Chapter 37: Lies and Heartbreak

"TIME TO WAKE UP, ROOKIES!" Loudred bellowed.

"I told you to… You know what? Forget it." Chatot just walked away, allowing Loudred to continue his job of waking up the other Guild members.

"Ugh… Morning," Carlos groaned, sitting up.

"Morning, Carlos," Sandra greeted, yawning sleepily. "We have to go to the Northern Desert today to bring Princess Sunburst home."

"I know," the Pikachu said, yawning. "Wake up Lucar and w—"

"I'm already up," Lucar stated, sitting up. "We're already fully packed. All that's left is to fetch the princess and go."

"Not without saying goodbye to everyone first," Carlos reminded.

"Yeah," Sandra nodded.

Waking up their teammates, the trio said their goodbyes. Joy and Blackie wished them good luck, Luv told them to stay safe, Zuzu reminded them to bring back souvenirs, and Michael hugged them before retreating into the warm comfort of Joy's arms. Sandra and Lucar left first, leaving Carlos behind to say a final goodbye.

"We'll be back soon, okay? You guys keep up with our duties." Carlos said. "Good luck,"

"The same to you, Carlos," Joy nodded before hugging him one last time. "Stay safe, all of you."

"We will," Carlos promised. "When I get back, I'll keep searching for leads. We'll find David, Joy. I promise."

The Raichu nodded before backing off, picking up Michael. Blackie blinked in confusion before waving goodbye to the other Pikachu. Luv and Zuzu hugged him, wishing him good luck once more before he departed from Team Legend's room.

Carlos ended up in the main room on the second floor, his two teammates waiting for him. Together, the trio climbed the ladder to their first floor. Chatot and Sunburst were waiting for them. The Quilava princess joined them, flashing a gentle smile at Carlos.

"You three know what needs to be done now. Good luck." Chatot said. "Be careful, all of you. The Northern Desert is a terrible place to go through but I'm certain you'll succeed. Protect the princess at all costs, understood?"

"Understood!" Carlos, Sandra, and Lucar chorused.

"Good! Now then, off with you!" Chatot hopped back down the ladder, leaving Team Legend and Princess Sunburst alone.

"Princess Sunburst, are you ready to go home?" Carlos asked.

"Yes," Sunburst nodded. There must be a way to convince Carlos that those other two are not needed to escort me home, she thought.

"Then let's go!" Sandra cried.

The four Pokemon left Wigglytuff's Guild, heading down the stairway and arriving at Treasure Town's crossroads. Just as they were heading down the path, Lucar stopped.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked.

"There are two Pokemon coming our way," Lucar said. "Their auras seem…worried. I think it's Marill and Azurill."

Before Carlos could comment, Marill and Azurill came bounding down the path. They were searching in every nook and crevice they could spot, looking panicked. Before they could race past them, Carlos held out his arms to stop them. The brothers looked up at Carlos in confusion.

"Hi, Carlos!" Azurill greeted. "What are you doing?"

"We're just about to go on a mission." Sandra replied. "What's wrong with you two? Have you lost something?"

"Is it that same item as before?" Lucar asked, remembering the incident with Drowzee.

"Well, yes, but not exactly." Marill explained. "You see, we're still looking for that but we're looking for someone this time."

"Who?" Carlos asked.

"Snowflake the Glaceon," Marill replied. "She was helping us look for our item, but she disappeared yesterday and hasn't come back yet. We're looking for her."

"Maybe she went off to explore," Sandra commented. "Remember that mission we went on before the expedition? She was exploring Mt. Bristle."

"You're right," Carlos nodded. "Maybe she's searching for your item in a mystery dungeon. She'll be back soon, I'm sure of it."

"Really? Cool!" Azurill cried.

"She's so brave to go through a mystery dungeon all by herself!" Marill said.

"Brave but foolish," Lucar argued. "You're in greater danger of attack if you're alone. You're better off having companions in a mystery dungeon."

"I'm sure she's fine," Carlos said. "Luv and Zuzu will be doing our duties for us while we'll be gone. If Luv sees a rescue mission posted by her, Luv will help her."

"Yeah," Sandra agreed.

"Where are you going?" Marill asked.

"To the Northern De—" Lucar started.

"Ahem! Shouldn't we go now?" Sunburst interrupted. "We might already be halfway there by now if you hadn't stopped to chat."

"Sunburst is right. We better go." Carlos said. "Good luck finding your item, Marill, Azurill. If you still haven't found it by the time we get back, I'll see if I can help."

"Okay! Thanks, Carlos!" Azurill cried.

"Good luck on your mission!" Marill added.

"See you later!" Carlos smiled.

Team Legend and Sunburst headed down the path, arriving near the entrance to the Northern Desert a short time later. They chose to take a break before continuing on, sitting down to eat and chat. Sunburst still felt annoyed at having to bring Sandra and Lucar along.

There must be a way to drive them off, Sunburst thought. They aren't nearly as strong as Carlos. How can he stand to have them around if they're so much weaker than him?

"Hey, Sunburst!" Sandra suddenly said, interrupting the Quilava's thoughts. "You're the princess, right? Do you have any siblings?"

"Of course I'm the princess!" Sunburst replied. Then she grew suspicious. "Why do you suddenly want to know about my family?"

"Well, I thought we should all try to get along. Lucar said your aura seemed angry that he and I were going with Carlos to bring you home." Sandra said.

"Angry? Why would I be angry?" Sunburst asked innocently. "I just thought the amount of Pokemon taking me home was…a little large, that's all."

There's that flare of anger again, Lucar thought.

"Oh," the Eevee said, ears lowering. "Well… All of three of us always go on missions together! That's never changed since we met!"

"And how did you meet?" Sunburst asked.

Before Sandra could reply, Carlos had packed everything up again and hoisted the Treasure Bag over his shoulder. "I think we're ready to go, guys. Let's move!" he cried.

Lucar and Sandra quickly followed him. Sunburst stayed behind for a moment before following. Catching up to Sandra, Sunburst decided to continue speaking to her. Lucar and Carlos stayed ahead, keeping an eye out for the entrance to the mystery dungeon. The temperature began to rise as they neared the desert.

"So, how did you meet again?" Sunburst asked, feigning curiosity.

"Well, we met at the beach a long time ago. At least, it seems like a long time ago." Sandra explained. "Anyway, these three bullies threw me into the ocean. I'm afraid of water, so I started to sink. I thought I was going to die. Carlos and Lucar saved me, though. After that, we made an Exploration Team. There have been a few disasters along the way but we've gotten through it all."

"Really?" Sunburst asked. "So, you two are just friends then?"

"Well, I guess…" Sandra muttered, blushing. "I mean… Of course we're friends but…"

"Good to hear!" Sunburst said, smiling. "Then I guess there are no worries if I take him."

"T-t-take him?" Sandra repeated, confused.

"Yes," Sunburst nodded, still smiling. "I love him."

"Huh?" Sandra blushed furiously. Princess Sunburst loves Carlos? No way! It's barely been four days since they met! "Y-y-you're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not. Why? Is there a problem?" Sunburst asked, a sharp edge added to her voice.

"Um…" Sandra looked away.

"I thought not," Sunburst said curtly. "It's best you just stay friends. Carlos wouldn't love a coward like you, anyway."

"Huh?" Sandra looked hurt. "You don't know tha—"

"Found it!" Carlos suddenly cried. "Sunburst! Sandra! The entrance is over here!"

Sunburst smiled, looking toward the Pikachu. "Coming!" she cried. She turned back to Sandra. "Face it. You're a coward. Even I can see that. You and Carlos will never be compatible. Just stay friends. That's all you'll ever be."

The Quilava bounded off toward Carlos and Lucar, leaving Sandra behind. The Eevee slowly followed, head down and ears dragging slightly in the warm sand that appeared under her paws. Reaching her companions, she put on a smile for Carlos before they entered the mystery dungeon.

Lucar stopped her. "What's wrong? Your aura is sad."

"Nothing," Sandra replied, walking past him. Maybe she's right, she thought. Carlos is brave and I…I'm not. I'm the biggest coward in Treasure Town and I bet everyone knows it. It's just a stupid crush, anyway.

Carlos looked over his shoulder, noticing how sad Sandra looked. He turned to Sunburst, who was walking by his side. "Did you say something to her?" he asked.

"Huh?" Sunburst looked baffled. "What do you mean by that?"

"You and Sandra were talking a bit ago. Did you say something that made her upset?" Carlos asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Sunburst lied. "She told me how you guys met. You must've been brave to dive into the ocean to save a complete stranger."

"Stranger or no, she needed help," Carlos replied. "If anybody needed help, I'd give it to them. With all the bad things happening around here, a helping hand can go a long way. Look what happened with me and Sandra. I might've never joined an Exploration Team if Sandra's sister hadn't convinced me to."

"That's sweet," Sunburst said. That's one out of the way. Now to get rid of the Riolu. He's blind, so it shouldn't be too hard. After that, all I have to do is get home and convince Carlos to stay at the kingdom with me. It shouldn't be too hard.

/Too bad for Sunburst. Making Carlos abandon his friends is a near-impossible task. I still feel horrible for believing her like that. It really hurt for a while before I realized that she was wrong about Carlos never loving me. Sunburst was just willing to take desperate measures to get him alone with her. Desperate measures that could've destroyed her kingdom altogether./

In the sky high above the four Pokemon, a squadron of Skarmory soared across the Northern Desert. Their sharp eyes quickly picked out the group, identifying them and adding them to the list of Pokemon they had seen crossing the desert that day. Before the Skarmory flock moved on, the leader called them to attention.

"The Quilava down there! It must be the princess!" he cried.

Murmurs shot through the flock, shocked and confused.

"The princess?"

"She's alive!"

"Impossible! She's long gone!"

"What do we do?"

"Lord Kadar will be furious!"

"Silence!" the lead Skarmory screeched. "We will return to the kingdom and inform Lord Kadar of this! He will know what to do!"

The Skarmory Patrol nodded in unison before heading back toward the Northern Desert Kingdom. Urbana the Skarmory looked back down at the four tiny specks far below and sighed, relieved.

All is not lost, she thought. I must tell Mark and Teri. The princess is returning home!

She flapped back toward the rest of the squadron, heart set on returning home and reporting her discovery. She prayed that Princess Sunburst returned home soon.

Northern Desert, mystery dungeon entrance…

"Here we are, guys," Carlos said, turning to face his friends and Sunburst. "Once we pass through here, we'll be at the Northern Desert Kingdom. Let's get through here quickly!"

"It's getting dark," Sandra commented.

"If we have to, we should find a resting place partway through the mystery dungeon." Lucar suggested. "Traveling at night is not a good idea."

"I'll keep that in mind. Let's try to clear it before it gets too dark, okay?" Carlos asked.

"Okay!" Lucar and Sandra agreed.

"Indeed," Sunburst nodded.

"Then let's go, guys!" Carlos cried, turning and entering the Northern Desert.

On the first floor, the group succeeded in passing through two rooms unscathed. The stairs were found immediately afterward, much to their relief. They climbed up it to the next floor.

On the second floor, Carlos picked up 101 poke and went through a long corridor before encountering a Sandshrew. It used Poison Sting but was quickly knocked out by Lucar's Force Palm. Grabbing 110 poke in the next room, they climbed up the stairs.

On the third floor, Carlos grabbed 80 poke and led the group in a complete circle due to the maze of halls. Grabbing 110 poke in one of the rooms they passed, Team Legend came across a new object…one Sunburst knew of all too well.

"What is this?" Sandra asked, reaching out a paw to touch the strange Apple covered in purple slime. "Eww! It's sticky!" She shook her paw as it stuck to her fur. "Help! Get it off!"

Lucar pulled it off, only to shake his paws viciously in an attempt to free himself now. The slime-covered Apple crashed against the far wall, taking a small chunk of blue fur with it. Lucar yelped, whimpering in pain.

"Sunburst, do you know what this is?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, I do. It's called Grimy Food," the Quilava princess replied. "It's the only food in this entire mystery dungeon. No Apples, no berries, no seeds. Just Grimy Food."

"You're supposed to eat that?" Sandra cried. "Yuck!"

"You won't have to if you've brought enough food to get through this place." Sunburst said. "You can throw it at enemy Pokemon, too. If you're lucky, they'll eat it and leave you alone due to the…taste."

"Have you ever eaten one before?" Lucar asked. She's hiding something about this Grimy Food. What, though?

"No, but my older brother has." Sunburst explained. "He did it on a dare by my training mentor, Mark. It wasn't pleasant."

"I guess we should take it and test it out," Carlos muttered, reluctantly dropping the slime-covered Apple into the Treasure Bag.

Sunburst smiled. Step one is done, she thought. Now to find an opponent and move on to step two.

The next room held the stairs, which Team Legend climbed up quickly.

On the fourth floor, Carlos picked up another Grimy Food and 20 poke before leading the way through the nearest corridor. Grabbing 97 poke in the next room, they fought a Sandshrew and defeated it with ease due to Sandra and Lucar's Double Quick Attack. They climbed up the stairs on the other side of the room.

On the fifth floor, they found the stairs quickly and ran up them in order to avoid an approaching Trapinch.

On the sixth floor, they found the stairs in the same room as they appeared in. A terrible sandstorm tore through the whole floor, damaging all four of them immediately. Team Legend went up the stairs to the next floor.

On the seventh floor, they fought with a Cacnea right away. Lucar mainly fought it alone, Sandra tossing the occasional Shadow Ball to damage it farther. All was going well until it landed a critical hit on Lucar with Pin Missile. Falling to his knees, the blind Riolu fought to catch his breath.

"Carlos, I need an Oran Berry or something!" Lucar cried.

"Right, I—" Carlos started.

"No! Let me help!" Sunburst pleading, plunging one paw into the Treasure Bag before he could protest and pulling out the item she wanted. "Catch, Riolu!"

She's still refusing to call me by my name, Lucar noted, catching the item she threw him. Sinking his teeth into what he recognized as an Apple, he never noticed the smug aura around Sunburst.

Feeling better, he got up and prepared to deliver a powerful Rock Slide to the Grass-type when pain shot through his chest. Gasping, Lucar crashed to his knees again. His whole body felt weak, almost as if he had been poisoned. But Cacnea hadn't poisoned him.

"Lucar!" Carlos cried.

"Quick Attack!" Sandra shot forward, crashing into Cacnea and knocking it out. "Lucar, are you—Oh no!"

Sunburst looked at her paws, covered in purple slime. She put on a look of shock. "Oh no! That wasn't an Apple! That was a…"

"Grimy Food," Lucar coughed, feeling the slime sticking to his paws and mouth. But how? Wouldn't Sunburst recognize the feel of Grimy Food? Unless…she did this on purpose!

"What's wrong with him?" Carlos demanded.

"I forgot to mention a terrible side-affect to Grimy Food," Sunburst admitted. "Eating it will sometimes afflict you with terrible conditions, like being poisoned or paralyzed. From the looks of it, Riolu is poisoned."

"We have to find the stairs, fast!" Sandra cried.

"Help me get him up! We'll carry him t—" Carlos started.

"Why not teleport him home with your badge?" Sunburst asked. "He's too ill to continue on. If he can't assist me in getting home, maybe it's best if he returns to your teammates back in Treasure Town."

"No," the Pikachu replied. "Teammates stick together. Besides, the poisoning will vanish once we climb the stairs. We just have to get there before he faints."

"…Okay," the Quilava nodded. So close! Why won't Carlos just abandon these weaklings? He doesn't need them to get through here! His power should be strong enough!

"Let's go," Carlos said, hauling one of Lucar's arms across his shoulders. "Sandra, deal with any enemies that get too close."

"Right!" the Eevee nodded, her gloomy behavior vanishing as she put on a smile.

/Sunburst didn't understand that Carlos didn't just see us as teammates. The three of us were the best of friends. She could lie to us and hurt us as much as she wanted, but our friendship would still shine through. It still hurt, though./

Continuing through the floor, Sandra defeated a Sandshrew with Shadow Ball and allowed them to carry on. In the next room, Carlos grabbed 110 poke and delivered a powerful Thunderbolt to an attacking Cacnea. Sandra's Quick Attack knocked it out directly afterward. Racing through a few more rooms, they fought a Cacnea and a Sandshrew at the same time. Lucar mustered up the strength to use Rock Slide on Cacnea, weakening it enough for Carlos to defeat it with Quick Attack. Sandra quickly dealt with Sandshrew, leaving their path open once again. Grabbing 62 poke that Sandshrew dropped, Sandra knocked out an advancing Cubone with Shadow Ball before it could get close enough to strike. Grabbing 42 poke in the next room, they climbed up the stairs nearby and escaped from the floor at long last.

Lucar sighed in relief as his body was cured of the poison. "How dark is it?" he asked.

"Pretty dark," Carlos replied. "We'll stop here for the night."

"Are you sure?" Sunburst asked, looking around nervously. "Wouldn't it be better if we continued?"

"Traveling at night, as I said before, is not the best idea." Lucar said. "Enemy Pokemon are far more vicious, not to mention jumpier, then. We need to rest up for tomorrow in order to get through the other seven floors of this place."

"Yeah," Sandra nodded.

"I'll keep watch," Carlos volunteered.

"No! You should rest!" Sunburst argued.

"Why? I barely did anything today." Carlos pointed out. "Lucar and Sandra need rest."

"You need to save your strength for tomorrow!" Sunburst persisted. "What if something bad happens and you're too tired to stop it?"

"Well…" The Pikachu looked away. What's with her all of a sudden? Why is she acting so…weird around me?

"I'll keep watch," Sandra said at long last.

"Are you sure?" Carlos asked.

"Yes," Sandra nodded. "Lucar and you need rest. I'll keep watch."

"Okay," Carlos lay on the ground. "See you in the morning, Sandra."

"Night, Carlos. Night, Lucar." Sandra said. "Night, Sunburst."

"Good night, guys," Lucar said, curling up on the ground. He was asleep in minutes.

Carlos fell asleep not long afterward. Sandra sighed, looking up at the dark night sky above. Turning her attention back to her teammates, she blinked in shock as Sunburst curled up beside Carlos. Frowning, the Eevee looked away.

I never stood a chance, anyway, she thought.

She didn't even bother trying to stop the tears from running down her cheeks.