Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Space Enforcers
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. The right belongs to Nintendo.
AN: Hey guys, this is the first chapter of the New Year! Another thing I forgot to tell you is that in my PMD world, Pokémon keep all of their moves so the battles may be more diverse. Also, should I do every floor or should I skip to every other floor when the levels get longer? Please send me a PM or tell me in a review. It would really help me. Other than that, Enjoy!
Beta Reader's Note: Sorry if this isn't the best of my editing. I'm in my last year of university and it's anything but stress-free. I haven't really gotten any writing done for the last while and thus I haven't really practiced my writing skills in quite some time.
Enforcer HQ
Two Pokémon, a Cyndaquil and a Pichu were seen walking up to a Metal Dome perched upon a hillside. They paused right outside the heavy gates composed of a strange type of metal and waited, as if they were waiting someone to answer the door for them.
"Well, this is it I believe," Ash said, craning his head up as he viewed the dome's design. Two words were visible on the door and it read "The Enforcers".
"Finally! Today is the day we will become a fully-fledged team!" Cinder cried out with excitement. He had been talking about the team nonstop since he woke up.
"Yes, yes we will but please keep it down. You've been bugging me about it ever since you got out of bed this morning," Ash said getting a little annoyed at his to-be partner's antics.
"But Ash…" Cinder whined with impatience evident in his voice. "I can't help myself. I have been looking forward to this day my entire life!" Ash suddenly clutched the sides head, writhing in pain. A ghostly flashback about a young boy holding a Pokeball and saying that he would be the greatest Pokémon Master entered Ash's mind. It disappeared as soon as it came, leaving Ash desperately trying to recall the memory back as if it was a bad dream he feared of, yet was something that intrigued him to great lengths.
"Ash?" Cinder asked, concerned about his friend's welfare. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Ash grunted. "I just had a small headache, that's all." The second he finished his sentence, the heavy metal doors opened slowly and a Purple Kecleon emerged.
"Ah, hello boys. They are expecting you. I filled out your recommendation letters and gave it to them. They were very impressed with your performance, to say the least. Also, don't forget to visit my shop when you have time. Bye!" the Purple Kecleon hurriedly finished as he scurried back to his shop. The two Pokémon that were left outside the door were then faced with a large dark pathway before them. The crackling of the fires emanating brightly from the torches could be heard.
"Well, you know it's time," Cinder whispered. "Let's do this."
"Let's go then," Ash spoke in reply. Both he and Cinder walked down the long dark pathway illuminated by a row of torches hanging from the walls. After a long trek that seemed to last forever for the two Pokémon, they came across a Muk.
"Ash and Cinder I presume?" the sludge-like entity said with a very authoritative sounding voice.
"Yes sir!" the two soon-to-be Enforcers said.
"And before you two get any questions, I am not the leader, nor is this the true Enforcer base. I am merely the Recruitment Officer and this is First Stop. I've heard many things about you two and I am quite impressed from what they've said about the both of you."
"What's First Stop?" Ash asked, feeling a bit confused and lost at the term.
The Muk cleared his throat before explaining the necessary details to the two new recruits. "Well lad, unlike the Explorers and the Rescue teams, we do not show our recruits our main base when they first join. They are put at First Stop instead, for our location is confidential. At First Stop, you shall learn how to fight more effectively, how keep a cool head in any situation, and my favorite, how to live on the land. You will stay at First Stop for about four months. Any other questions?"
"Are there any other recruits besides us?" Cinder asked with interest. Muk's face darkened considerably after hearing his question.
"To be honest, you are our first recruits in over a year. Pokémon are getting more into crime and being an Enforcer isn't as appealing to young Pokémon anymore." The Poison-type Pokémon released a distressed sigh, knowing that they were running short on police units as time passed. "Now, everyone wants to be an Explorer and join the ranks of that… Wigglytuff."
"Well sir, I think me and my partner are ready to start our training," Ash spoke as an expression of confidence was plastered across his face. Cinder gave a thumbs up and showed that he was ready for the training too.
"Well then, let's get started!" Muk said happily. He then proceeded to lead Ash and Pikachu into a dark room and proceeded to close the door.
"Is this part of training?" Cinder asked nervously, as he was beginning to sweat from anxiety, fear and intimidation. Something wasn't feeling right to him…
"Ha! Surprise attack!" Muk laughed as he launched a Sludge Bomb towards the duo.
"Eeek!" Cinder screamed and he jumped right onto Ash's arms. Ash was forced to use extra effort to dodge the Sludge Bomb attack. A part of the sludge got onto Ash's leg and he was severely crippled from the toxins that began to wear through his body like wildfire. Cinder saw what he done and felt very guilty about it.
"I'm really sorry Ash, it's all my fault…," Cinder apologized in a dejected manner.
"Don't worry about it Cinder, right now we have a Muk to beat," Ash returned determinedly. Muk then used Gunk Shot as his next offensive move and spat out a plentiful amount of purple globs at the two friends.
"Ember!" Cinder said as he shot a good abundance of small flames from his mouth to counter the poison based move.
"Thundershock!" Ash said as he used his electrical powers to try and help out his partner. Unfortunately for them, Muk was on a whole other level so his Gunk Shot easily blasted through the combined attacks and hit Ash and Cinder. They were blasted to a wall, nearly knocked out. However, they were not willing to give up so slowly and so, they struggled up to their footing. Muk looked on with bewilderment as no rookie or rookies for that matter were able to withstand his Gunk Shot. It came to his realization that he had to go all out on them.
"Impressive laddies, but don't think I'm going to let up," Muk warned as he laughed in a sinister manner. "Looks like I'll have to give it my all to drown both of you out."
"We don't expect you to," Ash shot back with determination evident in his voice.
"Yes, and we will beat you!" Cinder roared in complement with Ash's words. Was it just me or were his flames growing brighter? Cinder also seemed to have that typical madman type of look to him.
"Come at me then boys," Muk said clearly enjoying this battle. Despite his badly infected and wounded leg, Ash got ready to attack.
"Quick Attack!" Ash said as he glowed in bright white light and he rushed towards the monster composed of violet-colored sludge, ramming right into it. Muk was knocked back a bit, but the attack felt more like a poke to him as opposed to something that would inflict pain on the Poison-type. Ash retreated back to Cinder, frustrated that his attack did not seem to do anything.
"Ember!" Cinder practically screamed as he shot out several orbs of red-hot flames towards Muk. The Sludge Pokémon widened his eyes and realized that this was a blaze empowered move and moved quickly to avoid the attack. He did not move fast enough though, and some of the flames scorched him.
"Well, it has been a good run, but I think it's time to finish this. Minimize!" the purple glob bellowed as he shrank to microscopic size and became nearly invisible to the naked eye. Subsequently, he grew back to original size right behind Cinder and Ash and shot multiple Gunk Shots at them. Both of them could not take the scuffle anymore and promptly fainted afterword. A dark figure came in and surveyed the scene.
"You were a bit harsh on them don't you think?" it said.
"Well… maybe a little…" Muk said a bit sheepishly, "But they have a lot of potential. And you know the old saying, an instructor has to be harsh on the recruits!" He finished with a low-toned chuckle
"I see that… Maybe we should reduce their time at First Stop. They seem to be our best recruits in the history of the Enforcers besides the Legendary Enforcers."
"Right now they need training so they can achieve their potential. There's no room for any mistakes here," Muk suggested.
"No… this is a special case. They are going to skip First Stop," the figure rejected his recommendation.
The Poison-type Pokémon narrowed one of his eyes. "Are you sure? I mean they are only rookies. They don't know everything about the Enforcers yet. Do you really want to force this on them?"
"I have no choice. The Criminals are spreading their ranks fast. We simply do not have enough active Enforcers to combat them. We need every able unit we can get. And I will teach them personally about surviving in the wild. They seem to be able to keep a cool head in any situation already," the figure said as he resurveyed the scene before him. "They seemed to take the surprise attack rather well, unlike most recruits."
"Well Ash did, the Cinder fellow jumped into his arms, screaming like a little baby Pokémon," Muk said, laughing. He ceased his laughter moments later before continuing with, "You are really going to have them skip First Stop? That has never been done before, even by the Legends themselves."
"Desperate times require desperate measures," the figure said plainly. "And these times, my friend, are desperate. There simply just isn't enough time to make careful preparations."
"Well, I cannot deny that, but please, teach them well," was Muk's simple last prayer before the massive pile of living sludge quietly slithered away.
Dream World; Inside Ash's Dream
"Ash…" a voice called out with a monotonous echo.
"Where… where am I?" Ash asked. He couldn't move, and he could only see black as far as his eyes could survey. Everywhere he looked, it was pure darkness. Suddenly, he could see a faint outline, of someone? Something? He tried to go towards the figure, but he couldn't move. He then felt tired, very tired, and he closed his eyes.
Reality; First Stop
Ash slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head and realized Cinder still knocked out cold.
"Urgg," he moaned with a mixture of fatigue and sleepiness. "I feel like I have been hit by a herd of charging Tauros."
"Well that is good, because that means Muk was doing his job properly," a voice behind him said heartily. Ash turned a saw a Lucario making his way over to him.
"Here, take this. It should help you a lot throughout your adventures. And I have something for your partner too," The Aura Pokémon instructed. He then tossed an oran berry towards Ash and he put a revival seed on Cinder's snout. Instantly, Cinder's body was engulfed with bright yellow-colored light and he soon regained consciousness. Ash popped the oran berry into his mouth and was filled with the greatest sensation he had ever felt in his life. His wounds instantly healed and he looked like he was ready for yet another battle.
"Thanks, but who are you?" Cinder asked questioningly, eager to learn about the identity of the stranger.
The Lucario laughed and he simply replied with, "My friend Cinder, I am the leader of the Enforcers. And I am here to take you out of First Stop."
Bah, sorry guys for the late update. I was feeling a bit under the weather during the Christmas Season so I couldn't update. And this piece of writing might not be my best due to a lot of stress. For those of you wondering about my other story, expect an update in about a week at most. Other than that, please review! Reviews= Faster update! Please tell me what you think about my story, thanks. Also, I have recently joined the ADV forums. The link is .com. It's a pretty cool website and cool people are there. I would highly recommend it so join the site. Even if you are not an Advanceshipper we still talk about other stuff, so please consider joining. Well, this is all I have to tell you guys so, Star signing out.