Legendary Rescue Team

Chapter 1: A door that closes

The pikachu flinches as she is, yet again, defeated in battle. Her teammates turn to glare at her, this was the third time they had tried to complete this mission and now they would need to return to town to get care for her.
Totodile and Torchic hoist the pikachu's limp frame up off the dungeon floor and back outside toward their base. It's modeled after the team's leader, Totodile, so it's surrounded by water and painted blue.
The pikachu is set down, rather roughly, on the grassy bed inside the base. It seemed to her that her teammates were annoyed about something aside from failing again.
She tries to prop herself up on her elbow only to be pushed down again by Totodile, "You need to rest, again..." he adds the last word on under his breath, again with the annoyed tone, "We'll talk when you've recovered." he finishes, turning away to talk with Torchic.
The pikachu lays on the bed, eyes wide with dread, Talk? What does he mean 'talk'? Did I do something I wasn't supposed to? she questions herself and Totodile's words, not noticing Torchic leave for Oran Forest to pick up berries.
Totodile sits beside the bed, oblivious to the pikachu's worry, "I sent Torchic out to get some berries for you. Those should be enough to bring you back to full health." he replies, a detached tone in his voice, as if they weren't friends and she was just some random stranger.
What is going on here? she wonders, He's never been one for emotion but this is different.
"Try to get some sleep. Torchic should be back later." he continues in his flat tone as he starts to leave.
The pikachu props herself up desperately, "Did I do something wrong today?" she asks, "I didn't mean to faint and I'm sorry I've caused so many failures."
Totodile turns his head to look at the pikachu, "Get some rest. We'll have a team meeting when Torchic gets back to decide where to go." he replies with a final tone, walking out the door and slamming it behind him.
The sound echoes around the small space as the pikachu sinks slowly into the grass. She tries to forget about all the red flags she'd seen and relax. Eventually, the calm sound of the little river flowing through the base lulls her to sleep.
The next thing she knows, she's being shaken awake by Totodile's small paw, "Torchic's back." his voice explains.
She opens her eyes, noticing the oran berry being held before her nose. She reaches for it, nibbling at it and feeling a warm healing wave wash over her. She smiles contentedly, finishing the berry, "So what did we need to talk about?" she asks, feeling refreshed.
Totodile and Torchic glance at each other briefly before Totodile replies to the pikachu's question, "We need to talk about you."
"Me? Why?"
"We feel that you've been holding the team back, lately, and..."
"And what?" the pikachu asks, worried about his next words.
He grimaces, "We think it's time you left." he finishes bluntly.
"Time I left? As in, leave the team? But..." she starts.
Totodile holds up his paw to stop her, "I need to do what's best for the rest of the team. We can't be a helpful rescue team if we have to keep coming back with you. I'm sorry but you need to go."
Her mouth quivers as she tries to hold back the tears. She should have been expecting this after yesterday but it still came as a shock. She bolts out of the base in tears, simply running deeper into the surrounding forest.
The pikachu eventually stops by a large tree, sitting down by it to finish crying. She closes her eyes, letting the tears just roll down her face as she tries to calm herself and stop sobbing.
A small pink pokemon peers down at her from a branch over-head. Mew flicks her tail, wondering what a pikachu was doing this deep into her forest. She decides to ask, floating down to the pikachu. Mew hangs upside-down in front of the pikachu's face, tilting her head to the side, "What're you crying for?" she asks, curious.
The pikachu's eyes snap open suddenly as she tries to scuttle away from Mew, "Where did...Who're you?" she stammers.
Mew rights herself, "I asked a question first." she pouts, "I'm Mew and this is my forest." she replies, gesturing widely around her as if to embrace the entire jungle.
The pikachu relaxes slightly, "I'm crying because I just got kicked off a rescue team." she replies, rubbing her eyes and sniffling.
Mew turns her attention back to the pikachu, "Aww. No wonder, then." she smiles, "That would be sad." she floats over to the pikachu, hovering beside her to offer comfort.
The pikachu sniffles again, "Thanks, Mew." she smiles.
Mew beams, "No problem, uhh...what was your name again?"
The pikachu smiles, "Voltess. My name's Voltess."
"I like that name! Voltess..." Mew muses on Voltess's name, smiling, "Voltess. It's pretty."
Voltess smiles, "Thanks."
Mew giggles, "No problem! Hey, you said you got kicked out of a rescue team, right?"
"Yeah...why?"
"Why don't you and I make a team? It would be fun."
Voltess grins at Mew's offer, "You really mean it?"
Mew nods, grinning ear to ear.
Voltess takle hugs Mew, "Of course I'd like to make a team with you!" she starts to cry again, this time out fo happiness. She releases Mew from the hug, "What would we call it?"
Mew brings her paw up to her mouth and frowns slightly in a thoughtful expression, "Hmm...Maybe, Team Pokeforce?"
Voltess considers the name, shaking her head, "No, it doesn't sound right. How 'bout Team Legend?"
Mew grins at the suggestion, "Maybe if I'm the leader."
"You would be. It was your idea."
"Oh. Team Legends it is then!" Mew smiles, giggling.
Voltess giggles as well, "So, do you want to start right away or wait til tomorrow?"
"Let's wait til tomorrow. There should be a rescue kit in my mailbow by then." Mew replies with a smile, "You're welcome to stay at my place."
Voltess nods, "Thank you. I think I'll take you up on that." she smiles, following Mew deeper into the forest.
A short while later a huge tree looms ahead of the two new friends.
Voltess looks up at it in awe, "You live in this tree? It's beautiful."
Mew grins, "The tree lets me live in it. It's alive and breathing, yet, and provides homes for lots of other pokemon." she explains, tapping her small mailbox, "This is everyone's mailbox so be warned." she shrugs in an oh-well kind of way, proceeding toward the tree."
Voltess is even more awed by the tree, "It let's you live in it? Wow..." she sighs, following Mew into a hollowed out hole at the base of the tree. It turned out to be the entrance to a series of passages that led all around the tree. Mew follows them, eventually reaching the top of the tree.
It would seem that Mew has claimed the entire canopy of the tree. One woven bed lay nestled in the mess of leaves and branches, surrounded by several small toys and other items, "Welcome to my room." she smiles, spinning in the air in a wide gesture around herself.
"It's nice." Voltess replies, carefully balancing herself on one of the main branches as she makes her way around the area.
Mew suddenly realizes there's nowhere for Voltess to sleep, "Oh! I'm sorry! I've only made one bed." she blushes at her oversight, "Here, take mine." she offers her mat, "I can make another one in no time." she smiles.
Voltess smiles back, "Thanks again, Mew."
Mew smiles, waving her off, "It's no problem, really. Now rest up. We start our team officially tomorrow."
Voltess nods, curling up on the grass mat and closing her eyes. She can hear Mew zipping around the area, gathering leaves and twigs to make another bed. This noise eventually fades into the background as Voltess drifts off to sleep.

Chapter 2: Beginnings of Power

The morning light filters through the leaves of the great tree, sprinkling the dawn spots across Voltess's face as she stirs.
The pikachu stretches and yawns, opening her eyes to her surroundings. At first, she wonders what she's doing in a tree house but then remembers what had happened the day before, "Mew..." she mutters, searching the tree for the pink legend. She eventually spots Mew, curled up in a leafy hammock strung from a branch overhead.
Voltess smiles, "Good morning, Mew." she calls up to her.
Mew's eye flutters open, "Hmmah?" she moans, looking over the side of her hammock and smiling at the pikachu, "Morning, Voltess. You're up early." she yawns, floating lazily down to Voltess.
Voltess grins, "Yeah. Torchic always woke us up at the crack of dawn so this is actually late for me." she explains, embarassed that she hadn't thought to go back to sleep.
Mew smiles, "That's fine. We should be up anyway since we're starting our team today." she perks up suddenly, "Which reminds me. We should go check the mail." she zips out over the edge of the tree, neglecting to use the passages that she'd shown Voltess the night before. Mew returns a few moments later with a large box wrapped in brown packing paper, "Here. It's here already." she drops the box next to Voltess before tearing into the paper, revealing their rescue team starter kit. Mew pulls all the components out of it, tossing the item bag and a badge to Voltess before taking the other badge for herself. She pulls the pokemon news subscription out, placing her pawprint on the signature line and zipping off again to place it back in the mail box.
Voltess pins her badge to the bag's shoulder strap and tosses it over her head so it laid across her chest.
Mew comes back shortly after, "There. All set to go." she smiles, "Come on! We need to go pick up some missions!" she explains excitedly, dragging Voltess along toward the passages.
Voltess had to run to keep up with Mew as she zips along the hallways to the base of the tree. She stops to catch what she could of her breath before Mew darted away again, "Wait up, Mew. I can't walk that fast." she calls out as Mew continues to float way up ahead of her.
Mew turns back to see Voltess struggling behind her. She blushes, "Oops. Sorry. I guess I'm not used to being followed, yet." she laughs nervously.
Voltess catches up to her, "It's alright. Who knows, maybe I'll get faster as we do more missions." she nudges Mew playfully before continuing on toward the post office.
Mew smiles and giggles, darting after Voltess. She stays at the pikachu's side until the pelliper post office came into view, "There it is!" she shouts excitedly, zipping away again. Shw hovers in front of the board for the longest time, glancing over the missions. She stayed so long, in fact, that Voltess caught up to the legend.
Voltess looks over the board and then to Mew, "So, what do you want to take?"
Mew continues to look the board over, "I don't know. It'm so nervous about picking it since it's our first mission and we'll probably remember it forever and ever." she explains, eyes darting over the board still more.
Voltess rolls here eyes, gripping the nearest request and pulling it off the tacks, "How's this?" she asks, showing it to Mew, "All we need to do is rescue a young riolu that got lost in the woods. His mother will pay handsomely for his safe return, it says."
Mew's eyes dart over the page in Voltess's paw. She starts to nod, "Yeah, that sounds like a good first mission." she beams, laughing, "Yay! Which woods was it?"
Voltess flips the page over, "Apple Woods. Toward the middle if he sat still."
Mew nods, "Ok." she puffs up in a determined posture, "We shall rescue Riolu," she starts, moving into a dramatic pose, "And we shall become the greatest team there ever was!" she finishes, trying to sound grand.
"Not at level five you won't..." Voltess replies cynically, poking a great hole in Mew's ego.
Mew seems to deflate, "Nyuu, we do have a lot of work to do, don't we..."
Voltess nods, "Yeah, but the levels come quick." she smiles, "We should be able to take the tougher dungeons in no time."
Mew perks up again, "Yeah. To Apple Woods!"
"To Apple Woods!" Voltess answers and the two take off for their first mission in relatively high spirits and arrive a short while later at their destination.
Mew and Voltess stand before the entrance to the woods, eyeing the entrance.
"So. This is it. Our first mission." Mew sighs.
Voltess nods, "Yeah."
The two stand for a minute more in silence.
Voltess shifts the bag on her shoulder, "Maybe we should-"
"Yeah." Mew interrupts, moving forward and into the forest.
Voltess shrugs, following the legend inside.
The first area was fairly uneventful, providing some berries and an apple but nothing else. The two proceed deeper into the forest as light slowly fades into a semi-darkness, almost like twilight. Mew glances around at the faded light, "Is it that late already? We just started."
Voltess shakes her head, "No, it's just the thickness of the trees blocking the light." she points at the blackened canopy above them and then to where they'd come from, "See. It's still light toward the beginning of the path."
Mew nods, "Oh. Ok, then. Hmm, we're pretty far into this wood. D'you think Riolu is around here?"
Voltess shrugs, "Try calling him."
"Riolu! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Mew calls, answered with silence, "Your mom's worried, Riolu! Please come out."
A rustling beside them.
Mew turns to it, "Riolu?"
A grotle pokes its head out of the bush.
Voltess shies from it, "That doesn't look like him." she replies.
"Strange pokemon..." the grotle mutters.
Mew turns her ear to it, "Sorry?"
"Destroy strange pokemon." it replies, louder, its eyes flashing red.
The pair step back, "That's never good." Voltess observes, not exactly helpful as they turn to run.
The grotle charges after them as they flee deeper into the forest, zig zagging as they try to lose it.
Voltess ducks behind a tree as the grotle charges past, missing Mew narrowly with a tackle.
"Destroy strange pokemon!" it yells, turning and charging Mew again.
Mew dodges again, taking a deep breath and fiering a decently powerful ice beam at it and freezing the rampaging grotle.
"Listen! Please." Mew tells the grotle ice-cube, "We're a rescue team here to look for a little lost riolu. We'll leave after we find him so please, stop attacking us."
The grotle struggles against its icy prison, fogging the inside of it with its breath.
Voltess approaches Mew, "I don't think it wants to listen." she replies.
Mew sighs, "I think you're right." she starts to float away, "Let's keep looking." she replies.
Voltess nods, following Mew.
"Riolu!"
"Riolu."
"Come out, Riolu!"
"We're here to rescue you, Riolu. Your mom's worried." Voltess helps Mew call for Riolu this time, hoping to be done quicker.
"Re...rescue?" a thin, weak voice responds to them. The lost riolu stumbles out of the brush beside the path, holding his arm like it was hurt. He smiles at the sight of Mew and Voltess, "Joy!" he exclaims before collapsing where he stood.
Mew rushes to him, shaking him, "No, Riolu. Hang on." she motions for Voltess to come over, "He's badly hurt. I'll have to teleport us out."
Voltess nods, running over to them and kneeling beside Riolu.
Mew closes her eyes in concentration, surrounding the three of them in pink light as she teleports them out of the dungeon. Her strenghth gives out before she reaches anywhere useful, ending up on the beach south of Wigglytuff's guild.
Voltess starts to panic, "Not good, not good." she looks around frantically, trying to think of something, "Wait! The oran berries!" she digs in the item bag, returning with two blue berries, "Yes!" she pumps her paws excitedly, placing one on Riolu's tongue and holding the other in front of Mew, "Come on, please work." she pleads with the berries.
Mew starts to come to, reaching for the berry in Voltess's paw, "Did I faint?" she asks, chewing the berry.
Voltess shakes her head, returning to Riolu as he starts to come around as well, "Welcome back." she smiles at him.
"Where'd I go?" he asks, grinning.
"Nevermind. Come on, your mom's waiting for you." she replies, smiling as she and Mew lead Riolu to the post office.
Waiting there was a very worried-looking female lucario, pacing the floor in front of the mission board. She looks up as Voltess and Mew approach, "Oh, thank Arceus!" she exclaims, running to meet the team and scooping Riolu up into her arms and hugging him tightly, "Don't ever do that again. You had me worried sick."
"I won't. I'll never leave again." Riolu replies, returning his mother's hug.
Mew smiles, wiping a tear from her eye and trying not to look emotional.
Voltess giggles slightly at Mew.
The lucario turns to Mew and Voltess, "Which of you is the leader?"
Voltess points at Mew who nods, "I am, ma'am." she smiles.
The lucario smiles, "A team led by a legend saved my son. I truly am grateful." she replies, holding up a bag and handing it to Mew.
It was suprisingly heavy, dragging Mew down with it, "Woah. What's in here?" she wonders aloud, opening the bag.
It was filled with coins.
"I...can't accept this much." she shakes her head in shock.
The lucario looks at her curiously and laughs, "It's no problem, take it."
Mew shakes her head, "No. It's too much, please, half of it?" she offers.
The lucario smiles, "That's very modest of you." she replies, removing half of the coins from the bag.
Mew smiles, "Thank you so much!" she nods, beaming at them.
The lucario smiles back, "It's you who deserves thanks. You've returned my son to me, healthy and strong as ever." she nuzzles him lovingly, "Please take care, Team Legends." she waves at them as she leaves the post office.
Riolu waves at them from his mother's shoulder as she walks down the path and out of sight.
Mew watches them leave before collapsing, "Wow, I'm so tired. Is that how it'll always be?" she asks, looking up at Voltess who nods.
"Yeah. Especially lately. Lots of pokemon are like that grotle, afraid of 'strange pokemon'." she shrugs, "Not sure what it's about, though."
Mew sighs, "Oh. Maybe we should take easier missions from now on, til we get stronger. We almost failed today and would've if it weren't for you, Voltess." Mew smiles.
A grins creeps across Voltess's face, I'm needed... she realizes, I'm the one who saved the day this time. she laughs, happy for once after a mission, "You're right. But for now, let's go into town. We need to get an account at the bank for our present and future reward money." she replies, hoisting the still very heavy bag up off the floor.
Mew nods, following Voltess to Duskicity Bank.

Chapter 3: A Troubling Premonition

Mew and Voltess approach the bank to start their account with Duskull and Persian and deposit their reward money.
As Voltess works with the two bankers, Mew glances around the town at all the other teams of two and three. She noticed that the teams of three were usually more successful and happier than the teams of two.
"No, I'd like to start a new account. I'm not with them anymore." Voltess tells the bankers, sounding irritated.
Mew's attention snaps back to the transaction.
"Really?" Persian replies in a surprised tone, "I thought Totodile was going to work with you."
"So did I..." Voltess mutters, "But no, they kicked me off and now I'm on a new team. So we need a new account, please."
Duskull nods, "I'll need your new team name and leader's name." a dark aura surrounds a pen in front of him, poised to write.
Mew smiles at the ghostly banker, "We are Team Legends, led be me, Mew."
Duskull's pen writes the information Mew gave him on an account table sheet in thin, elegant letters, "All set. How much do you wish to deposit?" he asks, pen still poised.
Mew lifts the bag Lucario had given them up onto the counter, "This. However much this is." she replies.
Persian slides the bag over to herself, setting the bag down on something below the counter, "It weighs out to 2,000 poke."
Mew mouths '2000' in surprise to Voltess.
Duskull's pen writes the amount on the opening balance line on Team Legend's sheet in the same elegant writing as before, "Thank you for your business. Your coins shall rest in peace." he replies, placing the accent over the 'e' as Persian carries the bag into the vault.
"Is that it then?" Mew asks.
"That's it." Duskull sets the pen down and files the sheet beneath the counter.
Mew smiles, "Cool. Thank you, Duskull and Persian." she waves as she and Voltess leave toward home.
"The pleasure is ours." he replies softly.

The two friends continue down the path that leads to the Great Tree. Mew couldn't help but think about the other teams she'd seen in town, "Hey, Voltess. What do you think about our team?"
"As far as what?" Voltess asks.
"As far as members. I think we need to start recruiting." Mew replies.
"Huh? Why?"
"Did you see the other teams in town? They all had more members and they looked more successful and happy."
Voltess glances down, "Happiness isn't the number of members, it's the quality of them and success is in the strength of the team." she explains.
Mew hangs her head, "I'd still like to grow our team. You can never have too many friends and allies."
Voltess smiles, "You're right. We can try to recruit pokemon tomorrow. I don't know about you but I'm tired."
"Yeah, tomorrow." she sighs, looking up to the Great Tree. She notices a small, deer-like pokemon standing on a sunny branch, "Hey. What's that?" she asks, pointing at the pokemon.
Voltess shrugs, "Dunno. I've never seen it before."
Mew squints at it, "I'll go talk to it. Ask it what it wants." she replies, floating up to the pokemon.
As she approaches, additional details become visible. The pokemon is just a little shorter than Mew and has a white body with green paws with a red, cape-like flower on its back. The pokemon looks over at Mew as she approaches, "Hello, Mew. We meet at last."
Mew stops in her tracks, "Have....we met before?"
The pokemon shakes her head, "No. But I've been watching you. My name is Shaymin, and I'm one of the Great Tree's guardians."
"Shaymin?" Mew asks.
Shaymin nods, "My job is to protect this tree from harm. We have been watching you since you moved in all those years ago, waiting to see what your intentions were."
"I was just looking for a home!" Mew exclaims quickly, defensive.
Shaymin smiles, "We know. You've done nothing wrong and in fact seem to make the tree happy. I think it was lonely after Celebi left..." she adds the last part on under her breath so Mew couldn't hear, "I'm here to ask your friendship. I noticed that you started a rescue team with that pikachu there." Shaymin nods to Voltess still waiting on the ground, "I've been longing for an excuse to get out and see more of the world. The other guardians seem to have things covered here so I'm not needed as much as I used to be."
Mew can't speak, the suddenness of the new member a little much.
"I'm free to come with you, if you'll have me." Shaymin finishes, sitting down on the branch to await Mew's response.
"I..." Mew starts, turning to Voltess.
Voltess turns her head in a questioning expression.
Mew turns back to Shaymin, "I'll be right back. Wait here." she darts back to Voltess.
"What's going on?" Voltess asks.
"That pokemon up there is called Shaymin and she wants to join the team."
Voltess is shocked, "Really? What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything yet. I wanted your opinion."
"Well, I say let her join. You yourself said you wanted more members." Voltess smiles, "This is your chance. It's a free member."
Mew nods, returning to Shaymin, "Of course we'll have you!" she smiles, "Welcome to Team Legends, Shaymin."
Shaymin smiles and nods, "All right!" she exclaims, gliding down to Voltess and flying excited circles around her, "Nice to meet you."
Voltess grins, "Nice to meet you too, Shaymin."
Shaymin giggles before gliding back up to the canopy, following Mew into the tree fort area.
Voltess runs for the passages, arriving few minutes later. She and Mew help Shaymin get settled into a mat beside Voltess's just as it begins to grow dark outside the leafy ceiling.
Shaymin quietly pulls a strange flower out of her hair, shifting into her smaller form, laughing at Mew and Voltess's reaction, "I don't like sleeping like that." she explains, smiling.
Mew and Voltess relax, satisfied with the answer, "A warning next time though?" Mew asks.
Shaymin laughs, "Ok." she giggles, heading over to her new grass mat and curling up to sleep while Voltess and Mew do the same.
"G'night everyone." Shaymin calls before yawning widely.
"Night." Mew calls back before settling into her hammock for the night.
her dream wasn't filled with the usual calming sensations she'd come to expect. No, this was different. It was dark with only a single blue light off in the distance.
The blue light flickers slightly, hovering inside a mass of deeper black. It vaguely reminded her of something she'd seen before, that billowing shape. Before she can try to place it, the shadow rushes forward and engulfs her in darkness.
As her vision returns, she can make out three shapes; blue, yellow, and red. They're fighting, working to destroy another, white shape.
What does it mean? she wonders as the vision fades again. She bolts up, wide awake in the inky blackness of midnight, "What's going on here? I'm having nightmares."
Shaymin stirs below her, rubbing her eyes sleepily, "Mew? Is something wrong?" she asks.
Mew frowns, debating whether or not to tell Shaymin about the dream. She shakes her head, "No. It's just a dream. Go back to sleep." she replies, turning away.
Shaymin tilts her head, frowning, "A dream, or a nightmare?"
Mew turns back to Shaymin, "A nightmare....Why?"
Shaymin rises from the mat, shuffling over toward the middle of the room, "Darkrai might be trying to tell you something." she replies.
"Darkrai?"
Shaymin nods, "He's one of the other guardians and very intune with the world. He always seems to know when things are going to go wrong and tries to warn others before they happen."
"So, Darkrai is trying to tell me that something's going to happen? Why can he just talk to me? I don't like having nightmares."
Shaymin smiles, "He doesn't like being out in the open. It's in his nature."
Mew sighs, "Why me, though? Why am I the one getting nightmares?"
"Darkrai probably chose you for your caring nature. You'd be able to tell that is wasn't a normal dream and work to find its meaning." Shaymin replies, "What was the nightmare?" she asks.
"Well, it had three colored shapes trying to destroy a white shape."
Shaymin nods, "Were they shaped like anything in particular?"
Mew concentrates, thinking hard about he dream, "Uh, kind of. They sort of resembled birds. Do you know of anything like that?"
Shaymin shakes her head, "No but maybe something will surface tomorrow." she smiles, "Try to go back to sleep, for now." she replies, walking back to Voltess's mat and curling up again.
Mew nods, curling into her hammock once more.

Wow... Clap Clap