Chapter 36: Recovery and Preparation

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred bellowed.

"What did I tell you yesterday?" Chatot yelled.

"SORRY!" Loudred shouted, stomping down the hall.

"Ugh…" Carlos sat up, yawning. "Morning, guys."

"Already?" Sandra whined.

"Indeed," Lucar replied, sitting up and stretching. "How do your injuries feel, Carlos?"

"Much better," the Pikachu said, undoing the bandages tied around his chest. "There's only a dull ache left now. If Princess Sunburst wanted to, we could probably leave tomorrow."

"Should we tell her?" Sandra asked.

"We may as well," Carlos replied, standing up. "Let's go see what's on the Job Bulletin and Outlaw Notice Boards first. We have 195 Exploration Points right now. Let's see how many more we can get before we leave!"

"We're almost halfway to Silver Rank!" Sandra commented.

/Yeah, we take a while to rank up. Doesn't everyone? Plus, at least half of our crazy adventures don't even reward us with Exploration Points. Sometimes I wonder why the world enjoys getting a kick out of our disappointment./

"What about us?" Luv asked, sitting up.

"I think we'll go on this mission ourselves this time. You guys look after Michael, okay?" Carlos suggested.

"Okay," the Piplup tiredly nodded.

Carlos led Lucar and Sandra out of their room and down the hall. Climbing up the ladder, they inspected the boards until Carlos decided on a few to take. There were five missions to Mt. Bristle and the Pikachu grabbed them, leading them out of the Guild and down to the crossroads.

"So, what are we doing?" Lucar asked, unable to read the mission papers due to his blindness.

"We're going to Mt. Bristle to complete five missions, Lucar." Carlos explained. "We need to rescue a Charizard on the fifth floor, take an item from a Geodude on the sixth floor, arrest a Shellder on the seventh floor, and take an item from a Paras on the ninth floor. We also have to locate a lost Starly but nobody knows what floor she's on."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go help those Pokemon!" Sandra cried.

"You're sure eager today," Lucar commented.

"Today might be our last day to do what we want until we return Princess Sunburst to her kingdom," the Eevee pointed out. "We won't be able to help anyone until we get back."

"Right," Carlos nodded.

/Boy, was I dead wrong or what? We wouldn't just be helping anybody. We would be dragged into a battle that could very well destroy an entire kingdom! If anything, returning the princess to her kingdom would be harder than we ever thought possible./

Heading into Treasure Town, Carlos quickly stored any unneeded items in Kangaskhan Storage, including the Golden Mask that Sheriff Magnezone had given them the previous day. After dumping their money into Duskull Bank and returning to the crossroads, the trio headed down the path that would lead them to Mt. Bristle. Reaching the mountain, they went through the entrance and arrived inside of the mystery dungeon.

On the first floor, Team Legend quickly made their way to the staircase across the room. They succeeded in getting up the stairs before any enemy Pokemon found them.

On the second floor, Carlos picked up 5 Geo Pebbles and headed down a nearby hall, encountering a Spinarak and a Geodude. Carlos' Thunderbolt easily knocked the Bug-type out, leaving Lucar to take the Geodude down with Force Palm. Reaching the next room, the Pikachu grabbed 4 Sticks and walked through another hallway. He dashed up the stairs the moment he spotted them.

On the third floor, Carlos picked up an Escape Orb and a Cheri Berry before heading down a corridor. After fighting off a Geodude, Sandra spotted the lost Starly and dashed toward it. Lucar knocked out an advancing Geodude along the way, keeping his guard up.

"We've come to rescue you," Carlos said.

"Really? Thank you so much!" the Starly cried.

"Mission 1 complete!" Carlos declared, pointing his badge at the Starly. It was teleported back to the Guild. "Let's keep going, guys!"

Sandra picked up some money in the next room, only to be shocked at how much she had found. "You're kidding me!"

"What's wrong?" Lucar asked.

"This is only 2 poke!" the Eevee cried.

"2 poke? You're kidding!" Carlos cried.

"That's quite funny, actually." Lucar chuckled.

"Stupid mystery dungeon," Sandra grumbled. "It's ripping us off this time!"

The blind Riolu sighed. This will be quite memorable, he thought.

/…I still think Mt. Bristle ripped us off. That's the least amount of poke I ever found in a mystery dungeon before. Seriously, it's true! Go ahead and laugh. It's pretty funny now, unlike it was then./

Heading through another corridor, Team Legend arrived in the room with the stairs. They went up them, Sandra still grumbling the whole way.

On the fourth floor, the trio covered a lot of ground before being cornered by a Doduo and a Spinarak. Carlos electrocuted the two-headed bird while Sandra hit the Spinarak with Shadow Ball, defeating both Pokemon easily. Heading to the next room, Carlos picked up 37 poke and left Lucar to deal with an attacking Nidorino. They went up the stairs across the room immediately.

On the fifth floor, Carlos picked up a Big Apple and ran through some empty halls, grabbing 5 Geo Pebbles along the way. They managed to locate the lost Charizard but had to defeat a Spinarak and a Geodude first. The wild Pokemon were easily taken down, allowing the Exploration Team to get to the Charizard.

"We've come to get you out of here," Carlos explained.

"Man, am I glad to hear that!" the Fire-type sighed. "Get me out of here, will you?"

"Gladly," the Pikachu replied, holding out his badge. "Mission 2 complete!" In a flash of light, Charizard was gone.

Team Legend headed down another hall, grabbing an All-Hit Orb in the next room. The stairs were next to the orb, allowing them to get to the next floor quickly.

On the sixth floor, the group faced off against the criminal Geodude. A combination of Shadow Ball and force palm easily brought it down, forcing it to drop the Gray Gummi that it had stolen from Nidorina. Carlos electrocuted a Starly that tried to ambush them, collecting 67 poke while he was at it. Dashing through a few empty corridors and rooms, they were jumped by a Nidorina that succeeded in poisoning Lucar. Sandra took it down quickly, giving Carlos time to find a Pecha Berry in the Treasure Bag to cure Lucar with. After dashing through a few more hallways and fighting many wild Pokemon, they finally found the stairs. Grabbing an Oran Berry and an Apple, they ran up the stairs just in time to avoid a Nidorino.

On the seventh floor, the trio came face-to-face with the criminal Shellder. Carlos' Thunderbolt did most of the damage, but Lucar and Sandra also struck whenever they saw openings. It wasn't long before the Water-type fainted.

"Mission 4 complete!" Carlos cried, watching as a flash of light teleported the criminal back to the Guild. "Only one more mission left to do."

Picking up 3 Sticks in the room, they headed down a hall and defeated a Nidorino. Carlos quickly collected the 72 poke it dropped, along with an Oran Berry in the next room. After a bit more exploring, they located the stairs and ran toward them. A Starly cut them off, though. Carlos electrocuted it, allowing them free passage to the next floor.

On the eighth floor, they had to fight a pair of Spinarak right away. After defeating the two wild Pokemon, Team Legend raced through a few corridors and encountered another Spinarak. After it fainted, Carlos grabbed 73 poke in the next room and entered the room with the stairs in it. Lucar dealt with the Nidorino guarding the stairs, knocking it out and grabbing the White Gummi it dropped. Carlos quickly picked up a Max Elixir before going upstairs.

On the ninth floor, they faced off against the criminal Paras. Lucar's Force Palm did plenty of damage, along with Sandra and Carlos' Quick Attacks. The Bug-type had managed to paralyze Sandra with Stun Spore, only to be taken out directly afterward by Carlos' Quick Attack. It dropped the Special Band it had stolen, fainting.

Lucar panted for breath. "I'm exhausted! Let's head back already, Carlos."

"Yeah," Sandra nodded.

"Right! Mission 5 complete!" Carlos cried, holding up the badge.

The trio and the criminal Paras were engulfed in white light and thrown through the time-space tunnel, landing back in the Guild. Sheriff Magnezone instantly took custody of Paras, Geodude and Shellder already having been sent to the Police Station. After picking themselves up from the pile they always seem to end up in after returning from missions, Team Legend stood by as they received their rewards.

Nidorino and his rescued friend, Starly, gave them a Max Elixir and 10 Gravelerocks. Charizard gave them a Reviver Seed. Nidorina accepted the Gray Gummi that had been stolen from her, giving Team Legend a Max Elixir, a Pink Gummi, and a Black Gummi in exchange. Sheriff Magnezone gave them a Vile Seed, a Yellow Gummi, and a Blue Gummi. Dratini accepted the Special Band that had been stolen from him and gave Team Legend a Heal Seed as a reward.

Chatot hopped over, smiling. "My, my! You're getting good at this, Team Legend!" he commented. "So far, you're up to 325 Exploration Points! Only 75 more points until you reach Silver Rank!"

"Yes!" Sandra cried.

"So, how are your injuries, Carlos?" Chatot asked.

"Much better," the Pikachu replied. "I think we could probably take Princess Sunburst home tomorrow if she wants."

"Good to hear you're doing fine," Chatot nodded. "I'll tell the princess right awa—"

"I'm glad to hear that," a voice said.

"Princess!" Chatot yelped, whirling around to see the Quilava exit her room.

"I look forward to returning home. My parents must be worried." Princess Sunburst continued. "My kingdom will be very happy to see me return. We should get an early start tomorrow so I may get home all the sooner."

"Right!" Carlos nodded.

"Will it just be us or will the others come, too?" Sandra wondered, looking at Carlos.

"Joy has to take care of Michael and Blackie. They won't be able to go with us. Luv and Zuzu should stay behind to keep up our rescue work while we're gone." Carlos said.

"So, it'll be just the three of us and the princess." Lucar summarized.

"Isn't the group a bit…too big?" Princess Sunburst asked hesitantly.

"Nope! Four's the perfect amount!" Carlos replied. "Why?"

"No reason," the Quilava said quickly. I'll have to put up with the other two for the moment, she decided.

Something's wrong here, Lucar thought. Her aura shows frustration and…anger? Is she angry because Sandra and I are coming along? She hides it well. I wouldn't have guessed it if I couldn't sense her aura. Weird…

"I will be ready and waiting in the morning…" Princess Sunburst trailed off, a bit lost. "Um…"

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked.

What did the Chatot call him? Carl? Carlisle? Carlo? …Carlos? Princess Sunburst struggled to remember what she heard the Flying-type call Carlos. "Your name is…Carlos, correct?"

"Yep!" the Pikachu nodded, smiling.

Princess Sunburst blushed. Could this be…? Yes, it must be.

"We better get going and gather what we need, Carlos." Lucar finally said. This aura… It's the same as the one Sandra has whenever Carlos is around. Could the princess like Carlos, too?

"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded. "See you tomorrow, princess."

"Sunburst," Princess Sunburst suddenly said.

"Huh?" Carlos looked back at her.

"Just…call me Sunburst. I'm not in the kingdom, so calling me 'Princess' is not required." Princess Sunburst explained.

"…Okay," Carlos nodded. "See you tomorrow, Sunburst."

Sunburst blushed again before retreating to her room.

Lucar sighed. It looks like Sandra's got competition now, he decided. Even if she doesn't realize it yet.

"Let's go, guys!" Carlos cried. "We've got packing and planning to do!"

The three members of Team Legend returned to their room. After explaining everything to their teammates, they were prepared for what they would say.

"Not fair! I wanted to go!" Luv complained.

"I guess somebody has to man down the fort." Zuzu muttered.

"It's a shame, but I'm happy. Bring back a souvenir, okay?" Joy requested.

"I wanna go to the kindum!" Michael whined.

"Kingdom, Michael," Joy corrected. "It's kingdom. King-dum,"

"King…dum! I wanna go to the kingdom, too!" the Minun repeated.

"I don't mind either way," Blackie admitted. "I'll stay with Joy and Michael, though. Good luck, Carlos, Sandra, Lucar."

"Thanks, guys," Carlos said. "Sandra, can you find our Wonder Map? I'd like to get a better idea of where we're going. I know it's a desert but still…"

The Eevee nodded, pulling the Wonder Map out of their Treasure Bag. Opening it up, Joy pointed the location out over Sandra's shoulder. Everyone huddled around the map, reading the information listed on the side of the map about the area.

"Since it's a desert, Ground and Rock-type Pokemon are guaranteed to be there." Lucar commented immediately. "I don't need to see the information to know that much."

"There are Steel-types there, too." Sandra added. "Carlos and I won't be good against them, so you'll have to deal with those, Lucar."

"It says there are Grass-types there, too." Carlos commented. "Carnivine and Cacturne, like the one back at the prison that beat up Buzz."

"Cacturne make good jail guards due to their sharp spikes and harsh attitude." Joy said. "It's no surprise that a big prison like that would have a couple of them around."

"I can deal with the Rock-types, too." Lucar pointed out. "Carlos will have to avoid the Ground-types, since his Electric-type attacks don't work on them. Sandra and I could deal with them ourselves."

"That means I can only take care of the Grass-types, since my attacks are the best shot we have against them." Carlos realized. "That's means I'm practically useless this time."

"How do you think Sandra and I felt in Mt. Bristle?" Lucar asked. "We both had our worst disadvantages, Flying and Fighting-types, practically swarming that place. Regardless, we still prevailed. We can do the same here."

"Besides, you can guard the princess while we fight!" Sandra added.

"I guess that's a good thing," the Pikachu nodded. "We don't want her getting attacked or wandering off from us in the middle of a battle."

"Right," Sandra nodded. "You can do it, Carlos. I know you can!"

"Thanks, Sandra. You're a great friend." Carlos said.

"Th-thank you!" Sandra replied, blushing.

"So, what items should we bring with us?" Lucar asked.

"Let's check what we have!" Carlos suggested.

Team Legend dug through their Treasure Bag, pulling out every item they had acquired over the course of their adventures. Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra then headed to Treasure Town to check out the items they had in Kangaskhan Storage, too. Lucar made a list of all the items they had as Sandra named them off. Once that was all done, they picked out useful items and packed up everything they might need for a trip through the Northern Desert.

"There!" Carlos cried, exhausted. "That should be everything!"

"Yeah," Sandra agreed. "I didn't know we had so many items."

"That was to be expected, Sandra." Lucar commented. "We've been to a lot of places and on a ton of missions. It was inevitable that we would acquire such a large stock of items after so much traveling."

"I guess," the Eevee muttered, sighing.

"Tomorrow, we're off to the Northern Desert Kingdom. Who'd have thought that we'd end up bringing a princess back to her home?" Carlos chuckled.

"She seemed…upset that Sandra and I were coming with." Lucar finally said.

"Huh?" The Pikachu looked at him in confusion.

"Her aura," Lucar continued. "It was so cheerful and happy when you said she could be returned home tomorrow. When you mentioned bringing Sandra and me, it became upset and frustrated. I think Princess Sunburst only wanted you to escort her home, Carlos."

"That's just silly, Lucar! We wouldn't make it even a third of the way through that dungeon if it were just me and the princess." Carlos pointed out. "Of course I'd bring you and Sandra with me! We're a team!"

Not in the princess' eyes, Lucar mentally argued. She only sees Sandra and me as commoners. You, on the other hand, Carlos… She views you as something much more. Maybe it was because of Volt Tackle…?

"Does that mean she hates us?" Sandra wondered.

"I don't think she hates us, Sandra. She just sees us as different from Carlos, that's all." Lucar reassured.

"I still think it's not fair that you guys get to go and we have to stay home." Luv complained. "We're part of the team, too!"

"I know, Luv, but somebody has to keep up with the jobs." Carlos said, patting the Piplup's head. "Look, I'll bring you back a great souvenir. I promise. Okay?"

"…Okay," Luv nodded. "I guess it can't be helped. Just don't mess up, okay?"

"Okay," Carlos nodded.

/Too bad fate had other plans for the teammates we'd be leaving behind. Those missions would have to wait for later. I almost wish I had already been an Espeon by then. Maybe I could've predicted the coming disaster and stopped it. But I wasn't, so there's nothing I could do but sit back and take whatever fate throws at me./

Joy yawned, rubbing her eyes. "How about we get some sleep? It's been a long day."

Michael was already leaning against Blackie, fast asleep with a dribble of drool running down his chin. Joy gently picked the baby Minun up, resting him on her bed before curling up beside him. Blackie climbed into his bed beside the Raichu, still clutching one edge of his scarf. They fell asleep easily.

Zuzu hung upside down from the room's ceiling, as her kind commonly did. Luv curled up in the bed underneath her, brushing away the long ends of the shiny Zubat's red ribbon so they wouldn't make her sneeze at night by tickling her beak. In moments, the pair was fast asleep.

Sandra and Lucar quickly joined their teammates in sleep, exhausted from their long day. Carlos couldn't sleep, though. What Lucar had told him bothered him.

Why would Princess Sunburst only want me to take her home? the Pikachu wondered. We wouldn't stand a chance in the Northern Desert that way! Would she really be willing to risk not making it home by doing that? Weird…

His head aching, Carlos collapsed on his bed and fell asleep. If he had stayed awake a moment longer, he would've noticed an all-too-familiar Pokemon peering inside. The Pokemon floated away from the window, landing on top of one of the totem poles in front of Wigglytuff's Guild. It was Dusk the Banette.

"The Northern Desert Kingdom," he muttered, fingering the needle he used for his Curse technique. "How ironic…"

Murderer…

Dusk squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the soft voice at the back of his mind.

Murderer… Murderer…

"It was an accident," Dusk murmured. "I had just evolved. I didn't mean to… It was self-defense!"

Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!

A memory flashed through the Banette's mind. He was in the Northern Desert, facing a pair of snarling Manectric. A young Electrike lay behind them, bleeding from a wound in his chest. He would be dead soon.

"You monster! How could you?" the female Manectric demanded, tearing running down her cheeks. "My baby! My poor, sweet, innocent baby!"

"I…I…" Dusk couldn't speak, just staring at the needle grasped in his hand as if it wasn't his. "I'm… I'm sorry! I didn't—"

"Enough! You have taken the life of my beloved son!" the male Manectric barked, enraged. "For that, you shall pay!"

"Wait! I—AAAAAH!" Pain racked Dusk's body as he was hit with a powerful blast of electricity. He screamed the loudest he ever had in his life.

"You will never walk this world an innocent Pokemon, Dusk! I will ensure you suffer as my son has suffered!" the male Manectric declared. "Flee! Flee from here and never return, scum! Wherever you go, bad luck and death will follow!"

"NOOOOO!"

The old memory shattered into a billion little pieces. Dusk clutched his head, hunching over as he attempted to stop himself from crying. His needle fell toward the ground, forgotten for the moment.

"Get a…hold of yourself!" Dusk hissed, gasping for breath. "That was long ago! He was wrong! No bad luck or death has followed me! He lied!"

Wrong! You are wrong! Much bad luck has followed you!

Dusk gave up shutting out the voice that seemed so insistent on proving him wrong. "There's only one way to end this," he decided. "I have to go back and fix this. It's the only way I can ever forget what happened back then."

Standing up, Dusk hopped off of the totem pole and picked up his fallen needle. Turning, he took to the air and flew away from Treasure Town…out toward the Northern Desert.