Chapter 6: A New Teammate?
Team Legend woke up the moment Loudred bellowed, ready to take on the day. As they went into the main room and recited the cheers, Chatot called for silence. He held a piece of paper in one wing.
"Last night, we received a report from Sheriff Magnezone that a criminal was spotted on the beach yesterday afternoon." Chatot said. "The criminal is a strange black Pikachu with red eyes, no doubt the culprit that attacked Mrs. Azumarill two days ago. Though it is not proven as of yet, he is thought to be the accomplice of the outlaw Thrax the Toxicroak. Sheriff Magnezone has requested that the Guild keep an eye out for him and arrest him on sight."
"Oh my gosh! A criminal here? Eek!" Sunflora yelped.
"That's not good, yup yup!" Bidoof agreed.
"It must be the guy from yesterday," Carlos decided. "So somebody else saw him, too."
"I guess we don't need to visit Magnezone after all." Sandra sighed in relief. "That's good. He kind of scares me."
"A lot of things scare you, Sandra." Lucar reminded.
"Oh, yeah…" The Eevee blushed in embarrassment.
"In other news," Chatot continued. "Team Yami-Hikari has finally returned from Oran Forest. After doing a complete and thorough search, they discovered a small cave that was no doubt a hiding place for Thrax before Team Legend found him. Thrax, unfortunately, eluded capture."
"What about David?" Carlos asked. "Did they find him?"
"Why not ask us yourselves?"
"Big sis!" Sandra cried.
The recruits parted to make a path as Team Yami-Hikari approached Team Legend. Lucar instantly sensed sorrow in all of their auras. When they came to a stop before the trio, Corona bowed her head.
"I'm sorry, Team Legend." The Delcatty whispered. "We couldn't find him. David was missing, too."
"We have reason to believe Thrax took David with him." Lune added, looking at Chatot. "We tried to find his trail but the storm had washed it away. We can safely say that the Staraptor and the other Pokemon that attacked Sandra went with him, too. They are all gone."
"No…" Sandra whispered. First, we failed to save him. Now my big sister's team can't find him. Poor David…
"We have also discovered something else of interest, Guildmaster." Blake the Blaziken said. "One of our teammates was prepared to evolve at long last. Only the previous night, another teammate evolved with no problems whatsoever. For some reason, he can't evolve even though he met all of the requirements."
"What?!" Chatot squawked. "Are you absolutely certain?"
"Positive," Helio the Pikachu replied. "Evolution seems to have come to a stop. Luminous Spring has lost its light and no one can evolve there anymore."
"No one can evolve anymore? But how?" Lucar asked.
"I don't know," Corona replied. "Guildmaster, allow us to look into it."
"Okay! But be careful, friends." Wigglytuff begged.
"We will," Helio promised. "We'll be back as soon as possible."
Before Team Yami-Hikari left, Lune turned to her little sister. "I'm sorry about David. We did everything we could."
"It's okay. It's not your fault. We'll find him one day. I know we will," Sandra said.
"Thanks. Goodbye," The Umbreon turned and bounded after her team, climbing the ladders and leaving the Guild behind. "Corona, where will we go?"
"It has to be the Time Gears. They're the only things that could trigger something like this." The Delcatty stopped at the crossroads. "We'll head for Treeshroud Forest first. Let's move out, team!"
Team Yami-Hikari headed down the road that would lead them to the peaceful forest, unaware of the danger they were about to meet up with.
Back inside the Guild…
"Now, with that out of the way, our day will go about as it normally would." Chatot said. "Off you all go! Team Legend, I need to speak with you before you head out on your new mission."
Once the other recruits left, Chatot approached the trio. "What's our mission?" Carlos asked.
"I'll tell you that in a bit." Chatot promised. "First off, don't put the blame on yourselves. Thrax is unpredictable. We wouldn't have known he'd kidnap David if you three hadn't found him first. I don't know what he'd possibly want with him but I promise that we'll get David back one day."
"What'll happen to Mrs. Raichu?" Sandra asked. "Will she be okay?"
"Actually, that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Currently, Sheriff Magnezone is keeping her under protective custody in case Thrax tries to attack her. But she has made quite the unusual request." Chatot explained. "She wishes to join the guild so that she can search for her son. Despite our reassurances that we're looking for him, she's proving quite stubborn."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Lucar asked. "We owe it to her to find David. We failed to rescue him."
"Well…there is something you could do. But it all depends on what you three think of having a new teammate in your exploration team." Chatot said.
"A new teammate?" Carlos repeated. "How?"
"Oh! I know about that!" Sandra cried. "Even after you've created your Exploration Team, you can still add members to your team. In dungeons, sometimes the Pokemon you defeat will respect you and wish to join your team. Other times, clients from missions may join your team as a reward for completing the mission."
"Really? I've never heard of that happening." Lucar commented. "Aren't wild Pokemon…wild?"
"The longer they stay on your team, the more they learn how to live in a community and interact positively with other Pokemon." Sandra replied. "But recruiting wild Pokemon can be pretty hard to do, especially if they're fully-evolved or very powerful Pokemon."
/Yes, call me a know-it-all if you want. It comes with having an older sister that is part of an Exploration Team. But this is just from knowledge, not experience. Having to know all of this from experience would be very hard. I'm grateful my sister told me all of this before. I don't think I could handle learning all of this from scratch on my own./
"So…Mrs. Raichu wants to join our team?" Carlos asked.
"Very good, Carlos! Yes, that is what she wants to do." Chatot nodded. "It's your decision whether to accept her or not."
The trio turned and huddled. "What should we do?" Carlos asked.
"Well, she is a fully-evolved Pokemon." Lucar pointed out. "That could be a good asset. But she might not know how to fight, which could be bad once we go into a mystery dungeon. Oh, if only we knew more about her!"
"Plus, she only wants to find David. Joining an Exploration Team is a permanent thing unless the team leader decides to let you go." Sandra added. "Maybe we should talk to her first so she knows all of this."
"Okay," Carlos nodded. "We'll talk to her and then we'll decide. Deal?"
"Deal!" Lucar and Sandra cried.
Team Legend turned to face Chatot once more. "Can we talk to Mrs. Raichu about this first?" Carlos asked. "We need to clear some stuff up before we come to a decision."
"Of course! I'll take you straight to Sheriff Magnezone." Chatot said. "Follow me!"
But I already know the way, Carlos mentally whined.
Chatot and Team Legend left the Guild, walking down the steps and through Treasure Town until they reach Sheriff Magnezone's station. Entering, Deputy Magnemite greeted them and led them to a back room. Seated inside, wiping away her tears, was Mrs. Raichu.
"HERE WE ARE, BZZZZT! MRS. RAICHU'S ROOM, BZZZZT!" Magnemite announced.
"Thank you," Carlos said.
Team Legend entered the room and stopped in front of the Raichu. Noticing that she had guests, she hurriedly blew her nose and gave a small smile. Carlos felt guilt rise up in his heart. It was their fault her son was gone.
"H-hello, dears. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Mrs. Raichu asked, doing her best not to start crying again.
"We've come to ask if you're absolutely sure you want to join our Exploration Team, Mrs. Raichu." Carlos explained. "You wouldn't just be joining to find your son. You'd be helping us on tons of missions. And once we find David, you might not be able to leave our team right away."
"I know," Mrs. Raichu said. "That was all David talked about at home. He wanted to join an Exploration Team so much. Sometimes, he'd purposely get lost in a mystery dungeon just so an Exploration Team would rescue him. Afterward, he would try to join their team. But nobody wanted to recruit a Pichu."
"Do you think he did it on purpose this time, too?" Lucar asked.
"Most likely," Mrs. Raichu nodded. "I always told him that one of those times, he'd get real trouble. I just hoped it wouldn't happen. But now look! My baby's been kidnapped and I can't do a thing to help him except sit here and cry!"
"Hey, hey! It's okay." Carlos said gently, patting her shoulder. "We just want to know if you know the risks of joining our team. You'll have to fight wild Pokemon and you'll probably get hurt."
"I know," Mrs. Raichu replied. "I know how to fight. Joining an Exploration Team is the fastest way to find my baby. And, maybe when he's found, he could join Team Legend."
Carlos smiled. "Sure. Why not?" he said. "If you're absolutely sure about this, Mrs. Raichu…"
"I am,"
Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra nodded to each other. "Welcome to Team Legend, Mrs. Raichu!" they cried.
"Oh, you really mean it? Thank you so much! I promise to be a good explorer!" Mrs. Raichu said. "And, please, call me Joy. Mrs. Raichu makes me sound a bit older than I really am."
/Yeah, we accepted her. How could we not? She was willing to do anything to find David, even give up her freedom. It's too bad we wouldn't find David in the best of situations. But that's for you to discover later on./
"Okay, Joy. Let's go back to Wigglytuff's Guild and get you registered on our team." Sandra led the way out of Sheriff Magnezone's station and back to the Guild.
"So, Mrs. Raichu has officially joined Team Legend?" Chatot asked, hopping alongside Carlos. "It's good to see her smiling again."
"I know," the Pikachu agreed. He still felt guilty about making her cry but it was going down a bit now. Now matter what happens now, I'll find David! Carlos silently vowed.
Once they reentered the Guild, Chimecho registered Joy as an official member of Team Legend. After adding another bed to their room, Chatot called the four to announce their new mission.
"Seeing as you've added a new member to your team, I've decided to let you guys try another rescue mission." Chatot said.
Sandra suddenly felt afraid. What if we mess this one up, like with David? No, we can do this! We have to! I just hope Thrax doesn't come back…
"What's the mission?" Carlos asked, shoving aside his fear. There were four of them now, including a fully-evolved Electric-type.
"You must go to Mt. Bristle and climb to the ninth floor. Once there, you must find Dodrio and rescue him. This mission would bring your point total to 65." Chatot replied. "But first, go prepare in Treasure Town. Mrs. Rai—I mean Joy! Joy may wish to fetch a few things from her home."
"Okay. We'll do that, Chatot." Lucar said.
"Good! Now off you go!" Chatot cried.
Team Legend left the Guild and headed to Treasure Town. Carlos was amazed at how many Pokemon and shops were there. Seeing the look on his face, Sandra laughed. "You look like you haven't seen a town before, Carlos!" she commented.
"I only saw a little bit of this place when Magnezone dragged me to the station. I didn't know it was this big!" the Pikachu cried. "Plus, don't forget that I happen to have no memory beyond you guys finding me on that beach."
"You've lost your memory?" Joy asked.
"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "All I remember is my name." Should I tell her that I'm a human, too? No, not yet…
Joy stifled a giggle. "Oh my! I could be talking to the son of the Pika Town mayor and not know it!" Seeing the look on Carlos' face, she laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. I was just kidding."
Lucar clutched a stack of papers in his paws. "How about you guys go and shop? I'll pass out these posters and tell everyone to spread the word."
"Okay. See you later, Lucar." Carlos said.
The blind Riolu turned and dashed down the street, handing out the papers to any nearby Pokemon.
"What are those papers?" Joy asked.
"Carlos said that he remembers a big storm happening just before he landed on the beach the night before we found him." Sandra explained. "Somebody else was with him, so we're trying to see if anyone recognizes him."
"Oh. I should hope that you find your friend soon, Carlos." Joy said.
"Thanks," Carlos looked ahead. "So…where should we go first?"
"I need to stop by my house first. I'll catch up to you soon." Joy reminded. The Raichu walked away toward her home, leaving Sandra and Carlos by themselves.
"Now what?" Carlos asked.
"Let's head to the Kecleon Brothers' shop first." Sandra suggested.
Carlos allowed the Eevee to lead the way, taking in the sights. He wondered if human cities were like this. He soon found himself in front of a large shop shaped like a lizard's head. Two Kecleon, one green and one purple, stood behind the counter. They both seemed pleased to see Sandra.
"Why, hello! It's good to see the younger sister of Lune. Sandra, am I correct?" the green Kecleon asked.
"Of course it's Sandra, brother!" the purple Kecleon said. He turned to the pair. "I've heard you've made an Exploration Team, Sandra. Welcome to our shop! What can we get for you?"
"What is there to get?" Carlos asked.
"Oh, it seems you've made a new friend! I've never seen you around here before." The green Kecleon turned to his brother. "Have you ever seen him?"
"No, I don't think so. It's good to see a new face, though." The purple Kecleon smiled. "Young Pikachu, we have many items at our disposal. Berries, scarves, orbs, TMs! You name it, we'll likely have it in stock! Just name it and if we don't have it, we'll find it just for you. Our loyalty belongs to our customers, after all."
"Indeed, it does!" the green Kecleon agreed. "What's a shop without its customers?"
Sandra picked out the 200 poke they received from their mission yesterday. Carlos quickly picked out the extra 58 poke he'd picked up from the dungeon floors. The Eevee quickly picked out four Geo Pebbles and two Oran Berries, leaving them with the extra 58 poke remaining.
"Thank you for stopping by, Sandra. Hope to see you again!" the Kecleon brothers said.
"Okay!" the Eevee nodded.
/Yep, that's the treatment I received for being Lune's sister. Everyone had high expectations of me back then. As you can see, I've achieved them all right. But it wasn't easy. It never is…/
"Oh, and my name is Carlos!" Carlos added.
"Hope to see you again, Carlos!" the Kecleon brothers said.
As the duo headed back to deposit their money at Duskull Bank, Carlos' ears twitched as he heard a pair of familiar voices. Stopping, he searched until he found the source. Azurill and Marill, Mrs. Azumarill's two sons, were talking to a Drowzee. The brothers were literally jumping for joy. Leaving Sandra to drop off the money, Carlos decided to find out what was going on.
"Hey, it's you two again." Carlos said.
"It's Mr. Pikachu again!" Azurill cried. "Hi!"
"Please, call me Carlos." Carlos said. "What's got you two so happy?"
"Well, we lost something very important to us. Mr. Drowzee here said that he might have found it for us." Marill explained.
"Really? Wow! That's nice of you, uh…" Carlos let the sentence drop. If he didn't enjoy being called Mr. Pikachu, he didn't want to upset the Drowzee.
"Just call me Drowzee." Drowzee replied. "And I'm very happy to help out. It'd be cruel of me not to help out a pair of kids."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Drowzee!" Marill cried. "You don't know what this means to us, really!"
"Yeah! Thanks!" Azurill nodded.
"Well then, follow me. I'll show you where I found it." Drowzee said.
/That's when it happened. If only I had been paying attention, I might've understood what was happening and believed Carlos. But I didn't. Not until it was too late, that is./
As Drowzee passed, he tripped on a rock and stumbled. Carlos quickly moved forward, catching the Psychic-type's arm to stop his fall. Once Drowzee regained his foot, he smiled.
"Thanks, kid. That would've been a bad tumble." Drowzee said.
"No problem," Carlos replied.
"Okay, kids! Let's go find your lost item!" Drowzee led the brothers away, heading down toward the crossroads and out of Treasure Town.
Carlos smiled. What a nice guy, he thought. Suddenly, the Pikachu stumbled. What the…? Why am I so dizzy? His vision was fading to black and before Carlos knew it, he had fallen flat on his back as his vision left him.
"H-h-help!" a small voice cried.
What was that? Azurill?! What's wrong? Carlos suddenly blinked and the darkness faded. Sandra was peering down at him in worry.
"Carlos, are you okay? You suddenly just fell after Drowzee left." Sandra explained. "Carlos? Say something!"
But Carlos wasn't paying attention. All he could hear was Azurill's tiny voice in his head, crying out for help. What's wrong with me?!
