Alright! Time for the second installment of PMD: Team Strikers. Not much to say about this chapter, but it does slightly reveal a bit of Brandon's backstory and his tendency to flip out around Felix. The full story of Brandon's past will be in a later chapter when needed, but it touches a little upon it. Like I said, I don't have much to say in the beginning here, only to enjoy and to review. Seriously, please review. It lets me know if people like it, even a flame would do, as long as I get feedback from someone other than my friends. So, enjoy chapter 2.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Nintendo, Pokemon, or any of the characters shown except for my own Original Characters.

"WHEN EVIL STRIKES…"

"WE WILL STRIKE BACK!"

"TO BATTLE!"

"TO GLORY!"

"TO VICTORY!"

I awoke to three voices shouting something. I wiped the gunk from my eyes, and sat up from my coals. They still burned just as high and just as hot as the night before. Strange, I expected them to die down a little. I looked down at my chest, seeing the tiny charred remains of my bandages. All my cuts had been cauterized from the fire, so the wrapping would be ineffective. I popped two pills since I had forgotten them the night before, hoping that they wouldn't make me pass out.

"Well, time to start…this." I muttered to myself, not really knowing how to finish my own sentence. I turned to the great oak doorway, then back to my wildfire of a bed. I sighed, gathered my pack, and went out the door.

Outside my room, and in the main room, stood Dee, Crystal, and Brandon in a saluting position. I looked at them quizzically for a moment, before jumping back in surprise when they bolted off for the main door.

"Wait, what's going on?!" I cried, nearly tripping over myself in desperation to catch up. Dee slowed down, but the other two ran out the door and took a sharp right.

"Felix? I thought you would be sleeping in?" Dee asked, cocking his head to the side again before correcting himself. I shook my head.

"Your guy's cheer woke me up." I replied, still unsure what was going on. "And what's happening?" I asked.

"Every morning once the sun peaks above the mountain top, we wake and come out to the main room for the morning chant. After we do that, we run out to the two job notice boards to see what we'll be doing tomorrow." He told me. One thing didn't make sense though…

"What do you mean, tomorrow? Wouldn't it make more sense to complete it today?" I asked, scratching the back of my smooth head. Dee shook his head.

"Well, yes and no. We take missions first thing in the morning, and get ready for them a day in advance so we don't get surprised… badly. While I showed you your room last night, Brandon and Crystal were gathering stuff for today's mission." This time I'm the one who cocked their head. Dee noticed this, and gave a little chuckle.

"Sooo, what are we doing today?" I asked. Dee reached into his bag and handed me a rather old looking slip of paper.

"Since you're new, we're doing a simple one today." He said as I looked over the request. According to this, a Spoink lost its pearl in a place called Drenched Bluff. I didn't know what else it said, but something did catch my eye.

Reward: 2000 poke.

"2000 poke? What's that?" I asked Dee, handing him the slip of paper. He looked at me funny, raising one if his eyebrows.

"You really do have some serious amnesia. Poke is money, and while normally 2000 poke would be a rather substantial reward, we're only getting ten percent of that. The rest goes to the guild." I quickly did the math in my head, and I wasn't pleased.

"Only 200?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Yeah. We usually take jobs in the 250-350 poke range, but this will be a refreshing one indeed." He finished, placing the paper into his bag. "Come on, I'll tell you what you need to know." I followed him out the door, eager to learn.

"Now, the place we'll be going is a mystery dungeon. Do you at least remember those?" Dee asked. I shook my head. He sighed, placing a paw under his chin.

"Well, I'll tell you the basics of dungeons."

"Mystery Dungeons have existed for decades, but no one truly knows how they originated. Some say it's a rift caused by the legendaries clashing over godly matters, others say it's the Banished One having fun on our mortal plane. But a few things are for certain when it comes to them."

"One; if you black out in the middle of a dungeon and are not revived in five minutes, the dungeon will expel you."

"Two; if you are expelled, you will lose all money on hand and around half your items."

"And three; never, under any circumstances, stay on a dungeon floor for more than an hour."

"What happens if you stay for more than an hour?" I asked.

"No one truly knows, but you are kicked out by some unforeseen force. If you leave this way, you'll lose everything on hand. Sometimes, even pokemon themselves have been lost in the labyrinths, never too been seen again." He finished, stopping in the middle of the top floor. He turned to me, and placed a paw on my shoulder.

"I'll tell you a little secret; you will be the only one fighting today." I took a step back.

"Fighting what, exactly?" Dee chuckled.

"Why, the Desolates, of course." I waved my arms on front of him, signaling him to stop.

"Okay then…what are…desolates?" I asked him. He smiled.

"Rouge pokemon. Lately, they've gone a little bit crazy, so whenever another pokemon enters their line of sight, they attack. Luckily for you, Drenched Bluff is considered a beginners dungeon. Not too hard, but gives a little challenge the first few times around." He finished, hopping up the ladder to go outside. I followed him up, and into the harsh morning sunlight. I shielded my eyes, and looked around. It was definitely a different sight to behold on a hillside, looking down. If I looked closely, I could make out the top of the hospital I was in, just barely clearing the treetops. I could see two figures at the base of the hill, by the crossroads. Dee slid down, and I slowly went after him. I nearly tumbled down several times, but I managed to clutch the tall grass and stop myself.

"About time you two got down here." Brandon huffed as we came into earshot.

"Well excuse me; I was informing our newest companion about the dungeon." Dee answered, taking the bag offered by Crystal. Brandon crossed his brow and turned away once he looked at me. I frowned, not knowing the reason why. Crystal took the lead, and without another word, we made for the dungeon.

Drenched Bluff BF1

The inside of the dungeon wasn't nearly as easy as Dee made it out to be; the room was dripping water, and every time a drop touched my skin, it sizzled and stung me. Brandon seemed to enjoy the water; Dee and Crystal were indifferent to it. It wasn't long before I found something.

"Uh, guys? What is that?" I asked nervously, seeing a strange shape crawling toward us. Dee looked up and shook his head.

"It's just a Shellder. A few attacks should be more than enough to take it out." He pulled out a map from the pack and looked at it, not truly caring. I turned back to the Shellder, and saw it frothing at the… can't really say mouth since it didn't have a visible one. Without warning, it shot a stream of water right at me! I ducked, causing the water to go straight over me and smack Brandon in the side. Ignoring the curses from the green gecko, I stared at the creature, and I felt something. An internal kick, making me want to do something. I followed its silent order, fell to all fours, clenched my gut, and opened my mouth.

What happened was comical and devastating. A great ball of fire shot from my maw and collided with the shelled attacker. It squealed in pain before running off.

"Damn Felix. Might want to dial it down a little next time." I turned to acknowledge, only seeing the fire on the end of my tail had grown to the size of my head. I took a step in shock and wonder. I noticed out of the corner of my eye Brandon taking several steps back, staring uncomfortably at my flame.

The rest of the floor was uneventful. We found the stairs down shortly after.

Drenched Bluff BF2

"What on earth is this?" I asked to no one in particular, finding a rather large golden coin half way buried into the ground. I grasped it with my claws, and yanked it out.

"Nice find Felix. That is a poke coin. They vary in value, but one way is easy to tell. The bigger and thicker the coin, the more value." Crystal informed me in her soothing voice. Brandon walked up and snatched it from me, placing it in his own bag.

"Twenty more poke for the group. I've seen better." He growled, staying away from my flame. I continued on down a hallway, seeing a room with some more golden coins. I dashed off, ignoring the shouts to stop. I couldn't resist the call; the gold spoke to me and whispered things. I was naturally drawn to them, like a moth to a flame.

I grabbed the first coin I could see, this one being many times larger than the other one. I had to hold it with two hands just to look at it. I turned around to grab another, but was confronted with a large blue slug instead. I spun around, only to see several shelled creatures unlike the Shellder I fought earlier. I looked around; I was surrounded in all sides! I closed my eyes, waiting for the onslaught of stinging and painful water.

WHOOMPH!

I felt weightless for a fraction of a second, before touching down back on solid ground. I opened my eyes, seeing only Brandon and Crystal. Dee stood behind me, holding a strange looking blue orb. Brandon stormed up to me and slapped me across the face and took my coin. I reached up to feel the imprint he made as tears welt up in my eyes.

"Idiot! Have you no common sense! Never run into a Monster House! We had to use our last Rollcall orb to save your dumb ass!" He shouted, staring at the coin.

"Figures a drake like you would be drawn to gold." He tossed away the coin. He spat the word like it was poison, staring at me with nothing but cold hate in his eyes. Tears spilled from my eyes, and I back up into Dee's legs. I looked behind me, seeing Dee staring down Brandon like he was no more than a child.

"Watch your mouth and your actions Brandon. I know what his kind did to you, but to act this way…" Dee didn't finish his sentence seeing Brandon storm off into the Monster House. Crystal stood in shock of what happened. She looked at me, and at seeing me crying, knelt down at looked into my eyes.

"Brandon was hurt a long time ago by members of your species. He was hurt very badly, and vowed to wipe out the entirety of Fire types from Cyin. So when we found you on that beach, he wanted to leave you to die. He despises all dragons, fire or not." Crystal hugged me, trying to get me to calm down. Dee went off in the direction of Brandon, probably to get him to calm down.

The rest of the floors went in utter silence. Neither Brandon nor I made eye contact.

Drenched Bluff BF7

"Looks like we found it." Dee nudged my shoulder, pointing ahead of us. A shining pink pearl stuck out from the water. Wordlessly, I went over plucked it out from the water, and gave it to Dee to hold. I pushed on my badge as told, and was teleported back to the guild.

… … …

"Hey, Dee?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there a place I can train?"

"Mews Moves. The legendary herself has help dungeon crawlers for millennia, and she will always help those who need it."

That was the conversation I had with Dee over an hour ago. We were given the reward from a rather happy Spoink, and I pulled Dee away from the team to ask him. He told me about this place, and now I stood in front of its doors, clutching my tail nervously.

I feel you, child. Enter.

My eyes enlarged and I nearly ran away in fear. The only thing that stayed my feet was the fact that the voice sounded familiar. I entered the large building, felt the sand between my toes, and saw her.

A floating pink cat was waiting in the middle of the room, staring at me with gigantic blue eyes.

Welcome, my child. With what do you need? It asked again it its soothing and calm voice. It simply radiated good feelings and it calmed me.

"Child?" I asked it.

Yes. I am known as the Great goddess Mew, mother to all living and dead. I call everyone, even the Perfect One, my child.

"Oh. Well, I need help to learn to attack. I have amnesia, and I don't remember how." Mew flew over to me, and touched my forehead with hers. A blinding white light enveloped her, and I had to close my eyes. When I opened them back up, a Charmander stood before me. I took a step back before asking.

"Mew?" The Charmander giggled, turning back into Mew. She floated just a foot above my head.

I apologize with taking DNA without permission; I hadn't taken a Charmander in such a long time, I had completely forgotten.

"It's…uh, it's fine." I stammered out.

Well, child. Are you ready to learn the ways of the flame?

I hesitantly nodded, holding my tail between my paws. Mew turned back into a Charmander, and dropped to all fours.

Very well. Have you ever fought before?

I nodded, remembering the Shellder.

Did you notice anything… odd? A certain feeling you may have experienced?

"I felt a tug, a kick, in my gut when I fought."

Good. That is known by fire types as the 'Flames Call'. It sort of pulls your body into the stance that had been engraved in your brain since you were born. When the flames call activates, the inner beast takes control of your body and tells you how to react, were it be to dodge or to maul.

Fire types are known for three things above all else. They are pride, temper, and power.

When a fire type is angered, their ember flares. In this case, since you're a Charmander, your ember is external. This means you are easier to predict and to defeat, but it also means that you are stronger than other fire types. This also happens when the pride of a fire type is hurt.

The stronger your ember shows, the more power you have. When I created the first fire type, I gifted them a shard of the first star. Throughout time, the shard dulled down to an ember. However, even the weakest fire type has the power to move mountains. I made them this way, and am happy with the way they evolved.

"So, if I'm angry, I deal more damage?" I asked, getting the gist of the explanation.

Yes. When your Flames Call activates, try and get angry. Sometimes, if your flame is large enough the enemy will back down without attacking. The larger the flame, the larger your strength.

"But, I haven't been angry. I'm too much of a wimp." I looked down, twirling my tail between my claws shyly. I felt a pressure on my chin, and I looked up. I saw the deepness of Mew's magnificent blue eyes, and how they sparkled in the torchlight.

Everyone has their limits, and I suppose I'll have to find yours.

She backed away from me, but not before slapping me with the side of her tail. Hard. Whimpering, I rubbed the side of my face that she had slapped.

"Why'd you do that?" I whined, tears welling up in my eyes. She prodded me with the tip of her tail, leaving a mark. She continued to poke, jab, and otherwise hit me.

"Please… *sob* just stop…" I cried, tears flowing down as I curled into a ball on the floor, tucking my tail around me. She floated away, placing a paw under her chin.

Hmm, you are a tough nut to crack… perhaps, this will help.

She transformed into another, and between my tears I saw that she turned into a Riolu, more specifically Dee. She then proceeded to punch and slap herself, making it look like Dee beating himself up.

"Don't…don't do that *sob* to Dee…" I whispered between my crying. She continued to punch, bruises showing.

"Stop… stop doing that already…" I spoke, louder this time. She didn't relent. I slowly stood up, and turned to face her.

"I said… STOP!" I shouted this time, the tears still flowing freely down my face. I felt the kick deep down in my gut, and I listened without a seconds hesitation. It told me to act like my claws were stone and to rake them across Dee's/Mews face. Before I could even act, however, Dee vanished from view, stunning me. Mew reappeared, scaring me and caused me to fall on my butt.

Looks like I found your limit.

You can't stand being hit at all, but if a friend is injured, that is what makes you snap. You're temper isn't linked to personal pain; it's linked to emotional pain. Rare, but definitely not impossible.

"So, what does that mean?" I asked her, picking myself up and dusting the dirt off.

It means that you're ember ignites if and apparently only if an ally is hurt. Take a look behind you, and see what state your ember is now in.

I looked behind me, seeing my tail flame had grown twice its normal size. I stared at it, not moving until I heard a giggle from Mew.

Well, now I suppose I should teach you about different ways to attack now, should I?

What attack did you use when you fought?

"I…uh. I shot a ball of fire at it." I answered.

That is called the basic 'Ember' attack. It is known by nearly all fire types from birth, and is a simple but effective way of offence. I am not surprised to know that you used it. Anything else, or is that all?

"I only fought once, and only that attack, so yeah."

Then let us try a simple move. I will teach you the support move known as 'Smokescreen'.

Now, I want you to prepare an ember attack, but right before it leaves your mouth, I want you to stop it and lightly exhale. Be careful not to blow too deeply, it might cause you to use a much, much more devastating attack. Quickly now, while your tail still burns bright.

Okay then, I need to try and catch a ball of fire with my tongue. This sounds easy, I thought to myself as I felt the ember burn inside me. The first time I mistimed it, just shooting a normal ember at the wall. The second time I caught it in my mouth, but was so excited that I did so I forgot to exhale and instead burned my entire mouth. The third time was much like the first, only I nearly hit Mew when she wasn't looking. The fourth time I succeeded, blowing a small amount of thick, black smoke around me.

Nicely done! And you only slightly singed my fur. That's more than I can say for most first timers, but you did well. Whenever you use smokescreen, remember to inhale as deep as you can. You'll get a much longer and thicker screen than if you just give out a puff.

Now, I believe that's all I can teach you for tonight. Come back anytime if you need help.

"Thank you Mew, I appreciate it." I thanked her as I left, but not before one more surprise.

Felix, before you go let me show you something.

I turned around to face Mew, only to be greeted by a massive orange dragon with wings. It stood taller than Auster, and looked like it could level a forest.

This, is the great and powerful Charizard! With enough training and experience, you too will join it one day in the skies. This pokemon is capable of overpowering the strongest of dragons, and it doesn't even stand among them type-wise. Many fear it, but nearly all respect it for the power it has. Now go and rest for tonight, for you have earned it little one.

I stood in awe, struck by the great dragons' strength. It needed no show of power, it simply radiated it. With a large smile on my face, I thanked Mew again before leaving for the guild.

… … …

"And where the hell have you been, drake!?" Brandon spat in my face when I tried to enter the team bunks.

"I was-."

"You know what?! I don't care. I don't care if you just saved the damn world! You are nothing to me, and you never will be. So just get the hell away from here and crawl into whatever dirt filled hole you came from!" He slammed the door shut, leaving me outside. I stood there for a minute, completely shocked and scared by him. I pressed my ear up against the door, hearing shouting from inside. I couldn't make out the words, only those shouting.

Dee was fighting with Brandon, and I heard Crystal trying to break it up every so often. It continued for what felt like ages, until…

"Fine! Take in the damn drake and see what I care! But know this, he will betray us, and he will laugh in glee as our carcasses burn into the ground for him to feast upon!" Brandon screamed, slamming a door. A moment passed before I saw Dee open the door, looking at me.

"How about we pack for tomorrow while Crystal calms down Brandon?" he asked, walking up to the ladder, a leather pouch chingling away at his waist. I followed him up the ladder, and down the blue one into the shops.

"Alright. Take this money and go deposit it in the bank. Tell Mismagius that you're a member of our team, and she'll deposit it for us. I'll right across the way getting stuff for the trip, alright?" I nodded, taking the sack of money from Dee. I made my way up to the bank and waited while the ghostly witch put money away for someone else.

"Come here, dearie. And whose team are you on?" she asked me in a sickly sweet voice. Just hearing it sent chills up my spine.

"Uhh, I'm, uhh…" I stammered out, managing to say 'Team Strikers' before handing her the pouch. She accepted it, and vanished from sight. She reappeared, and handed me a slip of paper.

"That's for withdraws, dearie. Come again…" she told me as I backed away. She scared me all to the core, and the voice didn't help. I backed up into Dee as he was taking to Alon.

"Finished with the bank Felix? Alon, this is the new addition to our team." Dee grabbed me and introduced me to the Gallade. He shook my hand, a smile never leaving his face.

"Nice to meet you Felix. Names Alon Silversmith, and I run the storage facilities here in the Wigglytuff Guild." He said as he opened a drawer and pulled several things out for Dee.

"Is this all the Oran Berries we have left, Alon? I thought we had more." Dee asked, holding several small blue berries.

"Sorry Dee. It's all you have left in storage. Unless you want to pull out your golden supply of Sitrus Berries, you'll have to go into town for more healing items." Alon replied, shrugging. Dee frowned, shaking his head.

"No, Brandon will only get more pissed if I do that, and he's not in a good mood to begin with." Dee shook his head before tossing the berries into his bag.

"We'll just head into town early tomorrow morning. Should get first pickings if were lucky." He slung he bag over his shoulder before nodding to Alon and heading down the ladder. I followed him, and crawled down the sets of ladders until we reached the bottom floor and our door. Dee slowly pushed the door open, peeked inside, and ushered me in.

"I'll wake you up a little before Brandon gets up so you can join our morning chant." He whispered, slowly going over to his room. I did the same and creaked open my door and closed it. I set the bag right by the door, and crawled into my coals, wondering why Brandon hates me so. Right before I shut my eyes and drifted off to sleep, I heard shouting coming from Brandon's room.

(P.O.V. CHANGE: 3RD PERSON, IN BRANDON'S ROOM.)

"I just can't stand his kind. Burning things like it's their job. It sickens me." Brandon muttered angrily.

"Brandon, I know what happened, but you have to put it behind you. It's been what, 13 years since it happened?" Crystal asked him, sitting across from him.

"14, now. But what does it matter? His kind killed my entire village, and I'm just supposed to let that go?!" He shouted, getting riled up again. Crystal has been trying to calm him down since they got back from Drenched Bluff, but he hasn't stopped in the slightest. His hate for fire burns more than ever now that the thing he despises most is with him at all times.

"Brandon, I'm not saying you should just forgive and forget, but…"

"But what Crystal, but what?!"

"Maybe you should at least stay yourself around Felix. I've never seen you so worked up like this. I mean, you hit him. I have never seen you do that, even to fire types."

"Maybe I'm just finally losing my mind from all the stress. I mean, I agree with you. I haven't hit anyone like that before, not even Dee when he lost six Reviver Seeds. But something about him is… off. I can't explain it, but something just isn't right about Felix." Brandon lied down on his bed, and stared at the ceiling.

"Crystal, would you sing me that lullaby you sang when we were kids?" She was taken aback by this; he hasn't asked for that in years. Nonetheless, he was her best friend, and she wouldn't say no. She smiled.

"I just hope I remember it all." And then she sang.

When daylight turns to night…

And the moooon shines bright.

When you're tucked in tight,

And when everything's alright.

Slip softly to that place,

Where secrets thoughts run free,

There come face to face

With who you want to be, so

Swim across the ocean blue

Fly a rocket to the moon;

You can change your life,

Or you can change the world.

Take the chance, don't be afraid

Life is you're to live.

Take a chance and then the best has yet to come.

Make a wish, it's up to you.

Find the strength inside,

Then watch your dreams come true.

You don't need a shooting star,

The magic's right there in your heart;

Close your eyes…

And make a wish.

I've always hoped for happiness,

And finally fulfilled my wish

Cause I just need to see you smile.

Make a wish, it's up to you

Watch your dreams come true

The magic's right there in your heart

Make a wish, it's up to you

Find the strength inside,

Then watch your dreams come true

You don't need a shooting star;

The magic's right there in your heart;

Close your eyes,

Believe and make a wish,

Make a wish…

She stopped singing, surprised at herself that she remembered it in the entirety. She turned and looked at Brandon, seeing he had fallen asleep. She lightly kissed him on the forehead, before leaving and going to her own room.

And that will end it for Chapter 2! The ending song is Make a Wish, first shown in the sixth Pokémon movie (I think it's the sixth one) Jirachi wish maker. And no, as of right now I have no intentions of Brandon and Crystal hooking up. I mean, it would suck to have your **** frozen off while inside her ******, am I right fellas? No, yeah I didn't think so. Well anyway, send me a review and keep enjoying the fan fiction, and I will meet you all again in chapter 3. But before that…

Trivia time!

The three Pokémon who original made up Team Strikers (Crystal, Dee, Brandon) have their species first letter match perfectly in the team name. Crystal, who is a Sneasel. Brandon, who is a Treecko, and Dee, who is a Riolu.

S.T.R. ikers. Now that is one hell of a coincidence, am I right? Truth be told, I didn't even realize that until I finished writing this chapter. Okay, now I'm done. I'll meet you all in chapter three. Peace out all my viewers!