For the Mission

by AeroJester203

He woke up on the shore. He had made it. He was separated from his partner, but he made it. But when a chance encounter throws a wrench in his plans, and suddenly being transformed into a Pikachu after the accident caused by that shadow in their travel on top of that, how will he set out to complete his mission now? Mystery Dungeon: Explorers AU, main character has memories, R&R.

4. Visions of the Past's Future!

Chapter 4: Visions of the Past's Future!

Ian woke up with the rising sun and stretched a bit before padding over to Martha's bed. As Ian tried shaking Martha awake, he thought back to last night. He had searched the other rooms, besides the other residential quarters, and found no way out anywhere. Would he simply have to cut and run at some point while in the field in order to get to Grovyle once Ian located him? That idea didn't exactly sit well with him.

He returned his attention to Martha as he continued shaking her harder, 'I'll do what I have to do, regardless of how it will drag my fake name through the mud. It won't matter, anyway, because – okay, seriously, just how heavy a sleeper is Martha?'

Martha was still soundly asleep, only curling up tighter when Ian tried to shake her awake. Ian's frustration was mounting by the second. At this rate, they were going to be late anyway. He stopped shaking Martha, and she turned away from him, still asleep.

Ian crossed his arms and briefly considered going to get Loudred. But he decided against it, since he had promised Loudred that he'd wake Martha up from now on, and taking it back wouldn't be proper. Thinking for a bit, a mischievous smile broke out on Ian's face, and with his arms still crossed, he moved his tail around to his side, charging a bit of electricity in it.

'All right, Martha, let's see you sleep through this.' Moving the tail toward the center of Martha's back, Ian said, "Clear!" and he zapped Martha with a mild shock by touching his tail to the spot he had it near.

"Gak!" Martha spasmed and rolled off of her bed from the shock. Her fur, particularly on the cream-colored fur around her neck, was frizzy and sticking out everywhere. She shook her head and got up; taking a look at herself, she started trying to shake her fur back down with little success.

"Good, you're awake," Ian said nonchalantly. "We have to get to the morning address."

As Ian got the Treasure Bag, Martha said, "Did you just-?!"

"I tried waking you up more gently," Ian said as he fixed the bag over his shoulder, "It didn't work. If you sleep through the gentle wake-up, you get shock therapy. Remember it. Now, come on, if we dawdle any longer, we'll be late."

The two of them walked down the hall and arrived in time for the morning address.

"AND… THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!"

"Hooray!"

After a short while, Chatot acknowledged that Ian and Martha were still standing around, unsure what to do. "Oh, you two! Still milling about, it seems… Well, come with me."

He led the two of them up to the first sublevel, but unlike last time, they turned left from the staircase and walked up to a board across the room from the Job Bulletin Board.

Martha took note of this, "Oh? Last time we did a job, it was from the board on the other side…"

"Correct!" Chatot said, "Today, we'll have you do a job listed on this side."

Martha tilted her head, curious, "How is this different from the board on the other side?"

Chatot turned to the board, "Take a closer look."

Ian and Martha stepped closer, Ian understood what the board was the instant that he saw the pictures. As Martha spoke, he felt sorry for what she was about to be asked to do.

"Oh! Look at this Ian! There are posters up here that show a variety of Pokémon! Wow, they all look sort of cool! Are they famous explorers?" Martha wondered. She looked at Chatot, "Who are these Pokémon, Chatot?"

Still looking at the board, Chatot said seriously, "The Pokémon posted here… are outlaws. They're all shady characters. And they're wanted for committing crimes."

Martha stepped back nervously, "Wait, you mean these are criminals?"

Chatot nodded, "Correct. So there are bounties on their heads. In other words, there is a cash reward if you capture one." He sighed and shook his head, "There are so many aggressive Pokémon around these days that everyone's finding it hard to keep up with the problem."

"And we're supposed to catch these outlaws?" Martha asked incredulously. "No way! That's not possible!"

Chatot laughed, "Hee-heeee! Just joking!"

'Chatot has a weird definition of a joke…' Ian thought. Unaware, Chatot waved his wing as he continued, "The bad Pokémon out there come in all shades of badness. Some of those Pokémon are completely wicked, through and through… But there are also bad Pokémon who are merely petty thieves. So you've got evil to naughty… and everything in between! So I'm sure we can avoid giving you a job catching a superbad Pokémon. Hee-heeee! So look over these posters, then pick a Pokémon that looks weak enough for you to bring to justice!"

As Ian silently fumed over the disguised jibe at their strength – they were new, sure, but they weren't weak! – Martha hesitated, "Um… You say some are weak… They're still bad Pokémon, aren't they? I'm scared of dangerous Pokémon…"

"It's all a part of your training," Chatot replied. "You'll work through it, I'm sure! But I suppose you do need to be prepared to confront a tough opponent… So, I'll have someone give you a tour of the facilities." He turned towards the ladders and called, "Hey! Bidoof! Bidoof?!"

There was a "Yup yup!" from the lower level as a Bidoof climbed up, and plodded up to Chatot.

Breathing heavily, he said, "You called?"

Chatot nodded, "Ah, Bidoof, these are the new recruits that just joined us. Take them and show them around the town."

Bidoof nodded, "Yes sirree! By golly, I'll do just that! Yup yup!"

Chatot turned back to Ian and Martha, "This is Bidoof. He's one of your fellow apprentices. I want you to pay attention to what Bidoof has to say and follow his orders. Off you go!"

After Chatot left, Bidoof sniffled and said, "Aw, shucks. I'm overjoyed!"

Martha tilted her head, "Why's that?"

Bidoof said, "I'm glad to have members junior to me! I'm almost overcome right now… I might just blubber with happiness! Before you all signed on, I was the most recent rookie…" He sniffled again, and then pulled himself together, "Well, I'd best show you around. Come with me, please."

Ian and Martha followed Bidoof to the second sublevel, and he said, "First things first!" He pointed to the curious shaped booth that Ian had seen at night a few times. In the light of day, it was revealed to represent the Pokémon, Croagunk.

"Here, we have Croagunk… But to tell the truth, I don't have any idea what that Pokémon's up to… He always seems to be fiddling around with that big cauldron back there. It's all a mystery to me! Yup yup!" He pointed past Croagunk's booth and to the hallway across from their right, "Over this way's the mess hall." He pointed to the hall towards the left, "And if you all look that way, you'll find the crew rooms." Turning towards the door that Chatot was standing in front of, he said, "And this here leads to the Guildmaster's Chamber."

Bidoof turned back to Ian and Martha, "Next, I'll guide you both around places outside the guild."

Taking both ladders up and walking out of the exit to outside, Bidoof led the two of them down the cliff's stairs to the crossroads. As they reached the intersection, he turned to a well with a wooden awning shading it, "I hear you can make a record of your adventure at that Watering Hole." After making that note, Bidoof led them to the right, taking them to Treasure Town.

Even though most would consider Treasure Town to be a small community, it was staggering to Ian. He kept his face composed, but inside he was marveling at so many friendly Pokémon in one place. 'So many friendly faces… If one looked at this, you wouldn't be able to tell right away that the world was headed for disaster. And with bad Pokémon rising in number, perhaps such a gathering of friendly Pokémon could lead to opportunistic criminals taking advantage of their trusting nature. It can't be helped, though. All of these Pokémon look like they've never known a moment of true peril in their entire lives. How could they know whether someone was really "good" or just wearing a mask?'

Ian's musing was cut short as the three of them arrived in the center of the four booths surrounding the T-shaped intersection of the town. Bidoof said, "This is the main square for the local Pokémon… It's called Treasure Town."

Martha chimed in, "Oh, Ian, I can tell you about Treasure Town."

Ian followed where Martha was looking, first towards a black and grey building shaped like a Duskull, as she spoke, "That over there is Duskull Bank. I told you about him, remember? We can save our money there." She turned to a tent representing the Pokémon, Electivire, "And that over there is the Electivire Link Shop. That's where you can do things like link moves together, but… It looks as if Electivire isn't around today."

Martha pointed with her paw down further along the path, "Waaaaaay over there, further down the path, is Kecleon Market, where you can buy and sell items. And, next to that, is Kangaskhan Storage. Items stored there will never be lost. You remember Chatot's warning? If you have precious items that you can't afford to lose, store them here before you go on an adventure." She turned back to Ian, "And those are the basic places that exploration teams visit."

Bidoof nodded, "You sure know a lot, yes sirree! And that's good to know! All right, then. Come find me when you're all ready to go. I'll give you a helping hand with selecting the right outlaw for you."

Martha bowed her head in thanks and smiled, "Thank you. How nice of you, Bidoof!"

Bidoof looked away, "G-golly, you're embarrassing me! Aw, shucks… I'll be waiting at the guild's upper underground floor for you." Bidoof nodded and made his way back to the guild.

Martha turned to Ian and said, "Okay, let's go. I'd like to see what kinds of items are available! Let's go to Kecleon Market! Before we head back, a visit to Kecleon Market is a must!"

Ian nodded, and said as he pointed down the path branching off the main one, "All right, but what about those two buildings over there? You never talked about them."

Martha turned to look where he was pointing and saw the small building shaped like a Chansey, and the large stone structure with a pair of large bones along the roof flanking a massive skull decorated with a wreath of feathers.

Martha's smile fell a bit as she regarded the pink building, "Oh, that's the Chansey Day Care. Sometimes, exploration teams can get Pokémon Eggs as rewards for doing missions, and Chansey looks after them until the Pokémon hatches. To be honest, I never paid attention to it, because the thought of an egg being given as payment never really sat well with me."

Ian nodded, he could understand that. He didn't really like the idea either. Martha continued as she looked to the stone structure, "I've never been to that other place, but I've heard that Pokémon used to train there before it collapsed. It's closed down now, but there's a notice there that seems very enthusiastic about its reconstruction."

"Pardon?" Ian said. "The note is enthusiastic?"

Martha motioned for him to follow as she walked down the path, "Here, you'll need to see it to understand."

The two of them walked to the doorway of the building, beneath the skull, and there was a rope blocking entrance with a message carved in a wooden plank fastened to the rope.

"Marowak Dojo has collapsed. But it will rise from the rubble again! Yes! The Dojo will be resurrected to its former glory!

"-Marowak Dojo's Sensei-"

Ian nodded. It was a very enthusiastic message. "Well, I'm interested, and if we're supposed to get stronger for exploring, maybe we should visit this place when it's open again."

Martha shrugged, "Maybe; now, come on! Let's get to the market already!"

On the way there, Ian looked around, seeing the various Pokémon milling about Treasure Town. He said, "Say, why don't you take the Treasure Bag and go ahead to the market without me? I'd like to talk with some of the Pokémon around here."

Martha turned to him with a raised eyebrow, "Shouldn't we stay together? Why do you want to?"

'I want to see if I can ferret out any rumors about the state of the world, how far the process has gone. Or better yet, a rumor about a wayward Grovyle traveling from place to place.' is what he was thinking, but Ian smiled and said, "We're just starting out, and I can see other Pokémon from the guild, along with some other groups that have Explorer Badges. I want to see if I can get any tips on taking down our first outlaw, or if there are any useful pieces of information about exploring in general. And with the two of us splitting up to cover both of these tasks, we'll be done that much faster!"

Martha smiled and nodded, "That's smart of you, Ian! All of these other Pokémon probably have experience, and it would be great if we could get some advice." Ian nodded back and handed the Treasure Bag, smiling and waving as Martha walked on ahead.

Ian spent the next ten or so minutes talking with everyone around the town square. Unfortunately, most of his conversations were hopelessly devoid of any useful information. He did get one or two tips that he'd be able to share with Martha, but nothing for himself. He decided to make his way to Kecleon Market, but he saw another pair of Pokémon, a Shuppet and a Murkrow.

He walked up to them, idly noting that Martha was standing at the counter of the green Kecleon running the market, trying to decide what to buy, and the Shuppet regarded him coolly, "Is there something you need? We're Team Ebony. We've traveled and explored all over."

'I guess first I should at least try getting some results for Martha.' "My partner and I are new apprentices training at the guild. We're going after our first outlaw today, and I'd appreciate any and all wisdom from an experienced exploration team like you." Ian knew that a little flattery could go a long way. Some Pokémon just liked being told how great they were.

It had the desired effect, and Murkrow said, "Well, if you insist, there is one thing that we can tell you. Whom you fight is not everything. It is important, having to do with type advantages, yes. But what oftentimes matters most is location."

Shuppet said, "Outlaws instinctively hide out where they are only a little stronger than the native Pokémon, barring a few exceptions. The reason for this is that if the outlaw is weaker than the native Pokémon, he will be defeated and expelled from the dungeon before he can make his hideout. But if the outlaw is too strong, then exploration teams like you and me catch wind of an abnormally strong Pokémon in the area."

"All in all, if it's your first outlaw, you might want to pick a place that's familiar to you, where you're stronger than the native Pokémon, but also strong enough to deal with a marginally stronger Pokémon than the natives," Murkrow finished.

"However," Shuppet added, "I like you, so I'll give you a little extra warning. If you're lacking confidence, and you want a little insurance, you can get a Reviver Seed. Just make sure you have somebody to defend you. It heals you faster if you lie still, but you'll be quite vulnerable."

Ian nodded, and said, "One more thing, I've heard about time getting out of hand. Any idea how far the paralysis has reached?"

Shuppet's eyes widened, "Paralysis? What do you mean? Are you talking about that rumor that time stops in an area if the Time Gear is removed?"

The problem ran much deeper than that, but Ian merely nodded in response, and Murkrow said, "Well, all the Time Gears are still where they belong, presumably, since there hasn't been news of time stopping in large areas. So, the world is still as fine as it can be right now."

'Good. So it's still in the early stages. Temporal Tower must only have suffered minimal collapse so far… But that also means that Grovyle hasn't started yet. Is he all right? Or perhaps he's looking for me? Darn! We can't afford to waste any time! Things might be all right now, but soon the collapse will start to accelerate. If we're too slow, it might be too late!'

Something bumped Ian's side, and he turned to find Martha with a helpless look on her face. "Ian, please tell me that you got some good advice! There were so many good items available that I couldn't decide which ones to buy! We only have a little over 800 Poké, so we need to pick carefully!"

Ian nodded, "Yeah, I got some information." As they walked back to the market, Ian said, "First, did you store the extra items we had in Kangaskhan Storage?"

Martha nodded, "Yup! The bag was full anyway, so I dropped off some extra items that weren't needed there. I also put the Zinc Band in."

"Good. Sunflora, a fellow apprentice, said that we should keep a well-stocked supply of items to aid future explorations. Now let's see what Kecleon Market has." The two of them walked up to the counter where the green and purple Kecleon brothers greeted them.

Ian looked through the items that they had available on the shelf today. A glowing seed immediately caught his eye. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at it.

The younger, green Kecleon glanced at it and said, "Ah, you have a good eye, sir! That is a Reviver Seed! Excellent to have for an exploration! Usually our stock of them is swept clean right away, so you're lucky to find one today! If it pleases you, it only costs 800 Poké."

Martha seemed unsure, "I don't know, Ian… That's pretty much everything we have…"

Ian turned to her, "Murkrow and Shuppet of Team Ebony, an experienced exploration team, said that a Reviver Seed is good to have as insurance if you're tackling a foe that you might lose to. I know that Bidoof is going to help us pick out a weaker one, but you can never be too careful. Besides, even if we wind up not needing it, we'll have it for any time that we do, and we can always find more money during our explorations."

Martha seemed to think about it for a while, and then nodded, "All right. I guess I'm all for safety measures."

Ian turned back to the younger brother, "We'll take the Reviver Seed." Martha reached into the Poké Pocket and said, "800 Poké." A smallish bag with a golden P was resting on her paw as she pulled it out. Martha set it on the counter and the older, purple Kecleon brother took it while the younger brother handed Ian the item.

Both of them said, "Thanks! Please come again!"

Placing the item in the Treasure Bag, Ian was about to offer to take the bag back when a voice called, "Misters Kecleon!" A Marill and Azurill ran up and stopped at the counter where the older Kecleon was. The Marill had a small cloth bag.

The younger Kecleon said, "Ah! Little Marill and Azurill! Welcome, my young friends!"

Azurill bowed and said, "Hello. May I buy an Apple?"

"Oh, most certainly." Marill handed the bag and the brothers counted out the proper 25 Poké and put the fruit in the bag. After handing the bag back to Marill, he smiled said, "Thank you, Misters Kecleon!"

Both Kecleon brothers bowed and the older said, "No, thank you, my young friends! You are to be admired!"

Marill and Azurill left, and the two brothers noticed Martha's curious look. The younger Kecleon explained, "You see, those delightful children are brothers."

"Lately, their poor mother has fallen sick," the other continued, "So those youngsters come and do the shopping for her."

The younger finished, "It's quite remarkable. Though very young, they've stepped up and taken charge."

Marill and Azurill came back and Marill called, "Misters Kecleon!"

The younger Kecleon tilted his head, "Oh? What's the hurry? What makes you return in such a rush?"

Azurill had an Apple balanced on his head, "There was an extra Apple!"

"We didn't pay for this many," Marill added.

"Oh, yes," the older Kecleon said, "That, young friends is a gift from me and my brother. Please, share it among yourselves and do enjoy."

"Really?!" Marill asked. Azurill cheered, "Yay! Thank you, Mr. Kecleon and Mr. Kecleon!"

The younger Kecleon nodded, "Oh, not to worry, my friends. Do take care on your way home."

Marill and Azurill started to leave, but Azurill tripped as Marill walked on. He dropped the Apple he had and it rolled back a ways towards Ian.

Ian picked up the Apple and offered it back after Azurill came back. Azurill bowed and said, "W-we're sorry to bother you. Thank you so much."

As Ian handed the Apple back to Azurill. He was struck by a wave of dizziness. At first he dismissed it, but when it struck again, he recognized the pre-symptoms of his special ability.

'Wh-what?! Here…?! How-?!'

Out of his control, now that it had started, a streak of light raced across his vision, and in a flash of light, he heard a voice.

'"H-h-h… HELP!"'

The light receded, and he was looking at Azurill again.

Ian was rooted to the spot as he wondered just what had happened. 'A Dimensional Scream?! But… that's not possible! Why would it…?!'

Azurill tilted his head, "Is something the matter?"

Marill came back and called for Azurill, "Hey, Azurill! What's going on? Let's hurry home!"

Azurill turned towards his brother and said, "Yup! I'm coming! Wait up!"

As the two brothers regrouped and left, Ian was doing some deep pondering of why his ability activated.

'All right, don't just freak out about it; try to figure out why. First condition: a trusted Pokémon partner.' He glanced at Martha as she said, "Ha! Those little guys sure are cute!" 'Well… She's a Pokémon, and I guess I trust her, to an extent. She's extremely kind and trusting, and I'd bet that she doesn't have a single malicious bone in her body. All right, second condition: the trigger object must have some relation to a Time Gear… That's the confusing thing about it… I doubt that these children would have anything to do with a Time Gear. If that's the case, then why did it trigger…?'

Martha said something, and Ian said, "Sorry, what?"

"I said 'What's the matter?'" Martha repeated. "You spaced out for a few seconds. Are you daydreaming?"

Ian shook his head, and Martha said, "Well then, let's hustle, Ian! If we're done shopping, then we should get back to Bidoof."

Ian thought hard as he stared at the back of Martha's head as they walked. Perhaps, if he trusts her enough to activate the Dimensional Scream, he can trust her enough to tell her about it. If push comes to shove, he might have to.

'That shout… That was Azurill's scream!'

Once they got back to the part of town where Duskull's bank was, they saw Marill and Azurill talking with a Drowzee.

Once Martha noticed, and recognized Marill and Azurill, she said, "Say! What are they up to?"

Azurill was cheering and Marill said, "Thank you!"

Drowzee waved his hand and said, "Please! It's nothing."

Ian and Martha walked up to the group and Martha asked what was going on. After Azurill greeted us, Marill explained, "Some time ago, we lost an item that's pretty important to us… We've been looking all over… But we haven't found it yet!" He turned to look at Drowzee, "Then Mr. Drowzee came along… And he says that he may have seen our lost item somewhere!" Turning back to Ian and Martha, he added, "He even offered to help us look for it. We're so happy about this!"

Martha said, "Is that right? How nice for you!"

Ian, however remained silent and stared at Drowzee. The yellow and brown Pokémon had an amiable expression on his face. But, to Ian, this situation was highly suspect. Where he came from, Pokémon didn't just conveniently know something you needed and offer it for nothing. Also, there were many red flags to Ian. First, Drowzee had said "may" have seen their item. That's no guarantee that he did; he could easily be lying.

As Azurill thanked Drowzee, he said, "Oh, please… I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need! I can't turn a blind eye! Let us be on our way to begin our search!"

Second, if he was really just trying to help, he could've just as easily told them the location and they could ask an exploration team for help. But, by going with them, he's the only one that knows where they're going, and he's going to be alone with them.

Both of the brothers agreed, and the three of them moved to leave, but Drowzee accidentally bumped into Ian.

"Whoops! Excuse me."

As Drowzee left after the two children, Ian felt another wave of dizziness coming on. 'Again?'

Martha said, "That Drowzee sure is nice. You've got to admire that! With more and more bad Pokémon around… it's hard to do good deeds."

Ian was too occupied by the effects of his ability. 'Then this is no coincidence… I can really use the Dimensional Scream in this time, somewhat more freely than in the past…'

As there was the flash of light, a scene was displayed before him.

'In a mountainous region, Drowzee and Azurill were standing alone in a wide area.

'"If you keep being difficult," Drowzee threatened, "it will mean big trouble for you!"

'"H-h-h… HELP!"'

The light vanished, along with any hesitance on Ian's part. He had to tell her about his ability, otherwise, she'd never believe him about his vision. But he had to do it in a way that didn't blow his cover.

Martha continued, unaware of Ian's vision, and of his decision, "It would be nice if those cute little guys found their item soon."

Ian turned around to face Martha, and she raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Is anything the matter, Ian? Why are you looking so grim?"

Keeping his voice steady, Ian asked, "Is there somewhere private we can talk?"

Martha looked confused, but suggested Sharpedo Bluff. After they arrived at the bluff shaped as its namesake, a Sharpedo, Ian looked around to make sure that no one was around.

"Ian, you're making me nervous," Martha said. "What is it that you want to tell me?"

After double-checking, Ian said, "I had a vision. One of my memories came back. I have a secret ability, known as the Dimensional Scream. I don't remember what I used it for, but sometimes, when I touch an object or person, I get a vision of its past or future. When I bumped into Drowzee, I saw a vision of the future. Drowzee and Azurill were alone in a mountainous region and Drowzee was threatening Azurill! We need to go rescue him right away! But listen! This ability that I have, it's a secret to everyone! I met you when I first arrived, and you've been nothing but kind to me, so I'm putting a lot of trust in you by telling you this. Please keep it a secret! But, right now, this is an emergency! We need to go now!"

Ian poured as much as he could into convincing Martha of his sincerity, but his heart fell as he saw the confused, but disbelieving look on her face. "Well… what you describe does sound like an emergency, but… Well, it's not like I don't trust you, Ian, but… I just can't believe it! After all, Drowzee seemed to be a sincerely nice Pokémon, didn't he? I saw the three of them go off together earlier… They looked like they were having a good time, didn't they?" She smiled, and said as if – at least that's how it felt to Ian – addressing a child, "You're probably just tired, Ian. Maybe that's why you just had that bad daydream."

Ian's thoughts were of the exact opposite kind. 'I know what I saw! It wasn't a bad daydream; it will happen if we don't stop it. No, if I don't stop it. I'm sorry to do this, Martha, but if you're too naïve to see the truth, then I'll just have to take matters into my own hands!'

Martha continued, unaware of Ian's plan forming in his mind, "Anyway, we're only apprentices. We can't just go off on our own. Sure, it's a little odd, but… We have to focus on our guild work for now. We're all packed, let's go meet up with Bidoof. He should be waiting for us on the guild's upper underground floor."

Ian smiled, if Drowzee could fool her, he should have no problem. "Of course, Martha, we are just apprentices after all," Ian said, carefully keeping the sarcasm out of his voice. His goal wasn't to be teasing, but to sound sincere. He briefly appreciated the irony of having to fake sincerity after his partner didn't believe his real sincerity.

"But first," Ian added, "I need to stop by Kangaskhan Storage to pick something up. I noticed that you left a very important item behind. One that'll probably be needed to catch the outlaw. You go on ahead, I'll catch up. You know how fast a runner I am; I won't be long."

Martha smiled, "That's the spirit! You go do that, and we'll meet back up at Wigglytuff's Guild! See you later!"

Ian intentionally let her leave with the Treasure Bag. If he had asked for it, even Martha might have gotten suspicious. Ian waited a few moments, and then he left the bluff, following the path back to Treasure Town. He stopped at Kangaskhan Storage and took out the Zinc Band. He wasn't lying when he said that it would probably be needed to catch their first outlaw. After he tightened it around his arm, he took off running out of town after he was out of sight of the citizens at the crossroads. Sniffing with his new Pokémon nose, he detected the fresh scent trail of the three Pokémon that had left.

As Ian ran after them to catch up, he had to be completely honest with himself. He was doing this to rescue Azurill, yes, and it would get today's assignment done to catch the outlaw, sure, but Ian had an ulterior motive.

'This vision… I'm confident that I didn't have it for no reason at all… If this mission is somehow, albeit very, very loosely, tied to a Time Gear, then I have to follow this path!' He continued following the trail and saw Mt. Bristle in the distance. 'If I can find a Time Gear, then I might be able to find Grovyle!'

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Wow, I was trying to express more in the chapters this time around, and this chapter wound up being, like, twice as long as its ANL counterpart! Please review to let me know how I did with expressing more in my writing!

-AJ203