MATURE: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Guardians of Balance

[StolenMadWolf]

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the properties that will be mentioned or explored in this story. They are all owned by individuals with alot more clout then I do. I do not make, nor intend to make any money off this story. It is a fanfic that is for fun and to get myself out there, and not for profit. That is all on the matter.

The world is entering a new era. Travel between the continents is easier than ever, the towns are growing ever larger and Pokemon are more closely connected than ever before. The Teams have become more numerous as ever, and have become a symbol of the progress and resilience of the world. However, as a new wave of colonisation spreads to the rapidly rising islands of the seas, tensions rise, threatening to fragment everything apart.

As a new wave of natural disasters begin to spread around the world, a human wakes up to find himself transformed into a Pokemon. Thrown into an increasingly fractured and endangered world, the human known as Sam will find himself thrust into an adventure unlike anything he could ever imagine. An adventure where there is far more than meets the eye...

Note from the Author: Alright, this is only my second time writing a fanfic, and my first go at writing a Pokemon fic as well. Feel free to go ahead and rip parts of this to shreds, or in other words feel free to give criticism as you see fit within the bounds of the forum rules. This is mainly on here for fun, after all, I need something to help keep my sanity up. I will aim to try and get updates to these posts within around 1-4 days if I can. I do have several chapters on hand, but I will be doing further proof-reading to prepare them for posting here. The first chapter and prologue will be added immediately upon this thread being posted. Do note I am active employed, I run a large RP and am currently working on awaiting responses for my first novel and have started work on a short story, so I can't guarentee rapid replies. I wll get round to those updates as soon as possible.

Also, as a warning. This series will get dark at times. Sure there are a few laughs and heartwarming moments, but it is a dark setting compared to regular PMD. As such, here is some basic infomation:

Content Warning - As a content warning, there is strong language, strong violence/gore and other potential dark themes including abuse, substance abuse, self harm/suicide, and possible suggestive themes (although the last one will be avoided if possible). I will provide updates and warnings well in advance both here and in a seperate posts.
Spoilers - There are unmarked spoilers for the Mystery Dungeon Series, including nods towards other games, especially Generation VII and VIII content. If you want to avoid spoilers on these, now would be the time to turn back.
Chapter Fic - This fic will be divided into chapters as expected, but they were also be compiled into episodes/books, to help compile said chapters into contained packages.

Now, without further ado...

Spoiler: INDEX

Just a space for chapters when no one wants to bother with threadmarks:

Guardians of Balance
Prologue
Chapter I - Wake Up
Chapter II - Forwards and Onwards

For now, enjoy a short prologue and the first two chapters to get you excited!

​

---

*****

PROLOGUE​

And so… it begins.

Come with me, if you will 'Observer'. For you are about to enter a new world. One of many. It's a peaceful world, where individuals of many different species come together… to work together… for the betterment of all.

Now… I imagine… we should start with a quick personality quiz?

Something chuckles in the darkness…

I'm joking.

That something now sighed…

I shouldn't in truth. It's not that simple. This world has often teetered so close to the edge so many times that… it's inhabitants have changed somewhat. They aren't as kind or as noble as they had been decades ago or even just a couple of years back. Of course, some do hold onto the ideals of old. Try and help people or make new discoveries… but it is not an easy path. Even before the calamities it has been like this but now… it's been slowly made even worse as an new era begins, as the distrust and anger slowly bubbles to the surface. Every time this world comes closer together, it breaks apart just as quickly. There has been too much strain… and too much pain that the inhabitants have suffered with.

Would you be surprised that these inhabitants were Pokémon?

Do not forget, these are living beings. And they are not the Pokémon you may remember.

Or perhaps you do remember? The way they arrive has always been shrouded in some kind of mystery until the end and even when the answers are revealed… it's never been entirely consistent.

Something brings you here. Are you here by choice? Or are you lost on this world?

Hmm… until you find that answer, please, come with me. Follow my voice. You may sense me only as a presence, at the corner of your spirit… but in truth I'm not actually with you. I am elsewhere in this world, working at unravelling a truth that has evaded me for so long.

But I will watch you all from a distance. To the best of my ability. I can promise you that.

Don't be afraid. None of you alone.

…I see… you can sense their arrival. Another one… I figured the world was reaching another period of danger… I cannot make certain of who they are or what they may become… or even what they are here for. However, this cannot be a coincidence.

We will have to find that truth at another time. Stay close to them. But don't get too close… you don't want them to lose their mind.

Trust me… I know…

And who knows? Maybe there will be more to this world... and beyond... that meets the eye...

*****

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE​

 

[StolenMadWolf]

The view had been truly spectacular from the sky. Islands stretching out as far as the eye could see, each and every one of them lush with life. Green trees laid out across each landmass, surrounding the grey and brown mountains, topped with snow white peaks. They towered above the brilliant azure seas, the waters of which gently rolled onto the white sands that made up the beaches.

From this bird's eye perspective, one could see that the islands themselves were not devoid of activity. Walking along the beaches, through the forest trails, working on the fields and surfing through the waters, Pokémon of nearly every kind and type went about their daily lives. Most moved across the land, interacting with each other in and around small villages scattered across the islands. They were simple places. Most of the structures were wooden, sometimes mixed in with stone buildings that were placed here and there. One could see the odd cart on the roads connecting the villages on the little islands, whilst on the water, small boats journeyed between them all. Amongst them, most were accompanied by one of the resident water-types that called the sea home whilst flying-types would glide alongside them.

Each of these islands surrounded a much larger landmass that dwarfed the others. But it was no natural feature that dominated that land.

On the northernmost tip of that continent, a colossal fortress sat atop a bluff connected to the mainland by a pair of stone arches. Stone walls rose for dozens of metres around it's base, with towers reaching up even higher beyond that. Flying above the castle, one could see a vast courtyard that seemed to separate the main castle's battlements from a smaller outer wall that secured access to the stone arches that led to it. Dozens, if not hundreds of Pokémon strolled through this courtyard between the gatehouses. Some clearly looked like villagers and merchants, but many had an air of… duty around them. Some stood guard at the gateways, whereas others happily chatted with the locals moving through the courtyard, each one wearing an armband around their arm and many were carrying a satchel on their person. Each conversation was warm, if borderline familial in appearance.

Powerful. They seemed like it anyway.

And yet, very closely trusted.

The world blinked.

The sun was gone. Storm clouds crackled overhead, hiding away the sky. Waves slammed into the rocks with thunderous booms, sending up dark sprays up into the air. The land was shrouded in shadow.

But the castle, and its surroundings, were now in flames.

The outer wall had been thoroughly smashed up, with many gaping holes in its fortifications. Inside the courtyard, what had been a peaceful scene had erupted into chaos. A gigantic force was swarming through the breaches in the outer wall, all of them Pokémon. It was hard to tell who they were. Some looked like they were wearing the attire and gear of the villagers, but others wore dark armbands that looked far more menacing than those of the castle's inhabitants.

At the inner gate, those very same inhabitants with their lighter coloured armbands stood against the massed attackers. Above them all, flying Pokémon duelled above their heads, or launched strafing attacks on the fortress itself with their elemental moves. On the ground, the defenders were outnumbered, either struggling to fend off a massed offensive on their own or forming part of a defensive line. But even with their backs to the wall, they were holding their positions. Each one of the defenders was more of a match for multiple attackers, and even the ones on their own were able to keep most of their threats at bay. Some still fell to the onslaught, but it almost seemed at first glance, they were beginning to push the invaders back.

That was when the dark green ball of energy fell from the sky. One of the defenders looked up, and tried to cry out a warning.

The energy ball slammed into the centre of the defensive line and detonated with a blinding flash of light. Many of the defenders screamed as they were thrown clear of the blast zone, the attackers recoiling from the massive strike, ceased their assault.

A thick ash cloud slowly began to fade away with the moans of the injured defenders, many trying to scramble back to their feet. Others were caught out, set upon by the raging mob of attackers.

Amongst the green flames, the dark Pokémon landed with a thud. Its black fur would have made it invisible without the fire to light it up. Green vines pulsed around its arms as its head snapped up, revealing it's bright, almost demonic red eyes.

The Zarude looked upon the wounded defenders with an almost hungry gaze as it rose to its feet. A few of the defenders, eyes widening with fear started to back up, weakening their defences. Likewise, even the attackers seemed spooked, backing away and clearing a space for the new arrival.

A cold, evil grin formed on the Zarude as it glanced back down towards the ground, watching as one defender, a Machoke, tried to drag himself away from danger. The simian approached, raised its right foot…

And slammed it down on the defender's neck with a vicious crack. The Machoke's eyes widened, a faint gasp escaping as its body went limp. A flicker of intelligence remaining evident before finally, its gaze went blank.

The defenders shuffled back, fear becoming terror as the Zarude's smile grew even more morbid. It started to approach again.

A blue bolt flashed as it struck the ground with a sharp thundercrack, all Pokémon, attacker and defender alike, flinched backwards as the electrical energy sparked across the battlefield, separating the two sides.

All except the Zarude, whose smile vanished completely.

As the electricity faded away, a patch of clouds parted, revealing the untouched splendour of the moon and shining a new light onto the fortress.

Standing before the Zarude, holding position in front of the defenders was a yellow and black Pokémon. Humanoid in shape, its jagged fur glistened in the light as a lightning bolt shaped tuft of fur hung from its upper back. A pair of bright blue eyes glared at the Zarude with untold intensity.

A Zeraora.

The Zarude seemed to hesitate for the briefest of moments.

Then it let out a bestial roar, a green vine unravelling from one of its arms into a whip, pulsing with dark green energy as it snapped round. Air rushed around the Pokémon, tugging at the other Pokémon present who once more retreated.

Unbowed, the Zeraora merely cracked its fists together, blue electricity sparking as its eyes narrowed.

And with that, it broke out into a run, a snarl forming as it charged for the Zarude.

The Zarude, whip still flailing in the air, charged forward, whipping it down towards its new opponent.

The Zeraora leapt forwards, it's fist crackling with energy.

The whip and fist connected.

And with that, the fortress and everyone within it were engulfed in light.

---

​

That was quite the sight, wasn't it?

Darkness engulfed everything, from every direction. The voice, intimidating but warm likewise came from all sides.

I do not know what that was, or when it was. But it is a most curious thing, is it not? I only caught a glimpse of it.

But alas… now I have found you… I suppose I must only say one thing.

It seemed to take a breath.

So… it begins.

The darkness seemed… almost inviting.

Come with me, if you will. 'Observer'. Yes. That is what I shall call you for now. I might as well guide you into this world. A new world for you, I imagine. It's one of many. A peaceful world, where individuals belonging to many different species have come together. To work together, for the betterment of all.

Now. I imagine… we should start with a quick personality quiz?

The voice chuckled within the darkness.

I'm joking.

A sigh echoed by.

I shouldn't. In truth, it's not that simple. This world has teetered so close to the edge so many times that… its inhabitants have changed somewhat. They aren't as kind or as noble as they had been decades ago. Or in a couple of years ago even. Of course, some do hold onto those ideals of old. They try and help others, or make new discoveries.

But it is not an easy path. Even before the calamities, it has been like this. But now… it's slowly become worse. Distrust and anger has slowly bubbled to the surface. Every time this world comes closer together, it fractures just as quickly. There has been too much strain. Too much pain for the inhabitants to try and wash away.

Would you be surprised that these inhabitants are creatures called Pokémon?

Do not forget, these are living beings. And I sense they are not the Pokémon you may remember.

Or perhaps you do remember? The way they arrive has always been shrouded in some kind of mystery until the end. Even when the answers are revealed, it's never been an entirely consistent set.

Something has brought you here. Are you here by choice? Or are you lost on this world?

Hmm… until you find that answer, please, come with me. Follow my voice. You may sense me only as a presence at the corner of your spirit. But in truth I'm not actually with you physically. I am elsewhere in this world, working at unravelling a truth that has evaded me for so long.

But I will watch you all from a distance to the best of my ability. I can promise you that.

I see you can sense their arrival. I cannot make certain of who they are or what they may become. Or even what they are here for. But the fact you are… drawn to them. And at such a time when this world has entered another dangerous time cannot be mere coincidence.

We will have to find that truth at another time. Stay close to them. But don't get too close. You don't want them to lose their mind.

Trust me. I know.

And who knows? Maybe there will be more to this world, and beyond… that meets the eye.

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE​

---

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER I: WAKE UP​

Initially, he could only see darkness. It was all he knew. Just this inescapable, unknowable blackness.

Then, slowly, little by little, the light began to appear before him. Constantly shifting and evolving, flowing almost like water. The reds shifted into oranges, then yellows and so forth. His mind wandered, wondering what he had to have had in order to get such a vision. Something in the water maybe, he imagined. Then again, his body didn't feel sore.

Wait. I've just woken up; how do I know what water and a body feels like? Wait… yeah, of course I know what a body is! I should have one!

No, this was worse. He couldn't feel his body at all. Legs, limbs, head and yet he still had senses. At least partially anyway. He could see these colours, obviously. And he could hear a faint hum that almost sounded oddly rhythmic.

Okay… is this some kind of dodgy dream?

Even without his body, he could sense himself moving – somehow - forwards. No. He was being pulled onwards. It was strange, he couldn't physically move even if he had a body at this point. Maybe he was just dreaming. But where was he sleeping? In a house? Had to be. He tried to imagine having an actual arm and yet nothing happened.

The colours wavered before him, and a very faint star seemed to blink into view before him. Growing that little bit brighter, that bit bigger.

Am… maybe this is me waking up. Weird way of doing it...

And with that, the star began to blink. Hang on-

"Hello?" came a quiet voice, "Can… can you hear me?".

He felt a strange warmth run through him. Compelling him to move further on. H-Hi? I can… what's going on? This has to be a dream… right?

There was a moment of silence, the little star ceasing to blink for a moment, before it started again… "You can? Great! Listen… I don't have much time…"

The voice wavered for a moment. And with that, he began to feel drowsy… the light and the colours seeming to dim before him. "Oh no… listen to me! You need to save…"

What? I-I can't hear you… I'm…

His thoughts began to blur together, the lights now fading away, the hum ceasing. The star the only thing left he could even see. "Please! All of this… it needs saving…

Save… save what…

He could sense himself slipping away. I… can't…

"You need t-"

The light faded away.

And he slowly, so did he…

"Sam!-"

---

​

He moaned as he slowly come to, feeling his body ache in protest. He snapped his eyes open, only to cry out as the light flashed onto his retinas. Nearly blinded, he squeezed them tight again. Was he under attack? No… he could feel the warmth soak through his skin.

The sun? Yeah, has to be. Just like…

…

When did I last feel sunlight?

Wait! Do I even know my own name!?

"Sam!-"

He shivered. That voice.

Sam?

The memory rushed through him, and with that, it clicked. Sam… my name is Sam! Damn, glad I know that at least!

Sam opened his eyes again, much more carefully this time. Thankfully, instead of being blinded, he slowly gained a blurry view of the world. He could just make out trees around him and blue skies above him. His other senses started to emerge. He felt himself curled up on his side, could smell the fresh grass he was on and heard the sound of leaves rustling peacefully in the wind and the light trickle of flowing water.

Water.

A faint itch worked its way through Sam's throat, forcing him to take a sudden breath in surprise.

Damn. How long have I been out?

If he had even been out at all?

His arms even more blurry than the trees around him, he slowly pushed himself up to his hands and knees. His eyes flickered around and settled on the familiar shape of a pool of water. Vision be damned, he could at least tell that.

Grunting, he crawled over to the pool and, without delay, scooped up some of the water in his hands and gulped it down, feeling the cool water that spilled out drip down his chest.

Seriously, how long was it since I last drank?

He blinked as he stared down at his hands... they remained blurred, but he could make out they were some kind of gloves. Completely white and – Wait. They were very small.

What did he even look like?

Splashing his face with a handful of water, Sam wiped his face clean and with a quick shake of his head, focused his gaze at his hands and at last, his vision began to clear.

Sam's hands drifted back into view. They were white, covered in fur.

But something felt wrong. Deeply wrong. This couldn't be right to him.

I'm human.

And with that, his vision cleared entirely. He realised they weren't hands. They were paws with three little digits. Huh?

He dropped the paws, finding himself looking at a weird rabbit. One that was staring back at him from the water. Covered almost entirely in white fur… save for a little patch of orange across its nose, a flash of reddish orange on the tops of its ears, and finally a pair of eyes with bright orange irises…

Its mouth dropped open, showing a pair of brilliant white buckteeth. "What?"

The realisation hit him like a punch to the gut.

He sprung upright, paws snapping up to his chest, digits running through his fur and past his ears as the instinctively flicked aside. No no! It can't be-

"I'm a bloody Scorbunny!?" he exclaimed, "What the flying!?-"

He stumbled back, crying out as fell back onto his backside. He panted, trying to bring his heartrate down, his breathing under control. "H-How? I'm human! Now I'm a Pokémon? How's that supposed to…"

His voice trailed off. This can't be right. it can't be.

Slowly, he crawled back forward towards the water's edge. And once more found the reflection of that Scorbunny. Of him – Sam - staring back up at him… "I…" he fell silent. All he could do was simmer in the simple, plain fact of reality that happened to be staring straight back at him.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER II - FORWARDS AND ONWARDS​

The sky was almost picturesque. A big bright sun, a few fluffy white clouds over there. Lots of strong trees topped with emerald green leaves. Not that they were actually emeralds just regular…

Groaning, Sam thumped his head against the tree he leaned against. He was still half convinced that this was some kind of dream, even if the slight throb running down his back of his head seemed to confirm that, yes, this was all real. But the question was how this was even possible? He knew what he was right now. A Pokemon, and yet he somehow thought he was a human. How did that even work? They were completely different species at the end of the day.

"Come on!" he growled, pounding his paw into the bark. "I've got to remember something from before… err…" He chewed on his lip, his mind going blank. "Okay okay… my name is Sam… I'm – was human… obviously I'm a guy… unless I'm non-binary or… hang on, where did I hear about that?"

…

"Dang it." he hissed, "No idea."

Slowly, he began to pace, questioning his memory. Trying to glean something from before he had woken up in the first place. Hmm... maybe I should try asking myself some questions, see if anything comes up from all that... yeah, let's give that a try.

Bringing himself to a halt, rubbed his hands together and started the questioning. Where did he come from?

...No idea.

Okay, what did he look like as a human?

…nothing.

He grumbled to himself. How old was he?

"25."

The lack of hesitation nearly caused him to cheer, his eyes instead widening in delight, "H-Hey! I know my age at least! So what did I-"

Sam's mind went blank again. "Dang it!"

Angrily, he swivelled round and booted the nearest tree. But as his paw connected, his entire leg turned to jelly, the pain rushed up it like a wave. He hopped away with a cry, clutching his throbbing foot like some cheap cartoon character. Okay mate… calm down, stop acting like some bratty kid!

Taking a deep breath, Sam forced himself to relax, rubbing the back of his head. Probably some weird fire rabbit hormones or something he figured.

And then there was that voice. The… star? If it was even one. Asking him for help. But help with what? Did they want help? Someone else? He shook his head, maybe it was tied to him being a Scorbunny?

He frowned to himself, They knew me too… but… how? I don't… damn it, I can't remember that either.

With a shake of his head, he rubbed his paws together. Alright, forget about the memories… I need to find some help first.

He slowly spun on his foot, scanning his surroundings. Other than the pool of water he had found himself next to, the only other feature of note was an opening in the trees. That had revealed what was a barely marked, dusty path that cut into the woods, but beyond that, he couldn't tell what would lie within. Well… it's better than nothing.

And with that, Sam started to jog his way down the path.

It was fairly easy going, twisting and curving through the trees even if the path was barely… well… that at all. Shrubs, bushes and grasses rose up around him in every direction, hanging around in little clearings where the sun managed to break through. Even a few surprisingly big flowers were poking out from the grasses. The canopy offered plenty of shade from the sun high above his head too, so he wasn't going to cook anyway.

Well… technically I'm already cooked… you know… being a fire type Pokémon and all…

He stopped mid stride, rubbing the back of his head. Hang on… Pokémon have awesome powers right? I should be able to do some fire moves! Err… what moves can I do… Ember I think? That tends to be pretty standard for fire-types right?

…

Err… how do I do that?

He frowned to himself as he started walking again. So Ember… works out of the mouth right? Almost like breathing fire or something. But I've got ha- paws so… does it come from me using those instead or i-

"-hat seeds are these? Blast Seeds?"

"No, they're regular ones, I told you!"

Sam slowed down again, his ears already twitching around to track down the source. Well, that didn't take long to find someone… sounds like they're… huh, further down the track.

Beating his feet into the dirt, the Scorbunny rushed on ahead, picking up speed as he pushed onwards. Maybe there will be other humans there. Don't know how I'm going to explain things but I've gotta try.

"Damn… they just look the same, you know?"

"The same? They've all got symbols on them you nitwit!"

"You know what I'm like! It's pretty easy for me to mix that stuff up!"

"Clear! Symbols!"

Blast Seeds… what? Nevermind. Either way, sounds like they should be some regular people to talk to.

He emerged into the clearing, paw raised in greeting, "Hey there, look, I'm a bit lost can you-?"

The Rattata and Pidgey spun towards him, eyes widening in surprise.

Immediately, Sam began to run on autopilot, "Ah right… you guy's are Pokémon… right… this is going to be weird, but are there any… trainers near here? I kinda need an idea of my circum-"

The Pidgey snapped it's beak with an audible crack, "Trainers? What the hell are you talking about?"

"H-Huh?"

"Yeah!" the Rattata exclaimed, "What's a Trainer?"

Sam's mouth hung completely open, as the full gravity of what just happened hit him like a sack of bricks. How can I be so stupid?! I can talk so…

It was obvious… he was a Pokémon and could talk regardless… it only made sense that other Pokemon could do the same.

And frankly, there was only one word he could say in response…

"…crap."

Spoiler: Author's Note

And that is the prologue and the first two chapters for Guardians of Balance! I still have a few other chapters further on, but as soon as I have them double checked, I will get them all posted up! I hope you folks enjoy this, if there is any feedback you want to make, let me know!

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER III – SHOULDA SEEN THAT COMING

*****​

Other than the soft rustle of leaves above his head, silence dominated the clearing that the three Pokémon stood in. One the far side, the bird and rat Pokémon staring him down with a mixture of confused and annoyed looks. On his own side, Sam held his ground, frozen in place with his paw still hanging in mid-air in greeting. Okay… this is awkward…

He lowered the paw, "Yeah… sorry about that… didn't exactly have the greatest night." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "Still a little bit… err… hungover…"

The Pidgey and the Rattata glanced at each other, the disgust now being replaced with disbelief. The Pidgey clipped their beak as they looked back at him. "Hungover?"

"Err… yeah?"

"At your age?"

Sam blinked at that, mind initially drawing a blank. Ah… Scorbunny is a pre-evolution, right? Err...

"I was…" he started slowly, trying to work out another solution, "...drinking a lot of juice… but I think someone spiked it."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

The two Pokémon glanced at each other again, and Sam could tell they didn't quite believe him. The Rattata seemed to shrug half-heartedly, so at first glance, it seemed like they were going to let it slide. Okay, let's get them distracted…

"Hey, I'm kinda lost… do you happen to know where the nearest town is?"

The Pidgey cackled, "Really? It's not that big an island and you managed to get lost?"

"I'm kinda new here. And-"

"You got hungover?" the Rattata interrupted, whiskers twitching.

"…yeah."

Flicking an ear, Sam straightened up, "So can you… you know… point me in the right direction?"

Their eyes flicked back for a second, almost distractedly before the Pidgey nodded. "Sure, just follow the trail that way." He pointed a wing towards another, more defined path through the trees on the other end of the clearing. "That'll take you to the main road."

Suddenly, the Rattata spun on its feathered companion, eyes narrowing. As the Pidgey leaned in, it began to whisper.

Too bad it didn't really recognise the fact that Sam now had pretty big ears. "What are you doing? We don't know where this kid came from!"

"Says the guy who couldn't work out his seeds."

The rat quivered, "Look, you know how no one's evolving again, he could be from one of the teams, or those hunters! Besides, I've never seen Scorbunny around here."

"Come on." The bird hissed, "You said yourself, he's just a kid."

Ears twitching, Sam merely raised up one paw. "Err… first of all… I'm not a kid…"

Well, that's what I think anyway…

"…secondly… look, I can see you guys are a bit on edge. So, I'll just get out of your hair and hit that road."

He started strolling over to the path, keeping one eye on the two Pokémon, "I won't tell anyone you're here either. You don't have to worry about th-"

That was when he saw the yellow shape, jutting out from behind the back of the Rattata, and with that, he stopped mid stride. He was about to brush it off, consider it nothing… but curiosity nibbled at the back of his mind and so… it got the better of him. "Hey, what's that?"

Taking a step back, the Rattata hid the yellow shape away. "It's nothing." The Pidgey said. "Just some berries."

"You said you were looking at seeds though…" Sam mused, taking a few steps closer, trying to peer round, "Unless you guys have berries to-"

The yellow shape reappeared into view… and he recognised it as an arm attached to a little yellow and brown body… covered in blood. Sam froze, his entire body stiffening, "W-wait… is that a-"

He cried out as the Pidgey slammed into his chest headfirst, pain surging across his body as he was sent flying away and onto his back. Groaning, he shoved himself up, just in time to see the Rattata dive towards him, teeth flashing.

"Shit!"

Kicking his feet into the ground, Sam rolled and bounced back, just about evading the attack as the rat slammed head first into the grass. Landing back on his feet, he raised his paws up, eyes flicking between the now hovering bird and the rat. The bird was slowly shaking his head, "I was kinda wishing you didn't see that."

"Now can we deal with the brat?" The Rattata snapped.

"Gonna have to now."

Snarling, Sam bounced from one foot to the other, his heart pounding that little bit harder, ready to fight them off. "So what? You two are just some murderers?!"

The Pidgey snapped his beak, "We're just trying to make a living, this guy just got in the way!"

"Murder is still murder!"

Dragging his feet into the ground, the Rattata growled back, "Can't let you tell the authorities about us…"

Pulling a mock punch, Sam flashed a grin, the confidence flooding through him despite the throbbing chest. "I'm not helpless you know." He said, "Just me against the two of you? It's not like I'm dealing with some big dude huh?"

Something thumped into the ground just behind him, the earth softly quaking under his feet, and with that, the two Pokémon before him seemed to flash… smirks. Sam's smile melted away. "That's exactly who's behind me right?"

"Yep." Replied a deep, rumbling voice behind him.

Slowly, Sam spun on his heel to come face to face with a gigantic Pokémon with two heavily built arms and shorter legs. Not only that, but it was also covered in orange padding and grey fins… a Swampert. It flashed a toothless grin as Sam's confidence vanished, the Scorbunny stumbling back… "Fancy your chances now?"

The Scorbunny resisted the urge for his body to shake. "Err… yeah… I don't think so…"

With that, he snapped forward, crying out and willing the Ember to fire away.

Nothing happened. Blinking, Sam jabbed both paws forward, trying to focus on them, encourage flames to form. "Err…" He thrust them once more… and still nothing happened.

Over his shoulder, the Pidgey and Rattata shared a confused glance.

Sam’s eyes widened as he slowly began to back off from the giant Swampert, towering over him.

Okay… kinda need a new plan…

The two started to snigger amongst themselves.

Run?

And finally, it broke out into laughter. “He doesn’t even know how to use a move!” the Rattata cackled, “How stupid do you have to be!?”

Yeah… run.

The Swampert frowned. "You know… even if you knew what you were doing, I'm still a water type?"

"Err… yeah… point taken."

And with that, he leapt straight up at the muscular mon. Its eyes widened as it tried to pull back in surprise. But the little Scorbunny was faster, grunting as he booted the bigger Mon in the face. Another few kicks, and Sam was up and over the Swampert, touching down into the grass behind him. "At least I can still move mate!" he teased.

And with that, Sam shot off, running for the woods as fast as his legs would allow. "What are you waiting for you idiots!?" the Swampert rumbled, "After him!"

 

[Welkamo]

Interesting prologue with a very unique way of writing so far. I'm excited to see how these events will play out.

Now for more specific comments:

Something chuckles in the darkness…

That something now sighed…

Tense change here. Either keep it in the past tense or present tense.

Stay close to them. But don't get too close…

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all that

Now… I imagine… we should start with a quick personality quiz?

Something chuckles in the darkness…

I'm joking.

Bait and Switch, I see.

if you will 'Observer'.

There should be a comma after "will".

Overall, it's a good start. I'll definitely be following this story.

 

[silurica]

Henlo, you wrote that you're accepting feedback, so I'll attempt to take a gander at this.

Prologue + Chapter 1:
This is a very PMD opening, for better or worse. There are the seeds of mystery, the realization of suddenly waking up as a 'mon, and some confusion throughout. I wouldn't call being formulaic a bad thing per se, but while some may find this okay or even interesting, some (especially those familiar with the formula) may want to move on ASAP.

Also there was a nice mysterious vibe going on in these chapters, but I was too distracted by various small grammar mistakes to be fully immersed. The grammar problems persist throughout the fic, but this was when I felt it most. One thing that particularly stood out to me is the recurring use of it's as possessive. In modern English, it's is not equivalent with its. Use its for possessive, and it's for contractions (e.g. it is).

Chapter 2:
Oh, boy. This is going to sound nitpicky, but I myself can't decide if I'm intrigued or confused, since generally I don't know what's accidental awkwardness or intended funky foreshadowing, so please bear with me lol

obviously I'm a guy… unless I'm non-binary or… hang on, where did I hear about that?

This struck me as odd. Like, why would the binary genders come naturally to him but not nonbinary? Did he grow up with no such concept and now he's a Pokemon it has suddenly popped into his head? Why was this particular knowledge questioned to begin with?

"Yeah!" the Rattata exclaimed, "What's a Trainer?"

This also struck me as a bit of an oddity. Yeah, I can imagine how the concept of Pokemon Trainer may be unfamiliar to these lil' fellas, but do they not use the word "trainer" for anything else?

On the other side, I enjoyed this exchange:

"Damn… they just look the same, you know?"

"The same? They've all got symbols on them you nitwit!"

"You know what I'm like! It's pretty easy for me to mix that stuff up!"

"Clear! Symbols!"

It nicely established the characters right off the bat, and I had a chuckle from the sheer impatience and/or irritation of "Clear! Symbols!"

Chapter 3:
Hella, action incoming. So this is when that M rating comes into play, huh. The dialogues are fun, and the story also feels like it's starting to pick up, that's nice.

Also, this is a Pidgey of many pronouns.

The Pidgey snapped it's beak with an audible crack

The Pidgey clipped their beak as they looked back at him.

Their eyes flicking back for a second, almost distractedly, the Pidgey nodded. [...] He pointed an wing towards another, more defined path through the trees on the other end of the clearing.

All in all, a pretty nice start held back by minor mistakes here and there, but nothing that can't be improved on. Keep it up. I'll be keeping an eye.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

Well, thanks for the feedback so far! I'll try and get the next chapter double checked and posted either tonight, if not tomorrow.

Interesting prologue with a very unique way of writing so far. I'm excited to see how these events will play out.

Thanks! Hopefully I can keep it up.

Tense change here. Either keep it in the past tense or present tense.

Yeah, that's a common issue of mine, I'll go back and edit that tense back.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all that

Hmm... the question is who's the friend and who's the enemy in that case?

Bait and Switch, I see.

Well, I figured I'd poke a bit of fun at the game's quizzes.

There should be a comma after "will".

Overall, it's a good start. I'll definitely be following this story.

Must have missed that, I'll add it in.

Thanks for the feedback, again, I hope you enjoy it.

Henlo, you wrote that you're accepting feedback, so I'll attempt to take a gander at this.

Prologue + Chapter 1:
This is a very PMD opening, for better or worse. There are the seeds of mystery, the realization of suddenly waking up as a 'mon, and some confusion throughout. I wouldn't call being formulaic a bad thing per se, but while some may find this okay or even interesting, some (especially those familiar with the formula) may want to move on ASAP.

Also there was a nice mysterious vibe going on in these chapters, but I was too distracted by various small grammar mistakes to be fully immersed. The grammar problems persist throughout the fic, but this was when I felt it most. One thing that particularly stood out to me is the recurring use of it's as possessive. In modern English, it's is not equivalent with its. Use its for possessive, and it's for contractions (e.g. it is).

I figured I'd opt for something familar just to get the ball going. I can understand it being formulaic though.

Glad to know the mystery is off to a good start. It's and its do tend to be common faults of mine. I'll have a closer look at those grammar mistakes, see if I can't clear them out of the text in the posted chapters and the newer ones when they come on through.

Chapter 2:
Oh, boy. This is going to sound nitpicky, but I myself can't decide if I'm intrigued or confused, since generally I don't know what's accidental awkwardness or intended funky foreshadowing, so please bear with me lol

This struck me as odd. Like, why would the binary genders come naturally to him but not nonbinary? Did he grow up with no such concept and now he's a Pokemon it has suddenly popped into his head? Why was this particular knowledge questioned to begin with?

Ah, for the record, this wasn't intended to be foreshadowing. More Sam trying to remember where he once came across such terms than anything else. I apologise if it seemed offensive or problematic in anyway, but I would have probably never slipped it in if the concept of gender identity hadn't been on my mind much.

This also struck me as a bit of an oddity. Yeah, I can imagine how the concept of Pokemon Trainer may be unfamiliar to these lil' fellas, but do they not use the word "trainer" for anything else?

On the other side, I enjoyed this exchange:

Yeah, I was mainly thinking of the Pokemon trainer angle more than anything else. I admit I can't really excuse that.

It nicely established the characters right off the bat, and I had a chuckle from the sheer impatience and/or irritation of "Clear! Symbols!"

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed that one!

Chapter 3:
Hella, action incoming. So this is when that M rating comes into play, huh. The dialogues are fun, and the story also feels like it's starting to pick up, that's nice.

Also, this is a Pidgey of many pronouns.

Also glad you enjoyed that as well! As for the pronouns, I admittedly made that error as I originally blitzed through some of these chapters. But after looking back, I kept those mixed pronouns in for that character. Seemed like a weird but interesting way to humanise them somewhat by going from it's on to he (though they also works in that regard as well!).

All in all, a pretty nice start held back by minor mistakes here and there, but nothing that can't be improved on. Keep it up. I'll be keeping an eye.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll try and keep an eye out for those mistakes.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER IV – STUFF AIN'T WHAT'S IT'S MADE UP TO BE​

Sam ducked and weaved, trying to make up the distance between himself and those murdering sods. Licking his lips, he forced a determined look on his face, looking to keep up his confidence as he fled.

The truth was with his heart now pounding in his chest and threatening to blow out of it, he was terrified. Pokémon don't murder things! Do… do they?

He slowed, taking a sharp breath. Okay okay, just need to get to that road… oh shit, what if they were lying about that!?

"Stop pissing around and find that little brat!"

Head snapping round, he could hear the thumping footsteps of that Swampert coming up from behind him. Still chasing him… Dang it… even if I can outrun him, the Pidgey will keep place… I need a better idea and q- wait, the trees!

Eying one particularly big oak, Sam kicked himself up and onto the first branch, grunting as he scrambled to pull himself up and onto it… only to half gasp as he nearly slipped off the otherside with a creak, grabbing hold of a small branch to hold himself there. Right… I have no idea how to climb a tree…

"He went this way!"

Gulping, Sam pulled himself back upto his feet, looked up, and leapt again. Making his way that little bit higher into the tree with each and every jump. Just as he broke into the leaves proper, the Swampert forced his way into the clearing below, eyes narrowed as they scanned all directions. The Pidgey hovered in next to him and finally, the Rattata came in at their rear. Sam tightened his grip on one of the bark. Come on mates… move on, move on…

The Swampert's head snapped towards the Pidgey, a low growl rumbling forth. "I told you not to lose him!"

The bird merely narrowed his eyes, "If we were on a field. Easy. I can either track him or dodge trees. I can't do both."

As the Rattata marched onwards, the big amphibian could only let out a heavy growl in reply, "Grr… Well he can't have got far. If we split up, we might be able to cover more ground."

"He's a Scorbunny, he ain't exactly slow."

"I'm not an idiot! Just… let me think."

The Rattata was now out of view with the other two Mons still at the edge of the clearing. Sam held his breath, trying to not shiver in the treetop. Come on you assholes… get out of here…

At last, the big Swampert seemed to straighten up, eyes fixed on something further ahead on the ground. "Let's move out, see if we can track down that rat a little further. If not, who's gonna believe him anyway? We'll get rid of the bodies, get our pay and be off this rock before anyone bothers to look."

Bodies? There was more than one?

Sam watched as the Swampert and the Pidgey drifted by underneath him and out of sight. But he didn't move. He stayed frozen where he was, not even daring to breathe as the footsteps began to fade away.

He waited one minute. Then another.

And after the third, he finally let out a sigh of relief. Okay… better drop down and go a completely different direction bef-

An massive crack rang out beneath him, the entire tree shuddering as the Scorbunny was thrown forward, wrapping his arms round his branch. His heart pounded again, squirming against the wood. What the flying f-

Something snapped… and he could feel the air shift as the tree began tilt... toppling over. "Oh come on!" he barked, as he struggled to get his feet onto the branch… and with another kick, blew clear of the leaves.

Straight into the Pidgey.

Crying out, he tried to throw a wild punch, hoping to catch the bird's wing… but it only tasted thin air as he flailed helplessly past. A second later, he struck the ground face first with a dull thud. Moaning, Sam pushed himself back up to find himself staring down the Swampert rubbing his front paws together. That tree was just a punching bag to him! But how did he know-

Down next to him, the Rattata was flashing a toothy grin at him, a big, leafy branch twice his size hanging out of his mouth. Plus the pristine leaves all scattered across the ground between Sam and the criminals. He bit off a curse at that. Damn it… must have broke it off when I tried to climb up! Pushing himself back up to his feet, Sam glared back at the three Pokémon blocking his path again. The Swampert merely pulled it's toothless grin once more. "Think you were being clever huh? Should have kept running kid."

Suddenly sensing a flash of heat within him, the Scorbunny raised his paws, tightening them into fists. "You've still gotta catch me yo-"

All other words were destroyed as the beam of water slammed into his chest. Pain tore through him, his ribs screaming as if they were being crushed as he was thrown back. His breath stolen away. I-I can't m-

He felt his head snap back against something hard, and he saw no more.

*****​

Sam groaned as he slowly came to, his entire head throbbing as if someone had rammed an electric toothbrush into his skull. His chest too ached, and for a moment he half thought his ribs were broken. Slowly and weakly, he moved one paw up onto his chest, taking in a sharp intake of breath as pain pulsed along his skin… but they felt intact. His vision blurred, his other paw drifting back to behind his head… and when the furry hand came back into view, the pristine white fur was now red, dripping with ichor.

"Damn, you survived that? You're tougher than you look."

In that moment, Sam realised that he was being dragged across grass under an open sky. T-The c-clearing? "W-W-Wha… W-Where are you t-taking me?"

"To dump your body, but since you're still kicking, think of it as somewhere where I can give you a choice buddy."

The injured Scorbunny could only moan in response, barely noticing his leg getting dropped as his vision cleared a little bit… revealing the dark shape of that big leader. "I was just gonna kill ya and leave your corpse where no one would find you. But you're not half ballsy for a rabbit." He grunted, "So, you can join our crew and we'll patch you up. Or… well… you can end up like this lot."

Something pushed… no, pulled Sam upright, and his vision, whilst still dark around the edges, cleared up. It was the clearing he had first encountered them and…

His heart went still, unable to tear his eyes away from the bodies. The yellow body from before he recognised as a Pikachu. Their eyes were shut and their face was relaxed… but the amount of blood covering them, especially round their neck…

His eyes flicked over to the others. A light blue coloured turtle, it's head twisted at an awkward angle. And another larger bug like mon, wings torn up… and another yellow mon, even smaller than the Pikachu with-

Unable to look any longer, Sam tore his gaze away, his stomach churning from both pain and… that damn sight. "You…" he gasped, "Want me to join you? To kill!?"

"Eh, ruffle them up sure. Kill? Eh, we try and avoid that. But you know what us Pokémon are like. Once we start fighting it's not easy to stop, you know?"

Eyes squeezed shut, the Scorbunny could only shake his head. "B-But this isn't just killing! You've torn them apart!"

He could hear that damn Swampert chuckle behind him, "Hey. We're just doing what we can to get through life. With the disasters coming back, only makes sense. So, whatcha say?"

Feeling the tears forming at the edge of his eyes, Sam slowly pushed himself up, he took a step forward, stumbled. His vision was clearing now, and a quick glance behind revealed the Swampert, now flanked on both sides by the Pidgey and the Rattata… with the bodies in plain view next to them.

No… I'm… he punched the ground and shakingly pushed himself back up. I'm- I'm not…

Stumbling once more, he managed to turn round to face the team, his breathing laboured. "No… I'm not becoming a killer just to stay alive for a few days longer!"

Weakly, he raised his paws up, trying to ready himself for the next blow. "I… I'd rather die."

The Swampert merely shrugged, "Welp… sorry to hear that."

With that he opened his mouth, a blue ball of energy beginning to form within, slowly humming.

His arms continued to shake. Sam knew he wasn't walking away from this, nevermind running. This… it's it…

As the orb started to look like a water ball, Sam could only close his eyes… and brace for the inevitable hit. For his bones to break…

Instead, the hum was cut out, and replaced with an almighty crack… and a surprised cry.

He opened his eyes.

Standing between him and the Swampert was a bipedal, avian like Pokémon with predominately red feathers, although also mixed in with yellow and beige ones too whilst cold, blue eyes were fixed on the water type… who had seemed to have backed off, rubbing his chin as his eyes burned. A… A Blaziken!? Where did he-

"I'm going to give you one chance." Stated the fire-type, eyes somehow looking even colder as he stared down the criminal. "Hand yourselves in."

"Or what?!" The Swampert barked, "You can't kick my ass!"

"I can. And so can this team."

The Rattata and Pidgey rushed forward, readying their attacks as they came down on the Blaziken… but Sam barely registered the shapes that rushed past him and the fire type in a blur of colou

The Gallarde struck first, it's bladed arm rushing up to meet the Pidgey head on. Sam could just make out the bird's eyes widening before the blade slammed into it's body. With a pained cry, the bird shot up well into the sky and out of sight. The Rattata, despite being on the ground, managed to leap back just as the Scyther slashed at him with their own blades. It's teeth flashed as it reared back, glowing as it readied itself for-

Too late, as the second blade struck across the whole length of the Rattata. With little more than a gasp, the rat was tossed aside, rolling across the grassy field as a battered pulp.

The Swampert roared, rearing back as it tore a boulder from the ground and tossed it towards the Blaziken.

Without even blinking, the fire-type merely stepped to oneside, allowing it to bounce past them and the still frozen Sam, chips flicking off and landing just in front of the Scorbunny. Only then did the fire type finally strike, leaping up into the air with an almighty kick into the earth.

The Swampert could barely react before the Blaziken's clawed foot slammed down onto his head with an almighty crack. Groaning, he stumbled back, but the Blaziken came after him with a barrage of punches and kicks, each one striking the bigger mon across the face, the neck and chest. Bloodying it up and driving it back further and further. Sam could only look on in shock as the fighter pummeled the water-type into submission.

As the Swampert's head snapped back, the Blaziken let out a final scream, their legs erupting into flames. Spinning round, the twin Blaze Kicks struck the Swampert in the chest and across the head with an powerful pair of snap.

The big brute stumbled back moaning, shuddered… and slammed headfirst into the dirt, out cold.

Sam could tell his mouth was agape, his body still shivering from the surprise… from the power of each strike… and with fear.

Brushing it's shoulder off, the Blaziken turned round to face him.

Sam froze, his heart going cold.

The Blaziken seemed to relax as it looked down on him, it's blue eyes not looking as fierce. Likewise, the other two Pokemon had turned to face him too, looks of concern evident even as the Scyther cast a glance in the direction of the corpses.

The Scorbunny was about to utter a word when something blinked in the sky, just behind the Blaziken. A brown and tan shape diving down at high speed… it's wings glowing white. The Pidgey…

And it was diving straight for the Blaziken.

Something burned within Sam, fear replaced by desperation as his eyes widened. Desperation turned into instinct as some new found strength shot through his body. One eye snapped towards the boulder… and one of the broken fragments laid out directly in front of him.

Screaming, Sam dashed forward, a surge of heat running through his legs as he reeled his foot back and brought it down with all the force he could muster.

The pebble ignited instantly, the little fireball booted forward into the air. Eyes widening, the Blaziken jerked aside. Not that it was needed, as the Ember rushed clear past them… and straight at the Pidgey.

The bird cried out, trying to evade, but it was too late as the fireball struck it in the face, the glowing wings flashing back to normal as it was blown back with an horrific bang. The bird spun away, letting out a faint cry, and slammed into the ground.

Even in his state, Sam could see it's chest smoking, the faint twitching of it's wings the only indicator that the Pidgey was still alive.

The Blaziken took a second to glance at the downed Pidgey, before it finally turned back towards the Scorbunny… looking almost amazed… or surprised.

His body was already quivering again, feeling like jelly as he looked up at the evolved fire-type.

Sam just managed to muster up the remaining strength to pull a small grin.

"So… that's how Ember works…"

And with that, Sam toppled forward and fell face first into the dirt.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER V – BEDSIDE MANNERS​

Hmm… you have been with him for a while. He's alive, I can assure you of that and no, he's not brain dead. He is in capable hands.

Well. As close as can be to hands anyway.

So he is human. Or rather he used to be before he was turned into this Scorbunny. If he is here… then something terrible must be on the horizon. It can't be a mere coincidence.

Is that why you are here? To look over him? To witness this dark event? Or perhaps you are just drawn to this Pokemon.

To this human...

...

…I must withdraw, less my presence gets sensed. You don't get too close either.

But do keep an eye on him will you?

*****​

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

H-Hi?

"You can? Great! Listen… I don't have much time…"

"Oh no… listen to me! You need to save…"

What? I… I can't hear you…

"Please! All of this… it needs saving…"

Save… save what… I can't…

"…Sam!"

*****​

Sam's eyes fluttered open, That voice… where…

His vision blurred for a moment, then cleared to reveal the wooden ceiling above him. A gentle warmth pulsed across his body, almost like waves running up alongside him. H-Huh? Am… am I dead?

He slowly raised his hands up, only instead to see those white rabbit paws drift into view instead. I… I'm still a Scorbunny.

Moaning softly, he began to push himself upright, soaking in that pink… wait, what?

He looked round himself to find himself on a fluffy bed, his body glowing a soft pink that throbbed and pulsed every second. Every pulse warming him up… strengthening him.

Standing alongside the bed was what looked like a white horse, only it also possessed a massive mane coloured… cyan and pink? So fluffy it was it almost looked like candy floss. And it had a violet horn too that stretched a good way out of it's head. Blue eyes were focused on him as the pink energy flowed around them too. A Unicorn? Wait a minute… it looks like a Rapidash but… I thought it was half on fire… wait… a variant… I think it's a variant.

Blinking once, the pink light faded away from the Rapidash and just a second after that, he looked down to find the pink pulse vanishing into the ether around him. He immediately patted his chest and his head, finding that his ribs no longer ached and he couldn't feel the sticky warmth that was blood on his skull. They… healed me? I'm alive? So…

He turned to face the Rapidash, that warmth still pulsing inside him despite the power fading away and flashed a friendly grin. "Hey… thanks for-"

The Rapidash's eyes flashed, "What did you think this all was, a free get out of jail service!?"

The warmth immediately vanished as Sam slid away from the horse Pokémon, eyes widening. "W-what? I was just saying tha-"

The horse merely rolled their eyes, "Hmph! Kids these days, thinking they can run off into the wilderness and try and be heroes." She snorted in a raspy voice, "Pah! They think twice once they've had a few bones broken and are left hanging from a tree! Or wrapped in some bug's web! Heal Pulses aren't as easy as some idiots say they are!"

"O-Oi!" Sam snapped, initial shock fading away as he narrowed his eyes, "I'm not a kid!"

Puffing, the Rapidash raised a hoof and jabbed him in the chest. Not enough to hurt, but he still winced and recoiled from the strike. "I don't care if you are two or thirty, you're still only a little Scorbunny! Thinking you could play ball with a Swampert? Did you know just how much blood I had to clean up from that!? You're lucky I wasn't there, or I might have jus-!"

"Rebecca!"

The Rapidash, Rebecca, jerked her head to one side, revealing the wooden room beyond. A clinic to the look of it, judging by what seemed to be medical cabinets loaded with berries and glass jars.

The Blaziken was leaning against a desk in the room, arms crossed with his head tilted to one side. A single brow was raised, "I think he's got the point."

Sighing, Rebecca turned back to face him. "Just don't go running off out there too soon, I don't need to be collecting bits of you out of a fissure."

With an irritated flick of her mane, she marched away and through another door way.

Sam let out a puff of air, unclenching his little paws. "Geez… talk about bedside manners."

The fire bird had watched the horse leave, but his head now swivelled back towards him. "She's just stressed." He explained, narrowing his cool eyes. "Rebecca didn't even want to be a nurse, but the last one went off to the mainland."

Tilting his own head, Sam could only frown. "Why do it then?"

"Because no one is as good as her with healing moves… as she did volunteer."

"Oh… okay… that kinda makes sense..."

"She isn't trying to punish you if that's what you are worried about. In fact she's more worried than angry." The Blaziken pushed himself off the table, towering over the Scorbunny. "How are you feeling?"

Sam rubbed the back of his head, still trying to feel for a scar or a mark… but there was nothing. "Better than new… I guess?"

The bigger fire type approached, arms still crossed, "I didn't catch your name."

He responded instantly, "Sam."

"Rex." The Blaziken introduced himself, returning a nod, "Alright Sam, what were you doing out in the middle of Little Forest with a team of criminals?"

"Whoa hey!" Sam barked, flinching, "I had nothing to do with those guys! That Swampert was about to kill me! Just like he did with…"

Eyes widening, he scrambled back up to his feet even as his head started to spin from the movement. "What about the other guys! Those they attacked, you can use that Heal Pulse thingy and-"

"They're gone." Rex interrupted him, his tone chilling. "They were long dead before we got there."

"B-But…"

He couldn't say another word though. He saw them lying there with all that blood and broken bone. He doubted anyone was going to come back from that, no matter what they were. He plopped back down onto the bed, hands squeezing together. "I don't know who everyone was there… one minute I was just walking through the woods the next…" Sighing, he shook his head. "Look, I'm not a murderer I just… walked into it all."

"You saw the bandits kill those Pokémon?"

"No… I arrived too late. I just thought they were guys arguing before I saw…" he clamped his mouth shut, flicking his gaze away.

Rex didn't reply at first, but he could see a grey hand reach over and lean into the bed's cover. "You're safe now. Understand?"

Hesitating, Sam slowly nodded before finally fixing his gaze back on the Blaziken, the chill in his eyes now gone. "But what were you doing out there anyway? You aren't on any records."

"Oh, in the woods? I was-"

He stopped himself short, his buckteeth dig into his lip. What could he say? He doubted the 'I got lost and hungover' story would hold. Ugh! What can I say? That I just woke up in the middle of a forest thinking I was human and yet I've been turned into a Scorbunny? He'll think I'm mad!

Sam could sense his foot tapping away, Come on mate think… there has to be something I can say…

"I-I…"

"Go on."

The Scorbunny's mouth hung ajar, a word on the tip of his tongue… before he finally closed it and shook his head. "I don't remember."

"Hmm?" Rex tilted his head over, beak clicking. "You remember nothing?"

"Yeah… I just found myself wondering those woods… maybe I got hit on the back of the head or got affected by some move…"

"Like a Confuse Ray?"

"Yeah… I don't know. Could be?" shaking his head, Sam rose back upto his feet. "Maybe it'll come back to me, but all I've been drawing are blanks."

Come on Come on… don't try and dig deeper… please…

Rex looked down on him, a claw on one hand scratching just underneath his chin, as if processing what information Sam could give.

Then, at last, he nodded. "Fair enough. I believe you. Just make sure you keep a low profile, understood?"

"Y-Yes sir." Sam replied, relaxing a touch.

"Stretch your legs for a moment, then when you're ready come on outside. I'll show you around town.". With that, Rex pulled away from the bed and turned to depart. "W-Wait!" Sam exclaimed, reaching after him, catching the Blaziken's attention. "Thanks… for helping me back there."

The bigger Mon glanced back, "Just doing a day's work, but your welcome. I'll just be outside."

He watched him walk on out, and slumped back onto the bed, gazing up at the ceiling. It wasn't an ideal story, just flat out saying he didn't know how he got to that Forest, but it wasn't exactly a lie either. No point in confusing people with more human… err… stuff…

Sam rubbed the back of his head, trying to still work out where the original wound was from the tree. Nothing. That Healing Pulse must have just been that good.

I'm going to have to tell someone eventually. Sam mused, slowly lowering himself to the ground. But let's get a lay of the land first. I know I'm in… what, some kind of Pokémon world? The more I know about the place, the better. And hey, maybe I can learn something about myself in the meantime.

Brushing himself down, the former human took in a breath, steadied himself… and strolled out of the room.

Well… here goes nothing.

…

Where the hell's the exit?

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER VI – ROBINSWOOD​

It only took one embarrassing minute to find his way through the building to the front door, and with another nervous breath, he pushed his way through outside.

Wincing, he blinked as he let his eyes adjust to the bright light of the sun. But this time, they had an easier time adjusting to it and with a paw above his eyes, his vision recovered.

"Holy…"

The town that was laid out before him wasn't something Sam had expected. He had stepped out of a wooden cabin into what almost looked more like a forest woodland camp than a town. The trees that surrounded him were massive, easily towering dozens if not more than a hundred feet in height, with some often being so wide at the bottom as to cover dozen metres across. Stone paths cut across the ground in front of him, connecting to several differently sized cabins, also made from logs and planks that were secured into place. Some of those were reinforced with cobblestone that matched up with the stone paths that ran in between each of the buildings before congregating into a larger square at the centre of it all. Or rather, a pair of squares, given that there was a river flowing through it all. Several smaller buildings that Sam could only guess were shops were spread out around the square, with two wooden bridges, on being larger than the other to the point it was fitted with a circular platform, connected the two halves together.

On the far side of that though, standing beside a collection of waterfalls that fed the river was the most colossal tree he had ever seen. Forget feet, it was easily over one hundred metres tall, with branches so thick in places they made the cabins look small. Even from here, he can tell it has actually been hollowed out, with a large entrance built in at the bottom and what appeared to be windows and openings scattered across it's trunk. Pokémon of all shapes and sizes moved from cabin to cabin, chatting away with each other or cutting through the water of the river. A few flew above his head, drifting from place to place across the town.

He couldn't resist letting out a gigantic grin, "…holy crap!"

"Ahem… language."

He stiffened up, head looking down to find the Blaziken Rex just a couple of feet away from him. "Y-Yep, sorry. My bad."

Rex let out an amused huff, his beak twitching a little bit. "Relax. There isn't any grammar police here."

"I-I… erm…"

Rolling his eyes, Rex turned and started making his way down the path, and Sam quickly scrambled to follow him. "Well Sam, welcome to Robinswood."

"Robinswood?" Sam mused, staring up at the trees, "Pretty nice name."

"You can thank the Fletchlings and Rookidees for that one."

"Oh… the robin guys? That makes sense."

Mentally, he kicked himself, Okay, come on. Why the hell do I recognise all these Pokémon and… trainers of all things… whatever they are… and yet can't remember my life? This su-

He forced the thoughts out of his head as Rex nodded. "Yes, the bird Pokémon that lived here were a massive help in setting up the town, especially as people started moving into the Sea of Wonders."

"Sea of Wonders?"

Rex cast a glance down at him, "You really got one hell of a knock on the head didn't you?"

Ears twitching, Sam could only sheepishly rub the back of his head, "Yeah… must have done."

"Well, the Sea of Wonders includes a collection of islands between all the major continents of the world." He glanced again at him again, as if trying to scan his face. "Air, Grass, Mist, Water and Sand Continents?"

"Right. So everyone started having a closer look right?"

"Correct. The different authorities on each continent decided to settle the isles some years ago, especially as new islands started emerging from the water. The plan was initially for the continents to establish joint settlements, with Robinswood at the centre but…" Rex sighed sadly, "That plan fell through."

"Why would that happen though?" Sam questioned, "Unless there was somekind of disagreement?"

"That… is a very long story."

Straightening up, the Blaziken guided him into the town, pointing out the different stores. Such as the Kecleon shop (which for some reason sounded familiar to the Scorbunny), the Durandolon Bank… all facilities that would have allowed a town such as this to function. A few Pokémon glanced their way, and shouted out greetings mainly to Rex, although a few waved over at Sam himself. The best he could do was merely wave back with a little smile, although he could feel the fur rise on the back of his neck… almost as if someone was watching him whilst his back was turned.

They soon found themselves at the bottom of the massive tree that dominated the town, a few Pokémon were strolling in and out… often in groups, Sam noticed. Many of them carried satchels on their person, and many more also sported what appeared to be an armband or scarf, all of them marked with some kind of clear symbol. He glanced back up at the Blaziken as he stopped short of the entrance… and noticed a similar band around his own arm. A black one with a clear red and yellow symbol that looked painfully abstract, and yet… he couldn't help but think it looked like a feather. "This tree has got a few facilities in it. Spinda's Bar is at the bottom, and at the top you have the TalonKnight Post Office just next to the Observatory. No Pelippier Post Office though I'm afraid."

Something clicked at the back of the Scorbunny's mind at the mention of the post office. A memory? Or something else? Whatever it was, Sam felt like he had heard of it before… what was it about? He looked up at the Blaziken. "I think I recall something about Pelipper being Post… birds or something. Why didn't they set up shop here?"

Rex scratched his chin, "Well, the Talonflame's and Coviknights had already set up a post service before we ever showed up. I think the Pokémon who ran the Pelipper post office decided they didn't fancy the competition and just focused their efforts on the mainland. Let the folks here do their own thing."

"So… economics are to blame then?"

"Yes. Pretty much." The avian Pokémon placed his hands on his hips, gazing back up the tree. "Most of the floors though are reserved for the Guild."

"Guild? What, like mercenaries or miners?"

That got a chuckle out of the Blaziken as he shook his head, "No. Exploration Teams. You really did get hit on the head, or that Confusion Ray was particularly potent." He raised a hand upto the tree, "The Exploration Teams are groups of Pokémon that often do a few different jobs, some obviously go out exploring, trying to learn what they can about the world and bring back something to help the towns. Others perform rescue missions, rescuing Pokémon that end up getting themselves in danger, and some deal with bringing criminals to justice, like the ones you encountered back in Little Forest."

Sam looked back towards the black armband, "I'm guessing… you're part of one of these teams?"

Rex narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze drifting back towards his armband, "I'm not in a team anymore. I'm the local guildmaster."

The Scorbunny stiffened again, sensing his ears go erect. "Guildmaster- err… I must have wasted your time-"

"Nonsense." Rex replied, "Like I said, it's part of the job. Certainly beats office work all the time."

He sighed softly again, eyes closing. "Although, rescues and bounty hunting has been on the rise as of late…"

Sam flicked an ear at that. "I mean… if this is some newly colonised place, I suppose bandits showing up isn't farfetched."

"You aren't wrong. And yet…" Sam's eyes flicked down, seeing one of the Blaziken's hands clench. "There's the natural disasters."

Disasters… the Swampert mentioned them…

Brows drawing closer together, Sam loosed up and looked back up at the Guildmaster. "Rex… are these-"

An almighty crash rang out from the tree, the Scorbunny's heart nearly leaping out of his chest. "What the hell!?"

The Blaziken's eyes had snapped open, and he was already marching towards the entrance of the tree. A few Pokémon also cast a sharp glance towards the entrance as Sam scrambled to keep up. A purple shape dashed out of the tree and slid against the bark, panting whilst their crystal eyes dimmed. "H-Hey boss! That big guy you brought in to the cage? He's woken up and he's... well-"

Another crash rang out, and Sam could almost feel the ground quake from the impact. "-kinda pissed off." The Sableye finished, wiping their forehead with one hand. "He's trying to break the cell door down." Rex rolled his eyes, already clicking his fists together. "Of course he is. I suppose I'm going to have to try and talk some sense into him again."

Sam almost let out a little huff, tasting the flicker of sarcasm in the guildmaster's voice. "Hey, maybe I can help!"

Rex spun back round on him, "After what happened last time? You'll just annoy him some more. I can handle this myself. I'll get someone too…" his head swivelled round, looking amongst the teams of Pokémon surrounding the entrance. "Jack?"

A Butterfree floated out from the gathering crowd, a green scarf wrapped round his neck. "What do you need?" he asked with an almost happy chirp in his voice.

"Can you help Sam get settled in whilst I deal with Greg?"

The bug bobbled up and down with a flutter of his wings, "You can count on me guildmaster!" he exclaimed, bring himself to hover next to the Scorbunny.

Sam deflated at the order, a part of him desperate to get down there and give that big bastard the middle finger… not that he actually had a middle finger as such anymore… but then a very subtle ache worked it's way through his ribs… and that was frankly the only reminder he needed. He returned a very faint nod, and with Rex returning a much stronger one back, jogged inside.

Jack led him out of the crowd and back into the square, making sure to hover next to Sam. "You're the new guy who just got rescued right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Sam said with a faint groan, "Though more like I got my backside kicked. You're an explorer too?"

"Oh yeah, been at it for a few years now." Jack swung himself in front of Sam as another bang rang out behind him. "Hey, don't worry about getting rescued. It happens to the best of us. Hell, it took me getting rescued to get into doing all this."

Raising a brow up, Sam focused his attention back onto the Butterfree, rubbing his hands together in interest. "Really? I doubt you did as bad as me. I could barely do anything."

Jack floated out of the way, and the two continued across the square and onto one of the paths out, "If it's any consolation, I ended up falling into a fissure and spent the entire time cowering in a corner crying my eyes out."

Sam stopped for just a moment to process that, "Okay… now that can't be the whole story."

With a little whistle, Jack bobbed about against as the rabbit Pokémon got walking again. "Oh, you bet! I was just a Caterpie back then, and got rescued by these two new guys." His eyes twinkled a little bit as he said that, "They were… so cool…"

Sam let out a weak, but genuine laugh. "I can kinda relate then." He said, as they made their way into the trees. "Those explorer guys do seem kinda badass."

Spoiler: Author's Note

Enjoy the appearence of an 'old friend' so to speak!

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER VII – HAPPY FROG, ANGRY RABBIT​

Jack led the way down the woodland track, taking the time to explain that whilst most Pokémon live in the square, others lived a little bit further out, including some of the Exploration Teams. Whilst there was still plenty to do for the teams back out on the Continents, as it turns out, many were pretty eager to get access to the Sea of Wonders and it's newly rising islands, and the same occurred with Pokémon heading out to start a new life. As such, once the rush hit, Robinswood simply wasn't ready to take up the demand. Some obviously went off to form up other settlements, Jack would explain, whilst others wanted to remain in Robinswood, and set up shop in smaller cabins and barracks further out from the centre.

The barracks that Jack led Sam too was the first one they came across, and was also the most well developed. It was made of the same wooden logs that defined the structures back in the square, yet at the same time was reinforced with a layer of cobble stone around it's base and came complete with plenty of windows and doors. "This place was supposed to be like a second inn or café." Jack said as he floated inside, "But then the demand crept in and several of teams decided to stay rather than move into the Guild Tree."

"I'm not that surprised." Sam mused, glancing around the front room. Homemade tables, sofas and cushions were all scattered around the space, both on the ground floor and on a smaller upper floor connected via stairs. What should have originally been the counter with all of it's facilities now separated that part of the room with a kitchen of all things. A rather fruity aroma drifted up the Scorbunny's nose, and he resisted the urge to sigh at pleasant smell. "Actually looks… kinda homey."

"Well you do often have to share rooms and the corridors can be a bit of a squeeze when someone big comes through, but it works. I would let you crash in my room but…" Jack looked away, the Butterfree somehow looking… embarrassed. "It's occupied."

"Eh, don't worry about it. I'll find something." The Scorbunny put his hands on his hips, letting a little smile form, "I don't want to have to squeeze in with your team if I'll just get in the way." He added cheerfully.

The Butterfree shook his head, "Oh, it's not my Team. They're up in the Tree."

Now the smile transformed into a frown, "Then what are you-"

"Papa!"

Sam's head swivelled round to spot a little white Pokémon that looked like some kind of crystalline bug slide off one of the cushions, quickly scurrying over towards them. Jack's eyes lit up as he floated down in front of the Snom. "Hey kiddo! How was your day at school?"

A fiery warmth surged through the Scorbunny's body, his lips pulling back into a gigantic grin of the sight of the little kid and his dad. Aww… okay, Jack's just got a lot cooler! Look at the little guy!

"Went great pa!" the Snom exclaimed, almost seeming to bounce in delight. "I managed to puff out some Snow today!"

"You did? That's so cool Kyle, well done!"

Kyle giggled, before his little eyes drifted towards Sam. "Pa, who's that?"

"Oh, that's Sam. He's just arrived today."

Sam bent over and flashed a friendly wave, "Hey there little guy."

The little bug's eyes twinkled, "A fire rabbit… cool…"

One rabbit ear dipped a little bit. And… that word seems to be a family trait…

"Can you do a fireball!?" Kyle asked excitedly, bobbing up and down in eagerness.

"Err… I don't think that's a good idea." Sam replied sheepishly, "Being in a cabin and all."

Eh… honestly I'm not sure if I can actually do another Ember yet… I think…

Kyle deflated a little bit at that, before Jack touched down right next to him, "Don't worry buddy, Sam can probably do it another time for you."

"Okay!", the crystals brightening back up. "I also found something really cool! Come and see papa!"

"Cool! Let's have a look at it." Jack turned back towards Sam, "Hey, you don't mind hanging on-"

"Oh, it's fine." Sam replied warmly with a flick of his wrist, "I can wait."

With a buzz of thanks, Jack and Kyle disappeared off deeper into the cabin, leaving Sam on his own save for the few other Pokémon. The Scorbunny plopped himself down on one of the cushions, sinking into it's soft material. So… this whole world is full of Pokémon. Obviously. He tapped his fingers on the fabric. Question is… how are humans supposed to fit in? I mean, that was like my first thought. I'm human. But, well, look at me! He stared at the white paw doing the tapping, a frown forming once again, I'm a Scorbunny… but how do I know that? And what's with these disasters and the like? I mean, what's going on with all the politics and that? Sounds like a lot of stuff is going on right now.

Grr… maybe I did get hit by a Confuse Ray or something.

That was when he heard the shouting, his red tipped ears already perking up. Jeez… I've gotta get used to these ears. Pushing himself up, Sam relaxed a bit when he realised the voices were coming from a different corridor than the one Jack and Kyle had used… but they were getting louder.

"I told you countless times, if you try and do that, you're going to get yourselves killed!"

"We don't have to listen to you, this works for us!"

Oh bugger…

Sam approached the corridor, already sensing his body tense up as he gazed down it.

A gathering of small Pokémon congregated within the wooden cut through. And by small, he really did mean Pokémon that were about his size. He could recognise a few species in the background, but they all seemed gathered around two Pokémon who were staring each other down. A Bulbasaur on one side, their teeth bared and a pair of vines raised from the bulb on it's back.

However, most of the Pokémon's eyes were fixed on a single Buneary. One paw rested on their hip as they stared down the Bulbasaur with narrowed eyes, and one ear was coiled in tight, almost twitching to burst free. "You're bringing all the wrong equipment, you think Oran Berries alone will keep you going?!" they snapped, speaking with an feminine voice, albeit one that belonged to a young adult than a kid. "They won't, they don't solve all your problems!"

The Bulbasaur's eyes flashed red, "We've got healing moves for our team, something you can't comprehend!"

The Buneary's ear twitched even more, as she took a step forward. "Yeah, I know you can heal yourselves and remove paralysis blah blah!" She snapped an arm up in disgust, "But you can only use a move so many times! You don't even have Ethers! What happens then!?"

"Eh, we won't get to that point!"

"Grr! This is the kind of cocky shit that will get you killed!"

The curse made Sam stiffen up a little bit, but he could only roll his eyes at the mess in front of him. Ah… your typical 'my style is better than your style' argument. He leaned against the wall, figuring he could watch the scene unfold from a distance. To be honest though, I'm kinda agreeing with Bun-Bun here. Can't get too cocky.

He shivered at the memory of that Swampert towering over him, and shoved it aside. Although I have no idea what an Ether is.

Now the Bulbasaur was smirking back at the rabbit Pokémon, the vines pulling back a touch? "Oh really? Then why aren't you telling this to your own team? Oh wait, you haven't got one, because you spend all day just being some cursed freak!"

The Buneary leapt forward fast enough for Sam to nearly jump, the grass-types eyes widening as it tried to pull itself back. But the rabbit was too fast as her paws grabbed hold of the still exposed vines.

Sharply tugging them down and back, she yanked the reptile towards her, the rabbit's eyes burning as the Bulbasaur cried out with a yelp of pain. "What did you just call me you little punk!?" she snapped, pulling on the vines even harder.

Okay, I change my mind, to hell with this!

Sam shoved himself off the wall and got running down the corridor. The Buneary leaned in closer to the green Mon, the latter's eyes squeezed shut. "Go on." She hissed, "You can say it again."

"Hey!" Sam barked, skidding to a halt next to them and grabbing onto other rabbit's arm, "How about-"

His mouth cracked shut as the ear-turned-brick slammed into his face.

Stumbling away, Sam landed onto his back with an almighty thud. "What th-!?" he cursed, rolling his jaw back into place. His entire face throbbed as he struggled to push himself back up. But now the Buneary was staring him down, mouth twisted into a surprisingly vicious snarl. She now only had one paw wrapped the grass-type's vines, the other pointed at him. "Stay out of this, I'm trying to teach this prick a lesson!"

"Hel- a lesson!" Sam snapped, pointing a finger at the Bulbasaur, "You're hurting him! I think he's got the point!"

The Bulbasaur rapidly nodded, eyes still clamped shut as the Buneary's gaze flicked between the two of them. "People get hurt all the time! Maybe this wi-"

She cried out as the bubbles slammed into her back, her grip on the vines snapping as she shoved away.

Too bad she now flew straight into Sam. He grunted once more he was whacked back onto his back, growling as the Buneary shook her head, her eyes now locking onto him. "Get off me!"

He just realised he had her by the shoulders, and she had him by the arms. Sam flashed his buckteeth, "Get off me first!".

Rolling back, he managed to slip his legs underneath and booted the Buneary in the chest. Another yelp rang out as her paws lost their grip and she was flung away. Sam, a bit faster now, stumbled back to his feet. He barely saw that the other rabbit was also back up, tensioning up as both ears reeled themselves in. "Alright then, you want a fight!? I'll-"

"Enough!"

Pushing their way out of the crowd of small Pokémon was a little blue frog with what almost seemed like a mane of white bubbles. Yellow eyes locked onto the Buneary. "Alice. I think you've outstayed your welcome here." He coldly said.

The rabbit crossed her arms, "Aidan, here to throw in a bit of Poke here and there, so you can worm your way deeper to turn these guys into losers huh?"

The Froakie didn't even react, "They don't want you screwing them over and no one wants you here. Move on."

Alice took one step forward, only for the entire group of Pokémon to take one step back towards her. The Froakie, the Bulbasaur… literally everyone in that group was now staring the Buneary down.

Sam could see her quiver, the rage threatening to burst free… but something seemed to hold it back. Still staring them down, Alice took one step back. "Grr… fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. And Adian, I know you are just some slimy toad. I'm watching you."

"Get lost Alice." Aidan grunted, little white digits clenching.

Turning on her foot, Alice stomped away from the group. Sam flinched as she shoved him aside, his own ears erect. "What the hell is your problem?" he hissed.

The Buneary stopped, not even bothering to glance back as one ear relaxed. "I'm just trying to keep these idiots alive. You want to help them to an early grave? Be my guest."

And with that, she marched out of the corridor and out of sight.

"Damn Adian… thanks! I thought she was going to rip my bulb off!"

Still frowning, Sam turned back to find everyone now gathering around the Froakie, his face now completely transformed to have a big goofy grin. "Well, I couldn't let that happen huh? I'd still take a few extra supplies on hand, just in case."

"Yeah… well, I suppose we can cough up a little more Poke." The Bulbasaur seemed to deflate for a moment before perking back up again, "Anything I can do? Seriously after that, I feel like I owe you something."

The Froakie raised on hand up to his chin, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Hmm… you managed to get your hands on some rare gummis right?"

"Err…" the Bulbasaur blinked, "Kinda? I was kinda saving them for-"

"No fear! Save some for yourself!" Aidan exclaimed, patting the side of the Bulbasaur, "But how about we all put some of the others on the house for all of us, eh?"

Immediately the other Pokémon jumped to attention, their eyes widening as they cheered. The Bulbasaur hesitated for a moment, before finally letting out a hoarse laugh of their own. "Ha, I suppose a few gummis can't hurt. Come on folks!"

Sam couldn't help but let out a little grin as the cheering Pokémon made their way back further into the building, following up behind the smiling Bulbasaur. Well, what do you know. A few little words and all is right with the world again.

"Hey, not bad there."

He swivelled back round to find Aidan looking at him, a little smile on his face. "Good work on distracting Alice, I was having a hard time getting through everyone. You know, cos of the frogs legs?" He stuck one 'hand' out, "Name's Aidan. I think you're the new Scorbunny right?"

A little bit embarrassed, Sam shook the hand, "Yeah, it's Sam. How did you-"

"Oh, a few people were talking about you the other night. Especially the butterfly dude, he couldn't shut up about it."

"Jack?"

"Yep."

The Froakie rubbed his hands together, "So, you all settled in?"

"Not quite… I was just waiting on Jack to get back-"

"Oh, looking after that little squirt of his? Good kid that one." The Froakie's eyes widened, "Hey, the last guy who was in my room just moved out. You can crash with me if you want."

Sam tilted his head with a frown, "You're sure? I mean, I just turned up out of nowhere."

Aidan merely flashed a grin back, "Eh, we get people like that all time. If the Guildmaster let you walk, I think you're fine."

"Well… sure thing then." The Scorbunny replied with a little flicker of a grin. "What about Jack though?"

"Oh, he'll track us down. He knows everyone in here anyway. Come on, I'll show you way!" Aidan hopped past and down the corridor, and once more Sam was scurrying to follow in behind him.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER VIII – OPPORTUNITIES​

Aidan's room was pretty compact, only being about three square metres across. Luckily, it was more than big enough to fit the two fairly small Pokémon with room to spare. There wasn't much in it, just a pair of beds mounted low down on opposite sides of the room with a shelf that was built in above them whilst a drawer was placed underneath. A trio of cushions had been tossed into the far corner, alongside a duo of wooden lockers were built into the wall. A single window, mounted directly above them, offered a view of the outside world.

The Froakie pulled himself onto one of the beds, "Sorry if it's not much to look at, but I kinda wanted a more private room."

"Eh, it's fine." Sam replied, sitting down on the remaining bed. "Still comfy enough for me."

Aidan chuckled at that, "Sorry."

"About what?" Sam replied with a frown.

The blue frog looked away for a moment, eyes flicking back. "Well, I used to live on the Sand Continent… my family's kinda rich. I still kinda forget not everyone has got a room that's six times the size of this all to themselves."

Rich kid huh?

Sam sat up a little bit more, "Well, I can see why someone would be jealous, but we don't really control where we grow up. You seem kind enough, so why should it matter?"

"Some people can… you know… get really jealous." Aidan replied, turning back towards him. "The Sand Continent is pretty dry… you know, being in the name and all. So my family made a living by getting all sorts of reservoirs and channels filled up with water. Us water types are pretty good at that, and we need the water more than most so… yeah, they made a lot of Poke from that."

"Nothing wrong with doing hard work and helping people in the process." Sam said.

Aidan flashed a little grin, "Thanks. So where are you from?"

"I'm from-" Sam fell silent, feeling his ears dip as the location didn't come forward in his mind. "Actually… I don't really know." He said with a shrug, "Kinda lost my memory of it."

"Huh… I can understand that."

"Ah, there you are!"

The Butterfree Jack was now floating in the doorway, "I wondered where you got off to!" His head drifted towards the frog, "Hi Aidan, you've offered a space for Sam here?"

"Yep, figured he needed a place to crash." Aidan replied with a wink.

"If you don't mind." Sam added, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I just caught something that needed dealing with and…"

"Oh don't fret about it!" Jack buzzed happily with a wave of his little arm. "Aidan was one of the guys I had in mind. I'll need to head back out to the Tree now I've got Kyle sorted with his mom, so I'll let Rex know you are settled in. Just be ready in case you need to give any more details on those bandits."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, sure thing."

With a bob of his head, Jack flew on back out and closed the door behind him. Aidan meanwhile narrowed his eyes, the fingers tapping the fabric of his bed. Sam pulled a frown, "What's up?"

"Huh?" he said, jerking up. "Oh, I was just thinking about those bandits. One of them was a Swampert right?"

"Yeah? What about it?" Sam questioned, a little bit defensive as one hand clenched. Aidan merely puffed out a little bit of air, "Just glad that guy got caught. Last I heard he was stealing a lot of supplies of the caravans."

The Scorbunny relaxed, "Well… I just hope the bastard stays locked up." He growled, leaning back onto his own bed. "So, what brings you all the way out here then Aidan? Wanted to be the rebellious kid?"

A quiet laugh rang out from across the room, "Heh, that's part of it! But I also wanted to get onto the trials over here."

Sam cast a confused look over at him, and the Froakie could only wince. "Ah, yeah. Trials for the new Exploration Teams. Figured I might as well take advantage of the opportunities before they dry up. Years ago near enough anyone could form a Team, but now prospective teams have to actually go through tests for a Guild, or get selected by a Society. It's mainly making sure everyone is the best of the best."

Sam smiled, Exploration Teams, huh? Well, if there are bunch of new islands showing up, no wonder people want to jump on that. "Definitely can't blame you, if it's all as hyped up to be."

"Oh, it is." Aidan replied, "It ain't easy, and the early teams had to go through hell and back."

"Disasters and all that." Sam said almost lazily.

"Err… yeah, the first round of disasters."

Huh? Sam sat back up, frowning. "This stuff… has happened before?"

"Yeah. There was a bunch of natural disasters over fifteen years ago, similar to what is happening now apparently. But other stuff happened before and after that aswell. The last big crisis was around… six years ago now?"

The Scorbunny felt a shiver run down his spine, "So… these disasters has happened over the last 16 years?"

"A bit longer than that actually but yeah, although it's not just disasters. Last time round the world pretty much nearly died."

"H-How…"

"The planet nearly got thrown into the sun." Aidan said without a shred of hesitation. "Yeah, that was pretty shitty. I mean, friends getting turned to stone? Not exactly my fondest mem-h-hey, are you okay?"

Sam blinked, "H-Huh?"

"You're… shaking quite a bit."

Sam looked down to find his arms were shivering uncontrollably, and even his feet were beginning to twitch. "S-Sorry." He replied, taking in a deep gasp of breath. "I… I just didn't think things were this bad."

Aidan leaned forward a little bit, eyes flicking across the Scorbunny's body… only to spring back up with a big grin on his face, "Hey, don't worry about it. These disasters aren't as bad as those fifteen years ago, and they have just been on and off for the last year. Sure, they can be pretty nasty, but it's not the worse we've had to deal with."

Letting out a shaky sigh, the former human forced his limbs to still. A part of him wanted to trust Aidan, take his word as gospel. But seeing Rex's… tired remark about them… he was wary to write them off.

"By the way." Aidan started again, "Do you have any plans yourself? I mean, even with amnesia you've got to be have some ideas in mind."

"Honestly?" Sam said, "I'm not sure. I don't even know how I got here." He rubbed his eyes, trying to ponder what he could do.

"You know… there is a rule saying that all Pokémon have to be part of a team if they want to join a Guild. They can't work alone." Aidan explained, leaning forward a little bit. "I was going to try and join up with another team but… if you want, we can, you know… team up."

Sam flicked an ear to one side, nibbling on his lip. Wait… is Aidan asking me to join him? On an exploration team?

"I mean, you jumped in when Alice was being an ass. And you seem like you can hold your own. Heck, you survived against that Swampert. Not many unevolved Pokémon never mind fire-types could do that. With us working together, hell, maybe we can go up against the likes of ACT or Charm or something. And help a few people out on the way too." Flashing another smile, Aidan extended a hand out.

Sam didn't move, his mind already spinning. This is kinda out of the blue isn't it?! I mean, he's literally just recruiting me to join a team on the spot! Exploring is one thing but dealing with crooks… The Scorbunny stiffened, feeling a shudder run across his body again. It's gonna be dangerous, I barely managed to survive out there last time…

The hand pulled back, "Well… you… did get hurt out there. Sorry, I shouldn't had asked so so-"

"Sure."

The Froakie blinked, tongue hanging in the air almost comically as the word died. "W-What?"

Sam flicked an ear as he rubbed his hands together. "Sure, why not." He said warmly, "If I don't chances are I'll end up stuck… I don't know, working a shop or something. That'd be boring as hell!"

That and… well… I've got a feeling that if I join an Exploration Team, I might get a better idea of what happened to me. Might jog my memory I guess."

"Well, great!" Aidan cheered, "But, are you sure? No guarantee we can get on the team roster."

"Just gotta give it our best shot then." Sam replied, sticking out his hand, "So, partners?"

Aidan winked, "You've gotcha 'self a deal!" he said, happily slapping the hand hard enough to send a throb running up his arm. "No need to worry about naming the team yet, let's just get a headstart first."

"Sounds good." Sam nodded, "Might as well focus on getting that-"

His words teetered off as the realisation slammed into his gut. Yeah… the moves… His face must have twisted too, given the Froakie's grimace. "Dude… you okay? You're not having second thoughts now right?"

Sam shook his head, "Oh- nope, not that… Aidan… this is kinda embarrassing but… can you… err… teach me something?"

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER IX – BY THE WAY, HOW DO I FIREBALL?​

The office had been hollowed out at the top of the Guild section of the Tree more recently than most, but it had been given a much more careful touch than most. It was actually an two tier room with a short set of stone stairs connecting the two together. All the walls were lined with a combination of cabin logs running horizontally and metal support beams set vertically. The lower floor was lined with a selection of cabinets containing what appeared to be a few odds and trinkets. A few rocks and crystals, a miniature telescope, goblets, a few images etched onto canvas… even a photograph of all things. At the centre of that level was a pair of couches facing each other with a table in between, both made of a fairly basic canvas. The upper level was much the same, only the cabinets had been replaced by bookshelves and the sofas replaced with one large wooden desk and chairs, and further past them, a large window overlooking Robinswood from above.

Rex sighed as he leaned back into his high backed chair, rubbing his fist carefully. "I'm getting too old for this…" he uttered, keeping his eyes shut. "Esper, I know you are there."

One side of the upper tier was partly hidden in shadow by a set of curtains, and with a rustle of canvas, a Meowstic emerged in front of the Blaziken. It's mostly white fur contrasted with the red and yellow eyes she possessed. She let out a slight little grin, swiping back a tuff of blue fur on her head. "Sorry, I just figured I'd get here early."

"How long have you been here?"

"Only five minutes, judging from what you have been doing for the last ten minutes."

Rex let out an amused huff, "I know Authur was singing his praises about you, but you never cease to surprise me."

Esper flashed a little wink as she sat down, "Well, tricking a brainwashed mastermind into thinking I had betrayed my actual friends as a kid during an world ending event did have it's perks."

"You're still a teenager." Rex pointed out.

"I'm eighteen." She replied, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I found pulling that trick off kind of neat." She gazed down at the Blaziken rubbing his wrist. On cue, Rex ceased. "I'm fine, I only had to punch Greg once to get him to calm down. He's tenacious that Swampert, I'll give him that." He leaned onto the desk, "I'm guessing you have kept an eye on our new guest?"

"Always. One way or another."

"And what do you think?"

"The amnesia sounds familiar… but it's not the first time we've had a Pokémon suffer that." She gave a relaxed shrug, "I sensed some confusion but there was nothing malicious. A little bit of wounded pride at worse."

The Guildmaster scratched underneath his beak, "Hmm… it didn't seem like he knew how to use Ember of all things… that might be the source of it."

"Especially with that amnesia." Esper confirmed, "But I don't think we have to worry about him. I've already heard from Jack that Sam is settling in with Aidan."

"The rich kid from Sand? Well, he seems to have a decent head on his shoulders. More than his family at least."

"They're businessfolk, there is always something quiet going on behind the scenes."

"Well, you're not wrong there." Rex lifted himself back up to his feet and stepped up to the window, looking over the town below. "Let's just keep an eye on him, from a distance."

"Jack can keep checking over him, though getting the whole of Team Spirit involved wouldn't be a bad idea."

Rex shook his head, "He's already been through a lot, we'll hold back on that for now. Let him get settled in. He should be fine in the short term anyway."

"Of course." Esper replied with a little purr, "By the way-"

Rex sighed, raising an arm up to stop her, "Let me guess, you pre-empted me on the mail."

Something flopped onto the table behind him, "Sorry." She said with a slight tease in her voice, "Didn't want the old man to tire himself out."

Unable to stop himself, Rex could only let a short, but hearty laugh ring out as he turned and picked up the envelope on the table. "I'm not that old yet Esper." He rolled one shoulder as he began to open the package. "You know, when I took up the Guildmaster post for Robinswood, I thought it would be a nice, quiet job before retiring and looking after the kid."

Esper flicked an ear over, "Not what you were expecting?"

He could only snort in response, "Don't get me wrong, getting to run off on a mission once in a while never gets old. And managing the teams and that behind the scenes? Always a honor. But…" he let loose a moan as he rubbed his head, "The paperwork is ridiculous, as is the politics. And I didn't plan on going out that often. Especially with the resurgence in disasters, I didn't think I would have to deal with that again."

"Well, that's why you took me on remember?" Esper said, pushing herself out of the seat. "Without me, you would be neck deep in stuff before the end of the week."

"You're not wrong on that." Rex chuckled, finally opening the letter and scanning through it's contents. But then the humour disappeared from his face, his eyes narrowing as his beak clicked. Esper crossed her arms, her ears twitching just a little bit. "I don't have to be psychic to see something's wrong. What is it?"

Stiffly, Rex handed the letter back over to Esper. As she scanned the document though, her eyes began to widen, red pupils narrowing into finer slits. "No… all that-"

"Why bother sending it otherwise?" Rex said woodenly as the Meowstic scanned it all again. "As a result of this, reorganisation…" she shook her head for a second, scanning the letter a third time. "They... they're actually doing it?"

"Yes." Rex replied with a sigh, eyes shutting. "I didn't think the day would come."

*****​

The pebble bounced off the tree with a harmless ping, flying back off into the grass. "Oh come on!" Sam cursed, booting another stone away. This time, it merely flew off into a bush and out of sight.

"Damn." Aidan uttered, face blushing. "I didn't think you were this bad!"

The Scorbunny groaned, "Thanks for the support."

Sam and Aidan were behind the barracks. Whilst there was a dedicated training round being built elsewhere around Robinswoood, there wasn't exactly anywhere else ideal to get some practice in. Besides, according to Aidan a good few Pokémon just resorted to trying things in their back yards or… well, behind the barrack buildings.

"Maybe you are just overthinking it?" Aidan mused, his bubbly mane hanging down to one side. "It's normally supposed to b-ugh!" Groaning, the Froakie rubbed his head, eyes and lips squeezed tight. Sam's eyes widened, "Hey, mate? A-Are you okay?" he asked, placing one hand on the frog's shoulder.

"I'm fine!" he gasped, shaking his head before steadying himself. "Just a headache." He turned back to Sam, a sheepish smile on his face. "I'm was going to say that normally using powers is some kind of instinct."

Sam could only growl a response. "I-I just-grr!" he clenched one fist tight. "I managed to use an Ember… I think it was anyway. All I did was kick a pebble and it caught fire, that was it!"

"Okay okay." Aidan said, motioning with his hands. "We don't need another Alice running around."

"Well, I doubt I could be, especially when she nearly punched my head off!" he snapped before letting out a heavy sigh, "Sorry, but if I can't figure out how to do this kind of stuff, I'll just end up ruining your chances…"

"Eh, don't worry. We'll figure it out. Besides, you could be paired up with Alice or some other loudmouth who will love to scream in your face all day."

Unable to stop it rising up, Sam let out a little chuckle. "Fair point." But then the thought settled in, "Actually… what is Alice's problem anyway? When did she turn into a badass?"

…

"Not that kind of badass, I mean like bad-ass. With a hole on the end."

Sam could tell Aidan wanted to laugh at that, but the chuckle died on his lips. "Honestly? I don't know. I've only heard rumours. Some about how she's cursed."

"Huh." Sam replied, the Scorbunny rubbing the back of his head, "I know there's a move called that, but… I don't think that's how it works."

"It doesn't." Aidan confirmed, "But most I've spoken to have said she has always been a bit… outspoken. She's tried to push people around left and right, often breathing down their necks… getting into fights…." He shook his head, "Honestly? I don't know about much on this 'cursed' nonsence, but she's just a selfish bitch, I don't really see her doing much to actually, you know, help people."

Cursed? Fights? Sam could only tap the back of his head with a single finger, I mean, rumours are just that. Rumours. But even so… eh… probably best to just be careful around her. "Right, well, hopefully she won't try and beat my head in again." He looked down at the small pile of pebbles that he had been using as, for the lack of a better word, ammo. "Although another hit might do a little bit to help."

Aidan frowned, eyes flicking upwards towards the treetops. "Hmm… the Scorbunny family has organs that flare up… they can heat things up via friction…" he clicked his fingers, "Maybe we're doing this all wrong. You're trying to will Ember to work, right?"

The Scorbunny nodded back as Aidan hopped back over, "Then how about feeling it?"

Sam could only jerk back, "What?" he questioned, feeling his throat tighten.

"No, seriously, it's a good idea. How did you feel like when you used Ember the first time?"

Shaking his head, Sam nevertheless leaned back and closed his eyes. He tried to look back at that moment, when the Pidgey came diving down towards Rex. "I… I was desperate…" he whispered. "Why?" Aidan questioned softly.

"Rex was about to get attacked from behind… after seeing the bodies… I… I…" His chest immediately clenched, the image of that dead Pikachu flashing across his vision. Eyes snapping open, Sam backed up, his breath quickening. "No no… I can't do this."

"Yes you can!" Aidan urged, a soft hand settling onto his shoulder. "You can do this."

"I can't! I can't keep them out of my head!" Sam snapped, shaking the hand free. "I should have been able to do something more!"

"You were angry?" the Froakie questioned.

"I was! I was scared shitless, I saw that damn Pidgey come back in! I didn't want those bastards to hurt anyone else!" His face burned in a mixture of rage and grief, his feet quivered and his chest began to heat up. "And I didn't want to feel so bloody worthless!" Roaring, he booted another pebble with a flash of light, the stone ignited. Sam could only gasp as the Ember shot across the clearing and struck one of the trees, glowing bark splintering away as the fireball burnt it's way in.

As it faded away, Sam blinked, staring at the smoking dent left in the side of the tree, his heart pumping hard. "How… how did I…"

Aidan chuckled next to him, "Of course. Emotions."

"Huh?"

"Scorbunnies and their evolutions rely on emotions to pump them up, plus a little bit of friction to get things sparked up." The Froakie explained. "What did you feel then?"

Hesitating, Sam closed his eyes, trying to retreat back inwards, "I… I felt warm all over… like something was burning in me…"

"Good." Aidan stated, more assertive now. "Focus on that. Think about something that happened to you, feel that emotion, let it heat you up."

Nodding, Sam focused again, But what memory can I use? I can't just use that anger all the time… maybe I can use… happiness? He nearly shook his head at that, his body stiffening. No… that's a stupid idea… unless…

Taking in a breath, his body relaxed. He rolled the memories through his mind, soaking in the details. Sam recalled those emotions he felt, as it happened. The good and the bad.

And slowly… his face and feet warmed up again, and his chest flared up.

His eyes snapped open, and eying a stone that was lying on it's own, he flicked it up and onto his foot. As it darkened, he started to kick it. Not away from him, but up in the air in front of him, every little touch from his foot or knee causing a little flicker of flame to flow around it until finally, a tiny little fireball was being juggled between his feet. He smiled as he caught Aidan's mouth dropping in surprise, his chest burning up, as if his very core was on fire. Powering him on. He booted it up once more, but instead of kicking it again, he snapped his hand out and grabbed hold of it. The heat flared up in his fingers, and immediately dissipated. Releasing his grasp, all that was left was a charred little stone.

"Okay dude, that was awesome!" Aidan exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "How did you do that? What did you use?"

A little voice in the corner of Sam's mind wanted to brag about it, but he held back, and merely pulled a little smile. "It was just…" he let out a soft sigh before looking over to the Froakie. "Just thinking about folks welcoming me here, you included." Feeling his face heat up again, Sam's ears dropped a bit. "That felt… just nice."

Aidan flashed a grin as he clapped the Scorbunny's back. "Either way, good to see you getting to grips with those powers again." He did a mock fist pump, "Looks like we can-"

A deep rumble echoed through the trees, Sam wincing as his ears recoiled from the sound. "The hell!". He grabbed onto his ears and yanked them down, trying to blot out the noise jabbing at his ear drums. Luckily, a couple of seconds later, the rumble faded away. "The town horn…" Aidan said with a hint of realisation, "Not often they sound that, come on, we better get over to the square."

Groaning, Sam released the ears even if was still a faint ringing in them, "What's going on?"

"Just a town meeting." Aidan confirmed happily, "Nothing to worry about!"

…

As it turned out. It was something to worry about.

Spoiler: Author's Note

Enjoy another cameo from the old games!

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER X – WHAT AM I DOING HERE?​

Robinswood's Square was already rammed by the time Sam and Aidan had got there. Pokémon of all different shapes and sizes were gathered around the foot of the Guild Tree, chattering amongst themselves at what the meeting was being called for. An update? A vote? The question ran through the crowd like wildfire.

"Damn it." Aidan hissed, "We'll never get a good view through all this.".

The little Froakie narrowed his eyes, trying to peer through the mass of people ahead of them. Sam could only feel a sense of surprise at that sea of Pokemon, so thick that he couldn’t even see a few metres into the crowd’s legs, nevermind the entrance of the tree itself.

He couldn’t shake that feeling of being so… small.

I… I think I was taller as a human.

Frowning, he turned towards the frog, "Everyone wasn't kidding on Pokémon flooding in here. Think we can get round?"

"Agh, I doubt we can without taking time." He groaned, tugging at his mane. "That's if we don't get stomped on by accident!"

Stomped on huh? Then we just need some high ground. Sam began to peer deeper into the crowd, trying to not stare at the legs and instead through them.

Now… when I went through with Rex, I thought I saw- he saw the flash of dark wood in the crowd, complete with the crate's reinforcements. Bingo.

Flashing a little grin, he tapped on Aidan's shoulder. "Come on, I've figured out where we can go!".

With Sam leading the way for once, the two worked their way through the crowd, their voices still ringing above and around his head. Once they had actually cleared through the outer wall, he noticed that several of the Pokémon present were not that much bigger or smaller than himself, albeit many more were also a good bit bigger too regardless. That at the very least made it a bit easier for them to navigate their way towards Sam's target. A stack of wooden crates that had been gathering at the centre of the square.

As the Scorbunny grabbed hold of the first crate, his ears jerked back as Aidan quietly coughed behind him, arms crossed. "Yeah… Froakie aren't known for climbing."

Sam could only return a sheepish grin as he shrugged, "Eh… come on, I'll give you a hand."

It took a bit more effort than he thought to help Aidan up the crates. Grunting, he couldn't help but wonder why the hell Aidan couldn't make the climb. Only for the latter to assure him he could, but it wasn't easy over steep surfaces. Even with his arms aching though, it didn't take them long to reach the topmost crates, offering them a clean view of the tree's entrance even if a few Pokémon still blocked the view. Either way, it was better than fighting their way to the front.

"I take it back." Aidan moaned, rubbing one of his legs as he sat down. "I'd rather get trampled."

"Hey, we're up here now." Sam stressed, "Besides, we've got a good view from here."

"I suppose you're right." Aidan replied with a pant, settling down to get a good view of the tree entrance as he rubbed his head again.

Sam looked over at him, his gut tightening into a knot as he reached for the final crate. "Hey… are you ok-"

His hand touched something fluffy, "Oi!"

He recoiled hard enough that he could feel his foot slip off the crates. Gasping, he clamped his second hand down onto the wood. The brown, furred hand jerked away as a familiar rabbit looked down at him, face twisted in disgust. Sam's heart nearly exploded in his chest.

"You…" Alice growled, one coiled ear already twitching. "What do y-"

"Wait wait!" Sam yelped, replanting his feet with a crack and snapping his paws up in surrender. "Alice, don't punch my lights out!"

The Buneary seemed to stiffen, but the ear stopped twitching. In stark comparison, the Scorbunny almost melted with relief, his body shivering for a second. "I've already been knocked in the head twice now, I'd rather not have a repeat thanks!"

Only then did Alice finally seemed to relax a little bit, even if the one ear remained coiled in and ready to spring. The disgust itself faded away, and the corner of her mouth ended up twitching up. Sam blinked, his mind going blank. Wait… did she just smirk?

Her eyes drifted off him, and immediately narrowed. "Ah, you got another kid wrapped round your finger Aidan?" she questioned coldly.

"Last time." Sam growled, "Not a kid."

Aidan on the other hand glared at the Buneary harshly enough that he half thought he was going to claw at her. "Keep it up and I might push you off that crate Alice." He grumbled, still rubbing his head.

Alice only closed her eyes and jerked her head back and crossed her arms in such a way her very posture seemed to scream 'I don't give a shit'.

She didn't move from that pose as she spoke again, "Humph, maybe you shouldn't try hiding things as much like your rich family."

Aidan's eyes flashed red, a low growl rumbling up from within the frog's chest. "Don't compare me to my family you c-"

"Enough!" Sam snapped, that fire burning up in his chest as he stepped between the two. "Can we just agree to have a ceasefire until after this meeting!?" He glanced between the two of them, mentally begging them just to hold back, "Please?".

Eyes still fixed on the Buneary, Aidan didn't even glance over at the Scorbunny, lips twitching as if he was readying an attack. Alice meanwhile merely opened one eye, staring the Froakie down from her high perch. Sam himself only tensioned, ready to push them back down if they tried clawing at each other's throats.

But Aidan finally sighed, rubbing his forehead once more. "Alright, if only so we don't have to climb something else."

Alice merely looked away with little more than a grunt.

Legs shivering beneath him, Sam slumped against the crate, his ears drooping in front of his face. Damn… have I actually stopped fighting someone at least once since I've woken up?

…

Okay, stupid question.

Sam (and his ears) shot back upright as the sharp whistle pierced the air, his ears stinging from the call. Rubbing them, he looked back towards the tree, where standing at the entrance was the tall, red form of the Blaziken Rex. A few other Pokémon stood close by to his side, most notably a white and blue Pokémon that looked… like a Meowstic? He thought that was what they were anyway.

Sam had expected a few waves, or a warm greeting. But instead, each of the Pokémon up there looked… downhearted and depressed. Even Rex just seemed so tired, it was as if the entire world was resting on his shoulders.

This… doesn't look good…

The chatter faded away, as the crowd turned its attention on the Guild master. Sam glanced over at the two Pokémon by his side, Aidan's head was tilted to one side in confusion, whilst Alice was leaning forward, looking less angry and more curious.

The Blaziken took a breath, steadying himself, and stepped up towards the crowd. "Thank you all for coming at short notice." He started, his eyes drifting across the crowd. "I'm not one for speeches, so I will cut straight to the point. You are all aware of the resurgence of the natural disasters through the world, some of which we've already had to deal with here in the Sea of Wonders."

A quiet murmur briefly spread through the crowd, and Sam glanced down at Aidan, whose face was like stone as he watched the scene.

"I have just received word from the Council." Rex continued, holding up a sheet of paper above his head. "I won't sugar-coat what it says."

Closing his eyes, the guild master seemed to prepare himself mentally, before focusing once more on the crowd. "A massive earthquake has struck the Mist Continent… and Harbour Town was destroyed."

The crowd exploded, shouts and cries ringing across the square as one messy chorus, so incoherent that Sam could barely make out anything between the panicking masses and the Blaziken barking for some order.

"-at? How-?"

"-eed to get hom-"

"Oh for f-"

"Not again-"

Sam's head snapped side to side again, confusion gripping him. Adian's face now even more set, frozen in place. Alice's eyes widening, leaning forward… and one hand gently shaking.

Earthquake? A town destroyed? What the hell?! I know earthquakes can be bad, but a whole tow-

The scream slammed into him like a missile, crying out as the sound stabbed at his ears. Grabbing hold, he yanked them down, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to block out the scream. But a second later, it faded away, and his ears still ringing, he opened up his eyes to find one of the Meowstic's ears dropping back down. The crowd was more silent, save for a low murmur throughout the crowd. Rex looked back towards the white and blue mon; a 'brow' raised a touch. "Thank you Esper."

He turned back towards the gathered Pokémon. "I don't know all the details, but I must ask you all to remain calm."

What was left of that murmur faded away, clearing the air for the Blaziken to continue, "All I know is an earthquake struck the town a few days ago, and the other towns on the Continent, Post Town especially, are already working to try and help whoever is still in the ruins. Now, I know some of you are from Harbour Town, I've have already sent a message to the docks to clear you for a departure as soon as possible.”

The crowd started to fall into worried chatter again, only for the guildmaster to raise his hands. “I have to ask everyone else to hold fire.” Rex insisted, getting the settlers to once more calm themselves, “The last thing the Rescuers on Mist Continent need is too many teams to manage. If you wish to help, send supplies with those cleared to head there."

A few approving voices rose amongst the Pokémon, Sam couldn't help but agree with that approach himself. Every hand could help, but if there was so many scrambling to help, it could cause even more issues.

"Some of you probably don't remember the first disasters from 16 years ago, but many will know that the disasters never actually reached the settlements the last time save for minor incidents."

Sighing, Rex clicked his beak. "We don't know if this is a one-off event, but the Council and the different Continent leaders do not want to take any chances. The same goes with the Exploration Committee."

He opened up the letter in his grasp, took one glance through it and finally returned his gaze back onto the crowd.

"Therefore, the Committee has put through an organisational change to all active Guilds and Societies across the known world, as per the suggestion of the leaders of all five Continents, that all Exploration Teams are rendered reorganised and put under the direct monitoring of a new Emergency Body in response to the increase in natural disasters.” He explained, “All Exploration Teams will be reformed as Rescue Teams, with their primary focus returned back to Rescue operations. Exploration will take a much more reduced role."


The crowd descended into a quiet murmur again, a few shouts rising up too little avail.

"Shit." Alice quietly said, leaning back on her crate. "No wonder they called the meeting."

Sam glanced over at her, "I thought these disasters weren't that big?"

"Well… I was wrong." Aidan said stiffly, eyes still fixed ahead, "Rescue Teams again… that's… interesting…"

Alice narrowed her eyes again, crossing her arms across her chest. "For once, we agree. And you've been living under a rock if you didn't think the disasters were big."

Sam slumped further against the crate, "Yeah… I suppose I have…"

That was when you had enough.

You drifted forward, silently towards the Scorbunny's side. You wanted to reach out, lay a hand on his shoulder. He shouldn't be here… not like this… not without… something…

All you wanted was to… help him…

The fur on the back of his neck rose up.

Withdraw! Withdraw Now!

A weight settled onto Sam's back, and his head snapped round, looking for whatever was there.

Nothing. Just a few more Pokémon looking past the crates. A Onix, towering over the bulk of the crowd, noticed, and narrowed their eyes. "Kid, what are you looking at?"

Sam hesitated, the weight fading away into nothing. What… what was that?

"Kid?"

Sam took a breath, and shook his head. "Nothing… it was… nothing."

"Whilst the Societies will focus on researching the disasters, the Guilds, including Robinswood Guild will need to stay on standby in case anything else happens." Rex continued, dragging Sam's attention back to the front. "I know some of the Teams here came to explore, but now, if you can assist us in these duties, myself and the rest of the Guild would be deeply in your debt."

The guild master crossed his arms, relaxing now the news was out, "Hopefully this will just be a one off false alarm, and we can all get back to exploring the Sea of Wonders fully, but in case it isn't…"

He let those words settle in, the low murmur rising up again as he glanced back more towards Esper, who stepped on forward herself. "Because of this, I've bringing forward the trials for new Rescue Teams to tomorrow." She explained, "So best prepare yourselves, we'll be starting early."

She stepped back, allowing Rex to take centre stage once more. "That is all. I wish I could bring better news, but I won't leave you all in the dark either. If you want to inquire me about anything, you know where to find me."

Rex turned, and walked on back into the Tree in silence. "Alright everyone!" someone bellowed, "Back to your business!"

The normal chit-chat once more resurfacing, the Pokémon slowly began to disperse, heading back into the trees, the town and across the square. Sam pushed himself off the crate. "Well… that wasn't exactly…"

"Pleasant?" Alice asked.

"I was going to say cheery but yeah, that works too."

She merely shrugged, "Well, it's about time we focused on dealing with this crap again."

Sam glanced over at her, still unmoving from her perch, before turning back to Aidan, who was now stroking his own mane again, his gaze focused on the stage. "Hey Aidan…"

Aidan didn’t seem to react at first, at least, not physically,"If you want to bow out, I won't blame you." The Froakie stated, finally turning back towards him. "I know you didn't sign up for rescues."

Straightening up, Sam shook his head, "No, it's fine." He stated firmly, placing a hand onto his hip. "We're still helping people. I'm not buggering off now."

At last, Aidan's eyes brightened. "Well… thanks…"

"Eh, don't mention it!" The Scorbunny turned back towards his fellow rabbit, "So Alice, any pl-"

But he only found an empty space on the crate. Alice was already gone.

"…let's… let's just get out of here." Sam said, ears dipping, "Sounds like we've got a long day tomorrow."

---

You watched as the Scorbunny and the Froakie clambered down the from the crates, far more quickly than when they originally climbed up. Quietly talking between themselves, the two set off back down the paths towards the barracks.

You're lucky he couldn't see you. Only sense your presence.

That entity hung on you like a shadow, keeping you close as you watch the two Pokémon… the human included, depart. I can understand your desire to help him… but you need to restrain yourself. He can look after himself. We do not need to have him looking for something that doesn't seem to be there… no offense.

The presence shifted, I have been aware of these disasters myself for some time… I was around when the first wave plagued the world… right up until that meteor was blown out of the sky by the Legendary Sky Pokémon, Rayquaza. Well, the disasters continued, but not quite as intensely as before. But even then… other than one or two minor incidents, not one settlement was destroyed last time.

To have one be destroyed now… especially when coupled with Sam's arrival… this only confirms that this world is in grave danger. But from what? I do not know…

…I must investigate this… if there is any link between the old disasters and this new wave, I will find it. In the meantime, keep watch over Sam… and be wary. I cannot know for certain but… I sensed… no… I cannot confirm it. Just be cautious. I'll be here, if you need me.

The presence withdrew, and emboldened, you drifted down the trail yourself… after Sam…

---

Stars twinkled in the sky outside of the window, and the light had been dimmed down above their heads. A little bit of chit-chat still crept through the closed door, but otherwise, the barracks were increasingly quiet.

Sam was laid flat on his bed, his eyes fixed on the window. His mind deep in thought. He tried to process everything that has happened so far. What these disasters actually were, how violent they must be. He focused his gaze on one particularly bright star hanging out in the window, thinking on how distant it was from all of this… criminals murdering Pokémon out in the sticks… entire towns destroyed… part of him thought a world filled of Pokémon would at least be all cherry-cream puff.

He let out a sigh, he supposed that would be… too naïve. Alice might be still be an ass, but she was right about one thing. He had no idea what this world was really like.

"Hey, Sam."

He glanced over at Aidan, already settled in his own bed, hands resting on his stomach and eyes fixed on the ceiling. "How you holding up?"

"Fine." The Scorbunny replied, looking back at the ceiling above his bunk, "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Well…" he hesitated, fiddling on the bed, "Everything. I woke up in a forest, with no idea how I got there. Only to find all this shit happening."

"It's been happening for years now." Aidan replied, "It's nothing new."

"That doesn't make things any better." Sam spat back, eyes flicking back over at the frog.

Aidan let out a heavy sigh, "Look." The Froakie rolled over to focus his attention on Sam, "The best we can do is just get through these trial's and try and help as many people as we can. Best hold back on trying to be heroes."

Sam chewed his lip, a debate raging in his mind. Should I tell him? About me being human? I mean, I can’t keep quiet about this forever. Just to bounce everything off someone would be a big help.

"Yeah…" he started, "Aidan? Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

He opened his mouth, about the question at the tip of his tongue, at the ready. "Have…"

Something yanked him back, begging him to stop, seriously consider things before actually revealing who he was. No… he might not even know who a human is. And if he did, how would he react? For all I know, humans could be like demons or something to Pokémon!

And so, he shook his head. "…never mind, let's just focus on tomorrow."

The Froakie held his gaze on the rabbit for a moment longer, as if trying to encourage him to open up. "Well… alright then." Aidan replied, not waiting any longer, "I'm going to sleep. Night."

"Night."

It didn't take long for the entire barracks to fall silent, but even then, Sam didn't fall to sleep straight away. His mind still focused on the state of the world… and his place in it. He just wasn't sure if joining an explorati- no- a rescue team would answer all of that.

But I suppose it's a starting point.

Eventually, his eyelids growing ever heavier, Sam finally gave in, and drifted off to sleep…

---

From the darkness, the colours returned. Melding and shifting with the full spectrum as they flowed before him. I… it's the place again…

Am… am I dreaming?

The little star faintly started to shine amongst the colours, flickering in intensity. It's… it's you. What's going on? Where are we?

The light's flickering grew more erratic, as if blinking for attention. Sam tried to reach out, only find his body was once more gone. What? I can't hear you…

The star faded away into the sea of colours. N-No! Wait! Don't go! I need to know what you want!

The drowsiness returned, the lights beginning to fade away as Sam slipped back into unconsciousness.

He only had the strength to say one final thing.

Please… why… what am I doing here? Why…

And soon, the darkness brought him back into its embrace.

Spoiler: Author's Note

And that is everything upto date. All future chapters after this are going to be completely new ones! Hope this serves as a solid start!

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER XI – MEETING THE COMPETITION​

When you expect someone or something to wake you up, you would normally expect a gentle shake on the shoulder, or a rather annoying alarm to ring next to you in the morning to bring up back into the real world. If you were unlucky, you might get startled by someone shouting through your door. You know, the usual stuff.

What Sam was never prepared for was the scream to come barrelling down his ears.

"ELLO! IT'S TIME TO PARTY!!!"

Sam jerked in his bed; his limbs locked into place as his eardrums cried in agony. What in the name of-. He only had control over his eyes, if barely as they rolled over to one side. In the doorway, flapping the wings excitably with widened eyes was a black and purple bat, with ears that resembled… loudspeakers?

A-A Noibat? Kin-

"HEY!" she screamed, immediately causing his body to stiffen even more as his ears were assault. Across the room, Aidan too was frozen in place, his eyes squeezed shut as he was frozen in place. "HEY! WE'VE GOT TRIALS!" the Noibat bleeped out, "GOTTA GET OVER TO THE TREE UNLESS YOU WANT TO MISS IT ALL!".

She began to drift out… only to flutter back in. "Sorry about the volume!" she teased, "Easiest way to get everyone up!".

With that, she flew on out, leaving the two-half frozen on their beds, their limbs locked in place and unable to move. Sam's ears rung as if a jackhammer was still slamming into his head, blocking out his thoughts.

An uncomfortable thirty seconds later, and Aidan finally spoke. "T-T-That.... w-was… lou-ud…"

Sam shivered, trying to will his muscles to move, his ears still ringing. "My. Ear. Drums. Are. Leaking!"

He blinked, feeling his arms beginning to sink. "Why. The hell. Would She. Wake us-"

Oh shit!

In that instant, Sam's muscles relaxed, and the Scorbunny sprung upright, his head spinning around to find the sunlight shining. "Damn it, what time is it!?"

"W-What do you-"

The Froakie's eyes snapped open, the frog rolling off his bed and landing with the grace of a brick. "The trials! Shit! I forgot that was happening!” He cursed, reaching into a half open drawer for a small mechanic device, “Shit! We need to get over to the tree in about ten minutes!”

Sam threw himself off his own bed, helping prone Aidan upright. "We better get moving!"

"E…err, can I pack a bag?" Aidan moaned, shaking his head sharply.

"Who gives a shit!" Sam barked, "Didn't you say we were getting better bags anyway? Let's just get there and deal with it all later!"

---

As it turned out, the Noibat's overblown wakeup scream had actually done the two a favour. That Esper wasn't kidding about getting up early. The sun had only just cleared the horizon, shining through the trees and leaving much of the considerably quiet square covered in shadow. Panting, the two partners would stumble upon a cluster of Pokémon, many of whom Sam recognised from the large group he came across in the barracks just the previous day. A collection of crates had been laid out in front of the entrance, with the entire group spread out amongst them.

Aidan flashed an exhausted grin, "Phew…" he uttered, "We're not late."

Sam was in a little bit of a worse state, panting as he leaned over with his hands clamped to his legs, his heart pounding. "I… I'm…. definitely… not… used to… running… with these legs…"

I guess… that run from the barracks is a lot longer… than my… err… escape.

"Hey Aidan! You made it!"

Blinking, Sam looked up to find the familiar blue and green shape of the Bulbasaur approach, a massive grin on his lips. "Bruce." Aidan said warmly, hopping forward to greet the reptile. "I have to admit it… but if it wasn't for Nia… we might have been in trouble."

The Scorbunny growled, pushing himself back upright. "Yeah… by deafening us! My ears have only just stopped ringing!"

Both the Froakie and the Bulbasaur visibly winced, the former already rubbing the side of his head. "Yeah." Bruce started, eyes dipping downwards. "She can't really help it… but still… when she did it to me, I couldn't get up for about twenty minutes."

He turned towards the Scorbunny, "Hey, I didn't actually thank you for helping me with that cursed idiot. What was your name again?"

Sam resisted the urge to frown, still unsure of what this 'curse' was all about. "It's Sam, and yeah, I couldn't let you get hurt."

"I appreciate it. That bitch was stupidly strong, I don't know how she did it."

Sam nodded back, "Well, that ear-punch was enough for me." He glanced past the Bulbasaur towards the other Pokémon gathered round. "I'm guessing you are taking part in the trials?"

"Yeah! With Team Forest."

"Forest?" Aidan mused, "But we're not signing names yet."

"Eh… we figured we might as well go ahead with it, make us work even harder."

Bruce glanced back towards the gathered Pokémon. "We've got about five teams here, six if…" his eyes widened a touch, "Wait, you two are going in as a Team?"

Aidan flashed a big grin, "Correcto mundo."

"Well, looks like you'll both be quite th-"

"Are you kidding me!?"

The three spun back towards the tree… where they found most of the Pokémon once more facing a very familiar Buneary. Only this time, Alice wasn't alone.

The Noibat, Nia, was there, along with what appeared to be a strangely coloured… guinea pig? For some reason though, it reminded him of a Pikachu and yet… wait… isn't that a Morpeko?

One of the Pokémon who was staring them down was considerably taller than most of the others, resembling a goat with a leafy green mane around its neck. They booted a hoof into the ground, eyes narrowed as they stared down the three Pokémon. "You are partnering with her?" They asked questioned, fixing their gaze on the Buneary.

Alice merely shrugged, arms crossed, "Honestly? I'm surprised they even offered me a place."

Nia was now firmly on the ground, but she had a giant grin on her face. "Oh come on! Why pass up her skills? Besides, I bet she's actually a big softie inside!"

"She is not." Alice replied quietly, with a tone that suggested that she was more bored than bothered.

Sam blinked, his mind trying to ponder what had been said or done for Alice to even sign onto a team in the first place. She wants to take part in the trials?

He turned to question Aidan about it, only to blink when he realised that Aidan and Bruce had already scampered on ahead towards the gathering group. I really need to keep up with people! He thought, as he sprinted after them.

"She's a real piece of work." The Skiddo grunted, "Do you really want her barking down your earhole all day?"

The Morpeko shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, "Hey… I don't like her either… but she knows her stuff."

"Yeah, in pissing people off!" barked a Skorupi, clicking their pincers together. "She'll probably leave you for dead before you know it!"

Alice narrowed her eyes, an ear twitching once as she took a step forward towards the Bug-type. "For the record, I would never do that." She quietly stressed; her voice quivering. "If you think I'd just leave someone for dead… you've got another thing coming."

The Skorupi took another step back at her, the Skiddo scraping their hoof across the ground. The Morpeko shivered, hands tight against their gut. Aidan stiffened. Alice was unmoving. The square fell silent.

Sam glanced at each of the Pokémon, already feeling his foot touch a loose stone. This was about to get hot again. He braced himself, steeling himself to leap forward to try and stop the fight that was about to happen.

He took a breath, and stepped forward. "How ab-"

"What's going on here?"

The white and blue furred feline that Rex had called Esper strolled out of the Guild Tree, ahead of another two Pokémon, including the Butterfree Jack and a Rhydon. All of them now baring armbands or scarves around their necks. Purple for the feline and the bug, red for the reptile. The Meowstic's eyes were narrowed as she surveyed the scene.

The tension flowed out of Sam's body, letting out a heavy sigh. Bloody. Good. Timing.

Alice glanced flicked her eyes over the Meowstic, "Nothin'."

"Edward? Denver?"

The Skiddo's looked towards her, shaking their head rapidly. "N-Nope. We're good."

The Skorupi meanwhile kept their gaze on the Buneary, but otherwise kept their mouth shut.

Esper and Jack shared a glance, before the former nodded. "Good. Everyone gather round in a semi-circle with your teams. Go."

The potential rescuers scrambled into action, assembling into the requested formation. Bringing himself up alongside Aidan, Sam took a glance across the assembled Pokémon. Alongside their own pair, there were five other teams assembled, including the team Alice had joined and Bruce's so-called Team Forest, each one with anywhere between two to three Pokémon each. I suppose most of the team's aren't that big.

Esper cast an eye across the whole group, taking it slowly as if she was absorbing virtually every detail about them. Sam felt a few hairs rise up the back of his neck, sensing that perhaps the feline was doing a little bit more than just looking at the way they looked.

"Alright. Some of you are nervous. That's understandable, especially with what's happening right now." She started; arms placed behind her back. "I was in the same position you were a few years ago, scared that something would go horribly wrong."

A few of the assembled Mons shared glances, a faint moment of fear flickering in Sam’s chest as Esper continued, "Exploring and rescues can be dangerous, but with a bit of time and effort, you can get through the challenges you'll face. Even these trials are potentially dangerous, even with our preparation. Understood?"

"Got it!"

"Understood."

"Sure."

"Loud and clear!"

"Righto." Sam said, returning a nod. Well, we are training to be Rescuers. There is going to be a bit of danger wherever we go. No point in fretting about it, especially with what happened with that Swampert.

A little smile formed on the Meowstic's face. "Good. Jack?"

The Butterfree floated forwards alongside the Rhydon, placing what appeared to be a collection of satchels down onto the ground. "Okay, everyone take a satchel and don't lose it!" he explained with a buzz, "You've got a few bits to get you started, a map, a couple of berries, an apple and an Ether."

Flicking an ear, Sam picked one of the packs at random, opening it up to find that it indeed contained the items in questioned. "Hey." Bruce started, "I thought these packs normally had Explorer Badges?"

"Expedition Badges." Alice corrected him with her bored tone, "And no, they don't pass them out for those going through trials anymore."

"Alice is correct." Esper confirmed, "Besides, where we are going, you won't need them."

Sam pulled out the map, formed out of a browned but strangely thick paper. It showed what appeared to be dozens of islands, albeit most of them seemed to be centred around four central landmasses. One on its own to the west, marked with a square labelled with Robinswood's name. That island flanked by a crescent shaped collection of smaller bodies to the east, and three larger ones gathered further out from them. Interestingly enough, when he flicked the map over, he found himself staring at another map, now with the original features shrunk down and now surrounded by five even bigger islands on all sides apart from the south, continents actually, Sam realised.

Each one of them marked with a name. The smaller Sand Continent to the west. The mountainous Mist Continent to the North West. The lush Grass Continent to the east, the jagged and rugged Air Continent to the North East. The Water Continent squeezed in between Air and Mist. And finally, in the ocean in between, the islands of the Sea of Wonders.

He looked up towards Esper, "So… where are we going? Not too far I hope, I doubt I can go off to another continent yet."

Sam half expected the Meowstic to shake her head at that, but instead, she flashed a little wink. "Not yet." She replied, "No, we're headed over to Broken Woods. Just a few miles from here."

The Skorupi lifted their head up, eyes widening. "Hold up. Isn't there a Mystery Dungeon there?"

Sam tilted his head, confusion taking over as his ears dipped. Mystery Dungeon? What is that, some kind of… gaming arena or something?

"Three, actually." Jack confirmed, with a flutter of his wings.

"Err… that seems a bit dangerous for a first time trainee right?"

Sam’s frown deepened, “I mean… the name alone makes it sound rather… err… dangerous as it is.”

"Not really." Aidan stated, holding up his own map. "Broken Woods used to have one pretty big Dungeon. But it's been falling apart for the last few years. Those three dungeons are all that's left of it and nowhere near as dangerous."

"The Mystery Dungeons can do that?" asked the Skiddo, looking just as confused as Sam was. "I've never heard of that."

"Probably because you're the other side of Mist." Aidan explained, "Not as much news get there, but a lot of the Dungeons have been breaking down for the last couple of years, some have even gone entirely"

"No one really knows how the Dungeons came to be in the first place." Esper added, "Or why they function the way they do." She flicked a tuff of blur fur back, "In the meantime, we're going to take advantage of these Dungeons before they disappear entirely."

She turned back towards the Rhydon, taking a step back and extending out one arm to allow him past. The horned reptile immediately straightened up, "Alright, everyone follow me!" he barked, slinging a satchel and a larger rucksack over his shoulder. "Don't start enjoying the sights, you'll have plenty of time for that once we get there!"

One by one, the teams fell in behind the Rhydon. Nia pounced ahead of the others, forcing the Morpeko to clumsily jog after her. Alice didn't at first, merely rolling her eyes before walking onward on her own.

Sam and Aidan settled in the back, headed on their way towards one of the roads leading out of town. Aidan had a little smile on his face, trying to rub his hands together mid hop. "Finally…" he said, the catharsis thick enough in his voice to cut with a knife. "We're on our way."

The Scorbunny took a very steps in front of the Froakie, placing as his hands behind his head as walked backwards. "Sounds like this has been a long time coming." He mused, a little bit of pride slipping into his voice.

"I've been waiting to get my chance with this for years." Aidan replied, "It's been long enough. And three Mystery Dungeons! Even better!"

Despite his casual pose, Sam couldn’t shake off that little bit of unease settling onto his shoulders. Here they were, walking off to some place that may well have been it’s own brand of dangerous, training for a job that was by it’s very nature dangerous. The sensible part of him thought this was madness, he barely had any context behind all of this. He had nearly died. He should be staying away from it.

And yet, the rest of him felt eager. Excited. Desperate for some kind of action. It was an adventure in its own right. Besides, he knew how to use Ember now, so he wouldn’t be helpless in a fight.

Still… there is one thing I need to get a better picture of…

Sam frowned, rubbing the back of his head, "Actually… can I ask you something?"

"Go on?"

"What the hell is a Mystery Dungeon?"

Spoiler: Author's Note

Well, I finally caught up with the extra updates. I have also looked at correcting a few of the mistakes (just a couple of minor ones to fix up) in Chapters I-X.

Main thing is though, Chapter XI is finally up! Sorry for the wait. Not quite as action packed as before, but things will... be getting interesting from this point on. Hope you enjoy.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

Alright, as an update. I am still doing Chpater XII, it's just currently a longer chapter than planned at the moment. Not only that, but I've also been incredibly busy as of late, going through evening training sessions with a lot of homework to get through for a new job, new interviews and the build up to Christmas, plus my other writing/creative endevours.

At least for now, I'm going to say it will be potentially a week between new chapters, maybe longer. At least during the Christmas period. I will keep you all updated. I will try and get Chapter XII done soon, but other chapters may come at a slower pace and being able to get this new job is more important at the moment, so that has to take the priority.

In the meantime, if anyone has any questions or feedback, feel free to chat and comment about it here!

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER XII – BROKEN DUNGEONS​

The journey took about an hour, the group cutting through the trees that surrounded Robinswood before emerging onto a grassy plain. It was only once they were there did Sam finally get a glimpse of the world beyond a forest. The plains were long but narrow, as just about twenty metres away from where they emerged was a long, sandy beach that stretched as far as his eyes could see. Ocean water lazily lapped onto the shore before it retreated back into the ocean, where further still to the east he could make out the shapes of other islands, jutting out of the deep blue sea.

They continued on northwards, headed further inland as they covered the plains. During the whole time, Sam quizzed Aidan on these so-called Mystery Dungeons. What were they? Where did they come from?

"We don't really know what they are, but in certain places of the world, entire locations get… altered."

"Altered?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, the insides of forests, caves, glaciers… even a few towns, they all get converted into these mazes with multiple floors."

The Scorbunny frowned, "You serious?"

"I wish I was joking. Dungeons can appear anywhere, even replacing entire locations, and they are often filled with ferals and Pokémon driven mad. But those same dungeons often come with treasures and the like to discover."

"So our job would be diving into those. I'm guessing it's not easy to get out."

"Without badges, using an exit or orbs. No, it's not easy to leave one. Plus, you can't map them, as every time you go in, the layout changes completely. Many folks end up getting lost in the dungeons and lose themselves whilst they are there."

Sam felt a chill settle into his chest, the description of the Dungeons themselves didn't disturb him. But the relaxed, casual way Aidan explained it did. Have… have these Dungeons been such a common occurrence for so long? Is that way Pokémon treat them the way they do?

"Well, we won't have to deal with them for very long." Aidan said, eyes focused on the road. "I mean, last year there were four Dungeons that were left from collapse of the big one at Broken Wood. Now we have three." He managed to pull a shrug, "Wouldn't be surprised if they were all gone in a couple of years."

Keeping his eyes back on the road, Sam tried to take some small comfort in that.

Soon enough, they pulled off the beaten road and into another set of woods. Unlike the lush, green mix of predominantly evergreens and several deciduous trees back in Robinswood, the trees here were darker, greyer and visibly damaged. Large branches had been snapped clean off, bark had been peeled away and stumps were left with jagged, sharp points.

They weren't kidding when they called the place Broken Wood alright.

"Alright! We're here."

Sam stiffened to attention as the Rhydorn led the group into a clearing in the trees. It had clearly been forest itself once before, but all that remained of them was a handful of stumps and the churned up ground and boulders where they once stood. A rock wall rose up before the party, and it was there that a dark cave beckoned before them.

The Pokémon began to spread out, filling in the space as Esper, Jack and the Rhydorn settled into place in front of the group, blocking the path into the dungeon. "Okay, listen in everyone." Esper started, "I'm only going to say this once."

She waved a hand at the cave entrance, "This is the first of three different dungeons here at Broken Wood. You will be going through all three of them, and you will come across a few tests along the way. They will echo the missions we normally take when we go through Dungeons, but also in normal, everyday locations as well."

The Morpeko raised one hand up, "Excuse me, but what kind of tests?"

"We'll inform you of each one as you reach each dungeon." Esper confirmed, "But for the first one, there will be a item kept on one of the floors of this dungeon.".

Reaching into her satchel, the Meowstic pulled out what appeared to a four pointed star, a little bit larger than her hand. It flickered from one colour to the next, reds, yellows, blues… the entire spectrum. Nia rubbed her paws together, looking comical as she brought her wings in to do so. "Ooh! An emera right?"

"Sorry kiddo, not quite!" Jack explained, touching down for what seemed to be the first time since Sam had met him. "Emera's can only exist in Mystery Dungeons."

Another Pokémon in the group, a Starly, tilted his head in confusion. "Then… what is it? How can it be like an emera and yet it's not?"

The crystal floated up above Esper's hand, a faint glow in her eye indicating that she was doing it with her own psychic ability. "This is actually an Dynis."

"First I've heard of that." Alice noted, arms still crossed. Sam glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow. Is that like… her default position or something?

"I've heard of these…" Aidan mused.

Sam swivelled his head round towards him, something ticking in back of his mind at the Froakie's knowledge. "Go on then."

The frog placed a hand against his chin, as if trying to drag the memory back to the surface. "Normally emera's break up, but very rarely when leaving a dungeon, they can condense into a star shape like that. No one knows why, but they lose the bulk of their properties." He waved a hand at the crystal, "All they do is glow like that. They're abit like gold nowadays, pretty but not worth much."

The Dynis continued to pulse, shifting with all the colours of the rainbow. The fire rabbit found his eyes drifting to settle back onto it, drawn to it's light. A faint warmth settled into his chest, as if trying to draw him closer. Why… why does that seem… familiar…

"There will be one of these for each team." Esper explained, "These are the only Dynis we have, so don't lose them. We have them scattered across each of the six floors. You need to recover one, and clear the dungeon."

Sam frowned, dragging his gaze of the crystal, "That's it? Seems simple enough."

He suppressed a growl as Alice shook her head slowly, retaining that same bored expression from before. "Nothing 'bout an Dungeon is easy."

"And for once, I agree with her." Aidan added, bumping the Scorbunny's shoulder with his own, more out of support than anything else. Sam could only roll his eyes as Esper spoke back up. "Alice is right." She explained, returning the Dynis back to the satchel. "Just because these are weakened dungeons doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. Some of the tunnels have collapsed on the floors, and there are still hostile Pokémon and ferals inside as well."

A cold fist clenched his chest, the Scorbunny stiffening up. He was about to ask why, but it soon clicked once again. Ah… some of the Mons in there can go mad…

"Should we… help them?" Sam asked, wondering if that was genuinely a stupid question or not.

The Meowstic took one hard look at him, enough that felt one of his feet slip back. And yet, her yellow eyes didn't seem like they were piercing him, instead, he could only feel… a faint presence at the very edge of his mind. Not as if it was looking in but rather… it was hard to describe… hanging there?

Of course, that could just be him.

"If you can, by all means." Esper said, nodding at him, "But most of those Pokémon may be too far gone. Don't be afraid to fight back if you must. Understood?"

Sam hesitated, tapping a pair of digits against his side, and finally nodded back in silence.

Esper turned her gaze across the entire group, "You'll find one of our aides at the end of the first dungeon. They'll check if you have the Dynis on hand, that is your pass to the next test. You should be fine in there, but just in case, we will give you an Escape Orb. One for each team."

The Rhydorn stepped forward, pulling out small, blue orbs that were barely bigger than baseballs and passing them over to the different teams. Aidan took theirs, it's surface featureless save for a faint symbol on the inside that resembled an arrow. "If you are in so much danger you have to flee, use that orb to escape the dungeon." Esper explained, "But if you do, then you will be effectively forfeiting. If we don't find you at the end by midday, we'll be following up behind you. Understood?"

A few calls of confirmation later, and the Guild members stepped to one side, "Then without further ado, whenever you're ready." Esper declared with a little smile.

Nia immediately squealed with delight, bouncing into the air with a flap of her wings. "Oh, we are so going get the Dynis first!"

For the first time since he met her, Alice seemed shocked, a flash of alarm rushing across her face as the Noibat flew into the cave entrance at speed, the Morpeko scrambling to follow her. The Buneary looked looser, just for a moment as she untied her arms, before her features tightened back up. Letting out a heavy sigh, she slowly walked after her two teammates and into the Dungeon. Across the way, the Bulbasaur Bruce flashed his teeth, "Heh! Not if we can help it!"

He looked round towards his two teammates, a Yanma and Ducklett, who were stood alongside him. "Let's get that crystal lads!"

With a shared cheer, Team Forest followed close behind. And then one at a time, the other teams scrambled to follow them. Sam took a step forward, only for Aidan's hand to settle onto his shoulder. "Hang on, let them rush through first, get into a mess, then we follow up once they clear out the first room."

Sam glanced over the Froakie, flashing his buckteeth, "But they'll get a headstart on those crystals!"

"And whilst they're stumbling on top of each other, we can slip ahead."

The Scorbunny tried to counter, something about it smelling… fishy almost. No pun intended. But in the end, he could only shrug. It was probably Aidan only being tactful, try and give them the best chance to secure their objective. Aidan was pretty smart afterall.

He watched as one after the other, the teams moved through and into the cave. But the rabbit and the frog held back, the seconds ticking as Aidan glanced at some invisible watch on his wrist. Jack and the Rhydorn looked between themselves and towards the two recruits. "You two… still want to do this?" questioned the latter.

Sam nodded sharply, "Yeah… Aidan?"

The Froakie tapped once, then twice, then clicked his tongue. "Alright, let's go."

He hopped on ahead, and Sam jogged after him and into the darkness of the cave.

And by darkness… well, it became impenetrable, Sam's footsteps fading into silence as Aidan faded from his vision. Panic began to settle in, as his senses vanished. Wh-what's happening!? He gasped, trying to suck in breath, W-

Light blinked back into life, Sam's vision blurring as he stumbled back, trying to shield his eyes. "A-Aidan?!"

"I'm here. First time's always rough."

His eyes refocusing, Sam could only let out a little gasp as he found himself inside a well-lit, oddly rectangular cave. It's walls looked like they had once been made of stone brick… well… used to be anyway. Entire chunks of rock were missing, boulders littering the ground where they sat. Sam turned, trying to find the exit-

That was when he realised. The cave entrance was gone. Aidan had pre-warned him on the journey over that the entrance could vanish without a trace. But even so, he wasn't ready for such a sudden change. "Geez…" Aidan stated, eyes looking over the walls. "No wonder these dungeons are fading away, just look at the walls."

He turned back towards Sam, lips tight, "You okay?"

Taking a breath, steading himself, the Scorbunny nodded. "Yeah… let's go and find ourselves a crystal."

*****​

They didn't encounter anyone as they started their sweep across the first floor, checking each room with a glance as they went round. Aidan led the way, keeping the pace up for Sam to quite easily follow. Sam narrowed his eyes at the sight of each room. Of how stripped bare they were. Maybe it was the first teams to scramble in that left it like this, or maybe it was just the poor condition of this dungeon. Either way, it almost seemed... as if this entire place was some icon to an age that was beginning to come to an end.

Granted, he barely knew much on the world. He would have to find a library at some point and try and read up on everything that had happened. Right now though, we've got a dungeon to clear.

He was that deep in thought, that he nearly tripped on the steps.

Blinking, he took a step back, eyes fixed on the crumbling but uniform stone steps that rose up into the cave ceiling. "The hell…"

Aidan patted the Scorbunny on the back, "Funny for some weird, unknowable place to have steps huh?"

One of his ears dipped far enough that it now hung in front of his face, a little flash of warmth running through his cheeks. "Yeah… you can say that."

They kept going like that, ascending through each floor, checking each corner, corridor and chamber. And yet, none of the teams appeared. Nor did any hostiles show themselves.

And still, no Dynis crystal could be found.

By the third floor, they started coming across other items scattered throughout the rooms. A couple of blue oran berries mainly, but they came across a seed too, marked with a tiny star. A Reviver Seed, Aidan explained to him. Capable of reviving an Pokémon from unconsciousness or the brink of death. That was pretty handy, he had to admit.

What caught him off guard was a few coin bags of all things. "Really?" Sam questioned, scooping up the golden coin out of one such bag, marked with a struck-through P. "Berries I can get, but cash?"

Aidan rubbed the back of his head, tossing one of the bags into his satchel. "No idea, but hey, some free Poke can't hurt right?"

Sam bit down on his lip, eyeing the coin in his hand. "I suppose you're right. But we still need that crystal."

It was when they reached the fourth floor when they noticed something else. A faint dripping noise coming through the corridors. Sam's ears perked up, trying to trace the sound. "Water?" he questioned.

"Could be." Aidan replied, "Want to check it out?"

Sam nodded, ears swivelling round to lock onto the source. "Yeah, follow me!"

They pushed through another pair of corridors, tracing the dripping as they pushed through to a new chamber. At first glance, it looked just the same as the others, only now, a pool of water was settled into one far corner, the clear liquid dripping in from the ceiling. "Didn't think we were going to find any water at all in here." Sam mused, stepping upto the water's edge, seeing that white rabbit stare back at him in the reflection. "Not with the state this place is in."

"Maybe it was already here." Aidan said, stroking a hand through the water. "It doesn't really help us either way."

The Froakie's hand clenched, "Ugh! Where the hell are those Dynis supposed to be? They aren't on the floor." He started scanning the walls, eyes narrowing, "But… where else can they put them? They can't start digging out the walls of a Dungeon…"

Looking down into the water again, Sam let out a sigh. Both of them had suppressed their worries and doubts about finding the Dynis crystals. At least, that's what Sam had figured. But to see Aidan worrying about it now… "Maybe they've already been collected, there'll be one-"

Something flickered in the corner of his eye. One ear twitching, he turned back towards the water. Huh? A trick of the lig-

He caught the briefest flash of red light in the reflective water.

Oh shit…

"Aidan! I think I've found it!"

The two shuffled closer to the water's edge, the source of the light glowing at the far side of the pool. Deeper below the surface. "That's a bit cheap." Sam grumbled, leaning forward and dipping his fingers into the cold water. "Well, I suppose it's a place to hide it." He dipped a foot into the water, hissing as the chill sank through his skin.

Aidan's hand clamped down on his shoulder, "Hold on! What'd you think your doing?" he barked, a little bit of panic settling into his voice.

Stiffening, Sam rolled his head round, "Swimming over. Obviously." He said with a faint hiss.

"As a fire type? The water in dungeons is pretty deep."

"I can swim just fine."

"Can you?"

"Yeah!"

Sam couldn't quite hide the hesitation in his voice, judging from Aidan's raised 'brow'. That, and his shivering leg. The Scorbunny tried to hold his nerve for a moment longer… only to groan as he pulled his foot out. "Okay… even if I could… doing it here is probably not the best idea."

"Amnesia right?"

"…yeah."

Sighing, Aidan let go and stepped into the water, "I'm a water type anyway, just keep an eye out, I'll get that out in a jiffy."

Sam nodded back, a hand resting against his hip, "Be careful now."

The Froakie could only flash a grin in reply before he dived straight into the water, dipping underneath the surface. Taking a step back, Sam narrowed his eyes, trying to track his partner's movement's through the water. But soon enough, with the light bouncing off and refracting through the surface, Aidan had disappeared.

The Scorbunny let out a heavy sigh, plopping himself down by the water's edge, his muscles slowly unwinding. Well, at least we found a Dynis… I hope so anyway. But still… this still feels pretty easy. No mons and that despite this place looking like it was falling apart. Maybe everything has already left-

A low, snarling growl rumbled out from one of the corridors. A shiver ran down his spine, and his gut clenched at the sound. …I just had to open my stupid mouth didn't I?

He picked himself back up, his ears already locking onto the closest corridor as the growl crept forth again, only serving to reveal it's origin. Sam ground his feet against the rock floor beneath him, feeling the warmth begin to build up in first his feet, then his chest as he willed the emotions from before to surface. The joy, relief and anger… the whole lot as he braced himself for the new threat.

He didn't have to wait long. A green, canine Pokémon emerged from the corridor, marked with yellow marks that streaked across it's spiky surface like lightning bolts. An Electrike.

It's bloodshot eyes swivelled round towards him, locking on him as it's teeth slipped into view, glinting in the light. As it began to turn towards him, another colour flashed, just around it's front left leg. A flash of… white? Sam leaned an inch to the side to get a better view. It was an armband, completely white, save for a purple symbol sketched onto it. A diamond with a jagged bolt going through it. They're an explorer?

He slowly raised his arms up, palms facing the Electrike. "Hey… I'm on a rescue team… are you lost? We can help you get out."

The Electrike's mouth widened, the teeth glistening further as the Pokémon shuddered. It's pupils widened as it stepped closer, twitching as it did.

And with it, came a familiar dripping sound that softly echoed across the room. Not water this time. But the red droplets falling free of the Pokémon's mouth.

Sam slid back, his heel nearly slipping into the water the only indicator that he was stuck with his back against the wall. Swallowing the saliva in his throat, Sam steeled himself, and raised his hands up further. "Listen… I can help you-"

The Electrike roared, the Scorbunny's heart nearly bursting out of his chest as the canine Pokémon shot towards him, electricity crackling around it's body. Eyes widened and nearly blood red.

Ready to murder him.

Spoiler: Author's Note

I didn't want to leave people hanging forever, so here is the long overdue Chapter XII. If anyone has any feedback, I'd appreciate it.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

Again, as an update. I've cleared out the homework that was sent my way, so I'm going to start cracking back on with Guardians of Balance and with it, Chapter XIII. There is a fight to be had.

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER XIII – FIRE RABBIT, MEET CRAZY ELECTRODOG​

Sam's response was twofold. First, kicking his feet into the ground, he leapt to the side, trying to escape the maddened Pokémon trying to kill him. The second was to attempt to cry out in shock.

Instead, it came out as more of a scream.

The Electrike flew past, teeth snapping as it skidded to a halt, turning once more to face the Scorbunny. Once more, Sam tried to raise his hands, beg for them to s-

And again, Sam was forced to leap back, his heart pounding in his ears as the bloody, stained teeth of the electric type tried to clamp down on him. Okay – he's not listening!

Skidding back, Sam snarled, rubbing his feet into the ground, the heat in his chest already beginning to flare as he drew on those emotions. Alright big guy! If you won't listen – take this!

With the state of the dungeon, the ground was littered with pebbles, and with a sharp cry, Sam booted one of them, the stone igniting instantly as the Ember flew towards the Electrike. The canine's didn't even blink as it danced off to one side, the fireball flying past and across the dungeon. Sam could only blink, trying to boot annother Ember off before the canine flashed the remaining distance, slamming into him with a painful crack.

Air rushed out of Sam's lungs as his head cracked against the ground. C-Come on! Enough with the head already!. He rolled back and out of the way, just in time for the Electrike to fly face first into the ground. Back on his feet, Sam's lips instinctively peeled back into a smirk, Now's my chance!

But didn't go for another Ember, instead, he charged back at the Electrike, willing the emotions to burn, willing himself to hit faster, hit hard-

The world flashed for just a second, Sam finding himself lunging forward faster than his legs seemed able to take him. He blinked to find the green Pokémon cartwheeling back, his white and red foot hanging in mid-air almost comically where it once stood. Q-Quick Attack?!, a little bit of pride beating in his chest. Heh, finally, I'm starting to get the hang of this.

Only then did he kick out another Ember, this time catching the canine in the flank. A bestial roar pounded at his ears as the fireball detonated in a puff of smoke, the Electrike skidding further back to the edge of the pool. Panting, Sam gulped down air, letting his aching lungs recover as he slowly approached, keeping that warmth burning within him in case he needed to retaliate again. The Pokémon's eyes were shut though, his breathing rapid but regular at the very least… Did… did I knock him out?

It was that moment that Aidan's head poked out of the water, a little grin on his face. "Sorry I took so long, somehow they managed to weigh this thing down wi-" His eyes widened at the sight of the Electrike, "What the- Sam are you okay?! Who the hell is this guy!?" He turned back towards him, the Froakie's body stiffening. Sam could only roll his eyes, throwing a hand randomly in the air. "Oh yeah, just had to fight some crazed electric type whilst you were diving."

Before the Froakie stiffened any more, Sam flashed a wink. "A little ruffled up but I'm fine. You got the Dynis?"

The smile returning, Aidan lifted up the glowing crystal, flickering with it's rainbow colouration in his hand. "I'd say that is mission accomplished, but to the looks of things, it seems like we've got this guy to deal with." He narrowed his eyes, gaze drifting towards the downed Electrike's arm. "Hey… what team is he fr-"

The Electrike's bloodshot eyes snapped open.

Shit!

The Electrike's eyes snapped back towards the water, with Aidan settled right into it. Sam immediately saw the danger. "A-Aidan! Get out of the water!" Sam ordered, breaking out into a sprint towards them. Aidan's eyes widened, the reality dawning as he reached for the water's edge, ready to throw himself out. But it was already too late, the blue crackles of energy flickering around the Electrike as it rolled back upright, the blue beam of energy blasting out of it's mouth and straight at the water.

Aidan didn't stand a chance, the pool of water flashing with blue and white light as the Froakie tried to leap out of the water, only to get zapped just as suddenly. His eyes widened, pupils turning to pinpoints as he tried to scream, his mouth frozen in place even as his body jerked wildly out of control.

As the electrical attack faded away, the bruised and charred Froakie flopped back into the water face first with a soft splash.

In that second, that warmth in Sam's chest turned into an inferno. His entire body flared up as if his body was on fire, raw anger taking over as the Scorbunny's eyes flashed red. "Get away from him you imbecile!" he roared, leaping for the Electrike.

A flicker of fear flashed across the Electrike's eyes as the Quick-attacking rabbit slammed into him, the duo sliding across the cave floor. The canine tried to push itself back up, only for a white hand to fly into his face. Sam screamed, his lungs burning as he threw another punch, his mind focused on one thing. Keeping this damn freak away from his friend. He threw another punch, then another, the Electrike whimpering from the unpowered punches. Kicking himself away, Sam dragged his foot back, setting a pebble aflame and kicking it up into the air. "Why don't you piss. OFF!"

The Ember flashed as it flew straight down for the electric type, a surprised cry barely reaching the Scorbunny's ears before the fireball struck their side with an almighty bang and a sharp flash of light and smoke.

The green canine sailed across the chamber and straight into the crumbling rock walls with a horrible thud. An even louder snap rang out as the Electrike slid down into a battered heap, the boulders in the wall breaking and grumbling as the ground softly quaked. The power within Sam chilled in an instant, the anger washing away as he steadied himself. Oh no… no…

But then, the quaking ceased. And silence reigned.

Then the struck section of wall collapsed. Rock and earth dropping and crumpling into a pile at the foot of the rest of the intact wall. Some of the earth was shoved onto the downed Electrike, not enough to bury it, but enough to keep it pinned.

Not that it mattered, as the chamber fell silent again, the Electrike's eyes shut as its chest slowly rose and fell. This time, it was definitely out for the count.

Spinning on his heel, Sam shot towards the pool, Aidan's body still bobbing up and down in the water. Almost quite literally throwing himself into the water, the Scorbunny bit off the sudden chill and grabbed onto the Froakie's arm. "Aidan!?" Sam shouted, tightening his grip on the limb and shaking it, "Come on mate! Say something!"

The limb stiffened in the Scorbunny's paw… and a swarm of bubbles rose to the surface around the Froakie's head. In the two seconds it took to confuse the rabbit with his cocked head, Aidan finally jerked back upright, eyes wide as he gasped in a breath. "Holy crap that was a shock!"

Sam snapped back with a huff, half out of relief, half out of concern and mixed in with no small amount of confusion. He shook his head, shoving the confusion aside, "Puns aside, you alright?"

"P-Pun? Err… yeah, I'm fine!" He said happily, a giant grin spread across his face. "That was a rush alright!"

The Froakie puffed out a whistle… and immediately began to sink, his free hand grabbing onto the Scorbunny's arm. "Okay… rush over, that hurt. A lot." He winced, struggling to stay afloat as Sam slung one of Aidan's arms over his shoulder. "Hang on buddy, let's get you out of the water." He stressed, only to pause as something dawned upon him.

Aidan's struggling to float. So how…

Sam immediately looked down just as he sensed that his feet weren't on the ground, but very slowly kicking away underneath him, keeping him upright. In the corner of his eye, it was obvious that Aidan had seen it too, his yellow eyes flickering round towards him.

"Okay." Sam stated woodenly. "Turns out I can swim."

Together, the two swam back over to the water's edge and pulled themselves out. As Aidan sat back against the rocks shivering, Sam pulled out one of the so-called Oran Berries from his satchel and handed it over. "Thanks." Aidan said, pulling a weak grin as he gobbled down the blue fruit. Only then did Sam finally relax, letting out a sigh as he managed to pull a grin of his own. "Thought you would have had it then."

"Oh don't worry about me. One electric attack isn't going to kill me." Aidan managed to croak with a injection of humour, still chewing on the oran berry. His eyes drifted past Sam's shoulder. "How the hell did you do that?"

A red tipped ear dipped an inch, "Oh, the Electrike? I knocked them out with a-"

"Not him. The wall."

Blankly, with his ears dipping even more, Sam turned back towards the wall. The Electrike was still out cold, the pile of rubble was still there. And lo and behold, an new opening within the wall itself. I… I suppose I missed that when I was trying to help Aidan.

Shaking his head, he kept his gaze on the wall. "Can… can that happen?"

"Sometimes, with right orb maybe." Aidan said, "But just from regular move? Never heard of that."

"Poor state of the Dungeon?"

"Yeah."

Rolling his shoulders back, the Scorbunny started towards it. "Wait here, I'll have a look."

He scrambled up the small pile towards the hole, half expecting a new tunnel to run off into the darkness. But he didn't. Instead, he came across a hollow alcove, barely more than a metre across in area, barely lit by the light coming from the main chamber.

And at the bottom, there was a chest. But it wasn't something like those he had seen scattered around Robinswood, with their arched, wooden appearances. No. This one was smaller, rectangular, smoother… and interestingly, made out of metal.

With a frown on his face, Sam clambered down towards the chest, laying a hand on the cold surface. How long have you been down here… he pondered, blowing off a layer of dust that had build up on the container. Sweeping his fingers around the edge, he found the latch and with his ears perking up with interest, lifted the lid open.

Within one second though, they had immediately dropped back down again. The inside had not faired as well. It was mostly filled with dozens of sheets of paper, all of them half rotted away with all the text on them little more than a smudge. I suppose the seal must have failed on this thing. He shoved some of the old paper work aside to reveal a strange, slightly rusted red… cup? Dome? It was hard to say, even as he picked up the strange metallic object, the inside of which was charred black and with the only distinguishing feature being a white, raised circle on one side. Shrugging, Sam shoved the thing into his satchel, and was about to turn away when something flickered underneath the paper. Eyes narrowing, he reached back in again, digging the paper out.

At the bottom of the case, surprisingly undamaged, was a small, sleeveless red jacket and a pair of goggles, supported by some kind of brown… leather? Clothes?

He picked up the small jacket, noting the high collar and it's fairly small size. A weird sense of déjà vu settled over him, as if some memory or feeling was trying to get the Scorbunny's attention. This seems… familiar… why-

"Hey Sam!" Aidan called out, "What's taking so long? Are you okay?"

Stiffening up, the feeling dissipated completely. Sam leaned back, "I'm good! Just a chest filled with junk! Mostly!"

"Mostly?"

Sam looked back into the crate, fingers drumming against the fabric before lips peeled back. Well, no one else is picking you up…

Aidan raised a brow as the Scorbunny emerged from the alcove, the little red jacket now resting on his shoulders and the goggles hanging around his neck. Sam flashed a smirk, opening his arms up to show it all off. "Looks like we've found some actual loot after all."

The frog let out a stronger, hearty laugh at that, pushing himself back up to his feet, holding up the Dynis crystal that had been their objective. "All the more worth it then."

That was when his eyes narrowed, nodding his attention towards the comatose Electrike, still breathing softly at the edge of the pile as Sam clambered back down. "So, what are we doing with him then?"

Sam glanced over at the electric type, just for a moment, a little pang of guilt tugging his guts. "We can't leave him here… he's a Rescuer like us. It's kinda our job."

"True." Aidan said softly, before immediately raising a hand up, "Not it."

Sam blinked, "Huh?"

"Too late, I'm not carrying him. Besides, I don't have the legs to properly hold him up anyway."

Carr-

It dawned on him way too late as the Scorbunny's gaze snapped back down the body of the Electrike on what Aidan meant.

Sam's ears drooped in half immediately, "Aw crap."

Spoiler: Author's Note

Sorry this took so long, but getting through Christmas and Real Life took all the time I needed away. Still, made this one chapter a bit more intermediate in length. With a little bit of an easter egg to boot. Hope you enjoy this Chapter!

 

[StolenMadWolf]

POKÉMON MYSTERY DUNGEON
GUARDIANS OF BALANCE

ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER XIV – CAMPSITE TRIBULATIONS​

When they finally emerged from the dungeon, Sam's limbs were half ready to fall off. He panted, each one of his muscles aching as he struggled to at first carry and later drag the Electrike throughout the dungeon and up the last two sets of stairs. Despite his initial digging in the Scorbunny's side, once Aidan had realised how difficult the job actually was, he quite literally hopped into action to help Sam along.

Not that he was much help, Sam would ultimately realise. Having a frog's body wasn't ideal for dragging large weights, meaning it was still mostly up to him to get the comatose canine out.

As they emerged under an orange sky, Sam collapsed onto his back side, rolling his shoulders as he tried to shake lose the kinks and cramps that had built up. "Isn't there supposed to be an easy way of doing this?" he panted, staring up at the fluffy clouds above him. Aidan let out a huff, staring down at the green canine with a narrowed pair of eyes. "With badges… we could just teleport him out."

Sam's head snapped up, ear cocked to one side as he scanned Aidan's face for any signs of humour or an indication that the Froakie was just pulling his leg. But there was nothing of the sort. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on the canine, pupils now pinpoints as if trying to pierce through the Electrike with his vision alone. Sitting back upright, a frown began to form on Sam's face. "Aidan? What's up?"

He jerked back upright, eyes flashing back to normal. "Huh?"

"You seem a little… focused on the guy."

"I am?" Aidan uttered, shaking his head, "Sorry, I thought I recognised him but… I'm mistaken. Come on, we better get him up to the camp."

"By golly! I didn't think you would all look so tired from that!"

Coming from further up the path was a large, brown beaver like Pokémon that towered over the rabbit and frog, two big white teeth hanging out of their mouth that had a piece of straw stuck in between them. Pulling the straw out, he hobbled over at a quicker pace. "Are you juniors alright? What happened?"

"We're fine." Sam stated, nodding towards Aidan before pointing at the fainted Pokémon. "Although we nearly weren't thanks to this guy."

"Huh? Hang on, he's not a teammate?" questioned the Bibarel, his eyes drifting across the gentle breathing body of the Electrike. "Why di- by golly! Zeke!"

Sam nearly flinched, "Uh, what? You know this guy?"

"Yup yup! I do! He was part of Team Nitro; they went missing not long before Broken Woods began to break up. We never could find them."

Stooping over, the Bibarel scooped up the Electrike and slung them over his shoulder, "How did you find him?"

"We didn't." Aidan stated, "He attacked us whilst we were collecting the Dynis.". He flashed a glimpse of the glowing crystal inside his satchel. Barely giving it a nod, the Bibarel turned and got started back up the path, "Well, good job on getting the crystal and helping Zeke here. Yup yup! Maybe we can learn what happened to him and Nitro."

As Sam and Aidan scrambled to follow the surprisingly speedy Bibarel up a dusty trail through some more battered trees and rocks, he glanced over his shoulder towards the Scorbunny. "Name's Oscar by the way! Nice to meet you!"

Pulling off a sheepish grin, Sam flashed a mock salute, "Sam, I'm the new guy. I guess you probably already know Aidan."

"We've met." Aidan confirmed with a thin smile as the Bibarel let out a hearty laugh, "We have, and by golly, Jack wouldn't stop talking about you."

Sam nearly halted in his tracks, "Jack? You two know each other?"

"Oh, very well! We met each other over a decade ago, during a transfer between Air and Grass continents when I was at one of the Guilds! Damn, feels like a life time ago now."

Brushing a bush aside, they emerged in a clearing just before another cave entrance, the second dungeon, Sam imagined. Only this time, there were little more than half a dozen tents set up around a campfire. Tepees, Sam would realise, given their cone like shapes that rose well above the two smaller Pokémon's heads. "Well, I better try and check this guy over once he's secured. You two go on further in and pick a tent, a few of the other rookies got here before you and are by the fire."

As Oscar moved as fast as he could towards the largest of the tents gathered, Aidan led the way further into the campsite towards the fireplace. And yet, Sam could already sense his muscles tensioning at the combined sight of the Buneary Alice, the Noibat Nia and the Morpeko.

But he visibly relaxed at the sight of Alice's eyes being closed, sat down against a log with her head resting against it as Nia let rip a giant grin, flapping up a wing to try and shakingly wave over at them. "Hey! You two made it!" she exclaimed, only for a little frown to form, "Hey, what's wrong."

Sam couldn't help but pull an embarrassed grin as Aidan looked back at him with a flicker of surprise. Namely at his paws stuck in his long ears. "Sorry, just… please don't deafen me."

The bat Pokémon's face relaxed as she let out a little giggle. "Oh don't worry!" she stressed, "I'm not a Loudred."

"Only in the mornings." The Morpeko mused, juggling an apple in their little paws. "It's why I still wear earmuffs to bed."

Nia laughed again, nudging the guinea pig shaped partner. "Come on Dan, I'm not that loud."

The Morpeko could only shiver as Sam plopped himself down on a small boulder by the fire, Aidan hopping atop of on the logs. The two putting the fire in between them and the sleeping Buneary. In that moment, Sam figured he might as well spare Dan – and himself – more eardrum-bursting related memories. "So, you guys managed to find a Dynis too?"

With a look of relief written across his face, Dan pulled out a similarly sized glowing crystal from behind his own seat. "First floor, believe it or not. And we didn't have to fight that much of anything. Just a couple of Patrats."

The Morpeko must have noticed Sam's narrowing eyes, as soon enough, the electric Pokémon was quickly backpedalling, "They were feral mon's, don't worry."

He held his gaze for a moment, before finally willing himself to relax again. He just had to take the electric type for his word. He only relaxed further as the heat from the fire began to soak in to his fur and through to his skin.

Next up was Bruce's team, the Bulbasaur flashing a massive grin. That was, of course, only for about five seconds before it quickly melted away as his big red eyes scanned over at the two assembled teams. "Seriously?! You got here before we did!?"

"Yes Bruce. You were painfully slow." Alice quietly said, her eyes drifting open as she pulled that same, sly grin that she flashed to the Scorbunny on those crates. He felt a shiver run down the back of his neck, watching the scene unfold. Was… was Alice awake the whole time?

Thankfully, Bruce finally rolled his eyes, and settled himself down.

One by one, other Pokémon started wandering into the camp. Sam counted them, trying to see who else had made it. Each team proudly showing off the Dynis crystal they had recovered. But soon enough, the final group composed of Edward and Denver, the Skiddo and Skorupi respectively, wandered into the camp, their own glowing gem cradled in the bug-type's claws.

Sam flashed a small grin at their arrival, feeling himself shrug off another layer of the cooling air. It was a relief to see everyone had got up without any real issue at all beyond a few scuffles. If anything, Sam and Aidan had seen gone through the most action, at least in terms of difficulty.

It was only then did he finally realise how late it was, as the sun began to dip below the horizon. He looked up to find the sun slowly beginning to dip below the horizon through the trees, the air already starting to cool even faster than before. Were they higher up? He supposed it made some sense after climbing up all those stairs.

As if on cue, Esper, Jack and the Rhyhorn finally emerged from the darkening trail, their eyes faintly glinting in the remaining light. "I see you have all made it." Esper stated warmly, her eyes settling onto Sam, "And with fresh loot."

The Scorbunny blinked, glancing round himself until he finally realised what she meant. He immediately tugged his new red jacket closer in, "Err… finders' keepers? I just came across it in the dungeon."

He flinched as the Meowstic let out a quiet, but warming laugh. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. If you find anything useful, please, keep it. It may prove useful later. Although I suspect that jacket and googles are… probably just cosmetic."

That didn't earn much more than a shrug from Sam, letting out a puff of foggy air. After fighting the Electrike, he very much didn't want to start losing his own real possessions now.

"Yup yup! Seems like everyone's all back together!" Oscar announced, balancing a few woven bags on his tail and in his paws. "You guys didn't have any issue coming up here?"

Jack let out a buzz as he settled down on the ground, his wings somehow a little bit brighter in the dark. "Not a problem at all! Not much to find though, that wasn't really cool."

A toothy grin emerged as the Bibarel lowered the bags to the ground, "It's not much, I'm not the cook back home but I've got a bit of food all here for you. Help yourselves."

A few of the recruits cheered with delight as they started to scramble for the bags, only for Bruce's green vines to reach across and wrap round some of the bags themselves. "I'll help." He declared, lifting a couple of the bags and bringing them back across the campsite to drop them alongside his teammates. As the closest members picked up their own bags, Bruce lifted the remainder to the rest. Sam took his own bag with one hand, starting to open it up to check the contents as Oscar straightened up, "Esper? Can you folks just come with me one moment? I need to check something over with you."

Glancing back over the group once more, Esper turned to look up at him, "Of course."

As the four Rescuers departed, night fully settled in, with the glow of the fire now providing the main bulk of the light. Stars began to twinkle in the sky, as a low murmur began to settle over the group. "Hey, Sam." Bruce asked, as the rabbit reached into his sack, "Where did you find that stuff?"

Sam barely hesitated, "I just found it in a cave." He explained, pulling out a chunk of bread and starting to nibble at it. "Half the wall just came down in a fight and there it was."

"Never seen anything like it." Aidan added, already munching on… what looked like an orange? "It's probably just the dungeon falling apart, nothing fancy."

"You've been in a dungeon before?" asked the Skiddo, sitting down on the ground rather than the logs and rocks themselves. Aidan nodded, taking pulling a slice of orange free before tossing it down his mouth. "A couple of times. By accident of course.". He added that last statement with a flicker of haste.

In the corner of his eye, Alice rolled her eyes. Less from annoyance and more detached amusement, judging by her relaxed posture. "I wouldn't be surprised if that dungeon collapses at some point this year." She said, arms resting behind her head as she looked up at the night sky. "Honestly, I don't know why we are training here."

"They're pretty much the easiest set of dungeons close to town." Aidan explained, examining one of the orange slices.

"I know." Alice replied, not even raising her voice or disguising it. "Doesn't mean it's dangerous."

Swallowing down a bread fragment, Sam leaned forward, "Have you been in a dungeon before Alice?"

The Buneary didn't say anything at first, her eyes still fixed on the sky. But as Sam began to turn away, she finally spoke, in a quiet, it was barely above a whisper. "A couple of times. Not by accident."

The Scorbunny felt himself deflate a touch, there wasn't a hint of malice or disgust in Alice's voice. Was…. Was that sadness?

But before he could say anything else, Nia immediately perked up, "All the better to have that experience on hand then!" she cheered, eyes shining in the light of the fire.

Even from his position, it was easy to tell that Alice had already rolled her eyes again. And with that, the moment was gone.

"Not like we need much help!" Bruce said, rubbing his front feet into the ground as he let slip a grin. "That dungeon was still a piece of cake."

"You don't want to underestimate a dungeon." Aidan warned, his eyes narrowing a bit. "Even a dying one can still hit you hard. Never mind the time distortion ideas of old" He added with a shiver, earning a glance from Sam. Time being distorted was something that squeezed at his heart, but his mind was mainly fixed on that memory of Aidan being zapped by that electric attack still made his hand twitch a bit as Aidan got up to his feet. "I'm just going to put our bags away; I'll be right back."

As Sam watched the Froakie disappear into the darkness of the camp, the little Noibat was rubbing her paws together, bringing her wings comically close together. "Well, anyone got any good stories about the dungeons?"

"Just don't give me anything about time problems." Dan said, trembling a bit where he sat.

"I actually know a story about Broken Woods actually."

Everyone's eyes drifted towards the Edward the Skiddo, his black eyes drifting across the group. "Well, it's more of a myth than anything else."

"Oh, let's hear it!" Nia squealed, "Has to be pretty awesome right?"

"Or plain tragic." Alice grumbled, earning a glare from Bruce as she propped herself up to listen. Edward however merely tilted his head as he shuffled forward. "Well… a very long time ago, off the written records and long before the modern settlements formed on the Continents… back before Broken Wood became what it is today, there was supposed to be a cave. A cave that constantly changed even though it was impossibly deep. Some kind of proto-dungeon well before the actual ones we knew showed up. If it was, then the inhabitants of the Sea of Wonders barely knew anything about them. Explorers would constantly delve through it, trying to get a sense of the layout of the place, or what treasures may have been inside."

"I'm guessing it was the Talonflames and the Corviknights that were mainly doing the exploring right?" Sam asked, leaning forward again and perking his ears up.

Edward shook his head, "Not all of them. A few other species went in too. But the teams couldn't make much progress. Eventually however, more Pokémon got drawn to the site. Looking to discover something or descend deeper into the depths."

As the goat-like Pokémon continued, his voice lowered a bit, became more resonant as he told the story, luring the gathered Pokémon even closer in. "Eventually, some children, inspired by the early Explorer's efforts, decided to go into the cave when no one was looking. No quite knows how, but then ended up travelling deeper down than anyone had ever gone before. So deep did they go, that the dungeon ended up… growing?"

Dan blinked, holding an apple especially close to his mouth, "Growing?"

"It was… as if the dungeon went on for miles beyond the woods all together. But the teams, unbowed, when underground to try and rescue the children. But as they did, following the calls of the children, each rescue team was force to withdraw, fighting Pokémon darker and stronger than they had ever expected."

Edward fell silent for a moment, letting the silence settle across the campfire before finally speaking again, "With the children's cry's more desperate, the Pokémon of the island didn't know how best to proceed, until a Lapras arrived on the shoreline, carrying two Pokémon on it's back. A Lucario and a Zoroark. The villagers who lived close to the cave didn't not recognise the newcomers, but they did know of the emblem they carried. A sharp cross, emboldened with a tear in front of it. According to the myths, they were known as Guardians."

"Guardians?" Sam mused, his mind trying to imagine the scene of the two arriving. "Guardians of what?"

"No one knows." Edward stated, his voice remaining low and poetic. "But the Guardians were honoured and revered amongst Pokémon of the Sea of Wonders. They elected to descend into the depths, and find the children. And so, they did. They entered that cave alone, carrying between them only their Guardian scarves and their packs. A few rescue teams attempted to follow them… but they could keep up… and soon, the Lucario and the Zoroark disappeared into the darkness."

Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a breath, and the goat continued, "Two days later, the villagers returned to the cave to find the children back outside the cave. Shaken, wet and covered in blood, but otherwise alive. But the Guardians… were never seen again. All the children had in their possession was a single egg. An egg that was collected by another, unknown Guardian and taken back out to sea. The children never spoke about what happened in the depths, and the Guardian took steps to seal the cave for good."

He fell silent again, each of the Pokémon showing a different reaction. Dan quivered further, Nia's eyes brightened, Bruce looked disturbed and Alice… just looked indifferent. "At some point, the cave vanished, the old region became known as Broken Wood, and the modern dungeon appeared decades after. But even so… there have been sightings of a shadow, drifting through the trees or chambers of the area around and in the dungeon. And occasionally… a cloaked figure can be seen laying a flower at a seemingly random spot in the Wood… before just quickly vanishing… according to myth, Broken Wood is right on top of where the old cave used to be… and occasionally, you can hear the old echoes of the children's cries reaching out through the earth…"

As the silence settled down again, Sam waited for the Skiddo, but he didn't, and it became apparent that the story was over. Nia immediately opened up her wings, a giant grin written on her face. "That. Is. Awesome! I mean, guardians! Giant dungeons? It's one cool legend alright!"

Bruce let out a heavy sigh, "Nia, I think sometimes you get too excited about horror stories."

"Or think they are real." Alice groaned, arms crossed where she sat, "It all sounds like a bunch of hogwash really. These 'Guardians' were probably just some skilled Pokémon who went down into a cave and stopped some kids sliding off a cliff."

Sam merely shrugged, still playing the story in his head, "Well, if it got told down to today… then there has to be some basis of truth in it in, right?"

Alice glared at him, harshly enough for the Scorbunny to tear his eyes away, "Just focus on the actual facts rather than possibilities. It'll do you more good."

Dan sheepishly raised a paw up, "I-I think it's a good thing it's just a story. I'd rather not have to hear any kids crying out to me for help down there an-"

That was when the hands shot out of the darkness and clamped down onto the Morpeko's ears. His eyes flashed as let out an almighty squeal, leaping off his log almost comically into the air before landing face first in front of the fire. A few surprised gasps rang out, and Sam had already sprung to his feet, ready to dash across in a he-

The familiar, croaky laugh echoed across the campfire. "Oh by Arceus! Ha! You should have heard yourself!"

Aidan emerged back into the light, tears actually forming in his eyes as he struggled to control his laughter, coming around the log. "Damn it Aidan!" Alice snarled, also on her feet as well, both ears tucked in. "Did you have to scare the shit out of him!?"

The Froakie finally calmed down, visibly clamping his mouth shut before taking in a breath. "S-Sorry, I just heard what you all were talking about and… well… couldn't help myself." His lips tightened as he closed his mouth, chest fluttering as if trying to fight off another chuckle as he reached a hand down to Dan. Looking up, Dan took it and was quickly pulled off to his feet. "I-It's fine." He stated with a shaky grin, "I-It's actually kind of funny actually."

Sighing, Sam could only shake his head with a thin smile. It was a little bit too much for Aidan to do, but at least it was just in jest. Dan himself was even starting to chuckle with some encouragement from Nia. Only Alice didn't relax, her arms crossed again as she glared at the Froakie. Alice… what bad thing can you see in him? If such a thing is there?

As the group settled back down again, Esper reappeared at the edge of the campfire. Her yellow eyes almost shining in the light of the fire. "I hope you are all doing well." She stated, "Oscar already told me you have all found a Dynis."

"We have." Aidan confirmed, settling back down on his own seat next to Sam. The Meowstic nodded, "Good. Tomorrow, we'll be aiming to get the second trial done and, if possible, the third one. So, I'd recommend you get a good night's sleep before tomorrow, we'll be getting up early."

And without another word, Esper vanished back into the campsite, and with a yawn, Bruce picked himself up. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'll be calling in."

"I'm going to do the same." Edward declared, also rising. "I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be more difficult."

One by one, the recruits began to rise to their feet and head off to the tents. Aidan himself giving Sam a pat on the shoulder, "Staying out for a bit longer?"

Hesitating, Sam nodded, "Yeah. Just figured I'd enjoy the view."

"Fair enough. If I'm not awake, I'll see you tomorrow."

The Froakie joined the others, and soon enough, all that was left was Sam… and Alice. She stared down into the fire, eyes blank as if she was searching for something flickering in the flames. I… I wasn't expecting Alice to stay up.

Shuffling his feet, Sam debated just getting up and leaving, but as if some invisible force was holding him in place, suggesting he say something. Taking a breath, he finally spoke.

"So… you've been around here for long?" Sam asked, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Alice herself continued staring down into the fire, almost as if she hadn't heard him. He was nearly about to stand up when she finally spoke. "You can say that."

He sat back down, "Huh, well, how long ex-"

"Look." She growled, now turning to face him proper. "I know what you are trying to do. You are trying to understand me. Try and get to know me. Maybe if you are really naïve, you are probably wanting to be a friend, right?"

"Alice… I was just asking a question…"

"And I don't want to answer it." she countered, eyes narrowing. "I'm not here to make friends. I'm just here to clear the training and do a job. That's it."

Her features softened, "It'd be better for you if you just left me alone."

Before Sam could even reply, she rose to her feet, hopped over the log, and off into the mass of tents.

And soon enough, he was all alone, staring at where Alice had disappeared. Alice… what happened to make you like this? He questioned, sliding down to the ground and with his back pressed to the back of the log, looked up towards dark sky, the faint twinkle of stars still present. His mind drifted back to Edward's tail… about those Guardians. Of how they went into a dark place and never returned. And those kids…

He dug his digits deeper into the ground beneath him, breathing out another cloud of foggy air and watching it rise upwards towards the sky. It only added to his concerns… what was so dark about the world to leave Pokémon in such a state? Hostile, broken or just distant? Or outright dead?

The answer, even as he eventually left the fire for the tent, felt painfully out of reach.

Spoiler: Author's Note

Again, apologies on the delay. But this Chapter was again longer than I was planning on and I had also been going through old Chapters for uploading on dedicated fanfic sites so that ate up alot of my time. This is abit quieter for a Chapter, with a little bit of worldbuilding to boot! I hope you enjoy this.