Author's note: This is a sequel to my previous story, Protectors of Time, which you can find by clicking my profile. It's not necessary to read it to understand this one however, as this story is self-containing and any continuity with the last one will be explained again. This story is the result of a roleplay between me and DivineChair on Reddit. Enjoy!


The guild building stood in the center of Treasure Town, a grand structure made of glass, concrete and wood accents. Above the front entrance, a sign proudly displayed the words "Treasure Town Guild".

A bipedal figure mostly covered in blue fur enters the doorway of the guild. A short look around revealed what seemed to be a large reception desk, with an Eevee sat behind the spacious white platform. Before walking towards it, the Riolu took a steadying breath and whispered some quiet prayer.

"Welcome to the Treasure Town Guild!" the Eevee behind the front desk said, "How can I help you?"

"Ah, hello," the Riolu nodded at the smaller Pokémon and gave her a smile, "I was hoping to join the guild. If that's possible, I mean."

"Oh? What position are you looking to apply for? Do you want to join our expedition teams or the scientific research department?"

"I was really hoping to apply for a position involving the exploration teams." At the mention of exploring, the Pokémon visibly brightened up. His smile grew wide and his eyes, even wider.

"Certainly! If you'll wait in the lobby for a moment, I'll contact the guild's recruitment director, he'll get your registration underway."

As the receptionist finished her sentence, a Fennekin wearing a guild badge came into the door, standing in line behind the Riolu. The Riolu beamed again at the Eevee before sensing another presence behind him. Suddenly awkward, he bowed slightly to the Fennekin before stepping aside.

The Fennekin smiled as she walks up to the desk.

"Hey, Kira.", the Eevee said.

"Julia, how are you? I'm here for the new sensor configuration kits." The Fennekin replied.

"I'm doing fine, and I'll contact the receiving department. Right after helping out this Pokémon here." The Eevee pointed to the Riolu. The Fennekin thanked the receptionist and sat down in the lobby beside the Riolu.

"Hey!" The Fennekin said, smiling at the Riolu. The Riolu gave her a lopsided grin and a little wave while semi-whispering a "hello". He rocked back and forth a little on his feet with his paws behind his back.

"So... what are you here for? I haven't seen you around before!" The Fennekin asked after a silent moment.

"Oh, I'm not from around Treasure Town. I traveled here from the Mist Continent in hopes of joining the guild."

"Really? In that case, welcome to the team!" The Fennekin smiled. The Eevee soon walks to the Riolu with an elderly looking Raticate behind her. "This is Kyle. He's our recruitment director and one of the guild administrators."

The Riolu smiled once more at the Fennekin before turning to the Pokémon that just walked back in.

"Thank you so much and nice to meet you, Mr. Kyle," he said to the Raticate.

"Nice to meet you too.", the Raticate said in a formal but friendly tone, "As our lovely receptionist mentioned, I am the recruitment director and one of the general administrators. Now, if you want to join, we have some paperwork to get through before I can get you started. Could I get you to fill out this form, and can I see your government issued ID card please?" The Raticate handed the Riolu a tablet, which was already displaying an electronic registration form.

The Riolu reached for a pocket in the the satchel slung over his body. After rooting around for a few seconds, he pulled out a card.

"I'm from a different continent, so I hope this suffices," he said as he handed his ID over to Kyle. His attention then turned to the tablet handed to him which he began to, or attempted to, fill out promptly.

"As long you have an ID card issued by a Pokémon Union member region. This one looks good. Do you need help with the registration form?"

While the Riolu was filling the form, the Fennekn beside her was called by the receptionist. She grabbed her work bag and walked into a door in the lobby labelled: "Restricted Area. Guild staff and authorized Pokémon only." The Fennekin walked out after a few minutes, pushing a small cart with her nose. The cart had numerous wires and metallic boxes contained in blue colored bags and what appeared to be tamper-evident seals.

"That's a relief. Hmm, I think I understand what I need to fill out now, though, but thank you." The Riolu returned to completing the form before handing the tablet back to Kyle. "Is that it?"

"Yes! You are now registered as a guild recruit! If it's okay with you, you will start tomorrow on your one-month trial period, during which we will guage your performance and if all goes well, upgrade you to a permanent guild member. I'll arrange to give you a tour of the facility. One final thing, are you planning on staying in the guild accommodations, or what is called live-on-site employment, or do you have your own home already?"

The Riolu rubbed a paw on the back of his head, "I was really hoping live in the housing provided by the guild, if that's not a problem. I'm for sure, though, ready to start at any time! As soon as I'm needed!"

"Of course! I'll see to it that you have a prepared room within the hour."

"Actually..." the Fennekin said behind the Riolu, "I could use some help loading this shipment of control circuits into the hovercraft, and I'll be happy to give you a tour of the guild afterwards!"

He turns quickly to voice of the Fennekin. "Of course!" the Riolu responded immediately. "Here, let me lend you some help with the cart." He suddenly remembered something and looked back to the older Raticate. "Thank you so much, Mr. Kyle!" He said before looking back at the fox Pokémon.

"Thank you!" The Fennekin said, "I only need help getting it into the hovercraft, but I'd be happy to give a tour of the the guild's Temporal Observatory where I work!"

The Riolu's ears perked up as he, once again, beamed with excitement. "I've only heard of the Temporal Observatory! You must be a genius to work there!" he said, almost tripping over his words. "My brother used to write to me about all the amazing things he saw, but he especially loved Treasure Town."

The Fennekin smiled, "I wouldn't say I'm a genius, just a Pokémon who is interested in in how the flow of time works. These electronics we're bringing back to the observatory is actually for upgrading our temporal sensors to combined temporal sensor and interfaces, since the law now allows legitimate research organizations to use those. Come on, the hovercraft is this way" the Fennekin pointed toward the front door.

The blue Pokémon looked amazed, if also perplexed, by all of the specific details about the sensors as he followed the Fennekin to the hovercraft with boundless enthusiasm. "By the way, just wanting to be sure, but I think the Eevee from earlier called you Kira, right? If you're okay with me knowing your name, I mean. Or if that's only for your friends, do you want me to call you something else?"

"Yes! Kira is my name, what is yours?" The duo walked up to a parked hovercraft, a flying machine about two metres in diameter. With a few taps of her tablet, Kira opened the cargo hold if the hovercraft. She pushed the cart up a ramp that had extended from the cargo hold, before opening the sliding door to the cabin. "Hop in!"

Walking excitedly behind her, the Riolu replied, "I'm Yuri. Small town name, I know. I used to be embarrassed about it, but it's grown on me over time." Something then occurred to him. "I don't think I've ever ridden a hovercraft before. As I said earlier, small town. How does it work? What does it do?" He looked up at Kira with curiosity.

"I'm from a small town too, a really small one. A hovercraft is what we use to get around in the city. It basically floats in the air kind of like a shaymin."

"That's cool. You said you're from a small town too? How long have you lived here?"

"For about... Twenty years now. I came here when I was five. What about you? How old are you?"

"I got here just a few days ago. I'm nineteen years-," he suddenly stopped as Kira scanned her guild badge on the control panel of the hovercraft, and with a push of a lever, the entire machine lifted straight up off the ground with both Pokémon and cargo in tow. "I don't know what I was expecting when you said it floats, but this is much cooler!"

"It's based off the process that allow Shaymin to fly, I think it's called a gravitational slipstream."

The two Pokémon flew toward the edge of town, to a white, roughly cube shaped building with a much simpler and more utilitarian design than the guild building. An elevated walkway connected the building to a tall, octagonal tower structure.

"All right, we're here!", Kira said as she opened the door to the hovercraft. Outside, a sign above the front entrance read "Treasure Town Guild Temporal Observatory and Research Center". Beside the door was a red warning sign that said "WARNING: Temporal technology in use at this facility. Restricted area, enter with direct authorization only. Trespassers will face criminal prosecution."

Yuri took a small note pad out of his satchel and wrote "gravitational slipstream" before hopping out of the aircraft after the Fennekin. He took a look around the immediate area outside of the observatory and read the red sign.

"I am allowed to follow, right?" he asked Kira with some hesitation to his voice.

Kira chuckled when she noticed Yuri reading the warning sign, "Just to be sure... By the power vested in me as a certified temporal mechanics researcher at the Teasure Town Guild, I hereby authorize you to enter the temporal observatory. In seriousness though, the sign is just a formality, and as long as someone who works at the temporal observatory let's you, you're good!"

Kira walked over to the door and scanned her guild badge. The sliding glass doors opened, but only to a small room blocked off by another set of doors with another lock, beyond which was a small lobby. The Riolu, feeling more secure now, made an over-exaggerated curtsy motion in response. "Well, I shall do your bidding," he said then skipped over to where Kira was. "Do you require assistance in the pushing of the cart, m'lady?"

"Sure, if you want.", Kira said laughing while she opened the second door.

"Kira? That you", a Vulpix called as she walked into the lobby.

"Yeah, it's me.", Kira said, "Yuri, this is my fellow researcher and actually step sister... long story... Leslie. Leslie, this is Yuri, our newest guild recruit."

Yuri gave a smile to the Vulpix as Kira introduced him. "I promise that I am here on official business and not trespassing!" he said, giving a sort of mock salute. He then wrote a quick note "Leslie- Vulpix, Kira's step sister" with a determined look.

"Did you get the upgrade kits?!", Leslie said excitedly.

"Yes, we did.", Kira said, motioning toward the cart beside the Riolu.

"Yes! We're going to beat the Expedition Society!", Leslie said, jumping with excitement.

"Beat them in upgrading our sensors?", Kira asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah! Their temporal department was trash talking us all last night on our shared chat, saying that they will be the first ones in the world to have TSI's instead of just temporal sensors, but we'll show them! Come on! You have the engineering certification, let's get upgrading!"