Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Quenched Torch

Chapter 17: Riverbed Rumpus

Arid Riverbed

4F

'Finally...'

Having managed through the third floor's gusts of sandy wind and several ferals, our party was understandably relieved to find that floor four happened to be the floor where the sandstorm passed. Now content that we wouldn't bleed out just by standing around, our traveling partners saw this as an opportune time to stop and talk to us.

"So... you were sent here by a Guild," Shroomish said. Rye snapped out of his distant pondering as he walked straight into me, blinking hard.

"Uh, w-we volunteered, I guess, but-" he started. Sandshrew, being the little shit I had grown to expect, quickly raised his paw to interrupt him.

"Well, we want the reward money! Your guild thing gives you free food, right? We need the money more!" he demanded in his grating voice. Rye and I mentally slapped ourselves; we had basically forgotten that there was a reward here.

"W-what? We can't just give you all of it..." Rye exclaimed. Shroomish pushed Sandshrew aside before he could respond.

"Uh, how's you getting twenty percent sound?" she asked. Rye swallowed hard as their eyes bored into his own. As he struggled to form a response, he caught my eye as I made as reassuring a face as I could. Biting his lip, he turned back to Shroomish.

"Er, f-fifty," he stammered. Shroomish's eyes narrowed.

"Thirty-five."

"F-forty-five."

"Forty."

Rye hesitated a bit before slowly nodding. Giving us a wary look, Shroomish nodded to close the agreement, then turned away to drag Sandshrew along. Rye gave me a small gesture of thanks before we made to follow them.

The further in we went into the floor, I more I noticed Sandshrew watching Rye and I with poorly hidden fascination in his eyes. As we downed what must have been the fifth Sandile on this floor, he raised his paw.

"Uh... who taught you to fight like that?" he asked. Rye looked at him confusedly.

"L-like what?" he asked.

"You know, dodging the bad guys and hitting them at the same time like you just were? Shroomish says that's hard to do, so, uh, do all Guildies know how to do that?" Sandshrew said.

"I was...? It, uh, depends on the Guild."

"Which one are you in?"

Shroomish, seemingly realizing the answer right there, tried to stop Rye before he answered.

"Arcanine's," he said. Shroomish made a face like she had just been hit in the gut with a sledgehammer as Sandshrew began jumping in place.

"Arcanine's Guild?! Do you know Team Frontier? How about Minutemon? Ooh, ooh, what about Apex?" he asked hurriedly. Rye and I exchanged glances.

"Uh, y-yeah, er, I apprenticed with Team Apex..." Rye said. Sandshrew only grew more excited as he got up in our faces.

"D-did you hear about how they started out as robbers and joined a Guild to fight Tyranitar? How many Pokémon were in Pike's charge against Tyranitar's army? Did they tell you about when Arden and May went to beat up Kyurem? Did they really finish Kyurem off by punching him in the face?!"

We started back on our way as he continued to incessantly ask questions, Shroomish letting out a loud groan.

"You see what you did? Now he'll never shut up..." she said quietly.