Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: A Long Journey

by NerdyBox

For the first time in 100 years mystery dungeons have started appearing again in the world and wherever there's dungeons trouble always follows. its up to Luka, Phini and Akira to not only become a successful exploration team, but to uncover the reason for the dungeons reemergence all while exploring caves, forests, ruins and meeting new friends and enemies along the way.

Chapter one: One More Month OR The Chapter Where we meet Luka.

Luka is a pretty hardy guy, at least he likes to think so, But this is ridiculous. Him and almost 25 apprentices were stuck here in this field picking oran berries in blistering summer heat while a guild supervisor was able to sit under the shade of a nearby tree and watch over the whole ordeal. Some of the Fire type pokemon were having an easy time of it but Luka wasn't so lucky. He stands up from the berry bush he's picking and wipes the sweat from his brow as he looks around at the pokemon around him, fellow apprentices of the guild. They all seemed to be sweating along with him at the very least, the sun was high In the sky and it wasnt making things easier. There were 23 apprentices including him, they started with almost 70 recruits but that was almost two months ago. Guild training is amazingly tough and supposedly only 1 in every 50 apprentices makes the final cut. The only thing he's ever heard it compared to was a battle with a pokemon you have a type disadvantage against. As he's thinking a squirtle whispers up at him. "Come on scraggy! Get back to work before toucannon sees you and kicks you out!"

Luka sighs as he looks down at his massive basket that he only managed to fill halfway after three straight hours of picking Oren berries. "Yea..yea.." He mumbles as he bends back down and gets to picking. "It will all be worth it when were members of exploration teams though" he thinks to himself as he picks, doing his best to keep himself motivated through the tedious task. After over three straight hours of work and the sun nearly going all the way down he can finally present his basket to toucannon. The old bird looked through his basket trying to find any rotten berries but finding none gave Luka a curt nod. "Very good scraggy." He cawed out in a hoarse voice. "You are free to carry your basket back to the guild." Luka sighed and picked up his basket wondering just what he did to deserve this. "I signed up to join this guild is what I did." He thought to himself.

As Luka walked down the path to the guild Hall he came across a massive oak tree on a cliff overlook in the forest down below. He stopped to watch the sun set over the forest. He set the basket down with a hefty thud and set his gaze out over the forest. "Rumor has it there's a mystery dungeon in there somewhere..." Luka leans against the large oak for a few minutes before hearing a voice call out behind him. "Hey! Hey scraggy!" It was squirtle, lugging his basket back to HQ too. "Hey squirtle. You filed your basket in time too. His many people did it seem like aren't going to make the cut?" Luka inquired. "I didn't take the time to count. Maybe 5 or 6? You should get moving though. If we don't make it back by nightfall we won't make it either too." Luka looked at his basket and sighed. "Why do these berries have to be so heavy?" He complained. "I guess its part of the training." He picked up the basket and walks next to the squirtle smiling at him. "I just have to tough it out. Not much farther to go. Just one more month."

Squirtle walks next to Luka as they lug their baskets home and speaks up with a grunt from the heft of his basket. "So. Why did you join the guild?" "It's a long story. The short version is I didn't have many other places to go. Other than that I wanted to prove a point." "A point?" Squirtle asked, cocking his head questioningly. "You'll see when I prove it." "Whatever. As for me I'm here for the money!" The final word brought a bright smile to squirtles face. Luka chuckles sarcastically. "Aren't you just a good Samaritan?" "Hey. I'm do into help people but if I can't support myself then how can I help people?" Both of them smirk before Luka gets a better grip on his basket. "Come on. When we get home we have to give these berries to Ms. Kangaskan. I don't know what she's planning to do with these berries but I don't. want to be the one to show up empty handed."

Both the Pokémon set off down the road to their HQ and home as dusk fell and darkness rose, wind rustling in far off trees, nocturnal pokemon beginning to wake and only one thought running through Lukas mind. "One more month."