[b][u]Spice of Life c24: Winners Never Quit[/u][/b]
 
The Dark Woods were silent as the two explorers entered, heavy bags filled with Reviver Seeds hanging from their sides. The Ninetales turned to the shiny Liepard, giving her the slightest of nods. She returned it, her eyes narrowed in determination as she took the lead.
 
They knew the silence was a ruse. The Dark Woods had been slowly decaying over the past month and a half, and it had left the Pokemon inside manic for any food they could scavenge. The bushes were wilted and bare, the trees creaked as the two passed them by, and the soil beneath their feet felt hard as rock.
 
“No going back, Spice.” Cyn reminded the Ninetales as she searched the empty corridors cut into the trees, “Let’s just find the stairs and get to the next floor.”
 
“I think the Dark Woods only has seven floors.” Spice said, recalling his previous adventures into the forest Mystery Dungeon, “We’ll be encountering a lot of Poison- and Bug-types, both of which I should be able to scare away with my fire.”
 
“Suddenly I’m really glad I let you tag along,” Cyn replied, glancing over her shoulder as the two walked back to back through the dungeon, their eyes scanning the bushes for any signs of movement. As they continued to creep along, Cyn felt her paw hit something, a pair of broken glasses on the floor.
 
“X-ray Specs,” she noted under her breath, picking them up and shaking the dirt off of them. The lense in the left eye was broken, but the right eye still seemed to be mostly intact. She brought them up to her eyes and began to look around, distant flickers of red and blue appearing before her eyes.
 
Suddenly the red flickers stopped moving, and rapidly grew larger and larger. “Damn it.” she hissed, shoving the Specs into her bag, “We need to move.”
 
“What? Why?” Spice gasped.
 
“NOW!” Cyn shouted, shoving the Ninetales and sprinting past him. The distant rumble of footsteps was enough to convince Spice, and soon the two were running at full force through the forest as Pokemon dropped from the trees around them, slashing at them with their claws and gnashing their teeth.
 
The Liepard ducked under a Beedrill as it whizzed over her head, narrowly avoiding the sharp needle on its tail as she did so. The path forked up ahead, and she only had precious seconds to decide on their path.
 
Her mind raced, trying to recall the locations of the items the X-ray Specs had revealed, and she took a sharp right. Spice’s paws skidded rapidly against the floor, unable to turn as quickly as the Liepard. He stumbled, barely managing to keep up as she continued to race ahead. “Come on!” she shouted back at him.
 
“Cyn, look out!”
 
The Liepard turned just in time to find the Beedrill from before swooping into her. This time it made its mark, its stinger jabbing into her right side. She struggled to free herself, yelling out in pain from the super-effective move as she opened her jaws, a powerful blast of ghostly energy firing out from them at the Beedrill and sending it reeling off into the trees.
 
Cyn choked and stumbled, though as she fell towards the ground, her entire body flashed. She caught her footing and felt around her side, finding the wound had completely vanished… but so had the energy of one of her seeds. “Twenty four!” she called back to Spice, gesturing to her bag.
 
A yelp from the Ninetales snapped her focus back to her partner, and her eyes widened in shock at the sight: the Ninetales was covered in stingers, and he staggered forward as the final one struck into the small of his back. Spice whimpered and shut his eyes, feeling the Reviver Seed burst in his bag and wash him with his restorative energy. Like Cyn, his wounds were healed in an instant, and the stingers rattled against the floor around him. “...Twenty four…” he concluded, wincing at the memory of the pain as the two continued to run.
 
As they rounded the corner, they found themselves met with a wall of Pokemon, though they could see the stairway to the next level dug into the ground behind them. “The stairs!” Cyn yelled, pointing ahead towards the grey steps in the mix of brown dirt and dry leaves.
 
“I’ll clear the way,” Spice called, leaping ahead of the Liepard. His jaws opened, the intense glow of his flames growing until he unleashed a jet of Flamethrower over the crowd. The Pokemon fled off the path, and the Ninetales charged through the flames with his tails spread out, shielding the Liepard as she ran behind him.
 
The two didn’t stop running until they were down the stairs and onto the next floor, the path they had taken fading behind them as they touched the ground.
 
“That was amazing, a few more floors like that and we’ll have the Lense back where it belongs,” Cyn panted, sitting back on her haunches as she looked back the way they had come.
 
“I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer not to go through that again anytime soon,” Spice shivered, his fur fluffing out at the memory. “These Pokemon are much stronger than we thought; this must easily be an A-rank dungeon.”
 
“S-rank… I checked before the meeting this morning.” Cyn tucked her ears back as she found the Plain Seed among the Reviver Seeds in her bag and tossed it onto the ground. “Get rid of your Plain Seeds if you can, they’re not going to be much use to us further down the line.”
 
Spice nodded, digging his paw into his bag. Each seed felt as though it had been left out in the sun, or had been cooling after being in the oven for some time. All but one, which was as cold and smooth as stone. He took it out and tossed it to one side, smiling over at the Liepard.
 
Cyn smiled back at him approvingly, only to frown and shake her head. “You used up a Reviver Seed because you were focusing on me, you know. You should have been watching your own back.”
 
“I know, Cyn.” Spice sighed and shook his head. “I know we need to be careful, but I can’t help but look out for you.”
 
“Don’t,” the Liepard replied bluntly, “I can take care of myself, Spice. Just remember that the fewer seeds we use to get through this dungeon, the better.”
 
“Very well, I’ll try to focus on my own survival,” Spice said, his ears flicking back as he looked down each pathway. “Which way do you think we should go? Everything looks the same around here.”
 
“Just trees and bushes,” the Liepard agreed as she wandered down the path to the south, each step she took crinkling the leaves beneath her paws. She paused for a moment as she noticed something glisten among the leaves, and as she brushed them away she found herself staring at a stone tile with a flower carved crudely into it. “Oh hey, careful. There’s a trap here.”
 
“Do you think Kaiser’s men might have planted it?” Spice asked, looking over her shoulder at the tile on the floor.
 
“It looks natural,” Cyn replied with a shake of her head, though as she recalled the group she found herself gazing at the trees. “Kaiser’s men left trail marks though… whenever their base was on a floor, they’d leave markings to show how to get there.”
 
“Oh yes, they looked like arrows.” Spice nodded as he recalled them, wandering ahead slightly. He pressed his paw to one of the trees and narrowed his purple eyes on it, searching for any hidden marks. A glint of red in the shadows caught his attention, but as he went to look at where it had been all he found was darkness. “I don’t think we’re alone.”
 
“Let’s keep moving then, no sense in waiting around,” Cyn said, brushing her side on Spice’s tails as she passed him by. Spice continued to glance over his shoulder as the two continued, all while Cyn lead him with her tail and kept an eye on the ground for traps. “Goddamn, there’s a lot of traps around here.”
 
“I think it’s following us,” Spice whispered, keeping his head down and his tails spread out behind him to guard him from an ambush. A roar swept through the forest, shaking the trees and scattering the Pokemon nesting within. The Ninetales gave a panicked glance to Cyn as the rumble of the horde began once more. “They’re coming!”
 
“Damn it. Just run!” Cyn yelled back, sprinting ahead once more as the Ninetales followed behind her. Traps went off left and right of them, spraying noxious fumes and explosions as the deafening buzz of the Bug-types flying overhead grew louder. Spice turned his head, breathing fire into the air to scare them off. Those he hit fell in crumpled heaps to the floor among the deactivated traps, whereas those who he missed would reconvene the moment the jet of flames ceased.
 
The Liepard’s foot landed on a Fan Trap, which spun to life and launched her high into the air. She screamed and flailed, trying to keep herself upright as she watched the ground grow farther and farther away. Her eyes widened as she saw something among all the chaos, a set of shabby tents surrounded by a wooden wall. “Spice, I see Kaiser’s camp!” she shouted as she began to rapidly descend again.
 
She hit the ground running, her feline agility leaving her well prepared for such a long fall. Spice continued to sprint ahead, looking over his shoulder as the Liepard raced past him, leading the way once again. “Which way?” he called back to her.
 
“Left!” Cyn shouted, taking a sharp left turn. Spice skidded after her, slamming his foot down on a blast trap as he did so and sending an explosion of fire out behind him. His tails spread out to protect the Liepard from the blast, but the burns on their pale yellow fur were clear to see. They could see the Meowth up ahead, armed with slingshots and aiming in their direction as the gates to the camp began to close.
 
Another roar echoed throughout the forest, causing the Meowth to falter just long enough for the two to slip through before the gates slammed shut, sealing the horde outside. Spice collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily as Cyn fell down beside him. “We... made... it…”
 
The sound of elastic being tightened filled their ears, and as they looked around they realised that the Meowth had them surrounded on all sides, their weapons loaded with Blast Seeds and pointed in their direction. “...Oh... “ Cyn managed, glancing over at the Ninetales just in time to see the light of the Reviver Seed wash over his fur. “...Twenty three.” she whispered.
 
“Twenty three what?” One of the taller Meowth asked, his hand raised as if ordering his troops to hold their fire.
 
“I have twenty three Reviver Seeds left,” Spice explained, slowly sitting up and shaking the dirt off of his fur. As the Meowth tugged their weapons he quickly put his paws up in surrender, “Cyn has twenty four.” he continued.
 
“Hm…” the Meowth nodded to himself as he took in the information, his eyes narrowing on the pair. He flicked his finger in a twirl, and the Meowth began to close the distance between themselves and their captives. “...You’d better make that zero.”
 
* * *
 
"Make sure those knots are tight. We don't want them escaping."
 
Cyn and Spice struggled against the bindings, the Liepard glaring daggers into the eyes of the Meowth as they tied them up. She thrashed against the floor as they reached for her bag. "You don't understand, we're friends of Kaiser!"
 
"I think -you- don't understand, lady," the lead Meowth replied, dragging her bag away and tossing it back to two Meowth who immediately began to search it. "We stopped caring what Kaiser thought when he left for town. I'm the leader now, and I say we need your supplies a lot more than you do."
 
"Hey West, the Ninetales has berries!" the Meowth searching Spice shouted.
 
"Good, hand them out. Make sure we have enough left to last us until after the shift." West responded, resting his hand on his hip as he looked down at the Liepard. He reached over to take the other bag from her, but Cyn was quick to roll over to conceal it. "You'd better give me that bag, miss."
 
"Go to hell," Cyn hissed. West responded by giving her a swift kick to the stomach, forcing her to double over. As she prepared to snap back at him two Meowth moved, one pinning her neck to the ground while the other held her body still.
 
"Cyn!" Spice shouted, his tails lashing and knocking the Meowth guarding him off his feet. West narrowed his eyes in the Ninetales' direction before crouching down and grabbing the other bag, tearing the fabric as he ripped it open with his claws.
 
The Meowth gasped as the Rainbow Lense rolled out onto the forest floor, whispering in disbelief among themselves. Cyn's heart sank as West picked it up, holding it between himself and her face. "...Where did you get this?"
 
"The statue at the center of the Dark Woods... we're here to return it to where it belongs," Cyn explained, choosing her words carefully as the Meowth crowded around her. "If we can get it there, everything will go back to normal."
 
"Kaiser always thought it was a myth, that this treasure was nothing but a worthless bauble. Who would have thought it was the only thing holding this place together?" The Meowth muttered as he held it in his paws. Cyn looked past the crowd to Spice, who watched hopelessly as they continued to circle her. "...So, why do you have it?" he frowned.
 
"I took it. I had no idea how important it was at the time," Cyn explained, her ears tucking as she lowered her gaze. "I want to make things right though. I know I can't undo what I've done, but I can at least try to make up for it."
 
"That's pretty noble for a civvy." The Meowth raised his eyebrow. His gaze turned to the bag he had snatched off her, lifting it slightly and giving it a shake, "So, that's what all the Seeds are for? you're just going to charge on through?"
 
"That's the plan," Cyn nodded. "We've only got a few more floors..."
 
"A few more floors covered in Pokemon that can take out entire patrols in a single swipe," West frowned, glaring up into the trees. "We're barely holding them off from taking the camp. And that's not even considering the Scolipede."
 
"Scolipede?" Spice asked, trying to sit up in his bindings by using his tails to prop himself up. "I didn’t realise there was one in the Dark Woods."
 
"That goes for two of us," the Meowth grumbled as the others turned to face him. He turned his gaze to the greying canopy above. "Seen him wandering around today. It’s like he’s looking for something… whatever it is, he hasn’t found it in the camp."
 
"Any idea what he’s trying to find?" Cyn asked.
 
"Might have some thoughts," West noted, crossing his arms as he looked down at the Rainbow Lense. Cyn’s eyes followed his to it, frowning as she picked up on what he meant. "Might explain why he’s here. I suppose the question now is what we’re going to do with this thing. I don’t want to think about what’s going to happen if he finds it in the camp."
 
Spice tucked his ears back at the thought. “What do you think you’ll do?”
 
The Meowth fell silent for some time, his brow furrowed as he considered the new information. He weighed the gem in his paw, staring into it for some time. He flinched and looked away, finally looking over his shoulder at the others. "Guys, untie them."
 
"You sure, West?" A Meowth with a dented forehead coin asked, "They could be tricking us to get out of here."
 
"Yeah, I'm sure. If they wanted to turn back they'd have done it long before they got to us," West replied, snapping his fingers. Two of the Meowth moved to each of the Pokemon, cutting through their bindings with sharpened rocks. "Look, I don't know if you can make it, but you might be our best shot at getting things back to how they were. We're still taking some of your Seeds, but if you get the treasure back where it belongs... well, we'll call it even for taking it in the first place."
 
"We're going to need all our Seeds if we want to make it. There's still five floors between us and the bottom," Cyn frowned, standing up shakily as her paws were untied.
 
"You could stay here and wait for a shift... the land we're on shows up on a different floor every night," West offered. "Your Berries would last us a while if we rationed them. We send our scouts out right after the dungeon shifts at midnight, so it's safe for them to figure out where we are. We're never at the center, but sometimes we end up on the sixth floor."
 
“The longer we wait, the more Pokemon are going to suffer. Besides, if that Scolipede is looking for the lense, it might lead him here if we stay too long,” Cyn replied with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry, but we’re not going to wait around for luck to be on our side.”
 
“Cyn’s right, Pokemon are going manic out there,” Spice agreed with a nod. “If we leave it for too much longer there might not be anyone left to save. Besides, who knows when the shift will put us on the sixth floor?”
 
"It's got to be tomorrow," a Meowth called frantically, one of his arms in a tattered sling as he staggered over to them. "We've been jumping between the fourth and third, it's got to be the sixth tomorrow. Let me scout tonight, I'll prove it."
 
"You're not going scouting again. Settle down," West replied, his gaze turning back to the Liepard as the Ninetales moved to her side, "If you're that serious about going ahead, maybe we can help you. We've been saving a Pure Seed for the day we're on the sixth."
 
"A Pure Seed?" Spice asked, looking over at Cyn.
 
"It teleports you to the stairs when you eat it," Cyn explained.
 
"Right... that's only good for one of us, and I'm not like Kaiser. No one's getting left behind." West frowned, taking the seed from a Meowth as he brought it over to him. Cyn narrowed her eyes at the remark about their former leader, but West continued regardless, "If you plant it in the ground, it'll grow the stairs right at your paws... it takes time though. It's why I want to do it in the camp."
 
Cyn nodded in understanding. "...It's useless to you unless you're on the floor above the center," she objected. “You want to be on the sixth when you use it, so the stairs lead right to the bottom floor of the dungeon.”
 
"Exactly. You get to the sixth, and you can tunnel down to the center. You get to the center, you can go anywhere," West explained, offering the Seed to the duo. "It’ll need enough ground to grow deep enough, and the only place you’ll find that is in a room. It'll take about five minutes to open the way, so you'll want plenty of time with no one around."
 
"That's going to be difficult in this dungeon," Spice said, tucking his ears back. He took the Seed in his paw, feeling the energy radiating from within as he cast a worried glance to Cyn.
 
"I didn't say it was going to be easy. You want to wander around looking for the stairs on every floor, you go ahead." West remarked with a dismissive wave. "If you're accepting our trade, I want ten Reviver Seeds, one for each of our scouts."
 
"Fine." Cyn nodded, gesturing to her bag with her paw. "You can have our Berries too, all we need here are the Oran and the Pecha."
 
"That's generous of you, considering we just held you against your will and looted your bags," West remarked. The confusion was clear in all the Meowths’ faces, though they weren’t about to say no to the offer.
 
"We know you need them more than us," Spice interjected, casting a soft smile over to the Liepard as their bags were presented to them. Spice took his and pulled it back over his torso, "Besides, I'm sure we'd rather be travelling light."
 
"Yeah, no sense in carrying stuff we're not going to use," Cyn agreed, adjusting the bags to either side of her as she returned the Rainbow Lense to its bag.
 
"I scouted this floor right after the last shift. I can get you to the stairway," A Meowth offered, holding up his bandaged hand as he moved to their side. "I know a shortcut, we shouldn't run into any Pokemon on our way there."
 
"Be careful, alright?" West replied. The scout nodded back, giving a quick salute. West just chuckled and shook his head, "Hey, none of that. We're not an army anymore... not without our commander anyway."
 
"Kaiser didn't want to leave you, you know," Spice spoke up as he and Cyn followed the scout towards the southern gate. "I'm certain he was just going to try to find help."
 
"Well... with any luck, he found it," West replied under his breath. Once the Meowth on top of the barricade gave the all-clear, the gate opened, allowing the trio to move through it. West followed them right to the border, the gang of Meowth standing behind him as they watched the adventurers leave. "You two are our last chance. Don't screw it up."
 
"We won't," Cyn replied, looking over her shoulder. The gate closed with a long, groaning creak, and the Meowth led them through the underbrush towards the stairs that would take them deeper into the dungeon.
 
[i]We can't.[/i]
 
* * *
 
The fifth floor, and the paths through the forest, were eerily quiet as Spice and Cyn continued, their eyes scanning the treetops. They lost a great deal of Seeds during their exploration through the third and fourth floors. The duo were lucky enough to find a pond to wash the dirt and dust out of their fur, and moreso that the Water-types living within it were more scared of the Rescue Team than they were of them. The past few encounters had made it clear that their enemies more often than not came from above, swooping down to attack before disappearing back into the canopy.
 
"They must know we're outsiders," Spice noted, glancing over at Cyn briefly before returning his gaze to the sunlight slipping through the holes in the canopy. "Isn't it strange how they don't seem to be attacking each other?"
 
"Kaiser's guys needed to protect themselves from the Bug-type Pokemon though," Cyn reminded him with a shake of her head "So it's not like it's every Pokemon in this dungeon against us, right? It's like... factions or something."
 
"Indeed," Spice nodded at the vague conclusion Cyn had reached. Whatever was going on mattered little in the long run; they were on floor five out of seven. If they could get to the next floor they could plant the Pure Seed in the first room they found, then the whole ordeal would finally be behind them. "...Where do you suppose we'll get the Reviver Seeds for the Den? ...after we return the Lense, I mean."
 
"We'll think of something," Cyn replied dismissively. "We'll go back to what we used to do, we've got a lot more members now anyway. If we split into two groups of four and go for jobs rewarding Seeds... I don't know, it'll be harder to keep ourselves stocked, but it's better than what we're doing now. Besides, Leaf still has the Reviver plants in his garden, they just won’t make seeds as quickly."
 
"Perhaps Pokemon could just bring their own, it seems they're in abundance. ...Unless the only reason it seems that way is because we're the ones providing the whole town," Spice winced as he double-guessed himself. His purple eyes returned to the path ahead, and he gasped as he suddenly raced forward, "Cyn, look!"
 
"What? did we find the stairs?" The Liepard asked, her heart lifting as she turned to see what had caught the Ninetales' attention. There was a circle of scattered stones with leaves piled up in the center, and a tattered tent that looked like it would fall apart if a light breeze blew against it. She smiled weakly, "Oh hey... this is the campsite, isn't it?"
 
"The one we made on the mission when we first found the Lense," Spice replied as he poked his head into the tent, withdrawing it a moment later and dragging a bag with him, "It looks like another team must have used it recently."
 
"Wonder what happened to them." Cyn furrowed her brow. Any sane team would have warped out, likely having to leave things behind as they went. She just hoped that was the case with the bags they had found at the camp. She moved to the fire pit and sat down, taking the quiet moment to clear the Plain Seeds from her bag and count the Reviver ones. "Anything useful?"
 
"A Blowback Orb, an Escape Orb and a Scanner Orb," Spice replied, opening the flap of the bag and tilting it so the Liepard could see inside. "I suppose it's good to know we have a way out if things get too bad."
 
"Useful..." Cyn muttered, taking the Blowback Orb for herself and trying not to lose count of the Reviver Seeds as she placed them on the floor. She looked at the large pile of Plain Seeds before brushing them aside with her paw, seeing the few Reviver Seeds that remained. "...four Seeds left on my end."
 
"I have five," Spice replied, feeling the weight of the bag at his side and listening to the Seeds jostle inside. He took one out and handed it to Cyn. "Here, it's best you have the extra. You're the one leading us, after all."
 
"Thanks Spice... just please be careful, alright?" the Liepard replied as she took the Seed and slipped it into her bag. "I feel bad enough as it is that you're going through all this with me... never thought I'd get used to getting beaten down and…” she hesitated, choosing her words carefully, “... [i]defeated[/i]."
 
"It's quite a strange experience, isn't it? That moment you feel your spirit leaving your body for a split second while it recovers, then getting launched back into it the moment it’s whole again." The Ninetales sighed as he sat next to her, his tails curling around her side gently and pulling her into a hug, "It's like... falling, or perhaps flying. The way your stomach turns suddenly, only to find yourself back on your feet. You remember being in pain but… well, it’s already gone." He lowered his head, curling it over the Liepard’s body. “I don’t think we’re used it to though, Cyn… I don’t know if we’ll ever be ‘used to it.’ ”
 
The Liepard stayed silent, simply resting her head against the Ninetales, breathing in the scent of his warm fur as she closed her eyes. It was a welcome moment of peace after the long day they had shared. She nuzzled against his fur, feeling as though she might fall asleep in his caress. One of her eyes opened again. "...We can't stay here."
 
"I know. We need to reach the center of the dungeon before dusk," Spice agreed, looking down at the top of the Liepard's head, "There's a clearing in the canopy above the statue, the sunlight only shines through the trees for a very brief moment. If the Lense isn't there when that happens..."
 
"It'll be there." The Liepard frowned as she pushed herself back to her paws, hissing as she was suddenly reminded of the gash in her side, "Ack, motherfu-"
 
The Ninetales responded immediately, taking an Oran Berry from his bag and holding it out to Cyn. The Liepard glared adamantly at him, her jaw clenched shut. "We've got plenty left. Please take one, Cyn."
 
She frowned, then opened her jaws and engulfed the berry in a single bite. Each chew made her pain more distant, until finally it faded along with the gash on her side. She swallowed down the remains, wiping her paw on her muzzle. "How much is 'plenty?' "
 
"Three," Spice admitted, glancing down at his almost empty bag of berries. He turned away as the Liepard glared at him. "I'm sorry, Cyn. I just didn't want to see you hurting so badly. Besides, you won't be able to fight if you're wounded."
 
"I guess... still though, we need to conserve our supplies. If we can cope with the wounds we've got, we shouldn't be eating our berries," Cyn said, finally getting up from her Ninetales pillow. She froze in place as she caught something in the corner of her eye, a shadow that swiftly skirted out of her sight. She turned sharply, trying to follow it. "...Spice, get up. We're not alone."
 
[i][b]"...alone..."[/b][/i] her voice echoed, becoming twisted and warped. The sight of the shadowy figure before them left her with a strange sensation, like skittering claws digging at the back of her mind. She held her head with her forepaws, breathing rapidly as the Ninetales stood up behind her, his tails flared as he prepared to fight. "Show yourself!" Spice shouted, "W-we're not afraid of you."
 
[b][i]"Afraid..."[/b][/i] his voice echoed into the distance, slowly shifting to be deeper in tone the further it went. The Scolipede stepped into the clearing, the bushes turning from brown to grey and crumbling into dust as he stepped through them. [b][i]"Spice…"[/b][/i] it rumbled.
 
"Spice... you know this guy?" Cyn glanced over her shoulder at the Ninetales.
 
"I've never seen this Pokemon before in my life." Spice shook his head rapidly as he stumbled backwards. As the Liepard held her ground he grabbed her tail with his forepaw. "Cyn, let's go. This must be the one the Meowth were talking about."
 
[b][i]"The one… Carrion...”[/b][/i] it echoed in confirmation, solemnly and slowly, as if each word were a sigh, his red eyes narrowed in disgust at the two. The Liepard held her head, digging her claws into her fur as the skittering continued. She tried to distract herself, her eyes darting around for something to focus on among the darkness.
 
"How are you doing that?" Cyn asked, her paw gesturing to the dead bushes surrounding the Pokemon, "It’s not like any kind of move I've ever seen."
 
[b][i]"Not… move..."[/b][/i] the creature replied, chittering under its breath as it loomed over them.
 
“What the hell are you..?” the Liepard demanded, her voice trembling as she looked over at the Ninetales. Spice tightened his muzzle, glancing up at the Scolipede as he took a more aggressive stance. Cyn followed suit, her eyes narrowing on the creature, “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Nothing is keeping us from getting to the center.”
 
 [b][i]"The center..."[/b][/i] it echoed, its head straightening up in recognition, [b][i]"Getting… to… the center..."[/b][/i]
 
"That's what we're doing here," Cyn replied, keeping the beast’s attention as Spice kept himself poised to strike. The Ninetales shuffled forward, moving alongside the Liepard as she continued. "We're taking the Lense back to the center of the dungeon, so it can restore life to it."
 
Her words seemed to have reached the creature, it took a step back and its brow relaxed. Spice breathed out a sigh of relief, smiling over at Cyn for a moment before looking up at the creature. “Seeing as this is your home, will you help us get to the center?”
 
Cyn opened to bag to reveal the Lense, but the Scolipede let out an ear-piercing shriek before she could. The two leapt back, their stances wide as they prepared for battle. But no attacks came, the Pokemon merely stared at them. Cyn curled her tail around, carefully closing the bag again, glancing over at Spice as she wondered if that had been a mistake.
 
[b][i]"Lense…!"[/b][/i] the creature hissed, the shadows swirling around the two of them like a hurricane. Spice pulled the bag open once again, creating an area of light around them that the shadows seemed to be unable to breach.
 
“I know, we stole it. I’m sorry!” Cyn shouted over the chaos, her claws digging into the ground to keep her in place, “We’re taking it back where it belongs, we just need to find the stairs!”
 
The shadows retreated back into the woods in an instant. [b][i]"Getting… lense to the center… restore… life... "[/b][/i] it narrowed its eyes on the two of them as it pieced a sentence together from the echoed words of their conversation, [b][i]"Restore it… to life? Restore… Pokemon to life?"[/b][/i]
 
The two fell silent, neither wanting to answer the question in front of the other. The Scolipede’s low hiss continued, the forest grew darker around them. Time almost seemed to stop as they stood under its gaze, its voice seemed to double as it continued, [b][i]"Nothing will restore Pokemon to life…" [/b][/i]
 
"I know… we’ve messed up before. But we'll do whatever it takes," Cyn said, finally finding the nerve to respond, "No matter what happens, we're going to make this right."
 
[b][i]"No matter… what happens… No matter what it takes..."[/b][/i] The creature pondered lowly, [b][i]"You will… help them?"[/b][/i]
 
"Whatever I have to do." Cyn replied adamantly. Spice hesitated briefly, then narrowed his eyes and nodded in agreement, his paw resting on the Liepard's shoulder.
 
It grumbled in thought and turned its back to them, revealing the endless shadowy void that made up its body. It stayed silent for a moment, as if considering their offer, or giving them a long look at the abyss before them. He frowned, speaking in a low hiss as the shadows spread out, engulfing the two. [b][i]"Begone."[/b][/i]
 
The two blinked, and the forest returned to silence, save for the distant sound of the wind blowing through the trees. The creature and its shadows had vanished, almost as if it had never been there at all. The two turned to each other, each wanting the other to speak first.
 
"...It's almost dusk." Cyn finally said, her voice devoid of energy as she pressed onwards down the left path, "Let's find the stairs and get this over with."
 
"I can’t believe you were able to reason with that creature," Spice breathed out a sigh of relief. The Liepard turned to face him, a look of exhaustion painted over her face. “For a moment I thought we were going to have to battle with it.”
 
“I guess he wants this dungeon fixed just as much as anyone.” Cyn shook her head dismissively. ”Still doesn’t explain all the weirdness though… shadows, decay powers. What the heck was up with all that?”
 
“Shadows? ‘Decay powers?’ ” Spice raised an eyebrow at the Liepard, “Are you… feeling alright, Cyn?”
 
“Other than that weird chittering. Ugh, it’s like I’ve got a Joltik in my head.” Cyn groaned, holding her head with one of her paws.
 
“Maybe we ought to rest,” Spice suggested, moving a tail to her shoulder and guiding her to sit down at the side of the path as he dug around in his bag with his paws, “Or you could have one of the Oran berries.”
 
“We don’t have time, it’s going to be dusk soon,” Cyn replied sharply, freeing herself from the tails and storming ahead, “Let’s just keep going, alright? I think I saw the stairs up ahead.”
 
“Well, alright. If you’re certain,” Spice replied, watching as the Liepard moved onwards. He looked over his shoulder at the campsite, tucking his ears back in concern as he followed after her. Before long they had found the way to the next floor, and with it they were one step closer to finding the center.
 
* * *
 
The sixth floor. It had taken them all day, but Cyn and Spice had finally made it. The Liepard looked over at the Ninetales, her fur unkempt and her eyes tired. She simply nodded and he complied, taking the Scanner Orb from his bag and holding it in front of them.
 
The orb faded into a soft blue light, and the duo both stepped into it and allowed it to cloud their vision. Their eyes glowed with the power of the orb, and as they turned to look around they found they could see blue lights shimmering through the walls of the Mystery Dungeon.
 
"Let's find the nearest room and plant the Pure Seed," Cyn suggested, canting her head down the hallway and leading the Ninetales down it. "There's a lot of items this way, maybe we'll find some more Orbs."
 
"I'm glad this is almost over," Spice breathed out a sigh of relief. "My whole body is aching. When I get back to Clearspring the first thing I'm going to do is take a nice hot bath."
 
"Me too," Cyn said, smiling for the first time in a while. The two couldn't believe their eyes as they entered the room. The Liepard moved past the various items, her tired mind barely even registering them.
 
"Do you suppose any of this stuff is useful?" Spice asked, stepping into the room after her and picking up one of the tattered scarves. He grimaced and dropped it again, “Unlucky adventurers, one would suspect.”
 
"Maybe we can grab some stuff while we wait for the stairs," Cyn suggested as she walked to the center of the room. She took the Pure Seed out of her bag and dug a small hole with her paw. As she pushed the base of the Seed into the ground it seemed to slip in, like a key into a lock.
 
The Ninetales moved to her side, looking over her shoulder as the seed began to glow. The light coming from it spread out into a horizontal line, and then stretched until it formed a square the same size as the stairway. Spice moved to step into the light, but Cyn held her paw across the front to hold him back. At the center a square began forming, like a window into the next floor.
 
"It's opening... now we just have to wait," Cyn noted, glancing over at Spice. "Let's try to lay low until it's done, okay? I should've probably done this in one of the corners so we'd be better guarded."
 
"If a hallway wasn’t big enough one of the corners might not have been either. We didn't know how much room it would need to grow, better we put it at the center of the room than risk wasting it," Spice reminded her. A low hum filled both their ears, and their gaze turned up to the canopy. Hundreds of red eyes shone out, watching them from above. "...But perhaps we should have chosen another room."
 
"God damn it, this place is swarming." Cyn hissed, her paw reaching down to the center of the square to retrieve the Pure seed, only to find it scraping at nothing. "Damn it, the Seed's already been activated!"
 
"We need to get out of here, we can't possibly take them all," Spice gasped. The two stood back to back as the Pokemon began to descend from the treetops, blocking the exits to the room before filling whatever gaps they could find. "We can still use the Escape Orb!"
 
"The hell we can. We're way too close to turn back now!" Cyn narrowed her eyes as she lowered herself, her tail lashing the air behind her. "We just have to hold them off for five minutes. Come on, Spice. We said we’d see this through to the end.” She growled, her eyes blazing in determination, “Quitters never win..."
 
"...and Winners never quit!" Spice finished, mimicking her stance as his Substitute leapt out of his tails alongside him. "We've got nine Seeds between us, that should be plenty until the stairs open."
 
"It better be!" Cyn shouted over the chaos as the swarm closed in on them. The Beedrill opened fire, drills firing from the tips of their tails down on the Rescue Team members. Spyce leaped in front of the two, his tails fanning out to catch as many as possible before he burst into a cloud of smoke.
 
Spice and Cyn ran in opposite directions, Cyn sprinting for the nearest Orb she could see. She turned sharply, hooking her tail under an orb and throwing it towards the center of the swarm, and as the Beedrill raised the drills on its arms to guard itself the Wonder Orb shattered, enveloping it in a bright light. A Kakuna dropped from where it had once been, landing on the grass and hissing ineffectively. "Devolve Orb... gotta find something more useful," she hissed.
 
Spice snarled at the Pinsir looming over him, snapping his claws as he tried to look as threatening as he could. As he felt his tails tails brushing up against a Pokemon behind him he spun, breathing a jet of flame into the Scyther's face as it fell back to avoid being incinerated.
 
The Ninetales felt the pincers land on his back, causing him to let out a yelp of pain as it tossed him through the air. His entire body flashed as the Reviver Seed’s energy washed over him, and he landed on his back at Cyn's feet. "Eight!" he warned her.
 
"S-seven.." Cyn grunted, staggering back to her feet and tossing a large stinger away from herself, along with the Plain Seed she had just used up. "We need to stick together, if we stay close we can watch each other’s backs!"
 
"If we're close we'll have them all centered on us, we need to split up so we can distract them from each other," Spice argued. Before the Liepard could reply, he shoved her to the ground behind him, his eyes widening and glowing with psychic energy as he gazed into the eyes of the Muk. Its dripping arms swayed for a moment, only for the Pokemon to turn and leap on a nearby Seviper. He smirked in satisfaction, the hypnotic glow fading from his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at his partner. "How are the stairs doing?"
 
"It looks like they're getting close," Cyn replied, only to let out a cry and fall to her side as a glob of acid landed against her head. Her body washed with the Reviver Seed's light, and she immediately sat up and sought the culprit. "Six Seeds left though."
 
The Crobat almost seemed to grin as it saw its strike land, though the smile faded as it was struck with a Shadow Ball from the Liepard. Cyn raced towards the glowing square on the floor, leaping from the ground and landing atop a nearby Arbok, swiping at its face. Spice followed, breathing out bursts of flame to keep the Poison- and Bug-type Pokemon back.
 
He realised too late, however, that his left side was completely unguarded, and a nearby Drapion's claws swiped and cut a hole in his bag, causing the Reviver Seeds to spill out onto the ground. "Aaah! F-five, four, three-!" he yelped as he tried to block the hole with one of his tails.
 
The Drapion's stinger met his gut, causing his shouting to stop as the two pincers squeezed together, crushing the Ninetales with its vice-like grip. Spice held his breath, yanking himself away from the Drapion and tapping his paw blindly on the ground in search of a Reviver Seed. His paw touched it just in time, its light shooting through the Ninetales and undoing the damage the Drapion had done.
 
He breathed out a wall of fire between himself and the Drapion and snatched the nearest one off the ground while he could, keeping it in one of his forepaws as he used the other three to step back. "I've got one back."
 
"Good, we've only got two more then!" Cyn grunted, barely managing to stay on her feet as she staggered back from a recent reformation, Plain Seeds scattered around her paws like empty cases. She risked a glance over her shoulder, seeing the steps beginning to form through the veil of light between themselves and the next floor. "It's almost there. We've just got to hold them off a little longer!"
 
"Cyn, look out!" Spice shouted. The Liepard was too late, she had turned just in time to have the Scyther's blade meet its mark in the side of her neck. The Ninetales pounced onto her, the shimmer of his Protect washing over his fur as he guarded himself and the Liepard from the follow-up strikes on her. The seed in his paw activated, and Cyn looked up at him weakly. "One..."
 
"...One." Spice agreed softly, holding the Liepard tightly to his chest as tears rolled down his cheeks. Cyn closed her eyes, moving her paws up to hug him back only to find herself being shoved forward in a sudden, swift motion.
 
The Ninetales leaned against her, his tails curling around her body to shield her as they fell through the floor. For a moment it was as though they were weightless, caught in some strange void between the floors of the Mystery Dungeon. Pins, poison and items soared after them as the Pokemon gathered around the hole, trying to get in whatever attacks they could.
 
Suddenly Cyn felt the cold stone step as her back made contact with it, her yell leaving the Ninetales holding onto her tighter as the tumbled, his fur glowing with the light of his Protect. They span out of control, rolling down the stairs until they landed in a heap at the bottom.
 
The stairs vanished behind them, and the Liepard groaned as she pulled herself free of the Ninetales. She held her head, trying to gather her bearings before turning to check on the status of the Ninetales. He laid against the floor, covered in bruises and scrapes, as well as missing or burned patches of fur. “Spice..? Oh my god, Spice!”
 
"Hha.. we... made it..." the Ninetales whispered hoarsely, coughing up smoke as he looked around, "We actually... made... it… so… beautiful..."
 
"Spice, what's going on? Why isn't the Reviver Seed working?" Cyn shook her head, rolling the Ninetales over carefully so she could look into his eyes, "You don't have to hold on. You can let go and your Seed will revive you."
 
"Cyn..." the Ninetales shook his head in dismay, trying to smile comfortingly before breathing in sharply as his wounds stung him, "We used the last seed, remember...? the Scyther... was going to kill you... and I used it to save you."
 
"What about the Seed in your scarf?" Cyn shook head, her paw moving to the red, blood-soaked scarf. Her eyes widened in horror, her pats became more rapid as she clenched the fabric in both her paws. The pocket on the inside of the scarf was, for the first time since she had met the Ninetales, empty. "Wh-what the hell? Spice! Where is it?!"
 
"Gave it to Typh... for the Den." Spice winced, his forepaw moving to his side, "Cyn... it's almost dusk... you need to get the Lense on the statue or this will have all been for nothing."
 
"I'm not leaving you like this," The Liepard shouted, barely choking back her tears, "Not like this. Not while you're hurt."
 
"I'll be fine... the statue is right over there..." Spice replied, putting on his most reassuring smile as he gestured to it with his paw. The Liepard turned towards the grove, the hole in the trees shining light down over the statue of Cresselia, "Put it back... then we can warp out... and I can go to the clinic. I'll be fine, Cyn."
 
The Liepard bit her lip, holding onto the Ninetales' scarf tightly. She took it off him and held it against the gash in his side, “Here, hold it like this--”
 
“You’ll get blood on it...” the Ninetales whimpered deliriously as he fidgeted against the ground. The Liepard pressed one paw to his chest, forcing him to stay still as his scarf soaked up the blood, “It’ll be dirty… it’s my favourite scarf…”
 
“I know, Spice… but it’s red. I don’t think anyone will notice,” Cyn joked weakly, trying to force herself to stay optimistic to encourage the Ninetales to do the same. Spice let out a wheezing laugh. “O-okay, calm down. It wasn’t that funny,” she said, shakily reaching into the front pocket of his bag as she tried to hold back her tears. “Look, Oran Berries. They’re going to make you feel better.”
 
The Ninetales’ eyes drifted to her paw, watching as she took the berries from his bag and offered them to him. He opened his jaws, taking one of the berries in and painfully chewing it. She could see his wounds beginning to mend slowly, his face relaxing as they did so. While the slow rate they were doing so concerned the Liepard greatly, she was glad he at least seemed to be breathing easier. She offered him the other berries and moved her paw back to the scarf to hold it in place. She hesitated, reluctantly letting go as Spice's paw replaced hers. After one final look at her partner she walked to the statue, each step leaving her body aching until she reached the base.
 
She took the lense from her bag and began to climb it, pulling herself up the smooth body of the legendary statue until she could reach the top. She placed the Lense there, her eyes drifting to the patch of grass below.
 
...the Rainbow light wasn't there. Her eyes drifted back to the hole in the treetops to find the ray of sunlight had faded beyond the canopy. "...No..." she whimpered, tears appearing in her eyes. "No... damn it. No!" she shouted, beating the statue with her paws as the tears fell freely from her eyes. "We were too late..."
 
All the pain, the deaths and horrors they had been witness to flooded the Liepard’s mind. Every inch of her body that had been broken and restored, every beating from every Pokemon they had encountered. It had all been for nothing. She wailed loudly, not caring who heard her as the heartbreak she had been holding onto all day finally got the best of her… it became too tiring to go on, far too painful to continue her remorse. She quieted into a whimper, holding herself against the statue as her tears fell over the ground at its base.
 
As the Liepard sobbed against the statue she heard a gentle ringing... and as she opened her eyes she found the forest grove had suddenly become much brighter around her. The sunlight shone down over the lense, filling the grove with every colour of the rainbow as the dungeon slowly began to regain its life.
 
She looked up, gasping as flaming embers of leaves fell from the canopy, before turning her gaze to the source... Spice, standing in the center of the grove, wisps of his Flamethrower fading from his muzzle. He smiled at her, standing tall as his tails curled up behind him, the embers of his attack falling from the sky like snow.
 
"Spice..." Cyn whimpered, her face filling with joy... only for the Ninetales to begin to sway slowly, his legs shaking as he tried to keep himself upright. He collapsed, revealing the trail of blood that led from where he had previously been resting.
 
"Spice!" she shouted, tripping as she fell off the statue. Cyn half-ran, half-stumbled over to him, shaking the Ninetales desperately with her paws. No matter how hard she shook him he wouldn't respond. "Spice? Spice! Oh my god..." she whispered, holding him close and feeling his shallow breath against her fur. “I’m getting us out of here, just hold on. Oh god, please, hold on.”
 
The Liepard scrambled through his bag, though the large hole in the underside of it let her know any chance of the Escape Orb being in it was long gone. "Badge." she thought out loud, patting her bag rapidly as she searched for it. She finally found its smooth metal surface and held it up, preparing to warp herself out.
 
A spray of acid splashed over her paw, leaving her shouting in pain and dropping her badge as she rapidly shook herself to get the substance off her fur. She turned in the direction it had come from, the looming shadow that had followed them since they first arrived... the Scolipede stepped forward, bringing the darkness with him as Venoshock poison dripped from his maw.
 
"Stay the hell away from us." Cyn shouted, stumbling in front of the fallen Ninetales to protect him, "We've done what we said we'd do. The Lense is back, life is returning to the dungeon. Let us go!"
 
[b][i]“You believe that is all that needed to be done?”[/b]/i] the shadow’s voice hissed, cutting through her like a cold chill. His voice had changed.
 
“What the hell is up with you?” the Liepard narrowed her eyes on him, “Before you were struggling to form a sentence, and now you can just talk like-”
 
 [b][i]“When we first met I was merely burrowing. Digging deep to see what I could uncover. What secrets laid in the depths of your mind...”[/b][/i] It responded in a rumble. Cyn’s paw moved to her head, recalling the skittering she had felt in her mind before… now it was eerily quiet, just like the forest around her. [b][i]“Do not forget your promise. You said you would do whatever it took to restore this dungeon. You would give your life to save it.”[/b][/i]
 
“I said if it came to that, but it didn’t!” Cyn snapped. As the Scolipede came closer she swung her tail, throwing a Shadow Ball from its curve that exploded with dark energy between herself and the Scolipede, “Let us go, Carrion.” she repeated in a snarl.
 
[b][i]“Your friend is not so unwilling.”[/b][/i] The shadowy Scolipede noted. Cyn hazarded a glance over her shoulder at the Ninetales, his jaw hanging open as he let out laboured breaths. Carrion nodded to himself solemnly, [b][i]“Even now the flame of his life flickers… he is repenting for what he has done. He feeds the soil with his body to free the souls within it.”[/b][/i]
 
“What’s Spice got to do with any of this?” The Liepard shouted, the fur on the back of her neck rising. Finally it dawned on her, her ears folded as she stepped towards the creature, “This…. This is about more than the Lense, isn’t it?” she frowned.
 
“Look… I’ve done some pretty stupid things, maybe I didn’t always consider my prey before Reviver Seeds became so abundant,” she frowned. “But I’ve changed, and so has Spice. What we’ve done before… you can’t expect us to... to...” she gritted her teeth, frustrated tears beginning to appear in her eyes. “I’m different now. I’ve changed!”
 
[b][i]“You think you have… changed?”[/b][/i] the Scolipede sneered at her as it drew closer, towering over her and the fallen Ninetales. His entire body seemed to glow with malevolent energy as he grew larger and larger before her. [b][i]“You cannot change what you have done. You are tainted forever.”[/b][/i]
 
A cry erupted from the Liepard’s chest as she sprang towards him, red blood from the fallen Ninetales dripped from her claws as she slashed at the Pokemon’s carapace. Even as she felt her chest burning from exhaustion she continued to fight, determined to take down the shadowy Pokemon with her.
 
She slashed again, over and over as her Fury Swipes left scratches over the Pokemon’s armour. He stood there, watching her with a blank expression as her assault continued, seemingly unfazed by her attacks. Another slash over his face finally broke his resolve, and he brought his head pincers down over her neck and dug deep into her. Her paws moved to hold onto them, struggling as he lifted her, higher and higher until her feet left the ground. Cyn could feel herself slipping, and as the pincers tightened she brought her claws down, striking him between the eyes and finally causing him to drop her as he roared in a blinded rage.
 
Before she could tend to her wound Carrion struck again, but she was quick to leap to the side and avoid it. Left with nowhere to run she opened her jaws, firing a Shadow Ball into the monster’s face. It struck true, but did little to affect him as he continued his advance on her. The Liepard began to rapidly breathe out wave after wave, knowing if she could only get an opening she could grab Spice’s badge and warp them both.
 
She leapt back into the area lit by the Rainbow Lense, and suddenly Carrion’s attempts to chase her stopped. He circled the light, hissing and snapping as his maw began dripping with Venoshock acid. The Liepard narrowed her eyes, grabbing the X-Ray Specs she had found before from her bag and holding them up to the light shining from above. The light reflected off them and the Pokemon screeched as it shone against him… suddenly the Liepard felt a lot better about her chances of getting out of the grove alive.
 
There was a moment where it appeared Carrion had turned to flee, only for his tail to swing out behind him and knock her back out of the rainbow light. Zooming back in her direction in the shape of a ball, the Bug-type was quickly atop her and crushing her against her fallen teammate. Everything hurt, everything from her body to her mind, to the inner depths of her soul. Never had the Liepard known such pain… Carrion rose above her, glaring into her eyes as he snarled.
 
[b][i]“No matter what you do, no matter what you pretend to be. You will always be empty.”[/b][/i] Carrion roared down at her, the shadows dripping off his carapice like blood, [b][i]“You will never be whole again!”[/b][/i]
 
“Yeah..?” Cyn gritted her teeth. Carrion lifted his foot to crush her head, but as he brought it back down he found it hitting something smooth, something that felt like glass… the crack in the Blowback Orb spread as the light from within it shined brightly between himself and the Liepard. A weak, pained smile appeared on the Liepard’s face as the orb was crushed against her chest. “That makes two of us.”
 
Carrion’s eyes widened in alarm, all four of his legs digging into the ground around her to prevent the force between them from blowing him into the light of the grove. Finally it overpowered him, sending him flying towards the statue with a hellish scream. The Liepard watched as the shadowy creature slowly burned away in the light, lashing at her and Spice with every bit of strength it could muster, until finally it faded into nothingness.
 
The grove was quiet once more. Cyn collapsed onto her back, spreading out as the blood dripped through her fur. She could barely breathe, but her paws twitched until they found the ground. They dragged her, inch by inch until they met the soft fur of the Ninetales. She pulled herself against him, closing her eyes as she embraced him… the world slowly grew distant.
 
Even with the shadows within her defeated, its last words echoed in her mind as though they would never leave. [i]You will never be free. You will never be whole again.[/i]
 
...it was the last thing Cyn’s mind registered before she closed her eyes for what felt like the final time, holding the Ninetales by her side. Perhaps it was the wind, or perhaps it was a muscle twitch… but Spice’s tails curled gently over her.
 
…
 
[i]“Ack, damn Scyther. We got any more of those Oran berries?”[/i]
 
[i]“Last one, pal. Your sister better be there when we get to the bottom. I’m not keen on spending my afternoon getting my ass kicked over six floors for nothing.”[/i]
 
[i]“I think this is the final floor… what the hell happened here?”[/i]
 
…
 
[i]“Spice is hurt pretty bad. Cyn too!”[/i]
 
…
 
[i]“Hold on, I’ve got a doctor right here. Hhrh.. hhurrk..!”[/i]
 
…
 
[i]“Arceus. Hold on, you two. We’re going to get you patched up and back to Clearspring!”[/i]
 
…
 
 
* * *
 
The Liepard’s entire body ached as she opened her eyes, the crust that coated them let her know just how long she had been asleep. Itchy bandages covered the majority of her body, wrapped multiple times around her torso, legs and neck. She was in a soft bed… somewhere in the distance the birds were singing… she was alive.
 
“Y-you’re awake!” Leaf gasped. “Typh, she’s awake!”
 
“Sis, I’ve been so worried,” Typh shouted, stomping over and spreading his arms out to huge the Liepard, only for the Leafeon to quickly move to stop him from accidentally crushing her in his arms. “I-I thought we didn’t find you in time… I thought I lost you.”
 
“Typh, I’m… fine…” the Liepard winced. It wasn’t her most convincing lie, but the Swampert seemed to buy it. She turned to the Leafeon next, “What happened? I thought I heard… voices.”
 
“When we figured out what you had done we got together and went in after you,” Typh explained, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. “Me, Malus, Kaiser and Jasper… I reckon Leaf must have been along for the ride too. Good thing he was, if he hadn’t been…” the Swampert choked, covering his face with one of his pudgy hands to hide the tears appearing his eyes. “Oh man, I’m gonna start again..!”
 
“It’s okay, Typh. Cyn’s awake now, and she’s going to make a full recovery,” Leaf told the Swampert, trying his best to smile as he wiped away a few tears of his own. “Sorry Cyn, Typh and I have just been worried sick about you two.”
 
“Two..?” Cyn mumbled, only for her eyes to widen. She turned her head sharply to the empty bed to her right, and then to the one on her left. The half-mummified Ninetales laid on the bed, his bruises visible through the patches of missing fur. He opened his less swollen eye.
 
“Sp..spice...” Cyn stammered, her jaw dropping in disbelief. “You’re… you’re alive.”
 
“I didn’t think he’d make it either, there was so much that needed to be done by the time we found you,” Leaf spoke up, moving to step between the two only for Typh’s hand to come down on his shoulder. He stopped and sat back, allowing the two a chance to speak to each other.
 
“Hey Cyn…” he whispered, a smile growing across his muzzle.
 
“Hey Spice…” Cyn replied, her paw reaching out towards him. He shakily raised his own until their toes touched, then curled around each other in the closest thing they could do to simulate an embrace.
 
“Be honest with me, Cyn…” the Ninetales said as he withdrew his paw, resting it back against his bed. He tried to prop himself up, though the sharp pain of the wounds beneath his bandages left him going still again, “How do I look..?”
 
“Like a goddamn hero.” The Liepard laughed, even though doing so pained her chest.
 
“How peculiar…” Spice smiled, his eyes lidding as he joined her laughter. “I was going to say the same thing about you.”
 
The rest of the day went by, much to Cyn’s relief, without much happening. Spice slept for a long time, though the doctor didn’t seem to think this was cause for concern. The Ninetales and the Liepard had both been through so much in their adventure, it only made sense the diva would need some beauty sleep. The Leafeon continued to talk about how much he had had to do to save Spice, despite Cyn repeatedly requesting him not to. The doctor was a miracle worker, she had never been prouder of him.
 
As night fell over Clearspring, Cyn had finally reached the level where she could sit up in her bed, though the Leafeon still insisted on spoon-feeding her the soup he had made for them. The Liepard swallowed every mouthful, feeling the effects of the Oran Berries blended into the rest of it. She didn’t expect immediate results, of course, but she was glad for the pain relief all the same. Hearing her request, the Leafeon made his way out to the garden to see whether there were still any Oran Berries on the bushes he had planted.
 
The door to the clinic opened with a creak and Cyn looked up expecting to see him return, but instead a familiar Persian stepped in. “You’re looking better,” Kaiser noted, closing the door behind him as he went over to her bed. “I just wanted to check on you, see how you were holding up.”
 
“I’m pretty sure it’s just the bandages holding me together at this point,” Cyn joked weakly. Kaiser offered a sympathetic chuckle, then fell silent as he glanced away from her, digging his forepaw into the ground. “...I guess now that the Dark Woods is back to normal, you’re going to be on your way, huh?”
 
“It’s not going to be habitable for a while yet. It needs time to grow… after that, we’ll see. My old team seemed to be a little cold to me but… they said you had some good things to say about me. I appreciate it, especially with how I stormed out that day,” the Persian replied with a little smile. “My time in Clearspring’s been pretty alright, other than a few hiccups. It’s been good seeing Corona and her friends again… I don’t know, I haven’t decided what my plans are yet. But I’m not going too far from here.”
 
“Maybe you ought to form a Rescue Team of your own. You’ve already got Malus with you,” Cyn suggested, slipping down into her bed until her head met her pillow. “You did pretty well organising everyone to come rescue me and Spice.”
 
“I wouldn’t be so sure. We mostly relied on Jasper to get us through,” The feline noted, scratching his neck awkwardly. “Without his strength and my knowledge of the Dungeon we’d have probably ended up in here with you and Spice.”
 
“Is he still pissed at me?” Cyn winced at the Arcanine’s name.
 
“He’s… trying to figure out how to write this all in a report,” Kaiser shrugged. “He interviewed your team on what they all thought happened, I imagine he’ll be coming to talk to you and Spice once you’re rested up a bit more.”
 
“Guess that’s it for the Winners,” she sighed, her head resting back on the pillow as she stared at the ceiling. “At least Malus got out before all this, even if he’s going to be your problem now.”
 
“Actually, Malus and I talked and he thinks he’s better suited to the Winners, if you’ll have him back once all this is over.” Kaiser continued as he sat back on his haunches at the side of her bed, “He cares a lot about you, he insisted on being on the team that went to find you.”
 
“Malus..?” Cyn blinked in confusion, wondering if the bandages around her head were to help with some sort of head trauma, “He wanted to rescue me?”
 
“It was myself, Jasper, Typh and Malus. Jasper wanted him to stay back, but he wouldn’t listen to him.” The Persian shook his head as he explained, “We started making our way to the Dark Woods and he just kept following us, I thought those two would never stop arguing. I guess finally they decided that they had a common goal; finding you.”
 
“So… we went in. I led the team through the woods, Jasper and Typh kept off the locals…” Kaiser smiled gently. “And Malus… he just kept calling your name, every floor we went on it was ‘Cyn! Cyn!’ ” He chuckled at the memory, “Blew our cover a few times, but he meant well. Jasper could take on anything we found down there.”
 
“I thought he hated me…” Cyn lowered her gaze. “I thought… [i]you[/i] hated me.”
 
“I’m not going to lie, when I found out you had been keeping the lense from me I was furious,” Kaiser replied, furrowing his brow. “What you did was selfish, and short-sighted and… well, look where it got you.” He gestured to her bandages with his paw.
 
The Liepard closed her eyes and sighed, moving to roll onto her side so she no longer had to see the other feline. His paw moved to her shoulder, holding her in place. “You should have just told me. I could have, and would have, helped you right from the start.” He tucked his ears back. “You didn’t have to face it alone.”
 
Cyn’s ears perked up, a lump forming in her throat as a hopeful smile crossed her muzzle. She reached out, defying her wounds in order to embrace the Persian. He held her for a moment, then pushed her away with his paw. “Cyn…” he sighed, his paw resting on her chest as he turned his gaze towards the door, “After everything that’s happened, I just… I don’t think it’s going to work out with us. Not right now, anyway.”
 
“Oh.” She blinked, quickly tugging herself back into the bed. “Y-yeah, of course… if you need some time-”
 
“I do.” Kaiser replied, getting back to his paws and making his way towards the door, just as the doctor opened it and stepped back into the clinic with a basket of Oran berries balanced on his back. The Persian passed him, standing in the doorway and looking back at the Liepard. “Thanks for getting the Lense back where it belonged, Cyn.”
 
“No problem, Kaiser,” the Liepard said, a fond smile crossing her muzzle as her eyes became heavy once again. The door closed and Kaiser was gone, stepping out of her life for the second time that week. She was glad things had ended better this time, they had both finally had a chance to be truthful with one another… they would both find their happiness, Cyn already had some ideas about where she would find hers. Once her wounds had healed.
 
The night went past quietly for those in the clinic, and the morning sun brought new life to the Dark Woods. For the first time in months, the flowers bloomed and berries emerged from the bushes. And, as far as Mystery Dungeons go, there was peace.
 
* * *
 
A month had passed since the Seed Rush, and even on their last day in the clinic Spice and Cyn were under the watchful eye of the Guild. There hadn’t been many cases of ‘Dungeon Disturbance’ for quite some time, which led to a lot of discussion on how to handle the situation. Cyn had more than a few sleepless nights, though given the lack of inspectors arriving to forcefully shut down the Winners, she assumed her team was still intact.
 
It was agreed that the team would pay for their crimes through community service; part of which involved allowing scientists from Moss Rock to study the effects of frequent Reviver Seed use, the test subjects being Spice and Cyn. While the Seed Rush didn’t seem to have any negative long-term effects, the strategy was labelled ‘extremely wasteful of limited resources.’ Cyn was just glad to not have to spend any more time being probed while she recovered from her wounds, though Spice missed all the attention he was getting from the scientists.
 
They had finally been released from the clinic, and Cyn had never felt better. She stood outside the team headquarters, breathing out a content sigh as she took in the blue morning sky. She turned to the Ninetales at her side, smiling as she canted her head back towards his tails. “Looks like your fur’s grown back nicely.”
 
“Perish the thought it would remain that ragged forever. All those missing patches… I’m just glad our ‘visitors’ didn’t seem to notice,” Spice grimaced, only to smile back at Cyn as he nodded in approval at her. “You’re not looking bad yourself, you know… Leaf really is a miracle worker.”
 
“It still doesn’t explain it though,” Cyn replied with a shake of her head, “You were on the verge of death, Spice. You must’ve held out for ten minutes, maybe more. No Pokemon could have survived what we went through, but… you even had energy for that Flamethrower.” She shook her head, “I just don’t understand how you could have kept going even after all that.”
 
Spice’s smile faded, his eyes turning to the ground. He stayed silent for some time, then tucked his ears back. “When I was on the forest floor, watching you crying… I knew I couldn’t just lay there and do nothing,” he sighed. “I’m always talking about how I’m a hero, but that mission made me realise I never acted like one… I felt like I needed to at least try to help you, no matter what it meant for me.”
 
“Dude…” Cyn tucked her ears back, uncertain of what else to say.
 
“And then I realised I had used up the energy the Oran Berries had given me. I was certain I wouldn’t be making it back to Clearspring,” the Ninetales continued, sitting back on his haunches as his tails drooped behind him. “It made me think about what I had done, about the contests where I ate Pokemon just so that I wouldn’t have to face them on stage. It was so cruel of me, looking back I wonder how I could have ever justified it.” He frowned, his tails curling around his paws as he continued. “I… didn’t want that to be my life, Cyn.”
 
“That’s why I had to hold on. So I could do things differently, so that I could make up for what I did in the past,” he finished, finally turning back to face Cyn, a sense of hopelessness in his eyes despite his smile. “Do you ever think it will be enough? ...Do you ever think I can make up for the things I’ve done?”
 
[i]“...You will never be whole again…”[/i]
 
The voice lingered in Cyn’s mind, even after a month since she had last heard it. The scouts the Guild had sent through the Dark Woods had seen no signs of ‘Carrion,’ other than a shedded Scolipede shell where their final battle had taken place. Cyn insisted on his shadow powers and aura of decay, but there had been no proof recovered to support her claims. Even Spice claimed to have seen nothing of the sort, nor having heard the Scolipede speak a single word. Carrion was either a figment of Cyn’s hysteria, or another anomaly surrounding the Lenses. She wondered whether she would ever know for certain. Finally she turned to Spice, a weak smile on her muzzle.
 
“We’ll think of something,” she told him. “We’ll find some way make up for what we’ve done… and until we do,” the Liepard held out her forepaw towards him. “Let’s push each other to be better Pokemon.”
 
“I can agree to that,” the Ninetales replied with a warm smile, taking her paw in his own and giving it a little squeeze. “I suppose we ought to start by going inside,” Spice said, trying to smile as he stood back up and stepped towards the door. “We don’t want to be late for our first meeting since the Seed Rush, do we?”
 
“Sure don’t,” Cyn agreed, putting on her bravest face as she walked after him. The Ninetales opened the door, allowing the Liepard to step inside before closing it behind them. Being greeted by the excited cheers of their friends almost made them forget the somber conversation they had just had. And yet the promise they made would remain with them forever, they would push each other to be better Pokemon and, somehow, they would each find a way to make peace with their pasts.
 
Cyn almost bumped into Auric as she stepped into the base, chuckling to herself as she moved to step around him. “Morning Auric, good to have you back with us.”
 
“The feeling is mutual, Cyn,” The Lucario replied, his hands rested behind his back. Spice continued on towards the chatter of the rest of the team in the kitchen, but Auric placed his hand on Cyn’s shoulder as she moved to follow him. “May I have a word?”
 
“Oh? ...yeah, sure.” Cyn replied, stopping and looking up at the Fighting-type, “What’s on your mind, Auric?”
 
“I wasn’t sure if you had seen yet, but a letter came through for you. It appears a decision has been made on the Dungeon Disturbance,” the Lucario explained, taking his hand out from behind his back and revealing an envelope, the red wax seal of the guild binding the front.
 
“...A ‘decision,’ huh? I hope this is good news,” Cyn muttered as she took the envelope and cut the top open with her claw, withdrawing the letter inside. She took it out and began to read over it, her eyes scanning each line of delicate handwriting. “This… this is an Amity letter,” she tucked her ears back, her eyes drifting up to the Lucario. “So, I’m on the list. One more screw up and I’ll be taken to Virtue for the treatment.”
 
“Indeed. I’m sorry, Cyn. I tried to argue your case, but it appears they need to make it clear this sort of thing won’t be tolerated,” Auric replied, his ears tucking back at the Liepard. “I assure you, if you work on the side of the law then in time they will realise that you have learned from your mistakes and remove your name from the list.”
 
“Well, at least I’ve still got you,” Cyn said, only for her smile to slowly fade as the realisation dawned on her. She lowered the letter, suddenly understanding why the Lucario pulled her aside to deliver the news. “...Oh.”
 
“My task as a mentor was clear. I was to remain here in Clearspring and tutor you until your team reached Silver rank… this is about as far from that goal as we could have come,” Auric explained, his ears lowering gently as he turned his gaze towards the door. “When I was done, I was meant to be reassigned to another team to mentor them, and so on. However, my failure with your team has reflected quite negatively on me. While I'm still assigned to guide Malus, it’s clear I’m not able to be a Rescue Team mentor.”
 
“Oh, jeez. I’m really sorry, Auric.” Cyn tucked her ears back at the news. The last thing she wanted was her actions to affect him. “I’m going to really miss having you around, but I don’t really expect you to stick around. I guess we’d better tell the others, huh?” the Liepard asked as she moved to step into the kitchen.
 
“There was one other thing I wanted to give you, before we went in,” Auric noted. Cyn stopped and turned to look at him as he took his other hand out from behind his back, revealing a small stack of papers. “My application to become a full member of the Winners.”
 
“You… you mean it?” Cyn blinked, looking at the papers in disbelief before looking up at the Lucario as tears started to form in her eyes. “You’d stay with the Winners, even after all the stuff that happened with the Lense?”
 
“I feel welcome here, more so than I did in any other team I’ve ever been in,” Auric replied with a gentle smile, shaking the forms gently to coax the Liepard into finally taking them. “I know this team can do great things, Cyn. It can help a lot of Pokemon all over the realm, and beyond.” His smile widened as he crouched, placing one hand on the Liepard’s shoulder as he looked into her eyes. “Besides, I don’t have any plans on leaving while your name is still on that list.”
 
“Oh… dude!” Cyn laughed, shaking the tears of joy off of her face as she pounced the Lucario, wrapping her forepaws around him and hugging him tightly. He chuckled and hugged her back, keeping his kneeling position as his tail wagged happily behind him.
 
“Hey, are we having this meeting or what?” Typh called from the kitchen.
 
“Coming!” the Liepard called. She gave one final squeeze to the Lucario before releasing him and walking into the kitchen, Auric trailing along after her. She took her seat at the head of the table and spread the mission flyers out before her, sliding them to different groups of Pokemon at the table.
 
“Here are your assignments for today, everyone. I know we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but we need to complete all our goals if we want to have enough Reviver Seeds for the Den,” the Liepard began. “Losing the Lense and most of our Reviver Seed stash in one day set us back. The town is still kind of on edge around us, and we need to make them know that they can count on us to help them whenever they need someone… that’s what being a Rescue Team is all about.”
 
“We won’t let you down, Cyn.” Spice nodded confidently as he stood up next to her. “If we keep at this rate we should be gathering more Reviver Seeds than we’re using. There’s got to be a dungeon with an abundance of Reviver saplings somewhere out there, we just have to find it.”
 
Cyn gave Spice a confident nod, and she turned to the table, a smile crossing her muzzle as she lifted her paw towards the ceiling. “Alright team, let’s get up and get ready to head out. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, but I know we can do it.”
 
The Pokemon at the table stood up one by one, each giving their best smile to the Liepard. She had never been prouder to be their leader, and for the first time since she had first applied to start her own Rescue Team, she felt like she was truly satisfied of how far they had all come together. She knew in her heart that the team would someday be known across Sinnoh not for being the cover for an underground club, but for their courage and determination. Her tail lashed confidently behind her as she shared in their group smile, raising her paw high. “Quitters never win…”
 
The team raised their paws in unison.
 
“...and Winners never quit!”
 
The End.