NOVEL WEB Just Like You
Chapter 3
Just Like You
Liam's eyes flicked open and shut, his mind battling with his body. A breath of life came out of his mouth as his eyes cracked open, closing them slightly due to the intake of sudden skylight. As he stared up, a clear blue sky greeted him. Remnants of white clouds drifted slowly.
As if a switch was flicked on in his brain, he became conscious. The feelings in his limbs awakened as they twitched in response. He could feel his back propped up against something as he was in an upright position. He could feel something grind against him, something tough and scratchy on his fur.
On instinct, his paws gripped the thing closest to him - tufts of green pasture. He could feel it around his paw, along with its collected moisture.
'Grass. I'm outside?' His train of thought caught up as well, now fully aware of where he was.
Liam forced his body to move, closing his eyes as he took his back off the 'wall' and got onto shaky hind paws. When he opened his eyes, they quickly expanded in astonishment at what he was seeing. He was in a place he had never seen before - again. He brought a paw to wipe his red orbs, still thinking he was asleep.
Fields of grass stretched far for miles, and bundles of healthy wallflowers bloomed relentlessly among the swathes of empty fertile land. What lies beyond the fields were distant short mountain ranges, coated in mossy greenery. Behind the ranges were walls of obscuring fog-like clouds that blocked further sight to even beyond the mountains.
It was uncharted territory, ripe for exploration.
This invigorated a part of him - that burning curiosity he was missing. However, that feeling was crushed by the weight forming in his chest.
'Was I dreaming of yesterday? Or...' He looked around, noting he was resting against the base of a tree, just like he awoke yesterday. A lush forest behind him spread out as far as the naked eye could see. Flora, especially more white wallflowers were taking the shade under the trees.
'Maybe I'm still dreaming?'
But he could feel everything. The cool breeze that flowed through the plains, grazing the fields in its path and coursing through his fur. He could smell the freshly wet grass and the clean mountainous air carried out through the wind. In his ears, he could hear singing and soft breathing at once. It provided a cooling and relaxing solution across his core, like angels were in his head, calling to him.
His senses became more heightened, almost sensitive to everything, vulnerable in this state. Even with his worry in mind, and confusion written on his face, he felt something else.
He felt bliss.
It was like his senses had overridden his rational thoughts. This was paradise. His confusion converted to fascination of the scenery, and he did not know why.
"Liam…"
'That voice…'
The faintly familiar silky voice pierced through the choir of angels in his head. It repeated in his head and echoed across the breathtaking landscape. His entrancement led him to hesitantly take a step forward, scared of the possibility of the view shuttering away, but still, his curiosity overcame that thought.
"Liam…?"
The voice spoke again, this time more soft and young. He didn't know how to respond, not like he could, with his mouth permanently gaped. He took another step, more confident now. He wanted to press on, to create an adventure here, to explore this paradise.
"Liam."
Suddenly, his vision faltered as he stumbled to make another step. Regaining his bearings, he noticed the landscape appeared frozen in time. Nothing moved - not the leaves of trees, the swishing grass, the fluffy clouds, or even the swaying wallflowers.
The Riolu shook his head, trying to take another step forward int-
"LIAM!"
"GAH!"
He felt a paw flick his feeler, sending a jolt of electricity through his body and making him faceplant onto the plush white carpet below. A tiny giggle escaped from Gloria before her natural worry at his state came in.
"Are you alright, Liam?" she asked, poking him in the back.
He grunted in return.
"Do you want me to whack him with a pillow?" Liam heard the humor-induced suave voice come from a distance, presumably Roark's.
He was disoriented, unsure how to process what just happened, laying there for a while until he could no longer take Gloria's paw pushing into him. With a groan, he propped his paws onto the carpet and forced himself up as he got on shaky legs, still unadjusted. Once he stood up, Gloria got a good look at his recently smooshed face.
"Why are you crying?"
Liam blinked in confusion. 'Crying?'
He reached a paw to touch his cheek and felt dampness, a lone tear slid down and he felt that as well. He grimaced, bringing his whole arm to wipe his eyes clear of the tears. Only stains of it remained on his face.
"You were sleepwalking," Gloria muttered.
Liam sputtered. "Sleepwalking? No, that was… I was there, it was re-'' He stopped himself before he could freak out Gloria more.
He felt everything there; he could remember it clearly. The fields of rippling grass, the distant wall of white clouds, the sound. Everything. It felt like he was deposited into a separate world, a perfect world, where his feelings swamped his thoughts. Despair crossed his face for a moment until Gloria replied.
"Yeah, you just got up from the couch and stood there. I tried calling your name, but then I needed to resort to desperate measures."
Roark's voice emanated from the kitchen, "I told you, Gloria; that blanket has special powers. I remember whenever I wrapped you in it, you were-" He clicked his tongue and waved a claw across his throat. "-Out."
Gloria frowned in exasperation, shooting the Zoroark a glare.
Liam regained his manner, holding his feelers gently. "Yeah, please, don't do it again."
She gave a sad smile in return. "Well, I had to! You looked... possessed! Especially with that look you had in your eyes."
"I thought he just smelled what you were making for breakfast; I know I did," Roark called out, flipping something disk-shaped in a metal pan.
Liam wiped the tiredness from his eyes as he finally became more aware of his surroundings. It was early morning, yellowish rays filtering into the living room through the open curtains. His nose twitched as noticed the second thing - a pleasant fried smell drifting through the house, coming from the kitchen where Roark was, who uttered out again.
"Hey, Gloria, your potatoes seem to be done." He flipped the disk in the pan again before reaching down and turning a knob.
Gloria ran back to the kitchen and began fiddling with another pan on the stovetop.
"Don't worry, sis, I got it." He grinned, taking both pans away from the stove. He walked over to an opposite counter, where intricate ceramic plates were placed.
One plate already held the flat-looking cakes on which he stacked another one. On the other plate he dumped what appeared to be a hefty amount of thinly sliced potato strips cooked to golden perfection with diced-up peppers mixed in. Gloria was right behind him and placed a glass bottle of some kind of seasoning on the counter. He nodded and picked it up, sprinkling it lightly over the potatoes.
From the kitchen, Liam could also hear the sputtering and shaking of that red device he saw the previous day. From what he heard, Gloria called it a Darumaker. Once the machine stopped its outburst of steam, Roark opened the tray and received a black mug from the inside carefully with his crimson claws.
"What - this another one of Leafeon's recipes?" Roark inquired the Vulpix behind him.
"Mhmm, with my own little twist!" Gloria replied.
"And how did you manage to get potatoes and these kinds of peppers? This stuff isn't grown in Celestic from what I'm aware of." He took the two plates along with his mug and headed toward the living room dining table.
"She let me use a few from the guild's personal garden," she said with a smile on her face.
Roark laughed. "Oh? She's allowing you to vandalize her personal heaven? The only Pokémon I know that has that privilege is Shaymin. And she gets on everyone's nerves. " He placed the two plates of food in the middle of the table.
Noticing that breakfast had arrived, Liam quickly took a seat at the table as his hunger crept in. The other two would swiftly follow. "Pancakes and hash browns?" he asked.
"Yup, this time I didn't burn the pancakes. They never let me near the stoves at the Rescue Society," Roark remarked, sending a wink Gloria's way.
Liam obviously could not remember having them before, but an odd feeling of happiness arose within him as his stomach churned with delight.
'At least it's not berries again.'
Gloria, upon taking her seat, noticed the rather large amount of pancakes on the plate. "Roark, why did you make almost double the amount?"
A devious grin grew on the Zoroark's face as he reached for his nearby mug of coffee. "Oh, no particular reason. I…" He trailed off noticing the deadpan glare from Gloria, laughing. "Now, wait a minute, it's no joke at your expense. I have guests coming over, it would be rude for them to not dine as well, right?" Gloria's unamused look turned into a shocked expression.
"No way... you actually got guild members to come over?"
"Well…" Roark waved a claw, "They're in the city to confirm a job request, and to go over the details with the client." He took a swig from his coffee. "Seeing as the Guildmaster or even Scizor haven't been looking for new recruits, I told them to come over."
"And?" Gloria leaned in further, her eyes a bit wider.
"Let's just say we can hopefully convince them to start training you two." he finished with a smirk.
She slumped back, staring down at the carpet until she spoke again, a little worry in her voice. "R-right now? Roark, I don't want to waste their tim-"
She was interrupted by Roark tapping his claw on the table. "Ohohoho, remember I told you I'd get a word in?" Gloria looked down again, grumbling under her breath. "Besides…" The Zoroark reached over the table and picked up what appeared to be a newspaper with bold letters that read 'Celestic Cognizance' on the back as he flipped it open. "I think they'll need a few extra paws going around before the festival kicks in."
Gloria's pouting faded into eagerness. "The festival is happening? When does it open?"
"Festival? And, uh, what's opening?" Liam questioned.
"The Eden Theater is set to open this week. Pokémon from all over the continent, even the world are coming to see its premiere. Especially every rich 'mon the mayor could get his flippers on," Roark replied, scanning his eyes up and down the paper.
Liam's confusion didn't go away. "Why is it so popular? Isn't it just a regular theater?"
Roark tore his gaze from the newspaper and gave Liam a look as if he lived under a rock his entire life, quickly realizing that he was still dealing with an amnesiac.
"The giant black building, did you see it coming into Empyrean?"
Liam racked his brain. 'Ah, I remember seeing that. It was the tallest thing I've seen in the city.'
"Yeah, I saw it. Is that the theater?"
Roark nodded. "Bingo. But it's not just any theater." He pointed a claw at himself. "But if I'd ever get in? I'd go straight to the bar it has."
Gloria chimed in, with a gleam in her eyes. "It's also the tallest Pokémon-made structure in the world standing at over one thousand feet tall! Even the technology involved in it is almost... futuristic! The dazzling electric lights, the aesthetic, everything!" she chittered with glee at reciting everything.
"Oookay, no need to go all egghead on him, sis. The boy just wanted an answer." Roark chuckled, trying to reach over and ruffle the Vulpix's tuft, getting a swipe of a paw in return.
Before Liam could respond to the barrage of information, a rapid series of knocks were heard at the front door.
"Roooooark! Let us in, man! It just started raining!" a muffled male-ish almost surly voice called from the outside, followed by more banging on the door.
"Please, Mony, perhaps they are still asleep?" a stoic female voice responded.
"Roark said he would be waiting for us at breakfast time, Braix. I'm starving and it's raining," the male voice complained more.
Back inside the house, Liam could only imagine the eye roll from the female as they listened intently to the chatter. Roark pushed himself out of his chair and rose to his paws as he gave a wide smile.
"Allow me to greet my guests so Monferno doesn't burn the door down trying to get in." He strode toward the door as the voices behind it chatted relentlessly.
"See I told you he was there." The male voice remarked as Roark gripped the door handle and threw the door wide open. The sound of rain against the concrete outside echoed through the house.
"Hey, Mony. Would you like to come inside? Away from the wet and cold?"
A cheeky smile found its way on the Monferno's face. "Just move, you asshole."
Roark snorted in amusement, turning to the other Pokémon, and offering her a warm smile instead. "And Miss Braixen, please, come inside so your illustrious fur doesn't get soaked." He turned to look at Monferno with his own cheeky look, who grumbled before sliding past Roark and into the house.
Braixen did a tiny bow, speaking in a jokingly stoic manner. "Thank you, Mister Roark, for inviting us over." She entered after the Monferno.
Once inside, Liam got a good look at the two. The Monferno appeared to be an orange-furred primate with a flaming tail behind him. Around his shoulder rest a large saddlebag, colored a dark purple with what appeared to be stars embezzled onto it. The other Pokémon, a Braixen, looked like another vulpine. This time, a bipedal like Roark, and with lighter orange colored fur. Tufts of red fur came out of her ears, a bushy tail sprouting out of her back, and a wooden stick embedded into it.
It was not the only non-organic part of her, though, as around her thin arms was an armband, colored white with a crimson cross etched onto it.
Roark then closed the door behind him. "Well, let's not jibber jabber and eat before everything gets cold, eh?"
The rest could only agree.
The sound of eating soon filled the room, everyone's appetites clearly getting the best of them.
Monfero gulped a morsel down and gave a short laugh. "Wow, Vulpix, you said Leafeon is teaching you?" He stabbed another piece of thin potato with a fork. "Because I think you give Leafeon a good run for her money with all the additions." He then took notice of all the stares he was getting. "Seriously!"
Braixen took a napkin and wiped her mouth, smiling as she spoke. "I have to agree, Miss Vulpix, it's quite delicious. However, I think I prefer Leafeon's craft a tad bit more. No offense."
A blush overcame Gloria's face. "Please, um, just call me Gloria! And thanks for the compliments. Now…" She looked at Roark, who was busy stuffing his face. She made a gesture with her head for him to interject. It took him a moment, but he finally realized it and cleared his throat.
"You two were going to Empyrean to confirm a job request, right?"
Monferno spoke. "Yup, the Guildmaster still wanted members out doing jobs, as most of the others are out helping with the festival. This one we took had an error in its request, and usually, we toss it, but since it's so close…"
Braixen continued for him, "So after we went and sorted the details, we headed straight here. We'll be leaving shortly."
"And what would you say if I had two different Pokémon fulfill that request?" Roark said, a toothy smile filling his face.
Liam's eyes sharpened at this. 'Ah, now I see what his plan is. The thing is, will it work?'
Monferno did not seem to mind and went straight back to eating. "Hey, if you want to pull some other 'mons to work in the rain, by all means, you've got my word."
Braixen, however, seemed a bit miffed at his response. "Why do you want us to hand down the job? It's not too harsh for us - a simple trip to the Sunshine Grove."
"Come on, Braix."
Roark gave a quick wink toward Liam and Gloria. "May I see the job request?"
Braixen looked toward Monferno, who begrudgingly stopped eating to flip open his saddlebag and retrieve a piece of paper, handing it over.
With the paper in his claws, Roark read out. "Rescue Request for Buneary at Sunshine Grove. Uh, one-thousand Poké award… from the client, Mrs. Lopunny."
Gloria's eyes widened at that. "Wait, wait! This job request is from Mrs. Lopunny? The one who runs the orphanage?"
Braixen gave a curt nod, "Yes. Monferno and I went to the orphanage to correct some errors." She winced a bit as she continued, "Mrs. Lopunny was a bit... dramatic to say the least."
Gloria bit her lip as Roark noticed her state and quickly followed up. "What would you say about handing that request to those two." He emphasized by pointing his claws at Liam and Gloria.
Monferno laughed. "You know, we don't usually send newbies off to jobs, right?" Both Liam and Gloria sunk into their chairs a bit after hearing this.
"Yes, the Guildmaster made it so every recruit needs to have a modicum of training in them before they take jobs," Braixen added.
Roark clasped his claws together. "What would you say if I had these two take the mission, and they return back with that mission complete? I know the Guildmaster isn't looking for new recruits during the festival, however..." He honed his gaze on the two guild members. "Surely you don't want to miss on two new shining stars joining the guild, right?"
You could hear a pin drop as the two guild members thought of how they should approach this. But Monferno would be quick on the draw.
"Why are you so confident these two will succeed? I can see Gloria being able to, but Mr. Personality over there?" Liam blinked, almost not noticing him actually being mentioned. "What kind of strength are you packing? Do you think you have what it takes?"
'Can I really say that when I've only been in one Mystery Dungeon?' the Riolu thought.
The Monferno gained a conceited smirk, "Because from what I see, maybe you two can't do an easy job like this. "
Liam narrowed his eyes, standing up. "Of course, we can do this job! Right, Gloria?" He spared her a look, hoping she wasn't as defeated as before.
The Vulpix sputtered a bit before declaring, "R-Right! Besides, I know Mrs. Lopunny! I know we can do this, it's easy like you said, right?"
Braixen tapped her chin with a paw. "The Sunshine Grove has been explored extensively, so yes it is easy, I suppose. Are you prepared, though? And can the two of you put up a good fight?"
Gloria gave a hesitant nod - she wanted to express her confidence in her abilities, and not call to attention Liam's condition. Braixen appeared to ponder it a bit, knowing were two Pokémon she had little connection with, and unaware of their potential skills. Normally, she would flat-out deny to avoid blame on the guild, but a scoffing Monferno would break her inner debate.
"Ah, just give them the job, Braix. We have plenty more important ones to be doing. Or else Scizor will stick us on festival duty."
The fire fox sighed; she knew it was a battle she was not going to win. "Okay, we'll let you two do the job, but we expect you to finish the mission completely, and bring back the Buneary back to her mother."
Roark grinned. "And if they do well, maybe you can put in a good word to Scizor, or the Guildmaster?"
Monferno snorted. "Yeah, sure, just don't expect anything to come out of it. Both of them are far more interested in their research rather than new recruits."
"But new recruits always mean more Pokémon to do such research, so if you do well, don't worry," Braixen tried to correct the blunt Pokémon.
Gloria gulped, "So we can go now? I don't want Mrs. Lopunny to worry so much and-" A red claw interrupted her.
"How about we finish eating first? Don't want to go out on an empty stomach, right?" Roark proclaimed.
Liam and Gloria shared a look, before nodding and resuming their eating. Liam's thoughts of their mission kept swirling in his head.
'This will be our first official exploration then. Hope we don't screw it up.' He stole a glance at Gloria. 'For her sake mostly...'
Just like Monferno said earlier, it was indeed raining as Gloria and Liam exited the house. A few hours had passed, the sun shrouded by an overcast, ushering a grayish coloration of the city.
Around Liam's shoulder was the same saddlebag he carried yesterday, this time looking a bit more full than before. Braixen had taken the opportunity to give the Pokémon their own items for the mission, explaining that her job as the guild's nurse in training means she must protect them as well.
He did not know what most of the item's uses were, but he trusted her judgment.
The two traveled the soaked road, taking them to the same market they had entered before. Many of the shops were shuttered, and few Pokemon trudged the streets and endured the elements.
Something caught Liam's eye as they walked through - Pokémon wearing armbands around their arms or other limbs. They walked more stiffly and uniformly, quickly fading back into the rest of the smallish crowd present. He stopped and looked back to see if he could get a better look.
'Are those guards, or something else?'
"Come on, Liam!"
Whoever they were, the answers would need to wait. They had a job to do.
After exiting the city proper, they found themselves on the same paved pathway that led to the crossroads, splintering off into different directions. Taking one of the paths at the crossroads led straight into the heart of the forest, with wind and rain whipping the leaves of trees and bushes around them.
"Sunshine Forest again, huh?" he asked, squinting at the forest which had significantly less sunshine than before.
"Yep! There's an area that was abandoned long ago - a garden. Nowadays, it's a Mystery Dungeon."
"Nowadays?"
"Well…" She dug a paw into the wet ground, "I don't know all the specifics, but I read a book where it says one time this was a sprawling garden in the forests. Then one day it turned into a Mystery Dungeon."
"How long ago?" Liam could never have imagined a place becoming a Mystery Dungeon.
She shrugged as best she could. "It's been around longer than Empyrean City, but it's not as dangerous as all the other dungeons in the regions, so it's pretty much left open for anyone." She walked forward. "Come on, I think I can remember the entrance to it in the forest."
Her walk turned into a light sprint as she went down the path that led into the Sunshine Forest, the same one they came out of yesterday. Gloria left Liam in thought, pondering just what she had told him.
'Mystery Dungeons can just appear?' The information Gloria casually relayed to him was unsettling, to say the least. 'Maybe it was already there, and they just discovered it. Still...'
He could hear the distant shouts from Gloria disrupting his thoughts, and quickly ran into the wet forest to play catch up. It was just as he had remembered it, although much gloomier.
She giggled as he came into view. "You really need to stop daydreaming so much, Liam."
He smiled in return, "Why should I? You Pokémon say the most bizarre things. I think I would appreciate a good sit down on everything, y'know?"
Gloria tapped her chin in thought before excitement took over her face. "I could take you to the library in Empyrean! They have all kinds of books on the continents, Pokémon, theories…" She trailed off as Liam scratched an ear.
"Sounds good." He looked around. "Do you remember where this grove was?"
"I, um, know for sure it's maybe this way." She pointed north with a paw. "If we keep going, we'll run into it."
And so they went down the trail again, spotting more Pokémon-made terrain like cracked polished stone. After walking a while, something caught Gloria's eye.
"Right there! That's the entrance!"
They jogged over to a fenced-off area on the side of the path. In the middle was an open doorway, a gate. Green moss wrapped itself around the stone fence perimeter, cracks on its surface, and almost entire pieces of broken stone littered the ground, showing the age of the structure in its tormented state.
Liam noticed something peculiar, though. He took a step closer and saw an indentation in the rock, realizing it was a sign, with actual words. He could barely make out two lines of faded text etched into the stone.
"Lurantis'… Garden." He transcribed the first line before squinting his eyes to read the one below it. "Lurantis and X…" The rest of it was too faded to even read. However, he soon discovered there was a ghost of an image also embedded into the stone.
Two Pokémon, from what he could infer. One bipedal, and one quadruped with slender legs. He couldn't make out any distinguishable features. Gloria moved in closer to take a peak once hearing him read the ancient text.
"Ah, the book did mention this was once a Pokemon's garden! That must've been ages ago!"
Liam tore his gaze from the sign and into the gate. It appeared as if light never went beyond this way. A wall of impenetrable darkness seemed to be blocking it. He felt like he's seen this before, with the group of clustered trees that lead into the Sunshine Forest's Mystery Dungeon.
"That's the entrance, right?"
She stepped past him and peered into the gate. "Yep! This is it, the Sunshine Grove. Are you ready?"
He popped open the saddlebag to check if everything was still in there. "Yeah, let's find Buneary!" he said with a smile.
The two of them then stepped forward into the gate of darkness. Despite doing this before, a lump formed in Liam's stomach. It was the fear of the unknown, but a thrill of it too.
Sunshine Grove
BF1
And just like before, it happened again.
The trees bent against their will, snapping to the sides of the two Pokémon's visions. Broken stone walls burst out of the ground, moss, vine and other kinds of tangled greenery spiraling around them as a maze-like pattern was formed around the room. Tree leaves formed a natural canopy where artificial light could pass through and reach the ground.
Wallflowers sprouted from the ground, littering the terrain and bringing a bright white to the otherwise grey and green vibe of the ruins.
Liam stared in wonder as this happened. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this…" He somewhat lamented not being able to see it again.
Gloria giggled. "It's fascinating, right? Buneary shouldn't be far ahead, so let's go!"
He gave a quick nod as he steeled himself for anything that lie ahead.
Sunshine Grove
BF2
"Behind you, Liam!" Gloria shouted.
He barely got out of the way before the Ratatta could slam into his side again. Again, on instinct, his paw glowed as he brought it back and then made contact with the purple rodent's back before it could recover from its wild tackle. It flew back, slamming into the dungeon walls and bursting into orange light.
"That Force Palm of yours is powerful. Although, you could be a lot less reckless," Gloria said, pointing a paw at a bruise on his hip.
He grimaced in response. "Hey, I'm new to this, y'know."
She giggled.
Sunshine Grove
BF3
Crystallized flakes of vapor spewed out of Gloria's mouth at a hovering Fletchling. It was just out of Liam's reach and where he couldn't touch it with a Force Palm. The Fletchling tried to peck at him while it hovered above. He dodged most of the attacks, only suffering a few weak pecks into his fur.
He prioritized moving his paws in a fast rhythm, matching the pecks of the bird Pokémon. Without him knowing, his movement became a blur as he instinctively zoomed to the opposite side of the room, leaving a small trail of dust in his path.
Gloria closed her eyes as tiny sharp shards of ice began to form around her. Once the shards were fully formed, they were launched at the Fletchling, lodging themselves in the Pokémon's feathers. The Flying-type cawed in pain, falling to the floor encased in an orange glow.
Gloria took a breather and turned to Liam, still in shock at what he just did. "That was Quick Attack I think! I've never seen it before."
Liam regained his breath. He knew he still had a lot to learn moving forward.
Sunshine Grove Midway
The stairs that led downward soon revealed a narrow passage bathed in blue-green light. They could hear the sound of running water as two rivers flowed along the sides of the hallway.
Liam noted he couldn't see past the trees, as a void of black blocked his vision. "Did we reach the end of the dungeon?"
Gloria looked around, a skeptical look on her face. "Mmmm, no. I think we're at a halfway point or something." She pointed a paw ahead, "I think up ahead will lead us to the next…" She trailed off as she noticed something in the distance, a Pokémon.
Liam saw it too once her talking stopped. 'Another enemy Pokémon?' A white paw pushed him lightly, making him wince.
"I think that's Buneary! Come on!" She sped off toward the Pokémon, Liam's eyes widened as he quickly followed. As he got closer, he noticed the Buneary had a striking similarity to the Lopunny they had met at Sylveon's Sweets.
It was shorter, had brown fur and tan-colored fluff on its lower end. Its one ear shot upright, while the other ear was folded in on itself. It also carried a brown saddlebag strapped around its shoulder. The Pokémon was looking around the room, in the rivers, through the trees. Whatever it was looking for, it was totally oblivious to the two behind it.
"Buneary! We're here to rescue you!" Gloria shouted.
The Buneary's folded ear shot up in surprise as it turned around and stared at the two in horror.
"You came to rescue me? You must be guild members, right?" A female voice with a hint of country came out, her stare unwavering.
"We had a request issued to rescue you. You need to come with us," Liam quickly answered.
"Mrs. Lopunny is worried about you!" Gloria quickly added
The Buneary's look of horror widened. "Ma sen-" She stopped herself as recognition of Gloria's voice flooded her mind. "Miss Vulpix? Is that... really you? From the orphanage?"
Gloria was a bit taken back but slowly gave a nod. "Yes! We can go back to it now."
Buneary's eyes strained further as she clutched the grip of her saddlebag further. "I... I can't go home now, I haven't found the secret entrance yet!"
"Secret entrance?" Liam gave a puzzled look at the bunny, who squirmed.
"Yes! There's an entrance that's hidden, but I haven't made it there yet. I just need to go further!"
Gloria took a step forward, worry on her face. "Come on Buneary, let's just go home, your mom must be worried sick."
Liam also started to encroach on the Normal-type, but she quickly took a defensive hop backward.
"I can't go home yet! I don't need rescuing, either. Please tell my mom I'll be back soon!" She immediately took off further into the dungeon, leaving the pair a bit bewildered.
"Wait!... Ugh." Gloria sighed.
"Have you heard of any secret entrance here?" Liam asked the Vulpix.
She shook her head, still a bit peeved at the Buneary's behavior. "No, this dungeon has been gone through extensively."
He shrugged in return. "Well let's catch up on her before she gets hurt, or worse… Braixen and Monferno trust us."
One determined nod from the Vulpix sent the two of them further into the grove, not knowing just what the Buneary was looking for.
"And after he said all of that, I told him…" Braixen and Monferno leaned in further to hear Roark's conclusion.
"'By the way, Joltik's on your back.'"
Monferno slammed a palm onto the table as did Roark with a claw, the both of them roaring with laughter. Braixen offered a reserved chuckle, holding a paw over her mouth.
"Oh, how-" Monferno attempted to speak through his laughter. "How- how long was he on him?"
"A good two minutes, I think everyone saw it, too, but they knew better not to say it right away," Roark explained through his snickering.
Monferno placed a hand on his head as his breathing relaxed. "Man, I miss a lot of great moments when I'm out doing jobs…" He looked over toward Braixen, who was daintily sipping from her mug of coffee. "I envy you sometimes, you know."
"You know I have to stay sometimes, when Hatterene isn't always present, then I'm acting nurse for the guild," she said.
"Ah, so Roark doesn't need to worry when he and Charizard get into an argument," Monferno remarked with amusement. Braixen snickered as Roark waved a claw.
"Let's get down to business, Mony." Monferno grumbled at the use of his nickname, but let him continue. "I know the Guildmaster got you three passes; one for you, Braixen, and whomever else of your choosing."
Monferno put his arms behind his head. "Yeah, what's it to you? I never planned on going myself. Theaters are boring and stuff."
Roark leaned across the table. "Well, I want those passes."
"What makes you think I'm going to hand off those passes when I'm better off making tons of Poké for selling them?"
Roark leaned further in, his smirk growing wider. "Because I know you can't resist a bet.
Monferno sucked his teeth in. "Depends if it's a bet that I know for sure I'm going to win."
"Liam and Gloria come back with Buneary in tow..." Roark pointed a claw at the two of them. "You report this to the guild, and if they get accepted in…" He stopped to take a sip from his coffee. "Then I get those passes."
Another round of rapturous laughter came from Monferno as he slammed the table with a fist. "Those two? They look as green as can be, especially the Riolu with his staring into space."
"This is going to bite you, Mony," Braixen warned.
He waved her off, "Ah, come on Braix, it'll be fun. The Guildmaster and Scizor are in no hurry to have new recruits now."
A claw-ridden paw soon reached Monferno's vision, who promptly looked at its owner.
"Deal?" Roark asked, the glint in his eyes challenging his foe. Monferno snorted and put his own hand into Roark's.
"Deal."
Sunshine Grove
BF4
'Shoot, this Pokémon is way bigger than the others we've faced,' Liam thought as the large Raticate made its appearance known.
It snarled at him with its gnarly teeth before leaping forward, intending to bite Liam. He quickly dashed out of the way, using his newly learned Quick Attack. The Raticate was persistent however, recovering fast and nearly tackling Liam if it weren't for the sharp shards of ice sent by Gloria smashing into its sides.
Both of them made a mental agreement of their roles in this fight. Gloria went into a support role as she attacked from a distance with Ice Shard. Meanwhile, Liam got up close and personal with the Pokémon. He utilized the Raticate's falter from Gloria's attack to unleash a series of Force Palms into the stomach and face of the Pokémon.
He could feel himself getting better at using his arsenal of moves.
Through the pummeling, the weakened Raticate saw an opening and took it. It latched its long teeth around Liam's left arm and bit down - hard.
Liam grunted in pain as his other arm charged another Force Palm, this time with more force put into it. Gloria saw his predicament and launched a barrage of Ice Shards at the Raticate. The teeth around his arm were taken out as Raticate succumbed to the attacks, falling to the floor and bursting into bright orange light.
Once the light receded, Liam kneeled down on the floor and nursed his arm. Gloria quickly rushed to his side, worried.
"Are you okay? It's not bleeding, is it?" She leaned in to check on it.
He took a deep breath, "Hah... no. But it does hurt very badly."
"Let me see the bag; there's something you can use."
Liam used his good arm to unhook the saddlebag before handing it over to her. She set it the ground and opened the flap containing several kinds of berries that Braixen gave them. She fumbled a bit, but pulled out a blue kind of berry with black speckles on it.
"This is an Oran Berry, it provides a temporary alleviation for pain. It's great for exploring Mystery Dungeons, but you should still see someone for greater injuries."
Liam didn't question it, seeing the pain he was in, he was sure it would do the trick. "Alright, give it here."
He grabbed the berry from her outstretched paw and tossed it into his mouth, grinding it up. Right then and there he felt a powerful burst of energy pulse through his body, specifically his left arm. He stared at it for a while, flexing it like it was never hurt at all.
Gloria giggled and closed the bag, pushing it over toward him. "This should be the last floor. Buneary is most likely up ahead as well."
He looked at her from his position with a smile, grabbing the saddlebag.
"Then lead the way."
As they exited the final staircase, they found themselves in a silent area. A cracked stone brick pathway covered with greenery led to another structure. A fountain that still poured water out of its numerous holes. In the middle of the room, a Buneary wandered around aimlessly, pushing over pieces of rock and pressing down on brick slabs.
Liam and Gloria shared a look before interrupting the bunny.
"Buneary! Stop running off, we need to take you back home!" Gloria yelled as the both of them started to close in.
Buneary stopped what she was doing and backed up, shocked that they were back. "W-why did y'all follow me again! I told you that I was fine, remember?"
"But your mother issued this request! Don't you respect her wishes?" Gloria retorted.
The Buneary tightened her hold on her saddlebag. "I'm doing this for her."
"What could you be doing that is for her benefit?"
Buneary let out a deep breath. "Do you remember what you said to us all in the orphanage, all that time ago?"
A look of shock came on Gloria's face as she collected her thoughts of when that happened.
"... No," She responded, ashamed.
"I remember. You told me that your brother had made a promise to you, and that you had made a promise as well."
Through the silence, Buneary continued. "You... said that you promised to keep moving forward, despite the hardships that you and everyone in the orphanage had suffered. That you dreamt of getting into the guild. While I was so little at the time, those words struck me deeply. I promised to my mom that I would also join the guild." She smiled. "I snuck out of the orphanage all the time to explore the Sunshine Forest. In a way… I wanted to be just like you," she finished wistfully.
A wave of silence ushered throughout the room. Gloria grit her teeth. She wanted to say yes, that they were one of the same. But a part of her told herself that they were not. She had forgotten she said those words, the ones that inspired this young explorer. She did not know how to respond. Thankfully, Liam would soon save her.
"If you truly mean all of that, then why are you here, in this dungeon."
Buneary addressed this, "Well, the rumor goes that there's an entrance to a hidden dungeon that leads to ancient treasure. In this room. Right here." She pointed a paw toward the many stone panels that littered the floor and walls. Various faded images were engraved onto each one. "I think the entrance lies in one of those panels activating." She flashed a confident grin.
Gloria, snapping out of her thoughts replied. "If we search for a while, can you please then come back to your mother?" she almost pleaded.
Buneary placed her paws on her hip.
"Of course!"
The three of them spent an agonizing amount of time individually pressing each panel. It was some sort of puzzle, they thought. While Liam and Gloria were already getting tired of mindlessly pushing panels, Buneary didn't seem to mind as she pushed on each one with a fiery determination. Liam could feel his eyes drooping, sleep almost overcoming him at this point due to boredom. Until he noticed one of the next panel's images. It was the same faded image of a spindly quadruped he saw from the gate outside.
He pressed the panel with that image.
A rumbling shook the room, scaring Gloria and Buneary out of their repetitive task. Near the front of the broken fountain, the stone brick flooring slid open, revealing a staircase.
Buneary turned around and looked on in amazement as she hopped up and down, over and over again, practically becoming a blur.
"I knew it! I knew it! I KNEW IT!"
"Calm down, we don't know if it's a trap or anything," Liam spoke, trying to calm down the hyper bunny. She did not listen as she laughed and ran past the stunned pair.
"Come on! I know you want to see it, too!" The Buneary gleefully said, hopping down the stairwell and disappearing from their view, not a single word was heard from the hyperactive bunny. Liam and Gloria exchanged looks, before hesitantly heading over to the stairwell Buneary vanished into. What greeted them was a black void, a symbol of a Mystery Dungeon entrance.
"Wow... The rumor was correct, and this is an actual dungeon entrance," Gloria said, a bit dumbfounded. Liam peered into the darkness before placing a paw on Gloria's side, getting her attention.
"We should probably head on in, Buneary could get hurt, or lost."
She let out a sigh, and a quick nod from the both of them sealed their resolve. They took their steps down the stairs, into the dungeon that no one had seen before.
Sunshine Grove Lost Chamber
BF 1
It did not take long for them to find the spunky Buneary, already fending off a Linoone by herself. Before the enemy Pokémon could lash its claws at her, she tucked her head close to her chest and pointed her ears toward her target. Buneary's folded ear then sprang up, slamming straight into the chest of the unsuspecting Linoone.
Gloria rushed in to quickly deter a hovering Starly as it homed in on the recovering Buneary. With an icy exhale of Powder Snow, the Starly was no match to the Ice-type's unmatched skill in freezing. The Starly's snow-coated body fell down to the ground with a burst of orange light.
"Buneary! Don't forget about us! We didn't take this job for nothing!" Gloria exclaimed with a forceful breath.
The Buneary chuckled as she ran down an opposite mossy corridor, further into the depths of the dungeon. "If ya can keep up with me, sure! Besides... aren't y'all part of the guild?"
"Well, we're no-"
The Vulpix couldn't explain further, biting her lip. However, it was not like Buneary would hear, with the bunny speeding off further into the dungeon.
Sunshine Grove Lost Chamber
BF 4
Floor after floor they descended deeper into the dungeon, the opposition seemingly growing. But so did their ferocity in dealing with those threats. A Raticate lunged at the trio with outstretched claws, looking to shred them apart.
Liam slammed it in the face with a Force Palm before it could, then quickly followed up with a Quick Attack barrage to disorientate it as it fell to the ground, turning to orange ashes.
Buneary rapidly hopped up and down, kicking a Poochyena multiple times with her own Double Kick, the mangey dog-like Pokémon tried to bite the bunny with its jaws, only getting jabs in return.
Gloria hurled shard after shard of ice crystals at flying bird Pokémon. It proved effective each time as they nosedived toward the earth into their glowing fate.
They knew they were getting closer, and closer to what lie ahead. Liam was tense, ready for anything to happen their way. Gloria was a bit clammy, her nerves wrecked with entering a dungeon no one had explored yet. Buneary was all smiles. though, as they entered what appeared to be the final section of the Mystery Dungeon.
The final staircase they took led them to a large, chamber-like room entirely carved into the ground. Smooth walls adorned by characters and images untouched by the elements stood without a single scratch on them. Wallflowers were found blooming all over the earth, like a mini meadow of white. An unnatural light seemed to bathe the room in an enchanting green and blue calming glow.
It appeared that this was their destination, the end of the dungeon. To Liam, this view was worthy of being a reward in itself.
In the center of the room, however, was the biggest treasure of all, which sat on a plaque. Buneary stepped forward and gazed at it, mesmerized. It was an orange-gold colored necklace. In the middle of it was an encrusted gem, tiny antler-like metal sprouting from it. She picked it up gently, examining it, noticing a text was written on the plaque.
'For X.' The rest was too faded to read.
She clutched it into her paw and she turned to face the two bedazzled Pokémon.
"Do you think my ma will forgive me if I give this to her?"
The sun held high in the sky, the drizzle and grey clouds from earlier now gone. Only puddles of leftover rainwater remained, quickly being evaporated by the sun's heavenly rays. Gloria, Liam, and Buneary entered the city, exhausted after the fighting and exploring they had gone through.
They decided they would drop off Buneary, finish the job, and head straight home for much-needed rest.
The two girls guided Liam through the market, past the maze of restaurants and diners, and into the view of a big brown building. The ears of a Lopunny sprouted out of its sides, Liam noting it a staple of a Pokémon designed building.
"It's been so long since I've come here..." Gloria reminisced, taking in the sight of the familiar building.
Buneary stepped forward closer to the entrance, the necklace still in her grip. "Mom! Are you in there?"
Not long after, the sound of a scuffle inside was heard as the door swung wide open, revealing the figure of a distressed Lopunny.
"B-Buneary? You're back?" She soon swiftly stumbled forward and held the Buneary in a deathly hug.
Buneary grunted from the lack of air. "Y-yeah, those two helped me." She pointed a paw toward Liam and Gloria, hoping she'll be spared from her mother's affection.
Lopunny broke through her moment as she looked at the two Pokémon behind Buneary. "Oh! Gloria!" She quickly hopped over and also enveloped the astonished Vulpix in the same tight hug.
"H-hello, Mrs. Lop-punny! Please... I can't... breathe," Gloria raggedly squeaked out.
At this moment, Liam was glad he was always on the sidelines when these sorts of things happened. That quickly faded away when he too was rushed by the emotional mother, who wrapped him up into a bone-crushing grasp.
"And what's your name, darling?" Lopunny stopped her assault to rack her brain until she squeezed him tighter with glee. "It's Liam!" she happily proclaimed.
The Riolu in question could almost feel his bones snapping but prevented any sound of pain from escaping him. "Yup, that's... me, all right." The grip tightened, much to his chagrin.
Lopunny swung him around in her murderous grip. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"
Liam tuned out her voice more and more as he enjoyed his 'hug'.
'So maybe this is what Roark said about being a guild member…'
Just like you, a soul that desires any ounce of heroism or glory that crosses her path.
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Next Time: History Lesson