Episode 7: Kayla’s First Mission

“Good morning adventurers!” Gema gave a hearty chant. “What’re we doing today?”

“Challenging the world!” the hall chanted with fists, horns, tails and all else raised high.

“And how do we do that?” the Tyranitar asked even louder.

“With a smile in the face of challenge!” the hall responded in kind.

Kayla had to roll down her ears because of how loud it got. RSE Academy continued to feel bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. The main hall where morning briefings happened was an enormous lecture hall that descended further than the ground floor, while boasting seats for every kind of Pokémon there could be. The semi-circle hall had numerous entrances and descended, where rows upon rows of seats circled a gigantic digital blackboard on the back wall. It could have been called a cinema screen if not for the wooden material and academic feel to everything.

For a group that made sure they were first for breakfast, her roommates were lax about getting to morning briefing on time. The hall was packed out by the time the trio made it, so there was nowhere to sit or stand except the stairs near an exit. Gema’s usually huge presence was little more than a toy figurine from here, but his voice carried well. Even so, Kayla found herself a little distracted by the colourful design of the walls and desk seats. RSE’s many accolades and student art pieces were even in here, forever boasting the achievements of successful students and graduates.

“Before we begin the day ahead, I have a few important announcements. They will go up on the network later as well as the main bulletin, so please take note,” Gema began, and cleared his throat. “As many of you know and have been keeping up with the news on Mathildaath, we have reports from the scouting teams from the region around Orchard Overgrowth. That mystery dungeon, and for many miles surrounding it, seems to have fallen under the effects of a curse. That region… is now suffering from eternal night.”

Eternal night? It’s never daytime there anymore? Kayla asked herself as the hall broke into chatter. Not one hint of hope was in anyone’s voices. Only concern.

“Once you step within the grounds of Mathildaath’s influence, the sun does not rise. Its blessed heat does not reach you. The only light is said to be the draining, accursed glow of an artificial blue moon,” Gema explained. “Plant life has already begun to suffer from lack of sunlight, while most feral Pokémon have entered a state of hibernation, despite it being out of season. Ignoring the natural glow of Isnomia’s moons, as well as this artificial moon, the area is said to be so dark that you cannot even see your hand before your eyes.”

“Quiet down now, everyone. We’re safe here,” Uxie spoke up. She appeared beside Gema and waved up at the hall.

“Headmaster Gema, what happened to the scouts? Are they okay?” someone asked.

“What should we do? We can’t let Mathildaath get away with this!” another raised their voice.

“I do all my missions at night. Her curse won’t stop me!” another boasted.

“Settle down now,” Gema copied Uxie’s movements. “Our scouts returned safe and sound and are discussing their next move as we speak. For the time being, Orchard Overgrowth and the affected areas are off-limits for all purposes, no exceptions, effective immediately. When there is an update, it will be announced here as well as our usual channels.”

The hall descended into chatter again, though it wasn’t as hopeless as before. A few even sounded angry about the decision. Gema cleared his throat again to get everyone’s attention.

“Further reports include a warning about mysterious crystal caves that have appeared within mystery dungeons,” Gema continued. Kayla perked up. “These are said to be unpredictable realms where some extreme monsters, many not local to the current dungeon, can appear. Lower ranked teams or those looking to protect escorts are recommended to stay out of these strange crystal caves if they see one.”

Extreme monsters, huh… that’s about as vague as what we know, Kayla slumped. Figures they would try to avoid fear-mongering everyone.

“Last but not least, a message from the authorities of Repose Town. There seems to have been an incident involving Visionary Pokémon at the Waking Wake. Anyone who knows anything should report to Vice Teacher Mesprit or the Repose Town authorities immediately. You all know that we have a non-aggression treaty with Repose Town, so I pray that none of you have been involved, otherwise there will be direct punishments,” Gema stated. “That will be all. There are no interruptions to our usual schedules or lectures. Post arrives at midday, lectures begin an hour later, dinner will be at sundown, and night events begin at the sight of the first star.”

Gema continued to list off stuff that sounded like routine, which got drowned out by Pokémon getting up to leave. Kayla was uncertain until Kari poked her and pointed to the exit. She followed them out to find the activity in the school had essentially exploded.

Pokémon rushed across the halls, many even using Quick Attack or Extreme Speed to do so. Ariados and Galvantula scuttled across the walls and ceiling while Golem, Gigalith, and other bulky species brushed everyone aside without a care in the world. Kayla had to squeeze against the wall to avoid getting stepped on, and if it weren’t for Kari holding her paw, she might’ve lost her roommates, too. They waited for an interval to take on the crowd, and then charged in whether Kayla was ready or not. Several blurs and bumps against various furs and hides later, and they were back in the hall with the dorms. It was comfortably quiet back here.

“Phew, okay. That was rowdy,” Kayla sighed.

“Sorry, I shoulda warned you about that one. Most Pokémon plan all their stuff on the day rather than planning days ahead, so there’s always a rush right after morning meeting,” Kari giggled. “It’s fun to bump and bash everyone!”

“Maybe if you’ve got the height. I lost count of how many times I almost got stepped on, and it’s my first day here!” Kayla cried.

“Yeah, you’d think with all the fancy facilities that they’d separate everyone by size and stuff,” Pola snickered. “To be fair, morning briefing isn’t mandatory. All the important stuff goes to our PETs.”

“What’s the point then?” Kayla raised an eyebrow.

“When there’s important stuff, and the Mathildaath stuff is pretty important,” Kari nodded. “So Kayla, decided what you’re gonna do today? Who you’re gonna help?”

“Hold up, back up ten paces. I’ve learnt like, an encyclopaedia’s worth of stuff this morning,” Kayla slumped. The roommates exchanged grins. “Where do I even start? Like, getting my way around here, seeing the timetable… heck that Mathildaath thingy—”

“You needn’t worry about that one,” Gema answered, making her jump.

“Whoa, Headmaster used Teleport!” Kari squealed.

“Where’d you come from?” Kayla gasped. “Actually, never mind. Just tell me why?”

“Mathildaath is…” Gema trailed off a bit, clearing his throat. He played with his nails for a moment, and then tucked his arms behind his back. “I must admit, I have concerns informing you about this since your recklessness on your arrival…”

“If you don’t tell me, I’m just gonna ask around. If it’s so important, why keep it secret?” Kayla cocked her head.

“Ah, true, true! Very well then. Mathildaath is a problem we have had in this region for many months now,” Gema began. “She is what we call an archfiend. You have all kinds of big baddies across Isnomia, from ruffians, to hooligans, to outlaws, to ferals. The archfiend stands at the very top as our greatest threat.”

“The rest of the ones you mentioned belong to their own groups and are all controlled by HAPPI laws, right? It’s how stuff like gangs and hooligans get to take jobs and requests and all that,” Kayla replied.

“Further impressed how well-researched you are!” Gema nodded in glee.

“Mathildaath doesn’t belong to any groups. She’s just got monsters and fiends and curses and all that other super scary stuff!” Kari remarked. “She’s like, the biggest, scariest, monsteriest monster in all the land! With all kinds of scary stories about her!”

“You read too many fairy tales. But it’s true, there’s a lotta rumours about her. Finding out she put that place in total night, some of those rumours might actually be real,” Pola added.

“The point is, she is terrifying news. Promise me young Master Brunswick, that you will stay away from Mathildaath and not pursue anything involving her without our permission,” Gema said. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I have a duty to protect you, and this is part of that. Mathildaath is far out of my league, so don’t even think about trying to take her on.”

“You had me scared at monsteriest monster, to be honest,” the Buneary leaned back.

“For the time being… Mesprit?” Gema calmed down. In a flash of pink, the vice teacher popped up beside them.

“You called?” Mesprit smiled. Gema gestured to Kayla. “Oh right, yeah. It’s all good to go. I’ll start by giving you this!”

Kayla was handed a gold pin badge not much bigger than a coin. She was unsure about attempting to grab it, but the moment her nose got close, the badge popped out of Mesprit’s hands to circle Kayla. She twirled with it, nearly dizzying herself. Once it stopped, the coin opened up into a large screen similar to Mum’s PET.

“Wait, is this a…?” she muttered, staring in awe. The usual registration widgets were all over the screen, mostly asking for a pawprint. She gave the screen with a forceful pat with her ear, and it worked, better than the board by the Pelipper office. Once it was done, the screen shrunk into a coin shape again, where it slotted itself into Kayla’s fluff skirt. She couldn’t feel a thing, besides a teensy chill from the coin’s surface.

“It was pretty challenging trying to figure out how to get a PET to work for a Pokémon your size who can’t use their hands, but I think I managed. Any problems, don’t hesitate to ask me or the other nerds from the mechanics classes,” Mesprit remarked. “With that pawprint, you should have access to everything on the network. The timetable of lectures, any jobs you take, the news bulletin… er, just have a fiddle about and you’ll get used to it. You kids are good with tech and stuff. You can’t break anything either, so no harm in playing with it.”

“Um, thanks… I’m just… how do I start?” Kayla cocked her head.

“It’s imbued with psychic stuff! Just think that you wanna use it and it’ll come out for you!” Mesprit grinned and nodded.

“Really…?” Kayla was sceptical, but gave it a try anyway. So I guess I just like… if I say I wanna use my PET right now…

Surely enough, the coin flew out of her skirt and hovered right where she wanted it. It was enough to make her flinch.

“Cool, I’m a genius if I do say so myself! Only Mesprit the Vice Teacher of RSE could come up with something so futuristic! Aw yeah, go me!” Mesprit clapped in glee.

“If you can make stuff like that, how comes I get a normal one?” Pola pouted.

“Silly Pola. If you had stuff like that, your paws would get all lazy! At least Kayla can’t help it,” Kari giggled.

“Why would my paws get lazy? I use mine more than you,” the Plusle swished a paw around.

“I guess to put it away I just think the opposite,” Kayla mumbled. Her PET did just that, slipping back into her fur. “This doesn’t answer what I’m supposed to do right now, though.”

“Ah, I apologize for how spotty your initiation has been. We meant to guide you for your first few days here at the academy,” Gema explained. “Worry not. You will get your freedom and independence soon, but for now, it is best if you follow our suggestions. Check your PET again. You as well please, Kari and Pola.”

“Oooh, how did you do that? There’s a whole new mission!” Kari squeaked at hers.

“It is customary for roommates to help their fellow new students learn the ropes, so I selected a request and signed the three of you up for it,” Gema explained as Kayla read her screen intently. “This is a real scenario and not staged, so please take the whole procedure seriously. As veteran students, allow Kayla to take the lead as you continue to introduce her to the academy’s more specific intricacies.”

It’s an escort job… all we have to do is safely bring this Blissey through Twinight Woods to Repose Town. Well, I’ve definitely been through tougher dungeons, and this time we won’t take any detours like that crystal cavern… how hard could this be? Kayla looked up from the screen. “Couldn’t you have picked something a little more exciting? Like maybe a dungeon I haven’t been to before?”

“You are registered as a solo Pokémon without a role. On top of that, we technically haven’t officially assessed your skills yet,” Mesprit explained. “If you want to do the cooler stuff, then you’ve gotta work your way up like all the rest.”

“And we just play support to make sure she doesn’t screw up, right?” Pola shrugged, half paying attention. “Just don’t eat all your food and you’ll be fine.”

“Ugh,” Kayla rolled her eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Good luck Kayla! And have fun, too,” Mesprit waved as the group walked off. Kari sprinted ahead, making the others cry out and run after her. Once they were alone, Mesprit turned to Gema with a half-lidded grin. “Well, she technically asked for a challenge.”

“And she won’t be getting one yet. We will not be playing our hand too early,” Gema shook his head. Mesprit’s narrow-eyed grin got even cheekier, but she didn’t say anything. “Please cut that out.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, now that we’re alone… about Uxie…” she began.

“We have been through this as well, I’m sure,” Gema glanced at her.

“I don’t get you two. She seems so happy even though she never talks about you. And you act like you don’t have a thing going on, either,” she giggled. Gema didn’t answer her. Instead, he began to walk off, so Mesprit lowered her tone. “This is my sister you’re stringing along; you know. If you hurt her, being dark type won’t save you from me.”

“The fact that I’ve heard similar threats recently concerns me. I believe you trusted me, despite my evil appearance,” Gema turned around. He had a look of glee, besides that glass eye. “We’re family, all of us. We should try to get along!”

…

“Okay. Kari, you’ve got the bag, right?” Kayla began.

“Yep!” nodded the Furret.

“Four Oran Berries?”

“Check!”

Two Heal Seeds?”

“Checkeroo!”

“One Reviver Seed?”

“Checkerinio!”

And four Apples?”

Kari had to dip her head into the treasure bag to check that one. “All green!”

“… They should be red,” Kayla grinned.

“They’re red! N-not as in bad, I mean the apples are red! Apple check is all green because apple check showed all the apples were red. I mean—”

“Eheh, I’m pulling your tail. This is overkill even for yesterday’s standards,” Kayla snickered. “So we just meet our client outside the dungeon, right? You two ready to go?”

“We headin’? About time,” Pola replied, hopping over from the windowsill she’d been sat on. She lazily stretched and yawned, now equipped in a fancy costume that made her look ready for adventure. Well, Kayla thought it was fancy – a short, purple shirt adorned with bright white stars, and a segmented cape with the same colour. She was particularly drawn to the red gem necklace.

“I know it must be boring for you guys, but I appreciate it. I’m gonna have to figure out how to carry items for myself if I’m gonna do this mystery dungeon job thingy,” Kayla commented as she led the way.

“Is that what you decided to do in the end?” Kari wondered as they walked. Well, Kari bounced along on all fours, while Pola kept her arms tucked behind her head.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Kayla answered. What I really want to do is figure out what’s going on with my dreams. Jirachi… if I keep exploring and going after weird stuff, I’ll eventually run into them.

“Well, no rush. There’s lots of super fun stuff to do around here, so whatever you pick, you’ll have a blast!” Kari smiled. “Uh, this way! The clients have gotta wait over here.”

Kayla was surprised but didn’t question it. They diverted from the usual main entrance and down a similar hallway, one with a different colour scheme and less trophy cabinets. This one had a much lighter, single doorway and led to an outside roofed area where a fair few Pokémon were waiting. It almost looked like a transport station, complete with wagons and delivery groups.

“All clients have gotta wait here for us. Our daily deliveries and stuff are all escort jobs,” Pola explained. “That’s the price you pay for having a mystery dungeon separate you from the rest of the world. The good thing is it means we’ve always got work, even if it is boring as heck stuff.”

“You know Pola, you’re being really nice and helpful to me,” Kayla commented.

“Ugh, don’t make me puke. It’s like I said, I do my work properly, unlike some greedy noodles,” the Plusle turned away.

“There are noodles? Where?” Kari squeaked and stood up tall to search. Pola ran a paw down her face.

“Ehehe. Dunno why I never thought about how hard making deliveries to here must be. It makes sense,” Kayla mouthed as she searched for the client. A fair amount of Rapidash, the purple kind and the red kind, Cyclizar, Mudsdale, Tauros, Miltank and more lounged around the area, sorted into lanes by white marks on the floor as well as pillars. Warehouse doors lined the wall they had come from, all with strong Pokémon carrying crates of milk, food, and other goods back and forth. At the furthest end of that wall was a seating area with a few smaller Pokémon who clearly weren’t there for business, where she spotted her Blissey client right away.

“There she is… I hope. That is her, right?” Kayla glanced at her roommates. Neither responded. “Uh, girls?”

“Don’t look at us! You’re the boss today. We’re just here to keep you outta trouble,” Pola pointed out. “If you can’t recognise your own client, you’re not gonna get very far.”

“Y’know what? I think I’ll take that challenge,” Kayla replied, glancing at her PET again. The client’s ID was on the request, which included a portrait of them. This Blissey was off-colour compared to most of the species, being a far paler pink then the usual bright pink. This matched the Blissey that was sat down, so she nodded and walked over. “Hi there!”

“Hmm?” a gruff, rough tone responded. “Are you the team they got fer me, then?”

The trio froze to the spot with eyes widened.

“Yeah, yeah, geddit out yer system. Never expected to hear such a tough soundin’ Blissey, did ya? Heh heh!” he stood up and walked over.

“Sorry, yeah. That took me by surprise, my apologies,” Kayla shook herself off and then bowed. Pola gawked at her in astonishment. “My name’s Kayla. You’ve pretty much just confirmed that this is your request, so…”

“That settle’s that, then. I’m in your capable paws, Kayla. No rush, but the sooner we get going, the better,” Blissey positioned himself behind her. “Pick yerself up, too. I ain’t no good with all that fancy talk and head bowing stuff. I prefer business, plain and natural.”

“I’m not complaining. Let’s go!” Kayla nodded.

“Whoa hey, that was a fast recovery. You’re not weirded out at all?” Pola leaned in to whisper as they started walking.

“I’ll admit I’ve never met a male Blissey before, but what difference does it make? Why should it bother me?” she replied. Pola’s gawk grew even wider, then settled into a serious frown. “Is there something I should be aware of?”

“No, nothing. Just, never mind. Show’s all yours,” the Plusle tucked her paws behind her head again, and joined Blissey behind her. Kari was oddly quiet and did the same, leaving Kayla to lead the way.

There were no more setbacks. No one said anything as Kayla made her way back to the Twinight Woods, following the same path they took when they arrived. Past the Stealth Rock fences and into the deep woodland full of blue trees. She slowed soon after entering, confused that the colour of the leaves had changed to a more natural green. Her roommates remained silent, so either she was on the right track, or getting horribly lost and judged negatively.

“There could be enemies from this point, so watch my back,” Kayla glanced back at her party.

“Ain’t that your job?” Blissey replied. Kayla was concerned. “Evey time I use a move, it comes outta your pay for this mission. I’m running a business here.”

“Ehehe, that’s fair,” Kayla giggled, and walked into the trees. The path vanished when she wasn’t looking, confirming they were once again in the world of the mystery dungeon, the Twinight Woods. That meant being surrounded by the echoes of feral noises and the various Pokémon spying on them. “So, business. What exactly do you do?”

“… You’re curious about me?” Blissey replied.

“The ferals here barely attack, so might as well make conversation,” Kayla tried to shrug. She was right, as a glance at a few Spinarak peeking from tree branches caused them to flee into the tops. She turned the other way to spot Pikipek eying them from their position on the side of a trunk, but keeping her distance, they returned to their wood pecking.

“Ah, comfortable and confident. I like it,” Blissey commented. “I don’t heal, I make sales out of healing. A travellin’ explorer by day, a businessman by midday, and a treasure hunter by night.”

Blissey took note of a few leaves he crunched on and slowed, to which Kayla made it clear she scouted. No ferals dared to approach however, so they continued on.

“If I cross paths with explorers, rescue teams and all that lot, we trade Gald for items. If I don’t cross paths, I unload my goods to businesses in town at a cut. Saves the Kecleon some dungeon crawling and makes me a good bit o’ dosh,” Blissey explained. “But alas, I am a Blissey. I was never tough, and defendin’ m-self’s only gonna get tougher as I get older. So now I pay teams like yours to make life easier.”

First day and I’ve already got a unique client. I oughta meet all kinds of Pokémon if I do missions like this, huh? Kayla smiled at the thoughts.

“You sound like me! It’s all about helping Pokémon and getting feelgood in return,” Kari perked up. “So you just sold a bunch of stuff to RSE?”

“Exactly. Got m’self a good deal while you get a good bit of nursin’ supplies for a while. It’s a working system,” Blissey remarked.

“If you’re not carrying anything like food and stuff, we’re even less likely to get attacked,” Kayla said, but trailed off.

There was an unusual sound. Once again, something that didn’t sound like it belonged in this world of Twinight Woods was making itself known to her. It sounded like electricity, not from a Pokémon, but from a machine that was powering up or something. It was enough to slow Kayla down, and she scrunched up her face as the static noises irritated her ears.

“You okay? Hungry?” Kari asked as the others stopped for her.

“Yeah. I-I mean as in, I’m okay,” she mouthed, realising where she was. “I just… hear something…”

She cringed hard as a mighty blast went off, followed by a powerful gust of wind that shook the sky. The whole forest rustled, while the noise of flames and crackling lingered. The group stood back-to-back with each other and searched, though they couldn’t find anything.

Before she could ask, the sky darkened as more blasts went off, each one as deafening as the first. Smoke bellowed into the sky from all directions, while the tones of night blanketed the sky all of a sudden, flowing across it like contaminated water. Stars became visible, while oddly, the sun remained, glowing a bright orange in place of the moon’s white rays.

“What in the world is going—” Kayla gasped, cut off as a low, monstrous groan echoed through the area. “Forget it, this way!”

“Kayla?” Kari gasped.

“Follow me!” Kayla snapped, directing the party. She may not have been in battle, but the situation kicked up enough senses that she might as well have been – as such, Kayla’s world activated, and her senses sharpened. Amidst the chaotic combo of noises, the ferals crying and fleeing, the explosions, and whatever creature just made that groan, Kayla could tell where was safest based on distance. She led the party into a clearing perfectly, but stopped there.

The trees kept shaking, leaned to one side as heavy bursts of wind threatened to rip their leaves clean off. The flowers and bushes in the clearing didn’t survive, filling the air with petals and soil dust. Ferals dug into the ground or flew off, while those less fortunate ran straight past the group and out of the clearing.

“So is this some kinda fancy test?” Kayla turned to her roommates.

“I wish! If it was, we’d know about it. But I dunno what the heck just happened!” Pola cried.

“I dunno what’s happenin’ either! I’ve never seen this happen in a mystery dungeon before,” Kari cried.

“Blissey, are you alright?” Kayla asked.

“Untouched,” he grinned. “If this is an emergency, I leave myself in your capable paws.”

“Depending on what it comes to, I might have to take you up on that paid healing,” Kayla mumbled.

“Shouldn’t we just go back?” Kari squeaked.

“There’s fire, and the sky’s gone dark like it’s nighttime…” Kayla said.

“Wait, you don’t think…” Pola leaned away, but Kayla nodded.

“This obviously has something to do with Mathildaath. It’s pretty nutty, from the looks of things,” Kayla stated. “We’ll get Blissey to Repose Town, and then try and get to the bottom of this.”

“You’re for real? You’re gonna try and get through this?” Pola cried.

“Not gonna try. We are gonna get through this… whatever it is,” Kayla replied. She jumped as a high-pitched ringing sound went off nearby, enough to irritate her ears again. It was her PET, which flew out in front of her. “Oh gods, that’s way too loud.”

The PET turned flat on its side and erected a hologram of Headmaster Gema. “Kayla! Are you there? Are you safe? You didn’t go into the dungeon yet, did you?”

“It’s what it looks like. I led everyone to a clearing, so we’re safe,” she replied.

“Argh… I hate to do this since you’re partway through and it’s your first assessment, but abort your mission. Return to RSE immediately!” Gema ordered.

“Guess it can’t be helped,” Pola shrugged and started playing with her weave.

Kayla paused. “Why?”

“Why else? We have a dangerous situation on our hands. Several explosions just happened which are causing fire to spread in the forest as we speak! Strange holes appeared in the sky, and I just got reports of an unidentified monster roaming the skies of the dungeon,” Gema answered. As he spoke, Kayla gazed around and listened, confirming each fact. She couldn’t see the monster or these apparent holes in the sky, but she could definitely hear more unusual noises, while the dark depths of the trees began to glow an orange hue. “We are gathering elites to deal with this situation. All Pokémon not in teams or in lower ranked teams are to evacuate and postpone their tasks. Only emergency forces are to stay in the dungeon!”

“So that seems easy enough. I’ll get Blissey to Repose Town and then help out with the fires,” Kayla suggested. Kari and Pola’s mouths hit the floor.

“YOU?” Gema shrieked. “You are to leave immediately. That is an order, Kayla.”

“You’re ordering me to run away from a situation like this? C’mon, this is what I came here to deal with. There ought to be other travellers and stuff who need our help,” Kayla argued.

“You are low ranked. You are not even in a team. You cannot deal with a forest fire!” Gema’s fury was growing.

“I have Kari and Pola with me, I’ll be fine. If worst comes to worst, then I’ll run back. Until then, we’re wasting time,” Kayla reasoned.

“KAYLA! I will NOT repeat myself again,” Gema demanded. “Escape from the dungeon, NOW. That is an ORDER.”

“Didn’t you say you don’t like using Rock Slide here because it’ll damage the ferals homes? Well here I am with the whole dungeon on fire and weird stuff that just started. I can do something to help the Pokémon in this dungeon, just trust me!” Kayla explained.

“KAAAYLAAA!” Gema roared, but she cut him off by ending the call. Kari and Pola’s mouths were on the floor and their eyes had practically exploded from their sockets.

“Okay, so we’ve got fire, portals, and a monster in the sky. The monster should be easy enough to—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up, holy fucking shit,” Pola bounced in front of her. “Are you outta your freaking mind? You just like, directly disobeyed and cut off Headmaster Gema.”

“… Yeah, I did. And?” Kayla cocked her head. “Don’t you agree we should do something about this instead of running away?”

“You don’t get it! Headmaster Gema’s like… anythin’ dangerous that could happen to us here is a fraction of what that guy would do to us as punishment,” Kari squeaked, flailing her arms. “We’re in super duper ultra mega hyper trouble just for being rude!”

“Well then that’s all the more reason to double down now, isn’t it? No more turning back,” Kayla replied, leading the way.

“She’s not exaggerating. You’re dead meat dude,” Pola sprinted in her way again. “And this is like, what’s even going on? How’re we gonna deal with anythin’? If it really is Mathildaath stuff, we’re way outta our league!”

“I can use Ice Beam, which melts into water that’ll put out the fires. Like I said, we get Blissey to Repose Town and then try and get to the bottom of this,” Kayla informed.

“Why do you even wanna try? If you’re trying to look good in front of the teachers, this ain’t it!” Pola snapped.

“Who the heck cares about what they think? Look, the forest is gonna burn down if we screw around here arguing. Let’s get Blissey outta here and save these Pokémon’s homes,” Kayla snapped back at her.

“You’re serious? This isn’t about looking good?” Kari asked.

“Do I need a reason to help Pokémon in an emergency?” Kayla replied. There was a long pause, so she shook her head. “You guys can run back if you want. Blissey, stay close by me, please.”

“… You know, I never asked that question before. And I don’t think I have an answer,” Kari replied slowly and quietly.

“That’s ‘cos you never think. But clearly this nutjob thinks even less than you,” Pola commented.

“I like it! Lead the way, Kayla!” Kari cheered.

“WHAT?” Pola shrieked.

“Last call,” Kayla grinned. All eyes turned to Pola, who went bright red and folded her paws.

“You guys are outta your fricken minds. G-gods, I guess you’re still my responsibility and all that stuff… wha-whatever, fine, as long as we’re not bitin’ off more than we can chew,” she caved in, tapping her foot. Just then, dark smoke began to fill the air above the clearing, making Kayla’s heart pick up.

“We’re wasting time. Let’s hurry,” Kayla nodded to her allies.

The whole time during that argument, Kayla’s senses never dulled, even as the noises of the situation calmed. She couldn’t see anything, but she could hear the flames as they tore through the trees to detect and know exactly how far away they were. The monster periodically groaned somewhere above too, while the bursts of wind had completely stopped, being replaced by the familiar jingle of glistening crystal.

Kayla shut her eyes for a moment. Getting Blissey to Repose Town is number one priority. So for now, let’s avoid the flames and that monster and just get everyone through.

She walked quickly and quietly, concentrating her all on this sense of sound. Even so, it was hard not to feel unnerved by the spreading fire and the unknown of what was going on. It felt like less than ten minutes ago that the Twinight Woods was a boring mystery dungeon filled with docile ferals; now it was a dark dungeon with a frightful orange glow spreading throughout the distance. An aggressive groan from the monster made Kayla hide against a tree, and her allies followed.

“Whatever that is, it’s flying around the area, like it’s searching,” Kayla looked up. All she could see was smoke obscuring leaves, however. “That fire’s going so fast, too.”

“Think it’ll notice us?” Kari worried.

“Only if we go up. We need to stay down ‘cos of the smoke, anyway,” Kayla pointed out. The monster groaned again, but it was in the distance, so she continued on.

“Oh, hold on. This looks like a job for,” Kari sung. She tucked her paws into her belongings and withdrew them after a second. She was now equipped with a large set of claws. “Shovel claws! Okay, tell me which way to go, Kayla!”

“This way,” Kayla muttered, turning to the bushes to the left of her.

Kari had a look of eager concentration on her face. She went on all fours and wiggled her tail, and then dove straight for the bush like a cat striking its prey. With a swift couple of slashes faster than the eye could follow, she sliced the bush to bits, leaving behind an easy path right through.

“You’re alright too?” Kayla glanced at Blissey, who gave a hearty nod. “Please don’t hesitate to say if something comes up.”

“Trust me, I’ll say. And it’ll come out of your pay for sure,” he assured.

They continued on in this fashion for a while, but it flew by quicker than Kayla would’ve liked. She walked slower than usual, constantly assessing the fire and the sounds around her to determine the best route, while Kari bolted ahead to clear bushes. The size of Twinight Woods became worrisome as it felt like the deeper they went, the larger the forest got, and by extension, the more the fire trapped them. It wasn’t long before no matter where she looked, all she could see was smoke, burning woodland, and waves of embers.

That groaning monster in the distance never stopped intimidating her, either. She couldn’t quite grasp what it could be. Its noises were almost like whale cries, but with a low tone and distorted to be almost alien-like, yet still sounding as if it echoed from within deep water. Sometimes they were frighteningly close, so close that the air vibrated with its cry, while other times it was in the distance.

Wait, water… She realised, remembering the river. She spun around to scan the area once more, spotting another clearing in the trees ahead. These ones were directly on fire, but no doubt led to Twinight’s river. “If we could just get through these!”

“That’s a bit much to cut down,” Kari said worriedly.

“Don’t need to. If we can just extinguish these,” Kayla replied, facing down the great flames. The trees were blackened and their leaves were still withering away, but the trees were still standing, leaving a wall of fire in their way. The group was stood a safe distance back, yet Kayla could still feel her front blazing, and scrunched up her face in discomfort. Any closer and her fluff might set alight – she needed to do this properly.

With a long, sharp, inhale, the feeling of cold gathered before her mouth as a glistening, light blue orb. Kayla leaned forward and blew as hard as she could, exhaling a laser from the blue orb. Shrill crackles came as the sharp beam split the air, hitting the flames directly. Just as she theorized, Kayla’s Ice Beam melted as it hit the fire, resulting in a large cloud of mist to fill the air where the flames were. The violent dances of the flames and their relentless heat began to die down.

However, it was too much for Kayla’s little beam. She exhaled for as long as she could, but as her head started to rush from lack of air, the flames weren’t even halfway gone. She stopped to catch her breath, quickly charged and fired again, but without putting her full power into it, the beam didn’t even reach the fire this time. “Damn… hah… hah… we’re so close!”

“You can put out fire, but without proper water, it’s not strong enough,” Kari remarked worriedly.

“The river’s through there. If we walk along the river, we’ll be safe from the fire. Plus, it’s really close to Repose Town. We’re so close!” Kayla stated.

“Then I guess it’s my time to shine,” Pola came forward. She paused partway and turned back to Blissey. “Promise me ya won’t freak out?”

“Lass, we came from RSE, and I’m a male Blissey. If I freaked out every time an extraordinary Pokémon strutted their stuff, I wouldn’t make it far in this business,” he waved. “So hurry up and get it over with.”

“Alright. Get behind me. Like, lots of space. I don’t wanna hit ya,” Pola instructed.

Kari gasped excessively. “Are you gonna do it? You’re gonna do it, aren’t ya?”

Kayla wasn’t too sure about it, but stood back since Kari obeyed with excitement. Once she had space, Pola put her paws together by her mouth, and her digits showed in an unusual symbol. She began to recite an incantation aloud, and with it, sparkling light began to swirl towards her, while wind blew her clothing behind her.

“What’s?” Kayla whispered, but Kari hushed her.

“Arise, O violent waters through the forces of nature, to rout mine enemies! Surf!” Pola finished her incantation with a forceful raise of her paw. A large orb of energy burst before her, and out came a huge wave of water. It towered up beyond the clouds of smoke in the sky, almost like a wall made out of water. The ground quaked as the wave crashed and swept over everything in front of Pola. All that was left were drenched, half-burnt trees and a pillow of smoke from the extinguished flames.

“Woo hoo! You get ‘em, baby!” Kari cheered and waved. She bounced around and her tail wagged like mad.

“Wait a minute, you could’ve done that the whole time? What in the world was that?” Kayla gasped. Pola shivered from her touch, making her retract.

“It’s not… it’s whatever, okay? Don’t expect me to do it loads. Shit’s exhausting. And could probably kill you or something,” the Plusle turned away and started playing with her weave.

“But it’s so strong… and cool. And useful,” Kayla remarked.

“It’s whatever! Just- look the way ahead’s clear, so let’s go before the fire catches back up, or whatever,” Pola stumbled. “Don’t look at me like that. I did what I was meant to do. Hurry up and do your thing!”

Is she shy about it? It’s almost as bad as Kari… I’ll press her on it later, Kayla shook herself back into focus.

“Help!” a voice cried, making her jump. “Somebody, anybody, please! Help!”

Guess I’ll find out later, Kayla blinked away those thoughts. “You girls hear that?”

“Don’t need to be a bunny to hear that,” Pola commented.

“I thought everybody ran away, but there were Pokémon that need rescuing after all,” Kari squeaked and glanced at Blissey. “Can we save ‘em all and get to Repose, too?”

“Of course we can. Everyone, stay close,” Kayla smiled and took off.

There were a few more bushes to hop over and slice through, but the group reached the river after all. At this point, the fire was visible on the other side as well as several trees to their left and right. Loud snaps and crackles came as branches broke off, while hot wind swayed the flames in the direction of the river. Kayla scrunched up her face as sweat drenched her eyes, obscuring everything until she shook herself off.

“This is way worse than I thought… what’re those emergency forces doing?” she growled. It felt like the whole world was on fire besides the river. Everywhere across the water was a row of tall, violently flowing flames that obscured the trees they attacked. Above that, the sky was almost pitch black. Kayla was almost tempted to jump into the water just to relieve from the heat. “If this continues, Repose won’t even be safe!”

“We have firefighters. I dunno what’s takin’ so long,” Pola commented. “Strong moves like Surf are kinda mega tiring for me. I don’t wanna use it too much unless we have to.”

“Please don’t tell me we’re gonna jump in the water. I like you puffy, but that doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Kari prodded her claws together.

“Where did that… this way,” Kayla bolted off to the right, keeping close to the river. She slowed after a few moments, and there it was. Another clearing in the trees to her right, where the fire was suspiciously absent.

She meant to stop in the bushes to spy on the scene, but Kari and Pola bumped into her so hard the trio tripped right in middle of it, drawing all eyes to them. It was a small clearing, hardly a clearing for that matter, as twigs, moss, rocks, roots, and other rough forest terrain made up the space. The trees happened to not be condensed here, though there was a central tree that stood taller than the surrounding ones.

Kayla raised an eyebrow at what they’d walked in on. An Arboliva was stood before a huge computer machine, with the machine leaned against the central tree. All the suspicious wires, pipes and cybernetic light and text you would expect made up the machine, which almost seemed forcibly attached to the tree. Meanwhile, a familiar Pachirisu gawked at the group from said tree, clutching one of the branches as if his life depended on it.

“Oh wait, it’s you. Hi there,” Kayla grinned.

“Hi there?” Pachirisu replied sharply.

Arboliva didn’t say anything. They just stared at Kayla with clear irritation in their eyes, so she came forward and grinned even more cheekily. “So, what’s your goal?”

“That is… actually my question,” the olive Pokémon turned to face them. Her voice was very low, but smooth and posh. “If you’re wanderers, I suggest you leave.”

“After running into this? Heh, we’re a little pressed for time, so I’m gonna cut to the chase a bit. It’s funny seeing a grass Pokémon be responsible for a fire this bad,” Kayla began to pace. She kept up that cheeky smile. “So, what’s that big thing? Fancy weather stuff, weird noises? Responsible for the holes in the sky?”

“I don’t have to explain anything to a bunch of lost kids. Get out of here before the forest fire destroys you,” Arboliva replied, returning to tapping things into her computer.

“The kids kinda do when they’re a team bent on fixing this mess,” Kayla said.

“A… team?” Kari’s eyes widened.

“Jumping the gun a bit, ain’t ya?” Pola whispered.

“I thought it was you!” Pachirisu called. He carefully crawled to his feet and then leapt from the branch to land behind the group. “It’s you guys from RSE. If anyone can win this, it’s you!”

“From RSE…” Arboliva muttered as her typing came to a stop. She gave the group a tired frown, or at least, that’s what Kayla got from her eyes. “Do you really intend to fight me, knowing so little of the situation?”

“Trashing that machine ought to calm things down. Or if I’m on the wrong paw, it’d be silly to leave a grass type in a fire this strong,” Kayla tried to shrug.

“I saw them setting up that machine, and when they turned it on, all those explosions started. But I’m not strong enough to win on my own,” Pachirisu explained.

“So it’s an outlaw getting busted after all,” Kayla sighed. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. And I wouldn’t underestimate me just ‘cos I’m not evolved.”

“Interesting… you catch on quick for a Pokémon your size. I wasn’t expecting a kid so quick-witted to come from RSE,” Arboliva commented. She slid toward them a little. “However, that question is more suited to you, not being aware of who I am. I am Zude, a general of Netherworld.”

Just that mention made Kayla’s eyes widen and she lost her smile. What in the world is a general doing here? And she’s confident as heck, straight introducing herself like that. If I retreated to tell the others she was here, she’d escape for sure…

“Uh, okay this is going way over the biting off more than we can chew thing,” Pola shifted back.

“E-even I know better than to take on Netherworld. You know who they are, right Kayla?” Kari squeaked.

“I know who they are. Isnomia’s most dangerous terrorists,” Kayla glanced at her. “But do you really wanna run away now? With strong moves like yours, I reckon we can do something.”

“Me?” Pola gasped. “Ka-Kayla, we’ve got a client with us! You’re way in over your head. This thing’s gonna freaking kill us!”

“Only if you let ‘em,” Kayla faced forward.

“I mean it! I’m not fightin’ with you, ya’know!” Pola cried.

“Wait, seriously? But you’re… you have,” Pachirisu shuddered.

“You shut up!” Pola snapped.

“Hmpf. Not even mildly entertaining. If you’re not even going to try, then I’ve no business with you. Run along,” Zude returned to her machine.

“Tch. We don’t have time to argue about this. We take her down, destroy this machine, and then go about our way. It’s simple as,” Kayla stated. “Even if this proves to be trouble, we’ve got those emergency Pokémon on the way. We’re not really alone.”

“And they’re not here yet!” Pola argued. “Seriously, we’re just supposed to be escorting this guy. What kinda operation are ya trying to pull here?”

“Cool. Thinking’s your strong suit. As it stands, action’s mine,” Kayla went back to smiling.

“Wa-wait, Kayla!” Kari stuck a paw out as the Buneary sprang into action.

Kayla’s best feature – she thought so, at least – was her ability to surprise every new face she came across. She knew she presented herself as a big Buneary, and most Pokémon reacted the same way Zude did. Clearly not thinking much of her, eyes away from the prize, no moves ready; a completely vulnerable target ripe for a critical hit from Quick Attack or Jump Kick. And so, she darted toward the Arboliva at Quick Attack speed and launched into a flying kick with all the force she could muster. The moment she ran, Kayla entered her world of battle, too. The dark, fiery glows in the distance and boiling atmosphere turned into a pattern of orange and green, complete with flat terrain and all the chill, clean oxygen Kayla could need.

She hit hard. All the force unleashed from her kick blew against her face, and she got that enticing crunch through her attack, that engrossing, satisfying thrill you get when you punch something really hard and shatter it. There were sounds of impact, and yet her eyes spotted the opposite. Zude didn’t so much as flinch, but she did stop moving. Kayla’s heart skipped a beat and she kicked off the Arboliva in a moment of fright.

What? That’s impossible! She gasped as the olive Pokémon slowly turned to face her. Did that hurt at all? I didn’t even activate Seed Sower!

Zude stopped moving again. There was a level of calm concentration on her face, but Kayla couldn’t read it, not without a mouth. The only thing that stood out about this Arboliva was that even in this flaming forest, she was perfectly still. One would think she was a statue.

Whatever. A Pokémon like that can’t keep up with me! Kayla dashed into Quick Attack again, and this time she slipped beside the grass type to get behind them. Without breaking speed at all, she skidded and kicked off the ground to launch into a Jump Kick attack again, achieving another direct hit.

No. Her ears told her it was a direct hit, but after a moment, her eyes said otherwise. Kayla took in a sharp breath as she was stuck in mid-air. In Zude’s grasp to be exact. Somehow, one of those branchy arms had caught Kayla perfectly, dulling all of the force she had in her attacks. That statue-like appearance applied to her grip, too. Kayla could barely wiggle an inch.

“Kayla!” Kari and Pola both gasped and leaned forward.

“Let her go!” Kari cried.

“Ack- why can’t I—” Kayla growled as she tried to fight her way free. Zude hardly hesitated. Her other branch pointed at Kayla, and its leaves began to glow green. Razor Leaf was coming.

“Hurry, just use your magic!” Pachirisu shoved Pola aggressively.

“I-I can’t! If I do, I’ll hit Kayla! We’re not a team, friendly fire’s a thing!” cried the Plusle.

“But then,” Kari squeaked, sounding like she was about to cry.

The Razor Leaf went off. Kayla braced for the worst, but it was fruitless. No amount of clenching her eyes or scrunching up could allow her to resist this. Several leaves shot out like pellets, and each one felt as sharp as glass. Kayla choked on her own cry, and her eyes welled up as splintering pain took over her form.

“Then it’s up to you, you do something!” Pachirisu shoved Kari this time.

“M-me? But she’s—” Kari shivered.

“God damn Kari, it’s kinda our job right now!” Pola snapped. She posed as if to start reciting one of her moves anyway. “Just use your extraordinary powers!”

Kari’s thoughts had fallen to turmoil, but one look at Kayla struggling to resist, and her paws curled into firm fists. She glanced at Pachirisu. “Please don’t freak out!”

Kari didn’t wait for his response. She charged into Arboliva with Fury Swipes bared and ready, but just like with Kayla, the grass type was ready. Faster than either girl’s mind could register, Zude caught Kari with her free branch, the one that was using Razor Leaf. Now, both of them were held tight, Kari by her neck, just out of reach of her claws.

“Kari!” Kayla growled.

The Furret remained focused as she wriggled and growled, and soon enough, her body took on a thin, yellow glow. Her claws stretched forward and scratched Zude’s face with all the force of Fury Swipes after all. The attack must have caught Zude by surprise as she let out a grunt and flinched, dropping both of them.

“What the…” Kayla whispered as she got up.

Kari was going feral. Her arms were long and stretchy like flimsy string, yet she controlled them perfectly, keeping all the force required to keep her Fury Swipes going. Zude eventually caught on and stiffened to a statue again, causing Kari’s attack to bounce off, but she wouldn’t stop there. Kari’s arms retracted to normal size, and instead her whole body began to stretch, physically growing to well over Zude’s height in a matter of seconds. Zude was as surprised as Kayla was, and allowed herself to get tackled to the ground by the now huge Furret.

Kayla couldn’t believe her eyes. She might as well have been watching a kaiju battle, only it was this crazy Furret. They were taller and wider than the trees, and it wasn’t some illusion at play. Kari would punch, slash, tackle, and more, while Zude retaliated with Razor Leaf, violent, desperate swipes of her branches, and forceful sprays of her oil. Every time Kari was knocked down, the ground quaked with her kaiju weight, while waves of dust and wind were kicked up with her movements. Eventually the duo got locked in place, with Kari’s claws pinning Zude to the spot while the Arboliva hardened to the max. Oil beams punched at Kari’s chest, making her grunt.

“Wait, that noise!” Kayla hissed. “Guys, that monster’s coming!”

That brief distraction came in just in time. Both Kari and Zude glanced up and gasped as the familiar roar echoed across the scene. They separated and rolled away from each other as the monster descended upon the scene, where it crashed headfirst into the spot where they just were. There was so much force in the crash that Kayla was taken off her feet, and even though she knew it was coming, she was still taken by surprise and fell face first into the dirt.

“My Dream Console!” Zude cried.

Kayla growled as she got up, and then choked on her own breath again. She had no idea what was going on, now. The clearing had been ripped apart by not just Kari’s giant form and the battle, but by the arrival of this new monster… that seemed to appear just like Kari. It was striped and coloured like a Furret, yet somewhat eel-like in the way its long body wiggled, jutting out of the earth it half buried itself in. It had tendrils by what she assumed was its face, and multiple pairs of clawed feet.

That was all she got before the monster started to vanish right before her eyes. Particles of gold light flowed over its body like a swarm of insects consuming flesh, but they were bright enough that she had to turn away from it. In seconds, the giant, Furret-coloured eel was gone as if it had never been there to begin with. Kayla gasped and rushed into the spot, which was now a short ditch chewed into the earth. The monster was well and truly gone.

She glared to the left and right, realising that the battle had been abandoned. Zude had fled, leaving behind the ruins of her machine and the tree it was attached to. Kari had returned to normal size, but she was covered from head to toe in cuts and bruises where she’d been hit. Between this ruined battlefield and her own lack of strength, a newfound frustration began to well up in her chest.

As if the world were responding to that growing anger, thunder rumbled above, soon followed by a chilly rainfall. It was only a good thing. Rain like this would surely deal with the fire still raging in the forest. Yet, Kayla didn’t say anything. She stared into the dark distance unflinchingly.

All this time, the only battles I ever lost… whatever the heck that Arboliva was, why didn’t my attacks work? She closed her eyes and growled at the ground. Would things have really been different if I was a Lopunny?

“Ugh,” Kari groaned and squirmed.

“Kayla, Kari, are you girls okay?” Pola rushed over. Blissey and Pachirisu were behind her. “I told you that was way outta hand!”

“Heh, what do you mean?” Kayla faked a smile. “Blissey hasn’t healed us yet, so we’re on full payroll. We brought Oran berries for this very situation. The rain’s gonna deal with the fire, destroying the machine probably dealt with that monster and the holes in the sky, and we rescued your prince over there.”

“My… prince?” Pola glanced back at Pachirisu. “Ugh. Is now even the time?”

“C’mon, Let’s get to Repose!” Kayla nodded in fake glee.