Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Quenched Torch

Chapter 16: Team Creosote

Arid Riverbed

2F

"CROOOHK!"

Two small figures spun around at the loud roar from a room behind them. The smaller one, a Shroomish, stared back through the sandstorm before she quickly tore their Toolbox off her partner's back and started running down the path.

"Oww, that hurt... h-hey, wait, where you going?" said partner asked hurriedly.

"Someone's getting attacked back there! Stay here, don't let any ferals sneak up on me!"

"What? But... aww..."

The Sandshrew slumped his shoulders as his partner disappeared into the clouds of sand. He eventually settled on burrowing himself into the hot ground, sticking his little head just out of the sand as he scowled after his friend.

"Humph. You're no fun..."

---

"Croohk! Croooh-ook!"

The two visibly bruised Krokoroks, their dark eyes burning with primal rage, barked and growled as they continued to stalk towards a panicking Rye. He had managed to keep the beasts at bay for a good bit at this point, though he was beginning to grow tired. Aside from the physical damage he had taken, the stress of the situation was taking its toll. He had last seen Beck clambering down a pathway and being pursued by one of the Krokoroks, and there had been no sign of him since. Seeing as he was now backed into a corner, having his company really would have helped right now.

With no other option, Rye leapt at one of the two Krokoroks, his hands glowing sightly as he used a Mega Drain on the foe. He shivered slightly as he felt his wounds close up, the Krokorok below him tumbling to the ground unconscious. He didn't have much time to revel in this victory, as the other Krokorok let out a furious roar.

Before Rye could do anything, he was tackled to the ground by the monster, which quickly clamped its jaws around his neck. Rye quickly realized what was happening: he had only heard of this happening before: ferals in dungeons attacking not simply to show superiority or knock someone unconscious for a dungeon to take.

This Krokorok was going to kill him.

As if in response to this realization, the Krokorok bit down as hard as it could on Rye's neck. With a loud, painful crunch, it gave a satisfied grunt, then threw him aside to dig through his bag. Rye twitched as he uselessly grabbed at his broken neck, his fading mind scrambling to find a way out of this. Despite that, he knew that no amount of siphoned energy would be able to heal a broken neck in time to save him.

'No... I... I can't...'

He went limp as everything went black...

Crack!

...and immediately found himself on his feet gasping in sweet air, only stopping because of the sand in the air. The Krokorok, which had been digging through his bag, stepped back in shock from the equally surprised Treecko. Not a scratch was left on his body, and even the prior exhaustion he had felt was around frantically, he noticed a wispy yellow smoke rising from a cracked seed in the sand. The now-spent Reviver Seed quickly began to disappear under the sand, though what was done was done.

Rye let out a strangled scream of rage as he charged at the Krokorok, swiping at it with several consecutive Quick Attacks. As it regained its composure, he struck it in its muzzle with a hard Pound, knocking out a few of its teeth. The Krokorok let out another furious roar in response, snapping together its blood-covered jaws. It staggered at Rye, only to keel forward with a pained screech. A large seed of some kind ricocheted off the beast's head, leaving it unconscious on the ground. Rye could make out the shape of a Shroomish with a ribbon tied around the tufts on its head, presumably the source of the Bullet Seed, as it ran over to him from the other side of the valley.