Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Early Years (Ongoing)

Chapter 11: The Challenge

Despite the seating arrangement in class with him and Lucia not only at different tables, but with Pokémon they didn't like at each table, time seemed to be flying by for Dart. It was so unusual to him—he swore that before Lucia it felt like each minute dragged and dragged and dragged during school, then it was an infinitely long chase by the bullies everyday after school. But now, he felt so much less... alone. Lucia was right beside him when he was chased—if he was chased, since hanging around Lucia after school made it a lot more even. And, if it was one thing that Cameron hated, it was a fair fight.

It had already been two weeks since school started, and as he went to school and to the line made before class he immediately knew something was off. Lucia wasn't there when she was usually quite early—and neither was Lewis or Jason. Cameron and Archer were there, but the other three being gone, especially when Cameron was usually the latest of the group more often than not set off all kinds of alarm bells.

Dart just had to know—what were they up to? He walked over to Cameron and Archer after not too much more thought. "Where's Lucia?"

Archer spoke up first. If anything, he seemed a little antsy, like he wanted to know too. "Isn't she usually with you?"

Cameron added onto it, trying his best to dismiss Dart. "Yeah, she's your responsibility, less she finally got some sense and ditched ya."

Dart glared slightly at the two of them, more aimed at Cameron, who was snickering at his own comment, than Archer before he spoke up again. "Then where's Lewis and Jason? They're your responsibility, so you should know."

Cameron rolled his eyes. "Why you think Lucia's with em'? Besides, I wouldn't know, what am I, their mom?"

Cameron gave Dart a particular look at the end there, and added extra emphasis on "mom". Archer looked genuinely surprised at his friend for what he said, and Dart's mouth made a hard line as he looked at Cameron.

Cameron knew what he said, and he meant to say it. He smirked and continued with a small shrug. "Whoops."

Dart glared at him for a second, before just turning away and running. He heard Cameron laugh behind him, and he mumbled under his breath. "Damn... jerk... I'll find them..."

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Lucia had started running ahead of Sammy—she knew that she wouldn't leave him behind fully, but hoped that it would get him hurrying, being they were still in the bit of the forest part that was on the long path to school. Jack and Caroline were busy very early today, and trusted them to get to school on time on their own. She kept ahead for a little while, Sammy audibly falling behind, though, it was the slightest hint of a voice she hated being familiar with that made her sharply stop and turn. "Hey, kid!"

It wasn't all four of them, thank whoever she believed in—but just that Buizel and Pawmi. Lewis was a good bit taller than Sammy, while Sammy actually had some height on Jason—though, size didn't exactly mean power. She saw that Jason reached up and grabbed Sammy roughly by the shoulder, like he was trying to intimidate him. The other words were too quiet for her to pick up—or she was too upset to pick up on them as she hit the ground running off of the 180 she did. She wasn't going to just take whatever they dealt, and wouldn't let her friends take it either.

Sammy seemed a bit frightened at the two, who'd started talking to him, poking him and such. Though, it didn't last as she tackled Lewis before they could notice her charging at them. They both hit the ground, with Lewis taking the brunt of it and letting out an "oof!". Though, she didn't got off completely either, scraping her foot on the dirt path.