Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Illusion and Fate
Chapter I: "Mamello and Periapts"
Written by DarkLozFanUberest
"Ugh…what happened? Where am I?" My eyes hurt when I opened them, it was so bright and colorful. Everything was flashing and I groaned as I tried to move, only to find that I couldn't.
"Guys? Is anyone there? ...Where is this? Where am I?" I muttered, and my eyes finally focused. At least, I think they did. All I could see were colors, they shifted and wavered and changed from Red, to Yellow, to Green, to Blue and so on. I was extremely confused. Where was I? I couldn't even see, or even sense myself.
"Welcome!" A voice exclaimed, and if I could have, I would have jumped, "This is a portal that leads to a world inhabited only by pokemon." The voice didn't sound distinctly feminine or masculine, nor did it sound extremely light or deep. I couldn't see anyone, and quite frankly I was annoyed, how had I come across a portal, and why was this person sounding so…monotonous?
"What do you mean 'portal' I can't go to some other world! I need to take care of my pokemon! I have to take part in a grand prix in a couple of months and we need to train! This is not a good time for this to happen to me!" I practically growled at the unseen person, but I don't think they heard me, or didn't care because they just continued on as though they hadn't heard me.
"Beyond this gateway, many new adventures and fresh experiences await your arrival!" the voice sounded as though it was supposed to be cheerful, but it just really wasn't, it almost sounded…irritated?
"Hey, buddy!" I exclaimed, trying to look around and failing, "Are you listening to me? I said I don't want this! Send me back! I don't want no 'Alice in Wonderland' or 'Wizard of Oz' experience here, I want to go HOME!" I shouted the last part and suddenly the surrounding colors all shifted to dark variations of the color red and a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of me.
"Look!" the person practically growled, their fists on their hips and their stance obviously irritated, "You don't really have a choice in this matter, so just pipe down would ya!"
I glared at the person, and mentally crossed my arms in anger, who did they think they were? Arceus?
"No, but it was her idea, so if you have complaints you're going to have to take it up with her, not that she's going to talk to you anytime soon."
I was confused, or more so actually, I stared at the figure, willing them to reveal themselves or at least come closer so that I could knock into them that I did not want to go anywhere other than home.
"Why the hell would Arceus, or anyone else for that matter, be sending me to another world? What use will that be?" I demanded, irritated.
"I am not in the position to reveal that information." the person huffed, turning away from me, and seeming to disappear into the colors that were now a lighter shade of red and slowly changing into purple.
"Now would you be quiet so that I can explain to you what is going to happen?" the person asked and I seriously felt like screaming at the top of my lungs in anger, I was so angry, which was an odd thing, really, it took a lot to get me angry.
"Fine." I bit out, imagining myself tearing the person's head and limbs off, and for some reason imagining them as a guy so that I could do even more damage to their mental person.
"Hey now!" the person exclaimed, the colors flashing between red and yellow now, and making me get a headache, "Quit it! No need to be so violent." They sounded more masculine now that I had thought of them as such and seemed to be muttering to themselves angrily.
"Just calm down would you, that way I can tell you what you need to do to eventually get back to your own world alright?" they asked and I paused, considering it. It didn't seem like I was going to get out of going to this 'other world' but it didn't sound as though it was a permanent thing so I might as well cooperate and make this as painless, for me, as possible.
"Fine," I sighed, this time calmer, "continue…" the person audibly sighed, in relief I think, and the colors went back to shifting as they did before.
"Before you depart on your adventure, you must answer some questions." They said, and I couldn't help but feel that they had to do this often.
"You do this a lot, I'm guessing." I said before they could continue, and they sighed, the colors changing into a few different shades of blue and light red.
"More than I would have liked…" the person muttered, almost inaudibly, but I heard them and mentally smirked.
"Well…" I started, feeling in a slightly better mood, "Ask away." I mentally grinned when the colors shifted to green, and the person chuckled lightly.
"Be truthful when you answer them," the person said, and I for a moment the colors changed back to red, "or else I'll make this very unenjoyable for you."
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, "Truth, got it. Just get on with it." The colors changed quickly between orange and green and then went back to their normal shifting once more. 'Jeez, this is getting annoying…' I thought, but if the person could read my mind, as I was beginning to suspect they could, they ignored me.
"Alright…first question…have you ever heard of anyone ever transforming into a pokemon?" they asked almost off-handedly and I mentally blinked in surprise.
"Well…actually…yes, I have. I know someone whose had that happen to them." The voice made a noise, like they were surprised, or something, before continuing.
"You're day-dreaming…when your friend sprays you with water! What do you do?" The person asks, and I mentally raise an eyebrow at them, but decide to think seriously about these questions.
"Hmm…well, as long as it was my friend, I would probably splash them back!" I laughed to myself, imagining such a thing happening. The person continued on, but the green colors of the area made me think they were amused.
"Your friend is running a little late to meet you. Is this okay?" they ask and I pause before smiling cheerfully, "Hey, as long as they have a good reason, its fine by me!"
"Alright, next question. Do you want to be taller someday?" they ask and I frown.
"Hey! I am not short! But…well…yeah, I guess." I reply after a few seconds and the person makes a small noise again.
"Do you think that…no matter what…life should go on?" the person asks and I frown again, some of these questions were getting to be pretty serious.
"Yes." I reply without hesitation, "Even if everything seems to be at wit's end, or hopeless, we have to move on and continue to fight for what we believe in."
"Hmm. You see a cake that is past its expiration date, but only by one day. What do you do?" Believe me, I would have fallen over in surprise if I could have.
"Totally ruined that moment…I hope you know that." I said, and the person didn't respond, so I sighed, "Well…it depends, is it my cake?" I asked and I heard the person huff.
"Hey, I'm asking the questions here, and it doesn't matter, it could be yours, but if not, the person who it belongs to is willing to share. So what would you do?" they sounded irritated and I chuckled.
"Why would they be sharing an expired cake with me? Are they trying to get me sick or something?" I demanded with a laugh and the person growled quietly, the colors temporarily flashed a light red.
"Forget it…apparently you would think about it. Now, everyone is sharing the cake, and you notice there is an extra piece. What do you do then?" they ask and I think to myself.
"What's your name?" I asked randomly and the person sighed heavily and the colors turned a sort of blue-green, and I took this as a good sign, "Why…?" they asked, almost sounding as though they were whining and I mentally grinned.
"I would like to know, so that if I ever meet you later on, it won't be so awkward…do you know my name?" I wondered and the person was quiet.
"Mamello…" the person finally replied and I mentally grinned, interesting name.
"Mamello? Well, my name's Siol, glad ta meet you Mamello!" I laughed a little to myself, finally feeling like I was in my normal mood. The person huffed, but everything was green so I knew they were probably amused.
"Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought 'What a cool person'?" Mamello asked me and I grinned to myself.
"Certainly! I am a cool person after all!"
"More like conceited…" I heard Mamello mutter and huffed indignantly.
"You take off your shoes and realize your socks are different colors!" Mamello gives a fake gasp and I laugh, "What do you do?"
"What are you talking about?" I ask him still laughing, "I always do that!" I hear him chuckle to himself and mentally grin, so he does have a sense of humor!
"Do you like karaoke?" Mamello asked and I blinked in surprise, then felt a little embarrassed.
"Yes, I do." I replied and I could have sworn I heard Mamello hum something to himself.
"Have you ever called a teacher 'mom' or 'dad'?" he asked and I blinked again, 'Well these questions are really random.'
"Once, I think…" I replied trying to remember if I had.
"There's a rumor about a ghost haunting the school bathroom! Wooo. What do you do?" I couldn't help but laugh at the weird little noise he made, and smiled to myself.
"I would go in there anyway, of course! I love ghosts!" It was silent and the colors shifted to a strange grey color.
"Uh…Mamello?" I asked and Mamello made a small surprised noise, causing me to mentally raise an eyebrow at him.
"Uh…sorry. Um…You want to reveal that you like some one…What do you do?" he asked and I almost laughed.
"Hmm…well, when I was younger, I did like someone, I hung out with them a lot and played with them, but now…now if I was sure I liked them, it wouldn't matter to me what others thought and I would tell them straight out, even if there were other people around."
The colors, that had still been grey suddenly changed to bright green, and I heard Mamello laugh to himself.
"That doesn't surprise me." He said and I grinned to myself, proud for some reason.
"Now, I'm supposed to ask if you're male or female, but I think its pretty obvious you're female." Mamello mutters to himself and I mentally glare at him.
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded and he just laughed at me, which almost made the situation worth it.
"Now your aura will be analyzed," Mamello explained, and the colors all suddenly switched directions and flowed from Blue, to Green, to Yellow and so on.
"Aura?" I wondered and he made an affirmative noise.
"Your aura is the energy you radiate, now, I need you to relax…calm yourself."
I blinked in surprise when a spot in the center of my vision suddenly began to bubble and move in a weird fashion. It almost looked as though the colors were a rubber wall or something, and there was something being pushed out from behind in, like an impression of some sort.
It eventually took the form of a giant bow, like the one a little girl might have in their hair. I blinked at it, and suddenly realized I could see myself…sort of.
It looked as though I was the same thing as the Impression Bow, I could see my form, but there were colors shifting across my skin and even under my skin, I couldn't see anything other than my shape.
"Now, gently press your hand to the bow." Mamello explained, and I hesitated for a moment before actually reaching out and touching the bow.
It was so strange, it looked as though my palm had merged with the bow, like what happens when two bubbles touch, but don't quite join into a large bubble.
"Good…now stay perfectly still…" Mamello said, and I didn't move, "Take a deep breath…" I did and quickly began to feel light-headed, "and now exhale." I let out a huge breath and suddenly everything went white, and then black.
I couldn't see anything, and began to feel scared, I hated the dark…I always had, regardless of my love for dark pokemon.
"M-Mamello?" I asked, and tiny light appear in front of me, it wasn't making anything brighter, and I couldn't see or sense myself again, but the light was comforting.
"Your aura has been analyzed." I heard Mamello's voice seem to echo all around me, "The color of your aura is very important to the type of person you are and how you will appear to others." Rather than speak I just waited for him to continue.
"Your aura is…a stately silver!" I almost laughed, Silver is my favorite color, that and purple.
"…Thank you for answering all of those questions…" Mamello seemed to sigh.
"From what I can tell you seem to be…" there was a pause and I could almost hear him smirking…which is really weird, "the Jolly type, who'd a thunk it right?" he asked and I mentally grinned.
"You have a good sense of humor, and you're compassionate. You're always making those around you laugh." I grinned as he almost accurately described me, I would have blushed, but if I was I couldn't tell.
"You have a mostly sunny, positive outlook, and you have vitality that raises the lowest of spirits to giddy heights…" I gave Mamello a mentally confused look, 'Giddy?'
"…Yeah, I said it. And yet…for all your great cheer, I can't help but think there are things that could easily bring you to tears, you would probably be able to bounce between laughter and tears easily…isn't that right?" he asked and I couldn't help but agree with that.
"Heh, what an adventure your life must be, huh? Bouncing around all day." I laughed quietly at that, he made me sound like a Spoink or an Azumaril or something.
"Hmm…I just imagine what you would be like in real life…" he laughed quietly, "Jeez."
"Hey!" I exclaimed, faking an offended tone.
"Anyway, the last thing you need to do is look at these symbols, there are a lot so pay attention, and when you see one that calls to you let me know." Mamello said and I was confused again.
"'Calls to you' how will I be able to tell?" I asked and Mamello sighed, "You'll know." He replied simply.
Then, everything turned an extremely bright white and I recoiled. Suddenly I was surrounded by twenty-odd objects. They were slowly orbiting around me, but I couldn't exactly tell what they were.
I narrowed my eyes and focused on the one passing directly in front of me, it looked like a coin or something and was a brownish color and had what looked like a round triangle in the center of it. I frowned, it was interesting, but I didn't feel anything from it.
The next one was a little weirder, it was the same coin thingy, but this time it was a soft red color and had what looked like a small oval in its center. Nothing from that one either.
More went by, and I felt nothing from them, they were all different colors and had a different shape in the center but I couldn't figure out what they meant. Finally, after around ten of them a coin thingy passed in front of me that was a cool light blue color.
"Hey!" I exclaimed finally realizing what I was looking at, and the coins stopped moving around me, "I know what that is! That's a Mudkip foot-print!" I would be able to tell, seeing as I had a Mudkip of my own named Kipa and had seen his prints all the time.
"That is correct, did you feel something from this periapt?" Mamello asked and I blanked, 'Periapt?'
"No." I replied and the stones started moving again.
"A Periapt is an item that can be worn as an Amulet or…or a charm. Each one has the energy that is embodied in one type of Pokemon, and determining which one reacts with your aura is very important in life."
The periapts kept moving and I still didn't feel anything towards any of them, I was beginning to become discouraged when finally, a periapt started to pass in front of me, and it seemed to glow a tiny bit, making the others sort of fade from view.
"There!" I exclaimed quickly and the periapt came to a stop right in front of me. It was a dark looking periapt, regardless of its glow, and was a reddish grey color. It had a strange shape in the center, that I couldn't recognize as any pokemon from the Johto region, or even from the Kanto region, which I had also been to once.
"This one?" Mamello asked, and the periapt seemed to bounce in place and then fade away into the whiteness. The others disappeared as well, and then everything turned back to black.
"Alright, you're ready now." Mamello said in a firm voice and I began to feel uncomfortable again, like the pressure or gravity around me had suddenly increased.
"As I promised, I'll tell you how you can return to your own world. You'll have to achieve the goals set before you and then, when you least expect it, an opportunity will arise, in which you will be able to help a certain person at the cost of something very dear to you. If you do help this person, and join forces with them, there is a chance you will loose everything you've worked for up until that point. You will have very little time to make this decision, but if you play your cards right, everything will work out for you in the end. You may even find the place where you truly belong and discover the greatest treasure attainable…Be cautious, for everything is not as it seems…" There was a pause.
"And for the love of Arceus, Siol." Mamello said, and I blinked in surprise, "Don't get yourself killed."
"Mame-" I started, but suddenly found I couldn't speak. My eyes widened as a light off in the distance seemed to rush towards me and I felt as though I was being crushed. I felt as though I was screaming, but the silence was deafening.
Then, all I could hear was thunder and the wind, and something crashing all around me. I felt as though I was drowning, but I couldn't see anything except for random flashes, that I could only assume was lightening. Then…nothing.