Chapter Text
This tale begins in an endless void, where the silence of creation stretches on without end. A bright ball of orange and blue light is flying through the nothingness, as if propelled by an unknown force. Its momentum is suddenly arrested, coming to a stop at a large, indistinct object. Its features are not readily known, but as if on cue, it materializes into a massive being of pure energy.
Eventually, four appendages form, ending in fine tips, followed by its body, adorned in brilliant white, gold, and grey accents. Its head comes next, a long neck extending and ending with its face. Around its midsection forms a gold ring, extending away from its body and forming two equal shapes on its left and right flank. Finally, a series of 18 plates, all in different colors, float around its body in a circle, rotating around its mass slowly and in perfect unison.
This is what the inhabitants of this universe call “The Creator,” “The Original One,” or simply, Arceus.
He gazes upon the bright orange and blue orb in front of him.
“Ah, yes, this will do nicely. We have need of your kind’s aid once aga-“
He stops suddenly. Something is not right. He only needed one soul, but this… this was puzzling even to him. Looking closely with an inquisitive gaze, he could see there were TWO distinct souls. However, they were somehow entwined. No, this would not do, not at all.
“I have only need for ONE soul. No matter. I can simply untangle this and send one of you on your way. It will be quite the delicate process, but I am more than capable of handling such a task.”
He begins to unwind the mass of energy, keeping both souls intact. He removes every thread of energy he can see at a sub-atomic level with such precision that it is, well… godlike. A task fitting for The Creator. He is nearly done. A single thread of energy remains tethering the two now-separate orange and blue orbs. This part would be the most delicate: severing this link while preserving both souls.
At that very moment, a thunderous boom rings out across the void, simultaneously followed by a rapidly expanding tear through the very fabric of the universe. A ghastly purple ‘hand’ reaches out with such speed that it takes even Arceus off guard. The disembodied hand grabs onto the orange orb, surrounding it in its large mass.
Arceus immediately goes to strike the invader, beginning to summon a pillar of blinding white light.
That is when the hand, this entity, speaks, its voice booming and echoing for what seems like an eternity.
“Foolish God. It would be wise to refrain from such actions. Otherwise, I will forcefully separate them myself, destroying both in the process.”
Arceus was positioned around the blue orb. He did not know how IT was able to invade this dimension, but he did not have the luxury of having that answered now.
“Who is the foolish one? I control the other, and I don’t see you giving up your ‘prize.’ It seems we are at an impasse.”
“That is where you are WRONG! For far too long you have thwarted my attempts for conquest with your HEROES! THIS TIME, I WILL HAVE A HERO OF MY OWN!”
And in one quick, decisive action, it sent a pulse of energy through the orange orb and into the thread between them, breaking it completely. It then swiftly dragged its prize back from whence it came, cackling all the while, the tear snapping shut behind it.
How? How dare it outsmart Him? Arceus seethed.
“No!” Arceus said, watching the orb he was protecting shrink to half its size, its bright blue glow dimming, now almost barely visible. “Hold on, little one. I will fix this. I MUST, but we don’t have much time.”
The orb was still there somehow. It was a miracle it was not completely destroyed. Arceus was deep in thought, but realizing the severity of the situation, he needed to do something drastic, and quickly.
“Usually, the souls I encounter are stable enough on their own, but you… you will need assistance. There is a risk. You could be made unstable or worse… even still, it might not be enough.”
As if hearing those words, the orb seemed to respond, flickering brightly, even if only briefly. This pleased Arceus greatly.
“Well, it seems you have some fight left in you. Maybe this will work. Alright, little one, normally I do not alter the life force of souls, but I will make an exception in your case. I will lightly augment your power, which will more than make up for what was taken from you. Your journey will be long and arduous, but I have faith you will persevere.”
He then leaned in close, exhaling a breath through his mouth and onto the orb. A kaleidoscope of colors in the form of a fine powder showered over the faint ball of light. Shortly after, the orb began to glow a vibrant, beautiful blue and increased in size.
“We must act fast to stop whatever It has planned. Now go, my warrior… and good luck… Azure.”
A name he thought befitting.
With that, he summons a portal and sends the orb through it. It would all be up to him now. The fate of the world depends on it.
Then, all was black and silent.
Hopefully, it would be enough, he thought.
A sudden explosion of noise and colors interrupts the silence. The image is blurry and nondescript at first, but then begins to get clearer and sharper. Sounds come next. A gentle breeze can be heard rustling through the trees and grass. Waves can be heard crashing onto a nearby shore.
Finally, we see an Eevee startled and awakening with a gasp. They’re in a pretty disheveled state, with some bruises and cuts on their body. They slowly rise to their feet, groaning, sore, and slightly underweight, but otherwise fine.
The Eevee, yet unnamed, sighs, getting their bearings on what just occurred to them. They don’t remember much of their past, but that doesn’t faze them. They are on a mission.
What they do notice is that they are outside a Mystery Dungeon.
That’s when they realize they failed. Again.
They tried, as they have many times before, to conquer the Wish Cave. Losing consciousness in an Mystery Dungeon in this world ejects you from the dungeon. At least, that is what this Eevee has come to know.
This is when we realize the Eevee is male. The only other defining feature is that they’re slightly bigger than average and are blind in their left eye due to an injury they sustained. He has a simple, well-worn saddlebag around his midsection, hanging on the right side of his body. What is absent is a Adventurers’ Badge, something given to Pokemon adventurers of this world by a guild when they are members.
This Eevee is not a part of a guild and, for most of their life, has been solo, living out in the wilds, scrounging and grinding Mystery Dungeons for as long as he can remember.
The Eevee is about 19 years old. It’s unknown how he got to this point. He himself remembers only bits and pieces of his past. He remembers being in an orphanage, even a foster home. He remembers learning dungeon and survival basics in school, which is where his knowledge of Mystery Dungeons and world events comes from.
He, however, cannot remember the names or faces of anyone in his past. This is because of a disease known as Mystery Dungeon Dementia. Seasoned delvers and/or ones unlucky enough to be rendered unconscious over many years of dungeon diving will start to lose their memory. Usually, it starts as missing random tasks, forgetfulness, and brain fog, but can progress to not being able to remember people, places, things, and large portions of long-term memory.
This is why solo diving is frowned upon, and why teams are required to enter dungeons for safety.
Our Eevee’s onset of this illness is in Stage 3 of 4, but he does not seem fazed by it. He just needs to be stronger. Once he becomes more powerful, he can recover his memories over time, as the disease has not progressed far enough to be permanent. This fuels him, and admittedly, him failing a dungeon is a rarity nowadays, so he can manage.
There IS one Pokemon he does remember somewhat. Another male Eevee. They were at the orphanage and foster home together and were classmates. While he does not remember their name, he does remember some vague things they did together: exploring around the outskirts of town they were in, disobeying authority while trying to get to dangerous areas, and sharing a goal of becoming the most accomplished Adventurers on the continent.
Our Eevee curses the fact he can’t remember their name. Even their features elude him. One day, maybe they’ll meet again, but not as he is now.
He wonders at times how he got to this point, but the persistent brain fog that obscures his past keeps him from knowing.
For now, he needs to get stronger, and to do that, he must evolve first. He is beyond ready. He just needs an evolution stone in his case. He already has an Eeveelution in mind: a Vaporeon, which is why he has been hammering away at the Wish Cave Mystery Dungeon, trying to acquire a Water Stone from its depths.
Buying one was not an option, as their prices were astronomical due to their rarity, and our Eevee doesn’t much like interacting with the general populace.
Why a Vaporeon? Well, it just FEELS right to him, and this is where we finally get the Eevee’s name: Azure. Azure doesn’t remember much, but he does recognize that this is his name, and it influenced his choice of Eeveelution.
This dungeon has been a thorn in his side. It is said the Wish Cave is “endless.” Where most Mystery Dungeons are 2-10 floors, this one has 100, but there are no current adventurers known to have really seen the end of it. There is a myth that states Jirachi himself, granter of wishes, awaits at the final floor.
Azure, while aware of this, doesn’t let it get to him. First he needs a Water Stone, then he can actually see if the myths are true.
He sometimes fantasizes about what he would ask for. More power? Nah, too basic. Plus, there have to be limits on the power Jirachi could provide… right? Maybe to recover his vision in his left eye? Getting some depth perception back would be nice, but that seems like a lame ask of a mythical Pokemon such as Jirachi. Child’s play even. He would have to ask for something more substantial.
He pushes those thoughts away for now. Water Stone first.
This time, he would not fail.
He never kept good track of the exact floor he reached, but surmised he got to floor 50 at least. An incredible feat for a solo adventurer, sure, but not good enough. While he did get some spoils for his troubles—his saddlebag, poke coins, various orbs, blast seeds, and berries—he never got his real prize.
He would need all his strength.
Despite everything, Azure never once considered giving up. Not when the dungeons took his memories. Not when his body came back bloodied and broken from failed dives. Every scar on his body was proof that he had survived. Every failure was another lesson burned into his mind.
There were nights he would awaken in a panic, unable to remember the name of the town he had visited only weeks earlier, or the face of a Pokemon he had spoken to months ago. Those moments terrified him more than any Mystery Dungeon ever could. The thought of losing himself completely, of one day waking up with nothing left of who he once was, drove him harder than hunger or exhaustion ever had.
That fear became conviction.
If he had to crawl through one hundred dungeon floors alone, then he would. If he had to break his body apart over and over again to reclaim his memories and evolve, then so be it. Azure had long since accepted that nobody was coming to save him. The only one he could rely on was himself.
And somehow, despite everything he had lost, that truth gave him strength.
He made his way back to his makeshift shelter near the opening of the cave, a small tunnel, an offshoot to the entrance of the dungeon. Covered in old barnacles, plants, and weathered rocks at the opening, it made the perfect secret living space. A base of operations for planning his next dive, one he was determined to succeed in.