Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Shadows of Ganderosa
Chapter 3
The Prince in the Room
"Sir Alron!" Kieth said in fear as Arlon grabbed the leaf on his head. "Please, you do not know what you are doing!"
"Oh?" Arlon asked sarcastically. The grin on his face made him look like a mad man. ""Am I not showing you how pretty the fire is?"
The Nuzleaf pleaded for mercy. He struggled to remove his leaf from Arlon's grasp. He was getting nowhere. Arlon's grip was like that of an Arbok reaching for its prey. He was not going to let him go until he learned his lesson.
The other Nuzleaf in the group looked on in horror as Kieth was being brought into the fires.
"Let this be a lesson for all of you!" Arlon projected. "If you give me flak, make it harder on the group, AND wake me up, I will burn you. For instance!"
Arlon thrusted the Nuzleaf's head into the fire. Kieth's cries were shrill. The flames licked his wooden skin. After five seconds, Arlon brought Kieth out of the flames and threw him to the floor. Kieth trembled, dragging his hands over the burns on his face as if it was still on fire and he was attempting to put it out.
All of the other Nuzleaf had mixed expressions. Some were stern like a soldier. Some took joy in watching Kieth suffer on the floor. However, most were fearful of what Arlon might do to them if they cause any issues. Arlon just stood there, staring at the crowd, trying to find some sign of rebellion. When he saw no looks of disapproval, he knelt down to Kieth, who was lying on the floor, moaning in pain.
"Now," he said with a false sweetness in his voice. His expression was still the same. "Will there be any more issues, Kieth?"
Kieth struggled to open his mouth. The burns were obviously tormenting him. When he finally spoke, his voice had changed into one of hate. "No, Arlon..."
Arlon stood up and turned towards the fire. "Let that be a lesson for you all. If you disobey me, you will be punished severely. Do you understand?"
Kieth got up. He was on his feet. A look of disgust and malice grew across his face. "No, I don't!" Kieth yelled as he charged Arlon.
Arlon did not expect the sudden attack. He had hardly any time to react. He turned around to see Kieth charge him, grab him by the waist, and force him into the fiery pit. Kieth then jumped onto Arlon. He started punching his face continuously as Arlon's back was being burned by the flames. The fire grew from the new energy source and from a deprivation of oxygen. Arlon struggled against Keith, but he was too stubby and Kieth's body too thin. He could only flail around helplessly as he was being beaten. Kieth did not stop the onslaught, even when Arlon stopped moving.
"Kieth!" one of the nuzleaf shouted. "Kieth! Kieth!" More joined in. Then more, until finally, the whole camp erupted into shouts of Kieth's name. When Kieth stopped wailing on the burning Arlon, he realized the body was not going to fight back. Kieth faced the crowd. He had won against Arlon. He had won his title.
"Stop chanting that name." Kieth commanded. All of the voices quieted. "The coward known as Kieth died in that fire. Do not address me by that name anymore. Instead, you will call me by..." he thought about it for a while. "Arlon." He had always hated the name Kieth. If he was going to take Arlon's title, he may as well take his name too. Just then, the burned Nuzleaf felt a power originating from his chest and flowing through his body. The nuzleaf was then shrouded in a blinding, white light. No one would look on for fear of going blind. When the light dissipated, the new Arlon looked like the old one. The only difference was his mane. It was burned. It was shorter than that which was normal. His face was also scarred by burns.
He jumped off of Arlon's body and went to where he had left the Gabite prisoner. He wanted him to suffer. He would kill him as he did with old-Arlon. When he reached the tree, he found cut ropes. He then turned to the group. He looked at his other prisoners and their trees. He realized they must complete the mission at hand. The runaways would have to be taken care of later.
Dillan woke up on some hay. It was bristly, yet soft. Hay? What happened to the dirt? He looked around.
He was not the only one in the room. He was on a circle of hay. The floor was wooden and the walls were stone. The room he was in had windows on the east wall. The room itself was a square. The other walls had doors on them. There were four other circles like his along the north wall side by side. They were all empty except for one.
"Ryan?" he called out to the closest hay pile. Ryan laid there, unmoving. He still looked like he was having a bad dream.
"Don't worry, dear." A sweet feminine voice called out to him from the east doorway.
Dillan looked over at her. She was not the tallest pokemon. She was pink with a cream belly. She was a bipedal pokemon. She had a white hat on her head with a red cross on it. She had fluffy ears and big, blue eyes. No muzzle or nose, just a mouth.
"He's fine." the Audino told him.
"Where am I?" Dillan asked. "What happened? Wha-"
"It's ok. Don't worry. You're safe here. I'll answer all your questions later. For now, you need to rest your leg."
Dillan looked at his ankle. The splint had been removed and wrapped up in some bandages, as if someone was turning him into a mummy, but stopped due to boredom. Thankfully, it didn't ache anymore.
"Can you at least tell me what's happening with my friend?" Dillan gestured towards Ryan.
The audino looked at Ryan. Her expression was that of a worried parent. She then turned back to Dillan. "When he was brought here, he was in bad shape. His head had a big bruise on it. He has a concussion."
Probably from the apple that was thrown at him. "But miss, what does that mean?"
"Well, normally concussions aren't severe. Normally you get drowsy from one. However, if you fall asleep with a concussion, there is a chance you could slip into a coma.
"A coma? As in the 'You won't wake up' kind of coma?"
Audino nodded slowly. Her face was full of sorrow. "I'm sorry, but we don't know when he'll wake up. Due to his malnutrition-" She stopped herself. She looked worried. "J-Just try to get some rest, ok?"
How could he rest when his only friend may not wake up? "Isn't there something you could do? Anything?" He begged. He could not lose his friend.
She thought about it. "I don't know... I just started working here as a nurse."
Why didn't I pay attention?! Dillan thought. I could have saved him... Now he may be in a coma... It's all my fault... He felt something call to him. It felt strange, as if it wanted to lead him. The feeing made him look to the western entrance.
Dillan got up. The Audino ran over to him and said, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm going out. There has to be some way to help." Dillan looked determined. He refused to sit idle while his friend was in danger. He started walking to the door. The moment he put pressure on his foot, he collapsed to the floor.
Audino grabbed his arm and started to pick him up. When he was standing, she tried to lead him to his bed, but Dillan refused. He shook his arm out of Audino's grip.
"Mr. Gabite!" she said sternly. "You must get back in bed! You aren't going anywhere on that foot!"
Dillan didn't listen to her. He continued to move towards the doorway.
"Fine. If you aren't going to lay down, at least wait there for a minute." She walked out of the room through the east door. Dillan stood there. The pain in his foot was back. He wasn't sure what to do. He only knew something had to be done.
When audino came back, she was holding some sticks. "These are crutches." she told him. "You put your weight on them instead of your foot."
Dillan took them from audino and put one under his arm. He realized that he couldn't grab them. These are made for pokemon with paws, not talons... His face mirrored his emotions, annoyance as well as worry.
"What's wrong?" the audino asked. "Oh. You can't use crutches. Right. Well, into bed you go!"
Dillan realized what she was doing. It wasn't going to work.
"I'm not getting back in the bed."
"Yes, you are! You aren't going anywhere on that leg! Now, you can get into the bed peacefully or I can force you into the bed!"
"I'm not staying!"
"Suit yourself." The audino said with a shrug. "Just don't say I didn't warn you." She started to sing a song. It was beautiful. Dillan loved it. He started to forget his frustration. The song was like a lullaby. He started drifting. He then collapsed and drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up, he looked around. He was back in his bed. He looked over at Ryan, who was still in the same position. He tried to get up. He couldn't move. What on earth? He looked at his chest. There was a white strap over his chest, confining him to the bed.
"Really?" He shouted out the west door. "This is how you nurses play? That's a cheap move, lady!"
"Are you alright?" A voice called out from one of the beds. There was a lizard standing over one of them. The lizard was red, with a single horn protruding from the back of its head. It had a tan stomach. She also had a tail. Wait, is she on fire? Sure enough, there was a fire on the tip of its tail.
"It's rude to stare, you know." the charmelion said.
"Wha-" Dillan stopped himself. "Oh, sorry. I just didn't expect your tail."
"You've never seem a charmelion before?"
Dillan shook his head.
"Oh. Well... Um... Ok?" She said it more like a question. Dillan didn't know what she was questioning, but he didn't care.
"Hey, can you help me out?" Dillan asked her.
"Uh..." She looked worried.
Dillan realized it was the straps. "Oh, them. Don't worry about it. The nurse tied me up because I tried to leave. Look, I don't have time to explain everything, but I need some help."
"With escaping? Fat chance. That audino is at the front desk. If you really are tied down because of what you say, then she isn't going to let you leave, with or without me."
Dang it! She's right. I can't do anything. He was crushed. Tears started filling in his eyes. I failed Ryan. I'm stuck here. I'm useless.
'Hey." the charmelion called out to Dillan. "Eyes up here."
Dillan looked up. The charmelion was standing at the side of his bed. She looked full of compassion.
"What's so important that you need to leave?"
"It's my friend." Dillan gestured his head in Ryan's direction. "He might be in a coma and I don't know what to do..."
The fire lizard looked at Ryan, smiled, then looked at Dillan. "I'm Hazel. My parents own a berry field outside of town. My father probably knows how to help. Don't worry. I'll be back." She darted out the west door and left Dillan in silence. He sat there, not speaking, not moving, just thinking.
Did she lie? Did she just say those things as an excuse to leave? She left pretty quickly... He mentally scolded himself. Don't be ridiculous! Give her the benefit of the doubt! Trust your feelings. Trust her. She'll be back... Right? He continued to think.
He sat for what felt like hours. He just sat there. What more could he do? He tried to think of a song to hum. He didn't know any... He then looked back at what he remembered. My name... and... what else? Where do I come from? He thought about it as hard as he could. Eventually, he got a migraine and stopped thinking.
"Hazel, listen to me-" the audino's voice called out.
"No, Anna." Hazel's voice was getting louder as she went along. "You just started working here, since King Judah called all of the Guild Leaders to his Castle. You can't do anything to help." Hazel was now walking through the door with the Audino (Anna) right behind her. "Let me try."
Hazel was holding a kind of stone bowl. She walked over to Ryan.
"I can't approve of this, Miss Prince!" Anna said.
"Then leave." Hazel replied. "Like it or not, my dad knows more about berries and herbs than you. This should work."
"Really?" Dillan asked, hope returned to his voice.
"Really." Hazel said to Dillan. She knelt down to the small squirrel. She opened his mouth. She took a spoonful of some greenish mud and put it in Ryan's mouth.
After about ten seconds of anticipation, Anna said, "What's in that stuff?"
"Chesto berries, a Revival Herb, and some Sitrus juice." Hazel said calmly.
Suddenly, Ryan started to cough. His eyes flung open. He ran over to a corned, and proceeded to throw up.
"Ryan!" Dillan shouted.
Ryan was still losing what little lunch he had left.
"What did you do to him?!" Anna asked with a tone of urgency.
"He's fine." Hazel assured her. "It's the Revival Herb. It's very bitter. It won't sit well in your stomach if you mix it with Sitrus Berries."
Ryan finally stopped throwing up. He whipped his mouth with his arm and looked around, obviously confused. "Where am I?" Ryan wondered aloud.
"You're in a hospital." Anna told him.
Ryan whipped around and saw Dillan. His face was full of confusion. "Dillan, what's going on?" he asked. "Why are you tied up?"
"Because I tried to help you." he said with a scowl pointed in Anna's direction.
Anna saw his gaze and said, "It's not my fault you were brought here because of over exertion. I was just looking out for my patient."
"Look," Hazel said once she saw the daggers flying through angry eyes. "Let's all take a step back. Anna, could you please untie the Gabite?"
"No." Anna said as she stuck her head up in a defiant way. "I will not."
"Anna, he wanted to leave to help... Ryan, was it?" She looked at Ryan. He nodded in agreement. Hazel then went on. "Now that Ryan is fine, he won't leave until he can't hurt his leg."
"Ankle." Ryan corrected. Hazel didn't seem to care. She kept her eyes focused on Anna.
Anna looked worried. Finally, after about ten seconds of contemplation. Anna gave a sigh of defeat and took the strap off of Dillan.
Dillan looked pleased to be free. He was about to get up, when Hazel looked at him as if saying, Don't get up. He got the message and moved into a sitting position. Ryan went over to the empty bed by Dillan's side and sat down. He then directed his attention towards Dillan.
"Hey," Ryan said with a look of confusion on his face. "what happened? One minute you were next to me, the next you were gone... It got really cold. I passed out. What went wrong?"
Dillan felt his face getting hotter. He was full of shame. He put his head down towards the ground and started saying, "I'm sorry... I kept walking and when I realized you weren't there, I turned around to find you. I'm sorry I left. It's my fault..."
"Dillan," Ryan jumped to Dillan's side. He had a look of understanding. "You were probably just trying to trudge along with your foot. No harm no foul, right?"
Dillan looked at his friend for a few seconds. He didn't blame him. He forgave Dillan, even after putting him in that awful position. However, the shame and blame didn't completely leave him. Even though his friend forgave him, he couldn't do the same. It was still his fault. If he was going to make sure that mistake didn't repeat itself, he had to remember.
"So?" Hazel spoke up. She had a smirk on her face. "Not meaning to interrupt the bromance, but what happened to you two?"
Dillan and Ryan looked at each other. Ryan then asked, "Dillan, something's been on my mind. Were you kidding about having amnesia?"
Dillan looked at Ryan. He didn't want to lie to him, yet he also didn't want to tell Hazel and Anna that he couldn't remember anything past yesterday.
"Dillan?" Ryan asked with concern.
Hazel chimed in with, "I won't judge. Also, Anna can't say anything.
"What makes you say that? Anna asked defiantly.
"Doctor-Patient Confidentiality" Hazel said smugly.
Anna was stunned. She then said in a low whisper, "Can't believe I forgot about that..."
Dillan decided there was no harm in telling the truth. "No, I wasn't kidding." Dillan responded to Ryan. He was embarrassed about saying that. "I can't remember much. Until last night, I didn't even know my name."
"Look on the bright side." Hazel said with sympathy. "Obviously you're gaining your memory back. I mean, you know your name."
"No." Dillan said. "I don't even know if 'Dillan' is my name. I heard it in a dream I had..."
The four pokemon sat there. The only noise was the breathing of the pokemon.
Hazel broke the silence by saying, "Dillan. That's your name?" Dillan nodded. Hazel continued. "Here. Take this." She handed him a yellow berry. Dillan punctured it with his claw in order to carry it.
"What's this for?" he asked as he eyed the berry.
"It's for your leg." She looked at Anna's worried expression and said, "It's just a Sitrus Berry. No vomiting or anything." Anna was still suspicious.
She walked to the west doorway, stopped, and said to the group, "I'll be out here if you need anything." Then she left.
"So, you two." Hazel directed her question to both Ryan and Dillan. "You never answered my question. What happened?"
Dillan recounted his part of the story up until he met Ryan. Ryan remained quiet up until that point, where he chimed in. They both explained the story. Ryan filling in things that Dillan missed and vice versa. Dillan filled out the part of the story where Ryan was unconscious. Hazel's face was full of emotions. Dread, disgust, horror, compassion, and worry.
"You think those Nuzleaf will come back?" She asked.
"I don't know." Dillan said as he wondered what had happened to their captors.
"I hope so." Ryan said with anger. "That way we can get some justice."
Hazel looked at them both with thought. Her face changed from one of thought, to another of joy.
"Hey you two." She said. "How would you like to be in a Pokemon Exploration Team?
"An Exploration Team?" Dillan asked, thoroughly confused. Ryan looked like he was confused as well.
"Like..." Ryan began, thinking hard. "Exploring Mystery Dungeons and helping other pokemon?"
"Exactly!" Hazel said with a sparkle in her eyes. "I've always wanted to be part of one. From what you guys have told me, you two would be the perfect teammates!"
Dillan was surprised. He had been through so much already, now he was expected to join a team with a girl they had just met? "I can't..."
Hazel's face was flushed of the joy she had a second ago. It was replaced by confusion. "Why not?" she asked.
"I need to find out about my past. I don't know how to do both."
Ryan spoke up. "Dillan, you want to find out about your past, well this is the perfect opportunity."
Dillan was confused. 'How does that work?
"Well, think of it this way." Ryan said. "As an Exploration Team, you take missions to help other pokemon."
Hazel looked at Ryan with a smile. She understood what he was saying. "Well," she began. "if your family is in the area, they'll put up a warrant for you."
"What?" Dillan asked.
Anna came into the room. "Hazel," she said with a look of delight. "Visiting hours are over. You'll need to leave."
"But-" Hazel began.
"Now." Anna demanded with a finger pointed at the door.
Hazel gave a sigh of defeat. "The Sitrus Berry should be enough for your leg. It'll be sore tomorrow, but it should be ok."
"Hazel-" Anna said.
"Fine!" She said as she started walking out. She turned at the last minute and faced Dillan. "I'll show you what I'm talking about tomorrow." With that, she left.
"Now, you two." Anna looked at Dillan and Ryan. "You need to get some sleep. Ryan, I want you to stay here for the night so I can monitor your condition."
Ryan didn't complain. He did not intend to leave Dillan alone. Anna left the room and closed the door behind her. Ryan got back in his own bed and Dillan laid down. They sat in silence for five minutes.
"What are you going to do tomorrow?" Dillan asked Ryan.
"I don't know... I don't have anywhere to go."
"What do you mean?" Dillan asked with concern.
"Well... I'm..." Ryan sat there thinking about what to say. "I'm...I'm an orphan..."
Dillan was surprised. "An orphan?"
"You know... No parents..." Ryan's voice trailed off.
It was obvious to Dillan that Ryan didn't like talking about it. He thought for a while on what to say. Finally, he spoke up. "We should join."
"Why should I?" Ryan asked.
"You were just trying to convince me to join. What's with not wanting to now?"
"That's just it." Ryan said with some contempt. Dillan wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for Ryan or hurt. "I told you to join. I don't have a reason.
"That's not true." Dillan said with a little more force than intended. "There's me. Look, the way I see it, you have nowhere to go. I don't have anywhere to go either. I say we stick together. We've come this far as it is. Why change that now?"
Ryan looked stunned by the words. He had his jaw hanging open just a little. When he realized he was looking silly, he quickly shut his jaw and smiled slightly, though his eyes betrayed him. They looked sad.
"Alright, Dillan. You're right. We're still in the same boat. I'll go with you."
"We don't have to join the team." Dillan blurted out. "All I'm saying is that we stick together, like brothers."
The word 'brothers' echoed in the silence. When the word 'brothers' was said, Ryan looked happier. That's how I feel about Ryan. Dillan thought. Based on Ryan's expression, he thought the same thing.
"Alright 'brother'.' Ryan said. He said brother, not in a mocking way, but a way that made 'brother' sound like a compliment. "I'm beat. Let's get some rest."
Dillan laid in silence. He could lie on his back because of the hay. His fin went through the hay, but didn't touch the wooden floor. His tail sunk in the hay as well, so it didn't cause any discomfort.
Brother he thought. I like that. He continued to contemplate the word as he drifted to sleep.
