Chapter 4: Discovery
by khiro“Energy is everywhere. In the ground, on those trees, even floating around in the air.” Polari pointed around exaggeratedly as he lectured. “Energy is dangerous to pokemon. A large tree falling on a small pokemon is usually fatal, unless it is not energized.
“However, it is also our lifeblood. We use it for daily functions. We also use it to defend ourselves. As you may know, the protect move is successfully performed by creating a field of normal energy that can absorb hostile energy. Offensive moves such as hyper beam utilize a concentration of energy ejected from the body.
“Because anything can be energized given the correct technique, some pokemon wield artificial weapons to extend their area of influence.” Polari’s expression furrowed. “Personally, I think it’s a massive crutch for weak energy chumps… but I am supposed to be unbiased. So it’s an option, I guess.
“Luckily, ranged weapons are largely ineffective against pokemon who have ordinary energy generation, since projectiles have almost all their energy stripped away by the energy in the air. Pokemon have found ways to create projectiles that can more efficiently preserve energy. Researchers have turned to organic materials to create ranged energy weapons, but they still fail at long distances or too high velocity.
“An example of such a projectile is the ‘blast seed’. It is a compact energy weapon sealed within a variety of flower seeds, and it is an important part of any guild member’s toolkit.” The ursaring pulled out a small seed labeled by a small red line and chucked it across the field. A second later, a small explosion sounded as a cloud of dust rose from where it landed.
“That one was pretty low power, but a potent blast seed can clear an area of corrupted wilds in a pinch. However, it is recommended that you do not use them willy nilly, as they are, unsurprisingly, very dangerous. Killing a bunch of corrupted wilds simultaneously can release massive amounts of antanima into the air. You’ll also need to be able to quickly channel a protect before it goes off. So today, we’re gonna practice some of those quick protects. Get up and start! Go go go!”
Dela let out a massive yawn as she crawled up from her cat-loaf position and stretched her legs. Another boring lecture about stuff she already knew. She walked with Effa to their practice pitch at the edge of the training grounds.
“Um, he didn’t tell us how to practice,” the eevee said from beside her.
“When does he ever?” Dela responded, pacing around in a circle restlessly. “I guess just try to hit each other with something while the other protects?”
“Yeah, okay.” Just then, the pair noticed the unfamiliar silhouette of a bird pokemon approaching them. “Hm? Who’s that?”
A staraptor quickly descended into view and landed next to the rookies on the grassy ground. Dela noticed a red, glowing crescent emblazoned just above the flying type’s eyes. The bird was carrying a bulging black backpack, strapped to his body from his wings and chest. A cloak was draped over the top of the bag, attached to a hood that covered the very top of his head.
“Greetings, comrades,” the bird said in a thick accent Dela didn’t recognize and bowed his head. “I am looking for some help.”
“I can help,” Dela blurted. “Did you lose something in a mystery dungeon? Or maybe even someone? Leave it to me!”
“Dela, we can’t take missions yet, even unofficial ones. Guild rules,” Effa warned, looking concernedly at the skitty.
“Ah, not that kind of help. My apologies, I should have been more specific. I just have some questions you fine gentlemon may be able to answer.”
“What? Uh, ok. Shoot.” Dela shot a quizzical look at the unexpected guest.
“First off, where are we?”
“Excuse me?” Dela tilted her head in confusion.
“Or, I mean, is this Cressinger?”
“Yes…?”
“Could you perchance tell me where the… Skiddo Forest is?”
“Oh, it’s two hours south of here. By foot, at least. Should be faster on wings. Coincidence, I was just there a couple weeks ago.”
“A couple weeks ago?” the staraptor exclaimed wide-eyed, interest clearly piqued. “Did you perhaps witness anything… strange in the area?”
“Oh yeah! There was a weird portal thi-“
Dela was interrupted by a thunderous shout from over yonder.
“HEY! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU? GET AWAY FROM MY STUDENTS OR I’LL TURN YOU INTO A FEATHERY POFFIN!” Polari lumbered into view, locking eyes with the mysterious bird.
“Oops! I suppose it is time for me to take my leave. Much appreciated, comrades.” The staraptor bowed again and took off, disappearing almost instantly into the distance.
“Weirdo. Are you girls good?” the ursaring asked, panting heavily.
“Uh, yeah. He just asked a couple strange questions,” Effa responded, still a little dazed.
“Alright, well, unauthorized individuals are forbidden from entering the training grounds. Please let me or another trainer know if you see anyone else suspicious.”
“Will do, sir!” Effa saluted as Polari returned to his napping bench all the way back by the typeball field. “That was… something.”
“That moon thing on his head… have you seen it before?” Dela asked.
“Nope. Doesn’t look familiar at all.” The eevee shook her head.
“Yeah, same. But it kinda seemed like some sorta gang symbol.”
“Hmm, maybe. He didn’t look like he was up to any good. Something about him gave me the chills. He was like, creepily polite. Who even says ‘comrade’ anymore?”
“Uh-huh. Anyways, let’s not waste any more time.” Dela got into position. “Alright, I’ll tackle and you protect. Ready or not, here I go!”
Sachi’s eyes fluttered open to rays of golden light scattered across the empty floor of his dorm room. He rolled off his inflated mattress and threw on his scarf. It was finally the weekend after another grueling week of training. He stretched his sore arms and glanced at the steel-cased clock mounted above the door.
Shit, it’s already half past noon. I should grab some grub. Sachi thought, before quickly making his way out of the room and down the stairs.
As he reached the bottom floor, he heard muffled voices coming from outside.
“…coming with…”
“…didn’t want…wake him…”
Sachi exited the building. His teammates, along with Team Ratta, stood on the paved path in front of him.
“Speak of the devil,” Remmy said. “Hey Sachi! We were just about to go out to lunch with Team Core. Down to join us?”
“Uhh, I guess.” Not like he was gonna be doing anything else anyways.
“Sweet, we’re heading over right now.”
“You seriously need to get up earlier. What am I supposed to do when we have an important mission and you’re out like a log until lunchtime?” Dela said sourly.
“Chill. It’s Saturday. Can you take a break from being annoying for just two days a week?” Sachi fired back, not in the mood to debate something stupid again.
“With that attitude you might as well not be on the team.”
“Ok, whatever. Remember, you wanted me to join in the first place.”
“Are they always like this?” Remmy asked Krem quietly.
“Kinda…” the wimpod murmured.
The five made their way to the downtown sector of the guild, which was a solid twenty minute walk. Sachi focused on the scenery while Dela and Remmy chatted about random guild stuff that didn’t really interest him. A diverse collection of trees lined the dirt path, providing a pleasant shade from the beaming midday sun. A few scattered leaves drifted in the light breeze, traveling aimlessly across the clear sky and landing wherever the wind took them.
Aimless. Most pokemon have a drive. A motivation. Something that helps connect the dots and direct them to fulfillment. Sachi had had one too, many years ago.
“Hah, beat ya bro!”
“No fair Caus, you have longer legs.”
“Blah blah blah, sounds like a skill issue. Hey, stop that, OW!”
Two young salandits tumbled about in the dusty crags of the Temon Mountain Range, taking turns wrestling the other to the ground.
“Oof. Okay, okay, chill! You win! Geez…” The salandit named Caus lay in the dirt, bruised and defeated.
“Haha! That’s what I thought!” Sachi stood victorious over his fallen brother.
“Say, Sachi, you’d make a mean wrestler. You thinking of joining the PWE?” Caus asked, slowly crawling back up.
“Bro, hell no. A machamp would snap me in two like a dry twig.” Sachi shuddered at the thought.
“Hmm, what do you wanna do then?”
“Uhhh… You first.”
“Ooh, I know! I wanna be a scientist! Specifically an inventor. The kind that wears funny goggles and makes those super cool gadgets. Y’know, like the automatic apple slicer and the superfast hole digger,” Caus said, making all sorts of outlandish gestures.
“Aren’t you scared something’s gonna explode and take your head off?”
“Nothing’s fun without a little risk! Anyways, your turn, Sachi. What do you wanna do?” Sachi thought about his brother’s question for a moment.
“I wanna be a scientist too, but not that kind. I just wanna learn how everything works. Like, ever wonder how pokemon channel type energy? Or how we’re different from wilds? Or whatever the hell mystery dungeons are made of?”
“Kinda nerdy if you ask me. But hey, I have an idea! We can work together. We come up with an idea, you figure out how to do it, and I make it happen. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“But I’ll get most of the cut since it’s my idea and I’ll be doing all the grueling work while you just sit there thinking or something.”
“Well, then deal’s off. Thinking’s the hard part, ya know?”
“Nuh uh.”
“Mhm.”
“Okay, okay, fine. Fifty fifty. Geez, you sure are a tough nut to crack.”
“I always get my way.”
The two salandits made their way home for the day. Sachi didn’t show it, but he was beyond ecstatic about the prospect of working together with his brother and best friend. The world was their cloyster. They were unstoppable; nothing could hold them back.
Almost nothing.
“Ow!” Sachi snapped back into the present as he crashed into a crawdaunt carrying a sack of berries.
“Fuckin’ ay, watch where you’re goin’, kid! You’re lucky I didn’t spill my orans or you’d be in some deep shit!”
“Ugh, sorry sir,” Sachi apologized, still feeling a bit dozy from his daydreaming. He rubbed his eyes and looked on ahead.
The guild was embedded in the midst of the city, so there were several third-party businesses that set up shop there. Ordinary citizens and guild members alike roamed the busy roads. A myriad of flashy signs and colorful adverts welcomed them as they headed down the well-paved stone walkway. Carriages manned by various strong quadruped pokemon whizzed by beside them, some sporting booster engines that left trails of sparks behind them. Sachi wondered how often these machines malfunctioned and set the whole cart ablaze.
“We’re pretty much here, I think. Just around this corner, Koffin’ Poffins.” Remmy said, face buried in some map he picked up along the way.
“That doesn’t sound so appetizing,” Rollie said, scrunching up his face.
“Maybe, but I’ve only heard good things!” Remmy replied, opening the door to the bakery.
“Well, it sure smells g-good,” Krem said. Sachi had to agree as he caught a whiff of fresh baked poffins on his way in. The small building was packed; almost every seat was occupied and there was a sizable line for what Sachi assumed to be takeout orders.
“Hey! Over here!” Sorbi Squirtle called out to them from the back of the bakery. The group took their seats across from Team Core. A leavanny waitress came by to take their order.
“Uhh, what’s good here?” Remmy asked.
“Honestly, everything. But I’d recommend the rawst berry cobbler. My favorite by far,” Sorbi answered, licking his lips.
One by one the guildmates got their orders in.
“So, how’s training treating you guys?” Effa Eevee asked, biting into a purple loaf.
“It’s exciting! We’ve done some studying on dungeon equipment before coming here, but there’s just so much more to learn! Who knew you could time a blast seed explosion by rubbing it on a nullify orb,” Remmy gushed.
“I knew that,” Dela piped up. Sachi cringed as the skitty continued running her mouth. “Personally, I don’t get the point of training. Most of it seems like a waste of time. First-hand experience is far more valuable.”
“I dunno, seems scary to go into a dungeon with nothing but basic combat knowledge from high school,” the goomy named Gammi spoke up. “My mom would be very cross if I were to get hurt in an actual dungeon the day after I joined.”
“Your mom would lose her mind if you got a papercut. It’s a damn miracle we even convinced her to let you join us here,” his squirtle teammate replied with a mouthful of cobbler.
“Oh c’mon, there’s no way you rookies can’t even handle Flower Forest. The antanima concentration there is practically none. You can literally take kids there!” Dela blurted.
“You can take kids up to the entrance,” Effa corrected. “And many of those kids end up having to be rescued. I don’t understand why that’s still even allowed.”
“Okay, but still. I bet you even Wimpy here can solo a mission there,” the insufferable skitty said, gesturing toward Krem. The wimpod looked around awkwardly, nibbling on his small cake.
“Damn, Krem’s catching strays for absolutely no reason,” Sachi defended his tiny teammate. “If only they offered self awareness training at this guild. That would definitely be worthwhile for you.”
“Here they go again,” Rollie sighed as he leaned on his bigger rattata friend, who just laughed.
The group of rookies continued chatting about guild stuff. Well, it was mostly just Dela, Effa, and Remmy. Everyone else seemed pretty content with listening along and occasionally chiming in. Eventually, the conversation shifted away from the guild.
“So Krem, how’s it feel to actually be an amnesiac? Like, it must be so weird to learn and experience everything again for the first time,” Sorbi asked Krem.
“Umm, I guess weird is a g-good way to put it. It’s even stranger because there are some basic concepts that are very familiar but others that I swear are c-completely new to me. Like for example… eating food, speaking English, panicking. These I know I’ve done before. But things like m-managing energy, feeling with my antennae, and reading runes feel completely f-foreign.”
“What’s ‘English’?” the squirtle asked while licking crumbs off his plate.
“Oh, are we not speaking English? Like th-the language?” Krem asked back, yellow eyes squinting genuine confusion.
“Um, no. We’re speaking Ajin. Every other language died out ages ago, at least in the civilized world,” Effa answered.
“Interesting…” Krem muttered thoughtfully. His yellow eyes lit up ever so slightly.
“You look like ya figured something out,” Sachi said to his teammate. His favorite pastime in these two weeks since he joined the guild was helping Krem regain what he could of his memories. So far it has been mostly fruitless.
“M-maybe. I’ll tell you later,” the wimpod said.
The group was about finished with their food at this point.
“Nice talking to you guys,” Effa said, standing up from her seat. “Gammi and I are gonna go down to the shopping district, if anyone would care to join us.”
“I’m down,” Dela said, licking a paw while inspecting her reflection on the laminated tabletop. “A pedicure would be optimal. Gotta maintain a professional look.”
“Booooring,” Sorbi drawled, faking a yawn. “I’m heading back. Seeya.”
“Yeah, us too. We got plans for later,” Remmy said, glancing at Rollie, who smiled back sheepishly.
“I’m also outta here then. Good talk,” Sachi said, turning away and walking toward the exit. Krem followed shortly behind him.
“So what’s up?” Sachi asked as the two rounded the corner leading out of the crowded downtown area and into the shady wooded path.
“I have a theory…” Krem responded thoughtfully, looking up into the sky. ” I th-think… maybe I’m from the past.”
“That would make sense, yeah. Explains why your memory is patchy.”
“Uhh, yeah. So I would only recognize what was r-relevant in my era. Maybe pokemon didn’t fight back then? Or they only used weapons and stuff instead of energy.”
“Hmm, you know what? Wanna make a detour to the library real quick? It’s on our way back. Heard they got some kinda ancient texts there; you can check ’em out and see if anything catches your eye.”
“Watch the antennae please!” Krem squealed softly as he watched his teammate rapidly flip through yet another book a bit too close to his feelers.
“My bad man.” Sachi said, snout-deep in a dusty tome he pulled out from the depths of the “archaic texts” section. The library was larger than Krem expected. He and Sachi had spent quite a while searching for the history section, since the only staff present was a sleeping drowzee at the front desk. Krem didn’t want to disturb his slumber, but in hindsight, it was probably the right move. A solid half an hour later, they had finally found the section they were looking for.
The salandit tossed the book he was reading on the growing pile of texts sitting next to Krem and disappeared behind the shelf again. He fished out another book and opened it up to a random page. “Do you recognize this text? It’s Ano, the old language of the Ano Kavi tribes, used most recently in Palomere before the reign of King Warshall the First.”
Krem stared blankly at the intricate symbols that covered the page. They formed a dozen evenly spaced columns that ran down the yellowing sheets of paper, as if the text was meant to be read from top to bottom. Complex curves and hashes were present in every rune-like character. Under almost every other character, a dash separated it from the next. Or maybe they were just underlined. Several simpler symbols were also present between columns.
The more Krem looked at it, the more unfamiliar it seemed. He shook his head.
“Nope. Definitely not,” he eventually replied. As Sachi disappeared behind the bookshelf again, Krem’s vision drifted to an open book lying at the edge of the pile. It was written in the same footprint text that he was used to seeing everywhere. However, on the center of the page there was a collection of sketches.
“Hey Sachi?”
“Hmm?” the salandit said in a muffled voice behind the shelf.
“Do you know if uhh… unown… do they r-represent anything?”
“Unown? I think I read somewhere that they arrived from a different dimension or something. Though that might just be a fairy tale. I don’t think there is much relevant research on them.”
“They look very familiar.”
“I mean, every pokemon so far has seemed familiar to you, no? There hasn’t been a single mon you can’t name yet. We’ve established that already.”
“No, no. Not just recognition. Something else,” Krem murmured.
“Man, can you just be specific for once?” Sachi complained as he stuck out his head, peering at the wimpod from the side of the shelf.
“S-sorry, I would if I could. Everything’s h-hazy.” Krem turned back to the unown drawings. There were seven of them messily sketched out on the page with a caption underneath. “But these unown… they look like characters don’t you think?”
“They just look like unown to me,” Sachi said with his hands on his hips.
“But they have very distinct shapes, as if they can spell something out.” Krem mused. “Could you read me th-the text on this page?”
“It says ‘Unown are a mysterious species of pokemon that can channel a variety of energy typings, but only in the form of hidden power. They are scientifically identified as pokemon due to this ability, despite never having a recorded incidence of intelligence or even sentience. There are conjectures that they are not native to Araegis, but none of these claims have verifiable evidence. There has been a recent phenomenon where dense populations of unown gather at the entrance of certain mystery dungeons in the dangerous continent of Soleil. See page 128 for more on this.'” Sachi finished reading and looked down at Krem, who was deep in thought. “Anything?”
Krem tried rearranging the unown in his head. Ask… Sack… Sea… Cake…
“These… these are letters. I c-can read the unown!” he exclaimed.
“Wow. If I didn’t know your condition I’d call you a lunatic.” Sachi wrote something down in his notebook. “That’s a huge hint, finally.”
“What is Soleil, by the w-way? Or where is it?”
“Soleil is the continent quite a ways below us. Like, two ocean nations over. It apparently has crazy high antanima levels almost everywhere after it was hit by a violent meteor storm a few decades ago. Wiped out over half the population, and half o’ those who survived went crazy,” Sachi explained. “Anything about that sound familiar?”
“No, not really.” Krem shivered at the mental image of a lunatic-infested zombie world.
“Oh well,” Sachi said, yawning. He picked up a stack of books and shoved them back onto the shelf. “It’s getting late. Let’s call it quits for today.”
“Oh yeah, I wanted to let you know that I have to get my badge aurified after training on Wednesday. Won’t be able to m-meet you then,” Krem said as Sachi organized the books.
“Haven’t done that yet?”
“N-no. Kinda nervous.”
“Eh. It’s pretty boring stuff. Kinda weird too. Dude just stares at ya for a couple minutes and you’re good to go,” Sachi explained as they walked past the napping drowzee librarian and out the front door.
“As you may already know, Krems, each and every pokemon possesses at least one, and usually just one, inherent trait that affects them in combat, which have been aptly named ‘abilities’. These traits are generally tied to the species of the pokemon. As a wimpod, you have a very unique ability in the world of pokemon.” Thyme hovered over Krem in the dark, misty meadow. Murky clouds obscured almost every hint of natural light and a heavy drizzle fell upon the forest, glazing the vegetation with a reflective coat of rainwater. Earthy petrichor emanated from the soil and permeated the breezy air. Krem cringed as a slimy leaf blew directly into his face. “Today is the perfect day to test it out, eeyup!”
“Um, what is that ab-ability?” Krem asked, still shuddering from soggy discomfort. The sky was getting darker and darker as the clouds thickened. Thyme had paused their struggle bug lesson a bit early today to teach him the basics of typing and abilities.
“It’s called ‘Wimp Out’. Now, it doesn’t sound too impressive, but let me demonstrate first. Or actually, you’ll be doing the demonstrating.”
“What?”
“No time for questions, my boy!” the mothim shouted over the accelerating winds. The rain intensified at an alarming rate. “Oooh, it’s getting a tad too wet for my liking. I guess I’ll have to dip! Peace out!”
“W-wait! What do you m-mean? T-thyme? THYYYYME?”
The mothim had simply vanished into thin air.
Krem was alone in the pitch darkness, shivering in the chilly gale. Even with his night vision, he could hardly see a few yards into the thick fog that had settled near the ground. Panic balled up in the pit of his stomach.
“Thyme, this r-really isn’t f-funny… P-please…” Tears escaped from the wimpod’s large, yellow eyes, instantly mixing with the torrent of rainwater splashing all over his face. He peered into the misty darkness, hoping to see any sign of his mothim trainer. Instead, he was met with the outline of a raggedy face glowing crimson red in the distance, orange lips curled upwards in a terrifying smile. The ball of panic in his stomach began pulsing as he trembled in fear. What exactly was he afraid of? He wasn’t too sure himself.
As the face rapidly rushed toward him, Krem’s terror intensified. The fear overtook him as a pure primal instinct, branching out to every nerve in his tiny body. He involuntarily rolled his body into a ball and shut his eyes.
Then, a strange, tingling feeling reverberated within him. The panic in his stomach began pulsing and vibrating. Bright lights danced in his vision despite his eyes being forced shut by some inconceivable force. Heavy rain continued to pound against his exoskeleton, each drop boring a hole into his fading consciousness. The howling of wind echoed louder and louder, until the sounds morphed into a ceaseless and horrible screech.
Sensory overload. He was going to explode from a sensory overload. Too loud. Too bright. Too much.
###
“Krem, wake up man.” That voice sounded familiar. Where was it coming from?
Krem’s eyes slowly opened to a blurry image of what seemed to be a black noodle and a pink cake standing in front of him. As he tried to blink away the fogginess in his eye, he was hit with a sudden splash of cold water.
“Wahh!” Krem shrieked as the frigid sensation jolted him into full consciousness. His eyes snapped open after the initial shock. His two teammates stood in front of him, peering at him curiously.
“About time you came to,” Dela said as Sachi put down a metal pail.
“How long have I b-been out?”
“Like, thirty minutes. Thyme called us over to help wake you. He was just here; went out to grab something. You should probably wait for him,” Dela explained, then turned away. “Anyways, I’m hungry, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Sachi grumbled something derogatory under his breath as the skitty left. After orienting himself, Krem viewed his surroundings. They seemed to be under a small wooden canopy just outside the forest. An oddly beautiful view greeted him as he peered out from under the shade. Smooth, gray clouds rolled low over the grassy knolls of the training grounds, which were mostly empty. Sheets of rain pounded against the soft, wet dirt, creating a satisfying splashing sound. The relentless pitter-patter of rain on the wooden ceiling was dull, yet oddly euphonic. An occasional crackling bolt of thunder sounded in the distance. Krem felt in his element listening to the chaotic orchestra of the storm.
“Krems! You’re up and about again!” Thyme loudly announced his return.
“Wh-what happened?”
“Congratulations! You wimped out for the first time!”
Krem stared at his trainer dumbly.
“Your ability, boy. You got so scared you warped out of danger!” the mothim continued excitedly as he fluttered around in the damp air. “I may have overdid it a little, sorry about that. You went all the way out of the forest!”
“What was that m-monster?” Krem was curious about what he had seen in the meadow earlier. Clearly, Thyme was in on it.
“That was me!” Thyme laughed heartily and turned around, revealing the colorful patterns on his wings. Certain lines and shapes began to glow. “Using energy, I can selectively make patterns illuminate on command. Scary face, a wonderful defensive move!”
“So… about my ability, I just need to be scared and I’ll teleport away?”
“Eeyup. Your instincts as a wimpod combined with the special bug energy you produce in a state of true terror will subconsciously take you to a safe spot nearby. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to do it. But now that we’ve tried it, I think you might actually be fit to go on a mission soon, since you can just wimp out of a dungeon when things get dicey!”
Sachi suddenly snapped out of his slouched position. “So you’ll clear him next week?”
“As long as we can get a satisfactory struggle bug attack going, he’s golden. We’ll also need to work on energy management so he doesn’t faint for half an hour every time he wimps out. You hear that Krems? Put in the work and don’t let your teammates down!”
“Uhh… Yessir,” Krem replied, still in awe at what he had done. For an ability called “wimp out”, it sure was pretty cool.
“Anyways, it’s getting quite late. You two should go grab some dinner. I know I will,” Thyme said as he departed into the fog.
“Let’s go!” Sachi celebrated. “Good shit, Krem. You have no idea how much I’ve been dreading doing missions alone with Dela.”
“Yeah, I just hope I will actually be even just a l-little useful.”
“Nah, you’ll be useful enough just being there.” Sachi skipped out from under the canopy, suddenly cringing as he made contact with the rain. “Now let’s get moving. This weather is making me sick.”
For the first time since arriving at the guild, Dela woke up excited. After two and a half long weeks of boredom, they were finally going to a mystery dungeon! It was the second day of the last week of training, and Polari was going to take them to The Mistlands, a relatively small mystery dungeon to the east of the guild. It wasn’t a particularly dangerous mystery dungeon, being only Danger Level 2.
Because Arceus forbid they give us some actual training, Dela thought sarcastically. D-Level is a metric from zero to fifteen used to rate mystery dungeons on their difficulty to traverse. D-Level 2 means it’s either extremely short, has super low levels of antanima, has weak wilds, or very likely a combination of those factors.
Dela quickly rushed through her morning routine and hurried past her sleeping teammates and out the door. She double checked to make sure she brought all the equipment she needed. A dozen various berries? Check. Blast seeds? Check. Nullify orb? Check. Apples? Check. Claw polish? Check. Dela slung the bag back over her shoulder and headed out into the morning twilight.
###
“Hey Dela!” Effa huffed as she made her way to the meeting spot, a small knoll near the main entrance of The Mistlands. The dungeon was aptly named, as a layer of mist hung low around the area, partially obscuring the sun which had just poked its head over the horizon. “You’re as early as ever.”
“Hello Effa,” the skitty replied, restlessly pacing in a circle. She would have been earlier had she not gone to the wrong entrance. “I have lost track of time. How long until we’re supposed to be off?”
“Polari said he should be here at seven sharp, so a little under five minutes from now,” the eevee replied, peering at a rose-colored timepiece hanging from her bag.
A couple minutes later, Team Ratta walked into view and sat next to them. Shortly after, as the four trainees were chatting excitedly, the ursaring they were awaiting marched around the corner.
“Alright kids, today you’ll be delving into The Mistlands as a simulation mission. I have hidden an item on floor seven of this dungeon, a black and white striped scarf. Today’s task is to retrieve it for me, the client.
“Before we get going, a few reminders on how to reduce antanima exposure. Try not to kill the corrupted wilds if you don’t have to. Pull up your scarves if there’s any sign of airborne antanima. Cover all open wounds if you’re out of healing aids. Discard any food left out in the open for extended periods of time.
“I’d also like to go over the basics of team resource management. So again, there are three essential roles that team members must fill. Navigation, strategy, and inventory. It must be made clear before anyone heads into a dungeon who is responsible for what. Well, actually there’s a fourth role which is combat, but generally every member of the team is expected to participate in that,” Polari continued lecturing. “There are four of you present today, so I expect that it will not be hard to assign these roles accordingly.”
“Dibs on being the strategist,” Dela exclaimed.
“Rollie and I will work on the inventory,” said Remy.
“Alright, guess I’m nav.” Effa pulled out a thick mystery dungeon atlas that each guild member was given. It included possible floor layouts for every known mystery dungeon in the republic, though it is not recommended for use in higher D-Level dungeons since many of those shift too frequently for maps of any sort to be useful. “Mistlands floor one’s almost always just a straight line to the staircase portal. There are only seven floors.”
“Pretty much no threats until floor five, where the antanima concentration begins to snowball. We should conserve our items and energy until then,” Dela said while peering over Effa’s shoulder to read the atlas. “‘At floor six, monster houses are rare, but may be present. Wilds may also form semi-coordinated groups. This is usually not a problem, but in rare circumstances may block exits. Prepare for combat.’ it says here. If that happens, let’s get in cross formation and let the enemy engage. If they stagger their engagement, it will be an easy victory. If they engage simultaneously, we just try to overpower them.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Effa affirmed.
“Could we get an item count?” Rollie asked, taking out a small notepad and pen from the sack Remmy was carrying.
“Four orans, two blast seeds, six apples, and a nullify orb,” Effa listed as she rummaged through her bag.
“Five orans, one sitrus, two cheri, two chesto, one pecha, one rawst, three blast seeds, five apples, and a nullify orb.” Dela checked her own bag to make sure she wasn’t feeding her temporary team false information.
“Okay. I think we’re good to go,” Rollie said as he finished charting out the items. Dela walked into the misty entrance confidently as the others followed with caution.
###
“Give it up for floor six,” Remmy’s hushed voice echoed in the misty vale they found themselves in. Patches of blue grass swayed in the breeze. There were hints of natural light in the murky sky. Tall, curved ridges of stone jutted out of the floor in a maze-like pattern, forming labyrinth passages resembling halfpipes. It was wide enough for the group to walk side by side. The four walked through the semi-dark mystery dungeon, listening for any signs of trouble.
Dela was slightly disappointed so far. They have come across quite a few wilds, but most of them either ignored their presence or ran away upon meeting any resistance. Most of the trouble so far was managing hunger (they had plenty of apples, so this wasn’t really a challenge) and locating the staircase portals on each floor. However, she was optimistic. They had just reached the most dangerous floor of the dungeon, at least according to the atlas. She could even swear she was hearing some ominous noises as they progressed into the chilly warren.
As if on cue with her thoughts, a spewpa scuttled into view from the dense fog ahead. Its unnaturally purple eyes were glowing dimly. It let out a terrible growl that confirmed its hostility, then fired a string shot at Rollie, who dodged to the side in time to avoid it.
“It’s got company,” Effa whispered urgently. Dela squinted to see the faint silhouette of a lombre lurking just behind the menacing bug type.
Following a predetermined attack pattern that Dela had brewed up earlier, Remmy zoomed forward and landed a quick attack on the spewpa, which flinched and hissed in response. The lombre lumbered out of the mist and launched a water gun at the overextended rattata. Remmy managed to put up a partial protect and tanked the relatively weak attack.
While the lombre had its attention focused on Remmy, Effa and Dela flanked its sides. The spewpa snapped out of its confused hissing and attempted to fire another string shot, this time at Dela. However, it was interrupted by a well-timed tackle from Rollie.
Dela launched herself off the wall at the lombre, extending her glowing claws midair. Her fury swipes produced three scratches on the corrupted wild’s skin, causing it to leak slight purple fumes.
“Scarves up!” the skitty warned. The four rookies quickly pulled their scarves over their snouts, protecting themselves from the concentrated antanima entering the air.
The wounded lombre’s purple eyes glowed intensely as it let out a guttural cry. It launched itself at Effa, who rolled away just in time.
Meanwhile, Rollie was working on subduing the spewpa. He launched another tackle at the bug type, which didn’t react in time. The defeated spewpa made a last ditch effort to cast a toxic attack at the rattata. Rollie wrestled the spewpa to the side, causing it to misfire directly toward where Effa had rolled.
“Shoot,” Rollie mumbled under his scarf as the injured spewpa rapidly scuttled away, leaving a fading lavender trail of antanima. Effa grimaced as she was hit by the wayward poisonous attack.
On the other side of the fight, Remmy accelerated toward the lombre. Just before colliding with the wild, he stood up on his hind legs. With the momentum he had built up, Remmy pivoted on one heel, turning 180 degrees and smacking the lombre with his tail. The wild turned rapidly to face its attacker.
While its defenses were lowered by the tail whip, a cringing Effa pounced at the lombre’s back, crashing into it. Remmy dashed out of the way as the lombre slid on the gravelly floor, unconscious. The eevee crawled up, panting heavily.
“My bad Effa,” Rollie apologized, bowing his head slightly. “Dela, you have a pecha, right?”
“Yep,” Dela responded, rummaging through her bag and fishing it out. She dropped it in front of Effa, who chomped the whole thing up in one bite.
“Much better,” the eevee sighed, then smiled. “And no worries. We did great.”
“Ay, our first real combat! Let’s all have an apple in celebration,” Remmy said excitedly. They each fished one out of their bags. “Here’s to many more victories!”
“Cheers!” the group said simultaneously, raising their apples into the air.
###
“Well done,” Polari said as he tied the scarf the rookies had fetched from the depths of the dungeon around his neck. “You’re dismissed early for the day.”
“Wait, did you just use us as free labor?” Dela asked skeptically.
“Think of it as a win-win situation!” the ursaring laughed (or more like roared) as he walked away.
“Bastard,” Dela muttered as Polari disappeared around a corner.
“I mean, it was a blast! I definitely don’t regret going,” said Remmy. Dela couldn’t disagree. They had faced four more aggressive wilds in the dungeon and took them out with increasing ease each time. They had to consume a few berries and use a couple of blast seeds to clear some rubble along the way, but they conserved most of the equipment they brought. If being a rescuer was this easy, she would be world class in no time. Dela couldn’t wait to flaunt to her newbie teammates about her new adventure.
“Let’s go grab some actual lunch. If I have to eat another apple I’m gonna go feral,” Effa huffed, walking away. The others nodded in agreement and followed after her.
“H-Hello?” a nervous Krem hollered at the massive marble double doors of an ornate mansion located on the outskirts of the guild. A diverse garden lit by bulbous street lamps created an iridescent mosaic before the intricate pillars that lined the exterior. Several wild bug types roamed around in rapidly fading twilight, some even as big as Krem himself.
“The door is open, just push,” said a gruff voice from inside. Krem tried ramming his tiny body against the heavy earthen slabs to no avail.
“Um, sorry, but I uhh… c-can’t exactly…”
“Oh, my apologies. One moment.” The hulking doors swung inward, creating a sudden gust of wind that almost blew Krem off his tiny feet. A hulking lucario stood over him, staring down at him with deep, azure eyes. “My name is Sevve. Come in.”
Krem entered the colossal living room as the doors slowly shut behind him. A cerulean crystal chandelier hung from the tall ceiling, emitting myriad rays of light across the luscious royal purple carpet. Full bookshelves lined three of the walls, each as tall as probably some fifty or so Krems. At the center of the room there were two seemingly out of place wooden stools.
“Sit,” the lucario instructed, gesturing at one of the plain stools. Krem complied, climbing onto the stool with a bit of difficulty. “Now, look at me in the eyes and hold still until I say otherwise.”
Krem did as he was told. Sevve took a seat on the other stool and stared back.
At first, for a solid minute, there was nothing but the slight discomfort of continuous eye contact. The lucario didn’t blink. He just sat there, completely motionless. Suddenly, his eyes began to darken and an eerie blue glow engulfed his body.
Then, there was pain. A sharp, searing pain flared in Krem’s head, as if he had been stabbed. He tried to scream, but his mouth would not open. He was petrified, gazing directly into the lucario’s hollow eyes as they turned pitch black. A frenzy of wild panic engulfed the small bug type as he struggled to gain any control of his body. He wondered if he would wimp out, but the tingling sensation never came. The excruciating agony continued for what felt like an eternity.
And then, just as suddenly as it arrived, the pain ceased. Sevve’s eyes quickly flashed back to their original azure blue, and his body stopped glowing intensely.
“Now, I will take your badge for a moment,” the lucario said, seemingly unfazed by what just happened. A disoriented Krem watched as Sevve detached the small circular pin from the wimpod’s scarf. The lucario put a finger on the face of the pin and a jolt of blue electricity flashed around it.
“That is all. You are dismissed,” Sevve said, pinning the badge back onto Krem’s scarf. “I will get the door.”
“Um, okay, th-thank you sir,” Krem said, still somewhat dazed. He left the whimsical building and headed down the paved road back to his dorm under the starry sky.
###
Sevve closed the door and walked back into his office, a rare smile forming on his muzzle. He pinched his badge.
Corsair? I think we found our human.
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