Reunion

By Togetic Anon

Chapter 1: Dream

"Uraaaagh! Take THAT!"

With a right-handed punch, Dewott sends a feral Dustox flying, and it disappears into dust before it can even hit the ground. He takes a moment to flex his arm and smirk, admiring his own power.

"I-Incoming, s-six-o'clock!" Squeaks a tiny Togepi, hiding behind Dewott. Dewott turns around to face his new foes. A feral Farfetch'd and a feral Scyther enter the room.

"Gotcha. Better not keep them waiting!" Dewott cracks his knuckles and lunges at the ferals. With one flowing movement, Dewott uppercuts Farfetch'd into the air, and then follows up with a kick to the Scyther's face. The Farfetch'd disintegrates, but the Scyther counters with a horizontal slash. "Predictable!" Dewott ducks under it, and then performs a leg sweep, toppling the Scyther and making it fall on its back. Dewott then simply stomps on its head, which turns into dust along with the rest of the feral.

"Hah! Those weaklings didn't even make me break out any moves or my shells. All clear?" Dewott says as he turns back to Togepi.

Togepi nods in response. "We sh-should get m-moving, o-our supplies are running l-low." He says while rustling through a large bag.

"This dungeon's larger than we expected, eh?" Dewott waltzes over to the bag and picks it up, making Togepi tumble out of it. "C'mon kiddo. Lets find those stairs."

Getting back on his feet, Togepi quickly waddles behind Dewott to keep up with him as he moves through the corridors of the dungeon. The dungeon is a dark forest, and the night sky can't be seen past the thick leafy canopy above the adventurers.

"I-I think this d-dungeon m-might be a b-bust..." Togepi says with a sigh.

"Not all of 'em are gonna be winners. Lets at least hope that rumor of there being some kind of human "artifact" here is true."

"W-We shouldn't k-keep e-exploring every r-random rumor w-we hear... W-We should stay in a t-town for a w-while to get some b-better inform-m-mation..."

Dewott stops walking, making Togepi bump into his back. Turning around, Dewott angrily exclaims, "How many times have I said it? We're NOT spending any more goddamn time here than we have to! I'm not going to sit around in some town full of freakish monsters instead of trying to get back home!" Seeing Togepi cover his face in fear, Dewott takes a deep breath to calm himself down. "... Look, there ain't no reason to be trying to get cozy here when there's a real world the both of us gotta get back to. You know this."

Togepi solemnly nods. "I k-know... B-But what h-have any o-of our r-recent e-efforts accomplished? A-All we've done is find r-random treasure and b-beat up a couple of outlaws and ex-x-ploration t-teams."

"Hey, we've gotten stronger, and marked off places where there ISN'T a way back home."

"M-More like you've gotten st-stronger..."

Dewott rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that shit. You're helpful in your own ways, like how you always know how to properly prepare for a dungeon dive. And you can always throw items, that's useful."

"B-But I can't f-fight like y-you can..."

Dewott lets out a hearty laugh. "Hahah! That's because NO ONE can fight like I can! You shouldn't worry about trying to fight, I'll be able to fight off anyone that gets in our way!"

"W-What about that t-time we got j-jumped by that g-girly Vulpix and Sandshre-"

"We're not talking about that again." Dewott said while swiftly spinning around, turning his back to Togepi. "You KNOW we would've won if you didn't use that escape orb thingy."

"You k-kept getting hit by c-confuse ray and a-almost hitting me." Dewott ignored Togepi's comment and started walking down the corridor again, with Togepi following right behind.

After a few minutes of silent traveling, the pair make it to another large room. Apart from leaves and sticks, the room's floor is completely bare, and there are no ferals within the room either.

Dewott walks into the middle of the room, looking around. "Jus' another empty room... With no ferals..."

Togepi follows closely behind, walking backward to cover Dewott's blind spot. "... I-In a d-dungeon that's been f-full of t-them..."

Dewott comes to a stop as he stares at a spot in the ground. At first glance, the spot looks no different from the rest of the room's floor, but looking closely one can see what looks like an imprint on some leaves, implying that an item was once sitting at that spot. "... And with no items..." Dewott unsheathes his scalchops from his hips. "AWRIGHT, COME OUT ALREADY!" Dewott's yell echoes throughout the room.

From the shadows, a Bisharp and two Pawniards show themselves in front of Dewott. The three stop a few feet away from the duo, and cross their arms. Dewott and Togepi notice badges on each of them, and one of the Pawniards is carrying a bag. The Bisharp speaks up with a deep and monotone voice. "We're Team Shogun. You two must be the outlaws that have been assaulting and robbing innocent adventuring and rescue teams. We're taking you into custody, whether you choose to be arrested alive or dead is up to you."

While keeping his gaze fixed on Team Shogun, Dewott whispers to Togepi, "Seeds and orbs status?"

"W-We're o-out..." Togepi whispers back while quickly looking through Dewott's bag. "T-This fight w-will be all you..."

A devilish grin formed on Dewott's face. "Time for some fun. Stick close, don't get separated."

Togepi sighs, and Dewott crosses his own arms to match the pose of Team Shogun. "Hilarious how some disgusting monsters like you think you even have the right to talk to a human. Know your place and get out of our way."

Team Shogun all uncrosses their arms in unison, and their leader once again speaks up. "Negotiations have failed. A shame." Without warning, the Bisharp dashes towards Dewott, and performs a downward slash with his armblade! Dewott easily blocks it with his scalchops, and then delivers a kick to Bisharp's torso, making him slide back.

Next, the two Pawniards jump at Dewott, and Dewott slashes one out of the air before he can land, but the other's attack forces Dewott to block with both of his scalchops. Seizing this chance, the Bisharp goes in for another swipe, this time with both armblades. Unable to block it, Dewott is hit by the Bisharp's X-Scissor and sent flying, leaving Togepi completely exposed!

One of the Pawniards advances on Togepi, but Dewott gets back up in time and dashes over to knock them away with another Razor Shell. "Sorry about that kiddo." Dewott quickly gasps out as he prepares to block another slash from Bisharp. Dewott deflects the slash with one of his scalchops and goes for a slash of his own, but the Pawniard with a bag throws a Blast Seed at him. Unable to get out of the way, the seed explodes the moment it hits Dewott, sending both him and Togepi careening through the air in different directions. Groaning in pain, Togepi climbs to his feet, only to see Dewott getting sent flying again by a Night Slash from Bisharp. Dewott tries to get back on his feet, but the pain he's in makes his legs falter, and he kneels on the ground.

The three Team Shogun members surround him. "So this was the power of a human? Pathetic." says the Bisharp with a scoff. "Take him in, Pawniards."

"No... NEVER!" Dewott makes one last attempt to lunge at Bisharp, but Bisharp simply catches him by the neck and then throws him toward Togepi. Dewott's body slides across the ground, and Togepi rushes over.

Dewott doesn't even attempt to get up, and he struggles to keep his eyes open. "K-Kiddo... Guess we... Ain't goin' home..."

Togepi's body is shaking and tears are forming in his eyes. "I-I'm s-s-sorry... I-I'm u-useless... P-Please... G-Get up-p-p..."

Team Shogun walks over, and one of the Pawniards kicks Togepi, sending him rolling away. "Let's not worry about the Togepi, the wanted poster only mentioned Dewott." The Pawniards nod in response to Bisharp's order, and they begin picking up Dewott's limp body.

"N-no... S-Stop...!" Togepi pleads as he gets back up.

Team Shogun completely ignores him, and the leader takes off his badge and lifts it up, preparing to use it to exit the dungeon. Togepi runs as fast as he can, and suddenly a white light begins to envelop him. The light begins to envelop Togepi's vision as well, yet that does not stop him from sprinting toward Dewott. Eventually, all he sees is white, and he feels himself flying into the air.

---

Chapter 2: Adventure

"... To..."

"... Tog..."

"Toge..."

"TOGETIC!"

I wake up with a start. (Ugh, that dream again. Why can't I get some original dreams instead of just flashbacks?) Rubbing my eyes, the white fades from my vision and is instead filled in by the familiar sights of the guild's storeroom. And by the Alolan Meowth standing in front of me.

"A-Ah... H-Hello, K-Kaiji..." I say groggily, slowly standing up. Turning my head, I can see light shining through one of the storage room's windows. (Crap! It must be past noon by now!) "O-Oh... S-Sorry for... N-Not finishing t-the... I-Inventory rep-p-port y-yet..."

"Fuggettaboutit." Said Kaiji with a light chuckle. "I already completed it while yoose was snoozin'. You ain't an official quartermaster anyway, this type of work should be handled by me." Kaiji leaned on a nearby support beam. "Besides, you've done so much work cleanin' up this place that I felt bad puttin' any other work on ya'."

"Th-Thanks M-Mister Kaij-ji..." I stretch my arms into the air and let out a yawn. It's been a couple of weeks since I first joined the guild, and most of that time has been dedicated to cleaning up the storeroom. I've also helped out organizing the kitchen, and sometimes I've sneaked into other guild member's bedrooms while they weren't around to organize their stuff for them and resupply their bags. Glancing around the storeroom now, I remember what a mess it used to be when I first got here. I can feel my face make a tiny grin as I appreciate how much progress I've made, nearly everything is neatly organized now, with nearly everything being organized into boxes, cabinets, and wardrobes that are all specifically labeled and ordered by item type.

"Admiring your handiwork?" Says Kaiji as he surveys the storeroom himself. "Feel proud kid. Oh, right!" Kaiji's face lights up like he just remembered something. "Forgot why I woke ya' in the first place. Team Cozy was lookin' for you, they should be 'round the dining hall."

(Huh? I already organized and restocked all of their supplies while they were sleeping last night. Wonder what they could want?) "Th-thanks for l-letting me k-know... D-Did they s-say what they w-wanted me f-for?"

Kaiji shrugs. "I think they mentioned it was for a request or sumthin'."

(A request? Guess I better go see what it's about.)

"I-I'll be o-off t-then... F-Farewell M-Mister Kaij-ji..." Kaiji gives me a wave goodbye as I walk up the stairs out of the storeroom and into the guild's main hall. Passing by a crowd of various guild members, I make my way into the mess hall, and spot Chespin and Wooper at a table talking with Sneasel and Booker. Chespin spots me and waves me over with a bright smile.

"Over here!" Chespin motions for me to sit on a seat next to him. Booker is sitting on the table and waves at me, while right behind him Sneasel tries to pretend I don't exist and refuses to look at me. Wooper peeks around from behind Chespin and gives me a large smile. "Finally! We need you for a request we got!"

I float onto the seat next to Chespin. "Wh-What do you n-need me f-for?"

Chespin takes out a piece of paper. "Debby delivered some mail, and there was a letter addressed to Team Cozy!" Chespin passes the letter to me, and I look it over. "It's from a Comfey saying she'll make us scented wreaths and blankets if we can get her some Joy Dust from a Togetic."

(A request specifically for Team Cozy? Odd, I haven't gotten around to putting posters around town promoting them yet.)

Sneasel snickers. "I think you'd be better off looking for a different Togetic. This one's Joy Dust probably doesn't work."

Ignoring her comment, I continue reading the Comfey's letter. (Joy Dust, huh? I've heard Togetics spread Joy Dust before but I never actually tried spreading any of it myself.) "H-Hang on Ch-Chespin... T-The writer s-says to f-find her in a m-mystery dungeon..."

"Relax." Says Chespin. "It's just Serenity River, we shouldn't have any trouble with it at all."

Wooper jumps off his seat and onto the table so he can get closer to me. "Yeah! AND I heard there's treasure at the end of the dungeon! C'mon, come with us!"

(How could I ever say no to Wooper? That said, something about this feels off, but maybe I'm just paranoid since I haven't been dungeon crawling since I joined the guild.)

I hand the letter back to Chespin. "... A-Alright. I-I'll go get some s-supplies and g-get ready..."

Sneasel looks baffled that I accepted their offer, and rolls her eyes as she slides over a coin to Chespin, who quickly snatches it up. "Told you so." Says Chespin with a smirk.

(... I'm not sure how to feel about that. Chespin has confidence in me, at least.)

Wooper jumps down from the table while yelling "HOORAY!", and Chespin puts the coin in his bag as he gets off his seat.

"We're already stocked up, so we'll wait for you by the guild's entrance while you get ready." Chespin says as I get off of my seat and start flying back to the guild's stairway.

"Come back safe!" Booker shouts as Chespin and Wooper start making their way out of the mess hall as well. Sneasel doesn't say anything, but does a half-hearted wave to Team Cozy with one of her claws.

---

(Apples... Blast Seeds... Various berries... Should I bring a bunch of Reviver Seeds? It is a rather easy dungeon from what I've heard, it might be better to save that space for Oran Berries instead if we aren't going to get knocked out much.) A weird giddiness filled me as I flew through the storeroom, carefully picking out the perfect items to put in my bag. (It's been so long since I've prepared for a dungeon crawl like this... But... Will all of this preparation even matter? I'm so useless that Team Cozy will probably make short work of the dungeon and not need my help... No, I can't think that. I HAVE to prepare as perfectly as I can, so I can be the best possible support for Chespin and Wooper that I can.) I shove an Escape Orb into my bag and give its contents one last lookover. (This should be enough. Perfectly packing doesn't mean overpacking, have to leave some room for that treasure Wooper will want us to get.)

---

"You ready, Toge?" Chespin inquires as I fly up to him and Wooper, who are standing inside the guild's main doorway. I give him a nod, and all three of us make our way into Capim Town. "It shouldn't take longer than an hour to get to Serenity River from here."

(If only it were a longer trip, then maybe we could've camped out. I could've prepared special blankets for all of us to sleep on... And I'd get to see them sleeping together under the beauty of nature and the stars. Pure friendship under the light of the full moon, how could anything in the world compete with that?! And then Wooper might say something like "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" which would make Chespin get flustered, well only if he's Japanese or a weeb. Oh, what if-)

"Um... Toge? Are you okay? You're drooling." Asks Wooper as he tilts his head curiously. Putting my very important thoughts on hold, I notice my internal philosophizing has caused me to be unaware of how we've already walked out of Capim Town. We're walking on a thin dirt road, with large grass plains stretching out on both sides of it. Looking behind me, I can see the tree trunks of Capim a ways away from us.

"... S-Sorry, j-just spaced o-out a bit... H-How l-long have w-we been walking?"

"Only about twenty minutes, I think." Said Chespin. The two members of Team Cozy continue to talk among themselves as I follow silently behind them, not wanting to interrupt whatever they're talking about. I take some time to appreciate the rolling green hills and their green grass that sways gracefully in the afternoon winds. The sky is mostly clear, but there are a few large clouds in the sky that sometimes envelop the sun for a few moments. Various bird pokemon fly by in the sky above us or chirp in the nearby trees along the path.

(I've been cooped up inside the guild for so long that I forgot how nice it can be to just absorb nature for a little while. I still don't particularly enjoy being out in the sun for too long, but I must admit this is a really nice day for a stroll like this. Maybe I should go out adventuring a bit more... But...) I let out a nervous sigh as my mind gets flooded with previous adventures with Dewott. (... I can't let these memories hold me back forever. I should make sure new ones, with all of the new people I've met. I was lucky enough for Team Cozy to give me another chance, I shouldn't waste it!) Renewed with vigor, I catch up to Chespin and Wooper right as we make it to the entrance of Serenity River.

A small wooden sign marks the entrance of the dungeon, with tall grass and reeds forming a thick wall that is impossible to see through. Behind the sign, there's a thin corridor within the wall of reeds, small enough for only one pokemon to get through at a time.

"Hey, before we go in, why don't we take a break and swim in the river?" Wooper asks as he takes a look at the nearby river next to the dungeon entrance.

Chespin walks up to the riverside. "Good idea, we could use a break after that walk, and swimming inside the dungeon would be dangerous." The river's waters are calm and clear, and a few fish pokemon can even be seen swimming in the water. Chespin puts down his bag and walks up to two nearby trees, taking out his vines. "Alright, here we go!" Chespin wraps a vine around each tree and walks backward, increasing the vine's tension. Then he jumps into the air, letting his vines propel him like a slingshot, sending him flying over the river. "CANONBAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!" Chespin rolls into a ball mid-air and smashes into the water back-first, causing a massive splash that creates a pillar of water that causes a small rainbow to form as water showers over the nearby riverbanks. I cover my face with my arms to try and keep the water out of my eyes.

"No fair, wait for me!" Wooper jumps as high as he can and dives right into the river, swimming up to Chespin, who just surfaced and spit out some water. Wooper does a flip in the water and splashes Chespin with his tail, and Chespin responds by using his vines to kick up more water to splash at Wooper. The two gleefully giggle and laugh as they continue to splash and chase each other around in the water, while I decide to sit in the shade of a nearby tree observing them.

Chespin notices me relaxing, and waves to me with his vines. "Come on in! The water's great!" He shouts while treading water in the middle of the river.

(... Well, it can't hurt to swim for a little bit.) I get up and fly over to them, and Chespin splashes some water at me, which I avoid by doing a mid-air roll to the side. However, as I try and make myself stable in the air, Wooper leaps out of the water and sprays me with a weak Water Gun from his mouth! "I-I've been h-hit!" I say melodramatically as I let my wings go limp and splash into the water. I wince expecting the cold water to feel uncomfortable, but the water is just cool enough to feel nice without making me feel chilly. I flap my wings to propel myself upwards, letting my head break past the surface of the water. After shaking my head to get the water out of my eyes, I can see Chespin laughing from my little act of theatrics. Seeing my opportunity to strike, I turn myself around, and flap my wings as hard as I can, sending water spraying right into Chespin's face!

"Hey! No fair!" Chespin sputters out as he tries to cover his face from my onslaught with his vines. I take a moment to stop and catch my breath, only for Chespin to instantly use his vines to grab me and toss me up into the air! However, before his vines let go, I grab onto one of them with my arms and pull him out of the water and into the air as well! Wooper sees our high-flying antics and decides to leap from the water and into the air too. All of us then plummet back into the water with a large splash, once again sending a massive deluge of water around the entire area. We all surface and spit water out of our mouths, then burst out laughing.

After a few more battles in the water, all three of us swim to shore and relax on the riverside. Chespin flops onto his back and exposes his entire chest to the sun, looking pleased as he absorbs its energy. I lay down as well, hoping the sun will quickly dry my fur. Not wanting to be left out, Wooper also lays down next to Chespin. Once my fur feels dry enough, I get up and do one last check of my bag to make sure I have all of the supplies we need. Chespin also gets up and grabs his bag, and starts making his way back to the entrance of the dungeon with Wooper.

"C'mon Toge, let's get those scented blankets!" Chespin says energetically as he and Wooper run on ahead into the wall of reeds, and I quickly follow right behind.

---

Chapter 3: Waves

A maze of grass and reeds unfolds before us. The floor of the dungeon is lightly flooded with water, with some deeper parts that would force you to swim to get through. Thankfully, the dungeon's corridors all seem to have shallow water that all of us can walk through. I decide to fly over the shallow water, while Chespin trudges through it, kicking up water with every step he makes.

"Eugh, I just realized, any food we pick up in this dungeon is going to be all soggy!" Chespin says with a disgusted tone. "Also better make sure none of our supplies get wet." Chespin pulls up his bag to be a bit higher, so the bottom of it won't touch the water.

"... I-I can c-carry your b-bag, I-If you want..."

"Naw Toge, it's fine." Said Chespin. "Are you okay with me taking the lead?"

I nod, and Chespin takes point, leading us into one of the dungeon's hallways. Wooper follows behind him, while I take the rear, constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure no one is sneaking up behind us. (... I just realized, I don't know how much experience Team Cozy has exploring dungeons. I could ask them, but I don't want them to think that I'm doubting their competence...)

The hallway opens up into a large room, and something can be seen glinting under the shallow water. "Treasure!" Wooper lets out a yell as he waddles over to the shiny object in the water. As Chespin is about to call out to him, two other Woopers jump out of the deeper waters! Wooper is startled by the feral Woopers, but quickly gets his bearings and lets loose a Hydro Pump on the ferals! One of them is sent flying, while the other is completely unfazed!

(Water Absorb, and the one that got hit has Damp, I think. No Blast Seeds here then.) I turn my gaze to Chespin, who I'm expecting to see rushing in to help Wooper, but he's paralyzed by the sight of feral Woopers. "C-Chespin..." I tap his shoulder, which perks him up and snaps him out of his stupor.

"O-Oh, right!" Chespin takes out his vines and wraps them around the remaining feral, and launches himself into it, headbutting it and sending it flying! The feral dissolves as it lands in the water, and Chespin retracts his vines, staring at the spot where the feral turned to dust. With the threat gone, Wooper turns his interest to the shiny object in the water, which I fly over to investigate myself.

"It's Poke!" Says Wooper gleefully. He dives his head into the water and picks it up the coin with his mouth. He turns and thrusts his face towards me. Realizing he wants me to take the coin, I grab it from his mouth and put it in my bag. It's only about 50 Poke, but Wooper seems happy about it all the same. "C'mon, let's get going and find some more treasure!"

I give Wooper a smile, but then notice something moving in the water out of the corner of my eye. It's a large lily pad, slowly moving right toward Chespin's back! "C-Chespin! Your s-six!"

"I'm what-" Chespin turns around, but is cut off when the moving lily pad leaps out of the water and tackles him! It's a Lotad, and Chespin just barely blocks the attack with his arms. Before the Lotad gets another chance to attack, the ground shakes under it, and a spire of red light shoots out from the ground! When the light dissipates, the feral is nowhere to be seen.

(Good thing Wooper was ready with the save, an Earth Power user is always good to have around.) I fly over to Chespin. "A-Are you o-okay? I-I have some b-berries..."

Chespin dusts himself off. "I'm okay, but what did you mean by- OH!" Chespin smacks his forehead. "Six. Like six-o'clock. Behind me. Heheh..." Chespin lets out a nervous laugh as he rubs the back of his head, and I let out a sigh.

"Huh? I don't get it!" Says Wooper as he walks up to us.

"Human military term. It'd uh, take too long to fully explain here. But the gist of it is-"

I interrupt Chespin. "S-Six-o'clock is behind you, twelve-o-o'clock is i-in front, th-three-o'clock is your r-right, a-and nine-o'clock is y-your left."

Wooper's eyes seem to light up as I explain. "Wow, cool! But what's a military?"

"Would also take too long to explain." Answers Chespin. "Just knowing what each number means is what's important right now."

I nod. "A-Anyway... G-Good work you t-two. Sh-shall we get m-moving? W-We shouldn't keep-p that C-Comfey waiting."

Chespin once again takes the lead, while I lag behind, mulling over my thoughts. (So they might not be as experienced as I thought. They're certainly competent fighters, but they seem to lack dungeon awareness. It also looked like that was the first time Chespin ever fought a feral that looked like his friend. Thank god Wooper wears a scarf to differentiate him from ferals, if he didn't things could've gotten messy.) I glance up at Chespin and Wooper, who are happily chatting with each other as we walk through the corridors and rooms of the dungeon. (... No stairs so far. Maybe this is one of those dungeons that doesn't have them? Gah, I've always hated trying to figure out the logic of these things.)

We continue to stroll through the dungeon without much issue, but something nags at the back of my mind. (... It's been a while since we've run into any ferals, or any items. This is an easier dungeon, so that might be the reason, but something just doesn't feel right...) My vision darkens, and I look up to see that the sky has been enveloped by dark clouds. Looking at the water, I can see some small ripples forming from the impact of raindrops, and I start to feel the rain hit my fur. I pick up my pace to catch up with Chespin and Wooper.

"W-We should m-move a bit f-faster... Th-the water level m-might rise if we i-idle here too l-long." Chespin looks down, and sees how the shallow water which used to only reach up to the top of his feet has now risen to touch the lower part of his body.

"Right." Chespin nods, and he and Wooper start picking up the pace, splashing through the slowly rising water. I stick close behind having to fly slightly higher and higher to not touch the water. "Uh, Toge? How many times have you gone through a dungeon?"

"H-Huh? Wh-why do you ask?"

"Well, uh... You've felt different the moment we walked into the dungeon. Like you're more focused."

(Oh, right. The first time they saw me I was getting knocked out in a dungeon. I guess they didn't have any reason to expect me to have any real experience.) "... W-Well, I d-did have a partner b-before you t-two found me... And w-we did go through d-dungeons a lot... We maybe went th-through... a-around f-fifty?"

"FIFTY!?" Chespin and Wooper say in unison while stopping and turning around to face me, completely shocked.

"U-Uh... Y-You two haven't d-done more th-than that?"

"Well, my parents took me on a couple of adventures." Said Wooper. "But I don't think we've gone into more than... Ten dungeons? Right, Chespin?" Chespin nods as Wooper turns to him.

"M-Me and my p-partner spent a l-lot of time in th-the wilderness, s-so we just st-stumbled into d-dungeons a l-lot... H-He also d-did most of the f-fighting s-since I'm pretty u-useless..."

"Hey, don't say that! You're-" Chespin stops himself as the rain starts coming down faster and harder, making the entire floor of the dungeon get covered with ripples and splashes. Chespin moves his bag to his chest and lifts it up with both of his arms to keep it from touching the water. All three of us look at each other and nod, realizing we need to keep moving, and Chespin takes point as Wooper and I follow.

After a few minutes of trudging through the rain, I notice Wooper slowing down in order to walk right next to me. "... Toge? What happened to your partner?"

"... W-We got into a f-fight..."

"Oh..." Wooper's usual smile fades from his face. "Were you two good friends?"

I nod. "H-He's the reason I e-evolved, o-one time w-we got a-ambushed and o-outnumbered... H-He couldn't fight o-off the enemies o-on h-his own, so I r-rushed in t-to h-help despite k-knowing I-I couldn't d-do anything... B-But th-then I n-noticed I had evolved, and I-I was a-able to save h-him... J-Just barely, th-though."

Wooper looks over at Chespin, who's walking ahead of us. "... And despite being such close friends, you two still fought?"

"... Y-Yeah. S-Sometimes f-friendships j-just end..."

The shine in Wooper's eyes disappeared. "So, even me and Chespin could..." The tone of his voice made my blood run cold. All of Wooper's usual cheerfulness was gone, and replaced by the sound of pure sadness and worry.

(No, what have I done!? How could I let myself be so stupid and just say something like that to Wooper!? Has my incompetence caused a possible schism within Team Cozy?!? Will Wooper have doubts about Chespin now, always paranoid their friendship will end!? No, NO NO NO! I HAVE to fix this, NOW to protect the future of Team Cozy!) I take a deep breath, preparing to make perhaps the most important statement in my life.

"U-Uh... I-I wouldn't w-worry about you t-two having a f-falling out... M-My partner w-was another h-human, a-and u-uh..." (Wait Chespin's a human too FUCK) "I-I mean... W-We fought o-over something th-that shouldn't-t-t be a pr-problem for y-you two... I-I know Ch-Chespin w-will always w-want to b-be your best f-friend..."

My words seem to perk Wooper up a bit, but his voice still has traces of doubt. "... Are you sure?"

I nod my head forcefully with the biggest smile I can muster. "A-Absolutely. H-He values you s-so much, h-he st-struggled to f-force himself to f-fight th-those other Woopers that at-t-tacked us! H-He idolizes yo-"

"HEY! What are you saying about me-" Chespin slips in the water as he tries to turn around to yell at me, and flips backward with a splash. "Aw, my bag!" Chespin quickly gets back up and grabs his bag before it sinks deeper into the water. As he's about to check to see if any of its contents have gotten wet, the rain suddenly starts to come down even harder. The sounds of rainfall slamming into the watery floor of the dungeon starts to get deafening.

"CH-CHESPIN! T-THE W-WATER'S R-RISING!" I yell as I fly higher to avoid the rising water, which has now begun to reach the top of Chespin's chest. "G-GRAB ONTO M-ME WITH Y-YOUR VINES!"

"GOT IT!" Chespin's vines shoot out from his back and wrap around my body. I pull on the vines until Chespin is hanging directly under me, and fly up just enough so Chespin can keep afloat without sinking below the water. Wooper swims up next to Chespin, ready to help him if he accidentally falls under. "WHAT DO WE DO NOW?"

As I look around to try and figure out what to do next, I see a large wave heading towards us! "B-BRACE FOR I-IMPACT!" The wave bashes into Chespin and Wooper, sending us flying back through one of the dungeon's corridors. The sudden lurch from Chespin hanging onto me sends me slamming into the water, and all three of us struggle to fight against the increasing power of the water current. Somehow we all manage to get our heads above water, but the increasing ferocity of the waves causes us to bob up and down and struggle to spot each other. Chespin is struggling to keep his head above water and frantically splashing around, and Wooper is attempting to swim to him with a look of pure determination on his face.

"CHESPIN!" Wooper screams as he shoots from wave to wave to trying to reach him! But another large wave crashes into Chespin, sending him underwater! I grab onto the vines wrapped around me, flapping my wings and kicking my legs as hard as I can to pull him back up, but the power of the current's undertow starts to pull me under! "ARTHUR!!!" Wooper's pained cries are the last thing I hear before I'm completely pulled under.

I force my eyes open, ignoring the stinging pain from the water. I see Chespin floating lifelessly in front of me, and I pull myself closer to him using the vines wrapped around me. Just as I start to feel the urge to gasp for air, I see the dungeon's wall appear from the blue fog of the water, and Chespin's body slams into it! Panicking, I pull back on the vines and try and swim backward, but my momentum from the current is too strong, and I slam head-first into the reeds. I gasp from the pain, water filling my mouth and lungs, and then all fades to black.

---

"COUGH... U-Urugh..."

I wake up coughing and sputtering out water from my lungs. I gasp for air, filling my lungs with delicious oxygen which helps uncloud my mind.

(Ugh... What happened?) I rub my head, which is throbbing in pain. I wince as my hand touches the bandage on my head, and as I pull my hand down, I can see blood on it. (Well, there's that wound re-opened again. I'm never getting this bandage off, am I?) I look around, and see that the dungeon's water level has returned to normal. The sky is still full of clouds, but they are much lighter and not as dark as the storm clouds that were pouring down rain on us earlier. A short ways away from me I can see Chespin floating on his back, unconscious.

"Ch-Chespin!" I fly over, shaking his soggy body. (He's... He's not responding at all! Reviver Seed-) I move to grab a seed from my bag, but my heart sinks as I see that it's nearly empty! "N-No!" (All of my items must've fallen out when we got caught up by the waves! Wait, does Chespin have anything in his bag!?) I quickly open up Chespin's bag, only to have another wave of despair wash over me as I see the only item within is a wet Oran Berry. (All of his items got washed away too... What do I do!?!)

I kneel by Chespin's floating body. His eyes are closed, and one of his head quills appears to be bent. (... I guess he bashed his head against something just like I did.) I move a bit closer, and then realize that he's not even breathing! (No... Please, NO!) I grab his body and shake him even harder, but it remains lifeless. (... Maybe he's not gone yet. Could CPR work? But what if I mess it up and just hurt him more?) As I think, a small break in the clouds forms over me and Chespin, and the sudden ray of direct sunlight blinds me for a moment. I move my arm to cover my eyes, but then see Chespin's body twitch ever so slightly.

(Wha-Wait, SUNLIGHT! I'm so stupid, he's a grass type!) The ray of light slowly starts moving away from Chespin, and I carefully push Chespin's floating body so that it will remain within the sunbeam. Chespin's body begins to twitch even more, and then he suddenly starts coughing up water.

"cough COUGH... Bleh!" Chespin sits up as he continues to spit up water. "Ack... Uugh... cough" I rub Chespin's back as he coughs up more water. "Wha... What happen-" Chespin stops himself as he starts looking around frantically. "WOOPER! WHERE'S WOOPE-COUGH" Chespin jumps up, but only ends up making himself sputter out even more water.

"I-I don't k-know, t-try and stay c-alm-" I try and hand him the Oran Berry from his bag, but he ignores me.

"How can I stay calm when Wooper's missing?! He could've gotten hurt like I did! He could be knocked out right now! C'mon, let's go!" Chespin grabs his bag and bolts off towards a random hallway of reeds.

"W-WAIT!" I yell after him, grabbing my own nearly-empty bag. "CH-CHESPIN!" I try to fly and follow him, but my wings give out and I splash face-first into the shallow water. Chespin hears me and turns around, running back to help me up.

"Sorry... Are you okay?" I grab onto his arms and he helps me get back onto my feet.

"Y-Yeah... I-I think I... Overexerted m-myself..." I try to flap my wings again, but I can barely get them to move at all. My entire body starts feeling harder to move, as if the air around me is molasses. I reach for the Oran Berry I took from Chespin's bag, but my arm refuses to move. "... B-Berry... N-Need..."

Chespin nods and grabs the Oran Berry, holding it right in front of my mouth. I take a bite and instantly my strength comes back to me. I snatch the half-eaten berry out of Chespin's hand and scarf down the rest of it. "... T-Thanks... B-But you sh-shouldn't run o-off like th-that..."

Chespin looks down at his feet. "... Yeah, sorry. I just worry if Wooper isn't around... Without him, I..." Chespin's voice begins to crack, and his eyes start to water up. At that moment, a memory flashes through my head.

---

A weak, worthless Togepi is all alone in a dark forest. "H-Help... Help-p m-me... Wh-Where... Wher-r-re a-are y-you!?" The creature cries as it bawls into its hands.

---

I blink, snapping myself back to reality. Chespin is still standing there, trying to hold back tears. "What... What are we going to do? We lost most of our items, we lost Wooper, and we're completely lost..." Chespin rubs his eyes as the tears finally break through and stream down his face. "Wooper's fighting all alone, and I'm not sure I'm strong enough to make it back to him... I..."

(Chespin...)

I float in front of Chespin and put my hands on his shoulders. "Chespin, you..."

"... Need to get a grip." I slap his face hard, making him fall on his behind into the shallow water.

Chespin's tears stop as he rubs the spot where I slapped him. He looks up at me, baffled. "Wha-"

"I said you NEED TO GET A GRIP! You TRULY care about Wooper?! Then you SHOULDN'T be MOPING around OR RUNNING BLINDLY! Do you think Wooper is panicking right now?! Unlike you, he probably KNOWS how to actually handle a situation like this! Are you going to let Team Cozy become Team COMA, or are you going to pull yourself TOGETHER like a proper member of the BEST Clover Guild Team to EVER live?!"

Chespin's face keeps its shocked expression. "I..."

"Do you SERIOUSLY doubt your BEST FRIEND THIS MUCH that you think THEY CAN'T SURVIVE ON THEIR OWN!? YOU THINK WOOPER DOUBTS YOU? YOU THINK HE ISN'T DOING ALL HE CAN TO REUNITE WITH YOU RIGHT NOW?!"

"Wooper..."

"ARE YOU GOING TO LET WOOPER DOWN?!"

"...No."

"ARE YOU GOING TO LET HIM FIGHT ALL ALONE?"

"... No!"

"ARE YOU GOING TO LET TEAM COZY END HERE?"

"NO!" Chespin jumps up, his tearful eyes replaced with eyes burning with passion and determination.

I outstretch my fist. "THEN LET'S GET COZY!"

"YEAH!" Chespin smashes his fist into mine, and I can see fire in Chespin's eyes.

... Followed by a look of embarrassment. "... Wait, "let's get cozy?" Really?"

I feel my face get red. "U-Uh... L-Look I d-don't see y-you suggesting a b-better catchph-AHEM, I-I mean, u-uh, l-lets get m-moving."

Chespin's passion returns. "Right. We won't let Wooper down. I think you should take the lead, you're more experienced at exploring dungeons than I am."

(Take the lead? But... No, no time to doubt myself now.) "G-Gotcha. F-Follow me." I motion for Chespin to follow, and take off in the direction of a hallway that we haven't explored yet. (For all of my bravado, I am basically just going blind through here. Even if I did bring a map it would've gotten washed away, I just have to hope we can find Wooper soon. And hope that my nagging feeling about something being off here is wrong) My thoughts turn back to the three of us getting washed away by the waves, and what Wooper yelled before we all got separated. (Arthur... That must be Chespin's human name. Chespin trusts Wooper so much he's the only one he shared his real name with... That's so adorable... I can imagine the scene-)

"Toge? Are you thinking about me and Wooper?"

"E-Eh!? H-How did y-you-"

"You were drooling again." Chespin says bluntly.

"O-Oh... S-Sorry, Arthur-" (Wait NO-)

"How do you know my name?!" Chespin says with a start.

(I probably shouldn't say I heard it from Wooper's pained cries as we were torn away from him.) "... W-Wooper slipped u-up and s-said it while w-we were t-talking earlier... S-Sorry."

Chespin lets out a sigh. "It's alright, I just prefer being called Chespin."

"U-Understood..." We continue walking through the dungeon in silence for a few moments. "... A-Aled..."

"Eh?"

I take a deep breath. "Aled. M-My name is Aled."

"Oh, uh, okay." There's another moment of awkward silence. "You prefer Toge?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Got it." Once again the silence returns, and Chespin stays close at my side as I lead him through the dungeon. While flying, I take another look in my bag to review what items I have left. The only items that remain are a single Blast Seed, a Cherri Berry, and the Escape Orb I packed. Chespin takes a peek into my bag, and then a look into his own empty one. "... Y'know, it's a little weird we haven't seen many items to restock our bags with."

(He only notices now?) "Y-Yeah... S-Something's bug-g-ged me about th-this place f-for a while... T-There haven't b-been many e-enemies either..."

Chespin brings his hand to his chin. "You think... Someone's been going on ahead of us and taking everything?"

"I-It's possible. I-It could b-be the C-Comfey... B-But sh-she'd have to b-be a pretty g-good e-explorer to c-clean out a d-dungeon this w-well..." (... I should keep quiet on my actual suspicions, I don't want him running off on his own again.) "I think... M-Maybe some o-other adventure t-team went on a-ahead? Th-This dungeon is pretty c-close to t-town, some p-people probably c-come here to r-restock items o-or train."

My words seem to make Chespin more at ease. "That might be it. Oh! Maybe Wooper ran into another team and got rescued by them! He could be waiting outside the dungeon!" Chespin eyes the Escape Orb in my bag.

"I-If he i-is, then w-we should s-surprise him b-by bringing him t-the treasure f-from the end of the d-dungeon."

Chespin realizes the cowardice of his sudden idea. "Right, sorry."

After a few more minutes of exploring, we find a long, straight corridor that goes on for a while. (... If my memory is right, corridors like these sometimes mean...) I look over my shoulder and see that the way we came has been replaced by a wall of reeds. (Yep. The final room of the dungeon should be just ahead.) Facing forward again, I can see the hallway opening up to a large, circular room with several large rock outcrops that jut out from the water. Right as we enter the room, Chespin points at something in the water and shouts.

---

Chapter 4: Reunion

"There! Look! That's the Comfey!" Chespin bolts towards what looks like a string of flowers floating in the water. Flying closer, my heart stops as my worst fears have been realized. "Wait..." Chespin grabs the flowers, lifting them up. "Its... It's just a bunch of flowers? What the hell-"

WHAM

Chespin gets slammed by a bright blue projectile, and sent flying into the dungeon's wall! He slides down the wall and splashes into the water, along with the projectile. Looking up, Chespin sees what hit him. "WOOPER?!" Chespin bolts up, and immediately hugs his friend. However, Wooper is limp, with his eyes closed as if he's asleep. "W-Wooper? WOOPER!? WAKE UP!" Chespin's pleas are interrupted by a voice I never wanted to hear again.

"Oh, so that one's one of yer pals, huh? I was wonderin' why he wasn't turnin' into dust like the rest of the wild ones." An imposing Dewott walks out from behind a rocky outcrop in the middle of the room. "My bad." The Dewott chuckles to himself with a smug smirk.

"You... YOU... YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" Chespin takes out his vines and prepares to attack, but Dewott puts his hands in the air.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down 'dere kiddo! Honest mistake! I mean it! Here, as an apology, take this." Dewott grabs something from his bag and hurls it full speed straight at Wooper's mouth. Chespin tries to grab it with his vines, but he's too late, and the object hits its mark. The moment it does, Wooper's mouth automatically bites down, and his entire body shakes. He then opens his eyes.

"Chespin...?" Wooper blinks a couple of times and looks around, before locking eyes with Chespin. "CHESPIN!"

"WOOPER!"

The two embrace and Chespin helps Wooper back onto his feet. After making sure Wooper is alright, Chespin turns back to Dewott, his eyes still full of anger and suspicion. "What the hell is your problem!?"

Dewott smirks. "Sorry, was just doin' a little training while waiting for my request to be fulfilled." Dewott's eyes shoot across the room as if he was looking for someone. "Hmph. Guess you two must've failed escorting him. I don't see a Togetic with you."

Both Chespin and Wooper look around, confused. "Huh? He was just here-Wait, how do you know about our quest?!" Chespin exclaims.

Dewott's mouth contorts into a devilish grin as he walks over to the string of flowers. "Cause I'm the one who created it, dumbass!" Dewott grabs the string of flowers in his hands and starts spinning them around. "Got these from a wild one of those flower monsters. Heard a Togetic was working at the local guild, then I heard about a team that just can't resist being comfy.... Pfffthahahah!" Dewott slaps his forehead and roars with laughter, only increasing Team Cozy's anger.

Wooper takes a step toward Dewott. "Why pretend to be another pokemon? Why didn't you just ask to see Toge?"

Dewott's fit of laughter stops. "Cause kiddo, we don't exactly have a clean record. An outlaw making a request to see the pokemon that just happens to be his old partner? Even with how stupid you monsters are, that would've raised some alarm bells." Team Cozy's faces turn from anger to shock, which makes Dewott's grin grow even larger. "Oh, I guess he didn't tell you about me then, did he? The two of us were a team, and a damn good one. We got through many of these dungeons, beat up a bunch o' outlaws, as well as a bunch of other adventuring teams, robbing 'em for everythin' they had." A proud tone overtakes Dewott's voice. "After he evolved, we were pretty much unstoppable. True forces of nature! No team that crossed our path made it out unscathed!"

"I don't believe you! Toge would never do anything like that!" Chespin yells at Dewott. "There's no way he would ever beat up or rob anybody!"

"Trust him now, do you?" Dewott walks over to one of the rock outcrops and leans his back against it while crossing his arms. "Well, that trust must've been misplaced if he ran off yellow-bellied the moment he saw me." Dewott scoffs. "Look, being completely honest? I could care less about you two. Just tell me where he's hiding and you little twerps can go back to your fantasy adventures."

Chespin takes a deep breath to build his resolve. "No. You're going to surrender to us so we can turn you in for your crimes!" Chespin readies his vines, and Wooper tenses up. Both of their eyes are burning with fury. "And if you resist, we'll make you PAY for hurting Wooper!"

"Geez, I apologize AND revive your little friend, and ya' still hate me for it?" Dewott shrugs. "Oh well. Will be more fun to beat the answers out of you anyway." The outlaw stops leaning against the rock and strikes a fighting pose. "C'mon, I'll let you get the first shot."

(No... No... Why... I don't want to be here...)

I've curled myself into the fetal position behind a rock. The moment we walked into the room and I saw the fake Comfey, I knew, and my body automatically ran to the closest hiding spot it could. I don't want to be here. Why did I have to run into him again? I thought I had finally found a new life and escaped my past. Why doesn't he just leave me alone? Does he care about our old promise that much?

"Alright then, Wooper, let's go!" Chespin slashes his vines downward toward Dewott, but he easily sidesteps them. Splashing in the water, the vines then slide along the ground, and Dewott deftly jumps in the air to dodge them.

The sounds of combat break me from my stupor, and I peek out from behind the rock to see Chespin failing to hit Dewott. Wooper looks like he's trying to prepare a Hydro Pump or something, but is afraid to shoot because he doesn't want to hit Chespin's vines by accident. (He's just toying with them... This is bad... Bad... What...) As my mind races and my body shakes, my hand brushes by my bag. (... Bag... Escape Orb! I can get us out of here!) Hands still shaking, I rummage through my bag and pick up the orb, but it slips out of my hand and splashes into the water!

Alerted by the splashing, Dewott focuses his attention on the rock I'm hiding behind instead of Team Cozy. "Wooper, now's your chance!" Wooper gives a quick nod to Chespin, and fires off a beam of pressurized water at Dewott, but misses as Dewott starts running full speed towards the rock I'm hiding behind. My desperate attempts to regrip the slippery orb are interrupted as Dewott jumps into the air and smashes the rock with his fist, instantly shattering it into dust! The thundering sound of stone being shattered startles me so much that I trip face-first into the water.

"Found you, partner." I flip myself around so my back is facing the ground, and I see him walking up to me. He kneels in front of me and puts out his hand, his face much softer than it was moments ago. "C'mon. Just like old times." Staring at his outstretched hand, I get a feeling of déjà vu. All the times he helped me up in the past flooded into my mind, and instinctually I grab his hand. Before I can realize what I've done, he pulls me up and gives me a pat on the shoulder, much to Chespin and Wooper's shock. "You okay? What happened to ya' head?" He says as he gestures towards my bandaged headwound.

"O-Oh... I-I got hurt a-after our... A-Argument..." I respond without even thinking. (... Why am I talking to him? Why... Why can't I bring myself to just tell him to leave me alone?)

The moment I mention our argument Dewott's expression turns sullen, and his tone awkward. "Yeah..." Dewott sighs, his voice slightly shaking. "... Look, sorry about that whole thing. I got way too mad over it. How 'bout we put it behind us and we go back to being a team? C'mon Aled, let's go home."

"... No." I turn away from him. "I-I've made my choice. I'm s-staying here." I'm shocked by my sudden assertiveness, and Dewott seems to be as well, as all of the earlier softness leaves his face.

"... Y'know, you were always annoyingly stubborn." Dewott suddenly grabs me by the neck and lifts me into the air! I claw against his grip, but it's no use. "Too bad you're coming back with me whether you like it or not-ACK!" Dewott's hit by a blast of water from behind, and as the both of us are sent flying he releases his grip. Seizing this chance, I shoot myself toward the floating Escape Orb, but Dewott regains his composure and slides through the water faster than I can fly.

(Dammit, I forgot he knew Aqua Jet!) He snatches the orb and slides it into his bag, then turns his sight towards Wooper, who's preparing another attack. Dewott sprints towards Wooper, but Chespin quickly wraps his vines around his partner, and pulls him to safety! While in Chespin's grasp, Wooper fires off another blast of water, which Dewott dodges by rolling to the side.

"A neat trick, but gimmicks won't get you far!" Dewott grabs a Blast Seed from his bag, and throws it like a knife at Wooper! Chespin can't move him out of the way in time, and the seed hits its target! Wooper is enveloped by the explosion, and the force of the blast frees Wooper from Chespin's grip, sending him flying toward the other side of the room.

"W-Wooper!" Chespin winces as he retracts his singed vines, but before he can run over to his partner, Dewott shoots a beam of ice from his mouth. The beam hits the water around Chespin's feet and instantly freezes it, locking Chespin in place. Chespin's face and eyes turn pale as he looks down and sees he's stuck in the frozen water. "N-No... St-Stop...!" The ice begins to creep up from the frozen water up to Chespin's lower body, slowly beginning to encase him. "H-HELP!" Chespin panics completely, and begins flailing his upper body, trying to pull himself out of the ice. He accidentally touches the encroaching ice with his arm, and it instantly gets encased in ice as well. A look of pure horror washes over Chespin's face as his upper body succumbs to the tomb of ice. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Just as the ice is about to reach Chespin's head, I fly between Chespin and Dewott. "SAFEGUARD!" I wave my arms, and suddenly both my body and Chespin's body glow blue. A second after, all of the ice around Chespin shatters into mist, freeing him. He stares dumbfounded at his body, the color returning to his face as he realizes he isn't about to become a poke-popsicle. "Ch-Chespin! Look a-alive!"

Snapping back to reality, Chespin runs to my side, staring down Dewott. "Scared of the cold, kiddo?" Dewott says with a sneer. "Pathetic. And here I thought you weaklings might actually make me take out my shells."

Chespin leans over to me and whispers. "We gotta help Wooper!"

"I-I'll go h-help him, t-try and keep him distracted. W-We need to get h-his Escape O-Orb, we can't w-win this." Chespin gives me a nod, but his eyes look fearful. "J-Just try not to g-get hit by I-Ice Beam again."

"When you girls are done whispering I'VE GOT AN ASS-KICKING FOR YOU!" Dewott lunges towards us, and I fly back over to Wooper as Chespin dodges out of the way. Firing his vines at Dewott, Chespin ensnares his foe, and uses his vines to launch his own body head-first at Dewott. Dewott raises his arms in front of his body to block the attack, but the force of the attack sends him sliding backward, sending water and mist flying up. Chespin bounces off Dewott, and sends his vines flying towards Dewott for another headbutt attempt. Dewott tries to dodge them but slips in the water, causing him to stumble. The vines successfully wrap around Dewott's chest again, and Chespin slingshots himself at his target!

Dewott smirks. "Predictable." Grabbing onto the vines, Dewott lurches them to the side, making Chespin miss! Dewott deftly unwraps the vines from around his chest and uses Chespin's momentum to spin him around from his vines. After a couple of rotations, Dewott releases the vines and sends the dizzy Chespin flying!

Just as I'm about to reach Wooper, who's laying unconscious in the water, Chespin bashes into him and the two roll through the water until they crash into a rock. (No! TEAM COZY!) Behind me, I hear splashing from Dewott, who must be running at me. (He thinks I'm not paying attention... This is my one chance to catch him off-guard!) I fly towards Team Cozy, but as I do I quickly flip myself around in the air, and hurl my only Blast Seed directly behind me! My gamble was right, and the Blast Seed crashes right into Dewott's face! For a second before the seed explodes, I can see Dewott's eyes expand in shock, and then my eyes are blinded by the flash of the explosion. Wasting no time, I glide over to my comrades.

"Urgh..." Chespin pulls himself up, shaking water off of himself. He realizes Wooper laying right next to him, and helps him up again. Wooper's a bit unstable on his feet, but he manages to get his eyes open. "You okay?!" Wooper tries to give Chespin a hearty nod, but flinches in pain. "Wooper!" Chespin coddles his injured friend. "T-Toge..." Chespin attempts to put on a brave face, but his voice cracks. "What do we do!?"

(... What... What do we do? The blast seed bought us time to recuperate, but he'll be back up within a few seconds, and both of Team Cozy are injured! Think... I could just surrender. That way, at least Team Cozy could escape unharmed.) I let out a deep sigh. (... Maybe trying to escape my past was a mistake.)

"... I'm sorry, I'm s-surrendering. He'll probably use the E-Escape Orb on the two of us, leaving you t-two unharmed."

Chespin is speechless at my decision, but gives me a solemn nod. Wooper, however, shakes his head violently. "No! You're our guildmate AND our friend! We'd never leave you behind!" Wooper gives a fierce glare at Chespin, who's taken aback by the passion in Wooper's words. "We're going to fight with all we've got for our friend, right Chespin!?"

"U-Uh... Yeah!" Chespin finds his resolve, and faces me with a smile. "Sorry, but we're not returning to the guild without all three of us. We'll keep fighting!"

I can't help but crack a smile as I hear Wooper and Chespin's words. (What idiots... But they've made their choice. And I made mine long ago, I can't go back on it now.) "... Alright. W-We need to get th-that orb bac-"

I get cut off by a loud groan from behind me, and I see Dewott getting up, crushing an Oran Berry in his fist. He pours its juices on his head, and then tosses the ruptured fruit into the water. "No more games. You surrender my partner, or you DIE!" Dewott finally unsheathes his scalchops from his hips, and dashes towards us!

(... He won't hurt me. I have nothing to fear here.) I flap my wings hard, sending myself flying at Dewott. He sidesteps to dodge me, and runs past me, heading for Wooper. Wooper spins around and smacks his tail into the ground with a splash, and right before Dewott reaches Wooper, a pillar of red light shoots out from under him, sending him into the air. "NICE!, CHESPIN, FOLLOW UP!"

Chespin is surprised by my sudden yell, but he follows my orders and fires his vines at the mid-air Dewott. Tumbling through the air, Dewott can't react in time and gets wrapped by the vines. Chespin readies his right fist, and it starts sparking with electricity! "TAKE THIS!" Chespin pulls Dewott towards him with his vines, and then delivers a devastating Thunder Punch directly into Dewott's face! A large thundercrack booms across the room, and static can even be seen conducting through the shallow water around Chespin. The force of the impact makes Dewott's body do a backward flip before splashing into the electrified water.

(Wha-How... Did we just win?!) "CHESPIN, THAT WAS AMAZING!, NOW DELIVER THE FINISHING BL-" Dewott leaps out from the water, ending our short-lived celebration. He quickly jams another Oran Berry into his mouth from his bag. Face contorted with rage, he once again turns to Wooper. An icy wind forms around Dewott's head as he inhales, preparing for another Ice Beam.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Chespin's vines circle around Dewott again, preparing to grab him.

"GET A NEW GIMMICK!" Dewott growls as he effortlessly slices the vines, making Chespin yelp in pain as he retracts them! Wooper inhales and lets loose an Ice Beam, but Dewott quickly retaliates by shooting off an Ice Beam of his own, and the two icy streams of energy clash, causing shards of ice to fly everywhere from where the two beams meet.

(He's distracted, here's my chance!) I fly towards Dewott's bag and make a grab for it, but he spots me out of the corner of his eye. He stops firing his beam of ice and swiftly dodges out of the way of Wooper's incoming beam, which is now heading directly toward me! I clumsily roll out of the way of it, and I can feel my fur freeze up as the beam just barely misses me. (No! Dammit!)

Wooper stops firing once he realizes he nearly hit me, and Dewott dives into the water, swimming through the water like a missile directly toward Wooper. Before Wooper can perform another attack, Dewott splashes up from the water and delivers an uppercut slash with one of his shells. Wooper is knocked into the air, Dewott follows up with a downward slice, and Wooper plummets back into the water. Dewott lands, and readies another slice on the knocked-out Wooper.

"NO!" Chespin shoots his vines at the ground below him, propelling him into the air toward his endangered friend. He lands right between Wooper and Dewott, and he quickly grabs Wooper and covers him with his armored back. Dewott performs a flurry of slashes on Chespin's back, making Chespin scream out in pain as the sharpened shells scrape against him!

My mind races and I start to hyperventilate as I try and figure out what to do. (Dewott's too alert, he'll just dodge me again if I make another grab for the orb! Team Cozy can't hang on much longer, this is my last chance to get all of us out of here alive!) I quickly fumble through my bag, hoping there's somehow an item in there I missed. (... No items I can use against him either... Metronome is too dangerous...) Suddenly, a perfect idea pops into my mind. (... It's risky, but it's my only option now.)

The earsplitting sounds of Dewott's scalchops grinding against Chespin's back echo throughout the room. "DIE ALREADY!" Dewott winds up for another slash, but I dart in front of him, holding my bag tightly against my chest, praying it will cushion the blow.

SLASH

Dewott's shell slices right through, and I can feel a warm liquid start flowing down my chest. Dewott turns his gaze to his scalchop, which now has its sharp end covered in blood. His eyes widen as I let myself fall onto his chest. "I-I... Didn't mean..." He drops his scalchops and embraces me tightly. I can feel his breathing quicken as he starts to panic and shake. "Aled, I'm sorry! H-Here, let me help-" He moves his hand towards his bag, but I put my hand over it to stop him.

"I-It's alright..." I pull myself closer to him, and cover his open bag with my hand. "I d-don't mind... Leaving th-this world like this... " I look up and stare directly at his face, and he stops looking at his bag and instead locks eye contact with me. I can see tears beginning to form in his eyes. "... G-Guess we... A-Ain't going home..." As Dewott closes his eyes, trying to hold back tears, I push my hand a little farther into his satchel. (The orb... Gotta... Get the orb...) Careful to keep my eyes locked on Dewott's face, I manage to reach the orb in the middle of his stuffed bag and push it closer to the edge. "... I-I sh-should probably g-give you what you r-requested..."

Dewott opens his eyes and tears start streaming out. "... Huh? What do you mean...?" Dewott's voice nearly completely cracks.

"Th-The Joy D-Dust you wanted..." I use my other hand and rub it against the upper part of my chest, causing a white, dusty substance to form around it. I then fling it directly into his face, which makes his face wrinkle up.

"Ah... ACHOO!" Dewott lets go of me as he tries to get the dust out of his face. I knock the Escape Orb out of his bag with my hand, and it lands in the water with a soft splash.

I push Dewott in the chest, making him stumble back, and I turn to Chespin. "CHESPIN! NOW!" He once again looks baffled, but quickly realizes the situation and sweeps up the floating orb with one of his vines, and then crushes it with his grasp. A blue light begins to encircle us right as Dewott finally gets the dust out of his eyes.

"See you later, partner." I give Dewott a smug sneer as I do a mocking salute to him with my arm. As the dungeon begins to fade away around us, I can see Dewott fall to his knees as he lets out a furious wail I'm unable to hear. I blink, and all three of us are back by the river, outside of the dungeon.

---

Chapter 5: Returning Home

All three of us instantly start sprinting away from the dungeon's entrance, afraid that Dewott might escape the dungeon himself and catch up with us. After about a full minute of sprinting, we put a decent amount of distance between us and the river and decide to stop and catch our breath. Chespin puts his hands on his sides as he bends over, panting. He looks up at me, and then immediately jolts up in shock. "Toge! You... You're hurt bad!" He points at my chest, his hand shaking. I look down and see my chest is still covered in blood, and I'm hit with a sudden feeling of lightheadedness.

Clutching my stomach, I lean on a nearby rock and sit down with my back against it. "I... G-Guess I am... S-Sorry that... Our first a-adventure... H-Had to end like th-this..." Chespin and Wooper rush to my side as I stare down at my chest, and touch some of the blood with my hand. It feels warm to the touch, and it easily stains the fur on my hand.

Chespin's eyes begin to water. "C'mon... Get up! Please! We'll get you back to the guild and Kina will fix you up!"

I smile. "Th-Thanks for everything... T-Team Cozy..." I bring my bloodied hand closer to my face to get a better look at it.

And then I lick it.

"... M-Mmm... A-A little too sp-spicy for me... W-Wanna try, W-Wooper?" Chespin's mouth goes agape, while Wooper leans in closer and licks my outstretched hand.

"Wow! Your blood tastes like a Cherri Berry!" Wooper says right before he goes for another lick. Meanwhile, Chespin's so flabbergasted he's still just sitting there, his eyes unblinking and his mouth completely open.

A few seconds later, he seems to put two and two together and snaps back to reality. "... You... You did...?"

I grab my bag, and open it up to reveal the "blood"-stained insides, along with what remains of a destroyed Cherri Berry. "S-Sorry, I c-couldn't resist m-messing with y-you a b-bit... I-I'm fine."

Chespin wipes away the tears from his eyes. "You... You bastard!" He punches me in the elbow, nearly knocking me over. Taking a deep breath, he regains his composure. "... I'm not sure if I should be more scared of that Dewott or you. That trick was genius."

I let out a light chuckle as I rub my sore elbow. "I-It's all th-thanks to you two that w-we escaped... I w-was sitting around d-doing nothing most of the time as y-you two were trying to f-fight him..." I let out a sigh.

Wooper sits down next to me. "So that Dewott was your old partner? He was terrifying! I didn't know humans could be so evil!"

I nod. "Yeah... W-We promised each other th-that we would g-go back to our world... B-But we g-got into a fight when I s-said I wanted to st-stay here." I look over Wooper's body, which is covered in bruises. "You o-okay?"

Wooper just gives me his usual bright old smile. "Yeah! A bit sore, but we all made it out okay, which is what really matters! Right, Chespin?" Wooper waits for a response, but gets nothing. "Chespin...?" I look back over at Chespin, who's swaying from side to side, struggling to keep himself upright. His eyes look unfocused, and his breathing sounds labored.

"I'm... Alrigh-" He suddenly collapses face-first onto the ground. Both Wooper and I instantly get up to help him. I go to lift him back up, but as I get closer, I get a good look at his back and gasp.

"H-His back... I-It's c-completely sh-shredded!" Chespin's back is covered with gashes and cuts that have pierced through his outer shell. Some of the deeper wounds have cut through his shell completely, revealing the light-brown skin underneath. Chespin's body twitches, and he tries to get up.

"... Wooper... Sorry..." Chespin's only able to gasp out that apology before he once again passes out.

"Chespin!" Wooper rubs his head against Chespin's trying to wake him back up, but to no avail. "Toge, we need to carry him back to the guild!" I nod, move toward Chespin's legs, and angle my arms under his lower body. Wooper slides his tail under Chespin's head and upper chest. "Ready? Lift!"

The two of us pull up as hard as we can, but we only manage to lift Chespin an inch above the ground. My muscles scream out in pain and exhaustion, and I'm forced to drop him. I curse under my breath. "I-I can't... I-I'm too d-drained..."

Before the two of us can come up with another idea, we hear someone call out to us in the distance. We turn around and see Sneasel on the path to Capim Town, running towards us. When she gets closer, we can see Booker poking out of her belt pocket. "Hey, are you guys-" She stops upon seeing Chespin. "What happened!?"

"No time to talk now! Can you carry him back to the guild, Sneasel?" Says Wooper, with a renewed hope in his voice.

"Course I can!" Sneasel quickly slides her arms under Chespin's chest and lifts him up with a grunt. "A little heavy... But nothing I can't handle!" Sneasel takes a look at me and notices the mess on my chest. "Uh... You sure you don't need some help as well, Toge?"

"Wh-wha, O-Oh..." I try and wipe some of the juice off of me, but I just end up spreading even more of it over my fur. "I-It's just j-juice, d-don't worry... L-Lets get m-moving. Qu-Quickly."

Sneasel adjusts her grasp of Chespin, and all of us start running toward Capim Town. The sun has begun to set, and the blue sky is changing to a shade of orange. "H-Hey, wh-what were you two doing out here th-this late?" I ask while flying next to Sneasel.

"Oh, uh... Y'know..." Sneasel looks away from me as she tries to think of an answer.

"She got worried because you guys were taking a while to return." Interrupted Booker, who's hanging on tight in Sneasel's belt pocket.

"D-Did not! We came here cuz... Sh-Shut up and keep running!" Sneasel increases her pace, outrunning both me and Wooper. Before she passed me though, I could see her face turning red. The large and familiar stumps of Capim Town grow in size as we get closer and closer. I can barely keep up with Sneasel and Wooper, but I ignore the soreness in my muscles and push myself to keep pace with them.

(The pain in my wings is nothing compared to what Chespin went through... I have to push on!) The sun continues to set as we reach the outskirts of Capim Town, and I pray that we're able to get Chespin help in time.

---

"He'll need to rest for a while, but his back should make a full recovery." Kina says as she puts a blanket over Chespin, who's sleeping in one of the infirmary's cots. "I applied some ointment to his wounds and bandaged them up." Kina looks out the infirmary window, staring at the sunset. "The sun will help heal him the most, but we'll have to wait for sunrise. For now, rest is what he needs."

"Th-Thank you, D-Doctor Kina..." I give her a little bow, and Wooper tries to imitate me, which makes Kina laugh.

"I'm just glad none of you had any serious injuries. You and Wooper should be well enough to walk around, but I assume both of you will want to stay by Chespin's side, right?"

Wooper nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'm not leaving until he's all better and ready to leave!"

The power of Wooper's words warms my heart. (He cares about Chespin so much... I don't think I'll ever see a closer friendship than these two.) "I-I'd also like to... S-Stay here until h-he gets better, i-if that's fine."

"It's perfectly fine with me. You can even sleep in the spare beds if you plan to stay overnight." Kina says with a smile.

"I'm afraid I must interrupt." I hear a familiar voice coming from the doorway behind me, and I turn around to see Guildmaster Lliam. His usual playful tone has been replaced by a much more firm and formal one, which puts me on edge. "Togetic, please come with me to my office."

(I suppose I should've expected this.) I let out a resigned sigh. "... A-Alright."

The Guildmaster beckons for me to follow, and we leave the infirmary and head up the guild's stairway to Lliam's office. He walks around his desk and climbs into his chair, and I float onto the chair across from him. "I'm going to be blunt and to the point. You and Team Cozy take what should be an easy request, and the three of you come back beaten within an inch of your lives, and Chespin's so badly hurt that he'll need to spend days resting to recover. And..." Lliam raises his voice, and his tone sounds even more serious. "... The rumored perpetrator is someone who used to be on an "exploration" team with you. AND, said "exploration" team has had multiple bounties put on them." Lliam leans back in his chair, and kicks up his legs onto the desk. "What do you have to say to explain yourself?"

I close my eyes and try and keep myself calm and composed as I feel a powerful wave of guilt hang over me. "... N-Nothing. I'm an e-ex-outlaw, and my p-past caught up with me." Once again, I'm shocked by confidence in my words, and how I'm actually able to keep myself levelheaded despite stressful social situations like these usually turning me into an unintelligible mess.. (... Maybe the exhaustion of today has caught up with me, and I don't have the energy to worry about what I'm saying for once.) "And said past p-put the lives of o-other guild members in danger. T-The fact that I didn't b-bring this up b-before was a m-mistake, a-and I have no ex-excuse for it."

Lliam tilts his head, his expression unchanged. "Is that all?"

I look down at my own hands. (... I should probably resign from the guild- Wait, what am I thinking?! No more self-doubt! No more questioning myself! No more hesitation!!!) "Y-Yes. I hope t-to repay my m-mistakes by continuing to be a p-productive member of Clover Guild."

Lliam is taken aback, and moves his legs off of his desk, and leans in. "You want to continue working here, despite knowing you caused serious injury to multiple guild members, and while also knowing working here could put other guild members at risk due to your past?"

I lean in closer, and slam my hand on the desk. "Absolutely! Without a doubt in my mind! I'm staying here and I'm going to make SURE Dewott never hurts another guild member like that ever again!" Lliam nearly falls out of his chair due to my sudden outburst. "I'm DONE with hiding away in the storeroom all the time! I might not be strong, but I'm going to do everything I can to help my fellow guildmates, like Team Cozy! I'll never be the strongest person in the guild, but I WILL do all I can to support them!"

"And if that Dewott shows up again?"

"I'll fight him until only one of us is left standing."

Lliam leans back and grins. "I sure hope it never comes to that, I would hate to see such a valued guild member like you have to go through that~"

My cheeks flush as I realize how embarrassing and over-the-top my rant was. Lliam notices my embarrassment and only seems to grin wider. "A-Ah... W-Well it would pr-probably be smarter to j-just try and avoid him if h-he ever showed up a-again..."

"Oh~? And here I was just about to make a guild rule stating that any sightings of that Dewott are to be immediately reported to you so you can hunt him down~"

(That's... an idea I wouldn't completely object to.) "I-I think it's best i-if the guild is just put on alert and w-warned about him... His goal is t-to take me b-back to the human world, s-so he sh-should leave other g-guild members alone if they st-stay out of his way..."

Lliam's smile fades and his serious tone returns. "Would you like to have escorts when leaving the guild? I'm sure Sneasel wouldn't have any problems protecting you, and I think she would enjoy the challenge."

I shake my head. "I-I said it already, I w-want to make sure Dewott d-doesn't hurt anyone else. I j-just want the other g-guild members to stay s-safe if he attempts a-anything. If me and T-Team Cozy didn't e-escape... Then I'm n-not sure any o-of us three would've r-returned. He's ruthless."

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to let every guild member know to keep an eye out for this Dewott and to stay away from him." Lliam gets up off his chair and claps his hands. "Now~, I'm glad we got this all settled, since I have some much more important business to attend to~. You may leave, try and stay safe~!"

"Th-thank you Guildmaster Lliam! Y-You t-too..." I give him a bow, and then float out of the room and close the door behind me. As I'm about to head down the stairs, I spot Sneasel leaning against the wall, next to the Guildmaster's door. Booker is sitting comfortably on her head.

Booker sits up. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but Sneasel was worr-"

"Oh shut up!" Sneasel snaps, making Booker cover his mouth as he giggles. "Was just curious about if you were going to be forced to leave the guild. It's rare for the Guildmaster to call someone up to his office like that."

"Yeah, I'm glad you're still here, Toge." Says Booker. I can't help but feel guilty about the mean things I've said about him to Sneasel in the past.

"Th-Thanks... U-Um... Can I m-make a request?"

"Sure." Says Sneasel. "What is it?"

"I'd... Like you t-train with you t-two. I-I know I said I d-didn't want to train with you b-before... B-But what happened t-today showed me that I-I need to get stronger i-if I want to keep myself... A-And my friends s-safe."

Sneasel lets out a scoff, but can't hide her smile. "Heh, I'm glad you've finally decided to stop being a weakling. "

Booker moves his head down, closer to Sneasel's ear. "Uh, didn't you say Toge and Gus beat yo-"

"COUGH" Sneasel's sudden, overdramatic cough almost sends Booker flying off of her head. "Let me know when you're ready for training, cuz I'm up for it any time. Also, you KNOW I would've won if Gus didn't sneak up on me with that shell-thingy of his." Sneasel exclaims to a once again giggling Booker.

"Thank y-you... I'll l-let you know when I want a t-training session." I start to walk away, but Sneasel stops me.

"Wait!" Sneasel leans in close. "If you ever want to hunt down and fight that Dewott, let me know, okay? I wanna test my skills against him."

"... I-I'll let you know... G-Goodnight..." The two of them give me a wave as I head back down the guild's stairway. I make my way back to the infirmary, and I see Wooper sitting next to Chespin's bed. His head perks up as he sees me walk in.

"You're back! Kina decided to go to her room and sleep for the night. I asked her if I could sleep with Chespin, but she said doing that might agitate some of the wounds..."

(Must contain myself in the face of unrelenting cuteness.) "R-Really? Th-That's a shame, but she's right. I-It's probably b-best to just g-give him some space f-for now."

Wooper sighs. "But he's been twitching a lot in his sleep! He must be having a nightmare or something."

(It's been a pretty traumatic day for all of us, I'd be shocked if I'm not having a nightmare tonight.) I walk over to Chespin's bedside and stare at his face. At first glance, he appears to be sleeping peacefully, but his eyelids keep twitching, and his entire body seems to be slightly shivering. Barely audible grunts can also be heard coming from his half-open mouth, and his breathing sounds irregular. (Huh, must be a pretty rough nightmare. I wonder if I can do anything to help, I'm not a psychic type but... Maybe...) I look at my hand, and then gently shake it over Chespin's face, causing a small amount of Joy Dust to fall on it. After a few seconds, Chepsin's fidgeting stops, and his breathing returns to normal. His half-open mouth even seems to form a small smile.

"Wow! How'd you do that?" Wooper whispers.

"D-Don't know... I-I guess this J-Joy Dust stuff is p-pretty useful." (So this stuff can stop nightmares? I'll have to be sure to sprinkle it over Team Cozy every night when they're back to sleeping in their room! I have to make sure they only have the comfiest dreams!) I let out a yawn, and with each blink of my eyelids, it gets harder to keep them open. "I-I think I'll g-go head to b-bed too..."

Wooper lets loose a yawn of his own. "Me too... Hey, why don't I sleep with you instead?"

My entire heart and time itself seems to stop. (Wha... Sleep with Wooper!? I can't do that, Team Cozy is ONLY supposed to be cozy with each other! But... I can't just leave Wooper hanging like this! If a friend needs a cuddle, I should be there for him!!! But... Would Chespin get mad!? Wait, would he get mad if I DON'T accept the offer, and let Wooper freeze in the cold?! But what if someone walks in on us!? I can't have... other people thinking Team Cozy aren't faithful friends to each other... but what if... Wooper... Chespin... zzzzZzzzz...)

I flop onto the ground as exhaustion finally takes over my body, and I can barely hear Wooper calling out my name as I drift off into sleep. It's been a long, exhausting day, and even though I'm sleeping on this cold, hard floor, knowing that I'm going to wake up to see all of my friends again in the morning keeps me feeling warm and cozy.

This is home.