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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Investigators of Soul/Heart/Spirit

a fanmade story

The next morning, upon waking, I found that I was, again, the last one up, as Aileen and Minccino were nowhere to be seen at first glance.
Or was I?
"…zzz…"
Someone's soft snoring still filled the room, and I knew I wasn't imagining it this time.
I checked my surroundings, but there was no one to be seen, even though it sounded like it was coming from right behind me.
It got even weirder:
"…zzz…mm…mmf? *yaaaaawn* Mmm…hm? OH-!"
And then it just suddenly went quiet.
What in the…
Who was that? I swear I was right next to the source of the voice, too…
Ghost?
Nah, can't be.
Can i-
WHOA!
If I didn't duck that instant I would have been headshot with something headed straight at me.
The battery or something like that rolled to a stop on the floor.
And the next thing I knew, I was being shoved aside by two of the orphans in a mad dash for it.
"Ow! Hey!" Whatever happened to playing nice?
Elekid got to it first, and snatched it up like his life depended on it. "I keep telling you, it's mine!"
"But I want it!" Togedemaru slapped him upside the head with his tail, making him drop the battery, nabbed it, and ran off, with Elekid in hot pursuit.
"Hey! Guys, what the heck?!" I chased them out into the orphanage's main clearing.
It was just like I saw it yesterday, in essence, but from a different angle. Elekid and Togedemaru were fighting over the battery, Wimpod was chasing Inkay, who was chasing Happiny, Psyduck was in his own, apparently very painful, little world, and Minccino and Glameow just watched the world burn around them.
I looked for Shiinotic and Aileen, but they were nowhere to be seen.
The entire place was practically falling apart in their absence.
I waited for an opportunity to quickly dash over to the sane section of the room.
"Hey!" I called out to Minccino and Glameow.
"Oh! Hi!" Minccino greeted me. "You're…oh, what'shisname…Gabriel, right? You just got here last night?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Heh heh," she just kind of laughed. "You're a really heavy sleeper! I tried waking you up a couple times, but you were out like a light! You even missed breakfast!…though, that's…not really saying much…"
"Oh…" I noticed how hungry she still seemed.
"Can one of you tell me what's going on, please?"
"Everyone in here kind of has their own…personal problems," Glameow started to explain.
"Like?"
"On top of…none of us knowing where our parents are, let's just say the orphanage is…a bit too small for all of us."
"Looks spacious enough to me."
"No, I mean…like, resources. Don't get me wrong, she's a good old Pokémon, but…Shiinotic seems to spend more time searching for lost orphans than attending to the ones she has." Her expression turned a bit bitter upon saying that. "We barely get enough food, and from after breakfast to just before dinner, she's out there searching," she went on, "while everyone else is here not getting along with each other."
"So this happens every time Shiinotic walks out," I concluded.
"Only when both she AND Aileen are gone. Aileen just has a certain quality, I can't really name it, that can hold down the fort."

"Soooooo why isn't she here now?"
"No idea. Nor do I know where she went. But this isn't the first time, either."
"What?"
"I don't know…do you know where Aileen goes every day?" asked Glameow, motioning to Minccino.
"Why are you asking me?"
"You're in the same room as her. Does she ever talk about it in, like, her sleep or something?"
"I wouldn't know if she did…I swear, I always pass out first."
I can't believe what I'm hearing. An orphanage already in bad shape, and the two Pokémon who can ever sustain it are almost always out for unknown reasons!
"Does Shiinotic know about this?" I tried.
"No. I mean, as long as you're here before dinner, she doesn't really care what you do. Sadly."
"That's it," I threw my arms up and let them fall to my sides. "I'm finding Aileen."

"Wait, WHAT?" That got both girls' attention.
"I'm going to track Aileen down, and I'm going to bring her here to sort this mess out."
"But you don't even know where she is!"
"Only one way to find out."
And with that, I was out the door.
Out in Crossroad City, much of the residents were gathered around one guy in the center of the plaza, giving some kind of speech or something.
Nobody looked very impressed, but that didn't stop me from listening in on this rant:
"I'm tellin' ya, people, kids these days are completely wild!" said the speaker, a decent-sized brown Pokémon distinguished by a long, unorganized tail implying he should never run for office, and a huge blond 'do saying otherwise. "Always runnin' off to do whatever they want, no word to another soul!"
Now I saw why no one really cared what he was saying.
"And then they disappear without a trace!" he claimed. "Why else do you think we've had all these vanishings, huh?"
"Gumshoos, it hasn't just been children, though…" criticised the Tsareena in the circle.
"Ever heard of never growing up?"
Everyone in the audience either visibly cringed or walked away shaking their head. One guy, an Araquanid, even said "Jeez, you're so thick they could make WALLS out of you."
A Bounsweet began nudging at Tsareena's legs. "Mom, could we stop arguing with Mr. Gumshoos long enough to go play in the Dense Streambank?"
I nearly laughed at this highlight of the scene, but I was really thinking:
That kid has a point. Don't these Pokémon have anything better to do than cause flamewars?
Still, that Dense Streambank sounded like a good place to check out in my search for Aileen. As the mother and daughter headed out, following the path east for a short while, I kept up right behind them, until we were in the river valley and I broke off when an opportunity arose.
Not far in, my vision went black for a moment.
Oh, crud.
Another mystery dungeon.
Just my luck.
Okay, first things first:
FIND THE STAIRS AND GET OUTTA HERE.
(I won't bore you with any more details on mystery dungeons other than total floors, name, general enemy theme, and current level at the end.)
(Dense Streambank
B7F
Mostly Grass and Water types, with a few Bug types
Gabriel: 7 [+1])
After making it to a safe clearing, I started focusing on searching for Aileen again.
It was a short search.
I found her peeking through a bush, trying to get a better look at...something.
I didn't care what she was doing, I made it my point to get right over there and confront her.
I tapped her on the shoulder, and got an annoyed "WHAT." as a response.
"What the heck are you doing out here?! The orphanage is practically falling apart and you're out here in the middle of nowhere!"
"Waiting for my chance," she replied. "So SHUSH." And she went back to whatever she was looking at.
"What?!" I was even more confused. Her chance for what?
I tried following her intense gaze to get a better idea of what to do. She was watching a building from afar; a little pink shack next to the river, decorated to resemble a Pokémon.
I looked at it a bit closer. It had a green roof, a half-white wind drape on each side of the building, and a notably large pink-red claw-like addition, big enough to be a garage, underneath each of the drapes. There were also two frilly pink flags tipped with the same pink-red shade on the roof, almost resembling ears. And above the door, two big, round, spherical windows in the same color. I'd say something about the door, but I couldn't see it; it was wide open, hiding behind the wall on the inside, and there was a long line up front, advancing slowly, and every so often a Pokémon would walk out.
It seemed like Aileen's chance she was waiting for was to jump into the line and blend in, but why?
I was about to turn and ask her, when suddenly she jumped and raced in to snag a spot.
"Hey! Wait for me!" I cried out, chasing after her.
Now that I was, in essence, inside, I tried to get a good look on the interior. There were refined, pure brown walls, and a single lamp hung from the ceiling. The floor was of the same shade of brown as the walls, but a somewhat circular green, pink, and red symbol distinguished itself there. There was surprisingly little on the walls, other than a gold award, still in its casing, that resembled some sort of magnifying glass focusing on a horizontal line with a small circle in the center of it, and a carefully framed picture depicting five Pokémon in a beautiful waterfall jungle area; it didn't look like it could be very far from here.
Oh, and, uh, there were two waiting chairs over to the left, but, uh, that's about all I can say about them. Other than that they were both occupied at the moment.
But the most significant sight inside, as I looked past Aileen and the rest of the line, was the huge desk. It was a pink, reasonably sturdy thing, with three darker red stripes going across it sideways. The desk held a globe, a probably-too-thick-for-me-to-enjoy book, and sticky notes. Tons and TONS of sticky notes. Though most of them seemed to be condensed in a given little section off to the side, they still covered almost all of the top of the desk and everything on it.
And behind the desk stood a Pokémon. I recognized her as the one in the middle of the picture on the wall. It was also evident in her tall, slim, mostly pink and pink-red figure, green antennae, and pink-red scythes making up the lower part of her arms that she was the one this building was designed off of. That probably also meant she was the boss around here. She was speaking with the Pokémon in the line and writing a few things down on sticky notes before sending them off.
The line advanced, and a Beartic set a…an actually pretty ordinary-looking rock on the table.
The Pokémon behind the counter looked it over a bit before finally saying, "What…IS this?"
"It's evidence."
"And…how exactly does this prove anything?"
Beartic knew he was beat. "…well, uh…I'm sorry, just give me a sec-"
The Pokémon slammed her claws on the table in a fed-up outrage.
"This is no time for jokes," she said, sounding calmer than she was. "We have bigger Feebas to fry than some unimportant stone."
"But…but it IS important!"
"Describe how."
The client gave up. "…I'll leave."
"That's what I thought."
Beartic picked up his rock and went out the door.
The Pokémon behind the desk sighed. "Next?"
The line advanced, and a Magikarp had to jump to make his presence known. "Hi."
"Hi. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I'm here to register my patent for a new mobile game starring me. I call it Magikarp Jump."
The Pokémon behind the counter nearly banged her head on the desk. "This is an investigation firm. Is there anything *I* can do for you?"
"Um…"
"Oh, look! We're closed now anyway! Thanks for stopping by! Buh-bye!"
Aileen and I just stood there as she led Magikarp out the door, the rest of the line followed, and she shut and locked the door behind them with a tired moan. "Phew…"
Aileen motioned to me. "Quick," she whispered, "hoist me up."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
"Oh, whatever."
I held my arms out, and she used them as steps to get onto my head and balanced herself on the desk, trying to see on top of it.
"All these sticky notes…but no job applications," she noted.
Does she even realize we're locked in? I thought.
While she was doing that, I listened to the Pokémon as she rambled on, apparently thinking she was alone.
"I swear, every day, I'm feeling more and more spent…" she said, turning the sign on the door to say "Sorry, We're CLOSED" while looking like she was about to fall asleep on the spot. "I don't know if it's looking into the disappearances, holding the team together, the concerned yet repetitive clients, the misfits, or a combination, but…ugh, I need to get some well-deserved rest, yesterday."
That was the last thing I caught before my attention shifted to my head. Aileen was losing her balance, and the shifting pressure on my skull was making me lose mine.
Oh, no…
"WooOOOOAHH!" cried Aileen from overtop of me.
If that and the thud from our impact didn't blow our cover, her "OOMPH!" and my "OW!" sure did.
A bit freaked at first, the Pokémon made her way to us, while Aileen was still groaning in pain.
"What just happened here?!" the pink Pokémon asked.
As I got out from under the Popplio and onto my feet, I spoke before Aileen could say anything more: "Hey, uh…did you not realize you just locked us in just a moment ago?"
"I did?"
"Well, yeah."
She seemed confused for a moment before it hit her.
"OH. Oh, I'm so sorry…" She slapped herself upside the head once. "Lurantis, GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!"
"From what you just said," I felt the need to mention, "you seem pretty out of it lately. It's okay."
"Heh…" Lurantis said, trying to save face.
"Um, actually…" Aileen got her bearings and spoke, "there's something we need to ask you."
Lurantis let out a long sigh, having evidently had enough for one day, but put her scythes on her hips and said "Ask away."
"What would we need to do to apply here?"
That caught both me and Lurantis off guard. "Huh?"
"I've heard about what you and your team have been up to recently, and I want to help."
"Hang on," I stopped her. "First you said 'we'. Then you said 'I'. What's this 'we' business?"
"Well, aren't you coming, too?"
"What?! I don't even know what the heck is going on!"
"You mean you haven't heard of how Pokémon have just been up and disappearing lately?" Aileen queried.
"Can't say I-
"Wait a minute…on my way here, I remember hearing someone in town talking about something like that…"
"Well, basically," Aileen explained, "for seemingly no reason at all, Pokémon have just…vanished without a trace. It's not like they're all dying off from anything, no, they're just, gone. It's becoming a global epidemic, it's getting so bad. And if what I've heard serves me right, then Lurantis here and her investigation team have been putting all of their available resources into this mystery."
Oh. Well, that doesn't sound good.
"Let me get this straight…" Lurantis finally said, connecting the dots and applying her detective skills.
"You two want to sign up and work with us as investigators?"
"Yes," Aileen said without hesitation.
The Bloom Sickle Pokémon thought it over. "Hm…well, there's no denying that we could really use the extra help…taking on even just one more lead at once would really add up as the days go by…but our main focus right now is on a major crisis, and…well, you're just kids. Are you sure you're up for something like this?"
"Absolutely," Aileen said, again, without hesitation or regard for my opinion on the matter. "In fact, my focus is on the disappearances as well. I'm thinking if we look far enough into this, maybe I can even help the other orphans find their families! So, that's why I came." She winked in my direction as she said that.
Aha...I see what you're trying to do. Well, dang. That's a really meaningful goal. Points for purpose, too.
And yet, here I am thinking about doing this to see if I can learn anything about my own past. It can't hurt.
Okay. That's settled!
"So, what do you think?" I asked Lurantis. "Care to take us under your wing?"
She stood there, sorting out possibilities in her head for a good while, trying to make up her mind.
Finally: "Lemme sleep on it. I'm sure my head will be clearer in the morning than it is now. For now, head back home, and come back in the morning. Sound good?"
"Yes! Thank you!" Aileen cheered.
Lurantis unlocked the door and held it open for us. "I guess I'll be seeing you two in the morning, then."
"You can count on it!" Aileen assured.
I led her out and shut the door behind us.
I looked out by the river and saw it was turning orange, reflecting the sky above as the sun was setting.
"We better get headed back," Aileen realized. "Follow me. I know a shorter way to and from here."
She knew more than I did, so I just took her lead.
Sure enough, by the time we made it back to the orphanage, Shiinotic still wasn't anywhere to be seen.
And the place was in just as much chaos as I left it.
"Oh, jeez, you weren't kidding when you said this place was falling apart…" she mentioned to me.
"So you DID acknowledge that," I realized.
"Yeah. Of course."
"And yet you completely ignored m-"
"Hold on a second." The noise was starting to get to her.
"A-HEM!"
All of a sudden, silence, as she made her presence known.
"How do you do that?" I had to ask.
"I don't really know. I mean, it's like…I dunno."
"Anyway…so you acknowledged me earlier, but completely ignored me," I pressed on.
"Won't it be better in the long run if this place clears out a little?"
I was beat at that. That's why she completely left the place unattended; to make things right for the greater good.
Just then, Shiinotic walked in. "Oh, hello everyone! How has it been going here?"
"Just fine, miss," Aileen said with a genuine smile, only it was from the events earlier, not now, making it even more believable.
"Well, that's nice. Now, who's hungry?"
Everyone flocked to the table.
After what little of the food there was was used sparingly, everyone was off to bed. Minccino, as per usual, was fast asleep within moments, so Aileen and I reflected upon the day.
"Phew…" she said. "Today was tiring…but SOOOO worth it! My heart's still racing…"
"Yeah," I admitted. "I honestly didn't even think Lurantis would let us in, especially once the place closed."
"At least she's giving us a chance. That's more than anyone else has given me."
"Huh?"
All of a sudden she flinched, as if that was something a bit too close to home. "…I don't want to talk about it," she finally said.
"Oh…I see."
Aileen yawned. "Well, we better get some good sleep now if we're going to be up there by morning. G'night, Gabriel."
"G'night."
I closed my eyes and soon drifted off.
The next morning I awoke at an actually decent time in which I was able to shake Aileen awake. "Just five more minutes…" quickly evaporated once I reminded her where we were supposed to be heading today.
After a really small breakfast (they weren't kidding when they said the portions didn't add up on their own) and as soon as Shiinotic walked out, we were off.
I remembered the shortcut to the firm and led the way.
Soon we were back where we needed to be. I knocked on the door and let myself in when I saw the "Come In, We're OPEN" sign.
"Oh, hey!" Lurantis said when she saw us. "You actually came back."
"Well, yeah!" Aileen said cheerfully. "What makes you think we wouldn't?"
"No…no particular reason," the Grass-type admitted. "Ha ha…"
"So…how about it?" Aileen cut to the chase. "Care to catch us up to speed?"
"Yeah," Lurantis said. "I'm impressed with how wholehearted you seem about this, how ready you are."
"You mean you're hiring us?!" Aileen cried, about to burst from excitement.
"Hey, no reason not to!" Lurantis did seem a lot more refreshed after some rest. "Just gotta wait for everyone else to get here."
Suddenly the door opened.
"Ah! And here they are now!"
And in walked the other four investigators. I recognized them all from the picture on the wall, as well.
"Hey, Lurantis, how's it g-"
Heracross stopped talking once he realized Dhelmise, Talonflame, and Excadrill had stopped walking. His gaze followed theirs, and then all four sets of eyes were on Aileen and I.
"Er…who be these?" Dhelmise asked, with a thick Scottish pirate accent.
"These," Lurantis motioned to us, "are the first new recruits we've had in all the fifteen years we've been working together here."
Holy smokes. Fifteen years as a detective agency of just five? These guys must be good.
"We have kids now?" Excadrill asked. "Is that LEGAL?"
"Uh…it must be," Heracross reasoned.
"So you decided it was a good idea to add two COMPLETE ROOKIES to the team, in one of our most frustratingly intense investigations AS IS?" Talonflame questioned.
"Come on," Lurantis defended her decision. "I'm sure they'll get the hang of it fast enough. Even for your standards. And besides, we can really use the extra effort right about now."
"Ech…sure, whatever," he didn't push it any farther.
"So…" Lurantis turned to us. "Welcome to the team, rookies…I think?" She all of a sudden seemed lost. "Eh heh…oh, this is embarrassing…"
"What's wrong?" Aileen wanted to know.
"Like I said…we haven't exactly had anyone 'new' around for the longest time…and that therefore makes me pretty unfamiliar with teaching!" She nearly laughed through that last part.
"But…well, I gotta try!
"Let's see…" She looked through her sticky notes on her desk. "By the way, you two are working as a team."
"Wait, what?" Aileen asked.
Lurantis finally found one and handed it to me. "You're just beginners, so we'll start off by giving you some 'easy' assignments so you can get used to the tricks of the trade, y'know, before we start doing anything too impossible."
"OK, I get that," Aileen responded, unamused. "But what I don't get is why we have to be paired up."
"Dun't questi'n the lass, miss!" Dhelmise warned. "It's a danger's werld out dere…one that ye'd dare not set foot'n alun' 'til yer in shipshape! Besides, two heads 'r bett'r th'n one fer invest'gatin' to begin with!"
"Yeah, okay."
Hm…this might take some getting used to.
I read the sticky note.
"Client: Cutiefly
Summary: Cutiefly's friend Ferroseed is trapped in Marble Cave 4F, unable to move. Reach the scene and rescue Ferroseed."
"So," I turned to Aileen, "let's get going."
She sighed. "Fine…"
"If you still want to file a complaint later, then do it later," I said, unamused. "For now let's just get this done."
"I already said, fine!"
I sighed. This is gonna be a loooong day.
"Eh…" Excadrill stopped us in our tracks, and motioned for Lurantis. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Oh! Of course," she remembered, opening up a cabinet. "See, this is exactly what I was talking about."
She pulled out a small gold ring and handed it to me. "Here."
"What's this?"
"It's officially known as a Ring Portal," she said, "but I like to call it my little Pocket Dimension."
"Pocket Dimension?" Aileen asked.
"They say a Pokémon called Hoopa used to use these things," Lurantis explained. "If you drop something through the hole, it warps into a separate little zone in space that you can reach into and pull it out of at any time. It's an efficient way to hold items you find in dungeons. And, while it does have its capacity, it's arguably more convenient than a Bag."
I looked closer at the ring I was holding. "It seems too small to fit much in…"
"Don't worry; it's stretchable, to an extent."
"Okay…"
"Think you got it?"
"Yeah."
"Good…then get to it!"
First I turned to Excadrill. "Anything else we're missing for now?"
"Naw, you're good."
"Alright. See all of you later!"
And I made my way to Marble Cave, Aileen tagging along but not fond of it.
We soon found ourselves at the base of a hill, characterized by a large, gaping rocky entrance on the side.
"So it says he's stuck on floor number four?" Aileen asked.
I checked the sticky note in my hand again. "That's what it says."
"Alright, then, let's make this quick. The sooner we make it past all this tutorial stuff, the sooner we can start actually taking part in investigating."
I held my arms up in surrender. "Whatever you say, pal."
And we went into the mystery dungeon.
(Marble Cave
4F
Mainly Rock-types, but overall a diverse "gemstone" theme
Gabriel: 8 [+1]
Aileen: 9 [no change])
On the fourth floor, we spotted Ferroseed, literally partway jammed into the ground and calling for help.
Aileen suddenly took charge. "Okay, you pull him out, I'll just be over this way."
"Wha- Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" I shouted at her.
"Just over here, looking for clues!"
"Clues, for what?!"
"Towards the disappearances, duh!"
"…no, not really 'duh', I mea- oh, never mind…just stay where I can see you while I do this, okay?"
"Nope, no problem."
I'll deal with you later, I thought. For now I'll actually get the task done.
"You're Ferroseed, right?" I asked him.
"Y-yeah…"
"Okay. I'm gonna help you outta here, alright? But you have to work with me here."
"Sure."
I got a good grip on his ovalish metal body, being careful not to spike myself. "On three.
"One.
"Two.
"Three!"
I pulled up with all my might. "HNNNGH!!"
After a few seconds of excruciating pain, I finally felt it ease as Ferroseed popped out of the ground.
"Phew…" I caught my breath as I examined the indentation in which the Pokémon had left.
Jeez, he really got himself stuck in there, I thought.
"There," I said, standing up. "Can you move now?"
He did some spinning around, getting his bearings before telling me "Yeah."
Suddenly:
"WAAAAAH!!!"
I quickly turned.
Aileen!
I didn't see her anywhere! It sounded like she was in trouble!
"Good, because it looks like I've got to!" I quickly shouted at Ferroseed as I ran off. "Meet me back at Lurantis' Firm!"
"Uh, OK?!" I barely heard him say, sounding just as confused I was.
No time to waste, I thought to myself.
(Marble Cave
5F-7F
Same as before
Gabriel: 8 [no change])
It was in the Marble Cave Chamber that I finally caught up to Aileen. I hid behind the wall and caught my breath.
She was being carried and restrained by two Lileep, struggling and trying to break free as they brought her to a Cradily.
"SO," boomed Cradily, "YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS NOT WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE."
"Hey, if your goons here hadn't snagged me and brought me here, I'd be long gone by now!" Aileen reasoned, losing her cool.
"SILENCE!!"
"…eep!"
I had a general idea what would unfold next.
I have to act, now!
I took a few steps back to build up momentum, and charged in.
"NONE WHO TRESPASS ON THIS LAND SHALL LEAVE WITH THEIR-"
"RaaaaAAAAAAH!!"
I slammed into the two Lileep holding the Popplio hostage, throwing them off and loosening their grip on her, launching her into the air.
"WHOOOA!" she cried, airborne.
I kept going, but stopped and fell back after hitting Cradily head-on.
Somehow, that worked out so Aileen landed safely on top of me.
Again.
"Ack…"
"Um…" Cradily tried to process what had just occurred.
"What the- you?!" Aileen realized it was me who had come to her rescue, as she disembarked and let me get up.
"Hold that thought!" I told her, preparing for battle, as we were now surrounded by the three Rock-Grass types.
"…okay then," Cradily finally got out.
He cleared his throat and tried again; "PREPARE TO DIE, INTRUDERS!"
The adrenaline began pumping right then, signifying the beginning of the boss battle.
I got a jump on one of the Lileep with Shadow Sneak while Aileen began approaching Cradily, as Cradily came to me and the remaining minion went towards Aileen.
Aileen realized she was being pursued, and quickly turned around and used Water Gun, instantly KOing the Lileep.
Cradily then targeted Aileen with Ancient Power, visibly hurting her quite a bit, to which we retaliated with Confusion and Water Gun, which did the trick of defeating Cradily.
As he toppled over sideways, we quickly ran the way we came until we were in the clear.
"Phew…" she said, putting her flipper to her chest. "That was tight!"
"You OK?" I asked, on my knees, feeling the extent of the energy I just spent.
"Yeah…just my heart's beating a bit fast."
"I think I see why Lurantis insisted on pairing us up now," I realized.
"No one can be everywhere at once."
"Oh, shut up."
"Make me. Or maybe I WON'T save you next time."
"Alright, alright, I get it. Sheesh."
Silence between us.
...oh, who am I kidding, I thought. I'd do it anyway. Just that short time frame of being alone…I couldn't bear it. I just felt so…alone.
Aileen suddenly collapsed, feeling the adrenaline crash as well.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, uh, okay, uh, whaddaya say we head back to the firm?" I just sort of conjured up.
"Ha…uuurrgh, that sounds nice…" she said, weakly.
Still… I thought, for a toddler, it's amazing how much power she just put out right there. On top of how intensely she really thinks she can and will make a difference.
I slung my arm around her and we helped each other make it back to the firm.
"Oh, hey!" Lurantis greeted us upon our entrance. "How'd it go?"
"The rescue itself was a piece of cake," I explained.
"'Itself'?"
"Aileen here tried to go a step further and nearly got us both killed."
"Gabriel!" Aileen snapped at me.
Lurantis held her head in her scythe, shaking her head and chuckling. "You really want to get into this, don't you."
"Is it not obvious at this point…?" The Popplio attempted an innocent smile.
Our boss sighed. "Look, I want the extra support for the cause too, I really do. But before we can do anything, you do have to know the drill. Just so we can ensure your safety, especially in the given circumstances."
Aileen sighed in defeat. "Yes…"
"I swear I'll make it as quick as I can," Lurantis promised, "but…well, at this point I'm repeating myself.
"Moving on; your client is here," she said, motioning to Ferroseed, waiting in one of the chairs.
He hopped out as soon as he was mentioned. "Thanks a bunch for the save," he faced me.
"Heh…no problem, bud."
"Here." He rolled back, revealing what he had behind him. It was a cyan, elliptical stone that reflected light so easily it looked like it was emitting its own. "I want you to have this. I found it in the cave before I got stuck."
"Oh, thanks," I said, putting it in the Pocket Dimension.
"And this," Lurantis came up to us, holding a seed, "is a little something for trying to go the extra mile and making it back in one piece. I really appreciate the thought, Aileen."
"Aw…"
That went into the Pocket Dimension as well.
(The items you receive here change depending on your starters; they will help you evolve later on no matter what.

Gastly: Link Cable
Pichu (get both, but use one): Thunder Stone and Tropical Souvenir (allows evolution of Pikachu, Exeggcute, and Cubone into Alolan Raichu, Alolan Exeggutor, and Alolan Marowak, respectively)
Ralts(♂): Dawn Stone
Budew: Shiny Stone
Honedge: Dusk Stone
Anything else: Joy Seed

For example, as I have a male Ralts and a female Popplio, they got a Dawn Stone and a Joy Seed.)
"Well, I guess I'll be off, then," our client said goodbye.
"Take care!" Aileen waved.
As Ferroseed rolled out to let Cutiefly know he was okay, the rest of the team came in. They didn't seem too happy.
"Hey, guys," I tried to lighten the mood.
"Hoy," I got from Dhelmise. "How w's yer ferst day?"
"Eh, it went well. Could've been better, could've definitely been a lot worse." Aileen admitted.
"Huh," Talonflame noted. "Well, at least you two had fun."
The others' negativity seemed to bring down Lurantis' mood as well, reflected in her sudden gloomy expression and sinking back into her chair, kicking her feet up on her desk. "Well…my search was fruitless," she notified the men. "The usual."
She sighed slowly. "How did anyone else do? Please tell me at least SOMEONE got a lead…"
"Uh…" Heracross folded his arms behind his back.
"Well…" Talonflame held up his wing, about to say something.
"No." Excadrill just spat it out, shrugging and shaking his head.
"Same old, same old?" Lurantis took it in with another sigh. "This is starting to get depressing…"
"Ye call this depressin'?!" Dhelmise scolded. "Back in MY day-"
"OH, WE GET IT, DHELMISE!" Talonflame snapped at him. "Things could be worse, WE KNOW!"
"Wait, WHAT?!" Aileen was shocked upon realizing that the team's current progress was none. "You can't tell me that this investigation is seriously going THIS bad!"
"And what do you know, huh?!" She brought Talonflame's anger upon herself. "This is time-consuming as is, it's frustrating to get nowhere!"
"Whoa, dude, CHILL," Heracross said.
The Scorching Pokémon hmphed.
"In all seriousness, kid," Excadrill reworded, "it's not as easy as it looks."
"I know," Aileen affirmed. "I'm well aware of that. Heck, I just had a near-death experience today."
"Ya see?" Talonflame told Lurantis. "This is why recruiting a couple of kids was a bad idea."
"YOU SHUT YOUR BEAK!" she snapped.
That got him quiet.
"I don't know what you boys see in these two," Lurantis shouted, "but I see plenty of potential for truly noteworthy detectives. They just need to grasp the basics first. And the next time any of you four get me riled up like this, it's a Solar Blade at point-blank! UGH!"
And with that, she stood up, slamming down on the desk, trying to calm herself just a little before "Dismissed for today."
No more questions asked, I gestured to Aileen to leave, and we saw ourselves and the other investigators out, noticing that the next line of clients was already starting to form.
Back at the orphanage, we were in for a surprise: the place was in order for once.
As we looked to our left, we saw why:
"There you are," Shiinotic saw us come in. "Where have you two been? You look very much exhausted."
Aileen nearly jumped, but collected herself and asked "What are you doing back so early?"
"Oh, I figured I'd start shortening my trips," the old lady answered. "Looking at it now, I don't really think we can handle much more. And I feel I should be spending some of my remaining quality time with the children, you know?"
"Makes sense," I replied.
"That is, the ones that are here. I haven't seen you all day. Do tell of your activities."
"Oh, y'know…" Aileen made up on the spot, "out there and burning energy."
I could tell she wasn't really buying it, but: "Hm…okay. Just so you know, I don't really care what you do as long as you're back in time for dinner. I'm too old to care."
"Yeah, sure, we'll take it," I said, playing along. "Thanks."
We had a small supper and went off to bed. As usual, Minccino was out within moments, leaving Aileen and I to ourselves.
"Why'd you…well, not lie, but…hide the facts from Shiinotic just moments ago?" I asked.
"What does anyone need to know?" was her response. "Think about it; I'm a little kid working as a detective to solve the ongoing disappearances! In the eyes of anyone else, that's insane."
True, I thought. Logically, most anyone would view this kind of thing at this age as suicidal, as opposed to helpful like she was trying to be.
If only I could remember anything that might help…
"I'm going to sleep…" Aileen laid herself down.
But the stifled yawn that echoed in the room wasn't hers.
Or mine.
Or Minccino's.
"Did you just hear that?" Aileen turned to me.
"You picked up on it this time?"
"What do you mean?"
"I swear I've been hearing voices ever since I got here," I told her. "It's really weird…and kinda creepy."
"Really?"
"I wish I was joking."
We listened for anything more, but silence replaced it.
"What do you think it could be?" she asked me.
"Beats me. Any ideas from you?"
"No…unless…"
"Unless?"
"Maybe there's a ghost haunting the orphanage?"
I facepalmed. "Really?"
"Well, do you have any better ideas?"
"Uh…well, I…no."
Great. So I'm an amnesiac human-turned-Pokémon living in a haunted orphanage and risking my life every day searching for answers? Swell.
"Y'know what, let's just get some sleep for tomorrow."
"Yeah…g'night…" And with that, Aileen closed her eyes and was fast asleep within moments.
Me? Not so fast.
I got myself as comfortable as I could and closed my eyes, but my consciousness held tight to me, feeling a surge of unease that wouldn't go away for some time.
Like there was a pair of eyes digging into me…
Watching me…
And it wasn't until that pair of eyes seemed to give up for the night and shut that I finally felt relaxed enough to doze off.
(Chapter 3 begins…)

Description
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Investigators of Soul/Heart/Spirit

a fanmade story

The next morning, upon waking, I found that I was, again, the last one up, as Aileen and Minccino were nowhere to be seen at first glance.
Or was I?
"…zzz…"
Someone's soft snoring still filled the room, and I knew I wasn't imagining it this time.
I checked my surroundings, but there was no one to be seen, even though it sounded like it was coming from right behind me.
It got even weirder:
"…zzz…mm…mmf? *yaaaaawn* Mmm…hm? OH-!"
And then it just suddenly went quiet.
What in the…
Who was that? I swear I was right next to the source of the voice, too…
Ghost?
Nah, can't be.
Can i-
WHOA!
If I didn't duck that instant I would have been headshot with something headed straight at me.
The battery or something like that rolled to a stop on the floor.
And the next thing I knew, I was being shoved aside by two of the orphans in a mad dash for it.
"Ow! Hey!" Whatever happened to playing nice?
Elekid got to it first, and snatched it up like his life depended on it. "I keep telling you, it's mine!"
"But I want it!" Togedemaru slapped him upside the head with his tail, making him drop the battery, nabbed it, and ran off, with Elekid in hot pursuit.
"Hey! Guys, what the heck?!" I chased them out into the orphanage's main clearing.
It was just like I saw it yesterday, in essence, but from a different angle. Elekid and Togedemaru were fighting over the battery, Wimpod was chasing Inkay, who was chasing Happiny, Psyduck was in his own, apparently very painful, little world, and Minccino and Glameow just watched the world burn around them.
I looked for Shiinotic and Aileen, but they were nowhere to be seen.
The entire place was practically falling apart in their absence.
I waited for an opportunity to quickly dash over to the sane section of the room.
"Hey!" I called out to Minccino and Glameow.
"Oh! Hi!" Minccino greeted me. "You're…oh, what'shisname…Gabriel, right? You just got here last night?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Heh heh," she just kind of laughed. "You're a really heavy sleeper! I tried waking you up a couple times, but you were out like a light! You even missed breakfast!…though, that's…not really saying much…"
"Oh…" I noticed how hungry she still seemed.
"Can one of you tell me what's going on, please?"
"Everyone in here kind of has their own…personal problems," Glameow started to explain.
"Like?"
"On top of…none of us knowing where our parents are, let's just say the orphanage is…a bit too small for all of us."
"Looks spacious enough to me."
"No, I mean…like, resources. Don't get me wrong, she's a good old Pokémon, but…Shiinotic seems to spend more time searching for lost orphans than attending to the ones she has." Her expression turned a bit bitter upon saying that. "We barely get enough food, and from after breakfast to just before dinner, she's out there searching," she went on, "while everyone else is here not getting along with each other."
"So this happens every time Shiinotic walks out," I concluded.
"Only when both she AND Aileen are gone. Aileen just has a certain quality, I can't really name it, that can hold down the fort."

"Soooooo why isn't she here now?"
"No idea. Nor do I know where she went. But this isn't the first time, either."
"What?"
"I don't know…do you know where Aileen goes every day?" asked Glameow, motioning to Minccino.
"Why are you asking me?"
"You're in the same room as her. Does she ever talk about it in, like, her sleep or something?"
"I wouldn't know if she did…I swear, I always pass out first."
I can't believe what I'm hearing. An orphanage already in bad shape, and the two Pokémon who can ever sustain it are almost always out for unknown reasons!
"Does Shiinotic know about this?" I tried.
"No. I mean, as long as you're here before dinner, she doesn't really care what you do. Sadly."
"That's it," I threw my arms up and let them fall to my sides. "I'm finding Aileen."

"Wait, WHAT?" That got both girls' attention.
"I'm going to track Aileen down, and I'm going to bring her here to sort this mess out."
"But you don't even know where she is!"
"Only one way to find out."
And with that, I was out the door.
Out in Crossroad City, much of the residents were gathered around one guy in the center of the plaza, giving some kind of speech or something.
Nobody looked very impressed, but that didn't stop me from listening in on this rant:
"I'm tellin' ya, people, kids these days are completely wild!" said the speaker, a decent-sized brown Pokémon distinguished by a long, unorganized tail implying he should never run for office, and a huge blond 'do saying otherwise. "Always runnin' off to do whatever they want, no word to another soul!"
Now I saw why no one really cared what he was saying.
"And then they disappear without a trace!" he claimed. "Why else do you think we've had all these vanishings, huh?"
"Gumshoos, it hasn't just been children, though…" criticised the Tsareena in the circle.
"Ever heard of never growing up?"
Everyone in the audience either visibly cringed or walked away shaking their head. One guy, an Araquanid, even said "Jeez, you're so thick they could make WALLS out of you."
A Bounsweet began nudging at Tsareena's legs. "Mom, could we stop arguing with Mr. Gumshoos long enough to go play in the Dense Streambank?"
I nearly laughed at this highlight of the scene, but I was really thinking:
That kid has a point. Don't these Pokémon have anything better to do than cause flamewars?
Still, that Dense Streambank sounded like a good place to check out in my search for Aileen. As the mother and daughter headed out, following the path east for a short while, I kept up right behind them, until we were in the river valley and I broke off when an opportunity arose.
Not far in, my vision went black for a moment.
Oh, crud.
Another mystery dungeon.
Just my luck.
Okay, first things first:
FIND THE STAIRS AND GET OUTTA HERE.
(I won't bore you with any more details on mystery dungeons other than total floors, name, general enemy theme, and current level at the end.)
(Dense Streambank
B7F
Mostly Grass and Water types, with a few Bug types
Gabriel: 7 [+1])
After making it to a safe clearing, I started focusing on searching for Aileen again.
It was a short search.
I found her peeking through a bush, trying to get a better look at...something.
I didn't care what she was doing, I made it my point to get right over there and confront her.
I tapped her on the shoulder, and got an annoyed "WHAT." as a response.
"What the heck are you doing out here?! The orphanage is practically falling apart and you're out here in the middle of nowhere!"
"Waiting for my chance," she replied. "So SHUSH." And she went back to whatever she was looking at.
"What?!" I was even more confused. Her chance for what?
I tried following her intense gaze to get a better idea of what to do. She was watching a building from afar; a little pink shack next to the river, decorated to resemble a Pokémon.
I looked at it a bit closer. It had a green roof, a half-white wind drape on each side of the building, and a notably large pink-red claw-like addition, big enough to be a garage, underneath each of the drapes. There were also two frilly pink flags tipped with the same pink-red shade on the roof, almost resembling ears. And above the door, two big, round, spherical windows in the same color. I'd say something about the door, but I couldn't see it; it was wide open, hiding behind the wall on the inside, and there was a long line up front, advancing slowly, and every so often a Pokémon would walk out.
It seemed like Aileen's chance she was waiting for was to jump into the line and blend in, but why?
I was about to turn and ask her, when suddenly she jumped and raced in to snag a spot.
"Hey! Wait for me!" I cried out, chasing after her.
Now that I was, in essence, inside, I tried to get a good look on the interior. There were refined, pure brown walls, and a single lamp hung from the ceiling. The floor was of the same shade of brown as the walls, but a somewhat circular green, pink, and red symbol distinguished itself there. There was surprisingly little on the walls, other than a gold award, still in its casing, that resembled some sort of magnifying glass focusing on a horizontal line with a small circle in the center of it, and a carefully framed picture depicting five Pokémon in a beautiful waterfall jungle area; it didn't look like it could be very far from here.
Oh, and, uh, there were two waiting chairs over to the left, but, uh, that's about all I can say about them. Other than that they were both occupied at the moment.
But the most significant sight inside, as I looked past Aileen and the rest of the line, was the huge desk. It was a pink, reasonably sturdy thing, with three darker red stripes going across it sideways. The desk held a globe, a probably-too-thick-for-me-to-enjoy book, and sticky notes. Tons and TONS of sticky notes. Though most of them seemed to be condensed in a given little section off to the side, they still covered almost all of the top of the desk and everything on it.
And behind the desk stood a Pokémon. I recognized her as the one in the middle of the picture on the wall. It was also evident in her tall, slim, mostly pink and pink-red figure, green antennae, and pink-red scythes making up the lower part of her arms that she was the one this building was designed off of. That probably also meant she was the boss around here. She was speaking with the Pokémon in the line and writing a few things down on sticky notes before sending them off.
The line advanced, and a Beartic set a…an actually pretty ordinary-looking rock on the table.
The Pokémon behind the counter looked it over a bit before finally saying, "What…IS this?"
"It's evidence."
"And…how exactly does this prove anything?"
Beartic knew he was beat. "…well, uh…I'm sorry, just give me a sec-"
The Pokémon slammed her claws on the table in a fed-up outrage.
"This is no time for jokes," she said, sounding calmer than she was. "We have bigger Feebas to fry than some unimportant stone."
"But…but it IS important!"
"Describe how."
The client gave up. "…I'll leave."
"That's what I thought."
Beartic picked up his rock and went out the door.
The Pokémon behind the desk sighed. "Next?"
The line advanced, and a Magikarp had to jump to make his presence known. "Hi."
"Hi. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I'm here to register my patent for a new mobile game starring me. I call it Magikarp Jump."
The Pokémon behind the counter nearly banged her head on the desk. "This is an investigation firm. Is there anything *I* can do for you?"
"Um…"
"Oh, look! We're closed now anyway! Thanks for stopping by! Buh-bye!"
Aileen and I just stood there as she led Magikarp out the door, the rest of the line followed, and she shut and locked the door behind them with a tired moan. "Phew…"
Aileen motioned to me. "Quick," she whispered, "hoist me up."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
"Oh, whatever."
I held my arms out, and she used them as steps to get onto my head and balanced herself on the desk, trying to see on top of it.
"All these sticky notes…but no job applications," she noted.
Does she even realize we're locked in? I thought.
While she was doing that, I listened to the Pokémon as she rambled on, apparently thinking she was alone.
"I swear, every day, I'm feeling more and more spent…" she said, turning the sign on the door to say "Sorry, We're CLOSED" while looking like she was about to fall asleep on the spot. "I don't know if it's looking into the disappearances, holding the team together, the concerned yet repetitive clients, the misfits, or a combination, but…ugh, I need to get some well-deserved rest, yesterday."
That was the last thing I caught before my attention shifted to my head. Aileen was losing her balance, and the shifting pressure on my skull was making me lose mine.
Oh, no…
"WooOOOOAHH!" cried Aileen from overtop of me.
If that and the thud from our impact didn't blow our cover, her "OOMPH!" and my "OW!" sure did.
A bit freaked at first, the Pokémon made her way to us, while Aileen was still groaning in pain.
"What just happened here?!" the pink Pokémon asked.
As I got out from under the Popplio and onto my feet, I spoke before Aileen could say anything more: "Hey, uh…did you not realize you just locked us in just a moment ago?"
"I did?"
"Well, yeah."
She seemed confused for a moment before it hit her.
"OH. Oh, I'm so sorry…" She slapped herself upside the head once. "Lurantis, GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!"
"From what you just said," I felt the need to mention, "you seem pretty out of it lately. It's okay."
"Heh…" Lurantis said, trying to save face.
"Um, actually…" Aileen got her bearings and spoke, "there's something we need to ask you."
Lurantis let out a long sigh, having evidently had enough for one day, but put her scythes on her hips and said "Ask away."
"What would we need to do to apply here?"
That caught both me and Lurantis off guard. "Huh?"
"I've heard about what you and your team have been up to recently, and I want to help."
"Hang on," I stopped her. "First you said 'we'. Then you said 'I'. What's this 'we' business?"
"Well, aren't you coming, too?"
"What?! I don't even know what the heck is going on!"
"You mean you haven't heard of how Pokémon have just been up and disappearing lately?" Aileen queried.
"Can't say I-
"Wait a minute…on my way here, I remember hearing someone in town talking about something like that…"
"Well, basically," Aileen explained, "for seemingly no reason at all, Pokémon have just…vanished without a trace. It's not like they're all dying off from anything, no, they're just, gone. It's becoming a global epidemic, it's getting so bad. And if what I've heard serves me right, then Lurantis here and her investigation team have been putting all of their available resources into this mystery."
Oh. Well, that doesn't sound good.
"Let me get this straight…" Lurantis finally said, connecting the dots and applying her detective skills.
"You two want to sign up and work with us as investigators?"
"Yes," Aileen said without hesitation.
The Bloom Sickle Pokémon thought it over. "Hm…well, there's no denying that we could really use the extra help…taking on even just one more lead at once would really add up as the days go by…but our main focus right now is on a major crisis, and…well, you're just kids. Are you sure you're up for something like this?"
"Absolutely," Aileen said, again, without hesitation or regard for my opinion on the matter. "In fact, my focus is on the disappearances as well. I'm thinking if we look far enough into this, maybe I can even help the other orphans find their families! So, that's why I came." She winked in my direction as she said that.
Aha...I see what you're trying to do. Well, dang. That's a really meaningful goal. Points for purpose, too.
And yet, here I am thinking about doing this to see if I can learn anything about my own past. It can't hurt.
Okay. That's settled!
"So, what do you think?" I asked Lurantis. "Care to take us under your wing?"
She stood there, sorting out possibilities in her head for a good while, trying to make up her mind.
Finally: "Lemme sleep on it. I'm sure my head will be clearer in the morning than it is now. For now, head back home, and come back in the morning. Sound good?"
"Yes! Thank you!" Aileen cheered.
Lurantis unlocked the door and held it open for us. "I guess I'll be seeing you two in the morning, then."
"You can count on it!" Aileen assured.
I led her out and shut the door behind us.
I looked out by the river and saw it was turning orange, reflecting the sky above as the sun was setting.
"We better get headed back," Aileen realized. "Follow me. I know a shorter way to and from here."
She knew more than I did, so I just took her lead.
Sure enough, by the time we made it back to the orphanage, Shiinotic still wasn't anywhere to be seen.
And the place was in just as much chaos as I left it.
"Oh, jeez, you weren't kidding when you said this place was falling apart…" she mentioned to me.
"So you DID acknowledge that," I realized.
"Yeah. Of course."
"And yet you completely ignored m-"
"Hold on a second." The noise was starting to get to her.
"A-HEM!"
All of a sudden, silence, as she made her presence known.
"How do you do that?" I had to ask.
"I don't really know. I mean, it's like…I dunno."
"Anyway…so you acknowledged me earlier, but completely ignored me," I pressed on.
"Won't it be better in the long run if this place clears out a little?"
I was beat at that. That's why she completely left the place unattended; to make things right for the greater good.
Just then, Shiinotic walked in. "Oh, hello everyone! How has it been going here?"
"Just fine, miss," Aileen said with a genuine smile, only it was from the events earlier, not now, making it even more believable.
"Well, that's nice. Now, who's hungry?"
Everyone flocked to the table.
After what little of the food there was was used sparingly, everyone was off to bed. Minccino, as per usual, was fast asleep within moments, so Aileen and I reflected upon the day.
"Phew…" she said. "Today was tiring…but SOOOO worth it! My heart's still racing…"
"Yeah," I admitted. "I honestly didn't even think Lurantis would let us in, especially once the place closed."
"At least she's giving us a chance. That's more than anyone else has given me."
"Huh?"
All of a sudden she flinched, as if that was something a bit too close to home. "…I don't want to talk about it," she finally said.
"Oh…I see."
Aileen yawned. "Well, we better get some good sleep now if we're going to be up there by morning. G'night, Gabriel."
"G'night."
I closed my eyes and soon drifted off.
The next morning I awoke at an actually decent time in which I was able to shake Aileen awake. "Just five more minutes…" quickly evaporated once I reminded her where we were supposed to be heading today.
After a really small breakfast (they weren't kidding when they said the portions didn't add up on their own) and as soon as Shiinotic walked out, we were off.
I remembered the shortcut to the firm and led the way.
Soon we were back where we needed to be. I knocked on the door and let myself in when I saw the "Come In, We're OPEN" sign.
"Oh, hey!" Lurantis said when she saw us. "You actually came back."
"Well, yeah!" Aileen said cheerfully. "What makes you think we wouldn't?"
"No…no particular reason," the Grass-type admitted. "Ha ha…"
"So…how about it?" Aileen cut to the chase. "Care to catch us up to speed?"
"Yeah," Lurantis said. "I'm impressed with how wholehearted you seem about this, how ready you are."
"You mean you're hiring us?!" Aileen cried, about to burst from excitement.
"Hey, no reason not to!" Lurantis did seem a lot more refreshed after some rest. "Just gotta wait for everyone else to get here."
Suddenly the door opened.
"Ah! And here they are now!"
And in walked the other four investigators. I recognized them all from the picture on the wall, as well.
"Hey, Lurantis, how's it g-"
Heracross stopped talking once he realized Dhelmise, Talonflame, and Excadrill had stopped walking. His gaze followed theirs, and then all four sets of eyes were on Aileen and I.
"Er…who be these?" Dhelmise asked, with a thick Scottish pirate accent.
"These," Lurantis motioned to us, "are the first new recruits we've had in all the fifteen years we've been working together here."
Holy smokes. Fifteen years as a detective agency of just five? These guys must be good.
"We have kids now?" Excadrill asked. "Is that LEGAL?"
"Uh…it must be," Heracross reasoned.
"So you decided it was a good idea to add two COMPLETE ROOKIES to the team, in one of our most frustratingly intense investigations AS IS?" Talonflame questioned.
"Come on," Lurantis defended her decision. "I'm sure they'll get the hang of it fast enough. Even for your standards. And besides, we can really use the extra effort right about now."
"Ech…sure, whatever," he didn't push it any farther.
"So…" Lurantis turned to us. "Welcome to the team, rookies…I think?" She all of a sudden seemed lost. "Eh heh…oh, this is embarrassing…"
"What's wrong?" Aileen wanted to know.
"Like I said…we haven't exactly had anyone 'new' around for the longest time…and that therefore makes me pretty unfamiliar with teaching!" She nearly laughed through that last part.
"But…well, I gotta try!
"Let's see…" She looked through her sticky notes on her desk. "By the way, you two are working as a team."
"Wait, what?" Aileen asked.
Lurantis finally found one and handed it to me. "You're just beginners, so we'll start off by giving you some 'easy' assignments so you can get used to the tricks of the trade, y'know, before we start doing anything too impossible."
"OK, I get that," Aileen responded, unamused. "But what I don't get is why we have to be paired up."
"Dun't questi'n the lass, miss!" Dhelmise warned. "It's a danger's werld out dere…one that ye'd dare not set foot'n alun' 'til yer in shipshape! Besides, two heads 'r bett'r th'n one fer invest'gatin' to begin with!"
"Yeah, okay."
Hm…this might take some getting used to.
I read the sticky note.
"Client: Cutiefly
Summary: Cutiefly's friend Ferroseed is trapped in Marble Cave 4F, unable to move. Reach the scene and rescue Ferroseed."
"So," I turned to Aileen, "let's get going."
She sighed. "Fine…"
"If you still want to file a complaint later, then do it later," I said, unamused. "For now let's just get this done."
"I already said, fine!"
I sighed. This is gonna be a loooong day.
"Eh…" Excadrill stopped us in our tracks, and motioned for Lurantis. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Oh! Of course," she remembered, opening up a cabinet. "See, this is exactly what I was talking about."
She pulled out a small gold ring and handed it to me. "Here."
"What's this?"
"It's officially known as a Ring Portal," she said, "but I like to call it my little Pocket Dimension."
"Pocket Dimension?" Aileen asked.
"They say a Pokémon called Hoopa used to use these things," Lurantis explained. "If you drop something through the hole, it warps into a separate little zone in space that you can reach into and pull it out of at any time. It's an efficient way to hold items you find in dungeons. And, while it does have its capacity, it's arguably more convenient than a Bag."
I looked closer at the ring I was holding. "It seems too small to fit much in…"
"Don't worry; it's stretchable, to an extent."
"Okay…"
"Think you got it?"
"Yeah."
"Good…then get to it!"
First I turned to Excadrill. "Anything else we're missing for now?"
"Naw, you're good."
"Alright. See all of you later!"
And I made my way to Marble Cave, Aileen tagging along but not fond of it.
We soon found ourselves at the base of a hill, characterized by a large, gaping rocky entrance on the side.
"So it says he's stuck on floor number four?" Aileen asked.
I checked the sticky note in my hand again. "That's what it says."
"Alright, then, let's make this quick. The sooner we make it past all this tutorial stuff, the sooner we can start actually taking part in investigating."
I held my arms up in surrender. "Whatever you say, pal."
And we went into the mystery dungeon.
(Marble Cave
4F
Mainly Rock-types, but overall a diverse "gemstone" theme
Gabriel: 8 [+1]
Aileen: 9 [no change])
On the fourth floor, we spotted Ferroseed, literally partway jammed into the ground and calling for help.
Aileen suddenly took charge. "Okay, you pull him out, I'll just be over this way."
"Wha- Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" I shouted at her.
"Just over here, looking for clues!"
"Clues, for what?!"
"Towards the disappearances, duh!"
"…no, not really 'duh', I mea- oh, never mind…just stay where I can see you while I do this, okay?"
"Nope, no problem."
I'll deal with you later, I thought. For now I'll actually get the task done.
"You're Ferroseed, right?" I asked him.
"Y-yeah…"
"Okay. I'm gonna help you outta here, alright? But you have to work with me here."
"Sure."
I got a good grip on his ovalish metal body, being careful not to spike myself. "On three.
"One.
"Two.
"Three!"
I pulled up with all my might. "HNNNGH!!"
After a few seconds of excruciating pain, I finally felt it ease as Ferroseed popped out of the ground.
"Phew…" I caught my breath as I examined the indentation in which the Pokémon had left.
Jeez, he really got himself stuck in there, I thought.
"There," I said, standing up. "Can you move now?"
He did some spinning around, getting his bearings before telling me "Yeah."
Suddenly:
"WAAAAAH!!!"
I quickly turned.
Aileen!
I didn't see her anywhere! It sounded like she was in trouble!
"Good, because it looks like I've got to!" I quickly shouted at Ferroseed as I ran off. "Meet me back at Lurantis' Firm!"
"Uh, OK?!" I barely heard him say, sounding just as confused I was.
No time to waste, I thought to myself.
(Marble Cave
5F-7F
Same as before
Gabriel: 8 [no change])
It was in the Marble Cave Chamber that I finally caught up to Aileen. I hid behind the wall and caught my breath.
She was being carried and restrained by two Lileep, struggling and trying to break free as they brought her to a Cradily.
"SO," boomed Cradily, "YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS NOT WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE."
"Hey, if your goons here hadn't snagged me and brought me here, I'd be long gone by now!" Aileen reasoned, losing her cool.
"SILENCE!!"
"…eep!"
I had a general idea what would unfold next.
I have to act, now!
I took a few steps back to build up momentum, and charged in.
"NONE WHO TRESPASS ON THIS LAND SHALL LEAVE WITH THEIR-"
"RaaaaAAAAAAH!!"
I slammed into the two Lileep holding the Popplio hostage, throwing them off and loosening their grip on her, launching her into the air.
"WHOOOA!" she cried, airborne.
I kept going, but stopped and fell back after hitting Cradily head-on.
Somehow, that worked out so Aileen landed safely on top of me.
Again.
"Ack…"
"Um…" Cradily tried to process what had just occurred.
"What the- you?!" Aileen realized it was me who had come to her rescue, as she disembarked and let me get up.
"Hold that thought!" I told her, preparing for battle, as we were now surrounded by the three Rock-Grass types.
"…okay then," Cradily finally got out.
He cleared his throat and tried again; "PREPARE TO DIE, INTRUDERS!"
The adrenaline began pumping right then, signifying the beginning of the boss battle.
I got a jump on one of the Lileep with Shadow Sneak while Aileen began approaching Cradily, as Cradily came to me and the remaining minion went towards Aileen.
Aileen realized she was being pursued, and quickly turned around and used Water Gun, instantly KOing the Lileep.
Cradily then targeted Aileen with Ancient Power, visibly hurting her quite a bit, to which we retaliated with Confusion and Water Gun, which did the trick of defeating Cradily.
As he toppled over sideways, we quickly ran the way we came until we were in the clear.
"Phew…" she said, putting her flipper to her chest. "That was tight!"
"You OK?" I asked, on my knees, feeling the extent of the energy I just spent.
"Yeah…just my heart's beating a bit fast."
"I think I see why Lurantis insisted on pairing us up now," I realized.
"No one can be everywhere at once."
"Oh, shut up."
"Make me. Or maybe I WON'T save you next time."
"Alright, alright, I get it. Sheesh."
Silence between us.
...oh, who am I kidding, I thought. I'd do it anyway. Just that short time frame of being alone…I couldn't bear it. I just felt so…alone.
Aileen suddenly collapsed, feeling the adrenaline crash as well.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, uh, okay, uh, whaddaya say we head back to the firm?" I just sort of conjured up.
"Ha…uuurrgh, that sounds nice…" she said, weakly.
Still… I thought, for a toddler, it's amazing how much power she just put out right there. On top of how intensely she really thinks she can and will make a difference.
I slung my arm around her and we helped each other make it back to the firm.
"Oh, hey!" Lurantis greeted us upon our entrance. "How'd it go?"
"The rescue itself was a piece of cake," I explained.
"'Itself'?"
"Aileen here tried to go a step further and nearly got us both killed."
"Gabriel!" Aileen snapped at me.
Lurantis held her head in her scythe, shaking her head and chuckling. "You really want to get into this, don't you."
"Is it not obvious at this point…?" The Popplio attempted an innocent smile.
Our boss sighed. "Look, I want the extra support for the cause too, I really do. But before we can do anything, you do have to know the drill. Just so we can ensure your safety, especially in the given circumstances."
Aileen sighed in defeat. "Yes…"
"I swear I'll make it as quick as I can," Lurantis promised, "but…well, at this point I'm repeating myself.
"Moving on; your client is here," she said, motioning to Ferroseed, waiting in one of the chairs.
He hopped out as soon as he was mentioned. "Thanks a bunch for the save," he faced me.
"Heh…no problem, bud."
"Here." He rolled back, revealing what he had behind him. It was a cyan, elliptical stone that reflected light so easily it looked like it was emitting its own. "I want you to have this. I found it in the cave before I got stuck."
"Oh, thanks," I said, putting it in the Pocket Dimension.
"And this," Lurantis came up to us, holding a seed, "is a little something for trying to go the extra mile and making it back in one piece. I really appreciate the thought, Aileen."
"Aw…"
That went into the Pocket Dimension as well.
(The items you receive here change depending on your starters; they will help you evolve later on no matter what.

Gastly: Link Cable
Pichu (get both, but use one): Thunder Stone and Tropical Souvenir (allows evolution of Pikachu, Exeggcute, and Cubone into Alolan Raichu, Alolan Exeggutor, and Alolan Marowak, respectively)
Ralts(♂): Dawn Stone
Budew: Shiny Stone
Honedge: Dusk Stone
Anything else: Joy Seed

For example, as I have a male Ralts and a female Popplio, they got a Dawn Stone and a Joy Seed.)
"Well, I guess I'll be off, then," our client said goodbye.
"Take care!" Aileen waved.
As Ferroseed rolled out to let Cutiefly know he was okay, the rest of the team came in. They didn't seem too happy.
"Hey, guys," I tried to lighten the mood.
"Hoy," I got from Dhelmise. "How w's yer ferst day?"
"Eh, it went well. Could've been better, could've definitely been a lot worse." Aileen admitted.
"Huh," Talonflame noted. "Well, at least you two had fun."
The others' negativity seemed to bring down Lurantis' mood as well, reflected in her sudden gloomy expression and sinking back into her chair, kicking her feet up on her desk. "Well…my search was fruitless," she notified the men. "The usual."
She sighed slowly. "How did anyone else do? Please tell me at least SOMEONE got a lead…"
"Uh…" Heracross folded his arms behind his back.
"Well…" Talonflame held up his wing, about to say something.
"No." Excadrill just spat it out, shrugging and shaking his head.
"Same old, same old?" Lurantis took it in with another sigh. "This is starting to get depressing…"
"Ye call this depressin'?!" Dhelmise scolded. "Back in MY day-"
"OH, WE GET IT, DHELMISE!" Talonflame snapped at him. "Things could be worse, WE KNOW!"
"Wait, WHAT?!" Aileen was shocked upon realizing that the team's current progress was none. "You can't tell me that this investigation is seriously going THIS bad!"
"And what do you know, huh?!" She brought Talonflame's anger upon herself. "This is time-consuming as is, it's frustrating to get nowhere!"
"Whoa, dude, CHILL," Heracross said.
The Scorching Pokémon hmphed.
"In all seriousness, kid," Excadrill reworded, "it's not as easy as it looks."
"I know," Aileen affirmed. "I'm well aware of that. Heck, I just had a near-death experience today."
"Ya see?" Talonflame told Lurantis. "This is why recruiting a couple of kids was a bad idea."
"YOU SHUT YOUR BEAK!" she snapped.
That got him quiet.
"I don't know what you boys see in these two," Lurantis shouted, "but I see plenty of potential for truly noteworthy detectives. They just need to grasp the basics first. And the next time any of you four get me riled up like this, it's a Solar Blade at point-blank! UGH!"
And with that, she stood up, slamming down on the desk, trying to calm herself just a little before "Dismissed for today."
No more questions asked, I gestured to Aileen to leave, and we saw ourselves and the other investigators out, noticing that the next line of clients was already starting to form.
Back at the orphanage, we were in for a surprise: the place was in order for once.
As we looked to our left, we saw why:
"There you are," Shiinotic saw us come in. "Where have you two been? You look very much exhausted."
Aileen nearly jumped, but collected herself and asked "What are you doing back so early?"
"Oh, I figured I'd start shortening my trips," the old lady answered. "Looking at it now, I don't really think we can handle much more. And I feel I should be spending some of my remaining quality time with the children, you know?"
"Makes sense," I replied.
"That is, the ones that are here. I haven't seen you all day. Do tell of your activities."
"Oh, y'know…" Aileen made up on the spot, "out there and burning energy."
I could tell she wasn't really buying it, but: "Hm…okay. Just so you know, I don't really care what you do as long as you're back in time for dinner. I'm too old to care."
"Yeah, sure, we'll take it," I said, playing along. "Thanks."
We had a small supper and went off to bed. As usual, Minccino was out within moments, leaving Aileen and I to ourselves.
"Why'd you…well, not lie, but…hide the facts from Shiinotic just moments ago?" I asked.
"What does anyone need to know?" was her response. "Think about it; I'm a little kid working as a detective to solve the ongoing disappearances! In the eyes of anyone else, that's insane."
True, I thought. Logically, most anyone would view this kind of thing at this age as suicidal, as opposed to helpful like she was trying to be.
If only I could remember anything that might help…
"I'm going to sleep…" Aileen laid herself down.
But the stifled yawn that echoed in the room wasn't hers.
Or mine.
Or Minccino's.
"Did you just hear that?" Aileen turned to me.
"You picked up on it this time?"
"What do you mean?"
"I swear I've been hearing voices ever since I got here," I told her. "It's really weird…and kinda creepy."
"Really?"
"I wish I was joking."
We listened for anything more, but silence replaced it.
"What do you think it could be?" she asked me.
"Beats me. Any ideas from you?"
"No…unless…"
"Unless?"
"Maybe there's a ghost haunting the orphanage?"
I facepalmed. "Really?"
"Well, do you have any better ideas?"
"Uh…well, I…no."
Great. So I'm an amnesiac human-turned-Pokémon living in a haunted orphanage and risking my life every day searching for answers? Swell.
"Y'know what, let's just get some sleep for tomorrow."
"Yeah…g'night…" And with that, Aileen closed her eyes and was fast asleep within moments.
Me? Not so fast.
I got myself as comfortable as I could and closed my eyes, but my consciousness held tight to me, feeling a surge of unease that wouldn't go away for some time.
Like there was a pair of eyes digging into me…
Watching me…
And it wasn't until that pair of eyes seemed to give up for the night and shut that I finally felt relaxed enough to doze off.
(Chapter 3 begins…)