And so was life born, and all the many creatures of the world given form and thought. Then did the Original One look out upon His creation and be content, and in this moment did the Shadow awaken.

"Up and at 'em, guildmates! Morning brief is in ten minutes!"

I groaned and slowly sat upright, silently cursing my decision to join the Guild. If it weren't for the ridiculous amount of sunlight streaming into the room, I would've sworn I hadn't been asleep for more than a few seconds.

Artemis rose from her bed nearby, stretching. Seeing me still sitting, bleary-eyed with exhaustion, she said "Come on, get up. Neither of us wants to be late for the briefing." She yawned and added "Trust me when I say the few extra minutes of sleep isn't worth it."

I stood, eyes shielded against the harsh morning light, and looked forlornly at the bed. The idea of collapsing back into it was horribly attractive. "Sorry," I mumbled, rubbing sleep from my eyes, "Just... didn't sleep too well." I decided I'd tell her about the nightmare... some other time. When it seemed appropriate. Instead, I walked over to the nearby trough and dunked my head in, letting the cold water shock me into wakefulness.

"Don't worry, we'll break you of that habit soon enough." After taking a few moments to smooth out her fur, she said "Alright, let's get going. Meeting's on the first floor." I nodded an affirmative and followed her out the door.

"Glad to see you two finally decided to join us," Reuniclus greeted as we descended the ramp to the Guild's first floor. "Now that all teams are present, we can begin."

The room was abuzz with conversation when we arrived, with all of the Guild's members save Audino, Virgil, and Quartermaster Galvantula present and grouped into their respective teams. Everyone quickly fell silent down as Guildmaster Torterra cleared her throat, a sound that would put some rockslides to shame.

"Alright, teams," she began, "Jobs for today are as follows: Team Nemesis, you'll be headed west to Gravel Coast. We've received several lost item requests for the area, and I'd like you to handle them. Reuniclus will give you the details."

Sev nodded as she spoke. "Got it. Anything special we should be aware of?"

"Nothing in particular," the Guildmaster replied. "Just remember that this is a fairly old dungeon - it may have a few surprises in store. Nothing you can't handle, I'm sure."

On hearing this, Zen grinned broadly. "Of course we can handle it!" To his teammate, he added "Bet ya' fifty poké I'll find the stuff before you do!"

Sev sighed and struck the zangoose's skull with the flat of his bladed tail, sparking another round of fighting between the two. Guildmaster Torterra shook her head in amusement. "Just... try not to get ahead of yourselves. Now then, Team Knights. We've received a missing pokémon report in the Tarnished Hills region. Apparently, a pair of young sentret wandered too close and became trapped in the dungeon - I'd like you three to find them. Standard search and rescue."

Dewott smiled and flicked one of the bladed scalchops from his waist, giving it a lazy twirl before sheathing it once more. "We'll bring them home safe and sound."

"See to it. Next up is Team Exile. You'll be-"

"Going back through Murky Forest, I know," Artemis interrupted. "Don't worry, those bandits won't be so lucky this time."

"Actually… no," the Guildmaster replied. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, we can't risk another approach through that dungeon. Even if you aren't attacked again, the disturbance yesterday likely alerted the criminals to your intent. Instead, the two of you will be assisting Audino with a special assignment. Speak with her after the briefing, and she'll explain the job."

"Guildmaster…" Artemis began, "I'm sure whatever you need us to do is important, but… are we really just going to let those bandits run loose?"

"Of course not. I'll be sending Team Gladius to apprehend them. While the dungeon is no longer an option, Gladius should be able to fly in and catch them by surprise."

The talonflame I'd seen the night before emerged from the crowd, flanked on either side by his avian teammates. "Rest assured, Guildmaster, we'll get the job done." Artemis groaned quietly at the words.

"Great," she muttered as the Guildmaster turned to confer with Reuniclus, "As if he wasn't arrogant enough. I'll be hearing about this one for weeks."

I looked at her incredulously. "I'm surprised you'd let anyone give you grief. Seems like it'd just be asking for a beating."

She shrugged. "Guildmaster Torterra gets upset when I pound the leader of her top team to a miserable pulp. And that's only if I can catch him without his two lackeys around."

"Before you all depart," the Guildmaster announced to the gathered crowd, "I have one final piece of news to share with you. As you are all aware, mystery dungeons have been growing increasingly active these past few years, and dozens of new dungeon sightings have been confirmed. At the request of the Exploration Team Federation, Audino has been working closely with a group of independent researchers to investigate this phenomenon. This morning, we received a summary of their findings. Reuniclus?"

The blob-like assistant floated forward, clutching a stack of papers in one hand. "According to this report, more than ninety new dungeons have been confirmed in the past eighteen months, some as far north as Pokémon Square. There has also been a global increase in dungeon instability of more than sixty percent since last winter, a trend that seems to be accelerating." Seeing the quizzical expressions of the assembled Guild members, he added "Simply put, mystery dungeons are becoming more dangerous and unpredictable with each passing day. Why this is happening, or what we can do to stop it, is currently unknown."

"However," the Guildmaster continued, silencing the concerned murmurs that had begun to spread through the room, "we will not allow this news, troubling though it may be, to discourage us. You are all talented explorers - I am confident you will rise to whatever challenges this instability may present. Now get out there and make me proud!"

A cheer went up, and each of the teams set about preparing for their missions. Artemis and I made our way to the Guild's infirmary, where we found Audino pacing restlessly across the room, a large blue and brown berry clutched in one hand.

"You certainly took your time getting here!" she half-shouted as we entered.

"Guildmaster had an announcement to make," Artemis replied, shrugging off her outburst. "We came straight here after morning brief was over."

Audino rolled her eyes. "Yes, fine. I'm sure whatever she had to say was far more important than my work."

"Actually, she was telling us about your research on dungeon instability," I pointed out.

Audino stumbled, then stopped in her tracks as my comment visibly interrupted her train of thought. "Oh," she said after a moment, "Well, good. That saves me the trouble of having to bring you up to speed. Now come, over here. I want to get this test started as soon as possible."

Artemis sighed, and the two of us followed the diminutive physician to the back of the infirmary, where several beds had been hastily shoved aside. In their place was a large stone podium, above which floated an intricately carved cube about the size of my head. It glowed with a faint blue light, and a soft humming sound became audible as we drew closer. These facts did not comfort me.

"Audino, what is that thing and why is it floating?" Artemis asked, eyeing the strange device with suspicion.

"It's called an enterstone," she explained as she rummaged through a nearby cabinet, tossing several unidentifiable objects aside in the process. "Some colleagues of mine - an absolutely brilliant pair of 'eons from up north - developed it to help study mystery dungeons. Out in the wild, a dungeon is too dangerous and unpredictable to experiment on in any controlled fashion. This little wonder actually taps into the surrounding environment to create a tiny artificial dungeon inside it. It took me all night to set it up, but I think-"

"Wait a minute," I interrupted, "You're telling me you just created one of those dungeon-things inside the Guild?"

"Of course not!" she huffed. "Dungeons exist in their own parallel pockets of space. Technically, this little dungeon isn't anywhere. Besides, it's barely the size of a cheri berry. Perfectly harmless." Fishing her notepad out from the cabinet, Audino leaped to her feet, stumbled, and came came to a rest leaning against a nearby wall, blinking in confusion.

"Audino…" Artemis began, her voice tinged with concern, "when was the last time you slept?"

The physician laughed in reply. "Sleep is like a chesto for someone with too much free time." She crunched loudly into her berry before tossing the remains aside and scribbling several incomprehensible lines in her notes. "Besides, how can I think about something as trivial as sleeping when I'm on the verge of a world-changing discovery?"

Artemis muttered something under her breath. "Please tell me this isn't about your 'eighteenth-type' theory again."

"It's not a theory!" Audino snapped. "My research has made it quite clear that the current type system doesn't encompass certain forms of attack. However, as much as I'd enjoy educating you on the topic, that's not why I called you here. No, my current interest is in our newest recruit."

"I was under the impression you had a job for us," I said, arms folded, "not that you wanted another chance to experiment on me."

"I'm getting there, if you would just let me explain," she huffed. Flipping through her notes, she turned to a map depicting Shimmerlake and its surroundings, covered in a mess of lines and indecipherable scribbles. "As Guild physician, I'm sent copies of every mission report each night. When I read the incident described in yours, I initially wrote it off as a side effect of dungeon instability - we've already had a couple similar incidents this month, and this looked similar enough - but something didn't add up. Look at this." She pointed to her notes. Judging from Artemis' expression, they made about as much sense to her as they did to me.

"This map shows the local network of ley lines and intersection points," she explained unhelpfully. "Where two or more ley lines meet, there's a good chance a mystery dungeon will form. We can then calculate the dungeon's relative stability by multiplying the inflow rate of each line by the region's ambient aetheric charge, then dividing the sum of all lines by the native environmental resistance-" She paused, apparently noticing our utter confusion for the first time, and sighed deeply. "Simply put, the Murky Forest dungeon is one of the most stable dungeons we have on record. Your presence shouldn't have attracted the creature so soon.."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Audino. As always, your genius is invaluable in pointing out the obvious. I still don't see what this has to do with my teammate here."

"But it's so simple! Something you did destabilized that dungeon - there's no other explanation for what happened. Artemis, you've been on plenty of missions without any trouble, so I doubt you're the cause. Darkrai, on the other hand… this was your first mission. You're the only variable."

"Don't try to blame this on me," I began. "I didn't-"

"Oh, be quiet," Audino interrupted. "I'm not blaming you for anything. If my suspicions are correct, there's no way you could've known what would happen." She motioned to the enterstone. "I've gone through all the trouble of setting this thing up so we could find out exactly what caused the attack."

I nodded. "Alright. What do you want me to do?"

"Simple!" she replied, a broad grin spread across her face. "I just need you to attack the enterstone."

"You're joking."

"Humor is a waste of everyone's time. Don't worry, the stone can withstand anything you could possibly throw at it. It's entirely safe." Audino took several steps back as she said this, and Artemis followed suit.

"If it weren't for the food, I'd be convinced you're trying to kill me," I muttered. Deciding that I might as well get it over with, I focused, rising into the air as the familiar tingle of energy surrounded me. Bringing my hands together, I directed my will in the space in front of me, where a small orb of dark power formed. Satisfied that the attack was as weak as I could make it, I carefully flicked the dark pulse towards the enterstone.

There was a brilliant flash as the attack made contact, and the device began to shake violently, its blue light flooding the room as it grew brighter. Artemis dove for cover, and I raised my arms in an attempt to shield myself from the inevitable blast. Audino, meanwhile, was too busy frantically scribbling in her notes to notice our panic.

Surprisingly, no explosion came. After several seconds, the enterstone faded back to its original soft glow, its agitated vibration slowing as it did. I breathed a sigh of relief, and Artemis poked her head out above the bed she had hidden behind. "We're not dead?" she asked, looking herself over for injuries.

Audino, for her part, seemed pleased with herself. "Like I said. Perfectly safe." Her voice was dripping with smug satisfaction.

"You have an interesting definition of 'safe,'" I remarked. "What, exactly, just happened?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," Audino replied, scanning her notes. "For some reason, your attack significantly destabilized the mystery dungeon. I've never seen anything like it."

"Great. So in addition to crazy bandits, the dungeons themselves are trying to kill you." Artemis shook her head. "I'm starting to think you're more trouble than you're worth, Darkrai."

I ignored her comment. "So basically, I can't set foot in a mystery dungeon without it going berserk."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Audino answered hesitantly. "The enterstone's dungeon was perfectly stable until you attacked it. It seems dungeons react to the energy of your attacks, not your presence." Her ears shot upright. "So! As long as you stick to attacks that internalize your energy, like, say, a simple quick attack, you should be able to complete missions normally!"

"Fantastic. This 'exploration team' thing just keeps getting better and better."

"Oh, quit complaining. Nobody said this was an easy job." She smiled broadly. "Besides, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to practice your technique on your assignment today!"

"You still haven't told us what you need us to do," Artemis pointed out. "Kinda makes it hard to plan a mission when we don't even know what our goal is."

"Right." Audino flipped to another page of her notes. "There's a dungeon to the south of here, near the coast. Echo Caverns. We received a report that a pokémon may have become trapped in the dungeon, and the Guildmaster and I agreed that you two are particularly well suited to handle the rescue."

"Echo Caverns?" Artemis asked. "Never heard of it."

"I'm not surprised. It's a relatively young mystery dungeon - seven floors in length, only formed about a year ago. Plus, it's fairly remote, so we rarely get jobs in the area." Audino glanced out a nearby window. "If we leave now, we should be able to get there before noon."

That was unexpected. "'We?' No offense, Audino, but you don't strike me as much of an explorer." The idea of escorting the crazed doctor through a cave full of ferals was not appealing.

Audino laughed. "Oh, I refuse to set foot in one of those things. I'm far too valuable to risk myself unnecessarily, especially when we have several perfectly capable teams who will happily go in my place! Still, I can only do so much cooped up in this infirmary. Furthering my research calls for field work, and this presents the perfect opportunity. So, while you're in the dungeon doing... whatever it is you do in there, I'll be performing a few tests on the area's ley lines."

Artemis shook her head. "Audino, I swear, if you break the dungeon, I will haunt you."

"Noted. Now get out of here! I have to get my equipment ready, and I'll work much faster if I don't have you two distracting me. I'll meet you by the dock in ten minutes."

Twenty minutes later, Audino stumbled down the path to the docks where Artemis, Virgil, and I were waiting. She carried a large brown backpack, stuffed to the breaking point and haphazardly adorned with a number of unidentifiable instruments, which she rummaged through as she walked. I was fairly sure the rattling sound could be heard across the island.

Artemis eyed the doctor as she approached. "Sure you've got enough supplies there, Audino?"

"Of course I don't," she replied regretfully. "I'm leaving several of my instruments behind. Still, it's better than letting you carry them - Arceus knows you'd just break something."

"Amiable as always, Muse," Virgil greeted her from the dock's edge. "What occasion brings you out of your cave?"

"Special assignment, if you must know," she answered tersely. "Believe me, I wouldn't be bothering you if I didn't have to, oh wise one."

Despite standing between them, Artemis somehow managed to glare at both Virgil and Audino simultaneously. "You two going to be a problem?"

For several moments, neither spoke. Virgil eventually broke the silence. "I have no intention of quarrelling with the good doctor. As for her intentions…" He trailed off.

Audino folded her arms. "Oh, believe me, I've said everything I need to say to the pompous old fish. I won't waste my breath." With that, she strode out onto his back and sat down, actively ignoring her surroundings.

"What's wrong with those two?" I asked as Virgil began his swim toward the distant shore.

"Just ignore them," Artemis replied. "They've been fighting like this since they broke up a while back."

"Wait a minute. You mean they were- I don't-" I fumbled for words. "How does that even work?"

Audino huffed indignantly. "Evidently, it doesn't."

"We are both seekers of knowledge," Virgil explained. "Our mutual fondness for discovery drew us together. I only later realized that, while I simply sought understanding of the world, Muse would not be content until she'd dissected its every last detail."

"So says the old fish," she shot back. "I just think it's because he couldn't keep up with me."

Though I may have imagined it, Virgil seemed to flush a darker shade of blue. "I… ah…" he began. "The passions of the heart are not always, er… farsighted, shall we say-"

"So, Audino," Artemis interrupted, changing the subject with the tact and subtlety of a charging rhydon, "You still haven't told us who we're supposed to be rescuing."

The doctor shifted uncomfortably. "Right. Well, there's an espurr that lives not far from here-"

Virgil whirled to face us. "Almighty Arceus above, Muse. You're sending them after the scarred one?"

"Let me finish!" Audino shouted. For someone so small, her voice was impressively loud. "Now then, as I was saying, this espurr lives with Weavile, just downriver from Shimmerlake. The two usually keep to themselves, on account of the espurr's… condition."

"The child hatched wrong," Virgil added, his voice tinged with sorrow. "All espurr are born with immense psychic energy, contained in a sensitive node in each ear. As long as the ears are curled shut, they can keep their power in check for the most part. This child… he has no such control."

Audino shook her head sadly. "I've tended his case since he was left in the Guild's care a few years ago. He was a mess, at first - only a dark type could get near him without the proper precautions. He lived away from town, so his… accidents wouldn't cause too much damage. I thought we were making progress…" She trailed off.

"What went wrong?" Artemis asked, concerned.

Audino shrugged. "I'm not sure, honestly. There was some sort of explosion about a week ago. We found their hut in ruins. Weavile was alright, but the espurr was gone. Apparently, something startled him into losing control, and he fled. Yesterday, Reuniclus detected a strong surge of psychic energy in the Echo Caverns area, so we're sending our only all-dark type team to investigate."

Virgil growled. "I don't like this. The child is dangerous at the best of times. If he's frightened, lost... " The gyarados sighed. "Be careful. His power may not affect you directly, but it can still cause great harm."

Artemis nodded. "We'll try."

The rest of the trip passed in silence.

The entrance to Echo Caverns sat at the end of a dry streambed, although calling it an 'entrance' was hardly appropriate. It was a large, jagged hole in the ground that sloped quickly into the depths, and seemed to have once carried a branch of the nearby river underground before some ancient shift diverted its flow.

I stared into the dark pit. "So, let me get this straight. We're going down there, practically blind, to rescue a walking disaster who probably doesn't want to be found."

"Of course not!" Audino replied, busily unpacking several strange devices. "There's a species of bioluminescent lichen that grows on the cave walls. It should provide enough light to see by." She unfolded a set of long metal rods, connected at the base and topped with a pair of smooth crystals. "Oh, that reminds me: the lichen's spores are extremely toxic. Try not to disturb the caps."

"Well, that's a huge comfort."

The doctor smiled broadly. "Glad I could help!"

Artemis sighed. "Alright, I'm pretty sure standing around listening to Audino describe exactly how many ways this dungeon will try to kill us isn't going to help. Let's just get this over with."

I followed her into the pit, stumbling briefly as a wave of dizziness washed over me. Glancing back, I saw that the entrance had vanished behind us. We were now inside the Echo Caverns mystery dungeon.

Echo Caverns, Floor One

"Stick close," Artemis warned, creeping forward silently, "dungeons like this are always a pain."

I nodded, though the expression was probably lost in the darkness of the cave. After a few moments, we came to a large, open area. Pockets of strange, glowing growths were scattered along the walls and floor, illuminating the room in an eerie green glow. As we drew closer, I noticed clusters of long, wavy stalks sprouting from several of the patches. I gave them a wide berth as we crossed the room.

Several narrow tunnels branched out from the cavern, and Artemis chose one seemingly at random to follow. We made our way quickly to the tunnel, but no sooner had we reached the room's edge than Artemis froze and, an instant later, dove to one side.

She moved not a moment too soon. What I'd mistaken for a boulder lunged after her, swiping clumsily with its four arms. The graveler roared and, seeing that its initial target had evaded it, turned and began a rolling charge towards me.

A familiar cold detachment washed over me as time slowed to a standstill. The rocky creature was slow, but powerful. I could easily avoid its initial attack, but a prolonged battle would likely end in its favor. The graveler had already built up momentum - it was moving too quickly to change course. It was a weakness I could exploit.

I made my decision. Focusing, I called up an orb of energy in one hand, made all the more powerful by the abundant darkness around me. As the graveler rushed closer, I prepared to release my attack - and at the last moment, realized exactly what I was doing.

No time to think. I threw myself out of the creature's path, struggling to smother my own attack as I did. I almost succeeded - much of the energy had dispersed when the graveler slammed into my side, shattering my concentration and releasing what remained in a small flash of darkness. Though significantly weakened, the dark pulse still caught the graveler off balance, sending it tumbling to one side. Still reeling from the pain of being rammed by an aggressive boulder, I followed it up with a desperate punch.

Needless to say, this was a poor decision. A lance of pain shot up my arm, while the still-disoriented graveler seemed entirely unfazed by the quick attack. Fortunately, Artemis intervened, tearing into the creature's exposed flank with shadow-wreathed claws. It growled weakly and struggled to its feet, but was quickly driven down under Artemis' assault. It finally fell to the cavern floor and lay unmoving.

I leaned against the cave wall, panting heavily and clutching my injured hand. Artemis eyed me and began rummaging through her bag, a glint of mirth in her eyes.

"You punched a rock type," she said with a grin. "That's a whole new level of crazy, even for you." Fishing out an oran berry, she tossed it in my direction.

"Not like I had much choice," I growled, stuffing the oran into my mouth. "Unless you want another run-in with that Dweller-thing." As the berry took hold, the pain in my arm faded to a dull throb. I sighed with relief.

"Hm... good point. Hang on, I may have something here to help." Artemis began digging through her bag again, eventually finding a thick leather pouch, which she threw toward me. I caught it and, flipping back the cover, found it contained about a dozen short, bladed spikes, forked at one end and made of a strange bluish metal.

"They're called thorns," she explained. "Balanced so you can throw them fairly easily. I never could get the hang of them, but considering what you did with that rock yesterday..." she shrugged. "Figured you might be able to use them."

"Thanks," I replied, drawing one of the spikes and feeling its weight in my hand. Curious, I flicked it at a nearby pillar. It missed, and instead sailed across the room, colliding with the far wall with a loud crash. The thorns would take some getting used to, it seemed.

"Nice shot," Artemis snickered.

I shot her a glare and made my way over to the thorn's resting place. Glancing at the far wall, I noticed a deep gouge where the spike had struck. The blade seemed as sharp as ever. I slipped the thorn back into its pouch, which I then looped around my waist, adjusting it until the heavy bag rested comfortably at my side.

"Ready to go?" Artemis asked, and I nodded my agreement. We made our way down the tunnel and into another open area, this one much smaller than the first. A staircase was set into the floor, descending several steps before coming to an abrupt halt. Artemis climbed down without hesitating, vanishing the moment she reached the bottom step.

"Dungeons," I muttered, before following her down.

Echo Caverns, Floor Three

The next floor passed without incident. A single swoobat ambushed us as we reached the next stairwell, but made the mistake of flying within reach of Artemis' claws and was quickly defeated.

We heard our next attacker before we saw it. We were crossing a long, high-ceilinged room when a thundering roar tore through the cave. The exploud charged in from a side passage a moment later, bellowing loudly as it rushed towards us. Caught off guard, I lobbed a thorn at the pokémon. It narrowly missed, merely grazing one of the exploud's cone-like ears before vanishing into the nearby tunnel. Far from slowing it, the wound only seemed to make the creature angrier - it let out another bellowing cry that reverberated through the cavern, its sheer volume enough to send both Artemis and me stumbling backwards. It rammed through us a moment later, knocking us to the ground before whirling to make another pass.

"Alright, I've had enough of this!" Artemis growled, leaping to her feet. "Darkrai, go left!" With that, she bounded to the right, surrounding herself in a nimbus of dark power as she ran.

It was a clever tactic. The exploud could only shout in one direction at a time - if we weren't near each other, it couldn't disable both of us with a single attack. The echoes would still be unpleasant, but it was better than standing still and letting the thing pound on us. I threw myself into motion, rushing at an angle towards the feral pokémon.

The exploud, realizing it was being flanked, halted its charge and turned its attention towards Artemis, sucking in a breath of air in preparation for another screech. Though its back was turned to me, there wasn't much I could do to leverage the situation - I still wasn't used to fighting with the thorns, so I couldn't hope to do much more than distract the creature.

And distract it is exactly what I did. I threw another thorn at the exploud as it began another sonic attack, and this time scored a direct hit. The metal spike sank into its back, cutting its cry short and causing it to whirl around to face me.

"That's right, big mouth," I taunted, flicking another thorn from the pouch, "bring it on."

The exploud roared in response, the sound blasting through my skull and leaving me too stunned to move. It lowered its head and began to charge, when Artemis swept its legs out from under it with a well-timed night slash. It fell to the ground, and a series of quick blows from Artemis ensured it didn't rise again.

"Thanks for distracting it," she panted. "Glad to see I finally found a use for you."

I clutched at my forehead, trying to drive out the ringing in my ears. "I don't suppose this makes us even?"

She grinned. "Sure it does. For the thorns, at least."

Echo Caverns, Floor Six

The next few floors passed in much the same way - Artemis and I would encounter a feral pokémon, I'd distract it with several thrown spikes, usually missing at least once, and Artemis would move in to finish it off.

"This is doing wonders for my self esteem," I muttered as I retrieved another poorly-aimed thorn from the cavern floor.

Artemis, who stood over a newly-unconscious mawile, laughed. "It's not that bad. You're doing better than Cleo did when she tried using those things."

"The chimchar?" I asked. "At what point did you decide giving her a bag full of knives was a good idea?"

"She handles them fairly well when she's cooking," Artemis replied with a shrug. "Not so well in a dungeon, as it turns out. Dewott's got a few new scars to prove it, too."

I shook my head and followed her down a nearby tunnel. As we rounded the corner, we came across another pokémon, sitting in the middle of the stone hallway. I began to draw another thorn, but Artemis raised a paw to stop me.

Looking closer, I realized why. The pokémon - an espurr - was crying quietly, his back turned to us. He seemed perfectly normal… until I noticed his ears. They seemed withered and oddly small, and were bent upward at a strange angle, the tips curled in an attempt to fold flat. The air around them shimmered visibly, and a warbling hum rang through the tunnel as he wept.

Artemis crept closer. "Uh… hey little guy," she began, "we're with Torterra's Guild. We're here to rescue you-"

The air exploded in a wave of psychic energy. Artemis, who was much closer to the espurr than me, was sent flying and slammed into the tunnel wall. An angry buzzing rang through my skull as the wave passed over me, driving me back several steps.

"No no no no no!" he screamed, stumbling to his feet. "You weren't supposed to find me here! Go away!" The espurr sprinted down the tunnel, hands to its ears.

I rushed over to where Artemis had fallen. "You alright?"

She groaned and shakily sat upright. "Yeah… I'm fine." She winced and began rummaging through her bag. "First time I've ever been attacked by a rescue target, though. Can't say I enjoy it." Finding a slightly bruised oran berry, she threw it into her mouth. After a few seconds, she rose to her feet. "Alright, let's get moving."

We'd taken two steps when a frantic screeching tore through the tunnel the espurr had vanished down. A pair of golbat came barreling towards us a moment later, swooping down before we could react. I flicked a thorn after the closest one, but the golbat's frantic flapping made it an impossible target. It swept in and, with a frantic cry, sank its teeth into my arm.

I shuddered in revulsion as the pokémon latched on and began greedily sucking at the wound. It hurt, it was just plain wrong, and it took a tremendous effort to keep myself from screaming. Fighting against pangs of terror, I clumsily drew a thorn in my free hand and, with perhaps a bit more force than was necessary, drove it down into the golbat's skull. It spasmed violently, then fell still.

Artemis, meanwhile, had dispatched her attacker quickly, and made her way over to help me detach the vampiric pokémon's corpse from my arm. It was an incredibly unpleasant process.

I threw the slain golbat aside. "No." I eyed the bite wound, which still bled freely, and shuddered again. "Just… no." Artemis handed me another oran, which I devoured quickly. The bleeding stopped almost instantly. "Tell me that doesn't happen often."

"It doesn't."

"Are you lying to me?"

"Do you really want to know?"

I glanced back at the fallen golbat. "I don't."

Echo Caverns, Floor Seven

We appeared in the middle of an enormous hall, far larger than any of the other rooms we'd seen so far. Its distant ceiling was cloaked in shadows, and the scattered patches of glowing fungus did little to illuminate the immense cavern. Artemis lowered herself into a half crouch as we arrived.

"Watch out," she warned, "my horn's buzzing like a beedrill's nest right now."

As we advanced slowly across the cavern, a faint sobbing became audible. The cave sloped down to an end ahead of us, and a small, grey form could be seen curled against the far wall. The espurr glanced up at us as we approached, its eyes filled with a mixture of sadness… and terror.

A moment later, I found out why. A deafening cry tore through the cave as a gigantic creature swooped down to land before us. A terrible glow filled the cavern as the noivern opened its fanged maw, its clawed wings spread wide as it readied its attack.

"This day just keeps getting better and better!" I cried, diving for cover behind a nearby stalagmite. Artemis did the same, and a brilliant beam of light slammed into the ground where we'd stood moments ago, leaving a sizable crater in the stone floor. The noviern, however, was not satisfied with a mere show of force. It launched itself into the air, wheeling above us as it readied another attack.

Obviously, our first priority was getting our opponent out of the air. Unfortunately, with the creature moving so erratically, I doubted I could reliably hit the thing even if it weren't actively trying to kill me.

Before I had time to consider the situation further, the noviern swept down for another attack, this time aimed directly at Artemis. She saw it coming and leaped out of the way, narrowly escaping the blast. The noviern rose back into the air, and that's when I saw my opening.

As it beat its way back up, the noviern's movements seemed sluggish. Whatever it was doing to generate that beam must have been incredibly draining, and for a few seconds after it attacked, it was vulnerable. I just had to lure it in.

I growled and drew a thorn in each hand. "Why do I always have to be the bait?" With that, I stepped out from behind the stalagmite, standing in full view of the circling pokémon. It saw me immediately and, with a fearsome cry, wheeled around and dove after me. Its fanged mouth filled with energy, and the instant it was close enough, I threw myself directly towards it, arms raised above me.

A wave of heat washed over me, and I felt the iron thorns tear through the fragile flesh of the noviern's wing as it sailed past. Unfortunately, I didn't realize a critical flaw in my plan - the creature had two very large talons, which lashed out at me with blinding speed and drew lines of burning pain across my back. The noviern slammed face-first into the hard floor of the cave, crumpling with a pained squawk. I flew through the air for a second more before meeting a similar fate, skidding several feet across the rough stone and throwing up a thick cloud of dust in the process.

Artemis charged forward and, with a series of savage blows, finished off the downed noviern. I struggled to sit upright, my whole body protesting its recent abuse. Artemis rushed over, but stopped several feet away, a horrified expression on her face.

"Darkrai," she began, eyes wide, "the lichen…"

I blinked at her in confusion, then looked around. I'd landed in a large patch of the glowing blue fungus, which had released the cloud of dust on impact that now surrounded me. I slowly waved a hand in a halfhearted attempt to clear it. Didn't Audino mention something about it being toxic?

For some reason, I found the thought hilarious. I started laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation, and passed out a few seconds later.

There was a brilliant flash of light as a fiery warmth surged through me. I gasped and shot upright. Artemis stood over me, her silver explorer's badge clutched in her teeth. A strange blue sprout was wrapped around it, glowing with a faint inner light that quickly faded away. The plant seemed to wither almost immediately, and Artemis breathed a sigh of relief.

"What," I asked, heart pounding in my chest, "was that?"

"Reviver seed," she replied anxiously, fixing the badge back onto her bag. "I… you kinda just died."

I stared at her for nearly a minute. "I died." I rested my face in my hands and breathed deeply. "Okay, you're going to tell me exactly what just happened, how I'm still alive, and why I shouldn't go running for the dungeon exit as fast as possible."

Looking up, I immediately regretted my words. Artemis was shaking visibly. "You were… pretty torn up," she began, eyes downcast, "That noviern did a number on you with its claws, and you hit the ground pretty hard. Combine that with the lichen and…" she trailed off, and didn't speak for several seconds more. "I always carry a couple of these seeds with me. They're very rare, so the quartermaster can only give us a few a year. When we're in a dungeon, if someone gets hurt badly, the seeds will latch onto our team's badge and activate. They can bring someone back from the edge of death… like that."

I turned to see the crushed patch of lichen I'd fallen in. Even from several feet away, there was a pool of blood easily visible in the center. My blood. Judging from the smears, Artemis had been forced to drag my mostly-dead body out before she could use the seed.

I tried to speak, but couldn't find any words. I'd nearly died - had probably gotten a lot closer than most anyone that lives to tell about it - on behalf of some Guild full of pokémon I'd only met days prior. Yet… Artemis was clearly shaken by my near demise, and had risked being poisoned herself to save my life. Even if it tended to end horribly, the Guild was clearly trying to help. Thankfully, a third voice saved me the challenge of expressing myself.

"I'm sorry..." a half-sobbing whisper came from behind me. I turned to face the sound.

It was the espurr. His matted grey fur was flecked with dirt and mud, and his eyes were red from crying. "I- I just…" his voice waivered, and he burst into tears. "I just wanted to stop hurting people!" he bawled, and buried his head in my shoulder. "I kept breaking things, s-scaring people away! I ran here, 'cause I thought, if I tried hard enough, I c-could evolve and… and… I'm sorry!" As he cried,waves of psychic energy swept across the cave, buzzing through my skull.

"Er… hey…" I began, placing a hand on the espurr's back. "It's alright. You can't hurt us." As I said the words, something strange happened. I felt a small surge of energy well up, purely on reflex, and flow into the crying pokémon. A faint shroud of darkness enveloped his head, concentrated around the ears. The psychic energy vanished almost instantly, and the espurr blinked in shock.

I picked him up and rose to my feet, careful to keep the energy from spilling into the dungeon. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."

The espurr had fallen asleep by the time we returned to Shimmerlake. Reuniclus was waiting for us as Virgil pulled up alongside the dock.

"I see your mission was a success," he greeted us as we disembarked. "Weavile will be happy to know her charge has been recovered safely."

"Actually," I began, "Audino and I have been talking, and we had an idea."

Audino grinned. "I was considering my stock of medical supplies, particularly my reserves of luminous water. While admittedly limited, it turns out I've got more than enough to trigger an evolution in a smaller pokémon… like, say, an espurr."

Reuniclus froze. "You cannot seriously be considering helping him evolve. Do you have any idea how utterly catastrophic that would be?"

"I don't see the problem," I replied. "According to Audino, a meowstic has much greater control over its psychic abilities. Seems like a perfect solution to our friend's problem."

"The evolutionary process also greatly increases an espurr's power!" Reuniclus snapped. "If he can't control it-"

"And what if he can?" I asked flatly.

The psychic folded his arms. "No. You have no idea what you're asking for. I'm sorry, but I can't take that risk. He's unstable enough as it is. I will not allow this to continue, and nothing you say will convince me otherwise."

"Are you sure?" I asked with a smile. "Because I should probably wake the little guy right now and let him know if that's the case. Though I suspect he'd be pretty upset. I don't see that ending well for… pretty much anyone in the village, really."

I will cherish the memory of Reuniclus' expression for the rest of my life.

A few minutes later, we stood in the Guild's infirmary. A small metal basin had been set in the room's center, and was filled with several dozen vials' worth of luminous water. The Guildmaster, Reuniclus, and an elderly weavile I hadn't met before were all gathered around alongside Artemis and me, while Audino was busy explaining the process to the espurr. He held my hand tightly the entire time.

"...will ensure the process isn't interrupted," she continued. "So, just step into the water, and tell the voice you wish to evolve. Once that happens, evolution will begin - just keep calm and everything will be fine. It shouldn't take more than a few seconds."

The espurr nodded. "Alright."

"I will do what I can to contain your power during the evolution," Reuniclus added, a note of displeasure still in his voice, "though I cannot promise I'll be able to continue after the process is complete. If you fail to control yourself, you will become far more dangerous. Are you certain you want to go through with this?"

The espurr nodded. "I do. I... I won't hurt anyone anymore."

Reuniclus sighed and glared disapprovingly at me. "Then there's nothing I can do to stop you." He motioned to Audino. "Begin the procedure."

Audino lifted the espurr and gently placed him in the basin. As he released his grip, the aura of darkness around his head vanished, and a violent pulse surged through the room. Audino stumbled back, clutching her forehead, and even the Guildmaster grimaced in pain. Then, Reuniclus spread his arms wide and began to hum, a vibrant blue light enveloping him. A glowing sphere appeared around the basin, and the psychic pressure faded to a dull buzzing.

A soft voice rang out, seemingly from nowhere. "You who seek evolution," it intoned, at the same time gentle and surprisingly loud, "these waters hold the key. Do you wish to evolve?"

"Y-yes!" the espurr answered.

For several seconds, the room was absolutely silent. Eventually, the voice spoke again, strangely hesitant. "You are... scarred. I shall do what I can to mend you, but cannot promise success. Do you still wish to proceed?"

The espurr gulped, glancing towards me for guidance. I did my best to smile reassuringly, and the espurr nodded.

"Then let us begin."

The luminous water's glow intensified, quickly growing to a near blinding white. I raised a hand to shield myself from the light. A strange, bell-like tone rang out, fading to silence as the waters darkened. Looking up, I found that the little espurr had vanished. In his place stood the blue-furred form of a meowstic. Though his ears still stood out at an odd angle, they no longer seemed nearly as withered. The meowstic flexed them experimentally, then smiled.

"I- I think it worked..." he whispered. Reuniclus eyed him warily, then, slowly, lowered the barrier. Nothing happened.

Guildmaster Torterra, who had kept silent up until this point, stepped forward and smiled gently. "Congratulations, Meowstic, on your successful evolution."

It was too much for the little guy. He burst into tears, rushing over and ramming me with a surprisingly forceful hug. Aside from a quiet buzzing, there were no side effects to his outburst. "Thank you!" he choked out between sobs. "Thank you so much!"

I patted him on the head. Despite the evolution, he was still pretty short. "I'd say it wasn't a problem, but I think we all saw otherwise. Don't worry about it."

He quieted down after a while, and slowly walked over to the elderly weavile. "I'm sorry I ran away, auntie Weavile."

The weavile smiled. "Don't fret, little Meowstic. You meant well." She turned to the Guildmaster. "I thank you all for your assistance. Truely, you've worked a miracle here."

"The Guild is happy to help," Torterra replied, "which is why I've already arranged for you to stay in the village until further notice. If you wish, it can be made permanent. I see no need to continue your hermitage."

Now it was the weavile's turn to tear up. "Thank you, Guildmaster. I... words cannot describe all you've done for us." Facing Artemis and me, she added "especially the two of you. I don't know exactly what happened in that frightful cave, but I understand you put yourselves in harm's way for our sake. I don't know how I can ever replay this."

Artemis laughed. "We're explorers. It's what we do."

Dinner that night was a cheerful affair. Artemis' retelling of our day's events was particularly popular, although Chess had nearly been sick at the mention of the golbats' attack. I shared his sympathies. Still, the story of our fight against the noviern enthralled the assembled guild members, and inspired Zen to rush downstairs to the quartermaster's booth to "try out some of those thorn-thingies." Judging by the zangoose's dejected return several minutes later, Quartermaster Galvantula had the good sense to refuse his request. We made our way to our rooms late that night, full of good food and cheer.

As I lay in the darkened room, mulling over the day, a question sprang to mind. "Artemis, are you still awake?"

"For the moment," she answered sleepily. "What's up?'

"I was just wondering... what happened to your old teammate?"

Artemis didn't respond. Instead, she rose and walked slowly to the nearby window, staring silently out at the lake below for several long minutes. "Who... told you about that?" she asked quietly.

"Nobody needed to. You weren't exactly subtle about it."

Artemis sighed. "Look, Darkrai. You're my teammate. It's not that I don't trust you, but..." she trailed off. "I just don't want to talk about it. Not right now."

I nodded. "Alright, Artemis. Sorry to bring it up."

Artemis remained silent. She was still standing at the window when I finally drifted off to sleep.