After a long and arduous period of walking, Aiden pointed towards the small dot on her map labelled "PASSAGE OF MIRAGES," then lowered her arms to reveal the faded remains of a gargantuan, trapezoidal temple. The structure's faded stone walls were lined in a plethora of overgrown vines, plant life nestling in various cracks created by decades of erosion. Only the very top of the temple was even visible; Trevor shuddered slightly at imagining how deep underground he would have to traverse in order to reach its bottom floor. The Meowth then noticed the peculiar lack of other Pokémon around the temple's gaping, rectangular entrance; the surrounding grassy terrain was instead littered with half-eaten berries, crumpled fliers, as well as a myriad of fresh, dirt footprints of widely varying shapes and sizes.
"Nobody's here," Trevor noted, running his paw across his chin, "From the looks of these footprints, it looks like everybody rushed into the dungeon in a hurry."
Aiden scowled. "Crap, everybody's already gone in ahead of us- we must've spent too much time back at Sunrise Town! C'mon, we don't have a moment to waste!"
The trio began hastily making their way towards the temple's gaping entrance before Trevor gave a sudden stop, having caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a convex manhole cover huddled to the side. Upon closer inspection, Trevor found that the peculiar object was, in fact, an Aegislash laying atop it's shield, his singular eye solemnly closed shut as he snored loudly. He noticed a blue ribbon with a single, white stripe which he had never seen before tied around his golden, cone-shaped hilt, fluttering rhythmically with each exhale.
"Hey, what's the holdup, Treph?" Aiden asked before noticing the sleeping knight. "Oh. Huh."
"Should... we wake him up?" Trevor asked cautiously.
"Ugh, spare us the hassle," Rin grunted, "For all we know, he could just be another Pokémon who we have to compete against to find the Mythical first.
Despite the Dewott's reluctance, Trevor nonetheless mustered the courage to tiptoe near the slumbering Aegislash and give him a quick poke near his hilt. He instantly began to stir, prompting Trevor to reflexively retract his arm and take a few steps backwards as if to avoid a potential explosion.
"Vile fiend... prepare yourself..." the Aegislash murmured.
"Um, excuse me-"
"FOR THE SWIFT, UNRELENTING HAND OF JUSTICE!"
"AAAH!" With a startled shriek, Trevor instantly shot backwards into Aiden's arms as the Aegislash sprang into the air, brandishing his massive, circular shield wildly. With heaving breaths and wild, restless eye, he swiftly halted his movement upon seeing the trio's stunned, dumbstruck expressions. He cleared his throat, then gave an extravagant bow.
"Sirs. Madam. Apologies for startling you," the Aegislash declared in a haughty voice. "I was simply having the most delightful of daydreams. My name is Percival- I assume you've heard of me."
Trevor tilted his head slightly then turned to face Rin and Aiden, both of whom could only offer a slight shrug.
"...I suppose not." Percival hung his head disappointedly. "Ah well," he sighed before rapidly looking around, "That doesn't matter. Where did everyone else go? What's going on?!"
"Well, you were kinda asleep," Aiden answered, "Trevor here decided to wake you up just now."
"What?! Asleep?!" Percival's singular, purple eye widened in shock, "Impossible, how could I have possibly fallen asleep?! Ah, woe and misery, Master Jett will surely be disappointed in me-"
Aiden spontaneously recoiled upon hearing the name, staring at Percival with slack-jawed awe. "Wait, wait, wait. Jett? As in 'Iron Justice' Jett, the Legend Rank?!"
YOU ARE READING
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rising Spirits
Macera"All things... must eventually come to pass..." Trevor, a timid human turned Meowth, has been thrust into an unfamiliar world of talking Pokémon who view his kind as inexplicably tied to the looming, unseen threat which threatens their world. With n...
