For a while the two just laid there. The Roselia on its back, the book on top of him, and the Shuppet the cherry of the pile. Eventually the Roselia let out a groan, stirring the Shuppet.
The Shuppet picked up the book and the Roselia slowly, painfully, got up. The Roselia stretched a little bit. Then the two stared at each other for a little bit. Then stared at each other some more. Datura cocked their head slightly to the right. Not entirely sure what to say in such a situation. Trim cocked her head to the left, mimicking the Roselia, her mind, elsewhere.
So they didn't speak. Two Pokemon stood on the road, looking at each other. Trim still processing what had just happened to her, not entirely in the present. Datura, having nothing better to do, observed the Shuppet in front of them with curiosity. A small breeze blew by, bringing some leaves with it.
Trim slowly started to feel her heartbeat slow, the adrenaline dissipate, and although the memories of the immediate past dominated her mind, it was not overwhelmingly so. She felt herself become more cognizant of her surroundings, like coming out of a dream. First she noticed the wind blowing. Then the ruffling of tree leaves. Then finally she recognized that a somewhat wilted(?) Roselia was standing in front of her.
She blinked. He blinked.
The Roselia gave a questioning look. The Shuppet was taken a back. Not entirely sure what to say. Should she apologize? Introduce herself? The indecision continued the silence. Until Roselia took the initiative, breaking the silence.
"Hello."
The Shuppet gave a little jump, not expecting the introduction. So startled in fact, that she did not respond. Continuing to float there, eyes wide, like as if a talking Roselia was some completely foreign concept to her. Datura started to feel a bit concerned. Was she scared? Was she mute? She looked lost. He decided to try a more formal introduction.
"Hello. My name is Datura. Do you need some help?"
"Y…Yes" the Shuppet replied meekly. "Where am I?"
"You are in the valley of the Western Mountains. If you head east you will meet our main trading partner, Steel Town, if you had west, you'll reach the Ocean. There is a village, about 10 minutes up the road from here."
The Shuppet pondered this for a little. They recognized the names of the places, but not the towns. She must have been transported south. Which was fairly likely given that the Mountain Fort was in the Northern Reach. Had she teleported northwards she'd be surrounded by tundra. Still the Western Mountains…. That badge had teleported her a great deal southwards, almost half of the continent.
She pondered her position. Which the longer she thought about, the worse she realized it was. Her first thought was simply to head north, back to her home. Which lasted all about 3 seconds as she realized there was no home to return too. She though where else to go, but it dawned on her. She knew nobody outside the Fortress Walls. She had no knowledge of anyplace out here. She was truly alone.
The panic came back with a vengeance. She started to breathe in rapidly. What was she going to do? She didn't know where the other forts were. She had no idea how to survive out here. Was she going to get eaten by a feral? Was she going to be one of the Undying. She was too young to be an Undying. The hopelessness of it all seemed to catch up to her.
The book fell out of her psychic grasp, and she simply floated to the earth, crying. The Roselia stared on wide eyed, not entirely sure what just happened. The Shuppet was crying at his feet. It was clear to him that the Shuppet was lost somehow, but he wasn't entirely sure how to help her. So he decided to wait for her recover, and then see if he could help her. Not like he was in a rush to be anywhere. So it stayed that way for a few more minutes. Eventually the Shuppet was able to pull herself together, and to her surprise the Roselia had sat down on a nearby rock, and was patiently waiting for her.
"Hey… You need some help? You look lost." asked the Roselia in about a tender of tone as possible.
The Shuppet pondered the query for a while. She didn't know this person, but he seemed kind enough, and she was,frankly, completely lost. She didn't really have much choice in the matter. So she decided to level with the stranger.
"Yeah, I'm lost. My home got attacked, I'm not even too sure how I ended up here. I have some… "friends" that travel the world. I'm not sure where they are now. But I would like some help finding them. They tend to wear a red Y, if you've seen it."
The Roselia blinked in surprise. "You're a Death-Seeker?"
"You've heard of us?"
"Yeah, met one of you once long ago, it's been ages. Aren't you a little young though?"
"Yeah…, In a few more years I was going to join a team, but now…," the shuppet seemed to sink back into a sad mood, memories of her home flitting through her mind.
"Oh. Yeah, I guess you did say your home was attacked. So you say you're looking for friends. Know where to start looking?"
She thought back to her classes. The Fortresses of the Death-Seekers were meant to be well hidden. She knew that some were in the mountains but she didn't know where, and truthfully there were a lot of mountains on the continent. There was also rumors of one deep in the Ocean out West. They probably couldn't access it, but if they stayed along the coast, they might run into a team.
"I think I might find some fellow Seekers if we stick close to the coast. I know we have a base in the Ocean out west."
"Thinking that if we stick to the Coast we run into one of your colleagues? That sounds feasible, although a bit unlikely."
"It's the best shot I have, I don't know where anyone else is."
The Roselia pondered for a minute, maybe he could send her to the village? But then again only one Death-Seeker ever came by in his lifetime, she may never find her friends if she stayed there. He considered sending her to Steel Town, but that just had the same issue. The Shuppet seemed correct, running into one of her colleagues was probably the best way for her to get a home. He couldn't think of any other alternatives.
"Alright, it's at least a start to finding you a home."
"So you'll help me?"
"Look, I've been exploring for a lifetime, finding places and helping Pokemon is what I do. Of course I'll help you!"
Elation flooded through her being. "ThankyouThankyouThankyou." The Shuppet floated over and did her best attempt at a hug. The Roselia was nearly knocked to the ground from the impact
"All right that's enough, can't help you with you attached to my side. Let's take this step by step. If we're going to the Ocean, our first step is to get through this Mystery Dungeon. It's the only way out of the valley, from there we can make it to the coast."
The Shuppet's mood deflated again. They had to go through a Mystery Dungeon? She had heard of those, the places where the Ferals, Undying, and the Blighted prowled. Preying on passersby. Could she make it through one? She barely had any experience in real fighting, and the one battle she was a part of, she had others to rely on.
Sensing her apprehension the Roselia put on what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
"Hey. I've led Pokemon through this Dungeon more times than I care to count. We'll be fine."
With that Roselia headed into the Forest. Trim's apprehension was eased a little by the Roselia's statement, but she still felt a little ball of tension inside her. She stared at the forest a brief second, and then followed the Roselia in. She could feel the world warp around her as she entered the tree line. The world shifted about her as she entered the Dungeon, and she found herself next to the Roselia, in the middle ofa forest.
The forest was dark and cold. The night sky twinkled with a thousand stars. A cold breeze rustled the leaves. Roselia and Shuppet slowly meandered their way through. Datura was careful to watch their path, to not step on anything. Doing so could alert any sleeping Ferals or Undying to their presence. Trim, being a small floating ghost, simply followed behind, not having to worry about causing much sound.
Eventually they reached a clearing, with two sleeping Swellow nestled on either side.
"Alright Shuppet," Datura said with a whisper, "Rule 1 of Mystery Dungeon exploring is don't get bogged down. If something hears you they'll attack you, whether they be feral or Undying, and any noise they make might attract others. The last thing you want to happen is for a fight to last so long it attracts the attention of half the forest. That means the most important thing to do is to stay quiet and to stay stealthy. Do you understand me?"
Trim gave a small nod to the Roselia.
"Alright, we're in luck that it's nighttime, most Ferals are asleep, but they can be woken. Best way to make sure they stay asleep is to keep your distance."
Trim gave another nod, seemed like common sense so far.
"Now here's the catch, we still need to be fast about this, you know why?"
Trim gave it a thought, but shook her head no.
"Alright, the reason we still need to be fast about this is because the Undying and the Blighted don't sleep. They're still prowling around. We have to get past this clearing, and while we are, we're going to be very visible. So we need to be fast to limit our exposure, make it back into the trees where we'll be harder to see. That means on the count of three, we're going to quietly, but quickly run across this clearing. You understand me."
Trim gave a silent nod. She understood.
"Alright, one, two, three!" and with that the two took off. Roselia being surprisingly light-footed, and the Shuppet floating behind them quietly. They ran through the middle, taking the shortest path to the other side. When they reached the other side of the clearing they ducked behind a tree. The Roselia peeked out, but saw nothing new.
"Alright looks like nothing saw us. Just so you know, if you see an Undying or a Blighted chasing you, just run away, don't try to fight it. Understood?"
"I understand," Trim replied quietly, she wasn't even certain if she was strong enough to take on an Undying, let alone a Blighted, right now.
"Good."
The two continued along the forest, staying close to the ground, trying to limit their sound. They saw a few Undying prowling about. They even saw a Blighted, with the telltale yellow crisscrossing fungus that covered their bodies. But none gave them much mind, the cloak of night giving the duo plenty of hiding space.
Eventually they reached the edge of the forest. The iconic distortion, hard to see except for those who were already looking for it, twisted in between two trees. Beyond it the two could see the faint shimmering of the exit. It looked like a transparent mirage, flickering there, showing some hills.
"Is that the exit?" Trim wondered.
"Yeah that's the exit, you gotta go through that portal to get out."
"Wait really?"
"Yeah Mystery Dungeons go on forever, it's why Ferals never accidently wander out. Technically this forest is infinite, the only way out is through one of the exits, like the one you see in front of you."
"So if I were to ignore this exit and keep going by, I'd never leave this forest?"
"Yes. You'd run into another exit eventually, so don't worry too much if you miss the first one."
"That's pretty cool I guess, never been in a Mystery Dungeon before." Trim replied floating towards the exit, then stopped. She didn't hear Roselia shuffling behind her. She turned around, and saw Roselia just standing there unmoving.
"Hey ? Are you alright? Are you coming?"
But the Roselia just stood there. Staring forward. Rooted with indecision.
For hundred of years it was understood by the living, that when they turned into an Undying, they would enter a Mystery Dungeon, and not leave until they eventually became consumed by their Undying state, becoming no more rational than Ferals. With the loss of reason they would become dangerous yes, but it was also much less likely they would accidently wander out. The Mystery Dungeon would keep them imprisoned. Every living understood this. It was practically unheard of that a recent Undying would go into a Mystery Dungeon, and then choose to leave. After all if they turned mindless outside of the Mystery Dungeon, they'd pose a threat to any living Pokemon.
Datura realized he had never told the Shuppet his Undying state. He could leave, and no one who knew would be the wiser. He felt conflicted. On one hand he didn't feel like he wanted to quite give up living his life just yet, after all he hadn't become mindless. On the other hand, he eventually would be, putting any one around him in danger. But then again, this Shuppet was completely lost, she needed his help. But who was to say she wouldn't be just fine on her own, and wouldn't he eventually become a threat himself? Also what would happen if some living Pokemon found him, he would be burned into dust, and who knows what they would do to Shuppet for traveling with him.
The Roselia stood there for a moment. Legitimately unsure what to do. So they thought some more. Maybe they could still do this, maybe he could just take Shuppet to her friends, and then go into another Mystery Dungeon. There was no reason after all he had to be in *this* Mystery Dungeon.
Yeah… that could work. He would just get Shuppet to her friends. Then explain his condition, and go into another Mystery Dungeon. No reason he had to rush this ….
With a small smile, he walked up to the Shuppet, and they left through the portal.
In the shadow of the Mountain Fortress, a Ninetales slinked about carefully. He had been summoned, some urgent development having occurred, but it appears he was too late. The Blighted had gotten here first. Although he had no confirmation of it, he suspected the Dread Lord was behind it. No one else could marshal the Blighted like they could. The walls would have repelled a freak mob of Blighted attacking the Fort.
But that was in the past, He had other things he needed to do. The Blighted had more or less cleared the area, giving him free reign to explore. Everywhere he looked he saw piles of ashes. Almost certainly Blighted that had been successfully destroyed by fire. The lack of other Undying confirmed his worst fears. Whoever had fallen in the attack had probably been infected themselves by the Blight, almost certainly under the Blight Queens sway now. He gave a silent prayer to those who had fallen, soon, if all things went according to plan, they would be liberated from her control.
Regardless he kept pushing forward, looking for any clues of survivors, or more importantly why he had been summoned. The Ninetales padded through empty houses, empty alleyways. Only grey stone buildings and the night sky to keep him company. Eventually he approached the Main Hall. The doors had been cleaved open, no doubt by Blighted trying to get inside. The inside was dark, the torches having been long put out. But it didn't matter, the Ninetales had grown accustomed to moving in the dark. But still he found nothing, so he moved on. He went into the side hallway, and was stopped by a strange sound. It sounded like… groaning! A survivor! The Ninetales leapt down the hall, following the sound. He broke open the door, finding a Skiploom trapped underneath a wooden beam. Using some of his latent psychic powers he lifted the beam off the Skiploom, and deposited with it with a hearty *thud* to the side.
"Thank you…." The Skiploom said weakly.
"What happen-, I mean are you alright?"
"I'm fine…, I just need some time. The Blighted they attacked, one of the teams came in during daylight, one of the Dread Lords scouts must have seen them."
The Ninetales cursed under their breath. That was maybe the first rule of the Death-Seekers, don't come in during the day, the probability you'd be spotted and followed by one of the Blight Queen's spies was just too high in daylight.
"The team… they found the map."
The Ninetales perked up. "The map? The one to the Crystal Chamber?"
"Yeah…."
"Where is it? Tell me!"
"I don't know… it was in a book, I don't know where it is-"
The Ninetales cut them off with a tempest of foul language. The Skiploom was mildly surprised, they'd never seen a Pokemon swear with such ferocity, or with such a diverse vocabulary. Eventually the Ninetales calmed down, and gave a deep breath.
"Sorry you had to hear that, I don't know what came over me."
But the Skiploom was just chuckling. "I don't mind, never thought I'd hear the phrase 'worse than three Magcargos trying to keep an iceberg a float.', best chuckle I've had in a while. But you should know, I did see the team that brought it in before the Blighted swarmed this place. They were heading to Polassands office, something about going south through a Magnagate? I wonder wh-"
But the Skiploom stopped, the Ninetales had bolted off immediately after hearing Magnagate, they could hear them shuffling about in the hallway. They felt a pang of sadness, it was nice having someone to talk too after being stuck under that beam for a day, but the Death-Seekers work never finished. So he understood that Ninetales wanted to get going. Still it's not like the Ninetales couldn't have spared a few minutes….
In another room the Ninetales found what they were looking for. The iconic scorch marks of a Magnagate opening. In the middle he saw the scorched imprint of the cards. The cards had been arranged in a way that it would transport them southwards a fair distance. Using a mental map of the continent in his head he calculated where the gate would've taken them. It appeared as though it would take them close to the coast. He didn't know where exactly, but he had a general approximation where.
With no time to lose the Ninetales speed out, the Skiploom completely forgotten. He had a team to find.
