PMDU Explorers June Task 3: Jaded and Furious

The night was young in Dreamer’s Eye; the moon was full; pale, with beautiful shimmers of light leaking through the clouds.  Amongst the people who were up that night was Andra Linette, flapping her wings as she stormed through the streets, angry as could be.

Stupid Aiden.  Why’d he pick that stupid plush?  He knows I have Insomnia; I can’t sleep well enough as is.  Next time, I’M picking the reward.  She flew around for several minutes before landing on a red-tiled house, staring at the bright glowing hunk of rock in the sky, sighing.

I hate feeling so useless.  Aiden gets cool Psychic powers, Luke’s got strength to match a Mamoswine, and what do I have?  Some talons, some speed and a big fat mouth.  She ignored the breeze blowing by as she rubbed her eyes.  I want to do more for him; I want him to know I’m just as capable of being helpful as anyone else.  Aiden’s been there for me so much; I want to be there for him!

As she was preoccupied with her thoughts, she failed to notice a Mawile—about four feet tall--sneaking up on her.  She had what appeared to be grey, metal talon attachments on her fingers; her face had two, perfectly symmetrical, blue pearl piercings on each side, and her two bangs were curled around and attached to some pink and gold Florges clips.  She put Andra in a choke hold, putting her right hand to her throat.

“Hand over your Star Coins and you won’t get hurt,” the thief said in a scratchy voice.

“Who the hell are you?” Andra cried, trying to struggle, only to get held tighter.

“Sorry, but I don’t have time to play ‘who the fuck are you’.”  Andra struggled again, only to be kneed in the back, taking some wind out of her.

“Feisty, aren’t we?  Hehehe, charming.”  The thief frisked her captive, looking for the Star Coin.  “You know, it’s been a while since I’ve been this close with a girl.  You’re lucky.”

Ew!  Is she flirting with me?!  Andra looked disgusted.  The thief eventually found the Coin tucked away in Andra’s hat; a look of disappointment crossed her face.

“One measly little Star Coin?  Really?  Guess I picked the wrong runt to rob.”  She pocketed her gains anyway in a carrying case.  “Oh well; you get what you can take.”  The thief pushed Andra down and made a run for it, doing flips onto rooftops.  The incensed avian watched as her assailant was making off with her hard-earned cash.

“Get back here!” Andra cried as she took off quickly after the Mawile, keeping her eyes on her target.  The thief took one look back, seeing her pursuer in the moonlight with eyes staring daggers.

Great; looks like she’s not taking it too well.  Ngh..  I have bigger birds to fry than this runt.  She kept running across the rooftops, her padded shoes making nary a sound.  Andra zeroed in on her target, rushing in.  As the Mawile looked back, she prepared a counterattack, only to see Andra eerily close up, her wings spread out, screeching as she Astonished the thief.

“Aaah!!”  Her footing gave way, and she fell through the alley, slamming into a wall before landing painfully on her back.  She waited for her vision to come back into focus.

What a night!  Looks like I won’t be getting out of this without a scuffle.  Persistent brat, I’ll say.  She rolled backward onto her feet, exiting the alleyway as she darted her gaze to and fro, looking around for the Murkrow.

“Hey!  Over here!”  The thief turned around to see Andra flying down at her, striking her with Aerial Ace.  Crying out, she flew back several feet before landing on her feet and skidding across the ground, her body leaning down as she used her metal talons to help decrease her knockback distance.  However, her carrying case opened, spilling the single Star Coin she’d stolen from her earlier prey, now the hunter.

“Son of a--!”  She saw the money and dove for it, only to get it taken by Andra.

“So, wanna tell me who you are now?” the cocky avian said, putting the coin back into her hat.  Furious, the thief soon widened the gap between herself and her opponent.  In the distance was someone who watched intently from the alleys.

“Why don't you piss off?"  She clashed her metal talons together.  “I'm not in the mood to tell you shit.”

"Oh really?  Cause I'm in just the right mood to kick your ass!"  She took a fighting stance, looking quite confident.  The Mawile just shook her head.

“Fine.  You wanna know?  I'll tell you; the name's Jade.  I didn’t want to have to Play Rough with you, but since you’re just begging to be taught a lesson…"

Jade began to close the gap between herself and Andra, flipping around to keep her opponent on her toes before vaulting forward, bringing a harsh downward axe kick to Andra’s head.  Andra swiftly dodged before countering with an Assurance to Jade’s right.  However, just before the attack could connect, Jade put Andra’s wing in a Vice Grip with the mouth on her back, slamming her down a few times and throwing her against a building.  Stunned and dazed, Andra watched as her assailant started coming for her again.  She flew into the air, getting as far as she could.

“What’s wrong?  Afraid you’ll get robbed of your dignity?  Trust me, that’s the last thing you’ll need to worry about when I'm done with you!” the crook taunted.  Andra soon flew back down at her attacker, watching as Jade fired off Flash Cannons.  One clipped her wing, causing her to lose focus.

“Aghh!”  She shook her head, trying to regain herself as she counterattacked with Aerial Ace, suddenly vanishing as her speed increased dramatically.  Shocked, the Mawile found herself knocked down by the attack, while Andra reappeared nearby with a smug look on her face.

“Looks like you’re the one who got robbed of yours.”  Seething, the attacker got up and didn’t turn to face Andra for a moment.  She started whimpering as tears streamed down her face.

“God, I can’t believe you!”  She pointed to an injury on her arm as she cried Fake Tears.  “Look at this!  I’m going to need a doctor for how bad this is!”

“Uh, h-hey, I didn't mean to hurt you that bad,” Andra said, walking cautiously over to her attacker.  “L-look, maybe we can get that—“  Her guard was down; the Mawile grinned and shot off a Flash Cannon at the avian, sending her rolling back ten feet.  This time, there was no getting back up.  Andra felt her lungs burn as her opponent grabbed her by the throat and chuckled, grinning coquettishly.

“Not exactly grade-A material, but you were fun nonetheless—call it a B-plus.”  The other mouth started to drool; Andra was terrified just looking at it.

“So, kid, how about that Star Coin, hm?”  Suddenly, though, she felt a sharp pain in her back as she fell to the ground.  Andra collapsed as well, her vision blurry and unfocused.  Just before she passed out, she thought she could see the silhouette of a Mr. Mime wearing a kimono.  The mysterious Pokemon turned his attention to the thief, who was trying to get back up.

“Ngh..!”  She didn't bother to see who it was as she staggered off into the night.  The Mr. Mime simply watched, then turned his attention to the other Pokemon before him.  Whoever he was, he certainly appeared at a convenient time..

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Morning filtered through the windows of Team Nephos’s Guild dorm, accentuating the colors of the room.  As the sun shone full force, one inhabitant slowly opened her eyes.

“Unnngh…”  Andra felt so sluggish; her body was like jelly as she got up from her roost--

“?”  She looked around and saw the room around her; how in the world had she gotten back?  And with no one knowing, no less?  Then, she remembered the silhouette she saw before.

Did that guy save me? she wondered as she saw her wing injury was all patched up with bandages.  Then, she noticed a little business card in her roost.  She picked it up with her left talon and read it.

”Master Zachariah’s Move Tutoring: Learning’s Never Been This Easy!  Located northwest of the great temple; you can’t miss it!” It even showed directions on how to get there from the temple.

“So he saves me and gives me a business card?”  She mused over the card as she looked out the window.  “Who is this guy?”

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Business was meager at the Move Tutor’s home in Andalusst City.  A very curious Andra found the building in its glory; shaped like the head of a Mr. Mime, with a door in the middle of two windows.  She gulped as she opened the door to the building, walking inside.

“Hello?” she said, seeing the place was terribly lit.  The room was a large, circular dojo with only a padded floor and not much else, save for some candles circling the place.  Then, she saw someone fall down from the ceiling; they flipped back right-side up and landed on their feet, crouching on the ground.  They made small bolts appear from their fingertips; tiny Charge Beams, lighting each candle quickly one by one.

It’s him!  The Mr. Mime from last night!  Her mind flashed back to the silhouette from before.  Then, the tutor ceased, having lit all his candles.  He got up and looked at the girl in front of him, pulling out a fan from his kimono, which was light blue.

“So.  You’ve come here to learn, have you, child?  I am Master Zachariah; world traveler extraordinaire, and professional Move Tutor!  You’ve come to the right ‘Mon for your lessons.”  He saw who was standing in front of him before smiling.  “Ah, I remember you.  You’re that little girl I saw the other night being attacked by that ‘Mon.”

“Hey, I’m not little!” she snapped.  Zach stood his ground, holding out a hand in front of him.

“I meant no offense.  I simply just spoke my mind; nothing wrong with that, don’t you think?”  He kept his distance.  “A little gratitude goes a long way, you know.”  Andra soon made eye contact with the tutor.

“…  Thank you for last night.”  She seemed ashamed to say it.  “I really appreciate it, but…  Why did you save me?”

“I was simply being a concerned citizen acting as I thought I needed to.”

Ding!  A sound came down from below.  Looking back at Andra, he said, “Excuse me; I need to deal with this.  I’ll leave you to your thoughts.”  He bent down and grabbed what appeared to be thin air, before pulling back to reveal a trap door opened by a solidified air handle.  He walked down some stairs and closed the door behind him, leaving her to contemplate her situation.

Whoever this guy is, I could seriously learn from him.  Maybe he can help me find a way to help Aiden.  She thought about her situation some more.  As the minutes passed, the Move Tutor came up from below, the smell of cookies wafting through the air.  He saw her standing there with her head down.

“So, are you ashamed you had to be helped?” he said.  Andra looked back up at him.

“It’s just that, I don’t feel like I can do as much as I really can.”  Zach looked interested to hear what she had to say.

“Go on,” he said, giving her his full attention.  Andra took in a deep breath.

"I don’t have hands like everyone else does.  I can’t hold things like everyone else.  I don’t have special mind powers, or paws, or anything like that.  All I have is what I am.”  He looked at her seriously as he created a stand made of solidified air, putting the tray of cookies on it.  He gestured for her to come closer, offering her a cookie as she came within a few feet of him.

“Every time I see someone able to do what I can’t, I feel inferior.  It makes me angry, knowing I always have to take a spot on the sidelines.”  She took the confectionary treat and started eating, before making a disgusted face; her cookie was burnt on the bottom, and she could really taste it.  She saw he wasn’t looking, and wolfed the cookie down quickly.

“I guess what I’m saying is, I need help,” she said, the word ‘help’ feeling even bitterer than the ruined treat.  She swallowed hard.  “I want to be able to help my friend more.  He’s a great guy, and I feel I don’t do enough to make him think I’m a good teammate.”  Zachariah sat cross-legged in front of her, his eyes closed for a second as he pondered her situation.

“It sounds like he’s putting you down for being useless."

“W-well, he’s not; that’s the thing!” Andra said.  “I know he expects more of me and all, and I just wanted to come to you to help me do that!“

“Why do you think he expects more of you?”

“He—“  She caught herself just as she was about to shout back; suddenly, she felt unsure.  “He..  He doesn’t say it, but I know he must feel that way.  He worries so much; I want him to know I'm there for him.”

“Then it sounds like he needs more help than you.”

“!!”  Andra looked at Zachariah as he smiled at her.

“Don’t feel you need to prove you’re capable of everything; we’re only ever able to do so much.  No one’s perfect.  Just do your best, and hope it’s enough.”

“…  Okay.”  Her eyes began to tear up; she wiped them away quickly.  “Thank you, Master Zachariah.”  She exited the dojo, leaving the doctor to his devices.  He picked up a cookie and bit into it, scowling suddenly.

Yeaghh!  What in the world?!  Nghh, I knew I should’ve been more careful making these.

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The town was bustling as usual; another normal day for Andalusst.  Aiden was near the temple in the middle of town, where the great statue was once located, reading a book he’d borrowed from the Researchers Guild, shutting out the noise around him.  A breeze blew the Apricorn Ocarina he was wearing around his neck.

Gosh, I never knew Berries could have so many tactical applications, Aiden thought as he turned the pages; he was on Natural Gift effects on Berries.  Some were fire; some were energy manifestations of dragon powers, and another diagram showed a Wepear Berry unleashing electricity.  Aiden took his attention off the book for a second, looking around anxiously.

I wonder where Andra is?  She said she’d meet me here today.  Oh, shit, I hope she didn’t get caught by those ninja!

“Aiden!!”  Aiden’s concentration was broken as he saw his friend flying towards him.  He put a bookmark in the book and set it down.

Thank goodness!  “What’s up?” Aiden asked, before he noticed the injury on her wing.  “Oh my God!  What happened to you?!”

“Oh, I scraped my wing on the temple; I was going too fast and I ended up getting clipped.”  Aiden looked skeptical; still, he listened.

“It’s a good thing you had it treated,” he said, putting a hand on her wing.  “Can I see it?”

“E-er, yeah,” Andra said, watching Aiden slowly unwrap the bandages around her wound.  Looking at the seriousness of it, he noticed bite marks on the wing; a scrape, this was not.

"Well, it's a good thing you got it treated," Aiden said, purposefully drawing no attention to the bite marks.  "Who knows what could've happened if you didn't."

Yeah, me too.  Aiden’s book caught her eye; she raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know you liked to read books,” she said, changing the subject.

“Oh, it’s, uh, just a silly passion of mine,” he replied, looking slightly flustered and backing away.  “My father always said I should read more to get to grips with the world around me.  He always emphasized that more than fighting.”  Aiden chuckled.  “That doesn’t make me dorky, does it?”  Andra giggled, which left Aiden flustered.

“Dorky?  Why would it make you look dorky?”  Andra flew next to him.  “Reading books is awesome!”

“What, really?!” Aiden said; his shock was almost unparalleled.  “You’re not joking, are you?”

“No way, silly!  My dad had a bunch at his first house in Tarkin Village a long time ago; he told me they piled up close to the ceiling!”

“Wait, Tarkin Village?” Aiden said, repeating her words to make sure he’d heard right.  This was certainly a new development.  “I thought you lived in Glynnis.”

“Oh, I did!  It's just that my dad lived in Tarkin before.”  She still remained happy as she told Aiden all this.  “My dad loved to explore; he said he wanted to take me on a trip around Parai one day when I was old enough.  My mom always got nervous every time he and I would return home from the fog; no matter where we ended up, we found ourselves back home.”  Now her voice began to trail off.  “When I grew up, I saw one of the books my dad kept was from a library in a place known as Tarkin Village.  I want to find that village one day.”

“And did you tell him?” Aiden asked, curious for the answer.

“He didn't really say anything.”  Her voice trailed off.  Aiden left it at that, not wanting to pry further.  As the two read, Andra got particularly close to her teammate, putting her right wing on Aiden’s hand.  The young Meowstic’s heart skipped a beat.

She’s so close to me..  He opened his mouth to speak, but clammed up once he started thinking about it.

What am I doing?  She’d probably just say I’m being silly!  Or maybe she wouldn’t believe me.  Agh, why can't I just tell her how I feel?  Andra noticed her partner looking worried, his eyes as wide as dinner plates, his form trembling.

“What’s up?” Andra asked.  Aiden snapped out of his trance.

“Oh, I was just-- I was just noticing that--” From out of the corner of his eye, two Guild members were heading straight for the duo, making Aiden intrigued.  Team Nephos turned their attention to the two newcomers; Andra looked a bit unsure.

“Hey!” came the voice of a Buneary; with her was a Zorua, who looked at Team Nephos skeptically.

“Oh, hey,” Andra said, smiling.  Aiden avoided making eye contact with the Zorua.
“We saw you guys posted a request for help on the bulletin board!”  The Buneary pulled out a request written by Aiden; the handwriting certainly was quite neat enough for Andra to tell.  Aiden looked at them both.

“Yes, I did.”

“Great!”  The young Explorer held out her hand.  “Name’s Ferris.  Pleased to meetcha!”  Aiden held out his own.

"A-Aiden Aelwyd.  And this is my partner Andra.”  She held out her wing, which Ferris shook, noticing it was bandaged.  “Whoa, you get cut or somethin’?” the Buneary asked quizzically.

“It’s nothing.”  The little Zorua looked at them nervously.

“Uhm, my name’s Kas,” she said, holding out her own paw to shake.  “Good to meet you.”

“So, when do we head out for the forest?” Ferris said, rubbing her hands together.  “I can’t wait to get this dungeon search taken care of!”

“Don’t you think we should come up with a plan first?” Kas asked her partner.  “I-I mean, we can’t go in unprepared.”

“Huh?  Oh, uh, yeah.”  Ferris rubbed the back of her head.  “So, what’s the plan?”

Kas looked at the three members and brought everyone together.  “So, the way I figure is, we need someone with spatial sensing to help find the entrance.”

“Leave that to me,” Aiden said.  Kas nodded.  “Ferris can easily take care of any boulders or rocks in our way.”

“Heh, no sweat!” she proclaimed.

“Right.  I can easily clear the rubble away, so we don’t need to worry about that.”  Kas then looked at Andra.  “Erm, I guess..  We could use someone to bail us out quickly.”

“Oh, yeah,” Andra said with no hint of happiness.  They turned their attention to the forest.

“Let’s do this,” Aiden said, leading the way.

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The Subseed Forest was tranquil today, with sunlight poking through the thick shroud of leaves.  The gang of Phantumps were floating around, teasing a few of the Bug-Types, laughing like schoolchildren.  At the outpost placed at the hollow tree stump was Cassidy, one of the many leaders of the Explorers Guild, accompanied by Gavina.  The two assessed the situation at hand, facing each other; the latter of whom had one hand on her hip while the former had her arms crossed.

“Well, this is it,” the female Hawlucha replied, adjusting her jewelry.  “Once we get this taken care of, we’ll be able to explore the dungeon properly.  We’re so close to figuring out what’s in there; I can hardly wait!”

“Heh, no kiddin’,” Cassidy replied, looking at the hollow stump.  “Took long enough to find this place.  I can just smell that dungeon entrance right under our noses.”

“Or that could just be the flowers,” Gavina joked, giggling.  She soon looked to her right, an expression of wonder painted on her face.  “So that Regigigas; Archimedes told me a bit about it, and I’m still don’t know if I believe it.  He said it’s supposed to have limitless information on everything in the distant past; even our own origins.”  She looked a bit incredulous.  “Of course, that last part’s just a theory, but if that’s the case, who knows what we might discover?”

“I 'unno; I mean, I appreciate not havin' some gigantic, twelve-foot-tall colossus smashin' up the place anymore, but I still don't trust it.  Endless archives or not, it's still a threat to me,” Cassidy said.  “Oh, wanna hear somethin’ kinda dumb?  Ah heard some of the rookies from the Royal Guard talkin’ about it; said they were hopin’ it’d be one a’ them.”  The Floatzel leaned up against the hollow stump.  “’Course, that’s just bonkers.  Why give somethin’ like that away to be left guardin’ doors or somethin’ for the rest of its life?”

“I think it’d make a fine guardian,” Gavina said as she crossed her arms.  “I mean, granted, it’s really slow, but it’s really strong.  Luke was telling me about his fight with it; said it hurt his hand from matching blows with it.  With that kind of power, I don't think most anyone could beat it.”

“Okay, yeah, it is pretty tough, and I should know; I helped fight that thing.”  Putting on a look of intrigue, Cassidy asked, “What would you do with it, Vinnie?”  He gestured his hand towards his companion.

“Uhm..  That’s a good question.  I guess I could use a sparring partner,” the Hawlucha replied, imagining herself training with Regigigas, which was covered in gear in her vision.  “What about you, Cassidy?”

“You know, my lounge party could use a bit of spicin’ up; nothin’ like a twelve-foot statue to keep the guests entertained,” the Floatzel said, looking up and daydreaming about the Regigigas in the middle of the room placed in different poses.

“Well, I know one thing’s for sure; I wouldn’t want those ninja gettin’ their hands on it,” Cassidy continued.

“I know, right?  Who knows what they would have done with it if we hadn’t shown up in time,” Gavina said, shaking her head.

“Yeah,” Cassidy said in a low pitch.  “Who knows..”  The two leaders heard footsteps, and turned to see Team Nephos and Team Equity walking towards them.

“Heh, got your exercise in, I hope?”  The Floatzel chuckled.  “You’ll need it, cause this is th' last task."  He took a long stick and started to draw diagrams in the dirt.  "Th' dungeon entrance is somewhere beneath this entire forest, through a series of very delicate tunnels.  It’ll be pretty easy to spot; two large bronze doors, can’t miss it; unless you’re blind, hehe.”  Cassidy made an extra diagram depicting a pointy spike, putting a sad face next to it.  "Don't disturb these; these are Bustershoots.  If they explode, you might take serious damage, and Luke's got enough bills to pay as is.  Do your best to stay away from these."

“On the way, be careful not to get the water dirty,” Gavina chimed in.  “It won’t do us much good if it’s undrinkable.  If you intend to use those Bustershoots to find the entrance, you do so at the risk of a merit.”

"Understood," Aiden said, looking at the hollow stump.  Great, back into the darkness.  Well, daylight was fun while it lasted.  They let the Explorers into the dungeon to begin their search, following close behind.

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Meanwhile, back in the city, Jade woke up inside a small underground space she'd cleared out herself.  It was full of all sorts of broken, hand-me-down furniture she'd stolen for herself during her time in the Dreamer's Eye.  Not a great place for someone to hang their hat, but it was something to her, at least.  She pulled out a little comb and brushed her long, raven-black hair, tying it all up in a bun while she pulled out her Staravia clips from a peach-colored carrying case she'd bought a while ago.

Well, last night was a bust, she said as she curled her twin bangs into circles, putting on her clips to keep them in place.  Figures that I get sneak-attacked in the middle of the night by some dick I couldn't see.  I need to be more careful.  After she'd gotten ready, she exited the space, walking up the makeshift stairs up through a trap door, then towards a white brick wall, pressing a particular one to make a secret door open.  Once she'd managed to hide her secret room, she went about town, looking around at the locals and peddlers with a look of dispassion.  One was a Delibird, who was selling his drinks; this time, his writing had improved, and people could actually read the names of his products.  Jade's stomach grumbled, and she looked at her carrying case.

Wish I hadn't spent all my money on drinks the other night, her inner thoughts echoed.  As she was looking down at herself, she bumped into a Tyrogue and his friend, a Hitmonlee.

"Watch where you're going!" the latter said in an annoyed tone.  Jade just walked by, giving out a pithy, "Sorry."  As she continued, she overheard them talking.

"...can you believe it?  Zachariah's dojo's closed; what a..."  The name was what sparked her interest.  Zachariah.  Could it be...?

"Hey, you two!"  The two fighters from before turned their attention back to Jade.  "Who were you talking about?"

"Uh, Zachariah?  As in, Master Zachariah?  One of the best Move Tutors and painters around?" the Tyrogue said as if she was stupid.  "His dojo's off to the northwest of the great temple around here.  Course, word has it he's moving soon."

"Yeah, I wanted to learn from him really badly!" the Hitmonlee whined, crossing his arms.  "I've been dying to learn Flame Kick so I can join up with that troupe.."

"Come on.  We'll find someone else who can do it."  Both Pokemon walked off, leaving Jade to deal with her thoughts.

Well.  This is my lucky day.  She walked to the northwest of the great temple, her mind set on the Move Tutor.

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The day was a quiet one for Master Zachariah's dojo, as the front entrance had a sign on the front saying, "Closed For The Afternoon".  He hummed a merry tune as he poured himself some tea and set down a tray of cookies onto the floor, sitting cross-legged on the floor once he was finished.  He closed his eyes as he took a sip of his drink, letting out a satisfied 'ahh'.

"Nothing like a fresh, warm glass of tea to calm the nerves," he said as he enjoyed his drink a little more.  A quaint scene, certainly, and one would be tempted to take peace in this tranquility.

Unfortunately, it was not one to last.  As the doors of his dojo opened, Zachariah opened one eye, unmoving as a particular thief walked in.  She didn't look particularly happy to see him, either.

"I'm afraid the dojo is closed today," the tutor replied, sipping his tea without even so much as opening his eyes.  "If you'd like lessons, come back tomorrow.  I'm having a discount on Fire-Type move-sets."

"I'm not interested in starting fires, Master Zachariah."  Jade's voice caught Zachariah's attention; he opened one eye, feeling a sickness in his heart as he looked at the Mawile standing in front of him.

"Did you not hear what I said earlier?  The dojo is CLOSED."  Now he was beginning to lose his patience.  "Especially to people like you.  Now, kindly see yourself out, please."

"I want to make better on my promises.  I want to learn your lessons again!" she said, this time with less attitude.  The mime Pokemon stood up suddenly, his rage showing despite putting on a calm facade.

"What makes you think I will teach them to a disrespectful sow like you?  I seem to recall some hurtful things you said about my teachings; how they were 'a waste of time and effort'."  This hit Jade pretty hard; she averted her gaze, looking guilty.

"I know what I said back then was awful.  I wasn't straight in the head.  Now, though, I'm more than ready to learn!"  She bowed in respect; a misplaced respect, but she wanted his help more than ever.  Zachariah turned his back on her, scoffing.

"Look at you.  You're disgraceful.  You're nothing more than a petty criminal wandering the streets, looking for poor innocent victims to strip of their hard-earned gains."

"What else am I supposed to do?!" Jade cried, standing up, sharply throwing her left arm back and making a wide stance.  "I hate it as much as you do, but how else can I make my living?!"

"I shouldn't have to answer that for you."

Jade balled up her hands.  To say she was enraged was being generous.  "Fine!  Then you can rot in hell, old man!  I'll save my sister without your help!"  She stormed out, slamming the door and leaving the old Mr. Mime to reflect on the situation in his dojo.

That girl..  She's only making this harder on herself.  But she knew what she was getting into with Morrison.
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The caverns below were barely lit by the dim lights of some nearby, teal-colored gemstones.  Tree roots from above were creeping in from the surface, giving the tunnel a creepier, if more natural, look to it.  Adding to the ambiance was the river, which flowed in several directions, through several crevasses.  The six Explorers were all standing just near the entrance, with Gavina giving out one Glowstone each for the two teams.

"Just remember, if you need our help, call us!" she said, waving them goodbye as they began their trek.  Cassidy clicked his tongue.  As the teams trekked through the dank tunnels, they could see tree roots appearing just above their heads.

“Wow, they go down that far?” Andra said in amazement.

“Looks like it,” Kas replied.

“You know, they kind of look like hands,” Ferris said, unsettling Aiden.  Andra caught on quickly.  “Careful Aiden, they might grab ya!”

“Y-yeah, I-I’m pretty sure they aren’t that sentient,” Aiden said.  Team Nephos and Equity followed their path, coming across a room with several stalactites and stalagmites, with water pouring down what looked like natural fountains, formed by water erosion.  It led into a larger body of water below, distributing water further on.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Kas said as Ferris just looked with amazement.  Andra stayed by Aiden's side, watching the water pouring down.  Aiden poked Kas, trying to get her attention.

"Hm?"

"Uh, hey," he said, putting his hands behind his back.  "S-so, you're a Dark Type.  That's pretty, uh, interesting."

"Eh..  I don't see what's so interesting about it," she said.  "There's a lot of Dark Types like me around the city."

"Oh."  The situation just became even more awkward between them.  Aiden cleared his throat, his eyes looking off to the side.  "So, how much do you guys trust each other?"

"Huh?"  That time, Kas wasn't listening.  Aiden soon dismissed the whole thing.  They went further into the caverns, and as they walked, they came across a room with small, red pointy bits all around.

"Those must be Bustershoots," came Ferris's startled reply, nearly stepping on one.  Before Andra had time to react, Aiden lifted Kas's partner up and over it to avoid a nasty explosion; they knew they couldn't risk damaging the water supply, which remained just nearby.

"Thanks, Aiden!" Ferris said, wiping her brow.

"No problem."  They continued on, with Andra sulking more than she did before.  Following the river some more, they came to a large room with a split in the road; the current went off in two different directions.

“So, which way do we take?” Ferris said, looking at each path a few times.

“Here, let me."  Aiden stepped in front of the trio.  He began to put his hands to his head, concentrating as hard as he could.  He sent out a faint pulse of psychic energy, coursing through the labyrinth at incredible speed.  The very feel of the underground tingled in his nerves; first rock, then metal.  Aiden looked at the path on the right.

“That’s the road we need to take.  Come on.”  He began to lead the way towards the dungeon entrance.  The imposing blockade served to make this corridor impassable.  Nearby was the river, which was flowing right next to them.

“Alright, time to clear out this blockade!” Ferris said, cracking her knuckles.  “Should be pretty easy!”

“Hold on; we can’t just start digging yet!” Aiden said, analyzing the obstacle.  “We need to stabilize the area; my psychic power will be able to keep the place from crumbling.”

“Alright, Aiden," Kas responded.  "We'll do what we can to clear the rubble away."  The team began their work of clearing out the rubble; Ferris broke down the rubble while Aiden kept the tunnel stable with his psychic powers.  Kaz moved the debris from Ferris's efforts away from the water, while Andra watched.

Great.  Guess I'll just.....watch.  The gang continued their excavation, safe from any sort of danger of Bustershoots.  Or so they thought.

As they kept digging, Andra saw a large cluster of Bustershoots hidden within.  Andra saw what was going on and shouted, "Guys, stop digging!!"  Aiden snapped out of his concentration, just in time to watch Ferris accidentally trigger one, causing it to explode and send rubble flying all over the place.  Aiden watched as a large piece of rock went right towards him; then, suddenly, he was whisked away by Andra before it crushed him.  They ended up a small distance from the dig site, with Andra panicked as all hell.

"Aiden, are you okay?!" she said, looking at him.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine.  Thanks."  He gazed at her eyes, losing himself in them.  "Just..  Just a bit stunned.  Thank you so much for rescuing me."  They just stared at each other, unable to avert their gazes until...

"Oh no!!  The water!"  The cat and the bird snapped out of their moment and looked over at Team Equity, who looked aghast at the water.  Some of the debris had fallen into the water, polluting it, which lost Team Nephos their merit right off the bat.

"No!  And we were doing so good!" Aiden shouted as the water looked filthy from their accident.  His anger was quite palpable, especially when he turned to Ferris and shouted, "Why didn't you stop when Andra said so?!"

"Hey, I didn't know they were there!  You were watching too, weren't you?  Why didn't you say anything?"

"I had to keep the tunnel from falling on us!  You need to be more careful where you dig!"

"Stop it, you two!" Kas said, trying to stop this.  "It doesn't matter now!  What's done is done!  Maybe we won't get rewarded too well for it, but we still managed to get through the rubble.  The door's just up ahead; we're almost there!"  Ferris looked at her partner, then at Aiden, who growled and walked away.  Andra watched as he stormed off, then at Team Equity, before finally gazing back at her friend.

"Aiden, wait up!"  She rushed after him, leaving Team Equity to their own devices.  As the angry feline marched through the tunnels, he contemplated the situation further; in his mind, he pictured the task having gone well and being rewarded the bottle of fresh water, and the leaders congratulating them on a job well done.  Now, those thoughts were replaced with disdain and scorn on the two teams.

Dammit.  Dammit, dammit, dammit.  We were doing so good, and now this?!  There's no way they'll give us that merit now.  Just so mad right now; wish I'd been able to do something!  His mind was in a tizzy; thinking straight was certainly not a priority at this point.

"Aiden!"  The little bird flew up in front of him, watching him stand there and cross his arms.  "Aiden, what the heck was that all about??"

"What was that about?  I'll tell you what that was about; all sense of achievement gone in an instant!  We were supposed to keep the water supply clean, and we botched it up!  Now we'll never get the reward!"

"So what?" Andra said.  "No one got hurt, at least!  And hey, the door's just up ahead like Kas said!  We were gonna mess up eventually!"

"That's what I was trying to avoid!" he shouted, losing all perspective on this matter.  "It's bad enough we're gonna get a strike for it; now we're gonna get reprimanded for it!"

"It could've been a lot worse!" Andra said, getting close to Aiden.  "Just think!  Those Bustershoots could've done a lot more than just dirtied the water!  Think about that!"  He hated admitting it.  He clenched his fists, shaking from anger, then just gave up.

"Maybe you're right.  But, I just..  Ahhh..."

"Come on, Aiden."  They walked back towards Team Equity, who'd stayed where they were, fixated on something.

"What's going on?"  Aiden's question was soon answered by the sight of the doors in front of them; two large, bronze doors which led the way into the dungeon proper.  They looked fairly ancient; it was a small wonder they were still up keeping anyone out in the first place.

"Hey, Ferris," Aiden said, lowering his gaze.  "I'm sorry about before.  I really am.  It's just that I--"

"Don't worry about it," she said, smiling.  "We found the door, didn't we?"

"Y-yeah, we did."  The four Pokemon looked at the large obstruction before them.

"Alright, time to get this thing open."  Aiden's body began to glow with a bright blue aura, and he lifted his arms, his ears opening to reveal the eyes hidden underneath.  The ancient mechanisms groaned as they moved slowly thanks to his sheer psychic power.  The ground rumbled as the massive doors parted to reveal a darkness so murky it was almost imperceivable.  All four 'Mons all stood before the entrance to the dungeon; curious, yet frightened.  They stepped inside, wondering what they would find.

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The day was finally over, with the six Explorers walking back into town; Aiden stretched, letting out a sigh of relief.  The afternoon drew to a close as dusk reared itself upon the land, the sun edging towards the horizon slowly and gradually.  Gavina, Cassidy, Andra and Team Equity were all doing their own stretches to relieve themselves.

"Finally, we're out of that cave!  I never thought I'd miss the sunshine so much!"  The feline saw the giant ball of light in the sky and grinned; if there really was one thing he hated most, it was being stuck in dark places for too long, and his excitement to be away from them showed.

"Alright, so who's up for some dinner at the cafeteria?" came Ferris's response.  Andra, Aiden and Kas both agreed.

"Well, you folks enjoy.  Vinnie n' I'll be a bit busy filin' reports for th' night.  Sadly, you'll be receiving a strike; the water's gonna take a bit to clean."  On that note, he handed them a bottle of dirtied water.  "Consider this a reward of sorts; at the very least, it's got some use."  They walked off towards their respective Guild building, with Cassidy picking up where he left off.  "So, where was I?  Oh yeah; I saw a Luvdisc the size of a Whiscash!  It was unbelievable, lemme tell ya..."  Kas and Ferris both looked back at their new friends with smiles.

"That was fun!" Kas said calmly, putting out her paw to shake.  "Let's do this again sometime."

"Ah, uh...yes, we should."  Aiden tentatively shook her hand; his distrust showed again.  Ferris stretched as she patted Aiden's back.

"Say, if you're up for another mission, come look us up anytime!" she said as she and Kas took their leave.

Aiden gazed at his companion, walking to her with an arm outstretched to help her; a move which proved futile.  She flew off, taking one last sorrowful look at her friend for the night as she disappeared into the darkness.  Standing with both feet close to one another, he put his left hand around his right elbow, rubbing it as he returned to their dorm.

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Slinking over the fog-filled horizon, the sun's light dimmed considerably; once again, another night fell upon the Dreamer's Eye.  Andra stood atop the great temple, pride alight in her eyes.

Finally finished finding the dungeon.  Thank goodness I got to Aiden in time; that rock almost killed him!  In the distance was a lonely mountain, solid and still amidst the rest of the shrouded world; the summit, a pinnacle Andra felt like she could surpass.

Maybe Zachariah's right; maybe it's not me who needs help, but Aiden.  I've seen him dejected before, but I've not seen him angry often.  I wish he'd tell me why.  Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a silhouette; one which made her angry.  It was Jade, who was picking the lock on the back door of a local cafe.

"Now what's she up to?"  Jade successfully picked the lock and walked into the building, staying on her guard for any tricks or traps.  Making her way to the second floor of the fancy building, she found the safe in the manager's room, her green eyes lighting up with glee.  She pulled out what appeared to be a device made to look like a Noivern's ear, putting it to her ear, then to the safe, listening as she fiddled with the combination.  As she turned the dial, she could hear the inner mechanisms clicking, until she managed to crack the steel door open.  Over thousands of Star Coins were kept inside; neatly arranged, too.

"Well, well.  Come to Mama."  There was not a single trace of enthusiasm in her sentence as she raked in her ill-gotten earnings; by the end, she had over two hundred Star Coins stashed away in a little compartment in her case.  She exited through the way she came, chuckling and flipping one coin in the air repeatedly.

"All in a night's work."  Carefully watching from the rooftops was Andra, who stalked the thief all the way to where she stayed in Andalusst; it was in a small white tower in the city.

"Home sweet home away from a tragic homewreck."  She moved her left hand towards one of the blocks.

"Hey!"  Sighing, Jade looked behind her to see a familiar, if unwelcome, face.  Andra stood ready for a fight.

"You just had to show up, didn't you."  Jade pinched her brows together, sighing like she'd just been told a horrid joke.  "You know, I really hate it when people get clingy.  I enjoy your company, but you're already outstaying your welcome tonight, dear."

"Don't call me that!"

"What, you mean 'dear'?  Fine, how about I call you annoying?"  Jade narrowed her eyes in anger.  "Look.  I'm in no mood to fight you tonight.  If you have any common sense left, leave right now, and I'll forget I even saw your face."

"Sorry, but I had no intention of leaving you this time.  Not while you owe me a rematch."  Jade stood there with her head down before laughing grimly.

"So not only are you stupid, but you have a death wish, too."  She cracked her knuckles, then got into a fighting stance; it seemed Jade was far more confident than before.  "You know, I almost feel sorry for you.  Almost."  The thief came at her with an outstretched arm, which the agile avian avoided with ease.  Andra somersaulted and came in with an Assurance attack to Jade's face, managing to hit remarkably well.  The thief landed on her hands, pulling off a few backflips until she was a fair distance from her opponent.

"You're just stalling, kid!  We both know who's really gonna win!"  She took aim with the other mouth on her head and fired Flash Cannons at Andra, who once again dodged them and came in with another Assurance, causing Jade to stagger back.

"Really?  Cause it looks like I'm the one kicking your ass!"  Jade just growled as she came in with a Vice Grip attack, which, once again, the little bird avoided.  One embarrassing failure after another; it made the Mawile even angrier, and she began to lose focus.  She came at Andra with a flying kick, then did some front flips before trying to smack the avian with her head.  If anything, the Steel/Fairy Type was relentless.

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Aiden found himself waking up in the middle of the night, a tiny gasp escaping his lips.  He sat up and saw a very unsettling sight; his partner wasn't in her roost.

Where in the world did she run off to?  Afraid of what this meant, he fidgeted with his left hand, nervously sitting for a minute or so.  "I hope she's not in any serious danger."

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The fighting went on for quite a while between both combatants; neither side looked ready to give up.  After five minutes of skirmishing, Andra and Jade stood on opposite sides of one another, tired and beat.

"That all you got?" Andra said, taking in huge gulps of air like she'd just raced a whole marathon.  Jade was slouched over, arms dangling, panting as she took in the beating she'd suffered.

"Barely," came Jade's tired response.  "I've faced tougher and bigger than you.  You're just a small fry compared to who I've fought."

"You mean the small fry who's beating you?  The one who's about to take you down?"  Andra concentrated her anger and fury, glowing a dark red as she came at Jade with a Frustration attack.  Yet, even as she saw the young girl flying toward her with such rage, Jade just sighed.

No; you're just a runt who doesn't know how to stay down.  With that, Jade pivoted and half-turned, grabbing Andra with her Vice Grip again, stopping her in her tracks.  Then, she walked over to the great temple and slammed Andra against the wall, choking the life out of her tiny body.

"What a waste.  Here I was, hoping to collect tonight, and you just had to show up."  Jade sneered.  "What's worse, you nearly had me.  Now that's what I call pathetic."  Her low tone did much to heighten Andra's fear.  The mouth on Jade's head tightened its hold on Andra's neck.

"I don't even care about your money.  Just looking at you is enough to make me vomit."  A look of contempt was all the Mawile could muster in front of her prey.  "Consider this a mercy killing."  Just as the poor avian was losing consciousness, a bright red aura surrounded the malicious Mawile, pulling her away slowly.

"What?!"  She tried to fight back, only to end up being forced to look behind her against her will.  Aiden was staring at her contemptuously; in fact, his anger made him barely recognizable.

"Want to try that again?"  He held her in place with the sheer power of his own mind; the eyes stared at the thief as she gazed back, trying not to look terrified.

"Stay out of this, kid; this isn't your business!"

"It just became my business."  Hoisting the crook into the air, Aiden watching her dangle like a Christmas ornament, staring with wide eyes as the life from her lungs began to burn out from the young boy's psychic powers pressing against her throat.  "Let me make this clear to you.  No one, and I mean no one, threatens her life like that.  Ever.  She is my closest friend, and she means the world to me.  I will not allow thugs like you to take her away."

Andra watched the scene with horror; her partner was just frightening to look at.  She couldn't keep her eyes off his gaze.

"If even a feather is misplaced on her body, then I'll make sure no one will find you."  He let her go, watching her look back and forth between her attacker and her prey before grunting, jumping onto the rooftops and vanishing into the night.  Aiden turned his attention to Andra, who shied away from the young boy.

"Andra."  She shook her head, and took off as quickly as she could into the night, leaving Aiden to gaze with sorrow at the night sky.

A feather flew down to grace Aiden's feet.  He picked it up, gazing with eyes half-lidded as the moon cast a sliver of light through the clouds onto the dark grey object, slowly dimming as the moon began to vanish behind the shroud in the sky.