DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!
Okay, let's see...
To Legendary Fairy: I have a place in mind for your OC. I don't usually use OCs, and if I do use yours, it would be a minor role.
To Glacial Eidolon: You're not exactly getting the point right, but you're kind of close. I know I'm not the best writer in the world, especially in length. This is over 1,000 words, but not nearly as long as I would like. And trust me, I will be using my "artistic license."
One: What...
Chansey smiled. "Of course I'll take care of your Egg. After all, it's what I do." She took the blue-and-white Egg from the Altaria. "How long will you need my services?" she asked as she pulled a clipboard out from her pouch.
"Just a week," answered her client. "I'm going to see my mate and bring him home. He's exploring in the mountains."
Chansey nodded as she wrote down the details of her client. She counted the number of Eggs in her protection from her clipboard. Twelve. How easy.
"Thank you," Chansey said. The Altaria flew up into the sky.
Turning back into her day care, Chansey chose a nest for the Egg. Checking her schedule, she realized that she would have no pick-ups until tomorrow. Sighing in relief, she sat in her rocking chair and awaited the food delivery from the Kecleon Shop.
Slightly weary, she counted all the Eggs she had. Ten...eleven...twelve...thirteen? She counted again... Thirteen. Checking the Egg colors she had recorded on her clipboard, she located the "extra".
It wasn't in a nest. Rather, it lay on its side, on the floor. Chansey picked it up and studied it. It was smaller than the other Eggs. It was tan in color, like a stone. At first touch, it was cool, but with each passing minute it grew warmer.
Chansey put down the Egg in a nest and scratched her head. This had never happened before. She had never lost an Egg, and she certainly had never taken in an Egg she didn't record or remember.
Shaking her head, she recorded the Egg down, in case she really had forgotten about the Egg. When she was done, she took out her stethoscope and listened to the heartbeat inside the Egg. To her surprise, it came out loud and clearly, the way it would when the Egg would be about to hatch.
Getting nervous, she took the Egg and headed out of her home. Hailing down Spoink in the road, she explained that she was going out for an errand and needed Spoink to look after the Eggs for a little while.
"Sure," said Spoink, puzzled. But even before she finished, Chansey was hurrying across the bridge.
Reaching Kangaskhan Storage, she knocked on the door. After a minute, the slightly elderly Kangaskhan opened the door. Chansey hurried inside without explanation.
Grunting with surprise, Kangaskhan closed the door and turned to Chansey. "What is it?"
Chansey handed her the Egg. "I found this in my house. It wasn't recorded, and I've never seen it before. Plus, it's going to hatch soon." Suddenly turning shy, she added, "I don't know what to do."
Kangaskhan bit her lip, thinking. Was she really not thinking about doing that? "No one owns that Egg?" she asked.
"Not that I know of."
"Why don't you suggest it join an exploration team when it hatches?" Kangaskhan asked. She secretly wondered why her friend had not thought of that before.
"Well," Chansey said, her cheeks turning a little red, as if she just realized that that was what she should have done. But in that moment, the Egg started to glow...
---
Tide recited the guild motto with a bored expression. "Smiles go for miles." No smile decorated his face. Just a flat line on his beak.
"Before you all leave," Chatot announced, "the Guildmaster and I have decided that Sunflora is ready to graduate from the guild."
Several shouts of congratulations came from the guild apprentices. The loudest of all came from Sunflora herself, with a loud eek. Guildmaster Wigglytuff, his belly round and his cheeks wet from the juice of his morning apple, stepped forward.
"To graduate from the guild, you, Sunflora, friendly friend, must travel to through Mystifying Forest to Luminous Spring, and bring back its treasure."
Tide envied Sunflora a little. Graduating from the guild meant that you were going to be recognized solely as your own exploration team. But mostly, Tide was jealous because Sunflora wouldn't have to train all day long.
"Be warned," Chatot added. "There is a very tough enemy that you could encounter in the forest. The grand master of all things bad."
"Who's the grand master of all things bad?" Bidoof asked, puzzled.
Loudred shivered a little. "The grand master of all things BAD is horrible. If you enter his lair, he and his minions will make sure you NEVER come back. And when you leave, you'll be crying for... MOMMY!" Loudred jumped into the air, then dashed off toward the mess hall.
"Eh... What's his problem?" Tide asked, slightly perplexed.
"He took the graduation exam, like, last year," Sunflora said, as if that answered everything.
Chimecho elaborated. "He didn't bring back any treasure. He ran into the grand master." Chimecho giggle to herself a little.
"You are dismissed from briefing," Chatot announced. As the apprentices headed to do their duties, Chatot called, "Tide! Bidoof!"
Tide walked over to Chatot, Bidoof trailing behind. I hope it's not something too serious, Tide thought. Can you get kicked out of Wigglytuff's guild?
"Tide, Bidoof," Chatot said, pulling something out from the pouch around his neck and handing it to Tide. "I want you both to buy apples to bring back here. Twenty should do."
Tide looked at what Chatot had given to him. Five hundred Pokedollars!
"Come back as soon as you get the apples," Chatot directed. "We need them for our trip to Mystifying Forest."
Bidoof cocked his head to the side. "Why are we going to Mystifying Forest?"
"For the graduation exam. If Sunflora can beat the entire guild, then she can continue to Luminous Spring and collect the treasure to graduate. Of course, we make her believe that Wigglytuff is the grand master, and we are his minions." Chatot flapped his wings. "Quickly now! Go!"
Tide and Bidoof climbed the ladder as quickly as they could to the top. Walking quickly outside and down the stairs, Tide and Bidoof came to the crossroads and turned right into Treasure Town.
The town was lively, with many different kinds of Pokemon taking their time going between the various shops. Teddiusa was talking to Duskull at the bank, with Ursaring standing nearby and eating a berry. Swellow and Wurmple of Team Tasty were heading into Marowak's Dojo. Togepi, Ledyba and Politoed were linking moves at Electivire's Link Shop. Murkrow and Shuppet were getting a treasure box appraised at Xatu's Appraisal, and Team AWD stood outside the Kecleon Shop, talking to each other in whispered tones. The only Pokemon missing from their shops were Chansey and Kangaskhan.
Making their way through the town, Tide and Bidoof didn't speak a word to each other, although their spirits were always lifted when they came into Treasure Town. Arriving at the Kecleon Shop, Tide gave Chatot's Pokedollars to the green Kecleon brother. "Twenty apples please," Tide said.
"Twenty?" Kecleon asked, gathering up the money. "Is it time for another guild graduation?" Kecleon went to the back of his store and picked all the apples he could carry out of a barrel. His brother went to help him.
"Yeah," Bidoof answered. His ears pricked, and his head whipped around. "Ah! Tide, look, it's Sunflora!"
Tide glanced in the direction Bidoof was looking. Sunflora was getting money from Duskull's bank. He put his Treasure Bag up on the counter. "Hurry, Kecleon! Sunflora's com-"
Tide stopped mid-sentence. Turning around from the counter, he clutched at his throat with his flippers. He doubled over, opened his beak, and spewed a rather colorful bile onto the ground. Now clutching at his stomach, he fell over onto his side, taking deep, rasping breaths.
Aw, Mew, he thought, what...
A/N Eww... Tide threw up.
