Pokémon Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Nostalgia

[Synidfar]

Nostalgia​

In a quaint little shack, nestled on the outskirts of the sleepy hamlet of Noe Town, lived an Espurr. But this wasn’t just any ordinary Pokémon—oh no, this Espurr had a mission, one that it had proudly bestowed upon itself: to guard the treacherous region between Paradise and Noe Town. A simple task, perhaps, but one that Espurr took with a seriousness that bordered on obsession.
…
An organization intent on clearing the Mystery Dungeons. Pokémon losing their sapience. An amnesiac Zorua searching for answers. It’s been nearly a century since Dark Matter last threatened the world, but a strange game is afoot once more.

Yet, a little madness has never fazed Espurr. Ha! The Mist Continent’s backwoods won’t clean themselves, after all.

---

Spoiler: Content Warnings

Rating: Very close to M
Contains violence, blood/gore/other body fluids, themes of drug abuse, mental illness, and suicide. Will definitely feature other dark themes in the future. Read at your own discretion.

Spoiler: What is this?

You might be wondering: What on earth is this?
Well, I don't know either. I planned out the whole story-line and all, but I don't know what exactly this is. It was written completely seriously. But the more I read it, the more it feels like I was taking the piss when I wrote it.
IT'S TOO LATE. I'VE WASTED 9 DAYS. TIME CAN'T TURN BACK. Somehow even this is thematically fitting for the story.
It's definitely better in comic book form, but I can't draw, unfortunately.
I hope you have fun reading it.

Spoiler: I'm always looking for feedback.

I even have a list of optional questions if you are interested.
1. Could you understand the story on the first read?
2. Could you visualize the setting?
3. Do most things make sense? Including the magical aspects, does that 'make sense' in the context of the world, if you get what I mean.
4. Is there too much dialogue, or too much narration?
5. Are the actions of the characters clearly consistent with whatever you perceive their personality is? They do not have to be logical.
6. Did you find yourself skimming? Which part of the story was that?
7. Do you think that the mechanics of how the world in this story works were well explained?
8. On a scale of 0 to 10, how much?
9. How do you feel right now? I'm interested.
10. Grammatical and spelling mistakes are lower priority because they will always be eventually fixed, but thank you for pointing them out. It does save me time.
11. There will be more character interaction in the future, BUT. Let's say the story ended now. Would you say the degree of character interaction is compelling enough?
12. Any other feedback?

 

[Synidfar]

Prologue​

It was the Big Bang that set everything into motion.

A literal, ear-splitting bang that echoed across the Grass Continent in the dead of the night.

Ninetales awoke with a start to a sky ablaze with falling stars. She stretched and yawned. It’s a beautiful sight. Sharpedo Bluff was, indeed, a fantastic place to live on nights like this. Situated on an opening in a mountain cliff, it provided a beautiful open view of the sky. More importantly, it allowed her to easily observe the surrounding shores and any activity on the ocean with ease.

Another thunderous clap sounded in the distance, jerking her out of her reverie. On closer inspection, the "stars" were more like volcanic embers, thrown up into the sky from some explosion.

A cave on the northern beach... Brine Cave. Brine Cave was on fire. Worse, it was spewing flaming rocks into the air, some of which were on a direct path to crash on Treasure Town. Now fully awake, Ninetales slung her explorer’s satchel over her back and hastily crammed a few orbs inside. She HAS to be awake – she could fly me there. Stepping out onto the bluff's edge, she cupped her paws to her maw and whistled sharply.

A blur of purple and… massive ears promptly materialized out of the sky. A green scarf embroidered with symbols that looked like gusts of wind hid the coat of fuzzy white fur around its neck. Blackish wings beat the air with a rhythmic whoosh as the descending Noivern stabilized herself in the airspace just outside the bluff. “You called?”

“Hey, Aria. I need you to fly me over to that flaming cave in the distance as fast as you can.”

“Ooh, that looks pretty bad. I never knew rocks could catch fire.” More blithe remarks. “You still haven’t asked me how things are going over at the Ice Continent, you know? Business is booming. My corporation is making something great happen! Nine. You should join us; it will be fun!”

“You told me that about three times yesterday. And that’s not important now. It sounds like something big is going down at Brine Cave. Something pretty big must be happening if I can hear it over from Treasure Town. Rocks will be raining on the town soon, and someone could be hurt. We need to stop the source of whatever this is immediately.” Ninetales deadpanned.

“Seriously? It’s my holiday. I’m not even responsible for this old sleepy town. And your paws are filthy. I’ll have you know that I can carry at most four Geodudes on a good day. What if you break my back? And my wings. And what good is a Noivern without her wings? Ah, my poor back. All because of one fat, demanding, fire-fox.” Aria jabbed back in a sing-song voice.

“S-Shut up! It's approximately one Geodude, and you know it’s mostly fur.” Ninetales blushed as her serious demeanour crumbled.

“Ufufufufu. Oh, that’s rich. You actually went and measured your weight! Alright, alright. I’m done playing. Get on, I’ll take you to Brine Cave.” Aria descended with an exaggerated flourish, sending waves of dust and air rippling through the bluff – and right onto Ninetales.

“You are lucky we are friends.”

“Love you too, Nine.” The duo took off, with Aria still giggling at the pouting fox.

***​

The entrance to Brine Cave was an unassuming hole in the rock wall, framed by jagged stalagmites that clawed upward like twisted fingers. Over the years, moss and various assorted groundcover plants had made their home on the rock formations. However, an observant admirer of the local flora would notice that their growth would, coincidentally, halt in an irregular circle around the dark maw of the cave, as if some unseen force kept them at bay.

Incidentally, said rock wall was throwing up meteors today. It seemed like every so often, superheated gas from deep within the cave would build up and propel chunks of flaming rock in random directions.

“You handle the flying rocks. Notify Wigglytuff if you can. Maybe even bring him here. I’ll handle the source,” she ordered.

“Does the Guildmaster even age? I would love to be a Fairy-type as well.”

Ignoring the extra commentary from Aria, Nine disembarked and concentrated. Will-O-Wisp. Sparks flickered into existence and began orbiting her body, gradually growing into spheres of ethereal blue flames. It was a slow technique, but most experienced fire Pokémon knew how to make it work creatively.

“Want my help?” Aria offered.

“I’ll manage, as always. Focus on the rocks.”

Without waiting for a response, Nine crossed the threshold into the dungeon. The oppressive atmosphere that characterized all mystery dungeons seemed even more suffocating within caverns. The light from the surface quickly faded, replaced by faint, unnatural glows emanating from unknown sources within the depths.

As she navigated through the rubble, a feral Gastrodon lunged at her from the shadows with a screech. Instinctively, the balls of fire surrounding her converged on the attacker. The Gastrodon had caked itself in fire-retardant mud and mucus, but Nine had found a loophole around this long ago. The flames injected themselves into the Gastrodon’s membranous skin, eliciting a yelp of pain and blowing the slug back.

Mystery dungeons are sometimes full of outlaws, but for the ones presently burning and collapsing – not so much. They are also full of apparitions generated by ley line-related phenomena. This theory, proposed decades ago by an Umbreon researcher from the Mist Continent, is now widely accepted.

The Gastrodon was an apparition.

Nine watched the slug, now with gaping holes through its body, slowly lose its corporeal form before disintegrating into sparks of light. The intersection of ley lines makes an imperfect copy of the lifeforms around them. These manifest as apparitions. Or maybe “constructs” was a better word for the twisted, Pokémon-like things physically capable of rending non-experienced explorers apart.

Over the decades, she had watched Treasure Town become Treasure City. Nine couldn’t care less about the new recreational facilities, but they finally had an actual medical centre to patch explorers up instead of the D.I.Y. Oran Berry salves back in the day. There were now tiny settlements taking advantage of land around the city to produce berries instead of scavenging them from dungeons. Many Pokémon that she would never have seen on the Grass Continent when she was a Vulpix had appeared. Why, just yesterday, she had seen a Sneasler selling orbs, a Meowstic wandering around town with her child, a Jangmo-o playing at the crossroads with a Popplio.

Her favourite running joke was Wigglytuff refusing to change the base structure of the old guild building (which happened to look like his face). What he did do, however, was keep building around the old structure, effectively making it—his face, that is— bigger without changing the size of the eyes, ears, and mouth. At the end, it looked like a giant pink balloon with squinty eyes. He even added a Chatot-shaped observatory on the top of the building. THAT was heartwarming.

Unfortunately, that meant that the apparitions in these dungeons had grown in variety over time. The earth always remembers, after all.

“Help! Help!” A desperate cry echoed through the cave's depths.

“I’m coming! Who are you?” she shouted back into the void.

For a moment, only silence answered. Then, a voice emerged from the darkness, cheerful and bright. “My name is Chatot. I am Guildmaster Wigglytuff's right-hand Pokémon! ♪” The air hummed with an ominous vibration. Her heart skipped a beat.

H̶͕͍̪̅̾̓͜͝H̶͕͍̪̅̾̓͜͝H̶͕͍̪̅̾̓͜͝H̶͕͍̪̅̾̓͜͝E̷͖͂͐͝E̷͖͂͐͝E̷͖͂͐͝E̷͖͂͐͝L̷̖̦͙͎͂̑̇̓L̷̖̦͙͎͂̑̇̓L̷̖̦͙͎͂̑̇̓P̸̻̔͗̕P̸̻̔͗̕P̸̻̔͗̕.

In a snap decision, Nine thrust her tails up to block the noise, shielding her sensitive hearing as a deafening Boomburst tore through the chamber. The force of the shockwave sent tremors through the ground, rattling her bones and causing blood to trickle from her ears. Noivern uses Boomburst way too much. But at least now I can tell when it starts.

She retaliated swiftly. Star-shaped rays shot back toward the source of the noise, pinpointing Chatot. The attack clipped its wings, sending the bird-thing crashing to the ground. “Urrgghh…! I won’t let you get away with this…” the creature spat, flopping helplessly on the floor.

Nine’s muzzle twisted in disgust. She unleashed a Flamethrower with a breath, the intense flames consuming the abomination and silencing it for good. It’s a good thing I was the one to witness this and not the Guildmaster.

For the moment, that was the end of the nastiest surprises the dungeon had to offer. Nine sped through the upper levels of the cave, her breath quickening as she followed the trail of cracked boulders and smoke.

As she approached the cave’s center, her pace slowed, each step taken with deliberate caution. The air had become charged with an ominous energy at some point – whatever caused this devastation was close; she could sense it. She crept around the final bend, expecting to confront some fearsome beast—only to find… nothing. The “last” cavern was vast and silent as it always was, opening out to a distant horizon of water. In other words, nothing special. Most of the Grass Continent was mountainous, and it was typical for subterranean caves like this to lead out to the sea. It was a perfectly ordinary view.

Then, the picturesque display of the ocean flickered, as though it were a river surface disturbed by a stone. “What?” Before Nine could fully grasp what was happening, the tranquil view ruptured. The faux cave opening flashed lightning and crackles of thunder that shook the entire room. A wind that was certainly NOT the ocean breeze howled out of the portal, icy and fierce, carrying with it the scent of burning ozone, the distant sound of something vast and terrible, and a little grey ball of fur with purple eyes—

Nine’s psychic powers caught the Espurr mid-air, holding it safely at a distance. “Mewr?”

“It seems harmless… it even looks like a baby.” But she knew better—after everything that happened in the dungeon today—no way this was an ordinary Espurr.

“Well, we’ll find out if it’s an apparition soon enough.” She stuffed a Sleep Seed into the Espurr’s mouth, its tiny form going limp as she slipped it into her satchel. Others had tried to bring subdued apparitions out of dungeons before, but they all crumbled to dust when they crossed the barrier.

“I can’t destroy this portal alone. I’ll need help.” Nine reached for an Escape Orb, keeping a wary eye on the sinister energy emanating from the portal. But just as she moved, the miasma shifted—no longer in front of her, but behind. A cold shock ran down her spine as she spun around, coming face to face with—A small, bipedal white cat with patches of blue fur and dull, bloodshot eyes. It was a female Meowstic.

There is no mental signature, just an empty shell—another zombie conjured by the mystery dungeon.

I was expecting worse. Why are there so many new apparitions here anyway? She allowed herself a brief moment of relief.

Then, the cat unfurled its ears, unleashing a Psychic blast. Nine barely flinched. “Not very strong, either.” With a thought, she conjured a swirling inferno, engulfing the Meowstic in flames. The cat remained eerily calm, even as its skin began to blister and char.

Nine’s eyes widened in sudden realization as she saw blood seeping from the burns. Wait… she’s bleeding? Panic surged through her. It might be a real Pokémon! She quickly dispelled the flames, the fire vanishing in an instant.

“Are you alright? What’s going on here?” But the Meowstic offered no response, just an empty, glassy stare.

“Stay still. I’m using my badge to get you out.” As Nine reached for the insignia on her satchel, a piercing pain shot through her abdomen.

She winced. “G-guh. Future Sight. I got careless,” she muttered to herself.

Now I have to get out of here, too. All thoughts of using the badge to send Meowstic out forgotten, she crudely bound the impassive Meowstic with her tails before activating an Escape Orb. They vanished from the cave in a flash of blue light, leaving the ominous portal swirling in the darkness behind them.

***​

Neither the appearance of the Meowstic nor the Espurr at the location of the portal had to be a coincidence. She was, however, too tired to make sense of it now. There was still work to do, but thankfully, Aria was here.

“A portal opened to an unknown location,” she explained. “We need to close whatever it is.”

“You need to speak louder, Nine. I came over as soon as I saw the light from the Escape Orb, but you look fine. Oh, hey, there’s a hole in your stomach. I know you’ve seen worse, and your spine looks fine, so whatever. Also, you should have seen me knock 85 boulders out of the sky!” The Noivern rattled off. “And who is this charming cat that you have brought with you? Let’s get you both some first aid—yikes!”

Ninetales turned to see the Meowstic writhing in the dim glow of the rising sun. Her once glassy eyes now flared with a wild, unhinged life, as if something primal had awakened. She wailed, her voice high and piercing, twisting her body in unnatural contortions, driven by a pain too deep to soothe.

Yet, despite what seemed to Nine like excruciating pain, there was still no mental trace behind the frenzied thrashing. If she had to make a comparison, the entire scene was more akin to that of an insect in its death throes.

The contortions slowed, agonized wails fading to a raspy whimper. Then, like dry leaves caught in a flame, the cat's body started crumbling. It was a silent process. Nine and Aria could only hear what seemed like a faint crackling as the Meowstic’s form broke apart into beads of light. Soon, there was nothing at all.

At the same time, the rumbling and groaning dungeon let out a final tremor… and stopped.

Aria and Nine sat, shell-shocked, beside the cavern’s opening. Too speechless for words, Nine tried to continue the conversation with telepathy, but even her thoughts were a messy stream of consciousness. I saw Chatot. A portal opened at the end of the dungeon. For some reason… I don’t think it is there any more. We have to send a team to investigate. That Meowstic was already mentally gone. I didn’t kill her, I swear. Aria. Are the dungeons taking regular Pokémon too? This could be Dark Matter. We might have another Dark Matter on our hands.

Aria nodded mutely, the gravity of Nine’s words sinking in.

“YOOM-TAH!” A familiar voice called out from over the hill. “Does anyone want some Apples?” Usually, Nine would have chastised him for his lateness, but something about Wigglytuff’s presence inspired a much-needed optimism in her. Maybe, just maybe, whatever twisted scenario they had on their hands would turn out fine. “What’s with all the grim faces?”

Aria was the first to shake herself out of her stupor. “I’ll have your largest one, thank you.” She reached for the basket with a claw, only for Wigglytuff to slap it away. “Nuh-uh. Here, you can have this one.”

“Hey! What is the point of bringing apples if you aren’t going to share them all! Nine, you gotta join my organization now, yes? I know I asked you a bunch, but after this, we might really need your help,” Aria suggested as she nudged Nine with her talons.

As Nine took a smallish apple from the basket, something nagged at the back of her mind. She had brought something else from the dungeon, hadn’t she? It was with her somewhere. Where?

A soft mewling came from her satchel. Right. There it was.

“KITTY!” Wigglytuff practically sang as he yanked the Espurr from the bag. Reflexively, she used her psychic powers to pull it back, eliciting a disappointed “Aw” from the Guildmaster. “My responsibility.” Maybe it was her guilt for nearly burning a Meowstic alive, though said Meowstic had disintegrated shortly after, through no fault of her own, of course.

Let’s see, she thought, looking at the small Espurr. I’m going to name it—

 

[Synidfar]

Chapter 1 - Own Tempo​

“Es! You can call me Es. It’s great to meet you. Team Skittle, yes? I received your call for help and rushed over to the Forest Grotto as soon as possible. Are you here for Purple Corp’s training academy?”

The Froakie studied the Espurr in front of her warily. Grey fur, purple eyes—nothing too strange for an Espurr, except for the slight smile playing across its face. Something about the way it didn’t quite fit made her uneasy. Is Es a girl’s name?

Fennekin, her partner, managed to respond through her exhaustion. “Y-yes, that’s us! Thank Arceus you’re here. There’s a Krookodile outlaw chasing us! We tried to fight him, but Lydia got hurt—badly! He tried to eat us! We barely escaped, but he’s been on our tails ever since. I’m pretty beat up too…” She winced, the fresh scratches and bite marks covering her body making it clear just how rough things had been. “Aaah! He’s back!”

Espurr turned, exhaling sharply as the ground began to tremble under the Krookodile’s charge. “Are you sure this is an outlaw? Seems more like a mindless brute to me. But whatever, he’s still causing trouble.”

Froakie shouted, “He’s not an apparition—he’s bleeding from a—”

But Espurr had already tuned them out, his eyes locked on the approaching Krookodile. The newbies watched in confusion as Es calmly pulled out a small, glinting something from his bag. A Petrifying Orb? A Sleep Seed? Cool new tech? No, not at all.

It was a pill bottle. The disappointment from the duo was palpable, but Es ignored it.

“BLOWHARD—Unleash your ultimate potential with precision-engineered anabolic support. Made from 100% pure Hardblow Seeds. Now mochi-flavoured. Max 2 times a day,” Fennekin read aloud, baffled. The text below that didn’t look savory either. Promoting or using this product should always comply with legal regulations and health guidelines. They can have serious health risks and should only be used under medical supervision if prescribed. Overdose can cause high blood pressure, urticaria, physical aggression, paranoia, angina and congestive heart failure, she continued.

The fine print warning about serious health risks didn’t seem to faze Espurr in the slightest as he casually downed a handful of pills on the spot.

The Krookodile let out a deafening roar that shook the ground, making both Froakie and Fennekin freeze in terror. Espurr, however, remained unfazed. “Ugh, shut up already,” he muttered, rushing forward with surprising speed. In a blur, he leapt up and raked his claws across Krookodile’s eyes mid-roar.

The enraged Krookodile retaliated instantly, whipping Espurr aside with a powerful tail swipe. “Ow… okay, maybe not that easy,” Espurr grumbled, feeling the adrenaline surge as the pills took effect. Froakie’s voice cut through the haze. “Look out!”

Krookodile lunged, jaws wide open for a vicious Crunch. For a moment, the Espurr unfurled his ears and seemed deep in concentration… But nothing happened. The Krookodile was closing in now. In a flash of reckless inspiration that only a creature hopped up on the good stuff could have, Espurr snatched a number of Blast Seeds from his bag, quickly coating his paw in Reflect. As the Krookodile’s maw snapped shut, Espurr jammed his paw down its throat and squeezed.

***​

“G-hack, gack.” Smoke was everywhere. Fennekin squinted into the smoke, trying to stop her eyes from watering. “A-are you insane? Are you okay?”

Someone was yelling inside the smog. “Take that! And that, you scum.” The Krookodile, now seemingly unconscious, was being mercilessly pummelled by Espurr, who was using both the intact left paw and his mangled right paw to do it.

Now, being punched by an Espurr’s paws was nothing to fear. The real danger came from the shimmering psychic energy enveloping them like a pair of boxing gloves. Blood and spittle sprayed everywhere with each impact. How long the beating continued, Froakie wasn’t sure, but it was definitely at least an uncomfortable few minutes.

“Whew! That’s good enough,” Es finally said, stepping back from the battered Krookodile. He turned to Team Skittle, his eyes bloodshot and his right paw a mess. “Are you alright, Team… Uh, I forgot. Sorry.”

“Welp.” Fennekin stared, speechless. After another long, awkward pause, Froakie managed to find her voice. “You are with Purple Corp, right? We called them through the Connection Orb. We’re here for one of your seminars. Can you use your badge to get us out?”

Espurr laughed maniacally as he clicked the mechanism on his satchel’s insignia like a stress ball. “No, I can’t, and I am NOT with the Corps! But it’s nice to know I beat them here this time.” He tossed them an Escape Orb. “The corps might show up soon, but if you want to save face, use this to get out. Post Town is north.”

“Wait, then how did you know we were here?” Fennekin piped up.

“This is my forest! Don’t forget that. Good luck with the training.” With that, Es sauntered off, leaving the Krookodile lying on the forest floor. Alive or not—Fennekin wasn’t sure. She had never seen an explosion go off in anybody’s maw before.

Froakie voiced what they were both thinking. “Nyx… I have never seen an Espurr this… physical, on the Water Continent. Is everyone on the Mist Continent this crazy?”

“Let’s… pretend that never happened.”

Fennekin and Froakie would go on to have a fruitful and exciting few months training with the Purple Corp’s Mist Continent branch.

This, however, isn’t their story. This is a story about—

 

[Synidfar]

Chapter 2 - Steely Spirit​

“Purpose. I can’t forget that I have a purpose. I have a mission.” Es repeated a mantra as he washed the dried blood off his face in the mirror. The glorious effects of yesterday’s BLOWHARD had faded away, and everything was starting to really hurt. Ow… You’ve been doing this for so long. But the fights are still too close.

“What are you talking about? I completely demolished that Krookodile. I’m guarding the forest. And I will do it for as long as I need to. Now keep quiet, I need to get my paw checked out as well.”

He followed his usual routine. Two BLOWHARD pills with breakfast, hastily thrown together. Nine’s old blue scarf fastened around his neck as a lucky charm of sorts. One Escape Orb, a Purple Corp Warp Orb, eight Blast Seeds, two Apples, two Oran Berries, and the pill bottle. He would dump them in Nine’s old bag and leave for Paradise to treat yesterday’s wounds before starting his patrol of the Mystery Dungeons.

As Post Town had grown over the decades, so had Paradise. Nine once mentioned that all the shopping centres and paved roads started with just a few minigame shops. Those minigames had since merged into a long, bustling building known as the Prize Palace, which was just a fancy way to name a casino. Es rarely indulged in such distractions, but he had a soft spot for The Sunken Treasure, a recreational centre in the heart of town. On nights when he wasn’t on a mission, Espurr would find himself there, lost in thought while watching the mesmerizing light shows put on by the Starmie.

Every Tuesday, Victini would roll in with his V-Wheel and a boombox, blasting a tune that started with a snazzy guitar riff followed by a flurry of flutes. Es never had time to fully appreciate the music, but it was a hit with the locals—except for Meloetta, who seemed to have an ongoing feud with Victini. Then again, there was that one incident where Victini chased Es with the V-Wheel…

But right now, what mattered most was the medical center near the crossroads. Es was, unfortunately, a very regular patron.

***​

Bewear hummed as she shuffled about the infirmary with antiseptics and various medicines that Es had no knowledge of.

“What are you in today for, Es?”

“I took down a Krookodile outlaw in the forest,” Es began, launching into a detailed rant about the outlaw, his injuries, and his thoughts on guilds and local politics. Bewear listened patiently as she tended to his arm. “…and that’s why I think Aria’s Purple Corps isn’t doing enough.”

Bewear nodded thoughtfully. “You really should stop pushing your body so hard, Es. Why not try volunteering at the town hall? They always need more Pokémon to build the local amenities. It’s just as valuable as dungeon clearing these days,” Bewear offered in a concerned tone.

“You know I can’t do that, Bea. I just can’t. Don’t ask why. I’ve told you the same thing for the past decade,” Es replied with a sigh.

“Want a hug? It might brighten your day,” Bewear offered as she finished by bandaging his right paw.

Es felt a brief flicker of warmth in his gut, but it was prudent to decline Bewear hugs. With a shake of his head, he hopped off infirmary bed and trotted out of the room, ready for the day’s activities.

***​

“Psst. Pssssssssst. Hey! Es! Es… Do you want a restock?” Came a familiar voice from an alley way.

“Dunst. Mila. I don’t need more now,” Es addressed the Weezing and Rockruff briefly.

“And they are a legal grey area. You don’t have to whistle at me from an alleyway as though we are doing something strange.” Es finished as he turned to walk away.

“You sure about that? You’re Ninetales’ son, hmm? One of the legends. You need to keep up appearances, don’t you?” Rockruff said.

“And I heard you are really bad at using your psychic powers! You need this. You can’t work with the guilds either, can ya? How’s a weak recluse like you going to survive out there when things get bad?” Weezing added, raising its smoking eyebrows to emphasize its point. “Hey now, don’t get angry, it’s just banter, mate.”

But I’m not angry. The stimulants were probably doing their thing, though. His paws shook slightly as he continued trudging forward, doing his best to avoid looking at the riff-raff. I have to be at Ragged Mountain before noon.

“Stop ignoring me, Es. You need this. See, I can even do this to you…” Weezing sneered, as the air in the area began to shift abnormally. As reward for ignoring the riff-raff, Es couldn’t avoid the attack in time. His scarf is loosened from his neck and lands in a pile of mud.

Oh. That happened. Es’ vision blurred red. He vaguely remembers slowly walking over to the soiled scarf, picking it up gingerly, and refastening it around his neck… Before charging at Dunst, Reflect-coated paw at the ready.

His momentum was abruptly shattered as a Perrserker slammed into his side, sending him crashing into a heap of crates. “They are my distributors, Es.” A Purple Corps insignia gleamed on his chest as he stood over Es.

Es was used to being struck by arbitrary things. So accustomed, in fact, that he had a specific reflex as a response.

The thrown seed lazily flew through the air, before detonating in a burst of fire and smoke in Perrserker’s face. It hit dead-on, but… Perrserker emerged from the smoke with nary a scratch on him. “How dare you,” Perrserker growled as he thumped his chest, making thonk-thonk noises with the metallic fur.

“They. Assaulted. Me.” Es gritted.

“Nothing INJURED you. But you did try to injure me!” In a well-practiced motion, Perrserker gathered both paws together to ready a crackling ball of energy. As Es rushed forward, he prepared to dodge, only for Perrserker to fire the Flash Cannon into the ground and create an explosion of his own. “Grr,” Es grunted as he was thrown into the air, his Reflect barrier flickering and fading. Still, the updraft had finally allowed him to close the distance between himself and Perrserker.

As he fell, Es contorted his body, gathering his strength to earn a Reflect punch squarely on Perrserker’s face. Dink! Es’s eyes widened in alarm. That wasn’t a promising result.

“Yuu arr quife pofular amongft the Furple Corfs.” Perrserker gritted, not looking too bothered with Es’ paw pressed into his left cheek. Es attempted to kick off the other cat’s shoulders, desperately trying recreate the distance between them—but it was too late. A horrible screech of metal rang through the air, causing Weezing and Rockruff to wince off to the side. Es, who had taken the attack point-blank, crashed to the ground with a gasp, some blood flowing from his ears. “One of my teammates likes keeping tabs on you, so I can’t have you causing too much trouble in town.”

Es got up groggily. ‘Nyargh!’ He focused, forcing the Reflect coating around his body to flicker back to life, bracing for another attack as Perrserker swaggered towards him, claws at the ready. ‘I have to be ready this time. I’m ready this time. I am ready.’ Es thought, clenching his teeth. But as Perrserker approached, instead of striking, it unexpectedly lifted Es off the ground. ‘Huh?’

“You can’t Reflect this.”

“Put me down this instant, you cur!” Es hissed, clawing uselessly at his sides. Perrserker laughed, bundling the smaller Es at his side like a handbag as he casually strolled out of Paradise. Weezing and Rockruff followed behind, snickering at how ridiculous the entire situation looked.

***​

“I’ve never seen an Espurr look this angry. He was like this!”

ヽ(ಠ益ಠ)ノ

“Or maybe it was like this.”

o(≧o≦)o

“Alright, we are here.”

“Uff!” Es landed in a heap on the crossroads, his pride bruised more than his body. “Don’t cause any more trouble, kid,” Perrserker called back as he walked away.

Kid? “It’s not fair. If I had more gear, you wouldn’t stand a chance,” Es muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll show them. I can do it. I can.”

More gear? You brought the usual. The peak of Ragged Mountain was his favorite haunt. The Mystery Dungeons in the forest and nearby pass would constantly morph and shift their terrain around, but when observing it from this height, it didn’t matter. If there were any commotions breaking out in the forest, he would immediately be on it with a Warp Orb or two.

A rock had found its way into his hand when he was tossed out. That rock was used to smash a Minccino apparition into stardust and light. It’s not enough. I’m not enough.

The Klink apparition beneath his feet refused to disappear no matter how hard he kicked. Dink, dink, dink echoed through the valley as Espurr wailed on the Klink. But like Perrserker’s face, it just wouldn’t break. If I’m not enough, I might as well not exist.

Clink. He slammed the Klink into the rock face with all his might. It shakily began to float away, trying to escape. Es hurled small pebbles with his weak psychic powers, clinging to the Nine’s advice: Move it with your soul. He pictured the rock face collapsing onto the Klink. In fact, he even imagined a vision of his soul, or whatever that was, dropping said rock face onto the Klink… Nothing happened.

Maybe you should wander off somewhere, beat up a bunch of these apparitions, and die. Exhausted from venting his frustration on ghosts, Es watched as his punching bag slowly drifted out of sight.

“Or maybe that will just elevate me. Who can tell? I can already picture it: Es waltzes through the hazardous south of the Mist Continent, clears an arbitrary number of dungeons with his talents, finds something cool.”

Or he can’t do it, and—.

“Nine told me once that trial by fire makes people grow faster,” Es muttered. “You burn, and burn, and maybe something new rises from the ashes.”

Or maybe you just burn.

“Nonsense. I have always believed what Nine said. I have always been trying to burn, so burning myself a little harder isn’t a problem.” His paws clenched so tightly that yesterday’s wound reopened, blood trickling down his limb. “I know that I am more than nothing. I just have to show it.”

But the heckler in his head continued. And if you fail again?

He stared at the blood staining his fur. “What are you talking about? I didn’t fail. I won’t fail.” Es snapped.

“I’ll become something else. Something stronger. I’ll break through this barrier.”

Or I’ll break for good.

“Es is going to go on a journey of self-enlightenment south to the edge of the continent. Preferably in a straight line, and he will clear whatever is in his way, whether inner voice likes it or not.” he decided. “Talking to yourself is also weird and unproductive.”

 

[Synidfar]

Chapter 3 - Swarm​

In the time it took for him to have his little excursion to Paradise and return to the shack, more than half the day had already passed.

Slamming the door to his house open, he clumsily swept more Blast Seeds into Nine’s bag to replenish the ones he wasted on the fight with Perrserker. Plus a few extra Oran Berries and Apples, a few Stun Seeds, an old world map, and that special Petrify Orb—one he’d been saving for some imagined showdown with a world-ending villain. As an afterthought, he grabbed the Escape Orb inside his bag… and threw it out. “No regrets.” The insignia on Nine’s bag was also taken off and carefully placed on the countertop. “Might be a rough journey. I can’t have you getting dirty.”

Then he was off, meandering into the distance in a direction he felt was roughly South with a smooth trot.

So maybe ‘straight line’ was a lie. There was a large group of mountains in the way that were unreasonable to surmount in one night, even for him. He ended up taking a curved path around them instead.

“A Meowstic is faster than light, a Golem’s faster than light, a Lapras Liner’s faster than light,” he sang in an off-beat tone as he trekked across the grassy plains. “But I’m not at the edge of the continent yet.”

The first day was uneventful. The old map had mentioned five Mystery Dungeons to the south. As he lay down to rest for the night, he half expected to wake up having to deal with a dungeon shifting directly onto his location.

No such thing happened. For an area so far from civilization, the entire place was strangely devoid of dungeons. The scenery, on the other hand, was beautiful. The Pelliper and occasional Braviary would sing with him as he trudged past the trees and the mountain passes, and for a moment, he almost forgot the angst that set him out on this strange journey to begin with.

On the second evening, he arrived at what could only be described as a hole in the ground. He stood there, waiting for the ruins to come alive—stairs to split, shadows to writhe, eerie shrieks to echo from the depths. But the silence held. “Maybe it’s not a mystery dungeon,” Es mused, stepping cautiously into the Buried Ruins. “But there might still be treasure. It would be really disappointing if nothing happened.”

There were no apparitions that jumped out of the shadows. No misty barrier that marked the presence of a dungeon. Just hieroglyphs here and there recounting a past that he wasn’t interested in. There was something here, though. His sensitive ears picked up a distinctive, flat hum coming from the bottom of the stairwell. As he cautiously descended, he could also see a faint blue glow coming from between two towering pillars at the chamber’s end.

Es’ gaze narrowed as he approached. The glow was almost hypnotic, pulsing gently, the air around it trembling as if alive. There was something odd about the way the light shimmered and the surface seemed to ripple, distorting the space behind it. This was a portal of sorts, Es realized with a start. How long had it been here?

This was probably it. He swallowed. That was the ‘self-enlightenment’ he was searching for. There was a distinct negative energy around the portal, gnawing at his instincts and screaming at him to stay away. “What are you going to do, back out, go home and cry?” He muttered.

A few pills of BLOWHARD to numb his f—hesitation to do work, and in he went.

***​

When he appeared in the Area, the portal was nowhere in sight. For a moment, he panicked, but quickly assured himself. “You wanted this. You want this. The portal has to be somewhere here.” He unfurled his ears, trying to scan his new surroundings for the humming of the portal.

It was as though the cave couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. Metallic tiles clinked underfoot with each step but were interspersed with stone and dirt. The walls were veined with luminescent crystals that bathed the cave in an eerie, pale blue glow. They pulsed rhythmically, almost like a heartbeat, casting flickering shadows that danced across the uneven surfaces. When Es pressed his paw against one, it yielded with a soft, unsettling squish.

Was this a mystery dungeon? Where were the apparitions?

Then he saw one—a figure in the distance, with long flowing hair and a pink, round body. He tensed, ready for a fight. But as the apparition turned, revealing itself as a Jigglypuff, it shrieked and vanished into the darkness with a mighty leap that his eyes could barely track.

“You want this.” He grabbed the scarf around his neck, trying to keep his composure. I need to clear the cave as soon as I can.

He scrambled through the Area, diving from cavern to cavern as he clutched Nine’s scarf for resolve, following the distant hum of the portal. “Is it just my imagination, or is the wind getting stronger?” he thought aloud, straining against the mounting updraft.

It wasn’t.

In the instant he had that thought, the wind sliced him. “Gahhh!” Es yelled as he was thrown off his feet and skidded a short distance across the fleshy ground.

There was an intense crack and shock wave as the Salamence sped by Es again. Its wings were tipped in metal, forming a high-speed circular saw blade that bounced around the cavern. You can’t beat it. “I can’t beat it,” He agreed as another gash appeared in his side. The Petrify Orb he had been saving for some grand battle with a world-ending villain—now, he was going to have to use it just to survive this encounter. It was humiliating.

He closed his eyes as the orb filled the cavern with light.

“This is… spiraling out of control. I need to escape this dungeon as soon as I can.”

The paralyzed Roaring Moon struggled to get itself out of the crystalline cave walls that it had sliced into. As for Es, he plodded away as quickly as his legs could carry him.

Before long, a familiar blue light shone out of the darkness, and along with it came the musty scent of the ruins that he had accidentally left before. There was only one issue.

An apparition was sleeping in the middle of the path. Grey-black fur with distinguishing red tufts of fur on its forehead and paws. A pendant glinted around its neck. It was a Zorua. However, on closer inspection, Es could see that something was wrong—bits of metal jutted out from its body, grotesquely fused with flesh in a disturbing blend of organic and mechanical. Unfortunately, the Zorua was blocking the entrance to the next area… At least it seemed infinitely easier to deal with than the Salamence. Well, that just meant Es had to strike first. He reared up, then thrust a barrier-coated paw forward with a well-practiced punch—

***



Rho was trapped in a nightmare. The air was thick with smoke, the acrid scent of burning flesh clawing at his lungs. Distant screams echoed off in the distance.



“Run, Rho! Don’t look back!” a voice cried. Trembling and wounded, Rho dragged himself across the jagged terrain, each movement sending waves of pain through his body. The ground beneath him was slick with blood—his or someone else’s, he couldn’t tell. He tried to crawl faster, but his limbs were heavy with exhaustion.



Clunk! A sharp blow to his right temple. He was sent tumbling, landing in a heap on the scorched earth. Dazed and disoriented, he tried to push himself up, but his body was weighed down by sleep. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized—his pursuers had caught him. He turns to his would-be captors, eyes full of despair—



***​

Clap. A slap hits him across the face and his eyes fly open.

W-what’s happening? Where am I? Why is my head throbbing? Who am I? What was I doing?

A grey, bipedal feline with piercing purple eyes and a mostly expressionless face stared down at him. “There’s blood,” it mused. “Not an apparition.”

“Eep!” Zorua’s eyes desperately scanned the area for a place to hide. As Es moved in, he tried to stand up on two legs and run away… But his body structure would not permit it. Losing balance, he flopped onto the cave floor with a squelch.

“What are you?” The… Espurr… approached him cautiously once more with a raised paw. Rho tried again, this time managing to scramble crudely away on all fours. He mutely trembled behind a rock, as if the shadows would somehow camouflage him. Espurr continued staring, and staring and staring into Rho’s eyes, purple eyes glinting in the low light.

After a long pause, the feline seemed to relax slightly. It leaned against the rock and sank into a sitting position—though he kept a seed-like object clutched in his paw. “It seems harmless. Ah… This sucks! I was on a journey of some kind, but now I might have to abandon that and drag this… something… back to town,” the Espurr muttered. “Maybe you shouldn’t have punched it in the head. Oh, shut up, you can’t trust anything in these dungeons,” he continued. Zorua watched warily as the cat talked to itself.

As the Zorua looked Es up and down, he noticed with alarm a gaping wound in Espurr’s side. Rho’s maw is moving, and Rho is speaking words that he didn’t know existed. “Y-you’re hurt.” Rho jumps as the high-pitched words escape him.

“You can talk?” Es blurted out, genuinely surprised. He had assumed that the Zorua was mute or not quite there mentally—after all, what sane Pokémon willingly ends up in the middle of a strange dimensional rift?

As the thought ran through his mind, Es’ face scrunched up in sudden self-awareness. “…Yes, I guess I am hurt,” he replied as he grabbed a dirty rag from his satchel. He squeezed an Oran Berry over it and crudely wrapped it around his abdomen.

As they both sat against the rock, a strange conversation began.

“So, who are you?” Es asked.

“I-I don’t remember,” the Zorua stammered.

“Do you have a name?” Es pressed.

“I… heard things. Someone called me R-Rho.”

“Rho, huh. Do you live here? Do you want to live here?” Es gestured at the eerie blend of crystalline substance and fleshy bits lining the cavern walls.

Rho shook his head violently.

“Good. If you were one of the locals, I might have freaked out. It’s… a pretty horrifying place,” Es admitted, glancing around uneasily as he clenched the seed in his paw. “Not that I trust you. That’s exactly what a denizen of this place would say,” he added quickly, shooting Rho a dirty look.

“W-what am I?” Rho asked, staring down at his fur and metallic augmentations. There was something heavy at his back—he could move it. The fused brush of metal wire and hair waved around inquisitively behind him.

“That’s a great question if you’re trying to fool me,” Es jabbed, but he entertained it anyway. “You look like a Zorua… A Pokémon. But not completely. Zorua aren’t supposed to have metallic shards in their spine. And their face.”

Now that Es thought about it, he was really curious about what exactly this creature is. “You are an abom—strange being, but you have blood, and you can think. You aren’t lying about losing memories—I checked. Maybe. Is this accessory a part of you?” Espurr reaches out and grabs the pendant. Chomp.

An awkward pause followed. Es glared at Rho as he shook the fox and its jaws off his barrier.

“I’m done talking about that. So, there are four ways to exit the dungeon, if we are in one. First way is to clear it… Second is to use a Guild Badge or insignia, whatever you want to call it. Third is an Escape Orb.”

“And the fourth?” Rho asked, curious.

“You get demolished. And pray that you wake up outside unscathed.” Es fixed him with a tired gaze. “Thankfully for us, the exit’s probably in that crack behind you. It’s the only reason I’m sitting here chatting with you.”

"Ssschrrk… ssschrrk…"

Rho’s dish-shaped ears twitched, picking up the sound of something crawling toward them. Something massive. Probably strong. Smelled like stomach acid.

“Eeek!” Instinct kicked in, and in a swift motion, Rho got up, trying to run—but he face-planted once more onto the ground. Still, he kept going, crawling towards the crack in the cave wall to escape whatever was coming.

Es reacted a beat slower. “Eek? What is—oh.” He gagged as a sharp, burning scent of acid hit his nose. He was being watched by a pair of eyes. MANY pairs of eyes.

There was a worm behind him. On closer inspection, a suicidal bug catcher might notice that what looked like an oversized nematode was composed of multiple bug Pokémon parts, all fused together into one massive, fleshy abomination.

The colorful membrane covering the worm was actually a patchwork of different insect exoskeletons, stitched together like a nice woolen sweater to encase this marvel of biology. A cross-section would reveal venom sacs from the Scolipede and Ariados lines, suitable for giving prey animals an injection they would never forget, or, at this size, a nice, warm shower of acid.

Like most Psychic types, Es never liked bugs. Nor did he like Pokémon biology classes, and he certainly didn’t feel like discovering the icky details about how life always finds a way.

Es let out a terrified yowl as he grabbed Rho and scampered for the exit, narrowly dodging as a globule of caustic spit dissolved the rock they had been using.

The portal was about 50 feet away—the worm was flapping the vestigial wings on its sides, trying to give its lunges a little extra oomph. The portal was about 25 feet away—in its mindless desire for more meat, the powerful muscles on the worm’s stomach had somehow launched it into the air toward them. Ten feet, five feet—

Es dived out of the portal, gasping as he took in the stale air of the ruins. It seemed to be midnight. He could no longer hear the rampaging worm.

In fact, everything was eerily silent—save for the sounds of something scrabbling on the floor of the ruins. Oh, it’s just Rho. The spooked Zorua had yanked itself out of his grasp and was staggering clumsily toward the flight of stairs. “Thank Arceus. Would’ve left a bad taste if I’d accidentally left him there.”

Catching his breath, he turned around to check on the status of the portal.

Whether it was a mistake or serendipity that he looked when he did, he wasn’t sure. There was no sound, but he watched in horror as the ‘worm’ loomed closer on the portal’s screen, like a scene from a nightmare—until—

Nope! Es wasn’t sticking around to find out whether it could come through. “Yikes!” he yelped, bolting for the stairs, scrambling desperately after Rho and slinging him over his shoulder. A deafening roar shook the ruins as the abomination burst through, causing the portal to collapse behind it.

Es raced up the ruins as fast as his paws could him, driven by the scent of fresh air and pure, unadulterated fear. Ah, that’s so annoying, Rho keeps trying to escape—if only I had Sleep Seeds. Can’t think about that now. Got to keep moving. He lobbed a few Blast Seeds over his shoulder like a frantic trail mix, hoping the worm might just blow itself up. Please let this work. Please…

It didn’t work. His frantic dash led them across a grassy plain, the worm still close behind. The forest ahead glowed with eerie lights from plants creeping along the ground. A mystery dungeon had somehow shifted into their path… That was great. Normally, Es would’ve been more cautious—but right now, he had bigger problems. The worm was closing in.

They dove headfirst into the dungeon mist. As with all mystery dungeons, they appeared in an arbitrary location in the forest, and for now, they had escaped the abomination.

 

[Synidfar]

Chapter 4 - Illusion

Forest of Fairies​

“Haah, haah. That should be enough for now.” Es collapsed, wheezing, in the middle of the clearing, apparitions be damned. The worm-thing’s relentless pursuit had finally fallen silent, and that was all that mattered.

He stole a glance at Rho, who sat trembling a short distance away.

Imagine if I came back from this empty-handed. At least Rho looks alright.

Rho was on the edge of a mental breakdown. A monster had been hunting him the moment he opened his eyes, and then this bizarre Espurr had dragged him around like a sack of bricks. He knew it was called an Espurr, and he didn’t know how, which stressed him out even further.

And said Espurr had just taken him into a dark, twisted forest where he also didn’t belong.

On top of that, Rho had just realized something deeply unsettling: his left eye was making a faint click-click sound whenever he blinked. The sensation gnawed at him, a reminder that something was fundamentally wrong—just like the unnatural way his gait felt, and the disturbing vibration of his sonorous ribcage whenever he breathed—

“OH YEAH~!” An overly-enthusiastic holler sounded off in the distance, along with the sounds of trees falling over.

Es looked up toward the source of the irritating voice. “That might be a good thing. No outlaw is going to be yelling around in the woods like a buffoon,” he explained, more for himself than for Rho.

“Rho isn’t reacting either. His instincts are better than mine, so this is probably not an enemy—"

A grinning hunk of green and black crashed through the twisted treeline, sending figs and leaves flying everywhere. It charged and tackled the trembling Rho. Rho let out a whimper as the brute used his ribs as some kind of skateboard, allowing them to skid about twenty feet along the ground before coming to a stop. “Prey.” Okidogi smiled, licking his lips.

“W-why is this happening to me?” The small whimper that came from beneath Okidogi was ignored as Es and the brute began a competition of who could yell the loudest at the other.

“That’s MY dungeon reward you’re crushing. I had to clear a hellscape to get it, you buffoon!” Es cried as the oaf increased the pressure on Rho’s ribcage, making his eyes bug out.

“Noh. My boss wants to EAT ‘im!” “Eat, eat, eat!” The brute began laughing, although Es wasn’t quite sure what was funny about the situation, or what ‘eating’ was supposed to mean.

“Who, is, boss? How. You. Know. He,” Es continued as he gestured at Rho. “Is. Here.”

The attempt at mockery was lost on Okidogi. “Me good at smelling. Me good at finding food. Me constantly smelling for food scent. Day an’ night. When food appear in land, me find.” It was… a plausible answer.

“Now. Time to eat.” Okidogi stared down at the terrified Rho under his feet. “Me hope you taste—"

A blur of grey flashed up to Okidogi, and shoved a Blast Seed in his mouth as he spoke.

This brute… is nothing like the worm creature. No better than Perrserker, probably.

Okidogi recoiled, but it was too late. The Blast Seed detonated, the explosion sending Rho tumbling away, crying out as the searing heat and deafening roar overwhelmed him.

Both Es and Okidogi were sent flying a distance from each other.

“It’s my responsibility as the eventual guardian of Mist Continent to protect the civilians,” Es crowed as he cradled his bleeding paw. “Another dumb dog is nothing.” Flames engulfed Okidogi’s head. “Urgh! Fiya, fiya! Mouth hurts!” He yelped as he rolled about on the ground, trying to put out the flames.

Es turned his back on the flaming Okidogi proudly, satisfied with his handiwork. “Rho, Rho! Get up! Let’s go before the worm gets here.”

“Yur talk big game. But yur so weak.” a low, enraged growl came from behind him. Realizing his mistake, Es turned back, pulling a Blast Seed from Nine’s satchel—but it was too late. A massive fist grappled him and tossed Nine’s satchel aside.

The Okidogi let out a toothy grin as new flesh and ligaments rapidly formed over his blast injuries. “Yuu don’t become fight champ without knowin’ how ta spam Berry,” he pointed to his own satchel full of Sitrus Berries. Peripherally, Es noted that there was also an insignia that looked like some kind of Ouroboros.

Damn. I underestimated him. This dog might actually be a seasoned explorer… or a seasoned outlaw. “Me no like you. Me no eat you. Me break you piece by piece,” the brute growled. “Can chase food later.”

“Gahhh!” In a swift motion, Okidogi grabbed Es’ legs and crunched down on them with his recently regenerated mouth. The brute grinned as he dropped Es to the ground, clearly planning some other creative method of doing the ‘breaking’.

This is all you were good for after all. Rho is… still standing there stupidly. He’s not going to make it if he doesn’t leave now. That’s another failed mission. “What are you talking about? I don’t fail missions. I have to make him run now. I am making him run.”

Forcing a defiant expression, Es mustered the strength to shout. “Run, Rho! Don’t look back! I’ll handle this.” You cannot handle this. “Narghh!” Es cried out in pain as the brute started jumping up and down on his limbs. Simple but effective.

Ironically, Es’ words planted a seed of doubt in Rho, who was finally prepared to bolt into the woods. “I shouldn’t be here. I don’t want to be here. I need to run. I don’t even know this Espurr.” Run. Leave me here. Run. We’ll see each other again. Run. I’ll leave everything to you for the time being. Run. RUN! It felt painfully familiar. His legs trembled, torn between the instinct to flee and the overwhelming urge to help Es. He’s ready to die—just like they were. His body moved before his thoughts commanded it to.

Okidogi looks down as a ball of black fur bounces of his tree trunk of a leg… and does nothing. “You idiot,” Es heaved as the dog lets out a bellow of laughter. “Yuu arr back. Bahahahahahuh?” What looked like black flames had begun to envelop his leg. Night Daze crawled up the brute’s body and stole his sight. “Urgh! Pain!” The Okidogi clawed at his face as he kicked at the ground, trying to finish off Es. But none of said kicks landed.

For a moment, it seemed like they had done something, but then the ball was back in Okidogi’s court again. “Me can still smell you, stoopid prey!” He yells and grabs the Zorua ramming his leg. Removing one sense is not good enough.

“You must be eaten,” Okidogi said to Rho as he cried. “It no matter who eats you. Boss said so. So me eat you.”

Es struggled to get on his feet, but a bone splinter pierced through his leg and it promptly gave out beneath him. Rho was starting to let out a gurgling whine as Okidogi grabbed his neck.

Ah. I can’t physically move. I need to use psychokinesis. Got to get Zorua out now. Move him with your soul. It hurts… I’m delirious. My mind is slipping away from my body … I have to do it now. All of that anger and desire, all of your memories and your pain. Move him with your SOUL.

For the first time in his life, Es felt as an odd aura pooled up in his head, flowing out to his ears… no, that aura was him. An extension of himself. Channelling whatever strength he had left, he launched his essence at the Okidogi.

Psychic.

Rho watched as Es did NOT use Psychic or any form of psychokinesis whatsoever. Instead, his ears unfurled and emitted a blue wave of light that hit Okidogi square in the face.

“Uff!” Rho cried as the Okidogi stumbled backward, dropping him.

Both Es and Rho observed in horror as the brute yelped, clutching at his head. Spittle flew everywhere as the Okidogi bounced around the twisted glade like some sort of pinball, bashing his head against the tree trunks and howling repeatedly.

“That… felt like psychokinesis. Maybe not. We should…” Es winced as he tried to rise once again. “No, as I said before, you should run, Rho. GET OUT!”

A massive roar sounded from the trees behind them. The worm had, somehow, rampaged through the forest as well and… it was right there. Okidogi had just come to his senses and was shaking his head while blabbering, “Me feel funny.” Unfortunately for him, he was the first in the worm’s path and a glob of spittle landed

Right

In

His

Face.

The sound of sizzling meat filled the air as –

The worm chows down on a snack.

It was all too much. Es let out his own howl of terror, grabbing the frozen Rho and hauling him over his shoulder. He lurched away from the clearing, arms flailing, legs dragging limply behind him.

BOOM!

A massive explosion ripped through the grove. A white light filled Rho’s vision as he was sent flying off his feet, then… nothing.

***​

The world was swimming. Every time Es tried to pull himself up, a ringing would start in his ears, causing him to fall over again. Rho lay unconscious slightly off in the distance. I know this feeling. Ever so often around Post Town, Es would manage to get himself severely injured using a combination of Blast Seeds and reckless abandonment. He had no badge, so that was when the Escape Orb would be used. I must be close to—

"No, I’m just a little exhausted.”

The trees around him were painted with bug parts. “Did the worm just eat Nine’s bag?” Es wondered as he struggled to stand, but his right leg gave out too and bent in an awkward direction. As he looked down to check his legs, he realized with a start that the ground was soaked in blood. It streamed from the gash in his side caused by the Salamence, the shattered limbs caused by Okidogi, and even his eyes and nose.

“That’s… a lot of blood.”

“The Okidogi’s belongings. I know he’s stocked with Sitrus Berries at the very least.” Es made a desperate crawl back towards the hound-like creature’s remains, but the static was filling his eyes and ears and he had to lay down.

This isn’t too bad. You saved someone. Ultimately, wasn’t that what you came here to do? Beat up a bunch of apparitions and—.

“No, it isn’t.” He groaned as he tried to muster up his rudimentary psychic abilities to grab the berries from the distance, but his focus was suddenly broken by a shuffling against the ground. An apparition. Rho is still there… He had to fend the apparition off, somehow. He reached for an Oran Berry, a Blast Seed, anything—but Nine’s bag was worm goop now.

Then, the apparition communicated. Have you seen my partner? I’m sure she’s somewhere close.

A Servine, purple scarf flapping in the cool forest breeze, with a Sitrus Berry in its appendages.

You know, you remind me a little of myself once. Young and full of a desire to do something great.

He could feel a warm smile. Decades ago, we built a Paradise for ourselves, my friends and I. It is something special, isn’t it? Snivy waved his vines towards invisible buildings that only it could see, as Es stared on in wide-eyed disbelief.

I’ve been looking for a while, but I can’t seem to find Charlotte. Virizion, Keldeo, Emolga, Dunsparce, Espy and Umbry… none of them are here either. And there’s no way out. There’s a bright light in that direction, but every time I step through, parts of me start crumbling. Es felt the smile fade into melancholy.

I tried talking to other explorers that came by, but none of them heard what I was saying. That’s when I realized—it wasn’t my friends who went missing. It was me.

Es’ vision was blurring into grey static. “Is this an illusion? Am I dreaming?”

He could feel Servine’s gaze soften. But you… you can hear me now. Understand me, even. It looks like you’re in a bad way. The world was fading out around him.

I’m going to get you both out of here. If you find my friends… tell them I said hello.

***​

Rho woke up with a start. Something had moved them out of the forest dungeon and the mountains were behind them, now. A few yards off, Es lay crumpled on the ground, his body marred with scars and patches of missing fur. The sight made Rho’s eyes well up with tears.

“Sniffle—I don’t know what to do. What should I do now? Where are we? Please, Es, wake up…” His voice trembled as he looked around, seeing nothing but endless grass and trees for miles. As the sun crept higher in the sky, the pawing at Es became increasingly frantic, until finally...

“Gh. I don’t feel alive, but I am functional,” A mutter came from beneath Rho. “Please stop jabbing me in the face.”

Rho’s heart leapt. “You’re really okay! I thought—I was so worried!”

“Okay, let’s go. Don’t fall behind now—” Es attempted to push himself up, but his exhausted body wouldn’t budge. “Actually, you are going to have to carry me this time. Remember, if you ditch me, you might not find civilization. Or get your memories back. That would be unfortunate,” Es finished with a half-hearted threat.

And thus directions were mumbled weakly to Rho as he haphazardly dragged Es along with him back towards Noe Town.

On reaching his shack, Es collapsed face-down on the welcome mat in a plume of dust. Rho stood just outside the doorway, pendant glinting in the setting sun as he looked at Es hopefully.

“Weel? Thenks fur yur hulp. Goh home.” Es said with a mouth full of mat.

Now Rho just looked dejected. Oh, that’s right.

“Maybe the guilds can help.” Es offered, lifting his head slightly.

“What are guilds?” Rho asked.

Es paused for a moment. What was he thinking? Rho was right. What ARE guilds? He didn’t want to deal with them. “Forget that. Come in. The bed’s yours tonight.” He weakly gestured towards the pile of mattresses in the corner, before collapsing back onto the mat.

And thus, Es’ so-called self-enlightenment journey came to an end. Massive worms, talking apparitions and finding amnesiac mechanical foxes in flesh-crystal caverns was, indeed, a lot of enlightenment in the span of three days.

Maybe even too much. Es considered simply forgetting about it all. Normally, he would have balked if asked to let a strange, potentially eldritch-horror Zorua creature into his home, but this time he let it slide.

 

[Synidfar]

Chapter 5 - Shadow Tag​

The following two months were a blur. Espurr would rise at the crack of dawn each day, adhering to a rigid routine. Two pills with breakfast, hastily thrown together. A blue scarf with orange streaks tenderly fastened around his neck. Some Orbs, twenty-five Blast Seeds, two Apples, two Oran Berries, and the pill bottle, all stuffed haphazardly into a brand-new satchel with ‘Nine’ messily scrawled on its clasp and an insignia with all the colors of the rainbow on it. Those items never seemed to run out. Perhaps Es was wealthier than Rho imagined. Most days, Es would stumble back home in the evening, bleeding from a variety of wounds after finding a creative way to injure himself. He would clumsily smear Oran Berry salve over them before collapsing into bed in exhausted silence.

If he was particularly injured, he would sometimes attempt a strange experiment where he would unfurl his ears and look at Rho in deep concentration. Nothing would ever happen, and Es would stagger off to bed muttering something about how he “wasn’t able to replicate that feeling from that day”, leaving Rho befuddled.

Rho didn’t fully grasp why, but Es clearly saw the stretch of land between Post Town and Noe Town as his territory, and he was fiercely protective and oddly proud of it. At least, that’s how it seemed to Rho. On the rare days Es wasn’t too beaten up, he’d regale Rho with tales of his adventures. For instance, there were stories about the explorers he supposedly saved in the Tempting Path and Forest Grotto—though they were likely more creeped out than grateful, not that Rho knew. There was one about the Scraggy outlaw he defeated in Hazy Pass and another about the rare artifact he discovered in Ragged Mountain.

On those days, Rho would seize the opportunity to plead for help with his past, trying every angle he could think of.

“Can I come with you?”

“Could you talk to the guilds for me?”

“Did you see any Zorua? Can you search for one?”

“Can you help me with my memories? Please?” he’d ask, pulling off the best puppy-eyed impression a Zorua with a partially metallic face could handle.

But Espurr’s answer was always the same, just in different words: “No. I work alone. I have more important matters to handle. People could be in danger if I’m not around. I don’t deal with the guilds.”

In the meantime, Rho practiced how to walk. Front left and back right, front right and back left. He would pace around Es’ shack for hours on end (because he was bored to death). There was an old sofa in Es’ room—Rho had been overcome by the impulse to dig through its interesting texture, and was rewarded with some old Gummis and somebody’s old tome about Dungeons and Apparitions. It sounded like a fun game—but he soon realized that it was a boring wall of text, and tossed it aside. Es had given him an Encyclopedia about the world, just in case—another boring wall of text, tossed aside.

Rho only lasted about two weeks of this boredom before he started venturing into town on his own. To be fair, Es had never tried to stop him. In fact, Rho was given an allowance of gold coins with a letter P engraved on them every day, along with the vague instruction: “Give this to people and ask for things”. The only thing that slowed him down was his anxiety about not being able to communicate and the mysterious ‘Boss’ trying to eat him, but his curiosity eventually overwhelmed that.

Those excursions were usually uneventful—until today.

***

Post Town​

As Paradise had grown over the decades, so had Post Town. The humble tents had given way to taller metallic buildings that the locals had somehow integrated into the lush natural surroundings. Windows were adorned with vibrant flora, while creeper plants wound up the sides, creating a beautiful blend of steel and greenery. At the peak of the hilly town, a fountain had been decorated with the statue of a nine-tailed fox that Rho had never seen before.

The streets, too, were alive with a colorful array of vendors, their stalls overflowing with goods, each one contributing to the town’s lively atmosphere.

Every Wednesday, Victini would appear, playing an upbeat tune in front of his curious wheel contraption. Rho found himself humming along, drawn to the melody that seemed to resonate with the hope and optimism pulsing through the city.

There were occasional murmurs about a ‘Zorua with a metallic face’ making rounds in Post Town, but these whispers lacked malice. If anything, they came from curiosity and intrigue. Not that Rho could conceal himself even if he wanted to. Much to Espurr’s disappointment, Rho’s lack of disguising ability had foiled Es’ odd plan to use him as a doppelganger to amplify his own presence.

Once again, there were no clues about who he was. No one had heard of a ‘Rho’. The shopkeepers showed no signs of recognizing him, and none could recall ever selling him anything. After exhausting himself trying to politely pester the townsfolk with questions about his past—thankfully, they were all remarkably friendly—Rho eventually gave up. He found a quiet spot by the fountain and slurped Spinda’s new flavour of ice-cream as the town bustled around him, everyone absorbed in their daily tasks.

As he sat there, a shadow fell over him. He turned around, curious, to see a figure standing behind him. It was a Gothitelle. “Hmm?” Rho cocked his head, wondering if she needed something. “Heya! Can I help you?” he chimed brightly. The town’s friendliness had clearly rubbed off on him. But instead of responding immediately, Gothitelle slowly bent herself to his eye level, her gaze never leaving his.

“Ah, she’s staring,” he thought, his smile fading slightly. “Why are the psychic types such spooks sometimes?”

“Hello there, little Zorua,” Gothitelle finally spoke, her voice slow and dreamy, as if half-lost in thought. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? What’s your name?”

Rho hesitated, unsure if this was the town’s usual friendliness or something more intrusive. Still, he introduced himself. “Rho.”

“Rho (ϱ), hmm?” she repeated, her gaze distant yet piercing. “It’s the name of what humans of lore would call a Greek glyph. Quite elegant.”

“My name is Madeline,” she continued, her eyes now filled with a tired, almost sorrowful expression. “May I tell your future?”

Before Rho could answer, she closed her eyes, her brow furrowing in deep concentration. The silence stretched, heavy and tense.

“A soul… taken too soon. Destined to die twice,” she murmured, her voice trembling as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Rho’s breath caught in his throat. “In the two centuries I have lived, I have never seen a fate so burdened with sorrow.”

“Even the most deranged criminals suffer like the rest of us. Oh, the world is full of tragedy…” She wept. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the moment passed. The Gothitelle opened her eyes, slowly wiping away the tears.

“It’s too bad, but I’m here on official business, Rho,” Gothitelle said as she straightened herself up, her voice still dreamy and ethereal but now laced with a subtle, creeping malice.

“We’ve been tracking a group of dangerous outlaws on the Ice Continent. Some of them slipped through our grasp. There was a tip-off that a Pokémon matching their description might have found its way to Post Town. I’m here to ensure everyone’s safety,” The Gothitelle finished.

The air seemed to thicken around them, as if the very atmosphere was closing in on Rho. The town’s usual warmth seemed to fade away around them.

“There are rumors about a half-metallic Zorua in town,” Gothitelle continued, her gaze distant, almost lost in thought, though her tone had grown cold and unsettling. “Life is… adaptable. When flesh fails, sometimes we turn to machinery. So, I was wondering… What if you were the Zorua I’ve been searching for?”

He hadn’t been on high alert before, but now his ears were swivelling frantically, picking up the sounds of voices nearing the riverbank. “You’re just dodging work, Detective Steve!” one voice complained. “Cut me some slack, Joe,” another retorted, exasperated. “I’m an old Farfetch’d ready to retire, not chase down dangerous outlaws in person! That’s not my strength.”

“I-I’m not the Zorua you’re looking for,” Rho stammered, the anxiety finally getting to him. “I don’t even remember who I am! H-how could I have traveled alone from the Ice Continent to the Mist Continent?”

Rho tried to back away from the Gothitelle, but an unseen force yanked him off his feet. He crashed to the ground with a startled yelp, the wind knocked out of him.

“I made that trip.” Gothitelle said flatly, leaning closer, her eyes flaring an unnatural, piercing blue. “But that’s not the real issue, is it? Deep down, you’re terrified that you are that Zorua. It’s natural to be anxious around law enforcement, but based on everything you’ve been through these past months, you’ve got a gnawing suspicion, don’t you?”

She looked down at the trembling fox. “It’s alright, Rho. We’ll take you to our headquarters, and if you’re innocent, you’ll be free to go.”

Rho’s heart pounded as he glanced down, finally noticing what was happening. His shadow had darkened, thickened, and taken on a more solid form beneath him. Gothitelle’s foot was planted firmly on it, pinning him in place.

“W-what’s going to happen to me if I am guilty? Hy-hypothetically,” Rho squeaked. “That is out of my jurisdiction,” The Gothitelle let the question hang ominously in the air.

Seemed like her backup had arrived. A Granbull and a Farfetch’d rounded the corner, both wearing worn yet determined expressions. “Maddy! You’re so good at tracing them! This is the, what, third time you have beaten us to the perp this month?” the Granbull barked. His enthusiasm was met with silence as Gothitelle focused her attention on the Farfetch’d.

“You’re a great friend, Steve. But by being on the Mist Continent, you’re decreasing your lifespan,” she warned softly.

“Oh-ho-ho! That’s dark, Maddy!” Steve the Farfetch’d chuckled, waving a wing dismissively. “But you know I can’t just stand by if something’s hindering the Purple Corps. They’re on the verge of removing the mystery dungeons! If it means my kids and grandkids live in a better world, I’ll take the risk.”

His tone shifted abruptly as he turned to Rho. “Now, let’s string the perp up. Ugh, what’s that smell?”

“Eep!” Panic surged through Rho, obliterating all reason. His heart pounded in his chest, his eyes bugged out of their sockets, his vision swam, and his breath came in ragged, shallow gasps. Instinct took over as he scrambled wildly against the ground like a cornered animal, desperate to escape the invisible bindings.

“Somehow… Somehow, I know that if I get caught, I will be destroyed!” Not incarcerated, not even killed. Destroyed by whoever it was that caused his memories to vanish. That was what his instinct and muscle memory were screaming at him.

It was over.

In that split second of sheer terror, something deep within Rho snapped awake. Just like a bird flung from a cliff with no choice but to fly or fall, he was finally able to make it happen.

The light around him bent and warped, changing his form into a barely visible blur and taking his shadow with him.

Gothitelle’s eyes widened in confusion, her foot pressing down on empty air. For a moment, Rho was nothing but a shimmer, a mirage in the sunlight.

Then, the next moment, the Zorua reappeared, but it was too late to redo the binding. Rho scrabbled through the vibrant street tents, scattering shocked townsfolk as he fled for his life.

***​

As fate would have it, yesterday was a day where Es had managed to get himself pretty severe injuries. True to form, he couldn’t be bothered to treat it within the same day, and was now paying the price.

“It’s not just an infection,” Es muttered as he left the Paradise Medical Centre. “Bea had to go and resign. After ten years, too. The service just isn’t the same.”

You know what would cheer you up, Es? A leisurely round or two around Post Town and the forest before going home. “Please don’t talk to yourself. That is weird.” You’re weird! “That doesn’t even make sense.”

As Es walked into town, what first seemed like the usual bustling of the crowd began to grow louder, more frantic. Then, distinct shouts pierced the noise. “Aah!” yelled a familiar voice, followed by a distant “Get him!” Es tensed up. “Get who, me?!”.

A black streak of fur burst out from the crowd and slammed into his midsection. “Rho?!”

“Es! S-save me!” Rho cried as they hit the ground rolling, but only momentarily. Es twisted mid-tumble, landing on his feet and seamlessly transitioning into a sprint, Rho now slung awkwardly over his shoulder. Thank Arceus for feline instincts! Without missing a beat, he bolted toward the river.

“Who the hell are we running from? Why are we running?” Es demanded; his breath ragged.

“I don’t know,” Rho sobbed. “But they are powerful. Please… don’t turn back. Don’t try to fight them.”

“I don’t think we can use the crossroads to traverse the river if we want to get away. Hang on tight,” Es gritted as he fished for an Orb with his free paw. There was a flash of light as Es warped them south, right over the Post Town’s river to the base of a mountain. A sign warned: ‘Ragged Mountain. DO NOT ENTER. Mystery dungeon up ahead.” He didn’t hesitate, sprinting up the path and past the dungeon’s barrier.

“It’s okay, Rho. The apparitions here are weaklings. It’s nothing like the ruins,” Es huffed.

They were deep into the dungeon before Es finally skidded to a stop, dropping Rho into a heap on the ground as he panted furiously. “I pride myself. On being stronger. Than your average Espurr. But,” Es gasped, wiping sweat from his brow, “Please stop. Making me carry. Someone so many times. My weight. And—ugh—there’s piss. All over my fur. That’s disgusting.”

Rho blushed furiously, mortified.

From the peak of the mountain, they observed through the thin barrier veil as cordons were formed around Post Town, and a search party was sent towards… the west.

“Looks like we might be safe, for now.” Es caught his breath and glared at Rho. “Now, tell me what on earth that was.”

***​

Es spent a long time in the shower that evening, scrubbing away the grime—and perhaps the frustration—of the day. Obviously, Rho was forced to take one too. Afterward, Es made sure all the windows were shuttered and the door securely blocked before addressing Rho.

“Now,” Es began, “give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you in and take the credit for capturing the infamous outlaw of the Mist Continent… you.”

Rho shuffled uncomfortably, his thoughts spiraling. I’m taking Es’ food and an amnesiac. I don’t have any value… and Es knows it. Seeing the despair in Rho’s eyes, Es’s expression softened just a bit.

“I’m pretty grateful for what happened after the Ruins, and the last two months have been fun,” Es admitted with a weary sigh. “You can stay here, for now. But I’m not going to sacrifice my ‘duty’ and ‘reputation’ for you.”

“I’m sorry for being a problem,” Rho began, but Es cut him off.

“That apology is about two months too late. If I cared, I would’ve kicked you out long ago. Thankfully for you, I’m skilled enough to provide for the both of us!” Es smirked, the bravado fully taking over whatever concern Rho had sensed earlier.

Right. Maybe I’m still here because Es is a bit of a blowhard, Rho thought.

Es’s tone shifted, becoming more serious. “I was in Noe Town earlier for groceries. The authorities are saying it’s unlikely the outlaw will come near Noe Town or Post Town again. They’re focusing their search to the north and west. But I don’t trust them, and I can’t be sure no one’s seen you around here in the last two months.”

Rho’s stomach tightened. “So… what now?”

“We need a backup plan,” Es replied. Rho nodded, waiting for direction.

“Wait, sorry. I need a backup plan,” Es corrected sharply. “I don’t dislike you, but I don’t protect outlaws. If you get caught, I need plausible deniability.”

Rho’s heart sank.

“That’s why I’m buying a house in Noe Town tomorrow,” Es continued, his eyes closed as he made up a haphazard strategy on the spot.

“That’s my alibi: Es leaves his run-down shack for a vacation in an upscale city apartment. It just so happens that the criminal, seeing his empty house, uses it for shelter.” The Espurr finished with a self-satisfied grin, clearly pleased with his plan.

Rho searched Es’s expression, hoping for a hint of reassurance about his situation, but found none. As Es muttered about property values and convenient escape routes, a chill settled in Rho’s chest.

He paced over to the bed of hay in the corner of the room, collapsed on to it, and wept. What was going to happen to him?

Tomorrow, Es would head to Noe Town—alone, as always. For the foreseeable future, Es would be looking out for number one.

And as for Rho, he was left to wonder just how much longer Es’ goodwill would last.

 

[Synidfar]

Chapter 6 - Telepathy (I)​

Up at the crack of dawn. Two pills and breakfast, hastily thrown together. Lucky charm around his neck. A couple of orbs, an insufficient number of blast seeds, and the pill bottle, all stuffed haphazardly into Nine’s satchel.

One might imagine that towns built on stone and concrete would eventually rise into tall, foreboding castle like cities. But Noe Town had always resisted such ambitions. Here, simplicity was a way of life. The town remained a quiet port, its streets lined with quaint buildings that had hardly changed over the decades. The soft, incandescent glow from the street lamps served as a gentle beacon for incoming Lapras Travel Liners, a makeshift lighthouse that flickered in the night.

Es had practically grown up in these streets, and on certain nights, he would wander through the hushed town alone. In those moments, with only the murmur of the sea and the faint glow of the lamps for company, he reveled in the illusion that he was the last soul in the world.

Es and Quagsire were walking towards the fountain at the top of the town. “I want the tallest townhouse you’ve got. That one, right there, with the odd-shaped windows,” Es said, gesturing to the stone building behind the fountain.

Quagsire shook his head. “This is essentially the town square, and that’s the community center, Es. It’s reserved.”

“Are you sure you can’t just let me rent the room at the top? I don’t care that it’s a community center. I could live there.”

Es’ reputation preceded him in these parts, and the thought of a spooky, bloodied Espurr haunting the volunteers every evening after dungeoning was unsettling to Quagsire. “Sorry, sir, but I can’t. It’s a community center.”

As they spoke, it became clear that a special event was underway. A stage had been set up in front of the fountain, where sleek purple figure with massive ears was running some kind of campaign. The event had drawn a sizeable crowd of Pokémon, all captivated by some spectacle.

Fortunately for Quagsire, he didn’t need to manage Es any further. The commotion had caught Es’ attention, and he had already forgotten about renting a room.

***​

“Now, folks, prepare to be amazed. What I’m about to show you isn’t just an upgrade—it’s like magic. I know what you’re thinking: ‘Doesn’t a Warp Orb just send those pesky apparitions away? Shouldn’t I be using a Warp Seed if I actually want to get somewhere?’ But let’s be honest—who wants to chew on those bitter, icky seeds that leave you stranded in some random spot?

With the cutting-edge technology of Purple Corps, we’ve done the impossible. We’ve combined the precision of a Warp Orb with the power of a Warp Seed, all in one convenient package. Let me demonstrate.” Aria confidently cracked the Orb in her hand, and with a dazzling flash of light, she reappeared at the other end of the stage. “See that? Pure magic.”

The crowd erupted in oohs and aahs, captivated by the show.

“Any questions before I move on to the topic of the Mystery Dungeons? The Purple Corps has also made a breakthrough in that area, and I am very excited to report our progress.

“I have a question,” a little grey cat piped up as he ran onto the stage.

“P- Pardon me. Es! The Guardian of the Mist Continent forests,” Aria chuckled amusedly. “You know that Es is a girl’s name, don’t you? Long time no see. How are you doing?”

Es ignored the pleasantries as all of the questions he had been harboring over the years gushed out in a stream of accusations.

“Aria," he began bluntly. "You and Nine used to be inseparable. What were you doing while she was out there every day, risking her life in those dungeons? Were you just spending the money your followers gave you on fun stuff? Or were you just cooking up schemes and ordering Pokémon to do your work for you from your comfy tower? What were you really doing while Nine was out there, facing danger?"

Es’s eyes narrowed as he continued, “I don’t think you did anything. That’s why you have all the time in the world to stand here, giving flowery speeches.”

To a distant observer, it would seem like a barely noticeable shift. But Es could feel the warmth drain from Aria’s toothy smile, leaving it cool and distant—a polite mask with no inherent friendliness.

Aria bent down, her voice dropping to a deliberate whisper. “Oh no, Es. You’re missing the bigger picture. While you’ve been busy chasing your tail in those beginner dungeons for fourteen years, I’ve made real progress shaping the future of our world. I’m sure Nine has mentioned the ley lines to you. But tell me, what have you done with that knowledge? You’ve squandered your potential, repeating the same day over, and over again, in those amateur playgrounds.”

She straightened up, raising her voice to address the crowd. “Mystery dungeons attract and twist negative energy. Forces that, if left unchecked, could consume us all. A century ago, my parents bravely stood against the Dark Matter. And today, I stand here, carrying their legacy with pride!”

“When I founded the Purple Corps, I envisioned a world free from these dangers. By my side from the very beginning was my best friend, Nine, leading our charge on the Mist Continent. I took on the Ice Continent.”

“Today, I am proud to say we have made real progress. Thanks to the dedication of our brave explorers, many of these dungeons have not just been cleared,” She paused momentarily, giving Es a meaningful look.

“The dangerous ones have been completely removed. Destroyed. The Buried Ruins and forests to the South, the canyons and caves to the North. But this isn’t just about survival. It is about BUILDING OUR FUTURE—one where we no longer live in fear. By purging these dungeons, we are paving the way for our society to rise to new heights. No longer shall we be mere survivors, praying for tomorrow. We will be free to dream. To create. And to achieve something more for everyone,” Aria continued passionately.

The Noivern finished by spreading her wings for dramatic effect.

“Within the next year! You have the Purple Corps guarantee. MY guarantee. That ALL mystery dungeons will be GONE.”

A stunned silence followed, then a Plusle next to the stage began clapping. Slowly, the applause spread, and soon the crowd erupted with cheers. Some had even started to cry.

Es scanned the crowd, astonished by the sudden outpouring of emotion. He’d never been good at mind reading, but the thoughts now were clear as day.

“My partner was killed by apparitions.”

“The Mystery Dungeons destroyed my home.”

“There won’t be anywhere left for the outlaws to hide.”

“My family never returned after the Dark Matter incident.”

“We are so grateful. Everyone wants this. We will support you any way we can.”​

Before long, the entire town square was cheering for Aria and her Corps, their focus on the diminutive grey cat on stage completely forgotten.

“Carlson, get Es off the stage,” Aria concluded.

***​

Carlson? Es spun around as a tall figure approached him. It turned out Carlson was a Perrserker. That Perrserker. “You,” Es growled. “Me. It’s been a while since Paradise.” Perrserker shot back.

I need more seeds. Es’ paws were already uncorking the bottle before he finished the thought.

“Hahahaha! Doping for a fight? That’s the most pathetic thing I have ever seen.” Perrserker bellowed with laughter. Overdosing for a fight. Espurr inwardly corrected. Not going to tell, though.

“You really love those Blast Seeds, huh?”

Es had already raised a Blast Seed up to shoulder level before he caught himself. What am I doing? I know that this won’t work. It didn’t matter. A gust of wind blew by and swept the seed out of his hand, placing it harmlessly in front of a pair of talons.

“Sorry, I can’t let you use explosives. It could damage the town,” Aria intervened.

Es froze. Damn, she’s actually right. What was I thinking when I was throwing those seeds arou—oof! The thought came apart as Perrserker’s steel crown smashed into his gut.

“We really doing this again?” Perrserker asked flatly. “Your face is turning red. You should take a break and let me help you leave.”

No. No! I can’t lose to this fool again. I… Impotent rage flooded Es. It bubbled up through his chest, to his cheeks, and through his head. I… I’ve done so much since then! It can’t end like this! A blue aura started glowing from his ears. Perrserker’s eyes widened as he raised his arms to block the light, but it was too late.

The beam zapped Perrserker, causing the shaggy cat’s entire body to momentarily shimmer with light. “Wuh? Guh,” he mumbled as his facial muscles sagged. Es stared in shock—he had finally used Psychic again. Or… maybe Psybeam was more accurate. I was… very angry. His anger turned to hope, then satisfaction, then mirth. I understand how to do it. I can do it. I can finally do it!

With each surge of emotion, another beam shot from his ears, blasting Perrserker repeatedly. “Guh… Nyargh,” Perrserker groaned as his mind was scrambled by the barrage.

Exhilaration overwhelmed Es. He rushed forward, landing a punch—which did little damage—as Perrserker fell to his knees, eyes unfocused and drool dripping from his maws. Dink, dink, dink. “Take this. And that. And this one’s for that day!” Es crowed, firing more Psybeams between barrier-infused punches. I’m better than you now. You deserve this!

“Whew!” Aria opined. “Looks like someone’s got a bit of roid rage.”

“Buhhhh,” Perrserker moaned as the crowd gasped and chattered nervously.

“Fweeeee!“ Es paused as the Noivern let out a sharp whistle. “I think that’s enough. We haven’t had Pokémon accidentally dying to murderous cats in the Mist Continent since… well, forever, and I’m not about to let that start today. Beheeyem!”

***​

A brown rock with green sclera and beady eyes—or was the brown some kind of robe? Es wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, it lazily levitated from around the backstage to face Es, obediently responding, “Yes, Aria.”

The Beheeyem paused for a moment, taking in the situation. Es on one side of the stage, Aria at another, and a conked out Perrserker at Es’ feet.

“I see.”

The Beheeyem floated silently over to Perrserker. Es warily leapt back, but the Beheeyem didn’t attack. Instead, it extended a limb and gently placed it on Perrserker’s head. Es watched in dumbstruck realization as a green glow enveloped Perrserker’s head. “I probably shouldn’t have let that happen.”

After a tense moment, Perrserker stirred, mumbling incoherently. His eyes were still in different postal codes, but Perrserker lunged forward nevertheless, swinging wildly at Es.

Yuck. He just turned the Perrserker into some kind of puppet. “Is this a joke? I already beat him, and he’s clearly still unconscious,” Es growled as he weaved and ducked around the puppet’s blows. He tried firing another Psybeam, but nothing interesting happened; Perrserker was mentally already gone.

Beheeyem seemed to roll its eyes.

It twiddled its fingers, making Perrserker start spinning around like a top with his fists outstretched. ‘This is actually dangerous,’ Es evaluated. ‘My only way of attacking him is gone. Aria won’t—I won’t let myself use Blast Seeds either.’

Bracing himself with Reflect, he took the spinning attack head on. “Hrngh!” Espurr grunted as he was pelted in the face multiple times by Perrserker’s claws. Thankfully for him, Perrserker’s momentum did most of the work. “Rah!”

With a final push, Perrserker cartwheeled through the air and crashed in an unceremonious heap far from the stage. The medical team had finally arrived, and an entourage of Chanseys hurried over, quickly carting the shaggy cat away to wherever the medical center was.

“Looks like the meat puppet is gone,” Es huffed. “Are you up next?” He straightened up, now addressing Beheeyem confidently.

Es. The voice echoed in Espurr’s mind. He glanced around, startled, before realizing the Beheeyem was speaking directly into his head.

Jagged pieces of rock were forcefully extruded from the ground to levitate around Beheeyem like a swarm of spears, all pointed at Es.

Beheeyem advanced, the rocks following his every move, as he continued his eerie monologue. Es, Es, Es. Did you know, Es…

Then, the rocks converged on where he stood.

 

[Synidfar]

Chapter 7 - Telepathy (II)​

A skilled water type can mold its body like a liquid to absorb blows and pierce steel with their water jets, Beheeyem’s voice boomed in his head as Es weaved and dodged between the chunks of rubble.

A powerful poison Pokemon can be identified by how it places aliphatic chains on its inorganic atoms, Beheeyem droned.

A strong grass user will have good taste in the plants they use in battle…

Whatever Beheeyem was babbling about, it was very distracting. In other words, effective. A rock clipped Es in the shoulder and knocked him off balance. This caused all of the other rocks to begin hitting their mark. “Nyargh!” Es gritted as he shielded his face with his paws, psychic barrier shimmering from the impact.

The greatest strengths of psychics are. Beheeyem’s voice continued as Es steadied himself and prepared to fire back. They are, firstly, their intuitive understanding of physics. Summoning a swell of emotion, Es attempted to fire multiple Psybeams, but the incoming rocks did an excellent job of deflecting the wave of energy.

Without warning, the rocks stopped. An incredible force manifested itself at the back of Espurr’s legs, causing his forelimb to bend forward with a sickening snap. “Argh! My barrier!” Yes, I can create vectors of force anywhere. A rudimentary barrier won’t do anything against a large force applied to a small area. Nor can it be reinforced appropriately if you don’t see the attack coming. Seeing red, Es hopped forward on one foot in a ridiculous fashion toward Beheeyem while grunting in pain.

Second, we fully grasp what makes other creatures’ brains tick. Beheeyem’s eyes flashed for a moment.

“The Pokémon in school are making fun of me again, Mom. My psychic powers aren’t good enough.

The Ninetales brushed his cheek lightly with one of her tails, her voice soft and comforting. “It’s okay, sweetheart. As long as you do your best, you’ll always be my pride and joy.”

“That’s not enough!” The Espurr huffed, his small form trembling with frustration. “I want to protect the world, just like you!”

“That’s a noble dream, my child,” she replied with a gentle smile. “But for now, I have another mission with the Purple Corps tonight. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Promise? The teacher tells me that what you do is very dangerous. I-I…” Tears well up in Espurr’s eyes, and he doesn’t let the thought reach its logical conclusion. Nine laughed softly and lifted him with her tails, bringing him up to her eye level. “I can’t always be here, son. But that’s why you’ll have to be strong in my place, won’t you?”

Her words, hinting at the reality that she wouldn’t always be there, only deepened Espurr’s sadness.

Letting out a long sigh, she continued, “But in the end, I just—”​

“G-get out of my head!” Es halted, instantly switching gears to disrupting Beheeyem’s connection.

In your daily working memory… Interesting. That aside, you don’t seem to have a good grasp of physics or telepathy.

“Grr.” Es grimaced, searching frantically for an opening. I need a clear shot for Psybeam to work. Before he could act, more jagged rocks hurtled toward him, sending him crashing into the fountain. Water splashed everywhere, drenching his fur.

“Bloop-bloop.” Struggling to his feet, Es spotted Beheeyem’s distorted reflection looming closer in the rippling water. A reflection… that might just work.

In a flash of inspiration, Es fired a Psybeam directly at the reflection. The beam ricocheted off the surface, finally catching Beheeyem off guard and hitting it in the face.

“Yes!” Es cheered, as Beheeyem clutched its head, limbs trembling as if battling a fierce migraine. However, his celebration quickly stopped when, after a brief pause, Beheeyem slowly opened its eyes. “It didn’t work? But I made that Perrserker drool his brains out! Is it type effectiveness?” Es wondered.

With its limbs still massaging its temples, Beheeyem continued its telepathic speech. ‘So… that is what you are. I understand now,’ as though it had made some kind of revelation. Es gritted his teeth, readying another Psybeam, but Beheeyem had already turned away, slowly floating out of the battle. I tire of this skirmish. Farewell. “Wha—"

Before he could react, a colossal wave of psychic energy slammed into him, sending him crashing through a nearby stone building.

***​

Es lay in a heap on the ground. Amidst the fading effects of the pills, the whole meaning of Aria’s words suddenly hit him. I’ve wasted the past fourteen years, huh? His eyes were hot. He blinked rapidly, desperately trying to band-aid his damaged dignity. No. Crying is not productive. I have to believe that I am doing the right thing.

Seeing Es' state, the Noivern let out a long sigh. “There’s a cult trying to prevent the destruction of the ley lines. We had mercs looking for them for a long time, and just a month ago, we finally eliminated them.”

“Aria. Why are you telling me this?” Es croaked.

“We think some members were able to escape. They had some powerful pyromancers, druids, psychics, dragons, shapeshifters, et cetera, all dangerous abilities. They may still be in the area. Stay safe… Es. I like knowing that you are around. My Corps will always welcome you if you decide to come around.” Noivern finished.

She turned to Beheeyem and the crowd, and suddenly, her tone was cheery and light-hearted once more. “I have an earnings conference call to prepare for over in the Ice Continent later. Get Hoopa to port me there – I mean, get someone to get Hoopa to port me there in 15 minutes – Ah, who cares, get it done. Chop-chop! Oh, and I’ll reimburse the town for the damage, too. DOES ANYONE WANT UPGRADED TOWNHOUSES!”

Ah. A townhouse. Holy sh-t, I did fly through the townhouse. Es lay forgotten by the side of the road as the villagers clamored around Aria, excited about the promised amenities.

A townhouse, a meeting in the Water Continent, powerful psychics, pyromancers, shapeshifters, escaped members, and a cult.

Psychics. They escaped. There was a cult. I’ve wasted fourteen years. There’s no more need for me.

Shapeshifters. A cult.

His eyes shot open, filled with a renewed sense of purpose.

***​

The sun was setting as Rho clumsily dropped some of the larder’s leftovers into the pot. Cooking was one of the few things he eventually realized he could do, but it just wasn’t working out right now. It was quite hard to hold the ladle and all of the other grimy tools Es lying around his sink. Rho tried nevertheless, haphazardly moving the ingredients about with the stick in his mouth. At least, it was a great distraction from the sense of impending doom that the past few days had instilled in his soul.

Thump!

Rho nearly jumped out of his fur as the door slammed open, and a disheveled Es limped in, eyes distant and unfocused. Rho’s heart raced. “I-I thought it was the cops this time! P-please stop doing that!”

It was about the thirtieth time something like this had happened, but Rho doubted he’d ever get used to it, especially not now when he was wanted by the whole continent.

As the initial scare faded, Rho’s gaze fell on Es’s injuries. “Y-you look terrible! What happened?”

No reply came from the cat. Es staggered over to a cupboard in the corner of the room (Wow! I didn’t even see it behind all the junk!), pulled out a box and began rummaging through it frantically.

It took a half hour for the cat to find and pull out a dusty blue orb. Faint letters spelled out “Nine” on its surface, barely visible beneath the grime. It took another thirty minutes to set it up.

Rho had finished preparing dinner long ago. The duo sat at the table in silence, with the curious Rho desperately craning his neck to peek at what Es was doing and Es glaring at the screen of the orb with possessed fervor as he crawled through outdated news.

It was like a strange, dysfunctional domestic scene.

An hour passed. Rho, now thoroughly bored with whatever bit Es was pulling, broke the silence with a tentative, “I-I’m going to bed. Have fun with… whatever that is.”

“Wait.”

Rho paused mid-step.

“I’m going to help you get your memories back.”

 

[Ambyssin]

Okay, so. You want to know if things are coherent, yes? For the most part... I think so. There are strange dungeon issues with apparitions in both the prologue and chapter two. And during one dungeon going particularly haywire, a meowstic is seemingly killed, leaving their espurr child to get adopted by Ninetales. Based on their house in Sharpedo Bluff, I'm going to guess this is either the Explorers human or partner? Less likely the RT Ninetales. Doesn't make sense for them to move to the Grass Continent.

It's also been... several decades since Super. Enough for me to wonder why these canon characters like Wigglytuff seem totally young and spry. Either this is an inconsistency or your world has... disturbingly long lifespans for most pokémon.

More time passes. Es has grown up and moved to the Mist Continent where he's a bit of a recluse who takes odd jobs while rankling the local guild and attracting general negative attention. Why he's this... people averse is a mystery. I think some of the ending stuff is teasing at it.

Where things get muddled is in some of the delivery. This is a prose fic, but many of the choices you're making here feel a bit too video gamey...

Ninetales awoke to a sky ablaze with falling stars.

There's really no reason to used bold to emphasize names or certain plot points. That works for dialogue boxes in the games or things like visual novels because they're games. Here, it's distracting.

On closer inspection, the "stars" were more like volcanic embers, suspended in the sky by the velocity from whatever force caused that explosion.

Nifty little description, but this one's a bit too purple. Other scene descriptors are handled better though.

Something pretty big

Another strange thing is that you're using bold to emphasize words when you should probably use italics. In written works, italics are classically used to emphasize specific words in a sentence.

fire-fox ♫

The music note has the same issue as bolding Ninetales' name for me. It's too "video game dialogue box" for a prose fic.

Nine disembarks and concentrates

This was another weird one, and something you slip into with the actual dungeon exploration. You keep flipflopping between present and past tense for some reason. You do just fine writing past tense, so I'd consistently use that for all the narration.

“Help! Help!” A desperate cry echoed through the cave's depths. “I’m coming! Who are you?”

There are also a fair few moments like these where you're not splitting your dialogue into new paragraphs where there's a new speaker. It's somewhat confusing to parse.

“My name is Chatot

Same thing as before. Strange to bold his name.

Aria nodded mutely, the gravity of Nine’s words sinking in.

It also doesn't make sense to follow dialogue with the name of a character who's not the speaker. In this case, this is better off as a new paragraph.

(“Hey! What is the point of bringing apples if you aren’t going to share them all! Nine, you gotta join my organization now, yes? I know I asked you a bunch, but after this, we might really need your help.”)

I... also don't understand what this is. Or why you're doing this. Is Aria rambling in the background? You should write that out properly. Again, this gives me the impression you're viewing this as a background event/text box from a video game, but this isn't a visual medium. It's pure prose.

Team Hydroflame, yes?

Is... is this a reference?

Lydia the Froakie and Nyx the Fennekin would go on to have many heartwarming adventures, bettering the world with the power of friendship and love.

This was... also very strange. Why drop this here? If these two are such minor characters we're never going to see them again, then what's the point? Is it satire? Serious? I can't think of a reason to include them. You'd have been better off having Es silently wish them well or hope he'd never have to deal with them again.

Cyndaquil gasped, her eyes wide

Incredibly cursed. Everyone knows cyndaquil don't open their eyes.

 

[Synidfar]

Incredibly cursed. Everyone knows cyndaquil don't open their eyes.

Ah, that's a nasty slip.

Where things get muddled is in some of the delivery. This is a prose fic, but many of the choices you're making here feel a bit too video gamey...

So that's what it was. No wonder it kept getting stranger when I went back.

I think I was starting to rely a bit too much on what I was imagining in my own head too.

Thank you for the feedback.

 

[Synidfar]

Chapter 8 - Fluffy​

“You’re not taking your pills today?” Rho asked, his curiosity piqued.

Es frowned, rubbing his temples. “I can’t think straight when I’m on them. But I’ll need to now—one slip-up, and my reputation’s shot. Oh, and you’ll be… gone, if what you told me is true.”

“Please don’t remind me of that,” Rho muttered as he fidgeted on the spot.

Es grabbed the Connection Orb and slammed it onto the table for dramatic effect, the sound echoing between them.

“This,” Es said, the Orb displaying a pale-yellow fox with fiery orange eyes, “is a Fennekin.”

Rho blinked, tilting his head. “Okay, so?”

“Her name is Nyx. I met her a few days before I ran into you. She’s a newbie training under Purple Corp. Aria doesn’t keep newbies around for long, so she’s likely moved on by now—just recently enough that we can still use her identity,” Es continued, his tone resolute as he declared, “You’re going to become a female Fennekin.”

Rho’s eyes widened. “But I can’t use Illusion to disguise myself!”

Es waved a paw dismissively. “Don’t worry. I have a workaround.”

***​

The Pelipper that arrived at Es’ shack with the delivery was very talkative.

“I was a huge fan of Nine. When I was just a fledgling, she saved me from a Skarmory attack. It warms my heart to know her son is still out there! Wah-wah-wah, wah-wah. Blah blah blah. Blah wah.” Es found himself gradually tuning out Pelipper’s rambling. “But I didn’t expect Nine’s son to have such… peculiar interests. Realistic Fennekin ears and makeup, huh?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Es asked, his patience fraying. Then it hit him—the high price of the materials finally made sense. “Alright, that’s enough. Thanks for the delivery.”

Pelipper flew off, chuckling to itself.

Rho watched as Es lugged the box of makeup props inside, dropping it in front of him with a heavy sigh.

“My bank is hurting, Rho. I’ve never wasted money on ordering things from the Connection Orb before. This little detour from my forest-cleansing schedule better be worth it.”

The rest of the day was spent playing dress-up with Rho’s fur, fitting the faux Fennekin ears over Rho’s own, working on Rho’s abilities to refract light, and dealing with Espurr’s increasingly paranoid scenarios—what if the real Fennekin shows up? What if it rains? What if someone questions them? What if a pervert is checking out your crotch? What if the crazed Victini in Post Town decides to chase them with the V-Wheel and the makeup comes off?

When Rho hesitantly suggested, “Why not Noe Town? Isn’t it closer?” Es silenced him with a sharp glare that made Rho quickly back down.

“Sorry,” Rho muttered.

“I didn’t say anything,” Es replied curtly. “But no, we’re not going to Noe Town.”

At dawn, Espurr and ‘Nyx’ would be ready. Post Town would be the starting point of their search for Rho’s memories. That was the plan, anyway.

***​

Breakfast was hastily thrown together. Orbs, seeds, berries, another set for Rho, and pills, all stuffed haphazardly into Nine’s satchel.

The day began smoothly. They made it through the dungeons from Noe Town to Post Town and crossed the river without incident. By mid-morning, Es and ‘Nyx’ were going through Post Town, searching for job bulletins.

Despite Es’ mood, Rho could hardly contain his excitement. Finally, Es was helping—and it seemed like he had a lead. “You look like you’ve found something about who I am, but you haven’t said anything since yesterday. Tell me, tell me!”

“I suspect you are part of a cult looking to spread the mystery dungeons,” Es told Rho flatly.

“Huh?!” Rho yelped.

“There was a search for the cultists, and all of them were removed,” Es continued in a dry monotone as he shuffled through a stack of papers tacked on the bulletin board.

“Oh… There was already a hunt for me anyway.”

“As discussed, if anyone asks, you are my partner, Nyx the Fennekin. Now, all we have to do is find the mercenary group hired to take down the cult and join them~” Es proclaimed confidently.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned a particular notice. “Ah, here they are—Viper’s Coil. He looked at the familiar Ouroboros symbol stamped on the piece of paper. This paper is for help with a job, but it has a location to report to. Now, we just need to get membership.” Es finished.

Rho’s initial excitement quickly gave way to a vague feeling of anxiety as Es turned sharply and began pacing towards the North of the town.

“It says here that their base is in this cave. Stony Cave, I think. Wasn’t this a Mystery Dungeon?”

“That sounds really cool, Es! Tell me a story about it.” Rho asked inquisitively as he trotted behind the cat.

His smile quickly flatlined as Es ignored the question. “Killjoy,” he sulked.

***​

“And so, Flora, I told the monkey that I used Ice Beam to get us a new recruit! It was really hard, but I dragged it in anyway so that it can be used on future missions. That’s why we were rewarded with door guarding today,” an enthusiastic voice chimed.

“Gin, stop pulling my tail. You call this sitting around a reward? This is the most BORING thing I have ever done. You slacker!” A Floragato and Sneasel slowly came into view. “Ow, ow, ow. My tail feathers! Flora, get your fangs off my beautiful feathers!”

As Rho and Es neared the cave mouth, the guards finally took notice. Gin and Flora abruptly cut off their playful antics, quickly stepping aside and trying to appear as though nothing had happened. “Who are you! Halt!”

“Hey, uh. This is Viper’s Coil, right? Me and… Nyx… are looking for a job and saw your notice for… some role.”

Rho shot Es an incredulous look. You couldn’t even be bothered to check the details of the paper?

Thankfully, that alone didn’t seem to arouse any suspicion. Instead, what caught Flora’s attention was—

“Hey, aren’t you that Espurr who is always running around the woods near Post Town?”

“I’ve been guarding the forest, you numb—” Es was cut off as Rho chimed over him.

“Yes, we just formed an exploration team! We are looking to expand our services elsewhere, and the Viper’s Coil looked really cool!”

Floragato raised an eyebrow. “You do know we are mercenaries, yes…?” She was, however, quickly interrupted by Sneasel.

“That’s great! See, we have a new recruit our commander has been calling a… uh… a liab—a really promising talent!” He yelled over Flora. “So what is your team name?”

Even the mercs have teams? “Hmm. Ok, we are… ‘Team Theme’!” Es piped up hopefully.

Rho grimaced as he pulled Es aside. “A-Are you even taking this seriously? It’s important! ‘Team Team’? That’s the dullest name I have ever heard of. No one is buying this! And I’m not even sure of my actual name.” Mweeheehee.

Es whispered back as violently as he could: “Quit snickering, I take everything seriously! First, it is ‘Theme’, as in thematic, and secondly, we aren’t going to hang around these shady mercs for long.”

“The name is insignificant and—” he was ready to continue with the tirade before a paw was jammed into his cheek.

“He’s pulling your tails. It’s Team Shadowflame! We once cleared the dungeons south of the Mist Continent together, but we need… Money! So we are now looking to join a larger organization.”

Both Gin and Flora looked at each other before Flora rolled her eyes and shrugged.

Sneasel continued. “As I was saying, you can join. We have another new recruit. And someone must tam- ahem, someone must test you to ensure that you are worth to join the Viper’s Coil. If you can subjugate this recruit, we will rank you above them, capiche?”

“Subjugate?” Es pushed Rho’s paw off.

“Yes, subjugate. It’ll be fine, she’s Fluffy. If you can’t beat a recruit named Fluffy, you ain’t beatin’ no one.” Gin shared a meaningful look with Flora, and they both burst out into giggles at some inside joke.

***​

Gin and Flora led them deep into one of the ex-dungeon’s subcaves, pausing just outside a bent, rusty metal gate that looked like it had been hastily plastered on to the opening in the cave wall.

“This is your responsibility, Gin. I’ll wait here,” Florgato chided Sneasel as she stopped just outside the gate.

“Jeez. She’s not normally this grouchy, I swear,” Sneasel sighed as they crossed the gate. “Alright, you two can walk in front. Just follow my instructions.”

As they ventured deeper into the cave, the lighting grew poorer and poorer, as though whoever was responsible for keeping the torches working had stopped bothering halfway through the tunnel.

Finally, said tunnel opened up into a large, damp chamber. At the other end of the cavern, a large, pink figure struggled against the icy restraints binding its tree trunk-like legs.

THIS is Fluffy?

“I’m undoing the ice now. Have fun! If you need help, I’ll be… I’ll be at the gate. Maybe.” Sneasel was already hotfooting it back in the direction whence they came. Rho was about to call out to Sneasel to come back, but his voice died in his throat as the Bewear at the other end of the chamber shattered the ice and let out a roar.

“Bea… It’s Bea… I am leaving. I am going. To kill that Sneasel. And probably that Floragato. We can find. Another way. After that.” Next to him, Es was trembling with rage. He turned to chase the Sneasel.

A surge of emotion welled up within Rho. He grabbed Es and yelled: “STOP!”. Es paused for a beat before asking incredulously: “You expect me. To let those losers go. After. How. They treated Bea. Do you think. I can’t bust in. A loser’s face?”

“I…” Rho swallowed sharply. “I-I want my memories back. I w-want to know where my home and my family is. I want to know if there is s-someone out there looking for me. T-This is the closest we’ve been. I can’t… I definitely can’t let you throw away the plan.”

Es stared at Rho, his facial muscles twitching as he processed the words slowly. For a tense few seconds, Rho could have sworn Es was considering fighting him instead.

“I MADE THE PLAN. Do you think I need your permission–” The moment was interrupted as the Bewear roared and reeled towards them. “Oh sh-t.”

Es and Rho leapt out of the way as a Hammer Arm dented a massive hole in the floor.

“Alright, fine. We can finish the induction test and do things as planned. But we don’t just get the information on the cult and leave. We give the boss a good beatdown before we go,” Es snarled.

Rho nodded anxiously, more focused on bear-sized crater. Amidst the dust, a massive shadow slowly rose to its feet and let out a bellow that caused him to shudder uncontrollably. Rho’s pulse thundered uncomfortably in his ears and for a moment, he fought the urge to run.

Then the Bewear was closing in. Thud, thud, thud, came the set of heavy footfalls from within the smoke as the shadow loomed over them. Each step sent a tremor through the ground, rattling Rho’s resolve. But he dug his paws into the dirt as best as he could. I want my life back, he cried. I want my memories back!

“Here it comes!” Es yelled.

Then, Bea burst out from the smoke for a big, friendly, hug with her old friends.

 

[Gyeig]

Review of the prologue, and chapters 1 & 2​

Spoiler

Heya. Checking this fic out for a review tag event. Going to start off with my usual disclaimer: I’ve got no preexisting knowledge of your work nor this story in particular. Chances are I might make mistakes here and there with my assumptions, feel free to point those out if you see ‘em.

Alright, instead my usual review format, I see you’ve left a few questions for me. Going to answer those as best I can, then do a conclusion at the end.

1. Could you understand the story on the first read?
A: Somewhat - I feel like there’s very jarring cuts between chapters that make it hard to get into any sort of flow. Combined with the short chapter, it makes it challenging to understand the greater narrative at play.

2. Could you visualize the setting?
A: Yeah. It’s the Mist Continent, except in the future with greater technology.

3. Do most things make sense? Including the magical aspects, does that 'make sense' in the context of the world, if you get what I mean.
A: So far I haven’t seen the magical side much, unless you’re referring to the Pokemon’s powers, which seem very standard thus far. Tech wise though, most of everything makes sense.

4. Is there too much dialogue, or too much narration?
A: Think the narration is too dense… thing is, it feels like there’s chunks of story missing, and that’s a bigger issue than the prose being too much.

5. Are the actions of the characters clearly consistent with whatever you perceive their personality is? They do not have to be logical.
A: Yeah, no issues here.

6. Did you find yourself skimming? Which part of the story was that?
A: With how short the chapters are, it’s hard to skim through em lol. Though the prologue can get a bit odd in that regard, especially given that it doesn’t tie into the immediate story in Chapters 1 and 2.

7. Do you think that the mechanics of how the world in this story works were well explained?
A: Yes.

8. On a scale of 0 to 10, how much?
A: Can’t answer this without reading more. Maybe in a future review.

9. How do you feel right now? I'm interested.
A: Feel alright. Story’s decent so far.

10. Grammatical and spelling mistakes are lower priority because they will always be eventually fixed, but thank you for pointing them out. It does save me time.
A: Didn’t really notice any.

11. There will be more character interaction in the future, BUT. Let's say the story ended now. Would you say the degree of character interaction is compelling enough?
A: Not exactly. Too often does it feel like the story is in fast forward mode, like it wants to rush through the events to get to… something. Which leaves the character development feeling undercooked.

12. Any other feedback?
A: Going to throw the summary in here: I enjoy this story for what it is, since there’s hints of good characters and good actions in there. Issue is, it feels far too much like the story is trying to rush things, and not slow down for a second. The prologue feels too detached from the story in chapters 1 and 2, and I wish there were more scenes fleshing these characters out right away. I don’t have too much else to say thus far, other than that the tone in the prologue felt very serious, while chapters 1 and 2 felt a lot more comedic in nature, kind of has a cartoon vibe. That’s all I have to say thus far. Thanks again for the chapters-