Disaster is Imminent ~Pokémon Mystery Dungeons~

Darkrai's Return

Ikiry gazed around warily, Rikan by her side. They walked into the town square and a crowd of people gathered around them, mumbling and whispering to each other.

"STEP BACK!" A croaky voice yelled and the crowd parted. A totodile walked over, it's mouth opening and closing with each step. A skitty followed, carrying it's self with pride and power. Ikiru glanced at Rikan. 

"That's Toto." He explained, nodding towards the totodile. "And the skitty behind him is Valentina. They saved the world. Twice." Ikiru looked surprised but swiftly masked it as the pair wlked over to them.

"Who are you?" Toto asked bluntly. 

Man these people get to the point quick. Ikiru shook her head slightly and sniffed. Her eyes the widened and she stepped towards Valentina. "You're human." Ikiru said. 

Valentina blinked and took a half step back.

"How did you know that my partner was human!?" Toto snapped. 

Ikiru looked away and Rikan stepped forwards. "She was captured as a child, but she ran away. Her human partner was cruel. She grew up around humans, and so she knows what one smells like." He lied swiftly. Iriku nodded solemly. Valentina smiled.

"What is your name, absol?" Her voice was soft and light. Kind, even.

Ikiru looked away. "In a town far away, I was called Funaka." She sighed. "Ikiru is what name I was given." 

Valentina frowned. "Tha's a very human name."

"Does it matter?"

"Guess not." 

"Do you two need a place to stay?" Toto asked, his blue scales shining in the sunset. 

"I don't, but Ikriu does." Rikan piped up. "And..." He looked at Ikirku, "I would honestly prefer it if we stayed together. She's unsure about a lot of things."

Ikiru nodded and gazed silently around the crowd. A pair of kelceons, a vigoroth, a poochyena trio and a few others stood in a tight circle. "Okay! Come with us!" Toto smiled a gap toothed grin and led the others towards a mass set of stone carved stairs up a cliff.

~~~~~~

"Pokémon detected, Pokémon decteced!" A voice yelled upwards through a grate set into the floor, which Ikiru stood upon. Rikan had already had his turn and stood by the side. In fron of the pair was a large dome in the shape of a wigglytuff. Two flaming torches stood either side and Valentina a Toto stood behind. 

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" Another voice yelled in reply to the first.

"The Pokémon is... um..." The first voice hesitated. "Absol! The Pokémon is Absol!" 

"Very well! Let them through!" Then, with a rumble and a shake, a gate opened revealing a ladder downwards. Toto and Valentina stepped forwards and led the pair down the stairs. Ikiru looked dubiously at the wooden ladder, but clambered down it anyway and  gasped quietly as she reached the first underground floor. Pokémon of all sorts gathered around noticeboards covered in pieces of paper. Each showing a job of some sort. Missing Pokémon, items, stolen item,s outlaws, and more stuff like that. Ikiru noticed, while she was gazing around, that the others had gone down a second ladder. She quickly followed and was met by a squawky parrot thing with a semi-quaver on it's head. Or, a semi-quaver TAIL on it's head. (A semi-quaver is a type of music note, if you didn't know) 

"Chatot!" Toto said. "Long time. Look, I was hoping you could let these two form an Exploration team."

Rikan and Ikiru looked at each other. Ikiru nodded at Rikan, having heard of an Pokémon exploration team once before in a dream she had Long ago.