Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Legacy of Hatred V.2

[Current OST: Memory]

"There are many continents among the seas, founded by Pokemon of all types, but none stand out the most than Monvel and its provinces. Renowned for their military might, Monvel contains some of the most advanced societies in the world.

Long ago, Monvel was in an unrivaled golden age. Resources were bountiful and the kingdoms were at the height of their prosperity, with harmony uniting the people across the lands. Champions known as the Eighteen Sigils banded together from all around the world to protect Pokemon from whatever evil might surface, with the Sigils being lead by the legendary king of Novadra at the time... they were adored by the public and royalty alike.

But things took a drastic turn when a lone figure clad in black robes appeared. They managed to bewitch the heroes and turned them against the people... buildings were destroyed and brimstone fell from the skies. Blood ran through the streets, with no one person safe from their carnage. However, one brave soul shrouded in a purple light stood up to the figure and took their stand against the corrupted heroes.

They were beaten and humbled, but they never stopped moving forward... until they reached out and cast down the figure in a last ditch effort. The corrupted heroes, now weakened, were defeated by the people and sealed into depths unknown. The brave Pokemon who averted a crisis was buried in Novadra with a statue made in their honor.

As time passed, the people of Monvel rebuilt the kingdoms to their former glory. However, the ruins of past civilizations remain on the outskirts. They are the Ruined Lands - harrowing, haunted wastelands that dare to consume whoever wanders into them. Normal people are forbidden from entering them due to their treacherous terrain... Only courageous explorer teams are allowed to step into these lawless lands."

The elderly Audino looks up from the book. Sitting in front of her were a young Pikachu, a Minccino wearing a cowboy hat and a Marill with a red bow tied to her ear.

[Current OST: Lacunosa Town]

"That's so cool, grandma! Do you think we could become an explorer team in the future?" - The Pikachu says with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Yeah, we'd really kill it as an official team, miss Sonia. Who knows all of the stuff we can get?" - The Minccino remarks as he tips his hat.

"Oh come on Hall, all you want are the privileges. You're gonna drop all the work on me and Ambes when we actually get there!" - The Marill yells as she points at him.

Sonia makes a small smile and closes the book.

"Full of ambition, aren't you? Haha... You kids remind me of the days when I used to work in an explorer team. It was quite the experience... not for the faint of heart by any means." - Sonia ponders.

"Not for the faint of heart? W-what did you do?" - The Marill asks.

"Oh, it was dreadful. Sometimes we'd be walking along and then all of a sudden we'd get jumped on by a gang of outlaws... There were even some occasions where I wound up covered in blood from trying to heal my teammates. To let you know how bad it was, kids, I would have been arrested if I went into any major city looking the way I did." - Sonia says with a smile.

The trio of children stare at Sonia with shocked looks on their faces.

"I... uh... wow." - A bewildered Ambes remarks.

"Crazy." - Hall states with a sweat.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just talking nonsense about my past... why don't you kids go play outside? It's a beautiful day. We'll read up on history later." - Sonia says as she looks out towards the window.

"Alright! We'll be back soon, grandma!" - Ambes says as he runs out the room.

"I'll beat you there! Try to keep up, Menti!" - Hall yells as he chases after him.

"He says as he's already left." - The Marill grumbles as she walks out of the room.

[Current OST: Foggy Forest]

The skies are overcast with gray clouds as Ambes, Menti and Hall approach the entrance of a fog-enveloped forest. Ambes lugs around a large backpack while Sonia trails behind the group. She is carrying a small medkit with a small frown on her face.

"... Err. I've changed my mind, kids. Are you sure you want to go today? It doesn't seem to be a good time to practice." - She asks.

"It'll be fine, miss Sonia. We've gone through these woods tons of times in worse conditions - the Combee are nice enough to take care of us if something happens." - Menti remarks.

"Yes... but you won't have that privilege going through a real dungeon, so keep that in mind. Kids, exploring dungeons is dangerous business - do you really want to take your chances out there?" - Sonia states with a sigh.

"We're tough enough. All we need to do is apply to become an official team and we'd be a shoo-in! I mean look at this thing." - Hall remarks as he pulls out a small white rifle from Ambes's backpack.

The rifle is studded with a royal blue gem with gold lines engraved around it. He holds it up in the air with a large grin on his face.

"What other Pokemon do you know that has a magic gun that shoots out Moonblasts? Come on!"

"Yeah, grandma. I'll admit that we have to work on evolving, but I'm sure we'll do good out there. I have to catch up to big sis eventually!" - Ambes says with a nod.

Sonia stares at them with a worried expression on her face but takes a deep sigh. She pats Ambes and Hall on the head.

"You're all such little scamps. I'm glad you want to make something of yourself and follow your sister's footsteps, dear. Menti, Hall, I expect you to follow Ambes to the end of the earth. Now, let's go have some fun." - She says with a smile.

"Yes, ma'am!" - The kids reply in unison.

-

A Tyrantrum wanders around the other end of the fog-covered forest with footsteps that shake the earth. He surveys the area with a grumble as nearby Combee hide away from him.

"Where the hell are they? They shouldn't be taking so long to meet me here. This isn't helping their case..." - He mutters out loud with a rough, deep voice.

-

Ambes and his companions venture through the fog. They squint to see the way ahead and come across a tall tree. There are horizontal marks carved onto the bark, with "A", "M" and "H" under them.

"Hey look! It's our checkpoint tree." - Ambes remarks as he runs over to check.

"Ah yes. You told me that you had to camp underneath this when it was raining one time. I remember nearly having a heart attack from how much you made me worry." - Sonia asks.

"I'm still sorry that happened, grandma." - Ambes says with a frown.

"... Not exactly our brightest moment, but it was an experience. Let's see how much we've grown since then." - Menti says as she glances over at the marks.

The kids line up against the marks, with Hall and Ambes towering over their previous recorded heights. Menti groans as she stands against her mark, with her ears barely scraping past it.

"Ugh, of course. You're both going to be giants one day, I swear."

Sonia and the two boys chuckle in response, only to come to a whisper when they hear voices on the other end of the forest.

"... What is that?" - Sonia asks.

"It sounds like more people." - Ambes shrugs.

A Shinx yawns as he follows behind a larger Espeon, barely keeping pace. "Man, why did we come all the way out here? And so early too..."

"We need to find a particular herb, Barek..." The Espeon says as they move along.

"This new alternate medicine fad is really getting on my nerves, so I need to prove once and for all that the healing properties of Oran berries are in fact due to the juice they produce and not the cross pollination of other plants. This is, of course, well documented, but I suppose I can contribute a direct study for a general audience."

"Yeah, but... nobody cares, Eser." - the Shinx scoffs.

The Espeon stops in his tracks and flattens his ears. Before he could snap back, an Emolga floats down next to him.

"Hey, there's always a reason to study the world around us, even if no one else will listen."

"Thank you, Sorin." Eser picked up his head and continued forward. "Now please look for a turquoise plant with an eight-pronged leaf."

Barek sighs and perks up his ears to listen, but he sees Ambes's group past the fog. Sorin floats down to the ground next to the Shinx and waves at the others. "Hi! Sorry to bother, just passing through!"

"Oh... okay then. Howdy there!" - Hall yells out to them.

"Are you an exploration team?" - Ambes asks as he walks out in front.

"Yeah! We're Team Ionize. What brings you guys out --" - Sorin nods.

"Please stop making conversation," Eser grunts as he puts the plant into the pouch hanging around his neck and body. "We got what we came for, so let's go or I'm leaving you behind."

"... A bit rude." - Menti pouts as she crosses her arms.

"Forgive him, he's a bit of a sourpuss." - Sorin says with a nervous laugh.

"Emphasis on sour. And maybe even the puss part too." - Barek says as he sticks his tongue out.

"I'm going." Eser scoffs as he turns around.

Sorin puts a hand behind his head and chuckles.

"Sorry about that. Maybe we can meet up later on or something. Name's Sorin. This is Barek and "sourpuss" is our leader, Eser."

"Glad to meet you, I guess. I'm Ambes and these are my two friends... and my grandma." - The Pikachu says with a smile.

"He sure is my little fighter." - Sonia remarks as she ruffles Ambes's head fur.

Ambes's cheeks light up with a small burst of electricity as he tilts his head to the side.

"Grandma, please." - Ambes says with a stutter in his voice.

"Haha. It's fine. My mom used to do that with me too--" Sorin remarks.

The noise of a far off stomp echoes through the forest. The footsteps get louder as the Tyrantrum approaches, followed by a low grunt as he emerges from the fog. He towers over the group of Pokemon, standing as tall as one of the surrounding trees.

"I'm getting real sick of waiting. That rat bastard better be here or--" - He growls.

[Current OST: Uninvited Guests]

He glares down at the group and scowls. Sonia drops her first aid kit and huddles onto Ambes, Menti and Hall. Ambes and Menti tremble while Hall makes a subtle movement for the gun holstered in Ambes's backpack.

"... What is this garbage? A couple of kids and some decrepit old grandma? Come on." - The Tyrantrum sighs as he shakes his head.

"Woah... you must be really powerful mister!" Barek says in awe as he looks up at the massive Tyrantrum.

"Barek, please. I don't think this is the right time or place." - Eser remarks with a hint of fear in his voice.

The Tyrantrum ignores Barek and stares at Ambes.

"Oh, I'm scaring you aren't I? Listen kiddo, I'd rather you not pick a fight with me. My client's running late and I'm already in a bad mood." - He says with a low snarl.

Sonia steps forward despite visibly shaking. She gives the dinosaur a determined glare and stands upright.

"Listen, sir. I don't know what this is about, but we're just passing by." - She says as she tries to keep her voice composed.

The Tyrantrum chuckles and makes a low sneer. He glares straight into Sonia's eyes and takes a closer step. She backs down in response.

"'Listen, sir.' You're gonna crack me up here. See, I came all of this way for nothing and then some little Audino thinks she can be tough in front of me. Points for bravery, but I don't think that'll get you anywhere..." He states as he bears down on Sonia.

"Get away from my grandmother!" - Ambes yells out.

The Pikachu leaps into the air and slams his entire body against the Tyrantrum's face. It knocks him back by a bit while Ambes hops onto the ground in front of Sonia. He stretches his arms out and gives the rex a stoic stare.

The Tyrantrum looks back at Ambes and gives a malicious grin revealing tremendous, jagged rows of sharp teeth. The Pikachu recoils in fear but keeps his stance.

"That was not smart of you."

[Current OST: Dumas]

The Tyrantrum swings his immense tail, with it crashing against Ambes's small body. The force of it smashes him onto a nearby tree, with only the backpack cushioning the impact. The group screams out in horror with the exception of Hall, who pulls out the white rifle and charges up a sphere of pink energy.

He aims the shot only to be bashed forehead first by the Tyrantrum, with both the gun and the Minccino sent flying into the distance.

"Ambes! Hall! No!" - Sonia screams.

"Wha... AH!" Barek says as he sees the Tyrantrum bash the two boys away.

"Ugh, let's get out of here before..." Eser remarks only to yelp as Barek runs past him.

"Come on!" Barek yells as he arches his back.

A spark of electricity flows out of his body in a bolt towards the Tyrantrum.

"Right behind you!" Sorin shouts as he shoots a second thunderbolt at their foe.

"... Really?" Eser groans as he flattens his ears.

The electricity bounces off of the Tyrantrum's chest. Menti envelops her body in water and slams against the Tyrantrum's back only to bounce off with minor scratches.

"Come on, kids! At least try!" - He yells out.

He slams his leg against the ground and creates a shockwave strong enough to destroy nearby trees and fling away those nearby. Sonia hops away from the attack and fires out a bright white light that concentrates on the Tyrantrum. He recoils from the light with an agonized roar and charges straight at her.

-

A blue Pinsir and a cloaked Marowak wander across the forest. The Pinsir is wearing an armband with a muddy brown stone attached to it while the Marowak has blue fire attached to the end of his femur club.

"Do you think we may have gotten the wrong place?" - The Pinsir questions.

"They said to meet us here in the Berry Forest... It was a private request too, so it makes me wonder who would want some no-name vagrants." - His companion remarks.

"I prefer not questioning who requires our services nowadays. Helps me sleep at night." - The Pinsir shrugs.

The screams of the group and the sounds of combat catch their attention. They exchange glances, nod and then sprint towards the sounds.

"... Something tells me we're going to postpone that client meeting after all." - The Marowak sighs.

"What a time, too."

-

The thunderbolts and Sonia's light causes the Tyrantrum to stagger. Menti glows with a pink light and tackles him full-force in the chest, knocking him back and forcing him to his knees. He stays still and pants heavily before throwing his head towards the sky with a thunderous roar. He gives a sharp glare at the other Pokemon surrounding him.

"Hahaha! That one hurt!"

He summons a stone spike between Barek and Sorin. The Emolga and Shinx are thrown apart, with Barek smashing into a tree trunk. Smaller insect Pokemon fly out of it in terror while Sorin flies over to him. The Tyrantrum aims his tail and slams Sonia into Eser, with Menti getting caught in the crossfire.

"Told you..." Eser wheezes with a hacking cough. "You guys can't take on someone like that."

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

"We can't stop him! He's a monster..." - Hall remarks as he limps back towards the group.

"Well, what have we here?"

[Current OST: Byrne]

The Pinsir and the Marowak enter the scene, with the Marowak holding his club in a defensive stance. The Tyrantrum glances at both of them with a toothy sneer.

"Quite the mess. Wouldn't you agree, Solo?" - The Pinsir's companion remarks as he looks at the other explorers.

"They never stop coming... Wait. You're the two I was waiting for this entire time!" - The Tyrantrum states.

"Oh, so you're the client. Good. I'd ask what you were offering, but given how everyone here seems to be scared out of their wits and/or severely injured... I'm starting to have second thoughts." - Solo says as he crosses his arms.

"What? What the hell are you doing?! You're mercenaries! Backing out of the deal we planned will just mark you for death, idiot." - The Tyrantrum yells out.

"Common decency is idiocy? Interesting. I may be desperate for some Poke'... but not to the point where I'd work with someone who eagerly beats up children and elderly women. Tough luck. " - Solo shrugs.

The Tyrantrum lets out an earth-shaking roar and charges at the Pinsir with a red aura surrounding his body.

"I'll rip you apart!"

Solo blocks the Tyrantrum with a green barrier that halts him in place. He moves his hand over the stone on his armband, with it glowing in a furious purple light. The light envelops Solo's body in a large sphere of energy before breaking apart to reveal his new form.

He sprouts translucent wings out of his back, his eyes are now yellow and his horns are covered with larger spikes. Solo makes a pose at the Tyrantrum and shoots a defiant stare at him.

"Let's dance."

[Current OST: The Hand]

The Tyrantrum swings down his head at Solo, but the Pinsir dodges out of the way. The force behind the rex's forehead craters the ground, leaving Solo to swerve around and sock him in the stomach with a well-aimed punch. The Tyrantrum recoils at the force and stumbles back in shock.

"Cheap shot!" - He groans.

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 Pinsir, 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?! But how does he...?!" - 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... there's also 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..." - 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 falls to his knees and coughs, with his body tensing up as he pushes himself off the ground. He looks to his right and sees the Pinsir land another speedy punch on the dinosaur.

"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.

Ambes 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 a gasp. His entire body twitches uncontrollably as he tries to move. Solo makes a small chuckle and crosses his arms.

"Wh... what?! I c-can't move!"

"... Impressive, to say the least. You managed to paralyze him." - Solo remarks.

"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 into the air. He finishes off the attack rush by landing an uppercut against the Tyrantrum's chin, knocking him against a few trees. He lets out an agonized roar as he smashes against the bark, with the impact shaking the ground.

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... ugh. That last hit might have been more than I wanted." Eser whimpers as he steps up from the ground.

"W... whoa. He beat up that crazy lizard without even trying." - Barek remarks as he limps towards Eser.

"Granted, mister superhero might have gotten squashed if we didn't help but I'd rather not think about that." - Sorin says with a chuckle.

"If you're all done, let's get out of here before that hooligan throws his friends at us." Eser scoffs.

"Uh huh. Glad to meet all of you!" - Sorin says as he waves to the group.

"S-same!" - Ambes yells back.

The Espeon walks off, with Barek giving Solo a longing glare before limping away. Sorin holds him up with his arm as they disappear into the fog.

"... Thank... thank you so much. How did you do all of that?" Menti asks as she ambles towards the Pinsir.

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

"Years of practice, sweetheart. 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 generous." - 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?! How do you know Mega Evolution?!" - Ambes asks as he 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.

"You can call me Solo, kids. 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 rex's mission to not only get paid but to see if I could meet a... certain someone, to be frank. 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.

[Current OST: True Strength]

"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. Menti pounces onto Ambes for a tackle-hug and nearly topples him over while giggling. Sonia holds him up right and joins in on the group hug.

--

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."

--

The group wanders out of the forest and towards a nearby two-story cabin with a front garden. They open the door and stumble their way through the door, with Ambes holding up Sonia by the shoulder. The interior is laced with brick walls, shiny wooden floors, a royal blue mat and fluffy white sofas.

[Current OST: Lacunosa Town]

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 as they walk into the living room.

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

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

"Oh, it's nothing. Please kids, get some rest. It'll help the medicine settle down. I'll go make some drinks." - Sonia states.

The Minccino flops down onto the couch and stretches out his limbs with a yawn. Menti plops her body down against the couch and frowns while Sonia walks into the kitchen. The sounds of a shake machine's whirring echo throughout the house.

"So... what now? There goes trying to explore the forest as a practice dungeon. Poor Combee must be scared to death after what just happened..."

"This just gives me more of a reason to get stronger. You saw how much of a behemoth that guy was... if it weren't for mister Solo, we could have gotten killed." - Ambes remarks with a deep sigh.

"Sure is a real snafu." - Hall grunts.

Sonia walks back into the living room with bubbly red drinks and distributes them among the kids. Hall slurps it up the instant it gets into his paws.

"Here you go. I hope you like them. They're Cheri Berry flavored!" She says with a smile.

"Thanks, grandma." - Ambes nods.

"Oooh, yum!" - Menti says as she takes a sip.

Sonia's body creaks as she eases herself into a chair. She lets out a small grunt as she leans herself back.

"Now kids... you see what I told you? That's the kind of thing you're going to encounter out in the real world." - Sonia nods.

"I understand. But... it still sucks how we couldn't do anything about it." - Ambes pouts as he puts bubbles in his drink.

"Dear, I know it's demoralizing and horrifying, but... that's just how it is. You have to be strong out there. I'm terrified of losing you, your sister or even your mother, bless her soul. But... for as much as I want to coddle you, I know I can't just leave you in my care forever." - Sonia says with a somber face.

Ambes takes a deep breath and takes another sip of the drink in his hands. He looks up at his grandmother with a small grin.

"... Promise me you'll at least be around for our first real mission as Team Rodere?"

"Of course! Seeing you succeed will always make me happy, dear." - Sonia says with a hearty giggle.

"I still can't get over the name you chose for our group, dude. Rodere? Come on." - Hall snickers.

"I think it's an educated choice, Hall. It means "to gnaw". We're going to chew at the roots of society until everyone gives us respect!" - Menti says as she strikes a pose.

Hall leans back in the chair and holds his hat against his chest.

"Whoa, even I think that's giving us way too much credit. How about trying to be more humble? Personally, I'd rather just be known as the super cool Minccino guy that gets all the girls and money."

"I'm amazed at how honest you are about wanting to be a dingy movie star. That's fine... for you at least. I feel studying the world and broadening my horizons would be a better use of my time." - Menti chuckles.

"What, like that doesn't involve 'broadening' for me too?" - Hall scoffs.

The Audino gets up from her chair and waves at them.

"Settle down, kids. Say... since I mentioned the concept of Mega Evolution, perhaps I should show you kids the Mega Stone I own." - Sonia states.

"... You still have it, grandma?" - Ambes remarks as he drinks the last of the juice.

"Of course, dear. It's one of my most valuable treasures... seeing as your grandfather bought it for me as a wedding gift a long time ago." - Sonia swoons as she clasps her hands.

"Awwww, that's so sweeeet!~" - Menti remarks with a beaming smile.

"... Nice." - Hall says as he tips his hat.

"Ooooh! Really?" - Ambes asks.

[Current OST: Fallen Down]

Sonia nods her head and walks upstairs. She returns a minute later holding a small gold box and presents it to the kids. She opens it to reveal a round white stone with a red streak in the middle. Sunlight from a nearby window glistens off of its surface. Menti gasps upon seeing it while the boys stare on in awe.

"It's beautiful!"

"Yooooooo! That's pretty cool. So with this, you can mega evolve just like that Solo guy?" - Hall asks.

"Why yes, Hall. However, I'm a bit out of practice due to... well, not participating in exploration missions for several years." - Sonia says with a nervous smile.

"Wow grandma, that's amazing! So how much did it cost pappy to get?" - Ambes asks.

"Oh... if I'm not mistaken, it took him about forty-five thousand Poke... and that's not covering the expenses for the wedding itself." Sonia smiles.

Ambes and Hall drop their jaws in shock while Menti giggles.

"Hoooh boy! You must have been one big high-roller, miss Sonia!" - Hall chuckles out loud.

"Oh, stop. Ambes, your grandfather was one of the sweetest men I've ever met in my life... a bit reckless, but bless his heart. I'm not sure where he is now, but I'd love to meet him again." - Sonia sighs.

"You still love each other after all this time... it's so romantic." - Menti states.

"Yeah, no kidding. I wish I'd have a relationship like that..." - Ambes says with a bright grin on his face.

"Guess it runs in the family." - Hall chuckles as he nudges the Pikachu on the arm.

Sonia lets out a warm laugh as she gently closes the lid of the box.

"Well kids, I hope you rest up for the big exam. Lord knows I need a break after all of our excitement today..." - Sonia sighs.

She walks back upstairs holding the box with the mega stone inside.

"... Now what do we do?" - Hall asks.

"How about video games?" - Menti shouts as she scrambles through a nearby shelf.

She yanks out a case from the shelf and presents it to the boys. The game she is holding has a Probopass on the cover with the letters in a bright, cartoonish font reading "Vino Party 3".

"Oh, okay, I guess if you want to make us sit through RNG: The Game, then I'm down." - Hall snickers as he sticks out his tongue.

"You're just salty that I always beat you at the mini-games." - Menti scoffs.

"... So who wants to go first?" - Ambes sweats as he pulls out a pair of controllers.

[Current OST: Inkwell Isle Three]

A band consisting of an Aggron, a Weavile and a Salazzle sit under the shade of a tree. A cold breeze brushes past them.

A metallic green sign next to them reads "Welcome to Echo City". A section of the sign is riddled with charred holes, with Pokemon walking past it onto an asphalt road. Brick buildings line both sides of the street, with a large skyscraper towering over the city in the cloud-covered distance.

Machokes and Gurdurr wearing construction hats can be seen in the distance working on a new building. A flower shop has a ragged Scrafty next to it holding out a cup with a plea, with some Pokemon throwing in small Poke' coins in the cup. The scent of a nearby bakery wafts through the air as Magnemites with police badges fly down the sidewalk at a rapid pace.

"It's been quiet lately," - the dark lizard Pokemon says 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." - The Weavile purrs. She runs her claws through a glittering necklace around her neck.

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

"Told you we should have headed back to Miraja, Balle." - The Salazzle croons.

"And leave our territory, Hallows?" - The Aggron growls. "I think I'll head into the back alleys. See if we can pick up anything there."

The trio of Pokemon saunter down the street with confident strides. The Weavile glares at a nearby jewelry shop with a sharp grin. She puts a claw to her chin and chuckles.

"I'm telling you, we should do some... heist work." - She whispers to the Aggron.

"Not enough jewelry for you, Rhapsody?" - Balle grunts.

"Not quite. How about this shop? Looks like there'd be something for all of us here."

She leans on the window and points a claw against the glass.

"Oh, you're just stirring up trouble, aren't you?" - Hallows snickers.

Balle rolls his eyes as he glances inside. The interior has white marble floors and glass cases with jewels lined inside. A handful of other Pokemon including the clerk, a gray Mimikyu wearing a red scarf, stand around a counter in the center of the shop.

A perfectly round stone with a gray marble pattern sits in a standalone glass case alongside a long, adjustable brown strap. Below the items is a price tag of over fifty thousand Poke' dollars.

("Oh, the power.") - Balle ponders with gritted teeth.

"Alright little missy, and how do you propose we hit this place?" - Hallows remarks.

"Let me think." - Rhapsody says with a small, sly grin.

Rhapsody and Hallows sulk off towards the alleyways next to the store. Balle takes a deep breath, lowers his head and rams his steeled horns through the window of the shop, shattering the glass across the floor. He strides into the shop while cracking the glass under his feet. The people inside of the jewelry shop scream in terror and hide away from Balle as he walks over to the counter.

[Current OST: Threat]

"This is a fine shop you have here!" - he announces as he smashes another window on the way in. "I think I'll take some! You there, be a dear and pack up some of these jewels for me, would ya?"

"Eeeeeee! O-okay, sir! Whatever you want! Just don't hurt me!" - She squeals.

The Mimikyu ducks underneath her desk and scrambles through the glass cases. She is visibly shaking as fills a bag with various jewels of differing shapes and colors.

A Magnemite wearing a police badge notices the scene at the jewelry shop and scrambles towards the opposite direction. Their badge glows yellow as they transmit a message.

"WE'VE GOT A ROBBERY ON 10TH AND 12TH STREET! SUSPECT APPEARS TO BE AN AGGRON AND IS HEAVILY ARMED, REQUESTING BACKUP -" They yell as they trail off into the distance.

Hallows and Rhapsody slide their way through the alleyways on the side and open the back door of the jewelry shop. They creep through the back of the store and come up to the glass case holding the round stone. Hallows taps on the case, covering it with a viscous purple fluid that eats through the glass. The Salazzle snatches the round stone and the strap as the fluid drips to the floor.

Balle chuckles as he grabs the bag out of the Mimikyu's hand.

"Very obedient, there. I like that."

He looks towards the back and sees his companions walk toward him.

"I'll take that. Here's your piece." Hallows says.

The Salazzle swipes the sack full of jewels out of Balle's hand and replaces it with the round stone. Balle puts the strap around his arm and clicks the stone onto an indent. He pumps his arm with a satisfied growl.

"Beautiful. But... I think it'd be better off if you kept it for now." - The Aggron remarks.

Balle snaps off the strap, complete with the stone, and hands it over to the Salazzle who plops it into the bag. Rhapsody goes around the store swiping any necklaces and earrings that caught her fancy.

"Let's wrap it up! Cops are gonna be here any time soon!" - She yells as she runs out through the broken windows.

"Thanks for the service ma'am." - Balle smiles as he leaves.

[Current OST: Heist]

Balle and his crew flee the scene only for a crowd of Pokemon wearing police badges to cut them off. A Magnezone with a Breloom clinging onto them fly out towards them.

"Freeze!" - The police shout out in unison as they converge towards the bandits.

"You're under arrest for theft and vandalism, dirtbag!" - The Breloom yells.

"STAND DOWN AND MAKE THIS EASY ON ALL OF US." - The Magnezone reverbs as they float in the air.

The bandits turn around and run in the other direction. Balle growls as he looks back to see the police catch up to his group.

"You take the jewels and go. I'll cover for you."

"Huh?" Hallows and Rhapsody ask.

"But what about you? They're going to catch you." - The Salazzle remarks.

"Nothin' I ain't gotten outta before," Balle says with a low grunt. "Jus' make sure you come back for me, hear?"

"Aye boss!" Rhapsody says with a nod.

Rhapsody and Hallows jump over an approaching vehicle adorned with flashing police lights and scurry down the road. They look back for a split second before disappearing around the corner.

[Current OST: Gravity]

Balle turns to face the police officers who surround him in a circle. He gets on all fours and, with a mighty roar, unearths multiple boulders from the ground. The surrounding police officers yell and duck out of the way of the boulders.

A larger, splintered rock flies towards the Magnezone but they blast it away with a silver beam of light. The Breloom officer slips off of the Magnezone's surface and clamps onto his antenna.

"... It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?" - The Breloom sighs to herself.

-

Barek, Sorin and Eser hop out of a floating, metallic car onto the asphalt road. They turn towards the city but freeze up when they hear the ground rip apart. They run up the road and see the Aggron throw more rocks against the officers.

"Well, we sure picked an interesting time to come home." Eser groans as he observes the fight.

"Hmm. They must have robbed the jewelry store... poor owner." Sorin says with a frown.

"Those Pokemon we saw running past must have been the thieves! Let's go get 'em!" - Barek yells.

"That's not a good..." - The Espeon sighs.

"Let's do it!" Sorin says with a beaming grin.

He and the Shinx chase after Hallows and Rhapsody. Eser growls and shakes his head as his companions vanish into an alleyway.

"You're not even fully healed yet..."

-

The Breloom officer hops off her companion's back and punches the rocks that came their way. A boulder careens towards her but she picks it up mid-fall and, with a strained yell, chucks it away onto an empty part of the sidewalk.

They regain their composure and zoom towards Balle with several lightning-fast hooks. The Aggron recoils with a roar as the punches slam him across the face. Balle ducks away from the punches with a sneer. His tail shines a glossy silver and whips it towards the Breloom.

She grabs onto the tail as it smacks against her hip. She tumbles against the concrete and loses her breath. The Magnezone takes a concentrated glare at Baile and shoots a thunderbolt at him, roasting the Aggron to a crisp. It charcoals his otherwise white armored body and he falls to the ground in a slump.

"Ugh... at least they got away." - Balle remarks with a strained whisper.

The police swarm around the defeated Baile and restrain him with large cuffs.

"He really was a tough motha', wasn't he? Jeez... I haven't had a workout like that in a while." - The Breloom officer says as she winds her arm.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT IS THE REAL QUESTION." - The Magnezone asks.

"Yeah. A little bruised, but nothing I can't heal off. We should probably check on the store and see if anybody else is hurt. Poor Pearl, though... she spent so much time getting this stuff from Lapidus and then this had to happen to her." - The Breloom officer sighs as she walks into the destroyed store.

The Mimikyu inside of the ruined jewelry shop sobs loudly with two shadowy hands over her face. Tears roll out of the eyes on her "stomach".

"What am I going to tell mister Abalon?! All of our hard work importing these things and they just get stolen! Noooo..."

-

Sorin and Barek trail the two bandits through the dark corners of the city. They run past multiple run-down buildings but stop when they hear giggling around the corner. They creep into the nearby alleyway and see Hallows and Rhapsody rummaging through the jewels they stole.

"H-hey!" Barek shouted. "Give those back!"

[Current OST: Stalked in the Dark]

"Hm? Who are you kids?" Rhapsody glares with a devious grin. "Run along, you don't want to get hurt, now do you?"

Sorin gulps and backs off, but Barek makes a defiant stance and steps forward. His cheeks pulse with electricity as he bares his teeth.

"Oh? You really don't look like you're in a position to fight, now are you?" Hallows says with a taunting tone.

"Please don't do that. It would get messy." Eser remarks as he rounds through the corner. He steps past Barek with a bemused grimace.

"Here to help out your friends?" Rhapsody asks with her arms crossed.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Rhapsody smiles and waltzes up to Eser with a sly grin. Eser folds his ears back in disgust, but keeps eye contact with the Weavile.

"Oh, and are you going to force us, boy?"

"No, I'm here to negotiate." - The Espeon remarks.

"Negotiate?" Hallows laughs. "And just what do you have that'll get us to let go of this bag of goodies?"

"Information. Information you want."

"Which is...?"

Beads of sweat accumulate on the Espeon's fur, but he stands upright and shoots a stoic glare at the Salazzle.

"The location of a Mystic Power." Eser remarks.

Rhapsody and Hallows stare at each other for a second only to burst into rowdy laughter.

"This is rich! And just what makes you think we believe any of that?" - Rhapsody states as she smacks her claws against her face.

Eser shrugs. His voice trembles as he opens his mouth.

"You don't have to. But you must have noticed the leaders of each kingdom are meeting today. Chances are, they're going to announce this information by tomorrow, if not earlier, and then every exploration team worth their salt is going to go after it. So you may as well get a head start."

"And why would you be giving this information to us?" Hallows states with a low hiss. "Why not get this Mystic Power for yourself?"

Eser nods toward Sorin and Barek. The Shinx limps over to him with and flinches as he sits down. The Emolga tries to catch his breath and falls to the ground with a sigh.

"We wouldn't stand a chance. And besides, I hear Team Lockjaw are already on it. Or one of their associates at least." - Eser remarks.

Rhapsody and Hallows scowl upon hearing the name "Lockjaw".

"Better you guys find it than them."

Rhapsody pulls Hallows aside and whisper among themselves. A long moment of silence passes before they turn around with bemused stares.

"Fine. On two conditions." Rhapsody pouts.

Hallows rummages through their bag and pulls out two diamond-shaped crystals - a red one emblazoned with a fire sigil and a purple one with a skull on it. They dig deeper and pull out the Mega Stone and the strap it came with.

"First, we're keeping these. As... collateral, in case you're pulling our leg."

"Second, you're coming with us." - Rhapsody nods.

Eser frowns and looks at his companions. Sorin shrugs with a nervous smile while Barek stares at the Espeon with gleaming eyes and a wide grin.

"... Fine." - Eser scowls.

Hallows throws the bag to the Espeon with a sneer.

"We'll see you later then..."

The Salazzle and Weavile walk in the opposite direction and slide away into the shadows. Eser lets out a deep sigh and walks back onto the street with Sorin and Barek following behind him. Eser whips the bag of jewels over his back and tightens it against a strap with his paw.

"W-wait Essy! Did you really mean that?" Sorin asks.

"Mm? The Mystic Power? Sure." - The Espeon bluntly states.

"How do you know where it is!? How do you know it's real!?" - Barek asks as he barely holds himself back from pouncing onto his friend.

"I have connections. To be honest, I wouldn't mind going after it for myself... but I'm going to hold off on that for now. It'd be better off that they get it than a more powerful, influential criminal group. At least they'd be easier to apprehend."

"Wow, you really thought this through, Essy." - Sorin whistles.

"No kidding. But what'd happen then? What if the Mystic Power makes them too tough to beat?" - Barek remarks.

"I doubt that. It's all under control, you two..." - Eser says with a chuckle.

The three round the corner back to the robbery site. The police push Balle into a large van floating a few inches off of the ground.

"Looks like they captured the leader. You don't think those two back there want us to bust him out, do you?" - Barek asks.

"He didn't run, and had a clear disadvantage. They probably already have a plan... Now come on, let's just return these gems." - The Espeon nods.

[Current OST: The Trial]

A crowd of Pokemon gather into a circular room with blue carpets, marble floors and statues of dragon Pokemon placed atop pillars. Sunlight shines through a stained glass window on the back wall. It depicts a fearsome black dragon and white vulpine dragon locked in combat.

A Salamence and Goodra couple wearing crowns and blue robes perch themselves on high thrones towards the end of the room. A Haxorus stands next to the thrones with both arms crossed behind his back and a crooked smirk.

A Zoroark and Weavile couple wearing dark-red cloaks accompanied by a blood-red Aegislash glare at the crowd with curious pouts, but are pushed aside by a young Hoopa that glides through the room with a snide grin. Accompanying him on both sides are a Thundurus and Tornadus that sneer at the crowd with crossed arms.

A towering Celesteela and her diminutive Kartana bodyguard gently float over to the seats. An Electivire saunters up to his seat with a grimace while his Eevee assistant walks next to him with a smile and her nose pointed up.

A pouting, dark-clothed Diancie and a Sableye with a wide, toothy grin sit down near the end of the room. The Diancie puts her hands together and scowls at the dragons atop of the throne.

A Kangaskhan enters the room with a hearty laugh and wraps her arm over the shoulder of a nearby Vespiquen. A Beedrill following behind them eyes the other Pokemon in the room and holds up his stingers.

An Oranguru levitates over to a seat while meditating in a lotus position. The last Pokemon, an Empoleon, strolls into the room with a sweat. He glances around the room with an open mouth as he stumbles into a seat.

"Good. I see we're all here, barring Mani and Alexander. It's not often all of the leaders are in one room... but I feel it's a perfect time to talk about Monvel's current state of affairs." - The Salamence says with a deep voice.

"Primarily, the issue with the Ruined Land borders and all of the rumors regarding incredibly rare treasures and 'hidden' mystery dungeons. People have been curious as to whether said treasures are Mystic Powers or not, with several high-end exploration teams on the rise to find them despite the danger. At this point, the only thing stopping most of them is the lack of an official statement from Guildmaster High Command." - The Goodra remarks with a stern tone.

"Do we have any information on whether these rare treasures really are the Mystic Powers?" the Sableye asks. "Seems like something the council will want to have in our possession, rather than leaving it up to random explorers and bandits to find."

"Even we don't know. It's hard to separate truth from fiction on this case, as many reports that came in were either false or inconclusive due to said exploration teams being unable to even find the 'dungeons.'" - The Goodra remarks.

The Empoleon clears his throat and raises a flipper into the air. He backs into his chair as the other Pokemon in the room turn their attention to him.

"... Not to get off track, but... what are we going to do about the mist around Marina's shores? It's getting thick enough to blind ships during the day and it's hurting our ferry services. None of the teams we've sent have been able to figure out what's causing it or where it's coming from."

"Hmmm. Perhaps that's a job fit for our Night Court more than anything else. They should be able to figure out the meaning of the mist at least." - The Zoroark states.

"T-thank you, Lord Beowulf." - The Empoleon nods.

"Interesting. Any other concerns you'd like to bring to light?" - The Salamence asks.

The Diancie grits her teeth and trembles as she raises her right hand.

"... T-the production of mega stones, Emperor Lucius." She says with a a quivering voice.

"Princess Carmille... Hmm. Is Lapidus facing a lack of resources?"

He narrows his eyes and glares at her. The Diancie puts her hands against the table and props herself up over the counter.

"Well, in a sense, yes. Awakening Emeras are becoming increasingly rare and I fear we'll do irreparable damage to the cave systems if we keep digging further."

"Well then. That sounds like a huge problem, but stopping production doesn't seem to be a wise idea considering how much of a market there is with those things. We'll get back to this issue later in private." - Lucius remarks.

Carmille widens her eyes in shock before drooping down to her seat. She lets out a defeated sigh and faces away from the Salamence.

"A... alright. We'll do that."

Beowulf stares at Carmille and Lucius with a hand to his chin.

"Who puts productivity over stability...?" - The Zoroark mutters under his breath.

"There's just one thing I have to ask: what's your stance on the Ruined Land borders? Particularly, the one next to both Novadra and Miraja?" - The Tornadus in the audience speaks up.

"I don't feel it's strict enough. It's likely that we'll have to bolster our forces in that area to prevent criminals from passing through. If we work together, we might be able to do something about it in time." - The Goodra states with a confident tone.

"... Hmm. I see, but it'll take us some time to organize a proper group of officers there." - The Tornadus says as he thinks it over.

"There's many things to be concerned over, but our number one issue right now is the increased bandit activity as of late. We've just received an intensely disturbing report of two Novadran soldiers that were hospitalized by a bandit group over the location of a mystery dungeon." - The Salamence growls.

"That's awful!" - The Celesteela in the audience yells.

The rest of the Pokemon in the room talk among each other in worried tones.

"Isn't... isn't that a huge problem considering how Novadra usually praises their strict security?" - The Hoopa asks with beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"Yes, it's practically catastrophic! An act like that shows that we need to crack down and take control of the situation before it get any more out of control." - The Salamence yells.

"In fact... have any of you heard of a criminal group called Khamsin? They're said to be located in your region, Prince Lufti..." - The Goodra says as she motions over to the Hoopa.

"Khamsin? As in the wind current? This is the first time I've heard about this." - Lufti asks with a confused look on his face.

"Empress Azure. Is there anything else to go on besides the name?" - The Thundurus next to Lufti asks.

"Not much, but the Corona Guild did have a run-in with a few of their operatives. They dropped the name and left a cryptic message regarding how they'll dethrone the guilds, but said operatives vanished before they could be apprehended." - The Goodra replies.

The Sableye in the audience taps his chin and mumbles under his breath.

"Oh hoh, dethroning the guilds, eh? At least they win points for dreaming big. Khamsin... can't say that rings any bells. I'll have to see if any associates know of them..."

"If this criminal group is in our midst, then who knows what else we missed...?" - The Tornadus remarks.

"This could jeopardize the system we've worked so hard to build. It seems like they want nothing but chaos." - The Electivire scowls.

"Oh, don't be silly, mister Parker. It's not like that'd be feasible, right?" - The Eevee remarks with a carefree wave of her paw.

The Vespiquen whips out a fan and giggles under her breath.

"If they feel the need to taunt us with only a note, they're either confident or reckless. I don't see this ending well for them regardless." - She remarks.

"What a concept. This could be the start of something big... What's your course of action, Emperor Lucius?" - The Zoroark says as he clasps his hands together.

The Salamence heaves a deep sigh and lies back against his throne.

"If this 'Khamsin' is as much of a threat as they let on, then there's no knowing what could happen. It's likely that we'll have to organize official missions so the higher-level exploration teams can figure out what's happening."

"I definitely remember the name from somewhere. Didn't the world-renowned Team Moonlight take apart a criminal group like that?" - The Celesteela states as she raises one of her "bamboo" arms.

"It's possible that they're the same criminal group under new leaders, but information about them is currently nebulous at best. We don't even know where in Miraja they might be." - Lucius scowls.

Azure puts a hand to her forehead and makes a sour grimace.

"A faceless enemy of untold might... what a terrifying thought."

--

[Current OST: Gerudo Desert]

A Golbat and an Absol stride through a desert town with buildings made of patched cloth and brick. Pokemon wearing turbans and thick cloaks walk through the sandy streets.

"Ev, I'm hungry. Lemme guess, we don't have any money, do we?" - The Golbat groans.

The Absol snaps open the bag on his waist. He pokes his paw in and pulls out two coins with a deep sigh.

"...Only about 25 Poke. That last job was supposedly to pay us handsomely, but now we're lucky if we can even get a single apple out of this deal, Shiva."

"That Lucario in the Ruined Lands ripped us off. How pompous can you be if you call yourself "the most trustworthy in the land of lies"?" Shiva gripes as she flaps up a gust with her wings.

"We should be thankful we got anything at all before that Blaziken came storming in, screaming her head off. What a freakin' nutcase." - Evan mutters.

Evan and Shiva eye through the crowd and concentrate on a lone Torracat heading out of the village.

"Hey, that Torracat over there seems to have some goods on them." - Evan says.

"I'll go butter them up."

Shiva flies over to the Torracat. The fire cat backs off as she approaches.

"Hello there, that's a lovely bag you're carrying. May I ask where you got it? I'd love to have that kind of bag in like a purple color." - Shiva remarks with a sly wink.

The Torracat raises an eyebrow and points towards a stand with a cloaked Nidoqueen selling bags.

"I got it over there." - The Torracat remarks.

Shiva gives the Torracat another wink, only for Evan to come up from behind and smack the Torracat flat against the ground with his paw. He snatches the bag away from her and bolts towards the desert with Shiva flying behind him.

"Oh, you bitches! Get back here!" - The Torracat screams as she chases after them.

Shiva turns around and kicks up sand with her wings. The Torracat flinches as the sand flies into her eyes. She falls on her back and yowls as she rubs her paws against her eyes.

The Absol and Golbat duck behind a large boulder jutting out of the sand.

"Sure showed her. Heh. Good job Shiva." - Evan snickers.

"Thanks. That said, I don't think we can come back here without guards breathing down our neck, so... oh jeez." - Shiva groans.

"... Crap, we didn't think this through." - The Absol curses under his breath.

"I guess at least now we have..." - Shiva remarks as she empties the bag.

A pair of coins, a warm bottle of water, a bundle of sharp-pointed sticks and some blue-colored orbs fly out and drop into the sand.

"Garbage. Damn."

"Ugh, the last few days have been a shitshow. We can't live off of this!" - Evan shouts.

"Calm down, Ev. We'll find a way out of this somehow." - Shiva says as she puts a wing over the Absol's shoulder.

"How? Damn it, I'm starving. At this rate I'd eat some Oran Berries from whatever skeevy stand that's out there." - Evan whines as he puts a paw against his face.

As he reaches over to check the stolen bag, a buzzing noise rings from the bag wrapped around his waist. He scowls and stands up from the ground.

"We're being summoned... and in a sorry state like this."

"Relax, Ev. Madam will get us food and everything will be fine." Shiva nods.

Evan growls to himself as he pulls out a glowing badge. He holds it up in the air and summons a pillar of light that shines on him and the Golbat.

They re-appear inside of a spacious dark cave with elaborate buildings etched into the walls. Luminescent purple lights shine out of the windows, with a glowing fountain of pink liquid flowing through the center of the cave.

[Current OST: The Evil Plot]

Evan and Shiva walk through the cave and enter into a dimly lit room with the smell of incense flowing through the air. A red carpet lines the floor. White walls are lavishly decorated with candles. The portrait of an imposing dragon-like monster with two faces and a row of chainsaw-like teeth hangs against the wall.

At the end of the room is a Nihilego lying on an ornate purple-cushioned bench that stretches across the room, with two Leavanny using large paper fans to cool her down. Evan and Shiva bow in her presence.

"Madam Blanche, we came as soon as you called." Evan states with a shiver rolling down his spine.

"What is it that you want us for, Madam?" Shiva asks.

"Ah, you've arrived. Good. I have a mission for you two - I wouldn't assign this directly if I didn't hold you as Khamsin's number three group behind Regal's Lockjaw and the Crimson Squad. So... I'd like you to go and explore of one of these new mystery dungeons - it's located in Magnolia of all places and seems to contain treasure that we could use to our advantage." - The Nihilego remarks as she waves a tentacle over her "face".

"Of course. Thank you for thinking so highly of us." Shiva bows.

"Magnolia. Are you insinuating there's a Mystic Power in Magnolia? We won't let you down, Madam Blanche!" Evan exclaims with an excited tone.

"Good. You're dismissed." - Blanche states.

He and Shiva bow and wander out of the room towards the fountain of pink liquid. Evan lowers his head and closes his eyes.

"What if it's something that can make us uber powerful?" He mutters.

"Please, Ev, you know these treasures are going towards Madam Blanche. We just can't betray our only ally." Shiva says with a heavy sigh.

"It's just... she makes me uneasy sometimes. And relying on her quite frankly makes me look like trash and feel like shit. I just hate relying on others in general." - Evan groans.

"But you rely on me a lot. So do I make you uneasy, buddy?" Shiva chuckles as she slaps a wing against his back.

The Absol looks up at her with a small grin.

"You're... you're different."

-

"Madam, we have urgent news."

A Yanmega flies into the room with a parchment hanging from his fangs. He glides over and drops it onto the Nihilego's tentacle. She summons a small glowing crystal in another tentacle to cut it open.

"Oh really? What could it be?" - She says as she pulls out a letter.

She scans through the letter and reads it out loud:

"... 'Yo, Madam Blanche, it's Regal - I got my ass whupped by a group of kids, a grandma and a Pinsir that could use Mega Evolution. They live in Magnolia, apparently, and I'm having someone write this for me while I recover in one of our hospitals. Love, always better than Delphine, Regal."

"What?" - The Yanmega asks.

"He's always like that. But still... he was defeated? How is that possible? That rex is built like a stone wall and hits like one too!" - Blanche shouts.

"It seems the other culprits were a Pikachu, a Marill, a Minccino, and an Audino. There was also another exploration team with them, but he didn't describe much beyond that." - The Yanmega nods.

"I'm just trying to wrap my mind how Regal lost against children and a type advantage of all things. I swear we'll never let him live this down. But still... hmmmm. Very interesting. It seems like we have a new set of problems that we have to look after. Report to me if you find them." - Blanche remarks with a giggle.

--

"Alright. That's all the time we have for today - thank you for coming, everyone. Things seem to be a bit dark, but I'm positive that we'll be able to get through it." - The Goodra says with a warm smile.

The crowd of Pokemon leave through the entrance, with the Celesteela ducking under the stretched doorway. The Sableye put his hands behind his head and chuckles to Carmille.

"No one cares about the mining business, mm? Well, they definitely care about business. But those mines aren't infinite... And it's our kingdom that suffers if our resources run dry." - He whispers to her with a disgruntled tone.

Carmille bites her lips and her eyes water.

"I know... and I hate it. Denzia, I can't stand what they're doing to our country - it's like they own the place and we can't do anything about it." - Carmille whispers back.

Denzia sighs. He puts a hand over her shoulder and pats her on the back.

"This makes me worried. We can't break treaty with Novadra, we just don't have the firepower. But petitioning them to ease up on the mining seems to be going nowhere. We're really stuck between a rock and a hard place... Especially for a kingdom that specializes in rocks."

He grins at her, but it twists into a frown as he sees tears fall down her face.

"Come on, I'm trying my hardest here, princess. It doesn't do me any good to see you like this." - Denzia remarks with a sweat.

The Diancie wipes her face clean with her sleeve.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just... I can't stand it anymore." - She says with a soft voice.

"Me either. But hey, let's try to keep our spirits high here."

Carmille gives him a warm smile and holds onto his arm.

"Of course. Thank you, Denzia. "

Novadra – The mountainous dragon kingdom, considered to be the most powerful aside from the metal empire known as Allford. Novadra sits in the center of the other kingdoms and is known for their intense law system. They contain some of the most precious minerals on the planet and are famous for their distribution of Key Stones. It is also home to the Guildmaster High Command.

Novadra has access to the minerals thanks to a shaky union with the Gem Kingdom that lives inside of the mines.

• Primary (native, not counting immigrants) types: , ,
  
• Rulers: Emperor Lucius (), Empress Azure (), Chancellor Dynamis ()
  

-


Lapidus – The nation of gems and the smallest of the regions due to being primarily contained in the largest mountain in Novadra, Mount Ira. They contain incredible resources such as the mysterious Awakening Emera that are used in creating Mega Stones.

They contain a small but powerful army known as the Facet Guard, but is currently under Novadran rule thanks to a treaty enforced by Emperor Lucius.

• Primary (native, not counting immigrants) types: , ,
  
• Rulers: Princess Carmille (), Chancellor Denzia ()
  

-


Allford – The most technologically advanced of the kingdoms – a regular site of commerce and innovation rivaled only by the natural power of Novadra. Allford has multiple cities and is considered a regular tourist trap. It has many attractions/landmarks and is the home of Team Serenade, a music-based team known for their world-caliber rank and enchanting songs.

Allford is home to the Corona Guild, a branching organization that deals with the registration and handling of exploration teams.

• Primary types: , , ,
  
• Rulers: Prime Minister Parker (), Vice Minister Eunice ()
  

-


Miraja – A land full of sandstorms, dunes and desert towns. It is infamous for its harsh climates and is the closest area to the Ruined Lands, resulting in the borders being a gray area for bandits and outlaws. It is the fourth most powerful region , but its rulers prefer to not get involved in the affairs of the other regions.

• Primary types: , , , ,
  
• Rulers: Prince Lufti (), adopted Prince Siegfried (), Viziers Jasper, Munir and Nasim ()
  

-


Oniwa – A bountiful eastern empire famed for their strength, innovation and food products. It is well known for being the home of mystical phenomenons and is one of the homes of fairy types in Monvel aside from Illusio. They are one of the older regions in Monvel, with multiple shrines dedicated to warding off evil spirits. It borders a Ruined Land location to the upper east.

• Primary types: , , , ,
  
• Rulers: Empress Kaguya (), Princess Erika ()
  

-


Illusio – A province that acts as the border between earth and the afterlife, with certain areas enveloped in an endless night. Due to its strong supernatural ties, it is home to many Ghost, Dark and Psychic types. Illusio is the home of Lord Beowulf and his Night Court, a group of powerful magicians that are responsible for overseeing the history of the world and serve as the third most powerful region in the land.

Illusio is also home to the Fairy type, who grow powerful under the light of the moon. Mani, the queen of the fairies, has made her nest here and keeps in touch with Lord Beowulf to help keep the balance of good and evil.

• Primary types: , , ,
  
• Rulers: Lord Beowulf (), Queen Linoura (), Fairy Queen Mani ()
  

-


Magnolia – A nature province full of meadows, forests and small humble villages. It is considered the most peaceful region due to the efforts of Leto and August, the two matriarchs that have formed a close bond in order to protect the citizens of Magnolia.

It also consists of the bustling Insect Kingdom, a underground kingdom with an elaborate tunnel system.

• Primary types: , , ,
  
• Rulers: Magistrate Leto (), Queen August ()
  

-


Marina – A province that consists primarily of rivers and port towns that lead into the ocean. It is beloved for its night life and exotic cuisine along with its dedicated ferry services that bring people in and out of Monvel.

• Primary types: , ,
  
• Rulers: Prime Minister Marco ()
  

-


The Ruined Lands – The ruins of long-lost civilizations filled with vengeful spirits and criminal activity. The dungeons in these areas are particularly punishing and constantly shifting due to a mysterious force, so people are forbidden by law to enter if they are not a registered exploration team.

-

Serime Village - A village located in a tundra region on the far upper-west of Monvel. It is cut off from the rest of society due to being on the other side of the Ruined Lands. The people here live humble lives and pay reverence to the holy mountain that towers over their village.

• Primary types: ,
  
• Rulers: Village matriarch Aurora (), village elder Gabriel ()
  

-

Huofeng - An island country to the north of Novadra known for their intensive martial arts and spiritual practices. They are a nation famed for their connection to the legendary rainbow bird, Fenghuan. They have a close connection with Oniwa and their neighboring island, Larenne.

• Primary types: , , , ,
  
• Rulers: Empress Huan (), Chancellor Borneo (), Fenghuan ()
  

-

Larenne - The second most technologically advanced region in Monvel and an island country to the northwest of Novadra. It is one of the oldest regions in the entire alliance due to it being relatively untouched by the war of the Sigils a century ago and thrives on keeping legends alive. Both of the islands prefer to stay out of the affairs of the landlocked regions.

• Primary types: , , , ,
  
• Rulers: King Alexander ()
  

-


Poké - The main form of currency in the Mystery Dungeon world, usually represented by gold coins or bills. Bits can be found in certain Mystery Dungeons, rewarded from guild missions and are exchanged for items in stores. A 10,000 item is considered expensive.

Sunlight glistens through the window. The ring of an alarm clock breaks the silence, with Ambes slamming his paw against the clock. He stretches out his limbs and slides out of bed with a yawn.

Menti hops out of a queen-sized bed next to him and stretches. She turns around and sees Hall sound asleep with his hat over his face. She puts on a devilish grin and puts her paws over his shoulders.

"Hall, wake up! The sky is falling!!" - She shouts as she shakes him awake.

Hall sits upright with a yell and looks around the room at a frantic pace. He sees Menti snickering to herself and grimaces. He snatches his hat and places it on his head.

"The frick is wrong with you? Jeez, don't go giving me a heart attack." - Hall pouts as he adjusts his hat.

"I'm sorry, I had to. That was payback for the time you pranked me with that whipped Pecha cream, so..." - Menti remarks as she sticks out her tongue.

Hall sticks out his tongue in return. Ambes mutters to himself and glares at both of them with a bemused face.

"We can't even wake up in peace, I see. Anyway... are you ready guys?!" - Ambes yells out.

"To... have breakfast?" - Hall shrugs.

Ambes grabs onto his backpack with a beaming grin.

[Current OST: Try, Try Again]

"... That too, but you know what I mean. We're gonna go make Rodere into an official exploration team today!"

"Hell yeah!" - Hall yells out.

"Let's do it!" - Menti nods.

The three of them slam a high five together and run down the stairs. The scent of cooked Oran berries wafts through the air as Sonia places a pie down on the table.

"Here you go, children. Take big slices. I've also got sandwiches made for you just in case you get hungry during whatever mission the guild people put you on." - Sonia says.

She hands small honey-filled sandwiches in plastic bags to Ambes. He slides them into his backpack with a smile.

"Man, you're the best, grandma! Are you gonna come watch us?" - Ambes says as he stuffs his mouth with a piece of the pie.

"I mean I have to, silly. You're my pride and joy, after all." - Sonia laughs.

Menti swallows her piece with a delighted squeal.

"Yowza! You're a really good cook, Miss Sonia." - Menti nods.

"I guess in addition to being the medic, you were also the chef of your old team." - Hall states as he takes a bite out of his slice.

"I originally learned how to cook from a friend. It... uh... you should be glad you weren't around for my first tries." - Sonia says with a nervous smile.

"Guess we're lucky, huh?" - Hall snickers.

Ambes waves back at his grandmother as he opens the front door.

"See you later, grandma! We'll be back later!" - He says.

"Have fun and stay safe! I don't need more heart-attacks, sweetie!" - Sonia shouts as she waves back.

[Current OST: Maplecrest]

The trio walk onto a dirt path with trees on both sides. It is gradually replaced with a brick path and small buildings in the distance, with a sign saying "Welcome to Rose Meadow" in bright green. A tremendous park lined with rose bushes can be seen in the center of the town.

A light, sweet-smelling breeze brushes past the group as Ambes pulls out a ragged map of the area. Menti puts a paw over her eyes as she stares into the sky.

"Wow, we picked a beautiful day for this." - The Marill remarks.

"Alright... Now we just have to find the local guild center. You sure you know where it is, Ambes?" - Hall asks.

"It should be on the map here. It seems to be towards the east end of the park." - He states.

He looks up to see a small building with a sign on the side. It has two Roserade silhouettes printed on the sides and reads: "Do you want to become an explorer? Come sign up at the Corona Outpost! Make sure you're prepared! Note: Currently taking submissions."

Ambes scratches the back of his neck. He returns the map into his backpack and squints his eyes at the sign.

"... Huh. This place is smaller than I thought." - He remarks.

Hall pushes open the door and walks into a lobby with a polished hard wood floor and potted plants. The room is filled with the aroma of Cheri berries. At the end of the room is a Medicham standing over a counter and a stretched line of other Pokemon in front of Ambes's group.

Menti lets out a nervous laugh as she and Ambes form the back of the line. The Pikachu takes a deep breath and holds a paw against his beating chest.

"Oh... this is gonna take a bit." - Menti says.

"So much for a beautiful day. I swear I recognize almost every kid here." - Hall mutters under his breath.

"I'm at least sort of impressed that there's so many people here that want to form explorer groups. Maybe we could even get a rival team." - Ambes whispers to Hall.

The Minccino shrugs and holds his hands to the side.

"Competition isn't my strong suit, dude. I just want the goods."

"Oh come on Hall, live a little. Part of being in an exploration team is the adventuring and the challenge." - Ambes chuckles.

"Okay, maybe a little competition... but if our rival team is filled with lunatics then I'm bailing." - Hall scoffs.

-

The last Pokemon walks through a red door on the right. Ambes hops up to the receptionist with a shaky grin on his face.

"Excuse me, we'd like to form an exploration team." - He asks.

"Well sweetie, you're just in time - we almost ran out of spots for the day. You need to sign this before you can register though." - The Medicham says as she hands out a sheet to him.

Ambes holds it in front of his face with Menti and Hall staring over his shoulder.

"... Oh jeez, maybe we should have brought your grandmother to help." - Menti remarks as she glares the fine print.

"It's cool, guys. I know how to read through this stuff. Mom and Ivory taught me how. All we really have to worry about is putting in our team name... Like this." - He states.

He signs "Rodere" over an empty slot. He fills in the rest of the appropriate spots with a few pen taps and hands the paper back to the receptionist.

"Good. Now you have to walk in through that door there and the lady will be right with you. You should take these to show you're participating." - The Medicham states.

She hands them three white tags attached to lanyards. They hang the tags over their necks and walk through the door into a grassy backyard.

There are multiple young Pokemon standing in front of a large cave entrance, with a red and cream-colored Slurpuff in the center. She notices Ambes, Menti and Hall enter and waves at them with a wide grin.

[Current OST: We Are Explorers]

"Oh, hello! More explorers-in-training? Come in, don't be shy!~" - She says with a sweet voice.

The rest of the Pokemon stare at them as they shuffle into the group. Menti blushes while the two boys make stiff smiles.

"Alright, that should be enough - My name is Miss Rolo and we're going to go through a few basics of what you'll have to do as explorers. Once we finish here, you'll have to take a test where you go through a dungeon course. Now then, here's our first lesson." - She smiles as she pulls up a markerboard.

She slaps a stick against the markerboard and points towards a crudely drawn picture of a fearsome Rhydon and a Torchic running away in fear.

"Rule number one! Most of the dungeons you'll encounter on your journeys are no ordinary ones. In them, you'll find hostile Pokemon that are either simply territorial or ruthless bandits! You'll also find various items like money, berries or elixirs depending on the location - nobody knows how they got there, but consider yourself lucky if you come across them!" - Miss Rolo remarks.

Hall snickers at the pictures only for Menti to jab him in the arm. He says a quiet "ow" and shoots a death glare at her.

"Rule number two! You have to have be prepared if you're going to go through dungeons. The world is a scary place and the last thing I want to see are adorable Pokemon like you getting hurt, lost, or trapped in some kind of endless maze... That's why I recommend you always bring along Escape Orbs and medicinal items. You'll never know when you'll need them!" - Rolo states.

As she draws more onto the markerboard, a Machop raises their hand.

"So Miss Rolo, what kinds of treasures will we find? You know, stuff that we can't just buy at the store?"

"Good question! A general rule of thumb is that the less people have explored a dungeon, the more valuable things will be inside. Then again, that also means it's more dangerous. Things you can find range from Life Seeds, these little seeds that permanently increase your endurance, or even Lost Loot - treasure that you can trade at the local Gold Rush shops for lots of money."

"Man, the more she describes this, the more I want to go on a real adventure." - Hall whispers.

Rolo erases the previous drawing and draws a crude picture of a large dragon-like Pokemon setting stick figures on fire.

"However, you also have to be careful of area guardians - Pokemon that specifically arm themselves to protect a certain thing. A lot of the time, they're uber-strong sentinels that require entire teams to beat. This sort of leads into the next thing I want to talk about: Work. With. Your. Team! Your exploration team members are there to help you through thick and thin, so it's important to have good synergy. Otherwise, you won't really last long..." - Rolo shrugs as she draws the picture.

Ambes glances at Menti and Hall with a small grin.

"We'll do fine." - He states with a confident tone.

"Feel free to ask any questions before we begin!" - Rolo says with a smile.

Menti hops over the crowd to have Rolo see her raised paw.

"What will we have to do to get registered?" - She asks.

"Well sweetie, all you have to do is finish this practice dungeon and come back with a certain item at the end of the cave. If you feel like you can't make it, you're free to use one of these Escape Orbs and leave. If you make it back successfully, you and your team members will get special badges that will mark you as a fledgling exploration team. It's only when you rise past Normal that you'll be an official team." - Rolo remarks.

"Ah, okay." - Menti nods.

"This is not a race and we're not handing out medals for speed. Take the mission at your own pace - all that matters is you come back with that special item... and not screaming, hopefully. Here's some practice backpacks with some items that you'll need once you're inside." - Rolo states as she hands out backpacks to certain Pokemon.

Ambes puts his own backpack aside and slaps the practice one against his back. He gives a thumbs-up to his companions. Everyone in the group stares at the cave with determined eyes.

"On your mark... "

"Go!" - Rolo yells as she waves towards the entrance.

The crowd of Pokemon scurry into the cave while making various cheers and hollers.

[Current OST: Sub Gate of Cardon Forest]

Ambes, Menti and Hall charge into the cave but slow down as they watch all of the other children disappear into the darkness. They stop in their tracks and glance back towards the light of the entrance.

"Okay. We can do this. We fought off a Tyrantrum that's like ten times our size - this should be easy." - Hall remarks with a deep breath.

"... Then again, we only got away with our lives because Mr. Solo knew how to Mega Evolve. That, and all of those other guys chipped in to help us." - Menti sighs.

Ambes frowns and rubs his forehead.

"... Come on, Menti. Don't get all depressing on me now." - He remarks.

"Oh. Sorry, it's just... What if we have to take on a big threat but nobody's there to help us?" - She asks with a concerned tone.

"We'll figure it out. For now all we have to do is finish this dungeon and get out as fast as we can." - Ambes states.

Menti and Hall nod in response. They venture deeper into the cave, with the only lights being small torches that line the walls. The air is warm and humid with stalactites lining the ceiling. Water trickles down them into small pools scattered across the floor.

A small treasure chest lies in the center of the room, with Hall going over to open it. Menti grabs onto his arm and yanks him away.

"Hall, stop. I know you're reckless, but what if it's a trap?" - Menti asks.

"I mean think about it like this. This is a test right? We had to sign up for this and it's in the middle of town. It's not like they'd put in something to hurt us." - He says with a sly grin.

"... It's actually really smart when you put it like that. But still..." - Menti states.

Ambes jumps ahead and flicks open the lock. The chest creaks open by itself, with Menti holding onto Hall in complete silence.

As Ambes edges toward the chest, a large monster figure pops out of the box with a roar and looms over the three of them. Ambes, Menti and Hall yell and stumble against the ground. They turn away and tremble, but they open their eyes to see that the "monster" is a Spiritomb-shaped balloon on a spring.

"... Wow, I can't believe that actually got us." - Ambes says with a bewildered smile.

"Did we sign up for registration or a spook house?" - Menti pouts.

"At least they have a sense of humor." - Hall laughs.

They walk down a flight of stone stairs only for a rush of cold air to brush past the kids. They clutch their stomachs as they gaze at the bottom of the stars.

"Wh... Guys, did you feel that? Did it get cold in here or was that just me?" - Ambes asks.

"No, that was definitely not just you. Maybe this is the part where things start getting..." - Menti says as she holds her paws against her mouth.

Loud screams ring out from the darkness. Ambes and his companions freeze up as a rush of footsteps grow in volume towards them. The source reveals itself to be the rest of the class that scramble past Ambes's group while screaming and pushing each other away. Hall stares at them with a slight frown.

A cold sweat runs through Menti's body as she looks back.

"... I'm incredibly worried if there's something that can frighten an entire group of people." - She remarks.

"This could be for real. What do we do, Ambes?" - Hall sighs.

"We keep going. We can't be explorers if every little thing scares us, you know." - Ambes remarks.

He curls both of his paws into fists and makes a pronounced gulp as he walks down the torch-lit path.

"Yep, just what I figured. I'm with you, dude... but how about you, Menti?" - Hall asks.

"I-I'm insulted you even have to ask! Of course I'm going too. Come on, Ambes!" - Menti remarks.

She envelops her body with water and propels herself forward.

"Hah... Nobody ever said being part of an exploration team was easy." - Ambes shrugs.

The light from the torches diminish as Ambes's group stop at an intersection with three paths.

"Which way do we go?" - Menti asks.

"They're all pitch black, so... we might have to go on our guts for this one. I'm picking the center." - Ambes nods.

"Alright, you're the boss." - Hall remarks.

Ambes pulls out a small orb from the practice backpack and taps on it with his paw. It emits a bright light, forcing him to cover his eyes.

He holds up the orb and strides through the center path. The room ahead is empty barring some unlit torches and a large puddle of water in the middle. A cold sweat envelops their bodies as they walk towards the center.

Hall takes a few steps forward but trips over a bump in the floor. The Pikachu and Marill run over to his aid.

"Are you alright?" - Menti asks.

"Yeah, I didn't scrape a knee or anything... but what did I even hit?" - Hall remarks as he picks up his hat.

Ambes hovers the orb over the bump and reveals it to be a slate fixed to the ground. It reads "Candela the Quilava - Her life was snuffed out by a flood. Rest in peace."

[Current OST: X Invasion Detection]

The three of them step back upon reading the inscription. Menti covers her mouth while Hall bumps into Ambes, nearly fumbling the orb out of his hand.

"I-It's a grave?!" - Menti shrieks.

"Good effing lord! Okay, I give up. I have no idea what to make of this anymore." - Hall remarks.

"Is this part of the test or... Should we just leave?" - Ambes says.

As the Minccino and Marill open their mouths, the torches around the room light up with purplish-blue flames. A low, distorted chuckle echoes through the room and a thick, purplish mist flows across the children's legs.

"... More... give me..."

The kids huddle onto each other with widened eyes as they watch a shadow creep up from the grave. A Chandelure with dark red liquid dripping from her body emerges out of the shadow with a bloodcurdling screech.

"Give me your souls!"

Ambes and his friends scream at the top of their lungs as the Chandelure looms over them with blue fire erupting from her body.

"Yes, you'll... you'll be very delicious... Tee hee!"

The phantom makes a low giggle as she floats over to them. Menti bursts into tears and clings onto Ambes's arm with a strong grip. Hall stands and stares at the Chandelure with his mouth agape.

Ambes rolls his paws into fists. His body shakes as he closes his eyes.

"... We're not going to run away." - He mutters to himself.

"I don't know man, this seems like a really good time to run away. No point in looking cool if we're dead." - Hall whispers to Ambes.

The Pikachu looks up at the Chandelure with determined eyes.

"Valid point, but... this is the only chance we have! We are explorers and we're not going to let this stop us!" - He shouts back.

"Ambes... Wow..." - Menti sniffles.

The Pikachu's cheeks spark with electricty as he strikes a pose. Hall stares at him for a second before hopping next to him with a sly grin. Menti dries her tears and smiles as she points at the Chandelure.

[Current OST: SPMD: Boss Battle Expedition Society]

"We're Team Rodere! No Pokemon on this planet is going to stop us from getting to our goal!" - She yells out.

The ghost stares at the group with a dumbfounded look on her face.

Menti and Hall disperse to the opposite ends of the room. Ambes fires a bolt of electricity that the Chandelure dodges by a small margin. Her expression changes from dumbfounded to worried as she barely evades other volleys.

"Hey! What are you -" - The Chandelure yells out.

Hall pelts her with small rocks from the side. She lets out a furious yell and smacks them away, with her flames erupting towards the ceiling. Menti zooms in from behind and smashes into the phantom's back, knocking her against the ground.

Hall chucks more rocks at the phantom while they're down, but she throws out her arms and yells in a softer voice.

"Oi! Stop! That's enough!"

Ambes pauses his thunderbolt assault and scratches his ears. Hall drops his rocks to the ground.

"... What?" - Ambes remarks.

[Current OST: Demon's Party]

Hall and Menti converge towards Ambes while the Chandelure floats over to them with an annoyed stare. She rubs her back with one of her metal limbs.

"That Aqua Jet did really did a number on my back, damn! You sure aren't any normal kids, that's for sure." The ghost remarks.

"B-but I thought you wanted our souls?" - Hall asks.

"Ugh. They should start hiring me for movies if I managed to convince you three into thinking you were in real danger. No, hun, it was fake." - The Chandelure sighs.

"Then what's with all of the red stuff on you?" - Ambes asks as he points at her.

"I had to make it extra convincing... so I had miss Rolo spread some hot sauce on me before I came here. What's supposed to happen is that I hop out and you run away with the items at the end of the room. That or you run out with nothing and you fail the test. It was fake from the start." - The Chandelure sighs.

Ambes and Menti look down to the ground while Hall puts an arm behind his head.

"S... sorry about that. We're just a little on edge from yesterday because we had to fight an actual criminal Tyrantrum away from my grandmother."

"Oh. Oh. Aw jeez... Is your grandmother alright?' - The Chandelure asks with a worried look on her face.

"Oh, she's fine, but... I guess the whole spooky ghost act kind of put us into attack mode. It sort of reminded us of that." - Ambes remarks.

He makes a nervous grin but it breaks into to a frown. Ambes's ears droop as he looks away from the Chandelure.

"... Again, I'm really sorry we attacked you."

"Awwww... I can't really blame you. Anybody in your position would have done the same thing. That or screamed their heads off and run, but... that's sort of how it works. Listen, I'm not the kind to hold grudges so you're free to give me a hug if that'll help you feel less guilty." - She nods.

The Chandelure opens her arms and turns off the fires at the ends of her 'hands'. Ambes looks up at her and hops into a warm hug in her arms. Menti and Hall stare at them for a second, raise their eyebrows and join in.

"You know, you kids are really something. Not everyone stands their ground and fight. We don't get much of that here. It helps that you're powerful too, because I'm one of the strongest associates our guild has and those attacks still smarted." - The Chandelure remarks.

"Wow... Thank you miss-- um... what's your name?" - Menti asks.

"Call me Candelabra, sweetie. Or Candy if you want to be cheeky."

"Nice. So what's the deal with the grave, miss? Is this where you sleep, or..." - Hall asks as he points at the grave.

"That's a prop. However, I really was a Quilava back when I was still alive. My real grave is just somewhere else." - Candelabra says with a chuckle.

"... Oh." - Hall mutters under his breath.

Candelabra floats to the end of the cave and hangs a basket of food over one of her metal joints. She hands it into Hall, with him and his friends gazing at the food inside.

"Oh wow! There's bananas and apples and all sorts of snacks in here! ... Wait a minute, was the point of this to give food to miss Rolo?" - Ambes remarks with an annoyed grin.

"She has a bit of a sweet tooth if you hadn't noticed." - Candelabra giggles.

"Haha, nice. But yeah, all we have to do is hand this to her and we're registered?" - Hall asks.

"Yeah. I mean, the point of this whole thing was to make sure you're brave and strong enough to go through a real dungeon... granted, I wish you proved that in a way that was less painful but that's sort of what I get for playing the spook anyway." - Candelabra remarks.

"Again, sorry. It was nice meeting you now that we're sure you're not a malicious kid-eating ghost at least. Maybe we can work together on a real mission someday?" - Ambes smiles.

"Do you have any stories about exploring dungeons?" - Menti asks with a sparkle in her eyes.

Candelabra laughs and turns them towards the exit. She turns them around and pats them towards the entrance.

"Come on kids, there's only so much cute I can handle. I'd like to see you again, but right now you have to get this over with. You don't want to make Rolo worried."

"Okay! See you later, miss Candy!" - Hall yells.

He runs back to the entrance while holding the basket over his head. Ambes and Menti pace after him and grab onto the basket.

"It was nice to meet you too!" - Menti remarks.

The Chandelure waves at them until they vanish from her sight. She holds up a metal joint under her 'chin'.

"... Maybe we should contact an associate for them. They could benefit from a little more help."

-

Ambes, Menti and Hall exit the cave with the basket in hand. Rolo hops up from a checkered blanket on the grass and walks over to them with a wide grin on her face.

"Oh, you got the picnic basket! Good job! I'll be taking that, thank you!~" - She says with a sing-song tone.

The Slurpuff grabs the basket and the practice backpack. She throws the backpack on a pile and places the basket goes on the blanket alongside a bottle of ketchup and a sixteen-inch sandwich.

"So what happened that took so long, honey? All of the other kids ran out of here, but only a few of them qualified due to bringing back what they needed. Did something happen?" - Rolo asks with a frown.

"Well, kinda." - Menti remarks with a nervous chuckle.

"We uh... met miss Candelabra." - Ambes whispers to Rolo.

"... Oh! Oh my. What happened?" - The Slurpuff says as she holds both paws over her mouth.

"We thought she was an actual enemy and attacked her." - Menti says as she looks away from Rolo.

"... Well then, I guess that's something we have to work on if we have to bring her out again. But she is alright, yes?" - Rolo asks.

"Of course! Heck, she even gave us a hug and gave the basket to us when we calmed down." - Hall nods.

"Oh thank goodness. Still, what you kids did was very reckless! But... seeing as you not only brought the basket back, you stood up against what you thought was a threat... I think it'd be appropriate to say that you passed with flying colors! My only complaint is that you have to exercise more caution, but... here, take these official Guild badges!" - Rolo says with a warm smile.

Rolo takes their tags and pulls out three sun-shaped badges, with each badge glowing with an ethereal light. The kids beam with delight as they stick the badges against their chests.

"Team Rodere is now -partially- registered as an exploration team! You are now free to scan the mission board for any job requests, although as a Normal rank team you're prohibited from doing any job above green. You see, we use a color system to indicate the difficulty of a mission, with Red and Purple being the hardest." - Rolo nods.

"I've been waiting for this moment ever since I saw my sister become the leader of her own team. I guess you could say she's one of my influences." - Ambes grins.

"Oh wow, you're following in your sister's footsteps? You're going to make her proud, I just know it. How about you two?" - Rolo says as she points to Menti and Hall.

"Oh me? I want to see the world and study up on history. I want to learn about what's out there and chronicle what I find for future generations to take in." - Menti nods.

"You could say I'm starting off with an advantage because my mom and dad work for the magistrate herself. Sure, we have the money, but I don't want to just live in the shadow of what my parents have done. I want to strike out my own path... That's sort of why I'm with this crazy sucker to begin with." - Hall laughs as he gently taps Ambes's arm.

"Quite the dynamic, hee hee. You kids will do great out there - just know that me and 'the spooky ghost lady' will be rooting for you to succeed... although I should warn you to be careful. There are a disturbing amount of bandits out and about lately. The world is an especially scary place right now, so promise me you'll stay safe, alright?" - Rolo asks.

The Minccino tilts his hat with a proud smile.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. You don't have much to worry about." - Hall remarks.

"Alrighty. You're free to leave. I'd share my lunch, but there's barely enough for just me, so sorry."

Ambes scans his eyes through the stock of food on the blanket and bites his lip.

"... Wow really? Oh, it's fine, my grandmother has food at home."

"I hope we see each other again!" - Rolo says as she stuffs the sandwich into her mouth.

"Same to you too, miss." - Menti states.

Menti gives Rolo a polite bow while Hall opens the door that leads into the administration building. Ambes runs back into the lobby and faces the Medicham receptionist.

"We cleared the test and we want to start taking missions. How do we do that?" - The Pikachu asks as he hops up to the counter.

"Oh, you'll want to have this then. They're special devices called Contact Gears that get updated with new missions daily and tell you where to find them via a built-in map. Good luck, kids." - The Medicham remarks.

She pulls out a red, rectangular-shaped device from under the counter. It has a small orb in the center of a sun symbol and a smooth, glossy surface. The kids stare at it in awe as its small screen lights up.

"Rad." - Hall remarks.

"Oh, wow! This is really cool. Thank you miss!" - Menti states.

"If you lose it, you'll have to pay a replacement fee of over fifty thousand Poke'. You'll also have to come here to take on missions via the poster board downstairs. Take good care of it." - The Medicham smiles.

Ambes and his friends stride out the door and onto the stone path. Hall fiddles his finger against the Contact Gear's screen with a grin on his face.

"There's a function for missions, a global map, a close-range Pokemon scanner and even a thing for our team set-up... and only the first page! I can't believe everyone gets one of these when they start an exploration team." - Ambes states with a .

"Maybe they're a limited time offer." - The Minccino remarks.

---

Barek and a damp Sorin walk with Eser through a hill. Barek's mouth is stained with crumbs as he makes a beaming grin to the Espeon.

"Aw man, I'm so pumped! I can't believe we actually get to look for a Mystic Power!"

"Well, don't get too far ahead of yourself. We'll need to prepare for a journey like that and meet up with the two bandits, assuming they're not going to chicken out." - Eser sneers.

"I have a feeling they won't... Anyway, is that why we're heading to the professor's?"

Eser nods. "Chances are he wants to get his hands on one of them too. Shouldn't be hard to convince him to lend a hand... err, socket."

The three of them march over a tall hill towards a dingy, patchwork metal house with wires spilling out of it. The Espeon pushes the front door open with psychic powers and walks inside.

"We're here prof-"

Eser stops mid sentence as he sees Hallows and Rhapsody sipping tea in the professor's lab. They glance at Eser's group with devilish grins. A Xurkitree wearing a white coat lights up his face as the Espeon steps inside.

[Current OST: Professor Frankly's Theme]

"Ah Eser, I was just talking with your two friends - very interesting characters indeed!" - The Xurkitree sputters.

"What are they doing here, Professor Nicual?" - Barek shouts as he raises a paw at the bandits.

"Oh, we just wanted to do some digging and make sure we made a good investment. After all, it would be quite a shame if you were lying about that Mystic Power, hm?" - Hallows sneers.

"You wouldn't happen to be involved in any... nefarious organizations, would you?" - Rhapsody asks.

"... No. While you two are busy stealing money and jewels, I steal information. It's more important than money and legal. Usually." - Eser says with a heavy sigh.

"Wait, really Essy?" - Sorin asks.

Eser looks at the Emolga with a sour grimace and turns towards the bandits. Sorin backs off with a sweat.

"Hmm. Your story seems to check out, as far as we can tell." - The Weavile remarks.

Rhapsody walks over to the three and hands them a bag of supplies. The inside is filled with orbs, berries and a few patch-work devices with a Xurkitree sticker pasted on them.

"Guess you're a part of the group now." - Rhapsody says as she crosses her arms.

"Uh, you're a part of our group. After all, you're following us." - Barek states as he steps forward.

"The Titanium Bandits aren't some little exploration team." The Salazzle hisses.

"Team Ionize would never join bandits!" - Barek growls.

He and Hallows sneer at each other, with Eser stepping in the middle of them with an unamused pout.

"Knock it off, you two. We're off to Magnolia, so try not to argue the entire time."

Barek backs down. Hallows hisses at him with a crooked grin and crosses their arms.

"... Fine." - Barek sighs.

[Current OST: Rith Essa]

A battalion of Pokemon approach a jagged cave entrance located on the edge of a mountain. Dark gray clouds and other mountain ranges blanket the skyline. The interior of the cave is pitch-black with warm, sulfur-scented air flowing out of it.

"If our information is correct, this should be it. This is where the Mystic Power is supposed to be!" - A Scizor in the crowd yells out.

-

Eser's group and the bandits glance at the crowd of Pokemon near the cave entrance.

"Hey, I thought this was top secret information you had!" Hallows hisses.

"Well it was, but I also said it was likely they'd be announcing it soon. Of course you don't have to come along and continue to steal jewels from poor little ladies if you want."

The Salazzle grumbles and slaps a hand against their forehead. Rhapsody scratches her chin.

"Ah jeez. Now we have to fight all these exploration teams for the Mystic Power? Well, I suppose a little competition never hurt anyone." - The Weavile remarks.

Evan jumps up to the entrance from below and snarls at the crowd of teams. Shiva flies up next to him and perches herself against the ground.

"Great, just great. We're gonna have to fight off these guys, aren't we?'' He sighs.

The Golbat stretches out a wing and yanks him closer to her.

"Relax, Ev. We just have to have a plan." - She whispers to him.

"... What do you suggest?" He whispers back.

Shiva narrows her eyes and edges her mouth into a 'smile'.

"Well..."

-

"Let's move out, Team Raiders!" - The Scizor yells as he walks inside.

"We can't let up or people will never take Team Terra seriously!" - A Rampardos roars as he pushes the Scizor out of the way.

The crowd of teams barge their way through the entrance while roaring expletives and shoving each other away. A Primarina and a Meloetta stay behind and watch the crowd disappear into the cave.

"Absolutely barbaric behavior, wouldn't you say?" - The Primarina snickers with a paw over her mouth.

"Hmm. We're sure there's a Mystic Power here, Thalassa?" - The Meloetta asks.

"It's the biggest lead we have. This is the first important mission we've had in a long time, and it's forced us to come out here of all places... so you know, I hope it's worth it." - The Primarina sighs.

"Me too. I have things to do back home, you know?" - The Meloetta states.

Thalassa puts a paw to her chest and closes her eyes.

"I was thinking I would go visit my son and mother-in-law again."

"Awww, that's sweet. Too bad High Command's on high alert. We'll probably be doing this for a while." - The Meloetta shrugs.

"... We'll make the time." - Thalassa nods with a determined stare.

The Meloetta floats into the entrance while the Primarina glides by via a jet of water. Thalassa sees Evan and Shiva bolt into the cave and yanks on her Meloetta friend's shoulder.

"Wait, Nina. There's something off about those two." Thalassa remarks.

The Meloetta turns around and gives her a confused frown.

"Huh? How?" - She asks.

"I saw them talking to each other until the other explorers went into the cave. Maybe we should exercise some caution."

"... I got you." - Nina nods.

-

Torches on the wall waver as Evan and Shiva speed through past the exploration teams. The Absol makes a smirk as he and Shiva concentrate their eyes on the group.

"Sorry guys, can't let you go further."

"Yeah, you just gotta... chill." - Shiva laughs.

The Absol jumps in front, pulls out a cracked purple orb and smashes it against the ground. It releases a wave of purple miasma that seeps through the crowd. The Pokemon yell and run towards the duo, but their movements come to an abrupt halt as the miasma fades into the floor.

Shiva and Evan turn around and descend deeper into the cave.

"Shiv, that joke was terrible." - Evan groans.

"I know. But hey, at least that Foe-Seal Orb came in handy." - Shiva nods.

Nina and Thalassa glide past the frozen Pokemon with relieved sighs.

"... Impressive. It may not last long but it's at least something to keep them bay."

"Nice call, Thass." - Nina says as she puts a hand to her forehead.

Evan and Shiva stop at a three-way intersection with stone overhangs lining each path.

"Which way to go...?" - Evan mutters under his breath.

"Well, maybe we should -" - Shiva says as she points a wing towards the left entrance.

Thalassa and Nina zoom past the duo and enter the center path. The Meloetta looks back and blows a kiss at them.

"Thanks for the help!"

Thalassa puts a paw over her mouth and lets out a laugh that echoes throughout the cave. Evan growls and sprints forward, with Shiva soaring behind him.

"Crap, we didn't manage to freeze all of them. Still... sorry, girls, we're gonna get there first.

-

Eser's group and the bandits rush into the cave.

"... If we lose out on the Mystic Power because of your claustrophobia, I swear!" Hallows growls.

"Something tells me that won't be a problem." - Eser remarks.

Eser points at the group of petrified explorers with his paw. Sorin and Barek slide up to them and tap on the motionless Pokemon with nervous frowns. Rhapsody lets out a low chuckle and rummages her hand into one of the frozen Pokemon's bags. She pulls out a handful of gold Poke' coins and slides them into her bag.

"Hehe, your little Espeon friend is smarter than he looks. Makes sense that somebody in this crowd has some sort of crowd control."

"Eser, are they...?" - Barek asks.

"No. Judging by their complete lack of movement, it's likely the effects of a Foe-Seal Orb. It should wear off in time if you're worried about that. Now come on." - The Espeon remarks.

He runs ahead and skids to a halt upon seeing the intersection. Sorin bumps into him from behind and nearly topple him over.

"Watch where you're going, you two." - Eser grunts.

"Sorry. Which path do we go into, Essy?" - Sorin asks.

The Espeon nods his head to the right path and swerves into it, with both his friends trailing behind him. The bandits glare at them as they run off. They stare at each other and point into the left path.

"... Right. How about we not follow the boy scouts?" - Rhapsody says.

"Definitely." - Hallows croons.

-

[Current OST: Firetop Mountain]

Thalassa and Nina glide out of the hallway and stop at a cliffside. At the bottom of the cliff is an ornate yet decayed castle. Magma surrounds it on all sides, illuminating the castle and the cave around it with an orange glow. The castle's walls are lined with torn red banners of the sun being gripped by a clawed hand.

"Whoa...!" - Nina remarks.

"Amazing! So there was a fortress underneath the mountain all along." - Thalassa nods.

"Although... what kind of purpose did it serve if they had to build it inside a mountain?" - The Meloetta asks as she puts a hand under her chin.

The girls descend towards the castle via a set of stone stairs. They pass over a lowered drawbridge and enter a courtyard with dead brown grass and trees. A statue of a Reshiram stands in the middle surrounded by withered rose bushes.

"Sheesh, this place didn't age well." - Nina says as she looks around.

"That statue... I can't seem to recognize that Pokemon. They're unlike anything I've ever seen before." - Thalassa remarks.

The Primarina propels herself over to the statue's base and puts her paw on the gold slate. The inscription on the slate is faded barring the words "The true Empress of Novadra".

"... Interesting. This place is an ancient Novadran outpost. That only raises the question of why they built it here in Magnolia." - Thalassa ponders.

Nina peers through a door on the opposite side of the courtyard and sees a dining hall with an outstretched table that takes up most of the room.

"You got me, but this place looks like it was pretty high class. It's not just any ordinary fortress... There's all of these fancy armaments but it's big enough to hold an entire town." - Nina states.

She slides up to Thalassa and looks up at the statue with a hand over her chin. A shiver runs down her spine as she glances to the side.

"... We didn't forget you were there." - Nina grunts.

Shiva soars in and dive-bombs towards the girls while enveloped in a white aura. Nina faces her and fires off a volley of pink spheres that burst onto the Golbat. Shiva crashes into the dirt and lands against a dead tree.

"Now where's the other one...?" - Nina remarks with a sour grimace.

The Absol rushes in from the side and batters her in the gut with a sucker punch. Thalassa lets out a horrified yell as the force flings Nina's wounded body to the foot of the Reshiram statue. Evan lets out a low snicker as he sees Thalassa's reaction.

"Betcha didn't expect that."

Shiva looks up at Evan and shudders as she gets up.

"Y... you're gonna get creamed by that Primarina. You know that right?" - She wheezes.

"I know, I'll...uh...think of something.'' - The Absol mutters.

Thalassa paces towards him with bared teeth but Evan holds up a paw towards her.

"Hey lady. This dungeon stuff is neat and all, but you know what's neater?"

Pink hearts fly out of his body with a wink.

"Me.''

Shiva holds her wings in front of her eyes and groans. Thalassa snarls at him but the hearts smack into her chest. She gives Evan a love-struck look and opens her arms towards him. Evan makes a small smirk and extends his claws, but Thalassa opens her eyes and shakes her head.

"Good effort, but I've already fallen out of the vapid bad boy phase of my life. You deserve a little gift."

Evan steps back with widened eyes as the Primarina stands up on her tail and sings, her voice reverberating through the cave. Transparent orbs of water materialize out of thin air and explode on Evan, flooding the area and knocking him against the ground. He looks up at the Primarina with a scowl.

"If you call that a gift, I shudder at what you give to your loved ones." - He moans.

"Quite a nice display." - The Golbat says in awe.

"SHIVA!" - Evan yells.

"Well, it was!"

Shiva turns to Thalassa and points a shaky wing at her.

"Sorry, Primadonna, but we need this relic. Or else a whole lot of bad shit will probably go down."

"You really think ol' Blanchey would kill us if we failed?" - Evan mutters out loud.

"I don't doubt it at this point, with -"

Shiva stops mid-sentence as Thalassa shoots a cold glare at them. She slides over to them with an unamused stare.

"... Blanchey? Something tells me you'll have to come with us regardless if my team personally get the Mystic Power. High Command did brief us about a group called Khamsin before we arrived here..." - Thalassa remarks.

Shiva makes direct eye contact with Thalassa and holds up her wings.

"We aren't part of a group like that, I swear! It's just..."

Evan steps up with a sweat and speaks over the Golbat.

"We were going to sell it. We're in dire straits at the moment and we kinda... lack the basics. It really sucks. And ah yes, we were kidding around when I said my old pal Blanche was gonna kill us. She's our roommate. She's really chill, really calm. So yeah, there's the story. We needed this to pay rent and food."

He cracks a nervous smile and raises a paw to her.

"Sorry for all the stuff we did. We must be some real pieces of work after that."

Thalassa narrows her eyes and makes a small frown.

"... You're desperate? Hmm. I would normally feel sorry for you if it weren't for the fact that you and your friend tried to ambush us. You also missed a small detail: even a Normal rank team would get reprimanded or even arrested if they tried to sell a world treasure like the Mystic Powers... it's a rule even a child would know about."

Another set of water bombs form out of thin air with a wave of Thalassa's paw.

"Nice try, but at this point I'm justified to take you in for--"

A Bisharp in a black cloak drops in from above and smashes their metal fist against the Primarina's face. The strength behind the punch knocks Thalassa against the ground. She looks up with blood running down her nose and growls.

"Who are you supposed to be?!" - She yells.

The Bisharp pulls out an orb from their cloak and shatters it against the ground. A blinding flash of light washes through the courtyard, forcing Thalassa to cover her eyes. The light clears, leaving Thalassa and Nina as the only ones in the courtyard.

"... What in the world was that all about? They're just gone?" - The Primarina whispers.

She flinches from her bloody nose and turns to Nina lying against the Reshiram statue. Thalassa rushes over to her and pulls out two Oran Berries from a bag on her hip.

"Nina, are you alright?" - Thalassa asks.

"... Peachy. That Absol got me good, so I figured I should play dead and not risk getting hit by another one of those Sucker Punches." - Nina remarks.

"Smart idea. Here, take a berry to feel better." - Thalassa remarks.

Thalassa slides the berry into Nina's mouth. The Meloetta sits up and stretches, only to make a sharp gasp when she sees the blood running down the Primarina's face.

"Ooooh, that Bisharp really messed your face up. Maybe you should take one too." - Nina states.

"Hah. I'm not even going to deny that it hurt." - Thalassa laughs.

The Primarina swallows the other Oran Berry and wipes the blood off with a small napkin.

"So even without that crowd of other teams running in here, the competition is still as fierce as we imagined. How are we going to get the Mystic Power now?" - Nina asks.

"Maybe we don't. Maybe we do. We just have to make sure those people aren't the ones to get it." - Thalassa remarks.

-

Evan and Shiva open their eyes and find themselves inside of a dim library. The Bisharp crosses her arms and leans back against a bookshelf.

"You're welcome." - She states with a small smile.

"What... what just happened?" Evan asks.

"Looks like we just got our asses saved. Thanks for that, by the way."

"Madam Blanche sent me as backup once she realized that sending only two people on a mission as big as this was a bad idea. We've probably met before - they call me Reversa." - The Bisharp remarks.

"... Wait, Blanchey didn't trust us?" Evan sneers.

"Relax, Ev. This was a tough mission, so of course they'd send back up."

Evan lowers his head. He turns away from Reversa and growls.

"Hopefully now we can beat 'em to the punch and grab that Mystic Power."

"Hopefully. Now, we should probably get moving before that Primarina finds you. She didn't seem like the type to mess around." - The Bisharp waves.

Reversa walks out of the library and slides into an armory lined with spears, swords and shields. The end of the room has a rusted anvil and a burnt-out forge.

"The Mystic Power has to be the most fiercely guarded item in this entire castle. In fact, it may be likely that it's buried even deeper than where we are now, but where do we even start?" - She ponders.

"I'd prefer to not burn to a crisp." Evan shudders.

"What if it's in plain sight? Like maybe it's disguised as a lesser object." - Shiva mutters out loud.

"Do you really think that?" Evan asks.

Shiva shrugs with her wings and grabs onto a spear with her feet.

"Least we could do is take these weapons." She says as she swings it around.

"Help yourself because I sure don't need them. Now..." - Reversa ponders.

She glances over to see a torn banner. The flapping of Shiva's wings brush the banner away and reveal a crack in the wall.

Reversa pushes aside a large cabinet to reach it but it topples over due to her strength. The blades fall to the ground in an ear-piercing cacophony that echoes throughout the castle.

The Bisharp stares at her mess with a disturbed glare before turning it into an annoyed eyeroll.

"Oh, brilliant. They're gonna know we're here now. May as well speed things up." - The Bisharp remarks.

She smashes the brick wall in one punch, with debris and dirt flying across the room. It reveals a pair of stairs that lead into a basement illuminated by an orange glow. The Bisharp makes a hand motion to the Absol and Golbat as she walks into the hole.

-

Thalassa and Nina perk up when they hear the weapons collapse a few rooms over.

"What was that?!"

"Trouble, of course." - Thalassa growls.

The girls jump from room to room and wind up at the armory. They fix their attention to the pile of weapons and the broken wall. Thalassa edges over to the stairs and glances down at it.

"They must have found the Mystic Power. We have to stop them now!" - She yells.

She propels herself down the stairs with a burst of water while Nina glides down with her.

-

Reversa, Evan and Shiva descend the stairs into a wide cavern with lava pools on the sides. Stone spires tower over the Pokemon as they walk by. At the center of the cave is the statue of a dragon Pokemon with scale-like armor covering its cracked body. It looms over the group with a grimace, with Shiva and Evan looking up at the statue's hands with awed gasps.

A diamond-shaped crystal cloaked in blue fire floats in the statue's palms. Reversa lets out a small chuckle as she puts her hands to her hips.

"Son of a bitch, it was here after all." - Evan sneers.

"Excellent. Now let's just see if there's any traps around here." - Reversa remarks.

-

Hallows and Rhapsody walk through a long hallway draped with a torn red carpet and broken marble pillars. They look around the room with mouths agape.

"Dang, maybe we should just live here. Rhapsody, what if we stop looking for the Mystic Power and nab everything else in this place instead?" - The Salazzle remarks.

"What!?"

"Hear me out. No one knows this place is here, so no one will know if we take it. No target on our back. Not to mention, we can easily sell this stuff and get far more than our raid on that jewelry store yesterday."

Rhapsody makes a sly smile and hangs her arm over her friend's hip.

"Hm, you drive a hard bargain. Well, what are we waiting for?"

The cacophony of scraping weapons forces the bandits to jump and cover their ears.

"What in the world was that?" - Hallows yells.

"I have no idea, but we should check it out!" - Rhapsody yells back.

They run into the armory room and collide into Eser and Barek, who are thrown against the ground. Rhapsody and Hallows sneer at Eser's group.

"Oh, it's just you kids. I'm kind of surprised you kept up with us." - The Weavile snickers.

Eser scoffs while Barek gets to his feet and shakes his head.

"Okay then. I'd like you to fight some Golurk guards without having to break a sweat, because that's what we had to do!" - The Shinx growls.

"Child's play." - Hallows scoffs as they cross their arms.

Sorin brushes the dirt off Barek and Eser with his sleeves, but glances over to see the hidden stairs. He points at it with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Oooh! Guys, look!"

"... A fake wall? This could be it!" - Eser yells.

Hallows pushes the Espeon aside and sprints down the stairs with Rhapsody.

"We'll take it off your hands, boys!" - The Salazzle cackles.

The Shinx's fur sparks with electricity as the bandits run down the stairs. He growls and slams his paws against the ground.

"Geez, I can't stand them!" - Barek yells.

"You sure you want to let this happen, Essy?" - Sorin asks.

Eser makes a deep sigh and walks down the ragged steps.

"... Of course. Just trust me on this." - The Espeon remarks.

The Bisharp takes a step towards the statue only for the room to shake with dust debris flying through the air. The scaled dragon statue moves its arm up in a stiff motion while grasping the flame in its other hand and slams its fist against the ground.

Reversa and Evan jump out of the way of the incoming shockwave while Shiva hovers above it.

"So it's a fight against a statue, huh? Shouldn't be too hard." - Reversa remarks while rubbing the blades on her hands together.

[Current OST: Koloktos Theme]

The statue raises its arm back into the same position it was before. The lava around the area bubbles and the ground cracks open to reveal a towering four-legged creature that roars at the other Pokemon. Its metallic body glows a bright orange from the lava.

"A legendary?! Maybe this could be a problem after all..." - The Bisharp sighs.

The other explorers glide into the room and gasp upon seeing the Heatran's entrance.

"No way! It really was here the entire time!" - Nina says with an astonished face.

"They also woke the guardian up to go along with it..." - Thalassa growls.

"Ugh. How are we going to deal with this...?" - Eser remarks with a sweat.

"I'll grab it!" - Sorin yells out.

He jumps in front of the ground and flies towards the prism in the statue's hands. The Heatran's body glows orange as it breathes a stream of fire towards the explorers. The flames melt the ground and stone, with Reversa and the other Pokemon slipping out of the way.

Sorin drops to the ground with a yelp as a part of his fur catches on fire. Barek hops into the air and breaks the Emolga's fall.

"Thanks... yowch!" - Sorin says as he blows on the burned part of his fur.

"Could you two be any more reckless? What were you thinking!?" - Eser snarls.

Sorin lets out a nervous laugh and shrugs.

"I was hoping to avoid a fight but no deal I guess."

Evan and Shiva stare at the Heatran with their mouths agape.

"We're boned! There's no way out of this!" - Evan yells.

"Hang on, maybe we know something that can counter it. I'll even try Rain Dance!" - Shiva nods.

"You're sure that'll work in here? I don't know, Shiv... it's like a million degrees in here." - Evan sighs.

The Absol puts a paw to his head and grunts. He flings back his head and snaps his eyes wide open.

"WAIT, I GOT IT!" - He yells.

He forms a ball of water in his mouth and shoots it at the Heatran. It splashes on the legendary with minimal effect, as it ignores Evan's attack and aims at Reversa.

"Ev, I don't think Water Pulse from you is going to accomplish much if it can't even keep us cool in the desert." - Shiva sighs.

"Damn..." - The Absol scowls.

Thalassa summons more bubbles that explode on the Heatran, but it stands its ground and shoots a concentrated burst of fire at her. The Primarina ducks and looks back to see the fireball blow off a chunk of the cave, with colossal rocks falling into the lava.

"The amount of heat coming off this is insane... How are we supposed to even touch it?!" - Nina shouts.

Thalassa glances over to the Bisharp's team and grits her teeth.

"Simple. We combine our forces." - She remarks.

She flies towards Reversa on a jet of water and extends her paw towards her.

"You! Stop!" - Thalassa yells.

"... Kind of a bad time to turn me in, don't you think?" - Reversa says with a snide grin.

"That's not what I'm interested in. How about we make a momentary truce just so we don't get incinerated by this thing? Everything after that is fair game." - Thalassa says with a sharp grimace.

"... Deal."

The two of them shake hands and split to opposite sides of the room. Evan and Shiva exchange glares and shrug.

"Okay, apparently we made a truce with the damn Primarina... I guess that Rain Dance would be a smart thing for now, Shiv." - Evan nods.

"Got it. Just gotta hope it even works in here..." - Shiva remarks.

Clouds form at the top of the ceiling with a few flaps of her wings. The rain Shiva summons douses some of the Heatran's flames and cools off its body. It manifests fiery energy in its mouth, but Evan shoots another Water Pulse and evaporates the fire into steam.

"... They're with you? They're surprisingly effective." - Thalassa says with an impressed giggle.

Reversa gives a smug shrug and cracks her metallic knuckles.

"There's a reason why I don't just do everything for them."

Sorin shoots off a thunderbolt that hits the Heatran on the forehead, with Barek smashing his body into the legendary with a spark-enhanced tackle.

The Bisharp charges in and smashes her fist against the Heatran's cooled-off jaw, complete with a metal grinding noise. Eser and Nina fire off a purple beam of psychic energy that pelt the Heatran from the side. The combined attacks topple the Heatran on its back, but it rolls over and hops to its feet with a roar.

Thalassa summons more water bombs with a high pitched tone and makes them float over to the Heatran. They rupture and flood the area, dousing the magma nearby into heated rock.

The Heatran makes a sluggish stride towards the group. It opens up its mouth and glows orange for a brief moment, but it coughs up cinders and falls flat to the ground with a thud.

"We... we just defeated a legendary. Holy crap." - Nina says with a stunned look on her face.

Thalassa makes a beaming smile and laughs.

"That we did!"

"Wow, these guys are really powerful..." Sorin whispers.

Sorin and Barek look to the Primarina's group, then the Bisharp's group. Eser flattens his ears and darts his eyes to each of the Pokemon.

("That Absol and Golbat... they were definitely the ones from before. They're definitely up to no good. At the very least, them getting the Mystic Power would be terrible. But... I don't know who these two are either.") - Eser ponders with a scowl.

"Where are those bandits when you need them...?" - He mumbles out loud.

Thalassa turns to face the Bisharp, Shiva and Evan. Her warm smile turns into a cold grimace with sharp eyes.

"But now that just leaves us with who's going to take the Mystic Power..." - The Primarina remarks.

The Bisharp shrugs and gives Thalassa a calm smile.

"Oh, that's right. You were a great help, but..." - Reversa chuckles.

[Current OST: Megaman X6 Boss]

Reversa chucks an iron thorn at the Primarina in a lightning fast motion and charges towards the statue. Thalassa avoids the thorn by nudging her head.

"I swear at this point I'm authorized to use deadly force. Nina, try to slow her down at least!" - Thalassa shouts to Nina.

The Meloetta nods and charges up a light-yellow orb of energy over her head. She shoots it towards the Bisharp only to miss and strike a portion of the statue. It annihilates the entire left side of the stone Jangmo-o and shakes the cave.

Reversa digs her arm through the solid rock and climbs up the statue. Sorin flies up to her level and lets out a thunderbolt.

"Ah! No you don't!" - He yells out.

Reversa dodges the thunderbolt by dropping down a level and digs her hands back into the statue. Shiva dive bombs Sorin and knocks him to the ground.

"Sorin!" - Eser yells out.

A beam of purple energy shoots out of the jewel on Eser's forehead, with the impact hurling Shiva's body into the distance. He walks over to Sorin and lets out a dismissive sigh.

"I'll start charging for how often we have to save you."

"S-sorry." - Sorin whimpers.

Reversa crawls back up the rock, but one of Thalassa's water bombs explodes next to her and flings her against the statue's shoulder. She clings onto the statue's arm with her arms and flips onto its elbow.

She gives a sarcastic salute to the Primarina as she jumps towards the palm of the statue.

"Damn it!" - Thalassa yells.

Reversa lands on the palm and extends her hand to the flaming prism. Her hand fades through without burning up, but a kick from an altered Nina launches her to the ground. Reversa looks back up to see Nina's hair is now coiled up and red.

She taunts the Bisharp with a hand motion.

"Bring it on."

"Now this is getting interesting." - Reversa snickers.

Reversa jabs at Nina with the sharpened blades on her hands but she dodges out of the way and lands a devastating right hook that throws the Bisharp against one of the statue's fingers.

Nina runs over with her fists out but Reversa knees her in the gut mid-run. It flings her back and forces her to cling onto the statue's arm.

"Ugh... you dirty-" - Nina mutters under her breath.

Reversa grabs the prism out of the blue flames and holds it close. She glares at it with a sparkle in her eyes.

"It's so beautiful..."

As Reversa holds the prism in her hands, white reflective armor materializes over her entire body. A red visor appears over her eyes and blue fire erupts from her hands to her elbows. She lets out a gloating laugh as she holds it up with both hands.

"... Well would you look at that? Ha! It works!"

Nina flies in from behind and strikes the Bisharp in the back with a jump kick. The kick cracks the armor and propels both of them off of the statue's hand. The prism slips out of Reversa's hands, with its armor disappearing off of her.

"Oh no, it's going to break!" - Nina yells.

Evan glares between the prism and Reversa with a sweat. He sprints into the air and catches Reversa mid-fall. He lands to the ground with a thud and struggles to keep his back straight with the Bisharp holding onto him.

("Sh... shit, I couldn't get them both.") - He growls as he closes his eyes.

A navy blue blur whizzes by and snatches the prism out of the air. It comes to a stop near the stairs and reveals Rhapsody adorned with gold jewelry. She holds up the prism in her hands with a wide grin.

"Well well, what is this? This wouldn't happen to be that Mystic Power everyone's been going on about? I imagined it would be a bit more drab like some rusted old sword, but this is just marvelous. Look dear. Doesn't this just go so well with our treasures from yesterday?"

Hallows walks out of the shadows next to her and snickers.

"Perfectly."

Rhapsody give the prism a tap, with her body enveloped by the same armor as before. She looks over her body and claws with an impressed whistle.

"Well now, I think it's time for us to skedaddle. Hallows, if you'd be so kind..."

The Salazzle pulls out a red crystal adorned with a fire symbol. He tilts his head back and creates a fireball that gradually dwarfs him in size.

"Sayonara. It's been fun."

Hallows unleashes the ball of fire towards the group and darts up the stairs with Rhapsody.

Nina glares at the fireball with widened eyes while Thalassa shoots a wave of water at it. The wave of water evaporates at the inferno's wake, leaving the Primarina to stare on in horror.

"Oh no, I'm exhausted. I can't stop it!" - Thalassa yells.

"No time to waste!" - The Meloetta yells as she grabs the Primarina by her waist.

Nina tries to float away with Thalassa in tow, but the inferno catches up to them. They close their eyes and brace for impact but the fireball's overwhelming light disappears.

They turn their heads to see unconscious Heatran absorb the fireball into its body. Its eyes fly open with a roar as it surges with heat and flames. It shakes the entire room with a furious stomp of its feet.

Nina screams and looks around the crumbling cave at a frantic pace. Molten magma breaks through the cooled rock and splashes around the room while stone spires fall and pierce through the ground.

"Jeez! Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse! We have to move! Thalassa, at least try to give me a boost with your aqua jets or something!"

"I'll try!" - She nods.

Thalassa slaps the ground behind her and summons a burst of water that shoots her and Nina up the stairs.

"Crap... Let's move!" - Reversa yells as she points towards the stairs.

She runs towards the stairs, but she falls to her knees and clutches her hips with both arms.

"Ugh! That brat must have hit a critical spot..." - She growls under her breath.

"Come on, no time to waste!" - Shiva yells.

"How? We're wounded!" - Reversa yells back.

"... How's a Quick Orb sound to you?" - Evan nods.

He takes out a purple orb and smashes it against the ground with his paw. A shockwave flies out of the orb and surges through him, Shiva and Reversa. They gain after-images to their movements, with Evan grabbing onto Reversa and throwing her on his back.

He springs into the air and lands at the top of the stairs with Shiva soaring behind them. They sprint out of the now-crumbling castle and pass by Thalassa's group. Reversa holds onto Evan's back and winces.

"Ugh, looks like I can't do any real acrobatics until we get to the medical chambers." - She grunts.

"So the two that took the Mystic Power are a Weavile obsessed with jewelry and a Salazzle... We'll definitely need to deploy some spies to keep track of them." - Shiva remarks.

"Man, if only we took them out then and there..." - Evan sneers.

-

Eser dodges a falling stalactite. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a blue orb. He holds it up in the air and, in a flash of light, he and his companions teleport outside to the mountain's entrance.

"W-what happened?" Barek stammers as he looks around.

"We got out alive. We need to have a talk about unnecessary heroics when we get home." - Eser pouts.

-

Thalassa and Nina glide towards the entrance of the mountain only to be beset by the now unfrozen crowd of explorers. They bear down the two women with furious glares.

"What gives?! What happened?!" - A Rhyperior in the crowd yells out.

"I'm sorry to disappoint everyone in the crowd here, but a pair of bandits have already made off with the Mystic Power. You might as well go home now." - Nina says with a nervous chuckle.

"You're kidding!"

"All that prep work for nothing..."

A few of the explorers leave through the entrance, with some throwing up their arms in disappointment.

"This won't stand! We came here to get some treasure!"

"So did we, but we're not going to be sore about it and cut our losses." - Thalassa shrugs.

"There's a castle down there if that's your thing." - Nina says with a beaming smile.

The remaining crowd curl their hands into fists and make low growls.

"You... you took the treasure, didn't you?!"

Nina rolls her eyes and slaps her forehead with a grunt.

"Oh hell, not this again."

"Get them!"

The crowd stampedes towards them while the two women give back bemused glares. The larger Pokemon wind up for a combination attack but stop as a purplish-white light washes over the cavern. A purple crescent-shaped beam zooms across the cave and knocks away everybody in its path.

[Current OST: Tuxedo Mask]

A blue Gallade with a cape-like extension and red razor-edged elbow blades stands with sunlight behind his back. He strides over towards the group with an intense look in his eyes.

"Harming a single hair on two beautiful vixens like these... Now that's despicable." - He remarks.

"Louis?! What are you doing here?" - Nina shouts.

"... He's only one person! What are you guys do-" - The Rhyperior yells.

The Gallade slams a decisive punch to the Rhyperior's stomach. It flings his oversized body into the distance and he crashes into the ground with a tremendous thud, with the impact shaking the entire cave.

The Gallade gives the crowd around him a small, confident grin before swinging one of his elbow blades to the side as a feint. The crowd runs screaming out of the entrance with some falling flat against the dirt as they escape.

He reverts to a normal blue Gallade once the room clears and puts a hand to his hip.

"Heh. It's amazing the lengths some Pokemon would go for treasure..." - He says as he nods his head.

"Nice save, but we could have took them." - Nina says as she crosses her arms.

"Why are you here? We agreed to take the mission by ourselves." - Thalassa asks.

"Well yeah, but... you know, I felt kind of guilty letting you two go alone on a Red level mission... Plus, guildmaster told me to go for security's sake." - Louis remarks with a nervous shrug.

"How... chivalrous of you. All joking aside, a three person ensemble would have helped us a lot more." - Thalassa says with a low chuckle.

"You... kinda missed everything, Louis. We didn't just get here." - Nina states.

"Huh? Wait, what happened?" - He asks.

The Meloetta puts a hand behind her head and gives him a slight frown.

"About that..."

-

The Gallade puts a hand to his forehead and lets out a heavy sigh.

"So if I've got this right, you two had a battle royale with the item guardian and some Khamsin operatives... but the Mystic Power got swiped by two bandits nobody knew were there." - Louis remarks.

"The odds were pretty stacked against us." - Nina shrugs.

"This could be a problem. We have to file a report to Guildmaster right away."

"My thoughts exactly. Although I can't help but feel that those bandits bit off more than they can chew now that they have something so valuable..." - Thalassa remarks.

"At that point it'd just be a race to see who hunts them down first... I'm kinda glad we didn't get it ourselves, to be honest." - Nina states with a nervous smile.

"True. Still, it would have been a hell of a feat to get a treasure as rare as one of the Mystic Powers." - Louis states with a grin.

The hallway quakes, with dirt flying out of cracks in the ceiling. Nina jumps out of fear and clutches her chest.

"... Hey guys, maybe we should continue the small talk in a place that's not bound to collapse from an angry, super-powered Heatran." - She says with a cold sweat.

"Good idea." - Thalassa nods.

-

Barek hangs his head low as the three teammates trudge their way through a grassy hill. Sorin glides next to him and pats him on the back.

"You seem down."

"I just... wish I was stronger, you know? Like, I wasn't that much help back there." - Barek sighs.

Eser glances back at Barek and scoffs.

"You still have a lot of time to grow."

"But..."

Barek's voice trails off as he lowers his head. He stammers under his breath and glares up at them.

"Do you think I'm close to becoming a Luxio? I just wish I could help you guys more!"

"Barek, calm down. You're making a big deal out of n--" - Eser remarks.

A mechanical clanging noise rings out as he opens his mouth. The trio look over to see Professor Nicual in a hand-crafted locomotive with four seats. It floats off the ground with an electrical orb sparking in its undercarriage.

"Well, well, what an adventure. I do hypothesize that plenty of data was observed, yes?" - The Xurkitree stammers.

"Oh good, for a second I worried we were going to have to walk back." - Eser mutters.

He jumps onto the machine and lets out a long yawn as he leans back against his chair. The Shinx takes a deep breath and pouts as he sits next to Eser and Sorin.

Ambes and his friends open the front door and walk into his grandmother's living room. Sonia sits up from a white fluffy chair and puts aside a book from her hands.

"Oh, you're back! How did it go?" - She asks.

"We made it as a team, miss Sonia! Rodere's official, and to top it off we got this fancy device." - Hall remarks.

Ambes and Hall puff out their chests with beaming grins on their faces while Menti smiles. Sonia puts aside the book and embraces the kids in a large hug.

"I'm so proud of you, dear. Sure, you'll start out slow, but you'll be chasing after the big treasures in no time." - Sonia nods.

Ambes puts a hand to the back of his neck and smiles.

"Awww... thanks, grandma. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little bit nervous about the kinds of missions we'll go on."

"It's your first time, so it's natural to be like that... Besides, it's not like they'll throw anything dangerous at Normal rank teams. At worst, they're volunteer work." - Sonia states.

"I see... so Miss Sonia, have you seen something like this before?" - The Minccino remarks as he hands the Contact Gear over to her.

She stares at it with slight confusion but makes a small grin as she slides her finger across the screen.

"... I really have been gone a long time if this is what the new exploration teams use now. To be fair, I have seen Ambes's sister Ivory use one at least, but she never got to stay for long. So this doodad is what you use to keep track of your team and your missions?" - Sonia remarks with an amused tone.

"... Doodad?" - Hall snickers.

"Yeah. We wanted to show you because it's really cool." - Ambes nods.

Sonia puts a hand to her chin and makes a mischievous smile.

"It sure is, dear. But you know, there's something missing."

She inputs some information on the screen and hands it back to Ambes. The screen sits on the "team-setup" page and has Sonia's information aside Ambes, Menti's and Hall's profiles.

[Current OST: Ripple Star Map Select]

"... No way. Grandma, did you just--?" - Ambes states.

"Wow, miss Sonia! You really want to be part of our team?" - Menti shouts while hopping up and down.

"Of course, sweetie. I may be an old woman, but I like to stay fit. Not to mention, going on adventures with my grandson and his friends would be too good to pass up. I can even be your mentor when it comes to the harder stuff." - Sonia says with a warm smile.

"That's great! I didn't expect this, but I'm glad to have you along!" - Ambes remarks as he squeezes her in a hug.

"Haha. Well, I just have to call Leon to take care of the house in my absence. After we go past Normal rank, we'll have to start moving all over the place to complete missions. We might even get called by the Guildmaster High Command once we reach a high enough rank." - Sonia remarks.

"... High Command? How far up does this whole thing go?" - Menti asks.

"Ah. You know how you were at a place that registered you as an exploration team? Guilds handle the exploration teams of a region while High Command keeps track of every guild across the globe. The other continents outside of Monvel aren't quite as large, but everyone still needs some help from time to time. " - Sonia states.

"So we're a Normal rank team, right? What rank was your team back in the day, miss Sonia?" - Hall nods.

"As arrogant as it sounds in hindsight, Team Moonlight was Master Rank. It's one of the most prestigious titles you can have as a team, although getting that high requires a lot of time, effort and diligence. We couldn't even walk down the street without getting recognized, but now nobody really seems to mind. Makes buying groceries easier at the very least." - Sonia laughs.

"Wooow..." - Ambes and Menti say with a sparkle in their eyes.

Hall tips his hat and whistles.

"Sounds like you and your pals were celebrities, miss."

"Oh, stop. That was such a long time ago." - Sonia giggles.

"Now then. What to do on the first day on the job...?" - Ambes ponders as he pulls up the mission list.

He scrolls down the list and stops at a mission titled "Get my item back", with the client being a Zigzagoon. It reads: "Can someone please get my mom's heirloom ribbon back? It's very dear to her and I'm too scared to leave and get it. We lost it in a cave near the Insect Kingdom when we were moving to Rose Meadow. If anybody takes this mission, thank you."

"Huh. We found a good one already." - Hall says as he reads off the screen.

"Oh, they lost their mom's ribbon! That's sad." - Menti squeaks.

"The Insect Kingdom, huh? What do you know about it, Miss Sonia?" - Hall asks.

Sonia puts a hand to her chin and closes her eyes.

"Hmm... it's August's domain. She's a nice lady if a bit fickle. It's full of cave systems and marshlands, but we should be fine. I don't remember anything particularly dangerous from there."

"Alright then. We're taking it." - Hall nods.

He presses on the screen and checks off the mission.

"The location is... the Stardust Cave. Fancy name, but wow look how far it is from where we are." - Ambes states.

"It's an hour and a half of walking. We could catch a Magnet Car, but we may as well get some exercise in. Lord knows I need some for today." - Sonia remarks.

She stretches out her limbs with a strained sigh

"Oh boy, here we go..." - Hall says with a sweat.

-

Sorin and Barek doze off in the back of Nicual's makeshift automobile. Eser makes an aloof face as he glances at the grassy knolls the machine rolls over.

"So, was our hypothesis correct?" - The professor asks.

Eser rips himself away from the sights and turns to the Xurkitree.

"... Hm? Yes. There was a Mystic Power there... including anybody worth their salt that wanted to take it."

"Who were the lucky winners?"

"A couple of thieves from Allford called the Titanium Bandits. Not optimal but far from the worst case scenario. There was another group there... Not sure what they wanted, but probably not science and research. Although... due to some back alley dealings, I might have promised these bandits that they could keep the Mystic Power. You wouldn't happen to have any contacts who could finish the job, would you?"

"Oh ho Eser, you get your data from the strangest of places. I might have some electrical wiring I can pull... Once we get back though, you'll have to tell me all your observations about the Mystic Power. Leave no detail hidden."

-

[Current OST: Underground Sewer]

Ambes and Hall collapse in the middle of a crystal-studded dungeon as Sonia and Menti walk ahead. They stop to look back at the boys.

"Kids, what's wrong?" - She asks.

"Grandma... we're beat." - Ambes frowns.

"Yeah, I've never walked this much in my life. We couldn't just use the car to get here?" - Hall says as he pushes up his hat.

Sonia chuckles and gently pulls up the Pikachu. Menti drags Hall up and nearly flings his hat off his head.

"You guys need to exercise some more." - Menti states.

Hall scoffs at her and properly readjusts his hat.

"Haha, yes. You have to stay in top condition if you're going to be doing this kind of thing for a living. This place should be just about done, though." - Sonia says with a smile.

Ambes and his group make it into a stone chamber with glowing jewels of various colors and sizes hanging over a tremendous chasm. A squadron of Scizors wearing blue vests latch themselves onto the walls and chop off entire crystal segments with their claws. They throw the crystal segments into mine carts that get pushed away by other Bug Pokemon.

Two Ledians holding spears stand guard and look over the group. They cross their spears and hold it in front of Team Rodere's path.

"I'm sorry, but this is an active dig site. Civilians aren't allowed to enter on Queen August's orders."

Ambes stands upright and holds out his Contact Gear to the guards.

"W-we're here on official exploration team business. We came to retrieve a red-striped ribbon for our client, you see." - He states with a shiver in his voice.

"Huh. Hey, Rev, didn't one of the workers say they found a ribbon?" - The Ledian remarks to his companion.

"Yeah... They should be deeper in the cave. Okay, you can pass, but be sure to not disturb the work environment." - The other Ledian nods.

The two guards pull back their spears and stand by.

"Thank you." - Sonia nods as she moves forward.

The kids stay close to Sonia as they wander down a hallway lit with electric lanterns. A Heracross worker at the end of the room punches the wall at a rapid pace, unearthing a set of glowing blue crystals.

"Excuse me, sir! We're looking for a red ribbon. Have you seen one here?" - Menti asks.

The Heracross glances over to the group.

"Huh? Yeah. Did you folks lose it?"

"Not really. We're getting it back for our client, see..." - Ambes nods.

"Ah, I got you. Here you go." - The Heracross remarks.

He grabs the ribbon from a box behind him and holds it in front of Ambes.

"... Wow, that was fast. Thanks a lot, mister." - He says with a smile.

[Current OST: Chill and Rigor]

A sharp chill runs up Ambes's entire body when he touches the ribbon. His vision briefly turns grayscale and he clutches his chest with sparse breaths.

"Ambes!" - Sonia and the others yell as they scramble over to him.

"Are you okay?! What happened, dude?" - Hall remarks.

The Pikachu gets up to his feet and holds the ribbon close to his chest. He takes a deep breath and straightens up his back.

"I'm fine. But what in the world was that feeling...? It came out of nowhere." - Ambes states.

"You alright, little fella? You sure nothing's wrong?" - The Heracross remarks with a concerned look on his face.

"... Yeah. Thanks for giving us the ribbon, mister. We'll leave you guys to your work now." - Ambes states.

"Glad I could help, partner." - The Heracross nods.

The group turns around and leaves, with Sonia putting a hand on Ambes's shoulder.

"Are you sure you're fine, dear? I'm starting to get a little worried about you." - She asks.

"Positive. It felt more like something ripping their way into my soul... It was the worst cold sweat I've ever felt." - Ambes states.

"What, even worse than Miss Candelabra? You sure it's not a cursed ribbon?" - Hall snickers.

Ambes shakes his head with a frown and shivers.

"At this point I don't doubt that. We should get it off our hands quick if that's the case."

Menti looks back at the Heracross and briefly sees him fixated at the group with wide eyes, bared teeth and arms to the side. She does a double-take and sees him waving with a warm smile on his face.

"... Weird." - She states as she walks back with the group.

-

Eser and the group step into Nicual's patchwork house, with Barek and Sorin splitting up into different rooms.

"I've had enough excitement for one day. See you later, Essy." - Sorin remarks with a yawn.

"Yeah, I'm gonna zonk out too." - The Shinx says as he wipes his eyes with his paw.

"Alright. I'll be there too, just give me a bit." - Eser nods.

"So bandits here in Allford have one of the strongest treasures in the world then?" - The professor asks.

"I wouldnt be too worried about them. Petty thievery is all they'll aspire to do with such a weapon. Could have ended far worse."

"But there will be others wanting it..." - Nicual states with a concerned tone.

The Xurkitree rubs his 'chin', causing sparks to leap between his fingers. He points up his fingers and lets out an reverberating laugh.

"Oh you sly little Espeon, is that why you promised them the prize?"

"Wouldn't want every seedy organization breathing down our backs, now would I? Sorin, Barek, and I can watch these bandits from afar and keep them away from real trouble." - Eser remarks with a sly smile.

"In the meantime, we should figure out a more permanent solution... I have a friend in high places who I believe would be very interested in that responsibility." - Nicual states.

"And I'm sure this friend isn't about to use the Mystic Power for their own selfish ends?"

The Xurkitree waves his finger back and forth.

"Eser, Eser... you should have more faith in me."

"Tsk. Of course. Anyway, I'm going to sleep too. Don't wake me up for any science experiments this time, please." - Eser nods with a weary sigh.

"Of course! I think you'll appreciate them better when you're fully awake anyway. Good night!" - Nicual remarks.

[Current OST: Environmental Mystery]

Eser steps into a nearby room with a curtained overhang and curls up into a large bed.

The Xurkitree pulls up a panel on the wall in front of him and places his hand in a thin indent. Electricity flows through the wall and exposes a door with a silvery sheen. It splits open to reveal a set of clunky, thrown-together computers with monitors surrounding the room.

Professor Nicual powers on the center computer with a flick of a switch. The screen pops to life, revealing a lone Sableye staring back at him with arms behind his back.

"It's been too long professor. How may I help you?"

"I assume you've heard about the Mystic Power?" - Nicual states.

Denzia scratches his chin with an eager, toothy grin.

"Picked up by a group of bandits near you, yes?"

"I think we can come to an arrangement. We would like to study the Mystic Power for science, but such a sought after relic would not be safe here. That's where you come in." - Nicual remarks.

Denzia lets out a snicker and holds out his hands.

"You know I've always been a patron of the sciences, professor. Consider it done. I'll send a team to retrieve the Mystic Power, you make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands before then. You can study it all you want once it's deep within Lapidus's walls."

Nicual nods in agreement and clasps his hands together with an eager laugh.

"I'll have my roommates keep an eye on the bandits then."

"Good. And professor..."

Denzia leans in on the camera with a devilish smile.

"It goes without saying that this deal is completely confidential. Wouldn't want our friends realizing that a Mystic Power is suddenly hiding beneath their own mountain, else you never see your precious Mystic Power again."

-

Team Rodere jump out of a gray cab, with Sonia handing the Pangoro driver a handful of coins. Sunset shines behind their backs as they enter into the guild center. A small Zigzagoon wearing a yellow bag hops off one of the chairs and waddles over to them.

"Excuse me, are you Team Rodere?" - She asks.

"Yeah. Are you our client?" - Ambes nods.

"Yes. So, how did it go?"

[Current OST: Mission Reward]

"We got the ribbon back. It wasn't too hard but we did have to go through a construction site to get it." - Ambes states as he holds it out to her.

"Wow! Oh thank you, thank you! You're a lifesaver." - She squeaks as she hops around.

"I'm glad we could help, miss." - Menti says with a smile.

The Zigzagoon grabs onto it with her mouth and puts it inside of her bag. Menti waves at her as she goes out the doors.

A distinct revving noise rings from the Contact Gear, with Hall pulling the gear out of Ambes's backpack. A meter fills up on the screen with the words "To next Rank" labeled over it.

"Well, would you look at that. We only have eighty more points to go before we can become Bronze Rank!" - Hall chuckles.

"Oooh, neat. That was still kind of easy though..." - Menti says as she rubs her head.

"They won't all be like that, but still. Baby steps. Now don't go slacking off, alright?" - Sonia laughs as she hugs the three of them.

"Awww, grandma..." - Ambes blushes.

---

[Guild Hideout]

Thalassa, Nina and Louis enter a circular room with an orange carpet emblazoned with a sun symbol. In the center of the room is a large device that emits a holographic map of Monvel. A pink Ampharos and a Latios have their eyes fixed on it.

"Guildmaster, we're back!" - Thalassa nods.

"Hm? Ah! How did it go, Team Serenade?" - The Latios remarks.

Nina taps her hands together with a nervous smile.

"The actual location was right this time, but..."

"... The Mystic Power was stolen by a bandit team." - Thalassa remarks as she angles her head down in shame.

"What?! Did Khamsin get it?!" - The Latios yells at the top of his lungs.

Thalassa clears her throat and makes direct eye contact with him.

"No. In fact, we drove the Khamsin operatives away. These were unrelated thugs that took it while we were fighting, you see. They were a Weavile dressed with jewelry and a Salazzle respectively." - She states.

"Hmm... Interesting. I got a report from the police that the same duo were seen with an Aggron. They ruined a jewelry store in Echo City and stole several expensive gemstones, including a Mega Stone. What else was there?" - The Ampharos remarks with a soft voice.

"We found a tremendous castle that didn't seem to be touched for ages, complete with a statue of a Reshiram. It was beautiful - I just wish it didn't collapse on our way out.." - Nina sighs.

"... A Reshiram? If what you're saying is right, then you must have found a significant piece of Novadran history!" - The Ampharos shouts.

"Yes. There's records of underground bunkers all across Monvel. They were built to protect people from the scourge of the Sigils... so the fact you found one of the actual locations and a Mystic Power to boot is amazing, even if you didn't get it yourselves." - The Latios says with a hearty laugh.

"But... but I don't... huh?" - Nina states with a confused pout.

"Think about it like this. You proved that it exists and that it's currently in the hands of some no-name bandit team that we were already planning to apprehend anyway. I'd say that's an accomplishment." - The Ampharos smiles.

"... Well then." - Thalassa chuckles.

Louis wraps his hands over the girls with a wide grin.

"This calls for a celebration. How about we go on a night on the town?"

"That sounds like a great idea, but... I just remembered I have to go meet my son and mother-in-law in Magnolia. I haven't seen them in forever." - Thalassa remarks.

"Awwww, our first big victory in a while and you're not even going to be there to enjoy it with us? ... Oh, what am I saying? Go be with your family." - Nina states.

She embraces the Primarina in a tight hug. Thalassa flinches from her grasp but taps her on the shoulder with a smile.

"Don't get too wild, alright? I still need all of you in one piece when I come back.".

"No guarantees~" - Nina giggles.