((AN) Damn you ranger, another revise?! What game are you playing?!

First of all, I flip flop a lot, second of all, that revise was hot garbage and I'll just say it was a troll to save what little dignity I have, so here, revise 2.0 hopefully this will be at least slightly better,

Lets shamefully begin!

Chapter 1: Dawn of a new Day

Matt

My body tingled in all the wrong places, my mind a haze of neon color and an awful steady beeping. I attempted to make sense of anything, but when I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but azure fog, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, as I began to shiver, my breathing grew stunted. Through fighting the feeling, I could hear whispers of many distant voices; some familiar, others completely unknown. I closed my eyes, in some kind of attempt to make the voices out of the beeping.

"Come on Matt, you can't leave us…" a young girl's voice cried, distraught obvious in her voice.

"He's a—" a gruff man's voice reasoned, any and all emotion drained. His voice was hazy, hard to even make out, I couldn't make out full words. "He'll make it through, the boy's tough." I felt drawn to him like I knew this man. Who was he?!

"I'm sorry James...he won't pull through...an aura sphere to the head. No human can survive that. Especially a teen as small and feeble as him." A second woman echoed, her voice shill and unkind.

"..." James was utterly silent for a moment. "What did this? It...it was Lady, wasn't it?"

"Unfortunately so."

"..." James refused to speak. "...That bitch..."

"Bring justice for him, James. Enlist again…" Her voice began to fade into the nether too, much to my disappointment. "The Corporation needs men like you, Commander—" she faded completely, along with everything else. The steady beep had now turned into a completely flat tone, as I lost consciousness entirely…

My eyes burst open, my lungs taking in as much oxygen as physically possible, as my body was plunged into a sitting position. As my breathing regulated, I took a moment to observe my surroundings. Seemed like I was in a forest of tall pines, an afternoon sunlight shimmering through the late winter canopy. Felt like I was sitting in a patch of cold grass.

"James?" I looked around myself, searching or any sign of my friend...acquaintance? Strange...who was James? I bought a hand to my chin, rubbing it in recollection. My mind drew a blank.

I felt a cool sweat form on my brow, panic starting to take over again. I was quick to my feet, anxiously searching my surroundings.

"J-James?!" I desperately called out, expecting him to respond; but all I heard was the trees dancing in the cold wind. My body went into full fight or flight mode. I raised my hand into to my face, I noticed something extremely wrong; my hand had been replaced by a blue paw, three fingers, and no thumb. My eyes slowly followed my arm; which was covered by the same course set of fur. Looking down at my feet, I physically recoiled at what has become of them, pitch black, and stubby, my ankles pointing backward uncomfortably. What happened to me?!

I decided to run, from what though, I had no idea. I swerved in and out between trees, frequently tripping over my feet. I could already feel tears stinging my eyes. Through my distracted sprint, I tripped over myself, directly into a small river. I peered at my own reflection, my blue and black fur, pointy ears, and short muzzle. I was no longer human...I was a riolu.

After thoroughly soaking my face in the water, for the best part of ten minutes, I accepted my new form, only somewhat.

Standing up, I noticed a path. Following it, I came to a fork in the road, a sign in the center. North was Felicity Creek, West was the Howling Gorge, and south was Dead Coast. Before I have a chance to decide, a light humming catches my attention. Skipping down the path from the Gorge, was an eevee, her face that of bliss. She slowed down at the sign, stopping to check it's directions, an occasional glance shot my way. I tried to pay no attention to her, but she turned her head to me.

"Um...'ello there…?" She asked lightly with a strange accent, her mousy voice suggesting she was young. I was about to question the fact she could talk but decided it wasn't too far-fetched, given the circumstances.

"Uh...yes? What do you need?" I muttered quietly.

"You're taller than me, which way is Felicity Creek?" She eyed up the sign, trying to see the arrows.

"That way…" I pointed northward, internally noting the ridiculousness of this situation. "Why, are you headed there?"

She nodded.

"Mmhmm, I've always wanted to go there! They say it's the most beautiful town in the Eastern Reach!" Her smile widened, as she rummaged through a pouch on her side, pulling out a worn maroon book and skimming through the pages. I glanced at the title, making out 'Legends of the Land' written crudely on the front cover. Guess that happens when you got no thumbs. "And I'll be buggered if I don't go there!"

"B-buggered...?" What was she speaking about...? Her dialect was odd...was it because she was a pokemon or...?

But the eccentric eevee paid little attention to my question, as she was too busy staring down at a map that was attached to her book via a paperclip, while oddly squinting.

"Aha! My map says there's a cave this way with some bloody beautiful paintings on the walls on this road!" She squeaked in delight. "Oh, where are my manners? Where are you headed Mr. Riolu?"

I froze for a second. Where was I going? I had just been shoved into a foreign body, with no memory apart from my name, and the name of this 'James' character. I had absolutely nowhere to go. Licking my lips, I responded:

"F-Felicity Creek too, I'm...looking for a friend, he's wasn't at the Dead Coast." I lied, not even knowing what that location even was.

"You were at the Dead Coast?" She tilted her head, her big brown eyes glistening with excitement. "Did you see the Red Eyed Cyclops?"

"No...unfortunately…?" The same childlike excitement left her big brown eyes.

"Hmm, that's a shame...anyway, we should get going! Felicity Creek is still quite a walk away!"

"We?" I questioned her.

"Of course! We are both heading there, might as well go together." She chirped.

"Erm, ok…" I mumbled, taken aback by how trusting she was, especially to a complete stranger she has never met before...

"Smashing!" She held her left paw out to me. After a second of hesitation, I knelt, taking her soft paw in mine and shaking it lightly. "My name is Hazel by the way! Nice to meet you!" A big grin appeared on her face as she enthusiastically shook my hand.

"Um...I-I'm Matt, nice to meet you too Hazel…" I felt the corners of my mouth raise into a subtle grin. "We should get moving, huh? Long walk ahead of us…"

"Alright Matt, let's go!" she looked at her now soaked hand, looking to me afterward. " By the way, you're soaked, what 'appened?" She wafted her hand about, trying to dry it.

"I fell in the river when drinking…" I chuckled, hiding my lie. I had to admit, lying to this girl wasn't very pleasant, but I could imagine what her reaction to saying 'I'm a human, just to let you know.' Not the most normal thing to tell a stranger. She chuckled back at me, placing her book in her bag and pulling out a towel, giggling the entire time, handing it over to me. "T-thank you…" She displayed good patience, waiting for a complete stranger to dry himself. Odd girl.

After I was thoroughly dried, we began to move up the north path, at a decent pace. "So Matt, I'm curious, why do you have a human name? Those are exceedingly uncommon."

I quickly thought of a lie.

"Oh, I just have. I've just known I've been Matt for as long as I can remember." A statement which wasn't entirely untrue, but still isn't quite right.

"Hmm, didn't your mum or dad name you it?"

"That's the thing, my memory isn't exactly the best…" I was digging a bigger hole for myself, but as long as I didn't tell her too much, hopefully, I'd be fine.

"You can't remember your own parents?!"

"It's a touchy subject, I'd rather not speak about it…" I weakly told her.

She looked like she wanted to question further, but nodded understandingly. "Aight, that's fine. Anyway, I think we're getting close to the Cave of Beginning, we could make it there by sundown." She said, eagerness returning in her voice.

Roughly two hours had passed since I've woken in this land, and I was still highly confused, choosing to be a man of few words, or teen, in this case. Hazel didn't seem to mind too much, she just rambled on about all the books in her bag. I think she just liked to speak, which I had no problem with, as long as I had at least some company keeping me sane, I'd listen to her. We eventually made it to a cave entrance, marked with two torches at the opening of the slate wall, the entrance was completely pitch black inside, rather ominous considering the sun had only now begun to set...

"Hold on, I think this might be a Mystery Dungeon," Hazel stated, flipping through the pages quickly, squinting. "Hold this a second." She handed me the book, quickly rummaging through her bag, retrieving a pair of blue ovular glasses, which looked like they had its fair share of use. After holding them at an acceptable angle, she motions me to give her book back. "Yep, says here it's a Dungeon. We better be careful."

"Mystery Dungeon?" I asked, instinctively tilting my head. She gave me a look of sheer confusion from behind her specks.

"How have you made it this far without even knowing what a Mystery Dungeon is?"

"Uhh…" I mumbled, giving her a blank look "C-care to explain? Just as a refresher..."

She looked at me, then to the entrance repeatedly. "It'd be easier to explain if we just enter."

She turned around, entering the cave without even waiting for me. I dropped my shoulders,

glancing at the forest around me, before sighing and following her inside.

Cave of Beginning-F1

Light poured into my eyes as I...awoke? Strange...what was this place? I quickly examined my surroundings, noticing that I was in the center of a square cave room with no visible entrance to be seen. I quickly scoped out Hazel, who was waiting for me with a chipper grin.

"W-what is this place?"

"It's a Mystery Dungeon!" She chirped. "These places are wonderfully strange natural occurrences, which are never the same each time around." She read off her book once more, adjusting her specs as they balanced on her small muzzle. Licking her paw and flipping a page, she continued her small lecture."However, they are quite dangerous, so be wary. Hopefully, this goes smoother than the last one I was in."

"What happened then?"

She shook her head "Hurt my paw, nothing too bad. Used the last of my Oran berries, though."

I would've loved to ask what an Oran Berry was, but I didn't want to look crazy, even more so than I already did anyway. I simply smiled and nodded.

"We should get moving, no use just standing here, hope you can fight." After placing her glasses and book in her bag, she began to lead through the cold slate cavern, a skip in her step. I needed to jog to catch up with this ball of fluff and energy.

While following her, I just stared into space, trying to recall anything I knew. But my mind drew blank every time. All I really knew: was that my name was Matt, I was a human, and I knew a 'James.' Deep down, I was petrified, I desperately wanted to cry. But I couldn't; what use would it have been? None. I just had to find James. That's all. I had his voice engraved into my mind. Where he could've been was a different question entirely, but no amount of crying could fix this. If I stayed with this Hazel, I needed to tell her eventually. But that was not here nor now. Right now I needed to adjust to my form.

"Matt! Geodude incoming! Feral!" Hazel shouted from up front, getting into a defensive position. I heard a light growl emerge from Hazel, as she began to circle the Geodude, in some attempt to intimidate it. I stood idly by, contemplating how to make my move.

Clenching my fists, I lunged for the attacker, trying to punch him, only to trip over my own feet, landing on my front, those strange tendrils that hung from my temples impairing my vision. Hastily shoving them out of my face, I saw the rocky creature engaging Hazel with swinging arms. The poor fox swiftly avoided his attacks, eventually stumbling and falling over.

She quivered as a fist was headed straight for her. From the floor, I lunged over in the geodude's path, catching the fist in both hands, protecting Hazel. The feral was shocked for a second, before recoiling backward. With a gulp, I charged him, my open palm making contact with his face, sending him flying back into a wall. I stood frozen as I stared at my hand, shocked that such a minor attack did that. I shook my head, concluding that it wasn't the strangest thing that's happened today, not by a long shot. Turning around, I knelt down to a shocked Hazel, offering a hand to her.

"You ok?"

Her eyes just examined me up and down, as her mouth was slightly agape. She smiled at me warmly, nodding her head in gratitude. She grabbed my paw, but as soon as I pulled her up, she gave me a brief and thankful hug.

"Thank you, Matt," she eventually composed herself. "anyways, the exit…" she turned to another passage, entering it and heading down. I stood there, just baffled. I shook my head and sighed

"It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?" I thought to myself, starting to jog after Hazel…

Elsewhere…

Lana

My eyes burst open from my meditation, as I began gasping for air. The moment had come at long last. I examined my surroundings, the cave as colourless and dead as I left it. I immediately scoped out my husband: an umbreon, who paced back and forth, looking as angry as he always did here. He stopped when he noticed me staring at him, his maroon eyes filling with concerned love.

"Martyn, the time has come," I stated, jumping to my feet. "The interloper has arrived. I felt his presence."

"You're absolutely sure it's 'im?"

"I'm sure of it. It's him," I hastily explained, waiting for our captor to appear. "Look, I've got a plan, all I need is time."

"If that bastard shows up, I'm gonna rip his gem out of its socket!"

"Don't do anything hasty, Martyn, he has our daughter...we cannot afford to lose our little-"

The sound of space-time tearing filled the immediate area, as matter began to tear at our shelter's entrance. From the pitch black void at the other end of the portal, a red hexagon lit, staring Martyn and me down. It remained still for a moment, before approaching the portal. Jumping through the rift, was a violet coloured starfish, with a large ruby encased in a golden ring upon its front and with another star gently spinning on its back. It was Lord Starmie.

"Lana Fox." He coldly stated, placing his arms behind its back, to the best of its ability. "How is my favorite Espeon? I assume you already know why I'm here...It would be...wise...not to procrastinate."

"You bloody bastard! You expect us to-!" Martyn shouted at the seemingly uncaring being.

"M-Martyn, enough!" I ordered him, which seemed to have worked, as he silenced himself.

"Obedient like a dog I see. I'm glad you have your...pet...under control, Lana." Starmie said, purposely agitating my husband. I simply scowled at the monster. "Anyway, I'm getting rather ahead of myself...I require your... vision...dear Lana. I might just...compensate you...if only you obey."

"Like seeing our daughter…" Martyn mumbled.

"Of course. I'm quite merciful you see."

"Y-You call this mercy?!" I demanded, making the Lord actually look at me. "Seven years of imprisonment, only showing us our little Girl twice!"

Starmie was unresponsive for an awkwardly long amount of time, just staring at me, it's gemstone flickering. It eventually began to speak again "And dare I say, is it not mercy that she is well fed, given proper sleeping chambers, and most importantly…" it approached me slowly, getting so close that I could see my own reflection in its ruby, before quietly continuing. "And remains...untainted?"

Just the very mention of the thought seems to have triggered Martyn, as he roared at Starmie "Don't you even fucking imply that!"

"And what if I do? Are you going to cry to your wife like the cuckold you are?" Starmie's voice quickly went from an ominous whisper to a horrifying roar.

Martyn just charged at Starmie, a shadow ball charging in his mouth. I was about to intervene, but Starmie was quick to unleash a massive thunderbolt into Martyn. The attack sent him flying into a wall, paralyzing him almost instantaneously.

"M-Martyn!" I gasped as my darling twitched on the floor.

Starmie remained uncaring throughout the entire ordeal, simply turning to me and commenting. "What do you see in him? Is he that good in—?"

I spat at Starmie, directly hitting his large gemstone. I immediately regretted my action, as I took a step back from him, almost trembling. The Lord was frozen for almost a whole minute, before dragging me towards it with telekinesis, my paws scraping against the stone floor, enough to draw blood. Once I was at point-blank range, it slapped me across the face, hard enough to burst my lip.

"I suggest you keep your bodily fluids to yourself and your husband. Lest you want your entire family's ashes to litter my chambers..."

I shivered at the very thought "Y-you wouldn't d-d-dare…"

"You're right. I wouldn't. Given that you...cooperate...of course."

"What do you want…?" I admitted defeat.

"Excellent. I need your sight of course. I'm looking for a certain...interloper you see. And my vision is...nothing...compared to yours. I can't let the prophecy come true you must understand."

"I'll help...but you do know prophecies by nature cannot be stopped," I explained, getting ready to meditate, mumbling under my breath "not that you'd care..."

"Perhaps. Maybe it's part of the prophecy that it...fails."

I scowled at him. "maybe...let's just begin the damn ritual."

My eyes shut tightly, as psychic energy began to flow around the cave, the ruby on my forehead beginning to glow. With much haste, Starmie immediately began to tap into my psychic waves. Our vision became one, as the proverbial inner eye opened for both of us.

We could see everything. The most insignificant of Joltiiks to the mightiest of Wailords. We saw every minute interaction, every major event, we could see everything. The haze of clairvoyance began leading us to a cave, near the center of the land, where a cave stood, surrounded by a large winter forest of pines, where all was still. But then, we felt it. The presence of someone who didn't belong. We saw the purple haze begin to take a blue hue, taking on a foggy appearance, the figure of a mighty creature stood frozen in the center. Tall, terrifying and a long-dead creature. A human being stood proudly in the center of the aura.

It was the Interloper.

The human clutched its head in seeming agony, as it screamed silently, before the young, but still imposing creature fell down, dissipating into the wind, leaving only another creature in its wake: a Riolu.

Starmie suddenly broke the vision without reason, causing both of us to collapse, the Lord falling to a knee, whilst I collapsed completely.

I could feel Martyn helping me up from the floor, as Starmie was quick to its feet, opening the portal behind him.

"Thank you for your cooperation m'dear. Now, I'll uphold my end of the deal. I'll let you see your precious daughter. But just remember:" he walked over to me again, gently running a star point over my throat. "Disobey, and she dies. Understand?"

I nodded at him, desperately wanting my daughter in my arms.

Starmie turned to the portal, barking orders into it "Bring the prisoners their daughter!"

After a moment, an aegislash floated through the rift, holding my baby by the scruff of her neck. It's cold monocular gaze pierced all around it.

"Mummy! Dad!" She cried, struggling in the swords grasp, trying to break free.

"Be still Heretic!" Aegislash roared, probably traumatizing my precious daughter.

"It's alright Sir Aegislash. Put her down."

"As you wish, your highnesses." The knight bowed, placing her on the floor gently, to which she darted over to Martyn and me, throwing herself into my arms, and crying.

"Shh...it's alright…mummy's here…mummy's here..." I held her as tightly as the day she was born.

"See, Lana? If we dispose of the...interloper...I'll release you, your husband and your daughter. Your cooperation is vital to our operation."

"I-is that a promise, Starmie?" Martyn asked with sheer disdain oozing from his mouth.

"I am a man of my word. Keep watch over these two. Give them fifteen minutes." He ordered Sir Aegislash. And he calls Martyn an obedient dog…

"Your wish is my command, milord." He bowed once more.

I made a mental note to savor every moment with my little blessing...

End of chapter 1

(AN) hoo boy, that took some time. Anyways hopefully that was better than that abomination of the last revise. Tell me your thoughts.

As always, this has been TheLastRanger,

Peace.