"Wh-what are doing? You can't pick up that stone! What if a pokemon wants it back or...or it's part of the trap we're heading into?" Riolu backs away from Mana, who is holding what looks to be a stone or a gem. It's nicely cut, the ruby red color sparkling in front of Mana's eyes. She sighs, exasperated. They weren't even near the forest entrance when a glow had caught the cyndaquil's attention. She looks at Riolu and rolls her eyes.

"If we're already heading into a trap, which is only a possibility, we may as well go full force. This gem or stone could be the key to unlocking great secrets like lifting the fog or opening a mysterious door that is filled with treasures inside..."

"...Or it could be a signal to alert the forest pokemon and they attack us on the spot and then after they're done toying with us, they take us to Uxie who erases all of our memories. Mana you don't understand, that...thing could be our downfall in this whole expedition."

"But, it could also be our savior, the thing we were looking for all this time. You don't understand, Riolu. This is the whole point of going on adventures! You found your relic and it hasn't destroyed the world or anything, has it?"

"N-no..."

"So, this stone shouldn't be judged on the spot." Mana tugs on Riolu and then puts the stone in the bag.

"I took the risk in taking the relic, but are you willing to risk everything for this stone?" Riolu immediately regrets asking the question because he knows exactly what his friend is going to say next.

"Yep." There, the answer Riolu knew she was going to say and he gives up trying to persuade Mana otherwise. She was always good at winning battles and arguments and putting in the relic to make a statement was the final point in her win.

The two rookies continue forward, the stone already buried deep in their minds. Mana and Riolu stay close to each other as the fog around them begins to thicken. Each have their own worries to attend to, so the trip is quiet. Mana is the first to spot a cave entrance and she points it out to Riolu, who nods. The area is encased with thick fog and as the two edge closer to the entrance, their shadows disappear into the unknown, into whatever awaits them inside.

"Even in here I can't see. Mana, how are we supposed to keep going?" Mana tugs on the strap of the bag to make sure she was still attached to Riolu. Aside from his voice, she can barely even see him and somehow, her doubts about this increase.

"M-Mana? How am I supposed to know where to go?" Mana shakes her head, forcing these doubts to vanish. She thinks to herself, trying to figure out some way to get through this. Wait a minute!

"Riolu, remember when you used Shellos' aura to find her? Back at one of our earlier missions?" "Y-yeah…" "Well, is there any way to sense where the stairs are from here? Like if you can sense the auras of the pokemon upstairs and use that trail to lead us up?" Riolu feels a slight tug to his right and he glances in that direction. Though he can't see anything, he can feel a presence there.

"I…I mean, I could try, but that's pretty far so-"

"Don't worry about the distance, we have the luxury of being patient in here. And even if you get exhausted, I've made sure to bring plenty of oran berries," Mana says, her voice calming Riolu down. Of course she wouldn't be afraid even in this dense fog, so there is no reason for him to feel frightened. Closing his eyes, Riolu relaxes his body and mind, the muscles loosening up and his nerves simmering down. Mana waits patiently, not wanting to disturb her friend.

The Riolu sorts through all the colorful aura that seem to be on the same floor level as him and Mana. Slowly getting to know these auras, he begins to move on to the fading auras that seem to be above him. After searching and sorting through the auras and the location he is looking for, Riolu begins to feel a little tired. No, not yet…just a little more. Just a little more time, he made a promise to Mana and he can rest after he finds what he is looking for.

"Riolu?" Riolu opens his eyes, the faded color already implanted into his head. He turns towards Mana, who seems to be glowing a dull, almost faint red color. Strange.

"Riolu, I can see you… Y-You're glow-" "I know where to find the stairs now. Let's go before I lose it." Mana nods and follows her friend through the corridors. Riolu focuses on keeping to their plan, but seeing Mana's aura surprised him. A cyndaquil shouldn't have a dull red aura right? Fire pokemon give off a normal red aura and those with dual types would have two different colors surrounding them.

What does this mean then? That there's something wrong with Mana? No, maybe it's because I've never seen a cyndaquil before that the color is weird… Wait, could it be because she has visions of the past and future that she has dull kind of color to her? Yes, that could be it...that might be it… That has to be it, otherwise what would it be?

Riolu and Mana make their way to the stairs. After feeding Riolu an oran berry, Mana waits as her friend located the stairs using the same method he did the first time. Running alongside Mana, Riolu is able to forget his worries about his friend's strange aura color. Thoughts that were once upsetting Riolu about the color are now more vigilante in keeping to themselves and letting the riolu do his job.

"Wait Mana, there's something wrong," Riolu whispers, falling back. They had just reached another set of stairs when Riolu had hesitated. Mana peers up at him, his color an orange-ish tint. It's light, an almost warm color that draws Mana in, but she snaps herself out of it. The nostalgic feeling she has leaves her and Mana is back to tugging on Riolu.

"What's wrong? We don't have time to-"

"I'm trying Mana, but I can't 'see' anything up there. There's no pokemon up there or anything. I can hear a faint noise… I think it might be water, but there's nothing else." Riolu stays put, refusing to move another inch. Mana sighs, her head turning to face upward.

"Maybe we finally reached the exit." Riolu looks at her, the dull color surrounding her body.

"Or we probably found Uxie's hideout and now our memories will be wiped clean. Mana, I don't think you understand the seriousness of all this. We. Could. Lose. Everything. All of it; our memories, our adventures together, our dreams, our…our friendship…" Riolu looks away, his glow disappearing. He clenches his paws, the reality of his words heavy on his body. He knows that it may only be a legend, but what if it's true? What if Uxie does have the power to wipe away more than he intends? What will happen to him and Mana? Would they still be able to-

"That's not going to happen, even you can understand that. I know how serious this is, but you know you can't keep running forever. We have to find out the truth and if Uxie wants to erase our memories, then we can always start over. Look, there's a reason why I washed up on shore that day, on that very day you were there. If you're still afraid of what's going to happen, then you stay here and wait for me." Mana lets go of the bag, and takes a few steps towards the stairs.

"Wait! We don't know what's going to happen up there. What if-" Riolu hesitates, not wanting to say what he's been hiding since this mission. A mission that seems to have more to lose and less to gain. He was excited before, but with those myths possibly being true and the possible reason for this heavy fog, the riolu begins to doubt his own abilities…his own resolve.

"Riolu, sometimes you have to take risks. And adventure is not an adventure if you can make it past a dungeon without there being any pokemon in sight, just like there can't be friendship if you haven't met anyone right? Now let's go before another pokemon tries to sneak up on us."

Riolu follows, his feet now steady. He doesn't have to see her to feel that Mana is right beside him, walking with him. His doubts waver. Maybe she is right. Maybe Riolu has been a little worried and overwhelmed with all of these things about the legendary pokemon and what everyone seems to hear about this fog and those scary rumors. I guess Mana is right, even adventures have to have some risks.

'But is it really worth it?'