"Dad, do I look gorgeous?"
"Yes dear, you are gorgeous."
"Tehehe~"
Alolan Ninetales giggled. She turned back to the mirror in their Exploration base, her tails gently swaying as she hummed.
Seeing her like this, Dante shook his head in amusement. After she evolved, her personality had become noticeably less timid and more…how should he describe it, lady-like.
"That's nice. I want to evolve soon, too."
Eevee said enviously as she pawed Ninetales smooth fur.
"You could evolve now if you want too."
Dante took out a bunch of Evolutionary stones and laid them before Eevee. They were the Perfect Evolutionary Stones series he ordered from Devon Corporation overseas.
Normally, an Evolution Stone only costs around 100,000 to 200,000 credits in the market. With 10 types of stone currently discovered, one can buy a set at around 1-2 million.
However, the Perfect Evolutionary Stones are priced at 1 million each, with the whole set costing 10 million. The reason for the higher prices is that these stones are proven to contain more energy than the normal evolutionary stones.
According to research, a Pokemon that evolved using the Perfect Stones will have higher stats than Pokemon who only used the normal one. Although, in the end, their racial limit will still remain the same.
However, there are rumors floating in the Trainer circle that using the Perfect Stones would help loosen the racial bottleneck.
No scientific evidence has backed these findings. Some even speculate it was just propaganda used by the big companies.
And if that was the case, then the one who thought of spreading this info deserves a raise. After all, Pokemon can only evolve a limited number of times. In people's perception, the higher quality the stones used, the better.
Even Dante chose to buy the more expensive Perfect Stones for his Pokemon. He didn't lack the money, so he wanted to give them the best, even if it doesn't make a difference in the end.
"Ngghh! But there's so many to choose from!"
Eevee rolled in frustration as she stared at the sparkly evolution stones.
"Well, you don't need to rush. Maybe you'll be able to make your choice after our exploration."
"Hnggh, okay, Dad."
Eevee reluctantly looked away as Dante placed the stones back in the bag. And right on time, Pikachu, Ursaring, and Azumarill entered the base.
"Hey, we're back! We almost got delayed. Azumarill's sweetheart nearly didn't let him go- said it was too dangerous."
Azumarill's yellow face turned a shade of orange. He glared at Pikachu, who mischievously stuck out his tongue.
"Is that so? How did you convince Sunflora?"
Dante chuckled. It was quite a rare sight to see Azumarill get flustered.
"I punched a hole in the cloud."
"Eh?"
"Hahaha, yeah! You should've seen the look on everyone's faces when Azumarill did that. It was hilarious!"
"Ah, so that's what we heard earlier. I thought it was thunder or something."
"Ehh! Did you really punch a hole through the clouds, big brother Azumarill?!"
Eevee butted in, her eyes wide in astonishment. She knew her Dad and Big Brothers and Sister were very strong. After all, whenever they explore dungeons, they take down every Pokemon in one move. But now, she's beginning to realize that maybe what she knew was just the tip of the iceberg.
"You can see for yourself."
Pikachu grinned and walked out of the base. Azumarill sighed and followed suit, with the rest of the team going right after.
The sun was only starting to climb over the horizon. However, its rays provided enough light to show the unnatural scenery above Wigglytuff's Guild- on the cloudy sky, a conspicuously large patch was missing.
—
"They're gone."
Chatot stood at the entrance of the Wigglytuff Guild. With his keen vision, he saw Team Omnipotent Travelers flying in the sky atop their mysterious contraption.
"I knew you were destined to achieve greatness. I just didn't expect it to be so…soon."
Chatot sighed, a mix of relief and apprehension in his voice.
According to the knowledge granted by Lord Uxie, no Guild in history has permanently remained at the top. All will eventually fall- whether it be due to members getting weak, the rise of a much more powerful Guild, or the emergence of a natural disaster.
To date, the Exploration Federation, which started from the unity of various Guilds, is the most successful example of a sustainably powerful Guild. It had stood for more than a century, its reach spreading to all parts of the globe.
Chatot planned for the Wigglytuff Guild to become a similar behemoth. Starting in Grass Continent, he'd partner with powerful Exploration Teams and Guild. Then, he'd slowly extend the Guild's influence, until the whole world knew the name of their Guild as well as their esteemed Guildmaster.
"It's great that the Travelers' have become so much stronger. With our relationship, I'm sure there's no problem forming an Alliance… but why? Why do I feel so restless whenever I see their progress?"
Chatot sighed once again. He shook his head, deciding worrying about this was pointless. Returning to the Guild, his eyes sharpened as he thought of the problem he must first prioritize- to capture the time thief, Grovyle.
—
Inside a dark jungle, Dante and his team trudged through the thickets and brambles. They constantly looked around, their brows furrowed in confusion.
"I hope my hair won't get messed up."
Ninetales said in a worried voice. She had wrapped herself with Ice-type energy to prevent the mud and thorns from ruining her shiny fur. Sister Mawile, who was doing the same, had taught her this trick.
"Strange. The map clearly said the entrance is just around this area. But there's no sign of it anywhere."
Dante's face scrunched as he used his Copycat Vision to the maximum. But his effort was futile- no traces of abnormal energy reminiscent of Mystery Dungeons could be seen.
"Is there some sort of mechanism? Like, we have to solve a puzzle first before the entrance appears?"
Pikachu said. The sun had already risen high into the sky. They had been searching the area for more than an hour. At this point, it's either the entrance was really just well-hidden, or the map was a scam.
"Hmm, then let's split up. Pikachu, you lead Eevee and Ninetales to search in that direction. Mawile, Riolu, you go there. And Azumarill and Ursaring, you take the remaining side. Note down everything strange you find. We'll meet back here in 30 minutes."
"Aye aye!"
"Sure, Dan!"
"Ok."
The three groups headed in three different directions. Meanwhile, Dante conjured his Illusionary platform and floated above the treetops. He zoomed around the area to do a quick scan with his Copycat vision. Whenever he found a tribe of Pokemon, he'd go down to ask if they knew any dungeons or unusual things in the area.
The appointed time passed, but he got no results at all. Nor did Pikachu and the others.
"Munch munch well, this is embarrassing. Should we return to the Guild and say the commission was incomplete?"
Pikachu's mouth was full of apples. Their team sat down to eat lunch as they talked about what to do next.
"It doesn't make sense. Every mission is recorded in Wigglytuff's Guild. Even if the team who accepted our task chose to maintain anonymity, they should know the Guild would sanction them if it's proven they provided wrong information."
Dante furrowed his eyebrows. Although their first commission, the one at Mt. Thunder, was dangerous; the team who accepted the task was still accurate in that there was indeed a Raichu.
"Maybe it's underground?"
Eevee tapped the brown soil with the pad of her foot. Since there's nothing above and around the place, then the only place to look is below.
"Maybe…"
Dante muttered without much hope. His Copycat vision can see energy as specks of light. He had already looked underground, and saw no other type of energy except for brown and the occasional green.
However, since they had no other clues, Dante decided it would be worth a shot. He quickly finished his apple and informed the rest of the team he'd search below ground. But as he entered his Ghost form, he stopped.
"Hmm? What's the matter, Dan?"
Mawile asked. She had also finished her apple and stood up, planning to accompany him with her digging skills.
"...I think I found our entrance."
At the edge of Dante's senses, in the dimension parallel to reality, a strong energy fluctuation characteristic of a high-rated dungeon emerged.