Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Heroes of the Past

Silver eyes cracked open, blurry and unfocused. A particularly large yawn slipped from him, causing the unnatural joints in his jaw to twinge in pain. Silvally huffed and forced himself to lift his head, shaking off the shackles of sleep. He hadn't slept that well in a while, and-

He looked up at the sky and a punch of adrenaline jolted him awake. He had overslept. Judging by the position of the stars in the sky, and that faint light on the horizon, he should have been awake and moving hours ago. It was very nearly morning now.

Silvally grimaced and pushed himself to all fours—the unnatural joints and connections in his body twinged in pain. He still wasn't used to the sensations this body brought, even after two years. The lack of proper rest, the nights evading exploration teams, and the fighting just made everything ache more. Still, he had to keep going. This place would be swarming with Pokémon before long.

Talons kneaded into the stone and his legs kicked out, stretching himself out in preparation for his descent. Silvally approached the edge of the plateau and looked down, eyes following the slope of the mountain—large rocks jutted out and trees grew sparsely along the side.

Perfect platforms for his descent.

His mind screamed at him that this plan wasn't normal. People didn't just jump down mountains—it was suicidal. This body was more than capable of it though, and longed for the thrill. He planned out every jump he'd be able to make and knew instinctively how hard he needed to push to reach it.

Silvally took a deep breath, and tugged on that energy within him, shifting the way it flowed. His crest and tail changed colour again, and the power of flying-type energy thrummed through him. He felt light on his paws and talons and stepped up to the ledge.

Then, he jumped.

The panic in his mind at seeing the vast expanse of the mountain beneath him was bled away by his body's instincts. This felt right, no matter how wrong it looked. He dropped through the air and angled for a large chunk of rock sticking out of the mountain. His talons hit first, and he shifted himself, his back paws contacting a moment later.

Another push sent him flying across the side of the mountain; the rocky surface brushed against his side. He dropped far enough to start sprinting sideways across the slope, falling lower with each step. Paws pressed into the mountain and, mid-sprint, he jumped toward a tree.

Why had he jumped off the mountain? That's not something people just do. At least, he didn't think they should. The clashing feelings constantly threw him off—his mind would say one thing, while his body encouraged another. He didn't understand why he could do the things he could—find food and water in the middle of nowhere, shift the energies in his body, it was wrong. None of it made sense.

Sharp talons sank into soft tree bark, and Silvally lurched to a halt, snapping him from his thoughts. There was no time for getting existential, now he had to be putting distance between himself and his pursuers. He adjusted his back paws, and then lunged, shooting down the side of the mountain.

His paws and talons impacted a rock, and he bounded off of it, already angled for the next boulder. Back and forth he went, lower and lower, making jumps that had him careening multiple body lengths over the mountainside.

Unfortunately, he impacted a slab of rock a little too hard and loosened it. That minor shift was just enough to make a paw slip on his next jump. His leap toward a tree was too short, and instead of landing on it as he intended, his talons caught against the side. His momentum swung him around, and his claws were ripped out of the bark with a shower of woodchips.

Silvally flipped end-over-end, completely disoriented, panic running through him. His side impacted the mountain hard, driving the breath from his lungs. The tumble downward disoriented him further, stunned by the impact.

His legs flared outward in an attempt to control the rapid descent, paws skittering across the stone, and talons raking off the sheer surface. Despite the flying-type energy coursing through him, it did little to slow his fall. Still, he tried to use it to his advantage. He wreathed his talons in that energy and punched them into the stone.

The side of the mountain shredded around his claws, stone shattering and parting like water around them. Still, he held on, gritting his teeth through the pain pulling on his talons. His back paws contacted the surface next, sharp claws sinking into the stone to try and slow him further. Sparks kicked up from the contact between metallic appendages and solid stone, causing his already aching joints to scream in agony.

It was working. He started to slow down, and the searing pain in his forelegs started to drop. Those powerful talons held tight and remained buried in the stone. It took far longer than he wanted, but he finally came to a halt.

Silvally panted, and clung to the side of the mountain, trying to control his heart rate. It was a struggle to fight past the tight sensation in his throat, and he breathed deeply, calming himself. He took a minute to recover from the mishap and kept himself pressed against the cold stone of the mountain.

Silvally looked up and grimaced. The side of the mountain was carved up, four different lines gouged into the side of the rock. He looked down, and the resulting sight caused his ears to fold back. There was still a long way to go.

A sharp tug removed a talon from the stone, and he flexed his digits, trying to work the pain out of them. Then, he swapped to the other one, keeping himself flattened to the side of the mountain.

Another look down was all he needed. Stealth was out at this point, and he honestly didn't care—he just wanted to get down. He tugged on something within himself and felt the change work over him. His crest and tail started to glow bright yellow and blue sparks danced along his fur.

He had changed his Typing, or at least, that's what one of the exploration teams had shouted when they attacked him. He didn't understand any of this, but it didn't matter.

Silvally bunched his muscles, and aimed straight at one of the trees growing out of the side of the mountain. He pushed and blurred to the tree, the electricity-infused Quick Attack sending him forward at absurd speeds. On contact he angled himself, and did it again, straight toward a rock.

Jump after jump he made his way down, nothing more than a glowing line of lightning that zipped its way down the mountain. The surface became less daunting the further down he went. Stone changed into grass, and the occasional boulder became strictly trees.

Finally, he made his last jump and hit the ground hard. His legs buckled but he stayed upright, claws and paws digging trenches through the dirt as he slid a short distance to bleed off his speed.

He made it down.

Heavy breaths escaped him while he looked around his immediate vicinity. There was no one lurking in the woods as far as he could see. He kept his ears perked and listened. Other than the light skittering of some nightlife, nothing else moved.

Silvally took another deep breath to try to steady his heart rate. Now that he was down, he could take a minute to recover. His legs shook, and he staggered over toward the closest tree, the adrenaline of having jumped down a mountain fading. He moved to lean against the tree, and-

Pain flared against his side, and he yelped, leaping away from the tree. He staggered and whirled around, trying to see what had hurt him. There was nothing there. A glance at his side revealed something he hadn't noticed.

Blood stained his dark fur. It was difficult to tell how much he was bleeding in the darkness—combined with his fur colour made it even more of a struggle. The faint drip of blood from his side to the grass concerned him a little, as did the sticky feeling in his fur.

Silvally rolled his eyes and shook his head at the situation. Was his freedom worth all this trouble? Maybe he should just lie down and give up; just wait for those teams to find him. Would it be so bad, captured by the people who had been hunting him down and assaulting him ever since he woke up?

…

Yes, he decided it was worth the trouble after all. He didn't need to experience this abuse daily. Once every few weeks was bad enough, especially if one of them was angry and really went after him. Like that one time that damned fire-ice fox bathed him in flames for so long, he thought he would pass out from heat exhaustion. The only thing that saved him was changing his energy type to water. That little shift only allowed him to rush forward and stun her long enough to use one of those paralyzing seeds on her. He had suffered burns for over a week after that incident and his fur still tingled whenever he saw fire.

Or her.

It was hard to believe she was still after him. Usually, the teams would give up after a few attempts, or if he managed to knock them out. But… he never managed to beat back Artemis completely. He'd been able to rely on traps, items, and tricky moves to escape her; occasionally he'd be able to get in a hit and knock her out. She was strong, fast, and clever—he needed to be more so.

Silvally was aware he tended to push further from the main city whenever exploration teams became more hostile and aggressive. It was something he kept track of, to make sure he wasn't becoming predictable. Normally, he would head east to get further still, hiding in the dark forests and evading them for long periods.

Thoughts flitted through his mind and he huffed. He glanced into his treasure bag and sorted through what he had left: a few apples, two Oran Berries, and one of those weird seeds. He wasn't quite sure which one it was though; it was difficult to tell in the dark.

Silvally turned back around and trailed his gaze up the mountainside. There were scuff marks and little chunks taken out of the trees—those weren't very noticeable. What was noticeable were the four massive gouges down the side of the mountain. No one would notice unless they were looking high up the mountain, and he doubted any normal exploration team would predict his unconventional descent.

Artemis, though…

He needed to do something to throw her off—make her think he was desperate and barely on his feet. If he was being honest, he would be at that point soon. For now, however, he would be fine. If she figured out he crossed over the mountains she would probably know he was headed east to the forests. He still planned to do so.

To the west, the plains were far too open—running and hiding would be difficult over those flat stretches of land. The north was almost as bad. It was littered with sparse forests and barren land. Caves dotted the upper reaches of this island, and he wasn't the biggest fan of those. Food would also be harder to come by. Of course, he couldn't go south, that would be stupid.

Silvally's only reasonable option was to go east like he initially intended. He just had to mislead Artemis and make her think he was going north instead. Once he reached the caves to the north, he would backtrack and make his way east while doing everything to not leave a trail.

Large talons stamped into the ground, and he worked to make his footprints visible. Normal teams and Pokémon might buy it, or even miss these entirely. But that nightmare of a fox…

He made his way forward and brushed his bleeding side against the tree. Pain flared, and he grimaced but kept up his walk. Every step was emphasized a little to the right, putting more pressure down to make it seem as if he was limping. He was limping, but this was just a little extra.

Talons and paws hit the ground and he started his way forward. The gash on his side sent pain through him whenever he brushed against bushes or a tree, but he had to keep it up for a little while. Just so that there was enough of a trail for Artemis to follow.

He hoped this worked—he just wanted to be left alone.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

After she had left the guild, Artemis had made a beeline for Kecleon Market to gather supplies. Then she headed straight to Sharpedo Bluff to mull over the map in the quiet of her own home. Her notes were sprawled out beside the map, and her paws traced paths along the surface, plotting out possible routes and familiarizing herself with the environment once again.

Once Artemis was certain that she had everything she needed to memorize, she gathered her things and headed back toward the guild. She had a plan in mind to discuss with everyone, and she was relatively certain she would be able to figure out where he'd gone. They would be able to set up a search line heading north to see if they could spot his trail, and-

The plan she worked on, going over the odds of certain actions, re-reading the Outlaw's information, and ensuring she would be able to narrow down where he was after leaving Apple Woods…

It all went to waste when she walked into the guild.

It turns out, a junior group of explorers had run into the Outlaw the night before. When Artemis asked why they hadn't told Chatot or Wigglytuff, the bird Pokémon sheepishly grinned. Chatot turned away from Artemis and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "…I sent them to bed because they were out late and I wouldn't listen to any excuses..."

Oh, had Artemis told him off for that one. Chatot took it rather well, if the sputtering and embarrassed squawks were any indication. She swore she saw Wigglytuff trying to hide his laughter at a former apprentice telling off his second-in-command for being too hasty. Especially because she was known to be rather quick to the punch among her guildmates back in the day.

That whole situation had led up to now.

Artemis found herself back in Apple Woods, near where she had encountered the Outlaw. It was useless to go directly to Mt. Bristle now, he was likely long gone at this point, so she figured she would check to see if the Outlaw had forgotten anything in his rush away from her.

A huff escaped her as she padded her way through Apple Woods once more, her nine tails fluttering behind her. They never touched the ground, and her steps were soft. She was like a ghost moving through the woods, and her white fur didn't help dispel that image.

Artemis was honestly enjoying her time exploring the woods again. She liked the sounds of nature, Pokémon and animals just out of sight due to the effects of the dungeon. The place smelled fresh, and clean, unlike some other dirty and dusty areas she explored frequently.

Everything just had a nice vibrant feeling to it, accented by the light breeze that brushed through her fur. It felt familiar and reminded her of a time when her adoptive parents would take her out here to picnic. Some might say bringing a child to a mystery dungeon was irresponsible, but for those two, no one questioned it.

Besides, what place could be safer for a child than right beside the two legendary heroes who had saved the planet several times over? If several mythical Pokémon, time travel, and the laws of reality saying one of them shouldn't exist couldn't stop them, then why would some wild Pokémon pose a threat?

Her eyes slipped shut while she strolled through the woods. Vivid memories of carrying a wicker basket in her jaws, happily bounding along behind the Empoleon and Infernape, came to mind. They would make this trip out every weekend to spend time with her, and would usually collect some Perfect Apples while there.

Now that she thought about it, it was more than likely a bribe to take care of her while the pair were out exploring the more dangerous dungeons. She hadn't joined the guild until a couple of years later, despite her protests.

Artemis' ears flicked when a low buzzing sounded off to the side. She waited for the right moment, letting the sound grow louder before she sprang upward. The movement allowed her to backflip over the Combee that rushed her. Without even opening her eyes, she spat an Ember beneath herself.

Those red eyes finally opened once she landed on all four paws. She glanced to the side and followed the smoke trailing Combee across the clearing. It hit a tree with a solid thwack and fell to the ground in a sprawl. The impact was hard enough to knock an apple from the tree, which bounced off the downed Combee, just to add insult to injury.

Artemis smirked at the sight and stepped toward the downed Pokémon. Her jaws parted, and she descended, coming with a sharp snap. Teeth sank into the flesh of the apple, and she retreated with her prize, turning to continue her hunt for the Outlaw's hideout.

It was obvious she wouldn't be able to find him here. Every time he had been found before by her, the Outlaw would change locations. He never repeated the same place unless he was forced into it, and wouldn't ever leave until a strong enough team came around to try and catch him. It wouldn't be like him to risk coming back after already climbing Mt. Bristle.

Artemis hummed to herself and stepped through the shimmering rift in space-time. The forest shifted and warped in front of her before everything snapped back into focus again.

Mystery dungeons were odd places, and one could never really know what they would encounter inside. The rewards were amazing though: old maps to hidden dungeons, treasures thought to be long lost, and items one lost ages ago could appear in a dungeon. Some people managed to get lucky and could break a feral Pokémon out of their trance, and bring them back into civilization. However, some more self-aware people preferred to live out in the wilderness, away from cities and on their own. Case in point, the ugly mess of an Outlaw she was chasing.

The Ninetales blinked as she made her way to yet another section of the dungeon, pausing in her thoughts to take in the new scenery. The trees were darker now, fuller, blocking just a little more light from the forest floor. She moved along and kept herself alert, working her way between trees and following along a marked path.

Artemis came upon an intersection and paused. The breeze drifted through her fur, and Artemis raised her head to scent the air. She nodded, then took the left path. If she was correct, then that would mean…

More bushes parted before her paws, or vanished in a puff of flame. Finally, she found what she had been looking for: the clearing that she and the Outlaw had fought in. Its position in the forest had moved but the room was essentially the same. She glanced over at the burned greenery from her attacks, the smell of ash lingering in the air.

Artemis flicked her gaze across the clearing, coming to a stop on the puddle of dried blood at the base of a tree. The fox narrowed her eyes and flicked her tails angrily. She had gotten cocky and underestimated the Outlaw when he was at his limit; she would not make that mistake again.

A growl rolled from her, and the energy within her spiked. Balls of ice started to form in her fur, which would quickly evaporate from the heat of her body. Steam began to roll from her body in growing wisps.

Artemis huffed and looked at the ground, eyes following the claw marks the Outlaw had left behind. Those odd forelegs of his gave away his path, and she started to follow the gouges in the dirt. She had ignored the trail yesterday in favour of chasing after him, considering she was down for at most a couple minutes before continuing her pursuit. She hoped to beat him to the end of the dungeon, but clearly, that hadn't worked out.

She had let her emotions get the best of her again, not thinking clearly yesterday after she encountered him. Artemis was frustrated, exceedingly so. The Outlaw had been evading capture for over two years now! Not just from her though, Artemis had only been after him for a few months.

Thinking back on it, the first reported incident about the Outlaw was from Team Dusk, the child group of Team Skull. Oh, Arceus, did her parents have stories to share about those three clowns.

Team Dusk had been beaten down and had an official notice pushed for the Outlaw's capture. He had started as a low B-tier threat. After all, it was Team Dusk they were basing the criminal's strength on… They weren't exactly some world-class explorers, and Artemis had outpaced them all while still a Vulpix.

What followed was roughly a year and a half of stronger and stronger teams attempting to track and take down the Outlaw, only for each one to come crawling back defeated—they refused to take on the mission again. Team Dusk had tried once more, of course, in an attempt to reclaim their pride. Instead, they had come back without their Treasure Bag.

She just happened to be passing through to visit Wigglytuff when that particular conversation happened. Artemis huffed with laughter, remembering their expressions when they had to admit to Chatot that they had lost their bag—they had thrown it at the Outlaw as a distraction to escape. That move was useless when the Outlaw chased them down and knocked them out.

Oh, Chatot had been mad. He had lectured everyone in the guild about not taking on challenges you couldn't handle for over two hours. When she left after speaking to Wigglytuff, Chatot was still going.

Artemis was broken from her thoughts when the trail she had been following took a sharp right, leading directly into the bushes. There was water nearby, apples all around, and it was fairly secluded, all things considered. Not a bad location for an emergency shelter.

The fox used her paws and snout to part the bushes, stepping into a small alcove. She glanced down, looking at remnants of what looked to be a bed, nothing but leaves sticks acting as support for the massive Outlaw.

There were tally marks in the ground at the very back of the little alcove; she counted twelve. That was roughly the same number of days since she last encountered the Outlaw. She was getting better at tracking him and knew he'd go further out into the wilderness in an attempt to escape.

"This hideout is kinda sad. I would have at least used some Mareep wool as a bed. Maybe visit Crystal Cave and put a few glowing crystals up—this would be a pretty snug little fort," Artemis mused. She looked around, trying to spot anything at all that may have been left behind. Maybe a possession that the Outlaw may want to return for.

Nothing. There was a little fur on the ground, and some blood from some scuffles, but that was it. She looked and saw an imprint on the ground of what must have been some heavy object, but there was nothing at all around to indicate what it might have been.

Artemis withdrew from the bushes and shook herself off. Well, he wasn't here. The only way out was finishing the dungeon, so that's what she would do.

The energy of Agility coursed through her—everything seemed to slow around her, and a faint glow surrounded her. With herself properly prepared for the dungeon, she bolted.

Sharp turns meant nothing. She took twists and turns hard, digging her claws into the earth and then springing forward, sending grass and mud everywhere. She ran through one, two, and three floors, not stopping as she enjoyed racing through the familiar woods. The fox let her mind wander during her run, thoughts of racing ahead of her parents bubbled up from the depths of her mind. Memories of running from the much faster Pokémon, and enjoying the chase the whole time.

A loud buzzing sound ripped Artemis from her thoughts. A Beedrill lunged for her, and she ducked, the stinger missing her by inches. She intended to ignore it and run past, only to skid to a halt. An Exeggutor lumbered out of the trees in front of her; the large Pokémon glared at her and blocked her way out of the clearing.

Various noises filled the clearing, causing her ears to swivel back and forth. She whirled around, taking in everything at once. She watched several Butterfree flutter down from the canopy, their wings sprinkling purple and yellow dust to the ground. A pair of Beedrill slipped from between the trees and bared down on her with poison-tipped stingers. Two Gloom, a Paras, and an Oddish all stumbled their way out of the shrubbery, thoughtless eyes glaring at her.

She had run straight into a Monster House! This was an unfortunate circumstance for almost any explorer. The Dungeon itself decided "Hey, fuck you in particular" and attempted to take you down with overwhelming numbers.

To most Pokémon that were unprepared, this was the end of their adventure. They would be lucky if they were just knocked out and kicked from the dungeon. Some dungeons were more ruthless, consuming the fainted Pokémon and having them wander around aimlessly, lashing out at anything. If they were lucky, someone would put out a notice and request they be rescued.

No, these were terrifying circumstances for any normal exploration team.

But Artemis wasn't normal. She was a hybrid of two types of Ninetales in a forest frequented by Bug and Grass-type Pokémon.

She grinned, and a lick of flame escaped her jaws. Artemis crouched, her tails flared out, and she sank her claws into the earth below. Frost and ice started to build up along her body, large and dense masses that clung to her fur.

The approaching Pokémon took no heed of her refusal to move and continued toward her. More ice built up on her body and the thick chunks fragmented to allow even more to build. Flame rolled from between her lips, and the ground sizzled beneath her paws.

Wait for it…

They were getting closer. She could see their claws, jaws, wings, and tails glowing with various attacks prepared for her.

Wait for it…

They were almost upon her—every single one intended to beat her down. They tensed themselves and lunged.

Now!

Fire and heat exploded off of her form, and the sudden eruption caused the ice chunks on her body to rocket outward. The thick masses of ice shattered and scattered across the clearing, impacting various Pokémon all at once. The sudden hit caught them off guard and sent them hurtling backward from the blast.

A thick wall of steam was the next thing to hit the wild Pokémon—the sudden temperature difference caused the remaining ice to evaporate and fill the clearing, immediately clouding the area and leaving them all blind. The ones that were still alive and conscious staggered around and swiped wildly, doing their best to fight back.

They didn't stand a chance against her. An orange glow sparked into existence in the center of the steam cloud. Then, a column of flame erupted out of the fog, superheating the very air itself. The lance of flame condensed, growing tighter and sharper; more concentrated.

Several Pokémon had the good sense to run.

The tight beam of flame whipped around the clearing, cutting through the fog with ease. Trees were sheared in half, and wild Pokémon were struck down by the near-solid beam of fire. The stream of flame moved randomly around in the fog, up and down, scorching everything in its path, with no way to predict where it would move next.

After five long, terrifying seconds, it stopped. The clearing was quiet and the air hissed from the heat it was subjected to. The temperature in the area suddenly dropped. Thick steam immediately condensed, revealing the clearing; the ice pellets that formed fell to the forest floor.

Artemis looked around with a little smirk on her muzzle, her tails giving a happy little flick. The clearing was destroyed, leaves and trees sizzling as smouldering gashes caused their insides to boil—the ones that hadn't been sheared in half, anyway. The grass at her paws was tipped with frost and the coating expanded about halfway through the area.

None of the Pokémon stood a chance. They had all been knocked out, blasted away, or just killed. Several holes littered some of the Pokémon from the initial ice blast, while others were sporting harsh-looking burns running the lengths of their bodies—she had learned that little Flamethrower trick from her parents.

"Wanna try that again, dungeon?" Artemis challenged. She huffed, and a wisp of steam escaped her jaws.

Silence was her only answer. The wildlife wisely quieted; the wind blowing through the forest had stilled. The forest itself seemed to be holding its breath, in fear of angering her. Artemis flicked her tails in satisfaction. She knew the dungeons couldn't hear or understand. They weren't even alive… Hopefully. Even so, she couldn't help but feel excited at how easy it was.

Paws fell upon half-frozen, half-scorched grass, and Artemis made her way back to the path she had wanted to go down. The end of the path came upon her far sooner than seemed normal and spat her out into another clearing. The exit stood before her, shifting and shimmering, reality fuzzy around the edges.

It was as if the dungeon itself was begging her to leave.

Artemis smiled and padded forward, more than happy to move on. She blinked when the world around her shifted, and then lurched to a halt, spitting her back out into the real world. She took several steps forward to shake off the feeling and looked around the clearing. Everything felt much more vibrant and alive.

Her eyes flicked toward the massive tree that sat in the middle of the dungeon exit. It had stood there for years, and she recalled memories around it as a child. All those picnics, and the nice afternoons with family and friends. She'd been tossed up into the branches at her request more than her mother liked.

Artemis thought for a moment and then nodded. A cool glow formed around her, snow and ice pellets forming around her like a cloak. She shifted herself forward and launched the attack at the upper tree limbs. The cold wind and ice pellets shook the branches, knocking nearly a dozen Perfect Apples to the ground. Artemis opened up her Treasure Bag, and a pink glow wrapped around the apples. Every one of them was pulled toward her with a psychic tug, and filtered into her bag.

"There we go, a little thank you for Wigglytuff and Chatot," she hummed.

Artemis gazed around the clearing once again, narrowing her eyes as she caught sight of the familiar mismatched footprints of the Outlaw. He seemed to be tired—she noticed some of the steps dragged through the dirt or a spot where a step was out from the others indicating he tripped.

His tracks were still heading north—made sense, considering those children spotted him at Mt. Bristle. From there… Well, she knew he went to the peak, likely to try and throw her off his trail. It was only natural he went that way; it would be a faster route than walking along the edge of the plains and risking being spotted at the mountain base. She'd check the peak just so she'd have a clear trail to follow. And even if there wasn't…

It wouldn't matter in the end. She was going to find him one way or another. Artemis had already put away hundreds of outlaws; what was one more in the grand scheme of things? He wasn't special, just lucky.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

Silvally came to a stop in front of the large yawning cave that sat before him. In the distance sat an immense crystal that towered into the sky, its sharp edges glittering in the sunlight. He looked over the crystal, pondering for a moment. Should he go toward it?

A glance at the singular apple sitting at the bottom of his bag told him that no, he shouldn't. He should go to the forests and get food first before trying to outsmart the world-class explorer/stalker chasing him around the land.

He made his way up to the entrance of the cave and eyed it nervously. It made his fur stand on end, and the thought of forcing himself into that deep darkness, surrounded by solid rock without a method to escape had his body urging him away from it.

Silvally steeled himself and stepped forward to the edge of the Mystery Dungeon. He shifted nervously, and paced back and forth in front of it, making sure his paw prints were worn into the dirt. Once he thought it looked decent enough, he carefully stepped away, angling for patches of grass to hide any trails he could be leaving.

The goal was to make it look like he had gone into the cave after a lot of hesitation. Silvally knew Artemis was aware of his aversion to caves, or she should be by now. Maybe if it looked like he hesitated, he could trick her into searching for him there.

Silvally made his way east once again, doing his best to leave as little a trail as possible. He kept to the grass and avoided any barren patches of dirt. Bushes and sticks on the ground were avoided at all costs, just to avoid leaving a hint of his passing.

When he came upon a series of stones in the fields, he clambered upon them, shifted his energy to match those flying Pokémon, and leaped. He angled himself from rock to rock, keeping his paws and talons light. The use of Quick Attack even helped him cross larger distances without touching the ground.

In the back of his mind, he was worried this still wouldn't be enough. That somehow, that fox would still find him, chase him down, and hurt him. Still, that should be impossible, he was taking every precaution possible, short of just diving into the ocean and swimming for new land—he would consider it as a last resort.

Hours passed, and he started to grow dizzy. Despite that, he continued—there was no stopping now. Once he managed to make it into the forest, he would take the opportunity to rest. Hopefully, the diversion would allow him a few extra hours, letting him recover, before continuing into the much deeper forests further east.

His eyes flicked up, and he finally saw it. In the distance stood the edge of the forest, and hope surged within him. Talons dipped into the bag at his side and pulled out the last remnants of food. He was left with nothing more than a Warp Seed, and his accursed helmet.

Silvally huffed and steeled himself for the journey. He took off at a decent clip across the sparsely forested plains, relying purely on his strength and endurance. There was no way he would risk tiring himself out with those special abilities when he was so close to his goal. He was exhausted and needed more rest than the few hours he managed to get earlier.

Just a little further to the forest. He would be safer there, and he could finally rest.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

Artemis slid to a stop at the base of Mt. Bristle, her chest heaving from the effort of her run, steam rolling off her body to cool her down. She hadn't stopped and raced from Apple Woods. It wasn't a long run when she had layered Agility onto herself several times, but that flat-out sprint had drained her. Still, she had to catch up to the Outlaw, and a straight line is usually the fastest way to get somewhere.

Red eyes roamed up and over the side of the mountain, all the way to the peak. The fox mused to herself for a moment, trying to decide which way she should go. She had been told that the Outlaw had been seen at the peak of Mt. Bristle. That means he had already completed the dungeon or had skirted around it and climbed up on his own.

She doubted he would go back into the dungeon. Artemis was well aware the Outlaw would continue trying to put distance between him and herself. That's what frustrated her so much. He didn't stop. He didn't get cocky. He just kept going.

That mess of an Outlaw only seemed to stay in one place after entering a Mystery Dungeon a good distance away from where he had last been. This would lead to Artemis having to look through multiple dungeons before finding the right one and starting the chase all over again.

Her saving grace was that the Outlaw was starting to get predictable. Over time she had noticed that he tended to avoid getting closer to Treasure Town or the more populated areas unless she forced him into it. So, if he kept true to his pattern…

Artemis decided to pass by the entrance to the dungeon. Instead, she approached the side of the mountain and looked up, quickly plotting her path upward. She used Agility once, twice, three times, each one causing her to process things just a slight bit faster. The energy that thrummed through her was exciting. Her eyes locked onto her ideal path, and she launched herself upward.

All four paws contacted the side of the mountain and she sprinted up the side of it, claws digging in as the slope grew steeper. Once Artemis started losing speed and traction, she switched things up. She lunged for the nearest rock and sprang from it, arcing through the air. Quick Attack would blur her from each surface, allowing her a moment to brace before she took off again, just scraping by the mountain's surface.

It took her less than thirty minutes to climb the mountain with her athletic form and versatile move set. She bypassed the dungeon entirely, and a final push sent her sailing up, over the edge and allowed her to land on all fours upon the peak. Her tails flared out and flame rolled in the back of her jaws in preparation, for the chance the Outlaw stuck around to ambush her.

It was completely barren.

Nothing immediately jumped out at her as wrong, so she began her search. She roamed over the plateau, turning over rocks, inspecting the ground for claw marks, anything. Eventually, Artemis stumbled upon a little patch of white fur wedged against the base of a rather large rock. It would have been a good spot of protection from the wind to nap.

…If only Chatot had just listened. Oh, Arceus, she was going to give him another little chat to remind him. She could have had the Outlaw by now if he had just listened to the apprentices.

Artemis shook her head and huffed, continuing across the peak while muttering under her breath. She pushed boulders aside, and climbed rock spires, checking every inch just in case the Outlaw was hiding.

Once Artemis peered over the edge of the cliff and looked down, she managed to confirm that Silvally had indeed left. There were chunks of bark stripped off of a few trees, and what looked like blood trailing down the cliff about halfway down. And then there were the massive gouges taken out of the rocky surface. Very subtle.

If he was stumbling and messing up that badly, he had to be exhausted and running on fumes! She's got him now!

Artemis crouched, leaped into the air, and sailed straight over the edge of the cliff. Ice started to gather around her paws. Within moments, thick slabs of ice formed around her paws, protecting her from injury. She planted her paws on the side of the mountain and let out a little laugh, crouching down as she descended.

Trees and rocks whipped past her, sometimes just missing her. All according to plan. She skated down the mountainside, leaning left and right to avoid careening into a solid surface. Her tails would flare out every so often, catching on the air and pulling her hard to one side.

In almost no time at all she had reached the bottom of Mt. Bristle. The ground started to even out, and the rock turned to grass. Artemis jumped hard and soared straight into the air. She arced herself back and flexed her paws, shattering the ice around them mid-backflip.

Artemis landed on the grass with a thump, all four paws planted firmly, crouched low to the ground. A quick look around assured her that she wouldn't be attacked immediately. She relaxed, straightened out, and turned around, looking back up the mountain.

"Oh yeah, I've still got it," she purred.

Her mind snapped back to focus and she immediately went to work. There were some gouges in the grass where the Outlaw had landed—rather firmly if the depth was to be believed. She glanced around, looking over the small puddle of red that stained the grass, and the red smear on the tree. Soft steps followed the trail of blood and heavy claw marks, the trail heading north.

He wouldn't have a reason to go that way. Artemis knew from past sightings that the Outlaw would have come through here at least twice, so he knew there wasn't much north other than caves. That would leave his likely movements east or west. To the west was nothing but plains, and that would make spotting him much easier—east was the clear choice for him and would be her decision as well.

She padded along through the light cover of trees at the base of the mountain, following along the broken branches and claw marks in the ground. Either the Outlaw was getting sloppy and was on the verge of passing out, or he was trying to mislead her.

Artemis smirked and flexed her paws. The well of energy inside her was directed to enhance her speed several times over, Agility stacking on top of itself over and over again, the shimmering purple around her legs visible.

She started with a soft trot forward. Then a lope. Soon enough, Artemis was racing forward, nothing more than a blur as she burst from the trees at the base of the mountain. The trail any normal explorer would follow curved left and right occasionally, working into time-wasting loops. She ignored them all—she knew exactly where she had to check first.

Crystal Cave.

If she was right, they would be catching the Outlaw tonight.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

"It was a misdirection. The trail led to the entrance of Crystal Cave, but never crossed it. Only his front claws were at the point where someone could pass through, not his back ones. He never went in," Artemis explained.

The trio were inside the Guildmaster's office, standing around a Wonder Map sprawled across the floor. Chatot leaned in close, squinting, and stared at the map in thought. Wigglytuff… Well, Artemis couldn't tell if he was even awake at the moment. She chose to ignore those wide, unblinking eyes locked on her.

"He's getting clever, this is quite troubling! Where do you think he would have gone? Amp Plains maybe?" Chatot asked. He pulled away from the map and fluttered his wings in agitation.

"Nope! Unless he's pushed west, he tends to avoid coming closer to Treasure Town or any other populated areas. He doesn't go into caves either, which explains the front claws at the entrance, and not the back ones."

"Oh! So that means he must have—"

"Mhm, he's going to Treeshroud Forest. At least for now," Artemis explained. She planted her paw on the map to point out the location. "He seems to move further at night when it's easier to go unseen. During the day he typically likes to hide and recover. That means he's probably going to the dungeon to throw us off, and to get some rest in."

"Oh, I see! So once night comes around, he should move on?" Chatot asked.

"Exactly! I think he's going to try to take cover in Mystery Jungle," Artemis replied.

"Well, that's no good, no good at all! That place is massive! Not to mention filled with dangerous wild Pokémon! We're going to lose him in there!" Chatot squawked and flapped his wings in concern. He started muttering to himself, pacing back and forth.

"Chatot! Chatot, relax. We're not going to lose him," Artemis laughed. She rolled up the Wonder Map and stuffed it in her treasure bag. "We have a secret weapon!"

"We do? Well, what would that be?" Chatot asked and came to a stop.

"Don't you remember who lives in Mystery Jungle?" Artemis asked.

Chatot opened his beak to reply, a confused expression crossing his beak for a moment. He took a breath to answer but was interrupted by a sudden shout.

"Mew!" Wigglytuff cheered.

The bird Pokémon squawked in surprise at the sudden cry and flew several feet into the air, flapping his wings wildly. He fluttered back down to the floor and tried to compose himself.

"G-Guildmaster! Don't do that!" Chatot huffed, sending a half-hearted glare at the pink ball of joy that was Wigglytuff.

"Exactly!" Artemis grinned at Wigglytuff, who spun around in excitement. "This isn't going to be like the last time he went there and we lost him. We know where he's heading now. We can cut him off, especially if we can get in contact with Mew!"

"Oh! I can do that! Lemme call Mew!" Wigglytuff seemed even more excited if that were possible.

"C-call? How would you possibly do that? Isn't Mew—" Chatot was once again interrupted, much to his displeasure. Artemis smirked at the bird's reaction, enjoying having him disgruntled and cut off for a change.

"Yoooom…." Wigglytuff started.

"What— Guildmaster, what are you doing?" Chatot asked.

Artemis merely sat down and watched. Her tails flicked behind her as she smirked at the sight. She had forgotten Wigglytuff didn't show off unless he needed to, so Chatot was unaware of several of his connections.

Or his rather scary abilities.

"Yooooooom!" The Guildmaster shouted. His hands were on his temples, and he leaned forward, eyes screwed shut in concentration.

The room started shaking, and Chatot began panicking. The Pokémon paced back and forth in concern, torn between trying to stop Wigglytuff or trusting him and Artemis to know what they were doing.

"YOOOOOOM!" Wigglytuff cried out.

The whole cliffside started to rattle. Dust filtered down from the ceiling, and several shouts and screams echoed through the closed doors of the office, likely from the guild apprentices. A high-pitched whine started filling the air, and a heavy pressure radiated from Wigglytuff. The sensation continued to build, the sound reaching a near-deafening shriek.

"G-Guildmaster! Stop! You need to stop! I don't-"

It ended instantly as if someone blew out a candle. Chatot was frozen in place, hyperventilating. Artemis continued to smirk, greatly enjoying the whole show playing out before her. Oh, she missed this place sometimes…

When nothing exploded, Chatot started to calm down. The roof didn't cave in, the walls didn't collapse, the floor didn't drop out from under them, and they were all still quite alive. The bird took a deep breath, and let it all out at once, moving a wing to his chest.

Pop!

"Hiya!" A voice cried out, reverberating inside their minds.

Chatot screamed. He launched himself off the ground and flew straight up toward the roof. He bonked his head and careened to the left, his talons desperately grabbing at some of the vines that grew from the walls. Chatot quivered in place, his grip on the vines tight.

Artemis tilted her head at the soft giggle that rolled out of the newcomer, her gaze falling upon a rather small, very pink floating Pokémon.

"Mew! I've missed you, friend!" Wigglytuff cried. He stepped forward with open arms and rushed toward the cat.

"I missed you too, Wiggles!" Mew exclaimed. She whipped around and shot straight toward Wigglytuff, tackling the Guildmaster hard enough to send him staggering back several steps. The pair laughed and spun around, much to Chatot's confusion and Artemis' amusement.

"What-What in the world is happening!?" Chatot squawked. He fluttered his wings, still clinging to the vine. The movement of his wings caused him to swing forward on the vine, and he clunked his beak against the wall. "Ack! G-Guildmaster! Artemis! Explain what's going on!"

"Artemis!?" Mew exclaimed. She whipped around absurdly fast, and her tail moved with her, smacking Wigglytuff in the face.

"Hi, Mew! It's been a little-"

"You're all grown up!" Mew exclaimed. The pink Pokémon darted forward and slammed into Artemis. While Mew nuzzled her chest floof, the Ninetales curled her tails around to drape over the feline like a blanket, hugging her in return. "Oh, you're so big and strong and pretty! I can't believe you evolved!"

"Aw! You're far too kind! You're looking as cute as the last time I saw you, you gorgeous ball of fluff!" Artemis replied, pulling away from the hug after a moment.

"What… When was this a thing? How did- Wh-why can-" Chatot cut himself off. "I don't think I'll ever be able to predict what the Guildmaster will do next, despite all these years." Chatot continued to watch the scene from his little perch near the roof, mumbling under his breath. He watched the room with narrowed eyes, not at all trusting the relative calm.

"So, what did ya need, Wiggles? I take it this isn't a social call, hmm?" Mew asked. She floated her way to the center of the room and spun around in a lazy circle, looking at everyone in the room.

"Not exactly," Artemis replied. "We're chasing an Outlaw, and we need your help. See, we're certain he's going to Mystery Jungle. He's been there before, but we haven't had advanced notice until now."

"Oooh, I see! So, you need to catch the bad guy?" Mew hummed and brought a paw up to her chin. "Oh, this sounds fun! I haven't helped with a mission in a while!"

"Exactly! So, what we were thinking was…" Artemis leaned in, followed by Wigglytuff. The trio in the middle of the room strategized and went over Artemis' plan.

By the end of this night, the Outlaw would be in custody.

There would be no escape this time.