Stumpy was still unconscious after that attack. He felt like he was floating, lost in visions of the past. Visions of his time in the brewery, visions of his time in the Jungle Ruins, and of his time in between in Capim Town. He remembered loafing around when he had just arrived, taking in the incredible sights and the structures that wove through this little society like an Ariados' web, but the time would come when he'd be looking around for someone who could use his help.

It turns out there were some that wanted his help right away, and it was with Pokémon who needed a little help getting to sleep or staying asleep. An odd job, sure, but his very anatomy was made for getting Pokémon to fall asleep. Most of the funds from such an endeavor went to food, but those who asked for his help were happy to provide a bed for him…and other times, they provided to him the other side of the same bed they slept on, which tended to lead to rather… interesting moments in his life. No doubt that being shaped like a halfway-squishy ball had its own benefits and downsides.

Stumpy then tried to sort through what he went through just before he blacked out. His thoughts were swirled and scattered, and everything was still a blur. And yet, he could still remember every relevant detail of his attackers, everything that could've gone wrong, everything that did to try and fend them off and protect his ship and his goods. He could remember Nidoqueen, how helpless she was to save him, and vice versa. He was angry that he couldn't do enough to save her. The thought of her looking like she did, battered and bruised, made Stumpy want to scream in rage, but even if he tried right now, the waking world wouldn't hear it.

The Shroomish opened his eyes, and he still found himself floating...

Chapter 4: Storytime

He seemed to be in some sort of…shallow pool, and in the deep end no less, where a bunch of child Pokémon were playing in. Whoever set him here must have thought he was a child as well. Kicking his feet would confirm it, as he could barely touch the bottom. Not that it matters, since he was easily buoyant. Stumpy looked down as best he could. His injuries looked like they healed up, thankfully. Well, most of them, anyway. He wasn't sure why he was in here, or even how he got here, but he looked around and tried to spot a Pokémon that he might know. Only a few would be noticeable to him. One of the kids looked like him, except it also had thorny arms and a happy face. Another looked like a bluish fish, a wavy stripe running down its side, that looked like it was made for murkier waters. But luckily, he could identify one of the kids. It was a Wurmple! Stumpy was no stranger to the Wurmple. Back home in the Jungle Ruins, they tended to be little nuisances if they thought his petals were food, but they were still just infants. Wurmple didn't know much about the world. Even the Beautifly and Dustox that visited the Jungle Ruins were friendly.

Stumpy tried to kick his feet in a way that it would help move him forward towards the kids, and he floated lazily across their field of vision. First, he had to know where he was, and if the kids had any idea who dropped him off here.

"Oi, one o' yew's a Wurmple, innit?"

The three kids turned in surprised, but the Wurmple responded right away. "Meeeee! That's me! I'm Wurmple!" She seemed like a good kid.

Stumpy smiled a little. "Yew wonna intraduce me to yor frens, mate?"

"I'm Barrrrboooach!" said the mudfish, acting super prideful.

"And I'm the strongest Cacnea ever ever!" the cactus Pokémon replied.

Wurmple raised her many feet up in the air and proclaimed "And we are Team Cool Girls! …Well, that's what our name WOULD be if we were a rescue team."

"YEAH! And exploring places is like the funnest thing ever!" Barboach piped up.

"And adventures in the desert, too! Who knows what kinda cool stuff is out there waiting for us?" The Cacnea puffed.

"Haha…a rescuin' team, eh? Oi met a team like yew lot way back when oi was a smol lad."

Barboach had a funny look on her face. "...Why do you sound like a grown-up? Are you a REEEEALLY small grown-up or something? Why do you talk so funny?"

"Oh! Where are me mannas? Oi dedn't get to tellin' you lot me naeme."

"Yeah! Who ARE you?" the Cacnea said with questions in her eyes, crossing her thorny arms.

"Well, first off, oi'm wot yew coll a Shroomish. An' oi'm not really frum 'ere."

Wurmple scoffed like a know-it-all kid. "Even I knew that! I've never seen one of you here before. But! I come from the…the Miss Continent!"

"Yew mean Mist, with a "T", roight?"

Wurmple lit up. "Yeah! Miss-T Continent! And I've never seen anyone like you there either! Maybe that's why you talk so funny!"

Stumpy smirked through his chevron lips. "Yeh, yew'd be roight. I'm from a plaece colled the Grass Co'inent."

By now, Wurmple had sparkles in her eyes. "Ooooh! Oh! Daddy said we were gonna go THERE next, and about a…a week from now, I think?"

"Oi think yew'd luv et there. But, you lot wouldn' 'appen to kno who pu' me 'ere, wuld yew?"

The three little ones looked at each other, confused.

The Cacnea shook her whole body sideways, and Wurmple shook her head. Barboach plainly said "I got here first with papa, and we thought you were some kinda ball!"

"Hmmm… An' where we are…Wot's the naeme? No' easy to read the soigns when yer smoll…"

Cacnea instantly said it. "We're at the watering hole house! You musta bumped your head BAAAAD bad if you don't know THIS place."

The sunset overhead was shining from a giant hole in the ceiling. If Stumpy had a mind like an architect, he'd say it was perfect. Half the pool was in the shade, the other in bright sunlight.

Barboach, looking at Stumpy's headband, spontaneously spoke up "...Hey! Are YOU an explorer, Mr. Shroomish?"

"Well…was, bu' onleh fo' a noight..."

"WOAH, TELL us! What was it LIKE?"

"Hehehe…yew shore yew wonna know? It was a roight scary toime, yew know."

The little Wurmple looked at Shroomish with pleading, starry eyes. "Pleeeeease?"

Stumpy sighed "Well…alroight."

Cacnea practially exploded in excitement. "YES! TELL US MR. SHROOMISH!"

"Woah eeeasy, li'le one." Stumpy took in a breath. Surprisingly, he kinda liked remembering this short part of his life. But, he may have to censor a good portion of what really happened…

7 Years Ago, Jungle Ruins Outskirts

Andrew huffed and puffed trying to keep up with the Tyrantrum that smelled a new target to feast upon. The earth would shake under him with each trampling footstep of the dinosaur. The little Shroomish would hear commotion just out of his line of sight. He had to hurry, run as fast as he could, even as he may trip on occasion or feel his lungs run out of breath. Still, Andrew's whole body shook with unfinished business.

In truth, he didn't think about being nearly killed, it just wasn't registering in his mind. The Tyrantrum's jaws should have crushed and chewed him up. Andrew should have been dead, but the simple fact that Andrew isn't dead right now made him want to get even…

"What the fuck even is that thing!?"
"It's HUGE!"
"STAY CALM AND SPREAD OUT, we need to give him multiple targets! It may be big, but it's just one Pokémon!"

Andrew could hear the sounds of fighting and Pokémon that were terrified. It seems he arrived right on time, but he was willing to stay silent, stay hidden, waiting for his time to blow a Leech Seed right at the Tyrantrum…

"Urgh…s-so strong…fuck, we're all dead…"
"SHIT! He's got me cornered!"
"No he doesn't! HRRAAH!"

Andrew couldn't take it anymore, and he had to act. He saw an opening and jumped out from the bush he hid behind, spitting a Leech Seed that struck the Tyrantrum in the back! The Tyrantrum spun around, confused about who or what did that.

"WHO DO YEW THINK YEW ARE!? YEW SHULDA ATE ME WHEN YEW 'AD THE CHANCE. YOR GONNA FACKIN REGRET THA'!"

The Tyrantrum's pupils narrowed and it let out a blood-curdling roar, charging at Andrew and ready to put its jaws to good use. However, that was when Stumpy shot out its Stun Spore, and the spores flying up the Tyrantrum's nostrils would begin to take effect, causing the Tyrantrum to feel painfully sluggish. Avoiding a tail swipe and stunning the big dino with Sleep Powder was, in effect, a dangerous combination. It's something every Shroomish is taught in order to defend themselves and incapacitate predators, but Andrew, in some cocky way of self-pride, knew he was better than the other Shroomish. He knew he was capable of so much more, and in leaving the Jungle Ruins, he could prove it.

Already, he can see the Tyrantrum's eyelids droop shut and the prehistoric dragon-type slumping to the ground in a heap. Stumpy knew that wasn't going to hold it forever. He looked at the injured Zigzagoon, and the other two Pokémon, a Purugly and a Kricketune, that were nursing glancing blows. He yelled at the Zigzagoon.

"YEW, GE' UP! YOU'RE NO' ALLOWED TO DIE."

"Hey…y-you…came back…why?"

Andrew took to spitting another Leech Seed between the Tyrantrum's eyes, an attempt at draining the life out of the Tyrantrum.

"Wha' did oi tell yew to do?"

"Get…u-"

"GE' UP!"

The Zigzagoon was staggering but eventually stood on its feet.

"Th' onleh thing we can dew is stroike it when it's down. Tha' Toyrantram gona be roight cheesed off if it gets up. 'EY, YEW TWO! WOT AR YEW DOIN? STROIKE IT NOW!"

The other two members of the exploration team began to hack away at the scaly armor that makes up the Tyrantrum's skin, to little effect. Still, it's better than doing nothing.

A hot, steaming breath came from the Tyrantrum's nostrils as it desperately tried to get back up, but Andrew's Sleep Powder kept it down and out.

Rinse. Repeat. The Tyrantrum wouldn't get back up once the Kricketune used his Fury Cutter enough times.

The Zigzagoon tried to stand on his hind legs, as one of his forelegs looked like it had broke. "Agh…H-hey, you saved us all…thanks."

Andrew scoffed.

"...Yer no' safe here. Tell yer frends to pack up and ge' out of here. Oi'm leaving as soon as oi can, and yew lot betta dew the saeme before yew see anotha one o' that romin' th' jungle loike…"

The Zigzagoon was tearing up after looking at his broken paw.

"An' stop tearin' up! Yor team needs yew to sho sum guts an' stay strong. They won't tell ya tha', bu' I will…"

Zigzagoon tried hard to stay strong. "Yeah... I'm glad you're not trying to soften up on us. I think we made a big mistake coming here, and now, I let my team down…I feel so weak."

Andrew was halfway about to leave when he heard that. Part of the bristly raccoon's sullen outburst reminded him of himself. Andrew sighed, and turned back around to face that Zigzagoon.

"Look. Everyone's got a role, an' oll yew can dew in loife is play it. Simple as."

Andrew turned his back and immediately ran away though the edge of the clearing and he didn't look back, the ends of his headband flapping in the air. Purugly, Kricketune, and the wounded Zigzagoon would have to do the same if they were gonna make it out alive…

Present Day

"An'...oi never saw 'em agen. Y'know, part of me wants to believe they maede it out, bu'...yew neva kno…bu' the lesson is to ollways be careful when yew go ou-AGH! Oi, who did tha'?"

Stumpy looked up and immediately saw a different light. It was Nidoqueen! She smiled through her bruised cheek. She must've swatted him with her tail or something. The once frightened little girls he was telling his story to giggled at him.

Stumpy grumbled. "Oi, yew lot, tha's no' funny…" He'd eventually be plucked out of the pool and set back down on solid ground. They'd make their way out of the kiddie pool area with a friendly wave to those three girls.

"Stumpy, were you trying to scare them with that story about you and the Tyrantrum?"

"N-No, oi jus…wanted 'em to know tha' it's a scaery world out there."

"The way you're telling that story, it's gonna discourage those kids from wanting to chase something they want in life."

Stumpy looked at her like a pouting kid himself. Either that, or his face was naturally made for doing that. Could be both.

"But that's not important right now. What is important is that I show you a friend of ours."

"Wot do yew maen by tha'?"

Just outside the shallow watering hole, hidden in some cacti plants, a lone Krokorok that looked brutally beat down was passed out and curled up in the egg position. He could see his bloodied Leech Seed lodged in the croc's back from when he spat at it. Looking at the Krokorok made Stumpy feel a bit nervous. Stumpy's never crossed Nidoqueen, but he imagined that he'd look worse than that Krokorok if he ever did. Stumpy also has a pretty good idea that she was trying to get info from him somehow.

"Erm…Nidaquaen, if yew were troyin' to interrogaete 'im, oi don't think 'e new what yew were tryin' to ask 'im."

"Didn't need to. Remember? We have some friends who do."

"...OH FACK. How long was oi out fo'?"

"Uhh, about 3 hours more than me? Look, I just didn't want you to get ambushed again, and I needed to find a place for you to hide, so I...I handed you off to someone else a-and they must've set you by the pool."

"No need to explaen or apologize to me, luv. Oi'd rather yew tell me wot yew found out whoile oi was out cold…"

Nidoqueen let a smirk form across her face. "Gladly. Let's get to the Saloon. Someone else is waiting for us."

"...Who?"

"Spiritomb."

Stumpy paused for a moment. He clearly knows Spiritomb, but why go to them for help? "...Oh! Oh, tha's roight! Sed they can tolk their language, innit?"

"He was a big help in learning where we need to go to get what's left of our crates of beer…or, at the very least, where we can get some old fashioned revenge."

"Ohhh, oi'm in on tha', luv. Need to fill meself in on wot yew know once we get to the Saloon…"

"And maybe, if we have time tonight, we can talk a little more about…well…" Stumpy caught on quick, and immediately felt nervous. Sure, he loved Nidoqueen, but to be honest, he was still nervous of what she wanted to do with him once all this was over, even if he had no idea what it was she wanted to do. He was lost in his own thoughts when she confided in him. For now, however, he was just happy she managed to do so much on her own.

"But right now, I'm glad no one got to you while you were unconscious. I wouldn't know what I'd do if one of those crooks found you and took you away from me."

"Thanks fo' tha', luv. Yew was lookin' out for me. Oi jus' wish oi coulda been wif yew to 'elp out."

Nidoqueen slowly picked Stumpy up, held him in her arms and closed in for another kiss. Stumpy immediately squeezed his eyes shut. It seems he still hasn't fully recovered from what happened to him at the brewery a few years ago. Trauma like that wouldn't be easy to overcome. When Nidoqueen looked down and saw the look on his face, she felt bad, but she thought about how hard he must be trying in overcoming his fears.

But for now, it was time to head into the Saloon, and meet up with Spiritomb.