Author's Note:

Welcome back to the part of the story where I attempt to make exploring four consecutive mystery dungeons interesting. This chapter makes a few minor changes to the original story, but it means we get to see more from Wigglytuff (:

"Another forest, huh?" I said as we stood at the entrance to the next dungeon.

"Looks like it, which means more Grass- and Bug- types," Brandon responded. "What level do you learn Peck, again?"

I checked my badge. "Apparently I should already be able to learn it," I answered. With a bit of effort, I focused energy into my beak, causing it to glow slightly. "Correction: I can already use it."

"That's good, because we know how useless I am in those matchups," he continued. "Are there any moves I should try to learn?"

"You should learn to read," I said as he handed me his badge. "Reflect at level seventeen, then Magical Leaf at twenty. You've got a while before you get any new moves."

"Hey, it's not my fault I can't read. You said you would teach me," he defended, taking his badge back. "In any case, you should take the lead. With all this fog around I doubt my Synthesis will be of much use."

It turns out we didn't have to worry so much after all. Upon entering the dungeon, we were met with several Normal types, and while the Hoothoot were a bit problematic, relatively few pokemon were immune to Brandon's Poison Powder. We managed to find two more oran berries than we used, as well as a foe-fear orb. Still, the fog made progress slow.

"Any idea how long this dungeon is?" Brandon asked me after a while.

"No clue," I answered, "there's nothing in my badge's database about this place. Well, the dungeon anyway. There are plenty of rumors about a treasure hidden in the fog."

"I can only assume that treasure is why we're here. Did the rumors say what it is or is it impossible to know?" he questioned further.

I checked my badge again before responding, "It doesn't look like anyone knows what we're looking for, but there is one legend that might interest you. Apparently, some explorers have managed to navigate the fog and even reach the treasure, but there's a legendary pokemon guarding it that can erase memories. If that's true, then anyone who found the treasure wouldn't remember it."

That seemed to get Brandon thinking. "There's a pokemon that can erase memories here, huh? I can't help but wonder about my own lost memory."

"Do you think the two are related?" I asked.

"Perhaps. To be honest, there is something oddly familiar about this place. I might be overthinking it though; most forests are at least somewhat similar," he concluded. Then, after a moment of thought, he asked, "Do you think we might find that pokemon?"

"We have to find our way through this dungeon first," I reminded him.

Luckily for us, the rest of the dungeon was mostly uneventful. The few pokemon strong enough to pose a threat to us also scared off the other hostiles, and they were no match for us two against one, especially after I learned Bubble Beam. It didn't take long for us to reach the end of the dungeon, where we were met with countless small waterfalls pouring down on us from the top of some strange cliff. At least, I think they came from the top; it was still too foggy to see very far.

From what we could see, we determined that all the nearby mystery dungeons let out here, indicated by the paths on either side of us. Where the paths conjoined there was a large stone statue, and upon closer investigation, we discovered we were not the first to reach this place.

"Hey hey hey! You finally caught up," Corphish greeted as we approached the statue. "I was starting to think no one else would find this place."

"Wait, are you alone here?" I asked in response.

"The rest of my group split up to explore the other paths. I think the Guildmaster is with them," Corphish answered, gesturing to our left. "I'm still convinced we're missing something here though, so I stayed behind."

Brandon examined the statue closely. "It does look important. That's Groudon, right?"

"Yeah, that's Groudon," I confirmed. "Supposedly it has the power to create intense sunlight. If the statue shares that power, it might lift the fog."

Corphish led us to the side of the statue. "There's an inscription here, but it's some sort of riddle. I couldn't figure it out."

We studied the inscription, but I quickly realized Brandon was lost. Since he still couldn't read, I read the inscription out loud.

"Trapped in fog, a treasure lies.
The key to see is in my eyes.
Light them and the fog will rise,
Then cast your gaze upon the skies.

My hidden world, one of art.
Lost in fog, but where to start?
Should you wish the clouds to part,
Ignite the fire in Groudon's heart."

Brandon continued to study the inscription while Corphish and I explored the statue itself. It was incredibly realistic, matching the pictures I've seen of Groudon perfectly. The eyes were hollow, and there was a small crevice in the center, but seemingly nothing to interact with. As suspicious as the statue was, I was starting to think we hit a dead end investigating it.

Soon Brandon joined us in front of the statue. "Where to start… ignite the fire… in Groudon's heart…" he repeated to himself quietly. Upon seeing the crevice in the statue, he had an idea. "That would be Groudon's heart, right?"

I looked closely at the statue. "It could be, I guess. I suppose you have an idea of how to 'ignite the fire' now?"

"It could be as simple as using a Fire type move in that hole," he suggested.

"Hey, hey! The guild doesn't have any Fire types! How are we going to use a Fire move without one?" Corphish wondered.

"We have a blast seed," I suggested. Grabbing the seed from my bag, I placed in the heart. "Brandon, think you could hit that with Razor Leaf?"

"Easily. Let's hope this works," he replied as he fired his attack.

The Razor Leaf hit the seed, causing a small explosion. A moment later, the statue began to shake violently. I thought it was about to fall apart until I saw Groudon's eyes begin to glow a warm, yellow color. Suddenly, a blinding light burst from the statue. When I reopened my eyes, the fog was gone.

"Looks like it worked, hey hey!" Corphish celebrated.

"Cast your gaze upon the skies," Brandon quoted, already looking above us. Following his example, I looked up to find that the cliff in front of us curved outward to form a chalice. At the top: the source of the waterfalls and a faint blue glow.

"That must be where the treasure is!" I exclaimed.

"I can't believe we found it!" Corphish continued, "I'll gather the rest of the guild while you two go on ahead. I need to find my team anyway." Corphish then scurried away, and we were about to explore like he had suggested when we heard a familiar, unnerving laugh behind us.

"Chaw haw haw!"

I think I lost count of how many times I passed that same waterfall. Seven? Eight? Thirty-six? Eh, probably not. On the bright side, I finally got away from Chatot. I know he means well, but he can be such a bore sometimes. After all, I'm the Guildmaster. That means I make the rules, so just let me go off-protocol once in a while. Our explorers can handle themselves; I just want to make my own discoveries sometimes. Then again, if I'd gotten myself this lost, I probably wouldn't find anything anytime soon.

I was shaken from my thoughts when I heard a rumbling sound in the distance. Deciding to investigate, I followed the sound only to be blinded by a flash of light. Where did that light come from? It was far brighter than anything I'd ever seen, even putting luminous orbs to shame. When the light faded, the fog around me had been lifted. That meant someone made a discovery without me! I just had to catch up to them, lest I be left out of the fun.

I broke into a run to find the source of the light, only slowing down when I noticed someone approaching me. "Oh, Corphish, hello friend! Did you lift the fog?"

"Well… sort of. I was there, at least, but Crest and Brandon are the ones who did it. They are just along this path, hey hey. I'm looking for the rest of my team before I continue exploring, but Team Strength should be moving ahead soon," he explained.

"Okay, good luck then. Catch up soon!" I replied before continuing down the path at a slightly slower pace. Sounds like I made the right call by letting Brandon join the expedition. I could only imagine how excited Crest was to make his own discovery, and I doubt that would have happened if he were on his own.

It didn't take long to catch up to my newest recruits; by the look of things they hadn't gotten very far before Team Skull interrupted them. Neither team had noticed me yet, so I decided to stay back and see what would happen. This was my chance to confirm my suspicions about them. If they acted out of line now, I would know that everything Brandon told me was true, and I could kick them out of the expedition.

From my less-than-hidden hiding spot, I could see Skuntank taunting Crest and Brandon, and it wasn't long before both sides took battle stances. Seems my experiment went a bit too far. If I didn't interfere now, someone would end up getting hurt.

"Wait!" I shouted, causing the explorers to look around in confusion. Thinking quickly, I pulled a perfect apple out of my bag and rolled it between the two teams. "Wait for me! Perfect apple, perfect apple!" I exclaimed as I ran after it. Upon reaching it I said, "There you are, perfect apple. Yay!" and proceeded to dance the apple on my head like I always would at dinner.

This, of course, drew looks of surprise and confusion from everyone involved. Well, everyone but Brandon, who knew it was an act. Skuntank was the first to speak up. "Uh, Guildmaster? What are you doing here? We were kind of in the middle of something."

"Huh?" I feigned my own confusion as I turned to face Skuntank. "Oh, hi friends! I was walking along this path exploring when my perfect apple went rolling and rolling away from me." Quickly spinning around to address my recruits, I urged them to leave the Poison types to me. "Now friends, the fog has cleared, right? That means you have a job to do. Go on, explore in the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!"

"Um… right. We'll get going now," Crest replied, clearly eager to leave. As he and Brandon left there was an objection from Skuntank.

"Guildmaster? I think perhaps my team should be going as well," he said, trying to follow Team Strength.

Of course, I wasn't going to allow it. "Huh? Oh, no no! There's no need! We will wait here for their report." I turned around and pretended to be distracted by my apple, but I could hear the trio of Team Skull scheming behind me. That was fine; if those three wanted to attack me, it would be their own downfall. My trap was set, all that was left was for them to take the bait.