Disclaimer: Yes, I still exist.

Haha, I know Meowth's part has been pretty bland at the moment. It'll get better though, trust me. And when it does, I'll probably update faster! So for now, here's Chapter 11...read it or else. XD

...

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Meowth screamed as his eyes snapped awake and his body practically collapsed right out of the warm, comfortable bed. His fur was soaked down do the bone with fresh, chilled water and he shivered from the exposure and in fear of the water itself. Meowth and water did not mix – no, not one bit.

"Talk about a wakeup call," Flower sighed, sweatdropping. "Was that really necessary, you guys?"

The gengar, Damien, shrugged. "If that's what gets 'im up, I'd say so," he replied with a toothy smile. "One gets tired of using the same old ghostly tricks from time to time to get his comrades out of bed. Besides," he turned to the water type beside him, "I'd say you had some fun with that, didn't you Blastoise?"

"Haha," the large pokemon laughed. "I never said I had fun messing with the future hero, now did I? I'm just relieved that I haven't completely lost touch with my hydro pump, yet. Been a while since I've done that...guessing I should do it more often, no?"

"Well," Damien said, still grinning. "You can always stop by here any morning you'd like – I appreciate the volunteering you take in this seemingly impossible task. I mean geez, I've heard of meowth sleeping for long hours of time but this kid's ridiculous! An entire week could pass and, if no one were to wake him, he'd still be in that same spot of his, dreaming up a storm!"

Meowth huffed and crossed his arms. "Hey! Dat's a downright insult to my very species!" he accused. "What's more, ya've gone and dunked me in water all da way down ta my skin – I hate water! Dat wasn't very nice, ya know!"

Damien put his arms up in front of him in a defensive stance and laughed. "Wow, I'm soooo afraid of the cranky wittle puddy tat!" he taunted playfully. "...not."

"Oh, yeah?!" Meowth countered. "Not afraid, hoih? Well, I'll make ya afraid then!" Claws extended from each paw as he took a battling stance in front of the ghost-type. Flower sighed and rubbed a paw delicately to her forehead. Here we go again, she thought.

"Whoa, dude...seriously, calm down." Damien rolled his eyes, but didn't for a second get rid of the ghostly grin spread across his face. "If you're gonna be that way, kid, I'll just leave and come on back when you're in a better mood. At least stop messing around...I mean, you are the Stronger One or whatever...so why don't you go out there and protect us?"

"Maybe we should all stop messing around and get back on top of business." Blastoise suggested hastily, eying Damien as he said it.

The spikes on the gengar's back flattened down. "Man, that's no fun." he pouted.

An odd glimmer shone in the water type's eye. "Hm? Are you perhaps complaining about your placement?" he persisted. "Because...you know, we can always put you back on janitor duty in the kitchen...I bet Lars would happily trade jobs with you."

The gengar's eyes widened. "Psh, no way!" he argued, flicking his paw. "I'm happy with this job – perfectly happy!" He looked down at Meowth and Flower. "Do you two hear me complainin'?" he asked, then added quickly before they could open their mouths to the width of a caterpie's string shot, "No! I'm not complaining, not at all, I mean...come on!"

"Good." the large turtle-like pokemon replied. "I'm sure that being the HQ's official alarm clock gives you something totally worth living for."

Damien appeared not to be listening and continued ranting on as he left the room. "Me? Complaining? No, I don't complain! Not ole' Damien! I'm perfectly happy with this job. No mopping up the floors for me! I'm completely and utterly happy...psyched beyond belief! There's no way in Arceus's name that I could possibly -"

Blastoise laughed as his voice faded away. "That Damien." he chuckled. "Honest to day, he really livens the place up in the morning. I never thought I'd say it before, but thank goodness for that gengar."

Flower sighed in relief. "Hey, Blastoise...thanks for saving us from that catastrophic episode," she complimented. She turned to Meowth. "And you," she emphasised, then smiled and shook her head. "Haha, don't scare me like that again. For a minute there, I thought you were actually going to confront Damien in battle."

"Heheh, yeah." Meowth falsely agreed, sweatdropping. To tell the truth, he probably would've attacked the gengar and engaged in quite the war if he had not been interrupted from doing so. He wasn't disappointed, though – in fact, he was partly grateful for the cause. When he thought about it realistically, he probably would've been destroyed by the ghost-type. But still, a question came to mind...was he willing to fight out of battle instinct after the training he had gone through the other day, or was it just out of morning fury from having his sleep being disturbed? He really wasn't too sure.

"Well, enough's enough," Blastoise concluded. "You two are up now, so you might as well come down to eat breakfast." He began to leave, and then stopped once he remembered something. "Oh yeah, I believe Alakazam told me he wants to have a word with you this morning. He's probably still down in the cafe, so I'm sure you can discuss it with him while you eat."

"Alakazam wants to talk to us?" Flower quired, cocking her head. "What about?"

Blastoise shrugged. "You'll figure it out once you get down there, now won't you?" he answered. "I think he wants to talk to you about your plans for today. If you haven't already heard, Calix left last night, so he isn't around as of now. A sudden mission cropped up, I guess."

A worried look came to the ivysaur's face. "He left? Gee, I hope it wasn't too urgent."

"I'm sure everything must be fine." the water-type assured. "Calix usually knows what he's doing. He'll be back in a couple of days without a scratch on him. Whatever the problem is, Calix is strong and smart enough to fix it up."

"Hm, so Calix is gone?" Meowth asked. "Does dat mean we still hafta train and stuff?" Blastoise looked down quizzically at him and he suddenly noticed how whiny his voice sounded for the one who was supposed to be this world's future hero. Quickly, he cleared his throat and corrected his tone. "I mean, well,...trainin's real fun and all...but takin' da day off doesn't seem too bad of an idea ta me."

"Take the day off? Why, you've only been training for how many days? A grand total of one?" Blastoise laughed. "Oh, and stop asking all these questions, kid, you're giving me a headache." He put a large paw to his forehead as he said it. "If you want to ask questions, ask Alakazam. He'd probably be happy to answer whatever question you'd happen to throw at him. But please, not me." He laughed again. "I'm all brawn and no brain, man."

"OK. Thanks Blastoise." Flower quipped in before Meowth could ask any more questions. She turned to her feline friend. "We should get ready to go eat breakfast, Meowth. Then we can ask Alakazam what he wants us to do."

Meowth sighed. "Awright."

Flower giggled and nudged his side. "Come on, don't be such a sourpuss." she ordered playfully. "Training's not that bad, Meowth. Might as well get used to it now, right?"

Meowth grumbled and followed the other pokemon down without a fuss. He didn't know Alakazam too well but by the looks, he seemed tough – tough as Calix or maybe even tougher. If Calix shoved hard and unforgiving work down his throat until he felt numb, then he couldn't even think of how a training session of Alakazam's might work. Still, the psychic type didn't seem quite as physical in battling as Calix...would he possibly cut a poor meowth some slack? He knew here he was apparently considered as some kind of legendary hero, but don't heroes take breaks too?

Ah well, perhaps he would be better of if he just faced fate as it was without puzzling it over too much. He just hoped that any ideas Alakazam might have wouldn't be too crazy.

...

"Wait...WHAT?!" Meowth spewed milk out of his mouth and all over the table in front of him, causing Flower, Alakazam and the nidorina standing by to move appropriately as to not get soaked.

Alakazam's face looked unusually calm. "This is the third time I've explained it to you, son. Would you like me to go over the details once more?"

Meowth wiped his arm across his face to rid of some excess milk, seemingly a bit embarrassed by his own outburst. "Well, no, I tink I must've hoid you correctly dis whole time." he replied disappointedly. "But still, I don't understand why ya want me ta do dis. Split up from Flower? I can't."

Alakazam raised his eyebrows. "What would make you say that?" he questioned in his calm, mild and emotionless voice.

"Uh, well..." Meowth trailed, scratching his head. "Da whole time I've been here, I've always been with Flower."

"So?"

"So..." Meowth knew he didn't want to leave the ivysaur. Ever since he had brought himself into the new, unknown world, he always felt a little weird and out of place. Flower was the only one he really got to know in that amount of time and as long as he was with her, it was almost as if he felt more...secure, more confident. Like as if she was his only real friend for the time being, and everything was easier when he was with her rather than alone.

"Well," he continued, looking up at the psychic type. "It's just...ta split us up so suddenly...it really doesn't seem like a good idea ta me." Alakazam did not appear to be very persuaded.

"I mean..." he tried to think of another excuse. "I-I get off focus when I'm on my own, you see. I'd find it much better if I had someone who could...ya know, keep me company while I'm about my woik."

"Meowth, I already told you...Flower can't. I need her to take care of Ralts and Lou today." Alakazam reminded him. "You'll be fine alone for the time being. When Calix comes back, you can return to whatever training you were doing before but for right now, he wants you to work on your battling skills by yourself."

"By myself? How am I supposed ta do dat?" Meowth asked. "If I ain't mistaken, I'm pretty sure ya need ta have more den one pokemon ta have a pokemon battle."

"Precisely." agreed Alakazam, folding his arms against his chest. "And that is why I'll be having you explore a Mystery Dungeon today."

Meowth raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Mystery what-y? I tink you lost me."

"Oh, right, I forgot...Meowth's not from this world." Flower reminded herself aloud, then tended to the cat's question. "Mystery Dungeon's are...well, pretty much what they sound like. They're odd places where different varieties of pokemon tend to inhabit. Like in a forest dungeon, you might see a lot of bug and grass types, and so forth. Dungeons are found all over the place here and more and more of them are discovered over time."

"So..." Meowth scratched his chin. "How would a forest dungeon be anyting different from just a plain ol' forest?"

"Well," Flower continued with a usual smile. "That's what's weird about it. They call them Mystery Dungeons because every time you go into one, it seems to be different than what it was like the other times before. I know it's kind of hard to explain...I guess that's why they're still calling it a mystery. Not even some of the smart pokemon here at the HQ know how to explain it quite yet, not even Alakazam."

"Dat doesn't make any sense ta me."

"I'm not really sure if it's supposed to." she giggled. "But anyway, unlike the pokemon who actually live there, there are other pokemon that venture in there on their own. There are some groups of pokemon called Rescue Teams, and they go into dungeons to do rescue missions, such as saving other pokemon in peril, catching outlaws or doing errands. There are also newer groups I've heard about that call themselves Exploration Teams. Their main purpose, as far as I'm concerned, is to explore areas and search for treasures, but I guess they can also do rescue work too." She shrugged.

"That's right." Alakazam cut in. "Exploration Teams have been known to also do rescue work, even though they weren't really developed for the purpose. Assumptions certainly started to rise that a lot of pokemon wouldn't need rescuing ever since the stop of the natural disasters, but slowly, more pokemon in need have been popping up again. Needless to say," he went on, looking Meowth in the eye. "That isn't what I called you to do at the moment, so it isn't important for me to go too in depth as of now."

"Den what do ya want me ta do?" Meowth questioned. "Just go off into some dungeon all by myself?"

"Yes," Alakazam replied. "Foggy Forest is a dungeon nearby that I would like you to take the time to visit – Flower can show you the way there. Basically, I'd like you to get yourself comfortable with exploring a dungeon. Later on you may have no choice but to take a dungeon's path to get to your destinations, so it's obviously good to get you ready for what you might be expecting in the future. You also might be lucky to get a little training in too, if some of the pokemon challenge you to battle."

Meowth stiffened a little at the word "battle". Frankly, he couldn't understand how some pokemon could actually get themselves to enjoy such an activity. "How will I know da way out?" he asked just as he realised he may have trouble with locating the exit of such a...mysterious place.

"Oh, you'll know." the pshycic-type assured. "You can't really get terribly lost forever, especially in a shorter dungeon like Foggy Forest. Usually, pokemon exit dungeons using mechanisms such as a Rescue Team Badge or an Exploration Badge if they're a part of one of those particular groups. Some pokemon also use escape orbs, and some even rely on teleportation – pyschics, mostly. However," he went on explaining. "I would like you to try to find the end of the dungeon yourself because, like I said before, it's good preparation for your future explorations."

"Excuse me – oh, are you done speaking, Alakazam, sir?" asked a feminine voice. A blue, rabbit-like pokemon had appeared near the table with a cart of dirt dishes and silverware.

"Oh yes, go right on ahead, Nidorina." Alakazam replied with a nod, handing her a couple stacked dishes from his own breakfast that the poison-type took carefully from him and placed carefully onto the cart with the others. Meowth, Flower, and three or so other pokemon from the other end of the table also pushed theirs toward the blue rabbit.

"How did you enjoy your meal today?" she asked as she took a wipe and dabbed at some leftover syrup on one of the plates.

"It was delicious, tanks." Meowth answered, patting his full tummy.

The nidorina beamed. "I'm certainly glad." The plate she was cleaning moments before was set on the growing pile and she grabbed for another. Alakazam reached for a small brown bag out of seemingly nowhere and handed it to the poison-type.

"Oh?" She inspected the brown bag, knowing too well what it was full of. "Why, Alakazam, what's this for?" she asked. She was already paid – though not too much – for her cleaning duties and wasn't sure if she should accept the extra cash.

"It's alright, take it. I've got plenty," he pestered. "Just consider it as...a tip."

"Oh, many thanks to you, Alakazam!" Nidorina praised, holding the bag tightly. "Bless you, sincerely."

He nodded. "You're very welcome."

"Well," she said, blushing. "I'm very flattered." She picked up the remaining dishes and stacked them onto her cart. "I should get going now though – lots of dishes still dirty and somebody's gotta clean 'em. Again, Alakazam," she bowed her head respectfully. "Thank you." With those last words, she wheeled her cart away to another table. Alakazam looked to Meowth and Flower, and both of them automatically looked back as if they had felt his gaze upon them.

"You two best be going, too." he advised. "Flower, the kids should be waiting for you outside. And Meowth," he looked at the cat. "You know what you have to do. Journey through the Foggy Forest and, if you ever find yourself in a terrible emergency," he handed Meowth a small, rectangular device. "Click the button on there and help from the HQ will be immediately sent to assist you." Meowth wordlessly accepted the emergency device and hopped off of his seat with Flower. They started to leave when the ivysaur suddenly turned around and ran back.

"Wait, I forgot to pay the bill." she laughed, reaching for some Poke in her pocket.

"Don't worry about it, Flower," Alakazam replied. "I've got it covered for the two of you this morning."

"Uh, Alakazam, are you sure?" the grass-type asked uncertainly. "I mean, it's not bad to be generous or anything, but I'm perfectly capable of paying myself."

"It's fine." the psychic-type said back. "I really don't mind taking care of the charges for today. Don't worry about it."

"Wow, thank you, that's very nice of you." she acknowledged shyly. She walked back to Meowth and the two of them continued to the door and brought themselves out and into the hallway.

"Gee," Meowth started once they were a ways from the cafeteria. "Alakazam sure is a nice guy. Is he always dat way?"

Flower shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. You see, I don't know very much about Alakazam." she admitted. "I mean sure, I know he's a part of Team ACT and he's one of the highly respected pokemon here at the HQ...but other than that, I don't often get to spend time around him much in person, so it's impossible for me to know. I guess he must be pretty kind, seeing that he gave that money to Nidorina and helped both of us pay our bill all at once."

"Dat's da odda ting..." Meowth trailed off. Both he and the ivysaur stopped in their path. Flower gave Meowth a puzzled look.

"What other thing?" she quired.

"Payin' for da meals," he went on, scratching his ear. "I didn't know we had ta actually...pay for dem. Alakazam paid for us today, but what about yesterday? I mean, da thought never occurred to me. I don't have any money..." Realising he didn't want Flower to think he was a hopelessly broke nobody in his past, he quickly covered it up. "I mean, I don't have any money in dis woild," he quickly corrected. "And it's not like I know how ta earn it or anyting."

"Oh, it's alright, that's completely understandable." Flower assured. "I'm sure one of pokemon here at the HQ, maybe Gardevoir or Calix could have surely paid it for you. Or even Alakazam, come to think of it."

"Yeah, after what he did today, I guess it wouldn't be a surprise. But still -" He rubbed his chin and the two of them continued walking. He put a paw to his forehead and laughed. "Ah, what's da use of tinkin' it over? Whoever it was, I'm sure dey had deir reasons for doin' so. It's really thoughtful of them...I mean, nobody ever usually does anyting nice for me like dat." A small smile showed on his lips.

Flower smiled back. "Well, you are the Stronger One, Meowth." she reminded him. "I guess that counts for something, right?"

"Haha...yeah, probably." Meowth didn't say much more about it after that and just resumed walking with the ivysaur by his side. The grass-type chuckled inwardly to herself. I wonder if I should tell him that I was the one paying his bills, she wondered, then thought against it. Nah, it's better to keep him guessing. After all, I'm not really sure if he really considers me his friend yet. Maybe sometime later, when I know for sure? She shook her head. Ah, what the heck, I'm being ridiculous. We're buddies...aren't we?

"Hey, dis is da way ta outside, right?" Meowth suddenly cried out in excitement, running to the door nearest to them. "Oh yeah! I'm finally getting da hang of dis place!"

Flower giggled and allowed a sweatdrop to roll down the side of her face. "Actually, that would be one of the bathrooms, Meowth."

"Oh. Right, I knew dat."

...

Meowth inhaled some of the fresh air and sighed. It sure seemed to be a nice day outside – no one would ever have known it unless they had stepped out of that old building to see and feel it for themselves. Of course, it was great having a bed and tasty meals being paid especially for him, but being in the great outdoors always made him feel more at home. Even though it was in a whole other place – a while other world – he had spent most of his life sprawled out on a floor of grass and and underneath a ceiling of clouds, stars, and sometimes even thunderstorms. Mother Nature wasn't always on his side, but nonetheless she still felt homey to the cat.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to part ways, Meowth." Flower finally told him from the entrance of Foggy Forest.

"I guess." Meowth bit his lip.

"Why does Meowth have to leave?" piped a young, high-pitched voice. It was Ralts, the offspring of Gardevoir that Flower was told to babysit. A riolu also stood nearby – the one and only son of Calix himself.

"Yeah, why, Ms. Flower?" the riolu asked, also in a high voice, only with a bit of a lower tone than the psychic type's.

"He has to go explore Foggy Forest, Lou." she informed the puppy-like pokemon. "He needs to get ready for the tough journeys ahead of him before he goes off and saves the world." She winked at Meowth and he laughed nervously.

"Uh, yeah." he added. "She's right, kids. I gotta work at it ta be my best...dey don't call me da Stronger One for nothin'."

"But Meowth doesn't have to train, does he?" the riolu said, grinning. "He's already strong and brave, with sharp claws that could slice through any enemy and wicked cool battle styles! He can beat up any baddie that gets in his way because he's the best!"

"Yeah!" Ralts agreed. "He can take down legendaries and send them scurrying away in fear! Even the mountains and forests tremble in his very presence!"

Whoa, what are dese kids bein' taught about me?, Meowth wondered. Dey seem ta tink I'm some kind of ultimate comic book hero or sometin'. For all I know...in dis woild, maybe I am. I could be, like, a celebrity or a super star, or who knows what else? Suddenly, a grin formed and an odd glint shone in his left eye. Heeeyyyy, I could have a little fun with dis!

"Dat's right, kids." he boasted proudly. "I am da Stronger One, and I've come ta save da woild fer ya. Don't worry though, I got it under control. I fight evil like a weezing fights a cold. No one messes with me...'less dey want ta taste some of dis." He flexed out his arms as if to expose the non-existent muscle there.

Oh man, Flower thought, putting a paw to her forehead. Meowth was becoming a little too over-confident lately. She knew that all the pokemon at the HQ thought of him as a legend, even the smartest ones like Alakazam. She understood he was supposed to be their chosen hero, but she couldn't stop thinking about the fear she saw in his eyes just the other day, when Calix suddenly attacked him out of random. Right that very minute, Meowth probably felt completely indestructible, but what would happen if he were to be attacked again, right on the spot? Oh, this is silly, the ivysaur managed a smile. Why must I worry so much about him? He knows what he's doing, right? He's the Stronger One! It could be that maybe something happened to him in his journey to their world.Perhaps Gardevoir could have accidentally gave him a hint of amnesia, making him forget a little bit of who he was before? In any case, he would probably remember soon enough the legend his really is...but still, she couldn't help worrying.

"Yay! Meowth is here to save us!" Ralts chirped, clapping his hands and shaking Flower from her troubling thoughts.

"Yeah," Lou agreed. He turned to face the cat. "Oh man, I can't believe I'm seeing you with my own two eyes. To think that me, of all pokemon!" He giggled excitedly. "I mean, you're awesome, man! Can I have an autograph? Please?!" A small notebook was forced into Meowth's chest.

"Oh!" Meowth replied in shock. "Why...oh yes, yes, of course." He laughed. "I can give ya an autograph, kid. Here..." He looked around and then grinned before wading his paw down in a puddle of mud and slapping it firmly against the riolu's notebook. When the paw was lifted, a sloppy, brown paw mark of a meowth stood in the place of the once-blank piece of paper.

"Whoa..." the riolu gasped as he carefully took back the prize. Ralts gazed down at it and though it was hard to see his eyes from behind green hair, Meowth could tell he was jealous.

"Aw man, I wish I had a notebook!" the psychic pokemon whined.

"Haha, don't worry," Meowth assured with a flick of his paw. "I'm sure you kids can share it, can't ya?" Ralts began to look toward Lou and the fighting-type cautiously hid the notebook behind his back as if to protect it from anyone who dared to touch it.

"Alright, guys," Flower cut in between the young duo. "I think it's about time we leave Meowth at his duties – he's quite a busy little hero so he can't waste too much time around here right now, OK?" She nodded to Meowth, giving him the signal that he should be leaving while she had the attention of the youngsters. She looked down to the ralts and riolu. "Now, why don't we play a game? How about freeze-tag? You two love freeze-tag."

"Aw, freeze-tag's boring." Ralts sighed.

"Yeah," Lou agreed. "We play it all the time."

Flower tried not to frown. "Oh, it's alright...we don't have to play freeze-tag." she replied. "There's still plenty of other things to do. What would you prefer to play? What about hide-and-seek? There's also Truth or Dare..."

The two of of them didn't respond, but instead glanced down at their feet. Flower cocked her head. "Ralts, Lou, is there anything wrong?" she quired. The kids loved to play games and they were usually ecstatic whenever she even mentioned freeze-tag. She tried to search for a reason why, however it didn't take long for her to realise what it was they were longing for.

"Well..." Lou trailed. "It's just that...

"...we're not really...in the mood for any of that right now..." Ralts finished.

Flower bit her lip. "Oh," she said, the first word that came to her mind. "Then...if you don't want to play games...what exactly do you want to do?"

A huge smile formed on each face and instantly, the ivysaur's fears had been confirmed. It was silent for a couple of seconds before both of them started speaking the same thing at the precisely the same time in an explosion of words.

"GO ON AN ADVENTURE! WITH MEOWTH!"

Meowth turned around. He had been walking away as slowly as possible, trying to avoid going to the dungeon at all costs and thinking about an excuse to make up for Calix and Alakazam when he suddenly heard the childrens' sudden outburst. Wow, dose kids really love me, he thought. To tink dey'd even bother to follow me around in dis place called a dungeon just fer da sake of keepin' me company or whatnot...Meowth gasped as an idea unexpectedly came to his head. Wait...if da kids come along with me in da dungeon...dat means Flower would have to come too den, wouldn't she? Flower can help me get through da awful place and...hey, it doesn't hurt ta have some of yer fans followin' you around and chantin' your name, eidda! "You know, kids," he started, tapping his chin. "Usually I don't let a couple of youngsters like yourselves tag along after me, but da two of you seem ta show potential to dis ole' cat. Let's make a deal: You swear to tell nobody – and I mean nobody – about dis...and you can become Meowth's number one assistants in da fightin' of crime! Whaddy'a say?"

Lou and Ralt's eyes lit up almost instantly at the offer.

"Really?!" Lou gasped. "You mean it?!"

Meowth nodded. "Yup. A hero always keep his promises, does he not? Da choice is yours...join forces with Meowth and become da strongest and wisest sidekicks of da one and only Stronger One, oooor..." he looked away with a hint of sadness on his face, "just sit around here...and miss out on all da fun!"

"We're coming with Meowth!" Ralts grinned without hesitation.

"You bet!" Lou agreed.

"Dat's da spirit!" Meowth cheered, pumping his fist.

Flower looked frantically before the scene before jumping in between the eager trio. "W-wait a minute..." she interrupted. "I...I don't think this is such a good idea." She turned her face to Meowth to try to hint what she was getting at. "I mean, these kids aren't ready for something like this. They haven't had much training or...or anything."

Meowth didn't take the hint and instead, smiled. "Haha, so am I, Flower." he said, lowering his voice so Lou and Ralts wouldn't hear. "But ya can't let deir hearts break after dey've been looking so forward ta dis...can ya? Dere's nothin' ta worry about – dey'll have fun."

"But Meowth...the elders won't like it if we change up their plans like this. Alakazam specifically asked -"

"Oh, come on. Dey won't even notice, not if we don't let dem know, dat is." Meowth almost pleaded. "It's just one adventure with da kiddos...just tink of how happy dey'll be, exploring a dungeon with da Stronger One himself. It'll fulfill deir very lives! Besides..." his voice trailed off for a second. "What could possibly go wrong?"

A lot, Flower thought uneasily. If the others found out, they'd be in deep trouble – not just Meowth, but herself, too. The kids were too young for a dungeon, no matter how short and easy it would seem to be, not to mention the terrible feeling in her gut that told her to held back. She wanted to persuade Meowth out of his silly idea, but when she opened her mouth, it was as if the exact opposite came out. "Oh, you're right, what am I worrying so much about?" she tried to chuckle. "It couldn't be...that bad, could it?"

Meowth grinned largely and Flower suddenly wondered why almost everything she said was something he liked to hear. He nodded to her and then toward Ralts and Lou. "Alright, kids, what da heck are you all waitin' fer? Let's go adventurin'!"

"YEAH!"

"Let's do it!"

Please, just let everybody come out alright, Flower pleaded in her head. Let's just get this over with and hope for the best...She forced down the lump in her throat and followed closely behind the other three as they entered the giant gap leading in to the forest, regretting her decision with every step each teal-blue paw took.

...

"Wow, I don't get what so scary about dis place," Meowth said mostly to himself as he and Flower walked steadily through the overgrowth. Both Ralts and Lou were running around freely, laughing as they chased each other from between trees. The sun barely peeked down through tiny openings of the trees above as the four of them trekked further through the forest. They had only been walking for about ten minutes but to Flower, it felt more like hours. Nothing bad had happened yet, but her nerves were going crazy and it made her sick to the stomach.

"I mean..." Meowth continued, still puzzling out loud to himself. "Da way Alakazam put it made me tink dere was gonna be, like, danger around every corner or somethin'. So far – nothin'. It's just like takin' a leisurely walk down da park, no biggie at all. Why would he even send me here anyway? It's just silly."

Flower tried to keep calm but the nervousness was starting to give her a killer stomachache and she stopped in mid-walk. Meowth kept going a couple more steps until he looked back and noticed she wasn't following. "Hey, Flower..." She didn't come after he called her name, so he walked up to her and placed a paw on the bud of her back. "Come on, we should get goin'. Da kids'll get way ahead of us if we don't."

She still didn't respond, causing Meowth's smile to fade. "Hey, uh, Flower..." he started up again. "You OK? Yer lookin' a bit pale. Ya sick or somethin'?"

Flower finally regained the words in which to speak. "Oh yeah, I-I'm perfectly fine, Meowth," she lied, taking a step forward with her paw. "Just...uh, haven't been in a dungeon in a while, that's all. I think I...you know, have to warm back up to it and I'll be fine."

"Ah, don't sweat it," he replied coolly with a wave of his paw. "I doubt dis is even one of dem dungeons at all. It must still be up ahead. Besides, even if it were, you're still really strong. I've seen ya in battle."

Flower tried to force a smile. "Not as strong as you..."

Meowth's stomach turned, once again feeling he was living a lie. Even after the day before, Flower still believed he was as strong of a pokemon as she had first thought. "Oh, n-no, don't say that. I mean...sure, I may be strong, but you're pretty good yourself. And dis is comin' from the lips of the Stronger One," he assured falsely. "Seriously, we're gonna be fine." Now just to figure out where da heck we're goin', he thought, sweatdropping.

Unbeknown to Meowth and the others, a pair of eyes was distinctively tracing the group, looking a bit pleased at what they saw. "Hmmmm," a voice hummed from between the bushes. There was a small rustling sound as what was hardly visible of a shadow bounced away.

Flower, in her tense state, heard the rustling of the bushes. Her head spun around to catch what could have been the source of the sound, but everything was clear of suspicion. She shrugged and continued on her way, deciding it wasn't anything to fret about – the noise was so small it might as well have been the wind, or just a small pokemon scuttling around.

All thoughts of this matter were soon turned away as laughter erupted from the left followed by both Lou and Ralts storming in front of them, still chasing each other in what seemed to be some breathless game of tag. Seeing them race so fast made Flower nervous again. "Hey, you two, be careful. You might trip or run into something, and I don't want you getting hurt since I'm responsible for your well-being, alright?"

"Don't worry," sang Lou innocently. "We're being careful!" Ralts started catching up to him and he regained speed, tearing away from Ralts's grasp before he could be tagged.

Meowth saw Flower's troublesome expression but she managed to wash it away once she felt his gaze. She looked up at him and tried to chuckle. "Kids will be kids...and boys will be boys, eh?"

Meowth nodded, not really listening or paying attention to Flower whatsoever. He was fiddling his paws, still wondering where they were or where they were going. Apparently, he'd be able to find his way eventually, but a map or directions would still be nice. He was still wondering this when he spotted a squirrel-like pokemon placing berries into the nook of a tree. "Hey," Meowth said, nudging Flower. "Dere's someone over there. I tink I'm gonna go ask dem for directions. You stay and watch da kids."

Flower saw the nearby pokemon Meowth was talking about. She would have liked to tell him that there were no standard directions for a dungeon but, as far as he was concerned, they may as well not even be inside of one. Through experience, she knew it was hopeless to try to reason with Meowth, so she merely nodded. "Alright," she answered him. "But be careful. Some pokemon in here may get angered easily. Remember, they aren't sophisticated like the pokemon in the HQ – they're creatures of the wild and with that, highly unpredictable."

"Yah, yah...I gots it under control." Meowth's smile widened and Flower shook her head in amusement. No stopping him, now was there? Taking the shake of Flower's head as a form of permission, Meowth allowed himself to pad up to the stranger by the tree.

The pokemon was still propping a nut safely into the small opening in the tree when its ears picked up the sound of footsteps from behind. It spun around quickly and without a moment, it began to produce sparks from the yellow sacs on its cheeks and posed for battle. Meowth jumped back a couple inches, but slowly took another two small steps forward.

"Whoa! Wait, hold on a minute, dere!" Meowth cried, taken by surprise. He held up two paws in front of his face as if it could shield himself from the jolt of an electric wave. "I a'int here for harm! I'd just like ta ask a question, if ya don't mind?!"

"What is your business here?" the pokemon – a pachirisu – ordered, its cheeks still flashing with lightning.

Meowth's eyebrow rose quizzically. "Business?" The electric-type fired down its stored electricity at Meowth's feet, which he leaped a good five feet in the air in order to dodge. It was hard to tell if the pokemon had aimed in that certain direction, or if it was just getting rid of the excess electricity it had been storing up in its cheeks.

"Wild meowth do not normally inhabit this area," the pachirisu answered, and Meowth could tell by the voice that it must be a male. "So either you are here to promote violence...or, you have some kind of better reason?" The pachirisu would have guessed Meowth was a rescue or exploration team of the sorts, but could find no sign of signature cloth or bandanna around his bare neck, so to make that assumption did not seem well worth his time.

"We're not here to promote violence. In fact, I'd like ta avoid as much battling as I can, thank ya very much." he chuckled a bit nervously. "We're just kinda...visiting...and I wanted to ask -"

"Look, I'll make you a deal," the pachirisu interrupted. "If you just walk away and stop bothering me, I won't bother you, alright? I'm a bit busy with hibernation, you see. Winter's almost here and I can't be wasting my time trying to identify who the heck you are." He put his paws on the acorn stuck the tree's opening and continued trying to push it inside.

"Hey, all I wanted ta know is where da exit is!" Meowth retorted. "I'm a bit lost here and I'd just like some directions, OK?!"

The pachirisu gave Meowth a weird look. "Directions?"

"Yeah, dat's all I ask!" Meowth replied. "So if you could just tell me, I'll be on my way, I just gotta know where -" He felt Flower's vine wrap around his arm.

"Come on, Meowth," she muttered softly. "He's right. Best stop messing around and get going now."

"What?! But -"

"She's right, cat, we'll all be better off if we just end the conversation as is. You're lucky enough I didn't have to fight you. Most pokemon here will become enraged by having their hibernation preparation disturbed." When he saw they hadn't stopped leaving, he sweatdropped. "Well...off you go now." he proclaimed, then turned his back again in ignorance. Flower smiled and pulled at his arm gently. Meowth got the hint and walked back to where the kids were plopped down next to a tree, trying to catch their breath after an intense game of tag.

"Alright. Back to the road again, kiddos." Flower informed and both pokemon got up on cue to obey their babysitter's order. Lou hopped to his feet and poked Ralts in the arm. "You're it, again!"

"Why?! I can never catch you, Lou, you're too fast!" Ralts cried. The riolu laughed, apparently not listening to his friend as he weaved between another couple of trees, waiting for Ralts to catch up to his tail – which Ralts had started attempting to do, although his legs were not as fast as those of the agile fighting-type's. Soon enough, both kids were to and fro once more.

"Man, those two really do scare me sometimes." Flower commented. "It's not long before one of them are going to get seriously hurt. A dungeon like this really isn't the place for youngsters."

Meowth tried to ignore the last statement as to not get sent on a guilt-trip or anything of the sort. Besides, he still had questions. "I don't get it Flower, why wouldn't that grumpy old squirrel give me any directions? I mean, it shouldn't be dat hard...he lives here, he should know."

"It's just like I told you before, Meowth." Flower reminded him. "This is a dungeon. Dungeons aren't like normal places. A dungeon will change whenever you go into it and thus, so will the exit. But somehow, you always end up making it through, so I know we'll be OK."

"Dat still makes no sense though." Meowth put his arms behind his head as they walked. "A place that changes every time you go into it. I mean...wow..."

"Guess you didn't have anything like that in your world, huh?"

Meowth looked down and nodded to her. "Yeah. Even if someone did find out someting like dat in my woild, everyone would tink dey was crazy."

"Huh..." Flower cracked a smile. "Does that mean you think that I'm crazy now?"

Meowth shrugged. "If anything, I think I'm probably da crazy one." he admitted. He and Flower laughed, but Meowth couldn't help believing it was probably true. He probably was just going crazy this entire time.

"Speaking of crazy, what I've come to think is sort of silly," Flower started once the idea came to mind. "is how Alakazam had told you to come to this dungeon and everything, when he probably should have known, with his high IQ and all..."

"Known what?" the normal-type quired.

"Well, he sent you to Foggy Forest because he wanted you to get experience, didn't he? But around this time of year, most of the forest pokemon are preparing for hibernation – the pachirisu even said so himself. Wouldn't Alakazam had known that?"

Meowth shrugged. "The pachirisu also said a lot of pokemon get mad and beat up on people when dey gets interrupted. Maybe he was hopin' I would go bother a bunch of 'em so I can get some battling in."

"I don't know. Maybe...but it still seems like a weird way to get you to battle. You think he would've picked a different dungeon, like the sea or something...you know, where pokemon don't usually hibernate."

Meowth's eyes popped. "Wait, what?! You're tellin' me there's an underwater dungeon now? Dis place really is as crazy as I thought!"

Flower giggled again – Meowth just never failed to make her laugh. It usually made her feel a little bit better, forgetting about all her worries and just enjoying the present as is. She couldn't talk about anything with the feline and still manage to keep a straight face. "Yeah. Unfortunately, we're pretty crazy here, but that's alright...you fit in better, that way."

Meowth rolled his eyes. "Hah. Good one, Flower. Good one."

Meanwhile, both Lou and Ralts had gotten pretty far ahead, not about ready to abandon their game. Well...Lou was, at least. He had been hopping against the tree trunks to gain more momentum with every leap forward – a trick he had learned from his father. With every tree, he created more area between himself and the psychic-type.

"Lou, I can't catch up! Run slower! I'll never catch you!" he heard the voice from behind, fading away as he went. Lou smirked...he was winning. But he still hadn't won yet, not until Ralts lost his trail completely. He finally came to a treeless spot and had to land himself back onto the ground, where he didn't pause to take a break. He kept running, his legs taking long leaps as he went.

"Lou! You're too fast!" the barely audible voice came.

The riolu kept up his pace and looked behind him to make sure the psychic-type was no longer in view. Good. He was almost to victory. Ralts would give up soon and he would be declared the winner once again, the unbeatable champion of tag.

Run. Leap. Run. Leap.

He could feel his energy running low, but he knew he couldn't stop now. Ralts was probably playing a trick – he could pop out any second and, without a time to realise what's going on, Ralts would tag him and it would be the end of the game, not to mention the end of the champion streak. The psychic-type wasn't exactly fast, but he was learning how to use his teleport and could sometimes get it right when he tried. There was no point in taking chances.

Lou kept running. He could no longer hear Ralts behind him, but he still ran. As he did so, something weird started clouding his vision. The further he seemed to go, the thicker a white fog began to ensconce him, blinding him. It came to a point where he could hardly see at all and with a final leap, Lou had bumped into a tree and fell onto his back.

"Ugghhh...OK, I guess I won now." he breathed, clutching at his chest. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but white, foggy clouds. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his vision. It didn't work...uh oh. "Ralts, where are you?" he asked, getting up and trying to feel around. "Ralts? Are you there? Ralts?!" He began to get more frantic, blinking his eyes and clutching at empty, cloudy air.

A tiny shadow began to emerge from the clouds. Lou leaned in, trying to make out the figure. "Ralts?" he quired. "Ralts, is that you?" The shadow came closer and with that, bigger too. It started getting larger and Lou gasped, realising it was not his friend, but rather some other creature. He backed away, but was stopped by a tree from behind him. His head turned around this way and that, trying to find a way out but it was too late...the shadow had already cornered him.

"HEEEEELLLLPPP!" he screamed in terror, but his cry went unheard as something hard and rough covered his mouth before he was pulled away into the fog with an intimidating shadow taking the riolu in tow.

From behind, Ralts suspected nothing as he fell to his own knees and took in deep breaths. "Alright Lou..." he panted. "You won. I can't run anymore. You can come back now."

Nothing aside from few noctowls' hooting resounded on the wind. "OK, Lou, it's not funny anymore." Ralts heard himself growl. "Stop playing around. I know you're there." When silence came after the last call, he felt his stomach twist up in a knot.

"Lou! Stop it right now!" he demanded.

Just more silence. Ralts sat back down on the ground and began playing with a nearby stone, hoping to soon see hear an answer from his friend. Lou was very competitive, but this time he was going a bit too far. He needed to make sure that riolu knew how much he had him worried once he came back. It wasn't fair that he could just toy with him like this. What was he waiting for, some tears being shed over his disappearance?

Ralts was still playing with the rock when Meowth and Flower had approached. Flower looked down at him with her trademark ivysaur smile. "Well there you are, Ralts. It's very much like you two to get me so worried like that. How many times have I told you to be careful in this dungeon?"

Ralts didn't answer.

"Ralts, are you alright?"

No answer.

"Wonder what's wrong with 'im?" Meowth wondered, mostly to himself, but Flower's heart raced. She had figured it out – something was wrong. Her eyes darted around in every direction, having no luck in spotting what they were searching for.

"Ralts, where is Lou?!" she asked, the worry clear in her voice.

The psychic type looked up at them with a terror-stricken face. Meowth could see his big blue eyes from underneath green hair, and they had began to tear up. Ralts didn't say anything but instead, wrapped onto Flower's leg and started crying with his head on her shoulder.

"Ralts..." Flower spoke softly, trying to act calm. "Did you see where Lou went?"

Ralts sniffed a couple times. "Well...we were just playing tag and then...and then I don't know what happened. He just...he just..." Before the psychic-type could finish, his head was bent down on Flower and he was crying once again. "He's just...gone."

Meowth and Flower looked at each other but neither could say a word. The riolu had gotten himself lost, and he could very well be in danger! He was Calix's son but he was still young – he didn't know how to defend himself and he was all on his own in a dungeon. They were going to have to find him fast. It was only a matter of time...

Meowth narrowed his eyes. He had gotten the kid into this mess, and he would have to get him out. Even if he got himself and Flower into trouble for it.

"Come on...Flower, Ralts. Let's go find him."

...

Now, let's see how many of you I lost on that last chapter...just kidding. XD Well, it would be true, since I haven't updated this since November. And the stupid thing was, most of the chapter had been done then, I was just too lazy to put on the finishing touches. I really hope this chapter and this story altogether hasn't bored you all too much since the main plot still hasn't even started after almost 10 months of writing this. Plus, this is my first attempt at writing a dungeon, so I'm not really all too great at it (let me know how I did!). And it has also come to my attention that I shall no longer be writing in detailed mornings, since that's just boring and not worth wasting an entire chapter over. X3 I'm hoping that 2009 will be a better year for me in terms of fanfiction, so if I can get myself to finish at least more than ten chapters through that amount of time (amount that I achieved last year) then I'll be happy. Keep your eyes out for more updates, I'm once again going to try to raise this fic from the dead, so faster chapters might be something to look out for. ;)