PMD: The Dawn of Life

Prologue: Rude Awakening

"The world of Pokemon has been through many calamities, big and small. A century ago, a meteorite threatened to tear the world asunder with natural disasters. Only a decade later, time and space across the world was about to be consumed by darkness. Finally, an ancestral chill sat in the coldest of abodes, freezing the world in a never ending bittercold. However, all of these calamities were stopped by Pokemon, chosen by fate to save the world. Their efforts are what led us to this era of peace today. Explorers, rescuers and Pokemon of all professions rever their saviors, for they are what allows them to live as we speak. Many historical records exist to document these events, although few exist that tell the genuine story…"

"Man, this was the only interesting thing Mr Farfetch'd said the whole day," A Pokemon clad in tiny armored shell whispered to his friend, who was a short panda, "Everything else just puts me to sleep"

"Tell me about it," The panda replied, slumping in his plush seat as he drew lazy circles in the wooden stump desk, "Why can't we learn about these legendary explorers and Pokemon all the time? Then school would actually be interesting!"

"What was that, Pancham? Do you want to tell that to the class?" Farfetch'd snapped and the panda jerked his head up.

"N-no, sir. It was nothing," Pancham stammered and Farfetch'd smacked his leek against the ground.

"Then quit your whispering! I'm in the middle of something here!" Farfetch'd growled before returning to his book, "And when there are few genuine records, there are even fewer Pokemon who live to tell the tale. Indeed, only a handful of Pokemon live today who have seen through the world's calamities. Many of which live on other continents in the-"

Suddenly, a loud bell sounded throughout the outdoor classroom, signalling the end of the day. The children roused from their drowsiness, cheering.

"Oh well, I suppose that was cut short…" Farfetch'd mumbled, disappointed, "Class dismissed everyone!"

"Finally! A chance to practice my magic!" A young Fennekin exclaimed mostly to himself, "Hey Mr Farfetch'd, is there someway to extend our recess time or something?"

"What?! Absolutely not, young Eden!" Farfetch'd screeched, "And furthermore, I don't want to hear any of your magical nonsense at night! Your explosions keep all of Serene Village awake!"

"But it's progress! If I can learn to control and weaponize that fire magic, surely I can be in the Expedition Society!" Eden protested before jerking behind him at the sound of laughter.

"You? Join the Expedition Society? You're ridiculous!" Pancham laughed as Farfetch'd walked off, exhausted, "Not only are you too young, but you're also a girl! Go and play with your dolls at home, foxy"

"What, and you think girls can't be explorers or rescuers?!" A pink Deerling growled, making Pancham and his Shelmet friend step back slightly, "And besides, Eden is a boy! He can join the society once he's old enough"

"Yeah, but he's got a girly face and did you see what his mom looks like? Can you imagine a guy being like that?" Pancham replied and Eden steamed with anger. He wanted to smoke Pancham's butt, but that would just land him in more trouble, "Some sorcerer he wants to be if everyone knows he has a-"

"Don't say it! Let's go home already," Deerling snapped and the three walked off, leaving Eden alone. The Fennekin looked around himself before heading home, thinking about the tale Farfetch'd told.

"The world has experienced three calamities. The meteor, darkness consuming time and space and the bittercold," Eden recounted, "Man, I wonder who the Pokemon are who stopped those. They must have been really strong!"

The Fennekin made it home in quick fashion, quickly getting to work with his magic like usual. He had the unfortunate tendency to screw up and make things explode, causing noise troubles to everyone in the village. That was just normal life for Eden. Unbeknownst to him however, a new calamity was set on the horizon's edge and lurked dangerously close to him. Too close. In fact, it was but a forest away. In the peaceful woods of Lush Pass…

…

I blinked my eyes open to the sound of rushing water beside me. The grass felt cool in my palms as I stood up, shaking off the stupor. What in the world happened to me? I had no idea how I ended up lying flat in a forest. Actually… I didn't remember anything. Nothing except…

"Urgh, let's get a drink first. I'm parched as all hell," I grumbled before turning to the cool stream beside me, courtesy of a beautiful rushing waterfall nearby. I dunked my head into the water, eagerly drinking to appease my dry throat. Ah… sweet, cold satisfaction.

"Hold on a moment…" As I pulled my head free from the pool, I noticed my reflection in the rippling vibrations of the water. I looked short and green, with a snout and leaf-like hands. I was some sort of garden snake…?

"This isn't right," I slapped my cheek, checking to make sure I wasn't dreaming, "I'm supposed to be human! My name is Azrilla! What is going on? Why don't I remember anything?!"

"Beep, beep, beeeepp!"

"Huh?" I turned to the eerie beeping sound to see three beige, robot-like Pokemon levitating in the air towards me. They flashed at each other in a series of colored lights before beeping again, approaching me, "What are you? What do you want from me?"

"Beep!" One of the creatures suddenly extended its claw, slashing at me. The attack left three bloody marks across my shoulder, drawing blood.

"Gah!" I stumbled backwards, jolted by the sudden pain. I wasn't used to this body yet. I didn't know if I wanted to stay and brawl or…

"Beep!" Another slash came in and I darted backwards to dodge. Yep, I needed to get out of here. I sprinted as fast as my little legs could carry me through the verdant forest, looking for any sign of aid as the three monsters chased after me.

"Help! Anyone?!" I shouted, trying to run faster. My torn shoulder shed more and more blood as I ran, robbing away my already-low energy. I wasn't going to last much longer, "Hello?! Anyone around?"

"Hey, hey! Slow down there, miss!" Suddenly, a wooden doll-like person caught me in his arms, stopping me in my tracks. Looking behind me, I noticed that I outran those… creatures, "What's the matter? What are you in a fuss about?"

"Random… monsters here…!" I panted, clutching my shoulder tightly to stop the blood flow, "They chased after me and tried to kill me!"

"Monsters? You mean Pokemon?" The doll asked, perplexed, "Okay, let's slow down for a sec. I'm Nuzleaf. You are?"

"Azrilla or Azri for short. Now can you get me somewhere safe?" I demanded, "I'm sorta bleeding out here!"

"Sheesh, okay! I have something here that can help," Nuzleaf dug into a bag that was slung over his shoulder and handed me a light blue berry, "This will patch your wounds up"

"... Thanks," I didn't even question how a simple berry could heal such deadly wounds, but I snarfed it down anyways. The taste exploded in my mouth and warmth rushed down my body, burning away the pain. I drew my blood stained hand away to see the slash marks mended, "Incredible…"

"Yeah… that's an Oran Berry for you. Pretty potent stuff," Nuzleaf stared at me, curious, "You called those Pokemon monsters earlier. Where are you from, son?"

"Erm… I-"

"Beep, beep!" Suddenly, the three Pokemon returned, blinking their lights angrily at us. One of them lashed at me again and I dodged, backing off. Another struck at Nuzleaf, but he parried it, stepping into a fighting stance.

"Damn, these Beheeyem are no joke. Let's beat it for now!" Nuzleaf grabbed my hand and took off into the next section of the forest, with the Beheeyem hot on our trails. He was far faster than them however and managed to lose them again before suddenly stopping in his tracks, "Ah, crud"

"What's the problem?" I asked, confused.

"One of them mystery dungeons is up ahead. We don't know what we're gonna face if we go in there," Nuzleaf looked around, searching for another avenue of escape, "Doesn't seem like we have much choice but to-"

"Beep, beep!"

"No time. Come on!" Nuzleaf snatched my hand again and dragged me into the mystery dungeon. The moment we entered, earthen green walls rose around us like a maze.

"What the- What is this?" I asked, astonished. The forest around us seemed to take a completely different layout than expected, with several green tiles scattered around the room along with hallways leading off to other sections, "Did the forest just-"

"Yessir, this is what a mystery dungeon is like," Nuzleaf nodded, "Every time we enter, the layout changes. That's what makes it so dangerous, along with the wild Pokemon attacking us outta nowhere"

"Who would want to be in such magical abominations…?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised. The thrill of exploring is the thing that attracts a lot of folks in this world," Nuzleaf shook his head, "But enough of that, we gotta get moving. Stick with me like a bad stain and I'll show you the ropes"

"Alright…" I followed Nuzleaf through the dungeon halls, taking in the scenery around us. Nuzleaf didn't seem to have a certain sense of direction and was just going wherever the path led us to.

"Ah, dagnabbit! An enemy Pokemon!" Nuzleaf stopped, pointing towards a sleeping mushroom-like crab in the center of the room, "That'll be a Paras. If it wakes up, it'll be eager to rough us up good. We need to take it out"

"Can't we just walk around it-" I protested, but Nuzleaf walked up to the sleeping Paras, winding up his arm for a punch. The Paras snorted and roused itself before yelping as Nuzleaf slugged it, causing a miniature explosion of dark energy with Faint Attack. The Pokemon tumbled away, defeated.

"There, that should do it," Nuzleaf brushed his hands before turning back to me, "Come to think of it, do you know any moves to use here?"

"Moves?"

"You know, like my Faint Attack. They are techniques unique to Pokemon," Nuzleaf looked me over briefly, causing me to frown in self-consciousness, "Hm, I don't know much about Snivy, but I reckon you could swing a vine like a whip. Maybe…"

"Snivy? But my name is Azri!"

"Ah, sorry. Snivy is the name of your species. You're a Pokemon," Nuzleaf stared at me strangely, "You are one strange lady"

"I'll explain later. I'm not your normal everyday Pokemon," I grumbled, trying to remember what Nuzleaf told me. As a Snivy, I could swing my vine as a whip? All I had were these tiny leaf hands. Where could I find myself a vine?

"Azri, behind you!" Nuzleaf suddenly rushed at me while I was lost in thought and pushed me behind him, taking an owl's Peck attack like it was nothing. Nuzleaf retaliated with a swift Faint Attack, taking out the owl, "Okay, you can think about it later. We need to get moving"

"Where are we even supposed to go here? You look clueless," I remarked as we traversed through the woods again. Nuzleaf was absently picking up random berries and seeds off the ground as we walked, "Nuzleaf?"

"I heard ya. I'm still trying to wrap my head around your whole schtick," Nuzleaf replied before crossing his arms, "What we're looking for here is the stairs. That'll lead us to the next floor and soon, out of the dungeon"

"Stairs? Floors?" I frowned, "This… is a forest, right? Why would-"

"Wow, you really are one strange Pokemon. Who are you? Honestly?"

"I… used to be human. I have amnesia now and I have no idea how I got here," I admitted, "That's why I don't know any of this stuff"

"Human, huh? That ain't something you hear everyday," Nuzleaf examined me again, "It sounds ridiculous but…"

"But…?"

"I believe you. Your confusion is clearly genuine," Nuzleaf nodded, "Say, after we make it out of this dungeon, would you like to live with me in my village?"

"Excuse me?! I barely know you!" I snapped back, angered.

"Ah! I didn't mean it that way!" Nuzleaf yelped in apology, "I mean, you don't have anywhere to go, right?"

"...Yeah," I replied, feeling shame wash away my prior outburst.

"I'd be a bad Pokemon if I left a kid like you out here alone, especially with those Beheeyem hunting ya," Nuzleaf explained, "Plus, I want to know your story. So what do you say?"

"I'll… come along with you," I replied with a nod. It wasn't like I had much of a choice. Nuzleaf was my only solace in this unknown world right now, "Thank you for offering"

"It's what good Pokemon are for. Now then, there's another enemy Pokemon up ahead there," Nuzleaf pointed to a sleeping Seedot in the upcoming room, "That should be an ample target for a move. Go up and strike with your Vine Whip!"

"But how do you-" I protested, but Nuzleaf cut me off as he nudged me into the dungeon room.

"Just imagine the attack as you think it is. There's no crazy technique to it," Nuzleaf replied, "Now go on and strike!"

"O-okay. Hya!" I briefly envisioned a long, solid vine in my mind as I swung my arm towards the Seedot. Before it struck, my arm transformed into that vine and slammed into the Seedot, giving it a nasty awakening. The nut tumbled away, more angry than hurt and charged at me with Tackle. On instinct, I spun my body in a circle in retaliation, calling up a small tornado with Twister. The Seedot was sent flying into the trees, defeated.

"Impressive. You got the hang of that quickly," Nuzleaf grinned while clapping his wooden hands, "To Pokemon, moves are primal instincts, so that must be why you executed Twister so easily"

"Yeah. Didn't expect to counterattack with that," I admitted, a little winded from my effort.

"But remember to watch your PP"

"... What?"

"Your PP. It stands for power points," Nuzleaf explained as we continued our trek through the dungeon, eventually ascending a set of stone steps into the next dungeon floor, "It's a system that determines that many times a move can be executed before it's exhausted. Once your PP for a move is drained, you can't use it anymore unless you down a Max Elixir"

"I… see," I replied, feeling a little overwhelmed. What kind of fantastical world have I landed in? I don't remember anything about my life before this, but I'm sure it was less weird. Magical labyrinthian dungeons, all kinds of sentient and magical beasts and small berries that can restore lethal wounds? It was too much to take in.

"Ah. Sorry if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed. This is just normal life for us Pokemon," Nuzleaf said soothingly, "You'll get used to it soon. I promise"

"I hope so…" I bit my lip, hoping that I would soon wake up from this dream. Although I doubted that was true, since my mind couldn't conjure anything as crazy as this. We continued moving through the dungeon, eventually finding the steps that led us out of the small forest and into a clearing.

"Alright, we can afford to take a small break here. I think we outran those Beheeyem," Nuzleaf decided, sitting down to produce some berries, "Speaking of, what were those buggers chasing you for anyways? You didn't cause any trouble for them, did you?"

"I didn't! All I did was wake up on the outskirts of the dungeon there," I replied, sitting down next to Nuzleaf to catch my breath, "I drank some water from a nearby stream before the Beheeyem came for me"

"Hm… perhaps you intruded on the Beheeyem's water supply?" Nuzleaf offered before stroking his chin thoughtfully, "No, that doesn't seem right. Beheeyem don't live here"

"And they look too alien to drink water," I replied in agreement, "Clearly, their intent was to hurt me"

"Mm, I suppose we won't know the answer from you. You lost your memory, after all," Nuzleaf shook his head, standing up, "I hope this isn't some elaborate childish prank"

"What prank would involve my shoulder getting slashed open?"

"You'd be surprised. Children are devious little bumpkins," Nuzleaf sighed, "You don't know what kind of things they'll mess with for fun"

"Do you have a child yourself?" I asked innocently.

"Why, aren't you a brazen lady. No, I don't," Nuzleaf shook his head, "I don't even have a spouse yet. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you told me kids are "devious little bumpkins"," I pointed out, "I thought you had firsthand experience"

"Oh, I do. There's this one kid in my village named Eden. He's a Fennekin," Nuzleaf tilted his head in thought, "His mom's a magical genius and Eden wants to live up to that. So he spends all his time experimenting with magic"

"What's wrong with that? That sounds like an amazing pursuit"

"Problem is Eden's accident-prone. You don't know how many times he made things explode in the village," Nuzleaf groaned, "Or how many times he accidentally transmuted pumpkins into sticks. Or bananas into jackfruit. Our harvest was ruined thanks to him"

"I think that's just a sign of his magical potential. He just has trouble managing it," I replied, "Given time, I'm sure he'll be a fine mage"

"That's what I think too. Sadly, his mistakes attracted the ire of the villagers and his mom banned him from practicing magic outside of the house. Hasn't stopped him from causing trouble at night," Nuzleaf dusted off his body before turning to the next glade beside him, "Anyways, we've rested long enough. Let's move befo-"

"Beep, beep, beeeepppp!"

"The Beheeyem!" Nuzleaf snatched me up, taking me into the next forest dungeon, "Let's hurry!"

We entered into the Lush Forest and the world shifted into a maze around us once more. We immediately took to the nearest hallway, with Nuzleaf commentating along the way.

"Okay, time for your next lesson in combat," The wooden doll stopped in his tracks, pointing at a nearby giant snake with two red fangs, "That'll be a Seviper. Enemy Pokemon are a shrewd bunch. Once they see you, they'll attack immediately. Watch"

The Seviper passed by us, noticing Nuzleaf's voice and hissed, ready to lunge. Nuzleaf simply got into his fighting stance, ready to counterattack. The viper lashed at him with a deadly Poison Fang, but Nuzleaf darted back to dodge before launching his signature Faint Attack, felling the snake in one blow.

"See? You don't need to worry about initiating on wild Pokemon with them like this. Just wait for them to walk up to you and counterattack accordingly," Nuzleaf explained, "And if you ever find the chance, sneak attack them from the side or behind. But never take on one head on!"

"I understand. Now let's-" I was interrupted when a loud thundering sound resounded through the dungeon. I turned to the source and saw a large buffalo Pokemon coming at me at top speed, "What the?!"

"Ah, a new chance to try out your skills. Remember what I said, Azri!" Nuzleaf stepped aside, watching the buffalo intently, "Wait for them to come up to you and dodge accordingly. Counterattack afterwards. Here it comes!"

"Aaahh!" I cried and sidestepped as quick as I could just as the buffalo rammed into me. Quickly, I lashed a double dose of Vine Whip onto the enemy Pokemon's side before Nuzleaf's Faint Attack finished it off. He was way stronger than he looked to be.

"Nice work! I'd say you have this whole dungeon business down already," Nuzleaf proclaimed proudly before gesturing towards him, "Let's get moving. I'll teach you about dungeon items next"

We continued on through the forest, encountering fantastical beasts far and wide. There were sleazy wild cats, tadpoles, blue ducklets, ninja bagworms and of course, the buffalo. A strange assortment in such a small forest.

"Hm, I don't remember Bouffalant and Accelgor living out in these areas," Nuzleaf frowned, referring to the buffalo and bagworm respectively, "Must be new residents"

"But they won't be trouble for you. After all, you fell a snake in one strike," I remarked, "How are you so strong anyways?"

"Heh, veteran's secret. I've long since retired from exploring and fighting," Nuzleaf replied, reminiscent, "Now I just live out my days in the village in peace"

I frowned. That didn't really answer my question at all, but I guess Nuzleaf didn't want to share. Wouldn't be good for me to prod him about it. Luckily, he broke the silence quickly.

"You'll often find this stuff in dungeons," Nuzleaf picked up an apple off the ground, showing it to me. It gleamed with a near-perfect sheen in the sunlight, not even marred by the slightest bit of dirt or scratch, "Apples and berries are our main food sources in dungeons. For some reason, mystery dungeons can perfectly preserve these stuff for an infinite amount of time"

"Wow…" I remarked as Nuzleaf stuffed the apple into his pouch before picking up some yellow seed off the ground.

"And this is a Blast Seed. It's incredibly spicy and volatile, so ingesting it will cause you to breath fire and have a nasty stomach ache, along with some temporary throat problems," Nuzleaf explained, gingerly handling the Blast Seed, "More commonly, it can be thrown to harm enemy Pokemon. With a hard enough impact, it will explode. Perfect for blasting heads off"

I took a step back as Nuzleaf stowed away the Blast Seed. So much power is such a little seed. I couldn't imagine what other crazy things were in dungeons.

"There are other seeds with a myriad of other effects," Nuzleaf went on, "Sleep, Stun, X-Eye, Violent etc. You'll be able to tell the difference with experience"

"Good to know…" I replied slowly before realizing we were already out of the dungeon. Up ahead was a great hill in an open plain, with a clear dirt path laid upon it, "Do you live over there?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah," Nuzleaf nodded, "Just over the hill is my home, Serene Village. I'll take you over and get you settled"

Without word, the two of us made our way out of the massive forest and onto the dirt path, crossing the great hill and overlooking the valley where Serene Village stood. The biggest jaw-dropper of the place was the giant lake nearby as well as the massive tree on a seperate hill.

"Ah ha, admiring the scenery, are we?" Nuzleaf laughed before pointing to the hilltop with the tall tree, "That place is a famous hangout spot. The tree is apparently as old as the village as well"

I didn't reply. I was too awestruck by the beauty of the village. The crystal clear water on the lake, the clean beach on the shoreline, the verdant grasslands surrounding the area and the healthy trees all around… this place was paradise. Nuzleaf caught my expression and smiled.

"Let's head on down and you can take a front-row view. I reckon the evening is coming soon," The wooden doll smirked before leading me down the hill and into my new life as a Pokemon. Despite me being enraptured by the beauty of this world, prodding questions still haven't left my mind.

"How did I come here? Why did I turn into a Pokemon?" I thought to myself, "Will I ever be able to return to my normal life? Is there anyone looking for me? Or is this all just a dream?"

I shook my head, dismissing the last thought. This couldn't possibly be a dream, unless I had the most wild imagination ever. Still, the other questions remained.

"I won't answer them as I am now. I suppose I have to stick with this path of fate and see what it has in store," I decided, "My life as a Snivy…"

Soon, we made it into the village and unbeknownst to me, this was the first step in a long, painful, yet wonderful journey that would alter the course of history and the world around me.

It was the dawn of a new life…

Our team:

- Azri, Snivy - The Enigma

Level 5

Abilities: Overgrow and Contrary

Moves: Vine Whip, Pursuit, Twister and Leer

- Nuzleaf - Mysterious Aid

Level 30

Abilities: Chlorophyll

Moves: Faint Attack, Pound, Low Sweep and Frustration

Welcome to my latest novelization: The Dawn of Life! This is the third installment of my PMD novelization series, with this one covering Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon. Updates are going to be rather random since I'm not finished the game and I only played enough to properly write this chapter and maybe the next two. Still, with quarantine times locking me in my house, I have plenty of time to play and novelize this brand new saga. For the Fateful Saviors fans, I'll soon hit the postgame story, so don't worry about it. I hope you enjoy this tale and grow to love the new cast of characters. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give constructive criticism, leave a review. Until next time!