DISCLAIMER: I do not legally own the right to Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, but I do own this original story based off the game. Please support the original series and creators. All rights reserved and belong to Chunsoft, the Pokémon Company, and Satoshi Tajiri. Thank you.

Hey, everyone! Hope hear saying welcome to the official first chapter of the story! I know some of you were thinking that the first posted chapter wasn't very long, but that's because it's really the prologue to the entire story, in case some of you haven't figured that out. So far we know Mawile has escaped from being captured by the Void Shadows thanks to Entei suddenly smacking her off Reverse Mountain! Seriously, Entei? XD

Before we begin, I need to tell you guys a couple things. First, if you happen to spot any grammar mistakes, please notify me about them and I'll get to them as soon as I can, but I can't guarantee I'll be fixing all of them. Which leads to the second thing... My writing isn't gonna be perfect, so please don't give me any bad criticism just because of my writing, okay? Besides, isn't it the story that matters most and not the style of writing? That leads me to the third thing... I can't guarantee when I'll be posting new chapters, so bare with me if you guys want to find out what happens next. Patience is a virtue. ;)

That all being said, let's get to the real first chapter of the story! What'll happen now that Mawile has escaped from Reverse Mountain? I'd say that's a cliffhanger, but it's more like a cliff-faller, if you know what I mean. That aside, here it is! Enjoy, everyone! :D


Chapter 1: Keep Moving Forward


*The Foot of Reverse Mountain*

A groan was heard as Mawile was seen near the side of the foot of Reverse Mountain. She lied on her back after being sent flying by the sudden smack from Entei. Fortunately, her steel type body was strong enough to take the fall apparently. She continued to groan for a moment until she slowly started to open her eyes, seeing the red sky of the Voidlands above, along with Reverse Mountain and the dark swirling vortex above it.

"...Ugh..." she groaned, feeling the pain from the fall all over her body. "What...happened?"

Using what strength she could muster, she slowly pushed herself to sit up, shaking her head before rubbing the side of it, feeling most of the pain there. "Ow... That was...all of a sudden." she stated as she put her arm down and gazed back up at Reverse Mountain, remember what Entei did before he, Raikou, and Suicune were apparently consumed by the Void Shadows. Entei... Why?

The sadness on her face showed as she remembered the appraisal Entei had given her before he sent her flying off the mountain. The last thing she saw from him and the other legendary beasts were their faces gazing at her before the Void Shadows neared them. But, she couldn't understand the reason behind it. They did all they could up on the summit, but why Entei saved Mawile like that was a mystery that she couldn't understand.

"Entei... I don't...understand." she said as she slowly pushed herself up a little more till she was on her feet, then gazed back up at Reverse Mountain. "Why would you do that? Why save me? I would've been fine being captured with you and the others. Fennekin and Riolu probably made it back to our world by now, so, what more can I do?"

That was a question she clearly had no answer to. Even so, Entei saved her from capture, so there must be a reason to it, or at least that's what's going through Mawile's mind as she looked at the ground, confused, but still sad. You...must've had your reasons, but what were they? I just don't get it. she thought as she lifted her head back up and looked out at the endless barren wasteland of this dark world. What am I suppose to do now? I'm all that's left. The others are... Everyone I know is...

Ever since she came to the Voidlands with Fennekin, Riolu, and the others of the Expedition Society, she tried all she could to protect everyone, but one by one they were captured by the Void Shadows. Bunnelby, Buizel, Archen, and Dedenne... If it weren't for Entei and the others, she, along with Fennekin and Riolu would've suffered the same fate. But now those two escaped, and the legendary beasts were apparently captured too. Now Mawile was all alone in this cruel place.

Now what should I do? she thought, unsure of what her next move ought to be. I don't know where I'm going... I don't know if I'll find anyone else here... What am I suppose to...

But before she could finish her train of thought, she suddenly fell to one knee, feeling the pain going through her body again from the fall and the fight earlier. "Ugh!" she grunted with one eye shut and her teeth grit. "M-My body's still..."

"Come on, Mawile, pull it together now." she said as she managed to push herself back up and opened her eye, getting serious now. "Whatever the reason, I'm here now and that's all that matters. I believe Fennekin and Riolu will save our world and free us from this place, but until they do..."

Using what strength she had, Mawile walked forward away from Reverse Mountain and into the barren lands of the Voidlands. "...I'll just keep moving forward."


*?*

Somewhere in the Voidlands, everything was dark. Nothing could be seen, and the only thing that could be heard were the sounds of goo and some small bubbles popping with very faint echoes. However, emits the darkness, Entei's voice could be heard.

"...Ugh... W-What...?" he said, unsure of what's going on. "Where... Where am I? What...is this?"

"E-Entei...?" said a voice that sounded like Suicune, which surprised Entei. "Is that...you?"

"Suicune!?" Entei exclaimed, unable to see him, but he could hear him clear as day.

"Entei...!" shouted another voice that sounded like Raikou, surprising Entei again. "You're here...too!?"

"Raikou!?" Entei exclaimed, unable to see Raikou either, but like Suicune, he could hear him clearly. "You're here as well?"

"Apparently, but..." Raikou replied, finding that he couldn't move his body for some reason.

"Where is here exactly?" Suicune asked, noticing that he couldn't move his either. "I can't see anything."

"I remember now." Entei stated, trying to stay calm. "Those Void Shadows captured us back on Reverse Mountain. But after that... Everything went blank for a moment."

Just then, a strange unfamiliar sound was heard in the goo-y darkness around the legendary beasts that caught their attention. "Hold on. I hear something." Raikou stated as he, Entei, and Suicune stopped talking to hear the strange sound get louder and louder until Suicune noticed something forming in the darkness.

"I... I see something." he stated as he and the others watched as a pair of glowing red eyes were seen opening up in front of them.

They eyes gazed at them for a moment and blinked a couple times, but then a wicked zig zaggy-like smile was seen forming underneath them. It was like something among the darkness was smiling menacingly at the legendary beasts, and though their faces couldn't be seen, they were definitely freaked out by it.

"What...is...that?" Raikou asked, feeling a strange sense of fear flow through him, along with Suicune.

"I don't know, but I really don't like the looks of it." he stated, trying to stay calm.

"You!" Entei exclaimed, fighting through this fearful feeling. "Who are you!? What are you!? And where are we!?"

When Entei boasted his question to the strange thing that was smiling at him and the others, he got no reply. Instead, the strange thing's smile slowly opened up, revealing it's red inside mouth to them, which both shocked and frightened the legendary beasts. If that wasn't enough, the heard something else that sounded demented and sort of childish. "...PlAy..."

And then, in an instant, the strange thing suddenly came at Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, like it was about to eat them. When it did, all that could be heard were the sudden screams of the legendary beasts.


*The Forgotten Path*

Not long after making her way through the Voidlands, Mawile was seen suddenly running forward, jumped up, and swung her maw at some shadowy illusions of Pokémon that resembled Sawk, Breloom, and Slowbro. With a strong swing, they were sent flying and disappeared into nothingness. However, when Mawile landed back on the ground, she fell to one knee again and was slightly out of breath.

"Can't...keep this up." she stated as she pushed herself back up and continued walking down the path in front of her, hearing the sounds of smoke steaming out of some geysers filled with red water in them. "Gotta...keep...going. Must...push forward."

Using whatever strength she had left, she eventually came across a slightly inclined path that led up one of the small but sharped rock mountains around the Voidlands. It wasn't long until she finally made it to a clearing after walking upwards for a few minutes. She could see a cliff path along the side, and some large rocks near the walls with one of them having a flat surface with engraved ancient foot writing on it.

Once she reached the small clearing, Mawile took a moment to look around and saw no signs of enemies or Void Shadows, much to her relief. "Phew... I think I'm okay here. For now at least." she said as she turned her head to see the ancient foot writing nearby, which surprised her. "T-That's...!"

She didn't use much of her remaining strength to make her way over to the writing and inspected it closely. "Ancient foot writing!" she exclaimed, surprised to see anymore of them after Fennekin read the ones before she and Riolu escaped. "I wonder what it says?"

Unfortunately, without Fennekin to somehow read and understand them, Mawile didn't have a clue as to what any of it said. "Oh... This is no good." she stated, shaking her head sadly. "Without Fennekin, or any of my tools to help decipher this writing, I don't understand what it's trying to tell me. Just great..."

With a sigh of defeat, Mawile gave up quickly on the figuring out the ancient foot writing and turned around to gaze back up at the sky. "I'm really...at a loss here. I really don't know what to do." she stated as she let out another sigh towards the ground, then she turned her head and noticed the large rocks nearby, which gave her a thought. Those rocks look decent enough for me to hide around. Not too cramped looking, so I should be able to fit between them. Maybe I just need a moment to rest. Yeah...

With that thought in mind, Mawile slowly made her way over to the rocks and managed to fit between them, thanks to her small body. Once she was covered by them, she turned, sat down, and lied her back down on a rock behind her, setting her gaze at the barren fields of the Voidlands over the cliff. At that moment, she couldn't help but wonder how things are going back with Fennekin and Riolu. She didn't know if they were doing okay or what.

Riolu... Fennekin... she thought as she closed her eyes and lifted her back up for a second so she could move her maw up, using it to cover herself as she turned to the side, taking this chance to catch a little sleep. Please be okay. I know this all must be hard for kids like you, but... I still believe in you two. Good luck.

With her hopes and belief set on Riolu and Fennekin, Mawile drifted off to sleep for a little while, hoping by the time she woke up she'll know what to do next.

Sometime later...

"K-KEEP AWAY FROM ME!" shouted a deep male voice that woke Mawile up all of a sudden from her nap.

"Huh!?" she said as she quickly got up, threw her maw back behind her, and ran out of the closed quarters rocks and out into the opening, looking around to find where the voice came from. "W-Who was that? That voice..."

"I SAID STAY AWAY!" shouted the same voice, catching Mawile's attention as she turned towards the cliff edge path in front of her.

"It's coming from over there!" she exclaimed, surprised though. "But, who is it?"

For a moment, she heard nothing, but she knew that voice was coming from somewhere up ahead, and it didn't sound too good in her opinion. Knowing that, she got serious. "Whoever it is, it sounds like he needs help." she stated as she wasted no time heading down the cliff edge path, heading in the direction where the voice came.


*Cliff Edge Path*

It wasn't long after Mawile heard the voice until she came across an open area somewhere along the cliff edge path. When she turned a corner, she was surprised when she saw who it was that was shouting.

N-No way...! I-Is that...? she thought as she saw a large red crocodile-like Pokémon with a big mouth, black stripes, and sharp claws and teeth that was facing off against four Void Shadows coming for him, and Mawile knew exactly who this Pokémon was. Krookodile!?

Krookodile, the notorious crook that hung around Lively Town. Everyone in the Expedition Society knew about him and how tough he was, but by the looks of it, he seemed to be running out of strength as he was panting a little while backing up when the Void Shadows slowly came closer towards him.

"I-I said stay back!" he shouted, but the Void Shadows still kept coming for him. "L-Leave me alone already, you freaks!"

But then, the four Void Shadows made their charge at him, but in response, Krookodile lifted his right foot up and stomped it on the ground, sending out a Bulldoze shock wave along the ground that shook all four of them. It wasn't long after they were hit until the Void Shadows disappeared, much to Krookodile's relief. "Jeez... Why can't these guys get the message?" he asked, but when he turned around, he was shocked when he saw three more pop up out of nowhere in front of him. "W-What the...!? Oh come on...! H-How many of you are there!?"

But just when Krookodile took a step back, he felt the pain of exhaustion go through his body as he fell to one knee. "Ugh!" he grunted as he breathed heavily with one eye open at the Void Shadows coming his way. "Gah... Can't...keep...this up... Why won't...they just go away?"

At that moment, the three Void Shadows charged at him as Krookodile managed to get back up and readied himself for them, despite his lack of strength. However, Mawile suddenly rushed out in front of Krookodile and swung her maw just when the Void Shadows were close enough, knocking them away, but her sudden arrival shocked Krookodile. "Y-You...!"

"Are you all right, Krookodile!?" she asked, but kept her glare on the Void Shadows ahead of her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but... Aren't you...from the Expedition Society!?" Krookodile asked, still finding Mawile's sudden appearance shocking.

"Yes. Mawile's the name, but this isn't the time to talk about that." she replied as three more Void Shadows appeared behind Krookodile, who turned around and was surprised when he saw them.

"T-There's more of them!" he exclaimed as he backed up, along with Mawile, until they were almost back-to-back, both ready for combat. "W-Where do these guys keep coming from? What's their deal?"

"Talk later! Fight first!" Mawile exclaimed before turning her eyes back towards Krookodile. "Can you still do battle, Krookodile?"

"Hmph... Of course I can!" he replied as he readied his sharp claws. "I ain't out of steam just yet!"

"Good, because here they come!" Mawile exclaimed as the Void Shadows made their charge at her and Krookodile from both sides.

In response, Krookodile used his energy to form a ring of floating rocks around him and then thrust his arms forward, sending his Stone Edge at the incoming Void Shadows as they hit the three of them, knocking them away before they disappeared. At the same time, Mawile took in a deep breath and fired out her Fairy Wind from her mouth at the three coming at her on her side, knocking them away too before they disappeared into nothing.

However, just when those six disappeared, four more appeared, surrounding Mawile and Krookodile, surprising them. "Seriously!?" Krookodile asked when he noticed them. "Just how many of these guys are there!?"

"Just keep fighting, Krookodile!" Mawile exclaimed as she got serious again and ran up to one of the Void Shadows, suddenly forming a strong steel-like chrome veil around her body before she plowed at the shadowy creature with her Iron Head attack, sending it flying before it disappeared.

While she did that, Krookodile, using what little strength he had left, ran right at one of the Void Shadows too and surrounded his claws in dark blue dragon-like energy and slashed one of them at it, using his Dragon Claw. In an instant, the Void Shadow disappeared, but then the one that was close by suddenly came at him, but Krookodile noticed it coming and quickly spun around and slashed his other claw at it, forcing it away and disappear too.

Meanwhile, Mawile clapped her hands together and fired her Flash Cannon at the other Void Shadow that came her, instantly vaporizing it before it got too close. Once it was gone, she let out a sigh of relieve, but then she gasped when five more appeared around her and Krookodile. "What!? More still!?" exclaimed Krookodile.

"They're persistent, that's for sure." Mawile stated as she wasted no time getting ready to continue the fight. "But we can't quit now!"

At that moment, the two Void Shadows near Mawile threw themselves at her, but she spun around and swung her maw at them, repelling them away when they got too close. Then she enveloped her body in a chrome veil like earlier and came at one of them, tacking it with her Iron Head, sending it flying before it vanished. Then she turned her head to see the other one coming for her as she quickly turned towards it and fired her Fairy Wind from her mouth once her previous attack seized, striking it and making it disappear like the others before it.

Meanwhile, Krookodile watched as the other three came for him, but though he was slightly out of breath, he mustered up some strength and suddenly jumped up and plowed right into the ground bellow, using his claws and used Dig just before the Void Shadows reached him. Seeing their target had disappeared, the shadowy creatures stopped and were kinda confused at first, but then Krookodile shot up from beneath them, sending them flying through the air until they fell over the cliff edge.

"Heh... Take that, freaks." he said as he pulled himself out of the ground and breathed heavily, while Mawile panted a little as she looked around.

"I don't...see anymore coming." she stated, but though she couldn't see them, she knew they'd probably show up sooner or later. "This is our chance."

Getting serious again, she turned towards Krookodile. "Let's get out of here while we can. Come on." she said as Krookodile looked back at her, only to see her turn and run off, which surprised him at first.

"H-Hey...! Don't tell me what to do!" he exclaimed, not liking being commanded, but still he knew this was his chance to run before more Void Shadows appeared. "...Oh... W-Wait up!"

It was almost as if Krookodile was a little scared at that moment as he quickly ran after Mawile, following her down the small rocky mountain.


*End of the Cliff Edge Path*

After fighting off the Void Shadows, Mawile, along with Krookodile, made their way down the small rocky mountain. It wasn't long after the fight until they were down the other side of the cliff edge path. They hid around a corner. Mawile, with her back against a rock, turned her head to see if any Void Shadows had followed them, while Krookodile was taking this chance to catch his breath nearby. About a minute later, Mawile let out a sigh of relieve.

"I think we're safe now." she stated, much to Krookodile's relief too.

"Phew... About time." he said as he suddenly sat down on his behind. "Now I can finally catch my breath. Those guys just wouldn't leave me alone."

However, there was something on Krookodile's mind that he just couldn't shake as he looked back towards Mawile, who turned her head to face him too. "But, why?" he asked, making her confused. "Why...would you help?"

"Why?" Mawile asked back, but then smiled at the crocodile Pokémon. "Well, there's not much a reason to it. You looked like you needed help. That's all."

"Well I didn't ask for you help!" Krookodile exclaimed, hating that he had to be helped, but knew instantly that if he didn't have it, he'd probably be finished by now. "B-But... Thanks though."

"It wasn't a problem, Krookodile." Mawile replied with her eyes closed happily. "After all, in times like these, it's best we help one another, right?"

For some reason, Krookodile find Mawile's happy expression a bit confusing. "Um... Right?" he replied as Mawile reopened her eyes and looked around before looking back at Krookodile.

"Krookodile, did you...actually managed to last this long all by yourself?" she asked, making Krookodile grow a smile on his big mouth.

"Yeah, pretty much." he replied as he slowly pushed himself back up on his feet. "I'm as tough as everyone thinks I am. Those weird looking freaks have nothing on me. I've been taking them down left and right whenever they came at me."

"So you actually held out on your own for this long? That's impressive." Mawile replied, finding it very impressive how Krookodile survived this long in the Voidlands, and all by himself too.

"But, wait... If you're here, does that mean...the others of the Expedition Society...?" Krookodile asked, but Mawile nodded in reply to his question, growing a sad expression after remembering what happened to the others.

"Yes. They came here with me, but, the Void Shadows got to them." she stated, which surprised Krookodile a little.

"Void Shadows? So that's what those freaks are called." he replied, but then smirked. "But still, they all were captured, huh? Ha...! And here I've been thinking that you guys were all tough. Maybe I was wrong."

Right when Krookodile said that, Mawile instantly shot a glare at him. "Shut up! If it weren't for a member of the Expedition Society, you would've been toast earlier, right?" she stated, catching Krookodile by surprise, and also frightening him a little.

"Y-Yeah... I...guess." he replied as he calmed down and crossed his arms. "Still though, if they were captured by those Void Shadow things, that just proves how brutal this place can be. Not that I haven't already knew that."

"Yeah." Mawile sighed, growing a sad expression again, but then Krookodile got curious about something else.

"But what about you?" he asked, catching Mawile's attention. "How come you haven't been captured yet? What have you been doing now?"

"Right now I'm just...moving forward." she replied as she slowly made her way pass Krookodile to continue onward, but stopped to look back at him. "And I suggest you do the same, Krookodile."

But just when Mawile continued making her way forward, Krookodile uncrossed his arms and took a few steps toward her. "W-Wait!" he shouted, catching her attention as she stopped to look back at him again, seeing that he looked a little frightened and tired somewhat. "L-Look... I know that you and me have our differences, mainly being on two different side of the law and all, but... You said that in times like these that we should help one another, right?"

"Yeah...?" Mawile replied, turning the rest of her body towards the crocodile Pokémon. "And...?"

"And... Well... If what you say is true, then perhaps...maybe...we should...stick together?" he suggested, but his suggestion surprised Mawile.

"A-Are you serious?" she asked as Krookodile took another step towards her.

"Of course I'm serious!" he exclaimed, but quickly calmed down. "If the two of us work together, our combined strength could help us get through dungeons a lot quicker. That and, since I'm pretty much getting myself lost, might as well get lost with someone else, right? And also...I'm a little bored just talking to myself. So, what do you say? A little truce for now?"

"Hmm..." Mawile replied, crossing her arms, feeling unsure about this, knowing Krookodile reputation, but when he noticed her unsure expression, he closed his eyes and had a look of plea on his face.

"Come on... Please...?" he plead. "I promise I won't slow us down. And I do owe you for helping me after all."

That is true, but I'm not so sure having him around is a good idea. she thought, thinking about every possible outcome of her saying yes. For all I know, he could try something. Then again, he does have a fair point about us working together. Krookodile is undoubtedly strong, and having him around would be benefiting. There's strength in numbers, and since I don't know where I'm going either, maybe it's for the best. ...Okay.

After much thought about it, Mawile let out a sigh with her eyes closed before opening them back at Krookodile. "Okay, Krookodile. We'll work together for now." she replied, much to Krookodile's joy.

"All right!" he exclaimed happily, but before he got too excited, Mawile shot a glare, uncrossed her arms, and pointed a finger at him.

"But if you try anything funny, I'll beat you down wherever you stand next, got it?" she stated, making Krookodile close his eyes and grinned nervously.

"Y-Yeah. I got it, I got it." he replied before calming down, reopened his eyes, and smiled. "Well then, shall we get moving?"

"Of course." Mawile replied before turning back around and continued heading forward with Krookodile right behind her this time.

Although they had a truce for now, Mawile couldn't shake this suspicious feeling about Krookodile. She knew right away that she'd have to be on guard around him at all times, knowing his reputation as a notorious crook and all. Still, as long as he was with her, she may as well use this unlikely alliance to her advantage, especially in a place like the Voidlands.

TO BE CONTINUED...