Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 49

Nomads


(A/N) I need a beta reader for the story!... That's all! I'll speak more after the chapter. Enjoy!


The sun painted the sky in many hues of oranges and blues: colors burned into the gabite's mind from the days they had been in the desert. After a couple of days, their search increased in difficulty. They found themselves traversing Quicksand Coast: a name Dillan found shocking given the only sea he could see from there was the endless waves of desert sands. To be frank, there wasn't much difference to Quicksand Coast then to the rest of the desert, well, other than the killer sand-traps.

Thank Arceus for their new-found Krookodile companion, Conner – or as Valery continued to call him, C. C. There was one instance Dillan, having been at the front of the group, found himself strolling through the desert as though nothing were different when Conner's hand gripped him hard around the shoulder. Apparently, a step later, Dillan would have found himself falling through sand as though it were air. And given the fact that this place was classified as a mystery dungeon, falling into a sand-trap is like stepping off the dungeon's path – no one hears from you again.

So as the days progressed, Conner taught Dillan to use his 'Miracle Sense' like a sort of dowsing device, sensing through the earth itself to find pockets where the sand shared space with air – sand traps. And by now, it was second-nature to the gabite, leading the group through the mystery dungeon as though it were a game of, "the floor is lava." And that gave him time to think, dwelling on Lily's words from the other day.

"Is this what you want?" her words echoed through his brain, forcing him to question whether this were his choice to be the hero. "Or is this what others want from you?"

Maybe it was silly of him to listen. Sure, this wasn't his world. He was an outsider at best. So, maybe he shouldn't be the hero. But this world did belong to his friends. Why shouldn't he help them to preserve it?

It was at this precise moment that Dilan halted in his tracks. Come to think of it, could there be a different solution? Lily did say he didn't need to be the hero: someone else could take his place. Would that be for the best? Hey, maybe they'd be more qualified than him. He had the Sapphire Star for weeks now, and he still had little clue how to use its powers. Maybe someone else could do this better than he could.

No, he'd be putting his friends' lives in the hands of a stranger. He couldn't do that to them – not to Hazel. But… maybe they could do a better job than he could.

Maybe there was truth to what Lily said to him. Maybe… his heart wasn't in this mission. Maybe he didn't want to go down this path. Was there another? Perhaps he could convince Dialga and Palkia that he wasn't the person for the job. And maybe he could convince them to take him and his friends to the human world where it was safe. Then they wouldn't be in any danger. Was that an alternative solution?

"Hey, hero!" Fitz' voice cut through Dillan's thoughts and made him snap back into reality.

His eyes drifted from the setting sun to the collapsed form of Valery sprawled across the sands in a panting mess.

"Valery!" Dillan called out in panic, making to run towards her, yet he felt his foot held back by the fuzzy grip of Ryan.

"Take it easy!" Ryan assured. "She's not hurt or anything, just tired is all!"

"Valery's… alright?" Dillan questioned.

As a thumb's-up shot skywards from Valery's body, Dilan took a sigh of relief.

"Just need some water is all," Valery called from her spot. The krookodile walked up towards Dillan and hunched over him, casting a long shadow across his face. Dillan's nerves began to scramble in worry as he realized just how tall the pokemon was up close. He was like a giant, towering over Dillan by three feet at least. He was so focused on the krookodile he hardly noticed his extended arm.

"O-oh, right," Dillan stuttered as he retrieved a clear, glass jug of water from the dirty bag at his side. "Here."

"I think we should call it a night," Ryan said as he stared towards the setting sun. "It's gonna be dark soon, and it'd be best to start a fire before then."

"And why should you be bothered by that, traitor?" Fitz questioned with a dignant scowl towards the pachirisu. "Afraid to catch a cold?"

"I'm with the traitor," Valery said, slumping upwards to her rear with a huff. "I'm too tired to keep looking."

"Then we'll make camp," Conner stated.

The krookodile planted a foot into the ground and summoned a couple smooth, stony walls from the earth in the form of a massive hut Dillan could easily stand inside. It was an ability Dillan wished he'd thought of before. How much time could he have saved erecting a rocky tent instead of digging a crappy, little burrow in the ground?

"It just occurred to me – why have you never done that?" Ryan asked Dillan with a snarky smirk to his face. "Would have saved us some time back when we were still taking missions for the Guild."

"I don't know," Dillan said as he took a couple of steps towards the tent. He began circling the structure, looking over the smooth exterior with a glint of enthusiasm in his eye. Maybe he could do this. Could it be much different than when he summons boulders from the ground?

"Try it," Ryan suggested with a smile.

"Try what?" Valery asked as her ears perked up excitedly. "What's Dillan gonna do?"

Dillan looked towards Conner almost as if looking for approval. If anyone would know whether Dillan could pull this off, it was Conner. After all, he was the most experienced Ground-type here, not to mention Dillan would be attempting to replicate his tent.

Yet Conner gave no response towards the gabite, his expression being as hardened as steel as he crossed his arms as if waiting for Dillan's move.

"Stop stalling and make the attempt," Fitz said with a scowl.

"Like you could do this," Ryan retorted for the gabite.

"Alright alright," Dillan said with a huff. He took a deep breath. In. And out. Then, he focused on the ground itself, feeling for the particle of rock within the sand which would form his slabs. Then, with a solid plant of his foot, he felt the particles come together, shooting upwards to form a tent.

As Dillan opened his eyes, he found his image realized. Everyone looked on with looks of surprise as Ryan made his way towards the structure, having to drop to all-fours to fit into the tiny structure.

"Wow," Fitz droned. "Impressive work, hero."

"I think it looks cute!" Valery said, gushing over Dillan's work. "Like a doll's house!"

"It's a start…?" Ryan offered as he crawled out of the tent.

"I don't know what I did wrong…" Dillan said with a quizzical look at his structure. "I mean, I did what I always do when I use that rocky attack where I kick a rock into the air and throw it at my opponents, you know?"

"Then you did it wrong," Conner said from behind the gabite. He planted his own foot into the ground with a "thump" in the sand and the mini-tent's walls retreated back into the sand.

"How?" Dillan asked. "Am I missing a step?"

"You're missing the point," Conner said. He waved Dillan forwards saying, "Step towards me."

Yet Dillan hesitated. He looked up at the krookodile with a raised eyebrow, unsure of what he was about to do. Yet the krookodile stomped his foot once in the sand and Dillan felt his feet slide from underneath him. He wobbled a bit to keep on his feet as the ground moved like a wave, carrying him to a stop in front of Conner who moved quickly.

Conner began with a pace around Dillan. At this moment, Dillan recalled a child's story Hazel had once shown to get him acquainted with the world. It was a picture book, one picture of a small child in the middle of a river flooded his mind. The child seemed so unsure in that picture, worried of what was about to happen to him in that very moment as a large sharpedo circled around, waiting for the moment of attack. Right now, Dillan felt like the child and Conner seemed more like a sharpedo than anything.

"What are you trying to accomplish here?" Conner asked with a commanding tone to his voice.

"Uh… sorry?"

"Don't apologize," Conner said with a loud snap to his claws, forcing Dillan to wince. "Just answer the question."

"Um…" Dillan said as he thought back. "I'm… trying to build a tent like yours, I guess."

"You guess?" Conner asked with force. "Why do you have to guess? You are or you are not, isn't that right, Ms. Fitz?"

Dillan looked towards Valery to see her leaning on the tent wall with a smirk plastered to her face. Clearly, she was enjoying whatever this behemoth was doing. "Correct," she answered.

"So, Dillan. I ask you this: are you building a tent or not?"

"Yeah…" Dillan said reluctantly. "I mean, I'm trying."

"Yes or no," Conner said.

"Yes," he stated on instinct.

"Then why, might I ask, are you going about it like you are attacking?"

Dillan froze for a moment at the question. It caught him off guard to say the least. "I'm not sure what you mean," he said.

"You told us that when you constructed your pathetic excuse for a make-shift tent, 'I did what I always do when I use that rocky attack.' Did you not?"

"I… did," Dillan stated, worried about where Conner was taking this. As Conner stopped his pacing in front of Dillan, he winced for a moment n worry.

Yet Conner made no move to attack the gabite. He merely leaned over towards him and said in a soft voice, "Tell me why you are trying to attack when you should be trying to create?"

Conner's movements were swift. He made quick jabs with his claws at the gabite's muscles and tendons forcing Dillan's body to move against his will until he was standing very relaxed with a foot set in front of him.

"When you attack, it doesn't matter what shape or size the earth you've summoned is as long as it is large enough to throw at an enemy, correct?"

"Yeah," Dillan admitted.

"Not much thought goes into your attack at all. Yet when you create something without the intent to harm or save your own hide, you need to focus on what that is. Feel the molecules and make a clear picture in your own mind on what you want to make – what you want yourself to do. And when that image is there," Conner planted his own foot into the ground.

Vibrations dispersed from in front of Valery's spot in Conner's tent forced the sand to depart as a solid form of rock in the shape of a rose sprung from the ground. Valery looked at it with pure joy as she lifted what could only be described as a sculpture from the earth. Her face beamed towards the rose as she stroked a finger along its rocky petal.

"Woah…" was all Dillan could say as his jaw dropped at the possibility. "How…."

"I focused," Conner reprimanded as he slapped the side of Dillan's head. Dillan caught the snickering of Fitz as he rubbed his head with a claw.

"Do you want me to do that?" Dillan asked. "Because I don't think I can-"

"I want you to create, hero," Conner stated flatly. "I want you to focus on what you want, envision it, then plant your foot and create something from nothing!"

Dillan looked at Conner with a raised eyebrow. He talked about this as though it should be simple. Easy for him seeing as he can create art like that in seconds.

The gabite's eyes wandered towards Ryan for reasons he didn't utterly understand. It wasn't like Ryan could get him out of this. Maybe it was for reassurance?

The pachirisu merely shrugged towards Dillan and motioned for him to try.

"Alright," Dillan said as he looked towards the tipi to get another look at what he was creating.

"No," Conner said with another slap to Dillan's head. "You'll never succeed if you can't picture it in your own mind. See it in the ground, as if the earth itself hides the structure from you without you even knowing it. Then raise it upwards with a stomp of your foot."

"Alright," Dillan said with a dazed blink. "You don't have to hit me."

With a shake of his head, Dillan closed his eyes. Keeping his foot firmly in the sand, he repeated the steps Conner had told him. Then, with a solid thump, the sand shot away as walls of rock shot upwards in a tent. And when Dillan opened his eyes, he was met with Ryan pawing at a ceiling higher than he was by nearly three feet.

"Hey!" Ryan said with a smirk. "Looking very tent-like!"

Dillan walked towards the make-shift tent and peered inside. It was a bit of a squeeze – not as formed or as tall as Conner's given the walls were curled inwards – but Dillan thought it was alright for his second attempt.

"Sloppy," Conner stated with a scowl.

"I think it's great!" Valery cheered, though given she was still tracing the rocky rose petals, Dillan couldn't tell if she was talking about it or his tent.

"I think it's fine," Ryan stated with a cross of his arms.

"It looks like an inverted archway," Fitz said with a stifled laugh.

"It's acceptable at best," Conner stated. "You'll have to make do with this for tonight.

"We'll start again come sunlight. Might I suggest we try looking in the northern section, Ms. Fitz?"

The hakamo-oh nodded a couple of times before shooting a scowl towards Dillan. "I'm fine with it as long as our hero is."

Dillan sighed at the comment. As much as Fitz was starting to grate his nerves, he was too tired to reason with the hakamo-oh and her snide comments.

"Sure," Dillan said.

"Well, I'm hitting the hay," Ryan stated with a stretch of his small arms. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

"I pray that never happens," Fitz glowered as she made her way into Conner's tent.

Dillan waved a "good night" towards the rest of his group before walking off towards his own tent. He had to hunch over to fit inside – and his tail couldn't make it in with the rest of him – but as he lied down on the sand, he felt its warmth spread over his body and he was asleep in seconds.


"Dillan!" a voice whispered from beyond the darkness of the gabite's vision. It sounded as though it were inside his ear. "Dillan, get up!"

"Ryan?" Dillan said groggily, making his way into a sitting position.

Dillan only made it half-way before his arm scraped against the rough side of the tent. It felt like sandpaper being dragged against his scales and elicited him to suck air through his teeth. As quick as Dillan was to make a sound, he felt the fuzzy paws of Ryan around his mouth as he stood on his chest.

"Ryan," Dillan said with a hint of annoyance, muffled by Ryan's hands.

"Shh!" Ryan hushed silently. "Someone's outside the tent!"

"What?" Dillan said as he tried to stand, banging his head against the ceiling of the tent. As he grimaced from the sharp pain in his skull, the sound of feet against sand echoed from outside.

"Can you tell if it's one of ours?" Ryan whispered.

"N-" Dillan began before what felt like a jolt in the sand ran up his feet followed by the sound of what could only be described as an inhalation of energy itself. "Get out!" Dillan shouted as he dove towards Ryan, quickly picking him up to dive outside.

Dillan stumbled on the final steps as the sound of an explosion and shattering stones sounded from behind. The shockwave of the blast threw Dillan forwards into the ground as he toppled towards Ryan.

The pachirisu was quick, though, bouncing to his feet and scurrying out from under Dillan. His cheeks sparked with blue lightning as he shouted, "Whoever's there, I'm warning you right now to back off!"

Looking back, all Dillan could see through the darkness was the smoking, crumbled rocks of his old tent and sand.

"Give us back what you stole!" the voice erupted from beyond the smoke. "Or we shall kill both of you where you stand!"

"Who are you?" Dillan questioned.

As his eyes readjusted to the moonlight, he could see three darkened figures with an array of distinctive features – yet they all shared long, pointed ears.

Then, one of the forms with a red glow to its forehead stepped closer allowing Dillan's eyes to finally adjust5 properly.

It was a quadrupedal pokemon with a split tail and long ears. Its eyes shone like the night sky with white spots like stars as a lone ruby sat atop its forehead. Its short, pink fur was covered mainly by a brown cloak while its face masked by white bandages.

"You're an espeon," Ryan stated with surprise. "That means you're a part of the Eevee Tribe, right?"

Dillan was surprised to say the last. After all that searching, and the Eevee Tribe comes to them. Imagine the luck that must be on their side.

"Have you thieves come to return what is rightfully ours or to take more from us?" the espeon spat.

"Uh…" Dillan said, still shocked by the fact the group completed another step. Yet when he finally realized what the espeon had said, all he could make out was, "Thieves?"

"Give us the amulet!" the espeon demanded.

"Over your dead body," Trinity Fitz announced from the shadows.

As Dillan looked towards her voice, he found the other two figures from before – which he could clearly see were one of a fish-like nature while the other was fire – were both grimacing under the grip of Conner.

The espeon reeled in shock, leaping to the side before leaning downwards with a grimace. "You… you surprised us?"

"It helps when your opponent lowers their guard," Fitz stated with a brush of her arm-plates. "Now come quietly before my associate does something you will most certainly regret."

"Hang on," Dillan stated, raising his claws. "We're not here to fight or to steal from your tribe. We just want to talk."

"Talk," the espeon snarled. "You expect us to trust someone who reeks of stone and Guild filth - one who wear our treasure around your neck like jewelry? After what your pokemon have taken from mine? You lie!"

Dillan looked down at the Sapphire Star and held it up for the espeon to see. Its soft, blue glow through the darkness shone across its face and it blinked in surprise.

"Your necklace… looks different from the amulet… Why? What did you do to it?"

"He's telling the truth," Ryan said as he stepped forwards, raising his arms for the pokemon to see. "We're not here to hurt you."

The espeon's eyes set on Ryan for a good while. Its face seemed confused for a few seconds before a scowl set in. "Your aura… is familiar to me."

"It should be," Ryan stated, drawing closer to the espeon. It hissed at Ryan's steps, yet he didn't stop until he was within shaking distance. He reached out his hand for the espeon's paw saying, "Your name's… Aram, isn't it?"

"How…" the espeon began. Then, his eyes softened as he saw Ryan's hand. He reached a paw towards the pachirisu and said, "I remember you from two years ago.: the pachirisu who is not small."

Ryan's upper lip twitched just a bit before he nodded towards the espeon. "Th-that's me. Good to see you again."

"Hang on," Dillan said with surprise at the turn of events. "You know this pokemon?"

"I… do," Ryan said, trying to mask the worry in his voice. "His name is Aram, and he's a leader of the Eevee Tribe."

"Forgive us," the espeon, Aram, said with a bow to Dillan.

"Uh…" Dillan said at the espeon who lowered himself to the gabite's feet. "That's… not necessary." Dillan reached down to lift the espeon back to his feet, yet Ryan sparked his cheeks a bit to grab his attention before grimacing and shaking his head in warning.

"Your amulet," the espeon began. "It radiates the same aura as a treasure that was taken from us long ago. We thought it may be the same, but with the Paladin assuring us that you are not thieves, we apologize profusely for our previous assumptions."

"Paladin…?" Dillan asked. That was a title Lily referred to him by: The Paladin for the Sapphire Star. Yet this espeon couldn't be referring to him because he said next to nothing.

"Uh, Aram," Ryan began, walking towards the espeon's side. Aram looked up to Ryan as he spoke with, "We need to talk with the rest of the Eevee Tribe. Something really bad's gonna happen, and we need pokemon to fight with us to make sure it doesn't. Can you get us an audience with the elders?"

Aram's head lowered towards the earth as he bared his teeth in frustration. As he spoke, his words seemed filled with hate, anger, and sadness.

"They're dead."

"Dead?" Dillan asked with surprise.

"What do you mean by that?" Fitz questioned.

As Aram's eyes set in Fitz' direction, he found his friends still under Conner's grip. Ryan sighed and said, "Can you release them, now? They're not gonna hurt anyone."

Conner looked towards Fitz who nodded in acknowledgement. Conner allowed the eeveelutions their freedom and set them carefully on the ground to which they bowed towards the group.

"Now, what do you mean by 'dead?'" Ryan continued.

"Well…" Aram began. He looked amongst the members then towards the night sky and said, "It would probably be best if you all accompanied me to the camp."

"Would it?" Fitz questioned.

"It is only a few minutes' walk towards the Sky Lantern," Aram said pointing towards the stars. "This way! I will show you the way."

With a quick whistle, the other two eeveelutions came to his side and they started off north-east over the sandy hillside.

"What do you think, Trin?" Valery asked with a yawn.

"I think they trust our traitor," Fitz stated. "So, I am cautious about trusting them."

"They're fine," Ryan insisted with a scowl. He lowered his head before whispering, "They had nothing to do with my involvement with the Enemy, so chill out and follow, alright"

Ryan left without another word, following Aram and his friends up the hillside.

Valery puffed her cheeks in a huff, saying, "I'm to tired to fight about this. I'm following the traitor."

"I don't see a reason to talk this over," Dillan said, hoisting his supply satchel higher on his shoulder. "We came here to recruit the Eevee Tribe, and that's what I'm going to do." With that, he left Fitz with Conner in their own irritation.

"Back me up here," Fitz asked the krokorok. "We can't trust them, right?"

"Always be weary about the unknown," Conner said to Fitz. "That's what I taught you." He stamped his foot onto the floor and every trace of their encampment disappeared, sucked into the sand leaving only grainy ripples in their place. "Just watch the traitor, alright?"


"Yeah," Fitz said with a nod. "Count on it."

With the guidance of the Eevee Tribe, the group zigzagged across the desert, accurately avoiding all the sand traps as they walked. Dillan was curious how pokemon who were unable to sense through the ground were able to see where the traps lied, yet he did not ask. Truthfully, it was a question that could wait.

As the group crested over the final hill, they found themselves walking through what appeared to be a miniature village of tipi huts and eeveelutions of every kind – from graceful, ribbony sylveons to the electrical, speedy jolteons. Each of them wore patchy, dirt-stained cloaks and rings around their left ears Dilan neglected to note for Aram. Upon closer inspection, the rings around their ears were all of a different number or color – perhaps to designate social status.

Their structures consisted of torches planted outside of their tipi homes made of patchy material that appeared to be hand-sewn. Creases formed across all the worn materials as if the cloth had been rolled up multiple times in a hurry. What did Dialga say these pokemon were? Nomads?

As Aram led them across the town, the group received plenty of strange looks from the inhabitants. Yet all eyes seemed drawn to Dillan – more specifically, to the Sapphire Star that glinted in the moonlight. It was almost as if it demanded their gazes, perhaps due to the same aura Aram was talking about earlier. Maybe they all sensed it, as well.

When the group arrived at their destination, Aram whispered something into the other two eeveelutions' ears and they nodded, taking up post on either side of the cloth door of a hut. Aram stepped into the door followed by Ryan and the rest of the group.

Inside was a remarkably simple setup – simplistic. All there was were five patchy pillows that erupted in dust from sitting upon them and a torch suspended from wooden supports on the top of the tipi by frayed rope.

As the group took their seats, everyone but Aram, Dillan, and Conner began coughing from the plume of dust in the air.

"How long has it been since anyone's sat on these?" Valery complained aloud.

"Excuse the dust," Aram stated. "We are constantly moving from place to place and have little time to beat dirt from our cushions."

"It's fine, Aram," Ryan said through a strained voice. "Why d-don't we start from the beginning. What happened to the Elders?"

"Start further than that," Fitz said with more control over her voice than Ryan. "Who are the Elders and why are they important?"

"The Elders are the leaders of our tribe," Aram explained. "They are our tribe's oldest members and as such hold the most experience. We look to them for advice and guidance."

"So, what happened to them?" Ryan asked.

"Well, as you know, years ago, back when I was still an Eevee, one of our own – a vaporeon – who had always disagreed with our ways became a radical symbol within our group. She was rallying others to abandon the old way and to go out into the world to integrate with society – become another one of the Guild filth. So, we banished her, yet she stole the Amulet."

'You wouldn't happen to be talking about the Amber Amulet, would you?" the groggy voice of Valery questioned from beside Conner. As she rubbed her eyes, showing the classic tells that she was asleep, Dillan couldn't help but wonder if she'd slept through the entire confrontation.

"Why, yes, small child," Aram stated. With a shake of his head, he said, "To get back on topic, we always assumed the traitorous vaporeon sold it off to the highest payer so she could make a life for herself.

"And about three months back, we sensed the Amulet was on the desert. Following the aura, we found ourselves faced with massive walls hiding restricted territory and the Amulet inside."

"Kerroshia Castle," Ryan stated.

"Yes, that is how the Guild filth refer to it."

"You were saying," Ryan urged.

"Right," Aram said with a shake of his head. "We were reluctant at first to attack, yet bringing this to the attention of the elders, they decided that it was best to strike. Ten nights ago, we made a move. And…"

Aram's voice trailed off as he and his companions outside lowered their heads and said a silent prayer.

"Did… any of them survive?" Ryan asked.

Heaving a sigh, Aram stated, "Two survived, yet their wounds are deep, and one – Elder Rafiq – has slept ever since that night."

"Should he not be dead?" Fitz questioned. "I apologize for my bluntness but sleeping for ten days without food will kill anyone."

"Normally, I would agree with you." Aram turned to Ryan with a small smile. "Yet we have met someone who is skilled in herbal remedies that has helped us thus far – a friend of yours."

The room fell silent at the statement. Dillan and Ryan were both surprised that a friend of Ryan's was here. Valery, Fitz, and Conner, however, looked amongst each other with scowls and worried whispers.

"A friend of… mine?" Ryan asked with a side-eyed glance. "I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm not that popular with… most groups."

"Nonsense!" Aram stated with joy. "A Paladin such as yourself must have many followers!"

Dillan was taken aback by this turn of events. He… called Ryan a Paladin… but Dillan thought that was a term used to refer to the one who would use the Sapphire Star to fight the Enemy – at least, that's kind of how Lily put it. If that's the case, then Dillan is the Paladin… so why was this espeon using it to refer to Ryan?

"Look," Ryan said in a hush. "Exnay on the Aladinpay? Okay?"

The espeon looked at Ryan with a tilt of its head. "Forgive me, but I don't understand."

Ryan pulled on his cheeks with a sigh saying, "Forget it. Tell you what: we still need to meet with your remaining Elders." Aram lowers his head once more in prayer. "We need to talk about… the future. Could you arrange a meeting for us?"

"It will have to wait until morning…" Aram said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But you can see your friend right now, if you wish!"

Before Ryan could interject once more, Fitz cut in with, "Why not? I would enjoy a meeting with the traitor's friend. Show them in."

The espeon hesitated at Fitz' statement but shrugged it off easily enough. "I will get her." With another bow, the espeon strode towards the mesh exit and left the group inside.

Fitz turned to Conner and said, "What are the odds that this friend of our traitor's is a member of the Enemy?"

"Oh…" Dillan said, dropping his gaze in thought. He hadn't considered the possibility that this friend could be someone dangerous. Could they be?

"Come on," Ryan said with a shove to Dillan's arm. "Not you, too."

"S-sorry," Dillan apologized.

"If they are," Valery began with a hopeful smile. "Can I have their jewelry when you're done beating them up, Trin?"

"Would you guys stop it?!" Ryan shouted at the group, catching everyone off guard. "What makes you think this person isn't a friend of mine?"

"Cause you're a traitor for one," Valery said with a scowl.

"I can't believe this," Ryan said as he threw up his hands in frustration. "Why won't you guys just lay off, huh? I got us this far, haven't I? We're meeting with the leader of the tribe tomorrow. What more do you want from me?"

Dillan sighed in slight irritation as he stood up, saying, "Can we please just get along? We've been at each other's throats since Dialga. Can we just get along for one second?"

"Oh, please, hero," Fitz snapped. "You have no right to lecture me!"

"Don't talk to him that way, Trin!" Valery snapped.

As the tent continued to devolve into chaos, everyone (excluding Conner) started bickering amongst each other in a fit of frustration. Every stressful emotion the group had experienced devolved in this one moment, Dillan included. He couldn't stand all the jabs and frustration, and now he finally snapped.

Yet as the curtain to the tipi opened, Aram stepped in with a smile that quickly turned into confusion.

All voices fell silent with his entrance. As he stepped to the side, everyone held their breath as he opened the curtain to allow a round, scowling figure to step in. As Ryan's eyes met with his friend, he was at a loss for words. And to tell the truth, Dillan was just as shocked to see their lickitung friend.

"Adelina?"


(Author's Note)

Been a really long time since I uploaded a chapter, huh? Over a year. Well, I'm here to tell you that my intention is to come back. Please note I might forget some older plot points here and there because of how long I've been absent, but I've had the ending for the story worked out in my own head for a long time now and decided that I want to finish what I started. I'll be honest: I don't know if I'll finish this story. But something else? The other story I started is hard, man. Establishing characters and writing plot-points is difficult, especially with my workload as of late.

I tried to make this a job in itself. I looked at the amount of follows and favorites I had and wanted to make sure I didn't disappoint the one-hundred followers the story had. And that made me forget why I started this in the first place: for fun!

I wanted to write as a way to kill time and enjoy myself by building upon a world I loved as a little kid. And after time, I got a lot of great people telling me they loved the story and couldn't wait for the end to see how it wraps up. And that scared me.

I got worried that the next part wasn't going to be as good as the ones leading up to it because I was a beginner writer when I started. So I quit out of a fear of disappointment – of getting a negative review saying, "I use to love this story, but you really dropped the ball at the end there. That ending was dumb, and I hate your story for it." And it made me forget that I shouldn't care about that. I write because I love to do it.

I love my characters and their personalities. And maybe I did them off the seat of my pants, but who cares? You guys seemed to really like a lot of them at the least – from Dillan to Leslie. So why should I worry so much about messing up the ending? Why should I leave a delightful story hanging?

So I want to pick it up – not to give people entertainment (although that is an added bonus) but because I enjoy to write and want to put that ending on paper! … Website paper… or whatever.

So, Ganderosa is back. Leave a comment if you're happy about that! Cause I'd like to know how many people are still around after over a year.

And let me know if you like the new style I've been working on! Shout-out to the new followers/favoriters: "hejrobin1", "AzurePhe0nix", "FPSWReader", "bluemacaws15", "Azathoth the Supreme Overlord", "Steelinghades", "Cheetahpelt1", "Glumanda 354", "Setriel", "potatoeggy", "Skoobax", "Milesvond", "thefoolswriter", "Herobrine0928", "ToastyHuman", "The Zelos Wilder", "YeoulTheErmine", "GEoDSJade", and last but not least, "ttakeyourtimee". Thank you to everyone one of you who follows the story despite the long amount of time it has been since its last chapter.
And a special thanks to whoever the guest writer who wrote this comment: "Me encanta la historia muy interesante por cierto creo que quitaste una pagina en la que se encuentran con paterson y les dice dónde esta el equipo armagedon y por favor me gustaría que la continuaras me encanta esta historia" which roughly translates to: "I love this story. Very interesting. By the way, I think you removed a page where they meet (Peterson) and it tells them where the Armageddon Team is. Please, I would like you to continue this story. I love it."

It made me realize that some people still want to read what I've got to offer, so muchas gracias, mi amigo por tu comentario.

One final thanks to the three friendliest writers I've ever met who kept me in the Mystrery Dungeon scene: "Miner7365", "NeonYoshi", and "Buronzu" who are all very lovely writers with stories to tell. If you've got some spare time, check out Buronzu and NeonYoshi's stories cause they've got some fun ones for sure.

Anyways, I'm very happy to be back! Leave a comment if you've got some grievances or are happy to see me again, and I'll see you in the next chapter!