Mystery Dungeon exploring time. Emphasis on the 'mystery' part.

Enjoy.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

Chapter 7 — Low Tide, High Tide

"And here's where all the tasks are posted," Gabite said.

Lucario looked around. The room they had entered had a small flower bed in the corner and windowsills near the roof. A chandelier and lanterns hung on the wall held glowing yellow gemstones, their light brightening up the room's many bulletin boards. All of them had an assortment of papers pinned to them, each depicting a task. Shaymin and Togetic had been here a short while ago, but now the cheeriness of the room was only cast on him, Gabite, and Vulpix.

This was their last stop for Gabite's tour of the facility. He had also shown him the aforementioned database for Mystery Dungeons and the magic storage system granted to all explorers. The former was a group of digital interfaces similar to the device Porygon-Z ran, holding a catalog of all the known dungeons and any relevant information about them, such as their name, the number of floors, their danger level, and what kinds of Pokespawn spawned in them. The technology was basic, nothing like the fancy, high-speed computers humans had, but it still marveled him.

Out of curiosity Lucario had taken a peek at the Stringed Forest dungeon, learning it was located in a small, dark forest northeast from here. A healthy distance from where Gabite's home was too, thank goodness. The place was apparently crawling with web traps and spider Pokemon, and it boasted seven floors. Ariados ruled the village that somehow existed at the end of the dungeon.

And the magic storage system? Lucario shuddered as he recalled the solemn stone statue of a Kangaskhan holding a large bowl, elemental gemstones embedded into sockets in its neck. Gabite had simply touched the statue, and it lit up in greenish light as a few seeds rippled into existence on the bowl.

"Lucario, you with me?"

The hollow look in Lucario's eyes disappeared as he returned to the present. "Sorry, sorry," he blurted to Gabite, "thoughts were elsewhere. That Kangaskhan statue was just plain weird."

Vulpix tripped on her paws upon recognizing the word 'Kangaskhan,' righting herself just as quickly with her eyes squeezed. "Oh come on, you two have more reason to be freaked out by dungeons than an advanced storage system that uses Pokemon statues to store and withdraw your items," teased Gabite.

"They're both weird," Lucario countered. "Believe me, I've seen a lot of weird things, and that never makes them any less weird."

For crying out loud, Eira as a Vulpix was weird enough.

Gabite shrugged, bringing his attention to a board with the words 'Local Tasks' imprinted on top in Unown-script, Pokemon footprint runes underneath. "You'll notice there's another section for island-wide tasks, and another for very important tasks happening elsewhere in Haven Archipelago," the team leader said, pointing absentmindedly at the respective boards.

Lucario scanned the Local Tasks boards. These were all job requests, asking an explorer team to do something on behalf of a client in exchange for a reward. Danger levels also accompanied the requests in a letter grade scale, the job requests placed in order of increasing danger. They also specified a location, usually a dungeon.

Most of them revolved around helping someone in need. They were a few mentioning criminals that needed to be captured, or doing investigations of places or Pokemon. Lucario failed to find one that didn't somehow involve a dungeon, however.

"Yeah, Mystery Dungeons dominate most tasks," Gabite commented on this. "Those maze-like distortions have the word 'Mystery' in the name for a reason. There's people who want to explore all their secrets, hide within them to lay low from the law, uncover and make use of their strange resources, and so on. There's also a need to check the boundaries of new dungeons, look into their layouts and dangers, and assess their value, and to update any changes that happen to pre-existing ones."

He gave a half-turn to Lucario. "Mind you, though, not all explorer teams work with dungeons, that's just what Team Heavendust tends to focus on. It's a broad job, covering a spectrum of fields having to do with exploration, helping out Pokemon, news-gathering, hunting relics and other things of the past, you get the point. You learn a lot about the world from careers like these."

Lucario couldn't help but smile at that. Learning about Haven Archipelago was exactly what he needed.

Vulpix had been diligently reading through the many tasks posted on the board while they had been talking, leaving for a moment to inspect the 'Grassbranch Island Tasks' board as well. Soon she came upon one particular task that made her face scrunch up.

A curious Gabite came over, Vulpix flinching, and stared down the task that had caught her interest. His face morphed into a seething frown. "Something up?" Lucario said, before his eyes glazed over the task. There was a keyword in this mission.

Abhorrent.

ㅤ

ABHORRENT SIGHTING NEAR SUNBURST VALLEY

Sighting of a hostile Pokemon! It lives close to the Sunburst Valley dungeon and appears to chase and attack anyone who goes in. A few Pokemon from explorer teams have disappeared at its hands. Survivors report that it is an Abhorrent Pokemon, resembling a Staravia but with a winged insectoid body featuring six hooked feet, four eyes, and pincers instead of a beak. Appears to be feral. Experienced dungeon explorers should take heed and capture it as soon as possible!

Client: Sunburst Town Council

Goal: Subdue Abhorrent Staravia.

Location: Sunburst Valley dungeon and surroundings

Danger: S Rank

Reward: 4000 Poke

ㅤ

Gabite jerked away, his breaths ragged. "I swear, we used to go weeks without a single task concerning these monsters," he said in a taut voice.

Disturbed by the image of an insectoid Staravia, Lucario distanced himself from the paper, his aura vision flashing to reveal Gabite's aura — still blue, but writhing as if something had disturbed him on a fundamental level. "You all right?" he said.

"Bad memories." Gabite shook himself. "Excuse me if I lose my composure when it comes to Abhorrents, it's an issue I'm working on. The ones who've gone feral, I can pity, they never deserved to be turned into those freaks. But the rational ones—" A snarl. "They can go up in flames for their crime against the world."

It took a moment before he was perfectly calm again, though his gaze kept peeking at the task in question. Lucario and Vulpix stared at each other, the former quickly sending a few empathic messages for the latter to understand what happened. It probably wasn't necessary, though, Gabite's little breakdown said enough.

As much as he wanted to broach him on what it was that he hated about the Abhorrents, see his perspective on them, it seemed wiser to ask another time. Besides, from what little he got from his interactions with Eevee, he had a rough idea of what he meant by a 'crime against the world.' Or as Aerodactyl might call it, a gift, he hissed to himself.

Next chance he got, he was interrogating Eevee about this whole Abhorrent situation.

Gabite eventually came upon a task in the Local Tasks section that seemed to please him. "This'll do," he said, waving Lucario over. To the jackal's amusement, this task seemed immensely childish.

ㅤ

SCARVES LOST

Two blue scarves accidentally lost in a place known as the Rocky Shores dungeon. Request for dungeon explorers to find and return scarves, either to the Dungeon Board Item Retrieval or directly to the client.

Client: Buizel

Goal: Retrieve scarves.

Location: Rocky Shores dungeon

Danger: E Rank

Reward: 500 Poke

ㅤ

Lucario and Vulpix shared a look. "Is the task that easy?" he asked Gabite.

"Not for the clients, but us? Rocky Shores is a pushover, even by the standards of a dungeon." Gabite wagged a finger at Vulpix. "But I take it you haven't been in many dungeons, and Vulpix isn't one to battle much, so we're going small. This is about learning how we do things in Team Heavendust, you understand?"

He took the paper with the job they were taking off the board. "We'll bring this to Porygon-Z so he can register that we're doing this task, and then we're off. Come now, we don't have all day!"

Lucario looked out the window to see the morning sky. "I think we do."

Gabite rolled his eyes with a humored snort, leaving the room in a mood that contrasted with how he acted when he saw the Abhorrent Staravia task.

The roar of waves and the sight of a sandy coastline stretching to either end made Lucario's stomach queasy. As it turned out, Rocky Shores was at the north-most region of Grassbranch Island, located in a cave that settled upon the beach.

And the path they took crossed the very spot where he and Vulpix were washed ashore two days ago.

The driftwood they had latched onto was still there, forlornly watching the rise and fall of the tide. Gabite paused as he got close to it, muttering something about washed-up junk, before moving along. Vulpix vacantly stared at the plank, and Lucario had to nudge her out of it.

Of all the places a Mystery Dungeon could be, he muttered to himself.

The cold, unforgiving ocean rippled with tiny waves, a few splashing against a distant, gigantic monolith that broke out of the watery surface. It looked somewhat like a tower, but Lucario thought it looked more like a huge beacon. An irony, since beacons weren't supposed to ward people away from a certain area.

The shimmering distortion field was also there, at the expanse of the horizon. Ripples ran throughout it, much like heated air in the middle of summer, and any beam of light that touched the barrier would bend itself in strange angles, giving it the faintest tints of a rainbow hue.

Lucario clenched his fist as he stared at it all, chest heaving. This time Vulpix had to nudge him out of his sour mood — right, they had a job to do. He didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary anyway, it would only worsen the ache in his heart.

A few minutes passed before the duo found Gabite waiting by a stony cliff that overlooked the beach, a sloped cavern built to the side. A sign was posted nearby, warning visitors of the Rocky Shores dungeon that lurked within.

Gabite rummaged with the stuff in his bag once more before closing it up. "Here it is," he stated, "the foot of the dungeon known as Rocky Shores. Only four floors, a small and simple layout, and weak Water Pokemon. Finding the stairs doesn't take long — it's the perfect place for training rookies. No offense to Vulpix."

Vulpix perked her ears upon hearing her name, but her focus was on the inside of the cavern, which sloped down to one side with stalactites hanging overhead. Water droplets fell rhythmically, trailing down the slope in little rivulets.

"But enough dilly-dallying. Come along, you two," Gabite ordered, stepping into the cave. He gave Lucario and Vulpix a sidelong look before going out of sight.

The pair gave each other blank looks. Vulpix took a deep, cold breath before going inside, and naturally Lucario stuck with her. No worries, this time we know how these weird places work, he reassured himself. Nothing to be afraid of.

The cavern went through a bend, looping at a tight angle before changing direction. The floor rose gradually, sunlight gleaming through what had to be an exit. Before they could reach it, however, a strange tingle shook their bodies, and everything twisted. Just like that the cave was gone, Gabite waiting nearby with his foot tapping on sand.

Surrounding them was the beach, but not the beach they had just been in. Large hills of rock covered the area, slippery to the touch. Pathways between the expanse of rock cut into the sandy hollow he stood in, crooked and twisting in nature. Moats of tropical water filled up the corners, and one featured a submerged Krabby.

The orange crab Pokemon left the water and scuttled toward Gabite only to be slashed apart into red-purple particles. "So we're doing a fetch quest, right?" asked Lucario, adjusting to the change in scenery. "All we have to do is find where these scarves are, and then we leave."

Gabite nodded. "That means scouring the whole dungeon, however," he pointed out. "We weren't given the exact floor where the scarves were lost, unfortunately, so we'll have to check each one before we can take the stairs. You do understand how dungeons work, right?"

Feebas's words came to mind, and Lucario explained it to Gabite — the ever-shifting, labyrinthine nature of dungeons, the traps and Pokespawn that defended it, the items that spawned all over, and how information on the dungeon name and current floor was embedded into their heads while inside. As he said that, he couldn't help but check on that red-purplish mist that had rolled into his mindscape again, declaring that this place was Rocky Shores, B1F.

"Oh, and there's other stuff like losing your items and getting kicked out if the dungeon floors you, pun possibly intended," Lucario added. "And status effects like poison and paralysis disappear when you go in between floors for some reason."

Gabite nodded. "Yeah, dungeons are dangerous, but they never kill. That being said, that doesn't mean you can go nilly-willy into these places, not unless you like getting beat up and evicted over and over. You know about Dungeon Plague?"

Lucario arched a brow. Gabite mentioned that before, during his lecture with Feebas. "Does it make you feel like you've been run over by a diseased Mamoswine?"

"Odd way to put it, but close enough." Gabite gave a shrug. "It's why Pokemon would rather sit tight in a dungeon and wait for help instead of walking into danger so the dungeon can spit them out. I've gone through it plenty of times, and I still can't get used to it."

As if the danger of Vulpix losing her band wasn't enough.

"But hey, we're professionals. Neither of you are going to collapse in a Mystery Dungeon, not on my watch." Gabite took a moment to Slash at an incoming Shellos, the pink slug bursting apart into motes. "Now why don't we go find those scarves?"

They went down sandbars surrounded by water, a shimmering false sun beating down on them. Rock formations loomed over them, watching their progress with indifference. A Shellder leapt from a shallow pool, Vulpix staggering at its ambush, but an Aura Sphere from Lucario took care of it.

A turn to the left led them right into a dead end. Navigating these mazes was ridiculous, they'd be wasting time trying to find the scarves. "We could split up," Lucario pointed out. "You go on your own, me and Vulpix go together. I can always find you again with my aura abilities."

Gabite scoffed, turning away from the dead end. "You kidding me? You never split the party in a dungeon. Forget about how easy it is to get lost once separated, you also become easier pickings for the dungeon's threats."

"I mean, this dungeon doesn't seem—"

"Dangerous?" Gabite dug his claw into his Treasure Bag. "Not at all, but that's no excuse to start a habit. Dungeon delvers work as a synchronized group to complement each other's strengths and to patch up their weaknesses, and that's a skill I've drilled into Togetic and Shaymin. If you two are going to be on this team, I expect the same, and that includes being ready to listen to your team leader at all times."

With that he tossed a seed out of the bag, Lucario catching it with care. A wise move, as this was a familiar red-yellowish spiky seed, shaped a little like a flame. Blast Seed.

"Gabite?" he asked. "Isn't this thing dangerous to—"

"THROW."

At the same time Lucario spotted an Omanyte, the helix-shelled Pokemon inching forward on its little sky-blue tentacles. Without thinking he threw the seed, pitching it at the Pokemon's face.

An explosive flare released itself from the seed with a resounding boom, engulfing the Omanyte whole. Prepared for the blast, Lucario and Vulpix still winced from the aftermath, the latter inching behind him and covering her ears. By the time the roar settled down and the smoke lifted, the Pokespawn's defeated wisps were already on the retreat, sand displaced where the Omanyte once stood.

Gabite nodded in approval. "Nice reactions. Another thing to note, items are always handy in a dungeon. Seeds, orbs, whatever it is that a dungeon can produce, it's good for you to know how to identify and use each one, and to stockpile them for when you're in a pinch."

"You don't say." Lucario kept glancing at the explosion site, a scowl forming on his face. "If I didn't catch that, you know, I could've been roasted."

"Nah, I'm sure you can take it. Here, how about I toss a more harmless one at you?"

Gabite pulled out another seed, crescent-shaped and with purplish lines wrapping around as if to constrict itself. Lucario stiffened at the toothy grin that covered his face.

Detect activated, and he found himself stepping away as the seed flew past the bridge of his nose in slow motion. By the time the move's effect had worn off the seed had imploded against a rocky wall, Vulpix registering what happened with a little gasp. "Stun Seed," Gabite explained. "It immobilizes anyone it hits for a long time, or until something hits the stunned Pokemon hard enough that he or she breaks out of it. Well dodged."

"What was that for?" Half-formed curses came to Lucario's lips, and he swallowed them back. "Like what kind of person chucks magic seeds at their new teammates?"

"Don't be so prickly, Lucario." Gabite's grin turned malicious. "Of all the items dungeons create, seeds are the ones people don't know the difference between, and what better way to help you two learn than a dangerous, hands-on activity? Totter Seed."

An orange, yellow-striped seed curling into itself whizzed by the jackal's head, striking a Krabby behind him and popping. The Krabby began moving around in erratic circles, confused at where it was going and walking back the way it came. Lucario watched it all before turning back to Gabite with a start.

He had pulled out a rosy pink seed, and this time he was aiming at a wide-eyed Vulpix.

An Aura Sphere flew right as the seed left Gabite's claw, making the seed burst mid-air into pink, drowsy smoke. "And that one? Sleep Seed," the dragon-shark informed them. "Very protective of Vulpix, aren't you?"

A grumble left Lucario's throat as he narrowed his eyes at the amused Gabite. It was one thing that he was pelting him with these seeds, but no way was Vulpix going to be subjected to this torment.

"Don't worry, that's the only seed I'll throw at her. Moving on." Gabite went past Vulpix with a friendly smile, which only made her frown all the harder. Lucario could hear her repeat the word 'Sleep Seed' under her breath while giving a wary glance at their team leader.

It didn't take long for the group to search the whole floor, finding nothing but water, sand, and Pokemon everywhere. Certain that this floor didn't have the scarves they were after, Gabite led them to where the staircase was. The stairway itself was immaculate, as if a barrier existed between the stone bricks and the sandy terrain surrounding it.

That was fixed as the trio dragged their dusty feet inside. As a stone covering slid over the entrance, a sudden gut feeling poked at Lucario's stomach.

His paw nimbly caught a seed with an orange eye pattern, and he threw it back at Gabite as darkness briefly settled in the stairway, the seed popping upon contact. Immense pleasure filled Lucario's soul as Gabite yelped, rubbing his eyes like mad.

Light poured out at the bottom of the stairs, yet it didn't help as his foot stumbled. Soon he was tumbling, going all the way down until he bumped his head against the rising stone door.

Vulpix stared at the mess of limbs Gabite had become. "I can't see, great," he said, a claw searching for where his Treasure Bag had gone in the chaos. "Blinker Seed."

It was impossible for Lucario to hold back a snicker. "Do that again," he challenged him. "Come on, don't be shy, you jerk."

The phrases being simple enough for her to make sense of, Vulpix too gave in and allowed herself a tiny laugh, much to a groaning Gabite's humiliation. At last his claw made a purchase on the strap of his bag, the dragon-shark gingerly getting up and putting it over his shoulder.

He deserved this, Lucario decided. The childish part of his sense of justice agreed.

The effects of the Blinker Seed didn't last too long, and after regaining his sight Gabite led them onward without throwing any more seeds. The second floor was no more exciting than the first, with nothing to find other than a blue, crystal-shaped seed with a green vine wrapping around it, the item half-buried in the sand. Gabite cleaned it up before stuffing it in his bag, calling it a Warp Seed.

The third floor came soon enough, the lack of danger simultaneously soothing and irritating to Lucario. This dungeon was too easy! Be it ambushes from the water or small groups attacking at once, all the Pokemon here were still low-Leveled fodder, easy to destroy with one of his smaller Aura Spheres or even a few normal punches and kicks. It almost cast the eerie nature of the dungeon in a ridiculous light.

If he didn't know better, it was like Gabite had chosen a task in Rocky Shores because it would help him and Vulpix get used to the strangeness of these Mystery Dungeons. Which I appreciate, he thought, but it does make the fighting spirit in me boil.

He might've commented on it if not for a command Gabite gave. "Vulpix," he said, pointing at an Omanyte crawling out of a pond of water. "All yours."

Vulpix threw her head over with wide eyes as Gabite stepped back, pulling Lucario in tow. Thus far the kid hadn't done much fighting, only chipping in every once in a while. Battling by herself? "Cut her some slack, Gabite," Lucario requested, "Ice moves aren't that effective against a Water-type anywa-"

"M-me?"

Lucario went silent as Vulpix spoke in her soft voice. Gabite elbowed him with a grin, giving her a nod. "You said she could fight just fine, right?" he told the jackal. "I have to see what our other new team member's capable of, and I'm sure she could use the experience."

Admittedly, that had been one of the reasons Lucario had joined the explorer team. There's two of us who can step in if she needs it, he assured himself, letting Vulpix go on.

The kid took a deep breath to calm herself, edging away from Lucario. With a jerk she breathed out, a healthy dose of Powder Snow coming out to buffet the Omanyte.

The Omanyte rushed at her in a heartbeat, rolling on its shell to run over her. Vulpix wasted no time leaping away from the Rollout attack, launching another Powder Snow from her new position. Not able to make sharp turns, Omanyte had to tuck into its shell to resist the cold.

For a moment she panicked as a blue Shellos appeared from the pond, joining the Omanyte and spitting a small burst of water. Her face took the brunt of the Water Gun, throwing her down with a pained noise, and Lucario stiffened.

"Don't," said Gabite, lips twitching.

Omanyte began rolling again, while Shellos's cheeks bulged in preparation. With some effort Vulpix pulled herself together and ran out of the crossfire of Rollout and Water Gun, retaliating with a widespread Powder Snow. Aggravated by the attack, Omanyte crawled close in one last-ditch effort, tentacles wriggling forward and snatching her up in a Bind.

Vulpix thrashed in the Pokemon's hold, her movements kicking sand everywhere as tentacles tried to keep her paws and neck locked in place. Her eyes glowed, then faltered, her panic overriding her attempt to use Disable. Shellos gargled victoriously with a Water Gun ready, and dread struck Lucario's soul as she looked to him with pleading eyes. If that attack was too much to handle and she collapsed—

No, he was overreacting. Sighing his fears away, he straightened himself, throwing her a firm smile and an aura message filled with persistence. She had to learn to fight one way or another.

It took a split-second for Vulpix to understand, and another to fall into a state of calm. Yet another was spent realizing Omanyte had neglected to restrain her tails, which began swishing back and forth in circles. Shellos stopped its attack, narrowed eyes darting at the Tail Whip's motions, and even Omanyte's grip seemed to weaken.

It was enough for Vulpix to bring forth the blue light in her eyes again, all of her willpower mustered into the Disable. Omanyte locked up entirely, falling into its shell, and when Shellos snapped out of its trance to finally use Water Gun, Vulpix had gotten behind the Omanyte and thrown its shell up as a shield.

The attack made Omanyte rasp as it broke into red-purplish wisps, and Vulpix bombarded Shellos with multiple concentrated Powder Snows.

The slug was soon gone as well, and Gabite crossed his arms as she returned to them with a pant. "A lot to be desired," he said, "but it looks like you had a point, Lucario. Vulpix's clever for someone who doesn't fight much."

"And that's why I wasn't worried about her in the slightest," said Lucario. Gabite rolled his eyes, calling him a deadpan Shaymin before continuing the search for the scarves.

Vulpix and Lucario hung back a short distance, enough for the former to whisper into his ear. "I didn't think, uh, I could do that."

Someone needed a confidence boost. "You can."

"I can?"

"Course you can." Lucario gave her a thumbs-up. Even dungeons like Rocky Shores could be rough for her, but that didn't mean she couldn't learn to overcome them. "You'll get better with practice. Keep at it, okay?"

Vulpix put on a shy, humble smile. "Okay."

With the third floor also devoid of scarves, Lucario began to wonder if they had missed the items and would need to repeat the dungeon over again. Gabite soon made the call to go to the fourth and final floor, the trio entering the staircase that would take them there.

Unlike Sapling Woods, the last floor of Rocky Shores was just as maze-like as the rest of the dungeon. The same old rocky formations surrounded them, with pools of water interrupting the monotony. Lucario barely had looked around when he saw them.

There they were. Two blue striped scarves.

In the grasp of a cotton-candy colored witch Pokemon, staring at a long, narrow stretch of water.

She was a pinkish figure around the same size as Vulpix. Her hair shaped itself into a comically large hat with a blue brim, a pink cone transitioning to white, and a crooked tip — A Hattrem. Instead of holding the scarves in her actual arms, she carried them using her two braided ponytails with blue, two-fingered bulbs at the end.

It seemed someone else had found them before they did. "Excuse us?" Lucario said, and she looked over, as expressionless as could be. "We were looking for those scarves."

Hattrem raised her ponytails and the scarves they held. Water droplets fell from the fabric, as if they'd been half-submerged in water and pulled out not too long ago. "These?" she said, no tone to her voice.

Gabite stepped forward, pulling out his winged explorer emblem. "Team Heavendust, here to complete a job request," he stated, before something pulled at his face. "Say, we did a job request for a Hattrem the other day. Would you be her?"

The little witch blinked once. "You do seem to be the same Pokemon who helped Feebas out of Sapling Woods."

"Well, I mean, I didn't do much, it was these two that—"

"I know." Hattrem tossed the scarves over to Lucario and Vulpix, the jackal catching them before they fluttered into the sand and got all dirty. This was the same Hattrem Feebas had mentioned? Small world.

Well, they had the scarves now. "Thanks," said Lucario. "Oh, and really, Feebas helped us out too, taught me and Vulpix plenty about dungeons. Send her our thanks."

Before he could move, however, Gabite raised a claw. "One quick moment," he said, sounding every bit like a teacher about to lecture his students. "Hattrem, what are you doing in a dungeon to begin with? I don't know your strength, but this is no place to go wandering into for fun."

"I'm not alone." Hattrem turned back to the water stretch, her forehead creasing in concentration. "Still in the same spot? What's holding her up?"

Considering Hattrem's Psychic typing, Lucario guessed she was locating her partner, and maybe communicating with telepathy too. His aurasense popped up, and he scanned the waters before locating the aura of a fish Pokemon, floating somewhere beyond his sight. Somewhere past that long, narrow body of water and to the right.

And yet it looked like it was a dead end, with rocky walls enclosing the pool boundaries. "She swam up from here?" he asked, and Hattrem nodded. A hum came out of Lucario's throat as he stared out at the pool again, trying to see what he was missing.

Hattrem's partner was swimming back now. Her aura dove into the waters, then back up to surface level before turning, coming perpendicular with the narrow stretch of water. Lucario had a double-take as a brown fish with blue fins came from the right side of the dead end, her faraway figure appearing to emerge from the wall itself.

There must be another water stream there, and he simply couldn't see it from the beach. How interesting.

The brown fish swam their way, eyes going large as she noticed the group waiting for her. "Well, what do you know, more surprises," said Feebas once she came close, chilling in the water with a wide smile. "Nice to meet you again, Lucario, Vulpix, and Gabite. You two joined his explorer team?"

As expected, Hattrem's partner was Feebas. "That we are," said Lucario as he raised a paw in greeting, Vulpix copying him with a look of surprise. "You took up someone's advice to go into dungeons with a partner, huh?"

Feebas nodded and waved back before swimming to the water's edge. Hattrem was upon her in a moment, whispering something about not straying away for so long, and Feebas made a short apology.

All the while, Gabite had been staring out at the waters. "It doesn't look like it, but there's a very tight passageway where the pool appears to end," he stated with narrowed eyes and a face full of awe. "Might be something weird with how the dungeon creates its maze-like floors."

"Oh, no, it's more than that." Feebas rose her head, a sheen on her worn-looking scales. "It leads to what looks like another dead end, but underneath the water, there's this hole that carves through the rock walls."

Gabite whipped his tail around in no time flat. "What?" he yelled.

Lucario couldn't help but show surprise too. An underwater passage that went straight through the walls, hidden in a part of the water almost no one would come across? Why would a dungeon make such a wayward path?

"I wasn't done." Lucario held in his breath as Feebas spread out her fins, radiating with excitement. "At the end of that passageway? It leads to a small tropical island surrounded by water and rocky walls. There's a stone pillar there with an etching of some weird creature."

Only now did Hattrem show a hint of a reaction. "Let me see."

Feebas consented, dipping her head. Hattrem stared at her with great focus, her eyes bulging as she read her mind. "I don't know what that is, but it is interesting," she said, caressing her cheek. Her ponytail gestured toward Lucario, Vulpix, and Gabite. "Perhaps one of you might know what it means?"

She didn't wait for an answer, a faint feeling of psychic force dipping into Lucario's head. It was there for such a tiny amount of time, but the image that came with it stayed imprinted into his thoughts.

There it was, a mound-shaped island surrounded by water, which in turn was surrounded by walls of brown, slippery rock formations. The island itself was vibrant, a little oasis covered in grass and tacky palm trees that bore some exotic-looking fruits. Were they edible? He couldn't tell for sure.

None of that mattered compared to the stone pillar at the center, however, touched by rays of dungeon sunlight that gave it a wondrous air. The top was flat and looked like something was meant to be placed there, while the sides were chiseled with lines and squiggles. In particular, the front-facing side beheld a carved image of a beastly flying creature, each of its wings large enough to cover the rest of its body.

"What in Haven Archipelago?" Gabite murmured. "I didn't know there was a secret area within Rocky Shores."

His eyes fell upon Feebas and Hattrem, both giving him expectant looks. "No idea what that pillar means, or what Pokemon is carved into it," he told them. "But this is interesting. Dungeons can hold all sorts of secrets within their confines, and this seems like one of them. Plus, considering how young this dungeon is, you may be the first to discover it."

Feebas let out a whistle. "And to think I was just checking out the layout of the water pools," she said, wearing a sheepish smile. "Didn't think I would find a full blown secret."

Lucario hummed, looking back at the image Hattrem had sent into his mind. The flying creature caught his interest again — he couldn't quite place it, but something about it made his heart stir, made his paw curl. Why?

He turned to Vulpix, saw her frozen look, and realized.

That creature had a shape similar to the large winged Pokemon he'd seen before the shipwreck. Same scaly bird head, same wingspan. It couldn't be, yet it was.

That was one of the two Pokemon who fought each other at sea.

And Vulpix recognizes it? Lucario shot her an arched eye, but she didn't respond, forcing herself to put on a neutral expression. He could feel undercurrents of her bewilderment, however, reaching him even with his aura inactive. A bit of irritation too.

Hattrem must've sensed it too, for she clutched her forehead with a grunt. "Excuse me, strong emotions like that hurt," she growled at Vulpix, raising a fist-like ponytail bulb when she blanked out. "You know?"

Simple enough words for Vulpix to understand. "What?" said Gabite as he swung over, the attention making her shrink into herself. "You two know something?"

Hattrem's sensitivity to emotions for the win. Lucario stepped in front of Vulpix, saving her from the need to talk. Now, how to put this?

"The Pokemon looks familiar, that's all," he said aloud. "Might've seen something like it before, but we're as clueless as the rest of you." Gabite's eyes drilled into his forehead and a nervous Vulpix's, looking for something more, but Lucario didn't mind. Why should he? He wasn't telling a lie.

Their team leader relaxed after a handful of seconds, scratching his forehead. "If you say so," he said. "Look, I sure don't know what this 'mon is, but I'll bet my other teammates could. Togetic knows most kinds of Pokemon and their powers, and anything she doesn't recognize, Shaymin should know. Try out a library in the meanwhile, there's bound to be something."

As Feebas and Hattrem nodded, Lucario returned to a pondering Vulpix. He never told the kid more than what the Pokemon was shaped like, yet she was quick to match it to the etching on the pillar. More than that, she had an idea of what that Pokemon was.

First the article on the bulletin board, now an etching on a hidden pillar. Lucario shook his head. She's been mulling over this for a while, hasn't she? She recognizes the Pokemon, but she doesn't know what species it is.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but we're gonna get back to exploring the rest of the dungeon floor," said Feebas. "Um, if you don't mind—"

"Course I'll check if anyone else's seen this secret place," Gabite agreed. "Stay safe, you two."

Hattrem blinked. "The Pokespawn here are a joke."

On that absolute truth, the twosome left the area. Hattrem began using her ponytails as legs as she moved onward, while Feebas hopped onto the sand and followed. Gabite watched them go around a bend before stretching his arms out, bag dangling along.

"You two aren't bad at masking your thoughts, I'll give you that." He turned on Lucario and Vulpix, his tone stiff. "Look, I know you're hiding something. What else is up with the pillar?"

Lucario batted an eye. What did he mean he was hiding something? "It's as I said, I really don't know more," he said.

"You don't, but she does." Vulpix tensed as Gabite glanced at her with sharp eyes. "You see her body language? She knows something, and she's keeping it to herself. Do you always speak on her behalf?"

Oh, that, Vulpix having some clue as to what the Pokemon on the pillar was. Lucario didn't see a problem with telling him about it, if not for one thing: Vulpix could barely explain whatever she knew in the Pokemon language. "You know she's a shy one," he reminded him. "I'll ask her later."

"Shy." A dour look crossed the dragon-shark's face. "Please, Lucario, you think I can't see she's using that shyness of hers to avoid telling us what could be pivotal information? Bah, and that's not all she's using her shyness as a cover for — she doesn't even pay attention to half of what anyone says! You think I didn't notice how she was barely listening when we were with Feebas and Hattrem?"

The comment was so random Lucario felt his jaw slacken. Okay, now where did this come from?

"And look at her right now, she's looking our way, and yet she's not listening to us talk about her." Irrationality laced Gabite's voice as he glowered at Vulpix, the startled vixen looking to Lucario for an explanation. "Fine, I get that she's one to keep to herself, but she can't go retreating into her own world whenever she likes!"

Poor attention span, caused by her inability to understand much of what we say. Lucario grabbed his paw to avoid facepalming himself with it. Oh come on, now was not the time for Gabite to make a big deal out of this, not when Vulpix couldn't speak up in her defense. He'd been fine with her just a minute ago!

"My, I wonder if the kid even took note of the seeds?" Gabite pulled out the blue, crystal-shaped seed they found in the dungeon, Vulpix turning alert at the sight of it. "Or tell me, Lucario, does she know what this is? Can she tell me—"

"W-Warp Seed?" Vulpix whispered.

Gabite went still as Lucario inwardly sighed, thankful he had taught her enough to understand simple phrases. Learns fast too, he thought. She must've picked up on the seed's name when Gabite mentioned it.

A wind of silence blew past the threesome, ruffling Vulpix's hair. "And now it occurs to that I'm being stupid," Gabite eventually said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry you two had to see me like that, I shouldn't nitpick on Vulpix. It's just that I get riled up when I see a possible clue to a mystery dangling out of reach, and to be honest, I might still be a teeny bit annoyed with her joining the team."

Lucario glared.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The dragon-shark occupied himself with his Treasure Bag for a while. "The kid's nowhere as bad as I thought she might be, I shouldn't complain. You'll tell me if she has something to share about the pillar, right?"

Bah, he could overlook Gabite's treatment of Vulpix this time, it hadn't done any serious harm. "Just don't do that again."

A nod. Gabite gestured to Lucario and Vulpix, and they continued on, in search of the stairs. "Do you know what it is?" whispered Lucario to Vulpix. "That Pokemon on the pillar?"

The Ice-type swept her eyes back to the narrow pool one last time. "I think? Maybe?" Before Lucario could open his lips, she hastened to repeat the word in Vulpix-speak. "M-maybe."

The last flight of stairs awaited them in an area not far from here. The group went through, leaving the Mystery Dungeon as they ended up in a cavern-like area identical to Rocky Shores's entrance. The noontime sun greeted them outside, Lucario comforted by its not-so-eerie rays of sunlight, along with the very sign that warned Pokemon of the dungeon. They had gone in a complete loop.

Space doesn't make sense in dungeons, he thought to himself, raising the scarves in his paws. A speck of dust covered one of them, and he wiped it away.

Gabite snatched the scarves from him right after. Pulling out the winged explorer emblem, he pushed a few buttons and did a quick scan of the scarves before stuffing everything back into the bag. "That'll show the Explorer Board this task is done," he said. "Now it's just a matter of giving the scarves to their staff so the client can pick them up. Simple enough, isn't it?"

It sure was. Lucario glanced back at the Mystery Dungeon they just left, taking notice of some fresh imprints in the sand. One of them looked like two-fingered bulbous feet, the other like someone had been hopping from spot to spot.

A Mystery Dungeon, locked inside of a cavern. To think such an anomaly could fit itself in there, twisting reality into floors of mazes filled with magic items and Pokespawn, it was jarring. He was coming to terms with the weirdness of dungeons, but still, it was hard to ignore how wrong those places felt.

"I just don't get why these things exist," he muttered. "Where do they come from?"

Gabite twitched, a tiny smile settling on his face. "That, my friend," he said, "is a question all explorers wonder about. Where do they come from? No one on this archipelago knows, or if they do, then no one's telling us about it. They just spawn from out of nowhere, transforming the land they consume into strange mazes, adapting to the local environment and gaining their own themes and properties. If I didn't know better, I'd say these dungeons are alive, alive as the rest of us Pokemon."

A chuckle. "But for all their dangers, Haven Archipelago wouldn't be the same without them. Why do these things exist? No one asks that question, because we don't need to. They are simply part of our ecosystem — for the harm they cause, they make up for it with the riches and wonders they can hold. Some make coveted things like Elemental Gems or evolutionary items, or transport you over vast distances, or hold even more interesting secrets."

"Like the one Feebas found?" Lucario asked.

"Exactly, exactly!" A yelp left Lucario's throat as Gabite all but tackled him, shaking his shoulders with a loony grin. "Just what could it mean? Is it the key to something grander? Why is it that your kid might know something about it that I don't, blast it?"

He gave a quick glance at Vulpix. The kid wisely put her tails in front of her, frowning at the change in behavior.

Gabite just laughed it off, letting an unnerved Lucario get up. "Let me tell you a little something," he continued. "Since I was a Gible, my interest has always been in Mystery Dungeons. The thrill of exploration, the giddiness of finding a nifty treasure, the thirst for a challenge, it all speaks to me."

His gaze searched for the stars hidden in the midday sky. "I may be content here, doing jobs to help out the locality, but someday I want to conquer each and every last one of these dungeons — to delve through the most mysterious and dangerous of them, combing through all of their secrets, and to discover the source of these spatial anomalies. I want to know what makes them tick. It might be a silly dream, but that's my dream."

Hearing Gabite's words left Lucario with a bundle of bittersweet emotions. A dream. His trainer Adam had one of those too, one he shared with his Pokemon teammates.

Take home the title of Pokemon Champion, the strongest of all trainers. Dang, did that dream decide to take a rain check, thought Lucario with dark mirth. A very long rain check — even if I got back by some miracle, I'd have to start over with another trainer, and I don't know if it's worth going back in the first place.

Vulpix was lying in the sand, tails swishing in tandem with the tide. I certainly can't leave without her, he told himself.

"That reminds me." Lucario snapped out of his thoughts as Gabite put on a curious face. "Ever since we met, there's been this burning question in my mind. Have you ever tried to see the aura of a Pokespawn?"

Lucario's first thought was of the Petilil he tested his aurasense on in Sapling Woods. No, those husks had no aura, but there was something else to be found in them, an energy that he couldn't identify. Whatever that energy was, however, it took the form of those red-purplish wisps, and something else was linked to that energy. The aura of some powerful entity? Some kind of energy source? He didn't know.

He mentioned it all to Gabite, who silently drank in the information. Only when he finished did he stir, tapping his forehead as he reviewed what he'd been told.

"Fascinating," he said. "More or less what I expected, but still quite fascinating, and something for me to think about. You have my thanks."

Lucario shrugged it off, looking away. His eyes fell upon the sea, from the splish-splash of the tide, to the black human-warding monolith standing proud in the far distance. The shimmering distortion field painted the background, its enchanting sky-ripples wavering throughout the horizon. In a way, there was something fantastical about the scene, driving home the idea that Haven Archipelago was no ordinary place. Certainly no place for humans, anyway.

A sigh left his maw as he glanced at Vulpix. He wanted to know Gabite's opinion. Should he ask? Could he? No harm in trying, this wasn't quite the same as asking about Abhorrents. Yet, was it wise to bring it up?

"You ever wonder what's beyond those odd sea towers and that screen thingy?" he blurted.

Gabite's expression was incredulous. "You don't know?"

"Er, maybe I've heard a thing or two?"

A silence hung in the air for a few moments. "Figures, the wild's not the best place to learn about the wider world," said Gabite. "You really did live under a rock your whole life, didn't you? That screen thingy is a distortion field surrounding the archipelago, and the sea towers are there to protect us from the outside world. From humans."

Lucario could see and feel it from Gabite — fear, unmasked and wild, making his very essence shudder. His eyes seemed to lose their intelligence for one moment. "Picture this, a creature similar to a Machoke or a Sawk or any other Pokemon with similar builds. Humans look like that, with tall, lanky forms covered in clothing, and hair growing out of their heads. Probably not that scary-sounding, if not for the freaking fact that they're everywhere outside of the archipelago."

"Humans? I recognize that name." Lucario made himself sound interested, careful not to betray any inner emotions. Not the time to slip up that he knew more than he was letting on. "What do you mean they're everywhere, though? Is that a problem?"

Gabite's snarl came out as more of a whimper. "They're Pokemon enslavers."

Oh. Boy.

"There's not much we people of Haven Archipelago know about those outsiders, but what we all know is there isn't a place out there that they don't rule. There's Pokemon too, to be sure, but they're subjugated to the whims of humans, forced to obey their orders." Sweat glistened in the scales covering Gabite's back. "We're the only ones safe from their strange capturing capsules and whatever magic powers they have."

Reminders of Ariados's intent to kill Vulpix went in and out of Lucario's thoughts. Should he be surprised that Gabite's beliefs on humans weren't much better? Not only did Pokemon on this archipelago know little about humans, what little knowledge they did have was enough to make them assume they were enemies. Or at least, it made people like Ariados and Gabite deathly frightened of them.

A shame. He was hoping Team Heavendust's leader would have a more open-minded viewpoint, akin to Kecleon's, but it was clear letting him in on Vulpix's true identity would be a big mistake. "They're worse than Abhorrents?" he said.

Gabite growled. "Those scum, they already make me go crazy enough as it is. If I found a human slipping in here? I'd be beyond terrified, Lucario."

"Yikes." Lucario's eyes drifted to the side before expanding with a jolt. "Um, tall, lanky, and with lots of clothes, right?"

His shaky tone made Gabite stand up straight, his face turned into one of horror. All sense of rationality disappeared as he threw his head in every direction. At the same time, his stance morphed into one ready for the most dangerous fight of his life.

"WHAT?" he screamed. "WHERE? WHERE IS IT?"

His panicky, almost animalistic voice made Vulpix leap out of her thoughts and into the air. Seeing what had become of Gabite, a gasp left her throat, and she began frantically looking for what the threat was.

It took a moment before both of them noticed the cackles roaring out of Lucario's mouth. The jackal had to curl up on his stomach, wheezing out laugh after laugh while tears ran down his face. His paws gripped a pile of sand, crushing it into a makeshift ball. Was this one little joke going to cost him?

"Lucario!" Gabite yelled.

Of course it would. Was he pleased with himself?

"You really are beyond terrified of them, huh?" he said in between wheezes.

Yes, he kind of was.

It took many dodges from Gabite's agitated swipes, not to mention an interrogative look from a Vulpix who'd just been minding her own business, before things calmed down. The leader of Team Heavendust soon brought himself into a sitting position, claws folded over his laboring chest. A scowl strained his face.

"Not funny," he said through clenched, blade-like teeth.

"I might still be a teeny bit annoyed with you nitpicking on you-know-who." Lucario had one last laugh as he sat down too, just out of Gabite's reach. "Come on, they can't be all that bad. You said it yourself, we don't know that much about these humans."

Gabite fervently shook his head. "You don't understand," he said, watching the sea as if to make sure a real human hadn't washed up on the shores. He failed to notice the one right beside Lucario. "Haven Archipelago's the only place where you can find any semblance of a Pokemon civilization. Everywhere else, Pokemon are savages, subdued and tamed by humans for their own agendas."

"The one thing that protects us from their domination is the ancient magic protections we see in front of us, Lucario and Vulpix." The vixen raised her head as Gabite gestured to the grand black tower and the ripples in the horizon. "Together, the circle of towers around Haven Archipelago create a strange force, diverting humans away and preventing them from getting past. The distortion field serves as an additional protection, bending space just like Mystery Dungeons do."

That made Lucario's heart skip a beat. "Wait," he said, trying to process the meaning of this. "Like Mystery Dungeons? Are you telling me—"

Gabite silenced him with a raise of his claw. "I know, this was a mouthful for me to swallow too," he said. "Thanks to the field, not only is Haven Archipelago invisible to outsiders, there's only a select area in the ocean where they could stumble across this place. Move too many yards to the side, and you'd entirely bypass us without even knowing."

Oh. Oh goodness, the whole dang place was in a space anomaly of its own. We're even luckier than I thought, Lucario realized with a start.

For if Gabite was right, that meant there was only a small space outside that'd allow him and Vulpix to get through the distortion field. Moreover, wouldn't the exact spot from which they entered also affect where they appeared inside the archipelago? Move a few feet, and they might have washed ashore on an entirely different island.

Even without the towers, their survival was a miracle from the very beginning. Not only was it impossible for humans to get in, it was almost impossible for a Pokemon too. Not unless they knew exactly where to look, and in a vast ocean, who would know? Only someone who was exiting the archipelago's pocket dimension for a short period of time, like those two Pokemon who appeared out of nowhere and caused the shipwreck — assuming they were natives of this crazy world.

Insult to injury, huh? Lucario yet again found himself watching the sea churn on itself, waves tickling the black tower that stood against the wear and tear of the waters. His eyes went further, fixed on the hypnotic shimmer reflected by the distortion field's screen. As if I wasn't already aware that my old teammates can't be here, now I've got no reason to hope anyone else from the shipwreck did.

The sobering thought left him with a pang of sadness. Vulpix noticed his slight change in mood and stared out too, tails drooping and her face stuck in a solemn calm.

Torterra, Lanturn, Banette, Duosion, and Dragonair — Adam was dead for sure, but what of them? Did they survive, and if so, where could they have possibly gone? He wished at least one of them had come with him. It'd been comforting to have Torterra's wisdom at his side, or Lanturn's bubbly personality, or Duosion's insatiable need to understand the world around him, or Dragonair's sheer bravado. Bah, even Banette's grim, cynical attitude would do.

And Adam, with his confident grin and carefree way of thinking, he could use that too. Instead, fate kindly offered me Eira, he thought, a reserved girl with a resolute heart behind her timidness. I lost those I cared for, and found someone else to care for in their place.

"Lucario? Hey, get out of that funk of yours, what's with you and Vulpix looking so out of it?"

The jackal snapped his head, Gabite standing over him. "Huh?" he said.

Vulpix took notice of their team leader too. "Sheesh, you two are more alike than I thought," stated Gabite. "You were all sad looking for a whole minute, it was making me worried. What kind of awful memories were you two reflecting on?"

Lucario turned to Vulpix, and she backed away with a don't-pull-me-into-this look. Now that he thought of it, Gabite reminded him of Duosion. Sharp mind, and just as curious. Nosy too — good grief, he asked too many questions.

Gabite arched a gleaming eye as Lucario kept his silence. "Yeah, fine, personal matter or whatever," he huffed, showing a tinge of Torterra's grumpy side. Maybe a little of Banette's indifference too? "We should go back now, I think we've stuck around long enough."

He began walking off, headed the way they took to come here. Lucario watched him go, trying hard not to compare his gait to Torterra's when the tortoise Pokemon was taking a casual stroll. Memories, he huffed, bringing himself to walk when Vulpix's motionless body gave him pause.

The kid was now in the middle of a staring contest with the ocean tower. She wasn't doing well, seeing how her eyes kept wavering and moving to the side before fixing themselves. "The tower," she told him once she gave up, "I can't- when I look at it, my head feels all tingly. Like it wants me to ignore it?"

The tower's magic must have quite a reach to do that. "Weird," Lucario said.

"Weird," she agreed, glancing between him and the tower. Lucario caught Gabite staring at them from afar before moving on, even slower than before.

Vulpix knew plenty of words to talk if necessary, yes, but she was still not ready to get into conversations. And if today was anything to judge by, he needed to speed the learning process up. She needed to be able to understand what Pokemon said as soon as possible. How would he do that?

He mulled over it as he took one last look at the cavern where Rocky Shores lay, scoffing at the exact words printed upon the nearby warning sign. "Rocky Shores Mystery Dungeon, beware if you value your life and sanity," he read with a roll of his eyes.

Vulpix's ears pricked at his words, "Dramatic, I know," he said to her. "You reading this, kid? Even you could get through that joke of a dungeon—"

His words died as something struck him. His gaze went to the signboard, with its over-the-top warning, then back to Vulpix. Then to the signboard, then to Vulpix. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Vulpix could read that, and he could translate that into Pokemon speak.

"Lucario?" Vulpix asked, unsettled by the shining grin creeping up his face. "You, um — you're acting weird? Again?"

The jackal just chuckled. Perfect.

A mysterious pillar with a mysterious shape.

What could it mean?