The Grovyle took a moment to look at me and wink. I was dumbstruck. How was this possible? I looked where his wounds had been. But that was the thing. They were all gone. I finally snapped out of it and ran to help. We stood side by side facing the Mightyena.

"Eat this!" said the Mightyena fearsomely.

A pulse of dark energy came from his forehead at us. It was Dark Pulse.

"Jump!" said the Grovyle beside me.

"Why!?"

"Just do it!"

We jumped. I looked down and saw the dark wave of energy pass under us.

"Hit him with everything you've got!" shouted the Grovyle.

He let loose a powerful Solarbeam while I let out my most powerful Flamethrower attack. Instinct told me that both of our attacks were critical. Sure enough, when they hit the Mightyena he went down for the count.

"We did it!" I shouted.

"Wait, look!"

I looked where he was pointing. The Mightyena was getting back up. The Grovyle was too panicked to notice what I did. The look in his eyes…

"I can't believe this." I stated, dumbstruck for the twentieth time today.

"What?"

"He wants to join us." I retorted.

"………Correct." said the Mightyena.

The Grovyle gaped at the Mightyena and I just shook my head. He walked over.

"…You have extreme potential as a duo…and even more as a trio. I'll come out and ask. Can I join your team?"

I looked right back at him and knew what to say immediately.

"Hell yeah!"

"What!" the Grovyle nearly screamed.

He whipped around to look at me like I was crazy.

"Are you crazy!?"

"I was crazy enough to stand up to that big Rhyperior for you wasn't I?"

He fell silent. I strode off toward home and made a follow me gesture towards them. They followed, the Grovyle looking the Mightyena over suspiciously the whole way. We got to my house and walked in. I brought two chairs for them and sat on my bed.

"Alright right now I'm on a mission to find someone. First things first, I don't know either of your names. So I'm Tyson…

"My name's Grant." said the Grovyle.

"…My name is Nathan." said the Mightyena reluctantly.

I'd watched as Tyson had entered his house. He had to be alone when he met me. This was quickly becoming complicated. I need to separate them even if only temporarily. I walked away lost in thought.

This was good. I had a name basis now.

"Alright neither of you know but a couple of months ago someone thought it would be funny to rig a water bucket trap above my door. I was hospitalized for two weeks. My only current mission in life right now is to find the person who did this. Will you two help me?"

Grant looked thoughtful for a moment while Nathan looked ready to answer as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

"…Absolutely, Tyson." Nathan said firmly.

"Sure you saved me from that bull-headed Rhyperior. Why not?" said Grant.

"Alright then, Nathan do you have a good sense of smell?"

"Yes, I do. Let me guess, you still have the bucket."

"Yeah, follow me."

I walked into the back room of my home with them following. I picked up the bucket from the table I'd left it on. It'd been upside down to dry faster.

"Alright, see if you can get a scent."

Nathan sniffed tentatively at the bucket. He looked thoughtful for a moment then finally looked solemn.

"I can't get enough to follow, but it's definitely a water type. There's something else about the scent that I can't place though, like a second type."

Nathan, for the first time since I'd met him seemed confused, even if only a little.

"Why can't you tell the second type?" Grant asked Nathan critically.

"Something about it is very familiar. That's all I can discern about it."

This was weird. What kind of type would be familiar to a dark type Pokémon? Another dark type maybe?

"Nathan, could it be a water and dark type Pokémon?"

"…! Yes, that's the second type! Dark and Water." Nathan said surprised.

"Alright then that doesn't leave us many suspects. There are only three known water and dark type Pokémon. Carvanha, Sharpedo, or a Crawdaunt. The question is which of the three is it?"

"I think it's a Sharpedo! He could have a bunch of Carvanha helping him." Grant said, sure that he was right.

"What's to stop a Crawdaunt from having Corphish helping him?" Nathan retorted.

I had to say something before they started arguing.

"Look let's go into town and see if there are any nearby Sharpedo or Crawdaunt. Then we'll decide on our next course of action."

They both obviously agreed. Nathan nodded while Grant was already heading towards the door.