*Slinks out of shadows meeting anonymous reader*

Anon: "You're late."

Me: *Tosses envelope containing new chapter* "School's started, I have to hit the books; I'm a victim of circumstance.

Anon: "Then when will the next one be?"

Me: *Walks backwards into the shadows* "I'll get it done when I get it done."

Chapter 23: A Day in the Life

-Meowth's POV-

"Good morning, everybody!" Rio cheered. He was in a really good mood. I had told him what the plan was last night, and he's been pumped up ever since.

A few gave their "hi"s and "hello"s back. Hogan still had his arm bandaged.

I spoke up, "So, today we're doing two major missions. One, we're exploring Concealed Ruins, and two, we're finally gonna do dat mission to go ta Mt. Avalanche." Everyone watched as I opened the letter and read the mission. After I did, it broke apart, tearing to tiny bits.

I raised an eyebrow, "Real secret stuff. The message tore itself apart. Anyway, we need ta get da Icy Flute from da peak of da mountain. So, Rio an' I'll be leading two different teams ta explore da Concealed Ruins an' get da Icy Flute. Both of 'em are pretty much treasure runs."

Looking around, I noticed that Levi seemed to be in his own little world, with a smile on his face.

I raised an eyebrow, "Levi, ya interested in going ta Concealed ruins?"

Levi tilted his head, thinking, before saying, "Not really. I read legends, but I don't care much for material things, other than books. I was just thinking; I had a friend once. He'd be all over this. He stashed treasure maps and looked for them all by himself before he joined Team Renegade. That's when we met and became friends. But that's neither here nor there; I'm fine with staying out of this one. Besides, I've had my fill of underground for one lifetime. Thanks for asking though."

I nodded, "Savage, Dash, an' Cathy, your comin' wit' me ta explore Concealed Ruins an' look for treasure."

Dash cheered and Savage grunted and cracked his knuckles, "'Bout f***ing time."

Cathy shook, "Um, shouldn't I have more training first?"

I grinned, "No betta training dan field work. Least ya can't complain about bein' bored."

Rio picked up where I left off, "Damus and Penny, we'll be taking care of the mission to retrieve the Icy Flute. Unfortunately, we don't have that many team members that can withstand the cold."

"Ahem." Vlad raised his hand, "What about me? Cold doesn't bother me."

Rio and I looked at each other and I said, "We figured you'd be bored going to another frosty place."

Vlad pretend-gasped, "Does that imply that you think I don't want to be helpful? You're hurting my feelings!"

Rio sighed, "All right, you can come along too."

I cleared my throat, "Now, for da rest of yous, Rose, Mel an' Levi, you're on training for today. Siltram, you've got an outlaw ta find." I slid the mission statement over, "He (or she) stole an item, but nobody saw 'im do it, so nobody knows who it is. 'Cording to da report from da client, he's somewhere in Mystifying Forest."

Siltram nodded. "The client wrote this, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, why?"

Siltram held up the letter to his face and took a deep whiff of it. After he did, he said, "Client's letter and client's item; same scent. I'll find the outlaw by tracking it. You can count on me, boss."

I nodded, "I know it. Hogan, you're on standby today. Your arm ain't better yet, so don't even try arguing."

Hogan shrugged, "I know, I know. Just because I can do things with one hand behind my back, doesn't mean I should."

Savage laughed, "Looks like I'll pull ahead, then."

"Ha! Like I'd ever let you get ahead of me. Once this heals up, I'm training twice as hard!"

I clapped my paws, "Alrighty then, ya all got your jobs, so let's move out!" Rio and his squad started leaving right away, since they had the items in the Treasure Bag. Levi passed his bag to me and wished me luck as he followed Mel and Rose.

I started leaving with everybody else and Mel, Levi and Rose were hanging around the crossroads. Mel and Levi were heading to Treasure Town and Rose was leaving town. Levi said, "Where are you going? Marowak Dojo is this way."

Rose waved her hand, "I have a special training spot for practicing my psychic-athletics. I'll join you later."

I missed the rest of the conversation as I walked off into Treasure Town. Looking through the items in Levi's bag, I decided to pull a stop to Kangaskhan Storage to restock and replace some items with ones better for my current squad.

Prob'ly oughta pick out a TM for Cathy ta cover her weaknesses, now dat she's evolved.

We made our way to Kangaskhan Storage and I switched out the items and looked through a list of the TMs that we had. Picking out Water Pulse, I turned around to hand it to Cathy.

"Alright, Cathy, dis is-"

I looked at the spot where Cathy was. Dash, Savage and I all looked around, not seeing her anywhere.

"The f*** did she go?!" Savage yelled.

-Rose's POV-

"He saved your life and you DIDN'T KISS HIM?!"

I cringed at Cathy's outburst, murmuring, "We were in the middle of a battle…"

She growled, "That doesn't matter! It was a golden opportunity to confess your feelings, and you let it slip by! And I was so proud of you for taking the chance to show your skills to him in battle."

Looking away, I muttered, "Why did I ever tell you about my feelings for Hogan?"

"Because you needed advice about it from someone who's not a guy, and Penny doesn't count."

I looked back at Cathy, "I can't confess my feelings in the middle of the battlefield."

Cathy looked at me disbelievingly, "Why not? It would make a great song. You could call it 'Love in the Crossfire'!"

I was about to respond when a shout sounded from the crossroads a far distance away.

"CATHY! GET THE F*** BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Cathy turned back, "Sounds like it's time to get back to work, or Savage will throw a hissy fit about waiting." As she walked back to town, Cathy looked over her shoulder, "Hogan is here in Treasure Town, you're here training for today; tell him."

"But what if-"

She rolled her eyes, "If he doesn't like you that way, at least you'll know so that you can move on." She turned away and started walking back to Treasure Town. "Trust me; it's better than not knowing."

After Cathy left, I pondered her words for a brief moment before deciding to continue thinking it over while I trained. Usually I ran to my spot to warm up, but since I seem to be a bit rusty in this new body, I decided to teleport there and ease back into it.

-Mel's POV-

When we got to Marowak Dojo, we decided to train in my home turf, the Final Maze. We started out with a brief sparring match, but Levi's mind seemed to be elsewhere.

I stopped attacking and Levi landed on the ground. I tapped the side of my head with a finger. Something on your mind?

He shook his head, "It's Vlad. He seems to have some sort of issue-" I held up my hand and stopped him. Using Mind Reader, I looked into his memories of it.

'Issue' is right… He seems to shy away from anything having to do with his 'living' life. "Some things one tries to forget"? What is that supposed to mean?

I waved my hand for him to continue, and he did, "I tried to ask him about it, but he refused to talk about it. I'm getting the feeling that he doesn't trust us. But then, it might be something that could be a threat to the team. He might be some sort of undercover spy for a team of outlaws, or maybe he's trying to kill one of our members, or-"

I held his beak closed and leveled an unconvinced look at him. Really? About how many of those are remotely possible?

He swatted my hand away and sighed, "You're right. I'm getting carried away. I read too many adventure books for my own good."

His eyes lit up as he seemed to get an idea. "Mel, could you do me a favor?"

I raised an eyebrow. That depends on what it is.

"I want you to try to get closer to Vlad. You're a very down-to-earth Pokémon, and I think that Vlad would be more comfortable telling things to someone like you."

I crossed my arms. "Someone like me"? Is that a shot at me being mute?

Unaware of my gesture, Levi continued, "I don't even want to know what it is that's eating Vlad. I just want him to be able to let it out. If he doesn't, then it'll be bad for his health."

I spat a seed at him and he looked at me. Arms still crossed, I wrote in the dirt with my foot, "You're getting ahead of yourself again. What makes you think that Vlad will tell whatever's bothering him to me?"

He pointed at me with his wing, "I told you, because you're-"

I reached forward and grabbed the tip of his wing, crushing it while glaring at him. Don't play games with me. I'm mute, not stupid.

"Gak! Okay, okay! I admit that the idea came from you being unable to speak." I let go of his wing and he folded both of them behind his back. Wiping away the first message, I wrote, "You know, I could just write out his secret."

He raised an eyebrow, "But you're not that kind of Pokémon, are you?"

I wiped away the message and shook my head. No, I'm not.

Levi nodded, "Good. So will you do it?"

Thinking it over a moment, I nodded.

-Damus's POV-

Rio and Penny were able to handle almost all of the Ice-types alone. I helped where I could while Vlad just floated in the air nonchalantly, throwing Shadow Balls and Shadow Punches occasionally, even sending the attacks through us with the power of his Slip Scarf, attempting to justify it as "getting that one behind you".

The dungeon was plentiful in treasure boxes, though. It was fortunate that I decided to bring my extra bag. Enemies were guarding treasure in several rooms throughout the dungeon. It allowed us to keep the treasure without having to discard extra items that may be useful later. (AN: I wish…)

After a while, Vlad learned Destiny Bond and Penny learned Mist.

As we got further up the mountain, we started looking for items to replace the used ones. This has proven to be a tall mountain to scale. And, unlike Sky Peak, there were no stations to replenish our items. All things considered, even with the foreknowledge of which enemies we would be facing, we were poorly prepared.

"Ooh! This one's mine!" Penny charged an Armaldo with Metal Claw ready.

At least one of us is having fun.

Rio sat nearby in meditation, healing off the damage done by a Mamoswine with Rest. While he did that, I took a mental stock of our remaining food, ammunition, seeds and orbs. We still had two Apples, three Oran Berries, one Reviver Seed, seventeen Iron Thorns, five Unown stones-

I heard something behind me and immediately used Detect.

As I turned around, a Weavile with its claws extended ran past me to Rio.

Rio woke up in time for it to slit his throat.

I immediately threw myself to the side, knocking the Weavile off course and turned, ready to engage it. But before I could, a black ring hit it, and the Weavile was unable to move. Vlad zoomed toward it and used Drain Punch, hitting the Weavile in the stomach. A majority of the wounds Vlad had disappeared.

I heard Rio wake up, "Huh… What?! What's going on?!"

As it cringed, clutching its stomach, Vlad moved out of the way, "All yours, Sunshine, I just needed a refresher."

It seemed pathetic to finish a Weavile in such a pitiable situation, but it was a prudent precaution to at least knock it out until we left, so I hit it over the head. The effect of Vlad's Mean Look wore off as the Weavile lost consciousness.

Penny got back with a few scratches from her fight. She looked at Rio's shocked face, and then at us, and said "Did I miss something?"

Vlad pointed a thumb at me, "Green-eyes here just saved Rio."

"Don't call me that. And I was simply at the right place at the right time." I've tested out Detect during my training runs. It has severe limits, but it allows me to see a short time into the future. (AN: More on this in the end Author Note.)

Rio nodded, "Well, thank you."

I turned to move forward, "You would've done the same if one of us was in danger. Let's continue our journey."

As we went onward through the dungeon, we found more treasure boxes and managed to find a few extra orbs to put in storage once we return to Treasure Town.

Once we reached the peak, we all looked around. Penny said, "Where's the flute? Wasn't it supposed to be here?"

A light flashed and I tensed up, ready to fight. Once the flash subsided, a large blue bird Pokémon was flying in the air in front of us.

It spoke, "Seekers of the seven treasures! I am Articuno! The guardian of Mt. Avalanche! If it is the treasure that you seek… Conquer the freezing cold… I challenge you to surpass your limits… Demonstrate your power to me! Now it begins!"

Articuno fired a massive Ice Beam at all of us, and Rio held out his hands, "Tomb Shield!" A Rock Tomb sprouted in front of us, protecting us from the blast.

Penny jumped up and ran to the top of the Rock Tomb, using Bubble Beam. I took the opportunity to run off to the side and started charging a Razor Wind while Vlad slipped into the floor.

Penny made her stand atop the rock, shooting long-range moves at Articuno, and swiping at it with Metal Claw whenever it drew closer. Whenever it got close to the ground, Rio would try to catch it in a Rock Tomb. He also threw Iron Thorns while it was in the air. Also, a Shadow Ball or a Shadow Punch would fly at Articuno occasionally signaling that Vlad was in the fight as well.

Once I was fully charged up, I threw multiple, less powerful Razor Wind blades to keep Articuno on the defensive. Some of them hit, but Articuno mostly dodged.

Articuno growled and beat its wings hard, raising up a cloud of snow. (AN: Powder Snow + Gust combo.)

In zero visibility, I decided to use Detect to predict its next move and intervene. Once I looked forward, requiring a little time to see farther in the future, I saw that everything was under control.

Once the snow cleared, Vlad was floating over a sleeping Articuno. Vlad laughed, "Fool! I thrive in blindness." He held out his hands and used Dream Eater, sapping away Articuno's energy with a red beam.

Articuno woke up, shocked, and shot an Ice Beam at Vlad. He casually dodged it, floating as if he were in a hammock, and waved his hands, using Spite. Black energy waves emanated and Articuno's Ice Beam fizzled out.

Vlad blew a raspberry and went back into the floor.

Penny tried charging forward while Articuno was still on the ground, but it took flight again. It was slightly more sluggish though. Penny used Brine and hit Articuno directly since it didn't have Ice Beam to counter with anymore.

Rio started charging Focus Punch, but I don't know what he intends to do with it while Articuno is in the air. Regardless, I readied Aerial Ace and charged forward, using the effects of the move to take flight. (AN: It happens in the anime, to non-flying Pokémon that can learn Aerial Ace.)

Pursuing Articuno, I charged to tackle it with my horn. It shot an Ice Shard at me, but I dodged past it and rammed straight into its chest.

I landed and jumped back to avoid counterattack. I turned as I heard rapid footsteps and saw Rio charging with his Focus Punch ready. Articuno was still unaware, so I decided to keep its attention focused on me. I readied Aerial Ace again and flew into the air, attacking it from the front while Rio advanced from behind.

I kept my eye on Rio and didn't know how he intended to reach us ten feet in the air. Right as he was a short distance away, he thrust his free hand down and sprouted a Rock Tomb right underneath him, shooting him into the air towards Articuno.

Still in shock, and remembering that I was now in the line of fire, I cut off the Aerial Ace attack and dropped to the ground. Looking up, Rio's attack struck the center of Articuno's back, sending them both crashing to the ground.

Rio got up first, and ran back to me. Penny jumped off of the original Rock Tomb she was perched on and joined us as well. Vlad was still nowhere to be seen, but he was likely watching from a safe location.

Articuno picked itself up and flew away, one of its wings crooked. After it left, Vlad rose out of the floor beside us and said, "So what now?"

A small orb of light appeared in front of us and a blue box with ice crystals on the corners appeared. Rio walked forward and opened it, taking out a flute made of blue ice with white frost patterns on it.

Our badges glowed and it wasn't like the usual one that got us out of a dungeon. The gem glimmered and changed color, becoming purple.

A promotion? That must mean that Siltram's mission is finished.

After the glow faded, we looked around, and Penny said, "Guess it's time to go. Rio?"

Rio put the Icy Flute away and took out an Escape Orb since we seemed to be on our own for getting out of this dungeon. After he threw it to the ground, we were warped off of the peak.

Funny thing, both a Zangoose and Articuno wanted to join my team, but I didn't write in accepting them (I straight-up rejected Zangoose in the game.), because a) I'm having a strict "no legendaries" rule for the story, and b) I don't want to have any more team members whose characters I have to develop, but I also don't want to have generic "stock" characters in the team.

Also, Detect got a major revamp in this story. It's never made entirely clear what its limits are in the anime. So, basically, in the story, Detect allows the user to see two seconds into the future in an instant. Meaning, that you can see that and not lose any time on acting on the vision, whether dodging or intercepting. However, if you want to see further, it requires more time spent using the move. Meaning, that the opponent can see that you're using Detect and change their attack plan, making the two second vision you saw earlier in the same move useless or you're hit by the move that you saw within the first two seconds of the vision while you're trying to see further. Also, the user can only see events that are happening in the location they are physically at. Wow, looking at this after writing it, I realize there's nothing "basic" about how I made this move. Hope I don't confuse you too much.

One more thing; I love how in anime-style battling, you can use moves differently or combine them for tactical advantage. Also, let me know whether you want me to identify these special moves by new made-up names (like Tomb Shield), or just say "_ used _ like this to _." (*cough* only one person cares *cough*) Leave a review with any questions.