"Get up already!" Ezra heard a harsh shout.
She opened her eyes to find a blue Pokemon standing over her and Carys. It had whiskers and two shells on its legs.
"What's with all the yelling?" Yawned Carys, getting up.
"It's time to get up. Breakfast will be in an hour. Don't be late." Said the blue Pokemon curtly before stalking out of their room.
"What's her problem?" Asked Carys.
"Dunno," Replied Ezra.
"Well, we have an hour to spare; what would you like to do?" Asked Carys.
Her question was answered by a knock on the outside wall of their room.
"Good morning, Team Banshee!" Rose greeted as she came in.
"Morning, Rose!" Carys said.
"Good morning." Said Ezra.
"How was your first night?" Rose inquired.
"It was great! Well, aside from the rude awakening." Said Carys.
"Ah, that. Unfortunately Franziska has a rather…uncouth…way of waking people up. Don't let it bother you too much; she's always brusque with others." Rose said.
"We'll try. So what can we do for you?" Asked Ezra. Rose grinned.
"Your exploration team starter kit has arrived! Here, take a look," She said as she gave the two a large box.
Inside was a small bag, two small badges with yellow wings and a pink gem in the middle, 500 Poke, and two apples.
"Wow!" Exclaimed Ezra.
"This is awesome! So we're official now?" Asked Carys.
"Yes, you two are now a Normal Rank exploration team. You can carry up to 16 items in your bag, and can store up to 64 items with Kangaskhan." Explained Rose.
"That's it?" Asked Ezra.
"Whenever you two do missions on the Bulletin Boards on the first floor, your rank will increase. When you complete enough missions, you'll advance to the next rank, and so on. Your inventories will increase as your rank does, or if you do extraordinary tasks." Rose explained.
"That seems fair. What are the Bulletin Boards?" Asked Carys.
"Come downstairs and I'll show you." Said Rose as the three went to the first floor.
They stopped at the large board on the left.
:This is the Job Bulletin Board. Missions on this board include escorting Pokemon, rescuing Pokemon, finding items, and so on. With all the natural disasters going on, this board has been overflowing with requests."
"Over here is the Outlaw Bulletin Board. This board houses wanted posters and jobs that include bringing outlaws to justice. As with the Job Bulletin Board, this board has been full for a long time." Rose went on to explain.
"Wow…I never realized how many Pokemon were in need of an exploration team's assistance." Frowned Carys.
"Yes, exploration teams are in constant demand these days." Sighed Rose. "Oh! Let me tell you about your badges. They have mystical powers in them that allow you to teleport a Pokemon back to Lily Town. You can use them to rescue Pokemon or safely exit a dungeon once you're done with a mission." Went on Rose.
"That'll come in handy." Said Ezra.
"That's not all; those badges can't be taken away from you by someone else. You'll never have to worry about your badge being lost or stolen. Also, if you two become separated while in a dungeon, only one of you has to climb the Stairs. The other partner will be instantly teleported to you, as dungeons change layout once the Stairs disappear. And that's the basics!" Finished Rose.
"That's a lot of information to take in." Commented Ezra.
"It is, but in time this'll be old info to you two. And don't be afraid to talk to the other teams. They're all experts in the ways of dungeon exploring." Reassured Rose.
"Breakfast is ready!" Franziska's harsh voice rang out throughout the building.
"Well, we'd better get to the refectory. Franziska hates tardiness." Said Rose as they traversed up the ladder and to the right of the commons room.
Rose led Ezra and Carys to a large room filled with tables and chairs, most of which were empty.
Ivysaur, Pelipper, Franziska, and five Pokemon were already there.
"Hello Rose! Are these two the newbies?" Asked a red Pokemon with a large grey shell on its back.
"Good morning, Macargo. And yes, this is Team Banshee." Said Rose as the three took their seats near the seven sitting at a table. Franziska was busy putting plates in front of the Pokemon.
"My name is Franziska. I am a Dewott, and the cook of Rose's Lofts. Try not to be late next time." Franziska said shortly as she went back to the kitchen for more plates.
"Hello! My name is Carys the Pumpkaboo! We're Team Banshee! Nice to meet you all!" Beamed Carys, rising in the air shortly before falling back down gently.
"I'm Ezra, a Shiny Litwick." Ezra said shyly.
"Pleasure to meet you. We are the Silver-ranked Team Geo. We're geographers. Our goal is to map this entire continent. Whenever a new dungeon is discovered, we go immediately to map it. We work very closely with Sora, as maps are constantly being updated, what with the natural disasters and all. I am the leader, Macargo of the same species," Said Macargo.
"I'm Seadra, also of the same species," Said a spiky blue Pokemon with no legs and a large mouth.
"And I'm Noibat! I'm a Noibat!" Laughed the last Pokemon, a tiny purple Pokemon with wings.
"We're capable of exploring any terrain, be it land…" Macargo began, raising his head.
"Sea…" Said Seadra, flexing his fins.
"Or sky!" Finished Noibat, flapping her wings.
"Wow! Awesome!" Exclaimed Carys.
"Well, me and my sister here make up Gold Rank Team Dauntless. We go specifically after outlaws and outlaws only." Said a blue Pokemon.
He had two legs, a large tail, and fins on his head. His sister was light pink, with ribbons and bows all over her body.
"We've taken down a total of 378 outlaws since we first became an exploration team. My name is Sylveon the Sylveon, and this is my brother, Vaporeon the—you guessed it—Vaporeon." Sylveon smiled languidly at the two.
"You know me, Pelipper, and Rose already." Said Ivysaur as Franziska came out of the kitchen with two more plates.
"Do you need any help?" Inquired Ezra.
The glare Franziska gave her was enough to curdle milk.
"Sorry…" Ezra squeaked as plates were set in front of her and Carys.
"Will I need to put out three more plates?" Franziska asked Rose.
"Yes, they should be here any minute." Replied Rose.
As if in response to Rose, a musical voice called out, "Sorry we're so late! We got sidetracked."
Ezra and Carys looked up to see three Pokemon walk towards their table. The one in the middle was a small, black and white Pokemon with green eyes and long green hair with what looked to be musical notes on it. The Pokemon to the right was a short, round pink Pokemon with large eyes. The one to the left was a levitating blue Pokemon with a long tail that ended in red.
Good morning, Team Siren. You're just in time." Greeted Rose as Franziska put plates on the table.
"Team Siren?! You're Team Siren?" Exclaimed Carys.
The pink Pokemon laughed.
"Yes, we are! Fans of ours?" She asked with a smile.
"YES! I mean, I've heard of you." Carys said, trying in vain to contain her excitement.
"Who are Team Siren?" Asked Ezra.
Everyone's heads swirled to stare at her in shock.
"You don't who they are? But everyone knows who Team Siren is!" Marveled Vaporeon.
"Well…it makes sense. Ez, it's your story to tell." Shrugged Carys.
"Oh, okay. Um…hello. My name is Ezra, and I used to be a human. I—"
"A human?! But how?" Interrupted Seadra.
"I-I don't know…Yesterday I woke up here as a Shiny Litwick. I don't remember anything at all. We became an exploration team in the hopes that I can find the reason why this happened to me." Explained Ezra.
"I've never heard such a thing." Ivysaur said.
"Sora might know." Added Noibat.
"Well, in any case, we're glad to have you here, Ezra and Carys. Normally it's much busier here at Rose's Lofts, but a lot of the other exploration teams have left in response to growing strife elsewhere." Said the green-haired Pokemon of Team Siren.
"Anyways, Team Siren is the best exploration team. They're a Perfect Rank, which is the highest rank of all! They take down foes with their music, and they only go after the rarest of treasures. Their leader is the legendary Pokemon Meloetta, and they are beyond description." Sighed Carys in bliss.
"Haha! Well put, Carys. Yes, we are Team Siren. All of what Carys said is true, so we spend a lot of time in Lily Town until something that interests us catches out eye. I am Meloetta." The green-haired Pokemon said with a bow.
"Meloetta is a legendary Pokemon, meaning she's super powerful and ultra-rare to find elsewhere." Whispered Carys to Ezra.
"My name is Ranna. I am a Jigglypuff." The pink Pokemon said with a twirl.
"And I am Dyrim the Chimecho. It's nice to meet you." The floating blue Pokemon bowed.
"You going to eat or did my morning go to waste?" Demanded Franziska.
"Apologies, dear Franziska. Breakfast looks lovely as ever." Dyrim said with a flourish.
Ezra looked at her plate. There were pancakes drizzled with what looked like honey and raspberries. She took a fork and took a bite. Her taste buds melted in ecstasy.
"This is amazing!" She shrieked.
"Says you." Said Carys, who was glaring at her food.
"What's wrong?" Asked Ezra.
"This isn't what I normally eat." Carys glared at Franziska.
"Neal told me what you prefer. Unfortunately, candy isn't suitable for the morning meal." Franziska glared back at Carys.
"Maybe for you, but candy is my morning, noon, and evening meal. And I function just fine like that." Retorted Carys.
"Wow, no one's ever stood up to Franziska like that." Said Ranna in awe.
"And you will function even better once I annihilate your insatiable desire for candy." Huffed Franziska.
"BLASPHEMY!" Screamed Carys in anger.
The two Pokemon stared daggers at each other. The tension was getting unstable.
"Carys? You know how you wanted to go exploring today?" Asked Ezra, hoping to defuse the situation before a bloodbath commenced.
"What of it?" Demanded Carys, not taking her eyes off of Franziska.
"Well, maybe after we've gotten some more money we can go to Neal's place and buy loads of candy." Offered Ezra.
"…That's not a bad idea! I'll buy up every kind of candy he has! That way I won't have to go without it today. Thanks, Ezzie!" Beamed Carys, who then began digging voraciously into her pancakes.
"Seems like I win, Franzy!" She said between mouthfuls.
"Don't call me Franzy." Growled Franziska.
Everyone laughed and dug in.
A/N: Thanks to everyone for supporting me! And please, don't be shy about giving me OCs! I'll most likely be updating this evening, so here's the perfect chance!
The next chapter shall contain: OCs (both mine and yours), scary dungeons, and lighthearted initiation.