Ch. 3

I woke up a little before the sun woke up. This was around the time I was accustomed to waking up as I had a great deal of responsibility being the oldest among the kids. I would get up to start breakfast and get meals ready for the children for when they went to school. As long as I took care of everything, the children could attend school and have a semblance of freedom.

Since there wasn't anything for me to do, I quietly snuck outside to look at the fading stars. Looking at them really made you appreciate their beauty as they were barely visible back home.

Hard to believe that I've only been here for a couple of days.

As the sun was slowly rising, I turned around to get another look at our home. It really wasn't much of house in all honesty. It resembled half of a giant acorn. The cap of the house had a dark brown color to it with patches of plants scattered about with a window atop the entrance. At the base of the stem was a large bush resting there, sort of how a strawberry has greenery covering the base of the stem as well. The house itself was a tan color and had windows surrounding the entrance. Even the house was brimming with plants giving the house a sort of atmosphere that it was taken by nature in forest.

It was still mind boggling that the land it was built on was the very same spot we first camped out on my first night here. Before, it was a wasteland full of dead trees, weeds, bushes and rocks. Now it was a leveled plain that made one feel it was a desert oasis. There was patches of grass planted here and about, there were a few trees planted (three were growing from the house and the other was planted behind the house), there were pots filled with berries and water to add color to this plain and there also some leafy bushes planted to add balance to this place. No one could have guessed how bad it looked before.

The sun had finally risen to bring morning here so I decided to enter our house before Silvy woke up. The interior was just as interesting as the outside. It felt like we were sleeping inside of a tree as everything was made of wood. There was even a tree stump to be used as a chair and another used as a table! Plant vines were draped in the space between each window giving the look of a curtain even though it wasn't exactly covering the window. Our makeshift beds were next to each other towards the back in front of the largest window.

Whether it was because Silvy was a grass-type Pokémon or because she liked plants, she had brought in some plants that resembled four-leaf clovers and placed them around as decoration. I brought in a couple of flower bushes to bring in a different color into our home other than green and brown. There was a neat wood pile diagonal from where I slept for when we wanted to start a small fire outside. There were jugs of water and pans full of apples placed in the corners of the room for easy access. Anything that needed to be kept clean was placed inside pots closed with giant leafs. This was our house that we built together.

Right when I made my way to bed, Silvy woke up and greeted me.

"Morning, Shin! How'd you sleep last night? I was out like a light!"

"Morning, Silvy. I slept fine. It felt great to sleep indoors."

"It wasn't cold or windy or anything. It's great to have a house! No, it's awesome! And now that we've got our house, I really wanna start expanding Paradise. We should keep adding facilities and shops and stuff.

"Facilities?"

"Yeah. Like fields that can grow berries or dojos where we can work on our moves. I want to make all kinds of facilities that'll come in handy for our adventures! And of course this area does have very high mysteriosity! Y'know? Like it's really mysterious. If we start digging around, we might find that there are dungeons or things! …Hey, it could happen! At any rate, we should prepare lots of land for development!"

Silvy was really excited that her dream was finally moving forward. Getting this house was only the first step and now that she had had her house built; it had only empowered her dreams, making them more than just dreams.

"Oh, and…I suppose we'll need some more Pokémon we can trust. If we just get two more Pokémon to join us, then we could register as a team, too… Adventures would be a breeze then! We don't want just anyone on our team, of course… It'd be great to be a real team."

Pokémon…we can trust…

"But I know we aren't gonna get all that done at once! We've just got to start small and keep moving forward! Shin! Let's give it our all again today!"

I nodded to her enthusiasm and we both headed outside for a new day.

When we stepped outside, Quagsire was outside to greet us. Silvy took this chance to greet him.

"Hey, Quagsire! Morning! What are you up to so early?"

"Mmm, morning. I've just been, hmm, waiting for you two to wake up."

"What? You were waiting for us?" I questioned.

"Hmm. Yes. Come with me, hmm?"

The both of us looked at each other and followed after Quagsire.

Quagsire took us to the part of Paradise that we first met him. Just like the land where our house was situated, this land, too, was also transformed.

Instead of pillars of stone, dead trees and weeds, the whole land was flatten and rejuvenated. It was cleaned to look as if the earth was still brimming with life. Grass patches were also planted to emphasize this.

Quagsire continued to lead us until he stopped at the board.

"Mm-hmm. This is it."

"Isn't this…a bulletin board?"

"Mm-hmm. Consider it a little gift from me. I'm calling it the, hmm, the Request Board. You'll find information about adventuring…and requests from Pokémon. They may need you to find something for them or take care of some bad egg. You may even find little requests for help from the Pokémon around town, hmm? All kinds of different notices will crop up on here, hmm?"

"Yeah? Cool!"

Silvy was definitely excited that she now had an opportunity to help other Pokémon on top of going on an adventure. Even I felt tingly at the thought of saving or helping others. There was one thing I wanted to ask though.

"So if we complete these requests, we can earn Poké dollars or items in return, right?"

"Mm-hmm. Oh, and, hmm…I moved one of the Deposit Boxes from Post Town here, too. You should use it to, hmm, keep a handle on all your items and Poké dollars. And, mmm, I've started a shop as well. I haven't got many goods yet, but if you come talk to me, I'll show you what I can offer, hmm? If you see something you like, be sure to buy it, hmm?"

Silvy thanked Quagsire graciously.

"Thanks for all of this, Quagsire! You're such a huge help!"

I had to ask this out of curiosity,

"Why are you so nice to us, huh? You even helped us build our house."

"Hmmm. Well…mmm…I don't really know. Maybe… Maybe because you and Silvy are trying hard for something. Whenever I see someone trying their best, I just feel like, hmm, helping them out."

"Oh! I know exactly how you feel!" I said.

"I know I'm normally, mmm, pretty relaxed, but watching you and Silvy somehow gets me all worked up. Hoho…"

Quagsire began to feel embarrassed from his confession.

"So, hmm… Let me explain, mmm, how the Request Board works. You see there are all sorts of notes left on the board, hmm? Each is a request. Select a request that you'd like to fulfill for someone and, mmm, tear it right off. Next you'll take that note over to the Request Counter, hmm? Then if you hand the note to Azumarill…"

Azumarill then made her introduction.

"Hi there! Just talk to me whenever you're ready to go!"

Azumarill, the aqua rabbit Pokémon. She stood at her own themed counter awaiting our requests. She was as tall as Quagsire but more oval shaped. She had white bubbles on her belly that complimented her upper blue body. Her lower half was white while her feet and tail were blue and had a perfectly round sphere. What made her look cute in my eyes were here rabbit like ears.

"Then you'll be able to go to the dungeon you need to complete your request, hmm? That's, mmm, about it for my explanation. Pretty simple, hmm? Go on and, mmm, pick your very first ever request. Make it a good one, hmm?"

"Shin? Mind if I choose this time?"

"No, go right ahead. I'm excited to see what you'll pick out for us."

"Ok! Hmm, which one should I pick… I've got it! Let's do this one.

*Rip*

"Now I just give it to Azumarill, right?"

Silvy walked up to Azumarill's counter to hand over the flyer.

"Step right up! Welcome to the Request Counter! What sort of request will you be helping out with today?"

"This one, please."

"I see! I'll get everything ready for your departure!"

Just then, the door on the northeast corner opened up.

"Whoa! The doors opened by themselves!" I exclaimed.

"The Request Gate has been opened! Do your best in there!"

"That's how you do it, right?"

"Hmm, that's it exactly. Then all you have to do is go out through that Request Gate. You'll be taken to the proper dungeon, hmm? So what kind of request did you select, Silvy? I'm, hmm, rather curious. Will you let me steal a peek?"

Quagsire walked over to the counter and took a look at the flyer that Silvy handed over.

"Hmm, hmm…"

"'Please! I can't seem to find my way out of Stompstump Peak! I'd thought I could make it through this kind of mountain on my own, but before I knew it, I'd completely lost my way. I'm sorry to ask, but please help me!'"

-Dunsparce

"…Hmm. It's not a very glamorous request, is it? The Poké dollars you'll earn isn't much either."

"No, I think it's the perfect type of request Silvy would pick," I teased.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Silvy protested.

"You're sure you want this request, hmm?"

"Definitely! Out of all the requests on the board, this Pokémon seems to need our help the most. I don't think the reward is as important as helping out a Pokémon who really needs it."

"Hmm… Boo-hoo-hoooooom! I'm so, mmm, moved! Mm-hmm! I knew you two were good Pokémon!"

"I told you it was the perfect request that Silvy would pick."

Silvy is definitely the type to help those in need.

"Now all you need to do is leave the Center and go to that dungeon, hmm? Hurry and save that Pokémon. Mmm, mmm… Hmm."

"Right! Let's go, Shin!"

"Got it!"

We went back home for our belongings, purchased a couple of Oran Berries from Quagsire and then set off through the Request Gate.

When we passed through gate, there was sense of dizzying light flooding my eyes and the next moment I opened them, we were at Stompstump Peak. This place had four waterfalls that were fed by a fifth grand waterfall atop the highest, center plateau. There were rope ladders that were ruined and hanging from the cliffs on the east and west side. There were three ways to enter the caves, through the north, east and west. The problem with the north entrance was that it was across a rapidly flowing river. That left only the west and east caves to go through and search for Dunsparce.

"Which way do you think we should begin our search?" I asked.

"I don't know. How about you decide, Shin?" she suggested.

"Hmm… Well let's try going east then."

"Alright, I'll follow your lead then."

"You're going to follow me?"

"Yes, you picked the route so you take the lead," she said coyly.

"How unfair," I said wryly.

"How about this? If we don't find him through you way, we'll go back and I'll take the lead on the western path."

"When did you suddenly become cute?" I joked.

"I've always been cute!" she retorted.

With that, we went through the eastern cave with me on the vanguard.

We went through the Eastern Cave without many problems. The Pokémon we encountered on our ways to the hill that led to the exit, were mostly Sewaddle. From the experience I gathered from recent battles, I had become strong enough to take down Sewaddle without much effort. Since I was the vanguard, all the fighting fell upon me while Silvy supported.

When we exited the eastern cave, we were on top of the plateau. When we tried to get to the other side of the river, we were ambushed by a Petilil, the bulb Pokémon, and a Sewaddle. Petilil was a pure grass-type that resembled a flower bulb with three big leaves growing from its head. I didn't feel comfortable taking on a pure grass-type so I left if to Silvy. I took on Sewaddle and managed to finish it off without much trouble. Silvy as well took down Petilil without much effort.

When we tried to cross the river, we found our path blocked by a stack of logs piled neatly. I heaved the logs over into the river and watched them flow downstream and tumble down the waterfall. We crossed over and began searching for Dunsparce.

Save for a couple of trees, there really wasn't anything else on the plateau that was interest. Silvy was first to point this out

"We've kept an eye out this whole way, but…"

We both looked around again just to be sure, but…

"…there's still no sign of Dunsparce, huh?"

"Maybe if we keep going a bit farther…?"

An unknown voice then began to call out to us.

"Who's that? Who's over there?!"

We turned towards the direction of the voice and saw a Pokémon approach us.

"Dunsparce… Nope, clearly not. They don't really look like enemy Pokémon either, but…"

This Pokémon was an Emolga, the sky squirrel Pokémon. It seemed he was looking for Dunsparce as well. Silvy tried talking to him.

"Did you…just say Dunsparce? We're looking for Dunsparce as part of a request…"

"Request? Ohhh. That bulletin board thing. So there are still Pokémon desperate enough to work for that dinky reward, huh? Thanks, though. I could use your help. I'm Emolga. I'm looking for Dunsparce, too. Dunsparce is my best friend, got it? But… He's a bit of a coward, really…and he's always messing up… Pretty much whenever he does anything, he ends up needing someone to bail him out. So, you know, I was getting a bit worried and decided to look for him myself. If you guys happen to find him first, take care of him, would ya? See ya."

This guy. His attitude makes me wonder if he's rude, sincere or carefree about anything.

"Seems like Dunsparce causes quite a bit of worry, huh? But never mind that. If he's in trouble, we ought to help him! Let's move on, Shin."

"Right."

We steeled ourselves once more and began to head towards the western cave. I suggested we use the rope ladder that was ruined as a shortcut to get down the plateau. Silvy wanted to make sure it was safe to use before we used the ladder.

"Hmm…It looks like I could probably climb down this rope ladder. I'll go first."

I started my descent carefully. I made it to the halfway point when a plank gave away to my weight and caused me to fall.

Looks like we can't get up this way again.

I stared at the rope ladder for a bit before calling out to Silvy.

"Hey, Silvy! It's OK to come down. I'll be here to catch you just in case!"

Silvy nodded and then she began to climb down, but just like me, the plank in the middle gave way. I had to catch her in order for her to not get hurt. I caught her perfectly and made sure she was fine before putting her down gently. I then pointed towards the west cave and we headed there.

What's this? Why do I feel hot? Just a moment ago when Shin caught me, my heartbeat shot up…

Silvy had no idea she was staring at Shin while they both walked towards the western cave. She only managed to snap out of it when Shin pointed towards the north cave.

"Look, Silvy. The logs I pushed down are stuck between those rocks. If we could only find more logs, we could make a sort of bridge to get us across. Let's check up on the western plateau!"

There it is again. Whenever I see him sometimes, he has this glow that is bewitching. There must be something wrong with me.

Silvy continued to fumble her thoughts as they both entered the western cave.

As she promised, Silvy took the vanguard for this half of the cave and led me to the top. We encountered Bagon, the rock head Pokémon, as we ascended to the plateau level. Bagon was a dragon-type Pokémon so it left us both at a disadvantage as we battled them. Silvy, being the vanguard, would primarily attack leaving me to support and follow-up her attacks. The two of us had no trouble with Bagon as long as we worked together.

We exited out of the caves and just like the eastern plateau, found almost nothing except the usual plant life. As I thought, there was another pile of logs here. Hopefully, when pushed, they would join with the other logs to make a bridge for us to enter the northern cave.

Just like before, I pushed the logs and watched them as they fell down the waterfall. All that was left was to go down the rope ladder and head in to the next cave in search of Dunsparce.

Silvy allowed Shin to push the logs as he became insistent on doing it. She didn't really understand as to why he had to do it. She felt like she could have also done it.

Shin is pretty strong if I look at him from here, though.

Even though Shin had been together with her for a only a few days, the time spent together felt much longer. Together they battled together and became an exceptional team.

I know we'll need more Pokémon to join our cause, but…I feel like it would be nice if it could be just the two of us for a little longer.

It was a complex feeling that Silvy felt, one she wasn't quite sure she understood. Regardless, she shook those thoughts away and led Shin to the rope ladder. As she thought it was the same ruined rope ladder. This time she had to climb down first and wait for Shin to come down

If possible I'd rather Shln go down and catch me…. Maybe if I asked him to go down first?

"Shin, I know this is sudden but would you mind climbing down first? It'd be safer if you climbed down and looked out for me in case I happen to fall again."

"Makes sense. Then I'll go on ahead and wait for you down there."

I did it! Now I just need to go down the ladder and…

Silvy didn't complete her thought as a Bagon came charging at her from behind without her noticing. Before she could begin to climb down, she was tackled and launched over the cliff.

"Silvy!"

I could only cry Silvy's name as she fell over the cliff. I did my best to place myself where I thought she would land and braced myself to catch her.

"Waaaaah!"

Here she comes…!

"Urgh!" "Aghh!"

Although I managed to catch her, the force of her landing really made it painful to catch her. Luckily the distance between the plateau and the ground level wasn't all that much so that did help on its own.

"Are you alright Silvy?"

She didn't answer because she looked speechless. She must have still been in shock from suddenly being pushed down like that.

What could have caused her to fall?

I looked up to where she was and noticed a Bagon staring at us.

"So that's it. You were pushed without knowing…"

"Umm…could you let me down now?"

"Oh! S-sorry!"

I didn't realize that I was still carrying her, so I quickly set her down. She must have been angry as her face a tinge of red to it.

"Uh…Sorry about that, Silvy."

"It's okay. Let's just hurry and fine Dunsparce."

Uuu…she sounds mad. I'll take the lead and give her some space

"Yeah, okay. I'll take the lead then."

We walked towards the makeshift bridge that was formed by the logs. The logs that were pushed from the western plateau had drifted here where they joined together with the logs of the eastern plateau. This allowed us to cross and enter the northern cave.

Going through the northern cave was of no problem. We met Bagon and Petilil as foes but together we had no difficulty. Even Silvy's mood improved as we focused on finding Dunsparce.

We had managed to come into an empty room as we went deeper into this cave. It didn't appear to be a rest room but it felt like there was something definitely here.

"Looks like Dunsparce isn't here either. Should we keep going a bit farther?"

"Yeah. We shouldn't give up just yet."

We both agreed to continue further, but something had caught Silvy's eye.

"Huh?! Shin, over there! Look! Do you see something sparkling?"

Silvy ran towards the area that was sparkling.

"Whoa! They're beautiful!" Silvy exclaimed.

"These are…probably crystals, huh?"

"They're so clear, but they still reflect light like crazy. Look! When you look into one like this, you can see yourself. It's like a mirror!"

Hahah. I guess even Silvy likes these kinds of things. It's charming.

"Check it out, Shin!"

She beckoned me to get a closer look of the crystals.

"It's true. I can clearly see my own figure in this perfect reflection!"

….though I had almost forgotten…that I now look like…Pickachu. Has it really only been three days?

"We could use these to decorate our house. Let's take some with us, yeah?"

Silvy then began to pick some crystals that looked especially beautiful.

"Sorry for the holdup, Shin. Let's get going again."

"Right."

With Silvy carrying the crystals, we continued going deeper into the cave.

The path started to make rise and it felt as if were at the height of the northern plateau. We could see the exit and picked up our pace as a good deal of time had passed with still no sign of Dunsparce

"We've come pretty far up... Ah! Shin! Over there! That's probably Dunsparce, wouldn't you say? Let's go ask!"

Silvy could see a Pokémon moving about in a nervous manner. She thought it was Dunsparce but wanted to make sure. We walked up to this Pokémon to ask about it.

"Ohhh… What am I going to do… Ah!"

"You must be Dunsparce, right?"

"Y-yes! I am!"

"What a relief. We came because we saw your request. We're here to save you!

"Hey, hey… It's OK now. We're just glad you aren't hurt!"

Silvy consoled Dunsparce as he began to cry. Then we could hear a familiar voice calling for Dunsparce.

"Dunspaaarce!"

"Emolga!"

"Thank goodness! So this is where you were! You guys found him, huh? Thanks. We owe you big time!"

Emolga and Dunsparce thanked us once again and all four of us decided to head back to Paradise together.

"Shin! Silvy! Thank you so much for rescuing me!"

Dunsparce gave his thanks to us and handed us the rewarded he posted: A Blast Seed, a Red Key and 100 Poké dollars.

"Hmm! Shin and Silvy! You completed your first request successfully. That's wonderful, hmm?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Quagsire!"

Emolga took this chance to chastise Dunsparce for going off on his own.

"I'm glad we found you this time, but you've gotta stop being so reckless!"

"Ugh… I know. I really want to be the kind of Pokémon who does the rescuing, you know… But I'm not strong and I get afraid…and then I always lose my nerve when the big moment arrives. I always mess up, and then I have to be the one gets rescued in the end… I guess I'm just really not cut out to be an adventurer…"

"That…that's not true! I mean, sure, you're a bit of a coward and so things don't always go so well. But your heart is in the right place, right? That's pretty hard to find these days."

"So you want to be an adventurer, too, Dunsparce?" I asked.

"Yes! It's my dream to become a first-rate adventurer. It would be nice to explore all kinds of different places on adventures, of course…

Haha. Sounds like someone I know, I thought while sneaking a glance at Silvy.

"But really…I'd just like to help Pokémon around the world who are in trouble! I want to be able to give courage and hope to Pokémon who are suffering! I just want to be useful – even a little! Th-that's my dream anyway. But… There's a huge gap between dreams and reality and no matter what I do, I can't…"

"Hey, that's not true! I think that's a great dream. Don't worry. If you just keep trying, I'm sure your dream will come true."

"Listen to Silvy, Dunsparce. She knows what she's talking to about." I said.

Emolga wanted to know why Dunsparce went to Stompstomp Peak.

"But why'd you try going someplace like Stompstomp Peak again?"

"I wanted a crystal. I'd heard that the crystals in Stompstomp Peak are beautiful…"

"…Crystals? Huh? Do you mean… You must mean…"

Silvy thought back to the time we found those gems lying on the ground.

"We picked some up as we were climbing Stompstump Peak… Found it! Here you go."

Silvy grabbed a crystal from her bag and placed it in front of Dunsparce.

"Is this what you were talking about?"

"Ahh! That's it! This is it! This is the crystal I wanted! Wow, it really is beautiful!"

"Yeah? Then it's yours!"

"What?! Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I just picked it up because it was pretty… But if you want it, it's yours."

Silvy then gave the crystal to Dunsparce.

"Th-thank you!"

"But why did you want one of these cyrstals?"

"Oh! I… Um, that's –I—! You see…"

Dunsparce was starting to get visibly flustered at the mention of his reason for wanting to have the crystal. He was even blushing at the thought. There was only one reason for this.

"Hoho…"

"Aha! So that's it! You wily scamp! So that's what you were after, huh?"

Silvy looked confused at what Emolga realized. This should be obvious for girls, right?

"…? What was he after?"

At the same time, a new Pokémon strolled into Post Town. She had captured the attention of all without so much as making a sound. All eyes were on her. She was tall beauty wrapped in a grass colored coat. She had fins that stuck out from her neck and had a crimson color at the tips. Her horns gave her head the form of a V. Her legs looked as if she was wearing boots. She really gave the feeling of a cool beauty as she walked towards the restaurant, not even giving a second glance to the Pokémon that were shooting hearts at her.

"She looks perfect again today!"

"Ahh! I can hardly stand it!"

"Beautiful as ever."

"She's a sight for sore eyes!"

When she walked into the restaurant, Swanna greeted her as she walked towards Gurdurr's table.

"Ah! My lovely Virizion!"

"Wow! It's really her!"

"Is this seat taken?"

"Ah…B-be my guest…"

Virizion took her place while everyone gathered around her and others piled into the restaurant from outside.

"…So she's, uh…really popular, huh? So that Pokémon called Virizion is the one you admire?"

"…Y-yes… Hoho…"

Silvy questioned Dunsparce about his crush as she stared into the restaurant. She would catch glimpses of Virizion, the grassland Pokémon, as the others around her shuffled around in order to get closer to her. Dunsparce, himself, was lost in fantasies when he chuckled at his embarrassment.

"Dunsparce has adored Virizion from the first time he laid eyes on her. He really wants her to be his friend," Emolga explained.

"So that's it. He wanted those crystals as a gift for Virizion," I said.

"Dunsparce! This is your big chance! Go and give 'er the crystal, buddy!"

"What?! I…I can't do that! I really, really want to be friends with Virizion! But…how could I ever be brave enough to talk to someone like her? There's no way she'd even notice someone like me."

"That's all right," Silvy encouraged, "you've just got to try. I'll go and talk to her for you! Come one!"

"Whaaaaaat?!"

"Don't worry! It'll be fine!"

Silvy really was trying hard to give Dunsparce some courage to talk to Virizion. I wanted to help him too, but Silvy seemed to know more than I did about romance.

"Let's go!"

Silvy looked at all of us and guided us to Virizion.

"Wait… You guys! Hey!"

Inside was filled with abuzz over Virizion. Silvy really had to push and pull people in order for all four of us to have an audience with Virizion.

"…Really? So you just recently came to this town, too, huh, Virizion? And you've been traveling wherever you felt like until know?" Silvy asked.

"Yeah. That about sums it up. Though it's not like I don't have any goal… But you could basically say that I go wherever the whim takes me. I came to this town because there was something I wanted to see here."

Intrigued by this I asked,

"Oh? What's that?"

"The Rainbows of Hope."

"The Rainbows…of Hope?"

"The Rainbows of Hope! I've heard of them, too!" Emolga said.

"Aye, those rainbows were once the mos' famous sight tae be seen in this land. Used tae appear all the time o'er the town. The mysterious sight o' those overlappin' rainbows... Och, but it was a fair sight to see! Ye felt warmed tae the very cockles of yer heart!" Herdier explained.

Rufflet added, "Yeah, all of us here used to look at those rainbows…and we'd think, 'Man, I hope they'll come back again tomorrow!' You'd feel like…you could give it your all again after seeing 'em. Having that kind of hope for tomorrow was why could give it our all every day. Looking at the rainbows somehow gave everybody that hope. And so we all just somehow started calling them the Rainbows of Hope."

"But, alas, those fair rainbows havnae appeared for many's the long day. I dinnae ken if it has anything tae do with those blasted Mystery Dungeons, but… The one thing that's for certain is the rainbows dinnae appear anymore."

"I heard rumors that the rainbows couldn't be seen any longer," Virizion said, "but I still wanted to see them, you know? I thought that maybe if I came here, I'd find out that they had returned. But it looks like it's no use. I won't be able to see them after all…"

Silvy looked disappointed at the thought of this. "Right… That's a real shame. The Rainbows of Hope, huh… I sure would've liked to see them, too."

"Ahem. Silvy, don't you think there's someone else who wants to talk to Virizion?"

Silvy only sulked for a minute before she realized why we came here in the first place.

"Oh, yeah! By the way Virizion… I know this Pokémon who really wants you to be his friend."

"His friend?"

"Yeah."

"Ummm… Well… Th-this is…"

Dunsparce stepped up nervously at the mention of him. He then took out the crystal and presented it to Virizion.

"This crystal is for you, Miss Virizion!"

"A gift?"

"Yes! That's right! P-please! Please be my friend!"

Everyone's eyes went from Dunsparce as they all held their breaths.

"Thank you for the gift. It's lovely. But… While it is very sweet of you…I can't accept it."

The whole room was stunned at Virizion's declaration.

"What? Why?" Silvy demanded.

"I don't make friends. I'm sorry."

Dunsparce looked completely devastated.

"Wha… Wait—what?"

"I'm sorry, but with the world we live in… I just don't believe in things like friends. If you were strong, I might be able to consider you as some kind of ally. If you were strong, then at least you could help me out in some way. But you…well, you aren't very strong, are you?"

"Sniffle…sniffle…"

Dunsparce was trying very hard to hold back his imminent tears. Emolga tried to console his friend.

"D…Dunsparce…"

"Sniff… I… Waaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Dunsparce couldn't hold it in so he ran outside, crying.

"Dunspaaarce! Virizion! That was so cold! What is wrong with you?! You could've just accepted his gift, you know! Argh!"

Emolga, after yelling at Virizion, chased after Dunsparce. Even I couldn't hold myself back at Virizion's ruthless words. Before I could say anything, Silvy attacked first.

"Emolga's right, you know. Don't you think that was a bit much?!"

"The world's full of cheaters, thieves, and liars. There's nothing to believe in anymore. Someone who acts nice to you always has an ulterior motive. You can't just believe anyone who flatters you with pretty words."

"How damaged do you have to be in order to believe that all nice people are cheaters…?" I whispered.

"Making friends will just lead to heartache and disappointment. That's why I just don't have any."

Is that what happened to you Virizion?

"That… That's not…"

"How could you feel any other way in this kind of world? You understand, don't you?"

She finished her meal and thanked Swanna for the food. She then got up and left, leaving behind all of us who could not object to her judgment. Beneath Virizion's cold words, there lied a harsh truth. It was this truth that prevented Silvy from any kind of response. We both have experienced this truth first hand. There was no way to go against it. It was frustrating.

Right after Virizion left, the entire room burst into laughter and celebration.

"Bwahahaaa! She turned him down!"

We were surprised by Gurdurr's mockery of Dunsparce.

"Dunsparce was totally rejected!"

The whole room was in agreement about Dunsparce being rejected.

Really. Being festive because someone got rejected. These guys are crazy.

"Hey, you see that? Just now."

"Sure did… Looks like we've found the latest victim."

"Wanna follow him?"

"Let's do it."

Two Pokémon that were not celebrating quietly left the restaurant in pursuit of their next prey.

"Wha-what? What's wrong with you all? Why are you all celebrating?!" Silvy asked.

"Well, the truth is, we all… Every last one of us here has been rejected by the lovely Virizion," answered Timburr

"What? All of you? Wait. Everyone? Really? Even the Signora? No way! Who wouldn't want to be friends with you, Swanna?"

"Hohoho… Well, Virizion is pretty set in her ways. But I had to try. Everyone wants to be Virizion's friend. Such a lovely girl…"

"That's…just an amazing," I said.

"Trying to get the lovely Virizion to be your friend and getting crushed in return... It's like a gauntlet we've all gotta run… It's practically become a town tradition! When it comes right down to it, if we didn't laugh it off every time she turns one of us down…we'd be done for! Bwaaahaaahaaaaaah!"

""Bwaaahaaahaaaaaah!""

It seems even Gurdurr and the rest of the Pokémon here had their chances and could not get past Virizion's ice wall.

"…What's wrong with everyone?! But I guess celebrating might be one good way to distract yourself from the pain… But I don't think Dunsparce is quite as thick-skinned as this lot. Shin, I think I really stuck my foot in it this time…"

"Don't beat yourself up, Silvy. You had no way of knowing this would happen. You were only trying to help a Pokémon in need and that's just like you." I said, trying to console Silvy.

"Thanks, Shin. It means a lot coming from you. But, I just can't help worrying about Dunsparce. Let's go find him."

"I'm right behind you."

We started our search for Dunsparce by looking through Post Town from top to bottom. To make things progress easier, we decided to split up. I volunteered to check the upper plateaus while Silvy looked here at ground level. I climbed the stairs all the way to top to see if he was there. The top most plateau was used more for sightseeing or a play area. It had a small pond that then fell into the pond at ground level.

Seeing as I was on the high ground, I took the opportunity to scan Post Town. From where I was, I couldn't see Dunsparce anywhere. If he wasn't in Post Town, then he must have gone towards the crossroad. I made my way down to the town gate as that was the place we were supposed to meet up after searching.

"I don't see Dunsparce anywhere…"

"Yeah, I looked from the top over there and I couldn't see him anywhere at all."

"Argh! Where could he have run off to? Ah! Quagsire!"

Quagsire had leisurely just strolled into town and Silvy decided to ask him about Dunsparce.

"Something the matter, hmm?"

"Quagsire, have you seen Dunsparce?"

"Dunsparce? Oh, that Pokémon the two of you saved, hmm? If that's who you mean, hmm… I did see him a few minutes ago."

"What? Where?"

"I passed by him right over there, hmm? He was with some, hmm, strange Pokémon I'd never seen before."

Quagsire then began to recount where he saw Dunsparce.

"As I walked by, I heard the three of them talking together, hmm?"

"'You wanna get strong, don't you? Just come with us. We'll make that wish come true.'"

"'R-really?!'"

"'Oh, yeah. No problem. We've got a real simple way to get stronger. By the way… You do have Poké dollars, right?'"

"'Y-yeah."

"'Sweet. We're the Pawniard Brothers. Good to know you. There's a place not too far from here called Desolate Canyon. Training there'll make this a breeze. Let's roll.'"

"That's about what they said, hmm? Then the three of them, mmm, went off somewhere together."

"Is that true? You're sure?!"

"Hmm? Is that suprising a story, hmm? Hmm… That's curious. You know, just before I ran into you another Pokémon heard the story and reacted, hmm, much the same."

"Wha-?"

"It must have been Emolga!"

"Yes, hmm, it was. The second Emolga heard that story about Dunsparce, he… Well, hmm…he seemed as shocked as you two do right now. Then he turned pale and ran off somewhere, mmm, in a flash."

"Shin!"

"Sounds like Dunsparce is in serious trouble!"

"You're certain the place was called Desolate Canyon, right?"

"Hmm, that's what I recall hearing."

That's all we needed to know. We both then dashed out of the gate without concern about anything else.

"Wait a moment…hmm… Do you think something happened, mmm?"

Even the Pokémon behind Quagsire, who had looking at the commotion caused by us, looked interested as to why the both of us ran off so quickly.

"I'm pretty much sure of it. Tempted by those promised that he could get stronger…"

"Dunsparce was lured away by some weird Pokémon. It's gotta be that."

"Emolga's probably afraid of the same thing! That's why he's hurrying to Desolate Canyon."

"Then let's get going now, Silvy! To Desolate Canyon!"

Desolate Canyon was a dreary and ominous place. The sky was constantly shrouded in thunderclouds yet no thunder could be heard. The colors of the rocks were all grey or a light shade of black. Even the plants here looked somewhat darker. The paths in the canyon were tight corridors that made it difficult to walk through. Whenever there was a battle we would have to trade places with each other whenever we fought in a corridor.

The Pokémon that resided here had a fierce look to them. Vullaby, the diapered Pokémon, was a flying Pokémon that resembled a vulture's chick but proved no match against my electric attacks. Foongus, the mushroom Pokémon, was a poison type so Silvy had to be especially careful whenever we encountered it. Blitzle, the electrified Pokémon, was another Pokémon we encountered. This electric-type Pokémon had the nasty ability to use itself as a lightning rod and use the acquired electricity to amplify its own attacks. I could only leave the battling to Silvy as I acted as a decoy for her when Blitzel was an opponent.

This canyon seemed to be quite short compared to all the other areas we've been to it. Maybe it was because we were not taking our time walking to our destination but desperately running and only resting when necessary to find Dunsparce. We only hoped that Dunsparce and Emolga were not in any danger.

Meanwhile, Dunsparce was being led by the Pawniard Brothers farther and farther away from Post Town. Dunsparce was becoming increasingly anxious as he noticed how far away he was from home. The Pawniard brothers said they had a place for Dunsparce to train at but none of the two had said a word since stepping into Desolate Canyon. It had become clear that something was wrong.

Dunsparce decided to stop going with them and turn around for home.

"Huh? What's the problem?"

"I-I think… I think I'd better go home after all…"

"Go home? Why?"

"I…I was really upset back in town… When I heard what you two were saying, I thought, 'I want to be strong right away!' And that's why I came this far, but… But… I'm not sure just getting stronger… is what I really want…"

"…"

"A-and besides… When I really think about it…no one can become strong just like that, right?"

"… …"

"So I-I…I'm going home. Good-bye!"

Dunsparce made a dash towards the direction from where they came from.

"Stop right there, runt!"

"Eek!"

"Heheheh! So you figured it out. Clever little runt. But don't you think it's a bit too late for that?

"That's right. It's just like you said. There's no simple way to get strong! Kahahah!"

"What we're after is Poké dollars. So out with it! Hand over the cash! And all your stuff, too! If you hand it all over without a fight, we'll let you off easy this time!"

"Ugh…"

"Don't you touch Dunsparce!"

"Emolga!"

"Freeze, you two! Don't you move a muscle! Dunsparce is my best friend, you hear!"

"Kahaha! Hmph! Friends, huh?"

"I don't care either way, but—you planning to fight us? You think you can win? Against us?"

"Hey, sounds good to me. We'll just take this guy's stuff, too!"

"Heeey! Dunsparce!"

"Look, Silvy! There they are!"

"You're right. I can see them! Hey! Dunsparece!"

We spotted them after rushing through Desolate Canyon as fast as we could. We saw that Dunsparce was cowering before the two Pawniard. But then Emolga came in and tried to diffuse the situation. We thought it better to hurry up and help Emolga and Dunsparce.

"Silvy!"

"Shin!"

"Thank goodness! Looks like we're still in time! Dunsparce… I'm sorry about what happened in town… I…"

"Silvy…"

"Hmph! How about, it bullies? Whatcha gonna do now? Your chances don't look so good now, do they?"

Now that we had an advantage in numbers, Emolga gave them a chance to back away. The Pawniard Brothers only stood there with smug expressions.

Don't tell me they…!

"Heheheh!"

"Kahahah! So, Emolga or whatever your name is…you've got us surrounded, huh? You think this is a battle that'll just come down to sheer numbers, do you?"

…Uh-oh! I knew it-!

"Hehehe! If that's true, then… How about this?! It's your turn, lads!"

""Aye-aye""

At Pawniard's command, the group that lay in hiding suddenly burst forth and surrounded us. Two Galvantula, the elespider Pokémon, and two Venipede, the centipede Pokémon, surrounded us along with the Pawniard Brothers. It had become a one versus three situation. They had us at a disadvantage in numbers. The Venipede's were very large compared to us. Their head, tail and part of their thorax had a burgundy coloring to it while sharing black colored patterns and the other part of their thorax being a jade color. Galvantula resembled a tarantula as it had four legs and two small arms. Its body consisted mostly of a normal shade of yellow with an indigo underbelly and indigo stripes on its thorax. Both of these Pokémon gave the sense that they could easily poison their opponents.

"Wha-!"

"Whoaaa!"

"So, Emolga. Now it's YOUR chances that don't so good, yeah? Kahahah!"

"The side with the bigger numbers wins, isn't that what you thought? Heheheh!"

"Urgh!"

"Emolga! Everybody! I'm going to fight! You don't need to protect me! I will fight and I won't be afraid! I promise! So you should all-!"

"Dunsparce…"

"That's the spirit, Dunsparce!" Silvy encouraged.

"Well said! Go for it, Dunsparce!" I said.

Having had enough, the Pawniard Brothers readied their allies to move.

"Dear me. You seem to be completely surrounded now, don't you?

"Well then, I guess it's about time to wrap things up here.

"Come on, lads! All together now! YAAAAAAAAARRRRRHHHH!"

They were about to make their move upon us. All four of us readied ourselves for a gruesome fight until suddenly a voiced pierced the air.

"Hold it right there!"

This voice…! Virizion!?

"Wh-who's there?"

"Who're you?"

Silvy knew who that Pokémon was.

"Virizion!"

It was Virizion that called out to the Pawniard Brothers. It had appeared she followed us into Desolate Canyon. But why was she here?

"You…" Dunsparce whispered.

"Pawniard! You told Emolga and these other Pokémon that they were surrounded, didn't you? And yet… Who's surrounded now?

The Pokémon that came along with Virizion took that as their queue and made their appearance known.

"GURDURRRRRR!"

"It's Gurdurr!" I said excitedly.

"And the Timburr!" Silvy exclaimed.

"Hey, Pawniard Brothers!" Gurdurr yelled, "Silvy and Shin are my precious customers, y 'hear?"

"If anything happens to our customers…"

"…you won't be getting off easy!"

"Taking advantage of the weakness in Dunsparce's heart with this dirty plot… You two…really are pathetic, aren't you?"

"Urk! Like we'll loss to you fools!"

"Everyone! Get ready! Here they come!" I warned.

"Let's get 'em, lads!"

""WHOOOAAA!""

Despite being outnumbered once again, they still would not go down without a fight. They fought on with their six against our 8.

From where we were positioned, Gurdurr and I had the southeastern corner against a Venipede; Silvy was squaring off with another Venipede in the southwestern corner; Emolga and a Timburr were up against a Galvantula in the northwestern corner; Virizion was facing against the Pawniard Brothers in the northern corner; Dunsparce and the other Timburr were paired against the other Galvantula. Each of us had an opponent, but two of did not have a partner to help against their opponent. If I wanted to help Silvy or Virizion, then I needed to end Venipede.

Luckily, my partner was Gurdurr. I knew firsthand how strong Gurdurr was, so together we took on Venipede. I started my attack on Venipede by taking the initiative with a Quick Attack. When I staggered Venipede, Gurdurr struck Venipede with his steel beam, landing a powerful Pound. I didn't give Venipede any time to breath as I finished Venipede off with an effective Thundershock.

Timburr and Emolga were taking on Galvantula with some difficulty. Emolga was distracting Galvantula by provoking its attacks and being the center of attention. Timburr would then use Low Kick to not only deal damage but to trip Galvantula. When Galvantula would fall, Emolga would seize the chance and use a Thundershock to deliver some damage.

Surprisingly, Dunsparce was holding himself pretty well. Although he said he was incompetent in a battle, Dunsparce was holding his own very well. Dunsparce would use a classic combination attack that proved difficult to counter: he would use Defense Curl to boost his defense against attacks. After that, he would follow up by using Rollout. Rollout was a move that made the user curl into a ball and then continuously attack. When using it in conjunction with Defense Curl, Rollout would gain a damage boost making it a devastating attack. The enemy Galvantula was definitely surprised that Dunsparce was pushing him back. Even Timburr was surprised as he was just supporting Dunsparce's oppressive attacks.

Silvy was having trouble because she was paired up against a terrible match-up. Venipede was a Bug and Poison-type Pokémon proving a really bad match-up against a Grass-type. Having finished off our Venipede, I rushed to Silvy's side.

"Need some help?"

"Here I thought I was alone."

"Of course not! I'll always be here to help you out!"

"Heheh."

She could only laugh at our bantar as we gave Venipede a taste of our teamwork. While I was helping Silvy, I told Gurdurr to help out anyone else that needed. He must have wanted to rush to Virizion's side as soon as he was able as I never saw Gurdurr run that fast, even when we battled each other.

Virizion, on the other hand, was calmly taking the moves of the Pawniard Brothers head on.

"What's the matter? Paralyzed with fear?"

"What happened to all your talk about being surrounded?"

"I think you're the one who is really pathetic!"

As they continued to attack Virizion, she simply stood there, as if waiting. The Pawniard Brothers still continued to use their move Pursuit against Virizion. What they didn't know that their move, Pursuit, was the worst possible move type to use against Virizion.

What the Pawniard Brothers failed to realize was that Virizion had an ability that made her stronger for each strike she suffered from a dark-type move. Her ability, Justified, allowed her attack power to increase for each subsequent dark-type move that hit her. When Virizion finally decided to dodge their moves, Virizion quickly then closed the distance and unleashed an incredibly devastating Double Kick.

The first Pawniard did not even had a chance to make any cry of pain as he was knocked out before he realized what happened. The second Pawniard, dumbfounded by what had happened, was struck with fear the likes he had never known. He couldn't even cry or mourn for his brother as Virizion rushed Pawniard and delivered a coup de grâce.

All of us finshed off our opponents and were about to go to Virizion's aide. Instead of hurrying to help her, we witnessed her deliver a decisive blow against the last Pawniard. We couldn't help but stare in awe in the splendor of Virizion's grace in battle.

When all enemies were defeated, we gathered them all in front of us to confront them about their actions. One Pawniard managed to regain consciousness while the others came to.

"Ngh… Ugh!"

"Aughhh…"

"Gahhhhh!"

The others looked at each other nervously as the Pawniard Brothers collapsed again from the pain.

""L—Let's get outta here!"

The Venipedes and the Galvantulas all ran away, leaving the Pawniard Brothers alone.

"W-wait, you spineless little…"

"We… We're coming, too!"

"Waaauuugh!"

Seeing as their allies had run away, the Pawniard Brothers lost their nerve and ran away along with them.

"We… We beat 'em! We really chased away the bad guys! We did it!" Emolga cried.

Everyone was happy that everything turned out all right. We all celebrated for a job well done.

"But… How did you all end up here?" Silvy asked.

"Or lovely Virizion told us. She said Dunsparce was in trouble," answered Gurdurr.

"Virizion did?" I asked.

"Well, I did see you," she said, "I happened to see you talking with Quagsire. I didn't hear everything, but…it was enough to put the pieces together."

"So that's what happened…" I said.

"It's…it's finally over!"

Dunsparce collapsed from the fatigue and tension he went through today.

"Dunsparce! You OK?" Emolga asked worryingly.

"Yeah… I guess I got rescued again, huh? But I…was actually gullible enough to believe I could be strong just like that… It was all because of me that you all… Ahh, I really am useless aren't I…"

"That's not true! You realized it before it went too far, didn't you? That it's not that easy to get strong. If you hadn't, we would've been way worse off! We might've had to fight those bullies on their own turf instead of here in the open! I'm glad they didn't take you all the way to their hideout. And besides… You fought bravely to the end, without giving in to fear, right? You did good, Dunsparce. I for one think you gave it you all."

"Emolga…"

"I have to apologize," Virizion interjected, "it was my fault that you felt like you had to get stronger. I am sorry about that. But… Bad Pokémon are always looking to take advantage of gullible Pokémon like you. You trust others way too easily. You can't live like that these days, you know? You just can't trust other Pokémon, not in the world we live in now."

"I wonder if you're right about that…" Silvy said.

Silvy's comment made all of us turn to her for further clarification.

"It's true that you probably shouldn't just trust anyone you meet right away, but… But…is trusting one another really such a terrible thing? Is it so wrong to believe in someone? I know there are a lot of dishonest Pokémon out these days. But if you take that first step…then no one else is ever going to open up and trust you either, are they?"

"… …"

I then stepped up and pitched my opinion.

"You were right when you said that Dunsparce isn't strong. He's not. But…at least he can trust. That trust will make us a real force to be reckoned with! I think…I think that trusting one another shows real strength. I think it's the realest strength we have."

"Shin…"

"So Silvy, isn't there something you want to ask?"

"Eh? What do you—how did you know?"

Silvy became flustered as I saw right through her plans. She can be cute when she is flustered like that.

"Go on. You are our leader, after all."

"What are you talking about? We're a team and I never said I was the leader!"

I can only laugh as Silvy got mad at my teasing.

"Anyway, I have to ask… Dunsparce? And you too, Emolga… Why don't you two

come be part of our Paradise?"

"Wha-?"

"Y-you want us?!"

"I do. We're gonna make a Pokémon Paradise, you see."

"A Pokémon Paradise?" Virizion whispered.

"We're gonna go on all kinds of adventures and find lots of treasures. We'll enjoy every day full of excitement and fun together! My dream is to make a real paradise!"

"Wow!"

"I'm going to need good friends to help me along the way. No—I'm going to need GREAT friends…just like you two. Don't you agree, Shin?"

"Of course!"

"A-are you sure? I mean, I'm not…"

"We're sure."

"Then I…I definitely want to join you!"

"I… Well, I don't really mind, if that's what Dunsparce wants to do."

"Alright! Thanks, you two! We did it, Shin! We're finally on our way…to making our Paradise!"

"Shin! Silvy! I'm going to do my best! Let's make a real paradise together!"

"Guess I don't have much choice then… I'll give it my all, too! Let's do this!"

"You say that, but from what I can see, you wanted to join too huh, Emolga?" I teased.

"Hey! That's not…!"

We all laughed as we celebrated new members joining our cause. Just then, Virizion walked up to us sheepishly.

"Er… Do you mind if I interrupt? I have a request for you all. Will you… Will you let me join your Paradise as well?

""What?""

"The lovely Virizion is—"

"—going to join Shin and Silvy?!"

"You-! What do you think you're trying to pull now, huh?! What happened to all your big talk about not making friends? Not trusting anyone? You just say whatever comes into your head, don't you? You're messing with us! If you're just toying with us, then we don't need you in our Paradise!"

"Toying with you… Yes, I can see how you would think that. I won't make any excuses for my behavior… But…even saying that… Is there no way you can let me be a part of your Paradise?"

Emolga was beginning to become increasingly irritated at Virizion's unreasonable request. Although I could understand where Emolga was coming from, just outright refusing Virizion seemed wrong to me.

"I…I do NOT approve! No way! Come on, Silvy! Tell her to hit the road!"

"…"

"Silvy?" I said worryingly.

"…OK. You can be a part of Paradise, too."

""WHAAAAAAAAAT?!""

Everyone was surprised, especially Emolga, at Silvy's decision to allow Virizion to join us.

"Why should I have to be friends with someone like her?! I'll never accept you, you hear? Right, Dunsparce? You've gotta feel the same, don't you?"

"I… I… Hoho…"

Dunsparce was once again star struck from the idea of being close to Virizion from now on.

"Whaaaaaat?!"

"But if you're going to be one of us…" I said, "then that means you'll have to trust us. You'll have to believe in all of us. Can you do that?"

"Hehe. I'll just have to try."

"Then that's all we can ask for."

"Then I guess it's decided! As of today, Virizion is also one of us!"

"Thanks."

"I'm not OK with this, Silvy. Seriously not OK. Just so you know."

"Aww, don't be like that…"

"Why would you even want someone like that in your Paradise?!"

"S-sorry… It was the first time that someone actually asked to join… I got so excited that I honestly didn't even think before saying yes…"

"Wha-what kind of reason is that?!"

Emolga was still fuming while Silvy was still excited that someone requested to join her Paradise. Dunsparce was still star struck and I just couldn't help but laugh at all the commotion. I laughed my share before trying to calm down Emolga's fuming.

"Well… It looks like I've caused a bit of a fight, but… I'm looking forward to working together with you all. I guess I'll be heading back first, then. Gurdurr."

"Yes, my lovely Virizion?"

"What you said…back there…"

It turns out that when Virizion went to Gurdurr and asked for his help to save Dunsparce,

"What! Dunsparce is-?! Got it! Then I'm going, too!"

"Boss! We'll go with you!"

"What a fool… This only happened because he believes any old Pokémon he meets. They should be headed for Desolate Canyon. Come at once, would you?"

Virizion then started to make her way out when Gurdurr called out to her.

"Hold on. You know, my lovely Virizion… You may act like you don't trust anyone or anything in this rotten world… But Shin and Silvy alone are, well, don't you underestimate them."

"… …. …"

"I used to be the same as you once… I didn't have any faith left in the world. But unlike you, my lovely, I…I crossed the line and did bad things to other Pokémon. Until quite recently, in fact. But… Meeting Shin and Silvy…it changed the way I thought about things. Every time I see those two, I think… This world isn't worth giving up on yet."

"… … …"

"I think…I might understand now what you were trying to tell me."

"H-hmph! Did I say something like that?"

"Hehe, no need to act so bashful. Oh, never mind."

But… I had been thinking it was about time to leave Post Town… Perhaps sticking around isn't a bad idea either, though. If I stay here, I feel like I might finally find it. That one precious thing I've been searching for…

These were the thoughts that no one could hear. The wish she held in her heart seemed to have come back to life as she watched the group of friends merrily chat with each other.

The next morning…

"Morning, Shin! I still can't believe we got more Pokémon to join our Paradise yesterday! And three at once! Now there are five of us altogether! And once you have four or more Pokémon you can register as a team!"

"A team?"

"Yeah! It's pretty rough working as an adventurer, after all. So to support Pokémon like us the group known as Helping Adventurous Pokémon Prosper Institute was formed.

"H-Helping Adventurous…what? "

"I know. It's a real mouthful, so everyone just calls it HAPPI. HAPPI's around to help make adventuring safer for everyone. So when you get at least four Pokémon together, they'll recognize you as a team! And they'll give you all kinds of support and useful items for your adventures."

From outside, we could hear a voice calling us.

"Shin! Silvy!"

"Oh! Isn't that Dunsparce? Everyone musts be here already!"

"Let's go and greet them then."

We came outside to meet Virzion, Dunsparce, and Emolga. But there was also an unfamiliar Pokémon waiting along with everyone.

"Morning, everyone!"

"Hehe. And a good morning to you."

"Good morning!"

"Morning, Shin and Silvy! Hey, Silvy… It looks like Pelipper's here with some kinda delivery for you.

Pelipper then came over to Silvy and handed over a letter to her. Pelipper, the water bird Pokémon, was a pelican themed Pokémon. Its mouth covered most of its body and had large wings to compensate.

"It's from HAPPI!"

"No way! What does it say?"

"Lemme see… It says…if we write our team name on this form and send it back to them…then we will be registered as a team!"

"We're going to form a team?" Dunsparce asked.

"Yup! I requested an application early, just in case. I never thought we'd get a reply this fast!"

"Sounds good to me. If we become a team and get Team Badges, we could take on anything!" Emolga said excitedly.

Dunsparce was also excited at the formation of a team. "OK, then we should start thinking of a team name!"

"Yeah! That's right! Hmm… How about Emolga's Enforcers? Pretty cool, right?

"Shin, what do you think would be a good name? You should pick a name for us."

"Huh? Why do you want me to decide?"

"Because I feel like you could pick out a great name for us."

"Uuu…."

"Hey! What about my idea?!"

I can't really refuse if she gives me that kind of look, now can I? A team name, huh…? What should we be? Hmm…

"…How about the Starlight?"

"The Starlight… Alright, then. The Starlight it is! I like it. It'll be a great name!"

"I think it's good, too!"

"I don't have any objections."

"Right? That's because it's an awesome name! 'Emolga's Enforcers' it is, then- …Hey! You guys haven't been listening to a single thing I've been saying, have you?!"

"So it's decided, then! As of today, we are…the Starlight!"

"Yes!"

"Hehe. Understood."

"Oh, fine."

Silvy then filled out the team name on the application and returned the letter to Pelipper. Pelipper then took it and flew off into the distance.

"Pelipper, I'm counting you!" Silvy said as she waved at Pelipper

Clapping could be heard behind us.

"Congratulations are in order, hmm, Team Starlight! I'm, hmm, glad to see you all finally became a team!"

"Quagsire! Hmm, so… To celebrate the formation of your team…how about another, hmm, present from me?"

"Another present! Really?" Silvy asked, surprised.

"Come with me, hmm?"

All of us looked a bit confused but we still followed Quagsire out to the Request Counter.

"Ah! Th-that's-!"

What caught Silvy off guard, and me for that matter, was seeing Scraggy standing behind a counter.

"S…Scraggy?! Quagsire! What in the world is Scraggy doing here! You don't mean… Your present isn't…Scraggy, is it?!"

"Hmm. That's right. You really were surprised, hmm? But you needn't worry, hmm? Scraggy's on the, mmm, straight and narrow now."

"What? How? Why?"

"I punished him. Hmm."

"What? Quagsire… You… What?!"

"Mm-hmm. I can't let evildoers slide, hmm? So I punish them thoroughly. Mm-hmm. And since he, hmm, caused so much trouble for you and Shin and everyone… I've made Scraggy give his word to support you all from now on. Mm-hmm."

"I would have expected no less. The famous reformer of criminals who even formed an organization to punish evildoers and is said to travel the world for its operations. The one known for three qualities above all others: sincerity, integrity, and rage. It appears that your famous nickname is not just for show… SIR Quagsire."

Virizion had just said something unbelievable. Quagsire was being praised as quite the ally of justice.

"SIR… SIR Quagsire?! I don't really get it, but it sounds super awesome!" Emolga said admiringly.

"Quagsire, are you…actually a super-strong Pokémon or something?!" Silvy asked, shocked to hear Quasire described that way.

But Quagsire only brushed this praise aside.

"No, no. I've just, hmm, picked up a thing or two over the years. Though, hmm, I used to be quite famous back in the day…in the underworld. …Oh. Am I bragging? Hoho…"

He praised himself in such high regard but then quickly became modest and self-conscious. All while ending up embarrassed. Quagsire sure was something else.

"But now's not the time for any of that, hmm? I'm about to, mmm, explain something. So listen well, hmm? Now that you're a team, hmm, you can choose which members will go off to dungeons for you adventures. You can send up to four Pokémon into a dungeon at once, hmm? No more than that."

"I see… And since we have five Pokémon on our team now…" Silvy started

"Someone is going to get left behind." Virizion finished.

"Mm-hmmm. Whoever is left behind will stay behind here and take care of Paradise. And, hmm…sometimes when you battle in dungeons, you may find that some of the Pokémon you battle will ask to join your team. If you let those Pokémon join you, your team will keep growing. Mm-hmm.

Dunsparce then noticed Pelipper flying towards us.

"Ah! Pelipper!"

Pelipper didn't even appear to slow down as he approached us. What was curious was that he had a chest with him. Instead of landing, Pelipper dropped the chest in front of us and continued to fly off into the sky.

"Is that…?" Emolga asked.

Silvy looked awestruck as she approached the chest with us behind her.

"…It's from HAPPI. And it's addressed to us."

Silvy opened the chest and inside was a letter, a Team Bag, accessories and some Team Badges.

"I'll read the letter first. Lemme see…"

Dear Starlight

We hereby recognize your team as proper explorers and present to you these badges as evidence of your teamhood. Let them be an aid to you in your adventures.

-Helping Adventures Pokémon

Prosper Institute

"…And that's the end."

"Wow!"

"We already got recognized as a team!"

" That's HAPPI for you, hmm? They don't waste any time. Mm-hmm. And shall I explain about your Team Badges, hmm? These, hmm, little badges should be passed around to everyone on your team."

Silvy looked into the chest for the Team Badges.

"There are dozens…no, hundreds of them! Don't we just need one for everyone on the team? There are only five of us in the Starlight, so we don't need all these…"

"Hmm, you should use your extra badges if you decide to recruit more teammates. Your Team Badges will help you out if you all carry them. Mm-hmm… Like with move growth."

"Move growth?" Dunsparce asked.

"Mm-hmm. You know the move Bubble, hmm? If you keep using Bubble again and again… then it'll become a stronger form of Bubble and that will be the new standard of Bubble. In short, hmm, your moves will keep growing stronger."

"Really?!"

"And move growth is shared by anyone carrying the same badge, hmm? In short, the whole team shares their move growth. Mm-hmm."

"The whole team…shares?"

Virizion took over the explanation from there.

"Like if I keep using Quick Attack…then I would make Quick Attack grow to a stronger form, you know? And then all my teammates who know Quick Attack could use the new stronger form. Emolga, you know Quick Attack, don't you? So in this example, even if Emolga never uses Quick Attack to level it up himself, he would suddenly be able to use the stronger form of Quick Attack—without doing a thing. That's what it means to share as a team."

"H-hmph! I don't need to share anything with you!"

"If you want to know more about any moves…hmm… You should have Scraggy over there tell you more. Mm-hmm. Oh, and if you want to forget moves or, hmm, remember them, he should be able to help out with that, too. The last benefit of your Team Badges is probably Team Skills, hmm? I won't go into any details now, but, hmm, just remember that there are many skills that will help you on your adventure, hmm? And just like your move growth, any Team Skills you learn will be shared by all of you. Mm-hmm. That about covers it. I suppose it's, mmm, a lot to take in at once. I'm sure you'll pick it all up as you go along doing requests, hmm?"

"You're way too nice to us, Quagsire. I don't even know what to say… Thank you… Thank you for all of this Quagsire!"

Silvy was filled with tears in gratitude of Quagsire's generosity. Even I felt that Quagsire had done so much for us. Quagsire could only turn away in embarrassment.

"Ok, everyone! From this day forth, we are a proper team! Let's give it our all!"

"Aye-Aye!"

"Alright!"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Yeah!"