Beyond Time, Over Darkness, In the Sky; A PMD Tale

[DarkAura]

(FYI, the names in brackets are the ones narrating the chapter. Scarlet is the Charmander amnesiac, and Viridia is the Chikorita wimp. The "???" is someone who'll will reveal themself sometime soon. ;P

Oh, and this story will spoil the entire game, so be warned.)

Prologue-- Don't Let Go [???]

I stared at the portal in front of me. I turned to my left and saw my trusted partner giving me an accepting nod. I turned around and saw a dark figure rushing up to us. We had no choice; The fate of the world rested in our hands. We had to go into the portal.

With a gulp, I jumped through while grasping hands with my lifelong partner. My friend.

Everything was going OK... Until an attack came into the portal with us. From the corner of my eye, I saw it heading straight for my friend. I pushed her to the side and we both just barely missed it.

"Ack... A-Are you OK?" I asked.

The pull of the portal had become stronger. I couldn't hold on to her hands anymore. "N-No... We're becoming separated!" she said.

"NO, DON'T LET GO!" I yelled, the force of the portal creating a din noise.

"I-I can't hold on any longer!" That's when the next attack hit her. "WAAAAAH!"

Chapter One-- Amnesia Strikes [scarlet]

"Uhhnn"

I woke up to the sight of clear blue skies. Sitting back up, I could tell I was near a beach. The waves ruffled as if it had its own tempo. The sand felt as soft as a cloud. Behind me, I could see a small cave.

OK, so I just have to get back home, no big deal, I thought. That's when it hit me; Where was home? I hadn't the faintest idea where I lived, nor who my family were. The most horrid thought had just come to me; Who AM I?

I panicked and started hyperventilating. My breathes were short and rapid. When this became too much, I fainted.

Chapter Two-- The Big Day [Viridia]

I gulped as I approached Wigglytuff's Guild. It had always been my dream to join there! But... I was just a chicken. I couldn't get the courage to join at all. I always wimped out when I went up to there. It just wasn't fair!

"No! Today, I will not be a yellow belly!" I coaxed myself as I stepped on the cold, iron, circular bars.

"WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?" A voice rang.

"WAH!" I yelped, surprised.

"THE FOOTPRINT IS Viridia! THE FOOTPRINT IS Viridia!"

I turned and rushed off, afraid of what would happen next. When I got some considerable distance away from the guild, I sighed.

"Oh, I'm just a coward... I'll never have the courage to join Wigglytuff's Guild..." Using my leaf, I picked up my special treasure from my bag. "I thought this would help me, but it didn't..."

I sighed once more, then headed to the Beach. The Beach always calmed my nerves...

Chapter Three-- Keheheh [Zubat]

I glared at the Chikorita who wimped out from joining the Guild. What a loser! Even if she did join, she'd get pummeled in a week or less! Although her little treasure was pretty valuable...

I snapped my head at Koffing, my 'Partner in Crime', I guess. "Hey Koffing," I said. He turned and both of our eyes met. "Did you see the treasure that chicken had? We coudl smuggle it and get rich off of it!"

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Koffing complimented, which always made me feel good.

The two of us followed the Chikorita to the Beach, being very careful to not be seen.

Chapter Four-- A Newfound Friend [scarlet]

"Hey! Wake up! Can you hear me?" A voice rang out.

For some reason, I wanted to call out a name, but my mind drew a blank and I could not remember the name. Reluctantly, I sat up and saw... A Chikorita? The Chikorita couldn't have been hte voice, so what was?

"So I saw you passed out on the beach, and I went... to help you..." The voice said, faltering at the end. The voice belonged to the Chikorita!

As expected, I fainted again. The Chikorita had to wake me up again.

"My name's Viridia," she said, "What's yours?"

"Scarlet," I blurted. I hadn't a clue why I knew that was my name, but I came to the conclusion that the only thing I could remember was my name and that I was a human girl.

"So what brings you here? Surely someone could have noticed you walking at the beach," Viridia asked.

I told her the whole story, of how I just woke up on the beach with no memory whatsoever. I didn't know why I was so comfortable telling her. Maybe it was just because I seemed to trust her. Maybe it was only because I needed to tell someone. Either way, I found a new friend.

Chapter Five-- Stolen Treasure [Viridia]

This Charmander's story was weird, but somehow, I believed every word of it. Call me gullible (No, don't, I can't handle others making fun of me), but this is something that seemed truthful to me.

I saw Scarlet looking at the treasure in my leaf. "Oh, this is my special treasure," I explained. "It brings me good luck."

The weight on my leaf became lighter. My treasure was gone! I truned around and saw a Koffing with my treasure on his head. Next to him was a Zubat. Both were laughing.

"GIVE IT BACK!" I roared!

The two snickered and went inside Beach Cave.

"C'mon, let's get your treasure back!" Scarlet said, hurrying to the cave.

"I-I-I can't!" I cried. I was scared to death of Mystery Dungeons. For one, they were always random, and all the Pokemon in it were angry and would hurt us! I couldn't go in!

Scarlet noticed that I was as stiff as a tree. "Come on! We have to get it back!"

With tears in my eyes, I followed.

I supposed I overreacted; It wasn't that scary. All I saw were Shellos. But they tried to hurt me! At least I didn't get hurt much, what with me being a Grass type. But Scarlet got hurt worse, since she was a Fire type. Poor Scarlet. She didn't know what to even do. She just stood there, taking the beating.

I tacked a Shellos that was going in for another hit. It fainted. More Shellos started coming towards us. I became scared. My legs wobbled. The room was spinning. I just wanted to leave right then and there. I shut my eyes for two seconds, then I heard Scarlet say, "Whoa..."

Opening my eyes, I saw scattered leaves on the ground, and all the Shellos were fainted. Did I... just send out a Razor Leaf? I thought.

While I was thinking to myself, another Shellos was about to attack Scarlet. Seeing me use a Razor Leaf, she understood what to do and Tackled the Shellos, which, in turn, made it faint. "This is easy!" Scarlet remarked.

We both noticed some stares, which brought us lower down in the cave. We kept on going down stairs until we got down the final floor, where we cornered the Zubat and Koffing.

"Keheheh," The Zubat laughed. "You won't get this without a fight!"

"Bring it on!" One of us yelled. Surprising even to me, the voice was me. Why had I spurted that out? Usually I was timid and would be afraid of a fight. Maybe it was because they stole something of mine, or maybe I was with my new friend. Either way, we fought.

I used a Razor Leaf on the Zubat while Scarlet used a Tackle on the Koffing. We both defeated the two.

"Now give her her treasure back!" Scarlet demanded.

The Koffing handed the treasure to me and I put it in my leaf, grasping it more carefully, to avoid this from happening again.

"Doesn't matter; We got it appraised. It's worth nothing!" The Zubat remarked. Both the Koffing and Zubat left, with just me and Scarlet inside. We then left and went back to the beach.

"Thanks for helping me get my treasure back..." I thanked.

"No problem."

"Hey... Listen," I started, still trying to get the sentence to form. "Um, there's this thing called Exploration Teams, where they go and help others in dungeons like the one we were in. And to make a team like that, I'd need to join the guild, but I'd chicken out... Would you start an exploration team with me?"

"Ok... I don't have anywhere else to go, so that seems nice..." Scarlet agreed.

I would have jumped with joy, but instead, I smiled. "Great, let's go!"

Chatper Six-- Into the Guild [scarlet]

As we approached the Guild Viridia was talking about, I got a lump in my throat. For one, it seemed more like a hippie cult, what with the tent and the Pink Pokemon on top. There was also a steel grate, which made me slightly more nervous.

"You'll love it! I mean, searching for legends and lore here is just the place! Go on, step on the grate," Viridia coaxed.

I gulped and did as told.

"WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?" A voice yelled.

I almost stepped right off, but I managed to stay on.

"THE FOOTPRINT IS... uhh... errr..." The voice said, trying to determine who I was.

"DIGLETT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" Another, more intimidating voice roared.

"I-I'm sorry! But this Pokemon hasn't been here before!" The first voice remarked.

"FOR THE LOVE OF..." The second voice yelled. "IT'S OBVIOUSLY A CHARMANDER! JUST LET IT IN!"

The gate opened, and I went towards it. I only went next to it so that way both of us would go in at the same time.

Viridia walked up to the grate. "I can do this. If Scarlet did, so can I..." She coaxed herself, then stepped on.

"WHOSE FOOTPRINT, WHOSE FOOTPRINT?" The same voice said.

Viridia tried her complete best not to get off.

"THE FOOTPRINT IS Viridia! THE FOOTPRINT IS Viridia! YOU MAY ENTER!" The voice said, and Viridia got off the grate in the blink of an eye.

"You did it!" I cheered. From what I've noted so far, Viridia was shy. I was glad she was able to not chicken out.

The two of us walked in and were greeted by a Chatot.

"Oh? New recruits?" The Chatot said as he observed us. He turned around. "These two won't make it through the harsh training we have here," He whispered to himself.

I could hear what he said just fine, but Viridia apparently didn't. "What was that?" She asked Chatot.

"Err, nothing! Now then, you wish to join?" Chatot asked

"Of course!" I replied.

"Very well then. We'll take you to Guild Master Wigglytuff!"

After climbing down a set of stairs, we went to a room. Inside was a Wigglytuff.

"Guildmaster, we have some Pokemon who wish to join," Chatot said.

"..."

"Guldmaster?"

"...ZZZZZZZZZZZ"

Chatot sighed. "GUILDMASTER!" He yelled.

"ZZZ- Wuh? Oh, Chatot. Hello," Guildmaster Wigglytuff said after being awaken.

"We have two Pokemon who wish to join."

"Let 'em join!"

"WHAT? But. But. They have no training whatsoever!"

"Nonsense! More friends make everyone happy! Now, did you get the Perfect Apple?" Wigglytuff asked.

"I'll get them right away!" He went out of the room.

"So, what shall your team name be?" Wigglytuff asked us.

"Team name?" Viridia asked. She turned to me. "What should the team name be?"

I thought long and hard about it. Eventually, I came up with a decision. "Heroes. Team Heroes!"

"Perfect team name!" Wigglytuff chimed. "You are now an official team! Just take some badges, then go on to sleep! Your rooms are at the far right!" He pointed to some badges, which we took. WE left the room smiling and went to our rooms.

"Hey Scarlet?" Viridia asked.

"Hmm?"

"Why'd you name our team "Heroes"?"

I had to think about it. Why? Certainly an amnesiac like me couldn't be a hero. Could I?

I didn't answer. I just laid my head on the pillow and went to sleep.

Chapter Seven-- The First Guild Day [Viridia]

"WAKE UP!" A voice roared, which woke the two of us up with headaches.

"Uhhhg," I groaned. "Do you have a headache too?"

"Yeah..." Scarlet replied.

I gasped. "Oh my gosh! Today's our first day as Team Heroes!" I squealed.

"Right!" Scarlet remembered, and the two of us left our room. When we got to the main room, many Pokemon were there. There were Chatot and Wigglytuff, whom we both already knew, but there were also a Sunflora, Bidoof, Chimecho, Croagunk, Diglett, Loudred, Corphish, and a Dugtrio.

"Now then, today, we have two new recruits," Chatot said when we walked in. "They are... Er, Viridia and Scarlet, yes."

Everyone started staring at us, and I felt like I would die of embarrassment.

A wave of "Welcome"s and "Hi"s crashed down before us.

"Now then, let us teach our new recruits of the morning cheer!" Chatot explained.

"A ONE, A TWO...A ONE-TWO-THREE

ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK!

TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY!

THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

After the cheer, everyone went one way or another. Chatot walked up to us. "You two. Go upstairs and take a job request."

"What are job requests?" Scarlet asked.

Before Chatot could answer, I spoke. "See, a lot of Pokemon are going rogue because of the disruption of time. So rescue teams have to calm them down and rescue people, if necessary."

"Yes, Yes..." Chatot murmured, annoyed at me. He walked away.

I pointed to the stairs with my leaf. "We go that way Scarlet!"

We went down the stairs and saw the Bulletin Board. I picked a random Job Request, read it, and smiled in satisfaction. "This isn't hard. It says to retrieve a Spoink's Pearl from the Drenched Bluff on Floor 7. That doesn't sound too hard!" I chimed eagerly. I didn't care how dangerous it was; I wanted to go on an adventure!

Chatot, who walked behind us, said, "Oh... and you only get 10% of the pay."

I raged. "WHAT?! But-But-That's not fair!"

"Everyone has to; It is fair. It just doesn't seem good to you. The 90% goes to funding the guild, so it's all in good cause!" he explained, then left.

I grunted. The nerve of him! I sighed as I turned to Scarlet. "Oh, the money's not that important anyway. C'mon, let's go!" I said, pulling Scarlet with me to the Drenched Bluff.

Chapter Eight-- A Vision, perhaps? [scarlet]

I'm still an amnesiac Charmander, by the way. We got to the Drench Bluff, which wasn't that hard. It was actually pretty easy. Needless to say, we got Spoink's pearl.

"Oh, thank you so much!" The Spoink thanked when we all got back in the guild. The Spoink gave us 2000 dollars!

"WE'RE RICH!" Viridia cheered.

Chatot, who was in the room, took 1800 dollars, leaving us with only 200. "Yes, but you only get ten percent." He said, then left. The Spoink left the guild too.

"Oh well, getting thanked for our efforts is great enough," Viridia mused. "Let's go to sleep now, OK?"

"OK," I agreed.

"WAKE UP!"

Loudred's voice woke us up with headaches again. The beds, however, were so comfortable! I slept like a baby!

"THREE, SMILES GO FOR MILES!" We said our cheers, then dispersed.

Chatot and a Bidoof walked up to us. "It's about time you go to the town square. Bidoof with guide you." Chatot left, leaving us with a hyperactive Bidoof.

"Golly, I never had members junior than me! Let's go!" Bidoof cheered as he lead us to the town square.

I supposed it was a great place. Bidoof showed us the Duskull Bank and the Kangaskhan Storage. Some of the places weren't open yet, but we didn't need those open.

When we got to the Kecleon Shop, there was a Marill and Azurill.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kecleons, can we buy an Apple for our mother?" the Marill asked.

"Certainly. Here you go," The green Kecleon replied, giving them two apples.

"Oh, but we only needed one."

"The second one's a gift from my brother and I to you and your brother."

"Gee, thanks Mr. Kecleons!" the Azurill thanked. Marill and Azurill started to walk off, but the Azurill tripped, dropping one of the apples.

I went to pick it up, but when I did, I started to feel... funny. It was like the entire world stopped for jsut a brief second. In that second, everything turned black, and all I could hear was a "HEEEEEEEELP!"

Everything became normal again. Did I... Did I imagine it? I looked behind me, and Viridia was looking at me quizzically.

"Scarlet... Are you OK?" she asked.

"Y-yeah..." I replied. "Here you go Azurill," I said, giving the apple back.

"Thank you!" both Azurill and Marill thanked in unison, then left.

The purple Kecleon stared at me. "Is anything the trouble missy?"

"No sir..." I lied.

Bidoof walked in front of me. "If you're OK, then you'll have no trouble going back to the guild. I'll see ya' later!" He walked off.

We started to head back, too, but the Green Kecleon stopped us. "Oh, you two. You're new to Treasure Town, right?"

"Yes sir," Viridia responded.

"Then take these two Apples and two Reviver Seeds as a welcome gift," He said, giving us the items.

"Thank you," Viridia and I both thanked, then walked off.

We saw the Marill and Azurill again, but this time, they were talking to a Drowzee. I didn't know what they were talking about, and I guessed Viridia didn't either, but Azurill and Drowzee started to walk off. The Drowzee bumped into me, and I experienced yet another vision of sorts, though this time, it was more than just a sound.

The vision showed Drowzee cornering Azurill, saying, "Alright, now get the treasure for me, NOW!"

"HEEEEEEELP!" Azurill screamed.

Everything became normal again, and Azurill, Marill, and Drowzee were already gone.

Viridia just stared at me. "What's wrong Scarlet?"

I told her about my visions, about how Azurill might have been in danger.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner!? We need to save him!" Viridia exclaimed.

"We can't. I mean, I think this might be my imagination... Let's go to the guild and see what Chatot thinks," I said.

"OK..." Viridia glumly agreed as we went back to the guild. As expected, Chatot was there, waiting for us, with Bidoof next to him.

"Now that Bidoof has shown you around, it's time for you to take outlaw challenges. To put it simply, you must capture outlaws," He explained. "Now... hrm, this one seems easy enough."

Viridia became stiff as a stick. She started shaking violently with tears streaming down her face. "S-Sc-Sc-Scarlet... L-l-l-look..."

I saw on the top right of the board a face all too familiar. It was Drowzee! He was a wanted criminal!

"Come on, we need to save Azurill!" I yelled as the two of us left the guild, leaving Bidoof and Chatot confused.

As we ran out, we saw Marill. "Marill, where did Azurill and Drowzee go?!" Viridia pleaded.

"To Mt. Bristle. They should be back any moment now from retrieving our mom's lost item," he replied.

"There's no time to waste. Come on Viridia!" I yelled as we headed towards Mt. Bristle.

Chapter Nine-- Emotion Commotion [Viridia]

We blurred through the nine floors. I rampaged passed the enemies. I actually didn't know why I wasn't usually timid of the enemies. Maybe it was because I was determined to save Azurill, no matter what the costs.

We reached the top of the floor and saw just what Scarlet's vision was like.

"Where's our mom's item, Mr. Drowzee?" Azurill asked, looking around.

"It's not here," He replied.

"Huh?"

"You see that hole?" Drowzee pointed.

"Yes."

"I'm a criminal, and there's treasure there. I'm too big to fit under there, so you have to get it."

"WHAT?! No!"

"Don't make this hard for yourself. Alright, now get the treasure for me, NOW!"

"HEEEEEEELP!" Azurill screamed.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" I yelled.

Drowzee turned around and saw me and Scarlet. He chuckled. "Oh. I thought it was some pro rescue team. Why don't you stop bothering and leave us alone?"

"No way!" Scarlet protested.

"If you're gonna make it difficult for yourself, then prepare for a beating," Drowzee challenged.

I attacked with a Razor Leaf, which... Didn't do that much damage. Scarlet went in for a Tackle, which blew Drowzee back a few feet.

Drowzee attacked Scarlet with a Confusion attack, which hurt her dearly. She was on the brink of fainting, but Scarlet got a huge boost of power. Anger boiled inside of her, and she let loose flames from her mouth. She used Ember!

Drowzee started to get dizzy, but was able to use Hypnosis on Scarlet, which put her to sleep (Not the killing kind, mind you).

I became angry yet again, and I attacked with another Razor Leaf, which didn't do much damage, again.

Drowzee used Confusion to finish Scarlet off. I cried "NO!" as Scarlet fainted. I rushed towards her. Oh, what could I do?!

Drowzee was coming towards me. Fire flashed in my eyes. I would avenge my friend's fainting. I ran with full speed straight towards Drowzee. My attack finished him off, and he landed with a thud.

Breathing heavily, I rushed back to Scarlet. I remembered the Reviver Seeds the Kecleon Brothers had given us. Searching in the toolbox, I got it out and fed it to Scarlet. Her eyes fluttered to life.

"W-What?" She said, confused. "Did we beat him?"

"Yes Scarlet!" I cheered. I looked over to Azurill, whom was cowering in fear. I walked towards him, reassuring him that we wouldn't hurt him. Scarlet and I brought him out of Mt. Bristle and back to his brother.

"Oh, thank you Team Heroes! You've saved my brother! How can we ever thank you?!" Marill thanked.

"It's no problem; Your happiness is thanks enough!" I replied.

"Thank you for saving me!" Azurill said.

"If you ever need anymore help, we'll always be here!" Scarlet said as the two of us went back to the guild.

That night, in our rooms, with Scarlet sleeping like a baby, I kept on thinking about one subject. Why was I so prone to anger and courage so recently? I mean, I'm usually timid and a scaredy cat. Was it because I met Scarlet and she gave me courage? Or was it because I just am, and this happening at the same time as meeting Scarlet was just a coincidence? Whatever the case, I was glad. Well, I know I shouldn't be too angry and courageous, but having some of it is really comforting to me.

I rolled over on my bed. I just couldn't sleep. I stood up, careful not to wake up Scarlet, and I walked out into the main room of the same floor. There, I saw Bidoof sitting.

"Bidoof?" I asked.

He turned around and smiled. "Oh, golly, hi Viridia. That was a really great job you did saving Azurill."

"What are you doing up so late?"

"Gosh, I could ask the same for you."

I smiled. "You couldn't sleep either?"

"Yeah... I'm just... Thinking... Hey Viridia, can you keep a secret?"

"Of course I can," I replied.

Bidoof reached over for a diary-like book. Actually, Bidoof having a diary doesnt seem too Farfetch'd. (Pun intended) He gave it to me. "Y'know how I said that I was the newest member before you came?"

"Yeah."

"Read the book, and you'll see that I wasn't just some ordinary newbie. You'll also see why I didn't become the newest member for long. One you're done, could you give it back?" He stood up and started towards his room.

"Sure thing!" I said before he walked in. I went back to my room and started reading.

(YOU'VE UNLOCKED BIDOOF'S WISH!)

Special Episode #1-- BIDOOF'S WISH [bidoof]

Golly, having a diary is so cool! I wish Sunflora told me sooner. But this is to tell all about my life in the guild.

When I left my family and joined here, I didn't know what to think. I had no way of knowing what to expect! Of course, many guild members helped me, but golly was it still hard! Not to mention Chatot being mean to me more than once just for some mistake!

Like this one day, I was still hungry after dinner, so I ate some of the delicious apples. Chatot came in and he froze like an ice cube!

"A-A-Are y-you eating Guildmaster's P-Perfect Apples?!" He stammered.

"Ayup," I replied.

"Oh no no no no no no no! Guildmaster will be FURIOUS when he doesn't get his Perfect Apples. BIDOOF! As punishment, you are going to skip dinner tomorrow! I need to get some Perfect Apples FAST!" he screamed, then flew off (Come to think of it, that was the only time I'd seen Chatot fly...). So I skipped dinner the following day...

The day after, Chatot told me that I wasn't competent enough to do job rescues and outlaw arrests! He made me do chores. Golly, those weren't fun! He then said that one day, I'd be good enough, though not today...

My first chore was to go and check how many Oran Berries are on sale from the Kecleon Shop. I did as told, and they said there were two Oran Berries on sale. The Kecleon Brothers noticed my glum face.

"Why so sad?" The purple one asked.

"Golly, Chatot won't let me do any rescue missions. He's only making me do chores and errands..."

"Well that's not fair!" The green one exclaimed.

"I know!" As my eyes drifted around, I noticed, in Purple Kecleon's inventory, that there was a TM. It was Hidden Power! Oh, that could make me a powerful explorer! "Mr. Purple Kecleon, how much is the Hidden Power TM?"

"This? It's 6,500 dollars," he replied.

What an outrageous price! But... But I had the money. Before I left on my journey, Mama gave me 7,000 dollars. I took the money out, debating whether or not to buy it. Maybe I shouldn't. Mama gave me the money for an emergency, and this wasn't an emergency. Saddened, I put the money back with me.

Just then, a Snover ran up to me, gave me some kind of paper, and ran off. I saw a Gligar and Bagon running towards me, and I hid the paper behind me.

"Hey kid, have you seen a Snover?" the Bagon asked.

"uh... Yup Yup, he went that was," I said, pointing to the direction of the bluff.

The Gligar and Bagon ran off, and I was standing there, confused.

"uh, Bidoof? Do you even know what happened?" The Green Kecleon asked.

"No sir," I replied. I left the Kecleon Shop and went back too the guild. I told Chatot the number of Oran Berries on sale, and I went back into my room.

I took out the piece of paper. The paper had many creases and felt very brittle, but I managed to see what it was, which seemed like a map. The title of it was Star Cave. I became giddy and excited, but, seeing as it was late at night, I fell asleep.

"BIDOOF! YOU OVERSLEPT! WAKE UP!"

Whu? Oh golly! I must of overslept! I bolted out of the room, and I made it just in time for the Morning cheers.

"THREE, SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Everyone left, and I went up to Chatot. "Hey Chatot?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever heard of a place called Star Cave?"

"Oh, yes. It's a place with an unknown location. Legend has it that Jirachi sleeps there, and whoever find it gets a free wish of anything they desire!"

I started to get excited. I had the map to Star Cave! I couldn't wait to go! Jirachi would grant me the wish of becoming the greatest explorer!

Chatot noticed my eagerness. "Err, anything the trouble, Bidoof?"

"No sir, nothing at all," I lied.

Before Chatot could ask anymore questions of suspicion, Loudred yelled from across the room. "BIDOOF, YOU'VE GOT A VISITOR!"

A visitor? For me? Golly! I went up the stairs and went out the guild. There, I saw the same Snover who had given me the Star Cave map.

"Oh, you were the one I gave the map to, right?" he asked.

"Yup yup!"

"Thank Arceus! See, the Bagon and Gligar had me cornered because they knew I had the map, but I didn't, because you had it. Can I have the map back?"

I became sad. I didn't want to give the map up. Reluctantly, I gave it back. "So does the map really lead to Star Cave?"

"Yeah! Hey, how about you come with me? I could surely use the help!"

"Sure!"

"Terrific, I'll be waiting at the edge of the town." Snover then walked off.

Oh boy, this would be so fun! But... Chatot would never let me go... I went back in the guild and told Chatot I had a stomach ache.

"Is that so? What about the legendary appetite you have? Sure that couldn't have given you a stomach ache!"

"I guess I just ate one too many..." I lied, trying to sound as hurt as possible.

"Hrm... OK, you can take a day off from working."

"Thank you Chatot," I said, then walked off and went to Snover.

"OK, let's go!" I exclaimed.

The dungeon wasn't hard at all; We got through to a deeper part, called Deep Star Cave.

"So, how much farther is it?" I asked.

"For you, not at all," Snover replied.

Before I could think about what that meant, two figures jumped on me. It was the Bagon and Gligar from earlier! "W-Wha?"

"You see, the three of us are called Team Rogue, and we saw your money from yesterday. We're going to mug you!" Snover replied joyously.

"But-But... Everything was just an act?" I asked, tears coarsing through my face.

"As you would say it, yup yup!" Snover laughed.

The three started to corner me, and I kept walking back. So this is how it would end. I shut my eyes, but then I heard something like a group yell. When I opened my eyes, I saw all the members of the guild circled around Team Rogue.

"You see Bidoof, we followed you because you were acting very strange!" Chatot explained.

Everyone fought Team Rogue, and they soon ran off. Wigglytuff walked up to the back wall and began examining it. "This isn't a real wall."

"Oh my gosh, what do you mean?" Sunflora asked.

"It's fake. It leads to Jirachi."

Everyone started to become excited, talking about what they would wish for. Wigglytuff stepped up. "No, only Bidoof should go. This is still his journey."

With some "Aws", the guild smiled for me, and I went through.

"Wigglytuff, why didn't you go get a wish?" Corphish asked.

"Huh?"

"Well, you could have wished for a bunch of Perfect Apples!" Diglett replied.

"..." Wigglytuff started for the back wall, and everyone had to hold him back.

Inside, it was just a circular, damp, cave room. But there, in the middle, was a sleeping Jirachi.

I poked it. Jirachi stirred. I poked it again, and it mumbled, "If.. yu wunt a wush, yu neud to fught me..." The it snored. However, Jirachi rose up, still asleep, and began fighting me.

"WAH!" I exclaimed from the surprised attacking. Alright, if it wants a fight, I'll fight!

I repeatedly use Growl, which made Jirachi's strength weaker and weaker. I then repeatedly use Defense Curl. After that, I attacked full on with Tackle, which eventually defeated Jirachi.

"Ha ha!" Jirachi laughed, now awake. "I'm fully awake now, thanks to the awesome battle! Now, Bidoof, what is your wish?"

My wish? At first, I wanted to wish to be the greatest explorer... But what good would that do? If I really wanted to feel proud and have satisfaction, I'd have to work at it with hard work and determination that would soon pay off.

I though for a bit, and I came to a conclusion on what I would wish for. "I wish to no longer be the new member. I'd like to have a buddy or two junior than me, so that I could help them around."

Jirachi smiled. "You are a rare one Bidoof. Your heart is of gold and your soul is pure. I'd be honored to grant your wish."

Jirachi shut its eyes and mumbled a prayer of sorts. "It is done. Your wish will be shown in a few days or so. Goodbye, Bidoof. It's been an honor to grant your wish." Jirachi then fell asleep.

I walked back out to see the guild members holding Wigglytuff back. "uh..."

"Oh, hi Bidoof. Did you get your wish?" Sunflora asked, holding back Wigglytuff's left arm.

I smiled. "I sure did."

"What did you wish for?" Corphish asked.

"You'll see soon enough."

When Wigglytuff finally gave up, we all went back to the guild, and I had a nice, satisfied sleep.

The next day, my wish came true. We got two new members. One's a Charmander named Scarlet, the other's a Chikorita named Viridia. There were finally two members who were junior than me, 'cause now I get to teach them and be a kind of a mentor.

Did I regret making that wish over the greatest explorer wish? Not at all, because, like I said, to become the best explorer, I need to use hard work and determination, which will show for itself. I also need to be patient, something that Chatot was trying to tell me earlier, but I was too stubborn to listen.

I'm really glad that Viridia and Scarlet are now apart of this guild. They aren't just junior members; They're my friends.

Yup. Yup.

Viridia smiled. She put the book back in Bidoof's room, now having new-found admiration of Bidoof, and being honored to have such a great friend as Bidoof.

Chapter Ten-- Sentry Duty [scarlet]

"WAKE UP"

Viridia and I woke up on command, and this time, our headaches were slightly less worse. Slightly.

"THREE, SMILES GO FOR MILES!" We concluded our morning cheers. I was about to lead Viridia to the job bulletin board, but Chatot called us over.

"Diglett's father needs him to man the bulletin boards, so we need you two in charge of Sentry duty," he explained.

"Uhh..." I started to say.

Chatot mumbled something, then continued explaining. "See, remember when a voice called out saying "The footprint is your name" when you first came? That's what you do on Sentry duty. You just examine the footprint and determine which Pokemon it is."

"Sounds easy enough!" Viridia perked.

"Yes, yes, LOUDRED!" He yelled from across the room to Loudred. Loudred walked over. "If you have anymore questions, please consult Loudred." Chatot then left.

"SO, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?!" He roared.

Viridia and I exchanged quick glances, and we both silently decided not to ask anything to avoid any yelling from Loudred.

"GOOD! NOW GO DOWN THERE!" He pointed to the hole beside us.

As ordered, we walked down. It was really dark! I mean, I couldn't see Viridia at all, but I knew she was in front of me. More than once, I bumped into her on out trek down. She'd say, "Ow" and I'd say, "Sorry!" over and over again.

We could finally see a light at the top, which was the grate. We were ready.

The first foot was large and flat.

"WHO'S FOOTPRINT, WHO'S FOOTPRINT?" Viridia stated, trying her best to say it loud and monotonous, though she was doing poorly.

I snapped into some kind of trance. I couldn't even control my actions. Think of it this way; Have you ever had a dream that you were perfectly aware you were dreaming, but you had no control whatsoever? It was exactly like that, except I was awake. I mumbled, "Charizard."

Viridia glared at me, like it wasn't me she was looking at. "Uh... THE FOOTFRINT IS CHARIZARD'S, THE FOOTPRINT IS CHARIZARD'S!"

The figure went by, and, since there wasn't any other that came, Viridia rushed up to me and examined me. "S-Scarlet?" she stammered.

This time, a small, roundish footprint came by.

"Pichu." I mumbled again.

"WHO'S FOOTPRINT, WHO'S FOOTPRINT? THE FOOTPRINT IS PICHU'S, THE FOOTPRINT IS PICHU'S!" Viridia yelled, trying to complete sentry duty and check up on me at the same time.

"Scarlet, what's wrong?" she asked, waving her leaf in front of my eyes. I didn't bat an eyelash.

Viridia started panicking. She took short, rapid breathes. I could tell that she wanted to scream for someone to help me, but we were too underground for anyone to hear.

"Scarlet, snap out of it!" Viridia exclaimed.

I finally had control of my body. However, that was short lived, for as soon as I blinked, I started seeing... images. Some were going too fast for me to describe. There were some images showing some guild members covered in blood. One particular image showed Viridia sprawled out on the floor, her face smushed up and blood seeping from everywhere. The images overwhelmed me, and I fainted.

I woke up in my bed in the guild. Viridia was there, reading a book.

"Viridia?" I asked.

When she looked at me, the worry in her eyes were engulfed by a sea of relief. "Oh Scarlet! I'm so glad you're OK!... Scarlet... What happened back there?"

For once, I didn't tell her anything. As of now, I've been so comfortable in telling Viridia everything. But now, it seemed best to keep what I saw to myself. She'd panic too much if I told her of the particular image.

As I stayed silent, Viridia just stared at me. She finally walked out of the room with her book, leaving me all alone in our guild room.

Chapter Eleven-- Time Gears [scarlet(Again)]

"THREE, SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Instead of dispersing, Chatot kept up all standing, stating that he had a very important announcement.

"Now then, I'm afraid I have terrible news. It seems that the Time Gears have been stolen!"

Everyone gasps, even me, even though I had no clue on what Time Gears were. Whatever. I'd ask Viridia later.

"Yes, the Time Gears," Chatot continued. "It seems that an eye witness reported a lone figure going right up and taking it. Now the area- A forest area -has become still and motionless. Now we need you, the guild members, to investigate some areas to see if there are Time Gears there. If there are, we need you to protect it with your life. Please get ready, then come back here."

Everyone walked off, and I went up to Viridia.

"Hey Viridia, what are Time Gears?" I asked.

She looked at me uneasily. I could tell she was still pretty miffed about last night. Nevertheless, she answered. "Time Gears are what keep the world in motion. If one were to be taken, the place that holds it would become motionless. Time wouldn't flow. There are five Time Gears in all, and if they are all stolen... The world ends." She shuddered at the last part.

The two of us got some supplies from the Town Square. We then returned to the guild, where everyone was waiting.

"Now that everyone's here," Chatot started, "I'll give each of you a place to search for Time Gears. Scarlet, Viridia, you two shall go to Waterfall Cave."

We didn't stay for the rest of the speech. We bolted out, and before we knew it, we arrived at Waterfall Cave.

Waterfall Cave, was, well, a Waterfall. I didn't see any cave. Viridia walked up to the waterfall. After touching it just slightly, she was pushed backwards.

"Whoa! That's one strong Waterfall! But... There's no dungeon here..." She remarked.

Curious, I walked up to it. Like Viridia, I was bolted back, but I then had another strange vision. It showed a familiar silhouette walking up to the scene where the two of us were now. The figure jumped in the waterfall, disappearing on sight.

As my sight returned to normal, I finally realized where the Waterfall Cave was!

"Viridia, I know where the cave is, but you have to promise me you'll be brave." I said, turning to her. I knew too well that she was a wimp.

Despite her shuddering with fear, her cold glare transfixed on me. She turned to the water fall, then back at me. Viridia took a deep breathe as her leaf grasped my hand. Silently, she nodded her head.

Together, we jumped.