Dungeon 47 – Search

A jazzy song played inside a pub. The place had nothing but the open windows to give it any sort of light, but the Pokémon inside didn’t seem bothered by it. On the side of the counter stood a Mienshao, scrubbing a cup clean while eyeing his customers.

Just then, the door opened, revealing an Electivire wearing a fedora and a large backpack. The electric-type walked inside slowly, but his footsteps thumped loudly as he approached the Mienshao.

“Hey there, partner. I would like your best beer, how’s about it?”

“Of course, I’ll bring it to you right away, sir.”

The boss did say I was free to research the stones, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun while I’m at it, he grinned while waiting for his drink. To pass the time, Max took a look at his surroundings, trying to see who looked more suspicious.

Although he couldn’t tell right away if they were shady, Max managed to spot a Crabominable, a Barbaracle, and a Sandslash. Out of the three, the third one looked back at Max with a snarl.

Charming, he sighed and focused back on his drink, having just arrived. He took a single sip and nearly coughed. “Blergh. This tastes like piss.”

“What’re you talking about?” Mienshao asked, crossing his arms, quirking a brow. “I ain’t takin’ shit from nobody.”

“Personal taste.” Max shrugged. “This might surprise you, but I’m not here to complain about your booze. Just wanna ask a few things.”

Mienshao glared. “And what if I don’t wanna answer ‘em?”

“Then you might wanna talk to the hand instead,” Max raised his right arm, enveloping it in pure electricity.

“…What do ya want?”

Great, just what he wanted to hear! With a chuckle, Max gulped down a large sip of beer and sighed in relief, now eyeing Mienshao directly. His smirk looked like it could kill, somehow.

“Pretty simple, pardner,” he replied. “…I’ve heard that in this fine town there have been rumors about some pretty nasty stones… rainbow-colored gems. And I’m here to collect ‘em.”

Mienshao’s expression changed from neutral to surprised, and then to scared as his face began to pour sweat, and he tried to back off slowly. 

Clearing his throat, Max snarled. He waved dismissively, but his fingers had a small crackle of electricity around them. “Hey there, fella . I asked you a question, you better answer it.”

Not just Mienshao, but the trio in one of the tables turned to look at Max. They were all snarling at him, but he paid them no mind. As long as he got his answer, it should be fine.

“W-Well, it ain’t something we can just tell ya,” Mienshao said, gulping. He was growing more nervous, and his face was now drenched in sweat. His body refused to move, no matter how much he wanted to run away.

“Tell me, or I swear I’ll throw you through the roof.” Max alerted, suddenly standing up. “I’ll even be nice and count to three! How’s about it?”

“I-I don’t know! I-I’m tellin’ the truth, the one who deals with this is the sheriff!” Mienshao stuttered, pleading with Max not to hurt him.

Max chuckled and shrugged. “See? Now that was easy, wasn’t it?”

Now done with what he went there to do, Max promptly left the pub.

---

Heavy footsteps echoed across a grassy road, where a carriage pulled by a Tauros charging with great speed could be seen. The bovine let out puffs out steam from his nostrils as he ran, approaching a town that was already visible, albeit only part of it.

Dexter poked his head out the window to take a look before going back inside the vehicle. “Seems like it’ll take a while fer us to get there.”

“This takes me back…” Brian whispered, looking at his side to see Meggie. His thoughts, however, drifted back to the day his brother and he had moved out, and were in a similar carriage.

“Why didn’t we use transport like this during the mission with the other team?” Meggie asked, a mix of playfulness and frustration at her voice.

“I think Lance said he didn’t want to risk other ‘mons’ lives, since that was a dangerous mission.”

The weasel yawned. “Ye two do ye. I be enjoyin’ the trip. ‘Ow long ’til we get to Cydonia?”

Brian pulled a backpack from his back and zipped it open, grabbing a map. He pointed at a dot and slowly raised his finger until the left part of the chart, tapping another dot. “Third day of our trip, so four more days? Maybe three if we’re lucky.”

He stopped to put the map back in his bag and soon sighed, clutching it. What awaited him and his friends? Maybe good things. Hopefully good things. And the long-awaited reunion.

Suddenly, his hand felt much colder. Brian snapped back to reality as he noticed Meggie holding onto him, and found himself holding in return.

“Meg, I… I don’t know what to say. I-I… thanks.”

“Hey,” she answered. “Don’t think I need to tell you, but I really… appreciate you. Really, I do. I… I think I—”

The carriage stopped as they heard the Tauros puffing again. “We’ve arrived!”

Meggie sighed, opening the door and stepping out alongside her teammates. They were in an open grassy meadow, next to a farm, and right at the end of their field of view they could see lots of rustic buildings, neatly preserved by the population.

“This should be our last stop before we cross the seas,” Brian said, shivering a little at his last word. “…I’m already hating the idea.”

Dexter chuckled, touching his hips. “Y’know, when I said I wanted to see the world, this here wasn’t what I ‘ad in mind. Already seen me share o’ water.”

“Boys, behave!” Meggie chastised them. Her eyes suddenly sparkled. “Brian, I’ve heard this town has some nice flowers. Will you be a gentlemon and show me around?”

He flushed and looked away. “S-Sure, we can spend a day here, and tomorrow we’ll look for a boat to take us.”

“Since we be ‘ere, I might as well search fer somethin’ to me,” the weasel retorted. “Be we free to enjoy our time ‘ere, Cap’n?”

“Aye, aye,” Brian said, watching Dexter run into town with a sigh.

---

Max used the hat to cover his eyes after he left the bar, and instantly thanked himself for the idea, as a sandstorm brewed outside. It didn’t hurt him, but it sure was annoying, like the sand on his feet. Geez, why did it had to be this town, specifically?

“Now to find the sheriff,” he said, coughing up sand. Blergh. Note to self: don’t talk out loud!

His fur bristled in the wind, and as the large ape-like Pokémon walked, he turned around right as a Crabominable tried punching him, only for Max to block the attack with his own fist, their clash equal in power.

“Whit did ye want wi our barkeep? Ye’re shady as fuck!”

“Says the guy that attacked in the middle of a storm!” Max snarled, charging electricity through his arms, forcing his opponent to back away. As he did, Max then cracked his knuckles. “Besides, I just wanted some information! Is that really bad?”

A blur passed through Max, and though he managed to dodge the attack, it had managed to hit his cheek, making it bleed. 

“It is whan ye dinnae respect our traditions!” The attacker revealed himself to be the Sandslash from before, who licked the blood off his claw.

“Sounds stupid,” Max deadpanned. “Again, I’m just getting info ! Can’t a guy be curious for once?”

He heard thumping; the Barbaracle was behind him as well. Three against one, what were the odds of him winning this one? Probably very few, but they didn’t need to know that.

“Well, hou’s aboot we teach ye a lesson?” Sandslash snarled. “A micht no e’en neit these guys!”

“Nice accent, did you find it in a book or something?” Max taunted, fists clenched.

“Bitch!” Sandslash dove in, charging towards Max. 

Contrary to what his size would dictate, the electric-type was agile, and managed to jump backwards to avoid a slashing attack. Right then, Max dug his hand on the sand and, just as Sandslash noted his foiled attempt, threw it on his face.

What resulted was a temporary blindness that served to Max’s advantage, although there were still two other opponents to take care of, but he had devised a plan to deal with them already.

Crabominable was the first to run towards him, and Max noted how his adversary’s hand was cloaked in a misty aura. Realizing what that meant, he grabbed Sandslash by his tail and instantly threw him at Crabominable, and the two were further blown back by the impact.

“H-Hah…! That wasn’t hard!” Max turned around, panting. “Alright, you big lug! Time to kick your ass too!”

The large rock-type shook his head and instead, backed away from Max, leaving him be, while raising his arms in the air as a sign of surrender.

“Well done,” rubbing the sweat off his face, Max smiled. “Now, to find the sheriff.”

---

As he sniffed the salty air this town had, Dexter couldn’t help but remember his childhood. Amongst the bad things, there were also good things, he thought. Well, at least he had actual friends now.

Friends who were too slow, as he noticed. He waited for them at the town’s entrance, crossing his arms in an attempt to look more angry than he really was. On the inside, he was eager to see them.

“C’mon, y’all! Get ‘ere already!”

Brian raised his arm as he walked, giggling. “I’m comin’, dude!”

Meggie floated gracefully, covering her mouth with her hands. “Didn’t know you were impatient.”

“Just ‘cause I wanna see what this here town ‘as in store fer me!”

With his friends now by his side, Dexter thought about giving them a nice and strong hug, only rejecting the idea because he didn’t want to hurt them accidentally.

Brian looked at the town, checking it out. Large buildings stood out to him, as did tons of merchant shops, along with a port. Bystanders who talked with each other gave the place a lively sensation that Brian found, in his own words, “neat”.

“Mesmerizin’, ain’t it?” Dexter grinned, tapping the fox’s shoulder. “If it be yer first time, o’ course. I’ve lived in a town like this here, an’ I be not impressed.”

Brian forced himself to pout. “Aw… well, what do you guys wanna do here?”

“Prolly check the place out!” Meggie said, rushing inside.

Clearly Meggie had to be very energetic about this trip. The boys looked at each other and walked behind their teammate. Brian smiled, his hope that things would be okay grew stronger, or maybe it was just that the company he had was enjoyable. Or both.

It wasn’t long until Brian felt someone touching his shoulder, and he instinctively jumped back to look at who did it. The Pokémon, a Greninja, did the same, but had landed on his rear.

“What was that for?!” Brian asked, breathing slowly after the jumpscare.

“S-Sorry mister,” Greninja replied, frowning as he got on his feet. “I just wanted to be sure… are you Brian Williams?”

Dexter blinked. “Yer last name be Williams? Nice to know, Goggles.”

“…I mean, you could tell me yours, Dexter.” 

“Rodriguez.”

“Huh,” he shrugged and looked at the blue Pokémon nearby. “That’d be me. What’s up?”

Greninja’s eyes sparkled as he got closer, holding both of Brian’s paws and shaking them quickly. “Oh! It’s a pleasure knowing you, sir! I’m a big fan of your team! And team Hero too, but mostly your team!”

That’s a first, the fox gulped.

Meggie wrapped her hand on his shoulder and chuckled. “Oh wow Brian, didn’t know you were famous. Guess it took you long enough!”

“Y-Yeah?” Brian blushed. “S-So you know my team, right? It’s… uh, nice meeting a fan?”

“Not just a fan! I have a club for you guys!” Greninja eyed Dexter. “Well, except for you, but I didn’t know you replaced Lance with him!”

Hearing that, Brian’s flustered face turned into a frown. He was able to control himself enough to not punch the Greninja, but still, what audacity !

“He’s not a replacement!” Brian protested, huffing.

Dexter flexed a bicep. “Aye, I be just the newest an’ sexiest member o’ this here team~”

“I’ll ignore that,” Brian grunted.

The Greninja looked at them for a few more seconds, tilting his head. Then, he smiled. “Well, can I show you guys to my friends! We’re big fans, please!”

“Nope,” Meggie shook her head right away in denial. “I’m gonna go look for something to buy, you boys handle that. Bye bye~!”

She was gone. Brian grunted again, not really wanting to deal with a fanbase. But Dexter? The weasel was ecstatic about the idea, grinning wildly. Oh boy.

---

Max sighed in relief, looking at the unconscious bodies of his opponents, and making a mental note to use more restraint next time. And they didn’t even give useful intel…

With a grunt, he sighed. Damnit. Wasted too much time with these idiots…

Thinking about this wasn’t helping either, so Max covered his face with his large arms and walked amidst the town, taking a few glances here and there. His eyes eventually landed on a Gumshoos that seemed to be approaching him.

“Seems like you had a run in with a few subordinates of mine,” he said, raising a brow.

“Oh shit, are you the sheriff?” Max blinked. This was not how he expected the meeting to go.

“You could say that,” the Gumshoos sighed. “What do you want? Spill it, partner.”

“Been hearing some rumors ‘bout a so-called stone in these parts,” he clutched his hat, smirking. “And I’m something of a specialist on ‘em myself. I need to investigate it.”

Maybe talking like that would help. Gosh, this was embarrassing, even for Max. And from how Gumshoos looked disgusted, he must’ve thought the same.

“A stone. You look like you’ve travelled a lot, came all this way for a stone?” The sheriff asked, a tint of smugness in his voice.

Max knew better than to tell the entire story about the emeras. “Course. They’re very volatile and dangerous. It’s for the best that I take ‘em out of here.”

“Right, right…” Gumshoos crossed his arms, still not convinced. He was suspicious of Max, and obviously the sentiment was mutual between them. “How’s about this: I go with you to our lil mine and we investigate this t’gether. What do you say?”

I fuckin’ hate this idea, Max kept that thought to himself, no need to raise the animosity there. “…Fine. But don’t get in my way, or I’ll fry your ass. Got it?”

“I could say the same to you.”

“Great!” Anyone could almost see the sarcasm in Max’s voice. Oh well, joining forces with the sheriff was the lesser of two evils.

“Follow me,” he said, getting on all fours and walking towards the area where the storm was thicker. Max grunted again, going there at a quick pace.

---

A theater. That Greninja brought them to a theater . In hindsight, calling it a theater would be generous. The place only contained a stage and a few chairs splattered around the ground. What surprised Brian, however, were two kids, a Rockruff and an ice-type Vulpix, who instantly looked at him with the biggest puppy eyes he had ever seen.

Out of the two, the Vulpix wore goggles just like the ones on Brian’s head, and the Rockruff had a similar headband to his brother. The Zoroark blinked, not saying a word, just looking .

“Would ye look at that, Goggles? These kids be yer fans!”

“…I-I noticed!” Brian replied, stuttering in his words. The Vulpix ran to his side and looked up in awe, their tails wagging. “H-How are you…?”

“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you!” The Vulpix said, sporting a feminine voice. She giggled and opened her mouth to flash a bright smile.

The pup nearby looked around, clearly searching for Lance. Dexter noticed it and got on his knees, looking at the Rockruff. 

“Ahoy, matey. I can see ye be lookin’ fer Lance, ‘e’s not ‘ere,” he said. “Don’t ye worry! We’re gonna find ‘im!”

If the Rockruff was happy from hearing that, Dexter didn’t notice it, as the pup simply walked away from him while he was giving the speech.

Greninja picked the two children, holding them in his arms as he looked at them, smiling once more. “Thank you for the visit, these kids… they only have me, and I wanted to give ‘em some hope.”

Dexter tilted his head, getting more curious. “Really? ‘Ow’d ye do that there?”

“I kinda… told them a version of Brian’s first adventure,” he explained, feeling heat rising up. “S-Sorry, I had to cut some things out… they’re very young.”

“No worries,” the fox replied. So he was a hero to them? That was nice. He always did want to be an inspiration, and he hadn’t even tried! “…I can’t believe these kids like me!”

“You’re pretty famous here.” Greninja pointed out, nodding. “Well, at least for me and my friends, we heard about what happened in Bright Dawn. That was pretty heroic of you. Well, taking out the… y’know, with the two steel-types.”

Dexter raised his arm.“I’ve ‘eard stories too, but now I wanna know more. Can ye tell me more, Tongue?”

Greninja blinked. “T-Tongue?”

“He gives everyone nicknames,” Brian sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Let’s just get on with this, alright? I wanna hear what you know about my adventures too.”

“Okay!” Greninja sat down, letting the kids sleep on his lap while he rubbed their furry heads. “I’m sure Brian’s aware, but it started when they travelled to Bright Dawn!”

“Strike one!” Brian chuckled. “Sorry. We didn’t travel . Well, technically we did. But we went there to move out. Just wanted to give more details, go on!”

“Right. After they moved out, the two started a new life in the city…”

---

Meggie wasn’t sure why everyone kept staring at her. She wasn’t looking weird, was she? Or maybe they saw something that she didn’t.

Hey, I hope this means I’m cute. 

Hold on. That was a weird thought. From how some of the males and females were blushing, she was sure that was the reason. Of course she was cute. Froslass was a cute species. And she probably was a cute human too. Not that anyone around her would notice.

“Or even knew what a human is.”

“Ma’am?”

Snapping back to reality, Meggie found herself near a stand with a Heliolisk beneath a counter, holding a bouquet of blue flowers.

“…This one’s on me. My bad!” Meggie held her embarrassment and began to fiddle with her purse for the cash, when she thought about a question. She slowly looked at the Heliolisk. “Hey… can I ask you something?”

“I’m a florist, not your therapist,” Heliolisk replied. “…But since you’re paying me anyway, spill it.”

“What can you tell me about humans?”

Heliolisk scoffed and shrugged. “What is there to tell? Tales for children. Nuthin’ more than that.”

Being reduced to a myth had somewhat of a badass vibe, but Meggie wasn’t really satisfied with what she heard. But hey, at least she was the stuff of legends.

“Cool,” she said, completely intending the pun. “What if I told you I’m one, huh? A human! I’m stuck like this, or well… eh, I don’t mind.”

As she expected, Heliolisk didn’t say anything, and looked confused at what he heard. “Ma’am, I’m just a vendor. Please take the flowers and go away.”

Reluctantly, she agreed. Meggie floated away, looking at the flowers she held. The conversation went as badly as it could, and she missed an opportunity to learn more about how humans were thought about in this world.

To think that I rejected the offer to go with—Nevermind, dude’s a psycho. He got what he deserved. 

She sighed, looking up. The sky was clear and there wasn’t even a single cloud. Meggie extended a hand towards the neverending sky and closed it. …I don’t even know what I’m doing. Or why I bought these flowers.

While she walked, Meggie saw kids playing. A Trapinch bounced a ball towards an Oddish, while a Roserade and a Flygon watched. They seemed so peaceful, so quiet and calm. Meggie cracked a smile at the scene, and a few petals of the flower flew in the air. 

Maybe I made the right decision. Living here is great. The bad things… they don’t erase the good things. And the good things don’t erase the bad ones. I have a new family here. This… this is where I want to be.

She threw the flower on the ground and smiled. Even if knowing more about humans was hard, she was happy with how things were. With Brian too(although being more intimate with him would be nice too).

“Don’t know where the guys are, so… maybe I can find a hotel for us!”

---

Tracks were splattered on the floor next to the mine’s entrance, sustained by a few logs of wood. The darkness inside didn’t let anyone see what the place was like, and it could even scare away children.

Max, however, was calm. If it weren’t for that darn Gumshoos following him, this would be a piece of cake, or like taking candy from a baby.

“Let’s get inside already!” Gumshoos protested, snarling and showing off his fangs. He looked at the entrance, unsealed, but with an eerie tone into it.

The two entered the cave. At first, they failed to see anything in the vast darkness of the mine, but soon, Max heard the cracking noise and a sphere burst with light, held by Gumshoos’ paw. 

The cave was rocky, and a few carts could be seen. There was no light other than the orb held by Gumshoos, but Max, by squinting his eyes, managed to see something reflecting the light. It was faint, but at the end of the hallway, he saw the characteristic rainbow glow of the emera he was looking for.

“That way.” Max stated, walking towards it. Gumshoos raised a brow and followed.

“What do you even want with the stones? If they’re so dangerous, I mean.”

Why did everyone ask him this? Despite how annoying it was, Max found it a bit charming to answer this exact question.

Max scratched his chin. “Have you ever heard of the phrase “knowledge is power”? It’s something I live by. I strive to learn more about the world.”

“And you knock out my officers because of this… hunger for knowledge?”

Now this was just plain idiotic. “Can we stop talkin’ about your officers? They attacked me first, y’know.”

“Doesn’t make it right.”

“Whatever!” Max shouted, walking faster as to get away from this stupid sheriff. What a prick.

They continued following the room, while Max touched the walls, feeling their rocky surface. Lilith would surely enjoy this. Eh, she’s better off with the boss.

He wondered how this mine was built, how much effort it took for it to be done, because it was pretty nicely built. Max sighed, shrugging off these thoughts. He was there for the stones and nothing else.

And speaking of the stones, the two now noticed they were inches away from the reservoir. Max squinted his eyes and whistled at the sight; so many emeras that shined in the light of the orb, reflecting the light and giving the area a nice, rainbow-colored look.

“Tell you what,” the Electivire looked back. “There’s a lot more than I hoped, so I guess you can keep… let’s see. A quarter of it?”

“Fuck off,” Gumshoos replied. “I own this town, I deserve at least a half of the emeras.”

That would be more than enough for Max, usually. However, he wasn’t about to get out of there with his hands empty. And surely not without a big part of the treasure.

He crossed his burly arms, looking at the sheriff. “A third.”

“Deal,” Gumshoos extended his arm, thumping his tail on the dusty floor.

Max smiled. From what it looked, he wasn’t going back without any treasure.

---

“And then they faced off inside a very hot dungeon!”

Greninja raised his arms in the air, visibly excited to tell this story. The kids he was taking care of had already fallen asleep, and Brian was fiddling with his hookshot. Out of them all, the only one really paying attention to the tale was Dexter.

“Why didn’t ye tell me about the story?” Dexter tapped his friend’s shoulder. “Goggles, it be real fun! Ye scurvy mons sure be real ‘eroes.”

Heroes, huh? Brian gulped. The word did have a nice ring to it, but he also heard his brother say how he wasn’t a hero, not like Brian was. “I mean… you never asked.”

“True,” he stuck out his tongue and stretched his arms.

The story was interesting, Dexter thought. He knew more about his friends now. Not everything was good, however. Unlike his friends… Dexter was not a hero. Not even close. How could he compare to them, who risked their lives to help others?

I ain’t a ‘ero. But why be I only thinkin’ about this here now?

Brian waved goodbye to the frog and the kids, before pushing Dexter out of the building. They took another look at the town, enjoying how lively it looked, with merchants in every corner.

“…Goggles.”

“Yeah?”

I wanna tell ye somethin’, the words didn’t leave his mind. Damn it. Off to his second option.“Uh, Where be we stayin’? ‘Cause I might get some drinks fer ye an’ me.”

“You’re paying for it this time,” Brian snorted, showing a genuine smile. “I gotta give it to you, Dexter. I didn’t expect you to come with us. I’m surprised, but… happy. So thanks for doing it.”

“Really? ‘Eh.” Dexter flexed his bicep, grinning. “Guess ye think I be a better replacement, then~”

A goofball. That’s how Brian viewed the weasel. At least he wasn’t alone anymore, and Lance was the only grumpy one. If he was still on the team.

Brian snorted. “Maybe, ‘cept you’re not a replacement! I think you’re a nice guy, and a friend.”

“…Thank ye, Goggles.”

“Speaking of friends…”

While Brian looked at the town, he saw a familiar Froslass hovering towards the two, and waved in response, waiting for her. Meggie soon arrived, smiling at the fox.

“Hey boys. Found us a hotel! I already booked us, so don’t worry.”

“Nice,” Brian replied, yawning and slightly eyeing Dex. “Guess Meg and I are gonna go there, and you’ll grab us some drinks?”

“Don’t ye two worry. I’ll brin’ us somethin’ nice,” Dexter said with a thumbs up.

“Bring snacks while you’re at it!” Meggie giggled, taking Brian’s paw and walking away with him. The fox blushed and stuttered a few unintelligible words as they faded into the background.

A lump formed on Dexter’s throat while he waved at them. Thoughts he had ignored before were flooding back.

Wonder if I made the right decision by joinin’ them. They’re pretty important, an’ I be just some… replacement.

This journey could help shed some light on this particular issue, Dexter mused. If anything, he was happy to be their friend.

…Friend. Not a ‘ero, but a friend.