Secrets can't remain hidden for long.
The Tale of Twin Hearts
(Chapter 2) Hothead and a Thorn in My Side
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It was our 2nd day being a team and we were already off to a new mission, one that hopefully wasn't as bad as the last one. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about it though. Just the feeling of taking on something important makes me feel like some of the heroes my Mother used to tell me about. Yes, yes, I know, the last mission was basically the Abysmal Depths itself, but we pulled through and on top of that, Chatot was watching us (apparently). Who's to say he wasn't watching us at that very moment?
Ever since we headed out, I kept thinking about what Chatot said to me at the beach. Was it true? Should I have not been afraid to show who I was? No, there's no reason to ask that question; no reason at all. Everyone knows that whoever doesn't follow what's normal will be rejected, or worse, taken away by the Guardians. It had always been Lave's dream to be in a world where everyone accepted each other, despite being different. When he first told me about it, I thought he was kidding, but the moment I looked into his eyes, he wasn't. Speaking of Lave, When I looked over at him at that moment, he gave me a look filled with mixed emotions before quickly looking back over at the morning sun.
...I don't know why, but he looked amazing with the rays of sunlight shin-wait, why am I saying this. I need to get myself together.
Another sight that caught my attention was Pumpkin glancing over at Miya a few times. The way he looked at her...it was such a caring look, with a smile too. Ever since the last mission, he wouldn't crack a smile until now. I guess our little spar with Chatot showed Pumpkin that he has friends who are their for him, especially Miya (who am I kidding, I needed to do better and still do). You know, at the moment, I wondered if he had any friends when he was a human. He seemed like such a lonely person.
As the road began to change from a grass-covered dirt path to a rocky trail, Miya stopped.
"Wait you guys, I just realized something..."
Stopping, everyone turned and looked at Miya confused.
"You do realize that we don't even know where we're going, right? we haven't even checked the map or the new letter Chatot gave us."
"I just assumed you looked at it already and knew where to go," Pumpkin said, walking over to her.
"I rather we all look. I'm not doing a single thing without you guys. Besides, after what we've been through up to this point, I think it's best we all knew what we're in for and hope it's better than before."
We all nodded. "You got me there. Alright, well, let's take a look and see."
Opening the bag, Miya took the letter out along with the map. As she was taking them out, I for once got a good look inside the bag. Normally, you wouldn't think too much of it, but ever since we got it, I was always curious how she was able to take stuff out of that tiny thing. It was no bigger than an envelope, but it seemed bottomless inside, in fact, I'm pretty sure you could fit all of us in there at once and carry it without breaking a sweat; but believe me, all things have a limit.
As Miya continued digging around in the bag, she paused. A hint of confusion ran across her face as she slowly took out all of our badges, including an extra one (I never thought to check to see if it was missing...).
"I could have sworn we were wearing these before we went to sleep, how did they get in here? Screw it. Take these and let's just start with the letter."
After handing back our badges and the extra one to Lave, She opened the letter.
["Miya, Pumpkin, Liloxi, and yes, even you Lave, if you all are reading this, that means you have all agreed to take the mission and I thank you for it. I want to start by saying I'm sorry for sending you all on that last mission. I knew how hard it was and I knew what was there, but Guildmaster, Chatot, and I were not allowed to interfere with the dealing of a Leader, which is why I insisted on sending you three. Yes, I know, all of this seems random, but don't worry, the reason will be revealed to you all soon enough. With that being said, Let's talk about the mission I'm sending you on now.
The place you're headed to is a Dungeon called 'Mt. Bristle', however, Before you get to the entrance of the original dungeon, there should be a path hidden off to the left. It'll still be Mt. Bristle, but you'll ultimately be heading to Mt. Bristle Valley. From there, you need to get to Mt. Bristle Peaks Floor 4. You all should be able to handle this, I'm certain. Be aware, once you get there, you will meet someone rather dear to Chatot and myself. Who is it? Well, I'll leave that one a secret. Be safe. (Flips over to the back)
...also, if you end up in a bind with a bird with no chill, say 'Hot Jill' at will! Chatot told me to tell you all that."]
Finishing the last part, We all looked at each other confused, even more than before.
"I have SO many questions about this letter. Who wrote it? and why were we picked?" Miya said, putting the letter away.
"I want to know what they meant by that last part. It didn't make any sense," I said, crossing my arms.
"...Hold on, did the person in the letter say something about the last mission involving a Leader?" Lave said, thinking intently.
"Yeah, what about it?" Miya asked.
"You guys know what a leader is, right?"
"No why?"
"A Leader is a Pokemon who watchers over or rules over a certain section of the region we live in. You can say they're like some sort of "Lord" over the land or even King."
Pumpkin's eyes widened. "Wha-Wait, so, if that last mission involved a Leader, that means the Mightyena was the Leader. The same Mightyena that-"
"-I knocked into the Fissure..." Miya finished. Everyone slowly looked at her.
"W-we uh, we need more answers. Why don't we look at the map?" Miya said, her face completely flushed. Everyone nodded collectively in silence.
Unrolling it, we all looked carefully. Another red "X" was marked over some jagged mountains up north. Surprisingly, we weren't too far from it.
"Wow, we're really close," Miya said, studying it carefully, "Alright, everyone ready?"
Nodding once more, we headed off.
{~Mt. Bristle Valley (Hidden Path)~}
[Desc: A gravel path leading into a rugged and shallow entrance with a few withered plants here and there. Next to the entrance sat a Kangaskhan statue that looked fairly new and out of place. It almost looked like someone placed it there recently. Beneath the Statue, shards of mossy rock littered the ground, some with familiarily distinctive carvings, similar to the statue itself. Strangely, the entrance of the dungeon way of the dungeon had old scorched marks lining it.]
{~Mt. Bristle Valley (Hidden Path) F1~} (Note: Will skip from time to time. Important items will be mentioned when needed.)
Pumpkin: Hey Miya, we kinda just ran in here. Do you think we should've taken a look at that statue back there?
Miya: No need; I know what it was; my father taught me all about them. Basically, If you end up having too many items and need to put them away or need a safe zone wait at, you go to them.
Me: That sounds kinda useful. Why did you just run past it?
Miya: It didn't seem active.
Me: Ah.
Pumpkin: Hey! What's this? (Pumpkin picks up at Rawst berry.)
Miya: I think that's a Rawst Berry, but I have no idea what it does. Never really needed to use one. Wanna put it in the bag?
Pumpkin: Sure (Puts it in the bag).
(Lave picks up 72 Poke.)
(Lave Picks up 34 Poke.)
(Lave Picks up a Sleep Seed.)
Miya: Wow, you're really good a finding stuff Lave. Have you been to a dungeon before?
Lave: Yeah, a few times during my travels. Great place to stack up on supplies when you're in the middle of nowhere.
Miya:(Laughs) I noticed. What made you want to start traveling by the way?
Lave: A lot of things. Sightseeing, looking for mysteries...Finding something I lost that was very dear to me. (Looks at me with a smile.) The usual.
Me: (Flustered) I-I-uh, yeah, that was my reason for leaving home too. H-Hey! I see the stairwell over there, why don't we get moving?
Miya:(Chuckles)
{~Mt. Bristle Valley (Hidden Path) F2~}
(Pumpkin Picks up an Oran Berry)
Miya: Nice find, I love those.
Me: Me too!
Lave: *Nods*
(Miya picks up a Pecha Berry)
Miya: Oh!, those are perfect if one of us gets poisoned! My dad used to always carry some around.
(Pumpkin Picks up a Sleep Seed)
Pumpkin: Hey, isn't this the same seed Lave picked up?
Lave: Uh...just don't hold it near your face like that. You won't wake up for a while.
(Doduo Use Agility.)
Me: Huh? Looks like we got company. Heads up.
Miya: Right, there's usually a lot of Pokemon in Dungeons; Almost always hostile. Be on guard!
Everyone: Right!
{~Mt. Bristle Valley (Hidden Path) F3-F7~}
(Various Items were collected)
(Miya took some damage on F6)
{~Mt. Bristle Valley (Hidden Path) F8~}
Me: What floor is this, it feels like we've been going up for a while.
Pumpkin: I believe F8. How many floors did Chatot say there were?
Miya: I don't remember...HEY, are those stairs over there?
Pumpkin: Yeah! Wow, who knew stairs could end up in the same room?
Lave: Mystery Dungeons for you. Even though the number of floors are the same, every time someone goes in the dungeon, it changes. It's never the same. The rooms, the items, and sometimes the pokemon, depending on where you're at. It wasn't always like this.
Pumpkin: Huh. At least there's always a way out.
Queen: Mhm.
{~Mt. Bristle Peaks F1~}
(Everyone looks around)
Miya: Wow...this looks different than the last room.
Me: Yeah, it seems kinda...worn?
(The party hears Growling coming from around the corner.)
Pumpkin: T-That sounded pretty big. Did anyone hear anything like that from the last floors?
(Everyone shakes their head as they take a step back)
(A Nidoking emerges and enters the room.)
(Nidoking uses Focus Energy)
Pumpkin: WHAT THE-
Miya: Uh, guys...I think we should run...
(Nidoking uses Helping Hands)
(Graveler wakes up; Golbat Wakes up)
Miya: Run!
{~Mt. Bristle Peaks F2~}
Miya: That was close...
Me: Yeah, but I don't think we can keep running from them. We were fortunate to find the stairs in the next room.
Miya: I know. I guess we're going to have to fight eventually. Geez, that's a pretty big jump for just one floor. What kind of dungeon is this...?
Lave: No idea, but we have to keep moving. We don't want to get cornered. This room is a dead end.
Miya: Right, let's keep moving.
(Miya picks up a Oran Berry)
(Liloxi picks up a Blast Seed)
Miya: Woah, a Blast Seed, be careful with that! best to save it for a real threat.
Pumpkin: What does it do?
Lave: You can eat it to fire explosive seeds out of your mouth like bullet seed or throw it at an enemy and make it explode on them. Very good weapon.
Pumpkin: Oooh, nice.
Lave: Let me show you.
(Throws Blast Seed at a sleeping Ariados nearby. The Ariados take a bit of damage.)
(Ariados made a hissing sound as it was disturbed from it's slumber.)
Lave: (Annoyed) Oh pipe down already!
(Queen launches fire out of his mouth and Critically Hits the Ariados, Knocking it unconscious.)
(We all look at Queen in awe, especially myself.)
Miya: I...just realized I haven't seen you fight, Lave. Was that a Flamethrower?
Queen: Mhm, my main move to use.
Miya: But aren't you-
Me:(Cuts in) He's been trying out new moves! Don't mind him. Flamethrower is his new favorite.
Miya: But I thought...Eh, no matter. That was a good shot! Maybe that move of yours will make this place easier.
Me: I know right! eh hehe...uh, Let's keep going...(Glares at Queen; Queen Smirks.)
{~Mt. Bristle Peaks F3~}
Miya: One more Floor to go!
Pumpkin: Good, maybe we can rest at the top and make a fire before we go in to see this Pokemon.
Miya: I don't think that'll be necessary since they'll probably be waiting for us the moment we enter the next floor.
Me: She does have a point.
Pumpkin: Ack! Alright, but I might need one of those Apples later. I'm getting hungry...
{~Scorched Peaks~}
As we finally reached the last floor, we took a good look around the "Room" we were expecting. This room happened to be outside, but something wasn't right. Picture walking up a slope into the final room and being faced with an unnaturally wide, snow-covered path leading to a strange structure that looked like a bowl made of spiked rocks embedded with jewels and expensive raw materials. Heck, should we even talk about the ring of fire inside of it? There was even a chair.
What was even more weird was the fresh grass and various flowers that seemed to be thriving in the snow. Now here's the kicker: there were large scorch marks all over the place. Some old, some new.
"What is this place?" Miya said as she looked around. Fascination was written all over her face as she examined the flowers sprouting from one of the scorched spots. Despite her interest, Pumpkin didn't seem to share the same enthusiasm.
"I don't know about you guys, but this place reminds me too much of the last place..."
"I wouldn't say that. There's too much snow here," Lave said, touching one of the freshly scorched spots with flames around it. Unsurprisingly, the heat from it didn't phase him. "Besides, these marks seem to have been caused on purpose.
"On purpose? Kinda odd, don't you think?" I said, sitting in the snow. It had been a while since I'd felt it. However, despite how nice it was, Lave was right. Something was off about it. It didn't feel right. Like...there was a hint of warmth coming from it.
"I don't know and I don't wanna know after looking at that thing over there," Pumpkin said pointing at the bowl. "It kinda looks like a nest."
"I think it is, actually..." Miya said, staring at it. "But that doesn't matter. Whoever we need to meet lives here and they don't seem to be home. I think this might actually be the perfect time to make that campfire you wanted, Pumpkin. There's some stick over there, we just need a fire."
"I got it," Lave said as he made his way over.
Gathering the sticks, Lave shot (More like spat) a small flame out of his mouth, onto the pile, igniting it. Taking a deep breath we all sat around it.
"...Heh...Can you believe it, guys? We're actually on an adventure..." Miya said, grinning, looking at each of us.
I couldn't help but smile and nod as she looked around with the biggest grin on her face. "Yeah, we did it. We're an actual Team now, on an adventure."
"It feels unreal..."
"What?" Pumpkin stood up and took a step back as he looked at each one of us. Confusion was written all over his face as he stood there defensively. "Are none of you scared?"
"Scared? No, not really." Miya said, shaking her head, as did I. Pumpkin then looked at Lave.
"You're not scared either? You was tied to a freakin' tree over lava!"
"If I'm honest with you, no. I'm actually intrigued," Lave said, crossing his arms.
Anger flashes on Pumpkin's face. Looks of concern showed on all of our faces, except Lave, who looked unphased by it.
"How!? How are none of you scared!?
"I...don't know. We're just not, I guess?" I said, trying to think of a better answer than that. Didn't matter. Gritting his teeth, Pumpkin stomps hard on the ground, surprisingly causing a loud "Boom!" to ripple through the air as sparks shot out from underneath his paw. It was clear he'd been holding this in for a while.
"Do none of you remember what happened yesterday!? We would've DIED if it wasn't for that strange light that came off of Liloxi and Lave and I don't even wanna think what would have happened if Chatot didn't come to save us. We would have been torn to shreds! How can any of you be excited about this when the very thing we could be waiting for is doom!?"
"Because...it was all for a purpose," Lave said, staring at the fire as it danced against the wind. "I would have never done this if I didn't have a reason to."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember when Miya asked me why I decided to start exploring? At first, I just wanted to experience the world outside of where I lived. As time went by, I felt like something was missing in my life, and couldn't understand why until I remembered Liloxi-" While speaking, Queen turned his head towards me, and smiled as he lifted up his bang over his eye. I tried my best to maintain my composure, but I couldn't help but blush. I had to turn my head because if they saw me, I probably wouldn't be able to stop.
Miya smiled as she watched Lave gaze at me, "I like that. If I'm honest, I too had a purpose for making this Team come alive, outside of just having fun. When we first met, I only mentioned that I just wanted to rescue people, but there was more to that. I never told you two this, but my mother died the same day I was born."
"What? Your Mother? Really?" Pumpkin said, finally calming down.
"Yes, and she was a famous explorer, just like my dad. When I found out, I wanted to carry on her legacy and became just like her."
Pumpkin stared at the fire as well. "Wow, I never knew that. I'm sorry to hear that you never got to see your mother. Who was she exactly?"
"Her name was Nina the Meganium. She was apparently very good at healing, something I obviously never inherited. Almost everything I got was from my dad, Lugia the Third.
"WHAT!?" Lave shouted, nearly startling Pumpkin and I as he quickly stood up. "H-HE'S YOUR FATHER!? Then that would make you-"
*BOOM!*
Before Queen could finish, a loud explosion went off below the mountain.
"Wait, what was that?" Miya said as we all carefully looked over the edge. Plumes of smoke rose to the sky as flames covered the ground below.
"Whoa," I said, trying to repel the smoke away from my face. "Look at all that fire! What could have done that..."
Almost as if it had heard me, an enormous figure flew up from below the path, kicking up a whirlwind that nearly knocked us over the edge. The air from the whirlwind felt both hot and cold as we all hung on for dear life. With speed, the figure circled back around and landed on the path in front of us with a forceful CRASH!, causing it to shake violently before settling.
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW I FELT SOMETHING!" It shrieked, stomping closer to us. It's voice was regal, yet somewhat deep.
Looking up, I couldn't believe my eyes as I quickly stumbled back toward the others, but it made sense. The withered plants, the scorch marks, the fire, the nest. The Pokemon was none other than Moltres.
"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ALL ARE, BUT YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO-"
Slowly, the Moltres zooms in on me, then Lave before suddenly pulling it's head back, frantically looking between us. Lave and I look at each other confused.
"Preposterous. You two should have been dead. How is it that you're here!?" It said, spitting out flames as it spoke. As soon as the flames landed on the snow, planted sprouted immediately in the melted areas.
"W-What? Dead? What do you mean dead?" I said, trying to get a clue as to what they were talking about. Moltres quickly zooms in on us again.
"Don't play dumb with me. I saw it! WE ALL SAW IT! That battle...that fierce battle between the two of you that started all of this mess. The same one both of you should have died from...
Fiola and Des!