FSE

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Chp 7

About a week was spent in down time. Every day, they would go down to the see Puffles, and she would do her best to make sure Mystic was healing properly. She knew powerful healing moves, but she could only do so much. On the seventh checkup, Phantom excused himself and went over to see Marie.

The mienshao secretary greeted him warmly. "How can I help?"

"Any news on Hearth?"

"Nothing. He seems to have disappeared. At least he hasn't tried the trick he pulled on you in any other bases."

"Damn." He said. "We should be back in action soon, so I would really appreciate you keeping an eye out."

"I'm certainly busy, but I can track down some lowlife any time, don't worry."

He left and returned to the main hall. A familiar scizor was leaning against a wall, watching the goings on. Phantom went up to him. "Hunter? Can I ask you something?" He said formally.

"No need to be so stiff. We are both rescue teams, equals. What can I do for you?" He said, placing a claw over his chest and giving a light bow, accompanied by a flutter of his tiny wings.

"Have you ever heard of a typhlosion named Hearth?"

"As I think, may I ask why?" A claw drifted up and began to rub at his chin.

"He lured us into a nasty trap. We got lucky and made it out, but things could have gone very bad."

"Are you sure it wasn't a natural trap? Where was this?"

"Spook Tower, but it wasn't in the main building, there was a hole in the ground, and it wasn't a mystery dungeon."

"I thought so. I've run into similar situations before. No telling if it's the same group, but I've had encounters with well organized bandits that used rescue missions as traps."

"That's kinda scary."

"No worries. If you ever get in trouble, you have friends here that will help."

Phantom turned to leave, but he felt a claw gently touch his back.

"Why did you join a rescue team?" Hunter asked.

"My friend, Mystic, lost her memories. We want to get it back somehow, so starting a rescue team seemed like the best option."

"I can sense your sincerity, and the kindness in your heart. When you've been around as long as I have, judgments of character come easily. Go to the Forest of Lakes, there you will find three pokemon. Tell them I sent you, and they may help you. Also something else that might interest you, we have a group exploration scheduled soon. You may discover something in the mysterious places we explore. I wish you luck with your endeavors."

"Thanks so much. I gotta go see how she's doing. Bye." Phantom told him, his tail waving happily. He trotted along back to the nurse, his mood at its best in a while. "Mystic!" He spouted out the moment he burst into the room. His smile grew even brighter when he saw her without her cast. "Good news! Hunter, the federation leader, he gave us a lead. We might be able to get your memory back!"

Her mood brightened too. She looked deflated as her midsection fur was compressed from being contained for so long. "Really?! Am I good to go Puffles?!" She said excitedly, looking at the blissey with puppy dog eyes.

"You should be fine. There might be a bit of soreness, but otherwise..." Before she could finish, Mystic was off the table and halfway out the door. "Have a nice day!" She tried to shout, but the pair was long gone.

"So I told him about the situation and he said there was this place called Forest of Lakes, and that there was a pokemon there who could help us."

"Great, let's go!"

"Hold up, we need to prepare." He said, leading the way to the western most section of the headquarters. Inside, they found many tough looking pokemon in a bustling indoor market. It was similar to the town's one, but the difference in wares was readily apparent. All the stalls contained more adventure oriented gear.

"Whatever happened to those ghost berries we bought?"

"I guess we still have them. We can probably store them here." He looked around until he saw a bank sign. "Over here."

They went up to the stand, but there was no one there. "Hello?" Mystic asked, tapping the bell on the desk a few times.

"Oh, sorry." A voice said. A pink mass of slime rose up, amorphous at first, before taking shape. "What can I do for you?" The ditto asked.

"Can you store some stuff for us?" Phantom asked.

"Sure! Team name?"

"Team Memories." He said, putting the two leftover berries on the stand.

"And paw print..." The ditto said, holding out a ink pan and a slip of paper. Phantom did it, and the ditto vanished under the stall again. A few moments later, it returned. "All right. Come on back anytime!" A hand formed out of the blob and waved at them as they left.

"So anything else?" Mystic asked, visible anxious to get moving.

"We could stand to get some supplies."

Shortly after, they were set, and they headed off to the east of town. On the way, they passed by the beach where Phantom used to live. "Been a long time hasn't it? We've come a long way."

"It's only been a couple weeks and we've only done like one real job. Doesn't seem like that much to me." Mystic said, sounding a bit downtrodden.

"Where'd all that energy go? Ten minutes ago and you looked ready to take on Arceus himself."

"I'm... nervous, I guess. So much could be riding on this, or it could just be another dead end."

"Well if Hunter told us to go here, it can't be pointless."

"And I'm worried about something else. What if I forget everything since I lost my memory? What if I forget about you?!" She looked ready to tear her fur out.

"Stop being so pessimistic. You seem to get like this every time we get close to finding something out. Things will all work out. You can't be that different without your memories." He said with a gentle smile, putting a paw over hers. "You've certainly helped me feel more comfortable, so it's upsetting to see you like this. Come on, perk up. Let's do this!" He said with enthusiasm in an attempt to cheer her up.

She forced a smile. "You're right, but it doesn't really make me feel better. I'll do my best though." She nodded.

"Great. So the forest isn't too far away, but I'm worried about the enemies. The place is full of small lakes and ponds, so it's filled with grass and water types. I'm good against water, and you're good against grass, so we'll have to be on our toes."

After only an hour of walking they arrived at a large forest, with a similar wall of foliage to Ripe Woods. Once again, the main road led right to the entrance. They both went in and began the exploration.

FOREST OF LAKES F1

The first thing that assaulted them was the heat and humidity. The thick and shady canopy seemed to trap all the heat and moisture in the air and close to the ground. Already, the reason for the name was apparent. While some walls were made of plants, most were made of water. Mystic curiously went up to one and dipped a paw in.

"Shit!" She suddenly yelled, jumping back. A chill ran through her and she shook the water out of her paw. "That's cold!"

Phantom came up and lightly tapped the surface. "No it's not. It's a little cold but not that cold."

"Yeah, it is. Swimming is out of the question. But at least we can see better."

They continued on, following a curvy path around a lake. On the way, a splash sounded out. Two goldeen flew out of the water and landed on either side of them. Phantom was on the front one immediately, firing a thunderbolt at it. The electricity sent it fleeing back into the water, using its wide tail to flop back into the lake.

Mystic quickly turned to face the other, but not before it shot of stream of water at her. It hit with some force, but she stood her ground. She sucked in a breath and tried to build up a flamethrower, but when she shot it out, it was only a sputtering ember.

"Thunderbolt!" Phantom yelled from behind her, allowing her to move aside as a bolt of lightning shot into the goldeen. It was sent rolling back a few feet, before it slowly crawled back into the water.

"Little bastards. What the hell happened? I tried to use flamethrower but it didn't work." Mystic said angrily.

"Well, yea. Water attacks are strong against you, kinda like how your moves are good against grass. Water might not hurt as much as a fighting type move, but it does weaken you. Ground type moves do the same to me. So even if you did use it, it wouldn't have done much."

They continued on, stuck between the forest wall and the lake, until they reached another large clearing. "Stop." His stance quickly turned defensive. "Follow me, quietly." He entered and the room and began to inch along the wall.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"That." He said with a great deal of hatred. He pointed a paw at the blue and purple blob sitting next to the lake. They were to the side of it, allowing her to see it. The smiling pokemon was happily splashing its feet in the water and drumming its belly with its flippers. She could hear it humming too.

"It doesn't look too nasty..." she said skeptically.

"That is the face of evil!" He whispered harshly. "We are screwed if it sees us." They stealthily snuck around the edge of the room, aiming for the path on the other side. Just before they escaped, the quagsire turned around. Phantom froze and he could swear his heart stopped.

They locked eyes for a moment, before it raised a flipper and waved at them, letting out a happy sound. It then turned back to the water, continuing to play.

"Told you he wasn't dangerous."

"I don't trust him. They are all evil. That happy grin is just a way to ambush you." He said once they were in the next hall.

"Why do you think that? Seems kinda harsh to treat a nice pokemon like that."

"When I was living on my own, a swampert attacked me and forced me out of one of my homes. Swampert and quagsire are both water and ground types. And that means I can't use lightning on them."

"That doesn't mean they're all evil."

"Oh they are. E-v-i-l. Can't trust 'em." They made it to the next room, Phantom carefully looking in before they entered. "Hmm? That's weird. See that cave? I think that's where we gotta go, but dungeons usually don't change terrain." They proceeded into the dark cave.

"I can't see." Mystic complained. Phantom could barely see either, only able to look a few feet ahead, now that the sunlight had been left outside.

"I know, neither can I, but that means any other pokemon can't either." As he walked, he carefully scanned the ground, and experimentally padded any uneven sections of ground. "Wait a second..." He said. Mystic stopped but he did not. "I didn't mean stop. Look, there's the exit, but look down."

"What the..." She muttered. There were paw prints in the dirt. She leaned down closer for a better look, and placed her paw over it. An exact match.

He went forward while she examined the prints. He poked his head of the cave. "I knew it! We got turned around." He returned to her. Now she took the lead. "Can you breath out a small constant stream of fire?"

"Yeah, why? Oh, I got it." She breathed out a small, candle like flame, providing much greater light. She couldn't speak though, as maintaining the flame required all the use of her mouth.

As Phantom really suspected, they arrived back where they just were, same paw prints and light. "Damn, we are in one. So I read about this really rare type of trap that makes a path loop, and this seems like one. If we can find the point where it spins us around, we can disarm it." She nodded, allowing him to lead, as he was the one facing in. "Actually, I think I got this." He turned around to face her. "Stay here. Every time I come back, you take a few steps forward."

She nodded and watched him fade into the darkness. Several seconds later, he came walking back. She went forward and met him, then he repeated the process. This continued until she saw him disappear for a split second before reappearing, facing her. She almost spoke, and the flame flickered with it, so she settled for grunting. He nodded, standing in the exact spot. He looked around, but was stumped when he couldn't find anything.

"Well shit." He muttered. He took a step forward, only to be turned around. He spun back and tried leaping forward, but was turned back in midair, launching forward and landing just in front of her. He got back up while she eyed him skeptically. He went over to the spot, and put his ear to one of the walls. He tapped his paw against the wall, and a look of success dawned on him. He took a step back, electricity sparked through his fur, and with a flash of light, he blast through the thin wall. "Yeah! Suck it!" He yelled at the gap.

The rock and dust fell away to reveal a stone stairwell that led downwards. They proceeded down, Mystic still keeping the flame lit. The sound of dripping water grew louder with every step down. Soon, the sound of rushing water echoed up towards them. They eventually reached the bottom, stepping out into a large dome like cavern. Water dripped freely from the ceiling, and ran down the walls, all draining into a river that flowed down the middle of the passage. There was walking space on either side of the river. Above them, crystals sparkled, looking almost like stars. They were bright enough that there was no need for mystic to keep a light now.

"Ohh," She marveled. "They're so pretty." She looked over at the gently running stream, the stars sparkling in the crystal clear water. She let out a sharp whistle, and listened to it echo down the cave.

Phantom was distracted though. He was focused on a serpentine shape moving through the water. He stared at it as it swam downstream and away from them. He breathed a sigh of relief once it was gone. "Yeah, it does look nice. We need to be careful though. Hidden paths are often more dangerous."

They followed the river, down a slight slant. The path was large enough that they could walk side by side, though Mystic stayed a bit further back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her looking around, watching the water fall down the stone walls, looking at the river, or the star like crystals. He was still worried about the creature he saw, but he didn't want to rain on her parade. His curiosity was peaked when he spotted a large and ornate stone door. He was able to make out more detail once they got close. Mystic had spotted it now too.

It was made of marble with intricate, and indecipherable, engravings. In the center, was a triangle of sorts, with each end painted. One was yellow, another pink, and the last blue. While they were examining the door...

"Who dares?" A thundering voice asked from behind them.

Phantom turned around, and his heart sunk. He opened his mouth to speak, but found his voice out of reach.

Mystic turned too, having to look up to see the face of the dragonite. "Who are you?" she asked plainly.

"TRESSPASSERS ARE NOT ALLOWED!" He bellowed. Phantom could swear he felt rocks tumble down from the ceiling. Dragonite were known for being friendly, but powerful when angered. This one however, seemingly had no nice intentions. "You have but one chance to depart! Leave NOW or perish!"

"We are looking for someone. Are you him?"

"RAHGHHH" He roared. He dashed forward with arms outstretched. They both dove to either side. He slammed down where they just were, leaving a small crater. He rose slowly, giving them time to fight back. They both unleashed their best moves, hitting the dragon from either side with fire and electricity, but he seemed completely unfazed.

He looked to either side, picking his next target, while he drew in a deep breath. He looked at Mystic and roared. A wave a sharp stones shot out of the ground and up into her. Thanks to her small size and lithe body, she was able to dodge impalement, but not without a few cuts and scratches. She leapt off of one of the rocks and out of the remaining ones. The dragon spun around and opened his mouth. This time, a beam of ice shot out, forcing Phantom to stop building up his energy to dodge. The dragon tracked him, leaving a path of ice along the ground in the move's wake. After the attack was over, he looked even angrier.

A stream of fire that hit his back sealed it. He raised his head and let out a deafening roar. His eyes turned red and waves of energy began to roll off his body. In a blur of speed, he rushed towards Phantom, wildly swinging his limbs at him. Phantom managed to dodge a few, but one hit him hard, slamming him down to the rock. In another blur, he rushed towards Mystic, repeating the raging attacks. She flipped around, using her tails as a screen to block his vision, but he grabbed onto one and tossed her at Phantom. She hit the ground just in front of him, and bounced up and over him.

"You still good?" Phantom asked her.

"Yea." She responded.

The dragonite was panting loudly and his eyes were closed, leaving them a short reprieve.

"I have a plan. Our attacks are weak against him, so we need to step it up. Follow my lead, and try something new!" He yelled. He pounced forward, using the remaining rocks from the stone edge attack to leap up at the dragon. He bit down with his sharp teeth on one of his feelers, shaking his head for maximum damage. The dragonite tried to fight him off, but his fist connected with his own jaw, sending him reeling back and into the stone wall. Mystic was trying her best to use a new move. Her hatred grew stronger and stronger, coalescing into actual power. She directed all of her aggression at the dragonite and he visually distorted, his body seeming to split in half. She blinked in surprise and the extrasensory attack stopped, but the mental damage had been done.

The dragonite roared in pain, trying once again to shake off the small lion latched onto his antenna. He missed again, this time slamming his fist into the wall. Phantom bit down harder, using hit fangs to pierce flesh, and with a strong pull, he ripped it off. The taste of blood filled his mouth, but there wasn't much.

The dragon's roars reached a new volume, and it charged forward in blind rage. With a tremendous giga impact, he slammed into the marble door. It cracked and fell apart, while Phantom leaped off the dragonite. The falling marble smashed into his head, and he collapsed into a pile of rubble. Phantom prepared for another pounce, but when the dragonite did not twitch, he relaxed.

"Woah, we got lucky. But holy shit we just took down a dragonite!" He cheered.

"What the hell did I do to him?" Mystic said, her voice cracking.

"Come on, we need to move before he wakes up." They both scurried over the pile of rubble, and unconscious dragon, and rushed down the path.

They found themselves in a large room, with a triangle shape in the floor, formed by a small puddles of water. Three spheres of light were floating in the room, each centered above a puddle inside the triangle.

Suddenly, all three balls burst, revealing three pokemon. "Uxie? Who are they?" The pink one asked.

"Phantom and Mystic, Mesprit." The yellow one answered, with its eyes closed.

"Intruders must have their memories erased!" The blue one yelled.

"Yes, Azelf." Mesprit answered. "Will you have your memories removed peacefully or will we have to use force?"

"Memories? Mystic, maybe they erased your memory!"

"Excuse me," She said. "Have you seen me before?"

"Enough!" Azlef shouted again. It flew forward and its blue head began to glow.

"Yes, that its quite enough."

Azlef stopped dead in its tracks. "Hunter?" it asked.

"I sent them. They are good, and they need expert help." The scizor said, stepping out from the hallway they had just come down.

Mesprit floated forward. "In that case," it looked down at the pair. "Do you promise to keep our presence secret?"

They both nodded. Uxie floated forward now. "No, we did not erase your memories. Our ability only removes memory of this place, nothing more."

"How did you know we were going to ask that?" Phantom said.

"I am the being of knowledge, it is my specialty." It said with a smile, though its eyes remained closed.

"So do you know what happened to me then?" Mystic asked urgently.

"No. I do not know all. I am quite intelligent, and I can read your minds, but otherwise, I am unsure."

"I have something to say too." Mesprit flew over close to them, leaning in between them while motioning for them to come closer. "Hold each other close. I can feel your love. Do not squander such a wonderful emotion." It put a paw on the backs of their heads and pulled them closer. "Now kiss."

They both blushed and turned away. Mesprit flew away laughing maniacally.

"Now why don't I send you two home. I need to speak with the lake guardians." Hunter said, ushering them over with a claw. He flipped one over, revealing the badge tied to the back of his claw hand.

"How did you know to come find us?" Phantom asked.

He smiled and chuckled, lifting his head, showing off a ribbon tied around his neck. "This ribbon allows me to transport to any team's location. It is one of my most precious belongings." He then tapped both of them with his badge, sending them back. "Now then, we have a problem. I think they are coming back. Hearth was spotted in town a few days ago. Any news on your end?"

+++

They both appeared back in front of the federation building.

"I already wanna blab. I can't believe we just did that." Phantom giddily said.

"What? What's the big deal?"

"Those pokemon, were, uhh, very special."

"Well, you promised to keep it a secret, so shut it."

"I know, I know."

They went on to get dinner, and headed up to their room for some rest.

"So, you wanna..." She said, insinuating quite a bit.

"What?"

"You made me a promise, and while I am a bit sore, I intend on seeing it happen."

"How about this? Let me decide when it happens. I want it to be perfect."

"If you keep me waiting too long, I might just have to take it~" She said, giving him a sultry look.

"You heard Mespirt, I do love you." He said with a deep blush. "Good night, sleep tight." He said, before curling up.