gonna keep going. I can handle this by myself, y’all can just go back outside.”

“Uh, we can’t just do that? This is a Mystery Dungeon, remember?” Swift said. “And besides… it’s dangerous to go alone!”

“Yeah, after what we saw, I doubt you can just ‘handle this by yourself’,” I added.

He groaned. “Fiiiiine. You guys seem pretty capable anyway. For ‘mon that aren’t rescuers.”

“Not yet!” Swift corrected him. “I’ll be one soon! Just need to find team members, haha…”

“Welp, good luck with that, I guess.” Morgan shrugged. “Let’s just go already… my friend’s waiting.” The rodent scurried ahead, not stopping to wait for us.

“H-hey!” The Shinx ran after him, and I followed suit.

---

At the end of the hallway was another room with a very out-of-place set of stone stairs placed in the center, seemingly leading to nowhere. “…what the…” I mumbled.

Swift and Morgan didn’t seem to bat an eye at the mysterious inexplicable stairs, and they were already climbing them. Swift looked back at me, who hadn’t even put his foot on the first step. “C’mon, what’re you waiting for?”

“It… doesn’t lead anywhere.”

“Uh, yeah it does! This is the exit! This leads to the next floor,” she explained. Meanwhile, once the Emolga reached the final step, he seemingly vanished from thin air. “See?” Swift pointed at where he was.

“…ohhh,” I realized, before running up the stairs too. I was the last to reach the top, and once I stepped on the last staircase, I suddenly found myself at the other end of the tunnel. Light shone out from the exit, and I could see the Shinx and Emolga running up to Danny.

“Danny!” Morgan exclaimed.

“Morgan!!” The Normal-type looked like he was about to cry as the Emolga dashed up to him and gave him a hug. “A-and… Shinx and Riolu, too!”

“Mission accomplished,” Swift smirked as she stepped outside, reaching the peak with Morgan.

“That was… surprisingly easy,” I remarked, being the last to meet with the Dunsparce.

“I-I was so scared up here… and I didn’t wanna go back down, either…” Danny mumbled.

“What the hell were you even thinking, dude?! Why’d you wanna go up here so badly?” Morgan yelled at his friend. “You know how dangerous dungeons can be…”

“Personally, I thought it was a cakewalk,” I said.

“For you, yeah. For ordinary ‘mon like us? No way!” he huffed.

“I-I… heard there were these pretty-looking crystals,” Danny quietly explained, stuttering here and there. “I c-couldn’t find any on my way up here, though… I looked everywhere! But then I got chased out by a bunch of scary Bagon.” He hung his head. “It was stupid, I know… I just needed a gem ’cause… ’cause…”

“Because what?” Swift tilted her head.

“…erm…” He blushed. “…I’d rather not say.”

“…oh my Mew, I know exactly why,” Morgan grumbled. “This is about Virizion, isn’t it.”

“Wha— Morgan!!”

“The other day you were speechless when you heard she was coming to town. I know how much you like to fawn over her… dude, why does everybody like her so much?? I mean, she’s hot, but damn! She’s out of everybody’s league! There’s no point if she won’t even notice you!” the Emolga ranted.

“I-I-I…” he sniffled. “I just wanted to give her a crystal… I thought she’d certainly notice something like that! Then maybe… maybe we could be friends!”

“…is that what this is about? Seriously?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Y-yes! I’m serious! I wanna be friends with Virizion! I thought I could impress her if I showed her a cool gem I found in a dungeon… I could prove that I could probably be a strong rescuer like Riolu and Shinx here if I was on a team.”

Swift gasped. “A team, you say? Well, lucky for you, I’m looking for ‘mon to form a rescue team with right now!”

“Y-you are?!” Danny looked at Swift. “…wait, does that mean you guys aren’t actually—”

“That’s beside the point. Look—we got four ‘mon already! Me, Cole, you, and Morgan! That’s just enough to register!”

“Woah woah woah, I never agreed to that!” Morgan exclaimed. “Are you really gonna form a team with a bunch of people you just met?”

“Well, what other choice do I have? I don’t know anybody else…” She sheepishly chuckled.

“I-I’m in for sure!” the Dunsparce said, his wings fluttering. “Morgan, come on! I-I think we’d do great together!”

“…ugh, fine… if you’re gonna do it, then so will I!”

Swift then looked at me. “Cole? What do you think?”

I stared back at her, then crossed my arms as I pondered. Right now… my only goals are figuring out what that dream meant and getting back home somehow. And I’m nowhere close to reaching either. “…sure. I’m in too.” I decided to stick with these people for now—they’re my best bet at getting any sort of lead right now. I wanna get back home ASAP—I have a life to get back to! But a goal like that requires baby steps to get to. At least keeping goals is motivating. Having a goal in life gives me the drive to keep pushing forward, even if things are bleak.

Swift’s eyes lit up. “Then it’s settled! From now on, we’re a team!”

“Not officially. Still need to register at the HAPPI office back in Post Town,” Morgan corrected her.

“Yeah, yeah. But we’re a team right now! We’ll be called… erm…” Swift paused. “…we’ll figure it out later!”

“It better be something cool.” He scoffed. “Well anyway… got an Escape Orb?”

Swift peeked into her bag. “…uhhhhhh…”

“Please tell me you have one.”

“…I knew I forgot to buy something from Kecleon!”

“Oh, brother…” he grumbled.