Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Twisted Space

12: Life or Death

Astral Cave B2F

"Gee, I'm getting kinda hungry..." Vigil moaned.

"Maybe we should stop for a bit and rest," Fallen proposed.

Team Inferno stood at the top of the stairs, their vision suffocated by the bright lights on the walls.

"You are not starving, are you?" Azure asked Vigil.

"Well, no," the Sentret answered.

"These mystery dungeons drain your energy much quicker. It will make you want to eat within shorter intervals, and if you do not manage your food properly, you will run out. If I knew we would not be in Astral Cave for a long time, we could have stopped right here. However, that togepi can be anywhere. It is in our best interests to preserve our food for as long as we can."

"If you say so..." Vigil sulked.

"Let's just hope that togepi is close by," Fallen shuttered.

After meandering through another tunnel, Team Inferno was welcomed by a pair of geodude enjoying a meal of apples. They had not yet noticed the team enter the room behind them, a fact Fallen thought to exploit.

"Vigil, think you can get underneath them?" Fallen asked.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Vigil said.

"Then dig, but don't come out until I say so. Alright?"

The sentret prepared to claw into the ground until he was halted by Azure, "Are you sure about this plan, Fallen?"

The lucario's stern demeanor caused Fallen to second-guess. He was so sure of his last plan, only for it to end in disaster. But this time...his plan was foolproof. There was no way that either of them could mess it up.

Then again, perhaps Azure knew something about the situation that neither of them realized. Maybe he was being hesitant to get Fallen to pay closer attention to the environment. The cautious treecko took in his surroundings once again. The room was empty aside from the geodude in the center. None of the lights were bright enough to be exposed as carbink, and not a single pokémon hung from the ceiling.

But what good were the treecko's eyes compared to the abilities of his two companions? Vigil's species boasted exceptionally sensitive sight, and Azure possessed an incredible talent for detecting aura. Fallen was not alone.

"Vigil, see anything strange?" the treecko asked.

"Hmmm," Vigil scrutinized the room. "Nothing out of the ordinary here."

"Azure, can you double-check?"

The lucario stood perfectly still, smiling down at Fallen.

"Azure?"

"I have already scanned the room with the remnants of aura I am able to muster," Azure said. "Other than those geodude, it is empty."

Fallen was immediately taken aback, "What? Then why did you—"

"Because I wanted you to learn how to take advantage of your resources and strategize accordingly. Had I not warned you, Vigil would have obeyed you blindly. The two of you were prepared to wander into a situation in which you did not collect enough information. Of course, without Vigil's eyesight or my aura, I would not expect you to survey every inch of Astral Cave. The fact is, however, that your teammates are just as important to success as you are."

Fallen clung tightly to Azure's words. He resolved to repeat these lessons in his head, in order to lead Team Inferno the way Azure expected him to.