Tales of Reborn - A Pokemon Dungeon-Crawling Adventure

Saffron, we meet again.

The massive city looked even shittier than before, as unbelievable as it sounded. Then again, carrying a 70-pound unconscious Pokemon on her back might've been staining Sabrina's impression of it somewhat.

Maybe.

The rest of the group walked alongside her, making small chitchat here and there though no conversation lasted for long. She could tell some were concerned about going to Silph Co. right away, when perhaps finding someplace to rest and recover their strength might've been a better idea. One of the guys –the one with the Tyrogue who was rather verbose– approached her and asked for directions, quoting back what she'd mentioned about being from Saffron.

"That would make sense normally, but…" She pursed her lips, searching for the best way to phrase it. "I'm not exactly the most popular person in the city. I don't think having me with you will make for a good first impression."

More than a few eyebrows were raised her way. Exactly what she needed, for everyone not to trust her right away.

"Besides, the market won't be open this early." She shrugged, trying to change the topic. "I know we all want to collapse under a rock and rest, but I'd like to get this over with before that."

She hated the idea as much as them, but if the person from the letter had gone to such lengths to contact them, he wouldn't kill them at first sight. Silph Co. was safer than the outskirts of the city, as far as she knew.

Said building came into view after they passed through the outer slums, rising into the sky as a black pillar of glass. A recognizable symbol hung from the highest spot; a long segmented S with two circles inside it. The skyscraper was the only structure she'd seen so far which didn't look damaged, dirty or ready to fall onto itself, which in any other situation might have been reassuring. It wasn't, if what she'd heard of the place had any traces of truth in it.

She grabbed onto the unconscious Drowzee's legs more strongly, and gulped.

Her new life might be inside that building, were luck to shine on her for the first time in her fucking life.

Vard took a notebook out of his hair and started writing on it as he walked.

Finally, the Dispute of Death in the Train of Gale has ended.

Great adventurer that he was, he always knew exactly what to call every interesting event he came across. When people told tales of his greatness, they would need a way to name each one of his adventures.

He looked up, noticing how one of his new subjects had effortlessly cleaned up the scythe wound he'd suffered during the train altercation with his trusty first-aid kit. Such determination, such providence. Such… wait, was that thing next to him with the cloud wings a Pokemon? Well, nobody was perfect.

"Hear me, my faithful servant!" he spoke to the man named Silver, grinning from ear to ear. "Yes you, the one with the jocular bird. From now on you will be the official foreman of the great Team of Vard!" He raised his palm to the sky. "You've proven yourself to be an invaluable asset worthy of this recognition. Now, give me that first aid kit; I think I hit my head when I fell from the train and I'm seeing a blue thing with cloud wings flying around."

The man did as he was told, as happy as a Shelder. After a few minutes of walking and taking care of the wounds on his beautiful body they finally arrived at the twin glass doors of the building. The inside looked as dark as an Arcanine's maw, and no one could be seen guarding the entrance.

Vard formed a wicked smile, turning around towards his companions.

"You've all done well to keep up with me! Now, those with enough strength to follow me in my prowess, to look at danger in the face, to put your manliness to the test, to…"

"Pass." Rhin said.

"In any case, follow me!"

Waving his pink cape dramatically he pushed the doors aside, plunging into darkness.

The building was completely empty for the first few floors. Toppled tables and abandoned research cubicles covered in dust littered the place as if it hadn't been used in ages. As the group advanced they could see the rest of the city from a panoramic view; they noticed a few weak, dwindling fires in the distance surrounded by dark figures.

Once they reached the tenth floor the air seemed to become heavier as they noticed not only the pristine state of the room they'd walked into but also the man standing opposite to them, wearing black robes and staring through the enormous glass windows toward the distance. He turned his head slightly as the last trainer entered the room, and with a whirring sound the door closed behind them. Small lights appeared at the edge of their vision as the candles resting on the walls came to life with a pulsing, purple flame.

A wooden black table sat in the middle of the room, so pristine it looked like it hadn't ever been used. Nine rickety wooden chairs were placed around it, with a finely crafted velvet sofa nearest to the man.

The strange man walked towards it, sitting down with a gesture as fluid as a shadow's. He urged with a wave of his hand for them to do the same, and once each one found their seat they were finally able to see his face, or lack of it more accurately. He wore an oval mask, half red and half blue split in the middle. Two tired eyes stared at them from behind the cut circles in it.

Vard was the first to speak.

"The Feng Shui of this room is a disaster."

The man ignored him. He cleared his throat and after a few moments of consideration spoke with a deep, calming voice.

"Before I introduce myself I would like to congratulate all of you. I understand some of you might be upset due to what happened in the train, but the selection process was very important," he said, moving his gaze from one end of the table to the other. "With that said, you may call me Mullac. If I'm not mistaken you all received a letter from my, let's say, organization."

Most of them shifted uncomfortably under the sound of his voice. Next to the man, Sabrina curled her fingers into fists, ready to flee at a moment's notice.

"You might think this is madness, but I needed to know you were capable of surviving such a test. For you see, my mission… our mission, will be infinitely more complex. Of course, we will talk about compensation soon, but first…"

He raised one hand, his long and wrinkly fingers pointing to one of the nearby walls, from which hung a gigantic map of Kanto and Johto.

"As you all know, the situation in Kanto… Well, dire might be a generous way of describing it," he said. "We're headed directly into a war with Orre, which would mean the end of our region and that of countless innocent lives. That…" his eyes fell on them, "is where I need all of your help."

Sabrina raised an eyebrow, "So… you want to use us to stop this supposed war?"

"Ha!" Silver chuckled, hands behind his head. "Yeah sure, where do we sign up?" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Rhin narrowed his eyes at the strange man. "Forgive me, but I really doubt your intentions are noble."

The rest either mumbled or agreed silently, while Mullac sat still with his fingers interlaced. Once silence settled back in he continued to speak.

"Please. I understand that you're all worn out by today's events, so before continuing I would be happy to offer you a place to rest inside this tower, and…" He made a gesture with his hand and the middle of the table retreated inside it. A moment later it came back up, but there was something different. Nine Pokeballs were arranged in a circle, each facing one of the trainers. "I am aware that some of you took a Pokemon from my employees. You may keep them if you want, but otherwise you're free to take one of these."

Before any of them could process the offer Ñako lunged his arm forward, taking one of the Pokeballs with gusto. He leaned back into his chair, no hint of concern of fear in his expression.

"Well, I'm gonna stay," he declared. "I don't think this place is more dangerous than the trip back and I'm already here anyway."

Sabrina nodded, crossing her arms.

"I'll keep this one," she said, pointing at the passed out Drowzee on the floor.

Silver placed both feet on top of the table, smiling cockily while patting the head of his newly acquired Spearow, "I prefer this one. No offense but I'm a humble kinda guy; I don't want one of your stuck up Pokemon."

The rest made their decision, Wolfswift being the only one left who chose not to take one of the free Pokeballs. As the rest examined theirs, spinning it on their hands, they heard Sammy speak. She looked bored, staring mindlessly at her new acquisition.

"I guess if you wanted us dead you had the chance to make it happen already" she said. "Now, back to this mission…"

The man nodded, raising his hand once more to speak.

"As I said, I need all of your help to bring Kanto to its former glory." They noticed a strange intensity in his voice that hadn't been there before. "Of course, you won't accomplish it directly. First I need you to find something for me. A certain collection of objects, which might be able to end this conflict once and for all. Objects which are tied to the legend of Ho-oh, might I add."

Some of them flinched at the mention of the name, while others like Sabrina simply frowned, incredulous. What could a legendary Pokemon have to do with their quest?

"In ancient legend it is stated that Ho-oh once gave humanity a gift," Mullac continued, his tone one of reverence. "A divine, incredibly dangerous power, something we humans could never achieve on our own. That's why these objects were closely coveted and hidden in secret, until they became no more than simple myth."

He turned his head slightly, once again looking at the gigantic map at his right. Without prompt a powerful light fell on top of it, illuminating a specific spot northwest of it.

"According to my research, one of these objects is hidden within a certain construction in Kanto. The abandoned prison of Pewter, which was said to be built on top of…"

"An ancient burial ground?" Ñako offered.

"No, on top of an underground dungeon. I need all of you to travel to Pewter and investigate the prison in search for this object." His voice trailed off, leaving the room in silence for a few moments. "Of course I don't expect an answer right away. Feel free to rest and think it over, and tomorrow we can talk about remuneration."

There really wasn't any need to complain or turn away know, and Mullac was keenly aware of this. The group silently accepted his request while mulling it over inside their heads. As usual, Vard was the first to speak.

"Ho-oh…" he whispered, smiling to himself. "The only one capable of rivaling my omnivorous being, whose beautiful colors are even more dazzling than my own mane. If it's to revive such a beautiful creature…"

"I never said anything about rev-"

"IF IT'S TO REVIVE SUCH A BEAUTIFUL CREATURE…!" Vard yelled at the top of his lungs, grinning. "Then me and my gentle men will be at your service."

He walked towards Mullac, extending his arm forward. Their fingers met tentatively and they shook on it, sealing the deal.

The next morning came without much complication. Sabrina was one of the first to wake up, and as she walked downstairs with a cigarette hanging from her lips and the memory of last night still fresh, one single thought came to mind.

What a piece of shit.

She shook her head, still thinking about what Mullac had said. Honestly, she couldn't give less of a shit whether Ho-oh existed or not. As for the war, as long as it didn't affect her she didn't have any reason to intervene. The glory and well being of Kanto? Ha! What a joke.

Still, she had no choice but to accept and Mullac knew it. She needed to escape the region and with her current means she wouldn't make it to Lavender. She could try, but the chances of being found and end up floating face down on the sewers were pretty big. She needed money, and this guy had lots of it. If she could complete this one job then all her problems, her pathetic life which consisted of nothing but running away… it would all come to an end.

Finally, she could be free like she'd promised him so long ago.

She kept going downstairs, trying to keep that thought off her head, eventually reaching the base floor. Before exiting she took the two Pokeballs from her belt and opened them, the explosion of light revealing its occupants.

The Drowzee was conscious, though not very pristine. Still, judging by the intense look of resentment she sent her way, it was evident resting had done her well.

"Oh come on, don't be like that," she said, patting her head. "Your previous master is dead and I saved your chubby self when I took you out of that train, which wasn't easy, let me tell you. So… let's be friends, alright Gouda?"

Drowzee opened her mouth and, if she were a person, she was pretty sure she would've repeated the name to herself in disbelief. Seeing as she couldn't, she decided to simply glare at Sabrina in a way that made it evident she wished her the worst of fates. Adler on the other hand bounced happily like the filthy little ice triangle she was.

Good enough.

As soon as she returned them to their Pokeballs, two people crossed through the door to the lobby. One of them was the skinny guy with the sunflower shirt and the giant scythe, Silver was it? The other one was the technicolor ninja.

"Hey."

They stopped talking amongst themselves and raised their heads to look at her.

"Wanna come with me somewhere?" she said, perhaps a bit more grimly than intended. "I promise it'll be interesting."

Silver had helped her yesterday during the train and he was pretty good at fighting. At the moment there was no reason not to trust him. As for the other one… well, his moral compass seemed looser than most, which would come in handy for what she had in mind.

They listened to her explanation and nodded without much doubt. They exited the building, heading towards the center of the city.

She silently wondered what the others would do in the meantime.

An hour later, Mycroft realized they might be completely lost.

He'd ventured into the outskirts of the city accompanied by Rhin, Samantha, Siegfried and the freak with the pink afro in the vain hope they'd be able to find a good market, someplace to gather provisions for the harsh quest ahead of them.

Mullac's words danced around in his mind, especially his mention of the legendary Pokemon Ho-oh. As much as he hated the idea of having to traverse a dirty, old prison there was something stronger than him compelling him to accept.

After what seemed like an eternity they arrived at the city's gates, made from heavy stone and at least thrice as tall as any of them. Still, there didn't seem to be any guards around, so they could slip through to the outside if they wanted. A completely insane idea of course, and he was sure no one would-

"We might be able to find some kind of market through these gates," Siegfried spoke next to him, startling Mycroft. "I seem to remember seeing houses outside the walls."

Of course they were considering it, Mycroft thought as he shook his head. Then again as long as he was the only one to-

"Inverted priestess, eh?" Rhin said as he brandished one of the tarot cards from his deck. "Excellent, this means we'll find something in there. Either that or yesterday's food isn't gonna sit well with my stomach. Hopefully the first thing."

Bordel de merde.

He silently pleaded to Samantha, but she seemed interested in the proposition as well. So much for her being the only one worth trusting in his mind.

"We must conquer what lies beyond the gates of evil!" declared Vard, pointing forward.

Samantha rolled her eyes, and walked towards the door. Almost effortlessly she pushed both of them aside, letting in a cold mist which shook Mycroft to his bones.

"Exploring a bit won't hurt," she said, narrowed eyes. "Let's go."

The market was uncomfortably familiar, Sabrina realized.

A gigantic black canopy stretched through at least five streets like some kind of creature with an ungodly amount of legs. It was separated into a few dozen small businesses, mostly people with a single table on top of which they put the valuables they wished to sell. Nothing impressive, though it would certainly be enough for what she had in mind.

The stench of burnt grass and incense made its way to her nostrils, forcing her to crinkle her nose. About a street and a half away she could make out what looked like a bunch of people gathered in a circle, at least thirty of them, all looking at something in the middle and laughing.

Not her problem.

Breathing in deep, she lowered her beanie until it almost covered her eyes. There was no way anyone would recognize her, she tried to convince herself. It was like looking for a tree in the forest; who could fathom she'd be suicidal enough to come back to her own city? She felt a certain satisfaction, prancing around under their noses without them ever being the wiser. Then again she had no desire to run any kind of risk, not after getting so far. She needed to be stealthy, or as stealthy as she could be looking like a thief and being accompanied by a carnival freak and a guy with a giant fucking scythe.

"Nice place you brought us to," Silver said, as if on cue. "I have a feeling I'm gonna have some fun here."

"I know right?" Ñako smiled. "With this kinda company it's hard not to be optimistic."

Sabrina frowned. "Just don't do anything stupid. Or if you do then make sure it's far away from me." She looked around until her gaze stopped on a nearby store. "I have business to attend to here."

"Yeah I want to explore too," the ninja said. "I have a feeling it's better to stay close, but I also have a feeling you bought that awful hat from one of the hicks in these stores."

She looked at him with a glare capable of melting ice and promptly turned away as she walked north. She arrived at the store she'd been eyeing up, little more than a dirty, rickety table atop which sat countless Pokeballs, all used judging by how rusty and scratched they looked.

Exactly what she was looking for.

A man sat behind the counter, reading a newspaper. He wore a military jacket and a red bandana under his black hair. An ornate dagger hung from the pocket on his arm. He addressed her before she could speak.

"A trainer, eh?" he said, his voice as rough as sandpaper. "And one of those sneaky ones that can read minds, too. What do you want?"

Sabrina froze, shocked he'd noticed her abilities without looking at her. However, she decided it wouldn't be a problem as long as he kept it to himself. Without further ado she took Adler's Pokeball from her belt and opened it. The small bugger appeared on top of the table, grinning from ear to ear.

"I want to get this thing off me," she said, pushing the Snorunt as it tried to hug her. "For a good price."

"A Pokemon from Hoenn?" For the first time the man lowered his newspaper, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know if I can buy something that valuable, but… maybe you're interested in some kind of exchange?"