Chapter 9: Where there is a criminal to catch.

The last night went by a lot more quieter than the last. Mo slept trough, now knowing what an adventurer life was like. Was he happy about this life? He couldn't say. What he did know or more like remembered was he forgot to ask for his own bed. He, again, slept this night with Aaron and Charlotte on the big hay pile. There still was the option for him to go to his own house he still owns in Baram Town and sleep there. But it would be a pain to walk every morning and every night. Also, Mo was sure Aaron wouln't eb okay with this. He sold his old house the same day after they both joined. This also meant Aaron had nowhere to go if the team would be no more. So Mo had do either go on with the adventuring or let Aaron move in for some time. Some long time.

To not be woken up by Alfons like yesterday, Mo made sure he woke up in time for the morning briefing. Maybe waking up a little to early this time. They were the first standing in the hall, prepared to start the day. Except for Charlotte. She clenched on Mo again. This time luckily not under his cloth. It took some time for the others, including Hilarius and Alfons to arrive.

After the briefing, as everyone went on to do their daily work, Team Red came to Team Purple.

"Morning, guys!", Amy smiled.

"Morning.", Mo and Aaron replied, still a little tired.

"Alfons asked us to guide and help you if you need something. Do you know where you get items?", she asked.

"Baram Town.", replied Mo. "I know that store already. BUT ... I was thinking ... what kind of mission we could do today. Searching things is nice, but ..."

"We need a little more action!", said Aaron. "Not too much."

Team Red lead them outside to the board.

"The missions are categorised by difficulty. In some you need to go to a dungeon that is very hard to explore or that is far away from here. For some you need more than a day or two to complete.", Amy explained while searching teh board for a fitting mission.

"That one! ... again?", she said, took a note from the board and looked at it in disbelieve.

Axel took it from her hand and gave it to Aaron.

"Josh, a Electabuzz. He's just a small criminal. Pickpocketing and such things only.", Axel explained to them. "He's known to somehow escape from prison over and over again. There not one team in our guild that didn't caught him once."

"NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.", added Steve.

"Mt. Steel.", Mo pointed out.

"Then you can learn how to arrest criminals.", Amy said.

Not long after, Team Purple was in Baram Town. The town was full more of Pokémon than the last time they were here. After what happened yesterday they almost ran out of supplies, so they had to stock up at Kecleon's shop first before they could go on this mission. Some orbs would be good this time. Mo thought it was a pity they didn't got some slumber orbs or something like these to Sinister Woods. They wouldn't have had so much trouble with those Oddish.

"It's shame what happened to the last Team purple", said the Kecleon shopkeeper.

"Well.", said Aaron. "It's a dangerous job."

"But your predecessors sure were a bunch of idiots.", Kecleon said. "You have to do a good job to clean the name of your colour."

"Well. We are not idiots!", Mo said. He knew he lied to himself.

Team Purple bought all the stuff the needed, or could afford with the money they had or what Kecleon had in stock today and set out to Mt. Steel.

"Hope to see you again!", called out Kecleon behind them.

"Me too!", Mo replied.

They way to Mt. Steel was longer than to Sinister Woods. Most of the tiem Mo just worried about today's mission. First, he didn't liked mountains, he didn't like the highs and climbing and second, like the mountains name says, there were many steel type Pokémon living there. Poison and steel. Not good for fairy types.

"Alright then." Mo said as they arrived at the dungeon entrance.

He turned over to Charlotte: "Like yesterday. You go first."

Charlotte lead the way into the dungeon, Mo and Aaron following her.

The dungeon was very dark. Darker than Sinister Woods. In fact, it was almost pitch black once the couldn't see the entrance anymore.

"Someone know how to make a torch?", Mo asked his team mates.

"I actually already did.", said Aaron.

Mo was surprised Aaron thought about this, but he himself didn't. Good boy.

"You also know how to start a fire? Like, with stones?", Mo asked him.

"Of course I do!", Aaron answered. Mo wasn't sure if he was just showing off or if he really could. And indeed he could. Good boy!

Once the torch was lit, the area around them brightened up and they could again see the way they needed to go. At the same moment, a group of Zubat was frightened by the fire and flew around. In shock, Aaron let the torch fall, extinguishing the fire. The torch was lit for less than 5 seconds. While the torch was lit, Mo noticed something was wrong.

"Where is Charlotte?"

They just arrived and already lost their leader. After the torch was lit once again and the Zubat were now silenced by Mo's thunderbolt, the two Pokémon went on searching for their lost leader.

While wandering through the dungeon, they called out for Charlotte, wondering if this even made sense if she couldn't answer them.

"Aaron?", Mo asked him. "I bought an escape orb with us. For emergency reasons. Does it work on us all, even with Charlotte missing?"

Aaron shrugged. Mo doubted it himself.

Suddenly they heard a terrible noise. As if there was a fight. There was the sound of bodies falling to the ground and yelling and someone shouting. Mo and Aaron qucikly rushed to the side. In a corner in the dark was Charlotte fighting a Spearow and a Baltoy at the same time. The two other Pokémon had trouble keeping up with the Komala, but she wouldn't make it for long. Mo shot his thunderbolt at the Spearow, knocking it out immediately, while Aaron quick attacked the Baltoy, making it spin around like a spinning top, before falling down. While doing his quick attack, Aaron accidently extinguished the fire again. So now they were in the dark again. Mo wanted to make sure Charlotte didn't rolled of again. Instead, she gave him a hug.

"We need to stay together!", Mo explained. "It's dangerous to go alone!"

Aaron noticed a small light in the distance. Hopefully they didn't had to wander through the darkness anymore and reached the next floor of the dungeon.

They almost have reached the top of Mt. Steel by now. Team Purple walked across a cliff side. The path was narrow and Mo had to watch out no one of his partners would accidently slip and fall down.

"Where are we now and where is that Electabuzz supposed to be?!", asked Mo tired from walking.

Aaron picket the map out of the bag. "Floor 8."

"We or him?", asked Mo again.

"Yes.", Aaron replied.

"... what?"

"He must be around here."

Mo suddenly slipped and fell on his back. He must have stepped on some slippery rock. This startled Aaron, who was preparing to catch him.

"You okay?!", Aaron asked him.

"Yes.", Mo replied. "No worries. I need to watch out more."

"How can you see under that rag anyway? And your scarf ...", Aaron pointed out.

"I told out so many times. Tunnel vision.", Mo replied bothered. "The only thing I have problems is to look down. And I like my scarf hanging a little loose."

Mo heard a noise. Footsteps. He lifted his right arm.

"... did you hear that? From over there."

Mo, Aaron and Charlotte sneaked up to a corner where the path was going. They arrived at a small plateau. Nothing but rocks everywhere. They saw another path up to the top of Mt. Steel and a shelter made out of sticks at the mountain wall. In front of the shelter sat a dirty looking Electabuzz by a fire place, warming himself.

"That's him:", Mo said to the other.

The Electabuzz jumped up. "Who goes there?!"

So much for the plan for sneaking up on him.

Aaron stepped forward.

"We are Adventure Team Purple! You are hereby arrested!"

"You probably know the drill. Surrender and don't make it more complicated as it already is.", Mo added.

"I'm not going back to prison!", the Electabuzz yelled and run at the team screaming.

Team Purple prepared for battle.

Aaron quickly used his fairy wind as the wanted Electabuzz approached. It did some damage, but not enough to slow him down. Electabuzz's fist filled with a yellow energy as he aimed for Charlotte.

"Charlotte! Watch out!", Mo called. "Don't let him get away!"

Charlotte's log shimmered in a light blue light as she held it in front of her face as the thunder punch almost hit her. The attack was absorbed by her shield and Electabuzz stepped backwards, thinking of a new plan to get away.

"I want to be home early today. So let's end this already!", said Mo as he pulled out his fake wooden tail. He stepped forward as his eyes glow up and slapped his tail on his left hand.

"Dude.", the Electabuzz tried to tell them. "You've got the wrong guy. I did nothing wrong. Seriously."

"Oh, okay. I believe you.", Mo answered him. Aaron and Charlotte were right behind Mo. "BUT this branch I got here doesn't believe you.", Mo giggled.

Electabuzz turned around and tried to run away while Mo pursued him, followed by his team mates. Mo managed to jump on the Electabuzz's neck and started to beat his head with his wooden tail.

"Get off me, you little freak!", the Electabuzz yelled, trying to grab the Mimikyu.

Electabuzz finally grabbed Mo, who let his fake tail fall out off his hand.

"Hey! Big guy!", Aaron shouted at the Electabuzz. He turned around only to be hit by Aaron's sand attack.

Electabuzz held his hand his free hand in front of his eyes.

"My eyes!"

He tumbled around, trying to see his enemies. Mo saw his chance and scratched the criminal's arm with his claw. In response the Electabuzz threw the Mimikyu in a random direction. In his case right down the cliff.

"AARON!", Mo just tried to call him for help. But it was already to late. The other just saw him fly of the side into the deep. He just saw the shocked expressions of both of them before it went down, and down, and down.

In this moment, Mo's mind was empty. There was nothing to say. Nothing to think only sadness. Was it really over now?

Mo suddenly heard a loud snapping sound and the fall stopped abruptly stopped. He wasn't levitating. What stopped his fall. He already fell to long for Aaron or Charlotte to grabbing him. He was just floating there in the air.

Mo looked up. A small dead tree grew out of the mountain side. His scarf was hanging on it and so did the rest of his cloth with him inside. The force of this sudden stop of the fall was strong enough to snap the neck of Mo's Pikachu disguise. His fake head was hanging in a unhealthy way to the side. This was lucky and unfortunate at the same time for Mo. He was hanging by his fake neck in teh middle of nowhere.

Mo tried to call his friends.

"Hello?! Aaron?! Charlotte?! I'm fine! But I still need help!"

No response.

"Hello?! ... HELLOOOOO?!"

Could say hear him from down here? The must have heard him for sure.

"Help!", he cried out.

Did they left him here? Are they aware that he's hanging around They can't just leave without him. Can they?

"Okay. Here are my options.", Mo thought to himself. "I could wait and call out for help until someone comes or I could try to climb back up. In both cases I could fall again. I have no idea how long my scarf or this branch can hold me and I'm not sure of my climbing ability. In another case, I could rot here."

Mo looked around. Nothing but rocks and the deep down below.

Mo sighted. "I swear to Arceus. If I survive this and someone makes a cliffhanger joke ..."

Mo managed to grab hold on a big rock on the mountain side and tried to free his scarf.