Mt. Bristle, Entrance
Grass Continent
"T-they went that way!" Mark exclaims as they arrive at a large entrance leading to a dungeon.
"He brought Azure to a Mystery Dungeon!?" Thorn snarls in anger. "How evil can that bastard be?!"
"Given the amount of offense he committed, I say quite evil." Victor deadpanned as he looked at the entrance and then at Mark. "I think you should go back and tell whoever is holding the authorities to capture Outlaws."
"That would be Officer Magnezone," Sabo says as Mark nods and runs back to Treasure Town despite being tired from all the running. The four of them look at the entrance before nodding at each other and entering. Upon taking a step onto the entrance, the space shifts.
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Mt. Bristle
1F
"…the place is different," Victor mutters as he looks around the dungeon. Compared to the dark area in Beach Cave, somehow light manages to enter the dungeon. While Victor is grateful for the light, it just doesn't make any sense.
"We don't have much time. We've got to hurry to save Azure," Thorn says frantically.
"Easy there, Thorn. Calm yourself." Victor says, causing Thorn to pause and look at Victor.
"V-Vic, I…" Thorn says shakily.
"Don't apologize," Victor says sternly. "Right now, I need you to calm down. I understand the urgency, but you can't save the kid without a calm mind."
"H-how can I calm, I…I let that bastard take him…y-you try to warn me-!" Thorn stops as Victor holds him.
"Easy…" Victor says, getting him to stop before he had a nervous breakdown. "I…am to blame for this, I should've done more. There are…too many legal things to worry about, and I am… self-conscious of how my appearance might affect how Pokémon treat me. I mean, look at me. In everyone's eyes, I'm a weirdly mutated Bagon, and who will they trust more? An unassuming Drowzee or a weird freak?"
"Y-you're not a freak…" Thorn mutters, looking at Victor with wide eyes. Is that how Victor sees his new 'Digimon' form?
"I know, but not every Pokémon will agree," Victor says. "It's…why I didn't say anything to Azure, I fear Drowzee could use everything I said against me…he could twist my words and make me untrustworthy… but it doesn't matter now, Azure's life is more important than my past regrets…"
The last statement made Thorn widen his eyes, not expecting Victor to be wise. No offense to Victor, but with his constant jokes, his impatience, and his playfulness, Thorn always forgot he's much older than he looks, and he must've made mistakes as well, along with the wisdom gained from that lesson.
"…thanks," Thorn says as Victor smiles and nods. As they talk, several Pokemons have slowly crawled out of the dungeon.
"Hate to break your moment, but we got company." Tesla comments as Victor and Thorn turn to see the group of Pokémon. There's a humanoid Pokémon with grey skin (Machop), a boulder with eyes, arms, and a mouth, while having no torso and legs (Geodude), and a black/grey/white feathered bird with a curled feather on top, a long beak with a black tip (Starly). All of them glared at Team Dusk.
"It has been a while since we went to a proper dungeon," Victor comments as he cracks his knuckles. "Let's see if our training in the Dojo paid off."
"I'm pretty sure our fight with the apprentices speaks volumes," Thorn says as he steps forward, standing beside him.
"Yeah, but we're facing them one-on-one. We didn't exactly face a horde of them, and before you said anything, the dungeon in the dojo was a mere simulation, so it doesn't count." Victor says as Thorn rolls his eyes.
"Enough talking, didn't you say there's a kid in danger?" Tesla says with a scowl.
"Huh, that's the first time I've seen you care for others," Victor comments as Tesla huffs.
"I want to go back as quickly as possible to get my rest," Tesla replies. "You dragged us into the job without our consent."
"You could say you want to stay," Victor says, making Tesla look at him in disbelief. "I never said you aren't allowed to take a break, have I?"
"….I want to strangle you," Tesla mutters darkly.
"Why don't you use that anger and direct it at them?" Victor deadpans as he points at the group of Dungeon Pokémon.
"Maybe I will!" Tesla exclaims before jumping in headfirst. Victor looks at rampaging Tesla before facepalming. He should've stopped the idiot from jumping in headfirst, not encouraging him!
"…Victor…" Sabo mutters as he gives Victor a look.
"Yeah, I know. My bad…" Victor mutters while pinching the bridge of his nose. Thorn merely snorts before they join the fight.
Calling the entire fight a one-sided massacre in Team Dawn's favor is a complete understatement.
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Meanwhile
Mt. Bristle, 7F
"Mr. Derrik, is this really where you see the item?"
Azure looks at Derrik skeptically, slightly doubting Derrik's claim regarding his family's treasured item. Derrik, meanwhile, merely smiles at him as he takes care of all the Dungeon Pokemon with nothing but Confusion, a low-level Psychic-Type move where the user blasts a concussive wave of Psychic energy that could temporarily disorient the target, possibly confuse them.
"We're almost there," Derrik says smoothly, trying to make sure he doesn't sound lying.
"…mister, why is my item in a mystery dungeon?" Azure asks, slightly scared by everything. Nothing is making sense for the kid. He didn't even remember that he and his brother went to the dungeon, but their item was somehow in there? He knows he shouldn't expect normal from a dungeon, but this is too weird.
"I take a glimpse at them during my travel in the dungeon," Derrik says calmly, blasting another horde of Pokémon with Confusion. "It was before I got kicked out of the dungeon for staying too long. I didn't think much about it until you mentioned to your brother how you and he lost the item, which made me decide I should tell you kids."
"Oh…" Azure mutters. "Then why am I the only one accompanying you? Where's my brother?"
"He entrusted me to keep you safe; he needs to take care of your mother as well," Derrik says smoothly as they walk onto the other floor. Azure can't stop thinking about what Derrik said, as he knows his brother wouldn't let a random stranger keep him safe. Mark was wary of everyone, especially when it came to entrusting Azure's safety with anyone.
Azure can't do much about it since Derrik is the only one who can fight in the dungeon, and he has no idea how to get out of that place. With no choice, he follows Derrik to the next floor.
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Back with Team Dawn
Mt. Bristle, 4F
"So, now that we take care of these shits, wanna fill us in with more details regarding what the hell is going on?"
Tesla looks at both Thorn and Victor with a questioning look as he sits down on a pile of disintegrating Dungeon Pokemon he beat. Tesla had been annoyed how he got himself dragged into this kind of situation, but given how urgent the situation is, he had to hold his tongue, especially after seeing a random stranger begging for help for his little brother. It hits too close to home.
"So, that Marill has a brother whom he brought to buy some groceries, we meet him when we're buying our groceries. They encountered Drowzee, who we didn't know was a criminal, and they say that he saw an item that seems to be the brothers' missing item. Victor was suspicious of him, but I wasn't, so we agreed that we should check on the outlaw list just in case. I didn't expect Victor's instinct to be spot-on." Thorn mutters the last part guiltily.
"And why did Victor decide to check on the outlaw instead of staying with the kids?" Tesla questions with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't know how strong Drowzee is, and I ain't arrogant enough to believe someone who just relearned how to fight could beat that outlaw. I need allies, which include you and Sabo." Victor says. "It's dumb of me to leave the kid unprotected, but it'll be dumber rushing in without knowledge and getting caught off guard, which makes my effort to keep the kid safe useless. So, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"What if it's too late?" Tesla asks as Victor stops before looking at Tesla. "Why can't you just send Thorn to go and get allies? Why do you not split up and keep the kids safe by stalling the Drowzee?"
"…honestly, I'm afraid…" Victor admits, making Tesla blink. "I'm afraid that I might not be enough…I'm afraid I might die…I'm afraid that the enemy might be stronger than me and make my effort useless…"
"…you have forgotten how to fight, yet you fearlessly shoved me away despite knowing I might beat your ass," Tesla says, making Victor's eyes twitch. "So, what changes you to a coward?"
"The stolen Time Gear…" Victor says, making Tesla look at him with a raised eyebrow. "I…fear what might happen to the world…then, you all mentioned how Pokémon turns bad due to the messy flow of time…there must be powerful Pokemons who are also affected by it…that means the world is far more dangerous…I have little to no idea about this world…and it scares me."
"…" Tesla is unsure how to respond. He had no desire to make fun of Victor for how he currently looks. Unlike how he had met him first, the expression on his face made him feel uneasy.
"But...I know how much it was a mistake to do that…" Victor says, gripping his fist. "I'm going to save the kid from that scumbag, that's a promise."
"…If the outlaw…murder him?" Tesla questions, feeling uneasy to say that word. He may be violent, but murder is a line he would never cross. It was something he and almost the rest of Pokémon had been taught since they were kids. It was a taboo.
"…." Victor didn't say a word, looking like someone who was holding himself from replying to that question. Tesla notices Victor silently clenching his fist, trembling in place, and his pupil shrinks. The scene alone caught Tesla off guard as he didn't expect it from Victor of all Mon.
The scene of Victor's silent rage was forever carved inside Tesla's mind.
"… let's clear this dungeon as fast as possible," Victor says tensely as everyone looks at him before nodding at each other. No one has noticed Victor's silent rage besides Tesla himself, given that they had just beaten the enemies on their way.
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With Azure and Darrik
Mt. Bristle, Peak
"Oh, no. It's a dead end." Azure mutters as he looks at the giant wall in front of him. It can't exactly be considered a dead end, given that there's a tiny hole near him that leads him to Arceus-knows-where. Azure then turns to face Darrik, and he can't help but notice something is strange about Darrik.
"Excuse me, Mr. Darrik, but where is the lost item? Could you show me where the item is now?" Azure asks as he grows nervous when Darrik's smile widens.
"Oh, sure. You simply need to get through that hole." Darrik says smoothly. Azure turns to see where the hole is before frowning.
"…Mr. Darrik, how do you know there's my item there?" Azure can't help but find that what Darrik said didn't make sense. He may be naïve, but he can recognize something is wrong when it is obvious. "You're…big, Mr. Darrik, so there's no way you could go through or see through that dark hole from here…."
"…hehe…" Darrik's smile turns into a malicious smirk, sending shivers down Azure's spine (Does Azurill even have spines?). "You're smart, kid. Naïve, but smart…sorry, kiddo. But, your lost item was never here…"
"…" Azure didn't say a word, trembling on the spot as his eyes widened a bit. He can't help but be scared at what he's seeing in front of him. The shadow cast on the Drowzee's face made him look even more menacing. The Pokémon had never intended to help him.
"And if you're wondering, your big brother is not coming to get you," Darrik says with a grin, and a scary one to Azure's liking. "Your brother had never trusted me to leave you under my protection or even leave you to take care of your mother; he's probably panicking trying to seek help."
"N-no…" Azure says as he trembles more violently.
"Oh, don't be scared," Darrik says with a twisted grin, which doesn't help Azure at all. "I'm not gonna harm you, just do me a favor and you'll be coming back to your brother. Remember that hole?" Azure didn't say a word, just nodded. "There's a rumor about a trove of thief treasure inside there. Like you said earlier, I was too big to get in, so that's where you come in. Just get in there, see if there's a treasure in that hole, and get it for me. Then, you'll be safe and sound."
"…" Azure's lips quiver as he starts to shake even more; his fear and anxiety have taken over. Before any of them could react, Azure had already bolted through Darrik. But, given how short Azure's legs are, he didn't go that far. The Drowzee merely sighs before summoning Psychic energy around Azure and lifts him, causing him to startle and start to squirm.
"Why does everyone like to choose the hard way?" Darrik let out a sigh before moving Azure closer to him and using his Psychic energy to squish Azure. The poor Azurill could only squeak in pain as he felt like someone had pressed him with their body from every angle, and it hurt. Tear streams out of his eyes as he squeaks in pain.
"All you needed to do was follow what I said, and yet you just had to make things difficult." Darrik let out a small snarl, causing Azure to cry. "Now, do as I say, or you'll never see your family ever again!"
"GET YOUR DIRTY PAWS OFF THAT CHILD, YOU PEDOPHILE!!!" Darrik snaps his head to the side before he feels something hit through his nose like a heavy Pokémon tackled him. Then, Darrik was sent flying as he crashed into the wall, and a huge cloud of dust exploded from the impact.
Azure didn't know what happened. One second, he was held by Darrik's Psychic move, and in the next second, a giant blue blur flew through Darrik's nose and sent him flying before he felt Darrik's Psychic hold on him had disappeared, causing him to fall. Thankfully, he was caught before he hit the ground. Azure looked and saw the nice Bagon that helped him, and returned the apple to him.
"M-Mr. Bagon?"
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A Few Minutes Earlier
Mt. Bristle, 8F
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"
Victor snarls as he chokes a Starly before yeeting it into Machop, and for some reason, that attack is super effective to the Machop, knocking it out instantly. Victor wasn't satisfied with that, so he followed with a V-Shot, causing the bird to explode.
"How unlucky we were!?!" Sabo exclaims in sheer disbelief. "Our third dungeon entry, and we already encounter a Monster House!?"
"What in the world is a Monster House!?" Victor asks, acting confused. He needs to play the part of not knowing how the world works, and asking a question at the wrong time seems to be a good way to act his part.
"It's a special room in a Mystery Dungeon that is very rare for anyone to encounter! It always happens when you enter one of the rooms in the Dungeon through normal exploration or moving to the next floor, and the moment you enter, Dungeon Pokemons will spawn in higher numbers and overwhelm anyone!" Sabo explains as he blasts a Flame Burst at a group of Machops moving towards them. "It was also rumored that a lot of rare items could drop in the room!"
"This has to be some sort of cosmic joke!" Victor exclaims before pulling a Handstand Kick on incoming Geodudes, sending it bouncing around the room before hitting their fellow Dungeon Pokemons.
"You should expect this more in Mystery Dungeon!" Thorn exclaims before grabbing a Geodude with his vines and swinging around like a hammer, slamming the rock Pokémon to its allies.
"We don't have time for this!" Tesla snarls as he starts to charge electricity before Victor pulls out a paper fan and smacks Tesla's head (Thorn and Sabo were taken aback and wondered where he got that!?). "What the fuck was that for!?!"
"Stopping you from being reckless! You're gonna use either Volt Tackle or Discharge, are you!?" Victor exclaims, and Tesla's silence answers his questions. "Think before you move! You got several Geodudes here, which by the way, weren't affected by your electricity at all! And not to mention, your Volt Tackle has recoil! You hit those idiots, and you'll only harm yourself!"
"Then, what's the plan, genius!?!" Tesla exclaims.
"All of you, cover your nose! Thorn!" Victor shouts, getting his teammates' attention. Victor pulls his scarf up and covers his nose. "Full spread Sleep Powder!" Tesla and Sabo understand the order and cover their nose using their scarves.
"Got it!" As Thorn blasts a cloud of sleeping spores, the effects are immediate as one by one, the Dungeon Pokemons fall unconscious. Victor let out a sigh before he spotted, amidst the crowd of Dungeon Pokemon, there's a stair behind them. Victor gestures to them to follow him as they silently but quickly get out of the room and reach the stairs.
Upon reaching the 9F, Team Dawn takes a slight breather as they gather enough strength to continue. Each eats an Oran Berry to recover, as Victor immediately gets up.
"You're not gonna rest a bit, Vic?" Thorn asks in concern, noticing how Victor seems more exhausted despite having eaten an Oran Berry to recover his injuries and stamina.
"I recover enough," Victor says with a huff.
"…you blame yourself as well, didn't you?" Thorn asks as Victor pauses. "…you did, didn't you?"
"…perhaps," Victor let out a sigh.
"…you're being a hypocrite," Thorn calls him out.
"...you're not the first one who calls me out," Victor says with a chuckle. Thorn didn't say a word and simply wrapped his vines around his hand. Victor looks at Thorn for a moment before sighing. "Sorry, Tesla's words made me impatient."
"And now, I did the same thing you asked me to do earlier, calm down," Thorn says as Victor looks at him before smiling.
"I owe you one again," Victor says as Thorn huffs.
"Let's just say we had each other's backs no matter what, saying we owe each other is getting tiring," Thorn says as Victor chuckles. Sabo and Tesla had recovered and approached them as Victor looked at them. "Come on, let's kick that dumb Tapir's ass."
"…what's a Tapir?"
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Now
Mt. Bristle, Peak
"M-Mr. Bagon?" Azure looks at Victor, who carries him and winces when Azure calls him a Bagon once again.
"Not a Bagon," Victor grumbles before putting down Azure. "You're okay, kid?"
"Y-yeah…" Azure mutters as he looks at where Darrik flies, but he can only see a cloud of dust.
"Let's get you out of here," Victor says before he senses several rocks flying towards him, covers his hands in a golden aura, and starts smacking every rock away. As the cloud of dust clears, Darrik reveals that he is conscious, but his nose is completely broken, and blood won't stop coming out of his nostrils. Veins are visible on his head, his eyes, and his right hand glows purple while his left hand clutches his broken nose, trying to stop the bleeding. He looks extremely pissed.
"You damn brat!" Darrik exclaims before blasting a blast of psychic energy, and Victor counters it with a V-Shot, causing a cloud of smoke to explode from the impact. Darrik growls as he continues to clutch his broken nose, and from the smoke, a pair of vines wrapped him and bound his arms to his back, preventing him from using them. Then, a pair of blurs, one yellow and another blue/cream, crash into Darrik's gut like a truck, causing him to cough out saliva while more blood comes out of his nose, knocking him out.
As the cloud clears, Victor and Thorn can be seen standing beside Azure protectively. All of them look at the unconscious Darrik for a moment before disappointment is visibly shown on their face.
"I…had honestly expected him to be stronger…" Tesla admits.
"T-to be fair, Psychic Types are not known to have endurance against physical attack…" Sabo tries to justify the easy defeat, but it is clear Sabo is also disappointed.
"Let's…not think too much about it," Victor mutters before looking at Azure. "Hey, kid. I'm glad you're okay."
"T-thank you…" Azure mutters as Victor looks hesitant before taking a sigh.
"Kid...I'm sorry, I...should've warned you about-!" Victor was startled when Azure tackled him before he started to cry his eyes out.
"W-WAH!!! I-I WAS SO SCARED!!!! T-THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME!!!" Azure wails as he buries his head into Victor's stomach. Victor was silent for the entire time before patting the poor Pokémon's back in a comforting manner.
"So…may I ask what Darrik wants from you?" Tesla asks as everyone does look at him with a glare, telling him that now's not the damn time.
"H-he tries to threaten me….to get something….inside that hole…" Azure mutters. "H-he told me…if I did it…he won't hurt me…"
"…what exactly is behind the wall that makes Darrik seem desperate to use a child?" Victor muses before approaching the hole. The impact of Victor sending Darrik flying has caused a huge crack in it. "Hmm…" Victor charges MP on his fist before slamming it into the wall, creating a large hole big enough for anyone to enter. As they approached the wall, they were greeted with nothing.
"It's…nothing?" Tesla mutters in disbelief.
"…I was hoping for maybe a secret treasure," Sabo mutters as Azure can't help but nod in agreement.
"It's how life is. They're always full of disappointment." Victor deadpans.
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Later
Mt. Bristle, Entrance
"ZZZT! I am Magnus, the primary officer in this region. ZZZT!" A weird-looking UFO with three eyes and three sets of magnets attached at the front and the back (Magnezone) says in a sound and accent that reminds Victor of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator. Behind the Pokémon, there are two Pokémon identical to each other, three orbs each with a pair of magnets and a single eye, all attached to each other (Magneton), floating beside tied-up Darrik, who's still groaning in pain. "ZZZT! Thanks to you, we have been able to arrest a wanted outlaw. ZZZT! We owe you a great thanks for your cooperation! ZZZT!"
"N-no problem," Sabo says shakily, slightly intimidated by Magnus' monotonous and cold tone. He tries to distract himself by gazing at Darrik, but he winces when he hears the Drowzee's voice.
"ZZZT! We will send the reward to your guild. Thank you again! ZZZT!" With that, they all walk away with injured Darrik following them. After they left, Mark approached Azure and pulled him into a hug.
"A-Azure! I-I'm so glad you're okay!" Mark exclaims as he tears up.
"Waah!!! I-It was so scary!!!" Azure cries again as Team Dawn watches with a relieved smile, glad that they could reunite two brothers from such dangerous moments.
"Y-you are not hurt, right!?!" Mark asks as he looks around Azure.
"I-I'm okay, and it's all thanks to Victor and Team Dawn…" Azure replies as Mark looks at them before bowing down.
"T-Thank you for saving my little brother!" Mark says as Team Dawn smiles, except for Tesla, who simply nods.
"Just doing our job," Victor says with a smile before looking at the sky. "Well, I think we should go back now. Today has been a crazy day." Everyone nods as Azure looks at Victor questioningly.
"Um, Victor?" Azure calls, getting Victor's attention. "What's a pedophile?"
"…" Victor stood frozen, not expecting that question at all. "…pedophile is…refers to any Pokémon who's doing…terrible…adult stuff to a young child…."
"A-adult stuff?" Victor feels his soul leaving his body as he digs the hole deeper.
"… Do any of you guys know how eggs were made?" Victor was greeted with silence before everyone's expression turned pale.
"A-are you assuming-!?" Mark mutters in horror.
"I...honestly don't know, but Azure was held by telekinetic energy and was leaning into Darrek too closely, and-!" Before Victor could fully explain, Mark looked furious before protectively hugging Azure.
Why does Victor feel like he has just made a mistake?
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Later
Wigglytuff Guild, Grass Continent
"WHAT!?!? ONLY 300!?!?"
Victor let out an exasperated sigh as Thorn and Sabo had to restrain Tesla's limbs with everything they got to keep him away from reaching Charlie, who looked away Mareepishly. The team had just gotten the reward for capturing the outlaw, but due to the Guild's rules, they only earned 10% of the actual reward.
"P-please understand, I can't change the rules, or else it'll be a favoritism…" Charlie explains.
"I'll show you favoritism!" Tesla exclaims before Victor slaps his head with the paper fan again (Thorn and Sabo still had no idea where Victor pulled that out).
"All of you had done a truly splendid job…" Charlie coughs. "I…want to apologize for what I did yesterday. It was unbecoming of me to push all those works for you all…"
"…let's never do that again," Victor begs.
"Of course!" Charlie clears his throat. "Now, then. I suppose you all could get some rest until dinner time."
"Wait, we missed lunch!?!" Tesla asks in disbelief as Charlie nods. "FUUUU-!!"
Tesla earns another smack on the face from Victor's paper fan.
To Be Continued