Crusaders of Dusk

by DarkFoxKit

Cut off from the life he knew, an Absol now must work his way and earn his right to return to the place he called home. Joining him is a timid Goomy who desires to become stronger and more respected. The two will face many challenges, learning to trust one another.

24. Chapter 24: A Research Mission

DarkFoxKit: *Looks at the door* Note to selves: be careful when writing characters meeting with you in your own story.

Traveling Master: … *I don't answer, instead I happen to be working on something special*

DarkFoxKit: *Looks over at TM* What are you doing?

Traveling Master: What?! Nothing! *I try hiding some of the stuff behind me, only for one of them to fall on the ground, revealing some sort of fire cracker* ...Uh...that's...a toy?

DarkFoxKit: Uh-huh… Is that for tomorrow, the 4th of July?

Traveling Master: *I sigh as I step aside, revealing all sorts of rockets and such* Yup, was gonna surprise you tomorrow, but more importantly, trying to make sure Dust doesn't find out. Last thing we need it for him to get close to any type of explosives.

DarkFoxKit: I'm going to be needing some earplugs… I hate loud noises. It's probably for the best you didn't surprise me, otherwise I'd be screaming bloody murder and make a mess of the house.

Traveling Master: Oh, noted. Then I guess it's a good thing you did find out.

Dust: Though is it wise for you, a Charmeleon, to be handling all those fireworks?

Traveling Master: Dust?! Where did you come from?!

Dust: I just happened to be around, and honestly, I'm a bit offended. Yes, I do cause the occasional explosion and such, but that's when I'm experimenting or testing something new. I've already done my fair share of fireworks before, and out of us two, I honestly think you are more liable to causing them to go off than me.

DarkFoxKit: *Notices that TM's fire tail was getting a little too close to the fire crackers, and I quickly began backing away* Maybe Dust has a point, TM, you do have an exposed flame after all.

Traveling Master: Now hold on, are you telling me that out of us two, I'm more likely to cause an explosion? Seriously? You, who is known to break things whenever you try to test them? Like DF's computer, or her switch...Honestly I think you've broken more of her stuff than I've ever had since being here. So I'll ask again, what makes you think I'm more liable to causing them to go off?

Dust: *Points to the lit firecracker* That.

Traveling Master: …Oh boy... *I look behind me and see that the fuse was lit. I then look back, only to see both Dust and DF were already running away* ...Welp...enjoy the chapter folks...this is gonna hurt!

*There was sudden static*

---

Chapter 24: A Research Mission

Dust opened his eyes, finding himself back in his comfy bed in the Unity Guild. He gave a yawn as he stretched out his body, trying to remember what happened last night. Cliff was sleeping beside him again as he noticed while he was stretching out. Berry was likely sleeping in the water pot again. Dust was able to recall some of the events that happened last night, but some of it was fuzzy. And the more he thought about it, the more he felt like it was a dream, especially after remembering all those doors.

"Did that mean...we overslept? Was it all a dream?" Dust asked no one in particular.

Dust closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recall as much as he could. He remembered entering the mansion, all the ghosts that were there. He recalled a lot of running, a Mimikyu helping him and Berry. Then he remembered how they had almost escaped, only for Dusknoir to stop them. As he focused more and more on these thoughts, his heart was starting to race. He recalled how a Chandelure was burning his very soul, and his body was starting to heat up from the thought of it. But then the image of Vlad about to stab himself with a long rusty nail sent a shiver down his spine. And just as Vlad used Curse, Dust opened his eyes while grabbing his chest, feeling his heart pounding heavily. He was breathing hard, and even though he had just woken up, he was no longer tired.

"That wasn't a dream...was it?" Again, Dust asked no one in particular.

"Daddy?" Cliff asked, having woken up to Dust's musings. "Daddy! Daddy awake! Daddy awake!"

"Awake? How long was I unconscious for?" Dust asked Cliff.

"All night!" Cliff answered.

Berry came up from the water pot, looking quite groggy. She gave a yawn, before she noticed the awake Absol. Berry hopped out of the water pot and slithered over to Dust, seeing that his eyes were their unique blue and red again, she gave a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're awake and you again, Dust. I was starting to worry you might not wake up for days."

"For days?" Dust asked as he thought about those last few moments, only for his heart to start racing once more. "Berry… Did I almost die last night?"

"Apparently…" Berry frowned. "When Vlad was using Curse on you to take your soul out, I went into one of my outbursts. But this time I was conscious, I was in control, sort of. I was flooding the place with rain, and my Water Gun was like a Hydro Pump. I think it turned into Water Pulse after that. I managed to get the Ghosts off of me, and went after Vlad. But Vlad managed to catch me in his grip. I did manage to use Dragon Breath on him though, but at some point during that, Giratina took over your body."

"HE WHAT?!" Dust shouted. "You have to tell me everything! What was I like?! Were my eyes glowing? Or were they normal? Since Giratina is part Ghost and was controlling my body, did he make me float or something? Did he sound like me when he spoke? Or was it different, like his voice? Did he mention me? Wait, of course he would, most likely he would've mentioned me if he was controlling my body. Oh, what did he say to you? Any interesting information, a possible warning? Or maybe clues as to the gift he left for me? What about-"

Dust was being slapped by Berry's antennae. They didn't hurt by any means, but they did get him to be quiet.

"Please, save your endless questions until the end of the story," Berry sighed.

Dust blinked before nodding. Cliff stayed beside Dust as Berry began telling Dust what had happened after Girainta took over his body. She told him about Mimi's freedom, how the other Ghosts were now working for Giratina to redeem themselves, how Mimi may join them later on, and Giratina's warning about Dust coming close to death again. Berry made especially sure to emphasize on that last part.

"After we got back to the guild, Carrie had to help me bring you back into the guild while I reported to Chihiro about the invitation. Because we were attacked, we ended up gaining 100 rank points," Berry informed.

"100?!" Dust shockingly asked. "Makes me wonder how many points we would've gotten if we hadn't been attacked in the first place."

"Chihiro said we likely would've gotten 30 to 50 since it was an invitation mission," Berry answered before she frowned. "Why aren't you more worried about death? You're likely going to actually die if you come close to it again you know. And you've been close to it a lot."

"Oh, I know. It's a frightening thought...But at the same time, I think back to when we were in that hallway filled with doors. When we opened the one and saw a future version of me. He seemed to know what was currently happening. And if the future version was able to recall what happened during the mansion, then it gives reason to worry less about death," Dust explained. "Granted, I know it doesn't automatically make me invincible, but it is reassuring to know that I still have a future."

"Those doors were just illusions, Dust. Nothing short of Celebi and Dialga's powers could ever show us the future," Berry grumbled. "If that was the future you, then I'd have to question what you were doing with a Goodra."

"Well… did you think of the possibility that the Goodra could possibly be-" Dust started out slowly, remembering how Berry reacted upon seeing that door.

"Could be a new team member?" Berry finished.

"And why would I suddenly have a new team member?" Dust asked. "Remember, I said I would never leave you behind. That future version of me didn't look like he left you behind."

"Well maybe we just didn't see 'me'," Berry grumbled. "I don't know why that Goodra was there, but that certainly wasn't me."

"But I recall her seeming to know about our situation in the mansion as well," Dust continued. "Look, all I'm saying is that there could be a chance that Goodra is you."

"No! Don't say that!" Berry hissed. "I'm not part of that line!"

"Mommy angry?" Cliff frowned.

Berry frowned as well. "Mommy's not angry, Cliff, Mommy is just annoyed that Daddy wanted to take a dream he saw seriously."

Dust was about to make a remark but then shook his head, frowning as well. "Yes Cliff, it was just a dream, nothing more. Let's go get something to eat to take our minds off things."

"I can eat lots!" Cliff smiled proudly.

"Heh, you sure can," Berry chuckled lightly.

---

While at the cafeteria, Cliff was enjoying her soil berries. Dust and Berry didn't say much to each other as they were eating their own food. Dust was wondering about if evolution could possibly change a Pokemon's personality. The Goodra in the door that he was sure was Berry in the future, and it was not a hallucination, seemed to be calm and happy.

Then Dust looked up from his plate and saw Team Silkwing coming into the cafe. Talon looked pretty tired, though he was carrying a Metapod on his back that looked to be almost twice his size. A Snivy was following behind him.

"Seriously Talon, I can help carry her, you know," Ivy offered as she held out her vines.

"It's... okay, I... got... her," Talon huffed between breaths.

"Suit yourself," Ivy shrugged then noticed Dust and Berry. "Hey, there's Team Night Tide. How about you sit with them while I get us our food?"

"Fine… good… okay…!" Talon panted before he took small hops to get over to where Team Night Tide were eating.

"Hey Talon, hey Tippi!" Berry greeted when they approached. "Uh… Talon? You okay? You look a little… uh… tired."

Dust, who was still a bit annoyed from before, perked up when he saw Talon with a Metapod on his back. "Talon, great to see you. And I'm assuming the Metapod is Tippi? Unless you had decided to change partners and get a completely different one."

"What? No! I would never!" Talon quickly spoke up.

"Sorry, I only mean to jest," Dust chuckled slightly while giving a brief glance at Berry. "You two have a very strong bond, and so it's very reassuring to know that even despite physically changing, you two still remained partners and good friends."

Berry gave Dust an annoyed look, likely knowing what he was doing.

"Yeah…" Talon wheezed as Tippi hopped off of his back.

"Talon, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't wish to put more pressure on you like this," Tippi stated. "Besides, I can't eat until I evolve."

"Oh, speaking of eating, that reminds me. Tippi, about what I said last time we spoke," Dust spoke up, causing both Talon and Berry to give worried looks. "I wanted to apologize. It was never my intention to come across like that and I'm truly sorry for what I said to you last time."

"I know you didn't mean it like that, Dust. I was just feeling really moody at the time," Tippi sighed. "I was just constantly hungry, but I realize that was because I was getting close to my evolution. Many Bug type Pokemon that go through a cocoon evolution have to eat a lot because they will not be able to eat while their bodies are stuck in their shells until evolution. Eating also provides us enough energy to evolve after our cocoon stage is complete."

"Fascinating," Dust said. "I never had a chance to view evolution myself, and hardly meet someone who recently had gone through the experience. Tell me, what was it like? I've read many accounts saying it felt like the Pokemon itself had a burst of energy that it could no longer contain, but it wasn't the same kind of energy that was used in attacks, but more as internal energy. It was hard trying to piece all the informations together, considering there are many accounts, but I want to hear from you. What was it like?"

"Hmm… it's really not easy to describe in words," Tippi said. "And I would imagine each evolution feels different to different Pokemon. For me, it felt… like I could do anything. I felt so strong, so full of energy, and also so hungry at the same time. When I finally did evolve, I began to feel a bit trapped, mostly due to the fact my body was being encased in a hard shell. I would imagine I would feel much stronger and freer once I evolve again into Butterfree. Like I said, evolution could feel different depending on the Pokemon."

"I haven't evolved yet, but I suspect that the most common thing many Pokemon would feel when undergoing evolution is that they will feel much stronger than before," Talon put in his two Pokes.

"It's too bad Absol don't evolve, but.. I think they used to be able to evolve?" Tippi wondered.

"Ah yes, I remember asking my mother about that too. She explained that long ago our ancestors had what you would call, a second form," Dust tried to explain it, knowing he himself didn't fully understand it. "How to explain... Let's see… Think of it like evolution...but not."

"So it's kind of like a more powerful form change in a way?" Talon asked.

"Exactly. And unlike evolution, it wasn't permanent. Unfortunately that method of being able to change to a more powerful form has been lost to us for a long time now. As far as I know, only certain Pokemon were capable of achieving this, and even then, they needed a certain item. As to what that item is, I have no clue," Dust explained before shrugging. "But I hope to one day uncover the secrets of the past and be able to share it with others. Who knows, maybe in the future I do end up achieving such a feat, only time will tell."

Ivy came over with some trays, using her vines to carry them on. She set down the trays on the table. She took off the lid that was on Talon's tray, showing pieces of Bug type meat.

"Thanks, Ivy," Talon said gratefully.

Ivy smiled. "No problem. I'm just glad you're getting more comfortable with me."

Ivy then looked at the Larvitar. "Aww, who's this cutie?"

Cliff looked at Ivy and gave a wave. "Hi!"

"This is Cliff," Berry introduced. "She hatched a few days ago, so she's still pretty young."

"Ooooh! You hatched a Larvitar?" Talon asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Yes, though unintentional, she ended up imprinting upon me and Berry and now sees us as her parents," Dust explained.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Ivy smiled. "Maybe we should try to find a Pokemon Egg and hatch one."

"It would take a lot of work to take care of a baby Pokemon," Tippi stated.

"We're still learning on how to raise a healthy Larvitar," Berry admitted. "Carrie has been helping us out though."

"Oh, that reminds me…" Talon looked at Dust. "You like to study different types of Pokemon, right? Why don't you request a research mission then?"

"A research mission?" Dust repeated the question. "I didn't think that this guild had those kinds of missions."

"Of course it does," Talon chuckled. "Research missions aren't usually done by Crusaders, but they can do them. Crusaders take on the more riskier research though. Like field missions. There are a few huge open areas where wild Pokemon live in several groups. There are no Mystery Dungeons that would make them become more hostile than normal, and you wouldn't have to worry about getting trapped in one. Guilds often call these places the Wild Areas. It's a really good place for researchers to observe and study wild Pokemon, how they live, what they eat, how they mate, how they care for their young, things like that."

"You should also be careful though. Wild Pokemon can't tell the difference between wild and civilized Pokemon, so if a Pokemon thinks you're a threat, they can and will attack you. Likewise, if a wild Pokemon likes you, like really like you… well…" Ivy gave a grin. "Maybe it's best you don't have to find out."

Dust wasn't quite sure what Ivy meant, while Berry was blushing slighting, knowing full well what the Snivy was hinting at.

"Have you ever been to a Wild Area?" Tippi asked.

"No, I don't think we have," Berry answered.

"You'll likely be a little overwhelmed on your first time then." Ivy grinned. "Ah, what I wouldn't give to experience that first time again myself."

"So what do you think?" Talon asked. "You think you might take on a research mission this time?"

"What do I think?" Dust repeated the question. Then he suddenly shoved the remainder of his food in his mouth, chewing for a few seconds. He struggled to swallow for a moment but managed to do so. He pounded against his chest a few times to help the food travel down before finally answering. "I think I can't wait another second to take on a Research Mission! Come on Berry, Cliff, we got a mission to do!"

"W-wait, I'm not-" Berry began to say before Dust grabbed her and Cliff, putting them on his back, and he took off out the door. "-finished eating yet!"

Talon looked at the food Berry and Cliff left behind. "... More for us!"

---

"Dust! Slow down!" Berry yelled. "There was something I wanted to do before we took on a mission today! And we need to leave Cliff with Carrie before we go anyways!"

Dust stopped immediately, only for Cliff to end up bumping against the back of his head. The force almost caused Dust to fall over, but he managed to keep his balance. He rubbed the back of his head and winced from the pain, already feeling how sensitive it was. "That's gonna leave a bruise. Note to self, no sudden stop when carrying a 150 pound baby. Okay, we'll drop off Cliff first then take care of whatever you wanted to do."

"Daddy strong and fast!" Cliff giggled.

So now Dust was rushing off to Carrie's warehouse to drop off the Larvitar baby. As always, Carrie and Chloe were more than happy to have Cliff over while Dust and Berry did their missions for the day. Dust began to make his way back to the guild.

"So, Berry, what was it that you wanted to do?" Dust asked.

"I wanted to check in on Shab," Berry answered.

The Absol blinked. "Right… uh… who is Shab again?"

Berry deadpanned. "The Feebas… the fish Pokemon that wouldn't let go of me before?"

Dust stared at Berry for a second before finally remembering who she was talking about. "Oh! The Feebas. It has been a while since we last saw him, I'm curious to see how much he has advanced since we brought him to the guild."

"Exactly," Berry chuckled. "Hopefully he grew out of his 'cling to Berry' phase."

The Absol made his way to the room where Kura the Ninetales was, the same place they took Shab to learn how to become a civilized Pokemon.

"Hello there, how may I help you?" Kura asked when he saw Dust and Berry.

"We were hoping to check on Shab the Feebas. He was the one that was stuck on my partner," Dust explained.

Kura looked at them for a moment. "Ah, you're Team Night Tide, correct?"

"Yes, we are," Berry answered before she showed Kura her badge.

Kura nodded. "I will go get your Feebas friend."

Kura went to the back for a moment. Not long after, the Ninetales came back. "Shab, meet the team who had brought you here."

Dust and Berry were surprised to see the Feebas floating a little, like it was swimming in the air, before he looked at them.

"Hello. I am Shab. It is nice to meet you two, Team Night Tide," Shab spoke in their language.

Dust was staring at Shab, still trying to figure out how he was slightly floating. He then realized that he'd been staring for awhile now and quickly coughed before replying. "Right, sorry. Pleasure to meet you Shab. I am Dust, and this is-"

"Berry! I had never forgotten dear sweet Berry!" Shab suddenly spoke up before he hopped up at the Goomy suddenly.

Berry yelped before Shab ended up on top of her head. "What… are you doing?"

Dust was intrigued to see Shab in the same position as the first time he saw the Feebas, with him stuck on Berry's side. "Interesting, to think he would even remember your name. He must really like the taste of your slime."

Berry just gave Dust an annoyed look.

"I apologize, it would seem Shab refuses to let go of that habit of hit," Kura chuckled.

"How much longer would it be until he finishes his education training?" Berry asked, the Feebas smiling on top of her head.

Kura chuckled a bit before answering. "Oh, he's actually been advancing pretty far lately. Normally it takes a few weeks for Wild Pokemon to adjust to being civilized, but there are cases with some Pokemon where they advance quicker than others. Usually it depends on the Pokemon themselves. I say it would take a few more days to a week from now. But… hmm… it might help if you could take him with you on a test run. It will help the Pokemon understand what it is they need to do on your team better if you take him with you. What kind of mission are you planning to do today?"

"We were hoping to do a research mission," Dust answered.

"Hmm… A Research Mission? That would be a good test run for Shab, much safer than actually going into a Mystery Dungeon," Kura noted. "Just make sure to keep a close eye on him, even though he's been doing well in his education, he still has that wild instinct inside. He might react accordingly so if put in a certain situation."

"Noted," Dust replied with a firm nod. "Isn't this great Berry? Not only will we get to study different Wild Pokemon, but we now get to see how a recently Wild one reacts."

Shab was licking Berry's head happily. Berry just kept giving an annoyed look at Dust.

"Swell." Berry huffed. "Alright, Shab, that's enough!"

Shab did stop licking Berry's head, but still refused to get off of the Goomy. "We're going on a mission now?"

"Yes we are, my little fish friend," Dust happily answered. "I hope you are excited as I am. I can hardly wait!"

"Yay! My very first mission! I can hardly wait. I'll show you how useful I can be, Berry!" Shab smiled.

"Just… don't get too attached to me during the mission," Berry sighed.

---

When Dust walked into Chihiro's office, Shab looked at the Ghost/Dragon in awe. "Ooooh!"

Chihiro looked at Dust when he came in. Phantom and Spooks were currently taking a nab in her horn. "Ah, good morning, Team Night Tide. I see you've brought along the Shabby new friend of yours. Seems he's quite attached to his sweet Berry~"

"Guildmaster, please, lighten up on the puns…" Berry groaned.

"Over my dead body!" Chihiro laughed out loud.

"Aren't you already-" Dust started to ask, only for Chihiro to cut him off.

"Dead? Well yes but actually no," Chihiro explained. "It's more confusing than you think, so to put it in simple terms, everyone can die, even Ghost Pokemon. Speaking of Ghosts, looks like you've caught the attention of a certain Legendary Pokemon. Would this also be related to your recent ability that you shared with me before?"

Dust nervously chuckled. "Yes, when I had almost died from poisoning, I had encountered Giratina. I didn't mean to keep it a secret, I wanted to tell you and Berry, but every time I tried to-"

"It felt like something was preventing you," Chihiro cutted Dust off.

"Yeah...How did you know?" Dust asked.

"When you've lived as long as I have, you end up seeing a thing or two," Chihiro explained. "If I had to guess, the reason why you had trouble telling others about Giratina was most likely for your own protection."

"Protection? From what?" Dust inquired.

"Look what happened at Strange Mansion. The only reason why you were invited in the first place was because they had found out about your encounter with Giratina. There are those who would not hesitate to use those blessed by Legendary Pokemon for their own purposes. Despite receiving such a great gift, it also ended up painting a giant target on your back. The more who know about you and your encounter with Giratina, the more Pokemon will come and seek you out. I suggest keeping this to yourself, the less who knows, the better," Chihiro warned.

Berry nodded. "Chihiro told me to keep quiet about it too when I told her about Giratina for the same reasons."

Chihiro then smiled. "So, is there any reason why you two came here today instead of checking the bulletin board for missions like you usually do? Other than showing off your adorable fishy teammate?"

"As impressive as Shab is, we actually do have another reason for being here. We were hoping to do a Research Mission," Dust explained.

"Oh? How interesting. I didn't think you'd know about the Research Mission until you've ranked up at least," Chihiro chuckled. "I didn't want you to always pick doing Research Missions. It's important for Crusaders to take on missions that involve going into a Mystery Dungeon since not many other Pokemon can do it."

"Well I learned about Research Missions from my old guild. Unfortunately by the time I did, I already had made a reputation for myself. No one wanted to be my partner, so I couldn't do any Research Mission," Dust said. "And don't worry, this is only a first time Research Mission. I'm sure I won't get overly excited over all the new Pokemon...Seeing and learning things I haven't been able to before. Able to dedicate my entire time studying the behavior of Wild Pokemon. Possible able to perform social experiments with them. Maybe even be able to…" Dust trailed off, lost in thought as he imagined all the possibilities.

"In other words, would it be alright if we get our first Research Mission now?" Berry asked after Dust kept going on.

Chihiro was chuckling. "Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time until Dust requested a Research Mission. Since you two are still Normal Rank, I'll be giving you a mission that will take you to a Wild Area that isn't too far from White Leaf Town. But you'll still find plenty of wild Pokemon. They don't call these spots Wild Areas for nothing after all."

Chihiro opened up a drawer under her desk, and dug out some papers. "Ah, here we go."

Chihiro put the paper on top of her desk, showing Dust the contents. "This mission will require you at least 6 hours to a day to complete since you'll be studying wild Pokemon in a huge place. You are to take notes of the wild Pokemon you study, and gather a few samples of vegetation, maybe the fur, feather, or scales of a wild Pokemon if you can. Research Missions are all about studying the Wild Area, not just the Pokemon, you can also observe the environment as well."

Dust was so excited he could hardly contain it. "Oh it's like I was born for this!"

"It's nice to see how excited you are, but remember, you are a Crusader first, a researcher second. While you are open to take on Research missions, there are other Pokemon who need Crusaders' help. So in the future, depending on how you've been doing in the guild, I will decide whether or not to let you take on a Research Mission," Chihiro explained.

While a bit of a setback, it didn't bother Dust too much. If anything, it just gave him more motivation to do more missions, especially if it means a chance to do a Research one. "Seems fair, anything else before we head out on our Research Mission?"

"You should take plenty of food with you. The Wild Area is full of different types of fruit and berries, but it can be dangerous if you don't know which ones to pick, and they could also be in the territory of another wild Pokemon. It would be best to bring your own food just to be safe," Chihiro answered. "You can also bring some Poke too, sometimes Kecleon will set up shops there so researchers can buy items from them while they're doing their research. Kecleon will find rare items more often in a Wild Area than in a Mystery Dungeon."

"We'll definitely keep that in mind if we happen to run into Kecleon," Dust noted. "Thank you for the advice."

"Heh, good luck to the both of you then. I expect to see a lot of reports from you," Chihiro stated.

"I'll admit, this does sound like it's going to be a lot of fun," Berry remarked. "Getting to see a lot of wild Pokemon without worrying about being attacked unless provoked is far less pressuring than having to battle any wild Pokemon we come across in a Mystery Dungeon."

"I'm glad to see that you are also just as excited as I am," Dust added. "Now let's get going! Those Pokemon won't be studying themselves!"

Dust picked up the mission paper from Chihiro and put it into his satchel before walking out of her room. He then had to go to Miyagi again to get the paper improved. Miyagi, as always, had his disturbing stare before he put the stamp of approval on the paper and handed it back to Dust. Dust figured as long as he didn't say anything, Miyagi wouldn't hurt them. It was also the quickest way to get the Meowstic to approve their mission paper and let them go.

Once they were outside of the guild, their Carriage was already waiting for them. It was Sunny and Twilight again.

"Hey you two, glad to see you again!" Twilight greeted. "Though it looks like you have that extra passenger with you again."

"Well… Shab here is supposed to be a member of our team," Berry stated. "Though he seems to prefer to stick with me more than anything."

"It's rather fascinating when you think about it," Dust added. "If you like, I can share possible theories on this unique behavior-"

"Hard pass," Sunny cut Dust off. "So where are we taking you three now?"

Dust held up the mission paper for Sunny and Twilight to read. "We are doing a Research Mission and need to go to the Wild Area that's near town."

"Oh-ho! You're finally going to a Wild Area?" Twilight said in surprise, using his horn to lift up the paper from Dust's bag to look at it. "The White Leaf Wild Area, huh?"

"That is correct," Dust nodded. "Chihiro explained that these missions normally take about six hours, or possible an entire day to complete. I'm hoping it's the latter."

"Of course you would." Sunny rolled her eyes. "Well whatever. You're free to take as long as you like. The Wild Area has some very nice stables for us Carriage carriers. Just get into the Carriage so we can head out."

Twilight gave Dust back the mission paper.

"This is so exciting! I'm going on my first mission with Berry~" Shab smiled, still on Berry's head.

"Don't get too excited," Berry grumbled.

"Then hop on, we'll get you there in a jiffy," Twilight replied.

Dust hopped into the Carriage, allowing Berry to hop off of his back to sit across from him, though the Feebas still refuses to leave the Goomy's head. The two different types of Ponyta began to gallop forward, going to their destination.

"So, what made you want to do a Research Mission in the first place?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, you know me, I love researching new things, learning the unknown. Oh I can already tell this will be fun. With all this studying we'll be doing, it will definitely help take my mind off certain things," Dust chimed, while shooting a brief glance at Berry.

Berry frowned as she looked at the Absol, but she didn't say anything to that, instead she just looked away from Dust.

Shab looked between the two. While he may have been fresh out of the education room, he could tell when there was tension between two Pokemon. "Did you two have a fight?"

"A fight?" Dust repeated the question before shaking his head. "Oh no. A bit of a disagreement, but nothing more. In the end, it apparently doesn't matter, so we can just forget about it."

"Forget about it?" Shab questioned. "I don't think forgetting about it will clear up the issue. It's better to face things head on until the problem goes away!"

"Interesting analysis. And I do agree," Dust nodded. "But unfortunately, some of us would rather not speak of certain subjects and just ignore them all together. Perhaps it's for the best, a debate can only happen if both sides are willing to communicate."

Dust looked at Berry as he remembered talking to Berry about her possible evolutions before on White Peak, and how he would support her. He was still surprised at Berry lashing out at him when they were, Dust was sure, looking at their future selves back at the Strange Mansion. It had bothered him that she would rather believe that he had abandoned her for another partner, as though treating his words as if they meant nothing to her.

---

Dust, thankfully, became distracted from Berry's attitude when he saw the area around them changing. It was looking more wild and rural. The road had more grass growing on it. There were almost no buildings in sight. Looking around, Dust could already see Pokemon living out in the forest area, mostly Bug types crawling on the trees, or Grass type in hiding. There were a few Flying types he could see that were flying around.

As Twilight and Sunny kept going, they soon started crossing a bridge, and that was when Dust could see a huge, open field area that had tons and tons of wild Pokemon spread out across the land. He could see herds of species of Pokemon migrating together. Water Pokemon that were swimming in the water. Several Flying types flying around them. Even Berry was taken in by the sights.

"Welcome to the White Leaf Wild Area!" Twilight presented. "Normally after completing a mission, you would use your badges to teleport out of the dungeon, where we normally are waiting for you. But since this Wild Area is pretty close to town, we'll make sure to stop by later to see if you've done enough research for the day. That is assuming we decide not to stay at the stable of course."

"If you need to leave right away, however, there's a stable that allows you to use any Carriages to get back to your guild," Sunny added.

Sunny and Twilight soon came up to the only large building in the area. The large building was more of a barn than anything. Standing outside of the barn was a Stoutland. Standing beside the Stoutland was a Herdier, and standing next to the Herdier was a Lillipup, who was wagging its tail excitedly. There was also an Ampharos standing beside the Stoutland family.

The Carriage pulled up to a stop when they reached the barn.

"Hello and welcome to the Carriage Wild Area Stables," Ampharos greeted. "Here we take care of all the needs, and make the Carriage Pokemon as comfortable as possible while they wait for the team they brought to do what they need to do."

"Fascinating," Dust noted. "Never would have imagined a place like this for those working in the Carriage business."

"Of course, what do you think we need to do while you're off researching wild Pokemon all day? We're not going to stand and wait you know," Sunny rolled her eyes.

"No need to get snippy with them, Sunny, this is all new to them after all," Twilight chuckled. "This is pretty much like a spa day for us."

"You two can get out of the Carriage now and go exploring with your bad selves," Sunny added to Team Night Tide.

Dust nodded before he jumped off of the Carriage. Berry slithered down from it, Shab still on her head.

Herdier and Stoutland helped unhooked Sunny and Twilight from the Carriage.

"Right this way, please," Stoutland stated.

Lillipup was bouncing around excitedly. "I wanna help them relax!"

"Well you two have fun relaxing, we'll be enjoying our Research Mission ourselves," Dust said before turning towards Berry as he crouched for her to get on. "Ready Berry?"

Berry looked at Dust. "Are you sure you want me to ride on you?"

Dust tilted his head, confused by the question. "Why wouldn't I? We've been doing this for almost two months now. I'm still wearing the Pecha Scarf, so we shouldn't have to worry about your slime poisoning me."

"It's not that. You just seem to be mad at me lately," Berry answered.

Dust frowned, losing some of his optimism just now. "So you assume that just because I might feel upsit, I would just decide to not offer my assistance? Regardless of how I feel, whether it'd be joy, anger, confusion, or such, I'm always willing to give you a ride. So do you want one or would you rather prefer slithering? I'm okay with either option."

Berry wasn't sure how to feel at this point. She was definitely confused though. Normally whenever anyone was angry at her, they wanted nothing to do with her. Not that she had a lot of Pokemon who actually cared for her before coming to the Unity Guild.

"I doubt I would get far around here by slithering," The Goomy said before she slithered onto Dust's back.

"Good, now let's get this Research Mission started!" Dust shouted, glad to finally be able to focus on something else.

Dust walked out the Stable, taking a moment to look around the field once more before grabbing the mission papers. "Now let's see, we can either start with studying the Wild Pokemon first, or perhaps some of the vegetation nearby. Considering that you and Shab are well adept in the water, perhaps we can start there?"

"Do the mission papers come with a map?" Berry asked. "This place is huge. How would we move around without getting lost?"

"Well luckily for us, a map is included," Dust grabbed the map from their bag, making sure that Berry was able to see it. "You'll notice on the map that there are way points across the Wild Area. These are used to mark locations to help others navigate through the field. As well, some come with warnings of hazardous areas, but considering this Wild Area seems pretty calm, I don't think we would have to worry too much about dangerous terrain. Though, better to stick together, never know what you'll end up running into."

"Since you're our legs, you choose where we go," Shab stated. "If there's a body of water you want us to check out, just say the word."

Dust nodded before studying the map more. "Lets see, there is a body of water nearby… As well it seems a lush forest that borders the water. We'll go for that area first, and while you two study the Pokemon in the water, I can study the surrounding areas. Sounds like a plan?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Berry shrugged.

"Great! Nice that we can agree once more," Dust added. He took another look at the map, making sure of which directions to take, before putting both the map and mission paper away. "Now off we go!"

---

Dust began running through the Wild Area. His mismatched eyes sparkled in excitement as he looked around. There were many different Pokemon. There were also different environments. He could see a barren desert place not too far away for the Ground and Rock types. There was a small mountain not too far away for the mountain Pokemon. Though there were mostly wide open green places and forests, likely due to the natural environment being forests and grasses.

Dust looked to the more moist areas, near a lake. There were more Water types living around here. But not only that, he could see Pokemon that weren't Water types but dwelled around the water, like Croagunk, Masquerade, and even a small rare school of Dratini. Dust looked like he would faint from all the excitement.

"Dust, please, control yourself before you black out on us," Berry spoke up as Dust was starting to feel a little dizzy.

Dust stopped for a moment, looking back at Berry. "Right, sorry about that, it's just that I can hardly contain myself. I feel that I'm in my element, and I'm itching to get started!"

"This is pretty exciting," Shab agreed. "I'd like to see more Pokemon down there. Will you be joining me, my lovely Berry?"

"You're starting to sound like Brody," Berry remarked before she hopped off of Dust. "But yeah, this lake seems to be as good a spot as any to start looking at the water dwelling Pokemon. Don't go too far in your researching, Dust."

"Worry not, I have the map with me. Even then, I've memorized most of it, mostly the area we are in, so I should be able to navigate back to where you are if I happen to get seperated," Dust explained.

"Who is this Brody? Is he someone I should be worried about?" Shab asked with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Just someone who likes to swoon all the ladies, so no, you don't have to worry about him," The Goomy reassured.

"Oh, so he's an expert when it comes to ladies?" Shab asked.

"I guess in a way, he kinda is," Dust answered. "Considering how many females he flirts with on a daily basis, I'd say he has some experience when it comes to that."

"Interesting," Shab remarked.

"Come on, let's go," Berry spoke up. "I want to see more of what's in that lake."

"Yes, my sweet Berry!" Shab smiled.

Berry hopped down into the lake with a splash along with Shab. Dust stretched for a moment, appreciating the thought of being able to research on his own.

"While I have grown to appreciate our friendship, Berry, I can't deny I've somewhat missed my alone time," Dust spoke mostly to himself. "Now time to do some research of my own."

Dust began to look around the area. He was already watching closely at some rodent Pokemon he spotted. A Pachirisu sharing some of its berries with an Emolga. A Skwovet then tried to steal some of the berries and stuff it into its cheeks. This angered the Pachirisu and it began to chase after the Skwovet. Pachirisu managed to shoot out a Discharge attack, paralyzing the Skwovet before it used Super Fang on it for good measure. Dust sweatdropped as he watched the Pachirisu carrying its berries back to the Emolga while the Skwovet scurried off somewhere.

"Interesting, I know Pachirisu love their berries, I haven't seen one with so much determination to get them back. Perhaps this Pachirisu has strong feelings towards the Emolga, but why?" Dust asked himself, but then a thought occurred. "If they were civilized, it would simply be just that, the Pachirisu has feelings for the Emolga, but they are wild. They are acting according to instinct, and if the Pachirisu would go to great lengths to retrieve the stolen berries, than that would mean the Emolga is in heat! To think I would be here to witness this!"

Then suddenly, something came slithering out of the bushes. Both Pachirisu and Emolga's ears twitched before they turned. An Ekans jumped out, intending to swallow them whole. However, Emolga and Pachirisu acted fast, they managed to scurry away before the Ekans could get them, but it did eat their berries instead. The Ekans looked back at the two Electric Squirrel Pokemon before it appeared to be laughing, as if it was taunting them.

Dust took notes as he watched this strange behavior from the Ekans. "Hmm, despite having failed to catch its prey, the Ekans seem to still have plans on catching them. This may be a unique strategy the Snake Pokemon is using… Also, I just realized that Ekans spelled backward is Snake, funny."

Ekans hissed as the Emolga was shivering in fright. The Pachirisu looked at the Emolga before it stepped forward and electricity sparked in its yellow cheeks, seeming to be challenging the Ekans to a battle.

"Interesting, the Pachirisu wants to protect the Emolga and is willing to battle Ekans to do so. While Ekans might have the size advantage, Pachirisu's speed will surely help him in this endeavor," Dust noted.

Dust watched carefully as the two wild Pokemon were battling with each other. Their battles were a lot less refined than the battles Dust had watched or participated in. Instead of strategy, or using unique combinations of moves, the wild Pokemon were just brutally hitting each other with attack after attack. Pachirisu didn't dodge as often as Dust thought it should, and tried to use Super Fang with its long tooth. Ekans would wrap its body around the Pachirisu in an attempt to squeeze it, which prompted the Pachirisu to use Discharge, zapping the snake Pokemon silly. It was a test of endurance from there.

However, before the battle could be concluded, an angry looking Lycanroc that was of the Midnight Form, let out a howl. Dust blinked as he looked at the bipedal Lycanroc, he could see its fur was a little burnt, likely being hit by a stray bolt from the Pachirisu's Discharge attack. The Ekans and Pachirisu froze at the large werewolf Pokemon as it angrily stormed towards them. When it towered over them, its red eyes gleamed, the Ekans let go of Pachirisu, deciding a small meal wasn't worth its life, and the Pachirisu ran away. Dust looked at the Emolga, seeing that it had already glided away with the wind.

"Hmm, despite being in heat, their instinct told them to flee at the moment Lycanroc appeared. Perhaps fear is more powerful than love," Dust wrote down some more notes. "Then again, these are wild Pokemon acting solely on their instinct, I'm sure it would be different if they were all civilized. Now the question is what will the Lycranroc do? Pursue the Pachirisu, despite it being faster? Or perhaps going after the Ekans?"

Dust turned around, trying to decide which Pokemon to follow when he saw something moving on some of the big leaves that were full of dew. His eyes blinked when he saw what he thought was Berry slithering on the leaves.

"Berry?" Dust called out before walking towards the Goomy he thought was Berry. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Shab?"

'Berry' didn't seem to pay Dust any mind when he called for her though, and began to lick the dew off the leaf.

When Dust came closer to the Goomy, he began to realize something. The Goomy appeared to be chubbier and bigger than Berry, it also wasn't wearing that red Defense Scarf.

"Either you lost your scarf while gaining a lot of weight, or you're not Berry," Dust concluded.

The Goomy glanced at Dust but then went back to licking dew off the leaf, hardly bothered by the fact that Dust was standing behind it.

"Strange, I recall most Wild Pokemon run in fear when in the presence of an Absol. I mean, I know I don't really pose much of a threat but I do recall my mother causing everyone to flee. Perhaps this Goomy's stomach is stronger than their instinct," Dust noted before an idea came to mind. "Oh, this brings many possibilities, I have to see how it would react with Berry."

Dust went to pick up the Goomy, but found that it was firmly stuck to the ground, refusing to budge. Dust tried again, but the Goomy refused to move, instead it continued to lick the dew of the leaf.

"Scratch that, I now believe this Goomy's stomach is much stronger, and possibly more stubborn," Dust remarked before letting Goomy go.

Dust looked at the Goomy for a moment, seeing it crawl up on the leaf and appeared to be waiting for something. Looking up to see what the Goomy was waiting for, he was surprised to see a sleeping Wurmple. It didn't seem to notice the Goomy. Dust noticed the Goomy's antennae were moving a little, like when Berry used her antennae to sense other Pokemon. The Goomy was pushing the leaf ever so slightly, making the sleeping Wurmple slide down towards it. As the Wurmple slipped down, the Goomy opened its mouth very wide. Dust's own eyes widened at this, seeing the Goomy swallowing up the Wurmple, which woke up only to find itself in the Goomy's mouth.

Seeing this, Dust could 100% confirm Goomy were omnivore Pokemon. Though seeing it made him slightly uncomfortable. He knew this Goomy wasn't Berry, but the thought of Berry consuming a living Pokemon like that made him shiver. He than recalled how Berry had told him how she saw Goodra swallow an entire Serviper whole. Dust started to get a better understanding why Berry was so against eating meat now, despite seeing her accidently eating it before.

The Goomy looked to be very happy with its meal, and was giving a goofy looking smile. "Goomy~"

Dust wondered if the Goomy was full yet, and if he could take it to Berry, however, before he could try to pick it up, something rustled in the bushes. A feminine voice grunted something as it came out of the bushes.

Dust blinked when he looked at the Pokemon that came out of the bush, it was another Absol. It was definitely female, her eyes were their normal red colors though, and she was a bit smaller than Dust. She was staring at Dust.

"Amazing, I've never seen another Absol before, well besides my mother," Dust said while studying the Absol. Dust made sure to take some precautions, never having met a wild Absol before. "Though we are civilized, I'm curious how a wild Absol will react to seeing another of its kind."

The Absol suddenly began sniffing Dust. Dust blinked, wondering how he smelled to this Absol. Then she suddenly bowed her head forward, making her head blade touching Dust's head blade. They clanged for a second. The Absol then gave a smile, almost as if she was satisfied with whatever it was she was inspecting.

"Interesting, perhaps this is how Absol greets another one of its kind. I never thought our head blades could be used as such. I have to write this down immediately," Dust went to grab his notepad on the ground, only for the Absol to block his path. "Uh… sorry, I just need to get past you real quick."

Dust went to move past the Absol, only for her to once again block his path. Dust tried once more, but the Absol was already one step ahead of him.

"Well if you won't let me pass, what do you want then?" Dust asked, though he wasn't really expecting an answer.

The Absol smirked at him. "Ab, Absol~"

The Absol suddenly tackled Dust down and pinned him with her claws.

"What are you doing? Get off me!" Dust shouted, but then a thought occurred to him, one that made him very worried. "Wait, earlier that Pachirisu was going through great lengths for that Emolga due to her being in heat. Based on your sudden reaction… Please tell me you're not also in heat."

The Absol gave Dust a hungry looking smile. Dust paled, realizing the trouble he found himself in. Luckily, he had a way to get away. His body was pinned, but his own claws weren't. He moved his right claw to reach into his bag and took out a Stun Seed, then he flicked it into the Absol's mouth. As soon as she chewed the seed, her body suddenly locked and froze. Dust was able to push her off of him and he started to walk away.

However, the Stun Seed didn't last very long, because Dust suddenly sensed danger. He looked back and saw the female Absol was moving already and was running after him. "ABSOL! ABSOL!"

"Oh no," Dust said before he started running for his life. "I am not ready for this kind of relationship!"

The Absol kept chasing him as her eyes turned into yellow stars of determination. Dust took a quick glance behind him, seeing the Absol was gaining in on him. This caused him to run even faster while screaming with the top of his lungs.

---

Berry and Shab were swimming close together. Shab didn't want to lose sight of his favorite Goomy. Berry was looking around, enjoying the sights. She had never seen so many different Water types swimming around together before. There weren't many ocean Pokemon, but there were a few Berry could see, which wasn't often in her life. Pokemon like Horsea, Staryu, and even the Clamperl, which were normally deep sea Pokemon. It made Berry wonder why they decided to settle in a lake. Shab managed to stop Berry from wandering into a Dewpider's web. He explained to Berry that a Dewpider often claims a body of water as their own by setting up webs in the area. They don't care about other species, but if another Dewpider came along, they would have a competition to see who would take the lake.

"Fascinating," Berry noted. "Did a Dewpider do that with the body of water you used to live in, Shab?"

Shab turned away for a moment, blushing very much at the compliment. "Yeah, I remember seeing one before, back when I was still fully wild."

"No wonder you know so much about the Dewpider." Berry smiled.

Shab looked to be turning red from the smile, he was so happy. Berry sweatdropped when she saw the Feebas turning ready. I hope he's not boiling himself… he almost looks like a Magikarp in that shade of red.

Speaking of Magikarp, there were many of them swimming around the lake. There were also a few Feebas swimming as well, but Berry was surprised that there weren't a lot of Feebas like there were Magikarp. There were Goldeen, Seaking, Remeroid, and Finneon swimming around as well. There was a school of WishiWashi swimming around happily. Berry wished she could take notes, but it was impossible to bring a pen and paper underwater, she would just have to do her best to memorize what she was seeing.

Shab took Berry to a safe spot to hide underwater when a Gyarados was passing by.

"Thanks, you really know your way underwater," Berry complimented.

Shab was practically a Magikarp at this point, what with all his blushing. "Thanks. That was pretty close, didn't expect to see a Gyrados so close by."

"I guess it was only a matter of time seeing how there's so many Magikarp here," Berry noted. "Well, I think we've seen enough here. We should get back to Dust before he starts to worry."

Shab nodded before he and Berry began to swim up, but then Berry felt a strong presence coming towards them. She was about to dive back down, thinking the Gyarados was coming back, but stopped short when she saw what was swimming towards them. It was an aquatic, serpentine Pokémon with a primarily cream-colored body. It has red eyes with long, pinkish antennae above them. Additionally, there are long, hair-like fins above its eyes, which begin thin and thicken towards the tips. These eyebrows extend to almost half of the Pokemon''s body length. On top of its relatively small head is a straight spike. Running down either side of its neck are three black dots, similar to gills. Its lower body is a patterning of blue and pink, diamond-shaped scales outlined with black. The tail consists of four large, blue fins with pink ovals in their centers. Each of the tail fins overlaps the next slightly, causing it to resemble a fan.

"Whoa…" Berry stared in awe at the most beautiful Pokemon she had ever seen in her life, her eyes sparkled as she watched the graceful serpentine Pokemon swimming past her, moving its body in a graceful manner.

Shab noticed how amazed Berry was watching this graceful Pokemon. "What...What do you think of Milotic?"

"You know what that Pokemon is, Shab?" Berry asked, surprised.

Before Shab could answer, the Goomy's eyes sparkled again. "It's the most beautiful Pokemon I've ever seen. I didn't even know something that beautiful could exist. Look at the way it was swimming, I felt like I was watching a queen… or a king if it was male."

Berry then wrapped Shab up in a hug. "Oh, Shab, there are so many Pokemon in the world. So many different kinds. I hope we get to see a Milotic again though, I'd love to see what else it can do. But it swam away so fast we didn't get a chance to really look at it."

Berry let go of Shab and looked longingly at the direction the Milotic went swimming to. "Dust would've loved to see it, I'm sure. Though… I guess something that beautiful wouldn't want to waste its time on weird looking Pokemon like me..."

At first Shab was blushing after being hugged, but then grew concerned after hearing Berry. Despite what Berry had said, she was the most beautiful Pokemon there was to Shab.

If you wish to see a Milotic, then I will do everything I can so that you can see one everyday of your life! Shab thought to himself, filled with determination to make Berry's wishes come true. He already planned on surprising her and was looking towards the day when he would evolve. And when I do, I'll see that beautiful face you made just now and show you how much you mean to me. I promise that you'll never have to feel bad about yourself ever again.

Shab swam over to Berry. "I'm sure you'll see a Milotic again soon, Berry. But for now, shall we get back to the land?"

The Goomy snapped out of her reverie and nodded to the Feebas. "Yeah. I can't wait to tell Dust about our discovery though, he'll be so excited and jealous!"

The two of them hopped out of the lake. Berry crawled up onto the land, while Shab floated a little off of the grass before he hopped on top of Berry's head. Berry wondered if Shab found her head more comfortable than just floating on his own. Though Berry didn't feel any weight on her head, so it wasn't like Shab was slowing her down as she slithered across the land.

"Now where did Dust go…? I told him not to go too far…" Berry wondered as she tried to look for him with her antennae.

Though just as Berry was starting to search for Dust with her antennae, a scream echoed through the woods, causing a few Tailow and Pidgey to fly away.

"What was that scream?" Shab asked.

Berry frowned. "That sounded like… Dust? Oh, no… what trouble did he get himself into this time?"

Just as Berry was slithering to where they heard the scream, something purple and green dropped down in front of her, making her and Shab jump. After getting over their initial shock, however, Berry was surprised to see the thing that fell in front of them looked very familiar. Berry's eyes widened when she realized it was another Goomy. The Goomy was bigger and chubbier than she was though. The Goomy was male, and was blinking at her, surprised to see her as well.

"I… didn't expect to see another Goomy…" Berry nervously noted as she slithered back a few inches.

"Goomy?" The Goomy gave a curious look at Berry before slithering towards her.

"It's a wild Goomy," Shab noted.

Berry slithered back a little. "What… what does he want? You can understand his ancient language, can't you?""

Shab nodded. "I can, but it's going to be a little difficult understanding him? I can understand wild Fish Pokemon easily, but a wild Goomy may have a different dialect, so… some things may get lost in translation."

Berry frowned. "...Wild Pokemon can have different dialects? I guess that's something to put into the notes later…"

The Goomy had gotten close to Berry while she was distracted, and this made Berry go stiff, wondering what the wild Goomy wanted. Her memory of the wild Goodra in the Waterfall Cavern was still vivid in her mind. The Goomy rubbed her side with his antennae, almost as if checking her goo. "Goomy?"

"I think he's saying 'soft glue' or 'different goo'," Shab tried to translate.

"Uh… well my goo is definitely different, since I was raised by Wooper and Quagsire," Berry admitted.

After looking at the piece of goo from Berry, the Goomy then put the goo in his mouth, much to Berry's disgust and Shab's anger. The Goomy seemed to perk up after tasting Berry's goo and was moving closer to Berry. "Goomy!"

"Why you…! How dare you! Only I get to taste Berry's goo!" Shab snapped before he bounced off of Berry's head and landed between her and the Goomy.

"Shab? What's going on?" Berry asked, confused and concerned.

"It looks like we came here during a bad time. I should've known, it's mating season. All the wild Pokemon here are in heat and there's no way I'm letting a Goomy like you getting near Berry!" Shab shouted that last part at Goomy, who hardly seemed phased.

"Wah!?" Berry yelped. "What is it with male Pokemon tasting my goo and getting attached to me?"

"Goo, Goomy, my, my, Goo!" Goomy said to Shab in a challenging tone.

"Berry, go find Dust while I hold off this Goomy!" Shab said as he got into a battle position.

"But Shab-" Berry began to say in concern before the wild Goomy jumped suddenly.

Shab was body slammed by the Goomy. Shab flailed around, getting the Goomy off of him.

"Shab, are you alright?" Berry asked in concern. "We should leave, you're not supposed to get into fights!"

"We can't leave without Dust, and if we turn our backs to this Goomy, he will continue to pursue you. Right now the only thing on his mind is mating with you and he won't stop until he does," Shab explained.

The Goomy got on Shab again, and began to glow green. Berry recognized this attack as Absorb, which Shab was weak to being a pure Water type.

"No, stop! Get off of him!" Berry yelled.

The Goomy gave no indication that it understood her and kept sapping Shab's strength. This reminded Berry how Dust was being sapped dry by the Sandygast. Berry jumped at the Goomy and tackled him off of Shab. The Goomy fell a few feet, and looked up in surprise that the female Goomy just attacked him to save the Feebas. Berry looked at Shab in concern.

"Are you alright, Shab?" Berry asked in concern. "We'll find Dust soon and see if he has any Oran Berries for you."

"I'll be alright, I wasn't expecting that Goomy to know Absorb, but I'll be fine now," Shab replied.

"Goomy?" The Goomy looked confused.

Berry quickly got in front of Shab. "I know you can't understand me, but this Feebas is my friend. I'm not going to let you hurt him."

The Goomy at Berry for a moment, as though processing what she just said. After a few seconds the Goomy finally replied. "Goomy, goo goomy."

"He says… he mixed… no, he uh… understands sort of… he'll leaf… uh… leave me alone if you go with him," Shab roughly translated.

"Go with him? As in follow him or… mate?" Berry asked hesitantly.

"Goomy~" The Goomy answered, in what sounded like a flirtatious tone.

Goomy got closer to Berry and started to nuzzle her. Berry's body became rigid, she normally liked giving hugs, but she was terrified of the idea of mating while she was only 16 years old.

Thankfully for Berry, however, two Absol came running towards them. Goomy pushed Berry away before they could get trampled. One of the Absol that was running away from the other, however, was familiar to Berry. Berry blinked, seeing some pink under its fur.

"Is that Dust?" Berry questioned.

"I think so," Shab replied. "But why is that Absol chasing him?"

"I'm too young to be mating!" Dust shouted as he continued to run from female Absol.

Berry realized in shock that the reason why Dust was running like a maniac was because the female Absol wanted to mate him.

"We… uh… really should leave before one of us ends up having an egg. Cliff was one thing, but I'm not ready to lay an actual egg of my own!" Berry squeaked.

Berry looked at the wild Goomy for a moment. She had an idea. She picked up Shab with her antennae before putting him on her head, then she slithered over to the Goomy.

"Thanks for pushing me out of the way. But I have to go now," Berry apologized. "I hope you can find another mate who will give you what you need."

Berry pat the Goomy on the back, making the Goomy blush, before she slithered to a nearby big leaf. Berry quickly slithered up more, nearly slithering over a sleeping Caterpie. Berry kept going higher and higher, until she was so high up she was nearly on top of a tree. She looked down, seeing the two Absol running around.

"Brace yourself, Shab," Berry warned.

"With you by my side, I'm ready for anything," Shab replied.

Berry waited until the two Absol were running just under where she was waiting. Berry jumped from the high big leaf she was on, then she turned around and shot out rings of water, propelling her and Shab towards the two Absol. Dust saw the incoming Goomy and Feebas and quickly ducked his head down. The female Absol had been too distracted trying to catch Dust that she didn't see Berry and Shab until they slammed into her face. Berry just did a falling, Water Pulse and Body Slam combination on the Absol. This was enough to make the Absol fall to the ground, her body twitching a little from paralysis, and her eyes spiraling. Berry and Shab flipped off of the Absol when she fell down.

"Talk about perfect timing," Dust remarked as he recognized it was Berry and Shab. "Where did you two come from?"

"The sky," Shab answered.

"We were looking for you and noticed you… uh… needed some assistance," Berry noted. "We should probably leave. It's been over 6 hours, and it's apparently mating season. A wild Goomy tried to mate with me and attacked Shab."

"You ran into another Goomy? I wonder if it was the same one I saw earlier, before that Absol had shown up," Dust wondered.

"You can wonder about it later, for now, let's go before more Pokemon show up," Shab suggested.

"Right, hop on then, I think we've done enough research for today," Dust said as he crouched close to the ground.

The female Absol managed to regain consciousness in time to see a Goomy with a red scarf and a Feebas on its head slithering on the handsome Absol's back. She managed to push herself up to her feet just as the handsome Absol ran off with the Goomy on his back. She blinked, confused, wondering why he was willing to let the slimey Pokemon mess up his fur like that. She wondered for a moment, and began to think maybe that was how he got his fur all nice, shiny, and soft.

The Absol looked around for a moment, before spotting another Goomy slithering about, looking rather sad about something. The Absol approached the Goomy, which grabbed the Goomy's attention. Most Pokemon would run from the sight of an Absol, but this Goomy seemed to not care enough to flee, instead, he just looked up at her curiously. The Absol smiled before deciding to make a proposal to the Goomy.

---

"You knew it was mating season… and you didn't bother to warn us?!" Berry snapped at the two Ponyta when they reached the stables.

"Hey, he's supposed to be the genius!" Sunny countered, shoving a hoof in Dust's direction. "We'd figured that Dust would have at least known about mating season before coming here."

"While I do appreciate the compliment, I've only read about how Pokemon react when in heat, but I never learned about when mating season would be," Dust pointed out.

"We may have forgotten to mention it ourselves. We sort of assumed you two would know about it already," Twilight guiltily admitted.

"Well… we do now," Berry sighed. "I don't think we can get anymore research done if we're trying not to attract the opposite gender of our species or… Mew forbid, egg groups. Perhaps we should come back at another time, when the mating season is over with to do more research."

Shab was slowly munching on an Oran Berry that Dust had given him after they had reached the stables. It was the first time Dust discovered Feebas do have teeth, which surprised him since he thought most Fish Pokemon didn't have teeth.

"Well, despite some setbacks, I think we've done some pretty good research. Did you two see anything noteworthy while underwater?" Dust asked, already having his notepad out, ready to jot down notes.

"Oh do we ever!" Berry burst out in excitement.

Berry immediately began telling Dust of her and Shab's experience underwater. They couldn't find that small school of Dratini, but they did find all sorts of unusual Pokemon living in the lake. Like the Clamperl that usually lived in deep ocean were living in the lake. But the one Berry described in most detail was a beautiful serpent water dragon-like Pokemon that she heard Shab called a Milotic.

Dust was excitingly writing down every word Berry said, pausing to ask a question about one of the Pokemon she was describing. But he was completely amazed when Berry mentioned Milotic, writing down even more notes with each passing second.

"To think you two would come across a Pokemon like that!" Dust exclaimed. "Oh, you mentioned that you also came across a male Goomy. Tell me, what was the interaction like?"

Berry shivered as she remembered how the interaction went. She explained to Dust how the Goomy was checking her out, then tasted her goo like Shab liked to do, then suddenly he decided he wanted her as his mate. Shab tried to fight him so Berry could go find Dust, but the Goomy was too strong for the Feebas, so Berry had to tackle the Goomy away before he sucked Shab dry with Absorb. Berry mentioned how the Goomy seemed to understand her when she told him that Shab was her friend, and wanted her to mate with him before Dust and the Absol came running in.

"So I take it your experience with the female Absol was pretty much the same?" Berry remarked.

"Pretty much. When I first saw the Absol, well I was pretty surprised. The only other Absol I've ever seen was my mother. Though this Absol was much smaller compared to her," Dust explained as he continued. "After our brief encounter, she clanged her horn against mine. At first I thought it was a natural greeting between wild Absol, but seeing the way she reacted afterwards, I think she was checking my age."

"What does your horn have to do with your age?" Shab asked.

"Oh, well interesting fact, when an Absol hatches, they don't have their horn at first. Instead it grows as we do, until we reach a mature age," Dust answered as he tapped his own horn. "The older an Absol, the more durable their horns are."

"Wow, I never knew that about Absol," Berry remarked.

"Heh, yes, it is a rather interesting," Dust chuckled a bit before getting very serious. "But what's more interesting is that Shab was able to speak with a Wild Pokemon! Shab! You must teach me how to communicate with Wild Pokemon! I must learn their secrets! Think of all the possibilities if I could communicate with them!"

Shab swallowed the last of his Oran Berry before looking at Dust. "The 'ancient language' as you called it is easy. It's your language that's complex and difficult to learn. Every wild Pokemon has an innate language and dialect they can speak. I can speak to other Fish Pokemon, and Water Pokemon are pretty easy to understand too. However, it is harder for me to understand land Pokemon. Flying Pokemon are the hardest for me to understand, they might as well be speaking a completely different language. From what I could gather during my time in education, civilized Pokemon loses that innate language, instead, they learn this complex language instead."

Dust started writing more in his notepad after hearing Shab's explanation. "Amazing, to think that each wild Pokemon had their own language. This means that there is a whole network of dialect among the wild Pokemon. I would still like to learn about your language and anything related. For now it would be a start, but I think with time we could be able to better understand wild Pokemon in the future!"

"How about we save more research note taking on the way back to the guild. I rather not have another potential mate deciding they like my goo too," Berry sighed.

"Agreed," Dust nodded. "Despite the setback and only having six hours to spend here, I think we've done quite the job for our first Research Mission. I look forward to when we can take another one."

"Alright, then you two get into the Carriage and we'll get back to White Leaf Town," Sunny sighed.

Dust hopped into the Carriage before Berry sat on the other side. Twilight and Sunny began galloping down the dirt path.

As they were galloping, Berry gave a shocked gasp. "Dust, look over there!"

Dust followed Berry's gaze and gasped at what he saw. "How is that even possible?!"

The wild Absol and Goomy they saw earlier were together. The Absol was running with the Goomy on her back, who seemed to be having fun.

Dust began taking some notes as he watched the Absol and Goomy. "Perhaps one of them had seen us, with you on my back. That would explain where they got the idea from, but that still doesn't explain why they did it in the first place."

"Seems like it's a type of symbiotic relationship," Shab replied. "I remember seeing some wild Pokemon working with other Pokemon, even though they were a different kind. Both would benefit from the other, so maybe that's what the Absol and Goomy are doing."

"Two different species working together," Dust noted. "And to think earlier they wanted to mate with us."

"I think they're also doing it because we did," Berry remarked. "Perhaps they're also hoping this will get our attention. But who knows, maybe they'll find mates that will appreciate them for their symbiotic relationship."

As the two Ponyta crossed the bridge, and were heading out of the Wild Area, Berry's mind wandered to their conversation this morning. She remembered how upset she made Dust when she yelled at him about how that supposed 'future' they saw in the Strange Mansion wasn't true, or the Goodra wasn't her. She hadn't meant to make it sound like she was accusing him of replacing her, she just didn't want to accept the possibility that Goodra could be her.

Taking a deep breath, and letting it out, the Goomy looked at Dust. "Hey Dust…"

Dust turned to Berry, noticing that something was deep in her mind. "Yes, Berry?"

Berry noticed that Shab had fallen asleep, likely exhausted from today's events, and recovering from his battle with the wild Goomy earlier. Berry carefully placed Shab down on the seat beside her before she continued. "About this morning… I just wanted to say I'm sorry, for snapping at you about the future we saw in the Strange Mansion, and making it sound like I was accusing you of leaving me for the Goodra. I know… you would never do that… I just… didn't want to accept the possibility that Goodra could be… well… me."

Dust was shocked to see Berry opening up. He turned away as he looked at the open sky before replying. "Do you remember what I said? When we were at White Peak during Princess Day?"

Berry looked up at Dust. "Yes, I do. You said you would support me no matter what I decide to do, if I choose to evolve or not."

"And that still remains true. No matter what you decided, I will always support you, because you are my friend," Dust remained silent for a moment before speaking up again. "Earlier today you asked me why I wasn't so worried about death. I told you it was because of that future version of me that we saw. Truth is, I was actually terrified at the thought of dying. To think that if it wasn't for Giratina, I wouldn't really be here right now. But when I think about that future version of me, it gives me hope. I don't know how far in the future that version was, but I noticed he seemed… happier. It gives me comfort knowing that I still might have a future, one where you and me are still partners and friends."

Berry was silent for a little while, she seemed to be debating on what to say to that.

"Seeing you be so determined to deny it, calling it an illusion, it makes it confusing for me. I know I would support you in your decision, and I can tell that you are not comfortable with the idea of evolving, but at the same time I wonder if I should forget about that future and give up," Dust continued.

"I understand that the future we saw in the Strange Mansion gives you hope, Dust," Berry finally said. "However, we both know that the future isn't set in stone. What we saw could've been a vision of a possible future, not a guaranteed one. But…"

Berry gave Dust a small smile. "That doesn't mean it still can't come true. Maybe it won't come true exactly like how we saw it, like me being a Goodra, but we can still make it happen. We carve our own future, and I know you're not dying any time soon, Dust."

"I know the future holds the unknown," Dust finally replied before turning to face Berry once more. He gave her a smile as he hugged her. "But it's nice knowing that we will be facing it together. Thank you, Berry."

"And thank you, Dust, for always being a supportive friend," Berry replied back in a grateful tone.

---

Greatest Guy: DarkFoxKit: Wow, we really did break you with those doors, because there are probably dozens of puns you could've made regarding them. XP

Chihiro: Well some of the best perks when becoming a ghost is that many doors are open for you. Though by then, you don't even really need them, since we can easily float past them.

FoxyKhai0209: Traveling Master: Ah yes, the classic "opening the door on a female without meaning to joke," it was quite hilarious when we were writing this chapter. We had lots of fun.

Dust: I didn't! Do you think anyone wants to see what I saw?! I'm still trying to get that image out of my head!

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, the one with the Mew and the blue child was indeed from Child of Mew. Thought it would be funny to put that in as a cameo. The Digimon thing was my idea, thought it would be funny to have the two see each other even if it was for a brief moment, and I am a fan of both franchises, so I know they are very different from each other. As for Mimi… you'll have to wait and see.

Charming Dew: Traveling Master: XD Yup, I think they were confusing for everyone too. Oh, and be careful, that almost sounded like a pun. We already have an issue with Chihiro popping up for one of our reviewers, I don't think we can handle her showing up for-

Chihiro: Too late! And that was a good pun if I say so myself. It was very Charming if you ask me. So I suggest you Dew some more, puns are what make the world go round!

Traveling Master: ...And there she goes...Oh boy.

Pretty Princess: Traveling Master: Funny thing about the doors is that the idea actually came from two things. One from Scooby Doo, whenever there was a chase scene and it showed the gang running through multiple doors. The other was Teen Titans. If you have seen the episode Mad Maud, there's a scene where there's lots of doors, and things get really crazy from that point. So that's where we got the idea from for the doors.

Moonlight Spark: DarkFoxKit: Too bad there aren't any Ghostbusters in this universe. ^^' So who are you going to call instead?

Traveling Master: CRUSADERS!...I don't know, it doesn't have the same ring to it like Ghostbuster does.

Diamond Nourish: Traveling Master: Oh boy, so just as there was a cameo from DF's story, Child of Mew, I decided to throw a little cameo of my own. You see, before this story, I was struggling on my own to come up with a story for Dust. And trust me, there were a lot of versions. That Absol Dust had encountered was a different version of him, and things were a lot darker in that story. Will any of us see that version of Dust again...I don't think so, but who knows, maybe something might change. Only time will tell.

Dino Roar299: DarkFoxKit: Yes, Detective Pikachu~

Lucy Wing971: Traveling Master: Yup, he was being possessed by Giratina, though it actually saved his life. As Giratina explained before, had he not possessed Dust, the Absol would have truly died. But it does also have to do with the mystical gift Dust was given, if he didn't have that gift, Giratina would most likely not have shown up to save the day.

Guest: DarkFoxKit: TM actually answered that one with the Absol, but to make it brief, it's basically an alternate, much darker, more apocalyptic and edgier version of Dust. A story that TM thought of at one point but never saw the light of day. As for Berry using Water Pulse, we're not strictly using levels here. Think of this running more on the Pokemon anime logic. Pokemon will learn moves when they experienced something or had gotten strong enough, which is what happened to Berry. So for your sake, and our's, don't think of them at being a certain level, because it will seem inconsistent if you do. We will have them learn certain moves when we feel it serves the story better or their characters, not what their levels are on.

I should probably point this out, because I guess we didn't make it very clear in the story. Berry knows she's a Dragon type, deep down. She's just in denial of it. There's a difference between not knowing and not wanting to know.

I can't say how long it would take before Berry acknowledges that she's a Dragon type, but she already acknowledged she is indeed a Goomy and not a Wooper.

Ruby Spice: Traveling Master: Heh, well that language was written in Wingdings format, and that skeleton was Gaster himself, from the game Undertale.

DarkFoxKit: We don't remember the exact message, but basically he was saying 'you two are very interesting species, what are you?' I hope that satisfies you.

Ivory Snowflake: Traveling Master: Well the event that had caused humans to disappear long ago had such a big effect on everyone else, so it's a shame that they were trapped for so long. Good thing That Dust and Berry ended up being invited to their mansion.

And as Mimi explained, these doors do lead to different time lines, different dimensions and such. We couldn't pass the opportunity to throw in that little tidbit with us. Good thing DF closed the door, else Dust would've figured out certain things he isn't supposed to know...yet.

Midnight Mark: DarkFoxKit: Maybe Mimi will join them in the future, only time will tell.

The Moonfox Collective: DarkFoxKit: Parallel to what? ^^' And yes, we couldn't help ourselves, we wanted to put in all the references. :D I'm glad you like Mimi. Dust is… pretty much a trouble magnet. And oh dear, you just shrugged off being shot to the forehead I see. ^^'

Lonleyboi69: Traveling Master: With so many references, it might as well be. XD. Glad you liked the chapter.

*Static finally stops, revealing a ruined building. After a couple seconds the rubble started to shift as I managed to climb out. I was completely covered in soot, coughing as I try to breathe in some clear air.*

Traveling Master: *Coughs* ...Okay...note to self...don't handle the fireworks...Let someone else do that job...