Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 17

The Ruined


Dillan felt himself walking. He heard two voices shouting at each other. Dillan didn't know what they were saying, but something felt familiarly awful about the circumstance. He turned a corner and entered a room.

"Grace..." Dillan said sympathetically. Dillan found himself in a blurred room. He couldn't make out many details. Colors were spliced together. The only thing that made sense to him was the tan blur in front of him. Dillan felt himself shut a door behind him, making the shouting barely audible. The blur was sniffling. "Are you ok?"

"N-No..." Grace said through sniffles. Why is Grace crying? Dillan walked closer to Grace. He felt himself sit down next to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Y-You know wh-what's wrong..." Grace said as she started weeping.

"Hey." Dillan said softly. "It's going to be alright."

"How is anything alright with momma and papa fighting all the time?" Grace shouted at Dillan.

"Parents are stupid sometimes, you know that just as much as I do." Dillan said. "Nothing is going to happen."

"You can't say that." Grace said. "Y-You don't know."

"Know what?" Dillan asked.

"M-Momma was t-talking to one of her friends on the ph-phone and she said she and p-papa were getting a div-vorce." Grace started weeping. She grabbed Dillan around the waist.

"Do you know what that means?" Dillan asked Grace softly. He could feel his heart beating faster in his chest.

"M-Ms. Louis t-told me today in school." Grace said

"Grace..." Dillan said. He wrapped his arms around Grace. Dillan felt two arms wrap around him. "It's going to be ok. Momma and papa aren't going to get a divorce. They love each other too much." Dillan felt tears build up in his eyes. His lower lip started curling. Dillan felt the scene around him begin to vibrate. He felt nausea overtake him. Dillan felt himself falling, but his body didn't follow. He watched as he faded into the floor. He fell as the darkness surrounded him and consumed his consciousness.


Dillan jolted upright in his bed. He was in the boy's quarters. He looked around. He saw Dean and Wallace sleeping in their respective beds. Bolt and Koa were nowhere to be found Wonder where they are. Dillan heard breathing from above him. He got out of his bed slowly. He looked at the top bunk. Ryan was sleeping. Dillan felt wrong. He stared at Ryan. You were my first friend when I lost my memories. Even though it's been a little more than a week, I feel like I know so much about you. You're my best friend. Dillan was hit with a wave of guilt. I hadn't thought about it much, but I wish I could tell you about me leaving. It would make everything easier with you by my side. You've been there for me from the very start. I wish you could be with me on this journey, but I know that's not possible. If you or Hazel come, Reya might be hurt. Dillan's claw drifted towards his bandanna. This is our team symbol. I'd leave it with you as a sign, but that would convey I don't plan on coming back. I will return to the guild. I just need to find out more about myself. Dillan turned towards the exit and walked out the door.

Dillan exited the Guild. He looked out at the streets of Palando. Trash filled the streets from yesterday's protest. How could pokemon be convinced so easily that the guild is a problem?

"Where are you going?" a voice asked calmly. Dillan turned around to face Hailey.

"Why do you care?" Dillan asked.

"Just interested." Hailey said without emotion.

"Is it any of your business?" Dillan asked.

"Yes and no." Hailey said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means whatever you make of it." Hailey said. "I was just wondering if you were going to leave your team."

"Like you care." Dillan said.

Hailey didn't answer. She scowled at Dillan.

"I'm not like him." Hailey said calmly.

"Like who?" Dillan asked.

"Dean. I'm not like him."

"Yeah? Then why did you take Hazel's bag in Kerroshia?"

"I had to." Hailey sad. Dillan saw her beak twitch slightly.

"No, you didn't." Dillan stated. "You know what? Forget it. It doesn't matter." Dillan turned away and began to walk towards the streets.

He got to the gate when Hailey said, "Don't do this to Hazel."

Dillan stopped in his tracks and looked back. Hailey had her head hung down. Her eyebrows were slightly tightenned. "Do what to Hazel?" Dillan asked.

"Don't leave her." Hailey said. "She'll be broken after that."

"What do you care about Hazel?" Dillan asked. "Didn't you and Dean leave her alone? Didn't you guys kick her from her own team?"

"Yes, we did." Hailey said flatly. "She was my friend; one of the only two friends I had. I hurt her. I broke her. You can't do that to a pokemon and not feel anything. It hurts us all in our own way. I destroyed our friendship. It was the worst decision I made in my entire life. Don't make the same mistake I did. Don't betray her trust."

Dillan was confused. "You care about Hazel." Dillan stated.

"I care for her well being." Hailey said. "I can't force you to stay, but I urge you to think about Hazel."

Dillan didn't know what to think. Was Hailey truly a bad pokemon? Sure, she hangs out with Dean and Jess, but have I really seen her doing anything wrong to me or my friends? Dillan thought about it for a moment. She did take Hazel's bag, but that's it. I can't remember her joining in on insulting us or hurting us. She always seemed to remain silent.

"If you really care, why did you let Dean and Jess bully me and my friends?"

"Don't misunderstand me." Hailey said sternly. "I don't care for you of your little, white mouse. As long as Hazel isn't hurt, I don't care what those two do."

"Fine." Dillan said. " Then you'll help me."

"What makes you think I'll care enough to help you?"

"Because helping me helps Hazel." Dillan said with a nonchalant tone.

Hailey stared at him without expression. She seemed to be contemplating. "What do you want me to do?" Hailey asked.

"I need you to tell Hazel that I left, but I can't say where to. Tell her that I'm going to come back when I can. Tell her I'm not abandoning the team."

"Anything else?" Hailey asked.

"No." Dillan told the staravia.

"Fine." Hailey said. "I'll tell her when she wakes up." Hailey turned towards the guild doors. She went inside the guild, leaving Dillan outside, listenning to the splishing of the water fountain.

Guess that's it. Dillan turned towards the guild's gates. He stared at the streets of Palando. He took a deep breath and walked into the streets, heading south towards Castellum town.

Dillan left Palando three hours ago. He was on the road. The gravel path seemed to stretch forth for miles along the grassy expanse. There was the occasional tree spouting from the soil as well as the Palando Mountain Range to the east, but other than that, there was nothing but plains as far as the eye could see. The grass was about two feet tall creating a nice border for the gravel path.

Dillan looked at the sky. There were some dark clouds above, casting their shadows on the ground. Dillan felt his stomach growl. "Hazel," Dillan said. "Do you mind if we stop for-..." Dillan stopped himself. Right... I'm alone. Dang it. It's been hours since I left and I'm expecting my friends to be with me. How am I going to get through this?

"You're not alone." Kieth said. Dillan turned around to face the shiftry. He was still disturbed by the shiftry's sudden intrusions, but he was beginning to get use to it. "I'm right here."

"Oh joy." Dillan said sarcastically as he turned his attention back to the road.

"You're worried about your friends, aren't you?" Kieth asked with a false sweetness. "Pathetic! Then again, what do I expect from an amnesiac?"

"Are you only here to torment me?" Dillan asked. He didn't take his eyes off of the road ahead. He kept on walking.

"Yes, Dillan. That and so much more!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm here for you and Ryan! You both got away from me!"

"You made sure of that." Dillan said.

"Don't taunt me, boy!" Kieth roared. "I did nothing of the sort! You two should have died that night; been nothing more than two useless husks of bone and flesh waiting to be examined!"

Dillan stopped at those words. He turned around to face Kieth. "What are you talking about?" Dillan asked.

Kieth was seething with a lust for violence. "You thought you could get away, didn't you? You thought everything would be fine and dandy when you joined a guild! You thought pain would be an illusion, just like me! Tell me, Dillan; is this an illusion?" Kieth's foot planted itself in Dillan's stomach. Dillan recoiled from pain. The air was knocked clean out of him. Dillan fell to the gravel path from pain. His scales dug into the tiny rocks that littered the path.

"Y-" Dillan tried to say through gasps for air. "You- You- aren't-"

"Real?" Kieth asked. "Are you this naïve? Even on the floor, you think I'm nothing more than a pain in your side! Tell me," Kieth kicked Dillan in the side of his chest. Dillan felt his bones bend from the impact. "Do you think you can ignore me?"

Dillan focused on his fin. It began to glow and extend into a dragon claw attack. Dillan swiped his arm at Kieth. Kieth jumped away from the attack. Dillan used this as his chance. Dillan got up as quickly as he could and began to run into the grass.

"You can't run from me!" Kieth stated. "I know where you're going to be! I'll be waiting, Dillan!" Kieth started laughing maniacally. Dillan didn't look back. He kept on running, gasping for air when his body would allow him. Rain started to fall from the sky. The droplets pelted Dillan's scales with their icy touch. Dillan tried to keep running. He began to feel the lack of oxygen his lungs would allow him to take into his body. Dillan couldn't breath. He started wheezing for air. He felt light headed. Dillan collapsed onto his knees. His claws dug into the earth as he tried to stop himself from falling on his head. Dillan tried to breath. The world began to spin around him. Dillan fell over, into the long grass, and passed out.

Dillan shakily opened his eyes. He was in the middle of the art room. Dillan stood up. He took a look around. There was no one in the room. Dillan looked at the paintings. There were new ones lining the white walls with their colorful depictions of Dillan's past.

One of the new pictures attracted Dillan's attention. It was massive. It loomed over the other pictures. It was of the shadow creature from Dillan's nightmare. Fire shot out of the ground on either side of the creature. Cracks formed in the middle of the earth where the shadows spewed forth. Its red eyes continued to tear at Dillan's heart. The room seemed to darken around Dillan, making an ominous shadow. Dillan wanted to tear his eyes from the creature, but he couldn't. He continued to stare at its shadowy form, staring at Dillan.

"What is your goal, Dillan?" A chill ran down Dillan's spine as the ominous voice spoke its question.

"Wh-" Dillan stumbled. "What do you mean?"

"You came here for a reason, correct?"

"I'm not sure..." Dillan admitted. He thought about the voice. He had heard it before, but Dillan couldn't remember when. "Who are you?"

"I'm more interested in you, Dillan. Tell me, what do you remember of your past?"

Dillan remembered why the voice was familiar to him. "You're the one who said I was human." Dillan stated.

"Yes. I am glad your amnesia hasn't taken complete control over you. Now then, why are you here?"

"I told you," Dillan said calmly. "I don't know."

"He hasn't told you yet?" the voice asked. "This is truly fascinating!"

"Who hasn't told me yet?" Dillan asked.

"Get back!" Reya shouted. Dillan looked from the painting to his left. Reya was in the room with him.

"Reya!" the voice shouted. "You foolish girl! Don't interfere!"

"Not until you stop spreading your evil through the lands of Ganderosa!" Reya shouted.

"Reya?" Dillan asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't talk to The Enemy." Reya said to Dillan. She shot a glare towards the painting of the shadow creature. "That's The Enemy." Reya said. She turned towards Dillan. "Take my hand." Reya held out her right hand towards Dillan. Dillan looked at Reya. He looked at her right arm. He noticed something different. Reya was no longer sporting the slash she had gained during her previous meeting with Dillan.

"Where's your wound?" Dillan asked.

"No time to explain." she stated. "Trust me."

"You talk of trust, yet you don't tell him his purpose in this world. You don't share anything with him. You expect Dillan to blindly follow you into the fray. You will lead him to his death just like the last!"

Reya's expression faltered. She looked unsure. That unnerved Dillan. Reya fixed her expression quickly and looked at Dillan. She reached out to Dillan.

"Please Dillan," Reya stated. "Trust me."

"What is he talking about?" Dillan asked.

"You know I can't tell you anything and you know the reason for it. Don't believe The Enemy. Trust me, please."

Dillan thought about the words of Reya. He thought about the voices words. He looked at Reya. He then looked at the painting of the shadow creature. That creature that loomed above him. Its eyes seemed to stare at Dillan with anticipation. Dillan looked at Reya and put his claw in her paw.

"You're making a mistake, Dillan." the voice proclaimed with annoyance.

"I've made my choice." Dillan stated. He knew Reya had secrets, but he also knew that she had a reason for keeping them that was beyond her control.

"Thank you." Reya said. Dillan noticed a lone tear fall from her eye and roll its way down Reya's cheek. The world around Dillan fluctuated. Dillan felt nauseous.

"That was a mistake..." the voice said with hatred and malice. Dillan felt his spine vibrate uncontrollably. That voice sounded as evil as anything could be. Dillan looked at the painting. The creature seemed to move with the world around it. Wait a minute. That was wrong. The shadow creature moved of its own accord. Dillan was petrified to see the creature come out of the painting. It seemed to cast shadows through the room. It faced Dillan and flashed its red gaze. A shriek echoed. Dillan fell backwards. He was very shocked to find himself falling through the floor. He began to do somersaults through the air. Dillan gave a yell of fear as the darkness seemed to consume everything around him.

Dillan woke up. He inhaled sharply as he went into a sitting position. He began to breath deeply. He felt a paw on his back. It felt like silk. Dillan looked behind to find Reya kneeling next to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"What happened?" Dillan asked.

"The Enemy tried to keep you there with him. He didn't want you to leave."

"You keep calling it 'The Enemy', but what is it?"

"No one knows for sure, only that it kills anything that opposes its goal."

"What is its goal?" Dillan asked.

"I doubt that anyone knows." Reya said. "All that I know is that The Enemy is pure evil. It decimates entire towns to achieve its goal. The only one to know anything more is-..." Reya stopped herself. "My master." she finished.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Dillan asked, "Why did I have to come to the Castle Ruins tomorrow?"

"To give me time."

"Time for what?"

"For this." Reya reached behind her. Dillan saw she had a bag. She pulled out a green crystal. It looked like a spike with rough edges. It had a hole in the top where a brown string suspended it. She handed the crystal to Dillan.

"What is this?" Dillan asked as he held up the crystal.

"This is a crystal from-" A roar echoed from the sky. Reya moved her paw to her right arm. She winced. Dillan moved forwards, but Reya held up her left paw. "I'm fine." she reassured. "The crystal helps you find the Sapphire Star. I needed time to get that from my master."

"And you can't tell me who your maser is?" Dillan asked.

"I can only say so much."

Dillan looked at the crystal. "How does this work?" Dillan asked.

"I will explain that to you after we get to the ruins. For now, let's walk."

Reya helped Dillan up. She turned to the south and began leading Dillan. The two began walking.

"The Enemy knows about you?" Dillan asked.

"I do not wish to speak of it right now." Reya said. Her eyes didn't meet Dillan's. She focused on the road ahead, though Dillan could see she was hiding something.

"They don't just know about you-"

"Dillan," Reya interrupted. She turned her head slightly in Dillan's direction. "Please. I do not wish to go down this road."

"Alright." Dillan said, though he didn't want to stop. She's hiding something from me; something important... Should I really trust her? What if this is a set-up? No. She's helped me before. Why should she change her mind now? Dillan knew he shouldn't have trusted her, but his gut said otherwise. Something told him she was keepng something important from him that would lead him to believe she was not what she seemed, but that didn't seem to matter.

"Where's Kieth?" Dillan asked.

"Kieth was here?" Reya asked.

"He was chasing me." Dillan said. "I couldn't breath so I passed out. That's when you found me."

"That's not good..." Reya said slowly.

"Why?" Dillan asked cautiously.

"Did Kieth say anything before you passed out?"

"I don't know. Running away takes its toll on my hearing."

"Well, Kieth's mission is probably to capture you."

"I thought it was to torture me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He kept telling me about how he wants to make me suffer like he did."

"From that description, I have a theory. If Kieth wants to make you suffer, then he doesn't want to kill you. He's probably waiting for you at Castellum Town."

"What do we do?" Dillan asked.

"Don't worry. Kieth is all talk. A simple fairy of fire attack will finish him easily."

"You know him." Dillan stated.

"What?" Reya said loudly. "N-no! I've fought him before. That's all."

Dillan wasn't convinced. "Fine." Dillan said. "But I know you can tell me things that you're keeping a secret."

Reya didn't say anything. She just kept walking.

Dillan and Reya walked for hours. Reya pulled two berries from her bag and handed one to Dillan for lunch, but they didn't stop to eat. They kept walking. The sun was beginning to go down, turning the sky orange. The sky was cloudless. Dillan looked to the horizon.

"Is that Castellum Town?" Dillan asked.

There was a stone town in the distance. The ruins were about twenty miles away, so it looked pretty small from Dillan's perspective.

"Come, Dillan." Reya said. "We need to pick up the pace if we want to get there before night fall."

"There's no way we're making it to Castellum before dark." Dillan stated.

"Maybe so," Reya agreed. "But we need to get as far as possible."

"Why's that?" Dillan asked.

"Castellum Town has been turned into a Mystery Dungeon. As such, we will have a better chance of exploring in the day when there is light. The longer we spend outside of Castellum, the shorter our supply of sunlight."

"I thought time was distorted in a mystery dungeon." Dillan stated.

"Not this one. It's too new for time to be distorted yet."

Dillan thought about Castellum Town. He thought about the pokemon who were trapped inside of the mystery dungeon.

"Reya," Dillan started. "Do you think the pokemon who lived in Castellum Town will be alright, or do you think they've gone..." Dillan tried to think of the term Ryan had told him about.

"Feral?" Reya asked.

"Yeah. That."

Reya thought about the question. She scowled at the town ahead. "Well... I'm not sure what to expect."

"Why?"

"You'll find out when we get to the ruins. Just keep in mind that the pokemon that were once there are lost. They've been replaced by creatures of malice; creatures who lack the emotions of love and empathy. All they know now is hatred."

"But what if there are pokemon in the town who aren't feral?" Dillan asked. "We can't just leave them there."

Reya smiled. "I'm glad you can hope, Dillan. Hang onto it for as long as you live."

"You don't think we'll find anyone who isn't feral?" Dillan asked in an annoyed tone.

"I've learned to expect the worst when it comes to The Enemy."

"How many times have you fought them before?" Dillan asked.

"Many times. I've been hunted by the enemy. Someone named Thalia. Me and her use to be friends. Actually, being hunted was the reason I had to leave you so many times when you were dreaming."

"Wait. You use to be friends with someone who works with The Enemy?"

Reya looked uncomfortable with that question. "Do you mind if I don't go into that subject? It's kind of personal."

"Alright." Dillan said. He didn't mind stopping. He was just trying to make small-talk. Dillan tried to think of another topic, but he couldn't think of anything. Instead, he continued to follow Reya towards Castellum Town in silence.

Reya and Dillan walked for two hours. The night had taken the sun's light, but Reya didn't seem to mind. They were outside of Castellum's walls. Dillan could see a lot more of the town from this distance. It was surrounded by a stone wall with turrets. The entirety of the wall was either run-down or rubble. It gave the town an old look. The buildings that were visible were strange. They had flat roofs. Some were taller than others with colored tops. Others were as grey as the brick foundation. The walls stretched thirty feet upwards. Rubble from the crumbling wall littered the base. There were some pieces that were as big as Dillan. Others were as small as gravel. Dillan eyed his surroundings cautiously. Kieth and his friends could be anywhere. Got to be on high-alert.

The group decided to rest for the night. Dillan decided he would build a burrow for the two to sleep in. Reya was impressed to see Dillan's skills with the move "dig". He built a burrow in no time. Once Reya was inside, she decided to covered up the hole with a piece of rubble so no one could stumble upon their safe place. Dillan and Reya didn't talk much. They decided it was best to call it a night and continue in the morning.

Dillan was in the painting room. He looked around quickly. He found what he was looking for. The picture of the shadowy creature still made Dillan shudder. He looked at it for any signs that it might move. Nothing happened.

"Reya?" Dillan called out. He got no response. Dillan looked at the walls. He looked at the back one. It was different. Dillan noticed a door. He walked up to the door. It had a knob. Dillan tried to rotate the handle. His claws slid over the knob. Curse my fingerless hands.

"Do you need assistance?" an eerie and familiar voice called out. Dillan turned around. The shadowy picture was looking at him. It's red eyes gazed at Dillan.

"Why should I trust you?" Dillan asked as he tried to find his courage.

"There are a number of reasons; though I am curious. Why do you trust Reya?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because she won't give you answers. I will."

"She hasn't turned a town into rubble."

"You are truly naïve. Reya put that lie in your head so you wouldn't turn to me."

"How can I trust you?"

"I was the one who told you of what you truly are."

"So what?"

"So everything. I want to assist you in revealing your past." the creature gestured a shadowy limb to the blurred pictures lining the east wall.

"What do you get from it?" Dillan asked.

"It does not matter what I get out of it, only what you get from my assistance. All you need to do is ask and I can help you through any struggle you may endure. I can help you open any door."

Dillan looked at the door ahead of him. "What's through there?" Dillan asked.

"I do not know. Would you like to find out?"

"What will it cost me?" Dillan asked.

"Nothing."

Dillan thought about his options. Should I trust him? He felt a feeling in his stomach urging him to ignore the voice.

"How much are you willing to give in order to remember your past?"

"Everything." Dillan stated.

"Then all you need to do is ask."

Dillan thought about it. He knew that everything inside him was telling him "no", but he had to. "Can you open this door for me?" Dillan asked.

"Yes, I can." The shadows reached out with a tendril. Dillan stepped out of the way. The tendril surrounded the door handle. Dillan heard a "click" and the tendrils opened the door. Dillan looked inside the room. There was a lone pokemon inside. Dillan looked at the pokemon.

It was a small pokemon. It stood at three feet. It had a thin, yellow body that got bigger near the legs. The legs were short and burgundy. The pokemon had burgundy arms that looked like hanging fat. It ended at it's yellow paws. The pokemon's head was yellow and round. It came to a muzzle with a red nose. It had red eyes that reflected light off of them. It was scowling at Dillan. It had grey ovals above it's eyes. Its ears were round. It had two short whiskers on the side of its face.

Dillan stared at the mienfoo. It seemed to be frozen in time.

"Hello?" Dillan called to it. It didn't answer.

"Does this pokemon mean anything to you?" the shadows asked.

"No..." Dillan said sadly. He looked towards the shadows. "Who are you?"

"You may refer to me as Jake."

"You and Reya are enemies?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize. I understand. You do not trust me. You were merely using me to achieve your goals. I do not wish for you to apologize."

"You didn't intend for me to trust you?" Dillan asked.

"Good. But now you must ask yourself 'why? Why did he wish for me to use him?'"

Dillan thought about the question. He looked at the mienfoo. He continued to stare at it.

"I know you." Dillan said. "But why? Who are you?"

"Dillan." Reya called out. The dream began to fluctuate. He felt the room begin to shake. "Dillan, wake up."

Dillan opened his eyes. He was back in the burrow. He looked around.

"You're up?" Reya asked.

Dillan looked at the gardevoir. "You're stretching?" Dillan asked. Sure enough, Reya seemed to be in the middle of some aerobics.

"Just until you woke up. Now then, let's get a move-on. We have a tough road ahead of us."

Dillan and Reya packed up any supplies that may have been used for the night. Reya then removed the rubble that shielded their hole from view. The two moved out of the burrow and began walking around the edge of the castle.

They walked until Reya motioned for Dillan to stop. The two moved up cautiously. Dillan saw a dirt road that led up to an entrance in the wall. There were gates that were wide open. There was also a lone pokemon standing in the middle of the entrance. Dillan was disturbed to see that the pokemon was a nuzleaf.

"So Kieth really is here." Dillan said softly.

"He probably has that guard stationed there waiting for us. We can't come in through the gates. We'll have to find a crack in the wall that will lead inside."

"Or I can just dig under the wall." Dillan stated. Reya turned towards him with curiosity. "Will that not work?"

"I'm not sure." Reya stated. "I've never thought of that."

"Wanna try?" Dillan asked.

"Might as well." Reya shrugged. Dillan began to dig under the wall. He dug about three feet down. The wall was still in the way. Dillan had guessed it sunk into the earth from it's own weight. He continued to dig. Once he cleared the wall, Dillan dug underneath, then up towards the surface. Reya followed from behind.

Dillan broke through the dirt and found himself face-to-face with a wooden plank. His miracle sense revealed the plank as part of the flooring in a small house. Dillan used a dragon claw attack on the board, splintering the wood. Dillan emerged from the ground. He turned to help Reya out of the hole.

"Thank you, Dillan." Reya said softly with a blank expression.

Dillan and Reya scanned the room. It was completely barren. There was a few windows lining the stone walls revealing a thick layer of fog. There was also a door to the outside.

"This is it." Dillan stated.

"Follow me." Reya said. She moved towards the door. She opened it and exited the house. Dillan followed.

Everything about this place would probably make the bravest pokemon shiver. Castellum Town's cobblestone streets looked as though they should be bustling with noise and activity; yet there was no one on the streets. The entire town was void of any source of noise. The lack of activity made Dillan fearful. He would give his left eye for his miracle sense to work inside of the fog. The idea of Kieth lurking behind every corner scared him more than Kieth himself.

Another thing that bothered Dillan was the fact that Reya seemingly took random turns. He knew it was a mystery dungeon, but going in random directions seemed wrong inside of a town.

"Hey Reya." Dillan said.

"What is it?" Reya asked.

"Where are the enemies?"

"Do you wish to fight?"

"N-No!" Dillan said quickly, obviously embarrassed by the question. "It's not like that! I'm just wondering where they all went."

"Here's one!" a voice shouted from behind Dillan.

Dillan and Reya stopped in their tracks. They both turned around cautiously. Dillan saw two nuzleaf. He relaxed a little when he realized Kieth wasn't with them.

"Hey, Ned." the left nuzleaf said. "Isn't that the gabite Arlon told us to look out for?" Arlon?!

Dillan's face tensed up in shock when he heard Arlon's name. Arlon's alive? I thought Kieth killed him!

"I think you're right, Ted." the right nuzleaf, Ned, agreed. "But I don't recognize the gardevoir."

"HAAAA!" Ted yelled. "IT'S MISTRESS REYA!"

"That's Reya, huh?" Ned said coolly. "Keep your leaf on!" Ned slapped Ted in the head.

"What was that for?!" Ted asked angrily.

"Flipping out, you numb skull! Arlon warned us about Reya showing up, remember?"

Reya pulled on Dillan's arm. Dillan looked at the gardevoir. She began to walk away. Dillan started following.

"Hey!" Ned shouted. "Don't turn your back on me!" Dillan looked back. Ned ran up on Dillan. He was like a speeding dart. Dillan had no time to react. Ned slapped Dillan on the sides of his head. Dillan doubled back. He was stunned by the sudden attack as well as the pressure that was just forced upon his eardrums.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Ned shouted.

"That was a mistake." Reya stated sternly.

"Oh, really?" Ned said with a mock tone.

"P-Please, stop!" Ted shouted. "Don't hurt us!"

Ned slapped Ted in the face again. Ted flew onto his back-side, holding the red mark on his face.

Dillan looked at Reya. She walked up to the two nuzleaf. "Stop it, now." she commanded. "I know why your tribe fights for The Enemy. He wishes to use you. I will deal with Kieth today, which makes you free to do what you wish. Do not fight us."

"What?" Dillan asked as he got to his feet.

"R-really?" Ted asked dreamily.

A green glow emerged from Ned's hand. A grassy blade formed from thin air. Ned quickly swiped at Reya. Reya split in half. Dillan was surprised to find two Reyas present.

"Screw you, lady!" Ned shouted.

"You have now proven to be my enemy." the Reyas stated in unison. The two gardevoirs put their hands together. A white light emerged from their hands. Their hands moved farther apart to reveal a grey sphere. Ned used Leaf blade on one of the two Reyas. The one Reya vaporized. The second one gave a shout as she unleashed a moon blast on Ned. Ned looked at the attack in horror. He took the attack face-first. Ned flew through the air and went into the fog.

"Ned!" Ted shouted. Ted ran into the fog to get to Ned. Reya looked on at the fog. She then turned to face Dillan.

"Are you ok?" Reya asked.

"Yeah." Dillan said.

"Good." Reya stated. "Let's move on. We need to reach the Ruins quickly."

"We aren't in the ruins right now?" Dillan asked.

"No. The ruins are at the center of Castellum Town. If I were to guess, the ruins are at the end of the mystery dungeon as an M. P."

"Alright." Dillan said. He and Reya started moving again. "Will those two be alright?"

"Yes." Reya said. "I hope you don't expect me to kill."

"That's not what I meant." Dillan said. "I was just wondering because of how fast that battle ended."

"Well, they aren't at their full evolution yet, so it makes it easy for a pokemon like me to beat pokemon like them."

"Alright." Dillan said. "Well, I have another question."

"What's that?" Reya asked.

"That one nuzleaf called you 'Mistress Reya'. Why?" Reya looked frightened at that statement. She began to stare at the road as she and Dillan walked. "Reya?"

"I don't feel comfortable with this topic." Reya said.

"Alright." Dillan subdued. I know why he called you that, I just wanted to hear it from you. You worked for The Enemy before, didn't you? That's how you know what to look for when it comes to aura in my friends. You have first-hand experience. That's why Kieth knew you and why those nuzleaf knew you as well. Now the only questions are have you left The Enemy and can you be trusted.

"This is worse than I thought." Reya stated.

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"Something bad happened here."

"Well, yeah. The pokemon who lived here are missing."

"No." Dillan was shocked at her answer. "That's not it. Something else happened here."

"What?"

"Look around. In the ten minutes we've been here, there hasn't been any sign of anyone in this mystery dungeon. An entire town that was once bustling with activity isn't making any noise in the slightest. Something else happened to the pokemon of this town."

"What do you have in mind?"

Reya thought about how she would answer the question. She thought about it for nearly ten seconds. She broke the silence when she said, "Never mind that. We've arrived at our destination."

Dillan looked ahead. The two had come across a set of stairs. As the two ascended the stairs, the fog began to clear. At the end of the fog, Dillan saw a spectacular sight. It looked as though Dillan had stepped into an old library. The place was massive. It had pillars with an ionic pattern holding the ceiling that was two stories up. There were isles of bookshelves along every wall other than the back one. The roof had a massive stalactite that suspended a crystal object. The object was circular. It had crystals jutting out from its sides like a massive mace. The crystal had a fire inside of it that illuminated the entire room. It looks like the crystal in Team K. P.'s base.

The back wall was the most amazing part. Dillan walked up to the wall. He stared at it with amazement. It was a mosaic painting. There were two white forms surrounding a massive black beast. The beast had tentacle-like tendrils coming off of its body. There was fire surrounding the black beast. The two white forms seemed to be engaged in physical combat with the beast. At the bottom of the painting was another white form. Behind the white form, there was a massive wave of clear water that flowed forwards. At the opposite end of the mosaic, there was a black form that was followed by dark water that seemed to spew dark flames. At the top-left corner, there was a lone white object that seemed to spray light upon the entire left side. On the right-side, there was another black form that threw balls of fire at the left side. There were patches of the painting that seemed morphed, yet it looked as though the artist who did this work wanted it to be like that.

Dillan looked at the battle with awe. "What is this?" he asked.

"A distant memory." Reya said. "Most pokemon who visit this place see this art-work and dismiss it as the art of an old race doomed to believe in false gods and demons. I see this and think of things to come." Reya walked up and looked at the two white beings. She reached up to touch them. "This is the art of a prophecy from so long ago; back from when the idea of guilds and Guildleaders weren't even conceived. The complete prophecy has been lost to time itself, but I do remember bits and pieces."

Reya cleared her throat. "A great shadow will come and engulf the world. It will consume everything and replace it with hate and death. The world will be on the verge of collapsing. One pokemon will be the decider of the fate of everything. It will decide whether the world lives or falls. That single pokemon will form a team of four: The one who will see the future, the leader of an army, the deceiver, and the one who will bring an end to everything that exists.

"Pokemon use to think this prophecy was fulfilled when Maxamillian built the guild system. They wanted to believe the mystery dungeons were the evil that consumed everything and left death behind. They wanted to believe that Maxamillian brought the team of four together; the four being the Guildmasters. They didn't want to believe things would get worse. As a result, they stopped believing in the prophecy. Eventually, most pokemon forgot about it. Those that didn't think of the prophecy as the religious ramblings of a dead society. What they don't understand is that this prophecy still exists. Idiots."

"The massive black creature," Dillan started. "Is that The Enemy?"

"Yes." Reya acknowledged. "The two who are fighting the creature are the deceiver and the one who will end that which exists. The deceiver is said to bring an end to the team of good while the one who brings an end to that which exists, otherwise known as the ender, is believed to only bring an end to the evil, therefore ending that which exists today. That's one interpretation."

"And the other?" Dillan asked.

"He is said to destroy everything!" Dillan and Reya were disturbed to hear the voice of Kieth standing behind them. They looked around to face the burned shiftry. "Reya. It's been too long."

"You're Kieth, correct?" Reya asked.

"Please, I prefer the name Arlon. As you may recall, it was the name of my predecessor."

"Why are you so persistent in leading your tribe to their own destruction?"

"Reya, you should know as well as I do. My master does not wish to destroy his followers. He only wishes to cleanse the world."

"Lies!" Reya shouted. "He will destroy everything, including you, to achieve his goal! You're just hastening your own destruction!"

"Do you honestly think I care for my own life?" Arlon asked. "I feel nothing! Pain is part of my past; not my present! But it will be my future! All I need to do is bring that whelp to my master!" Arlon pointed a shriveled leaf to Dillan.

"You're not getting to him without getting through me." Reya stated.

"I have no problem killing an old superior!" Kieth stated with a wide smile.

"Kieth," Dillan started as he took a step closer to the shiftry. "Why are you hunting me?"

"I told you before!" Kieth snarled. "You caused my burns! You took everything from me! I should have killed you when I broke your ankle!"

"You did that?" Dillan asked frantically.

"I did. You have amnesia, so you don't remember. Allow me to fill you in! When my group decided to take a rest, I wanted to check for stragglers on the road. You almost escaped, you know. I found your useless body passed out in a nearby field. You tried to escape! My guess is you had a stroke which is the cause of your amnesia. I decided to make sure you couldn't run from us! I broke your ankle! I dragged you back to our camp and threw you into a corner!"

"You did that to me?" Dillan asked.

"Why shouldn't I? You were just an objective. But now, you're so much more! I'm going to make you pay for my agony. Every step of the way, you will suffer!" Arlon's smile grew into an unnatural grin of malicious intent.

"Arlon," Reya stated. "You won't capture him."

"You intend to follow through on that threat?" Arlon asked.

Reya looked at Arlon dead in the eyes. "I do." Reya moved her hand to the blue crystal suspended around her neck.

"What are you doing?" Arlon asked worriedly. His grin dropped.

"Making sure you can't touch us." Reya grabbed the crystal. Arlon didn't say anything. Reya turned to Dillan. "He won't be able to touch us now."

"Why not?" Dillan asked.

"He's suspended in time."

"You used that at the guild, didn't you?" Dillan asked.

"Yes. Let's move back to the task at hand, shall we?" Reya asked. Dillan was disturbed to see Reya turn her back on Arlon. Nevertheless, he decided to trust her. Dillan followed Reya.

Reya walked down the isles, scanning the books.

"What are you looking for?" Dillan asked.

"Some books on Ganderosa's history."

"You're going to give me a history lesson?" Dillan asked.

"I'm not teaching you, just pointing you in the right direction."

"What direction is that?"

"Here we are." Reya walked over to a shelf and grabbed a big book. She showed it to Dillan. The book read, "The History of Ganderosa". The book was pretty big. Dillan involuntarily gulped.

"That's a big book." Dillan said.

"Don't worry. You don't have to read the whole thing, just different parts."

"How am I suppose to read this with my claws?" Dillan asked.

"Have one of your friends help you." Reya stated.

"Wait a minute. You're telling me we came all this way for a history book?" Dillan asked.

"No." Reya said. "I have another reason for today." Reya set the book in her bag. She then walked out into the open. She looked down at the exit.

"That's not good." Reya stated. Her face showed worry. Dillan understood the problem immediately.

"Where's Arlon?" Dillan asked. Sure enough, Arlon was gone.

"Gah!" Reya shouted. Dillan looked over at Reya. She fell to her knees. Reya began panting. Dillan looked behind her to see Arlon laughing with delight.

"Idiot!" he shouted. "Did you honestly think that parlor trick would still work here? The mystery dungeon settled days ago!"

"Arlon." a deep voice commanded. Dillan looked towards the exit. There was a new pokemon there.

It was a bipedal pokemon with a blue body. It had tan markings on its chin, chest, and waist. The pokemon had a horn on it head and spikes jutting out of its spine. The pokemon had small, pointed talons on its hands and feet. The pokemon also had big ears.

The nidoqueen walked forwards towards Dillan and Reya. Reya struggled to face the nidoqueen. "Thalia..." Reya said feebly.

"Three months, Reya." Thalia said "Three months I've been hunting you. Now tell my why. Why did you leave our master?"

"You know why." Reya said. Dillan notices she was losing pigment in her hair and her pink disk.

"Leave her alone!" Dillan commanded. Arlon kicked Dillan's knee. Dillan fell into a kneeling position.

"So you're the one the master's been hunting." Thalia said. "You could join us and make things easier on yourself."

"Why would I do that?" Dillan said.

"Good point." Arlon said. Dillan felt a blade cross the scales in his back. He jumped to his feet and turned to Arlon. Arlon had a green blade extending from his leaves. "That makes torturing you so much more fun!"

"Arlon." Thalia commanded.

"Shut it!" Arlon snapped. "You're here for Reya! I'm here for the human!"

"Potential human." Thalia corrected.

"It doesn't matter! I can toy with him all I want! As long as it doesn't kill him, I'll be fine!"

"D-Dillan..." Reya said feebly. "Run..."

"Not without you!" Dillan said. He focused on his fin. It began to extend into a blue blade.

"You want to tussle with us?" Kieth asked.

"With you." Thalia corrected. "My job is Reya."

"You're not touching her!" Dillan said.

"You're going to defend her?" Thalia asked. "Let her go. She isn't worth it."

"That's what you say." Dillan said.

"Last chance, boy." Thalia said. "Give her up or fight two fully-evolved pokemon."

"Are you ok?" Dillan asked Reya.

"I'm poisoned..." Reya stated. "I can't help you. Run while you have a chance..."

"Not happening." Dillan looked at Thalia. "I don't care about my chances! You aren't touching Reya!"

"Thank you so much for saying that!" Arlon exclaimed. He rushed Dillan.

Dillan waited a few seconds. Arlon struck with a jab. Dillan dodged the attack and slammed Arlon with his fin. Arlon took the attack head-on. The shiftry didn't seem fazed by the attack. Dillan cut Arlon above the eye. Arlon didn't even flinch. He swiped his blade at Dillan. Dillan jumped back. Arlon began an onslaught of jabs and swipes at Dillan's chest. It took most of Dillan's concentration to avoid Arlon's attacks. Dillan looked back at Reya. She struggled to get up. She put her paws together and tried to form a moon-blast.

"Reya!" Dillan shouted. Thalia had come from behind her. Thalia stepped in front of the moon-blast, taking all on the attack.

"Fool!" Thalia shouted. She grabbed Reya by the throat. Dillan dodged another one of Arlon's attacks. He dashed around the shiftry in an attempt to go for the nidoqueen. Arlon slammed Dillan in the head with the blunt side of his blade, sending Dillan skidding across the floor. He tried to get back up, but Arlon was on top of him. He grabbed the gabite by the head. Dillan tried to struggle free of the pokemon, but he was too strong. Arlon held his blade to Dillan's neck.

"You see that, Dillan?" Arlon asked. "No pain! Let's see if the traitor feels anything, shall we?" Arlon held Dillan's head in place, forcing him to watch Reya and Thalia.

"You abandoned your position. " Thalia stated. "You abandoned your master. You abandoned me. For what? A god who wishes to keep the horrid nature of this world alive."

Thalia tossed Reya to the ground. Reya slammed into the floor. She staggered to get up. "I left because of the horrid things we did in the name of peace..." Reya said softly.

"Things need to be sacrificed to achieve our goals." Thalia said. "You're a fool to believe otherwise, Reya." Thalia walked up to Reya. She grabbed the crystal around her neck. The nidoqueen ripped the crystal from Reya. "Your new master doesn't care for you. You think there's a difference between me and you? We serve on different sides, that's it. You're a fool to believe otherwise."

I have to do something! Dillan jabbed Arlon in the stomach with his elbow. Arlon's blade got closer to Dillan.

"I don't feel a thing, Dillan!" Arlon said. He pushed his blade into Dillan's skin. Dillan gave a cry of pain. Arlon brought his blade back. Dillan felt his blood begin to drain from his neck.

"Arlon." Thalia warned. She directed her attention to the shiftry.

"Shut it!" Arlon snapped. "I can have some fun if I wish!"

Reya used the opportunity. She removed her bag from her neck and tossed it into a nearby isle. Dillan saw it fly through the air. He timed the landing just right to say loudly, "Why do you need me alive?" His voice covered the sound of the bag hitting the ground.

"Shut up!" Arlon commanded. Thalia turned her attention back to Reya.

"I'm taking her back to base." she stated. "I'm assuming you're going to toy with the gabite?"

"That's why I'm here!" Arlon sneered.

"I'm warning you now, Arlon." Thalia said. "If you let him escape, the master is going to obliterate your tribe."

"I don't care about those whelps!" Arlon stated. "All I care about is getting my feeling back!"

"Fine." Thalia said. "Just don't screw this up." To Dillan's horror, Thalia slammed her foot into Reya's face. Reya passed out.

"Reya!" Dillan shouted. Thalia grabbed Reya and put her on her own back. She then began to leave the room. "No!" Dillan shouted. This can't be the end! I can't let another person go for my own sake! "Reya!" Dillan brought his elbow up and slammed it into Arlon's chest. Arlon brought his blade to Dillan's neck. It began digging into his scales. Dillan didn't care. He continued to slam his arm into Arlon's chest. "Reya!" Dillan shouted. He watched feebly as the nidoqueen disappeared from sight. Dillan continued to hammer at Arlon. Arlon finally let go. Dillan whipped back and slammed his fin into Arlon's jaw. The shiftry laughed. Dillan didn't care. He began running towards the exit to the ruins.

"Fool!" Arlon shouted. Arlon came up on Dillan's side and slammed him away from the stairs. Dillan fell to the floor and started rolling on his fins. Dillan felt his body cry out in pain. Dillan tried to get up. Arlon planted his foot into Dillan's stomach. "How does it feel to know that another pokemon is going to suffer because of you?"

Dillan stood up. "Ha!" he shouted. Dillan drew his head back and used a flame-thrower attack. Arlon dodged the attack and rushed in. Arlon slammed his leaf into Dillan's chest. Dillan went skirting across the floor again.

"Thanks for this!" Arlon stated. He began tossing a crystal into the air. Dillan looked at it. His eyes went to his chest. The crystal was gone. "Thief is a glorious move! I get to take anything from you and it goes to me! I get to play with your emotions even in a battle!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Dillan shouted.

"Oh?" Arlon asked in surprise. "I didn't expect to hear that out of you!"

"You continue to take from me! You hurt me and my friends for no reason! You deserve it!"

"Good!" Arlon stated. "You feel that anger ripping at your heart? It will destroy you! You will truly know what it is to hurt when you realize that is all you are going to get from me! Everything else is gone!"

"Ha!" Dillan shouted. Dillan dug into the ground. He used his miracle sense to see where Arlon was. Dillan busted through the ground and sent Arlon into the air. The shiftry was staring at Dillan with malicious joy. Dillan threw his fin at the shiftry. Arlon caught the attack and held Dillan against his body. Arlon gave a shout as the two flew into the ground. Arlon landed on top of Dillan. The shiftry got up. Dillan tried to stand. He started struggling to get to his feet. Arlon grabbed Dillan and placed him in a sitting position.

"You're a fool." Arlon said. "Did you honestly believe you could beat me? Without your friends, you're nothing!" Arlon brought his foot back. He swung his foot at Dillan's face. In a fraction of a second, thoughts exploded into Dillan's head. This is it. All of my work. All of my memories. Everything. It's over. I'll probably be taken to their master. At that point, I'll be executed. It's all over.

"What the hell?" Arlon stated. Dillan looked at the shiftry in shock. His foot was wrapped in a pink, shiny thing. It extended towards the exit of the ruins. Dillan looked on with so much joy, he could cry.

"Leave him alone!" Adelina said. She had caught Arlon's foot with her tongue.

"Koa!" Bolt said as he rushed in on Arlon.

"A-Alright!" Koa said. Arlon tried to yank on Adelina's tongue, but he was off balanced. Koa tossed a black and white crystal to Bolt. Bolt caught it and stuck his hands out. Koa and Bolt did the same movements. They moved their hands up in the air and did a sweeping motion. The crystal around Koa's neck began to glow.

"Savage Spin-Out!" Koa shouted. Arlon slammed a blade of grass against Adelina's tongue. Adelina gave a cry of pain and let go of Arlon. Koa began to spew a white web towards Arlon. Arlon made an attempt to dodge the attack, but he wasn't successful. Arlon was slammed with a strand of web. Koa began to yank on the web at different points, forcing Arlon to fall on the web. It began to surround him. In five seconds, Arlon was completely enveloped in a sphere of web. Koa took a hold of the web and used it as a mace. He flung Arlon into the air and slammed him into the ground. Koa did this three times before he pulled it towards him. He used his scythe to slice open the ball of web. Arlon broke free of the web and skirted across the ground. He slammed into a book shelf. Arlon didn't move.

"Nice one!" Bolt said. Koa moved forwards to the pikachu. He and Bolt high-fived. Koa used the dull-side of his scythe.

"Is he down?" Dillan asked shakily.

"He is." Koa stated.

"Are you ok?" Adelina asked. Dillan didn't answer. He struggled to his feet. He began to take shaky steps towards the exit. Dillan tried to stay coherent, but he felt himself slipping.

"Hey, Slash." Bolt said. "You're hurt."

"T-Tell me you saw a blue pokemon carrying a g-gardevoir..." Dillan said.

"Sorry, but we haven't." Adelina said. No... Dillan felt his legs give out from under him. Dillan fell to the ground. The world slipped out of his grip. He slammed against the ground. Dillan blacked out.


(POLL)

Just a quick announcement for those that don't know. There is a poll on your favorite character on my profile page. I'm curious to see who's the favorite character. Anyways, here's the author's notes!

(Author's Notes)

Merry Christmas, guys! Sorry for the delay. My friends just got me into a few anime shows on Netflix and time just kind of slipped. Anyways, I wanted to share a fun fact about Bolt's nickname with you guys!

(Fun fact)

Bolt's battle name, E. B. (or Electric Blur), was originally created ten years ago for my first pikachu from my Pokemon Fire-Red game. The name was originally Electric B. (the B. Was for Ball) but I decided to give it a better meaning and make the whole thing an acronym. Just a fun fact on Bolt's name.

Anyways, thanks to everyone who has read the story thus far! I hope this chapter wasn't too boring for you guys. Hope you have a great Christmas! The journey continues in the next chapter!