Welcome to Gaia! ::

Guess I'll pick this mission here. -shrug-

Era looked up at the sound of the door to the Team Room opening up to reveal Ethfael with a notice in his mouth. He looked at her significantly, setting it down upon the ground, and Era nodded, ”Everyone, Ethfael's brought something!” she called out to gather the others, setting down her cup of tea to head over to her co-captain as the rest of the Team began to enter slowly. ”What have you got here?” she asked him curiously, picking up the paper to read it over.

”The mission board didn't have much of interest,” he stated, ”But there was something that looked to be entertaining amongst the bounties.” Noting the presence of the rest of the Team, who by this time had all come together he turned to include them in the conversation. ”There's a rogue Alakazam stirring up trouble in the Labyrinth,” he informed them, ”So I thought we were just the ones to take care of a problem like this.”

”I'm game,” said Era, heading over and grabbing the bag. She carefully rolled up the notice and tucked it inside before heading back to stand next to Ethfael. ”Who else wants to come?”

Riley raised a cheerful paw, ”Count me in!” he said, ”I know a thing or two about tricks myself, so a labyrinth and an Alakazam sounds right up my alley.” Era nodded and Riley made his way over to her.

Sereni looked at them thoughtfully, then nodded as if agreeing with something that crossed her mind. ”Era...” she began, ushering Phione forward, ”Phione has been wanting to ask you something.”

The little Water Type fidgeted at being put in the spotlight, and Era smiled fondly at him, ”Yes Phione, what is it?”

”I...I want to come,” he replied, looking back at her. ”Please? I will help!”

Era was touched by his dedication, and smiled, inclined to allow him to come. She looked to Ethfael for confirmation and found the Dragonair regarding him closely, as if sizing him up for the task. Just then, another voice piped up, ”No fair!” Faran said, expression unhappy, ”I wanted to come this time! I’m good enough, I promise! And I won’t be any trouble, so you should take me!” Phione looked rather hurt by Faran’s protestations, but said nothing, looking instead to Era. Sereni and Erinn exchanged a nervous glance, realizing that this wouldn’t end well, and Era frowned, not wanting to say no to either of them.

Ethfael’s expression darkened and he said in a soft but deadly serious voice, ”I would like to remind you that this isn’t just a run of the mill mission. We are going to capture a dangerous criminal and it’s no place for children to be participating in!” His voice was firm and both Phione and Faran looked distraught at his words, but in all honesty Ethfael was only concerned for their safety; he didn’t want their youngest Team members getting hurt, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

Era put a gentle paw on Ethfael’s side, her expression soft, ”They can’t be sheltered forever Ethfael,” she murmured, ”Eventually you have to let them grow up, and now is as good a time as ever.” The Dragonair sighed but said nothing, merely keeping his gaze on the ground.

”Wait a minute…” Faran said, ”Does that mean we can go?” He and Phione both looked at Era apprehensively, but the Pikachu smiled and nodded, giving her permission. ”Woohoo! My first mission!” Faran shouted, bouncing up and down with joy, ”We get to go teach that bad guy who’s boss!”

Phione looked at Era uncertainly, ”I…I go?” he asked.

”Yes,” Era replied, fondly patting him on the head, ”You can come too.”

Phione’s eyes shone with happiness and he hugged her tightly, ”I help! Help Era and ‘Fael!” he cheered, joining Faran in bouncing around. Era smiled slightly but felt something akin to dread at the idea of bringing the two little ones along. What were they getting themselves into?

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The party ended up at the entrance to the Labyrinth very shortly, having wasted no time in getting there. Outlaws needed to be taken care of as quickly and efficiently as possible as was often taught by Officers Arcanine and Magnezone, and Era and Ethfael had taken that to heart. Faran chattered ceaselessly the entire way there, to the point that even Era was beginning to tire of the Vulpix’s commentary, and Phione was just as bubbly in actions if not words. He still struggled with language, despite having been with them for a long time, and so still preferred expressing his emotions in ways other than speech. All in all it was an arduous trip to say the least, and the three older Pokemon were relieved to arrive.

There was an ornate gate that framed the entrance to the Labyrinth, no one was there, but it was in perfect condition as if to suggest that someone or something did look over things here. Not only that, but from what they could see of the hedges that made up the lengthy maze, they were also finely clipped and kept in pristine condition as kept by some unknown gardener. It was rather offsetting to see things the way they were and no other Pokemon around, and Era felt shivers run down her spine in spite of herself. ”It’s so big!” Faran said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them, ”Have you ever seen something like that in all of your life? It must be bigger than a whole forest!”

Ethfael nodded gaze pensive, ”Yes, there are many stories of this place and its size,” he remarked, ”Tales tell of Pokemon being stuck inside the maze for years without being able to find their way out. We’re at the main entrance here, and it’s the only way in or out, although some Pokemon have claimed to have ended up in here without warning, as though something had forced them to end up there. They never recall having walked through the entrance, saying they’d wanted to stay away…” He looked onward with a piercing expression, making it look like he was looking through the hedges of the maze into its heart. ”This is no place to be trifled with,” he concluded.

Faran and Phione both looked rather spooked by Ethfael’s tale, and Riley stepped in to the kids’ rescue. ”Of course, those are just stories, and we don’t have to worry about that,” he said, ”We have our Explorer Badges if anything goes wrong, and we can always find another way back if we have too. It’s just a maze after all, it’s not like it’s alive or something.” The younger two both looked slightly relieved at Riley’s reasoning, which Ethfael didn’t choose to refute. He decided it would be best not to mention the fact that Explorer Badges wouldn’t work until after they found the Alakazam and defeated him, or the fact that this Labyrinth wasn’t exactly like your average maze…

Era was thinking along the same lines as Ethfael, but didn’t let the thought dampen her spirits, ”We’ve got an outlaw to catch everyone!” the Pikachu said brightly, ”And maze or no maze we’ll track him down and bring him to justice!” As a precaution she added, ”Make sure to stick together, we should always stay in one big group, splitting off might get some of us lost, and that wouldn’t be good at all. No matter what happens, we’re a Team, and that’s what counts!” With that, she gestured ahead toward the gate leading into the Labyrinth, and they entered together.

Once they had gone, a sharp wind blew over the area, returning the grass they had been standing on to its normal upward position, and eliminating all traces of them ever being there. If they were lost, no one would ever realize they had entered. At the center of the maze, an Alakazam tasted the breeze, a menacing smile on his face. ”We have visitors do we my pet?” he questioned. The wind picked up around him fiercely and a malevolent gleam entered his eyes, ”Excellent…”

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It wasn’t long at all before the group found themselves completely and undeniably lost. The only one who seemed to have a general idea of their location was Ethfael, and even he was more uncertain than he would have liked. The hedges were high enough that even a very large Pokemon would have trouble looking over them to try and cheat in the maze. There was nary a sound save for an ever present wind stirring about them and the pad of their paws and, in Ethfael’s case, the rustle of his tail, as they moved forward through the grassy area. None of them suspected any sort of foul play such as that which was being played upon them as they traveled.

”This place is impressive,” Riley said as they came to what must have been the eighth fork in the path since they’d entered, ”Who do you think had the time to make all of this, or even thought up the idea in the first place? Somebody must have really wanted to keep something secret with a maze as complex as this one.”

Faran’s ears perked up in surprise, ”Hey! You don’t suppose there’s treasure there do you?” The Vulpix’s eyes shimmered in wonder, ”We’d be the first to ever find it! I bet there’s so much that the Guilds will reward us, and everybody will call us heroes for finding it, ‘cause nobody was ever able to find their way through before!” Faran’s tails whipped back and forth with excitement, thoroughly enchanted with the idea, and no doubt fantasizing about all the glory that they would receive.

Era laughed, ”Well, you never know,” she replied cheerily, allowing Faran to continue on with his fantasy. Obviously it wouldn’t happen, even if there were tremendous riches at the end there would be no way for them to get them back to the Guild, and if they didn’t bring them all they’d be hard pressed to make their way through this place more than once when countless other Pokemon had tried to do the same thing and failed. ”Well,” she said, pulling herself out of her thoughts, ”Which way should we go?”

Ethfael looked from right to left and back again, thinking on the question, ”Left,” he said decisively after a moment, ”If we go right we’ll be turning in a circle and will end up back at the beginning.” In theory anyway, but it was the best idea he could present. There was no other real way to tell in here which way led closer or further from the center.

”Left it is,” Era said amicably, and the group headed toward the left side of the path, leaving the fork behind quite shortly. Riley, who was walking in the back, paused a moment just before the break was out of sight, and looked back. His eyes narrowed in shock as he found himself staring down a seemingly endless path, with no sign of the divide anywhere. He turned back and hurried to catch up with the others, suspicion prickling at his fur as he returned to his spot at the back, mazes weren’t supposed to morph and change, they were stationary things. Someone clearly was messing with them, and he had no doubts as to who it might be, but he kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting to trouble Phione and Faran. He’d talk to Era or Ethfael about it whenever he got the chance.

As they progressed further along the path, the hedges began to grow more ornamental. Flowers began to deck them in many colors, and they were a lovely sight to see. Phione especially took a fascination to them and walked close to the hedges, delightedly giggling as they passed by flower after flower. ”Pretty!” he cheered, spinning around with delight. ”Pretty flowers!”

Era and Riley smiled happily as they stopped to watch Phione and Ethfael looked rather bemused as well at his antics. Since the others were distracted, Faran was the only one who noticed something strange about the flowers here. ”Ummm…Guys?” he said quietly, voice cracking, ”You might want to take a look at this… The Vulpix had backed away from the hedge with his tail between his legs, clearly frightened our of his wits.

The three older ones stepped back to try and see what it was that was frightening Faran, and what they saw sent chills down their spines as well. The flowers in the hedge formed letters, and the letters formed words which repeated in sequence over and over again: Y-O-U A-R-E N-O-T W-E-L-C-O-M-E H-E-R-E. ”Phione! Get away from there!” Ethfael shouted, but it was too late. A chorus of tittering laughter filled the air and a pair of the flowers grabbed Phione. The rest of the flowers also came out of the hedge, revealing several Roselia and a Roserade.

”Hello intruders,” the Roserade said with a smile, a powerful and sweet aroma filling the air as she came forward, ”You shouldn’t be here.” The Roselia tittered with laughter, coming in close-by the Roserade all save for the one who held Phione.

Phione looked to be close to tears, terrified that the flowers had grabbed him. Era’s fur bristled angrily and electricity sprang readily to her cheeks. ”Let Phione go,” she said, cold anger clinging to ever word. Both Faran and Phione looked shocked to hear Era talking in such a tone, having never heard her talk like that before. It sat especially badly with Faran, who whimpered a bit and stepped a bit closer to Riley for comfort, only to find that the Eevee wore an expression equally unfriendly.

The Roserade laughed, a sound that would have been sweet and charming if it weren’t for the harsh look in her eyes. ”Oh? Is this Phione something special to you?” she asked, gesturing to the Roselia that held him. The Roselia lifted its right flower up close to Phione chuckled darkly as the Water Type balked, seeing sharp thorns that decked the beautiful plant. ”Well then we’ll just have to keep it. A little something for you to think about while we punish you for trespassing .” The Roserade brandished her roses forward and the Roselia swarmed forward to attack.

On opposite sides of Ethfael, Era and Riley sprang forward in a dual Quick Attack, racing towards two of the Roselia, as synchronized as if they had planned it. Ethfael himself summoned his internal fire and unleashed Dragonbreath on the mob, downing several of them with its power. Faran stood frozen as the oncoming wave of Roselia charged him, uncertain what to do. Riley jumped past him, taking out a Roselia that had been about to attack the Vulpix with a Bite. ”Faran, you can do this!” Riley said, spinning to use Take Down on yet another Roselia, ”You’re a Fire Type, they’re Grass Type!”

Faran blinked in surprise, oh yeah, he’d forgotten about that, ”I can do this,” he muttered to himself, working to boost his own confidence, ”Yeah…I can do this!” With a yip of delight he sprang in alongside the others, fire licking at his jaws. He aimed Ember after Ember at the Roselia, causing them to fall quickly as the flames spread. ”Ha!” he cried, using the Quick Attack that he was rather proud of on yet another Roselia, ”Take that!”

The Roserade watched calmly as her entourage were taken out one by one, until all that remained standing were herself, the Roselia holding Phione, and Team MistMelody. The Roserade clapped, softly and slowly, ”Bravo little explorers, you’ve defeated them,” she said slyly, ”But it would appear that I still have the upper hand…” she looked back to the single Roselia. ”Take him away, we have plans for him.” The Roselia bowed and turned to leave, Team MistMelody powerless to stop him for fear of hurting Phione, who by now was sobbing piteously.

Just as it appeared that all hope was lost, a lone burst of fire appeared out of nowhere and hit the Roselia squarely in the back, causing it to drop Phione as it fell to the ground unconscious, which was all the little Pokemon needed to bolt back to Era, whimpering in the Pikachu’s arms as she held him close. ”Leave them alone!” barked a voice belonging to a lone Growlithe who stalked up, hackles bristling, toward the Roserade. Clearly he had been the one who had taken down the Roselia. ”They have as much right to be here as anyone else who walks these paths.”

The Roserade’s eyes narrowed at the Growlithe, ”Don’t meddle boy, your place is not here!” she hissed. Returning her gaze to Team MistMelody, she smiled, the air once more filling with the Sweet Scent of her flowers, ”If they will not listen to me, then I shall simply have to destroy them one by one until they are all gone.”

Ethfael moved forward, gaze cold as ice, ”You will not harm any of them,” he said softly, ”You have gone too far, and we do not take kindly to those who attack our Team.” He stood defensively in front of his Team, unwavering as he held her gaze and standing proudly before her.

The Roserade’s eyes lit up delightedly and she laughed again, the same eerie tittering of bells as before. ”Oh you’re a Rescue Team? How marvelous!” she said fiendishly, ”Then it’s even more convenient that you dropped by! You see, the Guilds took something that belongs to me a long time ago and never gave it back. I’ll show you the true meaning of strength little Rescue Team, and you’ll regret ever setting foot here!” She cackled madly and the group looked at her tensely, all of them, even little Phione who had finally recovered, readying themselves for what was certain to be a fight.

The Growlithe crouched down in a battle-ready stance beside the Team, ”You can’t just attack innocent Explorers Fortuana!” he growled, ”This Labyrinth doesn’t belong to any one of us! It’s for anyone to come into! And your sister has nothing to do with this!”

The Roserade’s eyes flashed with contempt, ”I already told you boy, get away. You’re not some sort of hero so just give it up already!” she spat, ”What I do and what the consequences may be, are none of your business! And you know nothing about my sister!” In disdain she raised a flower and a brightly colored Stun Spore flew out toward the Growlithe. The boy didn’t react fast enough and was instantly paralyzed, his movements locked. ”This is my fight,” she muttered, ”My fight.” Without another warning she turned to Team MistMelody gracefully, ”Now then,” she said, ”I hope you’re ready little ones.” In the air around her formed rainbow colored leaves that floated about her figure, and in a trice they were fired towards the group.

Chaos ensued. Era shot a Swift Attack at the Roserade to begin, and Phione darted over to the Growlithe, eyes filled with concern. Faran fired and Ember and Riley gave him a Helping Hand, strengthening the fire as it hit her, and Ethfael sent a Twister spiraling toward her. The Roserade retaliated with a barrage of Poison Sting, thorns covered in toxic poison flying everywhere. The five jumped out of the way but the young Growlithe was unable to move taking the full front on blow. He angrily used Flame Wheel and forced himself forward into the Roserade, causing her to light on fire but the angered Roserade simply used Aromatherapy to clear away the burn before she was hit by another assault of attacks by Team MistMelody, forcing her to her knees as a Thundershock, Dragon Rage, and Ominous Wind all hit her at once. ”No!” she growled, pleasant voice contorting with rage, ”It will not end like this!”

She took a breath in and paused, her body glowing light green as she took in sunlight, Synthesis beginning to heal her wounds and reenergize her. Not pausing in her stride, the Roserade began to dance about swiftly and elegantly, petals beginning to cloak her figure, for it was Petal Dance. The spinning petals whipped toward the Team, cutting at them with razor edges, much more painful than they appeared. The Growlithe closed his eyes against the petals, unable to do much more. When the first torrent stopped, he opened his eyes and whispered softly to Faran, ”Hey, hey you!”

Faran’s ears pricked up and he replied, ”Me?” not turning around for fear of another attack. The Team was gathering itself, in complete disarray from the unexpected power of the Petal Dance.

”Yes, you,” the Growlithe replied, ”Her weak spot is that dark spot on her belly right there, do you see it?” Faran nodded and the Growlithe continued. ”If you hit her right there with your most powerful Fire-Type move, she’ll be down for good.”

Faran looked at the Growlithe curiously, for the first time taking in his figure in its entirety. ”Why are you doing this, don’t you live here too?” he asked.

”This is no time for questions!” the Growlithe replied, ”You have to take her down before she-“ The Growlithe’s mouth froze as he became locked in paralysis once more. Even as his voice ceased, another burst of petals flew forth, this one worse than the last.

Faran grimaced against the force of the petals, but pushed through it. ”Alright, I’ll do it…” he murmured. As he strode forward, flames began to gather around him, covering him just as the petals did the Roserade. ”I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” he chanted to himself, voice growing louder as he broke into a run, dashing towards the Roserade. She didn’t see him coming until it was too late, and he plowed into her at full force, knocking her to the ground and causing her to emit a cry as she fell to the ground, unconscious at last, but not before sticking her flower into Faran’s side, injecting her poison into his system as one final act of vengeance.

The Team collectively let out a sigh, relieved that the threat was eliminated, and Faran collapsed to the ground, fatigued from the effort he’d spent. Phione looked up, determined to prove himself now that he was able. ”Now I help!” he declared. Without further ado, he scurried about, resting his hands on each of the others and using Recover, a move that he’d learned thanks to a strange little ball that Sereni had given him. He included the Growlithe in his healing and then he swung his antenna from side to side, a Heal Bell ringing out and curing the paralysis and poisoning in the group. ”Now all better!” Phione cheered, happily circling around them, ”Scary flowers gone too!”

The Growlithe dipped his head to the Team, ”Thank you for your kindness,” he murmured softly.

”No, thank you,” Era replied sincerely, ”Without your help we would have had a great deal more trouble from that Roserade, and Phione might have been taken away.” She stood beside Phione protectively, determined now not to let him out of her sight. ”It was very kind of you to stand up for us like that.”

The Growlithe smiled, ”The Pokemon around here can be pretty hostile, so I patrol around to keep them in check. I want to work for Officer Arcanine when I grow up,” he said proudly, tail wagging, ”So I practice around here, making sure that nobody gets too out of line.”

Ethfael smiled at the boy, impressed by his dedication, ”I’m certain that you’ll make an excellent Officer yourself someday,” he said, causing the Growlithe to paw at the ground modestly. There was something else that intrigued Ethfael about his story though, ”If you patrol the Labyrinth,” he said pensively, ”Then you must know it’s layout rather well, mustn’t you?”

The Growlithe nodded, ”Like the back of my paw!” he said happily. His face darkened with unhappiness shortly after though as he continued, ”At least I used to; before that awful Alakazam showed up.” The Team instantly grew more attentive; that was the criminal they were after. ”He changes up the maze all the time for his own sadistic enjoyment,” the boy said darkly, ”You could be walking be the entrance and end up near the center at anytime. I bet if I turned around, I wouldn’t even end up where I came from. Someone needs to stop him. I would myself, but I’m not strong enough to do it alone.”

”You don’t have to worry kid!” Riley said cheerily, ”That’s what we’re here for. The police sent us to go track down this guy because it was too much for their usual force to handle. When it comes to that, the Guilds are given the job. Team MistMelody, at your service.” He gave a slight bow, accompanied by a grin. ”Our job is to track down this Alakazam and bring him to justice!”

The Growlithe’s eyes widened in surprise, ”Wow, you’re here to stop him?” he said wonderingly, ”Well I wish you the best of luck! If I can help in any way, just let me know, I’d do anything to stop him.”

”Well actually, there is something you could do for us,” Ethfael said, ”We need to find the center of the maze, and as quickly as possible, do you think you could point us in the right direction?”

”To the right is that way,” the boy joked, pointing to the hedge on the right. Then he furrowed his brow in thought, ”Well, I don’t know much about the layout that the Alakazam uses, but I have noticed that going right gets me near the center more often than going left.” He flattened his ears, slightly upset, ”Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

”It’s no trouble at all,” Era replied, ”In fact, you just made things easier for us. Thank you for all your help.”

”It was my pleasure,” the Growlithe replied, ”Well, I have to finish my patrol, so I’ve got to run. Who knows? We might find each other again.” Then with a wave of his tail, the boy hurried off the way he had come, disappearing down a curve and out of sight.

”Right,” Ethfael said, not wasting any time, ”We have to keep moving. The day isn’t getting any younger. And there’s still a great deal more of this maze to get through before we reach our destination.” He turned opposite the way that the Growlithe had gone, heading down the path towards a divide in the road, and the others were quick to follow, all refreshed thanks to Phione.

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The Alakazam looked up once again as the breeze stirred his long whiskers, ”What news do you bring me?” he asked It sharply. The breeze gently wrapped about him and then constricted tightly before fading back to a gentle breeze. ”So they made it past Fortuana did they?” he murmured, ”Perhaps I should begin to keep a closer eye on them.” The wind howled and moaned, whisking through the hedges and back, and the Alakazam seemed to follow its path with his gaze. ”What? You think that they should be no trouble separated?” he questioned, and the breeze blew by lightly as if in agreement. ”Very well then,” he replied, ”I’ll send them to meet Mister Darkwood. He should easily do as I require.” The Alakazam’s eyes closed as he took a meditation stance his mind in the maze, overseeing all within and ensuring that nothing would come close to disturbing his plan.

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As the Team progressed further into the maze, a feeling of being lost once again crept into them. They had followed the Growlithe’s advice, and yet there was still no sign of anything. Ethfael did his best to assure them that they very well could be right next to the center but would be none the wiser thanks to the hedges, but it still didn’t seem to improve the overall mood. Everything was exactly the same no matter which way they turned, and that was not very helpful to their frayed certainty. All in all, things were not looking the greatest as they made their way around the next bend, just as they had countless times before.

”Are we there yet?” Faran whined, his paws dragging. Going on a mission was supposed to be fun, not boring, but they hadn’t done anything. The most exciting part was meeting that Growlithe and fighting the Roserade, and then he’d been scared; that wasn’t fun!

”Not yet,” Riley replied, still keeping cheerful despite the gloom that seemed to have settled in, ”We just have to keep on going forward because if you keep on going forward then you’re bound to end up somewhere, no matter how long it takes.” The Eevee was clearly at ease with his surroundings much more so than the others, and he was working hard to ease the uncertainties of the others. ”Hey look, maybe that Poochyena can give us a hand.”

The other’s followed Riley’s pointing paw to see that there was a Poochyena up ahead, but the closer they looked, the more Era, Ethfael, and Riley began to feel that there was something not quite right about him. The Poochyena’s coat was overgrown to the point that it dragged on the ground, and it was untidy, clearly he hadn’t bathed or washed himself in a long time. The look in his eyes was feral and paranoid, as though he would attack anything on sight, and Era swallowed nervously, backing up a few steps. ”We should leave him alone,” she said fearfully. Her eyes widened with shock and dismay as she spotted Faran padding up to him, oblivious to what his older Teammates had been thinking. ”Faran! Get back here!” she cried, and then covered her mouth, horrified as the Poochyena looked right at them, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Faran trotted back, confused, as the Poochyena advanced on them. Drool began to fall from the creature’s jowls, and he licked his lips in a way that caused even Ethfael to shudder. ”Hello there my sweets,” the Poochyena drawled, licking his lips again, ”Don’t be afraid of old Mister Darkwood, he’s not going to hurt you.” The Poochyena’s eyes began to roll in his head as he cackled, ”Mister Darkwood wants to be friends. He’ll help you through the maze. You are lost like he once was.”

Era took hold of Phione’s hand and took another step back, ”No-No really, we’re fine, we don’t need any help.”

The Poochyena laughed, a harsh, raspy coughing sound that sounded almost as though he was choking. ”Mister Darkwood was like you once,” he said, ”He thought he was certain to be the hero who solved the maze. He didn’t take help from anyone, just wandered and wandered… But I’ll tell you a secret: Mister Darkwood never made it out. He was trapped, trapped in this maze forever, searching for the way out. He never did find it though, he survived though, survived to walk around these paths forevermore.” His voice faded out into that awful rasping cackle, and the entire Team was about ready to bolt, this guy was beyond crazy. ”Oh no,” the Poochyena said, looking at them with that same feral gaze, ”You think of leaving Mister Darkwood? Oh no. Mister Darkwood won’t let you leave, he hasn’t tasted real meat in years! Only plant meat mostly, you will be much more delicious.” With that he pounced forward and the Team split apart to avoid him.

Faran raced off down the path, terrified out of his wits. Oh Arceus, he was going to be eaten, that Poochyena wanted to eat him. Ethfael spotted the running Vulpix and cursed, they couldn’t be split up or else… Phione looked from side to side and then straight at the Poochyena, tears welling up in his eyes as the creature raced toward him. Ethfael looked back and snatched up Phione in his tail before using his Agility to race down the path toward Faran. ”Oh no you don’t!” the Poochyena sang, ”Mister Darkwood is coming for you!” Era and Riley watched the Poochyena bolt after their Teammate’s with dismay, realizing that it was already too late. Ethfael, Phione, and Faran were gone, and even if they followed they were certain to end up somewhere else.

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The Alakazam smiled, reopening his eyes. Now they were on opposite sides of the maze, and would search for each other as long as they liked but would never find each other. Darkwood was so predictable, he had long since broken the Poochyena’s mind and now he simply hunted about for more and more victims, and would do the same until the day that he died. He chuckled softly to himself, there were so many little police teams who had come in to try and catch him only to fail. They would never find him here, at the center of this Labyrinth which he controlled. ”Now we’ll see what you really amount to,” he said softly, closing his eyes once more to follow their paths.

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”Faran! Faran stop!” Ethfael shouted, matching pace with the Vulpix, ”He’s gone!” Faran’s blind panic caused him to run a few more paces before fully comprehending what he had been told and halting. ”Thank Arceus,” Ethfael muttered, stopping and at last letting the sobbing Phione in his tail go. ”Now we can…” he looked back and froze with disbelief. The path had changed and Era and Riley were nowhere to be seen.

Faran’s tail drooped as he followed Ethfael’s gaze and realized what had happened. ”They’re gone…” he murmured, ”Ethfael, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it! That Poochyena, he was going to kill me Ethfael!” Faran was the picture of unhappiness; he knew that he’d done wrong and he was certain that Ethfael would punish him for it.

Phione meanwhile, clung to Ethfael as if the Dragonair was the only one keeping him together. ”Era is gone!” he moaned, ”And Riley! All gone, and scary man still after us!”

Ethfael looked from Faran to Phione and back again with a sigh, wrapping his tail around both of them, ”It’ll be alright,” he said in a manner uncharacteristically gentle of him. He truly was fond of the children, and it pained him to see them like this. ”We’ll find them. Era knows as well as I that we’re here for the Alakazam, if we find him, we find Era and Riley.” The children nodded, taking comfort from Ethfael’s unwavering faith in the solution.

”Well, how touching,” a voice said, revealing Darkwood once more, ”Mister Darkwood thinks it’s sweet, will make you taste better when he eats you.” His fangs flashed silver in the light and he sprang forward, but Ethfael was ready, meeting the lunge with an Aqua Tail. The Poochyena howled and focused his eyes on Ethfael, gnashing his teeth. ”Mister Darkwood will get you for that!” the deranged Pokemon spat, lunging at Ethfael and pounding him with Assurance. Ethfael winced but responded with an Icy Wind which drove Darkwood back, and then pounding into him with Dragon Rush. The Poochyena was panting by this time from the onslaught of attacks, it seemed his unkemptness was finally doing a number on him. Laboriously, Darkwood hit Ethfael with a Sucker Punch in an attempt to drive him back, but to no avail. Ethfael instead took up the Poochyena in a Wrap and began to squeeze. The old Pokemon was too weakened to move by this point, let alone fight back. He meekly wiggled back and forth in a final attempt to escape, but Ethfael’s grip was too strong, squeezing the life out of the Poochyena. In a few moments longer the Poochyena let out one final rasp and his eyes closed, the breath gone from his lungs.

Ethfael sighed and uncoiled himself, letting the small body drop to the ground. Phione hid his eyes in sorrow but Faran found himself unable to look away. ”Sometimes the only thing you can do is put them out of their misery,” Ethfael sad, voice filled with sorrow, ”I couldn’t let him keep killing innocent Pokemon, like he would have done to you two.”

The Dragonair hung his head, afraid that they would think him a cold-blooded killer, but instead he received the opposite reaction. Faran and Phione both nuzzled in close to him, seeking comfort. ”You’re really brave, aren’t you Ethfael?” Faran said, eyes sad, ”You do what’s right, even if it hurts.” The Vulpix smiled slightly, and Ethfael looked at him in surprise. ”We should keep going.” Faran added, ”We have to find the others.”

”Yes,” Ethfael said, ”We should continue onward.” He nudged the other two ahead and stayed close behind them.

As they left, the wind brushed through the hedges and stirred the grass around Darkwood’s body, forming a small indentation around him. Flower petals were carried on the breeze and covered up the body until there was nothing to be seen but flowers on the ground where he lay. A shadowy figure bent down over the grave and lay a red scarf on top, a tear falling down onto the fabric. ”Whatever happened to you my old friend?” a voice whispered, soft as the wind, and then the figure vanished without a trace.

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((I'll let you write your own post-mission again. I swear it's not because I'm lazy.

You can take either the Growlithe, Cherrim, Ivysaur, Bayleaf, or Wormadam as a recruit.

))

Apollo had chosen a new mission. It had read that a Pokemon was lost and scared in the labyrinth, also missing his jar of honey. Not that Apollo really cared about the honey, he only cared about the lost Pokemon. He and his team would rescue the client, and his silly little jar.

"Pack up the apples, boys. This is going to be a long mission, and I bet you dinner that we get lost at least once."

Apollo and his team were confident as they headed out to the Labyrinth, they had no idea just how many times they'd get lost.

Patrice eyed Todd as they neared their destination. Apollo and Patrice both knew he wouldn't opt out to stay with Clark, the newborn Tirtouga. Clark had seen Todd first as he crawled out of his egg, and thought Todd his mother. But you should know Todd by now, he isn't the motherly type. Or any normal type. If Clark wasn't such an angel and so loyal, than someone would have had to stayed with him, but such data was incorrect, and Clark is completely capable of being on his own and staying safe. Team Rapcha also has the coolest room in the whole guild, who would want to leave?


5.0

The team came to a halt as their heads went upwards. They had reached their destination, and were all (excluding Todd) in awe of the height alone of the hedges. As the team craned their necks, they still couldn't see the tops of the giant bushes. On top of the intimidating length of the plants, the sun was nearly gone, giving the hedges and grass a purple tint, and making it even harder to see. Todd would have sighed, but didn't even have enough emotion for it.

Apollo was the first to move, and he led the team through the entrance of the Labyrinth. Their entrance was silent, but nothing short of badass.

Patrice is quite big for his kind. And, like others of his Sentret brethren, his tail makes his movements awkward. Patrice does not rely on speed, he completely relies on his strength. His power to deal powerful hits, and take them. He does have a bit of a temper on him though, and this causes him to go into a bit of a berserk mode. Just thought I should tell you about Patrice, since he's new to the Team and this is his first mission.

"I can barely see a thing. Can you?"

Apollo was in the lead, with Todd behind and to the left of him, and Patrice behind and to the right. Apollo's eyes always looked closed, so I don't know how he ever see's anything.

Either way, the team was following a narrow path with hedges looming high, high over them. It was dark and kind of cold, but there was no wind. Not even a draft. Even so, some branches would rustle every now and again. Patrice let his eyes scan, but Todd just stared at the ground. Did he not want to step on any flowers? They weren't in the meadow any more...hmm...

Openings would sometimes appear on the left or right hand side of Apollo, but he was following the straight path...but how long would it stay straight? Not long...right? No, it turns right now. Apollo looked back, trying to remember, but every time he turned his head everything looked so much the same it looked different, how could it be? Would it have been easier earlier in the day? Was he losing his mind already? The mission had only just started! He shook it off and followed the path to the right, which quickly took another right, and led to a dead end. Apollo looked up, and then around. Was it a trick? Could they go through the bush? No...the residents of this place had to be living and hiding in there...they were already trespassing...

"You lost?"

Apollo turned and saw a Growlithe where the last bend in the bushes had been. Hadn't it...? Apollo was beginning to feel kind of dizzy. Too many eye tricks up in this place.

"Who are you?"

The Growlithe's grin grew, showing sharp white teeth. It was a twisted smile, and certainly not a reassuring one. Patrice gave a sigh, having a good hunch to what the enemy Growlithe was about to say.

"Your worst nightmare."

Patrice looked over at Apollo, and Apollo shrugged out of boredom. No sense engaging in some fire and fire action, it would be a long and tiring battle. Although this Growlithe didn't seem too bothersome. Patrice stepped up towards the Growlithe, quite ready to battle.

"You look nothing like my worst nightmare. I'm Patrice, ready to be pummeled into the ground?"

"I'd like to see you try."

The Growlithe smirked, and Patrice just stared at his opponent, summing him up and trying to predict his strategy.

4.5

Patrice made the first move. He propelled himself forward using his tail, and while in the air and flying towards his opponent, he extended his claws outward and raised them to maximize velocity, and hence the pain it would inflict upon the Growlithe. As he neared his enemy, he began to swipe his paws around, quite furiously. He flailed them a bit un-elegantly until he met flesh, and met it hard. The Growlithe yelped in pain before realizing what was happening, and jumped back and out of range. Patrice landed, one paw balled up in a fist and holding him up, while the other was up and behind him. He looked at the ground before raising his head and death glaring his opponent. Who now had a bloody nose. Patrice had drawn first blood, but the battle was not done.

The Growlithe growled and ithe'd. This only egged on our Patrice. Smirks were on both of the Pokemon's faces. The Growlithe deducted that Patrice did not rely on speed at all, and would have to focus his own tactics on this. Fire swelled in his throat, turning and spitting and raging. Not unlike Apollo. Fire types don't fall far from the...er...fire tree, it would seem. The Growlithe let it well up inside him, and started dodging and prancing around Patrice like a little girl. Strange, that.

Patrice stared and watched as the Growlithe did it's little dance.

"You are quite the nightmare, I'll give you that."

Of course Patrice snickered a bit at his own comment, but the Growlithe thought he was being honest, and that he was intimidating him. He took it as encouragement, and while being all caught up in his pride, he released his ember attack. He also tripped on a patch of grass. Which aimed this ember attack directly at Patrice's butt. Patrice lept into the air, paws on his rump. He gave a small yelp before landing on his feet, hands still on his rump, staring at the Growlithe with pure hatred. Daggers were literally almost coming out of his eyes. The Growlithe's ears drooped and his eyes got all big and puppylike. But it was no use. No act of cuteness or manliness could undo his girlish skip from before. No excuse for it, really.

Patrice charged at his opponent, one hand on his rump, the other swinging with his stride, giving him some momentum and all that jazz.

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