Dinner was a quiet affair. Janus kept his focus locked on his untouched plate of vegetables and berries, only looking up occasionally to catch Domino's eye. The Grafaiai had been staring daggers at Janus the entire time; it was honestly a little unsettling.

Without taking a single bite, Janus rose up from the table, the speed of his wings creating a faint buzzing that cut through the thick silence that filled the mess hall. As he exited, he swore he could hear Domino utter a small laugh, but he wasn't going to give the Grafaiai the satisfaction of entertaining it.

Something about all of this felt wrong. He felt like he didn't belong here; was it because he was missing some of the most vital parts of his memory, the ones that allegedly solidified him as a member? He didn't know. All of the signs pointed to him being a rescuer with the Legion: Domino's mission, that Pawmo's outburst, Cubchoo's request… But Janus couldn't remember anything about a Pawmo, or a Cetoddle, or even how he had wound up in the Hazy Highlands in the first place.

Perhaps if he retraced his steps…

Yes. That was the best course of action right now.

"Hohoho. Going somewhere, my friend?"

Startled, Janus zipped around, soon finding himself faced with the Legion Head, Crabominable. The crustacean Pokémon sported his signature infectious grin, a proud one that was amplified by his puffed-out chest. Janus cringed back; it seemed Crabominable oozed a sort of false machismo to put on a show for his Legion's members. The facade didn't sit well with the Ninjask.

"I was just going out for some fresh air," Janus replied. He adjusted his satchel, which was beginning to slip down his torso. "I, uh… had an interesting conversation with Domino earlier and just… kinda need a breather. You know how he wanted me to join his team? Yeah, well, I… kinda… am thinking against it now."

"That's too bad, son," Crabominable said. "He's a little rough around the edges, yes. But he does care, deep down."

"Mmmm. I guess." Janus sighed and turned towards the curtain exit. "Sorry, Legion Head, I don't really think I'm cut out for this kinda thing. I'm going out to clear my head, maybe I'll come to a better decision about joining the Legion in general if I do that."

Crabominable gave him a solemn nod in response. "Alrighty, if you're certain. I do think you have the chops, though. I can see it in your eyes. You remind me of someone I know, I just can't seem to put my pincer on it."

A brief moment of silence passed between the two. As Janus was about to make the final move to leave, though, Crabominable spoke again.

"Nevermind me, kiddo. I just thought that bag of yours looked familiar, I guess not. Hoho, I'm an old fart! My brain is about as scrambled as a Chansey egg!" He paused to let out a hearty guffaw. "Come back soon though, you hear? The cold woods are dangerous for a frail guy like you."

"I'll consider it. Thank you, Crabominable."

"Anytime, son."

The two parted ways, Janus flying through the curtain and Crabominable scuttling back into the headquarters' mess hall to finish his meal. As the Ninjask flew into the faint flurry outside, tears began to well up in his eyes. That small part of his mind that told him he was supposed to be there was crying out, trying to tug him back there, begging him to change his mind last second and apologize to Crabominable. But he had already made up his mind. He was going back to the Highlands, and he was going to let himself succumb to the madness of the Mystery Dungeon. That was his decision.

It was final.

The snow had picked up significantly by the time Janus made it into the woods, blanketing the ground in a thick layer of white fluff. He shivered as he moved forward, regret seeping in the further he went along, but with regret came resolve. He was almost certain he knew the way back to the Highlands; it was the only thing he was sure of at the moment.

Through the final row of trees he pushed, riding out the snowy wind until he stumbled back across the entrance to the cave he had awoken within just hours prior. Another pang of remorse made his gut churn, and he glanced back at the woods, but his wings carried him forward, back into the cavern.

Once again, Janus was enveloped in the chilly mist that permeated the Hazy Highlands. It was oddly comforting now; it felt much more like a home than the Rescue Legion's headquarters. As he heard the entrance close off behind him, he took off his satchel and lay it on the ground, then lowered himself onto it, curling up and resting his now-weary body atop it. There was nothing inside; the light-box that was in it before had been thrown into a pool of water. This would act as his bed, a nice, soft bed that he could move if danger arose.

Ah, but food would be an issue. He supposed he'd just have to look around the cavern for any more of those round, red apples that Dachsbun had been after earlier. Maybe there were other delicious things in the Dungeon too — frozen berries or frosty plants to chew on. This wouldn't be so bad once he found something reliable to eat…

Splash!

Something splashed nearby.

Splash! Splash-splash!

It seemed to be thrashing around.

A threat?

A friend?

A foe?

What was that terrible splashing?

Janus shook the stars from his eyes and rose up again, grabbing his satchel and swerving around in search of the splashing sound. He couldn't give up this easily; letting the madness take over was the goal, yes, but succumbing so quickly was unnerving.

"Hello?" he called out into the fog. "Hello? Is… is anyone there?"

"What the — YEAH, someone is here — who the fuck are you?"

The sudden voice surprised Janus; he hadn't expected whatever had been thrashing around to be sentient. With an Aerial Ace, he cut through the fog and zipped forward, his gaze darting around frantically, and soon it landed on a tiny squid, blue with a pink head, scared out of its mind.

Both Pokémon stared at each other for a beat, utterly bewildered. The squid — an Inkay, Janus believed — then screamed and scrambled up, trying his hardest to float away. It seemed to be a younger one though, one that hadn't quite developed its psychic powers fully yet, and it tumbled to the ground, rolling into a nearby log and getting itself lodged inside.

Janus flinched. "Are… you okay?"

"Juuust peachy," the Inkay replied dryly. "Mind helping me out?"

"Oh! Yeah. Sorry."

Reaching out with his forceps, Janus grasped the ends of two of the Inkay's tentacles. He tugged, and tugged, and with a pop! noise, the Inkay was freed.

"That was new. I didn't realize I could float like that," the Inkay said. "I appreciate the help… Ninjask."

"My name's Janus," the Ninjask offered. "And you are…?"

"Flip," the Inkay replied. "Well, technically it's Phillip, but I've always liked the sound of Flip better. Rolls off the tongue better, don't you think?"

"Uh… sure." Janus nodded along politely; his head was beginning to spin again. "So how'd you end up here, Flip? This is a Mystery Dungeon, I've heard they're pretty dangerous. They can mess with your head."

"I dunno, actually," Flip replied. "One second I was a human, just minding my own business and doing… well, I dunno that part either. And the next, I was an Inkay. Not really sure how it happened, but it doesn't really matter. I kinda like being a Pokémon."

"So you don't have any memories either, hmm?" Janus mused. "Weird. I wonder if it has anything to do with this place… it is called the Hazy Highlands for a reason, I guess."

"Could be. I didn't wake up here, though. I kinda just… crawled here from the woods and ended up here. And then something knocked me into the water, it looked like some kinda dog Pokémon."

"Dog Pokémon?"

"Yeah! It was big, it had a brown body, its ears were kinda braided?"

Janus's heart raced. He knew that Pokémon, that was the Dachsbun he had run into earlier. Was it here, back and ready for blood?

He didn't want to find out. He grabbed one of Flip's tentacles and flew out of the chamber, down a narrow hallway to the south.

"JESUS — you don't have to grab me so hard, dude, that hurts!" Flip cursed through a grit beak. "Where are you taking me?"

"You're gonna have to trust me," Janus replied. "The entrance to this place is sealed, I don't think you can exit once you've entered unless you go further in. That's just the nature of Mystery Dungeons. But if we find an exit here on this floor, we should be able to go higher up and find an exit that way."

"Are you sure?"

"I think so!"

"That doesn't sound sure!"

The two Pokémon soon reached another chamber. Out of breath, his head spinning, Janus let go of Flip, and they drifted away from each other. The Inkay seemed shell-shocked too; his eyes were wide with fear, and he was shaking. It seemed neither he nor Janus had ever moved that fast in their lives.

Wordlessly they moved into the next hallway to the west, still dazed, but snapping out of it. Janus had surprised himself there; he had no idea his wings could carry him that far, that fast. The Dungeon was becoming more dim now, with fog settling in and creeping up the corridor, but the two pressed on, determined to go as deep as they could to find that pesky exit that was eluding them.

They had both calmed down significantly by this point. Flip was still shaking, but considerably less so, and Janus's wing beats had slowed down to a more reasonable rhythm. Janus swore he spotted something in the upcoming chamber, too: a set of stone staircases, covered in moss and frost-covered flower buds, that led up into a dark void of nothingness.

Was this the exit? Or would there be more Dungeon ahead?

"What do you think, Flip? Do we go up?" Janus asked, his voice meek and soft.

"...Yeah, I think so," Flip replied, just as quiet. "It's the only way to go, right? So we have to."

Flip was right. They had to take the risk.

Janus flew ahead, gripping his satchel just a bit tighter as he ascended the staircase. The further up he went, the more darkness consumed him, and the more he felt the urge to look back and make sure Flip was following him. But some part of him was afraid that if he looked back, they would both be too afraid to move forward, move up onto the next floor, move closer to their forthcoming freedom. Past the darkness, though, there was light. Janus squeezed his eyes shut and winced as it hit the back of his eyelids, and when he opened them…

…He and Flip were faced with a floor identical to the one below.

And the stairs had sealed themselves over with thickly-packed snow.