The Guildmaster’s chambers glowed with the flickering dance of the fiery torches and the faint shine of the moonlight pouring in through the windows, the crackling of the fire faintly echoing off the walls of the room as the Guildmaster stands at his post, back turned to his visitors for one reason or another.

Chatot clears his throat as he glances at his superior. “Guildmaster! I’ve brought you Team Void, just like you asked!” No response from the Guildmaster. His back remains turned, and he himself remains motionless like a statue. “Err… Guildmaster?”

Suddenly, abruptly and without warning, the Guildmaster turns around in the blink of an eye. Rickety and Lexxi swear they can practically hear the sound of stone scraping against ground as Wigglytuff turns around to face them. “Hiyaaa!~ Your team seems like it went through a lot today! A lot-a lot!~”

Well, that’s greatly understating it, but it isn’t exactly untrue. Lexxi and Rickety slowly nod in response, not needing to say much else as Wigglytuff continues. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on your activities, mhm!~ The reason I called you here is because we’re planning on mounting a full expedition soon!”

Rickety’s eyes go wide with wonder as his jaw drops open. “The guild’s going on an expedition?! Oh my gosh that’s awesome! Where are we going?! When do we-“

“Now now, just hold on a second there!” Chatot flaps his feathers and squawks a fair bit, interrupting Rickety. “We appreciate your eagerness, but please allow the Guildmaster to finish.”

_“Oh.” Rickety mumbles, shuffling where he stood. _“Sorry.”

Lexxi muffles a giggle to herself. There’s that spark in him again.

“We don’t normally include rookies on the list of expedition candidates, never-ever! But since you two have been working so hard and have shown outstanding performances, we decided to make an exception!~”

“There’s no guarantee that you’ll be picked, before you get your hopes up.” Chatot explains. “In fact, we haven’t even gotten to selecting the expedition members yet. We’re very particular about who we choose to bring on these trips. Those with exceptional work performance are more likely to get picked, and those who fail to meet expectations, well, I’m sure you can figure that out on your own.”

“I’m sure you can do it!” Wigglytuff bounces and dances around a little bit. “Now! Get some rest, and remember to do your best!~”

“Of course!” Rickety “We’ll give it everything we’ve got! Right, Lexxi?”

Muffling another little giggle from Rickety’s enthusiasm, she nods in response. “Mhm, we won’t let you down!”

As the two depart from the Guildmaster’s chambers and begin to make their way back to their room, Rickety can’t stop bouncing with excitement, finding it very hard to keep his voice down. _{“We’re getting a chance to go on an expedition! Gosh I hope we get picked I really, really REALLY hope we both get picked I just can’t believe this!”}

Lexxi’s tail swishes back and forth as she glances up at Rickety. “I’m a little surprised they’re willing to include us if they don’t usually bring rookies along. We’ve only been here for a few days, haven’t we?”

Rickety shrugs, his smile still wide. “I dunno! Maybe we’ve just been doing that good a job at what we do! I mean, we survived a Monster House, we brought down an outlaw, we escaped from a… Weird alternate dimension thing and made a discovery before we were even assigned it, we’ve gotten a lot done!”

Lexxi chuckles softly. “I guess that’s true. It just feels so sudden. I wonder what they’re planning?”

“I guess we’ll see! C’mon, let’s try and get to bed so we’re ready for tomorrow!”

“I thought you said you were looking forward to not falling asleep tonight?~” Lexxi says with a cheeky little smile on her face.

Rickety rolls his eyes playfully. “Well, that was before we had the extra motivation. I can sleep better when we’ve got a goal in mind, heheh.”

---

CRASH!!!

“GOOD MORNING!”

Lexxi’s and Rickety’s heads slowly emerge from their cushions, eyelids still heavy.

“IT’S MORNING! WAKE UP! TIME TO GET UP, BUCKAROOS!”

Stomp. Stomp. Louder stomp.

“Urrrggghhh…” Rickety groans, rubbing at his eyes. “Nope, still not used to it.”

“I don’t think we’ll ever be at this rate.”

---

The morning gathering was strangely quiet. Their usual routinely cheers hadn’t been done yet, and as Chatot and Wigglytuff stood at the forefront of the group, both of their faces bore serious expressions.

“Is everyone here?” Chatot calls out, his eyes sweeping the room a number of times. “Good. Now, I have an incredibly important announcement to make. Two of them, in fact.” The guild members all look amongst themselves, exchanging glances with each other and muttering quietly. “In the furthermost reaches of the north, there lays a place called the Treeshroud Forest. And apparently, in the Treeshroud Forest… Time has stopped completely.”

The members of the guild all gasp in shock and surprise, all talking over each other, asking questions.

“Yes, it’s true.” Chatot continues, the bird Pokemon beginning to pace back and forth as he continues. “The wind has stopped, the clouds are no longer moving, the raging storm that had been passing through the area has completely halted as raindrops are suspended in mid-air.” He glances back at the guild. “And on top of all this, it seems that strange rifts have been cropping up, sucking Pokemon into them. Do be very wary of them, if at all possible. There’s no telling where they’ll lead you, or if you’ll be able to escape from them.

“Hey, hey! Stopped?! How could it have stopped?!”

“Rifts? What rifts? I haven’t seen any rifts!”

“I didn’t hear that wrong, did I? Please tell me I heard that wrong!”

Rickety and Lexxi glance at each other nervously, Lexxi taking a small stop forward. “Mr. Chatot, Sir, could you explain a bit more? What’s going on?”

Chatot’s head turns as he glances in Lexxi’s direction. “I was about to get to that, actually. The reason why time has stopped in the Treeshroud Forest, is because Treeshroud Forest’s Time Gear has been stolen!”

This evokes an even larger reaction out of the guild members.

“Stolen?!”

“The heck kinda idiot steals a freaking Time Gear?“

“Why would anyone even want to TAKE a Time Gear in the first place?!”

“Now now!” Chatot flaps his wings frantically, squawking to get everyone’s attention. “Settle down, everyone! I know this is a rather worrying bit of news, but Magnezone’s force is already working on an investigation into this incident. If one is stolen, that likely means the other Time Gears are equally in danger of being stolen as well. If any of you spot anyone shady or suspicious, be sure to let him know immediately.”

The guild members chatter amongst themselves a while longer, then all nod in agreement.

“Now then.” Chatot perks up. “We know that news might have soured everyone’s mood and gotten you all a bit worried, but we’ve got some lighter news that should help perk you all back up, even if just a little!” Chatot clears his throat again, ruffling his feathers. “There’s a lake further to the east, one where most of its nature remains shrouded in mystery. We’re hoping that we can unravel these mysteries, sooooo… We’re going to be mounting an expedition for the first time in a while!~”

The response is… Mixed, to say the least. Some Pokemon seem to have definitely perked up, but others are a little more skeptical.

“An expedition?! Oh golly, yes please!”

“I guess that’s nice, it’s been a while since we’ve gone on an expedition…”

“Is this really the best time for it?”

“We won’t be departing for a few days, and we’ll be selecting our members for the expedition very carefully. If you wish to try and investigate into the matter before we venture off, you are more than free, but please be respectful and try not to get in the way of Magnezone’s force. Are we all clear?”

The guild members all nod in understanding.

“Good!~ Let’s make today productive in spite of recent events! Back to work as usual, everyone!~”

---

“Do you know why anybody would wanna steal a Time Gear, Rickety?” Lexxi asks as she holds on tightly to the Riolu’s back while they climb up the ladder. “They’re not worth anything on their own, are they?”

“Not that I know of.” Rickety shakes his head. “Unless maybe they were trying to tap into like, some kind of hidden, ancient power? Stealing one is worthless, aside from the whole, you know, stopping time thing.”

“…What if that’s what they want, though?” Lexxi’s eyebrows furrow a bit, the furs on her tail standing on end. “What if they know that removing the Time Gears is causing all this trouble and they’re planning on plotting something around it? The way you explained it, Time Gears aren’t something you just steal to make cash.”

“Then he better be caught soon! I’d rather the world not get sucked up by a bunch of all-consuming voids.” He hops up as he climbs up the last steps, setting Lexxi down. “The only Void that has any place in this world is Team Void, of course!~”

Lexxi chuckles softly as she hops off. “Agreed! I think we’ve had enough outlaws for a while, let’s just focus on doing some other jobs for-” She pauses as she stops in place. There’s some rather peculiar Pokemon standing in front of the job board. Her tail begins to puff out again.

Rickety blinks. “Huh? What’s the matter? Why’re…” As Rickety turns to face the board, he instantly understands. Standing in front of the board are two Pokemon he instantly recognizes. A Zubat and a Koffing.

The two don’t seem to notice them at first, with Zubat only glancing to the side briefly, then taking another look as he flaps his wings startledly. “Wah?!”

“Hmm?” The Koffing hums, turning to face them. “What’re the two of you doing here?”

“I think we should be asking you the same thing.” Lexxi growls lowly, sticking close to Rickety.

Rickety’s eyes narrow as her crosses his arms over his chest, squinting at the duo before them. “Chatot did say to look out for anybody shady or suspicious and I think we’ve already found a few people who bit the bill.”

“Sus?” The Zubat chuckles, smirking crookedly at the two. “You callin’ us sus? What’s so sus about an exploration team checkin’ the job board, eh? There ain’t nothin’ sus about that!”

Rickety practically chokes on his words as he’s taken aback. “Y-What?! You two? An exploration team?”

“You betcha.” The Koffing’s laughter bellows, plumes of gas escaping his pores. “Though we have a very different modus operandi, if you catch our drift. Don’t tell us you wimps are supposed to be an exploration team too.”

“As a matter of fact,” Lexxi smiles a little confidently. “We’re training to become one. And we’re aiming to be the best exploration team that we can be!”

The Koffing and the Zubat turn to face each other for a few moments, then they turn back to face them, to face Rickety specifically. “Why don’tcha come over here with us for a bit, eh?”

“What- Hey!” Before Rickety can protest, he’s shoved over to the bulletin board as the two stare him down face to face.

“Now, you shouldn’t take what I’m about to say the wrong way, but,” The Koffing begins, chuckling to himself. “I think you’d be better off abandoning your efforts to become a full fledged team.”

Rickety’s eyes narrow. “Excuse me?”

“Oh come on, ya tellin’ me someone who gets as scared as easily as yous is cut out for this sorta work? You’re a joke!”

The Riolu huffs, rolling his eyes in frustration. “Oh, gimme a break.” He weaves through the two goons, standing back in front of Lexxi. “So what if I scare easily? That’s why I’m here! To learn! To better myself! Lexxi and I are already working hard, and we’re gonna work even harder so we have a chance to go on the expedition!”

The Koffing and Zubat chuckle. “Well, you’re a smart fella, we can give ya that much.” The Zubat begins. “But all that book smarts ain’t gonna do ya any work if ya don’t got any talent.”

“No talent?” Lexxi arches an eyebrow, tilting her head. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t we whoop you into the sand when we first met you? I don’t think either of you are in the right place to talk about talent.”

The Koffing scoffs. “Well, that’s just cause we didn’t have Chief with us!”

“…Chief?” Rickety blinks, his stance faltering slightly.

“Y’see, our team, Team Skull, ain’t just the two of us.” Zubat flaps his wings as he chuckles. “We’s a team of three!”

“Our Chief is incredibly talented, and on top of that, he is brutal. You’d be crushed to dust if you even tried standing toe-to-toe with him! …And speaking of, I can smell him coming in right now.~”

Rickety and Lexxi look at each other, exchanging confused glances. “Smell?”

Creaaaak

Their attention is redirected to the entrance ladder, where a massive Skuntank is hastily making his way down the steps. He walks straight towards Lexxi, who happens to be standing in his path. “Outta the way! Comin’ through!” Before Lexxi even has a chance to respond, the Skuntank blasts a cloud of intensely noxious gas onto her, sending her reeling back and falling to the floor in a coughing fit.

“Lexxi!” Rickety’s eyes widen as he attempts to rush in to help her, but is immediately stopped by the overwhelming stench beginning to permeate the room, covering his mouth and scrunching his eyes shut, coughing violently, gagging. The smell was absolutely appaling, like the culmination of a thousand years of swamps all clumped into one place.

The smell doesn’t go unnoticed. Many of the other guild members begin to gag as the smell drifts into the rest of the room.

“Eeuugghh! What is that?!”

“Oogghh! Y-Yup yup! That reeks, alright!”

“WHO SHARTED?!”

Rickety’s eyes tear up from the stench as he manages to peek them open, the smell waning a bit. His eyebrows furl and his paws begin to curl up into fists as he sees Lexxi laying on the ground, eyes scrunched shut tightly in pain, still coughing. He bares his teeth, growling angrily as the Skuntank walks right up to him.

“You! Get outta the way too! Or do ya wanna end up like-“

SMACK!

Rickety’s backhand swings at the Skuntank and makes direct contact with his cheek, leaving an unmistakably big red mark right on his face. He hits him with such great force that the Skuntank even stumbles a bit from the impact. Rickety’s breaths come in shakily, heavily, his teeth still barred, his whole body trembling with rage.

Chief’s eyes go wide, dumbfounded and still trying to process what just happened, unable to believe that this little punk just laid into him like it was nothing. He slowly turns back to face the Riolu, anger clear as day behind his eyes. His crew members, still standing behind Rickety, look to each other with equal surprise.

“C-Chief! The heck’re you doing?!” The Zubat stammers, wings flapping nervously. “You ain’t gonna let this little twerp get the better of you like that, are ya?!”

“…Naw.” The Skuntank snorts, flicking his tail as he furrows his brows at Rickety. “I don’t think this kid knows what he’s just gotten himself into yet.” Chief huffs, gesturing to his crew. “C’mon, let’s get outta here.” He glances back at the guild members staring them down. “Too many people gawkin’ at us.” Grumbling, he makes his way back up the ladder.

Rickety’s whole body is still shaking and trembling, unable to bring himself to say anything further, just panting, breathing heavily as he stares down the Skuntank, but doesn’t move from his spot. His eyes glance over to Lexxi, who’s staring in awe at the whole display.

As Zubat and Koffing float and fly past Rickety, Zubat turns to face him. “We was wrong about yous. You ain’t wimps. You’re brats, is what you are.” He chides, voice laced with malice. “Don’t think for a second that we’re lettin’ this slide.”

The Koffing looks back at the onlookers as he makes his way over to the ladder. “What are you all looking at?! This isn’t a public performance! Get lost!” The remaining members of Team Skull make their way out of the guild, leaving the rest of the members in silence.

And smelliness.

Rickety stands there for a few more moments, breath still shaky, until his angry expression falls into worry as he slumps down to the floor, his breathing slowing down at last. He sits there for a few moments, staring down at the ground before he returns his attention to Lexxi, scooting over to her to help her up. “…You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” Lexxi nods her head shakily, getting back onto all fours. “But what about you? Are you holding up okay?”

Rickety is silent, the look in his eyes growing vacant as he stares down at the ground, still panting. “I… I shouldn’t have done that.” He mutters to himself. “I should’ve just listened to him and moved out of the way but I just- I couldn’t just stand there and let him hurt you like that, I had to do something.” Rickety groans and buries his face in his paws. “All I did was just put us in even more trouble.”

“Rickety, relax.” Lexxi leans in a bit, patting him on the shoulder. “We’ll deal with those jerks as it comes, okay? Even if you think you did the wrong thing, I still appreciate you standing up for me.”

He sighs, letting his arms go limp as he sits there. “…I dunno, I feel like I just made a big mistake. But, you’re right.” He smiles weakly. “We beat ’em once before, we can beat ’em again if we have to.”

Lexxi nods with a smile. “That’s the spirit. Like you said, we can’t let anything get us down if we wanna be the best team we can be. Let’s get some jobs done! …And maybe take a break from chasing down Chinglings for a while.”