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Mission Accepted by Team Moonlighter.



Cimmerian could not believe the situation he was finding himself in. The Luxio's sharp claws dug into the side of the cliff face leading up to a plateau that seemed forever away. He was perfectly perpendicular to the ground, many, many yards below him. The only good thing he could think of at the moment was the fact that he wasn't afraid of heights. Pushing the thought aside, though, the feline continued hoisting himself up the cliff against gravity and the harsh winds threatening to make him lose his grip. Why he had chosen the most difficult path to get to the top of the plateau, he'd never know.

Rocks gritted against his callused pads as he drew nearer the edge of his destination. By the time he reached it his muscles were shaking from exhaustion and he was panting very hard.

"This guild better... be... worth it!" He gasped as he collapsed in a heap on the grassy field that had suddenly appeared. His red eyes scanned lazily over what he could see from his lying down position. The large open area consisted of a drying green grass and several large boulder lying around. Some areas of the edge on the plateau seemed as if they were crumbling away, almost as if they would break away from the area at any moment. It was then that Cimm decided to get up and move further inland.

Looking more into the area, Cimm noticed that it wasn't just rocks and grass on the windy plain, but a single tree as well. It was a ways off into the distance, but even from his position on the edge he could see the emense size of the plant. Making that hi destination, the Luxio started off in that direction. The grass pricked uncomfortably between his toes and the harsh winds blew into his face, making his eyes water terribly. Add to that the lack of sunlight on account of the thick brew of clouds overhead, and Cimm was having a simply miserable time.

"Halt!" A shrill voice caused a pause to find its way into his step. The dark colored feline turned his glaring yellow eyes to seek out who had called to him. Oddly enough, he didn't see anything around. Shrugging, he turned again to continue on when he noticed a small tingle running through his feet. Looking down, he saw the cause.

"Oh. You're small." He mentioned immediately after setting eyes upon the miniscule Dedenne standing before him. The little rodent puffed its already chubby cheeks out in indignation.

"How rude!" She squeaked angrily, "Don't you know how to treat a lady?"

"Uhm, not really." He deadpanned, shaking his head and trying to move around the other electric type, "I'll be on my way now."

"Oh, no you don't!" The Dedenne protested, keeping her small body directly in front of him, "I told you to halt for a reason!"

"And why would that be?" Cimm huffed in a miff. He really didn't want to stay here forever.

"Because it's too dangerous for a weakling like you to be here!" The mini mouse explained as her brown whiskers twitched. Now I was Cimm's turn to be indignant. His ears shot forwards and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I'm no weakling compared to you, pipsqueak." He grumbled warningly. The rodent scoffed disbelievingly, though the action came out little more than a squeal.

"Alright, if you can prove that to me, I'll let you pass!" The oppose stated. Cimm cocked an eyebrow uncertainly before shrugging again and stooping down into a battle ready position. he instant he did, the little bundle of fluff rammed into him, tackling him back with a strength he had not expected from the Dedenne.

Growling defensively, Cimm nipped at the critter, barely managing to grab the tail end of the quick little bugger. With the Dedenne's tail firmly locked in his teeth, he mercilessly shook the rodent until it squeaked and shocked him with a sharp jolt of electricity. The zap made his tongue go numb and he immediately dropped the squirming, electrified fuzz lump.

"Oweh! That huwt!" He complained while his tongue refused to cooperate. The Dedenne snorted a short laugh, though it was obvious she was in even worse shape than he was. Cimm bared his teeth menacingly as he prepared to attack again, a tingling sensation pulsing through his body and making his fur stand on end. The crackle of electricity sounded through the air as the Luxio struck the Dedenne, sending waves of harmful static into the other Pokémon.

The small Pokémon yipped and started twitching involuntarily after it was struck, laying paralyzed on its side amongst the grass that was taller than her. Cimm smirked and lifted his nose to the air, viewing this battle as his win and continuing on by.

As he neared the tree he had decided to search for the bow, the winds picked up to an unimaginable degree. His fur was sleeked back as he pushed against the gale, finding himself using his claws to stay grounded. It would play tricks on him as well, suddenly changing directions and knocking his footing from under him, or spitting bits of dirt and dust into his eyes to impede his vision. Cimm trooped on regardless all of these wretched trials. Eventually he found himself under the saving grace of the tree's sturdy trunk.

Depending on what direction it was blowing, the brown wood blocked the wind and gave Cimm enough time to blink away the grime in his eyes. When his vision cleared, he was able to get a better look at the tree. It was a mighty plant, though the Luxio couldn't identify weather it was a maple or oak because it was completely dead. The immense tree looked to have died some time ago. Naked, dry branches reached out in every direction like desperate fingers reaching to the cloud filled sky for rain. As Cimm circled around the wide trunk, he came upon a hollowed out hole in it's midst.

"I beth anehfing tha' boweh ish in there!" The feline exclaimed, frowning when he remembered his tongue was still paralyzed. He was about to look over the edge of the dry bark when a loud snapping noise made him jump back in surprise.

"Hello, dearie." An eerily silky voice called to him from above. Cimm looked up in confusion to meet with the blank stare of a large Xatu. The Luxio shivered as the bird cocked its head to the side in curiosity, "You're not allowed to enter my nest."

"Uh, wight. Wew, I didn't know it wush yoursh." He nervously explained the best he could with his limp tongue, "I wush jusht lewking for a bowehtie of shom short. You wouldn' haff it in yewr... nesht? Would yew?" The more he asked, the more suspicious the situation seemed. After all, there was only one tree around and many flying types were known to live on the plateau. There were no other birds in the tree, which should have no doubt made a perfect roosting spot for any other flying Pokémon.

"I see that you doubt this is my nest," The Xatu mentioned, continuing on before Cimm could ask how it knew that, "I can read minds if I concentrate. Now, to answer your question. Yes. The ribbon you seek lays in my nest. Therefore, it is mine. Not you, or those other pests can take my things from the spot I have claimed! Now, be gone!" The bird commanded as it swept a wing to the left.

Just then a long gust blew from that direction, and Cimm had to grip tight into the ground to hold his position. When the wind died down a bit, he looked up sharply at the flying type.

"Your the one who made the wind like this!" He accused, barely noticing that his speech had gone back to normal when his adrenaline spiked from almost being blow from the plateau.

"My Tailwind ability is quite useful to get rid of intruders." The Xatu simply explained as it raised its right wind this time and caused a gale to come from the other direction. Cimm grunted with the exertion it took on his part not to be blown away. It seemed like forever until the winds died down again and he was left panting and nearly exhausted.

"Just gimme the bow..." He started, pausing to take a breath, "And I'll go!"

"No! It is mine!" The bird screeched, losing its serene façade to reveal the maddened fury underneath, "Maybe a more damaging sort of wind will damper your efforts o steal what does not belong to you!"

Cimm grimaced and flashed his teeth defiantly as the bird swooped down to ground level. He backed up a few paces, not liking the glowing purple haze materializing and gathering around the Xatu. Suddenly the flying and psychic type raised both wings into the air, bringing them down quickly towards the Luxio. All of the purple mist was blow towards him, sending shivers down his spine and filling his lungs with noxious fumes. As he hacked and trembled from the dissipating attack, he could hear the loony cackle coming from his foe.

"See the force of my raw power! Tremble you weakling, as I grow in strength from the forces beyond!" The Xatu howled, making Cimm kind of wish he had listened to the Dedenne's warning. Some of the mist had lingered around the Xatu, and it seemed like the bird was soaking it up through its feathers, giving it some sort of power. Cimm trembled in trepidation of what was next to come.

Then he paused.

"What am I doing?" He wondered out loud, realizing that though his foe may be powerful, he also had the upper hand. A wicked grin of excitement spread across Cimm's face, showing off glistening white fangs. The Luxio breathed out calmly, feeling an icy cold chill entering his teeth. His malicious smirk grew wider when he realized that his foe was still off in its own little world. Not one to lose the advantages given to him, Cimm lunged with ice covered fangs at his feathery opponent.

The Xatu squawked in surprise as he bit down hard on its wing, immediately sending frost up the majority of the appendage. The bird jerked backwards, shivering from the piercing chill it was weak to. Not missing a beat, Cimm took advantage of the cocky bird's startled demeanor and charged his body for an electrifying attack. He simply struck out with a paw and zapped the bird with a light touch. The crazed Xatu fell like a stone to the ground.

As soon as the battle was over, the winds abated, leaving only a slight breeze. Cimm huffed tiredly as he stepped over the convulsing form of his foe, peeking into the nest. Sure enough, his prize lay right on top of a massive pile of randomly collected items.

"I'll just be taking this." Cimm mentioned as he grabbed the bowtie lightly in his teeth and turned around. He didn't look back once as he head back to the guild to become an official Team Captain.

Cimm merely grunted at the Sylveon, a bit perturbed at its perky yet snarky reactions. He looked at what was given him and wondered if he should consider getting a partner. One would have been quite useful on the plateau, that's for sure. But that'd also mean he'd have to deal with others.

"I guess we'll both have to wait and see for that. Alright, see ya." He nodded with a slight bow, though he wasn't sure why he felt he owed respect to the fairy type. Maybe it was the air of confidence surrounding the pink being? Whatever it was, Cimm just wanted to be left in peace for the moment. Grumbling to himself quietly, the Luxio turned and made way for the assignment office where he knew he would find none.

The Sylveon's smile was one of bewilderment and delight as the Charmander approached, bow in tow.
It wasn't often the new recruits returned to him in fairly decent condition. No bumps, no bruises, no scuffs and scrapes.
It was a good sign, if anything and he chuckled as he accepted the bow from her and examined it.
"Excellent work, take the bow-" He returned it and a slip of paper as well, "-and this partner voucher! Congratulations, you are now an official Rank One team of the Guild of Eclipse!"

An Espeon stood on the edge of the cliffs, staring out into the distance with world-weary eyes. His fur was a light seafoam green that appeared almost white in some places, a color that he’d grown into after evolving that showed his mother’s blood still flowed within him. A paw was raised to keep his top hat securely on his head, and his cape billowed back in the intense winds, almost ready to take off. They weren’t new anymore, though they had been for a while after he’d evolved all those years ago. It had taken some getting used to, but now they fit just as comfortably as his old ones had, and had seen as many adventures. Now the magician had set out on yet another one, but he paused on the brink of his journey when a sudden recollection overwhelmed him.

“Come on Era, just think of it! We could get everyone back together again: it would be just like old times.”

“Even you Riley?”

“It’s not going to be as bad as you think, I promise. There’s so much good we can do for everyone if we just join back up. More Pokemon will be able to come to us for help, and imagine all of the old friends we’d get to see again!”

“You know I can’t go back there Riley. I just...can’t. Not after everything they’ve done. The Guilds were supposed to make this world a better place; instead they disbanded just when the world needed them most. When Arceus deserted Pokemon...the Guilds deserted Pokemon too.”

“But it’s different this time, they’re trying to start over and make things right! I hear Solaris and Epitaph’s son is an excellent Guildmaster--he’s been working on improving the system for five years now.”

“Riley… I’d like to believe it’s better, really I would. But I can’t go back to the place that gave up on us. There are Pokemon here who’ve come to depend on us, you know that; Pokemon who are beyond the jurisdiction of the new Guild. I can’t just leave them on their own. I could never leave them like this--even after all these years, they’re only just starting to believe that someone cares about them.”

The Espeon’s ears twitched with emotion as he recalled the pained look in Era’s eyes when she said those words. He hadn’t had the heart to argue with her after that, and their parting had been the hardest he’d ever had to make. Riley had been away from their Team’s home plenty of times before, on various trips to peddle his talents to the world, but this time felt too final, like there were words remaining between them that he’d never get to say. He’d set out for the Guild with a heavy heart, conflicting feelings of hope and guilt plaguing his every step.

He hadn’t made the trip alone however. Riley was rarely alone anymore, as it was prudent for the magician to always have an assistant. Once it had been Faran who traveled with him, before the boy found his calling as a geologist’s apprentice; now it was a dear friend who had joined their little group just after the Guilds disbanded--after they’d been reunited in the most unfortunate of circumstances. Said companion, a Vaporeon by the name of Clive, stepped up to join Riley now as he stood on the edge of Skyline Plateau, the Water Type's long, finned tail swishing back and forth with concern. “Something bothering you Riley?”

“Just thinking,” the magician replied with a heavy sigh. “I’ve got to convince her Clive, I’ve just got to.”

The Vaporeon’s eyes darkened with regret. “Oh. Era again? Well we can try Riley, but I’m not so sure we’ll be able to do it. I think the best we can do for her is try our best in her stead. She’s not going to leave them alone out there, so unless we can get the Guild to expand its parameters or something…” It wasn’t a particularly promising thought, but it was all that Clive could think of. He’d spoken with the Pikachu too, and seen the hurt that guided her decision--unless they could find a way to heal that betrayal, there was little chance of Riley’s hopes coming to fruition.

The Espeon pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes, concealing the hopelessness inside of them. “It just isn’t right without her Clive. How am I supposed to lead a Team when I know that she should be the one doing it?” His voice was hoarse with sadness as it fell to a whisper: “I need her.”

Clive frowned, watching his friend with worry. He was in one of his moods again: the Vaporeon had gotten used to dealing with them, but that didn’t make the process any easier. “Riley,” he said gently, pressing himself comfortingly against the Espeon’s side, “You’ll be a wonderful Leader, and you’ll make her proud. And remember our plan? Just as soon as you take on your first mission I’ll be right there to help you again, until they let me join your Team officially.” The pair hadn’t risked the possibility of not being partners, instead agreeing that Clive would help from the outside until he could be accepted as a member of the Team.

“That’s...not it,” Riley said, shaking his head wearily. “I’m not sure you’d understand.”

The Vaporeon hesitated. “Riley, you know she’s not in love with you.”

“She was once.”

“But you can’t possibly think--even now?”

The magician said nothing further, turning from the ledge with a swish of his cape and leaving his friend alone. After a long moment, Clive followed.

Hat repositioned and held in place with a touch of Psychic energy, Riley surveyed his surroundings with interested eyes that revealed nothing of his former mindset. The taste of electrical energy was in the air, and the wind continued to whip his cloak around him in a flurry of cloth and sequins. He’d been sent here by the Guildmaster to locate a bow of some sort, that had apparently been hidden for discovery by any prospective Team Leader. The prospect was almost entertaining to a veteran like Riley: a game to allow potentials their first experience in a dungeon. It didn’t seem like it would pose much of a challenge, but he didn’t mind playing along.

The Espeon’s ears twitched as he felt the familiar quiver run through him, heralding a change in the atmosphere and he stiffened. “Clive,” he said quietly, not turning around to acknowledge the Vaporeon’s presence any more than necessary, “You need to go. Now.” He heard his friend beginning to protest and shook his head. “I mean it. A thunderstorm’s brewing, and I don’t want you to get hurt.” He sent a wave of well-meaning emotions toward the Vaporeon, indicating that he bore him no ill will from the conversation before, but the magician didn’t dare turn unless he wanted to risk endangering his friend’s life. He didn’t move again until he heard the telltale sound of pawsteps fade away into the distance.

When he was certain of Clive’s departure, the Espeon stood up straight and tall, grinning as the sky was rent in two by lightning bolts, and burst open in a torrential downpour. This fight would be helpful--a much-needed chance to let off some steam. “You may as well come out!” Riley said cheerfully, “It’s almost time for the show to start!” His comment was quickly answered by the appearance of three Pokemon: an Electivire flanked by a Manectric and a Zebstrika. The thunder resounded above as he smiled over at them, his relaxed position a stark contrast to the tension that ran like a current between the other three. “Now then,” he said, tipping his hat to his aggressors, “Shall we begin?”

The invitation was hardly necessary, as the Zebstrika and Manectric began racing towards him almost before the words were out of his mouth. With a laugh, Riley crouched down and leapt through the air, sailing over the faster Zebstrika and straight into the Manectric with a deft Quick Attack. He danced out of the way of its Thunder Fang and grinned, flicking his tail in her direction to send a pack of razor-sharp playing cards flying into her side in a Swift attack. His ears twitched as he sensed the Zebstrika drawing close, having had the chance to circle around again, and he waited until the last moment before clapping his paws together abruptly, and blinking out of existence.

The Baton Pass was timed perfectly, shifting the positions of himself and his Flame Charging adversary at the moment before the collision, and the Zebstrika rammed into his Manectric companion instead, sending him flying into a rock. The other Pokemon didn't rise again, knocked out cold. “You should really watch where you’re going,” Riley chided the other Pokemon, a deck of cards in his paws where it hadn’t been before. The enraged Electric Type snorted, pawing the ground with its hoof and preparing for another charge, and the Espeon patiently waited, paw on the top of his deck, ready to draw. The Zebstrika raced at him again, and this time Riley jumped to the side, plucking the top card from his deck and tossing it at his opponent. The Ace of Clubs struck true, cutting into the sensitive skin behind the Electric Type’s back-right knee, and he toppled to the ground, tripped up by the shift in balance.

Riley stared after his adversary, grinning with a sense of accomplishment, as the one Pokemon he hadn’t been keeping a careful eye on made its move. The Electivire had been slow, but it had the element of surprise on its side. Since the Psychic was too preoccupied with his former opponent to pay her any mind, she had the perfect opportunity: silently, she pulled her fist back and thrust it forward to strike him with a Thunder Punch. The Espeon picked up on her presence just before the connection and yelped as he made to jump out of the way, but the punch still connected, leaving a slight electrical burn on his side.

“Well played,” Riley said appreciatively, wincing as he found the burn to be a little more painful than he’d anticipated. “I suppose one of you had to step up and take the starring role, didn’t you?” The Espeon’s eyes darted over to the Zebstrika, but it had yet to drag itself up from the ground, too perturbed by its wounded leg to focus on the battle. If he could manage to take down the Electivire before her companion got himself together, he’d be able to move on in pursuit of his true objective here.

The Electivire let out a roar, her eyes flashing in warning as she sent a ball of electricity flying his way. Riley dodged it easily with a Quick Attack to the side, and tossed another card from his reformed deck: this one the Ace of Diamonds. It struck the Electivire in one of her tails, causing her to cry out in pain and outrage, and she raised her fist to the sky, calling upon the lightning that crackled above them. Now things were getting interesting.

Immediately it became a game of ducking and dodging, so many Thunders and Thunderbolts plummeting down from the storm clouds it was almost blinding. Riley never stood still, navigating the terrain with a light step and always ready to spring out of the way when a bolt got too close for comfort. In an elegant dance, he advanced on the Electivire, sending barrages of Swift playing cards whenever he could to chip away at her strength--some of them made it, others were decimated by stray lightning before they could reach their target.

Soon he was less than a foot away from her, and she bellowed in anger, fists crackling with lightning as she swung them towards him. With a chuckle, Riley jumped over them, throwing himself into the Electivire in a Take Down with enough force to send her teetering off balance. Springing back, Riley removed his hat, plucking the deck of cards from its depths with a smile. “Care to pick a card?” he asked her. Receiving a furious howl in response he didn’t blink, but shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “Alright, I’ll go ahead and do it for you.” Spreading the deck out so he couldn’t see its contents, the magician plucked a card from its center at random. “Well what do you know?” he said brightly, “This must be my lucky day.”

The Electivire struggled to move forward, attempting to take another step closer to her Espeon target, but as she raised her leg off the ground Riley pushed against it with a Confusion, eyes glowing bright with Psychic energy. She faltered again, barely balancing on one foot, and that was when he threw his third Trump Card. The Ace of Hearts he'd drawn struck her square in the chest, bursting in a blaze of color and finally offsetting her balance enough to send her toppling to the ground. Replacing his hat, Riley took a bow before scampering off, eyes peeled for any sign of his objective.

He searched all around the area, checking the crevices and cracks for any splotches of color, but they were all devoid of any sort of fabric. The wind was picking up again and the rain was relentless, soaking him through to his bones in spite of the hat and cloak. At least it was warm, the air charged as it was with the bite of electricity, but that was little consolation when the weather risked damaging his precious garments. The Espeon raised a paw to feel for the golden charm that was nestled in his hat band, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it unharmed. It was held securely in place but it had been taken from him before, and he’d been considerably more cautious of it ever since. If he ever lost it for good...Riley didn't trust himself to be able to handle it.

Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and a silhouette caught Riley’s eye: a charred tree that had once stood proud and strong before a stray lightning strike had stopped it in its prime. A smile slid onto his face--it was the perfect place to hide a bow out here. With a spring in his step, the Espeon bounded over to the trunk, jumping onto one of its lower branches and proceeding to the top to peer inside. His expression softened as spotted a tiny Pachirisu peering up at him from a hole in the tree's side. She was quivering slightly at the sound of each burst of thunder, and she wore a colorful bow around her neck.

“W-Who are you?” she whispered, eyes wide and wondering as she stared at the Espeon above her. Her fur stood on end and she curled into a ball as the thunder cracked again, and she slunk back into her crevice nervously. “I don’t want any trouble. P-Please go away...”

“Hey now,” Riley said, his tone soft and unprovocative as he crouched down to get a closer look at the frightened girl, “Who said I wanted any trouble? I’m just here to do my job.” A playful grin formed on his face. “Would you like to watch?” The Pachirisu looked up at him curiously, uncertain of his intentions, and he tipped his hat to her, extending it down into the tree so she could reach it. “Go ahead, see what’s inside.”

The little Electric Type peered into the top hat intently, then stuck her paw in uncertainly. “There’s...nothing there,” she told him, confusion written across her features.

“Isn’t there?” Riley said, surprise registering on his face. “That’s weird, I could have sworn…” The Espeon pulled the hat back to himself again and laughed out loud when he peered inside. “You’re good,” he said, reaching a paw into the hat and removing a colorful ball from within, “For a second I really thought it wasn’t there.”

The Pachirisu’s eyes widened in amazement. “But it wasn’t, I swear!” she protested, crawling a bit closer to get a better look at the object Riley had produced. “There was nothing in your hat!”

The Espeon just chuckled, replacing the hat upon his head for the moment and tossing the ball to his Electric Type companion. “Open that for me, will you?” he said, “There’s something inside just for you.”

The Pachirisu nodded and began to turn the ball around in her hands, searching for any indications of where to open it. Finding none, she began to struggle with it, trying to twist it in various ways or pull it apart, but nothing worked: the sphere was utterly impenetrable. “I...don’t think this can be opened,” she told him, offering it back unhappily. “You know, that’s an awfully mean trick to play on somebody!”

Riley looked aghast, accepting the ball from her with a careful paw. “Oh don’t say that,” he said, a wounded expression on his face, “Did you try this yet?” The Espeon took the ball securely in his paw and rapped it against the side of the tree. There was a cracking sound, like the sound of an egg when it’s broken, and the ball’s side shattered, allowing access to whatever lay within. “There!” he purred, pleased with his work. “Now see what’s inside.”

His companion took the broken ball back from him, amazed to have seen it shatter so easily. When she reached inside she felt something soft, and proceeded to pull a delicate silk scarf out of the orb, white as new-fallen snow. “It’s beautiful…” the Pachirisu breathed, eyes wide with wonder as she stared at the object. “And this...it’s for me?”

Riley nodded, grinning with excitement at his companion’s delight. “Yep, it’s all yours!” he said, “My only request is that you give me that lovely ribbon you’re wearing in exchange. I hate to ask for anything at all, but I need to return it to its proper owner.”

The Parchirisu blinked in surprise, reaching up to touch the fabric at her throat. “Oh this?” she said, “I just picked it up near here; I didn’t realize it belonged to someone. By all means, go ahead and take it.” She carefully untied the bow and offered it up to the Espeon, who took it in paw with a grateful smile. As she wrapped the scarf around her neck in it’s place, she looked up at him. “What do you think?”

“Why, you look even more beautiful than before!” he told her, causing a blush to spring to the other Pokemon’s cheeks. Removing his hat, Riley tipped it to his companion and placed the ribbon inside for safe keeping before returning it to his head. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Maybe we’ll cross paths again in the future.” The Pachirisu nodded, cheeks still rosy as she stared up at the magician. “Oh, and by the way,” Riley said, glancing back over his shoulder as he turned to go, “that’s not just any scarf, it’s got a bit of magic in it too.” He winked at her cheerily: “When you have that scarf, you won’t even notice the sound of thunder.” The Pachirisu gasped, realizing that she had completely forgotten about the thunderstorm ever since the Espeon had produced the ball with the scarf inside. Before she could say another word to him however, Riley took his leave.

The Espeon landed on the ground with a satisfied smile, cape swirling around him from the force of the wind that had accompanied his sudden leap, and quickly set off to locate Clive. Hopefully the Vaporeon would keep him company on the journey back, he had quite the story to share.

~~~~

When Veilmys asked to see his bow, Riley chuckled, grinning at the Sylveon delightedly. “If I’m not mistaken, you have it already,” the Espeon told him, “At least, I don’t think Sylveon’s ribbons normally have attachments like that.” When the Guildmaster looked, he would find the very ribbon he’d sent Riley after draped carefully over his left ribbon. How had it gotten there? The mischievous gleam in Riley’s eyes indicated that he had some idea.

The Espeon's expression lit up as Veilmys pulled the card from behind his ear, thoroughly pleased to be on the receiving end of the Sylveon's sleight of hand. "Was that there this whole time?" he said, cheerfully engaging with the Guildmaster's banter, "No wonder my hat seemed a little off-kilter today." Tipping his hat in response to the compliment, Riley shot Veilmys a friendly grin. "And I look forward to performing for you sir," he said, "It's always a pleasure." The Espeon turned to go, but caught sight of something that caused him to blink in surprise. "Goodness, you'd think it had learned it's lesson the first time," he said with a laugh, transferring his bow from its place on the Guildmaster's ribbon once more into his hat, which he replaced with a flourish. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on it so it won't go wandering off again," he said brightly, nodding to Veilmys once more before slipping off down the hallway.

Interestingly enough, it would not be Ver or Ivy or even Veilmys there to greet Team Fortuitous, but Claudius, the Leader of the Exploration sector of the Guild. The Aurorus had been following the news of the disturbances in Skyline Plateau with increasing concern; considering the rise of these sorts of events in recent times. He'd requested the opportunity to check in with the Team and their client when they returned, and had been granted permission to do so after a brief conversation with the leaders of the Mercenary sector. He was mid-conversation with the Linoone client when Bahadur and Herbert arrived back at the Guild, but broke it off with a gracious nod to the Linoone when the Team members approached, turning to face them instead. "Welcome back," the Aurorus said in greeting, "Congratulations on a successful completion of your first mission."

Their client stepped forward, raising up on her hind legs to bow to them gratefully. "Yes, thank you!" she said, smiling from ear to ear. "We've been working with the Flock to try and apprehend our criminal for quite some time, and we appreciate your assistance in the matter." Since neither of them had hands to shake, the Linoone opted to bow to them again before turning to do the same to Claudius and zipping off without another word; apparently she had somewhere else to be.

"You'll have to excuse her," Claudius said, drawing the attention back to himself with the words, "She works for group of law enforcers in an area near the plateau, and they're always quite busy. Apparently she's new to the force: you understand, it's important to prove yourself when joining a new organization--something that you two have done quite well in." The latter comment was accompanied by a knowing look from the Aurorus and a slight smile. Claudius bent his neck to pluck a small sack from his scarf, which he placed before them gently. "Here are the rewards for your efforts," he said lightly, "I look forward to seeing your work in the future. I hear you managed to solve this issue with some rather impressive deductions." With a parting nod, Claudius would leave Team Fortuitous to head back to his office, making a mental note to read their report after Ver was finished with it.

Some time later, Bahadur and Herbert would be greeting by the sound of knocking at their Team Room door. When it was opened, there would be three Pokemon there to greet them, though Bahadur would only recognize two of the trio. First to speak was a Wooper, who greeted them with a familiar smile accompanied by a stuck-out tongue. "Hi hi hi! Hi hi hi truth-tellers!" The Dual Type looked cheerful as always, and nothing but eager to be there. "You made sure he was caught! Caught, caught! He was caught!"

"I'm fairly sure she wants to thank you...as do I." Terrin's voice was still forlorn and the Sandslash seemed a bit lost, as though he wasn't sure what to do with himself even now. Bahadur's findings were clearly very hard on the poor fellow.

The third Pokemon cleared his throat, hovering behind the other two Pokemon somewhat nervously. "I-I wanted to thank you too," the Gligar said, his voice barely above a whisper. It was clearly very hard for him to say those words, as would be expected from a child who was still coping with his father's public exposure as a criminal. The boy had been through a lot, just like both of his companions. He didn't choose to identify himself to either of the team members, figuring that it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out for crime solvers like these.

All three of them had come with an ulterior motive however--the thought that they might be able to join the ranks of Team Fortuitous. Doloni wanted to go out into the world on her own--after all, she had been just about to evolve before her incident; Terrin was looking for a place to start over and move past the tragedy surrounding his past mistakes and the death of his wife; and the Gligar was trying to escape his father's legacy, and figure out some way he might move on from the situation, which he didn't think he could do back at the plateau. Whatever Team Fortuitous' decision however, they could only accept one recruit, according to Guild regulations.

Rewards
-Thunderstone
-1000 PD
-2 MP
-Wooper or Sandslash or Gligar Recruit

Mercenary Bonus:
-Although Bahadur and Herbert engaged in very little physical combat, they did manage to apprehend a very dangerous criminal: if Kariaha hadn't been stopped who knows how many other lives may have been lost in an attempt to cover up for his first murder? In recognition of their admirable efforts and efficient handling of the situation, the Guild has doubled the amount of MP earned by the Team on this mission! (+2 Additional MP)

((Nice job Rae! It was an enjoyable read--I think you might've worried a little too much, because it was quite engaging. Here's where you can improve on mystery-writing in the future: pre-writing and incorporating more action. The former is really the more important of the two, because it's what separates a mediocre to average mystery from a really well-written one. This was great for a first attempt at a mystery, but it didn't seem solvable by the reader. The hints were there but most of them were a little too obscure or subtle for the reader to pick up on. Normally by the big reveal (in this case Bahadur's reflection on the various comments from those involved starting "The two dead Pokemon" and ending "Ignorance, ignorance") the reader can piece the mystery together on their own, even if they weren't able to before, but in this story I found myself wondering just how these things were related when I got to that point--giving a bit more information would be really helpful when you come to your grand reveal, provided you want the mystery to be interactive rather than a passive experience for the reader. On the other hand, if you don't want the reader to know the answer until the detective reveals it to his audience, then it's good to give us a bit more action. Think cop procedural dramas, where it's more about watching the main characters chase down leads and interact with one another than it is about the viewer trying to figure out who the culprit is. This is where my point about adding in some more action comes in. Aside from the fact that it's important to any story to do more showing than telling, and almost all of this mission is comprised of a conversation, if you want Bahadur's reveal to be the time when the mystery becomes clear, then distract the readers with a hunt for some clues or a trip to track down suspects so that it feels like the story is progressing even if they can't see the links the first time they're reading it. Typically working on the mystery in reverse can help you to make sure it has a natural progression and you've included an adequate amount of clues/incidents to keep the flow going well. It's a hard genre since it requires so much forethought and such a delicate balance, but excellent effort! I hope this helps if you plan on trying your hand at it again in the future!))