Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Legacy of Hatred

Both Barek and Sorin were launched into the air (or further into the air, in Sorin's case) by the summoned stone spike. As the stone sprung from between them, they both flew in opposite directions. Eser only had time to make a quick calculation that he could only intercept one of them and jumped in Sorin's direction. With his psychic power, he levitated the small flying squirrel to break his fall and gently place him on the ground.

"Told you..." Eser whispered. "You guys can't take on someone like that."

"Eheh... Sorry Essy," Sorin weakly grinned. "Didn't like seeing a bully."

Barek, on the other hand, received the full brunt of the attack. After harshly landing on the ground, he defiantly returned to stand on his shaking legs. But before he could suggest another attack (not that he wasn't second guessing the option anyway,) he noticed the Pinsir and Marowak.

Eser quietly made his way around to Barek, with the little Emolga laying over his back and gripping his shoulders. "Hey, maybe take my advice this time?" he said. "We don't want to be caught up in the middle of this."

...Nnnnnope. Nuh-uh. Not a chance. Too much screaming and fighting. No. No. No no no no.

Midnight slowly backed away from the scene as flashbacks began to fill her mind's eye of past abuse and all the terror that went with it. Not again. She wasn't doing it again. She couldn't do it again. She couldn't even see. No. A small spat was one thing. A big fight with a big guy was another thing entirely.

Unfortunately for her of course, it was difficult to tell where she was going except by sound, and the sounds were loud enough to leave her sensitive ears ringing.

Fuck.

Fuck shit oh no.

Where was she. Where was anything.

"Uuuugh." Vidar was even more sprawled out upon the ground, weighed down by both the elderly Audino and the Marill.

He struggled to look up at the new arrivals.

"Bro, are those....are those superheroes?" Vesa asked.

".....That Pinsir....it just....changed. I read about something like this." Vidar gasped. "....Superheroes?"

Vidar broke a little grin.

"I guess they are." he chuckled.

[Current OST: Dark Boy's Revenge]

The Tyrantrum charges at Solo headfirst, but is intercepted by a punch to his stomach. The Tyrantrum recoils at the force and stumbles back in shock.

"Cheap shot!" - He says with a groan.

The Marowak sits on the sides and lets out a low chuckle. Sonia struggles to move, but Menti and Hall hold her up. As she takes a good look at the transformed Solo, she lets out an audible gasp.

"Whoa, look at that guy! He's like some kind of superhero!" - Hall yells out as he points at Solo.

"Mega Evolution?! It... it can't be?!" - Sonia states with a hushed tone and widened eyes.

"... What's Mega Evolution, miss Sonia?" - Menti asks.

"It's an advanced concept that's utilized by the best of the best explorers. Novadra and the gem kingdom of Lapidus make special stones and "key" equipment that synchronize with the user to give them extraordinary powers. They require incredible training and emotional control to properly use, not to mention being rich enough to even afford such equipment." - Sonia remarks.

"Fascinating! But... how do you know so much about it? Were you...?" - Menti questions.

"Yes, I was one of the few members of my former team that could utilize the power of Mega Evolution. I don't like to brag, but I was pretty high class back in my day. I know it all from experience, but... To see that Pinsir utilize it means that he's no normal explorer." - Sonia remarks only to keel over to her wounds.

"Miss Sonia!" - Hall and Menti scream as they crouch down to help her.

Ambes regains consciousness and pries himself off of the tree. He looks around and notices the fight between the Tyrantrum and Solo.

"Who is that? He seems... different. He's fighting the mobster guy, so maybe he's on our side? Agh, no time to question it. I have to save my grandmother and the guys no matter what!" - The Pikachu exclaims in his thoughts.

He hops towards Solo and lands right next to him with a determined stare in his eyes.

"A Pikachu? You have to stand down! You're going to get more hurt!" - Solo says with a concerned tone.

"I don't care! I'm going to help you!" - Ambes yells out.

Ambes jumps into the air and fires a thin beam of electricity towards the Tyrantrum.

"Hah! What are you going to do with that, little man?" - He scoffs as he swings his tail towards the beam.

As he makes contact with the electricity, it runs across his scales and drives deep into his body. His movement stiffens and he drops to one knee with an exhausted expression, his entire body twitching uncontrollably. Solo makes a small chuckle as he realizes what Ambes did.

"Wh... what?! I c-can't move!" - He says with genuine terror in his voice.

"... Impressive, to say the least. You managed to paralyze him." - Solo remarks with his arms crossed.

"O... oh. It was nothing, really. I figured it would be the best thing to do." - Ambes mumbles as his face turns a deep red.

"Heh. You just made my job a whole lot easier." - Solo states as he cracks his knuckles.

He flies in front of the Tyrantrum and unleashes a flurry of punches with enough intensity to lift the dinosaur up in the air. He finishes off the attack rush by landing an uppercut against the Tyrantrum's chin, knocking him against a few trees with an agonized roar.

Solo takes a deep sigh and, in a flash of light, transitions back into his wingless form.

"If I ever see a scumbag like you around here again, I'll do much worse." - He remarks as he points towards the Tyrantrum.

Ambes, Menti and Hall stare on in disbelief while Sonia gives a calm smile.

"See? Taken care of," Eser said. He turned around and walked back into the surrounding brush. "Don't run headlong into anything..."

But Barek wasn't listening. Though he followed behind the Espeon, his ears picked up something else. He darted off their path and deeper into the woods. Not so long later he found a Weavile, reeling back in deep fear.

"H-hey, are you alright m'am?" Barek asked. "Hey Eser! I think something's wrong!"

"Must we help every Pokemon in this entire forest?" Eser grumbled.

"Something does look wrong with her though," Sorin said, pushing himself up to see higher off Eser's back. "Just take a look at her Essy?"

Eser sighed and joined Barek. He only needed a glance at the Weavile to make his prognosis.

"She's in shock," he said methodically. "Keep her soothed until she snaps out of it, and make sure she doesn't accidentally hurt herself. Also I doubt she can see right now."

"Yo, it's okay, we're here." Barek put a paw on the Weavile's arm to try and calm her.

"... Thank... thank you guys so much." Vidar said, shakily getting to his feet.

Vesa rushed towards the Pinsir.

"That....that was amazing how did you do that do you have superpowers." Vesa chattered on.

"Sorry about my brother." Vidar laughed lightly. "He's...overzealous sometimes."

"....No, I'm not!" Vesa retorted.

But then again he wasn't quite sure on the definition of "overzealous" either.

"You guys were awesome!" Vesa concluded. "How do you even get that powerful?"

Solo crosses his arms with a contented sigh while his Marowak companion makes a small smile.

"Years of practice, my friend. I've been training for as long as I can remember. I guess you could say that I am some sort of superhero, but... that's a bit too much for me." - Solo remarks.

Ambes, Menti and Hall's eyes glean with excitement as they surround Solo. He is taken aback by the sudden attention.

"Are you an explorer?!" - Ambes asks.

"How do you know Mega Evolution?!" - Menti hops.

"That was some crazy stuff! Thanks for saving us, mister!" - Hall says as he holds up his hat.

Solo regains his composure and clears his throat.

"Oi, kids. Gimme a little breathing room at least. Yes, I used to be an explorer in the past, but to be honest I'd rather not talk about it." - He says as he shakes his head.

Ambes puts on a large, starstruck smile upon hearing Solo say that he used to be an explorer.

"Huh? Why not?" - Hall shrugs.

Menti jabs him in the side of the stomach and shoots a sharp glare at him. He backs off and tips his hat down.

"My name is Solo. This is my companion, Tarkus." - The Pinsir states.

The Marowak nods his head. Sonia stumbles towards the group, with Ambes helping her up. 

"I would have jumped into help, but that would have been overkill." - Tarkus chuckles.

"So... you said that Tyrantrum was your client. What exactly did you mean by that?" - She asks.

"Ah. You see, despite the fact that we're vagrants without a team to our name, people still want our services. That fellow I just beat up was indeed the client, but with how he was treating you... I couldn't sit back and watch." - Solo remarks with both hands curled into a fist.

"He's quite the hero that way." - Tarkus remarks.

"Whoa..." - Ambes states as he keeps his awestruck smile in place.

"Thank you for helping my grandson and his friends. Would you like to come to our house and rest for a bit? It's the least we can do to repay your kindness." - Sonia remarks with a warm tone.

Solo and Tarkus stare at Sonia with worried eyes.

"... Ah. As much as I'd like that, I can't stay. We're not really the type to sit down and chat. I went along with that man's mission to not only get paid but to see if I could meet a certain someone. Well, you all saw how that ended up." - The Pinsir remarks.

"While I respect your hospitality, I'm afraid we can't waste time. In fact... Solo, let's go." - Tarkus states, motioning towards the forest.

"Right. It was nice to meet you." - Solo nods.

"Are you sure you can't stay for at least a little bit?" - Sonia asks.

"A little? Please?" - Ambes remarks with puppy-dog eyes.

"... Sorry, it can't be done." - Tarkus states.

"I have to agree with my friend. But... I will leave this on a bright note." Solo remarks.

He gets to one knee and makes direct eye contact with the kids.

"You've got a bright future ahead of you. Make sure not to waste it, because you've shown a lot more bravery than even people my age."

Ambes nods with an eager smile, Menti gives a shy smile and Hall tips his hat as he blushes underneath. Solo and Tarkus walk back into the mist, only for Solo to turn around and give a salute before he completely disappears.

"See you later, Kid Lightning." - He states.

Ambes stares at them in stunned silence as they leave. Sonia puts a hand on his shoulder and gives him a hug.

"Well... Would you like to come stay at our home? It'd only be fair after what you went through." - Sonia says to Vidar and Vesa.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Tyrantrum shuffles into the forest despite his wounds and groans.

"Way to go, Regal, you just had to pick a fight with your client... This is so goddamn embarassing. The guys back in the Transit are never going to let me live this down."

"... They're so cool!" Vesa gushed.

"I wonder why he quit being an explorer." Vidar mused. "Oh, uh... no thanks, our parents live in Magnolia too... so it wouldn't make that mu-"

"Of course we do!" Vesa squealed.

"But, Ves, that'd put too much of a burden on them." Vidar sighed, exasperated.

"But they asked us. It'd be rude not to come!" Vesa retorted.

"I... I guess you're right. Plus we don't want to put the burden on ol' Mom and Pops. Considering they aren't even aware we're in the area..." Vidar said, "On second thought, yes, we would love to stay over. Thank you so much."

Sonia grabs the medicine kit and reveals a pack of Oran Berries inside. She distributes them to the group, with each consumed berry enveloping them with a small translucent glow. Their bruises disappear and they stop limping.

"Thanks, grandma." - Ambes states with a relieved sigh.

"That hit the spot, miss Sonia!" - Hall grins.

"Oh, it's nothing." - Sonia says with a smile.

The group makes their way out of the forest and towards a nearby two-story cabin, with Ambes carrying Sonia up through the trip.

"So... are you guys part of an exploration team too?" - Ambes asks Vidar.

"We want to be an official team, but we haven't been registered yet." - Menti states.

"We've just registered for a team actually." Vidar said. "We're Team Verdant, gonna be exploring around....just for the sake of it really."

"Exploring just sounds so amazing." Vesa sighed contently. "So many new places to visit, so many chances to find undiscovered treasures....it's gonna be a blast!"

"....Even if we run into Pokemon like that Tyrantrum?" Vidar asked.

"We're gonna be strong enough to overtake them at that point, just trust me!" Vesa exclaimed with a smile.

"Oooh, nice. See, my big sister Ivory is part of the reason why I wanted to form an exploration team - not only is she super talented, she always brings back crazy treasures to show me and the guys. I want to become as awesome as her one day, you see." - Ambes remarks with a smile.

"Same deal for me, but I also want to be known as that 'super cool Minccino guy'. Getting some cash on the way wouldn't hurt, either..." - Hall chuckles.

"Oh please, you just want to be a movie star. It's more the adventure for me, personally. Sure, we'd get rare items but I'm more interested in the history behind the places we go to." - Menti says as she looks towards the sky.

"Yeah, that too. Living here is nice and all, but I want to go see the world. Maybe meet some colorful individuals on the way." - Ambes states.

[Current OST: Lacunosa Town]

The group makes their way over to a two-story cabin with a front garden and walk inside. The interior is laced with brick walls, shiny wooden floors, a royal blue mat and fluffy white sofas.

"Welcome to our home." - Sonia says with a warm smile.

"She sounds really cool!" Vidar exclaimed. "She certainly seems to be something excellent to stride towards."

"She sounds cooler than you, Vidar" Vesa joked.

"Don't get too ridiculous now." Vidar joked back

As they walked into the house, their eyes widened.

"......Wow, this house is beautiful." Vidar gasped. "You're certain you want us to stay here? I mean.....we don't want to sully anything up."

".....Our house isn't nearly as nice as this." Vesa said. "I'm jealous."

"Don't be, Ves. Our house may be a bit small but Mom and Dad make it work." Vidar said. "Again, thanks for letting us stay with you guys. I hope we won't be a burden."

On the outskirts of Allford, a band of three Pokemon sat under the shade of a tree, watching various Pokemon walk in and out of the city.

"It's been quiet lately," the dark lizard Pokemon said in a low voice. "Hard to believe no one is in need of our services."

"You always know what I'm up for in our free time," a Weavile said. She played with a glittering necklace hung over her shoulders.

"Hmph, at this rate we'll have to head into one of the dungeons. Maybe some wayward explorers have found something valuable," an Aggron grumbled. "A little beneath us to do scavenging work though. I prefer to be paid upfront."

"Told you we should have headed back to Miraja," Hallows crooned.

"And leave our territory?" Balle replied. "I think I'll head into the back alleys. See if we can pick up anything there."

"Make yourselves at home. You'll need all of your strength if you want to go exploring again." - Sonia states.

Hall jumps onto one of the fluffy sofas and stretches. He lies back with a big smile on his face.

"Sage advice. But yeah, this is a pretty nice pad. I could stay longer than a few days but my parents won't allow it, heh." - He sighs.

"Our team name is Rodere. I read up about it and it means "to gnaw" in another language. We're gonna be so big that we'll bite at the roots of society!" - Menti yells as she strikes a pose.

"Whoa, even I think that's giving us way too much credit. How about trying to be more humble?" - Hall chuckles.

"Given who's saying that, I already have a headstart." - Menti says with a sly grin.

Ambes stares at Vidar and Vesa with a nervous smile.

"They're like this all of the time, don't mind them. But yes. Do you think... um... Verdant and Rodere can work together?"

"Yeah, bite at the roots! Show 'em who's boss!" Vesa cheered.

Vidar snickered as he turned to Ambes.

"Eh, I'm used to antics like this." Vidar laughed softly. ".....And....yeah, of course. I mean we're just starting out too. It's not like we'll be amazing Pokemon to partner with. But it's nice to have buddies."

Vidar glanced at one of the couches.

".....Don't mind if I do." he said softly, curling up onto one of them. ".....Wow, these are really soft!"