Root of the problem.

Morning routine was nothing special. Get up from the burrow, grab some berry from the stash, have breakfast and surface. Even though it sounds simple enough, it is not always the case. Yigo was a child without a job to sustain himself with, instead busying himself with foraging at the early hours of the day. Looking at the stash each morning always confirms that this routine must be upheld as any fruit is spent as easily as it arrives. At least it doesn't get to end up spoilt.

With the sun already rising from the horizon, the light of the day coming from his motherland and set to dawn behind the town of Grassveil, Yigo geared up with his utility items and a mostly empty bag to carry any goods he could come by. The choice was between Shadowhue or Pecha forest. While the latter had multitudes of grass types that could poison the poor rodent while Pecha berries itself are not even a berry he likes but that he eats out of necessity, Shadowhue Forest has a band of Pokémon that have a reputation of capturing anyone they can catch and eating those who don't obey. Something terrifying.

If only he had Poké to spend, he could have gone shopping but Yigo was poor and had little choice but to head to the hostile Mystery Dungeons around the town. His feet eventually lead him to the entrance of Pecha Forest. A shiver ran down his spine, sighing as he looked away. He was on all fours, his preferred stance, wearing a nice, ragged and dirty pink Trap Scarf with the faintest scent of someone precious around his neck while a belt was wrapped around his hip. If a familiar face couldn't tell him apart from all of that, the scar on his left eye would give his identity away to anyone that had known him for long enough.

Deciding not to dwell on fear-inducing thoughts, he took his first step forward. It'll be a while until he finds forage. It never is as easy as passing the entrance and finding something worth keeping or selling.

...or was it ever?

His eyes had caught something interesting close by the entrance. To an untrained eye, it may have looked like something inconspicuous but the ever random Mystery Dungeons know how to hide and scatter their treasure in the most interesting ways. This time, a sprout with familiar leaves at the roots of a line of forestry, impassable, making the walls of the dungeon just on their own. Yigo looked around to see if there was any danger or competition but entrances are usually clean and quiet regarding their more hostile inhabitants. He walked by and sniffed at the flower. The scent felt different from that of any random grass or bush, having a hint of fresh mint-like sensation accompanied by some sour feel. Natural medicine, an Energy Root.

Quickly enough, Yigo put his claws to work, scratching in turns at the dirt surrounding the surfaced herb before claiming the root hiding down below. It willll only take a moment...

Well, Neminae ended up roaming around till sundown. Wherever she ended, it didn't matter to her. She found quite the area. Full of untouched quality nutrition... or so she thought when she actually made her temporary stop. By that, I mean she buried herself completely to the first vitality heavy root system she could drain from. She even slept like that.

So, when a certain shrew decided to dig up that energy root, it uncovered half of the sleeping Nincada, which woke her up with a startled buzzing. She couldn't help but stare at the shrew for a solid moment before making a *tsk* sound and attempted to poke it to give it a sense of reality. She can't quite handle a Sandshrew, but she most certainly can scare one away. A claw poke may do the trick.

Ofcourse, she let go of the root and got out of the ground. No point staying where there's company. unless in the rare chance they are not wild and perhaps an explorer or something... Maybe she might be fine about this, instead of spooked and wishing to be back alone with a very fine root.

She didn't run and stayed and waited for some kind of reaction. Not in a panic or going mad, she was very much calm. It's not like she can't get away at anytime if things got serious. No rush.

"Really?"

Only one thing to say after all that. It did all happen in a small moment. Not mad. Not confused. Just mild, somewhat tired.

The root was taking more work than expected. It also felt like it weighed a very substantial extra. Something was not right here and the cherry on top of that theory was that poke he received from within the dirt. Expecting a grass type trying to latch onto him via ingrained vines, Yigo dropped the vine and hopped as far as he could with all of the strength he could get. That had cost him his balance which meant that he wouldn't land on his fit but a quick Defense Curl provided for a quick recovery.

Curling when his back touched the ground and getting back on all fours in a quick action made Yigo stare at the spot where he had been ambushed, ready for combat but it didn't seem like what came out was a grass type. Yigo raised his head and ears, relaxing his stance a little when he had heard the bug talk "...Really... what?"

He was confused, he didn't know what she was talking about "Did I mistake you for some treasure? I was certain I was grabbing a root, not a..." he didn't even know what kind of Pokémon that was. The skin felt like a cocoon yet able to move thanks to spider-like limbs. The coat looked like metal with small wings on the side that looked too small to function.

"Eeerh..." It didn't look like some battle was going to start from this misunderstanding causing Yigo to drop his battle stance completely and looking back at the entrance "Sorry. I'll be gone now..."

Being fair, the Sandshrew didn't want to get into any more trouble nor did he want any company if trouble hadn't brewed. The reason why Yigo was there was for forage, not to get lured into happiness by sweet words and false friends anyway. He has had many of those before. Knowing as much, the best course of action was to lose that bug... whatever her motivations are.

Sandshrew was confused? Yep. Sandshrew showed signs of wanting out? Yep. Sandshrew making up excuses to leave? Okay... and gives no time for responses? Sure, why not.

"I didn't drain all it's nutrients yet. You want it? You can have it." Nemi had to say something despite the Sandshrew already leaving. Whether he heard it or not is up to the air. She can't see if it did. This was actually a bit frustrating. It's not often you get yanked, but it's also not often you get yanked by a civil pokemon in a dungeon for ferals.

Why doesn't he question her existance? The one time she would be fine about someone questioning her and they don't. Not like she can't find another root, there's plenty in a forest. Whichever forest this is... if only he would stay, she'd question him on that.

Welll, she has to find another root now anyway, an exposed uprooted root will lose it's nutritional value quicker than an unuprooted one. She needs it to recover so she can come back to it. Such a waste.

[Energy: 26 - 5 (Dungeon Entrance Cost) = 21]

Losing the bug wasn't something difficult to achieve. Going back and taking another route through the Mystery Dungeon will avoid her and still net him the potential goodies. However, she still was at the entrance. At least she was close enough that Yigo could find his way out of Pecha Forest again, meaning that he could wait outside and hope she wouldn't follow.

Fortunately for the ground type, the bug hadn't come out of the dungeon. It took the Sandshrew about twenty minutes before deciding to wander in again, taking a deep breath and drawing some valor from within. It's not like Yigo can screw it up again in the same day like that. And thus, he walked back into the Mystery Dungeon, ready to find forage or some treasure that could sell well.

On the way back, he had passed by the root he had unearthed before, now lacking the bug on it. With curiosity, he walked closer to the small treasure and began examining it, leaning his snout to the level of the medicine. He realized that the root had been used as a food source for the bug and thus, it had lost its value. No one would buy a berry with a bite missing and it shouldn't be any different with the root. He may as well leave it where it stood as some Pokemon may still be able to make some use out of it.

With that little disappointment, Yigo continued exploring the dungeon with careful, silent steps, wary of what was around him. Each corridor he was forced to walk through by the strong, untraversable terrain made him extreme his cautionary measures. Each time there was foliage available, he'd sneak into it to both mask his scent from predatory plants and to prowl other Pokemon. If anyone knows where to find fruit or treasure, those tend to be bugs.

PrimordialPrim carried out 10 launched of one Pecha Forest :

, , , , , , , , ,

[16 - 5 (entry cost) = 11 energy (didn't plan on rolling, but i did forget about this.)]

It didn't take long to find another Root. Mere minutes to get to, and a few more to cover up.Now can she sleep for a bit? Have this odd looking thing later? Well, it smelled like a Pecha berry tree, and certainly felt like one. Maybe it was... She could see.

Not like she cared though, it's just a tree. She made her temporary burrow here. Just big enough to fit her body and a piece of it's root. Sure, there'd be pokemon lookingfor a tree like this for it's berrys but they certainly wouldn't dig this one, right?

Riiight? Why did she have a bad feeling about this? Was it simply due to the area, or something that Sandshrew did. It's not this wasn't her first time being interrupted in a day just to end up relocating. But this feeling... it felt... different. Like someone was watching.

[Energy: 21 - 41 => 0]

The cautious approach had lead Yigo to an open area, free of Pokémon for now. It's not like he hadn't seen any before. A Nidorino and Nidorina were rushing past Yigo's hiding spot moments ago, seemingly hurrying away from somewhere. That wasn't a good omen... Still, there was the possibility that they were just heading towards someplace instead of fleeing so he decided to continue exploring the dungeon. The opening was not too big and had many open paths from where other Pokémon could approach but there was something worth staying in that clearing for.

Atop the tree was a very ripe Pecha berry, almost looking like it was ready to fall and be claimed by any lucky Pokémon nearby. Yigo felt a strange sensation. He was feeling lucky. Was the forest trying to lure him out of his careful exploration to expose him to many of the dangers? A look to the left, then his head turned to the right, the snout of the oddly adorable Sandshrew poking out of the hedge. His eyes tried to catch some oddly colored predator plant type pokémon yet his ears gave him a warning about a nearby thread. Yigo snuck back into the brush, observing how a Nincada was wandering into the clearing. It walked fast, examining spots within the various corners of the clearing, below a patch of gold-colored flowers, behind a mossy pile of rocks and, finally, below the tree.

The creature correctly assumed that the roots of the tree would be enough to satisfy its needs so it began to dig underneath the foot of the tree. Yigo wondered if this was the Pokémon from before, the Nincada he had unearthed before trying to bag himself some trade goods. It made him feel guilty and consider turning back. But, if his memory served him well, it may as well stay underground. It was a matter of time before the bug type buries itself and maybe then he'd be on the clear and ready to take the berry. He only had to wait.

Oddly enough, the Nincada stopped scratching into the ground and burying its body inside, pulling back almost instantly and screeching in place, wings spreading out in preparation to fly onto the scratched spot which now the bug was furiously striking. It was as if it was trying to fight something...

This bug also seemed... less like to be able to speak. Maybe he was wrong and it wasn't the Pokémon from before after all. Heck, if it was a feral, he bet he could scare him off if he was to cause trouble or managed to spot him. For now, it was waiting time.

Gawd damnit. There was prying eyes. And heck, it even racked at her spot. She had hardened before hand in instinct, but the moment she felt the scratch and screech, she had hardened again.

She also could not afford another scratch so she went ahead and retaliated with a scratch of her own. Unlike with the sandshrew where she simply poked, she did a full on swing as she came out of the ground. Striking the Feral's antenna's. "Eeehhh, f**k off scratcher. Careful where you're excavating."

For a Nincada, striking the antenna is like disabling the eyes and nose of a mammal. Especially the nose. It was a critical hit! However... the other nincada was after all a feral, it took the hit like a champ. But unlike her, it's probably not even half the years to evolution. She's doubled when she's suppose to evolve. Reason not is probably due to how fearful of losing her ability to run away or maybe how lazy she is. Maybe another few years, or if someone befriends her. Yea, it's due to how lazy she is...

Either way she was now out and waiting for the feral's response. She also caught the scent of something familiar and turned her head to the source. "Eh?" She just couldn't see it, regardless of how hidden it was. It was simply outside her sight range. If she even had a reliable range.

The strike was true and the antenna was badly damaged. The struggle for sustenance was not worth it and the feral Nincada had already taken too much damage. Needless to say, it had turned tail, walking away in a rush and burying itself the ground to lick its wounds.

The Sandshrew was observing from his hiding spot and was stunned. The bug had been hurt by an unseen enemy! Another danger to add to the list of those within Pecha Forest was now the buried threads, something important to a Pokémon that relies on the soil as means of escape when the situation goes dire. What was lying inside? Was it a burrow full to the brim with larvae, broodmothers and eggs? Or merely a more territorial metal-coated bug? The latter seemed to have been the case, the retaliator having surfaced to defend herself.

What to do now. Had she picked up on his position? She had turned to her and mumbled an "Eh?" in his direction or something to that effect. Yigo had been spotted and, from there, the options of what to do...

The fruit was still up there and if that bug was the same as before, she won't be needing it, right? He came out of the brush, looking at the sides again trying to see if there were any other potential threads around. No horned beasts, no predator plants, no flying birds...

"...Are you... The one from before?" Just as he said that, his stomach made out some noise but he didn't pay much attention to it "...Look, I don't want to fight so..." He didn't know what else to ask aside from a truce but if he were to ask for the berry, she may bring back what happened the first time they met. Would she even remember?

So there was someone hiding. Sense of smell gave away what sight could not. Their words felt familiar to her antennae, and their scent was just as similar. "Well, you sound and smell similar, so ... maybe? You're a Sandshrew, yes? Then ...yes?"

The stomach growl is not something that happens with her or anyone she knew, which is only her parents, so to hear it was weird. She didn't pay any attention to it's meaning. Only how this Sandshrew portrayed it's words mattered at this moment. Looking for some clue to it's behavior.

Her head tilted as before, her curiousity on this Sandshrew had returned. Now that she remembers it's an oddity to a forest. "Well, if you don't end up being aggressive as that other nincada you can do what you want..."

Nemi was about to go back to where she was stationed but stopped head in hole. She was also pretty bored now that she had a bit of an adrenaline rush. How the Sandshrew dug up the other root, the one she had attached to, felt a bit odd now that she also thought on that. She turned around and stared in the Sandshrew's general direction. "Do you absorb from roots too? I thought your kind were on those super juicy fruits or odd seeds."

She had confirmed what was in his mind. This was the same bug from before. She seemed to be tough and territorial but she had allowed him to do as he pleased as long as he wasn't aggressive. It sounded fishy, very much so. He cocked his head to the side, not moving at all and wondering if he should even take her word.

On the other hand, she was returning to the previous hole so, even if she was planning on attacking him if Yigo got close he could just go to the opposite of the tree and take the berry from there. Yes, he decided that would be it.

He circled around the Nincada's position from his right, attempting to get to the opposite side of the fruit tree but she seemed to have reconsidered what she was going to do, turning back to Yigo who froze in place. He stared at her, quiet as she spoke out of curiosity. He guessed there was no harm in answering her questions. After all, it's not like she would benefit from distracting him now aside from satisfying a nag for knowledge which was something Yigo could relate to "No, I don't eat roots. You are right about seeds and fruits. I eat those and so do my kind"

He looked up, at the top of the tree, dropping the bag off of his satchel and placing it on the ground before sitting down. His front right paw rose and with the tip of his claw, pointed at the ripe berry "That is what I'm here for. I only wanted the root because I could have traded it for seeds or berries. I didn't mean to take it from you... miss...?"

He didn't leave much room for her to reply before he started to back off. No, he wasn't backing off from the bug type but from the tree as his tilted up head suggested. If the berry was not going to fall on its own, a Rollout slam against the tree ought to do it. "I'll leave you alone once I have it. It'll only be a moment"