Hey everyone, Kyoko here with a new story.

Please review. I really need some tips on how to improve this story. Be critical. You don't have to be all like "IT'S DA BESTEST STORY EVAR AND U DON'T NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING!"

I do not own anything.

Just letting you know, I didn't come up with this idea. Panda Namine owns the characters and the outline of the story. I guess I forgot to mention that. If you're reading this, Panda Namine, I'm sorry. Just know that this was her idea.

But enough disclaimers. I should get on with this. I hope you enjoy this story.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Outbreak

Chapter 1: Hospitalized

Cindy Brandt looked longingly out the window, which was flooded with bright sunshine. How she longed to go outside, escape the sterile smell of her hospital room, and frolic in the sun. But unfortunately for her, she couldn't.

Cindy had been stuck in the hospital for almost two weeks. But how did she get there? She had been feeling really weak lately, and strange purple spots had been appearing on her body. But when she suddenly collapsed in the middle of a school day, she had been rushed to the hospital.

Many tests had been performed on her. Most of them were quite painful, and she would always go to bed wishing that the torture would be over.

I just wish that I could go outside… Just one time… Cindy thought.

She was suddenly snapped out of her daydream by the clomping sound of footsteps. She knew it was probably her doctor, Dr. Myers, coming to check on her. Cindy panicked; she wasn't supposed to be out of bed. She hastily rushed to her bed and tucked herself under the covers just as Dr. Myers walked in.

Dr. Myers smiled a sad smile and sat down in an old wooden chair in the corner of the room. "Good morning, Cindy," his old voice croaked.

"Good morning, Dr. Myers," Cindy said politely.

"Are you feeling okay?" Dr. Myers asked.

"I'm fine," Cindy said.

There was another knock on her door.

"Come in," Dr. Myers said.

Cindy's mom and dad entered her room. Right away she noticed something different about her parents. Her mother appeared to have been recently crying, as her face was as red as Cindy's long red hair. Her father's normally bright face now looked crestfallen. It pained Cindy to see her parents so sad.

Cindy's mom walked up to her and gripped her hand. Her dad whispered "Keep fighting, sweetie," into her ear.

"Um… What's going on?" Cindy asked.

Dr. Myers looked down and took several deep breaths. "See… I need to tell you this, and I figured it would be… easier for you to have your parents in here…"

"What? What is it?" Cindy pressured with an increasing feeling of dread.

"I'm so sorry I have to be the one to tell you this, Cindy, but… The other day we ran a test to see if you had leukemia… and… I'm afraid the test came out positive. You have contracted leukemia," Dr. Myers said gloomily.

Cindy's mouth dropped open in shock. Her mother let out a wail of sadness. Her father's eyes squeezed shut and he clasped Cindy's other hand in an attempt to not cry.

Cindy had leukemia. She was going to die.

A drop of water fell on the white bedspread and blossomed into a dark stain, and Cindy realized that she was crying.

It's just not fair! she yelled in her mind. I'm only thirteen years old and I'm already gonna die of leukemia! It's not fair!

Everyone in the room was quiet for the next few minutes, silently grieving over Cindy's ailment. She simply couldn't believe that she had leukemia.

Surely this is a dream… I'll wake up in my room at my house soon, and I won't have leukemia… This isn't happening… But she knew this was no dream. This was real life.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Cindy choked out, "How long do I have to live?"

"Don't think that way. You could always undergo chemotherapy. That could get rid of your leukemia. You'll lose your hair, but you can always grow it back later," Dr. Myers reassured her.

"You're avoiding the question. How long do I have to live?" Cindy repeated.

"If we don't do chemo soon, then you'd probably have three months. At the most," Dr. Myers said.

Three months? Cindy thought. Three months would normally be an eternity under normal circumstances, but now her last three months would go by in a snap.

Why me? was the painful question on her mind. How come I of all people have to contract leukemia? Why me? Why…

Dr. Myers stood up from the creaky chair and gripped her hand. "We'll get started on the chemo in three days. How's that sound?"

"I don't care! Just get rid of it! And don't kill me in the process!" Cindy snapped. She was so angry and frustrated that she wasn't thinking sensibly. She was just yelling words out at random.

She looked at Dr. Myers' pained expression and started to apologize, but she wasn't really listening to her words. She was too numb with shock.

"Ah… maybe I should leave you alone…" Dr. Myers nodded slowly and made his way to the door, leaving Cindy and her parents alone.

Cindy's dad kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry, bonbon. We'll get through this. You'll be okay."

I sure hope so… Cindy thought.

XxX

The next few days were horrible for poor Cindy. The doctors prepared her for chemotherapy, though it felt like they were torturing her. At the end of each day, her body ached more and more until she could barely move.

I almost wish that I would die now… Anything's better than having to endure all this pain… she thought miserably.

On the third day, however, Dr. Myers said that all the tests were done and Cindy would start her chemotherapy the next day.

"Good," Cindy said. "I don't want to have to endure all this pain anymore."

"The chemotherapy will be pretty painful to begin with, but if it works, you'll start feeling better," Dr. Myers said.

That, of course, made Cindy feel even worse.

"You know what? I don't care. I don't care if I die. I don't care if I go to bed some day and don't wake up. Death would be so much better than this torture," Cindy snapped.

"Cindy…" Dr. Myers began.

Cindy stopped. It occurred to her that she was being quite rude, which wasn't really her nature. Leukemia had started to affect her personality.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm just miserable. Having some deadly disease isn't very uplifting to my mood, you know," Cindy said with a bit less venom.

"I understand." Dr. Myers walked to the wooden door. "Rest now. You should get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow."

"Don't remind me," Cindy grumbled.

"Good night, Cindy. Sleep well." Dr. Myers nodded, gave Cindy a crinkly smile, and left Cindy alone at last.

XxX

"N-no! Get away from me! Get awaaaaaay—!"

Cindy sat bolt upright in her bed. She figured she must've dozed off, but now she certainly was awake.

W-what's happening?! Cindy thought. Who's screaming?!

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized who it was.

It was Dr. Myers.

Against all orders, Cindy slid out of bed and clambered into the hallway to check out the commotion. What she saw shocked her.

Dr. Myers was lying on the ground, entwined in red and blue… tentacles. Cindy had no other word for them. The doctor's eyes were closed, and he didn't appear to be breathing.

"Dr. Myers! Dr. Myers!" Cindy cried, shaking the unconscious doctor. "Are you okay?! Say something! What happened?!" But there was no response.

Before Cindy could do anything more, a red tentacle reached out for her arm. She screamed and shook it away.

"What's happening?! What are these things?!" Cindy cried as she swatted away a blue tentacle that was trying to ensnare her leg.

If anyone else heard the commotion, nobody came to their aid. Cindy and the doctor were all alone with the red and blue tentacles.

I need to go… I need to get out of here… Cindy's befuddled mind thought.

With one last look at the unconscious doctor, she fled the scene.

Oh God… What's happening?! Is this some twisted dream? Or is this… reality…? Cindy thought as she sprinted down the hall. She felt her heart rate increase until it almost seemed that it would pop, and her stiff muscles protested with every movement, but she kept running.

Finally, Cindy got to the end of the hallway. There was nothing there except for a window and an elevator.

Okay… Don't worry… You just need to go down the elevator… That's it… Cindy thought in an attempt to calm herself down. She jammed the elevator button impatiently, but the elevator car never showed up.

"No…" Cindy murmured.

She continued to jam the elevator button, hoping that the elevator was coming to her, but after a moment, it was clear that the elevator wasn't coming for her.

Cindy glanced at the window and briefly considered breaking out of it, but she knew that she couldn't. She was on the fourth floor; she'd probably die as soon as she hit the ground.

A strange noise brought Cindy out of her thoughts. It was a strange, unearthly sound, like an alien spaceship or something like that.

What was that noise? Cindy thought.

And with a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach, she slowly turned around…

Behind her was… a portal, Cindy decided. It was like a black hole; it was dark purple and black, and it seemed to have a strange suction quality. It was somewhat random and had apparently come from nowhere.

"What the heck? What's this thing?" Cindy muttered.

Curiosity got the best of her. Even though she knew that the portal was a bad thing, she couldn't help but get a closer look at it. She took a step toward the portal…

Suddenly, Cindy found herself unable to move an inch. She looked down and saw that the red and blue tentacles had ensnared her legs and arms, rendering her unable to move. She tried to scream, but a tentacle covered her mouth. No sound came out.

The grip on her tightened, and she felt the tentacles tugging at her… pulling her back… back to the portal.

No… Cindy thought groggily. Don't…

There was no reply.

Cindy was inches away from the portal, and she felt the tug grow stronger. She probably would be freaking out if the tentacles weren't holding her so tight.

I'm dreaming… I know I'm dreaming… Soon I'll wake up safe and sound in my hospital bed… Cindy tried to think calming thoughts to reassure herself, but everything was so chaotic that she found it hard to focus on anything.

The tentacles gave a mighty tug, and Cindy stumbled backwards… back into the portal.

Once she came in contact with the portal, Cindy was swept off her feet, though the tentacles still held her tight. She flew backwards at an astoundingly fast speed, blurred colors flying past her.

She briefly wondered if she was still dreaming, but this whole situation felt too real to be a dream. This was reality. A very wild reality, sure, but it was reality nevertheless.

Cindy began to feel herself losing consciousness. The tentacles gripped her tighter, causing her head to throb and her body to ache.

Please… Someone… help… me… she thought groggily.

There was no reply.

Then, quite suddenly, Cindy slammed to a stop. The sudden deceleration and the pressure of the tentacles was too much for Cindy to take, and she slowly slid out of consciousness.

However, just before everything went black, Cindy could've sworn she had heard a voice echoing through her head. It was firm, echoing, and distinctly female.

"STOP!"

And Cindy knew no more.

XxX

What a train wreck.

I promise it'll get better as it goes on. Don't let this turn you off from the rest of my story.