Chapter 4

Crest ran head first into the cave, her ears perked at the sound of Leon’s voice.

“Crest NO! That’s a mystery dungeon!”

“Mystery Dungeon?”, she questioned turning around to ask him to elaborate, but as she did she noticed the entrance wasn’t there anymore.

“Leon?”, she asked finding herself alone except for the steady sounds of the ocean crashing against the rocks outside. What happened? She hadn’t gone far at all, just through the entrance, now there was no entrance. Confusedly Crest went over to a wall and pressed her paws against it.

Solid…

But she had just passed through this way she was sure of it, “What the?”

“Shellos!”, came a high pitched shout.

Crest turned finding a tiny blue Shellos with glowing red eyes glaring at her, "umm... hello?"

The Shellos tackled at her, Crest dodged.

"That was uncalled for!"

The Shellos attacked again, this time with a spout of water. Crest knocked out of breath back by the water gun, she quickly recovered and growled loudly. The sound was so friece that ot surprised Crest, stunned the Shellos, who backed for a moment, until a large flame erupted and engulfed it. It yelped loudly and dissapeared in the flame, leaving behind a small mound of coins.

"What the-?"

"C-crest are you okay?"

"Leon!", she shouted happily, rushing over to him, "You saved me Leon!", she said brightly hugging him to her tiny frame, "Where are we?"

Leon sighed looking her over, pleased she had no terrible injuries, "Ah, we're in a mystery dungeon, they've been popping up all over the world lately... Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but that Shellos isn't.", Crest pulled away from him, not noticing the blush that was begining to form on his cheeks, and looked at the small pile of coins laying in the scorched area where the Shellos once stood, "What happened to it?"

"It got too weak and the Dungeon spit it back out", Leon stepped over to the money, "The little guy was packing some poke'", Leon picked up the coin with his claws.

"Poke'?"

"Money", answered Leon cheerily

"Of coarse", Crest looked around trying to think of some way to change the subject from her lack of knowlege, "Leon, how do we get out of here?"

"OH.. we um... Either get defeated like Shellos, or we go to the bottom level."

Crest shook her head, "Well alright, I'd rather not get beat up, and if those other guys didn't want to get defeated either they'd go to the bottom level right?"

"Right."

"Then let's go smokey!", she pronounced, then bowed playfully to make room for him, "After you."

Leon timidly shook his head, "umm..n-no... it was your idea to come in here, you lead."

Crest tilted her head to the side, "But you've been in dungeons before, you should lead."

"Ha! Right! But seeing as you're just now learning, you'll get better experience by leading", Leon said brightly, not wanting to tell Crest that he had never been farther than the second level of this particular dungeon.

Crest shook her head slightly and took the lead. Together they traveled through the dungeon, listening to the various sounds of other pokemon going about their bussiness, or stalking others. Right now Crest was listening to the shouts of a very angry Corsola chasing after them, threatening them with loud shouts of, "CORSOLA!!!"

All Crest had done was pick up a very strange looking seed, it felt hot, like a tiny flame in her paws. Then the pink coral like pokemon decided to bum-rush her.

"ENGLISH!" ,barked Crest as she kept enough room between herself and the pokemon as it couldn't attack her.

"Leon, how will we know- "The two rounded a corner and hid as the enraged Corsola passed them, " when we're on the next level?", panted Crest

Leon whispered, "Stairs, there will be stairs that lead there"

"Stairs?"

"Yes"

Crest went silent, looking around the level, "Like these shiney pearl like stairs that should not belong here in the first place stairs?"

"Yeah, you see it?"

"Over there, right by the ....Kabuto..."

As if sensing them, the Kabuto sat up and clicked it's pincers dangerously.

Leon groaned, "What's with all these pokemon, they're usually not this bad!", he hissed

"Someone has a cruel sense of humor", moaned Crest, her ears perked as she heard Corsola change directions and head towards them again, "Oh for the love- Move Leon!"

Leon stummbled forward as he was pushed by Crest in her effort to escape the Corsola, "What about the Kabuto?!"

"RUN LEON!"

The Corsola caught up to them long before Leon could find it in himself to face the Kabuto. Crest turned around as the Corsola moved to tackle her, she gurnted feeling it's hard moist body press into her soft electric filled one. A bad mistake by the Corsola, it winced hard as Crest's natural defense of static clung to it's body, paralazing it. That was all that Crest needed to build her confidence in fighting, she spun around and scratched the paralyzed Corsola, then attacked it mercilessly. With a shrill cry the Corsola dissapeared in a faint glow of light, leaving nothing in it's wake.

Leon watched as Crest defeated the Corsola, his eyes went wide. She was incrediable for a fuzzy headed pokemon... She could fight anything... She had been scared and still fought anyway... She was amazing...

He turned around so Crest couldn't see his awed face at watching the scene. He had to do something, to prove himself that he could fight too. If for anything... to impress Crest.

Leon ran forward towards the Kabuto who stood with pincers out. He used ember, the hot flame in his belly boiled through his throat and seared the pokemon. But Kabuto's hard shell withstood the impact, so it was still standing even after the harsh attack. Leon shivered, stunned that the Kabuto could still be standing even after his most powerful attack.

"Ka-BU-"

"RAHH!" shouted Crest tackling it.

She had thrown her body at the pokemon, who was instantly hit by her body's static charge, leaving it  wounded and paralyzed.

Leon felt embrassed, she had saved him... she ha-

"Brillant idea Leon! You kept him busy long enough for me to recover my strength.", she said smiling flicking her long elegant ears in approval, "These are water pokemon, they're weak agaisnt me. Great idea for using youself as a decoy.Come on Leon, stairs!"

She ran forward and waited for him at the stairs.

He smiled... she thought he was a genius..