Episode 16: A Mission of Passion

“Do you remember?” A soft woman’s voice spoke.

“Of course I remember, how could I forget?” Kayla cried. “Those guys were so damn creepy.”

“Ah, I remember my younger years. Man, boys will be boys. And then they just, shoot into maturity. Cringing at the last two years of their life,” a friendly man commented.

“How can you laugh about that? This is serious! They smacked my ass!” Kayla yelled.

“And in a year’s time, they’ll realise how awful they were. But for now, they’re just boys,” he remarked. “The fact that they did that to you means they have good taste in women.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Kayla pouted.

“Was there something you did to encourage them to do that?” the woman wondered. “As much as I disagree with the jest, they’re right. You clearly have this guy’s eye, surprisingly.”

“Surprisingly?” Kayla went high pitched.

“Well I mean, you have been putting on a bit of weight, being cooped up in the house lately…”

“I do not want guys touching me up. I’m only doing this stupid stuff ‘cos you told me to!” Kayla argued. “If that’s what’s gonna happen if I hang out with boys, then I don’t care about them!”

“Don’t say that, honey. You’re giving up too easily.”

“Some boys will be boys. But others will be kind. It is the same with women. Young or older. If you’re not friendly with people, then—”

“He smacked my freaking ass!” Kayla yelled at the top of her voice. “Am I supposed to be okay with that?”

“No, you’re not. But—”

“But what?” Kayla snapped.

“… Listen. I’m worried about you lately. You’ve not been going out, and you don’t have many friends. If this is how you’re talking to us, then I can only imagine how you behave in front of others that you don’t know,” the woman explained. “Yes, that boy touched you inappropriately, but look at this from other perspectives. These are people who like you.”

“They don’t ‘like’ me. I’m the weird kid, and that means they can do what they want to me ‘cos it’s funny and it makes them look big in front of their lousy pathetic friends. But I’m not gonna let them do awful stuff,” Kayla’s volume went up with every word. She looked down at herself, and gasped. She was a Buneary looking up at two blurry, human shaped shadows. “I don’t care what you say. I’m not standing for this!”

“… You’re strong, Kayla. But you should share that strength with others, not use it against them,” the man stated.

In the darkness, light was eclipsed by the figure of a young woman. She was as dark as a shadow, with every feature impossible to make out thanks to this lighting.

“Standing your ground is important, as is setting your boundaries, but if those boundaries are so high that nobody wants to climb them, then all they will do is attack. Attack and defile.”

The woman crouched. The light behind her followed her form, remaining eclipsed.

“A life guarded by walls is a safe one, but a lonely one. You have to let other people make mistakes with you, because they will. And one day, far into the future, you will yearn for the touch of love.”

The woman curled up, hugging her knees close. The form shivered as if holding back tears.

“Love is a beautiful thing. But it starts with opening your heart. You make mistakes, too. Talk to people. Communicate. Accept yourself and the others. We’re all flawed people.”

…

“Kayla! Kayla!” Kari’s desperate pleas came so loud they actually hurt.

“Urgh,” Kayla gurgled and squirmed as she rolled her ears down, trying to get whoever was close to her to move back. She opened her eyes to Kari and Pola’s concerned glares, which eased up a bit once they saw she was awake. “Girls?”

“Thank goodness!” Kari whimpered.

“Gods, you were doing that weird… creepy crying in your sleep thing again,” Pola pointed out. Kayla sat up and almost flinched. The bed below her was soaked, as was her face. She blinked and sniffled as if she had been crying too, while her chest twisted with angst. “Seriously, what’s up with that? You okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” she hopped out of bed. “Just… lemme wash up.”

There was silence, prompting her to turn around. Her roommates were genuinely worried. “Seriously, Kayla. This is the third day in a row now. You gonna tell us what’s up?” Pola leaned toward her.

“We won’t find out until we get to the Dream World, probably. Unless… Jirachi, have you figured anything out yet?” Kayla slowly turned around. Jirachi was fast asleep on the other side of the bed, however. “Heh, innocent as always.”

“Kayla!” Pola shouted.

“What good is shouting at me gonna achieve?”

“What good is goin’ on like it’s not a problem?”

“What good would me rambling to you do?”

“What good is bottling it up?”

“Shut up, stop!” Kari came between them. “Arguing isn’t gonna do anyone any good. But Kayla, when you cry like that, a lot of water comes outta you, you know. You must be thirsty.”

Kayla sighed. “You’re right. I am thirsty. And you’re probably hungry, too.”

“How’d you guess? My tummy’s eating itself,” Kari giggled.

“Just early morning Kari stuff. Good thing those missions the past few days went well, huh? We’ve got the money to spoil ourselves a little,” she remarked.

“We do not have the cash to spoil ourselves,” Pola shrugged. “But I guess it’s probably more moolah than you’ve ever seen in your life, so I can get why you’d feel that way.”

“Then what’re we waiting for?” Kayla made for the exit, only for Pola to slide in the way. Kayla didn’t comment, tapping her foot and letting her face do the talking.

“You’re seriously gonna tell us what’s up, aren’t you? I’m serious when I say I’m worried about you,” Pola eventually asked. Kayla shut her eyes, shook, and sighed.

“I appreciate it, but it’s just more weird dreams. And it’s sorta embarrassing that the bed gets like that, too. I mean like… that’s just… sweat and tears, right?” Kayla replied. She couldn’t look at the girls at all.

“Well, yeah. The fact that you cry that much, though. We could even be looking in the wrong place. What if it’s a disease or something?” Pola wondered.

Kari’s stomach growled aloud, making the Furret blush and prod her paws together. “Pola, brekkies!”

“Yeesh, you’re so- fine. I’ll let it go,” Pola gave up, throwing her arms up.

“It is cute when you’re worried about me, though. You can care about things if you put your mind to it,” Kayla snickered.

“Oh- shut up, don’t get used to it,” Pola growled.

Kayla must’ve gotten up later than usual as the dining hall was more packed than she was used to. It didn’t look like a problem thankfully. The aroma of fresh pastries filled the room, while the idle of chatter remained minimal. The chefs weren’t in their overworked panic mode either, so there was no need to rush. The trio went about their usual, picking a bench to claim, only for Kari to suddenly yelp.

“What’s—” Kayla didn’t even get to ask her question before the Furret was in the corner of the hall, hiding herself behind a plant pot. She glanced at Pola, but they responded with their own annoyed gestures, so she walked over. “You okay there?”

“Eeeep… it’s… it’s… it’s…!” Kari was so squeaky she could’ve been mistaken for a toy.

“Out with it. What’s got you choked up?” Pola leaned toward her.

“Pola… I forgot it’s prom week!” Kari squealed.

“Prom week?” Kayla replied.

“And, and, and… he’s right theregleblubalga!”

“Oh,” Pola cocked a grin.

Kayla glanced between the two girls, then at the rest of the hall, and then back, and cocked her head. “Someone’s gonna fill me in, right?”

“Oh come on. You know what prom is, right? Surely?” Pola slumped. Kayla answered with a casual pose. “Gods, country bumpkins are more social than you. It’s a yearly event for the graduates of RSE. Even though Pokémon don’t graduate yearly, we still do it every year ‘cos everyone loves it. It’s like a fancy party where everyone gets to hang out, dance, and have fancy food. But it’s like, real prestigious stuff. The Pokémon you choose as your date, or has your dance, they always get together. It’s the most romantic night of the year.”

“So it was the kind of prom I was thinking of,” Kayla smiled.

“Kari’s had the hots for this one Raboot guy, Paris. Cool lookin’ dude, pretty sure he runs a rescue team. I can’t lie, I’d ride that,” Pola continued.

“Pola!” Kari cried, bright red.

“And it’s prom week, so all the guys’ll be asking out their dates. If you’re serious about prom, you get everythin’ going as early during the week as you can. Shannon’s mine, in case you’re wondering,” Pola giggled.

“Where is Shannon, anyway? Not like him to not be up early with us,” Kayla wondered. “If it’s prom week and you want to dance with him, why not ask?”

“See Kari? Even this dope’s on the right page. Breakfast time’s casual enough, go say hi,” Pola put a paw on her hip.

Kari shook a no so fast she blurred.

“If you miss your chance, you’re gonna regret it. Seriously, go for it!” Pola cheered her on.

“Uh-uh.”

“If you don’t do it now, you’re gonna regret it. You wanna dance with him, right? Just be brave. C’mon, I’ll come with you. Teach ya the ways of the flirt,” Pola winked at her.

“Nooooooo,” the Furret whined, redder than a tomato.

Kayla rolled her eyes and scanned the hall for this Raboot, finding him quickly. He was in the middle of his breakfast and was chatting to his team it looked like, a tall Oshawott and a Charmander with a blue scarf. “Him, right? The one with the scarf as the face mask?”

She didn’t get an answer for a while, so she turned to Kari to prompt one. For the first time ever since meeting her, Kari had the girliest look ever, twiddling her paws and feet while swaying. Her tail did its usual stretchy wag too, but faster than she’d ever seen it before. It was enough to giggle at, not at how unusual it was, but how genuine and cute it felt. She never considered Kari could like someone romantically, but a bubbly girl like her would probably keep a man happy.

“Uh-um… Y-yeah. He’s just… cool, okay? Cool and cute. I think. That’s all,” she confessed. If it wasn’t for Kayla’s strong ears, she couldn’t have heard a thing. With her confirmation, she walked off towards him. “Wh-wh-wha wait, Kayla. Ohmygodswhereisshegoingnodooooon’t!”

“Kayla, are you actually—” Pola hissed. “Um. Oh. Wow. She’s actually gonna. That girl is something else.”

The team’s conversation stopped as Kayla approached. She didn’t hesitate to hop right up to the seat opposite them and sat beside the Oshawott. “Hi there.”

“Hi… there. Oh, you’re that new student a few have been talking about, aren’t you? The one who started up Team Daybreak within a day of joining here,” Raboot replied. His voice was low and calm, with the air of coolness expected of his trained figure. Now that Kayla was close, she could tell that Paris wasn’t quite the typical athlete the evolution line was known for being – she felt so, anyway. Not that he wasn’t a little built, but he wasn’t exactly packing muscles below that fur coat of his. He simply had a quiet and confident aura about him, one she was comfortable with.

“Heh, didn’t think I was that famous,” Kayla cocked a grin.

“It’s a pretty impressive feat. I hope you and your team have good fortune,” he bowed briefly. “You are Kaybae on the Repose Bulletin board, aren’t you?”

“Wow, people actually read my rambles?” she replied.

“Quite a few do. You tend to voice a lot of Pokémon’s feelings without restraint, so it’s entertaining to read about your experiences around here. You should read the responses you get sometimes. I’ve seen a couple of Pokémon who would love to be friends with you,” Paris said, and then scrubbed his sandwich across the sauces on his plate. “But do pardon me. If you don’t mind… it is breakfast.”

“Eheh, pardon me. It’s you I wanted to talk to. I’ll try to be quick,” Kayla went half-lidded. “So we’ve got prom coming up, right?”

“Oh, is this about?” Paris replied. He gestured to his team, who took their food and walked off. “You are… brave, I see. But I am afraid I’m not interested in your… ahem, type. You’re a bit big for my preferences.”

“And you’re mouthy, not mincing words, huh? Lucky it’s not for me,” Kayla snickered. “You see, Team Daybreak are pretty good buddies to me now, so it’s only right I do ‘em a favour. One of them really wants to talk to you.”

“Oh?” Paris’s attention was grabbed, now. Kayla did her best to gesture toward the corner where Kari had hidden herself. The moment the Furret saw them looking, she curled into a ball and hid behind the plant.

“It’d make her year if you at least said hi. How about it?” Kayla tilted her head to appear cute.

“Kari… Kari… likes me?” he asked with a furrowed brow.

“You’ll have to talk to her yourself.”

Paris stopped eating, pondering his thoughts. “This leaves me with a bit of a dilemma… Kari does not have the best reputation.”

“That a thing that matters to you?” Kayla asked.

“Well… context is important, yes. I can’t be seen with a woman like her,” he stated. “And besides, I already have someone I intend to ask.”

“Intend to ask implies I was first. That’s how it works, doesn’t it?” Kayla went half-lidded.

“Not when reputation is on the line,” he turned away.

“Reputation, huh? What is she, a delinquent?” Kayla became slightly cross. Paris didn’t reply, but he couldn’t look at her. “Look, you’re a man, aren’t you? If you’ve got a pair, you’ll tell her yourself.”

“Ack- do you realise who you’re challenging?” Paris’s fang-filled frown peeked through his scarf.

So that’s his extraordinary power, Kayla thought, unflinching. “It doesn’t matter who you are. This is important to her, and therefore important to me. Is it that hard to just talk to her about this?”

Paris leaned back a bit, and then calmed down. “I see… that’s why you’re a team leader.”

Kayla didn’t reply.

“Fine. I have a proposition for you, though. Let’s at least make this look like it’s of my own accord. First, allow me to introduce myself properly. You may call me Paris,” he bowed again.

“Kayla. Kayla Brunswick,” she grinned. “But you already knew that.”

“This isn’t an elaborate trick, is it? You truly wish to introduce me to Kari, and not ask me out instead?” Paris questioned.

“I know we just met, but has anything I’ve said given that impression?” Kari smiled.  Paris didn’t react. “If I wanted to ask you out, I’d have done it. I don’t beat around the bush with this stuff. Prom, dating, all that mushy stuff, not my thing.”

“Then why get involved?” Paris spoke slowly.

It was a good question. She could just as easily be strict and tell the team to focus on their rank and missions, ignoring all this stuff that made her uncomfortable. She turned to the side to give herself time to ponder her response. She didn’t feel uncomfortable now, even with his comment about her weight. She wasn’t nervous like she was at the Waking Wake, either.

“I know how much this means to people. But not everyone has the strength to ask. So I guess I’m just,” she turned back to Paris slowly, and smiled. “I guess I’m just sharing my strength with a friend.”

“Sharing your strength… it doesn’t matter to you, so you’re able to ask on her behalf… it is unlikely that you have been friends with Kari, nor known her, for as long as I have. Yet you would go this far for her?” he commented.

“You sure it’s not you in denial here? ‘Cos you’re praising me an awful lot for someone not interested,” Kayla commented. To her surprise, Paris began to ponder his thoughts, and grumbled something. “I was joking.”

“I know. But well… that is the dilemma. I like Kari,” he confessed.

“Oh,” she was the one with wide eyes, now. “So then, what’s the problem? You’re both interested in each other, so go say hi.”

“I can’t. If my parents ever found out she was my date for the prom, I would be ejected from the academy faster than an evacuation,” he sighed and faced the floor. “It is with their respect that I am able to pursue my life goals. I can’t disappoint them. But if I don’t live up to their expectations, I can bid my goals farewell.”

There it was. That twisting knot in her stomach. She knew exactly where and how this was going to go. Her smile was gone, and she was angry.

“Listen. If you can give me an artefact known as a Life Orb, I will ask Kari out. I have a mission outstanding that rewards one, but complications prevent me from taking it on until it is too late. But if you did that mission in my team’s place, I would be able to present it to my parents. They would see the growth of my success here, and not feel the need to check up on me in person,” he requested. “I realise that this is a selfish request. I walk away with two while you personally gain none.”

“That’s what it takes for you to talk to a girl who’s interested in you?” Kayla responded. “How can you even be sure your parents won’t visit despite?”

“If they still say they are going to, I will return the Life Orb to you with extra compensation,” he proposed.

“Hmpf. You better learn to man up fast, then. ‘Cos if you thought I was coming on strong, then Kari’s on a whole other level,” Kayla hopped up to walk off.

“You’re not going to shake on it?” Paris was surprised.

“Extraordinary power. Can’t use my arms,” she said without turning around.

Paris watched her return to her team, gawking behind his mask. He eventually slumped in his seat, unable to finish that sandwich even as his team returned. “What have I done?”

“Soooooo, how’d it go?” Pola sung as she returned. Shannon was there now too, though he looked clueless.

“You’re outta luck. He has someone he wants to ask,” Kayla answered.

“Oh…” Kari replied, all energy draining from her instantly.

“And he’s gonna ask them tonight or tomorrow when they’re around or something. He seemed pretty strict on it, too,” Kayla added.

Complete silence fell between the group. Kayla couldn’t help her chest weighing as the Furret wasn’t smiling anymore. Maybe I tried to pass it off a bit too hard.

“Aww, no need to feel down! There’s plenty of fish in the pond and all that. And it’s the first day of the week. You’ve got plenty of time to find another date,” Pola patted her back. “Not like you stay down for ages, too.”

“Yeah… yeah, you’re right,” Kari said calmly. She curled her paws and punched the air. “Actually, yeah! You guys are right. And I love you guys!”

“Er, morning… is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” Shannon spoke up.

“Oh don’t you worry, just girl talk,” Pola swung an arm over his shoulder.

“Uh… huh,” he replied blankly.

“So what about you, Kayla? Seen anyone you’d love to take you out?” Pola asked, half-lidded.

“Blegh. Trying to think about that makes me queasy,” she admitted. “C’mon, let’s get breakfast already. The guy’s breakfast put me in the mood for cucumber sandwich.”

“Ah yes. Cucumbers. Just for the sandwich. Nothing else,” Pola was half-lidded. Kayla rolled her eyes.

“Wait, you don’t wanna go?” Kari asked.

“I’ll pass. If that night at the Waking Wake was any indication, then yeah, all that mushy romance stuff isn’t my thing,” Kayla explained.

“Oh… does that mean we’re still gonna be doing missions?” Kari asked quietly. Kayla froze, and her ears perked up.

“That was my plan. I dunno what else we’d do. You girls wanna take it easy this week?” she asked.

“It’d be pointless if you’re gonna be as shy as you were just now,” Pola teased.

“That was different! And just… nah, it’s up to you, Kayla! I don’t mind at all, really. Whatever makes you happy, I’m happy to go with,” Kari perked up, too. Kayla smiled, but she got the picture.

“If you girls want to take it easy and go hang out with others to go prepare for prom, it’s no worry. I don’t have to do missions, and we’ve been out and about nonstop lately. There’s lots of other stuff I can do around the academy while you’re busy,” Kayla reasoned.

“But you can’t do most of those without hands,” Kari prodded her paws.

“When has that ever stopped me?” she grinned cockily.

“I just feel a bit bad, but I appreciate it. I’m fine Kayla, really! You’re the boss, here,” Kari replied. Kayla kept up her cocky smile. “… Maybe a big job will help my mind from spiralling. Let’s make it a big, big one!”

“And you?” Kayla turned to Pola and Shannon.

“I didn’t know this place had a prom, but it’s the least of my interests right now. Not that I should even consider it, being in the position I am,” Shannon reasoned.

“Oh shut up! You’re a student here and a teammate just like everyone else. Live a little!” Pola smacked him on the back. “I’ll let you know if I’m cool for jobs or not. I kinda forgot this was coming up too though, so I guess I’m free for today.”

Good, a full party. Paris’s mission is gonna be tough since it’s not for our rank, so this should ease things up, Kayla mentally pumped her fists and she scanned her team. Her PET flew out and she tapped through some screens with her ears. “There’s a big job I’ve been eying up for a little bit. Someone on the bulletin board tipped me off about a rare item they want.”

“Wow, you use the bulletin board? Half the users hate extraordinary Pokémon. I can’t stand ‘em,” Pola rolled her eyes.

“Eh, it’s just a space to ramble for me. I’m not chasing clout or anything,” Kayla said. Her PET flipped over so her team could read Paris’s mission.

“Husk Tunnel. In the deepest area is said to be a range of rare artefacts that can make Pokémon stronger,” Pola read aloud. “I want the elusive Life Orb so that I can be strong, too. Please, can a brave group of heroes procure it for me? I’ll pay even if the orb isn’t there. Oh gods baby, that reward. Yeah sign me the fuck up! We get it even if the orb doesn’t exist? We can’t lose!”

“I mean, we can. We could get jumped by a monster house, or forget to pack enough food and faint from hunger, or a Pokémon could evolve on us while standing on a barrage tile! Or even worse, we could get hit by a Porygon Z using Discharge the moment we step into a room! Or a Crustle could steal all our berries using Bug Bite! Or—”

“Kari, nothing close has happened to us so far. Why would that happen this time?” Pola slammed a paw on the Furret’s mouth.

“Because Husk Tunnel’s a hard dungeon. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard lots about it. Most Pokémon walk around it or use Escape orbs to get out ‘cos it’s so tough,” Kari explained. “We’re kinda new to this still, isn’t this way outta our league?”

“I’m all up for a good challenge, but it’s a fair warning. Let’s be extra careful this time,” Kayla suggested. “We have Visionary Magic, and your stretchy powers. And what better place to get stronger than to fight enemies stronger than us?”

“What sort of dungeon is it?” Shannon asked.

“Bug types. Lots and lots of bug types. Pokémon say it’s real stinky there, too,” Kari replied. “It’s right before the Sunbed, so it’s like, somehow super moist and super hot at the same time.”

“Please never use that combination of words ever again,” Pola commented.

“If anything, I’m just ready to trek a new dungeon. The ones close to the academy are way too weak for us now,” Kayla sighed.

…

Being further out, it took a fair while longer to reach the dungeon than previously. To the east of Repose Town, and a bit further south of its surrounding forests. By midday the team had reached it: Husk Tunnel. This dungeon had a signpost warning of it, as well as a Kangaskhan statue placed outside.

“Oh, I didn’t think I’d come across one of these. Husk Tunnel’s considered that far out from RSE, huh?” Kayla approached the statue to check it out. The pouch section could be pulled open like a drawer.

“What’s this?” Shannon asked, checking it out too. “Why is there a statue of a Kangaskhan here of all places? Some kind of fancy art thing?”

“It’s a HAPPI device. They’re connected to the Kangaskhan storage system,” Kayla explained. “The eyes are scanners. Scan your PET, and the pouch opens up… then you can put in and take out items freely. They’re always placed at notoriously dangerous dungeons, or those further out from HAPPI’s core locations, like rescue team centres or exploration guilds.”

“You didn’t know jack shit about RSE. How the hell did you know about this?” Pola was sceptical.

“I came to RSE because I wanted to be able to explore and look around, right? Of course I’d know about Kangaskhan statues. They’re standard knowledge,” Kayla replied, turning back to the statue. “Even though I can’t use them myself.”

“You did your research before coming to the academy!” Kari swayed side to side. “But we don’t need to use it right now, do we?”

“I dunno… you picked up a couple more apples in town, right? You’re not planning to eat those right away, are you?” Kayla cocked her head.

“Of course she’s planning to. Heck, they’re already eaten, aren’t they?” Pola rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I only had one!” Kari squeaked.

“After that heaped, stress eaten breakfast,” Pola added.

“That’s a real question. This is a longer dungeon; we can’t be too careful. We… have enough food, right?” Shannon asked.

“We do, we do! I should know, I checked. We have plenty left!” Kari cried.

“I’ll take your word for it. I’m counting on you to keep track of all that, you know. Our items and stuff,” Kayla smiled and faced forward.

“Wait really, me?”

“Yeah, you. Kari, the world’s most organized Furret,” she said with enthusiasm, and marched forward. Kari seemed surprised, but quickly trotted after her.

A couple of mushy, wet steps served as the entrance to the dungeon, which immediately got to work on letting the team know it was a mystery dungeon. Outside, chilly air gave Kayla the shivers, but not even a minute into this place and she felt like she had too much fluff on her body. The wind stopped, and twirling around to scan her surroundings revealed the entrance had vanished. It grew dark as well, making her slow as she hardened her senses.

This was the world of Husk Tunnel. The air here was humid and still to an uncomfortable degree, a complete contrast to the sloshy floor. It was like walking inside of an oven, to the extent that the heated air could be seen, and yet the floor made her feel a little sick. It was a spongey mess that made a gross squelch with every step, and was somehow so cold. Frigid even, like icy water. Pinholes provided light through carefully dug spots in the ceiling and walls, creating beams through the cavern halls, some streaking across horizontally while others illuminated spots on the floor. None of these beams were perfectly round.

Kayla couldn’t help but feel unnerved. She was truly out of her element in this world. She felt ill just walking. Trying to run with Quick Attack would probably dehydrate her, or god forbid if she slipped and fell into whatever this muddy mush was. Her ears picked up on all manner of distant droplets leaking elsewhere, or the near-silent scratching of various insects. However, the most she could see of them were black silhouettes that occasionally appeared in the pinhole lights. They had no pattern and scuttled in and out so fast they were like flashes of creatures. They were there, they were feral, and they were close enough to make her skin crawl, yet they hid. And that was the most terrifying thing about them.

“Ung… I don’t know whether to wrap up or shed fur in here,” Shannon grunted, reminding Kayla the others were here. “I’ve never been to a place that’s simultaneously hot and cold before. What is all this?”

“It’s pretty nasty. The fact that Pokémon live here,” Pola agreed with a grunt of her own. “And what the heck is that smell? It’s worse than shit in here.”

“It’s super nice for the bug Pokémon, though,” Kari remarked, sounding unfazed.

“This heat with this wetness… yeah, I guess a fair share of Pokémon love this sorta thing. Doesn’t make it any less comfortable,” Kayla added. “Keep your eyes and ears peeled. We could get jumped from anywhere.”

“Does anyone wonder why Pokémon say that? Peeling your eyes sounds nasty. Nastier than this place,” Kari said.

“It just means keeping your eyes wide open, right? Like, peeling an Oran Berry… opening it up,” Shannon cocked his head.

“But a peeled berry sounds tasty. Peeling eyeballs is horror story stuff, bleh,” she blew raspberries.

“What should we say instead? Boil your sight? Fry your vision?” Kayla said with a giggle.

“I’d take those. They sound funny!”

“Boiling or frying eyes sounds even worse!” Shannon cried.

“Shh!” Kayla hushed him. The bug Pokémon were making more noise than earlier, like some sort of incomprehensible coughing. “The chatter helps, but be too loud and you’ll upset them. Let’s get through this without unnecessary—”

Kari let out a shrill scream so loud she jumped and her fur bolted up. All thoughts fled from Kayla’s conscious. She spun so fast everything became a blur besides the Furret, who was under attack by a Skorupi. The feral had its fangs and pincers in her side and held strong against her thrashing. She didn’t think twice, she leapt forward as fast as she could and slammed into the purple bug. The Skorupi was dislodged, but landed on its feet, where it raised its claws and hissed.

You made a big mistake targeting Kari first, Kayla thought aggressively. She could barely see the ferals in the dark before now, but she wouldn’t lose this one now that it had attacked and entered her world of battle. The dark somehow vanished, replaced by shades of dry orange and yellow that slowly scrolled by. Skorupi couldn’t camouflage into these colours, yet it seemed to take on a faded colour, as if shades of light were making it invisible.

The floor didn’t even feel spongey anymore. She didn’t question it. She just flew towards the Skorupi as fast as her legs could carry her, and booted it up as high as she could. It screeched down at her, but was struck hard by a wide slash from Kari. Wherever it landed, screeching cries vanished into the distance, implying its quick defeat.

“Good, you’re not down and out,” Kayla sighed, glancing at Kari. “Wait… you okay?”

“I don’t feel so good,” Kari shuddered weakly as she swayed and shivered hard. She almost fell right forward, but Kayla slid beneath her.

“Hey c’mon, pull yourself together! You got bitten once,” Kayla growled, struggling to keep the bigger Pokémon up. “Kari, seriously! Stay on your feet!”

“S-sorry,” Kari panted as she pulled herself up. She said that, but she wrapped her paws around herself and shivered like she was freezing cold. A few seconds later and she wavered again, grunting at herself to stay upright. “M-my body… feels super weird… and it hurts…”

“That must have been Poison Fang. She’s not gonna last long like that,” Shannon warned.

“Permission to have a Pecha…?” Kari whimpered.

“What? Down that thing, don’t ask me!” Kayla cried. Kari could only hold the bag open, letting Pola dig through to pull said berry out. Kari didn’t hesitate, but she did cringe hard as its effects spread through her. A few moments later and the shivering stopped, replaced by Kari’s usual pleasant eating sounds. “Thank goodness. That could have gotten rough.”

“That’s our only Pecha, though,” Kari warned.

“Just means we’ll have to watch each other’s backs. A bit of a dumb move going in here without prepping for sicknesses,” Kayla realised. “You okay, too?”

“A bit shaken, but I’ll be okay!” Kari replied. Kayla leaned toward her. “… That hurt. A lot. A little light headed, but I’ll be fine, I can still fight!”

“I can deal with this now,” Shannon stepped up. He held his paws cupped together as if to hold water in them and offer it. “Blessed, divine waters, I beseech you… Life Dew!”

He cast his paws up high, and out came a sparkling drop of liquid despite there being nothing originally. The droplet vanished in the air, but reappeared briefly as it splashed over Kayla and friends. Kayla was surprised that it didn’t actually dampen her any more than her sweaty figure already was, but its chilly touch was a welcome moment of relief. Kari was affected the most, seeming surprised but quickly perking up.

“It’s like I’m taking a bath, but it’s super quick and not that cold and not actually a bath at all! I feel great!” she cheered. “Thanks, Shannon! Your magic’s amazing!”

“Uh, just doing what anyone would do,” he blushed and turned away.

“Oh? Look at you,” Pola chuckled.

“Don’t start,” he groaned.

“Ehee hee hee. Okay. I won’t,” she sung as she leaned on him. “Nice Visionary Move, though. You got it down already.”

“Uh… Thanks,” he replied.

Kayla was a little worried about that playfulness. She didn’t want what had just happened to fall on deaf ears. If Kari had remained poisoned, this whole operation would go up in flames. This was bigger than getting her team to new heights, after all. It was about the prom.

Right. Why am I putting this much effort into something like this again? She realised, looking up as she wandered on.

The pinholes in the ceiling may have been random, but that gave them a prettier theme than she realised. Around those holes, one could see the dusty orange and brown surfaces that made up this cave. But looking right through them, one could see glimmers of the outside world. Blues and whites, presumably from the sky and clouds. Peeking through in the total darkness of the distance, it was almost like looking at stars in the sky, only they were far closer than they usually were.

That’s what prom was. Well, that’s what she knew prom was. Seeing stars and pretty lights on a dance floor as your partner for the evening guides you through a beautiful dance. Pola seemed too cool and raunchy to be into that sort of dignified romance, while Kari seemed too hyperactive to care about it. She herself certainly didn’t care, and Shannon, she outright couldn’t tell.

Well, not like it’s a big deal. I get a Life Orb out of it if no one takes the cake, she shrugged internally. She slowed again as a round of shuffling caught her attention, and her team stopped with her. They were right to it seemed, as a couple of Nincada leapt from the ground and attempted to jump the team, but they all hopped out of the way in time.

“Don’t lose them. Just attack when you can,” Kayla called out, eying one of the Nincada as it scuttled into the darkness. With the way its feet splished and splashed, she could follow it with her ears perfectly.

“Let’s try it like this,” Pola snickered, holding a paw high. Crystalline energy swirled around it just like usual.

“Pola, wait! It’s dangerous to throw out special moves here,” Kari squealed.

“That’s why I’m not. Look! Now’s your chance, jump on it ya silly Furret!” Pola shouted.

Whatever Pola had done, her uncast magic lit up the cave floor to reveal both Nincada. They were surprised by the sudden light, giving Kari the chance to dive straight at one with Fury Swipes. Kayla charged into the other with Quick Attack, knocking them both away. Neither returned.

“None of us can use Flash, so you improvised… nice thinking,” Shannon commented.

“Don’t expect me to keep it up all the time, though,” she replied, dismissing her light. “And don’t bother Kari. I can see you.”

“It’s not fair if all of us don’t get muddy, is it?” Kari sung with the cheekiest smirk ever. Her attack left her front dropping in mud, or whatever mess covered the dungeon floor.

“Kari I swear to gods, don’t you dare! This is why you won’t get a date!” Pola’s pitch grew to a screech as Kari clearly wasn’t listening. Kayla giggled too, only encouraging the two to chase one another.

Similar confrontations went down as the team trekked deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Nincada jumped them from shallow holes in the walls and floor, Skorupi peeked out from mounds of mud in the dark, and Shelmet blended with their surroundings, attempting to clamp anyone who came near. Despite everyone’s friendly banter with one another, they paid enough attention to gain the upper hand each time, avoiding the poison scenario of earlier. Quick Attack, Slash, or Fury Swipes dealt with most fights, with light assistance from Pola and a heal from Shannon afterwards.

The danger of the dungeon lived up to its reputation. The hits the team took were sharp enough to leave marks or cuts even after Shannon’s Life Dew or an Oran Berry came into play. It felt like hours passed without a change in scenery, save for the pattern and lighting of the pinholes. The party went from playing about to guarding themselves, being stuck in this dark, unpleasant pit for so long. All they did was fight, fight some more, and bark orders whenever an enemy came.

So when the feel of the dungeon changed, Kayla noticed immediately. They appeared to gradually descend the further into the dungeon they went, so she had no idea how deep down they were. Despite that, it was a little lighter here than the rest of the tunnel somehow, if only because the pinholes in the ceiling were all gathered around a single spot rather than scattered randomly. There didn’t seem to be any scuttling or digging like elsewhere, meaning either their enemies had grown quiet enough that Kayla couldn’t hear them, or they weren’t here for some reason.

“Huh, it’s dry here. Finally,” Pola wiped her forehead as she wandered ahead.

“Careful,” Kayla sighed. She could do with a drink now for sure, without the moisture balancing the heat.

The spot in the centre of the lights was a large mound caked in mushrooms and strange moss. On closer inspection, there was a gleam in the middle of the mushrooms, just about shining light in their direction. Kari was first to slink toward it on all fours, coiling around the mound to investigate.

“It’s some kinda orb!” she called out, and everyone gathered.

There was indeed an orb embedded into the ground, a clean, pink orb with a lustrous glow that seemed to repel all the nature around it. Kayla dared to give it a light kick, and recoiled from how solid it was. “There’s no doubt about it. This has gotta be the Life Orb we’re looking for!”

“Our treasure?” groaned a low voice right beside Kayla’s ear. She yelped and screamed; clamming shut in a second. Directly beside the group was a Shedinja whose body matched the colour of the surrounding cave.

“Where did you come from? Yeesh, don’t do that!” Kayla gasped. He was so close to her that she could see into his husk. The thought that there was nothing inside of him sent shivers down her spine, though she preferred that to seeing whatever organs bugs had.

“You come here seeking treasure?” Shedinja asked. His voice echoed out from within his husk, and thus sounded quiet and distant despite him being right in front of the team.

“Is it this thing?” Pola glanced at the Life Orb. “Oh hey, there’s actually a load of neat stuff here. These are all explorer tools and stuff, I think.”

“Some of those are not our treasure… they belong to those who fell here…” Shedinja informed.

“We’ll be taking everything,” Kayla announced.

“Everything?” Shannon asked.

“We came all this way; we get our reward. And that means you’re gonna try and stop us, right?” she replied, keeping her eyes on Shedinja.

“If you should challenge our hoard…” Shedinja shook.

“You will answer with your souls,” another Shedinja appeared behind the group, making Shannon jump.

“We have no mercy for those who do wrong unto us…” a third Shedinja appeared. Kayla and the group huddled together and then backed off the mound to confront the bugs properly rather than be surrounded.

“Wrong unto us… Kayla, maybe we shouldn’t touch the orb. It sounds like it’s important to them,” Shannon warned.

“The only thing that’s wrong is killing everyone who comes here. We got here, we’re taking that orb and everything else!” she announced. “Kari, get your Shovel Claws out!”

“Way ahead of ya!” she replied, brandishing her claws proudly. The metal gloves she wore had two large nails on each, coiled for easy digging.

“We’re really doing this…” Shannon muttered, posing for battle.

“Pola, don’t worry about the cave, either. Let loose!” Kayla ordered.

“You got it, big boss!” she chanted, posing as well.

Kayla started the battle the way she always did: unrolling an ear and listening intently in order to enter her world of battle. The walls, the pinhole lights, the treasures lodged into the mound in the ground, all of it vanished in place of dusky browns and white snowflake patterns that scrolled past in a smooth circle around them. It was her, Team Daybreak, and these three Shedinja. None of the bug types moved, so she launched into a Quick Attack and aimed for the centre Shedinja in hopes of splitting them up. They moved in response to her attack, but she wound up not hitting anything – her body went straight through the Shedinja as if it wasn’t there.

“What the?” Kayla gasped. She was taken by surprise so much that she nearly tripped up when she landed, scraping her foot in a way that hurt. She still managed to twist around, finding the Shedinja she targeted right in front of her. The brown nubs on its shell had elongated into Metal Claw, so she turned to her side and braced.

No amount of preparation could have saved her from the immense power behind that attack. Shedinja slashed only once, and the way Kayla tumbled backwards, its claw only struck her neck and slashed down to her fluff. Yet still, she lost her voice and blacked out for a moment. She fell to the floor which shocked her back awake, helplessly shivering as pain seared through her form.

“Kayla!” Kari cried. A Shedinja popped up in front of her with its own Metal Claw, but she was ready. She brandished her Fury Swipes to contend, and with the added force from her Shovel Claws, she ended up knocking the Shedinja away like it was a toy. Once the enemy stopped using Metal Claw however, her Fury Swipes went right through it. “Hey no fair! Normal moves don’t work!”

“If they’re ghosts, then it’s time for my new work,” Pola announced, only for the third Shedinja to show up in her face. “Shannon, protect me while I cast!”

“With what?” he cried, throwing himself in the way anyway. He yelled and thrust both paws up, erecting a spherical green shield around himself and Pola. Shedinja hacked at the shield with Shadow Claw to no avail, though sparks and particles grinded off the shield as it weakened.

“Whoa, you know Protect?” Pola was surprised.

“Focus, Pola!” He shouted.

“It’s fine, I gotchu. Fragments of the V-Wave, respond to my call and become element incarnate!” Pola recited, throwing her paws up. Orbs of light swirled around her, each dancing around the swirls of crystalline light that came with her magic. She ended with a thrust of both paws. “Take this! Hidden Power Fire!”

Pola’s orbs turned into fireballs, and each one fired off all over the arena, to everyone’s surprise. Some hit the ceiling, some hit the walls, some hit the treasures, and many hit the three Shedinja, all exploding into large bursts of flames. The husks immediately dropped to the ground like discarded items, where they no longer moved.

“O-kay. Might need to practice a bit with that one. I did not mean to send them all over the place,” Pola gave a sigh of relief. “Everybody alright?”

“Kayla!” Kari cried, rushing over to the Buneary. Kayla was sat up, and smiled. “Are you okay?”

“Heh, guess I messed that one up a bit? I honestly didn’t know they were ghost types,” she snickered. She hopped to her feet. “I’m not out of it, though. But I think Pola’s thing did them in.”

Scanning the area, the three Shedinja continued to lay lifeless on the floor. They didn’t so much as shiver, even with the dying flames left behind by Pola’s move. That was when it hit her – she was still in her world of battle. She could hear the lightest crumbling sound from the wall behind her, but it wasn’t as if there were Pokémon digging through the area. She scrunched up her face as she tried to grasp what was going on, and then realised what she was doing.

“Kari! Hurry and dig up the treasures!” she ordered.

“But you’re—”

“I’m fine! But we need to get outta here, and fast!” she warned.

“O-okay, I’ve got this!” Kari squeaked, hopping over to the treasures. “And we’re goin’ for all of ‘em. Shovel Claws, don’t fail me now!”

“As for you,” Shannon said, mumbling his incantation. Life Dew came out, though only a little droplet to help deal with the slash on Kayla’s side.

“Thanks,” Kayla nodded before everyone’s attention was taken by a ghastly groan. The team glanced up and flinched.

The wall before them had lit up, revealing the surface of the cave dungeon at last: literal insect husks. Hundreds, likely thousands, all mashed together and hardened by weathering or whatever nature did to harden them. Shells, wings, legs, dried blood, all rust coloured and writhing as they came to life. No, it wasn’t the husks, it was the wall itself, shivering and morphing into the form of an insectoid beast. It resembled the Shedinja of earlier, only it was as if its form were halfway embedded into the wall, and elongated as it lunged at the party. Where Shedinja’s ‘eyes’ would be were dim red glows emphasized by the hollow darkness of its body. Likewise, where the orange nubs would be, there were large claws, each nail caked in dark, dried blood.

“No mercy for those who wrong onto us… you will answer with your souls!” the Shedinja wall bellowed a chilling demand.

“Uh, guys? Guess this is why no one ever found the Life Orb, huh?” Pola got their attention. The dungeon had walled them in on all sides somehow.

“Locked in,” Kayla whispered as she hopped back with her team. Glaring at the Shedinja wall, her chest began to grow heavy. The wall was gradually moving toward them, creating that rumbling sound that kept her in battle.

“I got ‘em!” Kari cheered, popping out of the ground. Her arms had stretched into sacks which held all the valuables, letting her easily stuff them into their actual treasure bag.

“Okay, time to beat it!” Shannon announced, casting an orb up high. The orb flashed and gleamed, and then powered down as quickly as it activated. “Wha-wha? Not a good time to fail on us!”

“Wonder Orbs don’t work in dungeon depths,” Kayla said without looking at him. “And that wall’s not gonna hesitate crushing us. This is what killed everyone who came here.”

“What? Hey I don’t like how calm you sound, what’re we gonna do?” Pola shrieked. Kayla kept her eyes on the enemy. “Hey I’m serious, I’ve got way too much shit to do to die here!”

“Then don’t die here. Simple as,” Kayla grinned. Her eyes narrowed. “The only move I’ve got that could damage this thing is Ice Beam. If I freeze it, that’ll only buy us time until it thaws out.”

“Better than letting it squash us?” Shannon cried, edging away. The wall was already reaching the halfway point of the room. In less than a minute, the team would be pancakes.

“Surely we can just kill the thing, right? Hidden Power Fire, do something!” Pola gasped, releasing another round of fiery orbs. They lit up the room and the Shedinja grunted in anger, but the wall continued to crawl toward them. It didn’t so much as slow. “Oh fuck off!”

“U-um, Kayla, should I put the treasure back? I’m kinda outta ideas here,” Kari squeaked.

Kayla continued to stare at the Shedinja wall, staring unflinchingly right into those red eyes. It takes damage, but it’s part of the wall, so unless we destroy the wall itself or find some way out of here, we won’t escape. But the other walls closed in on us…

Kayla glanced at the surrounding walls. They had just under half the space they had when they came in. This world of Husk Tunnel… my world of battle… and the only other world left… Jirachi, if you can help me at all now, please…

She shut her eyes, loosened and relaxed her body, and then allowed herself to fall back, rolling her ears down at the same time. There were shouts and cries from her friends, and the crumbling noise of wall didn’t stop, and yet everything faded to her. Her impact to the floor didn’t even hurt somehow. Everything faded into perfect peace and tranquillity. Despite being in the middle of her world of battle, Kayla descended into a peaceful sleep.

Pola was screaming all sorts of profanity at her, Kari’s jaw was on the floor, and Shannon had taken to shivering and tearing up as he backed into the wall behind them. The trio froze in awe as Kayla’s extraordinary power activated, and a dark pool of black liquid began to form above her sleeping form. It grew and grew until it touched the ceiling, where it spread like the bubbles in a lava lamp. This strange, black liquid was dotted with stars as if it were the night sky.

“What is that?” Pola gasped.

“Am I dreaming?” Shannon whispered.

“Dreaming?” Kari said, and then flinched as if she was given an electric shock. “No time to lose!”

“Kari—” Pola choked as she was yanked by the scruff of her shirt. Kari scooped up Shannon and Kayla too, and then dove into the strange black liquid. It was as easy as diving into a pool of water, only without having to hold one’s breath.