PMD: Ambition's Shadow Chapter 10: Into the Groove, a pokémon fanfic

Mario's Notes

Hey, paisanos! Thank you so much for reading my story! Mario loves-a you all!

One big-a thank-a you to Crunchyy24 for the review! It is very good, very good!

In related news, I'va-a finally updated the review responses! Go give them a look! That's-a all. Bye bye!

This is the longest chapter I've ever written so far, at about fourteen-thousand words. Ah, I remember back when two-thousand felt like a lot. How times change!

A jolteon, scraggy, xatu, and mew all pushed through the dense foliage of the rainforest. The deafening trills of bug-type ferals filled the late-night air, with the faint sound of a nearby river filling any gaps in the soundscape.

The four pokémon's footsteps were hurried and nimble, making only quiet echoing sounds as they made their way forward.

The scraggy held a flashlight up, illuminating the way ahead of the group. He shivered slightly from the cold, keeping his loose skin pulled up with his free hand. His face had become red as the frigid winds beat on him relentlessly. His black cape dragged along the ground, picking up dirt and twigs.

The jolteon pranced along behind with a smile, his bright orange explorer's scarf bouncing along with him. His long, luxurious fur seemed to sway in the breeze.

The mew kept her arms crossed for warmth. Her hoodie did not cover her long legs, leaving them exposed to the elements. Her orange scarf matched that of the jolteon.

The xatu led the group with a stoic expression. His wings remained charged with focused energy, slashing and cutting through various branches and vines. He had an ornately decorated crown atop his head, created of intricately woven twigs and wires.

All four of them carried backpacks, sagging under the weight of their contents.

"So!" the scraggy started, soon gathering the jolteon and mew's attention. "Think Archer will meet us there, or...?"

"Beats me," the mew mumbled with a sigh. "He shouldn't have ran ahead to begin with; what if he gets lost?"

"Ah, he'll be fine!" the jolteon affirmed with a smile. "He's strong, and so are we! We'll be reunited in no time!"

"If this thing is even there..." the scraggy muttered.

The mew looked over to him worriedly, placing a paw to her chin.

"Oh, don't be that way, Gek! I'm sure we've got the right place, this time."

The scraggy exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, posture slouching.

"That's what we said the last few times. Forgive me if I'm starting to lose faith over here, after repeated failure." He crossed his arms, looking up as he thought. This had the side-effect of reorienting the flashlight into an unhelpful direction. "Like, now that I really think about it, it all seems a little far fetched."

"Perpetuous Tower is real," the xatu sternly interjected, causing the other three to freeze up. The bird looked back to glare at Gek, capturing the scraggy's fearful gaze. "I have foreseen this."

"W-Well, not to doubt you or anything, boss, but it really seems like an old fairytale. Giratina itself appearing just to do... Well, all that stuff? Just seems like BS, to me, boss."

The xatu turned away, eyes narrowing.

"I've seen the future, friend. Perpetuous Tower rises again. The first hour of summer, we will halt the cycle of days, and night will reign supreme. The overlord of darkness will return to us."

"And then we win!" the jolteon cut in, smiling.

The xatu shook his head.

"This is unclear."

"Because the last human will rise to stop us," the mew sighed, sounding as if she'd repeated that explanation hundreds of times. "Whether or not they are victorious is hard to see."

"So, why don't we just kick their asses, then?" Gek sighed, flailing his arms.

The xatu sighed, exasperated.

"We don't know who they are. Mark my words, human... I will perish you if it is the last thing I do."

Earlier that night, Team Stop Calling Me That were just arriving in the guild's dedicated cafeteria. Aundei had just finished showing both Peppy and Alfonzo around the ship.

Snute glanced up to a clock as they entered. They appeared to be right on time for supper.

The four strode up to the service counter, where Yei met them with a smile. Her flat tail smacked on the floor.

"Howdy, y'all!" the bibarel exclaimed, smiling. "Got th'whole soul food spread, t'night!" she took a more solemn expression, hand over her heart, thought kept smiling. "It was always Amethyst's favorite, ya' know?"

Aundei gave a polite nod, frowning.

"Thank you, Bouncy. She'll love to hear about it, when we find her again."

Peppy gave a weak grin.

"Aww, no tomato sauce?"

Alfonzo was absolutely drooling over the options. The floragato's paws rubbed together vigorously as he stared down into the segmented food containers.

Snute maintained her stoic glare the best she could, but her maw began to salivate at the sights. Perfectly lumpy mashed potatoes, rustic yet brilliantly prepared green bean casserole, and a delicately creamy mac and cheese.

Snute and Alfonzo looked up, sharing a look. They nodded. They then turned to share a nod with Ringue, who had appeared shortly after they'd arrived.

The three pokémon quickly piled their plates high with various selections of food, before rushing off to the table in the back-left of the room.

Aundei, Peppy, and Yei all stood staring in varying levels of amusement. Taffy and Yuja joined in shortly after, upon arriving to find their team mate absent.

Snute looked around the table as she furiously scarfed and slurped at her plate, taking in the residents at the table that day.

Klyshio, that one gardevoir, Alfonzo, and Ringue who'd followed them. Taffy, Yuja, Peppy, and Aundei soon began to approach, seemingly finished conversing with Yei.

With the table fully crowded, everyone set to work eating their meals.

Ringue, Snute, and Alfonzo were naturally the first to finish, in that order.

"So," Klyshio began, eying up Alfonzo. The floragato smiled and waved, though it wasn't reciprocated. "Who're you?"

"That's Showy!" Aundei exclaimed, having just swallowed a bite of potatoes.

Alfonzo smirked, raising his arms.

"The Amazing Alfonzo, at your service!" exclaimed the cat. Confetti shot out of his tuxedo's sleeves, causing those present at the table to flinch, save for Yuja and the gardevoir. The popping noise drew the attention of a few other tables, though they stopped caring just as quickly.

"So good to meet you, new friend!" Ringue cheered, vigorously shaking the floragato's paws.

Smirking, Alfonzo leaned down.

"The pleasure is all mine, dearest," he purred, placing a kiss atop the slurpuff's paw.

Ringue squealed in delight, face going red. She fell backwards and out of her seat, giddily giggling with glee.

Snute rolled her eyes with enough force to be painful.

"So, Fonz," the ninetales began, "how'd you weasel your way out of trouble with the town?"

"Simple!" the floragato stated with confidence. He hopped onto the table, much to the ire of Klyshio, Taffy, and Yuja.

The magician put on his hat, beginning to snap his fingers in rhythm. His foot began to tap as well, serving as the kick to his fingers' snare.

The floragato yelped as he felt a tugging at his tail, throwing him back down into his seat. He turned to see Snute glaring at him. He offered a sheepish grin.

"No elaborate musical numbers," Snute growled. "Just tell us normally."

"Pah, you're no fun," Alfonzo spat, turning and dismissively waving his hand. "If you must know, Lucy my darling, I'm simply to donate a third of my earnings back to the community for a year."

"Oh?" Yuja raised an eyebrow. "What did you even do?"

"A-Alfonzo was our s-serial prankster!" Peppy interjected, finally finished gnawing on her fried combusken leg.

Snute visibly shivered at the sight of the freshly cleaned bone, face contorting with discomfort.

Peppy noticed the ninetales' stare, soon shrinking away.

"W-What?!" the fennekin squeaked fearfully.

The rest of the table looked to Peppy, then to Snute.

The ninetales gulped, looking away.

"What's wrong, Silly?" Aundei probed, placing a paw atop Snute's. She quickly pulled it away, responding with a grumble.

"I just... Find eating pokémon a bit uncomfortable, is all," Snute admitted.

"Oh!" Aundei gasped. Peppy looked similarly surprised.

"I'm pretty sure you've eaten meat, here," Klyshio deadpanned, crossing his arms.

"Oh, yes! Sloppy joe night!" Aundei pointed out, looking back to Snute with a smile. "People were making fun of you for putting sour cream on it, remember?"

Snute gritted her teeth, looking away.

"It's easier to dissociate from the idea when it's ground up into an ambiguous meat paste." She shivered at the thought.

"Them's just ferals, darlin'," Taffy pointed out.

"Yeah?" Aundei nodded. "You didn't seem too bothered when you tried to rip out that pidgey's neck!" He said with maybe a little bit too much enthusiasm. The rest of the table, save for Yuja, seemed a bit horrified by that proclamation.

"Maiming it is one thing, but eating it?" Snute looked a bit sick. "It's just... To eat something that looks just like someone I had a conversation with the day before. It's... Eugh. If I'd never seen a pokémon talk, it'd be a lot easier."

Ringue, having finally recovered from her fainting spell, groggily rubbed her eyes.

"Did you come from a vegetarian culture or something?" the slurpuff asked, clasping her paws together.

Alfonzo raised an eyebrow, looking at Snute incredulously.

"What? You didn't tell them, Lu'?"

"Tell us what?" Klyshio ventured, the simisage's eyes narrowing.

Snute discarded her previous discomfort, assuming a glare. She didn't know whether to focus it on one of the curious sets of prying eyes for being annoying, or Alfonzo's for casting suspicion upon her.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," she grumbled, settling on glaring at Alfonzo.

The floragato flinched, glancing away with a bit of guilt.

"Ah, sorry! I didn't know..."

"It's fine, Silly!" Aundei interjected. "We can drop it!"

"Yeah, you'd better." Snute shook her head with contempt.

The gardevoir, ever silent, squinted at Snute incredulously. After a moment, she simply shrugged, going back to her meal.

"Enough of this," Snute finally declared. "Talk about Fonz, or the fennekin. I'm out." With that, Snute got up to leave, leaving the table in quiet murmurs. Of her teammates, Alfonzo was the only one to get up and follow.

Alfonzo sat on the chair within Team Stop Calling Me That's room, idly staring at the computer monitor on the desk. He occasionally turned to his left to see Snute laying on her bed.

The floragato leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms behind his head and resting his feet on the desk.

"I'm sorry, Lucille," he eventually sighed. "I should've been more careful with what I said."

"It's fine. Not like I told you not to tell anyone," Snute grumbled in response.

"True enough."

Alfonzo waited around for another few minutes, eyes glancing around the room. He gazed across the set of dividers, making four different "rooms", each with a curtain for entry.

His eyes then drifted over to the corner, where his barrel was sat.

Eventually, they went back to Snute.

"So... Where do I sleep?" Alfonzo asked, tapping the wall with a single finger.

"I don't know. Ask the glameow."

"Hum..." The floragato smirked, an idea crossing his mind. "What if I slept with you?"

Snute groaned, hearing the smugness in his voice.

"It's a small space in here," she answered flatly.

"Never stopped us before!"

"Fine, then."

Nodding, Alfonzo stood up, stretching. He wandered over to the divided area.

Snute raised her head, frowning incredulously.

"Are you seriously still wearing that gaudy thing?" She gestured to his suit. "We're not in public."

Alfonzo smirked, raising his eyebrows.

"What? Do you want to see me naked?"

"I don't care," Snute groaned, rolling her eyes. "Just asking."

"Right, well..." Alfonzo unbuttoned his tux, then discarded it to the side. Soon enough, his shirt, pants, socks, and shoes all followed. He untied his cape last. He quickly rushed over to his barrel, pulling out two nails and a hammer, then back over to Snute.

The floragato quickly had his cape set up as a makeshift hammock above Snute's bed, hands on his hips in satisfaction.

"That oughta do it!" he proclaimed with pride. He took a seat on Snute's bed, looking up at his handwork.

Snute simply snorted.

"You'll kiss me on stage, but you're too scared to sleep in the same bed?"

Alfonzo turned to give her a smirk, nudging the ninetales with an elbow.

"No way the both of us are fitting on this thing with all that ass."

Snute huffed, face going red. She self-consciously pulled her blanket over it.

"It's not that big..." she growled, looking away.

"I get that all the time!" Alfonzo declared, waggling his brows.

"Ugh. You're insufferable."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm here now, so you'll have to listen to my chatter."

Snute turned to glare at the smirking floragato.

"I'll sit on you," she threatened, eyes narrowing.

"I thought it wasn't that big?" Alfonzo grinned, doing finger-guns.

Aundei and Peppy walked along through the empty, concrete lot, the pale beams of high-standing street lamps making their fur practically glow. The air was frigid and dry, with small puffs of sand occasionally being carried by on the wind.

They each carried empty bags, walking along at a leisurely pace. They approached a large brick building with a glowing sign labeled "Keclemart".

"You still got the list, Chef?" the glameow eventually asked as the pair proceeded through the sliding glass door.

Peppy looked down to the piece of paper taped to her chest. She glanced back up with a small smile.

"Mhm!"

"Goodie!"

The fennekin glanced around the white-lit grocery store, featuring white tiled floor, white walls, white shelves, and a white ceiling. Her white muzzle crinkled up at the sight.

"Sheesh... Think they put enough personality into the color choice here?"

Aundei blinked, glancing around.

"Hmm... Seems pretty white! It's like snow or something!" he cheered, smiling wide.

"Ah..." Peppy shrugged awkwardly, nodding along. "W-Well, anyway, do we know of the other two need anything?"

Aundei nodded, ruffling the fur atop Peppy's head. She giggled lightly from the touch, leaning into it with a smile.

"I sent em' a message!" the glameow confirmed. "Hopefully they'll let us know if they need anything."

"Right," Peppy breathed. She glanced down to the shopping list, squinting slightly. "So... I see some exploring gear on here, and some general supplies, but what's with the emphasis on clothing?"

"Well, I figured we could go for a team uniform!"

"What about your cape?" Peppy reached up onto a nearby shelf, plucking off one escape orb and one blowback orb, dropping them both into her bag. Upon finishing, she turned to tug on the glameow's glittering gold fabric.

On the opposite side of the aisle, Aundei picked out a roll of duct tape and a coil of rope. The glameow had a slight frown as he gazed back at his teammate.

"Well... I'd just like to craft more of a new identity! Silly... The other Silly, I mean... She'd want me to wear this with pride, but she wouldn't want me to stay stuck in the past, either! When we save the rest of my old team from that awful Draco-Shredder, all eight of us can wear two uniforms! It's wonderfully symbolic!"

Peppy tilted her head to the left, then right. She shrugged, though looked a bit saddened. The pair continued walking.

"I... I Don't think they're alive anymore," Peppy sighed. "If th-th-th-the D-Draco-Shredder has them a-alive, and th-they really are a part of the guild, wouldn't we h-have found them by now?"

The glameow unsheathed his claws, which extended into a shadowy visage. He swiped them along the tile floor, leaving a noticeable mark and eliciting a startled squeal from the fennekin. He grit his teeth, smoke pouring off from his claws.

"She's alive! She has to be! I will not rest until there is a body!'

Upon seeing the fiery glare within Aundei's eyes, Peppy's legs acted upon instinct. She sprinted down the length of the aisle with a shout and turned out of sight.

Aundei blinked, looking toward where she'd gone.

"Hm? Where ya' going, Chef?"

Inu wandered into Team Stop Calling Me That's room casually, looking around. Yuku followed in after, glancing about as well.

"Yo, Aundei?" he called, looking around. He then stopped, ears twitching. He heard breathing, so he could conclude that someone else was in there.

Hoping to find Aundei, Inu began to pull back the curtains to each divide, checking the quarters with a glance. He was rewarded upon opening the last one. The meowth's eyebrows raised, and the absol's sparkly red fur turned a few shades deeper.

Snute looked up, meeting the meowth's surprised gaze with a stoic glare. Her paws rested on the torso of Alfonzo beneath her, whose head was completely unseen due to the sheer amount of ass.

"Sheesh!" Inu snarked. "You're gonna kill the guy!"

"He's fine," Snute grumbled. She sat up with a long stretch, before leaping down to the floor.

Alfonzo gasped for breath, sitting up quickly. His face was beet red and damp with sweat. He burst into a coughing fit, exaggeratedly doubling over.

Snute rolled her eyes.

"Drama queen," the ninetales muttered, before wandering away to leave the room.

Yuku worriedly rushed over to Alfonzo, hopping up to the floragato's side.

"Oh, legends, are you okay?" asked the absol, concern in her voice.

Inu looked up as well, raising a brow.

Alfonzo smirked, giving a thumbs up.

"You bet!"

"Damn," Inu breathed. He shivered in horror. "I guess she really wasn't kidding when she threatened me."

Alfonzo rested his arms behind his head, closing his eyes with a smirk.

"I got a face full of ass, and she even sucked me off, so all in all I would rate it a seven out of ten."

"I did not need to hear this!" Yuku whined, turning to run off.

Inu and Alfonzo both shared a chuckle. The meowth soon spoke up.

"So, who're you?"

The floragato raised his arms.

"The Amazing Alfonzo!" he cheered. His arms soon lowered. "I'm an old friend of Snute's. Part of her team, now."

"She had friends?" Inu snarked, grinning.

"Hard to believe, I know," Alfonzo nodded, sighing. "She's still a bit mad at me, but I think she's still into me."

The meowth stretched.

"That so, chum? Well, are you into her?"

The floragato dropped to one knee, placing a hand to his chest. He turned his nose up to face the ceiling, making a loud proclamation.

"She is the love of my life! My heart and soul were incomplete without her! Now, I am whole again."

"Ah!" Inu nodded, smiling. "In that case, you have my condolences. Anyhow, I'd better go and recollect Yuku. Gotta find Aundei for somethin', too. Smell ya' later!"

Without another word, the meowth ran off, waving at Alfonzo as he did. The floragato returned the wave, smiling.

Snute approached the increasingly familiar door to Lustig's laboratory with an apprehensive sigh.

"Why am I even here?" she muttered. Soon enough, she raised a paw to knock on the door, but hesitated as she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Aundei running by with Peppy hanging on his back.

The glameow smiled toward Snute.

"Hey! We're going shopping! Text us if you need anything!" The glameow rounded the corner right as he finished speaking.

Snute shook her head with a sigh, turning back to the door. She gave it three delicate taps with her paw.

Right on cue, the shinx she was looking for opened the door. He smiled up at her, receiving a polite nod in return.

"Hello zere, Snute!" Lustig exclaimed, briefly leaping into the air. His fur glowed for a moment, fading out upon his landing. "Vhat can I do for you?"

"Just here to ask about... Things."

"Things, eh?" the shinx smirked, turning his head to gaze at her from the side. "I know a lot about things, ja! Come in!"

As the shinx bounded back into the lab, Snute followed casually, kicking the door shut behind her. She spotted Yuja relaxing on a bean bag in the corner.

The smeargle looked up from her notepad, sending a lazy wave Snute's way.

Snute glared, looking away with a scowl. She made her way over to a chair, taking a seat and leaning against the nearby counter.

Lustig resumed his previous task. He appeared to have a plastic frame of sorts built, just below the size of Snute. With further examination, it even appeared to be vaguely ninetales-shaped.

"Right... What's all this, then?" Snute inquired, quirking an eyebrow at the odd construction.

The shinx squinted his eyes. He carefully fitted a joint together on the synthetic skeletal structure.

"I am vorking on an android!" the shinx proclaimed proudly. "Vith zee apparent success of SP-1, thus far, I think I am ready to take zee next step of implementing artificial intelligence into a robot!"

"I see." Snute narrowed her eyes just a bit, removing her binder from her bag. She flipped it open quickly, taking out a blank sheet of paper and beginning to take notes. "What are you modeling it after?"

"Vhy, a ninetales, of course!" Lustig beamed, nodding his head. "Truly a beautiful species, as you are vell avare!"

Snute huffed, blushing just a bit as she looked away.

"Well... It's true..."

The shinx nodded again, leaning against the frame of the robot.

The three suddenly jolted up in surprise as the door slammed open. They glanced over to see a meowth poking his head in.

"Hey!" Inu greeted with a smirk, waving his paw. "Any of you folks seen Aundei?"

"He's out shopping," Snute growled. She hoped to get the obnoxious meowth out of there faster than he'd barged in.

Luckily for her, Inu gave a smile and a nod.

"Right! Thanks, champ!" With that, the meowth left the room, slamming the door back shut.

After a long moment of awkward silence, Lustig cleared his throat.

"Ahem... I am modeling zis one, specifically, after zee late Alena! She has alvays been vell loved and respected, and poor Aundei has been crushed since her disappearance... It just seemed a great vay to honor her, and gain some good faith!"

"Uh-huh." Snute relaxed with a sigh, continuing to jot down notes. "SP-1 has barely even been released. Can you really say it's a success so early?"

"Vell..." Lustig tilted his head one way, then the other, before shrugging. "Everyone seems to like her very much, and I supposed it vas better to get a headstart! Plus, I hate not doing stuff."

"Don't tell Aundei about this, by the way," Yuja piped up. "Lusty wants it to be a surprise."

Snute rolled her eyes.

"Okay." She turned back to Lustig shortly after. "Didn't know you two were friends. You and the smeargle, I mean."

"Oh, zee best of friends!" Lustig beamed, nodding. "In fact, Yuja is my sister!"

"Really?" Snute looked back and forth between the two. She caught a subtle smirk from the smeargle. "Why don't you share his accent?"

"Simple," Yuja stated, falling back to a neutral expression. "He fakes it. Says it adds 'credibility', or something."

"Nein! Heed not zee erroneous fabrication of my vitch of a sister!" Lustig protested with a shout, throwing down his wrench.

Yuja simply chuckled, shaking her head.

"Have you got any siblings, Snute?" the smeargle asked, stretching out on her beanbag.

Snute winced, looking away. She bared her canines.

Lustig hopped up into her lap. She looked down to see his friendly smile.

"Come on, Snute! You can tell us, ja!"

The ninetales sighed, casually pushing Lustig off from her lap. He swore upon hitting the ground, but appeared otherwise unharmed.

"Well... I had an older sister." Snute held a sour expression, glaring at nothing in particular.

Lustig peered upwards. His wide, yellow eyes looked so full of concern.

Snute felt as if she couldn't focus on anything else. Her features began to soften.

"You say, 'had?' Is she... No longer vith us?"

Snute didn't know why, but her reluctance to open up disappeared in seconds. The shinx before her seemed to almost glow with a rosy aura, the rest of the world blurring away into the back of her mind.

The ninetales blushed, but she couldn't look away. Her paws dug into the ground as the shinx's hypnotic gaze pierced into her very core.

"You can tell me anything, darling," Lustig purred. His voice sent involuntary shivers up the ninetales' spine. "I vould never hurt you."

Snute felt more at ease than she had since... Well, ever since she could remember. She felt her heart reach out for his. She truly trusted and believed him to her very core.

"I... Don't know," Snute admitted, sighing deeply. "We were separated when we were young."

Lustig hopped up beside the ninetales, resting his paw atop her own. She would not pull it away.

"Vere you two close, dear?"

Snute nodded dumbly, drooling a little bit. Lustig reached up a paw to wipe it away.

"Very. I loved her dearly. I loved my friends and family with all of my heart." The ninetales began to tear up, sniffling. The shinx's continued touch, however, made her smile. "I miss them all so much! Not a day has passed for ten years in which my heart has not yearned for their touch... Their voices... Anything!"

Lustig smiled, nodding.

"How vere you separated?"

"A... A portal," Snute admitted. She grimaced a bit, but a nuzzle from Lustig washed away her worries. "It... Appeared out of nowhere. Sucked me in. Don't know what happened to my sister, but her screams... How she shrieked my name as I was torn away..." The ninetales screwed her eyes shut, grimacing with gritted teeth. Her whole body quivered. "It... It haunts me."

Lustig nodded.

"A portal, you say?" the shinx inquired, looking up to the ninetales. Her eyes had opened again, meeting his own. They shared a deep, intimate gaze. Lustig asked one final question. "Vere you a human, Snute?"

"Yes." The word of confirmation left her mouth before she could do anything to stop it. Not that she wanted to.

Lustig nodded in understanding.

"Sleep, my darling," he commanded, placing a kiss atop the ninetales' paw.

With her brain feeling like mush, Snute collapsed backwards, knocked out like a light.

Satisfied, Lustig turned to see his sister gazing at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"Didn't the Guildmaster explicitly tell you not to use attract to grill others for information? Like, three times already?"

Lustig scoffed, waving a paw.

"Zee guildmaster is of naught concern to me! Zey fail to see my goals!"

Yuja shrugged, shaking her head.

"You told me you really liked her. She's probably not going to trust you again after violating her like that."

"Pah!" Lustig shook his head. "She vill not remember a thing when she avakes. I have made certain of zis much!"

"Whatever..."

Alfonzo hummed a jaunty tune as he made his way into the laundry room, the metal door shutting behind him with a clang. As he held his balled up clothes under one arm, he glanced around.

The cold, dark gray interior of the rest of the ship's walls extended into the room. Yet, the site lacked the vibrant carpet and light gray drop-ceiling of the hallways, leaving nothing to look at but the cold, oppressive surface of dark metal upon every directional plane.

A few light bulbs were hung from the ceiling, dimly illuminating the room. Numerous washers and dryers lined one wall, with a few seats on the opposite. A single folding table was present at one end of the rectangular room, with a vending machine and arcade machine at the other, on each side of a door. A sink was mounted at the end of the row of seats, leaking just slightly.

The floragato shivered. Whether it was from the atmosphere or just the temperature, he didn't know. He advanced forward with a sigh, glancing about the room.

He figured he was alone upon his first look, but his eyes soon caught sight of something strange.

Frowning, Alfonzo walked over to one of the washing machines, kneeling down to inspect the item sticking out.

After a moment of examination, Alfonzon nodded slowly.

"Yes," he confirmed, "That's a butt."

"Gah! Is someone there?!" a bubbly voice asked, muffled from within the machine. The half-hidden deerling briefly kicked out with her hind legs, flicking her tail just a bit. As her small hooves came into contact with Alfonzo's leg, she let them fall back to the floor.

"Uh, yes!" the floragato responded, dropping his clothes. Despite no one being able to see, he raised his arms as he loudly proclaimed "It is I! The Amazing Alfonzo!" Soon enough, he let his arms cross, taking on a more serious expression. "What are you doing, my deer?"

"I'm stuck!" the deerling replied, flailing her legs again.

"Mhm." Alfonzo looked closer. The door appeared to be pushed against its prisoner's waist. He placed a hand on the door, attempting to push it open, but it didn't budge. "How ever did you manage this?"

"Oh, it's just awful!" The deerling appeared to go limp, a muffled sigh escaping her throat. "Inu and Kevin said they were gonna help me record a skit! The whole 'oh, help me, step bro, I'm stuck' kind of joke. But instead they just glued the hinges and left me here!"

"Ah, that is a bit of a rude prank." Alfonzo nodded sympathetically. "A bit amusing, though!"

"Well, I'm not very amused!" the deerling insisted. "Look, guy, if you help me out, I'll give you a little something-something! You get me?" She gave a little wiggle of her hips, flicking her tail for emphasis.

"Ah, that will not be necessary!" Alfonzo insisted, cracking his knuckles. "I will assist you out of the kindness of my heart."

"Oh, thank you! You're real swell, pal!"

"I know!" The floragato stopped for a moment, pondering. "So, what do you want me to do? And, what's your name, for that matter?"

"I'm Honey! Just grab and pull!" Honey exclaimed, very clearly anxious to escape.

"Well, okay!" Alfonzo knelt down, placing one hand on each side of Honey's hindquarters. He quickly braced the deerling's rump against his lap, then set to work beginning to pull.

The pair occasionally grunted with the effort and discomfort of the operation.

It was at that moment Snute walked in, Lustig following behind. The ninetales was about to say something to her companion, when she suddenly halted in place, staring at Alfonzo and Honey.

"Hey,.." Snute ventured groggily. "What are... You doing, Fonz?"

Alfonzo turned his head to see Snute and Lustig, the latter smiling brightly and the former shooting him a glare. He looked down at the rump he was holding against his crotch, then back to Snute.

"She was stuck!" the floragato exclaimed. "I'm pulling her fee!"

Snute's eyes narrowed. She shook the drowsiness out of her head.

"And, you need to mount her for that?"

"I'm not mounting her!" Alfonzo retorted, dramatically jabbing a finger toward Snute.

"I wouldn't complain if you were!" Honey added, wriggling her rump.

Alfonzo groaned.

"Not helping!" he hissed, lightly swatting the deerling in protest. She simply giggled in response.

"You just spanked her!" Lustig shouted, pointing a paw forward. He stood confidently with a smirk. "I'd like to hear your innocent explanation for zat!"

"I, uh..." Alfonzo frowned, looking away with a blush.

Snute's face flushed as well, a mixture of shame, anger, and jealousy wringing her heart. With an indignant huff, the ninetales turned to leave, dragging her accompanying shinx along.

"Come on, doctor. I'll get some water somewhere else."

Alfonzo sighed as he finally pulled the deerling free, the momentum carrying him onto his back.

Honey landed on his lap. Sighing in relief. She raised a hoof to wipe at her brow.

Turning around, the deerling leaned down to lightly nuzzle Alfonzo's cheek.

"Thanks a bunch, Amazing Alfonzo! I really owe you one!"

The floragato smiled, leaning up to scratch the back of his head.

"Oh, it was nothing."

"Let's take a selfie!" Honey squealed, pulling the floragato into a sidelong hug. She flicked out a cellphone from somewhere Alfonzo dared not question, and somehow managed to operate it with a hoof. Without warning, she pressed her lips to his, never breaking eye-contact with the camera as she snapped the picture.

Alfonzo hummed in thought.

"Lucy did seem a bit peeved at me, but... I can't turn down a kiss from a cute girl!"

The cat hooked an arm around the deer's back, then placing one palm onto her cheek. He leaned deeply into the kiss, delicately caressing the side of her face with his soft and nimble digits.

Honey returned the gesture with equal vigor, throwing both of her forelegs around the back of Alfonzo's neck, needily leaning into the shared touch.

Their lips remained locked for several minutes, until eventually they both pulled away at the same time, leaving a thin trail of saliva between them.

Honey gave a delighted giggle, trailing a hoof down Alfonzo's chest.

"Wow! I kiss a lot of boys, and I've gotta say, you have a special knack for this!"

The floragato chuckled, adopting a smirk.

"What can I say? I get a lot of practice!"

Aundei continued his way down the aisles, stopping now and then to pick various items off from the shelf.

As the glameow made his way about the store, he kept on the lookout for his fennekin friend, concern ever etched into his features.

"Chef?" he called now and then. "Where are ya', buddy?"

"Yo, Au'!"

Perking up, Aundei turned to see Inu running toward him. He smiled at the meowth, nodding politely.

"Funny! So good to see you!" he said with a bow. "What's up, little buddy?"

The meowth wagged his finger, closing his eyes.

"Try both an emolga and a growlithe!"

Aundei tilted his head confusedly, though still smiling. The pair began to walk together.

"I don't think I follow!" admitted the glameow.

"Yaddy and Ishe are gonna climb to the top of the gymnasium in three days! You've just gotta see this!"

Aundei chuckled, shaking his head.

"How silly of them! What are they doing this for?"

"A bet!" Inu exclaimed, waving his paws around. His excited voice seemed like thunder within the quiet store. "Azo bet they couldn't climb all the way to the top without Lodiyo noticing."

Before Aundei could respond, Peppy timidly walked into sight, turning to see the pair. With a gulp, she wandered over slowly.

"Hey, Chef!" Aundei greeted, smiling brightly.

"H-Hey!" the fennekin forced a smile. She squealed in alarm as Inu placed a hand on her back.

"Yo, Peps! Good to see ya'!"

Nodding quickly, Peppy smiled.

"You, too!"

"Heh!" Inu smirked. "You look about ready to jump out of your pelt, gal!"

"What?! No I don't!" the fennekin huffed, steam puffing from her ears.

Inu turned away, crossing his arms.

"Hm..."

"H-Huh?"

Abruptly, the meowth whirled back around with a shout.

"Boo!"

"Eek!" Peppy shrieked, curling into a ball. "Mama Mia, don't hurt me!"

Aundei frowned, putting a paw atop the quivering fennekin. He looked toward Inu.

"That was a bit... Much," he gently chastised the meowth.

Inu put his paws together, outstretching his arms. He looked away with a guilty grin.

"Aw, shucks, you're right. I'm sorry, Peps."

The quivering fennekin peaked out with one eye.

"It's f-fine! Just a prank, right?" she insisted, forcing another smile.

A mew, jolteon, scraggy, and xatu pushed their way through the thicket. The four soon arrived in a clearing. Or, at least, more of an open space than the rest of the jungle.

Gek shined his flashlight to reveal a nickit already there, standing with a smile.

"Took y'all long enough!" He chuckled, bouncing eagerly in place.

"Archer!" the mew exclaimed happily, quickly running over. The two threw themselves into a tight embrace, spinning around with the utmost glee.

"Good to see ya', Bubblegum!" the nickit said with a smile.

"Yes, yes. Hello, Archer," the xatu grumbled in a cranky tone. The bird advanced forward, narrowing his eyes.

Within the limited vision offered by Gek's flashlight, he was able to make out a slightly raised concrete cylinder beneath the thick foliage.

"So it is real!" the jolteon barked excitedly, hopping over to curiously sniff at the solid material.

"And, if I have interpreted the prophecy correctly," Xatu continued, "you are four of the chosen five. The Kind, The Skeptical, The Caring, and The Chaotic." The jolteon, scraggy, mew, and nickit all perked up in order of their respective titles. "Four of those destined to unlock access to Perpetuous Tower, and harness the holy powers within." He turned back to the four. "Holly, Gek, Bubblegum, Archer. Our organization's plans rest all upon your shoulders."

The scraggy crossed his arms, allowing his loose skin to fall.

"And, what about The Link? We still don't know who they are."

Xatu nodded.

"We can not yet use Perpetuous Tower to its full strength. Yet, you four should be enough to prove its capability. To prove it to be real. Without a shadow of a doubt, all of our followers will understand that our mission is not a pipedream."

"Well, you heard the old bird!" Archer called. "Take your positions!"

Xatu empowered his wings with energy, then sending a powerful slash of air across the concrete surface. The various vines, clovers, and fallen leaves upon its surface were lit up and blown away.

Nine circles were revealed upon the large concrete plane. One for each cardinal direction, for each diagonal, and one in the middle. As the four pokémon climbed up, they took notice of this.

"That's... Not right," Gek pointed out. "Shouldn't there just be five circles?"

Xatu narrowed his eyes.

"Very intriguing indeed." He sighed. "We've come this far. Regardless of this unexpected development, we have to try."

"Come on, gang!" Holly called. "Let's do it! For the night!" The jolteon pranced over to the northern circle, his green cape fluttering in the wind. It lit up with a yellow glow.

Bubblegum went next, gingerly stepping her pink paw into the west circle. It lit up blue.

Gek and Archer walked to the east and south circles, which glowed green and red respectively.

"Perpetuous Tower!" they all called in unison. "Rise up!"

A violent rumble shook the earth, startling everybody. The tower's aggressive jolting caused the four pokémon to each fall down.

Xatu almost could not believe his eyes as the raised concrete platform began to ascend, revealing more of itself beneath the ground. The submerged tower rose for roughly one story before coming to a sudden stop, throwing the pokémon atop it off and onto the ground.

"It worked!" Xatu cried, waving his arms. "Goodness gracious! It's real! It's real!"

Snute awoke suddenly, thrust back into consciousness. Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes, rubbing at them briefly, then opening them again. Her second attempt at vision was far less blurry. She rolled onto her back to dangle her legs in the air, then flinging herself into a sitting position.

Snute's head impacted something soft, prompting her to look up.

Alfonzo rested in his hammock. He feigned sleep, though she knew him well enough to notice his breathing patterns didn't match up.

Sighing, she pulled her binder onto her bed, flicking it open. She navigated to a file labeled "Dream Journal", then to a subdivider labeled "Prophetic Vision".

She could barely see anything with the near complete darkness of the room, so she quickly turned on her dinky flashlight.

Alfonzo, who'd leaned over to watch upon hearing Snute rustling about, gave a thoughtful hum. He soon whispered a question.

"You still have that old thing?"

Snute nodded.

"I do."

The floragato chuckled quietly, placing a paw onto Snute's shoulder. This elicited a growl.

"Prophetic visions, aye? I think I remember you mentioning those. How can you tell it's one before it comes true?"

Snute hummed.

"When I can't move or anything, that's generally the give-away. It doesn't always mean it's a vision, but it's a good sign."

Nodding, Alfonzo swung down to sit on the bed with Snute. He watched as she sketched in a jolteon, mew, scraggy, and xatu, with a few quotes written below.

After finishing, she closed the binder. Shutting off her flashlight, the ninetales laid back down, facing the wall. To her mild annoyance, Alfonzo joined her, hooking his arms around her chest. She quietly growled, stiffening her back.

"Oh, Lucy," he lamented. "Why must you be so hostile?"

"Hmph."

The floragato smirked. He traced a single finger along Snute's snoot, purposefully backwards as to displace her coat. Upon it reaching her nose, Snute attempted to bite the digit, but it was quickly pulled away.

"Shouldn't you be getting to sleep?" Snute grumbled. "It's late."

"Only twelve, actually," Alfonzo corrected.

"Yeah, whatever." Sighing, the ninetales buried her face into her pillow as Alfonzo stroked her hair. The sensation was welcomed, though she'd never admit it. "Letting you sob-story your way into the team was a mistake."

"Oh, how your words wound me, my dear Lucille..." Alfonzo maintained his smug grin. Snute merely rolled her eyes.

The two laid together in the darkness for ages, immersed in each other's company. While she'd never admit it, Snute found Alfonzo's subtle purring to be quite calming.

It was only after around an hour and forty-five minutes that Snute decided to rise once more. With a stretch, she carefully shrugged off Alfonzo's touch, then hopped down onto the floor.

She lazily flipped on her APER Gear to check the time.

"One-fifty-two..." she muttered. With a satisfied nod, she turned the device off.

Alfonzo stretched, yawning as he rose.

"Got a hot date?" the floragato asked.

"No," Snute grumbled. She pointed her small flashlight up at her absent ceiling tile, humming quietly in thought.

"Ah." Alfonzo smirked with understanding. "Sneaking about. Got it. Need any help?"

"...Sure."

Alfonzo hopped onto the ground, taking a kneeling position. Snute carefully hopped onto his shoulders. The floragato stood up, then stepped onto the bed, bringing Snute up to level with the ceiling. She climbed up top easily after.

Turning around, Snute lowered one foreleg out of the ceiling, invitingly gesturing with her paw.

Alfonzo gripped it firmly in his hand, then felt his feet leave the ground. Snute sighed as his smirking face soon came into view. Even in the low light of his flashlight, it was unmistakable.

"Taking me along on your little escapade? Ah, I missed when we used to do this!"

"It's not because I want you here," Snute insisted. "You're just useful."

"Sure, sure." Alfonzo waved his hand dismissively, the best he could in his crawling position. "Whatever it is, my lips are sealed. What's up?"

Snute huffed. She gestured for Alfonzo to follow as she crawled forward, which he did without complaint.

Upon passing over the exit door, Snute flicked on the grid map on her APER Gear, placing a pin marker on one room in particular.

"Here," the ninetales whispered. "I'm gonna see if there's anything on the guildmaster's laptop I can use."

Alfonzo raised his head in surprise. He cringed as it thunked against the metal above.

"Huh," he muttered. "I think I preferred it when we were stealing food. What do you need that info for?"

"Taking over the Vanilluxe Guild, of course."

"You what?!"

Snute and Alfonzo both seized in surprise as a third voice met their ears.

Snute looked down to see an aghast PNG of an espeon on her screen. She glared.

"You were spying on me," Snute grumbled. She began crawling forward, with Alfonzo following.

"Who on earth is that?" the floragato asked.

"SP-1. It's an AI. Evidently, a particularly nosey one."

"My name is 'Espy!'" Espy corrected. "And, for your information, it gets lonely being a computer program! All I can do is think, or interact with the devices I can communicate with. Good thing I did, too, because, ohoho, are you in for it!"

Snute glared down at the screen. The espeon was in the top right, seeming to glare down at the pixelated ninetales progressing down the hallway.

"That's so cool!" Alfonzo spoke with a smirk. "An entire mind running on a machine? Espy, my dear, you are quite the marvel of engineering!"

"W-Wah?!" Espy stammered, appearing to blush.

Snute turned to Alfonzo with an eyebrow raised. The floragato gave her a coy wink. She nodded in understanding, linking her APER Gear with Alfonzo's.

Hesitantly, Espy appeared to transfer to the other screen, signifying her communication being rerouted.

"My, my, you may just be the single greatest scientific breakthrough in history!" Alfonzo continued. "And, I must say, you look quite stunning, my darling."

"B-But...! I...! What?!" Espy appeared to flicker back and forth between embarrassed, confused, offended, and joyous.

"I am the Amazing Alfonzo!" he introduced. "My friends call me 'Fonz.' How about yourself, dearest?"

Regaining some level of composure, Espy switched to a pleasant smile.

"Well... I'm Espy! G-Good to meet you, Amazing Alfonzo!"

"Fonz."

"R-Right! Sorry!"

Alfonzo couldn't help but chuckle at the visage of an embarrassed, blushing espeon on his screen.

Snute stopped, prompting Alfonzo to do the same. The ninetales gave a quick nod, carefully lifting up a drop tile and slipping down through.

Snute hung upside down, eyes narrowed as her eyes scanned across the Guildmaster's office. It was dark, save for the light of the moon piercing through the window. It appeared to be entirely empty.

The ninetales dropped from the ceiling, landing softly upon the floor. She crept her way across the carpet, then sitting in an office chair behind the desk. She scrutinized the closed laptop, checking for any potential problems, before hesitantly pushing it open. The bright light of the screen assaulted her eyes.

After her vision finally adjusted, Snute sighed in disappointment.

"Password locked. Of course." Upon closer inspection, it appeared just to be a four-digit pin.

Straightening her back, she stretched every muscle she could in preparation for a long night of entering incorrect pins.

With a long, pained groan, she sat to work.

Zero, zero, zero zero.

Zero, zero, zero, one.

Zero, zero, zero, two.

Zero, zero, zero, three.

Zero, zero, zero, four.

"You've entered your password incorrectly too many times. Try again in five minutes."

Snute's eye-rolling was almost forceful enough to be physically heard. She leaned back in the guildmaster's chair, resting her hind paws on the desk, with her forelegs crossed behind her head.

She waited and waited for several minutes. That was, of course, until her ears picked up a sound. They perked up, swiveling to listen.

Soft footsteps approached from the hallway.

Quickly, the ninetales shut the laptop's lid, then calling up to the ceiling in a hushed panic.

"Fonz! Pull me up!"

After a moment, a daisy chain lowered its way down from the ceiling. The ninetales rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"Typical."

She grabbed onto the chain, climbing it impatiently as she was being pulled up. Just as she pulled herself back atop the ceiling, a raichu peeked his head into the room, looking around.

"Hm... Coulda' sworn I heard someone in here..."

Espy appeared to be a blushing, stammering mess, their static image shaking about on the screen.

"If you're done flirting with computer programs, let's get out of here," Snute sighed, shaking her head.

"Right." Alfonzo gave a thumbs up.

Snute plucked up her APER Gear with a huff. The pair of pokémon began to crawl away.

Espy, thoroughly flustered and confused, opted to retread back to the realm of her thoughts.

Kysen stared hard at the ground as he continued to mop the floor of the cafeteria. The absol listened intently while he worked.

"And, that's when I realized... I diced the tomatoes instead of slicing them!" Yei exclaimed, waving her arms. The bibarel soon burst out laughing at the memory of her blunder, which elicited a smirk out of Kysen. After taking a moment to recover, she resumed stirring her pot of chilli.

"Oh, how awful," Kysen quipped. "Surely, an irreparable mistake."

Yuku, who'd been sitting at a nearby table, snorted in amusement. She carefully lifted her feet as her father began to mop beneath it.

Yei let out a small chuckle, tilting her head noncommittally.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far, sugar."

"Yeah, pops," Yuku nodded. "It's still cut, either way!" She leaned down to sip from her straw, slightly draining her glass of purple soda.

"Fair enough," Kysen said with a nod.

"Oh!" Yei suddenly gasped, smiling. She removed her wooden spoon from the pot of chilli, placing it in her apron's pocket. "A lot of new recruits lately!" the bibarel cheered. "How do y'all feel about 'em?"

Kysen grunted, taking a more serious expression.

"That ninetales is a bit of a bitch."

Yuku nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! She makes my horn feel funny."

Frowning, Yei tilted her head. She began to finely dice an onion, though occasionally looked up to the absol pair.

"A bit rude, wouldn't you say? She seems like a dear!"

"Nah." Kysen shook his head. "She's rude." After a moment, he took on a fond grin. "Glad little Peppy finally built up the courage to join, though. Took her long enough."

"Peppy ain't little anymore, pops," Yuku corrected.

"Hm... I suppose you're right. Where have the years gone?"

"Amen to that," Yei sighed wistfully. She looked up to the ceiling. She then let out a shrill gasp, quickly pulling away her hand. "Oh, dear... Cut myself."

The two absol looked over in alarm, with Kysen dropping his equipment to rush over. He gently gripped the bibarel's wrist, looking over her wound.

Yuku walked over slowly, worriedly peeking at the injury.

"It's not too bad," Kysen confirmed. "Please be more careful, dear."

Yei laughed heartily.

"Guess everyone slips up, sometimes!"

"Dad," Yuku hissed. "Don't call her 'dear'! What would mom say?"

Kysen glared at the floor, releasing Yei's hand.

"Oh, I know exactly what your mother would say. 'Oh, come back home! It's dangerous! You're gonna get our daughter killed!' And, know what? I ain't need that in my life." To make the point, he leaned down to place a delicate kiss atop Yei's wound.

The bibarel squealed, cheeks flushing red. She felt a mixture of flattery and shame brew within her chest.

Yuku gritted her teeth, pulling her father away from Yei with an aggressive yank.

"She's just worried!" the younger absol insisted. "Is that really worth tearing apart your relationship over?"

Kysen sighed, slumping as he turned away.

"It's... A lot of things, sweetie." He began to walk away, shaking his head. Within a minute, he'd gathered all of his cleaning equipment and left the room.

Yei shook off her fluster, resting her uninjured hand on Yuku's shoulder.

"Sugar, I think-"

"And you," Yuku interrupted, shrugging off the bibarel's touch. She turned to glare at Yei. "You'd better not make any moves on my dad! I don't need you tearing my family apart!"

The absol quickly stormed off without another word.

Yei sighed, shaking her head. She soon resumed her meal prep.

Team Stop Calling Me That were sitting at their usual table for breakfast. No one was sat with them for the moment.

They each had a breakfast burrito sat on their plates. Snute's was half gone, Alfonzo's was more than half gone, and both Peppy and Aundei had only taken a couple of bites each.

They idly scrolled through their APER Gears, searching for any interesting missions to take.

"So," Snute eventually started, getting the others' attention. "I was up on the deck this morning."

"You go up there every morning, Silly!" Aundei said with a nod. "You stare at the sunset and stroke your locket!"

Peppy looked a bit baffled, but Alfonzo nodded in understanding.

"Well, I noticed something off," Snute continued. "The sun came up an hour late."

Peppy squeaked, ears shooting up.

"W-What?! The sun isn't supposed to be late!"

Aundei nodded, smiling.

"It's probably just daylight savings time or something!"

"It's late May," Snute grumbled. "That started months ago."

"Well, you must be mistaken," Alfonzo shrugged. "The sun doesn't just show up late for work."

"Whatever," Snute sighed, shaking her head.

"I f-found an interesting mission, guys..." Peppy mumbled, sliding her APER Gear forward. Everyone else crowded around to look at it.

TOPIC: Hungry!

CLIENT: Munchlax

URGENCY: 5/10

We're a small village of wilds living in the Shifting Sands Dungeon. Recently, a group of lillipups and herdier have stolen our food supplies, lead by a stoutland! They've been threatening to take our leader if we don't comply...

We would greatly appreciate some food! Anything will do! We don't have any money, but we have all sorts of useful items we can give as payment!

REWARD: Sandy Orb × 3, Nugget × 1, Fire Gem × 3, Dragon Gem × 1, APER Gear Addon × 1

INTERESTED: Snute (Y), Aundei (T), Peppy (T), Alfonzo (T), Taffy, Ringue, Yuja, Honey, Pea, Kysen, Ooka, Sonic, The Alder

GROUP CHAT - Hungry!

Aundei started a group chat, with the topic: Hungry!

Aundei added Peppy, Alfonzo, Snute, The Alder, Sonic, Ooka, Kysen, Pea, Honey, Yuja, Taffy, and Ringue to the group.

Aundei: Hey!

Sonic left the group.

Ooka: sorry about that! we found another job

Aundei: It's okay, Ooka!

Ooka left the group.

Snute: Great. The less, the merrier.

The Alder: Greetings, everybody! - The Alder!

Ringue: we can see ur name lol dont gotta sign ur message

The Alder: Ah, my sincerest apologies, lass! This modern day technology never ceases to confound me. Ohoho!

Honey: We have to use this thing, like, every day, old man. One would think you'd be used to it. :sparkles:

Snute: Great. This sloozy is here.

Kysen: Honey, be kind to your elders. Snute, be kind to your peers.

The Alder: Pah! I do not need this maltreatment! How do I leave?

Aundei: Press the red door button in the top left!

The Alder: Ah, thank you, young chap! It is good to see that the younger generation is not entirely a lost cause!

The Alder left the group.

Honey: Bruh is only like four years older than you. Tf does he mean "younger generation"? :surprised:

Aundei: Well, he is older than me!

Alfonzo: Interesting.

Honey: Oh, hey, Amazing Alfonzo! :heart_face: :kissing_Heart: Or, do you prefer "Fonz"?

Alfonzo: Either is fine!

Honey: Okay, Fonz! Hehe! :sparkling_heart:

Snute: Don't call him that.

Honey: What's wrong, grumpy? You jealous? :smiling_imp: :fire: :fire :fire:

Kysen: Honey, please don't antagonize.

Honey: Mkay. :halo:

Yuja: can we get on topic now

Aundei: Right! I think my team should take the mission, since Peppy, Snute, and Alfonzo need the dungeon experience!

Taffy: Shifting Sands is a pretty dangerous dungeon, though. You sure it's suited for beginners?

Yuja: i think a more experienced team should handle it so the newbies don't get hurt

Honey: Yeah but if you guys go Ringue will eat all the food lol :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :skull:

Ringue: No I won't!

Honey: Oh, you mean like you wouldn't eat the apologies mac and cheese Pea and I made for Kysen that one time? :rolling_eyes:

Kysen: Don't bring me into this.

Pea: or me

Ringue: How are you even typing with hooves? Dumb bitchhhhhh :triumph: :triumph: :triumph: :triumph: :fire: :fire: :fire: :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp: :clown: That's what your messages look like btw

Honey: I'm not dumb! :rage:

Yuja started a vote: Kick Honey from the chat? "Yes", "No", or "Neutral"

Yuja voted: "Yes"

Honey: Coward

Ringue voted: "Yes"

Taffy voted: "Yes"

Honey: It's because you know I'm right :halo: :angel:

Snute voted: "Yes"

Honey voted: "Neutral"

Alfonzo voted: "No"

Kysen left the group.

Pea voted: "No"

Peppy voted: "Yes"

Aundei voted: "No"

Vote concluded!

"Yes": 5/9

"No": 3/9

"Neutral": 1/9

Aundei removed Honey from the group.

Pea left the group.

Ringue: Man, I hate her! She's so mean to me!

Taffy: Me too.

Snute: Enough drama. What are we doing?

Peppy: I could cook some pizzas to bring them

Yuja: i still dont like the idea of bringing new members into shifting sands

Aundei: Come on, it'll be fine!

Taffy: And I really want that dragon gem

Aundei: We could just all go! With seven of us, there shouldn't be much danger! And, we'll even let you keep the rewards, since we just want some experience!

Snute: Now, hold on one minute. I'm not setting foot in one of those death traps without getting paid.

Aundei: Well... Okay, what do you want, Team Horizon?

Ringue: I just want the fire gems! They're pretty!

Taffy: And I want that dragon gem

Yuja: id like the nugget

Aundei: So, that leaves us with the sandy orb, and the APER Gear addon. How's that sound to you, Silly?

Snute: Fine by me. Where'd they even get APER tech?

Aundei: It spawns in mystery dungeons, for some reason! Don't know why!

Taffy: Well, I have no objections

Yuja: me neither

Ringue: Nor me!

Alfonzo: Finally! Let's go, already.

Aundei ended the group chat.

Team Stop Calling Me That and Team Horizon stood together in the middle of the desert. An arch of rock stood before them, standing out among the sea of sand.

Each of them carried a stack of two pizzas, adding up to fourteen in total.

Yuja cleared her throat, walking forward to face the rest of the group.

"Okay, newbies," started the smeargle, "you will need to be careful! The Shifting Sands dungeon is not easy! As the name suggests, the sand shifts, but that's just one of the many dangers." She began to pace back and forth as she spoke, never breaking eye contact. "Winds that can blow away a charizard! Cacti that shoot out their needles! Quicksand traps that send you back to previous floors! You are not to be careless! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Peppy and Alfonzo chirped, nodding vigorously.

Snute simply sighed, performing a half-hearted salute.

"Another thing," Taffy added, "Shifting Sands is what's known as a wrappin', borderless dungeon. This means that there are no walls enclosin' the space. It behaves like a sphere, despite being measurably flat. It's super easy to get lost or disoriented, so be careful, darlings!"

"W-We will!" Peppy confirmed, nodding.

"Well, with that out of the way... Let us go in, shall we?" Aundei offered, darting forward through the arch way of rock. The rest of the pokémon followed at a more relaxed pace.

Snute was the last to enter, shuddering as she passed through. Upon looking around, the scenery had changed.

The landscape seemed far flatter. The bright blue sky had turned to a dark, greenish gray.

The sand seemed to stretch endlessly into infinity, never dipping below the horizon. Every hundred meters or so in all eight cardinal directions, exact copies of the group could be seen.

As Snute stared forward, she squinted at her mirror self.

"It's not that big," she reasoned, huffing.

"Come on! No time to dilly-dally!" Ringue cheered, beginning to stroll forward.

As the rest of the group advanced forward with the slurpuff, Snute nudged Alfonzo's side. The floragato looked down with a smile.

"Yes?"

"Can you help me out of my desert garbs? The sun isn't shining much here, so they'll just get in the way."

"Sure thing!"

Alfonzo leaned down, helping Snute unclothe in record time. He balanced four pizzas in one hand as he assisted the ninetales, then stuffing the rags into her bag.

"Hum..." Peppy muttered, looking down. "The sand is running over my paws weirdly."

Yuja nodded.

"Yeah. That's the titular shifting sand."

"Why's it do that, anyway?" Alfonzo inquired, looking around in concern.

"Beats me." Yuja shrugged her shoulders for emphasis.

"Look out!" Taffy cried, leaping to her right. The rest of the group followed, looking back over their shoulders.

A bolt of lighting suddenly struck down where they'd been just moments prior. An arcing branch of glass was formed in the sand.

Upon looking up, Snute spied the source of the strike. A fearow soared above them, circling with a glare.

"Great," Snute sighed. "Always gotta be birds."

Yuja, Ringue, and Taffy all tossed their pizzas over to Team Stop Calling Me That.

"We'll take this one," Taffy said, taking out her APER Gear.

Snute raised an eyebrow as she inspected the minccino's device. It appeared to have the same aura addon that Lustig had allegedly only given to a few pokémon. It had a dragon gem inside.

Taffy pressed a few buttons, causing the gem to glow as she hooked the device back onto her belt. Within just a few seconds, a reddish purple dragon-claw attack formed on her paw.

"Taffy! Ringue! Sky Melee Formation!" Yuja demanded, outstretching her arms.

Ringue quickly hopped onto Yuja's shoulders, balancing carefully. Taffy then scurried up the stack of pokémon, placing herself on top.

Yuja quickly began to channel flying-type aura into her body, compressing her legs down as much as she could. All at once, she released the tension, bouncing up into the air.

The fearow dove directly toward the three ascending pokémon, eyes narrowed in irritation. Its long beak just barely missed Ringue, who grabbed the bird's leg as it passed.

Taffy swung her arm down, dragon claws raking through the bird's back. It gave a shout, quickly kicking Ringue's face so that the slurpuff would release it.

The stacked team soon hit the ground. They only remained grounded for a moment, as Yuja sprang back up.

The fearow quickly shot a bolt of lightning toward Taffy. It hit its mark, sending a jolt of electricity through all three pokémon. They each shrieked in pain, bodies seizing up.

The fearow took the opportunity to charge forward once more, snapping at Taffy with its beak. It managed to catch her by the tail, eliciting a cry of pain. She tried to swipe at the bird with her extended claws, to no avail.

Ringue and Yuja both hung on tight, refusing to let their teammate go.

Yuja wracked her brain for an idea. It took her only a moment to snap her fingers in satisfaction.

"Ringue! Fighter Jet Formation!"

"G-Got it!"

The two finally let go of their minccino friend, entering freefall.

Yuja focused on her body, flooding it with flying-type aura. Instead of releasing it, however, she began adding electric-type energy into the mix, evenly distributing it throughout her body.

The smeargle's body began to shift and change, slowly morphing into a new shape. She transformed into a perfect mirror-copy of their fearow opponent, Ringue hanging tight onto her back.

The transformed smeargle entered a nose-dive, which she pivoted quickly with a twirl. Before long, she was soaring back into the sky, right toward the fearow and its captive minccino.

Upon noticing her team's approach, Taffy ceased her incessant flailing, giving the pair a wave.

Ringue waved back with a smile. Her paw then began to glow green as she carefully formed an energy ball. With a fling of her arm, the grass-type attack nailed the fearow directly in the head, causing it to screech and drop Taffy.

Taffy fell through the air, heart rate briefly spiking before she landed safely upon Yuja's back.

Yuja banked to the left, performing a U-turn until she once more approached her opponent. Taffy and Ringue both began charging their own respective attacks as the transformed smeargle picked up speed.

The fearow squawked in alarm. It turned to flee into the distance.

Accepting the surrender, Yuja glided down to skid across the sands, landing perfectly back in front of Team Stop Calling Me That. Once Ringue and Taffy hopped off from her back, she sighed in relief, reverting back to her regular form.

Peppy, Alfonzo, and Aundei all cheered in victory, rushing to congratulate the three.

"That was pretty cool!" Alfonzo exclaimed. "I didn't know minccino could learn dragon claw!"

"Ah, well..." Taffy giggled bashfully, scratching the back of her head. "It ain't really me, darling. It's the APER Gear addon!"

Snute raised an eyebrow, but soon shrugged with a sigh. She turned to acknowledge the smeargle.

"So, where'd you sketch transform from?" the ninetales asked. "Ditto aren't exactly common on this continent."

Yuja gave a nod, crossing her arms.

"There's a mew at the guild. Bubbles is her name."

"Right."

The seven pokémon soon continued their way through the dungeon.

Honey paced back and forth around her room, frowning with a huff. A poochyena sat on a stool in front of a mirror, carefully applying eyeliner.

"It's not fair, Pea!" the deerling pouted, turning to gaze at her friend. "It just isn't fair!"

"Is this about that performer you're trying to bed?" Pea asked, voice monotone as ever.

"No, not that! I think that ninetales will be a fun obstacle, actually!" Honey's frown turned to a giddy smile as she pranced in place. She soon adopted a more serious expression, shaking her head. "No, it's just, that Salami dude's Pokéfans is doing better than mine, again."

"I guess paw pics are just a more lucrative market than hoof pics," Pea reasoned dryly.

"Ew! No!" Honey spat, vigorously shaking her head. "I'd never post those! It's just my face, like a normal person!"

As Pea finished her makeup, she set the case back down, turning around to give her friend a deadpan stare.

"Come on, babe. You know better than that," the poochyena droned. "You should be posting something more suggestive on there. If not your hooves, at least post your ass or something."

Honey's eyes narrowed suspiciously. She turned her head, leaning in, though maintaining eye contact.

"Are you suggesting I whore out my body for money?"

Pea blinked.

"Yes."

The deerling smiled, nodding.

"That's a fantastic idea! Will you photograph my booty for me, Pea?" The deerling daintily poked her front hooves together, fluttering her eyelashes with a pleading expression.

Pea blinked again.

"No."

"Oh, fiddlesticks," Honey grumbled, turning away with indignation. "I'll just get Ishe to do it."

"Good for you."

Nodding, the pink deer smiled, placing a kiss on the poochyena's muzzle, before prancing away.

"If you'll excuse me, I've a growlithe to harass!"

Pea sighed, resting her chin on her forelegs.

"Why do I bother encouraging her?"

Team Stop Calling Me That and Team Horizon both shouted in panic as they continued leaping around, dodging the onslaught of cactus needles.

In every direction, numerous cacti sprang up. Each time they leapt out of the way, they got close enough for a new one to fire.

"I've got an idea!" Alfonzo shouted, leaping out of the way of another spray of needles. "Everyone, get close to me!"

The other six pokémon did as requested, hopping over to intercept the floragato's landing.

Alfonzo quickly held his hands out to the side, two umbrellas unfolding from his sleeves. He crouched and veiled the entirety of the group just in time for the shower of needles to begin pelting against their protective fabric.

"Phew, that was close!" Aundei huffed, smiling widely. "Good thinking, Fonz!"

"B-B-But w-what are we gonna do now?" Peppy whined, legs quivering. "We're stuck in here!"

"I could transform to fly us over, but I can only really carry two at a time," Yuja said with a frown. "And, who's to say they can't fire upwards?"

"So, both the ground and the sky are off-limits," Taffy surmised, nodding.

"So," Snute concluded, "we go underground." Without another word, the ninetales began to dig into the sand. The rest of the group coughed as she did this.

"Good thinking, Rookie," Yuja said with a smile. With a bit of effort, the smeargle transformed herself into a drilbur. "Ring, Taff, hang onto me. The rest of you, grab onto grumpy-tales."

The group complied with the order, each taking their positions. Snute and Yuja quickly burrowed beneath the sand, taking their teammates along with them.

Snute kept her eyes scrunched closed and her ears pulled flat as she pulled herself through the sand. She focused on feeling the displaced sand from Yuja, opting to follow the false drilbur's lead.

They navigated underground for about a minute before bursting up from the sand. Everyone coughed and heaved as they caught their breath, shaking sand out of their fur.

Ringue worriedly looked down to the boxes in her paws.

"Oh, dear," the slurpuff muttered. "I hope our pizzas didn't get sandy..."

"They're probably fine. The boxes are sealed with tape, right?" Yuja asked, looking to Peppy. The fennekin nodded quickly, nervously shuffling in place.

Satisfied, the smeargle reverted to her true form, soon leading the group forward again. The cactus field was far behind them, enough out of range for them to be safe from its needly traps,

Of course, the dungeon didn't intend to let them off that easily. At least, Snute assumed that was the intention, considering the tornado heading toward them from behind.

The ninetales' eyes widened in a mixture of alarm and awe.

"Crikey! It's bloody huge!"

"Yes, Lu', your ass is quite-" Alfonzo halted his quip as he turned around, eyes widening. "What in tarnation?!"

The rest of the group pivoted to look behind themselves as well, just in time to see a large tornado scoop up Alfonzo and Snute. Peppy was next, screaming in fear as she was lifted off from the ground.

"The twister's got 'em!" Taffy exclaimed, shivering in fear. "We've gotta help 'em, y'all! Square up!"

Ringue flailed her stubby arms about, running back and forth in a blind panic.

"What are we supposed to do about that?!" the pastry dog shouted. "It's a tornado!"

"I'll get them out, guys! You can count on me!" Aundei cheered, running forward.

Yuja sighed, placing a paw on her forehead.

"I hope he knows what he's doing."

The glameow chased after the tornado, squinting to look up at his teammates. Snute looked mildly perturbed, though all together fine despite the whirlwind of destruction flinging her around. Alfonzo had his eyes squinted shut, holding a terrified and hyperventilating fennekin against his chest.

Aundei quickly pumped flying-type energy into his legs, accelerating his sprint to be able to maintain pace with the tornado. He ran in circles around it. Tilting his head upward, he called up into the deafeningly roaring winds.

"Alfonzo!" the glameow shouted at the top of his lungs. The floragato in question opened one eye, peeking down at the cat. "Throw your yoyo down here, and grab Snute!"

With a thumbs-up, Alfonzo quickly empowered his wrist with fighting-type aura. He flicked it downward, sending the yoyo directly toward Aundei. The glameow soon grasped the spinning wheel in his maw.

Alfonzo quickly turned to hook an arm around Snute, pulling the ninetales close. She gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

Aundei quickly skidded to a stop, before turning to bolt in the opposite direction.

The vine attached to the end of Alfonzo's yoyo pulled taut under the strain, yet remained intact. As the glameow picked up distance from the tornado, he pulled Alfonzo with him, until the floragato and his attached passengers were abruptly released from the grasp of the tornado. With one last act of spite, the tornado sent them flying, the three shouting in fear as they soared up high into the air. They appeared to ascend toward the strangely low cloud layer, soon passing through it and into darkness. They remained seemingly lodged inside of it, not falling.

Not stopping to think about the miracle, Snute quickly began to dig her way upwards, attempting to escape from whatever they were inside, with Peppy and Alfonzo holding on tight. Before long, the three burst up and out of the sand right next to Team Horizon.

Ringue, Yuja, and Taffy all jumped back in surprise, before sharing a mutual sigh of relief.

Snute looked around, baffled.

"Huh. Does the dungeon loop vertically, too?"

Yuja nodded in confirmation.

"It seems so."

"Where's Aundei?!" Peppy squeaked, looking around in panic.

Alfonzo glanced around, before his eyes drifted down to the vine in his grasp. It went down into the sand. Slowly, he craned his head upwards.

"Uh, guys?"

The others looked up as well upon noticing Alfonzo's gaze.

Aundei was suspended in the sky far above them, flailing around as he hung from Alfonzo's vine. Upon noticing the attention fixated on him, however, the glameow simply smiled and waved.

Sighing in relief, Alfonzo wiped a droplet of sweat from his brow. He began to pull on his vine, one hand after another, Aundei disappearing up into the cloud layer. Before long, the glameow's smiling face poked out from the sand.

"Hiya!" Aundei exclaimed, leaping the rest of the way out. The other six stepped back as he violently shook the sand out of his fur.

"Good t'see ya', darlin'," Taffy greeted with a nod. "Come on, let's go!"

Team Stop Calling Me That and Team Horizon soon arrived at another rock arch like the one they'd entered from. Wasting no time, they rushed through.

The seven pokémon found their paws on brown rocks. Snute looked around to take in the scenery.

The blue sky above had returned to its normal bright, clear appearance. They appeared to be surrounded on all sides by steep rocky cliffs, one of which they'd just exited from.

In the middle of the circular formation was a large pond, with a river running both into and out of it from the cliffs. Grass, bushes, and trees were sprouted all around the circular enclosure.

Various burrows seemed to line the cliffs, with pokémon going to and fro from them. Others remained outside, turning to see the new arrivals.

Peppy's eyes widened.

"Oh, wow!" she exclaimed. "So, this is a wild village?"

"I still don't get the difference between wilds and ferals," Ringue muttered, tilting her body to the side. She looked around in awe.

"Well, wilds are just about as lucid as us," Aundei explained. "They just prefer living in uncivilized territory, is all!"

"Can't imagine wanting to live here," Alfonzo grumbled, crossing his arms. "That dungeon was a pain in the ass and a half to get through. And I mean that literally." For emphasis, he pinched a cactus needle that stuck out of Snute's hindquarters, quickly plucking it out.

The ninetales growled briefly, though soon sighed in relief.

"Well, I s'pose we should find Munchlax," Taffy suggested. The minccino squinted her eyes shut as she stretched, yawning lightly.

"Won't be an issue!" a nasally voice chimed in from above. The explorers looked up to see a munchlax standing on a jutted out section of the rocky incline, right in front of a burrow. He hopped down with a smile, waving to the explorers.

"Delivery!" Peppy chirped giddily, tossing her pizzas to the munchlax. The rest of the 'mons present soon followed, until the small pokémon held a stack of fourteen pizzas.

"Thank you so much!" Munchlax cheered. He turned to shout to the rest of the pokémon. "Food is here, everyone!"

Numerous pokémon soon began rushing over, many coming out of various burrows. With all said and done, about twenty arrived before them.

Pizzas were passed out quickly, with the wilds eagerly getting their mits all over the food. They all appeared extraordinarily gleeful as they ate.

"Oh, thank you!" a minun called. "We've not eaten in days! How can we ever repay you?"

The electric mouse giggled in glee as Alfonzo stroked the top of her head.

"It is our pleasure, my dear! Seeing you smile makes it all worth it." As Alfonzo spoke, the minun appeared to swoon. "All I ask for is a kiss."

The floragato leaned down, carefully holding the minun's tiny hands.

She giggled just a bit, leaning forward and placing a kiss on his muzzle. The two shared the embrace for a few seconds, before they mutually pulled away.

"My name's Minun!" Minun explained. "We don't exactly have a government here, but I'm the closest equivalent we've got to a mayor or anything."

Alfonzo stood up, striking a pose.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mayor Minun! I am the Amazing Alfonzo!"

Minun laughed at the display, clapping her little paws.

The floragato was about to continue, when he felt a tugging at his tail. He turned to see Snute eying him with annoyance.

"Come on, dork," she grumbled. "We got paid. We're leaving."

"Aww, but we were hitting it off so well!" Alfonzo sighed, dramatically putting the back of his hand to his forehead.

"She's way too small for you, anyway. Now, let's go."

As Snute turned to walk away, Alfonzo knelt down to rest a hand on Minun's head.

"Until we meet again, my darling!"

The minun giggled, placing her paws atop his hand.

"Our hero!"

Alfonzo tossed the Minun a single white rose, which she caught with a smile.

The seven explorers all waved their goodbyes. They were about to leave, when suddenly a low growl met their ears.

All the pokémon present cried in alarm as a stoutland barreled toward them from within the mystery dungeon. Team Stop Calling Me That and Team Horizon both attempted to block the exit, but to no avail. They all screamed in agony as they were barrelled into with a giga-impact attack, knocking them all away.

Alfonzo fell flat on his back, with Snute crashing down atop him. The latter of the pair groaned, after a moment falling unconscious, with the former barely hanging on due to having received less of the impact.

Peppy flew through the air, already knocked out from the initial impact. She soon tumbled across the ground for several more meters before sliding into a random burrow. The furret inside jolted in surprise.

Aundei, Ringue, and Yuja all somersaulted through the air, though skillfully landing upright, only briefly skidding across the ground. The three immediately readied for a fight, staring down the large dog.

Taffy went flying all the way across the enclosure, face-planting upside-down against a rocky face. She soon fell down onto one of the paths carved into the cliff, high up on the overhang.

The wilds of the village screamed and ran about in panic, attempting to scoop up any children and hurry back into their burrows, and hide all of their pizzas away.

Minun's cheeks crackled violently with electricity. Fuming with anger, she took a stance next to the three remaining standing explorers. Alfonzo soon stumbled over to join them.

Quivering in fear, Munchlax also waddled over to them. He put on a brave face.

The stoutland stared them down with a glare, eyes narrowing.

"You know the drill, Minun," he snarked, licking his lips.

"And, who are you to be making demands?!" Aundei shot back, a growl leaving his throat. He began to channel ghost-type aura into his claws, which in turn extended to a brutal length.

"That's Stoutland! He's the punk who's been stealing our food!" Minun shouted, stomping a paw on the grass.

"H-He's the l-leader of another v-v-village of wilds near the dungeon!" Munchlax added, quivering.

Stoutland smirked, raising his brows.

"That's right. I'll be taking a lot more than just food this time, if you've got nothing to offer me. Don't you remember our deal, Minun?"

The explorers turned to look at Minun in concern, who shrank back from their gazes.

Munchlax abruptly charged forward toward Stoutland, shouting at the top of his lungs. Everyone gasped in alarm as the large dog stomped down on the smaller pokémon, sinking him completely into the earth.

"Munchlax, no!" Minun shrieked, reaching out with a paw.

Enraged, Aundei leapt forward with an almost feral yowl, ferociously hooking his shadow-claws into the dog's hide. Due to the defender's normal-typing, the ghost empowerment did nothing, yet the razor-sharp tips of Aundei's claws still dug a deep gash.

Stoutland leaned down to bite Aundei by the scruff, lifting him up and beginning to violently shake the suddenly shrieking glameow.

Before Yuja and Ringue both rushed forward at once, the former began to transform and the latter formed an energy ball. They were both smacked away as Aundei impacted them from the side, having been flung at them by Stoutland.

Alfonzo formed a leaf-blade rapier, then rushed toward the large dog. He merely stomped on the ground, the resulting quake being violent enough to trip the cat with a yelp.

As Stoutland stepped on the fallen floragato, he turned to glare at Minun, who in turn stared back with defiance.

"What'll it be, Minun?" Stoutland inquired. "Will you give me your food, will you come with me willingly, or shall I deal with the rest of your little village the same way?"

Minun put a paw to her mouth, gazing around the scene of defeat with apprehension. With a defeated sigh, she let the sparking in her cheeks fizzle out.

"F-Fine! Take me if you must, but don't hurt them!"

"Smart choice," Stoutland praised with a nod. The small mouse walked over to the large dog, who scooped her up in a single paw. She pouted as she was placed atop his back. Stoutland smirked, nodding with satisfaction. He turned back to the dungeon entrance, barking an order. "All right, pack! Clean up these explorers! They'll be our meal for tonight!

A group of lillipup and herdier began to stalk their way in, snarling and growling as they closed in on their prey.

"N-No!" Minun shrieked, covering her eyes.

Aundei stirred, raising his head to blearily look around. With his eyes shooting open at what he saw.

He quickly fumbled about in his pack, feeling around until he felt his paws wrap around a spherical object. He soon lifted it out and above his head.

The orb lit up with a brilliant blue light, which first consumed the rest of the nearby explorer's badges, then the pokémon themselves. With a shimmer and a flash, the escape orb took effect, warping them out of the dungeon.

The lillipups looked around in fear, backing up slowly, whilst the herdier just looked annoyed.

Stoutland shook his head, growling.

"They'll be long gone by the time we make it to the dungeon entrance. Let's just take our prize and go."

Satisfied, the pack of dogs left the enclosure, returning to the mystery dungeon from which they came.

"It's awful! We have to help them!" Aundei urged. He flinched in discomfort as Tab rubbed a stinging spray of sitrus juice into the wound on the back of his neck.

Guildmaster Vanilluxe nodded in understanding, both heads gazing about the medical bay.

Ringue and Yuja appeared largely okay, despite their bandages, though both seemed quite dejected.

Alfonzo winced in pain with every movement he made, gasping for shallow breaths. Regardless, he loyally stayed by Snute's unconscious side.

"I'll go with you," Tab nodded with a neutral expression. The minccino finished bandaging Aundei up, giving him a pat on the back. "Wouldn't be very cool of me to leave my sister back there, would it? Nor your fennekin friend, of course."

Aundei nodded, glancing away with guilt.

"I'm really sorry about that, Doc! They were out of range of the escape orb!"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it, Auwy," a new voice added, gaining the others' attention.

Honey and Pea stood in the doorway, with the former smiling and the latter not smiling.

The deerling walked forward, with her poochyena friend following.

"We couldn't help but... Overhear what happened," Honey said, taking up a teary-eyed expression.

"And, by 'overhear', she means 'eavesdrop,'" Pea added with a sigh.

"Thus, we'd like the help!" The deerling took a stance of confidence, nose in the air with a smirk on her face.

"Absolutely not!" Ringue shouted, pointing with a paw.

Honey simply lolled her tongue out, raising a hoof to pull at her bottom eyelid.

The slurpuff's face scrunched up in irritation.

"Well, there's friends in trouble!" Lefty cheered with a smile. "The more help we can get, the better!"

"Besides, I like the way you squabble like children..." Righty added, belting out a low and sinister chuckle.

Aundei slumped to the ground, letting out a long sigh. He knew the next day would be a long one. For the time being, however, he was exhausted from spending most of the day either in the mystery dungeon or dragging his friends back to the ship.

A little cat nap, then they could leave bright and early in the morning.