I Have a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon System in a World with Pokemon

The moon hung high in the sky, yet inky blackness covered the surroundings. Cries from Noctowl and other nocturnal Pokemon echoed across the plains as they began to awaken and roam around the snowy grassland.

At the base of a steep mountain, a faint light glowed from a narrow crevice. Although the entrance was small, it led into a huge cave. There, a group of humans and their Pokemon intermingled.

"*burp*~ eating a warm meal after all that exploring in the cold makes the food sooo much more delicious!"

"Indeed. But if I must say, Shinobu and Dante being in charge of cooking is half the reason. If Furina and I could obtain just 20% of your cooking skills, dinner at home wouldn't be such a chore."

Dante, Shinobu, Focalors, Candice, and Kachina sat around a small energy stove. The heat from said appliance, combined with the rich aroma of curry simmering on top, made the atmosphere particularly cozy.

Their first day of adventure in the Pokeportal had ended. True to her words, Professor Kristine led them to fight wild Pokemon for nearly the entire day.

Battling constantly under the freezing weather, even Dante who is used to spending every day in the dungeon had to take things a little seriously.

'And there's also that.'

Dante fell into thinking as he remembered an accident that happened earlier. 

After his IQ further increased, he was finally able to use Pokemon moves while in human form. Although he can't manipulate the energy outside his body yet, moves like Copycat, which only requires internal control, were not a problem.

As a habit during explorations, he would use Copycat from time to time to determine sources of energy in the surroundings. 

This journey was no exception. While looking around with the Copycat active, he found an inconspicuous purple energy source floating a hundred meters above and behind their group.

At first, he thought it was just a wild Pokemon waiting for an opportunity to strike. But when hours passed and it still kept following them, he knew that was not the case.

Pokemon in Portals are prone to violence. That had already been proven from their experience since they entered this space. For one to stay patient like that all the time, then it was clearly not a wild Pokemon.

No, it likely means that a Trainer owned it.

He doesn't know what that Trainer wanted to do, monitoring their position like that. He had tried suggestively asking Professor Berto and Kristine about it. However, their clueless reaction suggests they were unaware of it.

That tells Dante two things. One, it was not released by the two professors to conduct reconnaissance. And two, whoever is behind that Pokemon must have been experienced if they can escape the eyes of two professionals.

Anyway, he commanded Pikachu to take it down from the air. With Agility + Quick Attack to narrow the distance and then Thunderbolt, the Pokemon didn't even have the chance to react before fainting.

He doesn't know what the Trainer behind them wants to do, and frankly, he doesn't care. This attack already served as his warning to them. If they continue to pester their group, then that just means they are destined to rot in jail.

…

Meanwhile, a kilometer away from the mountain where Dante and the others are camping.

"There's light over there. It can be where the targets are staying. Sigh, damn it, Tony. You had one job! If we can't find them in time…"

Behind a large stone, two rough-looking men held binoculars while peeking toward the distant mountain. One of the men, with spiky black hair, complained to his companion.

If their boss knew they lost track of their target, they would have to spend the rest of their life inside this Pokeportal.

"What was I supposed to do, John?! Who would expect a wild bolt of lightning to suddenly hit Crobat?"

Tony shouted in frustration.

He knew more than anyone else what would happen if they failed this task. Right now, he'd have to quickly find the location of those students before the boss calls and finds out.

"One of the people came out…it's the Demon Berto! Yes! We found the right location!"

John wiped the sweat from his face in relief. And not a moment too soon, a ringing sound came from behind the duo.

"I'll answer the call. This time, make sure to keep them in sight."

"Alright, alright. Jeez, it was just one mistake."

"A mistake that could have ended both our lives."

John stood up, ignoring Tony complaining under his breath. He entered their tent and walked towards the table to pick up the ringing phone. Although the design of this phone is a little bulky and rough, it allows communication with someone outside the portal.

It isn't even sold in the general market. Only those with a high position in the Alliance are qualified to receive a copy so they can be contacted while inside the Pokeportal. And the one John is holding right now is a copy given to him by the boss.

"How's the situation?"

"All good, boss. The target has already set up camp inside a mountain. Me and Tony are watching the entrance right now."

"Good, open the transmitter."

After hearing the command, John quickly flipped a switch on the phone.

"It's open, boss. Are we going to act tonight?"

"Yes. Someone will arrive there shortly with my insignia. You and Tony assist her actions. Also, monitor her and make sure she keeps her end of the deal."

"Roger that, boss."

John hadn't finished his words when the sound of beeping was heard. He calmly put the phone back and returned to his position beside Tony.

"What did the boss say?"

"He told us to wait, the main force is arriving soon. How's the situation on the cave?"

"Demon Berto is taking watch right now. Some of the students are with him, but we don't need to worry about them."

Tony and John rotated between who was on the lookout. They checked their watch from time to time, curious about who the boss had sent. When it was 10:47 PM, the both of them heard a slight sound of wings flapping above them.

Looking up, they saw a Salamence staring down at them with a fierce expression. Behind the Salamence, a slim figure jumped down and landed in front of the two.

"H-Hunter J!?"

Tony and John had an expression of surprise and horror after seeing the appearance of the figure. What was the boss thinking? Employing someone like this!?

Hunter J is a slim woman who has greyish-blue hair. Her outfit is composed of a long purple collared jacket with two pockets but without a left sleeve. In addition, she wears a red outfit underneath with red heels, a metallic gauntlet on her left arm, and a visor on her face.

Her identity is that of an internationally wanted criminal who is charged countless times for stealing Trainer's Pokemon and selling it to her clients or the black market. However, that wasn't the reason Tony and John were scared.

No, it was because of her ruthless means that she became feared by civilians and criminals alike.

"You Richard's lackeys?"

Seeing the insignia of their boss in her hand, the two of them nodded in affirmation.

"Hmm, and where are the targets?"

"O-over there."

Following their finger, Hunter J looked at the mountain in the distance. She adjusted her visor, zooming in on the location and finding the cave in no time.

"Yes, there's also the Demon Berto. His Tyranitar will fetch quite the price."

Hunter J licked her lips, a greedy glint in her eyes. Still, looking at the time on her visor, she suppressed the impulse to take action right away. Only when the prey has relaxed its vigilance, will it be the most perfect opportunity to pounce.

Omake - the New Guild Base (Canon)

In Spinda's Cafe

"Alright, let's talk. Where do you guys want to build our Guild Base? Teddiursa, you first."

Around the table, Dante, Pikachu, Azumarill, and Teddiursa sat with a glass of Gummi Juice in front of them.

"Ooh! Let's build our base by the cliff! Just like Master Wigglytuff's!"

Teddiursa's eyes sparkled. Just thinking about building their own base from scratch had him excited.

"Alright, Teddiursa wants the base to be by the cliff. How about you, Azumarill?"

"I was thinking we could build our base by the beach. Since we go to the Beach Cave more often, it would be more convenient."

"Hmm, fair point. Pikachu?"

"Hohoho, come with me you three. I have a surprise for you."

Staring at the smug smirk on Pikachu's face, Dante had an inkling on where he would lead the three of them.

…

"Behold! My personal sanctuary!"

On the side of a mountain cliff, the head of a Sharpedo was carved with its mouth open as if going to bite something. And inside its jaw, Dante, Pikachu, Azumarill, and Teddiursa were standing and surveying the place.

"Wow! This is where you previously lived, brother Pikachu?"

"Yeah! I found it by accident while exploring when I was young. Thinking back, I guess you could say this was the first treasure I discovered."

"Brother Pikachu, what are these?"

Teddiursa moved towards a pile of paper stacked on the innermost side of Sharpedo's maw. Seeing what Teddiursa was holding, Pikachu's eyes shone with a hint of nostalgia.

"Those are stories and dungeon records I bought from Treasure Town. Whenever I feel down, reading the stories here helped motivate me to continue pursuing my dreams."

"Oh."

Teddiursa looked at the yellow parchment in between his paws, and slowly placed them back, careful not to damage the paper.

"Hmm, it's by the side of a cliff, and we can easily access the Beach cave if we make a pathway on the ledges. This is perfect, Pikachu!"

Dante gave Pikachu a thumbs up, making the yellow rodent scratch his head in embarrassment.

"Still, the space is a bit cramped if we want to include more Pokemon from our team in the future."

"How about you place all my items in the Space Bag?"

"Hmm, that will only temporarily solve the problem. If we want to use these as our Base, we'll probably have to expand the inside like Wigglytuff's guild."

"Ohhh! Then let's do that! We can place our Team hut at the entrance too!"

Pikachu rubbed his hands in excitement, thinking about all the possible expansion they could do for his former home.