There came a gentle knocking at their bedroom doorframe not an hour after Micah had left. Their room had no door and the Pikachu standing in the hallway was clearly visible, fidgeting nervously with the large glass lenses before his eyes. "Hello? You're the new recruits, correct?" He spoke kindly in soft tones, as if he was afraid to raise his voice.
"Yeah, that's us, and who are you?" asked Aurora.
"I'm Bolt, pleased to meet you," he answered quickly, a bit flustered, holding out a paw to greet the two. "I wanted to welcome the two of you to Duskrock Guild."
"You're not wearing a scarf," Shadow observed, "are you a new recruit, too?"
"Me?" The question came as a surprise to him, and he quickly retracted his arm. "No, not exactly, I've been living in this guild for a couple months now, but I don't do any rescue team work. I do the cooking around here, and the nursing." He chuckled a bit, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not really a recruit at all, actually."
"Oh yeah, Micah told us about you! So, what's for breakfast?" asked Shadow.
"Breakfast! Yes, that's what I came to you for, actually, to invite you to breakfast. I've roasted a few berries from the guild's stock," Bolt answered, stepping aside and waving for the two to follow him. "The other teams were already there, waiting on you two, so I came out to get you."
Micah, Mocha and Amber had waited patiently for the new recruits, but the other three Pokémon—a Nidorina, Mawile and Shuppet—had already served themselves and were far too invested in their meal to pay any mind to Aurora, Shadow and Bolt. Micah greeted the three with a smile as they entered and took their seats at the long dining table. Three plates of berries had already been set out for them.
"It seems everyone is here now, so, let's eat!" Micah announced, and the remaining members of the guild began to dig in. Shadow and Aurora had recklessly began shoveling charred berry after berry into their mouths, spilling juice and seeds all about. Neither of them had ever seen a meal so plentiful. They were the first to finish their breakfast, even before the three who had given themselves a head-start, who had stopped to watch the two and broke into a chorus of laughter when the last berry disappeared from their plates.
"Have the two of you never seen food before?" snickered the Mawile. Aurora shot her a glare.
"Goodness, you two, what's the hurry? The berries aren't going anywhere!" Amber joked, cackling. Her laugh somehow managed to beat out her voice in volume.
"They're just across the table from you, Amber," snapped the Nidorina, "you don't need to shout so loud. Good Giratina, you'll make us all go deaf."
"You watch it—" growled Mocha, and Amber had to restrain her from climbing over the table.
"You're hardly one to tell us to watch anything," countered the Nidorina, and her trio exploded into laughter once more.
"That's enough," insisted Micah. His voice, hardly above speaking level, managed to silence the entire room. "Aurora, Shadow, would you like seconds?"
"Hey, what's the big deal?" demanded the Shuppet, "The rest of us never get—" he cut himself off after a stern scowl from Micah.
"I would love seconds!" cheered Shadow, and Aurora nodded her agreement. The two had another plate of grilled berries each, and the guild finished their breakfast in silence afterward. Not a word was spoken until after everyone had left the dining hall and assembled into the main hall, forming a neat grid before Micah. Aurora and Shadow, unsure where to go, stood close to him.
"Good morning, everyone! I have some important news this morning," Micah announced gently, standing patiently in front of the ladder to the upper level. "I'm sure all of you have heard by now, but Duskrock Guild has recently had two new recruits, and I wanted to formally introduce everyone. These two are Aurora and Shadow, and together they form Team North Star. Would everyone else care to introduce themselves?"
"We've already met, but I'm Mocha, and this is my partner Amber," the Meowstic answered proudly, gesturing to her partner, "and we make up Team Solar Flare."
"I'm Rhie, and these are my partners," announced the Nidorina, gesturing to the Mawile and Shuppet beside her.
"Malice," declared the Mawile.
"Somna," the Shuppet stated.
"And together we make up Team Renegade, a Bronze Rank rescue team, don't forget it!"
"And I'm Bolt, I make sure everyone gets taken care of around here," Bolt introduced with a wave.
"Don't let the excitement distract you, though," Micah reminded, "today is still a busy day of work! Team Solar Flare and Team Renegade, you two will be taking on job requests as usual, and Bolt, I would appreciate if you could give Aurora and Shadow a tour of the nearby facilities. Does that sound acceptable?"
"Y-Yes, sir, I can take care of that!" Bolt agreed.
"Thank you, Bolt. That's all I have for announcements for this morning, so you all are dismissed." Micah retreated to his office, leaving everyone to their assignments. Team Renegade was quick to snatch a handful of sheets off the job post board and depart the guild, and Team Solar Flare followed soon afterward.
"Have either of you ever been here to Gloaming Town?" asked Bolt.
"Nope," answered Shadow, "we haven't even been to Diamondfrost Town."
"Really? I thought that was where Mocha and Amber said the two of you were from," the Pikachu muttered. Aurora held her tongue, a sickening feeling in her stomach. "I was hoping that was true, and that you'd know something about the rumors they went to investigate."
"Rumors? What rumors?" Aurora wondered.
"Oh, uh, it's nothing, really," he dismissed. "There's been talk of strong Pokémon popping up in regular mystery dungeons like Diamond's Peak, but nothing to confirm that. I was hoping that their investigation would shed some light on that, but I guess not. Anyhow, welcome! I grew up here, and my mom owns the local library, so if you ever need help getting around, you can always ask me. I know this place like the back of my paw."
The town itself wasn't particularly impressive. All buildings were constructed of stone and mortar, largely indistinguishable from one another outside of the signs that hung above their doors to identify them. Aurora noticed that the town was built similarly to Diamondfrost, although only the merchants' booths seemed to be wooden. A misty haze hung in the air. There were a couple Pokémon wandering the cobble streets and bargaining with merchants at this morning hour, though none seemed too busy.
"As you can see, Gloaming Town has several booths where merchants will come to sell goods to anyone who stops by. They usually have things like oran berries, reviver seeds and various orbs that are pretty useful to explorers like you two. There's different Pokémon at them every day, so you can always find new things for sale," explained Bolt. "There's also the inn up ahead, which provides a lot of useful services to travelers and explorers."
"Ooh, does it have a deposit box?" Shadow asked.
"Uh, yes, actually," Bolt muttered, a bit surprised, "have you been to an inn before?"
"Nope," Shadow chirped, "I've just read a lot about things explorers use when I was trying to get into a guild, and deposit boxes were really interesting to me. Do they really hold your same items in different places?"
Bolt nodded. "Yes, but they react to your badges to unlock, so you won't be able to use them until Micah gets those for you. You'll also see plenty of explorers from far off staying the night there for expeditions or faraway rescues. In the meantime, we could still stop in for lunch, if the two of you are interested."
"Sounds great!" Shadow exclaimed with a grin.
Aurora chuckled along. "I wouldn't mind lunch, either."
"Great!" Bolt cheered, approaching the wooden door beneath a large sign reading INN. He pushed it open, waiting for the Riolu and Zorua to pass through before rejoining them. Several round tables were scattered across the floor, occupied by several Pokémon of all shapes, sizes and colors. Most were far too occupied with their own conversations to notice the three little Pokémon enter. Behind a desk in the back was a Liepard, sitting patiently and looking a little bored when Bolt approached him.
"You again, Pikachu? What is it today?"
"Hi Selene," Bolt greeted, "could my two friends and I have a table for lunch?"
The dark Pokémon scowled down at him, stepping begrudgingly out of her desk. "I suppose," she growled, "follow me." Selene stepped toward an empty table, its surface still littered with the scraps of its previous customer. "And you'll be having?"
"A mago pie, please," ordered Bolt.
Selene rolled her eyes. "Coming up," she grumbled, and strutted off.
Aurora sighed. "Is she always like that?"
"Selene?" Bolt shook his head. "No, she's usually a lot more inviting, but typically her daughter is also running about. I worry that something might have happened to the little one, it would explain her hostility."
"Poor little thing, I hope she's okay," mumbled Shadow.
"But what about everyone at breakfast? Is everyone at the guild normally like that?" asked Aurora.
"Unfortunately," Bolt groaned. "Rhie's team loves nothing more than to pick on other members of the guild. Ever since they got promoted to bronze rank, they started acting tough, thinking they're better than everyone. What they said to Mocha and Amber was still a low blow, mocking them like that. It's not Amber's fault she can't hear, and Mocha can't help her eyes."
Bolt shook his head, just at the moment Selene arrived with their mago pie. "Your food," she hissed. "Eat it before it goes cold."
"Thank you," Aurora called after Selene had turned away from her table. She reached for a slice, as did Shadow, who devoured it faster than she could blink and reached out for another.
"If you don't mind me asking, if the two of you aren't from Diamondfrost, then where are you from?" asked Bolt.
"We don't live far out, actually," Aurora answered, "we live in a cabin in the woods just outside."
"Our parents just never wanted us going into town," Shadow added before another mouthful of pureed mago.
"The two of you are siblings? I never would've guessed," Bolt remarked.
The tricky fox Pokémon swallowed his final bite with a satisfied sigh, leaving the dish emptied. "Well, we actually took Aurora in after I found her out in the woods, all by herself. She didn't have anywhere else to go, so we took care of her like part of the family."
She smiled. "I woke up out there and I couldn't remember who I was, where I was or how I got there, so really I was lucky to have Shadow come along to help." She'd known that since the moment she woke up to Shadow, but somehow it felt strange to finally vocalize. Her amnesia had been the least of her issues up until now, and it felt almost selfish to bring it up. Even now, it didn't seem to her all that important.
"You couldn't remember a thing?" the Pikachu gaped. "Riolu and Lucario don't usually travel independent of a pack, that makes me really wonder what happened to you. And you don't have a clue about how you got there?"
"Nope," Aurora answered blankly, "I have no idea. It's a bit of why I wanted to join a rescue team with Shadow, so I might one day figure that out."
"Have you ever wanted to be on a rescue team, Bolt?" blurted Shadow.
"Me? Oh, no, oh no," he stammered meekly, shaking his head. "I mean, I've always been fascinated by the work they do, but I'm not cut out for that myself. Really, I'm happy to just work at the guild where I can support Pokémon who are. Honestly."
"Are you sure?" Shadow pressed. "You seem to know a lot about a lot of things, so you could really help us out in dungeons. And we're beginners, too, so you don't have to worry about not battling too well."
"You're sure? You don't think I'll be holding you two back too much?" he worried.
"Of course not," Aurora assured, "we could use all the help we can get."
The Pikachu chuckled awkwardly, "If you say so, I suppose. I'd be happy to join you."
"That settles that, then!" cheered Shadow, "When we get back to the guild, we'll have to let Micah know that you're a part of team North Star!"
"Speaking of, we'll have to be getting back soon. I have to be back before Mocha and Rhie's teams so there'll be dinner for them. I gotta pay Selene, too," Bolt realized, hopping to his feet. Aurora and Shadow followed him back to Selene's desk, where he dropped a handful of golden coins for her before dashing out.
It was still midday when the three returned to Duskrock guild, the sun still shining and the morning mist having long-since faded. Micah waited at the gate, serving as sentry while all his pupils were out. "Welcome back, Bolt. I trust everything went well?"
He nodded confidently. "I had a question for you, though. Would I be able to join Aurora and Shadow's rescue team?"
Micah's eyes went wide, though his stare was still soft. "Bolt, I have no problem with you joining a rescue team, but what about your responsibilities here at the guild? I wouldn't want that to hold you back, but there's only so much Obsidian and I can do."
"I can still cook, and take care of everyone, really!" promised Bolt, a bit desperately. "I swear I'll do everything I can around here!"
Micah smiled, shaking his head. "Don't stress yourself over it. If you want to join team North Star so badly, you're more than welcome. I'll have a scarf and badge ready for you tomorrow morning along with Aurora and Shadow's, and I'll look for someone who can take over your duties in your absence."
"Really?" Bolt squealed, "Thank you so much, Micah! I'll get right on dinner, I won't let you down!" He hopped through the gate immediately, disappearing into the lower level. With a smile and nod to their guildmaster, they followed him into the guild and relaxed in the main hall. They only had a couple brief moments of peace and quiet, however, before a familiar voice sounded behind them.
"The two of you are back already?" the Nidorina sneered. Aurora and Shadow jumped, turning quickly around. "What, did I scare you or something?"
"No," insisted Shadow, his fur standing on edge, claws digging into the dirt floor.
Rhie cackled, "Look at the two of you. Pathetic! I was hoping the new recruits would've been tough, but you're even weaker than I thought." Somna and Malice laughed along.
"We're not weak," Aurora insisted. "At least we don't have to push around other Pokémon to show it."
The three were rendered speechless. Malice and Somna exchanged a nervous glance as the Nidorina closed the distance between Aurora and herself. "What was that? What did you say, just then?"
Aurora cleared her throat. "I said we don't need to pick on others to know we're tough."
"Is that so?" Rhie hissed, "If you're so tough, how about you prove it?" She drew her arm back, her claws glowing a deep, venomous violet. Aurora jumped out of the way just as Rhie lashed forward, forcing her poison jab to strike uselessly into the dust beneath her feet. She glared up at the Riolu. "You think you're so hot, don't you? I bet you haven't even been on a proper exploration. How about you go into Crepuscule Cavern? If you can make it all the way through there, I'll admit you and your trembling teammate aren't so wimpy after all."
Aurora looked to her brother, who was quivering just as Rhie had said. He looked on the verge of tears. She nodded in response. "We'll do it."
The Nidorina smirked. "First thing tomorrow morning, head into the pit on the outskirts of town. Bring back a gem from the depths of the cave by sundown, and I won't pick on you or your friend, no matter how feeble you are."
"Deal."