Welcome back my lovelies, got another chapter for you guys here. I know there isn't much action going on right now, but that was the case in these games anyways, so bear with me. After this chapter, you're probably not going to see another one for a while since I'm gonna be working on other fics for a hot minute. Don't worry though, I'll be back eventually!

Now for the lone review I got since last update;

Scarlet: I'm glad you think it's turning out good so far! I do think Bulbasaur is an under appreciated option in the PMD games, though considering some of the bosses I do think it's one of the riskier choices in terms of type disadvantage.

Ah, the partner question. That's probably a question most of you have. Do not worry, all will be revealed in due time. No spoilers here for now, so stay tuned.

Yes, some things aren't going to happen/be hurried along because Tim is a lot more observant than your character in the explorers games. How that will affect the story will also be revealed in due time.

Alright, enough rambling! Let's get on with the show already!

Disclaimer stuff, I don't freakin own Gamefreak or Nintendo, so back off Nintendo ninjas

Chapter 3:

Changes Abound

"C'mon, Tim, let's go! We don't have all day!... well, we do, but c'mon!"

Said Pikachu groaned as he pulled himself up the last rung of the shoddily made ladder, not used to having such tiny paws that didn't really grip things well compared to the wonder that was opposable thumbs. 'I'm never taking hands for granted ever again…'

"Just give me… gimme a second," He panted, still out of breath from how fast Ashlyn could run. For someone that had stubby little legs, she was deceptively fast.

Ashlyn rolled her large eyes in response, not giving him any pity at all. "You can whine about not being in shape later, but right now I've got a whole town to show you, so c'mon!" She exclaimed, running out the entrance to what appeared to be a tent, though she had the decency to not latch onto Tim this time around.

"I am in shape! I just… don't exactly like running, that's all…" He muttered the last part, deflating a bit when he noticed she wasn't listening whatsoever. "Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming…"

What had been a clear, sapphire-blue sky had transformed into a beautiful mixture of reds and purples, the clouds giving dark accents to the bright oranges and yellows the sun was projecting onto this unfamiliar land. He unknowingly stepped over a grate that he would come to despise later, mesmerized by the sight before him. "Woah…" He muttered, finding himself unable to look away. The last time he had seen such a beautiful sky was way back then when he was still a little kid. You didn't get to see stuff like this in Ryme, what with how many large buildings there were.

"Tim!" Ashlyn called, running back up a large stone staircase that led back up to the entrance to the guild, her brow creased and her muzzle tilted in an irritated frown. "Don't make me drag you along again! It's almost dark out and I don't want to spend all day waiting for you, you know," she said.

"Oh, s-sorry, just… haven't seen this pretty of a sunset since I was a kid," Tim said, trying to explain his way out of more of her surprisingly scary wrath.

She blinked, her angry looking swiftly turning into an apologetic one. "O-oh… no, that's my bad, I didn't know," she said, sitting on her haunches.

Tim waved her off, his eyes not leaving the skies above. "It's cool, I just… wanna enjoy this for a moment,"

They stood in silence for a moment, letting the soft breeze and the crackling of the lit torches filling the absence of conversation.

That is, until Ashlyn decided that this had gone on long enough. "Alright, as much as I like looking at pretty skies, we're gonna miss an even cooler view if we don't hurry!" She urged, plodding up behind him and nudging him with enough force to knock him forward a bit, but not enough to hurt.

"Oh, yeah, sorry… don't know why I got caught up there," he said, genuinely confused as to why he had found the sky so fascinating. He thought on it for a second before deeming it unimportant, deciding to figure it out later.

Ashlyn snorted, walking back in front. "Stop apologizing so much, it's fine! Now c'mon, we've wasted enough time already," the Bulbasaur commanded, before suddenly booting down the stairs like a Zubat out of hell.

"Hey, wait u-" Tim sighed once again when he realized she wasn't listening again. "This isn't normally how a team works, you know!" He called after her, going as fast as he could with his new legs that he definitely still wasn't used to, judging by how many times he almost tripped and fell flat on his face.

Tim was a little confused, to say the least, when he noticed they ran right past the path that led right into a bustling little village, instead taking a different path that, somehow, seemed familiar to him. 'Where have I seen this path before…?' He idly wondered as he followed behind Ashlyn, who thankfully had slowed down enough for him to catch up.

"Right around here, c'mon!" She ushered, picking up her pace to a slight jog around the dirt bend.

"Can you please just slow down a tiny bit? I'm not used to having stubby little legs…" He complained. He thought running was supposed to be easy, although that was back when his legs were bigger than three inches long.

When he rounded the corner, he suddenly remembered why he recognized this dirt path.

"...The beach I passed out on? Why'd you bring me here?" He asked, recognizing the sand he unceremoniously fell face-first on. In fact, he could still see a faint outline of where his comatose body had landed.

Ashlyn, however, didn't answer at all. She was entranced by something across the sea, her eyes fixated on the horizon.

Tim tilted his head in confusion, his brow furrowing. "Uh, Ashlyn? Is something…" he trailed off when he saw what exactly she was so mesmerized by, his jaw hanging open.

The sun was just beginning it's beautiful descent through the sky, the bottom half of the orange orb dipping below the calm waters, giving a beautiful reflection off of the blue depths. The sky was even prettier from this spot, but it wasn't just because of the ocean waters, although that was a big part of it.

Bubbles big and small floated aimlessly through the air above the pair, the sunlight glistening off of them to give them an almost heavenly glow. The small orbs of air added an extra layer of natural beauty to the scene that left Tim astounded with the sight. He had never seen such a beautiful sunset in his life.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Ashlyn asked quietly, not taking her eyes off the horizon.

Tim nodded slowly in agreement. "Yeah…" he breathed.

They sat in silence for a beat, letting the soft crashing of waves against the shore fill their ears.

"... it's always been my dream to be in an Exploration Team," Ashlyn said, sounding nostalgic and… melancholy, for some reason. "And now that I'm in one, it's… almost like a dream."

Tim turned to her, not expecting her to open up like this to him. They had just met, after all. Yet, Tim couldn't help but be curious about her past. If they were going to be partners for an indefinite amount of time, it would be a good idea to get to know her. "How come you haven't formed one yet? I'm not from around here, but it seemed kinda… easy,"

Ashlyn sighed, her smile that Tim was already used to seeing fading into a sad frown. "I was… afraid." She admitted. "I know it seems silly, but every time I stepped up to the Guild, I just… froze. Too scared to even get near the entrance…"

Tim frowned softly, not liking her beating herself up like this. He may not know her that well, but he did like how infective her positivity is, and to see her down on herself like this, it made him a little sad.

"Sometimes, other Pokémon would make fun of me… call me 'wimp' or 'chicken'," she muttered, growing more and more sad with each word. "And that was the other reason. I… I didn't have any friends. I've never been good with other Pokémon, and you need at least two to form a team."

Tim sympathized with her there. He was the same way, never good with other kids. Sure, he had friends, but they were never plentiful and easy to get like he saw with some others, and his decision to give up on Pokémon training further cemented him as an outcast among his peers. "I know how you feel," he said.

Ashlyn blinked in surprise, turning away from the sun to look at her partner. "R-really?" She asked, sounding hopeful.

Tim nodded. "Yeah… back where I was from, I ever really fit in with the other kids, so I kinda just kept to myself," he explained.

Ashlyn didn't respond. She stared at Tim with unrecognizable emotion in her eyes. Pity? Sadness? He couldn't tell.

There was something that he had been bothering him, though. She had said that she was always too afraid to enter the guild, so… "Um, Ashlyn? How did I end up in the guild after I passed out?"

The Bulbasaur blinked when her name was said. "Huh? Oh," she rubbed the back of her head with a paw, her cheeks turning a darker shade of green for a second. "I took you there. I was so scared, and Wigglytuff was the first Pokémon that come to mind when I thought of who could help," she said.

Tim furrowed his brow. "But… I thought you said you were too scared to enter the guild."

Ashlyn went to respond to that, and then paused, realizing that she had overcome her fear. "Huh… you're right. I guess I was just so concerned about you that I wasn't even thinking about it…" she reasoned.

"Well, that doesn't sound like something a wimp or a chicken would do," he said. "You managed to carry me all the way to guild, which was up a pretty big flight of stairs, and even managed to get over your own fear to get me help. That sounds pretty strong to me," he praised, trying to get her out of this depressive funk.

Thankfully, it seemed to sort of work, as her eyes grew wide and shiny with gratitude. "I-I guess I was pretty strong to do that, huh?" She said, that same smile stretched wide across her muzzle once more.

And once again, Tim found that smile infectious, as he mirrored her expression. "I'd say so."

Once again they sat in silence, their eyes back on the shore. The sun was now halfway through its journey, only the top peeking out from the waters.

"Tim?" Ashlyn spoke, catching the detective's attention.

"Mm-hmm?" He responded, his neck once again swiveling to face her.

A moment later, he yelled out in surprise when the Bulbasaur tackle hugged him, sending them sprawling across the sand. "Agh! Ashlyn, what-" He exclaimed, though he was quickly silenced once he realized she had her front paws and her vines wrapped around his torso.

"Thank you for everything… I couldn't have done this without you," she said gratefully, vines wrapped right around her new partner.

Tim, while happy that he had cheered her up, was a tad more concerned that she was hugging him with enough force to crush him. "Ashlyn… can't… breathe!" He managed to choke out from his less than ideal position.

Ashlyn quickly hopped off of him once she realized she was hurting him, looking embarrassed and bashful. "S-sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you," she apologized.

Tim waved her off as he got back up to his feet. "You just caught me off guard, that's all. But… try to lay off the whole 'crushing my rib cage' thing from now on," He joker, brushing the sand out of his fur.

Ashlyn chuckled in embarrassment, her cheeks once again turning a darker shade of green. "I'm sorry, I'm just… happy. I still think that I'll wake up and this will all just be a dream…"

Tim knew that feeling all too well. He was living that feeling right now.

Another silence fell between the two.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you… what exactly does an Exploration Team do?" Tim asked, remembering that he had a couple questions for her.

She blinked, tilting her head slightly. "...You seriously don't know what an Exploration Team is?"

Tim's blank stare was all the confirmation she needed.

She sighed, beginning to walk back to the path. With the bubbles gone and the sun beginning to descend lower, she decided it was time to head into town and give him the tour she promised. "I'll explain while we walk…"

"So… We're kind of like police officers and explorers then?"

Ashlyn nodded. "I guess you could put it like that? We do have Officer Magnezone to keep criminals detained, but Exploration Teams are usually the ones that go into Mystery Dungeons and capture them,"

'Huh… maybe all my detective training could actually be useful here,' Tim thought to himself, glad that his father's hard work wasn't going to waste. "You keep mentioning this 'Mystery Dungeon' thing, but I have literally no clue what that is,"

"Oh yeah, I remember you saying earlier you didn't know what that is…" Ashlyn said.

While they had slowly walked back to town, Ashlyn had taken the time to explain to Tim exactly what he had gotten himself into. In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the best idea to join a team that he had no information about, but hearing how passionate Ashlyn was about the subject and what an Exploration Team entailed made him feel more comfortable about his decision.

"Mystery Dungeons are places full of… well, mystery!" Ashlyn said, her eyes shining with wonder, like they usually did when she was talking about something she was very passionate about. "Nobody knows how they came to exist, but one thing we do know is that they're full of treasure and danger!"

Tim paused. '...Danger?' "Wh-what kind of danger are we talking about?" He asked, trying to hide his newfound fear and apprehensiveness.

"Well, Mystery Dungeons aren't just a walk in the park, y'know?" She explained, not noticing Tim's change in attitude. "For example, a Dungeon's layout is never the same. Nobody knows why, but once you exit a Dungeon, the next time you enter it will be completely different.

"The real reason that Mystery Dungeons can be dangerous, however, is the rogue Pokémon that inhabit them," She said.

"R-rogue Pokémon?" Tim repeated, not liking how familiar that sounded. He had dealt with rogue Pokémon before, and he did not want to repeat that. 'I still have nightmares about those Aipoms…' he shuddered, those crazed monkeys coming to mind.

Ashlyn did notice Tim shudder slightly, but didn't question it. "Yeah. For some reason, Pokémon in Dungeons are… different. We've tried reasoning with them many times, but it's like they only exist to prevent other Pokémon from completing a dungeon, so the only way to get past them is to fight." She explained.

Tim froze.

'... I don't even know how to fight.'

The thought that he would have to participate in battles hadn't struck him. How was he going to get through these Mystery Dungeons if he didn't have even the faintest idea of how to battle, let alone use any moves?

He was so caught up in his own worry, that he didn't realize Ashlyn had kept walking ahead. It took her a moment to realize that Tim wasn't beside her anymore. She turned back to her partner, noticing the worried and fearful look on his face. "Uh… Tim? You okay?" She asked, a tad concerned.

Tim jumped in surprise, before nodding rapidly and quickly catching up with her. "Y-yeah, I'm okay," He said unconvincingly.

Ashlyn didn't buy it for a second. "...You sure? You look a little worried there,"

"Yes, I'm fine." He said more confidently this time, though it sounded forced.

She wanted to press further, but she was quickly cut off when Tim pointed to their left. "Oh hey, look, the town! Let's, uh, get going," He said, quickly changing the subject before walking off into Treasure Town.

Ashlyn sighed. "O-kay, if you say so…"

Even though the sun had finally finished its long journey across the sky, letting the vast blanket that was night coat the sky in darkness, Treasure Town was just as lively. Pokémon of all shapes and sizes talked and laughed together, the tiki torches set up on the grass illuminating the civilization in a warm, orange glow.

"So this is… Treasure Town, you said?" Tim asked, remembering that Ashlyn had mentioned the name before.

The Bulbasaur nodded. "Yep! Usually all the shops are open and stuff, but that's okay! I can introduce you tomorrow,"

"This right here is Duskull bank!" She said, walking up to one of the stalls. Tim looked warily at the design, a rather realistic looking Duskull sitting atop a stone structure, complete with the glowing red eye that the Pokémon usually had.

"It certainly is, uh… interesting," Tim said, struggling to find anything positive to say about this particular building. 'What is it with the Pokémon here and building stuff that looks like them?' He wondered, remembering the small structure above Wigglytuff's Guild.

"Why thank you, stranger! I designed it myself,"

"WAGH!" Tim yelled out in shock, jumping about ten feet in the air when a Duskull suddenly appeared from behind the stone table, it's single red eye looking amused at Tim's reaction.

Ashlyn laughed at his expense, and he was pretty sure that Duskull was too. He didn't even know that they could laugh.

"Oh, ha ha, so… funny," Tim said in between breaths, trying to refill his lungs after being so easily frightened. "Really… really good joke,"

Ashlyn grinned cheekily, still chuckling under her breath. "Sorry, Tim, but that was good! Nice one, Duskull," she complimented the ghost, who nodded in reply.

"Always nice to meet newcomers, hee-hee!" Duskull said.

Ashlyn gave one final wave to the ghost before walking away from the bank, Tim following hurriedly behind. "Please tell me that the rest of the vendors aren't like him." He said, almost pleading.

"Oh, no, he's almost one of a kind, but he's really nice when you get to know him, and trust me when I say you'll never lose a single coin with him," she said, still smiling happily as she bounced along the dirt path, her eyes set on another shop, this one unlit however.

It was a tad hard to see in the darkness, but from what he could tell it was another tent with a realistic looking Electivire head on top. "That's Electivire Link Shop. I… honestly, I don't know what it's for, but that's because Electivire' sheen away for a while and I've never used it," she explained, not stopping at this stall and instead moving across a wooden bridge that spanned across a river.

The next stall they came across was in similar design to how Duskull's was set up, but instead of a Duskull head it was a giant Kecleon head, and the stone was replaced with a wooden table.

Ashlyn walked up to the stall, where two Kecleon were sitting. "Hello, Kecleon bros!" She greeted, Tim walking up beside her. He didn't know these two at all, so he settled for a simple wave.

The two Kecleon brothers both smiled and waved at the Bulbasaur in return. "Ah, Ashlyn, hello! How have you been?" The green one asked. "And who is this? I don't think I've seen a Pikachu in town before," the purple one continued, gesturing to Tim.

Tim grimaced when the Kecleon said 'Pikachu', still not used to being referred to as such. "Uh, I'm Tim, nice to… meet you," He said with uncertainty, trying to pretend this was a normal conversation with normal people and not talking lizards.

The Kecleon brothers both offered their greetings, that friendly smile that was practiced over years of being a salesman never wavering on either of them.

"Tim helped me form an Exploration Team! Our first day is tomorrow!" She said, her happiness obvious to anyone that listened to her.

The Kecleons both smiled wide at that news. "Congratulations to you both!" The purple one said. "I suppose we'll be seeing you two later for supplies, then?" The green one asked, a gleam in his eye.

Ashlyn nodded. "Oh, of course! We'll see you tomorrow!" She waved goodbye to the two merchants, Tim once again following behind her.

"They seemed friendly," Tim said.

"Yep! They're the number one place to get any supplied for exploring," She said, then she paused. "Well, more like the only place, bet you get what I mean."

They walked up to another stall, this one different from the others. While most of the stalls so far were tents, this one was a full on stone structure, a Kangaskan head on top. "How many more stalls are there?" Tim asked, his feet starting to ache from the constant walking around. He was slowly getting used to having small paws instead of actual legs, but it was definitely a lot harder.

"This is the last one, Kangaskan Storage! I think she's gone home for the day, but she's really useful! She can store all the items you find in Dungeons so they won't get lost, and you can withdraw them for free!" She explained.

Tim had to admit that does sound useful. "I guess we'll be coming here a lot, then?"

Ashlyn nodded. "You bet!"

"Soooo…" Tim said, clapping his paws together. "Since this is the last one, shouldn't we be heading back…?"

Ashlyn gasped. "You're right! C'mon, let's go, don't wanna miss dinner!" She exclaimed before dashing off in the direction of the Guild, once again leaving Tim behind.

"Hey, wait-" Tim groaned in exasperation as he saw her run out of earshot, wanting to pull his hair out. "This isn't how a team operates!" He said angrily, running after her.

Thankfully, the gates were open when they arrived, allowing the two to enter without trouble.

Dinner was interesting, to say the least. It had allowed Tim to meet the rest of the apprentice Exploration Team members, and they were probably the most colorful characters he's ever encountered. Especially this Loudred guy. Seriously, it was like he was trying to blow out your eardrums whenever you talked to him.

The food itself was even weirder. Initially, when he was given a plate of berries, Tim was a little confused, until he saw everybody else begin to demolish their meals like it was their last day on earth. Sure, he liked a good Oran berry every now and then, but he wasn't sure he would call them a meal. He ate them anyway, because he was starving and food was food, but he was surprised at how good and filling it was. It made him question just how much his insides have changed.

Eventually, however, the two were shown to their new room courtesy of Chatot. It was just the room Tim had woken up in furnished with two straw beds, really, but he wasn't going to complain. It was better than sleeping out in the woods.

It wasn't until Tim had lied down on top of his 'bed' that he realized how tired he actually was. It had been an extremely weird and exciting day, and now he was grateful for the chance to finally rest his eyes and feet.

The moon shone through the window, illuminating the room in a soft white glow.

"Man… today was exciting, huh Tim?" Ashlyn said, her voice barely above a whisper.

'You don't know the half of it…' Tim thought to himself, shifting slightly in his bed.

Ashlyn sighed happily as she looked out the window from her spot on the floor. "I never thought I'd be in an Exploration Team, but… here I am,"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"But… I never could've done this without you, Tim, so… thank you. A lot," she said gratefully, smiling softly.

Despite how tired he was, Tim couldn't help but crack a smile himself. "No…" he yawned loudly. "N-no problem,"

Ashlyn giggled at her partner. "We have a big day tomorrow, so let's try to get some sleep. Goodnight Tim," she said, before lying down fully on her bed of hay.

'...This has got to be the weirdest day I've ever had, and that's saying something,' Tim thought to himself.

'I've got a million questions, and no answers. That's usually how it goes for me, I guess. Like, how did I get here? Where even is here? Why was I turned into a Pikachu? How do I get back home?'

The young detective's mind was running a mile a minute, swirling with questions that had no answer in sight.

He sighed softly to himself. 'I guess for now I'll stay by Ashlyn's side. She's the closest thing I've got to a friend at this point, anyway… maybe I'll get some answers while I'm here,'

His mind made up, Tim drifted off to sleep, his mind just a little less restless.

Ah, it feels good to finally be done with the short awakening arc, and now we can begin with the actual story stuff! I hope y'all are excited for what I've got planned, because there's definitely more to come. Hopefully things don't feel too rushed or too slow, and if so I'll ramp things up/tone it down accordingly. Don't forget to hit me with those reviews, my lovelies! Until next time!