Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Wanton Wanderlust

[VintageBass]

Something tells the Chespin that this is going to be quite an interesting expedition ahead of him. With how awkward the Infernape feels about this Pawnce individual, Twiggy is curious as to what exactly makes this Bisharp act the way he does. Perhaps they were estranged lovers? Friends that hit that rough patch in the road? There are so many things that Twiggy could think up about the two of them that it pretty much occupied his time coming up with different scenarios that can best fit the awkward tone that Carl is feeling right about now. Whatever is the case, soon Twiggy is going to meet up with Pawnce and... well, then either Hallow or October is going to put up with this guy. Hopefully they aren't that perturbed about who Pawnce is.

Until they get to his so-called home. Twiggy looks around in confusion as to why they're stopped in the middle of the street until it is revealed that Pawnce lives below. Strange place to be, but... no, really, why down below in such a place? That thought lingers in his head, even after the manhole cover rockets up high into the air and landing safely away from any other Pokemon in the area. That's one less thing to worry about. With all the smoke and the slow arrival of Pawnce from the depths, it seems all grandiose and majestic, and here Twiggy is still mulling over how come this guy is essentially living in a sewer-like environment.

That is until he hears Pawnce speaks, hearing a familiar metallic grind Steel types have in their voice, at least to the ones he knows of, coming in a bit more louder due to the Bisharp's bravado way of speaking. It's simply heroic, yet that metallic effect is getting to the Chespin. That tone is so subtle that many don't pick up on it, but it is getting to Twiggy and it is causing him some slight discomfort. However this is balanced by a sudden tune popping into Twiggy's head, playing a rather thematic and heroic tune to match the Bisharp's attire and stance, and it's helping drown out that loud voice Pawnce is using.

Otherwise Twiggy seems rather amazed and confused about the situation at hand. At least this Pokemon is an Explorer given he did bring up treasure, which got him thinking. "Well, you can say that we are looking for a particular treasure," he replied with a smile. "I'm sure you are aware of the pieces of the key needed to get the aid of the ancient Pokemon, right? I'm currently gathering members to help find one of the pieces and where we're going will acquire your skills and typing to deal with the foes living there, just so we can get through there safely, and also protect a pretty lass while we're at it."

For all Twiggy knows this expedition can be one of the most quietest ones he has gone on... well, as quiet as one would get being near this Bisharp, but there's always that chance of getting royally fucked. Even with his grand heroic outlook, Pawnce definitely is eager for some adventuring so it's good that he is ready to go. "By the way, call me Thornton. Whenever you're ready, we need to make one quick detour towards a friend's house and then we'll sign up for the expedition. Sounds good?"

[Nicoffee]

Ashton

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Out of things to do, huh?" She questioned, waltzing forward with a chuckle. "Well, I'm sure we can find something to do after we talk with Khan, hopefully then you'll stop ogling me so much." She stated, sticking her tongue out playfully to you a bit. "I ain't complaining. But you might want to keep that-" She suddenly snapped close to your crotch with the tip of her tail. "Under check, folks have a theory that arousal can be smelled by those infected with Aphrodisiakon..." She warned, giggling a bit before the two of you arrived at Khan's office, Judith opening the door for you to go in ahead. "...Maybe I'll help you with that later, hmm?"

Before you could reply though, Khan noticed and greeted both of you. "Ah! Hey there Judith...And you must be...Ashton, yes? Yeah, the Vulpix, heard about you, from Basil." The large Arcanine stated, raising a brow at you. Seems like the two of you caught him in the middle of a training session, as evidenced by the sweat running down his brows and the gloves around his hands. There was a big punching bag in there, which had seen plenty of use, from what anyone could tell. It stood out a bit in his office, which was all tidy and classic looking...He turned to it and resumed his training, raising his fists and delivering a few quick jabs to the bag. "I'm sorry, we haven't got the chance to meet yet, have we? Name's Khan, leader of the local Rescue Team...Been the leader for...Like...Three years now, I think?" He mumbled, stopping for a bit to think before he shrugged his shoulders and punched the bag again. "So, what can I help you with?"

Judith spoke up first. "We're going after the people who got abducted by the Zoruas." Khan uppercut the bag then backed off, turning to you once more. "...I see. Just the two of you?"

"Nope, we'll also be bringing along Youssef, a Yamask."

"Oh yeah, ghost types are great for stealth missions..." He nodded, taking a towel to brush his face off a little bit. "All right, group accepted, you're clear to go whenever you want. Just uh...Be careful the three of you, alright? Be sure not to get infected or anything." Khan reminded. "...Was there anything else?"

Glori

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Oh, is that what happened then?" The Reuniclus questioned, tapping her fingers against her chin. "I see. When we found the three of you, we figured you had gotten in a fight because the twins were infected or something." She stated, shrugging her shoulders. "Needless to say, it was really awkward when we checked and neither of you were infected in any way, shape or form."

There was a bit of a pause, she seemed to be thinking about something else before she heard your question. The room you were in was pretty empty, save for yourself and the doctor, once she heard your question, however, she chuckled. "Oh, them? They haven't woken up yet...I believe they're in the other room." She stated, tilting her head to the side slightly. "I guess if they're thieves, as you say, we should probably get a member of the explorer or rescue team over here...We don't any actual fighting here in the hospital now, do we?" She giggled, before looking at you closely. "You wouldn't happen to be a member of one of them, would you? Can't say I've seen you around before...So I'm guessing either a refugee who's a little late, lucky you, there was a huge attack of a pack of Zorua yesterday."

Aeryn

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Ohhh! I see, I see, must be about an expedition? I shall gladly accompany you and help you in your mission!" The Eevee stated, a huge big smile on his face as he took your hand to shake, that'd look a lot more friendly if it weren't for...Well, you know. Regardless, the Eevee quickly noticed your shaking, blinking its eyelids a few times before it tilted its head to the side. "...What is the matter? Why do you look so afraid? You look like you're about to clatter. Is it something I said?" He questioned, confused before suddenly smacking his own forehead. "Oh no! I forgot them again, didn't I? I totally did, I forgot the eyes." The Eevee took out a small hand mirror from his pocket and quickly look at his own face. A few moments afterward, what appeared to some sort of purple goop began appearing inside the sockets, molding itself into something...Ellol closed his eyes and the next time he opened them, he had proper eyes in there, blinking a few times to get used to the new feeling. "I am so sorry! I deeply apologize!" He stated, bowing his head to you. "I don't even know for how long I had forgotten the eyes."

The "Eevee" then slowly adjusted himself back on his chair. "Please, while you tell me about this mission, take a seat. I'll even get you something to eat, my treat." He proposed, shooting another big smile towards you.

Twiggy

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"AH, YES, OF COURSE! I HEARD IT ALL FROM MY SECRET UNDERGROUND BASE."

"You mean the sewers?" Carl added, already totally done with this before they even started. "NO. MY UNDERGROUND BASE...IN THE SEWERS." Pawnce cleared up his throat for a bit. "BUT YES! THE GREAT PAWNCE, PROTECTOR OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, SHALL ACCOMPANY YOU ON YOUR MISSION. MAY WE TOGETHER FIND GL-" "Stop. Let's get going then, Twigs."

"YES, SER THORNTON, LEAD US FORTH TOWARDS THE HOUSE OF YOUR COMPATRIOT."

One way or another, with Pawnce having joined the party. The three of you proceed over to the Pumpkin's house. Ringing the door bell and quickly being received by Hallow, who greeted you with a big smile, but quickly turned confused. "Hey there, Twig- ...Uhm...Look, I know I said we can do stuff whenever and whatever you want, but three guys might be a bit much for me." Carl blinked a few times in confusion at the statement, Pawnce, on the other hand immediately zipped forward, kneeling towards Hallow and putting his sword forward for support. "GREETINGS, MILADY. I, THE GREAT PAWNCE WILL BE YOUR PROTECTOR FOR THE EVENING. NO HARM SHALL COME TO YOU FOR AS LONG AS THESE STEEL LUNGS EXHALE AIR."

"...Uhm...Twiggy can you...Explain?" Hallow pleaded while side glancing towards you, keeping a safe distance away from Pawnce. "NO." A voice echoed from within the house...It sounded like October. "COULD IT BE? I HAD MY SUSPICIONS BUT..." October suddenly found her way downstairs and glared in utter terror at the group at her door. "NO!" She shouted again. "IT IS, IT IS MY DEAR OCTOBER! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN, MY FRIEND?!" Pawnce shouted, before charging forward and hugging a rather angry looking October. Carl glanced over, blinking a few times. "Hey, O."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO."

Hallow blinked a few times. "...Can someone explain me what's going on here?" Carl shrugged his shoulders. "Me, Pawnce and O there used to be part of the same Explorer Team, that's all." Hallow blinked. "Wh-...O! You never told me you were in the explorers!" October sighed, finally having pushed Pawnce off of herself. "Because I'm not, I quit."

"MY FRIEND OCTOBER, I NEVER THOUGHT I'D-"

"Stop talking."

"...I AM...SORRY I..."

"Stop."

...Well, there was definitely a fair bit of history in here...Though you got the feeling it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows...Perhaps it would be best if you steered everyone back into the right direction for now, though.

[VintageBass]

This may be proving to be a bit more than what Twiggy could imagine. On the one hand here he has someone that is very eager to get out in the field and be the hero that this town not so needed, but can tolerate, but he could get why he is rather unnerving. Such a constant burst of energy and heroic attitude seems to grate on one in such a short amount of time and stuffing anything into his mouth will be beneficial to everyone on the team, especially with that grating plate noise that emits from when Pawnce speaks. It's probably the least annoying thing so far about the character, but the thing is Twiggy has yet to seen this guy in combat. Given he is a Bisharp, he should be a good attacker, being able to Cut through anything on the fly if needed. He's not going to put him off for now...

Also he silently thanked Carl for reassuring his thoughts about the Bisharp living in a sewer.

Anyway, now at the Pumpkin's house... and things have taken for the worse. Specifically that Pawnce is hitting on not only Hallow but October as well the moment the Gourgeist entered the picture. Twiggy watched on in horror as the Bisharp does his best to woo the older sister and irritate everyone else further. Here he was hoping to calmly explain to both of them about their mission, it seems things have taken a bit of a turn for the worse. So, the Chespin turns to the Pumpkaboo and, taking in a deep breath, tunes out Pawnce and October arguing with each other. "OK, I am here actually for one of your guys' help for an expedition," he explained calmly. "Y'see, we're going to Pumkaboo Forest and in order to get in, we're going to need one of you to get us in since the mission requires four party members and one of them is either a Pumpkaboo or a Gourgeist. Since you're the only two that I know that fit the bill..." and he stops for a moment to look over the situation with Pawnce.

"Hallow, would you like to help us out on this. Hopefully it's not too much on you and we'll keep you covered for the time being, if that's all right?"

[Firehead]

"Well I'm not really that familiar with the town outside of knowing the general districts, so I don't really know much of what there is to do. I'll probably explore a little on my own later, but for now I guess it would be good to focus on my first mission." He blushed and scratched the back of his head when she called him out for the staring. Seemed he'd been caught red handed there. He stepped back when she rubbed her tail across his groin and informed him of the theory, "I'll bear that in mind during missions. Wouldn't want to be drawing their attention unduly. eheh"

Soon they reached Khan's office, "Yes sir, I just signed up with the Rescue Team this morning after the announcement." It was his first time meeting the Arcanine face to face and he certainly seemed much larger up close like this rather than the long distance from which he'd viewed the announcement from. He looked over the office he was in the punching bag looked a bit out of place in the well maintained office. If it wasn't there though you'd expect the occupant of the office to be some pencil pusher in a suit which the Arcanine certainly was not. In fact Khan might have looked a bit comical in a sight considering his bulk, and Ashton couldn't help but chuckle a little at the mental image. He didn't seem to let them interrupt his work out as he went right back to punching while introducing himself. Judith went ahead and explained the mission they were going on and Youssef's presence. The mission was of course approved. Ashton found himself tilting his head puzzlingly at the warning not to get infected. Did he usually give mission participants that warning, or was there something about this mission or its participants that had him extra worried. When Khan asked if there was anything else he did come up with one question though he it is possible Judith might know the answer also, "so do we have a guess about how many people got dragged off by the zuroa?"

[Riptide]

Glori attempted to get out of her bed to do some stretching as she told her tale. She wanted to get right back in to the action as soon as possible. If she felt any pain, she would try to fight through it, though her voice would reflect her strain.

"I'm not from around here, but I'm anything but a refugee. My dojo was recently overtaken by infection, and I just managed to narrowly escape. I came here to help the cause and find a cure, and maybe fight for some justice on the way. I'd say I'm already off to a good start."

She stretches out her spine, puffing out her chest towards the doctor.

"A rescue team member might not be necessary. I might be able to handle them. In fact, I'd like to talk to them as soon as I can. If I'm going to make a Rescue Team, I'm going to need some experienced members who'll have my back."

She cockily glares at the nurse, almost trying to predict what she is going to say.

"I know what you're thinking. Why would I give those dirty thieves the time of day?"

She walks up face-to-face with the doctor and places a hand on her shoulder.

"Where I come from we have a saying: 'Equal Enemies make the Perfect Allies'. Since we managed to wound each other pretty badly, I'd imagine we'd be unstoppable if the three of us worked together. Well, almost unstoppable..."

Glori nervously giggles for a second.

"We also have another saying: 'Bleeding is cool, but it will kill you'.

She steps next to the Reuniclus and wraps an arm around her, pulling the doctor close to her side.

"Any interest in possibly joining a Rescue Team as a medic?"

[Nobudi]

Aeryn was downright terrified of that display with the eyes. She stammered, "I'll - I'll sit w- with you. But- but there's n-no need for food, thank you. I think I lost my appetite." With business underway, she gave... it(?) the rundown of the expedition, saying "W- well... It's about the t- towns that got turned into Mystery D- dungeons. Flora thought it p- prudent that we have four members go as a team t- to investigate." Her voice finally began to lose its shake as she continued on, finally getting used to the situation. "S- since the expedition is uncertain, she suggested someone with - adaptability, namely: you." She paused for a moment before speaking up once more. "Uh... if you don't mind me a- asking, what... are you? I- i'm not too certain, but Eevee's don't... 'forget' eyes."

[Nicoffee]

Twiggy

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Once you explained things over to everyone once more, Hallow rubbed her chin in thought for a bit. "Yeah, sure, I'll come with-" October zipped in. "And who said this decision was yours, little lady? I'm still the oldest one here. I get to decide if you go or not...And I'm inching towards a no." Hallow let out a long, tired sigh and was about to say something, but Pawnce spoke first.

"FRET NOT, OCTOBER, WE SHALL MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOUR SISTER SAF-"

"I thought I told you to shut up? And I don't trust you to keep anyone safe, Pawnce, especially after Bastion." When October said that, you could almost FEEL the atmosphere dropping around you, most importantly Carl and Pawnce himself. There was a bit of an awkward silence before Pawnce scratched the back of his head and just figured he'd stay quiet. "Low blow, O." Carl mumbled from the sidelines. October grunted, crossing her arms over chest and letting out an annoyed huff. "Maybe. Listen, my point is, it was already dangerous to head out in these expeditions before, with this virus crap going around, it's only worse." Hallow finally spoke her mind, then. "Look, I'm not gonna be the one in the front lines, anyways...So there's no need to worry about that, I'm sure all of the folk here can handle themselves, so I'm sure I'll be fine if I just stay out of the fighting, okay O? I don't know what history you have with the loudmouth over there, but-"

October cut Hallow off again, this time with a sigh. "Fine! Just go. I don't want to talk about this anymore and I want all of you out. OUT." Without further ado, you all found yourself getting pushed out of the house, more specifically Pawnce, before October slammed the door in front of you. Well, at least you got Hallow, who turned to address you. "She'll be fine, so uhm...When we going?"

Ashton

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"...Right." Khan mumbled in response, stopping to think for a bit. "We had someone who was counting the people on the line before the attack started, the one who separated everyone into small groups? She counted about a total of fifty pokemon in total. Since only thirty-five entered the town...Well, that leaves fifteen Pokemon who are missing. However...Just this morning, I received some news that a pair of Glameows and a Starly waltzed in early this morning. They probably were hidden during the raid yesterday, so they were a bit wounded but not infected." Khan theorized, slowly rubbing his towel up and down his chin. "So, in conclusion...Around twelve people. Be careful when bringing them back though, there's no way of knowing if any of them is infected until one of our staff comes around and has a look at them, okay?"

"And remember, if possible, try not to fight the Zoroark, from what Roland reported, she was pretty tough, so it's best none of you risk yourselves against her. And I'm not sure your roar is going to trick them a second time, Ashton."

Glori

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"Your place had weird sayings..." The doctor mumbled, placing one of her big gelatinous hands and gently pushing you away from herself. "I'll pass. Not really a fighter, I'm afraid. You're free to go talk to them, if you want. Though I still think they're knocked out at the moment...One way or another...Please do not fight in the hospital." The Reuniclus pleaded, frowning at you some. "At any rate, the name's Rina, if you need me, I'll be around...You look good to go...But try not to push it, alright? We don't want those wounds opening up again, do we?"

Aeryn

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Ellol nodded slowly as she heard you explaining the situation, his own food soon arriving as the waiter placed a single gray poffin in front of the two of you. "What am I? I'm your ally. Is that not enough? I don't see that as much important stuff." Ellol was silent for a bit but then followed up with a sigh, taking the Poffin and just tossing it towards his own mouth, which opened up and ate the whole thing in a single bite, following up immediately by gulping it down. "If you must know, I am a Ditto. I just really like to sometimes borrow, the identity of one or two old hero."

"Currently I'm the old explorer and hero of the sea, none other than the famous Vee." He announced, proudly puffing up his chest and attempting to pose somewhat heroically, he stood up and put one foot in his chair, rising one of his hands and drawing out a curved sword out of seemingly nowhere, brandishing it proudly. "He explored all the continents, far and wide, ready for any consequence, a true explorer even when he finally died." He followed up with a short cough, the sword suddenly melting to pink goo as it melded back into the rest of his body, before he then adjusted himself to sit properly on the chair once more. "So...Who else shall be coming along? I'm sure our quest, will be worthy of song."

Victor, Clefine and Fe

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

For better or for worse, Cotton was unavailable to actually go on the mission with you. And as such, just as promised, you soon found yourselves waiting for another member to be assigned to your little team. You were sent to the waiting room for only a few minutes, before your new partner soon walked in through the door.



Clefine quickly recognized this Cubone as Jules. You faintly remember having spoken once or twice to her before, most notably, when she came over to introduce you to your room mate, Rikku...Who strangely wasn't around tonight. Oh well, no matter. The Cubone tipped her helmet towards you. "Howdy. Name's Jules, I heard you guys needed a little helping hand, yeah?" She questioned, spinning her bone club in her hand. "Khan gave me the details already and cleared us to go so...When we heading out? I'm ready when you guys are."

[VintageBass]

The tension is getting so thick that even Pawnce's sword may not cut it. October is in a bad mood the moment that the Bisharp entered the picture and when Twiggy brought up the idea of having Hallow tag along instead of October, it really got bad. It's like the Gourgeist turn into a Ice type with how cold things have gotten and someone was going to get a good blast of Icy Wind from her. Everything seems to be going wrong, which made Twiggy guess that he should've come here first before getting Pawnce, so maybe instead of him he would've gotten someone else entirely. He isn't feeling any hatred towards him, but if it meant that there won't be this hostility towards the group, then it'll be worth preventing any headaches had Twiggy reunited the group together.

And just as he was about to explain to October about how he is going to do his best to take care of her sister, he gets a face full of door in the process. The Chespin lets out a sigh in response, stepping away from the house to look at the group he gathered and then takes a moment to breathe. "Right... that could've gone better," he muttered to himself before looking back up, turning to Hallow since she asked about the time. "So we're supposed to meet up at around 11, or rather have everyone registered by then, and... well, I haven't thought ahead on that. We could spend an hour getting prepped up and head out around noon. Does that sound about good to you?"

Twiggy then turn his attention to Pawnce, looking at him with some slight annoyance, but still feels confidence in his service. "Look, I don't know your history, nor do I particularly care to know about it now. We just need to focus on the mission and keep Hallow here safe when we get into the Forest. We need to make sure she does her thing in getting us in and out, plus make sure we can stay on October's good side so I can live beyond this week. If anything happens to her, you're not going to hear the end of it and I'm sure you still want to be known as a hero, right? So we need to work together on this, got it?" He doesn't want to bring up the fact that he was going to offer October more of him, just to get her frustration out during the week as a way to make it up to her, mostly because it's not relevant to what needs to be said. Hopefully once they're out of this Twiggy can explain to her and hopefully he's able to walk once the night is over.

With all that said, Twiggy rubs his hands together excitedly. "Right, let's head back to the Guild and get all signed up for this!"

[DomJoe]

Fe was in a fairly sour mood since they were unable to get Cotton out of her room, and she made no effort in hiding it, kicking the door with her tiny feet before storming off, muttering about how Cotton was the one who was given the mission first, and should have been the first one ready to go for this mission. Her attitude changed once their new member showed up. A very tribal looking Cubone, but then again, most of them looked like that with how they used bones for weapons and wore skulls on their heads. "Hi there! Name's Fe!" Fe replied, eagerly shaking the Cubone's hand. "Uh, I don't think we have to do anything else before we go, so we could go right now, right guys?" She turns to the rest of the group expectantly.

[Firehead]

Alright it seemed they had about a dozen people to try and rescue. Of course doing so without risking a fight with the Zoroark would probably mean leaving some behind. He was surprised to learn they might have to worry about getting infected even after they've escaped the gorge. "We don't have any way of detecting infection before we get back?" It meant they would need to keep a sharp eye on their charges the whole way back in case they bring back an infected that might spread before they make it to the gate. Just one more in the long list of reasons he would be keeping it in his pants during the mission. "Don't worry about me or Youssef trying to take on the Zoroark. We both saw his err her I mean their fight with the Flareon yesterday." He looked down as his mind wandered shortly yo the fight. Dismissing the thought he turned back to Khan, "Well if that'll be all I guess we'll be on our way then."

[Riptide]

"Ok Rina. If you ever change your mind and want to experience something new, you know who to find. The name's Glori by the way, don't forget it. Because you'll probably see me again."

Glori walked out of the room after patting Rina on the back. She walks over the the Glameow Twins' room disappointed that Rin isn't going to be tagging along with her. She liked squishy soft Pokémon. They were fun to cuddle. She burst in to the room with her booming voice.

"Wake up thieves! I've got a proposition for the two of you!"

[CrimsonNutcase37]

Watching the Klefki kick the door with her tiny feet in a tantrum was greatly amusing to Victor, who stood to the side and followed her when she stormed off muttering to herself in anger. The trio found themselves in the waiting room fairly quickly, though when the door opened Victor was quick to look their new member up and down. The minimal clothing was very interesting to the Tyrunt, especially since he could see everything but her face and the fun parts, though his attention was brought to the tattoo in Unknown on her arm. He didn't read the language, so he didn't care to know what it said.

None the less, Victor felt he'd definately be pleased with the Cubone on the team. "I'm down to go whenever" Victor said, rising from his chair

[Nobudi]

Aeryn now looked at Ellol with a hint of fascination. She had never met a shapeshifter before. Or was it more than just shapeshifting? Nevertheless, she figured that Ellol's role may play a pivotal role in this expedition. And that was quite a comforting thought for her. When Ellol mentioned the other teammates, she tried to recollect the names of the two others, before spilling out, "Roland, the second in command of the explorer's guild. His girlfriend Rikku, for four teammates filled." She blink, surprised by the unintentional rhyme, and decided to change the subject a little by asking 'him', "So, Vee? Do you always choose to be legendary explorers, or do you just become something else every once in a while?" Surely there wasn't any harm in asking?

[cryosabre]

While everybody else had left the town square after Khan's announcement to go about their own business of readying up for the fairly daunting task at hand, Rikku had simply went to sit down at the edge of the square, finding a surprising quiet spot devoid of refugees to contemplate her involvement in the whole process. While she had been listening intently to what Khan's announcement, Rikku hadn't been able to stop herself from lightly chuckling and smiling giddily every time her mind rolled back to her time with Roland last night, every little ache and pain she was feeling from the previous night's lovemaking session only served as another reminder of the wonderful time they had spent together. However, her daydreams had been shattered when Khan suddenly mentioned the lack of communication that was coming from the Infected quarantine zone and it didn't really take a genius to figure out what had more than likely caused the sudden breakdown in communication.

That revelation had instantly made everything change for Rikku. Her giddy mood had all but vanished, only to be replaced with a mild look of intense guilt across her feline face as inside her head as the wonderful images of her and Roland's bodies entwined were suddenly replaced by one image. It was the image of that horrifying Zoruark who had been moments away from killing her doing those awful things to Flare, infecting her body with the incurable disease in the most graphic way possible as it used her body like it had every right to. The most distressing thing about that image, however, was the fact that after her initial joint attack with the Tyrunt, Rikku had been helpless against her monstrous enemy, barely even landing a scratch before Roland had to intervene and save her. "I...I don't belong here..." Rikku simply whispered to herself as a tear began cascading down her cheek, the more she thought about how dire the situation was, the more she began telling herself how completely idiotic she had been even beginning to think that she could have made a difference to this world. She wouldn't be any help to anyone here, surely she would only hold everyone else ba-

"R-Roland...?" Rikku suddenly mumbled she she slowly shook her head to try and clear the dark thoughts that were invading her mind once she heard the big Drapion shouting her name as he looked about for her. Almost instantly, the intense feeling of inadequacy she had been feeling simply seemed to disappear in a puff of smoke as she stood up and wiped away the tear that had began matting the fur on her cheek before calling out to the big Pokemon, "Hey! I'm over here, what's up?" she asked while smiling brightly up at the man she had shared an oh so intimate night with before pulling his big form into a tight, warm hug and waiting for him to say something.

[Nicoffee]

It is now 10:00 AM

Twiggy

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"At 11 then?" Hallow mumbled, rubbing her chin. "All right, it's good our sister kicked us out then. I'll go ahead and uhm...Get some supplies, I suppose. I've never been on an expedition before! It's kind of exciting, really." She mumbled, gently poking her own lower lip. "I'll meet you in front of the Guild at 11:00 then! I gotta go buy stuff, bye!" She announced before zipping off into the town, leaving you with Carl and Pawnce standing somewhat awkwardly in front of October's home. Upon hearing your request, however, Pawnce promptly replied. "WORRY NOT, SER THORNTON, I SHALL ENDEAVOR TO BE THE SHIELD TO OUR COMPANION. THE CASTLE TO HER FIELDS. THE FENCE TO HER GARDEN. THE CONDOM TO HER-"

Carl put his hand on Pawnce's mouth, shutting him up. "We get it." Carl let out a short sigh and rubbed the tip of his nose some. "Well, we don't all need to go sign up at the Guild...I mean...I'm sure Pawnce could go do that for us while we go to...Discuss tactics and such. We still have about an hour." Carl stated, grinning and wrapping an arm around Twiggy. "What do you say, huh?"

"BUT...BUT I WANT TO DISCUSS TACTICS TOO!" Carl facepalmed.

Glori

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You burst open through the door of the room and your shout was instantly replied with yelps of panic from the two Glameows as they rolled out of their beds, taking up battle positions. "The nutjob is back!" The female announced, her brother quickly latching on to the first thing he found to try and use to defend himself, namely a potted plant. "Listen! You already beat us, we surrendered! You don't need to do it again, we get the message!" He growled, ready to apparently throw the potted plant at you if you tried anything.

"...Speaking of which...What the heck happened to all our stuff?" The female Glameow questioned, tilting her head to the side. Her brother quickly remembered that as well. "Y-Yeah! What did you do with our money?!"

Ashton

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Khan sighed and shook his head. "Nothing...Well, nothing concrete." He admitted, crossing his arms. "The medical staff around here can figure out whether they're clean or not, but they need...Samples. Which is not something you'll be able to just collect out there in the cave, theoretically...Especially in a stealth mission and with a bunch of infected Zorua around." When you announced you'd be on your way, Khan smiled and promptly gave the both of you a somewhat reassuring pat on the head. "All right! Good luck you two then! Remember to be careful and if you need anything else or have any questions before you set off, just be sure to let me know!" He re-affirmed before tossing his towel aside and going back to his punching bag for now.

With that out of the way, however, Judith slowly turned to you. "...So. We still have about an hour..." She mused, looking Ashton up and down. "Have you considered my offer? I mean..." She slithered her way out of Khan's office, waiting for you to follow. "If the theory of those with Aphrodisiakon smelling arousal is true...We don't want you with any...Frustrations now, do we?"

Aeryn

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"Oh! We heading out with Mister Roland then, are we? It's been since he's been in a mission with me." Vee...Or Ellol stated. Though you could noticeable see his face visibly light up with joy when you addressed him as Vee. "Why yes, sometimes I do. Why sometimes I like making fun of the rest of my crew." He stated, clearing up his throat some and suddenly placing his hand against his face. With a singular swift motion, Vee pushed their own head down into their neck and then pulled out, when they did they had Roland's head, instead, speaking with the vice-leader's voice, even. "Mwyegh! I am surrounded by idiots! Why isn't anyone else ever as serious?!" He pushed it in and then pulled it out again, now with your own face on it, as it a scarily accurate mimic of your voice. "I just need a single glance and I can copy it! I'm like a walking, talking identikit!" He pushed his face right back in, then was finally back to Vee's face. "I try to avoid doing it too often though, it makes the other pokemon very confused, you know."

Rikku

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Roland had been looking around for quite a bit, at first, he was SURE he saw Rikku around here in the town square somewhere but he was just taking forever to spot her! Eventually, however, his eyes locked in on her position and he called out to her, doing a slight jog to get to her faster. "Ah, there you are. I was looking for you." He stated, letting you hug him as much as you wanted smiling faintly before he gave a happy pat to the top of your head. "...Uhm. Sorry if I was a bit...Too rough yesterday. I was kind of..." He cleared up his throat. "A-Anyways. This isn't what I came here to talk about." He spoke, clearing up his throat some. "Me and two other members of the Explorer Team are heading out to scout Noe Town...Or, well, what it's become. We're to delve as deep as we can into the newly formed Mystery...Town, and then come back and report our findings." He explained, placing his hands behind his back as he spoke very formally, though his composure dropped a bit afterwards. "Ehm...Flora insisted I take you along."

"N-Not that I don't want you to come or anything!" He quickly rectified, waving his hands about. "Just...Well, we don't know how dangerous it'll be and uhm...I'm just...Worried is all, then again, I guess I shouldn't be. You're a big cat, after all, right? Uhm...I mean it as in like...You're strong, courageous and...Such." He added, trying to make himself look less like of an idiot by attempting to compliment her again, his hand slapped his forehead and then slowly traveled up his own hair. "That is, of course, assuming you'd be interested in coming along? I'd be glad to have you at my back. It'd be nice to have someone who has guts with you instead of having to babysit a bunch of wimps, eh?" He stated, managing out a smile before it fell into a bit of a frown.

Fe, Victor and Clefine

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"Well, if everyone is prepared, I think we should get going. From what I was told, we'll be heading to the Forest of Fairies. It's a eleven floor mystery dungeon and we'll be looking for a pack of Skiddos and Gogoats who supposedly moved in there to try and run away from the infection." Jules summarized, spinning the bone in her hand some. "We'll have to head south from here. The way is pretty straightforward, but since the place itself is a mystery dungeon, there will probably be some fighting involved." She stated, cracking her shoulders a bit. "I assume y'all can pull your own weight, yah?" She teased, fixing up her helmet on her head before leading all of you back to the gate.

At last, the four of you began making your trek towards the Forest of Fairies. The path was a large and long dirt road which you all journeyed through for about half an hour. The walk itself was pretty uneventful but with a steady march, the bunch of you found yourselves standing in front of the forest of fairies within about twenty or so minutes. No wonder the place was called Forest of Fairies, the trees here were of a different color, the whole place had a much more mystical feel to it, blue woods and purple leaves, big mushrooms and small magical lights seemed to flicker about. "...Right, so. Has anyone else in here ever been to a Mystery Dungeon before?" She questioned, quickly glancing over the bunch of you. "Right...Well, just to make sure we're all on the same page...This is an ever changing dungeon, which means that turning right three time doesn't necessarily means you'll be heading left, you know? My guess is that the pack of Gogoats and Skiddo probably found one of the floors and bunkered up in it...As such, it is IMPERATIVE we search all of the levels fully before we head up or down...And yes, I know it's a forest and I know it's not supposed to have floors, but that's just how these place works." She stated, pointing her finger at you. "So! Be sure not to wander off on your own and NEVER under any circumstances, go up or down any stairs you see in the dungeons without groping up first! Any questions?"

[Firehead]

Ashton gave an oh when Khan informed him they needed samples to detect infection, "Yeah, I can see why it would be impractical." If the rumors about infected smelling arousal were correct collecting such samples would in fact risk the entire mission itself; doubly so on a stealth mission like theirs. When he was dismissed Ashton wasn't sure what to do for a moment. This was the head of the Rescue guild. Was he supposed to salute? A wave didn't quite seem appropriate. Giving a sorta half hearted salute Ashton said farewell to Khan, "We'll be on our way then." before following Judith out of the room.

When they got out Judith reminded him of her earlier offer to release some "tension." He was could fell himself twitch a bit at the way she said it and knew he wasn't going to turn her down. Looking down he responded to her, "Yeah, I'd really like that. So, did you have anywhere in mind to do this." As they continued on to their destination Ashton picked up his pace to walk along next to Judith. Trying to stand close without seeming to be leaning into her.

[Riptide]

Glori casually walked up to Lloyd and casually took the potted plant out of his hands.

"No fighting. I don't want to upset that cute nurse."

She condescendingly scratches behind Lloyds ear.

"I have no interest in hurting you two small fries anyway. You did some great fighting before. I want to recruit you two."

She turns to Lina blushing in embarrassment.

"It's still in the forest. I thought I was going to heroically lead a team to it after turning you in. Passing out from blood loss wasn't on the agenda."

[DomJoe]

Fe was certainly happier to be finally moving as they made their way to the Forest of Fairies. She really was about to go on her first adventure, which would have been more exciting if it wasn't for the circumstances that surrounded it. Reaching the forest itself in a matter of minutes, the little Klefki stared at the scenery in awe. It would certainly fit as a habitat for fairy types, and she almost felt like she was at home herself with the mystical scenery. She quietly cooed in amusement, before turning her attention to the Cubone as she rattled off a few rules about the Mystery Dungeons in general. Once she was finished, FE gave an enthusiastic shake of her head and replies, "No questions here! I'll just stick to you guys like glue, and we'll be okay!"

[VintageBass]

Twiggy breathes a sigh of relief. That could have not gone any better without Carl stepping in and shutting up Pawnce at that line of dialogue. "OK, I gotcha on that, thank you very much," he replied to the muffled Pawnce, not wanting to know more about what he is going to say. He does know what he was going to say, but that was clearly enough analogies to get that the Pokemon is going to defend Hallow. Speaking of, hearing her excitement for this expedition got a smile on Twiggy's face and seeing that she's going to head out to go get supplies for them, the Chespin waves her off as she does so, leaving him with the other two before Carl suggests heading off to discuss some plans privately while Pawnce goes to get the team all ready to go for this quest.

The way the Infernape mentioned discussing tactics and wrapping an arm around Twiggy got him all curious, with a sudden spike of arousal coursing through him. It sounds like there's a little more to what Carl is talking about, and getting away from Pawnce is the better option. Twiggy can agree with that. "I'm sorry, but it'll be good that one of us get us all signed up while we discuss things in private, and a bit discreetly, too," he said to the Bisharp. "We need to work together on this, so just help us get all signed up and we'll discuss whatever tactics me and Carl discussed, OK?" He does want to reassure Pawnce that he is going to be helpful to the mission, but to have some peace and quiet away from him would be nice as well. An hour's time should be more than enough for now.

So with that said, Twiggy waves the Bisharp off before turning his attention to Carl and smiling back at the Infernape. "So, what exactly do you have on your mind?" he replied, feeling all too eagered to know what the Infernape has planned for the group... and for the Chespin himself.

[cryosabre]

"Heh, no need to apologize! I had a wooooonderful time!" Rikku purred as she nuzzled Roland's solid body for a second before taking a step back and cocking her head to the side slightly as he explained the mission at hand, though when he came to the part about Flora insisting they go together, Rikku couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat as her cheeks began to glow red slightly under her creamy fur. Doing her best to look as unperturbed as possible, Rikku silently cursed the burning in her cheeks right up until he got to the part about wanting her to come along, the idea of Roland seeing her as an independent and strong cat, and not someone who needed looking after working to clear away the last of the self-doubts she had been feeling only a few moments ago.

"O-Of course I want to come!" Rikku suddenly cried out unexpectedly loud, "Like I said, I joined the Exploration guild so I can go see some more of the outside world while helping people at the same time!" Rikku blurted out while she puffed her chest out as much as possible, at the same time she had to try very...very hard to not jump up and down on the spot in excitement at how much Roland seemed to respect her. Not that he had any reason not too of course...but still! Once she had finally managed to calm down, Rikku stood looking at Roland with an expectant look before grabbing his hand and and urging him to head in some direction while she purred excitedly up at him, "So, c'mon! How do we get to Noe Town? And who are the two other members of the group?"