[IC] Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Tree Of The Cosmos

[XxFellsingxX]

Willow listened to the three Pokemon for a moment. They all sounded like they wanted to join the guild and such enthusiasm would be a good addition to the team...

Willow smiled. "If that's the case, come on in!" she said. "There are some other new recruits in here as we speak and you're just in time for our first event." She ushered the three Pokemon into the house. She stood to the side to allow the Pokemon in, especially the Rhyhorn, who she hoped would be able to get through the door without breaking anything.

Well, having a little bit of type variety on the team is a good thing, isn't it? she thought.

[Ace of Jacks]

Lilith's ears perked up at the Braixen's invitation. She couldn't contain her excitement as her tail began to swing behind her, lightly brushing against the Pokemon beside her. She bowed her head in gratitude and entered the threshold of the Library. There were a few Pokemon loitering about inside but the atmosphere was quiet.

As her eyes wandered around her surroundings they gleamed in awe. The interior was much larger than she thought, with various rooms, or what she assumed were rooms, and sources of worldly knowledge. She had always heard about libraries but had never been in one. Everything she learned was from either personal experience or word of mouth. She had never just read about things before. Lilith sauntered over towards a section of books that seemed to contain books regarding types. There were books on Dark, Water, Fire, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Electric...the types of her siblings. Lilith gingerly freed a book about Fire Pokemon from the shelf and put it between her jaws, careful not to bite on it or mark it in any way. She set it down in front of her and flipped it open. Her favorite sister was a Flareon and she had turned to a page that contained information on a move she was familiar with. As she read further, Lilith stumbled upon a page with an image of a Flareon and for the first time in a long time she wondered how her family was doing.

Did they miss her?
Do they even remember her?
...Would she ever be welcomed back?

Lilith shook her head, clearing the thought from her mind. She brought her paw up to her face and wiped her eyes with her wrist. Her sisters were so strong. They were skilled with their respected types. Lilith...Lilith was weak, just a little Normal type. She couldn't return home and face her family in her current state. Perhaps, the guild would be a means to be worthy of her sisters. Her chest puffed out as she took in a deep breath. She returned the book to its rightful place and was about to turn around and introduce herself when something caught her attention. It was a light beige book with the word NORMAL written vertically down the binding. However, this particular book was on the third shelf, just high enough to be out of reach. Lilith stood on her hind-legs, her front paws resting against the edge of the second shelf, stretching her neck out to grab the book. She was careful not to put too much pressure that the shelf would topple back but couldn't seem to reach.

[Drake]

Franklin smiled as Lilith's tail brushed against him. Like he had said before, fluffy and cute, it did indeed describe her. Franklin nodded excitedly to Willow, giving her a very cheerful smile. Franklin then followed Lilith in the library. He'd always liked libraries. They have so much information and especially the fiction section. It's where he thrived. Stories of brave pokemon and their battles against evil. Even sometime stories of pokemon fighting alongside humans, which were weird creatures, but very brave, yet very evil.

Franklin scampered over to the rest of the group of pokemon gathered and smiled at them. "Hi, I'm Franklin." he said very excitedly. He noticed there were no other grass types, though. That was sad, but fine, since he was all the grass type they would need, he hoped.

[Draexzhan]

Timothy carefully made his way through the doorway, but in spite of that, bumped the frame with his sides a couple times in the process, leaving fresh grooves in it. "S-sorry..." he muttered to Willow. He took a look around and gazed at the rows of leather spines peaking out of shelves all around the room. There weren't very many pokemon in the library, and the ones he saw were much smaller than he was, but then, there were other rooms, with doorways he dared not squeeze through. He heard a grunt and turned around so his good eye could see where the sound came from. The Eevee that had spooked him earlier was trying to reach a book on the shelf.

"I guess libraries like these weren't built with, you and I in mind..." he said shyly to the Eevee, walking up to her left side. "If I had arms, I'd be, able to get it for you, buuuut... I don't, yet, I guess." He began sliding his right forefoot in circles on the floor, making a louder swish than he realized. "Can't wait to evolve. I reeeeeeeally don't like being weak. And I'd love to be able to stand, on two legs. I can, you know, barely stand on three for, very long. I'm sure you're much the same way. Once you, evolve, you'll be bigger... and stronger too, I guess... You could, maybe, reach those higher shelves."

[Ace of Jacks]

Lilith could see the spine of the book. Sitting there. Mocking her struggle. Lilith had positioned herself nearly parallel to the shelf in her attempt to reach her desired book but to no avail. She could barely touch the second shelf as it was and what she wanted sat on the third. She tried to keep her efforts as soft as she could in hopes that no one noticed. Come on, come on, come on… she pleaded with herself, emitting strained noises. Her left ear twitched as a noise came to her attention. She glanced over her shoulder, relaxing her muscles as the Rhyhorn from earlier approached. He commented on the library and seemed to appear out of nowhere. As she lowered herself, Lilith let her paws rest on the first shelf, inspecting the Rhyhorn from top to bottom as he yammered on.

“No, I suppose you don’t,” Lilith noted about his lack of arms. “They’re more like stubs. You have stubs.” A lighthearted chuckle escaped her as she spoke. She tilted her head back to look at the book again before returning to the Rhyhorn. She wondered to herself, Would it be rude to use him as leverage? She pondered the thought before shaking her head. No, no she concluded that it would, in fact, be rather rude. Lilith let out a sigh. She hoped the book would give her some insight on her capabilities as an Eevee but she isn’t even capable of reaching it.

Lilith forced a smile at the Rhyhorn and opened her mouth to excuse herself when he mentioned evolving. Her ears fell, resting anxiously against her head. “It’s just a book,” she stated. Her tone was soft but almost harsh. “I don’t need to evolve to reach a book.” Lilith lowered her legs and backed up from the shelf. Once she felt the books behind her she bent her knees and lowered her chest. There wasn’t much room in the aisle but her legs were rather close to the ground. Lilith ran toward the book, pushing herself off the ground and toward her goal. She caught the second shelf and attempted to kick herself off from the tops of some books. She lost her footing and started to fall back to the ground. There was a soft thud as her body made contact with the library floor. Her head shot up, expecting to see a domino of bookshelves before her. She was too light. The shelf merely toddled before returning to its previous position. Lilith felt her face heat up and turned away from the Rhyhorn.

“You saw nothing.”

[Ngoc]

Rookie Deputy Dylan Rhodes, proud successor of a long line of Arcanine, dashed towards the treehouse. He had been sent on an assignment... no, a mission, to deliver important information to this new adventurer's guild that had cropped up. He was to tell one of the intrepid adventurers that one of their loved ones, a Charmeleon, had been spotted somewhere near one of the mystery dungeons to the north. Romance, drama, adventure, this was what he lived for! He would make the Police force proud today!

---

Tina looked around the room excitedly, the guild had suddenly started filling with all sorts people. Her excitement had almost reached its peak, she almost missed Russet's response. She opened her mouth to reply-

The door to the library burst open, revealing a Growlithe bearing the tell-tale symbol of a police Deputy. Before anyone could react, the deputy spoke up.
"I come bearing news from the sergeant! It is addressed to a certain Miss Tina, regarding a possible sighting of a missing Pokemon."

A second passed before Tina reacted to those words. Her eyes became even larger and seemed to shine with an unearthly light. It was him, they'd found Zayn! She immediately scrambled towards the door, stopping in front of the deputy to ask one question: "Where is he?!"

"Miss, if you'd please follow me to the police station we can discuss this there," the Growlithe replied and started walking down the stairs of the library/guild.

Tina started following, but turned around and quickly addressed the guild.. "Willow, Russet, I have to leave but I'll be back soon! Don't worry about me!" With that, she shut the door with her ribbons and followed the deputy down the steps.

"Please watch your steps, you're going-"
"Uuaaaaagh!"
"Oh! Miss, are you alright? Are you injured?!"
"I'm fiiiine!"

---

Russet blinked in confusement. What had just happened? One second he was having a nice conversation and the next Tina had dashed out of the guild behind one of the Sergeant's deputies. The Growlithe had said something about a missing Pokemon?

He shrugged and looked around the guild. Seemed like most of the guild had found someone to talk to, while Willow handled the new arrivals and whatever introductions were necessary. He figured that while he was here he should get acquainted to his new home, however temporary it might be.

The library certainly seemed bigger on the inside than on the outside, with small rooms leading off to the sides. Must be where the additional stock is kept. The seemingly endless rows of books were formidable, Russet had only seen bigger on one of his trips to the large cities further inland...

A dull thud caught his attention as he wandered the library. Curious, he followed the source of the noise only to find two of the newest arrivals, an Eevee and a Rhyhorn, staring longingly at a book on the third shelf, something that was well out of their reach. Figuring that they could use some help, he made his way to the duo.
"Well how do you two do? Need any help with..." He shot a glance to the third shelf. Seemed that this entire section was dedicated to the different Types of Pokemon. It was a subject he had never understood too well, but was assured that it had much research put into it. "...With that?"

[Stitches]

Espurr rarely frequented the streets of Sunny Town, for some reason or another. He usually wandered away to the outskirts of the town to keep to himself in favour of going around pokemon who usually attempt contact or show concern when he disappears for a few days at a time only to return with the unshakable urge to consume a lot of food in a very short space of time. His blank eyes slid across Sunny Town passively as he walked - or, well, it was more of a tottering waddle - down the street, completely ignoring the pokemon around him. His journey reached a halt as he noticed something of a small commotion around the notice board in the town and, being the curious and observant type, Espurr walked closer to see what it was all about.

A group of pokemon were reading a notice about an Adventurer's guild, in Constance's old library. Now it belonged to her daughter...Birch? Sycamore? Whatever her name was. Something to do with a tree, Espurr vaguely recalled that, because he never met her. Sergeant Arcanine was shoving pokemon out of the way to rip the notice off the board, but its message was clear and hit home in the little Espurr. With determination, he waddled towards one of his favourite spots - Constance's Library.

As a general rule of thumb, those who wanted to see Espurr (admittedly, there weren't many who wanted to see him or really knew he existed) could find him in the library. He was a bit of a regular around the mazes of books, always reading if he wasn't on one of his little trips into goodness knows where. He knew Constance only as the librarian, and never bothered to get to know her - or her family - any further than he needed to. His silence was usually a giveaway that he did not wish to be disturbed.

On his way there, he noticed yet another flyer for the pokemon guild; how many of these things did whatsherface make, anyhow? Espurr picked up the crumpled sheet of paper, tottering down the path to the library in complete, resolute silence. He pondered over what he might find within the library this time.

As Espurr entered the library, he looked around in awe at all of the pokemon assembled before drifting over to the Braixen that he was searching for. Holding out both arms, he pulled the advertisement taunt and waved it around in the air with a sense of almost manic urgency; she had to understand that this time, he wasn't here for books.

[XxFellsingxX]

Willow gave a loud sigh after Timothy had entered the library when she noticed the grooves in the doorway. Greeeeat, she thought. I've just invited in a home-wrecker.

It was at that moment that a Growlithe burst in. She didn't know which one it was - all the officers at Sergeant Arcanine's Police Force looked the same to her - but she immediately recoiled at his arrival, fearing that the Sergeant had somehow gotten wind of all the guild's new members and was sending this Growlithe to arrest every single one of them. However, it turned out he was only here to talk to Tina. Something about a Charmeleon? Well, she didn't have much time to think about it because Tina quickly told her she was leaving and exited the library along with the Growlithe.

Already lost a member. Well done, Willow. Very well done, Willow thought drily to herself, because even though Tina had said she would return, she somehow doubted that. Oh well, she already had quite a few members now, and with the addition of the three new ones she had just recruited, things were much better than she could have hoped. She was about to turn back to the rest of them and begin talking about the scavenger hunt when she heard the door open - again - and glanced round to see an Espurr come in.

The Braixen frowned thoughtfully as she remembered her mother, Constance, once telling her about an Espurr who came to the library regularly. Willow had never met him herself but her mother had spoken quite fondly of him. "He's so quiet," her mother would say. "You'd never know he was there. A model customer."

"Hello," Willow greeted the Espurr, giving her best smile. "Can I help you?" Just she had said that, the Espurr had waddled over and was waving a very familiar piece of paper in her face. "Oh." Willow crouched down slightly so she and the Espurr were closer to eye-level with one another. "Are you here to join?" she said. "We already have quite a few members, but you're welcome to join us if you want." A Psychic type would be quite the useful addition, she thought to herself. Suddenly, she felt a bit subconscious, wondering whether the Espurr was capable of reading minds at this point. She'd have to be careful about what she thought from now on if that was the case.

[Stitches]

Espurr rather ferociously shook the piece of parchment under Willow's nose - it seemed that, despite everything, he still wanted to join with a burning passion. Whether or not he understood (or read) people's thoughts seemed to be impossible to tell from his expression, which was its usual blank-eyed glassy stare. The very moment Espurr was certain that Willow got the message, he stopped waving around the grubby piece of paper and looked around at the other members of the adventurer's guild.

There was an Evee and a Rhyhorn talking with each other by one of the shelves, a Zorua and a Honedge sulking somewhere further in the library, along with a Turtwig, and a Furrett. Thus far, there wasn't a psychic type at all; he seemed to be completely on his own. Again, it was impossible to figure out if this pleased or upset Espurr just from looks alone.

Oddly enough, instead of rushing off to make friends, Espurr sat down on the floor beside Willow and stared very intently at the piece of paper that composed the advertisement. The only visible movement he made was the slight, steady rise and fall of his chest to prove that he was still awake and alive, and the flicking of his blank eyes as he read and re-read the scrap of paper over and over and over again.

[XxFellsingxX]

"Errrrrrrm, okaaaay...?" Willow said after a moment, finding the Espurr's silence a little unsettling. I'll take that as a 'yes', I suppose, she thought, straightening herself back up to her full height and turning around to address the rest.

"Okay! For all the new arrivals, I have decided to start us all out with a scavenger hunt," Willow said. "It will allow us to get used to how these Mystery Dungeons work and for me to witness your skills as fighters and explorers. You will each be put into groups." She paused for a moment, scanning over all the members again with eyes. "Well, it seems we have an odd number. But that's okay." She gave a small cough to clear her throat. "Alright! As said before, Ame will be coming with me. Monado and Lupus are already a pair. Russet..." She paused again, glancing at the Furret. "Well, Tina has gone so I guess you can partner with, errr..." She scanned the other group members before her eyes landed on Franklin. She then pointed sharply at the Turtwig. "That guy!" Who's name I have completely forgotten, she added in her head. She'd have to make it a note to list everyone's names after this first mission was done.

She then glanced over at Lillith and Timothy, who had already seemed to have bonded. "I guess you guys can go together," she said. Lastly, she glanced back at the Espurr, who was now sitting on the floor, apparently reading over the advertisement once again. "You!" she proclaimed, pointing at the Psychic Pokemon. "As a Psychic type, you'll be useful in this particular dungeon. You will go with..." She pointed to Russet and Franklin. "Those two!" She nodded. "Yes!"

A confident smirk stretched across her face as she turned back to the others. "Well, it seems that's taken care of! The Mystery Dungeon we shall be going to is called Mushroom Forest. We shall head off there right now!" Before Sergeant Arcanine tries to stop me! "We stop outside the entrance so I can tell you what it is we shall be finding, based on natural objects that I know can be found there. Then I will send you off in your groups." She narrowed her eyes. "Prove to me that you're worthy to be a member of this guild, and that I can count on all of you on the future." Her tone suddenly became very serious. "Something is very wrong with this world, and I need to know that I have dedicated and loyal Pokemon by side who can help me stop this catastrophe."

She paused again, almost for dramatic effect, before that same arrogant smile reappeared on her features. She then clapped her paws together. "Okay, enough standing around, folks! Chop, chop! Let's get a move on!" she called, and began marching towards the front door, ready to get down to business.

[Card Captor]

"Weeeeeee!!!!" Monado squealed in excitement "it's finally adventure time! This is going to be so...awesome!" His little metal body was shaking in anticipation. "Today...everything starts today. Charging blindly into a realm of pure madness, we shall cast aside all that bare our path. For our mission is just and true, our will and conviction stronger then any metal. Give not an inch nor lose even a drop of hope, for when you do, then all is lost. We shall return home triumphant, or we shall not return at all" he recited in a strangely reverent voice

---

'That Honedge...he's so vastly different from anyone I've ever met. Then again, I've yet to meet anyone normal since leaving my village, so I suppose it isn't too surprising. Although I can't help but admire his conviction to see the mission completed. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of master Sarutobi. What was it that master Sarutobi called himself...'a magnificent and delightfully quirky bastard', was it? I think that's what it was. Quite a strange thing to call himself; no one ever doubted his parentage after all. Anyway, I find this Honedge reminding me of the master. Had I not known him well enough, I might have written of this Honedge as but a mere child...however I know better' Ame mused to himself. As Willow marched to the door, he stepped into line behind her

[Draexzhan]

The Eevee seemed upset about something, though Timothy was unsure what. She had turned away from him in what he thought was anger, but he could not understand why.

A voice cut through his thoughts and he turned to see the Braixen speaking to them. She spoke of a mission they were about to embark on. Already? But he had just gotten here! It seemed relatively simple, though, even if it meant going through a mystery dungeon. She'd paired him up with the Eevee he had just spoken to, which made him slightly uncomfortable because he had just upset her. Once the groups had been made, the Braixen lead them out the door, and a rather noisy Honedge began squealing in excitement.

Wait a minute...

A Honedge?

Timothy yelped at the realization, and instinctively backed up into the bookshelf, causing shelves and books to tumble onto him. "No! Stay away from me!" he cried to the Honedge. "I don't want any trouble I don't wish to bother you please leave me alone I promise I won't bother you again pleeeeeeeease!" His legs were trembling and he was sweating profusely.

His mind wasn't even there anymore. All he could see was an angry blade attacking him. He didn't know what was in that tall grass. He couldn't have known what was going to happen to him that day. But it happened, and how could he forget? His knees collapsed under him and he flopped over onto his side, barely missing the Eevee. He lay there, shivering. "I'm sorry..." He pleaded over and over. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

[Ace of Jacks]

Lilith wasn’t embarrassed often but at this moment she felt as though she were in a sauna. Not only did the Rhyhorn witness her complete and utter failure but a Furret appeared to investigate. As she lay on the floor the kind stranger offered his assistance. Lilith pushed her body off the ground and steadied herself before the Furret. “Ummm…” she mumbled, “That would be much appreciated, tha-.” Before she could finish thanking him a voice boomed from the direction of the entrance. Willow, the guild leader, seemed to be directing her message to every member which also meant she was talking to Lilith. She peered over her shoulder at the Braixen and listened. A treasure hunt? A mission already and she had just gotten here. When Willow turned her attention toward Lilith, she froze. She had assigned her to travel with the Rhyhorn. That’s…fine. As long as he didn’t get in her way then there would be no issues. She knew that joining a guild would mean working with others and though she was not familiar with such a thing she’d have to endure it.

“Hi, my name is Li- What the hell!?”

Lilith quickly jumped back as the now hysterical Rhyhorn dropped before her feet. He was visibly shaken, apologizing repeatedly. She placed her front paws on the side of his body and lightly shook him. Well, it was more like rocking as she could barely move him in her weakened state.
“Calm down, it’s okay,” she cooed. She could feel her face warm up once more. Without looking up from the fallen Rhyhorn, she was sure there were eyes on her; or at least in her direction. It happened so fast that she wasn’t even sure what transpired. In his panic, the Rhyhorn knocked over a few books that were now scattered around him and Lilith. She pushed some aside and shoved her head against his body, kicking back with her hind legs.

“Come on,” she groaned, trying to help her fallen partner to his feet. She recalled him mentioning his desire to evolve. “That’s no way for a future Rhydon to behave,” she added, her tone as sweet and calm as she could manage.

[Draexzhan]

Timothy stepped on something metallic, and quickly drew his foot back in surprise. Out of the grass rose a long piece of blue cloth with a swirl pattern on it and a sheathed sword attached to it. The sword gazed at him with a blue eye embedded in the hilt, half closed in a look of anger. It let out a metallic growl, and the cloth pulled the sheath off. The sword twirled in the air a couple times, and froze with the point right between Timothy's eyes.

"I'm sorry..." Timothy whimpered, backing up slowly. But the sword floated forward, keeping the point pressed against Timothy. One by one, additional swords rose from the grass, identical to the first in every manner, including mood. They all approached Timothy with their points forward. Then, the first one sliced at Timothy, who barely avoided it. the other swords came forward and began slicing, and Timothy hurriedly turned around and began to run. He immediately stopped when he realized there were swords behind him too. He was completely surrounded. Swords. Everywhere. Blades shining with a thirst for blood. They all started slicing, leaving cuts all over Timothy's body. An unnatural amount of blood splattered all around him as the blades dyed themselves a deep red. He cried out in pain, only to see a sword the size of a mountain rise from the treetops ahead. The sky turned red as the giant sword unsheathed itself, and then, it pointed itself towards the heavens, a blinding ray of light shooting off the tip of the blade, and it came slashing down on Timothy.

His mind came back to reality just as the giant sword struck.

He lay there on the floor, a loud and frantic roar echoing throughout the library. It took him several seconds to realize that the roar was coming from his own mouth. He didn't stop until he was out of breath, and lay there, panting heavily, tears streaming from his eye, and his body covered in beads of sweat. Something small and fluffy pushed at his back, trying to get him upright again. It spoke to him in a gentle voice, but he couldn't hear anything it said. His eye quickly became fixated on the Honedge before him, and with all the power in his lungs and then some, he screamed in an unearthly voice.

"GET IT AWAY FROM MEEEEEEEEEE!!"

[Kiddo]

“Another dead-end, Two. I expected better from you.” Abby stared down at the Pikachu, his expression unreadable but missing his characteristic cocky grin. The object of his scrutiny fidgeted nervously before shrugging.

“Well, it’s all hearsay. We don’t know anything,” he said.

Abby sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. The Pancham had not provided him with anything of use: though she was nice enough, she knew nothing of the mysterious loss of Abby’s parents nor about the individual behind the strange things going on in the multiverse lately. Why his sources had thought someone so young and lost herself would know anything, he wasn’t sure, but he trusted them completely. They would never do anything to purposefully misguide him, so he took a second to let his tension pass. It was an honest mistake, anyone could make it. It took a moment, but when he reopened his eyes, his smirk had returned.

“Ah, it’s fine, just keep your eyes open. I know you won’t fail me.” He ruffled the tip of his friend’s ear for a moment, and got a twitch and a blush in return.

“Hey, stop it, M,” Two exclaimed, pulling away and flicking at his ear himself until he regained his composure. “Not cool, man, not cool.”

“Still not used to those ears? How long is it going to take?”

“I preferred to have a spike, man. This straight stuff cramps my style.” Two returned to the Abra and placed his head in his lap, gazing out from the Mystery Dungeon’s entrance into the woods outside. A minute of comfortable silence stretched between them until Abby stretched and shifted enough to get Two off of him, eventually standing and wrapping his cape back around his neck as he prepared to leave.

“Tell me if anything comes up. I’ll go see to our visitors and see what I can there,” Abby said, shooing the Pikachu back into the darkness.

[Ace of Jacks]

Lilith's ears leaned back against her head as her partner roared in fear.

'It'?

What was this 'it' this delirious Rhyhorn referred to, Lilith wondered. She lifted her head to face what exactly caused her new partner to react so unreasonably. She could see a few pokemon but from the look on the Rhyhorn's face it seemed he was staring directly as a Zorua. She walked around the Rhyhorn, trying to get a better look. There was something on its back, something shaking. No, there was someone on its back. It was a Honedge. Lilith had only encountered one once before. It was crazed, uncivilized. She could understand his fear...to an extent. Still, that Honedge was here most likely to join the guild, just as she had. It was nothing like the Honedge she fought in the wild. Lilith positioned herself in front of her partner, blocking his view of what she could have assumed was the source of his breakdown. She looked down at him with a concerning smile.

"Is...is that better?" she asked. It didn't seem like he would calm down and her lack of social skills left her feeling her attempts were all but futile. Arceus, what do I do? She glanced over her shoulder at the Furret, who was now right beside her, then the other guild members, her eyes nearly pleading for assistance. With a heavy sigh, Lilith returned to face her partner and bent down to his eye level. "My name is Lilith... Do you wanna go outside and take a breather?" she finally asked, trying to keep her tone soft and sweet. She couldn't speak for the Rhyhorn but whenever she found herself in an emotionally stressful situation all she wanted was to distance herself from people, if only for a moment. It allowed her to get her bearings together and relax without feeling smothered.

[XxFellsingxX]

Sensing that there was a hold up, Willow paused in the doorway and glanced over her shoulder at the Rhyhorn, err.... Timothy was it? He seemed to be freaking out about something or other, crying out about how he was sorry, as if he were afraid of being attacked. The Eevee she had partnered him with was trying calm down, though she wasn't sure how successful she was being.

"Arceus dammit," Willow muttered before glancing at Ame, who had been following behind her. "Any idea what's going on?" And then, without waiting for an answer, she made her way over to the two young Pokemon, paws on her hips. "Alright, Timothy. What's the hold up?" her voice came out a lot sterner than she had planned, but she was starting to get agitated.

[Drake]

Franklin chipperly trotted over to Willow. He didn't want her to get mad at Timothy because of a something as trivial as this. Timothy was really cool, even if he was a bit timid, and a good friend, he could already tell that. Franklin started getting a bit more timid as he got over to Willow, seeing as she was a fire type, and seemed to be under a lot of stress right now. "Hey, um, Willow?" he said timidly. Then he took a deep breath and put on a smile.

"Willow, um, I think Timothy has PS... PTD, something like that, and someone here just triggered it. It'll probably go away after we all start working together. Right now, though, I think we should just give him a minute or two to calm down and get ready to handle things in the mystery dungeon. We don't want him getting hurt because he's not focused," the small Turtwig said to the Braixen. It had taken a lot of courage for the little fun loving turtle to speak his mind like that, though. He hoped it paid off.

[XxFellsingxX]

"PTSD," Willow corrected Franklin. "It stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Willow then turned back to Timothy. "Okay, Timothy. Keep calm. Deep breathes. Inhale, exhale, all that jazz." She nodded. "Maybe you should take Lillith's suggestion and go outside for a few breathers, okay? We can't have you fainting in the middle of the dungeon, especially considering you're a rock type and, well, considering how many grass types there are in Mushroom Forest, you wouldn't stand a chance." She paused, realising that was not the best motivator. "I mean... no pressure."

Smooth, Willow. Really smooth.

"Lillith," Willow continued, turning to the Eevee. "Please take him outside for a moment, there's a good girl. You two can stay behind for a bit until you're ready to leave. We'll go ahead and wait for you outside Mushroom Forest. You... do know you're way there, I presume?"

[Ace of Jacks]

Lilith glared up at the Braixen, narrowing her eyes for a second in annoyance. She quickly loosened her expression and forced a grin. “Yes ma’am,” she nodded, giving who she know knew to be Timothy a nudge. She hated being looked down upon, treated like an obedient child. She had just met the Braixen and had not yet established a sense of respect or even familiarity with her. Still, Lilith was use to putting up a front to please others. She hated drama and would prefer to avoid it. It’s unnecessary and delays progress.

Unable to get the Rhyhorn to its feet, Lilith stopped to answer Willow. “No, ma’am,” she replied. “I’ve just arrive in this village. If you would tell me some landmarks, perhaps, then I’m sure I can find my way.” She gave a little huffed grunt as she continued to help Timothy up. “I’ll handle this, it’s okay,” she smiled reassuring at Willow. Lilith gestured her head toward Library exit. “You guys go. I’ll make sure he’s okay to enter the dungeon. If not…” she let out a disappointed sigh before resuming, “We’ll be here waiting for your safe return.” Let’s hope it’s the former…

Lilith returned her attention to Timothy, who seemed be in a traumatized state. She brushed her tail against his rough body and gave it yet another nudge. “Come on, Timothy” she murmured. “Wanna go outside and calm down for a bit? I’ll stay with you until you’re ready.” Lilith glanced over her shoulder for only a moment. The Honedge hadn’t moved since Timothy’s episode. It was probably for the best. He hadn’t said a word in a while and she didn’t want him to become any more startled or anxious than he is currently.