Quest Town?

The flickering lights dissolved around them, revealing the clear blue sky above– free from foliage and shade. The entrance to the dungeon was behind the mercs now, and none of them had any intention of ever going back. The possibility that Virizion was in hot pursuit meant they needed to get going, and fast. Wordlessly, the group started making their way down the path.

Heavy adjusted the unconscious Pokémon in his stubby paws and huffed sharply. Both of their distorted bodies made carrying Sniper cumbersome, but there was no way Heavy was going to let that get in his way of helping his team.

Medic, however, was no longer able to continue holding onto Soldier. The German let out a loud breath as his Rufflet companion fell from his arms. “I need a break. This body… it isn’t fit for strenuous physical activity.”

“Not a problem, Doktor. I can carry both fallen comrades.”

“How exactly are you gonna do that, wise-guy?” Scout said while stifling a laugh. “Just look at yourself, man!”

Heavy cast a glare at the little Scout, but there was a point beneath his disrespect. His own two arms could barely hold onto Sniper, but Heavy wasn’t about to let that deter him. Summoning adrenaline and letting instinct drive him– Heavy yelled at the world around him while lifting Soldier up with his ears. The Rufflet was now being cradled behind him, and everyone else couldn’t help looking on with amazement. Scout’s jaw was practically on the ground.

“I uhh…” Scout rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I stand corrected.”

Engineer looked down at everyone while levitating in the air. He was wobbling– and jolted slightly to one side, but other than that he seemed to be getting the hang of it. “Where exactly do y’all suppose this ‘Quest Town’ might be? The note may have told us it was the nearest settlement, but it sure as heck didn’t tell us which way to go.”

“If you’re up to the task, try floating a little higher.” Spy said as he glanced up at the jittery Rotom. “Perhaps you will be able to spot some buildings or an obvious path.”

Engineer hesitated as he turned towards the sky. He steeled himself for a moment before aiming his trajectory upwards. It was a slow progression. The electronic particles around his body danced and twitched– and once he had floated up about an extra foot, his body jolted upward about four more with a sudden burst of speed!

Engineer was startled by his own body obeying the whims of electricity that he lost focus and started plummeting towards the ground. Medic dove forward to catch him– and the Rotom’s little body fell into the Audino’s hands.

“Phew! Sorry about that. Thanks, partner.” Engineer said as he gave Medic a nervous smile.

“What happened?” Medic asked with a tilted head, his ears jingling excitedly. “You looked like a streak of lightning!”

“Well, I was thinking to myself ‘I wanna float right around there in the sky to get a better look.’ And then, all of a sudden this little body sent me right there!” Engineer floated back up and out of Medic’s paws.

“Ohh! Oh! Try it again! I must see it again.”

“Shoot, I can try. No promises, though.” The Texan glanced back up at the sky, and after a moment of focus– he zoomed through the air. Being prepared for it this time prevented the Rotom from falling out of the sky immediately afterwards. “Hooo-wee! That’s fast!”

“Incredible!” Medic said as his tail wagged to-and-fro. “I think your body is grabbing onto the electrons in the air, flinging itself forward!” Medic rubbed the bottom of his chin and smiled. “A living creature who’s made out of electronic energy… you’re certainly the most fascinating ‘Pokémon’ of us all!”

While his companions chatted among themselves in awe of Engineer’s abilities, Heavy felt his grip slipping. His pride would not allow him a second to breathe, but his Bunnelby legs were starting to tremble under all the weight of his teammates. Relief washed over him when Spy loudly cleared his throat.

“Engineer, do you see anything that could point us in the right direction?”

The Rotom turned towards the horizon. “I don’t think I see any towns. However, I do see a cluster of tents in that direction.” Engineer tilted his body towards the South. “Looks kinda like a fancy camp-site.”

“That’s a start. Quickly. Our fallen need medical attention–” Spy noticed the Medic’s small pout. “–from creatures who actually know what this world’s medicine does.”

“Hmph.” Medic crossed his arms. “I’ll become an expert in this dimension’s medicinals in no time.” His Audio tail twitched as he strutted forward, and Heavy couldn’t help cracking a smile. The doctor made a pretty cute pink… bunny-rabbit… thing.

With a bird on his ears and a salamander in his paws, Heavy trudged along at the back of the group as everyone started heading towards the tents. Medic glanced back at him a few times, and each time Heavy flashed him a reassuring grin.

No one said much of anything for a good few minutes. They all seemed to be taking in the sights of the rolling meadows and sturdy trees– undisturbed by human development. Everyone was also a little awkward with the way they walked, given their bodies were still unfamiliar to them. Four Legs? Stubby limbs? Big heads? Thankfully there were no passersby to correctly assume they were all insane.

Demoman finally spoke over the silence. “That Virizion was a tough lass, wasn’t she?”

“I’ll say…” Scout shuddered. “She wanted me dead the second she saw me.”

“Hah. Perhaps she and I could get along.” Spy cackled.

Scout just rolled his eyes and looked at everyone else, walking backwards. He almost tripped immediately, but played it off with a sway of his Scraggy hips. “I turned the corner and spotted the way out of that weird maze, when she jumped out of freakin’ nowhere and tried to slash at me with that weird sword-light-beam-attack. Not even a ‘hey, who are you?’ I basically ran as fast as I could back to you guys.” Scout tilted his head up confidently, “which, might I add, is still really fast despite all odds.”

“She mentioned something about being a ‘Sword of Justice,’ I get the uncomfortable feeling that there are more creatures that are powerful like that one… and that they will want our heads.” Medic grimaced. He was just met with a large laugh from Demoman.

“Next time we have to deal with a freak like her, we will be masters of using these new bodies! Just look at Engineer and Heavy!” Demo gestured a paw at both of them. “Already showing how quickly we can adapt!”

Heavy let out a loud laugh from his belly, but was worried he wasn’t doing any good at hiding his exhaustion once Medic’s gaze fixated on him. To save face, Heavy quickly turned his head towards Demoman. “Don’t cut self short, Scottish man! After all, you were first to use new ability– poisonous gas.”

“Ha-ha! I guess I was, huh?” Demo’s Stunky tail waved happily. Scout looked over at it and chuckled.

“Y’know, it is kinda funny. Us all having tails, I mean. Well, almost all of us–” He glanced up at Engineer. “Really just puts our emotions out on display for everyone. No more secrets.”

“Hmph. I personally will not be letting a new appendage give away my innermost thoughts without permission.” Spy said while his tail twitched. The irony of that got a few laughs out of Scout especially, but Spy snarled at anyone who was amused. “I wanted you all to know I was annoyed.”

“Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Suuure.” Scout crossed his arms smugly.

“I see a trail!” Engineer called from above. “Leads right towards the place I saw earlier.”

“Ha! See you chucklenuts there!” Scout called as he started to run in that direction.

“Where are you off in such a hurry?!” Spy called after him.

“Gotta practice using these stubby legs! I can’t let them slow me down!” And, off Scout went without waiting for anyone.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. I can keep a pretty good eye on him as long as my sparks don’t quit on me again.” Engineer said with a smile as he glanced down at Spy.

“I don’t care what happens to him.” Spy growled. “As long as he doesn’t lead another powerful enemy straight towards us, he can fuck off and do whatever the hell he wants.”

The rest of the group continued at their regular pace, well behind Scout now. Heavy was still trucking, but a distance was forming between him and the others as fatigue kept pulling at his muscles. Medic glanced over his shoulder and slowed down so he could check on him, so Heavy puffed out his chest to continue appearing capable.

“You’re looking a little worse for wear, mein freund. You don’t really think you’re fooling me, are you?” Medic chuckled as he pointed out Heavy’s quivering hold on Sniper. “I’m sure I could handle carrying one of those bodies in your stead now. I’ve had a long enough break.”

“No. I am fine. I can do it.” Heavy huffed while re-adjusting the awkwardly shaped lizard in his arms. “There is nothing strong man like me cannot do. So, do not worry so much.”

“Under normal circumstances, I would believe you. However, you are currently unfamiliar with the physical limitations of your new form.” Medic reached out and rested a soft hand on Heavy’s arm. “Let me shoulder some of this burden for you. It’s clear to me that you need rest.”

Medic’s gaze was gentle as he looked down at his comrade, and their eyes met for a moment. It was strange– looking up at the doctor like that. Still, Heavy continued carrying both of their fallen teammates, pushing ahead to break away from the Audino’s concern. “I do not need break. We are almost there, anyway.”

“Fair enough,” Medic said with a sigh, shrugging as he followed close behind. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.”

The trail led straight to an enclosed area populated by peculiar tents and wooden structures. Heavy thought it resembled one of those odd American side-show carnivals, given all the bright colors and happy faces. Vendors with food and shiny trinkets lined the road within the fence, and the Pokémon trying to sell their goods were waving down anyone who passed by.

At the entrance to the weird little village was Scout, who was already talking to another creature about his size. It was a little yellow, brown and black hamster-looking thing who had a bag around its shoulder. Scout turned to the group and gave them a slick smile. “Took you fellas long enough! I’m surprised the sun is still up.”

The Pokémon he was chatting with giggled into her hand before waving at the rest of the mercs. “Hello, all! I’m Morpeko! Scraggy here was telling me all about you and your little group.”

Spy raised an eyebrow. “Was he, now?”

“We haven’t had mercenaries pass through Quest Town in a good while. We used to get them all the time, but–” Morpeko’s smile quickly faded when she saw the two fainted Pokémon Heavy was carrying. “Oh my goodness, you have injured folk! We better get your friends to the nurse as quickly as possible.” The little hamster girl started running down the path on all fours. “This way– I’ll take you to him!”

There was some slight hesitation amongst the group, but Scout confidently beckoned everyone forward. “Chill, guys– I’m like, seriously sure none of these guys are gonna attack us like the ones in the woods. They all just kinda… act like people.” Scout smiled. “Plus, that Morpeko chick seems nice. I don’t think she’d try to get us help for Soldier and Sniper if they wanted to mess us up.”

“We more or less have to trust them.” Engineer added. “And, she said ‘Quest Town,’ right? This is where we’re supposed to be.”

Spy nodded his head, “Very well. After the girl, then.”

As the group made their way through town, they received mixed reactions from the Pokémon staring at them. Heavy’s ears were powerful enough to pick up some muttering.

“Did I overhear Morpeko say they were mercenaries?”

“What a peculiar bunch… I don’t like the way they smell.”

“Do you think… They have a job here?”

Heavy tried to block them all out, but with such strong hearing– doing so seemed impossible.

Morpeko led the mercs to a white tent that had a sign with two Ekans twisted around a pole. “The nurse is just inside here… He tends to explorers and rescuers all the time– so I’m sure he’ll have your friends feeling fine in a jiffy!”

Medic huffed and crossed his arms. Heavy let out a soft chuckle. The doctor did have a little too much pride for his own good. Heavy couldn’t linger on this for long, though, as his body was now buckling under the weight of Sniper and Soldier. He quickly shoved passed everyone without a word to get into the tent first.

There didn’t seem to be anyone inside when Heavy first barged in, but a voice soon called from the back of the tent through a separating flap. “Hello! Hold on just a second, I can sense you… All! Oh my! So many Pokémon. I sure hope you don’t all need my attention.”

A tall canine Pokémon popped his head out from behind the flap and smiled at Heavy with sharp teeth. “Sit down and I’ll get right to you. I was just in the middle of cleaning up.”

Heavy flopped the two limp bodies of his friends down on the soft hay bedding sprawled across the ground. His Bunnelby body thanked him for this immediately as it washed over with relief. Heavy let himself sit down next to them and took a quiet breather as the rest of the mercenaries filed in.

“He calls this a medical tent?” Medic grumbled, paying zero mind to his volume.

Spy glared at Medic before also sitting down, but his attention was stolen by the straw on the floor. “Animal-like in some ways… but not all of them.”

“It is peculiar, isn’t it?” Medic said as he eased slightly, distracted by the implications of how civilized, and non-civilized, these Pokémon were.

“My apologies for the hold up.” The nurse left his quarters and looked around at everyone. Well, “looked” at everyone. His eyes were actually closed, and the weird dreadlocks on his head were floating. He mumbled something, barely above a whisper. “Well, well… what have we here?”

The way the nurse said it made Heavy… nervous.

When he opened his bright red eyes, he gave the mercenaries a short nod. “Welcome to Quest Town. My name is Lucario, and I’m the local doctor around these parts.”

“We know that, obviously.” Scout crossed his arms. “Why else would we be here?”

“Hah! Don’t be so hasty. Formal introductions are important.” Lucario made his way over to the unconscious Pokémon and squatted so he could get a better look at them. “Hmm… they don’t seem too roughed up– just fainted.” Lucario stood up and returned to the back of the tent. “Thankfully, I have plenty of Reviver Seeds. I actually just got a fresh restock. You’re all pretty lucky! Otherwise I’d have to keep these two in here with me all night.”

The nurse returned with two small yellow seeds that weren’t too dissimilar from what put Heavy to sleep– and the one that completely paralyzed Virizion. Spy leered at Lucario, his voice laced with distrust. “A ‘Reviver Seed,’ you say?”

“You don’t know what a Reviver Seed is?” Lucario tilted his head, smiling, before kneeling back down. He let out a soft laugh as he rolled the two fainted Pokémon onto their backs. “You know– they’re quintessential for adventurers of any kind, right? Heh, no wonder you have two fainted team members.”

A few tails bristled in offense, but no one said anything.

“Tough crowd…” The nurse mumbled as he cracked the seed and carefully placed it in Sniper’s mouth. After a few seconds of Lucario making sure it was swallowed properly, Sniper’s eyes blinked open. Everyone other than the nurse seemed pretty surprised by this.

“Eugh… what the…?” The Drizzile’s eyes grew wide at the sight of an unfamiliar Pokémon, and he scrambled to his feet in a rush. “Who the hell–”

Lucario just laughed. “Relax, relax! Your friends got you to Quest Town! I’m nothing like whatever wild Pokémon knocked you out.”

“Quest Town? Pokémon? What–” Sniper glanced frantically at the other Mercs, and Scout cut off any more of the Drizzile’s ramblings by placing a hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll uh… explain later.”

“Amazing!” Medic was no longer grumpily standing in the corner sulking. He was now squatting next to Lucario and inspecting the second Reviver Seed. “The mere consumption of this botanical brought him back to his feet!”

“Yep. They don’t have to eat it; the scent of it cracking actually works just fine. But, I’ve found that eating it leads to much faster results. If you’re outside of a Mystery Dungeon, it’s best to take the time to get your patient to swallow it– shell and all.” Lucario cracked open the second seed and placed it in Soldier’s beak.

“Could you… perhaps… teach me more about the healing properties of these seeds?”

Lucario turned to give Medic a bright smile, one that made Heavy… uneasy. “Of course. It’s wise for explorers to know all about these sorts of things. I’m surprised, though– Audino are usually raised to be medical experts, or at least know the basics. And, you don’t sound all that young.”

“Oh, believe me, I am a medical expert.” Medic nodded his head confidently, and a few of the other mercs gave him glares. Medic ignored them, however. “My branch of the science is just… different from yours.”

“Well, I can certainly help fill in the gaps for you then. If, you wouldn’t mind telling me about–”

The nurse was cut off by a loud Rufflet screech as Soldier flew up from the bedding and tried to attack him. The Lucario swiftly dodged the glowing wing aimed for his face, laughing all the way. “My, my! You’re a spunky bunch!”

“Sold– err–” Scout hurried over and tried to grab him. “Ruffles! It’s okay! This guy’s a doctor! He just helped us out!”

“Ruffles?” Soldier stopped flailing and shoved a wing into Scout’s chest. “The hell did you just call me, maggot?!”

“Rufflet,” Spy gave Soldier a stern look. “That is your name.”

“No it isn–”

“AH WELL, thanks for the assistance, Mr. Lucario.” Engineer frantically started motioning for everyone to head towards the exit. “We really ought to get goin’ now–”

“Ah, of course.” Lucario rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I hope to see all of you again.”

“Mhmm, mhmm.” Spy gave a dismissive wave while helping steer everyone out. The mercs that weren’t being shoved simply followed behind him.

Once they were freed from the nurse’s tent, Scout scratched at his neck. “Should a nurse really be telling us he hopes to see us again?”

Morpeko, who was waiting just outside, perked up at the sound of Scout’s voice. “Hey guys! All happy and healthy, I hope?” She smiled at Soldier and Sniper, who both fidgeted uncomfortably under the stranger’s gaze. “Now that this has been taken care of, Scraggy mentioned earlier you were looking for an inn? Did I understand that correctly?”

Spy nodded, smoothing down his fur so he didn’t appear so frazzled by their experience with Lucario. “We will be spending the night in your little town. However… we currently lack any funding.”

“Oh…?” This information seemed to confuse Morpeko, and she frowned. “Well… you can’t stay at the inn without at least a little bit of Poké. It’s only a hundred per guest, per night, but if you don’t have any money– that’s obviously a bit of a problem.”

“You got any ideas on how we could make some money, and fast?” Scout said as he tilted his head to one side.

Morpeko quietly thought for a moment, taking an apple from out of her shoulder bag and nibbling on it. Suddenly, she perked up, “Yes, actually! Follow me.” Once again the little mouse ran ahead of everyone, and the group followed after her at their own pace. Morpeko stopped in front of a building with a large board in front of it. “This is the Request Board. Pokémon from all over send in jobs, SOS letters, et cetera, and some of them get delivered here. I’m sure if you took on a request, you guys would make nine-hundred Poké in no time flat!”

Medic, Spy, and Sniper all leaned in to get a better look at the postings– Medic squinting hard without any glasses. Heavy tried to get a look as well. Some of the listings were simple delivery jobs, while others were about terminating criminals.

“My, what an interesting selection of work.” Medic said as he turned back to look at Morpeko. “Do most Pokémon make money this way?”

Morpeko nodded. “Adventurers usually do, anyhow. Though, I imagine as fighters for hire, you all don’t usually take these kinds of jobs. Exploration guild members and volunteer Rescue teams usually clean the boards of any jobs by midday, but I think Peliper just refilled the postings.”

“Guess we ‘ave to do this.” Sniper muttered under his breath, “which job do we even take?”

Scout shrugged his shoulders. “Something that pays enough, right? Preferably something easy. Don’t know about you guys, but I’m wiped.”

“Need any help? I’m sure I could pick something out for you!” Morpeko’s cheeks sparked happily.

Sniper looked down at the hamster Pokémon and tilted his head. “Hope this isn’t rude, but uh– who exactly are you?”

“Oh yeah. You two–” Scout glanced at Sniper and Soldier. “This is Morpeko. She’s been helping us out since we got to town.”

“Ah well, thank you Love, but I’m pretty sure we can handle–”

Pyro made a happy sort of squeaking noise as it ripped one of the postings off the board, showing it to everyone else excitedly. Sniper took the piece of paper from its claws and started to read the details aloud.

“Pokémon needed to protect a caravan on the way to Rockspire Pier from Quest Town. Valuable market goods make merchants vulnerable to bandit attacks on the road. Large teams of four to six preferred. Will pay three thousand for a successful transport, two thousand if any goods are damaged, and one thousand if you just get me to the port safely.” Sniper smiled. “Oi, this is kinda like–”

“It’s perfect.” Spy grinned.

“The client is a guy named ‘Kecleon.’ Says he’s waiting for help on the East side of town.”

“Oh! Oh! I can take you to Kecleon!” Morpeko stirred happily, her cheeks sparking with electricity again. “I know exactly where he is! Come on!” Without waiting for anyone to confirm or deny if they still wanted her help, Morpeko booked it Eastwards.

Left in the dust before following her once again, the mercenaries were guided by Morpeko through the bustling square. The same sorts of stalls and tents by the entrance were set up, some of them providing varying services. Heavy thought he saw some sort of fortune telling booth–

“It’s rather primitive, but at the same time surprisingly sophisticated.” Medic remarked while watching a few Pokémon drink tea at an outdoor café.

Heavy nodded his head. “They are like if little dolls came to life.”

The nine of them were brought to a stall with a large canopy above it that looked like the very creature running the stand. The purple chameleon turned away from what he was doing and looked down at all of them with a shop keeper’s smile. “Ah! How can I help you all?”

Sniper slapped the request down on the counter. “We’re here about your job.”

“Ah! Excellent, excellent.” Kecleon said with a clap of his hands. “With so many of you, this should go smoothly. I have a great deal of Wonder Orbs and TMs to get to Rockspire Pier, and word tends to get out when merchants transport such tremendous wares. Ho ho ho!” Kecleon hopped out from his booth and pulled on a rope that closed the tarp over everything, then waved his arm forwards. “The caravan is this way. Follow me.”

As most of the mercs started following Kecleon towards the back of the store, Scout gave Morpeko a small finger-gun. “Bye, ‘peko. See ya later.”

Morpeko blushed slightly and waved her paw. “Good luck!”

After they had made a bit of distance from their little helper, Spy gave Scout a coy look. “Are you flirting with a rodent?”

“What?! No! Shut the hell up!” Scout shoved at the Zorua, but the Dark Type just cackled. “She’s just the first actually nice one of these things we’ve met, alright? I’m just being polite.”

“You? Polite? Ha!” Spy’s tail twitched. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“Boys, could you fill me in on what the HELL is going on.” Soldier squawked, the feathers around his neck puffing out.

“Yeah.” Sniper crossed his arms. “You said you’d tell me later, and now’s later.”

Spy ceased his squabbling with Scout to look ahead at Kecleon, who was focused on getting the group to the merchant cart. Then, he removed a folded piece of parchment out from his fur. “Read this, both of you.”

Soldier snatched the note from Spy and started to unfold it with his wings. Once it was open, the Rufflet started to read aloud. “Dear Mercenaries, I’m sure you have a lot of questions you’re–”

“In your head, imbecile!” Spy hissed while gesturing his head towards Kecleon.

“Oh,” Soldier looked back down at the paper in silence. Sniper started to read it over his shoulder.

After a few moments, Sniper nodded his head. “Got it. At least, I think I do anyway.”

“I don’t get it at all.” Soldier frowned as turned the note on its side, as if this would help him understand it more.

“Just refer to yourself as ‘Rufflet’ and everything should be fine.” Sniper said while looking down at him.

“Okay! Will do!”

“And, here we are!” Kecleon mused as he introduced the wagon. “Everything is held nice and safe under the canvas roof. All you gentle-mon have to do is watch the parameters while I steer us to the port. Understood?”

“Seems simple enough.” Spy cocked his head upwards. “Believe me, we’re the men for the job.”

“…Hmm! Well, I’m inclined to believe you. Let me go get Rapidash and we’ll be on our way.” The Kecleon walked into a nearby stables looking building while the mercs waited outside. It didn’t take long for the reptile Pokémon to return with a large, horse-looking fellow right behind him. Their pastel mane and soft white fur made them look like a porcelain doll.

“Afternoon, Pokémon.” Rapidash flipped his hair. “I suppose you will be the strong adventurers for hire getting us to Rockspire?” He gave everyone a small glance over, growing more judgemental when seeing Spy, Scout, and Demoman. “I see.”

“Relax, won’t you! Morpeko led them to me. She’s an excellent judge of character.” Kecleon smiled.

“Hmph, sure. Aside from when she brought those bandits straight into town, of course.” Rapidash huffed as he gave Kecleon a disgusted look.

“Ahh, she was so little then!” Kecleon reminisced fondly, then gave his associate a dismissive wave. “Let’s just get you hooked up. I want to make it there before sunset.”

Everyone watched as Kecleon hooked the sapient horse to the wagon as if he were a feral stead. The mercenaries shared an awkward glance amongst themselves as Kecleon hopped up into the driver’s seat, which seemed frivolous when your horse could think for itself. “Are we all ready?”

Scout shrugged. “As ready as we’re gonna be, man.”

Kecleon gave the Scraggy an odd look before laughing. “Off we go, then!”