Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rising Spirits

Chapter 11, Part 1 - Aftermath

A thick mass of gray clouds hung from overhead as Trevor, Aiden, and Luka followed a droopy-eyed Drampa along a winding dirt path. Their eyes and backs sagged from the fatigue of walking for several hours in addition to the several hours the trio spent on Lily's back the day prior. Only a week after the incident at incident at Sunrise Town, Team Spirit now found themselves trudging along the vast, mountainous terrain of the Wind Continent. Their legs ached uncontrollably from the path's sharp inclines, which were a far cry from the mostly flat terrain of the Lush Continent.

"A-are we almost there?" Aiden asked impatiently while shivering from the chilly wind which brushed against her short fur, "My legs are killing me here!"

"Patience," the Drampa replied with a gentle grin, "We're nearly there now."

Another two hours would pass before the Drampa would finally stop walking and announce that the long trek was finally over. Upon being given an opportunity to rest, the members of Team Spirit all collapsed onto the rock floor, then clutched their aching legs in their quivering arms while panting heavily. Chuckling lightly, the Drampa held an arm outwards towards a massive opening to a towering maze of golden rock walls, all of which lay atop the peak of the tallest mountain in the continent. "Welcome, my lovely clients," the Drampa proclaimed, "...to the sacred Canyon of the Ancients!"

The Drampa chuckled again upon seeing the trio's amazed reaction to the canyon's sheer size, then continued speaking. "The Canyon of the Ancients is said to be among the oldest Mystery Dungeon in existence and the place where Zephyr, bless his soul, trained to achieve his unparalleled strength. It's become quite the tourist spot nowadays because it served as a meeting place for Legend Ranks for years now. In fact, in light of the recent passing of their strongest member, many Legend Ranks have recently traveled to this place to hold their fifth official meeting in recorded history." The Drampa nodded slowly, as if reaffirming his own fact. "Make sure to take this place's beauty in and hold it; I'd wager that you three are seldom going to see anything more grand and majestic for the rest your lives!"

"Thanks for getting us here," Rin gasped while straining to stand back upwards. After managing to steady his breathing and stretch his limbs, he handed a sack of gold coins to the Drampa, then turned to face the canyon's entrance. "Well," he stated casually, "Let's go in."

"Go... go WHUH?!"

The Drampa's normally sleepy-looking eyes now appeared to nearly pop out of his skull. With great speeds which betrayed his elderly appearance, he rushed in front of the canyon's entrance so as to block Luka's path.

"You can't go in! The Canyon of the Ancients is a sacred place- only Mythicals, Legend Ranks and specific Pokémon they summon are permitted to enter. And it's level ten on the danger scale on top of that- this place is no place for mere tourists! Why in the world would you ever wish to enter?!"

"Well, we were summoned." Trevor mentioned, rummaging through his satchel and handing the Drampa a neatly folded letter. "It says here that the Legend Ranks have demanded our presence at this canyon to communicate everything we know about what Zephyr told us at Sunrise Town."

"Wait," the Drampa muttered while hastily reading the letter, "You folks are... Team Spirit?! Of course, a Meowth, a Scorbunny, and a Dewott! Why, I knew that you three seemed familiar somehow!"

Both Trevor and Aiden glanced towards each other confusedly. "With all due respect," the former inquired, "How did you not immediately recognize us? Our names and faces have been plastered across every newspaper for a while now."

"Pokémon in the Wind Continent often receive news through the many flying Pokémon who often come here to roost. All I had to go off of were brief stories of your adventures and tribulations. And seeing as how you all refused to disclose your names, I had no way of knowing for sure who you three truly were."