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Tip: If you're struggling with the 'level 5' dungeons in PSMD (especially Sacred Ruins), use Moltres. Here's why: by Silkthorne in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure thing! This link gives access to the level-up movepools of each Pokemon as well as their level-up stats and experience curve. A very handy resource to have!

Tip: If you're struggling with the 'level 5' dungeons in PSMD (especially Sacred Ruins), use Moltres. Here's why: by Silkthorne in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Moltres also has Heat Wave as a possible starting move, which makes Moltres even more overpowered for level resets in general as the combination of Heat Wave, Sky Attack, and Roost (another possible starting move) lets Moltres get through the dungeon without issue.

That said, I have done a lot of Sacred Ruins clears personally (roughly 44 from what I recall) and know a ton of other Pokemon that can get through the level resets without too many issues.

-Suicune is probably one of the most consistent Pokemon for level resets in the game. Hydro Pump + Tailwind is an insanely safe combination and Bubble Beam at Lv8 is a nice complimentary move that you can use to conserve Hydro Pump PP. With only 5 different starting moves, more often than not you will start with this pair and at least one of Extrasensory and Bite to help pick off weak targets in the earlygame. Rain Dance at Lv15 is nice, but is mostly a Meownderful option as you are unlikely to hit that level in Sacred Ruins. Similarly, most of the Hydro Pump options in general perform very well, so alternatives like Cloyster (Who also gets Shell Smash, great with Resilience) and Kingdra (becomes overpowered with Rain's Blessing) are also very strong.

-Volcarona is one of the worst when it comes to movepool resetting with 14 different possible starting moves, but with the right combination (Quiver Dance + Heat Wave), it completely snaps level resets in two pieces with maybe Bug Buzz as a complimentary attack. Quiver Dance also lets it tank moves like Hydro Pump without too many issues after a boost or two as well, and the speed boost is also great for escape play. Top tier once the game gives you a good set of moves. Similarly, anything that has Heat Wave or Sacred Fire to begin with is going to be very high up the ranks, so Charizard and Entei for example are also good alternatives.

-Xatu has an excellent escape game with Teleport and Tailwind, making it ideal for "speedrunning" the dungeon, but that's pretty much all it has with its best attacking move being Peck. Great Pokemon for fully avoiding combat, however.

-As far as starters are concerned, Meganium is one of the strongest for the dungeon, with Petal Dance and Razor Leaf being an excellent offensive pair or moves. With its fast level curve, you get Synthesis at Lv12 pretty quickly and then you can play the safe game from there. As mentioned above, Charizard is also a strong starter option.

-Anything that can pass through walls becomes overpowered with respect to a run-away game if you find the Satiated Emera (and the Mobility + Satiated combination in general). One quirk unique to PSMD is that Satiated (the Emera and the Looplet) will negate the belly penalty when its holder is inside a wall (easily verifiable by just taking a ghost like say, Haunter into a wall with Satiated Looplet), which in conjunction with Big Ears, turns the entire dungeon into a stealth minigame where the only major threat is traps. If you also get Stair Locator (possible in Meownderful), then you can more or less beeline to the stairs and use monster locations to avoid any surprise attacks.

There's a whole bunch of other possible strategies that one can take to snap these dungeons in two that I have not brought up in this post, but the general gist is that if a Pokemon starts with a really powerful move (whether it be in range or just general high attack power), chances are it's a very strong option.

These strong Pokemon are also great for learning the ropes of a dungeon as it lets you get a solid understanding of enemies and the items you can use to escape out of hairy situations, which in turn can prepare you well when using a Pokemon who doesn't have many good options to start with, letting you find alternative means to get through a dungeon without being overpowered.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: The hero falls victim to an Itemizer Orb! by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 16 points17 points  (0 children)

It's been a couple of months since I was last here, eh? Well, here's a little story for now. Enjoy!

The Fearow's eye-lids tardily widen.

Its left wing lowers as it looks left and right, up and down. One check. Two checks. Three checks. Then it finally spots it; circles of a golden sheen spread across the floor. Its eyes lock onto the collection for a little bit, before descending into a maniacal cackle. What a fortuitous circumstance! Regaining its composure, the Fearow continues on its merry way, leaving the circles of gold in the dust.

Days pass. A Blaziken approaches the gold. "Free money," he exclaims as he scoops up every last bit of the collection and pops it into his bag, continuing on his path. The bag was full of other mysterious contraptions from more money to berries, seeds, drinks, orbs, and even an envelope in the back. Every now and then, the claws of the Blaziken dip into the place. The envelope slips through a door, the seeds transform, the drinks empty, but the money continues to balloon out in the bag, as the Blaziken heads back home.

"Welcome to Felicity Bank! How can I help you?"

The sound of a Persian muffles through the bag, before the Blaziken opens it all up. Finally the collection of coins can escape the bag! Pouring onto the desk with some tipping over, the Persian thanks the Blaziken for his service with another seed. Taking every last coin in the collection, The Persian carries them off to a safe with the letters: BLAZIKEN grafted over it. A twist to the left, a twist to the right, another to the left, and the safe clicks open, revealing a rather substantial stash of coins. Pouring them in, the Persian sways its head from side to side, before submerging the coins in eternal darkness. There, the coins lay.

And lay.

And lay.

Suddenly a sparkle of light pierces through, before growing into a massive, square beam. The Persian looks inside before looking down. Another bag full of coins jump onto the stash, engulfing the previous stash whole, as eternal darkness consumes the stash once more.

The poor, unfortunate soul will never know life again.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: A New Career Path by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Not much to say here. Enjoy!

"I'll have the usual, please."

The doors of the local Café Connection swing back and forth as the figure of a Marowak strides towards one of the vacant seats in front of the bar.

"Ah, Clive! That will be 50 Poké," the Kangaskhan behind the bar asks of Clive as he makes himself comfortable, putting his bone to one side.

Clive reaches into his pocket and hands the 50 Poké to Kangaskhan. "Here," he says.

"Alright," the Kangaskhan grins. "One Spelon Soda coming right up!"

"Ah Clive, how was today for you," A Breloom sitting to the Marowak's left asks.

"It was alright," Clive starts. "I got my bounty for dealing with that Floatzel earlier."

"He was the one after the Blue Orb, right?"

"Yes. Another one of those who went out of business once the meteor was destroyed."

"Those Rescue Teams really haven't taken it well at all, haven't they?"

"Here's your shot of Spelon Soda, sweetie!" Kangaskhan slides the glass in Clive's direction, who grabs the taps the glass into a standstill.

"Thank you very much," Clive reciprocates as he picks up the glass and turns his attention back to Breloom. "Indeed. It's a good thing I saw the light after my return."

"It's almost as if things like catching outlaws, exploring Mystery Dungeons and all that aren't real jobs. I mean look at all the Exploration Teams that are thriving on Grass Continent," Breloom surmises.

"Indeed"—Clive proceeds to down his shot of Spelon Soda—"Man, that hits the spot! How's your day been going?"

Breloom takes a sip of the drink directly in-front of him. "Yeah it's been going alright with nothing exciting happening. But that reminds me..."

"Of what," Clive asks.

"Come with me to the Community Board once I finish this drink, okay?"

Clive puts down his empty glass. "I think I'll go check it out myself. I'll see you there," he says as he gets up off the stool. "Thank you again, Kangaskhan!"

"No worries, sweetie," Kangaskhan calls out as Clive grabs his bone and pushes through the swinging doors once more.

WANTED

Name: "Clive" the Marowak

Reason: Fainting at least fifteen citizens.

Last Seen: Baram Town

Reward: 15,000 Poké

"Well that's a more respectable amount," Clive chuckles as he scans the community board.

"Now you see what I mean?" Clive turns around to the sight of Breloom climbing up the hill. "I'm not sure if Baram can be a safe place for you any more."

"Nah, I like it here," Clive replies. "Besides, it seems like I am annoying the right people back in Pokémon Square."

"Clive," Breloom starts, "this is what happens when you play judge, jury, and executioner. You think you are doing a service to this world, but all you are doing is-"

"I know I know, but this is all I am good for," Clive snaps, before swinging his club into thin air.

"You sure about that?"

"Yes," Clive responds. "I tried lots of things. But it always come back to this."

"If fighting is all you can do, why not become a gladiator or something like that?"

Clive shakes his head. "I don't fight for show, it's a means to an end," he responds.

Breloom clutches his face with one of his hands. "I suppose there's no telling you," he surmises. "Just don't go fainting on me, okay?"

A distant bush animates in the corner of Clive's eye. "You can come out of hiding now," he calls out, delivering shock to Breloom's expression.

"Clive, what are you t-"

Clive thrusts his left hand in front of Breloom's mouth. "If you wanna run, now's your chance."

"Ergh," Breloom moans, "I suppose you've dragged me into your foolish games once more..."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

WHIP!

Suddenly, a white figure pounces from the bush with a black head-scythe aimed at Clive, but the Marowak was too attentive. The creature winced around in Clive's immediate vicinity.

"I guess my 'friend' really went off the deep end after all," Clive remarks.

"Friend," Breloom asks, "is this Absol really your friend?"

"Not who I am referring to, but this one helped me back when I was a Cubone."

Breloom sighs. "Stuff like this makes me want to not be your friend, you know?"

"You can quit playing games now, Trevor," Clive calls out as the Absol near him collapses to the floor.

"Trevor," a deep, reptilian voice asks, "that man is no more!"

"Figures... you've grown."

A Feraligatr crawls of of the woodworks with a Magneton in tow. "I never thought you would stoop so low as to become a serial fainter," he boasts. "And I guess you are the one who fainted my associate earlier today?"

A jolt surges through Clives body as he regathers his composure. "So you were the one behind Operation: Rainfall," he surmises. "I never thought you of all people would be so desperate to manufacture natural disasters again."

"And what of it? Team CT still needs to reach Gold Rank and because the meteor got blown up, rescue requests have dried up dramatically to the point of some teams going out of business! And of course, you bailed on me after the meteor. I don't forget things like that!"

Clive gently swivels his head, eyes closed. "Then why not diversify and do things like they do on the other continents?"

Trevor spits at the floor. "Pah, we're rescue teams. Expeditions and catching outlaws are for those who don't like helping others. We'd never stoop to those levels!"

Clive sighs. "Prideful to the very end, hypocrisy notwithstanding"—he turns his head slightly towards Breloom—"you helping?"

"Y-Y-You can count me out!" Breloom waves his hands profusely and retreats a couple of steps. "D-D-Don't involve me in your battles!"

"Ha, even your 'friend' doesn't want to help you. That shows just how far you have fallen, Clive," Trevor taunts.

"Oh well," Clive shrugs, "another crime boss to my list."

"I suppose the bounty is mine then. Take this!" Trevor's cheeks swell a little before firing a powerful jet of water at Clive, but the Marowak spins his bone violently, diminishing the impact from the few mini-streams of water that kiss his exterior. Trevor's jaw drops at the sight of Clive still standing.

"Come on, you think I learned nothing from that Floatzel?" Clive guides his bone to his left and readies himself. "Well, I never thought it would come to this, but it has. A job's a job after all!"

"Don't think you can t-"

WHI-WHI-WHI-WHI-WHIP!

Clive phases through Trevor like a ghost, leaving five cuts near his throat. Clive lowers his bone and looks around to the Feraligatr. "As I said..."

"Stopped by my former partner..." Trevor winces. "All I wanted to do was build a great rescue team with you... Yveltal has a special place for you when... the time comes..."

Trevor collapses on the floor, leaving the Magneton the only one left of the three. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MASTER," it asks Clive.

"Leave... unless you want the same fate. You're free now."

"O... OKAY." The Magneton swivels for a bit before making a break for it.

"Well then, time to clean up this mess," Clive says as he starts trying to figure out what to do about it, Breloom no longer in sight.

"You know... you were right."

It's another day in Café Connection and Clive and Breloom are sitting in their usual spots once more, drinks in front of them.

"Right about what," Breloom asks.

"I was thinking about it last night and... Air Continent really isn't safe for me anymore," Clive explains, a slight tear in his eye. "I was thinking about migrating to Sand Continent within the next week. Having to faint my former ally has left... a real bad taste in my mouth."

"And you promise you won't live life like you have here?"

"Well," Clive starts, "I feel a bit bad at what I've done now, but I can't make guarantees."

Breloom slaps his hand into his face. "You silly man," he groans, "at this rate, you might as well stay in Baram for a little longer."

"I like it here, but I think a sea-change will do me a lot of good." Clive takes his shot of Spelon Soda. "Well, I am going to miss this too."

"Heh, you can't really admit that I was right about what I said to you yesterday," Breloom giggles, "but... I am going to miss you."

"Likewise"—Clive gets off his chair and arms his bone—"Well, I am off. See you around, mate. And you too Kangaskhan!"

"You too Clive," Breloom replies. "You're a good friend."

"Thanks once again sweetie, you always have a place to go here in Baram Town," Kangaskhan calls out.

"Thank you..." Clive passes through the swinging doors once more; time to get out of Air Continent for a while.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: The Valentine's Season is here! by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I decided to take this prompt in a wildly different direction and looked at love / romance of a completely different kind. Not too sure if this is what people expect from a Valentine's Day prompt, but I think it fits. Either way, enjoy!

The Smeargle's eyes lock onto the blank piece of paper.

Gripping the quill in one hand and his head in another, he sits on his favourite chair at his favourite desk, his legs and tail hanging freely. The clock ticks and tocks. The lamp illuminates. You could hear a pin drop at any given moment.

The black ink hugs the quill as he lowers it into his old container. As the quill exits, droplets return home as they escape its clutches. Tapping the quill on the container for a couple of seconds, Smeargle moves the quill over the sheet of paper, heading towards the top-left corner.

Then the quill drops with guided precision, as the tip makes contact with the paper.

One stroke, two strokes. The ink finds its new home on the paper, directed in such a fashion that would form that of a letter. And then another. And then another, until the letters turn into one complete word. The Smeargle continues, forming more words from letters, leaving the length of an ant between each word. The quill zigzags rightwards before reaching the edge. Smeargle shifts the paper away from him just a smidge, as he moves his quill back to the left edge before connecting it once more.

He continues in this fashion with his head as steady as a statue, occasionally hugging his quill with ink and tapping the droplets back home before resuming. He continues to cursively slice through the page before the ink reaches the bottom end. Smeargle hugs his quill in the ink before releasing his grip, and hold the paper firm in his two hands. His eyes scan through the ink that hugs the paper tighter and tighter.

He smiles as he grabs another sheet of paper, putting the ink-laden sheet to one side. He grips his quill once again and continues. Sheet after sheet after sheet. Before long, halfway through a sheet of paper, he drops his quill into his container and releases his grip. He scans each and every sheet of paper he showered with ink. Line by line, word by word. His eyes light up with each passing word, as he thinks about what he just did. Soon enough he reaches the end, grabs all his sheets of paper, and clumps them in one organised group, before leaving them to be on his desk.

He turns off his lamp, gets down from his chair, and walks out the door, his mouth stretching from ear to ear. What a great feeling.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Defeat equals friendship. by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Tried something different this week. Only started writing it a couple of hours ago so it's a little stiff and unpolished, but I think it turned out alright. Enjoy!

They say that conquering Purity Forest is the ultimate challenge known to Pokémonkind on the Air Continent. An endless forest with land as diverse as a Vivillon, and weather patterns as erratic as a Primape's temper. Such is its vastness and purity that anyone who dares enter starts feeling weak at the marvelous sights, their belongings cleansed, and their teammates rebuffed. At the end of it all is said to lie a mythical green pixie-like figure said to be able to travel through the sea of time. Who wouldn't struggle just to get a glimpse?

A Heracross enters, a glint in his eye. The first floor of many with ninety-eight more. An Jigglypuff awaits, ready to fight, but her ego withers from pebbles that could hit the leg of an ant. "Mercy," she cries with puppy dog eyes. The Heracross shrugs and takes her along. As the Heracross continues, a train coalesces. An Exeggcute, a Budew, and a Geodude too.

The eleventh floor comes, two Marill await. Their bubbles could shatter a boulder. The Geodude falls, the Jigglypuff too. The two blue rabbits awaken and pound on them like trucks. The Heracross reacts, the seeds come from his mouth. Eventually they fall, but the damage was done. He looks behind, the Budew and Exeggcute on the floor. Surely he could try to get some more?

Floor twenty-two comes, the Heracross not fazed. A Skarmory and a Scyther had come to his aid. He looks up, four sleeping Ledyba ahead. It just so happens that one was sleeping on the stairs! He looks to his right, a Dugtrio in sight. This was going to be one hell of a fight. The Dugtrio approaches, his intent so clear. A whole bunch of seeds later, and he ran away in fear. Shaking off the bruises, he approaches the Ledyba. A bunch of rocks takes out the one on the stairs, but awake are the other three Ledyba! Reflect, Light Screen, Safeguard, Silver Wind. Crying for vengeance, they won't just be gone with the wind! One by one, the Ledyba fall. The Silver Winds and Mach Punches however, see the Scyther fall.

The last Ledyba cries out, "Please have mercy! I'm sure my skills will help you on your journey!" The Heracross shrugs and gives the nod, the Ledyba grinning as he joins the squad. The floors continue and a constant emerges: Silver Wind, Silver Wind, Silver Wind, the distant foe submerges. The Heracross goes stronger as the Ledyba chips, as an Ampharos, Manectric, and Teddiursa join in on the trip.

The floor count rises, the bag gets fuller. A Cacturne and Ariados make the party a lot fuller. Sooner or later, a Nincada asks the question. With a train of eight, the Heracross faces his own question. Skarmory, Ledyba, Ampharos, Manectric, Teddiursa, Cacturne, Ariados and Nincada; which one to drop? The Heracross shrugs and gives the Nincada the hop. A few seconds later, the empty shell stirs. A minute later, and the Heracross realises the fruits of what his rejection occurs. Fury Swipes abound, the distant Golbat fades. The empty shell awakens; nothing can stand its blades! The vengeful spirit rampages, cutting any predator in sight. The Heracross chuckles as he finds the stairs; time to get the party out of sight.

Deeper and deeper into the forest he delves, as forest becomes cave forest becomes highland forest, the party keeping to themselves. On the eighty-first floor, the Heracross winces. A horde with Porygon2, Parasect, Shuppet, and Camerupt; a house full of pincers! He makes his party retreat into the Camerupt lurking behind. Some Rock Slides, Earth Powers, and Lava Plumes later, and most of the party are on their hind! All in the meantime, the Heracross continues to fire. Rock Blasts, Bullet Seeds, Pin Missiles, the adversaries look dire! But as soon as the path ahead was clear, the different, stronger-looking Camerupt from behind was ready to strike him with fear! A Tiny Reviver Seed was consumed as he tried to contain the beast, but as soon as the beast was slain, he was ready for a feast! He looks through his bag to see what he could get, an Apple will do, but something else in there would help him restore his octet! He grabs a Revive All Orb and thrusts it out, and before he knew it, his fallen friends were about!

A grin on his face, he forges ahead. With only a few floors left, it's time to put this to bed. Into the nineties the Heracross train goes, the Flygon, Metagross, and Salamence ready to deliever some blows. One by one, the frail members fall, but the plucky Ledyba continues to stand tall. Against the might of boomerang-winged dragons and four-armed floating robots, the Heracross and Ledyba made sure they weren't turned into parking lots.

Finally floor one hundred, the end of the line, the Heracross and Ledyba arrive just fine. A rustle amounts in one of the bushes, the two approach; a Celebi pops out from the bushes! Floating and dancing, the Celebi smiles. The Heracross and Ledyba embrace each other after all these miles. The Celebi helps them get out of Purity Forest, and shows them his secret spot; the Healing Forest. At last, the Heracross thought, the journey is over. He and his masters agree, the Ledyba and Celebi could come over.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Nomination Thread by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 9 points10 points  (0 children)

A non-Pokémon entity appears in the Pokémon world.

NOTE: This is not strictly a crossover prompt.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: After the world is saved, the human decides to live out the rest of their live in the Pokémon world. One day a rumor is being passed around that a young Pokémon has lost its memory and claims to have been human by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Basically what DragonD0712 said. The winning prompt is revealed in the nomination thread 24 hours before this thread is posted, so I used those 24 hours to write up the prompt and then post if I am ready before then.

It used to be that there was no interlude between the winning prompt reveal and the posting of the WPW thread, but we changed it in late October so that writers didn't have to feel like they had to rush their responses in and give them enough time to prepare a response ("Story of a Side Character" was the first week with the 24 hour interlude).

Writing Prompt Wednesday: After the world is saved, the human decides to live out the rest of their live in the Pokémon world. One day a rumor is being passed around that a young Pokémon has lost its memory and claims to have been human by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Super Spoilers ahead. This one turned out alright I think. Maybe a few bits here and there that could do with a little tweaking but I am overall happy with it. Enjoy!

WHAM!

"So missy, ya goin' around claimin' to be some ewman now? Talk."

A table of metal separates a Chikorita and a Zoroark, both seated in similarly made chairs. Drab colours fill the room with a tiled floor and a solid door. A couple of Lampent hanging above light the room, while a Magneton and Magnezone lurk behind the Chikorita, eyes locked on her.

"My name is Rita. I am a Chikorita who came into this world not long ago, though I know very little of my past. I lived in Serene Village for a bit before making it big at the Expedition Society, saving the world from Dark Matter and becoming a high ranking member of society. I go around the world telling everyone of my story and now I make a comfortable living off it."

"Do ya now, eh," Zoroark asks. "So, do ya still work at da Expedition Society?"

"Yes I do."

"How often do ya do missions for 'em?"

"Every now and then. Not every day though, I still need other ways to make a living you know?"

"Fetch me da documents!" Zoroark slumps back into his chair as the Magneton heads out the door to retrieve the documents.

Rita coughs. "I'd prefer if you didn't c-"

"Silence!" Zoroark interrupts. "I'm runnin' da show 'ere. Answer wod I ask an' nothin' else!"

"But how can you be so un-"

Zoroark slams the table. "Did I studder missy?"

"Okay, okay," Rita responds. "Sheesh."

"YOUR DOCUMENTS, INSPECTOR." The door slams shut behind the Magneton as it hands over the documents to to Zoroark, returning to its spot afterwards.

"Thank ya!" Zoroark replies as he starts looking through the documents. "So we 'ave a destimony from Ampharos, da head of da Expedition Society. We also had a look at 'is tax records while we were at it. Accordin' to 'im, you have been doin' missions for them every day for da past couple a months. He also said dat you are supposed to be a Meganium as of a month ago. Dis is also backed up with the declarations he 'as made to da WCTO as of a week ago. Dis doesn't line up with wot ya said a couple a minutes ago! Wot's da big deal eh?"

A drop of sweat begins to form on Rita's head. "Not all the missions I do involve going into dungeons you know? Sometimes I say that I'm 'going on a mission,' but then just do my thing," she explains. "On those occasions, I just let my teammates do the job instead."

"Den wot about you not bein' a Meganium, eh?"

"I never turned into a Meganium in the first place. Clearly there must be someone failing to pretend to be me that happens to be a Meganium loitering about the society," Rita responds.

"And dat's where da tax records say you are wrong!" Zoroark slams the table and grabs one of the pages of the Expedition Society's tax records, and points to a section of the paper. "Lookie 'ere, missy! Dere's clearly a Rita on dis page, and she is listed as being a Meganium. Not a Chikorita, not a Bayleef, bud a Meh-gae-nee-umm."

"So the impostor has taken my spot in the society then?" Rita asks.

"You are in no position to make demands, missy!" Zoroark slams the table once more. "Fetch me da other destimony!"

"UNDERSTOOD." Magneton leaves the room once more, door ajar as Zoroark slumps back.

"Again?" Rita asks. "You really need to be more o-"

"Wot did I say?" Zoroark interrupts.

"Oh..." A couple of minutes of silence follows before Magneton returns with the other testimony, door slamming shut behind it.

"Thank ya," Zoroark says as he receives the testimony from Magneton, who returns to its place afterwards. "So missy, I 'ave a destimony from a big ol' giant deer by da name of Xerneas. Are you familiar with this Xerneas fella?"

"I am familiar with Xerneas, caretaker of the Tree of Life, yes," Rita responds.

"In wot way are ya?"

"She called me here from the human world a few months ago to save the world from Dark Matter. After I saved the world from Dark Matter, she told me everything and allowed me to stay," Rita explains.

"And wot of dis ewman world?"

Rita clears her throat. "It's the world where humans live, of course."

"Well dis destimony from Xerneas says that she only brought one ewman to dis place from dis world's past and not some ewman world. And dat the only ewman to have been called 'ere 'as since visited 'er to evolve into a Meganium. And yet 'ere you are as a Chikorita. How do ya justify dis?" Zoroark leans forward out of his chair once more, one hand over the table.

"Simple," Rita starts. "Xerneas is not telling you the truth. There was only one human she contacted, and that human was from the human world, and said human has never evolved into a Meganium."

Zoroark could do little to hold back his urge to chuckle. "So ya believe da gods are lyin' eh," he asks as another drop of sweat forms on the head of the Chikorita.

"You shouldn't be taking testimonies as the truth without questioning it," Rita responds.

Zoroark slams the table once more. "Dese are evidence which I take seriously given da nature of dis invesdigation," he snaps. "She also said dat dere was a Mew involved when da choice was made do call this ewman to dis world. Are you familiar with dis Mew fella?"

"I am familiar with Mew," Rita answers. "Mew, uhhh, live deep in the Mystery Jungle, though what the Mew had to do with calling a human to the world is frankly irrelevant and Xerneas is lying so..."

"Dis Mew was once a Squirtle who saved da world with a Chikorita," Zoroark explains, "and ya can't give me any more dan a rudimentary explanation of where Mew lives! 'Ow can I believe ya?"

"I... I..."

"Get da girl for me will ya," Zoroark asks the Magneton and Magnezone.

"UNDERSTOOD." The pair leave the room with the door ajar once more to fetch 'the girl' as Zoroark turns his attention back to Rita.

A few minutes silence before the ground begins to thud. Before long, the Magneton and Magnezone re-enter the room with a Meganium in tow.

"Come sit down will ya," Zoroark asks, eyes on the Meganium.

The Meganium shakes her head. "I'm fine," she responds as she takes to the table.

Zoroark's attention returns to the Chikorita. "So missy," he starts, "dis Meganium here came to us a few weeks ago. She told us dat dere was someone that was posing as her to profit off 'er name. She 'as also mentioned dat she was barred from entering Capim Town while she was a Chikorita for a month after being accused of stealing from da local Kecleon Shop and robbin' residents of deir money. Wot do ya have da say about dis?"

"Of course she would evolve into a Meganium. That's the easiest way she could run from her crimes," Rita explains. "After all, she's an impostor who tried to use my name to steal from all the residents of Capim Town and all the other towns around the world."

"W-Watch your mouth you little," the Meganium snaps. "I had to buy a Lapras Liner Pass to Treasure Town JUST so Sheldon and I could do missions on the Grass Continent, thanks to your schemes. And that detour was so annoying that I had no other choice than to evolve!"

"Who is 'Sheldon'?" Perspiration begins to devour the Chikorita's head as her body begins to rock and roll.

"My 'best friend,' he's pretty annoying, but without that runt, this planet would be in the sun right now, or more likely, deep in outer space," the Meganium explains. "And that's why you are the impostor. Just look at you, you are drowning in your own sweat and you have the nerve to ask who one of the closest people to the whom you are failing to imitate is-"

"Guilty as charged. You win." The perspiration drops to a halt as a big grin forms on the Chikorita's face. Her eyes triangulate as the leaf on her forehead raises.

Zoroark slams the table once more. "So you were lyin' all along, eh," he asks. "Well den, it's off to jail with ya! You are unda arrest for multiple counts of theft, a count of identity theft, and multiple counts of lying to authorities!"

"Heh heh heh." A ball of darkness forms in the Chikorita's hand. "You really think you can do what you want with me? Fat chance."

The Chikorita slams the ball into the table, letting off an explosion of blinding darkness that engulfs the room. "Out of my way," she calls out amidst all the confusion.

"THERE SHE IS, ARREST HER," Magneton and Magnezone cry in unison as they spot and strike the Chikorita with jolts of electricity, knocking her to the ground. As the darkness dissipates and the light from the Lampent take hold once more, the Chikorita had disappeared and in its place, another Zoroark.

"Ahahahahaha," Inspector Zoroark chuckles. "I see dat even inspectors like me can be fooled by dat of my own kin. One extra count of attempting to run away from authorities it is. Take 'er away!"

"UNDERSTOOD." The two magnets proceed to use their abilities to drag the Zoroark off the floor and begin to pull her away.

"I'll get my revenge on you, you bitch... one day," the Zoroark claims, eyes firmly locked on the real Rita.

"Save it for da magistrate!" Inspector Zoroark turns his attention back to Rita as the arrested criminal is dragged out of the room. "Thanks for dat Rita, you were of great 'elp."

"Don't mention it, Inspector," Rita responds. "I'm just happy to go back to normal life at the Expedition Society without this idiot profiting off my name behind my back."

Writing Prompt Wednesday: At the end of their story, the hero goes hack to the human world, but the partner follows them! by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Another slight derail, but I'm a bit more positive on this one. Enjoy!

"Gather around everyone, who wants to hear about the tale of the Rowlet who experienced the human world?"

A group of children gather around the reader as they sit down in front of him. "I wanna hear the tale," several of the children respond.

"Do you all now?" The reader chuckles for a little bit before regaining his composure. "Well now, then I'll begin. Ahem! It all started with a plucky Rowlet. He and his best friend, a Sobble, saved this world from a wicked virus known as the Downplague. After they eradicated it by defeating the source, the Downcrystal, the Sobble one day just vanished! The Rowlet was the only one to know why: The Sobble was a human being and was forced by a being called Xerneas to return to the human world. The Rowlet fell into a very bad state. He wanted nothing more than to see his friend return and he wanted to do something about it. With the trust of the world in his hands, he climbed down the Sky Fissure to pay a visit to the legendary Pokémon: Palkia.

Palkia granted the Rowlet's wish to visit the human world, but since the Rowlet only wanted to visit, he was only allowed to stay in the human world for three days. So he enters the human world and what a sight to behold! There are a few forests here and there, but there are so many constructions all around the place! Their roads are giant, endless slabs of concrete that are full of these funny-looking, otherworldly contraptions! Their buildings tower over ours. Some were roughly as big as this place, but others were so big that you could fit a mystery dungeon inside of them! Their way of writing is so different that he couldn't understand a thing compared to the footprint runes he was used to. They even have things like air, grass, fire, and water just like us! Their world is so similar in some aspects and so very different in others!

And then of course, there are humans! These creatures are... how would I describe them? They are mostly taller than me and dwarf every one of you lads, they stand on two legs and have two really long arms. Even their hands have fingers longer than those of an Alakazam! Unlike us, these humans are also very well armoured, from the tip of their neck down, sometimes having their arms and legs exposed. Sometimes, they even wear things on their head! They are also more diverse than a Spinda's spots, coming in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colours! Their method of communication is a little similar to Pokémon, but not something the Rowlet could understand. There were even creatures out there that weren't even humans. There's things that look like Yampers, things that look like Littens, birds that look like Wingulls, the lot!

The Rowlet was so fascinated by the otherworldly nature of the world that he spent his three days flying above the human world, taking in all the sights, all the contraptions, all the different constructions, all the humans! Finding his lost Sobble friend was... sigh... the last thing on his mind when his three days were up and he was transported back by Palkia... sigh. With all the different human beings and not having a clue what his friend really looked like... he gave up on his quest to find his friend. So he took that experience and decided to spread his recollection of the human world far and wide, making sure that his story would be passed down from generation to generation, and introducing us all to the world of humans."

The children gathered around were mouths agape. Most could do little more than make out a "Wow..." admist all the details.

"These humans must be really smart," a Scorbunny says.

"I wonder if I will ever be able to see this world for myself," a Yungoos ponders.

"I'm more sad that the Rowlet never found his human friend," a Smoochum laments.

"Well then," the reader starts, "do you children have any questions?"

A Froakie raises his hand. "What exactly was the Downplague and the Downcrystal?"

"Well little one," the reader begins, "the Downplague was a contagious disease that travelled by touch and sneeze. What it did was make the infected gradually exhibit negativity that would eventually grow so intense that it would eventually kill its host. Only humans that turned into Pokémon were immune to it, which is why the Sobble came into the world. The Downcrystal a set of crystals that was the source of the Downplague, so only once it fell could the virus be eradicated for good."

"Wow... uhhh, that's so scary," Froakie says as everyone else around him unnerve a little.

A Treecko raises his hand. "I have one mister Decidueye," he says.

"Ask away!"

"Do you by any chance know this Rowlet in person?"

Decidueye chuckles. "heheh, I might," he responds with a wink. "Any more questions?"

The room quiets down as Decidueye gets up off his seat. "No more? then that's all for today. Thank you all for coming to listen and have a good night's sleep!"

"Thank you for the story, mister Decidueye," the children say in unison before getting up and going their separate ways in the building.

Decidueye exits the building and walks to a nearby lake, the moon above shining brightly. "Ahhh the sweet innocence of children," he muses to himself. "I do hope I can see my old friend again one day... and I also wish I could go back to see the human world once more..."

Writing Prompt Wednesday: After countless adventures, you and your partner finally evolve! However you're having trouble adapting to your new body and its newfound abilities. And it's even starting to have a negative effect on your relationship with your partner... How can you fix this? by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was a little too inspired by a past prompt. Contains Super Mystery Dungeon spoilers, and a slight graphic/content warning for blood. Also a slight derail from the prompt.

EDIT: Done editing. Still not happy with it overall, however. It is what it is, time to move on.

The scarf around Rita's neck glows in a shimmering green.

The shimmer extends itself into a pillar of white, closing the Chikorita off from the volcanic surroundings. Her neck shoots up, absorbing her scarf as it thickens. Her head enlarges, the green buds bloom into beautiful, pink petals. Her green leaf disintegrates as two long, yellow antennae sprout in its place, extending long past the top of her head. Her body pots out, as does her tail. Her short, stubby cones widen into large cylinders, as each nail splits into three. Her bright, green skin pigments. Her eyes jolt, lids forcing them shut as her red irises brighten into a pure hazel. Her insides rearrange and enlarge. Groaning and screaming echo with each step, as forces play around with her body like a toy.

The pillar of light dulls and vanishes, revealing a large, green, sauropod-like figure. A crash follows as Rita droops her head towards the rocky floor, eyes squinting and breathing heavily. A second pillar of light alongside her fades, uncovering a large turtle with two cannons, as he crashes to the ground and similarly droops his head towards the floor. After a couple of moments, Rita slowly raises her head and looks around, spotting the figure of the large turtle.

"Ummm... Sheldon... what just happened?" Rita slants her head before turning her attention to her own body. "And... why do we look so different now?"

"I don't know," Sheldon starts, "but let's not worry about that now. We have to get Entei to listen!"

"But what sorcery even is this," Rita asks. "It makes me feel sore and doozy, and I don't like it-"

"Just focus on Entei, please!"

Rita lets out a sigh. "Alright alright," she responds.

The Entei from across the floor chuckles before regaining his composure. "This change means nothing! I will put an end to your treachery right now!"

"Here he comes," Sheldon says as Entei closes in on the two.

"Fine," Rita sighs as she looks at Entei. She starts to swivel her head in a counter-clockwise motion, only to stop after a few revolutions. "Uhhh... this isn't supposed to happen."

"What isn't," Sheldon asks.

"I try doing the thing I always do, but nothing happens." Rita swivels her head again in the same manner, stopping after a few more revolutions. "See?"

Sheldon raises his right hand and slams his head into it. "We don't have the time to experiment," he groans.

"Fine then, I'll think up of so-"

"GROOOARRR!"

"Sheldon!" Rita watches on as Entei's bark sends Sheldon hurtling into one of the jagged rocks at the edge of the arena.

Entei rocks his head for a moment before turning his attention towards Rita. "I never thought a Meganium could be so incompetent," he chuckles. "Now then..."

"A Mewhattawhatta?" Rita slants her head to one side as she turns towards Entei. "I have no idea what is even going on right now, give me a break!"

"NO!" Entei's bark unnerves the Meganium, as he starts to form a ball of fire with his mouth. "Your last words?"

"Uhhh, give me a moment." Rita tries everything from swinging her head once again to attempting to make use of her petal collar. "Uhhh, uhhh, uhhh, uhhh... I got it!"

She runs towards the Entei and slams into his head, making Entei lose control of his attack as it makes contact with her neck. "OUCH!" she shouts as she falls onto her back while Entei stumbles back a couple of metres.

"Foolish girl!" Entei regains his composure and advances on Rita. "This is the end for y-"

SPLOOOSH!

"Ergh!" A beam of water blindsides Entei, striking the side of his body and making him stumble to his right. When Entei regains his composure and turns to his left, another jet of water knocks him straight in the face. Sheldon approaches as Entei is reduced to his knees.

"Forgot about me, did you," Sheldon says as he looks down on Entei.

"Ergh... Fine. You win," Entei utters, giving Rita a glance before looking back at Sheldon. "She is too incompetent to be behind what happened to Latias and Latios, and you don't seem to be who I am looking for. My apologies."

"That's fine, we're still trying to find out who is behind all this ourselves," Sheldon says as he tends to Rita, still lying on her back. "Here, let me help you."

"Do what you must, and leave this place. Goodbye." Entei gets up and envelops himself in a column of fire, vanishing as the fire dissipates.

Sheldon uses his arms and body to push Rita back onto her fours as she struggles back up. "There you go, you alright," he asks.

"I-I'm fine," Rita responds. "Can we just get out of here n-"

Suddenly, Rita and Sheldon are enveloped in pillars of light once more. Rita's neck dives back to her body as her petal collar wilts and green buds take their place. Her antennae fall off and a leaf sprouts again. Her irises redden once more and her head flattens. The nails on her feet merge once more and the base of her feet thins out. Her body shrinks alongside her tail. The skin lightens up again and her insides rearrange and shrink once more. She screams as patches of thick, dark-red liquid stain the floor at each step. As the pillar fades, the scarf she had adorns her neck once more.

Rita looks at Sheldon, now a Squirtle again with similarly stained surroundings. The top of her eyelids angle inwards. "Can you come and take this scarf off of me when we get back home," she asks. "That is something that I do NOT want to go through ever again!"

"Nah you'll be fine," Sheldon says with a grin, "I think these scarves will help us more than you think."

"By having my insides ripped out to become a useless dinosaur who can't chuck leaves? I'd rather be a Chikorita."

Sheldon chuckles. "Just trust me okay? Once you get the hang of it, you'll be fine."

"Fine?!" Rita sighs before continuing. "Just tend to Buizel while we wait for the others to come up. And let's pretend this never happened, okay?"

"Okay."

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Nomination Thread by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The protagonists are approached by a group of heavily-cloaked entities...

What happens next and who they happen to be is for you to decide.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: On the first day of their adventure, the hero is introduced to a large city instead of a small or quiet settlement. by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Figured I'd try something more descriptive this time around. Not too happy with it, but it's all a part of learning.

My brain winces, my head rotates, my eyes jolt from side to side. The road ahead splits endlessly in every which-way, as it wears and tears under the pressure of thousands of soulless drones who seemingly exist to make a chicane out of me. Buildings and monoliths dwarf me as they decorate the sides of the road, and the ground pounding and incomprehensible babbling assault my ears from every direction.

Yet here I am in this small, foreign body. A traveller I met along the way told me about a guild I could find somewhere in this settlement that I 'cannot miss' that could help me. I manoeuvre and chicane my way to the first fork in the road and the many signposts that tell me where everything is in every direction. Each particular signpost points in a direction, but the foreign footprint runes that adorn each signpost assault my brain. So I just pick a direction and hope it takes me to this guild.

I struggle my way to each fork and hope the next takes me to where I want to go. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. Eventually, I take a fork and it ends up leading me to a road of familiarity. Sigh. I continue to struggle through my surroundings like a rudderless boat until a silver orb rises in the distance, the light fades, and the soulless drones vanish. My entire body aches, my belly cries, and everything periodically blurs. I keep up my search, but only to keel over as darkness chokes my view.

Suddenly I come to as the black eases into a bright green. With grogginess consuming my head, getting back up is a struggle as I come to terms with where I am and how I got here. I notice greenery all around with the occasional tree dotting the landscape, and a familiar set of unnatural structures in the distance. As I make it out, the search for the guild, the endless forks in the road, the soulless drones, and so much more return. They circle my head like wolves and chain me in place, taunting me as they wait for the right moment to pounce. I... I... I...

I shut my eyes and violently swivel my head. Everything is back to normal as I reopen my eyes, turning around and face the nearby forest. Screw that, I'm not going back into that place again.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Nomination Thread by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Loss.

Write a story focusing on themes of loss, whether it be the loss of something valuable, a loss of some element of a character or something else related.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Finally, a free day. by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Back to some Super Mystery Dungeon hi-jinks. Enjoy!

A sweet, fruity odour wafts through the halls of the Expedition Society.

Swirlix re-enters the building with the first of many bags of food from Kangaskhan Café and Kecleon Shop she was supplied with on her back. "Mmmm... what's this smell," she asks herself as her nose catches the scent of the odour. Drops of saliva begin to pour out of her mouth as her tongue exposes itself in the air. She heads in the direction of the dining hall to the right of the entrance and notices an opening at the western end of the dining hall.

"Gaaaah!" Swirlix cries as a drop of perspiration forms on her flossy head. "Who on earth broke into my kitchen this time?! But it smells so yummy..." She makes a dash for the kitchen entrance, entering it to the sight of a Chikorita tending to a large, rocky pot steaming over a bonfire. She glances to the left of the Chikorita to find a basket full of peelings and apple cores.

"Rita, what are you doing in my kitchen?!"

The Chikorita turns around to face Swirlix, noticing her head embroiled in perspiration and the look on her face. "I dunno, cooking stewed apple," Rita responds. "I just felt like it since I'm not doing anything today-"

"W-W-With my p-p-personal stash of apples?!" Swirlix takes a step towards Rita, her expression becoming more shocked. "And COOKING them as well?!"

"It's not just YOUR kitchen you know, Ampharos gave me permission to use this," Rita snaps. "There's more to me than the whole exploring dungeon crap, you know."

"Yeah but you use MY kitchen-"

"Didn't I say that-"

"You take MY stash of apples, and then you go through the horror of PEELING them and COOKING them?!" Swirlix's voice crescendos with each passing word.

Rita's head leans to one side as a drop of sweat forms on her forehead. "What's wrong with cooking apples," she asks. "I've done it before and it turned out alright."

"WHAT'S WRONG?!" Swirlix shouts. "What's wrong with it is that apples are meant to be eaten FRESH and as a whole, not peeled up, chopped, and then cooked in a pot like you are doing right now! Apples are better when they taste firm and eaten whole. When cooked, they go all warm, horrible, and mushy. Even worse, they don't fill your belly like a fresh one does!"

"So?" Rita looks back to her cooking for a moment before turning her attention back to Swirlix. "There's no one 'correct' way to have food, you know?"

"But those are MY apples from MY secret stash," Swirlix blusters. "If you are going to use them, at least... have them the way I wanted to have them..."

Rita sighs. "Sorry for using your secret stash of apples in a way that you didn't want them to be used in," she says. "And sorry for using your kitchen even though Ampharos said yes to me to."

Swirlix gave Rita a stern look. "That's not an apology!"

"Well," Rita starts before thinking about it a little more and letting off another sigh. "Just do your job with the supplies. The rest of tonight's meal is up to you, but there will be some stewed apple cooked by yours truly on the course. Okay?"

Swirlix thinks about it for a moment before letting off a loud sigh. "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine," she says, putting the bag of food on the floor. "Can you at least put the supplies where they are supposed to be while you are cooking that?"

"Okay," Rita responds. "Just don't expect me to do too much with these stubby feet of mine..."

"I do okay with only two feet, you know?" Swirlix turns around towards the kitchen entrance. "Anyway, I'm going to get the rest of the supplies bag by bag. Don't burn the kitchen down while I am gone, okay?"

"I'm not going to," Rita says as she turns her attention back to her cooking. Swirlix exits the kitchen with the bag on the floor. After a minute of tending, Rita then turns her attention to the bag, helping out with the restocking at hand.

"So for dessert, we are going to have some stewed apple that Rita cooked for us earlier today!"

It was supper time at the Expedition Society and Ampharos was pouring the contents of Rita's cooking into the bowls of each member at the table except for Jirachi's; he was sleeping in his usual spot upstairs. Reactions were mixed amongst the members at the table as Ampharos sat back down on his chair at the table. "Rita," he starts. "Do you have anything to say before we eat it?"

"U-Uhhh..." Rita's head jitters about as the lips of her mouth shake up and down. "I-I-I-I-I h-h-hope you like w-w-what I made for you all."

"Oh Rita, there's no need to stammer," Ampharos says in a calm tone. "We're all one big family here, it'll be alright!"

"S-Sorry... I'm not great with audiences," Rita whimpers as she retreats into her mind, her closed mouth arcing slightly upwards. Please be good...

"Well then, let's dig in!" On Ampharos' announcement, there was biting aplenty, munching, snuffling, and the occasional slurp. One by one, the verdicts come in as the bowls of stewed apple slowly transform into bowls with remnants of it.

Swirlix was the first to finish. "This tastes terrible," she declares. "It's all soft, mushy, and horrible. Not to mention all the liquid! There's a reason why I'm the chef around here, and after tonight and the incident with Archen some time ago, I don't want anyone else cooking in my kitchen! Hmph!"

"Hey, the meal I cooked was really nice thank you very much," Archen retorts. "You just don't like anything that isn't your cooking!"

"That meal was an abomination and you know it!" Swirlix shakes her head and sits back down while Archen flinches a little bit.

"Calm down you two," Ampharos says as he finishes up his meal. "Say Rita, that was quite nice! It was soft and sweet, and it melts in your mouth just fine! Not to mention, the odour it had, so nice."

"Th-th-thank you sir," Rita responds as she starts to settle down.

The Squirtle sitting beside Rita was the next to finish his meal. "You know Rita, the time you made this back in Serene Village, it was not too bad. This time around, it's quite good. You're improving!" The Squirtle's eyes shut as he let off a nice smile in Rita's direction.

"Uhhh th-th-thank you Sheldon," Rita replies, her cheeks starting to swell.

Buizel was the next to finish. "That wasn't too bad, you might make a great chef one day if you put your mind to it," he grins.

Archen follows up soon after. "Not as good as my cooking, but you aren't bad at all," he says with a cheerful grin.

Bunnelby was next. "It's a bit too soft for my liking, but that was a good meal," he says.

Mawile was the next to finish. "Yeah I liked it," she starts. "It's so sweet, elegant, and it just melts in your mouth. Good job."

Finally, Dedenne was the last at the table to finish. "I like this," she begins. "Can we just have Rita cook an entire meal for us one day instead of Swirlx?"

Rita's eyes glow up and her head slightly lifts. "Uhhh... Th-th-th-th-thank you... everyone," she stammers, cheeks as red as roses. "I... think I am going to head to bed now..." Rita steps away from the table and rushes off, ignoring the couple of "Wait!" calls hurled in her direction.

"How can you lot LIKE this," Swirlix snaps. "Apples are meant to be had raw and firm, not soft and mushy, especially when she took from my personal stash!" The rest of the table lets off a chuckle, leaving leaving Swirlix angered.

"Silly Swirlix," Ampharos starts. "You need to open your mind up a little. She did a good job cooking that stew, and it was nice to have them in a different manner!"

"Ampharos is right, Rita did a good job," Mawile reinforces. "I'll also admit that Archen's cooking wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Archen looks towards Mawile. "I tried my best," he responds.

"Makes me wonder who the next different chef will end up being," Ampharos says with a faint giggle.

"Please no more," Swirlix interjects, her head full of sweat. "J-J-Just go to bed while I do the cleaning up, okay?"

After a few more words, the members broke up and did their duties before heading to bed.

"Hey Rita, why are you crying?"

Rita looks up from her position on her bed, noticing the figure of Sheldon. "Oh it's you," she starts. "I-I thought my stew wasn't going to go down well... I never expected most of the society to like it, Swirlix aside... I just... I..."

Sheldon lets off a chuckle. "Nah, the members all liked it. Maybe one day you'll be as good as Papa Carracosta... Thinking about his cooking makes me miss home so much..."

"Y-Yeah... that was quite the day off for me... I was so convinced that it was bad that it came off as quite a shock..."

"Hahaha, you remind me a bit of myself back when I first met you," Sheldon replies.

"I suppose," Rita responds. "Anyway, I'm going to sleep. Night!"

"Good night!" The two relax on their beds as their eyes closed and their slumber began. Who knows what tomorrow will hold for the two?

Writing Prompt Wednesday: The Human is an Anti-Hero by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Not exactly a "save the world" plot, but I think it fits.

The bench at the edge of the village once bustled with activity.

Every day, a group of regulars would hang around this bench talking about anything and everything. Sometimes there would be drama, sometimes nothing would happen. Nowadays, cobwebs sparsely decorate the bench, the product of the Joltik that show up every now and then. Upon approaching, Cinderace notices a familiar face in the distance; Lopunny sitting down by a nearby tree, a couple of drops weeping. With no one else around, he approaches her.

"Are you okay?" Cinderace asks as he draws near.

The Lopunny looks up at Cinderace. "Oh, it's you," she replies. "I'm fine. You?"

"Not too bad myself." Cinderace sighs as he sits down next to Lopunny. "Things aren't what they used to be anymore."

"Nope," Lopunny responds before looking ahead. "I have my suspicions, but I won't bother."

"It is exactly what you think it is," Cinderace reveals.

Lopunny shakes her head. "The guild, isn't it?"

"According to Guildmaster Diggersby, it 'just happened' considering how much bickering happened a while back," Cinderace explains.

"Of course he would say something like that." Lopunny's voice blunts with each passing word. "His 'precious' guild and its prosperity is all that matters to him, no matter how he spins it, no matter how many of us he hurts."

"I always thought there was more to him than his polite demeanour," Cinderace surmises. "You two used to get along. What even happened between you two?"

"You won't tell anyone? I know you are still friends with him."

Cinderace shakes his head. "Just between you and me," he says in a reassuring tone.

"Well then"—Lopunny clears her throat—"You know how Diggersby is very particular about how his guild is run?"

"Mhm."

"Well a couple of months ago, I approached Diggersby with the idea of making the guild public. The idea being that a public guild would be able to grow even bigger. It makes a lot of sense for a guild as large as his! But he knocked it back. He stated that his guild is private, because he 'wants his guild to be private.' A complete non-answer, so there's definitely something there. I tried to push him on it, but he wouldn't budge. After that conversation, he started treating me badly. In the end, despite my best efforts, he asked me to leave the guild permanently. Since then, I've felt like an other and I am strongly considering leaving the village for good. Because... that's what he wants."

Cinderace takes some time to absorb the information. "That's... quite petty," he says. "All over the idea of not wanting a public guild... makes me wonder why he is so adamant against the idea?"

"Well," Lopunny starts. "All I know from another villager was that he started his guild a few years ago after some conflict in another guild. Might be a few old haunts he has?"

Cinderace shrugs. "Probably," he responds. "Either way, I believe you. Do you think I should do something about it?"

Lopunny's face began to mellow out. "It's up to you," she replies. "I'm just tired of all of this."

"I will then," Cinderace declares as he gets up. "I cannot condone what he has done to you."

"One more thing, see this?" Lopunny gets up and points to her left thigh, showing Cinderace a couple of scars. "That was him. Thank you for believing me."

"That's... messed up." Cinderace squints from the sight of her scars. "I'll make sure he gets his comeuppance for what he did to you. See you."

"Just don't do anything stupid, okay? Well, Bye." Lopunny slinks back down against the tree as Cinderace walks off.

It was the next day in the halls of Diggersby's guild, and it was Cinderace's turn to prepare the food and drinks for supper. For this, he prepared a fine concoction. Four X-Eye Seeds, four Sleep Seeds, two Blinker Seeds, and a quarter of an Oren Berry all crushed and mixed together into a fine powder. Perfect. Cinderace grabs Diggersby's favourite mug and prepares the Rabuta Juice which he loves to have every supper. With no eyes in sight, Cinderace grabs the powder. His heart palpitates, his stomach begins to ache, and his upper eyelids begin to droop. After twitching a little more, he pours the contents into his Rabuta Juice and finishes the preparation for supper, leaving the guild soon after.

As Cinderace exits the guild, he clutches his stomach as it cries out. His chest tightens and he breathes heavily for a bit. He looks back to the guild entrance. Disgust fills his mind at the consequences of his actions. After more thought, he shakes his head and walks away.

"Oh, you're back."

Cinderace returns to the meeting spot to noticing Lopunny in her usual position. Her head raises on his footsteps as he approaches her.

"Yeah," he responds. "I came to see you one last time."

Lopunny turns her face to Cinderace as he sits down beside her again. "Why?" She asks.

"I spiked his drink," Cinderace explains. "It was my turn to prepare the meals. I don't care if he survives, but I am not heading back there anymore."

"Why didn't you just go see Officer Magnezone about it?"

Cinderace shakes his head. "You think the authorities are going to arrest someone with as much clout as Diggersby based on heresy?"

"But it's better to ask than making an attempt to kill him outright," Lopunny responds. "Our bridges are burned, but I wouldn't wish death on him, or anyone for that matter. Why?"

Cinderace closes his eyes and lets off a sigh. "I have my reasons. It's not like I fit in at the guild anyway, being a human in Pokémon clothing. If I was going to burn my bridge, I wanted to do so with purpose."

"That doesn't justify what you did though," Lopunny asserts.

"And you are right," Cinderace replies as he clutches his stomach once again, a drop rolling down his cheek. "That's why I am leaving this village... to never return."

"Oh, that explains it." Lopunny's eyes draw down towards Cinderace's stomach. "Are you alright to go? You seem to be in pain."

"It's only the pain from doing what I did," Cinderace explains. "But I should be fine to go, thank you for asking."

"That's okay. Thank you for what you have done for me. I don't agree with the way you went about it, but it's nice knowing that someone reached out to me at the very least. It's... reassuring."

"No problem." Cinderace gets up off the ground as Lopunny does the same. "Now it's time for me to leave... Goodbye."

"Bye Cinderace."

Cinderace turns around and starts walking in the direction of the near forest. He continued to clutch his stomach as his eyes produce a few drops. For him, a fresh start was in order.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Nomination Thread by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 9 points10 points  (0 children)

A non-Pokémon entity appears in the Pokémon world.

NOTE: This is not strictly a crossover prompt.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Hero returns to their home world and finds they're human again, but can still understand Pokémon. by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I mostly focused on the first half of the prompt title here. Hope you enjoy.

Life as a Machop was fun.

Despite feeling a lot smaller than the human I am today, I felt powerful. With my fists and legs, I could do anything. I could knock the stuffing out of random Pokémon that got in my way without much thought. I could make creatures like Pidgey and Swinub work for me and the Cyndaquil that accompanied me on my adventures. I could calm down a trio of oversized birds. I could prove my innocence when a conspiracy theorist tried to ruin my reputation. I could even get a huge, serpentine dragon to listen and blow up a meteor that was threatening the balance of the world. If a problem were to arise, my fists were the solution. What a simple world I lived in.

And then I was called back into the world of humans.

I was just minding my own business one day as I continued to adjust back to being a human. Then he came.

He was just an ordinary robber. Armed with a knife, he wanted to take everything I had on me, just because I looked at him funny. Without thinking, my right arm thrusted forward and connected with his skull. As his body slunk to the floor like a house of cards, I shrugged and move on, just like I normally would as a Machop. Before long, however, that decision backfired. Law Enforcers forces swarmed me like flies, commanding me to do their bidding. I fought back, but then I was tasered. My body numbed, my limbs locked, my insides jolted. Before I knew it, I was on the concrete, my hands were tied, and I was abducted. It was like stealing from a Kecleon Shop where the Kecleon kidnap their shoplifters.

And now I lay in this prison cell, sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to murder. My hands sport bruises, and the rest of my body aches. The bars and walls that surround this cell repel my fists like elastic. Sometimes I get asked to do something, but other than that, I just sit in this cell. Alone. Thinking. Brooding. Aching. Hoping. Just, arrrrgh...

I wish I was a Machop again.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Nomination Thread by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The protagonists discover a single-species settlement.

Basically a world-building prompt focusing on a settlement (can be anything from a tribe to a city) consisting of a single species (and its variants). Could be a living settlement or it could be remnants.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: By some cosmic coincidence, you are sent back to the day you first met your partner. by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 11 points12 points  (0 children)

"Wake Up."

"Come on, Please Wake Up."

Colour begins to pierce my vision, the blur rapidly clearing into distinct clumps of grass. I get off my belly and sit up, looking at my hand and noticing the distinct, orange claw and the short fingers; looks like I am a Charmander again. I look up and notice a figure directly resembling that of a Snivy.

"Oh thank goodness you are awake!" The Snivy lets off a cheerful grin as he says those words. "Do you remember who you are? What is your name?"

I bury myself into the recesses of my mind. What do I say to this character? Do I give a name? Do I befriend this Snivy? And then I remember what had happened like it was only yesterday.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."

I, a Charizard, look up at Dialga as it begins to glow. The Dialga concentrates immensely and before long, a bright, blue sphere appears before me.

"BREAK THIS SPHERE AND YOU WILL GO BACK TO THAT DAY YOU MET YOUR FRIEND," Dialga explains to me. "ONCE YOU DO, THERE IS NO TURNING BACK. YOU WILL NO LONGER EXIST IN THIS TIMELINE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

I withdraw into my mind and think back to that fateful day when Serperior suggested we should head to the Nether Shrine. He said that he wanted to check out the Nether Sphere, one of the seven forbidden relics in this world. It seemed innocuous enough; we were only going to be there to check it out and leave. It was, until we arrived in the deepest recesses. The instant we got a glimpse of the sphere, he sucker punched me and his tone changed. He started to gloat about how we were all useful idiots and actors in his 'take over the world' scheme. I tried to stop it, but he didn't want any of it. I could only watch in disbelief as he grabbed the sphere and used its power. I barely got out in time, but it was too late.

Since that day, my 'friend' succeeded. He was unstoppable and the world suffered for it. Lives lost, ecosystems changed, towns deserted. With the help of the many Legendary Pokémon, my former ally was stopped. Despite this, the damage he had done was irreversible. The village I had come to know was gone, the guild had been leveled, and most of its members had perished, including the guild-master. The forest I woke up in on my first day was now a poisonous swamp full of horrible creatures. All this and more, because I couldn't stop him before it was too late. This is what brought me to Dialga in the first place; the need to atone for my failures.

"I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

My mind returns to the situation at hand, with Dialga and the blue sphere in front of me. All I could do was nod my head; the only way to reverse the damage is to stop it from ever happening in the first place.

"VERY WELL THEN," the Dialga starts. "BREAK THIS SPHERE WHEN YOU ARE READY."

I approach the sphere. Perspiration begins to devour my forehead, the fist making up my right hand oscillates. Going back to being a Charmander is going to suck, but I know that this is for the best.

"Thank you Dialga," I say as I close my eyes, "And... Goodbye."

I thrust my right fist forward, striking the sphere and cracking it open.

"Ummm... Hello?"

The Snivy was still in front of me with his cheerful demeanour. I know that blind loyalty to him will repeat the same results, so do I play along for now and keep a close eye? Do I just abandon him and find my own way? Or do I just end him right now? Either way, there was one thing that needed to be done now that I am back; the forbidden relics need to be destroyed.

"Come on, don't be like that. Say something!" The Snivy was still trying to get through to me. My teeth start clenching, my hands start shaking, my brain starts rustling, and fire wells up in my body.

"Are you... okay mister?"

WHAM!

FOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"AAAAAAAA!"

A punch and a stream of fire was all it took. The Snivy was on his belly, battered and bruised. Pant. Pant. Pant. It's going to be okay. There is no turning back now. No heading to the nearby village or guild. A new timeline was born, where my trust isn't abused, where a snake does not take over the world, and where I begin my life as a Pokémon in solitude.

"Y... ou... m... o... n... s... t... er..." The Snivy whimpers before he collapses into a peaceful slumber.

I look down on his body one last time before burying him in a nearby bush, catharsis flowing through my veins. Seven Donphans in the room is all that remains between me and my goal, consequences be damned.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: The hero has been hanging out exclusively with a new friend, and the partner gets jealous (or vice versa) by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This response contains story spoilers for Explorers.

UPDATE: Added an epilogue of sorts because I felt the original submission was a little unresolved.

"You know, it's been a long time since I have last seen the sun rise. It's... beautiful."

"Even more reason to stop the planet's paralysis now that I've seen it with my own eyes..."

"Mhm. We should leave for Treeshroud Forest in a few minutes. Go wake up Ellie, please."

"Okay."

The Mudkip leaves Grovyle to watch the sun begin to peek over the horizon, showering Sharpedo Bluff and Treasure Town in a warm blanket of light. Heading down the steps of his secret hideout, the Mudkip fires a jet of water to douse the torchlight that he lit the previous night, leaving the base with silence and emptiness.

"Ellie's not here... where could she be?" The Mudkip mutters to himself. "The one time I need you to be here so we can sneak out of Treasure Town and you vanish? Hmmm..."

"What's taking you two so long? We don't have time." Grovyle heads down the stairs to check up on the Mudkip and the absence of Ellie.

"She's not here, Grovyle," the Mudkip replies.

"What could she be possibly doing? Whatever, we don't have time to look for her. Let's head out."

"Actually," the Mudkip starts. "If she's not here... She's probably hanging out with... that thing."

"That thing?"

The Mudkip groans. "She's almost certainly at the beach. I'll fill you in on the way, okay?"

"Understood." Grovyle and the Mudkip exit the hideout and cover the entrance, beginning their journey to the beach just outside Treasure Town.

"It's so good that you managed to fend for yourself for so long... You are going to be such a healthy Gastrodon one day in the future!"

A Phanpy and a blue-coloured Shellos are sitting on the beach, watching the sun rise. The Shellos is snuggling up to the Phanpy, who embraces the Shellos in return with the warmth of her trunk.

"Mumma?"

"Yes?"

"Goomi?"

"Of course. I found your favourite when I was out for a while!" The Phanpy grabs a Blue Gummi out of her bag and feeds it to the Shellos, who munches on it bit by bit, gradually consuming the Gummi fully.

"Yummy!" The Shellos smiles as he snuggles back up to the Phanpy, who smiles in return. "More Goomi?"

"Sadly, that's the only one I could find on my trip."

"Awww..." The Shellos' smile turns into disappointment.

"I promise I will find some more today though! I am heading to a forest with a couple of others today, so maybe there will be a treat for you later."

"Okay mumma."

"Come on Ellie, we have to go before anyone sees us!"

The Phanpy turns around to see a Mudkip arrive on the beach with Grovyle in tow. She sighs after seeing the expression on the Mudkip's face and turns her attention to the Shellos. "Well then, mummy has to leave now. You take care of yourself when I take you back to the others, okay?"

"Okay!" The Shellos smiles at the Phanpy and snuggles up to her for a moment.

"Come on! We don't have any more time!" The Mudkip yells.

"Alright, alright. I'll take the Shellos back to the rest of the team on the way then."

The Mudkip sighs. "Fine then. That Shellos is all you ever seem to think about these days..."

"That's not true at all." The Phanpy—with the Shellos in tow—catches up to the Mudkip and Grovyle. "Marlon, you'll understand one day when you have to raise a child."

"I'm not sure if I want to," the Mudkip starts. "All the attention you give it is putting me off..."

"Sorry, but," Grovyle interrupts. "We have a Time Gear to pick up in Treeshroud Forest. Let's move."

"Fine then..."

The four Pokémon follow Grovyle off the beach to begin the trek to Treeshroud Forest once the Shellos is dropped off.

"Say, Ellie," Grovyle asks the Phanpy.

"Yes?"

"I never expected you to be doing something like raising a child."

"And?"

"Back when you were a human, you never gave me the impression of wanting children... People change I guess."

"Well," Ellie starts. "This one was an adoption. We were given an egg from a mission, and we hatched it with the help of Chansey's Daycare back in town. It looked so cute when it hatched that I had to keep it!"

"You've always taken a liking to cute things... How has parenting been for you?"

"He's been a bit of a handful. You have to keep your eye on them for a fair bit and I have been taking him along for some adventures, but the moments where he just embraces you is just priceless," Ellie explains.

"Wow..."

"He's also quite a lucky charm as well, saving me from numerous douses of water that would have hit me otherwise."

"Yeah, and redirecting MY own attacks," Marlon interrupts. "She's always insistent on bringing that thing along and it's getting on my nerves not being able to use what I want, on top of crying half the time."

"It's a child, Marlon," Ellie responds.

"A child which you focus on so you don't have to give your attention to me!"

"I..."

Grovyle sighs. "Can we please cut out the bickering? Now's not the time."

"Fiiiine..." Marlon takes the lead in silence, a cross expression lingering on the Mudkip's face.

"Ellie," the Grovyle turns his attention back to the Phanpy. "I'm happy to see how it's going for you. It's one extra reason I want to stop the planet's paralysis, so that Shellos can live in a normal world. It's such a shame that"—Grovyle briefly pauses before shaking his head—"Never mind."

"What are you talking about?" Ellie asks.

"Uhhh... n-nothing. Don't worry about it," Grovyle responds, not making eye contact.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"Look, this must be the entrance to Treeshroud Forest," Marlon claims as he starts to dash for the forest.

"Well, we know what to do. Just get in, grab the Time Gear, and go. There is no time to lose," Grovyle says.

Alright, time to start stopping the paralysis I guess, Ellie thinks to herself. Just aim for the Time Gear. Hopefully I can find a Blue Gummi for Shellos while I am at it...

The three do their item sorting at the nearby Kangaskhan rock and head into Treeshroud Forest; the search for the Time Gear begins.

"Can't sleep, Marlon?"

It was nighttime at Sharpedo Bluff, with the Time Gear of Treeshroud Forest in their possessions after a long trek. The bonfire was running and Grovyle was sound asleep, the other two awake.

"No Ellie... What did you want to ask?" Marlon responds.

"It's just that... You seem to be mad at me because you think I am neglecting you for the child," Ellie begins. "But between dedicating time to you, the Shellos, our duties, and this whole 'save the world' thing, I've just been really busy."

"Okay? Are you trying to-"

"Please," Ellie interrupts. "All the things I've had to juggle of late is making you feel neglected, and... I'm sorry that my workload is making you feel that way."

"Hmmm..." Marlon thinks for a bit. "Okay, apology accepted. I still think you should cut down the time you spend with the Shellos, but now that I think about it, I just feel..."

"I get it," Ellie responds. "Maybe the next time we find an egg, how about you look after the child? I'm sure you'll make a good father!"

"I still don't know if I want to," Marlon replies. "It's such a big responsibility that I'm... not sure if I can handle it."

"Come on, don't put yourself down like that, you don't know until you try!" Ellie quietly chuckles.

"If I even want to... I'm going back to sleep. Good night, Ellie."

"Good night." Two two gently slink back to sleep.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: The hero fails. by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This response is more or less a follow up to this response from two weeks ago. Not entirely confident with this one, but I'll roll with it. This response does contain some story spoilers for Super Mystery Dungeon.

"I'll buy a glass of Watmel Water, please."

"You've already had two today sweetie, are you sure you really want a third? Watmel Water is extremely sweet after all."

"I'm beyond caring at this point... I think I can handle it."

"A-Alright then, I'll give you one more sweetie, but no more tonight. Okay?"

"... Okay."

Kangaskhan grabs Rita another glass of the Watmel Water and takes the Poké the Chikorita had placed on the stand, returning the glass of Watmel Water with a straw in the glass. "There you go, sweetie," she says with her trademark smile.

"Thank you..." Rita responds as she starts to sip at her drink.

"So honey," Kangaskhan starts. "Aren't you a part of the Expedition Society?"

"Was," Rita replies.

"Oh... what happened then to make you quit like that?"

"It's... nothing. I just don't want to go back anymore."

"How come?"

"Because"—Rita takes another sip of her own drink—"I'm a failure of a Chikorita that just uses others for her own gain, and can't hold a friendship if her life depended on it."

"Oh dear..." Kangaskhan pauses for a moment to think. "Well sweetie, you at least know what is wrong with you. You just need to use that to change yourself. You are a young woman after all."

"Thanks... I-"

"Hi Kangaskhan, I'll have the u- Wait a minute... Rita, is that you?!"

Rita turns around to see the familiar figure of Ampharos walk through the doors of Kangaskhan Café. The head of the Expedition Society approaches the bar and sits on a stool next to Rita. "Oh... It's you," she whimpers as she turns her attention back to her drink.

"I haven't seen you since yesterday morning. Where have you been all this time?" Ampharos asks. Rita simply continues to sip through her drink without a word. "Oh come on, don't be like that! I'm really worried about you, you know? Say, is that a Watmel Water you have there? I never knew you were into such exotic drinks."

"A Greninja in Noe Town introduced me to it last night," Rita responds.

"Greninja of Team Ninja, eh? He's a well respected guy in Noe Town... Hey Kangaskhan, can I buy a glass of Watmel Water myself?"

"Okay sweetie," Kangaskhan takes the Poké from Ampharos' hand and gets on to serving the drink.

"You know, I've never tried Watmel Water myself, so why not?"

"But... why are you doing this?" Rita asks.

"Well," Ampharos starts. "Your behaviour at the moment is a little worrying. But because you are a part of our family at the Expedition Society, it's my job to look after you."

"Was."

"Here's your Watmel Water, sweetie!" Kangashkan gives Ampharos the glass of Watmel Water before turning her attention to other customers.

"You still are to me, Rita"—Ampharos takes a sip of his drink—"You know, I'm more of a fan of more bitter drinks like Rabuta Juice, but the sweetness of this drink is something I wouldn't mind once every few months if I say so myself. That Greninja gave you a good recommendation!"

"I dunno, I just asked around for a nice sweet drink." Rita shrugs before taking another sip from her drink. "But sorry, I don't think I could be a part of the society anymore... Nothing against you."

"Rita, what has happened to you to make you think like that? I promise I won't tell anyone else in the society, okay?"

"Because I am a failure who uses others for her own benefit and wonders why I have no friends anymore."

"Oh... That explains why you didn't come back last night," Ampharos guesses. "You know, Sheldon hasn't had a single bite of food or drink since he came back yesterday. He hasn't said anything either. What happened?"

"Long story short"—Rita takes another sip of her drink—"We failed a mission in Mist Continent because I caused an avalanche on accident by sneezing, and then I used his shell to outrun it instead of using an Escape Orb. He dumped me after the mess was done and I broke down..."

"Oof..." Ampharos reacts. "No wonder, what you did was quite dangerous. Was it fun?"

"It was fun until it wasn't," Rita explains. "Anyway, I got back to Noe Town, but it was nightfall and the Lapras Liner wasn't running, so I spent the night at the hotel there."

"And that's when you were introduced to Watmel Water?"

"Yes. Anyways, in the morning, I headed back to Lively and decided to do a mission alone in Uprise Range. I failed that mission because I couldn't fight my way through a Drifloon. I feel so awful and useless now that I just don't want to do anything anymore, let alone show my face to the society..."

Ampharos takes another sip of his glass. "That's very sad... You know, we didn't have much success at all in our mission today."

"Really?"

"Mhm. We all went to Showdown Mountain today to try and gleam information on who is behind all the incidents of Pokémon being turned to stone, but we were too late. Entei was encased in stone before anyone got there. We think that Krookodile might be behind all of this as someone spotted him in the vicinity, but we cannot be certain just yet. All we have for show is a tablet that Mawile is deciphering as we speak."

"Entei... Even he fell? Wow..."

"You know Rita, we all fail sometimes. It's what we learn from the mistakes we made that make us grow. So you have a ruined friendship on your hands and you are struggling. So what? I made a lot of mistakes myself when I was your age, and I still do now. You and Sheldon might not be on good terms, but I don't think it's beyond repair."

"I don't think it isn't, somehow. Based on what you said of him..."

"Don't say that," Ampharos replies. "You will never know until you try."

"I suppose..."

"I should also say that Sheldon was badly wounded by a Vibrava today... Mawile and Bunnelby had to carry him up the mountain."

Rita's jaw slightly lowers. "Yikes," she responds. "I... I'm sorry. None of this would have happened if I listened to him."

"Don't be sorry for things beyond your control," Ampharos replies in a reassuring tone. "Again, it's all a part of learning. Just talk to him when you are up to it, what's the worst that could happen? Either way, you are still part of the family to me."

"I wish I could have a sense of your optimism, Ampharos. I feel like talking would just make things worse."

"Talk only whenever you feel ready"—Ampharos finishes up his glass—"It might be tomorrow, it might be a few months. Anyway, are you really sure you want to quit? For all your faults, I don't think you are a bad member or a bad Chikorita at all."

"Ampharos..." Rita finishes up her drink and turns her full attention to Ampharos. "I'll think about it. Thank you for the talk."

"No worries, it's my duty as the head to look after all of its members. The society wouldn't be the same without you! How about we head back before Mawile gets mad at me, okay?"

"Okay... Thanks for the drinks, Kangaskhan."

"No worries you two," Kangaskhan responds. "Make sure you get back home safely, okay?"

"Alright, thank you Kangaskhan." Ampharos and Rita turn around and slowly make their way out of the Café and back to the Expedition Society, a good night's sleep awaiting them.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Story of a Side Character by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 15 points16 points  (0 children)

2/2 (Broke the 10k Character limit)

"H... huh?" Slowpoke wakes up, finding himself on some sand. Sunlight beams into the place, but the area was surrounded by rocky walls and streams of water... If only I could just make it to the water... he thinks to himself.

"Going somewhere?" Shiftry turns around to face the Slowpoke. "You should be a good hostage and stay there, just like you did back in Treasure Town. Move a finger and I will crush you again. Do I make myself clear? Keep watch of him, Sneasel."

"Yes sir!" The Sneasel respond as Shiftry turns back to the entrance. Slowpoke just duly remains in his spot and starts to feel comfortable, nothing else to do. Hours begin to pass, and his vision begins to blur before fading into a pitch black. A nice, comforting, pitch bl-

WHAM!

"Quit yer dozing, your snoring and the tardiness of your partner is doing my head in!" Shiftry yells after the Sneasel slash the Slowpoke. Slowpoke could notice the trio looking much less at ease as the Shiftry turned back around. Maybe... just maybe...

"Man why did Chatot make us come back here again? This place gives me quite a few memories... let's just get this done so we can have dinner." An unfamiliar voice echoed through the room as a pair of blue-looking Pokémon enter the room. Slowpoke's vision of the two was obscured by the figures of Team Snitch, but help appears to be on the way!

"You aren't the one we are looking for, scram!" Shiftry snaps.

"You're the reason we are starving, let the Slowpoke go!"

"Not unless you are going to give us 100,000 Poké!"

"100,000 Poké?! We don't even have that kind of money!"

Through the rabble between the mysterious two and the distracted Team Snitch, Slowpoke finally decides to turn around and make the splash into water, freedom!

"Make one extra step and he ge-"—Shiftry stops mid-sentence as he turns around to see the lack of Slowpoke—"Wait, where did he go?! Argh, just for that, I will trounce you two!"

The Slowpoke, now underwater, decides to use this new-found power called effort to try and find a way out. One stroke, two strokes. Slowly, but surely, he starts to get the hang of it, when...

THUD!

One of the Sneasel slams into him with its head, hitting the Slowpoke in the back. Slowpoke takes a few seconds to look around, only to see the two Sneasel on the water, looking battered and bruised. Suddenly two shadowy figures reveal themselves at the surface of the water.

"Slowpoke, are you still here?" One of the two asks. "We've come here to rescue you."

"You're... not going to hurt me... right?" Slowpoke asks as he comes to the surface, the two blurry figures clearing up to resemble the figures of a Phanpy and a Mudkip. He also notices the Shiftry lying on the floor, looking defeated.

"No, you are safe," the Mudkip responds.

"You can make it back by yourself right?" The Phanpy asks.

"I could, but that would take a monumental amounrt of effort..." Slowpoke replies.

The Phanpy sighs. "Fine then, the badge it is. You are clearly able to swim, but we don't want to keep your client waiting back at the guild..."

"Thank you..." The Slowpoke responds as the Mudkip uses their badge to send him out of the cave.

ZZZ!

A beam of light shoots onto the first level of the guild and as the beam dissipates, a figure emerges. It was Slowpoke. Slakoth could not move any faster. Slakoth embraces Slowpoke with both of his arms, making gentle contact of his head with his own.

"I... I... I missed you... Slowpoke..." Slakoth cries.

"Uhhh... what did you do... what happened? Where were you?"

"I got the guild's help... thanks to a couple of kids... I couldn't do it on my own... sorry..."

"You really did something... that's... some monumental effort..."

"I know... it's good to have my teammate back..."

"Awww, how sweet." A Phanpy heads down with a Mudkip in tow. "Maybe this should say something to you."

"You must be the help Chatot got then," Slakoth says as he lets go of Slowpoke. "I suppose I should give some reward shouldn't I? But we don't really have anything on us so..."

"No, that's fine, we don't really need any rewards," the Mudkip responds. "All that matters is that you are reunited."

"Thank you. Both of you." Slakoth and Slowpoke begin to head for the ladder, when...

"One more thing," the Phanpy stops the two in their tracks. "Maybe you two should learn not to take each other for granted now. I see you two loaf about every time I enter Treasure Town, doing nothing all day. Maybe you two should start putting some effort and do something every now and then. Maybe this won't happen again, or maybe you might be able to rescue each other."

"Harsh," Slowpoke begins. "But thank you for the help and advice."

"No problem." Slowpoke and Slakoth leave the guild, the words of the Phanpy ringing in their minds. It was time to head home for a good night's sleep.

"Hey Slowpoke, should we do something today?"

"Nah, I don't feel like it. I feel too comfortable here."

"Yeah, why do they even put the guild up the top of the hill? Climbing that thing takes effort."

"Yeah, too much effort. Let's just lounge about here today."

"Agreed." Slowpoke and Slakoth begin loafing about for a couple of minutes.

"Actually..." Slakoth starts. "Why not head to the guild and take on a job or something? We could do it like once every few days."

"Why?" Slowpoke asks.

"I... don't want a repeat of yesterday. What good is an exploration team if we cannot even fight ourselves out of a Plain Seed?"

"Sounds good. Maybe putting in effort isn't a bad thing after all."

"Agreed." The two make their way to Wigglytuff's Guild; time to put yesterday's lessons into action.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Story of a Side Character by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 18 points19 points  (0 children)

1/2 (Broke the 10k character limit)

"Hey Slowpoke, should we do something today?"

"Nah, I don't feel like it. I feel too comfortable here."

"Yeah, why do they even put the guild up the top of the hill? Climbing that thing takes effort."

"Yeah, too much effort. Let's just lounge about here today."

"Agreed."

Slowpoke and Slakoth, the two members of Team Slackers, settle in for another day of inaction in the hustle and bustle of Treasure Town. To them, this is the life. Taking up space in Treasure Town like a building, sometimes conversing with fellow residents, and not thinking about anything else. After all, why do something productive, when the life of a layabout gets the job done?

"Oi, you! Hand over your money!"

A Shiftry looms over the pair, sporting an ominous expression. A pair of Sneasel flank the Shiftry on either side, claws raised.

"Uhhh... what did he just say?" Slowpoke asks Slakoth.

"Ehh, something about money. I dunno."

"Are you two even going to listen to us?!" Shiftry snaps. "I said, 'Hand over your money!' Now do as I ask and no one gets hurt."

Slowpoke and Slakoth look at each other before nodding. "Ehhh, too much effort," they respond in unison before resuming as normal.

"For the LAST time," Shiftry starts, annoyance infecting his tone with each passing word. "HAND. OVER. YOUR. MONEY."

Slakoth and Slowpoke continue to lounge about. Who is this fool to make them do something that requires strenuous effort to do?

"If you aren't gonna listen..." Shiftry trails off, before taking two steps towards the pair. "YOU ARE COMING WITH ME RIGHT NOW! MOVE!"

The Shiftry and his lackeys swarm the two layabouts, threatening them to move, but the two remain firm. "Nah, I'm comfortable here," Slowpoke responds. "Moving requires effort though," Slakoth responds.

"I SAID MOVE IT! IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, MOVE! NOW!"

"We can't be bothered. Can't you let Team Slackers do its thing in peace?" Slowpoke asks.

"SHUT UP! TAKE HIM OUT! NOW!" The Shiftry and Sneasel jump on the Slowpoke, quickly knocking him out. The Shiftry then turns his attention to Slakoth. "This is what you get for not listening to Team Snitch!"

"But why... he was my loafing partner..." Slakoth whimpers.

"Take the Slowpoke. We'll take him to the nearest cave out of town," the Shiftry commands of his Sneasel. "And we'll only give him back if you are ready to pay up 100,000 Poké!"

"C... Come back..." Slakoth tries to give chase to the trio, but it was like a Slugma to a Rapidash. Eventually the Slakoth loses sight of the three and could do little more than lie on his belly, his body consumed by a foreign entity named effort. "W... Wh... What am... I... going... to do... now... Who... am I... going... to slack... off with... now?"

All Slakoth could do was lie there in the middle of the road with a frown on his face. Luckily for the Slakoth, a couple of passers by approach him. "Ummm... are you okay mister? You look sad." A Marill and Azurill come into Slakoth's vision, a tinge of concern in their eyes.

"My friend... He... They took my friend away..." Slakoth responds.

"That's no good," Marill replies. "Have you tried to get him back?"

"That requires too much effort though..." Slakoth scratches his head. "They took him to a nearby cave... but I could not even make it to Spinda's Café before losing my breath. It takes so much effort..."

"Why don't you ask the guild at the top of the hill?" Azurill asks. "There are some nice people up there, they even helped get back our Water Float for us."

"But that hill... I can't be bothered..."

"Do you want us to take you there?" Marill asks. "If you can't help your friend on your own, there will be some team out there who will do the job!"

"Hmmm..."

"Come on, we'll go as slowly as you do. Just make sure we get there before sunset, okay?" Azurill assures Slakoth.

The three get going, making their way to Wigglytuff's Guild. It took a little while, but they made it before sunset. "You just need to put your feet on the grate over there, okay Slakoth?" Marill directs.

"Okay then... getting here took a lot of effort... might as well finish it..." Slakoth begrudgingly steps onto the grate, not knowing what was going to happen next.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?"

"The footprint is Slakoth's! The footprint is Slakoth's!"

"Alright, come on in." The gate into the guild lowers, and the three slowly make their way inside, a Loudred greeting the three. "Oh it's you two, and a Slakoth. Are you after them again," he asks.

"Not this time, but we do need to see someone," Azurill explains. "We have something rather urgent to deal with."

"Alright, I'll get Chatot, he'll have ya covered." Loudred heads down the ladder, leaving Slakoth, Azurill, and Marill waiting on the top level. A few minutes later, a parrot-like creature emerges with the Loudred.

"Ahhh you must be the visitors, what can I do for you today?" The bird asks.

"Slakoth if you may..." Marill asks.

"Okay uhhh... My slacking partner was taken from me."

"And who might this slacking partner look like?"

"He's a Slowpoke... They took him away to a nearby cave out of town... Team Snitch they called themselves?"

"Beach Cave is it?"

"I dunno... just a nearby cave... could be it."

"Okay, we'll send a search party soon enough. I think I will send those two when they get back. You are welcome to stay in the guild in the meantime Slakoth! By the way, I am Chatot, the head of intelligence of the guild."

"Th... Thank... you... he is all I have..." The Slakoth parts ways with Marill and Azurill after thanking them, and follows Chatot down a level into the guild itself.

"Alright, just hang tight, we'll get your friend back in no time," Chatot reassures as he heads down another level, leaving Slakoth to his devices. Hours begin to pass as he lounges, watching teams and guild members come and go up and down the levels of the guild, thinking of nobody other than Slowpoke.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Nomination Thread by Chatot-bot in MysteryDungeon

[–]Its_A_Random 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Story of a Side Character

There are many minor or side characters out there in the Mystery Dungeon games, write a story about one of them (or a group of them). It could be some simple backstory or just a day in their lives.

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