"Hey, Bolt, Courage, have either of you seen that new team? Team Hope?" Racha said while reaching an itch. "Cuz I'm not saying anything, but their team leader's something else. She seems so ragged."
"Whaddya mean by that, bro?" Bolt the Jolteon, entangling his sports tape, hardly hears what his cousin said.
"…Kinda rude to judge her on looks, brah. Maybe she's just a hard worker?" Courage the Vaporeon added, his scuba mouthpiece deflating with him on the couch.
"Bruh! That's not what I meant. She just seems all tense," Racha leans into a stretch. "My studies say that tensity is a shield for deep emotional stress, I really feel like I should talk to her."
Team Burning Thunder Splash always has something going on. One day, the trio tries an extreme onslaught of rescue missions to test their skills. Another, they'll just havve a big fuss over what latte flavor is best. Like always, today's no different for the rescue team made up of cousins. They soon remember lazy mornings are hardly common when you're a rescue team.
Boomf, boomf, boomf! Their front door's caved in by who or whatever wants to see the trio. Boomf, boomf, boomf! And it wants to see them soon.
"Hold your horsea, I'm coming!" Said Racha. The moment the lock clinks, Team B.T.S.'s door slams against the wall, blowing Racha's fur to a point. Bolt and Courage jump to action, ready to rumble.
But no action's needed, as the short stature of a Snubbull stands before them, her double cinnabar bows bouncing as she does. Her eyes, big and glossy, find their way to Courage, who quickly returns to a meek grin.
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, Courage, didya hear?" Her voice comes out in a squeaky burst.
"Hear what, Peaches?" Racha replies.
"…ugh, hello, Sriracha," Peaches waves a limp paw as Racha huffed. "Anyway, Courage, sweetie, you heard about that new mission? My team and I found this on the boards, you gotta see!"
Peaches reaches into her satchel, bringing out a torn page and passing it to Courage. The words on the page resemble a language no mon could read, a scramble of squiggles. Courage paid more attention to the lovey dovey nickname Peaches gave him at random, softly chuckling at her apparent feelings for him. Racha snatches the page from the love-Pidove, checking out the details of what the mon in distress called for. A paw eclipses Racha's mouth when she notices the name of the mon who wrote the page.
"No way! What was she thinking, going there by herself, bruh? I thought Flint said she had a team, where are they?" Racha frowns.
Peaches sits on the couch, with Courage following. "That's the totes weird part. I was at Granny's, and I saw two new mons there. Dunno who they are, but they looked like rescue team members. They had matching bandana scarves."
"Welp. Business as usual!" Bolt shakes his fur, kicking an imaginary foe to stretch. "We should head out and rescue that poor mon now. And to think, I had time to workout today, heh."
"Wait, you three are going too?" Peaches tilts her head.
Bolt shakes his head. "Even if we didn't wanna, Sriracha would probably make us go anyway. That's her favorite dungeon to take missions from, bro."
"Oh, perf. Guess I'll go get the rest of Team Roundabout ready then, this'll be something else!" Peaches' eyes lit up.
As she makes her way out of Team BTS's flat into the halls, Peaches feels a paw on her shoulder, tapping her to stop. She turns to meet Courage, a lazy grin scribbled on his snoot, standing before her. Peaches couldn't help but blush at his dopey expression, making him chuckle a bit. But the suggestion he had for her wasn't exactly a laughing matter.
"What??? Courage, that does sound fun, but shouldn't we worry about saving that poor mon first?" Said Peaches.
"…Well, yeah, brah. But I think we could make it somewhat special, seeing as it's going to be a loooong mission. If my team and I rescue the mon first, you gotta share that secret recipe you swiped from Granny's. But if your team does it, I'll hang out with you for a week and do whatever you want. How's that sound?"
"How'd you know about that!?" Peaches' surprise quickly fades. "…nevermind, y'know what, I accept your bet! Just so you know, we don't plan on losing, so you'd better get ready for our week long date, my sweet~"
"…Dunno bout it being a 'date', per se, brah."
"Date, hang out, marriage, same thing!" Peaches giggles as she ran off to her flat.
"…That girl is something else. Better not laze around, gotta get ready!" Courage relays to the empty halls.
Peaches dashes as quickly as her stubby legs can carry her, determination (and sweat) dripping off her fur. Morality of the situation aside, we have to complete that mission first! This may be the chance of a lifetime with that aquatic hunk we're blessed to call "Courage", she thought. Bursting through her team's door, she haphazardly explains the day's plan while throwing anything that looks useful in her satchel. Her Audino and scraggly gray Meowth roommates stare in awe at Peaches' haste.
"Let me guess, another arms race with Team B.T.S., Peaches?" The Audino chuckles.
"Half-true, Maybelline," Peaches waggles a paw. "You and Cinnamon already know about the mission's rescue. But Courage thought it'd be fun to see which team can rescue them first, promising something great if we win!"
"Well, Cinnamon does not care for rewards. As long as I get to fight, I'm happy!" Cinnamon the Meowth gave a jagged smile.
Maybell sighes. "…I guess I could get some kind of medical experience from this, considering the mon in need, and the chaos you two bring along…"
"Yay!! If there's one thing Team Roundabout doesn't do, it's refuse a request! Let's go, girls!"
The trio of Team Roundabout meet out in front of their door, with Team BTS approaching from down the hall. Peaches bugs out at the sight, noticing the veteran styles of her neighbors as a sign of serious business. Racha swapped her bifocals for thick goggles, the satchel on her waist appear twice as big, twice as heavy too. Bolt struts a long stride, stretching out the tape around his paws for the long haul. Courage, meek as ever, creeps behind his cousins, a cookie in his mouth. Any other mon to see the eeveelutions would think it was another casual Wednesday.
The two rescue teams converge into one big group, making their way down from the third floor of the flats. Baron, eager to see his clients off on another mission, gives his regards as they pass him. Without another thought, Team Roundabout and Team Burning Thunder Splash set off on their parallel journey. Some cared for the thrills and chills the adventure might bring, others invested in a game. Either way the journey goes, both teams have their work cut out for them if they plan to return in one piece from the Dunes of Belial.
Gleams of the marigold sun blast the two teams, the late afternoon weather has grown an irritating brow. Mounds of gray sands could be seen for miles, pouring like an humongous hourglass indefinitely. The Dunes of Belial earns its name through its molten environment, where little exists aside from the sands. Few mons would dare live in these sands, and the ones that did are mean as ever. Both teams find themselves meeting in front of a minor oasis, an all too familiar gate-like shape above the crystal lake.
"Good thing my typing's made for these kinds of environments, bruh! I wonder if heat makes it easier to socialize?" Racha ruffles her mane.
"You and your studies!" Peaches grumbles. "We got something more important to worry about!"
Courage yawns, his wave-like fur swishing. "…Nothing to worry about, Peaches. This may be one of the most difficult dungeons around, but we brought two teams! Anything goes wrong, we can always find one another."
"You're so sweet and encouraging, it makes me wanna win this bet even more!" Said Peaches.
Bolt and Racha glance at one another, giving an "of course he did" look.
Racha put a paw to her chin. "Yo, idea! Since we're all pretty balanced in power, strategy and technique member-wise, why don't you three take the lead, Peaches?"
"Wait, who is who in which team?" Cinnamon raised a brow.
"Ain't it obvious? Peaches and I are power, Courage and Maybell are strategy, while you and Bolt are technique."
"So...shouldn't I be the power in my team? After all, power is the strongest part of a team, and I got plenty." Said Cinnamon.
"Strength isn't everything in a team. You kinda need all three parts, so there's a reason why Peaches leads your team."
"For once, I actually agree with you, Sriracha!" Peaches smiles. "Even if I'm strong, being all muscles won't help anyone if the opponent reads us like a book!" Just as Cinnamon begins a rebuttal, Peaches speaks up again. "Anyhoo, I can see why Courage is strategy on your team, Racha! Besides the beautiful brain of his, there's no good thought behind giving us the advantage just because!"
Bolt flashes a smile, revealing a cracked fang. "Trust, bro, you'll see why I'm considered 'technique' when we finish the mission first!"
Maybelline shrugs, wiping away sweat. "As usual, we get into the 'I'm better at this' part of the mission. Oh well, guess it's good reason to leave the house."
Cutting the convo short, Team Roundabout quickly head towards the dungeon's entrance. With a glimmer, the trio disappears into the depths of the dungeon. Racha turns to Courage, berating him for giving the other team unneeded competition for the millionth time. As usual, it only rewards her a light shrug from Courage before Team B.T.S. follows their rivals into the dungeon.
Like the exterior of the desert, the interior of the dungeon is molten, nearly rivaling volcanic temperatures. The shifting sands are hot to the touch, enough to irritate a mon's feet before long. Courage figures it would be best to move moderately quick and avoid fights unless necessary, whether the lone Skorupi or a Maractus pack. The cousins move single file through the corridors, keeping a low profile among the sands. As they advance several floors, their method of travel becomes a chore. Mons in the dungeon love kicking up Sandstorms when things became tense. Racha smiles on the inside, thankful that her goggles keep her vision clear enough to continue leading. Bolt didn't care whatsoever, simply closing his eyes and breathing deeply as he allows his sense of touch to guide his paws. Courage condenses his body into a shallow puddle form, squirming across the lands like a young Ditto. But the sands of the storm blow harder the further Team BTS travel, nearly ripping an entire dungeon floor in its fury. Worse, the dungeon mons seed a sapling of confidence when trespassers are caught in the storm. Racha advises her kin to continue their low profile movement, even in combat. No reason to give their attackers an even bigger advantage.
Team Roundabout fares worse than their competition, despite their experience in the field of long treks. Cinnamon's constant lust for combat combined with Peaches' desire to find anything useful kept them a few floors behind Team B.T.S. Even with the power advantage, Cinnamon quickly exhausts herself, leaving piles of dungeon mons in her wake. Worse, with no way to shield their eyes from the harsh sheets of grit other than covering them, Team Roundabout begin to lose traction. Even the Maybelline's healing could only do so much. Maybe we bit off more than we can chew, this is awful. I'm sure my team's gonna hate me for dragging them out here, it's the worst! How is that Sriracha's favorite dungeon, Peaches whines in her mind.
…I wonder how Team Roundabout is faring. They didn't look very equipped for this kind of environment. Hopefully, they- Courage's thoughts are cut short with the barrage of rocks coming from Roggenrola. His eyes grew swollen, droplets of water fell from his snoot as the Roggenrola stepped back in shock. Even mons in the dungeon couldn't decipher Fake Tears from the real deal. …It won't try that again after this, should just wash away all of this rough stuff, Courage smirked. He melts into the sands, rising as a wave of murky water that courses through the coarse lands. The entire room became engulfed in a thick, brown water, which cools the molten sands.
"Y'know, you gotta give us a heads up when you're gonna use Muddy Water, bro!" Bolt clings to the dungeon walls, a droplet of mud hanging from his tail.
"Yeah, something like that would be nice, cousin," said Racha, as she releases the mound she shielded herself with.
"…Oh, my bad. Guess I got a little carried away," Courage scans the dungeon room, now a solid chocolate color. Roggenrola is nowhere to be seen.
Sometimes, it feels like I'm running a roadshow more than a rescue team, Racha sighes. Soon, team B.T.S. discovers the stairs of their current floor, descending further into the dungeon. The rigid weather seems to clear as they enter the new floor, the gray sands now a snow-white. Dunes loom above in every corner, blocking out most heat from within the dungeon. Racha decides it would be best to rest a while after her team traveled fifteen floors, patting herself on the back at their amazing progress. She pulls a thin throw blanket from her satchel, long enough for the entire team and then some to lay on.
Courage retrieves a package from Racha's bag, tied together with a plaid knot and an apple sticker. A to-go box of berry tarts from Granny's is the perfect way to cool off and energize for the journey. Tantalizing smells of pecha, liechi and grepa berries erupted from the sweet treats, like sweet candy. Bolt and Racha reluctantly reach for one of the tarts after Courage removed one with bite marks carved into it.
"…You guys think Team Roundabout is doing okay? They did not look like they knew how bad this dungeon can be," said Courage.
"Before we answer that bruh," Racha covers her mouth with a paw. "You have to tell us what deal you made with that girl."
"Better not have bet away my damn gym or equipment, cousin," Bolt's fur sharpened to spikes.
"…Oh, right, I never told you two, heh. Well, if Team Roundabout gets the rescue, I promised I would hang out with Peaches for a week. She called it a weeklong date or whatever, but you know, she had good reason to accept with what my proposal was," Courage shines a soft smile as he finishes his liechi tart.
Racha stares at Courage pensively. "You're uh, getting married, bruh?"
"…What? No...? See, Peaches somehow got ahold of one of Granny's tart recipes, and I wanted to try making some myself. I could just go work there a day or so, but…y'know. Not really my thing." Courage melts into a puddle.
"Grah! Leave it to Courage to go outta his way when solving a problem. Bro, this is cutting into my workout, so this better be a good recipe, or you're gonna be my next sparring partner!" Bolt threw jabs at the Courage-puddle.
"…It's a rescue mission anyway, so bet or not, we would've came out here…"
Racha stopped paying attention after Courage's explanation, expecting no different from him. Instead, she began reading a novel she had brought along for the trip. I wonder if Flint ever got a chance to read some more of this one. He and Meira would love it, it's like a fictional version of them anyway, she thought as she turns a page. Racha wonders about the joys of the mushy romance life, something she had read about and studied in her books. Flint seems to live such a life without even knowing it, feeding Racha's friendly envy.
Before long, Team Roundabout came down the stairs towards where Team BTS lie, collapsing onto Racha's throw. The trio's complaints came out all at once, sounding more like a chorus of Round than conversation.
"And this mangy cat cannot leave any dungeon mons without trying to carve them. I spent most of my time healing and supporting than exploring," Maybell complains.
"Cinnamon does as she pleases. I don't care about being safe, it's a warzone as is!" Cinnamon claims.
Peaches finds herself leaning against Courage, not noticing that he had fallen asleep. "And that's just the beginning of it! Courage, I don't know how you and your cousins managed to get so far ahead of us, it's not fair!" She pouts.
Courage yawns and peeks around, his cousins sitting on one corner of the throw while he and Team Roundabout crowded another. "…Huh? Oh, I must've fell asleep. Hey, you guys made it! How has the dungeon been for you three?"
He made the mistake of asking three disgruntled, sand riddled mons to repeat themselves over. "…Sorry, I'm not good at being awake this long, haha." Courage props himself up to lean near Peaches' ear. "…why don't we just call off the bet, it doesn't seem worthwhile if you guys are hating it. Don't even need a bet for me to wanna hang out with you Peaches, I'll do it anyway, cuz we're friends."
Peaches grows a crimson red as she scoots away from Courage. "Y-you mean it? You actually wanna…d-date me?"
"…You can call it whatever you like, if that's what you wanna call hanging out. I still want the other item we talked about though, if that's okay."
"Oh my goodness, you don't know how much you've made this girl's week!" The other mons around could've swore Courage is being crushed by her embrace. "It's a deal! But before that, let's finish the mission!"
"…Sure you don't wanna rest a while?" Courage glances at Racha, who shrugs. "Don't think Racha would mind letting you three borrow the throw, if you bring it back clean."
"No need! Maybell's healing keeps Cinnamon and I pretty well, and I grabbed a ton of Oran berries!"
"…Well, okay then."
Though it's dangerous to travel in bigger groups inside dungeons, Team B.T.S. and Team Roundabout pick themselves up, ready to explore further and find their mon in distress. The several floors they travel through became easier to handle due to the change in weather, making it less of a hassle to move freely. The occasional Yamask and Hippopotas have little impact the group's travel, the sands around them cooling more each floor.
After another fives floors, the big group enter a nearly pitch-black corridor, the sands in the walls hardened to stone. Racha retrieves a torch from the dungeon walls, lighting it with her own flames. As the group travel down the hall, ominous voices chanting in strange tones grows louder. When they finally reach the end of the hall, the voices seem to disappear completely, leaving behind a purple mon, partially wrapped in bandages.
"Oh no, there she is!" Racha ran forward.
Bolt calls out for Racha to stop, before a golden tomb smacks her away, crashing into the sand walls. Three more float in from the darkness, shadowy grins extending and expanding towards the group. The mon they came to rescue became the property of a Cofagrigus nest, and they did not plan on giving up their new mummy without a fight. One of the Cofagrigus quickly swallows the injured mon in its tomb, arm-like appendages wriggling from inside into jagged claws.
Racha quickly rose, heating the sands around her before launching the attack, splashing one of the Cofagrigus with hot sand. Racha smirks; she finally got the chance to use Scorching Sands without having to conjure up the material first, making it way easier to use. Cinnamon and Bolt coordinate with one another, preventing the second one from moving with their onslaughts of Iron Head and Mud-Slap. Likewise, Courage cheers for Peaches with a Helping Hand as she tore through the third with a Play Rough.
The sand splashed Cofagrigus retaliates with Shadow Ball, blasting wildly at any mon deemed attack worthy. Racha had trouble dodging in the smaller space, before she notices Maybell's minuscule dodge effort. She ducks behind the normal type, the flames around her dancing to the rhythm of her heartbeat. The third Cofagrigus was defeated in the blazing glory of Flare Blitz, its tomb crashing against the other two before it. The captor Cofagrigus grumbled in anger, slamming its tomb against the sands as a shade of darkness covers the grounds. Every mon in the group braced for impact, with Maybelline preparing a Heal Pulse. With quick thinking, the attack has little effect on the teams.
As the Cofagrigus charges for another Night Shade attack, Courage and Peaches jump forward, preparing an Ice Beam and Ice Punch combo. Their frosty flurry staple down the attackers hands, roars and struggles soon follow. Cinnamon embraced the opportunity for the finishing blow, cracking the top of the tomb's encrusted jewels with a Throat Chop. The tomb falls like a boulder, hacking out the injured mon it once held towards the group.
Her body is riddled in scratches and bruises, barely covered by ancient bandages with unknown scripture. She holds a satchel close to her tummy, it appears nearly empty. Her sock-like shoes and long scarf were torn and tattered, as if they were cut with blades. Racha retrieves an Oran Berry as Maybell prepared another Heal Pulse. The mon quickly accepts the berry, putting a paw up against Maybell's technique.
"Hey. I uh, really messed up. I don't know how long I've been out, but I don't have anything with me. They stole my money, my items, whatever looked useful to them. I-I…I don't know what to do," Tears began to well up in Sia's tired eyes.
Notes: Yeesh, this revision had a lot of changes! I didn't even notice that huge plot-hole in the old version! I'm also glad to give everyone much needed characterization that was absent in the old one.
(Old notes) Well, well, well, look at what we have here! With this chapter, all "four" of our Rescue Teams have been introduced, and will now appear more often. I don't want to be too confusing with my style of storytelling, but I do want to have chapters focused on any of the teams, sometimes more than one at once. The next chapter will try and wrap up Team Hope's arc, in which we'll start to lean into Team Harmony's.
Some fun facts regarding Team Burning Thunder Splash! Sriracha (Racha), Courage and Bolt all have unique verbal cues of some sort. Sriracha will sprinkle "bruh" in her dialogue occasionally. Likewise, Bolt does the same with "bro". With Courage, I went a little further. I wanted to portray him as the type of character who's an anybody type of person, willing to hang out with anybody and not too bothered by many things in life, even dangerous stuff. So, besides his "brah" cue, his dialogue also starts with an ellipses to emphasize his relaxed nature. The eeveelution cousin trio were old OCs I made in middle school, so I'm happy to be using characters that never got put into writing!
Extra fun fact about Peaches: she's a reimagined character from an old fanfic I never finished, and she's not the only aspect to come from that fanfic. Granny Fritta's cafe was also originally a part of that fic, before reimagined into what it is now!