What is up, people? It's me, Kyoko! And I am here with my promised sequel to The Outbreak! This... is Melody of the River.

I've kinda been thinking of this for a while now; what I have planned is kind of a lighter and softer story compared to The Outbreak. But still... expect some character death and some darker tones within. Don't worry, there isn't any HYPER-REALISTIC BLOOD! ;)

This first chapter is kind of slow, but don't worry; we'll pick up the action soon. All stories start small.

So without further ado, I present to you my latest story! I hope you like it!

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Melody of the River

Chapter 1: The Rushing Rapids

The idle chat of Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Larry mixed with the roar of the rushing river. Jay Jackson could barely hear their voices over the rapids, but he could hear enough to know that they were bursting with excitement.

Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Larry were huge thrill seekers. They loved roller coasters, fast cars, and bungee jumping off high cliffs—things most people would never dare to do.

Jay didn't.

Jay couldn't help but sigh in boredom as Uncle Larry began inflating the yellow rubber raft that would carry them down the river. He would much rather be at home, watching television in the cool comfort of his house.

Jay silently cursed his parents—if they hadn't been away on some stupid business trip, maybe he would have some time to be lazy. He detested staying with Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Larry, as they were always on his case about being active.

"Are you ready to have some fun?"

Aunt Elizabeth's cheerful voice snapped him out of his negative thoughts and back to the present. Uncle Larry had finished blowing up the raft, and with a little help from their tour guide, they set it in the water. It was almost swept away by the rush of the rapids, but a rope had been tied to a wooden pole and the boat, so it didn't float away.

"Do I have to?" Jay replied grouchily.

"Would you rather sit all alone in the burning hot car and wait for us to return?" Uncle Larry quipped.

"At least the water will be nice and cool," Aunt Elizabeth added.

Jay sighed, holding his arms up in defeat. Although he was obviously less than thrilled about this thrill-seeking journey, anything was better than sitting alone in a hot car. Uncle Larry called his broken down car "vintage", but Jay just called it "old".

Plus, Aunt Elizabeth had a point—he had been complaining about the heat for quite a while, and even a little splash of water would cool his burning skin.

He sighed again, looking down at his feet. "Fine, fine. I'll go with you on your stupid rafting trip. Are you happy?" he mumbled grouchily.

If you think I'm going to grow up to be some sort of crazy adrenaline junkie like you, you're absolutely wrong… Jay added in his mind.

"Good!" Aunt Elizabeth said brightly.

The tour guide handed out bright orange life jackets to the three. Jay needed a bit of help tying his jacket on, and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed that his aunt was helping him with something he felt he could do himself.

"…clip these two together, and there! All set!" Aunt Elizabeth said as she finished tying Jay's life jacket on. She ruffled his black hair and smiled, ignoring the growing scowl on her nephew's face. "You look ready for an adventure!"

"And you look ridiculous," Jay mumbled under his breath. The life jacket looked rather big on his aunt, but further comment was drowned out by their guide's voice.

"Are you guys ready for the time of your lives?" the guide asked.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth and Uncle Larry cheered.

"I can't hear you! I said are you ready for the time of your lives?!" the guide repeated, his voice rising over the roar of the water.

"YEAH!" the adults cheered, their voices loud and full of energy.

"Yeah…" Jay said unenthusiastically.

"Then hop aboard and enjoy your trip down Blackwater River!" the guide cried, gesturing to the boat, which looked like it was about to float away.

Uncle Larry clambered into the boat, taking his place at the front. Aunt Elizabeth and Jay followed, Jay almost losing his balance as he stepped into the raft. He settled down at the back and stared straight ahead as his stomach fluttered; even though he was bored, he was also very nervous. He gripped the sides of the boat tightly.

The tour guide took out a pocket knife and began sawing away at the rope that attached the raft to the wooden stake, and with each saw, Jay could feel the boat shake slightly. A few drops of water sprayed in his face, sticking to his messy hair and his shirt. He looked down at his feet, trying to disguise his growing apprehension as disinterest.

The tour guide cut through the last strand of the rope, and with a little push, the raft began hurtling forward, riding with the speeding current.

Jay almost fell out of the boat. The sudden acceleration made his stomach lurch and his eyes rattle in his head. More water sloshed over the raft, making his shoes and his muddy blue jeans wet. The tour guide began to fade into the distance, and when the current swept them around a bend, he was lost entirely.

"Woohoo!" Uncle Larry cheered as the boat continued to pick up speed. He pumped his fist in the air and laughed as the wind rushed in his face. "This is awesome!"

"You said it!" Aunt Elizabeth cried as she put her hand up.

Jay was just focusing on not throwing up. The unsteady rocking of the raft made his abdomen ache, and the water that was constantly getting sprayed in his face didn't help either. The river water was muddy and smelled like sewage, but like Aunt Elizabeth had promised, it provided a welcome relief from the sweltering sun.

His aunt and uncle began to scream with delight, and Jay joined them, wailing from fright as the boat rocked and bumped down the river. Ahead, he could see the river twisting through the rocky landscape, and to him, it looked like a giant cobra rearing its head.

His heart pounded harder and harder as the boat picked up speeds. The land was starting to slope down, and they bumped and rocked as they rushed down the stream. At one point, Jay could've sworn he saw the silvery glint of a fish jump over the raft. Every so often, the raft would make a harsh turn, and the sudden increase in speed left Jay's stomach behind.

He rubbed his eyes tenderly as water sprayed in. His vision was starting to turn rather foggy—was it because of the water, or because of his nerves? He still felt like he was about to pass out, but then the boat would jolt him back. His stomach churned, and he began to regret the jumbo burrito he had eaten before this trip.

"This is the best rafting trip yet!" Aunt Elizabeth screamed as she wiped a drop of water from her face.

"No it's not—it's the worst!" Jay screamed, but he wasn't sure they could hear him. At that moment, Uncle Larry announced happily that "they hadn't even gotten to the best part", and Aunt Elizabeth chose to listen to him.

What happened next was terrifying to Jay, but absolutely awesome to his aunt and uncle. Their small boat dropped down a large cliff, splashing down in the shallow water at the bottom. The current was even stronger down there—Aunt Elizabeth's golden blonde hair blew in Jay's face as the raft coursed forward, growing ever faster.

Jay clutched the sides of the raft as hard as he could, his nails almost puncturing holes in it. He closed his eyes and finally gave into his sickness, and he leaned over the side to let loose his lunch. He almost toppled into the water, but he was holding on too tight to fall.

The boat whipped around the sharp turns of the stream, the water foaming and gurgling below. The river widened so much that Jay could scarcely see the banks. His heart felt like it was about to explode.

Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it happened.

Jay was still weak from losing his lunch, and his hands were covered in water and sweat. Even though he was squeezing the sides of the boat as hard as he could, the unexpected period of turbulence loosened his grip.

His hands were bumped off the sides, and he fell back, his head hitting the back of the raft. He tried to crawl back to his original spot, but his hands were shaking too hard, and he couldn't get a grip on the sides of the wet boat.

"Help!" he cried. "Help me!"

Aunt Elizabeth, who was sitting in front of him, turned around and realized the danger Jay was in. He looked like he was about to slide off the boat… only the lip of the raft was keeping him on it.

Aunt Elizabeth reacted quickly. She turned her whole body around and clambered over to Jay, reaching out a firm arm. "Hurry! Grab my hand!" she screamed.

Jay reached out, grasping at the air, but he was too far away… he could feel himself slipping further from his aunt's reach, closer to the water…

Aunt Elizabeth reached further, and Jay managed to grab her fingers—but only for a brief moment. Another bump made his hands slip again, and he lost his hold on her hand. The back of the boat was starting to sag under his weight.

"Larry! I need help! He's falling!" Aunt Elizabeth cried.

"I can't! I'm too far away, and the ground's too slippery! If I move, I'll just slip too!" Uncle Larry replied without looking back.

Aunt Elizabeth cursed under her breath. Jay weakly grabbed for a handhold, but he was too shaky to grasp on for more than a few seconds. His aunt inched closer, extending her hand as far as she could, but it was still tauntingly out of reach.

Before he knew what was happening, his feet were swept off the raft, and he fell into the river with a splash and a rush of bubbles.

He didn't even know what was going on… too many things were happening at once. His body submerged underwater before gently bobbing up, held afloat by his life vest. He gasped and blinked the water out of his eyes as he flailed about, trying to make sense of the situation he was in.

The rapids swept him forward, temporarily disabling his vision as a wave of foam washed over his head. He flailed his arms and legs in an attempt to swim to shore, but he had never been a particularly strong swimmer, and the shore was too far away…

He gasped and choked on the water that had gotten in his throat. He tried to swim forward, possibly catch up with the raft, but as his vision cleared, he realized he was too far away from the yellow boat. Even with the water pushing him forward at a dizzying speed, he knew he couldn't catch up with the raft.

Above the roar of the rapids, he could vaguely hear Aunt Elizabeth calling out "JAY!" Her voice reinvigorated him; although he was no fan of his aunt, he wanted to be safely on the raft with her and his uncle.

He brushed past a rock formation, and he heard a pop followed by the release of air. He looked to his shoulder and found that his life jacket had been punctured. His eyes widened—just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, now he couldn't even stay afloat.

A wave washed over him dragging him down underwater. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't get back up to the surface for air. After a few seconds of flailing around, he realized he was just tiring himself out. He remembered that struggling was a wonderful way to waste oxygen, and oxygen was invaluable to him now. He sat completely still and hoped that he would eventually find his way to the surface to breathe.

His senses felt numbed. He could vaguely feel himself being pushed forward, drifting with the choppy water. He didn't dare open his eyes or breathe, and he couldn't feel anything or above him. His mind began to spin and his heart began to race, working overtime as what little oxygen left his body.

But then, a blessing—his head briefly resurfaced, allowing him just enough time to take in a breath of air. When he was once again pulled under, he found that he had a bit more energy than before… but that energy was running out fast.

Suddenly, an excruciating pain shot through his skull. His head had been cracked on a rock.

He wanted to scream in pain, but he was still floating helplessly in the water. He squeezed his eyes shut and tucked his legs in, rubbing the place where his head hit the rocks. It didn't feel punctured, however, he could feel a large lump pushing through his hair.

He couldn't think straight after that. He felt like he was in space without a spacesuit: he was floating helplessly and couldn't do anything to prevent his inevitable death. He began to think about his parents—he had never said goodbye to them before they left for their business trip. He was too busy playing video games to care…

Now he would never get to say goodbye.

Jay's arms scraped across some rocks, opening up a few cuts, but that was of little worry to him. His mind was shutting down, slowly dying from the lack of oxygen.

His last thought before he fell unconscious was an apology.

I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye…

A small bubble left his mouth, and Jay Jackson slipped into unconsciousness.

XxX

"He's the one. I know it."

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CERTAIN? HE SOUNDS COMPLETELY UNWILLING TO DO SOMETHING OF SUCH MAGNITUDE… HE IS NOTHING BUT A LAZY, SNARKY EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING."

"That's just it. Even though he's disliked by many, his heart is in the right place. I heard him. During his final moments, I heard him speak his sorrow that he hadn't said goodbye to his parents. He can not only save us all, but by doing this, we'll be giving him a second chance at life. He can redeem himself from being the grouch he is now…"

"I SUPPOSE THAT MAKES SENSE…"

"So what do you say? Should we do it?"

"…WE SHOULD. BUT I AM WARNING YOU… IF THIS TURNS OUT TO BE A MISTAKE, I WILL BE VERY UPSET. WE WILL NOT GET ANOTHER CHANCE… I ONLY HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH TO BRING ONE HUMAN. IF HE DOESN'T SAVE US, WE ARE TRULY DOOMED…"

XxX

Let's call it a day. We're off to a good start, if I do say so myself! But how about you be the judges?

I hope you liked the first chapter of Jay Jackson's story. Don't forget to review!