"HEY! WAKE UP IT'S MORNING!"

I awoke from my slumber with a pounding headache. I kept my eyes tightly shut as I writhed in my nest. What a ridiculously loud voice! It almost blasted my eardrums! "Why are you still ASLEEP! You two better get up NOW!"

"M-my poor ears," Thunder whined. We shakily stood to our feet, our heads still throbbing from before.

"C'mon snap out if it! I'm EXPLOUD! I keep everyone up and ALERT!" I glared at the bulky purple figure. "I used to be an apprentice here! Master Wigglytuff has a BIG temper! If you make him lose it..." He crossed his arms an shivered. "I get goosebumps just thinking about it. YEESH! JUST HURRY IT UP! I'm not about to get in trouble because of you rookies!" Without another word, Exploud stomped out of our room.

"Err... Did he really have to shout like that?" I muttered. I was already tired from my nightmare earlier and this throbbing headache wasn't making me feel any better. He was yelling so loud I couldn't hear what he was saying. It was something about getting ready... "W-wait! We totally overslept!" I shouted, suddenly remembering signing up for the guild.

"O-oh! We're supposed to be out there right now!" Thunder exclaimed, leading to his feet in a panic. He bolted down the hall with me close behind. I hope we don't get in a lot of trouble for this!

We entered the room where we met the Guildmaster, only to see a group of pokemon staring angrily at us. There was a Noibat flying in front of a Dratini, a Ducklett standing in front of a Corphish, a Bidoof standing in front of a Sunflora, a Pikachu standing in front of a Riolu, and finally Toxic, who stood next to the Riolu, refusing to look at us. Exploud, a Dugtrio, and a Diglett stood in the back corner, along with a Chimeco, Audino, and Croagunk.

"YOU'RE LATE ROOKIES!" Exploud screamed.

"Hush! Your voice is extremely loud!" Chatot scolded. With an annoyed shake of his head, Chatot glanced around the room. "Well, it seems like everyone's present. Very well! Let's conduct our morning address." He turned his head to the chamber door. "Guildmaster, the guild is in full attendance!" Immediately, the Guildmaster emerged from his room. "Thank you Guildmaster! Now please address the crew."

"Zzzz... Zzzz... Snorfle... Zzzz..." Everyone in the room was stunned, including me and Thunder.

"Is he... Is he sleeping?" I asked. His eyes are open. How did he manage to even walk out here?

"The Guildmaster never ceases to amaze me," another apprentice giggled. The Noibat nodded along.

"Yeah, you got that right."

"Eek! His eyes are wide open!" Sunflora squealed. "But he's fast asleep!"

I leaned into Thunder's side. "Is this really the great Wigglytuff you told me about?" I whispered. He shrugged, his fur twitching with embarrassment.

Chatot flinched, forcing a smile. "Err... Yes, thank you for your words of wisdom Guildmaster! I'm sure we all value it!" He returned his attention to us. "Okay pokemon! Let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!"

"A ONE, A TWO...A ONE-TWO-THREE!" Everyone chanted, except for me and Thunder. "ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY!" Runaway and pay? "THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay Pokemon," Chatot ordered. "Get to work!"

"HOORAY!" Everyone chanted. Then within moments, everyone except for me, Thunder, Toxic, and Chatot left. Dugtrio and Diglett burrowed into the ground and out of sight. Chimeco flew into the kitchen, probably to prepare for later meals. Croagunk hopped into his...strange little stand, and Audino gave a bow to Chatot before returning to her room.

"...What now?" I asked. The pokemon here were so odd, that I didn't really know what to do next.

"You two, hmm...and Toxic, come on over here," Chatot ordered. Thunder and I exchanged glances and approached Chatot. "Toxic, since you are now leaving the guild, I want you to show these two how the guild works and acompany them on their first mission." Toxic nodded, then sent Thunder and I a harsh glare.

"Yow two...follow me," Toxic ordered. Thunder and I exchanged looks before following the Salandit up the ladder.

"This is the Job Bulletin Board, you see? Pokemon from various regions post job requests here. They can either be rescue missions, item retrieval requests, item delivery missions, escort missions, or save my child missions. Over there-" she pointed to the other bulletin board. "Is the Outlaw Bulletin Board. Those pokemon are not feral and choose to be evil, you see?" I nodded, getting slightly annoyed with her saying you see. "You get a reward at the ends of each mission; however, Chatot takes half on the money you earned for the guild."

"I think I understand now," I replied. She nodded, ripping a job off the board.

"I've been to multiple Mystery Dungeons before, but since you're new, I've picked out an easy one."

"Oh really? Let's read it!" Thunder exclaimed, leaning forward to see the message.

Hello! My name's Spoink! An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession! My precious pearl! That pearl...is life itself. Well...at least to me it is. I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in its rightful spot on my head! But I heard that my pearl has been sighted on a Rocky Bluff, but this bluff is said to be extremely dangerous. I could never go somewhere so frightening! Oh, friendly readers, would you be so kind as to retrieve my pearl from this bluff? I beg for your help, exploration team members!

-sincerely Spoink.

"Wait a second..." Thunder started his fur twitching with anger. "We're going to fetch an item that someone dropped?" I turned to Thunder, tilting my head in confusion.

"Isn't that what I did for you?" I asked. He looked away, blushing with embarrassment.

"Yeah... But I'de rather do something that's more of along the lines of an adventure," he admitted. "I'd rather look for treasure or explore unknown places. Things like that!"

"I agree...but you shouldn't let Chatot hear you say things like that," Toxic added. She rolled up the message, placing it in the bag I was carrying. "Everyone says that Wigglytuff has a bad temper, but Chatot will chew you out til' the end of time." She shook her head, snickering to herself quietly. "We should head out now, Spoink won't want to wait forever.


Drenched Bluff B1F

"Where did Spoink say the pearl was sighted," I asked.

"The seventh floor," Thunder replied. I wonder if it will be like Beach Cave? "It's a little longer than Beach Cave, but it shouldn't be too bad."

"Hey, Toxic?" I asked. She scurried over, a little too close for my liking. "You've been here before, right? Do you know where the stairs are?" She paused, letting a long sigh.

"I wish it were that simple. Mystery Dungeons are always random, I've been here many times, but each time was different." She rose to her hind legs, stopping to scratch her snout before replying. "Mystery Dungeons are just...like that."

"Yeah," Thunder meowed. "My clan traveled through tons of them before I left. Especially Mt. Thunder, the floors would always be different there."

We walked in silence after that, the only sound being the constant dripping of water. I assumed that we spent most of our day traveling through the first few floors, although, we did get a bunch of items. A couple of Oran berries, one Pecha berry, an apple, and a blue gummi, which Thunder said raises your IQ if you eat the right kind.

I still didn't really understand Mystery Dungeons, though. So these weird parts of untamed land became Mystery Dungeons? Were these once buildings? That's what I thought anyway, why else would there be staircases in the middle of some maze? Thunder seems to know a lot about them too, maybe I can talk to him later?

"Are you listening, Nate?" I glanced at Thunder, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. "We've reached the stairs."

"O-oh sorry. I was just lost in thought," I chuckled. "It's just so confusing," I said, leading the duo to the next floor.

Drenched Bluff B4F

"What's this?" In the dirt lied a small, sturdy looking seed. I picked it up, noticing the heat emitting from it. Why is it so warm? Wouldn't that kill the seed?

"That's a Blast Seed," Thunder explained. "When thrown, or eaten, it explodes on contact. It can damage anything, even types of pokemon that aren't weak to fire attacks."

"Will it explode if I put in the bag?" I asked. I was the one carrying the bag, so I really wouldn't want it to just up and explode on me.

"No," Toxic stated. She stood up on her hind legs, taking the Blast Seed from me and tapping it lightly. "It's very durable, you see? It would have to be a strong impact to make it explode." Oh, I better hold onto it then.

Drenched Bluff B5F

"Take this!" I yelled, charging at the palpitoad. I pounced, biting down hard on the lump on his head. A thick, warm liquid flowed from the wound, leaving a foul taste in my mouth. I leaped back, kicking the palpitoad in the face before landing a good deal away.

It struggled to its feet, sending me a harsh glare from my attack. I ran forward, managing to tackle him again, only to be sent back by a powerful stream of water.

I couldn't help but get angry at this fight, I didn't know what I was doing or how to battle really. Toxic and Thunder weren't much help either, they said something about being weak against ground types and that I had to fight. But Toxic doesn't know that I'm a human! ...That I was one at least. I had to play the role, there was no way I could let her find out! A jolt of pain ran through my body, clouding my train of thought.

I pulled myself from a small mud pile, bits of rock falling from the ceiling poured onto my pelt, but not enough to do actual damage. I felt slower all the sudden like something was dragging me down with actually being there. "W-woah!" I leaped to the side, narrowly dodging a stream of mud hurling at me. I ran forward, trying to bite his head again, only to be thrown back by another stream of mud.

Thick mud dripped from my fur, pooling at my feet as I stood up. I can't even get close to it... What was I supposed to do? I only knew how to bite, tackle, and scratch. I didn't even know how to use that special move, extrasensory was it? Maybe I could distract him- The Blast seed!

Immediately, I hurled the seed at the palpitoad. Upon impact, he reeled back in pain, crashing into the wall behind him. This is it! I ran at the palpitoad at full speed, ducking under another stream of mud, and tackled him to the ground. I stood on top of him, scratching his eyes and biting at the large lumps on its head. Thick blood oozed from the wounds as it gave a final screech before going silent.

I leaned back, panting from exhaustion as I looked at my blood covered body, unsure of whos it was. I gazed at the feral pokemon, who lied unmoving from my attack. It had deep claw marks covering its eyes and bite marks of the lump on its head. Did I... Did I kill it? "A-are you alright?" I nudged him with my paw, attempting to see if he would wake up, only for him to stay silent. He had to be dead, right? I... I'm a murderer!

"Great job N- Hey, what's with the tears?" Thunder asked. I glanced back, a few tears leaving my eyes before I was able to answer.

"D-Did I kill him?" I wailed. Thunder and Toxic exchanged confused looks before Thunder answered.

"Nate, it's-"

"Of course not!" Toxic snapped. Toxic stood up and sent me a disgusted glare, her purple eyes practically glowed with anger. "What kind of pokemon are you? To not know if a pokemon is dead or knocked out... It will get up in a few hours, stop acting so dramatic!" She shook her head, letting out a long hiss. "It seems like you don't even know how to battle-"

"H-hey! There's no n-need for that!" Thunder growled. He moved between us, in some sort of attempt to defuse the situation. "C-can't you see he's going through something right now?"

"It's fine." I have to play that role. I looked back at the palpitoad before pulling an Oran Berry out of our bag. "I... I should have know better." I shook my head, feeling slightly more energized from the berry.

"That right, you should!" Toxic hissed. "If you can't fight, then you'll never survive the guild's training!"

"Can we just get on with the mission?" I asked in an attempt to divert Toxic's attention. It was one mistake...

Drenched Bluff B7F

We finally reached an open room with a large rock formation in the middle. Small streams of water poured from the rocks surfaces, creating small pools beneath us. This must be it. I looked down the moss covered rocks, noticing a small pink sphere wedged between some rocks.

"Hey look!" Thunder reached down, inspecting the object before gently lifting it from the rocks. "No wonder Spoink was so worried about it. It's so pretty after all." I nodded. It must be worth a lot.

"Let's hurry back," Toxic hissed. She narrowed her eyes at me, then turned back with a hiss. "We wouldn't want to keep Spoink busy."


"Th-thank you!" The female spoink hopped up and down ecstatically, the pearl bouncing along with her. No wonder she dropped it... "I just can't function without my pearl! I was just bouncing and springing about...now I'm covered with bumps and bruises!" she laughed. "But now that nightmare's over, you have my sincere thanks!"

She hopped in front of me, handing me a Protein, then handed Toxic a large yellow berry, and finally handed Thunder a bag of what seemed to be coins.

"...Thanks," I replied, still unsure of what a Protein was.

"W-wow! Two-thousand Poke! For us?" Thunder exclaimed. She nodded, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

"Yes, yes! Nothing compares in value to my precious pearl!" With a wave, the spoink headed back to the ladder. "Thanks again exploration team members!"

"I-I can't believe it, Nate! We're rich! Just like that! I can't wait to spend this on items for the team!"

"Well done, team!" Chatot congratulated. He put his wings together in some sort of capping motion. "Very well done for your first mission. Now, hand over that money if you would." Huh? He extended his wing, practically ripping the bag out of Thunder's grip.

"As I'm sure Toxic told you, most Poke you earn goes to the guild. It's not cheap running this place, you now!" He nodded to himself before handing the bad to Thunder. "This is your team's share."

"We only get to keep Two-hundred Poke..." he whined, his ear drooping with disappointment. "That's not fair."

Chatot narrowed his eyes at Thunder. "Well, that's simply a rule you must accept." We nodded, daring not to argue any further. "Now then, you should head down to the dining hall for dinner."

"...Yes, sir."


The dining hall was full of more types of pokemon that I had ever seen. I assumed that every exploration team, including the apprentices, were attending dinner. I turned to Toxic, to ask where we could sit, but she was gone. Did she leave the guild already? They didn't let her stay for dinner?

A wave of uncertainty flowed throughout my skin, was the guild really so difficult? Most of the pokemon seemed alright, a little goofy, but alright. In fact, the only pokemon I really had a problem with was Chatot, and even he wasn't terrible. Was this a mistake?

"Where do we even sit?" I asked, pulling myself from my thoughts. I glanced at Thunder, noticing the fearful look in his eyes.

"I-I don't know." We walked around, nearly getting toppled over by an arrogant arcanine.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped, barring his teeth. We nodded immediately running away from the fire beast. Geeze, I could feel the raw power radiating from him.

"Hey, rookies!" The Noibat from morning rollcall flew over to us, an amused glint in his eyes. "I'm Noibat, the leader of Team Leviathan. I see you're a bit lost," he joked.

"Y-yeah," Thunder replied. I think lost is an understatement.

"The apprentice table is towards the back, follow me." I sighed with relief from his gesture. At least someone's willing to help us.

"Thank you," I sighed.

"It's no problem; I remember my first dinner here. Although, I can fly, so it was a bit easier for me!"

We sat down next to Noibat and his partner Dratini, who seems like a polite pokemon. The plates in front of us were already filled with all kinds of veggies, berries, and meats. Realizing I hadn't eaten since yesterday, I was ready to dig into the meal.

"Attention, everyone!" Within an instant, the entire dining hall went silent at the sound of the Guildmaster's voice. "Tonight we are joined by new friends!" His brief serious tone was replaced by a gleeful cheer. New friends? Does he mean us? "A new duo of apprentices, Team Abyss, is now training with us!" He danced in a circle before clapping his hands happily.

"Now then," Chatot started. "Let's begin our feast!"

Everyone around me started eating, but I couldn't help but stare at my food. How do I eat this? I don't have hands... I looked over at Thunder, studying how he ate before attempting to copy the movement. Eating like a pig... But...everyone else seems to be doing it. Pushing my pride aside, I dug in, nearly blown back by how delicious the food was. This amazing!

Maybe I was getting used to being a pokemon after all?


I groaned, collapsing onto my straw next. Today just winded me.

"My paws feel like they're about to fall off," Thunder whined. I chuckled, curling up like the night before.

"Tell me about it." I sighed, a small smile starting to form.

I guess today wasn't too bad. I felt like I was able to be somebody by helping Spoink out. Maybe I did make the right decision after all. I did feel good about being an apprentice, but after that incident with the palpitoad...

"Hey, Nate?" Thunder nudged my shoulder, a serious look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You didn't kill that palpitoad earlier," he meowed. I flinched, turning away from him. Why did he have to bring that up? "I... I saw how much that affected you, and I know Toxic hurt you. I just..." He paused, for a moment, before answering slowly. "It takes a lot to kill a pokemon. Yeah, some pokemon do it easier than others, but it's fairly hard to kill just any pokemon."

"But he looked so...disfigured."

"I'm sure he's awake now. Most feral pokemon have stashes of berries hidden throughout different dungeons. I'm pretty sure he has some Oran Berries hidden somewhere." Even at the thought of him being better, I still felt guilty.

"I... I don't ever want to do that again." I knew I had lost control earlier. Zorua are predators, I could have easily killed him. But I knew Thunder was trying to make me feel better, and he was probably right.

"That's fine too." Thunder curled up in his own nest and let out a long yawn.

Toxic didn't have to act like that though. I trembled at the thought of that conniving Salandit. How dare she act like that towards some who she didn't even know! I growled, shaking these thoughts from my head. ...I shouldn't be thinking of this.

"Goodnight Nate," he mumbled. I stared at Thunder for a moment, a strong feeling of gratitude washed over me.

"Thunder?"

"Hmm?" He lifted his head slightly, before lowering it again with a yawn.

"Thank you."