"Look! He's waking up!"

Thali's form hovered beside Aru as he finally woke up. A bright smile split the Eevee's lips as he rose. "Thank Arceus! I was worried you weren't going to wake up," she said as she hugged him tightly.

"Thali? I don't understand what's going on. What happened?" Aru finally asked, rubbing his head. He felt like he was gasping for breath and his head was spinning a bit.

"You had a dizzy spell under the water," Thali said, caressing his cheek with the soft pads of her paw. "You nearly drowned, you big dolt! I was so worried about you…"

Aru chuckled at the worrying Eevee. He gave her a soft smile of reassurance. "Don't worry, okay? You know I'm stronger than that. A little water won't kill me."

"Don't say it like it's nothing!" Thali exclaimed. "Aru, you could have gotten yourself killed if Milotic hadn't saved you. You almost died!"

Aru blushed and smiled. "Thali… thank you," he said with a chuckle.

"For what?"

"Just for being here," he said. He gazed into her eyes for a long moment, taking in her presence. "You're still wearing the bow I got you. That makes me really happy."

Thali blushed a bit and looked away. "A-Aru… you're being weird," she whispered, trying not to show her evident blush.

Accalia walked in to find the two talking. "Oh, you're awake," the Snivy said as she knelt down beside him. "It's good to see that you're awake, but…" she faded off as she whipped her leafy arm around to slap him firmly across his cheek. "You had better explain yourself! Why didn't you tell me you'd lost your memory? I thought we were a team."

Aru sighed. He should have seen this coming. He looked up to Accalia apologetically and nodded solemnly. "I know, I should have told you earlier. I could never imagine how to bring it up in casual conversation."

"I can explain, Aru. Just get some rest," Thali assured him. She sat on her hind legs, prepared to speak. "You see, about a month or so ago, I wasn't even part of the guild. I was too afraid to join. I found Aru on the beach after one of my failed attempts to join. When he woke up, he couldn't recall anything but his name. We joined the guild as partners and the rest is history."

Accalia sat back with her arms crossed, still feeling indignant. "Alright… Any success on figuring out his memories?"

"Nothing yet," Aru said. He thought about the strange thing he heard down at the bottom of Milotic's lake, but disregarded it. It couldn't have been one of his memories. "I don't have anything about myself. But… I do have the strange ability to see visions of past and future events."

Accalia sat still for a while, scratching her head. "You lost me there. You can see the future?"

"It works like that in a way," Thali explained. "We figured out after a few of his visions that he can sometimes see events connected to something or someone's past or future by touching it. We don't know how, but it's really amazing!"

Accalia hummed and nodded. "That's... really amazing," she said with a smile. "I can't believe you can use that sort of power."

Aru gave a light chuckle. "Enough about me, though," he spoke up. "What's going on? What time is it?"

"It's morning," Thali said. "Don't worry, Chatot said that you're allowed to sleep in so you can get your strength up. We don't have to run through the morning cheers today."

"Alright. That's good."

At that moment, Bidoof burst in. He was covering his nose to block a pungent odor and his face was glazed with sweat. "H-hey, y'all! You're never gonna believe this!"

"What is it, Bidoof?" Aru asked as he sat up. He held himself steady to hear the news clearly.

Bidoof shivered; the beaver Pokémon had a difficult time even bringing himself to say it. "The Guildmaster let Team Skull join our expedition!"

The jaws of everyone in the room immediately dropped.

^/\^|v\/v

…Syaoron the Fox presents…

…His First Pokémon Story…

Beyond the Sky

Chapter 7

Unexpected Complications

^/\^|v\/v

After receiving the news about Team Skull joining their guild-exclusive expedition, Thali stormed out of the room. She tore down a request—an item retrieval mission for Mount Bristle—and made haste for their mission location. Aru and Accalia had to run to catch up with her.

They moved swiftly through the dungeon when they got there. Thali's movements were jittery and impulsive; she took enemy Pokémon down with the ease of fury. In a moment of peace, Aru patted her shoulder. "Thali, calm down. We need to talk about this," he said rationally.

"Talk about what? What's there to talk about?" Thali said angrily. She rushed off to fight a nearby Starly. With a single whip of her tail, she obliterated the Starly, kayoing it instantly. "Team Skull is joining the expedition… I can't believe Wigglytuff let them in."

Aru was confused himself by the Guildmaster's decision. Everyone could see that Team Skull was shady, even when discounting that stereotype of poison and dark Pokémon. "Well, maybe Wigglytuff thinks there's something good about them?"

"There is nothing good about them, Aru. Do you hear me? Nothing!" Thali exclaimed in anger. "They're a team of liars and cheater."

"Well… they are from the Thieves' Guild, right? Isn't that what they specialize in?" Aru reminded her. "You came out of the Thieves' Guild, but you're a good person. What's so bad about them?"

"Aru, you don't understand, and neither does Wigglytuff," Thali huffed in disagreement. "No one understands, not like I do… I was on the same team as them, Aru."

Accalia, after dealing with a rowdy bunch of Geodude, returned to them. "You were paired with those stinkers?" she asked. After receiving Thali's begrudged nod, the Snivy continued. "What makes them worse than the others?"

"They're unlike any other team in the Thieves' Guild," Thali said dramatically. "All of the others in the guild bonded like brothers, but Team Skull was very distant. They're haughty and arrogant, but their cunning is what ranks them among one of the strongest teams."

"Their cunning?" asked Aru.

Thali gave a nod. "Yes. Team Skull uses the dirtiest, lowliest deceit to accomplish a job," she said. "They will use brutal means to get what they want. They're traitors and double-crossers. They even betrayed me…"

"They're pretty untrustworthy, huh?" Accalia said.

Thali nodded. "They are. They're one of the reasons I left the thieves."

"It's settled then," spoke Aru. "We have to be wary at all times around Team Skull. Even if Wigglytuff has decided to allow them to join us, we'll always be wary of them. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" the others responded simultaneously.

With a new resolve, the three trudged through the mountain. They reached the seventh floor with no issues along the way and discovered the orb that had belonged to their client. With the orb in their possession, they used their badges to warp out of the dungeon, back to the guild entrance.

Time in the dungeons always seemed to flow in an odd way. It had only been morning when they went into Mount Bristle, and when they returned it was nearing dinnertime. The sun was setting on the horizon. "We should hurry before we miss the meal!" Thali exclaimed. They would have to deliver the orb to their client tomorrow.

The three rushed in and took their places in the mess hall which was on the first subfloor of the guild. Team Unity was sat at the far end of the large table. They piled their plates with delicious salads and foods prepared by Chimeco and dug in to their hearts delight. "I can never get over how great of a cook Chimeco is," Thali said as she dug into the mix of meats, berries, and salads.

"You can say that again," Aru said. The table was alight with merriment and joy as the guild members shared stories of their days.

"Chaw, you guys started early. That's no fun."

Conversation stopped and the air grew thick. It settled in their lungs and held their words hostage till a better time revealed itself for those words to be set free. Team Skull entered the hall, and their presence demanded attention. "Guildmaster Wigglytuff… why are they here?" Thali questioned, barely able to bite back her fury at their appearance.

"Well, I thought that it would be silly to go into this expedition with friends that we hardly know!" Wigglytuff justified himself. "In order to work as a team, we need to take a little more time to get to know them, just like they need to get to know us. Mutual understanding is a vital part of teamwork!"

The normally encouraging words fell silent in the hall. Team Skull's leader Skuntank only smirked and took his place at the table with his team. "Gosh, you guys could learn a little respect," he said haughtily, glowering down at Thali, Accalia, and Aru especially. "The expedition will begin at the beginning of the next moon cycle in five days. You wouldn't want to botch up your act and get left out."

Though the words were a sort of dark advice to them all, Team Unity knew it was a threat specifically directed toward them. When their bellies were full and the cups were drunk, the members of the guild turned in for the night. "I don't trust them," Aru sneered at Team Skull as they retired to their own room in the back.

"Don't get so worked up about it," Croagunk said, appearing behind Unity with his own mysterious stealth. He patted Aru's shoulder and looked in his eyes with a cunning, knowing look. "None of the other members trust Team Skull either. I don't know what this means for the guild, but we will not let their presence deter us. You should keep calm for the struggle ahead."

They returned to their room with Croagunk's advice in mind. They knew little about toad Pokémon, but his warning was clear enough: Team Skull was a dangerous bunch to be trifled with.

A beam of faint moonlight shone through the window. It was but a sliver now. In five days' time, it would be reduced to a black orb in the sky and mark the first day of the expedition to the east. Accalia had decided on getting sleep early that night and bid her comrades goodnight.

However, Thali was simply too agitated to go to bed yet. She nudged Aru's side to make sure he remained awake and kept her company. "I'm afraid, Aru," she whispered.

"Of what?" he replied.

"You know what. They're out to get me, Aru; I know it," Thali whispered, nuzzling deep in his furry chest for comfort. "I don't know what it is, but I feel like they're going to make this experience miserable for me."

Aru smiled and put his paw against her lips. "Calm down," he whispered softly in his best attempts to pacify her. He pawed at the bow on her ear, tugging the string to make sure it was still snug. "I'm really glad you're still wearing that bow."

Thali blushed and looked away in embarrassment. "I know. It really helps me in dungeons. I can feel it protecting me," she whispered. Her blush would have be apparent were it not for the darkness. "Besides… I think it looks good on me."

"I know. I think you look cute with it on."

Thali felt a sudden desire to change the topic of conversation. Their current dialogue was much too embarrassing. "And I see that you've still got that bandana on," she said.

"Of course I do! I look awesome in this thing."

Thali noticed his enthusiasm toward the cloth and giggled. "You're too adorable," she whispered. "Go to sleep, Aru."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You need to rest too," Aru said. He rubbed her back soothingly. "You fall asleep first. I'll be close behind."

Thali gave a tired smile and shut her eyes. "Fine, but you better go to sleep, you big dummy," she whispered as she drifted into slumber.

With her in his protective grasp, Aru was soon following her into the plane of dreams.

^/\^|v\/v

"I'm sorry, Chatot, but run that by me again. What do you want us to do?"

Team Unity was called up by Chatot after the morning announcements and cheers occurred. He had a special mission to give them that was, as he had said, of the utmost importance. This mission was so crucial, that the failure of such a task would be undeniably unacceptable. Its vast momentousness was incontrovertible.

"I want you to venture to the Apple Woods and acquire some larder."

Accalia tilted her head to the side in confusion. "You mean… you want us to go get some food?"

With a great sigh, Chatot nodded. "Yes, that is correct. It seems we have been completely and mysteriously cleaned out of our stock," he said. "And we have particularly run low on Perfect Apples, which can only be found in the Apple Woods."

Thali hummed as she thought over Chatot's peculiar request. "Well, are they such a necessity that we all have to go to ensure we get it?" she asked.

"Yes! Yes; you have no idea how necessary it is for us to have a plentiful trove of Perfect Apples," Chatot said. "They are the Guildmaster's favorite food! If we do not have any in stock, he will surely be upset."

"Does he get that upset?"

"Yes," Chatot said. "The Guildmaster is… terrifying if his craving is not satisfied."

Aru then responded, "We'll do it then! We should get a head start so we can get what we need before dinnertime."

Thali looked up to him with a great smile of approval and nodded. "I was thinking the same thing," she said. "Don't worry, Chatot. We'll get your apples."

With that, Team Unity set off to the Apple Woods. They traveled through low and high lands to reach their destination, but they stood at the entrance after a few hours. The sun was already beginning to travel down. "We had better get those apples before the sun starts setting," Aru reminded them. They entered the dungeon, mindful to be cautious and wary of enemy Pokémon.

True to the name, the dungeon was filled with nothing but towering apple trees. They gathered apples all along the way, storing them in their bag. Aru lunged forward with a dark Pursuit attack when they were suddenly attacked by a giant bee Pokémon, a Beedrill. "Bug-type Pokémon? We don't face a lot of these," Aru mused.

Accalia backed Aru up with a fierce Vine Whip, though it did little to harm the Beedrill. "We haven't been to a new dungeon in a while. Why am I so weak against this thing?" she mused as she continued battering it with her vines.

"You're not exactly the best when it comes to type matchups, are you?" Thali mused as she whipped around her tail to strike the Beedrill, sending it reeling into a tree where it collapsed.

Accalia chuckled softly and scratched her cheek. "It's been a while since I've boned up on type matchups. Remind me how that would have been important?"

"Beedrill is a Flying-Bug-type Pokémon. Its hybrid type gives it a huge boost in defense against grass attacks," Thali stated matter-of-factly. "A reduction three fourths of the damage if I remember correctly."

Accalia blushed after having been given that lesson. To avoid further lecture, she went on ahead to gather more apples. Aru simply stared at Thali. The Eevee looked over to the Riolu in confusion. "What? Why are you looking at me that way?"

"How do you do that?"

Thali blinked, not fully comprehending him. "How do I do what?"

"How do you just know stuff like that?" Aru asked. "You knew exactly what type that Beedrill was… in fact, I don't think you've ever been wrong about a Pokémon's type. And then you knew exactly why Accalia was failing. How do you know all that?"

Thali blushed at his indirect compliment. "What? That's just trivial. I thought we were supposed to know stuff like that," she said, looking away meekly. "It's not like it's that great or anything."

"What are you talking about? That's amazing!" Aru insisted.

Accalia ran out from a small clearing, followed by a horde of bug Pokémon. "Hey, guys, I know you're having a moment right now, but can you help me out?" she called to them for help, fleeing from the Pokémon she was so disadvantaged to.

With a slight chuckle, Aru and Thali rushed forward. Aru was able to break up the crowd of Pokémon with a fierce Bullet Punch, while Thali cleaned up the rest with her Tail Whip. The enemies were quickly dispatched from their might. "Accalia, how about you take back your harvest of apples. We don't want you to get hurt," Thali suggested.

With a meek sigh, Accalia nodded and activated her badge to warp out of the dungeon.

Now that Accalia was no longer in constant danger, Aru and Thali made their way to the center of the dungeon with ease. They arrived in the central clearing of the woods where a giant tree stood tall. Hanging from the high-up branches were the plumpest, juiciest apples one could ever come across. "Those must be the Perfect Apples," Thali said as she looked up at the tall tree. "Now… how are we going to get them down?"

"Chaw, it's a simple task, really."

The two remaining members of Team Unity jumped in surprise when Skuntank and his gang came around the bend of the tree. "We were waiting so long for you losers to show up, we almost started eating them ourselves," he spoke up with a haughty voice. "But we can knock those pesky apples down for ya. Just takes a bit of brute force."

Skuntank demonstrated this brute force by ramming his body into the trunk of the great tree. Apples fell from the sheer force of his girth smashing into it. A few more times, he slammed into the tree, and apples came tumbling down in sync. "Go ahead. Gather them up and take them back to your little guild," he said in a condescending tone.

Aru would have gone forth to gather them so they could be on their way, but Thali put a paw out in front of him. "Cut the act and leave, right now," Thali barked in anger.

"Oh, the puppy's grown a spine now, has she?" Skuntank mocked her. Still, it appeared that Zubat and Koffing were unsettled by Thali's order. "It's troublesome that you've avoided the bait. But that doesn't matter."

Thali's whole spine seemed coiled as though she were ready to attack Team Skull at any moment. "Of course I recognize it. You give us what we want, but while we're recovering it you'll rough us up a bit," she said. "It's a simple tactic."

Aru blinked. Was that what had just happened there? He assumed that Team Skull was trying to taunt or agitate him and Thali, not attack them. Now that he was fully aware of the situation, he held his paws at the ready for combat.

Meanwhile, Skuntank snickered. "You really think you two will be able to defeat us?" he asked them snidely.

"Yeah, you go boss," Zubat cheered from the sidelines. Koffing and Skuntank strode toward them confidently.

"Fine, since you're so willing and ready for a beat down, we'll show you a world of hurt," Skuntank growled. Koffing began to suck in air, his body inflating slightly.

"Be careful, Thali," Aru reminded her.

Skuntank smirked. "We've prepared a special attack since you left, Thali," he said with disdain. "I hate that I have to bring this out against you losers, but I don't really have the effort to fight you right now. So you'll just have to put up with our noxious gas combo."

With no warning, Skuntank and Koffing spewed a great cloud of yellow gas from their mouths. Aru fell to his knees when he inhaled it. Tears welled up in his eyes and he could feel his throat dry out and clench up. Just breathing was difficult. His body was wracked with pain and he felt himself teetering on the edge of consciousness just from one breath.

Aru looked over to see Thali struggling in agony as well. He crawled and reached for her, hugging her protectively. He felt the Eevee relax in his arms and he knew she'd lost consciousness. He looked up to Skuntank with blurry eyes and teary vision. "G-go away. Just leave us alone," he demanded Skuntank. His words came out as more of a plea than an order.

Skuntank sneered at Aru. Even though he received Aru's glare, he ignored its malice. "Whatever, losers, but only because I'm merciful," he said. The leader of Team Skull walked over to Aru. Skuntank was immune to the gas and he was able to easily give Aru a few kicks for good measure, knocking the Riolu out. "See ya later, punks."

^/\^|v\/v

When they awoke again, they could breathe with more ease. As oxygen filled their lungs, they slowly stood up. The two looked back and forth from each other as they examined their surroundings. As Thali had expected, the Perfect Apples were gone. Whether they were smashed by Team Skull or devoured by other Pokémon, the result remained the same: Team Unity would be forced to return to the Earth Guild empty-handed.

"What do you mean you failed to bring any back?" Chatot squawked frantically. "You mean to tell me that you completely and utterly failed?"

Thali winced from the berating words. Aru noticed how her ears were folding back and he knew that she was taking this criticism harshly. "Chatot," she meekly tried to speak up, "It's not our fault. I—"

"No excuses!" Chatot exclaimed. "I trusted your team with this mission explicitly. How could you have let me down so harshly?"

Thali winced again. Aru growled and snapped his gaze over to Chatot. "Listen, Chatot, I can explain," he said, coming to Thali's defense. "Team Skull came in and sabotaged us."

For a moment, Chatot showed interested. The interest gleamed in his eyes as though he were taking note of that particular fact. "That is ridiculous. Where is your sense of pride? Blaming a fellow exploration team for your own faults is incredibly lackluster.

"Now I will have to report this mishap to the Guildmaster. He will surely be unhappy about this. I can only imagine how he will react…" Chatot flapped his wings a bit frantically, pacing back and forth. "Oh dear, am I in for an ordeal! It would be absolutely unfair for me to deal with this on my own. You two will come with me when I report this to Wigglytuff, and you will go without dinner for tonight."

And so, the three appeared before Wigglytuff that night after dinner. Only Aru and Thali had been left without dinner; Accalia was pardoned since she had at least brought back a good bounty of other apples. "Guildmaster, I regret to inform you that these two have failed in their mission to bring back the Perfect Apples," Chatot spoke up finally. The air was thick with tension.

Wigglytuff remained oblivious, smiling as widely as he normally did. "That's fine. Everyone screws up now and again," he said. "Just go grab me one of the Perfect Apples from the inventory."

Chatot sucked in a reluctant breath before speaking, "Guildmaster, as you might remember, we have no Perfect Apples in storage. With none in storage and none retrieved, our Perfect Apple count has been reduced to null."

A dead silence pervaded the room. Wigglytuff's normally ecstatic smile vanished, replaced with a trembling lip. His eyes watered like a child's when denied a promised toy. "B-but… but…" he began to babble incessantly. Along with the babbling came a great quake. The ground shook with the power of the uncontrollable Guildmaster. He began to wail and the air vibrated with energy. He could likely destroy the guild in seconds with his mighty voice.

"Sorry to barge in, but we thought we'd give ya little present."

And suddenly, the quaking stopped. Skuntank strolled in, appearing as meek and humble as his haughty stature could manage. He placed a Perfect Apple before Wigglytuff. The Guildmaster immediately took the apple and began praising them.

"Oh thank you," Chatot also gratified them. "I could never imagine standing up to that horror we were about to witness. We are in your debt!"

Koffing was confused and looked aside to Zubat. "Hey… was that really all it took to get their trust?" he mumbled.

Zubat nodded, also stunned. "I guess Wigglytuff is kinda a crybaby…" he responded with disappointment. He thought the earth guild's master would be more awe-inspiring.

Skuntank nodded and smirked. "We'll take our leave. We need to rest up; replenish our energy for the expedition in a few days," he said, making sure to add extra emphasis on the expedition. With how badly they'd embarrassed Team Unity, Skuntank was certain that Thali and Aru would never get on the team. And just like that, Team Skull left.

"You should be grateful to them," Chatot reminded Team Unity. "Those three just saved us from some serious humiliation and injury. Go to bed, both of you. I do not even want to speak to you tomorrow."

Thali frowned and tried to speak up, "But…"

"Bed, now! Go before I make your punishment even more severe."

And with that, Team Unity dejectedly retreated to their room.

The candles in Wigglytuff's quarters glowed low and dim as the night went on. In the air of privacy, Wigglytuff refrained from such exasperating emotion as he put on before the others. "Chatot… tell me exactly what happened," he asked the parrot Pokémon.

Chatot nodded meekly and stood beside Wigglytuff, looking out the window with his longtime companion. "Team Unity made mention of Team Skull being involved in their failure," he said. "I did not give them much time to explain themselves such that I may keep up faux anger at their failure. But I trust Team Unity. They have had a good record as long as they have been with us. Team Skull is up to something, Guildmaster."

"Wigglytuff, Chatot. Please, call me Wigglytuff in private."

Chatot blushed a bit. "Right," he muttered. "I believe that Team Skull sabotaged them, Wigglytuff. I have never met a more enthusiastic and trustworthy couple than Thali and Aru. I choose to trust them."

Wigglytuff nodded and smiled softly. "I trust them too," he said with a brief giggle. "They are an odd pair, a mysterious pair; even we still don't know very much about Aru. Thali though… You're sure she's from the Thieves' Guild?"

"I've gleaned enough information from Team Skull's cacophonous boasting to know that," Chatot said with a roll of his eyes. "Does that present a problem, Wigglytuff?"

"Not at all," Wigglytuff replied. "I don't care what her past was like. What matters is that she's here. They're both here. As the honorary leader of the earth guild, I must uphold their credibility. We will be wary of Team Skull from here on out."

"Of course, Wigglytuff."

"Oh, and Chatot?"

Just as Chatot was turning to leave, Wigglytuff had spoken up again. He turned to see the pink-furred master giving him a smile. "Keep it up."

Chatot beamed back at Wigglytuff and chuckled. "I will, sir. You're one to say that, being forced to keep that childish character," he replied before exiting.