Sorry for the long hiatus! Going to a university and trying to figure out my future made me lose the motivation to write this, but it seems to be coming back. Hopefully it stays that way! And thank you for sticking around, especially since I used to update on the third of each month -- some of you remember that, I'm sure, but others don't. Hopefully, those of you who haven't seen me do that will see me do it in the future.

We all had gotten up early in the morning, discussing possible tasks to keep us busy and productive (or Pika, at least), to have the best possible chances of joining the expedition party. However, aside from handing over most or all of our Waterfall Cave gems, taking as many jobs as possible per day became our only alternative. Even with both notice boards, and any difficulty of task, hitting two Starly with one stone became a challenge. It would have to do.
"We're going to be late for role call," Kip mentioned again. "Everyone but Wigglytuff is out there already."
"What, Chatot's out there already?" Hex asked. "Normally they join the apprentices together."
Pika peeked down the hall, and I noticed little sparks dances across his yellow fur. "Maybe it has to do with the exploration, or the party!"
I smiled. Seeing Pika excited like that made it easy to forget yesterday even happened. "Maybe. Or maybe it's the opportunity we're looking for. Could they be handing out special assignments?"
Hex shrugged. "Wouldn't it be nice? But I don't think they'll supply us with special assignments, we're supposed to show our worth."
Kip cleared his throat and shifted anxiously. "We should really go see what's up instead of guessing in here."
"Right." Hex nodded to Kip. "Lead the way, Timekeeper."
Chatot shot Loudred a pointed glance as we got in line, I imagined him asking why Loudred didn't wake us up or call us to role call. Loudred just shrugged, bored. Not my problem anymore, I imagined his reply. Chatot, unsatisfied with that answer, gave us a glare before Wigglytuff joined us from his chamber. Chatot then cleared his throat and addressed the Guild.
"Everyone! ♪ I have an announcement before we get down to business. Let me introduce our new allies. ♪"
The murmuring cut off before it began. "Allies?" Kip voiced to us quietly.
Pika scowled in confusion. "I wasn't expecting that."
"Is it another Guild?" I asked. "Is there another Guild?"
Hex didn't say anything, thoughts busy in her eyes. As I took a breath to ask if she was alright-- "Allies," she said finally. "Who would we ally ourselves wi--" she cut herself off by cursing, and reaching a paw up to her nose.
A gaseous smog filtered down from the upper levels, vaguely purple in color. Thought it floated toward the windows, the stench was overpowering -- and familiar.
Our curious guildmates' conversation cut off as they, too, reached for their noses. Dugtrio and Digglett submerged themselves up to their eyes to avoid the smog.
We, Team PokéClan, all shared a glance full of dread, and three words. Skuntank. Gastly. Zubat.
The three Pokémon filed down the ladder, striding over to stand beside Chatot and Wigglytuff.
Chatot's voice cut through the chatter. "These three are our new partners. ♪" Even as he said that, he couldn't keep the disgust out of his voice -- he hated the stench, too, and was trying not to breathe just as much as the rest of us.
Koffing laughed, maybe he found it amusing that we all would rather suffocate right now. every laugh added a new puff of toxic air to the smothering smog. "I'm Koffing."
Zubat, without the poison breath, also laughed, but it sounded like a screech. "Zubat here. Glad to meet you."
Skuntank didn't laugh. Instead, he wore an air of cool professionalism, and there was no mistaking his pointed glance at Pika and I. He's looking for a reaction. Pika, don't react. I wanted to grab Pika's paw in my talons and reassure him, that I'm right next to him, we've got each other here. But as Skuntank's eyes bored into ours, I knew that would be an irrevocable act of weakness. Hold in there, soon we'll be out and taking down outlaws. "I'm Skuntank, Team Skull's chief. Remember it." He addressed us. "Especially you."
I just kept my chin up and matched his glare. I could only hope Pika did the same.
Chatot didn't miss the exchange. Not entirely, anyway. Uneasily, he glanced between us. "What, you're already acquainted?" he said. "That simplifies things. ♪"
I took a breath to correct him--
"Don't," Hex whispered, a paw on my back. When I turned, she had a quiet glare in her eyes. "We don't need to drag anyone else into this feud."
I hesitated, and nodded. She's right. But she also said "We," and not just me, or Pika and I.
"These three aren't joining the Guild as apprentices," Chatot continued. "They will be joining our upcoming expedition to lend us their assistance. ♪" Skuntank gave us a smug grin.
Even Hex gasped at that. "They're what?" Pika blurted.
Chatot turned his glare on Pika--
"He means to ask if Team Skull is taking any positions for our own apprentices," Kip interjected before anyone could say anything.
"Skuntank," Hex's whisper startled me.
I glanced at Chief Stench, noticing him watching Pika, then glancing between him and Chatot.
"He was about to say something," Hex went on quietly.
"Chatot, sir," Chief Stench began calmly, the cool professionalism back from his gloating. "It's not a big deal. That one always overreacts to every little thing." He addressed Pika, continuing, "No, we're not taking any apprentice positions."
"Correct," Chatot agreed.
I reached over and gripped Pika's paw now, glaring openly at Chief Stench, sending a message. If you mess with him, you're fighting me. Pika's fur prickled with electricity, and my talons and arm felt like pins-and-needles, like it had been numb. I just gripped it tighter. He squeezed back.
Chatot warily glanced between Pika and I, and Chief Stench, before he continued, "The Guildmaster decided that having this trio take part will make us stronger on the expedition. However, it would be less efficient if we started working together one the first day. Therefore, the Guildmaster and I decided with Skuntank that Team Skull should live with us for the next several days before we leave. Though it will be for a short while, I ask everyone to treat our allies with hospitality. ♪"
Kip, Pika, Hex, and I said nothing. The other apprentices, however, murmured and whispered their concerns to one another.
Chatot continued the normal morning routine, despite everyone sounding much less spirited. Wigglytuff, through his dangerous biding that proceeds an equally dangerous outburst, wordlessly demanded our spirit. One "HOORAY!" later, the Guild, which had begun to shake, stopped, and no sign of his anger remained as everyone dispersed to their tasks. However, I had the grim satisfaction of seeing Team Skull just ask scared as the rest of us. Wigglytuff, the universal equalizer.
The lack of fellow apprentices left us with Team Skull.
Chief Stench lumbered over to us, laughing. The sound made me wonder if he swallowed a hairball. "Glad to have met you," he said, before leading his exploration team up and out of the Guild, his teammates laughing as well.
Pika's ears drooped, and Hex came up next to him. "Let's just avoid them and hope these days past quickly," she told him. "You know, keep busy. And within eye-sight of one of our guildmates."
I came up on Pika's other side. "Let's get our jobs and head out," I agreed.
Hex nodded. "Pika, you're with me, Kip, you go with Pearl."
Kip and I would take the one-stone-two-Starly jobs in Drenched Bluff, an easy item retrieval and a low-leveled outlaw, while Hex and Pika took on a more challenging outlaw in Tiny Meadow. Hex thought a new place to explore would cheer him up. After that, we parted ways to our respective mystery dungeons.
"Team Skull had to show up now," I huffed, trying to keep my composure. "I can't spend time and mental energy wondering about my past or preparing for the expedition when I'm trying to watch Pika's back and mine in case they try something."
"We could temporarily stay elsewhere," Kip suggested. "Doesn't Pika live in Treasure Town?"
I sighed. "Yeah, but I don't want to give Chief Stench over there the satisfaction of chasing us out of the Guild, even temporarily. They'll enjoy it too much, not to mention take it as a sign of weakness or fear."
"So?" Kip asked. "We know our value."
"Pika doesn't." I kicked a rock into a puddle. "When Pika goes on the expedition, and he's without one of us, they'll harass him and belittle him. One of us has to go with him, otherwise I'm going to follow them at a distance and harass them." I huffed out another plume of angry, red fire.
Kip gave me an alarmed look. "Pearl, you can't do that. You might get dismissed from the Guild entirely for not only going without permission, but harassing allies. As rotten as they are."
"But Pika--"
"Is a grown Pokémon," Kip interrupted firmly. Maybe if he goes without us would benefit him in the long run. You can't shelter him."
"--won't fight back if they decide to make this an issue," I continued icily. "We weren't exaggerating." I forced myself to take a long, deep breath. "But I don't want to run this around in circles with you, I'll do enough of that on my own until this is over."
"Then why did you bring it up?" Kip asked.
I sighed. "If I'm not chosen -- I want to go to see if any memory triggers out there -- and Pika is, if you or Hex go, I want one or both of you to stay by his side. I'm the least likely to go, considering how much Chatot and I have clashed. But even a blind Pokémon can see Pika's passion, and how he'd benefit from this."
"Of course," Kip answered, taken aback.
I halted, looking into Kip's eyes. His eyes held a question as I tried getting him to understand. "Pika is a good Pokémon," I went on. "If Team Skull does anything to him on the expedition, I will destroy them. I will destroy them," I repeated. "As if I were a full-grown Charizard, or Groudon. They will wish Zubat and Koffing never tried their little stunt and met us at all."
"Pearl?" Kip asked cautiously. I refocused on his eyes, and his eyes weren't afraid like I expected -- they just held concern. Concern for me.
I closed my eyes, took another deep breath, letting out a plume of steady, yellow fire, and relaxed. "I'm fine," I said, as I resumed walking, Kip following. "It just killed me this morning when they mocked Pika in front of the entire Guild. And a few days ago when you guys met them and they taunted the two of us. I will fight them, all three of them, by myself if I ever have to. If they ever do anything to Pika."
"Pearl, they are more experienced Pokémon," he pointed out, worry in his voice. "They know cheap and dirty tricks. You probably could hold out for a bit, but not long enough to beat them all. They would pummel you if they ever got the chance."
"Not if I used my ability."
"No," Kip said firmly. "It's unstable, and you don't know how it works. If you ever did," he added.
I gazed at him over my shoulder. "Pika's worth it."
Kip just gazed at me, his gaze nearly unreadable. But the pain in his eyes was unmistakable. "I know," he murmured, more to himself than to me. "That's how you are. You don't stop fighting."
I faced forward, sighing again. "I just wish he knew that he has so much worth."

✿ Oct. 14, 2019 ✿
Yikes this was a but late in coming. I need to stop planning chapters when I have papers due the same week, so maybe I'll switch to every 13th instead of the 3rd.
     So as the title implies, this is only half of the chapter I wanted to get out to you guys, but I need to get the rest written and then typed up, and I feel guilty for not having anything longer considering I "gave" myself an extra week -- and didn't use it how I'd said I would. When I get the other half finished, I'll be throwing it in this chapter and update the title from having [first half]. There will be a break in the paragraphs when it's added, I wrote that in, actually, so I thought it was as good of a place as any to break it up.
     As some of you probably have played the games, you know what incident the title implies. However, I am putting my twist on it, so hopefully you guys'll like it. Until then, and it should be soon finished, I give you some more character development between Pearl and Kip, and an insight on Pearl's relationship with Pika.
     Thank you guys so very much for sticking around. I want to get back into writing, and I will.