A/N - I was going to upload this tomorrow but I thought it better to just do it tonight instead. I'm going to try and upload two chapters a week though, or at least one a week. I've been powering through this story recently and I'm keen to know what you readers think. Therefore another upload will help show I am actively working on this.

I admit it's a little slow to start but hopefully this chapter will keep you interested =)

Disclaimer - I do NOT own Pokemon or any of its creations! Like I said in Chapter 1, it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak etc.

2 – Mischief

A loud, deep siren echoed through the Guild. Cleo and Spark sat bolt upright, almost flying off their beds of hay. The siren quickly subsided, followed by many voices as Pokemon raced down the hallways of the Guild's sleeping chambers.

Spark rubbed her head and sighed. "I will never get used to that."

Cleo's eyes scanned the room and fell on a wooden pipe near the ceiling. The breakfast alarm. After years of moving from Guild Hall to Guild Hall, she'd never been in one long enough to grow accustomed to each individual alarm.

She hoisted herself from the bed and followed Spark into the hallway, joining the crowd of Pokemon to the dining hall.

"I should make a point of filling myself right up!" Said Spark. "We might not see much food for a little while."

"You knock yourself out," Said Cleo. "I'm going to grab some supplies, then we're leaving."
Spark's large eyes grew even larger. "You're not having any breakfast?!"

"I can eat while I'm packing. Don't worry." She gave a dismissive wave of her paw and moved past the dining hall to a small elevator.

The Dedenne shrugged and slipped into the dining room, leaving Cleo to her own endeavours.

The little elevator wasn't much more than a wooden box with a rope and pulley system. Every Guild Hall had a similar layout and one thing they all had in common was their supplies were kept in the basement. The elevator creaked and wobbled as Cleo worked the rope to take herself down into the shadows. The smell of damp earth and wood reached her nostrils and she crinkled her nose. It wasn't the best condition to store supplies, but in a temporary town, and during times like this, one couldn't very well complain.

A flicker of light came from the far corner.

"Sending them up!"

A low creak echoed through the room.

Cleo's eyes adjusted in the dark and she could make out the body of a Charmander in the corner, the light coming from his tail. He looked back at her and gave her a smile.

"You're Cleo right?" He asked.

She nodded and joined him, digging through boxes of fruit and dried meats. The creak resounded sharply, grating through the damp air.

"Tinker told me you might be coming down here for supplies." He turned to a small box in the wall – another pulley system – and dropped a basket of berries onto it. He poked his head inside and shouted, "Sending them up!"

The box whizzed out of sight, its pulley creaking and groaning, and he turned back to the storage.

"I've set some things aside for you already, if you want it?" He told her.

Cleo looked up. The Charmander held out a little sack. She held out her paw then withdrew it slowly, keeping her eyes warily on the bag of fruit. Yes, this was the Guild, but still... you never know who to trust in this world.

The Charmander smiled and put the bag down. "I get it. Go ahead, take your pick, I don't mind." He returned to his job, filling baskets with various food.

Cleo turned back to the boxes and picked out a variety of berries and dried fish, stuffing her supply bag full and tucking it away inside her satchel, placing the pouch of money Tinker had given her near the top for easy access.

When she'd done, she stuffed a dried fish in her mouth and took the elevator back to the main floor to collect Spark from the dining hall.

The Dedenne had finished her breakfast and was waiting by the door with a large apple in her paws. She beamed at Cleo and handed it to her.

"I smuggled you this from the table!"

Cleo chuckled and took it from her. "Thanks! Let's leave, it's a two day walk to New City."

"Two days?" Spark whined. "Well, at least we're closer than we were yesterday, right?"

"Certainly. Have you seen Tinker this morning?"

Spark shook her head. "Nope. He wasn't at breakfast."

"Hmm." Cleo shrugged and made for the door. "We'll see him again soon enough. Let's go."

The small Dedenne hopped onto her shoulder and vanished into her fur. She poked her head back out briefly.

"Where's the first stop?"

"The markets. We have supplies, but we might find something useful there."
Spark fist-pumped the air and cheered. "Yay! Shopping!"
The sun was beaming down on them as they left the Guild, but the air was filled with a fresh chill that marked the beginning of the cold season. There were more Pokemon outside than there had been the night before – youngsters playing, older ones standing around chatting or running errands.

Cleo followed the dirt path towards the market, not too far from the Guild. This was a common set up in Outcast towns. The Guild building often offered the sense of security to the Pokemon that stayed there and this went for the market too – if the market was set up near the Guild not only would it attract more Pokemon to it, it would also be close to the town's warriors should danger arrive.

The market was oddly busy. A lot of the Pokemon there probably didn't reside in this town, passing through merely to shop or look for somewhere to stay.

Market stalls were laden with fruits, meat – both fresh and dry – and eggs. Some stalls had items for use in battle, which was what Cleo was especially hoping to find. Sometimes, though not often, she found something that really gave her a boost. Failing that, there were sometimes bargains she could sell herself later on.

She paused and gave the table a glance over. Mostly it was filled with mental herbs and gems, but unfortunately lacking psychic gems. She moved on through the market, then paused. One of the stalls was selling iron thorns. Now they could be useful.

Whump!

Cleo stumbled under the impact, startling a nearby Linoone and her daughter.

"Whoa!" Spark poked her head out of Cleo's neck fur and shook her tiny fist. "Watch where you're goin'!"

Cleo shook herself to regain her composure then looked up. A small, fluffy Pokemon was skipping away out of sight. She narrowed her eyes. A Whimsicott.

She sighed and turned back to the market stall, stuffing her paw into her satchel for her money pouch. Her claws instead closed over something cold and smooth. She pulled it out and glared at it. A rock?

"Hey!" Spark cried. "Have we been robbed?!"
Cleo clutched the stone and scanned the crowd of Pokemon for the Whimsicott. It had long since vanished. She sighed and strutted through the crowd, keeping a watchful eye for the little thief.

"Well," She said. "That's our earnings gone. We'll have to rely on our supplies until we reach the next town now."
Spark slumped onto Cleo's shoulder, defeated. "Great. Now we've got to hunt more bad guys."

"I wouldn't worry too much about the hunting. They normally come to us."
The Dedenne snorted. "Well, I'd ra- wait..." She sat up and pointed. "Is that the Whimsicott that robbed us?"

Cleo followed her pointing claw to the furry back of a skipping Pokemon making its way to the town's outskirts.

"Yes it is!" Cleo dropped the rock she'd been carrying and bolted towards the Whimsicott.

The thieving Pokemon turned his head at her footsteps and his orange eyes widened. He let out a yell, turned and ran.

"Oi!" Spark shot from Cleo's shoulder like a dart. "Get back here!"

Cleo picked up pace. The Whimsicott was fast, but Spark was faster. All Cleo had to do was catch up with the Dedenne and she could reach the pesky thief.

Spark unleashed a flurry of electricity, hitting the Whimsicott and causing him to stumble as sparks danced across his body.

Now was her chance. Cleo unfurled her ears and her eyes flashed. The Whimsicott was launched into the air... where he flailed helplessly against the invisible force that held him.

"Now." Cleo came to a stop before him, lowering him enough so he could both see and hear her. "Are you going to give back what you stole from us?"

"Oh, darn it!" The Whimsicott closed his eyes and sighed. "I can't! I need it... I think."
"What kind of answer is that?!" Spark shrieked. "You can't just go around taking things that don't belong to you just because you need them!" She paused. "Especially if you're not certain you need them!"

"And why replace it with a rock?" Cleo asked. "It's not as if I didn't notice you'd ran into me."

"I switcheroo'd," He explained. "It's all I know for pickpocketing."
Cleo and Spark stared at the levitating Whimsicott, both of them fixing him with looks of confusion.

"Awfully talkative for a thief," Said Spark.

"She's right," Said Cleo. "Why would you explain yourself? Most other Pokemon I pump for information are unwilling to give it up."
"You caught me," He shrugged.

"But... you're a bad guy," Said Spark. She then covered her face with her paws. "Urgh, what a cheesy line..."

"I'm not a bad guy," Said the Whimsicott. "I'm just... lost."

"Then you're in the same situation as the rest of us," Said Cleo. "Most Pokemon these days are lost."
"Not that kind of lost." He sighed and reached into his fluffy white fur, pulling out the money pouch. "Look, I'll give it back. But... can you help me?"

He tossed the money pouch to Cleo and she caught it, releasing the Whimsicott and letting him fall to the floor on his bottom.

"I'm sorry, I don't help Pokemon. I just stop the ones that try to hurt us." She stuffed the pouch back in her satchel and walked past him with Spark back on her shoulder.

He stood up and followed after them. "I'm not asking you to go out of your way to help me. I'm just asking if you can keep me company for a while."
"Company?" Cleo looked back at him. "I'm afraid I don't do that either."

"Why not?"

"You never know who's going to turn round and stab you in the back." She turned away from him and kept on walking.

"Well it won't be me!" He said. "My claws aren't even that sharp! Hey, I'll just follow you. You'll barely know I'm here. My name's Mischief by the way."
Cleo grit her teeth together. If he was going to insist on following them, the best thing she could do would be to remain silent and hope he'd get bored and go away.

...

The temporary Outcast town was behind them now, and the voices of its occupants had long faded away. The sun was high in the sky, spending most of its time lurking behind fluffy white clouds. Cleo and Spark moved on in silence, not wanting to spark any communication with their tag-a-long thief. The only noise that reached Cleo's ears was that of her own footsteps and the occasional breeze rustling the leaves in the nearby foliage. The ground had grown more hostile, large chunks of jagged rock jutted up from the ground, shoved out of place by trees and large weeds that had exploded through once small cracks. Tufts of thick grass sprouted up alongside stretches of rugged landscape dotted with colourful flowers that struggled against strangling thorn bushes and brambles.

Cleo had no idea where she was, but from her map all she knew was she needed to keep pressing forwards to reach New City.

"Hey Cleo." Spark poked her head out of her friend's fur. "We're still being followed."

"I'm aware."

"Yes, but I'm getting hungry and I'd like to stop soon for some lunch."

Cleo let out a sigh and slowed down, coming to a stop beside a berry tree. Its branches held very few berries. Most of them had obviously been harvested by the Outcast town or raided by wandering, hungry Pokemon.

The Meowstic sat down against its trunk and pulled a berry out of her satchel for Spark.

"Is it lunch time already?" Mischief asked. "Time sure flies with company doesn't it?" He skipped over with the typical Whimsicott gait and looked up at the tree.

Cleo and Spark said nothing, both wishing the Whimsicott would leave them alone.

With a hop, he floated up into the tree's branches sending a flurry of dry leaves down on top of them. Within moments, he floated back down with two bright red Cheri Berries in his paws.

"Argh!" Spark dropped her berry to the floor and leapt off Cleo's shoulder. "I can't take it any more! I'm gonna have to say something!"

Cleo stared at her from the corner of her eye. Mischief fixed her with a wary look, standing only a couple of feet away.

"Why are you following us around like a Growlithe pup?!" Spark demanded. "What do you want?!"
Mischief glanced up at the sky in thought then looked back at her. "Company."
The little Dedenne put her paws on her hips. "Seriously?!"

"What Spark's trying to say," Said Cleo, "Is first you rob us, then you start following us around. Why?"

"Well..." Mischief scratched his fluffy head. "Thieving isn't really my style. At least... I don't think it is. I didn't like it anyway."

Cleo narrowed her eyes. "You... don't think it is..."

"No, not really." Mischief gazed up at the sky. "See, I don't really know why I am to be honest. I only woke up this morning, around about here actually." He indicated the floor. "I think... I'm lost. I don't know."

Cleo and Spark stared at him, dumbfounded. Something he said wasn't right. A lot of Pokemon slept outside (although it wasn't the safest option given the state of the world) but something about this Pokemon was off.

"Where are you from?" Cleo asked.

"Oh that I know!" The Whimsicott grinned. "I'm from the clean clace."
Cleo and Spark blinked.

"The what?"

"The clean place! They were really nice there. Those I remember anyway. Although I only remember being surrounded by other Pokemon, and being called Mischief. Then I woke up here." He indicated the floor again.

Cleo and Spark followed his paw, then looked back up at him.

"So you woke up here?" Spark asked. "Or just outside?"

He shrugged. "Somewhere around here. I went to the town because there were Pokemon there, and I was hungry. That tree has berries though. But it's very quiet out here, and I'm used to busy places."

"Where is this 'clean place'?" Cleo asked.

He shrugged again. "I don't know. I never saw outside. I don't think... I can't remember."

Spark looked up at Cleo. "I think he's had his memory wiped."
Cleo shook her head. "He remembers too much for that." She looked up at the Whimsicott. "Mischief... your story doesn't settle well with me. But I don't think you're lying."
He shook his head. "I'm not lying. At least I don't think I'm lying."

"Your memories seem to have been tampered with. Can you remember any Pokemon from this 'clean place'?"

He looked thoughtful again, then shook his head. "Their faces are just blurs to me. I remember they were nice though. And excited, but I can't remember why."

Cleo made a thoughtful noise and looked down at her dried fish. A silence passed between them, broken by momentary munches from Mischief as he tucked into his freshly picked berries.

"You're thinking of helping him aren't you?" Spark asked quietly.

"Not so much helping," Cleo replied. "But I think it would be better to have him with us."
Spark crinkled her nose. "Why?"

"So we know where he is. I have a funny feeling..." She scratched her head and sighed. "Mischief, if you want company, you can stay with us."

The Whimsicott's eyes lit up and he quickly licked juice off his paws. "Really?"

"Yes." Cleo finished her fish and stood up. "Maybe you'll regain your memories soon and can go home."

"That would be nice." He grinned. "Where are you two going?"

"Guild business." She adjusted her satchel and let Spark hop onto her shoulder. "I'm Cleo, and this is Spark. Keep up, we won't be slowing down for you."
"You had problems catching me before, so you know I can keep up." Mischief skipped along beside them. "I think this is going to be fun."
Cleo shook her head slowly and sighed. If Tinker could see her now – the lone Meowstic who refused to take an extra partner – he'd probably roll onto his back with laughter.

...

Please R&R! =D