Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here. As promised, here's the next chapter of my Mystery Dungeon adventure. Today, Team Scent will venture through the Thunderwave Cave. Enjoy~!

After walking for a few hours (which I manage fairly well), we arrive at the cave that leads to the dungeon. Hovering outside are two odd hovering objects, each with a single eye and twin magnets for arms. I'm guessing those are Magnemites? I think. Bur they seem to be fine, so are they the ones who sent the mission?

"BZZT! You have come!" one of them says. "Please save our friends! BZZT!" the other pleads.

"Don't worry, we will," Sparky replies; I'm too busy taking their scent so I can track them. If they seemed offended by my actions, they didn't say anything, so I take it as permission. Once I am ready, I nod to Sparky, and we head into the dungeon itself. As the entrance seals behind us, a wave of electric energy sweeps past us, setting my fur on end…literally! I can feel it puffing up around me, turning me into a walking fuzzball. I shake myself once to get rid of the static charge, and glare at Sparky; he's been chuckling the entire time.

I ignore him and take in the scents of the dungeon. Surprisingly, the most immediate scents weren't those I've come to associate with electricity. Oddly, one scent seemed like it was no scent at all! Ignoring it, I concentrate on the Magnemite's scent, and beckon to Sparky to follow. As we move from room to room, I notice Sparky will stop to pick up things off the floor and put it in the bag: things like piles of coins, berries, and even apples.

As he pours another handful (or pawful?) of coins into the bag on my back, I ask, "Sparky, what are you doing? We don't really have time to collect trash."

"It's not trash!" he remarks. "Mystery dungeons will often have items and Poké on the ground, which we can collect and use later; I didn't really pay attention to it before since we couldn't carry it all. But now, we should stock up for future missions."

"Poké?" I ask, confused.

"Poké is the currency around here," he explains. "We can use it to buy items not normally found in dungeons."

"And the berries and apples?" I persist. "Surely it cannot be healthy to pick up food off the ground and eat it!"

He chuckles. "You have got to be kidding. There is nothing wrong with eating these off the floor; here, try it." He holds out an apple he just picked up for me to bite into; I look it over, but it doesn't even look dusty. Hesitant, I take a bite and savor its crispy flavor; like my ears and nose, my tongue is equally enhanced. "See, not a problem, right?" I reluctantly agree, and yet something still seems…wrong.

Unlike in Tiny Woods, the scent trail didn't avoid the wild Pokémon, so we had to fight a lot more. As we climbed the floors, we finally encountered Pokémon of the same scent as Sparky, who tried to launch electricity at us. The key word being 'tried', because it was always drawn right to Sparky, who absorbed it without flinching. After a few times, I grew curious and ask him why, and he simply replies, "Lightningrod."

I tilt my head in confusion before catching myself. Still, he notices and sighs. "It's my ability; every Pokémon has a special ability, and mine draws electric attacks to me and nullifies them."

"What's mine, then?" I ask.

"Most Eevees have Adaptability, which makes moves that match your type stronger…that might be why your Tackle was so strong; it's normal type like you."

"Type?"

He gives me a deadpan look. "Really? It is the core of our power! Every Pokémon has one or two types. For example, I'm an Electric type, while the magnemite we are looking for are Electric and Steel type."

Is that what I'm tracking? I think. Am I tracking Pokémon by their types? "So, am I a normal type?" I ask to clarify.

"Correct," he replies. "And if you DO have Adaptability, any move that utilizes normal-type energy, like Tackle, will get stronger. Unfortunately, moves that do not inflict damage, like Helping Hand, don't get the boost."

With all this new information, we continue onward. Thankfully, after only five floors, we spot the two troubled magnemites floating near the back of the cave. However, as we approach, they send out a huge burst of electricity, more than Sparky can absorb. Some of the sparks dance through my fur, causing my legs to lock up and I fall face-first in front of them.

"Lauren!" Sparky exclaims, rushing to my side. I try to get up, but I couldn't move. "Hold still; you got paralyzed. Here, I brought the Cheri Berry that Ms. Butterfree gave us." He places in my mouth what looks like a pair of cherries, which is probably why it's called that. I manage to bite down and chew it, feeling my limbs unlock and the sparks fade away. He shouts at the magnemites, "What was that for? We're here to help you!"

"Sorry, BZZT," they reply. "We thought you were dungeon Pokémon, BZZT."

"How can you mistake an Eevee in a dungeon like this?" Sparky exclaims. "I'd understand someone like me, but her?"

"We apologize again, BZZT," they reply. "Please get us out of here; we don't like being stuck like this."

"Fine," he grumbles. "Lauren, will you do the honors?"

I nod and hold my badge high, shouting, "MISSION CLEARED!" Unfortunately, the light only encircles me and I teleport out of the dungeon without Sparky or the magnemites! After a moment, Sparky appears with the others in tow and glares at me. "…Oops."

Sparky sighs and tells the clients, who look at me with confusion, "She's new to the whole 'rescuing thing'. Don't blame her." He whispers to me, "You need to be standing NEXT TO the target when you teleport out; otherwise, it only works on you."

"Right, I'll remember that," I reply quietly; thankfully my fur hides my embarrassed blush.

Regardless, the friends reunite, the stuck magnemites come free, and they give us a few items and money in return for saving them. However, we must walk back to my 'house', as the sun sets on this eventful day. Sparky leaves me at the doorstep, and I easily fall asleep on my bed, exhausted.

Once more, I find myself in my multicolored dream, floating in serene bliss. However, a lingering scent of incense and sweets drifts past my nose. 'Is someone here?" I wonder, but my thoughts drift away as I fall into deeper sleep.

And there you go! We get a peek at the truth behind Lauren's ability, as well as her mystery dream visitor. What's going to happen next, I wonder? Find out soon!

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