So, in the last chapter, you were introduced to Team Omega, including Kyuri the Cubone, Soul the Ekans, and Victoria the Turtwig. Team Alpha is on their way to save them, and has already arrived at the hideout. But what of those Abomasnow and Snover, and why did they capture Team Omega?

I own nothing but the storyline and 50% of the OC's. If I owned Pokemon, this would be a real game.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare

Chapter 3: Salvation

Kahrik's POV

I've never been happier to be a Charmander. Just the sight of me made Abomasnow and his team of Snover buckle, fall to their knees and bawl, begging me not to destroy them. I couldn't help but laugh. But, instead of taking my opportunity to be a total dick, I went full-on rescuer mode.

"Just tell me where Team Omega is, and I'll let you leave," I barked in the most intimidating voice I had.

Even Victor shivered. "S-Sure! We'll tell you anything you want! Just don't hurt us!" The Abomasnow pleaded.

"Pathetic. You're big and tough against Pokemon weaker than you, but when it comes to a Pokemon you can't type-trump by any measure of the imagination, you may as well be a Goldeen in a desert." I snarled with contempt, crossing my arms and glaring at the groveling Pokemon. "Now, tell us where you took Team Omega!"

"The grotto! They're in the grotto!" Abomasnow whimpered. The Snover pointed behind him to a small opening between the trees.

It was just big enough for my team to squeeze our way through, but I wasn't sure I trusted the Grass/Ice Pokemon not to seal it up after we went through. "Is there another entrance, or an exit?"

"Not that we know of! Please, just let us go! Don't kill us!" The female Snover cried out, covering her face.

That set me off. How dare these outlaws accuse us of being murderers. I was so mad, I lifted my head and released the biggest Flamethrower I could muster. It widened out of my mouth and shot into the air, turning the snow into boiling rain. "You call us murderers? You are hardly fit to stand in our presence, you filth! Get out of my sight before I get really mad!" They scurried away like the cowards they were. Naturally.

We slipped through the opening and into the Frozen Grotto. The place was crawling with Ice-type Pokemon, so it wasn't a big deal. With me in the lead, we easily carved our way through floor after floor in search of Team Omega. Things didn't get interesting until we got to the halfway point, after resting near a Kangaskhan Rock. That's when we met the ones responsible for Team Omega's capture.

I found myself face to face with a trio of Ice Pokemon, two Beartic flanking a Froslass with black crystals instead of the traditional blue. "You must be Team Alpha," she hissed coolly. The sound of her voice sent a chill down my spine, and for once I found I couldn't speak. "I was warned of your arrival, by my associates. Allow me to introduce myself. Call me Seraph. These are Grunt and Growl, my twin bodyguards. I lead Team Rapture."

Surprisingly, Spirit saved my hide. "B-B-Back off! Let T-T-T-Team Omega go!"

Seraph covered her mouth and chuckled. "So intimidating, for a dragon. Tell me, young Dratini, do you remember your parents?"

Spirit's eyes widened and he cringed. "D-Don't talk about m-m-m-m-my p-parents."

"Oh, yes," she pressed, "your parents. The parents who always told you how useless you are, how weak you are, how you'll never be strong enough to be accepted to any team."

I stepped in front of my partner. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" I roared, balling a fist and holding my arm out to guard Spirit. "You leave him alone!"

The Froslass grinned. "And you, the black Charmander. Your mother, still a Charmeleon when she laid your egg. Your father, who was he? Don't you remember?"

My eyes lowered. I never knew who my father was. Mother always claimed he ran away when he found out she was pregnant. She told me he was a powerful Dragon Pokemon, but she never told me what kind of Pokemon he was. "It doesn't matter," I growled, closing my eyes. "Illegitimate or no, I'm still the best Charmander in the region, and you're going to wish you hadn't challenged me."

"Oh? What are you going to do, Growl me to death?"

I could feel a mysterious power in my chest as I rose my head and glared at her. My vision faded into solid white, and I felt myself getting bigger. The fire inside me seemed to gain power, and begged to ignite the next Flamethrower. After a moment, my vision returned to normal, but clearer. I looked down and saw a light creamy belly in place of the white one I used to have. I looked at my hands. Three golden claws stretched out instead of fingers. My scales were the same jet-black color, but they had a midnight blue tint to them where the light hit them.

In my anger, my power boosted enough to where I evolved into Charmeleon. Triumphantly, I threw back my head and shot out a Flamethrower. To my surprise, rather than the red it used to be, it was blue, like the flames of a shiny Ponyta. When I lowered my head, I snorted, and two short jets of fire spat out of my nostrils.

The Beartic looked frightened, but Seraph yawned. "Impressive. You can evolve, just like any other Pokemon. Now, be a good little lizard and lock yourself in one of those cages."

"Over my dead body," I snarled in a deeper, darker voice than normal. "Let Team Omega free."

"I don't think so. Looks like we'll have to make you get into the cages!" Seraph howled, raising her arms and pointing toward us.

Instantly, the Beartic charged forward, both powering up an Ice Punch. I simply smirked, took a deep breath, and fired a single Flamethrower between the two of them, right to Seraph's gut. It connected and slammed her into the wall with enough force to make blood shoot out of her mouth. By then, the Beartic were almost right in front of me, both ready to slam their frozen fists into my gut.

To my surprise, a Vibrava burst out of the ground, surging forward and tackling the two in the gut. So Victor evolved as well. The twin bears fell back and skid across the ground. Victor smirked and turned to me. "Funny thing: after you evolve, your stomach stops hurting, at least for a while."

I grinned and nodded. "Now, are you going to battle for real, or are we going to have to really thrash you?"

That's when things got serious. Seraph floated up and powered up a Shadow Ball between her hands. The twin Beartic nodded at each other, then powered up two more Ice Punches. I narrowed my eyes and took a deep breath, meditating slightly before getting ready for my secret weapon. This was how our team got to Master Rank at such low levels. We each perfected moves that were the trademark of our species. Victor's Crunch rivaled the jaw-snapping power of a Feraligatr. Spirit had a Dragon Rush that could shatter the exterior of a Steelix. Then, there was me. Flamethrower couldn't do much by itself. I ran out of breath too fast to maintain it much longer than two minutes. But, I had a strange ability. If I concentrated, I could fire two Flamethrowers, not from my mouth, but from my hands, like a Magmortar. I didn't know if it would still work, thanks to evolving, but it was worth a shot. If I could pull this off, I could defeat both Beartic at the same time.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As I exhaled, my hands lit ablaze. I angled my claws up to cage and direct the flame, then lowered my head. Now that my eyebrows jutted out a bit more than my previous form, I could aim more sharply. Using the edge of the brows as a scope, I took aim. Thrusting my hands forward, I unleashed my signature move.

The two Flamethrowers twisted through the air and slammed into the bears, sending them flying back and into the walls of the stone room. When they fell to the ground and didn't move, I drew the conclusion that they were down for the count and returned my attention to Seraph.

Victor was in big trouble. Seraph had him pinned to the wall, frozen solid by her Ice Beam. If he was still conscious, it was a miracle. Now that he was a Vibrava, he was both Dragon and Ground type. Not good. Where was Spirit?

That was when I saw his predicament. He was hit by the Shadow Ball mid-evolution. He was trapped half-way through the transformation, unable to revert to Dratini or continue to Dragonair, too far along to go back and not far enough to get over the hump. He wouldn't be able to do anything until after the battle. It was down to me and Seraph.

"Let's end this," I snarled in the most threatening voice I could muster.

She turned away from Victor to see the look on my face. "Oh. Aren't you cute when you're mad. If you were an Ice Pokemon, I'd want you as a partner, or maybe even a mate."

My stomach flipped when I heard the last word. Mate. "I wouldn't mate with you if the world depended on it," I growled, balling up my fists. "Now taste the flames, you cur!" With that, I shot another pillar of flames at her from my mouth.

The blue flames came out too fast for her to counter. They licked at her serene form, burning away at her soft flesh and throwing her back against the wall. Then, while she was down, I used a smaller Flamethrower to thaw out Victor. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap and groaned. "End it..." he moaned, curling into a ball.

I nudged him quietly. "Don't worry Victor. She's almost finished. Just one-" I realized the error of my actions a little too late. The Shadow Ball slammed into my ribs, and I felt three of them give way, digging into my innards. I snarled and flew across the room, hitting my other side on the stone wall. That didn't feel good.

Victor could barely breathe, let alone move. Spirit was down and out until I could tend to him. Now, I had three broken ribs and two more bruised. The Beartic were down, but I didn't know if I could get enough air in to use another Flamethrower without piercing my lungs on my own bones.

Seraph floated over to me with a grin. "I am going to kill you, Kahrik." How did she know my name? "The prophecy will never be fulfilled." Prophecy? "Your death will end the bloodline of The Great Kehrimohr." Kehrimohr? "With it's end, Team Rapture and Ragnarok will unite, and destroy this world to create our own!"

At the word Ragnarok, I snapped. I didn't care if this killed me. I couldn't let my sworn enemies win. Not without a fight. I forced myself to my feet. No way was this Ice Pokemon going to take me down.

I took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in my lungs and trying to clear my head by thinking of what I knew. My name is Kahrik. My lungs were full, and my bones were scraping the outside of them. I am a level 30 Charmeleon. I opened my mouth as wide as I could. My mother is dead, and I don't know who my father is. The flame formed in the back of my throat. I swore on my life that I would protect the innocent, defend the weak, and uphold the creed. I exhaled a burst of oxygen, igniting the Flamethrower and attacking Seraph one last time before I lost consciousness. No matter the cost.

I don't know what happened after that. I blacked out soon after the attack.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

I was floating in a dark gray room, with thunderclouds for a ceiling. My eyes opened gradually, and I jerked upright, feeling my feet touch the ground. A small bolt of lightning shot from the ceiling to the floor in front of me, and I focused long enough to see a great, golden bird with orange feet and a black back, facing the opposite direction.

"First Articuno, now Zapdos?" I asked myself, walking forward until I was only a yard away from him.

"Yes, now Zapdos," he snipped in response, turning his head. "And I won't be the last to visit you in your dreams. Or, in this case, your unconsciousness."

I crossed my arms. "So what are you going to tell me? Articuno spoke of destiny."

The bird spun around and spread his wings. "Do not disrespect me! I am the Legendary Thunder Bird Zapdos!" I let my arms fall down and stood at attention. He met my reaction with laughter. "Loosen up, kiddo. I'm only joking." He tucked his wings back in and smiled. "I'm here to help you. Lugia sensed that you needed guidance. What troubles you?" he asked.

I got the loving uncle vibe from him. I decided I should start from the top. "What's all this stuff about a prophecy?"

Zapdos frowned. "It is foretold that two Pokemon and their friends, lords of fire and earth, would band together to defeat an ancient evil. These Pokemon would not be like most of their species, nor would they be shiny. They would be unusually colored, and would possess abilities unknown to any Pokemon of their species, courtesy of their sires. Er, fathers, I mean." His gaze drifted off to the ceiling. "Together, their choice would either make, or break, the balance in this world."

"Choice? What choice?" I asked. Had I already made the choice?

"Don't worry, boy. You won't have to make the choice for some time now. I can answer only one other question."

"Who is Kehrimohr?" I inquired, looking at him earnestly. "I need to know."

The thunder bird was silent for a moment. "Kehrimohr is an ancient Dragon of immeasurable wisdom and skill. He was a lone explorer, because he was too scared of his own power. Kehrimohr was so strong that sometimes, he couldn't control himself. Over the years, he gained better control of himself, but still battled solo. He was the best, and the first explorer to reach Master Rank."

I stomped my foot. "But who is he? What kind of Pokemon is Kehrimohr? What does he have to do with me?"

Zapdos lowered his head and backed away. "Kahrik... Kehrimohr... Kehrimohr is-"

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

I was awakened abruptly by a thick Dragonair's tail slamming into my gut. "Wake up, sleepy-head!" Spirit was hovering over me, the bright blue orb on his throat glowing slightly. "You've been out for an hour!"

Groaning, I rolled over on my belly, hugging my upper abdomen. "My ribs..."

"I did my best," Victor said, nudging me with his head. "When I evolved, I learned Heal Pulse. Weird, huh? Normally, Vibrava can't learn Heal Pulse. I think I'll keep it, though. It fixed your broken ribs. Now all that's left is bruises."

I rocked back onto my haunches and got up, looking around. "We won?"

"That last Flamethrower annihilated that Froslass. She and the Beartic ran away after that. As soon as Victor could stand, he ran over to me and used Heal Pulse to break me out of my frozen state. Then, I finished evolving," Spirit replied with a smile.

"Wait, you lost your stutter!" I gasped, staring at the Dragonair.

"Cool, huh? I can totally go after chicks now!" Spirit laughed, curling around me gently. "Glad to have you back, man." He slithered off and pointed to an opening in the rock wall. "That opened after Seraph and the Beartic left. I bet that's where they're keeping Team Omega!"

In short, we walked over, each of us in our second forms, and rescued Team Omega. Something weird happened, though. When I laid eyes on Kyuri, something stirred inside me, something I'd never felt before. I don't know what it meant. I guess it has something to do with the prophecy Zapdos told me about, but we succeeded in saving them, and now all we had to do was report back to Clefable with the rescued team and claim our reward.

Mission Clear!

End Chapter 3

Team Omega was successfully retrieved by Team Alpha. Now, both teams are headed back to Paragon Village, home of Clefable's Guild. They won't immediately enter town-I'll save that for Chapter 5-but you will be meeting the apprentices and Clefable in Chapter 4!

But, this chapter solved some mysteries, as well as uncovering more mysteries. Who is Kehrimohr? What does he have to do with Kahrik? What's so special about Victor learning Heal Pulse? What caused all of Team Alpha to evolve like that? These questions and more will be answered later.

I still need some OC's! However, the ones submitted for this chapter will have to make an appearance later in the game, so to speak. I NEED SOME VILLAINS!

Name: (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

Gender: (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

Species: (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

Level: (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

Personality: (What is your Pokemon like?)

Goal: (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

Appearance: (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

History: (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

Moves: (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

Alignment: (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

Team: (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

Name: Seraph

Gender: female

Species: Froslass

Level: 45

Personality: Seraph is bent on hurting other Pokemon, and the best way she sees fit is to entirely destroy the world and build it anew. She enjoys taunting other Pokemon, and especially digging into their pasts and ripping open old wounds. At the moment, any ulterior motives are unknown.

Goal: Destroy the world and start her own.

Appearance: Unlike most Froslass, Seraph's crystals are black, instead of cool blue.

History: Once a criminal, always a criminal. Seraph started life out as a Snorunt and, to begin her career in crime, she started by killing her parents, a female Glalie and a Bronzong. Then, she found three companions, fellow ghosts, Parousia the Misdreavus, Harpazo the Gastly, and Epiphaneia the Sableye. Together, they made a blood-pact and formed Team Rapture.

Moves: Shadow Ball, Taunt, Ice Beam, Hex

Alignment: Team Leader

Team: Rapture