Chapter 4: Our First Fetch Quest

'HEY! HEY THERE! RISE AND SHINE!'

Tristian was quickly ripped out of his sleep by an ear splitting wakeup call. 'Ugh! M-my head is pounding!' He looked up from his bed to see who nearly deafened him and saw Loudred acting like a living alarm clock. 'Loudred? Why are you trying to destroy my eardrums!'

His new partner wasn't dealing well with the sudden wake up either. 'M-my poor ears...'

Loudred just looked at the two begrudgingly . 'HEY! It's not my fault that you two slept in! If you're late for our morning briefing, you'll be SORRY! So MOVE it! Guildmaster Wigglytuff has got a BIG temper. If you make him lose it...' Loudred looked away, recalling some bad memories, before turning back to face the recruits. 'YOWEEE! That would be one very scary scene! I've got goosebumps just thinking about it! YEESH!'

Rachel was still not fully awake. 'Wait, what's goi…' But then she took a moment to look around herself. When her mind was done processing the interior of their guild room, it all came back to her like a lightning bolt hitting a tower. 'Waaaah! We overslept!'

Loudred almost rolled his eyes in response. 'That's what I've been SAYING! Let's move it before we ALL get in trouble!'

'Oh... OH! Oh no! We have to get there now!' Tristian said as he started to sprint out of the room, shortly followed by Loudred and Rachel.

The Guild was seemingly about to begin when the three sprinted into the room. 'Are we too late?' Rachel asked, having to take a second to catch her breath.

'Almost.' Chatot said condescendingly before turning to the one who woke the recruits up. 'Thank you Loudred.'

Loudred nodded and everyone moved into place. 'Everyone seems to be present. Very well. Let us conduct our morning address.' Chatot said as he finished with his headcount.

He turned to the Guildmaster's room to get the final attendant to show up. 'Guildmaster! The guild is in full attendance and we're waiting for you to address the crew.'

Wigglytuff walked out of his chamber and stood in front of the entire guild… still fast asleep.

While the Guildmaster was giving his address of snores, the crew were quietly gossiping.

'Psst...! Guildmaster Wigglytuff never ceases to amaze me!' One of them said.

'Yup, looks like he's wide awake.' Another said.

After a little bit Chatot nodded to the Guildmaster. 'Thank you, sir! We all value your... words of wisdom!' He said, pretending the Guildmaster did something useful. 'OK, Pokemon! Take our Guildmaster's words of wisdom to heart!'

He then turned back to face the guild members. 'Finally, let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!'

Then everyone, except Rachel and Tristian, stood up straight (if possible), and started to chant. 'A one, a two… a one-two-three!'

'ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK!'

'TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY!'

'THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!'

'Okay Pokémon! Get to work!' Chatot said after the morning cheers were completed.

With that, the apprentices disassembled and got to work, leaving Rachel and Tristian standing there.

After a bit of silence Chatot caught wind of the recruits' lack of action. 'Ah yes, you two. Could you please follow me?'

The two of them immediately followed Chatot up to the second floor.

'You're just beginners. We'll have you start off with this assignment.' Chatot began, walking over to one of the boards. 'This is the Job Bulletin Board. Pokémon from various regions post job requests here.'

'Now, before we get started,' He said, turning back to the duo. 'I need to know how much you two know about Mystery dungeons.'

Without any hesitation, Tristian decided to go first. 'I know that Mystery dungeons change in layout every time you enter one. The only way to leave is by using either a badge or an escape orb, or by just reaching the exit. Oh, and the dungeons are filled with clones that want to kill you.'

Chatot nodded. 'Very well, and what do you know?' He said as he looked towards Rachel.

Rachel took a deep breath before shaking answering Chatot. 'Well, I know that every time you go into a Mystery dungeon, the contents and treasures inside it change.'

'Well! You're quite informed, aren't you!' Chatot said. 'That's good to hear, but I guess you don't know everything. We'll get to that, but first I'll give you your first job.'

With that, Chatot hopped over to the Bulletin board and started to sift through the jobs.

'Not that one… that one's too harsh… that's not going to cut it… Ah! There it is.'

He then turned around and handed the paper over to Rachel. 'I think this one would be a good start.'

Hello! My name is Spoink!

An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession. My precious pearl! That pearl is life itself... to me! I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place on top of my head!

But I've heard my pearl has been sighted! It's said to be on a rocky steep cliff. But this bluff is reported to be extremely unsafe. I could never go somewhere so frightening! Oh, friendly readers! Would you be so kind as to go to the bluff and get my pearl?

I beg for your help, exploration team members!

- From Spoink

After Rachel read the note out loud, she was silent for a moment before nodding. 'Yeah, I think that should work.'

Tristian was less than pleased with this however. 'But it's literally asking us to fetch something someone lost. That's not what I had in mind when I joined!'

'Hush!' Chatot said, giving Tristian a stern look. 'What kind of expectations did you have when you joined the Guild!?'

He wanted to talk back to Chatot, but Rachel decided to interrupt it with a question. 'So, about that new information?'

Chatot calmed down a bit and nodded. 'Yes, there's a thing you should know about Explorer Badges. In the event that one of your teammates is knocked out in a dungeon, you should use these as soon as possible to get out of the dungeon. If you are the last member of your team then you should use it on yourself too. Do be warned that it won't take everything you have in your Treasure Bag with you, so do be careful.'

'So, do you both understand?'

Rachel gave a short nod, and Tristian gave a somewhat disappointed confirmation.

Chatot gave a nod. 'Then I suggest you get on with the job!'

After getting some food from town Rachel had returned to Tristian at the crossroads between Treasure Town, the guild, and the beach.

She walked up to Tristian and handed him an apple. 'I don't know what type of food you like, so I decided that an apple should be a safe bet.'

Tristian looked up at the presented breakfast and grabbed it. 'Well, I don't have anything against apples, I know that much .'

The two started to walk towards their intended destination of Drenched Bluff, where the pearl was last seen.

Along the track it was hard for Rachel to not notice Tristian's mood, he was looking down for most of the trip and was pretty aggressive with each step he took. Rachel would rather not go into a dungeon with someone who was preoccupied with being angry.

'Hey, is everything alright?'

Tristian glanced up briefly before giving a response. 'Why do you ask?'

'Because it's kinda important that we are coordinated when we go into a dungeon. Trust and all that.'

Tristian simply groaned and continued walking.

'This isn't going to end well...' Rachel mumbled to herself.

After half an hour of walking, Team Lightbringers had reached Drenched Bluff. The entrance into the dungeon was massive and covered with moss.

'Aight, we're here,' Rachel said. 'I don't know much about this dungeon, but I do know that it's filled with water types, so your electric attacks should help us a lot here.'

And moments after saying that, she froze as she remembered something. 'Ah fek!'

Tristian cocked his head. 'What's wrong?'

'We forgot to look into the moves you have!' She explained in a panic. 'That's okay, we can come back here later when…'

Rachel was half through her sentence before she realised that Tristian had walked past her towards the dungeon. 'What are you doing! We need to know what you can do!'

He rolled his eyes in response. 'The last dungeon was also filled with water types right? This won't be any different.'

Before Rachel could counter his argument, he had already entered the dungeon. She begrudgingly followed him into Drenched Bluff.

Drenched Bluff B1F

As she had predicted, the inside of Drenched Bluff was damp, wet, and filled with multiple bodies of water. Even the sky tinted floor was covered with small puddles. Rachel was thankful that water wasn't as dangerous to her, unlike for some other Pokémon.

'So, Tristian,' she said to get his attention. 'I think it's a good idea if we discuss how we'll tackle this dungeon. I think we should take it slow, and make sure to scout out our surroundings for treasures and Spoink's pearl.'

Tristian violently shook his head. 'Nah, I think we should bolt for the stairs, and get this over with as soon as possible.'

'Why? If we do it my way then we might find some goodies along the road, which could help us if we're ever in a pinch.'

'I'm just saying that the longer we dawdle, the more clones can gang up on us. Let's get moving.' He said resolutely.

Tristian quickly took the role of leader and started speed walking through the hallways, with Rachel following from behind looking out for treasures and foes alike.

The monotony of walking was interrupted by them stumbling into a sleeping Lileep, which quickly woke up. It tried Wrapping Tristian to the spot, making him unable to run away. And because he was caught off guard, the Lileep succeeded.

Rachel acted quickly, using an Ember to scorch the walking lily and causing it to lose balance. Tristian used this opportunity to get back at it for the prior assault. He attacked immediately, after images showing where he once stood, and the Lileep faded into a combination of green and brown clouds.

'And that's why you look to both sides before crossing a road.' Rachel smugly said after a while.

'Leave the jokes for later, we have places to be.' Tristian said, a tad bit annoyed.

Rachel gave a small, reluctant nod, and the two continued onwards.

Somewhere in the middle of a dense, foggy forest, soft, rhythmic ticking sounds are heard all around the area. The bushes shake as a Houndoom gets deeper into the forest, something watching it with each step it takes.

The Houndoom looks around herself in a hurry, did she just hear howling, or was that just her imagination? She decided it was the latter and continued onward.

The closer to the centre she got, the heavier the feeling of unease became. It was becoming impossible to deny that something was indeed following her, and the howling was only getting clearer.

The fog set in, and her view was reduced to nothing. She tried to use her fire to ward of her assailant, but it was useless in the thick mist. She got overpowered and then found herself back at the entrance to Treeshroud Forest.

'This forest is cursed…' She mumbled to herself before running away.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the forest, the fog was starting to dissipate, making the form of two dogs visible.

'That went easier than expected.' The magenta one said.

'You always manage to be surprised by that. No one can see through our mystical mist.' The cyan one replied.

The magenta one sighed. 'I understand that they need someone to guard this artefact, and we don't have anywhere else to go to at the moment, but it doesn't change the fact that this job is boring.'

'Zamazenta, I understand what you're saying, but this is the third time that you've complained about it today.'

'Well Zacian, I can't help but feel homesick. We are so far away from home…' Zamazenta lamented.

'…A home that's now in ruins.' Zacian finished, before sighing. 'Look, Eternatus has already promised that they'd help in the reconstruction of our home. It will just take a while, that's all.'

Zamazenta huffed in frustration, causing the warrior to sigh in defeat. 'Also, you haven't heard this from me, but it seems time is getting unstable.'

His ears perked up as if to see if he just misheard something. 'It is?'

Zacian nodded. 'It indeed is, and it might get worse if we fail at our job.'

Zamazenta was quiet for a moment, before nodding. 'Alright, I'll try to complain a little bit less then.' He said with a grin.

'As long as you try, eh?' Zacian responded before they split up again. They had a job to do.

Drenched Bluff B5F

'Can we please just slow down! You haven't even given me the time to check if this Oran Berry is fake.' Rachel said as she panted, getting exhausted from the constant sprinting.

'We'll find out if it's fake or not when one of us eats it. Now quit whining, The stairs are right there.' Tristian said coldly

'You know what? No.' Rachel said as she stopped dead in her tracks. 'I won't stop complaining, since you've been whining ever since we headed off to Drenched Bluff! What is the matter with you?'

Tristian stopped to look at Rachel with building frustration. 'You want to know what the matter is? Well, I don't know how you could've missed it, but I wasn't exactly thinking that joining a exploration guild would mean we would just fetch shit people lost!'

'And do you have any idea why that is!?' Rachel asked. 'Please don't tell me that you thought that they would send us to some unexplored dungeon right of the get go. We are merely recruits and would've been slaughtered if that were to happen.'

Tristian started to unleash a few sparks. 'Really? You keep saying that, and I've yet to see proof of the contrary. We've been getting through these dungeons with relative ease, yet you say they are life threateningly dangerous?'

'Beginners luck, ever heard of it!?' Rachel screamed. 'You are overestimating yourself way too much.'

'No, you're underestimating us!' Tristian barked back. 'These dungeons are a piece of cake!'

'Since when was there a "us" in all of this? All you've been doing is boss me around, and then I have to save your behind whenever you run straight into an ambush because you don't focus. ' Rachel said without a second thought.

Tristian fell silent for a moment. 'So that's how it is huh? I guess joining this guild was a mistake.' He started to walk to the stairs as Rachel realised what she just said.

'…Wait I…' She started, but the rest of the words wouldn't form. She soon enough followed Tristian up the stairs.

Drenched Bluff B6F

Rachel had to sprint a small bit before catching up with her disgruntled partner. 'Tristian… I didn't mean it like th-'

But he didn't allow her to finish. 'No, I think you made pretty clear what you think. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a fetch quest to do.'

He turned to leave, but then they heard a cry for help, which took the both of them by surprise.

'Someone's in danger!' Rachel said as Tristian stood still. 'What are you doing?' she asked Tristian. 'Someone needs our help now! We can't afford to stand still.'

Before Tristian could say a thing Rachel had bolted into the direction of the cries, leaving him alone.

He wanted to shrug, say "Ain't my problem", and leave the dungeon. But he couldn't. He started to feel something that he had only felt while escaping Beach Cave with Rachel. A thrill for danger and adventure.

'I can't possibly go back on my word.' He tried to argue to himself, but it barely worked. 'Fek it.' He said as he started heading down the path Rachel was taking.

When he entered the room, he stopped in awe of the size. It was the largest room in the entire dungeon, with a big lake in the middle of the room. In the middle of the lake was a small isle, where the endangered Pokémon, a Vaporeon resided. Rachel was standing at the edge of the river, wondering what to do. She was taken out of her thoughts however as she saw Tristian now standing next to her, observing the situation.

'What are you doing here? I thought you would've le-'

'What do we do? How can we help them?' Tristian interrupted, the time for arguing being over.

Rachel was taken aback for a moment before nodding. 'It seems our friend over there seems to be deadly afraid of water. He's refusing to even touch the stuff.'

'Then how did he get there?' Tristian asked confused, correctly assuming that the Vaporeon should be able to swim.

'He won't say how.' Rachel explained. 'I think we should help him first before pushing for answers.'

Tristian nodded. 'Alright, important question Rachel.'

'Sure, go ahead.'

'Can you swim?'

Rachel was a bit flustered. 'Eeeh, sorta? I know how to keep my head up above the water and how to move myself forward in water.'

'Then I hope you like swimming.' Tristian said with a small grin. 'How long will it take you?'

'A few minutes to get there. The distance isn't that far.'

'Then start going! I'll keep an eye out for clones.' Tristian said.

She didn't need to be told twice, as she immediately took a small leap into the water and started pedaling towards the Vaporeon.

Soon enough she had arrived on the isle. 'Don't worry sir, as help has arrived!' Rachel announced triumphantly.

The Vaporeon let out an awkward chuckle. 'R-really? Wow, you guys do indeed respond quickly to SOS.'

'But we didn't… You know what, never mind. How do I help you get off this small rock? Can you swim?' She asked.

Vaporeon had a mortified expression upon the mention of the word "swim". 'Please don't let the water touch me! I don't want to be reduced to water molecules!'

Rachel could barely believe what she just heard. 'Reduced to… water molecules? What?'

'D-dad found out through research t-that the cell structure of Vaporeon's are v-very similar to water molecules.' Vaporeon explained in a panic.

Rachel cocked her head. 'And that's important because?'

'What if I get turned into a puddle and stay like that forever!' Vaporeon almost screamed.

Rachel had a hard time believing that this was really happening. A water type that is deadly afraid of water. She took a deep breath as she prepared to break the news to him. 'Friend, that is ridiculous.'

'NO!' The Vaporeon screamed. 'I'm surrounded by my death and unable to return home.' He was starting to tear up at that fact.

Rachel sighed and wanted to try another approach, but then clouds were starting to form on the isle. The clouds became purple, blue, brown, and green as they started to materialize into clones. And with that an Anorith, Shellos and Chingling were now sharing the isle with the two Mons.

'There's no more time.' Rachel said in a hurry, starting to drag the Vaporeon to the shore. 'You'll have to swim.'

'NO!' Vaporeon cried out in resistance.

'You'll be fine!' Rachel said as they got closer to the shore. 'If you don't try it, you'll die on this small rock instead. Do you really want that.'

'But I-'

'I promise you'll be fine. So please?' Rachel said sincerely.

Vaporeon looked to Rachel, then to their approaching foes, and then back to her. He swallowed. 'A… alright then. I trust you.'

Vaporeon walked over to the shore. He took a deep breath, and put a paw into the water. As he opened his eyes expecting his paw to be gone, he instead saw his paw standing inside the water.

Rachel gave a smile. 'I told you it would be fine. Can you maybe help me with the swimming part? I ain't a natural when it comes to that.'

'Oh uh, sure.' Vaporeon responded, and with Rachel on back he fully entered the water. 'Wow! This is amazing! I was really scared of this?'

Rachel laughed. 'You really were just a fish out of wa-'

Rachel was cut off by a precise blast from the Shellos' Water Gun. The Shellos had quickly gone into the water to catch up with its targets while Vaporeon was having confidence training. Vapereon started to panic and quickly swam to the other side as Rachel was trying to stay afloat.

Vaporeon got out of the water and sprinted to Tristian's side, who was in complete panic. 'Oh dear Arceus. Whatdoidowhatdoidowhatdoido?'

Tristian then stopped for a moment 'That's so stupid, but it might work.' He thought to himself. He turned to Vaporeon. 'I'm going to give the water a shock, after that, I want you to get Rachel to safety. Can you do that?'

Vaporeon looked doubtful about his plan. 'But what if she gets mortally injured or…'

'There's no time for thinking!' Tristian exclaimed to him. 'I'm going to zap, so get ready.'

'God, I hope this works.' He thought to himself moments before releasing a Thunder Shock into the water, the electric current causing Rachel to become paralysed and the Shellos to disappear into blue clouds.

Vaporeon quickly jumped into the water again and swam straight to the sinking Vulpix. Soon enough she was on land again.

'Are you alright Rachel?' Tristian asked.

'Hurt… but could be worse.' She said with a smile, which caused her more pain.

Tristian didn't like how hurt she was. In this state he might have to carry her to the end of the dungeon. But then he put his paw to his head. 'Wait, we have an Oran Berry, right?'

'…Yeah.' Rachel muttered.

Tristian started digging through the bag for the Berry, and pulled it out. He immediately went to give it to Rachel, but then. 'Wait, didn't you mention something about fakes?'

She grinned. 'The ones with the white stumps… are fake.' She said pained, but with some satisfaction.

Tristian handed over the Oran Berry to Rachel after deeming it to be "not fake". 'Are you going to be okay now?' He asked.

Rachel swallowed the remainder of the berry and proceeded to carefully get up again. 'I will be fine now.' She said as she got on all fours. After some silence she sighed, 'Thanks Tristian. I don't know how this would've ended if you weren't there.'

'It's… no problem.' He said with some hesitation.

She then grinned at him 'But don't you dare think that your points are now valid. They still make no sense.'

Tristian looked about ready to defend his points to the death, but then he paused for a moment, and then slowly nodded. 'I guess I was getting too ahead of myself eh? Sorry for that.'

Rachel was first surprised, but then became glad. 'I hold nothing against you. Having amnesia doesn't help when making big decisions, now does it.'

'Yeah, note to self, read the ToS before applying to a guild.'

'What is a ToS?' Rachel asked.

'No clue.' Tristian admitted.

'Uhum,' Vaporeon began, getting their attention. 'I don't want to ruin the moment, but I really should be getting out of here.'

Tristian nodded. 'Where almost at the end anyway, right? So let's all stick together and not sprint into our demise, kay?'

'Why are you telling us that?' Rachel asked.

'Oh, no I was talking to myself.' Tristian said, a smile forming on his face.

The three of them soon returned back to the guild with Spoink's pearl in their possession. There they found Chatot and Spoink waiting for them at the Job Bulletin Board.

'Th-thank you!' Spoink exclaimed upon being given back his pearl. 'That pearl must be propped on my head, you see. I missed it so much! I just couldn't settle down without it up there!'

'So that pearl acts as some kind of counterbalance?' Tristian asked.

Spoink nodded 'Pretty much. Without it I was boinging and sproinging everywhere! That's why I'm covered in dents and bumps. But thanks to you, that long nightmare is over! You have my sincere thanks!'

Spoink bounced over to Tristian and gave them an assortment of items and also a small bag filled with Poké. He immediately handed the items over to Rachel. 'We got a Protein, a Calcium, an Iron, and…' She fell silent as she looked into the small bag. '…2.000 Poké!' She announced excitedly.

'That is a lot, right?' Tristian asked hopeful.

Spoink smiled at Tristian's excitement. 'Yes it is, although that's nothing compared to my pearl's value! Farewell!'

As Spoink left Vaporeon started to approach the duo. 'I guess it's my turn to thank you two.' He let out a weak chuckle. 'I don't know what would've happened if you didn't get there in time.'

Rachel smiled. 'It's no problem, I'm glad we were just there to begin with.'

'And here I thought nothing would happen on this "fetch quest".' Tristian said with a laugh.

Then Vaporeon got a difficult look on his face. 'I don't have anything on me to repay you two, but I'm certain my dad will have something for you if you drop by tomorrow!'

Rachel looked sold on the prospect. 'Does that sound good Tristian?' She asked.

He gave a quick nod. 'Sure! Though I don't know where to go to find you.'

'I'll help with that, I've lived here for a month already, so I know my way around town.' Rachel said.

'Then that's settled, see you tomorrow!'

Vaporeon nodded, said 'Thanks again!', and proceeded to exit the guild.

Tristian immediately turned to Rachel with pure excitement. 'We're rich, Rachel! We got rich just like that!'

Rachel looked a bit difficult. 'Uhh… Tristian. I don't want to burst your bubble, but…'

'Well done, team!' Chatot interrupted. 'Not only did you complete your task, but you also saved Vaporeon despite having no prior knowledge of his whereabouts. Although that last part could partially be chalked up to luck.'

He then walked over to Rachel. 'Now hand that money over, if you please!' He requested.

'Huh!?' Tristian exclaimed in surprise.

Rachel sighed. 'Very well.' She said a bit defeated as she handed over the bag.

Tristian was starting to get pissed again. 'What's going on here?'

Chatot looked ready to explain, but after one glance at the shocked Shinx he decided to alter his explanation a bit for the amnesic Shinx. 'Allow me to explain that with a question. How are you two paying for your membership to this guild?'

'Uhhh...'

'Exactly!' Chatot said as Tristian failed to answer. 'One of the rules of the guild is that the share gets split 1 to 9, with the majority going to the guild (and the Guildmaster). But you are allowed to keep any items you get from dungeons or from jobs. Do you understand Shinx?'

Tristian was quiet for a moment, before giving a slow nod. 'I guess…'

Chatot looked delighted from the answer. 'Good! And here's your share for the job.' He said as he handed team Lightbringers their share of 200 Poké.

After a bit of awkward staring, Chatot cleared his throat. 'You two are done for today, so just… do something I guess. Just don't break any rules while doing so, got that?'

The two nodded, and the rest of the day passed by like it was nothing.

Later that night Rachel was unable to fall asleep. She rolled over to face Tristian to see if he was faring any better in the objective of falling asleep.

'Ey? Are you awake?' She asked quietly.

'Myeh.' Tristian mumbled.

Rachel sighed. 'Wasn't today hectic? So much happened! But I'm relieved that our first job was a success.'

'It was great.' Tristian answered. '…except for that whole 1 to 9 split. That stung a lot.'

'Even I knew that beforehand, and it still hurt a bit.' Rachel musingly admitted. She started to think about the rest of the day and got a more concerned expression. 'Hey Tristian, what was it that made you so angry?'

Ignoring the urge to defend the undefendable, he sighed and turned to face his partner. 'I… honestly didn't like the prospect of just reclaiming things that people had lost. It seemed boring and just monotonous.'

'Can't blame you for assuming that.' Rachel laughed. 'Anything else?'

'I… I guess I just didn't understand what the job of an explorer would entail,' Tristian admitted. 'I just don't like wasting time or going slow.'

'Wow, you discovered your flaw. Congrats!' Rachel sarcastically said.

'Ey, now it sounds like a personal attack.' Tristian jokingly said.

Rachel laughed before sighing. 'Just try to keep that in mind, kay? Taking things slow can be beneficial to you.'

'I will'

After some silence Tristian turned to Rachel again. 'You want to know why I came back at the last second after our disagreement in Drenched Bluff?'

Rachel let out an amused sigh. 'It was far from the last second, but sure. Go right ahead.'

Tristian was ready to talk, but couldn't find the words.

'What's the matter?' Rachel asked. 'Shinx got your tongue?'

Tristian gave an awkward laugh. 'I don't know how to put it without sounding very, well, forced and cliche.'

'Then how about you tell me tomorrow? You'll probably have a better way to put it then.' Rachel said.

'I… yawn… guess you're right. Goodnight Rachel.'

'Goodnight Tristian.'

Somewhere else Grovyle has been traveling the entire day to reach Treeshroud Forest. He now found himself near the entrance, but also heavily exhausted from the journey. Before going into the dungeon he decided to take a small rest against one of the big trees surrounding the dungeon.

He has been on his guard ever since he got here, so he decided to be a bit more relaxed for now. He had to keep that composure for later.

It was then that he could hear a female voice farther behind him.

'I'm telling you, if your boss doesn't give me any more details that I won't go in again!'

Grovyle sneakily peaked his head around the tree to see what the commotion was about. He was greeted by the view of a Houndoom talking to a Gastly. Around them was some equipment and a campfire.

The Gastly was getting frustrated at the Houndoom. 'For the umpteenth time, you must refer to him as Lord!'

The Houndoom merely rolled her eyes at the request as the Gastly continued. 'Furthermore, we won't give you any more details aside from what you've already been told. Will you know please resume your quest?'

Houndoom answered by snarling at the ghost. 'Tell your "lord" that he can stick it where the sun doesn't shine! We're done here.'

The Gastly tried to contain its anger. 'Lord Phoenix will hear of this! Such betrayals do not go unpunished!'

And with that the ghost type left. With the situation over, Grovyle decided to resume his cooling down.

'So, how did you like the performance?' the Houndoom said. Grovyle had been noticed by the Houndoom, and without any quick way out he decided to just confront the fire type.

He sighed, stood up and walked from behind the tree. 'Eh, it lacked setup.'

Houndoom laughed and motioned for Grovyle to join her at the fire. 'So, what are you doing all the way in the middle of nowhere?' She asked.

'I'm exploring Mystery dungeons.' Grovyle said. 'And you?'

'I was completing a retrieval mission for a wealthy client, but then it failed at the very last second.'

'The very end… does that mean that Treeshroud Forest has a guardian?' Grovyle thought to himself. He needed to find out more. 'Need someone to vent to?' Grovyle offered to Houndoom.

She looked into the fire with contemplation. 'They said that they would come and… no, you know what? Fuck it, sure.' She finally answered.

Grovyle got comfortable as Houndoom started her tale. 'So, I was hired by this "Lord Pheonix" guy to retrieve an artefact from Treeshroud Forest. They wouldn't tell me what it was or how to get, just that there was something and that a nice amount of Poké was waiting for me if I succeeded.'

Grovyle patiently nodded and continued listening.

'What they didn't bother to tell me was that the Forest was inhabited by some very powerful clones. That wretched place cost me 5 Reviver Seeds! But that was not the worst part…' She paused for a moment and turned to Grovyle. 'Still listening?'

'I am, don't worry.' He reassured her.

'You want to know what the worst part of all of this is? At the end, I was almost there, and then a thick mist started to form all around me.'

'How?' Grovyle asked.

'I have no idea! There were some howls, which strengthened the mist I think, and then something ran straight into me. Before I knew it I was outside the dungeon again! Whatever it was, it pushed me straight into the exit and out of the dungeon!'

Houndoom took a breath to calm herself down. 'This was the worst job I've ever agreed to. I knew the money was too good to be true…'

Grovyle gave a small chuckle. 'I get that. One time when I was exploring a dungeon, I found a bunch of Reviver Seeds, but the local Clones Roared me straight down the stairs, making me lose that treasure trove of Seeds.'

'Wow.' Houndoom said. 'That sucks.'

Grovyle waved his hand. 'Such things happen. Are you better?'

'Much better.' She admitted. 'I have to leave now, I refuse to stay here another second. Thanks for listening…'

'Grovyle, and you are?'

'Marberus…'

After one last exchange of looks, Marberus nodded, proceeded to grab her stuff, and leave.

After she left Grovyle started to ponder to himself. 'Alright, so there was a sudden mist, and there was some howling. Not only that, but the howling strengthened the mist…'

He then snapped his fingers. 'I got it! Thank Arceus I "Wasted" all that spare time reading up on Legendary Pokémon. I think I know how to do this successfully…'

Grovyle got his bag, and headed into Treeshroud Forest, his mission was about to begin in earnest…

Shinx is very hasty, isn't he?

That's chapter 4 done! I promise I won't take this long with the next chapter, but please don't hold your breath.

I want to thank Navarchu, TheHermitSpycrab, and Le loempia for beta reading this chapter. The help is appreciated.

Team Galactic Time & Space Scanner
Audio log

'How is the mission going?'

'We don't know sir. Our requests for info have been met with silence!'

'Keep trying! I will not let our objective be in vain.'

'Understood master Cyrus!'

End log