Laundry Mishap
It was early morning in Team Rescue Ranger's base as both Scott and Johann were up and headed into town, letting their new friends sleep in after the long day through the Cat's Den. They stopped by the Kecleon Bros. store to pick up a little something for the Equestrians, and as luck would have it, the two Kecleon twins had just what they needed today. They purchased several scarves that were on sale, one for each of them and a different color: purple, pink, yellow, orange, blue, white, and green. The scarves were just basic colors, but it'll help them stand out as being part of their rescue team.
"Wait till they get a load of these," Johann said. "I think these scarves are perfect for them."
"At least Rarity won't complain about fashionwear for a while," Scott said. They soon returned to their base, where they could see Applejack already up and about. The Yamper was digging a few plots, starting the team's future berry grove. "Morning, Applejack!"
Applejack looked up from her digging, waving to the two Pokemon. "Mornin', y'all," she greeted back. She was about to return to her digging when she noticed the new accessories the Riolu and Charmander had in their arms. "What'cha got?"
"Some new scarves for you and the others," Johann said. "There weren't many of them that were the same color, but we hope this'll suffice."
"Eh. Rarity will find a way to spruce them up. Even yours," Applejack chuckled. She grabbed the orange scarf and put it on, finding it a little strange being able to grab the cloth with her paws rather than hooves. "Now it'll feel like we're really a part of the team."
"Hey, Scott, why don't you give the others their scarves. I'm gonna help Applejack with setting up our new grove," Johann said, then licked his lips. "And soon, have all the berries we can mix into delicious smoothies."
"Fine, you tubby fire lizard," Scott teased, taking the other scarves Johann carried before he got them dirty. "After that, we're doing some serious training. We'll get that fire burning in your gut before you know it." Johann nodded, then made his way to the plots with Applejack to learn how to farm their new berry trees. Scott headed inside the base, where the other girls and Spike were starting to wake up. "Morning, recruits. How'd you all sleep?"
"Ugh. Still pretty exhausted," Twilight said as she stretched her arms. "Who knew our first Mystery Dungeon would have left me this tired?"
"Maybe because you don't go out much, egghead," Rainbow teased with a snicker, earning a deadpanned leer from the Ralts.
"Wait until we go through even tougher dungeons in the future," Scott said. "Instead of traveling for a couple hours, we could be in a long one for weeks."
"Weeks? Without a break or rest?" Rarity questioned in shock. "I'd be all dirty and grimy on top of being exhausted. And if I plan a spa day, I'd better not have to reschedule when I need my most important relaxing sessions."
Scott sighed and shook his head. "Well, being in a rescue team's not all about luxury when there's Pokemon that need to be rescued." Ignoring whining for beauty needs, Scott held out the scarves for them to see. "Anyway, Johann and I went to the Kecleon Bros. store and got you guys some scarves."
"Awesome!" Spike cheered. He approached the Riolu and snagged the green scarf, which was a more lighter shade than Johann's. Spike tried to put his on, but his tiny arms weren't able to reach behind his neck as he grunted while attempting to tie his scarf. "Ok, not awesome. Stupid tiny arms." Scott set the scarves down on the little table so the rest of the girls can get theirs, then helped the Gible put his scarf on. "Thanks. These look pretty cool."
"Well, these are so...plain," Rarity said. She watched her other friends take their scarves and put them on: Twilight with purple, Rainbow with blue, Pinkie with pink, and Fluttershy with yellow, leaving the Skitty with the white one. "Oh well. Once I figure out how to sew with these paws, I'll make sure these all look absolutely fabulous."
As Scott watched the rest of the Mane Six put on their new accessories, he glanced at Pinkie, who had her scarf on immediately while the others were still tying theirs. He knew Swirlix didn't have arms, and her tail wouldn't be able to tie knots on its own, but one second his eyes were off of her, she's already got it perfectly worn around her fluffy cotton candy body. He shouldn't question it, and he was going to avoid questioning it as more important matters with him and Johann were his top priority at the moment.
"Ok. It's gonna be a free day for today, guys," Scott said. "You can do an easy mission or relax, just make sure to let me and Johann know so you don't end up in any trouble with rogue Pokemon."
"Okie dokie lokie, sir, captain, sir!" Pinkie said, making a mock salute with her tail and her tongue sticking out while wearing a serious expression on her face.
"...Right. Just...don't do anything...weird," Scott advised Pinkie, then went back outside to get Johann for some training.
"Sweet. A whole day off," Rainbow said. "I've been meaning to catch up on my power naps."
"We literally just woke up, Rainbow Dash," Spike said.
"Exactly. I need all the energy I need to chase down anymore no-good thieves like those Purrloin," Rainbow said, then flew off to find a comfortable tree to perch on for her power nap.
"Well, if we've got the whole day to ourselves, I'm going to help myself to the guild library and do some more research," Twilight said, rubbing her hands giddily before racing out the door.
"Oh, wait, Twilight! I want to come, too!" Fluttershy called out, hopping after the eager Ralts. "I want to see what other cute baby Pokemon there are in this world!"
Spike and Rarity watched Twilight and Fluttershy disappearing down the road toward Pokemon Square. Spike sighed, glad to not be responsible cleaning up after Twilight with her usual reading binges. Hopefully, she didn't get kicked out for hogging any books from the other guild members. He looked out to the other side of the road, where Scott and Johann were prepping themselves for their sparring match.
"I'm just gonna watch them practice," Spike said to Rarity. "Maybe get some battling pointers. And figure out how to breathe fire as a Gible." Spike took in a deep breath, then blew heavily, only letting out air with no embers or a lick of flame coming out. "I kinda miss that part of being a dragon...even though I still am a dragon."
"Whether you can breathe fire or not, you're still the same, lovable baby dragon, Spikey-wikey," Rarity said, startling the Gible as she nuzzled him.
Spike giggled sheepishly, his cheeks turning a bright pink from feeling his crush's cheek against his. "W-Well...uhh, heheh, I...I'm gonna...just go...over there," he stammered before sprinting off to join the male Pokemon and watch their battle.
Rarity tittered, finding a little entertainment in making the baby dragon bashful with his obvious crush he fails to hide. Finding nothing to do, Rarity decided to spruce up the base a little, and while she cleaned, figure out what to add onto their new scarves.
Scott grunted as he leapt away from Johann, avoiding the Charmander's sharp claws as he charged toward him. Scott skid to a halt, grabbed both of Johann's hands, then started pushing him back as the Fire-type's feet skid against the ground. Johann growled, doing his hardest to push his partner back while Scott pushed harder and picked up speed. Both Pokemon were coated in dirt and clumps of grass, making a mess of their training field after only an hour of nonstop sparring.
"Come on, Johann! Where's that muscle under your tubby, scaly belly!?" Scott taunted, driving his friend to push himself harder. "Munchlax have more muscle under their fat!"
"Grgk! Taking...it...too far!" Johann grunted. He managed to slow Scott's pushing, only to lose his footing and slid forward. Scott quickly released his friend's claws, then slammed his paws down on the Charmander's back, slamming him to the ground. Groaning, Johann rolled onto his back, panting heavily as he stared at the sky, which was then blocked by the Fighting-type canine's head as he looked down at him. "Ok. I think...I'm done."
"Alright, let's take five." Scott held his paw out to Johann, who immediately took it and was helped back up on his feet by the Riolu.
"How do you have so much energy?" Johann questioned.
"I've got plenty of energy to burn in a whole day," Scott said with a toothy grin. "But you're doing a good job keeping up with me."
"I can't do it forever, though," Johann mumbled.
"Wow. I don't know if I can be as good as you two," Spike said. He got both their attention, almost forgetting the Gible was standing on the sidelines watching them train. "I'm so short and...tubby. Even more so than I was as a normal dragon."
"I think you did pretty well for your first time fighting as a Pokemon," Scott said. "Just wait until you evolve into a Gabite. You'll do much more when you grow out of your small size. Just ask Johann."
"Will you stop making fun of my belly?" Johann grumbled with a deadpanned leer.
"I was actually talking about your height, but you said it, not me." Scott patted Johann's stomach teasingly with a cheeky smirk.
The Charmander smacked his friend's paw away. "A Gabite, huh?" Spike pondered. "Wonder what that looks like...Oh! I think Twilight left that Pokedex thing in the base. Maybe I can see what I'll evolve into with that."
"Uhh...I don't know how that thing works, but maybe it can," Scott said.
"Still afraid of that thing?" Johann asked, giving him a teasing smirk this time.
The Riolu grumbled bitterly before stomping off to the base. Spike and Johann followed, but just as they were about to enter the base, Rarity jumped out from the entrance, startling Scott as he stepped back.
"Not another step in here, mister!" Rarity scolded, then pointed a paw at Johann. "You too, Johann!"
"W-What's your deal, Rarity?" Scott questioned.
"Do you two have any idea how filthy you two are!?" the Skitty exclaimed. Scott and Johann looked down at themselves, noticing how dirty they got from their sparring session. "I just cleaned our base, and I don't want to see a single dirty footprint anywhere in here!"
The three boys peeked around the Skitty, noting how much cleaner the inside of the base looked: the hay beds were neatly formed, some mail they got was stacked perfectly on the table, even some of the berries they had for food were arranged in piles by their type. "...Wow," Johann uttered. "Definitely clean."
"And you two are the exact opposite," Rarity reminded the two team leaders. She glanced at their scarves, which were just as dirty as their bodies. "Your scarves need a good washing as well. Take those off so I can get those cleaned while you go and wash yourselves at the pond."
"A little dirt never hurt anyone," Scott said.
"You are living with several ladies, and it's not gentlecoltly of you to leave your abode like a pigsty," Rarity lectured the Riolu, finding his opinions on filth similar to that of a real dogs with his canine appearance. "If you were to find another girl Riolu, would she be glad to see you covered in muck?"
Scott sighed heavily, already getting frustrated being forced out of his own base by one of his own teammates, and she just so happened to be a neat freak as well as being prissy and into clothing fashions. "I'm never going to get the strange customs you have in your world." Rarity continued staring defiantly at Scott and Johann, refusing them entrance to their own base until they obeyed her whims. "...You're really not going to let us in, are you?" She shook her head in response. Scott grumbled, giving in as he untied his scarf around his neck. "Fine, but let me remind you again, Rarity. I treasure this scarf, and I don't want it ruined or lost."
"If you 'treasured' it, you should probably take much better care of it," Rarity uttered under her breath, making Scott's ears twitch with an annoyed growl. He gave his scarf to Rarity, who immediately cringed as she could smell just how filthy the scarf was. "Egh! It reeks! You've never so much as washed this thing ONCE in your life!?"
"That makes that scarf so much more valuable to me!" Scott argued. Rarity cringed, using her paw to grab the red scarf, refusing to carry that in her tiny mouth. She then glanced at Johann, waiting for him to give her his scarf, but the Charmander seemed hesitant and nervous. Scott noticed, though his annoyance toward Rarity's prissiness overlooked how his friend was feeling. "Just give her the scarf, Johann. She's just gonna keep whining about 'dirt' and 'smells' all day, and she's going to kick us out of OUR base."
Johann cringed, mumbling under his breath as he twiddled his fingers anxiously. "U-Uhhh...B-But..." Johann knew not to argue with a female over something as petty as cleanliness. And with Rarity, Spike, and the other girls from a different world, they lived in different ways compared to how Pokemon like he and Scott live out theirs. The look Rarity gave him and his friend's impatient foot-tapping made him cave in, letting out a sigh as he untied the knot behind his neck. "O-Ok..."
"Thank you," Rarity said as she took Johann's scarf. "Now, off you go to get a bath. And make sure to get behind your ears."
Scott growled, glaring daggers at Rarity. "W-Wait, I can't take a bath!" Johann exclaimed. "I'm a Fire-type, remember? And I can't get my tail wet. I guess I can't-" Before the Charmander could pass by the Skitty, thinking he got away with a good excuse, Rarity's tail flicked from behind the entrance, tossing a pair of sponges at Scott and Johann. They both caught them, staring at the sponges quizzically. "Uhh, w-what?"
"You can take a sponge bath, Johann," Rarity said. "Just soak the sponge and rub it over your body. Your tail won't go out, and you can get yourself cleaned without jumping into a bath. Or pond, since that's the closest source of water."
Johann whimpered and hung his head. "Where'd you find these?" Scott questioned.
"How else do you think I got the cleaning supplies?" Rarity responded with her own question. "Sadly, not many Pokemon in town have any proper cleaning chemicals, but I'll make due with only clean water."
"You bought stuff without telling us!?" Scott exclaimed. "How much did they even-!?"
"Get going before I have to force you to take a bath like a bad puppy!" Rarity interrupted, her shrieking voice making the Riolu wince.
"Ok, ok, fine! Sheesh!" Scott grabbed his friend's arm, dragging him off to the pond. "I swear, some females are so pushy."
As soon as the pair disappeared into the trees, Rarity let out a sigh. "They behave like little foals," she mumbled. Scott's whiny complaining reminded her of her little sister, Sweetie Belle, which made her miss the unicorn filly. "Oh, I hope Sweetie Belle is alright." All she could hope was that they'll find a way back home soon. Looking down at the scarves, she grimaced at the dirty accessories, then to Spike, who had been silently watching them "discussing" their living arrangements. "...Spikey?"
"Yes, Rarity?" the Gible asked.
"Would you mind helping me clean these?" Rarity asked. "And maybe after, help me make a laundry line?"
Her eyes may have been in a permanent squint as a Skitty, but she didn't need to flutter her eyelashes to entice Spike. "Anything for you, Rarity," Spike dreamily sighed, grabbing Scott and Johann's scarves and skipping inside.
Rarity watched him approach the bucket of water she used to clean the base. "Remember not to ruin Scott's scarf," she reminded Spike as he began to wash the scarves. "At least, not as much as it already seems to be."
Spike nodded, making sure to be super careful with Scott's scarf. "Right. Not a single scratch will come to-" As he grabbed the green scarf, Spike's claws brushed against something that was a bit rough around one section. "Hmm? What the...?" Pulling Johann's scarf out of the water, he felt around the strange bump. "That's odd."
"What is it, Spike?" Rarity asked.
"I think there's...something in Johann's scarf?" Spike showed Rarity where he found the strange roughness that was somehow inside the accessory.
Rarity peered closer, noticing a small bump protruding from the simple piece of fabric, and she could see a small patch of it sewn around this bump. It wasn't a pocket, finding no opening, and having a pocket in a scarf, something used to cover one's neck, seemed to lack any sort of functionality.
"Huh. That is quite odd," Rarity uttered. She touched the bump, feeling what seemed to be a rounded stone inside. "Doesn't feel heavy, so it's not some sort of weight for Johann. I could try to pull out this stitching, but I shouldn't pry if whatever it is is important to him."
"I wonder what's inside it?" Spike uttered.
"I only hope that he isn't choking himself when he wears it," Rarity said.
After the scarves were washed, the duo headed outside to create their own makeshift laundry line. Little did they know that there were a pair of eyes peering at them through the dense shrubbery of a tree near the base, mostly eyeing the scarves the Gible held onto.
Down by the pond, Scott sat in the shallows, grumbling to himself while using his sponge to wash every speck of dirt out of his drenched fur, while Johann stood by the edge, being careful to scrub himself when he got to his tail. "'Don't forget to get behind your ears. Be all squeaky clean or else you're not allowed inside your own base. Meh meh meh meh meh.' Jeeze, why are females so bossy?" Scott muttered to himself, subconsciously getting behind his ears while complaining. "Sounds just like my mom."
"Well...w-we were kind of...filthy," Johann stated. "I just want to be clean as quickly as possible..."
"Yeah, yeah," Scott mumbled. The two males finished washing themselves, with Scott jumping out of the water, staying far enough away from Johann as he quickly shook his fur dry. "There. Clean and dry. Hope that satisfies that prissy Skitty."
Scott and Johann hurried back to the base with their damp sponges in hand. Applejack was taking a little break from her hard work, drinking some fresh water while relaxing under the base. "Enjoy your bath, fellahs?" Applejack asked with a teasing chuckle.
"You know Rarity's going to force you to take one, too," Scott grumbled. "You've been literally working in the dirt since the morning started."
"Yeah, Ah know," Applejack sighed. "Hard to argue with Rarity about cleanliness. Had a spat with each other durin' a bad storm and took shelter in Twilight's home for the night. Mah hooves were covered in mud and she forced me to wash them outside with a hose. While it was pourin' rain."
"Sheesh. Some friend," Scott scoffed. "And the rain would have washed the mud off if you ran for Twilight's place. How picky is Rarity?"
"Ya have no idea," Applejack uttered with a shake of her head.
Scott rolled his eyes, then walked into the base, where Rarity was humming and sweeping up some dust around their beds with her tail. "We're clean. Give us our scarves. And our dignities while you still have them."
"They're drying outside, darling~," Rarity said. "Spikey-wikey and I made a little laundry line to dry any clothing we acquire after getting a proper wash."
Scott sighed, but Johann rushed out to the left side of their base, where the drying line was set up. A pair of sticks held up some strong enough wire, which was only raise to maybe a couple feet considering the heights of most of the group being so short. However, the three sets of wires were bare of any clothing.
"Uhh...They're...not here," Johann said.
"What do you mean they're not here?" Scott questioned. He looked at the bare drying rack, already beginning to panic as he looked around the area if it fell off or got carried by a gust of wind. Finding no sign of his treasured scarf, he ran back inside the base, Johann flinched as he heard Rarity squeal and yell before watching Scott carrying Rarity over his head, run toward him and the laundry line, then plopped the unfortunate fashionista to the ground. "Where is my scarf!?"
"Uhh, OUR scarves?" Johann pointed out, but the Riolu ignored his nervous friend.
"I told you they were hanging on the-!" Rarity looked and pointed at the laundry line, only to pause when she saw nothing hanging on it. "Huh? I could have sworn we just hung them up to dry a few minutes ago."
"Well, they're not here!" Scott exclaimed.
While the Riolu pulled his dread-like appendages in exasperation, Johann noticed something on the ground underneath the line. There was a black feather that Scott missed in his panicked search, clearly belonging to a Flying-type. Johann picked up the feather, holding it out to Scott and Rarity.
"I think someone took them," he said. "And by the color, this clearly isn't Rainbow Dash's. Starly feathers are more gray and a lighter shade of black."
"A Pokemon stole a couple of scarves?" Rarity questioned. "Who would be crazy enough to steal them?"
"Someone who knows who that scarf originally belonged to!" Scott growled, snatching the feather out of Johann's grasp. "Let's find the scarf thief and show him not to mess with my precious treasure!"
Scott dashed off down the road toward Pokemon Square, leaving Rarity and Johann coated in dust he hastily kicked up as he sprinted off. The two coughed until the dust settled with Rarity letting out an annoyed mewl.
"Who would even want a scarf that tattered?" she questioned. "I suppose we better rein Scott in before he causes a ruckus."
Johann nodded, biting his lower lip nervously as he, too, wanted his scarf back. The two walked over to Applejack, who tilted her hat curiously from witnessing Scott's mad dash down the road.
"What in sam hill is goin' on with him?" the Yamper asked.
"He's freaking out over his special scarf," Rarity explained. "A bird Pokemon swiped his and Johann's scarves while they were hanging out to dry."
"Oh boy. Ah knew he told us he got it from a...what Pokemon did he call it? A Ru-carry-oh?" Applejack pronounced poorly. "Somepony from a rescue team he looks up to."
"Lucario," Johann corrected. "That's what Scott'll evolve into."
"Right. Kinda hard to say these Pokemon names," Applejack uttered. "Let's get the others and find Twilight and Fluttershy. Either we got a curious bird thinkin' it found somethin' for a nest, or it might actually be a thief that needs to be stopped." Rarity just sighed, but went with Johann to gather Pinkie and Spike while Applejack wandered off to find Rainbow Dash. Luckily, she spotted the lazy Starly perched on one of the trees' branches close to where she was creating her plots of land. "Rainbow, wake up! We got a job to do!"
Rainbow didn't even budge, snoring away like the heavy sleeper she is. Looking down at her stubby legs, Applejack wasn't able to do much tree bucking, but she could ram Rainbow Dash out of the tree with her whole body weight. Taking a few steps back, Applejack charged forward, tackling into the tree hard.
"Znrk! H-Huh!?" Rainbow was startled awake as the tree shook, her talons losing their grip as she fell to the ground with a yelp and crashed with a thud. "Ugh...What happened?"
"Nap time's over, Rainbow. We're headin' into town," Applejack said.
"So my power nap was ruined by a grocery trip?" Rainbow grumbled irritably.
"Somepony stole Scott and Johann's scarves," Applejack said, peaking the grumpy Starly's interest.
"A thief, eh? More evil Pokemon to stop? My power nap can wait." Applejack shook her head with an amused smirk, knowing that would change Rainbow's mind.
"I can't believe EVERY species of Pokemon reproduces by laying eggs," Twilight said, shocked, exasperated, and highly confused. She and Fluttershy spent some time at the library before heading back into town, looking up books on baby Pokemon, but when they found out the reproduction process, everything about baby Pokemon threw them for a loop. "How is that even possible for mammalian Pokemon like what we are? And being so big! I know it makes sense for avian, aquatic, and insect Pokemon, but mammals!? They're supposed to give live birth!"
"Well, the egg groups for the parents are a bit...interesting," Fluttershy said. "But the different patterns for the eggs feel like a mystery. You never know what the baby will look like unless it matches their parents' fur or skin color. It's still adorable, though."
"I need to see the birthing process for myself one day, from a mammalian Pokemon, and see them lay an egg for myself," Twilight grumbled. As they reached the center of town, a blue and black blur whizzed by them, nearly knocking them over. "Whoa! Hey!"
"W-Was that Scott?" Fluttershy asked.
Her suspicions were correct when they saw the blur skid to a halt, then looked around shiftily while holding a feather. He dashed toward other Pokemon wandering around town or selling their wares, searching mostly for Pokemon with feathers than fur, holding up the black feather to find who it belonged to while eyeing everyone skeptically.
"What is he doing now?" Twilight groaned. "Did he forget what personal space is?" Using Confusion, she snatched the Riolu, dragging him away from a brown and tan bird called a Pidgey hopping merrily down the road, hanging him upside down as he yelped and flailed about in a panic. Scott stopped his flailing when he saw who was levitating him against his will, only to be dropped unceremoniously on his head, dropping the black feather he was holding on to. "Why are you going around bugging everypony with a feather?"
Scott flopped over on his stomach, quickly getting back up, but Fluttershy kneeled down to pick up the bird feather before he could. "A Pokemon with black feathers took my precious scarf when Rarity forced me to take it off to get washed!" Scott exclaimed. "And...she forced me to take a bath!"
Twilight gave Scott a blank stare, making it so much easier to hide her disdain from her bowl-styled hair. "...Seriously? You're upset with Rarity...for getting you and your scarf clean?"
"YES!" Scott shouted.
"Well, umm...you kind of did need a bath after yesterday," Fluttershy said. "You were pretty smelly."
"Me being clean or dirty is not the point!" Scott exclaimed as he flailed his arms about. "Someone took my scarf!"
"So then get a new one," Twilight stated, which irked Scott as he glared at the Ralts with a twitchy eye.
"Lucario from Team Swift Savers gave me his very own scarf! I can't replace that with boring, useless piece of scrap!" Scott yelled with a frustrated growl.
Before Scott could go on a tirade about how important his scarf was to him, the rest of their friends arrived. "Hey, guys!" Pinkie called out.
"Where's the thief!? I'm ready for some action!" Rainbow cheered.
"No dice so far, but when I find that bird thief, I'm gonna pummel them into next week!" Scott said, pounding his fists together.
"And Fighting-types have a weakness to Flying-types, remember?" Twilight reminded the Riolu, but he didn't care unless he got that scarf back.
Fluttershy looked at the feather curiously. She may not know much about the Pokemon in this world just yet, but since many of them were similar to animals back home in Equestria, she could put some pieces together with the shape, color, and texture of the black feather left at the scene of the crime.
"...A crow feather." Everyone quickly turned to Fluttershy as she voiced her deduction. Realizing her friends went silent, she glanced at them, her cheeks turning pink, feeling bashful as all their attention was on her. "Oh. Uhh, well, I think the feather is similar to a crow's...if there are any like them."
"A 'crow'?" Johann asked. "You mean...like a Honchkrow? Or a Murkrow?"
"Of course!" Scott snatched the feather out of Fluttershy, startling the Buneary. "It's gotta be a Murkrow!"
"What's a Murkrow?" Spike asked.
"Come on, these gotta be worth something!" Overhearing someone down near the Kecleon Bros. shop, they found the twin chameleon Pokemon talking to a Murkrow, the possible Pokemon suspect in the scarf snatching. Black feathers along its body, its plumage looking like a witch's hat while the tail looked similarly to the bristled end of a broomstick with a red band around the base of its tail. They saw its red eyes and its oddly shaped beak as he grabbed several different accessories from his bag and scattered them on the counter. "There's high demand for these special bands, scarves, ribbons, and all that junk! You can't tell me all these ain't worth at least five thousand Poké!"
The twins glanced at each other, barely buying anything the Murkrow was trying to sell. "You know, we can tell exactly which kinds of accessories have special properties," Green stated.
"And these are absolutely worthless," Purple added. He then held up a red scarf, making Scott gasp when he saw the very same amount of wear and tear from his own scarf. In fact, that actually WAS his scarf, and along with the other random pieces of fabric or plastic, Johann's was in the pile, too. "This one's been through so much abuse, its value means absolutely nothing. You have better luck finding better looking accessories in Mystery Dungeons."
"I guess that's a Murkrow," Twilight figured.
Spike, who was currently carrying the team's toolbox, pulled out the Pokedex and gave it to Twilight. She aimed it at Murkrow after opening it, revealing an image of the same Pokemon as the electronic voice rang out from its speaker.
"Murkrow, the Darkness Pokemon. A Dark and Flying-type. Many people believe that if you see a Murkrow at night, it will bring bad luck."
"Another Dark-type," Twilight mumbled.
"But it's the middle of the day, so I guess they're good luck right now?" Pinkie pondered randomly.
"Oh, I believe so, because that's my scarf!" Scott said, he stomped over to the shop, the others following close behind him to keep him from acting out in the middle of town and causing trouble with the Kecleon twins. "Hey, Murkrow!" The dark crow Pokemon shifted its head toward the irate Riolu, barely flinching as Scott pointed a digit at him. "That's my scarf you're trying to pawn off! You take something that precious to me, you're gonna feel my wrath!"
"What are you talking about kid? I found that ragged old thing in a Mystery Dungeon," Murkrow scoffed. "And it should be worth its weight in Poké."
"You lying, birdbrained thief!" Scott shouted, only to be held back by Twilight's Confusion before he could pounce Murkrow.
"Hey, bro, now that I'm looking at that old scarf, that does look like the one that kid wore," Green Kecleon said to Purple.
"That's because that IS mine!" Scott exclaimed, then struggled to hold his arm out, showing the Kecleon Bros. and Murkrow the culprit's "calling card". "This feather seems to match yours quite nicely! Molting a bit too early before snatching things that don't belong to you, Murkrow!? Especially from a rescue team like us!?"
Green and Purple looked at Scott's scarf, where his rescue team badge was still pinned to his treasured possession. Johann's badge was also still on his as well in the pile of stolen accessories. Murkrow barely even flinched, even knowing that stray feather pointed him out as the thief. Sighing in defeat, Murkrow raised his wings up, his head hung low and eyes closed.
"Alright, alright, you win, kid. You got me. I stole all this stuff," he said. Surprised, Scott had calmed down slightly, though he was still a bit skeptical of Murkrow giving up so easily. Twilight released her psychic hold on the Riolu, preferring not to have him cause a scene in the middle of town. "What can I possibly do against a rescue team of this size? I sincerely hope you can forgive me and my horrible crimes."
"Huh. That was actually really easy," Spike said. "I guess not all Pokemon want a fight when they know they've done wrong."
Murkrow snapped his eyes open, a small smirk around the corners of his beak when he glanced at the toolbox Spike was carrying and the Pokedex in Twilight's hands. Rearing his head back, Murkrow let out a caw, along with a black mist that spewed out from his opened beak. Startled, everyone covered their faces as the mysterious smoke blinded Team Rescue Rangers and the Kecleon Bros. and coughed as they inhaled it. Murkrow flew out of the mist, laughing at them mockingly as he made his escape.
"Agh! W-What...is this smoke!?" Rarity exclaimed while hacking her lungs out.
"N-Not smoke!" Johann said. "Murkrow used Haze on us!"
"Rainbow Dash, blow this wind away!" Twilight exclaimed through her coughs.
"Oh, right!" Rainbow used Gust, blowing away black, though completely harmless mist. Once the Haze was clear, everyone gasped in surprise when they saw the Kecleon Bros. counter was completely bare. "Hey! He ran away!"
"AHH! The Pokedex!" Twilight screeched. She panicked and looked around for the Pokedex, knowing for a fact she didn't drop it in the sudden veil of black mist. "What happened to it!?"
Spike yelped, suddenly feeling light when he noticed that their toolbox was gone, too. "W-What happened to the toolbox!?"
"Murkrow took the rest of our stuff while we were blinded by that Haze!" Scott growled.
"Hey, some of our inventory's gone, too!" Purple exclaimed in shock.
Green glowered angrily toward the road. "That lowlife stole from us. He's gonna pay severely for robbing us like that." Green hopped over the counter, startling the others as he looked back at Purple. "Stay here and watch the shop. I'm going after him."
"Wait, can you even fight?" Twilight asked, mostly concerned for one of the shopkeeper twin's safety.
"You think we get our rare stock from bartering with other Pokemon?" Green asked back, then turned to Scott. "Hey, kid, your kind uses aura, right? Think you can find where that Murkrow ran off with our stuff?"
"I hope so." Scott quickly closed his eyes and focused his aura. He looked around, looking past the several dozen aura signatures from nearby Pokemon to find Murkrow's. Luckily, he managed to catch sight of the thieving bird Pokemon before he left the Riolu's farthest range. "Got him! He headed down the road and turned toward the woods!"
"Let's hurry before we lose him!" Green Kecleon said.
The rescue team hurried after Murkrow with Green Kecleon alongside them. Rainbow Dash flew on ahead, being the only Pokemon not restricted to chasing on foot, hoping to catch up with the thief and slow him down.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Murkrow cackled, relishing in the spoils of his thievery as he flew to the next town. With Team Rescue Rangers' toolbox strapped around him, along with their items stored inside were the Pokedex, his stolen accessories, and some extra goods he snagged from the Kecleon Bros. "Bunch of suckers. Rescue team brats are so gullible, they'll believe any bad Pokemon is willing to change with one little apology. Lots of loot I could sell elsewhere before hitting that town again."
"HEY!" Murkrow turned his head toward the voice, only to squawk when something fast slammed into the back of his head. He spiraled out of control for a few seconds before flapping his wings to right himself, making sure he didn't lose anything in his "new" toolbox. He look toward where he was struck from, and when he turned around, he found what sucker punched him. Rainbow hovered in Murkrow's path, glowering at him. "Not so fast, buddy!"
"Whoa. Quick little Starly, aren't ya?" Murkrow questioned.
"Faster than you think," Rainbow gloated. "Now give back our stuff before I knock you out of the sky!"
"I'd really like to see you-" Rainbow, in the blink of an eye, rammed Murkrow in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Coughing, he smacked Rainbow away with his wing. "Y-You little runt! I'm gonna-!" He yelped as Rainbow flew circles around him, getting pecked and scratched at by the insanely speedy Starly. "Hey! Get off of me! How are you so fa-!? AHH! Cut it out!"
Down below, Team Rescue Rangers and Green Kecleon caught up with the avian pair, watching Rainbow zipping around the disgruntled Murkrow. "Your Starly friend's got some impressive speed," Green commented. "I thought we'd be running for a mile to catch up to Murkrow."
"Rainbow's the fastest pega- er, Starly around!" Pinkie said, quickly correcting herself to avoid confusing Green.
"We gotta knock that Murkrow out of the air somehow," Twilight said. "But my Confusion won't work on a Dark-type."
"You know Thunderbolt?" Green asked Applejack.
"Err, Ah know Nuzzle," the stetson-wearing Yamper said.
"Huh. I guess that makes sense with you guys being a young rescue team," Green said. Reaching a paw behind himself, his curled tail opened, revealing a small stack of sharpened spikes colored pink with white tips. Taking one, he observed the strange-looking dart with coral-like flights at the other end. "Luckily, I keep plenty of spare Corsola twigs on me in case of an emergency."
"Corsola twigs?" Spike asked curiously.
"Is a Corsola a Pokemon?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yup. From the shed coral off their backs and carved into nifty, yet very tough darts," Green explained. "Useful for hitting thieves who try to make a break for any of our inventory when we set up shop in a dungeon."
"You set up your business inside Mystery Dungeons too!?" Twilight exclaimed. "Are you helping rescue teams or wanted Pokemon!?"
"Hey, if anyone's got Poké, and they don't steal anything from under our noses, then anyone's a loyal customer," Green said. Twilight sighed, questioning the business ethics with businesses and dealing with criminals, even if they had money to buy their wares. Green looked back up, gripping the Corsola twig in his fingers and brought his hand up. "And this Murkrow's no longer a customer. Let's take this birdy down."
"Wait! What if you hit Rainbow Dash!?" Johann exclaimed.
"Relax, kid. I've practiced with these twigs plenty of times," Green assured the nervous Charmander. The Kecleon took aim, rearing his arm back to prepare his throw. He waited for Rainbow to back away, letting her distraction steer Murkrow's sight on him and the others down below. "Alright...Carefully...And riiiiiight..."
Seeing his opening, Green Kecleon let out a grunt and threw the Corsola twig hard. Murkrow finally smacked Rainbow Dash away from him again, but just as he was about to attack the Starly, the pink and white coral dart struck one of his wings. Cawing in agony, Murkrow fell, flapping his free wing wildly while his injured wing was clutched to his side. His quickly descending hover ended with a painful crash to the ground down the road, where the others ran toward the crash site. Murkrow groaned and winced as he staggered back on his feet.
"Ow! What just clipped my wing!? A random Beedrill!?" Murkrow grunted as he stretched out his injured wing. Looking at the appendage, he spotted the twig that struck him contrasting against the black feathers. "A Corsola twig?"
Rainbow hovered down to the ground beside Murkrow, giving him a hard peck in the face, sending him staggering backward and falling on his rump. "I'll be taking all of this back!" she said as she snatched the strap and pulled it away from Murkrow, adding insult to his injuries as the stuffed toolbox smacked into his bad wing.
"AHHH! OW! My wing!" he cried out as he clutched it tightly. He quickly dove his beak into the twig embedded in his wing, then yanked it out swiftly. Murkrow let out a pained grunt as he pulled the coral twig out, spitting it on the ground with a grimace. Glancing at the cocky Starly, the rest of her friends arrived to join her. "Of all the rotten luck."
"That was a nice shot!" Pinkie cheered, waving around a random white board with the number ten on it. "I give that a perfect ten!"
Rainbow set the toolbox down in front of everyone. "Good thing this didn't break when that Murkrow divebombed after he couldn't handle my awesomeness," she gloated with a cocky smirk on her beak.
"You were just a blockade and a distraction," Applejack grumbled.
Scott quickly ran up to the toolbox and opened it. Luckily, all of their stuff was intact, but he was more focused on his prized scarf.
"Oh, thank goodness!" he cheered as he picked up the slightly tattered, but clean scarf, he quickly tied it around his neck and nuzzled the cloth. "I'm never taking you off ever again!"
Johann and Kecleon joined the Riolu, the former grabbing his green scarf and putting it on while the latter checked to make sure his and his brother's inventory was all in check while mixed up with Team Rescue Rangers' items. "Good. Everything's still there, along with all the other stuff this thief took," Green said. He closed the toolbox, giving it to Johann. "I'll sort out my stuff with yours after we take Murkrow in."
"I'm not going anywhere, shopkeep!" Murkrow shouted. "Night Shade!"
Murkrow's eyes began to glow a menacing dark purple and black, followed by a pair of laser beams of a similar color shooting out from his pupils. Scott and Johann dove away, but Green Kecleon crouched, not even trying to leap away as the beams were headed straight toward him. The attack connected, making the Kecleon stagger back as the beams split and kicked up dark energy from it as they struck him.
"Oh no! Kecleon!" Fluttershy cried out in shock.
The Equestrians worried about Green, but to their surprise, he stood back up with a smirk, barely phased by the powerful beam attack. Even Murkrow was aghast, clearly hitting the shopkeeper dead on. Green's skin let off a very faint glow, which only lasted for a brief second.
"Not the smartest bird of the flock if you forgot what type of move Night Shade is." Green pulled out another Corsola twig hidden in the coils of his tail. "Word to the wise: know your target before you try to rip them off!"
Murkrow began to panic and tried to fly away, only to yelp when his injured wing flared up in pain. Green Kecleon threw his second twig at the stumbling Murkrow. He cawed in surprise, ducking and narrowly avoiding getting struck in the chest, but as he looked up, he was met beak to fist with Scott's paw. The Riolu punched Murkrow hard, making the Dark-type stumble back.
"You messed with the wrong Riolu, buddy!" Scott quickly leapt behind Murkrow, then thrust his arm out at him. "Vacuum Wave!"
Blue wind shot out in a beam from Scott's palm, striking Murkrow's back as he yelled out in pain and flew back toward his friends. Murkrow crashed to the ground, letting out a dazed groan as he passed out. Scott grunted, slightly disappointed at the easy win, but that was another no-good thief taken down by him.
"H-How did Kecleon survive something that powerful?" Twilight questioned.
"Night Shade is a Ghost-type move, but it didn't affect me at all since I'm a Normal-type," Green explained. "Normal and Ghost-types don't affect each other, so that Night Shade didn't even harm me at all."
"It sure looked painful to me," Rainbow said. "So, what would happen if I got hit by that? Would that hurt me?"
"Technically, Rainbow Dash, you're also part Normal-type along with Flying, so it wouldn't have hurt you at all," Twilight explained.
"...Cool," the Starly said, already getting a swelled ego for any future encounters with Ghost-types.
"Ok. Let's take this thief in and head back to the base," Scott said as he took his rescue team badge off his scarf and called Magnezone. The security Pokemon hovered down from the air, snatching up Murkrow in its magnetic hold. "Make sure you let guild master Alakazam know that Team Rescue Rangers bagged another wanted Pokemon thief. We're sure to go up in rank faster than he can blink."
"THIS MURKROW IS NOT A WANTED CRIMINAL! BZZZT!" Magnezone said. Scott balked, giving the metallic UFO Pokemon a baffled stare. "HE IS KNOWN TO BE A PETTY THIEF, STEALING CLOTH AND ACCESSORIES THAT ARE WORTH NEXT TO NOTHING TO PASS OFF AS SPECIAL GEAR! STILL, HE WILL BE PLACED UNDER ARREST, BUT THE REWARD IS NOT AS BIG AS ANY WELL-KNOWN WANTED CRIMINALS! BZZT-ZZT!"
Scott balked in disbelief, letting out a small grunt in annoyance. "Seriously? All our luck running into wanted Pokemon, and we stop a weaker, pettier thief?"
"Define 'luck'," Johann uttered, giving the Riolu a deadpanned leer.
Magnezone took his leave with another caught criminal while the rescue team and shopkeeper headed back to town.
After returning to Pokemon Square, Green Kecleon retrieved his and his brother's stolen goods from the clumsily stuffed contents of Team Rescue Rangers' toolbox. They even took the stolen accessories Murkrow nabbed from other Pokemon to help return them to their rightful owners. Like Magnezone stated, the scarves, ribbons, bandannas, and all manner of fashionwear Murkrow stole were just plain accessories, with little to no value. At least for rescue teams or adventurers.
Back at the rescue team base, the sun was beginning to set as the group sat in a circle and had a large variety of berries for dinner. "Well, that was an interesting day off," Twilight said.
"You're telling me," Scott agreed. "I almost lost my scarf to a terrible thief." He then leered at Rarity. "If Rarity didn't force us to take a bath, that wouldn't have happened."
"Excuse me!? You're blaming me when that Murkrow stole your scarves by pure chance!?" Rarity exclaimed angrily.
"If we were still wearing our scarves, they wouldn't have gotten taken in the first place!" Scott argued.
"Oh, great," Spike grumbled, shaking his head in exasperation. "He's still going on about his scarf."
"Scott, we got our scarves back. Just let it go," Johann said, trying to calm his friend down.
"No way! This scarf is important to me!" Scott exclaimed, grabbing his scarf and practically showing it off to the group.
"Yes, yes, we get it! It's getting as old as Rainbow Dash gushing over the Wonderbolts!" Rarity said.
"Hey, the Wonderbolts are awesome, and I'm a shoo-in to be one when they see what I can do!" Rainbow exclaimed, but the Skitty ignored the irate Starly, even as Applejack held Rainbow back by chomping down on her tail feathers.
"You have a lot of nerve blaming me for something out of my control!" Rarity continued. "Even if it got lost, you could get another one just like it and find this Lucario you got it from to sign it or something!"
"Wow. For someone who's so obsessed with fashion, you clearly don't understand how special something can be for someone!" Scott exclaimed. "I CAN'T replace this because this scarf is what helped inspire me to become a rescue Pokemon after he rescued me!"
The room went silent as all eyes were on the Riolu. Scott's scowl slowly faded, feeling a bit embarrassed as he looked down at his paws. Rarity had no rebuttal after such an outburst and the Riolu's hesitant reaction after he blurted out that he was once a rescued Pokemon. The Equestrians looked at Johann for some clarification, but the Charmander was just as surprised as they were.
"I...I never knew that," Johann said. Scott grunted, averting his gaze from the others as he reached for a berries and stuffed his mouth. "You talked about Lucario and his team so much, but...I thought you followed them and their heroics and were the lucky Pokemon to be chosen to be given his scarf."
"You had to be rescued?" Twilight questioned in disbelief. Scott grumbled, slowly chewing his mouthful as his ears drooped bitterly. "I shouldn't say I'm surprised with how much you boast about being strong, but...you actually needed a Pokemon to rescue you?"
Growling, Scott swallowed his food to speak. "It was like a year ago," he said. "My kind train at a very early age, but...I got lost in a long...very dangerous Mystery Dungeon...Near where me and my parents live."
"In a Mystery Dungeon?" Rainbow asked skeptically. "Aren't you always excited to jump into a Mystery Dungeon for a request or job?"
"It was a highly dangerous Mystery Dungeon. It wasn't like the Cat's Den," he explained. Scott reached out for another berry, trying to avoid embarrassing himself further. But since no one was asking him anything, just staring at him quietly, he sighed and set the berry down in front of him. "Riolu are supposed to be tough, but that doesn't mean I'm always ready to take on just about every Pokemon that towers over me. We have our limits and weaknesses, too. But I didn't explore that Mystery Dungeon because I wanted to be an adventurer or a rescuer; I wound up getting lost when I stumbled into a hidden entrance."
Up in the forest near the mountains, there lived a small village of Lucario and Riolu. Most lived there peacefully while some trained hard to protect their homes from rogue Pokemon. Far from the center of the village was a hut where Scott lived, along with both his mother and father. Lucario shared a similar blue and black fur, but in different places along with the cream-colored fur around their torso, and the blue fur around their thighs look like they're wearing furry shorts. Other differences between evolutions are the longer ears, their forepaws are now black instead of being all blue, spikes now jut out from the backs of their paws, along with one from the center of their chest, and they have four hanging appendages instead of two, and were located more behind where their ears were on the back of their heads instead of on the sides.
Out in their yard, Scott was busy training with his father, throwing punches and kicks while the male Lucario blocked his son's attacks. "Don't just swing wildly! Keep your eye on your opponent and concentrate on finding their weak points!" he instructed.
"Hiyah!" Scott shouted as he leapt up and kicked. The Lucario blocked his foot, and with a hard flick, sent the Riolu flipping rapidly in midair. Scott was sent flying in the air a few feet before falling back down, only to be caught upside down by the waist by his father, who wore an amused grin. Scott groaned, his head spinning as he limped helplessly. "Did I land?"
"If you meant landing a hit on me, then no," Scott's father said.
"Honey, what are you doing to our son?" Looking up from his son, Scott's mother stood by the road with her arms crossed over her chest. On her upper right drooping appendage, she wore a red ribbon tied up in a bow. She also had a basket of juicy apples sitting by her feet. "If you want to hold him, you can't do that while he's upside down. The blood will rush to his head."
"Just a little bit of training," Scott's father said. He flipped Scott back upright, still groaning dizzily as his head hung back lazily. "He still needs to learn to have a little more patience with his aggressive fighting, but he's improving...Sort of."
"Uh huh. Just no roughhousing without me to supervise you two," she warned. "Now, wake him up. We're gonna eat some lunch."
"Alright." Scott's father shook the dazed Riolu until he woke up. "Practice is over for now. Time to eat, son."
"Ok. Then back to sparring!" Scott cheered.
Both Lucario laughed at their son's eagerness to get back into training. Ever since the natural disasters got worse, hearing stories about rescue teams traveling around and helping Pokemon excited Scott. He wanted to hear every bit of news about every rescue team out there. They were all shocked when the worst of the disasters, a giant meteor, was heading toward the planet. They all wouldn't have survived were it not for the bravery of Team Go-Getters, the team of Squirtle, Charmander, and Chikorita, volunteering to be teleported to Sky Tower, climb it to reach Rayquaza, and getting the guardian of the Earth to destroy the meteor. Ever since they heard the news and watched the meteor shatter pieces in the sky a few months ago, that heightened Scott's excitement even more. He wanted to meet a rescue team so badly, no matter if they were famous or not.
As Scott was finishing power munching his share of apples, ready to get back to some more training with his dad. "All done!" he said with his mouthful before swallowing.
"Honey, you're going to choke if you keep eating that fast," his mother scolded.
"Why don't you go warm up some more until I'm finished with lunch, son?" his father suggested.
"Ok! And this time, I'm gonna land a hit on you! Right in the chest!" Scott promised confidently, hearing his parents laugh faintly as he ran out and passed the time by practicing his agility through the woods. Weaving between the trees, even hopping from branch to branch, he pretended he was rushing through waves of Pokemon as he hurried to save a missing or captured Pokemon from harmful ones. "Take that! And this!" the Riolu said to his invisible foes, making swishing and impact sounds as he threw punches and kicks at the air, imagining taking down tough Pokemon in his way. "No Pokemon stands against my might! I'll be the strongest Lucario in the world!"
He came to a stop with a dive kick, landing on the ground and striking a heroic pose, imagining being admired by other Pokemon and his opponents all cowering at his "amazing" skills and power. While lost in his fantasy as he slowly sauntered his way back home, he froze when he stepped on a patch of ground that suddenly shifted under his weight. The second he looked down, the ground caved in, sending him falling into a hidden pitfall and crashing into an underground cavern. Not prepared for the mysterious pitfall, Scott fell and landed on his stomach, groaning slightly with a wheeze.
Sitting up, he rubbed his stomach with a grunt. "That hurt..." Scott looked around, staring at what seemed to be a long tunnel with two different ways to go down. "Don't tell me Diglett dug through here and left traps around for a laugh. That's so annoying." He looked up to see if he could leap out of the hole, but for some odd reason, the hole he fell into was gone, and the ceiling seemed a bit closer than the higher fall he seemed to have taken. "Huh? Where'd the hole go?"
Thinking it was concealed by something, Scott jumped up to the ceiling, only to smack into solid wall. He fell back, landing on his feet this time, but now his muzzle hurt after ramming into it face first. Once the pain dulled, Scott looked down each direction, left with no choice but to find the exit to this underground cavern. Picking a random direction, he walked down the corridor, turning corners to other corridors, and wandering around big, wide open rooms. Scott didn't know much about tunnels Ground-types dig, but he was sure they didn't make such elaborate mazes in their spare time.
After walking down each corridor, Scott began to feel lost. He kept making random turns, hoping to find some sort of way out, only to be met with either a dead end or feeling like he's been in the very same empty room. He did find a random staircase in one of the rooms, which brought dread to the Riolu's gut; he wound up falling into a Mystery Dungeon. He thought there would be Pokemon roaming around, but didn't run into anyone. With nowhere else to go, Scott went down the stairs to the next floor, hoping he didn't have to travel too far to escape.
Scott continued searching for the stairs, going down floor after floor after floor, growing more anxious the longer he was stuck in here. Still no sign of any rogue Pokemon, or any items for that matter. Scott's heard of Mystery Dungeons before from all the heroic feats rescue teams go through, but all of them were supposed to be inhabited by Pokemon in some capacity. As he began to wonder if there were abandoned Mystery Dungeons, once he set foot into a massive room, a huge group of Pokemon dropped down with a yell, startling Scott as he leapt back in surprise. Judging by the heavy thuds, all of the Pokemon in the room must have been pretty big and heavy.
Most of them Scott couldn't make out, mostly due to three massive Pokemon standing before him and obscuring most of his view of the rest of the room. On his left was a Magmortar, its hulking body a mix of fiery orange and red, cannon-like arms with three claws, its hair, shoulders, and tail billowing with flames, and its prominent feature on its face is the big pink lips in a sadistic-looking smile. On his right was an Electivire, a yellow-furred beast with black rings around its forearms, legs, and around its head along its eye level, other black markings along its upper thighs and torso, two antennae with bulbous tips on its head, and two long black tails with small, rounded red tips. And between these two was a Rhyperior, a massive beast of brownish-gray with some of its body covered in orange, rocky plates around its torso, shoulders, and head, a club-like tail, and two horns: one small one on its forehead and another longer, drill-like one on its nose. Scott didn't worry much about the other Pokemon in the background when he was already face to face with three incredibly powerful Pokemon.
"Well, well, well. Looks like a runt wound its way into our Monster House trap," Rhyperior said as he looked down at the startled Riolu. "We were expecting a rescue team to show up, but it looks like it was all a waste."
"We should probably teach this little pup a lesson," the Electivire said as he pounded a fist in his open palm.
The other Pokemon agreed with the Electric-type, some snickering mischievously as they eyed the Riolu. Gulping nervously, Scott tried to put on a brave face as he put his paws up.
"I-I'm not...scared of you!" he bluffed, failing miserably with his stutter. "I can...I can knock you all out with one punch!"
The menacing Pokemon burst out laughing, embarrassing Scott, but he wasn't going to let them poke fun at him. Scott yelled and ran toward Rhyperior, giving the Rock and Ground-type Pokemon the hardest punch he could throw into his belly. A light thud rang out as Scott struck Rhyperior's gut, but the tough Pokemon was barely fazed as he glanced down at Scott. Scott grimaced, his paw aching from the thick hide of the Rock and Ground-type's body, but he wasn't going to back down and threw more punches with a yell. All the Pokemon stared at the Riolu, unamused, until Rhyperior glanced at Electivire and Mamortar with a chuckle.
"Ain't that cute?" Rhyperior asked as he pointed to the small Pokemon pup. He then grabbed Scott by the scruff of his neck, making him yelp as he was yanked up to Rhyperior's face. "BUT IT'S WROOOONG!!" Rhyperior roared, nearly deafening Scott while getting drenched in the Pokemon's saliva. "To throw a punch strong enough to hurt, you pull your arm back. Like this."
Confused, Scott watched the Rhyperior pull his free arm back, ball his paw into a fist, and before he realized his advice was laced with sarcasm, Rhyperior threw his fist straight toward the Riolu. Getting struck in the gut, Scott wheezed and was sent flying across the room as the Pokemon let him go. Smacking into the wall, Scott let out a strangled yelp, nearly blacking out as his head struck the wall as he collapsed to the ground. Struggling to breathe, Scott coughed, his body shaking as he forced his limbs to prop himself up. That Mega Punch should have knocked him out cold, but Rhyperior must have held back so he and his buddies could torture him some more.
"Aww, now don't tell me you're done yet?" Magmortar mocked. "Come on, get up! Fight back!"
"Aren't you supposed to be a little tough guy?" Electivire questioned. "Not so tough when you're put in your place, huh, runt!?"
Scott managed to get up on his knees, clutching his injured stomach. Shakily looking up, the Pokemon began to surround him. He winced as he backed away, only to bump into the wall he was punched into. Scott was completely outnumbered and outmatched. He could barely move and was in excruciating pain. All he could do was shut his eyes tightly and cover his face, awaiting his unfortunate fate with incredibly tough and brutal Pokemon.
Down one of the cavern hallways of the Mystery Dungeon behind the large group from the Monster House, three sets of swift footsteps came rushing into the room, along with three voices.
"Water Shuriken!"
"Energy Ball!"
"Aura Sphere!"
Some of the Pokemon in the back turned around, only to be met with a pair of explosive forces and hard strikes, startling the rest of the Monster House. They all turned around, some of the rogue Pokemon already fallen as smoke from the two exploding attacks kicked up dust in the room, shrouding their view from the mysterious attackers. As the dust cleared away, Scott could see between Rhyperior, Magmortar, and Electivire, and the trio who intruded on them harassing the Riolu.
"Hey, you know how low you have to go to beat up a kid?" The Pokemon who spoke once the air was cleared was a Lucario, but it wasn't Scott's father; this Lucario wore a red scarf around his neck, both his paws at his right side as a sphere made of pure aura formed between them. Between him were his partners bearing similar colored scarves, though they wore theirs on their right arms. On Lucario's left was a Greninja, a blue bipedal, frog-like Pokemon with a yellow chest, white triangular markings over his eyes, a fin-like extension running down the middle of his head with similar fins on each side of his head, light blue webbing connecting the three head fins, large, white bubble-like bumps on his knees and elbows, and around his mouth was what seemed to be an elongated pink tongue that acted like its own, longer scarf. On Lucario's right was a Sceptile, a green bipedal lizard Pokemon, his lower jaw, the rims under his yellow eyes, and the belt-like band across its waist a red color, two rows of yellow nodules running down its back, a bushy palm tree-like tail, and three sharp claws with two sharp, elongated leaves on both of its arms. Respectively, they had shuriken made out of water and a sphere of green energy at the ready with Lucario. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
"Who the heck are you!?" Magmortar questioned.
"We've come to get that kid back home to his parents after he disappeared a while ago," Lucario said. "Luckily, Team Swift Savers came at the right place at the right time while we had a few jobs to do around this area."
"A rescue team, huh?" Electivire chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "Perfect. Let's beat up the wannabe heroes, then keep messing with the twerp."
Greninja remained stoic while Sceptile rolled his eyes. "'Wannabe heroes'? Yeah, right."
"Well, let's show these guys how heroic we are," Lucario said with a sly, confident smirk. "Swift Savers, scatter!"
On Lucario's command, Sceptile and Greninja dashed off to opposite sides of the room while Lucario leapt into the air. All three Pokemon unleashed their attacks, catching the Monster House off guard as they were focusing on one of them, only to get struck by the others' attacks. As their rescue team was named, all three Pokemon moved incredibly fast, far faster than the Pokemon in the room. Magmortar, Electivire, and Rhyperior ignored Scott and scattered with their gang to stop the rescue team, doing so painfully with poor coordination and using brute force impatiently.
Scott watched in awe despite the pain in his body. He couldn't believe a rescue team came to his rescue, and that his parents requested their aid to find him and get him out of this dungeon. Scott watched the rescuers fending off the brute Pokemon group with ease: Sceptile sprinting around while using Leaf Blade, which extended the leaves on his forearms to sharper blades, Greninja ducking and leaping over his opponents while using Night Slash, his webbed fingers glowing a dark aura as he slashed through Pokemon, and Lucario, whom Scott was mostly paying attention to, rushed forward after landing, bringing his paws together and slowly spreading them apart, creating a long staff with his aura in the shape of a long, very thin bone. Scott recognized this move as Bone Rush, and watching Lucario twirl that aura bone staff in his paws while whacking his foes around with it was exhilarating. And Lucario was facing down Magmortar, Electivire, and Rhyperior, too.
Ducking and weaving around the Pokemon, Lucario smacked or thrust his Bone Rush staff into them, all three of them weak to the Ground-type attack. Magmortar tried to unleash his Flamethrower at the rescue Pokemon, but Lucario sank down into a split, jabbed the Fire-type multiple times in the abdomen, knocking all the air out of Magmortar, then shot back up and kicked him hard in the face, knocking him out as he fell on his back. Electivire tried to thrust its electrical tails at Lucario while his back was turned, but missed and instead wrapped around the aura staff. With a hard pull, Lucario sent Electivire staggering forward as he dispersed the aura, then thrust both his palms hard into Electivire's chest. As the Electric-type wheezed, Lucario delivered another swift blow to Electivire's chest, then grasped one of his arms and flung him over his shoulder, throwing him on top of Magmortar.
Rhyperior roared and charged Lucario, rearing his fist back to hit him with a Mega Punch. Barely flinching, Lucario turned to face the incoming rhino Pokemon. He lifted a paw up, and to Scott and Rhyperior's shock, he managed to grab Rhyperior's fist, and he didn't even budge an inch from the impact. Rhyperior tried to pull his arm back, but Lucario had a tight, firm grip on his fist.
"You know, you shouldn't judge appearances," Lucario advised. Pointing his free thumb, he urged Rhyperior to look around the room. He did so, only to find the rest of his Monster House Gang beaten to a pulp and knocked unconscious, Greninja and Sceptile left with barely a scratch after nonchalantly dusting themselves off. Rhyperior gulped nervously as he glanced back at Lucario, who held an Aura Sphere in his palm. "We're not one of the best for nothing. We rescue Pokemon swiftly, and we make sure jerks like you get just as swift of a beating."
With a yell, Lucario thrust his Aura Sphere into Rhyperior's chest, creating a powerful explosion on impact that sent the heavy Rock and Ground-type Pokemon flying across the room. Rhyperior crashed into the wall with a grunt, slowly falling over with a small groan onto his stomach. Lucario dusted off his paws while his partners regrouped with him.
"Too easy," Greninja muttered.
"What a waste of time," Sceptile grumbled.
"Hey, we got a bit of a warm up before our actual mission," Lucario said, reassuring his two adamant comrades. Seeing they were going to be a bit miffed, Lucario shrugged his shoulders, then looked at Scott. Calmly, he walked over to the injured Riolu, then knelt down as he stood next to him. "You alright, buddy?" Speechless, Scott couldn't even utter a word in response, his heart racing in excitement as he met a genuine rescuer and watched him and his team fight. Instead, he dumbly nodded, even though he winced slightly from his bruised torso. "Just barely hanging on, huh? Up we go." Lucario picked Scott up, being careful not to squeeze him too tightly and bother his injuries. He joined back with his team, hefting Scott up to sit him on his shoulder, then grasped his rescue team badge pinned to his scarf. "Mission accomplished, boys. Let's get this kid back home."
In a bright flash, all four Pokemon warped out of the Mystery Dungeon, blinding Scott as he blinked and rubbed his eyes to get rid of the annoying spots in his vision. When he could see, he found himself and Team Swift Savers at the entrance to what seemed to a hidden cavern in the mountainside, not at the hole he fell into. It wasn't too far away from his home, but it baffled him by how he found what seemed to have been a secret entrance to this Mystery Dungeon.
"I'll fill up the hole the kid fell in so no one else accidentally drops in there," Sceptile said before leaping away, dashing away into the forest to find the second hidden entrance.
"And while he's getting that, let's head back to the village and get you back to your folks," Lucario said to Scott. Greninja followed his leader as the duo ran down the path to the village, Lucario holding Scott tightly while he rode on his shoulder. In less than a minute, they arrived at the village entrance, Team Swift Savers living up to their name in and out of Mystery Dungeons. And waiting for them were Scott's parents, his mother greatly relieved as she was nearly in tears. "Here's your son, safe and sound. A little banged up, but he's quite a trooper, as our species is."
"Oh, thank you so much!" Scott's mother exclaimed, rushing over to the leader of Team Swift Savers and grabbed her baby, oblivious to his cries of pain as she squeezed him in a tight hug. "I was so worried about you, sweetie!"
"Ow! Mom! Pain!" Scott cried out while flailing his limbs.
"Yeah, I'd ease up on the poor kid," Lucario said. "He took a really nasty blow from a Rhyperior in that Mystery Dungeon, but a couple Oran Berries should heal that up." The mother quickly let go of the Riolu, grinning sheepishly. Scott rubbed his sore chest as he turned to face his saviors. "Try not to wander too close to any loose bits of ground. Your aura should be able to see those, even Mystery Dungeon traps if you focus hard enough. In fact, you might have some potential being a rescuer yourself. Didn't even faint after that injury."
"I wouldn't want to put ideas in his head after he fell in a Mystery Dungeon not even several hundred yards away from our backyard," Scott's mother said worriedly.
"Relax, dear," Scott's father said, trying to assuage his mate's fears. "We'll try to keep a close eye on him. He's pretty excitable. Especially during our little training sessions."
Sceptile suddenly dropped down beside Greninja, barely startling his teammates with his swift entrance. "Hole's all covered. Even placed a small warning sign to warn anyone else."
"Great work, Sceptile," Lucario said. Scott's father pulled out a small bag of Poké to give to the rescue team, but Lucario shot it down. "Nah, no need for payment. Just knowing your boy's safe is good enough for us." Sceptile and Greninja didn't like shooting down the small reward while they were already busy today, but they hid their disdain in front of the parents and their child. Scott was a bit surprised to see Lucario turning down his parents' reward for rescuing him. Scott was even more shocked to see Lucario take off his rescue badge from his scarf, then took off his accessory, kneel down to him, and wrapped his scarf around the Riolu's neck. Scott's jaw hung open, glancing down at Lucario's scarf briefly before looking back at him. Lucario grinned and gave Scott a wink. "A little gift for ya, bud. You got a lot of heart to be part of a rescue team. Maybe even a leader.
"When we meet again, I want to see how much stronger you've gotten. And if you haven't found some partners to form a team, we just might recruit you in Team Swift Saviors." Scott's pupils shrank, and if his jaw could open any wider, it would have fallen out of his muzzle. Lucario pat Scott's head, leaving the stunned Riolu stammering in awe as excitement bubbled and threatened to explode in his chest. "Swift Savers, move out!"
The three rescuers leapt overhead into the trees and hopped from branch to branch to their next destination. Scott watched them leave with his parents, though their words fell on deaf ears as the Riolu slowly, shakily brought a paw up to touch his new scarf. His slack-jawed mouth slowly curled into a wide, open-mouthed smile. He was never going to forget Lucario's words, nor the incredible fight he witnessed, tempted to continue his training and be just as strong and awesome as he was.
"Ever since that day, I kept training, and a couple months later, I decided to come here to enter the guild and be a rescuer," Scott said, continuing his story. "That's when I met Johann, we became friends, and then later partners in our rescue team in a couple months of training at the guild." He looked around the circle, wowing everyone with his story. He touched his scarf, the memories of his rescue from Team Swift Savers still replaying in his mind. "This scarf may be from the first rescue Pokemon I've ever met who saved me, but it reminds me how much of an inspiration Lucario was to me; to be strong, courageous, and help those in dire situations, no matter who or what gets in their way. That's what I believe a rescue Pokemon should be, which is also why this piece of cloth is priceless to me."
Rarity did not expect such a story from Scott. As a fashion designer, all that mattered most to her was what styles were in for the season, which always changes every year and no past styles ever make a return to be considered retro. At least she knew now why Scott was so possessive of that scarf. Simplicity and heavy wear and tear were one thing, but a memento with both of those poor qualities mean a whole lot more to the owner than just an extravagant fashion statement that would last a few months for a crowd going with the latest fads.
"...I didn't know it meant that much to you," Rarity said. "But, why did you feel embarrassed telling us about it?"
"...Because...my first Mystery Dungeon was filled with tough Pokemon, and I lost and had a rescue team sent by my parents when they couldn't find me," Scott explained.
"THAT'S embarrassing?" Twilight questioned.
"Oh, like you're embarrassed by worse, Ms. I-Freak-Out-Over-A-Boring-Test," Scott muttered, making the Ralts grumble irritably.
"I think, to a Fighting-type or like Scott's species, losing in a fight is humiliating," Johann guessed. "But with such strong Pokemon in a Mystery Dungeon that has a Monster House, you shouldn't feel that embarrassed."
"Which is why I'm going to keep training and get stronger so that doesn't happen again," Scott said.
"Yes, that's fine and all, but if you get into a scuffle, can you at least wash that scarf every once in a while?" Rarity begged. Scott growled, leering at the Skitty as he protected his scarf from her future attempts to take his treasured scarf. "I will not touch it. I promise. I just ask that you clean it so it doesn't smell bad or get so filthy...Along with you taking a bath, too. There are ladies present in the base, too." No sooner did Rarity finish her statement, Applejack let out a loud belch after swallowing a mouthful of berry, which was then followed by one from Rainbow Dash, then a comically loud and long one from Pinkie Pie, which rumbled the whole base. A few seconds of silence passed before the whole room burst out into laughter sans Rarity, who grumbled and looked away bitterly. "Well, most of us are ladies..."
Once the laughter died down, Scott looked down at his scarf again, humming in thought for a moment before looking back at Rarity. "...Alright. I'll try to keep this clean. But no promises." Rarity smiled, satisfied, and just as she was about to make another demand, Scott interjected. "And no, you're not going to 'fix' it. It's staying like this, but I will wash it."
"Oh...Very well, then," Rarity sighed. "Although, it would look so much better if I tailored it just a tad so it didn't look like it ran through a mower." She looked over at Johann, remembering something that was hidden in the Charmander's scarf. "Johann, there's something I wanted to ask about your scarf." Johann flinched, his eyes quickly darting toward Rarity with a nervous grimace. "While Spike and I were washing your scarves, we felt a strange...bump inside it, like there's some sort of stone sewn inside. Do you know what's inside it?"
Johann's eyes shifted nervously before he quickly stood up. "Uhh, gotta use the bathroom!" he said with a sheepish laugh. "Man, those berries go straight through me! Be right back!"
Johann ran out of the base and ran around the side. "Well, when nature calls, nature calls," Spike said.
"I warned him all those berries were gonna be the death of him," Scott sighed with a shake of his head.
"Don't ya find it a bit weird Johann's got some kind of rock in his scarf and it don't bother him none?" Applejack questioned.
"Maybe it's some sort of weight," Scott reasoned. "I know I'd wear something to weigh me down for training."
"Didn't feel that heavy when we picked it up," Spike said.
Scott hummed curiously, he and the rest of the group wondering what sort of stone Johann's hiding in his scarf.
Sitting by the lake in the woods, Johann stared at the night sky in silence. Slowly, he took off his scarf and lowered it onto his lap. He gently ran a claw along the mysterious bump hidden inside, letting out a relieved sigh.
"I thought I was going to lose it forever," he mumbled to himself. After taking a breath, he tied his scarf back around his neck, then stood up and headed back to the base. "I don't want any of them to know...Not yet..."
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
884 users online
1,238,427 hits today, 2,364,530 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Great chapter!
and if I may guess. I’m assuming that bump was a mega stone right? I remember in the 3DS Pokémon game there was a time where you can fully evolve and I believe mega evolve to
10620159
Well, the evolution cave is something you can only get from the post game, and you CAN actually evolve your two main characters.
wonder what the odd bump is. hmmmmmmm.
It's a Megastone. In the Pokémon Adventures Manga for X and Y, a Charmander always holds its tail and later discovered after evolving, there was a Megastone in its flame
An everstone?
10772698
so the real question: Charizard X or Y?
Okay just gotta say stealing from a Kecleon is basically a death wish when come to mystery dungeons games and great chapter
awesome chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter
Outstanding chapter! Keep up the good work!
10772889
I’d expect so.
Are you going to have the team evolve? The only thing that I have a problem with is the fact that you can't evolve until after the story is done.
10781356
The team is going to evolve. We're going to ignore the random evolution logic from the games since that was a bit of a dumb gimmick. I didn't know this until a while ago on a youtube video around dark or sad endings, the Explorers games had an evolution spot as well, yet you and your partner Pokemon are unable to evolve despite reaching their proper lvls or with the right item because of the time paradox your character had made. So we'll just say the influx of natural disasters from the Rescue Team story and the meteor at the end stunted every Pokemon's evolutions until it was destroyed. Or maybe some unknown phenomenon prevented them to evolve, but we're skipping out on the evolution cave giving Pokemon the chance to evolve and be stronger and have their evolutions be natural through training, happiness, items, etc.
10781833
Yeah that gimmick is dumb.
Honestly... Has that Murkrow never been to a mystery dungeon, anyone that has know it's the world's worst idea to rob a Kecleon.
Oh hell no. One does not steal from them and lives to tell the tale. I still remember the first time I accidentally took an item from the dungeon from them and they hunted me to next week.
I wonder what happens when they meet a Ditto? Will there be a situation were one of the M6 gets an egg from a Ditto…
Whoa! Scott had to be saved from a bunch of stronger Pokémon and it’s good to see 3 Pokémon that aAsh has in the anime he in action. No wonder Scott wants to become a Lucario.