Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here. Sorry it's been a while; I have been...busy. As I am currently hiding from my mate during this time, I regret to say updates may be infrequent at best. If I do not update this story each week, I promise I will double-update the following week, like I am now! So, here's the first chapter in this update; enjoy!

We did not fall far before we both land on all fours at the bottom (I'm surprised I did; must be the cat in me). I look up, hoping to see back outside, but a solid ceiling hangs over me with no sign of our previous entrance. Guess we are trapped here until we reach the end, I think. The air is perfectly still, but I can still faintly detect the sweet smell from earlier. Other scents catch my attention as well: one that's like the one I'm tracking, a wind scent like Ms. Butterfree's, and a scent like fresh-cut grass. Those must be the native Pokémon Sparky mentioned, I think.

"Are you sure this will work?" Sparky commented behind me. "The dungeons are always random; there should be no way you can follow a 'scent' through them!"

"Trust me," I reply. "I can still smell it, so if I follow it, we're good." I pick myself up and start walking down the passage ahead, twisting and turning as I follow the trail. I can hear Sparky behind me, though I can tell he's skeptical. Sure enough, we easily reach the stairs without running into any Pokémon.

"This…this shouldn't be possible," he stammers, looking at me in surprise and…admiration? I'm still staring at the stairs, trying to figure out why a 'meadow' has stairs. He notices my confusion, but shrugs it off. "It's common in mystery dungeons; don't worry about it. Not even the brightest minds in our world can figure it out." I nod and carefully walk down the steps, trying not to stumble down them.

On the next floor, the native Pokémon scents seemed heavier, but the trail was still fresh, so I resumed the lead. After a moment, I heard Sparky quip, "You know, you seem able to walk, for an Eevee who claims she's human." I look down in surprise to see he's right: I'm trotting along without any problem at all. Of course, as soon as I'm aware of it, my feet tangle up in each other and I promptly nosedive into the ground. "Or not…" he mumbles, trying not to laugh.

I pick myself up and give him a glare before turning back to the scent trail. Just concentrate on the scent, and let your body handle itself, I told myself mentally. Though, I promise I will practice by myself once we save Caterpie.

The scent trail continues to lead diligently through the corridors, and within minutes, we reach the stairs again. However, unlike on the previous floor, this stairway is guarded…sort of. Just as we entered the room, an odd pink worm Pokémon woke up and looked at us. It growled at me (though how a worm can growl is beyond me), and charges right at me.

Too stunned to move, it hits me head on and knocks me off my feet. I land uncomfortably on my side, wincing in pain. "Lauren!" I hear Sparky yell, but before I can get up, it hits me again, sending me into the wall. I hear it growl again, and shakily climb to my feet. However, the scent of ozone increases sharply, and I look at Sparky to see his red cheeks sparking dangerously. As the pink worm leaps at me again, a brilliant bolt of lightning meets it in midair, sending it crashing into the far wall. It slumps to the floor, swirls in its eyes before blinking out of existence.

"Y-you killed it," I stammered, staring where the worm used to be.

"No, it's merely knocked out," he replied. "Like us, they get warped away when they faint, but not out of the dungeon. I told you the Pokémon trapped in these dungeons turn feral and attack anyone they meet; why didn't you fight back?"

"I don't know how," I retorted. "I'm human, remember?"

"Well, I guess you better practice here, before we advance any farther," he snaps back. "Here, try attacking me with Tackle; surely you know that move, and it's simple enough to figure out." He braces himself, but I just look at him in confusion. He sighs and instructs, "Just like with walking, your body already knows what to do; trust your instincts and come at me!"

I nod tentatively, and walk forward. Tackle, Tackle, I chant in my head, and suddenly, it's like a button is pressed. I charge forward, leap, and drive my shoulder into Sparky's gut, feeling an odd energy shielding me from the impact. I can't say the same for Sparky: he collapses with a groan, the wind knocked out of him.

"W-wow, n-nice Tackle," he wheezes. "Do you know anything else?"

I concentrate for a moment, and feel that trigger again. Without thinking, I spin around and kick my hind legs up, showering Sparky with sand. Another trigger, and spontaneous clapping echoes around the room. A final trigger pull, and I'm wagging my tail at Sparky in a mocking fashion. Each time, I feel a slight drain of energy, though the sand one feels a little different than the others.

"Sand Attack, Tail Whip, and Helping Hand," he comments, spitting out sand in the process. "Interesting… Maybe I should lead, since I have more damaging moves; if you run out of Tackle, you're a sitting Ducklett."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused and a little offended.

"Each move has a certain amount of energy devoted to it; we call it the PP, or Power Points, of the move. If you use up all the energy, or PP, for a move, you can't use it anymore. If all your PP runs out, any attempts will become a Struggle, which hurts both you and your opponent."

Seeing the sense in that, I nod and start for the stairs, but he puts a paw on my shoulder to stop me. "Hold on for a sec. Let's heal up a little; between the damage you took from the Wurmple, and attacking me, we could both use a pick-me-up." He pulls out a blue berry and breaks it in half. "Here, it's an Oran berry; it'll heal you." I bite into the berry, noticing how sweet it tastes on my sensitive tongue, and marvel as the aches in my body fade away.

We descend to the third floor, and I let Sparky lead the way, giving him directions based on the trail. However, his scent (the ozone smell he seems to naturally give off) muddles the scent trail, and we end up getting lost and fighting more Pokémon. I help when I can, but as he predicted, I soon ran out of Tackles, and could only stand back and support. By the rime we reach the stairs, he's panting hard from all the fights. He turns to me and jokes, "On second thought, when there aren't any Pokémon around, you lead." We both chuckle and walk down the stairs.

At the bottom is a dead-end room, and near the back wall, a green caterpillar is curled up, crying. I look at Spatky, and he nods, so I assume it must be Caterpie. He steps forward and says quietly, "Caterpie? Are you okay?"

He uncurls, looking at us in surprise and fear. I inch forward and say in a soothing voice, "It's all right; we're here to take you back to your mother.

"Y-you know Momma?" he squeaks in a timid voice. We nod, so he gets up and crawls up to us. "I was so scared; I fell into this hole, and the Pokémon attacked me, and…"

"It's all right, we'll get you out of here," Sparky promises. He then speaks in a bold voice, "RESCUE COMPLETE!"

A glowing light appears under our feet, and in a flash, all three of us find ourselves back at the crack in the ground. Ms. Butterfree swoops down and picks up Caterpie in a fierce embrace, crying tears of joy. "Oh, my baby, I was so worried!"

"He's fine, Ms. Butterfree," Sparky consoles her. "He only seems a little shaken up by the experience."

"Thank you so much, you two," she sighs with relief. "Here, I don't have much on me, but I want you to have them." She sets down three berries, one of which I recognize as the same kind Sparky fed me in the dungeon. Then, I notice Caterpie staring at me, with sparkles in his eyes. It's a little awkward, but at the same time gratifying. Ms. Butterfree bids us farewell, and the two of them leave for…wherever they live.

Sparky seems to have the same thought, as he turns to me and asks, "Lauren? Do you have any place to stay; it's getting dark." I shake my head; even if I did before, I don't remember now. "Well, I know of a place nearby. How about we look?" He picks up the berries and starts off without waiting for an answer, so I stumble after him; once again, without my tracking to distract me, I'm uncoordinated on all fours.

Don't I know, Lauren; I was a little unsteady myself starting out. Anyway, stay tuned for the second chapter in this update, to be posted soon.

Please read and review, and may your Ember never fade!