Chapter -20: Once upon a Generation
Many Years Ago...
How could I forget the day this whole mess began? The first thing Zarude and I did in the morning was a short sparring match. This was only a small portion of the Dark-Type's rigorous training plan.
The morning light may have only started to shine in the garden, but my head and back were already starting to get drenched in sweat. Across the sparring grounds stood Zarude, who remained unfazed by the constant activity. He was in a defensive stance, expecting me to break through it.
I made a Quick Attack toward his exposed legs, but he grabbed me just before I struck. Using my speed against me, he dragged me on the ground in a circular motion before releasing. The resulting throw sent my shorter body back to the hard dirt where I came from. I fell onto my shoulder and tumbled a short distance..
As I got up from the minor bruising, Zarude sighed before stating, "Again, but this time actually try to use trickery." I knew what he meant. He was referring to the Dark type attack he taught me.
I charged forward toward the simian. As he tried to grab me once more, I dodged using a Quick Attack. I tackled him with my shoulder before unleashing a strong Snarl as I screamed.
The blow sent Zarude backwards a short ways, but he didn't fall. He could never fall from something like that. The baboon smiled a little before announcing, "All right, I believe we've had enough for now."
- o - o -
With that, we took a short meal break. It was during this break that he told me this, "I think it's about time for your first solo scavenging assignment."
"What?" I blurted, dropping the food from my mouth.
"Come on Galvan, you've been saying that you don't want to be treated like a little boy anymore." I shrugged in agreement, but I was still caught off guard by the proposition. The Dark-Type continued, "Think of it as...your first step toward becoming mature."
"By sending me out there...on my own?" I sheepishly asked.
Zarude only laughed, "Don't you become a Wimpod now. You wanted this, remember? Why, I remember when my parents sent me out on my first assignment." He then pressed his finger onto the table. "And I was younger."
"H-How did it go?"
Zarude stroked his chin. "Ehhh, I only got lost for a little while...for about four days, give or take? Bah! My memory's a bit fuzzy on the details though."
I started to sweat nervously upon hearing that. I mean, who could blame me? A very real possibility I could get lost or worse? And he did when he was younger than me? I shuddered at the thought of all of it.
Noticing my fearful shivering, Zarude went over and patted me on the back. "Don't worry yourself on this," he assured me, "You'll be fine. You're a little older, stronger, and I've taught you what you need to know for this. Plus, it will be way simpler."
I shook my head in disbelief. "I just...I didn't expect it to be this soon and it's all so sudden. Why?"
The Dark-Type bent down on one knee as I turned toward him. "Well…" he replied, "I guess I just saw a little bit of me in you...your eagerness to explore the world, learn new things, the works for any bold adventurer. That's what I'm referring to. I might as well let you indulge in that desire a little bit before it's too late." After saying this, he got up and ushered me to the southern boundary of our abode.
- o - o -
After a short ways, Zarude began detailing instructions for this task. "As I said before, this is a solo mission. I won't be accompanying you at all. Any problems you run into you'll need to solve on your own."
"Uhh, is that really true?" I asked skeptically, stopping our pace in the process.
The Dark-Type sighed. "Yes, I really won't come running to save you. I like how you're not being a Combee drone and all, but I also want you to be able to trust folks too. I want to trust you too. I want to know that you can do this on your own."
I looked away from the baboon out of guilt. "Ohh...okay then."
I was about to apologize when the baboon held up a finger. He then said to me in a reassuring tone, "Look, just remember what I taught you and you'll be home in time for supper. Maybe even earlier."
The encouragement calmed me down. "Okay," I said with a small bit of enthusiasm.
"Much better." Zarude then pointed to my right before stating, "Now then, you'll be heading through the central valley. There, you'll enter the mystery dungeon itself. Where you want to go is toward a small garden near the western edge."
The simian then gave me a small drawing. "You'll be looking for this within the garden. All you need to do is bring it back." The drawing showed a small, coin-like, golden medal with a lightning bolt carved into it. It seemed pretty hard to miss in a region like this, but considering it was for a training exercise, the obvious clue was a blessing. It did make me wonder how he got his hands on it.
With the picture in mind, I began to depart as I said to him, "I think I got it. See ya in a-"
"Wait wait wait!" Zarude blurted as he grabbed my tail before I could dash away. He pulled me back and held up a small bag by its singular strap. "This is the only help you'll get from me," he said, "You can never be too careful in these parts."
I hoisted the bag over my shoulder and peered into it. The contents consisted of some Oran Berries, several Pecha Berries, a few Heal seeds, some cloth bandages, an Escape Orb, and several apples. I placed the drawing into the bag. Afterwards, I glanced back at Zarude and gave him a thumbs up before departing into the jungle.
- o - o - o - o - o - o -
After a short jog on the path, I came across an entrance. Dozens of large moss-covered trees were lined up in the arrangement of a corridor. As I stood in front of it for the first time on my own, anxiety washed over me. Peering into the entrance was similar to looking at a void of darkness, a void that would drag unsuspecting prey in.
"Okay Galvan," I mumbled to myself, "Remember what Uncle Zarude taught you." I took a moment to recall a conversation with Zarude.
- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -
A much longer time ago, Zarude and I were standing near the dungeon's entrance.
Zarude spoke up, "Mystery Dungeons are, hence the name, quite mysterious. They're places that change every time you enter them."
I gazed at the Dark-Type. "How? And…why would they do that?"
Zarude turned to me and knelt down. "I mean...think of them like houses. You enter one and see there are two rooms connected with a hallway. Now imagine this. Right after you leave the house, the builder goes in and rebuilds all of the inside. When you come back, you notice that even though the outside hasn't changed, there are now three rooms connected by a hallway. Do you get the picture yet?"
I tilted my head. "But who's the builder?"
"Only Arceus and the space-time deities know for certain," he said, "Most say it's some kind of unknown force."
"Why?"
The baboon sighed. "...That's a question I also want to ask, but the boss er- bosses don't like it when folks do ask. And before you ask 'why?' again...I will say I don't know. Worse yet, nobody bothers trying to understand...nobody significant anyways. So, we just treat it as a natural part of our world. It just is to us now."
I wanted to ask more, but Zarude clearly wanted to stop with the question. So, I reluctantly nodded. "...Okay, I'll go with that. These places change every time we enter and exit right?"
"Good," Zarude confirmed, "Yes. As a result, you cannot run through these areas like other places. It doesn't work that way. You have to use your instincts."
"My instincts?...but didn't you say-"
"Ahhh! Bad wording!" the Dark-Type said, holding up his hands, "I meant you have to be careful and just go with your gut feeling...in the most careful way possible. That's what I meant. And then find the exit, wherever that may be."
I glanced at the entrance. "How do you find the exit?"
"Uhh...you just find it. It's almost never in the same place, just like in the whole dungeon's layout. Just search for stairs."
I turned my head back to Zarude. "Stairs?"
The Dark-Type grasped the back of his head. "Yes, that's how you exit each part of the dungeon. Just keep climbing the stairs until you just exit the place."
I was puzzled. "B-But we're in a jungle. Why would there be stairs here?"
The baboon growled in annoyance and placed a paw on my shoulders. "Believe me when I say this. Even I want that question answered too."
- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -
"Find the stairs," I repeated to myself, "Use your instincts...carefully." I steeled myself for the trial ahead and proceeded to step into the blackened entrance.
- o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -
Mystery Jungle Central Valley
I experienced total darkness and weightlessness before I found myself in the dungeon. I was in a small empty room with exits that lead into small hallways, one of which was close to the right.
The stench of moss permeated the whole area. The walls were composed of an impenetrable mishmash of cliffs, trees and logs. Similarly, the ground was a rough mix of rock, dirt, and vegetation. Off in the distance, the battle cries of Bug-Type pokemon could be heard.
There was one thing about this place that Zarude mentioned was common in all mystery dungeons: there was no natural wind. Zarude said this to me once, "The only time wind blows in these dungeons is when you should get out of the area..." He left it at that, but generally it seemed to me like staying in one place was ill-advised.
Without anything better to do in this empty room, I went through the nearest corridor. It was spacious, but it was also long, way too long. Inevitably, my patience ran out and I dashed through the path.
- o - o -
I exited the hall and entered another room. The room was larger than the last, but it had the same features. The smell was a tad sweeter though. The reason why didn't take long to make itself known. A Bulbasuar spotted me when I entered the room. It charged toward my left with a Tackle I easily dodged.
The little one screeched as it charged again with a Tackle. I once again jumped out of the way and retaliated with a Scratch on its back, wounding the bulb in the process.
Enraged, the feral latched onto my right arm with a Vine Whip. Wasting no time, I pulled the little guy toward myself using the vine as my own rope before clocking it with a Power-Up Punch, freeing my arm.
The blow propelled the feral into a backward tumble. Anyone with half a brain would have fled knowing that they're outmatched both in power and experience. Sadly, most pokemon in these places didn't have the luxury of being able to think. This notion is proven true as the Bulbasuar tried once more with a Tackle, only to be brutally slashed by another one of my Scratch attacks.
The attack caused the feral to drop onto its belly and faint. The last attempted attack left me a little rattled. It was one thing to have Zarude there to help out, but out on my own, the rush I felt was certainly something I was not used to.
Now knowing the feral was down for the count, I continued on my way, ignoring the fallen pokemon without another moment of hesitation. I didn't feel bad about leaving it behind.
Back then, even I knew pokemon like the one I knocked out were creations of Mystery Dungeons. But I didn't know all of the story. The reality is, pokemon dwelling in these places are both creations and prisoners. As tragic as it was, this was a fact of life to us. Pokemon in Mystery Dungeons are hardly conscious of their actions save for their beastly and extremely territorial instincts. Pokemon, both common and legendary, called these creations Wild Pokemon; sometimes, the more casual folks tend to call them ferals, a term I shall use out of convenience from now on.
- o - o -
After traveling through another corridor, I was lucky enough to find stairs.
The stairs were made of stone and stood tall on the flat ground. Sure, there was moss on it, but it definitely stuck out from the rest of the environment. At the same time, the flight looked like it stood in that spot for a long time. The stairs also stretched themselves upward toward the branch-covered ceiling.
After a moment's breath, I ran up the stairs. Once I touched the ceiling, the dungeon lifted me from the ground. My vision blacked out afterwards.
The Next Floor...
In the blink of an eye, my feet felt the ground again and my vision returned. I found myself in a new room. After a quick glance around, I saw no sign of the stairs I used to reach this floor. All of it still felt bizarre to me. The questions of why these places acted this way never left my head, but nevertheless I had to accept it as the way things were.
At the time, I didn't know what happens to those that faint in these dungeons. One thing I did know about these places was that they were dangerous. Fainting in these places might as well spell doom for any unfortunate traveler.
- o - o -
The floor had plenty of hallways and rectangular rooms, all of which looked the same. This made navigation a lot harder. I entered one room asking under my breath, "Here?" I grumbled, "No" after not seeing the stairs.
This one-sided conversation occurred almost every time I entered a room. "Here? No…Here? Nope, just a sleeping feral...H-here? Gah! Just some disgusting looking water. ("Ugh that smells…")...What about here?...No."
In one small room, I saw a Blast Seed on the ground. "Ooooh! A boom chip!" I eagerly picked up the seed with a dumb grin, laughing to myself.
...Yes. Being an excitable Electric-Type, I was quite the handful.
A few projectiles flew by until one hit my head. I turned my head toward the source with a scowl. The source in question was just some random Seedot. In a rage, I rushed toward the feral while side-stepping; As I did so, I growled, "I! Was! In! The middle! Of something!" I kicked the Seedot hard, sending it flying down a corridor behind it.
After a moment, my mind registered the pain in my foot. "Owww! Freaking acorns! Always so rude…where was I? Oh yes!" I bagged the Blast Seed before continuing down another way.
A Few Floors Later...
Upon arriving at the floor, something swept me off my feet. In split-moments, an unseen force was pulling me to the right.
"Wh-Whoa!" I exclaimed, cartwheeling before grabbing a piece of rock sticking out of the ground. My legs swung back to the ground afterwards. My head craned itself back as I quickly realized that the floor was actually a wall. I heard the noise of rushing water. My heart pounded as I saw the raging river below my feet.
Above me was a series of ledges, which probably would have served as the walls if this was normal floor. I complained, "Gah! First time on my own and the dungeon tried to do this?!"
I looked around for something to use as a platform and found a corridor to my right. It was a bit high from my position; so, I had to find something else. After some searching, I found a hanging vine. I then attempted to feel for another piece of rock with my feet. Around my knees was a small foothold I decided to use.
After a moment of preparation, I sprang upward and made a dash for the vine, barely grabbing it. It was a good thing I was raised by a natural tree climber because I would have been in a hopeless situation. A plan quickly laid itself out in my head. ("Swing on the vine so that I'm almost next to the wall. Once at a high speed, swing so that I slide against said wall while moving up. Lastly, run along the wall and grab the ledge"). It was a simple enough plan, at least from my perspective.
I swayed my legs to start moving and then executed the first phase. Once I gained enough speed, I gave a slight push off the wall with my toe. Finally, with one last swing, l let go of the vine and started running on the wall for a short distance. Just before I could reach the ledge, my left foot slipped on some moss, nearly causing me to fall in the process. Luckily, I managed to grab a hold of the corridor's edge with my right paw.
After some terrifying amount of time struggling, I eventually managed to climb into the corridor, which was more than strong enough to support my weight. I then decided to take a moment to rest my arms and prepare for a lot of climbing. The initial entrance made that plenty clear. At least the air was a little cleaner. "P-Please let the stairs be easy to find. Or better yet, be easy to get to."
- o - o -
After some rest, I followed the ledge, all the while staying as close to the wall as possible. In time, I reached where the corridor turns in the upward direction. "Aww shucks here we go again" I muttered.
I proceeded to climb the shaft using the vines on each wall. After a while, I heard the whistling of wind to my left, but it was increasing in pitch. I turned to see a beam coming my way. I slid down the chasm on instinct, narrowly evading the attack in the process. The beam sliced through several of the vines, including the two I was using. This forced me to leap to and latch onto the other side's vines.
I glanced toward the attack's source to see a feral Scyther flying nearby. "You gotta be kidding me!" I said under my breath. I quickly wound up the cut vines around my arms before speeding up the pace.
More Air Slashes came my way as I ascended, forcing me to jump from wall to wall. Thankfully, the feral never caught on to my limited evasion strategy.
Once I exited the shaft, I got a glimpse of several Spearows, each carrying Seedots. I think my right eye twitched upon seeing the stacks. "I- I, Th-That-...That's just not fair!" I didn't have long to think about all this. The Seedots began firing a hail of Bullet Seed attacks toward me.
I continued my hasty climb by rushing to the next "room"; I also took an opportunity to grab a couple other vines along the way.
- o - o -
Upon reaching a wide-open space, I decided to get a better view of the floor since it's sideways. After a quick search, I saw a Scyther flying toward my current position. I prepared two of the vines I had on hand before the feral flew by.
With a rapid wind-up and a strong flick, I tossed one of the vines toward the Scyther's legs. Afterwards, I made a strong leap off of the wall just as the vine attached itself to the feral's leg. The vine forcibly turned my momentum upward as I swung. I let go of the first vine before turning to face the "floor."
The cliff had the predictable pattern of a mystery dungeon's maze. I found the sight of the maze interesting. It is not often one could see the maze from a top-down perspective...or err side-to-side? Either way, I saw the stairs at the top of the cliff. The stairs, unlike the rest of the floor, stood so that the flight descended off the cliff. I was still a little bit below the optimal height, probably from the vine swing on that Scyther.
Speaking of Scyther, I noticed the same feral approaching from below. I charged up a Snarl attack in response. Just as the bug and I were about to collide, I positioned my paws in a cone shape and then shouted the Snarl through them. The blast launched me in a forward arc back toward the maze.
- o - o -
Noticing a strong-looking tree near the top, I tossed another vine toward it. The vine latched itself onto the tree and I pulled myself back to the wall. I soon landed below the tree and pulled hard on the vine to jump and start my sprint, barely managing to reach the stairs just as my momentum ran out. After grabbing on the bottom stair, I pulled myself onto the flight.
Once I finished retrieving the vine, I took a glance at the ferals charging at me. "H-Heh, hehe, See ya!" I breathlessly said in our one-sided conversation. I then ran up the stairs leaving the ferals and this bizarre floor behind.
Not much else could be said about the rest of my dungeon crawling experience, I could barely remember the details anyway. I battled a few ferals and did a lot of running. When one explores mystery dungeons for a long time, a lot of the details tend to blend in with one another. Only the most significant of moments, such as that cliff-side floor, are remembered for a long time. Everything else...ehhh, not important.
I had a few close calls with some traps on the next floors...wouldn't remember what they were though.
- o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -
Mystery Jungle Eastern Garden
Regardless of the insignificant stumbling blocks, I managed to make it to the jungle's eastern garden before mid-day. To think Zarude expected this to take all day. Ha! He once again underestimated the speed of an active Electric-Type. Well, that was my thought process anyways.
- o - o -
The eastern garden consisted of a large lake, surrounded by cliffs. The waters sparkled, flowed and divided itself into large rivers that permeated the jungle, even reaching areas near where I lived. How these rivers managed to flow past the many mazes of a mystery dungeon was and still is beyond me. The sound of the flowing lake water deafened the small chirps of Bug-Types. At the center of the lake, connected via several long paths of rocks, laid a large island. The island housed a massive tree aged around 600 years, whose branches spread from the base to even beyond the shores.
Any explorer would probably say it's a wonderful sight that is older than recorded history, which it is. Why was it here of all places? Nobody, but highest on the hierarchy, knew for certain.
The air here was clean and had virtually no trace of poison muck from the jungle labyrinth I navigated. I could imagine Bug-Types loving this kind of environment, but I didn't want to stick around and find out.
There was the matter of getting to the island. Sure, I could have swam straight across the lake, but swimming was exhausting. Furthermore, the flowing waters would have caused compilations. Besides, Zarude's teaching method was a little...um...iffy.
- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -
One time, I got tossed into a pool of water. My eyes were closed, but I remembered the splashes I made in a panic. I screamed out, "Ahhh! Help me! Uncle Zarude! I can't swim!"
"Kick your legs!" Zarude shouted.
"I-I'm drowning!"
"Listen to me! Kick! Your! Legs!"
"I've been kicking straight! It's not working!"
"AAAAAAHHHHGGGG!"
Right after my head went under, I heard a splash. I was then lifted out of the waters. When I opened my eyes, I saw Zarude with a disappointed expression. I realized the baboon was standing, not submerged. In fact, the waters only reached over his hips.
Zarude sighed before he stated, "I meant like walking, not fighting."
I made an awkward smile as I chuckled.
In response to my reaction, he dropped me into the water again.
I know he was trying his best at the time, but what gave him the bright idea to do that? He probably took some dumb suggestion too far. Despite some stumbling initially, I did eventually learn. I could guess Zarude learned something too because he taught in a more delicate manner since then.
- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -
I shook my head after remembering that first swimming lesson. I then headed over to the island by using one of the rock paths. None of them were good for walking, so I had to cover gaps by leaping from rock to rock, a feat made easy thanks to fast Electric-Type brand running speed. It wasn't lightning fast or anything, but I liked to think I could outrun most Electric-Types at my age.
- o - o -
After reaching the island, I searched around the tree, but didn't have much luck at the trunk. I figured as much since Zarude liked to push my abilities. My search continued until I climbed half-way up the tree. That's when I found a marked opening. "There," I muttered as I moved toward the hole.
At this point, I should have found the object I was looking for, but fate apparently had other plans. Looking inside, there was nothing but a small bit of flattened hay. I checked the mark once more and sure enough it was something Zarude would make. "What the heck?" I mumbled while scratching my head, "the mark's there, but there's nothing in the hole."
I dismissed it as the wrong hole to search through. So, I continued to search the rest of the tree and gaze into each opening. One of the areas was, unfortunately, a Combee hive. I chose to search that area last. Aside from the hive, every single area was empty, no medal to be found. From a distant branch from below, I glanced at the hive with dread. Combees were very hostile to folks they saw as threats, especially when it was around the Spring season. At least they weren't Beedrill, which I was told were worse, but still the idea of going toward a hive in the honey season was not something ideal.
I gulped nervously, ("Pleeeease tell me you didn't place the medal there Uncle Zarude..."). I took a deep breath before climbing my way up toward the hive. I muttered to myself as I climbed, "Go there, search, ask, get out. Go there, search, ask, get the freak out!"
Finally reaching the outer edge of the hive, I could tell it was recently-made. Zarude told me Combee hives started small before expanding. While that fact was somewhat relieving...about twelve Combees guards were still nearby. Their buzzing wings made my fingers and toes curl tightly. My nerves weren't helped by the sticky and gooey walls either. I held my teeth together as I slowly climbed over to the nest's entrance.
The opening was filled to the brim with Combees, who were most likely making honey. Either way, there didn't seem to be any sign of a medal inside. Not that I had much time to look before all of the bees gave me deathly glares.
I tried to ask, with my teeth shut tight, "Uh-um...have any of you seen a g-gold medal around here? H-Has a lighting bolt?"
"No medal bzzz" some Combees buzzed in unison.
"Okay, Uhh what about a big monkey type-"
"NO!" they all shouted. I was now surrounded by them, some closer than necessary. The buzzing noise of the bugs was becoming aggressive as it echoed in my ears. My grip on the tree tightened and I clenched my teeth. My fur was standing on end at this point.
"Kitty cat suspicious!" shouted one of them.
Just after that, every one of them in the immediate area shouted three dreadful words in completely horrifying synchronization, "Accost the intruder!" The guards charged in first and began to buzz around me. From what I could see, many more bees flew out of the opening.
"AAAAHHHH!" I screamed with my teeth shut. The Combee horde stung me several times before I dropped off of the tree wall as a means to get away. I used a nearby vine to swing away to a lower part of the tree's trunk. By the time I reached the shore, the Combees were all over me once more, stinging furiously. I took my chances and leaped into the water of the lake. I might have been a terrible swimmer, but at least the bugs wouldn't be able to follow me.
- o - o -
I swam forward as far as my breath would allow. After probably a minute or two, my head inevitably rose from the waters in need for air. I caught my breath by grabbing onto a nearby rock. One look allowed me to see I was only a short ways away from the tree and there were still some Combees nearby.
Most of the horde left, but a few larger ones just flew still, glaring harshly at me. "And bzzz stay out!" shouted one of them. The group then flew away leaving me alone in the lake. Heeding their warning, I rushed through the lake eventually reaching the shore. A lot of my body felt numb.
I pulled off the vines in my wrist and placed them haphazardly in the bag. I glanced at my arms and saw several swelling marks. My vine-covered wrists were spared, but other parts had a few stingers stuck in them. There were also a couple of marks on my upper back. I was lucky there weren't more. I thought to myself, ("Too bad I can't burn them all off. If only I knew how to shock"). I used my claws to painfully dig out all of the solid stingers. By the time I was done, I was a mess, a mess with bleeding arms and sore shoulders. It was a good thing I had bandage material and Pechas ready in the bag. I might have needed to return empty-handed if I didn't. After bandaging my arms and munching on a few Pecha berries, I decided to rest a while on my back.
- o - o -
As I rested, I heard footsteps nearby. I promptly turned over and saw a pokemon I didn't immediately recognize. It was a Shinx, a pokemon that did not normally live in any jungle environment. It had a red scarf wrapped around its neck and wore a small bag. I could only guess it was a traveler. I then noticed something on the ground near the Shinx, a small golden medal with a lightning bolt. It was easy to conclude that the Shinx got there first somehow.
Before I could confront the traveler, they quickly bagged the medal and ran off. I wasn't sure if they mistook me for a feral or if it was something else. ("That sneaky little-") I shook my head as I dashed after them. ("Oh no you don't!") With relative ease, I managed to sprint straight to the unsuspecting kitten in a matter of seconds and pinned them down.
As I held the squirming Shinx down, I recalled hearing about this common species from Zarude before; the body of a Shinx supposedly glows upon sensing danger.
As if on cue, the blue kitten's fur shined in a display of a dazzling and blinding light that forced me to roll off of them. Though the electricity generated didn't hurt at all, I couldn't say the same for the glow.
"Blue! Blue Boy!" I called out, assuming the traveler was a guy. When my vision finally recovered, I was suddenly met with a Tackle attack to the belly, which left me winded. A high-pitched sounded out, "Take this!" The Shinx then followed up with two consecutive kicks that sent me to the ground. Taking advantage of the situation, the kitten ran off without another moment of hesitation.
I wasn't knocked out thankfully. It would have been quite embarrassing to faint from weak attacks like that, especially if they were from a commoner. I wheezed and coughed as I picked myself up. ("Yikes, it's a good thing I learned how to take hits from Zarude; otherwise, that could have made me faint. I should probably thank him later for that.") An image of Zarude giving me a cold stare of disappointment invaded my head space as I thought this. ("On second thought, maybe not.")
I thought more about the mystery Shinx while catching my breath again. It was kind of impressive that the kitten could hold their own against me. Sure, I was young with undeveloped combat skills, but I was dealing with pokemon around the jungle for a long time now. The fact that this commoner managed to come all the way here and knock me around was a testament to their ability. They also sounded young to me, yet another thing to be impressed about. I was still a little dazed, but I could at least assume a youngling Shinx sounded like that. ("Yeesh, that guy has some serious guts beating the snot out of me...oh who am I kidding it was probably poison and the swimming...yeah all of that is what did it.")
I shook my head, ("Snap out of Galvan! Quit standing around and get that jerk already!"). At that point, the Shinx might have gained a lot of distance away from me. The best way to view more ground was to get a higher view by using the trees.
- o - o -
Swinging from vine to vine and leaping using my speed, I eventually managed to track down the Shinx from above. I landed on a tree to stop. The noise of my landing startled the kitten, causing them to make a hasty retreat toward a nearby tunnel of trees.
I recognized the entrance as a mystery dungeon gateway. "Stop! Don't go in there!" I shouted. My words fell on deaf ears as the Shinx dashed into the dungeon. I approached the entrance and stared into it. "Darn it!" I mumbled to myself, "That's probably a dangerous part too! Shoot!" I didn't like the idea of going in, but if I didn't do something right away, then odds are no one would.
I steeled myself before running into the dungeon, hoping that the Shinx hasn't gone too far. I could only hope luck was on my side.
- o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -
Mystery Jungle Eastern Swamp
Now outside of the garden, the normal stench of poison types made its way into my nose once more. The room was a night and day contrast to the garden's brighter environment; sunlight was greatly obscured by the trees. Even more unsettling was the size of the vines here, far larger than those found prior. The ground also felt moist despite being covered in grass, probably mud.
These sense-based facts made me nervous. They fit far too closely Zarude's warnings. The words rang out in my head, ("The larger the vines are, the more dangerous Grass-Types are in that area"). While it didn't matter as much for me, I knew the Shinx I was pursuing wouldn't be able to use Electric-Type attacks very well. What I was more worried about was the strength of the pokemon; if I got trapped, I would have been a goner.
I shook my head and dashed through the rooms, hoping to find the little punk as fast as possible.
- o - o -
As I rushed through the dungeon, I searched every room carefully. I barely managed to fight back against a couple of Poison-Types. They dealt some damage, but not too much. I wasn't sure how much longer I could last if I fought more. It was a good thing I decided to refrain from fighting. Some of the wild pokemon on later floors looked strong enough to scare me. I remember running away often and sneaking around the edges of some rooms.
On one of the floors, as if luck didn't hate me enough, I walked right into a Monster House. Most of the pokemon in that group were fully evolved and everything. I promptly dashed back in the direction I came from, all the while shouting, "Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! NOPE!"
I barely reached the stairs before the horde could corner me.
A Few Floors Later...
After a few floors, I finally found the Shinx. The good news was that I found them alive. The bad news was that this same Shinx was in the clutches of a feral Venusaur. The room they were in was large and had plenty of grassy hills.
Every detail remained the same aside from the alluring aroma. It smelled way too sweet to be from the grass and flowers alone. In fact, I almost drooled at the scent. The first thing that popped in my mind was the move Sweet Scent, a technique typically used by Grass-Types. The move can loosen the guards of any unsuspecting pokemon and even attract ferals. It seemed pretty likely that the Shinx was lured into this wild pokemon's domain.
- o - o -
It didn't matter how it happened, I had to do something. Throwing caution in the wind, I rushed toward Venusaur, who was holding the Shinx with one of its vines. I tossed the Blast Seed at the Grass-Type's eye. The explosion caused the giant to stumble back and growl in pain, flinging the kitten upward in the process.
It was time to make my first ever dramatic save. I was told stories of the other legendaries performing dramatic saves at the last second. So naturally, I assumed this was my time to do the same. With no time to lose, I leaped toward the Shinx and caught them mid-fall. Unfortunately, I didn't have a landing strategy. I landed on my back as the kitten's weight crushed my gut, winding me in the process once more.
"AAAaaaaaaaugh!...S-…So much f-for m-my debut…" I moaned, struggling to breathe.
The Shinx jumped off of me as I coughed. I saw that the Venusaur was stumbling toward us with a vengeful look in its unharmed eye. Several other Grass-Types appeared, surrounding us.
The kitten gritted their teeth as their legs trembled. I heard a quiet statement from the Shinx, "I wish I had an Escape Orb." I was too winded to stand up. One thing was clear to me, we didn't have a chance against this many Grass-Types.
I dug into my bag and pulled out the Escape Orb.
The Shinx saw the orb and knew what to do. They grabbed onto my arm as I used the orb.
Within moments, the orb shined as we vanished from the floor.
- o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -
Northern Outskirts of the Mystery Jungle
The two of us landed on a field near the jungle entrance. However, this area wasn't where I entered the dungeon. Now recovered, I got up and looked around in confusion. "Huh? Why are we outside of the jungle? It was my Escape Orb...wasn't it?"
I then saw the Shinx get up and stretch. "Whew! That was close!" they said. "Good thing you had that orb."
I turned to the kitten and hissed, "You're...welcome."
The kitten squinted. "Hmmph, I could have just left you alone back there you know." As right as the Shinx was, the whole situation was still their fault.
I frowned and pointed at the little one before rambling, "You listen here dude!"
"No, you listen dude!" the Shinx shot back with a pointing paw. "One! Have you never seen a girl before? Two! I've never been in that jungle before! And three! I never saw you before! How was I supposed to know you weren't a monster?"
The first question stupefied me for a moment before I shook my head. "Arg! I might have been mistaken, but you're the one who ran into the mystery dungeon like an idiot! Shouldn't you be the one thanking me for saving your life?"
"Saving my life, hah!" she said before turning away. The kitten then smirked before continuing, "All you did was wack the eye of a monster and be my landing cushion. Some 'hero' you turned out to be. Besides, I could have gotten out of that easy."
With a confused expression, I pushed digits onto my forehead in vain attempt to understand. Inevitably, I couldn't understand the logic before exclaiming, "Wha?! You were wrapped up vines! How could you possibly get out of that?!"
The Shinx sighed and muttered quietly to herself. I couldn't hear her words at all. She just pawed at the dirt road, mouthing off something. After a few moments, she looked up at me and said, "Fine, thank you...uh, you…" I blinked as the kitten repeatedly gestured to me. "Your name, or whatever you are!"
I straightened up at once. "Oh right, uh. I never said that um, which name?"
The Shinx facepawed as she groaned, "I don't care which one just give me something, anything."
"Uhh nickname then, Galvan" I stammered.
The kitten tilted her head, "Galvan? Odd name for an electric type if you ask me."
I shrugged for a moment. "Yeah it's not the- Wait a sec. How do you know I'm an Electric-Type."
"Because you just told me," the girl replied with a deadpan expression.
My eyes widened. "Wh-what if I told you I'm a...Normal-Type?"
The Shinx chuckled and shook her head, "What kind of "Normal-Type" is covered in yellow fur?...yeah you're definitely an Electric-Type."
I groaned as I dropped my arms. "Okay, you got me there. Care to tell me your name now?"
- o - o -
The kitten made a smug grin as she leaped onto a nearby rock. "Patra! Patra the greatest explorer ever!"
I squinted. ("And I thought my lie was bad").
Her smug demeanor quickly broke down upon glancing at my doubtful expression. "Err I mean, soon-to-be the best explorer ever hehe," Patra admitted before jumping off. "All right, you can run on back to wherever you live in this patch of nowhere."
The kitten began to walk away before I stated, "Ummm...I live there?"
"Huh? What? Come again?" Patra asked as she turned around. I silently gestured to the jungle behind me with my left thumb. "You're kidding." The kitten strolls back to me before pointing at the dungeon as well. "You live in that?!"
"Not alone of course!" I said in a fluster, "I have uncle Zarude!"
"S-same difference. How can you live in a mystery dungeon?! And talk?!" Patra scratched her head as she tried to understand.
I nervously pressed a couple of digits together. "I don't live in the mystery dungeon. I just live very close to it. Like, uh, just a place that isn't a part of it." Patra only stared at me with a lack of understanding. "I guess that's a bit much huh…"
"A bit?" the Shinx spat back harshly.
I smiled a little. "Okay a lot! I guess commoners are less smart."
"What?!" the kitten hissed fiercely, "what do you mean less smart?"
I flinched at Patra's cut-throat tone. "I guess because you didn't get what I was saying." As I said this, the Shinx tackled me to the ground, firmly pinning me down.
"Who's less smart now?" the kitten asked angrily, "I don't know you, but let me tell you something. You're the one who's less smart here."
"Me?" I questioned cluelessly.
"Yes you." Patra jumped off of me and paced around. "I can't believe this! How did you even live this long? How has nobody punished you?"
I sat up and scratched my head, "I don't understand."
Patra stopped and turned to me. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you it's rude to call other folks stupid."
"But-"
This response only made the Shinx snap back, "I might be daring, but even I know that calling folks less smart is the same thing as calling someone stupid, stupid." The Electric-Type jumped off and started walking off.
- o - o -
After processing the commoner's words, I gritted my teeth. "Oh!...oooohhhhhh…" I realized my mistake right then and there. I got up and stood in front of the Shinx's path. "I...I am sorry."
"You can't just turn around after saying-"
I raised my right hand.
This caused Patra to raise a brow. "Uhhhhhh."
I begged. "I'm sorry! I just didn't know, honest! My mom's not...here now, but it was still very rude. I'm sorry, honest!"
The Shinx just stood there with an awkward stare.
Thinking my deed wasn't forgiven, I decided to do the most humble thing I knew. I dropped on my knees and bowed.
"Wha-...What...are you doing?" Patra asked with a perplexed tone.
"I'm begging for your forgiveness, duh," I replied.
"By...burying your head in the dirt?"
"Huh?"
I heard the Shinx mumble to herself before demanding, "Get up already! You embarrassed yourself enough."
I obliged. "Y-You still mad?"
"No, now I'm more confused than mad. The heck was that dog business about?"
I tried to answer, but she quickly stopped me with a raised paw.
"On second thought, don't answer that...I guess you really are a bit out of it. I'll let it slide this one time."
I made a sigh of relief once I heard her words. "I think I'll just be going home now."
- o - o -
A thought popped into my head as the kitten began to walk away, ("The medal.") I ran and cut off her route, "Wait wait wait! I need something."
"What now?" the Shinx groaned. She was clearly getting tired of me.
I pointed at her. "That gold medal you have, I was asked to grab that."
"That," Patra scoffed, "This all happened because of that…" She then sighed before digging into her bag. She pulled out the medal and tossed it to the ground in front of me. "Fine, then just take it. It stinks, like your talking skills."
I swiftly bagged the medal and replied, "How can skills stink? And if that's what you thought, then why did you grab it from the garden?"
Patra rolled her eyes. "Well excuuuuuse me for trying to find some nice treasure. I thought I found something, but noooooo! Just some bad luck."
I stared at the kitten and remained silent.
She adjusted her scarf. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going home now. Bye."
- o - o -
With that said, the Shinx began walking away. I just stood there dumbstruck at how rude she was. ("Geez! Are all commoners this rude? Or...are my skills really that bad?") I glanced at my bag for a moment. ("You know what? Who cares if the exchange was...a little messy. ...Yeah. I got the medal. Why should I care?")
I decided to head back to the jungle. After a short moment though, another thought forced me to stop. ("I sure hope Patra is going to be okay.") I looked back toward the Shinx, who was speeding up her pace. Thinking about it now, she probably glanced back while I wasn't looking and tried to hide it. Maybe there was concern. It was hard to say.
As I continued walking, a plethora of thoughts filled my head. These conflicting feelings forced me to stop. I knew I had to ditch Patra as soon as possible. It was what we were supposed to do. At the same time, I couldn't help but feel worried myself. While it was natural for me to feel that way, deep down, I knew it was my insatiable curiosity at work. In the end, against all forms of better judgement, I appeased it.
- o - o -
"Hey!" I shouted as I ran over to Patra.
She turned around with an expression of mixed annoyance and confusion.
Once I reached her, I declared, "Why don't I come with you? Just in case something else happens."
The Shinx, still maintaining her confusion, stuttered with no sign of stopping. Perhaps, she was trying to decline.
Regardless, I interjected. "Don't worry, I'll stay out of your way and I can run back before it's even nightfall."
Patra held up a paw, "C-Can you give me a moment...and some distance."
I moved several large steps back and watched the Shinx. She turned around and then pondered to herself. I think there was audible mumbling as well.
Eventually, Patra came up to me and hesitantly replied, "...Uh...Okay fine. You can come with me. But I'm not sure how the village will react if they saw you though. They're rather particular with...strange folks like you."
I assured her with raised paws, "Don't worry, I'll just join until we reach the place, and then I'll just head straight home."
I reached out to the Shinx, blushing. "So uh, want a ride? I should be able to carry you there?"
"Ah no!" she promptly replied in disgust, walking away afterwards.
I blinked a few times in disbelief. "No?! Why?"
"Because no!" she spat back, still continuing her pace.
I sighed. I didn't want to disrespect her further. With that, I followed Patra down the road.
- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -
Fragment of Knowledge:
Mystery Jungle:
Location: North-Eastern Grass Continent
Main Types of Terrain: Jungle, Swamp, and Valley
This jungle landscape is home to numerous Poison-Type Pokemon. From the smallest Wurmple to the most fearsome Dragalge, local wild Pokemon can pose a threat to any unprepared travelers. Additionally, wild Pokemon, especially the larger ones, are virtually immune to the effects of team badges; this makes recruitment highly unlikely.
As if the wild Pokemon weren't enough alone, the mazes are also littered with traps. Toxic Spike Traps seem especially common in the swamps. As a result of all of these hazards, all adventurers are strongly advised to avoid this area no matter how enticing "rumors" or "legends" may be.
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Author's Notes:
Special Thanks to the following:
-Astaraile for giving valuable early feedback during the writing process.
-TheSnapDragon for beta reading and providing valuable feedback.
-And to you, the reader, for your patience and time.