From Trainer to Beast Tamer Pokémon Trainer! Reader x Twisted Wonderland

Special Event: Camp Vargas

I own nothing.

Camp Vargas
A camping trip. Coach had barely managed to get the words out before (Y/N) wholeheartedly agreed. The usually nomadic trainer had started to develop cabin fever being restricted to one location for so long and was itching to get back to the great outdoors. Needless to say, Coach Vargas loved the trainer's enthusiasm and quickly assigned her to photography duties. (Y/N) immediately began prepping for the trip and choosing which Pokémon she would take. Coach had actually requested some of her fighting types attend as he had seen first hand the discipline they carried and had even sparred with a few (he had been caught off guard by the might of Falinks, who had knocked him flat on his back). Since this would be a training camp for the sports clubs, he wanted as much raw power in attendance as possible. So the roster was made: Lucario, Falinks, Marshadow, Swampert, Heracross, and Houndoom. Grim was salty about going, but he didn't have a choice as (Y/N) absolutely refused to leave him unsupervised on campus.
And so, on the appointed day, the Ramshackle students made their way through the Hall of Mirrors to the Dwarfs' Mine to meet up with the sports clubs. Eventually, they showed up. A few of the boys, namely Sebek, Leona, Ruggie, and Floyd were decked out in outdoor gear while the others were in their PE uniforms.
"Hey!" Grim called out.
Ace looked a bit perplexed. "Hmm? That voice sounds familiar."
Deuce turned. "I see someone coming towards us..."
The two Ramshackle students made their presence known.
(Y/N) waved happily. "Hey guys!"
Grim had his paws on his hips. "You guys are late! How long were you going to keep us waiting!?"
"GRIM!? (Y/N)!?" The duo yelled in response, making (Y/N) cover her ears.
"And a good morning to you too."
"Why are you here?" Deuce asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Grim asked. "We're here to record you guys."
"Record us?" Ace asked.
"I suggested them." Crowley explained, appearing from behind the group. "We needed to keep records for the future, so I suggested that Coach Vargas ask them."
"The genius cameraman Grim and his assistant (Y/N) are here for that!" Grim boasted. "I'll make sure to capture every moment you screw up!"
"Damn it." Ace growled. "Stop being so proud of yourself!"
"Honestly, I just heard the words 'camping' and I immediately agreed." (Y/N) admitted wholeheartedly.
The headmaster nodded. "Recently, I received a new request from Coach Vargas: the ghosts of the Dwarfs' Mine will be your assistants during the activities of camp! In addition, Ms Stone's fighting Pokémon will oversee several training exercises as well."
The aforementioned ghosts then appeared.
"Pleasure to meet you."
Vargas then appeared. "Thank you so much, headmaster."
"It's okay, because I am so kind!"
"These ghosts look familiar to me." Grim mumbled.
Coach ignored his concern. "All right, all the clubs are here. We will start Camp Vargas now! Before we get into the missions, I have an important task for you, and that is...to set up your tents!"
Everyone split off into their clubs and began to mumble.
"Seriously?" Ace complained. "Do we really need to do that? I suddenly feel really tired. Well, we could finish it within a second with our magic. All right, lets-,"
"STOP RELYING ON YOUR MAGIC!" Coach yelled, causing everyone to jump back. "We will confiscate your phones and magical pens. You can only clear the mission with your knowledge and muscle."
Everyone was immediately protesting. Even Deuce started to complain.
"Jack, did you hear that? We can't use our phones, it's so inconvenient!"
The wolf scratched his head. "I mean, it's more inconvenient that our magical pens are being confiscated. That means we can't use any magic throughout the events."
"Eh? Ah! That's right! The blot!"
"Exactly!" Coach said. "The dangerous substance that appears when you use magic...blot. The magic stones in your pens absorb blot that appears every time you use magic. Without the pens, the blot will directly affect your minds and bodies. Including your unique Magic's, even weak magic will slowly increase the blot in your bodies."
"Ugh, how troublesome." Ace groaned. "It's impossible to clear all the missions without magic."
The Pokémon trainer grinned evilly. "Welcome to my world boys. Also, seriously? You guys can't set up camp without magic? That's sad."
"Shut up, (Y/N)!"
Sebek smirked. "Hmph, it sounds like something that Coach Vargas would tell us to do. That means we'll have to match the challenges with the power of muscles, right? If that's the case, I'm sure I won't lose to anyone!"
That seemed to pump Deuce up a bit. "That's what I want too!"
"I will be keeping your phones and magical pens with me." Crowley informed the group. "Don't worry, they will be returned after camp has ended."
As the headmaster gathered the phones and pens, Coach motioned for the group to follow.
"Well then, we'll be moving to the campsite now. Follow me!"
"I'll be returning to campus then." The headmaster said. "We'll meet again in the last day. Good luck!"
The teenagers (plus Leona), all followed Vargas into the woods to an open site perfect for setting up camp.
"Oh! We've arrived!" Grim cheered.
"This is where you guys will be living for the next three days!" Coach announced. "We've prepared enough tents for all of you, so please take the exact amount you need for each member and set them up now. The time limit is 60 minutes. You should pay attention to where you're setting up your tent. In order to get a good rest and protect yourselves, it's important to set up the best sleeping environment. You can set up the tent under the shade of a tree, or on flat ground, each has their own benefit."
"Dibs." (Y/N) called out, dropping her tent in an area with flat ground, near a tree, and a few rocks nearby to act as windbreakers.
Coach smiled and nodded. "And that, gentlemen, is the example you should be following. Discuss this with your club members. We have prepared toolboxes for you to take if you need them. Then...let's start!"
"Grim, I'll set up our spot. You go record the others." (Y/N) ordered as she let out her Pokémon (cue Jamil having a small heart attack at the sight of Heracross.).
The cat grinned. "Got it!"
And so, Grim scurried around the campsite as the boys scrambled to set up their tents. His first stop was the Equestrian Club, who were discussing placement.
"Coach Vargas told us to protect ourselves, but I don't think this forest is as dangerous as he thought." The green haired boy argued.
Riddle shrugged. "Who knows? But we shouldn't let our guard down. We should set up the tents together in one spot, just in case something happens."
"Understood, the problem is where we place them."
"I remembered a river being near here when we came." Silver pointed out.
"Well then, let's place them there." Sebek stated. "We can obtain water from the river too."
Over with the Athletics Club, one member noted the Equestrian Club's movements and reported to Deuce.
"The Equestrian Club is heading towards the river."
"Maybe we should follow Rosehearts and set up the tents near the river?" Deuce suggested.
Jack shook his head. "It would be dangerous if the river rises. We should avoid being too close. We also don't have to set up the tents in the same spot. I think we should set up under trees to protect ourselves from rain and windy weather."
"I see, thanks for your advice." Deuce said with a smile.
Jack defaulted to his tsundere personality. "That's not it! You can do whatever you want!"
"All right, let's follow Jack's plan!"
Deuce flipped through the instruction book.
"Hmm, I see. We should cover the inner tent with a flysheet. We have to pay attention when setting. There's a lot of steps to follow and it's kind of confusing."
As he said this, Jack was struggling with the equipment.
"The tent keeps leaning to the side no matter how many times I five it. It feels weird to look at. Setting up the tent alone is more difficult than I thought since I'm used to doing it with my family."
One student approached them nervously. "Deuce, Jack, it's great to see you guys being motivated to set up the tents, but please don't forget that we have a time limit."
"You're right." The wolf admitted.
"Um, Jack, do you need help?" Deuce asked. "We can set up our tent together."
The taller male smiled. "Yeah, sure. I was thinking the same thing."
Over in the Magift Club, Ruggie and Epel had just finished up and were presenting their work to Leona.
"Leona, what do you think?" The hyena asked. "The tent was set up by me and Epel, so you feel comfortable sleeping inside it?"
Leona inspected the sleeping quarters with the judgement only a cat could have. "The greenhouse on campus is better...but it's not as bad as I expected."
"Okay!" Epel said with a smile as Ruggie cackled.
"Shishishi! Isn't it great to have a bunch of juniors to care for you?"
Leona smirked. "If worse came to worse, I'd bug the herbivore for help."
To make his point stronger, he motioned to (Y/N)'s area. Not only was her tent expertly set up, but she also had a fire, a pot of curry cooking, and she was reading while propped up by Swampert. The younger boys blinked, impressed, before Ruggie shook his head and smiled at the violet hair boy.
"Eh, Anyways! Epel, you're pretty skilled. Thanks for the help. We should probably set up our tent now."
"Understood!"
"Hmm." Grim hummed. "I didn't expect to see the members of the athletic and magift clubs take this so seriously."
Curious, the little cat decided to go bother the Equestrian club again. Now Riddle was ordering Sebek in tent pitching.
"All right, now we just have to pull the rope in four directions to adjust the balance of the tent. Sebek, can you please pull the rope on the other side?"
"Leave it to me." The green haired first year responded. "Hmph!"
Riddle's eyes widened at the force of Sebek's pull. "Hey! Don't pull too hard!"
"You just have to add a little strength when pulling the rope."
"I'm pulling with all my strength!" Riddle argued. "You're too strong!"
Grim cackled. "Nyahaha! It's so funny seeing Riddle get dragged around like that! He looks like a different person."
"15 minutes left!" A ghost announced.
Grim scampered off to the basketball club to see Jamil having to contain Floyd.
"Hmm..." the eel hummed. "I don't really like the yellow tent. We should change it to red."
"Wait, Floyd!" Jamil panicked. "We've come this far, are you really going to ruin our tent now!?"
"That's right. This is a rare opportunity, that's why I want to enjoy this moment. You should change the color of the tent to something more flashy, this color's too simple. Beside, I'm sure Shrimpy can help us. She's really good at camping. Right, Shrimpy?"
The two looked over at the girl, who was tending to her curry.
She grinned. "I'm kind of busy with the curry, but I'm sure Heracross would be happy to-,"
Jamil immediately tackled Floyd, not about to get close to giant beetle.
Ace sweatdropped at the sight of his seniors wrestling on the ground. "Thanks for that, (Y/N)."
"Any time."
Grim walked up to his dormmate, actually looking sympathetic. "It must be tough for Jamil. He has to deal with all sorts of problems no matter where he goes. Some of their tents also look weird. Think they'll pass?"
"I'm sure they'll be fine." (Y/N) stated.
"THAT'S IT!" Coach called out as he began to inspect the camp. "Some of the tents don't look great...but not that bad overall. All of you cleared this mission, even though some of you almost didn't make it. Stone, can you do a double check for me just to make sure the tents don't collapse in the night?"
"Will do, Coach Vargas!"
Sebek crossed his arms. "Of course our club succeeded, but I think Coach Vargas shouldn't go easy on the other clubs."
Epel ignored this comment and smiled in relief. "The Magift club did pretty well in this."
Deuce also was relieved. "Phew...all members of the athletics club successfully set up their tents."
Jamil finally let go of Floyd and was struggling for breath. "Haa...haa...we somehow managed to complete the task within the time limit."
Coach smiled. "Well then, now that you've warmed up your muscles, I'll explain your next mission in detail. Everyone, pay attention! You'll need to earn this, the Vargas Badge!" He held up a red badge with a gold deer skull. "Talk to a ghost near you when you finish your mission and they'll give you the badge after making sure you've completed the task. There's a total of seven missions you have to clear within the next three days. The club who collects all the Vargas badges for all the different missions will receive the reward. But if you fail, you understand what will happen, right?"
"The club will be disbanded." Ruggie answered.
Leona grunted. "Ha, that means we have to clear all the missions."
Vargas nodded. "Okay, now you understand this. I'll explain the three missions you have to clear today. The first is called 'Shelter'. You need to create a safe living environment for yourselves. Collect some wood and make a campfire with it. And no bribing Houndoom to light it for you."
Ruggie rolled his eyes. "That's the basics of camping. Wild animals won't approach if we set up a fire."
"I'd argue the Pokémon would scare them off long before that." Epel said.
"The second is 'Food'. You must understand the ecosystem of this drawn mine to make your own food. Catch some fish in the lake and cook it."
"I haven't eaten anything since this morning..." Ace moaned. "And the smell of that curry isn't helping!"
"The third mission is Learn. Use all the knowledge that you've gathered from your classes to improve yourselves. Dig up some magic stones inside the tunnel of the mine. The size must be one cubic centimeter and the weight must be above 3 grams. Anything smaller than that won't be accepted. Use the map in the handbook. It will guide you to the three areas that you will be heading to today. You can choose which mission you want to clear first. We'll be lending out fishing rods and pickaxes for you to use. You need to clear all three missions and collect the badges before sunset. Now...start!"
The teams all dispersed and (Y/N) began to put curry on her plate.
"Spicy Curry, Coach?"
"Oh, don't mind if I do, Stone!"
(Timeskip)
After lunch, Grim, (Y/N), and Falinks headed out to observe the clubs. The first one they met was the Magift club.
"Hey, Magift club!" Grim greeted loudly.
"Ah, Grim and (Y/N)." Epel noted.
"Came to check up on your progress." (Y/N) said. "Guessing on the location, you guys are doing the fire wood collecting now?"
"Yup." The small male answered. "Ruggie told us how much wood we needed."
"Hmm..." the flaming cat inspected the pile. "But there are some thin branches too. Can you really make a fire with this?"
Ruggie then appeared. "It's fine. Thick branches can burn longer, but it takes a lot more to light them. The smaller ones are much more flammable."
"But how can we make the fire?" Epel asked. "We don't have any matches or a lighter, and we can't use our magic either."
"It's not too complicated actually." (Y/N) assured. "I might not be able to directly help you, but I am allowed to talk you through it."
Ruggie cackled. "Oh, so you do know how to do this. Would've thought you would just use your Pokémon."
(Y/N) patted the lead Falinks' head. "Well I don't always have a fire type on hand...or one that won't start a forest fire by accident. Come on."
The group headed back to camp and saw Leona there waiting for them. Falinks, annoyed at his laziness, encircled and poked him.
He growled. "Herbivore, I will throw the midgets in all directions if they don't stop poking me."
"Well maybe Falinks would leave you alone if you weren't just slacking off, kitty."
He grumbled as Epel and Ruggie got started on the fire.
"First, make a circle of rocks on dry ground and then put the leaves and branches inside of it." Ruggie instructed.
"The rocks will keep the fire from spreading." (Y/N) added. "Are you guys doing the friction method or the spark method?"
"Spark." The hyena answered. "Coach provided us with a steel file and we pick up some stones. All right, Epel, rub the steel file and the stone together."
"Make sure to aim the sparks towards the leaves since it'll make everything else catch fire easier." (Y/N) told him as he followed instructions.
It didn't take long for the leaves to start burning, and with Ruggie's diligent tending, the fire was up and going in no time.
"See? Easy, right?"
"Wow." Everyone admired before Epel turned to the second year.
"Ruggie, you know a lot about camping."
"Shishishi, you should give me something as a compliment then. Well, it's less camping and more survival skills. I learned these skills when I was struggling back in the day. Anyways, we successfully lit a fire. Hey ghost!"
A ghost then appeared and inspected their work.
"Oh! You made a campfire! Mission cleared! Take your Vargas Badge!"
The ghost handed off the badge and Ruggie smiled.
"All right! We got our first badge!"
"The fire will be useful for your other mission and keeping you warm during the night. Remember to keep it burning."
"Understood. Well, we actually don't have to do that. If we make it a little bigger, it could endure gusts of wind."
"It's too early to get comfortable." Leona warned.
As if on cue, there was a blast of light as several flora based fairies appeared, looking rather annoyed.
"Fairies!?" Ruggie yelped.
Grim also yelped as he barely avoided being blasted. "What the hell is wrong with them!?"
"They weren't here just now..." one student insisted.
Another agreed. "Yeah! They suddenly appeared out of nowhere! What do you want!?"
Again, shots had to be dodged and Falinks even formed a protective barrier between the students and the fairies.
"Ruggie..." Epel said wearily. "These fairies look angry to me..."
"Yeah...did I do something wrong?"
"They're angry because you lit a fire." Leona shot back.
"Eh!? It's my fault!? But why...no, let's talk about this later. We should get rid of them first!"
"Good idea." (Y/N) agreed before turning to her Pokémon. "Falinks, No Retreat!"
The small creatures all got into formation as a fiery aura engulfed them. As it faded, they were looking noticeably stronger.
"All right, Poison Jab into Iron Head!"
As the Magift Club all took one fairy at a time, Falinks was able to strike out in all directions. With the omni boost along with the anti fairy moves, it didn't take long for them to retreat.
Ruggie sighed in relief. "...we somehow managed to get rid of them."
(Y/N) gave all the Falinks a hug. "Great work, guys!"
They all cooed happily as Epel began to question why the fairies even bothered them.
"They're afraid of fire." Leona said dully, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Um...what do you mean?" Ruggie asked.
"It's an old story from when the mine was still open. The miners accidentally caused a wildfire in the forest. Ever since then, the fairies that live in the forest refer to fire as a Red Flower. They fear and hate it. That's why they came to put out the fire."
"Exactly!" A ghost exclaimed. "Thank you for explaining."
"I'm surprise you know about this, kitty."
He crossed his arms. "We learned it in class before. I'm surprised the second year students don't know about this."
The mentioned group chuckled nervously.
The dorm leader rubbed the side of his head. "Just don't fail the mission, or else Coach Vargas will be so annoying."
"Still, seems odd then that Coach would have us camping and setting up fires when the fairies are scared of them." (Y/N) contemplated. "Also, how come they didn't attack when me and Houndoom set up the fire?"
"They probably saw your Pokémon around it and thought nothing of it." Ruggie tried to explain. "If animals were completely docile, to them, it must've meant it was safe."
"Still, what should we do?" Epel asked. "If they want to put out the fire, that means those fairies will keep coming back so long as it's burning."
"You're right." Ruggie said before turning nervously to Leona. "Um, Leona? Can you please keep the fire-,"
"I refuse. Do it yourself. They're just a bunch of weak fairies who are afraid of fire, getting rid of them is an easy task."
"Which is why you can get off your lazy butt and do it, kitty." (Y/N) shot back at him.
"Stay out of this, herbivore!"
"Falinks, Close Combat."
Leona was then pummeled into the ground by the tiny bodies of the Formation Pokémon.
(Timeskip)
Even after getting beat up, Leona still refused to contribute, so Ruggie set up shifts to guard the fire. The Ramshackle Dorm, now with Lucario in tow, decided to head to lake to catch up with the Athletics club. They found Deuce and Jack at the edge of the lake, rods in hand.
"All right, the fishing bait is ready." Jack announced. "Let's drop these into the water."
"Okay!" Deuce said enthusiastically. Not one minute after dropping the hooks, he deflated. "No response."
"It's more difficult than you think." Jack informed him. "You need to be patient. That was my experience when I went fishing with my siblings."
"Hm...I see.
"Oh, Deuce. There's some fish gathering around your fishing bait."
"You're right. Now I just have to wait until they bite..."
"Hey! Deuce! Jack!" Grim called, scaring the fish.
"Ah, the fish swam away..." Deuce mourned.
Jack growled at the cat. "Grrr...Grim, our prey escaped because of you!"
"Hmph!" Gri huffed, unapologetically. "It's not my fault! You guys just suck at this!"
(Y/N) smacked him and apologized. "So how's it going?"
"Zero for now." Deuce said. "Grim, please stay quiet, okay?"
Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly given that Lucario was giving him a hard look) the little monster agreed. (Y/N) then took off her shoes and socks and strolled into the shallow end of the lake with Lucario on her tail.
"If you guys want, Lucario and I can teach you our fishing method."
"Your fishing method?" Jack repeated as the two froze.
Both trainer and Pokémon closed their eyes and felt the movement in the water. Eventually, the fish became emboldened enough to approach them. At that moment, the two struck out, grabbing two fish by their tails and holding tight as they flailed. With the spike on the back of his paw, Lucario struck the fish's heads, killing them instantly. The boys all looked in complete shock as they held up their prizes.
"Fishing's pretty big in Hoenn, so most kids learn to hand fish. Plus Lucario's speed and Aura sensing makes him a master of it."
Deuce blinked, a little intimidated. "I...I think we'll stick to normal fishing for now."
"Hey look!" Grim said while pointing. "There's a big shadow in the lake."
"It's a fish....right?" Deuce asked, unsure. "It's getting closer to us. The size is big enough for all of us to eat. Jack, we must catch it!"
"Y-yeah...but don't you think it's way too big?"
With a bursting splash, a now eel form Floyd crawled out of the lake. "Hmm? Mackerel and sea urchin...earless seal and Shrimpy too. What are you guys doing here?"
"L-leech!?" Deuce yelped. "I should ask you the same question!"
"I'm doing the mission. I had no other choice because I was too hungry and Swampert wouldn't let me have Shrimpy's curry. It would take too long waiting for the fish to be caught. This is easier. Hey Shrimpy, can I have one of those? I'm hungry!"
"Knock yourself out, Floyd."
She tossed her catch and he immediately dove under to feed.
"He's gone." Grim said, blankly.
Jack rubbed his head. "I didn't know we could clear the mission this way..."
"Coach only said to catch the fish." (Y/N) pointed out. "Didn't say how."
"We keep getting interrupted!" Deuce cried in righteousness. "We must catch some fish now!"
Just then, there was a loud splash.
"Now what!?"
"It seems like someone is throwing a rock in the lake." Jack's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of something. "Look! That's the culprit!"
A water being appeared and the former delinquent had to blink to make sure his eyes were working.
"Fairies?"
"Not again!" (Y/N) growled as she and Lucario raced out of the water. "Jack! Deuce! They aren't friendly! Scare them off!"
"On it!" They both yelled.
Thanks to the physical might of the boys and some well placed steel type moves, the fairies quickly scattered.
"Phew." Deuce sighed. "We got rid of them. There's no disturbance now! Let's continue fishing!"
(Y/N) sighed, but stayed with them in case the fairies decided to return.
"I caught 10 fish!" Deuce yelled with pride.
"Nice one, Deuce." (Y/N) praised before turning to their wolf friend (as Falinks huddled around Deuce and gave him a group cheer). "How many did you get, Jack?"
"22. This was a pretty easy mission. Now we just need to cook them. I just didn't expect the battle with the fairies. It's kinda exhausting..."
A ghost then came on to the scene.
"Oh! The Athletics club caught a lot of fish! Cook the fish and you clear the mission! We also prepared some seasoning and cooking utensils for you. Feel free to use them."
"All right then, let's head back to camp." Deuce announced. "By the way, what should we make? Sometimes I help my mother in the kitchen, but I can't cook anything too difficult. How about you, Jack?"
"I can't make an overly complicated meal. I used to just fry the fish I caught. It's really tasty that way. What do you think?"
"Let me think..."
Eventually, the group returned to camp to cook up their catches. While the boys did a simply frying, (Y/N) was a bit more adventurous with her fish and served it to the team and Grim alongside the curry.
"So good!" Grim moaned.
"Don't get too comfy, Grim." (Y/N) warned as she patted Swampert's neck. "As soon as we're done, we're heading out again."
"Got it!"
(Timeskip)
Giving Lucario and Falinks a break, (Y/N) had Heracross and Houndoom accompany them into the mines.
"Yo, we are here!" Grim announced to the Equestrian club.
"Did you guys come to check on us?" Silver asked as he knelt down to pet an eager Houndoom.
"Sorry." (Y/N) apologized. "Just pretend we aren't here."
"Why are you standing here though?" Grim asked. "Don't you have to search for a magic stone?"
"Yeah, but it's not easy to find any after the mine closed, and we can't just dig around blindly. We're trying to recall details of magic stones from class."
"Are there any members that could answer my question in detail?" Riddle asked.
"We learned this in class before." Sebek said smugly. "Of course I know! In general, a magic stone is created after a gem absorbs all the magic power around it. We will find a stone if we follow the trail of weak magic. But only professional miners can do that because it requires a lot of concentration. For amateurs like us, it will take a while. Even do, we shouldn't blindly dig around every corner. Only a fool would do that."
"That's amazing, Sebek." Riddle praised. "It seems like you paid enough attention in class."
"Hmph, it doesn't feel so bad being praised by a senior that always ranks high in every exam. I accept your compliment."
"That's so impressive." Silver said, a little (very) sarcastically. "As expected of you. You always get good results in your exams. I should learn from you too."
"I'm not like you, Silver, you only ever sleep. This is the most basic of basics."
"The most basic of basics?" Grim mumbled. "I can't even remember that much..."
"We reviewed the information about the magic stones." Riddle interrupted his club mates before they could fight. "Let's start the mission."
"If you guys want, we can help you a bit." (Y/N) offered. "Heracross and Houndoom have pretty good eyesight in the dark."
"Thanks (Y/N)." They said.
After a bit of time, Sebek dug out a bit of wall and Heracross pointed out a purplish stone.
"I FOUND IT!" He yelled.
Everyone yelped and Houndoom growled at the noise.
"You don't have to yell!" The fire cat scolded. "It hurts my ears!"
"What's with that reaction? I found a piece of a magic stone! Look!"
"That's too small! It's so hard to find a full piece of it!"
"It's fine." Sebek assured. "It's the size that the mission required. This mission is cleared."
Silver crossed his arms. "No, it's too early to be happy."
His dormmate smirked at him. "Ha, are you frustrated?"
"Hold that thought." (Y/N) interrupted as Heracross and Houndoom turned towards the deeper part of the tunnel and growled. "Something's coming."
"Get ready." Silver warned as a swarm of fire fairies appeared.
"More of them!?" (Y/N) yelled.
"They appeared right at the moment I obtained the magic stone..." Sebek murmured. "Are they aiming for the stone?"
One fairy shot a blast of fire at him, only for Houndoom to jump in front of him and absorb the fire.
"Sebek is right." Riddle agreed. "I can't understand what they are after, but I know that they seem to be hostile."
"Hmph." The green haired male huff. "I don't care who they are, do they think some small fairies that live in a mine could defeat someone raised in the Valley of Thorns? I won't let them get the stone. Silver! Let's chase them away!"
"We have no other choice. Let's get rid of them before they attack anyone else!"
Needless to say, with the fire absorbing Houndoom who only continued to become stronger and the sheer power of Heracross, the battle was quick and easy.
"Everyone okay?" (Y/N) asked.
"No injuries." Silver answered as Sebek grumbled.
"Hmph. I won't let them get in the way."
"I didn't expect to have a battle with fairies." Riddle admitted.
"This is actually our third encounter today." (Y/N) replied. "What was Coach thinking if the fairies were this aggressive!?"
"In any case, we've cleared the mission." Sebek pointed out. "Let's receive the badge."
"We just need to find a ghost." Grim said before shrieking as one appeared behind him. "Stop appearing out of nowhere!"
"Hehehe...I'm sorry."
"Ghost!" The green haired first year called. "I have obtained a fragment of a magic stone."
The ghost inspected it for a moment before nodding. "...yep. That is indeed a piece of a magic stone. Here, this badge now belongs to the Equestrian club."
"Yes!"
"So this is a Vargas Badge." Silver said.
"Im looking forward to telling Lilia and Master Malleus about this!"
(Timeskip)
As night rolled in, Coach Vargas gathered everyone together.
"Time's up! That's enough! I'll check your achievements for the day. Tell me the number of badges you receive when I call the name of your club. Equestrian club!"
"3." Riddle answered. "We got all of them."
"Athletics club!"
"We got 3 too!" Jack shouted.
"Basketball club!"
"3." Jamil huffed. "We barely made it."
"And last, Magift club!"
"Well of course we got 3." Ruggie responded.
"All right! Every club has successfully obtained all the badges for today! Although, you did spend a lot of time clearing them. You guys are still naive. I will announce the second set of missions tomorrow morning. They will be much more difficult than what you faced today. Be sure to rest...that's what I want to say, but...we never know when those fairies will come to put out those fires again. Don't lose your concentration. Well then, dismissed!"
The boys scattered as Vargas approached the Ramshackle student.
"Stone, I can assume your beasts can look after the camp from any real threats?"
"Can do, Coach." (Y/N) assured.
"Good. I'll be in the Dwarf House for the next 3 days. If anything happens, come find me."
"Yes sir." They both responded.
The teenagers were then left to their own devices. As (Y/N) tended to the fire with Swampert curled up behind her, it didn't take long for Jamil to come over to her.
"(Y/N), have you seen Ace?"
"I haven't seen him all day." She admitted. "Wasn't he with you guys?"
He sighed. "He was supposed to collect ingredients by the lake with Floyd, but he didn't come back and Floyd doesn't know where he is."
(Y/N) rolled her eyes. "Knowing him, he's off hiding so he can slack off. Still, it's not safe with those fairies around. I'll go look for him. Come on Grim."
"Why do I have to go!?"
"Because I said so."
She patted Swampert, who got up and allowed her own. She also motioned for Lucario to follow.
"Falinks, do a perimeter check around camp." The Formation Pokémon saluted. "Houndoom, sound off if anything happens. We'll be back as fast as we can."
Despite their best efforts, Ace could not be found and the group eventually headed back to camp to sleep. They slept until a little after dawn, sleeping through the clubs' pre dawn wake up call thanks to Vargas providing them earmuffs. Throughout the day, they continued to follow the clubs as they completed their mission: finding a rare flower for a potion, fishing a catfish from the lake, and finding an even bigger magic stone this time. Shenanigans included chasing away a large swarm of fairies, Swampert prying Sebek from sinking mud, the Magift club barely being able to keep Epel from being dragged into the lake even with the help of Heracross, convincing Jamil to come down from a tree after accidentally running into Heracross, and barely escaping fairies in the mine with Jack and Deuce, thanks to Marshadow. At the end of day, all clubs reported in and were able to clear their missions thankfully. Unfortunately, Ace had still not returned and the Basketball club were forced to report this Coach, who asked Stone to go looking for him again, leaving her four remaining Pokémon to guard the camp. It wasn't just him now, either. Leona and Deuce had also vanished (Ruggie had only bothered to ask her because he thought the lazy cat was trying to sneak a nap with her). So, while (Y/N) and Grim handled the forest, the guys checked the mines. When the party came up empty, they headed to the Dwarf House to tell Coach Vargas and maybe meet up with (Y/N)...only to find it completely empty and in shambles.
"What is this!?" Epel yelled.
"His belongings are scattered all over the place." Jack inspected. "The lantern and cup are laying in the ground, this looks like..."
"Someone's gone on a rampage." Floyd finished.
They all gulped.
"W-who would do that?" Jack asked.
Ruggie shrugged. "Who knows...but Floyd is right about this. Someone messed up this house."
"Eh!" Epel cried. "(Y/N) and Grim! They were searching near here!"
"Something might have happened to them!" Jack said, worried. "We have to find them!"
They all raced outside and began calling out their names, only for the duo to appear from the shadows on Swampert, looking a bit roughed up.
"You rang?" (Y/N) said out of breath.
"Fynnaaa!" Grim moaned. "You guys are too late!"
Floyd, of course, found this hilarious. "Hahaha! Earless seal, your face is full of tears!"
"Are you guys okay?" Jack asked. "What happened? And where's Lucario?"
"We were attacked." (Y/N) explained. "We were searching nearby and heard Vargas shouting for help. We raced to sound, but a dark shadow rammed into us and darted into the woods. I sent Lucario back to camp in case it tried something."
"A dark shadow!?" Floyd said, completely missing the point. "What's that!? What does it look like!?"
"Floyd, focus!"
Epel just sighed in relief. "I'm just glad you're okay."
Jack's face looked less relieved. "What should we do now? Even Coach Vargas got kidnapped..."
"We should meet up with the others." Jamil put forth. "The dark shadow might appear again, so we shouldn't stay here any longer."
"You're right." Ruggie agreed. "The campsite is bright and there's a lot of people there and (Y/N)'s Pokémon are guarding it. We'll be safe. Let's go back."
(Timeskip)
After returning, Ruggie brought everyone up to speed.
"That's the current situation."
Sebek shook his head. "Four people are missing, and one of them is Coach Vargas. I can't believe something like this is happening."
"Ruggie-senpai!" One Savanaclaw student called. "What exactly is the thing that kidnapped them!? It defeated both Leona-senpai and Coach Vargas!"
"That's...um..."
"Whatever it is, it seems to be targeting people on their own." (Y/N) stepped in. "For now, we keep the fires going and have sentries watching through the night. When the sun rises, we'll try to search for the missing people, but no one is to go off on their own! Got it!"
Everyone was hesitant, but seemed to agree with the girl. Everyone took turns watching the camp that night. At around 2 pm, the search party we're doing their shift, fighting to stay awake and warm ((Y/N) had to hug a shivering Jamil who was too proud to say he was cold). Endless bickering and teasing was the only thing that kept them awake. However, just as they began to drift off, an eerie howl broke out as (Y/N) shot up.
"Get up!"
At that moment, a blast flew past her and hit the fire, blacking out the camp.
"Oh no the fire's out!" Ruggie yelled. "Guys, stay down! Be cautious!"
A cry sounded from the darkness.
"Is it taking advantage to attack us!?"
The students all began to panic, running in different directions.
"No, stay together! We'll get picked off if we scatter!" (Y/N) tried to yell.
In the darkness, they could do nothing as the monster attacked the students, striking at them, unseen. Eventually, Floyd got fed up.
"Geeze, you guys are stupid."
In a flash, the fire burst to life and made everything visible again.
"Haa..." Ruggie huffed. "It seems like the shadow stopped its attack. Thanks for lighting the fire, Floyd. I'm surprised that you could shoot your fire magic at the firewood in that chaos. Ah! The blot! Are you okay!?"
"I just lit a fire, it won't cause a huge amount of blot to appear. Not the time to worry about this. Look around you! Most of us have gone missing!"
Surveying the camp proved him right. Not even (Y/N) Pokémon were there. Sebek shook his head.
"I can't believe this."
"I could stay calm because I was trying to focus on the thing attacking us." Jack admitted.
"We're all that's left." Ruggie said gravely.
(Timeskip)
Rather than waiting for death to come, Floyd posed a novel idea: luring the creature into the swamp so he could fight it. Without magic or Pokémon, they couldn't hope to outrun the creature. Luckily, they did have the magic stones, just enough for Jack to use his Unique Magic to lure the creature in. It wasn't exactly a solid plan, but given the situation, it was all they had to go on. The only problem, of course, was Floyd being difficult and not wanting to cooperate. Luckily, or unlucky depending on your viewpoint, just as negotiations began to breakdown, the same eerie howl rang out as the bushes around them began to rustle. Jack growled.
"Ruggie-senpai! It's here!"
A shadow figure with beaming eyes leapt out and roared at them. It towered over them with large antlers and a malicious shadow that moved erratically.
Ruggie's ears flattened. "Is that thing the one that attacked everyone!?" He swallowed his fear. "All right...everyone! Follow the plan!"
"Roger!"
"UNLEASH BEAST!" Jack yelled as he transformed. "Ruggie-senpai! Get on!"
"Understood! Sebek, Floyd, see you later!"
Jack took off into the woods, the creature roaring as it bolted after them. Ruggie watched as the beast trailed after them on all fours (wait, did it look different now?).
"Jack-kun, hurry up! It's getting closer!"
"Just a little more...I'm dashing at full speed!"
Jack, with all his strength, sped to the swamp. As they reached the edge, Jack fell over, transforming back.
"Haaa...Haa..."
The beast gave them no room to rest as it leapt from the foliage once again (there, now it looked the same again).
"Now we just have to wait for the monster to rush towards us..." Jack struggled to get out.
"Not yet..." Ruggie said quietly. "Wait till it comes closer..."
The creature roared and pounced.
"NOW!"
The two jumped out of the way of the beasts as Sebek and Floyd shot out of the swamp and grabbed the monster.
"Sink into the water!" Sebek yelled as Floyd cackled.
"Hahaha! Here comes our first customer!"
"Yes!" Ruggie cheered. "They caught it! Just like that! Keep pulling it into the mud!"
"Fall!" Jack demanded as Sebek and Floyd pulled with all their might. The beast fought wildly, the ground cracking as it struggled to stay out of the water.
"What...!?" Sebek said in shock. "It's breaking the surface!"
"This bastard's too strong!" Floyd yelled. "It's breaking free of our grip!"
The creature continued to roar and struggle as the Savanaclaw students were helpless.
"W-we can't approach it!" Jack yelped. "It's going on a rampage! Damn it! We almost had it!"
"...ah enough!" Ruggie yelled. "Laugh With Me!"
With his Unique Magic, Ruggie took control of the beast.
"Ruggie! The blot!" Jack warned.
"I'm fine! Now for you, Mr Monster. Let's dive into the swamp!"
Unable to resist, the monster jumped in, sinking immediately.
"Yes! He fell in!" Jack cheered.
Sebek smirked. "We can start attacking now!"
"Ah, I'm full of mud." Floyd complained with murderous intent. "I won't let you escape. You'll pay for what you did!"
Everyone went all in, trying to lay in on the monster, but no matter what they did, it didn't seem to have any effect whatsoever. Ruggie again looked scared.
"No way...this can't be happening...we're doing nothing to it!"
Sebek, who had been relying on magic, swayed. "I'm going to puke...I can't keep casting magic...ugh!"
"Sebek, don't force yourself!" The wolf tried to convince his fellow first year.
Floyd jumped out of the swamp, now human again. "This bastard didn't even flinch no matter how much we punched or kicked it!"
"Damn it...what the hell...?" Ruggie said as he began to lose control of his magic. "This doesn't make any sense! I can't..."
As if finally pitied by some higher being, the sun decided then to rise, lighting the forest.
"The sunrise...now we can see the monster!" Ruggie yelled.
"Is this a human...?" Floyd asked.
Sebek's eyes widened. "This human is..."
Stuck waist deep in mud was none other than their PE Coach wearing a black and gold track suit with a fur collar and a monster mask with fake antlers.
"COACH VARGAS!?"
"Hahaha!" The older male laughed. "Guessing by your reactions, you didn't realize it was me this whole time. The monster you fought with such courage was..." he dramatically removed his mask. "Me!"
"HUH!?"
"MAR! MAR!" A voice shrieked as Marshadow suddenly appeared and smacked the Coach who laughed it off.
"And my compatriots as well."
"Wait, I thought you were kidnapped!" Floyd yelled.
Sebek gripped his head. "I'm so confused...wait, why is Marshadow with you?"
"I will explain everything when we return to the campsite." He assured. "Swampert? A hand?"
A force from beneath Coach launched him onto solid ground as the Mud Fish Pokémon emerged, now looking like his species name.
"Et tu, Swampert?" Ruggie asked in a betrayed voice as they followed the group back to camp that was now full of people again.
Grim smiled as they emerged into the clearing. "Oh! They're back!"
"Grim! (Y/N)!" Ruggie yelled as (Y/N) Pokémon calmly returned to her side for petting.
"Hey guys." She greeted as everyone else looked melancholy.
"You guys were safe all this time!?"
Jamil nodded. "When I regained consciousness, I realized I was tied to a tree..."
"Me too." Riddle said. "I was suddenly knocked out and woke up tied up in the forest...the ghost and (Y/N)'s Pokémon just came to release us just now."
"Ruggie, where have you been?" Epel asked. "I mean, what's happening?"
"I have no idea."
"Is everyone here?" Coach asked.
"Present and accounted for." (Y/N) answered as everyone looked at him in disbelief.
"Thank you, Stone. I know some of you are confused, so I'll explain everything to you. The last mission of Camp Vargas is over! The last mission was...Fight! You needed to stay calm during a critical situation and overcome the challenge with your knowledge and muscles. Your friends went missing and even your reliable teacher was defeated...then a strong enemy suddenly appeared before you! I wanted to see how you guys would deal with a situation like this. That was the point of the last mission."
"W-wait a minute!" Ruggie called out as Jamil finished his thought.
"Does that mean you're the one who kidnapped Ace and the others...?"
"Yup! That's right! The students that slacked off didn't deserve to stay until the last mission. That's why I gave them a special lesson. I seriously don't expect any of my students to waste the chance at growing their muscles."
"They're doing squats in a small house inside the mountain." (Y/N) clarified. "They're completely fine."
"Shrimpy, seal..." Floyd growled. "You knew?"
She stuck out her tongue with a smile and Grim clamped on to her leg. "Yup. We ended up catching Coach when he was trashing the Dwarf house and well....
(Flashback)
As (Y/N) scanned the woods for any sign of red hair, she heard rustling coming from the direction of the Dwarf House. Instinctual and ignoring Grim's fear, she steered Swampert in that direction and had him bust down the door, finding a shadow creature tearing the place up.
"Swampert, Hammer Arm! Lucario, High Jump Kick!"
"Wait, Stone!"
(End Flashback)
"After that, Coach told us what was happening and we agreed to help. Lucario's Aura Sphere took out the fire, Marshadow kept his face hidden, Swampert, Falinks, and Heracross grabbed students, and Houndoom was the one doing the howling."
"Not cool, (Y/N)!" Jack yelled.
She gave the boys a harsh look. "I have to deal with your messes on a daily basis. I'd say I deserve a chance to mess with you every once in a while."
"Well then." Coach interrupted. "I'll announce the results of the last mission. You all passed! Congratulations on surviving till morning! You did a great job! Especially Ruggie Bucchi, Floyd Leech, Sebek Zigvolt, and Jack Howl. They did so well in this mission, they will surely become like me one day! Wonderful! Give a round of applause to them!"
Everyone, too exhausted to really care, just cheered that it was over and they passed. The campsite was cleared ((Y/N) decided to give a big hand given what they had gone through) and Ruggie was outed for hogging a magic stone to sell by Floyd. Leona and Ace also showed up ((Y/N) had to then force Ruggie to give Leona back his necklace) and both got a lecture from her about lacking.
Ace groaned. "(Y/N) please have mercy. Haven't we been punished enough?"
"Come on, Herbivore. I really don't need to hear this."
She frowned at him. "If you guys had bothered to pull your weight, you wouldn't have been in that situation! You've only yourselves to blame!"
"Can you blame me?" Ace said with a smirk. "Seeing you get to kick back while we worked like dogs made me jealous!"
She gave him a terrifying smile. "Hey Floyd, did you mention wanting to do something to Ace for slacking?"
He also grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Oh yeah. Oh crab..."
"Hey Floyd...long time no see...I missed you?"
"Me and the sea snake will talk about this."
"I should've never slacked off..."
Grim grinned. "It's your own fault."
"H-HEY!" Jack yelled.
"What's wrong?" Ruggie asked.
"Where's Deuce?"
You could hear something crack as everyone glanced around and realized the bluenette wasn't there.
"Deuce?" Ace repeated. "In the small house Vargas took me too, it was only me and Leona."
"Then where did he go?" (Y/N) asked, now panicking. "I thought he was with the captured students!"
"...so, he really went missing in the tunnels?" Ruggie said wearily.
"If that's the case, then he's been in there for almost a day with no food or water." Grim pointed out. "I wouldn't survive!"
"We have to tell Coach Vargas!" Jack insisted.
Floyd shook his head. "Do you remember what he told us? If we don't arrive at the Dwarf House before the meeting time, our club will be disbanded. It'll take too long."
Jack snarled at him. "How can you say that at a time like this!?"
Floyd just smiled. "So I think it's better if we look for him now."
"Floyd." Ruggie sighed. "You're enjoying this."
"Aha, and what about it? At least I'm willing to help."
"Look, while agreeing with Floyd right off the bat usually ends badly, I think the sooner the better for this case." (Y/N) said. "Lucario! Houndoom! We got a Deuce to track!"
(Timeskip)
The two canine Pokémon led the group into the mine and eventually began to paw at an overturned cauldron. (Y/N), baffled, simply knocked on its surface.
"Um...Deuce?"
"(Y/N)? Is that you?"
The cauldron was turned as Deuce crawled out. "Why are you guys here?"
Jack crossed his arms. "That's what I wanted to ask! We came looking for you!"
"What were you doing in there?" (Y/N) asked.
Deuce covered her mouth. "Don't make a sound!"
"Eh?"
Sebek was outraged by this command. "I CAME TO RESCUE YOU! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!?
"Sebek! Please stay quiet!" Deuce pleaded. "If you shout like that..."
There were heavy footsteps as something was heard blundering up the tunnel.
"It's...mine..."
"What the hell is that?" Ruggie asked.
Ace and Grim screamed, recognizing it immediately. A creature, one identical to the first ink blot creature they fought in the mines, appeared with a roar.
"Okay, where was that thing hiding!?" (Y/N) yelled as she decided to strangle not only Crowley, but also Coach Vargas for blatant disregard for their safety. Luckily, the creature was easy pickings for the combined might of the group and a Mega Lucario, even without their pens. Eventually the monster was pinned and the team had to race back to Dwarf House to meet the deadline. Any protest or scolding Coach Vargas or the Headmaster had died as the girl dragged them by their ears, yelling about being irresponsible.
Lesson learned. She would just take her friends on a normal camping trip next time.

Finally, we finally get to move on to Scarabia. Not gonna lie guys, it was a slog getting through this event, but oh well.