Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Guardians of Life and Destruction
Hello again, everyone.
I apologize for the long wait, as I needed a month or so to get used to my new job and new work schedule, on top of some extra time to fix my laptop. Now that some time has passed, and I'm used to these new changes in my life, I should be good to go.
That said, I've also had a chance to brainstorm a large chunk of the story and get my thoughts together. So, I've decided to revamp the story by posting revised and edited versions of the chapters that went up, in addition to a few new ones, to catch back up to where I was previously. I'll also only be posting chapters when I feel that they're ready to go up, not when my self-imposed deadline has arrived. I realize now that trying to do that was causing me to stress out and rush the story, and I refuse to do that. Updates shouldn't take any more than a few weeks, but no promises. We'll just see.
Anyway, shoutout to those who reviewed last chapter, which includes Lord rage quit, Xehanorto, SilverScepter, and SpoonyAzul. You all rock, and thank you for my first reviews. For those that end up reviewing these new chapters, I'll add your names to my reviewer shoutout section in the next update for each chapter like normal. For those of you who reviewed the end note that I made a few weeks back, I'll give you a shoutout in Chapter 15, which is mostly done anyway.
And on that note…
Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Arrival and Awakening
The sun was just rising over the horizon for the Varos region as the sleeping Pokémon below began to awaken from their slumbers. The residents of one of the largest settlements in the region, Emerald City, began to go about their day. Preparing their shops and heading out onto the streets while plucky Explorers began to prepare themselves for a dangerous trek out into the world.
Emerald City, as the name would imply, was a large settlement based at the edge of a massive forest, surrounded by lush green trees and situated at the edge of a large lake on the left of the city and a mountain to the north. The city thrived, though, due to the road systems that run through the forest that were closely monitored and protected, allowing travelers to come and go as they please from the flourishing city. If one were to be travelling the Crossroads that led out of the city, they may have seen an interesting sight.
"Come on…Come on, Spark. You've got this. You have totally…completely…got this…"
The young Pikachu looked expectantly at the castle-like building in front of him, bobbing up and down on his feet with small bursts of electricity coming out of his cheeks as he starred down the castle in front of him.
It was a rather grand and imposing structure located at the edge of the mountain, with a red and orange iron gate sealing the entrance. The castle itself was made of a strange black material that gleamed when hit by sunlight and gave off a feeling of warmth and power.
The Delphox Guild.
Spark's body shook with apprehension as his black eyes shone with excitement and fear. He had tried several times to gather his nerve to actually walk over to the place, but hadn't succeeded in getting in.
"No…I can do this. This is what you want. You can't be a timid little coward forever," Spark said to himself, trying to will away his fears, but to no avail.
"Step forward, onto the plate…STEP…FORWARD…" the Pikachu muttered to himself, and after a moment he took a step forward. And then another. And then another.
He was now standing on a stone slab. A cracked and weathered stone that glowed black at regular intervals. It was his ticket into the building.
Suddenly darkness surrounded him. The sky and mountain next to him were gone, replaced with a world of purple and black. The world was gone and he standing alone in a world of shadows and darkness, where only he remained. Spark shut his eyes tight as his heart began to beat rapidly, fear and horror pounding through him.
"Here again, I see…" a cool voice said from nowhere.
"I'm not scared of you! I'll pass your test this time! C-come out!" Spark yelled, trying to sound brave. If only he was. He'd only ever battled to protect himself, and never done so in the way that the members of the Guild had. He was weak, but he could become stronger and braver…right?
Little did Spark know that a purple ghost that resembled a head and two hands floated out from the ground, smirking to himself. He had a yellow scarf wrapped around his body awkwardly with a small egg-like emblem on it. He blended in almost perfectly with the dark world around him.
"This is going to be awesome…" the ghost thought to himself, floating forward until he was practically touching the terrified rodent.
"Boo!" the purple ghost whispered in his ear, his words a hiss and utterly terrifying, dispelling the nightmare world he had conjured the moment he spoke. The Pikachu screamed in horror and bolted down the path back towards the city as fast as it could, and within moments the ghost Pokémon was cackling to himself in glee.
"Oh Arceus…Priceless every time that coward shows up...I have to tell Snow about this," the ghost said as it floated through the floor.
The Pikachu bolted down the path and down the steps, hurrying as fast as it can. It rushed by a few Pokémon heading into Emerald City, some of them offering him a quick hello while others laughed a little at the terrified mouse. Spark ran down the path as his heart pounded wildly, finally coming upon a section of the massive forest where the path ended. Spark dashed through the trees for a few more minutes before finally slowing his pace, a look of shame on his face.
"Urf…Why am I such a coward…Mom and Dad were such awesome explorers…Why can't I get the courage to even try and apply for the Guild? And that shadow world…every time it gets me…I'm such a worthless little rat…" Spark sighed as he trudged through the woods. He glanced up and saw a gorgeous sunrise just over the horizon, something that made his heart flutter for a moment.
He imagined then travelling through a dangerous and dark dungeon, using his abilities to fend off rogue Pokémon to get the treasure that was surely within the dungeon. And then, after recovering the treasure, returning to the outside and being met with the beautiful sight of the sun rising.
Spark sighed…Maybe his dream of being an Explorer, just like his parents…Just wasn't meant to be.
Spark continued to walk through the forest, and eventually walked into a clearing where he beheld an odd sight. It was a Pokémon that was lying unconscious on the grass, a pained expression on its face.
"Gah! W-what happened?" the Pikachu said worriedly, rushing over to the downed figure.
It was a small orange, red, and light yellow colored monkey. That struck the Pikachu as odd, since fire-types were rather scarce in this area. From the looks of the small Pokémon, it seemed like it was a Chimchar, which was even odder. They were usually down towards southern Varos, and were hardly ever seen here. He slowly approached the downed figure, and to his relief he saw that the Pokémon was breathing.
"Well…its alive at least…Hey…are you OK?" the Pikachu said in a low voice. After a moment the Chimchar stirred, but then remained still.
"Umm…Hey! Wake up!" Spark said louder, tapping the Chimchar in the stomach with his tail. The monkey began to stir and opened its eyes, dark blue orbs that bespoke confusion. Spark let out a yelp of surprise and quickly took a few steps back from the strange Pokémon. The Chimchar pushed itself up off of the ground, only to fall back down with a groan of pain. Spark hesitated for a moment before he shook his head slightly and ran forward.
"H-hey, hold on. Let me help…easy there…" the Pikachu said quietly as it helped the Chimchar to its feet. The fire-monkey looked around for a moment, utterly bewildered as he beheld the forest around him.
"W-where…am I?" the Chimchar said, his voice filled with wonder. From the tone of his voice seemed to be roughly the same age as Spark, who took a step back.
"You're on the outskirts of Emerald City, next to Tenebrae Forest. I found you knocked out in the middle of this clearing here and had to wake you up. I was really worried, but I'm glad you're alright!" the Pikachu said with a small laugh. The Chimchar looked at the Pikachu in surprise and took a step back.
"Uh…did you just talk?" the Chimchar said, looking both amazed and weirded out.
"Uh…yeah, I did. You did too," Spark said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well yeah, of course I did. But you're a Pikachu, how can you talk?" the Chimchar asked.
"Um, because I can? You're a Chimchar and you can talk," the Pikachu said with a small smile, sounding amused.
"What are you talking about? I'm not a Chimchar! I'm a human," The fire-monkey said as he crossed his arms. The Pikachu blinked in surprise and took a step back.
"W-what!? A human? But you…You look just like a Chimchar, at least to me," Spark said, confusion in his tone. The Chimchar opened his mouth to reply, but then looked down at his hands to see them looking much more…different than he remembered. The Chimchar began to panic, looking at his body worriedly, before he ran over to a nearby stream and let out a yell at the sight of his reflection.
"W-what the…I really am a Chimchar!" the Pokémon yelled loudly, his voice echoing around through the forest. Spark frowned for a moment, thinking.
"This Chimchar actually believes he's a human…But that's impossible…isn't it?" Spark wondered aloud to himself before shaking his head. This can't have been the first time something like this had happened…Right? No, he had read somewhere that this had happened before. He would have to find out where, later.
"H-hey!" Spark said to the Chimchar, who had his hand on his chin thinking. The fire-chimp looked over to Spark, who cautiously walked over to him.
"So, you still think you're a human?" Spark asked the Chimchar.
"Think? I know I'm a human. I guess…I got turned into a Chimchar somehow…" the confused Pokémon trialed off, shaking his head.
"You mean you don't remember what happened to you?" Spark asked, earning a shake of the head in reply.
"Actually…I don't remember anything…Everything's a blur…I just know that this isn't right. I'm a human, not a Pokémon…" the Chimchar said firmly.
"OK…Then what's your name?" Spark asked, somewhat desperately. The Chimchar blinked after a moment and then smiled a little.
"Oh yeah, I guess I didn't introduce myself. My name is Riley. Nice to meet you," the Chimchar said with a grin, extending a hand towards the Pikachu, who smiled after a moment and shook Riley's hand in response.
"I'm Spark. And likewise," Spark said with a sigh of relief.
"So…Spark. You don't believe me when I say I'm a human, do you?" Riley asked the Pikachu, who frowned and thought about it.
"You know what…for some reason, I actually do," Spark admitted, smiling after a moment.
"Really?" Riley said in surprise, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't feel like you're lying to me. Anyway, its nice see that you're friendly, at least," Spark said with a small laugh.
"Why is it important that I'm nice?" Riley asked the Pikachu, who sort of just shrugged in reply.
"Things have gotten a bit rough recently, what with the natural disasters and the rogue Pokémon. It's always good to see a friendly face nowadays," Spark said with a grin, moving his tail behind him.
"Yeah…I'm still really confused, though. What happened to me…Why am I a Chimchar? And why can't I remember anything?" Riley asked Spark, who shook his head.
"I don't know, Riley. I hope that-" the Pikachu began to say before a loud snarl interrupted him.
"What are you two idiots doing in MY FOREST!?"
The two Pokémon jumped back in surprise before the clearing darkened considerably. The Pikachu shrank back, shaking now, as a sinister growl ripped through the forest.
"How dare you…Coming into my forest without my permission? You will pay for this, little children…" the voice snarled at them.
"Who is that?" Chimchar muttered to Spark, who shook his head.
"I heard about this from a friend of mine…This thing is some kind of thief that showed up here a week ago. He's really good at covering his tracks, and no one's been able to catch him…I completely forgot about him being here…" Spark said in a terrified mutter, causing Riley to frown.
"So he's a bad guy…Hey! Leave us alone!" Riley yelled into the air.
"What are you doing!?" Spark yelped as Riley took a step forward.
"What gives you the right to suddenly tell us what to do? You don't own us or this forest, so come on out and make me!" Riley yelled into the trees.
"N-no, you don't have to do that!" Spark yelled to the unseen foe, who chuckled quietly, his voice bouncing through the trees around the two children.
"Ah…We have a couple of kids who think they can play Explorer? Come to my forest and try and apprehend me…Very well, I accept your challenge!" the voice growled as a pair of pink glowing eyes appeared from a nearby bush, narrowing evilly. Riley felt a spike of fear go through him as Spark began to shake in fear, but Riley took a step forward.
"Are you crazy!?" Spark asked the Chimchar, who shook his head.
"No…But that isn't right. He shouldn't be doing this," Riley said to Spark, who shook his head as the leaves by the bush began to rustle. After a moment, Spark grabbed Riley and began to pull him away.
"Follow me! Its our only c-c-hance!" Spark yelled to Riley, who resisted and pulled away from Spark.
"Why? You're a Pikachu! Zap him or something!" Riley insisted.
"I'm a terrible fighter and Zane is way stronger than me! Now come on! We can escape him if w-we…Go this way!" Spark said as he ran ahead. Riley glanced back as the rustling bushes before he started running after the Pikachu. It was awkward for Riley, running with these new legs, but he realized he would have to get used to it for now. He wondered if he could use fire?
After a minute or two of running, the woods began to grow darker. The trees took on a menacing look and the color of the leaves changed to a deeper shade of green. The sunlight pouring in from the trees became more and more scarce, and Riley and Spark couldn't help but shudder as the shadows swirled around them as the wind picked up and moved the branches overhead.
"W-where are we?" Riley asked Spark, who remained silent with a scared expression as his face. Riley looked behind them to see if that Pokémon was following them, only to see a large rock face blocking the path they had just walked through. Riley turned back around and saw that trees now blocked them in on all sides, with one or two paths stretching out deeper into the forest. Riley blinked in surprise, but then turned around as he felt a pair of hands grab onto his shoulders.
"This is the real Tenebrae Forest...it's a Mystery Dungeon, Riley," Spark said as he drew closer to Riley, shaking in terror.
"What's that-?" Riley began to ask before a loud snarl echoed throughout the forest, causing Spark to let out a small whimper of fear. Riley looked around the dark forest and clenched his fists. He'd find some way to get them out of here...
Somehow.