When Lute came to, he was repulsed by the state he was in. His fur was sticky, drenched, and marked all over with stains of the mud and moss. He brushed and shook himself off as much as he could, but it made little difference. Once his lack of energy made itself apparent, he focused and looked around. He was still in the cave by the river, but it looked like the current had calmed right down compared to earlier. The water didn't look as deep, either.
"Wait, Sylveon," he whispered, searching the ground for her. She wasn't too far from him; though she was just as dirty, still unconscious but breathing. On closer inspection, her head had some red marks beneath her drooping, messy head fur. Lute dared to move that fur out of the way, revealing an awful cut.
"She's still bleeding?" he gasped and began to panic a bit. He was surprised to find his bag poking out of the mud near where he woke up, but he thanked the almighty he found it and rummaged through it. It was a waterproof drawstring bag that he'd gotten his mother to sew tighter for him, letting it seal airtight. Thanks to that, his scarf and souvenirs inside were untouched, if a little damp and cold.
He didn't think twice to grab the scarf. He struggled to move Sylveon around thanks to her size, but sitting her up so that his hind legs held her head straight let him concentrate on tying the scarf around her head. He barely got to tying the actual knot when she started to squirm and moan however, and he slowed down.
"Are you?" he muttered. Her eyes slowly opened, meeting his face upside-down. That made her blink, and then she noticed his legs beside her face.
"Argh what the heck!" she cried, throwing herself upwards. Her forehead hit his chin hard, and then the two were stumbling around in tears and pain. "A-ah... what was that for?"
"What's that for? Why did you do that?" he cried, realising he was getting more dirt on his face. "Gah, no! But it hurts..."
"I mean what do you think you're doing? Eek, ow," she squeaked, retracting a paw from her head. A feeler went to touch it next, which only made her cringe.
"Y-yeah, er... your head was bleeding a bit so I was going to use my scarf to help or something," he calmed down.
"Your scarf... a scarf is not a bandage!" she cried, pulling a feeler away to reveal the light mark of blood. "Damn it's bleeding and everything... what'd I do to get that?"
"You hit your head really hard when we fell in the river, I think. I found you at the bottom, passed out," Lute informed.
"When we fell in the river," Sylveon mumbled blankly. She looked around, then back at him and grit her fangs. "What the hell?"
"What?" he flinched.
"When 'we' fell in the river? What the heck were you doing with me that brought me to this dank, dark... I don't even know where we are. What is this place? Were you trying to do funny stuff with me?" she replied. She stomped with her steps, quickly realising she'd sunk her feet into the mud. "Argh it's gross!"
"Wait but I- you," Lute trailed off, staring at her.
"What?"
"I was f-following you! You were by the river and used that magic to cross the water. I got stuck with you until you confronted those Spirle Frogadier, and then all this water came in and swamped us over here. We barely made it," he explained, shaking his paws. Sylveon looked more and more lost with every word.
"I dunno what you're talking about, but just- okay, whatever. I'm gettin' outta here," she dismissed. She searched side to side briefly, and then stumbled off. She chose to walk in the opposite direction the river was heading in.
"That's the wrong way!" he cried with a paw stuck out.
"Oh yeah? How do you know?" She challenged.
"We were carried by the river. That means we'll be going back on ourselves if we go in the opposite direction of the current. If we follow the current, we'll reach wherever the river meets the sea," he explained. "But I know this cave, too. If we can get out of the cave, we can find our way back to town."
"Then I'm counting on you, genius," she replied, strolling toward him. Lute watched until she was right behind him, where she slapped him lightly with a feeler. "Well then? Get moving if you know the way out."
"I just... wait I'm so confused. Why am I leading now?" he cocked his head.
"Because you're the one that got me into this mess, you're the one that knows the way out, so therefore, you're the one that's gonna take responsibility and get me out," Sylveon reasoned, half lidded. "And don't try anything funny. I know how to snap necks."
Lute cringed at the thoughts that put in his head. He couldn't help but feel bullied by the statement, but when he turned to start their trek, he realised that part of it was true. This Sylveon was clearly very powerful and was busy taking on some important mission. If he had actually listened to her rather than worrying about his own judgement, he wouldn't have gotten stuck in the river cave and she wouldn't have had to account for him when dealing with those Frogadier.
Still, one problem at a time. Right now, he needed to keep walking and find that exit. He was either going to throw up thanks to the amalgamation of stenches, or not knowing whether it was mud or dung his feet kept sinking into. He felt hungry, weak, dirty, and above all else, worried about what was going to happen next. Suddenly not knowing was the scariest thing.
"Are... you going to tell me why you came here?" he asked after a while of walking. There was barely a change in the surroundings.
"That's a funny question to ask. But I'm fairly sure it's none of your business," she answered.
He went quiet for a moment. "What's your name?"
"Also a funny question to ask. But this time, it's just because you've got to tell me yours, first," she said, a light smile showing on her face.
"I'm Lute, Lute Violets. I'm a student at Everend school, in my last year," he introduced with his own light smile. Phew, we're getting somewhere now.
"Lute. That's... a good name. I'll remember it," she replied. She started to slow down, and raised her head. She murmured a few thoughts when Lute slowed down for her, and then grabbed her head with a feeler. "I... can't think straight. You'll have to forgive me."
"Is your head still hurting? My scarf's still clean, if you want to use it," Lute suggested.
"Not it's not that, it's... I... don't know. I-I can't think of my own name right now," she said, downing her ears. "Oh gods, I don't know my own name, I don't know why or how I'm here, I–"
"Whoa, are you okay?" he gasped.
"I am I just, I honestly can't freaking remember anything. I just," she stuttered as she came to a complete halt. "This is a mystery dungeon."
"Huh?" Lute turned back to the surroundings.
The cave had begun to slope and open out, creating a room with the indented river running through the middle. Several paths split all over, and an influx of Rattata could be heard scuttling around. Most of them blended in with the dark colours, so each little hint of their presence made his fur cold.
"Is this really what a mystery dungeon looks like? This is impossible," Lute mumbled.
"Well here we are. You said you know this place though, so I'm still counting on you," Sylveon stated.
"I know the cave, but mystery dungeons aren't supposed to exist anymore. We have the technology to get rid of them!" he cried.
Sylveon's face tensed. "The technology? What're you on about now?"
"The authorities got a grip on mysteriosity waves and now control them. Because of that, they were able to stop terrain from shifting and creating these dangerous dungeons," Lute explained.
"Well we can clearly see that this is a mystery dungeon. There's no arguing that. So less questioning, more getting outta here," she said.
He opened his mouth to respond but realised that she was right again. Thankfully for her, this wasn't a situation he didn't know how to deal with. Well, he had never been in a mystery dungeon before, but being so obsessed with them meant he knew a thing or two about them. Like how the layouts may have been random but could be exploited to find the exit quicker, or that the corridors were the worst places to be.
This dungeon was in the middle of Everend Cave's main path. Therefore, if we keep following the river, even the mystery dungeon won't be able to distort the natural geometry, he thought as he examined the room. Surely enough, the path of the water followed its own corridor, and one that looked like the path they had been following thus far. He nodded sternly and trotted off, prompting Sylveon to follow.
"Confident strut, watertight bag... you look like you know what you're doing," she praised with a cocky smirk.
"I'm just going by the river theory I had before. Even if a mystery dungeon somehow formed, it can't stop the river's natural path. It can only distort it a bit," he reasoned.
"See that honestly makes no sense to me. Aren't mystery dungeons natural? They're dungeons!" she remarked.
"It's just technology stuff. I don't fully get it myself, but we don't have them anymore," Lute explained with a sway of his head. "Apparently, mystery dungeons used to be all over the world of Aseria. But scientists got to understand how they work and how to stop them from being so convoluted. Eventually, we turned them into normal caves and forests, where we then got to turn them into normal places where Pokémon can live. So Aseria's not supposed to have any mystery dungeons in it."
"And you know this because... being a scientist is your dream?" she asked, a hint of smugness in her tone.
"Being a hero! That's what I wanna be more than anything in the world!" he bounced excitedly. He stopped when the mud below him splashed.
"A hero?" she repeated.
"Yeah! There's this really cool team of Pokémon called the Agents of King's Shield. They help Pokémon all over the world by rescuing them and fighting criminals and stuff!" he said with the world's brightest smile. "They have the funnest adventures, and all of them are so cool. It's been my dream to join them and have those adventures too, helping Pokémon in need. That's why I do my best to learn all about the past and the battles they—"
"Alright alright. But less like a superhero and more like a nerd using science and logic to save the day," she said, rubbing her head with a feeler. Why does all this seem new to me? If he's not lying and I came here, then how comes I?
"S-sorry. Yeah I guess. I learnt all about mystery dungeons even though they're not in our world anymore because I find it all interesting and stuff," he snickered.
"Well once again, we're in one. So it kinda paid off," she shrugged. She began to pant and her vision blurred. If it wasn't for her stopping to try and get a hold of herself, she wouldn't have noticed the camouflaged Rattata sneaking their way around her. She tried to flinch when she realised where they were headed, but barely managed greater than a stumble. "Lute, stop!"
"Huh? Are you okay?" he asked.
"In front of us! Right in front of us!" she cried.
Her tone made Lute spin around and cry out, but thankfully he picked up on them before he stepped into their trap. The mud-covered Rattata had bundled together a few paces in front of them, and were barely visible thanks to the darkness. He could just about make out the sheen of their fangs and eyes when the rodents glared at him. Each Pokémon was only half his size, but with so many of them together, they resembled a swarm of bug types.
"Waah, do they want to fight us?" he cried.
"You idiot of course they do. They're feral Pokémon! Knock 'em all aside with a wide attack," Sylveon stretched her feet apart.
Lute hesitated and tried not to look too afraid of them. A few teeth gnashed together and then three Rattata lunged at once, latching onto his mane. He wailed like a baby as he shook them off and fled back to Sylveon's side. They barely hurt as much as he thought they would since they only hit his looser fur, but he was still left shivering.
"Get it together! Use Swift or something," she ordered, stepping backward. The Rattata screeched at them, so she growled back. "Damn feral rats."
"I-I—" Lute stammered.
"Please don't tell me you can't do Swift."
"I-I've never been in a real fight before!"
"I thought you said you wanted to be a hero?" she cried. She shook her head and leapt forward, keeping her eyes on the snarling rats. "Forget it, I'll take care of this."
"S-Sylveon!" Lute cried. He leaned out to her, only to be reminded that his worries were unfounded. The same three Rattata darted toward her with Quick attack, but were felled by an easy slap from one of her feelers. She tried to hop to the side to dodge a few others that jumped at her afterwards, but the mud slowed her down and they managed to latch to her side. She winced but pulled them off as if she didn't get bitten at all, resisting the pain of their Bite attacks.
Sylveon moved to use an attack, but instead stumbled forward as if she tripped up. The Rattata even moved out of the way in expectation of an attack flying out, but nothing came but a curse and a furious look on Sylveon's face.
"S-Sylveon?" Lute gasped.
"I don't remember my moves! What's your excuse?" she shouted without looking back. The enemies exchanged a quick conversation, and then gathered together to lunge at her again. She guarded her face, but they bit into her feelers and dealt more damage.
"Oooh, please work," Lute muttered.
He tensed up and then shook himself to channel his energy into his front paws. Bright stars flashed beneath them, and with a high jump into the air, he threw those stars toward the enemies. There were only two stars at the time of charging, but out came a whole flurry of them; white, flickering, five-pointed stars of energy that showered the Rattata in flashes and blasts. They squeaked and fled back into the dungeon in a flash.
"S-see? Was that so difficult?" Sylveon said, her head hung.
"I-I didn't think I was strong enough to... I got lucky because they were so small and scared," Lute blinked at the fleeing Rattata.
"We should go before they come back. Or any other feral Pokémon," Sylveon huffed between words.
"Are you okay? O-one of them must've been poisonous, oh no!"
"It's not poison damn it," she raised her voice. She ended on a groan and stumbled side to side, coming to halt by leaning on the wall. Her feelers all wrapped around her body and her face was was pale. "I don't seem to have any strength left. I could barely walk before but now I..."
"Oh no... They must've all used Super Fang," Lute cocked his head.
"Super Fang?" she replied.
"It strikes nerve points to drain away half the energy of the target," he explained. "If all of them used it, it'd take away so much energy!"
"... I think it's just that I'm ready to pass out from hunger," she groaned. "Walk already. We better be close to getting out."
"O-oh. I don't have any snacks with me th—"
"Just walk!"
He definitely felt guilty, now. She groaned as she followed him, trying to drown out what sounded like her stomach growling. Thinking about it now, he felt far hungrier than usual, too. Goodness knows what the time was. The cold wind could only hint of sometime late in the evening. It was that discomforting cold that came from an autumn night where it would hint of the oncoming winter.
Then it hit him. The wind. His eyes widened, he walked faster, and followed it. He could do so because the mud began to level out and became shallow. The damp air became dryer the closer he got, too.
"Please tell me that's the exit," Sylveon said. He was doing the same but had to squint to realise that the cave mouth was looking out into the distance. He could barely tell due to it being so far away and blurry.
"Yes!" Lute broke into a gasp once they reached the exit. They found themselves in a quiet plain that didn't have much to it besides the largest open space he'd ever seen. The world mostly went downhill from here, providing a vast view of the surrounding grassland. That was all they could see on almost all sides, pure grassland with the river swerving through it.
At the furthest distance, something tall and sturdy could just about be made out. It stretched beyond the clouds, only visible due to being a different colour to the night-time sky. In the direct opposite direction was the town that Lute recognised, putting a jolly smile on his face.
"That's it, there's Everend. We're almost home!" he bounced happily.
Sylveon walked around him to get a good look herself. It was dark and cloudy, so most of the town was only tall silhouettes with warm window glows. She stared for a while and then gazed around at everything else, an entranced look plastered all over her face.
"I er... erm," Lute spoke up. She didn't look like she had his attention. "You... you've lost your memory, but you know where to go, don't you?"
"I don't. It's weird, but it's almost like... it doesn't make any sense, but it really feels like this is the first time I've ever seen the world," she stated. "I'm gonna faint if I don't eat, too."
"Come with me!" Lute suggested. She stared at him straight faced. "It's sort of my fault that we got lost in Everend Cave like that. I can't just leave you like this, either. I'm sure Mum will help, and even if she doesn't, I'll make it up to her. Plus..."
"... Plus?" she replied.
"... Back there, I've never had an experience like that before. I like, actually got to do something heroic because of you. A battle, an exploration, a rescue... Was it really Spirle you were after?" he wondered.
"I don't know. I don't remember," she answered. "But either way, you're such a kid"
"Please let me stick with you!" he raised his voice and bounced up to her height. "If I stick with you, I can help you get your memory back. I want to, especially if it leads to more exciting things like that."
She turned to the side to stare at the town. "It's not like I have a choice."
Lute took a breath and looked down. "You do. I'm sure you'll remember stuff soon. I'll do everything I can to help."
"Where do I even start?" she asked.
"We'll give you a place to stay, then we can worry about that later. But for now, you need food, and I'm sure Mum's freaking out about me right now," he explained.
"If you're really okay with it, then okay. Thank you, Lute," she said with a bowed. I can't believe this... this feels so uncool.
"Follow me! This is gonna be so much fun," Lute cheered as he hopped away towards the town. He was laughing with glee, bringing her mouth to the floor.
"Seriously?" she cried as she rushed after him. Whatever's actually going on, he's right. I'm here now, I don't remember anything, not even what the world looks like. All I have to work with is what Pokémon tell me and what I see.
She slowed down into a casual walk, but kept a few paces behind him. I can figure something out with this. I know I can. Why I was in that cave going after those... Spirle Frogadier, he called them. Whoever I am, I'll figure it out.