Dungeon Explorers: The Time Mystery (Editing)

Ch 14: Meeting Team Skull

After the morning cheers and the announcement of the impending expedition, Charap told Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon to do the jobs on the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board.

Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon climbed the ladder and into the room with the boards. As they walked to the Job Board, Blazie noticed two familiar looking Pokémon that were floating.

"Hey guys, do those two look familiar to you?" she asked.

The floating Pokémon turned around when they heard Blazie. They both had shocked looks on their faces.

"Hey!" one of them, a blue bat with purple wings, cried.

The all-the-way-purple one looked nervous. "You three?!"

"Huh?" Pattie tried to recall where she had seen them. "Blazie, haven't we seen these two before?" Then she had it and gasped. "Wait, I remember them now! They're the two crooks who took off with your Relic Fragment."

"And tried blaming Evelyn for stealing food," Elyon's tail swished as she glared at the two Pokémon.

"Westley and Cece! What are they doing here?!" Blazie demanded furiously.

Westley laughed heartily. "We'll have you know that we're an exploration team."

Cece sneered at Blazie. "Yeah, what's so funny about an exploration team checking out the Job Bulletin Board?"

Elyon gaped at Westley and Cece. "You two crooks are an exploration team?!" she asked in disbelief.

"That's right," said Westley. "Though the way we operate isn't always....by the book. However, we are surprised to see you losers. Why would you be here?"

"We wanted to become exploration team members," said Blazie. "That's why we're here at Wigglytuff Guild: to train."

Now Westley and Cece gaped at Pattie, Blazie, and Elyon. But mostly Blazie.

"You want to become a real-deal exploration team?" Cece asked. She turned to Westley and the two shook their heads. 

"Seriously?" Westley adopted a fake smile. "Look, kid, don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, but you should forget about training as an exploration team member."

Blazie looked stunned. "Say what?"

"Sweetie, you get scared easily," Cece said. "You're very timid. A scaredy-Meowth like you wouldn't be able to make it on an exploration team."

Blazie frowned at Westley and Cece. "It's true that I'm timid, but that's why I'm here: to overcome my own shortcomings. Even now, I'm working hard to be picked for the guild's upcoming expedition."

Westley and Cece's eyes widened.

"An expedition you say?" Westley said. He exchanged a glance with Cece and they both smiled.

Cece smirked at Blazie. "Well, the effort part can only get you so far," she said. "It's all about talent, pure talent."

"That's big talk, coming from you!" Elyon said, glaring at Cece. "What kind of skills could you two jerks possibly have? You're so weak, you lost to the three of us!"

The Koffing and Zubat chuckled.

"Well, we probably didn't have that much of a chance taking you three down because of you being a Psychic-Type and all," Cece nodded at Elyon. "But that hardly matters."

"Yeah, we didn't have the Chief with us then," said Westley.

"Our exploration team, Team Skull, has three members," Cece added. "Our Chief is very talented. If he had been with us when we first went up against you, we'd snap you three like twigs."