A/N: No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth (just the life of a college student). Yes, I'm still writing this story. Hope you enjoy!
Coale's eyes snapped open.
It was morning, and the room was lit with the same sunrays that had graced the windows for countless other mornings. The sound of the waves crashing against the island could be heard, and the distant calls of Swellow filled the air. Coale thought he could almost hear the singing of the wind through the grass. Everything about the morning proclaimed peace.
But Coale felt none of that peace. He remembered in exact detail the dream he had experienced the night before. The dream that had kept him awake for almost the rest of the night, as the haunting void seemed to break free of his slumber.
He tried to raise himself from the bed, and an exhausted sigh escaped him. He lay there for a few more moments, staring at the earthen ceiling, looking for something to tether himself to the world of the living. Finding nothing but tightly packed dirt and snaking vines, he turned over and rubbed his eyes with his front paws, attempting to dispel the fog of sleep.
A few yards away, Elli, curled up in a comfortable-looking ball, stirred. Her tails twitched slightly before one luminous eye opened slowly. She raised her head to see Coale lying on the other bed, his back to her.
"Good morning, Coale," she whispered softly.
Coale turned to look at her, blinking his eyes a few times to see more clearly. Elli blinked in surprise, her brow creasing. "You don't look so good…did you get enough sleep last night?"
Coale shook his head and coughed, expelling a bit of black smoke from his nostrils.
"What happened?" asked Elli, concerned.
Coale stared out the window for a moment, then turned to answer her. "I had…a nightmare."
This only increased the concern already evident on Elli's face. "What was it about?"
"There was a void," said Coale solemnly, a slight bit of strength returning to his voice. "I saw the Pokémon from the posters…and then…nothing."
Elli blinked again, visibly worried. Coale immediately rethought sharing his dream. Would this knowledge hang over her the same way it had hung over him all night? He would have rather not made Elli any more worried than necessary.
To Coale's great surprise, he watched Elli's face transform, ever so slowly, from a frown of anxiety to small, confident smile. Bewildered, Coale watched as Elli turned to face the window.
"Look at all this," she said. "It's a wonderful world, this one that we live in. Let's go explore it. And," she turned back to look at Coale. "Along the way, we'll figure out what it all means."
As he stared at her radiant form in front of the window, her smile growing all the time, Coale found himself with much more energy, enough to dispel much of the residual fatigue from both the nightmare and his lack of sleep.
He smiled back at her. "Let's."
. . .
When Coale and Elli reached the rotunda room, they discovered that the Guild had a visitor.
It was a stately figure, with golden fur surrounding its head and flowing in tufts from its legs. Its jagged, striped fur gave the impression that it was certainly a Pokémon that could best others in a fight, cautioning any challenger. However, Coale thought, that was not its intention.
The other inhabitants of the Guild were giving the newcomer a wide berth, talking amongst themselves. It was clear to Coale that, strangely, the Pokémon had not taken the initiative to introduce itself. It had a presence that mirrored Skarmory's, who was perpetually perched towards the ceiling.
The perplexed chatter ceased as soon as Vileplume's heavy door swung open, and the intoxicating scent spilled through. Coale found himself less bothered by the smell. It seemed that after almost two weeks as a member of the Guild, he was starting to get used to it. He glanced over at Elli. She too seemed to be handling the Guildmistress's aroma with less difficulty. Amazingly, the visiting Pokémon did not seem fazed by the scent. The visitor seemed barely to notice as the draft from the door whooshing open disturbed his tufts of fur.
"Good morning everyone!" sang Vileplume, clapping her hands together. "I have some very exciting news for you today!"
Immediately, the excited talk began again, prompting Skarmory to squawk loudly. The mere warning of Skarmory's earsplitting screech dispelled the din.
"Now," said Vileplume, after regaining the Guild's attention. "You're all probably wondering who this is."
She gestured to her right, where the visitor stood, barely acknowledging that Vileplume drawn attention to him.
"This is Arcanine," Vileplume continued. "He is here from the Exploration Team Federation."
Coale watched Elli's eyes widen. "Really?!" she whispered excitedly. "The Exploration Team Federation?"
The other Guild members seemed to have similar reactions as chatter broke out once more. Skarmory's squawk was slightly louder this time.
"Thank you," said Vileplume in Skarmory's direction. "As I was saying, Arcanine will be here to help facilitate the surprise."
Vileplume smiled. "Yes, I know. All of you can't wait to find out what the surprise is. In due time, everyone. In due time."
A chorus of exasperated groans came from the assembled Pokémon. Vileplume waved her hands.
"You'll find out tomorrow!" she said in a singsong voice. "Coale, Elli, and Donphan, I would like to see you. Everyone else, have a prosperous day!"
The Guild members scurried off in varying directions. Soon, the only Pokémon remaining in the room were Coale, Elli, Donphan, and Vileplume. Coale wondered what they were wanted for. After all, they had just recently finished their training. Donphan, confident as always, strode ahead of Coale and Elli, just in front of Vileplume. He turned and gave Coale a grin, as if he were used to these special meetings. Coale couldn't imagine that this happened very often…
He could see that Elli, now unable to blend in with the usual crowd of apprentices, had lost a bit of her confidence, her head drooping slightly lower. Her form contrasted strikingly with Donphan's hulking body and thick hide.
Unable to contain his enthusiasm, Donphan spoke first. "So, Guildmistress! Where are we goin'?"
"I have a special assignment for you three today," began Vileplume. "Team Starfire, this will be your first outlaw mission."
Coale remembered that Drifloon had directed them to the outlaw notice board on their first day, but, as he heard Vileplume, it occurred to him that they had never done a mission of that type before. Elli seemed to come to this realization at the same time.
"Guildmistress," she said softly. "I don't know if outlaw missions have been explained to us…"
"Ah, yes!" said Vileplume, clapping her hands together once more. "It's quite simple really. All you have to do is-"
"-find the outlaw, and knock 'em out!" interrupted Donphan, stomping the ground in mid-speech.
"…Well, yes. Thank you Donphan," finished Vileplume, who seemed only mildly annoyed. "There is one other thing I should tell you. Coale and Elli, do you remember your Explorer Badge?"
Coale nodded as Elli reached into their Treasure Bag to pull it out.
"Well," said Vileplume. "Not only does this Badge denote you as an official Exploration Team, but it also acts as a way to get back to Jetsam Village. If you are ever doing a job that is completed in the middle of a Dungeon, you can use the Explorer Badge to warp back here. This is essential for outlaw missions, for once you have knocked out the outlaw, you will have to bring in the outlaw for arrest."
Despite Vileplume's cheery tone, Coale felt uneasy about the prospect of tracking down an outlaw. He was sure without needing to glance at Elli that her anxiety must have been amplified tenfold.
"So…" said Coale in what he hoped was an even tone. "Which outlaw will we be tracking down?"
With this question, Skarmory returned suddenly, flying down to land next to Vileplume. A tattered piece of paper was clutched in his beak.
"SQUAWK. This notice was issued by Stoutland's police force early this morning."
Coale took the paper from Skarmory's beak, flattening it so that all could see.
It was a strange-looking picture of a Muk. Its misshapen mouth curled into a sinister grin, and its sludgy arm seemed to disappear as with the faded image on the page.
"This is the outlaw Muk," said Skarmory. "He is a notorious thief. Over the past few days, he has been stealing items from Pokémon that they need to evolve. The Herdier have almost succeeded in catching him in the act, but he has somehow evaded capture."
Skarmory's eyes grew narrower. "There is something strange about this, however. SQUAWK. This time, he's invited challengers to try and capture him. According to his message, he will be midway through Spitfire Junction this afternoon."
"He's very confident, and crafty," added Vileplume. "That's why I'm sending you three. You each have different strengths that will aid nicely in bringing this criminal to justice."
"Couldn't it be a trap?" asked Elli nervously.
"SQUAWK. It most certainly is a trap," said Skarmory. "But we are confident that you three will be able to handle yourselves."
Coale glanced at Elli and Donphan. He was hopeful that Elli would overcome her anxiety, but having never been on a mission with Donphan before, Coale didn't quite know how to react.
"Spitfire Junction is just past the lake," said Vileplume. "The entrance leads into a cave that goes underground. Good luck, you three!"
. . .
The group set out from the Guild immediately thereafter. Donphan trudged ahead, walking several yards ahead of Coale and Elli and constantly checking to see if they were still behind him.
I wonder what Spitfire Junction is like, thought Coale. He realized that this would be only the second Dungeon that he and Elli had visited as a Team, as they had spent much of their time in training. Would it be similar to Pine Forest, or different in every way? Perhaps that is the Mystery part of it…
"Hey you guys!" called Donphan from ahead. "Hurry it up!"
Coale wondered why Donphan seemed to be in such a hurry. Was he always moving around with boundless energy? Elli seemed to be comfortable with the pace that they were taking, but still looked nervous. Coale gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look. She looked back up at him and smiled slightly.
They caught up with Donphan at the square, near the notice boards.
"Ok," said Elli. "Do we need to buy anything at the market before heading out?"
"Nah," replied Donphan confidently. "I don't think we'll need any of that. Besides, it'll just weigh us down."
Slightly taken aback, Elli continued. "Let's look at the Wonder Map."
She retrieved the Map from Team Starfire's Treasure Bag. Coale noticed that oddly shifting clouds still covered much of the map, but their first destination, Pine Forest, remained uncovered. Coale guessed that as their missions progressed more of the map would be available to them.
Elli pointed to another spot on the map, north of the lake. "According to Vileplume, this is Spitfire Junction."
"Yeah!" exclaimed Donphan. "Let's get this show on the road!"
Immediately following his proclamation, he turned and headed straight for the pier. Within seconds, he vanished from sight, but Coale and Elli could still hear his thundering footsteps along the path. Subtlety may be a problem, thought Coale. He and Elli shared a glance before walking to follow Donphan.
By the time they reached the pier, Milotic and Gyarados had already arrived.
"We hear you are headed to Spitfire Junction?" inquired Milotic softly.
"That's right," confirmed Coale.
Elli cast a concerned look at Donphan. "How will we all get across?" she asked.
Milotic laughed lightly. "Gyarados and I are quite strong swimmers. Don't worry about us, Elli."
Coale and Elli grabbed ahold of Milotic while Donphan went with Gyarados. Coale thought it was fitting. Both Gyarados and Donphan seemed somewhat headstrong, and seemed to get along quite well, catching up on the events at the Guild and around the island.
Coale and Elli mostly travelled in silence, taking the opportunity to appreciate the natural beauty of the lake. Considering they were about to go underground again, Coale wanted to see plenty of sunlight.
Elli turned to look at him. "How are you feeling, Coale?"
It was a surprising question. Elli wasn't used to asking such direct questions, and they communicated much of the time without words. Coale supposed that Elli was still worried about him due to the nightmare he had related from the night before, but he also sensed her overall concern for him, and felt as though she would have asked the question regardless of his dream.
"Better, now," he replied. "But I don't know what we'll find in this Dungeon."
Elli nodded in agreement. "I've never been to Spitfire Junction before…but from the name, it sounds as though there will be many Fire-type Pokémon."
A Fire-type Dungeon would be helpful for Coale due to his own Fire-typing. Elli, too, would have a solid matchup against Fire-types. On the surface, he couldn't find any reason to be anxious about traversing the Dungeon, but the pending encounter with an outlaw still caused him unease…
They neared the opposite shore after only a short time. Coale and Elli slid gently from Milotic, and Donphan jumped from Gyarados's back.
"Thanks for the lift!" shouted Donphan.
Milotic and Gyarados nodded in acknowledgement.
"Since you'll warp back to the Guild, we'll see you there next," said Gyarados.
"Ok," replied Elli. "Thank you both,"
The trio watched as Milotic and Gyarados slid back into the water, heading back to the inner island to take more explorers to their destinations.
. . .
They found the entrance to Spitfire Junction quite easily. After walking a short distance, they began to notice the ground become darker and the air more stale. With Donphan leading the way, the group reached the mouth of a cave, spilling out cooled black rocks unto the ground beneath their feet.
"This must be the mouth of the cave," said Elli.
"I'm ready!" said Donphan.
As they stepped into the cave, Coale felt the same suffocating, disorienting darkness that he had felt in the last Dungeon. After a few seconds, they emerged to find themselves within the cave. The walls of the room had the same geometric pattern that Coale had noticed during their trek through Pine Forest. This terrain, however, was very different. It was much hotter, much darker, and molten magma oozed from cracks in the walls, dripping into puddles on the rocky floor.
"Well," ventured Elli, "I don't see why we shouldn't start moving."
"I'll take the lead," said Donphan immediately, choosing a path from the three in front of them and heading towards it. Offering no objection, Coale and Elli followed him.
They navigated the first floor with no incident, locating the mystifying stairs in the third room that they visited. On the second floor, they encountered trouble in a narrow passageway as Donphan almost bumped into an approaching Magmar.
"Watch out, guys!" he called back to them. "I'll send it flying with my Rollout!"
Instinctively, Coale and Elli backed up a few steps. Donphan began spinning like a wheel, and using the wall as a means to gain speed, slammed into the opposing Magmar with great force. True to Donphan's prediction, the Magmar was hurled backward, hitting the opposite wall. Even from his obscured vantage point, Coale could tell that the Magmar had been knocked out.
"See?" said Donphan. "Piece of cake!"
Coale could tell then that Donphan's bravado was not empty. Donphan's moves were incredibly powerful, and Coale then appreciated that Donphan had joined them on this mission. However, there was still the notorious outlaw to worry about…
Upon reaching the third floor, Coale began to notice a smell. It was faint, but distinct from the other earthy scents of the Dungeon. Something about the smell was unpleasant, but Coale couldn't quite place what it was. Deciding that he it wasn't their highest priority, he neglected to mention it to the others, choosing instead to press onward.
On the fifth floor, the group found themselves surrounded by several foes. A Slugma, a Heatmor, and Litleo had backed the Team into the center of a large room.
"Anyone got a plan?" asked Elli, addressing both Donphan and Coale.
"I got this one!" Donphan shouted, and, without waiting for a response, he charged at the Heatmor, hitting his opponent with a Body Slam. Startled, Coale and Elli were forced to take on the foe closest to them. Coale dove underground, unleashing Dig right under the Slugma, knocking it out. Elli began to pummel the Litleo with a series of Psychock attacks until it too was knocked out.
"That wasn't so hard!" said Donphan, looking at Coale and Elli, who were both out of breath.
Donphan might be powerful, I don't know what will happen if we get into a situation that requires planning, thought Coale. Still, neither he nor Elli chose to say anything about it, and the group continued onward.
Coale's senses were on edge by the time they reached the seventh floor. The smell he had noticed earlier was starting to get worse. It was now an underlying stench of decay. He sniffed loudly, prompting Elli to turn her head in his direction.
"What is it, Coale?" she asked.
"Elli," he replied, "Can you smell anything?"
Her brow furrowed as she took a long whiff of the air. "I smell it too," she confirmed, puzzled.
"Donphan," she said in a voice that Coale doubted Donphan would hear. "Can you smell that?"
To Coale's surprise, Donphan was able to hear Elli's soft-spoken voice from behind him. He waited a few seconds before answering. "Yeah…that smells weird…"
His eyes shifted in several directions after saying this. He turned his head forward, clearly intending to keep going without saying another word on the subject. Maybe I was wrong, thought Coale. Maybe it's not important…
After a few more encounters with the Dungeon's Pokémon on the next few floors, the trio came across a new room. This room was even more geometrically shaped than the rest of the Dungeon. Two pools of magma were evenly spaced at the edge of the room, and at the very center was a strangely shaped statue.
"Oh!" exclaimed Elli. "I've actually never seen a real one before."
She lifted her paw to the statue and touched it lightly.
"It's a Kangaskhan Rock," she explained. "It's a waypoint. Everyone, touch it."
Coale and Donphan both raised their respective appendages to the Rock. A soft glow emanated from it before disappearing.
"Now we will be warped back here if we are knocked out in the Dungeon, instead of being kicked out completely," said Elli.
Suddenly, an overpowering stench filled the room. The smell assaulted Coale's senses almost like a physical force. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to keep from breathing in as tears welled up in his eyelids.
"Well," coughed Elli a few feet to Coale's right. "You weren't imagining that smell."
A deep, sinister laugh emanated from the room around them.
Coale became instantly tense, and he could feel his quills flare up under his fur. Elli and Donphan looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Well," said the voice, the sound dripping with a sticky quality, "this is what the police force sends to capture me?"
Coale started looking around as well. He couldn't place the voice's location. The room was dark enough that something could hide in its shadows, but Coale found no source of movement.
"You're going to have your hands full."
The voice spoke again, this time from a different part of the room. Tears filled Coale's eyes again. He was sure now that whatever was speaking was also producing the foul stench.
Wait a minute, thought Coale. Where in the Dungeon are we…
Elli came to the realization at the same time as Coale. "Outlaw Muk!" she cried triumphantly. "Show yourself!"
Unfortunately, a cough escaped Elli's throat just as she finished this demand, causing it to sound much less impressive.
"What?" asked the voice once more. "You can't stand my presence?"
Coale saw a shadow behind Elli for a split second.
"I'm so disappointed."
This time, Elli was hurled forward with enough force to crash into the opposite wall, and a stinking, purple pile of sludge took shape where she had been standing. Within seconds, it became the spitting image of the outlaw from the poster.
"Ho ho ho," laughed Muk. "You sorry bunch are going to arrest me?"
Donphan, surprisingly, had remained silent through this entire exchange. His eyes narrowed, slightly concealed under his trunk of leathery skin. Coale began to inch his way towards Elli, who looked hurt, while keeping Muk in his sights. Donphan's foot eased back, scraping the rocks on the floor and throwing dust into the air.
"Why you-" began Donphan through gritted teeth.
"Come on then," Muk challenged. "Why don't you come get me?"
Coale could see that Donphan was going to fall for Muk's taunt. Sure enough, Donphan let out a roar and charged wildly at Muk. Muk stood his ground, waiting for Donphan to get close. Then, to Coale's astonishment, Muk seemed to vanish. Donphan was unable to stop his attack, crashing heavily into the wall. Coale's head whirled, he could not see any sign of Muk. He took the opportunity to rush over to Elli, as she was beginning to stand up.
"I'll be fine," she reassured Coale. "Where-"
Without warning, Coale was slammed hard from the side, rolling across the floor and stopping near the Kangaskhan Rock. He looked around again, and could tell from Elli's bewildered look that she had not seen the attack either. Donphan had regained his feet, and looked even angrier than he had previously.
"How is he doing that?!" exclaimed Elli. "Muk isn't a Psychic type. He can't teleport…"
Muk laughed again, his voice echoing from the walls.
"There's a reason no one can catch me," came Muk's voice, emanating throughout the room. "It's my signature attack, Acid Armor. I disappear, and can't be found."
Grunting, Donphan stomped the ground. "Show yourself, you coward!" he shouted at the ceiling. "Why don't you battle with honor?"
"And why would I do that?" asked Muk's voice. "Why should I stoop to your tactless fighting strategy? I'm surprised! I would have expected better from a Donphan."
Donphan turned red, grunting, but said nothing.
"Oh?" said Muk's voice. "You must be handicapped, then. Oh, the shame in that."
Handicapped? thought Coale, puzzled. How is Donphan handicapped?
Donphan still remained silent.
"Well," said Muk's voice. "It appears that I was more than a match for your ragtag group. I'll be going now. Maybe they'll send better Teams after me next time."
Muk's laugh echoed and faded into nothingness.
For moments afterward, the only sound was the bubbling of the magma pools near the walls.
"I- I think he's gone," ventured Elli, walking slowly over to Coale. He took a deep breath, exhaling a bit of smoke as he did so. I can see now why Muk has been so hard to capture…
Elli's face gained a sudden determined look. "From here, Muk has only one way to go: further into the Dungeon." Her face brightened. "We can still catch him!"
Her next thought darkened her eyes slightly. "…But how will we find him? That Acid Armor move keeps him invisible…"
Coale then noticed something new about Elli. She was becoming more of a tactician. While traversing Dungeons, she tended to make suggestions and plans with the mind of a leader…but always referred back to Coale for the final decision. Coale wondered if this was simply her strength as an exploration partner. Perhaps she was gaining greater confidence in herself…
"I know!" Elli exclaimed suddenly. "Coale, do you remember the smell that was in this room moments ago? It's gone now."
Coale cautiously sniffed the stuffy air in the room. Elli was right. There was a lingering stink from the smell, but it had mostly faded.
"It must be Muk that's giving off that horrible smell," said Elli. "Our noses aren't sensitive enough to pinpoint Muk's exact location, but Donphan's is! I'll bet that's why Vileplume wanted Donphan to go along with us on this mission."
Elli grinned. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
She started to make her way out of the room as Coale looked backward. Strangely, Donphan had not spoken for several minutes, and Coale noticed now that he appeared to be staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact with both him and Elli. Elli noticed it too, and she walked back over next to Donphan.
"Donphan?" she asked softly. "Are you ok?"
Donphan mumbled something in an undertone, too low for Coale and Elli to hear.
"Sorry?" offered Elli nervously.
"I'm useless, then," said Donphan sadly. "Muk was right. I'm handicapped because I can't smell."
Coale and Elli stared for a second, unsure of how to respond. This Donphan was very different from the Donphan they had come to know as a fellow Guild apprentice. For a moment, gone was his bravado and confidence.
"It's really embarrassing not to be able to smell," continued Donphan. "I mean, we're supposed to be really great smellers, you know?"
He squeezed his eyes shut. "I've been hiding it for years. No one asked me about it. They just assumed I could do everything, and I believed it…almost."
He continued to avoid looking at Coale and Elli as he revealed this, choosing instead to stare at the wall. No one spoke. Silence reigned supreme between the three explorers.
Then, Elli touched her paw to the top of Donphan's head. He flinched a bit, surprised.
"Donphan," she said in the gentlest, most soothing voice Coale could imagine. "You are anything but useless."
Donphan gathered the strength to look at Elli. Coale could see the doubt still reflected in Donphan's eyes.
"You're incredibly powerful," said Elli. "There's no way Coale or I could have defeated some of those Pokémon earlier with just one attack."
Donphan seemed to nod in grudging agreement.
"It doesn't matter that you can't smell," said Elli. "You can do all sorts of other things. Vileplume gathered us all together for this mission, so are we going to stand down and let Muk get away?"
Coale was struck again by Elli's shift in demeanor. She might have been doubtful of herself, but when others were feeling down, there seemed to be no better person than Elli to inspire them. Wow, he thought. Elli really has changed…
Elli's words seemed to hit home with Donphan. "You're right, Elli." His eyes narrowed. "Let's do this."
. . .
The next few floors of the Dungeon were more difficult than those at the beginning. Team Starfire saw the likes of an increasing number of fully-evolved Pokémon, encountering Pyroar, Darmanitan, and Houndoom. Each of these foes posed a great threat, but Donphan was relentless, pummeling the opposition into submission. During many encounters, the best way that Coale and Elli could help with the fight was to cover the rear while Donphan took the brunt of the attacks. With Donphan making short work of most of their opponents, the group made steady progress to the end of the Dungeon.
Eventually, they reached a point at which a dead end presented itself. The Team had reached a peninsula surrounded by a lake of magma. Coale, Elli, and Donphan stood tense, each looking around for a possible threat.
"Be on your guard…" cautioned Elli softy.
"There's nowhere to run, Muk!"shouted Donphan. "You're cornered!"
For a second, it appeared as if Donphan had shouted into thin air, but after a few moments Muk's booming laugh sounded from somewhere in the room.
"Oh, so it's you three again. Have you come to try and defeat me again?"
"We have," replied Elli firmly.
"Well, then," said Muk's voice. "Try fighting something you can't see."
Coale, Elli, and Donphan took defensive stances, poised for combat.
"Um, Coale?" asked Elli nervously. "How are we going to fight something we can't see?"
Coale had to admit that he was at a loss. They had neglected to take a bit of time to come up with an alternative plan, and Coale realized that they had to come up with one, fast…
"Hey, guys," said Donphan in an undertone. "I have a plan."
Coale looked at him, mildly surprised. What could Donphan's plan be?
"Coale, you and Elli cover the edges," Donphan said. "I'll take it from there."
Despite Donphan's lack of strategy in previous encounters, Coale and Elli had a strange confidence in the situation. They did as Donphan instructed, moving forwards until they were each covering a part of the room.
"Are you out there Muk?" shouted Donphan. "Come and get us!"
Muk gave no response. Instead, something invisible slammed into Elli once more, knocking her to the ground. Reacting quickly, Coale expelled a short burst of flame from his mouth, missing its unidentifiable target and hitting one of the stone stalactites instead, causing bits of stone to shower the battlefield.
"Coale!" yelled Donphan. "Watch out!"
Coale whirled just in time to see a slight shimmer in the air hurtle towards him. He jumped out of the way just in time. How did Donphan know that was coming?
On the other side of the room, Elli stood, the gem on her forehead glowing. "I can't find him!" she shouted to Coale.
Coale then started to notice the stench again. Oh no…
Within a span of seconds Coale's eyes became watery, and he began coughing, bits of smoke escaping his nostrils. He could see that Elli was undergoing a similar reaction, trying to cover her face with her paw. Neither was in any state to defend themselves.
"Well, it looks like my smell has rendered two of you powerless," said Muk's disembodied voice. "Now it's just me and the incapable Donphan."
Coale could barely see Donphan though his hazy vision, but Donphan did not seem fazed by Muk's taunt.
"How do you expect to win against me?" asked Muk.
"Easy," replied Donphan. "Since I can't smell, I'm immune to that little trick."
He grinned. "And I can hear really well."
Without warning, Donphan turned sharply, launching a Slam attack directly into the empty space behind him. An audible cry sounded from the air, and the invisible foe, caught off guard, was hurled backwards into the wall, hitting it with an audible sound. Muk began to ooze back into sight, its Acid Armor fading. Coale and Elli were able to regain their feet and walk across the room behind Donphan, looking down at Muk's defeated form.
"How-" said Muk, bewildered. "How did you do that?"
"Like I said," replied Donphan, "my ears are my best feature."
. . .
It was a relatively easy task for Team Starfire to warp to the surface using the Explorer Badge. Muk was too shocked to put up any further fight, and reluctantly followed the group to the notice boards, where two Herdier were waiting to arrest Muk.
"Nice job, you three," said one of the Herdier. "We thought we would have to send in several teams to nab this guy. How'd you manage it?"
"Well, it wasn't easy," said Donphan with uncharacteristic sincerity, "but we got the job done."
As the two Herdier led the silent Muk away, Coale, Elli, and Donphan walked towards the Guild, the sun setting to the west.
"Hey, thanks you guys," said Donphan, breaking the silence.
Slightly surprised, Elli turned to look at him. "You're welcome, Donphan," she said. "We really couldn't have done it without you."
They arrived at the Guild just as dinner was being served. "Perfect timing!" exclaimed Clefable, practically shoving bowls of hot soup towards the trio as they took their places at the table. The assembled apprentices chatted about their respective missions, enjoying the meal. While Butterfree related a story in which she and Drifloon and delivered an Oran Berry to a particularly clumsy client, Vileplume walked over to where Coale, Elli, and Donphan were sitting.
"Congratulations, you three," said Vileplume. "I knew we'd made the right choice selecting you for this mission."
Donphan couldn't help grinning over his bowl of soup. Coale returned the grin, his spirit filled with contentment.
. . .
Everyone went to bed a short while later. Elli curled into a ball and fell asleep almost immediately. Coale, however, had a harder time drifting off. Despite being both mentally and physically exhausted, his mind wandered towards things other than sleep. A significant worry was that he might have the nightmare again…
Eventually, he decided that staying awake would solve no problems. Within moments, he, too had fallen asleep, dreaming of surprises and missions…with the ominous presence of a growing mystery in their wake.