SudoTree0185
Youngster
Welcome back, readers! I hope you enjoyed episode 1!
Cookie Run: Kingdom has a LONG story, and I'm going to be splitting it into multiple seasons while writing Darkness Eternal. The prologue and everything from Episodes 1-8 of Crispia is going to be in the first season (I'm still deciding whether I should include 9 and 10 as well). Since it's the least lore-heavy season, the episodes will be more slice-of-life/mystery.
The writing might be a little different with some of the talking sections. Something that I find oddly annoying is when I'm writing a conversation between three or more characters, and I feel like I need to specify which character is speaking, but I don't like doing that when they already spoke just 2 or 3 lines ago. Hopefully the speaking mannerisms of the different characters are enough to determine who's who.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is... not what I was expecting."
Bidoof had taken the trio to their village... or rather, what was left of it. Most of the buildings were already crumbling apart. The overgrown grass stood next to their remains, bold and unkempt. Only a few structures near the center were still sturdy and clean; those were the ones the residents seemed to be maintaining.
"You said this was a village?" Pikachu continued, while Scorbunny tripped on a rock hidden in the grass and face-planted. "No offense, but these look like some old sad, forgotten ruins?"
"Not just a village - a grandiose kingdom!" Bidoof chirped. Seeing Pikachu's skeptical expression, they sighed and added, "Well, it... looks like ruins now, yes. But indeed, a kingdom once it was!"
"What happened here?" asked Cutiefly, hovering over a collapsed townhouse.
"Long ago, many Pokemon lived here. We had plentiful resources, and everyone was satisfied. And our Guild was our pride and joy, with many famous rescue teams working for it. But one day, all the adventurers vanished." Bidoof stepped around a pile of rubble. "No one knows why; the reason was lost to history. The farmers and builders and crafters were left to fend for themselves. Buildings fell apart in storms, and without the materials needed, they couldn't be repaired. Many villagers left. Others tried to take on the Dungeon-exploring duties."
"We Splashed through hardship for ages, waiting... and waiiiting... and waaiiiiting... aaand waaaaaiiiiiitinnnng... OH, WE'VE WAITED SO LONG! But we needn't worry longer! With trained adventurers such as yourselves here, we can reform our Guild and rebuild the kingdom! Just bring us materials, tell us what to build, and we'll get it done in a snap! Simply speaking, you run the Guild now! Di-di-dah!"
"Really? That's awesome!" Scorbunny bounced happily.
Pikachu still seemed unimpressed. He pulled his teammate and new companion to the side. "This place is a mess. Restoration efforts might be a waste of time. Maybe we should just... leave?"
"Pikachu, reset. Try some optimism! Come on, this is AMAZING! A whole kingdom and Guild to ourselves!" The Fire-type spread out an arm, gesturing to the streets littered with debris.
"Really? You're - you're serious. Okay, Scorbunny. One key question: How many times have you actually entered a Dungeon?"
"Twice!"
"Same as Cutiefly and me. And how much experience do you have with leading and managing groups of Pokemon?"
"Not much! But I'm sure I can learn on the way!"
Pikachu facepalmed, sparks forming around his cheeks. "Scorbunny, do you even know how a Guild works? Be honest. Do you have the SLIGHTEST piccadilly notion what we're talking about!?"
"Hey, calm down." Cutiefly rested a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Pikachu, we should stay and help them, at least until a few other adventurers come. It might be good for us if we take some time to get stronger, anyway."
"Hello-o-oh?" Bidoof poked their head into the group huddle. "Pardon the interruption, but I believe sir Scorbunny here needs to be registered as an adventurer? There should be some spare badges and gear in the old Guild storage."
"Uhm, actually... Pikachu and I aren't really registered either... Do you think we could-"
"Of course, of course! We can't have our new heroes going into Mystery Dungeons unprepared! Just follow me!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The kingdom's Guild, like many of the other buildings, was in terrible shape. Its earthen walls had caved in, burying whatever remained inside with dust. The only object unaffected by its destruction was a large wooden board, with scraps of paper stuck to its face with thorns. Faded scribbles of varying sizes covered the papers. Scorbunny squinted, but he couldn't make anything out; still, he had a good feeling that they were requests. He couldn't help but wonder if they had ever been fulfilled.
Bidoof dug into one of the dust piles, flinging pawfuls of dirt behind them. They went in deeper and deeper, until finally, they stopped when only their tail and rear were visible and wriggled backwards. In one of their stubby forelegs, they held a red square of cloth and three small, egg-shaped objects.
Scorbunny picked up one of the small gold trinkets. It was caked in dirt and had a dent in its side, but it still glinted in the setting sun's light, almost as if it had been waiting and enduring for someone - himself, maybe - to use it. He wiped away the dry dirt and saw two buttons and a clip on the back. "Are these the badges? What are they supposed to do? Besides getting rid of headaches, of course," he asked.
"Correct! Besides nullifying the effects of staying in a Dungeon, badges can send emergency signals, teleport you and others outside, and tracks your level of experience. Truly a wonderful tool to have, doo-doot! Now, press your paw on the white button, so that you can identify yourself as its owner."
He pressed a paw onto the white part, as did Cutiefly and Pikachu. After a moment, the device let out a short pulse of purple light.
"Next, press the badges together - it'll register you all as an official team!"
Pikachu sighed, annoyed. "Cutiefly and I are already a team." He gestured to their Fire-type companion. "We only just met him about an hour ago."
"I'm sure a third member wouldn't hurt..." Cutiefly murmured. "And he did protect us from those Taillow."
"Very well." He approached Scorbunny and took a deep breath. "Team Moonflower was initially formed with two goals in mind: to learn more about the world around us, and to rediscover ancient places lost to time. The two of us are on a quest for knowledge. If you join, you will need to aid us; I won't stay stuck in a team with a Pokemon who gets in the way of this mission. Do you-"
A gentle ring from the badges interrupted him as Scorbunny pressed them together. "I'm happy to do that!"
"I'm trying to make this MEANINGFUL..." Pikachu whined. "Whatever. Welcome to the exploration team and all that."
"Exploration team? Are there specific types?"
Cutiefly nodded - well, she did something that he assumed was a nodding gesture. "There's five main categories of adventuring team. All teams are able to take on the same work, but their category determines their area of expertise, the types of jobs they do best at or enjoy the most." She drew a few lines in the dirt, creating five box shapes, and started scribbling in them. It looked like writing, but he couldn't read it.
"We're an exploration team - usually, they go into new or infrequently-explored Mystery Dungeons and collect information about them. They take notes on the Dungeon's terrain, how many sections it has, and the Pokemon and items that spawn inside, and share it so that other teams know what to expect when exploring them. They can also explore the land of the real world to help with the creation of maps. Of the five categories, jobs for exploration teams are the rarest.
"Rescue teams are the most popular. Contrary to exploration teams, the jobs they specialize in are the most common. They do things like rescuing Pokemon trapped in Dungeons and retrieving lost items. Many consider them to be the 'default' team category, since they focus on work that most every adventuring Pokemon does at some point.
"Resource-gathering teams are exactly what the name implies - they go into Dungeons to gather non-item materials, like wood or stone. Many Pokemon who form these kinds of teams already have another career and become adventurers on the side to save Poke.
"Bounty hunters - or hunters for short - track down and capture criminals on the loose. Petty thieves, kidnappers, serial killers, anyone with a wanted poster is fair game. Because of the types of Pokemon that are faced, bounty hunting is seen as the most dangerous type of job, so teams that focus on this are highly respected.
"Finally, there's raiders. They're different from other categories because, rather than earning Poke from mission rewards, they live off of whatever they find in Mystery Dungeons. They rarely take on jobs for others or settle down in one place, instead they wander the world in search of Dungeons rich with treasure. Unfortunately, raider teams have a bad reputation due to their association with outlaws."
"Huh. Those all sound super cool!"
"Yeah. Being an adventurer can be dangerous, but... it's really fun, too. And Mystery Dungeons are really interesting when they aren't giving you a headache."
"I hate to get in the way of a conversation again," said Bidoof, "but there's something else I have for you. Take this Red Ribbon! You'll need some sort of accessory to distinguish yourself from a Dungeon-dweller."
*Can I do that without fingers?* He struggled to tie the silk square into a knot, failed, and turned to Cutiefly. "Hey, do you mind tying this around my neck?"
"Oh, no I don't." She flew behind him, holding two corners, and after a few moments it had been tied into a bandana. He admired the bandana for a moment, then clipped his badge to the front.
Bidoof smiled. "Are you all ready? Because we have to get you a place to sleep! There's a spare home, fortunately; the past owners left the kingdom recently. I can take you there if you're interested."
"Of course!"
"I-I guess..."
"Sounds good to me."
"Splendid! Come along, then! Doopi-dah!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It didn't take long for them to get properly settled into their new home. The wooden walls, branch-barred circular windows, and log furniture made the small house quite cozy. Outside, the sky had gone dark, but the light of the moon was present.
Scorbunny sat on one of the wide log chairs. In his paws, he held a small gift from the villagers - a shiny red Apple. According to his new teammates, this fruit was the primary source of nourishment for Pokemon. He couldn't help but wonder if the Pokemon ever hunted each other in the past. A slightly morbid thought, but he remembered a few species known for their hunting methods. (Fortunately, the preexisting knowledge he had about Pokemon hadn't been lost.)
He tried to take a bite out of the Apple, only for it to slide to the side. His new mouth shape, with the two large front teeth, would take some time to get used to, like many other features of this Pokemon body. But with a bit of trial and error, he finally managed to get part of the Apple in his mouth. The fruit was sweet and crisp; he swallowed and sighed with delight. "These are DELICIOUS! I could eat just this for the rest of my life!"
"You basically will. Berries and Seeds can have healing effects, but they're lacking in nutrients." On the other side of the room, Pikachu was pulling large books from the bag he'd been carrying and placing them carefully into a bookshelf. "There's other types of food as well - juice, baked goods, Gummies - but they're a bit harder to get. Apples, however, are common, inexpensive, and packed with vitamins. Assuming you didn't already know that, of course."
"Nope. Hehe, thanks for the explanation!"
Beside him, Cutiefly pulled her proboscis from the flower she'd been drinking from. "...I'm sorry for the intrusive question, but where did you come from? Even the most sheltered Pokemon know about Apples by the time they're a few seasons old. And you move so... awkwardly, like you don't know what to do with your body. I'm not trying to insult you, but..."
He looked down, feeling nervous and embarrassed. *Right... they don't know what happened. What if they freak out? What do Pokemon of this world think of humans, anyway? Do they even exist?* He hadn't seen any yet, nor heard another Pokemon talk about them. He took a deep breath. "Guys, this is gonna sound crazy, but... I'm not actually a Pokemon."
Pikachu stopped unpacking and slowly turned towards him. Cutiefly just stared, shocked. "Um... W-what do you mean?"
"Do you guys know what a... a human is? Tall, has fingers, walks on two legs like me? They also, uh, can't use magic, I think."
"I've heard of a non-magical variant of the Grand Wizards..." mumbled Pikachu. "But they went extinct, too. All that's left of them is skeletons and a few artifacts."
"Well, I'm a human. Or I was. I can remember living in a world FULL of humans." He spread out his arms for emphasis. "And I was one myself. No one had magic, but we had advanced technology. And there were Pokemon, too. They were... different from the Pokemon here, though. And we didn't have Mystery Dungeons. I know I was a human living there once, but... I can't really remember anything specific, just vague information. I was in this black void, and a voice spoke to me. Then I woke up in that other Dungeon as a Scorbunny. Almost everything before that is either really blurry or just... gone completely."
"Retrograde amnesia. Not just the move. It must be so confusing." Pikachu looked somber.
Cutiefly put her hand on Scorbunny's paw. "I'm really sorry... If it makes you feel better, we're happy to teach you about the world of Pokemon."
"Thanks..." He yawned. "It's been such a long day... I'm gonna go to sleep."
"Me too. You coming, Pikachu...?"
"I still have to unpack, I'll join you in a few minutes."
They stood up and walked to the back room of the house. There were two beds - one larger than the other - and a drawer between them. Cutiefly took her badge from her pocket and set it on the drawer. "I'll share the bigger one, you can have that one to yourself."
Scorbunny collapsed into the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable. *Huh... I was expecting a straw nest, or something... I guess that, with the humans gone, Pokemon got smarter and more advanced instead?* But he couldn't keep his train of thought for long, as he quickly fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"THIEVES!!! THIEVES!!! WE'VE BEEN ROBBED!!!"
The team was jolted awake by a cry of terror. A Sentret villager was running in circles outside, screaming, "THEY TOOK THE CROWN! THEY TOOK THE TREASURE! STOP THEM, PLEASE!"
"Hold on! Why do WE have to deal with this? We just moved in!" Pikachu snapped, irritated by the loud awakening.
"WE'RE NOT TRAINED TO FIIIIGHT!" they sobbed, flailing around.
"Don't worry! We'll get rid of those thieves for you!" Scorbunny grabbed his teammates and ran off. "Let's do this, friends!"
They hurried through the village to the old treasury. Two Pokemon were searching through whatever was inside, frenzied by the alerted villager's screaming, while a third, who wore a tattered robe, stood nearby and yelled at them. None of them had noticed the trio yet.
"What's taking you three so long!? Have you found the crown?" snapped the idle Pokemon.
One of the searching Pokemon, a Zubat in a cape, came to his side. "It, ah, doesn't seem like there's any sort of, um, crown in all this junk, Myaster..." Its long fangs gave it an odd lisp.
"Check again! Check, double-check, triple-check-aroo!" The robed Pokemon's tail lashed in anger. "These aren't your usual ruins! The crown has the power of the legends, and we MUST have it! This is the only place it could be!"
The last of the three - a large, hammer-wielding Ursaring - yanked something shiny out of a heap of wood. "THE CROWN IS FOUND! DONE AND DONE."
"So there is a crown after all." Pikachu's eyes glinted with curiosity. "But what sort of power..."
Before the thieving Pokemon could leave, Scorbunny jumped out from their hiding place, his teammates behind him. "Stop right there! Where do you think you're going with that cool, classy crown? 'Cause it ain't yours! It's ours!"
"Rats! Busted!" snarled the robed Pokemon. He pressed his claws, glowing with violet magic, into the ground, and it began to shake. Then, in front of him, an oozing purple... arm of sorts burst from the earth.
Six of these creatures crawled out of the ground, forming a barrier between Team Moonflower and the thieves. They were gooey and smelled repulsive, and Scorbunny could see Pokemon bones inside, used by the blobs as a skeleton to give themselves structure.
A seventh one of the creatures appeared behind the groaning wall. Its summoner placed the crown on its head and pointed towards the woods bordering the crumbled village. "Servant! Take this and run, run as far as you can! We'll keep an eye on you!" It gurgled and hopped away, with the three Pokemon and the other creatures following it.
"T-that... that THING has the crown!" cried Cutiefly.
"Not for long! STOP! GET BACK HERE!"
They ran after the escaping thieves, weaving around trees and rocks. But just before they could catch up, the other Pokemon dove into a Mystery Dungeon at the edge of the forest. The other purple monsters shuddered and melted away, leaving behind the unburied bones. Without hesitation, the explorers followed them inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Witherclaw Wilds S1
They landed in a completely different place. The grass, fresh and green outside, was a dry brown. Dead trees formed a wall around them; their gnarled, leafless branches made them look like clawed hands reaching towards the violet sky. The long shadows and orange light indicated that it was dusk, even though the sun had just rose. No items or Dungeon-dwellers could be seen, even with the lack of places to hide.
"What the... what's wrong with this place?" Scorbunny asked, ears pinned behind him fearfully.
"A Mystery Dungeon's inner terrain doesn't change with the outside. Even the time of day stays the same." Pikachu picked up a dried stick. "This one may have formed during a drought, which would explain the emptiness..."
"Wait! Where are those bad Pokemon? We have to find them!" He dashed away.
"H-hey! Don't run off without us!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Witherclaw Wilds S2
They searched the full area, but the robed Pokemon and his companions had already escaped. Disappointed, Team Moonflower moved on to the next area.
"They must have gotten away by now..." said Cutiefly gloomily. "Ugh... it's so hot here..."
"They've got to be here somewhere. We have to keep looking!"
Just as Scorbunny finished speaking, he heard rustling nearby. They peeked around a tree, and there it was: the weird goo monster, lurching through the dead grass. Perched upon its head was the stolen crown.
"There it is," Pikachu whispered. "Cutiefly, is anyone else close to us?"
She looked around them for a moment. "The others are hiding nearby."
He growled. "I knew it was an ambush. We'll have to take them out somehow..."
"Wait." One of Cutiefly's hands went over his mouth. The other pointed at the shadow of a large, thorny tree. "There's... there's a fourth Pokemon hiding o-over there. But something's different about them..."
The other two froze. Sure enough, a pair of red eyes watched the small purple creature from the darkness. The creature hopped along, oblivious to its silent stalker as they got closer and closer.
Finally, when it reached a patch of dry land with no grass, the strange Pokemon stepped out of the shadows. She had black fur and a small red tail, as well as a fan-shaped red crest on her head. On her hands were three giant silver claws, glinting dangerously in the fire-orange light. A Weavile, and judging from the belts around her waist and legs, not one spawned in by the Mystery Dungeon.
"Hehehe..." The Weavile raised her hand to strike.
Suddenly, the Zubat and Ursaring from earlier charged out from the dead bushes. Ursaring struck Weavile with a backhand slap, throwing her back from the crowned creature, which ran away further into the Dungeon. Zubat dove at her, teeth bared and dripping with poison, but she dodged to the side and slammed it into the ground.
"Hey! I went after that treasure first! Find your own guy to steal from!" She tossed the weakly struggling Zubat away. Dark magic formed around her claws.
"YOU WANT THE CROWN? YOU WILL HAVE TO GET THROUGH US FIRST." Ursaring's voice boomed as it raised its hammer.
Behind Weavile, a dark figure slithered into the clearing. It was the robed Pokemon from earlier. Now, the three could clearly make out a long black snout and a stripe down his tail, the features of a Salandit. He opened his mouth, preparing to strike her from behind.
"Hey!" Scorbunny charged, surprising the other Pokemon. "Take THIS!" He kicked Salandit in the chest, knocking the poisonous lizard away.
Salandit struggled back to his feet, groaning and clutching his side. He scowled at his attacker. "Owwww! Why won't you give up, you... you pests!?"
"That crown isn't yours to use and you know it!" Pikachu spat. He got down on all fours, ready to battle. "Let's see how you do in a fair fight!"
"Y-yeah! We won't let you take the t-treasure!" Cutiefly stammered.
"HA. YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CROWN. THINK YOU CAN TAKE US ON? THINK AGAIN! HYAAAAGH!" With startling speed, Ursaring swung his hammer into the ground, creating a shockwave that blew Scorbunny and his friends off their feet. The whole Dungeon seemed to shake with each stomping pawstep as he ran towards them.
Scorbunny rolled out of the way just as his hammer came flying down next to him. He scrambled up and headbutted Ursaring's leg, trying to unbalance his opponent, but was met with a laugh and a powerful kick. As he struggled to stand, he heard loud thuds as Ursaring charged, and frantically dragged himself forward in a weak attempt to escape. *This guy is tough! What do I do!?*
But before Ursaring could strike, a black blur appeared and slashed him in the face. He roared in pain and covered his eyes. Weavile quickly pulled Scorbunny upright. "You fighting this guy too or what?"
"Yeah, but I don't know if I'm dealing any- LOOK OUT!" He pulled Weavile away from Ursaring's hammer.
"Anything will help right now, kid! Don't just stand there feeling sorry-" She leaped forward, claws outstretched. "-you gotta ACT!"
*She's right. I have to keep trying!* Scorbunny took off, running around Ursaring while it tried to grab Weavile. *I remember something... the soles of Scorbunny's paws heat up the longer they run!* He kept running, until sparks flew behind him with each step, and jumped as high as he could, striking Ursaring's shoulder with a fiery-hot heel.
His attack didn't stop there - he thrashed the arm, kicking and punching. *If I hurt his hammer-holding arm enough, he'll be too sore to fight with it!* He bit down as hard as he could, earning a loud roar.
But then, Ursaring's free hand came flying at him, pulling him off by the leg and throwing him at Weavile, taking them both down. Dirt flew into his mouth and he choked. Ursaring raised his fist, pulsing with orange energy, and walked towards them to finish them off.
But right as he was about to land the final blow, a blue circle appeared under him, and he was whisked away by a column of light.
"Hh... Huh? W-w-where'd he go!?"
"Teleported away." Pikachu's fur was messy, and part of his hat looked burned, but he was otherwise alright. "If you or your teammate faints in a Mystery Dungeon, your badge will automatically warp you outside. Cutiefly and I took out Zubat, so they'll have to wait for it to recover.
"Waaaait a minute..." Weavile looked around them frantically. "Where'd the purple guy with the crown go!?"
Cutiefly sighed in disappointment. "It must have run off during the battle."
"UUUUGH! I had it right in my claws and it got away! My bounty would've gotten so much higher..."
"If I may ask," Pikachu said carefully, "who are you and how did you end up here?"
"The name's Weavile, if you didn't know. Solo Dungeon raider and unstoppable thief! I was looking for a new spot to loot because a bunch of hunters have been poking around the usual places. Then I saw that thing running around and figured I'd steal it."
"I'm Scorbunny! These are my teammates, Pikachu and Cutiefly! We're actually looking for that crown too. Why don't we team up and look for it?"
"Scorbunny, are you crazy!?" Pikachu snapped. "This is an outlaw we're dealing with! Do you WANT your items stolen?"
She laughed. "Hahah, might not want to give me ideas!"
"Well, we'll have more Pokemon helping us search! And she looks like a pretty experienced fighter, too."
"Hmph. Fine, she can go with us. But I'm ready to fight you for the crown if you plan on taking it."
"Sure you are. Let's go find that treasure!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Witherclaw Wilds S4
Though they searched every nook and cranny, the crowned creature was nowhere to be found in the second and third sections. Team Moonflower and their new comrade went into the fourth and final section desperate for signs of their target. But as they wandered the lifeless plains, they heard a voice nearby.
They peeked around a wall of grass, and found a chubby young Togepi sitting in a pile of dead leaves. With his well-groomed fluff and fancy clothes, he stood out from the harsh environment. "Where oh where are those dark holes?" he whined to himself. "It feels like I've been down here for HOURS! I'll never be able to- wha?"
The team was about to step in when the crown-wearing creature popped out of the bushes. It watched the Togepi with curious eyes.
"Oh? Who are you? You don't look like any Pokemon I've seen." Togepi gasped and skipped towards the creature, his woes forgotten in an instant. "And what a pretty crown you have! Are you royal, too? Are you noble like me?"
"There you are!" Scorbunny burst out and dashed towards the creature, but tripped and fell. It let out an alarmed screech and ran away.
"Darn it! We shouldn't have hesitated so long." Pikachu turned to Togepi. "Excuse me, are you lost?"
"Oh, cute critter! Where are you going?" he cried, ignoring the question.
"How could such a young Pokemon have gotten this far in...?" Cutiefly murmured. "We should take him back to the village. We'll have to give up on finding the crown, though..."
Pikachu nodded in agreement. "It isn't right to leave a Pokemon in trouble behind. Hey, you. Press this white button here, alright? It'll take you to safety." He held out his badge. Still upset, Togepi sniffled and pressed the large button, and was sent out of the Dungeon in another pillar of light. Team Moonflower pushed the same button on each of their badges...
~~~~~~~~~~~~
DUNGEON CLEARED!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
And in the blink of an eye, Scorbunny was back in the village. "Huh? Why aren't we anywhere near the Mystery Dungeon?"
"They usually take you to whatever location you're thinking about, as long as it's nearby," Pikachu explained.
"Oh, that's cool."
"O-ho! Ha-ha!" The Togepi they'd rescued stood atop a large rock and pointed his little scepter upwards. "Greetings, my faithful and VERY handsome and VERY cute Pokemon! It's so wonderful to meet you! I am Togepi The Third - 'The Third', by the way, being extremely important and super-cool, because I'm NOBLE! Yup, yours truly comes from a long, long line of amazing and notable nobles. I'm searching for land to build my future kingdom on! This village looks positively, possibly PERFECT! And as your king, I will rule JUST and FAIR - hey, ah, don't forget I'm 'The Third', 'kay? It's VERY important."
"Wow!" exclaimed Scorbunny. "Now, this place will have a real KING!"
"W-what!? But..." Pikachu looked stunned. "I- I can't believe what you're saying...!?"
"Aw, Pikachu! Don't worry, I'm sure he won't cause you any trouble..." Cutiefly put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"N-n-no!" he stammered. "It's just- I'm... hungry. Yeah. That's it."
"Oh, right. We didn't have anything to eat this morning... I'll go find an Apple, be right back."
"What'dja say your name was, kid? Togepi?" Weavile jumped down from one of the roofs and scoffed. "You said you're the King here now?"
Pikachu stepped away from her. "Wha- when did YOU get here!?"
"It's Togepi THE THIRD, if you please? Third of this name, thank you very much!" Togepi - rather, Togepi III - stamped his foot angrily.
"Riiiight. So, how are you gonna rebuild this dump, Mr. 'Third-of-This-Name'? A real king works hard for the good of his subjects, y'know?"
"Oh, really? Okay! I hereby proclaim that Togepi III - that's me, hoho - shall build the bestest nation in the entire world!"
Pikachu bit into his Apple, watching the pair. "It can't be that easy to accomplish, can it...?"
"It can be if we work hard!" said Scorbunny, patting him on the back.
"But we've still got to find the crown..." Cutiefly mumbled. "And then get it back... Do you think we'll be able to beat Weavile? Doing all that is... a little intimidating..."
"We'd better be careful around her. I don't trust her not to use dirty tricks to get what she wants."
"I'm sure we'll be fine! Just gotta stay brave and keep moving!" He smiled at his teammates. "After we rest up, of course."
"You've got a point. Let's call it a day and go home. The treasure hunt we've gotten into can wait."
With that, the trio left for their cozy home, leaving the bandit and self-proclaimed king to be dealt with by the villagers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Darn it! Where'd that servant run off to? It should have returned by now!" Salandit's tail lashed as he stormed through the forest, rambling angrily to his cohorts. "Those things are supposed to obey me! Certainly there's no one else with my power, so what's the hold-up?"
"I'm sure it'll find you eventually, Myaster," said Zubat.
"'Eventually' shouldn't have to be this long!" he snapped. Sparks flew from his mouth as he spoke, fizzling out quickly. "We promised to retrieve the crown, and if we don't make good on that, we'll have to get lectured by that dumb, tail-kissing, arrogant-"
*Arrogant who?*
Salandit, Zubat, and Ursaring jumped at the voice that played in their heads. *Control yourself, Salandit,* it continued, sharp with disapproval. *You're going to start a forest fire.*
He hissed angrily. "Come to gloat, huh?"
*No. I was curious about whether you could find the crown. Judging by what you're thinking, you lost it. Unsurprising.* The eyeroll was practically audible. *It was an extremely simple task. How did it even get away from you?*
"It's not OUR fault! These goody-two-shoes adventurers and some lone thief attacked us, and the servant with the crown ran away!"
*Then keep searching for your creature. That crown will be invaluable to our Master's plans.*
"Master this, Master that! You think you're so much better and so much more capable just because you're second-in-command! We'd find it a lot faster if you would be quiet and let us focus, you know!"
Silence followed.
After a moment, Ursaring growled, "IT MUST BE NEARBY. WE SHOULD GO." And they set off again under the rising moon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Character guide + notes about lore
Sentret - another Sugar Gnome
Salandit - Licorice Cookie
Zubat - Bat-Cat
Ursaring - Choco Werehound Brute
Weavile - Chili Pepper Cookie
Togepi III - Custard Cookie III
Voice speaking to Salandit - ???
Voice's master - ???
As mentioned in Episode 1, the Pokemon of this world typically go by the name of their species, and nicknames are considered taboo usually for religious reasons. However, some Pokemon may choose to add titles to their name to discern themselves from Pokemon of the same species that they're related to in some way. Togepi III has one because he is the third Pokemon in his bloodline to be from the Togepi evolution line.
If you haven't noticed, Salandit has the ability to manipulate the remains of dead Pokemon with Poison magic. This is not a normal ability for Pokemon to have. I cannot explain why he has this right now, as it could be considered a spoiler, but it will probably come up in later lore notes if I can't find a way to add it to the story without creating unnecessary plot points.
I hope you enjoyed Episode 2 of PMD Darkness Eternal!
Cookie Run: Kingdom has a LONG story, and I'm going to be splitting it into multiple seasons while writing Darkness Eternal. The prologue and everything from Episodes 1-8 of Crispia is going to be in the first season (I'm still deciding whether I should include 9 and 10 as well). Since it's the least lore-heavy season, the episodes will be more slice-of-life/mystery.
The writing might be a little different with some of the talking sections. Something that I find oddly annoying is when I'm writing a conversation between three or more characters, and I feel like I need to specify which character is speaking, but I don't like doing that when they already spoke just 2 or 3 lines ago. Hopefully the speaking mannerisms of the different characters are enough to determine who's who.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is... not what I was expecting."
Bidoof had taken the trio to their village... or rather, what was left of it. Most of the buildings were already crumbling apart. The overgrown grass stood next to their remains, bold and unkempt. Only a few structures near the center were still sturdy and clean; those were the ones the residents seemed to be maintaining.
"You said this was a village?" Pikachu continued, while Scorbunny tripped on a rock hidden in the grass and face-planted. "No offense, but these look like some old sad, forgotten ruins?"
"Not just a village - a grandiose kingdom!" Bidoof chirped. Seeing Pikachu's skeptical expression, they sighed and added, "Well, it... looks like ruins now, yes. But indeed, a kingdom once it was!"
"What happened here?" asked Cutiefly, hovering over a collapsed townhouse.
"Long ago, many Pokemon lived here. We had plentiful resources, and everyone was satisfied. And our Guild was our pride and joy, with many famous rescue teams working for it. But one day, all the adventurers vanished." Bidoof stepped around a pile of rubble. "No one knows why; the reason was lost to history. The farmers and builders and crafters were left to fend for themselves. Buildings fell apart in storms, and without the materials needed, they couldn't be repaired. Many villagers left. Others tried to take on the Dungeon-exploring duties."
"We Splashed through hardship for ages, waiting... and waiiiting... and waaiiiiting... aaand waaaaaiiiiiitinnnng... OH, WE'VE WAITED SO LONG! But we needn't worry longer! With trained adventurers such as yourselves here, we can reform our Guild and rebuild the kingdom! Just bring us materials, tell us what to build, and we'll get it done in a snap! Simply speaking, you run the Guild now! Di-di-dah!"
"Really? That's awesome!" Scorbunny bounced happily.
Pikachu still seemed unimpressed. He pulled his teammate and new companion to the side. "This place is a mess. Restoration efforts might be a waste of time. Maybe we should just... leave?"
"Pikachu, reset. Try some optimism! Come on, this is AMAZING! A whole kingdom and Guild to ourselves!" The Fire-type spread out an arm, gesturing to the streets littered with debris.
"Really? You're - you're serious. Okay, Scorbunny. One key question: How many times have you actually entered a Dungeon?"
"Twice!"
"Same as Cutiefly and me. And how much experience do you have with leading and managing groups of Pokemon?"
"Not much! But I'm sure I can learn on the way!"
Pikachu facepalmed, sparks forming around his cheeks. "Scorbunny, do you even know how a Guild works? Be honest. Do you have the SLIGHTEST piccadilly notion what we're talking about!?"
"Hey, calm down." Cutiefly rested a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Pikachu, we should stay and help them, at least until a few other adventurers come. It might be good for us if we take some time to get stronger, anyway."
"Hello-o-oh?" Bidoof poked their head into the group huddle. "Pardon the interruption, but I believe sir Scorbunny here needs to be registered as an adventurer? There should be some spare badges and gear in the old Guild storage."
"Uhm, actually... Pikachu and I aren't really registered either... Do you think we could-"
"Of course, of course! We can't have our new heroes going into Mystery Dungeons unprepared! Just follow me!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The kingdom's Guild, like many of the other buildings, was in terrible shape. Its earthen walls had caved in, burying whatever remained inside with dust. The only object unaffected by its destruction was a large wooden board, with scraps of paper stuck to its face with thorns. Faded scribbles of varying sizes covered the papers. Scorbunny squinted, but he couldn't make anything out; still, he had a good feeling that they were requests. He couldn't help but wonder if they had ever been fulfilled.
Bidoof dug into one of the dust piles, flinging pawfuls of dirt behind them. They went in deeper and deeper, until finally, they stopped when only their tail and rear were visible and wriggled backwards. In one of their stubby forelegs, they held a red square of cloth and three small, egg-shaped objects.
Scorbunny picked up one of the small gold trinkets. It was caked in dirt and had a dent in its side, but it still glinted in the setting sun's light, almost as if it had been waiting and enduring for someone - himself, maybe - to use it. He wiped away the dry dirt and saw two buttons and a clip on the back. "Are these the badges? What are they supposed to do? Besides getting rid of headaches, of course," he asked.
"Correct! Besides nullifying the effects of staying in a Dungeon, badges can send emergency signals, teleport you and others outside, and tracks your level of experience. Truly a wonderful tool to have, doo-doot! Now, press your paw on the white button, so that you can identify yourself as its owner."
He pressed a paw onto the white part, as did Cutiefly and Pikachu. After a moment, the device let out a short pulse of purple light.
"Next, press the badges together - it'll register you all as an official team!"
Pikachu sighed, annoyed. "Cutiefly and I are already a team." He gestured to their Fire-type companion. "We only just met him about an hour ago."
"I'm sure a third member wouldn't hurt..." Cutiefly murmured. "And he did protect us from those Taillow."
"Very well." He approached Scorbunny and took a deep breath. "Team Moonflower was initially formed with two goals in mind: to learn more about the world around us, and to rediscover ancient places lost to time. The two of us are on a quest for knowledge. If you join, you will need to aid us; I won't stay stuck in a team with a Pokemon who gets in the way of this mission. Do you-"
A gentle ring from the badges interrupted him as Scorbunny pressed them together. "I'm happy to do that!"
"I'm trying to make this MEANINGFUL..." Pikachu whined. "Whatever. Welcome to the exploration team and all that."
"Exploration team? Are there specific types?"
Cutiefly nodded - well, she did something that he assumed was a nodding gesture. "There's five main categories of adventuring team. All teams are able to take on the same work, but their category determines their area of expertise, the types of jobs they do best at or enjoy the most." She drew a few lines in the dirt, creating five box shapes, and started scribbling in them. It looked like writing, but he couldn't read it.
"We're an exploration team - usually, they go into new or infrequently-explored Mystery Dungeons and collect information about them. They take notes on the Dungeon's terrain, how many sections it has, and the Pokemon and items that spawn inside, and share it so that other teams know what to expect when exploring them. They can also explore the land of the real world to help with the creation of maps. Of the five categories, jobs for exploration teams are the rarest.
"Rescue teams are the most popular. Contrary to exploration teams, the jobs they specialize in are the most common. They do things like rescuing Pokemon trapped in Dungeons and retrieving lost items. Many consider them to be the 'default' team category, since they focus on work that most every adventuring Pokemon does at some point.
"Resource-gathering teams are exactly what the name implies - they go into Dungeons to gather non-item materials, like wood or stone. Many Pokemon who form these kinds of teams already have another career and become adventurers on the side to save Poke.
"Bounty hunters - or hunters for short - track down and capture criminals on the loose. Petty thieves, kidnappers, serial killers, anyone with a wanted poster is fair game. Because of the types of Pokemon that are faced, bounty hunting is seen as the most dangerous type of job, so teams that focus on this are highly respected.
"Finally, there's raiders. They're different from other categories because, rather than earning Poke from mission rewards, they live off of whatever they find in Mystery Dungeons. They rarely take on jobs for others or settle down in one place, instead they wander the world in search of Dungeons rich with treasure. Unfortunately, raider teams have a bad reputation due to their association with outlaws."
"Huh. Those all sound super cool!"
"Yeah. Being an adventurer can be dangerous, but... it's really fun, too. And Mystery Dungeons are really interesting when they aren't giving you a headache."
"I hate to get in the way of a conversation again," said Bidoof, "but there's something else I have for you. Take this Red Ribbon! You'll need some sort of accessory to distinguish yourself from a Dungeon-dweller."
*Can I do that without fingers?* He struggled to tie the silk square into a knot, failed, and turned to Cutiefly. "Hey, do you mind tying this around my neck?"
"Oh, no I don't." She flew behind him, holding two corners, and after a few moments it had been tied into a bandana. He admired the bandana for a moment, then clipped his badge to the front.
Bidoof smiled. "Are you all ready? Because we have to get you a place to sleep! There's a spare home, fortunately; the past owners left the kingdom recently. I can take you there if you're interested."
"Of course!"
"I-I guess..."
"Sounds good to me."
"Splendid! Come along, then! Doopi-dah!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It didn't take long for them to get properly settled into their new home. The wooden walls, branch-barred circular windows, and log furniture made the small house quite cozy. Outside, the sky had gone dark, but the light of the moon was present.
Scorbunny sat on one of the wide log chairs. In his paws, he held a small gift from the villagers - a shiny red Apple. According to his new teammates, this fruit was the primary source of nourishment for Pokemon. He couldn't help but wonder if the Pokemon ever hunted each other in the past. A slightly morbid thought, but he remembered a few species known for their hunting methods. (Fortunately, the preexisting knowledge he had about Pokemon hadn't been lost.)
He tried to take a bite out of the Apple, only for it to slide to the side. His new mouth shape, with the two large front teeth, would take some time to get used to, like many other features of this Pokemon body. But with a bit of trial and error, he finally managed to get part of the Apple in his mouth. The fruit was sweet and crisp; he swallowed and sighed with delight. "These are DELICIOUS! I could eat just this for the rest of my life!"
"You basically will. Berries and Seeds can have healing effects, but they're lacking in nutrients." On the other side of the room, Pikachu was pulling large books from the bag he'd been carrying and placing them carefully into a bookshelf. "There's other types of food as well - juice, baked goods, Gummies - but they're a bit harder to get. Apples, however, are common, inexpensive, and packed with vitamins. Assuming you didn't already know that, of course."
"Nope. Hehe, thanks for the explanation!"
Beside him, Cutiefly pulled her proboscis from the flower she'd been drinking from. "...I'm sorry for the intrusive question, but where did you come from? Even the most sheltered Pokemon know about Apples by the time they're a few seasons old. And you move so... awkwardly, like you don't know what to do with your body. I'm not trying to insult you, but..."
He looked down, feeling nervous and embarrassed. *Right... they don't know what happened. What if they freak out? What do Pokemon of this world think of humans, anyway? Do they even exist?* He hadn't seen any yet, nor heard another Pokemon talk about them. He took a deep breath. "Guys, this is gonna sound crazy, but... I'm not actually a Pokemon."
Pikachu stopped unpacking and slowly turned towards him. Cutiefly just stared, shocked. "Um... W-what do you mean?"
"Do you guys know what a... a human is? Tall, has fingers, walks on two legs like me? They also, uh, can't use magic, I think."
"I've heard of a non-magical variant of the Grand Wizards..." mumbled Pikachu. "But they went extinct, too. All that's left of them is skeletons and a few artifacts."
"Well, I'm a human. Or I was. I can remember living in a world FULL of humans." He spread out his arms for emphasis. "And I was one myself. No one had magic, but we had advanced technology. And there were Pokemon, too. They were... different from the Pokemon here, though. And we didn't have Mystery Dungeons. I know I was a human living there once, but... I can't really remember anything specific, just vague information. I was in this black void, and a voice spoke to me. Then I woke up in that other Dungeon as a Scorbunny. Almost everything before that is either really blurry or just... gone completely."
"Retrograde amnesia. Not just the move. It must be so confusing." Pikachu looked somber.
Cutiefly put her hand on Scorbunny's paw. "I'm really sorry... If it makes you feel better, we're happy to teach you about the world of Pokemon."
"Thanks..." He yawned. "It's been such a long day... I'm gonna go to sleep."
"Me too. You coming, Pikachu...?"
"I still have to unpack, I'll join you in a few minutes."
They stood up and walked to the back room of the house. There were two beds - one larger than the other - and a drawer between them. Cutiefly took her badge from her pocket and set it on the drawer. "I'll share the bigger one, you can have that one to yourself."
Scorbunny collapsed into the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable. *Huh... I was expecting a straw nest, or something... I guess that, with the humans gone, Pokemon got smarter and more advanced instead?* But he couldn't keep his train of thought for long, as he quickly fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"THIEVES!!! THIEVES!!! WE'VE BEEN ROBBED!!!"
The team was jolted awake by a cry of terror. A Sentret villager was running in circles outside, screaming, "THEY TOOK THE CROWN! THEY TOOK THE TREASURE! STOP THEM, PLEASE!"
"Hold on! Why do WE have to deal with this? We just moved in!" Pikachu snapped, irritated by the loud awakening.
"WE'RE NOT TRAINED TO FIIIIGHT!" they sobbed, flailing around.
"Don't worry! We'll get rid of those thieves for you!" Scorbunny grabbed his teammates and ran off. "Let's do this, friends!"
They hurried through the village to the old treasury. Two Pokemon were searching through whatever was inside, frenzied by the alerted villager's screaming, while a third, who wore a tattered robe, stood nearby and yelled at them. None of them had noticed the trio yet.
"What's taking you three so long!? Have you found the crown?" snapped the idle Pokemon.
One of the searching Pokemon, a Zubat in a cape, came to his side. "It, ah, doesn't seem like there's any sort of, um, crown in all this junk, Myaster..." Its long fangs gave it an odd lisp.
"Check again! Check, double-check, triple-check-aroo!" The robed Pokemon's tail lashed in anger. "These aren't your usual ruins! The crown has the power of the legends, and we MUST have it! This is the only place it could be!"
The last of the three - a large, hammer-wielding Ursaring - yanked something shiny out of a heap of wood. "THE CROWN IS FOUND! DONE AND DONE."
"So there is a crown after all." Pikachu's eyes glinted with curiosity. "But what sort of power..."
Before the thieving Pokemon could leave, Scorbunny jumped out from their hiding place, his teammates behind him. "Stop right there! Where do you think you're going with that cool, classy crown? 'Cause it ain't yours! It's ours!"
"Rats! Busted!" snarled the robed Pokemon. He pressed his claws, glowing with violet magic, into the ground, and it began to shake. Then, in front of him, an oozing purple... arm of sorts burst from the earth.
Six of these creatures crawled out of the ground, forming a barrier between Team Moonflower and the thieves. They were gooey and smelled repulsive, and Scorbunny could see Pokemon bones inside, used by the blobs as a skeleton to give themselves structure.
A seventh one of the creatures appeared behind the groaning wall. Its summoner placed the crown on its head and pointed towards the woods bordering the crumbled village. "Servant! Take this and run, run as far as you can! We'll keep an eye on you!" It gurgled and hopped away, with the three Pokemon and the other creatures following it.
"T-that... that THING has the crown!" cried Cutiefly.
"Not for long! STOP! GET BACK HERE!"
They ran after the escaping thieves, weaving around trees and rocks. But just before they could catch up, the other Pokemon dove into a Mystery Dungeon at the edge of the forest. The other purple monsters shuddered and melted away, leaving behind the unburied bones. Without hesitation, the explorers followed them inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Witherclaw Wilds S1
They landed in a completely different place. The grass, fresh and green outside, was a dry brown. Dead trees formed a wall around them; their gnarled, leafless branches made them look like clawed hands reaching towards the violet sky. The long shadows and orange light indicated that it was dusk, even though the sun had just rose. No items or Dungeon-dwellers could be seen, even with the lack of places to hide.
"What the... what's wrong with this place?" Scorbunny asked, ears pinned behind him fearfully.
"A Mystery Dungeon's inner terrain doesn't change with the outside. Even the time of day stays the same." Pikachu picked up a dried stick. "This one may have formed during a drought, which would explain the emptiness..."
"Wait! Where are those bad Pokemon? We have to find them!" He dashed away.
"H-hey! Don't run off without us!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Witherclaw Wilds S2
They searched the full area, but the robed Pokemon and his companions had already escaped. Disappointed, Team Moonflower moved on to the next area.
"They must have gotten away by now..." said Cutiefly gloomily. "Ugh... it's so hot here..."
"They've got to be here somewhere. We have to keep looking!"
Just as Scorbunny finished speaking, he heard rustling nearby. They peeked around a tree, and there it was: the weird goo monster, lurching through the dead grass. Perched upon its head was the stolen crown.
"There it is," Pikachu whispered. "Cutiefly, is anyone else close to us?"
She looked around them for a moment. "The others are hiding nearby."
He growled. "I knew it was an ambush. We'll have to take them out somehow..."
"Wait." One of Cutiefly's hands went over his mouth. The other pointed at the shadow of a large, thorny tree. "There's... there's a fourth Pokemon hiding o-over there. But something's different about them..."
The other two froze. Sure enough, a pair of red eyes watched the small purple creature from the darkness. The creature hopped along, oblivious to its silent stalker as they got closer and closer.
Finally, when it reached a patch of dry land with no grass, the strange Pokemon stepped out of the shadows. She had black fur and a small red tail, as well as a fan-shaped red crest on her head. On her hands were three giant silver claws, glinting dangerously in the fire-orange light. A Weavile, and judging from the belts around her waist and legs, not one spawned in by the Mystery Dungeon.
"Hehehe..." The Weavile raised her hand to strike.
Suddenly, the Zubat and Ursaring from earlier charged out from the dead bushes. Ursaring struck Weavile with a backhand slap, throwing her back from the crowned creature, which ran away further into the Dungeon. Zubat dove at her, teeth bared and dripping with poison, but she dodged to the side and slammed it into the ground.
"Hey! I went after that treasure first! Find your own guy to steal from!" She tossed the weakly struggling Zubat away. Dark magic formed around her claws.
"YOU WANT THE CROWN? YOU WILL HAVE TO GET THROUGH US FIRST." Ursaring's voice boomed as it raised its hammer.
Behind Weavile, a dark figure slithered into the clearing. It was the robed Pokemon from earlier. Now, the three could clearly make out a long black snout and a stripe down his tail, the features of a Salandit. He opened his mouth, preparing to strike her from behind.
"Hey!" Scorbunny charged, surprising the other Pokemon. "Take THIS!" He kicked Salandit in the chest, knocking the poisonous lizard away.
Salandit struggled back to his feet, groaning and clutching his side. He scowled at his attacker. "Owwww! Why won't you give up, you... you pests!?"
"That crown isn't yours to use and you know it!" Pikachu spat. He got down on all fours, ready to battle. "Let's see how you do in a fair fight!"
"Y-yeah! We won't let you take the t-treasure!" Cutiefly stammered.
"HA. YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CROWN. THINK YOU CAN TAKE US ON? THINK AGAIN! HYAAAAGH!" With startling speed, Ursaring swung his hammer into the ground, creating a shockwave that blew Scorbunny and his friends off their feet. The whole Dungeon seemed to shake with each stomping pawstep as he ran towards them.
Scorbunny rolled out of the way just as his hammer came flying down next to him. He scrambled up and headbutted Ursaring's leg, trying to unbalance his opponent, but was met with a laugh and a powerful kick. As he struggled to stand, he heard loud thuds as Ursaring charged, and frantically dragged himself forward in a weak attempt to escape. *This guy is tough! What do I do!?*
But before Ursaring could strike, a black blur appeared and slashed him in the face. He roared in pain and covered his eyes. Weavile quickly pulled Scorbunny upright. "You fighting this guy too or what?"
"Yeah, but I don't know if I'm dealing any- LOOK OUT!" He pulled Weavile away from Ursaring's hammer.
"Anything will help right now, kid! Don't just stand there feeling sorry-" She leaped forward, claws outstretched. "-you gotta ACT!"
*She's right. I have to keep trying!* Scorbunny took off, running around Ursaring while it tried to grab Weavile. *I remember something... the soles of Scorbunny's paws heat up the longer they run!* He kept running, until sparks flew behind him with each step, and jumped as high as he could, striking Ursaring's shoulder with a fiery-hot heel.
His attack didn't stop there - he thrashed the arm, kicking and punching. *If I hurt his hammer-holding arm enough, he'll be too sore to fight with it!* He bit down as hard as he could, earning a loud roar.
But then, Ursaring's free hand came flying at him, pulling him off by the leg and throwing him at Weavile, taking them both down. Dirt flew into his mouth and he choked. Ursaring raised his fist, pulsing with orange energy, and walked towards them to finish them off.
But right as he was about to land the final blow, a blue circle appeared under him, and he was whisked away by a column of light.
"Hh... Huh? W-w-where'd he go!?"
"Teleported away." Pikachu's fur was messy, and part of his hat looked burned, but he was otherwise alright. "If you or your teammate faints in a Mystery Dungeon, your badge will automatically warp you outside. Cutiefly and I took out Zubat, so they'll have to wait for it to recover.
"Waaaait a minute..." Weavile looked around them frantically. "Where'd the purple guy with the crown go!?"
Cutiefly sighed in disappointment. "It must have run off during the battle."
"UUUUGH! I had it right in my claws and it got away! My bounty would've gotten so much higher..."
"If I may ask," Pikachu said carefully, "who are you and how did you end up here?"
"The name's Weavile, if you didn't know. Solo Dungeon raider and unstoppable thief! I was looking for a new spot to loot because a bunch of hunters have been poking around the usual places. Then I saw that thing running around and figured I'd steal it."
"I'm Scorbunny! These are my teammates, Pikachu and Cutiefly! We're actually looking for that crown too. Why don't we team up and look for it?"
"Scorbunny, are you crazy!?" Pikachu snapped. "This is an outlaw we're dealing with! Do you WANT your items stolen?"
She laughed. "Hahah, might not want to give me ideas!"
"Well, we'll have more Pokemon helping us search! And she looks like a pretty experienced fighter, too."
"Hmph. Fine, she can go with us. But I'm ready to fight you for the crown if you plan on taking it."
"Sure you are. Let's go find that treasure!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Witherclaw Wilds S4
Though they searched every nook and cranny, the crowned creature was nowhere to be found in the second and third sections. Team Moonflower and their new comrade went into the fourth and final section desperate for signs of their target. But as they wandered the lifeless plains, they heard a voice nearby.
They peeked around a wall of grass, and found a chubby young Togepi sitting in a pile of dead leaves. With his well-groomed fluff and fancy clothes, he stood out from the harsh environment. "Where oh where are those dark holes?" he whined to himself. "It feels like I've been down here for HOURS! I'll never be able to- wha?"
The team was about to step in when the crown-wearing creature popped out of the bushes. It watched the Togepi with curious eyes.
"Oh? Who are you? You don't look like any Pokemon I've seen." Togepi gasped and skipped towards the creature, his woes forgotten in an instant. "And what a pretty crown you have! Are you royal, too? Are you noble like me?"
"There you are!" Scorbunny burst out and dashed towards the creature, but tripped and fell. It let out an alarmed screech and ran away.
"Darn it! We shouldn't have hesitated so long." Pikachu turned to Togepi. "Excuse me, are you lost?"
"Oh, cute critter! Where are you going?" he cried, ignoring the question.
"How could such a young Pokemon have gotten this far in...?" Cutiefly murmured. "We should take him back to the village. We'll have to give up on finding the crown, though..."
Pikachu nodded in agreement. "It isn't right to leave a Pokemon in trouble behind. Hey, you. Press this white button here, alright? It'll take you to safety." He held out his badge. Still upset, Togepi sniffled and pressed the large button, and was sent out of the Dungeon in another pillar of light. Team Moonflower pushed the same button on each of their badges...
~~~~~~~~~~~~
DUNGEON CLEARED!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
And in the blink of an eye, Scorbunny was back in the village. "Huh? Why aren't we anywhere near the Mystery Dungeon?"
"They usually take you to whatever location you're thinking about, as long as it's nearby," Pikachu explained.
"Oh, that's cool."
"O-ho! Ha-ha!" The Togepi they'd rescued stood atop a large rock and pointed his little scepter upwards. "Greetings, my faithful and VERY handsome and VERY cute Pokemon! It's so wonderful to meet you! I am Togepi The Third - 'The Third', by the way, being extremely important and super-cool, because I'm NOBLE! Yup, yours truly comes from a long, long line of amazing and notable nobles. I'm searching for land to build my future kingdom on! This village looks positively, possibly PERFECT! And as your king, I will rule JUST and FAIR - hey, ah, don't forget I'm 'The Third', 'kay? It's VERY important."
"Wow!" exclaimed Scorbunny. "Now, this place will have a real KING!"
"W-what!? But..." Pikachu looked stunned. "I- I can't believe what you're saying...!?"
"Aw, Pikachu! Don't worry, I'm sure he won't cause you any trouble..." Cutiefly put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"N-n-no!" he stammered. "It's just- I'm... hungry. Yeah. That's it."
"Oh, right. We didn't have anything to eat this morning... I'll go find an Apple, be right back."
"What'dja say your name was, kid? Togepi?" Weavile jumped down from one of the roofs and scoffed. "You said you're the King here now?"
Pikachu stepped away from her. "Wha- when did YOU get here!?"
"It's Togepi THE THIRD, if you please? Third of this name, thank you very much!" Togepi - rather, Togepi III - stamped his foot angrily.
"Riiiight. So, how are you gonna rebuild this dump, Mr. 'Third-of-This-Name'? A real king works hard for the good of his subjects, y'know?"
"Oh, really? Okay! I hereby proclaim that Togepi III - that's me, hoho - shall build the bestest nation in the entire world!"
Pikachu bit into his Apple, watching the pair. "It can't be that easy to accomplish, can it...?"
"It can be if we work hard!" said Scorbunny, patting him on the back.
"But we've still got to find the crown..." Cutiefly mumbled. "And then get it back... Do you think we'll be able to beat Weavile? Doing all that is... a little intimidating..."
"We'd better be careful around her. I don't trust her not to use dirty tricks to get what she wants."
"I'm sure we'll be fine! Just gotta stay brave and keep moving!" He smiled at his teammates. "After we rest up, of course."
"You've got a point. Let's call it a day and go home. The treasure hunt we've gotten into can wait."
With that, the trio left for their cozy home, leaving the bandit and self-proclaimed king to be dealt with by the villagers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Darn it! Where'd that servant run off to? It should have returned by now!" Salandit's tail lashed as he stormed through the forest, rambling angrily to his cohorts. "Those things are supposed to obey me! Certainly there's no one else with my power, so what's the hold-up?"
"I'm sure it'll find you eventually, Myaster," said Zubat.
"'Eventually' shouldn't have to be this long!" he snapped. Sparks flew from his mouth as he spoke, fizzling out quickly. "We promised to retrieve the crown, and if we don't make good on that, we'll have to get lectured by that dumb, tail-kissing, arrogant-"
*Arrogant who?*
Salandit, Zubat, and Ursaring jumped at the voice that played in their heads. *Control yourself, Salandit,* it continued, sharp with disapproval. *You're going to start a forest fire.*
He hissed angrily. "Come to gloat, huh?"
*No. I was curious about whether you could find the crown. Judging by what you're thinking, you lost it. Unsurprising.* The eyeroll was practically audible. *It was an extremely simple task. How did it even get away from you?*
"It's not OUR fault! These goody-two-shoes adventurers and some lone thief attacked us, and the servant with the crown ran away!"
*Then keep searching for your creature. That crown will be invaluable to our Master's plans.*
"Master this, Master that! You think you're so much better and so much more capable just because you're second-in-command! We'd find it a lot faster if you would be quiet and let us focus, you know!"
Silence followed.
After a moment, Ursaring growled, "IT MUST BE NEARBY. WE SHOULD GO." And they set off again under the rising moon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Character guide + notes about lore
Sentret - another Sugar Gnome
Salandit - Licorice Cookie
Zubat - Bat-Cat
Ursaring - Choco Werehound Brute
Weavile - Chili Pepper Cookie
Togepi III - Custard Cookie III
Voice speaking to Salandit - ???
Voice's master - ???
As mentioned in Episode 1, the Pokemon of this world typically go by the name of their species, and nicknames are considered taboo usually for religious reasons. However, some Pokemon may choose to add titles to their name to discern themselves from Pokemon of the same species that they're related to in some way. Togepi III has one because he is the third Pokemon in his bloodline to be from the Togepi evolution line.
If you haven't noticed, Salandit has the ability to manipulate the remains of dead Pokemon with Poison magic. This is not a normal ability for Pokemon to have. I cannot explain why he has this right now, as it could be considered a spoiler, but it will probably come up in later lore notes if I can't find a way to add it to the story without creating unnecessary plot points.
I hope you enjoyed Episode 2 of PMD Darkness Eternal!