Chapter 10: Following the Footprints

-Rio's POV-

Five days have passed since we got back from exploring Sky Peak and a few things have happened since then. Dash volunteered to lead the group that wanted to evolve to Luminous Spring since he had been there before. Rose evolved into a Kirlia, becoming more athletic, but not by much, so Damus still has her on physical endurance training. Vlad evolved into a Haunter, gaining hands and remembering the move Shadow Punch. Only problem is that we constantly had to make sure that both of his hands were with him, otherwise he would send them through the ground to pull pranks. Siltram evolved into Muk, but he didn't like the size change; he said that it made him look too intimidating to get information. So when in Treasure Town, he would use Minimize to make himself a more "chat-friendly" size.

We found three more rare items at Croagunk's Swap Shop. Gastly Veil; an orb filled with purple gas that, when in the Treasure Bag, makes Vlad almost completely invisible in foggy weather. In addition, we found the Protect Mask for Dash, which absorbs the damage from Ground-type moves and converts it to energy. He decided to keep his necklace on and have the mask stored in the Treasure Bag to use its effect instead of wearing it because it makes him "look like a dork." For Damus we found the Perish Torc, a black necklace with a red jewel. When he's attacked, sometimes the necklace will release a sound similar to the move Perish Song which will drain the opponent's energy until they faint.

With one of the TMs that we found on a mission, I learned Focus Punch. I don't like the charge-up that it requires, but Meowth said that I'd figure out a way to work with it. I offered it to Hogan and Savage instead, but Hogan said that it would be better for me since I'm faster and, therefore, would be more likely to land the hit. Savage just looked at me confused and said, "Why should I wait to charge up when I can just Thrash their ass?" (AN: I actually checked the base stats and Pinsir are faster than Riolu, but I feel that the move suits Rio better.)

While on a mission to Mystifying Forest, Damus recruited an Eevee. Unsure what to nickname her, he sent her back to us (we had been training at the dojo that day), along with the message that she was a new recruit. Meowth had trouble coming up with a nickname, since Eevee can evolve into so many different forms. He settled on Cathy. Damus came back later having finished the missions with just Dash's help. (AN: The nickname is actually a hint to which form I'm going to evolve Eevee into.)

Also, with all of the missions that we've gotten done since we got the ability to divide the team into squads, we were promoted to Super Rank yesterday after getting Diamond Rank 3 days before. After getting past Gold Rank, it made me wonder just how many ranks there were.

As we walked to meet with the others at Spinda Café, we saw Siltram at the crossroads, talking with Mr. Mime. Siltram looked at us and waved us over as Mr. Mime kept talking, unhindered by our arrival.

"…whose fame stretched across this very entire world. Truly he had a reputation that all explorers aspired toward. But this great explorer, he went missing while he was exploring Blizzard Island, far in the southwest. Many an exploration team set out to rescue the great explorer. But one and all, they were turned back by the bitter cold and swirling blizzards till none dared try again. It is a tale from many years ago."

Meowth raised his paw, "Question." Mr. Mime turned to Meowth and he continued, "If it's an 'island', then how'd they get there in da first place? I don't do da swimming thing." (AN: In my opinion, a valid question that never gets addressed in this game. So I'm using fan fiction powers to make s*** up.)

"Oh, there's a network of pathways that criss-cross the sea. Can you unroll your map?" I did so and he pointed at a spot between Drenched Bluff and Craggy Coast, "It's shielded by high cliffs, so it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. Nobody knows how they got there, but they lead to all sorts of mystery dungeons in the southwest sea."

He looked around and leaned closer, whispering, "There also have been rumors. They say that the explorer Scizor was searching for an amazing treasure." He stood up straight again, addressing all three of us, "You're an incredible team, Team Righteous, what with saving the world and all. No exploration teams have gone to Blizzard Island since the rescue efforts were called off years ago. By any chance, would you be willing to go, Team Righteous? I hear that Blizzard Island is in the southwest of the map."

On the map, the clouds parted over the lower left corner, revealing an icy island. I looked back up and the three of us looked at each other. Meowth tilted his head in the direction of Spinda Café, as if saying, "Plannin' time." We went down the stairs and sat around the table with the other members of the team.

"So, Siltram found us a lead," Meowth started and everybody leaned closer. "'Cordin' ta Mr. Mime, some famous explorer was chasin' some great treasure on a place called Blizzard Island. Catch is… he went missing. But we can do better; after all, he was alone, but we're a team!"

I was amazed how he managed to take such a serious danger and make light of it. The tension in the room decreased and everyone seemed more hopeful.

"Now, who wants ta come wit' Rio an' me ta go check out dis island?"

The recruits all seemed to think hard about it, Hogan spoke up first, "Don't think I'd be good for standing against the cold. No fur, after all."

I nodded, "That's okay, Hogan."

"After Sky Peak, I don't think that I can risk freezing over on Blizzard Island," Siltram said with a shudder. Dash nodded, "Same here."

Damus turned to us, "My kind are used to harsh climates. You can count on me."

Meowth smiled, "Thanks, Damus. Anybody else?" Cathy started to speak, "I'll-"

"No," I cut her off, "I'm sorry, Cathy, but I don't want you getting hurt. You should start off training at the dojo today."

Cathy pouted, "But that's boring!"

Meowth sighed, "We all gotta do it sometime, Cathy; and since Damus is comin' wit' us on this mission…" He looked around, then pointed, "Dash. You're overseeing the new gal's training." Dash nodded.

Meowth turned back to the others, "Vlad."

"Hm?"

"Didja recon Midnight Forest, like I asked ya to?"

Vlad nonchalantly observed his claws, seeming pleased with himself, "As a matter of fact, I did. Mainly populated by Bug-types, with three Grass-type species, and also inhabited by Raticate. Any decent Fire or Flying-type Pokémon would tear straight through the forest. I slipped in and out without anyone knowing I was there."

"Huh. We don't got either of those types. Oh well, guess it'll hafta wait. Anyway, since you're free, dat means ya can come wit' us on dis mission. Cold doesn't bother ya, right?"

Vlad looked over, "Very well; and I'm a ghost what do you think?"

"Point taken. Now, missions; we got a challenge letter-"

"I'll take it!" Both Hogan and Savage called at the same time. They both turned to each other and glared.

"You got the last one," Hogan argued.

"Well you get to go on more f***ing missions!"

"Ever wonder why, Mr. attack-everything-that-moves?"

"Ahem." They both turned to Rose, "Why don't both of you go? If one of you can handle it, then surely it'll be a breeze for both of you."

"Dat's actually a pretty good idea considerin' who's callin' us out; a Steelix and his buddies (prob'ly more Rock-types) at Amp Plains. It might take both of ya." Meowth slid the letter over and Hogan snatched it up and read it over.

"Also, Rose. Here's your first mission." He slid an envelope over and she opened it up, reading the paper. Meowth continued, "An escort; the guy's looking for a secret chamber in Waterfall Cave. He knows where it is, but he needs protection." Rose put down the paper, muttering to herself as if thinking aloud. Meowth raised an eyebrow, "Wouldja feel more comfortable if someone went wit' ya?"

Rose looked up and shook her head, "No, it's fine. I can handle this."

Hogan put the bag of items he had from his last mission on the table, "You'll probably need that, then."

Rose picked up the bag, "What's this? Won't you need it?"

"Apples, Oran Berries, couple of Reviver Seeds; the essentials. And you'll probably need them more. Escorts always try to 'help', but they get hurt, and they never bring their own items." (AN: This is how I feel about every escort mission I've ever had to do.)

Rose hung the string over her shoulder, "Well, thank you- Ah…" The bag dragged at her feet because the string was too loose. "Uh, sorry, is there a way to adjust-"

Hogan got up and walked over, "Yeah, took me a bit of time to figure it out." He reached over and loosened the knot of string on Rose's shoulder and then adjusted the length so that the bag hung at her waist. He re-tied the knot so that it stayed adjusted. Rose blushed red and then fumbled as she reached for the mission letter. Once she picked it up, she hurriedly said, "Th-thank you, I'll handle the mission!" and then she teleported away.

I chuckled to myself. No wonder I felt that all those days ago. She's got it bad. I looked at Hogan, who just shrugged his shoulders, then continued reading the challenge letter for details. Aaaand he's clueless. Am I the only one who knows? I looked around and everyone else seemed to have already forgotten about the awkward situation and moved back to the briefing.

"Guess you're on standby today, Siltram. Just… do what ya usually do when you're waitin'. Try ta keep an eye out for missions if ya got a chance, though." Siltram shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Alright, so let's move on out!"

Hogan and Savage left the café right away. Dash shouted a quick "Race you there!" to Cathy and then charged off. Cathy sighed and then ran off after him. The four of us got up and I waved bye to Siltram as we left. After putting extra items in storage and replacing used items, we left for the pathways that Mr. Mime told us about. I was taking the lead, but Meowth fell into step with me, Vlad and Damus trailing behind.

"Hey, Rio. Ya notice how Rose acts all funny around Hogan?"

I looked at him surprised. He really doesn't know? I thought you were sharper than that, Meowth! Wait…

I raised an eyebrow, "You're barely noticing now?"

He raised an eyebrow back, "Yeah, why? You know sumpin'?"

I said nothing and just grinned back. Meowth's eyes narrowed, "What's wit' da smug look?" I just grinned wider. He sighed, "Fine, yuk it up. Ya know sumpin' dat I don't. Happy now? So spill it." Oh, that's not enough Meowth. It's not about knowing something that you don't…

I stuck out my tongue and practically sang, "I'm not telling."

Meowth glared, "Hey, you can't do that! I admitted it! Ya hafta tell me."

Now's my chance! I shook my head, still grinning, "I can't. Do you know why?"

He tilted his head, "Why?"

"Long story."

He stared at me speechless; it felt good to throw his own deflection back at him. He sputtered and then shook his head, "Aw, dammit, I walked right into dat one. Fine, don't tell me. I'll figure it out soon enough."

"I'm sure you will." I was still grinning from my small victory as we continued on. Really, you don't have to sense emotions to know what's going on. It's written all over her face…

Let it be known that Mystifying Forest is the worst place to recruit a team member. All of the traps; and the Pokémon wander around in circles, making them next to impossible to find without a Radar Orb. And, on top of that, I was also looking for a female Eevee. You know the female gender ratio? I do now; 12.5 percent! I spent hours in Mystifying Forest with all of its frustrating traps and enemies trying to find a female Eevee and successfully recruit it. I wish things went as smoothly as I wrote them.

PS: More Author Notes than I've had in any chapter I've ever written…

PPS: I'm free! Exams are over for me! I know I still have summer school, but I don't care right now!