Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the Mystery Dungeon spinoffs. They belong to Nintendo and Game Freak.
Also, I don't own the setting of Ambera, as well as some characters like Adiel and Scythe. They belong to Scytherider, from his Silver Resistance story, and he's been kind enough to allow me use them in this story.
Chapter 1: Jailbreak
He hated prisons. Every cell he stayed in was the same. Dull, featureless walls imprisoned you from three sides, with the fourth usually occupied by a door. You got a bed and toilet, sometimes one with a rim if you were lucky. Maybe the walls have some art from previous inmates that you can stare at to offset insanity.
This one was different. He'd once been told that this place was airtight, and when he looked around, he believed it. The walls were rough stone, as well as the floor. The classic bars that separated him from the rest of the compound had been replaced by a solid steel door. It had two slots, one which he assumed was for food and the higher one to observe the prisoner. The cell itself was barren. No bed, no toilet, not even a bucket to occupy the room. The only source of light came from feeble light bulb that was fixed to the wall. The Iron Town jail would not let him escape easily.
Excited voices were coming from the other side of the door. He looked at the slot at the top of the door. Someone left it open, allowing him a small glimpse of the outside. It was built into the door about six feet off the ground. That height was really inconvenient for a foot tall Pikachu. Then again, when had height ever stopped him?
He was the runt of his family. For as long as he could remember, he had always been the smallest. He got picked on a lot, and was never really able to defend himself effectively. Most would be upset by that fact, but not him. Being small was a blessing. No one thought you were a threat. Heck, some thought you were downright cute.
People used to think he was cute when he first started out. He was really young, still a Pichu. As years passed, he began to look more battered. His fur had a darker tinge to it, like he had been rolling around in charcoal. Some of it was dirt, but it was actually because he was just naturally darker. The tip of his right ear was torn and frayed, from when a bold Ninjask took a swipe at him. A Donphan once trampled his tail, giving the end a slight, yet permanent, kink to it. Needless to say, not many thought he was cute anymore.
He backed up the far wall and broke into a sprint. His target was the wall, heading towards the middle at an angle. He jumped at the wall, his feet landing on the stone. For a fraction of a second he was sideways. Before gravity could bring him back to earth, he extended his legs again. The second jump propelled him right towards the top slot.
He hit the wall and began to slide down it. He struggled to find a handhold to stop from falling and found one. It was a small ledge that gave him just enough space to cling on. He hoisted himself up to see through the clear glass of the top slot.
The view outside his cell wasn't much more exciting. Rows of grey doors lined the opposite wall. One of the cells was open. He could see that it was the same featureless room as his. He looked down the hall, seeing four figures walking slowly in his direction. Three of them were escorting a familiar purple snake to the open cell
"Hey, Monty!" he cried out from the slot, "Long time, no see!"
The Ekans looked up at him. "If it isn't the great Bandit of Ambera. How did they manage to capture the master thief this time?"
"Lawrence set me up," Bandit the Pikachu admitted. He grimaced briefly. "No worries, though. I'll bust outta here soon enough."
"I'll see you soon then. Hudson's already got my bail money ready."
Bandit didn't get to talk any longer with his friend. The three Pokémon tossed the poison type into his own cell and locked him up. One of the guards, a Hitmonchan, walked over to his cell.
"Well, would you look at that," he said. "I didn't believe it when they told me that the Bandit had been caught again."
"Doesn't matter," Bandit said, ignoring the blatant jab at his pride. "The other prisons couldn't hold me. What makes you think this one will?"
The fighter chuckled. "That's where you're mistaken. We're not planning on keeping you."
The Hitmonchan received a very confused look from Bandit. For a second, the Pikachu thought he meant execution, but that seemed a bit harsh. All he did was steal from the Master's forces. A lot.
"What do you mean?" he asked slowly.
"I mean that someone is coming to pick you up," the other Pokémon said. "He was already coming to pick up another stray. When he heard that we caught you, he was particularly excited."
"Wait, when are they getting here?"
"Normally, I wouldn't give an escape artist like you a time frame, but it hardly matters now. He'll be here within minutes," the brown Pokémon gave him a disturbing smile. "Adiel travels fast."
Bandit barely noticed the outer flap close. For a few seconds, he just hung on the wall, digesting the information. His fingers gave way and he fell to the ground.
He had never seen the Pokémon before, but he heard enough stories. From what he was told, that Scizor was brutal and efficient. His prey could never escape him for long. Most got caught in the end. However, if you were skilled enough, you could escape from his grasp. He would know. He was one of them.
Bandit knew first hand that Adiel could be avoided. Ever since his reputation of a skilled robber began to rise, the Scizor had been out to get him. Whenever he got caught, which were more times than he liked to admit, Adiel had shown up and tried to take him away. However, Bandit always managed to escape. His timing ensured that he never even caught a glimpse of said Pokémon.
Now was different, though. He never had such a short amount of time to work with. The cell wasn't helping either. No windows to warp, and he couldn't pick the door's lock. Judging from the amount of gears and other mechanical locks, the door needed electricity to open.
He looked back around the room. The only plan that came to mind was to overload the power grid using the light bulb socket. And that was a long shot. Even if he did manage to blow out every bulb in the prison, it would only delay Adiel from getting to his cell. As long as that door was closed, not even air could get out.
Dust scattered as he fell to the floor. It seemed hopeless. Being drafted into the Master's army would be horrible. He would be no more than a mindless slave, forced to carry out actions without any will.
His family knew what happened to Pokémon who got recruited. That's why his brother refused to go. But the Master gets everyone. He'll either take their freedom, or their lives.
He shut out the old memory. He already had other problems to deal with. Dealing with ghosts from his past was just one too many.
A breeze blew through his fur, as if to remind him of what he didn't have. He'd never be able to roam the outdoors again by his own freewill. It wasn't captivity that scared him. It was losing the freedom to do what he wanted that scared him the most. He closed his eyes, imagining he was in a golden meadow. The wind blowing past him, warm sunshine, a soft bed of grass to lay on.
No, it wasn't the same. You can't simulate freedom in a cell. The breeze was just taunting him.
Wait a minute. There was a breeze in his cell. Which is a windowless, airtight prison. He looked up to the ceiling and grinned. There was a grate at the top, pumping air into the room.
The wind wasn't telling him he didn't have his freedom. It was telling him he still had a chance. He could escape through the air vents.
The builders had been so worried about prisoners escaping that they made the rooms airtight. So in order to prevent suffocation, they took the easy way and built in vents. The thing keeping him alive was also giving him his freedom.
Bandit stared up at the vent. Since it was on the ceiling, the vent was ten feet above his head. No biggie. He'd climbed higher. Screws probably fastened it to the ceiling, so he would need to remove those to get in.
Energy seeped into his tail at the thought. The yellow fur was enveloped in a bright light. When the light faded, his tail was a steely gray. He grabbed the discoloured fur and yanked some out.
Iron tail. He picked that move up a few years back. When he focussed his energy, he could make his tail become metal. Normally, it would make the entire tail into a lethal blade, hair and all. He found a way to modify it so the hairs transformed into incredibly strong and flexible needles. With it, he could pick locks and create makeshift tools. He bit down on the needles, bending them into shape.
They came out as a crude screwdriver. He choose the flathead, the most common type of screw. He hoped he choose right. There would be no time to correct it if he was wrong.
The light bulb caught his attention again. He could still use the plan before. Blowing out the lights would buy him some extra time. Adiel might be able to see in the dark, but you still needed power to open the doors.
Holding his screwdriver in his mouth, he jumped off the walls and grabbed onto the light bulb. He twisted it out of the socket, plunging the room into darkness, and then grabbed the exposed wires. Immediately he felt electricity surge through him. the effect was intoxicating. He wasn't keeping it for himself. Summoning his own power, he sent it back into the wires. Surprised yelps filtered through the door. His plan must've worked.
Bandit shot some sparks from his cheeks. The bits of electricity illuminated the room briefly. He saw where the vent was and quickly calculated the jump before the light could fade. Then, in complete darkness, he made a blind leap. His fingers felt the grate and he latched on.
The force made him in swing into the ceiling. The impact hurt, but he held on. He shed some more sparks to reveal the layout of grate. It swung open on hinges, with two screws keeping it closed. Hanging on by one hand, he got to work on the screws. Luckily, the makeshift screwdriver was the right one. He thanked the workers for being predictable.
Two screws clattered to the ground below. Bandit nearly fell off when the vent swung open. He put the screwdriver back into his mouth, in case if he would ever need it again. Carefully, he began to climb around the grate so he could position himself below the open air duct. It was as dark as his room, so he shot some sparks to illuminate it. The main duct was connected right to the vent.
It was an easy climb into the cramped metal space. Bandit wanted to cheer. He was home free. He escaped an airtight room. Laughing silently to himself, he began to crawl the length of the duct in complete darkness.
That was his first mistake.
His second was taking time to remove the screwdriver from his mouth. He didn't notice that he was resting on another grate. The screws couldn't hold the weight and snapped in unison.
Bandit barely had time to react before he plunged into the darkness below. He managed to grab hold of the grate, but the hinges couldn't handle the sudden load. They broke and dropped him into another cell.
"OOF!"
The Pikachu hit the ground hard. Dust swirled up from the impact. It was pitch black in this cell also.
Bandit groaned and dragged himself to his feet. That drop really hurt. To make matters worse, his way of escaping from the first cell was gone. He used the grate to climb. Now it was on the floor with him. He doubted he could make a perfect jump. The first time was lucky enough.
"Who's there?" a shakey voice said from the shadows.
Bandit nearly jumped out of his fur. He looked for the source of the voice. Of course he couldn't find it because he couldn't even see a foot in front of his face.
"I should ask you the same question," he said into the darkness.
"Fair enough," the voice said. "My name's Totum. What's yours?"
"I ain't telling you my name," Bandit replied, trying in vain to see the ceiling.
"I told you mine!" Totum protested. "It's only fair that you tell me yours."
"Maybe you should've thought that through better."
The guards must have found a way to restore power because the light in the cell flashed back on. The sudden increase in light didn't affect Bandit, but he noticed a figure flinch. He turned to it and discovered who his cell mate was.
A Treecko sat on the floor, rubbing his eyes. It was just a regular grass type. Nothing special about it.
"No offence, man," Bandit smirked, returning his attention to the ceiling, "but you don't look much like a criminal. Why are you in here, anyways? It doesn't look like you do much rule breaking."
"For your information, I ran from recruitment," Totum said defiantly. He was definitely a male. "They caught me and tossed me in this cell."
Bandit wasn't surprised by this. Many Pokemon had the same story as Totum. They couldn't stand being forced into the army so they ran. Most got caught and ended up in cell, while a few resourceful others managed to find a way to escape. He had heard dozens of tales, and he really didn't want to hear another.
"Look, there's some seriously bad dudes coming to pick me and another guy up," he told his cellmate to prevent another story, "and I really don't want to go with them."
"You mean Adiel, right?" Bandit turned to him, shock written all over his face. "I was told he was coming to pick me up. It's true, isn't it?"
Bandit shook his head. "You were the one they were talking about?"
"You don't have to sound so surprised."
"You serious? Why would the Master want you? Treecko aren't necessarily known for having any amazing abilities, and it's not like your kind is rare either."
"It's a long story."
"Yeah, well, I don't care. I just need to focus on getting outta here."
Totum was going to say something rude in responses when he heard muffled voices coming from outside. Both Pokemon stared at the door and listened.
"Which prisoner would you like to see first, sir?" one of them said.
"Show me the Pikachu first," another ordered. It sounded cold as ice. "I have always wanted to meet to the famous Bandit of Ambera first hand."
A shiver ran up his spine at the mention of his name. He had a feeling that voice belonged to Adiel. He never heard him speak before, and was grateful that it was muffled. just the sound of it was enough to strike fear in the hardened criminal. He hoped he would never have to hear his voice clear.
It was Totum's turn to be shocked. "Wait, you're the Bandit?" He looked the electric type up and down.
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Bandit scowled. He hated how surprise was everyone's first reaction to being told that he was the master thief. Why couldn't he be a legend just because he was small?
A voice boomed from down the hall. "WHERE IS HE? YOU SAID YOU HAD THE BANDIT!" There was no second guessing that was Adiel.
"Crap, we need to get out of here, right now," Bandit said, paling a bit. He looked up to the open vent. "You know how to wall jump?
Totum looked up at the ceiling. "I have a better idea," he said, raising one arm to the ceiling. Vines fired from his fingers and into the hole.
"Treecko can't learn Vine Whip," Bandit muttered. "How do you know it?"
"It's part of the long story you didn't want to hear," Totum offered his other hand to the Pikachu. "You coming?"
"You better hope that the Treecko is still here or I will personally flay you alive," said the voices from outside, getting rapidly louder.
"Oh, hell yes!" Bandit said and grabbed hold of the grass type, the mechanical locks whirring to life behind him. Totum reeled in his vines and the duo shot to the ceiling. They soared though the hole and crashed into the metal above. The two Pokémon in the ducts froze as they heard the door swing open.
"THEY ARE BOTH GONE!" the same voice bellowed, "YOU LET BOTH PRISONERS ESCAPE?"
Totum gave Bandit a relieved look. They made it out at the nick of time. Bandit felt the same way, but a sense of unease settled over him. that voice sounded eerily familiar. Footsteps were heard as someone heavy entered the room. It picked something of the ground.
Bandit made yet another bad decision. He looked over the side and into the cell. His eyes locked with a pair of yellow ones, filled with anger. For a split second, Bandit was paralyzed. Something about those eyes seemed so hauntingly familiar. He couldn't figure out where, though, like his brain was purposely blocking the memory.
Someone tugged him back hard. It was good timing too because he narrowly avoided the red pincer that pulverized the spot where he had been a moment before. It slammed into the top with a resounding clang. Bandit snapped out of his trance.
"RUN!" he yelled. Totum didn't need any encouragement. He was already running on all fours through the ducts, and Bandit was close behind.
"They escaped through the air vents. Find them!"
They didn't look back. They just focussed on finding the end to the ducts. Suddenly, the floor hit a sharp slant. The two Pokémon fell down, gaining speed as they slid down.
"Uh oh!" Totum shouted from the front.
"What's 'uh oh?'" Bandit called out. Totum looked back with a frightened expression.
"We got another vent coming up!"
"That's just great!" Bandit yelled. They hit the cover and broke through it with ease.
Totum hit the ground first, tossing up a cloud of dust. Bandit landed right on him, pushing his face back into the dirt. For a second, all was calm. The two ex-prisoners lay in the dirt, breathing heavily.
Then someone shouted, "There they are!"
Bandit took off like a bat out of hell. Totum barely had time to realize he was running before he disappeared behind a corner. He looked back at the group of guards who were running straight for him. That was all the motivation he needed. He raced after the Pikachu through the back alleys, with the police in hot pursuit.
Bandit was a probably the quickest Pikachu alive. By the time Totum made it to the alley, he had disappeared around one of the corners. The Treecko had to guess which path to take and hope that he would find the thief. He took a right turn, then a left and ran right into an Arcanine.
The fire type blocked the alley, growling at him. Totum didn't break a stride. He'd rather be fried than go with Adiel. The Arcanine opened its maw, preparing for a Flamethrower. Totum waited for the last moment and dove forward. A jet of flame that would have reduced him to ash passed over him, missing him by a hairsbreadth. The extreme heat seared his back. He skidded along the ground on his stomach, passing underneath the dog, and kept on running.
Turning the corner, he caught Bandit halfway up a twenty foot wall. He was climbing, jumping and just sheer running up the bricks. In seconds, he reached the top and ran to the right, the roofs blocking him from view.
'Screw that,' Totum thought. Using Vine Whip, he latched onto the top of the wall and shot up the brick like a green bullet. He landed on the wall and bolted in the direction he saw Bandit run off to. Four buildings over, he could see the Pikachu sprinting along the roofs with ease. Totum sighed and started after him.
By the time the guards reached the alley, they were greeted by an empty dead end. They stared at the wall in disbelief, completely stumped on where the two fugitives went and wondering how to pursue them.
Totum was having a hard time. He was jumping massive gaps, sprinting across uneven surfaces and trying to keep a yellow blur in his line of sight. Bandit slowed to a stop on a flat roof ahead of him. Totum was so relieved that the Pikachu stopped. His chest burned, and his legs felt like they were going to collapse.
"I think we lost them," he gasped when he caught up to him, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Bandit spun around with a look of terror on his face so funny, Totum would have burst out laughing if he wasn't so tired. The bewilderment soon turned to anger.
"What the hell are you doing?" Bandit demanded.
"I was following you," Totum responded.
"I know that!" Bandit snapped. "Why are you following me?"
Totum was confused. "... because we're... we're escaping."
"I'm sorry? We? Since when was there a 'we'?"
"I thought we were going to stick together," Totum said. He still wasn't catching on to what Bandit was saying. "You helped me bust out of jail. I thought we'd end like a team, you know?"
Bandit stared, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open. He chuckled a little, then a harder until he was in a full fit of laughter.
"What's so funny?" Totum demanded.
"You!" Bandit managed between gasps of breath. "You actually think that I'd let you work with me? You're just some random recruit who ran for all I care."
"But... you broke me out of jail. Why would you do that if there wasn't a reason?"
"You were just a tag-along in my escape," Bandit said in a slow voice, like he was explaining it to a baby. To him, it kind of felt that way. The Treecko couldn't take a hint. "You and me only know each other because I made a stupid mistake in my break-out and fell into your cell. There's your reason. I'm outta here."
Bandit started to walk away, leaving Totum staring at his feet. He wasn't in any hurry. He'd lost the guards that were chasing them. After a few paces, Totum called out to him.
"So what am I supposed to do now?"
"I don't care what you do," he said without breaking his stride. "It's your life. You figure it out."
"I don't know what to do though," Totum said miserably. "I never planned for this. How can I suddenly just learn how to be a fugitive? I don't know where to start."
"You better learn fast then," Bandit said simply.
Anger boiled in Totum's mind. "What kind of answer is that?" he shouted. He stomped in front of the Pikachu, blocking his path. "I need your help. How can you just walk away?"
"Easy. I'll show you."
He turned to the right, only for Totum to block him again. Bandit scowled up at him. Pikachu are usually shorter than Treecko, but since Bandit was shorter than the average Pikachu, Totum was seemed much bigger than him.
"What do you want," Bandit said, glaring at the grass type.
"I want help," Totum said. "I need help. I need to learn how to be a fugitive, how to survive on the run. I need to know my options."
"You want to know an option? Join the Resistance. They take in runaways all the time. Plus, you don't have to stick around me."
"No. No, I can't join the Resistance," Totum shook his head, his green skin paling. "I need to stay on the run. I can't join them."
"Why can't you join them?" Bandit practically yelled, his frustration mounting with the picky fugitive.
"Look, I-I just can't. My only hope for freedom is to stay on the run. The Master really wants me I just don't-"
"I don't even know why the Master wants you!" Bandit exploded. He'd had enough of the kid. "He sends his best guy, the same guy who's been hounding me for years, for you. A random Treecko who can use Vine Whip. A Treecko who has to beg someone to take care of them as fugitive. So tell me. Why the hell should I help you? What makes you so damn important?"
Totum looked like he was about to cry. His face looked extremely pained. His head wandered around like he was searching for another answer. Finally, it came to a rest staring at the ground.
"Fine. I'll show you why," he said. It was barely a whisper.
"About time," Bandit said, relieved.
Totum looked the Pikachu right in the eye. He still looked extremely pained, though it seemed different. It was a mix of emotional and physical pain. He raised a closed fist to Bandit, the knuckles pointing to the ground. He opened his hand and the Pikachu jumped back.
Bandit had no idea what to expect. He was shocked at first, but it quickly turned to horror. What he was seeing went against everything he knew. It defied the laws of nature itself.
Suspended over Totum's outstretched palm was a flickering ball of flame.