"Are you out of your mind!? Absolutely not!"
Inside the Wigglytuff Guild's headquarters, a loud shout made all the apprentices stop what they were doing and turn their heads in unison. In front of Chatot, Team Omnipotent Travelers covered their ears after suffering a full-on blast of the colorful bird's shout.
At this time, the Guild members were making a last-minute preparation for the expedition. But it seemed a problem had arisen from the newest team.
"Do you have any idea about the dangers of our journey?! We're not going on a picnic, lives will be at stake here! You can't just bring an untrained Pokemon, much less a child!"
"Calm down, Chatot. You know us. Do you really think we'll risk getting Teddiursa hurt?"
"Yes. I'll make sure to protect Teddiursa with my life."
"Mr. Chatot, I'll try my best to behave. Please let me go with you~"
"Urk!"
Looking at the teary-eyed Teddiursa and the confident Dante, Chatot had a headache. If it were any other team, he would have sat them down and drilled into their heads just how dangerous what they were suggesting was.
But this is team Omnipotent Travelers!
Not only did they conquer a previous 2-star and now 6-star dungeon, they also defeated the Legendary Pokemon residing there!
When Pikachu first started bragging about their team's adventure on Mt. Thunder during the guild dinner, he had been skeptical. It was only when Dante took out a glistening drop of water to ask about its use that he began to believe them.
Although he wasn't certain about its origin, based on his exploration experience with the Guildmaster, the aura it emitted does feel similar to the Legendary drops they sometimes encounter.
He stared in disbelief at the time, wondering how this exploration team formed in only 2 or so months was able to achieve this feat. A Legendary Pokemon, a symbol of the pinnacle of strength, and they fought with it to the point it surrendered.
Chatot looked at Dante, Pikachu, Azumarill, and Teddiursa. His head lowered in deep thought before finally sighing.
"I'll ask the Guildmaster for his decision."
He turned around and headed into Wigglytuff's room, his expression showing he already knew what would happen. A few minutes later, Wigglytuff came out with a cheerful smile.
"Yoom-tah! More friends during the journey are always welcome~ It will be more fun! Fun, fun, fun!"
He held Teddiursa's hand and hopped around. Teddiursa giggled and danced along with the Guildmaster.
With the Guildmaster's approval, Dante and his team helped everyone pack up all the important things in the base before Chatot gave the last debriefing of their expedition towards Fogbound Lake.
Fogbound Lake is a lake located far to the east of the Grass Continent. However, due to being perpetually enshrouded by a dense fog, its actual existence has never been confirmed. The only rumor of its existence was due to a mirage of the said lake.
Because of this, many speculations circled around the place. The most popular rumor among Exploration Teams is that there is a treasure hidden in the lake, being protected by the foggy mechanism.
"I've already flown over the destination in the past week and determined a general route. Here."
Chatot took out the Wonder Map and drew a line.
"As you can see, the distance from our guild to the Fogbound Lake is astronomical. Therefore, before entering the foggy area, we would camp here."
Encircling a location near the Fogbound Lake on the map, Chatot continued.
"If we were to travel all at once in a single group, our mobility would be restricted. Therefore, the strategy will be to split into several groups and then gather at the camp. Any questions?"
"Hey hey, how will we know which place to gather?"
"To prevent that, the Guildmaster and I will arrive at the camp first. There, we'll set up a sign you can see from afar."
"Awwww!? I have to go with Chatot? That's so boooooring!"
Chatot's face twitched. After seeing Wigglytuff's pouting expression, he turned his head away and strenuously said.
"Please don't be difficult, Guildmaster. This is a key element of our strategy."
"...meanie."
The Guild apprentices tried hard to suppress their laughter after seeing the antics between the two.
"Are there any other questions? None? Then I shall announce the groups now!"
"The first group is Chimecho, Loudred, Diglett, and Croagunk."
"You guys! You'd better NOT hold me back!"
The four of them stepped forward. Hearing Loudred's usual brashness, the three ignored him and began to discuss their team strategy.
"The next group is Dugtrio, Bidoof, and Corphish."
"We're a solid group!"
"I promise to try my best, yup yup!"
"Hey, hey, likewise!"
"And the final group is Dante, Pikachu, Azumarill, Teddiursa, and Sunflora."
"Oh my~ please take care of me, guys."
Sunflora walked over and intentionally or unintentionally brushed her leaf past Azumarill.
"Sister Sunflora! Let's go have lots of fun together!"
"Sure, little Teddiursa~"
"Ehem!"
"Oh, ehehe~"
Teddiursa made a zipping motion on his mouth and stood closer to Dante. The other apprentices who were talking also quieted down. After everyone was finally silent, Chatot nodded in satisfaction.
"Well then. Everyone, let's get to it and move out!"
"HOORAY!"
The Guild apprentices followed Chatot and Wigglytuff's lead.
Walking out of the guild, they encountered various townspeople from Treasure Town. Among them, Dante and his team noticed some of the clients they've helped.
"Dante! Pikachu! Azumarill! Good luck!"
They looked to the side and smiled when they saw the Azurill brothers and the Kecleon brothers waving at them. After waving back, they continued walking forward with the group.
Under the warm encouragement of the townspeople, they all headed towards the plains and set off for the expedition.
—
"Whew, let's stop here, first."
The sun had already risen high in the sky. At this point, Dante and his team, along with Sunflora, had already separated from the main group.
Because of the differences in their team compositions, the paths they took to reach the camp were also different.
Chatot took Wigglytuff and they flew towards the base camp. Loudred's group entered through the forest, and Corphish's group entered through the rocky mountains. Meanwhile, their group traveled along the coast.
"Up ahead, there is a cliff we need to go through. It'll be best to have lunch when we're still in a safe environment."
Everyone nodded in agreement to Dante's suggestion. After sitting down, Dante took out five Big Apples from the Bag. However, before he can distribute them, Sunflora stopped him.
"Have a taste of these, you four. I made them for lunch this morning. Although I am no Chimecho, I am still confident in my cooking skills."
Sunflora took out an assortment of fruit wrapped in a large leaf. She laid the fruit in the middle and invited everyone to taste it.
"Hmm~ it's delicious!"
"Yes! It's very yummy, sister Sunflora!"
"Yeah. You're too humble. This is just as delicious as the ones made by Chimecho."
"Aww shucks~ you guys flatter me. Azumarill, what about you?"
"Hmm. I like it, too."
"Really! You know, I can always cook lunch for you. If you want to, of course!"
Looking at Sunflora's petals that almost covered her face, Dante realized. So it's not that she wants them to have a taste, it's that she wants Azumarill to taste it!
He looked at his stoic Azumarill and the usually bubbly Sunflora. A smirk formed on his face and he tapped Pikachu beside him with his tail.
"Psst. Look. Mr. True Love Expert Pikachu, what do you say are the chances the two of them end up together?"
Pikachu, who had been happily eating the lunch Sunflora made, looked at Dante in confusion. After following the direction his tail was pointing to, his mouth opened in shock.
At this time, the distance between Sunflora and Azumarill had already narrowed to just two or three inches. The flower-like Pokemon took a piece of fruit and personally fed it to the expressionless Azumarill.
"...I don't know. But I'll make sure they have the best time together during this expedition."
Pikachu clenched his paw, his eyes burning with flames.
Lunchtime ended and the group proceeded to head towards the cliff.
As they were looking for the most stable path to the next side, Teddiursa's voice attracted their attention.
"Dad! Look! I found an entrance!"
After coming over, Dante recognized the door Teddiursa was pointing at. It's the entrance of a Mystery Dungeon.
"Hey, it looks like we don't have to look for a longer path anymore. Nice find, Teddiursa."
"Good job, little Teddiursa~"
"Ehehe. Since I found it, can I go in with you?"
Teddiursa clasped his paws together, his eyes glistening with tears as he looked at Dante.
"No. We talked about this, you can only enter a Mystery Dungeon with us on the way back."
"Awww…"
After seeing Dante's stern eyes, Teddiursa slumped his head in disappointment. Standing on the side, Sunflora had a confused expression as she listened to their conversation.
"Wait! Are you saying you want to leave Teddiursa here?"
"Nah, we do this."
Taking out Teddiursa's Pokeball from the bag, Dante pressed the middle button, turning the brown bear-like Pokemon into a red light and entering the Pokeball.