Chapter 1- Fire: Across the Island

Darkness ruled over the dreary skyline. Nothing could avoid being pierced yet again by two beams of light. Another flash of light, neon sage-green, and a flash of striking lavender-purple. 

 

A light that shone brightly for kilometers in the distance, only for that brief moment. But in those few seconds, everything changed. The fog was cut.

As the storm of flames raged on the normally tempered and brisk northern Island, an ethereal voice cried out from the depths of the Ocean. “Oh beseech my call for aid, Fogcutters! For you are the ones who we gave our power to!”

 

Even though the plea was in an ancient tongue, one lost to the sands of time the message was felt. Who would answer that call?

 

---

Intense fire rolled across the sands. Areas of that northern island had waves of flame that ebbed and flowed all around. All around and even on the Cubone who lay unconscious on the shore.

 

T’nuri opened her eyes and saw the fire as it brushed against the scales on her left leg. A sharp twinge of pain seared deep. “The spark was that?!” she cried as she jolted upright. 

 

The Cubone turned around toward the sea off into the distance, and fire upon her. “Shit! That burns!” She kicked up some sand over the burn on her leg and dashed away from the ash and smoke.

 

Grey-tinted fog floated around T’nuri as she searched left and right. The Ocean had only a thin, slightly cloudy mist above it, with no traces of red and black. Still, the entire Island and the tide around it were surrounded by a thick, nigh-impenetrable fog. 

 

T’nuri flinched as she stopped and briefly checked her injury. It was a mark along her shin and calf, charred red. She rubbed a bit of sand onto it and stifled a bit of a cry. Ugh, I’m supposed to resist fire as I do with Mom’s attacks. “Why does it feel the same as any normal move I’m neutral to?” She whispered. The Cubone gripped her bone-club tightly.

 

She turned around and took a glance at part of the path she had previously traveled. Thankfully, the fire hadn’t devoured the entirety of the land; just above the Cubone on the cliffs, there were no traces of the flame.

 

Some parts of the land were even free of the miasma that choked T’nuri’s lungs earlier, and she hadn’t ventured a fourth of the island yet.

 

“Okay, so the fire is only where the red and black fog is, not the light-grey fog.” T’nuri gasped as she ran toward the sea through the thick dunes on the beach. She continued higher and higher in the dunes, through the frayed stalks of plants and small enclaves of water, coated by sand. Far into the distance was a tall structure made of metal, wood, and stone. A dock was attached to the strongest part of the land, connected just above the Ocean’s waves.

 

Away from the Ocean to the right, there was a path to another part of the island with all sorts of hills, dips, and trees, far across the expansive reaches of sand. 

 

A cirrus of black and red drifted closer. Fire would be upon the dock soon. With every step T’nuri took toward it, the Ruinous Fog approached. Just as someone else did. 

 

There was a long stretch of fully-burnt beachgrass nubs that led toward the dock. The Cubone tensed as she noticed the massive plume of gas before her, but nevertheless, she steeled herself for the journey ahead.

 

“Where is that scaly little runt!” a loud voice snarled through the beach. 

 

T’nuri lost her footing and slipped into the cover of the plants. As she pried her body out of the mixture of dirt, water, and sand, she lurched forward once again. There’s that pull again… The Jangmo-o must be close by. The Cubone thought as she peered out of the flora.

 

She flinched as another voice roared through the fog. “Just hand it over nicely and no one has to get hurt, buddy!” 

 

The Cubone continued her path through the thick strands and hid from whoever the loud Pokémon were.

 

Soon, the tendrils of plants led higher up into the sandbank, and T’nuri’s head poked out of the stalks. She glanced above the grass and found the identity of the Pokémon above.

 

Amid the toxic fog, a Jangmo-o dashed along the sand, and their black saddle-bag was like a diamond in the rough: a large scarlet and violet cylinder stuck out of it almost haphazardly.

Jangmo-o’s golden eyes scanned the area around her for an opening. “You two have got my Gogoat if ya think I’m givin’ that to ya!” they yelled, with an alto-pitched raspy drawl.

 

A Deino and a Buizel were not far behind Jangmo-o.

Both wore bandanas with particular pink, yellow, and orange wide horizontal stripes, almost like a certain species of Pokémon. A Sharpedo-based skull-and-crossbones had been stitched into the fabric.

 

“And we were about to let you off good, too!” the Buizel grumbled. 

 

“The two of ya are rowdy pirates, and ya ain’t finna get yer claws on this! Not when they need it!” Jangmo-o yelled back.

 

The Cubone ducked back down into the shadows of the plant stalks as she felt the Pokémon’s footfalls against the earth; Jangmo-o’s approach slowed as she drew near to her. T’nuri flinched and held her heart. I don’t know what’s going on but this is bad! She thought, her eyes wide.

 

Heat pooled off the sand, and the ferocious embers inside lashed out in whips and wisps.

 

Beach soil that was soaked in the tide offered recluse but was too far away. 

 

The strength of the fog around the beach grew thicker. Dark splotches of black and red brewed inside the mist as sparks of fire began to ignite.

 

“Sheesh! That’s hotter than a Turtonator’s fireballs!” Jangmo-o cried as a plume of flames scorched their side. The fire brushed against their entire tail, their right claws, hind-leg, flank, foreleg, and even a bit of their right shoulder.

 

It’s go time, can’t be worse than what my folks used to do. T’nuri swung her bone-club against the sandbank and a torrent of sand clouded the area. When the bits of sand touched a part of the fog, it vanished. “Jangmo-o! Hurry!” she climbed out of the ground and hurried toward them.

 

The Deino raced toward their prey. “Who’s there!?” 

 

“Whoever you are, you better mind your business or taste my wrath!” the Buizel cackled.

 

“Woo, nelly!” Jangmo-o lurched forward as she saw the Cubone, and fell straight into the sand. “You!” She slowly staggered up. “Ya’re da one pulling me!”

 

T’nuri stifled a growl. There’s no time! She pointed to the fog as fire erupted onto piles of sand around them. “Look!” 

 

Jangmo-o nodded and limped toward her. As they tried to get to the Cubone through the toxic fog, a wall of flames spread across the sands between them and blocked their escape. T’nuri ran nonstop as the Jangmo-o struggled to continue onward. They coughed and limped.

 

More and more fire ignited from the black fog above the beach and scorched the earth indiscriminately. 

 

The Cubone wasn’t doing much better as she tried to maneuver away the areas coated by flames. Her left leg flared up, and she wheezed to get air into her lungs with every step she made. Shit shit shit!

 

Jangmo-o took a swift glance behind her as her hind legs buckled for a moment. She fell and her maw buried deep against the grains of sand, with a grunt, she shook her jangly scales and pushed off the ground.

 

They weaved through the blaze of heat toward the Cubone. But as Jangmo-o tried to get off the beach they fell into a hidden pit of water; collapsed into the sand right in front of the sweltering inferno that blocked them from T’nuri and the other side of the island. A narrow wall of fire covered the beach and ended just before the foamy brine of seawater that touched the sands.

 

“You aren’t getting away!” the Buizel yelled. “Blast ’em!”

 

The Deino stood still before they took in a deep breath. Dark teal energy pooled into their maw before they shot out a Dragon Breath straight at Jangmo-o.

 

Those bastards! “Don’t you dare!” T’nuri’s eyes turned pitch-black as she ran into the flames toward Jangmo-o. With the flick of her wrist, she swung her bone-club through the thick black fog and cleaved it in two, flame and all.

 

The Cubone pushed Jangmo-o out of the way just as the Dragon Breath soared through the air right above. After the blue flames fizzled away, she pulled her arm back, and the Cubone threw her bone-club at the Deino, and the Buizel behind them.

 

In a flash of brown and pale yellow, the Bonemerang pierced through the air and connected with the two Pokémon. 

 

Despite the massive stretch of fire and fog between them, the blow sent the Deino and the Buizel far, directly into a wall of flame.

 

In a clean fresh pocket of air, T’nuri grabbed one of Jangmo-o’s claws and helped them off the ground, and she let out a bunch of ragged breaths as her eyes returned to their normal brown shade. 

 

The bone-club ricocheted back into the Cubone’s claw and shook as she stared at the knocked-over Buizel and Deino.

 

The Cubone and Jangmo-o weren’t in the clear just yet, for there was still the inferno beside them, it crackled in the air and nearly tagged their scales. T’nuri rubbed her leg and pointed behind her. 

 

With a jog, she headed toward the trees of the hills to the right of the beach. Jangmo-o let out a gasp and followed the Cubone through the sand. They fled through the mounds of sand as their pursuers dealt with the flames they were cast into.

In the sky above the area was only a dark grey with nary a speck of red or black. Yet, only time would tell when flames would hit that part of the island too.

 

T’nuri exhaled and patted her left leg before she hurried along to the edge of the beach. While she gritted her teeth, she placed a claw over her heart. What was that?

 

However, Jangmo-o had something more than a pull to them. T’nuri slowed down a bit to run side-by-side with the other Pokémon. Patches of grass and piles of rocks appeared frequently through the beach, the rock hills before them got closer and closer to their reach. Jangmo-o staggered against the ground for a second before she hurried along.

The Jangmo-o was a cautious distance from her but then as their energy returned they edged near the Cubone. They no longer felt the pull of each other’s chests, but they eyed T’nuri intently.

 

At this new distance, the Cubone watched as Jangmo-o’s walking speed got slightly better. She limped less with each step. Good . T’nuri took a glimpse behind her. 

 

The Buizel and Deino weren’t as hot on their trail as the flames were. The two pursuers weren’t even visible in the fog and fire that engulfed that part of the beach.

 

Fauna and solid ground replaced the sand they had previously traversed as the Cubone and Jangmo-o got closer to a brief reprise along the rocky hill land. This part of the island was like a whole different environment. While there were stones and knolls as far as the eye could see, they were covered with thick brush and vibrant grass. The two of them continued onward while the lush green leaves on the few remaining trees waved in the wind. A small moment to catch their breath had presented itself.


The Jangmo-o took their chance as T’nuri met their gaze for a moment. “Thanks fer earlier, partner. Are ya doing alright?” 

“Doing alright?” The Cubone repeated as she walked toward the shade of the trees beside the road before them. “I don’t know.”

“What’s wrong?” the Jangmo-o asked, her tail low.


T’nuri sighed. “Have you seen a large white passenger ship around here? It’s called La Llovizna The Drizzle.”


“Sorry I haven’t.”


“Ugh,” the Cubone groaned. “So many things are going on, but why do I feel so terrible?”


The Jangmo-o stuck their tongue out. “Hmm, right. Since yur a Cubone, ya prolly aren’t used to being weakened by poison. While not elemental, all samples of each type of light grey fog have around 3,500 ppm of carbon dioxide. Fer reference, 5,000 ppm of carbon dioxide is fatal after ‘bout 30 minutes of prolonged inhalation.”

T’nuri’s jaw dropped. “You can tell all that!?”

“It’s just an educated guess, partner. I’ll have to leave the calculations to Emile and all that fancy mumbo-jumbo talk to Kaliente.” 

“Who?”

“Some fellow coworkers.”


“I get you.”


“You do?”

“I work with a small workshop team.”


“The fun of having a team eh?” The Jangmo-o nodded. “I see.”


T’nuri crossed her arms. “I guess.”

“Anyway, carbon dioxide in more concentrations is fatal, which’s why ya’ve prolly had a nasty cough and felt like a wet Growlithe in this darn black fog.”

 

“Wha?” the Cubone tilted her head. “Can you explain my resistance to it now?”

 

The Jangmo-o shook their head. “I had an inkling ya didn’t feel the rain’s effects as bad, either. But something odd about the fog. I’m not entirely sure ’bout that, partner, I just have a couple of hypotheses.” 

 

“You’ll have to do some more research I suppose. I don’t know much about that though, I just do woodwork.”

“I see. Well, I’m glad I’ve finally found ya.” Jangmo-o stopped to adjust her saddlebag. She loosened the straps around her shoulders with her claws and nudged the cylinder deeper into a pocket.


T’nuri relished the soothing blanket of cover above them and replied. “Likewise.“

 

Shade out of the sun was only a temporary pleasure as the path deeper into the hillside left behind the collection of trees. If anything, the thick fog that loomed in the sky, along with the clouds, offered a bit of cover for the Pokémon. However, the slightly foul gas could not be ignored, for in due time, it ignited the whole land.

 

And not just that, there was the pressing advancement of Pokémon that pounded far behind them. The Buizel and Deino were covered from head to claw in bruises and burns, yet still, they hurried from the side of the beach closer to the dock.

 

The Cubone glanced over the skyline and saw a small forest.


Jangmo-o stepped near her and shook their head as she wordlessly gazed at them.”Ya ain’t much fer yapping, huh? But plenty fer staring.”

 

T’nuri quickly averted her eyes and walked faster. 

 

“Delcatty got yer tongue?”

The Cubone peered over Jangmo-o and then the visage of Drilbur and Sandshrew from earlier flashed in her eyes. T’nuri looked at the rocky grass field beside them. “I do have a few questions for you if you don’t mind.”

“Ya can ask me just ‘bout anything, partner!” Jangmo-o replied. “I might just know tha answer. I am trained, after all!”

T’nuri moved closer to them as the walkway grew narrow. “You seem to be quite the capable Pokémon. What is your name?”

 

“The name’s Alejandrien!”

 

“I am called T’nuri,” the Cubone said. She took a couple of steps away from the Jangmo-o and peered over them. 

 

“Ya ain’t gotta look so hard, partner! Somethin’ bout me on yur mind, T’nuri?”

 

“Alejandrien…Is an interesting name. Where is it from?”

 

The Jangmo-o laughed a bit. “I’m originally from the Sand Continent.” They stopped to put a small assortment of rocks in a cloth bag. “And yeah, I chose my own name.” 

 

T’nuri lurched backward and held up her claws. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

 

“Nothing to feel sorry about, just as long as ya try to say it right. Don’t add an ‘a’ or an ‘o’ just keep it as ‘ien’,” Alejandrien said as she got close to T’nuri.

 

“So you chose a new name, huh,” The Cubone moved forward. “That’s cool. I don’t want to mess up anything else, so could you maybe tell me what you go by?”

The Jangmo-o nodded.“Yeah, fer sure. I go by they and her.” They stared at T’nuri as she just continued walking. “I don’t want to assume anything fer ya either, partner. We Pokémon aren’t too boring, are we?”

 

“Oh right, a proper introduction. T’nuri the Cubone, a girl, I guess. I use she and her.”

 

“Well, I’m Alejandrien the Jangmo-o. Yup, partner, just yur trusty Jangmo-o from the Sand Continent. A Jangmo-o with a penchant for investigatin’ and doing all sorts of reconnaissance! It’s detective work!”

 

“Detective work? I myself do woodwork, I know nothing about your field.”


“We detectives want to learn about everything, that’s why I’m here!”


“Eh, that reminds me, Alejandrien, I’m also interested in why you have that saddle-bag you’re carrying.” The Cubone gestured to the cloth and faux-leather on their flanks and back. “It has a magnifying glass symbol on it, and no average Pokémon would be out here, better yet being tailed by those mudders.”

 

Alejandrien tilted their head. “Mudders? Ah, well I’m not on a team yet, but recently I started to work with a Detective Agency.”

 

“Ah,” T’nuri gasped. “I’ve wondered why you didn’t have a badge of any kind like a Rescuer, Explorer, Pokémon of Paradise, or-“

 

“The Fogcutters Detective Agency is heaps loads more elusive and grandiose than those old groups!”

 

“I see, tell me more about that later.” The Cubone pointed her bone-club at the massive reach of fog that took up the entire skyline. “I’m not all that grandiose myself, I just started up a woodworking shop with a C-tier Adventuring Company.”

 

The Jangmo-o shook her head. “Don’t sell yurself short, managing to work with anybody who values your craft is a big deal.” 

 

“That is true I guess, all I had was my folks, but very little sales.”

 

“Sometimes we gotta branch out, yeah?”


“I’d rather just stay where I am… Rather where I was: home in Pa’a Lepo.”

The fog made the fauna-coated hills smaller than they’ve ever been, their beauty tainted by the noxious fumes above. Even worse, the fire that bred inside the darker pockets of gas was primed to permanently scar the earth.

The Jangmo-o slowly placed each foreleg down on the broken stretch of rocks while T’nuri used her bone-club as a cane to hop down to the bottom of the rough hill and onto the stone.

 

With her claws on the solid ground, the Cubone let out a sigh. “I need to know how it was when you arrived on this island.”

 

“Well, it was only me, a Floatzel, an Arboliva, and a Stufful as the crew on the brigantine,” Alejandrien answered and followed after her.

 

“So those pirates didn’t betray you or stow away on the ship.”

“Nope.”


“At least you weren’t alone.” the Cubone grumbled.


“Alone?”


“Yeah.”


“There was nobody else at all? That can’t be right, there’s Pokemon here.”


“If they were, they must be on another part of this island.” T’nuri shuffled under the Jangmo-o’s gaze. “I hated being alone.”


“When I first saw you, I thought you were holding it together well, but looks can be decivicin’ I suppose.”


“I was scared,” the Cubone sighed. “But I was scared for you, and well now I’m scared for us.”


“Maybe it’s your skull-helmet. It makes you look fierce all tha time. Makes me want to find out if ya are.”


T’nuri flinched away. “Fierce? I don’t want to.”


“I’m sorry. I won’t hurt you, partner,” Alejandrien backed away. “Nothing like those pirates did.”

The two Pokémon slowly climbed up another slope of the land and stood still for a moment. In the distance was a massive tree.

Its rich, dark bark and strikingly full leaves shimmered while roots from the behemoth sprawled out far in front and down the sides of the land, eventually curving back into the earth. 

 

The tree bridged the hills below with a sheer wall that was surrounded by a forest with a small mountain.

“Yeah, we ain’t never seen ’em before,” The Jangmo-o said as she headed toward the tree. “I figured those pirates were prolly on a little sloop or skiff that tailed our brigantine through the regular fog because of our deck lights. We made it to port and anchored on the shore before that first lightning strike. When we came to, we started our quick preliminary search of the island.”

T’nuri followed right beside them.“What were you all searching for?”

“Well, I was the only one after the fabled mysterious artifact on this island.”

“In your bag, yes?”

The Jangmo-o smirked. “Hopefully. Judgin’ by da concentration of iron, aluminum, and zinc coating-“

 

“Alejandrien, please hurry it up a little,” the Cubone narrowed her eyes and sighed.

“We, the crew on the brig, all searched to see if the Ruinous Fog was actually on this island and what its effects were.”

“You call it Ruinous Fog?”

“That’s what da Head and Lead Detectives call it.”

“I see. Is there Ruinous Fog in other nearby islands?” T’nuri asked. 

The Jangmo-o nodded. “Traces of da very faint light grey fog was thought to be seen near this island, and two others on the northeastern edge of the sea bordering the Archipelago Continent.”

The Cubone gazed at the roots that sprawled out from the tree in the distance. It stood stalwart even as the thick grey fog coated the top of its leaves. “Actually, now that I think about it, where are we?”

“Kuanalio Island.”


“What!? How did I even get up here!?”


“Ya didn’t intend ta land here? The most northern island of the Archipelago?!” Alejandrien shook their scales. “Where did you set sail from then?”

“Pa’a Lepo Island, in the heart-waters,” T’nuri said as she jabbed her bone-club into the bark of the tree.

“Something crazy must have happened to that ship you were on-”


“La Llovizna The Drizzle.”


“Yeah that, ta end up here,” the Jangmo-o said as they stretched against the tree.


T’nuri pulled herself off the ground, anchored her bone-club in a branch, and climbed higher. “Like a typhoon or storm? Could one have sent me far past the islands of the mid-sea and beached me up in the north?” 

”Possibly. What were tha conditions of yer surroundings when ya woke up?”

The Cubone turned to the side. “A beach with only small crushed rocks, and no grass. I was toward the south as I was told to head north to search for help.”


As the wind blew a bit harder the Jangmo-o pressed their claws into the tree and gradually went up. “Ya were told by who?!”

“Some nice wilderners.”

“They were the first Pokémon ya met?”

“Yes.”


“So that Buizel and Deino. Those two were pirates who had followed you and your crew to Kuanalio Island.”

Alejandrien climbed up just beside the limb. “The crew and I spotted fragments of somethin’ on tha beach, but I left that there part of the shore to search for the fog’s source!”

“We’ll have to search for it later.”

“Not later, the first chance we get!”


Atop the branch of the tree, T’nuri tilted her head. “And then you must have run into those pirates. Why were those two-”

“They were afta’ this sealed relic that I dug up while investigating!” the Jangmo-o interrupted her with a snarl. Their eyes and head crest were pitch-black, while their jangly scales flashed purple and green repeatedly. “It ain’t just some little tube fit for their untrained claws. It’s a real bonafide relic!”

T’nuri flinched away from the Jangmo-o’s jaw and brandished her bone-club on instinct.“W-what the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Alejandrien’s tail lowered as their features went back to normal. “Sorry ‘bout that, partner… Eva’ since I woke up from that acid rain storm, my brakes have been whittlin’ away.”


The Cubone widened her eyes. “Could this be our connection? I cut through that fog?”


“Definitely.”


T’nuri looked down at her feet and then sighed. She waited for a moment before she tapped her bone-club against the tree bark.

“I want ya to trust me. This relic- er, artifact- is just real important to me and all, ’cause it might hold the key to solvin’ the Ruinous Fog.” the Jangmo-o placed their claws against the tree and strained to climb up its massive girth. Their eyes watered as their shoulders tensed up.

Silently, T’nuri leaned down to grab hold of the Jangmo-o’s claw and pulled them up to their level. The two collided and fell off the branch. They rolled through the branches and leaves, and then down the hill. 

The Cubone’s skull shielded her head once they crashed at the bottom, while Alejandrien just buried her snout into the hillside. The two lay still. On the cool ground, their eyes drifted closed.

As the two slowly staggered off the ground, they were able to get a view of more of the island.

The beach they once walked along was shrouded underneath the oppressive reign of charred, black fog. To the west from whence the Cubone awoke, obsidian-rich plumes choked the stone and strangled what life left from the dying greenery. But most importantly, they had a clear view once again of the two pirates as they barreled through the land. 

“Snuff!” T’nuri coughed as she peered through the trees and winding ways. “That Deino and Buizel sure are persistent!”

Alejandrien nudged her side and they raced across the tilted hillock’s path. “I still dunno wha’ a snuff is, but we’ve gotta hurry into some cover before those pirates catch up!”

“Okay!” the Cubone replied as she followed her. 

As they moved in between the open air of the hill and the cover of trees, a jewel of the Island came into view. A low but wide dark earthy red, and tan mountain. Its top had a curious crater-like shape, while there were deep scores all across the side that ran from the mouth to the foot. Fog appeared to pour out of it. Or was it an illusion?

The Cubone and Jangmo-o didn’t keep their eyes focused on it, though, as the path before them split. There was a small tunnel and a bunch of rocky grass-covered knolls. On a whim, T’nuri helped Alejandrien down into the entrance of the tunnel, and they took yet another breather.

“Did ya know that this mountain formation has the potential to be a dormant volcano?” the Jangmo-o said as their clawsteps echoed through the area. “Not because of its position on the ring of Solgaleo, but ’cause of the traces of volcanic ash on the grass.”

“Interesting,” the Cubone sighed as she ran her bone-club along the left side of the wall. 

“Yeah. Oh, that reminds me, yur name’s also mighty interesting, T’nuri. Isn’t it based on the sacred collection of ghost-type Legendaries?”

T’nuri sucked in her teeth.

“Let me guess, none of your parents are ghost-types, which means your Marowak parent wasn’t born on the Archipelago Continent!” Alejandrien cheered.

“Don’t have to remind me.”

”Oh, and I can kinda make out a bit of Typhlosion features under your skull!”

“Cut it out,” T’nuri grumbled under her breath.

“That parent must not be from the Grass or Air Continent! That reminds me, about those ghost-type Legendaries.”

“What?”

“You think you’ll die and become one?”

“Enough about that!” the Cubone roared and struck the rock face beside Alejandrien’s head with her Bonemerang, point blank. A faint part of her skull-helmet turned black just as her eyes did, green and purple markings flashed on her skull-helmet as she continued. “You serious thought that was a good question?! Stop talking about what I’ll become and who I am! I’ll strike you down if you bring that up again!”

“Sorry, sorry!” the Jangmo-o squealed. “Too far, I’ll shut ma trap.”

The pair walked out of the tunnel and ended up on a sand-filled mountainside. Across from them stood the mountain they had previously marveled at, now full in all its glory. Ruinous Fog was in its way.

T’nuri fiddled with her bone as they walked deeper into a plume of darkening grey miasma. “Hey, uh, Alejandrien?”

The Jangmo-o didn’t reply and continued on ahead as the fog stirred. 

“I shouldn’t have lost control like that.” The Cubone lamented. “I’m sorry, I’m just so lost. I wanna go back home to Pa’a Lepo Island with my family and my workshop, and I’m scared.”

“You’re scared?!” they finally spoke up. 

“Y-Yes.”

“Well, when you snapped earlier, something happened to you. I’m not entirely sure what it was, but it scared me. I was just trying to lighten the mood.” Alejandrien gently jangled their scales.

T’nuri placed a claw on her skull-helmet and tightened the grip on her bone-club. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep it under control.”

The two picked up their pace as the sky grew darker and the approaching footfalls and threats of the pirates grew louder. In the distance near the mountain was the mouth of a cave. Ahead, the dark stone path was littered with jagged edges and dips strewn all about.

Alejandrien nearly tripped into a hole blasted deep in the stone and flew across it with one swift leap. “Nailed it!”

“Watch your step, Alejandrien,” the Cubone warned as they descended down toward the cave-like structure.

“Oh look, it was a wilderner burrow!”

“Wilderners, ah yes. Some on the side of the island with little vegetation told me to search for a Mystery Dungeon.”

“What else did they say?”

“They told me to head to the north, and perhaps I’d find a Pokémon who could help me go through and maybe solve the ‘once was mist- now fog’.”

“To be honest I’m hoping we can use this Mystery Dungeon, wherever it is, to find our crew and our brig,” Alejandrien sighed. 

T’nuri glanced behind her and ran faster.


Alejandrien jetted after her. “What’s wrong?”


“The pirates are getting close! Where is the ship?”

“Not sure!” the Jangmo-o rushed past her. “But the Pokémon of the crew should prolly be nearby it!”

The once light grey fog was now a dark slate grey. It churned quickly through the Kuanalio Island southwestern forest and heralded wildfire.

From across the mountainside and the forests below, plumes of gas quickly spread around the entire area. They rapidly advanced toward T’nuri and Alejandrien in a fierce ebony tide, bright with sunset-rich hues. Beautiful and dangerous.

“We’re trapped by the flames!” T’nuri growled.

“Look!” Alejandrien pointed. “That cave should offer decent enough shelter!”

The pair of Pokémon got closer to the cave, and there was a loud rumbling on the mountainside.

“Get back T’nuri!” The Jangmo-o ordered just before a Dragon Breath hit her.

The Cubone fell backwards into a plume of dark mist just before its embers intensified, but it lightly burnt her. “Sparks!” the Cubone cried, and clutched her right arm.

Flame ignited off the charcoal-tinted clouds above the low mountainous area, and the Black Fog lapped at T’nuri and Alejandrien.

“Almost had ya!” the Deino yelled as they and the Buizel slid down the mountain.

An enclosure of heat and fire fizzled all around four Pokémon, and more importantly, blocked the entrance to the cave. Mockingly, the fire didn’t reach inside. However, just above the cave was a collection of rocks, held up only by a tiny block and netting.

The Buizel smirked as they got down on all fours. “Ya ain’t getting out of this one, punks!”

They shot forward with a Quick Attack that tagged T’nuri and sent her in range of the growing flames.


Through the blaze, the Cubone rammed them to the side with a Headbutt as the Deino rushed at her.

With T’nuri cornered against fire, the Buizel shot out Chilling Water while the Deino ran at her with their fangs glowing with the energy of Bite. More toxic gas surrounded the Pokémon and obfuscated them.

“Get down!”

In the blink of an eye a Scale Shot struck the Deino and they crashed into the Buizel, and accidentally Bit them instead. As the Deino tried to move, another Scale Shot blasted them. “Ya’ve done it now!” Alejandrien snarled, their eyes black and cymbal scales green and purple. “Let’s cut it!”

 

“Don’t count me out!” T’nuri yelled with her skull black and brightly colored, as she swung her bone-club toward the Deino and the Black Fog that engulfed them. 

 

The Jangmo-o fired out another Scale Shot at the block and then at the Buizel. The large grey scale launched at the Black Fog just as T’nuri’s Bonemerang touched it.

 

“Now!” Alejandrien yelled. In an explosion of black, purple, and green all of the nearby flames and fire scattered to the wind, Black Fog quickly dissipated and vanished from the entire mountainside in one fell swoop.

 

The pirates scrambled away from the debris just before entrance to the cavern sealed tight.


Right then, the Cubone and the Jangmo-o dove into the cave mouth just as the cascade of stones from above crashed down.

 

Instead of landing just behind the stones, Alejandrien and T’nuri smashed through a brittle cavern wall and rolled across a hidden chamber far from the entrance, and collapsed against a thick wooden signpost. 

After a few moments, the Cubone wobbled off the ground. She took in deep breaths and looked around the cave as she held a claw over her chest.


Bioluminescent torches along the room that lit up the sign behind them in a warm orange hue. It read ‘North Beach Mountain Mystery Dungeon’.


T’nuri watched as the Jangmo-o stirred. “Did we just do that?” she asked, eyes wide. “We got rid of the fog and those pirates?”

“Only with our teamwork, partner!” Alejandrien clambered upright. They peered at their surroundings and then plopped back down. “Welp, here’s that Mystery Dungeon we wanted to visit. Let’s head on inside when we’re ready!” 

T’nuri sat down beside her and placed a claw on her shoulder. “Sure thing ‘partner’.”