Chapter 9: The Real Thing

“Woohoo!” Anko cried out loudly. 

Fusion groaned as woke up and looked over. 

“We did it!” He took his new badge from the tree and pinned it to one of his droopy ears. 

The sight got Fusion moving, running over to find his badge on a sheet of paper. He took it and pinned it in his scruff, on the side. The sheet of paper held his scores.

“70 to pass, 71 on the test, 84 on the tournament and 92 on the mission. Woah, that was close.”

“My lowest was 76, on the mission. But we got it! Let’s go see Nina and Lee!”

“What time is it?” Fusion asked as he followed outside. The sun was just rising, a hint of dark still in the air. 

Anko didn’t even knock, walking through the curtain into the room. “Wake up!” He called out.

Fusion heard groans from inside as he followed. 

“Did you pass?!” Anko asked, running up to the tree. “One badge? For Nina? Lee? Did you-”

“Ugh, what time is it?” Nina asked.

“Stop shouting,” Lee told him. She was sitting at their table and turned her head to reveal a badge on her ear. “I was just about to get moving.”

“Alright, cool, great,” Nina took her badge. “I’m going back to bed, go away,” she said angrily, before she returned to bed with a big yawn. 

“We all did it! Let’s go eat something to celebrate!”

“The shop is closed this early. I’m going back to bed too,” Fusion said. “You gotta stop waking us up so early.”

+++

After classes, they all met up again. 

“So, what’s our first real mission?!” Anko asked excitedly. 

“You’ve been thinking about that all day, haven’t you?” Fusion asked him.

“Of course.”

“Well, so was I,” Nina said. “I think we should split up, Fusion and I and you two. We both do easy jobs to earn some points. More points we get, sooner we can rank up and do more missions. And we can save our poke for gear, Fusion’s the only one with an item.”

“Okay, let’s go look then,” Fusion said, getting up. They went deeper into the den, to the center where their den job board was. Nina picked out the first one. 

“Berry gathering near Breezeway Village. This is ours.”

“Let’s do this one!” Anko pointed. 

“Rescue in Split Woods,” Lee read. “Sounds easy, but not like we have much choice.”

“Let’s get to work then,” Fusion said.

+++

Fusion and Nina arrived in the middle of a small town. Various pokemon walked around the town square, several shops and services all about. “Okay, the job says to gather one hundred healing berries for the town doctor. Any source is fine, recommends Flowing Forest. So stuff like Oran, Sitrus, and Lum.”

“We have everything?” Fusion asked.

“You, me, items, yep.” She led the way out of town, following signs to reach a nearby mystery dungeon. Flowing Forest, rank E. The entire dungeon was bordered in trees.

“So, this is our date, isn’t it?” Fusion asked before they crossed the tree line.

“Figure that out all by yourself? Yeah, I was thinking after this we can get lunch in this town, just us.”

“Okay... You’re very forward, you know that?”

“Well, you weren’t picking up on my hints. So I took charge. Anyways, you’re better with physical, so you take the front.”

With a sigh, he put on his looplet and led the way inside. He could feel it again as they passed through, the change in atmosphere. The forest mystery dungeon was similar in structure to the cave, but slightly less restricted. There were paths, which they followed deeper, all bordered by incredibly thick vegetation. While they technically could go into it, there was no way they wouldn’t get lost. Soon enough, they stumbled into a clearing. “Berry trees,” Fusion announced. “And no enemies.” He cautiously entered the room, while Nina slipped from behind him and ran over to the berries.

“Alright, let’s see here,” she leaned up to look at the contents of the small trees, next to the much larger tree line. “We got Liechi and... Wiki berries.”

“Those ones heal, right?”

“Yep. And these Liechi berries are pretty useful too. Boosts your physical power. Good for fighters like you.” She starting picking Wiki berries, stowing them away, then reached for another. As she pulled it off the tree however, it was half eaten on the other side. Her eyes darted back to the tree and she froze, locking eyes with the foe hiding in the berry tree. A moment later, she let out a panicked scream, trying to back up, but with only two paws on the ground, she fell backwards. 

Fusion spun around from his vigil upon hearing her scream. He ran over, ready for a fight. “What, where are they?” He looked over the tree, his expression slacking when he focused in on a small bug pokemon climbing out of the tree.

“Hey hey, calm down,” it said in a quiet gentle voice. “I’m just trying to eat.”

“Sorry, we’re just trying to gather some medicine,” Fusion explained to the cutiefly.

“Exploration team? I’m not looking for any trouble.”

“Neither are we.”

“Can I have my food back? You can have the rest of the berries.”

“Yeah, sure.” Fusion grabbed the berry off the floor and handed it back to the tiny pokemon. It was almost as big as it was, but the cutiefly gratefully took it and hid back in the tree. Fusion then plucked the rest of the berries and put them in a pile beside him. Before he stopped, he also took some Liechi berries from the other tree, eating one already. “Alright, there. Time to get-” he turned his head, expecting to find right behind him. “Nina?” He turned around to find her on the other side of the room, looking ready to run or fight. “You okay?”

“Yeah... yeah... just uh, you hold those berries.”

“O-kay...” Fusion picked up the berries and stored them. “What’s with you?” he asked as he led the way out. 

She kept looking back at the berry tree until they left the room. “Phew. I cannot stand bug types, especially cutiefly.”

“What? Why? They’re little. Even with a type advantage, they can’t be that scary. I mean, I’m afraid of wailord, but those things are freakin’ huge.”

“When I was really little, like a couple weeks old, my mom put a flower in my hair. It was spring and the cutiefly must have smelled it, cause a bunch of them swarmed me. They didn’t hurt me or anything, but it freaked me out. Now I get all nervous when I see one. I know its dumb but I can't help it.”

“Well, okay. I can handle the bug types.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about. You’re a nice guy. I didn’t even ask you to do that, but you’re willing to do more work just for my sake.”

“I didn’t mean it like that... I just thought it would make us a more effective team. You can’t fight if you’re too scared.”

“Someone else might have told me to get over it, or that I had to pull my own weight. This place is bound to be full of bug and grass types.”

“Anko woulda’ said the same thing I did.”

“Well, Anko is nice too, but he’s too innocent and pure. No fun. You’re not afraid to go a little wild.”

“So that’s one side of the relationship, but I can’t really point out anything I like about you. No offense.”

“That’s the point of dating, so we can get to know each other better. For starters, I’m really cute, super playful and high energy, and I’m a prime piece of tail, if that’s your interest. Family of greats, I got good genes, and-”

“Please stop.”

“Oh, that was all implied by how awesome I am? Thank you.”

“No, about that stuff. It’s embarrassing.”

“Says the ‘vee boy.”

He grimaced. “Just, focus on the mission. We still need tons of berries.”

+++

“This is the place,” Lee announced. “Split Woods, rank E. We’re looking for... a young budew male, name of Dandy. Ready?”

“Yep, let’s save this kid!”

“I’m leader, but you take the front. I’m better at range.”

“You got it boss.” Anko charged ahead, into the forest. 

“Hey, slow down!” she shouted, running to catch up.

They quickly came to a clearing, with paths going either direction. 

“You have any items to help search?” Lee asked.

“Nothin’.”

“Then we explore normally. Head east.”

“Uh, is that left or right?”

“Left...” Lee sighed.

“Onward then!” He turned and marched off again. They were in the next path when a noise suddenly started approaching. “What is that?” Anko asked.

“Sounds like... buzzing. And it’s getting closer. Fast. It’s... Look out!” 

Anko ducked down just as a swarm of beedrill flew out of the brush. They were all carrying kakuna, some flying pretty low. Once the swarm passed, Anko stood up. “Wow, there sure were a lot of them. Wonder where they’re going? Lee?” He turned to look back, expecting some kind of retort, but found no one there. “LEE!” He turned and dove into the woods, sprinting in the direction the beedrill were going. They must have snatched her!

“Let me go!” Lee growled. She had been hit by the top of one of the kakuna, getting scooped up in the process. Now she was stuck between it and the beedrill. She thought about biting or firing up, but with the speed they were going, she’d be smashed into the ground. “Hey! Stupid! You picked up a passenger!” She yelled, trying to get the beedrill’s attention by smacking at his chest. There was no reaction as she was carried further away.

Anko tore his way through the forest, leaving a trail of broken earth as he ripped the ground up to follow her. The beedrill had been moving fast, faster than he could keep up with. The flying bugs hadn’t left a trail either, gliding around the trees effortlessly, leaving Anko only to guess that they kept going straight.

The beedrill finally slowed as the came into a clearing. One by one, they set the kakuna in the trees, including the one Lee was riding, before flying away again just as quickly. She jumped from the branches, landing on a lower one, before leaping to the ground. “Now, where is Anko?” She looked up, hoping for some kind of signal. As she surveyed the sky, the buzzing returned, another swarm breaking through the tree line. As they deposited their cargo, they began to surround her. “Hey, calm down. I’m not after a fight. Just passing through,” she explained.

“A spy,” one of the beedrill said. “Come to report our new nest to the butterfree?” The beedrill suddenly lunged towards her, receiving a fireball to the face in response. 

Lee was still outnumbered by tens of them, backing up to make more distance. Stuck up against the tree she just got out of, she was cornered by the swarm. She couldn’t launch off any wide attacks for risk of starting a forest fire, so she was stuck to targeting one at a time. She clenched her teeth. This was bad.

A crashing sound nearby got her attention. It happened again, getting closer. Past the beedrill, a tree shook, then began to fall. With a tremendous crack and crash, it fell against another tree, getting caught against it. Out of the woods, a grey figure emerged. Lee only got a moment to see him, before she was covered in stone, wrapped in a protective dome.

Outside, Anko gripped the ground, several big chunks of stone ripping out of the clearing. Each burst forward, shattering into tons of high-speed splinters that left no room to dodge for the fast beedrill. Inside the dome, Lee heard thuds and cries of pain, followed by the buzzing of wings. The protective barrier crumbled and freed her, allowing her to see the aftermath. A few beedrill were unconscious, the rest having ran away. Daggers of rock were everywhere, digging into the ground, the enemy and even buried into the trees. If she hadn’t been in the rock, she would have been skewered too. Anko quickly ran up to her. “Are you okay?!” 

“Why are you here? I didn’t need any help,” she growled.

His ears drooped and he let out a whimper. “Sorry... I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

Lee sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. C’mon, let’s get out of here before more show up.” Anko nodded and they both ran out of the clearing, onto a natural path. “So, before I lecture you, thanks for running to save me. Now, that was the wrong thing to do from a tactics standpoint. If one of your teammates gets lost, you focus on the mission and assume they can handle themselves. If it goes really bad, always carry an escape orb or a rollcall orb. And you can’t just go tearing through the forest like that.”

“From a friend standpoint, it was the right choice. What kind of friend would I be if I just let you get hurt? I’d rather fail the mission than be a bad friend.”

“I guess that does help teamwork... Let’s get back to work.”

“Yeah!”

+++

“Ughh...” Fusion grunted, walking slightly awkward.

“What?” Nina asked. “You getting tired?”

“N-no, I just, twisted my ankle. I’ll manage.” In reality, his balls hurt. They had been growing more sensitive the past twenty minutes, and now every brush of his tail or tap against his leg sent a jolt through him. It happened occasionally, but it was especially bad right now, ever since they started this mission. He could swear his tip was even poking out, making him sure to keep his tail down. There was no reason he should be so pent up, especially on the job. As they closed in on another clearing, a sewaddle emerged into the passage, facing them. Upon spotting them, it gave out an angry cry, launching a series of razor leaves.

Fusion responded right away, launching a large fireball down the passage. It incinerated the leaves and blasted the wild pokemon. The bug type fell over, some of its leaves singed.

“Woah there. You think that was enough?” Nina asked sarcastically.

“Yeah, that was a little overboard. It surprised me is all.”

“Well keep your head in the game. We’re only halfway there.”

“I know.” He led the way into the next room. “Are those Pecha?” He pointed to a tree.

“Yep. Plenty on that one.” She went over and started picking. 

Fusion took up a position in the middle of the room and sat down, carefully while Nina walked past him. A quick check confirmed his suspicion, a hint of red at the tip of his sheath. He kept his paws close, hiding his underbelly. “So, what do you want for your item?” Fusion asked, coming up with something to talk about.

“I was thinking like a scope lens or something, boost my accuracy. But those are pricy. Ribbons are more our budget. So something like a sneak scarf, something that fits with my style.”

“That makes sense. I need to figure out how to work this looplet.” Fusion stood up and growled. “Go away!” He roared, scaring off the zigzagoon that wandered in. “Clear.”

“Good job. All done here, 73 total now,” Nina told him, finishing marking their course on the map.

“Just two or three more good trees then. Let’s go.” He led the way out of the room and further on. As they moved along the path, continuing forward after a couple branching paths, Fusion froze, his ears twitching and swiveling to pick up something. “Hey, you hear that?”

“Is that... water?” Nina asked.

“Sure sounds like it. Over that way.” He led the way forward and around a corner before they entered a clearing. A stream was running through the middle, with several berry trees on the banks. 

“Score!” Nina moved past him to start gathering. “This should be all we need. Hey, can you go over and pick that tree, the blue one. Then we can get outta here.” Nina motioned to one across the stream.

Fusion moved further into the room and spotted some stones in the water he could use to cross. He moved over and carefully stepped forward. As he planted his paw on the rock, body already planning the next step, he went right through it. He gave out a shrill cry and fell forward, face first into the shallow water. With a sharp gasp, he rose from the water, most of his fur dripping from the foot high water. He immediately heard Nina laughing hysterically.

“AHAHAHA! You screamed like a girl!”

“Why you...” he growled, splashing water towards her. 

“Oh, now it’s on!” She jumped into the water and splashed back. They continued like that, splashing at each other for a couple minutes. “Okay, that was fun. Let’s finish up and get some lunch. I’m starved.”

“Yeah,” he nodded in agreement. At first, he had been mad at her prank. He was already cold and shivering from the water. But she was soaked too. And she was right, it had turned out to be a nice bit of fun. “I’m not mad, but we shouldn’t goof around like that in a dungeon.”

“Relax, this is only E rank. I wouldn’t pull anything if it were more dangerous. I mean, we’ve seen like what, three aggressive pokemon today?”

“You’re not wrong. I got sixteen berries over here.”

“And twelve on my end. We’re done.”

+++

“How far in could this kid have gotten?” Lee complained. 

“Maybe we missed him?” Anko responded.

“No, we’ve been pretty thorough.”

“Well, this place is pretty safe. We haven’t seen any enemies at all, besides the beedrill.” 

“Which means he could be anywhere...”

“Well, I found this orb, maybe it can help,” Anko offered.

“What kind?”

“I dunno. I saw it a couple rooms ago, and it looked cool, so I grabbed it.”

Lee sighed. “You’re supposed to check when you pick it up. Give it here.” Anko removed the find and gave it to her. “A radar orb? You realize this is exactly what we need, right? And you just now mention it?”

“Well I think exploring the old-fashioned way is more fun.”

“Don’t look then.” Lee reached out and put a paw on the orb to activate it. The blue sphere lit up, showing a series of dots and distances. One of the dots was yellow instead of red. The problem was that it was surrounded by red ones. “Uh-oh. We gotta go!”

“What? Why?!”

“Just follow me!” Lee darted off in the direction of the blips, deeper into the forest, Anko trailing behind. After a few passages, she saw a clearing and ran inside without hesitation. She could hear Anko calling from behind her. In the room, a trio of butterfree had a budew surrounded. Lee was about to start launching fireballs, but held off. She might hurt the kid. “Leave him alone!” She demanded. Anko ran in and came up beside her, also ready for a fight.

Instead of a fight breaking out, the budew just ran over to them, the butterfree barely reacting. “Don’t hurt them,” Dandy told her. “They were really nice to me.”

“Wait, you’re not hurt or scared?” Lee asked.

“No, I’ve been playing with the butterfree and caterpie.”

"Someone is worried about you,” Anko explained. “We’re a rescue team, here to get you home.”

“Oh, has it been that long?” Dandy asked.

A large butterfree flew over and landed near them. “Welcome explorers. Can we help you?”

“You’re not aggressive?” Lee asked.

“Outsiders are welcome in our territory, as long as they are respectful. This one was entranced by our beauty and followed some of us here. He has been here for a long time.”

“Thanks for keeping him safe,” Anko said. “We’ll get him home.”

“Oh, hey, before we leave,” Lee told the butterfree, “the beedrill moved their nest to near the entrance. We got in a fight with them.”

“Thank you for telling us. Those brutes are the only tribe in this forest who are aggressive to outsiders. Do not worry about their location. The forest will change by next sunrise.”

“Yeah, what is it like when the mystery dungeon shifts? I mean from the inside?” Anko asked. 

“Our people, what you call wild pokemon, view these places with great reverence. The land is alive and provides for those who treat it well. Do you notice your individual hairs moving? Each tree is but a hair on the body of this land. Even observed from above, it is impossible to notice the movement. The locations shift in an instant, the entire area rearranging.”

“Then where do you live? Where are your homes?”

“We are nomadic. We move around the forest as it changes.”

“C’mon Anko, we need to get going,” Lee said.

“Okay. Nice to meet you,” Anko nodded to the butterfree.

“You as well. Be warned young ones, peaceful tribes like us are rare, especially in more dangerous locations. I wish you luck with your missions.”

+++

“All accounted for. And a good variety,” the clefairy doctor said. “This should last a while. Here is your reward.” He took a bag of poke from under the desk and handed it to Fusion. 

“Great, that’ll pay for lunch. Hey, you know any good places to eat around here?”

“The Kecleon Kafe is the only one in town. In the town center, just down that way. You can’t miss it.”

“Right. Thanks,” Fusion responded before leading the way out. They left the building and followed the main road of the small town to the square. 

There were several buildings there, but the one they were after was a green one with red stripes. Most of the buildings in the small town were made of wood, some just being logs stacked just right. Fusion was more used to stone and metal. Pokemon construction ran the gambit, from repurposing natural features, like making caves for homes or building into the trees like in the Forest Den, to completely constructed buildings made of wood, stone and iron. Typically, durable and complex buildings were only for the largest of places, with smaller towns like this making due with local supplies.

They entered the decently sized building and into the lobby. Right at the front was the counter and the menu, much more variety than the one at the den. A red kecleon came out from the kitchen to greet them. 

“Can I get the pot roast? And spicy berry juice.” Fusion asked.

“And I want the crunchy chicken strips with bitter berry juice.”

They got a number and went around the side into the dining room. There were other pokemon there, and plenty of table variety. They went to the small pokemon one, the table only a foot and a half off the ground with soft cushions for seats.

“This is nice,” Nina said. The cozy log cabin had windows and skylights, filling the room with natural light, while a fireplace crackled on the far wall. “And the food is probably super fresh. You saw that farm outside town right?” The one she had been referring to had a large number of cows and chickens roaming the pasture. Fusion had seen a stoutland out there tending to them as they passed on their way in.

“Yeah. So... you’re dead set on this dating thing?”

“What, you’re still on that? I think you’re a catch. I wanna try being more than just friends. And if others girls come after you, I can say we’re dating so they’ll leave you alone. This isn’t forever, no promises or nothing. Just seeing if we’re compatible.”

Fusion sighed. “Fine, we can see where it goes. So uh, where are you from?”

“Sand Continent. Gusty Town, decent size place near Valley of Strong Winds. Southern area, if you don’t know where that is. Was nice once in a while, but too windy and too hot a lot of the time. My family was nice. My sister took over Team Night Raiders, my dad retiring from leader.” She paused as the kecleon came out and gave them both drinks. “My parents are both zoroarks, met in the team. It’s an all dark type group. My sister still leads them. She was so busy, leading the team while still sparing time to train me. She wants me to join the Night Raiders. Maybe even surpass her.”

“Wow. My story’s plain compared to that. My dad’s a houndoom, and that’s how I got this black fur. Lived in a quiet town, before we moved to a big port city when I decided to go to the ARE. Uh...” Fusion muttered, trying to think of more. “Oh, I got in fights a lot as a kid. Nothing serious, but anytime I saw a bully, I couldn’t help but step in.”

“A natural.” She leaned forward. Her juice was in a ceramic cylinder, with a straw of the same material sticking out. There was also a big grooved handle, so that even amorphous pokemon could grip it. “Oh, that’s pretty good. So, winter’s coming up soon. I love winter. Rather be cold than hot. And snow is fun.”

“Yeah, I can agree there. And I don’t get cold, fire type perk. Unless I get wet. Spring is nice too. Fresh air and all the plants growing again.” 

“That’s not all,” she smirked. Before she could elaborate, a teddiursa came over and set down a plate of roast beef, potatoes and vegetables. It left then came back shortly with Nina’s food. Both of them dug in, eating with their paws like most pokemon would. There were plenty of wipes on the table to clean themselves up afterwards and fur wasn’t an issue as most pokemon didn’t shed much. The civilized world of pokemon had massive variety in products, ones designed for any shape and size. “MMM!” Nina groaned. “Oh, that is some good chicken. Crunchy breading, juicy inside. How’s your roast beef?”

Fusion used a claw to pry some meat off the hunk and speared a potato too before popping it into his mouth. He could swear the meat melted in his mouth. “Really good. Wow, I forgot how good real meat is.”

“I know, fish just doesn’t cut it. Chicken is my fav.”

“I’ll eat anything really. Though spicy is always the best.” Fusion noticed she was really scarfing down her food, while he had only taken a few bites. The pain in his lower body was ruining his appetite. While his swollen balls had been just sensitive before, sitting down put more pressure on the especially tender orbs.

“Have any friends? I mean, before you met us.”

“Kinda. No one too special. Left a couple buddies when my family moved, and didn’t really have time to make any new ones. There was this one rattata, she and I hung out a bit, but I barely knew her.”

“Oh yeah? Seem’s you have a history with the ladies.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Kidding. Hey, how about you go up and get us some dessert? I was eying that five flavor berry pie.”

“Oh, uh...” He looked down at his half full plate. “I’m still eating. Why don’t you? I’ll be done by the time it gets here.”

“Some romantic you are. Okay.” She got up and went around the corner to the front. When she left, Fusion took the time to look down and adjust himself to be more comfortable. Nina returned after a bit. “Dibs on the bitter one. You get spicy. Your turn.”

“What? Oh... Uh, I get sour, you get sweet.” 

“Ugh, I’ll take the dry. I hate sweet.”

“Oh, really? Me too.”

The pie came not long after, each of them getting two slices, one left behind. “Phew,” Nina sighed. “I am stuffed. Good reward for a good day’s work.”

“Yeah, this was nice. We should probably get home soon. Anko will be jealous we had lunch without him.”

“Totally, but he would’a ruined our date.”

+++

“Hey!” Anko shouted, waving at Fusion and Nina as they approached. “What took you so long?”

They came over and joined him and Lee at the usual meeting spot, Santana’s shop. “Gathering missions take a while. How was your rescue?” Fusion asked. 

“Oh, it was great!” Anko broke out into a big smile. “We met two big tribes and saved this kid from-”

“It was glorified babysitting. Kid was safe the whole time. Just found him and brought him home.”

“Well, at least you got paid.” Nina took out the money pouch they received and emptied it on the table. 

Lee nodded and did the same. She then started counting. “Hey, we’re short.”

“What?” Nina asked.

“We were supposed to make 800P total after the school cut. There’s only 486P here.”

“Oh, we went out for lunch. It was a little pricy.”

“Lunch!? Without us?!” Anko exclaimed. 

“Oh, we did have some leftovers.” Fusion reached into his pack and took out a box. “Here, sweet pie.”

Anko immediately forgot about being left out and opened the lid of the wood box. The pie’s insides had spilled out but Anko dug in regardless, sticking his muzzle into the box to slurp out the contents. 

“Try not to spend too much on comforts. We need equipment more right now. At least until we can do harder missions and make more poke,” Lee lectured. 

“Yeah, we know,” Fusion responded. “Just wanted to try this place we found.”