Chapter 9 – New Recruits


Paradisal Guild

After a night out under the stars with nothing but a single blanket between them, the chance to sleep under a roof for the night was already a tantalizing prospect for Ewan, who surveyed their guild quarters with immense satisfaction. After parting with Aura, they had entered their room, noticing that the rooms, while narrow, were very long, stretching quite a few paces back, where the pair could see a small window at the other side.

It was the dead of night outside, but a single torch by their door illuminated what could be seen of the room – Two nests were bundled together in the centre of the room which was clearly where they would be sleeping. To their left as they entered sat a small desk with some drawers for any items or papers, which Ozzy would probably be handling given the opposable thumbs he had.

Aside from that, the room was quite empty aside from the window at the far side which had some vines hanging across it on the outside, perhaps to obscure it from an outside view.

"So this is where we'll be staying then," Ozzy announced, unlatching his pouch, dropping it on the desk with a deep sigh of relief. "It's bigger than my room back home for sure."

"Those nests look so inviting," Ewan mumbled, stumbling over to the nests, feeling the day's adrenaline beginning to peter off finally.

"Right, beats sleeping under a tree," Ozzy chirped, bounding over to claim the bed on their left, flopping into it without a second thought. "Ah, that feels nice," He muttered contently.

Ewan followed his lead, flopping into the bed on the right, the soft hay instantly soothing the aches and pains as his body finally allowed itself a chance to rest up after the day's deeds. So much had happened in such short a time, and suddenly he was enrolled in the Paradisal Guild. How crazy was that?

"You rocked Steel's question, by the way," Ozzy said, rolling onto his side to look over at the Mudkip. "I could tell he was super impressed."

"We've known Steel for a grand total of twenty minutes, Ozzy," Ewan replied snarkily, flopping onto his back lazily. "His impressed face looks pretty similar to his angry face and his happy face and his-"

"Alright, alright, I get your point," Ozzy groaned. The Treecko took a deep breath, exhaling loudly before continuing, "Still, we actually made it. I never thought I'd actually get this far."

Ewan couldn't help the quizzical look he sent the Treecko, "You seemed so confident you'd get in, I'm surprised that you were actually that concerned about it." And he meant that. Ozzy's air of bravado was definitely an encouraging factor of his personality that kept Ewan motivated to continue. Of course, he had hidden away some of his feelings. Everyone was a little bit human, or he guessed Pokemon would apply to the phrase, in that respect.

"I meant it," Ozzy said, breaking Ewan out of his small stupor.

"Meant what?" He asked, arching a brow.

"My promise. If you didn't make it in, I wouldn't have accepted the position," Ozzy explained nonchalantly. "We don't have to worry about that now though, thank Arceus."

"I'd have made you stay," Ewan replied bluntly, an unamused look crossing his face. "I wasn't about to let you chuck your dream away for me. At least it didn't come to that."

"Yeah..." Ozzy whispered back.

Silence fell over them the moment that the last word was whispered, the pair both lying on their backs, staring up at the rocky cavernous ceiling of their quarters, just taking in the fact that they were actually there, in the guild, not being sent away.

It probably wouldn't sink in until the morning, Ewan thought to himself.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep," Ozzy announced quietly, flipping back over to face Ewan. "We can't afford to get up late for our first day, after all."

"Pfft," Ewan replied, rolling his eyes. "We practically started today given we helped out with Aura and Charlie."

"True," Ozzy chuckled, looking to his friend with a smile. "But I don't think I'd like to be on Steel's bad side one day into our internship."

"We'll be-" Ewan paused before he could finish his sentence though, feeling a sudden yawn coming along, finding himself with no other option but to just yawn loudly, much to the Treecko's amusement, his friend watching him with tired mirth in his eyes. "-fine," Ewan finally finished, stifling himself before another yawn could come through.

"Good night then, Ewan," Ozzy yawned, flashing him a sleepy smile.

"G'night, Ozzy," The Mudkip replied as the two of them finally settled into comfortable sleeping positions, Ewancurling up around himself, while Ozzy stretched back and slept like he was on a bed, not in a nest.

And so ended Ewan's second day in Pepromena and their first night at the Paradisal Guild.


Unknown Location

There was only darkness when Ewan opened his eyes, feeling the familiar weightlessness that had accompanied him during the dream he had experienced back in Coral Town. Only this time, there were no lights flashing, nor any colours surrounding him. It was only dark.

"Hello?" He called out quietly as if speaking too loudly would announce his presence. At least he was sure he was dreaming this time around.

But why was he dreaming this? Dreams were unpredictable, and most people didn't dream the same thing twice. But here he is, feeling the same vibes from his last dream he had.

Did this have something to do with his memories?

"Hello?" He called out again, this time louder, now daring whatever was causing these dreams to appear.

Of course, nothing did.

The darkness was everpresent, like a vast abyss that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Why am I here?" He called out, attempting to strike up a conversation, even if there was seemingly no recipient. "Why am I a Pokemon now?"

His voice fell on deaf ears, however, much to his annoyance. Last time he was here, he definitely heard a voice, though it was in the light, now that he recalled. Glancing upwards, he couldn't see the light from before, only the darkness. Maybe he needed to find that light again?

But before he could ponder further, he felt the familiar feeling of his world falling out from underneath him, feeling himself slip back into the realm of sleep.

Maybe next time he'd be luckier.


Paradisal Guild
When next Ewan opened his eyes, he found himself strewn across his nest, having clearly shuffled around in the night. Sluggishly, he tried to wipe away any grogginess from his eyes, glancing over to see his green friend still asleep in his nest, a content look on his face. Smiling, Ewan stretched his legs, uncurling from his nest before padding over to the window at the end of their shared room.

Peering through the vines that had grown over the hole, he could see that the sun had yet to fully rise, but that it was just peeking over the northern snowcapped mountains. It had to be around seven in the morning or something along those lines.

Silently stepping back towards the beds, Ewan decided it would be best to wake up his partner so they could prep for the day, seeing as they'd be going over a proper tour of the guild and the earlier the better, no doubt.

Stopping next to Ozzy's bed, Ewan placed a paw on his friend's side before giving him a small shake, gentle enough that it wouldn't seem hostile, but forceful enough that it would get the sleeping Pokemon's attention. "It's morning, we need to get up."

The Treecko's green eyes slowly cracked open, Ozzy giving Ewan a tired drowsy look as he muttered a, "It's morning already?"

"Yup, up you get," Ewan ushered, practically dragging the Treecko out of bed. "First day on the job, can't be late, that's what you told me last night, remember."

At the mere mention of their new status as recruits, Ozzy's eyes suddenly focused, the Treecko wide awake in moments. 'I guess that's as good of a motivator as any,' He thought to himself with a chuckle.

Though a knock at the door was what really started their day, Ewan quickly running to check it out while Ozzy was untangling himself from his nest. "Just a second!" He called out as he reached the door, grabbing the handle, which luckily seemed tailor-made for any kind of Pokemon, before opening the door to reveal a rather exhausted looking Charmander standing outside.

Charlie gave a weak wave, his eyes betraying the sheer tiredness he was feeling. "Hey Ewan," He yawned loudly. "How's your first night?"

"Better than yours, I'm guessing," Ewan joked. "If I knew some water moves, I'd splash you to wake you up."

"Is that Charlie?" Ozzy called from inside the room, Charlie glancing through the door to give the Treecko a weary wave. "Did you come to wake us up?"

The Charmander nodded, fiddling with his bandana that was now proceeding to droop from his forehead after a long night of guard duty. "Steel told me to tell you the washrooms are on the left after you get back to the Main Hall and to clean yourselves up. Said he'd meet you downstairs and to try not to take too long."

"Right, thanks," Ewan nodded, Ozzy approaching from behind.

"You two really need the wash," Charlie mused when he saw Ozzy close-up. "Not to be rude or anything."

Shaking his head with a brief chuckle, Ozzy hushed their Charmander friend's misgivings, muttering an, "It's fine, we know we're a mess."

"Speak for yourself," Ewan retorted, "I think I'm pretty perfect."

"Tell that to the massive patch of dirt on your back and then we'll talk," Ozzy countered.

Their banter continued for a few more retorts, but by that point Charlie had already bowed out, slipping into his room opposite them to, and he quoted, "Pass out for the day."

Once Charlie had left, the pair mutually agreed to head over to the bathing area, Ozzy grabbing his pouch before they trundled down the hallway from their quarters until they reached the balcony overlooking the entrance hall. Surprisingly, it seemed quite busy on the first floor as various different Pokemon were coming and going about their early mornings. "I guess there are Destiny Teams that frequent the guild for jobs," Ozzy murmured as they strode across the landing to where Charlie had said the wash area was.

When the two Pokemon entered the wash area, they weren't sure what to expect, so when they came out onto a small lake under the water, Ewan had to admit he was definitely surprised. The lake wasn't terribly large, spanning the length of around three Snorlax's laying down, though while the lake itself was pretty standard, it was the grating on the far side to their left that drew their attention.

The water seemed to flow through the grate and, as Ewan padded over to where the metallic grate was out of curiosity, he was surprised to hear a roaring sound coming from down the tunnel.

"What is that?" He muttered, Ozzy coming up behind him to listen as well.

"I... I think that's the waterfall outside," Ozzy theorized. "The water had to come from somewhere, after all."

With that mystery out of the way, now came the job of bathing. Ewan imagined, as a Mudkip, bathing wouldn't be too terrible given his species were made for the water, though Ozzy would probably need to take a bit more time cleaning himself off. The water did look nice, so without a second thought, he decided to hop in, splashing bits of water across the dry bank near the entrance.

He was surprised, though, when he felt the temperature of the water. "Woah, this water's hot!"

"S-Seriously?" Ozzy stammered, dipping a foot in, eyes widening as he felt the heat. "How on earth did they pull this off?"

"You can ask Steel after we've sorted ourselves out," Ewan replied, diving under the water to wash off any of the grime on his face.

"This guild really is amazing..." Ozzy said to himself as he quickly unhooked his pouch, placing it on the bank, before also hopping into the lake, allowing himself to relax in the hot waters before proceeding to wash off any dirt and grime.

Ewan poked his head out from under the water, his fin bobbing left and right as he glanced over at his friend, who was currently washing off his tail. "So, what exactly do we have to do anyway to become a full Destiny Team?" Ewan asked curiously.

Glancing back at his friend, Ozzy shrugged, "I'm not sure. I know that we need to complete our training experience here at the Guild, but that's all pretty vague. I'm sure Steel or maybe Charlie will let us know if we ask them."

"I guess I'm just surprised that you don't know," Ewan muttered, brushing some dirt from his paws that refused to budge. "You seemed like you had everything figured out before I came along, I mean."

"Ah, you're giving me too much credit, Ewan," Ozzy grinned, letting go of his, now cleaned, tail. "Sure, I knew I wanted to enrol here, but I found a lot of Destiny Teams were quite secretive about their graduations or their training. Still, this'll be totally worth it! And not just for me, but for you too!"

"I hope so," Ewan replied, finally getting that dirt out of his paws. "So uh, where do we dry off?"

"We could huddle around one of the enchanted flames on the wall, maybe?" Ozzy suggested, already wading back to the bank, Ewan in tow.

The Mudkip couldn't help but want to stay in the water longer, loving the way he seemed to glide through the water and the feeling of the liquid on his scales. It just felt right. 'This has to be how it must be to be in your perfect habitat.' But with a heavy heart, and a silent promise to return to the waters that evening, he pulled himself out onto the bank, Ozzy already by the wall, warming up near the torches.

"Does it work?" He asked, Ozzy giving a nod.

Truth be told, Ewan didn't mind the water on his body. Unlike human skin, his Mudkip body was made for the water, so it was less bothersome, but even so, he imagined Steel would very much be bothered if he started tracking water on the downstairs carpets. Padding over, Ewan let the warmth of the fires wash over him, feeling pretty content as they pair of them stood there, drying off.

"I could get used to this," Ewan stated contently.

"Just don't get too relaxed, Ewan. We've probably got a day of training to go through." With that, Ozzy stepped away from the fire, dry as can be, Ewan hopping after him as Ozzy quickly went to grab their item pouch, before heading back down the hallway to the main guild.

When they re-entered the entrance hall, Ewan glanced over the balcony to see that the guild leader, Steel, was conversing with some Pokemon by the entrance. None of them seemed to really stand out, so he assumed they were either visitors or a rescue team visiting for work.

"Let's go," Ozzy motioned.

The duo quickly made their way down to the first floor, weaving past a rather frazzled looking Vulpix who passed them on the stairs with great haste, before making their way over to Steel, who seemed to be finishing up with the Pokemon he had been talking with. As they approached, he glanced back at them with an impressed look on his face.

"You actually got up?" He stated, surprise tinged in his tone. "I assume Charlie helped in that regard?"

Ewan shook his head, "I was up before Charlie got to our room, though we're grateful he told us about the bathing area."

"Well, now that you're both here, I should show you the main facilities of our Guild, then I'll give you your first official Guild Mission." The Bisharp gestured around him to the hall they were. "This entrance hall is the main hub of the building. Teams can feel free to use the seating areas to plan out or simply loiter around on their days off. While I am a strict teacher, I'm not a dictator."

The Bisharp led them towards the western hall, where many Pokemon were coming and going, some giving Steel curt nods, others looking at the two starter Pokemon with a strange fascination. He led them down the short hall until it opened up into a room filled with chatter, the smell of cooked berries wafting in their direction as they glanced around across a dozen tables, all stacked around like a classic cafeteria.

"This is the mess hall," Steel explained. "Make sure to eat before you leave on an expedition, it's better to venture into a dungeon with a full stomach, so as to avoid the hunger loss that dungeons inflict upon you. Meals are free for recruits, though you only get one portion each. You'll have breakfast soon, but I want to show you a few more places first."

Before the pair even had time to realize, Steel had already moved them away at a blistering pace towards their next location, back towards the entrance hall, then towards the hallway to the north. This hall led down a set of steps into the deepest part of the mountains, though from the sounds coming from that direction, Ozzy was pretty sure they were heading towards a dojo.

Emerging from the tunnel at the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted with a rather large cavern that had been hollowed out of the mountain's depths. Three large rings were set up, each with Pokemon battling inside of them. As they entered, one of the battling Pokemon, a rather large blue turtle with a dark and hardened shell, launched their opponent, a rather surprised Simipour, out of the ring.

"Steel! What brings you down to our grounds?!" The Pokemon heartily called out, trudging over with a surprising amount of friendliness for one with such a gruff voice.

"Just showing our newest recruits around, Titan," Steel announced, gesturing to the Mudkip and Treecko, who were watching the large turtle with curious gazes. "Ozzy, Ewan, this is Titan. He's one of our Battle Instructors. He'll be of great use to you, especially you Ewan, seeing as Aura briefed me last night saying you don't know how to use your water-based attacks yet."

"Seriously?" Titan exclaimed. "A squirt like you should be zippin' around with water everywhere. When I was your age-"

"It's complicated," Ewan interrupted. "I-I'm not much of a fighter. I want to learn though."

"That's all I can ask for!" Titan exclaimed, giving them a sharp grin. "I, Titan the Carracosta, will make a Swampert out of you!"

"I look forward to training with you," Ewan replied back, mustering his own awkward smile, much to Titan's sheer delight.

Ozzy was looking around though, a little confused. "Does Titan train all the recruits?"

Steel glanced over at the Treecko, who was watching a rather intense battle between a Trevenant and a Cloyster with relative interest. "We have instructors come and go on a schedule. You see, to be a licensed instructor, you have to be willing to travel between guilds to teach new recruits the ways of battle. Our grass-based instructor should arrive in a few days. They're finishing up a job at the Guild in Katas."

Ozzy's eyes widened at that. "All the way in Katas?! That's on the other side of the continent AND across the sea though!"

Ewan had absolutely no idea what they were on about, though geography was never his strong suit, he imagined. He'd really need to scour a Peprominian map at some point. And maybe tell whoever named the country about how to make names roll off the tongue. Pepromena was such a mouthful.

"Instructors have their ways, as do most officials," Steel said teasingly. "But I'm afraid I cannot delve deeper into the subject with the pair of you."

"Fine..." Ozzy grumbled.

"Anyway, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, Titan, there is a long day of work ahead of the new recruits and I," Steel stated, glancing at the two starter Pokemon with a gleam in his eyes. "Keep up, the pair of you."

"Ah well, I look forward to training you!" Titan waved as the three Pokemon began the long walk back up the stairs leading to the main portion of the guild, passing by a few Pokemon who had come to train in the gym as they walked, Ozzy gawking at a rather intense looking Rhydon who stomped down the stairs passed them.

When they made it back to the main hall, there were more Pokemon loitering around, some planning out the day's expeditions or pouring over maps and texts. He could see an Alakazam and a Tyranitar trading items in the corner, though nobody seemed to bat an eye as Steel walked among them, as if he wasn't the leader of the guild, but another cog that kept the place functioning. Which, in a way, he was.

"As you two are aware, the second floor is for recruits. The third floor, which I won't be taking you to, has my office, as well as the Guild's library. If you ever need to research anything about Pepromena, that library is the best place to go. We're fully stocked with the latest texts regarding dungeon exploration, second only to the Grand Bibliotech in the capital." Ozzy's eyes were shining with awe at the mere thought of the library, which Ewan found quite surprising. He'd never pegged Ozzy for a reader, despite his ability to explore. "Now, go have some breakfast, then meet me in the courtyard," Steel pointed. "Outside is where you decide your missions for the day."

"Right!" Ozzy stated, practically pulling Ewan along towards the dining hall with the express intent on devouring whatever tasty berries they had in stock, Ewan yelping as he was dragged along in surprise.

All the while as they stumbled off to get some food, Steel couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at their antics. They were definitely a strange pair and he looked forward to seeing what they were capable of in action.

The two new recruits reentered the Mess Hall a few moments later, the smell of cooked berries and food filling Ewan's nostrils with a delightful aroma that had him excited for what was to come. His experiences with this world's food so far were apples and oran berries, so he had to admit he was definitely expecting something a little bit more magical than his previous food endeavours.

Ozzy had already bounded off towards the counter of the room where a rather large Kanghaskan was serving some of the other Pokemon some delightfully juicy looking berries, Ewan running to catch up to his friend. As the Kanghaskan's eyes turned towards them, they lit up excitedly as she called out, "You must be those new kids Steel was talking about!" The motherly nature of her voice was enough for Ewan to already feel like putting all of his trust in this woman, the Kanghaskan giving him the biggest smile she could muster as she grabbed a few trays of food and handed them to Ozzy to carry. "My name is Denise, I'm the resident cook here at the Guild. I hope you enjoy my cooking!"

"I'm sure we will," Ozzy exclaimed, mouth practically watering as he looked over the array of foods she had cooked up for the recruits. "Thank you so much, Denise!"

"Don't mention it," She waved with a smile. "Just be sure to put your finished trays on the end of the counter there," She explained, pointing to where a small stack of finished trays sat. "You'll probably have to help me out one of these days as part of your training, so make sure to pay attention."

Right, that made sense. If guard duty was something the recruits had to do, helping in the Kitchens was probably a good way to teach Pokemon skills beyond dungeon exploring. Ewan couldn't help but think that this Guild really had everything. Housing, training areas, a recreational space, a mess hall, a library, a washroom, he honestly wouldn't be surprised to find out there was an infirmary or something along those lines here as well, though if one existed here, Steel didn't point it out.

"C'mon Ewan, I'm starved," Ozzy announced, after they said their thanks once again to the kindly lunch lady, leading the way to one of the empty tables near the back.

Setting down the trays next to each other, the pair quickly hopped onto their seats, Ozzy taking a bite of what looked like a fried Rawst berry, before exclaiming, "So good!"

Ewan couldn't help but feel curious, watching his friend chop down the rest of the berry without a second thought, picking one up with his paw carefully before taking his own bite out of it. The flavours erupted in his mouth instantly, a cacophony of sweet and heat, which left him speechless and definitely wanting for more. "It really is that good," He muttered, genuinely surprised. How Pokemon made simple berries so tasty, he'd never come to understand, but he definitely felt willing to reap the rewards of such brilliant cooking.

The pair dug into their meals, Ewan trying his best to contain himself, though noticing how most Pokemon seemed to just dig into their meals without much care for manners. He found he was the odd one out, chomping on his food with care, while everyone else was just letting go and having at it. "Pokemon sure are weird," He mumbled to himself.

"Is this seat taken?" A voice called out, Ewan glancing up from his food to see a small Turtwig peering over at the pair of them from the other side of the table, balancing his tray on his back in what had to be a pretty terrifying balancing act. Instantly, he recalled the night before that this was probably the same Turtwig who was watching over the gate, Twiggy if he recalled.

"It's free," Ewan chirped, Ozzy giving the Turtwig a friendly wave before going back to his meal. "Don't mind him, I think food's the only thing on his mind."

"Heh, I know the feeling," The Turtwig beamed. "You guys did super well getting accepted last night. I kinda saw everything."

"I'm gonna guess it was the most entertaining part of your shift," Ozzy muttered, trying to make conversation.

The Turtwig nodded, the twig on his head wilting slightly as he did so. "Gate Duty is boring. But I did kinda forget to inform a client and Aura was real mad." The Turtwig shuddered at the thought. "I'd rather not get paired up with her again any time soon, she might actually kill me."

"You're not a team, then?" Ewan asked, arching a brow in confusion.

Twiggy shook his head. "Nope, we all enter the guild with one partner, then Steel teams us up with other duos for missions. My friend Jenny and I got teamed up with Aura and Charlie, who are a duo."

"So we could be working together in the future?" Ozzy asked curiously, Twiggy nodding to his question. "Oh cool, I look forward to working with you!"

"Same here," Twiggy smiled, chomping down on a grilled oran berry as he did so. "Good luck with Steel today," He added, noticing the other two were already close to finishing their meals.

"What do you mean, with Steel?" Ewan asked, frowning. Surely they'd already gotten the tour from Steel, what else could he be planning?

Twiggy's eyes widened, surprised as he muttered, "You guys don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Ozzy asked, finishing the last of his berries as he watched the Turtwig from the corner of his eye.

"Well, actually I shouldn't say. You'll find out in a minute anyway," Twiggy mumbled, going back to his food. "But good luck again!"

"Thanks?" Ewan said awkwardly, finding himself wondering what on earth the Turtwig was talking about, though he had no time to ponder it as they needed to get to the Courtyard pronto.

Giving Twiggy a wave, the pair quickly weaved over to the counter where they dropped off their finished trays, Denise giving the pair another warm smile before they headed back out towards the Courtyard.

A few minutes later, they found themselves stepping out into the early morning air - The sun wasn't fully up and Ewan could smell the dew on the fields, feel the cool morning breeze hit his face, and he found himself overwhelmed by his senses for a moment, until Ozzy brought him back to reality when they came face to face with Steel, who was looking over one of the two large wooden notice boards set up on either side of the courtyard, specifically the one to their left upon leaving the Guild.

"Hmm, you two are ready for your day's mission, yes?" Steel asked, glancing back at the pair with an excited glint in his eye.

"Yup, ready to work!" Ozzy announced, Ewan nodding alongside him.

At that, Steel smiled, gesturing to the board behind him, before explaining, "These two boards are where you can accept your missions from. The one on the other side of the courtyard handles rescue missions, lost items and the like. If you want to take on a mission, you need to either meet with the client or send a message to them via the Pelipper post, then you handle the requirements."

"Then what's the board we're at?" Ewan asked, his interest piqued as he noticed a variety of different Pokemon photos posted on notices on the board. "Are these Pokemon important?"

"That's one way to put it. They're actually Outlaws," Steel explained, Ewan's eyes widening in shock, while Ozzy seemed even more excited at the prospect of seeing all these evildoers on the board. "We often have to take down these criminals before they cause any more trouble. As these missions are based on a bounty, you only need to defeat the outlaw and use your team's badge. If a Pokemon is registered as an outlaw, the badge will recognize it and teleport the Pokemon to the authorities."

"Seriously, our badges can do that?" Ozzy asked, surprised.

"But we don't have any team badges yet," Ewan pointed out, stopping Ozzy in his tracks.

"That's because for today's mission you won't need them," Steel explained calmly. "You'll be tracking down an outlaw, by the way."

Ewan jumped in surprise at that rather vital piece of information, "Excuse me, what?"

"Wait, Ewan's not the best battler, are you sure we should take on an outlaw first?" Ozzy scrambled.

At this, Steel let out a bark of laughter, stepping away from the board, a piece of paper in his hand. "Really now, you think I'd let you go alone after an outlaw on your first day. No, today I shall be accompanying you on your mission personally!"

"WHAT!?"