Starting off the chapter with new levels and new moves that everyone learned (via TM):

Rio: Lv. 61
Meowth: Lv. 59
Siltram: Lv. 47
Hogan: Lv. 50, Learned Focus Blast and Bulk-up
Savage: Lv. 49, Learned Stone Edge (at Meowth's insistence)
Dash: Lv. 54
Damus: Lv. 53, Learned Aerial Ace and False Swipe
Rose: Lv. 45, Learned Shadow Ball
Vlad: Lv. 48, Learned Thief and Drain Punch
Cathy: Lv. 30, Learned Attract
Penny: Lv. 34, Learned Ice Beam
Mel: Lv. 50, Learned Grass Knot and Bullet Seed
Levi: Lv. 51, Learned Steel Wing and Defog

Also, I've noticed that my previous chapter wasn't as popular as others. Sorry if you didn't like the filler chapter, but I felt it needed to be addressed, and it gave me the opportunity to introduce the two new recruits.

Chapter 19: Team Charm

-Meowth's POV-

A week has passed since we began training in the Final Maze. As it went by, some of the recruits have joined us in the Final Maze for training. Most of them learned a move or two with a TM.

A few days ago, Levi got Vlad's help, since he's the only other one that can fly, to move his books into a large nest of branches that he wove together, like a tree house. With his books nearby, he was completely settled in and ready to train.

Penny left to evolve on her own as soon as she got a chance, becoming a Prinplup and learning Metal Claw. The rest either couldn't evolve without a stone or wanted to wait so they could learn a few more moves easily after hearing about the slower learning from Dash. Mel evolved too, but she still couldn't talk, so she'd spit out a seed at one of us, if she wanted to get our attention, before motioning with her hands or drawing something in the dirt with her foot. It was a bit confusing to understand her at first, but everyone learned in time.

Hogan wanted to wait to evolve, even though he learned his last move, Dynamic Punch. He said, quote: "I'm waiting for something big."

A couple of days ago, Cathy came to me about advice for evolution, saying that the only ones left, without repeating types, were fire and ice. We had the stone for both of them, but she couldn't decide which. I told her that she didn't have to worry about trying to find a type that suited the team, and to just go with what she felt suited her.

Today, after looking at our small stack of missions, I decided that we had spent enough time training for now and it was time to get back to doing missions. I told Rio this and he nodded, "I guess it has been a while. We didn't even bother to check the mission boards while we were training."

We walked to the guild, but funny thing was that I started feeling chilly even though the sun was out. When we got to the Mission Floor, we found it totally empty; even Chimecho was gone from her desk.

"O-kaaay… Dis is totally weird. Usually there are at least exploration teams checking the boards out."

Rio shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe there's something going on downstairs? That's where everybody would meet when something major was going on."

I turned to the ladder leading down, "Maybe; let's go and see."

As we moved down, we started hearing a ton of chatter. We turned and saw everyone in the guild gathered around a group of three Pokémon; a Lopunny, a Medicham and a Gardevoir.

"Oh my gosh! It's unbelievable!" Sunflora cried out.

"They're the real deal, by golly!" Bidoof added.

"Wow!" Loudred shouted, "Can I get your autographs, PLEASE?"

Rio walked up to Chatot, "Hey, Chatot. Who are those Pokémon?"

He turned around, shocked, "Huh?! There you go sticking your foot in your mouth again!" he scolded. "That lovely trio is Team Charm, the ultra-famous treasure hunters!" Turning back to Team Charm, he went on, "They've earned the Master Rank, which is reserved solely for teams of extraordinary merit. As expert treasure hunters, they've discovered countless treasures.

"Moreover, they don't just find treasures. Oh, no! Strong! Smart! Beautiful! The sheer style of their treasure hunts is what makes them celebrities!"

Chatot explained each of the team members to us. Rio listened, paying close attention to Chatot, but I was more focused on the three of them themselves, trying to gauge their strength. Think what you want, but the last "celebrity" turned out to be bent on dooming the world. I wanted to make sure that we could take them on if we had to.

"But I must wonder…" Chatot snapped me out of my thoughts, "Why would the beauties of Team Charm visit here?"

"Hiya!" Everybody turned to Wigglytuff, who'd walked into the room.

Lopunny smiled, "Oh! Wigglytuff, darling! It's been a long time, sweetie!"

"Sweetie"? They know Wigglytuff?

Bidoof and Diglett moved out of the way as Wigglytuff walked forward. Lopunny giggled, "Oh, Wigglytuff! You haven't changed one bit!"

"Seeing you as a Guildmaster," Medicham added, "Imagine that! That's amazing!"

"It has been a long time, Wigglytuff," Gardevoir chimed in.

Wigglytuff nodded and smiled, "Yup. Long time no see! Have you all been well?"

The other guild members started mumbling before Sunflora asked if Wigglytuff knew Team Charm.

Medicham laughed, "Oh! Wigglytuff was a real go-getter back in the day. Like, grrrowl! So how are you nowadays?"

Lopunny clapped her hands, "Back then, Wigglytuff was something else. No one could beat him. So cool!"

Wigglytuff laughed along with them before Chatot said, "Uh, Guildmaster… Uh, how do you know the beauties of Team Charm?"

Wigglytuff turned to Chatot, "Well, they're my friends. Friends from long ago!"

I calmed down a bit, since they knew Wigglytuff, but I decided to still keep an eye on them. Wigglytuff thought that Team Skull was nice too; I'm not too sure of how he judges character.

Lopunny nodded, "That's right. We were partners in exploration with Wigglytuff."

"Whaaaat?!" Chatot shouted. "The Guildmaster… And Team Charm…?"

Wigglytuff turned back to Team Charm, "So what brings you all here?"

Gardevoir nodded, "So astute of you. We came about an important matter. Do you recall, when we were exploring a long time ago, that we found a mysterious key? At the time, we didn't know what the key was for. Well, we've finally found out where it should be used."

Medicham went on, "You see, we discovered a place called Aegis Cave. That key is a perfect fit for the keyhole to its entrance. There's more. It's said that the cave holds a vast trove of treasure."

The other guild members murmured about this while Lopunny asked, "Say, Wigglytuff, darling… That key we found then… You've still got it, haven't you?"

Wigglytuff tilted his head, "Key? Um… What kind of key? I don't remember. Ha ha ha!"

"Hey!" Medicham shouted. "We went through a lot to get that key! Are you saying you lost it?"

Gardevoir shook her head, "…That's typical for Wigglytuff. Some things haven't changed at all, it seems. Lopunny, it's time for our gift…"

"I hear you Gardevoir." Lopunny stepped forward and reached into her Treasure Bag, "Here you go, Wigglytuff. We've brought you a little gift. It's your favorite! A Perfect Apple."

She set the Perfect Apple in front of Wigglytuff and he grinned, "Wow! A Perfect Apple! This is for me? Yay! Thank you!" He picked it up and bounced it on his head in joy.

"So…" Gardevoir said, "about that key…"

Wigglytuff caught the Perfect Apple and said, "Oh! I remember now! That key! The one shaped like an Unown. I'll go look!" He went back into his room.

"YOOM… TAH!"

The entire floor shook and Wigglytuff came back out holding a key, "Here you go!" He handed it to Team Charm.

Lopunny cheered, "Yes, darling! This is the key. This will open the way into Aegis Cave. Thank you, Wigglytuff! Say, why don't you join us? It will be like old times."

Wigglytuff kept bouncing the Perfect Apple on his head, "Yay! A Perfect Apple! Thank you!"

Team Charm awkwardly paused, and Gardevoir said, "…You really haven't changed…"

Lopunny shrugged her shoulders, "We'll be going now, sweetie." She smiled, "See you, Wigglytuff!"

They started leaving and Rio called out, "Um… Excuse me."

They turned to us, and Lopunny said, "Yes?"

He stammered, "Um… Would it be all right if we joined you? For exploring, I mean."

Everyone started calling out to go too, and Rio turned to me, "You too, Meowth?"

I thought about it for a moment before shrugging and saying, "Sure, why not? Sounds like fun."

Rio smiled, "That's the spirit!" He turned back to Team Charm, "Please let us go exploring with you!"

Everyone asked, "PLEASE?"

Lopunny giggled, "Tee-hee! Everyone is so earnest. You are all so adorable! Of course you may!"

Everyone cheered and Rio smiled and said, "Yes! Thank you!"

Lopunny nodded, "Okay, sweeties. We'll go ahead and open the entrance. You can go in after we do. The cave is located southeast of here." We all opened our maps and found the cave.

After they left, everybody, counting Rio and I, started talking plans about what items to get and who to team up with.

"Psst!" a new voice whispered, "Do you want me to take a sneak peek before they get there?"

Rio and I jumped and looked around. The voice chuckled, "Not the timing that I would ordinarily pick, but this seems important. Look down, but stay quiet." I recognized the voice, but he couldn't have gotten past everybody. While everyone else was busy, we looked down and my shadow turned darker and a face appeared on it.

"Wha-?!" I looked to make sure nobody was paying attention and whispered, "Vlad! What're ya doin' here?! And how're ya doin' that?!" (AN: It's in multiple Pokédex entries; look it up.)

His head rose out of my shadow a bit, and he was a Gengar now, "I got bored. I left to Luminous Spring to evolve last night while you all were sleeping. This is just one of my new abilities. Anyway, I was hiding out in here, since this morning, to surprise you when you got to Spinda Café, but then you took a detour, and now this seems like a delicious opportunity to see what this new form can do. So how about it? I can get you some intel on this new dungeon before that charming team even gets there."

Rio shook his head, "You can't. They have the key, and you can't just take it from them."

"Pft, I don't need a key. All I need is the location, and I'll slip straight in. That's why I'm the reconnaissance member. Southeast, they said?"

"Um…" Rio opened the map and looked again before nodding. Vlad grinned, "Very well. I'll be back within the hour." He went back into the ground and his shadow moved across the ground and up the wall.

I thought for a moment on Vlad being able to sneak into others' shadows.

Great, now I need a night-light.

Rio and I left (after stopping at the mission boards), still talking about plans, but decided to wait until Vlad got back to decide who we'll be taking with us.

When we got there, everybody was sitting at the usual spot. When we told them about Aegis Cave, only Levi seemed interested.

"That's the rumored resting place of the Unown. Legends say that they act as the guardians to the treasure that rests there. Well, not the direct guardians, per se; more like they're the security system. The legends never said who the actual guardian was."

Hogan perked up, "A mysterious cave? Hmm… Maybe I could go. It'd be a good challenge."

Meowth nodded, "Maybe. Dat really depends on Vlad's report. In da meantime, time ta give out missions." I held up one of the old ones.

"Penny, Dash and Savage; y'all got a challenge letter from Aerodactyl in World Abyss. I can't believe I'm about ta say dis, but Dash, you're leadin'."

Dash jumped and shouted, "Yes!" Then he realized what I said, "Wait… Hey! What is that supposed to mean?"

"To be careful," Damus said. "You'll have type advantage, but you can't charge off and leave your team behind. You need to be mindful of your surroundings. In that regard, you can be a bit… flighty."

Dash pouted a bit, "Hey, I can be… the opposite of whatever you said."

"Responsible," Damus said.

"Yeah, that."

I waved my paw, "I know ya can, Dash. Dat's why you're da leader." I felt two glares at me from other seats at the table, but chose to ignore it. I picked up another job letter, "Now-"

Vlad called out as he phased through the ceiling, "Sorry to interrupt, but there's something you should know." He floated down to his seat and reached into his chest, pulling out a rock. He set it on the table and said, "The dungeon was only three floors, but I suspect that there's more to it. The first part is inhabited by only Unown, Zubat and Golbat. When I reached the end, the dungeon brought me back to the entrance. There was an odd stone marker in the center of the room, but I could not make sense of it until I went back through a second time." He pointed to the rock, "One of the Unown spotted me while I was moving through a large room. I defeated it, and this rock appeared."

He rolled it over to me and I picked it up to take a look at it. Rio leaned over also. It looked like any ordinary rock, except it had a picture of an Unown carved in it. Comparing it to the alphabet, it was the "W" Unown.

Vlad went on, "There were different Unown carved into the stone marker; three, to be exact. I think that, when the proper stones are brought, the stone marker will do something, and there will be a way down."

Rio looked up, "You couldn't just go through the floor?"

Vlad shrugged, "I thought the same thing, but no. I went through the floor, and came out of the ceiling in the same room. Anyway, there will probably be stronger enemies in subsequent parts of the cave. Also, on my way back, Team Charm was a little more than halfway there."

I nodded, "Alright. Good work, Vlad." Now… who to take with us…

I thought hard about it. Rose was a given, since she would be strong against Zubat and Golbat, but who else?

Since we don't know what ta expect, maybe just some extra muscle'd be best.

I took a breath and said, "Rose, Hogan, ya up for goin' wit' Rio an' me ta Aegis Cave?" Hogan grinned and nodded, while Rose smiled and gave a smaller nod.

I gave out the rest of the missions, still not having enough leftover to explore Mt. Avalanche. Mel and Siltram were taking on a Relicanth in Mystifying Forest, Damus was on a rescue in Crevice Cave, and Levi and Vlad were going after a Slowking in Miracle Sea. Cathy was put on training for the day. When she complained, I said, "Don't tink I didn't notice you slackin' off." (AN: She used to be higher leveled than Penny.)

When we were leaving to go get items ready, Hogan tapped my shoulder. I turned, "Yeah?"

"While you're getting items, could I go to evolve really quick? Rose said that she could teleport us to Luminous Spring, since she'd been there before." I looked past him at Rose who looked to be having a talk with Cathy.

Wait a minute…

The way that Rose was holding her hands behind her back and shifting from foot-to-foot with her head bent down. Cathy seemed to be cheering Rose on. Why would Rose need cheering when they're just going to Luminous Spring…

Alone.

And she's nervous.

"Meowth?"

"Huh, whuzzat?"

Hogan raised an eyebrow, "Is it okay for me to go and evolve? I'll be gone a few minutes."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Jus' meet back at da crossroads." I was more focused on putting the pieces together in my head. Right when they teleported away is when I finally got it.

Oh… Dis can either be really good or really bad for da mission… Well, no take-backs.

I decided to take a back-seat and see how things play out. Just wish I had some popcorn.

Rio and I went to Kangaskhan Storage to get items for the mission, and our unique items. When Kangaskhan went into the back to get them, I casually said, "So; Hogan an' Rose, eh?"

Rio looked at me, surprised, before he smiled, "Finally figured it out, then?"

"Yeah, yeah, easy for ya ta act smug about knowin' when ya can sense emotions."

I hate to say that summer school has started today, so I'm going to have to dedicate more time to studying. Blech, I'd rather pull out my eyebrows…

Sorry that this chapter was a wee bit short and not really much more than another pre-plot-point filler. I'm going to try my hardest to wedge writing time in between Calculus homework.