Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Bounty
OK! Chapter two, people! The previous chapter may have seemed a little off, but that was just to set the scene and stuff. This is officially where the tale of Team Bounty begins! Within this chapter shall begin their official journey as a bounty hunter team; in order to avoid chapters of repetition, I've assumed that after the Paralysis Event, Guild structures altered with an influx of trainees; I've also skipped about six months of their basic training such as items, how to use Wonder Badges, moves, tactics, et cetera, so that we can get straight to the action. I will, however, return to it occasionally in flashbacks for more information.
I do not own anything of Pokémon. If I did, then the games would be severely different.
"Speech"=Talking
*Speech*=Thoughts
-Speech-=Telepathy
Speech= Rescue/Outlaw fliers
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Sparky looked over at Shade, grinning excitedly. It had been several years since they had listened to Petal regaling them with tales of her Teams adventures, and two since they had joined the Guild. Although they had aged and started to perform the roles of a Rescue Team, they had begun to find it repetitive and boring to track down lost Pokémon.
Sparky was now a Pikachu, having evolved a year ago; he was, however, still only as tall as Shade's waist. Shade was still a Sneasel, although taller, and just as thin as before, but there was strength to him as well. He grinned back, before they looked ahead again.
They, and two other Teams that were training as well, had signed up for the Guilds course on Bounty Hunting. They were waiting in the main area, talking amongst their selves, before the course began.
Most of the rescue teams there had chosen to use placeholder names, something to fill the line until they chose a team name proper; one that suited them. According to this, there was therefore Teams IceShock, TreeFire, and HellHound.
Sparky looked over at TreeFire, before smiling slightly at them. The team, consisting of a Bonsly and a Numel, were talking amongst their selves. The Numel smiled back, before glancing at HellHound. Sparky looked at the final team, before shrugging and drawing a fingertip over his neck. The Bonsly grinned, before turning back to the other team member.
"So when do you think Chatot will arrive with our bounties? And why do you wear the band like that..?" Sparky glanced at Shade, before shrugging. He reached up, twisting the end of the Pecha Scarf he'd taken to wearing early on. The loose end was frayed, faded, where he rubbed at it. Shade had the Item Bag slung on rope over his left shoulder, the bag hanging at the opposite hip, and tied round his neck was a Twist Band. Shade had it tied so that it was unfolded from the standard triangle shape, and instead it hung down over his right shoulder to his ankle.
"Not sure. Probably making sure that we can take the bounty easily, or at least someone who isn't career criminal. And this Band still keeps me immune to Attack and Special Attack decreases, and like this, it stops pickpockets and thieves from getting to our item bag." There was a burst of harsh laughter from HellHound, and Sparky glanced over at Pyrah. She was smirking at him, before tilting her head curiously.
"So you're scared to get hurt or robbed, huh? Well, that suits a mouse just fine, timid little things they are… But I never heard of a Sneasel being scared of a little old pickpocket. With luck, you'll get given a bird criminal… Or a snake... Maybe a Fire type instead? As for thieves, you just hunt them down and get back what's yours…" Sparky glared at her, as Shade piped up.
"Oh, so you're not scared, huh? Then how come when I passed your room this morning, it smelt like you had gotten scared and pisse-" Pyrah snarled, snapping her teeth together angrily, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"That was the straw! I got a bunch that had damp and it's started to rot, giving that musty smell! As if I'd get scared of a bounty!" Shade smirked, before Sandor stepped forwards, nudging past Pyrah.
"We've all been here for a year now. We've been training, sure… But we still haven't done much. I remember being told that a new Team would get their Wonder Badges, and straight away be training and gaining ranks… But that was before the whole paralysis event…" The Bonsly nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, but a lot of Pokémon couldn't do it. There was a lot of strain, what with both training and helping others… I guess that they changed it around. Now, we get the badges, but we're limited to the easy dungeons until we prove we can take on tough ones… And we can't gain ranks until we're authorised as completing basic training." Sandor nodded, as Chatot fluttered down the ladder and hopped over to them, three rolled up sheets clutched in one foot.
"Here you are, trainees. Your ~bounty sheets. They should be good for your level of training." He passed out the sheets, Shade taking and unrolling the one he received, before grinning.
"Score. We've got a bounty to take out in Beach Cave." Pyrah laughed, as she and Sandor unrolled theirs against the floor.
"Please, you got that Dungeon? We've got to take out a thief in Drenched Bluff." Sparky looked over, before grinning at her.
"Well, good luck for you… A Fire type in a Dungeon full of Water? We'll see you back here half-drowned I bet." Pyrah growled angrily, before Chatot flapped his wings agitatedly, cutting them off.
"Enough! You four have never gotten on! Well, enough! You will do these bounties, or I will remove you from the Guild as apprentices!" There were several seconds of silence, before Pyrah sat down and looked pointedly towards Chatot. Sparky shrugged, looking away from her, and Chatot nodded.
"Good. Now, you have your bounties and your items. So far your training has always been battling through Dungeons, which are limited in choice for your safety. In addition, dungeon access is also limited through the rank of your Rescue Team. Your teams have been training, but have been unable to proceed to Bronze Rank. This Bounty hunt will be your final test; pass it, and you will be allowed to advance to a full team status, allowing advanced training and rank ups, as well as ~new Dungeons." Pyrah grinned, before turning and running for the stairs.
"Bronze Rank, here we come!" Sandor followed her, before Chatot shouted at them.
"Wait! I have not finished!" The two canines skidded to a stop, before Sandor walked back. Pyrah followed, scowling slightly. As they re-joined the group, Chatot cleared his throat and resumed speaking.
"The Bounties you have are minor thieves, petty criminals. They aren't career at all, easy to beat. The one thing you should remember is that they will be strong, stronger than the Dungeon they hide in… And you must either bring them back, or the item they stole and the thief. Each of you will receive a length of rope with which to tie them and return them. This rope is at the top, and has a symbol matching your team, as it will be elementally attuned to weaken the criminal and block attacks.
In addition, there will be two torches with the rope for you to take with you. These Dungeons will be dark, and unlike when you accompanied other Rescue Teams for training, there will be no torches carried for you. Dark types will be able to see perfectly fine, as would a Ghost type, and a Fire type may maintain a flame, but unless possessing of an ability such as ultrasound; like a ~Zubat, all others will require a torch.
The most important thing here is that these targets are not feral. They are smart, they are sneaky, and many will not be afraid to injure you severely. For an example there is a Bounty of 50,000 Poke on a duo of thieves who have been known to kill bounty hunters that fail to defeat them. These bounties are not dangerous, but this is why you must always remember who you are hunting. Now, ~good luck." He turned and left, entering the Guild Masters room and closing the door.
"Uh… Did he just say that we'll die if we take on the wrong bounty..?" Pyrah glared at Sandor, before barging him with a shoulder and walking to the ladder.
"It's nothing. We're going to take on a non-career criminal. By the time we reach the full career ones, we'll be strong enough to defeat them." They began climbing the ladder, dashing up its length to the top, as the other two teams followed them. As they reached the surface entrance, two spools of rope were left. Each one had a small symbol on the floor in front of it; one was an electrified snowflake, the other a burning tree. In front of the sign with an electrified snowflake, there were two torches-lengths of wood with a head wrapped in rough fabric.
"Well, good luck guys." Shade called out as the Numel slung the rope over its back; it was plain rope, with a series of dark threads running through it, and some sort of dark haze that could only be seen from the corner of the eyes.
"Thanks, you too. We've gotta take down a Psychic, so I guess we got a Dark-infused rope, huh?" The Bonsly called back to them as the two turned and left. Sparky picked up the final rope, pulling it on so it rested on his left shoulder, and ran down at a diagonal to loop back up at his right hip. The rope they had contained several threads of deep purple, and the rope itself had a sticky secretion on it.
"Poison. We're probably hunting down a Grass type then. I'll take the rope, since I have the Pecha scarf." Shade nodded as he grabbed the torches and slid them into the item bag, the two of them turning and walking down the stairs in front of the Guild.
"Wonder what Pyrah's hunting down?" Shade nodded at Sparky, before looking back at the sheet of paper in his hand.
"Personally, I hope a Fighting type… Something that can beat them both up. As for us, it looks like we hit Beach Cave… Go to the third floor down… And take on a Treeko. Huh. Says here the reward for bringing in the Treeko is 200 Poke… Or at least, that's all we'll see of the reward. We also gotta grab the item he took… A Green Gummi." Sparky nodded, as the two of them began to walk out of Treasure Town. Sparky rubbed at his cheeks, small sparks of static darting from the pouches there, whilst Shade interlocked his claws and pushed his hands out, palm first, cracking the knuckles where his claws joined his hand.
"OK, let's go take down a criminal." Sparky nodded, grinning, as they turned to a dirt path through a forested area. Shortly, it led them to a long, wide, sandy beach, with waves gently lapping at the shore. An occasional pebble marred the otherwise smooth sand, and at the far end of it, a rocky outcrop with a natural entrance.
"There's Beach Cave, Sparky. Shall we get going and bag ourselves a criminal?" Sparky nodded, as the two of them began to walk over the sand. To their left, away from the ocean, several Wingull were perched on some rock outcrops, an occasional cry filling the silence as one took off or landed. After a minute or so, they reached the entrance. Shade glanced back, before grinning.
"Tide's heading out. Looks like we've got a lot of time to spend if we need it." Sparky nodded, grimacing as they entered the Dungeon. A packed sand floor with pools of seawater filled the room they were in, and the walls were smooth at the bottom, running up to become rocky and rough at the ceiling.
"I hate this place… Stupid Dungeon… Remember that time a few months ago when one of the other recruit Teams came here at the wrong time, and the Dungeon flooded behind them?" Shade nodded, chuckling slightly as he did so.
"Yeah, they had to use their Wonder Badges before they drowned. It is stupid though… A cave system hollowed out by the ocean tide into a Mystery Dungeon, only to still flood at high tide. A shame that they dropped out of training after that…" Sparky grinned, as they passed through the main entrance and into a corridor, passing deeper into the rocky cave.
"You only say that because you're a horrible flirt. As soon as you see a female you like-which is invariably all of them-you're there and flirting. Very badly, might I add." Shade scowled, lightly punching Sparky in the shoulder.
"Hey, not true. You see me try Pyrah? Never happening. Because she'd melt me, most likely, too… Besides, I notice that you never try to flirt with any females that you see. None of them your type, or what you like?" Sparky glared at him, before entering another cave and passing straight through to another corridor.
"Hey, I have my type and likes. I just… Haven't met them yet. Wherever they are." He stopped, putting an arm back to stop Shade, as his left ear twitched lightly. He turned to face Shade, whispering lightly to him.
"I hear something ahead… Can't make it out, but definitely movement… Splashing." Shade nodded. Cupping an ear as he heard the sound too, swapping with Sparky and leading the way; past a turn in the corridor that took them to the right and ahead towards another cave. As they progressed, it grew steadily darker within the Dungeon.
"I can't see a damn thing, Shade… Think it's safe enough to light up a torch?" There was a rustle of fabric, before Sparky felt the torch placed in his hand. He held it steady as a series of sparks flew towards it, accompanied by a rough scraping sound; with a small whoosh the head burst into flames, illuminating the tunnel.
"Thanks Shade-… Oh…" Shade blinked, sheathing his claws again, before Sparky discharged a ThunderBolt over his shoulder. There was a cry of pain behind him, and Shade spun round to see a Lileep twitching under the electrical shock. He lashed out, hitting with a Scratch attack, and the Lileep stumbled backwards, collapsing unconscious.
"OK, that might have woken some Pokémon. Let's get moving, and fast." Shade nodded, before he began to run down the corridor, Sparky close behind him. They burst into a third cave, this one long but a lot thinner than the others; ahead of them was a natural, rough-hewn and worn hole.
"There it is!" Shade ran ahead, jumping into the hole, whilst Sparky dashed along and threw his legs out, sliding over the edge. Through the hole was a large drop to the second floor of the Dungeon. Shade, having dived headfirst, rammed his claws into the wall with a heavy chink sound, dragging them through the rock and jerking to a stop. He pulled his claws out, holding the tips to the rock, and sliding down to the floor.
Sparky hit the wall at a slower speed, lower down, but feet first; he crouched against the wall, holding the torch away from a small stream of water running down it, and pushed off, landing on the floor on three legs; the fourth keeping the torch off the floor. Sparky grinned at him, panting slightly.
"I hate dropping through Dungeon floors. Would it kill the Guild to install ladders or something, maybe carve out a natural ladder?" Sparky shrugged, looking up at the ceiling, before standing upright.
"I don't know, maybe they would install ladders or stuff except for the fact that these Dungeons always change? So the ladders would get wrecked. I think the only reason the Map shows a staircase on it when viewed is to keep it simple…" Shade nodded, before he grabbed and pulled Sparky to the side as a blast of water shot through the space, keeping him upright.
"Heads up, Sparky, Gastrodon outside the torch's light radius." Sparky rolled his eyes, sighing.
"Yeah, I never knew he was there, especially with the Water Pulse…" Shade grinned, extending his claws.
"Care to give me a little light?" Sparky shrugged, clamping the torch in his mouth so the flame was to his right and dropped to all fours. He spoke, his voice muffled by the torch.
"How about a lot?" He crouched, before disappearing in a Quick Attack-a flaming line showing his path. He dashed around the room, the light quickly revealing an empty room. Sparky skidded to a stop, teetering at the edge of the cave next to a deep patch of seawater. He pushed up to his rear legs, waving his arms wildly as he struggled to balance, before falling backwards. He took the torch from his mouth, looking towards where Shade used to be.
"Nice one, calling that there's a Gastrodon in the cave. It damn well isn't-" There was the sound of a heavy, resounding impact, before a soaking wet Shade rocketed into the light, slamming down next to Sparky. He sat up, sand clinging to his face, growling angrily.
"We got baited. At least two Gastrodon… Also, Body Slams are annoying. The thing came from the water, so it could be anywhere." Sparky nodded, glancing about.
"Can't see it, and Gastrodon don't swim, they crawl on the seafloor, so I won't hear it until it surfaces. We need to get out of here, and fast. Shade nodded, standing beside Sparky, and the two of them turned to leave. They ran into a corridor, Sparky's torch lighting the walls with a flickering luminescence, before his eyes widened.
"Duck!" He shouted, throwing himself to the floor. Shade glanced backwards, then ahead, glimpsing the pulsing blue of a Water Pulse. He gritted his teeth, sprinting faster-and jumped at the wall. He dug his toes into gaps in the rock, gripping and pushing off to the other side, dropping to hands and feet and crawling down the wall. There was a hiss behind him as the torch extinguished in the water.
"Perfect. Sparky, keep low, I'll deal with this!" He shouted back, continuing to move along the wall. He peered down the tunnel, eyes easily seeing through the gloom around them, and spotted movement.
"Hah!" He jumped to the floor, slashing his claws down-and the punched clean through the Anorith, shattering it. He froze, slowly lifting it and turning it over, seeing a shed shell. He gulped, turning around, seeing nothing. He looked up-and saw a Gastrodon clinging to the ceiling. It peered at him curiously, before letting its grip go and twisted in mid-air. Shade took a single step, before it landed on him with a Body Slam, causing Shade to cry out in pain.
"Get off, slug!" Shade called, as the Gastrodon let out a cry, before rearing up for another Slam attack. Shade rolled onto his back, snarling angrily, and stabbed his claws up into the air as the Gastrodon dropped down. He scythed them together, claws interlinking, and the Gastrodon twisted, falling beside him with a pained cry. It turned around, hurrying away, as Shade kicked the severed limb of the Gastrodon away.
"Be glad you grow those back, jerk!" Shade scowled angrily, digging his claws into the sand to wipe them clean. He brushed the sand away, then pulled the other torch from the item bag and lit it; striking his claws to make a spark. He turned round, seeing Sparky feeling his way down the tunnel towards him.
"Geez. You look like I feel, Sparky…" Sparky glared lightly, before grabbing the torch away. He was soaked from the Water Pulse, and had several bruises over his body.
"Yeah, yeah… Stupid Water Pulse pulsed as it hit the torch and exploded, slammed me into the walls with the impact. I hate it when I get bounced like that… Besides, you don't look to hot either." Shade shrugged, before turning and walking away, Sparky following.
"Well, good. I shouldn't be hot, since I'm an Ice type." Sparky smirked, before frowning and glancing down.
"Why is the floor damp with blood?" Shade let out a short laugh, flashing his claws in the light of the torch.
"Gastrodon may be soft, but they're heavy when they Body Slam. So, I lightened the one that hit me by one of six legs… Or whatever they're actually called." Sparky sighed, before looking behind as they walked.
"Yeah, well, you should have fainted it. When it grows back a new leg, it's gonna have a hell of a grudge against you…" The two of them proceeded into the next cave, Shade pointing ahead.
"There's our next level. Come on, we can take a rest beside it for a minute. I have some berries too, for our wounds." Sparky nodded as the two of them approached and sat beside the hole. Shade reached beneath the band-cloak he wore, pulling a few Oran Berries out. He took one, passing another to Sparky, and returned the others to the item bag.
"Man, I think that Gastrodon threw my back out… It aches like all of my spine got hit with a ThunderWave and it just wore off…" Sparky blinked, biting into the Oran Berry.
"Spine pins and needles? Ouch…" Shade nodded, looking to the side and peering into the item bag curiously, biting half the Oran Berry off. He chewed for a few seconds, swallowing before speaking.
"Damnit… We forgot to stock any Cheri Berries… I can't do a thing about this feeling…" Sparky finished the Oran Berry as Shade did for his own, then spoke again.
"It will probably wear off. I mean, we've taken Body Slams before, right? It just takes a little time for the feeling of numbness to wear off." Shade nodded, smiling as he stood. Sparky rose as well, before looking up at Shade.
"Ready?" Shade grinned at him, extending his claws. There was an energetic, wild look to his grin; not of someone who was enjoying their self, the look seen on a feral Pokémon's face; those who were feeling the thrill of a hunt.
"Ready…" He jumped down the hole, Sparky hesitating slightly before following him. The landed on the sand below, hitting and dropping into a crouch. Shade was on one knee, the other leg braced on a foot with his thigh parallel to the floor, crouched forwards, hands on the sand; Sparky hit feet first, rolling and coming up on all fours. They stood, before the sound of movement came around them.
"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" Shade looked at Sparky, backing up so they were back to back. He frowned, calling out into the cave; it was large, the torch's light not reaching the walls.
"We're a Rescue Team! We've come to collect the Bounty on you, Treeko! Come quietly, or else!" There were a few seconds of silence, before they heard a rough, random scuttling; the sound of dislodged stones rolling down a wall or slope.
"No way! I'm not coming in! I… I did what I had to, so there! Now leave me alone!" Sparky scowled, clamping the torch in his mouth once more.
"I'll find him, you get him." He crouched, launching into a Quick Attack; once more, lighting the room with the torch and what light it left behind. Shade followed the light, looking ahead and behind, too; his eyes normally saw through darkness, but after so long with a lit torch, he was more able with the light, and had limited night vision distance. He spotted movement above him.
"Sparky! Above!" Sparky jumped, landing on the wall, and bounced up its roughened surface; revealing in the light a Treeko hiding in a small crack in the wall. Shade sprinted forwards, extending his claws eagerly.
"No! Get back!" The Treeko jolted its head forwards, spitting a barrage of large round seeds; Sparky dodged the first few, but quickly got hit and knocked to the floor. The torch spun through mid-air, the handle impaling in the sand and lighting a corner of the room. The Treeko grinned, before his eyes widened as Shade scrambled up the wall and Scratched him.
The Treeko reeled backwards, and its foot slipped; it cried out in shock, and fell backwards from the wall to the floor, landing with a thud. It groaned, slowly standing upright, before a ThunderBolt impacted on it. The Treeko stiffened, crying out in pain, before collapsing forwards with a groan. Shade jumped down, quickly pulling its hands behind its back as Sparky walked over, rope unslung from shoulder.
"Hold him, and be careful." He swiftly tied the rope around the Treeko's wrists, binding its hands together, then proceeded to wrap half the remaining rope around its waist; binding its tail to its back, and pilling its arms too. He tied it off, then hung the rest of the rope around the Treeko's neck in loose coils, the rope hanging down its front.
"Well, that was actually quite easy…" Shade nodded, before unclipping his Explorer Badge. Sparky did so too, and placed a paw on the Treeko. They lifted their badges, with glowed brightly, before teleporting out of the cave.
When the light faded, they were standing outside the entrance to Treasure Town. Shade hauled the Treeko to its feet, before the two of them began to escort the Treeko in. The led it up to the Guild and inside, where Chatot was waiting for them. Pyrah and Sandor were also there, although there wasn't any sign of their target.
"Ah you two! ~Good show. You brought back your target, and in one piece, might I add." Shade pushed the Treeko to the floor, on its knees, before shrugging.
"We got it. But there wasn't any Green Gummi to find." Chatot nodded, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"~Of course not. There never was. The final team is still yet to arrive, but none of your targets are actual thieves. We hired three Pokémon as ~testers. They were to go to the Dungeon floor and fight you as a test; the entire bounty was ~faked!" The bird burst out into laughter, as Shade and Sparky stared. Shade glared, slowly extending his claws, Chatot cutting off mid-laugh.
"You did what to us?! We went through a Dungeon and fought some Pokémon who didn't even put up a fight, for your entertainment?!" Sparky grabbed his arm as Shade stepped forwards, tugging him back. Sandor had stood up, but was hanging back from moving. Pyrah was watching intently, head tilted in curiosity. Chatot fluttered his wings angrily.
"You! You dare threaten me?! I will get rid of you if you keep this up! Always using violence!" Shade bared his teeth, letting loose a snarl of anger, before pointing with a still extended claw.
"I am not threatening. If I was threatening these claws would be around your throat. But I do not-I repeat for you, bird brain-I DO NOT enjoy being made mockery off, or given fake missions! Do this again and the target will come back in pieces!" Shade lowered his arm, retracting his claws as Sparky jerked him backwards, away from Chatot.
"That's it. That's the last straw. The one that broke the Camerupt's back! I'll see you out of this Guild, you and your partner! You're too short tempered, too angry and violent!" Pyrah walked over, stepping between them. Chatot glared at her, before she spoke.
"You know… It isn't fair. You're kicking them out, for raising the same point I did, when our target was in worse condition. I might have to raise it with Wigglytuff that good old Chatot… Isn't such a good guy… And I never saw any threat against you, Chatot." Sandor appeared behind Chatot, silently; ghosting out if a shadow.
"Neither did I… All I saw is an angry outburst, similar to our reaction." Chatot scowled as well as he could, before turning away from them and hopping to the ladder.
"Very well. They stay. But if either if your teams cause one more problem, I'll get you both out!" He climbed down the ladder, Pyrah and Sandor walking away. Sparky ran over, stopping in front of them.
"Wait. I… Thanks. For helping us." Pyrah glared, before lifting her head and walking past him.
"Please. If it were anyone else I'd let them get kicked. But not you two. The only ones who can put you down are me and Sandor. Besides… I hate that bird. Always acting like he's better than us all; I relish the chance to get in his beaky face and force him down." Sandor glanced at Sparky, nodding at him respectfully, before walking away as well.
Shade was leaning against the wall when Sparky approached him, and held up a hand as he opened his mouth.
"I know, I know. I need to control my temper more." Sparky nodded, closing his mouth, and sitting beside Shade. After a few seconds, he sunk down as well, arms wrapped round his knees.
"I know you have a bad temper, Shade. I know you struggle to control it. But you're a better Pokémon than this, I know that you are. All you need to do is keep control." Shade nodded, before sighing and looking out the entrance; the sky was stained red, gold and orange as the sunset proceeded.
"It's been almost a day. Wonder where the other team got to, huh?" Sparky shrugged, before his ear twitched slightly. After a second or so, Pyrah and Sandor walked over, not towards Sparky and Shade, but level with them, facing the entrance. Shade frowned slightly.
"What is-" Pyrah cut him off with a low growl, then spoke.
"Anyone recognise this?" Sandor shook his head, sniffing the air. Sparky shrugged, wiggling a finger in his ear before cupping it.
"I don't know. It's familiar, but… a three-step walk?" Sandor sighed, looking across at them.
"It's Ash. The Numel. I recognise the scent…" Pyrah sniffed, before nodding. Shade slowly stood, stepping forwards. His ears angled forwards, and he frowned slightly as he looked straight out the entrance, not shielding his eyes.
"I see movement. Something at the base of the stairs." Pyrah walked over, standing away from him. She narrowed her eyes in the sunlight, tilting her head and looking down. She frowned, before glancing at Shade.
"Yeah, it is him down there. How did you see him without shielding your eyes?" Shade shrugged, before tapping his head.
"Hey, normally I would be in an icy wasteland if I was feral. I guess my eyes are used to blinding light, since it's all snow and ice up in my natural habitat. But Ash? He's just… I guess it was the fact he's moving. I mean, it's a brown and green against brown and green down there, so if he was still you'd miss him. As for this apparent three legged walk, I wonder what… Happened…" As he spoke, Ash stumbled up the stairs. Sandor ran down to him, along with Sparky, and the two of them helping him up into the entrance where he collapsed.
His rear left leg was badly gashed, and held up off the floor; his body was bruised and cut, and the left eye swollen closed. He was panting, and looked up at them.
"H-Help… Need rescue… Mission… Went wrong… Shade dug into his bag, pulling out two Oran Berries. He helped Ash to eat them, slowly cutting slices out and passing them to the Numel. Once the two Berries were eaten, he managed to speak properly.
"We… Found our target. Defeated it, tied it up… Was bringing it back, when we… Got jumped. Our badges were damaged in fight… The Psychic cracked the gem in them, we… our badges wouldn't teleport us or the Psychic. We were walking back… Attacked by bandits. Took Psychic and partner. I… They left me after several attacks… Have to help partner… Large rocks, on way towards the Dungeon…" His breathing slowed slightly, before he passed out, lying there. Sparky looked around, before dashing for the ladder and diving down. Shade looked at the other two.
"They had damaged rescue badges. That's why they took so long." Pyrah scowled, before looking at Sandor.
"Go into town. Get Poké from our account, buy up all the restoratives you can; berries, elixirs, pp restores, all of it. Drop what you don't spend in the bank and get back. I'll organise where we're going." Sandor nodded, running out of the Guild and down the stairs. Shade glared at Pyrah.
"This is a bad idea. You're a Fire type, and look what happened to Ash. You need some more teams, or at least temporary help. We owe you, for helping us with Chatot…" Pyrah snarled at him, before looking away.
"I stood up for you because I wanted to get at the bird. Not because I want you to stay. You don't owe us anything, now let us go do this. Don't tell anyone, or I will melt you like a pile of Ice in a summers day…" Shade nodded, before looking back as Sparky jumped up again. A moment later, Chatot flew up and landed beside Ash.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear… ~Not good at all… We need to get him downstairs, so he can get treatment. Hurry, hurry! Pyrah, where's Sandor?" Pyrah shrugged, glancing out the entrance.
"He went to see if the Bonsly if down there or not. Don't worry. Chatot, what Dungeon did they go to for their fake mission?" Chatot bristled slightly at the words 'fake mission', but looked at Shade and Sparky.
"You two, get him down to his room. Use attacks to clear a route if you must and to keep them away until Chimecho arrives with medicinal items. Tell them you have permission from me to use those attacks." Shade nodded, carefully grasping Ash's front legs. Sparky pushed at his side, and with Shade, managed to get beneath the Numel's stomach, holding him as Shade took most of the weight.
"OK. Let's go." The two of them started to carry Ash down the stairs, as Chatot turned to Pyrah. He looked past her, before narrowing his eyes.
"Sandor isn't down there. Where is he?" Pyrah looked away, before staring back as she replied.
"He went to gather and buy items. We were asked by the Numel to do a rescue mission for the Bonsly." Chatot blinked, before flapping his wings in agitation.
"No one is to go after the Bonsly. I'll send a proper Rescue Team for this, or perhaps a team of bounty hunters… This is too dangerous for a trainee team…" Pyrah snapped her jaws angrily, before jerking her head towards the entrance.
"That Bonsly could be going through anything! At least send a team or two of smaller Pokemon to scout it, to see what the other team is up against!" Chatot sighed, before shaking his head.
"No. I won't allow it. Now as soon as Sandor gets back, tell him so. I need to go see if Chimecho has started treatment yet." He turned away, fluttering towards the ladder and descending it. As he did so, Sandor appeared.
"Pyrah? What was he saying?" Pyrah stared at the ladder for a few seconds, before turning to Sandor.
"We're gonna go scout out the rocks where the Bonsly was taken. There are three Dungeons we're allowed access to; Beach Cave, Drenched Bluff, and Mt. Bristle. If we had to clear Drenched Bluff, those two idiots had Beach Cave… Numel and Bonsly went to Mt. Bristle." Sandor nodded, turning with Pyrah as she started to walk out of the Guild.
"So we're off to rescue them?" Pyrah nodded.
"We are."