One He named Groudon, to whom He gave the strength to shape the land.

Another He named Kyogre, and bestowed on it the might to shroud the earth in seas.

The last He named Rayquaza, whose power was to cloak the world in air.

Thus the Shapers were born, and thus did they build our world. But as creation took form, so too did the Shadow.

"This is ridiculous."

Artemis and I were making our way back up the Guild's central ramp, having just finished gathering supplies for our assignment. The Quartermaster, a rather strange galvantula who apparently lived in the Guild's basement storeroom, had grown frantic the moment Artemis told him of our assignment. He'd rushed off immediately, only to return moments later with an assortment of berries, glass orbs, seeds, and a length of crimson fabric embroidered with the Guild's tree emblem.

The scarf was the bane of my existence. No matter how I wore it, it seemed to bunch up in my face, get caught on the small ridges lining my collar, or find some other way to silently torment me. "Why am I wearing this again?" I asked, tugging uselessly at the cloth around my neck.

Artemis grinned in reply. "It's an Exploration Team Federation requirement. All team members have to have some kind of identification. I've got my treasure bag, you get the scarf."

"Yeah, well your Federation can go jump in a river. This thing's unbearable." After struggling quietly with the cloth for a few more minutes, I had enough. Tearing it off with a growl of frustration, I looped the scarf around my wrist, tying it off with a quick knot. "There," I said, satisfied. "That good enough?"

This earned another burst of laughter from Artemis. "Yeah, that'll work," she replied. "Don't know why you didn't wear it like that to begin with. Lots of pokémon do."

I was considering a reply, something to the effect of tying the annoying absol's horn to her foreleg with the scarf, when we reached the Guildmaster's room. We entered to find Guildmaster Torterra and her assistant waiting for us, the latter clutching a small stack of papers.

"Artemis, Darkrai," Guildmaster Torterra began as we approached her dais, "I assume Galvantula was able to provide you all the necessary equipment?"

"Yes, ma'am," Artemis replied with a nod, "Team Exile is ready to go."

"Excellent." The Guildmaster motioned to her assistant. "Reuniclus and I have been reviewing our outstanding requests, and we think we've picked out a good first mission for your team. Rue?"

The blob-like psychic floated forward. "There is a cave in the depths of Murky Forest, to the northwest. It's been used as a hideout by bandits and criminals since before this Guild's founding, and we're forced to regularly send teams to clear it out. Recently, we've been getting reports that a particularly nasty duo - a banette and a drapion - have been attacking travelers in the area. We want you two to bring them in."

"Sounds simple enough. Anything special about this assignment?" Artemis asked.

"Murky Forest is home to a very old mystery dungeon, one that's only grown more hostile over the years," the reuniclus replied. "It's not very large, but more than makes up for it in difficulty. The dungeon's residents may present a challenge. Other than that, this is a standard bandit run - use the dungeon to cover your approach and capture the targets before they can escape."

"Got it. I-" Artemis glanced over at me. "-we'll take care of it."

"See to it, Exile," the Guildmaster ordered. "I look forward to seeing just what you two can accomplish."

I hate the sun.

We'd been travelling for well over an hour, and the lush forest surrounding Shimmerlake had quickly given way to a vast, rolling prairie that offered no shade whatsoever from the sun's oppressive heat. I trudged on behind Artemis, far too miserable from the heat to pay attention to our surroundings, and silently wondered if Moltres himself hadn't decided to grace us with his presence. After a small, sun-scorched eternity, Artemis spotted our destination.

"Come on," she called out from ahead, "I think I see Murky Forest over there. We're not too far now."

"Next time we do this, we're bringing an ice type along with us," I panted.

"Ugh, no," Artemis answered as she walked. "They complain about the heat even more than you do. Besides, it should be a little cooler once we get to the dungeon."

"Speaking of which," I began, "mind explaining to me what, exactly, this dungeon thing is?"

"You don't…" Artemis sighed. "Alright, the basics. We're going into a mystery dungeon. They're places where reality is kinda… broken. They change around all the time, so navigating them is pretty much guesswork. Once you're in a dungeon, the only way out is to make it to the other end. Of course, they also drive any wild pokémon that stumble in crazy, so it's never easy."

"Okay," I nodded. "So why are we going into one of these things again? Because it sounds like a great way to get ourselves killed."

"Only if you don't know what you're doing," Artemis replied.

"Which I don't," I pointed out.

Artemis laughed. "Don't worry, I've been through dozens of these things. As long as we keep an eye out for trouble, we'll be fine."

I shook my head. "That still doesn't explain why we're going in there in the first place."

"When you're in a dungeon, you're pretty much invisible to anyone outside," Artemis explained. "While we could try to go around through the normal forest, any half-decent bandit would see us coming and bolt. If we go through the dungeon, however, we can use it to get right next to these guys' hideout before they even know we're coming."

"And nobody has any problems with giant gaps in reality swallowing entire forests?" I asked.

Artemis shrugged in reply. "Mystery dungeons have been around longer than anyone can remember. Even now that new ones are popping up every few months or so, they aren't really much to worry about. They can't hurt you if you don't go inside, and teams like us can rescue anyone who does get trapped. So long as one doesn't form on a town or farm, most pokémon just ignore them."

A moment later, we arrived at the forest's edge. The trees rose high above us, their thick branches interlocking to form a heavy canopy overhead. As we ventured further into the woods, the trees seemed to bear down on us, and the forest floor became shrouded in a thick mist. Despite the shade, however, the day's heat seemed to only worsen as we traveled deeper, trapped by the leafy towers surrounding us.

I groaned, only to be cut short as a wave of dizziness passed over me. I stumbled, then glanced around. The trees around us seemed to form a narrow path flanked by walls of thorns and branches, while the cover overhead had suddenly grown even more solid. Looking behind us, I was more than slightly alarmed to find that the entrance had, apparently, vanished.

"Welcome to the Murky Forest mystery dungeon," Artemis said with a grin.

Murky Forest, Floor One

"Alright, so there are a few things I probably should've mentioned," Artemis began as she led the way through the corridor of trees. "First of all, stay on the path. Everyone tries to cut through a dungeon wall at some point. Trust me when I say they're tougher than they look - personal experience." Coming to a fork in the path, Artemis turned left almost immediately. "Second, keep an eye out for loot. Dungeons pull in all kinds of weird things, some of it pretty valuable, most of it useful in some way. And last but not least, get to the stairs."

I blinked. "Stairs?"

Artemis nodded, glancing around as we entered a large clearing. "Dungeons have different sections, usually called floors. On each floor, there's a big stone staircase, either rising up or dug into the floor - you can't miss it. Climb the stairs and you'll be transported to the next area of the dungeon. Don't ask me why it works that way, 'cause I don't know. It just does."

I sighed. "And I willingly followed you into this place. Any other surprises I should know about?" No sooner had I finished tempting fate than I heard a loud screeching from across the clearing. Looking towards the sound, I saw the three-headed form of a dodrio charging directly at us, eyes fixed on me.

Before I could react, however, a black and white blur shot past the sprinting bird, sweeping its legs out from under it. The dodrio slammed faces-first into the ground, and was quickly followed by a rapid series of blows to the back, courtesy of Artemis. The bird gave a final, pained squawk before passing out.

"See?" Artemis said, a fierce grin spread across her face. "Nothing to worry about-" Her explanation as to why dungeons are harmless was cut short by a chorus of shrieking cries as a group of three more dodrio charged in from a nearby path, bloodshot eyes fixed on us.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as I watched the three dodrio approach. Though Artemis had been able to quickly incapacitate the first one, it was obvious that her earlier tactics wouldn't work against these three - by the time she disabled one, the other two would be on us. Evidently she realized this, and was preparing to leap out of the birds' path.

I considered my options. I could simply dodge their initial attack, but that would still leave us outnumbered and at a disadvantage. I needed to incapacitate at least one to even the odds, but with nine heads between them, it wasn't likely that I could catch them unawares. A frontal attack would hurt me more than it hurt them.

After a moment, I grinned. Why not do both?

The air around me started to shimmer as I drew forth the familiar aura of dark power. With a flick of my wrist, I sent a wave of energy rolling along the ground, launching myself into the air in the process. The dark pulse struck the birds in their evidently-vulnerable legs, causing them to skid across the forest floor beneath me. The moment they fell, I darted towards the rightmost of the three dodrio, filling my limbs with energy as I slammed my fist into its back. Artemis, seeing my attack, leaped towards the bird on the right, tearing into it with shadow-wreathed claws.

Glancing up from the now-unconscious dodrio beneath me, I saw the last and largest of the pokémon leap to its feet. It rushed me with a stuttering cry, slashing wildly at the air with its beaks and talons. I began focusing my will for another dark pulse, only to have my concentration shattered as a lash of fiery pain shot up my arm. Snarling, I threw my uninjured hand forward, sending a meager wave of energy towards my frenzied opponent. While nowhere near as potent as I'd hoped, my attack was enough to cause the dodrio to stumble. The instant it backed off, Artemis pounced, driving it to the ground and swiftly finishing it off.

The moment the last of the hostile pokémon fell, I collapsed to the ground, clutching my arm. Looking down, I saw a long, narrow gash running the length of my forearm, the wound already obscured beneath a smear of crimson. Artemis rushed over and, after eyeing the injury up and down, unslung the pack from her shoulder and began rummaging through its contents.

"Whatever you're doing, would you mind hurrying it up?" I asked through clenched teeth. "This really hurts."

"Oh, quit whining," she replied, fishing a small blue berry out of her treasure bag, "that cut's pretty shallow. Nothing an oran won't fix." She tossed me the berry, which I caught and immediately devoured. The oran berry had a strangely pleasant mix of flavors, but I was too busy being distracted by the sudden absence of pain to notice. As I watched, the gash on my arm seemed to rapidly mend itself. It felt weird.

After a minute, the cut had sealed itself, leaving only a long red line in its place. Though it was still sore, I was able to move my arm without too much discomfort. I shook my head and stood as Artemis re-secured her pack. "So, I think you were saying something about there being nothing to worry about," I offered as we made our way to the clearing's edge.

"That was unusual," Artemis remarked, turning down the path the dodrio had come from. "Dungeon ferals don't usually attack in groups like that, except in monster houses, and they're usually pretty easy to take down on their own. Still, it's nothing we can't handle if we're careful. Just stay alert… this place is making my horn itch."

Rounding a corner, we came to another small opening in the trees. In the center of the room was something entirely out of place in a forest: a set of simple stone stairs, rising a few feet above us and leading absolutely nowhere.

I stared at the odd structure in shock. "I honestly thought you were joking," I said as we approached. Despite clearly being unnatural, the stairs didn't look artificial in the slightest. It was as if they had been shaped naturally from the living rock of the forest.

"Like I said - dungeons are weird. Now come on." With that, Artemis strode briskly up the stairs, vanishing into thin air the moment she reached the top.

I blinked in surprise, then shrugged. Nothing else in this sanity-forsaken place had made any sense so far, so I didn't see any reason to expect that to change. I followed Artemis up the stairway.

Murky Forest, Floor Two

The moment I reached the top, the world seemed to blur around me. In an instant, I was in another clearing, slightly larger than the one we'd just left. Artemis was nearby, standing over the fallen form of an exeggutor. She glared at me as I appeared.

"Took your time, didn't you?" she accused.

"Still getting used to the whole 'staircase to nowhere' thing. Sorry," I replied. Glancing down at the exeggutor, I added "besides, that thing's a psychic-type. There's not much it could've done to hurt you."

"Not the point," Artemis growled.

We continued our trek through the dungeon in silence. The dense walls of trees stifled ambient sound, and the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot was loud by comparison. The quiet was broken as we rounded a corner and were greeted by the frantic chattering of a wild ariados. The moment it saw us, the red spider launched itself towards Artemis, clicking excitedly as it attacked.

Once again, the world slowed to a crawl as I analyzed the attack. Artemis' agility would do her little good in the cramped quarters of the forest path, and I doubted she would be able to dodge the ambush. Worse, I had the impression that the ariados' venomous stinger would be particularly deadly against Artemis - bugs and dark-types don't mix well. I couldn't attack the spider without hitting Artemis - a dark pulse was just too imprecise - and that would only leave her even more vulnerable to retaliation. Charging in wasn't an option either, since I would end up tripping over my teammate if I tried. I needed a more… unconventional approach, and after a moment, I spotted it.

Flooding myself with energy, I lunged for the large, round stone I'd noticed by the path's edge. As the ariados tackled Artemis, stinger raised to strike, I hurled the rock, striking it squarely between the eyes. I'd hoped my attack would startle the spider long enough to give Artemis an opening, or perhaps disorient it. Instead, the stone shattered its exoskeleton, sending the feral pokémon flying back. It tumbled briefly before coming to rest against a nearby tree, completely immobile.

Artemis leaped to her feet, only to stop in surprise when she noticed the slain ariados nearby, the round stone still embedded in its forehead.

"That was… unexpected," I stated, more than a little shocked by the force of the throw. "I was just trying to distract it."

"Well, I'd say it's pretty distracted now," Artemis replied with a grin. "Nice throw. Bonus points for unconventional use of a quick attack."

"Careful," I warned, "that sounded like a compliment."

"Nah, you still let the thing ambush us." Artemis eyed the ariados for a moment, then shuddered. "I hate bugs. We should keep moving."

We followed the path to the next opening in the trees, where the next set of mysterious stairs sat in plain view. Instead of going directly towards them, however, Artemis turned and strode to the base of a nearby tree, where a glistening blue orb made of some kind of glass sat.

"Wonder orb," Artemis explained as she scooped the small sphere into her bag. "Escape orb, by the looks of it - you can tell by the little marks etched into the surface. It can teleport us out of the dungeon if we break it, but it'll dump us back by the entrance. Can't use it for our mission, but they're always nice to have." With the orb secured, we climbed the stairs to the next level.

Murky Forest, Floor Three

As we emerged into the next floor, I immediately noticed another set of stairs nearby. Artemis laughed and walked to them without hesitating. "That happens sometimes," she said as she began climbing. "I once had a dungeon give me ten floors in a row like this. It was great." She vanished immediately afterwards, and I followed suit without complaint.

Murky Forest, Floor Four

"We're pretty far in now," Artemis said as we made our way through another of the dungeon's narrow paths. "This place is only supposed to have seven floors."

"So we just have to fight our way through three more levels of bloodthirsty pokémon, then we'll get to fight a group of notorious outlaws." I sighed. "Sounds fun."

We continued to explore the dungeon, encountering only a single jumpluff, which Artemis dispatched with a quick blow to the head, and a small group of kakuna, which we ignored. As we came to the edge of another clearing, Artemis froze, suddenly dropping into a half-crouch as she scanned the room ahead.

"What's wrong?" I asked, drawing a small amount of energy around myself as I did.

"Not sure, but my horn is buzzing like a beedrill nest right now," she answered, never taking her eyes off the room ahead.

"So… you've lost it, then?"

Artemis sighed. "I'm an absol, genius. I can sense when bad things are about to happen… and that room is giving me a really bad feeling. She eyed the clearing silently for a moment before speaking again. "Oh, that's just fantastic. Look at the ground in there. See all the stuff scattered about?"

I leaned forward. Sure enough, there were several seemingly valuable items spread throughout the area. At first glance, I saw several orbs, a strip of brightly colored cloth, and a variety of berries and seeds. "I don't see the problem here," I answered, confused. "Looks like a jackpot to me."

"It's a monster house," Artemis growled. "The items are a dead giveaway. Dungeons sometimes like to pull a bunch of things to one spot like this… and that includes wild pokémon. The moment we step in there, they'll come at us in a wave."

"So we just go around, then." I turned to head back, but Artemis shook her head.

"Can't. We've been all over this floor. Only place we haven't checked is on the other side of this room."

"Can we make a run for it?" I asked, looking to the clearing's exit opposite us. "Doesn't look like it's that far."

"Doubt it. The ferals will cut us off when we enter. We'll have to clear a path and run for the stairs first chance we get." Artemis stretched, apparently steeling herself for the fight ahead. "You ready?"

I focused for a few moments, trying to draw as much power to myself as I could. I rose off the ground as I did, the entire passageway growing a shade darker as I concentrated. "Ready."

We sprinted in, Artemis rushing in on foot while I drifted along behind her. As soon as we crossed into the clearing, the trees around us stirred to life, and a wave of pokémon appeared from between the rapidly-shifting branches. A pair of exeggutor emerged and charged me, their multiple heads bellowing incoherently, but I was ready. I focused my will into a series of projectiles, blasting the duo back with carefully-aimed orbs of energy. Hearing a harsh buzzing behind me, I whirled around to find a large beedrill rushing towards me. It was too close for a precise attack, so I simply loosed a rough wave of energy at it, driving it back into the trees. To my surprise, the walls that formed the dungeon's edge seemed to waver as my attack struck them, but I was distracted by a harsh screech before I could pay it any more attention.

The sound came from a noctowl as it bore down on me from above. I dropped quickly to the ground to avoid its swooping attack, though not quickly enough to escape a glancing blow on my upraised arm from its talons. Artemis, meanwhile, was busy tearing a path through a group of exeggcute and doduo, darting right and left amid the mob. Seeing my predicament, she leaped atop one of her unfortunate opponents and launched herself towards the noctowl, laughing madly as she flew through the air. Her aim was perfect - she collided with the bird mid-air and tackled it in a blur of white fur and shredded feathers.

The mob of wild pokémon, startled by the ferocity of our attack, fell off for a moment, many already incapacitated or injured. Seeing an opportunity, I gathered as much power as I could into a single, massive wave. The entire forest seemed to grow dark as it swept across our remaining opponents, battering them under its sheer force. The dungeon seemed to ripple in response, and I could've sworn it lapped up the excess energy like a hungry beast.

The two of us stood, breathing heavily in the sudden silence. All the feral pokémon had either been knocked unconscious or fled, leaving us standing alone amid the battle-scarred clearing. Artemis, despite her exhaustion, was elated.

"Hah!" she shouted, slashing at the air. "Take that, dungeon! Can't stop Team Exile-" she cut herself short, a strange expression passing over her face. She sat heavily, eyes closed, her earlier excitement suddenly gone. I wasn't sure, but she seemed to be shaking.

"You alright?" I asked, concerned by her sudden shift in behavior. "Did you get injured in the fight?"

"No, I'm… I'm fine," she answered softly, eyes still closed. "Just… tired myself out. What about you?"

It was obvious Artemis was lying, but I decided not to press the issue. "I'm alright. A few minor scrapes," I replied, falling back onto my feet as I released my hold on the shadowy energy around me. "This heat's killing me, though. At least there's a breeze now."

Artemis froze, eyes snapping open. "What did you just say?"

I blinked. "I said there's a breeze…"

"No… no, that's not possible. We haven't been here nearly long enough!" Artemis seemed near panic, pacing around for a few seconds before stopping again as the wind picked up. The trees around us were swaying far more than they should've under its influence.

"What's going on?" I asked, backing slowly away from the suddenly-active dungeon wall.

"There's a… a thing in dungeons," Artemis answered, frantically digging through her treasure bag. "Nobody knows what it is, but it hunts anyone who stays in a dungeon too long. That's what this wind is, but it shouldn't have started by now! We have to get out of here!" Anything else she said was drowned out as the wind roared through the forest, stirring the ever-present mist into a frenzied turmoil.

Then, the whole dungeon seemed to distort. A wave of absolute wrongness passed through the air, warping the world as though it were a flimsy sheet of paper. I stumbled under the strange force, and then I heard the laughter. It was a hideous sound that seemed to resonate with every tree, rock, and branch of the dungeon, and it soon gave way to a single, monstrous voice, pounding through my skull.

"Hello, little Darkrai. It's been far too long since we last met."

At that moment, Artemis cried out. Whatever she said was lost to the nightmarish cacophony of the dungeon, but I turned around to see her rip the escape orb from her bag and smash her paw down onto it in a single, fluid motion. The orb shattered with a brilliant flash, and the world went dark.

I bolted awake to find myself sitting in the grass just beyond the dungeon's edge. The day's merciless heat had faded somewhat, and the sun was low on the horizon. Artemis sat nearby, staring into the depths of the forest. She spoke as I approached.

"I'm sorry, Darkrai," she sighed. "I don't know what happened in there, but I should've seen it coming. I let myself get distracted, and that creature nearly killed us for it."

"I can't say it wasn't you who dragged me into that madhouse," I began, "but I don't blame you for… whatever that thing was. You said it came after us faster than it should have. Sounds to me like there wasn't much you could do to stop it."

"You're wrong!" Artemis snapped. "Maybe I lost track of time, maybe I didn't. It doesn't matter. I'm an absol! I should've sensed it coming long before we entered that monster house! Instead, I let my own stupid problems get the better of me, and we both nearly paid the price!" Artemis slumped forward in exhaustion. Muttering under her breath, she added, almost too quietly for me to hear, "...I told Torterra I couldn't lead a team anymore."

"You got me through there alive," I pointed out. "That counts for something, right? Because I'm willing to bet that swellow back at the Guild couldn't pull that one off."

Artemis laughed quietly. "Only because you'd be too busy trying to blast his arrogant tail off to fight anything else." After a moment, she stood, her familiar grin returning. "Well, I guess keeping you from killing us both on your first dungeon run will have to do. And thanks for trying to help."

"Had to start repaying my debt sometime, didn't I?" I replied.

"Believe me, trying to fix my problems is the last way you want to do that." She stood slowly, securing her pack on her shoulder. "Come on, let's get back to the Guild. Reuniclus will have a fit if we're not back by nightfall."

With that, we began the long trek back to Shimmerlake Village, eager to put our colossal failure of a first mission behind us as quickly as possible.