Chapter 1
A Fugitive with no Crime
I ran through the mountain pass, fear gripping to the very fiber of my being. Panting, I slipped into a cave to conceal myself. I could hear the barking of those hounds outside. Persistent things, they chased me through several miles of uneven terrain and yet they still seem to be right on my tail. I sighed, letting loose all of my tension in hopes of catching even a moment's rest. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. All of my tension came rushing back the moment I felt something touch my back. I jumped and turned to face my would-be attacker, only to find my longtime friend behind me.
"You didn't have to follow me," I said, speaking softly so to not alert the beasts lurking outside.
"You know you're hopeless without me," he said, smiling. I could see his fangs poking out, betraying his animalistic qualities. It's only been a month since that fateful day, the day I came to this world. But, I'm used to seeing strange creatures as if I had seen them all my life. Pokemon, beings with special powers that seem to solely exist within this world. Being a human, I thought these creatures were mere myth, yet here I am being best friends with an Oshawott by the name of Oliver.
"Well, if you're with me then they'll take you out too!" I explained, "I don't know why you still care, knowing what I am…"
"Please," Oliver shot back, "I don't care what you are, that doesn't change the fact that we're friends!"
I returned the smile, "You're a good guy Oliver, you know that!"
"Aw, stop embarrassing me like that," The otter Pokemon said, scratching the back of his head.
"Hey! I think I hear voices!" came a gruff shout, "Let's check over here!"
"I guess you're in it for the long haul, Oliver!" I exclaimed, "Let's go!"
I grabbed his paw and made a dash towards the dark cave. A sudden dizziness fell upon me and I knew instantly that we had made a mistake coming here. The pathway behind us had suddenly turned into a wall. Looking around, I found that eerily familiar look of finely carved stone. This was a Mystery Dungeon.
"Well, at least we'll be safe for now," Oliver stated as he plopped onto the dungeon floor.
"Yeah? Once we get through though, we'll have to be on extra special guard," I warned.
"Don't be such a worrywart, this is a cave dungeon," Oliver pointed out, "Some rock and ground types are no match to a Snivy such as yourself!"
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," I remarked.
"How could you possibly forget that?" Oliver fumed.
"Easy, I've only been a Pokemon for a month," I recalled. It was strange, being in this strange new land gave me a strange new body to go along with it, not to mention how I can't even remember my human life. My life had completely turned upside down. Luckily, I had found a friend in Oliver. Oliver was the kind of guy who was always there for his friends regardless of circumstance. I mean, he followed me all the way here even after he found out I was a human.
"Maxwell!" Oliver called, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Huh?" I responded.
"We need to go now," Oliver explained.
"Who says?" I asked.
"This guy!" Oliver shouted, running away from the hallway to reveal a Graveler and he wasn't happy.
"Oh come on!" I joked, "He's just a Ground/Rock type!"
"Then you take him!" Oliver said as he stepped aside.
"Gladly!" I announced as I stepped up to attack him. The Graveler stood at least two feet taller than me. Most Pokemon would flee in terror at the sight of such a formidable foe, but I know better. Being a grass type, I'm usually at a disadvantage to most types, but to a rock and ground type, I'm ready to take him down.
I made the first move. Doing a backflip, I readied my attack. My tail glowed with a green aura, Slam! My attack connected, causing massive damage. The Graveler cringed, but my victory was short-lived as he immediately went into a counterattack. Stomping on the ground, he caused a minor tremor, however it was no Earthquake. Realizing this a little too late, I was beset upon by a massive barrage of rocks.
"Rock slide!" Oliver shouted, shocked, "Are you okay?"
"'Twas nothing," I spat, rubbing the blood off of my mouth, "Besides, this sucker's gonna pay me back!"
I focused, causing the same green aura to surround the Graveler. Then, by some unseen force, the aura was forcibly pulled from the rocky behemoth. The aura then attached itself to me, causing my wounds to simply evaporate.
"Whoa, Giga Drain!" Oliver exclaimed from the sidelines, "You finally learned it!"
"Hey!" I called, "Maybe you can, I dunno, help?"
"Oh sorry!" Oliver apologized, "Aqua Tail!"
Oliver's tail was surrounded by water as he spun into the enemy, finishing it off.
"Seems to me that you've grown some too!" I complimented.
"So you've noticed!" Oliver grinned, "It's no surprise though, we've been travelling through rough terrain,"
"Well, the easiest way to throw off would-be pursuers," I explained.
"Apparently not these pursuers," Oliver frowned.
"Let's keep moving," I said, "We don't wanna spend too long in here,"
I took a good look around the room, there were two other exits leaving out. The exit the Graveler came out of seemed like as good a place as any to start exploring. In a Mystery Dungeon, it can be hard to find ones way out again. No one truly knows where the exit is because the exit is random every time. It's part of the special power this world has, or so I'm told.
The hallway continued for several feet with several twists and turns. After a long trek, I was relieved to see the stairs in the room.
"That was a little too easy," Oliver stated, "But I'm glad we've found them!"
"Hey, don't be too hasty," I retorted, "There might be more floors,"
"I just have a good feeling about this one," Oliver smiled.
"Don't get your hopes up," I said as I moved towards the gracious escape route. As I touched the top stair, a strange feeling came over me as it felt like I burst into a million pieces and rushed to who knows where. In truth, we were just transported further into the dungeon. Greeted by another clean-cut room, I turned to Oliver.
"Ugh, I'll never get over that," I said, heaving.
"Man, another floor!" the Oshawott complained.
"Told you," I managed through heaving, "At least it's not all bad, it has been awhile since I've last been in a dungeon. It's good practice!"
"Are you okay?" Oliver said, looking over me with his classic concerned gaze.
"I'm fine," I said, finally managing to fully stand, "I'm only like this for the first floor, the rest is easy!"
"If you say so…" the Sea Otter Pokemon said, still not fully convinced.
I led the two of us out of the room, taking yet another random hallway. This one led to another room, but this one was full of sleeping Pokemon.
I turned to Oliver and made an attempt to put only one of my fingers up to my mouth, "Shhh!" I warned.
Oliver nodded in understanding as we tiptoed through the room. It felt like an eternity just to get halfway through the room. Sadly, we didn't get much farther than that.
"Oh no!" Oliver whispered. I turned to look, he accidently stepped on a Whismur.
"Please don't," I muttered, but it didn't listen as it rang out in its earsplitting cries.
"Uproar!" Oliver tried to shout over the din that quickly awoke the nearby Pokemon.
"I feel like we warped straight into a Monster House!" I joked, "Cover my back, I'll try to make us a path!"
"Right!" Oliver shouted as the onslaught began. I aimed towards a Graveler and used a trusty Leaf Blade. Meanwhile, Oliver used Water Pulse to instantly knock out the Whismur he so clumsily awoke. The rest of the enemy Pokemon charged us with reckless abandon. Blow after blow battered away at our small bodies. I had to think of something quick. Rummaging through the bag we used, I found an item that just might help us.
I pulled out a small, blue, crystal orb and smashed it into the ground causing it to shatter. Light emanated from the impact, flowing into the two of us.
"We've got one minute!" I announced, "Run!"
The enemies' attacks effortlessly passed through us now. Oliver looked around curiously at the sight.
"There's no time!" I shouted as I grabbed his paw and ran as fast as we could towards the next hallway, running through another room, turning right, and ending up running up the next set of stairs.
"Wha-What was that?" Oliver panted, trying to catch his breath.
"Hah, hah, an All, hah, Protect Orb," I explained, "Picked one up at the Kecleon Mart a couple weeks before all this! Lucky find, huh?"
"You're darn right it is!" Oliver exclaimed, "We'dve been toast if you hadn't used that!"
"Yeah, there were just too many of 'em!" I said as I tossed him an Oran Berry, "Here!"
He caught it and ate it heartily, "Thanks!"
"No prob!" I elated as I nibbled on my own Oran Berry, enjoying its unique flavor.
"So, another floor, huh?" Oliver asked gazing about yet another room.
"Seems that way," I answered, "But at least the stairs are in this room!"
"Great," Oliver voiced, "Are we ever going to be out of here?"
"Oh, come on!" I elated, "We've faced longer dungeons than this!"
"I know, but I kinda wanna get outta here quickly so we won't get ambushed," he pouted.
"Hey, you could've stayed home!" I pointed out, "You didn't have to be dragged into my problems!"
"But I'd just worry too much there," he said.
"I guess you're right," I noted, "The least you can do is stop complaining!"
"Okay," Oliver sighed, "Let's go!"
"That's the spirit!" I elated as we walked up the next flight of stairs. As we reached the top, we were greeted with a blinding light from the setting sun. Letting the rays hit my scales, I used the sun to increase my power. As a grass type, the sun has become my friend in battle. It's a welcoming breath of fresh air with the grim atmosphere.
"You know you look weird when you do that," Oliver said as he neared.
"Huh?" I sounded, not truly paying attention.
"Never mind," he smiled, "Let's just get out of here before-"
"Hey! I see someone up ahead!" A voice called as if on cue.
I sighed, "Here we go…"
A large, black figure crept from the dark cave exit. Even when the light hit the beast, the shadows around it seemed to cloak it in the darkness it commands. This Mightyena is well named; its mere presence is enough to send chills up and down my spine. It would be bad enough if he were alone, however I had noticed three other shapes crawled close behind. Though smaller, the three Poochyena exuded their own dark aura.
"Human!" The Mightyena barked, "In the name of the Pokemon Rescue and Exploration Federation, I hereby arrest you and your associate!"
"Bold words," I decried, "I can't go peacefully when I've committed no crime,"
"With humans, there need not a crime!" Mightyena spat, "Your resistance shall prove to be most amusing,"
The mighty wolf-like Pokemon let out an ethereal howl, causing his comrades to do so in unison. This strategy I knew well, it is used quite commonly among this species of Pokemon. Used in conjunction with their Intimidate ability, Howl puts our team at a major disadvantage.
The pack of wild Pokemon proceeded to circle us, using their intimidation in an attempt to slip us up. Their leader walked straight towards me and looked me straight in the eyes. His eyes began to glow, causing me step back. A purple ring of dark energies surrounded me and slowly began to act as chains.
"Embargo," I noted, hiding my fear, "It seems you know your stuff!"
"Flattery will get you nowhere, fugitive," The Mightyena growled, "Brothers! The time has come to strike!"
The Poochyena immediately pounced us. One went for a Fire Fang, another went for an Ice Fang, and finally one went for a Thunder Fang. Each of them went for their respective targets. The Thunder Fang went for Oliver; the other two went for me.
"Argh!" I screamed as the fire and ice did its damage. Blood trickled from the burn wound, causing me to grab it with my right hand.
I looked for an opening. Assessing the situation, I found my opening and went straight for their leader. Prepping a Slam attack, I ran at him at full force. Sadly, he anticipated this as his glowing gaze hit me once again. This time, however, I was immediately filled with a strange strength.
"Swagger?!" I cried, losing my composure.
"Hmph, you're not as dumb as I made you out to be," the wolf scoffed, "But there's no way you can deal with us now!"
"Well, there is one thing you didn't plan on!" I began, "For starters, let's just see how my attack will go, shall we?"
I may have been confused from that attack, but my advance gave me just the opportunity I needed as I Slammed into the nearest target. I heard a Poochyena whimper as I did so, letting me know I had done my job.
"Impossible!" Mightyena raged, "You couldn't have possibly been able to attack anyone in a state like that!"
"True," I mused, "Under normal circumstances, the chances of me hitting any of you would've been slim. But I know by how I moved, you all surrounded me. Meaning my attacks chances of hitting went up to about fifty percent!"
"Rrgh!" Mightyena growled, "How could you have possibly been able to outsmart me?"
"I dunno," I mused, "My question is how you are this dumb,"
"Aqua Tail!" Oliver shouted. I couldn't see what he was doing, but I did know his efforts did major damage.
"I can't believe you focused all your efforts on me!" I chuckled.
The Mightyena growled once again as he shouted, "Brothers! Together now!"
Pain instantly filled my entire body. The four of them seemed to rush me. I seemed to have reached my limit. Vision fading, I had to do so something before they got me. Luckily, the four of them seemed to have knocked some sense into me.
"Heh, I finally found out who you are," I managed, "I can't believe I got to fight the Brothers of the Fang!"
It only took a moment of concentration as I let loose my Giga Drain attack. Instantly, my vision cleared and all of them dropped to the ground in defeat.
"Wow!" Oliver elated, "How'd you do that?"
"Overgrow," I explained, "My ability increases my grass-type power,"
"No," Oliver corrected, "I know Overgrow boosts your power. What I was wondering is how you knocked out all four of them with a single Giga Drain,"
I gazed across the battlefield and realized that he was right. All of them fell to my one attack.
"That is strange," I noted, "But we can't worry about that now!"
"Why not?" Oliver asked.
"If we don't get out of here soon, they'll just ambush us again," I replied, "Let's go!"
"Right," Oliver complied.
We travelled well into the night over rough, mountainous terrain. It was a tough hike and being injured doesn't help things much.
"We should find a place to set up camp!" Oliver called from ahead, he wasn't injured as much.
"Good idea!" I replied, "Scout ahead to find a defensible spot, I'll stay here and recover, the Embargo should have worn off by now!"
"Okay!" He said as he disappeared from view.
I immediately sat down and opened my bag. That battle was really rough; who knows what would have happened if I pulled that move at the end. I grabbed an Oran Berry and nibbled on it as I continued my musings.
What was that anyway? I know a move like Giga Drain can only affect one Pokemon. Even with Overgrow, I should've only knocked out Mightyena. I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Finishing off my Oran Berry, I reached for another one. Normally, only one would be enough. But having that rough of a battle at my experience level means two Oran Berries is a must.
"Hey, I found one!" Oliver called, revealing himself.
"Good, I was getting worried," I said, studying him carefully.
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked curiously.
"Just checking something," I said, making special note of his ribbon, "You know how Ditto and Zoroark can look like other Pokemon,"
"Yeah, and?" Oliver questioned.
"Well, I was checking if it was your Lucky Ribbon," I answered, "Here,"
I tossed him another Oran Berry.
"Thanks!" he elated.
"Your welcome," I smiled, "Lead on!"
He turned around and motioned for me to follow. He led me to a large niche in the rock wall.
"As long as we don't light a fire, we should be safe here for the night!" Oliver explained.
"Nice work!" I complimented, immediately lying down.
"Shouldn't we set up beds?" Oliver asked.
"We need to be back on the road again quickly, if we set up beds, we'd have to take them down again. We'd be sitting Duckletts!"
"I guess you're right…" Oliver sighed, "Good night,"
"Sleep tight," I mumbled as I drifted off to sleep.