Chapter 9

Brutal Mentoring

"It's time, children."

Terron opened his eyes just a peek. He was curled up on the floor of his bedroom. Resting nearby was a still slumbering Zekra. The room was dark, as dawn had not come yet. Seeing this, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

"I saw you open your eyes. Get up!"

Terron closed his eyes tighter to ignore the voice. He didn't want to wake up. He wanted a few more hours of sleep, especially since he had gone to bed rather late last night.

"GET YOUR CARASSES OFF THE FLOOR AND WAKE UP BEFORE I SLICE YOUR LIMBS OFF!"

Terron and Zekra woke up instantly in a fright, scrambling to get to their feet as they panicked at the violent yelling. They breathed rapidly as they tried to compose themselves. They no longer felt sleepy, as all of their nerves were rushing with fear.

"Good, seems you two are finally awake," the voice said in a satisfied tone.

The two brought their gaze to the doorway to find King was standing there with a lit candle in his hand and a large backpack strapped onto him where his razors wouldn't slice it open. He looked down upon them, the fiery glow radiating from the candle giving his face an ominous appearance.

It was then that Terron realized exactly what today was and why King was with the two of them; today was the day he would be their guide for their mission.

While Terron started to grow a bit anxious, Zekra scowled and stared at King with a dark expression.

She was still mad about having to be tutored by the Bisharp.

"Why are we up an hour before dawn?" Zekra asked. "No one's awake right now."

"This is the time the rest of Team Valor wakes up for their day," King replied. "And because you are being trained temporarily by a member of that team, you're going to be woken up at that time. That brings me to your first lesson; always wake up earlier than the majority of everyone else. This way, you can get more done in the day and can avoid the mass amount of traffic running through the base. Now, follow me. Leave your bag here since you're not going to need it."

The Bisharp lead the two down the stairs and to the tree that held the Bulletin Board with the various job postings. Terron did his best to keep his composure; on the inside, he didn't feel thrilled about the idea of having the Bisharp bossing them around all day. Hopefully, it wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

Once the three got to the board, King stopped and looked upon the various missions they could choose from. Once he had done that, he glanced back at the two children with him and gestured to the board with his free hand.

"Alright, how do you select the missions you want to do for the day?" King asked them. "What do you two do?"

"Well last time, we just chose it by how close the place was," Terron answered. "And by how familiar the place was compared to another Mystery Dungeon we had been in."

"Another mistake you've made, I see," King said nonchalantly. "Afraid that's not a very wise selection process. While choosing a location can be important, it's more of a preference than being of actual importance. The type of environment and its distance aren't very important for you. What should be the deciding factors in selecting your mission are the reward of the mission and the hazard level."

"Hazard level?" Terron repeated.

"Yes, it means exactly how challenging the mission is," King explained. "It factors in how deadly the feral creatures are, how many floors it may have if it's a Mystery Dungeon, and many more factors. Judging by how you two are, you children are probably suitable for level 'D' missions and below."

"What does level D mean?" Terron asked curiously.

"Amateur level," King answered curtly. "One rank higher than the ultimate amateur level known as 'E'."

Terron frowned hard, but it was Zekra that showed the most spite in her snarl. Her eyes even seemed to glow a brighter blue while a pink light rippled through her fur.

"Don't bother to defend your pride," the Bisharp remarked. "Even if you are more skilled than other children, you are still weak among the Fellowship members who have had training for years, some even decades. Compared to them, you two are amateurs. Do not deny it. I refuse to sugarcoat the truth about your skills."

Zekra's illusion light only seemed to intensify, but she held herself back from saying anything. All that came out of her mouth were frustrated growls.

"Moving onto the actual assignments," King then said, ignoring Zekra's rage.

He resumed his focus to the board and made Terron and Zekra do the same. Despite the fact that there weren't any beams of sunlight to offer light, the candle in King's grasp offered enough light. It was the bare minimal amount to see the footprint runes etched along the various papers, but the writing could at least be seen.

"What kind of assignments have you seen before and now?" King asked the two.

"Rescue missions for Pokémon who got lost, getting items for Pokémon who lost things, and some escort missions." Terron answered. "That looked like all there was from what I remember."

"Yes, and there are others as well that are just as simplistic in what to do," the Bisharp stated. "Like the one I have selected for you two last night."

He put his candle in the other hand to show that he had a piece of paper folded neatly in his hand; he had held onto it while holding the candle. King carefully unfolded the paper before laying it out on the ground for the two to see. Terron looked over at Zekra, waiting to see what she would say about the assignment since he couldn't understand any of it.

"Delivery assignment…" Zekra said lowly, though confusion was apparent in her voice.

"Delivery?" Terron asked. "What are we delivering?"

"As you personally know, the Fellowship needs to gather information about the Plagued Ones no matter where it may be or who gives it to us. Sometimes, no matter the cost as well." King explained. "There are some creatures who have knowledge of such that we need. Sometimes they simply come here after a request from us or they come to us naturally to share the information. However… there are some creatures who are willing to give us information, but they are criminals, like this one on the mission from what I can assume."

"Wait, what?!" Terron cried. "Criminals?!"

"Yes," King said with indifference. "And most of the time, we talk to these criminals after they have escaped from prison. We have to meet up with them at rendezvous points so they won't get caught by authorities, most commonly Mystery Dungeons. However, we also have to pay them to make them talk most of the time. Usually, their payment is something illegal-"

"Wait, so you're saying that we cooperate with Pokémon who have broken the law to get information…" Terron interrupted, trying to get all of this shocking news verified. "And not only do we not arrest them and let them go free, but we PAY them with something off the Black Market?! WHY?!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," King answered firmly. "But, we only do so because we have an urgent mission to fulfill. We do the wrong thing for the right reasons."

"But we're letting criminals free, and paying them with illegal stuff!" Terron exclaimed. "You expect me to learn to accept that?!"

"Yes, I do," King answered with a frown. "Otherwise you'll never fit into the Fellowship. So deal with it."

Terron started mumbling to himself, fuming with disgust at the revelation. Zekra didn't seem to care about the revelation, probably because she was more occupied with other thoughts.

King took the mission assignment from off the floor and held it up in front of himself.

"This mission takes place in a Mystery Dungeon known as the Jolton Cave," King said. "It says 'Deliver requested Thunderstone to a Raichu and his unnamed friend on floor B11 of the Jolton Cave Mystery Dungeon in exchange for information regarding the Plagued Ones. Ask any member of Team Valor for the item. Do not display item in public. Hazard Level: D'. Yes, just as I thought, he's a criminal since he's in a Mystery Dungeon. And he wants something off the Black Market to add. Now, according to the research I've done on this place, there are a wide variety of rock, steel, and electric creatures and a few of the ground typing as well. That's your next lesson; always research the place you're going to visit. It'll save you from fear and anxiety since you'll know what to expect. Unless of course you're going on a mission where you have to go explore an uncharted location. In that case, simply use logic."

Terron and Zekra silently nodded, too caught up in their own emotions to actually answer.

"Good. Now, even though I've already packed our supplies for the trip as well as the item request, I'm going to show you where to get those supplies." King said. "Even if you don't have any supplies yet. However, we'll get breakfast first since it's always a good idea to start your day with a healthy meal. We'll also get you a weapon, Cubone child. You're basically defenseless without that at this point."

Terron didn't know how to respond to that. Instead, he and Zekra silently followed King to the mess hall.

After half an hour of eating, the three finished their meals and headed into another area of town. During that time, Zekra and Terron had managed to cool down enough so that they were speaking again. They weren't exactly happy to be with King, but they had managed to develop a type of tolerance. After all, if they were going to spend most of the day with him, they had to learn how to put up with the Bisharp's attitude.

"So, why are Thunderstones on the Black Market?" Zekra asked. "Are they illegal or something?"

"Not exactly," King answered. "The Thunderstones, as well as the other evolutionary stones such as the Fire and Dusk stones, are running scarce. Evolution such as what we can accomplish when we reach certain requirements, still happen, whatever those requirements may be. However, those that require the stones to give them the power necessary to evolve aren't so lucky. I can only imagine that nature simply hasn't been able to forge enough to keep up with creatures' demands, but nonetheless, there aren't enough for everyone. Due to that, they're not allowed to be sold legally because of the stealing of such stones are all too frequent. So, the stones go to the Black Market since there are no rules against such. They're also sold there because if you try to steal one from the Black Market, you will be brutally beaten or killed rather than get arrested in a legal market. There are no rules against doing that to shoplifters in the world of the underground market."

"But how do you guys afford to get them?" Zekra wondered. "Surely you Pokémon aren't that rich. Do you get them from somewhere else too?"

"Oh yes we do," King answered in a dark tone. "We get them in places and ways besides the market that I won't explain to you. Though, I have no doubts that you'll be discovering that for yourself."

"Ummm, okay," Zekra said unsurely.

The three made their way into the section of town that was known for having more shops than anywhere else. Dawn had just come upon them and allowed the group to see more clearly. There were a few Pokémon walking around to perhaps take care of errands, but most of the shops weren't open. The once lit torches hung on the sides of the buildings were now dying with only a few embers burning and a thin stream of smoke exiting the burnt wood. It was apparent that not too many more Pokémon were going to wake up anytime soon despite the signs of morning.

The group eventually made their way over to one shop that appeared to be open. However, it was hard to say since the shop didn't exactly have much of an appearance. There was simply a counter with a sign on it and then behind that counter, a giant hole that lead deep underground. Even with the sun out, Terron couldn't see past the darkness of the hole. He couldn't tell how deep it was or what was in there.

"Why'd you bring us to a giant hole in the ground?" Terron asked.

"To show you where to go when you actually get funds and where to store them," King answered. "This is the bank."

"This is a bank?!" Terron cried. "How?"

"Why hello there!" a friendly voice greeted.

A Sandslash popped out of the hole Terron had been staring at. He immediately jumped back in surprise and toppled over, causing the Sandslash to laugh as it came up to the counter to speak with the three.

"Sorry about that," the Sandslash said as he tried to compose himself. "It's just so funny watching Pokémon coming here for the first time and seeing their faces when I appear."

"Yeah…" Terron muttered as he got to his feet.

"This is Roark," King explained. "He runs the bank here. He and many more Sandslash have an underground network where they store your funds for you and thanks to the network, you can also withdraw or deposit your Poké at any city in Shiron. They always know which amount of Poké is yours somehow."

"Well not every city," Roark corrected. "There's some we don't cover. And then of course there are the islands surrounding Shiron that we can't get to since it's in the ocean. Can't make tunnels through water! But who do you have with you today, King? Never seen their faces before."

"These children are new recruits to the Fellowship," King replied. "I decided to show them the necessary preparations needed for the days as well as how to survive in the dungeons."

"Oh, helping out the children are you? That's a new thing for you," Roark said with a smile. "You never seemed to care when the other recruits who were much older than these two would have difficulty."

"It's to make sure these two don't screw up again," King insisted with a scoff. "It's the very basics I'm teaching. I'm not going to teach them how to take out Dialga or anything like that. I'm turning these two into decent Fellowship members… even if they'll have the bare minimal standards for decent members when I'm done with them for the day."

"Whatever you say, King," the Sandslash said with a shrug. "So I'm guessing you want me to open up an account for them?"

"They don't have funds yet," King explained as he glanced down at the two for a second. "I'm simply showing them the place. However, later today an account will have to be opened. After today's mission, that is."

"Oh, I see," Roark said with a nod. "Alright. I'll be waiting for you three then! And what might your names be, children?"

"I'm Zekra," Zekra introduced with a small smile.

"And I'm Terron," Terron added. "Nice to meet you, Roark."

"Nice to meet you as well," the Sandslash beamed before looking at Terron curiously. "And what kind of Pokémon are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Terron let out a quiet sigh.

"Cubone," he replied.

"Hmmm I see," Roark said with a nod. "Okay then. Just curious. I look forward to seeing you two again later today though. Have fun on your mission!"

Roark then crawled back into his hole and disappeared out of sight.

"Alright, two more places left to show you," King said to the children. "This way."

The three walked down the street for a few more minutes in silence until they eventually came to a stop in front of another store. Unlike the bank though, this one was stood out much more by having the shape and appearance of an Ampharos head. Where the mouth should have been on the head, there was an entrance. However, the doors were shut tight and a sign on the front showed that the business was closed.

"This is the Storage Center," King explained. "Here you can store your possessions and they'll make sure that it's kept safe. You can also withdraw any items that are yours. As you can see though, it's closed. This place won't open until mid-morning. That is why I recommend that on the day before your mission, you come here and gather your supplies while this place isn't crowded. The same goes for what time you should select your mission assignment, as well as the last place I'd like the show you."

King began walking without telling the two, causing Terron and Zekra to quickly follow after the Bisharp. They all went further into town until they came to another section of town quite a ways from the Storage and Bank. Here, Terron and Zekra saw that this area was dedicated to many different kinds of shops. There were buildings modeled after Pokémon as usual, and then there were small booths that sold many mysterious items. Just like with the Storage Center though, nobody was open. All of the stands and buildings were vacant of their workers.

"This is the market place," King stated. "Surrounding you are many merchants who all sell different goods. Depending on what you want, you'll have to decide which you'll buy from. However, I recommend the Kecleon Market for most of your purchases since they're purposely set up to sell items for dungeon crawling. Of course, still look at the others. They might have something you may find useful. Like for you Cubone child, a skull helmet."

"They sell those here?" Terron asked in surprise.

"Perhaps," the Bisharp said. "But either way, I recommend you get one of those soon. Cubone and Marowak prize their helmets because it gives them a strong, offensive edge in battle as well as defensive. I've seen a Marowak once smash its head into solid diamond and shatter the jewel into pieces, yet the Marowak wasn't fazed at all. I've also heard that the helmets serve as efficient lightning rods and can protect others from the crippling power of electricity. The helmets of your kind are valuable tools in battle. Do not hesitate to get one as soon as possible."

Terron nodded slowly. Secretly, he had wanted a helmet ever since he came to Aurora Town. Pokémon were always staring at him oddly because they didn't recognize exactly what he was. It was a pain having to deal with that. Having this helmet would change that problem and not only that, but it would make him stronger. Terron could see himself ramming his head into a giant stone and obliterating it without a single scratch on him.

A wave of excitement overcame him, though he wasn't sure whether it was coming from him or the inner Cubone within him.

"I'll keep my eyes out," Terron assured. "Hopefully it's affordable."

"Good," King said in a pleased tone. "Now, I've finished showing you all of the places you need to visit before going on a mission. Now what time should you be visiting these places again?"

"The day before we go on the actual mission," Zekra answered. "What time do these places close though?"

"Typically three hours after sunset," the Bisharp replied. "However, most of your missions shouldn't last until that time if you leave now each day. You should have your mission over by the afternoon."

"Alright, got it," Zekra said.

"I've finished showing your preparations. It's time to go on the mission." King declared before pulling out a map from his backpack. "Jolton Cave is our destination. Point it out for me on this map."

He lowered the map to the ground and watched as Zekra began browsing through all of the writing as she put her paw on Aurora Town. After a minute of searching, Zekra put her paw over a small cave illustration. Terron noticed that this location was actually quite far from Aurora Town when compared to Overgrowth Jungle. It was north of Aurora Town.

"Here it is," Zekra replied. "It's… kinda far away though."

"No, far away is going to the East coast of Shiron when we reside in the West coast segment of the land," King argued. "Though, the East coast is being taken care of by the Oracion Village Fellowship while we only manage the West coast area anyway. So we don't have to worry about that. Anyway, getting to this dungeon will hardly take any time at all."

"But if we have to walk, it'll take days!" Zekra complained.

"I'll have you know that there actually is another way to get to your missions." the Bisharp stated with a scoff. "I can't believe you don't actually know about it. Everybody in the Fellowship knows. Everybody in every Fellowship knows."

Zekra's tolerance gave way to her exasperation. Her eyes glared in complete frustration.

"We've barely been in the Fellowship for a few days!" Zekra cried. "How could we ever know that there was another way to get to Mystery Dungeons?! And you haven't even told us what it is!"

The Bisharp let out a sigh.

"I suppose I'll let you get away with an excuse like that," King said.

King's reaction caught Zekra off guard. She immediately calmed down and looked at King in confusion.

"Your lack of knowledge on this particular circumstance is justified," King continued. "Allow me to show you the true way to get to your mission destinations."

King led the two out of the market place. As more Pokémon began to roam about the streets, the group went to toward the outskirts of town. Eventually, they stopped in front of a strange building. It had the structure of a Drifblim and it towered high above the three. As Terron looked up at the top, he noticed strange Pokémon drifting out of the building. He couldn't tell what the Pokémon were since they were so high in the air, but they seemed to be balloon-like.

The Fellowship members went inside the building to find that this place was filled with several strange Pokémon. Dozens of the strange, balloon-like Pokémon floated in the air around in the massive room, some talking to one another while others were having meals. A few even flew up toward the roof and disappeared from view. It was then that Terron realized this building didn't have a ceiling, which is how the Pokémon were easily able to depart from here. The morning light shined through the nonexistent roof and into the room.

"Oh, those who wish for our service are here!"

It was then that one of the large balloon Pokémon made its way to the trio. It stopped in front of them and seemed to smile despite not having much of a mouth.

"Children, this is the Drifblim Transportation," King said. "These Pokémon are known as Drifblim, though a few Drifloon also reside here. They offer air travel to the town for a price, but Fellowship members are given free offers. They are what allow us to get to our destinations so quickly."

"Wait, we're going to fly to Jolton Cave?!" Zekra said eagerly. "How do you do that? I mean, we're not too heavy are we?"

"No, you're plenty light," the Drifblim before her assured. "We Drifblim are known for being able to carry heavy weights across the land. However, sometimes we have to have more than one Drifblim to do so or some Drifloon. But no, you are quite alright. You'll be easy to transport."

"Alright, cool!" Zekra said ecstatically. "I've never really been able to enjoy flying before! This'll be fun!"

"We'd like you and your other fellow Drifblim to take us to Jolton Cave," King explained to the Drifblim as he took out the map. "It's right here."

"Hmmm, alright, I'm sure we can manage that," the Drifblim said with a nod. "Alright, come with me. We'll send you off right now. That way, you can get there within a couple of hours or less."

Zekra excitedly followed after the Drifblim as the thought of flying made her ecstatic, but Terron didn't feel the same. He could remember how when he was human, there were airplanes for air travel. He had never been scared of flying in airplanes, but flying with these Drifblim seemed very different. He couldn't help but wonder how they were supposed to carry him. Yes, they were quite a bit bigger than him, but that didn't explain much. More importantly though, he worried they might drop him by accident.

He didn't want to think what would happen if that were to occur.

"Come on, Terron!" Zekra called.

Terron quickly got out of his thoughts before discarding them. He'd have to just see what was going to happen with these Drifblim. There was no point hesitating. He had a mission to do today.

The Cubone went over to join the rest of his teammates by a small sign that resembled a Drifloon head, only lacking the face. The three stood there and waited until the Drifblim they spoke with earlier came back with two other Drifblim minutes later.

"May we see your Fellowship brands?" the original Drifblim asked.

Nodding, Terron and Zekra held out their paws to show the marks engraved in their flesh. King held out his hand as well, though unlike the children's markings, his had a special symbol within the normal marking that Terron remembered seeing only on Len and Éclair. He assumed that this marking was to show that they were the leaders of their particular Fellowship organization.

The Drifblim seemed satisfied with the verification.

"Thank you. Now, we'll send you off," the ghost Pokémon said. "Don't be frightened when we carry you. It's not exactly pleasant for us or you. But otherwise, have fun!"

The two Drifblim behind the one speaking to the Fellowship members made their way up to the children. Terron watched as one of them came to him and looked upon him for a brief moment. It took its two front, streamer-like hands before holding them together so that its interlocked hands and arms managed to resemble a swing. Terron stared at the newly formed seat curiously, starting to see how he was going to be flying.

"Don't worry. You won't fly off," the Drifblim assured. "We fly very gently. The wind won't push you off. Sit in my arms."

Cautiously, Terron did so and sat down on the intertwined hands. Despite the Drifblim being a ghost Pokémon, the arms were quite solid and Terron found he didn't phase through. He glanced over to find Zekra was also resting in the hands of a Drifblim, though laying on her stomach since she found that more comfortable. Much unlike Terron, she seemed quite excited and couldn't wait to get up in the air. The Cubone then looked up at his Drifblim with an anxious expression. He dreaded when he could no longer feel the ground with his feet.

Suddenly, Terron felt air beneath his feet.

He looked down to find that he was slowly being lifted into the air by the Drifblim and was starting to exit the building. Startled, Terron quickly grabbed the sides of the Drifblim's arms with his hands and watched as his altitude increased. Aurora Town grew smaller, though much more slowly than Terron would have thought.

The many buildings were visible and clearly distinct for several minutes as he went higher into the sky. There was no weight holding him down as he was carried.

Despite the slow ascent, Terron still felt uneasy. He still feared that he would slip out of the Drifblim's thin arms and fall to his death.

Being off the ground felt very unnatural.

Terron shifted around uncomfortably in his seat as he tightened his grip around the Drifblim arms.

"Don't worry, little Cubone," the Drifblim spoke gently. "I understand that since you're so used to the ground, you grow uneasy when you leave it. But it's only temporary. You're safe in the sky here. Just look at your friend."

Terron looked over to his side to find Zekra being carried around as well and looking around at everything in sight with wide, bright eyes.

She seemed so happy and excited, the exact opposite of how Terron felt.

"See? She's enjoying herself," the Drifblim said. "So try to relax. I won't let you fall. We won't be traveling very fast either, so you won't feel like you're being pushed off."

Terron took a deep breath as he saw the town start to leave their view.

"I'll try," he said unsurely.

Terron eased up and sat more comfortably as he watched the town slowly fade away into a blurry image of various colors.

Calm slowly came over Terron, releasing him from his worries.

Once the town disappeared, he looked forward and watched the landscape of Shiron pass by him.

To anyone, these views would have been breathtaking.

But to Terron, all he could think about was what the ground was like in those landscapes.

An hour and a half later, Terron noticed that the Drifblim he was riding with was beginning to descend. Curiously as to why, he gazed downward into the land below. He could see the vague shape of what looked like a large stone or perhaps a small hill. However, as he grew closer to the ground, Terron could see that this land formation had a large, gaping crater in it. He couldn't see what was within the crater due to the intense darkness within, but Terron was quickly able to figure out exactly what he was looking at.

Jolton Cave.

Terron felt a rush of excitement overcome him.

The Drifblim slowly brought Terron toward the Mystery Dungeon until they managed to reach the ground five minutes later. Once the land was easily accessible, Terron immediately jumped out of the Drifblim's hands and started feeling the ground.

It felt so wonderful being able to touch the ground again.

He never thought land could give him such a happy feeling.

Terron was about to roll around in the dirt from such glee, but he then remembered someone was with him.

He turned around to face the ghost Pokémon.

"Thanks for bringing us," he said. "You saved us a lot of time and walking. The view was nice too."

"You're welcome," the Drifblim beamed. "See, flying wasn't so bad."

"I suppose," Terron shrugged. "I didn't feel scared at least…"

"Good, good," the Drifblim said happily. "Now, we'll be waiting for you on the other side of the Mystery Dungeon. That way, we can take you back to Aurora Town just as quickly."

The Drifblim drifted away into the wind and slowly disappeared out of sight. Terron saw Zekra getting dropped off by her own Drifblim before it too floated away. Zekra waved goodbye to the Pokémon before coming over to Terron. A large smile was apparent on her face.

"That was pretty fun!" Zekra said happily. "I can't wait to do that every day! I never knew how peaceful it was to fly!"

"It was okay," Terron said casually. "It wasn't scary, but I still prefer the ground when it comes to travel. But I guess I'll have to manage if we want to save time."

"So, you were scared!" Zekra proclaimed.

"No!" Terron cried. "I just really wanted to be on the ground again! I mean, the flying was fun, but it was like I craved to be on the ground again or something… like I needed it."

"So you're scared of heights?" Zekra asked.

"No! It feels like how you might need candy!" Terron tried to explain. "Like I don't need it, but it bugs me like it is a necessity and… just forget it actually."

He shook his head before he looked out toward the cave. The cave made of gray stone that strangely had small shards of blue crystal embedded into its surface. Though the crystals were small, Terron could see them occasionally letting out sparks as though they were electrically charged. However, he had no idea why that would be so. Nothing seemed to have electricity around the vicinity.

It was then that Terron noticed a third figure descending to where he was. It was King being carried by his arms since he was too tall to be carried in the same fashion as Terron and Zekra. Also, unlike the two children, King was being carried by two Drifblim, each one holding his arms as they drifted.

The duo gently set King to the ground and released their grip on him. They flew away without another word and went to go join the other Drifblim. King watched the ghost Pokémon fly away for a minute before bringing his attention to Terron and Zekra.

"We managed to come here at mid-morning when everyone else will be getting prepared for their day." King stated. "You can see the advantage you have now. You'll be done with your day much sooner than everyone else."

"Are we allowed to do whatever we want after we do a mission?" Zekra asked.

"Most of the time, yes," King replied. "That time is yours to spend on whatever you want. However, you have to gain that time in order to use it."

The Bisharp glanced over in the direction of the cave. He started to walk toward it and Terron and Zekra were quick to follow behind him. The three continued to walk until they stopped right in front of the entrance. Nothing was visible except for an endless amount of darkness that seemed to make up the entire interior of the cave. Seeing this made Terron's heart fill with fear.

How would they know where to go if the entire cave was black?

"We're about to enter the Mystery Dungeon, children," King said gravely. "Are you prepared to face whatever lies within the dark depths of this warped and corrupted cave?"

"Yeah," Zekra said with a nod.

"Me too," Terron chimed in even though he wasn't feeling very brave.

"Good. Always be prepared," King stated.

The three went forward, not turning back, as they disappeared into the bowels of the Mystery Dungeon.

Jolton Cave B1

Terron couldn't see anything around him. Everything was black. He could hear the sounds of his comrades' footsteps walking besides him as well as the echoes, but he still couldn't tell where he was. Terron knew he was somewhere inside of the cave, probably close to the entrance, but knowing that didn't help. He tried to feel for the walls, but his hands couldn't find any.

"How are we supposed to get through here if we can't see?" Terron asked.

"That's your first lesson about cave or even mountain exploration," King's voice said calmly. "You'll need something to light up the darkness or you'll never find your way out. Sometimes, you'll have a fire Pokémon with you and they may serve as your light. However, when you don't, you'll need an artificial source of illumination…"

There were sounds of someone going through the backpack. After moments had passed, the shuffling stopped and something could be heard clanging against the other items in the bag.

A quick flash of light went off, and for just a second, Terron could see everyone around him and the cave that he stood in. The black faded back in once that second had passed and the darkness surrounded Terron once again.

"Worthless Light ball," King's voice muttered. "Always takes these things a moment to function properly."

Once again, a bright light filled the corridor the team was in. This time though, the light didn't die. It stayed without a flicker of weakness, though the lighting was quite dim and barely made visibility better. However, all of the rooms were at the very least seeable and because of that, Terron could see what the interior of the cave looked like. The stones that made up the walls were a cold gray and the floor the same as so. A few blue crystals similar to the ones outside protruded out of the walls, though these ones didn't seem to be generating electricity. The corridor he stood in went down a long ways, and leading to several rooms from how it looked from where he was. It was quite different than the forests and jungles.

Terron looked toward King and Zekra to find exactly what was generating the light. In King's hands was a sphere of golden yellow. It appeared to be made of glass, but it somehow seemed much sturdier. Within the sphere was an eternal stream of electricity, dancing around within its small prison without ever breaking the sphere. Crackling noises filled the air as the bolt hit the interior of the orb.

Terron's eyes grew in fascination.

"What's that?" he asked in awe.

"This is a Light ball," King answered matter-of-factly. "They are items typically used by Pikachu to become stronger. It doesn't work for other creatures strangely enough nor does anyone know why they only work for Pikachu, but they do have one use that many dungeon explorers find quite useful; their light. When you activate a Light ball, it gives off a light that with a wide radius. The light is dim of course as you can see, but it's still sufficient enough. They are incredibly sturdy and won't shatter easily. Their light will never die until you command it to deactivate and it can be used countless times afterwards."

"I'll have to get one of those sometime," Terron said, though mostly to himself.

"Now the issues of light have been resolved and discussed," King stated. "Time to navigate through this dungeon."

King went forward, causing Terron and Zekra to follow after him. They passed by several rooms and, through the lighting, they could see wild Pokémon sleeping within. Zubat hung from the ceiling with their wings wrapped around their bodies, tiny Aron slept in groups, and even a single Onix could be seen. It was a wonder why these Pokémon never woke up, but perhaps it was due to the dim lighting that didn't seem so bothersome.

"Do you know why Mystery Dungeons exist?" King asked the children.

"Ummm, no." Zekra replied. "I know that they're just regular places taken over by some sort of curse or something like that. That's all I know though. Why? Is there a reason why?"

"No one knows," King answered. "However, I speculate that it's due to some anomaly. They've only appeared within the past fifty years… when the Plagued Ones began to appear."

"You think that the Plagued Ones are causing the Mystery Dungeons?" Zekra asked curiously.

"No, I don't think those creatures themselves are purposefully causing the anomaly," King replied. "However, I believe their presence in the region may have something to do with it. They're not ordinary creatures. There's something wrong with them… and we still don't know what they are exactly. We don't even know if they're really Pokémon. They could simply be another kind of creature that take on the forms of Pokémon for whatever reason. Yet, their existence may mesh with environments and warp them into places like this before long. Perhaps… they truly are a disease as we named them after."

Before Zekra could respond, the ground beneath them began to rumble. The three stopped in their places as the rumbling grew more violent and loud.

"It seems a feral doesn't like us being here," King said. "Prepare yourselves."

Zekra crouched down as if ready to pounce while Terron simply held back his weapon and prepared to throw it. He peered into the distance to see if he could spot his enemy. At first, he couldn't see what was attacking him. The shaking ground grew more intense as if to warn that the enemy was nearby, but Terron couldn't see them.

However, it was then that he caught sight of something moving toward him. The ground was literally being upheaved as if something was right below the surface and tunneling toward him rapidly. He readied his club and prepared to strike the enemy as soon as it showed its face.

The rocks suddenly stopped being lifted. The rumbling continued, but Terron couldn't tell where the feral had gone. It had simply vanished.

The ground directly behind Zekra suddenly caved in as a rodent-like creature sprung out of the newly created hole. Its body spun rapidly as it rammed into the Zorua and knocked her to the ground. Terron quickly brought his attention to the attacker only to find it bury back into the floor with ease despite the how thick the ground was. Zekra got to her feet, but she seemed to be listening to the ground as the rumbling continued.

Terron heard the ground give away not even a second later and quickly turned around to counter the attack in case it would attack him. Sure enough, the feral jumped at him from behind with its claws stretched out to slash him. Terron took his weapon and smashed it into the rodent's side. Though he had managed to slam the Pokémon against the wall, the rodent's attack had still connected with his arm and left three deep streaks.

He clutched his arm to stop the bleeding, but didn't let himself get distracted. Even if he couldn't move his arm without being in pain, he couldn't let the feral have another opportunity to make his other arm useless. Terron looked at the feral to find it was already beginning to recover and launch another attack.

Before it could though, Zekra was already charging at it. Her body became enveloped in bright pink until it faded away to show that she had changed form. She was now a mirror image of the enemy, except for the tail. She swiped her new-formed claws at the feral, but it was quick to once again retreat underground. Zekra didn't let that stop her though and immediately dived into the hole the wild one had just created.

Terron was about to go in after her, but King stopped him. The Bisharp shook his head.

"Though you may be a creature of the ground like that Sandshrew, you don't know how to navigate the underground properly yet," King stated. "You'll cause more harm to yourself. Stay on the surface."

"Well Zekra isn't any better!" Terron cried.

"She'll be fine," King stated. "Creatures of the dark are masters of the darkness itself. She'll live. She is a Sandshrew now, so she will adapt."

Upon saying that, a Sandshrew burst out of the ground before smacking into the ground. Terron glanced at its tail to see if it was the feral or Zekra.

Before he could, the pink light overcame the Sandshrew and turned Zekra back into a Zorua. Seeing this answered Terron's question however, and he quickly prepared for the other Sandshrew to come out so he could deliver a blow. He tensely waited for the feral to surface and attack any one of the three.

The ground thundered before the Sandshrew flew out of the floor from behind King, its body curled up and swiftly rolling toward the Bisharp. Terron was about to cry out in warning, but King had already reacted before the Cubone could do so. A sharp blade instantly shot out of King's arm before he brought it up against the Sandshrew. Sparks flew as armored hide and steel clashed and for just a moment, the two forces entered a stalemate.

King added more force to his arm and swung it, causing the spinning feral to go flying backwards into a wall. It became indented within the rocky surface and struggled to become free. However, the stones within the wall held firm.

King rushed toward the feral and in a quick instant, he was right in front of the foe. His bladed arm sliced toward the Sandshrew's soft and exposed underbelly.

"AAAHHHHHHH!"

*SLASH!*

Blood sprayed everywhere as the Sandshrew's body was cut in two. The split corpse of the feral fell to the ground as the blood gathered around it, making a small pool of red around King's feet. King stared down at the blood slowly growing around his feet and the corpse of his former enemy. His eyes reflected an eerie calm despite how gruesome the scene was.

King retracted his blade back into his arm before making his way back to the children. His entire front was dotted with blood. Terron's eyes were wide with horror and he began to feel incredibly sick. He had seen Zekra perform brutal actions before, but this was somehow much more gruesome. Terron was starting to cringe when the Bisharp stopped and stood in front of him.

He couldn't hold back the overwhelming feeling of nausea and terror.

"You don't have a very strong stomach, do you, Cubone child?" King asked despite being able to read Terron's expression.

"You just cut a Pokémon in half!" Terron cried. " You slaughtered it! I thought we only had to knock out Pokémon!"

"Feral ones don't have to be killed," King stated. "However, sometimes you'll find that you're too powerful for the Pokémon living in the dungeons you'll explore and end up killing them. Then, of course, there's the fact that having blades as weapons can cause deaths rather easily."

"You don't have to be so brutal, though!" Terron shouted in a sickened way. "I can see that Sandshrew's organs thanks to you!"

"It's not that bad, Terron," Zekra then said.

Terron looked behind him to find Zekra making her way over to him and King. She seemed to have a few marks on her from rubbing up against sharp rocks, but otherwise she seemed uninjured. She looked at the mangled corpse of the Sandshrew with a somewhat odd stare, as if she found the sight strange rather than disgusting.

"Are you serious?! What's wrong with you!?" Terron cried at Zekra.

"Hey! Not my fault you can't handle a little gore!" Zekra retorted.

"That's not a little gore! It's making a puddle under its body! A puddle!" Terron replied in disbelief.

"So? It could be worse!" Zekra insisted. "It could have all of its bones sticking out! Or-"

"Both you, silence!" King shouted in a demanding voice.

The two children instantly grew quiet as they looked toward the Bisharp. The intimidating stare he gave Terron and Zekra made them forget that they had been shouting at one another. They were paralyzed in anxiety now.

"I don't have time to be breaking up petty little arguments," King said in agitation. "If you want to do that, do it once we finish the mission. Otherwise, get along or else I'll make you! Understand?"

Slowly, Terron and Zekra nodded their heads in understanding.

"Good," King said with a hiss in his voice. "Now eat this, Cubone child. You will heal faster and your arm will recover in very little time."

King then tossed an Oran berry at Terron. The Cubone caught it with his uninjured arm. He stuffed the whole fruit in his mouth and chewed it. As he swallowed it, Terron could already feel his arm starting to patch itself up.

"Now, let's go. We need to find the stairs to the next floor," King then said.

King went forward down the tunnel, and after a moment of recovery, so did Terron and Zekra. The three of them walked for some time without running into any resistance when they entered a room. The room was rather large and devoid of Pokémon for the most part, but there was something interesting in this room. In the middle of the room was what appeared to be a giant hole in the floor. The group made their way to the strange sight before stopping in front of it.

There was actually a white staircase that descended into the hole, but Terron couldn't tell how far the staircase went down.

"Whenever you explore a Mystery Dungeon, your goal is to get to the next floor or area," King explained. "It's the only way to escape these places. It's different for every kind of environment a Mystery Dungeon corrupts, but for most, it's a staircase. For caves, you'll have to go into the depths of the dungeon while in other environments that may resemble a tower, you'll have to go up a staircase. Every environment is different. Be sure to know how you can get out."

Without another word, King began to descend down the steps and into the darkness. Terron and Zekra followed.