Chapter -19: Captivating Curiosity

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Some Time Later on the Road…

This…was taking waaaaay too long! Clearly we both saw it. Yet here I was, wondering how Patra remained unphased by this long, long time of…walking!

I let out a heated sigh before asking once more, “You sure you don’t want me to just carry you to the village? It’ll be-“

“Yes I’m sure.” Patra snapped back with gritted teeth, “VERY sure!”

I groaned back. “But come onnn! It’s faster and less…boriiing!”

Again, Patra said, “I said no! No means no!”The Shinx only laughed in response, “Ha ha aha ha, ha, HA! First off, not everyone wants to run all the time.” She then waved her front paws, “Secondly, jungle boy, I have paws, no hands.”

Patra then let out a sigh, seeing me as the dumb one before continuing the pace as normal.

Surely, she saw some point in the time passing. So again, I offered! “You could just ride on my back you know?”

“No!” she said adamantly…somehow!

Good gods! And I thought I’m the stubborn one!

I glanced up at the sky again. Yep…Late Daylight. Only a matter of a few hours now. “It’s gonna get dark soon,” I said to her.

“Not much we can do about that, but keep moving,” Patra sternly responded, “Of course, you could just go home and not bother with this so-called ‘waiting.'”

Afterwards, the Shinx muttered to herself, pouting at this whole situation. “…How does this guy have this much energy?…”

“Well anyways,” I chimed in, “I said I would come with you. End of story. And to think, a mystery dungeon is nearby, and here we are, taking a boring road,” I commented.

Suddenly, the kitten stopped abruptly and turned around. “Hold up! What did you say?”

“We’re taking a boring road,” I repeated.

The Shinx shook her head. “Nonono, before that!”

I blinked for a moment, unsure of what to say. The only thing was… “…There’s a mystery dungeon nearby?”

Of all things, that was what made Patra’s face brighten up, and quite a bit actually. It was a scary look, something I had only previously seen in drawings.

“Where is that dungeon?” she asked suddenly.

My paw quickly pointed towards the south-eastern direction. Amidst the wall of mountains, I knew of an entrance. Wasn’t sure how deep it went, but it wasn’t boring at least. That much I knew.

 

Seeing the mountains, the Shinx pondered for a second before saying, “That’s…in the direction of the village.”

“What?” I blurted out. What luck!

She turned her attention back to me, “I don’t remember anyone mentioning a dungeon. Not there.”

I scratched my head with uncertainty. “Well, it’s kind of hidden…”

“How do you know about it?” Patra asked.

“Uncle Zarude and I occasionally went there when I was younger,” I answered.

“You sure about it?”

I hesitated for a moment or two, but afterwards, I nodded. “Yeah, I remember using that road plenty of times; I wouldn’t forget it.”

The Shinx then showed an unsettlingly evil smile before spouting some unexpected words, “Take me to this mystery dungeon.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go to the mystery dungeon,” she declared confidently. 

I stuttered for a bit, just shocked at the sudden change of mind.

But then Patra pressed the statement further. “It’s not dangerous, is it?”

I really didn’t remember. It had been too long. So I simply said, “Uhh, I don’t think so. Just a few Rock-Types we can avoid. I think?”

Despite my shaken words, Patra shrugged. “Good enough. Let’s go.” She began walking toward the mountains without another wasted moment.

“I guess you’re right-…hold on, what?” I stared at the Shinx and hesitated, likely from the confusion of it all…I think…

Patra eventually glanced back at me with a bold smirk. “We’ll be fine! You’re bored, aren’t you?”

I was lost, so lost. A shrug of my own was the only response I had left.

“”Then let’s go already,” the Shinx said, continuing on her merry way, “You seem well-equipped for the job anyways. Plus, it can serve as a nice shortcut to the village.”

That…How would she know that?

That…was a guess.

Never mind that, it was a bold chance for adventure. I smirked and nodded along for this new ride. And so, we ventured to the mountain range where our supposed shortcut awaited us.

 

After a few moments, I smirked and nodded. And so, we then ventured to the mountain range where our shortcut awaited us.

---

Northern Freedom Mountain Range:

Old Entrance

We made our way to a small and shaded entrance area that led to the mountains. The plant life on both sides of the road looked a little…bushy, and it covered a lot of the path. The dirt was barely visible too. Despite the hot air, the wind kept roaring and roaring without stopping!

“A bit of an ugly road,” Patra commented, “You sure this leads to a mystery dungeon?”

While things changed quite a bit, I still recognized the area. The wall of rock and that shady corridor were still up ahead. And oh right! That stone archway…Ok, it was a little broken down since the last time, but it was there.

I replied, “Yeah, this is definitely the place. Sure, the place got a bit messy, but it’s just been a little while that’s all.”

Patra peered at one of the nearby stone pillars as a piece of it fell to the ground. “A little while huh.”

I chuckled nervously. “Hehe, I guess some cleanup is in order. But that’s for another time.”

Patra shook her head and sighed. “Say, you mentioned this Uncle Zarude of yours. Who’s that?”

I turned to look at Patra, but just as I was about to answer, a thought popped into my head. The rule. The very strict rule.

“They cannot know we exist.” That was what Uncle Zarude said to me so many times.

So of course I couldn’t just tell her! But if I don’t answer then…

However, something else came to mind. I wasn’t quite a worthy legendary yet.

The Shinx gave me an impatient look as she waited for an answer.

I smiled awkwardly before replying with a laugh, “Well, he’s Zarude. We’re kind of our own species. Rare ones you don’t really see in these parts.”

Patra was quiet at that, seeing through the clear effort in dodging the question. After a long moment, she made the next move in asking her own question. “Is your ‘uncle’ by chance another yellow cat?”

The question caused me to burst out in laughter. “Ha! Haha! N-No! He’s a…more like uh…” I tried to imitate his crouching posture. “…Uh Like this?”

Patra’s mouth hung open as she stared at the bizarre posture.

“So…like umm, an Infernape?” she hesitantly asked.

My legs started shaking at this point, so I quickly answered, “Yes! Like that! Whatever that is.

“Ummm, you can stop now,” Patra said.

“Thank you!” I exclaimed as my knees gave out.

 

After that short exchange, we entered the corridor.

 

---

Northern Freedom Mountain Range:

Lower Canyon

The floor? Still as rocky as ever. My nose bounced and twisted. It made me want to cough with how dusty this place felt. No wonder we never came back here…

It was still strange. Clear daylight skies above us, yet the place was very dark with shade.

But either way, we made our way through the place with mostly no trouble.

That was until some stupid mistakes were made!

In one of the rooms, we found a small cluster of items. Easy claim, but that was something of a warning sign. We had to be cautious.

*Click!*

Patra ran right toward the items without a care! Treasure was all she had in mind. And that click was a trap! A Pokemon Trap.

In an instant, the items were suddenly replaced with dungeon ferals. Two Pidgeys and a Geodude were now ready to attack the perpetrator of this warping, Patra.

“Not again,” I groaned as I ran to aid the Shinx. 

She ran back to me in a panic. “Okay! That’s new!”

“Gotta watch out for traps!” I said.

The Shinx scowled. “Could have said that earlier!”

I scratched my head while staring at the Geodude. “Well, I said it now! And uhhh, I’ll go get the Geodude!”

The kitten turned toward me as I ran toward my target, “Wait, wha-”

She said some other warning words, but I was already on the attack. With a twirl of my arm, the vine on my wrist lashed out with energy toward the Rock-Type.

It whacked the Geodude, creating a super effective hit that sent it to a nearby wall.

I checked on Patra, and she seemed to be doing fine with dodging some Gust attacks from one of the birds.

I muttered. “…Wait, one of them? Where-“

*WHOOSH!*

My feet were lifted off the ground and I suddenly started spinning. “Whoa! Whoa! Whooaa!

In a short series of events, I hit the ground hard and then a beak slammed itself into my back.

 

Afterwards, Patra gave me an unneeded shout as I got up. “Just use an Electric-Type attack!”

The Pidgey mockingly pecked at the back of my head as I took a glance at Patra’s situation.

The Shinx was busy jumping against the other Pidgey with her spark-covered body. With a crackling thud, she crushed the wild pokemon with ease.

She then stood over the knocked-out Pidgey and stared at me with an equally mocking look.

I frowned and Power-Up Punched the other Pidgey out of the air behind me.

Patra flinched from the sound of my attack, but still stood her ground, wondering what I was going to do next.

I peered over at the Geodude that was now picking itself up. I ran away from the wall before charging a vine up.

Giving no chance to the Geodude, I quickly wrapped the vine around it from a distance. I lifted and pulled the rock around in a circle until eventually slamming it into the ground! And then again and again and again, slowly making my ways toward the downed Pidgey.

I spun several times before finally smashing the Geodude onto the Pidgey, knocking both of them out at the same time. The battle was now over.

Afterwards, I caught my breath as I noticed a shaken feeling in my arms.

“Th-That’s…one way to do it,” Patra stammered with a hint of surprise.

 

I crossed my arms and glared at her in silence.

Patra rolled her eyes. “I’m just asking, why didn’t you use your electricity?”

Of course it had to be that question. I pouted and groaned before saying behind my teeth, “I don’t have any.”

My answer baffled the Shinx. How would this stranger not know? Electricity is natural for his kind, surely. That’s what she thought.

I followed up. “If I did, you would be seeing a lot more sparks from me.”

Patra’s mouth remained open as she squinted her eyes. “I…can’t believe what I’m hearing! Ahahaha!” The Shinx laughed for a short bit before continuing. “Ha ha…and how old are you?”

I turned away and answered, “…Nine…Uncle Zarude says I’m basically nine.” 

My response only made the kitten laugh harder. 

I winced, noting the hint I may have embarrassed myself.

 

Patra indulged for a long while until I had enough.

I sighed. “Are you done yet? If so, can we leave?” I pointed to the fallen ferals. “Preferably before those guys wake up?”

The Electric-Type finally after a few more moments and we proceeded onward.

 

---

Northern Freedom Mountain Range:

Eastern Cave System

We entered a series of dark caves. The air suddenly got still and tasted stale.

Considering the darkness, I asked. “Say, could you do that flashy glowing thing from earlier?”

She just gave me a frown before saying, “I’m sorry. Last I checked, I’m me! Not your personal lantern!”

So we had to make do with the dim light reflected from…well anything our eyes could see. Luckily, it wasn’t long before we came across a lucky find in one of the rooms, two small gems, a red one and a yellow one.

 

The gems immediately caught our greedy little eyes as we rushed in. Thankfully, nothing else was around, so there was reason to just let ourselves celebrate, grabbing both gems with little finesse.

“Jewels, I’m rich!” she declared. “What a find! Hahaha!”

“Lucky is right,” I commented. “…but what do you mean by rich?”

My question caused the kitten’s jaw to drop in disbelief. “Oh my gosh! ‘What do you mean by rich?’ I mean lots of money! Haven’t you ever heard of that?!”

Patra let out a long, long sigh. “Wow, just wow.”

 

I casually strolled toward her while shrugging. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it sounds good. Either way, you found two Emeras.”

Patra held the jewels close to herself with a serious expression. “Oh no no no no nonononono no! Knowing your clumsy butt, you’ll probably break them.”

I slowly scratched my cheek. “Well I mean-“

“So, what are these emeras?”

“That’s something a little complicated.”

“Just spill it,” she demanded.

It was hardly a big secret if I remembered correctly, so I told her about them. “Okay, Emeras are these jewels you can find in dungeons. And yeah, they’re pretty. But, you can use them to power yourself up for a little while, as long as you’re in the dungeon anyways.”

Patra made a brief glance at the gems before asking, “Cooool, so these look great and power you up? How do they work?”

I crossed my arms. “Well ummm…”

“What?” she said, tilting her head.

“Maybe it’s better to show you, can you hand the yellow one over?” I held my hand up expectantly.

“…Suuuure,” Patra said reluctantly, handing over the yellow Emera and bagging the other one.

I held out the emera in front of the Shinx. “Okay, in order to access the power…” I then clapped my hands together and crushed the jewel. Within seconds, the jewel’s energy invigorated me; I felt physically stronger. “You crush it against yourself! Just don’t inhale the dust.”

I glanced at Patra, who was now giving me a shocked and disturbed look.

“Uhhh, Patra?”

 

The Shinx’s expression contorted into a glare of wrath, complete with an unnerving hiss and grinding teeth.

In blinking moments, Patra pulled out a set of rocks before shouting, “You idiot!” She then started tossing rocks in rapid succession at me. As I got pelted, the kitten furiously rambled. “That right there! That is exactly why I didn’t want to trust you with those jewels! Do you have no concept of value?!”

I stumbled backwards. “H-Hey! Can you let me finish- Ouch!” I dropped to the ground after getting hit on the head; the rocks stopped coming after that.

I noticed Patra had put away the rocks in a huff. “You better have a good reason for doing that. Tell me right now or so help me, I’ll feed you to the next Onix we see!”

I picked myself up. “I…don’t think there were any Onix the last time I came here.”

Patra’s face was red with fury at that point..

“I- I mean- As I was saying, crushing an Emera with your body allows the power within to flow through you.”

“That seems like such a waste though!”

“Well they can’t be taken out of dungeons,” I stated while shaking my head. “It’s use them or lose them.”

Patra shook her head and laughed. “Ha haha ha! That makes no sense.”

“But it’s true though! I tried taking a few out once and they all turned to regular old dust when I left the dungeon. Left me sneezing for weeks when it happened!” I pointed to her. “If we find another, I’ll prove it to you.”

“If we find another one,” Patra scoffed.

I turned away and sighed. “Ehhh, you might prove it to yourself at this rate.”

And then the back of my head got hit by yet another rock.

---

After several more corridors, we came across a clear room of treasure.

I promptly held out my arm just in time to stop Patra from making a repeated run. “Ha ha, no. We’re not making that mistake again.” I remarked before readying a stance.

“Now watch and learn.”

Those were some famous last words when a trap triggered after a few steps to the side. A poor Electric-Type kid like me, hurled through the air by a Catapult Trap and right onto another Pokemon Trap.

 

I groaned as the five items were replaced by a pack of Rockruffs.

“Watch and learn, he says!” Patra mockingly sounded out.

I could barely get away from a couple of the pups as they tried to bite me.

Patra tossed more rocks, all the while taunting the ferals. “Come on you mutts! You know you want a piece of me. You eat cats like me for breakfast!”

“Quick! Use your emera, Patra!” I shouted to her.

“Seriously? Now of all times?!” she snapped back while tossing another rock.

A bark sounded out.

I promptly rolled to the side and back onto my feet. A quick glance was all it took to know that one of the pups tried to tackle me.

“It’s red!” I shouted back before jumping over another Tackle attack. “Using it will increase your defenses!”

I then yelped after sharp pain struck my tail. A strong force tugged on my back, forcing me off my feet.

Two of the pups were biting on my tail and dragging me backwards.

Another Rockruff hopped a bit before eagerly charging at me with a bite.

But I kicked my right foot at the mutt’s mouth and sent it away.

Then I remembered the yellow emera I crushed. I planted my left foot into the dirt and pulled on my tail.

The two pups growled before pulling and biting even harder.

I worked through the pain and let the added strength say my words. I spun around and lifted both mutts in the air. Those two biters were flailing their legs just before I slammed them onto the Rockruff I kicked earlier. I didn’t knock them out, but I dealt some damage.

Catching my breath, I briefly glanced toward Patra, who was having some trouble of her own.

Her Thundershocks were barely working at all against the two pups she was facing. The sparks only made them flinch as they bounced off.

Patra wasn’t throwing rocks anymore and ran for the corner.

“Darn it!” I called to Patra once more. “Just use the Emera!”

“Hah hah…F-Fight your own battle!” the Shinx wearily replied.

 

Growls and grunts made their way to my ears.

I readied the vines on my wrists just as the recovered pack rushed toward me.

I took a breath and let out a strong Snarl to halt their attempt.

My vines charged up after that and I lashed them against them all. One strike after another as viciously as possible. Eventually, I ended this frenzy with a launching Powered-Up Punch on the last guy.

All three of the ferals seemed to be knocked out, and that much was a relief for me. However, the other two were still on my mind.

I then heard the sound of glass breaking followed by a wind-like whistle. Only one type of action I knew was associated with that series of sounds. Patra used the Emera at last.

Without another moment of hesitation, I ran toward where Patra was to find one of the pups on the ground. The other one was in the middle of tumbling Patra like a rough boulder.

One of my Quick Attacks was enough to close in and kick the blasted Rock-Type away.

I briefly glanced at Patra, who didn’t seem too bruised from the attacks she suffered.

With that assurance, I stepped toward the remaining pup and lashed out with a flurry of strikes with my vines.

Though…the arm movements were rather worn down. No technique involved there.

Regardless of the multiple whiffs, the pup was thoroughly knocked out.

After a moment of waiting, I heard a whimper from behind.

 

Rockruff, the one I thought Patra knocked out, managed to stand up.

In my heavy-breathing state of fear, I ran toward the limping Rock-Type and tossed it into the air with one of my vines. I lashed the vines at it as much as I could, despite the yowling.

The numerous blows hardly did much. So, I opted to at least push it away with another Power-Up Punch, but…I was too tired. I ended up throwing a pointless punch instead.

Though even in my weary state, I couldn’t forget the expression that pup gave to me just before I struck, a look of genuine fear. It left me bewildered.

Regardless, it was enough to pull my punch even more.

The blow to its belly sent the Rockruff a much shorter distance than intended.

I was exhausted and confused. I couldn’t move and honestly thought I was done for.

Yet, the pup didn’t do anything. It just stared back for a moment before sprinting into the corridor behind it.

But why? That didn’t make any sense. I was basically done for. I was easy prey, wasn’t I?

But who was I to complain?

 

Seeing the pup leave, I sighed in relief. “Th-…Thank goodness that’s over,” I muttered. My knees buckled and my arms went limp.

I heard Patra’s voice. “Hey! Are you okay?”

I weakly asked her, “C-Can you give me an Oran…please?”

The Shinx nodded without a word of hesitation and pulled an Oran from her bag. No sign of that earlier bravado.

She could tell helping was the right thing to do at that moment.

I shakily lifted my arm and she dropped the berry onto my hand. I found myself unable to close my fist as quickly as I wanted; as a result, I ended up dropping the berry onto the ground. I groaned. “Aww nooo.”

“Hold up,” Patra said. “Just open your mouth okay?” She picked up the berry and shoved it into my mouth.

As I chewed the Oran, feeling in my limbs returned. My breathing steadied itself as I stood up, now slightly refreshed. “Thanks. I really needed that.”

“What happened?” Patra asked with honest concern.

I replied. “I got a little tuckered out, but are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine, thanks to the emera,” she said.

I took a brief look at my now-roughed up tail before asking the kitten, “So, how was it? Did you like that surge of power you got?”

The Shinx shrugged. “Ehhh, it felt weird and not like electric power. Probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t too busy being that mutt’s chew toy.”

I dropped my tail and grabbed my wrist. “Could have been worse, that’s why I let you have the red emera. Those increase the body’s defenses against the tackle after all.”

Patra sighed, “I guess you’re right and-” The Shinx stopped herself before glaring at me once more. “Don’t you distract me, what happened? You were super exhausted a moment ago.”

I began winding up my vines as I replied, “It’s as I said, I got tired out that’s all.” Once I finished, I reluctantly stated to her, “It happens when…when I use Techs?”

Patra shook her head in disbelief, “Techs? Like moves? I don’t get it?”

I noticed that the other pups were stirring as Patra rambled on about her concerns. I interjected, “Stop now!”

“No! not until-“

I pointed toward the ferals. “Can we move now before those ferals wake up?”

“Grrr…fine!” the kitten stated, “but talk now!”

We promptly entered a nearby corridor and continued our trek.

 

As I led Patra through the hall, she asked me, “Well? Are we talking or what?”

I begrudgingly replied, “I told you. It was my Techs that ended up draining me.”

The kitten stammered in confusion for a moment. “Gh! I Wha-…What Techs? What even is a Tech?”

In annoyance, I held my right wrist and pointed at the vine. “This is what I’m talking about.”

“Ummm…are you saying those vines are doing something to you?” Patra guessed.

I let out another groan before stating, “No! Techs are like moves, but not. Think of it like using those rocks, only without an item.”

“You sure it’s not just a move you’re bad at using?” the kitten sneered skeptically.

I grumbled at the comment, which finally got the Flame Wheels of Patra’s head spinning.

“No, that can’t be…” she said. “That’s impossible. Electric-Types can’t use Vine Whip. That’s a…Grass-Type thing.”

This was a lot harder to explain than expected. Any explanation would just waste time and energy. So I gave up. “Let’s just get out of here now, okay?”

Patra rolled her eyes and walked past me. We continued on our way through the floor.

 

We eventually came across the stairs as well as a purple Emera.

I gestured toward the jewel. “Hey look! Another Emera and right on time too.” Both of us saw a light shining from the set of stairs. “Well, might as well show this while I’m at it.”

I went over and grabbed the Emera. I then waved the jewel in front of Patra. “Watch this once we’re out, okay?”

The Shinx grumbled. “J-Just, fine! Whatever, just… go already!” She pushed her way past me.

With those instructions said, we climbed up the stairs.

---

Northern Freedom Mountain Range:

North-Eastern Trails

After a moment, we were greeted with the sight of a large forest. A whistling suddenly sounded out from the Emera I still held in my hand.

The two of us watched as the Emera crumbled into dust in my hands. The whistle lowered its pitch as the remains lost their color. Eventually, the whistle could no longer be heard by either of us and the remains looked no different than the dust of the earth.

Patra spoke up, “The Emera, it-“

“Ashed itself,” I explained. “Happens when an Emera leaves its home. Becomes no different than…well, dirty dust.” I dropped the ashes from my hand and the wind blew it all off into the distance.

After cleaning my hand, I made a comment. “I sure hope we’re in the right place. I’m guessing your little village should be somewhere forward, right?”

The Shinx gazed at the area around us with a hint of uncertainty. “I guess so. I know it’s deep in a forest. And umm…” She pointed a paw to the right. “If your shortcut worked, the village would be that way.”

I looked up at the sky, only to see it as Early-Dusk. “Let’s hope you’re right…”

We had to move. The more time we wasted, the darker it would get. Time was short.

---

North Arboris Road

We hiked down the mountain and eventually found the road from earlier. Following this, we would hopefully reach the village.

During this walk, Patra once again started asking questions. “So…Now that we’re not in a dangerous place, can I ask about stuff now?”

I let out a weary sigh. “What now?”

But my annoyance only made Patra persist. “Well we’re safe now, Gabe.”

“Galvin,” I corrected.

“Whatever. And what about Zarude? Who’s he? A relative or…?”

“Uh no? He just raised me. It’s…It’s just complicated.”

Patra turned her face further away from me. “…Sure…can’t be that complicated…”

I continued. “He’s actually the one who taught me how to fight. He might not be an Electric-Type, but he knows the jungle better than anyone really. Got my tree climbing skills from him and everything.”

“That explains a lot…Does that also include the whole ‘Tech’ thing?”

 

I don’t know why, but after she said that, after everything else, I had enough of this!

Without even thinking, I gripped my right wrist and charged a vine with a small amount of energy. Once done, I launched it at the Shinx’s right leg.

The vine latched itself around Patra’s leg as I raised my arm. Patra’s pace was stopped as her leg was lifted up into the air.

She turned around in surprise. Though I had a grip on the vine, I wasn’t pulling at all. In fact, the line was bent in a way where it was pulling the kitten’s leg up.

Patra’s eyes widened as she gazed at the vine. The line wasn’t wrapped around anything, not even an overhanging branch. Regardless, the Shinx’s eyes showed something odd. It wasn’t fear nor anger, but something else. Wonder? Curiosity? It was the strangest reaction I had ever seen yet.

With my arm shaking, I slowly lowered the vine until Patra’s leg touched the ground again.

The Shinx stared at her leg, speechless. She even poked the vine once or twice.

After a few more seconds, I made the vine unwrap itself before retracting it with another twirl of the wrist. The whole vine spun around my wrist until it locked itself in place with a soft slap.

After some much needed breaths, I stared back at Patra. She was amazed by the feat. “Do you believe me now?” I calmly asked her.

 

Patra was at a loss for words. “J-Just how? Did he-“

“Teach me that?…No, not initially,” I interjected, gripping my right wrist, “I taught myself at first. I wanted to…imitate him, copy him. He said he couldn’t teach me even if he wanted to. But that didn’t stop me from trying.”

I rubbed my wrist. “I wrap my vines up this way because that’s how Uncle Zarude does it with his. He can manipulate vines and stuff. So I decided to watch him for a while. The way he moved, how he attacked, all of it. One day, I saw Zarude create a massive splash of water while I was following him.”

Patra narrowed her gaze at that statement.

I saw that doubt. Not surprising at that point. “Sure, that sounds weird, but the splash came from only a small empty pond, like one of those pools you find when a lot of rain pours down into a hole. It had to be an attack. That’s what I thought. So, I watched him the next time and the next…and the next.

Long story short, I tried to copy him with…not a lot of luck. Until finally! Finally…I got the idea to use vines and charge them with energy, just like my uncle when he uses his vine attacks. And then, bam! I got it!”

I chuckled at the memory. “Heh, the day I got it right the first time, I kept doing it until I just dropped. Annnd that’s when Zarude found out about it. He had me stuck in bed for like a whole week after that…”

Patra looked down. “I guess he punished you for defying him huh.”

That made me look back at the Shinx with a clueless face. “Hmm, no? I wouldn’t say that,” I said to her.

I heard a breath of disbelief from Patra, prompting an apology. “Err, sorry, I mean he did give me a scolding…but then he decided to teach how his techniques worked.”

The Shinx tilted her head. “…Why?”

I shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe he thought I’d do something reckless again…or get myself hurt? Either way, we began practicing them a bit. We call them Techs since they require some ‘technical prowess’ to wield properly. Don’t ask what that means because I don’t know. After that, I learned a lot of the basics and the importance of keeping my stamina up.”

Patra raised a paw. “I don’t know about that last part, but you certainly have that stuff down in your head.”

I shrugged. “I have to, otherwise I’d get into trouble. He’d keep a real close eye on me during those practice sessions and make sure I fully understood that stuff. But please, pleeease don’t tell anyone. He really doesn’t want me to.”

The Shinx noticed my genuine tone before giving me back a serious nod.

 

We started to walk again at that point.

“Alright, so if that’s the case, then why didn’t he stop me when I beat you up?” Patra asked, “You’d think he’d catch me before I even reached that dungeon.”

“Oh…right,” I said, scratching my head, “He was testing me today. Seeing if I could be trusted to go out on my own.” I took out the emblem. “That’s why I tried to get this from you.”

Patra took a quick look at it before staring straight ahead. “So that’s why you were so obsessed with that bad luck charm.”

“Care to explain why you went back?” I asked, bagging the emblem.

“Huh?” the kitten exclaimed, “What do you mean?”

“You could have just left,” I clarified. “Could have just grabbed the emblem and left. And I wouldn’t have ever seen you at all. Did you see me or something? Because by the time I got there, the medal was gone.”

 

The Shinx’s eyes glanced at the ground. She then sighed. “…No, I didn’t see you in that garden at first. I made my way to the place, found the thing, looked around…and then I went back…Just a bit of treasure hunting”

I blinked for a moment before asking. “…Why would you want to find gifts? How many folks need gifts from you?”

Patra glared at me. “…Just listen,” she grumbled. “I was basically about to leave when I heard a loud scream. I ran back and that’s when I saw you in the water with a bunch of Combees. At first, I was a bit freaked out at all those buzzers. But I…I sort of froze in place. When you got to the shore…I wasn’t sure what you were. Not to mention, I thought you just err, fell asleep. Sooo…I went over to you and well, you know what happened after that.”

So all in all, this whole emblem mess happened because of one thing: Gengar-branded bad luck. The emblem was in that initial hole after all. I was just somehow too late! What awful timing!

Though…I was still puzzled about something though. “But why?” I asked the Shinx.

“E-Even explorers have to help each other out,” Patra answered. “I wasn’t sure if you were a feral or not. You certainly didn’t look like the others.”

“Umm, thanks for the compliment?” I said to her.

The kitten chuckled a bit in response.

“Huh? What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Heh. Nothing,” She replied.

I asked Patra, “I…how is that nothing? You were chuckling.” The Shinx didn’t answer. “No, seriously, how is that nothing?”

We continued down for a while. She never did answer my question.

---

Village Outskirts:

After a while, I saw some buildings over the horizon. So I promptly ran off the road and into some nearby brush. Patra stared at me with confusion.

She then asked, “Now what? We’re almost there”

“Being a part of a rare species means I have to be hidden,” I answered from the bushes.

The Shinx squinted with skepticism. “I don’t see that as a really good reason.”

“Agh! Just trust me on this!” I exclaimed quietly. “Your folks can’t know I exist. Got it?”

 

Patra glanced at the road before joining me in the forest wall. We then forged a most inconvenient route to the village that kept Patra and I hidden.

Eventually, we saw the settlement in full from the edge of the forest wall.

Patra piped up. “Galvan, Meet Altern Village.”

---

Altern Village:

I gazed at the town for a long while. A small river from the western mountains ran through the area. Bordering the river were rows of berry gardens that covered the hills. Off of the river area were roads that connected the town square to several other areas, including the entrance Patra and I avoided. There were a plethora of houses near these long lines of dirt too; some laid on top of the hills, while others seemed like they were built inside of them. The whole town was a wondrous sight.

Even the air nearby had a distinct floral aroma thanks to the flowers peppered throughout.

The wind was quiet too. Just a pleasant breeze at most.

All in all, Altern Village in the Late-Dusk light had an almost violet color. It was practically night-time, except it wasn’t. Either way, I just stared in amazement.

 

Patra noticed the silence and commented, “Don’t think of it as a wonderland mister. It’s not much really, but it is home.” She poked me with her paw to get my attention. “So that’s it. You’re done, right?”

My eyes pointed toward the village for a brief moment. “Yeah, I guess so,” I said as my sight refocused itself on Patra.

Patra said to me, “I think you might want to get home soon. Unless…”

“Oh shoot, the test!” I interjected while looking up at the sky, “Aw crud. I’m late.”

Patra raised a paw. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get going! I can take it from here.”

The kitten began to leave when I said to her. “Y-Yeah thanks. By the way, I really had fun today.”

Patra glanced back suddenly. “Yeah and- Wait!”

She turned around and came back with a guilty-looking frown. “I…Sorry for…you know, being mean. You aren’t that bad. So…thanks for saving me from that nasty feral.”

I gave her a grin and a thumbs up.

Patra sighed. “Yes, yes. You’re my hero and all that…Just take care of yourself, okay?”

I nod. “Will do. And you too, alright?”

The Shinx nodded back and ran toward the village.

 

After a moment and one last glance at the town, I made my way back to the road, running back to the jungle with a refreshing amount of speed.

---

Zarude’s Domain:

By the time I returned to Zarude’s domain, it was Mid-Evening. I entered the garden and ran right into the big baboon himself, startling each other in the process.

He was relieved to see me safe and sound. I remember seeing a bag on his shoulders too.

Regardless, he gave me the tightest of hugs before leading me back to the abode.

On the way, I gave back the desired emblem with a proud smile, but Zarude gave me a critical stare. It was a look I was too familiar with for someone my age. I could never blame him for it though. I was gone all day after all.

“You passed,” he said. “…By the skin of your teeth. Your punctual timing on the other hand needs some serious work. I honestly expected you to be back by Late-Daylight at the latest. What happened out there? What took you so long?”

Zarude was always pretty ruthless when it came to getting the information. He was and still is, the most intimidating legendary I know, and there are plenty of frightening faces out there, even among us mythicals.

My hands were shaking at the thought of answering, but I had to. At the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him honestly. Sure, Patra was a bit self-centered and rather annoying, but…something about her stopped me from doing so. I couldn’t fathom what though. She wasn’t the only youngling I met in my life, but at the same time, I couldn’t help having this fearful thought. Mentioning this experience could get both Patra and I in serious trouble. With this thought, I attempted an explanation. “Well, I might have gotten a bit side-tracked.”

“I’d say you were more than ‘a bit side-tracked’ today,” Zarude said with air quotes. The words made me flinch.

I corrected myself, “Okay, side-tracked. Big-time side-tracked!”

Once we were at the central tree, he slowly removed the vines from my wrists, remarking about my use of Tech during the trip.

He gave a sigh and said this. “I understand that it’s fun to you, but you can’t use the energy recklessly. It’s meant for your natural talents. You know I taught you about Techs to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself and if I didn’t, …your Mudbray-like stubbornness would have taught ya the hard way. I don’t want that on my conscience and neither do you.”

Zarude examined me more after that. For minutes, the Dark-Type just hummed on occasion. It was always hard to tell if he was trying to make me relax or if he was trying to figure something out. After a while, he finished his examination and treatment.

As I glanced at my new bandages, I noticed Zarude grabbing items from my item bag. That was when he noticed the lack of an Escape Orb. He glanced back at me.

 

It was at that moment I realized he was in the domain the whole time. He would’ve heard a commotion if I suddenly appeared.

Like an idiot, I admitted that I didn’t appear on the abode’s side of the jungle when I used it.

The baboon squinted before he showed the emblem to my face. The words that followed were stern and nearly emotionless. “I highly doubt that. Even if you did not use the orb yourself, this little guy would have sent you right back to where you first entered the dungeon.” He then leaned in and looked into my eyes. “From what you’re telling me, you ran into someone, didn’t you?”

He read beyond my words. The corner of my mouth lowered itself. I stuttered for a few seconds before I tried to change the subject. “Wh-What do you mean? What is that emblem exactly?”

The Dark-Type knelt down on one knee and sighed. “This here is made of what we call Mystery Metal. Just having one of these makes mystery dungeons a lot more safe to travel through. When the wearer is defeated, they get sent back to the entrance they came through…under most circumstances.”

“As you know, Escape Orbs send the user back to the entrance. Anyone that grabs onto the user when the orb is used is also taken. However, if someone were to use an Orb and someone with Mystery Metal like this were to…grab a hold of the user, then both would be sent to where the wearer entered the dungeon instead.”

Zarude’s words made me realize what happened. Patra had the emblem in her bag back then.

He capitalized on my reaction with more stinging words. “Ah, the fact opened your eyes to something. You were wondering why that happened. Explains a lot, huh.”

I cringed and hummed. “Funny story,” I said to him. “I kind of dropped the emblem while swinging and a feral kind of…ate it.” And what a lie it was.

The baboon facepalmed and groaned. “That’s the kind of lie you’re going with?”

After saying this, Zarude crossed his arms. “Now please, stop lying to me and tell the truth. I’m serious about this. What. Happened?”

 

My paws began to sweat as I gritted my teeth. Sad as it was, I had to say something truthful.

“The truth…” I said to him, “I might have…ran into…” I winced while shutting my eyes for the next two words. “…a commoner?”

Zarude took some deep breaths the moment I uttered the words. I heard his moans of disbelief, “Oh my-…you can’t be-, How in-, Why would you-” After a few moments of his stammering, I opened my eyes to see him pacing around. Thinking back, his expression was filled with more panic than I thought.

After a while of muttering to himself, Zarude turned his head toward me in silence. He was telling me to continue.

Desperate to make my explanation vague, I tried to keep Patra as vague as possible, not alluding to the fact she was a girl.

But then Zarude interrupted, “They? You mean there was more than one?”

I flinched at first, but then a thought came into my head. An opportunity to save myself. It was a story I readily decided to tell. From there, the words came out naturally…perhaps a little too naturally.

It’s hard to forget the lie I weaved on the spot.”After the stinging incident. I couldn’t find the emblem in the tree, that’s why I went to the hive. After scratching out the stingers, I noticed a small group. They were climbing on a nearby cliff. I was curious and followed them around. I thought, I’ll just follow them. Who cares when I get the emblem? And that’s what I did.”

I went on to tell how I discovered that one member of this so-called “group” managed to snag the emblem first. I described what species each of them were to the best of my “knowledge,” even using a mention of an Infernape. I told Zarude I followed them into another part of the dungeon. We encountered a giant Venusaur, just like what Patra and I encountered. Like in the true story, I mentioned how I used an Escape Orb to save one of them. After stealing back the emblem from the member’s bag, the member’s friends came along, probably by their own Escape Orb.

Once they found me, they chased me throughout the jungle until I lost them around Mid-Sunset. By then, I was deep in the Northern Labyrinth. Those were the half-truths and lies I told to Zarude.

 

After hearing all of this, Zarude’s expression remained stern as he processed my words. Finally after an eternity of silent judgment, he asked me directly, “Is this all true?”

“Y-Yeah!” I replied in terror.

The baboon put up a hand. “No. Look into my eyes.” He knelt on one knee and stared at me. “Believe me when I say this, I want to trust your word. I really do. You swear this isn’t just a lie, this really happened? Tell me the truth, please.”

I stared back. “I swear,” I said with as firm of an expression as I could muster.

The Dark-Type backed off for a moment and thought to himself. He then placed a hand on my shoulder. “Very well. You’ve been through quite a day. Dinner’s in the storage.” He stood up and walked away. No wait. Actually, he stopped for a brief moment and looked over his own shoulder. After that moment, he shook his head and continued on his way.

I sat in silence and disbelief. I couldn’t believe I lied to Zarude and got away with it…or at least I thought I did. Thoughts still crept in my mind.

 

Dinner was rather uneventful. Bug meat, honey, and berries were our featured meals. Most edible things in the jungle to be honest.

Zarude sat by me, but I shivering at the thought of what he was about to say.

Yet surprisingly, he said my heroic actions were warranted. I did. “What any legendary worth their merit would do.” Sure, he said I had to stay in the abode for the time being, but this whole outcome was very unexpected.

It was a rare moment for Zarude to mention anything about the legendaries’ flaws, especially at this time in my life. None of them were perfect by any stretch. Just the mention of that calmed my nerves a bit.

Even Zarude had a rather painful first dramatic save when my mother ended up stepping on him for a landing.

Regardless of bizarre storytelling, Zarude slid a bit closer, probably realizing that the mention of mother didn’t quite help as well as intended. Mother was always a touchy subject for everyone.

Out of nowhere though, he asks me this. “Do you think I’m a bad guy?”

“What?” was the first question I asked about hearing that.

The Dark-Type stared at the ongoing fire. “I heard of kids growing up fast, but I wasn’t sure. I…I just hope I’m not being too hard on you.”

I hugged Zarude with my right arm and said these words to him. “No. You’re here now. You’re the best dad I could ask for.”

Zarude tensed up a little before giving a noticeable smile. “Thank you. That means a lot,” He said. “At least I know you can take care of yourself. That’s something not many younglings can do.”

Remembering what Patra did before I met her, she did get through a rather dangerous mystery dungeon alone after all…somehow. “I don’t know about that,” I said to him.

“Oh? And what makes you so sure?”

I smirked a little. “No reason really, just a gut feeling.”

---

---

And that’s how it all began, with a day that derailed itself. One would think it would be a one time occurrence. Some might even consider Patra’s experience to be a literally once-in-a-life opportunity. Not me, this was but the start, the start of a very twisted downward spiral I was now riding from that day forward.

My grip on the page tightened itself after reading the end of this day. Perhaps it would have been better if it was a one time encounter. One time and done.

But alas, these words would not have been written otherwise. And to think, there is so much more to tell after that.

Truly, fate has a fine way to prove assumptions wrong…

---

---

---

Fragment of Knowledge:

Mystery Metal:

This incredibly rare and unique ore can interact with Mystery Dungeons, allowing those that hold it to return where they entered a dungeon, similar to Escape Orbs. Unlike Escape Orbs, the metal does not disappear upon use; this makes the metal invaluable for dungeon explorers.

The ore is named this because nobody knows why it behaves this way. In some ways, it is just as mysterious as the dungeons themselves.

Many groups or guilds tend to use mystery metal as a key component in the creation of team badges, allowing the conducting of rescue missions or any business regarding mystery dungeons. The substance is also capable of restoring consciousness to a dungeon’s victims. It could even help the wearer give consciousness to ferals born within the dungeon. The exact reasoning and mechanics behind this occurrence are still unknown to this day.

Despite the ore’s usefulness, legendary pokemon typically refuse to use mystery metal. The reason is unknown aside from speculative rumors, the most notable example being “a risk to breaking their life-time oaths.” Harsher and more ill-spoken rumors tend to mention something that supposedly plagues every legendary pokemon, “nonsensical pride in their power and standing.”