Intruder!

The morning light shone above Team Venture’s burrow, uncovering a windmill overlooking it. The area beside was open space, a welcome addition in a cramped street. A boulder, which was brought as a makeshift lock, rested next to the burrow.

“Metal Claw!”

Surge raised his arm and slashed a trunk. Creaks of torn wood flashed in his ears.

After his attack, he looked at the trunk. Vertical grooves ran across it. He inched toward it and touched the grooves, noticing their impressive depth.

He stepped back, turned the trunk around and whipped out another Metal Claw, forming the same grooves he inflicted on its other side.

There are no inhibitions for my powers, he reflected, gazing into the valleys of his slashes. I don’t need to worry about pain. He listened to the windmill’s creaks.

Surge struck Metal Claws on every side of the post with increasing vigor. Even after all the sides had been gashed, he kept ripping the wood apart until his tongue began to hang out.

He retracted the Metal Claw and observed the trunk. It was covered in claw marks, resembling a warrior with many injuries. He could not recall how many times he rented the post; ten, twenty or something in between?

Surge ran his paws across the post and pressed against its depths. My Metal Claw has impressive power, he considered. Imagine this exact attack on a Pokemon’s skin-

A visceral image invaded his mind. He recoiled, shut his eyes and tried to extinguish the mental atrocity. The blood, the injury… Begone, gruesome consequence!

Unable to keep looking at it without the undercurrent of violence, Surge left the trunk alone and confronted Rhyzo, who was unleashing a barrage of attacks at a slab of rock. “Rhyzo, I’ve just practiced Metal Claw,” he told. “Would you like to see the trunk?”

With a fist stuck in the cracked rock, Rhyzo looked at the trunk. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed in awe. “That’s the exact effort you should show in battle. No Anorith or Lileep can stand a chance against Metal Claws like those. Keep it up!”

“I’d like to learn Bone Rush,” Surge proposed, eager to leave the Metal Claw images behind. “It’s one of the moves you discussed, right?”

“That’s simple.” Rhyzo tossed the broken rock slab away. “Try to pull a staff out of your paws. Like this.” He put his clenched fists together and spread them apart. “A bone of energy will form in your paws.”

Surge repeated Rhyzo’s action, but the bone did not manifest. After a bunch of tries, his efforts were fruitless.

“Maybe you’re too weak to learn it yet,” Rhyzo deduced. “You can learn Counter instead. Say the move’s name!”

“Counter!” An orange aura enveloped Surge. Bronze energy wrapped around his body. Suddenly, he felt a harsh tug against one of his feelers.

Two cries of pain ensued. “Yow!” “Shit!”

Surge clutched his feeler in pain and grimaced. He found Rhyzo rubbing one of his own ears with an equally pained expression. “Excuse me, Rhyzo!” he gasped. “I didn’t touch your ear!”

“Yes, you never did. It’s the orange aura’s work. Your Counter took my pinch of your feeler and reflected it at my ear. It’s a counterattack. Get it?”

“A counterattack? That’s nice. Anyone who attacks me will get the appropriate retribution. I don’t need to resort to voluntary pain.”

“And you’ll whittle yourself down to a walking mass of injuries.”

“Oh. I understand.” Surge’s orange aura dissipated.

“Remember this, do not use Counter against special moves like Water Gun. It works only against physical moves.”

“Physical and special moves?”

“Use this stuff to help you: Physical moves like Tackle require, well, physical contact and special moves like Vine Whip are magic tricks.”

“Does this mean my Aura Sphere is a special move?”

“Yes. You Lucario are equally adept at physical and special moves. My special capabilities, however, suck ass. Now let me teach you Force Palm.”

Surge continued his training under the calming shadow of the windmill, receiving education on the complexities of battling along the way.

---

Drenched Bluff B1F

“Hey! Where’s the stairs?” Rhyzo cried, pacing frantically around an empty room. “We took this exact path, right? Did someone hide it or something?”

“I don’t think it’s exact,” replied Surge, waving his Metal Claw torch. “The first cavern we entered is different from the one we encountered yesterday. There was only one pathway there…”

“Wait a minute, the dungeon changed on its own?” He stopped in his tracks.

“We haven’t found the lake either. I’m sorry, but your assumption must be right.”

“Mewdamn it!” Rhyzo stomped the ground, scattering a puddle of water. “We can’t run hell for leather all over the place again!” He hurled harsh insults at the room’s ceiling.

“You can’t blame nature,” Surge remarked, closing his eyes. “She won’t bow to any Pokemon’s whims.”

In search of that elusive stairway, they entered a corridor, but a stray Lileep blocked their path.

“We’ve already explored the two paths behind, right?” Surge said.

“Go and Force Palm that Lileep before it attacks you.”

“You agreed to avoid-“

“IT’S BLOCKING OUR DAMN PATH!”

Surge ran at the Lileep and struck it with a glowing outstretched palm. The Lileep was brought down faster than a wing’s flap. He sighed. “Ferals obstructing us must be taken down no matter what,” he admitted.

“Luckily that Lileep had no murderous relatives around,” Rhyzo remarked as they passed through the corridor and into the next cavern. In the middle of the room, a small obstacle brushed against his hoof.

“What’s sitting in the middle of my path?” he said, looking at the ground.

A bright red apple leaned on his hoof. He picked it up and widened his eyes at its unusual size, more like a melon than a regular apple. For a fruit stowed in the middle of a muddy dungeon, its surface was spotless with nary a fungus in sight.

“It’s nice that the dungeon makes its own food and medicines for hungry dungeoneers like us,” said Surge. “How do we store such a large fruit?”

“You already held that Blowback Orb in your paws, didn’t you?” Rhyzo blurted, showing the apple. “Hold this and don’t ask any more questions. I’ve had enough needles in my ass.”

Surge collected the apple and they continued into the next room.

---

Drenched Bluff Peak

The fountain glistened under the moon. Rhyzo stopped and gazed at the gyrating spouts of water. “Hot damn,” he said in amazement. “Even the night has epic sights in store for me!”

“You wanted to collect something from the fountain, right?” Surge said as he scurried to the end of the path. “Come here before the dungeon warps us or something.”

“Why don’t you give it a try, novice?” Rhyzo encouraged, crossing his arms. “You can’t just follow my orders.”

Surge approached the fountain and scanned the clear water, seeing a reflection of the moon ripple on the surface. An isolated glint caught his eye.

He submerged his paws in the water and his fingers identified a smooth curve. Upon deeper touch, he deduced a spherical shape. He grasped the object, raised it out of the water, and behold! It was a dainty little pearl clad in the white of the moon.

“Look what I found, Rhyzo,” he exclaimed, rolling the pearl in his fingers. “Now we can buy a proper house!”

Rhyzo grinned from ear to ear, his fangs visible in the moonlight. “We need a jeweler first,” he indicated. “But a pearl is a pearl.”

“Hmm…” Surge looked at the small sack of gold ore in Rhyzo’s hand. “Could the jeweler prospect our ores too?”

“Probably.”

After a second, Rhyzo posed an idea. “Hey, why don’t you dredge up more pearls from this fountain? We’ll become millionaires!”

As Surge dipped his paws once again, his arms began to twist like ribbons. The environment started to swirl. He gulped in his mind. It’s that warp again…

Drenched Bluff Entrance

Team Venture was back at the foot of Drenched Bluff, standing amidst the assortment of boulders.

“Why weren’t you greedy enough?!” Rhyzo balked, grimacing at Surge.

“Shouldn’t we check the pearl for impurities first?”

“Pearls can’t be impure, dammit!”

“Pure or impure, it’s baffling to hear this from someone who abhors the monetization of guilds.” Surge confessed with a shrug.

“This is different,” groused Rhyzo. “Sometimes you must shed your Pecha Berry sweetness to survive in a harsh world.”

“At least we have one of these lovely pearls,” Surge asserted, gripping the pearl with protectiveness. “This alone can fetch us a good price.”

“Alright. We’ll use the money gained to buy gear, then a map we can locate dungeons with. Damn, the Original One is going to stop screwing me up!”

“Make that us.”

“I know, Surge. Now let’s go home.” He tried to saunter, but all he could see were shades of black. His saunter degenerated into a fumble for traversable ground.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t see shit in the dark!” Rhyzo cursed, his eyes squinted.

“Let me help you,” Surge held Rhyzo’s hand. “Walk with me carefully.”

Team Venture began their journey home as Surge guided Rhyzo into the dead of the night.

---

The wild grasslands became a vast void of darkness. Surge navigated the clear path with attention to detail. Rhyzo, lacking his usual composure, begrudgingly let his sidekick hold his hand as he stumbled with every step.

“Quick,” demanded Rhyzo. “We must be home as soon as possible.”

“As our burrow is in a seedy district,” Surge said, “I’m afraid someone will push our boulder lock.”

“That won’t happen,” Rhyzo stated. “Any passerby will think the boulder is part of the scenery. The burrow’s sealed tight. But more criminals will prowl around over time,” he added with concern.

Sometime later, Surge spotted a cluster of Aura signatures on the horizon. They were nestled in the grass field to his right, far from their path.

“Rhyzo, I’ve found an Aura cluster over there,” Surge told, pointing in the direction of his signals. “There must be a group of people.”

“A certified team to turn ourselves in to?” Rhyzo scoffed. “Ignore them.”

“Or a carriage to board. It will speed up our journey back home.”

“Who the hell parks a carriage in the middle of the wild?” he growled. “Get back home before a thief screws us over.”

“At least we can take a closer look. If the cluster looks suspicious, we’ll retreat.”

“As you wish,” Rhyzo grunted. “Make sure our visit is quick.”

Surge guided Rhyzo through the thickets of tall grass, taking deliberate steps. His Aura signals grew stronger and more detailed with every inch they covered until he discovered a group of travelers surrounding something illuminated by an oil lamp.

I’ll take a closer look, Surge thought. Are they dungeoneers or just passersby?

He tiptoed closer to the travelers. Most of them were bare, with the occasional scarf or belt. The center of their attention was a Golbat hanging from the ceiling of a wheeled stall. Stacks of assorted items were shelved behind the Golbat.

“Hey, Lucario!” the Golbat hissed, glaring at Surge. “Don’t tell us you’re on patrol, justice dog!” His customers turned around and locked their own eyes on the wolf.

“No, no, no!” Surge gasped, flinching and raising his paws. “I’m only here for a visit!”

“Then what is that scarf doing around your neck?”

“It’s just a fashion item, I swear.”

“That’s not any ordinary scarf,” said an Ursaring, one of the Golbat’s customers. “That’s a Pecha Scarf.” He sniffed the air. “I can recognize the scent.”

“Are you a certified dungeoneer on a mission to destroy our stall?” a Hattrem added.

“Don’t be afraid,” Rhyzo interrupted as he came forward. “We’re unauthorized dungeoneers. Those damn guilds only want to extort money.”

“Actually, we’re broke,” Surge reasoned. “We had no other choice…”

“You’re not alone,” the Golbat reassured, “I offer gear and badges to unlucky folks like you.”

“Really?” Rhyzo’s jaws dropped in awe. “That’s awesome! Wing over some gear for us, will you?”

“Please wait in the queue.”

As they waited for their turn, Team Venture struck up a conversation with the Hattrem and Morgrem ahead of them.

“We came all the way here from Lively City,” said the Hattrem, her aloof expression clashing with her adolescent voice.

“Lively City?” said Surge. “Where is it?”

“In the Water Continent. That landmass is a whole hemisphere away.”

“Oh my! You both are immigrants, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” replied the Morgrem, stroking his slick hair. “Dad got his leg bitten off in a big fight with a Rampardos outlaw. I and Candy would have joined a guild to earn money, but alas, we’re young’uns.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your plight,” Surge lamented, lowering his snout.

“At least I have Candy by my side,” the Morgrem added on a lighter note, grasping the Hattrem’s hand.

“Don’t call me Candy,” the Hattrem teased, striking a small smirk. “My name’s really Abhora.”

As the queue shortened, Rhyzo spotted a Tauros with a pouch around his chest trot by. “Hello, Tauros!” he greeted jovially. “Aren’t you fed up with the greed of guilds too?”

“The only guild in my neighborhood was suspended by the IFD for labor rights violations,” snorted the Tauros. “I have no other job to support my three daughters.”

“Good. Keep those wealth parasites at tail’s length.”

“Your motivation is petty,” the Tauros dismissed, whipping his three tails. “How will you lead a safe career without any gear or minted coins?” He galloped off.

“See, Rhyzo,” Surge pointed out in frustration. “We could have avoided unwarranted suffering if-“

“Stop whining,” Rhyzo snapped, giving him an incredulous look.

It was now Team Venture’s turn at the counter. “Fellow have-not, you offer badges, don’t you?” Rhyzo began, rapping the wooden surface of the counter.

“Yes…” The Golbat retrieved a box from a shelf. Surge and Rhyzo admired the shimmering badges inside. “These are counterfeit badges,” the Golbat explained. “The haves will ask you to show them. But never let them be taken. Real badges are authorized with a unique scent.”

“Thanks.” Rhyzo took out three badges. “Do you have bags to carry them?”

“Certainly. Right now we are limited to bags for bipeds and birds, but you two won’t have any issues.”

“Why are you taking an extra badge?” Surge asked.

“That’s for a potential new member. I can’t rely on you all the time for obvious reasons.” Rhyzo gave him a dismissive look. “Golbat, can you show the bags?”

With one wing, the bat raised a homely leather bag from the lower shelf. “Which of you would like to wear this?”

Rhyzo observed the bag and its long strap. “Surge, try this.” He handed over the bag. “Golbat, give me two more bags.”

Surge hung his bag over his shoulder and it reached his waist. “It fits,” he remarked, watching it dangle.

Rhyzo accepted a pouch belt and another crossbody bag. “Do you charge anything?”

“Gold ore, Rhydon.”

“Hell yes!” Rhyzo slammed the counter with a clenched fist in celebration. He emptied the sack of gold ore he and Surge accumulated in Drenched Bluff. “How many rocks do you want at the least?”

The Golbat inspected the amount of gold in each ore. “I’ll take these three.”

Rhyzo gave away the three purest ores and snatched his purchases. He tied the pouch belt around his large belly and dropped a badge in it. He then yanked Surge’s bag and stuffed it with the other bag, the other badges and all the remaining items from their recent exploration.

“Goodbye!” Rhyzo bid to the Golbat. “Be seeing you sometime. You’re too good to be true!”

“Most welcome, Rhydon,” replied the bat. As Team Venture left the stall dressed like real dungeoneers, he made a teasing laugh.

It was not long before drops of water started to patter on Surge and Rhyzo’s heads.

“Is it drizzling?” Surge presumed, trying to make out the surface of clouds in the night sky. The drizzle became heavier, appearing to be amused by his statement.

“YES!” yelled Rhyzo, clenching Surge’s paw and charging toward Treasure City, tossing away his frustration with the dark. “We must get back fast!”

Pulled by his partner, now Surge was the one being guided, with the practical care replaced by a frenzied haste.

---

The rain became a downpour. Unable to divert water to the junk-clogged ditches, the streets of Butterfield became a web of canals. The once-bustling neighborhood was deserted and everyone had retreated to their homes regardless of condition.

Rhyzo raced through the flooded streets, sloshing water with every stomp. He had Surge perched atop his shoulders to keep him off the dirty water and to act as a makeshift umbrella. To him, every droplet of rain was as irritating as an itch. He tried his damnedest to reach their cave as soon as possible.

Clinging to his shoulders, Surge was shaken around as if he were in a carriage traversing the roughest of terrains. “Could you please walk more slowly?” he urged, feeling his eyes swirl a little. “I might lose my balance and fall into the water.”

“Shut up and hold tight!” Rhyzo grumbled, shooting a scowl. “I can’t make pointless adjustments before our cave floods!” Well, greater priorities were at stake. Surge gripped his ally’s sturdy shoulders as raindrops trickled into his fur, threatening to let his muscles loose.

After stumbling upon the visage of the windmill, Team Venture reached their burrow earlier than expected. The ground around it was loamy and safe to walk on, having sponged up the rainwater. Surge hopped off Rhyzo’s shoulders and activated his usual Metal Claw torch. He scanned the surroundings with his move, only to find no trace of the boulder lock. He did find the entrance… with the boulder lodged right nearby.

“Oh shit!” yelled Rhyzo, clenching his fists and grimacing. “Someone broke inside!” He tried to charge into the burrow, but Surge caught his arm.

“Stop! If you run in the darkness like this,” he warned, “you’ll trip and give the intruder an advantage.”

“Says the guy who can’t Quick Attack without a pratfall.”

“Please keep the reputations aside for now. Rash decisions can cost a million. I’ll guide you and we’ll confront the intruder together.”

They carefully made their way down the stairs. Surge waved his Metal Claw at each corner of the cave. To his and Rhyzo’s relief, the mounds of dungeon collectibles and food items were left untouched. A plush bundle of white lay near the center, a strange presence in this dingy dwelling.

“A cushion?” Surge whispered. “What a stroke of luck! We can dry ourselves with this luxury. I wonder who put it here?”

“Guess the intruder played a prank,” Rhyzo quipped, wiping water off his forehead.

Surge edged near the cushion with measured steps, baffled to see a rare treasure in his modest life. He extended his other paw at the cushion. Once his paw met the cushion’s surface, a scream pierced the cave.

“AAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

He jumped back with his Metal Claw retracted, the ‘cushion’ vanishing before his eyes. “Rhyzo, where did the scream come from?” he asked, turning his head around.

“From here.” He quickly prepared a bonfire to expose the source of the cacophony. “Now you’ve made a rash decision. You should have used your Aura vision, idiot.”

“Hey, it looked like a real cushion to me,” Surge replied. “Possibly to you too. Why should I check if it’s an object or not?”

Once Rhyzo lit the bonfire with a self-made flint, the cloak of darkness was unraveled, revealing an Absol cowering in a corner.

Team Venture approached the stranger. “So you’re the intruder who pushed the boulder, Absol?” deduced Rhyzo.

“No no no no no no no,” the Absol panicked in a feminine, raspy voice as Surge and Rhyzo’s shadows loomed under the bonfire. “Don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me!“

“Calm down,” Surge reassured, noticing an eyepatch on her left eye. “We won’t hurt you.”

His words fell on deaf ears. The Absol was frozen in dread, recoiling closer to the wall.

“What is Absol’s species?” Surge asked Rhyzo. “Do you know her?”

“That’s her species name, you dumbass! Absol have the capacity to sense disasters.”

“D-d-disasters?!” the Absol stammered, feeling a chill down her spine, a skyrocketing heartbeat and trembles all over her body.

Rhyzo turned to her and said. “Why did you barge in here?”

“I-it was raining. I was too cold.”

“Can’t you coop up in your own-“

“I’m homeless. I live on the streets.”

“Oh,” Rhyzo realized. “You know what?” He grinned. “We’re homeless like you. Since all the houses here were crap, I built a burrow here.” His eyes glinted with opportunity.

“You see, we’re a dungeon team,” he continued. “I need new blood to bolster our ambitions. Do you want to join Team Venture?” He offered a hand.

The Absol stopped trembling and blinked at his demands. “I’m sorry,” she said in hushed tones, hanging her head. “I’m not a good battler.”

Great. Another wimp to babysit. Rhyzo thought to himself. “At least your disaster sense would make a great asset. You can warn us if we’ll get screwed in a dungeon.”

“I-I think so.” The Absol tensed up again. “B-but please go e-easy on me if I m-make mistakes.” She felt her heart beat out of her chest.

“You won’t make any mistakes. Your predictions are enough to pull you through! I even bought a gear set for a potential third member. Will you be that member?”

Why does the Rhydon trust me so much? the Absol mulled over, staring at him and Surge. It’s unnatural. But if he finds out-

“I’m error-prone like you, to be honest,” Surge added. “This is only our second day as a team. We’re still figuring out the best strategies. You won’t be such a burden, Absol.”

What’s a Lucario doing in a place like this? First time I’ve seen one in flesh and blood. At least he might pacify the Rhydon if he harms me.

No matter what they think about me, they actually gave me shelter. The last time I sought, I was kicked out. I should only maintain a façade.

“I accept,” the Absol stated, raising her head.

“Awesome!” Rhyzo cheered. “You want a fist bump?”

The Absol raised her paw in confusion. She exchanged a fist bump with Rhyzo, but retracted her paw in pain. “Ow. You used too much force,” she confessed, shaking her paw. “Please hold back next time.”

“Considering you’re not a good battler, I get it. By the way, I’m Rhyzo, the leader of Team Venture! I’m the resident badass.”

“My name is Surge,” he introduced, gesturing to his chest. “What’s yours?”

“Shade,” said the Absol, her blank expression unchanged.

“Take a look at this, Shade!” Rhyzo showed the unclaimed crossbody bag. “You’ll wear this from tomorrow morning. Don’t you like it?”

Shade stared at the bag. “I can’t wear it,” she said. “It doesn’t fit a quadruped.”

“May I modify it for you?” Surge proposed. “I’ll cut the straps.”

“Where’s the glue to put the cut straps back together?” Rhyzo dismissed. “Shade, the shopkeeper had limited options. Make do with this bag for now. I’ll buy a quadruped’s bag soon.”

Shade let Rhyzo put the straps around her neck. She walked around the walls of the cave with her bag dragging along the floor. Stopping after three rounds, she made a wordless nod to Rhyzo.

“Why aren’t you complaining?” asked Surge. “Won’t your movement be impeded?”

“No other choice,” replied Shade with a stillness that unnerved Surge, softened by only the crackle of the bonfire.

“Why are you so unemotional?” Surge worried. “We’ve already accepted you into our team and you got shelter from the rain to boot.”

“I-I don’t… I’m not a… an emotional Pokemon,” Shade stuttered with uncertainty as she retracted a little. “Please don’t ask that question again.”

Seeing Shade’s stress, Surge refrained from the topic. Despite her statement, she showed clear anxiety. He wondered what was troubling her and making her act like this. Did the toll of a homeless living shut her emotions? Or is it just a quirk of hers?

Nevertheless, he was glad to have a fellow pacifist. Shade’s presence would be enough to keep him sane under the reckless Rhyzo, having someone who was less skeptical of his beliefs.

“Surge! Shade!” Rhyzo cried from his seat, munching leaves beside the bonfire. “What are you going to have for dinner?”

“I don’t think the meat shop would be open in this weather,” Surge said as he arrived at the bonfire with Shade. They sat beside it, letting the flames warm their fur. “Why didn’t you buy a stock yesterday?”

“I thought we could become daily visitors. We don’t have any iceboxes, for the record.”

Surge rummaged through his leather bag and took out an extra apple from Drenched Bluff. “Maybe this will do. If we have little time left before sleep, we can’t doze off with our stomachs loaded.”

Shade listened to her new teammates’ conversation, her ears perking back and forth. A bonfire, which she used to light every night with whatever she found, was a familiar respite from her fresh experiences.

As Surge and Shade began to share the apple, a renewed beginning was awash over Team Venture. They had acquired surprise reinforcements from a fortuitous trader who happened to deal with unauthorized teams. They had become more equipped to tackle the dangers of dungeons. Shade was the cherry on top, a unique player with a useful power. Rhyzo was confident of the smoother adventures possible in the immediate future, even if Shade turned out to be weaker than he wanted.