Episode 2: A Chance Battle

When they first arrived in Repose town it was somewhere deep into the night, so Mum hastily got a room at the Inndeedee Inn without any detours. Why then was it that Kayla didn’t feel any motivation to actually explore now that she had the chance to? Whenever she got to a new place, a new town especially, checking the place out was always something she wanted to do. Doubly so if she didn’t have a Hatterene looming over her shoulder whenever she knelt over a ledge or a crowd was approaching.

She felt sluggish as she bounced down the inn stairs and headed for the front door. As she arrived in the downstairs lobby, conversations stopped and eyes locked onto her hard. She didn’t need to look at the other Pokémon to know, she knew the pressure of onlookers all too well. That said, she glanced back at the stairs wondering if she had done something, like knocked something over without realising, but there wasn’t anything there. Just your average homely wooden steps to the right of a service counter. On her spin back to the door, her eyes ever so briefly met a Pignite and an Indeedee, both by said counter. Even though it was less than a second, that awkwardness bore into her, and she felt sweaty enough to bolt for the door. She rushed but instantly shifted into walking fast. Didn’t want those Pokémon to know she felt intimidated.

Light attacked her eyes next, earning a grunt as she twisted and scrunched up to try and resist. The sun was still rising and the woodland in front almost felt like it was intensifying it, sending glistening beams through pinholes in the swath of leaves ahead. The sky was bright, everything in town had a warm golden glow over it, while a pleasant wind kept it all cool with its warm breeze.

It’s earlier than I thought, she realised as her eyes adjusted. Early enough that most was quiet besides the few Pokémon up and about their morning chores.

Now here was that familiarity she wanted. Bird Pokémon chirped their morning song to wake up those nearby the woodland, while Cyclizar darted from house to house to leave newspapers on their porches. A sleepy Miltank guided a couple of Tauros to pull a wagon full of milk bottles, while a trio of Kecleon chatted with fellow merchants on a row of street shops. No matter where Kayla looked, the casual cheeriness of neighbours enjoying their early routines filled the roads.

Everything here was as basic as a village out in the sticks – it seemed the only thing that made Repose qualify as a town was its size. Every building was a small, wood, basic gazebo shaped structure where second floors were few and far between. The buildings weren’t all that varied in terms of design here, it was their handmade signs and gardens where everyone’s characters showed through. Some had pretty flowers, some grew tasty fruits, others left their fronts to the weeds, while a few had upheaved their gardens entirely. The roads were comfy to walk on, being flat dirt with short grass in areas off the main path.

Now this is more like it! Kayla instinctively stretched as her own morning routine took over. The worrisome weight in her stomach earlier was replaced by a light rumble. Food was a must, while a dip in a bath back at the inn would probably keep Mum happy. I have a day to kill, so why should I rush? Even if there’s nothing here I haven’t seen before.

No one seemed to pay her any mind. They were probably too busy, a welcome contrast to those Pokémon staring at her in the inn. If she encountered them again, she’d give them a piece of her mind for sure, but for now, she just wanted to look around and let her mind wander, humming a tune to herself as she admired the cosy vibes. Maybe sneak in a snack before whatever buffet Mum had planned. Unique, homemade snack foods were the best, most underrated secrets of any town, and Kayla had a list of them from the various places they had passed on the way here.

Is that a request board? She skipped backwards upon passing the peculiar thing. Somehow she failed to notice the giant Pelipper-shaped structure at the end of the market street, even though it had its own section off from the other shops. On the left and right of the familiar chain were two request boards, each littered with posts. The woodwork here was more pristine than the rest of town, decorated and cleaned appropriately.

Oh wait, there are three, Kayla realised as she approached. The biggest board had typical team requests: item deliveries, escorts, rescues, the like. The second had wanted posters all over, though the criminals didn’t look too imposing or rewarding. The last board, the smallest one located right next to the entrance, didn’t look like it even had requests written on it. Kayla’s eyes narrowed as she began to read in her head.

Skarby… I just moved here, but I wasn’t expecting to see an extraordinary Pokémon my first day. Do they live here? I’m sure the landlord said they didn’t. EmmyApple… Hiya! Congrats on the move. Repose Town is pretty quiet, but we get our fair share of excitement thanks to the school. Chulicious RE Skarby: Oops, Mr. Throh’s supposed to tell you about RSE school when you planned to move here. It’s a dungeon away. I hope you don’t mind it… Kayla’s brow grew more furrowed the more she read. It’s just a general chat bulletin. But don’t the Pokémon just talk to each other? News gets around with the newspaper I saw earlier, right? What’s the point?

She glanced left and right. Being next to the entrance wasn’t very smart either, she was instantly conscious of being in the way. No one was around still, so she leaned in to pat board with her ear. If I’m gonna be near here, I should probably intro myself. Might be using this post office a lot, after all. Make a note, Muffin.

Glor! The unusual noise made her squeak and bounce back. The board wasn’t a board, but in fact a screen. Whatever mechanical marvel it was made of, it didn’t even seem to have a backlight, enabling it to perfectly resemble paper notes on a wooden pinboard. Her eyes were wide as the posts rearranged themselves, sliding around the board into a neat list in the corner. A text box with a digital keyboard occupied most of the board now, with extra buttons to sign up. “Well now. I guess Pokémon here do have money. Now let’s see what I can do…” she licked her lips.

She used her ears to type in her information so she was slow, but at least it was easy as the screen was responsive. That was until she was presented with a request to place her paw on the screen for a pawprint ID scan. She glanced down at hers and gulped. Hope this works.

She twisted to and fro in rhythm to start flapping her arms lightly, and then threw herself at the board in such a way that an arm would flop onto the screen. It hit, albeit with the rest of her body pressed up against the screen too, which was irritably cold. She spat as she came off, and the screen had an error message to only put her paw on the enclosed area. Not to mention all the rainbow smudge from where she’d hugged it. Great… Wait, I wonder?

She tried a calmer solution this time. She leaned back to hold a foot high and pressed it onto the paw space. Normally feet didn’t count, or she assumed they wouldn’t work as she didn’t count them as paws. But the screen reacted, telling her to keep her paw there. She mentally fist pumped when it confirmed her print, letting her stand properly. One more task, to write her display name.

“K-A-Y-B-A-E,” she recited as she tapped in the letters. The name wasn’t taken, earning another fist pump. At last, she typed her message, backed off, and then the board returned to how it was before. “Alright. What’s next?”

Continuing down the road led her to a town square where there were even less Pokémon around. A large well sat in the middle of the open space, while two large buildings connected by a skyway acted as an exit. Kayla skipped right on through to admire the skyway from below, and then peered beyond.

Whee… whee… wheeeek…

Despite no one being around, there were odd noises. Kayla slowed to a stop and unrolled her other ear to try get a grip on it, but all she could make out were squeaks. Squeaks and buzzes. The buzzing was a bit irritating as even from this distance, it made the air vibrate. Sensitive ears like hers vibrated in kind, which sent an annoying sensation through her form. She screwed up her face, leaned forward, and focused.

Wheeeek… wheeeeeek…

This spot was colder. The skyway and the dense forest ahead blocked out the sun, even though it should have been behind her. Kayla stood back up and took a deep breath. She didn’t feel like she was here right now, although she was here. Somewhere. The dirt was still below her feet, the skyway was above her, and yet, twirling around, her surroundings seemed to mutate out of existence.

Wheeeek!

There was that squeaking again. It was a screech, and it was heading straight towards her. The noise was being split weirdly by the trees around. Kayla gasped as she faced the forest and shifted a foot back, wary of danger but too curious to move.

Is this the mystery dungeon with the outta control bugs? Could it be? She gasped in her mind.

Directly ahead, the dirt path vanished into pitch black. Moments later, a Pokémon emerged from that darkness, a Furret sprinting on all fours so fast they were a blur.

“Outta the way outta the way outta the way eek!”

“Wa-watch ou—” was all Kayla could get out before the normal type crashed into her. It was a full force tackle as well, one that sent her rolling and tumbling back into town. Kayla was left face-first in the dirt, but felt that heavy Pokémon get off her.

“Ah no way, I made it back to town? Oh no, that means!” the Furret danced on her toes. Her voice was so high-pitched and energetic it made her want to sit in the dirt forever. Mum wouldn’t like that though, so she rolled over to sit up.

An Orbeetle was in hot pursuit of the Furret, but stopped to hover over the duo. That annoying buzzing was coming from them. Their wings beat faster than a fan, blowing air against the ground while also patting the inner caps of their wings, creating vibrations in the air so strong they could be seen. Coupled with wide orb eyes that rotated independently of one another, alarm bells instantly rung in Kayla’s mind. This Orbeetle was mad. Not mad as in angry, mad as in having absolutely lost their marbles.

“What’s up with him?” Kayla gasped as she kicked herself to her feet. Orbeetle wasn’t looking directly at her, yet she could feel its maddened gaze on her. It was scanning her, judging, waiting for a move the same way a bloodthirsty Zweilous observed its prey.

“Wait no, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bring it into town!” Furret cried, shaking her little forepaws. She skidded in front of Kayla and swiped those paws aside to equip them with large claws. “I’m a registered explorer rescuer thingy okay, so don’t panic! I’ll take care of this!”

Who’s panicking? If she’s with the school, then this is my chance to strut my stuff. Lemme attem! Kayla grinned readily.

This Orbeetle had just entered Kayla’s world. Her hunger, her fear, any confusion at the situation, her wants, her needs, everything faded away in an instant. It was just Kayla the Buneary, this squeaky toy of a Furret, and this crazy Orbeetle. The dirt road was still below her feet, but the scenery? Reduced to blurry, psychedelic patterns that vaguely resembled what they once were. In this case, shades of blue and brown that helped to highlight the Orbeetle’s red wings and glow of psychic purples.

This was how Kayla battled. Her ears did 95% of the work, transporting her to this world where her senses were driven by audio cues. 4% was visual and data, noting everything important in an instant. Furret had put on these gloves with massive claws on the end, making her appear stronger. Orbeetle was sizing them up, wanting them to move to start the fight. Kayla could easily strike from here with Quick Attack if she was inclined.

That last 1%? well, there’s no better time than the present, is there? So she did just that. She tensed her form and dashed forward in a zigzag, her feet tapping ever so lightly off the ground until she sprung into Orbeetle, hitting it with a full body tackle. Her feathery movements let her bounce right back to where she just was, while the bug type was swatted to the ground.

Furret was no slouch, thankfully. Contrary to her order to stay behind her, she took advantage of Kayla’s attack and sprinted forward. She swerved a little to the side once she was in range, and then brought her arms up high to slash in a wide, hammering arc. This earnt an irritable grunt from Orbeetle as it hit the floor again, and it backed off to avoid more slashes.

As Orbeetle regained a good position, it cupped its insectoid claws together and a blue light formed in between them. The attack was so simple that Kayla didn’t even need to open her eyes for this one. The rhythm of psychic energy gathering in place was just one of many unique, recognisable sounds of Pokémon attacks, and one she knew all too well. The moment that energy reached max and burst from the orb as a beam of swirling blues and pinks, Kayla knew exactly when it was going to fire, where it was going to aim, how fast it would be, every last fact one could learn about Psybeam.

While her ears ran this info through her head, her eyes focused on a different task, where was safe to move so she could act. In this case, it was as trivial as crouching under the beam as she approached. She leaned forward and sprinted right towards Orbeetle, choosing to charge herself with Quick Attack again. Orbeetle’s beam stopped as the Pokémon was knocked down again, where Furret was ready and waiting with claws out. She slashed at it consecutively this time, her claws elongated to an absurd degree with sharp, orange energy. At her speed, Fury Swipes looked like it could shred a tree to gratings. Orbeetle grunted and cursed in a strange, feral pattern that sounded like digitised keyboard noises, each tone abrupt and cutting off the next.

The battle continued in this manner and didn’t take long as a result. It tried to use Psybeam again and again, but Kayla knew whether to attack before the beam was charged or to wait for it. She kept herself nimble as she bounced around, and each time she landed a kick or a Quick Attack, Furret was close behind to slam the enemy with her claws or tail. A few hits later and Orbeetle was raising its claws in frustration. Many more unfathomable, feral curses came from it, and then it bolted back into the forest.

“Too easy,” Kayla pushed out her chest.

“Wooooow, who’re you? I’ve never seen you before, but it felt like I’ve been fighting with you all my life!” Furret cheered squeakily. She sped around Kayla fast enough to make a dust trail, and kept popping her head up to observe the Buneary from various angles, including above. “Are you new in town? Did you come from far away? What team are you part of?”

Kayla couldn’t do much besides lean away as question after question was fired at her. “Er, maybe I could answer if you sat still?”

“Oh, sorry! I get the zoomies when I’m all excited,” Furret came to a stop at last. Her eyes shone with excitement, however. “So how about it? What’s your favourite colour? Is that a fighting style? Macaroni or water—”

“Gimme a chance! Goodness, I can’t understand word!” Kayla cried.

Furret froze for a moment, and then leaned into the Buneary. “Diiiiiiid yeeerrroooooouuuu coooooooommmeeeeee fffrrrooooooo—”

“Talking that slow is worse!” Kayla puffed out her cheeks. “Just… calm down, yeah? Like… talk normally?”

“Sorry, I’m just happy to meet someone new who looks so cool! You really handled yourself out there,” Furret praised.

Finally, that last line sounded calm. Calm for this Furret, anyway. The way their tail wagged and their paws poked at one another, it was obvious they could not sit still to save their own life. It did appear odd; this Furret seemed to be bigger than their average species in ways she couldn’t quite comprehend. They weren’t chubby like herself, they were equal parts taller and wider but without any logical growth on the body. Their paws and feet looked just like a normal Furret, but they were part of a bigger body than average. Watching her tail from here, Kayla was almost made dizzy as it seemed like the stripe pattern there was fluctuating. She couldn’t tell whether the tail was wagging or growing shorter and longer in the moment. Perhaps it was even doing both. It ticked like a metronome, yet grew shorter and longer, wider and thinner with no coherent pattern.

“What was that about, anyway? That feral Pokémon followed you into town,” Kayla pointed out.

Furret squished her own cheeks and let out one heck of a shrill squeal. “Oh no, we let that one get away! If it gets the others, they’re all gonna chase us again!”

“Okay, okay – please just, stop making that noise!” Kayla cringed.

“But I—”

“Wait,” Kayla shifted forward. That cringe wasn’t from the Furret. The vibrations in the air were stronger than before. If they came from the Orbeetle, then that meant there were many more. She unrolled both ears to try and focus, but the more she concentrated on it, the more aggravating it got. Her whole skeleton was shaking thanks to the noisy vibrations, which made her scrunch up her face.

She gasped. They were closer than she expected. Less than a second later, the trees ahead of her quaked with a mighty gust of wind as an army of Orbeetle burst from their leafy tops. Kayla and Furret had only a second to gawk before the swarm dove toward them.

“This way!” Furret screamed and darted off.

Kayla didn’t need to be told twice. The problem with her world was that it only lasted however long a fight lasted. Now that they weren’t fighting, all the precision in her instincts had gone, and she was back on the edge of town. Not that any level of instinct could help her fight all those Orbeetle that just showed up. She took a deep breath and followed Furret as best as she could, surprised to be able to keep up with them perfectly.

It didn’t take long for things to get aggressive. A blast from an attack went off to her right. A second later, one hit her left, just about missing her. She had to bounce away from that one and pushed herself to speed up.  All she could hear was the heavy rustling of the trees and the irritating buzzing of the army behind her. If she slowed for even a moment, she’d be reduced to mush by whatever these mad insects wanted.

It wasn’t easy to run like this. There didn’t seem to be a proper path through the forest. The dirt road leading into the place didn’t continue through the forest floor. Trees of varying heights and thickness filled the space so densely their dark turquoise tones were all that seemed to pass. Many had small roots, but others had roots so massive they had to be climbed or leapt over. A Psybeam blowing up beside her brought her back into focus, and she took in a breath to speed up.

Can’t just run forever… how’d I get roped into this? Kayla growled, glancing around for a solution. Something, anything. All that was around were these dense forest shenanigans. Dark spaces, thick bushes, trees hiding nests of all manner of nasty feral beasties. Between two trees to her left was the glisten of sunlight on water, and she had to double take.

“This way!” Kayla called out. Furret heard her thankfully, and followed her over the roots and between the trunks.

“Where’re we going? What did you find?” Furret wondered, keeping beside her perfectly. Kayla didn’t answer until the two of them burst into the clearing, where they hovered above the water.

“Our solution!” Kayla announced cheerfully. It was a river way wider than she anticipated, but that meant it was big enough to do the trick.

“Wait a minute, water?” Furret squealed moments before they fell in.

All the heat that came from their sprint vanished into the chill of the water. Kayla found herself tumbling a bit, but the moment she hit the riverbed, she regained her balance. The current was weak enough that she could stand still, and Furret had no problem doing the same. Well, if flailing like a Mankey throwing a tantrum meant she had control, then Furret was fine. Kayla gave them a tap with her ear, making them stop. They were holding their breath okay, but weren’t happy about being soaking wet.

The river was clear enough to see all around and out of it. A few of the Orbeetle buzzed right over them, while a duo stopped around the remaining ripples from their splash. Kayla grumbled in angst. She didn’t account for the water being clear on the outside, too. If Orbeetle could see her now, they might be in trouble.

The moment felt like it might last forever. She was already short of breath from having to run to get here. The angst in her chest and blur in her head said everything. Muffled bubbling and chilly wetness counteracting her panicked heartbeat and whatever made her sweat, if she could sweat underwater. The moment the Orbeetle turned to fly away, her eyes widened and she mentally fist pumped. This morning was totally going her way.

She had to bounce her way up the side of the riverbed to return to the surface, but Furret wasn’t following for some reason. The Long body Pokémon had their paws down and clutched the riverbed intently, but woke up when Kayla hummed a sound to call out to her. To Kayla’s surprise, she was able to crawl through the water at basically the same speed she moved at on land, a blur in the bubbly atmosphere. They both breached the surface in the same way too, with a peppy leap and the world’s most exaggerated gasp of relief.

“Well, that went well,” Kayla remarked.

The two girls glanced at each other and sat cutely for a moment. Furret’s fur was so long and drenched that it completely covered her face besides her mouth, which widened with glee. She pointed at Kayla and burst into giggles and laughter, so much that she fell back and clutched her stomach.

It should have been offensive. Yet, something about that was infectious. Kayla found herself giggling uncontrollably, too. Furret looked ridiculous. Her head fur was spiked and drooped longer than an extra edgy Grimmsnarl, a complete contrast to her squeaky and hyper character.

“Y-y-you look s-so puffy!” Furret squealed and pointed again, laughing even harder.

That brought Kayla to blush and look down at herself. All the fluff on her body had absorbed the water like a sponge, leaving her obtuse in shape. Her skirt and ears were comically sized afros of fluff, while she could only guess what the fluffband keeping her ponytail in place was like. It was funny though, so she was set off giggling and laughing, too.

“I don’t think it’s ever done this before!” Kayla remarked, finally wiping her eyes. She shook herself off, but her fluff remained puffy, albeit not waterlogged anymore. “Well, it’ll go back to normal whenever.”

“Serves you right for picking the water!” Furret remarked, shaking herself dry as well.

Now that Kayla got a good look at her face, Furret was even odder. Her cheeks were a little pudgy and the brown fur atop her head was excessive and messy, making up a myriad of curls and spikes for the messiest hairdo she’d seen in years. Most notable were Furret’s eyes however: her right eye was bright blue, while the other was a shade of pink. Both eyes had the same pattern, so it didn’t seem like anything was wrong.

“Hello, Isnomia to Buneary? You awake?” Furret cocked her head.

Kayla gasped as she felt her face heat up. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just… your eyes.”

“My eyes?” Furret poked at her face. “What about ‘em?”

“… They’re different colours? Are you okay, can you see right?” Kayla was genuinely concerned.

“Oooh, right! That thing, yeah they’re fine and dandy. It’s a thing called heterochromia or something like that. You don’t have to worry, I can see juuuuust fine,” Furret assured. She got up and started bouncing on her toes.

Ah, right. She said she’s a registered fighter or something from RSE… it makes sense she’d be an extraordinary Pokémon. That was a rude question to ask, Muffin, the Buneary shook head. “What was that all about anyway? Why were they chasing you?”

“Well this is the Twinight Woods mystery dungeon, so that’s kinda normal,” Furret pondered her thoughts aloud.

“This is a mystery dungeon?” Kayla gasped and span around.

“Yep. It sits between here and RSE. You’re new here, right? Everybody knows that!” Furret said happily.

“I… knew, I just didn’t think it’d be so easy to…” Kayla trailed off. She slumped. Great. Mum’s not gonna be happy about this. Whatever. Nothing to do but deal with it, now.”

“Those guys are super aggressive today for some reason. They said it was dangerous this morning, but I just wanted to slip in and grab a few apples and stuff since I was running low,” Furret explained. “I totally dragged you into this without meaning to. So lemme make it up to you and bring you back to town! Free of charge!”

“I appreciate it,” Kayla nodded.

Furret began to lead the way, but Kayla couldn’t help but stop and stare. The Furret kept her feet together and bounced along like a spring. She wasn’t slow, so Kayla picked herself up and jogged after her. It was probably better not to ask questions.

At least it was calm enough to get a proper look around now. This dungeon, the Twinight Woods, was definitely the mystery dungeon of all mystery dungeons. There were no coherent paths, and the way light filtered through the teensiest gaps in the leaves overhead, it almost appeared as though the trees were moving. Everything not within their immediate vicinity was blurry and visually fluctuating, even though it was cold, damp, and stagnant. The wind could be heard as leaves and bushes rustled, but not felt. The air was still, letting dewdrops and specks of mossy dust hang on plants, while smaller bug types retreated into stumps or the ground when the duo got close.

In this world of the Twinight Woods, there was life. The woodland floor was quiet enough that time felt frozen, but the forces of nature retained their course. The quiet flow of the nearby river, the chirps and clunks and shifty squeaks of whatever feral species went about their business, the shuffle as the duo pushed their way through bushes and crunched on loose leaves. All the time Kayla’s ears locked onto and identified nearby potential threats, ready to spring her into battle or dodge at a moment’s notice. Now this was what she was born to do. This was mystery dungeon travel.

“Oh my gosh, I forgot to ask for your name! That’s so silly of me,” Furret giggled, slowing down for her. She kept bouncing along though, which unnerved her.

She’s not serious about this at all, is she? Then again, if she lives here, this mystery dungeon’s probably like a back garden to her… and if she’s a fellow student, she’ll find out my name eventually, Kayla nodded at her thoughts. “It’s Kayla. And yours is?”

“Kari! Even though you say it like the food, it’s not spelt like the food curry!” Furret stopped to bow. Her tail did that weird wagging again, where it looked like it was stretching and growing shorter rather than actually wagging. “It’s easy to remember because I’m coloured like curry though, right?”

“I guess so,” Kayla leaned away.

“I’m super nosy Kayla, you seem really cool! Where’d you learn how to fight and stuff, and how comes you don’t bounce like a bunny?” Kari started squeaking quickly again, too.

“… Come again?” Kayla’s eyes widened.

“How come you don’t bounce like a bunny? You’re walking and stuff, and earlier you were running, too!” she explained. “I thought Buneary were all bouncy and quick on their feet? It’s fun to do, boing, boing, boing!”

“I didn’t… I don’t… Uh?” Kayla truly didn’t know how to reply. “I’ve always been like this. I didn’t know Buneary were supposed to… bounce? All the time?”

“Boing, boing, boing…”

“As for fighting, I taught myself. I know a few good moves and studied a lot so I would be fine in mystery dungeons,” Kayla focused ahead.

“Boing, boing, boing…”

“I’m not aiming to be an explorer or anything fancy like that. I just wanna see the world and have a cool life doing stuff I like doing,” Kayla continued. The thought made her grin.
“Boing, boing, boing—”

“Okay, stop that!” she snapped.

“Aww, but it’s so much fun being a Buneary!” Kari giggled.

“Buneary don’t say ‘boing’ every time they bounce. Heck, nobody does that!” Kayla cried. “Where’re we going, anyway? Is this the way out? The scenery’s barely changed.”

“I dunno where we’re going,” Kari returned to walking on all fours, while Kayla stopped dead in her tracks. “Hee hee hee, silly bunny! Nobody knows where they’re going in mystery dungeons. You just keep walking until it does things for you.”

“That’s not true!” Kayla leaned forward to object. “It’s been proven time and again that the mysteriosity of mystery dungeons doesn’t affect the layout of the surrounding world. If you keep walking straight, you will exit in the original intended direction. Don’t you remember where the exit for Repose Town is?”

“I dunno. Even if I did, I lost it when we jumped in the river. But hey look, that’s cool!” Kari pointed ahead.

Kayla was about to get angry with her, but quickly realised that their surroundings had changed a lot. The forest atmosphere was still strong here, but was now being opposed by the remains of a highway. Urban roads held up by enormous pillars ran throughout the forest at the same height as the tree peaks, almost as though they were part of the woodland themselves. As Kari led onward, that became more apparent as hives, vines, bushes, moss, and all the other features of the forest had claimed spots around these highways.

“What’s all this? This looks like… human stuff,” Kayla remarked, twirling around in amazement.

“It is human stuff, ain’t it? That’s what I thought, too!” Kari cheered. “Finally, somebody who knows and I’m not going crazy!”

Some of the pillars that held up the highway even had hollows in them, or vines and roots twisting around to stick them into the ground. Kayla couldn’t help herself, she had to run right up to one of these to get a better look. This wasn’t some illusion or weird natural phenomenon; they were actual cement pillars that held up highways to nowhere. The roads above cut off randomly though they curved here and there, and showed no evidence of ever being connected as a motorway.

“They’re just… roads. In the middle of the forest,” Kayla shook her head.

“Wanna see it from the top? Grab on!” Kari proposed, holding out a paw.

“Uh,” Kayla was a little hesitant. She shifted closer and then hopped onto Kari’s back. The Furret didn’t wait for her to be secure, she charged off on all fours and scuttled her way up one of the pillars. Of course Kayla squealed and cried out as she almost fell off immediately. She clenched her feet together to hold on, but when they were going upright, her body leaned right back from the speed.

Kari was fast. That little rollercoaster ride was over as quickly as it started. Kayla let out a shivering gasp as she didn’t realise right away. “N-next time, gimme a chance, will ya?”

Kari giggled as Kayla climbed off. The highway was slanted and the very edge was taller than the rest of the forest. This fact excited Kayla. It unveiled everything she had been excited to discover. This short piece of ruined road that looked over the woods confirmed why the world of Isnomia needed to be explored.

The forest went on forever. There was no town, no school, no river. Just a sea of leafy treetops, every single one a shade of blue that shimmered in the light of a sunset sky. The white walls and metal pipe fencing of more highways peeked through here and there, each one freshly tarmacked as if it were made recently. It was sunrise when they first entered this dungeon, and there was no way they had run far enough that the town could be out of sight. And yet here they were, in what could only be described as another world with permanent sunset.

“I’ve always wanted to know where these roads lead, but now I think the feral Pokémon just use ‘em to get around or something,” Kari explained.

“Where they could lead, how they got here, the way the natural world has adapted around them… there’s probably all kinds of stories and folklore about this place,” Kayla said, gawking nonstop.

“You betcha! And most of them are fun,” Kari agreed.

“And this is just the tip of the iceberg, the most basic dungeon between RSE Academy and Repose Town,” Kayla grinned, and curled her paws into fists.

“There’s so many mystery dungeons around here that I’ve never been to them all! And I’ve been here for years!” Kari cheered.

Kayla’s excitement formed a lump in her stomach. She slowly turned to Kari, who was oblivious to her intrigue. Her tail was doing that wagging thing again. “U-um, Kari? I have a request.”

“Those go on the request board. Rescue or explorer teams take care of those,” she replied. Kayla went half-lidded and stared, but the Furret wouldn’t budge. She had this oblivious, cute smile.

“… Will you take me to RSE instead of Repose Town?” Kayla asked.

“I was gonna take you to wherever we ended up to be honest,” Kari turned to her.

“Wait, what? You said you were going to- are you actually a student of RSE?” Kayla leaned away.

“Yeah I am, but I’m not part of a team or anything. I’m a go with the flow kinda girl, I just do whatever life does,” Kari said cheerfully. Her tail wagged even quicker, to which Kayla began to rethink her question, but then she continued. “You can carry yourself and you seemed really into this, so I sorta guessed you might wanna check out RSE or see more of the dungeon. But if it’s really important that you go back to town, yeah I can do that.”

You figured that out? So you’re not completely airheaded, Kayla calmed down.

“I’m not lying, though. I’m not lost, but the mysteriosity of this place can turn you around when you least suspect it. We could end up at RSE, or we could wind up back at Repose,” Kari explained. “It’s not a bother, I promise I’ll take responsibility for it! But if we end up at school instead, you’ll have to bear with me while I try to fix it all.”

“If it’s not our choice then it doesn’t really matter, does it? We’ve just got to look for an exit and go with that flow of yours,” Kayla smiled.

“That’s right, you got this! If any more Orbeetle attack, I’ll do my best, but you’ll still help me fight, won’t you? You were really cool out there before!” Kari started getting squeaky again.

Somehow, this time her excitement doesn’t seem as annoying. Maybe it’s because I know her a little more, or because she’s stroking my ego a bit… but it is nice to meet someone who doesn’t take life too seriously all the time. If she’s my ticket to get to RSE, why am I complaining? I’ll deal with Mum’s whining another time, Kayla concluded with a nod to herself. “To tell the truth, I’ve been signed up to RSE. I’m gonna be a student there, too. Well, I want to be.”

“Really?” Kari leaned forward with the world’s most enthusiastic grin, cheeks pudgy with dimples and all.

“Really, really!” Kayla leaned forward, too. “I wanna train, get real strong, and then get out there and achieve something great. Meet lots of Pokémon, have lots of great fights, see the sights… I want to live a cool life, and RSE’s the place that’ll train me for it.”

“Live a cool life…” Kari replied. Her voice went soft.

“Yeah. I don’t have any noble goals or dreams of my own, I’ll admit. I don’t know what I want to be just yet, but that’s one of those things I’ll figure out, yeah? Not a thing to stress over,” Kayla calmed back down. “Will you help me out? Even if it’s just to take me to the academy. The headmaster said the dungeon was too difficult to get through, but we’ve been handling it so far.”

“That’s all? That’s easy, I’ll even rec you! Sure, helping out ain’t a problem at all,” Kari bounced up high. “Let’s get a move on right now! If you’re ready!”

“Speaking my language,” Kayla hopped onto Kari’s back. The Furret was a little surprised, but promptly adapted with a grin. Kayla smirked back, exchanged a nod, and then the duo climbed back down into the forest.

Waiting for them were even more of the strange wonders of mystery dungeons. The layout of the forest floor was very different than when they climbed up, despite them climbing down in the same spot. Nothing else changed though, it was still the same woodland dungeon as before. That was only in appearance, however.

As Kayla hopped off Kari, she shivered as a new sensation joined the other sensations she got from the forest. It was something high pitched and tingly, almost jolly, like ringing triangles in Christmas songs. Kayla stopped to take it in, mostly perplexed at how out of place it was. There were loads of them all ringing after the other. Triangles in a bag, or perhaps as part of a wind chime? But the wind wasn’t blowing.

“Yoo hoo, you good?” Kari asked. She’d curled her body around Kayla and stared at her face.

“S-sorry. I do that a lot. Something’s strange all of a sudden,” Kayla replied.

“What’s strange is you being all excited and then freezing like a lemon!” Kari giggled. “Have you ever wondered why Pokémon say that? Lemons don’t get frozen; they bounce like funny rugby balls.”

“I’m serious. I’ve never heard anything like this,” she said in concern. Kari kept staring with that dumb smile of hers, making her blush. “O-oh, I should explain. It’s a Buneary thing, I think.”

“Well yeah, you have those big ears that can hear super far away, right?” Kari laughed. She joined Kayla in walking ahead, bouncing along beside her. “At least one part of you is still like normal Buneary!”

Is she even gonna understand if I try and explain it? Might be better to just go and check it out, Kayla tried not to get distracted by Kari’s upbeat motions. “It’s not exactly just hearing far away. I can like… recognise things based on sound. There’s a natural rhythm to everything that makes noise, and that like… my ears can ‘feel’ that, y’know? When the wind blows and the trees shake, I can tell exactly how far away I am from the tree, or how strong the wind is. If I tried, I could see with my ears.”

“That’s really precise! Is that your extraordinary power?” Kari squeaked.

The heck- she just casually ASKED that? Kayla shivered to a complete stop. “I-is that not normal for Buneary?”

“I dunno. You’re the Buneary!” Kari replied.

“… Point is, I can hear something I’ve never heard before. I dunno what it is, and it doesn’t sound like it fits in this forest,” Kayla warned.

“Ooh, a mystery in the mysterious place known as a mystery dungeon! I like it, the mystery of all mysteries!” Kari went squeaky again. “You’re the boss for now!”

“You’re not scared at all?” Kayla cocked her head.

“If I weren’t brave enough to dive headfirst into every mystery I came across, would I be here?” she challenged, going half-lidded.

Kayla paused again. “Y’know what? I like your attitude.”

“I like yours, too! It’s good to have someone wary around, ‘cos I can’t do careful,” Kari added.

I’m gonna die, aren’t I? Kayla concluded.

If there was any benefit, it was this Furret’s boundless energy made it difficult to stay nervous. The walk was no harder than earlier, besides the addition of these strange chimes getting louder as they got closer. Something about the tones and vibrations in her ears made her frown. Not that it was pleasant having to climb through bushes taller than herself, but Kari helped by slicing them up or holding them open for her. The jingles of bells and triangles were usually associated with happy tunes and festive flair. Right now, their tones felt like a chilly solitude, similar to the cold touch of an ice type Pokémon in winter.

“Hey Kari, another question,” Kayla spoke up. She slowly gazed left and right to scout for enemies that might attack, but the ferals continued to hide. “What’s it like at RSE? Living there, doing all these tough missions…”

“Well… if you’re going there, wouldn’t it be more fun to find out?” Kari started swaying and playing with her paws. “Not to be annoying, but I think it’s way more fun to find out. It’s not bad, if that’s what you’re worried about!”

“Fair,” Kayla sighed. “Anything bad I should be aware of though? Like stuff I shouldn’t do or watch out for. Bullies, weird rules, you know?”

“Hmm… when you meet someone, you should ask what their extraordinary power is,” Kari replied.

Kayla slowed down. “I cannot tell what you’re serious about and what you’re joking about. Isn’t that rude? Just walking up to someone and asking what their disability is?”

“Disability? That would be rude, but extraordinary powers aren’t disabilities,” Kari seemed confused by the point. Kayla moved to argue until she saw her face. The Furret really was perplexed. “Most Pokémon love to show off their special powers, and everyone has their own one. It’s useful to know so you can get along. That’s Pokémon friendship 101.”

Mum always taught me not to ask… I wasn’t expecting that, Kayla furrowed her brow. “Oh yeah? Okay then, what’s your extraordinary power, Kari?”

“M-me! Oh uh, erm, ah, ahaha, ehee hee… hoo hee hue oog… err…”

“What’s wrong?” Kayla cocked her head.

“It’s just… er, my power is… hmpf! I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” she squeaked. “It’s not bad! But it’s not good, either. It’s funner if you find out on your own?”

“Friendship 101, everybody,” Kayla rolled her eyes.

“H-hey, that rule only applies to me! ‘Cos my power’s so weird and stuff, okay?” Kari argued.

“Ah, wait. Hide! Quickly!” Kayla hissed all of a sudden, and crouched by the tree beside her. Kari danced on her toes before squishing against the tree opposite. Buzzing vibrations were getting uncomfortably close. More Orbeetle.

There was a moment of nothing so the duo peeked onto the path, only to instantly retract as a swarm of the bug types flew by. Kayla couldn’t help but cough and hold her breath. They buzzed past like a series of racing cars, only instead of annoying engines, it was buzzing heavy enough to make her body feel like jelly. Thankfully they passed as suddenly as they arrived, though there was a tiny one that sounded more like a fly than an Orbeetle.

“What? They didn’t attack?” Kayla asked with a furrowed brow.

“Aww, they’re leavin’ the little one behind! Should we help ‘em, too?” Kari whined.

“Kari, please! What is this all about, where are they going?” Kayla asked.

“We have to follow ‘em either way,” she sung. Kayla sighed and jogged after them.

The triangle chimes started getting louder and louder, and somehow, they were losing their identity. What started as a unique noise that triggered new sensations through her ears, quickly turned into vague, monaural echoes that didn’t so much as tingle her ears. She could hear the triangles and their glistening chimes just fine, but it was also just there, like a sound that was generated by this world, yet not in the world at all. A background to the background.

Eventually a clearing in the trees opened up and Kayla could stop. There was an enormous crater, and in its centre was a miniature mountain unlike anything she had ever laid eyes on. It was a rock formation just like any other mountain, except its entire surface was luminous and crystalline, smooth rather than rugged and rocky. There were no jagged parts, but each surface was blocky and shapely rather than rounded. Every inch shone with bright light, while the saturated tones and glossy finish made it look impossible to climb.

“They’re going in! Do you think it’s a party house?” Kari pointed to the base of the sparkly rock. The Orbeetle were swarming in a surprisingly orderly fashion, three at a time in a line. “Was this the noise you could hear? I can hear some sparkly stuff now, too.”

“Yeah… I wasn’t expecting to find this, though. Whatever this thing is. I think it’s safe to assume this is what’s making all the bugs go nuts here,” Kayla glanced at the Furret, who nodded in agreement. “So if we get to the bottom of this, we can win extra points with the higher ups at RSE.”

“Hee hee hee, you’re funny! I see what you did there!”

“… I didn’t make a joke, though,” Kayla cocked her head.

“Get to the bottom of this, ay?” Kari gestured sliding down the crater.

“I- eheh, I missed my own wordplay. Not intended,” Kayla blushed a bit.

“Hee hee hee, it’s a good one!”

“You with me, though? I dunno what’s in there, but I’m sure we can take it down,” Kayla slid a foot forward.

“I’m excited to find out what they’re partying about, too! So yeah, you’re the boss. Let’s do this!” Kari pumped her fists.

“Me? You’re the student explorer rescuer thingy here,” Kayla cocked her head again.

“Yeah but you’re the cool Buneary who doesn’t act like a Buneary! If somethin’ happens I’ll step up, but for now, I feel like you’ve got this,” Kari reasoned. Her tail did that weird wagging again, making Kayla blink into focus.

“If you say so,” she shrugged, turning back to the crystal mountain rock thingy. Nothing but bad vibes, but the bugs ARE going in there. Mum and gemas are probably going to be stuffy and say I’m doing the wrong thing, but surely if we get to the bottom of this, I can get to RSE quicker. Look out world, here comes Kayla!