Wow, uh... I can't believe it's been a whole year already. I can't believe I forgot about this for so long. Sorry.

Chapter 3: The New Guild Recruits; Part 2

"That was kind of underwhelming..." Darumaka sighed.

"Hey, I'm sure you knew what to do already. I've literally only been here for a day. Had to start somewhere."
"All you did was tackle enemies. Against a bunch of Corsola and Kabuto who resist it," Daru deadpanned. "You've got a huge mouth on the back of your head and you didn't use it!"
"H-hey, you think I know how to use it? And I don't think I saw you going against those water types," I bantered.
"Maybe you can get some proper training when we do this mission..."

Specifically ignoring my comment, the boy continued out of Treasure Town with a pout. I shrugged to myself and continued onward, as if I knew he was joking.

Drenched Bluff

"Looks a little dark here... and wet..." Darumaka shivered, adjusting the bow wrapped around his stubby arm. "I hate water..."
"I wonder why." I simply tied the Power Band around my neck. "Well, can't just stand here."

We walked into a surprisingly not-dark room with good visibility, as Daru quickly tackled down a nearby Lileep. "See, they're going down with just one hit. It can't be that bad."

"But it's in most fire types' nature..."

I decided to try out something different. I felt that the fake jaw on my head wasn't the only metallic parts on me, so it's time for a test. Despite expecting it, I was still surprised to find that I can make my fists hard as steel. Though, considering the size of them, it might be better to use my head instead.

Sure enough, launching myself head first into a Shellos made a loud clang, and I didn't even harm myself in the process. "Wow, was that Iron Head?" Daru praised.

"I guess so. It seems pretty powerful," I boasted.

"Yeah, now imagine a 400 pound wall of steel using that, like a Metagross! That's gotta hurt!"
"...Yeah..." I sweatdropped.
"O-oh! Oh no- I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" Daru shouted in realization.
"It's fine, Daru. Don't worry, I'm happy being cute," I smiled innocently, even closing my eyes for extra effect. I made sure he saw my back jaw grin maliciously, and based on the audible gulp I heard in front of me, it worked as intended.

"Come on," I said between short giggles.

What did I get myself into? Darumaka wondered.

"So uh, can we take a break and tell me what these berries and seeds actually do?" I sighed with light exhaustion, sitting against a rocky wall to rub at a pained knee.

"Oh, sure. ...Well, this Pecha Berry can cure poisoning. But steel types like you can't get poisoned anyways so..."
"Does that include no risk of food poisoning? I can get behind this," I said with sudden interest.
"...Anyways, this Stun Seed can be thrown at wild pokemon to lock them in place for a while, and similarly with a Sleep Seed. X-Eye Seeds can distract wilds with... weird hallucinations... Definitely don't want to eat that yourself. And the blue Oran Berries can relieve pain."

"Well, let me eat one! I've been taking all the hits for you," I grunted.
"WAIT! Don't eat it yet! Give it to me," Daru shrieked, peeling at the skin and taking a sniff. "Ah ha- this isn't an Oran Berry at all, but what we call an Oren Berry."

"...And, what's the difference?"

"It can hurt you rather than help you. You have to check if it smells rotten before eating it," Daru explained, tossing it aside.

"Can't be that bad..."

"Oh, look at that!" Daru exclaimed as we reached a small waterfall dripping into a little pond, overflowing into two separate ponds. A sparkly pink sphere sat in front of it. "This must be Spoink's pearl! Let's hurry back with it!"

"How'd it get here anyways?" I questioned.

"Because mystery dungeon. You can't question it."

Wigglytuff's Guild

"Th-thank you!" Spoink praised with tears in his eyes. "That pearl must be propped on my head, you see. I missed it so much! So I was just boinging and sproinging everywhere! That's why I'm covered in dings and bumps... But thanks to you, that nightmare is over! You have my sincere thanks!"

He hopped over to give us a protein, calcium, iron, and 2000 Poke!

"Oh, wow! 2,000 Poke!? All this money is for us!?"

"Of course, of course! That's nothing compared to my pearl's value! Farewell!" He said, springing up the ladder.

"We're rich, Luna! We got rich just like that!" Daru grinned with an almost greedy look in his eyes.

"Well done, team!" Chatot chirped, jumping over. "Now hand that money over, if you please!"
"Huh!?" Daru shouted, falling out of his daydream.
"Most of the money from jobs goes to the Guildmaster, you see! And your team's share of the money comes out to this much..." He gave us only a tenth of what we received.
"What!? We only keep 200? That's awful!"
"Well that's the guild's rule. You simply have to accept it!"

"I guess there had to be some catch..." I mumbled, Daru quietly whimpering alongside me.

With that mission done, we were free for the day. Darumaka decided to go somewhere unspecified, so I decided to look around the guild. There was a big rock station on the second floor, so I decided to visit the Croagunk there.

"Hello? What do you do here?" I asked, recognizing that it was a shop of sorts.
"Oh, it's you. I've seen you around. You look rather strong, mweh-heh-heh. The rumor spreading around here certainly says so. ...But that's not what you wanted to hear, was it? The thing is, my shop isn't open yet. I can let you know when I do, however. Heh-heh."
"Oh, really? I guess I did tackle a thief in the town square."
"And you did a pretty good job at that, too. You've got my trust. And keep your kid safe, okay?"

I guess the age difference does seem a little big... "Thanks! Have a wonderful day."
"You too, mweh-heh-heh."

Treasure Town

I decided there wasn't much else to see in the guild, so I took a trip to Treasure Town with the team bag. As I was walking past the Duskull's store, that gassy Pokemon noticed me but stayed put. It was like he was interested in me but was too scared.

"Welcome to the Duskull Bank. You look new here, so I'll have to make a new tab for you."
"Oh! Well in that case, I should deposit my money then." 300 wasn't much, but repressed knowledge of the human economy must've taught my past self to conserve a lot.
"I will keep this as long as you want, maybe even forever..."

I casted a worried look at him, and moved on my way. There was a Kangaskhan running a storage service, and two Kecleons running a variety store. An Electivire and Xatu stand were vacant, and the Marowak Dojo seemed blockaded. With nowhere else to go in the small town, the path lead to a cliff overlooking the beach I woke up on. And... Darumaka was returning from said cliff.

"Luna? I didn't expect you here!" He was carrying a bag on his back.
"Well, it is a pretty sight," I said, sitting on the edge.
"Yeah, this is called Sharpedo Bluff. Strange how it looks a lot like a Pokemon, huh..."

"Well, I hope it's happy to get a view like this."

"I was just returning to the Guild. You wanna come with?"

"Oh, sure."

Wigglytuff's Guild

"I brought back some stuff from home," Darumaka explained, unpacking his leather bag. "To decorate the room. It'll look like our room. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah. Didn't think you were the style kind of guy."

"Well, I want to make something off of a blank canvas."

Bored, I decided to seek out Chatot for a question that was bothering me since the Drenched Bluff mission. "Hey, uh, Chatot. I wanted to ask you something about the guild." Have to stay formal for these kinds of people...
"Hmm? Well, I suppose I can answer."
"This guild itself doesn't have too many members, but it seems like there's a bunch of exploration teams that aren't enrolled here but use some of the services here anyway. Can I ask what that is about?"
"Ah, while we are our own guild, we are really more like one station of a big union. There are guilds in other towns, in which other explorers can sign up there. Since they signed up for the same purpose, we allow other guild members to accept missions here and use services if they're too far from home."

"Thank you for filling my curiosity. I suppose it would help to have some sort of community established."

"Indeed. Just to let you know, you don't have to be so formal around here. Just let loose and warm up to us; you look rather distant and lonely," Chatot squaked.

"Oh, um, thank you for concern. I'll try..." I shifted my weight onto one leg, my hands held behind my back.

"Most of us went through that phase. To be popular, be kind."

Just then, ringing chimes echoed throughout the guild, silencing any conversation. "Everyone! Thanks for waiting! I finished making dinner!" A lovely Chimecho called. "Come on! Dinner's on!"

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered.

Following behind Bidoof to the dining room, the guild presented a large dining table packed with fruits and other delicacies. There were two new spots for us, and three vacant plates on the other side. Watching Darumaka go ham on it, I got an idea. Whipping my big jaw over my head, I gobbled up the whole meal in one go. I chewed fast... except I tasted nothing. It must not have taste buds, I thought sorrowfully.

"Dude. Why?" Daru asked with his mouthful.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Showoff."

"Listen, Luna. Wasn't today hectic?" Daru chatted in the dark of the night. "So much happened! But I'm relieved that our first job was a success. It was really upsetting how Wigglytuff's Guild took most of the money. That's just the cost of training, I guess. We can't do anything about it. But what made me really happy was getting thanked by Spoink!" The excited child paused to yawn. "I'm getting sleepy... I'm going to sleep now. Let's try our best again tomorrow. Good night, Luna..."

I should really tell him about that vision I had... But today was so busy that I had no time...

I looked at the decorations put up. It wasn't much, but Darumaka brought a tiny coffee table can can only fit the few books he brought. A fake flower set next to it. I suppose we should try bringing back things from our travels here.

The Outskirts of Treasure Town

"Skuntank, sir!" Zubat cried, exhausted.
"We messed up bad, sir!" Koffing drooped.

Skuntank fake-yawned, rolling his unfinished apple to the ground and giving a sharp glare.

"W-we, uh... we heard this kid had some kind of treasure in his possession... He looked weak so we tried to take it for ourselves, but there was a strong Mawile nearby and she wiped us out!" Zubat gulped.
"The girl took us out right in town square..." Koffing sobbed, using all of his might to not run away.

"Fools! You were simply supposed to scout out how many tough Pokemon were in Wigglytuff's Guild! Now Treasure Town sees us as criminals and we can't leech off of its resources!" Skuntank barked. "Unless..."

"B-boss, what are you planning?" Koffing questioned nervously, Skuntank's stare almost freezing his movement.

"We can try to earn our trust back by joining that guild ourselves."
Koffing and Zubat looked at eachother nervously. "How will that help us, sir?"
"We will get direct access to food, money, and training, all the while getting direct intel of our foes. It will be perfect. Tell me, who was that kid with the treasure?"
"A Darumaka, sir."
"I see... We'll have to play it cool, even if we run into him. He will surely recognize you two though."
"And what about the Mawile?"

"Hmm... I doubt we'll run into her, but if so, then she can't just publicly expose us. She'll seem crazy. Then we can get on the Guildmaster's good side... And I know exactly how to do that."

This chapter was originally going to include Beach Cave with Darumaka teaching Luna tips as if it was straight from the game's tutorial, but it was awkward and didn't work well enough to stay in. As a result, this was probably short enough to fit in the last chapter. Oh well. All in all, not much was really changed from the original. The story will give me more freedom soon, though.