12. Science Class Goes Horribly Wrong

Blue had never seen a Dungeon quite like this. He doubted any of them had. A Dungeon like this, born from the remnants of a long lost species, was rare, if not unheard of! The faded white tile floor they walked on even felt old, chemical burns and all. The walls were made of cracked windows that looked upon nothing, and some of them even glowed different colors. Human creations, maybe? Had the Dungeon replicated them, taking influence from the place it formed? Were they working properly?

"This is insane," Rio whispered, holding his glowing Bone Rush up to guide them. The Bidoof couldn't have said it better himself.

Rio stood at the front of the party, with Pana right behind him. Blue followed the Pancham, while Scales headed up the rear, walking down the path ahead of them. It wasn't long before they entered the first room of the Dungeon.

As soon as Rio entered, they heard a click. A second later he was gone. Pana cursed as she looked down, and Blue couldn't blame her. The warp trap was well hidden, but now that they were aware of it Blue could see the purple gem buried in the floor.

"Where did Rio go?" Scales asked, looking back at the path.

"Warp trap," Pana grumbled, and shrugged. "Oh well, lets go."

"Huh?" Blue said, surprised at the shift in her tone. "Shouldn't we wait for him? In case he comes back?"

"He sure as hell won't do that. He'll probably keep going alone. Better chance of seeing him if we don't stop."

Blue was about to raise another point, but the Porygon hiding behind the corner decided to make his move as the Bidoof opened his mouth. The magenta Psybeam it fired nailed Pana in the back of her head.

Blue, having done this hundreds of times on the trip, spit at the Porygon in surprise. He felt a slight tug in his stomach, and a thin stream of water flew out, splashing the offending Pokemon. The Bidoof couldn't believe it. He'd just used Water Gun!

Blue's elation was short lived as it looked like the Porygon barely noticed his attack. It started to float over, but Blue noticed something else was different. Pana was gone. He realized he had not even seen her flinch at the attack.

Then he saw her, appearing right behind her attacker and slamming her palm into its back. The Porygon crumpled from the super effective Arm Thrust, and Pana walked back as if nothing happened.

"Nice job!" Scales said from behind. He patted the Bidoof's back with his heavy claws, making Blue stumble a bit. He was still trying to process what just happened. "You picked that up really fast!"

"Yeah," Pana said, walking back. "It took a while for Rio and his bones."

"A-are you ok?" Blue asked her, rightfully thinking that a hit like that should have at least stung a fighting type.

"Fine?" Pana asked, eyes raised. "Why?"

"You just took a Psybeam to the back of the head! You're a fighting type!"

"And dark," Pana added. Blue knew something was wrong with that statement as soon as she said it.

"Pancham don't get a dark typing until they evolve, right?"

Pana paused. She frowned at that, and that frown turned into a snarl. If looks could kill, the glare that followed would have annihilated the Bidoof where he stood. Blue gulped and took a step back, apparently touching a sore subject. It was all he could do to stop himself from shaking. As quickly as her evident anger appeared, it vanished. Her calm demeanor was back, if not a little more sour.

"I'm weird," she whispered after a short silence. "Let's go."

She stomped forward, and disappeared into the dim Dungeon. Blue sighed in relief and sat down for a bit, glad that he wouldn't be eviscerated on the spot.

"I wouldn't bring up evolving around her," Scales said. "It's a sore spot."

Blue turned his head to see the Hakamo-o, now frowning.. It didn't last for long, as a grin crept up his face. "You did a Water Gun!"

The attempt to change the subject was obvious, but Blue didn't want to step on any more toes. He decided to do some research when they went back to town. Plus, he couldn't help but feel a small inking of pride at his accomplishment, even if it was a pitiful attempt. "I did, didn't I? Too bad it was so weak…"

"It'll get better!" Scales assured. "Just gotta use it more and-"

"COME ON!" Pana shouted from across the room. Both Pokemon flinched at the anger in her voice, and they went to join her without another word.

…

The involuntary teleport was nauseating Rio. He dropped to his knees, just resisting the urge to puke his fruity breakfast onto the lab floor. He groaned and forced himself to his feet.

"Warp trap, huh?"

His Aura sense told him he was alone, no ferals, no team either. Rio shrugged, and walked off into the Dungeon, now carefully watching where he stepped. The lack of ferals didn't last long, as he was soon attacked by a Trubbish, smelly sludge spewing from its mouth.

Rio, seeing a chance to test something, made a quick Bone Rush and pointed it at the feral.

Long, he thought, focusing on the staff and what he wanted to do. Before the Trubbish could even attack, the staff shot forward quickly, smashing it in the face and sending it flying down the hall. Rio retraced his bone, noting the horrid smell coating the end and letting the bone fade away.

"Nice," Rio said to himself. He grinned, and walked down the hall and past the unconscious Trubbish, twitching in its sleep.

He took out the other dungeonmon in a similar matter, thinking of it as target practice. Porygon? Staff. Voltorb? Right in the face. Magnemite? He felt a little bad for nailing it right in the eye.

Rio was having fun with his new attack, but then he felt it. Something was nagging at him, pecking at the back of his head. No, that wasn't quite right. Something was pulling at him, trying to guide him to whatever it was.

As the Riolu walked on, the pull got stronger. He let it guide him for a time, not even feeling for his teammates Auras. He had to find it. There was no other option. It was his, it had to be.

The feeling led him to a door. It was old, rusted, and had a strange blue symbol on it. Looked like a Unown with lines all through it. Rio didn't care much about it, all he knew was that it was in his way.

He tried the door handle, but it was rusted shut. Annoyed, Rio focused some of his Aura into his palm, and slammed it against the door. A small blue explosion sent the offending barrier flying off its hinges and crashing against the wall.

Normally, Rio would have at least paused at the sight of the odd machine. Its rusted metal base hummed, the bottom sprouting strange black tendrils. It stood on three metal legs, all as rusted and dirty as the base itself. The top looked to be around the same, with its rounded, dented, rusted head. Cracked glass that connected the two, and held one of the most beautiful things the Riolu had ever seen.

It looked like Blue's stone, only instead of being a whitish-gray, it was a graying black. Another symbol sat on its surface, what looked to be a toothy, smiling face. The dark glow it gave off captivated the Riolu. He had to have it. He needed it. He hungered for it.

Rio stomped forward, Bone Rush in hand, and swung at the glass. It shattered instantly, and the stone stayed where it was. Floating. Appetizing. Calling to him. It wanted him, and he wanted it.

Without a second thought Rio snatched the stone out of the air, and felt nothing. He blinked, coming out of his trance and looked at the stone. It still radiated the dark light, but nothing stood out to him anymore. It was just a pretty rock.

Rio scratched at his neck as he examined the thing. Why did he think it was so special? Then he looked at his wrist, noting the grooves in the side looked like they would fit his new rock. The Riolu slid the stone in, and sure enough, it fit perfectly.

He could feel the drool gathering as he looked at his new accessories, the glow coming from the stone very dim now. When the cold spit hit his bare fur, he snapped out of his latest trance.

"...Huh…" Without another word, Rio went to find his team, shoving the experience to the back of his mind. For now.

…

The abomination opened its eyes, seeing clearly for the first time. It was as if a fog had just lifted. What? What was fog?

What was...it? Still very groggy, it shifted what it thought was called a body through the amber sludge it was suspended in. Its three... fingers-yes that was the word-has strange bulbs on the end, and something was sticking to what it was sure was its arm. It identified its short fur as white.

It flicked what it thought was a tail, purple apparently, around, tapping the barrier that kept it imprisoned. It thought it was called glass…

How it knew these things, it had no idea.

Awake… I'm awake?

It tried to move, and found it hard in the sludge. It tried again, and managed to twitch a finger. Progress. It tried its tail next, and it swung against the glass. It wasn't enough to break it, much to the thing's dismay. It realized it hated this tube. This, prison, it thought the word was. It wanted out.

Then he felt them, the new minds…

…

Blue looked up at the door that stood in the trio's way. It was the end of the Dungeon as far as the Bidoof could tell, and the end of the path seemed clear of traps. This door was in much better shape than what they found before. It was an immaculate steel, with clear symbols on its face. It towered over the trio, and whatever laid on the other side tore any fear Blue may have had in half, his curiosity stronger.

It was too bad it was locked.

"Why don't I just break it down?" Scales asked for the millionth time.

"If you do that we get our badges taken away!" Pana shouted back. "Arceus!"

"And," Blue added. "We should strive to preserve these ruins. It's one of the few clues we have when it comes to humans."

Scales sighed. "Sure. Whatever. Can you make those squiggles out?"

Blue got closer, examining the symbols on the door's smooth face. It was a human language… Unovan, by the looks of it. Blue was by no means fluent, but he picked up a few words.

"Open… Stone… Danger…" was all he could make out.

"You can read this?" Pana asked. Blue flinched at her sudden outburst, and he turned to the Pancham, still a little freaked out by her earlier burst of rage.

"...A little," he said after a small pause. "Mr. Thesus taught me a few human languages. It was necessary to read some of the books. I just started Unovan."

She grinned at that. "'Doesn't add anything to the team' my ass! That's really useful!"

"You think?" Blue asked shyly, desperately trying to hide the grin growing on his face. "It's useless for Dungeons though…"

"This disagrees!" Pana gestured at the door. "But we can talk about that later. What was that about a stone?"

Blue shook the praise from his mind, and got back to the problem at hand. "It looks like we need a stone to open it?"

"And those pictures?"

Blue was just getting to those. There seemed to be one diagram. One seemed to be what humans were described to look like, tall, lanky, bipedal. It had its arms crossed and on its forearm looked like their bracelets!

"Our bracelets!" Blue said out loud. "Maybe?"

Blue quickly stood up on his hind legs, wobbling as he did his best to copy the picture. He crossed his front legs, and something happened. His stone flashed! Brightly! It was so surprising the Bidoof fell over onto the old tiled floor. He groaned as he blinked the light away.

A clawed hand shot in front of his still recovering eyes. Scales. Blue took the Hakamo'o's hand and he helped him roll over back onto four legs. He gazed at the door, and noted absolutely nothing had changed.

"What was that?" Pana asked, jumping in the Bidoof's line of sight.

"I don't know!" he answered honestly. "I just tried something, and it didn't work… Maybe it's the wrong stone? A different key?"

"Key?" Scales asked. "Didn't that old grump say we could open it?"

"He said maybe," Blue corrected his new friend. "It looks like we have half a key at best..."

Pana groaned. "Is he gonna hold that against us? That isn't our fault at least."

"Maybe he won't?" Blue honestly wasn't sure either. This entire situation was weird, and the stakes were high. His dream would end right here if they were wrong. They couldn't risk it. They had to find the key. There was no other choice.

He was about to tell the other as much when the team suddenly completed itself. Rio, having finally found them, walked up, twirling his Bone Rush like nothing happened. Blue was ashamed to admit that in his excitement and slight nervous breakdown he had completely forgotten about the Riolu.

"You're alright!" Blue said, walking over to Rio. He grinned at the Bidoof and stopped twirling his staff.

"'Course I am," he said simply. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Whatever," Pana interrupted. "You're not dead. Good. did you find anything while you were gone?"

"Yeah, I-" Rio looked at the door, and Blue watched his eyes glazed over. He lifted his arms into the cross, the new black stone clearly visible in his own bracelet. It lit up the same as Blue's did, and the Riolu didn't stop there. He put his arms forward, crouched, and threw them up in the air, doing a silent roar. A black glow flashed across the bracelet, but nothing else.

A click echoed through the room, and the door swung open. Blue would normally be excited, but he was way too freaked out by what just happened.

"Nice dance," Scales said, patting Rio on the back. He stumbled forward, his eyes going back to normal at the contact. He looked around, then at the door.

"...Thanks," Rio said, scratching at his fluffy neck. Blue noticed the slight pause, and his subdued nature.

"Are you ok?" Pana asked, picking up on it too.

"Fine!" Rio said, a little too fast. "Let's see what we've got!" Rio rushed into the final room of the Dungeon before any more questions could be asked. Blue watched him go, more curious about what just happened than worried. He'd have to ask later, the door was open and it's secrets were about to be laid bare.

Blue ran in after Rio, and it was like nothing the Bidoof had ever seen.

The walls of the room were lined with paper. Books, loose sheets and binders filled the walls and littered the floor. By Blue's best guess this room alone had more than the entire library's collection. The few tables inside held more books, along with glassware filled with strange glowing liquids. Rio had stopped between them, staring at something in the center of the room. Blue tore his attention away from the vast reservoir of knowledge to look at what his friend was staring at, and gasped.

"What the fuck…" Was all he could say as they looked at the large cat floating in the amber goop.

…

Confusion, fear, fascination.

The small brown mammal that stared at him was practically radiating these thoughts. Was that directed at it? It was almost overwhelming. The other mammal was not helping, with its utter fascination also obvious.

One- no, two more entered. Why couldn't it feel the other at first? It was as if the small black and white one was foggy. Did this small one carry the fog? Was it here to put it back to sleep? No, there were differences. The one the blue one carried was much closer to-

The abomination didn't even notice it at first. It was very faint, but it could feel the same energy that diminished it for so long. They were here to put it back to sleep! They wouldn't succeed.

It wouldn't let them succeed.

…

"What the hell is that?" Pana asked.

Rio was so fascinated by the sight of the thing he couldn't respond. He'd never felt an Aura like it.

He realized that wasn't quite true. He had felt something close. That Sableye gave off a similar feeling. The difference was it wasn't as overwhelming. He could actually feel the shifts. Right now it felt afraid.

When Rio felt that fear turn to rage, he knew they were in for a fight.

"GET DOWN!" he screamed, summoning a Bone Rush.

They watched as the strange cat's eyes glowed a bright purple, and witnessed the tube that imprisoned the Pokemon explode in a violet light.