Hey guys! I'm back with another Mystery Dungeon fic, this time one based loosely off the first series/ Red and Blue Rescue Team. If any of you are wondering why I'm updating in the middle of the goddamn term, well... let's just say I needed to get this out of my system. Besides, I have to write this sooner or later anyway, so why not sooner, right? Er, right? As for why I'm abandoning WDC, well... I'm not. I just need a break from the potentially tear-jerking stuff that's cropping up over there, so I thought some humour might be good.
Also, this was heavily inspired by my good friend (At least I hope I can call you my friend) SHSL Slacker. She's been a big help for this chapter, so thanks!
Word of warning, this'll include sexual innuendos wherever I can stuff them, so if you can't stand that I'm really sorry. Don't worry, they won't be too extreme, and if you're too innocent to get them it's alright as well.
-Mistral Coast-
The riolu handed a paper bag over, along with a handful of change. "Thank you and have a nice day!" She waved shyly, darting a glance at the nearby clock. Ten to seven, thank Arceus. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the cheerful and peppy persona, but for the sake of her dusty wallet - and the empty ache in her stomach - she'd put up with it.
"That's the last one. You can go home now, Aether." The burly ursaring wiped his hands on his apron, then hung it on the coat rack. "I swear, you're even better at this than the usual girl. Come to think about it, why didn't I hire you?" He chatted amicably, rubbing the brown bristles on his chin with one meaty paw while handing Aether some coins with the other. He didn't even need to glance at the coins to know the exact amount of Poke he held. Such was the gift of a convenience store owner.
She smiled, mind filled with the thought of all the food she could get later. "Because I have school, and if you did I wouldn't beq able to help you sort out the orders." Some spaghetti sounded good, but a meat pie would be a lot cheaper. "Good night Hank." Or some rice would be fine too.
Hank waved back. "There's always a place beside the counter for ya!" Aether bowed, and ran out of the shop. Once outside, she slipped off her confining canvas shoes, sighing in relief. They were compulsory for school, so she wore them to blend in. However, they pinched her toes. So much better to walk barefooted along the warm dirt than to bind her feet in unnatural cloth, although one might argue that the layer of bandages around her legs were a form of protection as well. The small dirt path opened into a larger road, this one paved with smoothened cobbles and bustling with life.
Aether turned a corner and, swayed by the rich scent of barbecued meat, finally bought a pie. She counted the coins left. Just enough for another meal, and the rest would have to be sent back. She sighed. Her brothers often squandered their earnings, so young as she was the burden of the family's rent was on her shoulders. One thing Aether could be grateful for was that she was far, far away from their friends. She shuddered. No, don't think about them. They couldn't hurt her, not now, not here. And didn't she show them who was stronger the last time they tried?
A pelipper passed by her, and nudged his friend while slipping some letters into a mail box. "Hey, didn't you hear? The coast's a dungeon now."
"Really? You're kidding me!" His friend, a honchkrow, exclaimed. "I was there yesterday and it was lively as always!"
Aether coughed. "Ex-excuse me... You said something about mystery dungeons?"
"Huh? You mean you don't know?" The pelipper chuckled at Aether's confusion. "Yeah, well I was cruisin' along the coast, mindin' my own business, when FOOM! some Pokemon rams into me! Mind you, I wanted to give the bastard a good talkin' to, but it was in its Other so all I could do was slit it's throat and send it back to the dungeon. Almost cost me my entire delivery too." He shook his head ruefully. "I pity the poor sap stuck in the centre of that hell hole. Flying overhead was bad enough, but being inside? No thank you." He shuddered.
"Someone was inside the dungeon?"
"Yep, a little kid. I have a spare around here somewhere... Ah! There you go." The pelipper handed Aether an A5-sized notice. "The girl got lost, and given that Mistral Woods surrounds almost the entire town, the client thinks she should be there."
"Thank you, sir." Aether pocketed the notice and gave a short bow. "I'll try looking for her."
The honchkrow squawked. After a three second freak out he calmed down, though his shoulder feathers remained puffed up. "Wh-what!? Okay buddy, it's your own death. Hope I see ya soon! Go on, time to send the rest of those deliveries." He continued, directing the last part at his friend.
Aether munched her pie sadly. It wasn't like she had much of a choice. She stayed right at the Cape, and the only way to get there, besides climbing up the cliff on the sea-facing side, was to traverse the forest. Ah, she might as well spend some time looking at the condition of the forest.
-Mistral Woods-
The woods was quiet. It had only recently transformed into a Mystery Dungeon, so its inhabitants were still trying to come to grips about their newfound power. And it was getting late, so the day Pokemon were sneaking back to their homes, while the night Ferals slowly slipped in to fill the gaps. But the lack of sane life did nothing to deter Chenille from completing her quest. What quest you ask? Well...
Bushes rustled in the wind, but even after it eased one patch still rustled. The leaves shook violently, and after a pause a chunk of red poked out from the tangle of branches. More followed, revealing a girl with a mass of red hair spiked up, in an off-white dress with a faded red coat wrapped around her. The wurmple cast furtive looks at the bush, poking it with the stick in her right hand. Satisfied with the sound it made, she snuck forward.
Chenille visibly lit up. "Hhhh!" Right there, stacked into a beautiful pile, was a bunch of sticks. She picked one up, marveling at the feat of nature which had formed the twig. She nibbled the corner, then placed her overfilled backpack onto the ground and stuffed it inside. There was another stick. Then another, and another, and another. She duly examined every one, amazed at the condition they were in. But the jewel was the last stick in the pile.
"Branch," Chenille's eyes glazed over. "Braaaanch..." It was hard and dry, not to mention solid right down to the core if the sound of her knuckles rapping against it was anything to go by. Chenille absolutely lovedbranches. They were Arceus' gift to Pokekind. Plus, something about the rough bark and its warm, earthy smell appealed to her. Then again, many things appealed to her, branches jut being the leader of them all.
She returned one of the sticks she was holding to her bag, not before murmuring her thanks to the faithful length of wood. As she lifted her laden bag, a series of soft thumps set her on her guard. The thumps seemed soft not due to distance, but because someone, or a few someones, were trying to sneak up on her. Chenille cautiously slid out her staff.
"Who's there? C-Cera, if it's you come out... Please..." She backed away, holding her staff in front of her while her newfound branch took its place on her back. As if some invisible cue had been given, three shadows leapt out of the undergrowth. With a strangled yell Chenille swung her staff in a wide arc, causing one of the shadows to yelp and trip, while the other two dodged, landing nimbly before her. She shivered. These were mightyena Others. She tilted her head and stared at the one which tripped. It still bore vague impressions of a face and forward-facing eyes, not to mention dark brown skin showing among the patches of mangy fur. But it was too far gone; no hope of returning for it, let alone the rest of them.
So up against Ferals who could tear her from limb to limb, Chenille did what most other Pokemon in her shoes (or lack thereof) would do.
She ran.
It is generally believed that Ferals, once they turned, would gain a mental link with others of their kind. This would usually give them a form of pack-loyalty, along with the expected overall boost in strength and stamina. For Pokemon whose primeval brain was alreadywired for teamwork all that was left was to increase their aforementioned abilities, albeit twofold.
The mightyena shared grins. That was the signal all three were waiting for. With a deranged cackle they surged forward, muscles bulging with excitement, bloodlust and insanity.
"Oww... Where the mother fuckinggod am I?" A youth sat up, cracking his knuckles and popping his shoulders to release the pressure. He donned a half-assed smirk. "Foot-tall grass, bloody thick trees..." He took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly. "...And fresh air. Well, I'm not in Kansas anymore, that's for sure." His current location-based predicament aside, there were other more pressing matters.
He couldn't remember anything. Well, he could remember things like his favourite books - Orson Scott Card was a god -, favourite movie - the Matrix -, and apparently he could remember how to walk and speak, so his kinetic memory was unaffected. But when it came to people or places... A blank. Friends? Blank. Home? Blank. He dug deeper. Name? ...
Blank.
The youth started to panic. Holy crap he couldn't remember his own name. How the shit was that supposed to make sense? People didn't just appear in the middle of a forest with barely a shred of their memories in their brains, or with names of others bleached from their minds! He stared at his jacket. Since when was he wearing a furry jacket? Probably the being which dumped him here gave him the jacket too. Bloody bastard. But he had to admit that whatever-it-was had good tastes, not to mention it knew his size. Wait, it knew his size? How was that good?
Something howled, and his ears twitched in response. Wait a mother fucking second. The youth reached up, pulling one ear down.
It was brown. It was brown and fluffy. It was brown and fluffy and his.
...
"Oh my god my ears. Which sick fuck changed. My. EARS." His panic attack was cut short by a streak of red. It darted out of the bushes on the far side of the clearing, rounded the moss-covered boulder behind him, and shot up a tree. He turned to stare at the quivering leaves but was cut short again, this time by the things which were chasing the streak. He pressed himself against the boulder. What were those things? They looked like wolves crossbred with hyenas, then spliced with human genes. Werehye-olfs? Was there even such a thing? Just as he thought that the word 'Mightyena' slipped into his mind.
The leaves spoke. "They can't climb! Get up the rock and you'll be fine." Good idea. He clambered up, hands and feet finding footholds on the weathered rock. The mightyena snapped at his heels, and for the first time the youth realised he was wearing track shoes. Track shoes with sharp, triangular metal toe caps. Fucking. Beautiful. Thank you mysterious being. With nothing else to do he repeatedly kicked out at them, keeping them at leg's-length while listening to them yelp.
The largest one, evidently the leader, got fed up with the youth's antics. With a growl it leapt up, jaw opened to snap at his ankle and crush it into splinters.
Whumpf. A ball of blue energy rocketed out from the treeline, slamming the largest mightyena into the rock, taking a chunk of the boulder along with it. On the opposite side sticky strings shot forward from the patch of leaves, binding the remaining mightyena. The streak darted out again, clambering down via her thin bridge of silk, arms outstretched for balance. A metre before the pack she stamped down, and using the tension propelled herself upwards. "Hyaaah!" The girl somersaulted, slamming into one with her shoulder.
The sound of someone panting made the youth whip his head around. There, running towards him, was another girl, this one with silvery white hair. He wanted to shout a warning, telling her to keep away from the mightyenas, but the grim determination in her eyes threw him off. He directed his attention back to the pack. Apparently the red-head was keeping them busy, but she was tiring, and really. Was five on one ever fair odds? The youth frowned. Five? Oh. Two more must've been attracted by the noise. Call it chivalry or just plain stupidity, but before the youth knew it he had his feet on the back of the smallest mightyena and a fist pulled back.
"Down. You. Sons. Of. Bitches!" Each word was punctuated by a punch to its face. The youth knew that he was supposed to be a pretty good fighter since out of his meager store of memories some of them gave the impression of gangs and combat, and most of them ended with the aftertaste of victory and arrogance. Instead, it just growled angled it's head, and crunched.
Aether danced in the pack of teeth and claws, the melody she followed was the mightyena growls and howls, and the tempo was the rhythm of her own pants. Though most would consider a seifuku restrictive, the riolu had grown used to the skirt. Besides, her arsenal consisted of mainly punches and a few slaps here and there, but kicking was at a minimum. It had been awhile since Aether fought, but to her amazement her strength was still up to par.
A scream made her trip. Luckily, she twisted and righted herself before the opportunistic mightyena could get its jaws around her skull. Aether sighed. It would be great if the very first battle she had in ages WOULDN'T need her to use it. Ah well, this really wasn't her day after all. It had been years, but she could still remember Zorro, her brother's, words. Aether think, your aura isn't just a tool; something you can hold in your hand and throw away once you're done, it's a part of you. Imagine you're standing on the edge of an abyss. There's a rope. Pull it, and you'll pull out your aura, got that little sis? Aether closed her eyes, and focused on her centre. Everything was a distraction, so she filtered out all outside sounds and turned them into buzzing white noise, then forced even that to disappear. Her outer-self continued to dodge and parry, giving her inner-self time to concentrate. Inner-Aether waited and waited at the edge of the abyss, but even with both hands on the knotted rope and willing as hard as she could the rope stayed still. She waited some more, and just when she was about to give up the rope flickered blue. Inner-Aether's frown morphed into a victorious, if a bit relieved, smile. Outer-Aether stretched out her right hand and, still dodging attacks, swung it in a wide arc.
The mightyena never knew what hit them.
One moment Aether's right hand was empty, the next she held a glowing saber. It cut through the pack, splattering blood on the grass. Aether leapt onto a mightyena's back, and used her free hand to push off. Somersaulting, she angled downwards, and using her left hand gripped onto the Other at the rock. In one swift movement she slashed at the creature's face, then thrust her sword deep into its chest. The mightyena collapsed the moment she drew her sword back out again.
"Wha- What the hell was that all about?"
"Others can't be saved, so we can only kill them." She stared at the youth. Those ears, and that fluffy tail... He looked like an eevee. She looked lower, wincing slightly at his bleeding ankle. Shifting in front of him protectively, Aether backed away from the enraged pack. Apparently they didn't take nicely to the killing of three of their members, and with all the howling and pheromones those hyenas were giving out, yet more Mightyena had joined in.
"Heheh, leave this to me!"
Both riolu and eevee looked up. Standing on the boulder was the wurmple. She smirked, and with an unnatural amount of strength slid out the branch lashed to her back, then swung the whole length of wood. It smashed into mightyena skulls, crushing them. Chenille grinned, and with another display of strength hurledthe damn thing at the pack, barely flinching at the crunch of shattered bones.
Ka-chak. The youth blinked. That sounded a lot like a -
"Cera taught me this!" Chenille gripped her staff like a spear and braced herself. "Poison sting!" Purple needles shot out from the yellow spikes on her staff, showering the pack with toxic stingers. As soon as they touched a mightyena the purple glow faded downwards, and the sting disappeared. One or two hits would have been alright for the Others, but when you're basically coated with stings the tiny amounts of poison would add together and reach the critical mass required for a full-blown badly poisoned mightyena.
"A machine gun," He shook his head, impressed enough to be distracted. "A machine gun from a staff."
The largest Other stared at the trio. It was one of the first to change and that gave it seniority among its pack. But despite its brutish nature it was wise enough to know when it should retreat. With a resounding howl it turned, and limped away with the rest of its pack. With Pokemon as strong as them, perhaps it should leave for another forest. The turned fearow had brought along news of younger and weaker dungeons further north, where perpetual night made hunting easier. Maybe a change of location would be for the better.
A sigh escaped the youth's lips once the pack merged back into the forest. The adrenaline which had kept him standing swiftly left, turning his legs to jelly and causing the eevee to collapse. Then his ankle screamed in protest, prompting the youth to fall onto the boulder, nearly cracking his head against the rock.
"Ooh, that's a nasty one." Chenille scrambled down from the boulder. She tentatively prodded the wound with one of her sticks, then while he howled she prodded his thigh. With a tap Chenille's staff spat out a string of sticky silk. A few deft movements later the silk was bound around his foot, where it staunched the blood. "It won't last long, but hopefully long enough for you to get home."
Aether tapped her shoulder, and passed the request to her. "Well I found you, so do I get the reward?"
"Request? I didn't give any requests...!" Chenille tilted her head, then visibly paled. "What day is it? It's not..."
"It's Friday."
"Ohhh... Cera must've been worried." Chenille chewed her lip. "I better get back before he ransacks and kills the townsfolk while looking for me." She rummaged through her backpack, tossing out an unbelievable number of sticks before pulling out a pouch. "I don't have much, so I hope this is enough. Well, see ya!"
The youth pushed himself up by leaning against the boulder, shifting his weight now and then. "Was that kid serious? Please tell me she wasn't." His foot slipped again, and Kane fell with a painful thump. "A little help?" He took the hesitantly offered hand, slowly pulling himself up.
The first thing he noticed was that the girl wasn't as tall as he thought she was, perhaps a slightly less than five feet. The second thing was her chest. And holy mother of God that chest. He knew he wasn't a good judge of them, what with the lack of other chests to base it off, and it seemed to be normal-sized as breasts went. However, and he youth wasn't sure if the girl was actually aware of this fact, but regardless of the base size her blouse made things waaytighter around that region than should be legal, not to mention that from the gaps between the buttons he could see her bra. (Who would've thought the girl would wear lace?) Kane swore that he'd give anything to get his hands on them, and to hell with the consequences. And talking about tight, his pants suddenly seemed a lot more crowded all of a sudden...
"Hello? Umm... You're drooling." He dragged his attention away from the girl's over-emphasized... assets and redirected it to his face. He scowled and rubbed away the string of saliva. Damn hormones. "The pack is gone, so unless you live under the boulder you really should get on your way."
Shit.
"You see, ah...?"
"Aether." The girl supplied.
"You see Aether, I'm homeless, and even if I wasn't I'm definitely not from around here." The youth scratched his head, then looked at her hopefully. "Where do you live?"
"You know, it's only common courtesy to introduce yourself after someone gives you their name."
What was he supposed to say, 'I... Forgot my name?' The youth winced. That sounded extremely flimsy even in his head and he could probably have phrased that better, but it was the truth. Then again maybe if he played with some common names he'd hit it.
John, Henry, Jake... Yeah. There was a 'K' in it.
Kevin, Kyle, K... Kraig (No, what the hell did that mean? Actually, that should have been Craig, but whatever.)
... Kane.
"I'm Kane." It still felt a bit odd, but it would have to do for now.
Aether gave him a questioning stare, but luckily she didn't press him. Aether pointed at what seemed like a random grove of trees. "There's a cliff to the north of here. I stay there." Oh, not too far then. Kane grimaced. He honestly needed somewhere to spend the night, but why would the girl - a riolu, right? - let him into her house? Wait a goddamn minute, riolu? Well, she was pretty pale - and pretty, though cute might have been a better description - and her seifuku was white, making it pretty see-through... No no no he had to get his eyes awayfrom her chest. Abort, abort! She also had triangular ears covered with a thin layer of fur peeping through her hair, and if he looked closely Kane could see small eyebrows half-hidden under her fringe, both of which built up to make her absolutely adorable. Now if she was older than she looked...
"Come on, be nice to the homeless?" Aether stared at him warily, and Kane couldn't grudge her for that. Hell, if he had met her on the streets he probably wouldn't have let her into his house. Kane paused. Actually, he would if she didn't mind sharing a bed for a night. One night stands were verysexy. A muffled swear escaped when Kane felt his pants tighten again.
A sigh. "Climb on," Wait what? "Your ankle is crushed, so I doubt you could walk for so much as ten minutes without some Feral with its fangs around your throat while its companions rip into your limbs." He continued staring at her. How could the girl, who barely reached his shoulders for god's sake, carry him? But Aether did fend off the pack while he was - NOT - screaming like a little girl, so perhaps she was stronger than what her thin arms (and legs, mustn't forget those legs) portrayed.
So like a good eevee - human, he meant human! - Kane wrapped his arms around her neck, lewd thoughts pushed aside for the moment when Aether jolted his ankle. But they came back in full force when his eyes strayed to the view his perch provided. Yep, lace was definitely his type, and it looked fucking good on the girl despite her being an A cup, or a B at the most. He filed away that piece of information for later, deciding to focus on more important things for the time being.
"You know, the fact that you're carrying me only means that I'll be on top most of the time."
Well, marginally more important at any rate.
Okay, that about wraps things up! To be brutally honest I'm surprised I didn't cringe myself to death after writing that last bit. Hormonal teenagers indeed...
I mentioned at the front that I'm accepting OCs (that's original characters for those of you who are new to ffn), and yes. I am indeed accepting them. I don't have many restrictions, only that I would prefer for you to send in both mainstream AND quirky ones. I actually already have the OC sheet written out, but due to lack of time I'm only going to put it up sometime this weekend. For those of you who are interested, feel free to pm me. I'll be more than happy to provide you with it!
Read and review guys!
-Omega Zekrom, 19/08/2014.
-EDIT-
I fixed up some glaring contradictions, so it should be smoother now. As for the forum page, I'm working on it, so bear with me. Once it's up the link can be found on my profile, so if you want check there.
