Chapter 6: Team Skull

"And so, the guild will be setting out on an expedition! Over the next few days, try your best to impress the guildmaster and be selected! That is all!" Chatot was announcing.

"Hooray!" The apprentices cheered and ran off.

"Huh, sounds interesting." Flash grinned. "I want in."

"Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!" Toxic cheered. Alicia and Nan were busy bickering.

"However... From now, I'm disbanding our makeshift team." Flash said.

"What?!" Toxic and Alexis gasped.

"We have to prove our worth to Wigglytuff individually. Leeching off of each other means nothing." Flash said. "Only some apprentices will be drafted into the expedition, and I don't intend to fail!"

"Okay, I guess that makes sense..." Toxic sighed as Alexis and Flash went off. "Oh well..." She scaled the ladder before noticing a familiar sight. "Hey!" She ran over to the Koffing and Zubat duo at the same time as Flash did.

"Whoa-Ho-Ho!" Koffing glared at them. "You're those twerps we mugged earlier..."

"You guys stole my relic fragment! What are you doing here?!" Toxic glared back, though she was far from intimidating.

"I'm curious too." Flash said calmly.

"Can't a rescue team check the jobs?!" Koffing retorted.

"Rescue team?! You?!" Toxic gasped.

"Yup! We're Team Skull!" They grinned.

"Well... We aren't exactly a team, but we're training as explorers! We're even gonna have a big expedition!" Toxic flailed, unable to retort well.

Zubat and Koffing discussed for a moment before looking at Toxic.

"Listen, kid, don't take this the wrong way, but..." Koffing began.

"You aren't gonna make it onto the expedition." Zubat finished.

"Whaddaya mean?! Is it because I'm a Brit?! Oy!" Toxic flailed.

"It's cuz you're weak." Kidding said.

"And little." Zubat said.

"And have no talent." They both said.

"If she's so untalented, then why did she beat you?" Flash asked.

"We didn't have the boss with us then! He's the third member of our team, and he's REALLY strong!" Koffing said.

"I still think you're weak and talentless." Flash deadpanned.

"Here he is now!" Zubat exclaimed. A Skuntank climbed down the ladder and walked over to the board. Flash was in his way.

"Outta my way." Skuntank ordered.

"No thank you, I'm standing here." Flash replied calmly.

"Grah!" Skuntank took Flash down instantly with a cloud of poisonous gas.

"You gonna be next?" Skuntank asked Toxic as he approached.

"Nuuuuuuuuu!" Toxic ran away and hid by Flash's unconscious body.

Team Skull discussed something for a few minutes before leaving.

"Nuuuuuuuuuur, Flasheh, don't die!" Toxic started shaking her friend.

"What just happened... There's gonna be hell to pay for it." Alicia was suddenly there with a dark expression.

"A- Alicia, when did you get here?" Toxic sweatdropped with fear, though she got the feeling that Alicia had been watching the whole time.

"Get Flash up." Was all Alicia replied with. She went over to the outlaw board, tore off a job, and exited the guild.

"I don't... Really know how to read her sometimes." Toxic frowned. "I don't know Alicia well, do I..."

Flash coughed.

"Flashy-Kun! You woke up!" Toxic gasped and started pawing him again.

"Y- yeah... I don't like them." Flash frowned, standing.

"Ehehehe, yeah... They're gone now." Toxic grinned sheepishly.

"I should get going, and so should you." Flash headed off again. Toxic sighed and went to choose a job.

Xxxx

When Toxic exited the guild, she quickly met up with Flash again. He had been stopped by a Wynaut and Wobbufett.

"Hey, what's going on?" Toxic blinked.

"Customers, isn't it! Our cafe of hopes and dreams is open, isn't it! Come!" The Wynaut grinned.

"What's going on, guys?" Nan blinked and walked over.

"Looks like this cafe is open." Toxic grinned.

"I didn't realize the cafe was being built in the first place." Flash frowned.

"You were too busy brooding. Let's check it out!" Toxic grinned, and the trio entered.

Xxx

Spinda was soon dragging them around the cafe to give them a tour.

"This is my juice bar! You can give me food, and I'll turn it into drinks!" Spinda explained. "Then at the recycle shop, you can trade items for other items!"

"This is a neat place!" Toxic grinned.

"I don't really have use for it." Flash commented as he left.

"Hm... Always so pessimistic." Toxic frowned. She skipped over to the recycle shop and began recycling a ton of items. Once she was finished, she set off on her job.

Xxx

Flash easily did his job, defeating a Bronzong using his fire type status. He got a good reward and slept the night.

Xxx

After the morning assembly the next morning, Loudred started shouting.

"YOU FIVE! SENTRY DUTY! DIGGLET'S OFF SOMEWHERE!"

"Not a chance of you helping?" Nan asked DarkEH.

"Not a chance." DarkEH confirmed as she climbed the ladder.

Xxxx

The group did well at sentry duty, and once again slept the night uneventfully. The next morning, however, Chatot had news at the morning assembly.

"Erhem! We will be having some allies join us on our expedition to strengthen our force!" He explained. "Here are our new allies, Team Skull!"

Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat entered.

"Chaw-haw-haw."

"Whoa-Ho-Ho."

"Heh-heh-heh."

Flash, Alicia, GOrSomethi, and DarkEH instantly gained dark expression, while Toxic just frowned deeply.

"They'll be staying with us to build trust until the expedition. Well, that's all. Keep up the good work, everyone!" Chatot said.

"Hooray." Everyone sounded upset.

"...well that wasn't very cheerful." Chatot frowned.

The apprentices all began to grumble mutinously when the build suddenly began to shake.

"Yoooooooooom..." Wigglytuff was upset.

"Gah! Everyone, be cheerful! He's going to..." Chatot was freaking out.

"HOORAY!" Everyone cheered, and the shaking stopped. The apprentices went off.

Toxic found a job rescuing a Geodude, and managed to pull it off without much difficulty. She accepted the reward and later went to bed.

Xxxx

Toxic was dreaming...

"Toxiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic!"

"Huh?!" Toxic looked around. "Someone's interrupting my dream!" A Skitty materialized.

"I'm your future self! I have something to tell you!"

"Gasp! Does Sonic Boom fail?! What is it?!" Toxic asked excitedly.

"It's that... You're a fucking scrub."

Toxic just frowned deeply at that.

Xxxx

That same night, Team Skull was talking.

"That grub wasn't nearly enough. Let's go find the guild's food stock." Skuntank said.

"Great idea boss!" His lackeys chimed, and they went off...

Xxxx

The next morning, after the morning assembly, a Skitty and DarkEH approached the group of five.

"Hey guys, I've got something important for you to do, can you follow me?" The Skitty asked.

"..." The group stared at the Skitty blankly.

"...I'm G." Skitty sighed.

"Oh! G!" Most of the group grinned, but Flash suddenly glared.

"You're the Skitty that's been annoying us in our dreams, right?" He said.

"Yup! First I used author powers to rig my gender as male even though Skitty usually is only female, then I spammed you all with troll dreams using author powers!" G grinned cheerfully.

"Really? That's very interesting..." All five Pokemon towered over G with dark auras. "And why exactly are we like this in the first place?"

"I'll explain everything if you succeed at the job I'm about to give you." G replied cheerfully.

"Fine." The group followed him and DarkEH over to Chatot.

"These five, sir! They'll be able to do the job best!" G exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Chatot looked worried.

"Yes, they're a force to be reckoned with!" G grinned.

"Alright, you five! Your job is VERY important." Chatot said. "Recently, our food stock mysteriously went down. Our perfect Apple stock, especially, has disappeared completely. To get more perfect apples from Apple Woods is your job. This is REALLY important, because the guildmaster's favorite food are perfect apples. Get to work quickly!"

"Roger!" The group of five headed off.

Meanwhile, Team Skull was watching them.

"Chaw-haw-haw. Looks like our little feast yesterday gave them some work. Let's mess with them." Team Skull followed.

However, G and DarkEH had been watching THEM. Watchception.

"They're going to give them trouble, GOrSomethi." DarkEH pointed out.

"Yeah, but I trust those five to deal with Team Skull for now." G started walking away.

"The time will come for me to deal with Team Skull personally... And I'll enjoy it." G said darkly.

Xxx

It soon became apparent why G had insisted on the group doing the job.

With their powerful fire type attacks, Flash, Alicia, and Alexis quickly took down all the attacking pokemon, and the group made it to the end of the woods.

...only to find that Team Skull had eaten all the perfect apples.

"What are you doing here?!" Toxic gasped. Flash and Alicia shouldered past her, glaring hatefully at Team Skull.

"It's obvious. You're here to mess with us." Flash said, the fire on his back going wild.

"I'm gonna kick your bitch irrelevant asses." Alicia growled.

"Chaw-haw-haw! Let's go, then." Zubat moved to the side.

"Be careful, guys!" Toxic yelped.

"Our noxious gas combo! Go!" Skuntank and Koffing unleashed an incredibly powerful blast of poisonous air that defeated the group instantly.

When they came to, Team Skull and any remaining perfect apples were gone.

"I'll kill them." Alicia hissed darkly.

"Isn't that a little too far?!" Alexis and Toxic hid.

"Whatever the case, we've failed. G won't give us any answers." Flash sighed.

Nan clenched his fist, and Alicia and him voiced their same thoughts at the same time.

"They messed with the wrong people... I'll make sure they pay for it dearly!"

Xxx

"Squaaaaaaawk?! You failed?!" Chatot freaked.

"Yeah, because-" Flash began, but Chatot quickly cut him off.

"No excuses! You go without dinner and you have to help me break the news to the guildmaster!"

Xxxx

After watching everyone eat, the group sat in Wigglytuff's chamber.

"ERM... Guildmaster..." Chatot began.

"Hiya!" Wigglytuff spun around. "You guys brought me perfect apples, right?"

"That's the thing... These five failed." Chatot cringed.

"That's okay, that's okay! Everyone fails sometimes!" Wigglytuff said kindly. "What about the other perfect apples?"

"That's the thing... There are... 0 perfect apples." Chatot said.

"...oh." Wigglytuff said.

"Yes, you'll just have to go without! Hihi... Hahahahhahahahahhahhahhahahahahahaha!" Chatot started laughing while the five apprentices began to slowly back away.

Then the building started to shake as Wigglytuff started crying.

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

"Here, a perfect apple."

"...huh?!"

Team Skull came in, shoved the apprentices out of the way, and gave Wigglytuff a perfect Apple.

"To commemorate your kindness to us during our stay." Skuntank said.

Chatot and Wigglytuff began to go on and on about how great Team Skull is. Toxic sighed, while it took the combined might of Flash and Alexis to restrain Alicia. Nan glared at them.

The group didn't sleep well, their stomachs grumbling all night long...

Xxx

"Why did you help those idiots, boss?" Koffing asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to see what happened!" Zubat whined.

"Boys, boys. The whole guild is weak. The key was earning Wigglytuff's trust. Now, when we reach the treasure on the expedition... We knock everyone out and take it." Skuntank grinned.

"Chaw-haw-haw."

Xxx

After the morning assembly, Chatot called the group over.

"Listen, you five... Business as usual today, but... After your failure yesterday, don't expect to get chosen for the expedition." He promptly left, leaving the group angry and sad.

DarkEH and G watched from a distance.

"Shouldn't we do something, GOrSomethi?" DarkEH asked.

"No. The others will definitely help them out. For now, let's focus on getting on the expedition ourselves." G smiled, seeing Bidoof, Chimecho, and Sunflora bring the group of five to the back room. "Oh, but we should send him in." G and DarkEH scaled the ladder to the next floor...

Xxx

"Here!" Bidoof, Sunflora, and Chimecho set food in front of all five members of the group.

"What?!" Nan gasped.

"We all pitched in from our food! We all need our strength to be selected on the expedition, so eat up!" Chimecho said.

The group ate.

"Thanks so much, guys! But... Chatot said we probably won't be selected..." Toxic sighed.

"In the end, Wigglytuff selects. Chatot doesn't know anything! Just keep up the good work!" Sunflora said.

The group of eight decided they wanted to be selected, so they all hurried off to work. Alicia was quick to run up the stairs, but was suddenly stopped by Croagunk's call.

"Hey! You five!"

The group walked over.

"My shop is open." Croagunk grinned. "If you find any similar items in a dungeon, bring them here. We'll swap for stuff other people in treasure town submitted."

"Cool." The group all agreed.

"Hey guys!" A Vulpix suddenly jumped over to them.

"Um..." The group blinked.

"It's me! Fox!" The Vulpix grinned.

"According to the text box, it's Foxypoo." Toxic pointed out.

"G nicknamed me when I got here..." Foxypoo frowned dejectedly. "But I'm an apprentice now, so I can rename myself!" He conjured a text box and tapped at it. "Well?" When he spoke, the text box that appeared labeled him as Fox.

"Cool." Flash said. Alicia suddenly took off up the ladder.

"She's been like this lately..." Flash frowned as he and Nan followed. Fox, Alexis, and Toxic went their separate ways.

Xxx

"Something's going on in Spinda's Cafe." Flash noted as he and Nan caught up with Alicia.

"Do we have to?" Alicia sighed.

"YES." Flash and Nan dragged Alicia into the store.

"Bruh." Alicia sighed.

"Commencing Project P!" Spinda announced.

"Listen up! Everyone's been recycling a lot! That has been giving a lot of items to explorers, so they've been finding new places! That means we're gonna be sending more explorers to more new places! Then when you guys find treasure, you recycle it, creating a cycle! Do you understand?"

"I understand that it was a waste of time to come here." Alicia sighed, leaving. Flash left soon afterwards. Nan recycled a lot before leaving.

Xxx

Nan and Flash did a lot of jobs, sometimes helping each other. Everyone slept better that night.

Xxxx

"Today, I want you six to do sentry duty." Chatot told the group, now including Fox.

The group did so.

Xxx

That night, at dinner.

"OH BOY, LETS-"

"Attention! I have an announcement to make!" Chatot stopped them.

The apprentices instantly began to whisper in dissent.

"ErHEM." Chatot silenced them. "In the morning assembly tomorrow, we'll be announcing the expedition members."

Everyone was instantly excited before beginning to eat.

Xxx

Somewhere, later that night, a Grovyle was stealing its second time gear...

Xxx

"The time has come! Listen closely!" Chatot pulled out a paper.

"Loudred."

"Yes!" The loud mouth ran forward.

"Corphish!"

"Hey hey, I did it!" The crab came forward.

"Hm, what's this? DarkEH and GOrSomethi!"

"No need to seem so surprised." G smirked as he and DarkEH stepped forward.

"Bidoof!"

"Gosh and golly!" The beaver's eyes shone.

"Sunflora and Chimecho!"

The two girls grinned as they came forward.

"And that's all!" Chatot finished.

Alicia, Nan, and Alexis glared at Team Skull with intense hatred. Flash stayed composed, while Toxic just looked disappointed.

"Wait! Also joining us will be...

Diglett, Dugtrio, Croagunk, Flash, Nan, Toxic, Alicia, Alexis, and Fox. ...that's everyone!" Chatot gasped.

"Yup! I want eeeeeveryone to come! Once we're gone, we'll lock up real well! It'll be so much fun!" Wigglytuff cheered.

"HOORAY!" The apprentices agreed.

"...fine. Everyone prepare and then come back." Chatot sighed.

The apprentices all talked to each other before heading off.

Xxx

"How do we even prepare?" Alicia wondered as the group of six exited the guild.

"I dunno..." Flash frowned.

"Imma gonna recycle a bunch of apples and stock up on Oran Berries." Toxic said and went into Spinda's Cafe.

Meanwhile, G and DarkEH were stuffing their bag full of items. They had been collecting...

Xxxx

"Alright, the destination is Fogbound Lake. It's unclear if it exists, as the area is deeply shrouded in fog. It's rumored that there's a ton of beautiful treasure there." Chatot explained. "It's far away, so we'll be splitting up to make it. The first group is Loudred, Sunflora, Croagunk, and Diglett."

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiip!" Toxic squealed. Everyone except Loudred seemed unhappy.

"Then Dugtrio, Corphish, and Chimecho." Chatot said. "The Guildmaster and I will travel in a group."

"I gotta be with Chatot?!" Wigglytuff whined.

"Yes, Guildmaster... It's instrumental in the plan..." Chatot sighed.

"Meanie." Wigglytuff huffed.

"G, Bidoof, and Fox will travel as a group." Chatot said.

"I'm guessing he wants Bidoof and I to protect Fox, who's underleveled." G thought to himself, looking at said Vulpix.

"DarkEH and Alexis will be a pair." Chatot continued.

"Let's do well, okay?" DarkEH smiled. Alexis nodded.

"Finally, Flash, Alicia, Nan, and Toxic will travel as a group." Chatot finished. "Let's head out!"

The groups departed swiftly as the long awaited expedition began...