The next morning, they were up and at it before the sun could even cross the horizon, courtesy of Cinder peeking his head through the doorway and screeching down at them to get moving. A startled shout came from both Astrid and Arashi, while Raijin only gave a twitch and a spark or two. Nonetheless, Arashi grabbed the bag and the three of them were rushing up the stairs, where all but Dren and Adnea were likewise congregated. Rush couldn't help snickering a bit at their surprise.

"Morning~!" Lazuli chirped, giving a playful wave.

"Morning," Arashi greeted back, giving the Azumarill a somewhat drowsy grin.

The Fletchinder was still borderline glaring at them out of the corner of his eye, and when Astrid caught his gaze, he immediately let out a disdained grunt and turned his beak up. The Dartrix couldn't help fluffing out a bit in hapless confusion, instantly casting her own gaze to the ground.

"A'ight, Team Starstorm," Rush said, crossing his arms and smirking at them. "It's your first day, so I ain't gonna send you anywhere too crazy. Y'all remember those woods we came out of yesterday, yeah?"

The three of them nodded.

"Good, 'cause y'all are goin' to Withered Ridge," the Scrafty informed. "Apparently the past few days, some weird stuff has been happening over there- 'Mon going off in one direction and winding up someplace else with no idea of how they got there, strange voices at night, the whole nine yards. Another team barely out of the rookie stage, Team Wily, went off to go check it out, but they haven't come back, so some shameless outlaw is probably camping out down there. That sort of thing doesn't scare you lot, yeah?"

All three of them voiced their indications that no, it did not.

"Good. Go like you're leavin' town, then once ya get over the bridge, head west, and you'll notice the trees getting a little sickly-looking," Rush instructed. "That's your dungeon; it's got fifteen floors. Once you reach the last floor and get out, head south to reach town again."

Another set of nods followed.

The Scrafty looked between Rozen and Lazuli next. "And us three are off to Sunken Cavern. Big Blue, you better not drown us!"

The Azumarill laughed. "Have I ever let anything of the sort happen?"

Rush snickered a bit, then looked to Cinder. "And don't you go getting KO'd on Bramble Peak all by yourself!"

"Tch! It's not even a dungeon!" the Fletchinder brushed it off, rolling his eyes.

Nonetheless, Rozen and Cinder were shortly fetching their own bags for the day's missions, and while Arashi already had theirs, he nonetheless had to dart back downstairs for something else- the letter he had composed the previous night, which he tucked carefully in the bag where it wouldn't fall out. The morning dew was still on the flora outside, and the air was rather cool and gentle. The sky was mostly purple, but in the distance behind them, it began to turn hues of orange and pink with the sun just barely appearing on the horizon. There weren't many figures out stirring- a wild Misdreavus that seemed to be growing bored without the cover of nightfall, the Persian from the previous day gently moving the Barboach in the fountain to the bucket, and a Dragonite (albeit with a very blatant Ditto face).

"I wanna send my letter off while things are quiet," Arashi noted. "I don't want Mom and Dad to worry about us if we're not coming home for a while."

"You spent a long time writing that thing," Raijin said, giving the Frogadier a glance. "You must've had a lot to say."

Arashi laughed. "Well, of course I did! A lot happened!"

Certainly, no one was debating that.

Ordinarily, Astrid would've been fine to cut down on their travel time and swoop up a comrade in each foot as opposed to carrying Arashi with both, but she seriously doubted that, with her relatively tiny body, she would've even been able to get a grip on Raijin's much taller form (or even get off the ground for that matter). Perhaps, if she got around to evolving again, she could manage to fly them both around, but as it was, that didn't seem particularly feasible.

One Pelipper came fluttering down through the crack in the roof, but in the early hours, the post office certainly did seem rather empty. They took it as a sign that Rozen had been right- stopping by on the way to their destination was surely likely to involve less hubbub, if the bustling streets of the previous day had been any indication.

Nonetheless, there was just a bit of hubbub inside when they encountered another group comprised of a Blissey, Cinccino, and Drampa, the former of which was happily cooing at one of the two Pelippers on the counter with her tagalongs likewise sticking close by. All three of them wore pale pink scarves with ruffled white frills and a deep red heart with fluffy white angelic wings delicately embroidered on them.

"Ohhh, I'm just so happy that everyone is alright~" the Blissey chirped, the 'bliss' of her namesake practically dripping through her tone. "It's always a bit frightening when one of those poor, crazy dears shows up and tries to kill everyone, but that's fine too~ I'll show them my love anyway, even if it did involve point-blank Ice Beaming them in the face~"

The Cinccino chuckled, her tail brushing over the ground around her. "I made sure to dust them off once they were fainted. I would go on a rampage if my pelt was that dirty, too."

The second Pelipper, however, noticed the trio entering the post office and raised one wing in a wave. "Morning! Welcome in!"

"Morning!" Arashi called back, skipping up and retrieving the letter from its place tucked away.

The other bunch perked up at noticing other presences, and all at once, the ones in the pink scarves all seemed to get absolutely enthralled looks while a coo of excitement escaped their mouths. The Blissey's eyes practically sparkled, and the Drampa clapped his fur-covered hands together.

"You're that new team!" the Blissey cried, bouncing in place a bit before skittering over. "I saw you with Rozen yesterday and I just had to ask who you lovelies were when he and Rush came back from their venture! I'm Ama of Team Sweetheart; you're all Team Starstorm~?"

Arashi wasn't wasting any time in excitedly answering. "That's us, alright! Nice to meet you, Ama!"

A happy, gleeful squeal left the Blissey and she threw one of her tiny arms around each of them in succession (on account of her egg being in the way had she tried to hug them with both of her tiny arms). "Ahhhh, this is wonderful~ Arashi, you're adorable! Astrid, you're so fluffy! And Raijin, you're so pretty!"

Arashi certainly wasn't protesting the proclamation of being adorable, but Astrid blushed underneath her feathers and Raijin would have blushed too if he'd been able.

"That's Chira and that's Jingle!" Ama cooed, pointing out the Cinccino and Drampa, respectively, who both gave cutesy little waves. "And if you see anyone else walking around with a scarf like ours, they're part of our team too- namely Yunael the Togekiss and Millicent the Alcremie! Anytime you need a hug or some positive vibes, come see us! We love spreading cheer and happiness even more than we love dungeon-crawling~!"

"You should!" the Drampa concurred with a smiling nod. "Snuggling other Pokémon, especially little unevolved forms, is the best~!"

"I'll groom anyone who asks me nicely," the Cinccino corroborated, her tail giving a little waggle.

No one was doubting that they were apt to spread love and happiness, for it practically radiated off of them like an unseen aura. 'Team Sweetheart' was about as accurate as it could get.

Nonetheless, Ama motioned for her teammates to follow her along, blissfully crying on the way out, "To the dungeons, comrades! May love and joy fill the world~!"

Arashi was grinning, while Astrid blinked several times and Raijin tapped his fingers together.

"I like them," the Frogadier declared, grinning to his comrades.

"She thinks I'm pretty…? A-ah, h-how nice…" Raijin mused, nonchalant but surprised.

"W-wow, t-talk about love and happiness…." Astrid's voice trailed off.

Both of the Pelippers chuckled.

"That's Ama's team for you," one said with a laugh. "You'd never know how tough they were just from interacting with them in town. It'd take a duo like Rush and Rozen to punch through their setup."

Arashi got excited at the mention of his idols as he set the letter on the counter. "I don't doubt it, aha!"

After paying the small postage fee, the letter was gulped up by the Pelipper's giant bill to be placed with the next batch out for delivery, and the team was off again. A few more figures were out and about, but the streets were still relatively quiet, and Astrid in particular quite liked the tranquility.

"This is so excitiiiiiing!" Arashi cried, clapping his hands together as they made their way out. "First day of Team Starstorm being a subset of the Expedition Coalition!"

"Say, can I make a suggestion…?" Raijin inquired.

"Hm?" asked Astrid.

"Shoot," said Arashi.

"Would it be better if I carried the bag…?" the Xurkitree proposed. "I mean, that thing is almost as big as you are, Arashi, and if I'm staying back, that would free up your movements more…"

Arashi thought about it for a second, looking hesitant to give up something that made him look like a bona fide expeditioner, but nonetheless replied, "Alright, sure."

He slipped it off and Raijin slipped it on, and indeed, it looked comparatively tiny on Raijin's larger form.

"Hey, speaking of Raijin doing things," the Frogadier mused, giving Astrid a glance.

Both the Dartrix and the one in question gave him a glance.

"Y'know, you're right about the whole thing with us needing some practice if we're dealing with the likes of Salem and Void's faction, but you and I already have synergy together," Arashi noted. "The three of us as a team don't. We need to get used to having Raijin in the mix and Raijin needs to get used to us, too."

Astrid considered it and nodded, for she had to admit that her comrade did have a point. "What's your take, Raijin?" she inquired, glancing up to the Xurkitree. "My only concern is that, since you're way stronger than us, it'll make battles too easy and Arashi and I won't be up to par if, say, Salem shows up with both of her cronies… which isn't exactly outside the realm of possibility at this point. N-not that we fared very well yesterday to begin with, but… you know how it is."

Raijin touched his fingers together contemplatively, giving a nod. "I understand," he noted. "I mean, I'll still probably end up one-shotting everything I attack even if I'm not launching full-throttle Signal Beams and Energy Balls, but I won't go Discharging the entire room unless we need it."

Astrid nodded. "That works. We can all get our experience that way… me and Arashi with battling, and you with being on our team."

It was agreeable to all three of them.

On getting closer to Withered Ridge, though, Rush hadn't been lying about what to look for in regards to the location itself, but the oddities of reaching it didn't manifest. There were no strange voices, no disorientation, just a wall of sickly-looking and withered trees that bunched up in the usual fashion. They looked old and dead, most of them without leaves on their haphazardly curling branches, and of the ones that did still have a sign of life, only a few yellow and orange leaves clung rather weakly as if they'd fall off at any moment.

"If things are supposed to get weird in here, make sure we all stay in communication," Astrid noted. "If one of us thinks we're hearing or seeing something, ask the other two. If something just generally seems off, ask just to be safe. And if one of us starts acting funny, we say something. Getting lost and knockout-by-confused-comrade should be avoidable if we do that."

Her comrades nodded, and in they went.

Withered Ridge 1F

It wasn't terrain that was outright unfriendly, but surely, none of them were very fond of it. The ground wasn't sandy but it wasn't firm either, more akin to clay and silt that cracked when tread over with just a few little yellowish-green and half-dead shrubs poking up from it. The withered trees poked up here and there too in the middle of the floor, along with some jagged stones littering the ground. The same trees mostly made up the walls, but larger rocks filled in the gaps where they didn't grow. It certainly looked withered, too- even the green tones that would've otherwise indicated some sign of living were washed out and overwhelmed by an indifferent scene of brown with just a few blotches of grey. The fact that it was a mystery dungeon was probably the only thing keeping the entire place from decaying away into nothing.

"This just looks like a place someone would be camping out to cause trouble," Arashi remarked.

"I'm banking on that until proven otherwise," Astrid noted, quickly scanning their surroundings. "Watch your backs."

They set off, Arashi sticking close behind Astrid and Raijin close behind Arashi, the Dartrix going for a tunnel on the opposite side of the room. Absolutely nothing stirred as they ventured, their footsteps sounding almost inaudible on the loose ground below them.

"I'll admit, I was a little worried this place would be desert terrain," Raijin noted. "I'm glad it's not…"

Arashi giggled, casting a glance backwards. "Why? You afraid of having a type disadvantage or something?"

"No, it's that me and sandy environments just don't get along," the Xurkitree replied. "There's hardly anything there to recharge with and it's just so uncomfortable."

Perhaps it would be uncomfortable, Astrid figured. She'd felt a bit out of place at Lake Lucent herself.

Something like a knocking sound drifted through the air, akin to something repeatedly tapping on a hollow wooden trunk. Astrid stayed alert to find the source of such, but it didn't take long until they happened upon a Raticate gnawing away at one of the withered trees as fast as it could go. A stone next to it had a few bite marks as well, as if perhaps the wild one had tried to gnaw it first then decided that the wood was an easier target for the time being. Nonetheless, almost instantly, the Normal-type was standing on its hind legs and hissing angrily.

Astrid was sending a Razor Leaf the moment it started making aggressive gestures, but while the Raticate seemed peeved at her attack, it dropped back down on all fours and darted at them in a Quick Attack. Arashi followed suit with his own, and in a fast dash, both he and the Raticate slammed each other. The Frogadier was quicker in leaping out of the way again while shooting a Water Pulse, which caused the rodent to hiss even more.

"Hah! Not carrying the bag does free up my movements!" Arashi declared, grinning.

The Raticate turned and bared its fangs at Astrid and Raijin before darting at them next, but an Energy Ball from the Xurkitree had it sprawled limp on the floor before it could get close.

"Well, this is working out fine in that case," Astrid noted, giving her two comrades a glance.

A very wary Murkrow keeping tight hold on a sparkly golden coin gave them trouble before reaching the stairs, but the rest of the first floor wasn't particularly eventful. (The Murkrow, though, would probably be upset on waking up again to find that Arashi had made off with its coin.) It appeared another Raticate had gnawed a hole in one of the stones making up the wall, but where it lead to, they had no idea, nor were the two smaller ones who could at least somewhat fit inside keen to go venturing through unnatural tunnels in a dungeon. The continually growing fangs of the dungeon-dwelling rodents just never quit, it would seem.

Withered Ridge 2F

Still, none of the odd effects had appeared yet. They were thankful for such, at least, but Astrid was still as alert and watchful as ever. A few fixtures of the environment had bite marks, and some of the few clinging leaves on the tree limbs had what looked like bites taken out of them on close inspection, which was likely the work of some other creature they hadn't come across. There was no chattering of teeth to be heard as they ventured, but that didn't stop another dungeon-dweller from making a move.

A Dustox dropped down from the ceiling, its wings scattering a faint powder that fell to the ground with a slight iridescent sheen.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Astrid remarked in a sarcastically soft voice, eyeing the toxic dust.

She had half a mind to Pluck it, but the thought of inadvertently getting a beak full of Poison Powder put her off the thought. A Razor Leaf might not have been very effective, but she aimed one for its wings anyway, and her partner wasn't far behind. Arashi let an Ice Beam go as well, and while the sharpened leaves did little in terms of damage, their edges slicing at the bug's wings prevented it from flitting out of the way of the Frogadier's attack.

"Hey, that worked well!" Arashi cried happily.

"We don't need to get poisoned on the second floor, and I'm not getting close enough to give it the chance," Astrid noted.

The nicks and flurry of ice crystals sticking to its wings made flying hard for their wild company, but that didn't stop it from flapping up a silvery powder-laden gust of wind that it sent at all three of them. The trio tried to shield themselves from the Silver Wind, which thankfully didn't include any poisonous dust remnants, but it was still unpleasant to face nonetheless. The Dustox dropped down on the floor and still skittered closer on its stubby feet, looking ready to strike again, but Raijin formed a ball of green and pinkish energy between his hands that promptly fired in a Signal Beam. The Poison Moth Pokémon was out cold.

"That's gonna be annoying too," Astrid remarked, giving the bug one last glance while she skittered around the dusty coat left on the floor. "We need to watch for those and keep a reasonable distance so no one gets poisoned."

"Just when you think you've already dealt with enough poison to last a lifetime…" Raijin mused in agreement.

They were all careful not to step on the dust left behind, for its effects surely lingered even with the one scattering it fainted. The room they entered would've otherwise been empty, but apparently the ruckus caused by the Dustox had alerted another dungeon-dweller to intruders, for a disgruntled Cacturne came running in behind them with a Needle Arm at ready shortly after.

Raijin was the closest target, but a quick set of sparks coursing along the Xurkitree's body made the wild one hesitate and jump back. Astrid took to the air and flew at it with the intent to deliver a Pluck, and Arashi shot an Ice Beam, but the Dartrix quickly recoiled back when a Spiky Shield surrounded their target.

"Ah-!" Astrid yelped, a few of the spikes jutting far too close for comfort.

"Well, this place is just full of surprises," Arashi chuckled, still grinning regardless.

The shield dropped, but at the same time, the Cacturne became cloaked in a ghostly purple aura, ready to Destiny Bond itself to whoever struck first, while appearing to snicker under its breath. Astrid paused and Arashi did too, but their comrade readied another Signal Beam with the wild one's lack of protection.

"H-hold on, Raijin!" Astrid cried, flapping back and landing next to her comrades again. "Don't attack it yet!"

At that, Raijin aimed the Signal Beam at the ground away from their wild company, but it didn't dissipate entirely. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

"Destiny Bond," Arashi noted. "If you attack now, you'll get the same damage in return."

"And it's doubly weak to Bug-type moves too," Astrid added. "Safe to say you'd probably knock yourself out."

The Xurkitree twitched in surprise, and the sphere of energy dissipated. "O-oh! Duly noted! Thanks for the heads-up!"

The Cacturne seemed to snicker wickedly, just waiting for someone to make a move against it, but just as fast, it apparently caught on that its ploy wasn't working and a frowned stretched across its face. Astrid rushed in to Pluck it the moment the ghostly glow faded, while the Cacturne instead spit a Leech Seed at Arashi.

"Hey!" the Frogadier protested, nonetheless leaping out of the way.

The Scarecrow Pokémon definitely didn't take kindly to Astrid's attack judging from the growl that left it, and another Needle Arm swung at the Dartrix flapping close by. She didn't mind the attack too much and Plucked one of the Cacturne's appendages when it made contact with her, getting another pained cry in return. An Ice Beam from Arashi brought it close to blacking out, but Raijin's Signal Beam finished it off.

"That's almost as annoying as poison dust getting scattered everywhere," Astrid said, landing again.

"This'll make a good story later, I'm sure!" Arashi wasn't dissuaded at all.

Back to venturing they went.

Withered Ridge 4F

A coin or two could be found littering the ground, but by and large, there wasn't much to see. They hadn't seen a seed or a berry growing anywhere, which wasn't particularly surprising given the dungeon landscape, but the Raticates had certainly been chewing on a few trees and had even managed to make one fall with a splintered trunk. However…

"Hey! I think I hear it!" Arashi exclaimed.

Both Astrid and Raijin paused when the words left the Frogadier's mouth, the Dartrix scanning their surroundings for anything that might have been out of the ordinary.

*Come closer, come find us…!*

Astrid fluffed out a bit. "I hear it too."

"Me too," said Raijin.

*It's so dull and dreary…! Come find us…!*

For a disembodied voice, it sounded more akin to someone whispering harshly, even if telepathy (or whatever else was the cause) didn't entail a physical voice with the capability become faint and raspy. It also seemed to change rather subtly, as if someone else said every sentence and merely tried to imitate a uniform sound. Surely, Necrozma's disembodied voice had been much more warm and welcoming, but this one… not so much.

"Hey!" Arashi called at nothing in particular, likewise looking around. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

"W-who are you?" Astrid asked, albeit much more pointedly, even if she was fluffing out in uncertainty a bit.

*We are many…! We're so tired of being alone…!*

That clarified why the voice seemed to change slightly if there were 'many,' but Astrid had more questions at the same time, mostly regarding why the ones talking felt alone and what the reasons were… or if it was just some colorful ploy being played by a cunning outlaw. She certainly wasn't turning loose of that prospect any time soon.

"Hey, you don't have to be alone! We can help you!" Arashi, though, excitedly chirped back with a growing grin. "Just tell us-"

Astrid gave him a nudge and a pointed look, and he shut up while giving her an inquisitive glance.

"We don't know if this is a trick or not," the Dartrix noted. "It wouldn't be the first time, and they're not giving us very good answers."

She was right, the Frogadier had to admit, and he nodded. Whatever the case may have been, the voices weren't piping back up to defend themselves. Astrid still scanned their surroundings for anything that might have given the source away- an oddly moving pebble, a strangely glowing tree, anything of the sort that would indicate company. She couldn't find anything, and her comrades weren't faring any better either.

"You don't think that's referring to the ones that went missing here, do you…?" Raijin's voice trailed off, his fingers tapping together. "The 'many,' I mean…"

Astrid considered it for a second. "… I doubt it," she replied. "Rush said only one team went missing here, and unless they're huge, I'm not sure if that qualifies as 'many.' I'm still betting on it being a trick."

"Well, maybe the trickster just needs some friends!" Arashi was still cheerful.

"Or maybe they're making it up as a ploy," Astrid still wasn't convinced.

Whatever the case was, the Dartrix was going back to searching for the stairs, or perhaps an unruly miscreant should one have been present, with her comrades close behind.

Withered Ridge 6F

"No! Keep your wings to yourself!" Arashi protested, hitting a Murkrow with an Ice Beam.

The Darkness Pokémon squawked in protestation but fell limp on the ground when slammed with a Steel Wing from Astrid. Apparently it had caught sight of either their money or the orbs inside the bag and deemed them worth stealing, for rather than attacking, it went straight to trying to loot the bag and only turned on them when a shower of sparks from Raijin repelled it.

"It didn't damage anything, did it?" Astrid inquired, giving the Xurkitree a glance.

Raijin slipped the bag off onto one arm and glanced inside, then promptly answered, "Aside from moving a few things around, everything is just as it was."

"Good," said the Dartrix, brushing it off. "You'd think maybe they'd be smarter than to try stealing from a larger group…" she mused, giving the fainted avian a glance.

Arashi chuckled. "Well, shiny things are their one true weakness outside of battle!"

She wasn't going to deny that.

A Fearow preening itself on the limb of one withered tree could easily be seen from the corridor leading to the next room, and the shrubbery in the vicinity appeared to be both stripped of leaves and gnawed halfway to nothing. The Raticates had surely been busy and a hungry Dustox (or several) apparently took a liking to the bushes, for it seemed the wild ones had given the room a makeover (and not in a positive way). Even the rocks had chunks taken out of them, portions reduced to hapless pebbles and dust.

"Somewhere out there, there has to be a team made up of a Carbink, Murkrow, Gabite, and Sableye with the name Team Jewelry or something," Arashi mused mostly in jest.

"A Pokémon made of shiny things, two Pokémon that steal shiny things, and one that can fit into either category?" Astrid wasn't too sure, though the idea did amuse her just a bit.

"Sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship when you put it that way…" Raijin's voice trailed off nonchalantly.

However, when they entered the next room, the preening Fearow immediately perked up and let out a loud, piercing squawk of protest, but at the same time, it quickly became painfully obvious that the Fearow was not the only one present. Two other Murkrows roosted in the rest of the tangling branches overhead, and three Dustoxes skittered up the walls and along the branches too. One Raticate likewise stared down from above, and two others peeked out from behind the gnawed rocks while a Cacturne lurked in a corner. Altogether, ten sets of eyes peered back at the Starstorm trio, and instantly, Astrid and Arashi were getting less than enthused looks.

"G-great…" Astrid said flatly.

"Monster House," Arashi croaked.

The ones up above leapt off of the branches and the flying ones made a beeline for them, but quickly, the wild ones were recoiling back when Raijin set all of his limbs down into the ground around the two smaller ones and sent a flurry of sparks along them. Astrid and Arashi jumped a bit too, the Frogadier in particular startled by being in such close proximity to electrical currents, but nonetheless, it was a harmless maneuver (to them, at least). The sparks seemed to be making the wild ones think twice about attacking, at least in a way that made contact.

"Woah, easy there…!" Arashi squeaked, still smiling but visibly a bit hesitant.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle," Raijin said quickly. "If I used Discharge right then and you both were just out in the room, I might've accidentally hit you too if I was targeting all of the wild ones here… Astrid, should I…?"

The Dartrix thought for a second, easily thinking that would be the easiest solution to get them out of the angry swarm, but at the same time… she couldn't help but notice that Raijin's sparks were easily warding off the Flying-types. Of course, it wasn't a shield in the same way that Rozen or Ama might have set up, and she certainly wasn't keen on literally using their comrade as a shield, but she made a mental note of it nonetheless.

Regardless, she responded, "Not yet. Keep those sparks up, though- it's keeping them away. I think we can handle this the usual way with that factored in."

"Gotcha," Raijin affirmed, going back to his former stance but maintaining the electric jolts.

Arashi let out a sigh of relief at not being surrounded by sparks and aimed an Ice Beam at one of the Murkrows, while Astrid sent a Razor Leaf at one of the Raticates. Two of the Dustoxes, however, began scattering silvery dust around, and shortly, the fast flapping of their wings whipped up a Silver Wind that the Starstorm trio tried mostly in vain to shield themselves from. The wild Cacturne in the corner seemed to put up a fuss at it too, probably on account of being caught on the fringe of the attack's path, practically flattening itself against the wall before shaking one arm angrily and growling up at the fluttering bugs. A Signal Beam from Raijin made it even more flustered, a Spiky Shield quickly following with an awkwardly frustrated look even for a feral creature.

Truly, the Murkrows and Fearow seemed to be hesitating to dive down at them for the sparks that might've caught them, but an Ominous Wind from Astrid pissed all of the wild ones off enough to make them a bit more reckless. The ones hit by it were upset at taking damage, and the immune Raticates and Fearow were upset at having to deal with it disturbing their territory. One Murkrow made a rush at her in an attempt to land a Wing Attack, but Arashi's Ice Beam caught it instead and Astrid's Steel Wing knocked it out. The one left, however, wasn't keen on doing what its wild comrade had done and instead let a flurry of ghostly wisps strike at the Frogadier, who let out a cry of discomfort at being hit with the Night Shade. An Ice Beam directed up at it elicited a squawk and made it fly out of the way.

The Cacturne, however, seemed intent on being annoying too even if it was staying away, for it waved its arms and flung an array of Spikes across the ground once its shield fell while smirking all the while.

"Oh, quit gloating!" Astrid fussed at it.

Raijin would've knocked it out with another Signal Beam, but the glow of Destiny Bond made all three of the dungeon intruders think some rather unkind thoughts toward it.

Two of the Raticates, however, likely lacking any moves that could attack from afar, went darting out in a Quick Attack, one of them slamming Astrid and the other figuring out a few moments too late that Raijin's sparks carried enough energy to knock it out even without a direct attack from the Xurkitree. One Dustox shot a Psybeam down at them while another opted for Gust, and at the same time, the Fearow, likely in the same boat as the Raticates, drew its wings in and dove down in a Drill Run. The targeted trio scattered out of the way and let it ram the ground instead, but the Cacturne flinging more Spikes around made them have to watch their movements rather carefully, and a few of the sharp barbs gave them a few jabs that were less than pleasant.

However, when one Dustox began scattering Poison Powder and the two others the iridescent silvery dust, Astrid's face fell, for that combination seemed about as unpleasant as could be. "On second thought…" she remarked, eyeing them hesitantly. "They're about to poison us all! Raijin, do your thing!"

"Get over here so I don't hit you!" the Xurkitree called, taking his conical stance again.

Without wasting an instant, the Frogadier and Dartrix went darting back inside his limbs, scrambling over the Spikes and getting a few painful pokes in return, while the Dustoxes started whipping up a wind with their flapping. The moment Astrid and Arashi were safely out of range, Raijin Discharged a myriad of bolts in every direction, the flashes and crackling of which made them instinctively recoil at just how blinding and loud it was. They could feel the air sizzle, and indeed, their surroundings did grow a bit uncomfortably warm for a moment with the current running along their comrade, but thankfully that was the brunt of the effects they felt. The dungeon-dwellers, however, instantly fell limp, the Raticates with frizzled fur and avians with feathers standing on end. Quite a few of the rocks and trees were left singe marks on them from the bolts making contact.

… However, while the wild ones were taken care of, it didn't stop the poison-carrying Silver Wind from raining down on them.

"Agh! No!" Astrid cried, trying to shield herself from breathing it in with her wings.

"Ah, sheesh…!" Arashi likewise was discomforted.

"Now is not the time…!" Raijin exclaimed, disconnecting his limbs from the poison-dusted ground.

All three of them were feeling the poison's effects shortly thereafter. Astrid coughed, her eyes twitching from the burning sensation that she felt behind them. Arashi got a pained look, and Raijin twitched a bit, evidently having absorbed some of the purple dust from being plugged into the ground it was scattered on.

Astrid sighed tiredly, glancing about at her comrades. "Alright, did we all end up taking that…?" she asked, her voice wavering a bit.

"I'm feeling it," Arashi choked out.

"Me too," Raijin answered, sounding a bit distorted.

The Dartrix shook her head. "Sorry. I should've seen that coming."

"Hey, we would've been alright any other time," Arashi brushed it off. "It was working fine until those Dustoxes started up with that last attack."

"You called that way better than I would have, that's for sure," Raijin likewise affirmed.

"Well, we've only got one Heal Seed, and this dungeon doesn't look like a place we'd be finding any more…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she thought about their situation. "If status conditions wear off once we hit the stairs, maybe we should use the Pure Seed… If we use the Luminous Orb and the stairs are too far away, then we'd be down another useful item and end up having to use the seed anyway. It seems like the safer option, and if all three of us are poisoned, then this seems like an okay time to use it…"

*Come see me, come see me…! It's so lonely…!*

A few looks travelled about at the voice chiming in again.

"Sheesh, you pick now to chime in?" Arashi half-jested at the voice, his eyes twitching a bit too. "Maybe you could've told us it was a Monster House before we walked into it!"

Nonetheless, Astrid's comrades weren't in disagreement with her idea. Raijin fished the seed out and handed it off to the Dartrix, who took it up in her beak. The Frogadier and Xurkitree both grabbed one of her wings (to avoid being inadvertently left behind) as she bit into it, and almost as soon as she did, both she and her comrades quickly found themselves in a different room next to the staircase. A Raticate took up in one corner, but it was apparently sleeping judging by its peacefully closed eyes and very gentle breathing. Very softly so as not to wake it, they set off up the steps, Astrid wobbling just a bit with the poison's effects.

"Okay, I just gotta say…" Arashi quietly mused, trying to keep his voice to a whisper, "Raijin, that was seriously impressive!"

"You think so…?" the Xurkitree softly replied, still sounding a bit distorted from the poison. "I can set off way bigger ones than that, but I didn't wanna permanently injure any of the wild ones…"

Astrid tried to think of what a 'way bigger' Discharge would look like, and promptly decided that opting for a smaller one was clearly sufficient. If they were on an empty mountaintop facing the likes of Salem and her underlings, then such a release of power would fit, but in their surroundings as it was… she and Arashi might've gotten inadvertently knocked out anyway.

"So the both of you have moves that can hit the whole room," Arashi mused, getting a grin whilst trying to keep a whisper. "That's useful, aha!"

"W-well, it seems like Astrid has a better time controlling who hers hits than I do," Raijin noted. "I can point them in a certain direction, but lightning bolts don't really listen to exactly what you want them to do once you release them…"

Astrid could easily see that being an issue- ghostly gusts were easily manipulated by the one stirring them up, but she figured a giant storm of sparks had a bit of erraticism to them regardless.

"So that's why you wanted us close by when you hit all the wild ones in one fell swoop," the Frogadier whispered.

"Exactly," Raijin affirmed. "It's a lot easier to avoid a comrade when they're close, and with the wild ones spread out like that, well…"

"That's good to know," Astrid said with a nod. "I'm not entirely sure what qualifies as synergy according to Arashi, but I think we're getting the hang of it."

Arashi, though, giggled, not even bothering to keep the volume down. "Oh, we definitely are!"

The Raticate on the ground perked up at his exclamation, but they were gone to the next floor before it could properly assess what was going on. Thankfully, there wasn't a Monster House waiting for them on the next floor, or the ones afterward.

Withered Ridge 11F

The Raticates and their Quick Attacks were sure to get hits in on all but Arashi (who countered with his own) with the attack's ridiculous speed, and while the Cacturnes made battles last much longer than they otherwise would have, they were dealt with eventually. By far, the most problematic dungeon-dwellers were the Dustoxes with their poisonous dust, to which the trio made sure to knock them out as fast as was possible to avoid another mishap like the previous. Thankfully, it was successful.

The withered terrain might not have been good for growing berries or food and the like, but they did find other items- some more scattered coins (albeit in rather small amounts) and another Escape Orb, which while unneeded with one already tucked in the bag, they took along with them anyway to add to the stashes after they returned.

However, the disembodied voices seemed to be growing louder and more frequent the further they went, all saying some variant of being lonely or beckoning them down. The source was still untraceable, no lonely or mischievous creature showing itself anywhere, but who or whatever it was didn't seem keen on talking back to them in any manner that would've been useful. If it was friendship or camaraderie the voices wanted, they weren't doing a very good job of voicing their ambitions or needs.

"Snack break…?" Astrid piped up once they entered an empty room.

"I'm right there with ya," Arashi affirmed.

Raijin slipped the bag off and Arashi took it, fishing out the two bananas and handing one to Astrid. She peeled it with her beak while holding it with one foot, but nonetheless got to the fruit inside just fine. Raijin plugged back into the ground to recharge while they munched away.

"I think Chasm Edge still takes the cake for having annoying occupants, but this place isn't a walk in the park either," the Frogadier mused, taking a bite.

"Agreed," said the Dartrix. "Those Litwicks were awful."

*Come to me…! You're so close…!*

That perked them up again.

"What do you mean, 'so close?'" Astrid wanted to know, her head turning every direction. "You still haven't told us where you are."

*Further, further…! Find me…! Find me…!*

"It'd be easier if you told us where to look…" Raijin's voice trailed off.

*So lonely…! It's been so long…!*

Astrid had to figure that if, by some odd chance, she were trapped in a lonely place and could somehow communicate with outsiders by using some ethereal voice, she would've given concrete answers to whatever questions they may have had or at least told them outright that she wanted out. Of course, that was assuming the voices they kept hearing were even being honest- she still suspected a miscreant up to no good.

*So long, so, so long…!*

They didn't bother responding to it. Astrid and Arashi finished their snacks shortly and left the peels sitting on a rock at the room's edge, and the trio was off again.

"I'm betting on them being on the last floor or close to it," Arashi said. "We haven't seen any outsiders to the dungeon the entire time here, so they've gotta be somewhere if they're still talking to us."

"Either that or camping out outside," Astrid mused. "If they were doing something crafty like hiding in our shadows or being invisible, Raijin probably would've knocked them out five floors ago."

The Frogadier got a surprised grin, remarking, "Sheesh, you really think of every possibility!"

"Well, the most obvious answer to who's using an ethereal voice to talk to passersby is a Psychic- or Ghost-type, and the latter of those has a penchant for hiding in plain sight depending on the species," Astrid noted.

*Come to me…!*

"Oh, give us a minute!" the Dartrix snapped at the air, looking flustered.

Withered Ridge 15F

"Well, they must be here if they aren't anywhere else," Arashi said as they entered the next floor.

"H-hello…?" Raijin called, glancing around.

It was definitely the last floor, for there was only a single room to be found with a tree-lined tunnel on the opposite end, out of which they could clearly see the sky outside. However, they weren't alone, but rather than some outlaw, the ones they found were… quite different.

There were three figures- a Mawile, a Meowstic that was obviously male from the fur colors, and a Chikorita, all appearing to happily play and sing with each other while standing in a circle. A bag was haphazardly tossed off to one side, and all three of them wore steely grey bandanas with badges bearing the name 'Team Wily' engraved on them. If their expressions were anything to go by, they seemed happy as happy could be, and on noticing three others in their vicinity, turned to look and gasped happily.

"Company! Yaaaaay!" the Chikorita cried, shaking her leaf happily.

"So you're the ones I sensed!" the Meowstic remarked with a grin.

"Oh?" the Mawile said amiably, looking them over with a smile.

At seeing their badges, it was easy enough to confirm that they were indeed the team that had gone missing as Rush had mentioned, but these ones didn't appear to be in any duress whatsoever. Astrid couldn't help but study them in return, a bit perplexed by the scene in front of her.

"You're Team Wily!" Arashi exclaimed, bouncing up to them almost immediately. "We heard you'd gone missing! Say, you don't know what's causing all the strangeness around here, do you? We've had these voices talking to us while we've gone through this place, but apparently, some other Pokémon from town have been mentioning getting disoriented and getting lost! What happened to you?"

The Mawile chuckled and strode closer to the Frogadier, apparently not too concerned. "Oh, don't worry about that voice," he brushed it off. "They're right- it is kinda lonely down here, but it's not so bad."

"Who are you 'Mon?!" the Chikorita cried rather impatiently, bounding up to Arashi and standing on her hind legs in an attempt to read his badge. "Team Starstorm, huh?!"

"Yup, that's us!" Arashi happily answered. "I'm Arashi, Astrid is the Dartrix, and that tall Beast is Raijin! We came down here to investigate!"

"Nice to meet ya," the Mawile coolly remarked, reaching a hand out that Arashi shook. "I'm Jaws, team leader. My buddies are Kaede the Chikorita and Clyde the Meowstic."

"Hiiiii!" the Chikorita excitedly cooed, jumping up and down and waving her leaf at the less social of the Starstorm trio.

"Hullo," the Meowstic said simply, waving one paw.

Astrid couldn't help but fluff up a bit and blush in silence, try as she might not to.

"H-hi," Raijin said meekly, shrinking up a bit.

Both the Dartrix and Xurkitree shared a glance that all but outright said they were glad that Arashi could talk so easily to their company, for Astrid was immediately caught off guard and Raijin didn't seem to be faring much better.

Nonetheless, the Frogadier happily went about engaging with Team Wily without a care in the world. "Are you guys alright? You must have some reason that you're staying down here, right? I mean, your friends are probably out looking for you!"

At that, however, Team Wily's disposition seemed to change instantly, and three sets of piercing eyes fell on the one asking the question as if he'd just announced he was there to kill everyone. Jaws still smiled, but it was a cocky and suspicious one, but the Chikorita and Meowstic seemed to be outright afraid.

"Friends?" Jaws seemed incredulous, tilting his head to the side in scrutiny. "There's no need to go anywhere else. We can make friends down here just fine."

"Ohhh, they came to rescue us, didn't they?!" Kaede shrieked, appearing ready to jump backwards with a frightened expression.

"Don't worry, guys! I'll protect us!" Clyde exclaimed, his hands beginning to glow.

The Starstorm trio was taken aback, surprised at the sudden standoffish display. Astrid's eyes narrowed in scrutiny, for clearly, something else was at play.

Arashi, on the other hand, still grinned, but with a confused countenance. "Well, yeah! We came to find out what was making everyone get all weirded out, and you went missing, so now that we've found you, we should rescue you! Seriously, what's going on?"

At that, the Chikorita let out a wild screech of fury and sent a Razor Leaf at the Frogadier, to which he leapt aside to avoid with a cry of surprise. On seeing such, Astrid crouched down with her wings slightly out, ready to attack, and Raijin held a few sparks in his hands.

"What was that for?!" the Frogadier exclaimed.

"Arashi, get back here! They're hostile too!" Astrid called, eyes still narrowed at the other team.

It didn't take much to convince Arashi, for he quickly went darting back to his comrades while Kaede growled angrily and Clyde went to setting up a wall of Light Screens.

"Something's not right here," the Dartrix noted, not taking her eyes off of the combative ones. "They aren't acting crazy, but they aren't acting normal. Whatever those voices were and whatever is causing the disorientation has gotten ahold of them too."

Her comrades nodded, accepting the explanation. Team Wily, however, didn't seem too keen on such.

"Oh, don't treat us like we're a disease," Jaws said flatly, crossing his arms. "We're not leaving this place, and neither are you. We can all stay down here and be friends forever. Six playmates is a lot better than three."

If nothing else solidified it, the Mawile's words did. If Team Starstorm wouldn't be leaving without a fight, then a fight Team Wily would get… Astrid looked to her comrades, the three of them nodding to each other.


Author's note: Ama the Blissey is pretty much directly inspired by my own Blissey of the same name that I use in Emerald's Battle Frontier. She's a freaking hero when my other 'Mon fail. Praise be to the pink, fluffy, rage-inducing queen of walling and stalling.