Disclaimer: Although the severely warped and twisted imagination is my own, Pokemon and its characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri and the various license holding companies that are responsible for manufacturing video games that have consumed hundreds of hours of my life in the blink of an eye. The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series produced by Chunsoft in particular is responsible for what you are about to witness.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Enigmatic Origin -- Chapter 2
It became apparent upon entering the mouth of the cave that would lead them into the tunnels beneath the Rainbow Mountain that the enormous quartz gem at its peak had veins running all through the mountain. Sunlight filtered through these crystalline structures where they protruded from the cavern walls casting an eerie prismatic glow throughout the interior of the mountain. It was truly a sight to behold.
Despite having become a thoroughly out of place human girl trapped in the body of a Cyndaquil, Crystal was quite impressed by what she was seeing. The tunnel walls were lined with torches that would most likely be put to use for illumination once the sun had set and a new light source became necessary. From the looks of it the guild that Taki, the aggressive and somewhat arrogant Buizel that had found her on the beach, had brought her to must have been fairly well organized.
"You again?" A Larvitar emerged to block further entry into the network of tunnels beneath the mountain. "I thought Garchomp threw you out this morning."
Taki simply smirked, "It's nice to know you guys still remember me even if you've neglected to let me join you."
"That's because you aren't a team player," the Larvitar was joined by a rather imposing looking Houndour.
The Larvitar nodded, "Garchomp doesn't want to see you again so you might as well leave."
"My situation has changed since this morning," Taki stated defiantly. He raised a paw to indicate the Cyndaquil standing a short distance behind him. "I finally found someone worthy of being my partner."
"Wait," the Larvitar paused in surprise. "Is that a Cyndaquil?" He hurried closer to investigate. "This is the first time I've ever seen a real one. I didn't think we had any around here."
"Uh yeah," Crystal started hesitantly. "About that... I'm kind of new around here."
"So as you can see," Taki continued, "we've come here to meet with Garchomp. I think he might be interested in hearing us out about joining the guild."
The Houndour snorted indignantly, "It sounds to me like you're just using your new friend to get on the boss's good side."
"Actually," Crystal spoke up again, "I was hoping to meet Garchomp anyway to see if he might be able to help me."
"Does my nose deceive me or do I smell a newcomer among us?" Something to remember about Garchomp is that they tend to be kind of big. This was something Crystal knew from being a pokemon trainer, but looking up at this Garchomp as a little tiny Cyndaquil just made him look a heck of a lot bigger just by sheer contrast. He had an equally large voice that was accentuated by a low growl. It was no wonder Crystal had fallen over again. This didn't go unnoticed by Garchomp. "Well now, isn't this a pleasant surprise." He smiled through a mouth full of jagged looking fangs. "It's been ages since I last saw a Cyndaquil in these parts. What brings you to my guild?"
Once they had gotten the introductions out of the way Garchomp had invited them down to his office for a private meeting so they could discuss the situation without drawing so much attention to themselves. There was bound to be plenty of gossip floating around the guild without having to encourage it. Crystal and Taki followed the large dragon down a ladder to a lower level of tunnels beneath the already surprisingly spacious upper level of the cavern.
The lower level was divided down the middle by a river that seemed to have no problem with flowing beneath the mountain. A number of sturdy stone bridges served as the only means of crossing unless you happened to be a water pokemon adept at swimming through rough currents. A lone Kingdra was the river's only visible inhabitant.
They reached the opposite bank of the river where Garchomp made his way over to a large doorway pushing through a leather curtain to get to the other side. The interior of his office was sparsely decorated apart from the straw nests that most likely served as a place to sleep judging by the fact that a Ditto appeared to be napping in one of them.
"Now then," Garchomp finally spoke again, "the rest of my guild won't bother us here so we may speak freely."
"Does this mean you aren't going to throw me out again?" Taki had become a little tense when faced with Garchomp himself.
Garchomp shrugged, "We've had our differences in the past, but right now I'm much more curious about your new friend."
"Is my being here really that big a deal?" Crystal was still confused by the way the pokemon in the guild had responded to the fact that she was a Cyndaquil. Taki had merely been concerned when he found her unconscious at the beach. He hadn't been all that surprised by the fact that she was a Cyndaquil and he had more or less shrugged off the fact that she claimed to be a human being. Clearly there was much more to what was going on here than she thought.
"Well now," Garchomp reached up and scratched his chin, "that depends on what you have to say. It's true that we don't get many Cyndaquil around here, but that in itself isn't really a big deal. It's how you got here that I'm more concerned about."
Taki turned to Crystal, "I guess that means you'd better tell him what you told me at the beach."
Crystal nodded and redirected her attention to Garchomp, "I woke up this afternoon on the beach as a Cyndaquil, but before that I was a human being. I don't know how I got here or why I've suddenly been transformed into a pokemon."
"Very interesting," Garchomp's golden eyes glinted in the dim light of the cave. "Do you remember anything from before you woke up on the beach?"
"Let me think," Crystal started slowly. "There was a storm. Dialga, Palkia and Giratina were locked in a huge battle. I went up the mountain to investigate what was making them fight like that and then there was another pokemon I had never seen before. I'm not sure what it was, but the attack it used swallowed the entire battlefield. I think I must have gotten caught up in the explosion because I don't remember anything after that."
Garchomp's eyes widened, "That's quite a story. How can you be sure it wasn't a dream?"
"Because I definitely remember being human before all that," Crystal stated firmly.
"If you say so," Garchomp closed his eyes in thought. "Still, there are very few pokemon that could even hope to compete with just one of those legendary dragons. A pokemon capable of overcoming all three is almost unheard of."
"Almost?" Taki decided to rejoin the conversation. "You mean a pokemon like that actually exists?"
"Just one," Garchomp responded taking on a more serious tone. "Even then it's a long shot because there's no physical evidence to support that it actually exists."
"And just what pokemon would that be?" Crystal had to ask.
"The pokemon you saw," Garchomp made a dramatic pause for emphasis, "might have been Arceus."
The name sounded familiar. Perhaps it was something she had read somewhere. Still, she definitely couldn't match a face to the name so there was probably some potential there. Although, I guess it's going to be kind of hard to ask Arceus to send me home when no one is even sure if such a pokemon actually exists. And that's assuming it really was Arceus that disrupted the battle between Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. It looks like I'm going to be stuck here a lot longer than I thought.
"That definitely complicates things," Crystal finally found her voice again.
"In the meantime you're welcome to stay at the guild as long as you like," Garchomp tried to sound hospitable.
"Really?" It came as a relief to Crystal that at least she wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to stay. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."
Taki peered up at Garchomp, "I'm staying too."
Garchomp met the Buizel's gaze, "Since you're the one that found her I suppose it stands to reason that you should stay with her while she's here. The kid is going to need all the help she can get." He returned his attention to Crystal, "Of course you'll both have to earn your keep."
"How exactly are we supposed to do that?" Crystal was beginning to sound a little worried now.
"Just do your part to help the rest of us," Garchomp stated simply. "There's plenty of work to be done and it's important that we all work together so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to find something you're good at." He paused and added, "Actually, come to think of it, since you're a fire type you should be able to help Houndour light the torches. The sun is already starting to set so you can get started right away. And while you're at it Houndour can show you around."
Crystal nodded appreciatively, "That sounds simple enough."
"I guess that means I'll just help extinguish the torches in the morning," Taki determined for himself.
When they left Garchomp's office there was a Shinx waiting for them outside the doorway. The electric pokemon's fur was glowing faintly making it stand out more prominently in the dimly illuminated passage.
"I'm supposed to show you guys to your room," the Shinx explained helpfully in a young boyish voice.
Crystal nodded, "Thanks. That would be great."
She and Taki followed after the Shinx as he began bounding back across the river. Apparently where they were going involved going back up the ladder to the upper level of the cavern. From there they went deeper into the mountain until the Shinx finally stopped outside a chamber at the end of the main passageway that was empty except for a pair of straw nests that would undoubtedly serve as beds.
"It's kind of small for my taste," Taki commented on the modest little chamber, "but I suppose it will do."
"Whatever," the Shinx hastily bounded away. Clearly he must have had better things to do than to stay and chat.
"I guess that means I'd better go find Houndour so I can get to work and maybe learn my way around," Crystal concluded that it was probably going to be a long night.
To Be Continued...