Chapter 4: The Gatekeepers

The next day, Amy and Chikorita are finally allowed to take any job on the bulletin boards they want. It's a successful day, blah blah blah. And the day after that…

Loudred: UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!

Chikorita: Ugh…Good morning, Amy…

Amy: I don't know if I'll ever get used to this…

They wake up, head to the briefing room, and do their chants as usual. Then Chatot pulls them over to a hole in the ground, where Diglett and Loudred are arguing.

Diglett: …I don't know where he is! I don't know where he is!

Loudred: That's NO EXCUSE! This is your JOB, Diglett! So BUCK UP and—huh?

Chatot: *ahem*. I do believe we have a solution possible to conceive.

Amy and Chikorita: ?

Diglett explains in great detail what his job entails and then—

Diglett: —so anyway, I have to update the missions myself today. See ya! See ya!

Loudred (smiling): …And that's THAT.

Chikorita: Wait, what? What was that about?

Loudred: You two…are sentries!

Amy: Sentries? You mean we have to go down there and—and—

Loudred: You got that right. Now go!

Chikorita: Okay, okay!

Amy and Chikorita enter the hole, but they then discover that it's pitch-black inside!

Amy: Hey! I can't see!

Chikorita: Of course you can't. We're underground.

Amy: …Ow! Ow! Quit stepping on my foot!

Chikorita: Quit stepping on my leaf!

Amy and Chikorita: Sorry!

Loudred: HOW'S IT GOING DOWN THERE?

Amy: Hang on a sec…

Chikorita: There it is! Light!

They arrive at the room where light is filtering down. There's a grate on top.

Chikorita: Hey! I know this place! This was where—where—!

Amy: We had our footprints checked? Oh yeah…I remember…

Loudred: You ready down there?

Amy and Chikorita: Yeah!

For the rest of the day, they have to identify all six Pokémon that come in. By the end, Chatot calls them back. The results…absolutely suck! Apparently, Amy still hasn't memorized all the Pokémon in the world. Dejected, they don't get any reward that day. Over the next two days, they accomplish a few more jobs, and study the encyclopedia of Pokémon footprints for all the species that have been identified to date. It's almost too much information for Amy to handle at once, but at least she puts in an honest effort every day.

To be continued…