-:-

Chapter 6: First Nightmares

For my sake, I hope you are not as disagreeable as the Eevee. His mind was the most chaotic cacophony of thoughts I have ever had the displeasure of sifting through. What a self-entitled upstart. I have seen countless young Pokémon with the exact same sob story, and none nearly as bitter.

Sob story? What're you talking about?

Family murdered, town raided, I have heard it all before.

H-hang on? You're talking about Ven? Ven's family was...? But I thought he said he just left his home to travel...

Enough. I do not have the time to baby-sit children. So tell me Dedenne, why is it that I cannot see your memories?

Zack felt like he should have argued further and defended Ven, but it was clear from the Ninetales' steely glare that her patience was thinning. He decided it would be best to get the conversation over with and process the new information later.

I have amnesia. I woke up in the middle of the desert with no memories of my past. I don't even remember my real name.

I see. In that case, I supposed I should-

…

…Kyon? Is something wrong?

The Dedenne's vision blurred and suddenly he was standing in the middle of a field. His arms and legs were longer and the windswept grass was brushing up to his knees. Fur no longer covered his entire body, only the top of his head. Instinctively, he knew he was somehow a human again.

"C'mon! We're gonna be late if you just stand there!"

The voice was sweet and feminine. In the distance, Zack could make out another human. This one was a girl with flowing sea-green hair. An innocent smile graced her round face, plump with youth.

"I told you I'd show you that new ice cream place, didn't I? Let's get going before it clos-"

Zack attempted to reach out for the girl, but just as suddenly he had returned, standing in a dimly lit stone room in the body of a Dedenne, staring into Kyon's crimson eyes.

W-what was that!?

I… found one of your memories. It was buried deep, almost completely hidden from my mind's eye, but… I found it. Zack. You are… you were a human?

Y-yeah. That's the only thing I'm completely sure about. Ven said I should be careful about who I told, in case they think I'm nuts.

Perhaps the Eevee is not as hotheaded as I first thought. And who was the girl?

I… I don't know. Someone I must've known before, I guess.

The Ninetales was obviously at a loss for words, but hid her bewilderment extremely well; her face was as expressionless as ever.

Um, Kyon. Can I tell you something crazy? Crazier than the fact that I used to be a human?

I can't imagine much could be considered crazier.

Well, I'm not sure how to explain it, but I have this nagging feeling… this really bad feeling that I came to Chiora for a reason. Like I have a really important job I have to do here, but for the life of me I can't remember what it is.

…

Zack, listen closely. What you are telling me… is not as crazy as you may think. Some Pokémon blame humanity for the Luminaries' rise to power, but contrary to what they want to believe, humans had an extremely close relationship with us in the past, to our gods especially. Humans were the ones who introduced civilized life and created unified communities. Sir Aaron, Lord Azai, there are countless human heroes that have saved the world from disaster in the past. This region is in a state of crisis; it would not be surprising if you were somehow involved, if you were here to aid us.

Yeah, Ven told me a bit about that. There's a big war going on in Chiora, isn't there.

The war is hardly the extent of our troubles. There is much more wrong with this world, far greater threats, but… you'll learn of that in due time.

Guess I will. You couldn't find any more of my memories could you? Find out who I am or where I came from or what exactly I'm doing here?

My apologies Zack, I cannot. There is an odd… barrier of sorts within your mind. It was quite lucky that I managed to decipher anything at all. I feel as though the truth –your memories of the past and your true identity – is all still there. Simply… hidden from view. This is unusual...

That's an understatement. So what should I do?

…

… Do not tell anyone about this conversation for the time being. I have never experienced anything like this before; it would be prudent to inform the Guildmaster of your odd situation before any further action. We Pokémon are indebted to humanity, try as some might to deny that. The Guild will do everything in its power to help you. Until then… try not to attract unnecessary attention to yourself.

I can do that.

And one more thing Zack.

Yeah?

Perhaps 'barrier' was not an adequate word. There is some kind of… presence that is preventing me from delving deeper into your mind. Some kind of presence… that does not want me to delve deeper.

Zack's fur stood on end, and not because of the electricity coursing through his new body.

Thanks Kyon. I'll keep that in mind.

-:-

Zack stifled a yawn and awoke to find himself lying on a hard cement floor. He groaned with discomfort and stretched his sore body.

The Dedenne was in a small, dingy room. Three cracked walls surrounded him and a tattered drape hung from where there should have been a fourth. He could tell the room used to be a prison cell, as there were circular indents in the floor and ceiling by the drape where iron bars must have once stood.

There was a metal pipe jutting out of one wall with a pulley of some kind attached to it. Directly below the pipe was a stone basin, and Zack pulled the rope out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised when water poured out of the pipe and into the basin. He took an appreciative sip of the cool liquid, and cringed a little when he realized that there must've been a toilet attached here in the past.

I wonder where all this water comes from… Zack asked himself, trying to get his mind off of toilets. I mean, we're in the middle of the desert, aren't we?

Unable to come up with an adequate explanation, the Dedenne decided to drop the subject and stretched his aching shoulders. The mouse extended a furry arm and experimentally clenched his stubby fingers. Still a Pokémon, huh? It's gonna take a while to get used to this body. It could be worse though; at least I haven't been transformed into an ice-cream cone Pokémon or something ridiculous like that.

He had to say, that out of all the changes to his body, the tail felt the weirdest of all. Strangely, he often found the long, black body part wagging on its own whenever he felt particularly cheery. The Dedenne thought back to the night before, and the promise Kyon had made him. Ven was right; coming to this Guild was a great idea, considering this 'Guildmaster' is going to help me figure out what I'm doing here.

Not having to constantly worry about getting killed for once is nice, too.

The mouse lightly shook his head in an attempt to clear his drowsiness and his eyes landed on the fretfully sleeping Eevee from across the tiny room. Ven was tossing and turning with a pained expression, clutching on to his scarf like it was a lifeline; it looked like he was having bad dreams.

Poor Ven. I can't imagine how he's feeling right now, Zack frowned. I know I kind of saved his life, but I really can't thank him enough for wanting to help me. It's not like he's gaining anything from this.

The Dedenne thought about what Kyon had inadvertently revealed to him. Ven's family was dead. The real reason he had left his home was because it had been destroyed. Zack supposed he should've felt hurt that he'd been lied to, but he realized that Ven had every right to keep such things private. The fact that Ven had never told him must have meant that he had no interest in talking about the issue. So Zack resolved that he wouldn't bring it up. It was the least he could do for Ven considering how much the Eevee had helped him.

"Um, Ven?" the Dedenne's called out softly. "You okay?"

The Eevee's breathing hitched and his eyes snapped open, staring at Zack with thinly veiled terror.

"…Oh, it's you."

"Yup. It's me," Zack smiled.

"…My back is killing me." Ven yawned and buried his face into his scarf.

"How are feeling Ven? Besides your back, that is."

The Eevee whispered into the fabric, his voice barely audible. "I want to go home."

Okay, now the fox really looked like he could use a hug. But Zack knew from previous experience that Ven wouldn't respond positively to that. He had no idea what to say the young Eevee; Zack had no family of his own as far as he was concerned, and he was afraid that saying anything would make things worse. What knowledge of human interaction he had retained was vague at best, and what if the way Pokémon interacted with eachother was completely different from that of humans? He didn't want to offend the Eevee.

After an awkward silence, Ven looked back up with slightly bloodshot eyes.

"I'm starving," the Eevee grumbled to himself and Zack was intensely thankful for his breaking the quiet. Now there was something he could help with.

"Hey! If you're hungry, I saved a few of those oran berries Chip gave us yesterday," the Dedenne smiled and rummaged through the leather bag he'd tucked away in a corner. He picked out the largest and juiciest of the blue fruit and passed it over to the irate Eevee.

Ven didn't thank him, but Zack liked to think his gruff snort was a sign of appreciation. Zack munched on an oran berry of his own, savoring the odd mix of flavours.

"So where are we?" Ven gulped down the last of his berry and it looked like his mood had greatly improved.

"The apprentices' sleeping quarters," the Dedenne informed cheerfully. "Emerald brought us here after you passed out."

The Eevee pouted and looked away like he was embarrassed that he'd lost consciousness, though Zack wasn't quite sure why. If you were tired, it was only natural that you would fall asleep, no? He was sure that was the case for humans; was it different with Pokémon?

"Fledge said he'd ask someone to show us around the base," Zack continued. "Should we just wait for them here or-?"

"Screw that," Ven replied and got up on his feet. "I need some air."

Zack hefted the bag onto his shoulder and followed the Eevee out of the stuffy room, and entered a much larger chamber with many more draped rooms lining the walls. A metal staircase went up to the second floor, where fenced walkways led to even more rooms, and a large iron door let out of the chamber. Sunlight was pouring in through barred windows and another cracked, flaming stone was imbedded in the ceiling.

"What is that thing?" Ven was looking up at the ceiling.

"What thing?" Zack asked, trying to follow his line of sight.

"That weird rock we've been seeing everywhere…" Ven shook his head dismissively. "Never mind. Why am I even asking you? It's not like you'd know."

The weird rock? Ooooh, he's talking about… Zack smiled with understanding and answered, "you mean the Odd Keystone, right?'

"The odd what-now?" Ven looked at him dubiously.

"That rock stuck in the ceiling, it's called an Odd Keystone. They're spiritual artifacts that are known for being used to trap apparitions. Usually Spiritomb."

As if on cue, the odd stone flashed with a violet light and a hideous purple face with green eyes burst out from the fissure. Ven let out a high-pitched shriek and jumped backwards; Zack cringed as well, more so because of the Eevee's scream than anything else.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Ven cried. The face didn't seem to register their presence and gazed blankly into the distance.

"Attention Amber Guild," it said in a horrible, grating rasp. "Today is Tuesday, September 1st, 326 H.P. The time is 8:03 A.M. First off, the Kecleon brothers would like to announce that their monthly 'Big Apple Bargain' sale will occur today at-"

"Told ya!" Zack said cheerfully to his trembling friend. "That's a Spiritomb, the 'Forbidden Pokémon'. Average height of 1 meter, average weight of 108 kilograms. It's a conglomeration of 108 individual spirits that was reborn as a single being. Pretty interesting, huh?"

Ven had stopped shaking and stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. Meanwhile, the Spiritomb continued rambling about something or other. Honestly, Zack wasn't paying much attention to its words.

"– in other news, the fourth floor is most unfortunately still infested with wild Nincada. The Guild would much appreciate any apprentices willing to clear out the infestation as soon as possible, as Nincada are known to burrow through the foundations of buildings and cause violent structural collapse –"

"…How're you doing that?" Ven said flatly.

"Doing what?"

"For someone who supposedly doesn't even remember his own name, you seem know a hell of a lot. I've just noticed it now, but somehow you've been able to identify every single Pokémon you've met so far. Me, Chip, Emerald…"

Now that he mentions it… Zack hadn't noticed this before either, and he had to admit that it was rather strange. The names and information had simply come to him as soon as he saw the Pokémon in question, almost as though he had read them out of an encyclopedia. The knowledge had come so naturally that he'd never questioned it.

"You know what's really weird?" Zack started. "I…can't remember anything about Pokémon I haven't met."

"No lie?"

"Yeah. I'm trying to remember what an Eevee evolves into, but for some reason I just can't. Kyon is a Ninetales, the 'Fox Pokémon' with an average height of 1.1 meters, weight of 19.9 kilograms… Fledge is a Fletchinder, the 'Ember Pokémon' with a height of… but… what the heck do Fletchinder evolve into? Aw man, this is really starting to bother me!"

"And all that info you're spouting out, the average heights and the facts and the figures, they're all true? You're certain about that?" Ven asked.

Zack nodded vigorously. "As certain as the fact that I used to be a human."

Ven crumpled his brow for some reason, and looked away. "Right. Of course."

Zack stood there, puzzled and irritated at the same time. What's going on? Somehow, I knew everything there is to know about Fletchinder as soon as I saw one: their classification, their typing, breeding habits, habitat… I know Fletchinder have a pre-evolved form and evolved form, but I can't remember anything specifically about them! Why!? What're their names, their typing, their… anything?!

His frustrated pondering was interrupted when an energetic voice cheerfully called out, "up and at 'em, you two! Glad to see you're awake already. We're supposed to give you guys a tour of the base."

Zack and Ven looked towards the iron door, which opened to reveal two bipedal Pokémon, a tall weasel with bright orange fur and a feline with mussed grey fur.

"A Buizel, the 'Sea Weasel Pokémon', and an Espurr, the 'Restraint Pokémon'," Zack noted to himself as the newcomers approached.

"You two must be Ven and Zack," the Buizel said happily. "Fledge told us to show you around. I'm Mako, by the way. And the Espurr here is Iris."

Iris looked over Zack and Ven with half-lidded, lilac eyes that took up a disturbingly large portion of her face. "Pleased to meet you," the Espurr said in a rather flat voice, as if she had rehearsed the line beforehand.

"Oh. Er…" Ven looked slightly troubled as he awkwardly stared back at the feline. "Hey there."

"So, you guys already met Legion?" Mako asked.

"Legion?" Ven frowned.

"That would be us," said the horrible rasping voice of the Spiritomb. Ven nearly jumped out of his fur with fright, while Zack gave a friendly wave to the grinning spirit. He'd nearly forgotten about the Ghost-Type. Apparently, the Spiritomb had discreetly approached them while they were talking, though it was still attached to the Keystone on the roof by a wispy chain-like tail. "We are Legion, Head of Intelligence of the Amber Guild."

"Legion's different from most Spiritomb in that he can split himself apart into 108 individuals, which is useful for passing info around and making announcements," Mako explained brightly. "There're Odd Keystones placed all around the base, and Legion can warp himself around to any one of them. He's kind of like the Guild's de facto P.A system."

"So there're another 107 of these creepy faces announcing the same thing all over the base?" Ven looked at Legion apprehensively, and the Buizel nodded.

"And the blue flames?" the Eevee asked.

"Will-O-Wisp!" Zack realized before Mako could answer. "That's so cool! You guys use him to light the place up too, huh?"

"Yes, that's right," Iris confirmed. "Will-O-Wisps don't produce smoke, so it's an ideal way of lighting up the indoors."

"Indeed, indeed… Now then, new faces for us to memorize." Legion's jagged grin widened. "We are interested in learning all there is to know about you two. Especially you, Dedenne. Farewell for now, newcomers. Farewell for now, apprentices Mako and Iris."

Without another word, the Spiritomb was sucked back into the crack in the Odd Keystone, leaving behind nothing but a flickering blue flame.

"What a creep," Ven whispered.

"Don't let him hear you say that." Mako gave a small smile.

"He's nice enough once you get to know him," Iris added vaguely. "Maybe we should start the tour now?"

Espurr, the 'Restraint Pokémon'. The organ that emits its intense psychic power is sheltered by its ears. The newly-remembered information floated around Zack's head as he stared into the feline's large, annular eyes. It has enough psychic energy to blast everything within 300 feet of itself, but it has no control over its power…

They all seem really cool! The mouse eventually decided. "Let's get to it then!"

-:-

Zack and Ven were led past the iron doors and found themselves outside; Zack could see large concrete walls surrounding them in the distance. Harsh sunlight beat down on the Dedenne's head and the red earth beneath his paws was uncomfortably heated. Ugh, it's way too hot out here…

"The building we were just inside was the apprentices' quarters," Mako explained as they walked down the dirt path. "There's a small building for Guild members to sleep in each of the 4 corners of the wall, sorted by rank. And in the middle of the complex is the central building. That's where we're headed, and where pretty much everything important is located: the hospital wing, the mess hall, the storehouse…"

As Zack tried to keep his mind off the sweltering heat, he noted that several beat-up tents and smoking campfires were set up around the earthy plain. There was a green humanoid covered in spikes, a Cacturne, sitting on a rock and lazily munching on a dried apple. Zack wiped the sweat out of his brow and pointed the tents out to his guides.

"Free Pokémon who aren't actually members of the Guild," Mako answered. "As long as they pass the security check and don't bother members too much, the Amber Guild let's them stay here for their safety. What with the walls and experienced fighters, our base is one of the safest places in all of Chiora. In fact, a lot of Pokémon like the Kecleon brothers just live here indefinitely to set up shops and services for us. Pretty nice, eh?"

"Are you two hungry?" Iris chimed in unexpectedly. "Mako and I have already eaten breakfast."

"We've already eaten, too," was Ven's curt response.

Mako gave a relieved smile. "Great. Mess hall's usually really crowded in the morning, so we can check out the other areas of the base first."

Soon the group neared the massive concrete structure, at least five times larger and 3 stories taller than the building they had exited, that must've been the central building. Going through a massive arched doorway, they entered a long stone hallway lined with flaming Keystones and packed with Pokémon going about their business.

Zack's head overflowed with new information as he caught sight of all kinds of different Pokémon. There was a floppy-eared Granbull having a heated discussion with a big-mouthed Loudred in a corner. A mean-eyed Bagon roughly pushed past Ven, but was lost to the crowd before the Eevee could reprimand him. Flying-types like Skarmory and Spearow had it easier as they simply flew over the chaos.

Granbull, the Fairy Pokémon. Known to be surprisingly timid… Bagon, the Rock Head Pokémon. Possesses an iron-like skull than can smash boulders… Skarmory, the Armor Bird Pokémon. Light, hollow wings allow it to fly at speeds up to 290 kilometers per hour … Zack's head spun briefly as he processed the bombardment of words, but he quickly regained his composure. Soon, it felt as if the knowledge had always been there.

-:-

First, the Buizel and Espurr brought them down the hall to the Dojo, which was clearly a repurposed gym; the floor was littered with training mats and weathered punching bags hung from the ceiling. However, there were also several gadgets that Zack couldn't make heads or tails of; a treadmill attached to a massive generator, an oversized hamster wheel... the mouse assumed that they were also training equipment of some kind. Compared to the hallway, there were much fewer Pokémon in this room; Zack could only see a Machoke lifting weights and a Manectric running on the treadmill.

"Not a very popular place, I take it," Ven commented.

"Most members don't have time to train here in the morning," Mako answered. "They're all busy eating and getting reading for the day's work."

Overcome with curiosity, Zack started fooling around with the strange machinery until he accidently got himself completely tangled up in a bunch of wires. The Machoke helped him back down, and Ven gave him a look of intense exasperation.

Zack sheepishly apologized for the inconvenience and the group went on their way. After climbing down a flight of stairs, they entered the underground storehouse. Rows of cabinets and shelves and safes filled the dimly-lit room, and a kindly Kangaskhan promised to keep any spare belongings safe and orderly. The child in her pouch nodded energetically in agreement.

The Kangaskhan handed the Eevee and Dedenne a slip of parchment. There was a random string of numbers scribbled on it and she explained that it was the code to their own personal safe, which they could use to store items in whenever they pleased. After thanking the Kangaskhan, the two were led back up to the ground level.

Through a big iron doorway, they entered the meeting hall which was a large rectangular chamber with a stone podium in the center, surrounded by stone seats and balconies.

After a brief look the two were led down another hallway, though this one was noticeably much less crowded. Zack could only see a dozen or so Pokémon meandering around the hall; a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle they had seen not too long ago.

"Where is everyone?" the Dedenne questioned.

"They've likely all gone off to work by now," Iris answered. "It gets rather quiet this time of day."

"So… what do Guild members exactly do all day?" Ven frowned.

"Well seeing as we're headed for the job desk, I guess now's a good time to tell you how things work around here," Mako said as they went down the quiet hall. "Guild members are sorted into four ranks based on their experience: Silver, Gold, Diamond and Bronze-Rank, which is for apprentices like us. What rank you're in determines the jobs and privileges you have access to. The Diamond-Ranks get more comfortable sleeping quarters, for example."

Ven scowled and twisted his neck, apparently still sore.

"So Guild members also have the option of forming groups called Rescue Teams with fellow members," the Buizel continued. "The Guild's philosophy is that there's safety in numbers, so Rescue Teams are allowed to take on much harder jobs. In fact, you can't even leave the base without supervision if you're not on a team."

I guess Mako and Iris must be in a Rescue Team themselves. Does that mean I'll be making a team with Ven? Zack wondered. Sounds like fun! I feel like I could do anything with him; I mean, he hasn't led me wrong so far.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the group entered a long narrow room covered wall-from-wall with bulletin boards, with a large ornate door at the opposite end. Zack recognized this as the hall from the previous night where he had met Emerald, and realized that the door must have led to the front desk where Kyon worked.

"Of course, Chiora is way too big for just one base to manage, so the Alliance's divided into three Guilds," Mako continued. "Besides the Amber Guild, there's the Jade Guild to the southwest, and the Cobalt Guild to the northeast. We get assignments from all three Guilds, as well as some from civilians, which are posted on these boards."

Zack and Ven wandered around the room, looking over the bulletin boards. There were pieces of parchment pinned all over the place which Zack guessed were anything ranging from pleas for rescue to arrest warrants. The Buizel beckoned the others over to two boards with bronze-coloured borders and large signs written in that unrecognizable language that resembled paw-prints.

"What's it say?" Zack asked curiously, unable to make heads or tails of the strange runes.

Mako looked at him oddly. "You can't read?"

"Not footprint runes," the Dedenne answered promptly, feeling slightly self-conscious.

"Huh, weird. Footprint runes are the most widely used written language in Chiora, so most Pokémon should be able to read it… Here, I'll read it for you."

According to Mako, the sign above one of the boards read "Job List Level-E", while the other one read "Job List Level-D".

"Since you guys are Bronze Ranks, you'll only be able to pick out Level-E jobs. Of course, Level-D jobs are also available to apprentices, but not until you've had some experience first."

Jeez, it takes a lot to move up around here… In spite of his illiteracy, even Zack could tell that the job requests on the Bronze Rank board were noticeably… less exciting. For one thing, the silver, gold, and blue-rimmed boards all had wanted-posters of dangerous-looking Pokémon which the bronze boards clearly lacked.

Vens's eyes fell on one piece of parchment in particular, and the Eevee seemed greatly upset by its contents.

"Mako?"

"Mm?" The Buizel looked over the fuming Eevee's head at what was presumably a job request.

"What the hell is this?" Ven demanded, prompting Mako to read it out loud for Zack's benefit.

Job Summary

Urgent! I have lost my precious pearl! It has been missing ever since my morning bath, and I suspect it must have fallen into the pipes! I must have my beautiful pearl back as soon as possible! Reward offered!

Client: Clampera

Objective: Find pearl!

Place: Amber Base Bath House, F2

Difficulty: E

Reward: Sleep Seed+?

"It's a job request," Iris helpfully supplied once Mako was finished.

"Yeah, I noticed. The thing is, I haven't seen a single job related to bandits anywhere on this board. Nothing about recent sightings, requests to arrest them, nothing! "Ven whined. "And there aren't any on the Level- D boards either! Why the hell is that!?"

"I'm sorry Ven," Mako chuckled. "But missions that are actually dangerous, ones that involve any direct contact with criminals or Loomies are only assigned to the higher ranks. We small fry just get stuck with the chores. It might be underwhelming, but at least we're all contributing to the Alliance somehow."

"…That's ridiculous. That's not fair!" the Eevee cried. Zack decided then and there that Ven must be very heroic for being so determined to bring evil to justice, and his admiration for the Eevee grew.

"Don't worry Ven," Zack said confidently and gave his friend a reassuring nod. "We'll just try our best and we'll move up in rank in no time!"

The Eevee gave him a brief, bemused glance before looking away. It might have been Zack's imagination, but Ven ears seemed to be rather red. The fox quietly mumbled to himself, though the Dedenne was still able to hear his angry words. "…It'll be fine. Zappy can kill Tyranitars, remember? No way they'll let us be lowly Bronze-Rankers…"

-:-

The Eevee and Dedenne followed Mako out of the job request room and the group retraced their steps to the central building front entrance. From there, they quickly found the entrance to the mess hall.

It was easily the largest of all the rooms by far, and was filled with rows of stone tables. Despite its size, the room was relatively empty; only a few stragglers were there hurriedly finishing their meals. At the end of the rectangular chamber was a long counter and behind it, Graveler were stacking plates with their many arms. Beyond this was what was presumably the kitchen, where several Pokémon were preparing the day's next meal. A Scyther was chopping up berries with its blades, and a bipedal fox with prominent red ears, a Braixen, was stirring pots of steaming stew with a flaming stick.

"And this is the mess hall, obviously," said Mako. "Breakfast and dinner here is served every day, and the food is all complementary. And that concludes our tour of the first floor. Moving on to the second-"

"What about the hospital wing?" Iris added.

"Oh…yeah." For some reason Mako seemed extremely uncomfortable.

"You know, we might as well show them," the Espurr continued.

"I'm not sure that'd be such a good idea…"

"Why not?" Zack piped up. "Is there something wrong with the hospital wing?"

"They'll have to go there sooner or later," the Espurr reasoned. "Why not sooner?"

"Alright, alright…" Mako resigned. "I mean, I didn't want to end our tour on a sour note, but…"

-:-

The hospital wing wasn't too far from the mess hall. It was a massive chamber filled with neat rows of metal tables. Around half of these makeshift beds were occupied, and it looked like all of the occupants were sound asleep. There were shelves of bottles and berries and devices that Zack assumed were medical equipment. It was also the only room that wasn't lit up by Legion's Will-O-Wisps; though there was a single Odd Keystone tucked into the ceiling, lamp-like Pokémon Zack recognized as Lampents were floating above the occupied beds, providing each of the patients with exceptionally bright light.

"Um… is it always this crowded here?" If getting seriously injured was this common… Zack wasn't feeling so confident now about moving up in ranks. "I… didn't realize this would be such a dangerous job."

"They're fighting in a war, Zappy," Ven scoff. "It's to be expected, you idiot."

"Oh, these guys aren't actually injured," Iris clarified. "Just sleeping."

On closer inspection, the patients didn't look to be sleeping as soundly as Zack had first thought. It looked like the Pokémon where feeling intense pain, as they were all gritting their teeth, and their faces were scrunched up and lined with sweat. The mouse was reminded of how Ven had looked just this morning.

The Espurr gave Mako a significant look, and the Buizel nodded after some hesitation. "And they'll probably be sleeping for a long while."

"What? Why?" Ven frowned. 'What's wrong with them?"

"We don't know," Mako replied. "This started happening about two months ago. There was this Silver-Ranked Prinplup named Crest. One day, he just… never woke up. His friends found him convulsing on the floor of in his room, unconscious, and he's been asleep ever since. He's still here, actually."

Mako pointed at one of the beds, where a gaunt penguin was sleeping fretfully. He looked dangerously thin.

"Ever since then, more and more Pokémon fell asleep and never wake up. At first, the Guild was worried it was some kind of disease and quarantined the Silver-Ranks. But none of them showed any signs of illness for weeks, and Pokémon from other parts of the base stopped waking up as well in spite of the quarantine…"

"You're kidding me," Ven said, mouth agape. "So you're saying any one of use could just go to sleep one night and get stuck in a never-ending nightmare!?"

"N-no!" Mako assured. "The victim rate was incredibly high back when this first started; more than half of these Pokémon succumbed within the first week, but there haven't been any new victims for at least a month! Our medical division's sure that whatever… this is, it's not going to happen anymore. The problem is trying to help the victims…"

Zack's head turned left and right frantically, taking in the disturbing sight. What's going on here? This isn't normal-

Without warning, Zack felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his brain. The Dedenne doubled over, clutching his head. The sound of static filled his ears, and Zack could barely make out the sound of voices.

…..L …..in ….Hel …..

The static quickly faded, and the pain subsided as suddenly as it had come.

"Jeez, you okay Zack!?" Ven rushed over to him, his face lined with concern.

"I-I'm fine. I just… a headache…"the Dedenne replied shakily.

"Are you sure?" Mako questioned. "I thought, maybe… you had the nightmares, too... or-"

Iris' brows furrowed slightly. "Do you want the doctor to give you something for your headache?"

"No. I'm okay, seriously." I don't need a doctor right now. I need to talk to Kyon. Better yet, that Guildmaster she was talking about…

Zack recalled what the Ninetales had told him last night. "The war is hardly the extent of our troubles. There is much more wrong with this world, far greater threats, but… you'll learn of that in due time."

Was this what she was talking about? Zack pondered. The sight of these Pokémon suffering… did it trigger that pain just now? And that weird voice? Could these endless nightmares have something to do with what I'm doing here? Am I supposed to help somehow?

Zack looked at the fretfully sleeping victims. But how? If trained doctors can't do anything for these Pokémon, what am I supposed to do about it? And that voice I heard… Whose voice did I just hear?

"More patients?" a gruff voice called out. A plump Blissey carrying a tray of mashed berries walked briskly into the room. "It better be serious, whatever it is."

"Oh! Er, hi Nurse Joy," Mako stammered out.

"And what are all you children doing here?" she exclaimed moodily, setting the tray down on a bedside table. She stalked over to the group and quickly glanced at each of them. "No broken bones, no visible wounds, no signs of brain damage, etcetera, etcetera. You all seemed perfectly fine to me. Now please leave. The hospital wing clearly has its hands full. Mako, I expected better from you."

"S-sorry ma'am, we were just showing the new recruits-" the Buizel started to apologize when Iris cut him off.

"It was my idea to bring them here."

"Hmph. Of course it was you dear," the Blissey gave the Espurr a disgruntled glare. "I wouldn't have expected anything less of the tramp's daughter-"

"Would you rather they have come in the evening, when you're even busier?" Iris asked sweetly, and for the first time Zack sensed some semblance of overt hostility in the feline's words. "This was the most logical time to bring them here. We were doing you a favour, all things considered."

"Um, Iris…" Mako grinned nervously, looking like he desperately wanted to interject as the tension between the two Pokémon became almost tangible.

"We'll be leaving now. Have a pleasant day, Miss Joy," Iris gave the nurse one last look before briskly walking out the door. Mako apologized profusely to the Blissey, though for what he didn't specify, before hurriedly going after his friend.

"Well?" Joy frowned at Zack and Ven. "Shouldn't you children be leaving, too?"

-:-

"What the hell is up with those two?" Ven whispered as they left the hospital wing.

"No idea," Zack scratched his head. "I thought Blissey were supposed to be the 'Happiness Pokémon'…"

"And all those Pokémon who won't wake up… Any idea what's going on with them?"

The mouse shook his head sadly. I wish I knew…

The Eevee and Dedenne soon caught up with the apprentices down the hall. Iris was looking off to the side with a bored expression while Mako was lecturing her, unsuccessfully attempting to appear intimidating.

"Nice Pokémon, isn't she?" Iris said as the new recruits rejoined them. "Though I must admit I find Miss Sakuya's company marginally more enjoyable."

"Dr. Sakuya's a Vileplume and the head of our medical division. No one knows medicine better than her," Mako sighed and rubbed a paw against his forehead. "Well, that went nicely. Honestly Iris, I know you don't get along with her, but how many times do I have to tell you-"

"Hello again apprentices Mako and Shu, Ven and Zack."

Ven managed to barely contain his scream as Legion popped out of an Odd Keystone stuck on the wall behind him. "D-do you always do that!?"

"We have an urgent message for apprentices Ven and Zack," the Spiritomb relayed, ignoring Ven's breathless complaints. "The Guildmaster demands an immediate meeting with the two of you in his chambers."

"Guildmaster's back, huh? Looks like the tour's gonna have to be cut short," said Mako. "Don't worry though, we've covered everything important. You guys can check out the upper floors on your own later."

"I wonder what the Guildmaster wants with you two…" Iris thought aloud, her lidded eyes bright with curiosity. "It's not often that he personally meets new recruits…"

"Guess we'll find out," Zack offered, though the electric mouse already had a good idea of why the famed Guildmaster of the Amber Guild had taken an interest in them.