After Abyssal and Hunter finished lunch, Sugar led them to a nearby building. It was obviously a mechanic shop, with all the tools and machines visible through the window.
"She should be right in here." Sugar said, opening the door for the two. Hunter entered first, Abyssal following behind.
"Hello?" Sugar called, letting the door close behind her.
"Be out in a minute!" A gruff female voice called from the back.
Hunter watched as a creature walked out, looking like a mix between a Pyroar and a Bravairy.
"Hey there, Abyssal." She said. "What can I do for you?"
"Hey, Skyla." Abyssal smiled. "My friend Hunter here has something that needs fixing."
Skyla looked down at Hunter, examining him closely. "So you're one of those Pokémon things I heard about?"
"Yup. Nice to meet you, Skyla." Hunter smiled, taking off the Connection Orb bracelet and taking the tablet out of his bag. "This is my Connection Orb. It has a map of all of the areas I've been to, and shows all of my friends. It was damaged in the transfer." He showed the damage, placing the orb in the tablet. It again flickered white before dying. Skyla looked at it closely.
"Hmm... I can get this fixed. Come back tomorrow afternoon and it should be done by then." She said.
"Great!" Hunter said happily. "Thank you, Skyla."
"No problem. Now shoo, I have work to do." She said, taking the orb and tablet to the back room to begin work.
"Well she seems about as happy as a Charmander on a boat." Hunter said.
"Eh, she's kinda grumpy, but nice when you get to know her." Abyssal said.
"What's a Charmander?" Sugar asked.
"It's a Pokémon. Orange, stands on two legs, and has a fire on the end of its tail." Hunter explained.
"Hm. Alright then." Sugar shook her head. "Anyways, what now?"
A yell pierced the air. Hunter turned and saw a Pegasus mare panicking, yelling at a few police ponies.
"What do you mean you can't help?!" She yelled, getting in the officer's face. "That's your JOB!"
"Ma'am, we're all working jobs right now to keep citizens calm in the face of these Pokémon. The forest isn't dangerous at all, he'll be fine."
"What's going on here?" Abyssal asked, approaching the group. Hunter followed, but Sugar excused herself, saying something about needing to
get home. Abyssal paid it no mind as he focused on the group.
"My son! He ran in to the forest chasing after some pink ball! I think it was one of those Pokémon. I tried to go after him, but something about the forest just felt... off." The distraught mare said.
"Off?" Hunter asked. "How so?"
"I don't really know..." the mare sighed. "It was just strange."
"Well, we can help." Abyssal said. "Lead the way."
"Thank you!" The mare said. "It was this way!"
------------
The three stood outside the forest. There was indeed a strange feel in the air. The forest was dense, making visibility almost impossible after a few yards.
"Interesting... this is a Mystery Dungeon." Hunter said. He stepped forward, his paws tingling as he entered the boundaries of the dungeon.
"A what?" Abyssal asked, following him.
"Mystery Dungeon. Its a natural phenomenon that happened back in our world. Every time you enter one, the layout changes." Hunter looked forward. "They're full of danger, too. Pokemon attack you in dungeons. If you get knocked out, you loose half your money and items. But they're great places to explore if you're prepared."
Hunter looked around. "But that was only in the Pokémon world. What is one doing here?"
"Maybe Arceus brought them?" Abyssal suggested.
A screech echoed through the forest as a Starly flew down, landing on Abyssal's horn.
"Star?" Hunter asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm going with you. I have nowhere else to go." She said plainly.
"In to a dungeon? That's too dangerous." Hunter said. "What would your mother say?"
"Uh... I don't know. If she was here, she'd probably try to hold me back." Star said sadly.
"If she was... oh no..." Hunter gasped. "She..."
"Yeah..." Star said. "She was turned to stone."
A tear dripped down Star's face as she remembered her mother. Abyssal reached up and wiped it away. "Don't worry, Star. We're here for you." He said reassuringly.
"Thanks." Star shook her head, takin flight and hovering above them. "So yes, I'm coming with you guys."
Hunter sighed. "Fine. But stay close." He relented.
--------------
??? Forest, 1F
"Wow..." Star said, riding on Abyssal's horn as they walked. The forest was dark, but bits of sunlight shone through the leaves, splashing the forest floor with beautiful light.
"This is pretty." Abyssal agreed, looking around at the trees. "And really relaxing. How could this place be dangerous?"
"Look out!" Hunter yelled, pushing Abyssal out of the way as a flurry of razor-sharp leaves swished by, nearly giving him a clean shave. Abyssal looked around for the source of the attack.
"Odd! Oddish!" A high-pitched voice called. Hunter let loose a battle cry, leaping up.
"Signal Beam!" He called, shooting a green beam at the Oddish. It hit the Oddish right in the face, sending it flying backwards. The Oddish disappeared in to thin air, gone without a trace.
"You... you killed it?" Abyssal asked.
"No." Hunter said. "Most Pokémon in mystery dungeons are shadows. Illusions, created by the strange dungeon. Nobody really knows where they come from, but they're not real."
Abyssal nodded, still confused, but reassured at least that he wasn't working with a murderer.
"Come on." Hunter said. "Let's go."
------------
The next two floors of the dungeon were relatively quiet, with only a few enemies. Hunter had taken care of them quickly with his Discharge and Signal Beam.
Abyssal stopped as he saw a beautiful gem on the ground. "What's this?" He asked, picking it up.
"Oh, you found an Emera!" Hunter said, taking it in his paw. "Looks like a Berry Power one." He said. He pulled a bracelet out of his bag, attaching it to Abyssal's hoof before setting the gem in to it. "Emera's only work in bracelets like that, called Looplets. They give some kind of power and make dungeons easier."
"Huh. Neat." Abyssal said, examining the looplet around his leg. He looked back up and nodded. "Okay, lets keep going."
"Guys!" Star suddenly called from above. "We've got company!"
A Venepied and two Oddish came from the trees, glares on their tiny faces.
"Lemmie try something!" Abyssal said. He lit up his horn, golden light surrounding it as he shot a beam of magic at the Venepied. It was instantly knocked out, vanishing from view.
"Nice shot!" Hunter called, sending a Signal Beam at one of the Oddish. Star came around from behind, wing attacking the last one. When all three Pokémon had disappeared, the trio continued on.
"That magic beam was super effective on the venepied." Hunter said. "Seems like it works like a Psychic-type move."
"Super effective?" Abyssal asked. "What's that mean?
"All Pokémon have a natural affinity for elements. Each element is a type. For example, I'm an Electric type. Star up there is a Flying and Normal type. All types have strengths and weaknesses. Fire beats grass, but water beats fire, etcetera."
"Huh. That's pretty interesting." Abyssal said. "So... my magic works like a psychic type attack?"
"Pretty much," Hunter shrugged. "It's probably a weird side effect of the Mystery Dungeon, if I had to guess."
Abyssal looked forward, picking up his pace slightly. "Well, I think we should hurry. Come on."
The trio found the stairs in the next room and quickly went up them, determined to save the lost child somewhere in the forest.
------------
Three large moths hovered in the back of a room, cornering a tiny foal who was clutching a pink ball-like Pokémon.
"Well well well, look what we have here." The one on the left smirked. The moth on the right chuckled.
"A scared little baby away from home." It sneered. The third moth, the one in the middle, hovered forward a bit. It was a different coloration from the other two. Light seemed to reflect from it as it flew. A shiny Dustox.
"Don't worry, little foal. This will only hurt... a lot." He laughed. Just as the three began to swoop down for the filly, a blast of lightning distracted them. Turning, they saw a pony, a Starly, and a Luxio glaring at them angrily.
"Let that foal go, Dustox Gang." Hunter growled. The shiny Dustox laughed.
"Ah, Hunter. I didn't think I'd see you again. Now who are your friends here?" The shiny Dustox asked sarcastically.
"None of your business." Hunter said. "Now let that foal go or else we'll make you."
"I think not..." The shiny Dustox sneered. "We can do whatever we please, Hunter."
Abyssal glanced up to Star. "Do... they know each other?"
Star nodded. "Hunter and Melody catch criminals. They probably have fought these guys before."
"And why should we listen to you?" A different Dustox said, flying up beside the shiny leader.
"Because of this."
Fast as lightning, Hunter was behind the Dustox on the left. He let loose a stream of electricity that began to surround him. "Spark!" He yelled as he collided with the Dustox. It fell to the ground, defeated easily.
"You'll pay for that!" The other, non shiny Dustox yelled. Flying forward, it launched a Psybeam. Hunter had no time to dodge, and instead braced himself for the attack, which hit him square in the face. He stepped back, his eyes crossed as his vision began to go blurry.
"Hunter!" Abyssal called. "What's wrong!"
"Confusion." Star said, swooping down. "It makes it hard for him to see. He'll start hallucinating and might accidentally hit us with his attacks, think we're his enemies. We gotta stay away until he snaps out."
"But... that means he can be hit!" Abyssal yelled. Hunter shook his head violently, trying his best to fight off the confusion. Abyssal took a step closer to him. "Hunter, stay down. Star and I can handle this."
The unicorn stepped forward towards the two remaining members of the Dustox gang, calm anger plastered to his face. His horn was alight with faint golden magic.
"Tell me, Dustox gang. What exactly is it that you want?" He asked smoothly. The lead Dustox smirked.
"Money and fame, of course!"
"So why do you need this child?" Abyssal gestured his hoof at the small colt, with the Igglybuff clutched to its chest. "Let the foal go, and we'll leave."
"So you can go get Officer Magnizone? Not likely." The shiny Dustox growled. "Silver Wind!" Yellow powder erupted from the Dustox's wings, headed straight for Abyssal.
"I don't think so!" He yelled, making a small shield around him to protect himself. When the attack was gone, Star swung around, determination flaring in her eyes. "Wing attack!" She cawed, her glowing wings striking the non-shiny Dustox. It went flying backwards, bouncing a few times before slowly skidding to a stop.
"What the- AGH!" The shiny Dustox fell to the ground as a golden beam from Abyssal struck it right in the face. It struggled to get up, glaring at the unicorn. "I'll get you back for that..." it sneered, but couldn't fly back up and promptly passed out.
Hunter finally stood, having shook the confusion.
The tiny colt approached the group, the Igglybuff riding her back. "T-Thank you for saving me!" She smiled.
"No problem, kid." Hunter smiled. "Are you hurt?"
"Nah, they just scared us, that's all." The colt said.
"That's good." Abyssal said happily. "Now... how do we get out of here?" He looked expectantly at Hunter.
"Come close, guys. I'll warp us out." Hunter said. He reached in to his bag and pulled out a small badge.
"Wow, and adventurers badge!" Star said, landing on the tip of Abyssal's horn.
"Yup. Everyone, hold on to me!" Hunter said. The badge glowed brighter, and suddenly, the group was gone.
----------
A mare paced the entrance to the forest, her mane a mess and eyes bloodshot as she awaited the return of her child. "Ooh... I hope they're alright."
Before she could continue worrying, a bright flash of light came from the entrance to the woods. She turned and saw with glee that the group had returned, and her child was with them.
"Mist!" The mare called, running forward. The colt turned, barreling towards his mother. "Mommy!"
The mare swooped up her baby in her arms, rocking him gently. "Oh, Mist Cloud... I was so worried about you." She murmured softy. She glanced up at the group of Pokémon and one unicorn. "Thank you all so much for bringing my colt back to me." She smiled. "It means the world..."
"Just doing our job, ma'am." Hunter smiled. He glanced down at the three Dustox that had been teleported with them, kicking them towards Officer Magnizone. "These three," he said, "were about to hurt that child when we arrived."
Magnizone nodded. "ZZZZ! Thank you for turning them in to us! ZZZZ!" We will take them to out temporary holding prison until we get an official one. ZZZZ!"
"Official? So you'll be setting up here?" Hunter asked.
"ZZZZ! Yes, we will set up stations all around the world. ZZZZ! This will be the headquarters. ZZZZ!"
"Awesome!" Star smiled. "You can count on the new Team Frozen Thunder to help out!"
"New?" Hunter asked.
"Well, you've got us to help you out." Star smiled, hovering over Abyssal. "And we are in a whole new world. I'd say it's all new."
"For the record, I never agreed to this." Abyssal laughed. "But it sounds like a great idea. Count me in!"
Hunter looked thoughtful for a moment before relenting. "Fine, you guys can help for now."
"Yay! I'm gonna help Pokémon all around the world!" Star yelled happily, flying up and doing a loop in the air.
"So I guess now we need a new base of operation." Hunter said. "Abyssal, any ideas? Do you stay somewhere we can be for a while?"
"Heh heh... about that." Abyssal scratched the back of his head. "I... don't have an actual home. Normally I crash in a warehouse or something."
"Well then we gotta find somewhere." Hunter said.
Magnizone hovered forward. "ZZZZ! While surveying the area, we found an abandoned warehouse. ZZZZ! Perhaps it would work? ZZZZ!"
"Awesome!" Hunter smiled. "Thanks Magnizone."
"ZZZZ! No problem. ZZZZ! I'll go get the paperwork for it. ZZZZ!" And he hovered off.
Hunter's stomach gave a loud growl.
"Haha, guess I'm hungry." Hunter laughed.
"It may not be much," the mother mare approached the group, her colt at her side. "But as a thanks, let me take you all out to dinner."
"Thank you, ma'am. We'd be delighted." Abyssal smiled. "Lead the way!"