Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 1

The First Step

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 (the author) here! Before we get started, I just want to warn you that I am going to call the main character 'He'/'Him' until he is named (Capitalized and apostrophe'd :p ). That's his name for now! Thank you!

"Why am I here?"

...

"Yes, but why?"

...

"You can't be serious."

...

"I can't accept that. There must be another way! There must be..."

When he came to, his head felt as though it had been hit by a brick. He tried to look onwards, yet to his surprise, all he could see was a black void that, no atter where he turned, forced itself on his eyes. He couldn't feel much due to the migraine. However, he could feel the pressure from gravity pulling him onto his left side. The ground beneath his arm was like compacted dirt.

He began moving his hands underneath him when... He found his arms were constricted behind his back by what felt like a rough rope. He tried to force the rope apart. It moved an inch at best before completely constricting him. 'He' then tried to bring his feet around to get into a sitting position. Suddenly,

"Ah!" 'He' screamed. His ankle felt like it had been run over several times by a random biker. It felt as though it had been pulled out of its socket. The pain continued to radiated through his body in unceasing waves. It lasted for a few minutes before it began to die.

What's going on?!Where am I?! Why is my-

His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps thudding against the dirt floor. They weren't very loud, yet close.

"Hello?" 'He' called. His cracking voice echoed through the chambers. "Is anyone there?"

The footsteps stopped for a few seconds. Then they started again. The noise grew louder until finally, he felt the cloth being dragged against his face as the world presented itself to 'Him' in a flash of light.

He could see everything now. The crystals in the ceiling, the rocky walls, the corridor in front of him, even the strange creature standing feet from 'His' body, holding what looked like a sack.

The creature's skin had the color of an acorn. It was a bipedal creature with a green leaf protruding from his head. His bulging legs became thin at the knees and led down to some feet. He had hands, yet they looked like gloves in the sense that the only finger that showed was it's thumb. Its face was shaped like a watermelon. It also owned a long nose that was pointed like a spike.

"So, you're awake." the nuzleaf said. It had a sneer on it's face. Seeing this creature standing before him made his shoulders tense up.

"Who are you?" 'He' asked the creature as 'his' body began to shake. "What are you? What's going on? Why am I tied up?"

"Who cares?" It asked. "Where your going, it won't matter!"

"Kieth!" A voice called out from the corridor. "What are you doing over there?"

"Just having a chat with the prisoner!" Kieth shouted back.

"Well, stop talking and knock him out!" the voice commanded. Kieth gave a sigh.

"Well," Kieth said with an irritated in his tone. "Guess you'll have to sleep!"

'His' eyes grew wider. "Wait!" He yelled. "What's-" He was cut off by the knuckles of the nuzleaf's hand colliding into his jaw. The last thing 'He' felt was the cold ground meeting the right side of his head.

When he woke up, his head felt even worse than before. He was being dragged backwards like a sack of potatoes along the gravel path by his right leg. The small stones on the road were being dragged against his stomach and his chin, making both burn. He slowly opened his eye lids to see the world around him.

He would have enjoyed the white-tipped mountains that pierced the sky like spires jutting from the ground. He would have also enjoyed seeing the trees that grew on the side of the mountain, covering it in patches of green. The grassy plains that surrounded the gravel path would have also been evry nice. But he didn't because of all the pain he felt from his head to his ankle. He tried to move his head around to get a look at who was dragging him without moving too much so he didn't alert the very thing that he was trying to view.

All logic and reasoning left 'His' brain as his eyes set upon something truly disturbing. 'He' let out a yell. He saw about twenty creatures that looked like the creature called "Kieth". He couldn't distinguish one from the other. They all had brown, thick ropes tied around their hands that attached them to more creatures big and small. They were of many different colors ranging from hazel to violet. All of them had ropes tied to their necks. They were prisoner's just like 'He' was. Even though 'He' was surrounded by so many strange creatures, it isn't what freaked him out. It was himself.

His hands Can I even call them hands anymore? were still bound together. The issue was that they didn't look like his hands. They were more like claws with fins jutting out to the side of his arms. His feet weren't any better. They were like paws with talons for nails. They had three toes each. He also found a lone fin jutting out from his back. He had a tail that had another fin on the tip. The worst part was that he had blue scales, Scales! covering his entire body like a dragon's coat of armor. What's happening to me?!

The one that dragged him turned to face its captive. 'His' eyes widened upon seeing Kieth scowling coldly at him.

"Sir Arlon!" Kieth called out. "My gabite is awake."

"Company halt!" A dark, gruff voice called out from the head of the group.

The group stopped in their tracks. A good majority of the creatures that were roped fell to the ground in unison. They were all panting and sweaty from what Dillan guessed was a long walk. Some of the Nuzleaf that were tied to the other creatures either sat down or were pulled to the ground by their prisoner's weight. Those that were pulled started kicking their victims in an unrelenting fashion. The prisoners that were being beaten apologized and pleaded for mercy. None of their captors seemed to care about their pleas. A creature came striding through the group towards 'Him'.

The creature looked stubby, yet was five-feet tall. He had a mane of white hair spouting from his head coming down his forehead and ending at the eyes in the front, while flowing down to his waist at the back. He looked as though a tree was carved and came to life on the spot. He had three leaves instead of fingers. His black and yellow eyes peered through his white hair. They looked as though they were piercing through the gabite's very soul, trying to find a weakness in his captive. He also had a long nose like the nuzleaf.

"So he's awake." The shiftry said as he examined the gabite. 'He' shifted his body. Being referred to by a talking tree was bad enough without it looking at your body. Arlon threw a rope to Kieth. "Tie him up and make him walk!" he ordered with a sneer. Arlon then walked back to the front of the group.

Kieth bent down and tied the rope around 'His' neck. He then proceeded to knot the rope to his hand.

"Everyone get up!" Arlon shouted from the front.

Kieth stood up and yanked on the rope. It started choking the Gabite. 'He' stood quickly so he could breath, trying to avoid putting his weight on his ankle.

"Move!" Arlon shouted. The whole group started marching. Kieth yanked on the rope again, forcing 'Him' to move. The Gabite took a step forward and heard a "Schrak" sound from below. His ankle buckled and folded on its side.

'He' fell to the ground and started yelling from the pain that surged through his leg. When he fell, he yanked Kieth down with him. Some of the Nuzleaf stopped to see the commotion.

Kieth turned to face 'Him'. He yanked on the rope. 'He' saw Kieth had a look of fear and hate in his eyes as he yelled, "Get up you idiotic pokemon!" though 'He' didn't care. His ankle felt as though someone had taken the blunt side of a hammer and slammed it against a lone point several times. On top of that, he was focused on the questions that bombarded his mind.

Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? Confusion struck at his insides. What have I done to deserve this? He tried to recall what had happened before meeting the Nuzleaf. He couldn't remember. He then tried to recall anything. He couldn't. A look of terror came to his face. What about where I live? He couldn't remember. How about what I am? He couldn't recall. My family? Nothing as well. M-My name?! He thought for what seemed like minutes, sifting through the black void of his mind. What's my name?!

"What's my name?!" 'He' shouted. His body tensed up from all of the emotions that seemed to overload him.

"Get up," Kieth shouted. "Before I make sure you'll never get up again!"

"What's going on back here?!" Arlon shouted as he tore through the crowd that had formed around Kieth. His hate-filled eyes met Kieth's and a malicious smile widenned unnaturally across his face. "Why am I not surprised that you are the one holding us up?"

"S-Sir Arlon!" Kieth shuddered. "The Gabite won't walk! He just fell and-"

"Did anyone hear me ask for an excuse?" Arlon asked the group. He waited for a few seconds before saying, "No? Well then, Kieth! Stop giving me them! If you won't make him walk, then you WILL drag his useless body!"

"Why don't we just kill him now!" Kieth questioned. "Wouldn't it be easier to kill all of them?"

The prisoners gave gasps. Some nuzleaf bobbed their heads in agreement while others questioned amongst themselves whether it was a good idea. Arlon's grin turned into a sneer. "You know why! You all do!" Arlon paused for a few seconds before turning to Kieth and adding, "Forget it! You don't get the luxury of making him walk! You get to drag him! Am I clear?"

"Yes sir..." Kieth complied through gritted his teeth. Arlon scowled at him one more time before his foot met the gabite's face.

'He' fell to the floor, thinking about how he could have forgotten his identity. He then sunk into the darkness that flooded his thoughts.

"Dillan..." A radiant voice echoed in his mind. "Wake up, Dillan. There's too much work to be done for you to rest right now."

"What?" 'He' asked. "Who are you?"

A splash of icy water washed over Gabite's scales. He inhaled sharply due to the freezing agony that had engulfed his body, taking water into his lungs. The gabite coughed sharply.

"I said wake up!" Kieth ordered as he stood over the pokemon. 'He' realized he was no longer attached to Kieth's arm. Instead, the rope went over his arms and waist and tied him to the bark of a tree.

The gabite looked around for a brief moment to see his surroundings. Other than the grass that was illuminated by the camp-fires, it was dark. 'He' counted twenty camp-fires and groups of four creatures sitting by each of them. There were also trees like his that other creatures were tied to. In fact, there was one animal tied to his tree on his left.

"Why'd you wake him?" A nuzleaf called out to Kieth. He was sitting next to the nearest campfire with two of his companions.

"Because I want him to feel as bad as I did while carrying his lazy tail here." Kieth replied. "You would want him to pay as well if it was you, Darren. I'm gonna make him suffer."

'He' didn't like the sound of that. Thankfully, his migraine was gone at this point; yet his ankle was still bothering him. The fin on his back also hurt from being squeezed into the bark of his tree. On top of that, his stomach and chin burned due to the gravel from earlier. He didn't want to feel anymore pain then he was already in.

"You can rough him up tomorrow." Darren said. "We don't want him to scream and wake the others."

Kieth gave a sigh of annoyance. "Fine." He scowled sharply at 'Him' in his eyes and said, "But if he does anything I don't like, I'm gonna make him wish he was dead."

Kieth turned to the group at the fire and sat down with them. The gabite took this opportunity to gather his thoughts.

I can't remember anything at all, not even my... Gabite stopped his train of thought. He looked back on that strange dream he had. There was a voice... It was talking to me. It said a name. Could it have been my name? It sounded so familiar. What did it say? He thought for a few minutes until his migraine came back. Why can't I remember?! He scolded himself. That voice just said my name! What did it say?! It started with a D, right? D... D... Dean? That didn't feel right. Darl? Dan? Donald? Those weren't right either. Come on! Think! This isn't working! I need another approach. D... Du...De...Do...Di...Di. That sounds... good. Di. Dib. Dif. Dil... Dil! He was smiling now! He felt like he was getting somewhere. Focus! Dila... Close, but no. Dilla. Dilla. I can feel it. I'm making progress. Dillar. Dillam. Dillan... He stopped. Dillan... Dillan. Dillan! My name is Dillan! He was so excited he could yell! He remembered something of his past - something of himself. A smile widened across his face. He was so giddy that he felt unstoppable.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" a depressed, male voice to Dillan's left asked.

Dillan jumped from the scare. He was so excited by learning his name that he forgot about the pokemon that was next to him. "What did you say?" Dillan asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

The creature to his left was a three-foot tall, white squirrel. His white fur was stained with dirt from the trek. He had a blue stripe going from the top of his head, to the end of his long, fluffy tail. His normally-yellow cheeks were orange from the campfire.

"Why are you smiling?" the pachirisu questioned. Considering his size, his voice was a little deep. "You're in the same boat as the rest of us. Why be happy?"

What should I say? I don't know this guy. Why would I tell him I had forgotten my own name? Even if I were to say "I have amnesia and I remembered my name", would he believe me, or think I'm crazy?

"If you don't want to talk, then fine by me." the pachirisu said in an irritated way.

Dillan realized he had been so lost in thought, he didn't even answer the pachirisu's question. "I was just thinking about... home." he said.

"Why? It's not like we're gonna be able to get back. Not with those pokemon watching us."

There was that word once again; "Pokemon". What did it mean? Was it some kind of insult?

"What do you mean by "Pokemon"?" Dillan he saw the irritated look on the pachirisu's face, he immediately regretted asking the question. The gabite shrunk down a little.

"What are you, mental?" The Pachirisu asked with a look of disgust. "Why are you joking at a time like this?! We're being taken to Arceus knows where and you want to ask stupid questions like, 'Duh, what'sa pokemon?'" He spoke the last part in a mocking way.

"You don't have to be rude." Dillan said with a defensive tone. "I have amnesia, you kn-" Dillan stopped himself. What did you just do?! The one thing you didn't want to, that's what! he scolded.

The pachirisu looked onwards with a tightened brow-line. "Why are you lying? Isn't this bad enough without-"

Pachirisu was stopped mid-sentence by an apple that smashed into his head, leaving a red mark. If his arms weren't constricted, he would have pressed them to the red, swelling mark on his head. To Dillan's horror, Kieth was standing over them.

The Nuzleaf leaned down to Dillan's face and said, "I warned you about doing anything I didn't like!"

Kieth lowered his foot on top of Dillan's hurt ankle. Dillan let out a yell and started struggling to get his leg free. When Dillan realized it only made it hurt more, he stopped. Kieth let out a laugh.

"Kieth!" one of the Nuzleaf called out to him. "Stop it! He'll wake up Arlon! You know what he'll do to you!"

Kieth wasn't listening. His head-leaf began spinning like a buzz saw, ripping at the gabite's chest. At first, it didn't do much. After awhile, though, it started cutting through his scales. Blood started trickling down the ropes. Dillan wanted it to stop. He wanted to run, but he could only yell in horror as the onslaught continued.

"Kieth! Stop!" The nuzleaf warned. Now, the whole camp-fire group looked on as Kieth lashed out at Dillan.

"Leave him alone, you coward!" The Pachirisu shouted. "Fight him like a mon!"

Kieth stopped lashing at Dillan and stepped in front of the pachirisu. "What are you gonna do about it, pipsqueak?" Kieth said with malice in his voice. The pachirisu obviously took offense in that comment. His fist began to shake.

"Kieth!" A deep voice called out from behind the camp-fire group.

Kieth turned and looked at the campfire. His head drew back as his jaw dropped open. His eyes widened upon seeing that Arlon was standing in front of the camp-fire. The light casted shadows across his face that made him look full of malicious joy. His face contorted into a grin that was too wide to be natural.

"Kieth, come with me!" Arlon said with a voice of evil intent.

"B-But, sir-" Kieth began to protest.

"Now!" Arlon ordered.

Kieth slowly followed Arlon into the middle of the camp, which was about fifty paces or so away. The other nuzleaf followed in horror of what might happen to their friend.

"Hey!" the pachirisu called out to Dillan. "You doing alright?"

Dillan looked at his chest. It didn't feel too bad. It was full of shallow scratches and blood that ran down to the ground. but there wasn't muck pan. It's his ankle that made him grimace.

"Yeah... Yeah I'm ok." Dillan said as he tried not to let the pain taint his voice with worry.

"Good. Now, start running!" the pachirisu said in a whisper.

Dillan was confused. Run? How? I'm tied up to this tree? He looked at the rope that bounded him. To his shock, there were dips and grooves etched into the rope, making it all frilly. They were almost cut. How did...

"It was the nuzleaf!" the pachirisu said as a response to Dillan's open jaw. "He cut them while he cut you. Now break free and run before they come back!"

It didn't take much strength for Dillan to break free of the rope. There was a low "Snap" sound and Dillan became free. He was about to make break for it but...

"What about you?" Dillan asked.

"What about me?"

"I can't leave you here!"

"And what about everyone else, huh? You gonna save them, too?" Dillan was speechless. "Why should my life be valued over another's?" He waited a few seconds before continuing with, "You know what? It doesn't matter! Just run while you still can!"

Dillan wanted the pachirisu to come. He might seem a bit judgey, but he's the only one he can remember that he could relate to. If I cut the rope using my-

His mind was drowned out by the screams of a creature coming from the direction of the group that now huddled close to the shiftry. It went on for five more seconds before it stopped. It disturbed him greatly to think what had happened out there at the group.

"Just go!" the pachirisu insisted, his breathing becoming faster. "Now!"

Dillan was about to get up when his ankle began hurting from moving. He looked down at his foot. Dang it! Even if I were to leave, I won't get very far. My ankle might buckle further down the road. If that happens, I won't be going anywhere. I would need... Wait a minute. Dillan looked towards the pachirisu. He smiled at the white squirrel.

"You're coming with me whether you like it or not." Dillan told the Pachirisu as he stood up. He grimaced from the pain in his ankle, but was determined not to yelp.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Pachirisu questioned.

"I'm injured." Dillan said. "I need some help to move around. If I can't move, I need you to go on without me and get help. I need you."

The pachirisu's eyes darted between Dillan and the camp-fire group around Arlon. He then looked towards the floor for three seconds before he sighed; a small smile spreading across his face. "Fine." He said as he looked at Dillan. "Use your fin as a blade."

Dillan nodded, took a painful step back, and flung his arm-fin at the ropes binding the pachirisu. The ropes snapped and the squirrel jumped from the spot and immediately started running in the opposite direction of the massive group of nuzleaf. He then looked back at Dillan. He waved his hand for Dillan to follow.

Dillan smiled at him as he limped as fast as he could to meet the furry creature.

Things are starting to look up. I may now be on the run from a group of psychos, but at least I'm not on my own.

He and the pachirisu ran as a group as fast as they could. Dillan knew that trouble was behind them, but things were about to change in this strange world. For the better? He couldn't say. He only knew he needed to take it one step at a time. This was the first.

(Author's Notes)

Just some really quick words to the fans of this story. I am going to try to use this bottom "Author's notes" section to answer your questions, depending on when I get them. As of this point in time, the only question is "What is a Mystery Dungeon?". This is a valid question, though I am not going to answer it. If you want to play along and find things out with Dillan, questions like these will be answered best by the story. If you would rather find out ASAP, you could always look it up. A wise man once told me, "The Truth is Out There..." ;).

For the first chapter only, I am going to go over the format for the story. When you see something like this, I wonder what the author is gonna make me think about? You can assume it is Dillan's thoughts (or the central character of that chapter). This will be the case unless it is specifically stated otherwise. For instance: )Why am I thinking about cat's? Ryan thought.) Get the picture? Other than that, I'll be using basic grammar.

I have a DeviantArt account with a map of Ganderosa (as well as some other pictures of the characters) for you guys to enjoy/see how the characters look if my writing has failed you (Please note that the map WILL be missing some places of importance).

Other than that, thanks for reading! Hope you liked the first chapter, because Chapter Two is right around the corner!

(Please note that I am currently updating the chapters for grammar and general descriptions. The chapters ahead may or may not be at my best writing. I am trying to make it better for you guys! Thanks again!)

(Revised as of 4/24/2018)