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Mystery Dungeon Time- 6: New Twins

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Kirlia was meditating once more early that morning, at peace with himself.

Pawniard walked up to him. "Uh... what'cha doin'?"

Kirlia looked at Pawniard and replied, "I'm strengthening my mind and soul via meditation.  It's what we Psychic-Types do."

"I see," Pawniard said. "Uh...sorry to interrupt...but have you seen Fang around?"

Kirlia replied, "Fang said that she'd head out to the village to buy supplies for our next Mystery Dungeon adventure.  She should be back soon." Then Kirlia said, "Do you know where it is we're going today?"

"Something about a shrine," said Pawniard. "I forget the name."

"Geode Shrine." Kirlia answered. "Rock-types and Dark-types have made that region their home, with the occasional Psychic-type here and there."

"Ah, yes," Pawniard answered. "Of course."

"She should be here any second now." Kirlia said.

Sure enough, Fang popped up. "Guys! Come quickly!" Fang cried, panicking. "At the front gate, there's an emergency!"

Kirlia replied, "Let's go!"

And so, Team Alpha quickly made it over to the front gate.

"What... is this?" Kirlia asked.

Everyone was standing outside a hut that looked like an Audino's head.

"I hope the poor things are all right," Lopunny muttered, worriedly.

"A couple of freeloaders, if you ask me," Charmeleon quipped.

Kirlia led the others up to the crowd. "Okay, what's this about some poor freeloaders now?"

Noting Kirlia, Charmeleon replied, "About time you showed up, Kirlia.  What took you so long?"

"Meditation." Kirlia answered. "That, and I was just now made aware of this tent situation."

"Ha! That rhymes!" Pawniard laughed.

"Not the time, Pawniard!" Fang spat.

"A couple of kids showed up outside the front gate," said Krookodile. "They looked like they tried to pick a fight with Heatran and lost."

"Well why the heck would they come here?" Kirlia asked.

"Apparently, this town was the closest town to wherever they were last attacked." Charmeleon answered.

Kirlia then turned his attention back to the tent. "Looks like I'll have to put our trip to Geode Shrine on hold for a little bit."

"Fine by me," Fang said.

"What kind of species are they?" asked Pawniard.

"Riolu," Fang answered. "One of them is shiny."

"That's... very rare." Kirlia noted. "So I take it they're brothers."

"Where do you think they went to if they got burned like that?" Pawniard asked Krookodile.

Krookodile answered, "Tough question... I think it would be best if we asked them."

Are you sure we should be doing that?" Fang asked. "They could be traumatized for all we know!"

"Well, we won't know until we ask, now won't we?" Krookodile countered.

"Krookodile's right, Fang." Kirlia said. "Besides, it would be good to help them by doing their task for them."

Fang sighed at this.

"Fine," she said, "but if they start crying, I know who to yell at!"

Krookodile growled in his throat, causing the Fennekin to smile nervously.

"Uh...I'm gonna yell at Pawniard," she said.

"Hey! No fair!" Pawniard shouted.

"Fang..." Kirlia said to Fang, "if you're going to yell at anyone, yell at me.  Pawniard had nothing to do with that chat."

"Thank you, Kirlia, for having my back." Pawniard said.

"Sorry," Fang said. "It's just...he's so intimidating."

"Really?" Krookodile said. "What gave that away?  My ability Intimidation?"

"...Come now, Krookodile.  That's unbecoming of you." Kirlia said.

Krookodile sighed. "Yes yes, I'm well aware of that..." he conceded. "In any case, the two Riolus should be waking up soon."

Soon, Audino came out.

"I did the best I could," said Audino. "However, try not to be too pushy with the questions. These kids look like they've been through a lot."

And so, Kirlia and co. entered the tent.  There, they saw two Riolu, one regular colored, and the other shiny. Both of them had bandages wrapped around their arms. The shiny one had his head resting in the lap of the blue one, who pet him gently.

"Aww, now isn't that sweet?" Fang cooed.

Kirlia replied, "That it is..."

That's when Krookodile pushed his way into the tent.

"Pardon me," he said.

The blue Riolu replied, "You're pardoned." Then, to the others, he said, "Come in..."

"Are you two okay?" Fang asked.

"We're fine," the blue Riolu said. "Thanks."

"I'm just gonna cut to the chase:" Kirlia said, "At what place did you go to that caused you two to faint?"

"I...I'm sorry," said the blue Riolu. "I don't wanna talk about it, right now...my brother, Lu, and I are really tired."

"Actually," Lu the shiny Riolu said, "why not tell them?"

The blue Riolu spoke up. "You have to forgive us... I'm Rio, and he's Lu."

"Kinda cliche, ain't it?" Pawniard whispered.

"Shh~!" Fang shushed.

At this point, Kirlia was bored now. "Okay, the reason I was asking where you guys went is because I wanted to go freestyle exploring today, where instead of taking a job or bounty, I would just explore for the sake of it."

"That's the thing," said Rio. "We're not with any guilds."

"Well, don't your parents know where you are?" Pawniard asked, only for the twins to tense up in response.

"No..." Lu answered, "our parents don't know where we are.  We never met our parents."

Kirlia sighed. "Don't I know that feeling..." After that, he said, "I've been through what you guys are going through right now, so if you guys need anything, anything at all, let me know, alright?"

"...We are kind of hungry, actually," Lu spoke up.

"Take these." Kirlia tossed the two a few Apples. "Don't worry, it's no skin off my back."

Thanks," said Rio. "We...really appreciate it."

"Is there anything else you boys need?" Fang asked.

Rio declined. "If we need something, we'll let you know."

"Well that's good then." Kirlia said.

"By the way," Rio said, "you guys were going to go to Geode Shrine, right?"

"How'd you know?" Pawniard asked.

"We heard you guys mention Geode Shrine outside." Lu answered. "Considering you guy's reputation, we were wondering if you could do us a favor there."

Kirlia straightened up. "Alright, let's hear it."

"You see," Rio started, "we were doing a bit of digging there, thinking there might be a clue about where our parents might be."

Lu then stated flatly, "Then we were attacked by a Heatran."

Krookodile held back laughter. "Wow, I had NO idea how spot on I was..." Feeling Kirlia's piercing stare, he added, "I mean, sorry to hear that."

Kirlia then turned to the Riolu bros. "So what do you want us to do?"

"You want us to fight Heatran?" Fang asked. "Normally, I wouldn't, but I hate bullies who have the nerve to pick on little kids!"

"Actually, we're level 18 each." Lu said. "But yeah, Heatran was way out of our league."

Rio said, "Though that isn't what we wanted you to do."

"Oh?" Kirlia asked.

"We left our bags there." Rio said. "We were wondering if you could get them back for us?"

"Of course we will!" Fang answered.

Kirlia spoke up. "Fang, I call the shots, remember?"

"Sorry," Fang muttered. "I keep getting ahead of myself."

"You're fine." Kirlia answered.  He then turned to Rio. "What's exactly in the basket to begin with?"

"Something important," said Rio.

Kirlia put a hand on his forehead. "You could not have chosen a more cliché response.  Still, consider this done."

Just one thing, though."

"What is it?" Fang asked.

"What is...cliche?" asked Lu.

"Something that is said or done enough to the point of being very predictable." Kirlia answered.

"Well it is important, you know." Rio said.

"I know." Kirlia answered. "And don't you worry, because I will get it back."

"Yeah! You just leave it to us!" Fang added.

"You do that." Krookodile said. "Not that you'll last long, but please: surprise me."

"Of course." Kirlia bowed. He exited the tent. "Follow me, Team Alpha. We have a shrine to go to."

"Right!" Fang agreed as she and Pawniard followed him out.

After they were a ways away from the village, Kirlia asked, "Geode Shrine is to the north of us, correct?"

"That's right," Fang answered.

"Onwards team!" Kirlia proclaimed.

And so they did.

During the walk to the shrine, Pawniard, of all people, asked, "Is it just me, or was there something... off about those two Riolu brothers?"

"What do you mean?" Fang asked.

Pawniard explained. "It's a hunch, but why else would they show up at Emerald Village, of all places?"

"...That is...kind of odd," Fang admitted.

Kirlia added, "Now that I think of it... Why did a Heatran attack them?  I mean, was the stuff in their bag really that important?"

"It makes no sense if you ask me," said Pawniard.

"Plus...I heard that Heatran is normally one of those pacifist Pokemon," Fang added. "They normally hate to fight unless absolutely necessary."

Of course, Kirlia had the perfect reply to that. "Funny, Fang: I recall that you jumped immediately at the opportunity to take down Heatran when you heard how that Pokemon took down the Riolu brothers."

"Uh...well, I..." Fang stammered before she sighed. "All right! Maybe I jumped the gun a little! What can I say?! I like kids!"

"Anyways," Kirlia continued, "the Riolu brothers probably attacked the Hetran along the way, before they then got trashed.  It's no one's fault there: people were just acting stupid.  That happens every now and then."

"Sound's like a rational way to look at all of this." Pawniard answered.

"Anyways," Kirlia continued, "we should be getting to the new Mystery Dungeon right... about... now."

Soon, they saw it: a huge shrine entrance with lanterns lit up on the sides, and a deep, dark cave on the other side.

"Since this is a shrine," Kirlia said, "it is best to prepare yourself religiously before you guys enter." Kirlia then closed his eyes and chanted, "Helix, grant me the strength I need to carry onward with my journey..."

Seeing Fang's confusion, Pawniard said, "If you're wondering about Helixism, essentially, it's another myth to this world: two gods have created the land, one of which is Helix, and the other of which is Dome.  Helix is the divine God of Anarchy.  Dome is formerly the userper God of Democracy, but now, usurper is questionable at best.  As you may know, the Helix Fossil is Helix's sign, and the Dome Fossil is, well, Dome's sign.  The Pokemon who evolve are Omastar and Kabutops respectively." Taking a deep breath, he asked, "So... does that make sense?"

"Uhh...I think...?" Fang answered.

Kirlia got up. "Alright, I think I'm good to go." After a pause, he said. "So let's go in."

Fang and Pawniard nodded before following their leader inside.

(A/N: Now, time to go mysterious...)

The first thing they ran into was an Unown.

"Stay on your guard, team." Kirlia commanded. "Unown are unpredictable, so do not intentionally provoke them unless you know what you're getting into."

"Okay," Fang said, nervously.

Since the Unown hadn't acted up, Team Alpha walked around it.

As they walked, Fang felt her nose twitch.

"Oh, no," she said. "Dust...in my nose...! Ah...ah...AH...!!"

"No!" Pawniard cried. "Don't sneeze!!"

"Pawniard, Shadow Claw now." Kirlia commanded Pawniard.

"W-w-what?! Why?!" Pawniard asked. "What good will that do?!"

"Unown is a Psychic-type." Kirlia answered. "Psychic-types have a weakness to the Ghost-type.  You do the math."

"ACHOO!!!" Fang sneezed, accidentally blowing embers out of her mouth, which almost hit the Unown.

"Well?" Kirlia said impatiently.

"Alright, fine, if you're gonna go all PC on me." Pawniard enclosed his claw in shadows. "Oh yeah.  Shadow Claw."

He soon struck Unown down.

"Sorry guys," Fang said, sniffling a bit. "Me and my allergies."

"You had allergies.  You couldn't help it." Kirlia assured Fang.

"Let's just keep moving," Pawniard said.

And so they continued onward.

In the middle of their trek, they stumbled upon a Kelceon Shop.

"Team," Kirlia said, "when we pick something up, always make sure to pay the proper amount."

"Of course," Fang said. "We're not foolish."

So, they stepped foot.

"Welcome!" Kecleon said. "See anything you like?"

"We'll be sure to let you know," Fang said. "Uh...lemme see here..."

Kirlia looked around for a while, until he saw what he was looking for. "Is that... a Dough Seed?"

"A Dough Seed?" Fang repeated. "I've never heard of that."

"Trust me, it's a good item." Kirlia assured Fang.

"Yeah?" Fang asked. "What does it do?"

"Eat one of those, and the frequency of finding cool treasures increases." Kelceon replied.

"No fooling?!" Fang asked. "That's awesome!"

"Eh.  It's alright." Kirlia said.

Kelceon added, "100 Poké, and you'll be good to go."

"That all?" Fang asked, reaching into her coin pouch. "We'll take it!"

After Fang paid for seed, Kelceon said, "Now have a nice day."

And so, they left the mat and continued onward.

"For future reference," Kirlia said, "Kelceon shops are reccomended to stop by in case you run low on items during a dungeon run."

"So why did we just get a seed?" Pawniard asked.

"We've already stocked up pretty well back at Emerald Vilage, so we should be good to go." Kirlia answered. "Although, it should be noted that we now have a bigger bag because of the promotion to a C-class team."

"That's right!" Fang said. "Although, it doesn't hurt to stop by a Kecleon Shop every so often, just to check out the merchandise."

Kirlia looked around. "In any case, we should find the downstairs soon enough."

Sure enough, they found it...being guarded by a sleeping Graveller.

"I don't have time for this..." Kirlia said.

"Then let me help."

This came from Floatzel, who had just popped up. "Small world, am I right?"

"Jeez, you're everywhere!" Fang added.

"So what brings you to Geode Shrine?" Kirlia asked.

Floatzel smiled and replied, "Exploring on my own.  No big deal."

"Think you can do something about Boulder Boy over there?" asked Pawniard.

Floatzel put a hand on his forehead. "So THAT'S my job... I had to find this guy and bring him back to outside of this shrine.  After all, someone was looking for him."

"Oh, I see," Fang said. "You want us to wake him up for you?"

Floatzel declined. "Nah, I got this." He slapped the Graveler. "Hey!  You!  Lairon was looking for you!"

The Graveller woke up. "Augh... did I oversleep again?" He then stood up and stretched his fours arms, letting out a big yawn.

Floatzel tossed Graveler a Home Seed. "Eat that.  Then, you'll be at Emerald Village, good as new."

Graveler caught the seed. "See you guys on the other side." He ate the seed, and warped away.

Floatzel then turned to Team Alpha. "So... what brings you guys here?"

"Two Riolu kids showed up at the front of the village gate," Fang said. "They were hurt pretty badly."

"More importantly," Kirlia added, "we're here to explore for the sheer sake of exploring, since we've never been here before."

"Understandable." Floatzel remarked. "But about the twins... what were they?"

"I told you, they're both Riolu," Fang said. "One was blue, the other's shiny...they said they lost something, here in the shrine, so we came here to get it back for them."

"News flash: they're probably the Riolu Spy Brothers." Floatzel said.

Kirlia looked at him intently. "Wait... say that again?"

"You guys haven't heard of the Riolu Spy Brothers?" Floatzel asked.

"I have," Pawniard replied, "but I thought that was an explorer's myth."

"News flash: they're probably the Riolu Spy Brothers." Floatzel said.

Kirlia looked at him intently. "Wait... say that again?"

"You guys haven't heard of the Riolu Spy Brothers?" Floatzel asked.

"I have," Pawniard replied, "but I thought that was an explorer's myth."

"Wait...they're spies?!" Fang questioned in shock. "But they're just kids!"

"That's the problem." Floatzel replied. "They're kids."

Kirlia asked, "...Was that your second job?  Turning them in?"

Floatzel sighed. "Yeah, that's right."

Kirlia then asked, "So what is it exactly that they do?"

"They're trained to sneak into villages, find weaknesses, and let Rogues slip in," said Floatzel.

"But...they both looked so-" Fang started.

"Innocent?" Floatzel asked. "You really need to learn when someone's acting, toots."

"...But it's not fair!!" Fang shouted. "What gives anyone the right to use kids in such a way?! How could this happen?!!"

"Fang, calm down!" Pawniard cried.

"No! I will NOT calm down!!" Fang shouted. "Using kids like that...it makes me sick!!!"

"It's nothing new, Fang." Kirlia said. "I do that to the two of you all the time." He joked.

"Not helping." Pawniard said to Kirlia.

"And why not?" Kirlia asked. "I was once in the same shoes as the two of them, you know?  The thing is... I was abandoned, in a forest, with no one to watch over me.  The guys who saved me from my doomed fate were not nice people.  And yet, with my loyalty to them and my general gratitude, they grew into being better people, to the point where some of them are Explorers to this very day." Kirlia paused. "Woah... did I just remember something significant?"

"Okay..." Pawniard said. "The first thing we should do is get their basket.  Then after that, we turn them in, respectfully that is, and we talk from there."

"That won't be necessary."

Without warning, the quarter was suddenly struck in the back of their heads by a group of shadowy figures, knocked out cold.

When Kirlia woke up, he noticed that all the items in the bag were still there.  However, he also saw that he, along with Fang, Pawniard and Floatzel, were stuck in a metal cage.  Naturally, he let out his dissapointment. "You put a Fire-type in a metal cage... yeah, let's see how well that works in the long run."

"Silence."

Soon, they saw a male Pyroar emerge from the shadows.

"So...Team Alpha," said Pyroar. "We meet at last."

Soon, several other 'mons came out...including the Riolu Bros, who both looked very guilty.

Floatzel laughed out loud upon seeing the Pyroar. "Ohohohoho... a Fire-type, right?  You know, you don't mean much to me."

Kirlia, however, had his attention on the Riolu brothers. "Clearly, you were working for this Pyroar, and as such, regretted ever knocking us out from behind."

"...He told us...he'd let us see our parents if we did this for him," said Rio. "We're sorry...you guys look so nice and-"

"Spare me the theatrics," Pyroar interrupted. "I wonder how much Krookodile will pay for your return, Team Alpha?"

"...Boss," said Lu. "We...fulfilled our half to the deal, so...it's only fair that you-"

"Fulfill mine?" Pyroar concluded. "Yes...about that...I'm afraid I changed my mind."

"What?!" the Riolu Brothers questioned.

"But...but you-" Rio stammered, but then Pyroar slapped him the face with his paw, knocking him back.

"Shut up, you brat!" he shouted. "You really think I'd let such talented brats like you out of my clutches?! You should be grateful that you're even alive because of me!"

"Rio!" Lu cried as he ran to his brother's side.

"Pyroar, you coward!" Fang shoutd. "Only someone like you has the nerve to pick on little kids!"

Kirlia, however, was upset for a different reason. "You would bring much shame to men like Toxicroak."

This caught Pyroar by disgust and surprise. "Wait, you're comparing me to THAT fool?!  I am offended by that!"

"I was in the Riolu Bros' situation." Kirlia said. "I was once taken in, just like them.  However, unlike you, they at least we're honest with me when they said that my parents left me, never to come back.  At least THEY didn't sugarcoat that I was doing something questionable when I was a Ralts.  AT LEAST THEY WERE BRUTALLY HONEST WITH ME!!"

This caught the attention of Fang, Pawniard, Pyroar, the Riolu bros, and Floatzel, the last of whom said, "Wow... you have SERIOUS issues..."

"Not in the mood!" Kirlia snapped.  He then turned the vitriol to Pyroar. "I don't know, nor particularily care about the Riolu Bros' parents at this point, but for the love of Helix, you should have AT LEAST been brutally HONEST about that!  YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT THEY SHOULD BE THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!"

Mister Kirlia..." Rio whispered in surprise.

"They're just a couple of stupid kids," Pyroar scoffed. "It shouldn't matter what they think!"

And so, Kirlia lost it. "THEY'RE ME IN THE MAKING!!  OF COURSE IT SHOULD MATTER!!"

Pawniard sighed. "Let's just break this cage already, before we have to witness more of Kirlia's rage." With that, Pawniard used Karate Chop to break them out of the cage.

Pyroar backed up. "This... isn't gonna end well for me, is it?"

Kirlia stood strong. "PSYBEAM!!"

"UGH!!" Pyroar cried as he was hit dead-on.

Floatzel walked forth. "Mind if I take this guy down?"

Kirlia replied, "He isn't worth the hassle from me.  Go nuts."

Floatzel grinned madly. "Thank you for that."

Pyroar backed up, nervously. "This isn't gonna end well for me, is it?"

"HYDRO PUMP!!" Floatzel blasted forth a powerful, pressurized gush of water towards Pyroar.

He ended up getting slammed right into the wall.

Fang, meanwhile, went to tend to the Riolu Bros.

"You two okay?" she asked.

"...The only thing that hurts are our hearts," Rio answered.

Fang sighed before she pulled the brothers into an embrace, causing them to gasp quietly.

"Everything's gonna be okay," the Fennekin whispered, tenderly.

Kirlia walked over to the Riolu bros. "Listen... I'm sorry you had to work for a guy like that... He would not last long from where I came from."

Lu then came to hug Kirlia. "You had it worse than us, so just let us hug you."

"Oh~!" Kirlia said in surprise as Rio came in to hug him as well. "Well... actually, that feels nice..." Remembering Pyroar, he lightly pushed them away. "I still have something to handle."

Kirlia walked to the near-unconscious Pyroar. "Why?  Why couldn't you just been honest with them from since the beginning?"

"...Because...it's just how this world is," Pyroar answered. "You have to be cruel...in order to survive."

Kirlia replied, "See those two bros over there?  I was once in their same position.  Then, Toxicroak came and took care of me, along with a few others.  He may be crazy and unstable, but not once was he cruel to me.  He was brutally honest, but never cruel."

Pawniard walked up. "Same applies to my brother Bisharp.  While yes, he did indeed damage a Zorua's throat to where she can't speak again, he also kept telling me that what he did was the biggest disgrace he ever done.  He taught me how to be open to new ideas, how to stick to my beliefs, and overall, he taught me how to be an explorer, even when I wasn't interested at the time.  He did that because he cares about me."

Floatzel spoke up. "I wasn't gonna say anything... But thinking back to my time as a Buizel, I could not have had a better mentor than that crazy Blastoise back home... He taught me everything that I know, and then some."

"Sometimes Kirlia can be a bit...blunt," Fang started, "but I know that he knows I'm trying my best! He just...gives me a little push every now and then. You honestly think cruelty's the only way to live in this world?!"

"Why not?" Pyroar asked, gritting his teeth. "No matter how much good you want to do in the world, there will always be someone who will shun you! You really think that Pokemon like you will make any difference?! You're just a bunch of kids with your heads in the clouds!"

"..Maybe we are kids," Fang said, glaring. "Maybe we are in over our heads...but that doesn't stop us from trying."

A pause...but then Pyroar scoffed.

"Nothing but a bunch of empty, useless words," he hissed. "empty, familiar, words..."

Kirlia pieced two and two together. "Your father was never around, was he?"

Pyroar looked up at Kirlia. "No... he wasn't..." He slammed his paw down. "How much I HATED him for that!  Why wasn't he there for me?"

"I was."

Team Alpha and Floatzel turned their attention to the Pokemon who said that.  It was an older looking Pyroar, who had police bandages and a badge. "Officer Pyroar here.  I have to speak with my son." Eyeing the Riolu bros, he smiled gently. "Fret not, for you will not be harmed anymore."

The Riolu bros ran to Team Alpha, with Rio saying, "Thank you, sir."

Officer Pyroar turned to the other Pyroar, and said, "Son, why have you turned to this life of petty life playing and tricking of others?  Answer me that."

"Well, why not?" his son answered. "You were gone most of my life!"

"I'm a police officer," said Officer Pyroar. "It's my job."

"A job you loved more than me!" Pyroar barked. "You were gone for days and I hardly saw you! And whenever you did come home, all you ever did was sleep!"

"I didn't love my job more than you!" Officer Pyroar argued. "My job was very demanding, and there were times I had to be gone for days on end, and I was always exhausted, but I regretted every single day that I wasn't with you when you were a Litleo! And on the day I was going to make it up to you, I come back home and find that you ran away! Do you know how that made me feel?!"

The younger Pyroar paused. "Oh... I didn't know... you had something planned..."

Officer Pyroar calmed down, and said, "It was painful.  All those years, I've been wondering if I've ever done something wrong, something that would incite such negative behavior in you.  It is not always easy being a cop." Then, after a few seconds, he continued. "And yet, look at you, always hanging on to that thread of pain, resentment, and agony.  Because of that, you've taken it out on the few kids who just wanted to help you out.  You were in pain as well, weren't you?"

His son looked at his father defiantly at first, but then he just looked down, and sighed. "Yes, I was in pain... I should have been more thankful for what you've done for me, and for what you did for other Pokemon in general, but instead, I was selfish, prideful, and as of now, a crook." He looked up, solemnly. "I'm sorry for what I've done.  I truly am."

Then, small tear droplets fell from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dad...!"

Officer Pyroar walked over, and patted him on the back. "There there... let it all out..." He then said, "Not that it's the ideal way to do it, but when you get turned in... you and I will be able to spend quality time together, quality time we should have spent long ago." He turned to Team Alpha. "Who's the leader of your team?"

Kirlia walked forth. "That would be me."

Officer Pyroar bowed his head. "Thank you for your services thus far.  You really do make a great leader." Noting his son, he continued, "Please, spend time with your team mates.  You have no idea how important you are to them."

The younger Pyroar walked up to them, and bowed his head. "I'm sorry about the way I acted to you guys.  I'm gonna be turned in, and I'm gonna reform, I swear to that!" He then turned to the Riolu Bros. "And as for you two... you two are dismissed now.  Your parents left this note." He handed Rio a paper. "I should have given this to you two from the very beginning." He then faced his father. "If anyone needs me, I'm gonna redeem myself."

Officer Pyroar noted Pawniard, and said, "By the way, you're Pawniard, right?"

"Uh... yes I am." Pawniard answered.

Officer Pyroar said, "Your older brother is training to be a Police Pokemon now.  Just thought I should let you know."

"No way...!" Pawniard gasped. "That's...that's amazing!"

"You must be so proud of your brother!" Fang said.

Kirlia closed his eyes, and smiled. "I'm glad we came here.  We were able to heal old wounds and reconcile a father with his son.  That is better than any reward Money out there."

Pawniard picked up a nearby bag. "Say... what's in this, anyways?"

He opened it, revealing 2 Riolu dolls...and a picture of 2 Lucario, one a lighter color than the other, and the darker blue one had a scar going down his forehead and over his left eye, which is blind, but he had a smile of love and pride as he had an arm over his wife.

Officer Pyroar looked at the Riolu Bros and said, "If you need anything, anything at all, let me know." He turned to Team Alpha. "The same goes for you guys." He then noted Floatzel. "That includes you."

"We'll keep that in mind." Kirlia replied.

"I'll see you at the Krookodile Guild." Officer Pyroar said.  And so, he and his captured son warped away.

Kirlia looked at the photo. "You two are lucky, you know." He said to the Riolu brothers. "You at least had parents who looked like they loved you and took care of you.  I didn't have that luxury."

"...You think we'll ever see them, one day?" Lu asked.

"Who says you won't?" Fang asked. "A lot miracles can happen in the world if you believe in them. Right, Kirlia?"

"Definitely." Kirlia replied.

"We should head back soon..." Pawniard said.

"Wait." Floatzel said. "Mind if I go with you guys to Emerald Village?  I wanna check that place out."

"What do you think, Kirlia?" Pawniard asked. "You are in charge."

"Come along with us." Kirlia replied.

With that, the four of them eventually made it back to Emerald Village, where upon arriving, they ran into Team Clashers.  Amazingly, Charmeleon was in a good mood.

"...This is new." Kirlia said.  He then turned to Charmeleon. "How goes your exploring, Charmeleon?" 

"We got us a new member!" Charmeleon answered.

"That so?" asked Fang. "Who is it?"

"Me," said a Glaceon as he approached. "Hey there. I'm Glaceon. Charmed, I'm sure."

"A pleasure," Fang said.

"Also," Charmeleon added, "me and Zorua are finally on good terms with Bisharp now."

Kirlia smiled. "Well that's good.  I didn't think you could hurry the hatchet like that."

"Well," Charmeleon replied, "he came over here, as a police Pokemon-in-training, and personally apologized to the two of us for what he did in the past.  And, considering how you guys were forgiving of people, I decided to forgive him.  Ever since then, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

Zorua nodded contently.

"I'm really happy to hear that." Kirlia replied. "Truly, I am."

"See?" Fang asked. "The world's not so cruel as everyone thinks it is."

Charmeon asked, "So what exactly happened?  I mean, you guys look like you've been moved as of late."

"It's a long story," Pawniard said.

"Actually," Charmeleon declined, "you guys can tell me later.  Whatever it is, I know it's probably inspiring." He smiled. "Besides, even though my team is still the top team around, you guys make a close second.  And if I'm gonna have a team to rival, it's gonna be your team." Noticing Floatzel, he asked, "By the way, what's Floatzel doing with you guys?  He's a famous explorer around here, isn't he?"

"That's...what I'm wondering, too, actually," Fang admitted.

Floatzel spoke up. "I'm thinking about moving to Emerald Village.  After all, it's nice here, I can appreciate how it's on a bluff, and Krookodile's Guild is here."

"Krookodile's Guild..." Kirlia said, before remembering, "WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!!  We gotta go and report to finish those requests!"

"You go do that." Floatzel said. "I'mma chat it up with this Team Clashers here."

"We'll leave you to that," Fang said.

And so, Kirlia made it to the post room, where they met up with the Riolu Bros.

"Thank you for getting our basket back." Rio said.

"No problem," Fang said. "All in a day's work for Team Alpha!"

"Here's 900 Poké from our previous boss." Lu handed the cash to Kirlia. "Keep it."

"Thanks," Kirlia said, "but I owe my alliegances to the guild, and the man in charge."

Krookodile popped up. "Good to see that you guys figured out the whole deal with those two." He said.

Rio spoke up. "Though now I'm wondering where we're going to move to, since we need a place to stay."

"That's an easy one," Krookodile answered. "You'll be staying with me."

"Actually, Floatzel is moving into this town." Kirlia replied. "Why not have them move in with him?"

Krookodile stared at Kirlia, then broke open a crocodile smile. "That's a better idea."

"You sure we won't be a bother?" Lu asked.

Floatzel popped up, and replied, "Nah, little dudes.  You'll be fine.  You can do what you want at my place, and I'll keep you safe the healthy way."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Floatzel," Fang said.

"We'll take it!" Rio said.

"By the way," Krookodile said to Floatzel, "Lairon wanted you to have this." He tossed Floatzel a Big Apple. "That should last you a good while."

"Well, well," said Floatzel. "This ought to do nicely."

"See ya!" With that, Floatzel and the two Riolu bros. left to the top of the building.

Krookodile then turned his attention back to Team Alpha. "Today must have been emotional for all 3 of you."

"You have NO idea," Fang said.

"Well, a certain Officer Pyroar would like to see the three of you." Krookodile said. "It's rare to see him so content for once, too, so here he is."

Officer Pyroar came from downstairs, and said to the team: "Thank you.  Thank you for all you've done for me so far."

Kirlia bowed. "Anytime."

"So was there anything you wanted to talk to us about?" Kirlia asked.

Officer Pyroar cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I didn't just come here to be wishy-washy with your team.  The Pokemon Police Force has officially recognized this guild as the #1 Bounty Hunting Guild in the region thus far.  As such, we've assigned one of our own members to escorting your team when you go on the Gramd Expedition."

"I forgot about that!" Kirlia said. "We have this huge expedition all the way over to this new region that we're going to..."

"Who exactly are you guys sending?" Pawniard asked.

"I hope it's someone cool!" Fang said.

"It's Bisharp, isn't it?" Kirlia asked bluntly.

"Yes, indeed," Officer Pyroar said.

that case," Pawniard turned to Kirlia and Fang, "you two are gonna want to listen to the information my bro might spew out.  It's because of him that I'm well versed in the knowledge of being an explorer."

"I second that notion." Krookodile added. "In the end, we're all explorers at heart, now aren't we?"

"That's right!" Fang exclaimed.

"Good to see we're all in agreement." Pyroar said. "Now here's 1300 Poké." 

"Thank you," Fang smiled as she took the money.

"Now if you excuse," Pryoar said, "I'm going to finally enjoy my job for once." With that, he left.

Krookodile spoke up. "How is it like, being an exploration team thus far?"

Kirlia replied, "If I'm going to be honest, it's an extremely enlightening experience thus far.  I'm finding out who I am, who my members are, and even who some of the random people we meet are."

"I'm enjoying it, too," Fang said. "There are so many things to learn and experience as we keep going."

"That's good to keep in mind." Krookodile said. "Say, though... I was wondering if you guys could do me a favor tomorrow..."

"What would that be?" Pawniard asked.

"I'll tell you tomorrow." Krookodile replied. "Right now, it's dinner time."

"Sounds good to me," Fang said. "I'm starving."

Then Kirlia remembered something. "Where's Cottonee?  I haven't seen him all day."

"Yeah, where is he?" Pawniard asked.

"Waiting in the dinner table." Krookodile answered.

"Ah," Fang said. "Thanks."

And so, they went to dinner.  They saw a lot of Pokemon there.

"There's a lot of Pokémon here..." Kirlia noted.

"Oh, look! There's Cottonee!" Fang pointed out.

Cottonee waved at them.

"When he becomes a Whimsicott," Kirlia said, "how will you guys react?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, honestly," Fang answered.

"True enough." Kirlia answered.  He then asked, "By the way, I haven't asked this in a while, but when do you think you're gonna evolve, Fang?"

"Who knows?" Fang asked. "Maybe some time in the near future."

"What I mean is, what level are you at?" Kirlia asked.

"Oh!" Fang said. "Uh...wow...I guess I haven't been paying attention."

"Last I checked," Kirlia said, "I was level 24."

"What about you, Pawniard?" asked Fang.

"Geez... 22, I guess?" Pawniard replied. "It's gonna be awhile before I evolve.  On the other hand, I can level up moderately fast, so, you know, I'm good to go."

"I see," Fang said. "As for me...I don't think I remember. I think I might be close to the level I should be evolving, though!"

"Well there's tomorrow for us." Kirlia replied.

And so, they ate.

After dinner was done, the went back to their room to bed.

However, Kirlia was still up. "Fang, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?" Fang asked.

"Do you miss home sometimes?" Kirlia asked.

"Not really," Fang answered. "I mean...why should I? The only thing good about home was having my Mom there...and she's not there, anymore."

"Ah..." Kirlia replied. "I've been thinking about heading over to wherever you came from to fix these kind of things up." He then sighed. "Call it altruism, or call it butting in.  I just want to help out."

"...I appreciate the concern," Fang said.

"I think it would be best if we settled some unfinished business over at your hometown." Kirlia said. "It's important for all of us to grow as explorers and prove to those dissenters what it truly means to be an explorer."

"...Well just so you know," Fang said, "my hometown doesn't take kindly to outsiders...especially my old man."

Kirlia then asked, "Is it that one town that's been labeled a Mystery Dungeon?"

"Yes," Fang said. "It's called Fireweed Village. Fire-types, Normal-types, and even some Flying-types live there."

At that, Kirlia realized something. "That town is familiar to me... I don't know why, but I think we need to go there in order to find things out."

"...I'm not gonna be happy, just so you know," Fang said.

Pawniard spoke up. "Maybe we shouldn't go there tomorrow.  I mean, what are the chances of Krookodile's request being involved with that Mystery Dungeon?"

Kirlia replied, "...Knowing Krookodile, 1/2." Kirlia then turned to Fang. "We don't have to go there if you don't want to go there, but remember when we went to Geode Shrine, and how we helped both the Riolu Bros AND that Pyroar finally find a peace of mind?  I want that for you.  And if you let me lead you, I will make sure it happens for you too."

"...Thank you," said Fang.

Kirlia smiled warmly. "You're welcome, Fang."

With that, the three soon drifted off into slumber.

To Be Continued...
Co-written by me and :iconego-man25:

Two children, both Riolu, show up at Emerald Village, both seemingly injured...but there are more to these brothers than meets the eye.

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XXX

Pokemon (C) Nintendo, Game Freak

Team Alpha (C) Me and :iconego-man25:

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© 2015 - 2024 XfangheartX
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