The day has just begun.

The sun was still low in the sky, and sunlight was just starting to gleam into the forest. The bird Pokemon were perched on their trees, preening themselves. The forest Pokemon were scampering around, looking for spare food left on the ground by fallen branches. The forest seemed at peace.

And then there was a yawn.

A young Totodile sat up from his sleeping place, and stretched his arms up into the air.

He turned to his left, where a small stone was sticking out from the ground. There were some strange inscriptions, which the Totodile could figure out easily.

"Hi, mom," he said to the stone. "Isn't it a great morning?"

The Totodile patted the stone on the top. He then turned over to his right, where a picture frame was sitting.

"Hi dad." The Totodile looked into the contents of the frame, as though the frame was talking to him. "I'm doing fine. You don't need to worry, I'm fine."

The Totodile stood up and stretched out his back. He walked around his little home, a small clearing in a dense forest, where the evergreen trees stood tall, and even seemed to bend near the top, and the grass flowed in a distorted and strange way.

He heard a growling noise. It came from pretty close by. As he examined the area, he noticed that the noise, no matter where he went, didn't grow louder or softer at all. In fact, it came from below his head.

He was hungry.

"Hey, mom, dad." The Totodile turned back to the stone and picture frame. "I'm going out to get some food. I'll be back soon." He started his leave, but quickly looked back at the objects he cherished as his parents. "Don't worry, I'll be home before it gets dark."

The Totodile left his den, searching for a bite to eat.

The Totodile went even deeper into the forest, scanning the trail for some fresh meat. He looked around, hoping for a nice and fat purple rat or something to run past. He would stay in one place, for hours, in silence, until he determined that nothing was coming.

Eventually, he decided to go to the beach. For what reason? To fish.

He walked out of the dark forest, and was amazed by the sight in front of him. He has been to this area before, but every time, his reaction was the same. He would look at the ocean, where the sun's rays would waver on the rippling waters, and paint the sea a yellowish orange. He especially loved this spot in the mornings, where the sun would rise from the horizon, and grace the seas with the scarlet color the Totodile loved so much.

But there was something that broke his trance. Something that was out of place. The Totodile stared at a figure floating in the seas, something that was never there before. It was a Cyndaquil, unconscious, possibly dead, floating on a piece of driftwood.

"What? A Fire type? Out in the water?" The Totodile was perplexed by the sight. Was he just imagining things? He rubbed his eyes, but the figure would still be there, moving only by the forces from the waves.

The Totodile thought to himself, Maybe the gods have given me a favor. Maybe I don't have to fish after all…

The Totodile leaped into the water, swimming towards the figure. He grabbed the driftwood the body was grasping, and pulled it over to the shore. The water feels nice, he thought. Maybe after breakfast, I should come back out and swim some more.

At the shore, the Totodile's jaws were watering. He seemed to be getting ready for a meal, waiting for his stomach to settle from the feelings of excitement over trying something both fresh and new.

But, his dreams were cut short. He heard the body cough. Not just once, but a few times. The Totodile examined the body even closer, and noticed that the body, though still, was still breathing. And waking.

"Ugh…" the Totodile heard the body groan. "What happened?"

The Cyndaquil slowly opened his vision up, and saw the Totodile, mouth still dripping with his drool, standing above him.

"Ah!" The Cyndaquil quickly stood up, and backed away from the Totodile. "What're you doing?!"

The Totodile was confused. He had just saved this Pokemon's life, and he was being repaid with fear? Well, I was going to eat him…

"Um… Nice to meet you," The Totodile awkwardly said, waving his hands, mouth smiling, revealing his sharp fangs. "You were, kind of, just floating in the ocean, so I… kind of… you know… saved you?" Stupid! The Totodile beat himself in his head. Can't you even talk to someone who should owe you his life?!

The Cyndaquil, unsure of the Totodile's words, looked around. He noticed the lack of any other Pokemon on the beach, only him and the Totodile in front of him. The Cyndaquil blushed. "Sorry. I thought you were trying to eat me or something." He gave a small chuckle.

The Totodile also laughed a bit. "Yeah… right…"

There was an awkward silence between the two.

...

The Totodile broke the silence very quickly, startling the Cyndaquil, who was deep in thought. "Hey, so… um, how should I… what's your name?"

The Cyndaquil stared at the Totodile. Did I say something wrong, the crocodile asked himself. The Totodile looked down, in embarrassment.

"…Cinder."

The Totodile looked up, shocked. Did he just answer my question?

Cinder looked at the Totodile with an annoyed expression. "Well?"

The Totodile looked at Cinder, confused. "What?"

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

The Totodile scrambled to find his words. "Oh, uh… Leon. My name's Leon." The Totodile extended his hand towards Cinder. "N-nice to meet you…"

Cinder chose to ignore the gesture made by Leon, and continued to look around. "Where am I?"

Leon quickly retracted his hand. Did I do something wrong? He looked down in worry, unsure of how to interact with the Cyndaquil.

"Um…" Leon tried to find the correct words to say. "We're right about next to Evergreen Ridge. The city, of course! The whole region is called Evergreen Ridge, but, you know, the city is also… called…" Leon drifted away from his sentence, afraid of how the Cyndaquil will react.

Leon was afraid to look the Cyndaquil in the face, but when he did, he saw the Cyndaquil nod his head.

"Hmm…" The Cyndaquil was lost in thought, probably thinking about his home. When Cinder opened his mouth next, he startled Leon a bit. "Thanks. That's all the information I need."

Cinder then proceeded to walk down the beach. Leon stared at him.

Just what is going on in that Cyndaquil's mind?

Leon decided to run up to and stop Cinder from walking any farther.

"Hey, wait!" Cinder turned 180 degrees, to face the Totodile. Huffing, Leon quickly gathered the courage to ask his question. "Where are you going?"

"What does it matter to you?"

Leon panicked. He didn't know what to do, let alone what to say.

Cinder stared at the sky. The sun was already falling from its highest point, and Cinder's face seemed a bit concerned. He looked to his side, but noticed that something seemed to be missing.

Leon watched as the Cyndaquil frantically checked his sides. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you missing something?"

Cinder was shocked: his bag had gone missing. Was it when I fell off that cliff? Damn it, all of my things were in there!

Cinder finally remembered the Totodile was standing in the vicinity. "Oh, yeah, something is wrong." Cinder patted his right side. "There used to be a bag here. But now it's gone."

"Was it important?"

"Yeah, it's important." Cinder gave a light thump to the Totodile's head, annoyed that he had to point out the obvious. "All of my things were in there. My supplies… My money…"

A light bulb flickered above Leon's head. "So, do you need a place to stay?"

"It seems like it. But nowhere would let me in for free…"

"Would you like to stay with me?" Leon's eyes lit up. He had forgotten any thought about wanting to eat the Cyndaquil before. "I live close by, and it'd be nice to have some company… But of course, you don't have to, the inn at Evergreen Ridge doesn't charge for its rooms!"

Cinder turned to face the Totodile. "Which is closer?"

"My place is pretty close. Just inside the forest."

Cinder had to think for a bit. If he's going to offer to let me stay at his house, then I don't have to worry about expending much of my energy. Okay!

Cinder nodded. "Sure. Show me to your place."

Leon shrieked in glee. "Really?" His eyes seemed to sparkle, like Cinder had just fulfilled some kind of wish of the Totodile's.

Leon stared walking back to the forest's entrance, and waved his arm towards Cinder. "Come on, this way!"

Cinder looked to the sky. How did I get myself stuck in this mess?

Sinister Woods Entrance

"Come on! We're almost there!" Leon was far ahead of Cinder, just at the entrance to a darker part of the woods.

Cinder stumbled forward, tired from chasing the energetic Totodile. When he finally caught Leon, he laid down on the ground, tucked out and breathing heavily. "You know," he started, "you didn't have to go so fast."

"I know." The Totodile had a huge grin on his face. "I'm just really excited to finally have company!"

After a quick rest, Cinder stood himself up and looked around. This place looks pretty dangerous. It has the same feeling as a m—

"Hey, Cinder! Let's go in already!"

Cinder's thoughts were scrambled by Leon's words. "Coming!" he replied, angrily. This had better be worth it.

Sinister Woods, Floor 1

Leon led Cinder through the dark woods, whistling something that Cinder couldn't recognize. Cinder peeked around his surroundings: the trees seemed unhealthy, with fallen leaves scattered around the floor, and the skies didn't seem the same as it was moments ago. The shrubbery around them seemed a sickly brown, and the grass under them was still, despite the soft winds blowing from his right. Rotting berries lined the tree branches, and wild Pokemon scampered across the path they walked often.

"You're gonna love my home!" Leon suddenly said to Cinder. "It's wide, and pretty open, and just wait until you meet my parents! They're the best people I know!"

But Cinder didn't pay much attention to the Totodile. Cinder got a bad feeling about being in the forest. He continued looking around, like something was off. Before entering this part of the forest, the trees were vibrant with color and the leaves were a deep green. But here. Here, the trees seemed… sick. Rotten. And somewhat—

Twisted. Crap, this is…

"Wait, Leon." The Totodile stopped, looking at the Cyndaquil. "Where exactly is your home?"

"Just around the corner. Why?"

Cinder looked around again. This time, he was very sure. "This is a mystery dungeon."

Author's Note

Hopefully the story isn't boring people. By the way, if you're reading this, thanks for reading. Any tips you provide will really help!

Also, sorry this one is really short compared to the last one. That last one... was a bit of an experiment of some sorts. After that, I realized that I should never do that stuff ever again.

Also, thanks to break, I have time for this story, so don't be surprised if the updates get slower. School is an ass.

Have a nice day.