Chapter 14: Dungeon-Expedition

  The sun had only just begun to rise, casting the inner walls of the crater in muted hues of soft gray and gold, when Auri stepped onto the stone pathway outside his home. The morning air was sharp and cool, edged with the crisp scent of dew on dry earth and the distant rustle of stirred leaves. He adjusted the dark-blue scarf at his neck and started toward the guards headquarters.

  The guards had informed him the day before that it would happen today. As winner of the monthly sparring turnament, he’d earned the right to join the guards next scouting team for a Dungeon-Expedition. It would be dangerous, yes, but both controlled and supervised. Dungeon were highly saturated with type energy, and spending time in one was incredibly valuable for every Pokemon that wanted to advance their strength. Something he definitely wanted! Still, a small part of him hummed with quiet tension. A mix of anticipation and worry, really.

  He arrived at the headquarters just as the doors were unbarred and swung open. Inside, Risa was already waiting. The Hawlucha stood with arms crossed near a table strewn with parchment and marked maps. Vira was beside her, tail flicking lazily but eyes already alert. Durro sat near a wall, silently waiting for them to start. The fourth and final figure in the room, Myra, perched on the high rafter above them, sharp eyes tracking his movement with the same scrutiny she always offered him.

  Risa didn’t waste time. "Morning," she said briskly. "Auri, you’re on rotation with us today. First real outing for you. We’re heading to the southern edge of the upper crater slope, a Dungeon we've listed under the name 'Windshear Hollow' is located there."

  She gestured to the central map, where a region on the Umbral Abyss that Newleaf Village claimed for themselves was marked in red. Auri stepped closer. The map was filled with markers documenting all the Dungeons inside the crater the guards knew of. The one Risa had pinted out was quite new, maybe a few weeks old, but the scrawl beside them was unmistakable: Dungeon instability detected. Energy types: Flying / Dark / Rock. Check-up required. It was positioned at the very edge of the territory the village claimed for itself.

  "It's generally not an all that dangerous Dungeon," Risa continued. "But recent shifts in the local flow of type energy seem to have messed with its stability. Therefore a security check-up is necessary to determine if the Dungeon got stronger, weaker, more agressive, less agressive, or if there's a shift in its type energy."

  "It's possible for a Dungeon's type energy to shift?" Auri asked surprised.

  "Yes, it's possible," Vira replied, stepping in."It's strongly dependent on the natural energy flow in the area around the Dungeon. Seeing how the natural energy flow is constantly in flux, Dungeons adapt their own type energy accordingly, should their surroundings shift. It's rare, but it happens from time to time."

  Risa took back over. "In this case here, flying-type energy dominates the entrance, strong gusts, visibility low. Inside, there are pulses of dark-type and rock-type energy in a more or less equal split. However, and that's the worrying part, fighting-type and ghost-type energy pockets have formed in multiple locations, which mean either a drastic shift in the natural energy flow or a strong Pokemon being close.

  "Are the southern territories expanding?" Durro muttered, sudenly on edge. "If that is the case we have to give up on the Dungeon."

  "It’s worrying," Risa agreed, tapping the edge of the map. "Which is why we’re going back. We'll need to check out if it's just natural change in the energy flow, or if we have to surrender the Dungeon because one of the mythicals laid claim to it. Or if Honorable Vian plans to stake claim to it as well."

  Auri, for his part, had no idea what they were talking about. But seemingly there was some sort of rivalry between the guards and the mythicals about who controls which Dungeon?

  Myra gave a short trill from above. "If the wind’s as bad as you say, we’ll need to stay low and keep line-of-sight under all circumstances."

  "That’s why you’ll be following orders to the letter," Risa added, turning to Auri with a meaningful glance. "If I say fall back, you fall back. You observe. You report. You keep your head down unless we tell you otherwise. Got it?"

  Auri nodded. "Understood." There was a moment of quiet as the guards eyed him, weighing his readiness in their own way.

  Then, from the corner entrance, a familiar voice cut in. "Okay but also, if he doesn’t come back, you'll all be having trouble with me!"

  Auri instantly turned around. Yuki stood next to Captain Kaen, the impressive Arcanine that was leading the guards, just outside the doorway, tail feathers fluffed up against the chill, her voice bright with mock indignation. She hopped forward, craning her neck past Durro to spot Auri properly, while Captain Kaen followed her in.

  Risa raised an eyebrow. "You have no business being here Yuki."

  "I know!" Yuki said, far too cheerfully. "I just came to see Auri off! Someone’s gotta provide moral support!"

  Vira snorted. "Captain Kaen, you need to stop caving in to her that easily, just because she's the daughter of your wives sister."

  Captain Kaen only shrugged. "Like it would've helped if I ordered her not to follow me along. This way, I could at least extract the promise from her, that she won't just sneak after you."

  "Yuki," Auri said quietly, a faint smile pulling at his mouth.

  She winked at him. "You’re gonna do fine! Just don’t trip over any traps! Or mysterious vines! Or Dungeon Pokemon!"

  "I’ll do my best."

  Risa sighed. “Fine. Let her stay until we leave.”

  "Yay!"

  "Quietly."

  "…ish."

  Risa ignored her. She turned back to the group, rolling up the map and tucking it under her wing. "The Dungeon’s about a forty-minute hike from the southern trail exit. We leave in ten minutes. Check your satchels. Don’t forget your berries. Vira, you’re second watch. Durro on rearguard. I’m lead."

  She paused. "Auri, you stay close to me unless I tell you otherwise."

  "Understood," he repeated.

  The group dispersed momentarily to gather final supplies, Auri included, while Yuki trailed him back toward the door, keeping pace. "You ready?" she asked, voice a little softer now.

  "...Yeah," he replied after a moment.

  Yuki studied his expression, the way his ears flicked with every sound around them. "You’ll be okay!" she decided, more firmly this time. "Just… don’t try to prove anything okay? You already belong here."

  He nodded at that. "I know."

  She gave his scarf a quick tug and grinned. "And don’t forget to tell me everything when you’re back!"

  Then, just like that, the moment passed. The guards regrouped. Risa gave a single sharp whistle. And together, the group of four set off.

  They walked in silence for most of the time, except for some short orders from Risa. Auri walked near the front of the group, just behind Risa and flanked loosely by Durro and Myra. The only sounds were the occasional rustle of brush or the muffled thud of paws against mossy ground.

  The sunlight filtering through the treetops had dimmed to a soft grey, the air cooler now and oddly dry. Above, the wind stirred in unnatural currents, not sharp or loud, but constant, curling through the trees like something alive.

  "Ground’s starting to slope," Myra noted without turning, her wings tucked tightly at her sides. "We’re entering the outer zone."

  Auri said nothing, but he felt it too, the shift in pressure, the unnatural stillness in the foliage. Somewhere above them, leaves rustled in a pattern that didn’t match the wind. Every shadow beneath the rocks felt deeper than it should.

  It were the signs of a Dungeon close by that he had already seen on his last Dungeon venture with Yuki, the dense type energy shaping the surroundings in unnatural ways. Though this Dungeon was probably far more dangerous than the small one he had entered together with Yuki.

  "Eyes open," Risa said softly. "From here on, don’t trust your senses more than necessary. If a path looks too inviting, assume it’s a trap."

  Auri glanced up. Thin trails of dust drifted across the air above, despite no wind near the ground. The light had a faint violet cast now, as if filtered through tinted glass. The trees stood too still, and the air… it didn’t hum like it had in the Grass Dungeon. It pressed in. Like a presence watching from behind your shoulder, never seen.

  "What was the Dungeon's type energy again?” Auri asked just to be sure, voice low.

  "Presumably flying, rock, and dark," Risa answered without missing a step. "Not a common mix. Flying messes with perception and movement. Rock means heavy terrain and environmental hazards. Dark-type… that’s the worst one."

  "How so?"

  "They’re the ones that never play fair," Myra cut in, sharp and dry. "Expect ambushes. Expect noise to mislead you. Expect to fight in the dark or mist. And thanks to the ghost-type and fighting-type energy mixing in... be prepared for everything."

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  The path narrowed, curling between jagged rock formations that jutted up like broken teeth from the forest floor. Auri stepped carefully, ears up, tail low. He could feel the change now in every breath, the way the type rnergy of the surroundings buzzed under his fur, the slight disorientation that tugged at his balance. The Dungeon was getting close.

  "You’ll feel the lock soon," Risa murmured. "When you cross the true boundary. It’s like… stepping through a veil. The type-energy density in the Dungeon will be incredibly helpful for your growth."

  Auri nodded, though he already knew that. When it finally happened, it wasn’t visual. The moment they passed between two stone pillars marked with deep claw marks, the world changed.

  The temperature dropped. The scent of dust and lichen grew stronger. The sound of the wind vanished, completely, like a switch had been flipped, and in its place came an eerie stillness. The shadows grew heavier, deeper, pooling unnaturally even where there should be light. Above, the sky was lost, replaced by a strange shimmer, as if a dome of distorted glass now hung over them.

  Risa stopped just past the threshold and turned to face them all. "This Dungeon’s even more unstable than expected," she said flatly. "The entrance was supposed to be mainly flying-type energy, but this area's clearly saturated with dark-type energy. Probably everything we know about this Dungeon will be wrong. We move fast, keep together, and respond to my orders without question. The moment we got a feeling if these changes are natural or not, we leave. We just need to find a few of these ghost-type and fighting-type energy pockets and we're done here."

  She glanced to each of them in turn. “Myra, you take aerial markers. Without any flying-type energy around, taking to the skies should be somewhat safe for you. Durro handles load-bearing and terrain clearing. Auri, you remain close to me. You’re here as a scout-in-training at best. No heroics understood?"

  Auri nodded, jaw tight. "Understood."

  Risa turned. "Then let’s get going."

  The group moved deeper into the maze of stone and shadow. The Dungeon’s energy wrapped around them like a second skin, cold, dry, and watching. Auri could feel his senses heightening, not from fear, but from necessity. The electric-type energy in his chest sparked in protest at the cloying dark-type influence, but he controlled it, kept it low, focused on absorbing as much of the natural type energy around them as possible.

  "Wind’s rising again," Myra called from above. "No natural pattern. Feels more like we’re being funneled, probably recurring flying-type energy. It's still safe enough for me to remain in the air though."

  Risa nodded without looking up. "Keep an eye on our flanks. Don’t let the terrain dictate our pace."

  The deeper they went, the more wrong the Dungeon felt. Stone ridges curled over their heads like ribs. The wind returned, but it moved in unnatural directions, horizontal when it shouldn’t, updrafts from solid ground. Strange rustling sounds came and went, but nothing ever emerged. At that point even Myra was forced back on the ground with the first Dungeon-Pokemon appearing in the air above them. It would've been to dangerous for her to face them alone.

  Soon after they reached a plateau, a flat stone shelf overlooking a chasm that hadn’t been there seconds ago. It cut the path clean in two, the bottom lost in shifting mist.

  Risa growled. "It’s rearranging early. Not a good sign."

  "What do we do?" Auri asked quietly.

  "We backtrack and circle," she said. "But fast. Before the floor gives out." Her tone indicated that that was an actual possibility.

  They turned, just in time to hear the shriek. It came from behind. From below. Some garbled incoherent Dungeon sound that saw Auri fall in a defensive stance.

  "Ignore it!" Risa snapped. "No splitting or investigating of strange sounds!"

  Auri obeyed, but he glanced back anyway. And that was when he saw it, a flicker of motion, a shimmer in the mist. Something was down there watching him. And somehow… his instincts remained strangely calm. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel hostile.

  But the Dungeon around them definitely was. And they still had work to do, so they pressed on. Their path curved sharply around a jagged outcropping, narrowing into a slanted shelf of loose stone. The wind had picked up, whispering low and sharp across the edges. Dust danced with every step.

  "We’ll need to detour here," Risa called back, her tone brisk but steady. "Main passage collapsed, this ledge will bring us around it. Single file and no errors. Myra, try to clear the air for a minute. Don't risk getting hurt."

  Durro gave a short grunt of acknowledgement, and Myra took to the air with a beat of her wings, engaging the Dungeon Pokemon circling in a safe distance above them. Probably to stop them from swooping down and attacking them at such a risky passage. Auri brought up the rear as the others moved, paws careful on the uneven terrain. Something itched at the edge of his senses, but he couldn't name it.

  Suddenly an [Air Cutter] from a Honchkrow slipped through Myras defense and impacted the shelf. It shuddered under the impact, but held. Still, the sound made Risa glance over her shoulder. "We move fast! Myra won't be able to hold them back forever without risking injury!"

  She wasn’t wrong. Already, the Dungeon Pokemon began to overwhelm Myra, with more and more attacks slipping thrugh and hitting the surroundings instead. Auri stayed close behind Risa, ears twitching at every attack that impacted the shelf.

  Suddenly Myra let out a pained cry, a Honchkrows [Dark Pulse] having grazed her. She instantly countered with a broad [Heat Wave], but the brief distraction had been enough. A Swellow passed by her and impacted the shelf with [Brave Bird], sacrificing itself as it did so. There was a crack, deep, sudden, and final.

  "Run!" Risa shouted instantly. "Drop low and run! Myra get back down here!"

  But it was already too late, the shelf beneath them broke apart. A violent jolt threw everyone off-balance as a fissure tore its way through the path like a blade through cloth. Risa and Durro leapt forward instinctively, regaining footing on the side they’d come from. Myra dove back down, trying to reach him in time to carry him over, but vanished from his view as the Honchkrow rammed into her with a [Brave Bird] as well.

  Auri felt the ground vanish under him. He didn’t think and instead moved. Instantly he formed his type energy into [Agility] followed by [Quick Attack] and pushed hard toward the nearest ledge, where the stone hadn’t yet given way. However a sudden [Air Cutter] from another Dungeon Pokemon swished towards him, which he intercepted with a [Tail Whip].

  The attack knocked him off his course, making reaching the next ledge impossible. Instead he twisted midair and kicked himself sideways, catching a narrow outcrop jutting from the wall. His paws scraped, caught. Pain shot up his shoulder, but he held.

  Above, Risa’s voice rang out. "Auri!"

  "I’m alright!" he shouted, breath catching and sparks flying from his cheeks as he looked around for more Dungeon Pokemon attacking him. But there were none.

  The stone under his paws groaned again. He looked up and realized the gap had widened even further. Dust clouded the air. The Dungeon had shifted and the ledge he’d been on was now a fractured memory behind a chasm he couldn’t cross.

  "Risa?" he called again. "Durro? …Myra? Anyone there?"

  Nothing, only the howling wind. Suddenly the path twisted again and a dark corridor opened up ahead of him. The only direction left open for him. He swallowed, steadied his breath. “…Forward it is, then.”

  And with that, he stepped into the shifting mist. The stone under his paws felt… wrong. Not just unstable, though it was that, too. It rather didn't fell like real stone at all. And based on that, he had probably reached the Dungeon part where rock-type energy was dominant. Still, there was no sign of the others or their paths. Just silence.

  Auri moved carefully, ears twitching at every faint shift of wind or sound. Even the air felt different now, drier but colder. The humidity from before had been replaced with a sharpness, a thinness that stung his nose and made his fur stand on end.

  Flying-type, rock-type, and dark-type, he reminded himself. These were the Dungeon’s type energies. And right now, he could feel all three around him. Every few steps, he stopped to listen. It was a miracle he hadn't encountered any more Dungeon Pokemon as of now. He had no idea why, but the absence of them put him more on edge than their presence would have.

  He passed a narrow arch of cracked stone, the edges worn smooth like wind-carved bone. Vines hung from the edges, but they didn’t sway with the breeze. They twitched, like something breathing through the rock itself. He didn’t touch them, suspecting a trap.

  A pair of glowing eyes blinked in the shadows ahead, low to the ground, wide-set, silent. Auri tensed, fur bristling, electricity crackling faintly under his skin, but the creature didn’t advance. It just watched and then the eyes vanished again.

  He decided it wasn't worth the trouble to follow and continued walking. He didn't know which game the Dungeon was playing with him. It way way too interested in him to not at least send some Pokemon to battle him. Right now it felt like the Dungeon was just studying him and he hated that feeling.

  The terrain curved oddly, not in ways that made geological sense, but like someone had curled the earth in on itself. One path twisted into a downward spiral, bordered by jagged stone like teeth. Another opened into what should’ve been a clearing, but the air shimmered with something faint and forceful, like walking into a barrier without touching it.

  Auri took the spiral. It was easier to descend than climb back, and he knew better than to try forcing his way through one of the Dungeon’s tantrums. That only ended one way. Halfway down, the wind picked up stronger again.

  But this time it felt... different? Hesitantly Auri stopped and tried listening. This wind... wasn't just flying-type energy this time, now was it? Curiously enough the wind didn't speak in words or even coherent thought, but he could still understand. It whispered of battles long gone. Pain. Fear. A scream. A laugh. A final stand against something impossible. It lasted a breath, maybe two, then it was gone again. Auri shuddered and stumbled against the wall, panting. His pulse had spiked, his fur still tingling.

  He sat for a moment, letting the chill of the stone cool the heat behind his eyes. There was no panic, not yet. But the tension had lodged itself between his shoulders like a blade he couldn’t reach. He had no idea what that just now had been but he was willing to shalk it up to Dungeon shenanigans. He had bigger problems.

  By now he was incredibly deep inside the Dungeon. Just how far had he strayed? Would Risa and the others even be able to still track him? He didn't know, but he couldn’t stop here either. Staying still wasn’t an option. Not alone and not in this place. He rose, steadied his breath, and pressed on.

  The next stretch of tunnel sloped slightly upward. Here, the stone was darker, flecked with veins of some unrecognizable mineral. Every now and then, a loose pebble skittered across the ground behind him. Never in front, always behind. He didn’t turn around, trusting his instincts who worked in overdrive to catalogue every possible danger and risk. And they told him there was nothing dangerous behind him, so he trusted them.

  Suddenly, the tunnel he had followed opened up into a small cave. Not all that big, but still enough for the edges to be swallowed by the dark-type energy surrounding him. Only that it wasn't just dark-type energy. No, it was clear as day to his senses. The room was saturad with ghost-type energy and fighting-type energy as well. One of these pockets Risa had talked about, no doubt. The knowledge saw him tense further.

  The floor had changed as well, from solid stone into... glass? Blackened, opaque, cracked in places but solid underfoot and definitely glass. His own reflection stared back at him in fragments. Auri swallowed, but continued onward. The air thickened further with ghost-type and dark-type energy, pushing back the dark-type energy and nearly suffocating him by now.

  Suddenly, in the reflection beneath his paws, a new figure appeared, barely to see but standing just behind him. Instantly Auri turned, but there was nothing there. And when he looked back down, the reflection was gone as well.

  Auri very carefully continued onward, though by now he was quite sure that he was very close to the heart of the Dungeon and the lack of resistance unsettled him. He clearly did what the Dungeon wanted him to do and that could never be a good thing. Also this close to the core there shouldn't be ghost-type and fighting-type energy. Something had definitely changed the natural energy flow around here drastically.

  His worst fears were proven correct as suddenly, the opressive type energy all around him lifted, showing him standing inside a hollowed cavern, smooth crystallized stone sloping upward into a dome. Strange bluish light filtered in from above, dim and distant, like a dying moon behind clouds. The floor had turned into the same crystallized rock. And in the center of the cavern, surrounded by cracked, glowing crystal… was what Auri suspected to be the Dungeon Core.

  It pulsed faintly. Not with threat, but like something wounded. It glimmered in broken rhythm, half-alive. And next to it, lounging on a tilted slab of stone like it was a sunbathing rock in a meadow, sat someone, imposing, dark, and wreathed in black shadows concealing their identity.

  They held the Core in one paw, casually, like it was a ripe berry they’d plucked from a bush. The other paw tapped lazily against their knee. They looked up before Auri could speak, eyes narrow and softly glowing. "Oh. You made it." The voice, distinctively female, was low and almost bored. "Took you long enough."

  Important characters in the chapter:

  Pikachu (Auri) – Level 14

  Ability: Lightning Rod

  Battle Nature: Lonely

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 66

  Attack: 44

  Ranged Attack: 39

  Defense: 45

  Speed: 51

  Total: 245 (Strength Level: Kid)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Nuzzle], [Tail Whip], [Quick Attack], [Brick Break], [Thunder Wave], [Feint]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Thunder Shock], [Electro Ball], [Swift], [Thunder Bolt]

  Utility Moves: [Nasty Plot], [Charm], [Double Team], [Growl], [Agility], [Dig]

  Risa (Hawlucha) - Level 46

  Battle Nature: Adamant

  Stats:

  TE Pool(Health/AP): 224

  Attack: 145

  Ranged Attack: 104

  Defense: 170

  Speed: 156

  Total: 799 (Strength Level: Adult)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Tackle], [Feint], [Lunge], [Wing Attack], [Aerial Ace], [Feather Dance], [Reversal] [Brick Break], [Bounce], [Swords Dance], [Flying Press], [High Jump Kick], [Take Down], [Low Kick], [Acrobatics] (15)

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Swift] (1)

  Utility Moves: [Hone Claws], [Detect], [Encore], [Taunt], [Roost], [Agility], [Protect], [Coaching] (22)

  Myra (Talonflame) - Level 45

  Battle Nature: Rash

  Stats:

  TE Pool(Health/AP): 216

  Attack: 120

  Ranged Attack: 124

  Defense: 160

  Speed: 160

  Total: 780 (Strength Level: Adult)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Flame Charge], [Flare Blitz], [Feint], [Peck], [Quick Attack], [Ember], [Flail], [Acrobatics], [Aerial Ace], [Steel Wing], [U-Turn], [Swords Dance]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Swift], [Air Cutter], [Will-O-Wisp], [Flamethrower], [Heat Wave], [Fire Blast], [Hurricane]

  Utility Moves: [Growl], [Agility], [Tailwind], [Sunny Day], [Taunt]

  Durro (Donphan) - Level 43

  Battle Nature: Careful

  Stats:

  TE Pool(Health/AP): 223

  Attack: 148

  Ranged Attack: 87

  Defense: 201

  Speed: 88

  Total: 747 (Strength Level: Adult)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Fire Fang], [Thunder Fang], [Ice Fang], [Horn Attack], [Fury Attack], [Trailblaze], [Rapid Spin], [Rollout], [Assurance], [Knock Off], [Slam], [Somping Tantrum], [Giga Impact]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Mud Shot], [Bulldoze], [Earthquake], [Rock Tomb]

  Utility Moves: [Growl], [Defense Curl], [Scary Face], [Endure], [Dig]