Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Bounty
Hello, everyone! Here's the first chapter for my PMD fic! Before we start, though, there's just a couple things to say. First, this isn't a game-based one, so far as storyline. Rather, it's set after the events of Explorers of Darkness, the version that I have. And, it's not the main characters either, although they'll be in it (again, those from my version and quiz/choice). Instead, we're gonna be following the adventures of a new Team, who were inspired by the saving of the world to start their own!
Now, enough talking from me, and here we are! The beginning of the exploits for Team Bounty!
I do not own anything of Pokémon. If I did, then the games would be severely different.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"Speech"=Talking
*Speech*=Thoughts
-Speech-=Telepathy
Speech= Rescue/Outlaw fliers
Kangaskhan looked up from the counter of her shop, smiling as she saw a Nidoqueen approaching. In her arms were a Pichu and a Sneasel, both obviously small and young. She waved at the Nidoqueen, who smiled as she set the two young Pokemon on the counter.
"Hello, Kangaskhan. I was wondering if you would be able to take these two for the day again?" Kangaskhan nodded, smiling down at the two infants as they looked up, smiling at her in return.
"Of course, sweetie. Since the Temporal Event, there's been a baby boom due to the relative increase in safety, so I opened a day care out back recently. Chansey couldn't cope with babies and the Eggs, so I offered my help to her. You're welcome to go round and drop them off; I'll be keeping an eye on them." Nidoqueen smiled again, before picking up the two infants.
"Thanks, Kangaskhan. How do you watch them?" Kangaskhan turned to the back of her shop, opening a door there. Visible through the doorway was an enclosed area with fences, an area with thick, soft grass and a pond in the corner. There was a sandy area in the opposite corner, and several Pokemon babies were playing, sleeping or talking in there.
"Oh, wow. You really did get some help from Chansey. It looks so nice." Nidoqueen walked around to the back of the shop, leaning over the fence and setting the two infants down. The looked up at her as she hugged them, smiling.
"You two be good, OK? I'll be back when I've finished my shopping." The Sneasel nodded, as the Pichu nuzzled her. She ruffled their hair between the ears, before standing and leaving. The two infants looked at each other, before turning and walking towards several other Pokemon.
Kangaskhan rushed out back, through the door and closed it as she heard shouting. There was a Houndour pup fighting the Sneasel, both of them slapping at the other. The Pichu was doing the same with a Poochyena. Kangaskhan walked over, pushing them apart gently, and holding them apart.
"What's wrong?" The Sneasel looked up, before pointing at the Houndour.
"She's making fun of us, because we don't know our parents." The Houndour feigned innocence, which didn't fool Kangaskhan.
"Pyrah. You've been told before, it's not nice to make fun of other Pokemon." The Houndour shrugged, before looking away.
"So? It's true, they don't…" Kangaskhan sighed, before going over to a large tree stump off to the side of the area and sitting down.
"OK, kids! How about a story to calm you all down?" There was a chorus of excited and happy cheers as all of the infants ran over, sitting at her feet and looking up with wide expectant eyes, full of happiness and innocence.
"Hmm… How about this? How many of you have heard of the Temporal Event story?" All of the infants shook their heads, looking at each other in confusion.
"OK. The story is the end, really, but it's a good one. There was a time when the world was in danger of being destroyed, by an evil being, and a Rescue Team set out to stop the world getting destroyed. This story is how they did that. It's about Rescue Team Heroes." The infants looked around excitedly, before focussing on Kangaskhan as she began to tell her story.
"A Munchlax and Chikorita are standing in the middle of a partially ruined temple area… Pillars are at equal distances, some whole, some shattered. In front of them, Dialga sprawled, exhausted. It was at least five times their size, stood on four legs and had dark blue skin with lines of steel running over them, glowing red eyes and a large metal fan on its back. Despite the scratches and bruises covering the two Pokémon, they're clearly still able to battle.
"We… We did it, Jack…" The Chikorita pants, as they stare at Dialga in awe. The Munchlax nods, looking over at the Chikorita with a smile.
"Yeah… We did, Petal… Now let's get the Time Gears into the slot-WAH!" The Munchlax's sentence was cut off, as a huge tremor shook the area, crevasses opening up and the remaining pillars collapsing. The Chikorita turned to the Munchlax, eyes wide with fear.
"This is the worst tremor yet… The Tower must be nearing total collapse…" The Munchlax, nods, before turning to look past Dialga.
"Hurry, Petal! We need to get the Time Gears into their slots, before the planet paralyses!" The two of them ran forwards, despite the heaving floor, and approached a raised area behind Dialga. The Munchlax stumbled to a halt, as the Chikorita ran up to a circular stone inscribed with runes and five indents in it. Despite the shaking floor, the Chikorita manages to finally slot in all five Gears, and steps back.
Suddenly, a severe tremor bowls the Chikorita down the stairs, as the Munchlax runs over to her. They look up at the Gears, the Chikorita stumbling to her feet.
"Why..? Why didn't it work..!? The Time Gears are in place..!" A look of horror spread across her face, as she looked at the Munchlax. His face had a similar look to it, as he stared back.
"Were… Were we too late..? Is the Tower still gonna collapse..?" Before the Munchlax can reply, a severe tremor knocks them off their feet, as purple lightning arcs to the last pillar, destroying it entirely. Before they can react, another strike hits them both.
The two Pokémon cry out in pain, before passing out after a slight struggle to remain conscious through the remaining static from the strike. After several minutes, the Munchlax comes to first. He looks around groggily, before seeing Petal sprawled on the floor.
"Petal..! Petal, are you OK..?!" He runs over to her, gently placing a hand on her side. A groan and slight movement causes him to sigh in relief, as the Chikorita sits up.
"…Urrgghh… I hurt so much…" She suddenly jolted to her feet, looking around with shock.
"Hey, Jack..? Wh… Where..?" Before more can be said, a commanding voice speaks out to them both.
"This is… still Temporal Tower. You are still alive." The Munchlax and Chikorita look down from where they are, towards the area they fought in… To see Dialga standing. With a cry of surprise, both of them run down and quickly assume battle positions.
"Jack..! It's Dialga..!" Before the Munchlax can reply, he speaks again, soothing them.
"You have no cause for alarm. I have regained my reason, now…" The Chikorita blinked, before voicing a question.
"Wha… How..?" Dialga looks at her, before answering.
"Temporal Tower has taken heavy damage… But it has survived. Now, observe." Dialga turned around, looking away from the two smaller Pokémon, before a blast of light emerged from his chest. Suddenly, the temple-like structure was replaced with a large, green field, grass gently waving in the breeze.
"Jack… This is an area that was stopped in time… How..?"
"It's… Petal, it has to be some sort of telepathy… Dialga is showing this to us with telepathy…" The view faded out, to reveal several leafs dripping dew. In the background, a forest is revealed.
"Jack… This is Treeshroud Forest..! But… When we were last there, time had stopped…Time… Time's started again..!" The view dimmed once more, finally brightening to reveal Treasure Town. The view revealed everyone in good health, celebrating.
The view dimmed, finally revealing Temporal Tower. Several large chunks were hanging from its side, floating in mid-air.
"Jack… It's Temporal Tower… It's so damaged, but… But it's still standing! We did it..!" This time, instead of darkening, the view brightened before fading as Dialga ended his telepathy. He was now facing the two Pokémon, before speaking.
"Temporal Tower has survived the crisis… And so time has resumed. Therefore it has resumed in areas where it had stopped… Because you stopped the collapse, you prevented the planet's paralysis… And so saved the world, and restored its peace." The Chikorita grinned, before laughing happily and turning to the Munchlax.
"We did it Jack..! We saved the world..!" The Munchlax grinned, as the two hugged in happiness.
"Yeah, we did..! We finally did it Petal..!" They stopped, turning as Dialga spoke again.
"Allow me to thank you… For finding the Hidden Land, and having the bravery to stand up to my enraged form… And preventing the collapse of the Temporal Tower in the nick of time." The Chikorita nodded, smiling slightly.
"Dialga…" However, her reply was cut off as Dialga spoke again.
"But all is not as it should be yet… I must see to Temporal Tower's repair… The Rainbow Stoneship should have survived, despite the Hidden Land being ravaged. Lapras should be awaiting your return, still…" The Chikorita nodded, turning to the Munchlax.
"OK..! Let's get back to Treasure Town, Jack!" The Munchlax nodded, before the two of them left, walking past Dialga.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
The two of them were walking along a rocky path, the Munchlax slightly behind the Chikorita. The Chikorita suddenly turned around, looking at the Munchlax.
"What's the problem, Jack..? Let's hurry." The two of them continued walking, but it was clear from the Munchlax's face that there was a problem. They continued walking for a while, when they were suddenly stopped by a severe shaking.
"Tremors..!" The Chikorita cried out, looking around as they stopped. The ground shook violently, before returning to steadiness.
"Whew… It settled down… I guess… Things are still taking a while to settle back to normal… Let's go, Jack…" The Chikorita kept walking, but the Munchlax suddenly stopped, as a slight golden glow surrounded him. A look of shock, then accepting depression settled over him, and he slumped slightly as the Chikorita called back.
"Hey, Jack..! What is it… What's wrong..?" The Munchlax sighed, before looking gently at the Chikorita.
"…I'm sorry, Petal… I've kept this secret for so long… But, it looks like… I have to say good bye now…" A look of horrified shock crossed the Chikorita's face, as she stepped backwards slightly.
"What?! Goodbye..?! What do you mean Jack..?!" She stepped closer as she spoke, eager for an answer.
"Dusknoir… He told me, when you were at the Rainbow Stoneship… If we changed the future, saved the world… Then the Pokémon of the future would disappear, as time was changed… And… I'm one of them… I was always destined to disappear…" The Chikorita took another step forwards, slight tears forming in her eyes.
"What..!? Wh-Why..?!" The Munchlax shook his head slightly, before smiling at her in a sad manner.
"Thank you… for everything… But I'm going to disappear from this time, now…" The Chikorita's eyes widened, as the golden light changed to slowly rotating globes; ones that she could see now.
"But Petal… I'll never forget you…" The tears now welled up further, as she stepped even closer to the Munchlax, gently placing a paw on his arm.
"W-Wait a second… I-I only made it this far because I had you, Jack… D-Don't you understand..?" Now, the tears gently rolled down her face, tracking clear trails through the fine dust coating her from the tower's near-collapse.
"You made me strong Jack… If you go… I-I don't know… What I would…" The Munchlax gently took her paw in his hands, squeezing it gently.
"No, Petal… You have to be strong still… You have to live your life..! You need to go home… And tell everyone what happened to us here. So that… This never occurs again…" The Chikorita sniffed, leaning against the Munchlax as she sobbed.
"Erk… J-Jack…" The golden orbs increased in number and speed, now partially obscuring the Munchlax. A look of surprise crossed his face, and the Chikorita grabbed onto him.
"D-Don't Jack..! Please, don't… Don't go…" The Munchlax gently hugged her, smiling as he looked her in the eyes.
"Thank you for everything, Petal… I'm glad we got to train together, at the Guild… I'm glad, we had so many adventures together… And most of all… I'm glad, that I got to know you Petal…" The Chikorita sniffed again, gently nuzzling the Munchlax.
"Wait… Jack…" The Munchlax gently nuzzled her back, before speaking.
"I'm sorry… I'm so lucky to have had you as a friend…" Now slight tears were beading in his eyes as well, that the time was drawing near.
"I feel the same, Jack..! To me, Jack, you… You're more important than anything…" The Munchlax gently nodded, speaking in a softer tone.
"Yes… I feel the same, Petal… Even after I'm gone… After I disappear… You'll always be in my memories…" He slowly leaned forwards, placing a gentle, tender kiss on the Chikorita's cheek. Suddenly, he started to flicker in and out of view, the golden orbs swelling to almost completely obscure him now. Then, the orbs expanded, merging, forming a single large globe of golden light around the Munchlax… before it vanished.
As he finally disappeared, the Chikorita stepped into the spot he just left, fresh tears streaming down her face.
"J… Jack… Jack..!" She collapsed on the spot, freely sobbing as tears rushed down her face in a flood of despair.
"J-J… JAACK..!" She lay there for hours, before finally standing and slowly continuing her walk, tears still dripping from her chin to the floor.
"…I… I have to live… I have to get h-home… Get home a-and tell the others… Because i-it's Jack… Jack's last wish…" She came to a slow stop, staring at the end of the rocky path.
"There… There's the Rainbow Stoneship…" The Chikorita continued walking, weaving back and forth as her tears blurred her vision. As she nears the Stoneship, she tripped on a small projection. After a few seconds, she stood, and continued to the Stoneship, turning to look back at where she'd come from.
"Temporal… Temporal Tower is getting… Further, and further away… A-And Jack… I-I'm getting further away from Jack… Oh… Jack…"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
The Chikorita spent months working at the Guild still, slowly accepting her despair and her partner's loss. And one day, when she'd stopped crying in her sleep, she took a walk to the beach where they first met…
As she walked over the sand, she looked up into the sky, seeing the Krabby's bubbles again. And for the first time since she returned, she smiled with real happiness.
"Oh… Wow. It… It's beautiful…" As she looked out to sea, she saw the bubble catching the sunset and reflecting it, causing hundreds of globes of red, orange and yellow to appear.
"I haven't seen this for so long… It's as beautiful as I remember… I've been too busy, and… Upset, to come here… But… I've missed this incredible sight…" The smile slowly drained from her face, replaced with the now-familiar sadness.
"When I last saw this… It was… It was when I met Jack… The view was like this, then…" Slowly, she turned to her left, looking down the beach to the spot she met her partner… She walked down the sand, approaching a familiar rock projecting from the sand.
"That… That was where I found Jack, unconscious… And we formed our Rescue Team… We began our adventure way back then…" Slowly, she drifted into a set of memories long untouched…
Her and her partner, agreeing to be a team… Returning from missions… Finding the entrance to Waterfall cave, discussing her Relic Fragment, facing Uxie's illusion, the Volbeat and Illumise… The Sabelye and Dusknoir… And the Dark Future… Finally, receiving their Starter kit, and the entrance to the Time Gear dungeons… And the moment's she had been there for him, when he was close to giving up.
Slowly, she sighed before slumping slightly as she stared at the rock.
"I… I remember it all so fondly now… All those memories of me, and Jack… Memories of Jack…" Slowly, her paw raised up, to brush her cheek; a light blush forming as she thought of their last time together… Tears welled up in her eyes, slowly brimming over and down her cheeks.
"But… But now… Jack is gone… A-And Jack isn't here…" With a sob, she collapsed on the sand, tears dripping down her face. She was found by one of her guild mates, who comforted her… And saw it first. A bubble from the Krabby, glowing bright gold… Which expanded besides the rock, and faded to reveal a Munchlax. In seconds, of seeing each other… The Chikorita and Munchlax ran up to each other, hugging and crying in joy.
And then, in that moment… She kissed him. And he returned it to her, just as gently as he had done when kissing her cheek."
"And that, sweeties, is the story of how our world was saved by a Rescue Team, and they prevented the world from being paralysed…" The Kangaskhan smiled, as she finished her story, watching as the younger Pokémon talked amongst themselves eagerly about what they'd just heard. She stopped, and looked down when she was tapped on the leg gently.
"Mrs. Kanga..? What happened to that Rescue Team..? And what are time gears..?" Kangaskhan smiled down at the pup speaking to her; a Growlithe, bright-eyed and eager, his tail wagging furiously. She leant forwards, gently patting him between the ears.
"Well… They continued with their Guild work, although shortly after they passed as a full-fledged Rescue Team… They've a secret area they use as a home, no-one's found it… If you're lucky, then they'll come to help you one day… Although, you shouldn't need them just yet… As for the time gears, they're magical gears which make time flow. If they were taken, as happened, time begins to stop until the whole world would have stopped turning."
Most of the young Pokémon began to talk even more eagerly, when suddenly a Larvitar stood up, letting out a high-pitched roar.
"I am DIALGA..! Fear me Rescue Teams everywhere..!" Within seconds, the other dozen-odd Pokémon had piled onto him, laughing as they play-fought. Kangaskhan smiled, watching them at play, turning around when she heard someone knock on the desk for her shop. She walked over, opening the door as she looked back.
"Behave, kids, I need to help a customer-… Oh, Jack..! How are you..?" Within seconds, every kid there was pouring through the doorway and climbing over the desk to bombard the Pokémon with questions… Only to bounce to the floor in a daze. A large paw scooped down, lifting them up, above Kangaskhan's head, as a large Snorlax peered at them. The kids saw that they were held by a large, rotund, Pokémon with a blue-black body, and tan face, stomach and paws.
"Do you have a problem here, Kangaskhan..? I thought you only had one child…" Kangaskhan laughed, as the kids quailed slightly in the grasp on such a large Pokémon.
"I do only have one, and she's somewhere in the pile on your hand… Now, Jack, set them down. Where's Petal?" Jack smiled, as he lowered his arm and gently set the kids on the desk.
"She's at home, sorting out some stuff. I just came to drop some items off with you… Although, then again, maybe these little ones can help…" He unslung a bag from his shoulder, opening it and reaching in, as deep as his elbow, before withdrawing a closed paw.
"Now… Let me see…" As he re-slung the bag, he gestured to the kids with his free hand.
"Form up into a line, OK?" Within seconds, all of the kids had done so, grinning eagerly at each other. Jack slowly walked along the line, before nodding.
"Yes, it should work. Well, kids, don't tell anyone where you got them from, OK?" Opening his paw, he quickly handed out a Gummi to everyone there; carefully matching them to their types. Suddenly, the bag was pulled from his shoulder by a green vine, as he turned around. The kids stared, as they saw a large, green dinosaur-like Pokémon with a ring of pink petals around her neck.
"Jack, what are you doing to these kids..?" Jack smiled, turning round and hugging the Pokémon with one arm, gesturing to the kids.
"I was just dropping some stuff off, Petal, and I couldn't help but eavesdrop. They were being told of how we beat Dialga, and what came after that…" Petal giggled, nuzzling Jack. Suddenly, the kids gasped as they saw the badge pinned to the bag; a dark grey circle with a line dividing in in half and a solid back, diamond-shaped gemstone that rose above the surface. The circle was flanked by golden wings, and a small golden star was pinned beneath the gemstone.
"Miss Petals? What does that star mean?" The Meganium smiled down at the kids, before extending a vine and tapping it gently. She leant down, glancing around, before whispering to the group.
"It shows that we have what's called a special rank… You see, it allows us to do very special missions; ones that are so tough, no-one else can do them..! These requests for help come from rescue teams as well. Rescue teams that don't need help, but are facing a dungeon so tough they send out a call for back-up..!" The eyes on the kids in front of her widened in awe, before they began talking to each other excitedly.
Kangaskhan walked over, before gently ushering Petals backwards. She smiled, leaning on the counter and taking a small pile of items that Jack had placed upon it. Turning around she opened a large drawer, packing the items away neatly, and closed it before facing the Rescue team once again.
"Thanks for telling them a little bit about your team, but I need to keep them healthy as well. Some of them get loose when excited… And soothing an Oddish who got set on fire by an excited Growlithe is not enjoyable. Tell the kids stories, sure, but please. Keep the excitement tones down, OK? Just enough that there's no accidents." Petals nodded, as Jack took the bag and slung it over a shoulder, hugging her and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, rousing a chorus of 'gross!' from the kids.
"I'll take the mission, Petals. You stay here and keep the kids entertained. I won't take too long, OK?" Petals nodded, nuzzling Jack, before using her vines to move the kids further back.
"I'll come round, OK?" She walked around, carefully stepping over the fence as the infants rushed back around, forming a loose ring around her as she sat down in the tree stump. The infants immediately formed a ragged group in front of her, looking up in awe.
"OK. What story do you want to hear next?" A clamour of voices called out for various tales of Team Heroes Rescue adventures. Set near the back of the group, however, were four Pokémon; a Pichu, a Sneasel, a Poochyena, and a Houndour. They were squaring off at each other, glaring again.
The Pichu was sparking occasionally, and the Houndour was releasing small clouds of ember as it breathed. The Sneasel and Poochyena were facing each other, clearly not as antagonised, but ready to fight regardless. Or at least, they were until Kangaskhan walked over and split them apart.
"I've told you kids before. Don't fight each other." The Pichu looked up, frowning slightly. The Sneasel, however, glared at the Poochyena, which sat down and scratched behind the ear. The Houndour growled angrily, before turning and walking away. The Poochyena hesitated, before following.
"I've already split you four up today… Why do you always bother those two?" The Pichu shrugged, before pointing at the Houndour.
"She keeps picking on us..! Make her stop and we will too!" Kangaskhan sighed, before gently petting the Pichu's head. She looked down at the Sneasel, before asking a question.
"Shade? Is your friend telling the truth?" The Sneasel nodded, before glancing over at the two canines, who were now listening to the tale being told by Petal.
"Yeah. Pyrah and Sandor are always mean to us, because we're brothers…" Kangaskhan smiled at them both, before looking over at Pyrah. She was whispering to Sandor, and they were both giggling to each other.
"Sweeties… Listen to me, OK? Your Eggs were hatched by the same two Pokémon. And they're your mother and father… You are related by family, if not blood, and you should be proud of yourself despite that difference." Sparky nodded slightly, before looking over at Petal. She was re-enacting a fight between herself, Jack and a large, menacing figure by using her vines for silhouettes.
"And then, just before we were beaten, I managed to hit the Groudon with an Energy Ball attack, and it fainted!" The Groudon form reared back, before collapsing to the floor as Petal let the vine go limp. Sparky looked at Shade, before grinning.
"Hey… Shade. We should be a Rescue Team when we're older." Shade smiled, nodded back. He pointed at Petal, before speaking to Sparky.
"Yeah, we should! Let's promise to, Sparky!" Sparky nodded, smiling wider, before the two of them grasped paws together, shaking hard and firm.
"Together, we'll be a Rescue Team! And we'll be the best that we can together!" Shade grinned back, before glancing towards Pyrah and Sandor.
"And then we'll beat them, right? We'll be better and show we aren't weak." Sparky nodded, glaring slightly at the two canines.
"Yeah, we will… And we'll show them who's the best!" The two of them grinned at each other, before walking over and sitting down, ready for the next story to be told.