...Dungeon: Floor 03...

"How long?" Miyoung gaped, looking at the Chansey with horror.

"A month. Minimum," the nurse repeated firmly. "Until then, your entire team is on suspension...unless you have another team that-"

"Soojung," the Pachirisu offered, waving her paw. 

"-Soojung can join temporarily," the Chansey continued, waving at Miyoung's broken leg and Taecyeon's broken wing. "Now be good and stay in bed." 

As the injured duo groaned, the nurse left, his pink bulk disappearing from view.

"Told you not to jump," Soojung grumbled, frowning. 

"Hey! We succeeded because I jumped!" Miyoung pointed out, pouting.

"And because I caught her," Taecyeon added proudly, waving his non-broken wing. Soojung sighed.

"I swear I'm the most mature here," Soojung mumbled before turning to her teammates. "I'll go see if I can pair up with Sooyeon-unnie or with Daehyun's team. Stay in bed!"

"Bossy!" Miyoung and Taecyeon complained at once as the Pachirisu stepped out.

...

"So that's it?" he asked, holding one of her hands in his. She nodded.

"I have enough Poké in the bank to live for the next few years," she explained, the sun revealing how her eyes weren't quiet focused on anything. "I've signed up for the emergency rescue contact-" 

She hesitated, and his eyes flit to hers with hope.

"-but I'll never be able to efficiently complete missions anymore. It's best that I retire quitely."

"And you won't change your mind?" he pressed, lightly tightening his grip.

"No," she whispered. He pursed his lips together and released her hand at the heartbroken conviction.

"Very well," he hissed before heading out to the Pelipper Post Office, fuming.

...

"Soojung!" a familiar voice called out. "How's your Team? I heard you all crashed!"

"Everyone except me," she replied, sighing. "I hope your mission went better."

"Better than yours," Daehyun confirmed, tilting his head slightly. "What will you do while they recover?"

"I was actually looking for your team," Soojung answered lightly. "If your teammates didn't mind, I was hoping I could tag along."

"Are you kidding? Hyung and Noona will be glad to have me preoccupied with someone my age," Daehyun reassured, huffing jokingly. "They're both busy daydreaming about their own love lives nowadays. I wish they'd tell me who it was so I could help."

Soojung paused in the middle of the road, gaping. Daehyun noticed and stopped, turning back to look at her.

"What?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Are you serious?" she questioned. He stared at her blankly until finally she shook her head and huffed, catching up to him. "Idiot."

He hoped that he correctly heard the fondness in her voice as he replied, "Hey!"

...

He would have dropped the missions in his hands but he was frozen.

"Are you certain?" he asked, finally able to bring movement to his body. The Pelipper nodded grimly. He felt sick with himself, upset that it had appeared already but honestly eager to work with Team Spirit again.

"I'll head out in 10 after grabbing a partner," he informed, walking out of the Office. The walk was short, his mind occupied by the current situation. The door opened before he could knock and before she could talk, he spoke.

"Two rescue teams trapped after a cave-in mid-mission," he stated. Her face hardened.

"Let's go," she ordered, eyes flashing, and he knew he was darned because his stomach flipped at the action.

...

"I hate you both," Sunwoo stated as preface, settling against the rocky walls of the cave.

"And we don't?" Seungyeon threw back, frowning. There was dust, pebbles, and other earth-related objects scattered on their pokébodies and throughout the cave.

"We're stuck here with only Seungyeon's tail as light," Dari reminded pragmatically. "The least we can do in the dark is get along."

"I'm sure," Yukwon stated dryly. "Because we've gotten along so well since the beginning."

"What is with the animosity between us anyways?" Dari added, eyeing the group. 

"That would be her," Yukwon answered once more, gesturing to Seungyeon with one of his tails. 

"It's not my fault everyone else acts like pansies," Seungyeon hissed, picking dirt between her scales absentmindedly, "nor is it my fault that I hate everyone."

"Or that everyone hates back," Yukwon completed, rolling his eyes in a what-can-you-do manner. 

"That explains a lot since Sunwoo is sensitive," Dari commented, sighing. 

"Am not!" Sunwoo denied immediately, pouting. 

"We should get some rest while we can," Dari suggested, ignoring his indignant cry.

"I'll take first watch," Seungyeon volunteered, sighing, "not that it'd make too much of a difference."

Reluctantly, the other three made themselves as comfortable as they could and tucked in for the night.

...

It could have been morning or night for all she could see, the light of Seungyeon's tail gone while she was resting. 

"Hey," a voice greeted lightly. She shivered.

"I-It's freezing," she stated between chattering teeth. There was a pause.

"Seungyeon and I are fire-types. We don't feel it too strongly," Yukwon stated, "or at least not as much as you and Sunwoo apparently do."

"What do you mean?" she asked, careful to articulate her words. There was a weak flame thrown into the air for a moment, giving her a snapshot of Sunwoo and Seungyeon, tails entwined. She barely took in the scene before something soft curled behind her. She yelped but it was soft and warm and after a moment, she relaxed marginally.

"It's just me," Yukwon muttered, another one of his tails curling around her. 

"Thanks," she replied, close to cuddling with his body warmth. 

"Just rest longer. I'll keep watch," he reassured and at his words, she allowed herself to fall back into rest.