Dungeon Explorers: The Time Mystery (Editing)

Ch 11: Sentry Duty

Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon were about to go up the ladder for the days' jobs. They turned around as Exploud shouted out to them in his thunderous voice.

"HEY, YOU THREE! GET OVER HERE!"

Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon looked at each other and walked over to him. Dug and Loudra were there as well.

"Hey you guys, what's up?" Elyon asked.

"Could you three do the sentry duty today?" asked Dug.

"Huh?" Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon asked confusedly.

"You see, I'm usually the one to help Loudra with the sentry duty," said Dug. "But today, my dad's having me help him out with his job of updating the boards. That's why I can't man my post today. It would be great if you guys took over for me, at least for today. Please do a good job for me. See you, and good luck!"

Dug burrowed his way into the ground. Exploud and Loudra turned to Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon. "Well, that's that!" Loudra said, smiling.

Pattie was confused. "But I don't get it, though," she said. "If doing the sentry duty is usually Loudra and Dug's job, why do we have to help with it? Why can't you do it yourselves? Why did we get involved with this?"

Exploud made an annoyed face. "SHUT YOUR YAP!!" he yelled. "Quit your bellyaching and DO YOUR DUTY!!"

Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon covered their ears in pain.

Loudra slapped her brother over the head. "Cut it out, Exploud!" she scolded. "You can't get annoyed with newbies just because they don't understand something."

Exploud rubbed his head and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled.

"To answer your second question of why we can't do this ourselves," said Loudra, ignoring the eye roll. "I have to help out with something in Treasure Town today, so I can't do the sentry duty anyway. And my brother can't do this by himself, so he would need help with the sentry duty, especially since Dug can't help out at all. For your third question, since you guys are still relatively new, and the others are doing something else, that just leaves you three."

Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon nodded their understanding.

"Anyways, before I leave, I'm going to tell you how the sentry duty will work. Two of you will climb down the vine in this hole right here." Loudra pointed to the hole that was right next to her and Exploud. "The third will stay up here with Exploud and roll the gate up whenever he says it's okay."

"The idea of doing sentry duty is not having suspicious characters sneaking their way into the guild. So, we station a sentry, Dug and I, below the guild entrance to evaluate Pokémon visitors. When you three first came here, your footprints were evaluated, correct?"

"Our footprints?" Blazie and Elyon asked at the same time.

Pattie thought for a moment. "Oh, you mean when we stood on top of the grate!" she said, understanding.

Loudra nodded in response.

"What do we do when we get to the position we're supposed to be at?" Pattie asked.

"Well, when Dug burrows through the tunnel down the end of the hole, he'll pop out underneath the sentry post," explained Loudra. "From the sentry post, Dug and I will inspect the footprints of visitors, identify them, then inform Exploud."

Exploud continued on. "Then, I decide whether or not the Pokémon is suspicious and open the gate if they pass muster."

"And that's the general gist of it," Loudra finished. "For your positions: Elyon, you will stay up here and let Pokémon in whenever my brother says it's okay. Pattie and Blazie, you two will go down the hole, head for the sentry post, inspect the visitors' footprints, then tell Exploud what Pokémon it is."

Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon nodded their understanding.

"Okay, before I leave for Treasure Town, I will lead you to the sentry post. After that, you're on your own. Follow me!"

Loudra started to climb down the vine that led underground. Pattie and Blazie followed. Elyon waved to them.

"Yow, it's pitch black down here!" said Blazie.

"It most certainly is," Loudra agreed. "I usually have to feel my way when I'm down here."

A couple minutes later, Pattie spotted a light at the end of the tunnel. "I see the light up ahead!" she said.

When they reached the end, Loudra turned around and smiled at Pattie and Blazie. "Well, here we are," she said. "You two will both keep an eye out on the footprints, but Pattie will yell up the name of the Pokémon."

"Got it!" Pattie and Blazie said at the same time.

"Enjoy sentry duty, Team Friendship. Good luck!" Loudra went past Pattie and Blazie and down the dark tunnel.

Pattie and Blazie kept a lookout at the grate above. Twenty minutes later, the first footprint appeared.

"A Heracross' footprint," Blazie whispered to Pattie.

"Pokémon detected!" Blazie yelled.

"Whose footprint is it?" Exploud shouted.

"Heracross! The footprint is Heracross!" Pattie shouted back.

Then it took about forty-five minutes later for the next footprint to appear. Blazie whispered that this one was a Wartortle.

"Pokémon detected!"

"Whose footprint is it?"

"Wartortle! The footprint is Wartortle!"

It continued.

An hour and a half after Wartortle came was a Seedot, then half an hour after that was a Persian, and fifteen minutes later was a Sneasel. It took longer for the next Pokémon, a Lopunny, to come; the Rabbit Pokémon came two hours later. Exploud called to Pattie and Blazie as Elyon let Lopunny into the guild.

"Okay you two, that's enough for today!" Exploud shouted. "No more visitors! Climb on out of there."

When they got back up, Exploud and Elyon were waiting for them.

"Way to go you guys," Elyon cheered.

"Thanks," Pattie smiled.

Charap hopped over to them. "You did a good job today, Team Friendship," he said. "Just let me review your sentry duty performance."

Exploud gave him the paper with the number of Pokémon that they had gotten correct. Charap glanced at the paper in his wings. After a moment of silence, Charap smiled.

"Well, well," he said. "Your results were a hundred percent accurate! You identified every Pokémon correctly!"

"Well done!" said Exploud, clapping.

"Excellent!" Elyon said.

"We did it, Pattie!" Blazie cheered.

"And Elyon, you did a good job listening to Exploud," Charap said.

"Thank you."

"For a job well done, you three will be rewarded generously." From a small bag that hung around his neck, Charap took out some money. "First, here is five hundred Poké dollars." He handed it to Pattie, who put the money in her Treasure Bag.

"Now, here are some other rewards."

Charap handed Pattie a bottle labeled 'Ginseng.' Next, he gave Blazie a seed called a 'Joy Seed.' Finally, Elyon was given a 'Life Seed.' The three of them put their given items into their Treasure Bags.

"So many rewards! Can you guys believe it?" Elyon squealed.

"Keep up the good work!" said Charap.