Welcome to Gaia! ::

Morana the Houndour stood up on her hind legs, front paws on the wall, in order to read some of the missions posted higher up on the Bulletin Board.

“Um...how about this one?” She asked her new partner nervously, reading a mission about someone who lost a toy of theirs just outside of town. Incultyr the Larvitar glanced at it only briefly and glared daggers at Morana.

“I'm not doing something like that for my first mission!” He growled at her.

Morana dropped back onto all fours, shrinking away from her partner. Ears flat against her head and tail tucked between her legs, she dipped her head so that her hair would cover her eyes. If you looked carefully, she was actually trembling.

“I-I'm sorry Ink...” She apologized softly. The Larvitar stared at her incredulously, shook his head, and only replied scathingly, “Stop apologizing for everything, it's ticking me off. And my name is Incultyr. Not Ink.”

He had been quite happy to be paired with a Houndour- Houndours were good fighters, worked well in a team- but he's had a change of mind since then. Morana was pathetic.

After that Morana sat behind Incultyr, terrified of even looking at the Bulletin Board. The Larvitar effectively ignored her, browsing through several missions before grabbing one and tearing it town.

“Here, this one.” he grunted, handing the sheet of paper to Morana. She took it from him gingerly, as if afraid the paper -or Incultyr- would explode. Laying it down flat with her paws, she read it, eyes widening in fear.

“S-shouldn't we do something easier?” She squeaked. The mission seemed to involve a a bad pokemon in a water area. Morana was terrified of water, even more so than she was terrified of everything else. The Larvitar tore the paper back from her, rolled it up, and walked to Morana's side. She didn't dare move as Incultyr tied the piece of paper to the collar Morana wore.

“It's plenty easy enough. C'mon, let's go, we're heading to the Islands.” Larvitar turned to leave. Morana stared at him in horror.

“Shouldn't we learn more from the client first?” She squeaked, rooted to the spot.

“No need, we have all the information we need on the Mission Sheet.” Was all he replied.

“But...but it's almost dinner.” She whispered, not brave enough to voice her further concerns to her partner. She thought about the one apple and one oran berry she had stashed in the little pouch attached to her collar and how it would not be enough for the both of them.

---

They arrived at the bridge to the first island about an hour later.

Morana stared at the waves churning violently, crashing against the shore. It splashed against her, making her cringe. The little amount of water didn't hurt her at all, but she couldn't help but imagine falling in and drowning...

Looking up, the sight before her didn't encourage her much. The bridge to the first island was old and rickety. The wood looked rotten in some places, and everything was held together by rope, which allowed the old bridge to rock back and forth in the wind.

“Ink, I'm not so sure about this...” Morana told her partner, reflexively falling into her habit of shortening people's names. Hearing the whine in her own voice, she felt a sudden pang of anger that died quickly. Why was she always so scared of everything?

Incultyr didn't seem to hear her. With a quick glance at the water, he walked forward onto the bridge.

“You coming Morana?” he asked her. Gulping and not trusting herself to speak, she nodded and followed her partner.

She took her first step on the bridge cautiously, testing it with a paw before setting her full weight on the wooden plank. Staring down at her feet, ignoring the water she could see through the cracks between one plank and the other, she somehow managed to put one paw in front of the other, struggling to stay upright against the sway of the bridge.

The bridge was only about forty feet long...only about forty feet long...she'll get to the other side soon...

“What the-!?” Incultyr cried out in surprise. Startled, Morana flinched, stumbling backwards to land on her haunches. She stared ahead of her, trying to comprehend what has happened.

Incultyr had stopped walking. In fact, he looked like as if he was suspended in mid-walk, not moving, for the most part. He was twitching here and there, struggling to break free...of what?

“Don't just sit there watching, help me!” Incultyr roared in frustration, jerking an arm a whole three centimeters before some invisible force dragged it back. Still not comprehending, Morana felt her heart pound in her ears, her legs urging her to turn and run from whatever invisible force had captured her partner.

“Damn it, free me now!” Incultyr screamed at her. Then, suddenly, Morana caught something in her vision. Ahead of her, behind Incultyr, some sort of green pokemon was scrambling along the rope railing of the bridge towards them. It was only half her size, but it has two large pincers at the front of its mouth, and six yellow legs. It was terrifying, especially when it jumped off the rope and landed next to Incultyr, seemingly in mid-air!

“It's a damn Spinarak, and it made its damned web across the bridge, and I'm damned stuck in it! It's a damned bug type, so fire the damned thing, NOW!” Incultyr roared. He seemed to be fond of a certain word when stressed it seems.

“B-but I'll hit you too...” Morana whined, her ears turned back and flat against her head.

“I don't care!” Incultyr struggled harder as the Spinarak crawled towards him, nearly reaching his arm. Its pincers clicked together in anticipation of a meal.

Taking a deep breath, willingly herself to calm down, Morana summoned the fire within her. It came up and gathered at the back of her throat, broiling in a small ball of intense heat. Closing her eyes, she released the flames, which projected forward to splash all over the web, the Spinarak, and the Larvitar as well.

The fire shot through the entire web in only an instant, racing along the strands to the areas Morana didn't manage to hit so that for a second, it seemed like a sheet of air spanning the bridge was aflame. She could see the details of the nearly invisible silk within the flames.

It ended as fast as it began, the fire winking out once it consumed the little of the web there is. Incultyr, free from the web, regained his footing, and he immediately spun around to face the Spinarak, who managed to avoid most of the fire by jumping back on to the rope railings of the bridge.

Incultyr simply stepped forward and shoved the surprised Pokemon off the railing. The Spinarak landed with a splash into the churning waters below. Hope it can swim.

Morana trotted up to Incultyr, worry etched into her features.

“Are you ok? Did I hit you? Oh I'm so sorry I-” She began, but Incultyr cut her off with a wave of his hand.

“Yeah you got me, but I'm fine.” He shrugged. “Larvitars have tough skin, we can take an ember attack or two. Just remember to stop damn apologizing.”

The two reached the end of the bridge without any further problems. Morana breathed a sigh of relief when her paws finally found solid land again. Sitting down on her haunches, she allowed herself to relax slightly.

“Can you take out the Mission Sheet? I want to take a better look at it.” Incultyr asked her, digging through his own backpack. Morana took the roll of paper off her back and handed it to the Larvitar, who took out a map from his backpack.

Re-reading the information on the mission, he pointed to an Island on the map.

“The Zangoose who stole Dunsparce's stuff lives here. We are here.” Incultyr pointed to the Island right beside it. “The bridge to the next Island is only a ten minutes walk from here. C'mon, let's go.”

They repacked the map and the mission, and set out.

The Island was covered with a dense forest, and to make sure they knew exactly where they were going, they followed the shoreline. It's a foolproof way of making sure they arrive at the next bridge. It wasn't easy, dense bush impeded their every step. Morana was getting tired, sore, and she was covered with scratches from forcing herself through the tangle of branches and underbrush.

The sun was setting, casting their path in shadows. The houndour could see fine in the dark, and so could the larvitar, but that didn't make any difference to Morana. She was getting frightened.

They reached the bridge a full twenty minutes later. The Sun was no more than a thin curved line above the trees now. They hadn't encountered any wild Pokemon since their brush with the Spinarak.

Morana walked forward, sniffing at the bridge and then looking at the fifty feet or so crossing, eying the waters beneath nervously. After the experience on that last bridge, she was loathe to cross another one. Incultyr pushed past her to cross, but Morana caught him with a paw almost without thinking. When the Larvitar turned impatiently to face her, she felt panic rise in her. What was she going to say again? Oh god, she can't remember and now her partner'll hate her even more- oh wait.

“We should eat something first.” She murmured quietly, her growling stomach reminding her of the reason she had stopped her partner. “We haven't had dinner yet today.”

The Larvitar looked at her, then the ground, and shrugged.

“Sure, why not?”

Relieved, Morana sat down and pulled the Apple and Oran berry from her collar-bag.

“It's not much...but it should keep us until we go back...” Morana murmured, trying to figure out how to cut the two fruits to make an even half.

“Don't bother, you can have all of it.” Incultyr told his partner, and scooped up a handful of the dirt in his paw. Morana watched in shock as her partner then began to devour the very soil he was sitting on!

Remembering her hungry stomach, Morana took care of the Apple and Oran berry quickly. Fruits weren't nearly as filling as the meat her family usually hunt, but Morana had decided she would refrain from hunting other Pokemon anywhere near the Civilized world. There was just too many prey Pokemon that belonged to fellow exploration teams for Morana to be able to hunt and not offend anyone (Or eat someone's family, that's bad too). It's not like Morana had ever been a good hunter anyways.

Both of them were done within five minutes, and they set out across the bridge right afterwards. Morana once again focused on getting one paw in front of the other, ignoring the water, and manged to cross alright.

This bridge was anchored to a beach on this Island, with sand stretching a dozen feet ahead of them and endless to either side. Where the beach ended before them the forest began. Thankfully, this one seemed a lot less overrun with undergrowth. Zangoose lives in the middle of that forest.

Team Polaris headed forward towards the forest, crossing the sandy beach. The setting sun at their back cast everything in an orange light, and the sand beneath Morana's paws was still comfortably warm from its rays.

Ahead of them, at the edge of the beach, seemed to be some sort of green blob lying on the sand. Morana stared at it curiously, trying to figure out what it was. More than likely it's just some sort of plant that managed to get a hold in the loose sand, but it didn't really look right...

Then suddenly, whatever it was moved. Moved!

“Look out!” Incultyr yelled at Morana, and dived out of the way. Morana didn't react nearly that fast -or react much at all- as several leaves as hard as steel sliced past her. Most of it missed, and a few bounced off of the bones on her back, but one managed to draw blood at her shoulder. She yelped and took a cautious step backwards.

“Go away!” The small green blob yelled at them. To Morana's horror, about five more rose from the sands around them. “This is our territory!”

Incultyr backed up quickly so that he was once more beside Morana.

“They're Chikorita, grass types.” The larvitar whispered to the houndour. “They were probably trying to get the last of the sun around here for the day.”

The half-dozen Chikoritas closed in on them, most of them yelling at the two to go away. None of them were attacking- yet.

“Attack on three, then run for the woods. We can't hold all of them off, and hopefully they won't bother giving chase.” Incultyr told her, and before she could argue-

“One, two, THREE!”

The Larvitar's last word sounded less like a word and more like a strangled scream. A really high pitched, piercing, headache-inducing, screech. The Chikoritas cringed back from the Larvitar, and Morana somehow found her bearings enough to released a stream of fire at three of the Chikoirtas, all of whom stumbled out of the way. The leaf on the top of one Chikorita's caught fire, and most of the others diverted their attention to saving that one member.

The Larvitar ran for the trees, his short stubby legs not carrying him very far. Morana, dazed, shook her head and followed, knocking two of the Grass Pokemon aside in her run. Morana caught up to her partner easily, passed him, and skidded to a stop in the trees. Panting, tongue lolling out of her mouth, she waiting frantically for Incultyr to reach the edge of the forest,

“What was that thing you did?” Morana asked as the Larvitar finally reached her side.

“I don't know, I've always been able to do it though. Scares most things I can't fight away. I think it's quite useful.”

Morana shuddered at the thought of hearing that screech ever again. The two headed into the forest, tense and alert, moving at a fast jog. The Chikoritas might come after them at any time.

By now the sun had fully set, casting the forest in darkness. Both Pokemon could see perfectly well in the dark, albeit with less colour. Morana though, was scared. Preferring to look down at her feet than watch where she was going -and seeing shadows her imagination turned into monsters- it doesn't come as a surprise when she eventually walked straight into a tree trunk.

She yelped and fell backwards into a sitting position.

“What happened? Are you ok-ARGH!” Came the Larvitar's voice. Looking over at her partner, Morana saw that there was a large bug pokemon -she recognized it as a Caterpie- clinging sleepily to the head of her partner. It must have dropped from the branches when Morana disturbed the tree.

“I'm so sorry Ink! I'll get it off!” Morana squeaked, running forward to help her partner get Pokemon off. Incultyr just managed to pull it off the horn on his head, each of its sucker feet coming off with a little pop! when something large landed on top of Morana. Whatever it was, it was big- bigger than her. With a strangled cry, she toppled, buried underneath something large, furry, and warm. It looks like Caterpie wasn't the only Pokemon sleeping on the tree.

Morana nearly fainted in fear.

Meanwhile, Incultyr was dealing with the Capterpie. Now that it was fully awake, it was livid with anger.

“WHAT-THE-HECK!?” It screamed, struggling in the Larvitar's grasp. “LET-ME-GO!” It continued to yell in its squeaky voice. It seems to be female. “UNHAND-ME-NOW!”

Not entirely sure what to do with the screaming caterpie in his hands, Incultyr motioned to throw the thing away so he can help his partner. Before he could carry this out though, the capterpie spat a glob of sticky silk into his face. A nasty smell was starting to fill the air, given off by the antennae on the bug's head.

“By the light of the Original One, calm down!” Incultyr yelled in exasperation, or at least tried to, but his mouth was pretty much sealed together by the sticky silk.

Morana struggled from under whatever had landed on her, sinking her claws into the ground and trying to drag herself forward. She could barely breathe, with the weight on top of her crushing her chest. Finally her head broke free and she scrambled out from under the furry Pokemon that had landed on her. Gulping down air, she cringed at the horrible smell from the caterpie, her poor sensitive nose barely able to handle it. Behind her, she saw a large furry pokemon. A Slakoth, Morana knew. She's eaten such pokemon before, her mother always talked about how easy they were to catch.

Even though the thing had fallen from a tree, landed on another Pokemon, and had that other Pokemon crawl from under it, it still looked sound asleep. Shaking her head in amazement, she knew she should turn around and help Incultyr, but she was so tired...her limbs were getting heavy, and she ached all over. Oh, it would be so nice just to curl up and fall asleep...

Suddenly remembering that Slakoth had the ability to make Pokemon drowsy just by looking at it, she tore her eyes away, and looked with confusion upon the scene with her partner. Most of Incultyr's head was covered by some white substance, and the Caterpie in his hands was swearing very loudly. The Caterpie also seemed to have miscalculated, for the sticky stuff that covered most of Incultyr also covered his arms, sticking her to his hands.

Morana walked up to the pair cautiously. Incultyr was making muffled sounds, one hand trying to rip the sticky substance off his face, the other trying to hold the angry Caterpie at bay, and not doing either very successfully since both of his arms were stuck to her.

Morana tried to think of a solution to the problem, and couldn't come up with anything good. She could just fire the both of them, hope that Incultyr doesn't get too hurt, and the silk will burn off. She'd also probably kill the Caterpie, who really hasn't done anything to them. A screaming swearing Caterpie wasn't helping her think.

Oh...what to do...

“Hey, what's making all the ruckus here?” Sounded a sleepy voice. All three of the Pokemon froze and turned to the origin of the voice. Morana stared at the Pokemon for several seconds before a small “eek” involuntarily sounded in her throat. The Pokemon was white, about as big as both Incultyr and Morana combined. Jagged lines of darker colour ran in a zigzag across his chest, one ear, and both paws that ended in large claws. It fit the description written on the Mission Sheet perfectly. It was Zangoose.

The Pokemon looked at the bizarre scene, a look of genuine confusion on his face.

“Oh my...do you need any help here?” He asked, concern in his voice. This was the guy who stole Dunsparce's stuff?

With the Caterpie distracted and no longer flailing violently, Incultyr ripped his hand off of her and tore the webbing that covered most of his face and arms. Then he dropped the poor Caterpie, who landed with an indignant squeak.

“DON'T-YOU-DARE-TREAT-ME-LIKE-”

Incultyr ignored her, turning to face the Zangoose. Looking the Pokemon up and down, he probably determined what Morana had just seconds ago- this was their target.

“You Zangoose?” Incultyr asked, readying himself for a fight. The pokemon nodded. Morana padded up to Incultyr's side, scared senseless but knowing that she owed a duty to her partner to stay and fight. They had talked over their strategy of what to do when they met Zangoose after the two got away from the Chikoritas. Trying not to think of what she was about to do. Morana stood frozen by Incultyr's side, in a battle-ready position.

“Dunsparce sent us, now, give us back everything you STOLE!” Incultyr roared, his last word the same piercing screech as that he had used on the Chikorita. Ready for it this time, Morana wasn't stunned -but her eardrums sure hurt like heck- and she forced herself to imagine the Zangoose as just another prey pokemon. Don't think about the fact this thing is several times bigger than Rattatas and Burmy. Just another prey Pokemon, and she was the hunter...

The Zangoose recoiled from the screech. Morana leapt off the ground, pouncing onto the much-larger pokemon. Her momentum tipped the already off-balance Zangoose, who toppled backwards with a crash. Morana, keeping her balance and now standing on top of Zangoose's chest- bared her fangs, letting the silent threat do the talking. Because she was sure if she tried to talk she'd break down crying and flee.

“Whoa- hey, watch it-”

She brought a growl to her throat, snapping her powerful jaws in his face.

Oh god what am I doing? She wondered wildly. What would happen if she gets killed here? Oh god...she wasn't ready...

Incultyr walked up to them, staring down into Zangoose's face.

“Good job Anna.” He grinned to Morana. She stared at him in surprise, before forcing her attention back to the Zangoose. Her partner had refused to call her by her nickname...until now. She felt a small flicker of warmth within her, banishing her doubts, if only by a little..

“Now, as for you...” Incultyr's face turned into a frown, staring at Zangoose.

“Whoa, whoa, easy there kiddo.” The Zangoose said, holding his paws up in a surrender pose. “I'm still not sure what this is all about.”

“Like I said, our client Dunsparce sent us to retrieve the items you stole. Now if you don't mind, we're going to let you get up, and you can lead us to where you stashed it all away.”

The Zangoose stared at Incultyr with incredulity.

“You're kidding me, Dunsparce set you up for this?” He asked, then shook his head. “Look kids, this is all a misunderstanding. Now let me up, and I can-”

He began to bend upwards to sit up, and Morana, still standing on his chest, wasn't sure what to do. Incultyr, however, had no such reservations. He smacked the Zangoose in the head solidly, and he fell back onto the grass.

“Oh, ouch...” he groaned.

“I'm not going to listen to any of your lies. Now, cooperate or we'll make you.”

Morana shifted uncomfortably.

“Maybe we should hear what he has to say...he doesn't seem like a bad Pokemon...” She murmured, almost too softly to be heard.

“They're all like this Anna, I've-Oof” For the third time today, Incultyr was attacked in the middle of a sentence. The Caterpie seemed to have gotten her bearings, and had tackled Incultyr by surprise. The Larvitar toppled to the ground and the Caterpie turned to face Morana. It jumped at her, landing on top of the surprised Houndour's back. It bit down into her shoulder, the one that was injured by the Chikorita earlier, and she yelped in pain, toppling off of Zangoose.

“LEAVE-ZANGOOSE-ALONE!” She yelled in her high-pitched scream.

“Holy Arceus, calm down everyone!” The Zangoose yelled, and pulled the Caterpie off of Morana. “I appreciate the concern, but you aren't helping right now.”

Before either Incultyr or Morana could recover, the Zangoose had gotten up, and pinned the both of them down under his large claws.

“Kids, listen to me! I didn't steal Dunsparce's things ok? We were playing poker at my house like always and we decided to gamble some of our items. I got lucky that day and won most of the games. I'm afraid he thought I was cheating and stormed off. I was sure he'd get over it and come back, but...this...” Zangoose shook his head.

“He's telling the truth you know!” the Caterpie reprimanded Incultyr, who was struggling to get out of Zangoose's grasp, who released them suddenly. Morana got to her feet shakily, having barely heard anything above her incapacitating fear.

“How do we know you're telling the truth?” Incultyr growled, brushing himself off. He was extremely irritated with how easily the other Pokemon had restrained him. Damn it, no matter how much he trained there was always someone much stronger than him.

“I'm afraid I can't do anything to convince you, but if Dunsparce is so upset, you can bring his things back to him anyways, I don't want to keep them that badly. That's what you were sent here to do right? Here, my house is only a few minutes away, it's why I was woken up by the noise you were all making.”

Zangoose turned his back on them, something Morana read as a sign of trust. She looked over to Incultyr, who shrugged and started following Zangoose. The Caterpie glared at them one last time before turning around and began its journey back up the tree. The Slakoth, amazingly, continued to sleep on the ground, oblivious.

A few minutes later they arrived at a small little hut built in the middle of a small clearing. It wasn't all that big, probably only big enough for Zangoose to live in there by himself. He invited them in, turned on the light, and headed to a drawer next to a bed. In the middle of the room was a small square table with playing cards scattered all over it, and a simple stove in the corner.

After rummaging for a few minutes, the Zangoose returned with three items in his arms- a pearly white orb, a white scarf, and a jar of what looks like white sand. Morana had no idea what they were, but Incultyr seemed to.

“Joy Globe, White Silk, and Normal Dust huh? No wonder he wanted them back.” Incultyr reached for the items, but Zangoose shook his head.

“I want to see your explorer badge and the Mission Sheet I don't want to give these to just anyone claiming to be coming for Dunsparce.” Zangoose explained when Incultyr bristled. The Larvitar showed Zangoose Team Polaris's badge, and Morana showed him the mission sheet tied to her back. After looking both over, Zangoose handed the three items to Incultyr, who stashed them into his backpack.

“Well, this has got to be the lamest mission ever.” Incultyr muttered.

He readied their Explorer Badge. “Well then, be seeing ya. I have a few words I'd like to say to Dunsparce about sending us on stupid missions like this.” He said with a growl in his voice. He then held the Explorer Badge in front of him, trying to make it work.

“Bye Zangoose, sorry for the trouble” Morana said, just as light from the badge enveloped them both, transporting them back to the Guild. She was ready for a good night's sleep.

“Damn it Morana, stop apologizing for everything.”

((Is it weird that when I read the mission, someone angry at losing a poker game was the first thing that popped into my mind? >.>))

((Ah, thank you, I'll keep that in mind for next time ^^ I wasn't aware there's a set number of Pokemon we need to fight, can you tell me how many I need?))

Dunsparce only showed up fast enough to grab his items and give the team their award before he ran off (Well, more like floated off) before the pair could say a single thing. Their client must have read the expression on Incultyr's face well enough to know he was better off staying away from Team Polaris for a very long time.

The two pokemon then turned to the Spinarak and Chikorita that both looked at them expectantly.

"What do you want?" Incultyr asked, eying the Spinarak.

"I'd like to join your team." The bug Pokemon replied. Incultyr raised an eyebrow (Larvitars have eyebrows?).

"You tried to eat me." He stated bluntly.

"And you nearly drowned me, I think we're even." The Spinarak said, pincers clacking as he spoke. Incultyr turned to Morana.

"Well? I can't say I'm all that fond of the idea."

Morana looked at the Spinarak, shuddered, remembering how scary the thing had looked, rushing towards them, pincers clacking...

"I...I'm sorry...but I'm not all that comfortable with you joining either..."

The Spinarak sighed.

"Well, it was worth a try. Food's been getting harder to come by, so I thought joining an exploration team might do better for me..." The Spinarak turned to leave. The two members of Polaris then turned to the Chikorita.

"What? You want to join too?" Incultyr asked. The Chikorita shifted uncomfortably, perhaps suddenly realizing there was a chance of rejection.

"I was sent by the Chikorita Clan of StarBurst Islands...erm, we'd like to apologize for attacking you unprovoked yesterday. You startled us and we panicked..."

Incultyr waved her off.

"No harm done, we completed our mission anyways." The Chikorita probably missed the bitter tones of his voice.

"So...so may I join?" She asked, looking at the two members of Polaris expectantly. Incultyr shrugged and turned to Morana.

"Honestly, I'm not up to accepting new members yet. I've had only a little bit of experience exploring, and this was your first time. I don't believe we're ready to take in wild pokemon yet."

"We are not wild!" The Chikorita huffed indignantly.

"Can you even read Footprint Runes?" Incultyr turned to her and asked. The grass type deflated a bit.

"No..."

"Well, then that would be one thing we'd need to teach you. How can you help if you can't even read the Mission Sheet or a Map?" Incultyr turned back to Morana, who looked between the two pokemon nervously, and then nodded.

"I'm sorry, I agree with my partner..."

The Chikorita, looking intensely disappointed, sighed and turned away.

"So much for that..."

Client: Lopunny
Mission:
"My baby! He's fallen into the nest of a Spinarak! Someone save him, please!"
Dungeon: Starburst Islands
Floors: 24
Rewards: Double Kick TM + Sun Stone + 1000PD

I'll take this, if you don't mind~

((feel free to use any Mission ideas in this mission))

Reginald, Desdemona and Anastasia clustered around their large dark cherry wood table.
“So what’s going on, Reginald?” Desdemona asked. Fifteen minutes earlier, Reginald had told both her and Anastasia to meet him at the meeting room table, with the air of importance.
“As you know, it’s been a while since we’ve taken a mission,” he stated, resting his paws on the gleaming surface of the newly polished table. “I’ve searched the mission boards for a suitable task to take, considering it will be this team’s second and we have a new inexperienced member.”
“And so… what did you find?” the Jaguar-black Meowth asked. This will be my first mission with this team, how exciting! She thought.
“Take a look here…” Reginald spread out a sheet of paper in the middle of the table. Desdemona stood up and craned her neck in order to see. She read out loud, “’Oh, Arceus, please help; my baby has fallen into the nest of a Spinarack in the Starburst Islands on the twenty-fourth floor. Save him, I beg of you! – Lopunny.” She looked up and frowned, “Islands? That sounds a lot like jungle terrain, and I do not like jungle terrain.” Desdemona said firmly, crossing her arms and sitting back down with a plop. Reginald sighed,
“It is most likely that there will be sunny skies, freeing us of sucking mud, and what can I say, the jungle’s the jungle and there’s nothing you can do about it. Besides, it is most likely that there will be more forest than jungle.”
Desdemona sighed and stretched out her arms in front of her in defeat, “oh fiiine! We’ll take the job.” Reginald absentmindedly waved a paw in the air, “not so fast; we still need Anastasia’s agreement,” he looked expectantly at the Meowth, “Anastasia?” Anastasia snapped out of her daze and looked at him, brow furrowed and blinking. “Oh, right, yeah, sure, the job... Right…” Reginald furrowed his brow and turned his muzzle to the side slightly, frowning. After a few moments, he spoke, “Very well, then. I’ll give you half an hour to get ready and then we’ll be off.”

Team ShadowWolf arrived at the center island ((I am assuming that there is a center island with islands dotted in a pentagon shape around it to form a star)) to find an impatient Lopunny pacing back and forth in anxiety. Her wilted ears perked up as she spotted the team and she bounded over to them.
“Hello, you must be the Lopunny who submitted this to the mission board,” Reginald said and Anastasia proffered the paper.
“Yes, yes!” the Lopunny said, bouncing up and down, “That’s it! And you must be…” she trailed off.
“Ah yes, we are Team ShadowWolf,” Reginald said, “This one to my left is Desdemona,” he gestured to his left. Desdemona unfolded her crossed arms and curtseyed, “And the one to my right is Anastasia,” Anastasia gave a shy wave and smiled the wide smile only a cat could. “I, myself, am Reginald, the leader of this team.” He finished off, but the Lopunny was staring off just to the left of his face, as if she didn’t hear him.
“Wha—oh, yes, of course,” the Lopunny said impatiently as if she caught what he said.
“Thank you so much for doing this. My baby is on the twenty-fourth floor, in Spinarack’s nest. Please rescue her soon; I fear that… that…” The Lopunny’s face paled, and she spoke as if her throat had suddenly run dry. Reginald quickly cut in before another word could be said,
“Rest assured, Madam, we will be out with your child in no time at all.” He comforted her then turned to face his two team members, “Let’s go,” he said briskly. The three nodded and started down one of the bridges.



Anastasia uneasily tested the bridge with the weight of her foot and swallowed hard. The rickety bridge gave a loud creak and wobbled unsteadily. Anastasia grabbed the rotting rope and slowly shifted her weight onto a wooden plank. It made squeaking noises as she stepped on.
“Uh, are you sure this is safe—“ she began. Desdemona made a sudden move that made her jump. She strode boldly onto the bridge, arms pumping at a steady rate, and not using the railing. The whole bridge bounced with every step, old wooden steps groaning as she stomped on them. Desdemona twirled around, her jaw-like horns swishing like a ponytail, and faced Anastasia.
“Come on, we’re burning too much daylight. It’ll be nightfall by the time we reach the island if we continue at your pace.” Desdemona said, with confidence in her voice. She grabbed Anastasia’s paws and yanked them off the rotted stringy things that were claimed to be “rope”. Anastasia let go with a yelp and her knees knocked together furiously as she stood at the beginning of the bridge with only Desdemona as a support.
“She’s right, Anastasia,” Reginald commented as he slunk past the two, as slick as oil. Eventually, the threesome had made it to the middle of the bridge, where it dipped down, just a few yards above the water’s surface.
“See, that wasn’t so bad! We’re already halfway there!” Desdemona said, still holding onto Anastasia’s paws, or rather, Anastasia clinging onto Desdemona’s hands with sharp claws. Anastasia nodded sharply and nudged her to move on. I want to get off of this thing as soon as possible! She thought furiously.
“When we get back, we’d better file a complaint about the safety of this bridge,” she said through clenched teeth, her words clipped and sharp. Two Hoppip gliding through the air spotted the group. One Hoppip nudged the next and pointed, careful to not make a sound. They looked at each other and nodded, flying off. A few minutes later, they flew back with packages and dive bombed the team,
“Attack!” they screeched and dropped vague blue blobs above the teams’ heads, flying away with speed afterwards. Reginald and the rest sharply looked up. Four sharp thin spikes jutted out from each the two blobs as they plummeted,
“What are those?!” Anastasia half asked, half exclaimed, diving for safety along with Desdemona. Reginald, unfortunately, was rooted to the spot, his eyes squinting as he tried to figure out what they were.
“Reginald, GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Desdemona screamed. Reginald looked at her and made to jump out of the way. Too late. The two objects twisted and turned over, revealing honey colored caps with spikes on it.
“Skiiiiit!” They yelled in unison and hit Reginald head on. Reginald was knocked to the ground, but the two Surskit bounced off of him and somersaulted into the air, landing between him and the two girls with their skinny forelegs held up in a ninja-like fashion. The girls were too stunned to move, so the Surskit made haste to attack.
“Skiit!” the two yelled, again in unison, and launched two powerful Bubbles, spraying the girls full in the face. Fortunately, the bubbles didn’t so too much damage and the two were up and running just a few seconds after the attack. Desdemona was clearly maddened, but Anastasia was in a rage; cats don’t like water, you know. Desdemona was not a good actress, but being the Deceiver Pokémon, it came naturally enough to fool those with really poor taste. Tears beaded at the corners of her suddenly very large and soulful eyes, “Wh- why’d you do that?” she quavered, a fat tear rolling down her cheek. The two Surskit let their guards down and one even looked guilty for even thinking of attacking such a pitiful Pokémon. This gave Anastasia enough time to run up and Bite one of them on the leg. It yelped in pain, tears forming at the corners of its eyes. There was a low growl from behind. The two Surskit whirled around to find Reginald standing up with his head low to the ground; lips curling back to reveal his sharp fangs and eyes red with rage. He gave out a yarp and charged the two Surskit, snapping at their legs. He managed to plant one good Bite on one of them. His tramp had caused a violent ripple along the bridge and knocked most of them off balance. One Surskit was flung toward Desdemona with a fling of the shaking bridge. She had fallen on her backside and had turned over to get up. As the Surskit flew over, she spotted it and opened her jaws wide. They clamped shut around the Surskit, who conveniently landed on her tongue. The remaining Surskit looked ill as it saw its partner’s legs jut out between teeth at awkward angles. Anastasia stepped forward and tried to Bite it, but it had come to its senses and leapt out of the way, forcing her to trip and land on the bridge with a whomph and making the old bridge go in motion again. The Pokémon were flung about, making the forces of the rumbling stronger as they bounced; Desdemona was forced to spit out the Surskit’s mangled body because of the bounding. The three were clumsy on their feet and their weight along with their movement made the bridge rock more and more violently. The uninjured Surskit, however, was light and quick on its feet, barely scraching the surface of the wooden planks as it leapt smoothly. Anastasia finally let out a Scratch, but missed the Surskit and cut the rope. Oops. It broke with a snap and the bouncing ceased. All eyes were on the broken rope and then their own feet, struggling to keep balance.
“Run!” Reginald yelled and he ran for it.
“Yeah, like we needed any warning!” Desdemona retorted, her legs pumping furiously behind her.
“We’ve got to get off of this thing soon! The remaining rope won’t hold us all!” Anastasia meowed, scampering on all fours. The Surskit skittered off with speed but then skidded to a halt in realization and scurried back to retrieve its partner, skidding away with the group after it hoisted the fainted Surskit on its shoulders ((do they even have shoulders?)). Back at the other end of the breaking bridge, the remaining rope snapped and the bridge began to collapse. Reginald used his last burst of energy to leap forward and clamp onto the large rock in front of him with the skin of his teeth Desdemona grabbed onto Anastasia’s long, slender tail and Anastasia proceeded to close her teeth around Reginald’s tail. Reginald nearly yelped, but just left his teeth clenched in fear that he might let go if he did so. The two Surskit disappeared through the sea mist as they plummeted toward the rocky waters below.
“So,” Desdemona said in a conversational voice, breaking the silence, “How about that complaint?”


Team ShadowWolf had finally made it up the ledge and up to the next floor and were walking along, admiring the forest. Well, most of them were. Desdemona was pouting again, being the sour puss she was. Apparently, she did not get on well with the forest as the jungle on her first mission.
“Why do you like this place, anyways?” She asked in her whiney tone, ”It’s sorta creepy out here. I mean, I bet if you looked at this jungle at night, it’d be a terror. The trees would make up twisted faces, the foliage‘ll make creepy shadows and the various Spinarak will snap their little pincers at you in hunger.” She shivered.
“Desdemona, why do you always have to complain about everything?” Reginald asked, tired of her ramblings.
“Yeah, there are great things about forests.” Anastasia said, “Like the beautiful rays of light shimmering through the trees.” She turned her cat face toward the warm sunlight and inhaled a wonderful puff of breath. Desdemona rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “Pff, whatever,” she said. Apparently, forests could have hurt feelings too because Desdemona tripped over a root when she wasn’t paying attention and spun around. She was sure she heard someone snigger.


As the threesome walked through the forest, Desdemona brought something up.
“Hey, Anastasia, you don’t have a nickname,” she said, realization dawning upon her.
“Well, is a nickname really necessary? Can’t you just call me Anastasia?” Anastasia asked. She really hadn’t thought nicknames were necessary, even though her family called her by her middle name ‘Mona’. That didn’t count, did it?
“Oh, well, gee, I dunno,” Desdemona said, her eyes half closed and grinning, “I just don’t want to say—“ she widened her eyes in mock surprise, “’Watch out Anastasia Mona Meowth -- there’s a huge Spinarack beh—oh too late, yer dead.’ You see what I mean?” Anastasia winced at Desdemona’s crude humor but replied,
“You have a point. Well, if I get a nickname, so do you guys.” She pointed out.
“Oh, we already have nicknames, Reginald and I. He’s Reg and I’m Des. Pretty plain and simple, eh?” the Mawile grinned and continued, “so you can go as Ana, or Stacy. Hmm, what do you think, Reg?”
“I think that we should go with Stacy since Ana is pronounced Ah-nah whereas her full name, Anastasia, is pronounced Ani-stasia.” He said, still moving along. Desdemona grinned and clapped a hand on Anastasia’s far shoulder in a friendly fashion.
“So! Stacy it is!” Desdemona said heartily. “Stacy” just sighed and gave her a weak smile.


Anastasia sighed with relief. She made it to the third floor on her first mission; what a relief! Their mission was going well so far… Well, sure they were dive bombed by some Surskit and Hoppip and nearly fell to their deaths off of that treacherous bridge, but…
“Hey, what happened to those Hoppip, anyways?” Anastasia asked. They just glided off after dropping the Surskit. Desdemona looked at her strange, “What Hoppip?” she asked, clearly confused.
“The Hoppip that dropped the Surskit back on the bridge, you didn’t think the Surskit flew down all by themselves, did you?” Reginald said. No reply. Reginald’s eyes widened and he turned his head to face her, “Did you?!” Desdemona blushed and scratched the back of her head, turning away, “look, I just didn’t see them, alright?” She sighed, willing her blushes to cool. Reginald froze and sniffed the air.
“Speaking of the devil,” he murmured.
“What?” Anastasia also paused and looked around wildly. Two Hoppip sprang from the treetops and landed in front of the group, blocking them from continuing.
“You killed our teammates!” one said angrily. “Don’t deny it, we saw them fall from the bridge!” the other piped up. “You must PAY for what you have done!” the two squeaked together.
“Ah, crap,” Reginald said crossly and charged them. He lunged forward as to Tackle one of them, but they swiftly hopped out of the way. As he was sent tumbling by sheer momentum, Desdemona ran toward them and made sure to make her steps loud. As one of them spun around, she flipped her jaws over her face and opened them up widely,
“Boo!” she wailed, clearly Astonishing it. I winced and drew back, very surprised. Its partner dove for Anastasia and knocked her over with a Tackle attack. She flipped over through the air and landed lightly on her paws. She straightened up from her stance and looked at the rest of her team,
“Whoa, did you see that?!” She said, in total awe.
“You fool! Fight already!” Reginald barked and closed in on the Hoppip between him and Desdemona.
“Oh, right.” She said, but the Hoppip already sprung itself at her, knocking her over again. Desdemona turned her focus off of Anastasia and onto the Hoppip in front of her. She clamped her jaws over the Hoppip’s small body, crushing it just as she did with the Surskit. She grimaced as she tasted blood in her mouth from where a tooth pierced some of its flesh. It screamed as she Bit it and squirmed in her firm grip.
“Don’t,” she advised, “It’ll just make the blood flow faster.” From this comment, the Hoppip fainted and she released it. It landed with a squishy plop, saliva mixed with a bit of blood oozing from it. The other Hoppip spotted its mate and shrieked in horror. Before anyone could do anything else, the Hoppip snatched its fallen partner and hauled it away at a fast speed. Upward.
“This isn’t over yet!” It yelled down below and flew off, partner in hand.


“Well that was a close one.” Reginald said. Anastasia was being sick in a nearby trench. “Y’all right, honey?” Desdemona called over to her. “Fine,” Anastasia called back weakly and clambered over to them, looking pale in the face.
“Chins up, moonshine, it was just a little bit of blood.” Desdemona said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. Anastasia swallowed the lump in her throat, “Yeah.” She let the sight of blood float silently into the back of her mind and focused on Reginald,
“Reginald, I hardly know anything about you. What’s your story?”
“Truth be told, I don’t know either,” Desdemona said. “He didn’t say hardly a peep at the assignment office.”
Reginald sighed, “Very well, I’ll tell you. I hope not to bore you with my story,” he continued

“I come from a high floor in the Labyrinth, within the Guild of the Sun’s territory. I was in a pack of highly respectable and polite Poochyena and Mightyena. All gentleman and ladies, though a scarce few were complete reckless bastards. Anyways, one day, during the nightly howl, I and a few other Poochyena were chatting. We talked about the usual rising in rank from Omega to Alpha and such but eventually got to the topic of rescue missions.
“There’s quite a few around now.” One mentioned. “Yeah, pretty much everybody who’s somebody joins a rescue team if they get the chance,” another said “Or creates a new one,” the Poochyena added. “Hey, Reginald, what do you think if you made one?” one asked. “Yeah, that’d be interesting.” Another commented. “Sure, why not? By the time I get back, I’ll be a top dog.” I said.”

Reginald finished.
“That’s about it. Not all that exciting, but what can I say? I left the very next morning, leaving a note at the entrance of the den I stayed at. Those other Poochyena were most likely joking when they told me to form a new rescue team, but oh, how sarcasm is wasted on me.” He gave a smirk.
“But enough of that, the next floor is just ahead,” he said as he spied the upcoming staircase.


“Now that we’ve heard Reginald’s story, what about yours, Desdemona?” Anastasia asked. Desdemona looked up dreamily as she remembered. Now, how did it go? Ah yes… Desdemona began,

“I used to live at the Metal Works, the Guild of the Morning Star’s territory. I was a city girl, anti-nature you could say. I was a mean spirited vixen who always had her way, for my first years. I’m the oldest child in my family, with a little shiny Mawile brother as a sibling. He was always talking about the rescue teams and how simply brilliant they were… so he challenged me, saying something along the lines of “I bet’cha can’t last long in a Rescue team, if you make one!” and I was soon enough sent to the partner assignment office where I met Reginald to prove him wrong.”

She finished.
“I’ll go back someday and prove him wrong. For now, the adventure’s just beginning!”



Reginald whirled around, all four legs bent in a crouch and a low growl erupting from the back of his throat. Anastasia looked at him, concern in her eyes,
“Reginald, what is it?” She asked. Reginald slowly drew himself up from his stance, looking slightly embarrassed.
“It’s nothing.” He said and turned around before anyone could see his light blush. “I thought I heard something.”
“Couldn’t you sniff it out?” Anastasia asked, But Reginald shook his head no, “So many Pokémon have been up and down these trails and its filled with many fresh overlapping scents; I can’t tell if we’re being spied on.” He said and continued walking down the path.
“He’s crazy,” Desdemona whispered loudly to Anastasia as she walked past and said aloud, “Alright; we’ll be on the lookout.”. Anastasia looked back to see swishing branches and shook her head, must be the wind, she thought and ran on all fours to catch up to her two teammates. A ways back down the path, beady eyes gleamed through the bushes.
Ahead of the team, the bushes shook and rustled their leaves. Reginald automatically lowered his head and spread out his paws in a fighting stance. He emitted low growl and then barked twice. A sinister looking Furret wearing a red bandana around its head stepped out from the bushes, a grim plastered on its face. It casually walked to the center of the path. Reginald’s eyes narrowed, watching his every move; he didn’t trust that smirk. The team whirled around and faced the opposite direction as they heard more snapping twigs and crunching leaves. Another Furret, this one wearing a blue bandana around its head, calmly stepped out of the bush and stood in the middle of the path. There was a zip-zip noise and Reginald found himself rolling away on the ground.
“You should have kept your eye on me,” the Furret clad in red commented after finishing its quick attack, still smirking. Desdemona and Anastasia had turned to look at the zipping noise and followed Reginald with their eyes as he took the tumble. While they weren’t looking, the Furret clad in blue scurried up to them and sent them flying with his own quick attack. They bashed into Reginald, who was in the middle of getting his bearings, and tumbled into a heap.
“Who are you people?” Reginald growled, at the bottom of the pile.
“We are the Furret Brothers!” The two said in unison.
“Wipe that smile off of your face!” he growled and sprung up, lunging forward to plant a Bite on his jugular. The blue bandana Furret scowled and dove to the side, turning around nimbly to face Reginald who was still in mid leap at his ‘brother’. The red bandana Furret merely smiled and took a stance, both stubby paws stretched out in front of him. He caught Reginald snout on but somersaulted backwards from the weight and force. Desdemona snuck up on the blue brother who had his back to her and chomped on his shoulder in a firm Bite. He howled and jerked his shoulder away, elbowing her face in the process. She quickly released her bite and staggered backwards, her small hands finding warm blood dribbling down from her nose to her chin.
“That better not be mine.” She muttered crossly. Anastasia had this time to untangle her own limbs and dart forward,
“Tackle attack!” she shrieked, diving for the blue clad Furret. He stepped smoothly to the side and watched as she scraped helplessly at the air and made her decent.
“Oof! Next time I should just let it be a sneak attack” she cringed and limped back on all fours. Meanwhile, the blue Furret scampered over to the red Furret, who was still playing rough and tumble with Reginald, and beckoned to him.
“Come on! Let’s take this to the next floor!” he shouted and scampered off to the direction of the stairs. The remaining Furret shook Reginald off and scurried off after his partner. Reginald leapt up and made move to chase after them, but Desdemona put a hand on his tense shoulder,
“No, we should rest. Here, have some of this,” she pulled and apple and broke it into approximately three equal chunks, proffering it to him. He sighed, “You’re right.” He took the apple chunk between his pointy teeth and snapped down. Desdemona sat down cross legged next to him and ate hers somewhat more daintily. There was a dry orange stain line coming from her nostril and connecting to the bottom of her chin; evidence of her, now dried, bloody nose. Anastasia sat in front of them and chomped a chunk of apple as well. Reginald felt a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The liked the sound of the firm, crisp apple crunching between his knife-like teeth. He felt a burst of new energy flowing into him as the sweet juices flooded his mouth, making his taste buds tingle. He licked his lips in appreciation and stood up.
“Alright, let’s go; the bandits have had enough of a break now. Let’s finish this.” He said. Desdemona and Anastasia nodded in agreement and followed him to the staircase the Furret Brothers took just a few minutes before.


Reginald emerged from the bushes into a lush clearing. He looked around and sniffed the ground as Desdemona and Anastasia came out from behind him.
“Desdemona,” Anastasia gasped, putting a paw to her cheek and pointing to her face with her other paw, “What happened to you?” She asked, referring to the bloodstain. Desdemona shrugged,
“I bit one of the brothers on the shoulder with my teeth—“ she pointed to her face and curled her lips back to show it was her small set of teeth that did the biting, “—and he hit me hard, with his elbow, in the face. It’s only a bloody nose; nothing to worry about,” she said passively, waving her hand in the air. Anastasia looked at her in concern, but said no more.
“They’ve covered a lot of ground,” Reginald said, returning to the two.
“I think we will catch up to them in a floor or two if we hurry.” He said. “Let’s go.”
“Alright,” Anastasia said and followed on all fours. Desdemona spat on her fingers and quickly cleaned off the dry blood on her face. She grimaced at the sight of blood on her fingers and looked around for somewhere to clean her hands.
“H-Hey, wait for me!” she cried as she realized she was alone and ran after them.


“Hey, look over there!” The Meowth pointed toward a small clump of bushes that shaped into a ‘C’ together. Behind the bushes was a clearing of fresh green grass, a Sunflora sat in the center surrounded by various kinds of berries and food. The Sunflora beamed at them, lighting up the secluded area, as they entered her little clearing.
“Welcome, I am a representative of Sunflora’s Garden. Would you like to purchase something?” She said almost mechanically. Reginald gave her a brittle grin; it sounded as if she was reading off of an invisible script just past his right ear.
“Er, yes, a Big apple please.”[/grey] He finally managed.
“Of course,” the Sunflora’s grin grew wider. “That’ll be 50 PD, thank you! Anything else?”
“Three apples,” Anastasia said. “25PD each; 125PD total, including your big apple, thank you. Will that be all?” she shrilled.
“Yes, thank you.” Desdemona handed over the PD and took the goods.
“Come back again soon~” the Sunflora sung as the trio exited the clearing.

Floor 10 – Belly slots: 2.0

Finishing the job

Reginald’s snout crinkled as the stench of Furret filled his nostrils.
“Be on the lookout; they’re nearby.” He warned and the group cautiously crept forward.
“I think they’ll most likely try to ambush us,” Anastasia said, peering into the bushes. “Wait until our guards are down, you know.” She said. Desdemona spotted a bright red apple in the middle of the trail ahead of them.
“Yep, and there’s their bait,” she whispered. “Oh, look; an apple!” she said out loud and trod near it. Reginald and Anastasia tried to look as relaxed as possible and followed her. Desdemona flinched and jumped back just before she came unto the apple. Nothing happened.
“Oh. I guess we were wrong,” Anastasia said, her shoulders sagging in relief. Just as they let their guard down, two Furrets leapt from the bushes, landing on Anastasia. “Eeeeek!” Anastasia shrieked, managing to squeeze an impressive five e’s into her exclamation. Reginald and Desdemona were clearly caught off guard, so the Furrets bounded off the stunned Meowth and sent some quick Fury Swipes their direction. Reginald yelped as a swiping claw penetrated his tender flesh, but Desdmona came to her senses to whirl around and Bite down hard on one Furret’s paw.
“Yeeeow!” He shrieked, trying furiously to yank his hand from between her sharp and jagged teeth. The red banded furret saw his brother in trouble and proceeded to Tackle Desdemona. She was forced to let go, her jaws snapping wildly in hope of caching the scoundrel’s tail as he clung onto her back. Meanwhile, Anastasia had time to pick herself up and charged the blue clad Furret, who was licking his swollen paw, and use Fake Out. He flinched, clearly surprised, giving Reginald enough time to snap at his throat. His Bite got him head on and the Furret collapsed, clearly out of it. However Desdemona had her own problems. “Um, a little help!” she called over to them; for the Furret was still clinging to her back, trying to n** the heck out of whatever he could reach. “No, no, it’s okay; no rush at all.” She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm that could melt spoons. Reginald rolled his eyes and opened his jaws wide for a Bite, but Desdemona lost her balance and fell backwards , landing on a rock with the Furret cushioning her fall. He went limp and she was able to shrug him off.
“Well, glad that’s over.” Desdemona smoothed out her skirt and gave the other two a cheery smile. “Onwards!”

Floor 11 – Belly slots: 1.5

On with the search

Anastasia took a deep breath of fresh air and breathed a happy sigh. The air was crisp, the ground firm, and there wasn’t a cloud in the—
“Gosh, how can you stand this place?” Desdemona was furiously trying to free her entangled skirt from the thorny clutches of the brambles. Anastasia’s heart sank slightly but then rose again and she laughed,
“Ha-ha, the forest really hates you, eh?” She chortled. “Oh come on, Desdemona, why can’t you stand the warm embrace of Nature?”
“I just think it’s getting too close for my comfort, is all.” Desdemona growled, tearing her skirt from another snagging branch. Anastasia gave another hearty laugh and strode on.
“But really, what is it with you and Mother Nature?” Desdemona shrugged, tripping on a tree root, “I’m a city girl. I hardly pay my respects with nature, also polluting it’s rivers with soaps and shampoos like all the rest at the Metal Works.” Reginald held back a branch and let Anastasia pass, releasing it as Desdemona came by. She cleverly dodged it as it whipped around, but instead tripped on a small rock and fell down, receiving a face (and mouth) full of dirt and twigs.
“See what I mean?” She spat dirt out of her mouth, “Nature’s always out to get me.”

Floor 12 Belly slots: 1.0

Talk about evolution

Gr-rrrump! Desdemona’s stomach glopped. Her face colored a shade darker and she clutched her pained stomach with her hand.
“Anyone hungry?” Reginald asked the two. “Not re--” Anastasia said until her own stomach grumped.
She tried to blush, unsuccessfully. Reginald chuckled, “We’ll have a bite at the end of this section.”
They continued silently. “Hey, Reginald,” Desdemona began slowly, “Have you ever given thought to evolution?” He paused, looking in the space in front of him thoughtfully. “Why of course, I’ve speculated over it several times. Incidentally, back in my pack we allowed Poochyena the choice of evolution into Mightyena after he or she has either completed a great feat proving power and leadership or after becoming a complete gentleman or lady.” Desdemona felt her eyebrows knit together, what strange people! She thought but didn’t word it out loud. Instead she said, “Well that’s… interesting.” She shook her head, freeing her face’s pinched expression, and instead focused on Anastasia.
“What about you, Anastasia? You plan to evolve eventually, right?” Anastasia looked up to the sky,
“I haven’t really given it much thought, truthfully.” She grinned from ear to ear, her cat-like eyes shining, “But I suppose evolution is the way to go. Every Pokémon’s goal and dream, right?” She tripped on a rock and stumbled, ruining the moment. “What about you, Desdemona?” But Desdemona only shook her head, “Mawile don’t evolve.” She said and simply put it at that. “Oh, right. I forgot, sorry.” And Anastasia did look sorry for the girl. Not being able to evolve? Kind of sad, in any other Pokémon’s view, she thought. Reginald broke the silence, “How about a snack?” He brought out a Big Apple, which Anastasia happily cut; her claws might have been short, but they did the job. They happily gulped down their slices and moved on.

Floor 13 Belly slots: 2.5 (Big apple used)

Mushroomish Shroomish

Desdemona froze as a dark green blur a few yards to their front whizzed past them.
“Did you guys see that?” she almost whispered, taking a stable stance and twisting her head side to side.
“Pff! Hey, watch that!” Anastasia hoarsely whispered back as Desdemona’s “ponytail” whipped her face.
“Don’t make any sudden movements.” Reginald grunted out of the corner of his mouth. A patch of tall grass behind Desdemona rustled as the mystery Pokemon rushed through it and she couldn’t help but turn around. The blur leapt into the air and at her face, shedding a strange yellow pow—
“Stun Spore!” The airborne Shroomish shrieked as the light fluffy powder sprung from its pores. Desdemona grabbed a hold of Anastasia’s shoulder and gave it a shove to the side; away from the Pokémon. Her large black jaws shoved Reginald the other way. She, on the other hand, had no time to leap out of the way as the spores descended, but tried anyways. As she leapt through the air, she felt her arms and legs cramp up as she inhaled. She toppled on the ground, not very far away, and froze there while occasionally jerking from the spores’ effect. In turn, Reginald had gracefully landed on the ground a few yards away and stared into the thick cloud of yellow spores. Anastasia, who was on the opposite side of the spore cloud, covered her nose with a paw in effort to block the intake of spores. As the cloud subsided, both Pokémon could see Desdemona, motionless on the ground with a Shroomish at her side. Reginald growled and leapt over to the mushroom Pokémon, Anastasia also closing in on it. The Shroomish opened its mouth and faced Reginald; green orbs of light detached themselves from inside the Poochyena’s skin. Energy drained from Reginald as the green orbs flew swiftly past him and into the Shroomish’s mouth, as he Absorbed them. Reginald slowed down, leaving a limp tongue hanging out of his mouth, but the Shroomish seemed physically the same, if not, more energized. Anastasia had finally reached the Shroomish and was already unsheathing her claws as she swiped at the Shroomish’s back, leaving a shallow gash as her Scratch cut clean through its delicate skin. It howled in pain and tottered away. Anastasia made move to go after it, but Reginald put a hand on her shoulder,
“Don’t bother. Let’s get Desdemona to the next floor.” Anastasia looked at Desdemona and nodded her head. Desdemona looked stiffly back.
“She’ll recover in a few minutes; that young Shroomish’s stun spore hasn’t developed enough yet.”

Floor 14 – Belly slots: 2.0

Slakoth Retreat

Desdemona cricked her neck and stretched her arms out from her sides. The paralysis had finally worn off, but—
“I could take a break.” She said aloud. As if on cue, a Slakoth slid off of a tall branch and fell a yard in front of her with a loud thump! She shrieked; it was too close for comfort.
“Come relax at the Slakoth Retreat,” it said lazily, giving its head a scratch. [colorbrown]“It’s just a floor above this level.” Desdemona forced a brittle smile,
“Thanks, we’ll think about it.” She said. The Slakoth shrugged and lumbered off somewhat sluggishly. Desdemona let out a heavy sigh of relief; there was no way she was going there! Talk about creepy. Anastasia pointed upwards,
“Hey, look at that.” Just above the high branches appeared to be the bottom of a bamboo flooring; above it, loud creaking could be heard and footprint shadows were visible. There was a yawning noise and finally a series of snores. More feet shuffled and a trap door was opened. A Pokémon tumbled out of it, fast asleep, after the jingling sound of its money pouch and any loose valuables were looted from its body.
“They just robbed it!” Reginald’s jaw dropped in disbelief and shock.
“Apparently, that’s the Slakoth Retreat; I think they lull their customers to sleep and then rob them, tossing them out once their dirty business is done.” Desdemona grimaced.
“We’d better report this once we get back, as well as the business with the bridge.” Anastasia shuddered.
“We can’t deal with those Slakoth right now, though. We have a job,” Reginald said reluctantly.


Reginald and the rest of the team froze in spot. A Buneary stood not far ahead, apparently watering some Chikorita with a watering can.
“There he is!” he called out loud. Oops. The Buneary noticed the three were looking straight at him with menacing looks plastered on their faces and freaked out, bounding off. The trio raced after it, the Chikorita looking slightly dazed and bemused as they raced past her.
“But why is she running away?” Anastasia huffed as she dragged the ground to her with her front legs and then shoved it away with her hind legs.
“Puff, puff, how should I know?” Desdemona demanded.
“Let’s just focus on running,” Reginald suggested.
“Right!” the two shrilled and carried on. Just as they gained on the Buneary, it whirled around in mid-hop and raised its paws into the air.
“Stop! Stop! Why are you chasing me?” he shrieked. Reginald, Desdemona and Anastasia skidded to a halt; that voice was clearly masculine.
“Wait, you’re not female!” Anastasia pointed out after a moment’s hesitation. There was an embarrassed silence. She swore under her breath, “Sorry, I spoke before my mind could catch up.”
“The Buneary we’re looking for is male, actually, but this one is too old to be him,” Reginald muttered quietly so only she could hear.
“Yes, not all Buneary are females even though us males look quite feminine,” he said coldly, “anyways, I was just sprinkling my friend with water when you guys chased after me, what’s the big idea?” Desdmeona stepped forward, “Excuse us, apparently we chased the wrong Buneary; you see, we were looking for a young male Buneary whom is currently lost. Have you seen anyone like that recently?” The quite certainly male Buneary frowned, “Not with that description, but lately the local Spinarak have been getting quite exci—hey, where’re you going?” the bewildered Buneary watched as the panicky looking group sprinted past him.
“Thanks!” Desdemona called back, waving. The Buneary shrugged and hopped back to his friend.


As the group walked down the path, they discovered that it came to a dead end with thick brush covering any signs that there was a path. The threesome shared four and a half glances and then decided to struggle through the bedraggled pathway. At the end, Reginald was about to grab a thick branch by the teeth and move it aside when a red and white creature tore it aside and swept a claw his direction without thought. The Zangoose’s claws swept clean through the first few layers of flesh, leaving red gashes along Reginald’s snout. Reginald howled in pain and sprung upon it, hitting its chest with a Tackle. As the two tumbled across the clearing, Desdemona and Anastasia had time to get out of the last of the brambles. Reginald snarled and bit at anything he could reach; in fact, he planted a firm Bite on the Zangoose’s left ear and sent it howling. In turn, it Scratched Reginald’s rib cage area, forcing Reginald to let go and roll off to the side. As the Zangoose struggled to its feet, Desdemona used Astonish and Anastasia Scratched along the side of its face. It was sent tumbling and was finally slowed down to a stop on a rough tree stump. The Zangoose’s red eyes distilled to pink and clouded over. It groaned as it tried to get back to its feet, but slumped, clearly out of the fight. It focused a wandering eye on Reginald and cracked a weak grin, “Sorry ‘bout that, Ah was a’fighting a Se’viper an’ it slither’d away. Ah pulled back that a’branch where it wriggled off to but found yew instead. Ah was mad enough and any foe would do, so Ah attacked yew.” Its grin faltered, “But Ah’m clearly out of it noo.” Its eyelids closed and it passed out.


“You all right?” Anastasia asked, worriedly. Reginald had taken quite the beating back there, leaving proof of the recent battle of the deep gashes on his snout and ribcage. He shrugged it off, “I’ll be fine in a minute,” though he could not admit it didn’t hurt, “It’s not as deep as you think; at least not the one on the snout.” Desdemona rolled her eyes, “If we don’t treat that soon, you’ll get an infection.” She said reasonably. Reginald sighed, “Fine, fine. We’re near the beach area anyways.” They made a detour to a nearby pond filled with saltwater.
“How’s this area have saltwater so far away from the beach?” Anastasia asked as she shooed away a baby Sharpedo from the shallows of the pond.
“Its most likely a small tunnel letting the water through.” Desdemona said as she cupped a handful of saltwater and splashed it on Reginald’s wounds.
“YeOWCH!” He yelled in pain, “Yeesh, that stings!” He cringed, muzzle wrinkling.
“Just—hey, hold still, will you?” Desdemona splashed some more of the water on his rib cage and scrubbed with her bare hands. After twenty minutes of yelps and howls, Reginald’s wounds were thoroughly clean.
“We’ll check you into the hospital once we get back,” Anastasia said and passed each a chunk of apple to munch on.


Reginald winced, they had no idea how much that darned saltwater stung. That’d probably leave a scar. Clearly bored, he looked at his surroundings. Sweet scents wafted from the beach below. Chikorita lay sprawled on the hot sand and rocks, clearly enjoying the strong rays of sunlight. An unfortunate Chikorita got snipped at by a Krabby and accidentally got its head leaf sliced partway through. The Krabby soon found itself running away from a stampede of angry Chikorita. A Slakoth hung on a tree branch as a Zangoose clawed the trunk repeatedly, leaving deep gash marks. It scratched an itch on its head and realized that its claws were covered in sticky tree sap. It tried to pry one paw off with the other, but soon got those stuck together as well. In turn, it thrashed about, rolling on the floor and making furious yipping noises. Reginald chuckled and looked around some more. A group of young Zigzagoon ran about, weaving through the trees and bushes in a complex pattern as they chased one another. Just above the low branch line, small lengths of wood, twigs, and grass were strewn about to make a sturdy floor where some odd colored black and white Sentret and Furrets were partying. One had a strange crown and was singing in a strange accent as the others cheered and jumped about.
“Bored?” Anastasia asked.
“Not anymore.” He replied smugly and trotted ahead, leaving a confused Meowth behind.


The group stopped for a short rest nearby a pond. Reginald gratefully knelt down and lapped up the cool water. It was sort of greenish but what the heck; water was water. Desdemona, however, grimaced and dipped a toe in the water as if expecting it to bite back. Anastasia stood up on her hind legs and stretched her arms up to the sky. Happily sighing as the knots in her back smoothed out. A rather annoyed Chikorita ran uphill toward them; “You’re in my sun!” she yelled and swept the leaf on her head in a circle, sending Razor Leaves in all directions. Reginald jumped up, clearly surprised, and dodged to the side, he could almost swear he could hear the whistling sound of the leaves as they whizzed past his ear. Desdemona ducked as well, lost her balance as a sharp leaf grazed a leg, and fell into the slightly murky pond. She quickly surfaced and spewed water out of both her mouths like a fountain. Anastasia was caught off guard and was hit by three leaves, knocking her off her feet and making her land sharply on her rump. Desdemona, clearly angry, tramped out of the pond completely soaked to the bone. “I am so going to make you hurt!” she growled as she pulled back a fist to punch the Chikorita. She hit her square on the chin-throat thingy (do they have chins…?) so hard that it sent her sprawling. Reginald closed in and clamped his teeth on her stubby green legs. The Chikorita squealed in pain as he Bit her and recoiled. Anastasia, wincing from the stinging pain of her fresh cuts, rushed forward and swiped a claw at her. She slashed across her shoulder, but was only able to leave a light Scratch. The Chikorita was clearly hurt. She swept her long head leaf around twice, nothing appearing to happen. Reginald lunged at her again, jaws agape, but was repelled by some unseen force and sent back a few yards. As he tumbled through the air, he could almost swear he saw a faint glimmer almost like glass in front of the Chikorita. Anastasia lunged forward again, arms with sharp claws on the ends outstretched. She swiped a paw at the foe, but was repelled as well. She stared confusingly at her paw as Desdemona attacked with a Bite. Her jaws clamped on what appeared (or rather not, a-ha) to be a sheet of glass. The shining wall of light cracked as it wore off and shattered into a million of glittering pieces. The Chikorita took a step back and finally fled her opponents when her Reflect barrier disappeared. Anastasia and the rest stayed a few more minutes at the pond as they cleaned their light wounds and then moved on.


“How far up have we gone?” Desdemona rubbed the stinging sweat out of her eyes.
“At least 20 floors,” Anastasia said, in no better condition than her.
“Ah, but look on the bright side, my dear pessimists, only 4 floors to go.” Reginald said, though he had to admit he was tired as well.
“I don’t know if we can even make it four more floors.” Desdemona groaned then brightened up, “Hey, let’s have a race to the next floor.” Anastasia looked at her as if she were a madman,
“Have you been in the sun too long? We should take a break.” Desdemona rolled her eyes but joined them as they sat in the shade of a tall tree. She pulled out a shiny red apple and roughly cut it into thirds with a sharp rock. They ate in happy silence. Desdemona stood up, juices still running from her mouth. She swallowed, “Last one there’s a rotten Exeggcute!” She shouted and sprinted. Reginald yapped happily and chased after her. Anastasia, taken off guard, found herself alone and bounded far behind.
“Hey, wait for me!” She laughed as she caught up.


“Well, we’re almost there,” Reginald panted, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.
“Dang, for a first mission, this is stretching it a bit,” Anastasia gasped beside him.
“Oh, come on, you lot of wimps. How can you be tired at this point? We’re nearly there!” Desdemona spat on the ground, “disgustin’,” She muttered in mock disappointment and strode forward. Reginald followed reluctantly behind and then collapsed, clearly out of breath. Anastasia fell on her haunches beside him, her chest heaving as she desperately gasped for air.
“Tch, what a load of pansies.” Desdemona huffed and turned back around—into the face of a Wurmple.
“Eek!” She shrieked, clearly caught off guard. She leapt backwards and stubbed Reginald’s paw. He yowled, flashing wide pointy teeth. The Wurmple, clearly surprised, reacted to instinct and fired a String Shot from the two horns on its tail. White goop flew over the three, covering them like the human invention, Silly String. Anastasia was the quickest to react; she didn’t even wipe the goop out of her eyes, but flailed madly at where she believed the Wurmple to be. A swiping paw brushed against its wormy surface and she immediately made a grab for it and sank her teeth into its smooth flesh. It cried in pain as Anastasia cried in disgust and horror. She jerked away and spat furiously, trying to get the disgusting fluids out of her mouth. She knew she would never do that again. Reginald had scraped off most of the string on his eyes via a useful nearby rock and advanced on the Wurmple to pounce on it. The Wurmple gasped and fired another String Shot, making the Poochyena spin in the air uncontrollably but still hit his target. The two crashed with a thud. The Wurmple quickly wriggled out from underneath Reginald’s body and cried, “Stop!” Surprisingly, they did.
“Sorry about attacking you, you scared me.” It said, and looked at them with hope in its eyes, “Could we just forget this?” He asked sheepishly. Reginald nodded,
“And we apologize for scaring you in the first place. Don’t mind it; you we’re just reacting to instinct.” Reginald said, dipping a bow. The Wurmple smiled in relief and whomped off. 3 against 1 was hardly fair.
((not everything fitted in one post. See next post for the continua