Beta'd by Resident Quetzal
Chapter 2: Rescue Mission
The sun always looked beautiful as it disappeared over the horizon of the sea. It amazed many players how well the video game programmers paid attention to detail. Brett Parker, a Scyther, watched the sun fall behind the sea, and the world go dark from his standpoint at the edge of the Pelipper Post Office cliff. The water below smacked the rocks with a fierce force, but would never reach him at fifty feet up.
He had read before that this area of the world on which he walked was a recreation of the first map ever created for the Mystery Dungeon world. He passed the post office and looked upon the board that held rescue missions of all kinds, longing for a single mission that refused to come, and then looked towards the town in the valley. He wondered if the players from so long ago ever thought they would eventually be able to walk the lands they played.
He shifted his clawed feet and paced, hoisting an orange rectangular items container over his shoulder and, with one scythe, adjusting the orange scarf that hung from his neck. His thoughts were blurred, a mix of what he would do when he found the mission he wanted and what he would do when he logged off the game.
He turned back to the board. The torches that hung next to it were lightened, and continually showed who needed to be saved. There were so many in the surrounding region that needed rescue, mostly CPU players, but there were still a few live people stuck somewhere. Yet Brett ignored them all. He looked at only what the reward would be, and if it wasn't what he wanted, what he needed, then the mission was dropped.
He moved back and let other rescue team members come by the board. Then he would return to his spot and see what else remained. Other missions magically appeared, so he had to keep a good eye out. He got used to it, and got tired. He must have been waiting for an hour watching the board.
After so long, he almost lost hope. Yet a nagging feeling at the back of his head, too small to be a burden, told him to stay put and wait it out. So he did, for almost ten more minutes before looking upon the board again.
He flinched. The rescue mission he had been waiting so long to arrive had finally come.
He slid the items container off his arm and down his scythes, placing it on the ground. Stabbing at the rescue flyer, he put it in the box, brought it over his shoulder again, and ran to town. Yet unknown to him, someone had been watching. Silently, the hidden Pokémon emerged.
The Pokémon player had been looking just as hard for that mission as well. He would have to follow the Scyther to retrieve it.
In the Town Square, Brett gathered the essential rescue items from his storage bank and ran north east, towards the mountain range where his rescue base was located. He sprinted, jumped and flew, the giddiness of his mission finally known to him.
But there was a catch. The mission was hard. He was supposed to report to the Green Mountain, a place he never heard of. It was not wise to enter a place he didn't know about. Enlisting help was the best option, but who could he trust on his team? Who would be so trustworthy as to keep the reward a secret?
He arrived at a low slum, poor quality shack. Slightly above the entrance rested a cheaply designed logo stating "Team Beasties." Inside was not so grand either. It was a main entrance, with a front desk even, for those that wanted rescue up front. Behind the counter was a large wall of mail boxes, making the team base look more like a post office. But those were only meant for the team members. Under each box was a name, stating whose box belonged to whom.
Brett walked behind the counter and looked at his box. It was level to his eye. He tapped it once, and the small mail door opened. There was nothing for him; no special missions or thank-you's.
To the right, there was a swinging door leading to the backroom. Feeling slightly disappointed, he stepped forward.
Nothing was impressive in the backroom. It was essentially a large living room, couches with decorative tables at one end near the chimney, and a round table at the other end near an open window. Three Pokémon sat by the round table. Brett caught himself averting his eyes from the three Pokémon and to the window. There was a good view of the Town Square. It looked so small out there in the distance, illustrating how far it really was.
Brett wanted to ask for help from his teammates. He wanted to tell them what he had, but he was afraid that they would betray him once the mission started because of the reward. It wouldn't be the first time it happened on a rescue mission.
The offering at the end of the mission was two tickets for something grand. It was a pass to an island far away called the Isle of Devalore. A boat would take 60 players there, where the passengers of the boat would receive a special rank that would recognize their team.
Any member of Team Beasties could go get the rank, and it would automatically put them in a better, higher light. But Brett wanted to be the one that was sent out. The Team Leader, a Typhlosion, would probably take the tickets from Brett if he ever found out, and use them for himself.
For awhile, Brett contemplated if he should go alone. The risk in others finding out would decrease, but so would his chances of getting the mission entirely right. Brett admitted even to himself that he couldn't do well solo.
He turned his back on the three at the table. A Totodile sat at one end, speaking to a Gengar and Meowth. He couldn't trust those three. Though he had become friends with them enough to go on outings alongside them, he felt that their personalities would all be jealously aimed at taking the tickets from him once the mission was over.
Brett left the three to their own devices and carried on to the sleeping quarters. It was a straight hall with swinging doors, parallel to each other. Each member had their own room where they could put their belongings, though really it was only for decoration and atmosphere.
He walked on, thinking blankly until he heard some shuffling from the door to his right. He stopped and took a peak over it. It was Claire's room.
Claire was a Growlithe, and right now she was shuffling through her gathered possessions and trying furiously to fix up the room. There were small items, figurines wet with saliva to show proof Claire used her mouth, and then there were furniture, including a bed slightly bigger than her.
She stopped short of what she was doing, seeing Brett looking in.
"Hey, can you give me a hand?" she asked. Her voice spoke her residency with an acute British accent.
Brett looked down at his scythes. "I can move stuff around," he said sportingly.
"Fair enough," she said. "Can you help set this bed by the window?"
Brett entered the room. Sliding his scythes under the bed, he easily lifted it off the ground. He moved it accordingly, looking for reassurance from Claire once placing it down again.
"There you go," he said.
"Thanks." She jumped to the bed and stretched like a tired dog, yawning before turning on her backside, four legs in the air. "I've been moving stuff around all day. Lying here feels so good."
Brett had to resist the urge to rub her belly with his sharp 'blades for hands.' After awhile, Claire eyed him, almost as if the belly rub was something she expected. She rolled back, resting on her legs while she took a quick glance around the room.
"I've been trying to make it look like home," she said.
Brett scoffed. "My room here is totally different from my room in real life, and I make sure it is."
"Well to each their own, then," she sighed. She cocked her head to the side when she asked, "What did you say your name was again?"
"I didn't. I'm Brett."
Claire, with a smile she made her own, replied, "I'm-," and was cut off.
"Claire," said Brett. "I know you already."
"Oh...okay then."
Brett inched closer to the window. He put one scythe on the pane and watched the moon wash over the lands. He felt slightly jealous that she was able to have such an incredible view when all he ever got to see on his side were trees.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," replied Brett. He remembered his mission at that time, and knew that should be his biggest priority. "There's something I have to do tonight."
"Yeah? What would that be?"
"A mission." He turned to her, now serious as he answered. "It's a high ranked mission."
Claire seemed to jump up at the statement. It became obvious that this is what she wanted to hear. "So are you going alone?" Her tail wagged uncontrollably, hoping for a good answer.
Brett hesitated. "I don't know." He searched his mind frantically for something to change the topic. "I'll have to log off soon. I have homework to do."
"Oh," said Claire, shot down. "Okay."
Her front legs were crossed in front of her as she put her head down to rest again. She looked up at him, trying to find words.
"Do you have homework?" asked Brett.
"No," Claire replied. "I did it all as soon as I got home. In fact, right now I should be asleep. It's beyond my bedtime."
Brett chuckled. Different time zones were a funny thing. "My bedtime is a long while from now, but I still want some time for my work. I think I can also squeeze in a quick rescue mission." Brett turned towards the door, feeling he was done now. "I guess I'll be seeing you around."
"I guess you will," Claire responded.
Brett barely made it to the swinging door when Claire called him to a halt again. "Wait," she said.
"Yes?"
She paused, unsure how to go on with her question. "Have you seen J.J. around?"
J.J. was the team leader, the Typhlosion that started the rescue team. "I have."
"Has he ever said anything to you?"
Brett had to think about that. He only saw his leader through passing a few times. In fact, the last time he spoke with him had been a few weeks before, discussing a rescue mission, and that was only because J.J. was having a hard time in deciding whether Brett should go with him or not.
"Not much."
Claire sighed, ready to let something out of her system. "It's just, he talked to me before...a little bit before you showed up here today."
Brett nodded. "Uh huh. And?"
She was having trouble with her words again. "He...he said I need to do a rescue mission now, with someone else, or I'm off the team."
Brett raised an eyebrow. It was typical J.J. He was mean-spirited, easily frustrated, and would not allow any slackers of any level on his team.
"Sounds to me that there's something you should be doing," said Brett. "There are plenty of jobs on the billboards in the Town Square, and so many other missions are delivered directly here to the base. It shouldn't be hard to find something quick and easy to please him."
"It shouldn't," Claire agreed. "But it is."
Curious. "How?"
"I've had this feeling that he's had it in for me ever since I've joined." She sighed. "I have done missions regularly here, just as much as every other member. Yet for some reason, it's almost as if there's something about me he doesn't like. Whenever he's around, I feel his eyes bearing down on me. It's too much."
A short pause of silence followed. Brett understood now what was happening, and he chuckled briefly.
"What's so funny?" asked Claire.
"Nothing," Brett replied. "When we joined this game, we were asked to do a personality test. You remember, right?"
Claire thought about it for a bit. "Yes, I do."
"Most of us in this game take our role as to what we become seriously, and I think J.J. is one of those. He's gotten into character and acts the way the game interprets him, based on what it told him after the test." He smirked. "That, or he can be a regular jerk that walks the planet."
Claire stifled a laugh, looking down. "Yes, I can only assume." She paused for a moment. "Where are you going now?"
Brett thought about it for a moment, unsure if he should answer. He decided to tell a half truth. "I'm going on a rescue mission."
"Where?"
Again, he was hesitant. "Green Mountain."
"Never heard of it. Where is it?"
Brett had to think about that one, not only because he was still cautious about revealing more to her, but because he himself wasn't sure where it was either.
"Can I see the mission?" Claire asked.
At this point, Brett really felt that there was no reason not to trust her. She seemed sincere enough, and now that he begun to think about it, he would gladly choose her to come with him in the rescue, since finding someone to go with was the original plan anyway.
He slid the items container down his scythes and placed it on the floor. Easily, he removed the top lid with his scythes, a feat that would have been nearly impossible had the grasp feature for non-hand Pokémon not been added.
"I don't know about this mission," said Brett. "It's...different from the rest."
Claire took it from the container and straightened it out on the floor to read it aloud.
"'I'm in trouble'," she read. "'My name is Evan and I'm a Mankey. I've gotten lost deep in the center of the Green Mountain and am carrying highly important items with me that I cannot lose. Please help!'" She continued reading onward, word for word. Her eyes widened when she reached the reward. "This can't be right...is this Mankey serious?"
She looked to Brett for confirmation, and, as it seemed the truth was out, he responded with a nod.
After re-reading it a couple of more times, she appeared to be satisfied with it.
"So I'm guessing you're as surprised as I am?" Brett asked.
"Heck yes!" she shouted, then lowered her voice, worried that others might hear. It seems she too figured others would take the opportunity greedily as well. "Did you plan on inviting someone?"
"I haven't found someone to come with me yet," Brett replied honestly.
She looked expectant. Brett read her expression, able to see how carefully she was planning her next words. But instead of something clever to ease her way in, she flat out asked.
"Can I come?"
Still trying to keep his composure, Brett raised an eyebrow. "On the mission, or on the boat-,"
"Both."
She was willing, and used her sad puppy eyes to lure him her way.
If it were anyone else, he probably would have said no. But it happened to be Claire, and not only did she seem honest enough, but her form proved it. She was a Growlithe, one of the more friendlier and trustworthy Pokémon in the game. Fate must have brought her to him.
"I'll need all the help I can get."
The planning had to be perfect, and as far as Brett could tell, it went smoothly. After receiving the authorization to go out on a rescue mission as a team with Claire, they were on their way back to Town Square. Though Brett was ready for the dungeon by now, Claire was not.
Her items were nothing special: one oran berry here, another pecha berry there, special protective scarves and etcetera. It was all standard rescue mission protocol.
When they were ready, they ran north to Whiscash Pond. At one point, the place used to be a solitary environment where players would only come to evolve in the cave below the pond, but now, the gaming mechanics have changed all that for the place to become not only a place where evolution takes place, but a transport center to the dungeons all around the region. It was meant for the lazy rescue team members that refused to partake in the life-like real-time trek across the land to their destination.
Since the two did not know where they're destination was located at anyway, Whiscash Pond was the only logical way to get there.
The cave was big enough to fit a large amount of Pokémon, and there were a variety of places underground so that there wouldn't be a clog or crowd of Players standing around. The place at the current time wasn't heavily crowded, so it made finding a transport portal easier.
They halted before an empty cave room. Brett turned to Claire, nodding. Then for some odd reason, he felt something.
He turned around and looked about. There were a mass amount of players, but none were looking his direction.
"What's wrong?" asked Claire.
"Nothing," Brett replied. "I thought I saw something..."
He returned his gaze to the room. Here, Brett entered and dropped his items container to the floor. Claire opened the container and pulled out the rescue flyer between her front paw toes.
Brett looked back once again and saw a rescue team member from another group, a Sneasel, wearing a heavy red colored scarf. But that's not what got to him. Brett felt something coming from the player, almost the same as the feeling he felt moments ago.
"I think he's watching us," Brett whispered, returning his gaze to her.
"Hmm?"
"The Sn-," Brett caught himself. Even though he was whispering, he knew that if the Sneasel even only slightly wanted to, he would be able to hear the whispered conversation. The game was able to enhance all the human senses for their respective Pokémon. "Never mind."
She shrugged and let go of the rescue mission. "Off to Green Mountain then."
The rescue flyer stood afloat in the air, frozen in time, before spinning and disappearing completely. The room spun around, each spin growing momentously faster than the last, until the cave walls became nothing but a blur.
Yet through the blur, Brett still felt the undeniable nag that he was being watched. The last he saw before being completely transported was the silhouette of the Sneasel.
Then it slowed, and the moonlight shone proudly from the sky, the rescue flyer gliding slowly to the ground.
After putting the rescue mission flyer back in the items container, Brett surveyed the surrounding. There was an open crevice in front of him, leading into a cave. Unfortunately, it was far too dark in there. He couldn't see anything more than two feet in. This could prove to be a problem.
Claire however was prepared. She slid off her items container and opened it, shuffling through her contents until she found specs of some kind, which easily slid over her eyes and held firm. Lights flickered from within the goggles, and then slightly above them, a stream of light shot forward.
"What are those?" Brett asked.
"Upgraded Torch Specs. They allow me to see things in dark places," she said. "We should get going now."
Brett nodded, and led the way. Though he tried to keep a strong grasp of leading once inside, it became too hard to see anything, even with Claire's light piercing the darkness.
Claire stepped forward after they were a few more feet in. "I think I should lead the way. I can see everything."
Brett didn't argue. He let her pass him and watched her sniff the area as well as look around. She led the way down a narrow tunnel, always casting the light in different directions.
There was a shriek from somewhere distant. It made Brett look back uncomfortably. Whatever caused it sounded dangerous. It wasn't much of a cry or roar, but a warning of what's to come. He suddenly realized that he entered this dungeon without any prior knowledge to how difficult it could be.
"You heard that too, right?" asked Claire.
"Yes," Brett responded.
"Are you scared?"
It took Brett awhile to answer. "No. We need to keep moving."
They continued down the path until they reached a part of the cave that led to the second floor. It spiraled up, wet and slippery with no steps to keep a firm grip.
Claire went ahead and tried to go up, but there simply wasn't any friction that held her in place. She could only get about a meter in before she slid down the slimy surface.
"It's no good," she said. "Too wet."
Suddenly, she was lifted off the ground. Brett had slid his scythes under her forelegs, where he then carried her close to his chest.
"It's all a puzzle," he said. "All you have to do is figure out how to solve it."
His wings beat behind him. He now hovered above the ground as well, and flew over the wet surface and glided onto the next floor.
When the ground was level again, he landed and let Claire go.
Claire was slightly dazed. She shook her head to clear her mind before turning to Brett.
"Too intense?" Brett questioned.
"You caught me off guard," she replied.
They continued navigating through the cave, Claire in the lead again. Yet the more they trekked, the more Brett felt that something was wrong. They hadn't encountered a single enemy Pokémon the entire time they were there. Where were they?
After so long, the two found the entrance to the upper floor, this one not so slippery. The first thing they noticed once they reached the third landing was the Nidoking lying so close to them.
"It's asleep," whispered Brett.
"No," Claire responded. She got closer to the Pokémon and picked at it with her paw, shining her light directly to its face. "It's defeated. Someone has been here." As she said this, the Nidoking flattened to the ground, disappearing completely. "Recently," she added.
She took in a long sniff, then sniffed a few more times on the spot the Nidoking had been. Then she shined the light across the room, directly through a tight tunnel.
"This way leads up," she said.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because whatever attacked that Nidoking went over here. I can smell it."
Her reasoning made sense. The 'wild' Pokémon never attacked each other. They were programmed to attack rescue team members only, and likewise, a wild Pokémon would not be able to injure another wild one.
The Nidoking for sure had been wild. It had no scarf, no badge, no indication that it belonged to a rescue team, meaning that a rescue team member must have defeated it. And if it were a rescue team member that defeated it, then that rescue team member would most likely be found going to the upper floors.
The idea to track that rescue team member down by scent was a great initiative. It would mean that they would not have to deal with a lot of trouble and be able to find the next floors quicker.
Claire led the way down another narrow tunnel, which opened to a much wider area. The area was huge, so big that the lights from Claire's specs wouldn't reach the ending wall.
She paused here.
"What's going on?" asked Brett.
She sniffed the air again, but seemed annoyed. "I-I don't know," she said. "I can't pick up the scent. There's a more powerful scent from other Pokémon all over this room."
Brett tried to examine anything he could from the limited light source. He carefully studies the ground and felt around, trying to decipher the secrets of the room. And after so long, he came to a conclusion.
"There was a monster house here."
"Exactly!" exclaimed Claire.
"We don't want to get caught up in one of those. Let's keep going."
Their internal climb continued. It was on the fourth floor when they faced a few dangerous Pokémon, but they were victorious in the encounter. As they climbed, Claire would occasionally lose the scent of the rescue team member, and then pick it up again once she was close to the upper levels of the cave.
There were many battles within the darkness, and after so long, Brett had gotten accustomed to it, enough to not rely on Claire's light so heavily.
Then as they neared the steps to the upper level, after passing through thirty floors or so, there was a light. It was an obvious moonlight, and seemed so bright from their position.
When Brett and Claire emerged, they found themselves surrounded by a maze of large trees, with only a small ray from the moon shining through leafs.
"Finally!" shouted Claire. She removed her items container and slid the specs back into the box before sliding into the strap to hang over her neck again. "I thought I would never see sunlight again!"
Brett only appeared amused. "I hope Evan is still here. I should have logged out twenty minutes ago."
Claire sniffed the air. She sniffed again, and tried over and over. "I can't pick up anything!"
"What do you mean?"
"There's no scent. The air has cleaned it up."
Brett looked in all directions. "That's fine," he said. "We don't need scent anymore. We can see clearly. If you smell something that is distinctly Mankey, let me know. I'll lead this time."
Brett stepped forward and made his first move through the trees. The trees had no pattern. They were simply there. He cut through them nicely, not missing a spot when he searched for the Mankey.
Claire was right behind him, watching his back and double checking on everything, as well as calling out to Evan the Mankey.
After about five minutes, Claire stopped Brett.
"Wait," she said. "Something's wrong."
"What is it?" asked Brett.
"I don't know for sure..." she sniffed the air again. "But I know I've smelt this before. Somewhere, I just can't remember..."
"What happened the last time you smelled it?"
"No...actually," she sniffed the air one more time. "I think I've smelt it...on this mission we're doing now, earlier. It was..."
But before she could get anything else out, vines encircled her throat and around the rest of her body, and dragged her back. A Bulbasaur held her with vine whip in mid-air.
"It's a monster house!" she cried, trying to free herself.
Brett turned in the other direction just in time to be sucker-punched by a Grovyle. He fell to the floor. All around him, grass-types appeared, teeth bared, tails erect and ready to whip.
As he pulled himself up to a standing position, he was tackled by a Victreebell and forced back down.
Claire was tossed right beside him, both equally surprised that they had been ambushed.
Brett stood once again. Another vine from the Bulbasaur encircled his left blade arm, almost throwing him off balance. With quick reflexes, Brett swiped the vine with his right blade, freeing himself.
He ran into the heat of the battle, in the middle of all the grass types and attacked with the grace of a skilled swordsman, not letting one Pokémon lay an attack on him.
Claire faired equally well with her powerful fire type attacks, keeping the aggressive grass types at bay.
Almost all was well until Brett was pinned against a tree by a Sceptile. His short moment stunned allowed a Vileplume to stun him even more with a paralysis powder blown in his direction.
Claire finished with her opponent quickly, knowing very well that she had to get her companion out of his sticky situation. But her thoughts were running through her mind too fast. She forgot about her fire attacks for a brief moment, and instead, jumped and bit down with a powerful bite on the Sceptile's arm.
The Sceptile released its hold on Brett, and he fell to the floor, unable to regain control of his limbs.
"Come on Claire!" shouted Brett. "Fire blast it!"
She was tossed against another tree, where she tumbled in a heap to the floor. The remaining grass types surrounded her, now ignoring the Scyther completely.
"Claire!" Brett pushed himself off the ground with as much strength as he could. He stumbled as he made his way towards her.
Then with one final breath, Claire let loose a powerful fire attack which pushed Brett back and to the floor. He could barely see, weakened by the sudden heat. When he looked at Claire's direction, he was able to catch a glimpse through the bright flames of her powerful flamethrower. She fried her opponents rather quickly.
It was in this moment of lost concentration where he was caught off guard by a Bayleaf which bit into his neck and dragged him from the scene.
"Claire!" He shouted, hoping to catch her attention. His paralysis was still in effect.
She turned to the voice, almost unable to find it. She saw Brett's feet dragged behind another tree in the distance, and in a heartbeat, she was after him.
"I'm coming!" she assured.
Her assurance however was twisted when she was tackled by an Ivysaur from behind and held in place. She could not even turn to shoot a fire blast. The Ivysaur had its foot pressed down on her head, and it had a powerful grip.
Around the corner, Brett was being whipped by the Bayleaf's powerful vines. If this continued, he would soon be defeated, and the mission would be a failure.
He tried to regain control of his scythes again, not willing to lose. The whips weren't helping, and if it continued, he was sure to lose the battle.
With a burst of strength, he swiped the Bayleaf across its face, pushing it back. He regained some control now, and he was ready to utilize it to its full capacity.
He slashed across its body as much as he could, never missing. And in a few more swipes, it was defeated.
He turned back to Claire's direction, seeing she was in the same predicament as him.
He ran to her, blades to his sides to give the full force of the slam and slash he would inflict on the opponent Pokémon.
He collided with the Ivysaur and managed to pull it off of Claire.
Claire stood up, regaining control once again. Her mouth filled with a raged fire ready to emit. She fired it away, right at the Ivysaur, right as Brett fought it off.
"No!" Brett shouted, but it was too late.
The fire attack hit both him and the Ivysaur. He was tossed back by the force. For awhile, he couldn't feel the flames. But then he felt his body weakening, and it was at this stage that his body began to heat up, and he noticed the fire on him, and the fires around him.
He hadn't noticed it before. A good chunk of the forest they walked was set on fire due to all of the fire attacks. On an estimate, it could be guessed that Brett and Claire were at the center of the flames.
But Brett couldn't stand anymore. He felt fully defeated, unable to move for anything.
"Claire," he called silently, afraid now.
"Brett!" she called out. "Are you alright?"
She lay by him, examining his body.
"I won't make it," he said. "I'll lose." He thought for a moment. She was his teammate. Could he trust her? Whether he could or could not, at the moment, he had only one choice to make if he wanted the mission to happen. "Find Evan," he said. "Save him. Take the rescue flyer to prove you're part of the rescue team sent to rescue him."
He carefully slid off his items container and let it fall beside him.
Hesitantly, She opened the container and retrieved the mission.
"Will you be alright?"
"It's a game," Brett responded. "Of course I'll be alright."
She nodded. "I'll find him. It won't be long, I promise."
And then she trotted off.
Brett sat up, but doing so made him feel even weaker than he did before. He let himself collapse again, in the middle of the flames. If there was one thing he had to do, it was get away from those fires.
He crawled, trying to get to a safer place. But it was as if the flames went on for miles. There was no stopping them.
All he could do was wait and hope that Claire found Evan.
Claire rushed through the forest as fast as she could. She was away from the flames now, in a much greener area. She only hoped that she would not have to run into any other Pokémon.
She stopped, torn by which direction to take. There was no doubt that she was lost.
But then something in the air caught her attention. She sniffed, trying to identify it. It was a strange smell, almost like sweat. She searched her mind for a similar scent.
"It's...a Mankey," she told herself. "I found him!"
She followed the scent to her left, keeping her eyes on task. She was led to an uneven level, just over a fissure in the ground leading to the floor below. And there under the light, she found the Mankey.
Yes!, she thought.
Her initial idea was to jump down there and rescue him, thus ending the mission and saving Brett from defeat. However, someone interfered.
Her muzzle was held shut by claws, and she was pulled against the captor's chest. She thrashed in hopes of freeing herself, but the mysterious Pokémon wouldn't let her go.
For a brief moment, the captor released the hold on her muzzle, only long enough to shove a seed down her throat.
Then she grew heavily dizzy. Claire fought to stay awake, but the world blurred, and after her last fight for the wake, she fell in a heap upon the Pokémon's arms.
Acting fast, the Sneasel put her down gently and searched the contents of her items container. He retrieved the rescue mission. Then he ran from the scene and jumped down the fissure.
Evan couldn't stay any longer than he had already. Time past quickly, and soon enough, he would have to log out. He began to believe his rescue call had been ignored. It would mean he would have to take a chance and accept failure, and hope that his precious TMs and HMs weren't all gone when he returned to base.
Then someone unexpected dropped. It was a Sneasel, and judging by the feather by the left ear, it was male.
"Don't be afraid," said the Sneasel. He brought up the rescue mission request flyer, "I'm here to rescue you."
Evan grew red with anger at the sight. "Well what are you waiting for?! Get me out of here!"
The Sneasel snatched Evan by the fur on his head. "You'll be safe. Wait for me at the Square."
In the blink of an eye, Evan obliterated into a golden light, and was transported away and back to the Town Square.
"I still have business to take care of," said the Sneasel.
He jumped from the fissure and out of sight.
When Brett returned to a normal state, his eyes quickly averted to his surroundings. By the first peak of the small brown wood walls, he could tell he was no longer in the forest.
He rose to his feet and wobbled. He was still a Scyther, and he was back at the rescue team base, in his room. The mission must have been completed.
He rushed from his room, down the hall and to Claire's, ready to hear the good news. But when he looked over her door, he found no one there.
"Brett."
The voice was cold and familiar. He turned to meet his team leader J.J.
"Captain," Brett acknowledged.
"Why don't you come and sit with me in the backroom," said the Typhlosion. It wasn't a question, it was a declarative statement.
Brett tried his best to keep a straight face as he was led from the hall to the open space of the backroom.
"What's this all about, captain?" Brett asked, standing beside the table the Meowth, Totodile, and Gengar had been sitting on earlier.
J.J. sat on one of the cubes used as a seat, never easing his glare on him. "It's about your recent mission," he said. He shut his eyes. "Why haven't you logged it in your mission log?"
Every mission had to be logged for inspection. It was meant so J.J. would know who was working and who was slacking off.
"I have," said Brett. "I've always logged my missions."
"That was in the past," said J.J., now with a hard glare. "You went on a rescue mission tonight, and you didn't log it."
Brett remained silent. Of course he didn't log it; that would mean J.J. would know what the reward would be. But even if he didn't log it, he couldn't know that the mission was completed. It wouldn't show if he searched on his log board.
J.J. leaned in closer, now up in Brett's face. "You failed that mission."
Brett couldn't help it; he gasped.
J.J. sneered.
That was the only way he would have known. No matter whether the mission was logged, if it were a failure, the team leader would know. The team's rank points would decrease a little, and the players that caused the decrease in rank would be named if the team leader wished to know the name.
"I tried to talk to Claire about it too, but she logged out before I could get to her." He let that sink in before retreating away and looking out the window with a grin. "She's off the team. No second chances." Then, returning to his serious attitude, he faced Brett again. "But you; I never would've thought it. You're one of the few I trust in this team to always get the job done right. What's your excuse?"
He didn't want to tell the truth, but no lie could replace it well enough. Still, he tried.
"I-I-we-,"
"You're stuttering," J.J. said matter of factly.
Brett remained silent.
"So you're not going to say anything?"
"I can't," Brett replied. "What you're telling me is true. I didn't log the rescue mission, and I left with Claire to complete it."
"Why?"
"Because I couldn't go on the mission alone."
J.J. slammed the table with a hard fist, fire emitting from his back. Clearly he was enraged. "I meant, why didn't you log the mission!?"
"Simple mistake, Captain," Brett said calmly. "I'm only human on the inside, remember?"
"Then why don't I believe you?"
"If you don't believe the truth, then there's nothing I can do about it."
"Stop smart mouthing and act your age," he said spitefully. "You're probably not even past thirteen yet. I can tell by your voice. And you know what? I don't like your attitude."
Brett didn't answer. J.J. didn't say anything else after that either. They both simply stared at each other, waiting for one to speak aloud first.
"Don't pull another one like that again," said J.J. Then, he left.
Brett watched him disappear to the sleeping quarters, probably to check on other members that were logged on. When he was gone, all his mind ran over was the mission.
"We...failed?" he whispered to himself. He couldn't believe it.
He left the backroom, to the front desk, and stood behind the counter, pacing back and forth. He felt stuck in a situation he's never been in.
He would have to contact Claire again, whenever she decided to log on. He had to find out what happened exactly.
He remained there for a few minutes, lost in thought. Then something swooped in through the entrance and flew straight to the counter.
"Mail call!" said the Pelipper cheerily. From its messenger bag, various letters hovered and swiftly were placed in mail boxes on a wall behind the counter. "Special delivery for you too." It dropped only one envelope right in front of Brett.
"Thank you Pelipper," Brett responded kindly.
"Anytime," it said. With a final salute, it sped up and left like a speeding bullet out the front door, into the dark morning skyline.
Brett looked at his letter for a moment, hesitant. It was a delivery for him alright, but the sender was unspecified. It simply read 'Off Shore.'
He touched the envelope, and it opened up on its own. His eyes widened, and his heart beat at the sight of what lay in front of him.
It was a ticket to the Isle of Devalore.