"Holy cow! We're actually goin' through with this, Chu!" I babbled excitedly to my newest friend, a pikachu.

"I'm so excited," she replied joyfully as we waited for elder Whiscash to finish his previous engagement, retelling the Ninetales legend to a Bulbasaur and Totodile called Team Gidanoko. "Let's aim to be the strongest team ever."

The flame on my tail wavered in delight.

"Whiscash, sir, may we please speak with you?" I requested politely—a rare event— as Team Gidanoko walked away, whispering anxiously to each other.

"Flare, you know I'll never object to visitors," Elder Whiscash chuckled cheerfully. "What did you want to speak about, girls?"

Chu piped up, "We wish to form a rescue and exploration team. Flare volunteered her house to be our base."

"Well, that sounds like a wonderful plan! Any ideas for the name?"

Exchanging a look and nodding, we responded, "Team Spark!"

"Hmm," he thought it over for a moment. "Spark is a brilliant name for a team of a fire-type charmander and electric-type pikachu. I approve you, Team Spark, as an official rescue and exploration team. The Pelipper Post Office should deliver your first mission requests and starter package tomorrow. It will contain a normal rank badge, a bag for your items, and some useful berries that I'm sure Flare already has a million of."

"Hey!" I cried, indignant at being made fun of for being "overly" prepared.

Chu laughed and thanked Elder Whiscash. When we left, I jumped in excitement as Chu giggled and grinned.

Sifting through our mailbox the next morning, I yanked out the supplies and our first mission request, lifting them high in the air like first-place prizes. Chu yawned and shuffled out of our two-room base, and I announced that a Skitty was asking for a rescue from floor 13 of Sinister Woods.

The trek went smoothly until we reached floor 10. A level ten Wooper wobbled up to us, took note of our types, and continuously used mud shot, a ground-type move that both of us were weak against. Chu shot off a thunderbolt before I could remind her that Wooper are dual water-ground-types and immune to the effects of electric-type moves. The foe retaliated with a mud shot square in her chest, and I used one of my many oran berries to prevent my partner from fainting.

"Chu, didn't ya say ya know grass knot?"

"Oh, right! Wooper are susceptible to grass-type moves. Back me up with your oran berries, okay?"

"Gotcha!"

After an exhausting battle in a grass-knot-mud-shot-oran-berry-grass-knot cycle, the Wooper finally fainted.

Chu panted, "I thought Wooper weren't supposed to be that observant."

"Beats me."

Compared to that drawn-out battle, the last three floors were a piece of cake, and our debut mission was dubbed a success and rewarded with a reviver seed.

The two of us slept soundly that night, oblivious to the changes the next morning would bring.