Sapphire Town: Exploud Exploration Enterprises: Guest Building

A shrill, high-pitched scream woke Ash right up from his peaceful slumber. He was so startled that he jumped out of his haystack and landed on the ground.

"Owwww...what was that?" asked Ash as he got back to his feet. He looked up and saw a big white and blue bird with a massive yellow beak.

"Squawk! I'm Pelliper! I was here to wake you up for your big day! You're supposed to go to the waiting room to regroup with your team. Afterwards, head into the Sapphire Town market to get all of the supplies you need for your mission!" Ash nodded and smiled at the helpful Water Bird Pokémon.

"Thanks, Pelliper!" said Ash. Pelliper smiled back at his comment.

"You're welcome, Pikachu!" said Pelliper, happy that he can be useful. Ash looked around in confusion before realizing that he was Pikachu.

"I don't think I'll be comfortable with the name Pikachu anytime soon..," he thought. Pelliper turned around, ready to leave the guest room.

"Oh wait! I almost forgot!" he said, turning around to Ash. "You need a bath!" Pelipper breathed in and proceeded to spew a stream of lukewarm water at the Electric Mouse Pokémon. Ash was pushed back by the stream of water as it soaked into his yellow fur. He landed back on the ground with a thud. "Owwww…," he said, his face deep in the wet, soft soil.

"Sorry, Pikachu! But Exploud wants his exploration teams to have a good reputation with the locals. So we can't have you smelling like a Muk!"

"G-got it," said Ash, his face still on the ground. While on the ground, Ash could hear the faint crackling of electricity. He lifted his head up and looked at the wet soil, seeing small crackles of electricity. "Woah…," Ash said, staring at the charged ground. Pelipper looked at the same spot Ash was looking and immediately flew backwards.

"Be careful!" said Pelipper. Ash jumped up to his hind feet at the sound of Pelipper's scolding and walked around the wet, electrified patches of ground. "Good! Me and electricity don't mix well! Anyways…go to the waiting room." Pelliper breathed a sigh of relief as he moved the door with his beak and flew out. Ash looked back at the electrified ground before walking out the door and towards the waiting room.

Sapphire Town: Exploud Exploration Enterprises: Waiting Area

"Do we have our exploration badge, Fennekin?" asked Sandile.

Serena looked inside the bag around her neck and said, "Yep!"

"Sticks and stones?"

"Ready to break some bones!"

"Food for the journey?"

Serena looked in the bag again. "No food, we'll have to go to the town market and get some supplies before we head out." Sandile nodded his head. "Very well then."

The door was pushed open with a jingle of a bell and Ash walked in to meet with Serena and Sandile. As he approached, Ash smiled and waved at his team members.

"Hey, guys! Are we ready to head out?" Ash said, beginning to get more pumped up about adventuring again.

"Took you long enough. We still need to make preparations before we go to Sparkling Streams. So we can give you a little tour of the town, get some supplies, and then head out. Does that sound good to everyone?" explained Sandile.

"Sounds good to me!" said Ash. Serena nodded at Sandile in agreement.

"Alright then. Before we go, we need to check in with Slakoth," said Sandile. They walked up to the desk that Slakoth was working at. Slakoth gave a dopey smile at the team. "Are you all ready to register for this quest?"

The three team members nodded in unison. "Great! Let me just get this here…" After a painfully long minute of reaching for a piece of paper, Slakoth put the paper on the ground to where the three Pokémon were. "I need the paw prints of all three to make the mission official. The leader must be in the middle."

Ash walked up to the piece of paper on the ground and put his paw print directly in the middle. Serena and Sandile put their paw prints beside Ash's.

"Okay, Pikachu. You are officially the leader of Team Sandflame for this mission. Good luck, you three!" Slowly, Slakoth picked up the paper off the ground.

"Okay, Pikachu and Fennekin, follow me," said Sandile, shoving Ash and walking toward the door.

"Wait, I thought As- I mean, Pikachu, was the leader?" said Serena with a frown. Sandile rolled his eyes and looked at Serena. "He's the leader for the MISSION. I'm just giving him a tour around town. Besides, he's new to the whole exploring thing, so I need to teach him," said Sandile. Sandile turned back around to the door and forcefully said "Now, PLEASE follow me!" Sandile walked out of the waiting area, leaving Ash and Serena. Serena turned to Ash.

"Ugh, that Sandile can be bossy sometimes, Ash. Let him help you, but don't let him walk all over you," said Serena. Ash nodded and walked toward the door.

"No need to worry about that! Certain Pokémon just need time to bond. I had Pokémon that didn't listen to me at all when we first met. But once they get to a point where they know how dedicated their trainer is, they'll start trusting you. I'm sure it'll be the same with Sandile!" said Ash. Memories of an unruly Charmeleon and a freezing Charizard entered his mind.

"You just need to give it time!"

Sapphire Town: Town Square

"Welcome to Sapphire Town, As- I mean, Pikachu!" said Serena. Ash looked around to see a bustling little town with Pokémon running to their destination. Merchants were shouting from their stands about their amazing merchandise that no other store had. In the distance, there were bigger, more extravagant stands with massive tents and big faces of Pokémon.

"Follow me, Pikachu. Kecleon is right over there," Sandile said as he walked through the crowd. Serena followed him and Ash was bringing up the rear. Ash wiggled through the crowd, trying to ignore the loud advertisements of shopkeepers.

"PECHA BERRIES AT THE LOWEST PRICE!"

"SCARVES, SPECTACLES, AND MORE FOR YOUR CLOTHING NEEDS!"

"ORBS AND SEEDS THAT DO A LOT OF DAMAGE!"

"Just ignore them, Pikachu. Most of it is cheaply made and overpriced," scoffed Sandile as he continued walking. Ash took his advice and continued to ignore the shopkeepers. The three would get out of the crowd and approach the big Kecleon tent, which was run by two Kecleon. One looked like a standard green Kecleon with a jagged red stripe around its torso, but the other was mostly purple. Ash motioned his hand as though he was reaching his Pokedex, but he stopped once he realized he didn't have it. Behind the two Kecleon was a Swadloon, looking away and currently occupied with something.

"Oh ho ho! Hello, Sandile! And Hello, Fennekin!" Said the green Kecleon.

"Did you two retrieve our apple supply yet?" Said the purple Kecleon.

"Not yet. We're just showing our new member around the town. Meet Pikachu!" said Serena. Ash smiled at the two Kecleon.

"Ooooh! We haven't seen you around here!" Said the green Kecleon

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. I'm Kecleon, and this is my older brother, Kecleon! We're the Kecleon Brothers and this is our Kecleon Shop!" said the purple Kecleon. The two proudly showed off the model Kecleon above their heads.

"And behind us is our oh so amazing apprentice, Swadloon!" Right on cue, Swadloon turned around and smiled, stringy web sprinkled around her mouth.

"Hello, Team Sandflame...and friend. I'm Swadloon. May I interest you with some scarves or perhaps a beautiful mask?" whispered the Swadloon.

Serena shook her head and said, "No thank you! We just need some food for a mission we're going on." Swadloon nodded and returned to her work. The two Kecleon showed the trio two crates of food. Inside the crates were bananas, seeds, nuts, and some berries. Sadly, no apples could be found. Serena and Sandile grimaced at the poor selection.

"We're oh oh sooo sorry, but those ruffians stole every single apple. Fortunately for you, everything will be half off as an apology for the inconvenience and for your help!" said green Kecleon.

Sandile and Serena looked at the selection and picked out the best food. They got bananas, pecha berries, oran berries, and some nuts. Ash could also see them pick up very specific seeds from one of the crates. Using her mouth, Serena opened the bag and got some Poke. She put the Poke on the table while Sandile began putting the food in the bag.

"Do you need some orbs or sticks?" asked the purple Kecleon as he gathered all of the Poke.

"No thanks," said Sandile bluntly.

"More nuts?"

"Nope."

"How about a nice scarf or three?"

"NO thank you!" he said harshly. The green Kecleon looked at the growing tension between Sandile and purple Kecleon and began to sweat.

"Oh-oh okay! It's a pleasure doing business with you three! Good luck getting those apples!" said Kecleon before pulling his younger brother aside as the trio slowly backed away. Ash and Serena squeaked out a thank you before walking off with Sandile.

"The purple Kecleon is always more aggressive, but both of them are alright. Anyway, we have all of the supplies we need. Before we go, let's tour the rest of the town square," said Sandile. Ash and Serena nervously laughed and followed Sandile.

As he walked, he looked at all of the Pokémon walking and going about their day. A Beartic leading a Cubchoo while holding a grocery bag, Machoke and Gardevoir chatting and laughing, a Pancham trying to haggle with Kecleon from their elaborate stand. Ash was almost floored at how human they all were despite being Pokémon.

"Do Pokémon always act like this, and we just don't understand them?" he pondered. It wasn't that Pokémon are dumb, Ash had a ton of smart Pokémon. But they never acted like this. Or, at least he didn't think so.

Ash went over to Serena and whispered, "It's really weird seeing Pokémon so much like...us, y'know?"

"It was weird seeing them walk and talk the first time too. However, once you start living in this town, you get used to it. Eventually, they just seem like regular people," Serena whispered back.

The trio stopped at a massive building with a massive Raichu face at the top. Through yellowish glass, they could see weights and training equipment, along with a massive pile of bent spoons. The walls and floors appeared to be matted with tons of scorch marks and punch indents.

"This is R&R's Pokémon Gym. It's a place where all Pokémon can go train and hone their skills," said Sandile. The trio walked up to the front door and was greeted with a sign. The sign had a picture of two Raichus saying "We're sorry! We're closed!" Sandile and Ash frowned at the sign.

"Aw, I guess they're not here. I was hoping we could get some training in before the journey. Oh well. Let's go on to the next building." The desert croc Pokémon started walking and Ash and Serena followed him to the next building. The building beside the gym looked like a massive safe with the face of a Sableye. In front of the building, a Sableye was polishing a gem on his stand.

"This is the Town Bank. You can store your money here, obviously. Also, if you have any chests from adventures, Sableye can open them," said Sandile.

"Chests? Like treasure chests?" asked Ash.

"Every now and then, you can find treasure chests lying around in dungeons. It's rare, but when you find one, they have great loot!" Sandile said excitedly. Sableye looked up from his gem and saw the trio. He waved at Ash and Serena, but when he set his eyes on Sandile, his smiley face turned into a mean glare. Sandile glared back.

"Let's go!" huffed Sandile as he started walking to the next building.

"Sandile and Sableye don't exactly see eye to eye. It's a...long story," Serena said to Ash. Ash nodded and the two started following Sandile again.

The next building was a big pink tent with an Audino face on it. Under the tent was an Audino with a nurse hat and several Pokémon lying on stretchers.

"This is the Town Hospital. If you're sick or hurt, she can heal you better than Indeedee can. However, there is a much longer wait. You can see why," said Sandile. Audino looked up and waved at the trio before tending to one of her patients. The trio continued walking and passed the largest building they saw in town. The clanking of steel could be heard from the unfinished rooftop. Gurdurr could be seen placing steel beams and hammering down planks.

"This is the Gemma Region History Museum, the biggest building in the entire town. It's a little passion project to celebrate the history of Sapphire Town and the entire region," said Sandile.

"It seems like it's in some bad shape. Hopefully, it gets repaired soon." Through broken glass, Sandile could see museum props toppled, a scepter lying on the ground, and two Machoke trying to lift a massive throne.

"What happened here?" asked Serena

"I don't know…," replied Sandile

"OF COURSE you guys are clueless, as usual…"

Sandile turned around to see the condescending glare of a Watchog, its piercing red eyes staring into Sandile. Watchog's tail was raised high and its arms were crossed as it sneered at the desert croc Pokémon. At the tip of the Watchog's tail was a shiny silver bracelet with the face of a Kangaskhan.

"Ugh, Watchog. Why are you here?" growled Sandile.

"Sent by , runt. What are YOU doing here?" Watchog's eyes turned even more intense, her glare directly on Sandile. Sandile was almost paralyzed by such a sharp look that was pulling his eyes in.

"What's happened with the museum?" asked Serena trying to break the tension. Watchog's glare transferred to Serena who jumped as a result.

"Why would I give important info to the competition?"

"B-Because then w-we could help?" Watchog's glare softened and her scowl was replaced with an ever-growing smile. Eventually, she was on the ground laughing like she had heard the funniest joke in her entire life.

"HA, that's a laugh! Help from Exploud explorers is about as useless as a Rhydon without its horn!" She got up from the ground and looked at Sandile and Serena. "Triple E is nothing compared to the Kangaskhan Krew. You two should know that by now!"

"Hey! You have no right to talk to us like that!" Ash said angrily. The Lookout Pokémon's glare would turn to Ash. Ash flinched but looked back at Watchog with anger.

"You must be new here, so let me offer you some advice. Run away while you still can. When it's shown how SUPERIOR we are compared to Exploud and when his reputation goes belly up, you DO NOT want to be seen with these guys." With a sneer and a flick of her tail, Watchog walked to the museum.

"We'll show you! We're going to be the best team ever!" said Ash. Laughter was Watchog's only response.

"Who was she? She seems like trouble," said Ash.

"She's Watchog, she works as a detective for the Kangaskhan Exploration Krew. Exploud hates them with a passion," Serena explained. "They're very full of themselves since they have better equipment, better Pokémon, better teams,...they might actually be bet—"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" said a raging Sandile. Through his sunglasses, his eyes sparked with determination, and his teeth were bared as though he was ready for combat. "We can finish this town tour later, but we need to prove that we are just as good as those stuck-up jerks!"

Right before Ash and Serena could respond, Sandile started rushing in the opposite direction they were going. Serena was exasperated at Sandile's outburst and grunted.

"That Sandile can be so hot-headed sometimes. We haven't even walked through half of the town yet!" Serena turned to Ash and was shocked at the serious expression he had. "Ash?"

"Serena, Exploud may not be the best boss, but you and Sandile are definitely the best exploration team around. I don't know what would have happened to me if you guys didn't come and defeat those Mandibuzz! I can't let them talk to you both like that!"

Serena began to blush a bit at his kindness. "Thanks, Ash, but-"

"I'M COMING, SANDILE!" Ash screamed.

Right before Serena could respond, Ash started rushing in the opposite direction they were going. Serena just sighed.

"Same old Ash, I guess..." Serena said. She too started running in the same direction they were going.

Outskirts of Sparkling Streams Cave

Sandile and Ash looked at the cave. There was a muddy pathway that led inside that was surrounded by water. A waterfall was crashing from above as well, causing some waves to touch their feet.

Serena caught up with the two after some time. She took one look at the crashing waterfall and shuddered

"It's about time you showed up, Fennekin," said Sandile.

"You guys shouldn't have rushed all the way here!" Serena growled. She rolled her eyes and walked in front of the two boys. She looked at Ash.

"So, team leader Pikachu, lead the way!" Fennekin moved aside to let Ash take the lead. Ash walked toward the imposing cave, excited to take on some challenges. He didn't exactly know how to lead an exploration team...but he was willing to try at least.

"Umm, alright team, let's stay together! Is everyone ready?"

"Aye Aye!" shouted Serena.

"Been ready," Sandile said.

"Good! Let's head in!" shouted Ash.

The trio walked on the muddy ground and went inside the cave, mentally prepared for the challenges ahead.

Sparkling Streams Floor 1

The cave floor was about as wet as the ground outside, if not wetter. There were multiple streams throughout the cave room, which sparkled and served as a light source. Small luminescent drops of water were falling from the ceiling. Meanwhile, green lily pads could be seen floating on water.

Ash looked at his team and noticed that they both looked uncomfortable. Serena was lifting her paws up and down to get out of the shaky wet ground, while Sandile was trying to avoid the various water puddles of the cave.

"Alright, guys. Uhhhh, keep your eyes open for any danger," Ash said, walking further inside the tunnel. Sandile walked beside him while Serena was backing the rear, looking around to make sure there wasn't anything around.

"How long until we find Kingler?" Asked Ash.

Serena stopped to get a paper out of her bag while Ash and Sandile got in front of her. She placed it on the ground and read the details. "It says that they were last seen on floor fou—," a swift strike from behind stopped Serena from finishing that sentence as she could feel a tight yank from her neck. Ash and Sandile jumped at the sudden attack.

"I'll take that!" the Pokémon said, swinging the bag around in their hand. Their red lips curled into a devious smirk as they spun the bag around with their slender red fingers. Their main feature was the big lilypad on its head. "See ya!"

"After that Lombre!" said Ash. Sandile and Ash sprinted beside each other while Serena lagged behind to recover. The Pokémon ran deeper into the cave with Sandile and Ash in hot pursuit. It soon came across a room with two paths. It turned around and gave Ash and Sandile another smirk.

"Good luck! You'll never find me!" Lombre laughed. It scrunched its face in concentration and split into two Lombres. They ran into opposite paths as their laughter echoed in the cave walls.

"Damn it! That Lombre stole our bag!" said an enraged Sandile. Sandile started rushing to the left pathway.

"Wait! Lombre went this way!" said Ash, running to the right path.

"No, Lombre went this way! I know a fake when I see one!"

"Sandile, trust me! Lombre went this way!"

"Why should I trust you, Pikachu!? The bag was lost under your watch!"

"I didn't see you do anything to stop it!" The two came closer to each other and glared. Sandile bared his pointed teeth and Ash could feel electricity surging through his cheeks.

"Hey guys...huff, huff...I'm here…," said an exhausted Serena, still recovering from the attack. She noticed that the two were very tense and ready to battle each other.

"Umm...guys?" she said.

"Fennekin! Tell Pikachu that this is the right way to go!" Sandile shouted.

"No Sere—I mean, Fennekin! This is the correct way!" Ash countered. Sandile looked at Ash strangely but soon looked at Serena again in anger.

Serena looked in confusion at the scene.

"Did Lombre hit you THAT hard? We're talking about Lombre and the bag. It used double team and even though it CLEARLY went left, Pikachu insists that it went right!"

"It did!"

"It did not!"

"GUYS! Arguing won't get us closer to getting our bag back and completing this mission! Will you two please focus?" Serena said harshly.

Sandile was still angry at Ash, but Ash softened a bit. Ash walked up to Fennekin. "You're right, Fennekin. This is getting us nowhere. And we didn't even check on you to make sure you're okay!"

Serena blushed a bit at Ash's concern. "Thanks for caring, Pikachu. At least SOMEONE cares about their team members," Serena glared at Sandile when she said that, receiving an eye roll from Sandile.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm glad you're alright, but we need to get our bag back. It's obviously the left pathway, so let's go left," said Sandile.

"It's the right pathway!" said Ash.

"I agree! The left pathway IS the right pathway! Let's go left!"

"NO! The left pathway isn't the right pathway! The right pathway is the right pathway! Right, Fennekin?" Ash said to Serena.

"Umm...well. If those are the only pathways left...then...oh, I don't know the right one! I didn't see where Lombre went!" Serena looked at Ash, then at Sandile. Then back to Ash again.

"But Pikachu is the leader….sooo, I'll go with Pikachu! Let's go right!"

"You hear that, Sandile? We're going right!" Ash and Serena both walked toward the right pathway.

"But the right pathway is the wrong pathway!" shouted Sandile. But Ash and Serena were continuing onto the right pathway. Sandile sighed and begrudgingly followed them. The pathway got a bit darker due to lack of water, but luckily, it was only one way. With Ash in the lead, they walked single file to the next room.

The glowing streams illuminated the room, and the gang could see a swarm of Zubat circling around something and blocking the only path.

"Quiet, guys. Some wild Zubat. Stay behind me," said Ash whispering. Ash looked around the room and noticed a large rock that looked like it could be thrown. Ash remembered his experience in the first cave and remembered how he threw something to scare a swarm of Woobat away.

"Maybe I can do the same thin—," thought Ash, but right before he could finish his thought, he saw Sandile run up to the swarm. Sandile roared in front of the Zubat and summoned multiple boulders out of thin air above them. Most of the Zubat were crushed, but several evaded the attack and charged at the party.

A hostile Zubat bit Sandile directly on the snout, causing Sandile to scream in pain. Sandile shook his head vigorously, trying to shake the Zubat off.

"Sandile!" shouted Ash. He ran towards him but was ambushed by a Zubat on the side. It latched on his tail and Ash could feel his life slowly leeching away. Ash concentrated despite the pain, and released a thundershock, shocking and defeating Zubat.

Serena was dealing with a Zubat of her own. She dodged multiple lunges from the Zubat and shot out an ember. It was a direct hit and the small flame soon spread to one wing. The Zubat frantically waved its wing, trying to put the flame out. While it was distracted, Serena leaped into the air and swiped at the Bat Pokémon, causing it to faint.

"Phew! That was close, I think that's all the Zubat!" said Serena, unaware of the swarm of Zubat sneaking behind her.

"Serena, look out!" Ash said, letting out a massive thundershock behind her. It struck the group of Zubat causing all of them to faint. Serena jumped at the surprise but was soon grateful that Ash helped out.

"Thanks! How is Sandile doing?" Serena said. On cue, Sandile roared and released another Rock Slide, knocking out the remaining Zubat. He soon breathed a sigh of relief and walked back to his teammates.

"Alright gang, it looks like we're okay…"

"Okay? Sandile, we didn't need to attack those Zubat," said Ash.

"What do you mean? They were in the way…"

"Yeah, but we could have distracted them and scared them away. Instead, we attacked and we could've gotten really hurt!"

"Well, we didn't get hurt THAT bad,"

"We COULD have! I'm the leader, remember! We have to save our energy for the fight with Kingler! Avoid as many battles as possible!" said Ash. Sandile rolled his eyes at the command and turned around, facing the stairs.

"Let's hope you're right about Lombre coming here…," said Sandile as he climbed up the stairs. Ash and Serena sighed and followed him.

Sparkling Streams Floor 2

After climbing up the stairs, the group huddled together.

"The first thing we need to do is find that Lombre and get our bag back!" said Ash. Sandile and Serena nodded at the orders, but they both flinched at the increasing amount of droplets coming down on them.

"It almost feels like it's raining...this isn't good," said Serena. She breathed out a puff of fire, but it soon fizzled out.

"The sooner we find that Lombre crook, the better!" said Sandile, rushing out of the group.

"Sandile, stop!" shouted Ash. "First we fight over which way to go, then you didn't listen to me when you attacked those Zubat, and now you're running off without us! Why are you doing this?"

Sandile turned around and said,"We have our reputation as an exploration team to protect! We can't have a rookie like you messing up everything!"

"Sandile, maybe if we worked together, we could get through this more easily!"

"We can't afford to make any mistakes!"

"Exploud said I had to lead!"

Sandile opened his mouth like he was about to say something else, but he soon shut it. He knew that Exploud wanted Pikachu to lead. Sandile was still hesitant at the thought, however.

"Well, Exploud doesn't need to know that I'm leading. Just let me lead and I'll tell Exploud that you did a great job at leading!"

Ash was shocked at the proposition. This was HIS mission. Lying to Exploud and shirking his responsibility are things Ash would never think of doing!

"No way!" shouted Ash.

"I agree! Pikachu is leading! Sure, he is a bit new to this, but this is his chance to learn!" said Serena.

Sandile sighed at the resistance to his plan. "Well, I can't risk this team looking like fools. I'm sorry, but I'm going!" Sandile ran away from the group and towards a pathway.

"SANDILE!" Ash and Serena yelled. They chased after their rogue member, wanting to at least try reasoning with him. The narrow pathway became dark, but they could still see Sandile running. The pathway eventually came to a dead-end, with only a pool of luminescent water. Sandile stopped right before he ran into the pool. He turned around to see Ash and Serena still behind him. Ash and Serena looked at Sandile, his sunglasses cloudy from the water droplets.

"Sandile, please just work with us. What does this solve?" chided Serena. "This gives the Lombre more time to run and gets us nowhere closer to finding Kingler. Just give As-I mean, Pikachu a chance!" she stuttered.

Sandile was confused again, but he pushed that to the back of his mind and thought about the present. Fennekin was right, all of this wasn't helpful. He remembers the times when Fennekin wouldn't listen to his commands and how infuriating it was. He also remembers the instructions Exploud had given. This was Pikachu's mission.

"C'mon, Sandile. I know I'm new, but just give me a chance," said Ash. Sandile looked at Ash, then back to Serena. If he wanted this team to be the best, he had to comply just this once.

"Fine...but one step backwards, and you're done," said Sandile bitterly. Ash smiled and came over to Sandile.

"Thanks, Sandile! I'll be the best leader you've ever had!" said a cheerful Ash. Serena smiled at seeing Ash happy.

"Hopefully Ash and Sandile making up will cause this mission to go quicker," Serena thought since the water was getting to her. Cold, wet feeling on her fur, the annoying pitter-patter on the ground and pools, and the swishing sound of the pool near where Sandile was especially annoying.

"Wait, swishing sound?" she thought. "Hey, do you guys hear that sound?" she said. Ash and Sandile quieted down and they too could hear it. They looked over the water and noticed something. When they looked at the water, a figure glared back at them.

A fish-like Pokémon jumped out of the water! It was half blue and half tan, with a lot of spikes around it. It shot multiple purple spikes at Ash and Sandile. They both dodged in time, and Ash used thundershock on the Qwilfish. The Qwilfish soon fainted and sank back under the water.

"Yowch!" yelped Serena, who wasn't able to dodge the Poison Sting in time. Sandile and Ash went over to check on Serena and saw the big stinger in her paw. Slowly and carefully, Ash touched the stinger and with one swift motion, pulled it out. Serena screamed again.

"Sorry, Sorry! Are you okay?" asked Ash

"How do you feel?" said Sandile.

Serena stopped screaming, but she started feeling sick and her face turned to a sickly shade of purple. Sandile and Ash looked in horror as they both realized what happened.

"She's been poisoned! We need a pecha berry to help her recover!" said Sandile. The pecha berries were in the bag, which means they needed to find that Lombre first.

"We need to hurry! Sandile, carry Fennekin and follow me!" said Ash as he bolted. Without hesitation, Sandile let Serena onto his body and quickly followed Ash. Ash and Sandile ran through tunnel to tunnel, room to room, to find Lombre. With every step, Serena seemed to get weaker and morale seemed to decrease amongst the group. But that didn't stop them.

"Keep moving, Sandile!" said Ash. Ash couldn't bear to see his friend suffer like this. He would search every inch of this cave if it meant helping his friends.

"Aye Aye!" responded Sandile and he followed with every twist and turn In the corner of his eye, he could see a familiar green lilypad walking through a tunnel. "I think I see Lombre to our right!" Ash stopped in his tracks and turned right, seeing a running Pokémon, gobbling down berries. When he saw him, he felt a surge of anger and energy rush through his body. With every ounce of energy he could muster, he charged at Lombre in a burst of light.

As Lombre was eating an oran berry, he heard a very loud noise. He turned around to see a Pikachu charging at him, illuminating the poorly dim room with a bright white light. Lombre was off running to the stairs. Just as he was climbing the stairs, he could feel the Pikachu ram into his back and launch him onto the next floor.

Sparkling Streams Floor 3

Lombre landed with a thud and the bag was thrown to the very end of a pathway, with multiple berries falling out of the bag. The droplets were falling so fast, it felt like rain. Due to this, the entire floor was cold, wet, and glowing.

"Why you little—," started Lombre, but before he could finish, Ash attacked with a burst of light and rammed into Lombre, knocking him down to the ground. Lombre retaliated with a water gun, but Ash zooms out of the way and attacks from behind him. This sent Lombre flying back near the stairs. Lombre slowly got back up to face Ash. It raised its claws and was about to charge but not before it was surprised by an ember and rock blast attack. The two attacks hit Lombre, sending him flying till he hit a wall, fainting in the process.

Sandile walked over to Ash with Serena still on his back. "That was an impressive Quick Attack! Good work defeating that thief!" said Sandile. Serena smiled through the pain, her eyes almost closed from exhaustion. Sandile looked around and saw a pecha berry on the ground. "Now we just need to give Fennekin a pecha berry, and she'll be good to go! There's one over there," said Sandile with urgency.

Ash picked up the pecha berry and then walked to Sandile and Serena. Serena opened her mouth, allowing Ash to feed her the pecha berry.

*Squish-Squish-Squish-Gulp!*

As soon as she swallowed the pecha berry, her purple color went away and she could feel herself gaining strength again.

"Wow! I feel much better!" She hopped off Sandile's back and shivered at the cold, wet ground, hopping back onto Sandile's head. "Umm, can I stay on your back please?" Serena asked politely. Sandile groaned.

"I'm glad that you're better, Fennekin! Now we need to gather all of our stuff and prepare for Kingler!" said Ash, walking to where the bag was thrown. The cave was completely visible due to the amount of water. Sandile and Serena gathered all of the berries and rolled them to where Ash was.

Ash saw the bag in a different room near some stairs leading to the next floor. He grabbed the bag and looked inside. Most of the food was eaten, but there still were the team badges, along with some sticks and stones. Sandile and Serena followed Ash and put all of the berries in the bag.

"We finally retrieved our bag! Now then, we have more pressing matters. Let's get Kingler!" said Sandile.

"Yeah! Are we all ready?" said Ash.

"Aye Aye!" said Serena

"Been ready!" said Sandile.

They all walked up the stairs, ready for their battle with Kingler. As they walked, they could hear the sound of obnoxious loud chewing and feel an overflow of water touch their feet.

Sparkling Streams Floor 4

*Crunch-Crunch!*

The two Krabby continued shoveling apples into Kingler's mouth. One noticed that the bag of apples was starting to run low. He began to sweat and told Kingler, "Uh, sire, we're starting to run out of apples fast…we only have a crate full left...". Kingler shot Krabby a death stare.

"Well, what are ya waiting fer? Get some more!"

"Yes, sire!" The Krabby started running towards the stairs, only to feel the sting of a powerful thundershock. Krabby flew into the air and landed hard on the ground, paralyzed. Ash appeared up from the stairs, followed by Sandile still carrying Serena on his back. They saw their opponent at the other side of the room. The hulking Pincer Pokémon looked at them mid-chew and scowled. He slammed his massive claw in frustration, causing water to fly everywhere. Behind him was a waterfall coming down a hole from on top of the room, roaring and raising the water level to everyone's ankles.

"What's this rabble!? Who are you!?" Kingler shouted.

Ash and Sandile assumed a battle position while Serena scowled and prepared to do an ember attack. "We're Team Sandflame, and we demand you give back what you stole!" said Ash. "Give us back those apples!"

Kingler's scowl slowly turned into a smirk. His smirk turned into a massive grin and he let out a loud laugh. "YA HAH HAH HAH! Surely you're jesting! I'm never giving you back these apples! But thanks to you, I'm down one lackey…," In an instant, Kingler's expression turned sour and he walked toward the trio. "So prepare for a beating! Krabby, time to crush!" said Kingler, slamming his claw on the ground and with Krabby pinching his claws together.

Right off the bat, Serena sends a barrage of embers at Kingler, who blocks them with his massive claw. Krabby interrupts, rapidly shooting bubbles out of its claw. They easily overpowered the embers and Sandile had to dodge the attack. Krabby continued to spray bubbles and had Sandile on the run. While he was running, Serena continued to battle the bubble beam with her ember.

Kingler chuckled at the display before being hit with a powerful thundershock from Ash. "AHHH, Why you!" It rushed towards Ash for a crabhammer attack, its massive claw glowing blue as he raised it in the air. Ash used a quick attack right before the claw collided with the ground, dodging it and sending water everywhere.

"Stand still!" Kingler continued using crabhammer, but Ash was quickly running around Kingler. Every twist made crabhammer difficult to land, and the massive claw was slow and unwieldy. If Ash could keep this up, eventually Kingler would tire himself out.

Unfortunately, Krabby saw what was happening from the corner of his eye. Krabby started spraying bubbles with his other hand in Ash's direction. Ash was too distracted by Kingler to notice, and the bubbles collided with his face for a direct hit.

"Ahh, my eyes!" Ash stopped to shake off the hit but soon felt a massive weight crush him into the ground. Earth and water exploded from the impact as Sandile and Serena flinched at the brutal attack. "ACK!" Ash shouted in pain from the direct hit from crabhammer. Ash was firmly planted in the ground, water sloshing near his face.

"Hehehe. Gotcha!" said Kingler. Kingler then focused his attention on the pair in the back of the room, running away and firing embers at Krabby. Kingler held out his claw and massive amounts of energy could be seen concentrating. It was so hot, Ash could feel it burn his skin. Meanwhile, Krabby saw what Kingler was planning and began to concentrate. Stopping his bubble beam and taking a few hits of ember, Krabby raised his claws in the air. A whirlpool started forming around Sandile and Serena, slowly sucking them in.

"Oh no! I think we're trapped! I can't go anywhere!" Sandile said, trying to run, but to no avail. Serena saw a white light come from the other side of the room.

"Sandile….HURRY!" Serena tried jumping out but she was pulled back in. Krabby snickered at her efforts and caused the whirlpool to close in on them. The white light in Kingler's claw got brighter and brighter, almost ready to fire at the whirlpool. Ash looked at the scene in horror as he tried to wriggle out of the ground, but it was no use. Ash tried to think, but the water continued to splash in his face, causing him to lose his train of thought.

"I need to think! How can I get Kingler while still being stuck here?!" he thought. As he thought more water splashed him, distracting him once more. At that moment, he realized something.

"Wait...Pelipper...ground...water…, that's it!" Ash looked around and knew what he needed to do. Meanwhile, Sandile and Serena noticed the whirlpool getting smaller and the white light getting brighter. Serena tried using ember on the whirlpool, but it didn't do a thing.

"Brace for it!" Sandile said, clenching his eyes tight. Serena laid on Sandile's back and did the same. There was no time to run, they had to take it.

"YAHAHAHA, Night Night in three….two….ONE!" At Kingler's count, Sandile braced for impact. But the only thing he could feel was a slight tingle on his legs. Then he heard the crackling of electricity. He opened his eyes to see the water flashing and Kingler and Krabby being shocked.

"Fennekin, open your eyes!" On Sandile's cue, Fennekin opened her eyes and saw the light show. Electricity crackled from the water and Krabby and Kingler were twitching.

"GRAAAAAAHH!" Kingler yelped in pain from the unexpected shock. Krabby also yelped but fainted due to the super-effective hit. Through the shock, Kingler could see Ash discharging electricity into the water. Kingler let out another scream as he tried to fight the electricity. In one motion, he struck the ground, sending Ash flying out. The water soon turned back to normal.

"I got ya!" said Sandile. Fennekin got off, enduring the water, and Sandile rushed over to catch Ash. With a thud, Ash landed on Sandile's rough body. "Are you alright?" asked Sandile.

"Uh-huh…," said a weak Ash. "That crabhammer did a number on me...but I can still fight," Ash said, walking off Sandile's back.

"Ugh...you three are nothing but trouble!" said a weakened Kingler. He raised his claw and tried charging up for another hyper beam, but was interrupted by a burst of embers. Sandile scowled and summoned some rocks above Kingler. They fell on top of him, causing him to fall down. Lastly, Ash jumped in the air and used thundershock, sending electricity to Kingler and shocking him once more.

"You...three...ugh," said Kingler. After that last attack, Kingler fainted on the ground.

Ash landed back on the ground with a splash. The battle was finally over and Ash was exhausted. But despite that, he smiled. His first mission, a success. Serena reached into the bag and got an oran berry. Holding it in her mouth, she gave it to Ash. Ash immediately grabbed it and scarfed it down. He cherished the tartness and could feel his strength coming back.

"We did it! You all did great!" Ash said. Sandile and Serena smiled.

"Thanks, but if it wasn't for your quick thinking, we would've been done for," said Sandile.

"Yeah! You were awesome! Now, let's get these apples, this water is so cold!" While Serena rushed toward the apple stash, Sandile got closer to Ash.

"Pikachu, I'm sorry for what happened before. I was a nuisance at every turn…," Sandile said.

"Not all the time! You followed me when Fennekin got poisoned," said Ash.

"The only reason she got poisoned was because of me. I shouldn't have run away like that. I was just so caught up in trying to be better than…,"

"I get it, Sandile. It's okay! We beat Kingler and got the apples back! You've shown how strong you are. I know you, Fennekin, and I can be the strongest team around!"

"Thanks… with that said...you could still use some training…,"

Sapphire Town: Exploud Exploration Enterprises: Exploud's Office

"So, how did it go?!" yelled an excited Exploud, rolling an apple on his desk. The apple rolled off and fell into a crate full of apples.

"We went through Sparkling Streams and beat Kingler and his goons! It was exciting to travel and fight with these two!" said Ash with a big smile.

Exploud nodded. "Excellent! But now comes your evaluation! Fennekin! How good was Pikachu as a leader?!" Serena flinched at his loud voice but stepped up to his desk.

"Pikachu did a great job as team leader! He supported us as teammates and led us through the dungeon! Not to mention, his creative battle style helped us beat Kingler! He definitely gets an endorsement from me!" said Serena.

"A massive endorsement from Fennekin! But it will take TWO endorsements for you to be on the team. Sandile! How good was Pikachu as a leader?!" Sandile stepped up to Exploud's desk. He opened his mouth, and pondered the question for a bit, trying to pick the right words.

"WELL?!" shouted Exploud.

"Pikachu...certainly needs more practice being an exploration member. But, he did a decent job. He was strong and very strategic, qualities we will certainly need on the team. Pikachu gets my endorsement," said Sandile.

Exploud smiled at the endorsement. "Well, that settles it! Pikachu...you have passed the team evaluation! With these endorsements in mind, you are officially a part of Exploud Exploration Enterprises! Welcome aboard, kid!" At the news, Ash jumped up in celebration. Serena jumped with him too, happy to see him succeed. In the background, Sandile smiled.

"Now then...your reward!" said Exploud, lifting up a treasure chest on his desk. He opened it, revealing a massive amount of Pokè. The trio's eyes glimmered about as much as the coins themselves. Exploud then plucked ten shiny coins and placed them on the ground. Ash and Sandile gasped at the low amount. Serena rolled her eyes.

"Typical…," she thought.

Sapphire Town: Exploud Exploration Enterprises: Team Bedroom

Ash walked into the bedroom, full from an amazing dinner courtesy of Slowpoke. He looked around to see what was in store with his new room. On the left side was a desk with a stack of papers and folders strewn about. A Wobbufett dummy was slowly swaying, with many scratches and bite marks spread around its body. There was a work-related poster on the wall and sticky notes hanging on haphazardly. From where he was standing, Ash could see one read, "Practice Rock Slide." Lastly, there was a small pit of sand with a haystack inside in the left corner

On the right were two desks, one with a mirror and multiple scarves of many different colors. Several decorative masks made out of webbing were stacked on top as well. Beside that was a stack of hats on top of a huge book. In the right corner of the room was a small fireplace with bundles of sticks set aside near a haystack. The other desk was completely empty.

In the middle of the room were a haystack and a line of tape separating the two sides. Ash walked toward that one and laid on the comfy pile. Not too long after, Serena and Sandile walked in.

"Wow, that was great! Slowpoke can really cook!" said Serena, walking to the right side before seeing Ash lying in the pile. "Oh, I see you found your bed. I guess Komala made it while we were eating," she said.

"I guess so—," Ash started but was interrupted by a yawn.

"So Ash, how do you like your new room?" Serena immediately cringed after saying his name in front of Sandile again.

"It's nice! It fits both of you guys! But how did you guys put it together without any hands?"

Sandile groaned and said, "Hard work and determination, with help from Komala of course. Anyways, your desk is over there, so when you get anything, you can store it there." Ash walked over and inspected it. It was just an ordinary desk, but Pokémon sized. He opened the drawer and found an exploration badge and something interesting: A cap, almost similar to the ones Ash used to wear. It had a simple pokèball design and was purple and yellow, the colors of Exploud. Ash put it on and immediately felt more comfortable.

"How do I look?" Ash asked, striking a pose. Serena smiled whereas Sandile blankly stared.

"You look...like you! I really like it!'' said Serena. Even though Ash was a Pikachu, seeing him with the hat gave Serena a nostalgic happy feeling inside."It looks...so right!" Ash nodded and walked back to his haystack.

"Yeah...great. Uh, listen, before we go to bed, there's something I need to tell you two," said Sandile. Ash and Serena looked at him, waiting for what he had to say.

"Don't think for a second that I don't notice you two saying your 'human names'. Look, I don't care that you two...THINK that you're humans, but please keep this stuff hidden, okay?" said Sandile. Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, while Serena blushed a bit, slightly ashamed.

"Sorry, we try to… but it just slips out. We've known each other for a really long time, so sometimes we misspeak," said Serena.

Sandile sighed. "Well, maybe you guys should get nicknames. That could help...," said Sandile. "My point is...keep this a secret," Sandile finished as he noticed the book on Serena's desk and groaned. "I don't want ANYTHING to do with this!"

"We understand, Sandile. Me and Serena will try to solve this mystery on our own. Right, Serena?" Ash said with a yawn.

"Right! We'll figure this out and get back home. And I may know just where to start!" Serena was excited at the prospect of getting back home. And now with Ash here, hopefully, they can make more progress.

"Alright, as long as you do it on your own time! With Pikachu finally joining us, we have a lot of planning to do. Team tactics, a new team name, not to mention we could get a new mission," Sandile said. Suddenly, he began to yawn. Serena also yawned immediately after.

"All of that to work on tomorrow," Sandile walked over to his haystack. Serena put out the flame from her fireplace and went to her haystack tomorrow. Ash yawned and began to close his eyes.

"Goodnight you two!" yelled Serena as she closed her eyes.

"Sleep well, we have a busy day tomorrow," said Sandile as he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight-zzz," said Ash as he drifted off to sleep.

Right before he went to sleep, Ash couldn't help but feel that someone was watching him. Not maliciously...but as a guardian.