Exciting Expeditions

Energy: 49 - 20 = 29 + 10 (oran Berry) = 39
Items:
√ Stamina Band
Trawl Orb (4)
Vulpix Tag: (Raises Defense and Sp. Defense
Oran Berry (3)

The sun warmed Lumina's fur as she walked along the path to Serene Cave. Furret and Linoone were trailing along behind her, bouncing happily and chattering nonsense to each other. They were young, much younger than Lumina, despite their evolved forms, and what little of their conversation she paid attention to, she couldn't help but shake her head and smile. They were 'ultra-super-mega-excited' to see the Grassveil Guild, and see their friend Faye.

It was nice to see such joy from such little things from children, Lumina reflected. "We're approaching Serene Cave now, boys," she said, looking back at them kindly. "Now remember, I have another request I'm fulfilling besides yours. Basically, I have to find Marill and convince him to stay in school, the foolish lad," Lumina shook her head.

She looked up at the cave entrance. "Alright, you guys ready?" She asked. Furret bounced up and down excitedly.

"You betcha, Miss Lumina!" He said happily.

"Yeah, I can't wait to go exploring! It'll be just like when we work at the Guild!" Linoone chimed in.

Lumina chuckled, but didn't say anything, instead pulling an Oran berry out of her bag and biting down on it. Sweetness bloomed in her mouth and she closed her eyes, enjoying the tasty berry. She finished the berry, and then led the small group inside the cave.


School Sucks!

and

Babysit my Friends?

Energy: 33 - 20 = 13

Kestro wasn't far ahead of the Ninetales and her party, reading over a book he had acquired in Rainfront. Reading in the cave itself would be next to impossible, so the Cranidos was moving at a slow, leisurely pace towards the entrance of the cave in order to absorb as much of the book as he could. He carefully flipped from one page to the next, before the mouth of the cave came into view. There he stopped, looking over at the entrance to Serene Cave. It'd been nearly a week since he had investigated the dungeon with Saturn.

While the Cubone went back towards Fallen Leaf Copse and the Windrose Scouts to turn in their report, Kestro took the opportunity to explore the area around Rainfront. The wear on his clothes showed it. He did his best to keep them clean, but a few stains and tears on his rope and turban showed that his efforts weren't perfect. He'd have to get his grandmother to repair it once he passed through Grassveil.

He closed the book, a light ruffling of the paper and a slap as it closed ringing out before he slipped the volume into his bag. He'll have time to finish it once back home with the Windrose Scouts, and perhaps see if Saturn was around and up for another joint exploration. First, though, he'd have to make it back through the winding tunnel of Serene Cave.

Energy: 39
Items:
√ Stamina Band: Decreases all rolls by 2
Trawl Orb (4)
Vulpix Tag: Decreases Pokemon rolls by 1
Oran Berry (3)

"C'mon, Linoone, let's race! I bet I'll beat you to that blue rock over there!" Furret exclaimed, pointing to a large bluish-grey rock about fifty feet away.

"Hah! I'll make you eat those words!" Linoone boasted. "I'mma make you eat my dust!" He said, bouncing up and down.

Lumina smiled at the two kids' antics. "Boys, don't go too far without me," she called. "You never know what wild pokemon will do, especially in these times."

"Okay, Miss Lumina!"

"Yeah, we'll be okay!"

Then the boys were off, racing side-by-side towards the blue rock. Lumina shook her head and trotted in their direction, not wanting them to get too far ahead, lest a wild pokemon jump out and attack them without her able to protect them.

She looked around at the cave. Several different colors of the rock shone brightly off of the purple Hex fire she was maintaining on her tails. The cave was beautiful, she reflected.

"WOAH!" the shout came from up ahead, and Lumina looked away from the walls to see Linoone crash into a -green-colored?- cranidos.

Lumina hurried over and picked Linoone up by his scruff, taking him off of the cranidos. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the cranidos. "Are you okay?" She looked at Linoone sternly. "What did I tell you about paying attention to your surroundings, Linoone? Last time, you crashed into me, and you weren't even running!"

Kestro was just about to enter the cave when he heard the shout coming from behind him. Reflec kicked in as his claws dug into the ground, the rock type beginning to turn towards the shout. Then the Linoone crashed into him. Luckily, Kestro was strong, and a bit larger than average, letting him take the blunt force of the impact. His claws made deep scratches into the ground as he skid back nearly a foot, and he ended up with the Linoone draped over him like a living blanket.

The Cranidos blinked, his vision blocked by fur until the Ninetales who was escorting the speedy normal type lifted the Linoone off of him. Kestro looked around for a moment before he found his glasses on the ground. "I'm fine, it'll take more than that to hurt me," he said as he inspected his glasses. They were a bit dirtied now, but thankfully didn't appear broken. The Cranidos went about wiping them clean as he looked up towards the Ninetales scolding the Linoone. "Hm? Are you all travelling towards Grassveil?" he asked, finishing up his work before deciding to place his glasses in their case in his bag.

Energy: 39
Items:
√ Stamina Band: Decreases all rolls by 2
Trawl Orb (4)
Vulpix Tag: Decreases Pokemon rolls by 1
Oran Berry (3)

Lumina turned towards the cranidos once she finished lecturing Linoone. "Yes, we're traveling to Grassveil. I'm a member of the Guild there, and I'm escorting these two to Grassveil. I'm also on the lookout for a Marill who's skipping class," her tone of voice told the cranidos exactly what she thought of that particular action. She sighed. "Perhaps I took on a bit more than I can chew with these two," She said, eyeing the sulking Linoone and the snickering Furret.

"You're a klutz, Linoone!" Furret was saying. "I can't believe you ran into that guy like that at full speed and everything! But man is he tough, he didn't even get run over! Or maybe you're just so small!" Furret laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, yuk it up, Furret, but I still won the race," Linoone said.

"Boys, that's enough," Lumina said sternly. "Now, Linoone, apologize to this cranidos, and we'll be on our way. Unless," She turned to the cranidos. "Are you traveling to Grassveil too? Perhaps you wouldn't mind traveling with us?"

Kestro raised a brow at the Ninetales' tone. He'd never really thought about the guild in Grassveil much, though he did remember seeing a number of its members travelling in and out of the town while he lived there. Most were rather young, around his age or even younger. Probably fresh recruits, compared to the Ninetales before him. There's really no need to apologize. Back when I was younger I raced and ran through the streets of my home, and you can imagine how much damage that caused with a head like this," he said, raising his hands before the Linoone would speak up.

"Though joining up sounds like a good idea. Most Pokemon in the cave tend to be helpful or keep to themselves, but there are outlaws who use the minor caverns as hideouts and try to pounce on travelers or locals," he said. "Ah, before I forget, my name's Kestro, I'm a member of the Windrose Scouts," he added before adjusting his bag, "Who might be my travel companions here?"

Energy: 39
Items:
√ Stamina Band: Decreases all rolls by 2
Trawl Orb (4)
Vulpix Tag: Decreases Pokemon rolls by 1
Oran Berry (3)

Lumina softened a little at Kestro's story. "I suppose that's true," She said. She looked at Linoone. "Sorry for being so harsh; sometimes I forget what being a kid was like," she apologized to him.

Linoone looked suprised. "Wow, an adult apologized to me!" He said, astounded.

"Yeah, good luck with that ever happening again!" Furret chimed in.

Lumina shook her head. "Well, adults should admit they're wrong more often, in my opinion," she said softly. She looked back at Kestro as he introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you, Kestro, my name is Lumina, and these two knuckleheads are Linoone and Furret."

"Linny for short," Linoone said, causing Lumina to blink in surprise.

"And you can call me Fuji," Furret said with a nod.

"We'd love to have you on the trip," Lumina continued. "Wild pokemon are unpredictable, especially these days."

Kestro nodded at them as they each introduced themselves. "Good to meet you all.You should be happy to know that most of the Pokemon in Serene Cave aren't wild. Another scout and I went through here recently to discover a rumor about a healing spring. Turns out it was just a group of Audino keeping everyone healthy, natives and travelers alike," he explained as he started to head into the cave proper, his voice starting to echo off of the walls. "That's one of the jobs Russel told us scouts when we joined we'd be doing; taking the 'Mystery' out of 'Mystery Dungeons.' Along with mapping the world and such." His claws clacked on the stone floor, making it quite apparent where he was in the tunnel as the outside light began to fade away behind him.

Energy: 39
Items:
√ Stamina Band: Decreases all rolls by 2
Trawl Orb (4)
Vulpix Tag: Decreases Pokemon rolls by 1
Oran Berry (3)

Lumina nodded at Kestro. "I'm glad there aren't a lot of wild pokemon around here, keeping these two safe is my job, after all." She cocked her head to the side as Kestro explained that he had recently been in the cave with another scout, and why they had been there.

"Huh. Who knew that the mysteries of Mystery Dungeons could be solved?" Lumina hummed. "I mean, explorers of the Guild are supposed to explore Mystery Dungeons, too, but there isn't really an emphasis on discovering the mysteries of them. Our jobs are more focused on helping those that need help in Mystery Dungeons," She said.

"So, Windrose Scouts, huh?" Lumina asked. "What's that like?"

The Cranidos nodded as he trudged through the cave, "If what Russel has told me is true, then everything has an explanation. Sometimes it's not a satisfying one, sometimes it just leads to more questions, but eventually, everything can be solved. Mystery Dungeons are no different, as far as the Windrose Scouts are concerned. We might still be a ways away from figuring out how and why their layout changes, but we're committed to learning everything we can about them, so travelling through them is safer. For example, Serene Cave is a Mystery Dungeon, but it still only takes a few days to travel through from Rainfront to Grassveil. That tells us that while it might twist and turn unpredictably, it's length is always the same. Hopefully through exploring it more and more and examining it each time, we'll find out why that is," he explained further. He remembered reading it in some of the scrolls kept at Windrose, and while he never really saw himself as an intellectual, the questions stuck with him. It gave him a drive to answer it that even when he joined the Windrose Scouts he didn't think he had. Something that he really couldn't see being crucial to the survival of himself or his family, yet he wanted to know why, and what having the knowledge could do for him and others. A bit of a lofty goal for a Pokemon barely considered an adult by many.

Energy: 39
Items:
√ Stamina Band: Decreases all rolls by 2
Trawl Orb (4)
Vulpix Tag: Decreases Pokemon rolls by 1
Oran Berry (3)

"I had never thought about it like that before," Lumina said, thinking about what the cranidos was saying. "So, Serene Cave is the same length no matter how the layout changes? That's interesting. I hadn't put that together, though, yeah, it makes sense."

"Why are you guys talking about boring stuff?" Linoone whined. "Let's talk about the Grassveil Guild! Miss Lumina, what's it like working at the Guild? I bet it's a bunch of excitement, right? You get to explore Mystery Dungeons every day!!!" Linny gave a little hop of glee.

"Linoone -Linny-" Lumina corrected herself. "While the Guild is a good place to live and work, it's not all fun and games all the time. Nor do I explore Mystery Dungeons every day. Sometimes I guard the Guild doors, I have to do paperwork for all the missions I complete - it isn't all excitement all the time. I hope that's not why you want to join the Guild," Lumina said seriously.

"Weeeelll, we were hopin' to be explorers!" Furret exclaimed. "Mystery Dungeons are cool! We get to fight wild pokemon, too!"

Lumina sighed. "Well if you want to explore Mystery Dungeons, why don't you just go out and do it yourself, if you dont' want to deal with all the missions and paperwork?" She asked.

"I dunno, you get paid for it at the Guild," Linny mumbled.

Lumina shook her head. "Well it's ultimately up to you, but I would suggest giving it some thought."

Silver carried out 5 launched of one Serene Cave :

, , , ,

Kestro gave a bit of an annoyed click of his beak from the Linoone's words, though he tried to ignore it for the most part. "The Windrose Scouts and the guild do similar work, but the guild focuses more on immediate threats or needs of Pokemon. Scouts aren't as focused on such things, we're more 'look at the whole picture' kind of explorers. What the guild calls missions, we call rumors, like the 'healing spring' here in the cave that just turned out to be helpful Audino. We also get paid for our work, though a lot of it is down to paperwork just like the guild, if not more so."

He was about to continue when the sound of rubble and grunting up ahead caught his attention. The sound soon stopped, though, as Lumina's flames brought a Machop and Graveler into view. The Machop was panting and sweating, and the two larger hands of the Graveler's had cracks and scrapes. "Traveler's, eh?" the Graveler said in his rough, gritty tone before he rocked backwards, resting his smaller hands on his legs. He didn't seem particularly chatty, though the Machop gave the group a wave while wiping sweat from her brow. "Don't mind gramps, we just keep having Pokemon run into us as they travel."

Energy: 39 - 9 (Stamina band and Vulpix Tag) = 30
Items:
√ Stamina Band: Decreases all rolls by 2
Trawl Orb (4)
Vulpix Tag: Decreases Pokemon rolls by 1
Oran Berry (3)

Lumina nodded at Kestro's words. "I think you'll learn, boys, that anything worth doing is usually involving hard work or boring work in the case of paperwork," She said.

"Awwww, but that's no fair!" Furret whined.

Lumina gave a huff of laughter. "Life isn't fair, youngster," she said, rolling her eyes. The sound of rubble and grunting had her ears perking up. "Who's there?" she called.

Her Hex flame lit up the cave corridor, revealing a machop and a graveler. The graveler didn't seem happy to see them, grumbling a little. The machop seemed cheery enough though, greeting them friendly-like.

"Hello, sorry for intruding," Lumina said. "We're just passing by. We're on our way to Grassveil, though I'm sure you could figure that out for yourselves," She chuckled a little self-deprecatingly.

The Graveler simply gave off a grunt, holding his arm out to his side in a silent statement for the group to move on. The Machop gave a sheepish chuckle, scratching the back of her head, "Yeah, again sorry 'bout him. Might be a good idea for us to move into one of the side tunnels instead of sticking to the main cavern," she said, looking over at the Graveler. The large rock type scratched at his chin before letting out a sigh and nodding. He grumbled a bit as he stood up, something about, "not wanting to walk far."

Kestro stayed silent for the most part, though with the light from Lumina's hex, he pulled a notebook from his bag and made a few quick notes. Just as quickly the notebook was slid back into his bag, and the Rock type started to move forward again. "Well, we'll leave you to it, hope your training goes well," he said with a small wave, moving past the Graveler and Machop. He was a bit eager to move along.

Dracorexion carried out 3 launched of one Serene Cave :

, ,

Energy: 30
Items:
√ Stamina Band: Decreases all rolls by 2
Trawl Orb (4)
Vulpix Tag: Decreases Pokemon rolls by 1
Oran Berry (3)

Lumina nodded at the graveler and machop as they passed. She wasn't too worried about them, instead keeping an eye on Fuji and Linny.

Linny was still bouncing excitedly up and down. Lumina shook her head. She had a lot of stamina as a Ninetales, but the energy that the Linoone possessed was unbelievable.

Fuji was calmer than Linny, instead an excited smile on his face as he looked around the cave, still lit up by Lumina's Hex.

Meanwhile, Kestro was writing something in a little journal. "What are you writing about?" Lumina asked him curiously.