Hey, everybody! This is my second PMD story that I came up with a while ago. It's loosely based off of the PMD2 series but with new characters, villains, and adventures added in. I have a giant list of characters but I will accept OC exploration teams, Treasure Town citizens, clients, or just random Pokemon. There are a few things I'll put here, though.
This story does follow the main storyline but there's a branch-off partway through it. I have my own made-up creatures, which are actually corrupted Pokemon, in this story as villains. These villains are not related to Primal Dialga in anyway. I have a partner that you can't get in PMD or PMD2. There is also an exploration team that has only one member, working solo.
Anyways, I hope you like the story. I'll add chapters while writing chapters of "Quest to Capture the Shadow Pokemon". Onto the story!
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorations of Time and Darkness
Chapter 1: shelly, the Amnesiac Pikachu
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The waves of the sea crashed against the cliffs and the beach. White foam covered the tops of the waves. The rain was hitting hard, feeling like needles. A terrible storm was rocking the sea!
Suddenly, there were voices.
"Are you okay?!" a male's voice called.
"Whoa!" a female cried.
"No, don't let go! Just a little longer! Come on, hang on!" the male encouraged, tightening his grip on the female.
"We're nearly there, sir!" a second male's voice called, sounding a bit younger. "Miss, please hang on!"
"N-n-no! I can't hold on! Waaaaaah!" the female screamed as she lost her grip, tumbling into the ferocious waves. A second voice seemed to join with hers, and then she vanished into the waves.
More lightning flashed, showing a large cliff. It looked like the head of a shark was carved into the top of the cliff. Waves pounded on the rocks at the bottom. Then there was darkness.
Hours later...
"...Urrgh..."
The sea was calm, the sun's light reflecting off of its smooth surface. The storm passed long ago, but not before leaving someone stranded on a nearby beach. It was the female.
"Where... Where am I?"
She feebly raised her head, only to rest it again as dizziness overcame her. All she could see was sand, rocks, and water.
"...I can't... Drifting off..."
She fainted once again. An orange otter-like creature raced in from the sea, laughing. Once it noticed the unconscious figure, it ran to her side. "Hey, are you okay?" it—no, she—asked. "Oh, snap! Flare better get here and fast!"
Elsewhere...
A young Vulpix stood before a giant Wigglytuff-shaped tent. The fox-like Pokemon had six curled tail and three curls on her head. Light brown fur covered most of her body except for her paws, tails, stomach, and the curls on her head. Her tails and the curls were reddish-brown, her stomach was white, and her paws were brown.
She stood before a large grate, two large torches on either side of the tent shining brightly enough to make her fur look red. Two totem poles with many different Pokemon carved into them were close to the stairs that led to the four-way path. The Vulpix sat there, waiting.
"Hmm..." she hummed. She started pacing in front of the grate. "No! I refuse to be paralyzed by this any longer! This is it. I have to steel my courage today. Before father finds out what I have done." She stepped onto the grate.
Suddenly, a voice shouted, "Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"
"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?" another voice bellowed.
"The footprint is Vulpix's!" the first voice cried. "The footprint is Vulpix's!"
"AAAAH!" The Vulpix leaped off of the grate, terrified of the strange voices. Looking around wildly for enemy Pokemon, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths to calm down. "That was frightening. Whew..." She sighed sadly. "...I can't... I can't work up the courage to go in after all...I told myself that this was the day, but..." She stepped closer to the grate, only to back away again.
She took out a small rock covered in swirling patterns. "I thought that holding onto my mom's gift would inspire me...I guess not." She returned it to the tattered brown bag that was slung around her shoulders.
She looked up at the brightly colored sky. The sun was setting, turning the sky various shades of orange, red, pink, and purple. She could see stars slowly appearing. "Hmm... I just can't do it. Father was right. I'm such a coward... Forgive me, mother. I have failed. This is so disappointing..."
She turned around and walked away. Upon reaching the stairs, she looked back at the tent. "I'm sorry, mother." She walked down the steps.
Back in front of the tent, a Koffing and a Zubat came out. "Hey, Zubat. Did you get a load of that?!" Koffing asked.
"You bet I did, Koffing." Zubat chuckled.
"That little wimp that was pacing around... She had something good, right?" Koffing asked.
"That wimp had something, that's for sure." Zubat agreed. "It looked like some kind of treasure."
"Do we go after it?"
"We do." Zubat confirmed.
The duo quickly went down the steps in pursuit of the saddened Vulpix.
The beach...
The sea was gently lapping against the beach. The various Krabby were blowing bubbles that caught the light of the setting sun, making them glow. The Vulpix walked along the beach and turned to look at the sea. "Oh, wow! What a pretty sight!" she whispered. The bubbles were floating into the sky, sparkling from the fading sunshine.
"When the weather's good, the Krabby come out at sundown and blow bubbles. All those bubbles, catching the setting sun's rays off the waves... It's always beautiful, just like mother said." The Vulpix said, smiling. "...This is where I always come when I'm feeling sorry for myself. But it makes me feel good to be here, like always. Coming here cheers me up."
Then she looked down the beach. Something caught her eye. "Hey... What's that? What's going on over there?" she wondered. She wandered closer and gasped. "Alani, what's wrong?" She ran to her friend's side.
The orange otter looked up, relieved. "You're finally here, Flare! I was out surfing with Waily and when I came up on shore, I saw this. Someone collapsed on the sand! She's been unconscious for a while now."
"I'm so sorry, Alani!" Flare cried. "I didn't mean to take so long!"
"Calm down, Flare." Alani reassured with a wave of a paw. "If it's one thing we Buizel are good at, besides swimming, is patiently waiting for friends. Now, what do we do about her?"
The unconscious Pokemon had bright yellow fur with two brown stripes across her back. Long ears tipped with black were on the top of her head, and she had a lightning bolt-shaped tail with an inward curve, proving her to be female. Two red spots were on her cheeks. From her partially-dried fur, she had been here through most of the afternoon.
"What happened?!" Vulpix asked, shaking the Pokemon. "Are you okay? Please wake up!"
The Pokemon opened her eyes. ...Ugh... Standing up, she shook off the dizziness plaguing her.
"You're awake! That's a relief." Vulpix said.
"Yeah, I was sure she'd drowned." Alani chuckled. "Can you take care of her? I'm going surfing some more."
"Of course, Alani," Flare nodded. "Thanks for the help!"
"No problem!" The Buizel ran back out into the surf, laughing as she dove into the water. In seconds, she was gone.
The mysterious Pokemon started looking around. Where... Where am I...?
Vulpix backed off a bit. "You weren't moving at all. Alani and I were very worried. Do you remember how you ended up out here?" she asked.
The Pokemon blinked in confusion. I... I was unconscious? What happened...?
"Well, I'm Flare." The Vulpix, Flare, said. "Glad to meet you. And who are you? I've never seen you around here before, not that I've been around here for very long either."
"I don't know, Flare." The Pokemon admitted. "All I know is my name and that I am a human."
"What? You're a human?" Flare repeated. "You look like a normal Pikachu to me."
Looking shocked, the Pikachu peered into the water to see a yellow face peering back at her. Her eyes widened in fear. It's... It's true! I've turned into a Pikachu! ...But how did this happen? I don't remember anything...
"You're... a little odd..." Flare commented. "Are you pulling some kind of trick on me?" Father said that humans are evil creatures and perished long ago. If she's one, would I have to kill her? Is she working with my father?
"No, it's the truth!" the Pikachu wailed. "Please, you've got to believe me!"
"You're telling me the truth? How do I know?" Flare muttered. Can I trust her? I've made plenty of friends who turned out to be in league with my father. Could she be another one? I must be sure. "All right then. Your name? What's you're name?"
My name? she thought. That's right, my name is... "Shelly," she replied. "My name is Shelly."
"Hmm," Flare nodded. Is that her real name or is it fake? This could be another trap by father. Can I really trust her? There's something about her that tells me that she's honest. "OK. Well, you don't seem to be a bad Pokemon, at least. Sorry that I doubted you. More and more bad Pokemon have been turning up lately, you see? Many Pokemon have gotten aggressive too. Things have grown somewhat lawless around here..."
Suddenly, Zubat and Koffing snuck up behind Flare. Shelly cried out but was too late. Zubat rammed Flare, sending the Vulpix crashing into Shelly. The Vulpix's treasure fell to the ground. "Ouch!" Flare cried.
"Well, I do beg your pardon." Koffing said in a mocking-polite voice.
"Hey, why'd you do that?" Flare demanded. These two are more likely candidates for serving my father than Shelly is.
"Heh-heh-heh!" Zubat laughed. "Can't figure it out?"
"Flare, are you okay?" Shelly asked, only to be ignored.
"We wanted to mess with you! Can't face up to us, can you?!" Zubat taunted.
"W-What?!" Flare cried, shocked. "What do you mean by that?!"
"That's yours, isn't it?" Zubat asked, gesturing a wing towards the stone.
"Yes! That's...!" Flare started.
"Sorry, kiddo! We'll take that!" Zubat laughed. He snatched the stone.
"Aaah!" Flare cried. "Hey, give it back!"
"Whoa-ho-ho!" Koffing laughed. "Not gonna make a move to get that back? What's the matter? Too scared? I didn't expect that you'd be such a big coward!" Turning to Zubat, he said, "Come on. Let's get out of here."
"See you around, chicken!" Zubat laughed. "Heh-heh-heh."
The duo flew past Shelly and Flare, entering a large cave behind them. Shelly and Flare watched them go, looks of anger and fear on their faces.
"...Ohhh...Why couldn't I fight them?!" Flare groaned. "W-What should I do? That's my personal treasure. My mother gave it to me. It means everything to me. If I lose that..." Father will be able to track me again. "No! There's no time to waste! I've got to get it back. Hey, can I get you to help me?"
Shelly nodded. "Of course I will, Flare. You helped me after all. Now I'll help you."
"Oh, you will?! You'll help me?" Flare cried. "Th-Thank you! Let's go quickly!" Without a doubt, she isn't with my father. None of his goons have helped me with something like this in the past. She must be telling the truth.
Shelly and Flare headed toward the large cave that Zubat and Koffing had vanished into moments before. "What is this place?" Shelly asked, jumping over a small puddle of water. "It's full of water and mud."
"I believe this place is called Beach Cave." Flare explained. "It is one of the many places you can encounter hostile Pokemon at. It is home to many Water-type Pokemon, which is why I try to avoid this place at all costs. Water puts out fire, you know."
"But electricity beats water." Shelly pointed out. "I'll cover for you. Those Water Pokemon stand no chance against me. I'll make them wish they'd never crossed us."
"Thank you so much, Shelly." Flare replied. "Let's get my Relic Fragment back!" I pray father hasn't tracked me down yet. We must hurry.
Once they entered the dungeon, Shelly looked around. "Where are they? I don't see them!" she complained.
"They're probably on the bottom floor, in Beach Cave Pit." Flare suggested. "We have to find the staircases to get to the next floor. Attack any enemy we encounter before they can attack."
"Got it! Let's do this!" Shelly cheered.
The duo raced through the first floor in search of the staircase. Flare occasionally went to pick up small golden coins, money called 'poke'. "Poke is the world's money." Flare explained. "You can save it up to buy useful items on adventures. We could probably spend this to get you an apple or two. You look like you haven't eaten in days."
"I know," Shelly groaned. I'm starving!
"We have no items," Flare muttered. "Not good. I wonder what's in these caves. A Reviver Seed would do me some good right about now."
Once they entered the tunnels between rooms, it became very dark. Flare used Ember on a small plant and carried it in her jaws, allowing them to see a bit farther ahead. But it also signaled to enemy Pokemon that they were coming.
As they turned a corner, water splashed on Flare. Surprised, she dropped the plant into a puddle, extinguishing their only source of light. "Waah! I can't see anything!" the Vulpix cried. More water splashed onto her. "Shelly, help! I'm being attacked!"
"I'm coming!" the Pikachu cried, leaping over her friend. She felt something crackling along her cheeks and the next thing she knew, a blue slug-like Pokemon was being shocked by her electricity. How'd I do that?! Was it instinct?
When she landed on the ground, the slug collapsed and vanished. She opened her mouth to speak but Flare cut her off. "Thank you once again. That was an incredible Thundershock, the first I've ever seen." She complimented.
"Well, I just wanted to save you and then, I was shocking it." Shelly admitted. "What was that thing? Some kind of slug?"
"A Shellos. And with that blue coloring, I'm guessing it's an East Sea hybrid." Flare replied. "The West Sea hybrids are pink."
"Thanks for the info. Now I'm ready to keep on fighting!" Shelly cried.
They carried on. Further down the tunnel, the encountered a spiky pink thing called a Corsola. Shelly's electric attacks weren't enough to take it down, so the duo tag-teamed to defeat it. After defeating it, they finally reached another room. And it had the stairs. Down they went to the second floor!
"We can only carry one item each like this." Flare said. "I can't fit anything else into my bag since it's full of my belongings. The items in this dungeon may have a lot of useful effects. When you find an item, show me to find out what it does."
Oddly enough, the stairs were right in front of them. Racing down them, Shelly saw a strange black square in the ground with a green arrow on it. "Flare, what's that thing?" she asked.
"Oh, that's a Wonder Tile." The Vulpix explained. "In many areas, you'll see them. Step on it to heal any changes in your stats."
"Got it!" Shelly said. Seeing a seed, she walked over and picked it up. "Hey, what's this thing?"
"Ah! Careful, that's a Blast Seed!" Flare cautioned. "You can eat a Blast Seed to breathe fire at the target in front of you."
"Cool, I want to breathe fire!" Shelly cried.
"No, you take damage too!" Flare snatched the seed away. "We have to use this when facing enemy Pokemon. If possible, we could save it for our fight against Zubat and Koffing."
"Awww! Fine, we save it." Shelly agreed, crossing her arms.
"I'm sorry, Shelly." Flare apologized. "But at your current level, 5, this seed is very damaging. It could knock you out in one hit if you're not careful."
"Well... Apology accepted." Shelly replied. "But on one condition: I get to throw it at the gas ball. He'll probably explode!"
"Indeed," Flare said. Something tells me that she couldn't possibly be working with my father. She's too innocent. Maybe I'll make her my first friend. If so, I'll guard her with my life to ensure that father never hurts her.
Running through a tunnel, they entered another room only to see two enemies. "Oh man, that's one too many." Shelly whimpered.
"Agreed. Let's get out." The duo fled.
As they ran, they realized that the two enemies were following them. It was another Corsola and a purple shell with a tongue, Shellder. Racing into another room, they ran for the stairs. Shelly stopped and unleashed Thundershock, defeating Shellder. Then the duo ran down the steps, narrowly avoiding the Corsola.
The next room they were in had two Shellder and 3 Blast Seeds. Beating both of the Shellder with Thundershock and Ember, they went up another tunnel. They finally found the last staircase and went down it. Time to beat Zubat and Koffing, Shelly thought, pawing the Blast Seed.
Time to get mother's Relic Fragment back, Flare thought.
They entered a sandbar surrounded by water and large rocks. Zubat and Koffing were in front of them, backs to them. They were mumbling about something.
"Uh... Hey!" Flare called.
The two thieves turned, realizing that they weren't alone anymore. "Well, well..." Koffing grunted. "If it isn't our old friend, the big chicken."
"Urk!" Flare stepped backward, only to step forward again. "Give me... Give me back what you stole from me! That's my personal treasure! It means everything to me!" It's my only means of escape from my father.
"Treasure, you say?" Zubat repeated. "So that thing really is valuable, huh?"
"It could be worth more than we'd hoped for, I'd say." Koffing added. "We ought to try selling it. Who knows? It might get a good price. Whoa-ho-ho! All the more reason not to give it back!"
Flare gasped as a memory hit her. "What?!"
She was just a young Vulpix with a single white tail. Her mother, a beautiful Ninetales, was resting beside Flare and her siblings. Her father, as usual, was never around to see his children. "Mommy, where's daddy?" Flare asked one day.
"Your father is very busy. I fear that what he is doing could endanger everything: this world, all Pokemon, us..." Ninetales whispered. "Flare, I want you to have something. It's my personal treasure called a Relic Fragment."
"Relic Fragment...?" The young Vulpix looked at the swirling patterns on the stone. "It's so pretty."
"Your father gave that to me. When you come of age to leave the nest, I want you to take that with you. I fear your father may use it for evil purposes."
"Why?"
"I don't know, dear." Ninetales admitted. "I really don't know."
Years passed before disaster struck. Ninetales was taken to a giant tower-like structure in order to forfeit her control over the Relic Fragment. Flare followed, not wanting her mother to be all alone. What she saw next was horrifying.
There was a giant beast with glowing red eyes glaring down at her mother, demanding she hand over her Relic Fragment if she ever wanted to see her family again. Ninetales refused and the beast attacked her. Flare's father stood to the side, watching his wife being beaten. Once it was over, hordes of purple things surrounded Ninetales.
Her father stepped forward. "I'll ask for the last time, dear. Where is the Relic Fragment I gave you?" he asked.
"In a place you'll never find it. If you had come to visit more often, you might know where it is." Ninetales hissed. "Why give it to me if you were going to take it back?"
"I thought you would do as I ordered." He replied. "I never thought that you'd be so defiant."
"Too bad."
"Search her," he ordered the purple things. "Find the Relic Fragment. The Sableye who finds it will have the honor of training one of my children."
The Sableye instantly searched her. Flare watched in terror before fleeing. The giant thing with red eyes noticed. "INTRUDER!!" it roared.
"Flare?!" her father cried. Then it hit him. "Forget searching my wife! Catch my daughter! She must have it! Catch her!"
Flare ran as fast as she could. Her dying mother started weaving a spell, the tips of her tails glowing. The giant thing noticed and attacked again, but that didn't stop her. A portal ripped open in front of Flare and she fell, screaming, into it.
The portal closed and her tails stopped glowing. "You little wench!" her father roared, tearing Ninetales' throat out.
"Have a nice trip, dear Flare." Ninetales gasped softly. "You'll never find her and you know why, dear."
Her father roared in anger.
"If you want it back that badly..." Zubat started. "Come and get it! Heh-heh-heh!"
And the battle started! Shelly use Growl just before the thieves got too close. Once they were within range, Flare unleashed Ember. It hurt Koffing but didn't take him out. He used Poison Gas on Shelly, poisoning her. Zubat struck hard. Drat! Flare thought. I've got nothing to get rid of the poison! Shelly, you'll have to hang in there for a bit longer.
Shelly attacked with Thundershock. Zubat used Leech Life, regaining HP while Koffing tackled Flare. Flare used Ember, knocking Koffing under half his HP. Shelly smirked as she ate the Blast Seed, blowing fire at Koffing. He was down, leaving Zubat all alone. With an Ember, Zubat was down too.
The duo was on the ground, beaten. "Owowow..." Koffing groaned.
"Ugh..." Zubat whimpered. "...We got roughed up..."
Once they got back up, Koffing coughed before speaking. "B-Blast it... How'd we get wiped out by wimps like them?"
"Bah!" Zubat spat angrily. "Here you go. Take it, then!" He tossed them the Relic Fragment.
"Whoa-ho!" Koffing laughed. "Don't think you're so awesome. Your victory was a fluke!"
"Yeah, you just remember that!" Zubat agreed. The duo fled.
"Oh! It's my Relic Fragment!" Flare cried, picking up the stone and hugging it to her chest. "Am I ever glad...I actually did manage to get it back...It's only because you agreed to help me, Shelly." Flare was tearing up a bit. "Thank you, Shelly!"
The duo left the dungeon in high spirits. Once they were back on the beach, Flare faced Shelly once more. "Thank you very much!"
Shelly smiled. ...I only helped because I happened to be there...Was that the right thing to do? I guess so. This Pokemon is clearly grateful. It's nice to be appreciated.
Flare stepped forward and put the Relic Fragment in front of Shelly. "Here's what they stole. My mother called it a Relic Fragment. It's my one treasure and my last gift from my mother."
Reaching forward with a single paw, Shelly touched the stone. Then she saw a flash of light. What's that? Another flash. Oh man, I feel dizzy... A third flash. What's happening to me? Darkness and then a strip of light. Suddenly she was back in Beach Cave, fighting Zubat and Koffing. After a moment, the image vanished in a flash. What as that? I relived the battle with Zubat and Koffing. How did that happen? Shaking off the dizziness, she looked at Flare and started listening to her again.
"You see, I've always liked legends and lore...I always get so excited when I hear tales of the past! Don't you feel the same way? Hidden troves full of treasure and strange relics, mysteries just begging to be solved..."
Shelly shrugged. "Maybe. I can't remember though. I actually can't remember anything except my name and that I'm human. I wonder why."
"Sorry, I keep forgetting that." Flare turned to look at the sea. "...Uncharted territories veiled in darkness and new lands just waiting to be discovered! Such places must be full of unimaginable gold and treasure. And history! Wouldn't it be amazing to make historic discoveries?"
"Yeah, it would be amazing." Shelly said. Maybe I can find out who I really am that way, through history.
Flare turned back to Shelly. "That's what I always dream of. It's all exciting to me. So one day...My mother gave me my Relic Fragment. I admit that it first looked like a normal rock but take a closer look." Both stepped closer, looking at the designs on its surface. "See? That inscription forms a strange pattern, doesn't it?"
It's true. There is a strange inscription. Shelly thought. I've never seen a pattern like this.
"There must be some significance to this pattern." Flare continued. "This Relic Fragment must be the key to legendary places. To areas where precious treasure lies! At least that's the feeling I get. Mother must've had that feeling too." Father might've as well. Is that why he wanted it?
"Why don't you ask your mother about the pattern?" Shelly asked.
Flare hung her head. "I can't. I don't know where she is anymore. I don't even think mother's alive anymore." She sniffed.
"What?! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up! I'm sorry!" Shelly cried.
"No, it's okay. I'm used to it now. It happened a while ago." Flare explained. "That's why I want to join an exploration team." The sun was nearly set. "This fragment must fit into something...somewhere! I want to discover where that is. I want to solve the mystery of my Relic Fragment! I also want to know if my mother is all right." I doubt she is with father around. Knowing him, he killed her.
"An exploration...team?" Shelly repeated, confused.
"Earlier, I tried joining an Exploration Team as an apprentice...But I chickened out." Flare whimpered. "What about you, Shelly? What are you going to do now? You lost your memory. And you somehow transformed into a Pokemon...Do you have anywhere to go and stay after this?"
"No, I don't." Shelly replied, hanging her head. ...I have no memory so how could I have a place to stay? Maybe I'll just sleep on the beach...
"Can I ask a big favor of you, then?" Flare asked.
"Sure!"
"Would you be willing to form an exploration team with me? After what we did in Beach Cave, I'm convinced that I can form an effective exploration team with you, Shelly." Flare said. "So will you? Please?"
Whoa! What should I do? Shelly thought, freaking out. I'm getting recruited out of the blue! I don't even know what an exploration team is...What should I do? Should I join this Pokemon and form an exploration team?
Flare waited patiently. If you're not my father's spy, then an exploration team is my only option. Father can't track me if I'm in a large group or he would use you against me. Please say yes.
Shelly nodded. "Sure, let's do it." It's true, I don have nowhere to go...I don't have any clue what I should do next. I guess it wouldn't hurt to team up with Flare for now. Maybe I'll eventually discover who or what I am by hanging out with this Pokemon. Ok! That's settled!
"Yes? Really?!" Flare cried. "You'll form an exploration team with me? Yes! Thank you!" She started jumping around happily. "We're going to be a great combination! Let's make this work!"
The Vulpix looked out at the sea. "First, we should go to Wigglytuff's place and sign up as apprentices. That's where we need to train to become a first-rate exploration team." She looked at Shelly with determination. "I'm sure the training will be very tough...But let's give it our best, Shelly!" The duo clapped paws.
And so...Flare and Shelly...formed an exploration team. This turned out to be...their very first step into...many fantastic realms of adventure that awaited their arrival.
--
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I already have the next two chapters done but I'll wait a bit before posting them. So, what do you think? I hope I did good and kept close to the plot, but with my own twists. Please review!