Frozen Resolve

Chapter 12 : Dungeon science

(Icy's POV)

"Blossom! Icy! Run! It's gaining on us!" Spark screamed as the three of us fled from the green humanoid creature covered with stitches, limbs of different pokemon, and rotten flesh. It had been chasing us for almost an hour. My legs felt like they would crumple under me at any moment. "AAHHH! HELP! I DON'T WANNA GET TORN APART AND EATEN BY IT!" I screamed. "NEITHER DO I!"

A grunt sounded from behind us, followed by a scream. "Big bro! Help! It got me! AAAHHHH!" Blossom's voice came from behind as she got picked up by the creature. "SIS! NOOO!" Spark wailed when the beast let out a menacing roar. "BLOSSOM!" I shouted, but no response came after that as tears streamed from my eyes. "Icy...sniff...we need to keep going!"

The two of us kept running, going on and on with the Frankenstein monster running after us...until a large wall stood in front of us. "Spark! We've gotten to a dead end!" I shouted as I trembled in fear. "Wh-what are we supposed to do?!" he stuttered as the monster approached. "I-I think I-I'm gonna faint!" I exclaimed. "I-I think I'm gonna faint, too!"

The two of us embraced each other, trembling in fear as the monster let out a deafening roar and walked toward us. "I-I just w-want you to know, Icy! I-I n-never got the chance to t-tell you this, I wish we wouldn't end like this, but I-I-I love you!" he squeaked and hugged me tightly. "I-I love you, too!" I cried and hugged back, burying my snout deep into his main, shuddering and vision blurring in and out as the monster bent down and looked at us.

"Boo"

"KYYAAA!" I screamed and went pale, my heart skipped a beat and everything went black.

I woke up panting on the bed, holding my Furret tightly in my paws while sweat soaked my fur thoroughly. "I'm glad I'm alive...so much for that story you told me yesterday, Randy..." I muttered and looked at the two, then seeing them sleeping with each other and snuggled up, a smile grew on my face as an evil thought crossed my mind. "I'm probably going to get my revenge for that story yesterday sooner than I expected..."

I padded toward them quietly, making sure not to wake either of them up as I approached the snoring Rockruff, then touched him to see if he was still out. My smile grew even wider after realizing he was sound asleep. I then grabbed his paw, gently wrapped it over Blossom's torso, and gently nudged Randy toward her. "Oh, I'm so very gonna enjoy his reaction!"

"Arrfff..." droplets of sweat ran down my back as Randy cooed in his sleep and stirred. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized he was still asleep. Suddenly, Randy moved his head in his sleep and nuzzled Blossom's chest, cooing and ruffling Blossom's long fur, while Blossom moved a little and placed one of her paws on Randy's flank. I struggled against my urges to laugh as I took out Blossom's camera and- "SNAP!" "Serves you right, Randy! Got my revenge!" I muttered in triumph while covering my quiet laughs with the blanket.

"Wrrff...I'm not falling for her...snorf...I'm not falling for her...snorfle..." I heard some whispers coming behind me as I turned back to look at the two, to see Randy making a few more attempts to get his face completely buried into Blossom's fur. I resisted my urge to laugh while shaking my head in disbelief. "You ought to know what you're doing in your sleep, you kinky little-"

"...snorf...I am falling for her...snrrff..."

I couldn't hold it. I couldn't take it anymore. I burst out laughing at the funniest scene I've ever seen in my entire life, even though I didn't want to, I couldn't resist it. "Wrrff...huh? What...? What...GUH!?" Randy choked and shot into the air while I lay on my back, struggling to breathe while wheezing like a teakettle. "I-Icy! Y-you saw nothing! N-nothing happened! Nothing at all! I-I just happened to...snuggle up with her without knowing!" he shouted while I rubbed some tears out of my eyes. "You should've...seen yourself...a pity that I don't have a recorder..."

"Huh?...Randy?...Icy?...what is causing all of this noise...?" Blossom purred groggily as she lifted her head, still half asleep. "I-I uh...I can explain...I mean I-I..." Randy stuttered. Hey, see you later, Randy! But I got some mons who'd like to see these!" I said with a grin and gave him a glimpse of the photos. "W-wait, I-Icy, no! Y-you didn't just...Icy! I'll end you for that! N-no, don't! Those photos are staying! I'm tearing them to shreds!" Randy shouted as I padded out. "Catch me if you can!"

I darted through town with a Rockruff still in his pajamas in pursuit, running far faster than the fastest I had seen him until I arrived at Boro's tent, then slid the photos into it right before Randy tackled me to the ground. "NOOOO!" Randy cried out. "YESSS!" I exclaimed with a smug grin. "Hmm...I see that you mmm...woke up rather early today, hmmm...?"

"Boros! Please, I have to get those photos out! Or my life is going to be ruined!" Randy pleaded. "Hmm...what is on the mmm...photos, hmmm...?" he asked. "I-it's...it's..." Randy muttered as he struggled to phrase out what he did. "Hmm...I've got dozens of mail to mmm...deliver every day, hmmm...? I can't help you if you mmm...don't tell me what it is, hmmm...?" Boros said with a frown while an intense blush lit up Randy's face. "Oh, don't mind him, only a photo of him doing...naughty stuff with Blossom, that's all!" I said with a giggle. "N-no! It wasn't! I-I promise...I mean...I swear it wasn't intentional! I probably just...rolled over and slept with Blossom by accident! I don't even remember how I fell asleep last night!"

"Hmm...sleeping with Blossom, but mmm...I thought you were underage, hmmm...?" Boros said with a confused look. I burst out laughing while Randy's face became as red as a Perfect Apple, his mouth opened and shut, unable to find the right words. "Yeah, and I want it to be sent back to Spark! And my family, too!" I exclaimed. "No! You can't do that! Please, Icy! I'll do anything! I'll get you a sundae! With a Rawst Berry on top! Please don't do it!" Randy shouted. Now everymon around us was staring at him. "...that does sound tempting...but...I'm afraid that I'm not changing my decision!" I said with a grin. "No, you can't! It's all a misunderstanding, I-I..." Randy muttered. "What dream did you have then?" I asked with a smirk. "Uhhhh...what are you talking about? I...didn't have any dreams last night..."

"Randy, you're lying~" I chanted with a grin. "L-lying? No, I mean...sleeping next to Blossom made me have...none of those weird dreams. I was sound asleep for the entire night..." he muttered, slightly blushing. "Oh~then I get it, you want to be together with her~" I teased. "Wha-no! I hate hugs! And kisses...above all of those, I'm not a furry!" he yelled with a deepening blush. "Not a furry? But your tail and neck are pretty furry..." I muttered. "Ugh...none of you are humans, so you probably wouldn't know what I'm talking about,"

(one furry explanation later)

"So humans can only mate with humans?" I asked, then Randy replied with a nod. "In my world, that's pretty much the case...unless you uh...nevermind..." he muttered. "Unless what?" I asked. "Don't ask," he replied and shook his head. "I'm starting to think like a Rockruff..."

"What's so bad about it...I mean, it can't be that bad, can it?" I asked and Randy let out a long sigh. "It feels...I don't even know how to explain this weird feeling...I feel like I'm me, but I'm turning into something, not me while still me," he replied. "I don't get a single thing...so humans can only mate with other humans? Not even with human-like pokemon?" I asked, then Randy let out a flinch. "Yeah..." he muttered. "That's...disgusting," I heard him utter under his breath. "So what was the 'Falling for Blossom' thing about?"

"Huh? What?" Randy asked as his blush reappeared. "Well...it's easy to tell that you had a dream last night. Not only did you nuzzle her and get all cuddly, but you also muttered some stuff in your sleep," I said with a smirk. "U-uh...about that...hey, Blossom was hugging me firmly in her sleep! That was probably me unable to roll around and attempting to scoot away instead!" he stated. "And muttering something doesn't specifically mean anything!"

"Yeah, sure...you were muttering something about falling for a girl," I said with a grin. "H-huh? Me? No way that'd happen!" Randy exclaimed. "Well, believe it or not, that's how it was," I said with a smile. "Icy...I'm sure it was just some random dream that I don't remember...and if I had one, it's because of my Rockruff instincts!...I-I think we should...go back and have breakfast, see you later," Randy snapped, face redder than a Tamato when he darted off while I watched quietly with a grin. "Main objective accomplished! Secured the photos!"

Later, we had a simple breakfast and headed out, but Kuro, Duff, and Ivy weren't at the request board like usual. We headed to Boro's tent to ask him about it, but he wasn't there either, so we eventually asked Aren instead. "Sir Boros and the construction crew went to the pokecenter. An injured pokemon rushed into town yesterday, collapsed over here, and been at the inn since then," Aren explained and pointed at the small plaza in front of them. "Guys, let's go take a look!"

Swanya's inn appeared crammed when we arrived. Familiar faces were in there while Kuro was sitting at the entrance. "Well, hey there, Kuro, why is everymon over here?" I questioned. "You know the sus pokemon HAPPI has been notifying us? I think he's the dude in there," he replied. "What do you mean 'you think'?" Randy asked. "'cause I can't see a goddamn thing with my stupid height!"

"Mrs.Swanya, do you know anything about who's in there?" I asked, then she led us through the crowd. "Take a look for yourselves," she chirped. "Hey, spit it out! Quit your innocent act and show me your real side! Whatever plot you're planning, coming to a town like this?!" a familiar voice boomed. "No...I..." the mon muttered weakly, covered in bandages and bruises. Fresh cuts were visible through his pitch-black fur, blood staining his yellow rings. His eyes slid open to look around, accompanied by a pained groan. "Guhan, that's enough"

"Mrs.Swanya, he could be scheming on something bad, and who knows if he's pretending to be hurt? You know that I have a point!" Guhan argued. "Mr.Guhan, does he look like he means any harm? Look at how injured he is," I interrupted. "Guhan, he's exhausted. Your chat can come after he recovers, he isn't somemon like you," Swanya added. "Guhan, I know you're an ex-criminal, but it doesn't change the fact that this dude is injured, even if he does oppose us, well...we're all here," Randy chimed in. "...fine...sorry, perhaps I've been thinking too much,"

"Hey, Mr.Umbreon, you alright?" Blossom asked and hopped onto the bed. "Blossom, you'd better be careful, even though he shouldn't be able to strike now, you aren't supposed to be too close," Randy said in her ear. "Don't worry, I'll be careful!" Blossom said with a grin. "Mister, do you need any help? Does everything hurt? Do you need me to get some water for you?" she asked cheerfully. "She's got the weirdest definition of 'careful' among everymon I've met here..."

The Umbreon's eyes opened and looked at her, then smiled weakly. "...thanks...I would appreciate...a little water..." he muttered, then Blossom darted off immediately, then soon returned with a bowl of water and an Oran. The Umbreon looked at her gratefully and started to lap on the water. Blossom then nudged me. I got what she meant, so I formed a small shard of ice and cut the Oran into smaller slices.

"Mr. Umbreon, have some of these!" I whispered and grabbed a slice with my paws. The Umbreon then slowly opened his mouth, which allowed me to slide a piece of it in. He let out a few coughs before I fed him another slice. Soon, Blossom joined me and fed him the entire berry. "...thank...you..."

"Psst...Icy," Randy whispered in my ear. "Randy, what is it?" I asked. "Psst...you know...sometimes I'm envious of how caring pokemon are to each other...this isn't something you can see in the human world humans are rather selfish..." he whispered. "Oh...I'm sorry to hear that..." I whispered back, then some quick footsteps came from the stairs, followed by a green quadrupedal storming into the room.

"Ivy, what's your problem?" Kuro's voice came from behind, spoken between a pawful of pants. "Urias! I knew it was you! What happened to you? Why are you covered in wounds?" Ivy asked frantically, unlike her usually calm personality. "Kuro, what happened earlier?" Blossom asked as we padded out of Ivy's path. "Dunno, I went to find her, and as soon as I told her about a wounded Umbreon, she freaked out and dashed all the way here, Duff couldn't even catch up!"

"I...vy..." the Umbreon muttered and gazed at her weakly. "Ivy, you know this dude?" Kuro asked. "Mrs.Swanya, is he okay? Will he put through this? How bad is it?" Ivy ignored the question and asked. Kuro seemed annoyed by her ignorance as his cheeks crackled with electricity, but Randy put a paw on his shoulder to calm him down. "A few wounds and bruises, but mainly exhaustion. He will recover after having some time and some rest," Swanya replied. "Thank goodness..."

"Ivy, who is this guy? Are you two in a relationship?" Blossom asked. "Psst...Blossom, look at their size difference, it's not that likely for them to be in one, and even if they are, we don't even know if Ivy can...you know, she's a Legendary after all," Randy whispered, making me let out a snicker, thankfully Ivy didn't hear it.

"Urias is an old acquaintance of mine. He's a researcher who studies the mysterious powers in Mystery Dungeons. He's been working on them for his entire life. He had also done other ones such as researches on the Great Glacier and researches on the lifecycles of the Legendaries," Ivy explained. "The Great Glacier?!" a familiar voice exclaimed, followed by a yellow snake bouncing down the stairs. "You do remember the time I mentioned the Great Glacier?...that was when I met Urias...in this lifetime,"

"Hold up, what do you mean by 'in this lifetime'?" Randy asked, then Urias let out a few coughs. "Before that, I'd like to have a word from Guhan, Guhan, may I ask why you're staring at him like that?" Ivy asked. "Uh...I was a little too cautious, that's all! It's...a relief to know he's milady's friend!..."

"Aging varies for different types of Legendaries and Mythicals, creators of the universe, such as Dialga and Palkia, live forever and are unaffected by the effects of aging, for smaller Legendaries like me...we live a mortal life, but we are reborn at a viable habitat a few years after we pass away, with certain memories of significant events in our past lifetimes, the others are forgotten, unless they're brought up and somehow reminded by somemon,"

"Oh yeah? Prove it then!" we eyed Kuro as he called out, while Ivy stared at him in confusion. "If you only remember important events which occurred, tell me who's the first mon you had sex with!"

"............"

"............"

"What...? Why is everymon staring at me like that?"

"............"

"Guys, anymon say something! This is getting extremely weird!"

"Dude, what's your problem?" Randy questioned, finally breaking the silence. "What's wrong with the question? Your first time, that's important. isn't it? How can you forget about something like that? Or have you never had an ex-mrff?!" "Okay, Ivy...don't mind him, continue whatever was going on!" I muttered awkwardly while Blossom and Randy muffled his cries. "Es...py..."

"Mr.Urias, what was that?" I asked and bent down. "Urias, don't push yourself too far!" Ivy shouted, then we all turned to look at her. "Es...py...was my...mate..." he managed to mutter, followed by a few coughs. "I met both of them, Urias and Esmeralda when they were investigating the Great Glacier. They're a couple...even though not officially married since they haven't got the chance to do so," Ivy explained. "Then...where is she now?"

"...ugh...gotta...find...Espy!...but...too tired...to move..." Urias whimpered as he failed in an attempt to get on his paws. "Urias, I can give you a massage if you like!" Blossom offered. "Blossom, he's bruised, that's unlikely to make his condition better," Randy interrupted. "Oh...right!"

Suddenly, Urias managed to get onto his paws and sit up, his body quivering from fatigue. "Thanks for the...Oran...I feel my strength returning...I owe you all an explanation...labcoat...get my labcoat..." he muttered. "Urias, don't!" Ivy exclaimed. "It's fine...Ivy...I owe it to them..."

"I ran...all the way here because I was...attacked by strangers..." Urias said with a grunt. "Strangers? What do you mean by strangers?" Randy asked. "Some pokemon I didn't...know...they attacked me...that's why I ran all the way here...to Post Town...they attacked Espy and me out of nowhere...we ran in different directions...she's probably still...being chased!... I've gotta go!" he explained and jumped down to everymon's surprise. "Argh! Must...go...got an...appointment..."

"Mr.Urias, you need to get a little more rest!" I suggested in concern. "While I'd like to stay and chat...thank you for your generosity...I have to go!" he muttered and took another step forward, only to collapse on the floor while Ivy stood in front of him. "Urias, I refuse to let you leave! Guhan put him back on his bed!" Ivy insisted with a sharp glare. "No problem!" Guhan boomed and did as she said. "Ivy...I have to find her!"

"But why would others attack you? You must have something valuable on you for them to mug if that happened," Randy questioned, then Urias replied with a nod. "My labcoat...where is it?" he demanded, then Blossom pawed him his coat and two red cards with sun patterns fell out.

"What are these...?" I wondered out loud. "Aren't these just cards...? What's so special about them?" Duff asked. "If it's your first time...seeing them...I'd call them Entercards...everymon knows that the environment around here shifts mysteriously...but even with that, Mystery Dungeons still obey certain rules, they follow a trace of energy called 'Ley Lines', and the shapes of Mystery Dungeons are affected by the Ley Lines in that area. Once we realized that, Espy and I wondered...what if we could use their power for ourselves? That's when the Entercards..."

I could feel my eyelids getting heavier with Urias's explanation, I found myself nodding off a few times even though I tried my best to stay awake, but to no avail. In my last memory, Urias was explaining their use before my eyelids became too heavy to hold open.

"Oof!" I groaned when something fell on me. "Sorry, I fell asleep by accident," Randy apologized as I woke up. To my surprise, everymon in the room except for Urias and Boros was asleep. Blossom lay on Randy with a puddle of drool under her, which was perhaps why he fell over. Kuro lay on his back, obviously tired out. Duff didn't look much different from usual since his eyes were always closed, but I could hear his faint snores. Ivy stood in front of Urias, still standing firm despite being asleep. Swanya was standing some distance away from us, fast asleep. The construction team snored in a pile on the other side of the room as a line of drool dangled down the edge of my mouth. "Guess we're not alone,"

"What? Hey, why are you all asleep?"

"Uhh..." we blushed as the others blinked their eyes open, exchanging glances with one another. "We...were sleeping?" Guhan asked and scratched the back of his head. "It felt like some awesomely powerful spell was cast over us...like being struck by Hypnosis," Kuro muttered. "Thanks for the story, I had a lovely dream, and now I feel refreshed!" Swanya chirped and headed off. "Sorry...ugh...muscles...sore again..."

"Urias, now it's best for you to rest up. I'm not leaving this room before you get properly rested and well recovered," Ivy insisted while Urias whined in protest. "Guess we were more tired than we thought, weren't we?" Blossom asked and let out a yawn.

"Hmm...you seem tired, Urias needs some mmm...rest too, hmmm...? It should be fine if you mmm...stay here and accompany him while getting a good rest, hmmm...?" Boros suggested. "Stay here and accompany him? What do you mean?" Kuro asked, then before we could react, Boros opened his mouth wide and blew out a huge yawn, the last thing I knew was my paws giving away before getting struck by an intense wave of sleepiness and blacking out on the spot.

(24 hours later)

"Snorfle...wrrf...urrrff...snorf..."

"Mmmrr...mmraw...mmrrr..."

I woke up to find myself at the same place, snoring in a pile with Randy and Blossom, with a few friends in the same room, also asleep. "We...fell asleep? How?...at least I'm energized now..." I muttered and went to shake the others awake.

I first went for Blossom and Randy, who were drooling into each others' fur and completely zonked out, then switched to Kuro, Duff, and the rest of the team, with whom I got the same reactions, then went to look at the clock. "So we've been sleeping for...a few minutes? Well, that was a good few minutes, I'd better wake them up,"

"Wait, Mr.Urias...your wounds are...healed?" I muttered in disbelief when I went to check on him, he too was sound asleep, but most of the bruises from before had vanished, while most cuts on his body had mended up, leaving a few scabs in his fur despite the blood stains still being visible. "Mmmrr...mrrowning, everymon..."

It took a few minutes for everymon to wake up and get going, while Urias seemed to be much better than earlier. We cheered as he managed to stand up by himself despite his aching muscles and wobbly legs, his condition had improved drastically. After a short argument, he managed to persuade Ivy to let him go outdoors with the help of Tim and Timm.

"What are they doing?" residents asked when Urias got escorted to the plaza of Post Town. A small group gathered around us, watching Urias do his work in confusion while he fumbled with his equipment. "How does this work?" Duff asked. "You'll be able to witness the miracle of Ley Lines for yourselves in a moment!"

"This should be a nice place to get it started up. Now, observe the greatness of the Entercards!" Urias announced and placed down an empty card frame in the center of the plaza, then fit the two red cards with sun symbols into the tablet diagonally. We gasped in amazement when Urias got enveloped by crimson-colored energy, then a beam of white light shot out of the frame, with glowing runes circling it.

However, the breathtaking scene was short-lived. The light died down after a few seconds, then Urias collapsed, panting in exhaustion while electricity crackled around his body. "Ugh...having only half of the cards makes the flow of the Ley Lines unstable...I need all four cards to conjure a stable portal and a partner to help me sustain the energy drain..."

"I don't understand a thing, but that was awesome! Don't you say, Icy?" Blossom's question snapped me out of my daze. "Y-yeah, it was so cool! Those runes hovering around and the light channeling through, it was amazing!" I exclaimed while others chattered in agreement. "Thanks for your compliments...this certainly requires more effort to master...but I'm so proud of myself!" Urias groaned with a smile. "With the flow of these Lay Lines...they open a portal leading into a dungeon which we call a Magnegate, after all these years...by harnessing the power of the sun and the moon...we've finally done something nobody else in the world has ever done..."

"The other Entercards...they are with Esmeralda, aren't they?" Ivy asked with a stern look. "Yes, with those cards, it seemed like we could finally complete our research, but we were attacked right when we finished them, I assume somemon might have been sneaking on us all this time and went after our cards when we finished them," Urias explained. "Considering nobody has attacked ever since you reached this place, it seems like they're trying to avoid attracting attention,"

"Or...trying to make us let our guard down, so they can attack us at the right time!" Guhan boomed. "I will ensure Urias' safety as long as I'm here, which leaves only Esmeralda the Espeon," Ivy said with a stern look. "Wait, y-you mean..." Urias muttered. "My...my lovely...I'll be here to protect him, too!" Guhan announced. "Hoo~hoo~me too!" Duff whistled as we shook our heads in disbelief. "Alright, Team Glistening Hope-"

"We're going after the Espeon!" Blossom exclaimed. "We can't just sit here and do nothing when somemon's in danger!" Kuro added. "Leave it to us, Urias, we'll be back in no time!" Randy reassured. "Leave it up to us, we'll ensure that she safely returns!" I finished. "Th-thanks, everymon...there aren't even words I can use to express my gratitude. I promise I'll repay you in some way..."

"Espy ran off in the direction of the Crags of Lament. Some of our pursuers chased after her. I'm counting on you to do this, please! You gotta save her from those scoundrels!"

"Anything up there, Kuro?" Randy called out. "Nope, I can't see a thing through this fog. What kind of idiot would think of hiding in such a place anyway? It's so hard to find anything, I bet she can't see her own tail!" Kuro shouted and descended from the sky. We left Post Town right after getting prepared while Ivy and Duff stayed behind, but our efforts in the last hour or two led us nowhere. "Wait, why does that rock look so familiar? Are we perhaps..."

"Frickin' heck, I can't believe we've been going in circles!" Kuro yelled and pounded the ground with his fists. "On the bright side, if we can't find Esmeralda, it won't be easier for her pursuers to find her," Blossom said with a grin. "But...if Urias had been there since yesterday, and the last time they met was a while ago, doesn't it mean that Esmeralda has been starving?" I asked as a wave of realization flooded over us. "So we have to find her, quick! Let's split up!"

I ended up partnering with Randy while heading through rocky cliffs, mainly due to two reasons, for Kuro and him not to get into a fight and for him to lead the way since I always got lost when traveling by myself.

As we proceeded after the splitting waypoint, we found ourselves on big, weird-looking pieces of tall rocks. Less and less ground was beneath us, replaced by the sight of large, dangling boulders. I huddled closer to Randy and tugged his tail from time to time, especially when crossing through narrow passages where we might accidentally fall to our deaths. Slowly, I started to acknowledge why Blossom loved Randy's large, comforting, floofy, pillow-lookalike tail and enjoyed the warmth and comfort as we proceeded. "Do you think the others are doing any better?"

"I hope they are, and knowing Blossom's luck, she definitely is," I replied with a sigh and sensed the ground below us emitting a tremor. I screamed and grabbed Randy's tail as we scampered backward, both of us sweating nervously. "W-wow Randy...h-how did you...not scream?" I asked in astonishment. "I...didn't think of it? Is it too late for that?" he asked, then both of us started laughing, trying to shake off the nervousness. "Did you hear something strange?"

"Strange?" I tilted my head. "I'm not sure if I heard it correctly, but I think I heard some drilling sounds," he muttered. "B-but...Duff's at Post Town," I wondered out loud. "Yeah...you're right, probably imagined it," he said with a nervous grin as we proceeded. "Randy, have you noticed something about this dungeon? Like...we haven't run into many pokemon, and we haven't even met a single one after we split up with Blossom,"

"I've been thinking of it too...but I hope we don't run into any of those; if we do, we're screwed due to our surroundings," Randy muttered as he padded forward nervously to see a rock crumble from the side of the narrow stone bridge we were on. "W-w-we should probably continue..."

"A-alright, Icy, you wanna go first?" Randy asked. "F-first? N-no! You go first!" I blurted out then he let out a sigh. "O-okay...safe and steady..." he muttered as he slowly padded forward step by step. "Careful, Randy!" I called out. "D-don't worry, I-I'm careful, see?" Randy muttered nervously and gave me a paws-up. "Crick..."

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
"KYYAAAAA!"

"Why are you screaming? I'm the one who's supposed to be scared!"
"R-Randy, I can't help being t-terrified at high places!"

"Icy, is it that bad? Why are you covering your face with your paws?"
"'cause I don't wanna see it! I-it's terrifying! Didn't you scream just now?"

"Sorta..."
"I-I don't wanna go on this path! I don't like this idea! I don't wanna fall!"

"B-but...what if Esmeralda is on the end of this?"

"I-I...I don't wanna go! We're switching paths or proceed without me!"

"Icy...you're crying? Is it that bad?"

"I-it is!"

"Icy, if you get past, I'll give you a Rawst berry deluxe sundae when we return,"

"No chance!"

"SMACK!"

"You're it!"
"OH, MY FLIPPIN' FEEBAS! I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THAT!"

"But it was only a butt slap!"

"PERV!"

"SWOOSH!"

"OH, MY GAWD! Really? I thought attacking teammates weren't allowed!"

"SWOOSH!"

"SMACK!"

"OOOOGH!"

"WAIT! No, Icy! Have mercy!"

"......"

"I-Icy! W-we're here, aren't we? We're on the other side! So please don't kill me!"

"R-really?"

"Y-yeah!"

"POW!"

"Oooooooogh...socking me in the stomach?...what was that for?"

"For coming up with extremely dumb ideas that terrify me!"

"Ooooh...my belly still hurts..." Randy groaned as we carefully proceeded through the cliffs. "You deserved it," I snorted, then we came across a large empty platform. "Hah...hah...finally somewhere I don't have to worry about falling," I said with a relaxed sigh and put down my backpack for a short break. "Perhaps we should have lunch before proceeding,"

"You know, I once thought that I wasn't afraid of heights until being proved wrong today," Randy said with a nervous laugh after we had a simple lunch. "I don't understand how some mons can NOT be afraid of heights," I wondered in disbelief. "Icy, don't you think this place is unnaturally empty?"

I observed my surroundings to realize the platform we were on looked like a large Monster House, just without other pokemon. "Stop making me nervous, Randy! C-can't you see that I'm scared enough?!" I cried and shivered at the thought. "Alright, let's continue,"

A ringing sound echoed through my ears as we passed through the exit of the clearing. "R-R-Randy! D-did you hear that?" I stuttered and huddled closer to him. "Y-yeah, n-nothing's gonna happen, right?...R-right?" Randy shuddered. "Crinkle!" "Crinkle!" "Crack!" "Crack!"

"Oh my fucking god!" Randy exclaimed when a large number of psychic crystals slowly materialized around us. "R-Randy! H-how many of these can you block with your Stealth Rocks?" I asked. "I-I'm not sure!" he stuttered. "H-how about you, Icy?" he asked with a shudder. "I-I'll try my best!"

The blizzard of crystals shot toward us. Randy utilized his Stealth Rocks and Blocked a large portion of incoming attacks, yet, a lot were still coming at us. I then decided to use a move I hadn't perfected, and one that I had never shown to others-Light Screen to cover the two of us, lowering the damage dealt by shielding both of us from it.

But I couldn't last for long, the blizzard of psychic crystals kept shooting at us, buffeting the two of us despite my shield. I was lightheaded and running out of strength while Randy told me to hang on for a little longer. My ears rang, and my vision flashed as I spent more time sustaining my Light Screen until the blizzard of psychic crystals finally stopped.

My Light Screen shut down as my legs wobbled, quivering from exhaustion and the pain those crystals dealt through the light barrier. "Wow, Icy! That was awesome!" Randy exclaimed and offered me a highpaw. My vision flashed between black and white while voices grew more distant. I forced a weak smile and returned the highpaw, right before my body went limp and everything went black.

"Mmrrr?" I purred when I slowly opened my eyes. "H-hey, Icy...feeling alright?" he asked and helped me on my paws. "Yeah...but everything feels so sore. I'm glad Future Sight doesn't leave physical wounds..." I muttered as Randy passed me an Oran, which I quickly dug in. "Thanks for the Light Screen. Blossom was right about you having lots of moves we didn't know about,"

"No problem...thanks for giving me a Reviver Seed..." I muttered as I tasted the bitter flavor lingering in my mouth. "I can also use Reflect, too. However, I haven't mastered either of them. I still need a lot of practice while both of those take a ton of energy to cast..." I added. "Still, we would've been hurt much worse if you didn't use it," Randy stated. "I take back any comments about Future Sight being a dumb move back in the human world,"

"Say...Future Sight is a Psychic move. isn't it? Which means..." I wondered out loud. "We're on the right path!" both of us exclaimed. "Alright, we shouldn't be far away from her!" I announced as I regained my strength and padded forward. "Thought you were the mon terrified by heights!" Randy reminded. "H-heights? KYAAA! HELP! RANDY, I DON'T WANNA FALL!"

"Wait a minute, is that?" Randy pointed at some furry pink linear object drifting from side to side between the rocks in front of us. "Th-that's-" before I could say anything else, the pink Eeveelution, startled by our voice, disappeared among the rocks. Then a pink beam of light shot through the air, soaring over our heads as we dodged just in time and blasted the tall stone behind us.

The tall stone came crashing upon us. Randy stopped us from being squished by breaking the stone wall with a Rock Throw, but what he did resulted in a chain reaction and sent more stone pillars toppling onto one another. "Quick, we don't have time to waste! We have to catch up with her!"

"No matter where you run, you can't escape us!" a chill ran down my spine when several voices chanted in unison. Pink beams of light flew through the foggy air as a panting pink mon in a lab coat slowly backed up, revealing the outline of her blurry torso from the coverage of the stone pillars and forced to a dead end.

"Where are you? Show yourselves!" she shouted while the two of us hid behind a boulder. "Cra-ha! Why don't you come and find us?" a voice asked with a cackle before the Espeon sent more beams of Psychic energy shooting across the clearing. "You fools are never gonna catch me! I know what you're after, and I'll never paw them over to you!" she yelled and blasted a stone pillar with Psychic energy, jumping on the falling stones that temporarily levitated with her Psychic and quickly reaching another platform. "Nyeh-heh-heh! What a stubborn girl! You can't keep running forever!"

"Quick, Icy! We need to get to her before those guys do!" Randy said with a determined look. "B-but how? Th-there's a large gap between the platforms! I stuttered and looked at the faraway ground, shrouded by the fog. "Icy, we need to go! Can't you hear those voices cackling?" Randy insisted. "Cra-hah! It's only a matter of time before we nab her and feed her to the Luxray!"

"We better finish this quick, or we're gonna be the ones skewered next!" a voice shouted. "I know, I know! Cra-hah! Playtime's over then, and so are her feeble struggles!" another replied as I shuddered in fear. "Icy! Icy! Snap out of your daze! We have to reach her! You have to reach her!" Randy yelled in my ear. "Me? What do you mean?" I asked nervously. "Alright, you're definitely going to hate this idea, but this is the only way we can make things work,"

"Seriously? Are you insane?!" I exclaimed in shock. "Probably, but launching you over with my Rock Throw is the only way we can get past the gap, or do you want to throw a pearl or something? Sadly that's not something we can do here! I'm launching you over. Protect her while I reunite with Kuro and ask him to fly over!" he growled. "How do I get back then?"

"KYYYAAAAAAAAA!!!"

"I'M SO VERY GOING TO MURDER YOU FOR THIS, RANDY!" I screamed while he stared back at me with a grin. "This is for what you did this morning!" he retorted. "I can't believe you want me to get back with an Escape Orb! I've never even used one!" I shouted, but Randy had already run off. "Grrr...at least I have four of these, one preserved for every member of the team, all linked to Post Town. Consumed by smashing one, if I remember correctly, this is how all orbs work..."

"I'm not afraid of heights...I'm not afraid of heights..." I muttered to myself as I shivered and ventured among the cliffs. "Nyeh-heh-heh! Found you!" a voice called out, causing me to jump and look around. I let out a sigh of relief when I figured nobody was around. "Mrrah! All this running is wearing me out! But we've got you cornered now! Must compliment you for being so good at running for a fellow feline!"

"Hah...hah...hah...hah..." I peered over the rock I was hiding behind to see Esmeralda and a Purugly staring at each other. Esmeralda's lab coat was torn and dirty, pink fur stained by mud and sweat. It seemed that she had been starving for days while a weary expression stuck to her face. "Ugh..."

"Cra-hah! You got the easy part, Purrincess! I had to cut her off by getting ahead of her!" another voice shouted, then a bluish-green amphibian broke the surface and emerged from the ground. "Ah, Tox, been sitting in the same place for too long? Perhaps you just needed some exercise and to touch the grass," Purrincess chuckled. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't need exercise with all that fat, Purrincess!"

Esmeralda's forehead-gem gleamed as she prepared to launch another attack, but the Toxicroak's right arm glowed purple and socked her in her abdomen with Sucker Punch. Esmeralda's eyes shot wide open then collapsed in a fit of coughs, while I watched in horror as the two cackled. "Ah, so much training back home until they deserted me in cold blood,"

"That makes two of us, Tox. Paw the Entercards over, Espeon!" Purrincess growled. "I'll...never...give them to you!...I'll beat you down!" Esmeralda growled and got back onto her paws. "Uh-uh, the gem on your head indicates how much strength you have left. It's murky red, almost black instead of bright red, which means you're exhausted and at the rim of breaking down. I know that much from the studies of my Trainers,"

"Damn it, this is bad. Whatever Tox meant by Trainers, Esmeralda is in deep trouble!" I cursed silently, but I couldn't attack. I had to wait till the right time and catch them off guard. "Give us everything you got!" Purrincess growled as the two forced Esmeralda to the edge of the cliff. "Fine, we're taking it by force!" "SLISH!"

"Nyeh? Her bag! It's empty!" Purrincess exclaimed in shock while Esmeralda grinned weakly. "I told you...it's somewhere safe...you'll never find them..." she muttered. "Where are the Entercards?!" Tox raged and pounded the ground. "If you don't tell us, we'll have to force it outta you!" Purrincess snapped. "Go ahead...and try...you aren't gonna get anything..."

"Ewww...this is disgusting! I want Uxie's help to unsee this all!" I internally screamed when Tox bent down and searched her privates. "Craguh! Nothing!" Tox yelled and kicked Esmeralda in her stomach. "Beating me up...isn't going to get you anywhere..." Esmeralda said with a weak laugh. "How about this? If you don't tell us, Tox, you know what to do~" Purrincess cackled as droplets of purple gue dripped out of Tox's thorns. "Nononono! Don't!" I muttered and closed my eyes. "If you think...ruining my looks will work...knock yourself out..." Esmeralda's bravado took me off guard. She had to be the bravest female besides Ivy I had ever seen. "AUUGH!"

"Cra-ha-ha-ha! That's a small patch of fur off your leg! How do you like my corrosive poison?" the two howled in laughter while I stared in horror as steam emitted from a furless wound on Esmeralda's left hind leg, still bubbling with gas. "Now, now, time to ruin the face! Such a pity for a beautiful Espeon like you~" Purrincess cackled as Tox stepped closer and lowered his arm, now standing at the edge with his head unguarded...

"PSSSSTING!"

"AGH! WHAT THE?! PURRINCESS, HELP ME!"

"You leave her alone!"

The two turned to look at me. Tox clung onto the edge with one arm, seemingly going to fall at any moment, while Purrincess glared at me.

"YOU! You'll pay for this! My right side is all numb! It can't move!" Tox yelled as he tried to get back up to no avail. "Serves you right for attacking a lady!" I snapped. "Well, well, what do we have here? A lovely Vulpix, an Ice-typed Vulpix, quite the rare mon, aren't you?"

"You leave her alone! She's coming with me!" I yelled as my legs quivered in anxiousness. "C'mon, Randy! How long do you have to keep me waiting? Find Kuro and get him to help me!" I silently prayed. "Irritating kids, I'll dispose of you if you dare oppose us!" Purrincess yelled. "What is this fool even doing here? She knows for sure that she's no match for us!" Tox croaked. "Then try, you fat and ugly feline! A battle between girls!"

(meanwhile)

"Dude! Why in the frick are there so many of these stupid Excadrills?!" Kuro yelled, shooting an Energy Ball at the Excadrill below him as I narrowly dodged a Drill Run coming from another one. "I thought it was supposed to be ma'am!" I exclaimed and knocked another aside with a Double Kick. "Chief, you shouldn't be joking when our typing fairs so bad against them! Why did they attack us at the mention of an Espeon anyway? Surely this isn't a Monster House since they understood us!"

"Guys! Guys! Where are you?"

"Randy? What are you doing here? Have you completed the mission?"

"Not exactly, 'cause I need Kuro to-WHAT THE SHIT?!"

"There might be about 6 Excadrills here, so I think you should be careful!"

(back to the battle)

"Nyeh! Amateur fighting against a well-trained feline!" Purrincess heckled as I panted in exhaustion. "H-how...I..hah...hah...hit you with at least 4 Aurora Beams..." I said between my breaths while Purrincess flashed me a triumphant grin. "Thich Fat, you nitwit! Don't tell me you don't even know what that is! Or perhaps you don't! Nyeh-heh!" she cackled. "Oh, yeah...right, how could I have forgotten about that?"

"Now would be a good chance for you to take back those words from earlier!" Purrincess snarled and readied another attack. "It's the truth, though," Tox commented, still trying to get a hold of his numb side frozen by my Aurora Beam. I couldn't help but snicker at how Purrincess glared at him. That was when the idea hit me. "Wait, Randy isn't strong with sheer power, but his quick wits and taunts during battles..."

"Hey, Purrincess, he's right, you know?" I shouted and forced a grin. "What. Did. You. Just. Say." she hisses. "You're a big fat ugly feline, and I doubt you can be fast with such a fat butt!" I shouted. "I AM FASTER THAN A FIGHTER JET, YOU MORON!" she screamed and sped toward me, whatever a fighter jet was. "Here goes..."

"Frost Breath? That ain't gonna do anything!" she meowed and lunged with her Giga Impact as I skidded to my left. She yelped in surprise as she slid past the frozen ground and smacked into a stone pillar, knocking herself unconscious. I then sent an Aurora Beam at the large stone, cracking it in half, and the rubble crumbled down, then finally, I blew my Frost Breath onto the heap of stone, encasing Purrincess under it. It wouldn't be able to kill her, not like I intended to, but it was more than enough to keep her busy for a while.

(end of the battle, yet meanwhile)

"Horn Drill incoming!" Randy shouted as the two of us skidded to the sides, an Excadrill missile flying past the gap between us and vanishing under the ground again. "Randy, do you think Kuro is gonna get to Icy in time?" I asked as the two of us retreated. "No idea, but we should focus on surviving now!"

"Randy...hah...hah...do you think we can lose them...hah...hah...if we go to the stone bridge up ahead?" I asked, panting vigorously. "Probably, but that's...hah...hah...suicide isn't it?" he shot back. "Oh yeah, right! But, Excadrills are much slower on the ground. Do you think they'll stop if they see what's ahead?" I asked. "Guess there's only one way to find out!"

"Drzzz!"

"Zzzzck!"

"Crap, guess we're screwed," Randy muttered with a shrug when 3 Excadrills shot through the ground below us and into the wall on the other side. "Randy, what do we do?" I asked as we stood on the bridge, with Excadrills approaching on both sides. "Blossom, do you still have enough strength to use Discharge?" he asked. "I'm not sure. What for?"

"How much time do you think you can blind them with it?" Randy asked. "Blind? Oh, I probably wasn't thinking!" I exclaimed with a grin. "Hengh? What are you talking about?" he asked. "Cover your eyes, Randy!" I shouted. "Okay? And?"

"Tssssss!"

"Blossom, why didn't you Flash them earlier?!" Randy yelled. "Slipped my mind, couldn't do it 'cause I have my clothes on anyway!" I replied with a grin as we ran past the dazed Excadrills. "OKAY! Blossom, do NOT flash me when we get out of this shit! I'm talking about both kinds of flash!"

"Drzzzz!"

"Randy, they're catching up!" I exclaimed as the drilling noises grew louder. "What? They were only...never mind! Our main point now is to get to the Crossroads!" Randy yelled. "Hey, Captain! Hope I wasn't too late!" a familiar voice called out. "WHAT?! Kuro? I thought I told you to-"

"No time for that! Incoming!" Kuro shouted as a green mon with a glowing blade sped past us. "Ivy?! I thought she was-" I exclaimed. "Yeah, Urias is completely out cold since we stuffed him a Sleep Seed, and currently under Duff's supervision, decided that saving you two was more important than helping Icy!"

(back to Icy and Esmeralda)

"You haven't seen the last of us!" Tox waved his left fist and shouted, then dug into the ground, fleeing as I sighed in relief. "I can't believe I fought off two fully evolved pokemon by myself! Mom and Dad would be so proud of me if they were here!" I thought to myself and slowly padded toward Esmeralda, regardless of how tired I was. "Mrs.Esmeralda! Are you alright? How is the wound on your leg?"

"S-stay back! Who are you? Why do you know my name? I'll attack you if you come any closer!" Esmeralda questioned with a cold glare. "Wait! I'm Icy, Icy the Vulpix, a graduate and Explorer from Wigglytuff's guild and a member of the Glistening Hope. I came here from Post Town and just wanted to know if you're okay!" I stated and took a step forward. "Following orders of whom?"

"Orders of whom? About that...how do I explain this? We work as a team to help out, and I'm here to help!" I explained. "Who sent you here? Who asked you to come and get me? Who told you about my name?" she demanded uneasily. "Mr.Urias-" "Urias?! What did they do to them? Tell me!" she yelled before I could finish. "Mr.Urias is in Post Town. He told us to find you because he couldn't come here considering his current state. He's currently under the protection and supervision of Ivy the Virizion,"

"Umbre, you stupid...I can't believe it...I can't believe you're safe and looking for me!" Esmeralda exclaimed and burst into tears of happiness. "Mrs.Esmeralda, are you feeling alright? Let me treat the wound on your hind leg!" I offered and wiped away her tears with my pawkerchief, trying to comfort her, then she replied with a nod. "Sniff...I'm fine. It's more important to know if...sniff...Umbre is fine. What is his current condition?" she asked through her sobs. "He's recovered a lot in the past day, a little bruised, but mainly exhaustion," I replied and gave her a reassuring smile. "Thank Mew he's alright!" she said and shed a few more tears. "Mrs.Esmeralda, please stay put so I can treat your poisoned leg,"

"Thanks for treating my wounds and giving me a decent meal!" she said with a smile. "Don't mention it! Are you sure you don't need more of it? You only ate 3 Orans," I asked. "3 is more than enough to fill my belly, now...wasn't there another friend of yours?" she asked. "Another friend? Are you talking about..."

"When I used Future Sight, I saw a Rockruff standing next to you, but I was panicking and thought you two were hunting me. Thank goodness you're fine," she explained. "Wait, Future Sight can do that? That's amazing!" I exclaimed in astonishment. "As useful as it is, it takes a lot of effort to master and cast," she replied with a smile. "So about that..."

"A Rockruff...I may know a way or two for you to get back at him~" she said with a giggle. "What? What kind of idea? Tell me!" I asked curiously. "Of course, I know an idea! After all, I'm a Researcher!" she grinned. "I guess it's time for us to use the orbs then!"

"I could surely use an entire day of sleep after everything gets settled..." Esmeralda muttered as the two of us arrived at Post Town. "Blossom, they're back! I told you they'd be fine!" Randy's voice came from behind then I was quickly embraced by my best friend. "Randy, you-HOW DARE YOU BLAST ME WITH-Randy?! What happened to you?"

"I'd like to ask the same. You look as battered...or perhaps a little less battered than we are," Randy described, then all three of us started laughing. "Well, went against two fully evolved mons and defeated them!" I bragged proudly. "Cool! We got attacked by a horde of Excadrills!" Blossom exclaimed with a grin. "E-E-Excadrills?!" I stuttered. "B-but th-they're Steel types! Terrifying ones! Ground and Steel! A-are you alright?"

"Yep! No big deal! Ivy swept them away!" Blossom exclaimed. "Ivy? I thought she was looking over Mr.Urias," I wondered. "Oh, you don't have to worry about him getting away since Duff's huge torso got stuck in the doorframe nobody's leaving that room," Randy explained. "But seeing Ivy going into combat...we probably need a little more training..." he added with a chuckle. "Oh. My. God. Randy, I can't believe you sent me searching for nothing!"

"Kuro? Are you feeling alright? What is that bruise doing on your forehead?" I asked. "No, I'm not! Do you know how hard it was to navigate through that fog?!" he yelled. "Nope! But I'm glad you're here in time! That's what matters!" Blossom exclaimed. "Sorry that I have to interrupt, but I have an important appointment that awaits,"

"Espy!" the Umbreon shouted from afar and ran toward her, ignoring his fatigue. "Umbre!" Esmeralda did the same. The two hugged tightly together, sniffling as they finally reunited. I couldn't help but shed a few tears of happiness at their sweet reunion. "C'mon, Icy! You don't have to cry at every reunion!" Blossom said in my ear. "I...sniff...I just can't handle touching moments like this..."

"I'm...sniff...so glad you're alright..." Urias's voice trailed off. "I was...sniffle...I was so worried about you..." Esmeralda sniffled and dug her head into Urias's chest. "But as much as...sniffle...I want to enjoy this moment with you..." she muttered. "I get it, Espy..." Urias whispered, then the two turned to face the slowly gathering crowd, specifically in our direction and kneeling. "Thank you everymon! We couldn't have been here without you!" they shouted. "Aww~ looks like somemon needs a hug!"

"S-some personal space, please!" Urias muttered when Blossom tackled them with an enthusiastic hug. "We're glad...sniff...that you're both okay!" I managed to say between my sniffles. "Psst...Kuro, have you seen Ivy?" I heard Randy whisper. "No, not like I care," he snorted. "Duff?" he asked. "She told me she wanted some time for herself to think of private things,"

"Who attacked you anyway?" Kuro asked, then Urias tilted his head, trying to recall it while Esmeralda and I exchanged glances. "No idea, who knows?" he growled. "I remember the two dressed in some outfit," I mentioned. "More like a uniform, grey suit with some black appendages, along with a weird marking on their backs," Esmeralda described. "Grey and black...what did the marking look like?"

"I think it was a yellow symbol shaped like a counter-clockwise arrow, which was close to forming a circle," I described. "What...but that...it doesn't...it doesn't make sense, how?..." Randy muttered, seemingly lost in his thoughts. "Randy, do you know anything about it?" I asked, then he hesitated. "...no, it must be me imagining things...let's get back to the point," he replied. Despite feeling like he was hiding something, I didn't know what was in his mind. "...that sounded like...the letter G..."

"Umbre, you were right. They were after the Entercards," Esmeralda's words snapped me back into the situation. "I knew it! They were here to get in the way of our research, or they planned on stealing them 'cause they wanted to go to the Great Glacier themselves," Urias explained. "WHAT? D-did you say the Great Glacier?! I always wanted to go there!" Duff rattled in excitement. "That makes two of us!"

"Emolga...or I think your name was Kuro? And Duff, I don't know what's so astonishing about it. We've been working on this project for a while. Perhaps I haven't told you about it yet," Urias announced. "Or it was so boring that all of us fell asleep..." Randy's whisper made me slip out a small giggle. "Don't be such a killjoy, Umbre! They all seem so excited! They're all juveniles, can't you tell?"

"Ahh, my bad. You see, Espy and I have dedicated our lives to researching, and we have spent over two decades studying the Great Glacier," Urias explained. "Deep within the Glacier Palace, located in the center of the Great Glacier, lies the Great Crystal. It has immense power and defies the laws of gravity. That's what my Umbre believes in," Esmeralda continued. "Wow! I don't understand a thing, but it sounds awesome!" Blossom exclaimed. "Yet, there is no way to prove if it exists unless we prove the myth true by going there ourselves,"

"Nobody has been able to get past the huge crevasses and chilling winds, so we came up with another solution," Esmeralda explained one more. "If we manipulate the Ley Lines, we must be able to get past the natural barriers and teleport ourselves into the dungeon," Urias continued. "You can get there? Just with the cards?!" Blossom exclaimed in excitement. "We would still need a few adjustments, but it might be too late now..."

"Espy...you lost your bag, which means you don't have the Moon Cards anymore, do you? They stole it, didn't they?...it's fine...that doesn't matter. All that matters to me is that you're here with me again. I don't care about losing the cards if you...as long as you're safe and here with me, I'd be satisfied..." Urias's trailed off, jerking out my tears as I tucked out my pawkerchief. "I-I...the cards weren't stolen from me...sniff...instead...I would've preferred if they were..."

"Espy, what are you talking about?" Urias asked and nuzzled her as tears streamed down her cheeks, dampening her fur and the ground beneath her. "The truth is...I-I...sniffle...I did something unforgivable, something I truly regret..." Esmeralda sobbed. "Hey, ma'am!" a somewhat familiar voice called out. "Swintun? I thought you were grounded?"

"O-oh, you're here..." Esmeralda muttered with an expression full of mixed emotions. "Yep, I kinda am, but mom's not home, so~ " Swintun puffed out his chest confidently. "You...do realize your mom is standing right behind you, right?" Randy asked, then he turned around to see an angry figure towering over him. "Oh~ this is gonna be juicy!"

"M-mom, I-I can explain! J-just give me a minute or two! I'll get back on my chair!" Swintun stuttered as his angry mother glared at him. "Swintun! Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Esmeralda asked frantically and rushed to his side while we wondered what was happening. "Yep! I told you I'd be fine, ma'am! None of those sussy pokemon got to me! And my end of the promise, these are..." Swintun said with a smile and placed down two blue fragments with yellow crescents symbols on them. "Kept it all a secret! Didn't tell anymon just like I promised!"

"Th-thank you, Swintun! It must have been so scary for you!" Esmeralda said with tears of happiness. "I'm pretty strong! No way I'd be scared by stuff like that!" he bragged. "Yet he's afraid of his mom," Randy whispered, making Blossom and me let out snickers even though I was tearing up at the same time, it would be a weird scene for anymon who paid attention to me. "I'm..sniff...glad, please forgive me!"

Perhaps she was scared? But guilty and happy at the same time. As soon as she said that, she burst into tears. "Ma'am, I'm fine! The sussiest mons I met were these guys, who made me sit on the punishment chair for the past few days!" he comforted and pointed at us. "You're his mother, aren't you?...sniff...I-I'm so sorry! Because of my...sniffle...actions, I put your sweet child in danger!" she sobbed with her tail drooped. "...would you mind telling me what happened?" Leanna questioned. "Of course..."

"Ever since Umbre and I got separated, we've been running and running. I tried to get to Post Town first, but they cut me off by being one step ahead. I was so close to Post Town but never got the chance to get in, so I buried my precious belongings in Inflora Forest. With every step I took, it felt like they were right behind me. But when I reached my hiding spot, I figured that somemon else was there,"

"That's when I met Swintun. He had found my precious belongings, and I didn't have much time to react. We were both dazed by the situation. He apologized and tried to bury them back while I came up with an idea. I asked him if there was anything he wanted, and he chose the ruby out of everything, and I told him that he could take it as long as he promised me not to tell anymon about the cards. We reached an agreement and...that's the story...but after that, I realized what I had done. I put the Entercards in an innocent child's care, and if my pursuers found out he had the cards, I know they would definitely..." Esmeralda's voice trailed off as she finished the story. "Espy, you know that ruby cost me 20000 poke', right?"

"Immediately after realizing my mistake, I hurried back to Inflora Forest, but I was too late...Swintun was gone. Thinking of the danger I put him in, I...thank Arceus he's safe, thank goodness nothing happened..." Esmeralda said through her tears, ignoring her mate's accusations. "Don't blame yourself. You acted like it because you were afraid and had no other choice. Thank you for sharing this with me. Swintun surely has become stronger after keeping his word to you. I am grateful..."

Esmeralda completely broke down after their talk, soaking herself in her tears while I smiled through teary eyes. "That's great, isn't it, Espy?" Urias said in her ear. "Does that mean I'm free from my punishment?" Swintun asked. "No, you're still grounded," Leanna insisted. "Aww, c'mon, mom!" he groaned as the two left. "What do you two plan on doing now?"

"If it's not too much trouble, can we stay here for a while? We're sure to become targets as soon as we leave here, and neither of us can fight in our shape," Urias asked. "Of course, but you'll still have to pay your bills. You can keep your current room since nobody needs it for now," Swanya said with a smile. "Ugh! I knew we'd have to pay the bills!"

"Mrs.Esmeralda, are you feeling a little better?" I asked and padded over. "Yes, thank you for being such a sweet girl, Icy. I'm a little tired, that's all," her comment made me blush a little. "Th-that's...it was nothing. I'm just not used to seeing an Eeveelution hurt, that's all!" I replied with a smile. "An Eeveelution?..." she asked. "My father, a Glaceon! He's the best dad!"

"Could you tell me his age?..." Esmeralda asked while I hesitated for a moment. "Age, gimme a second...I don't think I remember the exact number since he didn't care about his hatchday, but he's in his thirties," I replied in embarrassment. "Oh..." Esmeralda muttered. "Mrs.Esmeralda, is anything the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing big...just...a long time ago, before we set out on our journey, Umbre and I...had an egg..." she started. "It was accidental, but we had an egg by accident. We were planning on having a short research, but we couldn't just leave the egg, so we asked a Xatu to take care of it for us, and we would return in a few months just before it hatched,"

"We were a little delayed, but we did our best to get back as soon as possible to meet our child, yet...we found the whole town...dead. Xatu, brutally slain. We searched for the egg, just when we were about to give up, we came across a cracked eggshell in the bushes, which would mean our Eevee was alive. That's what Umbre and I believe..."

"Mrs.Esmeralda, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have reminded you of it!" I apologized frantically. "No worries, we got over our loss. I hope our child is living happily somewhere else!" she managed a smile...this sounded so familiar for some reason. "But Mrs.Esmeralda, you look like you're 30,"

"Pffft! 30? Umbre, you heard what she said?" Esmeralda burst out laughing while Urias choked on the water he was drinking. "...are you older than that?" I asked. "About 1.5 times the number!" she replied with a grin. "But 30...and 1.5 times? 1.5 times 30 is...how does multiplying work again?..." I wondered in confusion but decided not to ask. "Blossom, what are you doing with her cheek fur?"

"Wow! It's true! Your cheek fur is so soft and fluffy! I wish I had those!" Blossom exclaimed and played with Esmeralda's extended fur. "Blossom, it's still sexual harassment if you're a girl!" I stated. "No, it isn't!" she debated. "Yes, it is!" I argued. "I don't mind my fur played. Umbre does it all the time! But it's cleaner and fluffier after being washed and combed!"

"Really?" Randy asked, padding over with a red print on his cheek, obviously given by Kuro. "Oh my god, I can't believe you two are like this..." I muttered. "I just wanted to confirm what I learned at school. Rumor has it that you won't ever want to let go after touching an Espeon's cheek fur, may I?" he asked. "Sure!"

"Wow, it's so soft! It does feel good to fumble around!" Randy exclaimed and did the same as Blossom. "Pervs..." I sighed and shook my head. "Come on, Icy! Give it a try! I promise it's good!" Blossom exclaimed. "Ugh...fine, just a small touch..." I muttered and padded over. "Oh my god! It really does feel good!"

We kept touching her fur while she stood there until Urias came over and told us not to touch his wife. Honestly, I have no of about what had gotten into me, but Randy's statement seemed legit at some point. We apologized to them, then Esmeralda dismissed her mate by telling him we were giving her a facial massage. Later, I also learned that Randy's swollen cheek originated from trying to separate Kuro and Ivy in an argument, where Kuro was losing like he always did.

"Psst...Esmeralda, back then, you said you had a way for me to get back at Randy, and that way is..." I whispered. "Oh, right...are there any stores around here that sell baby products?" she asked. "Yeah...Mrs.Leanna happens to own one. What do you need it for?" I questioned. "Perfect, I'd visit the place today and thank her by purchasing some products!"

"Mrs.Esmeralda, I still don't get how this will work, and do you need me to pay for it?" I questioned as she picked a few items and went to the counter. "I believe I still have a little poke' on me..." she said with a smile and took a few coins from her half-torn pockets. "I should start replenishing those, shouldn't I...?" she muttered as I glanced at the items in confusion. "Well, let's find your friend now!"

"There he is!" I whispered in Esmeralda's ear. "He's...washing a girl's..." Esmeralda watched in confusion while Randy did his and Blossom's laundry. "Don't ask..." I said with a sigh. "You should go get that Rockruff, and that girlfriend of his, too!" Esmeralda whispered. "Wait, we're telling him about it?...and girlfriend...you realized that quite fast!" I said with a snicker. "Oh, hey! Randy! We got a special gift for you!"

"This is...a red ball? And a squeaky sandwich?" Blossom asked as Randy finished up his work and padded over. "Honestly, I have no idea how this all works. You have to ask Mrs.Esmeralda about it," I muttered with the same confused look. "Oh, no worries, just hold the ball up and call his name!" Esmeralda explained and did a demonstration with Blossom. "O' Rockruff~ " Esmeralda called out. "Wha- is that...A BALL?"

"Yeah?" Blossom replied, and Randy dashed over and snatched the ball from her grasp. "BALL! Master! Master! Throw the ball!" Randy exclaimed, wagging his tail and rolling the ball to Blossom. "M-master? Oh. My. Dog. I've never seen him like this..." Blossom blurted out with an intense blush while Esmeralda and I were laughing like maniacs. "Interesting, isn't it?"

"YES! BALL!" Randy dashed after the ball after Blossom tossed it away, then swiftly returned with the ball in his mouth, dropping it in front of Blossom and sitting with his tail wagging nonstop. "Master! Throw! Throw!" Randy barked while Blossom's blush intensified. Then Blossom tossed the ball again, and Randy went after it again. "I think we broke him...will we be able to fix him?"

"Don't worry about it! He'll snap out of it after he gets worn out~ now, it's time to teach him a new command~ " Esmeralda chanted with a giggle while I watched in amazement. "Tell him to sit," Esmeralda whispered in Blossom's ear. "Randy, sit!"

"Yes, Master!" he obeyed and sat down, panting with his tongue dangling out. Blossom blushed even more as Esmeralda whispered the new command to her. "Randy, look at this!" Blossom commanded and took out-a stick! "Yes! Yes, Master! Please play fetch with me!"

"Here, fetch!"

"Arf!"

Blossom seemed to start enjoying it, and I soon joined the game, too. Playing with Randy...or more like playing Randy was loads of fun. Later on, we also tried petting him, ruffling his fur, tickling him while he stayed on the point under our orders, and rubbing his upper chest and neck until Randy finally collapsed under exhaustion. "Guess our fun ends here..."

"It's a pity we can't have more..." I muttered in disappointment while Randy rolled back and forth on the ground, then his legs went sprawled out while he lay on his back. "I can't believe you've done this..." he whined as he slowly returned to his senses. "Told you you'd like it!" Esmeralda said with a smile. "Yes, I do! Today is the best day ever!"

"I'm so very going to get back at...whoever came up with this stupid idea..." Randy grumbled while I fought to hide a snicker. "If you want him to obey your orders, just squeeze this sandwich, all yours!" Esmeralda said with a grin. "Not like I'm going to fall for it. Icy, I'm not giving you your deluxe Rawst berry- *squeak* YES! I'll get it right away!"

As soon as we got home, Randy went to the bathroom immediately. He came out half-naked, perhaps because he had lost all of his strength, even the energy to think. He passed out instantly when his head hit the pillow, then I saw Blossom pad over to him and quietly whisper an apology in his ear, hugging him before going for a bath herself. "Best day ever...wait a minute...Blossom's going to spend hours in the bathroom! Blossom, wait!" I snapped back to my senses and shouted. "Too late!"

"The night breeze feels so comfortable~," I muttered. Under normal circumstances, other pokemon would think the night is cold, but the fact that I was an Ice type helped a lot. I padded across the bridge and decided to have a midnight stroll in town. Most stores were closed, and their lights were off, except for Swanya's inn and the small pokecenter that still had their lights on.

Having nothing to do, I decided to go home. On my way back, some sounds caught my attention. The sounds were coming from Boros' tent, did anymore dare to steal from him? "Aha! Finally found it! The map of the Air Continent!" a muffled voice exclaimed as I readied my Aurora Beam. "Hey there, Icy! What are you doing here at such a time?"

"A-Aren?" my attack died down. "Sorry, I thought you were some thief or something, I'm only walking around 'cause I'm waiting for Blossom to finish her bath," I apologized. "Ah, Sir Boros did mention you were jumpy at times. Sorry for startling you," his apology made me blush in embarrassment. "Yeah, I suppose..."

"Say, Boros gave me the assignment to map out the whole world, more like making a world map. Could you help me map out the Grass continent?" Aren's question struck me unprepared. "Y-yeah, I mean, but in what way?" I asked. "By taking me there,"

"Please, I promise it'll be fast, and I'll pay for the traveling costs and the food! I need some help with this!" he pleaded while I hesitated. "I could do that...how long will it take?" I asked. "Two weeks at max if there's somemon to guide me," he replied. "But why don't you choose Blossom?"

"Eh...you know, she's a little too huggy, plus she can't leave since she's the leader of your team. he replied as I let out a sigh. "I could use a visit to my parents after all...and my old friends, but could you please give me time to say goodbye to my friends here?" I asked. "You accept...just like that?" he asked in astonishment. "Our job is to help mons in need, isn't it?"

"If Boros assigned you on this mission, it must be important," I added with a smile. "Thanks, Icy...can we depart next morning?" he asked. "Th-that fast?" I asked, and thought about my friends. "There are only ships in the morning 'cause they can't navigate at night. You can postpone it if you'd like to. Sorry for my abruptness," he apologized again. "I'm pretty sure there's a ship happening at home, but...yeah, I should say goodbye to them! My dream was...is to venture across the world and help those in need. Let's head out two days later!"

"I'm back after half an hour, and of course, Blossom, you had to fall asleep in the bathtub..."

--------------------

(the inn, third POV)

Esmeralda slept soundly, snuggled up with Urias while a green quadrupedal stood guard. "I'm glad you're both fine, even though being worn out," Ivy broke the silence. "I am too...I was afraid that I wouldn't see her again..." Urias' voice trailed off and caressed his sleeping mate, making her let out a purr of relaxation. "Knowing her, she might nibble on my tail anytime now. She sometimes does it unconsciously in her sleep,"

"Those kids, they're interesting, aren't they?" Urias said with a smile. "Yes, though I'm not fit to call them that with my age in this lifecycle, I'd say so," Ivy agreed. "That Emolga, did anything happen between you?"

"......"

"It was obvious that you two had some differences. Espy noticed it, too," Urias observed. "He's nothing more than an empty showoff," Ivy muttered. "Ivy, you changed quite a bit, haven't you?...but what made you two dislike each other so much? Earlier today, he ran back here, injured, sweating, and panting. He asked if you could help Randy and Blossom in their fight with some Excadrills. You didn't even consider helping him until he knelt and begged for your help. You know he's more than that!"

"......"

"Ivy, you were so different in the past! In the past, you would have gone to help them! So I must ask...what changed you, Ivy?" Urias questioned. "He's...he...it's because..." Ivy's voice stammered and droplets formed on the edges of her eyes. "It's because of him, isn't it? After how long, Ivy, you're still dwelling on this?" Urias called out. His mate let out a small whimper, which he quickly comforted and lulled back to sleep. "I know...I know he was trying to help, but Urias..."

"Changing is so hard, Urias...I can't get over it! I don't know where they are! I don't even know where he is or what happened to him!" Ivy shouted with watery eyes, tears slowly falling to the floor. "Ivy, you can change! Believe me! You definitely can! I trust you!" Urias insisted. "I...I will try...aside from my strength, I was a proud and horrible friend to them, I don't know how..."

"I believe in you, Ivy! Tomorrow is a new start. Let's go to sleep..."

--------------------

(???'s POV)

"Ugh!" a grunt woke me up from eternal darkness. I looked around. My surroundings were unfamiliar, covered by dead, leafless trees while the human lay next to me. "Get up, Zane! Get up!" another voice yelled. "B-but dad! My legs are all aching and-oww!" the first mon wailed. "Ngh...what happened..."

"I-I don't know! I woke up here, but it's all dark and scary!" I whimpered as the human got onto her feet. "Where are we...wait, Fluffball...you can talk?" she asked. "Wha-of course I can!" I yelled. "Wait a minute...I can understand you. Wow, Fluffball! I can understand you!" she exclaimed and grabbed me. "U-understand me? Wait...you mean you've been deaf all this time?!"

"Deaf? What are you talking about? Oh...this is a dream, isn't it?" she asked. "So you're telling me since we met, I've been talking to nobody but myself when you had me in your arms?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "Well, your purrs were cute!" she said with a smile. "I-I'm not cute! I'm handsome!" I argued as I felt myself blush. "So, if this is a dream, none of these is true, right?"

"I'm not sure, but if we're in a dream, or if you're in my dream, you must not be real! Wow, I'd better cherish the moment! I'd prefer it to be real! The two of us in a dark forest, this must be some adventuring dream!" she exclaimed and held me up. "I'd prefer it not to be true, but I still can't believe you didn't understand anything I tried to tell you and still guessed a lot of them right,"

"Let's go deeper into the woods!" Nebula suggested. "N-no! Please don't, I'm scared!... I-I mean...I'm not scared, but I don't like dark places!" I whimpered. "C'mon, if this is a dream, what could happen? Having an adventure is going to be fun!" she held my fluff with her hands as I squirmed feebly to get away. "But wait, if this is a dream..."

"Are you inside my dream?" I asked in confusion. "You dream? No, you're inside my dream!" she debated. "Inside your dream? No, you're the one in my dream since I can think!" I argued, then both of us stared at each other. "If both of us can think, this has to be one of us dreaming. But it has to be me! We can't dream together and be in the same dream!"

"Dad, my legs can't take it anymore!...our stamina isn't built for long-lasting battles or journeys!" the voice from earlier cried again, followed by a painful cry. "Let's go and check on what's happened there!" Nebula shouted and ran toward it, still firmly gripping my fluff. "Stop grabbing my fluff! I'm going to get fur in my mouth!" I whined. "But it's soft!"

We swerved between the dead trees and soon saw three Treeckos in front of us, two significantly larger than the last one. "B-but dad, it hurts! My feet hurt!" the smaller one complained. "You'll attract Sableyes with all this whining," the female one scolded. "M-mom, you told me that our evolution line hunts in packs, didn't you? We're not supposed to run for such a long distance on ourselves, are we? Where is the rest of our pack?" the small one asked, then the large ones exchanged glances. "We don't have a pack, Zane. And we're not going to find one,"

"ZANE?! This small dude is Zane?!" Nebula exclaimed while I stared in astonishment. It was hard to notice the color difference they had in the dark, but I could tell the colors of the small Treecko seemed a bit off, then before we could go any further, everything started crumbling away.

"Wh-where are we now?" I asked as I woke up in a warm room. I didn't remember falling unconscious but seeing Nebula sitting behind me, me sitting on her lap with her arms wrapped around my torso, made me feel much calmer. "Ah, I see that you've woken up..."

"Who are you? What is your identity?" I stuttered as I looked at the ghostly entity's face. "I don't mean to startle you, but you may call me...Darkrai," he replied and lit the stove while he sat on the other chair. "Darkrai...I think I've heard this name before. I've heard Blossom muttering your name in her sleep and Spark comforting her, but I don't know who you are. You sound like some bad guy or some antagonist,"

"I do...get the reason for that, I did save you from a nightmare experiment, but the others kept my story away from you, didn't they?" Darkrai asked and narrowed his eyes. "Th-that was you? O-oh, right, it was!" I cringed at the memory of the haunted house. "But, what are you talking about?..."

"I may tell you about it or let Zane tell you about the story later. Right now, I'm asking if you want her to wake up," he questioned. "Zane? Did he keep something a secret? And what do you mean by waking her up?" I asked and tried to wake her up by pawing and shaking her, then I tried licking her cheeks, but to no avail. "He did, and I'm asking her the same question on the other side. She hesitated if she wanted to keep petting you in your sleep but decided yes,"

"What do you mean by that? How does this work?" I asked in confusion. "Well? What's your answer?" he questioned. "If she said yes, then I might as well say yes, too," I replied and tilted my head, then the room darkened, and I closed my eyes. I blinked my eyes open to see Nebula do the same and look at me. "Wow! You're awake!"

"Let's have a chat then," Darkrai said and sparked an ember with one of his fingers, then shot it toward the furnace on our right and lit it up. "Cool magic trick!" Nebula applauded. "Thank you...now I may ask you, Fluffball, do you want to go home?" he asked. "What? Yes! Of course, I do!" I exclaimed. "Nebula, do you want a happier life somewhere else?" Darkrai asked. "I guess so?" she replied in confusion. "Good, now take a look for yourselves,"

"Th-the room is crumbling away!" we exclaimed as the room dissolved into darkness. Nebula was still in her seat while I sat on her lap, the two of us gazing wordlessly at the lab as we floated in the air. Zane, Nebula, and I all lay on the ground, eyes shut. "A-a-are we dead?!"

"Shall I bring back the furnace?" Darkrai spoke from behind while the two of us tried to get down. We tried everything we could. Nebula pounded the floor while I tried to use a move, but it was all useless. There seemed to be some invisible barrier beneath us, which we couldn't feel but somehow existed. "Mr.Black! What's going on? What happened to us?!" Nebula yelled and tried to grab Darkrai, but Darkrai instantly disappeared from our sight, and he was already behind when we turned around.

"Darkrai! What are you doing?!" I screamed at him as the Darkrai, another Darkrai underneath us, floated toward Zane. "Enjoying a live show, do you not enjoy these?" he questioned. "Please! I-I want to go home!" I wailed. "Home...is a few dimensions away. We shall leave that subject till later,"

To our surprise, Zane sprang up with an X-Scissor aimed at Darkrai's face. However, Darkrai was somehow quicker, dodging the attack and striking Zane with a Sucker Punch, flinging him backward as Zane defended it with Quick Guard. Zane opened his viable eye and glared at Darkrai. "Leave them alone!"

"Impressive, using Worry Seed on yourself in time and faking to be unconscious, yet somewhat predictable. Zane, you're mistaken. I'm merely here to help you. I suggest to cease this fight this very moment," Darkrai offered. "Why are they fighting at the moment?" Nebula asked. "I'm not sure either, but Darkrai knocked us unconscious, and Zane is gonna kick his as-butt, that's for sure,"

"Hell, would I believe in you!" Zane snarled and fired a storm of seeds at him. Darkrai defended the Bullet Seeds with a Snark, but one of the seeds slipped past. It went straight for Darkrai's chest, penetrating it and flying toward the other side. Suddenly, an image flashed before our eyes.

"Cresselia! No!" Darkrai's voice echoed through the void while a sphere of pink energy flew at him. The attack blasted Darkrai when he was about to dodge. Darkrai fell onto the grassless-mountain side, groaning while black smoke seeped out of his body. "You can't run forever, Darkrai!"

Wh-what was that?!" Nebula exclaimed when my vision flashed again. Our surroundings changed back to the lab. Darkrai had a small hole from the last attack, but it quickly disappeared after being covered by dark smoke. "Y-you saw that too, right?" I asked Nebula, and she nodded. "Ah, I suppose you two are starting to understand. Ms.Nebula, Fluffball, this: is a battle of memories,"

--------------------

(???'s POV)

Note: this was supposed to be in the last chapter, but I couldn't fit it in.

"C'mon, wake up, you stupid feline!" a loud voice interrupted my sweet dreams, followed by a kick in the stomach. "Ugh...Sis, I told you not to do that..." I groaned as I opened my eyes to see Quinn glaring at me. "Oh hey, morning, Quinn. Where were you last night...?" I muttered groggily.

"Spark, get up! You've been sleeping for roughly a month!" she snapped. "A month?...surely it's only been one night," I mumbled and rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes. "You told me you wouldn't oversleep! Do you know what time it is?" she yelled. "Huh?...time for breakfast?..." I asked. "It's 1 in the afternoon! You slept in!" she replied. "Oh snap! What was I going to do this morning? Am I late for sentry work again-meowch!"

"Did you really have to wake me in such a violent way?" I complained as we set out on the mission again. "It always worked when mom did it," she replied with a smile. "Yeah, sure, I don't get how somemon can't wake up when their tails are scorched...do you even have a tail?" I asked and glanced at my poor tail. "No idea, maybe I do!"

Before we knew it, we arrived at the edge of Oblivion Forest. Without hesitation, I went in, observing the ground for the trace of any familiar pawprints. "What are you doing?" Quinn asked. "Checking on the ground," I replied and continued. "Do you hear something?" Quinn asked. "No? Why?" I questioned. "I don't know, but it seems to be coming our way,"

"Bzzzzzt!"

"Wh-what sound is that?!" I panicked and tried to think of any pokemon who would make the sound. "BZZZZT!" the sound grew louder. It now sounded like branches and trees were getting sliced apart. "But there aren't pawprints indicating any wild pokemon, and I'm at the dungeon's entrance!" I panicked even more as it grew louder and louder. "Q-Quinn? Quinn? Where are you?!"

I looked around, and Quinn was nowhere around. Then I checked for any sign of enemies approaching. Nothing seemed to be coming at me, but I saw cut marks on trees around me. "Careful, Spark...this might be a Ground type, be ready to jump any moment..." I muttered and concentrated on the floor until, "CLANK!"

"Why did I forget to look behind..." was the last thought that crossed my mind before everything went black.

(sometime later)

"Wh-what happened? My head feels like it got hit by a Revaroom..." I groaned as I sat up to find myself facing a few metal bars. "H-h-he's awake!" a voice yelled. "AHH! DON'T EAT ME!" I screamed and shrank into a ball. Whatever had knocked me out must have been exceedingly powerful. "N-no! You don't eat me!"

"Huh?" I peeped an eye open, then slowly stretched when I saw a Buizel shuddering, covering his eyes and facing a wall. I observed my surroundings. We were in a cave of some sort. A few metal bars encaged us while rocky walls surrounded us. I tried to move around and noticed heavy balls attached to my hind legs, restraining my movement.

"D-don't eat me!" the Buizel shuddered as I padded closer to him. "H-hey, it's fine! I'm not going to eat you or anything like that!" I comforted. "B-but they locked me in here! They locked us in the same cage! It means they're gonna feed me to you, doesn't it?" he wailed. "Wh-what? Feed you to me?!" my face went pale as I imagined the bloody scene. "N-n-no! That's not what's going to happen!"

"You...really aren't going to eat me?" the Buizel turned around. By his looks, he seemed a few years younger than me. "Why would I eat you? Just...look at my teeth!" I opened my mouth. "I-I'm gonna die! This is my last day, isn't it?!" he screamed. "Th-they're blunt, aren't they?" I felt them with my paw. "Goodbye, cruel world!" he cried. "O-oh, sorry, I forgot they've got much sharper after I evolved..."

"Just...sorry! Please calm down! I'm not eating anymon! I'm Spark, an Explorer from Wigglytuff's guild! On a rescue mission to rescue a..." I told him my purpose and smacked my forehead. "A Buizeil and a Cyndaquill, how can you be so stupid, Spark? Now you're the mon who needs rescuing," I muttered. "Wait, a Cyndaquill? Are you talking about Quinn?"

"QUINN?! That annoying Quilava was one of my rescue targets throughout the entire mission?! Unbelievable! How could I not think of that possibility? I feel so dumb right now!" I muttered. "Annoying!? How dare you! Quinn's my girlfriend!" the Buizel yelled. "Sorry...what's your name anyway?" I apologized. "Buiron, Buiron Bluestream, Buiron is fine,"

"What a long name, but it's a pleasure to meet you, now...how did we get here?" I asked. "I don't know, but I am glad you met Quinn beforepaw. We got chased by a bunch of Cryogonals, we ran in different directions, and that's the last time I saw her. I woke up here sometime later, still hungry...what about you?" he asked. "I got knocked out, and the next thing I knew, I was here. I don't even know where my bag is..."

"Now, let's figure a way to get past these bars..." I thought for a second as I looked at the bars, then at Buiron. "Have you ever tried squeezing through the bars? I might be too big, but you look just fine," I asked. "Why didn't I think of that?" Buiron said with a smile and walked to the bars. "Alright, one, two, three!" counting by himself, he stuck his head between the gaps, half of his head went past, but half of it was... "Oh, crap..."

"Help, my head is stuck!" he shouted and squirmed in an attempt to get free, but his head got stuck in place. "Help me, Spark!" he beckoned. "No, if I pull on you, I might snap your spinal cord by accident, and you'll be dead for good!" I stated. "Good point, but I still need help. I'm stuck!"

"I know a few ways to get you out, but you must promise you're not gonna punch me after I do so, okay?" I asked. "Alright, just help me already!" he whined. "Great," I muttered and padded toward him, then pulled off his... "DUDE, WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"No! Don't! You promised you wouldn't hit me if I got you out!" I pleaded and covered my eyes. "Fair enough...just don't pull my pants off next time," he drew a sigh and lowered his fist. "Guess we should try another way," I wondered out loud and sat down. "Hey! What's all that noise!?" an unfamiliar voice called out.

"Oh no, this ain't well..."

(end of chapter 12)

--------------------

That's the end of the chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it! I had to rush this chapter because I wasn't available the entire last week, and the Spark part could have been a little better, but anyway, same old rules and stuff, Cya next time!"

2023/01/01 4:59 a.m. gmt+8