Author Note:

I'm collaborating with Dreaming Hearts on this fanfic, so we hope you enjoy this story! This is our very first time writing for the pokemon fandom, and it's going to follow Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX. We'll be following the storyline and adding onto it. Don't be afraid to leave a review. They are appreciated and definitely help us remain motivated.

Surrounded by several waves of bright colors, each fading into the next, what followed next was a pleasant cool breeze and the touch of warmth enveloping her. It seemed so surreal, perhaps the strangest dream she'd ever had, and the voice which accompanied it seemed so distant and melancholic. But for the life of her, she couldn't determine if that voice was male or female.

Where am I? What sort of dream is this? I could have sworn... I was at the Pokemon Stadium, battling against the Elites...

Even as she thought this, the colors surrounding her eased those thoughts. They smelled like grass and sweet berries. What a strange dream. It seemed like all her worries had subsided, melted away in place of comfort. She didn't want this dream to end.

Hey... Hey... Wake up…

A distant voice called out, this one different from before, but she only ignored it. It disrupted the surrounding colors, causing them to tremble each time its voice grew louder. Who was shouting at her? Couldn't they go away and let her sleep?

Can't you hear me? Hey! Come on! Wake up already!

If only that voice wasn't so persistent. With this rude awakening, the waves of colors rippled, the colors suddenly mixing into each other until it formed one solid hue. It was almost black, and the warmth she'd relished in suddenly vanished as a wave of cold liquid pulled her out of her dream.

Awoken with a start, she sputtered when she realized she was completely drenched in water and standing over her was a giant canine pokemon holding a wooden bucket. To say this was a shocker was one thing, but she couldn't deny her irritation when she realized this pokemon had done that on purpose.

"Why did you do that? I'm completely soaked now!"

The pokemon only tilted its head, positioning its paw onto its waist as it smiled at her. "Why? You were unconscious, that's why. You didn't leave me any choice."

Despite this, she tried to recall the dream she had, but it was gone now. No thanks to this- She gasped and fell back further into the grass as she stared open-mouthed at the creature. "Oh my gosh!"

"What is it?" He asked, looking behind him for good measure before sending her a questionable stare. "Are you okay? Why are you freaking out?"

"You're talking! Pokemon don't talk like humans!"

What in the world was going on? Why was this creature talking to her in a normal speaking voice? Then again, where exactly was she? The last thing she recalled was standing in front of a huge audience, battling her pokemon, but the longer she sat there, the more she wondered if it wasn't just a dream.

I... I didn't imagine all of that... Did I? No way! I was definitely there... but now I'm here... in this forest... And there's a pokemon talking to me! This... has to be a dream…

That or she was going crazy…

The pokemon, or in better terms, the incredibly rare pokemon, Riolu, simply stared at her for the longest minute before kneeling down in front of her. "Are you okay? Did you bump your head or something?"

"No... At least I don't think so... But... how are you talking?"

"Huh? I'm talking like any normal pokemon would. Just like you. Geez... you're starting to scare me a little..."

Talking like any normal pokemon? Just like me? Why is it... or he... acting like this is completely normal? And what does he mean by–

For whatever reason that it was, she glanced down and stared at her hands. Or lack thereof. What she saw instead of human appendages was nothing more than short stubby green paws, a petite animalistic body, and the sight alone caused her to scream.

The Riolu covered his ears and closed one eye, and as he backed away, she tried to stand up and gather her bearings, trying to piece together what had just happened. But the moment she did, she collapsed onto her face, struggling to right herself, and before long, tears misted her eyes.

"Nooooo! Why do I look like this?! Tell me this is a dream! My hands, my feet, my body are gone!"

As soon as her screaming died down, replaced by her sobs, Riolu lowered its paws to his side. For a moment, he debated on whether to help her or walk away, but better judgment got the best of him. "Hey... Why are you crying? Your body didn't disappear. You must be half asleep or something..."

"It's gone! My fingers, my toes, everything!"

Riolu sweat dropped and sighed. "I keep telling you, it's not gone. You're still in one piece. Look... if you don't believe me, see for yourself," He pointed to a small body of water across the way.

Seeing this, and hoping she had only imagined it, she picked herself up once again, struggling to stand, let alone walk. And with the smallest and careful of awkward movements, she approached the small pond. The moment she stared into its bright blue depths, she saw a reflection of a pokemon staring back.

It was just as she feared.

"See? I told you!" Riolu said, smiling proudly. "You probably had a nightmare. But it sure took a while to wake you up. If I hadn't found you when I did, you would have found yourself in a lot of trouble. See? It's already nearing sunset."

But she couldn't take her eyes away from the image staring back at her. A pokemon. Every recollection of who she once was, she couldn't remember. Instead, what she saw was a grass type pokemon. A light-green chikorita. The only familiar feature that remained were her gold eyes, but at least she still had her voice.

"I... I'm a pokemon..."

Riolu nodded. "Yep. An unusual one too..." He said, tilting his head as he stared at her. "I've never seen one with eyes your color, though. They are as bright as the sun. So... what's your name?"

"Leaf..."

"Leaf?" He asked. "You're named after a leaf?" But when his scarlet eyes followed the massive leaf atop her head, it finally clicked. "I guess it makes sense... I've never seen a pokemon like you before. My name is Riolu."

Absolutely defeated, she fell back onto her butt and released a heavy sigh. It felt too real to be a dream, but at least it was far calmer than most nightmares.

Great... Now what do I do? If I had fingers, I could pinch myself awake... but I only have stubs! Having water thrown on me didn't help either... Either this is real, or this is very lucid.

Riolu frowned at the sight of her crestfallen expression. "Anyway... I've never seen you around the village before. Where do you come from?"

Leaf took a moment to think about that. "I... I'm not sure..." For some unfathomable reason, it was as if her previous memories had slipped away, along with the strange dream, and the only thing she recalled was her name.

"I don't remember anything... I don't even know how I got here."

"How can that be? Were you attacked by a wild pokemon?"

"No... I don't think so..."

He crossed his arms. "This doesn't sound good. No wonder you were freaking out earlier... If you have nowhere to go, you can come with me. My base isn't far from here."

Base? Leaf supposed it couldn't hurt to follow him. Actually, he seemed like a decent pokemon, enough to stand around worrying about her since she woke up. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

The moment they arrived upon the humble abode, Leaf was astounded. Strangely, for as long as she stood there staring at it, there wasn't anything immensely interesting about it. But it filled her with excitement, something she couldn't quite understand. Riolu's house was nothing more than a giant tree trunk, with two windows and an entrance carved just big enough to slip inside. As for its roof, it was covered with giant leaves, far bigger than the one atop her head, and Leaf spent the longest second wondering what sort of tree it used to be.

There was a tall bamboo pole on the left of the structure with a narrow blue flag billowing in the breeze, a small body of water with lily pads behind the stout mailbox, and numerous bushes placed all around the grassy and flowery land.

Leaf's tail wagged unexpectedly, her face brimming with joy as she stared at it. It's not that impressive… but I like it.

Riolu laughed. "You like it, huh? I had a feeling you would. You're a grass type pokemon, so it only makes sense. This was the only house I could afford at the time, not to mention the only one available, and I'm not picky either. You're free to stay with me for as long as you need to."

"Thank you, Riolu. I appreciate it."

"It's fine. Tomorrow, I can show you around the village and-"

Before he could continue, there was an unexpected rumbling beneath them, the likes of which nearly knocked them off their feet. It wasn't difficult to discern just what exactly it was. Within seconds, the small earthquake calmed, and before long, the sound of a bell rang throughout the area.

Riolu's head snapped up in surprise. "Oh, no! Something's happened!"

"Huh? What's wrong? And was that an earthquake just now?" She asked, but when he ran past her without an explanation, she quickly followed. "Hey, wait for me!"

They followed the path until it led them across a makeshift wooden bridge over a sparkling blue river, and once on the other side, they arrived at a small village. A pokemon village. There were various vendors along the path, small houses with roofs made from leaves, some in varying colors of green, teal, and purple, but it seemed everyone had gathered near the middle of the square.

No surprise, they were all pokemon, to Leaf's amazement. A village of pokemon. It seemed so unreal. There were Lombres, Bellsprouts, Snubbulls, a Persian, a Gulpin, Makuhitas, Meowths, a Kangaskhan and its baby, Marills, Squirtles, Butterfrees, Oddishs, Glooms, and Vileplumes, and so many others.

At least she still remembered their names!

Once they arrived behind the group of talking pokemon, each talking over the other, Leaf noticed several other pokemon standing in the middle of all the others. When she and Riolu realized those other pokemon were probably the reason for this gathering, she followed Riolu through the small spaces between them until they found a good spot to listen closer.

"Please, you must help me save my older brother, Pikachu! He was taken up the mountain by that awful Skarmory!" Cried a small pichu.

Lombre gasped. "That's awful! But… the other teams have already left on their missions…"

Pichu turned at this. "What about Team ACT? Can't they help me?"

Bellsprout shook its head. "Alakazam, Charizard and Tyranitar already left for Magma Cavern to save Plusle and Minun… There's no telling when they will return…"

Pichu's eyes welled with tears, and the small pokemon collapsed onto the ground in utter defeat. "What's… what's going to happen to big brother, Pikachu?"

"There's still another rescue team that could help, Pichu… But… they're…" Gloom faltered somewhat as the other pokemon shared a knowing glance with each other.

At the sight of the small pokemon crying in the midst of the gathering, Riolu pushed through the crowd and stood with his chest puffed. "Don't worry, I'll help you, Pichu! I'll climb that mountain and save your brother!"

Leaf gasped. "You will?! All by yourself?" She asked, surprised he was confident enough to take on another pokemon, despite being just a child. Then again, who was she to talk when she was only a babe in this form?

Kangaskhan gasped, pushing through the crowd until she stood at the center with Riolu and Pichu. "Are you certain about this, Riolu? Mount Steel is very dangerous, and you know how Skarmory's temper can be… And besides, you haven't formed a team yet…"

He nodded confidently. "I'm sure, mother. I might not have a team just yet, but I've been training for a long time for this moment. I know I can do it!"

"But aunty Kangaskhan is right… He doesn't yet have a team… It would be far too dangerous for him to go alone," Marill said, and the other pokemon nodded their heads in agreement. "We're nowhere near strong enough to help either… I heard Skarmory is very territorial and attacks without hesitation… Not to mention she's so fast."

"It's too reckless!" Gulpin replied as it shook its head. "You're better off waiting until morning. By then, I'm sure Team ACT or another group will return."

Just then, a murmur stirred within the crowd, and they parted when three pokemon entered the inner circle. Those pokemon were Gengar, Ekans and Medicham. "Out of the way. Team Meanies coming through!"

Leaf blinked at the spectacle. "Who are they?"

A meowth beside her leaned in. "You never heard of them? They say they are a team that helps pokemon, but they're honestly nothing but a bunch of bullies. Not to mention they always demand outrageous rewards for their efforts."

"Seriously? That's awful…"

"Yeah… tell me about it. And with everyone on their missions, they are the only ones left behind. I can tell you're not from around these parts, so let me give you some advice. If you value your life, stay away from that mountain," Meowth warned. "Actually… with all these earthquakes happening as of late, it's practically not safe anywhere…"

"Gengar, Ekans, Medicham?" Riolu gasped, his expression suddenly souring. "I thought the three of you had already left this morning with the others?"

Gengar and his team scoffed as they pushed past him. "We stayed behind to help the remaining pokemon in Tiny Woods. We practically emptied the entire notice board filled with requests that the others ignored," He said with a shake of his head.

Medicham nodded. "That's right! You got a problem with that?"

Riolu furrowed his brow. "No… It's just unusual for you to help so many pokemon… Anyway… Pichu's brother was kidnapped by Skarmory-"

Gengar suddenly interrupted him. "You don't need to reiterate. We heard the entire conversation a mile away!" He said, turning toward the silent Pichu suddenly. "Have no fear, Pichu. Team Meanies will do all they can to rescue your brother."

Pichu's eyes welled with excited tears. "Really?! Oh, thank you so much!"

Ekans turned its gaze toward the mountain in the distance. "But Gengar, it's already nearing sunset. We should wait until morning before setting out."

Pichu gasped at this. "No! You must save him right now, or that Skarmory might eat big brother, Pikachu!"

Gengar mused. "Ekans is right… It would take hours for us to reach the mountain, let alone travel through Sinister Cavern," He said before turning to glance at the group of other pokemon staring at them. "If we were to leave the village now and something should happen to the village, what then?"

Medicham quickly nodded. "That's right! That's right! It would leave everyone vulnerable to outside feral attacks!"

Ekans nodded. "I agree!"

"Then it's decided. Tomorrow at first light, we will set off toward Mount Steel to save your brother," Gengar said before he and his group turned to leave.

While Pichu didn't agree with this decision, her eyes misting once more, Riolu stepped forward once again. "I can understand not wanting anything to happen to the village overnight, but this is a matter of life and death. Pichu, I'm willing to head out now to save Pikachu."

Kangaskhan gasped. "But Gengar and his group are right, Riolu. It's far too reckless to leave right now, especially by yourself. It will not settle right for me or anyone else to see leave on such a dangerous mission. Just leave this to them."

"That's right!" Gengar said, glancing over his shoulder as he and his group mockingly sneered at him. "Leave this to the adults! Pipsqueaks like you should stay home with their mommies!" He said, laughing.

As soon as the group left, and the crowd of pokemon dispersed, Riolu stood defeated at the center of the pokemon square. Seeing this, Leaf frowned and moved closer before nudging him with her paw.

Pichu sniffled and wiped her eyes. "But it might be too late by then…" She cried.

Kangaskhan moved closer to the dismal pokemon and patted her head affectionately. "There, there, young one. Dry those tears. Nothing ill will befall your brother. I can assure you of that. By now, Skarmory is most likely resting and won't awaken until morning, just like the rest of us. There's still plenty of time for Gengar and his team to rescue him."

Pichu nodded slowly. "I… I guess so…"

"Riolu…" Leaf called, tilting her head to the side as she noticed his crestfallen expression. "I'll help you. I'll go with you to save Pikachu."

At this, he turned in surprised, followed by the other pokemon within hearing distance. "Huh? For real, Leaf?"

She nodded. "Of course! If anything, wouldn't this be the best time to save Pikachu? Skarmory would be fast asleep very soon, and if we time it just right, we could sneak in and get Pikachu out of there before she notices."

Riolu's frown turned into a delighted smile. "That's right! It makes sense!" He turned to his mother and Pichu. "Mother, please let me do this. I won't be alone."

Gloom, who had heard this, suddenly agreed with Riolu and Leaf. "That does sound like a good plan. It just might work!"

Meowth nodded. "I agree. Besides, I have a hunch some of the other teams will arrive tomorrow from their missions and could provide backup just in case anything goes wrong."

Leaf nodded. "Right!"

Kangaskhan sighed. "You're so determined as it is, so I can't say no... Very well… Now that I know you aren't alone, I am relieved, but the two of you must be very careful. There are feral pokemon on the trail to Sinister Cavern, but if you're cautious, you should be just fine."

"Thanks, mom! Leaf, we should hurry!"

But his mother stopped him with a hand held out. "Not so fast. You're not planning to leave without your gear, are you? You'll need berries and items for the journey. Come with me to my stand."

At this, Leaf, Riolu and Pichu followed her to the one of the vendors just south of the village, and as they did, they noticed several of the other pokemon return to their tiny homes for the evening.

As soon as they arrived, Kangaskhan withdrew two yellow cloth satchels, big enough to wrap around their necks and upper torsos, along with a box filled with oran and pecha berries for the road. There were even two separate purple scarves folded neatly on her table.

"These are ours?" Riolu asked.

"That's right. Go on now. Don't be shy," She said, winking at the two. "Take everything. And don't forget to wear those scarves. They are made with a special dye from the berries, which wards off poison for the person who wears it. It's the hottest item I have in stock right now, so take advantage of it."

Leaf gasped in awe at the scarf, watching as Riolu tied it carefully around his neck before moving to do the same for her. "I didn't know such a thing existed… Thank you so much."

She laughed at her stunned expression. "Of course. Inside your satchels are ten corsola twigs, which are extremely rare. Their tips are lined in poison and can inflict a great deal of damage. Use them wisely."

"Thanks, mom," He said and turned toward Leaf with an excited grin. "Leaf, are you ready?"

She nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be! Let's do this!"