Loudred had given up trying to wake us up, so we didn't see anyone immediately in the morning. "Should we start trying to split up the jobs?" Hex asked us as we got ourselves awake. "I mean, now that you two have proven yourselves to the Guild? Not that we would ever doubt you!" she added hastily. "They probably wouldn't have let us do so until Wigglytuff was certain you could handle yourselves."

     I nodded. "Yeah, then we can get double the Poké, right? I'm up for that."

     Pika's eyes shone brightly, little bits of electricity sparked along his fur as he nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!" he said. "That means we can possibly explore two new places at once!"

     Kip peaked out of our room and down the hall to the main floor. "Hey, guys, they're assembling for the morning roll. We should probably get out there, too, and quick. Something is going on, it looks like. Everyone's excited."

      We hurried out of the room just as Chatot and Wigglytuff left the Guildmaster's chamber. Chatot cleared his throat loudly, and said importantly, "Everyone, give me your attention, if you please." The chatter stopped, but not immediately he glared around until there was total silence. "The Guildmaster and I have heard of a lake far to the east, and many aspects of that lake remain mysterious. We hope to be the ones to unravel those mysteries, so our Guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while."

     Mumbling among everyone began softly, but it didn't take long to grow in volume. Before long, everyone was clamoring about the prospect of being chosen for the venture.

     "Ahem!" Chatot glared at us all, Pika was the only one who was paying perfect and uninterrupted attention. I didn't doubt that, if asked, he could repeat everything Chatot said about this lake after the morning briefing. "That means that the Guildmaster and I will be picking some of you to come along, as many of you know." The chatter cut off almost abruptly. Everyone was orderly and not a word came from anywhere. "We will depart in several days," Chatot continued, beginning to pace in front of us. "Over the next few days, we will choose the most worthy apprentices who both can handle and benefit from this task, and those chosen will form the expedition party. Everyone, leading up to the departure, should work hard to have a chance of being chosen for the exploration party!"

     Finally, Pika met my eyes, and his fur looked comical with all the small charges of electricity that danced across it. "Pearl! A real expedition!"

     I smiled at his eagerness and enthusiasm. "You'll have to be chosen for sure," I said. "No one is as enthusiastic as you!"

     He had nothing more to say, he seemed so ecstatic. I like the smile and light in his expression, and I smiled happily back at him. Though the sight sent some bittersweet thoughts through my head -- I remembered something, I remembered being that happy before, but I couldn't remember why or when. But I did remember sharing a smile with someone, someone human. A male human. But what did he mean to me? I couldn't remember, I felt as though I had a mental restriction on my memories, and only small parts were getting through.

     I must have been staring blankly for a noticeable amount of time, since I felt some Pokémon nudge me. It was Pika. "Come on, Pearl, cheer up," he said gently. He still had the excitement in his eyes, but he was pushing it aside at the moment to focus on me.

     I put on a smile that wasn't wholly fake, and nodded. "Sorry, I just had a small fragment of memory come back -- just an emotion from the past. Seeing you so lively for this exploration made me so happy, and I vaguely remembered feeling that happy and ecstatic at sometime in my life. Let's get a job, right?"

     Pika, satisfied, happily led the way to the next floor, where Hex was already picking out a job. "Who's paired with who, now?" he asked her.

     Hex pulled down a poster and glanced it over before responding. "I think we should go with me and Kip partnering each with one of you. Since Pearl and I are both fire-types, I think if you came with me and she went with Kip, we'd be better at defending against our type-disadvantages. Sound good?"

     Pika and I nodded, Hex filled him in on the job she chose, and I glanced around for Kip. "I thought Kip was already up here," I said to myself.

     Hex shook her head. "He said he wanted to check Croagunk's, I think he wants to find special items for you two. Pearl gets the Fiery Globe, it is very similar to my Afire Collar but doesn't heal, just negates a water-type attack, and is the generic fire-type-exclusive item. And Pika, you get the Volt Globe, which is the same but for ground-type attacks. Those aren't species-specific, as my Afire Collar can only be used by Ninetales and Vulpix, but they are for use by all with your type, and are pretty much just as useful. It's slightly easier to get type-specific items than a species-specific item. It helps incredibly for places that are that type which is very harmful to you."

     Focused on the outlaw posters and the introduction of items to help in different areas as we three were, none of us noticed as a Pokémon came up behind us until he called, "And you'll NEED IT," before breaking into laughter. Mocking, horrible, laughter.

     I whipped around, I could sense Pika had sparks dancing across his fur without looking, and I could feel Hex's heat from where she was behind me. The one to laugh wasn't a friendly or unfamiliar face. It was the Zubat from the beach cave, where Pika got his piece of treasure stolen. Where I almost plunged into the waters there.

     I cursed at him. "What are you doing here? Hoping this guild is corrupt and will help make you rich?" I growled, blood boiling. I heard my heartbeat in my ears.

     "Hold up, Pearl," Hex said calmly, though I could tell it was veiling her confusion. She now knew this Pokémon wasn't friendly, but she didn't know what happened. She was ready to fight at our sides, but didn't know why.

     "Do as you're told," the Zubat taunted. "You wouldn't like it if you met the Chief. No item you'll get can protect you from poison-type attacks so specifically!"

     "And he'll destroy all of you on his own!" added another voice, this time I could recognize it as the Koffing who was with the Zubat. He floated down from the upper level.

     Pika, all this time, was quiet. I couldn't tell if he was afraid, or so angry he couldn't speak.

     "What, for what we did against you? Stole back something you stole from us? Survive the fight in the cave? I thought those were perfectly legal things." I made eye-contact with both, but neither flinched. "Guess I was wrong," I added in a snarl. "Us succeeding must have been so horrible for you."

     "You!" the Koffing said, addressing Pika. "Come with us for a second."

     Before we knew it, they pulled Pika aside, but we followed close. I was prepared to fight them, and felt fire in my throat flicker. However, with a glance at Hex, I got the feeling she wasn't expecting too much trouble because we were in the Guild. I glared at the Koffing and Zubat, stepped close behind them, and tried not to breathe in the Koffing's gas cloud as he spoke to Pika. "Now, don't take this the wrong way, but you should just forget about being on a successful exploration team."

     I immediately shouldered the Koffing aside, and a few seconds later I heard something hit the wall. When I risked a look, I saw Hex pin the Zubat against the outlaw notice board firmly. She growled something low to him, but I couldn't hear what the warning was. With a startled question, Kip got up the ladder from Croagunk's special shop. Pika hurried over to him, though I did see sparks come off his cheeks.

     "Don't you dare think you have the right to speak to him," I growled, trying to breathe shallowly. The gas wasn't pleasant to inhale. "Neither of you." I turned my glare on the Zubat. "Stay away from us. You tried to push us around, that didn't work last time, and it won't work this time. You won't be thieves and thugs for long around here, that's a promise. And, frankly, I tend to keep my promises, thank you very much."

     Both the Koffing and Zubat started laughing. "Our Chief could beat you four alone right now, you two aren't threats!" the Zubat crowed. "He's incredibly talented. Had he have been on the beach last week, he could have decimated you without us!"

     "He's brutally tough," the Koffing added smugly.

     The Zubat smirked. "If the Chief was around, we three would snap you four like twigs easily."

     I had a quick retort ready, but a horrible, pungent odor crept around us -- worse than the Koffing's gas cloud -- that grew stronger by the second.

     The Koffing laughed triumphantly, and purple gas started to surround him instead of his normal, yellow-ish gas. "Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!" He was adding Smog to the odor, making self-asphyxiation sound appealing as my vision started going, and my lungs burned for even half-breathable air. Hex pawed at her snout, releasing the Zubat from the wall.

     As I stumbled away from the Koffing's toxic gas, I heard creaking from above, on the ladder. A Skuntank made his way down, the ladder groaning and swaying slightly under the weight of the large Pokémon.

     The Skuntank, noticing us as we stood around the outlaw board, ordered, "Move! Out of the way!"

     The anger I felt toward them certainly helped me stay where I stood, but the reality was that the toxins in the air and in my lungs made it harder for me to move, I was too weak, even if I had wanted to. Hex and Pika seemed to be in the same situation. However, as it so happened, I stood in the way of the Skuntank the most. Pika tried to help Hex move toward the ladder, and Kip watched me like a Staraptor.

     The Skuntank raised an unamused eyebrow at me, then scowled when I didn't move. He took a deep breath and blew out a horribly toxic smell. Is this how I die, from suffocation? I stumbled backward, recoiling from the poisonous air, but I tripped on my tail, fell, and couldn't get back up. My head was spinning. I felt myself get roughly kicked aside. I heard Pika and Kip call something, but I couldn't make out the words.

     I felt myself get dragged away from the notice board, and I noticed a blue blob in the corner of my eye, then a yellow one with another orange blob. "Pearl?" I heard Kip's voice softly. I felt him gently nudge me. "Here, eat a pecha berry." I heard Pika murmur something to Hex, probably offering her a berry, too. Did he have any himself? Or did he inhale less of the gases? "Pearl," Kip said, more firm. "Eat the pecha berry. Open your mouth if you're too weak, but you need this. You breathed in a lot of poison." I tried reaching my talons to where I heard Kip, but they were heavy and unwieldy. I gave up and just opened my mouth, and I tasted the sweet juices of a pecha berry as Kip gave it to me. It took a little bit to feel mostly clear of the toxins, but I felt good enough to go on a job. Though the odor stuck around, the three thieves were gone.

     Once we all had clearer heads and lungs, I asked, "What was that?"

     Hex shook her head. "Skuntank and Koffing are physically toxic Pokémon naturally, it's in their biology. But it doesn't have to be in their personal nature."

     I growled to myself. "Let's just get our jobs for the day and get it done." I gave Kip a determined glance. "Kip, are you up for an outlaw hunt?"

     Kip didn't smile, but there was something in his eyes that let me know he was happy about that. "Yeah, let's go choose one. Hex, Pika, good luck on your assignment."

     Hex nodded. "Same to you two."

     I couldn't wait for a fight. If only it could have been that group of thieves instead of just an outlaw.

✦ ❦ ✦ ❦ ✦
January 7, 2019
     Wow, it's been almost a year since I added a chapter to this. I never meant to do that, and I'm sorry. But hopefully I can get myself back together again for the new year.
     I have so many ideas for this, but the more interesting point come once the Time Gears are introduced and more memories of Pearl's resurface.
     This chapter isn't as long as it was supposed to be, I have more I need to take from a notebook to computer, but I figured I should get this half out first, since it is done. Fingers crossed that the next update happens February 3, and not in another year. I hope you guys enjoyed, and have a great start to the new year and your semester of school, if you are a student. I'm back, really.