Pokémon mystery dungeon: Tides of Madness

Chapter 1: Star Storm (10 years later...)

Axel awoke from the same nightmare he had been having for months. Though he could never remember the dream afterward. Though he had a sense of nostalgia every time he tried. He sighed searching the dark ground around him searching for his everstone. 

"Come on... Where the hell is it," He asked himself. He had been camping in the forest for weeks. He always loved the quiet spaces like this making his worries run loose like aipom being let loose from a cage. Sitting alone with only nature as his company always made him calm, lifting up his attitude. Maybe because crowded spaces always made him anxious. Too many ideas floating around. He found his everstone, the only reminder he had of his real parents who he swore he would find one day. Shift had always told him that they most likely died in the village that he was found in but Axel knew that couldn't be true. His parents were alive. He knew it...

The moon lit the forest with a ghostly blue glow with a slight breeze slightly shaking the leaves from the trees, making a faint crackling noise. He had some sticks piled in a small stack to make a fire, yet the warm color would ruin the perfect moonlight descending from the heavens above. Not that he could since he always found it difficult to make fire without an ignition tool like a blast seed or something of that nature. Besides, tonight there was supposed to be a star storm in which shooting stars would fill the night sky.

Axel sat in his nicely made hay bed staring up at the night sky, where he would always to get lost in thought. But the peace was soon interrupted by bushes shaking near him.

Axel sighed, "Shift, I told you that I was just gonna be in Starfall forest,"

"I got worried," Shift replied with the excuse he did every night.

"Whatever you say," Axel shrugged.

"You remember to bring your everstone?"

"Never go anywhere without it, really Shift I'm not a baby anymore," Axel said calmly. 

"I know that..." He approached Axel and sat next to him. He stared at the scars on Axel's body. "I always wondered how you got these scars..."

After some silence Axel replied, "I thought you told me that they were from the incident I had when I was a baby?"

"Maybe some... but most of these scars were already there when I found you,"

Silence resumed to fill the forest. "Well... Can we change the topic?" Axel stuttered, "I'd rather not try to think about these things right now,"

"Of course,"

They both silently watched the starry sky above them. Waiting for the first star to fly by.

"It's very peaceful down here," Shift stated, "I get why you like it out here. I'm surprised you haven't drifted off,"

"I already have," Axel admitted.

"Oh," Shift chuckled.

The sky suddenly came to life as several shooting stars flew by the midnight moon.

"Wow! This is incredible..." Axel's eyes sparkled he he witnessed the star storm above.

"So when are your trials," Shift asked.

"Huh? My trials?"

"For your entry into Orbit?"

"Oh right," He had almost forgotten about his trial to join Orbit. Ever since he was old enough to understand what Orbit was he wanted desperately to join it, but every year he failed that last test to qualify. He has tried again and again to join but at this point it started to get annoying. Orbit was an organization for rescue teams near and far, and was always in rivalry with the Galaxy clan who mainly focused on exploring. Orbit sort of was the law in a way, catching outlaws, saving stranded pokemon from dungeons, all that jazz. Galaxy did these things too, or at least this is what he's heard, they don't focus completely on rescues though.

"I'm pretty sure they are around noon. The ceremony anyway," Axel said. "It's probably pointless though," He dropped his head recalling all the times he failed.

"Why is that? I see you train hard everyday," Shift told him, "In fact, I believe this is your year,"

"I don't think so..." Axel fidgeted with his tusk. "I don't even like fighting,"

"You just got to believe in yourself Axel, that's all,"

Axel sighed.

The star storm was slowing down now and the night started to calm down again.

"You just have to be patient Axel," Shift said as he got up. "You coming?"

"I'll be there in a moment. I need time alone to think a little," Axel replied.

"Alright," Shift disappeared into the bushes.

Axel sat on his haystack alone. He gave one last gaze to the sky as one last shooting star flew.

"I wish to join this time... I-I wish to pass that last test," Axel stared as the star finally disappeared.

He really wanted to sleep in the forest tonight but he had a long day tomorrow with the ceremony. "Not tonight," He then went after Shift probably now back in the village.

Down the dirt road toward the heart of the village of Torben. The only place he ever knew (other than the demolished village Shift found him in). Even though it was night the square was always lit up brightly like a charizard tail. The village was also a little big for its name. Large arches were almost visible every where there wasn't a building making the village a confusing maze if you didn't know the layout. Luckily, Axel knew every pathway in the village like the tusk on his face.

Axel hadn't seen another village to compare to but he knew that I was probably the biggest village he would ever see. The square was busy tonight seeing how everyone came out to watch the pending star storm above. Which was the main reason he chose to go to the forest nearby for some peace. Too many pokemon made him uneasy... Many children ran around playing tag or hide in seek. Axel watched them tag each other and run other ways to avoid one another. Even when he was in school he found he was the odd one out at times. Having no friends mainly made his classmates even question what his personality really was. He didn't mind being alone though, it gave him more time to focus on his work and get good grades. He continued through the pathways until he reached Shifts home. The house was dark, which probably meant that Shift was asleep.

He headed toward his bedroom, which was on the other side of the house. His bedroom had some posters here and there of famous clashes between the Orbit and Galaxy clans. He always enjoyed watching battles then being in them. It's not like he didn't know how to use his powers, its just he didn't like to use them unless absolutely necessary. He had a window which always had bright lights coming from it, which made it hard to sleep sometimes. Below it a chest stood always locked for some reason and always had a layer of dust. In the corner of the room was what he liked to call his tusk collection which was made up of about 24 tusks he had been collecting since Shift found him. Then finally, his bed made nice and neat since it had been awhile since he slept in it.

Having just woken up Axel didn't feel that sleepy. He kept thinking of the times he failed to join Orbit. Every time he fainted after the first attack. Last year he blacked out as soon as the battle started.

"This year will be different," Axel told himself. "I know it will,"

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