Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 34

The Journey Continues


Dillan felt himself tear down the hallway, tears making their way down his blurred face. The sounds of machines beeping and whirring. The wheels that moved down hallways was amplified ten-fold.

"It can't be true," Dillan's body said continuously as he ran. But it is... She's gone, and I'm here again, listening to a doctor tell me the same words over and over.

Dillan felt like breaking down outside of the dream. He wanted more than anything to feel the green crystal thud against his chest as he ran, reminding him that it was his choice whether to stay or leave, but it wasn't there. It was never there, nor would it ever be.

He heard the sliding of mesh on metal as a tinted, yet blurred, object opened before him. As he passed the object, Dillan felt a burst of fresh, warm air as well as the beams of sun hit his scales – or whatever humans had. He continued to run, wanting to go back to see his sister, but being restricted to the limits of whatever memory was left in his head.

He had to admit. It was a little shocking to see the dream continue beyond the truth of his sister, and he wondered why he was still here. At the same time, hearing the doctor's words in his head seemed to numb the shock.

I wish I could forget this memory... I wish this wasn't my only dream... Every night, the same thing... Over and over again, the sadness and heart-ache. Why is it always- Dillan's mind was cut off by his foot colliding with an object. It could have been a rock in the road, a crack in the pavement, a root that stretched over the ground. Whatever it was didn't matter. All it meant was he'd be feeling his muzzle's pain.

Dillan felt the smooth, hard, stone-like path in his face. He sat there, uncaring for his stinging cheeks. Dillan found himself beginning to sob in the floor. He didn't want to, so it must have been part of the memory.

"Hello, child," a voice said from above him.

Dillan felt his face slowly look upwards. When his eyes set on the figure above him, he wanted to squint. There was a massive source of a bright, blue light standing in front of him, radiating in every direction. The light was so bright, that he couldn't see passed it. What... is it?

"Leave me alone..." Dillan said.

"But you are hurt," the light said. "And broken."

"You don't know anything, so just go!" Dillan shouted.

"I know plenty about you. For instance: I know you are a person who enjoys walking across the beach. I know you are a person who looks across the waves and wonders what is out there on the other side. I know your dreams and hopes."

Dillan felt his eyebrows tense at the thing standing before him. Well, I obviously don't know him, so how does he know about me?

"Shall I continue?" the light asked. Dillan said nothing, so the top of the light seemed to nod. "I know you would rather leave everything behind to sail on the sea. You would rather go to another land, take a chance with a small boat you created, and you might have done so if it wasn't for your sister-"

Dillan felt himself jump to his feet. He charged straight at the light, shouting as he ran. His arm came up, and Dillan threw it towards the light. The light didn't move. Dillan found his fist passed through the light. His force ended up throwing himself forwards, out of his own control. That's when he felt something stretching across his chest, presumably cloth. He looked backwards to see the light outstretched towards him, holding a red blur that stretched from Dillan's body. It... caught me?

"Don't talk about her!" Dillan shouted.

"So you've given up all hope?" the light questioned.

Dillan stared at the light, presumably puzzled by the question. "What?" he asked.

"You want to give up on everything around you? You would rather break down and die?"

Dillan still didn't answer. He felt his face grimace, and he swiped at the light. The light retracted. The ground below met Dillan's chest.

"Mr. Lambert," the light said. "I don't have time for pokemon who are not honest with themselves."

Dillan looked very confused, and he was so outside of the dream as well. Did he just say... "Pokemon?" he asked aloud. "Like the game?"

"We will meet again in a month's time." The light moved away from him.

"What?" Dillan asked himself quietly.

The light stopped in its tracks. "Is that a problem?"

Dillan shook his head. "Who are you? How do you know about me?"

"In due time, Mr. Lambert. In due time." The light dimmed and vanished before his eyes.

Dillan was left to wonder on the floor. He wanted to learn more, though he knew that wasn't going to happen. Who was that? He said... pokemon... What the- Dillan felt himself start to shift back and forth. The world around him began to spin on itself as it all vanished.


(Palando Town, Alkan Region)

"Get up, Dillan!" Dean shouted from the doorway to the boy's dorm. "You too, Butter-fingers."

Dean's voice echoed in Dillan's head. He jumped up into a sitting position and slammed his head into the mesh roof of his bunk bed. He immediately slouched down and held the top of his skull. "Ow..." Dillan complained.

"Really?" Bolt asked Dillan with a smirk as he got off of his own bunk. "You've been doing that since we've been back. You'd think one of these days you'd learn."

Dillan sat up, thinking about the dream that had occurred. What in Ganderosa did I just experience? Who was that blue light? How did he know about me? Why did he talk to me? Wh-

"Hey," Bolt said, snapping Dillan out of his thoughts. He turned towards Bolt. "I miss ol' Sparky, too, but we need to move on for today."

Dillan looked at Bolt with a confused stare. Ol' Sparky? Then, it clicked. Dillan looked up at the empty bunk. Oh, right... Ryan... "It's already been a month, huh..."

"Hey," Bolt said. "We'll search some more when we're off duty, alright?"

Dillan looked at his friend with a thankful smile. He nodded, getting up from his bed and walked towards Bolt. "Thanks for helping me find him," Dillan said.

Bolt smirked. "Don't thank me until we find-"

"Boss!" Bob yelled from behind. Dillan jumped around and faced Bob. The ditto was worriedly creeping towards Bolt, exasperated.

"What did I tell you about calling me, 'Boss'?" Bolt complained.

"Sorry, Boss!" Bob apologized. "It won't happen again!"

Bolt sighed. "What's wrong?"

"I don't remember the Guild Creed!" Bob shouted.

"This again?" Bolt asked.

"Can you remind me? Please!" Bob begged.

"Alright," Bolt said. He stood up straight. "And it's the 'Guild Directives'." Bob nodded and stared at Bolt intently. "Repeat after me: My king is my duty."

Bob began repeating everything Bolt said to a "T", though Dillan tuned it all out. All he could think of was his shock when Bolt said that Bob wasn't going to be arrested. He explained, saying Bob wasn't all mentally there. He stated that he needed someone to guide him in his actions in order to commit the atrocities he did as an Armageddon. As a result, Garth didn't pressed any charges against Bob. Dillan distinctly remembered Bolt saying that the little Armageddon was going to join Team B. A. K. That shocked him more than anything.

Dillan recalled Bolt stating, "Bob needs someone to help him make the right decisions, so he's going to join me."

Bob seemed more than overjoyed at the idea. Since then, he'd taken a liking to Bolt, saying, "Boss" whenever he referred to the pikachu. Bolt did mind it somewhat, but not too much that it prevented them from being a team.

"Got it?" Bolt finished.

"Yeah, Boss!" Bob said.

"Alright!" Bolt said with enthusiasm. "In that case, what's the first line?"

"My king is my duty. To serve him..." Bob trailed off, obviously forgetting the lines.

"Eh," Bolt said with a shrug. "I guess it's better than yesterday." Bob slumped down into a sad, little blob. Bolt nudged him with his arm, saying, "Cheer up, Jinx! At least you remembered that much!"

"I did?" Bob smiled at his recognition. "I did!"

"Hey, Bob!" Jess shouted in sing-song voice from the hallway. She floated in the doorway and flipped upside-down. "You're all in trouble!"

"We are, Boss?" Bob asked with confusion. Bolt didn't answer. He was too busy darting towards the exit. Bob looked panicked as he glowed white and transformed into a pikachu. "Boss!" Bob began following Bolt. The two tore around the corner and out of sight.

"You're in trouble, too, Skitty!" Jess stated gleefully. "And Sigourney's gonna kill you!"

"Knock it off, Jess," Dean's voice called out from the hallway. Jess scowled, puffing her cheeks like a child as she looked right. "And get over here, or you'll be the one who get's an ear-full!"

"Fiiine!" Jess complained, letting her hands droop down sadly. She floated around the corner and out of sight, leaving Dillan alone in the room with his old companion: silence. The gabite sat back down on the bed, not truly caring if Garth was to shout at him. He had too much on his mind to care.

The gabite scowled at the purple Ganderosan rug at his feet. It's been a month since our team lost Ryan... He removed his purple bandanna with the white sun from his neck. His explorers badge was back where it belonged, pinned to the bandanna's side as to not obstruct the print on the bandanna's front. He thought of all the implications that bandanna had for his team. It's a symbol of unity for us... I remember Hazel telling us that we all wear one of these bandannas to show pokemon we're in Team Rapture, but... Ryan doesn't have his anymore...

Dillan started remembering all the hard missions he and Hazel had endured in the past month, thinking they would have all been so much easier if Ryan was there to back them up. He gave a sigh. Where are you, Ryan?

Dillan heard a knock at the door. He looked up to find Hazel was standing there, staring at him with a small smile. "Garth wants to personally talk with us."

A worried grimace formed on Dillan's face. It turns out that he did care now that trouble was upon him. "Am I that late?"

Hazel giggled. "You're not in any trouble, Dillan." She walked over to the gabite. "He's probably just worried about us is all. He even let me skip the 'Guild Directives' today to come here and tell you."

Dillan felt relieved at that statement. He stood up and the two departed down the hallway together. Dillan couldn't help but look at the three scars across Hazel's chest, reminding him of the brutal mission they had endured that was now known in the Guild as "Armageddon".

"You're staring again," Hazel said. Her face was a brighter crimson.

Dillan quickly turned away and looked straight ahead. "S-Sorry," he stuttered.

"It's fine," Hazel said. "It's just a little uncomfortable, is all."

"So..." Dillan started, trying to move the conversation away from his previous blunder. "Is she back, yet?"

Hazel sighed, wearing a concerned scowl. "Yeah," she stated. "But I don't know for how long... It's still obvious that she blames herself."

"It isn't her fault," Dillan said.

"You know how distant Adelina's been," Hazel stated. "Besides, her and Ryan have a history together; one that seems to affect Adelina more and more as time goes on." Dillan stopped in his tracks, frowning at the ground. Hazel stopped and looked back at him. "What is it?"

"I miss him, Hazel..." Dillan said. "I should be doing more to-"

"Stop," Hazel said, grabbing Dillan by the arm. He looked up at the charmeleon. "You've spent every free day you've had searching for him. You can't believe that you aren't doing enough."

"But Adelina-"

"Dillan," Hazel gripped Dillan's arm a little more forcefully. "You're doing all that you can, alright?"

Dillan wasn't convinced. He felt like he could be doing so much more to help find his friend. A part of him would rather go off with Adelina and abandon all his duties with the Guild like she did, though he would never admit it for fear of hurting Hazel.

"Alright..." Dillan said reluctantly.

Hazel looked at the floor for a few seconds. "If you want to... we can look some more after we finish the next mission. I mean, I'm sure Garth wouldn't mind if we took tomorrow off to search, right?"

A smile overtook Dillan's expression as relief spread in his chest. "Really?" he asked.

"Of course he will!" Hazel stated cheerfully. "He's Garth!"


Dillan and Hazel stopped at the Guildleader's door. An elegant, vibration could be heard from the other side, filling the air with light and cheery tunes. Hazel knocked on the door three times. They were met with a cheery voice that called, "Come in!" Dillan and Hazel did as they were told and entered Garth's quarters.

They found the Guildmaster standing next to the window, staring out into the sky as he stroked his violin with the bow in his paw. Garth continued to play regardless of the guildmembers standing behind him.

"You wanted to see us?" Hazel asked.

Garth nodded. "Please, take a seat on the bed." Dillan and Hazel sat down as Garth played a final note and ended his song. He then walked over to the door and set the violin on its stand. The ampharos smiled at Team Rapture. "On behalf of Ganderosa, I'd like to once again thank you both for stopping Team Armageddon."

"Sir," Dillan said. "We had help from Bolt, Adelina, and Peterson. It wasn't just us."

"True," Garth said. "But as far as Judah's concerned, your team was the only one involved, correct?"

Dillan hated taking all the credit. It felt like a lie, and it was, but what more could he do?

"Yes, sir," Hazel said.

"Good," Garth said. He walked up to his desk and pulled out two letters. "These are for you both." Garth handed a letter to Hazel and was about to give the other to Dillan before he thought better of it – realizing that Dillan couldn't hold anything even if his life depended on it. He gave a nervous laugh before stating, "It would probably be best if Hazel just showed hers to you."

Hazel looked over her unopened letter and gasped. Her eyes rested on the back of her letter where a red blotch sat, sealing the letter.

"Th-this is the G-Ganderosan seal!" Hazel exclaimed. Dillan looked at the red blotch a little closer than before. Sure enough, a dragonite's skull with crossed spears underneath was imprinted in the seal. "But that's only for the King to use!"

"Which is why I called you both here," Garth stated. "Those letters came in a week after 'Armageddon'. I figured you'd want to read them in private."

"Why did you keep them from us?" Dillan asked.

"I wanted to give you two some time to relax. So much has happened that I didn't want this to be on your minds just yet. You two deserved a break from Ganderosa's craziness."

Hazel tore her letter open and pulled out a piece of folded paper. She spread the letter out revealing some of the fanciest writing Dillan had ever seen. She held it in front of Dillan so he could read along with her.

King Judah Arvaine the Third Jarondai Castle

Dear Hazel Prince,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I, King Judah Arvaine the Third, would like to formally thank you for your heroic deeds in crushing Team Armageddon. The reason for this letter is to invite you, Dillan, and Ryan Simon to accompany me in Jarondai Castle for a few nights as my esteemed and honored guests.

Dillan stopped reading upon seeing that sentence. He turned towards Hazel who looked absolutely stunned, though he could also see fear in her eyes.

"H-he's inviting us?" Hazel asked quietly.

"It isn't suppose to be a big thing," Garth stated. "No parades or anything. King Judah still wants Team Armageddon's actions in the Alkan Islands to be kept under wraps for the time being."

"Isn't it kind of late to be thanking us for stopping Team Armageddon?" Dillan asked.

"On the contrary," Garth stated. "These things take a long time to plan and organize. From what I've heard, King Judah plans on treating you two like royalty for your services. He also plans on taking you on a tour of the castle."

"How did you find that out?" Hazel asked.

Garth smiled proudly. "Because-..." He stopped himself, smiling a little more. "I'm not allowed to say, yet."

"Garth?" Hazel questioned. "What is it?"

"Alright, you've broken me." Garth looked as giddy as a school girl, which was a little disturbing for Dillan to see. On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel curious for what made the ampharos act this way. "I've been promoted to the Guildmaster of the Alkan region!" Hazel and Dillan's jaws both dropped from pure shock.

"You have?!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Ganderosa's Guildmasters and King Judah himself have been looking for a new Guildmaster to fill in Iris Zinclyde's spot. Judah decided to pick me. He said it was because of my skills in tutoring such admirable warriors of Ganderosa. I know that isn't really true, but it was just such a big thing that I didn't argue. I really have you two to thank for my promotion!"

"Garth," Dillan said, astonished by the news. "That's fantastic!"

"Thank you so mu-" Garth stopped himself mid-sentence. He was wearing one of the dopiest grins Dillan had ever seen. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't bring himself to. How could he laugh at Garth when he just accomplished something so massive? Garth cleared his throat and stood up straight. He put on a neutral expression, though his blushing cheeks showed how embarrassed he was by his actions. "But we need to get back to the point.

"King Judah wants you two to meet a Royal Guardsman at Cirlynd Town in the Ferricia Territory. He should be easily identifiable in a Guardsman uniform."

"The Royal Guardsmen have uniforms?" Dillan questioned. He remembered when the Royal Guards came to Palando to sort out the rioters, but he didn't see any uniform then.

"Yeah," Hazel said. "It's usually just a purple sash with our symbol."

"Anyways," Garth cut in. "Back to the point. Once you meet the Royal Guardsman, he or she will take you to Jarondai Castle by air. From there, King Judah will personally oversee your visit."

"So it's a... personal visit?" Hazel asked nervously.

Dillan wasn't surprised by Hazel's attitude. He hadn't forgotten what she told him about her father back in the Alkan Guild. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Hazel...

"Why, yes," Garth said with a raised eyebrow, taking note of Hazel's attitude. "King Judah seems intent on thanking the guildmembers of Team Rapture personally for your bravery and perseverance in the face of hopelessness."

"When are we suppose to meet the guardsman?" Dillan asked.

"You have two weeks," Garth stated.

"That's a lot of time," Dillan said.

"More than enough to get ready," Hazel said.

Garth nodded. "It gives you both some time extra time to search for Ryan." He gave a sigh as he looked out his window. "And I have a lead."

Dillan shot up to his feet. "Where is he?" he blurted out.

Garth stood there, taking no note of Dillan's outburst. "I don't know where Ryan is exactly, but I have a lead on the pokemon he was taken by." Garth faced Dillan. "Someone said that they saw a nidoqueen near the Snow-Point Mountains in Labensia."

"But that could be any nidoqueen," Hazel said. "Are you sure-"

"Let me finish," Garth asked softly. "My source said that this nidoqueen met with a small force of nuzleaf on the outskirts of Harrier Town."

"That's her..." Dillan said. But... a group of nuzleaf is Arlon's specialty... Did Thalia take Arlon's man-power?

"I thought you'd recognize her," Garth said. "It was the nuzleaf, right?" Dillan didn't answer Garth. The ampharos walked up to the gabite. He knelt down and looked Dillan in the eyes. "You can trust me. I'm your Guildleader, after all."

"Why wouldn't we trust you?" Hazel asked, knowing exactly why she wasn't telling him more.

Garth looked at Hazel with concern. "I can only help you two so much when you don't tell me the whole story."

"Sir," Dillan said, "Ryan was kidnapped by a nidoqueen named Thalia. That's all we know..." Dillan hated lying to Garth's face. He didn't want to, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Garth about the Enemy. It would only lead to more questions that couldn't be answered, raising even more suspicion. That's not what Dillan wanted. He only wanted his friend.

"Alright," Garth said with a shrug. "I can't make you tell me anything, but I know you're both hiding something." Garth stood up and walked over to his desk. "That's all I needed to tell you. Just arrive at Cirlynd Town's dock in two weeks. All the information should be in your letters along with an invitation for the Royal Guardsman to prove your identity."

"Thanks Guildleader," Hazel said. She and Dillan both got up from the bed and left the room.


Multiple thoughts and doubts were spinning in Dillan's head: none of which calmed or pleased him. Judah wants to meet with us to congratulate us... Based on what happened during "Armageddon", I'm not sure going is the right move on our part... Maybe it would be best if we didn't go...

"Hey," Hazel said, nudging Dillan's arm.

"What?" Dilan asked, being pulled from his thoughts. He turned towards a nervous-looking Hazel.

"It's going to be fine," Hazel assured. Dillan was shocked by Hazel. Wasn't she was the one who had been concerned with the Guild? Why was she was the one reassuring him? Hazel laughed at Dillan's blank stare. "You could at least agree with me."

"Sorry..." Dillan said with a nervous smile. "We'll be fine."

"It doesn't work now that I know you're unsure," Hazel said playfully. She pulled on his arm. "Let's just do a mission."

"A-alright!" Dillan said, following Hazel.

The two exited the Guild and entered the courtyard. Hearing the usual, pleasant sound of the fountain spouting water into its basin. Dillan and Hazel were surprised to see a familiar face resting her head on the fountain's base.

"Tracey?" Hazel asked.

The glaceon perked up her head and smiled seeing Team Rapture. "What took you guys so long?" she complained as she ran up to meet the Guildmembers.

"Long?" Dillan asked. "This is about the time we come out."

Tracey leaned to the left, looking around Hazel and then to the right around Dillan. "Where's Ryan?" she asked.

Both Dillan and Hazel hesitated. None of them really wanted to tell the glaceon, but what else could they do? Let her stand there begging for information?

"He's..." Hazel started sadly. "He was kidnapped..."

Tracey's cheerful attitude dropped in an instant. "He... was?"

"Yeah..." Dillan said drearily.

"By who?" Tracey demanded. "When did it happen?"

"It was a nidoqueen named Thalia..." Dillan said.

"And when?" Tracey asked.

"A month ago," Hazel cut in. "But we already have a lead to where Ryan might be."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tracey shouted.

"We?" Dillan asked.

"Well, yeah!" Tracey shouted again. "Try not to be so dense!" D-dense?

"Tracey," Hazel said. "We're going to search for him tomorrow."

"Then I'll help!" Tracey announced.

"Tracey..." Dillan said.

"You can't stop me!" Tracey shouted. "Ryan's my friend, too, and I'm searching for him with or without you two! So don't tell me I can't come!"

"Actually," Dillan began. "I wasn't going to."

Tracey stood there defiantly for a few seconds before processing what Dillan had said. She dropped her head into a nervous grimace. "Oh... Sorry."

"It's fine," Hazel said.

"Tracey," Dillan began. "Why were you waiting for us?"

The glaceon immediately jumped up onto the fountain base and stuck her head up proudly. "I almost forgot!" she announced. "I'm joining Team Rapture!"

Dillan accidentally inhaled some spit in his mouth and began choking on it. Hazel looked at Tracey with surprise. She was smiling with a raised eyebrow of astonishment.

"And when did we on Team Rapture agree to this?" Hazel questioned.

"It doesn't matter if you agree or not, because Garth thought it was a good idea!" He did? Why didn't he say anything? Did he forget?

"Since when?!"

"Since yesterday." Tracey looked annoyed at Team Rapture's seemingly reluctant attitude towards adding a new member. "I thought you guys would be happy to have me as the fourth member!"

"Uh..." Dillan stammered. It never occurred to him that they could have a fourth member on Team Rapture. "I... um... thought you... hated the Guild."

"I did!" Tracey shouted with annoyance as she pulled her face downwards with her paw. "But then you guys showed me that the Guild isn't bad, it's just the pokemon in it!"

"Tracey," Hazel began. "I'm sorry, but no."

"Why not?" Tracey asked sharply.

"It's not that we don't like you... or anything..." Dillan started.

"Forget it..." Hazel intervened. "We need to work right now."

"I can help you guys!" Tracey shouted.

"There are steps you need to take in order to join the Guild, Tracey," Hazel said.

"Like?"

"Like..." Dillan started, thinking about what they had to do in order to become an Exploration Team. "Deliver a package."

Hazel looked at him with confusion. "What?"

"I can do that!" Tracey shouted.

"N-no!" Hazel stammered. "Joining the Guild isn't as simple as playing the peliper delivery man!"

"Come on!" Tracey groaned. "Tell me what I need to do!"

"Have you even applied for the Guild?" Hazel asked.

Tracey looked at Hazel for a few seconds as if not understanding what she was implying. "A-applied?" she asked.

Hazel sighed. "Tracey-"

"I'll do that right now!" Tracey darted passed Team Rapture and slammed the doors open. The next thing Dillan heard was an enthusiastic shout exclaiming, "I want to apply!" The doors shut behind Tracey, leaving Dillan in awe.

"She really wants to join..." Dillan stated.

"Quick, before she gets back!" Hazel announced, grabbing a random piece of paper off of the bulletin board and running off towards the interior of Palando.

"W-wait!" Dillan stuttered, chasing after his friend. "Hazel!"


Reaching the end of Palando, Dillan had finally caught up to Hazel. Both were out of breath from the sprint, though Dillan had a question on his mind.

"Hazel..." Dillan said through pants. "Why not... let Tracey... join?"

"What?" Hazel asked. "Oh..." She took a few seconds to regain her breath and think. "What makes you say I was against it?"

"I don't know..." Dillan said, thinking of what to say. "It just seemed like you were giving her a hard time."

"Right... that..." Hazel looked up at the blue sky. "Well... It's not that I'm really against her joining... I guess it's more that it feels... like... she'd be replacing Ryan..." Hazel gave a sigh. "I guess it's stupid..."

"No..." Dillan said. He thought about how he felt. I guess it's really the same with me...

Hazel laughed a little. "We're a bunch of sobby losers..."

Dillan noticed Hazel was still clutching a letter in her hand. He gave a sigh and said, "Forget our duties."

Hazel looked over at Dillan with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Let's just go search for Ryan," Dillan said.

"Dillan-"

"He's out there, Hazel. I can't shake this feeling that I'm abandoning Ryan by continuing with our duties to the Guild..."

"Dillan..." Hazel said.

"I can't help it!" Dillan shouted at the horizon. "Ryan's my best friend! He's helped me so much here in this world! When I got here, I didn't even know my own name! I don't know what would have happened to me if Ryan wasn't there for me: if he didn't help me to continue forwards! Just being there as my friend gave me a reason to move on from Grace..." Dillan turned to Hazel. She wore a face of concern and guilt. "To think that I'm spending my time helping others that I don't know over my best friend is killing me inside... I can't do it anymore, not without him..."

Hazel gave a light smile. She nodded as she said, "Good luck, Lesley." She then plunged the parchment in her claws into her bag. Hazel then rummaged through her bag until she pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper and laid it out on the floor. It was Hazel's map of Ganderosa. "Garth said Snow-Point cave, right?"

Dillan felt tears come to his eyes. He was overjoyed that she understood. "Thanks-"

"Not yet," Hazel said with a smile. "Wait until we find him." Dillan nodded. "And Dillan, we will find him."

Turning her attention towards the map, Hazel ran a claw over a road on the map that led from Palando through Castellum Town, then to Harrier Town below. From there, her claw went north and stopped on a small group of mountains with a hole in the base that said, "Snow-Point Cave".

"So, we're going through Castellum Town..." Dillan said, remembering his last, physical encounter with Arlon.

"Yeah..." Hazel said. She turned towards Dillan. "Isn't that where your friend Reya was kidnapped?" Dillan nodded. "Maybe... Maybe there are clues at Castellum Town about where Thalia is."

Dillan smiled. It had never crossed his mind that Castellum Town may have clues about Ryan's whereabouts. "Hazel, that's amazing!" he complimented.

Hazel took a bow. "Thank you," she said.

"I'm assuming we'll be out searching Ganderosa for a long time, so we should probably pack for the trip."

Hazel winked at Dillan. "We don't need to pack a thing."

Dillan tilted his head in confusion. "Sorry?"

"I had feeling we'd be doing something like this sooner or later: whether it was because we were searching for Ryan or running from King Judah because he changed his mind about wanting us dead. Anyways, this bag has everything we need for nearly a month if we conserve, though we won't need it all for that long based on Judah's letter."

Dillan tilted his head even more. "We're going through with Judah's invitation?"

"Well, yeah," Hazel said enthusiastically. "How many times do you get to see a massive part of Ganderosa's history that's blocked off to the public?"

"But what about King Judah?" Dillan asked.

"I'll admit that I'm sort of worried, but he invited us through Garth. I don't think he'd risk killing us when our Guildleader knows our last known location. It would be sloppy."

"That makes sense."

"So we're going to Ganderosa's capital, and with Ryan!"

Dillan nodded. He felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "In that case, onwards to Castellum Town!"


(Road to Castellum Town: Alkan Region)

Team Rapture had been on the road for a few hours now. Dillan was surprised at how cheery the sun felt. Maybe it was a lack of guilt that made it all seem that much brighter. Maybe it was the hope he felt that he'd find Ryan again and put their team back together. Whatever it was, Dillan liked it.

"So," Hazel said cheerfully, breaking the silence. "I was thinking... Once we find Ryan, we'll have a week at least to prep for the trip to Jarondai. Since we already have our supplies packed, I was wondering if you wanted to visit some places instead."

"What do you mean by that?" Dillan asked.

"Well, kind of like a vacation," Hazel began, looking at the road ahead with anticipation. "Personally, I want to visit Lake Town. I hear the entire town is floating on the water. It's a place where water pokemon who can't walk on the land can interact with us 'Landies', as they put it."

"That sounds like fun," Dillan said. He thought about a place he would like to visit, though his lack of geography made it next to impossible. "Can I see the map?"

"Sure," Hazel said. They both stopped walking, allowing Hazel to reach into her bag and remove a worn-out roll of paper. She stretched it out, revealing the map of Ganderosa. Dillan's eyes went over the map, looking at each location in the Ferricia Region. Thundering Caves... Redwood Plains... His eyes stopped at the stone structure on the map. "Ferricia Castle would be cool. We could see Lawrence again. And Ziggy."

"Ziggy." Hazel chuckled to herself. "Love that name."

Dillan's eyes rested again on a stretch of markings that looked like long grass. Dillan slowly read the words sitting above the markings. "'Howling Plains'... Lily was there..."

"Lily?" Hazel asked.

"Remember the lycanroc tribe I told you about?" Dillan asked.

Hazel nodded her head, remembering what Dillan had told her. "Lily was part of that tribe."

"Yeah," Dillan acknowledged. "The thief we met last month in Frost Island Village told us Lily had my Sapphire Star..."

"Right..." Hazel looked at Dillan with a light smile. "You want to see her again?"

"Not really..." Dillan said half-heartedly, having another thought in mind. "My Sapphire Star might be able to lead us to Ryan..."

Hazel nodded. "Not really a place to visit once we find Ryan, but we'll definitely have to see Lily after Snow-Point Cave."

Dillan turned away from the map and looked ahead. The sun was at its peak in the sky, casting its light on the deep-blue horizon ahead. Dillan stared at a small bit of grey in the distance. He squinted and smiled. "Is that Castellum Town?" he asked.

Hazel looked ahead and squinted herself. "Sure is. You know, I wonder if there are ferals in there."

Dillan wore a determined gaze. "Even if there are, we owe it to Ryan to find him."

Hazel looked at Dillan with a smile. "Well then, enough with the future. Time to focus on the here and now."

"Right." Dillan nodded. The two pokemon continued onwards to the ruins ahead.


(Alkan Territory: Castellum Town)

Rubble littered the grassy plains that surrounded Castellum Town's cracked walls. Dillan gazed up at the divots in the castle. Each one belonged to some chunk of stone that fell into the fields. There were some dead patches of grass that revealed the dirt below.

"It's been a long time," Hazel said.

Dillan's eyes moved around the castle walls, trying to find a way passed the stone-bricks. He looked up and down the walls. There were only minor cracks. Nothing that made it possible to reach the town inside.

"I can't find a way in," Dillan said.

"Let's look around," Hazel said cheerfully. She began walking towards the massive wall and around a chunk of stone. Dillan followed.

Hey began walking for a few minutes, attempting to find an entry point to no avail. Dillan started dwelling on his last visit to the crumbled castle. This place has so many bad memories... This is where Adelina lost her parents. It's where I last saw Reya before she was kidnapped. It's the last time I saw Arlon face-to-face... Even though it's been months since I've been here, it still puts me on-edge. I mean, what if Thalia is here? Would we be able to take her? Just me and Hazel? Not to mention the fact that she had back-up the last time we saw her. I can't help but feel like we're walking into something we can't handle...

"Here we go!" Hazel announced. She walked up to a massive crack in the wall that led inside. Dillan could see a fog-filled area through the crack. Hazel walked up to the crack and walked passed the wall. Dillan felt a little reluctant to go inside. He watched as a crimson paw outstretched itself through the fog. "What are you waiting for?" Hazel asked from the other side.

What are you worried about? This isn't like last time. This time, it's the other way around. We're the ones hunting Thalia. And besides, Hazel's here this time. There's no need to worry... Right?

With those thoughts in mind, Dillan set his claw in Hazel's grasp and he walked into Castellum Town. The moment he stepped beyond the walls, he felt the chilly air. The entire place felt devoid of heat. Dillan saw Hazel next to him, but that was it. He could hardly make out the semi-broken buildings around him. It felt kind of... eerie.

"So, where to?" Hazel asked.

"Uh..." Dillan began, thinking about last time. "Well, there's a... M. P? Is that what it's called?"

"Mystery Pocket," Hazel said. "Typically the end of a mystery dungeon that's stable."

"Yeah, that." Dillan remembered the massive library him and Reya had stumbled upon last time. "There's an M. P. somewhere in here. Me and Reya were there before she was taken. If there are clues-"

"They would be there," Hazel finished. "Got it." She held out her tail-flame. Dillan watched as it grew in size, licking at the surrounding fog and creating more light for them ahead. Dillan could see maybe a foot more than usual. Other than that, nothing but fog.

"Let's do this," Dillan said as Hazel took the lead. He followed closely behind, making sure he didn't get separated.

"You know," Hazel began, "under normal circumstances, this would be really cool!"

"Walking into a mystery dungeon?" Dillan asked.

"That's not normal," Hazel laughed. "I mean, visiting Castellum Town. It has so much history behind it. For example: did you know that this is the original capital of Ganderosa?"

"Yes," Dillan said with a smile. "You told me that."

"Oh," Hazel said. Her scales turned a lighter shade of red around her cheeks. "Guess I forgot."

"It's fine," Dillan said. "Actually, there's a really cool wall in the M. P."

"A wall," Hazel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Dillan said. "It's got a massive picture on it with some sort of prophecy tied to it. Reya told me about it."

"Sounds cool enough."

"It-" Dillan's sentence was cut off by what felt like a rope slip over his foot and around his ankle. It tightened and yanked him to the left. Dillan fell to the floor, being dragged by the rope. He watched as Hazel's body disappeared behind the fog, leaving the glow of her tail.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted. He felt afraid. He had no clue what was happening, but he felt every stone that scraped itself against his scales. He watched as Hazel's tail-flame began to disappear into the fog as he was getting even further from his friend. No... Not now... I can't lose Hazel, too! "Hazel!"


(Kerroshian Territory)

"Remind me why I'm here?" Ryan asked, annoyed with his seemingly unending trek through the desert wasteland. Thunder cracked throughout his mind as a picture of his old home flashed in his vision. Ryan shook his head with a scowling smirk. "That's not what I meant."

"I'm only reminding-"

"Yeah yeah," Ryan said, interrupting the cold voice in his head. "Closure." He walked over a small hill and looked out upon a small, crumbling town in the distance with a large hole next to the structures. The pachirisu grimaced, remembering the last time he was in this collapsed town.

"I'm sure you remember Poltress Town," the voice said.

Ryan scoffed. "How can I forget the place that treated me as their living trophy, worthy of sacrifice?"

" Sass will not be tolerated, Mr. Simon. Respect me."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Yes, 'Master'." he said sarcastically. A massive migraine surged through his brain. The pachirisu slapped his paws as high up his head as his stubby arms would allow as he shouted, "Alright! Alright! I get the picture!" The migraine ceased. Ryan took a few seconds to regain his focus.

"Do we have an understanding?"

"You need me," Ryan said. "Not the other way around."

"I beg to differ."

Ignoring the voice in his head, Ryan walked down towards the town in the distance.

It took a few minutes to reach Poltress' outskirts, but when he did, he immediately felt the familiarly eerie feeling that crawled up his spine. He didn't show any weakness – as he did last time for fear of ridicule and that the weird feelings he got from the town were all in his head – but it creeped the pachirisu out.

"Remind me why I'm here?" Ryan said again, still wanting an answer. "Master." he added.

"You are to go towards the center of the town and... speak with the locals."

"Is that all?" Ryan asked. "I thought I was to be their 'final sacrifice'."

"These fools should have realized sacrificing was not the way to revive their master far before Thalia came to get you from your vacation." Vacation... Is that what you think it was? "It is."

Ryan couldn't help but laugh out loud at the position he was in. Here he was, traipsing through the cracked streets of Poltress Town – a place he thought he'd never come back to – with some sort of supernatural entity in his head. Things can't get any weirder...

"Focus on your surroundings, unless you would rather be slaughtered."

"And Thalia says you aren't humorous."

Ryan stopped at a four-way intersection with a dried up fountain. The fountain's base had a stone statue of a short pokemon he recognized as a gengar. He looked up at its red, glowing eyes that seemed to be looking straight at him. Must be your distant cousin.

"Focus on your mission, Mr. Simons."

Fine... Ryan set his paw under his chin to think. Alright... What's the best way to get kidnapped? He stared at the statue before deciding his next course of action.

Ryan jumped up into the dry fountain and began scaling the gengar. Slowly but surly, he made his way to the top of the pokemon's head. From there, he stood and shouted, "Hey, dirt-bags! Fresh meat, and it's defiling your statue!"

A shiver ran down Ryan's spine as the wind whistled between his ears. The air seemed to be swirling around him, spinning his fur. He looked downwards and saw purple puffs of smoke start to ascend from the ground. The smoke seemed to be originating from a gang of floating heads with sharp teeth protruding from their wicked snarls. Another group of pokemon arose from the ground. These ones looked like Bolt if he was a doll with a zig-zagging piece of wood for a tail. A new group emerged from the ground. Pretty soon, Ryan was surrounded by ghost pokemon on all sides.

"What are you doing up there?!" one of the heads demanded.

"Take me to your leader!" Ryan shouted. His face tightened into a fearful grimace as he felt a chilly breeze stroke his back accompanied by, what felt to Ryan like a leather glove, running itself up his neck. Ryan quickly turned around. He lost his footing on his left side and fell off the statue, plummeting towards the concrete basin. The pachirisu forcefully shut his eyes. This is going to hurt! But it didn't. In fact, he didn't feel any sort of impact, just another breeze that blew by.

Ryan opened his eyes to find himself swinging back and forth above the ground. He looked up, or in this case down, to find a white hand was holding him by the tail. The hand was connected to a grey body with a pattern that looked like some sort of face with yellow nubs for eyes and a zig-zag mouth. He remembered the floating pokemon from his first journey into Poltress.

"I remember you," the dusknoir stated.

"Then we can skip the introductions," Ryan said, hoping to get this done as quickly as possible.

"Do not rush this, Mr. Simon."

Rolling his eyes at the voice in his head, Ryan directed his attention back to his captor.

"Why did you come back?" the dusknoir asked with curiosity. "Are you this desperate to be sacrificed?"

"Are you joking?" Ryan scoffed.

"This is your chance to gain his trust." the voice urged. "Do not waste this."

I don't have the energy to deal with both of you, so let me handle this! Ryan heard a sigh from inside of his head. He took that as his que to continue.

"So what's your name?" Ryan asked.

"Why would I say that?" the dusknoir stated.

"Call it a final request."

The dusknoir looked around at his peers for help.

"Sacrifice!" a purple pokemon whose body looked like some sort of cape wearing a sombrero stated.

"Sacrifice!" one of the ghastly started chanting. The other ghost pokemon took that as their opportunity to chant "sacrifice" with the rest of the group.

"Silence!" the dusknoir shouted above the ghosts. They all quieted down and looked at their leader. He brought Ryan up to look him in the eye. Ryan did just that, staring at the pokemon with an annoyed expression.

"Well?" Ryan asked. "Final request?"

The dusknoir nodded. "My name is Isaac, Guildleader of Poltress Town."

"Guildleader?" Ryan asked. "I didn't know Guildleaders sacrificed others; then again, what do I know about Ganderosa's government?"

"Do not mock me!" Isaac roared.

"Sacrifice!" the ghosts cheered again.

"I'll do what I want!" Ryan said defiantly.

"And why is that, little sacrifice?"

Ryan felt his blood boil. "Hey dumb-bunny!" he shouted. "Do you know how many pokemon I've beaten to a pulp for calling me 'little'?"

"Is it a short amount?" a ghost called out from the crowd.

"Excuse me?!" Ryan shouted.

"I've had enough of your games, Simon!" the voice roared.

"And I care, why?" Ryan snapped. "And don't say 'closure'!"

"Fine! Maybe your lickitung friend will see things my way!"

Ryan felt like tearing the voice to shreds. "Touch her, and all of Ganderosa finds out about you!"

"Who are you talking to?" Isaac asked.

"Go ahead and tell them. It isn't like your friend will be spared any less pain because of your retaliation!"

Damn it... Ryan grimaced. He thought about his options, though it looked like there were only two.

"Make this work, right now."

"Fine!" Ryan shouted. He turned towards a confused looking dusknoir.

"Who are you speaking to?!" Isaac demanded.

"Internal struggle," Ryan said. "Anyways, let's get down to business before my problem becomes your problem."

"Is that a threat?" the dusknoir demanded.

Ryan ignored the comment and continued. "My master has the ability to give your men what you've been searching for."

"What are you talking about?" Isaac seemed very confused with the change in subject.

"I'm talking about the small stone you've been killing pokemon for," Ryan said.

Gasps erupted from the crowd. Isaac's eyes began darting from side to side as he scanned the crowd. Ryan couldn't help but notice how nervous the dusknoir was.

"A-and what makes you think that y-you can help?" Isaac stuttered.

Ryan sighed. Is he really going to make me explain everything?

"Of course he is," the voice stated. "He's been ruling this town for nearly half a century with little progress in resurrecting his leader, and wants to know how we can do a better job than him."

"Alright," Ryan said to the voice. Isaac seemed to think Ryan was talking to him. "What can you do about their issues?"

"We have been sacrificing pokemon for gen-"

"Not you, psyclops," Ryan said to Isaac.

"Their issue is with the stone hidden beneath the town. It is the home of a pokemon these ghosts have looked up to for an eternity named Spiritomb."

"Yeah. I know that, but why-"

"Interrupt me again, and Thalia will take over your duties." Ryan's eyes met Isaac's. The pachirisu pointed to his fore-head and nodded, confusing the dusknoir even more. "As I was saying: Spiritomb was the original leader of their cult during the Ganderosan Civil War. To end the war and Hardemlite Armadine's accursed forces, the town was decimated. A drawback to Poltress' slaughter was that spiritomb was sealed in his stone, forced into an eternal slumber. These pokemon have been sacrificing countless pokemon, always saying that the next will bring back spiritomb."

"Sounds right up your alley," Ryan said. "But explain to me why getting the stone will help Team R-" Ryan immediately stopped upon feeling a massive migraine in his head. He felt as though his head was breaking apart. "Alright! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't say the name!" The migraine faded. Geeze...

"How it helps is none of your business," the voice shouted. "Just finish your objective!"

Ryan looked back at Isaac. "Alright, what were you saying?"

"But... you were just..." Isaac stuttered, dumbfounded by what had just occurred.

"Here's the deal," Ryan said. "I need to see the stone before I can save... spiritomb, was it?"

The moment the name "spiritomb" was mentioned, whispers and gasps went across the crowd.

"How does he know the master's name?" someone asked.

"Maybe he can help?"

Isaac looked at Ryan with the utmost apprehension. "Why would we need your assistance?!" he snarled. "We've been getting along fine for years upon years with our sacrifices!"

"Seriously?" Ryan asked. He was getting frustrated with the dusknoir's attitude. "You'd think that 'years upon years' of sacrificing would have come up with some sort of headway by now."

"How dare you insult me with your ignorance! I should-"

"Get over yourself," Ryan interrupted with annoyance. More gasps erupted from the crowd. "You haven't been able to revive spiritomb yet with your way, so what makes you think sacrificing me will work?"

"It will!" Isaac roared. "Master Spiritomb has been upset for generations with our lack of praise and sacrifice towards him! Killing you will show our devotion towards-"

"Get real!" Ryan shouted. "How many pokemon have you sacrificed so far?"

"One-hundred!" a pokemon shouted from behind.

"No, two-hundred!" another interjected.

"I thought it was one-fifty..."

"Silence!" Isaac roared.

"So you've lost count?" Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"One more word and I'll take your head off here and now!"

"Would your followers forgive you for killing the one who can potentially save your master?" Ryan swung his hands around and began rotating on his tail to face the crowd. He gave a grimace of pain as his tail twisted. Dang, that hurts!

"Finish this already before things get out of your control."

"Alright, Poltress!" Ryan said through the pain. "Who here honestly sees an end to the work and sacrifice? Who honestly thinks that their work is almost through?" Ryan counted about twenty hands raise out of the crowd of over fifty. Ryan quickly turned back to Isaac. "Well, it looks like your people are losing faith in your way, fatso."

"I've had enough!" Isaac shouted.

He swung Ryan through the air by the tail and threw him into the crowd. Ryan skidded across the ground and came to a halt. He felt the scrapes underneath the fur, but it only stung. The pachirisu stood up and stared towards Isaac with anticipation.

"You are failing, Simon!" the voice echoed.

Yeah, right, Ryan thought. I've got most of the town doubting their leader. Do you seriously think that I'm going to get close to Spiritomb with Mr. Murder up there, dead-set on sacrificing Ganderosa?

"For your information, we want him, too!"

Really? Would have been a good thing to know before hand!

"Everyone move!" Isaac shouted. "Make a ring!" The crowd dispersed around the pachirisu, forming a small circle. The dusknoir drifted down to the ground, stopping on the edge of the circle of ghosts. "I'm going to make you the two-hundred-and-eleventh sacrifice to Master Spiritomb, rat!"

"Bring it," Ryan said with a smirk. It's been too long since I've actually fought someone.

"If this mission fails, I'll have your friend's head!"

"I won't fail... Not this time..."


(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here! I'm sorry if you guys felt like this chapter wasn't much of a chapter after two weeks of waiting, but here me out. As Person55 said in his review, the "Team Armageddon" arc has ended! What this means now is that I needed to set up where the story is going now. As a result, I wanted the story to calm down a bit before I throw you guys in for a loop! But trust me when I say I've got plenty in store for you guys!

Shout-out to "aurasphere447" and "Plague Dog UnleasheD" for following/favoriting the story!

Shout-out to jakeroo123 for his review! Glad to know that even after he seemingly has gone to the dark side, you still like him! Well, I'm here to tell you that you'll be seeing his perspective for a bit. Enjoy!

Shout-out to Plague Dog UnleasheD for his review! I looked back at Chapter 15, and I see the problem. Good to know that I messed up, if ever so slightly! For context, see the "Review Section".

Shout-out to Person55 for another review! He states, Dillan is "one of the unlikeliest protagonists from stories that I have read so far". I wanted to make Dillan someone any person can relate to, if only slightly. I feel like most of us, if put in a life or death situation, would freeze up or run away. We'd say, "Screw being a hero!" I wanted to make Dillan the same way, with how he freezes up whenever things start to get intense. Of course, this is not always the case, because let's face it: no one wants a story where the hero is a coward every time things heat up. There are other things I would like to say about Dillan, but I'll leave it at that just because of how long this paragraph is so far. :P

One last shout-out to Shoz999 for his reviews! I have no idea whether you get to this part in the story or not, but I'm glad you like the story so far, even with my poor writing in 2017!

As Porky Pig says, "That's all folks!" Thanks for reading this chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed it, wherever you could find such pleasantries! Next time will be better, I assure you!

Thanks again for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!