"Normal speech."
"Pokemon speech, their language."
"System Notification/Monitor Speaking."
I was the first to wake up, at an early 05:30 hours. I heard Kaorah snoring, quietly. I could feel it, too. I gently shook the Dragon, until she finally woke up. "Good morning." I smiled, and sat up as soon as I was able to, which is to say, when she let go. "Mornin'." I replied. It didn't take too long to get up and get changed.
"Isn't it kind of early? The sun hasn't even started to rise yet." I stored yesterday's clothes in my inventory, while pulling one of my clean sets from my bag, and getting changed. My pajama pants were stored back in my bag, after being rolled up so they would use as little space as possible. With changing done, I took care of anything else I needed to.
"Yeah, but sometimes I get up quite early, sometimes I sleep real late." I did one last check to make sure everything I needed was packed up, then made the bed back up. "Besides, being up this early means we have plenty of time for something I've wanted to start working on." I searched through my spells list, and found what I was looking for. The ID spells. Three creates, one escape.
"So, you've found the Instant Dungeon spells. Standard things apply, however…when you do a dungeon, you and your active teammates gain shared EXP. If your HP ever gets low, you will be returned to where you were before teleporting into the dungeon. This applies to your team members too."
Cool. That's going to help for power leveling. Well, it really depends on how the dungeons actually give out EXP. With the tutorial message out of the way, I cast the create spell, one for a Pokemon dungeon.
A portal appeared in the room, in front of me. Kaorah was startled by it, but I wasn't fazed. "What is that?" I walked up, preparing to step through. "It's a Dungeon portal. Dungeons let us get some pretty good loot, as well as providing a means to level up. I'll let you go in first, because I think the portal's going to shut after I pass through."
Kaorah stepped up to the portal. And, after a moment, she walked in. I followed right behind. My vision distorted, in a way similar to the conduit teleport from Sanctuary Onslaught, a really fun mode from Warframe. The pair of us emerged, surrounded by cliffs, with blue sky above, the sun high in the sky, frozen in place.
I heard Kaorah make a noise that didn't sound pleasant. She had both arms against her abdomen. "You feeling alright?" She shook her head. "Sit down for a moment. You going to be able to keep it down?"
"I'll…try…" I lit my hands with a bit of Restoration magic. While not Sky magic, I could see if this would help. "Here, maybe this will help." I placed my hands on her body, and let the golden light wash over her. "Mmmm…" Slowly, she relaxed, and gradually began to stop looking like she was going to be sick. I forgot that teleporting for the first time tends to suck. It either really hurts, or causes nausea, depending on the person…or what kind of teleport it is.
"There. Feeling better?" When I got a nod, I lifted my hands away, then helped her stand back up. "That's usually on the first teleport, depending on the person." Well, Gamer's Body seems to have kept it from happening to me, at least. I also don't know if it causes problems for a Pokemon in a ball.
Speaking of which. I took Pidgey's ball from my belt and let him out. He immediately settled onto my left shoulder. "Hey bud. Teleporting didn't cause you any trouble did it?"
"No? I'm not sure what you're talking about." That answers my question. "We've entered a dungeon. Here, I'll explain things." I gave him the same explanation that I gave Kaorah. I also, finally, got something that should've appeared when Ash and I first left Pallet.
Quest added! The First Dungeon!
Objective 1: Defeat the first boss.
Objective 2: Defeat the second boss.
Objective 3: Defeat the Final Boss and clear the Dungeon.
Optional: 100% on first clear. Catch the optional recruit in the final loot room.
Rewards: 1000 EXP to each team member.
Optional Rewards: Gain an extra 500 EXP, bonus loot, team recruit.
Failure conditions: All team members knocked out.
"Because this is a dungeon, any EXP you earn will only be from bosses, both secret and standard. This is due to the amount of enemies you'll face. Weapons and armor you pick up can be used in non-Pokemon dungeons. Real world time does not flow while you are in a Dungeon. Dungeon bosses give much more EXP than battles outside."
That's good, because having more EXP from these than just from the boss would…definitely cause some over-leveling. So, let's get this going. I brought up the map function. Looked like there were six large zones, three of them were obviously arenas. As for the other three, not counting a fourth, small box, the one my team is standing in now, those are likely the normal zones. The boxes were transparent, with white lines all through them, likely showing places where walls were. The circles, or boss arenas, were much less detailed. Also, the time flow is handy. It means things outside won't change while we're in here.
The boosted Boss EXP sounded pretty good, too. It makes Dungeons worth it, just with quite a bit more difficulty.
"Alright, it seems like this is going to take us a bit. Let's get to work. " My two Pokemon nodded. "Sounds like it's going to be fun." That's the spirit, Kaorah. I first checked our starting zone for any secrets, having Pidgey search up high. Neither of us found anything.
With our short search over, we went through the first door, and into the first area. Since I had the mini map up, I discovered another feature- Pokemon showed up on the map, within my perception range. Although, I could already see a few.
I really hope I can get an Absol from this. Not just because it's one of my favorites. But also because I think that they might have a natural perception boost, for their allies, thanks to their disaster sense. So long as my abilities won't make any other trainer's Absol try to go and jump out a window, or something.
The first of the enemy Pokemon started to attack. Strange, they look…faded. Kaorah swiped at a Pidgey as it approached, with a use of Slash, which I didn't know that she knew. Her claw cut deep. Instead of just leaving a line of messed up feathers, her slash broke skin. A short spray of glowing liquid followed her claw.
The Pidgey made a sound of pain, and its form destabilized before fading away. I see now…they're simulated copies of real Pokemon. Which explains why Observe is only telling me their health and levels. "These aren't truly real. They're just copies, likely either illusion or lifelike simulation. Do not hold back." "Right./Right!" My Pokemon responded at the same time. We all then split up. Kaorah easily dealt with the Pokemon attacking her.
Pidgey and I had to do things a bit differently from her. Pidgey didn't have much in the way of attacks, since we had yet to really get his training going. I've still gotta figure out a nickname for him, too. On the plus side, our trick of using Gust with fire magic still worked pretty well. It took half an hour of everything charging at us, and being taken out, mostly by Kaorah, before the fighting finally stopped.
Pidgey was looking winded, and Kaorah had broken a sweat. I did, too, but I won't get tired. They likely will, though. "Need a rest, bud?" At Pidgey's nod, I returned him to his ball. Although I'd said I would be letting my Pokemon stay out all the time, he didn't seem to mind staying in there. Besides, it gives Kaorah and I privacy, since what goes on outside the ball, doesn't effect what's on the inside.
"Is he tired already?" I nodded. "We've gotta work on getting him caught up with us. Even with stat sharing, he still tires out faster than you do." She gave a nod of agreement. "Well, let's begin searching for any secrets. Look very , very closely, and watch out for any traps." I don't think there will be any, but better to be prepared, just in case.
"Half and half?" At my nod, we split up. Starting from the wall with the door…or gate, I guess, that we entered through, we began to work our way up to the other end of the tile. With Pidgey resting, I had to do climbing to see if anything was up top. I ended up finding a small chest, one that had some money in it.
Kaorah returned with a box, too. Although hers had a far more worthwhile reward within. A small seed, with the Mega Evolution symbol carefully marked onto its side. "I found…this. I have…no idea what it is."
Oh, but I do. "Empowering seed. You'll mega evolve if you eat it. It'll last for the rest of the time we're in this Dungeon." Thank you, system, for mixing a Mystery Dungeon mechanic into this. It helps, since I don't have the key and mega stones yet. I just hope that Kaorah doesn't have to deal with the…rage problem.
"Our first boss is next. Wanna try it out?" When she nodded, I picked up the seed and held it out to her. She, carefully, took it from my hand and ate it. She made a sound of displeasure. "It doesn't taste great, I'll be honest." Strange that it didn't immediately take effect.
"Feel any different?" She was about to respond, when her eyes widened. I saw the change in their color, preceding the large buildup of energy, and then the flash, and the burst of air that I shielded my eyes from, as it kicked up a bit of dust.
"A team member has achieved their Mega form. When Mega Evolved, the transformation, if in a dungeon, lasts until you leave. In the normal world, your members, if capable, will need a Mega Stone to change forms. When not in a Dungeon, Mega Evolution will act much like Devil Trigger from the Devil May Cry games. You will be able to upgrade it to last longer. Your Pokemon can also charge up energy, and then unleash an explosion as they mega evolve, similar to the DT Explosion. If you trigger it with a Key Stone, its duration is doubled. Legendaries and boss Pokemon (dungeons) have unlimited Mega Evolution forms."
Oh, sweet. Kaorah's mega form looked like what I remembered, with her claws and wing fins changing into scythe blades. And the white spikes that appeared, too. When she roared, I winced. It was incredibly loud. Though, my wince broke for a grin. "So, how do you feel?"
"I feel incredible. So much power…I could get addicted to this." We'll have to make sure that doesn't happen, then. Which means, using it sparingly. "So, what do you say to introducing our first boss to your new powers?"
"I say to you, yes!" Was that a Fawful quote? She hit the gate to the boss arena, and it broke from the strike. We entered the boss arena, and an energy barrier flickered to life behind us. There weren't any sort of traps around. The boss dropped from above, landing with an audible thump.
I didn't think my first encounter with a Lucario was going to be as a dungeon boss. I thought it wouldn't be until Sinnoh that I would first meet one, but apparently I was wrong. I cast Observe on our opponent.
Dungeon Boss Lucario
HP: 1000/1000
Level 5 (Player standard)
Gender: Male
Held Item: Lucarionite
Ability: Inner Focus
Equipped moves: Extreme Speed, Thunder Punch, Aura Sphere, Meteor Mash.
Special Trait(s): None
Special traits? I'll figure that out later. The Lucario's eyes snapped open, and he faced us. He placed both paws together, and bowed. I replied in the same way, placing my right fist within my left palm before I bowed. "Ready?" At our nods, he powered up into his own Mega Form. Interesting that he was able to do it without a Key Stone, but that plays into what the system tutorial said. It also changed his ability, to Adaptability. If I can find a way to alter it to be like the Sentient Adaptation, I absolutely will.
--Song Suggestion: Standing Up On Roaring Earth--
He and Kaorah were the ones to charge, colliding with a loud bang. I'm going to sit this one out, for the most part. Probably the best choice. Kaorah has the advantage here, if she's able to get an Earthquake off, it will really hurt. But our opponent's doing a decent job of keeping her on the defensive.
The Lucario was the first to find a break in the guard, spinning up an Aura Sphere on one paw and using it much like a Rasengan to blast Kaorah backwards. Her HP took a decent hit, but not as big as it could've been, if she were hit to something she had a weakness to. Our Endurance stat did give us damage resistance, but it was only at 40. If I can find a way to get her some damage adaptation, that would make for a great advantage.
Kaorah growled, and then slammed her tail into the ground, using the break in the fighting to her advantage. The Lucario and I both jumped to avoid it, but he didn't quite make it over the shock wave, as his timing was off. He recovered and managed to land properly, but his own HP pool had taken a hit.
Boss HP: 750/1000
Type advantage coming into play, too. "I felt that. Not Bad. You still have much ahead of you. But you have made a strong start." He complemented his opponent. "I have my trainer to thank for that." She gave a twitch of her head in my direction. "Then see to it that he doesn't lighten any in your training. Let us continue." The pair charged, again.
Only now, the Lucario was being much more careful. However, this time, Kaorah's own attacks were starting to get through some, too. It seems that Lucario was only testing her defensive capabilities first, now he's testing her offensive.
Watching a pair of Pokemon fight in person, there's something special about it. Especially when it's your starter, facing down an enemy who gives a decent challenge.
Kaorah lit her mouth aflame, and bit down on one of the Lucario's arms as he overextended a punch. He grunted in pain, his HP taking another large hit, dropping to 500. He disengaged, shaking the arm that had been bitten. His fur singed where Kaorah's fangs sunk in. I can't imagine that feels too good on the inside either, since his bones are reinforced with metal.
At least, I think they are.
Boss HP: 500/1000
Status effect: Bleeding
He winced at the sight of blood starting to seep from the bite. It seems that Kaorah didn't cauterize it when she bit down. His HP started to decrease, very slowly. So bleeding damage is a thing, then. "That…hurt…" He held the injured arm. You aren't the first one to have their skin broken by one of her bites.
He and Kaorah charged once more. The Lucario charged an Aura Sphere, and threw it ahead of himself. Kaorah's response was to send it right back, with a swing of her tail. Prompting the start of them juggling the Aura Sphere, its size growing with every hit it took. Reminds me of the Doppelganger boss fight, where you can reflect one of its attacks, to both rapidly build up Style and also do quite a bit of damage when it finally got through.
Speaking of which, Kaorah was the one to make the reflection that would get through. The Lucario grunted in pain as the sphere detonated against his torso. Kaorah used the distraction to land a Slash with her blades. The spray of blood told all of us that she hit much harder than intended. It must've cut, deep. Although, the critical hit notification helped explain things, too.
--End suggested song--
"Ngh…damn it." He dropped to his knees, blood beginning to pool on the ground beneath him, quickly. His health dropped to 100 from Kaorah's own attack, combined with reflecting the Aura Sphere. The Lucario's HP was dropping steadily now, and he didn't have long.
"I guess…this is it. You have my respect as an opponent." That was directed at Kaorah. Lucario placed an arm over the wound that she inflicted. I sparked up some Restoration magic, and quickly walked over, fully intending to heal him. "No…I'm a Boss, right? It's my fate to die. I'm the first you will face, but certainly not the last. Go forth, both of you. You have my blessing." As his HP hit zero, his form began to destabilize, before slowly breaking apart into small flecks of light. His blood disappeared in much the same way.
Boss defeated! You gained 500 EXP. Kaorah gained 500 EXP. Pidgey gained 500 EXP.
Mate Boost applied! Kaorah gains an additional 250 EXP.
Received drops: Dragon Pulse TR, 5000 Pokedollars.
Kaorah has been granted the move "Dragon Tail" due to use of her tail to deflect an attack.
Woo. Quite the payout. He was a higher level than us, granted, but still. Figured out how to check Kaorah's EXP for next level. It's similar to checking your team, in a normal Pokemon Game. The EXP bomb puts her at just a little more than 100 away from leveling up.
I pulled the TR from my inventory. "Hey, wanna add this one to the list?" I asked her. "It's Dragon Pulse." At her nod, I walked over to her, and tapped the record against her forehead. I don't quite understand how it works. Both of us jumped as the thing suddenly burnt away, but a notification said that she'd learned the move that was on it.
The gate to the second area slowly slid open. The area beyond was much like the one prior to this arena. Very simple layout. It IS the first dungeon, granted, but still. Kaorah and I stepped through, and Pokemon matching the level of the boss we'd just killed, started to attack us. Kaorah tore through them, mostly on her own. I still had to defend myself, from a holographic Ninetales that had bypassed the rampaging Dragon and came straight at me.
I didn't have a weapon, or magic it was weak to…yet. So my defense was mostly dodging its attacks, when the chance was there. Since it wasn't a real Ninetales, I didn't have to worry about getting cursed, thankfully. As it tried to pounce, two blades suddenly stabbed through its body, and it was slammed into the ground by Kaorah. She pulled her arm blades free with a little effort. The Ninetales faded from existence, in much the same way as our other enemies.
It took us another little bit to fight our way through the lot, as there was a good deal more than the last swarm. We finished our fighting, both of us decided to sit down for a short break. I felt Kaorah's head settle onto my shoulder, and I started to rub her back, in return. Hearing the soft rumbling from her that resembled purring made me smile.
I gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Then changed my focus. I pulled my phone from my inventory, deciding to check out the market system while we were taking our break. Things from all sorts of different worlds were available. Including two spell books. Skill Create and Pokemon Move Create. How interesting. A search through my own list showed I didn't have them already.
I showed my screen to Kaorah, and pointed out both of them. "Think I'll get these first. It'll let me make a Dragon Type move that'll be our answer to Fairies." Kaorah gave a soft grunt in agreement. "A counter to them is something our team really needs right now. We need a counter to Ice, too." That we do.
Break.
Kaorah spoke up after another few minutes of resting. "Well, I think I'm about ready to keep going. We've still got a bit of work ahead of us."
"Yes, we do. It's likely going to get tough, but shouldn't be too bad. It's just the first dungeon." I got up, first, and then helped her to stand afterwards. The gate to the second arena opened, as if sensing our intentions. The opponent who awaited us was a Greninja. One of my favorite starters. If this one was able to use Substitute as a replacement to avoid hits, like in Smash Bros, we might have a problem.
Also, Ash will be getting one in a few years. I, also, plan to get a Greninja, although hopefully sooner than the time it'll take us to get to Kalos. I might even go on ahead to Johto, but it really depends on if my challenge takes the games route, or if I have to do things the same way as the anime has it. If it goes the way the games go, then Ash might not leave Kanto at the same time I do. In fact, if it has gone the way the games did…already, then Red's going to be a total legend. Just without Gary, or Blue, to act as a rival.
Although, Red's not anywhere in my memories. He'd be Ash's brother, and by extension, my other cousin. Or, he could be MY brother, and Ash's other cousin, if he was. That, or he IS in this, but he isn't the games version of the character. The final possibility is that I replaced him, somehow. But that's the least likely.
"Observe." Shifting focus from my thoughts, I cast one of my most handy abilities on the boss.
Dungeon Boss Greninja
Level 7 (I winced when I saw how high his level was, compared to ours)
HP: 1500/1500
Equipped moves: Substitute, Water Shuriken, Shadow Sneak, and Hydro Pump
Special trait(s): None
As soon as he noticed us, the Greninja dropped into a bow, and then charged without a word, forming a pair of water kunai within his hands. Kaorah wasn't fast enough to dodge, so she decided to block and attempt a counter. She…took him out in a single hit. I know it's not substitute because there wasn't anything that appeared in his place to take the hit. Kaorah turned to me, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Duck!" I hit the floor, at the sound of Kaorah's warning. and a katana blade swung through, right where my chest would've been. The hand holding it was covered by a black, finger-less glove. The white furred fingers ended with short blue claws. The person was in form-fitting light armor, colored mostly black with blue accents, a scarf around her neck. One of her eyes was hidden behind the fur that hung down from her head, resembling hair, and on the opposite side of her head, a blue crescent horn. Her one visible, red eye, narrowed, and she returned the blade to its sheath. Observe's information changed.
Dungeon Boss…Absol?
Level 7
HP: 1400/1500
Equipped moves: Night slash, Brutal Swing, Payback, Air Slash
Special trait(s): Anthro, Swordswoman.
Kaorah growled, and charged her. She's mad now, I can tell. The Absol, with that blade of hers, easily fended off Kaorah's angered assault, using the blade and its sheath both as a means to deflect her enemy's attack. At the right moment, she jumped away and began to charge up a Payback, her sword starting to glow, brightening as her attack charged. I recognized her intention, like Adam Taurus's Moonslice. It would do very serious damage, possibly even one hit, if she got it off. I took Pidgey's ball, and in a split second decision, threw it at the Absol as hard as I could.
Pidgey burst free and slammed into her. Though she seemed barely fazed, it threw her focus off just enough to interrupt her attack. Kaorah quickly took her out in much the same way she dispatched the Greninja. I felt Pidgey settle onto my shoulder. "This isn't over. Perception says there's still…" My eyes widened. "Jump!" Kaorah leapt away, just as a paw wielding an Aura Sphere erupted from the ground, in the right spot that it would've been a devastating uppercut.
Boss HP: 1295/1500
It was the same Lucario that we'd just beaten earlier, Mega form and all. "Okay…what the hell is going on here?!" Kaorah was getting even more irritated. The Lucario formed a staff from his Aura with Bone Rush, and charged her, engaging in melee. Pidgey waited for just the right moment. I think…we might have a Zoroark in here with us.
As soon as the Lucario turned his back, Pidgey charged in and used sand attack, as the enemy turned to counter his rush…only to make a grunt of pain as the sand was thrown in his eyes. "Pidgey! Give me some wind!" I ordered, sparking up Flames in both hands. Pidgey landed on my head, and as I shot the fire, he used Gust, aiming it right into the fire. The Lucario yelled in pain as we set him on fire, and quickly burnt away into ashes.
Boss HP 1000/1500
"We aren't done yet, get ready." I sensed the buildup of youkai before I saw it. "Move!" We scattered. A dark purple ball slammed into the arena floor, causing a large explosion, and creating a decently sized crater. The shock wave still knocked us off our feet, doing a little damage.
Two red eyes appeared in the smoke, and the swish of a tail cleared it away. You have got to be kidding me. The Ninetales who appeared was dark orange, almost red. Black marks went up from around his red eyes, to the tip of his inner ears. If there was ever a character to appear as a Pokemon other than Arceus that could genuinely intimidate every member of my team, it was this guy right here. "Observe!"
Dungeon Boss Kurama (Ninetales)
Boss HP: 1000/1500
Equipped moves: Incinerate, Spite, Dark Pulse, ?????
Special Trait(s): Bijuu.
The Bijuu trait actually worried me. The fact he'd used Bijuudama is worrying enough, as it is. With a loud "fwoosh", Samurai-like armor formed around him, and two arms formed up off his back, each hand holding a blue sword. That's even worse. The fact that he has Majestic Armor Susano'o without an Uchiha and their Sharingan puts us at a big disadvantage. What the hell's up with this Zoroark…assuming that's what's pulling these form changes.
"Alrighty, so…how do we beat this thing?" Good question, Pidgey. "Focus on dodging his attacks and stay out of reach of those swords. I'll think of something." That armor's going to be hard to get through. "We could try attacking from different angles at the same time." Kaorah suggested. We had to jump a swipe of one of the blades. "He's got eleven limbs to attack with, and they cover all angles." All but one.
"Remember? The Ekans?" That's right. Kaorah dove into the ground, vanishing in a hurry. Just like we thought, the miniature Kurama copy didn't know where she was, focusing all his attention on us. Both a good thing, and very bad. What began was a short game of very frantically dodging the swings of his swords.
On the plus side, he definitely had a pattern. It take a few hits that hurt, taking 50 HP each, bringing me dangerously low, down to 50 out of my 250 max. My shirt was damaged by the blades, so I simply tore the thing off. Pidgey carefully gripped onto my shoulder so that his talons wouldn't break skin. He was on the left, opposite to the side Kaorah had bitten.
The armor on our opponent started to flicker, before breaking away as its timer ran out. Instead of pressing the attack, the Kurama lookalike stopped moving. He sat down, opened his mouth, and pointed his tails forward. The charging Bijuudama was a bad sign. At the same time though… "Now!"
The ground erupted as Kaorah shot up right beneath him. With a loud "Shlick" the lookalike's head departed from his shoulders, and the notification for a critical hit appeared. The lookalike's body began to burn away into nothing. The crit dropped the boss HP to 500. We had a moment to breathe, and auto-heal started to kick in. My perception stat picked up something large, so I dove to the side. Right where I'd been standing, Regirock slammed into the ground, before slowly standing up. The sudden presence of one of the Regis confirms my guess at the real boss being a Zoroark.
Kaorah had the advantage, for sure, and she knew it. She got as much air as she could, with her unique form of flight, then slammed into the ground with Earthquake. I avoided the shock wave, by timing my jump. Regirock was damaged by it, breaking into pieces in an instant.
Boss HP 250/1500
"Yaahh!" I barely avoided the Night Slash that would've been a killing hit. The Zoroark who swung at me had finally revealed himself. He rotated his hands around, preparing to bring them back for a second slash. I hit the ground and kicked up into his chest. He grunted and jumped away. He was obviously winded, but the grin on his face said it all. He was enjoying this. "Observe."
(True) Dungeon Boss Zoroark
Boss HP: 250/1500
Ability: Illusion
Gender: Male
Held Item: None
Equipped moveset: Night Slash, Foul Play, Dark Pulse, Payback
Special Trait(s): Solid Illusions.
Zoroark launched a pair of Dark Pulses, one at me and one at Kaorah. I dodged, but she got hit. Her HP was down to 75 out of her normal 250 by now. Most of the damage having come from her brief engagement with the copy-Lucario. "I've had fun, so far, but I'm afraid things must end here." The Zoroark spoke. He began to charge up Payback.
Recognizing the glow that indicated the coming move, Kaorah stepped it into overdrive. She charged as fast as she could. And just as the Zoroark began to unleash a truly devastating move, the swipe of Kaorah's blades bisected him at his waist. The attack still fired off, but the aim was greatly thrown off by Kaorah's fatal blow.
The expression of shock on his face, morphed into a large grin. Much like the Lucario before him, he faded away into nothing as his life slipped away.
Boss defeated! You gained 1000 EXP, Kaorah gained 1000 EXP! Pidgey gained 1000 EXP! Mate boost applied, Kaorah gains an additional 500 EXP!.
You have leveled up!
Kaorah has leveled up!
Pidgey has leveled up!
Boss loot drops: 7500 Pokedollars, Endure TR, Spell tome: Anthrofy.
The first order of business was to distribute the attribute points I got. I received four, but could choose three attributes to put the points into, so I put them into END, PER, and WIL.
Zeryph
Level two (500/2000 to next level)
HP: 255/255
Mana: 475/475
Cash: 32,500
STR: 40
END: 44
AGI: 40
INT: 50
LCK: 40
CHA: 40
PER: 50
WIL: 44
Leveling up had healed all of us to full. That's pretty handy. Leveling up in a bad situation could potentially be a lifesaver.
I picked up the tome almost as soon as it appeared. How…interesting. It would certainly explain how the Zoroark got the Absol to look the way she did. It's a bit odd that he chose to make that form female, specifically. I stashed the money and the TR in my inventory, and used the tome. It burnt to ashes in my hands, and the spell appeared on my list.
I don't know if I'll ever use it without being in private. I found a spot to sit down, I needed a break. Kaorah sat down next to me, like before. Only this time, I was leaning on her. I felt one of her arms come around me. The blood on her blades would stain what I was wearing, but I didn't care. I'd already lost some to the copy-Kurama's attacks.
I returned Pidgey to his ball, having grabbed it off the ground as Kaorah was dealing with Zoroark's final attack. The worst part though… "That wasn't even the final boss. We've still got one more." Kaorah groaned, loudly. I know, it sucks. "Yeah…but we'll be done with it by then." She fixed me with a look. "This is going to be the longest day I've ever had. When we get to Pewter and settle in at their Pokemon center…you're giving me a massage, and you're going to make it as long as I want it to be." I chuckled and nodded.
"Yes ma'am." She then nuzzled my cheek. "I'll make sure you don't forget."
Break.
We took a half hour break. We both stood up, when we were done, and headed for the door to the next area. It hissed as it slid open. The area beyond was swamped with enemies. We were still sweaty, but at least we were ready for our next fight. Although Gamer's Body was supposed to keep me from feeling the effects of fatigue, and it was, I could still be mentally exhausted. Since Gamer's Mind didn't have the same effect. Kaorah growled when she saw the area full of enemies. "You're so done with this, aren't you?"
She responded by slamming the ground, using Earthquake. She put everything she had into it. The wave destroyed absolutely everything in its path, turning the tile from what looked like a meadow, into a wasteland. Not as bad as if it would've been Groudon, but still. The very few enemies left over charged us. Kaorah didn't waste any time with them, either.
"Not going to bother searching for any loot here. Let's just get to the boss. You're irritated right now, I can tell that. You need to cool off, so we'll try and make this quick." Kaorah grunted in agreement. The door hissed open as we approached it. The boss on the other side…was a purple blob. Oh, great. I used Observe, although I already knew what this would be.
Dungeon Boss…Ditto.
Level: 7
HP: 250/250
Held Item: None
Ability: Limber
Equipped moveset: Transform
Special Trait(s): Personality Mimicry
Kaorah charged, in a bid to end it as quickly as she could, but her attack hit a snag…when the Ditto, in a display of intelligence, or stupidity, chose to transform into me, instead of her. She cut right through, the Ditto's poor choice of transformation meant he wasn't able to block the attack at all. Kaorah's eyes widened the moment she realized what she'd done.
She sniffed the air, and I heard the sigh of relief. It seems that even transformed, a Ditto can't imitate someone's scent, and it can't fool a Dragon's nose. There was a flash as Kaorah's Mega Evolution finally reverted. She hurried over to me and hugged me, tightly, and I hugged her back. We stood like that for a good while, before she finally pulled away. The Ditto's stunt probably scared her pretty bad.
Boss defeated.
No EXP gained.
Boss drops: 1000 Pokedollars.
Compared to the other two bosses, basically nothing. By the way…the EXP drops were way higher here, in the dungeon, than the battles outside. My guess is the game wants leveling to be done in the dungeons, rather than normally. The last door opened, allowing us to enter the loot room beyond.
There wasn't much in here, since we didn't do the 100% clear. For the loot we did get; three nuggets, five hyper potions, three Ultra Balls, a Quick Ball, and my PER radius, now that I actually started paying attention to it, detected someone present with us. Curled up in one of the room's corners, asleep, was an Absol. Certainly explains where the Zoroark from earlier, got the form. Only differences being that his was anthrofied, and was wielding a katana.
I cast observe on her.
Absol
Level two (Player standards, 0/2000 to next)
Gender: Female
Ability: Pressure
Held Item: none
Equipped moveset: Night Slash, Swords Dance, Detect, Payback
She began to stir as we approached. Slowly, she got up, stretching, before walking over to us. "I see that you both made it through." I nodded. "We did. The second boss was harder than the one we just did, for some reason."
"I still don't understand why that was the case." Kaorah spoke up. I'll be asking whoever's monitoring the system later. My assumption is that whatever picks the bosses, ended up picking Ditto randomly. Still though, better than having that Zoroark be the FIRST boss instead of the second like he had been. "So, want to join the team?" I asked the Absol. "Sure…better than sitting in here for the rest of my life." I took an Ultra Ball from my belt, thinking she'd like it more than a normal Pokeball. It seems she knew how they worked already, because she lifted a paw and touched the button on the front.
The ball opened, pulling her in, then snapped shut. It shook in my hand, three times, then settled with a click. "Nice. Now just remember…I'm the alpha of the group, not her. If you want to go and have a bond like ours with any other females, then they'll have to earn it" I chuckled. I'm not sure about having a harem…although, it does sound pretty fun. "Yes, of course."
"Good. Just so long as you remember that little rule." I won't forget, I promise. I lifted Absol's ball, and tossed it. With the unforgettable sound of a ball releasing its occupant, she reappeared. "So…with all this done. Shall we leave this dungeon?" Both of the gals gave their agreement. I cast the spell for the exit portal, and as it appeared in front of me, a welcome notification appeared.
Quest completed! The First Dungeon!
Objective 1: Defeat the first boss. Done
Objective 2: Defeat the second boss. Done
Objective 3: Defeat the Final Boss and clear the Dungeon. Done
Optional: 100% on first clear. Failed. Catch the optional recruit in the final loot room. Done
Rewards: 1000 EXP to each team member.
Optional Rewards: Gain an extra 500 EXP, bonus loot, team recruit.
Failure conditions: All team members knocked out.
You received 1000 EXP, Kaorah received 1000 EXP, Pidgey received 1000 EXP, Absol received 1000 EXP.
Kaorah has leveled up!
I smiled, big. Quest success notifications bring a great sense of satisfaction. The gals stepped through the portal, and I followed behind. It snapped shut behind us. We were back in our room in the Pokemon center, the clock still on the time we'd left at. There was the sound of someone flopping on a bed, from Kaorah laying down in a hurry. She let out a loud, tired sigh. I decided to give her a little time to rest, at least. Absol seemed to have tolerated the teleport, pretty well. Must've not been her first. "Where did we go?" She asked.
"We're in a Pokemon Center. The room that I'd been given to stay in." I answered her question. I went over to my bag and dug out a new shirt, to replace the one destroyed in the dungeon. "You shouldn't put that on, with blood on you." That's a good point. I took out my shower supplies, then I started for the bathroom. "Kaorah, I'm going to shower. Want to join in?" Absol tilted her head. "No, not right now. It would be nice, but you've promised me a massage later." Fair point.
As I started to push the shop door open, I heard Absol start to sniff at the air. "Oh…" She then saw the scarred bite mark on my right shoulder. I turned to face her. "Oh! That's…did you two…?" I nodded, immediately. As a member of my team, she has the right to know. Pidgey hasn't caught on, yet. "I…see…" I smiled at her, then went into the bathroom for my shower.
"...So…how was it?" That made my smile bigger. I didn't hear the rest of their talk, since turning on the bathroom's fan, to keep the humidity from the shower down, drowned out their conversation. On the plus side, it told me that Absol's a keeper. I'm not sure what I'm going to call her…Solais maybe. It's Night Elven. I'll ask her in a bit. The fact she was curious rather than upset about the revelation of how strong my and Kaorah's bond is, rather than being upset in some way, was a really good sign. Shows that there are Pokemon who are just as open to the idea.
Maybe I'll ask Arceus what he thinks on the idea, sometime in the future. Although, I'd imagine that he might possibly believe, any sort of love is OK, so long as it's genuine. Which means, he might just approve of it.