"S-so how far away are we going…?" Astrid inquired with a hint of uncertainty.
"It's only about a mile and the path is wide-open, so we should be fine!" Arashi replied.
Another day gone, another day without any Beast showing up where it wasn't wanted. The Rowlet and the Froakie made their way past the town boundary and up the sandy path, far enough to where town had just started to look smaller but not too far away nonetheless. The Magikarp were jumping about in the sea, not a care in the world, and the same seemed true of Astrid's comrade. She kept watch for anything out of the ordinary, but there didn't seem to be anything warranting attention.
"Your folks aren't gonna get suspicious…?" inquired the Rowlet.
"I doubt it," came the easy answer.
That sufficed, and she let it go, but just as fast…
"HEY!" came a call from further back, from a certain Jolteon. "Where do you two think you're running off to?!"
Astrid flinched a little at the sudden yell, instinctively thinking it was one of panic or displeasure, but Arashi was beaming still. They both turned around and looked back to the town boundary, where Lila, Charlie, and Trixie strolled in their direction. The Froakie gave a playful wave.
"Hi, guys!" Arashi called. "You can come too! We're going to the sheriff's office!"
Shortly, there were five figures gathered on the sandy path, the other three darting over to them rather fast.
"The sheriff's office? What're you going there for?" Charlie inquired.
"You're turning yourself in for an illegal fight club?" Trixie asked, getting her usual cheeky look. "Or you finally decided Team Useless Posers was your true calling?"
Charlie's tail-hand gave the Croagunk a slap upside the back of her head, to which she let out an unhappy cry before shortly breaking into an even bigger (and shifty) grin. In any case, she shut up with her remarks, and everyone else disregarded them.
"Well, we are going there on team business," Arashi acknowledged. "You see, me and Astrid made an unofficial one the day Nez got attacked, but we're making it official today! Ahhh, I'm so excited!"
It was clear the Froakie was excited, for the next moment, he clapped both his hands together playfully and gave a little hop of cheer, clearly bubbling with enthusiasm. Astrid grinned haplessly, while the other three present got surprised looks on their faces of varying degrees- Lila not particularly fazed, Charlie a bit caught off guard, and Trixie with a gaping mouth.
"Really? I mean, I knew this is what you wanted to do, Arashi, but… That seems a little sudden," Charlie's voice trailed off.
"You two?!" Trixie chimed in, blinking several times in rapid succession and her gaze shifting between Astrid and Arashi, then stalking around to the Rowlet's side, "Girl, that is surprising! Don't get me wrong, but you don't really seem like the type!"
"W-well, yes, but I have reasons," Astrid quickly but softly affirmed.
The Jolteon tilted her head to the side, studying the Froakie. "I had a feeling you'd go make a team one of these days, but sheesh, I figured you'd at least mention it a little in passing before actually doing it… and that you'd probably pester us about it- not that I'm talking bad about you, Astrid," she mused, giving the Rowlet a little glance at the end.
"I didn't think you were; I understand," Astrid affirmed.
Arashi, though, was still grinning and let out a giggle. "It's not like you guys can't come with us or anything, it's just that we named the team after us two," he explained. "I mean, once you almost get killed together and fight hordes of baby dragons and unfriendly rock monsters, there's kinda no going back, y'know? Besides, she's good at it! I would've gotten absolutely thrashed without her!"
Astrid's feathers ruffled up a bit. "H-hey, now, that was purely because I didn't wanna die, and I would've been screwed without your Bubbles, too…"
Arashi let out a laugh, throwing one arm around her wings and beaming. "See? Our synergy is just perfect!"
'Perfect,' she would not have said- but it was pretty good, she had to admit.
Charlie, though, studied the Rowlet next. "So, if you have reasons, what are they? We all know what Arashi's are, but I'm kinda with Trixie here on you not seeming like the adventuring type."
Her feathers stayed a little ruffled and her feet skittered in place a little, but still, she replied, "W-well, I really just want answers. Like why I'm here, what that thing wants with me, and… this just seems the most obvious path to take."
"Heck, if that creature hears she's a team co-captain, it might decide to back off," Lila added to concur.
Astrid hadn't thought of that perk, but she quickly decided that she liked it in addition to the other ones.
"You gotta have a team name, then," Trixie pressed. "What'd ya pick~?"
"Team Starstorm!" Arashi happily replied.
And at that, the Croagunk burst into laughter, making the Froakie frown and Astrid tilt her head to the side in uncertainty. Charlie's tail-hand gave her another nudge, but she only doubled over while clutching at her sides. Lila gave her an amused side-eye, but otherwise paid her no mind.
"What's so funny?!" Arashi demanded. "Sheesh, Trixie! You didn't seriously think we were gonna use your suggestion, did you?"
"Nah, but mine would've been better than Team Starstorm!" the Croagunk asserted to the contrary, rolling on the ground. "That sounds like the name of a roving glam metal music act, not an expedition squad! Ahaha, you are trying way too hard to sound cool!"
The Rowlet only studied Trixie, still with her head tilted to the side, while her comrade spit a few playful bubbles at the Croagunk which were harmlessly popped. Trixie calmed down fairly quickly, but still couldn't help but giggle quietly to herself.
"Well, I think it sounds cool, despite what some miscreants may say," Lila noted to the contrary, getting a shifty grin from Trixie at the remark.
"I'm gonna guess Arashi came up with that one, because it definitely has his flair to it," Charlie mused.
"Sure did!" the Froakie affirmed.
"But I like it too- it's got a nice sound," added Astrid.
Arashi gave another giggle of glee, hardly able to contain his excitement. "C'mon, guys! Me and Astrid gotta fill out the papers, and there's nothing wrong with moral support while going on a somewhat-long walk!"
Lila, Charlie, and Trixie quickly decided that they had nothing better to do, and once again they set off along the path, the Croagunk still giggling to herself occasionally and getting either a nudge from Charlie or a spark from Lila.
"Say, is Veeko staying inside today?" Arashi inquired, glancing back at the Jolteon.
"No, he's out playing with Rina," Lila answered.
"Rina…?" Astrid inquired.
"Toko and Ace's kid- that tiny Pikipek that can't fly yet," Charlie replied, "You know Toko the Toucannon and Ace the Staraptor, right?"
Astrid nodded, recounting how she'd figured out how to preen because of them. She guessed that Veeko and the Pikipek in question were around the same age in that case- very young, seeing as the Eevee clearly couldn't read yet nor could the Pikipek in question fly whereas the Rowlet herself had no trouble with taking flight in spite of her formerly human state.
Once the town started to seem rather small in the distance, the eastern-leading path from the town's boundary had an offshoot going north, which they took. Astrid took note of it in cast she would ever be out venturing again, and also took note that the eastern sandy path itself seemed to fade into dirt and then into nothingness in more trees on the horizon, while the northern offshoot faded into what looked like a hilly meadow with rocky cliffs to either side.
"Hey, Astrid, now might be a good time to tell you that if you keep going after you hit the sheriff's office, you'll wind up in feral territory," Arashi noted to the Rowlet.
She nodded, mentally cataloguing that as well. "That's good to know… What kinds of Pokémon are out there?"
"Mostly Rock- or Ground-types like Golem, Onix, Lairon, and the occasional Larvitar," her comrade answered.
"But you can fly, so that's not a huge deal to you if you stay out of their range," Lila noted. "The rest of us, though, might have some things to worry about, and I certainly don't want to take an angry Golem's Earthquake if I accidentally step on it."
Another nod.
"If you keep going east, you'll reach Craggy Crossroads," Charlie added. "It's a pretty big hub for expeditioners. But the forest turns into a dungeon partway through, so the general way is to go around it."
"And the Crossroads is where Arashi's idols have their base," Trixie added with a smirk, the Froakie getting bright-eyed at the very mention.
"That is also good to know…" Astrid catalogued it as well.
The terrain had a few sparse trees dotting it and mostly grass covering the path they took, not too difficult to traverse in comparison to the steep cliff sides that loomed overhead not too far away. A few patches of bare ground intertwined with the green, and the ground sloped and rose up a bit here and there. Astrid kept looking about intermittently, half-expecting to see a certain wired creature staring down at her from one of the rocky faces but never coming across it. In any case, whether they stood a chance against it or not (and she assumed they did not), having five of them together made her feel more at ease.
It didn't take all that long to come across another stone building at the top of one hill, which Astrid guessed was their destination- and was shortly proven right when Arashi made a beeline for the for the opening of its door. She had to take to flapping to keep up, while their other three companions strolled in shortly after with no hurry.
In the front room, a Luxray was curled up in front of a desk with a small plaque reading 'Deputy Rucio' resting on it and perked up at seeing them enter, while two heads on a Dodrio seemed to be having a fuss at a rather frightened-looking Sableye in the back room. (What the fuss was about, they could only imagine.) There was a bulletin board on one wall with plenty of names and pictures on it along with what looked to be some newspaper clippings, and on the wall behind the front desk were several mounted folders with stacks of papers in them. Astrid couldn't help but notice the over-the-top wanted poster of Salem mixed in among the ones on the bulletin board, as it was clearly the most extravagant of the lot by far.
"Afternoon," greeted the Gleam Eyes Pokemon. "Can I help you?"
"Me and my friend are forming an expedition team- we can fill out the papers for that here, right?" Arashi answered, motioning at himself and the Rowlet.
"Sure thing," was the response.
The Luxray got up and strolled around to the folders, standing up on his hind legs to retrieve a few of them with his teeth before setting them down before Astrid and Arashi.
"Just fill these out and sign them at the end, and I'll get Sheriff Zaara to look them over and send out your starter kit next chance she gets. As you can see, she's… a little busy right now," noted the deputy, giving the Dodrio still telling off the Sableye a glance.
"Oho? Did someone act stupid?" Trixie chirped with her shifty grin, glancing at the two in the back room.
The Luxray got a bit of a hapless, yet borderline amused look. "Someone sure did. I get that a lot of Sableye have a quirk for collecting jewels, but when that quirk leads to you inadvertently abducting a Carbink…"
The Croagunk that posed the question started giggling again with wide eyes, while several befuddled looks went around the others at the mention of an 'inadvertent' abduction.
"How do you accidentally abduct someone…?" Charlie inquired.
"I have no idea," the Luxray replied, shaking his head.
In any case, Astrid and Arashi both set to their business, their other three tagalongs giving the forms a good look as well in interest at their dealings. Several of the pages were purely text, which the Froakie didn't seem intent on reading but Astrid scoured every word (which Trixie chuckled at and remarked that "No one actually reads the terms and conditions!"). Most of it was along the lines of 'your status can be revoked if you engage in criminal activity' and 'you swear you will not use your status to commit nefarious deeds' that indeed could have been written off as common sense, but the Rowlet certainly wasn't letting anything go without her notice. All of this information was new information in her mind, and she wanted her bases covered.
Trixie started giggling again when Arashi wrote 'Team Starstorm' for their team's name, but was quickly shut up by both Charlie and Lila. Both Astrid and her comrade listed themselves as the current members and signed the papers in the several sections it delineated, then handed them back off to the deputy (seeing as the Sableye had since been reduced to tears and clung haplessly to the Dodrio's leg while presumably begging for forgiveness and swearing it would change its ways, or so things appeared).
With that finished, they set off again.
"I sure hope that Sableye gets some help for their gem-stealing problem," Lila chuckled once they were out of earshot.
"Just what was the plan there, I wonder~?" Trixie mused, getting a grin, "To rip the crystals off of the Carbink's body~?"
Arashi's usual grin turned a bit uncertain at the mention. "When you put it that way… Yiah, I bet that would hurt!"
The rest of them weren't inclined to disagree that indeed, getting chunks ripped out of one's form would be rather unpleasant.
The little trek back to town wasn't any big deal, for no crazies or Beasts accosted them and the Magikarps were still happily jumping about in the water. However, one thing did catch their eye, or rather Astrid's and Arashi's- Niles and Kaminari having a conversation with a certain Rhyperior they recognized quite well from their less-than-pleasant encounter. The two of them almost stalled for a second, while their three tagalongs got an inquiring look.
"Say, isn't that…?" Lila's voice trailed off.
"That dude that started a giant commotion?" Trixie finished the thought.
Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, then at the Rhyperior, then back at each other, not saying a word.
"I'm gonna take their reactions to mean yes," Trixie mused, giving the Froakie and Rowlet a glance.
There didn't seem to be any hostility, yet still, they couldn't help being uncertain. Whatever craziness had taken root in the Rhyperior had definitely worn off if Rush and Rozen knew what they were talking about, but the last words received from the Rhyperior having basically been death threats didn't bode particularly well either. They weren't quite sure what to make of it.
Niles, though, seemed to notice the younger ones first and called over. "Arashi, Astrid, will you two come here for a moment?"
The two of them gave their friends a glance and did so, the Rhyperior and Kaminari still carrying on, though the Drill Pokémon turned his attention to them once they got close, almost looking shy and frightened (at least, for a gigantic, rock-skinned creature). Astrid couldn't help but observe his eyes and notice that they were no longer damaged from her attack, which was somewhat relieving to see. In one of his hands was a little sack, which she guessed was simply for errand-running or the like.
"Oh, thank the gods you two are okay," their former assailant sounded relieved, almost as though he might cry. "I am so sorry for what happened!"
Astrid had no idea what to say, and Arashi was looking somewhat awkward himself.
"You recognize this fellow, don't you?" Niles nonchalantly asked them.
"Yeah, if you're the same guy we faced in the dungeon," Arashi answered, managing a smile but seeming slightly hesitant.
"He came into town asking about you two and if you were alright," Kaminari noted, then to the rocky creature, "And you've regained your senses just fine, you say? You woke up confused about what had happened and don't remember much?"
The Rhyperior nodded. "It's like I was possessed! I'm not usually like that, I swear, but I've just got no idea what came over me!"
"The good thing is that no one was seriously hurt and you're back in control of yourself," Niles tried to calm down the fretting creature, gently touching one of the cannon-like arms.
Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, still unsure of what to make of it all.
"I'm glad the two little ones here gave me the fight they did; getting my eyes messed up and getting knocked out was probably the best thing that happened all day," the Rhyperior mused, looking down at the Froakie and Rowlet.
"Well, you got us noticed by my idols, so I count that as a good day too," Arashi mused, breaking into a hapless grin.
The Drill Pokémon chuckled a bit, turning to them and opening his sack up. "Well, if you two ever wind up in a situation like that again, or if you really are adventurous like I've heard from the townsfolk, this should help you."
He set the sack down before them and Arashi was quick to look inside it, Astrid too getting a bit curious. Inside was a blue orb with what looked like two downward-facing arrows on it, a red and orange seed with a coat that seemed to split into many jagged layers, and a golden-colored seed with a small shoot sprouting from one end- a Slow Orb, Blast Seed, and Reviver Seed. The Rowlet wasn't quite sure what the items were, but Arashi seemed to know, for his face lit up at the sight of them.
"Arceus above!" the Froakie exclaimed, "That's so nice! Astrid, this is great for exploration!"
She brightened up a bit, tilting her head to the side. "R-really…?"
"Yeah! I guess I'll have to tell you about orbs and seeds later though, aha!"
That was fine enough in her book, and she got a contented look as well.
The Rhyperior seemed relieved at their reactions. "I really am sorry, you two. I hope you can forgive me."
Arashi chuckled. "Hey, if you weren't in control of yourself, it's not your fault! Besides, I can tell you must be really cool when you're not crazy!"
"I-it's alright, we're all fine here…" Astrid's voice awkwardly trailed off.
The Drill Pokémon breathed a sigh of relief. "And hopefully, if I wind up here again, it won't be because I'm on a rampage."
"It's been happening more often in recent times, so perhaps it just couldn't be helped," Niles mused nonchalantly.
"We were just the unlucky ones this time," said Kaminari.
The giant rocky creature nodded, and shortly he was on his way back to his own town. However, both Niles and Kaminari looked at each other when he was out of earshot.
"Do you think this is connected with Salem?" inquired the Greninja.
"Absolutely," the Inteleon replied without missing a beat.
That certainly caught the attention of Astrid and Arashi, both of whom perked up.
Niles, though, appeared to be in deep thought. "It's been a strong suspicion up until now that she's been behind the incidents of other Pokémon going mad as well, but after Team Aeroslash began taking swings at their healers, it's certainly not far-fetched. Why she does this, and why her attributes are so out of accordance with the norm of her evolutionary line is another matter."
"So we might've gotten attacked by a crazy Rhyperior because Salem made him do it?" Arashi piped up, still looking intrigued but uncertain all the same.
"It's possible," Niles affirmed, "Add in that wire creature, and heavens, this makes for a mess that can't be solved without more information."
The Froakie and Rowlet looked at each other again, Astrid's eyes going slightly wide.
"Don't worry too much yet," Kaminari said, looking at Astrid, "We'll get to the bottom of this, you can be sure."
She nodded.
Both Astrid and her comrade returned to their friends soon after, Arashi happily putting their bag of items over one shoulder (what with Astrid not having hands with which to grip it). The other three hadn't moved an inch and eyed them with intrigue, Trixie with her usual shifty smile.
"What was that about?" asked Charlie.
"Oh, he was just saying sorry for attacking us," Arashi answered, "And he gave us these items, too! Hah, is it strange to say I'm glad he tried to kill us?"
"Yes," Astrid piped up.
Charlie rolled his eyes at the Froakie's question, though still got a grin at it. Arashi only giggled in response, and Astrid brushed it off.
"Show us what you got, then!" Lila exclaimed. "You're expeditioners now- show us your loot!"
Arashi did so, showing them the orb and seeds and them likewise getting excited looks.
The Froakie, though, set to explaining their uses to his teammate. "Alright, so this thing here is an orb," he clarified to Astrid about the blue sphere, "In particular, a Slow Orb. You use it in a dungeon, and all the enemies around will look like they're moving in slow-motion, so it's pretty great!"
Astrid nodded. "Sounds useful…"
"And these seeds here," Arashi continued, motioning at the seeds, "the red one is a Blast Seed. You can throw it, and it explodes, or you can eat it, and you breathe the explosion for greater damage at close-range! You just have to be careful not to knock your friends out with it on accident, but if you do, this golden one here is a Reviver Seed! So if you get KO'd, this thing will activate, and you'll be good as new. But, things like getting your head lopped off is not something you want to deal with even if you have one of these, so don't get too crazy, aha!"
Again she was nodding, albeit with a slightly befuddled look at the insinuation of doing something as ridiculous as intentionally getting maimed.
It was the Croagunk's turn to start beaming. "Hah, so you can ruin someone's day with the Blast Seed and then cheat your way out of a KO with the Reviver Seed! That's great!" Trixie cried. "Just imagine all the Pokémon you could piss off!"
"You are the only one that would think that way, Trixie," Lila brushed her off.
Nonetheless, they were abuzz with glee, chattering about how they might use them and what their first expedition would be… at least until Veeko wandered into sight alone and looking frightened. The little Eevee had his head down with drooping eyes that darted about uncertainly, his tail somewhat wrapped around his body as if trying to give himself a hug. Lila was the first notice him, striding towards him just a bit and calling his name, to which he jumped a bit in fright and ran towards her.
"Lila!" he cried pitifully, ducking underneath her chest.
The others couldn't help but notice his worry.
"What's wrong, little guy?" Trixie inquired.
"Where's your friend?" asked Arashi.
The Eevee whimpered, practically cowering under his sister's fur. "She's lost! We did something stupid, and now I'm scared!" he blurted out, avoiding their gazes.
Lila backed up a bit and gently stroked Veeko with one paw. "What do you mean, she's lost? What did you do?" the Jolteon asked.
The little one buried his face in his paws and started crying. "W-we were playing hide and seek, a-and we went into the forest on the west side, and-!"
"Veeko!" his sister interrupted, a clearly chiding look on her face, "You know you're not supposed to be out there!"
"I know, I know, it was dumb!" Veeko haplessly agreed, still with his face buried, "B-but, y-you know how it turns into a dungeon when you go too far?"
… They knew where this was going, and Lila started looking even less amused than before.
"Y-you know, Brushwood Tangle…?" the Eevee continued, "W-we didn't even notice we'd gone in until we hit the stairs! Rina, she… e-er, she… We lost each other! We ran into a Tangela, and I don't know if she made it out or not!"
He started bawling into the ground, his paws going over his ears and draping them over his face like a hood. Lila shook her head, while Arashi hopped to Veeko's side and gently patted the back of his head.
"L-Lila, you've been in a dungeon before; can you help me…?!" Veeko pitifully begged, "I don't want Mom and Dad getting mad at me, and I don't want anything to happen to Rina! It was dumb of us to go into the forest, but we didn't mean to get lost in a dungeon…!"
The Jolteon was still unamused, but she started to ease up.
Astrid, though, was the first one to say anything. "How many floors is Brushwood Tangle?"
"Seven," Charlie answered.
The Rowlet and Froakie looked at each other, and Lila in turn looked at the both of them.
"Alright, is the newly formed Team Starstorm gonna come with me to rescue my little brother's friend?" the Jolteon inquired.
"Of course we are!" Arashi exclaimed.
"We can't just leave her there alone," Astrid concurred.
Veeko started to peek up a bit from under his ear-veil, the sobs slowing to sniffles.
"Hey! If you three are going, so am I!" Trixie declared, crossing her arms. "I ain't Astonished or Poison Stung anything in a looooong time, and a dungeon crawl sounds like the perfect way to do it!"
"I'm not getting left out, either!" Charlie was in agreement, "I guess now is a good time as any to figure out just how useful this tail-hand can be!"
The Eevee looked up at all of them, sniffling but looking relieved, but Lila still gave him a pointed look.
"You're coming too, Veeko," Lila declared, getting a surprised look from her little brother. "You'd better pay attention to the rest of us in case you ever wind up in a dungeon alone again, because no little sibling of mine is gonna be completely helpless if a few ferals show up anywhere."
Veeko quickly nodded. "J-just promise you won't tell on me."
"I promise," Lila affirmed.
The Jolteon held one paw out, and the Eevee bumped it with one his much smaller ones before they took them back again.
Astrid, however, had another thought. "H-hey, um…" he voice trailed off uncertainly.
The attention of the others was upon her.
"C-can we not use those items we just got unless that thing shows up…?" she inquired, looking more to her comrade with the sack than anyone else. "It's still out there… I-if it comes at us, we should be at least somewhat prepared…"
"That's a good idea," Arashi wasn't dissenting.
"Fine by me," Lila agreed.
Trixie shrugged in indifference and Charlie's tail-hand gave a thumbs-up (or at least, as close as the Aipom could get).
"Let's go," the Froakie declared, turning to go down the sandy path to the opposite side of town.
Lila knelt down to let Veeko sit on her back, and shortly, the six of them were setting off.
Author's note: I started writing this story when Rescue Team DX was announced, and before the game released, I had just assumed that orbs and seeds looked the same in the Mystery Dungeon universe. Needless to say, I am glad I saw that no, that was not the case, before I got too far in. XD
