Spice of Life: Chapter 8: Crazy Canyon
 
The group had been walking for about an hour now, and yet Cyn still continued to be distracted by the presence of her Persian ex-partner. She couldn't bring herself to smile at him, only to glare a little less than she otherwise would have. Her eyes drifted over to the Leafeon, “How much further do you think it'll be, Doc?”
 
“I can't really know that, Cyn. I've only been taking notes of the path we've taken to get to where we are.” Leaf replied as he lowered the notepad and pen rested on the vines coming out from the grass-like tufts on his paws. He grinned back at her excitedly as he nodded back at the adventurer's bag on his back, “But don't worry, we've managed to pick up a lot of berries... some of them I don't even recognize! I'll have to mark down where I found them on the map.”
 
“That won't help you find them again. It's called a Mystery Dungeon for a reason, y'know.” Malus spoke up with a scoff and his default smirk, “The whole place changes every day. I can't claim to understand it, but it sure makes it harder to stick to the whole 'adventuring' thing.”
 
“You're free to leave the guild if you'd like, Malus. Just give me your badge and I'll send you back to do the paperwork,” Auric offered, holding out his own badge to the cat as he prepared to send him back. The Persian just rolled his eyes at the Lucario and continued to walk on ahead, Auric decided to take it as a 'no' and carried on.
 
The canyon seemed to twist and turn even as they walked down it, Cyn was rapidly understanding why the one who discovered it decided to call the dungeon 'Crazy Canyon'. She glanced over her shoulder briefly to check the way they had come, only to see a cloud of dust rapidly moving towards them.
 
“Everyone off the path!” Cyn yelled, grabbing the Leafeon by his scruff and leaping to one side of the path. She pressed herself against the canyon wall as the Lucario and Persian raced to the other side, following her lead and pressing their backs to the wall just in time to avoid getting trampled by the first Taurus. They continued to charge, sprinting and yelling as they showered the adventuring team with dust and dirt.
 
...then just as quickly as they had come, they were gone. Cyn breathed out a sigh of relief as she put the doctor down and moved back to the center of the path to watch the dust cloud fade into the distance, “What do you think that was all about?”
 
“They must've been in a hurry to get somewhere,” Malus replied... the ground began to tremor and for a moment he wondered if they were coming back. Thud, Thud, Thud. The heavy footsteps echoed through the canyon as the adventurers turned towards the noise. Malus gulped, then cleared his throat, “...Or they were in a hurry to get away from somewhere.” he corrected himself.
 
Before long the spiky, thorn-like mask of the pokemon's crown came into view. As it came closer the shuddering of it's giant feet vibrated through the canyon, shaking the adventurers and unsettling the dust on the canyon walls. The Tyrantrum's eyes narrowed on the four pokemon who dared to remain when all others had fled. He roared out, his mouth opening wide as his challenge bellowed throughout the dungeon.
 
“Run,” Auric muttered, taking a few steps back before breaking into a sprint, “Run! Hurry!” he repeated himself. The adventurers were quick to follow his example as the Tyrantrum chased after them, roaring out menacingly as the hunt began. Each step he took sent tremors across the canyon, breaking pieces off its walls and dropping them down towards the party.
 
“He's gaining on us!” Cyn yelled, leaping over one of the rocks as it smashed down infront of her. Her eyes darted back and forth as she checked everyone was still with her. She could see the doctor was already struggling to keep up, and unfortunately Malus was still bounding ahead, almost looking like he might have taken over Auric.
 
The Leafeon stumbled as he tripped over one of the vines he was using to hold the map. His face slammed against the ground as he landed on his front, kicking up a small cloud of dust. He turned just in time to see the underside of the Tyrantrum's rapidly approaching foot. He curled up as he braced for impact... the sounds of the dinosaur's charge suddenly stopped. He was almost afraid to open his eyes.
 
He decided to hazard a peek at his fate, and to his surprise found himself in one piece. Auric stood above him holding the heavy foot back with a staff made out of a long, glowing bone. He grunted as he lowered himself as though he were about to cave in, only to shove back against the foot forcefully to throw the Tyrantrum onto it's rear with a smash and a roar.
 
“Get behind me!” Auric growled, spinning the bone staff and sending off sparks of light energy as he took a few hops back to prepare himself. The Leafeon fled to join the others behind the rock as the Lucario leaped into action, his weapon raised high as he let out a battle cry. The Tyrantrum roared in response, his jaws opening to accept the incoming snack.
 
The Lucario met his mark on the tongue, but before the jaw could shut him in he wedged the staff between its teeth, keeping it pried open and buying him some time. He gripped onto it with one hand to keep it steady as he turned back towards the gaping throat. The T-Rex's roaring left him covered in drool and slobber as the Tyrantrum thrashed about in an attempt to get its prey to fall into its throat's red abyss.
 
Auric raised his free hand to the roof of the mouth, his palm began to glow with an intense blue light as he charged up his move, only to leap off the tongue and slam it into the front of the Tyrantrum's canine. It howled out in agony as the Lucario burst free from its mouth, bringing with him a tooth almost half his size.
 
The dinosaur let out one final roar of revenge before leaping onto the wall of the canyon, landing at the top of it and charging off deeper into the dungeon. Auric breathed out a sigh of relief and shook the drool off his fur, glancing over at the others, who watched him in stunned silence.
 
“S-sorry.” Cyn began as she made her way over, “I know I was meant to help you that time, I just...”
 
“I had a type advantage, you wouldn't have.” the Lucario insisted, crossing his arms as he turned his attention to the fang. He made his way over to it and ran his hand over the surface curiously, it was still wet with the pokemon's drool, “I think you may have your first trophy.”
 
“I think we may have our first fan.” The Leafeon replied, pointing towards the distance. The bird pokemon stood on the horizon, though it was hard to tell how long he had been there. Slowly he began to take small steps towards them... and by the time they had caught their breath, he had arrived.
 
“Xatu, we came looking for you.” Auric began, adjusting his shoulder plates as he tried to make himself from presentable, though it was hard with all the drool still dripping off his fur. “I wasn't expecting to find you so soon though. I thought you'd be further into the dungeon.”
 
“I am where I am, because I cannot be where I am not.” the bird replied solemnly, blinking slowly as he responded, “For what reason do you seek me, member of the guild? Do you seek my knowledge on this dungeon?”
 
“Woah, how did he know Auric was a member of the guild?” Malus gasped in astonishment, “Did he see his past? ...or did he read his mind?” he flicked his ears back and lowered himself defensively as the thought came to him, “You'd better stay out of my mind, birdy.”
 
“He has a guild badge hanging from his shoulder plate,” Xatu replied, pointing up to the shiny golden badge hanging off of Auric's armour. The doctor couldn't help but chuckle a little, at least until the Persian shot a glare over at him.
 
“We were, actually... among other things.” Auric continued the conversation from Xatu's question, deciding to ignore the cat as he rested his hands on the small of his back formally, batting some of the remaining drool off his tail as he cleared his throat to address him. “The United Pokemon Adventurer's Guild is offering you another chance to join our ranks as an advisor, Xatu. Your knowledge would be a great benefit to our cause.”
 
“I did not gain my knowledge from remaining in one place, Auric.” Xatu replied, resting his wings across his chest as he stepped closer to the group, “I will once again decline your invitation, in the interest of continuing to seek wisdom in the world outside the walls of the guild hall.”
 
“I understand, thank you.” Auric replied, bowing his head in thanks before turning to the others. He had gotten his answer, and even if it wasn't the one he had hoped for, he would give them a chance to get theirs, “My companions had some questions for you too.”
 
“Then I have answers... but first, advice.” Xatu said as he turned to face the others. The emptyness of his eyes had a haunting feel to them, it was as though they looked -beyond- you, into your simplest essence. “...Cyn. Three rubies shall seal your fate.”
 
“Oh... cheerful.” Cyn flicked her ears back, not liking the prophecy one bit. She cleared her throat in an attempt to shake off the bird's premonition,“But, that's not what we were actually here to ask about-”
 
“The food chain pulls from both ends, Malus.” the Xatu added, turning his gaze onto the Persian, who kept his distance from the large pokemon as it leered over him. The bird shuffled closer still, and as the Persian went to move away he wrapped a wing around him to hold him in place, gazing into his eyes.
 
“Whatever you say, buddy... huh, you're a lot bigger than I thought you'd be.” Malus replied with a nervous chuckle, his tail twitching cautiously as he ducked under the wing and backed off once more, “Got any more cryptic death threats, or are you done for the day?”
 
“The one called Spice should be cautious around mirrors, or his vanity will consume him.” The Xatu added. Cyn was a little surprised by the mention of the Ninetales. The Xatu could have just been tailing them the entire adventure and heard them say each-others names, but Spice's hadn't come up since they left Clearsping... at least, not out loud. She waited, seeing If he had said all he had to say.. after a few minutes he bowed his head and turned to go, “Fates be kind.”
 
“Hey, we didn't ask you our question!” Cyn snapped at him, the fur on her tail standing on end in anger as she prowled over to him, her tail lashing about in the air.
 
“Then perhaps you should have asked me when I paused to let you ask questions.” The Xatu replied, leaving the shiny Liepard speechless as he turned to face her once more. “By your silence, I assumed you had heard all you wished to hear.”
 
“We want to know how to grow Reviver seeds,” The Leafeon interjected, raising a paw to get the pokemon's attention, “We heard that you might know how, seeing as you know everything about everything...” he paused with an awkward chuckle, “Including everything about us, it would seem.”
 
“There is nothing to be ashamed of,” Xatu insisted quietly, leaving the Leafeon blushing a little as he cleared his throat. The Xatu remained emotionless, only bowing his head in thought as he continued, “Reviver seeds are not hard to grow, they just take far more time than any other to do so. They must gather the powers of nature to fulfill their purpose... this can take fifty years at a time.”
 
“Fifty years? Just to grow a sapling?” The Leafeon gasped in surprise.
 
“Indeed.” Xatu chirped in agreement before gesturing with his wing, “Of course, the demand for them has always been high... ancient herbologists sought to create more, and so they created the Rainbow Lenses, special lenses that focus the sunlight into a single spot.”
 
“Wouldn't that just cause the seed to burst into flames?” Malus asked, stepping forward to get in on the conversation as his fear of the large bird was temporarily subsided, “Seems like a waste of a Reviver seed.”
 
“The lenses do not focus the light in that way, indeed I prefer to think of it as focusing the energy of the sun.” Xatu explained. He turned back to the Persian as he spoke, much to the cat's discomfort, “They gather the energy of the sun's light and send it into the seed... it allows it to grow much faster.”
 
“So then if we had one of these Rainbow Lenses, we'd be able to grow a Reviver seed sapling in a reasonable amount of time? ...maybe even in a day?” The Leafeon asked, his tail swishing back and forth as he grinned over at Cyn enthusiastically, “It sounds like an excellent mission for us.”
 
“There are not many of them that have not been claimed by the Guild. They have gathered most of them for their own storage, and would not allow such a small team to acquire one from them.” The Xatu added solemnly. Doc Leaf wilted noticably at the news, only for the bird to continue after a pause, “But there is one nearby.”
 
“Seriously? There's a Rainbow Lense out here in the canyon?” Malus gasped at the news, glancing around as thought he'd be able to see it laying on the ground. Finally he turned back to the Xatu for a hint, “Well, where is it?”
 
“You will find it further in, guarded by the tribe of the canyon. Be cautious, remember what I have told you, and be wise in your actions from here on out.” The Xatu bowed his head once more before moving to leave once again, “Fates be kind.”
 
The group watched as the Xatu left, a little unsure of what to do with the new information. One by one their gazes drifted to Cyn, who shrugged her shoulders and turned to continue up the path, “C'mon. Let's go find this 'tribe of the canyon' and get that Rainbow Lense.”
 
“I'm not sure how I feel about stealing from the locals,” The Leafeon spoke up as he hurried to catch up with the others, “What if they need the Rainbow Lense? What if it's important to their survival out here in the wild?”
 
“If they needed it so much they wouldn't keep dropping berries and seeds around the place,” Malus replied, reaching down to pick up yet another Blast seed as they walked over it. He slipped it into his bag before glancing around, “So, where do we go now?”
 
“Just keep following me, Malus.” Cyn replied, keeping her eyes on the road ahead as she continued along. The canyon continued to twist and turn as they went further in, finding the dusty road slowly becoming more grassy the further they went in. The Liepard paused as she noticed something on the ground... a trap? No, it looked more like a set of steps leading downwards. Glancing back at the group she took her first step into the darkness.
 
 
-Entering Floor 2-
 
 
The world shifted around the adventuring team as Cyn's paw touched the ground, all at once they found themselves in the middle of a large clearing with two paths leading out of it. Auric took in the new surroundings with an approving nod and a smile, meanwhile the Leafeon frantically tried to figure out how to draw this on his map.
 
“What was that? Did we just step on a warp trap?” Doc Leaf asked as he looked around. The area seemed completely different... he couldn't even see the path they had used to get there, “How are we going to get back?”
 
“Once we've completed the mission we'll use our badges to return back to Clearspring,” Auric informed him, resting his hands behind his back as he took in their new surroundings, “Mystery Dungeons will turn you around if you let them. It's best to just keep moving towards the objective, following your instinct rather than trying to find a pattern or a path.”
 
“My instinct is telling me we should probably keep moving, we don't want to have to camp out overnight,” Malus replied as he wandered ahead, getting into a little race with Cyn as he tried to keep himself at the front of the group, much to her aggravation.
 
“Malus, stop it.” Cyn snapped, pushing herself infront of him as she marched on ahead down one of the paths, her ears pinning back as she heard the cat groan in annoyance. “Would you take this seriously? We could run into that tribe at any moment.”
 
“There's not going to be a tribe, Cyn. You don't really believe all that stuff he said, do you?” Malus rolled his eyes, glancing back at the other two to make sure they were keeping up before grinning back at the Liepard, “He was messing with us.”
 
“Why would he mess with us? And furthermore, how would he know about Spice if he wasn't really able to see the future?” the Leafeon asked, moving forward to join the conversation, “I don't know about you two, but I think it's in our best interests to keep his warnings in mind. They might just save our lives one day.”
 
“Oh yeah? Well, mine was garbage. 'Food chain pulling from both ends', what's that supposed to mean anyway?” the Persian grinned, perking his ears as he spotted something up ahead. A small green Gulpin laid lazily on the dust floor. For a moment it appeared as though it may have been sleeping, or if not it was resting.
 
It's mouth opened just enough for a black paw to escape it and grope around in an attempt to find something to grab onto, though the pokemon quickly sucked it back in and gulped it down. Malus grinned in amusement as he stepped off the path to investigate it, “Well well well, what do we have here?”
 
The Gulpin's mouth flew open again as the Umbreon emerged once again, pulling his upper half free. He glanced up at the Persian, reaching out a paw and flailing it rapidly, “H-hey!” he gasped breathlessly, dripping with drool and sweat, “Pull me out!”
 
“Having a bad day, huh?” Malus smirked down at the dark-type as he tapped the Umbreon's nose, watching as it's expression turned from one of hope to confusion. The Persian purred as he sat back on his haunches, “Get back in there, Umbre-snack. You're not going anywhere.”
 
“That pokemon needs our help!” Auric gasped, running over to the Gulpin to grab the Umbreon. His paw was intersected by Malus' tail before he got close, and the Umbreon disappeared into the Gulpin's mouth once more with a heavy 'Gllrk!'. The Lucario stared at the Persian in disbelief, “What in Arceus' name were you thinking? We have to rescue him before it's too late.”
 
“Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Auric. The little guy -did- catch him fair and square.” Malus replied matter-of-factly, looking up at the Lucario as he spoke. He looked serious, for once. “You know predators have to eat too, right? Seriously, rescue teams are always helping the prey, but never helping the predator.”
 
The Umbreon pulled himself free of the Gulpin once more, snatching at the air desperately as the ring on his head and ears began to glow blue. The Persian glanced down at him, purring curiously for a moment, “Oh hey, shiny. Heh, the little guy has good taste.”
 
“St-stop playing around, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up!” The Umbreon begged. He turned to Auric for help, seeing as he seemed to be the more professional of the two... and yet, the Lucario stayed back as his mind battled with itself, “Oh, come on!” he cried out.
 
“Sorry kid, law of the wild.” Malus grinned, putting his paw on the Umbreon's head and pushing him back towards the Gulpin, which was rapidly gulping in an attempt to loosen the dark-type's grip, “Don't feel bad though, shinies get eaten all the time. Why else would you be so rare?” he grinned over at Cyn as he continued, licking his lips playfully as he eyed her up, “They're just so much better tasting than us regular pokemon.”
 
“Don't even think about it, Malus.” Cyn flicked her ears back, bearing her fangs as her fur stood on end. The Leafeon began to trail his vines down her back in an attempt to comfort her, but she batted the vines off of her as her tail slashed at the air, “And if what you're saying is true, you should stop interfering too. Leave it to the Umbreon and Gulpin to decide how this plays out.”
 
“Alright, alright. Spoilsport.” Malus rolled his eyes before looking back at the Umbreon, turning to move back to the group as his tail flicked at his nose, “Don't feel bad, little guy. You're probably going to be tiny part of what makes this Gulpin evolve. Then maybe he'll be able to hunt a real challenge.”
 
“Better give him a headstart, you look big enough.” The Umbreon snapped, grabbing at the Persian's tail in a last ditch attempt at freedom before he disappeared back behind the Gulpin's puckered lips. Malus' eyes widened as he found his tail rapidly disappearing into the Gulpin, despite being a quarter of his size the pokemon was quickly packing him away as the Umbreon held on.
 
“L-let go of me!” Malus growled, digging his claws into the ground to keep himself in place before turning to the rest of his team as they watched on curiously. His eyes widened in terror as he scrambled to get away from the voracious pokemon, blushing over his predicament as he tried to free himself. “Would you guys stop staring and just help me?!”
 
“Sorry Malus, we're not meant to interfere with nature. But who knows, maybe when we come back you'll be gone and your 'new friend' will be a Swalot.” Cyn giggled behind her paw before turning as she gestured to the other two pokemon, “Come on, guys. Back to the mission.”
 
“W-wait, hold on! You can't just leave me here!” Malus yelled out, finding his back legs pulled into the pokemon's mouth as it continued to rapidly gulp away at him, it's tiny digits wiggling in delight as the Umbreon shaped bulge was pressed against it's back, still squirming and shoving at the walls with his backpaws as his forepaws clung to the Persian's tail, “Let go of me, runt! You're going to get us both eaten!”
 
“Misery loves company, jackass!” The Umbreon called back immediately, beginning to climb up the Persian's tail until his claws stuck into Malus' haunches. The cat let out a yowl as he bolted away from the pain, escaping the Gulpin's mouth and dashing past the rest of his team. After a brief sulk the Gulpin wiggled it's way back into the canyon to search for something else to fill it.
 
“Ah, good. I thought you might come around and rescue him, Malus.” Auric noted as he approached, one hand reaching out to the Umbreon as it leaped off the Persian's rear. “I hope you're not hurt.”
 
“Only a little digested, no biggy.” the Umbreon replied sarcastically, flicking his ears back as he glared up at the Lucario before looking to the rest of the group, “Thanks for your help, by the way. Glad to see that pokemon rescue teams are doing their job.”
 
“I'd have stepped in eventually, I just wanted to see what Malus would do.” Cyn replied with a shrug, “I'm trying him out, seeing if he's worth keeping around or if he'd rather spend his time screwing with pokemon rather than helping them out.” she added, shooting the Persian glare as she mentioned him.
 
“Hey, that was all on you, Cyn. With that kind of leadership what did you expect me to do?” the cat retorted, dusting himself off before looking down at the Umbreon and batting his paw at his blue rings curiously, “Oh hey, you really are shiny.”
 
“And you're the worst adventurer I've ever met.” the Umbreon noted before looking to Cyn with a grin, “You, on the other hand, seem to have a recruitment drive going... I could probably show you a thing or two about rescuing pokemon if you let me come along.”
 
“Excuse me?” Cyn flicked her ears back, her eyes narrowing on the Umbreon as she moved closer to inspect him, “Did you just question my ability to rescue pokemon, or ask to join my team?”
 
“Let's call it 'B' but keep 'A' in mind for the future,” the Umbreon grinned, reaching out a paw to shake hers, “I'm Rune, glad to meet another shiny out here. And a dark type too! We're practically twins.” he grinned enthusiastically.
 
“Cyn.” She replied increduously as she shook the shiny Umbreon's paw, finding it hard to share his excitement as she shook some of the drool that had clung to his paw off of her own. “So, you really want to join The Winners, Rune? I mean, we've only just met and we didn't exactly rescue you.”
 
“No, but you gave me what I needed to rescue myself. A bigger pokemon to grab onto,” Rune said as he turned to the Persian, “Besides, have you ever lived in a mystery dungeon with a tribe of Shinx? They're not exactly the most hospitable to non-felines. I'd be better off anywhere than here.”
 
“A Tribe?” The Leafeon gasped, stepping over to the Umbreon as he heard the words, “So you know where they live?”
 
“I know where we'll probably find them. With mystery dungeons you can't really say 'where', but I'll know the signs when I see them.” Rune replied as he stepped forward to lead the group, “Follow me, team! They're not too far from here.”
 
“Hold on, Rune.” Auric said, finally speaking up as he moved over to Cyn's side. “I'm sorry, Cyn. But the guild rules specifically state that a party can be no larger than four pokemon. Otherwise you risk terrifying the locals and leaving the mystery dungeons barren and empty.”
 
“So I have to send someone back? Well, that's stupid.” Cyn flicked her ears back as she heard the news, she already had in mind who she might send. She began to approach the Persian, her badge raised and beginning to charge itself up, “Oh well. Come on, Malus. Let's get you back home. I'm sure Typh will give you a warm welcome.”
 
“I'll just walk back, thanks.” Malus grinned nervously as he stepped back. He had had enough of Typh's 'warm welcomes' to last him a lifetime, and that was back before he had evolved into a Swampert.
 
“Actually, I'm afraid there's only one pokemon present who could be sent back, and that would be our new companion.” Auric announced, gesturing to the Umbreon, “In the event that the party becomes too full, the newest recruit is always sent back first to ensure their safe return to the adventurer's head-quarters.”
 
“Better luck next time, Cyn.” Malus smirked before turning to look at Rune, “Alright, you heard the Lucario. Go meet the rest of the team, I'm sure you'll be close by the time we get back.” he couldn't help but snicker behind his paw before waving the Umbreon off, “See you back at home, shortstuff.”
 
“See you back at home, preyboy.” Rune replied with a knowing grin, his tail wagging back and forth as Cyn's badge turned to face him instead. He closed his eyes, and in a brilliant flash of light he disappeared into the sky.
 
“...Wait.” Doc Leaf spoke up, watching the beam of light as it took the Umbreon back to the Den. He looked over at Cyn, clearing his throat before smiling awkwardly, “...We may have forgotten to ask where the tribe was.”
 
Cyn froze, her badge held out before her to where Rune had just been standing. It began to tremble as her eye twitched, though her face remained frozen in an expression of slow-boiling rage.
 
“Nice leadership, Cyn. Really, you nailed it this time.” Malus smirked, only to find the golden badge smacking him below his forehead jewel. The Liepard looked down at him briefly before giving him a swift kick to the rear and beginning to lead the party once more.
 
“So, what's the plan?” Auric asked, following after the party's leader as the doctor tended to Malus' broken pride.
 
“What else?” Cyn replied, breathing out a heavy sigh as she continued along the road. It seemed to bend on forever, but at least the Umbreon had mentioned it was close. She turned to Auric, deciding to not leave him hanging as he waited for her to finish her thought.
 
“Follow our instincts.”