DISCLAIMER: I do not legally own the rights to Pokémon, but I do own this story, character, and setting. Please support the original series. Thank you.

Hello, everyone! Welcome to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon story! I had a bit of a hard time deciding what to write, since I have so many ideas it ain't funny, but after playing through Super Mystery Dungeon for the second time, I got inspired to make this! Well, it wasn't just the game that inspired, but many things, like my friends, their ideas they shared with me, and lots of other things too. That being said, thanks, guys! You guys are awesome! :)

Anyway, please do R&R, but I won't force any of you to do that. If you have any comments or suggestions that could make this story better as it progresses, please feel free to share them with me. Also, if you see any mistakes anywhere, let me know so I can fix it up right away! That being said, let's get started! The first chapter of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Heroes is here! Enjoy, everyone! :D

NOTE: I know Riolu is an overused Pokémon, but I like him and I'm gonna use him, so don't bother telling me anything else about it, okay? Thank you.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Heroes!

Chapter 1: The Riolu with Blue Eyes Awakens

~(Connection Lake, Day Time)~

It was a bright sunny day in the world of Pokémon. There wasn't many clouds in the sky, so the chance of rain was low, and different flocks of bird Pokémon could be seen flying through the skies. On the land, in a lush green forest that expanded as far as the eye could see with mountains all around, the sound of the forest dwelling Pokémon could be heard enjoying their peaceful day. Everything seemed at peace with the world.

However, in the very same forest, a large lake could be seen with a river stream flowing through. Somewhere, below the lake's surface, air bubbles could be seen as a strange ball of light blue light shined in the darkness below. As the light shined brightly, a small figure was seen forming inside of it. It appeared a small, blue, canine looking Pokémon with black legs and torso, a blue tail, and a yellow collar. It had rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws and had a black "mask" around its closed eyes. This Pokémon was known as a Riolu.

As the light began to fade around the Riolu, the little canine slowly started floating up to the surface of the lake. A moment later, it was seen floating on its back as it was drifted towards the edge of the lake, washing up on the grass and groaned once it felt it on its back.

"...Ugh..." it groaned, sounding like a young boy. "...Where... Where...am I...? What...happened?"

Slowly, the young Riolu opened his eyes to see the trees, grass, and flowers in front of him. However, there was something odd about the Riolu's eyes. Normally they'd be red, but this somehow had strange light blue eyes like that light that surrounded him earlier instead. "Huh...? ...Where am I?" he asked, noticing his surroundings as he slowly pushed himself up to get a better view. "Am I in...a forest? How did I get here? I don't...remember."

Although, for some reason, not knowing how he got here wasn't the only thing he couldn't remember. "Wait a second... I don't remember much of anything." he said, confused. "What's...going on? Why can't I remember anything? How come...?"

But before he could ask himself anymore questions, when he scratched the side of his head with his right paw, he noticed that the feeling was something he was quite familiar with, which surprised him. "Huh...?" he said as he brought his paw to his line of sight, and when he saw it, his eyes widen in shock. "W-What the...!?"

As he looked at every angle of his right paw, he then looked at his left paw, confirming that he had paws, which was something he didn't even know he had. "P-Paws...!? Wha..." he exclaimed as he looked down and noticed the rest of his body was that of a Riolu's, which shocked him even more. "M-My body...!"

In shock, the young Riolu stood up on his toes, which also surprised him, for he didn't know that Riolu's normally stand on their toes and not their entire foot. "W-What's going on here!? What happened to me!?" he asked as he looked at his paws again in a panic. "Am I...? No... It can't be...!"

Just then, he turned around and noticed the large lake that he came out of. Growing curious as to his body, he looked down at the watery surface and saw that his face was that of a Riolu's, just like the rest of his body. "N-No way...!" he exclaimed as he used his paws to feel out every feature on his head before walking backwards from the shock, but stumbled and fell on his behind, due to not being use to standing only on his toes. "W-What's going on!? What...happened to me!?"

Still in shock, the young Riolu looked at his paws again, then down at his feet and body before coming back up to his paws. "It...can't be..." he said, trying to calm down. "Have I... Have I actually...become a...P-Pokémon? A Riolu?"

"WHA-A-A-A-A-A-A-T!?" he shouted for the whole forest to hear, making some of the bird Pokémon hiding in the tress fly off upon hearing him.

But while he was in shock about this, he realized something. "Wait a second... I'm a Pokémon?" he asked himself, having no memory of that either. "That's...odd. I don't remember that either. What's going on here?"

Unsure of what's going on, he slowly stood back up on his toes, stumbling a bit, but managed to regain balance as he gazed out at the lake. "This is so strange..." he said. "I don't remember who I am, and apparently what I am. I know I'm a Pokémon now. A Riolu, but... I don't...know anything else."

For a moment, the young Riolu crossed his arms to think, but nothing was coming to mind about his little predicament. Because of this, he shut his eyes tight, placed both paws on the sides of his head, and grit his teeth hard in frustration. "Agh...! Why don't I remember anything else!?" he exclaimed. "This is so confusing!"

But then, as the young Riolu shouted, three strange shadows slowly started coming out of the forest behind him, creeping their way towards him with a deep, dark, almost ominous male voice coming from one of them. "...Loud...kid..." it said, catching the Riolu's attention as he opened his eyes in surprise. "...Annoying...kid..."

For some reason, the Riolu's strange light blue eyes emitted a strange sparkling glow that made the Riolu quickly turn around and was shocked when he saw the three shadows coming towards him as his eyes stopped glowing. "W-What the...!?" he asked, taking a few steps back as the shadows came a bit closer before something started coming out of them.

Slowly, three black creatures that were taller than the Riolu by about a foot with sharp claws, feet, teeth, horns, spiky hair, and menacing glowing red eyes emerged out of the shadows. Strangely, these creatures were nothing but black and had a strange dark feel around them, which made the Riolu shake in fear a bit as the one in the center stepped closer. "...Little...kid..."

"W-W-W-W-Who... Who are you!?" the Riolu asked, taking another step back in fear before realizing something about these strange black creatures. What...are they? They're not...Pokémon. Are they? No... They don't...feel like it.

But as the black creature up front made another step forward toward the young Riolu, it notices his eyes closely, seeing how they were light blue instead of normal red. For some reason though, the creature's eyes widen in shock, along with the other two in the back, which confused the Riolu.

"Huh...?" he said, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "What's...up with them? They look like..."

"...Those...eyes...!" the middle black creature said in an angry tone, starting to look angry too, along with the other two. "...You...!"

"Huh...? M-Me...?" the Riolu asked, pointing a paw finger up at himself, but then was surprised when he saw the creatures ready their claws. "Huh...!?"

"...Must... DESTROY!" the middle black creature shouted as it and the other two roared and showed their sharp teeth to the Riolu, frightening him as the middle suddenly ran up and attempted to slice the Riolu with its claws.

"Whoa...!" the Riolu shouted as he quickly moved to the right in time to avoid the strike, shocked by it though, but then saw one of the other two come at him with its claws. "Y-Yikes...!"

Just in time, the Riolu jumped back and avoided being sliced again, but when he looked up, he saw the third one coming down at him with its claws too. "H-Hey...!" he shouted in panic before jumping to the right again and avoided the hit once more, then turned to look at the three black creatures slowly coming for him as he backed up towards the forest behind him. "W-What are you...doing!? L-Leave me alone!"

Wanting to get away, the Riolu quickly turned and ran into the forest, but the three black creatures wasted no time giving chase as they ran after him.

~(Pathway Forest, Day Time)~

Not too long after running, the young Riolu was seen dashing down the forest trail and eventually came to a stop and placed his left paw on a nearby tree. He panted as he placed his right paw in his chest, trying to catch his breath. Fortunately that quick run was enough to help him adjust to walking on his toes. Once he caught enough of his breath, he turned his head around and saw nothing coming up behind him.

"Did... Did I...lose them?" he asked himself as he closed his eyes and sighed towards the ground in relieve. "Thank goodness..."

However, he quickly opened his eyes in shock when he heard rustling sounds all around him, making him turn and look in ever direction to pinpoint where it was really coming from. "W-What was that...!?" he asked as he saw shadowy figures that looked like the black creatures that attacked him hiding and dashing through the trees around him, frightening him. "Y-Yikes...!"

Wasting no time, the young Riolu made another dash down the forest trail, while the shadows continued their pursuit. As the Riolu ran though, he eventually came up to multiple pathways that lead in different directions in the forest, much to his surprise. He stopped and looked down each one to decide which should he take. "Oh great... Which one?" he asked, but jumped in fright when he heard the rustling sounds of the black creatures behind him. "T-They're coming...! I just gotta pick one!"

Without thinking, the young Riolu chose the winding pathway to his right and hurried down it only to be stopped when one of the black creatures jumped out in front of him. "Whoa...!" he shouted as he saw it ready its fangs and claws, frightening the boy as he turned around and quickly took another pathway. "Okay...! Not that one!"

As he took the more straight pathway, he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him until he came up to a fork in the road, much to his surprise as he stopped and quickly glanced down both paths. "Oh great... Now which way?" he asked, but then he turned his head around to see that one black creature that cut him off earlier coming his way, frightening him once again. "Whoa...!"

Like before, without thinking, he took the path on his left and ran down it, but he stopped in shock when he saw the other two black creatures jump out in front of him with their teeth and claws ready. "Oh come on!" he exclaimed as he quickly turned around to run only to see the one black creature slowly coming his way, shocking him. "You gotta be kidding me!"

Taking a few steps back, the young Riolu knew he was trapped as he turned and had his back against a tree as the three black creatures surrounded him, preventing his escape, frightening him ever more. "W-Wha... What do you want from me!?" he asked, showing a some slight tears in fear.

"...Those...eyes...!" one of them said, surprising the Riolu as a placed a paw under his right eyes.

"M-My...eyes?" he asked before putting his paw down. "What's wrong with my eyes?"

"...You... ...Must... DESTROY!" one of them said as they came right at the Riolu with their claws, while the Riolu closed his eyes shut and braced himself for the end.

But, just as the three black creatures made their attacking charge, something quickly came out of nowhere and slashed each of them with its claws then landed a couple yards away. The strange figure appeared a four legged mammalian Pokémon with a dark blue to gray body covered in white fur. It had a ruff around its neck and chest and a tuft on the top of its head adorned with a single blue-black oval. It had a feline face with almond-shaped, red eyes, a scythe-like tail, and a sickle-shaped horn on the side of its head. Its broad feet were equipped with three claws each, and spikes protrude from the heels of its hind legs and the elbows of its front legs. It also had a strange circular pendant in colors that resembled it wrapped around its neck with simple thin black rope.

As the Riolu noticed nothing happened to him yet, he slowly opened his eyes and saw the three black creatures stunned from the sudden strike and then poof into nothing but black dust. "Huh...?" the Riolu said as he watched the dust fall to the ground then be blown away by the wind. "What...in the world...?"

When he turned his head to the right, he saw the strange four legged Pokémon slowly turning towards the boy with a serious yet concern expression. "Are you...okay?" it asked in a deep male voice.

In shock, the Riolu gasped in fright when the strange Pokémon, which was classified as an Absol, spoke to him. D-Did that Pokémon just...talk? he asked himself, but then realized something. Oh wait... I'm a Pokémon too, so I guess I can understand them. Why am I surprised though?

"Um... Hello...?" the Absol asked, tilting his head curiously at the Riolu. "I asked you if you're okay. Are you?"

"Uh... Y-Yeah... I'm okay." the Riolu replied, shaking his head a bit before smiling at the Absol. "Thank you, mister."

"Don't mention it." the Absol replied, slowly walking towards the Riolu. "What are you doing all the way out here, kid? This place is dangerous."

"Oh... Well... Um... Y-You see..." the Riolu tried to say something, but really wasn't sure how to answer the Absol's question, but then the Absol turned his back at him.

"You know what, never mind." he said. "I really don't want to know. Just follow me if you want to get out of here."

Then, the Absol slowly started walking down the forest trail, surprising the Riolu for a minute before he quickly went after him. "H-Hey...! Wait up...!" he exclaimed as he managed to get to the Absol's side and walked with him, then looked towards him curiously. "Um... M-Mister...? Do you know...what were those things that attacked me?"

"I'm afraid I don't, but I've been seeing them a lot lately in these places." the Absol replied, not looking away from the trail in front of him. "You must've done something to set them off if they attacked you like that. You're lucky I was around."

"Y-Yeah... Thanks for saving me." the Riolu thanked with a smile, but then it went away quickly. "As to why they attacked me... I really don't know. They mention my eyes though. Maybe that set them off?"

"Your eyes?" the Absol asked as he turned his head to gaze at the Riolu's bright blue eyes before looking back ahead. "Hmm... That's...interesting. Those are some bright blue eyes you have there, kid. Normally your species don't have that."

"Really...? I...didn't know that." the Riolu replied, though he had no clue about his species to begin with. "Still, something about them angered them and then just started attacking me. I was...scared."

"I'd be scared too of those things attacked me if I was your age." the Absol replied. "Not just them, but anything at this point. You shouldn't be in a place like this."

"Why?" the Riolu asked, tilting his head curiously. "What's wrong with this place? It's just a forest, right?"

"No." the Absol answered. "It's not just a forest. It's a Mystery Dungeon. Pathway Forest. If you're not careful, you can get lost in this place."

"A...Mystery Dungeon?" the Riolu asked, confused. "What's a Mystery Dungeon?"

Just when the Absol heard that question, he stopped in surprise as the Riolu walked up a bit further before stopping to turn around and gaze at him. "You don't know what a Mystery Dungeon is?" the Absol asked, while the Riolu shook his head in reply. "That's...odd. Everyone knows what a Mystery Dungeon is. Where did you come from?"

"Uh... Yeah... You see... About that..." the Riolu replied, a bit nervous for some reason as he started explaining everything that has happened to him before he was attacked by the strange black creatures earlier.

After the Riolu explains to the Absol about his memory lost and waking up near a lake...

"... I...see." the Absol replied after hearing everything the Riolu told him. "So you don't remember anything about yourself? Where you came from? Who you are?"

In response, the Riolu shook his head sadly, which only made the Absol more curious. "Interesting..." he said before asking one more question, "Do you at least remember your own name?"

"My...name?" the Riolu replied, tilting his head confusingly as he tried to think what his name could be, despite his lack of memory. "My...name. Huh..."

For a moment, the Absol waited for an answer patiently as the Riolu tried his best to remember what his name was. But then, the Riolu's eyes widen when he remembered what it was. "I remember!" he exclaimed, surprising the Absol a little. "I'm not sure how or why, but I just do."

"Then what is it?" the Absol asked, a little curious.

"My name...is Ronald." the Riolu, now named Ronald, stated. "At least I think that's what it is."

"Ronald, huh...?" the Absol replied, nodding before giving a slight smile at Ronald. "That's...quite the interesting name. It works for you. I think."

That said, the Absol then resumed walking down the forest trail, while Ronald followed next to him as he smiled towards him. "So... What's your name, mister?"

"Vince." the Absol, now named Vince, answered. "You can call me Vince."

"Well then, nice to meet you, Vince." Ronald said with his eyes closed and smiled happily before reopening them back at the trail ahead.

"Good to meet you too, kid." Vince replied, showing a slight smile again before it returned to serious expression like before. "Now, changing subjects... You said you woke up by the lake around here, right?"

"Yeah." Ronald replied with a nod before looking back at Vince. "Do you know what it means?"

"You waking up near Connection Lake...? Not a clue." Vince replied. "Although, if you woke up there, and have those weird eyes, along with no memory, and those strange creatures attacking you out of the blue... Hmm... I honestly don't know what to make of this. Sorry."

Hearing that reply, Ronald sighed sadly at the ground before looking back ahead. "That's okay." he replied. "I just was hoping you'd know something about all that."

"Well, I don't know about what it means, but I do know about the lake you woke up near." Vince stated, making Ronald look back at him again curiously. "You see, you woke up near Connection Lake. It's mainly named after the Pokémon from far and wide came together after the old war. It's suppose to be a place where all bad ties untangle and somehow form good ones. So they say. Though, there's another reason why it could be called that."

"And...what would that be?" Ronald asked, growing more curious.

"... It's just a rumor... But some say that Connection Lake may be a bridge...to other worlds." Vince stated, but this surprised Ronald. "Though, I don't quite believe it myself. It's only a rumor after all."

"But to be linked to other worlds...? That's crazy!" Ronald exclaimed, but then started to wonder about himself more. "Wait... If I woke up near that lake... Is it possible that I might be..."

"From another Pokémon world...? Perhaps." Vince stated, assuming what Ronald was gonna say. "Perhaps one where a Riolu with eyes like yours are not so out of the ordinary. Though, it's only a rumor, kid. I wouldn't go about talking about it, okay?"

"Well... If you say so..." Ronald replied, looking back ahead again. "Still, it sounds interesting. I wonder if it also has something to do with those weird creatures that attacked me too."

"You know what I'm wondering about...?" Vince asked, hoping to change the subject again to something he was more curious about as he looked over at Ronald. "Where are you going to go from here?"

"Huh...?" Ronald replied, looking back at Vince confusingly. "Where I'm...going?"

"Well you can't exactly stay in this forest." Vince stated as he looked back ahead. "It's too dangerous, and I'm not just talking about those creatures that attacked you. Sometimes, Pokémon around here can get angered easily and they will attack out of the blue too. So, staying around here... Not a good option."

"Um... Okay...? If you say so." Ronald replied before looking back ahead and tilt his head in confusion. "But, I don't where to go."

Upon hearing that, Vince stopped walking and let out a sigh of disbelief towards the ground, while Ronald stopped to gaze at him. "If that's the case..." Vince said as he looked back at Ronald. "Why don't I take you out of this place and lead you to Harmony Town."

"Harmony Town?" Ronald asked, tilting his head confusingly again.

"It's a town that's along the coast." Vince stated. "It's a good place. Friendly, and you're better off there than being here. I can take you to the path that leads there. It's not far, but from there, I'll have to leave you."

"L-Leave!?" Ronald exclaimed, surprised to hear that Vince'll leave after taking him to the path to Harmony Town. "W-Why?"

"Kid, I'm not a babysitter." Vince replied with a serious tone. "That, and I'm trying to find out more about those weird creatures that attacked you earlier. That's why I was here, to check out Connection Lake. I thought it be a good place to look into, and all I found was you and your weird eyes. So, I'm gonna take you to the pathway to Harmony Town, but from there, we go our own ways, got it?"

"G-Got it." Ronald replied, a little frightened from Vince's serious tone, but managed to calm down. "Though, can't I just come with you?"

"What I'm doing is dangerous, kid." Vince stated in reply. "And what did I just say? I'm not a babysitter."

At that moment, Ronald puffed out his cheeks in anger. "I'm not a baby." he stated, but by the way he was acting, he could be to Vince's eyes.

"I know..." Vince replied before resuming walking down the trail again. "Anyway, just follow me. We'll be out of here shortly. If you got anything you want to ask me, now'd be a good time to ask away."

At first, Ronald was surprised, but then he quickly ran to catch up to Vince. "H-Hey...! Wait up!" he shouted, seeing he was a bit ahead of him, and once he was by his side again, he began asking more questions that Vince said he could.

And so, Ronald asked his questions to Vince.

There wasn't much he could ask him, due to his lack of memory, but he asked the essentials.

Vince explained about his investigations on the strange creatures, what he knew, even if it wasn't much.

Eventually, the two reached the end of Pathway Forest, and when they did, they had to go their own way...

~(Exit of Pathway Forest, Day Time)~

It took them some time, but eventually, Ronald and Vince made it out of Pathway Forest and gazed upon hills of grass that led downward towards the coast, which was a good distance away, but not too far from where they were. They also noticed a pretty decent size town near the coast as well, which Ronald already assumed upon gazing that had to be Harmony Town that Vince spoke of.

"If you follow down the path along the hills, you'll should reach Harmony Town before sunset." Vince explained as he and Ronald looked at one another. "Remember, this is where I must depart. I hope I answered your questions well. Though, some were a bit strange."

"I know... But at least I know a little more now than nothing at all." Ronald stated with a smile. "My name... What I am... And a bit about the world and your investigations of those weird creatures. Thanks for that by the way."

"Just don't go around telling everyone about them." Vince stated with a serious face. "Many still don't know about them, so you could start a panic if you say anything about those creatures to them. Best to avoid that, understand?"

"I understand." Ronald replied with a nod before slowly heading down the trail, but stopped to smile back at Vince. "Thanks for everything, Vince. I know I said this before, but... Thanks for saving me, and helping me out of that...Mystery Dungeon, right?"

"Yes." Vince answered with a nod. "You can learn more about them from a book at Harmony Town's library, or ask about them from an expert, okay?"

"Okay." Ronald replied with a nod, but then grew curious about one more thing. "Say, Vince... If I can ask one last question... What's that weird stone around your neck?"

Upon hearing that question, Vince looked down at the strange stone around his neck before looking back up at Ronald. "This is called an Absolite." he stated. "It's also known as a mega stone."

"A...mega stone?" Ronald asked, tilting his head in confusion. "What's that?"

Now that question just made Vince sighed in disbelief towards the ground, but then he smiled back up at Ronald. "You'll find out someday." he stated. "Besides, you should get going before the sun begins to set."

"Okay." Ronald replied with another nod and smiled, then waved bye to Vince as he continued heading down the trail. "Thanks again, Vince! Hope we meet again someday!"

Vince just smiled as he watched Ronald turn his head back in front of him, put his arm down, and headed off into the distance towards Harmony Town. Once Ronald was far away, Vince sighed tiredly towards the ground. "What a strange kid." he stated before picking his head back up and turned to head down another trail. "Still, I hope he'll be okay. I'm sure he will in that town. As for his memories...and those eyes... I wonder... Hmm?"

But before Vince could start walking about, he turned his head to the side, gazing at the forest, narrowing his eyes at them, like he was looking at something suspicious. That's odd... For a moment there, I thought...someone was watching us. he thought, but decided to brush it off and continued heading down his own trail. Oh well... Probably just my imagination again.

Though, Vince may have thought it was just his imagination, secretly, behind some trees, a strange figure was watching him and Ronald, but disappeared after watching Vince disappear from sight. Meanwhile, Ronald gazed ahead down the trail towards Harmony Town with his strange bright blue eyes. Though he doesn't remember his past, or much of anything, thanks to Vince, he at least knows where to go.

Harmony Town, huh...? he thought, wondering what'll happen once he reaches that place. Well... Guess I'll find out soon enough.

After departing from Vince, Ronald headed towards Harmony Town.

He doesn't know it now, but once there, he'll be in for the adventure of a lifetime. The friends he meets... The enemies he'll face... This is where everything...begins.

TO BE CONTINUED...