Floor One

I looked down the corridor of brown stone and soil that we faced. "I really don't like that fact that it's almost never a straight shot from one end of the dungeon to the other…"

"You've been in dungeons before?"

"Sure feels like it…I don't know for sure, though. Let's focus on the Rapidash for now, and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Veric nodded, and she led us down the corridor. We entered another room, and a Cubone charged at us. I gave it a look, threw a few Water Shuriken at it, and it passed out. "You telling me this is a Ground dungeon?"

She nodded. "A few Rock types here and there, but predominantly Ground, yeah. I'm surprised you didn't know that."

I shrugged. "Fickle power, I guess…let me take the lead, then. As an Electric type, you're worse off."

She grimaced. "I've been trying to learn anti-Ground moves…"

I sighed. "Look, I don't mean it personally. You're the leader for everything else, but for any Ground dungeons, let me take over. Okay?"

She nodded a little reluctantly. "Fine."

I waked towards a side corridor and began to walk down it. Down the hall I could see a few Cubone and a Marowak walking towards us. They hadn't seen us yet, and I grinned and threw some Water Shuriken, knocking all of them out except the Marowak. It charged at me, waving its club, and I intercepted it with a water saber and hit it with a Night Slash, knocking it out. Without a word, I moved on, and glancing back, I saw Veric doing the same with a look of slight wonder. "Nice…"

I shrugged. "I just try my best to not die."

"Good philosophy. Heads up!"

I turned and threw a Water Shuriken, striking a-

"Oh, damn. I thought you said this was Ground!"

"I did! I just never really ran into these…"

The Roselia looked at me angrily and charged towards me. I leapt over it, striking it with an Aerial ace as I did so, knocking it out. Veric's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

I shrugged. "No clue. You complaining?"

"No, but the Aerial Ace…and those sabers! That's a rare skill for Greninja in general, for them to sustain the water in that form for long periods of time."

I shrugged. "Again, bridge when we get to it." We entered the next room, I saw the stairs going into the ground, and I started going down, Veric still muttering wonder behind me.

Floor Two

We popped out in the same room as the stairs. I thought it was lucky…until the Pokémon appeared.

"Monster House! Duck!"

Veric hit the deck, and I went crazy with the Shuriken, flinging them wherever I saw movement. After a bit, all the Pokémon were knocked out. I exhaled. "Finally…"

Veric got up, and she said, "Wow…how high a level are you?"

I shrugged, and I saw a Roselia behind her that I couldn't hit without hitting Veric. "Behind you!"

She turned and used a Flamethrower, instantly KOing it. I looked at her. "Nice reactions."

"Well, I have to keep my reflexes high, otherwise someone could get hurt."

"Like your partner?"

She grew silent, and I said quickly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

She went over to the stairs and went down without another word. Damn…I followed her.

Floor Five

Floors three and four hadn't been much trouble. We KO'd anything trying to kill us, and Veric still didn't talk to me. "Look, Veric, I didn't mean to, I swear!"

She was still giving me the cold shoulder, and I said, "Look, I just said what popped into my mind. If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have said it. I'm sorry."

Silence. "How many times will I have to apologize?"

Silence still. I sighed and said, "Fine. I'll leave you alone for now."

We walked towards the stairs on the floor. We hadn't run into the Rapidash, so I figured it was on the last floor, waiting for us. Veric stopped, and so did I.

She looked down the stairs, then at me. "After we take down three outlaws and you prove your worth, I'll tell you what happened. Only if you prove your worth."

She went downstairs, and I took a breath and went down.

Floor Six

We were dropped at one end of a large room filled with loot. At the far end was a Pokémon saying, "Ha! So much loot! Those Guild members will never find me!"

"You sure about that?"

He turned abruptly and said, "No! Not Team New Life!" He started dying of laughter. "What makes you think you can take me down here if you couldn't take me down in that pathetic mountain?"

I stepped forward and formed dual water sabers. "Because she's got me. And as a Fire type, you should be very afraid."

He was, for some reason. "No…not you! I thought you were just another Greninja!"

"What are you talking about?"

"On the mountain. I passed you, and you were passed out…oh Arceus!"

"Dude, what is your problem?"

He shook his head. "No, I can't say! I've been forbidden!"

"Forbidden?"

He shut his mouth after that, and I sighed, twirling my blades into Shuriken. "Fine. Let's take him down!"

I threw my Shuriken, and Veric combined a Zap Cannon with it, and I heard Rapidash mutter, "Oh, damn…" It hit, and somehow he survived, barely.

I went over to him and stood over him. "Now…talk!"

He shook his head weakly. "No…I can't…"

I put a foot on him. "You can be taken in with or without bruises. Pick one."

Fear came back into his eyes. "All right! All I know is that your name's Jed and you have a reputation."

"Reputation for what?"

"I don't know, I swear! All I know is that you have a reputation, and I don't know if it's good or bad."

"What else?"

"Nothing! Except…"

"Except?"

"No, if I say anything else, he'll kill me!"

"Who?!"

"I can't!"

I dragged him upright and grabbed his neck. "Tell. Me. Now!"

"I don't know the name!"

"Species?"

"Bisharp!"

I sighed and hit him with another Water Shuriken, knocking him out. I turned to Veric. "So…I think it's time."

She nodded and pulled out a badge. She reflected it in light, and the three of us left the dungeon.

After we turned Rapidash in and collected the reward in Rivak Town, we started walking back towards the Guild, and Veric asked, "What was that all about?"

"He knew something about me."

"Yeah, that's what interrogation's for. You didn't have to go ballistic on him."

I wheeled on her. "I do whatever I can to recover my memory! If anyone stands in my way, they face my wrath! Simple as that." I kept walking toward the Guild, but I didn't hear her following. I turned, and she asked softly, "Is that true? Are you really so merciless?"

I sighed. "I have to be. Otherwise my enemies will beat me. Aren't you the same?"

"To a degree. The world has a certain set of rules, and some we just can't break."

I turned away, my tongue flapping in the wind. "Don't you wish you could break them sometimes, though? Just once?" I walked away before she could answer.

I walked into the Guild and passed Sril in the hall. "Cut her some slack."

I turned to him, and he continued, "She's not used to that level of no mercy. She realizes that it's there, she just doesn't go to it much because she doesn't usually have to."

"Usually?"

He looked away. "Did she say anything about her partner?"

"Yeah. She said she'd tell me after we caught three outlaws and I proved my worth."

He chuckled. "Good luck with that last one. Her expectations are very high."

Great. "Hey, so I meant to ask. How'd that new dungeon go?"

He shrugged. "Easy. Mostly Flying types, which helped. No discernable boss, eight floors, and for exploring it, we got to name it."

"What'd you name it?"

"Aviary Paradise. I swear, that place was filled to the brim with birds."

My eyes turned white. "You didn't find the boss because it was hiding."

He gave me a look. "Hiding?"

"Since your whole team was Ice type, it hid for fear of losing. Its courage wavers from day to day. If you go back tomorrow, it will show itself. I suggest you do so before you talk to Farleen about your findings."

The glow faded, I stumbled, and Sril caught me. "That was amazing. You don't know what the boss is, do you?"

I shook my head. "Guess my knowledge is limited to a degree."

"Hm…well, thanks." He walked off, and I heard from behind me, "It happened again?"

I said without turning, "Yeah, it did. It's weird…this was more like advice more than actual knowledge…"

"Odd…where's your leader?"

I turned to see Horatio. "Oh, I thought you were Veric. She should be right outside the Guild."

He shook his head. "Nope, no one's out there."

I gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about? She hasn't passed me in the hall…"

He gestured with his wing. "Look if you don't believe me."

I looked outside, and sure enough, no one there. But…"Horatio, use Foresight out there, would you? I have a strange feeling…"

He shrugged and used Foresight on the area. It glowed, and I could see-

"They took her!"

"How can you tell?"

I pointed at the script in the soil, and his eyes widened. "It says, 'Jed, we have Veric. If you want to see her alive again, come to Batt Plains."

I looked at Horatio. "It's a trap…"

He nodded. "Batt Plains is a notorious Electric dungeon. Are you gonna need backup?"

I thought about it, then smiled. "Nope, I'm good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to save my leader." I walked off, hoping for the best.