Abigail slept for a while after Helen left. When she woke up, she felt much more energetic.

The Furret rubbed her eyes after being awake for a few minutes in her bed. Hopping out of bed, she was a lot more excited about news she heard compared to yesterday.

Abigail found Helen's number and texted a message to it.

"I think I do want to sign up for that job." - Abigail

Looking at the time, it was likely that the Bellossom was busy somewhere else. It was around eleven in the morning. Just as Abigail through her phone down on her mattres, her screen lit up from a response making her have to pick it back up again.

"Alright, I'll take care of the paperwork." - Helen

After Furret turned off the phone, she looked at her reflection on its surface. All of her normally dark brown fur was still a furious gold color. The four streaks of gold on her face combined with the fur on her head and back made her look completely different then what had been let on.

When she touched her fur, it was much softer than normal. Even still, the color change's origins being completely unknown was a little intimidating. Abigail had the idea to check online for news about yesterday.

She found a few articles, but mostly watched news video for a few minutes. All of the live videos were loud and hard to comprehend much, but other videos had her name and speculation everywhere. It was pretty weird hearing about herself, so she only listened to a few things. It didn't look like they saw her fur had changed color.

Abigail decided to text the group chat with the princes. They had used it a lot, sending jokes and making quick texts for meetings. She felt just used to it enough.

"I don't like being on the news." - Abigail

Although it took a second, replies came.

"me neither" - Gawain

"Do they know my fur changed color?" - Abigail

"Your fur changed color?" - Zen

Furret nearly dropped her phone, but got it under her hands and then held on to it again.

"Oh." - Abigail

"shiny gang?" - Aaron

"My dark brown fur turned gold and I don't think they know why." Abigail

"wha" - Aaron

"Genetic mutations that cause differences are super common. But they're all at birth. Nothing used would bleach fur color, either. Especially not so specifically." - Zen

"pics or it didn't happen" - Aaron

"Stop." - Zen

"Are you guys doing anything right now?" - Abigail

"not when you call" - Aaron

"simp" - Gawain

"." - Zen

"Could we get lunch or something?" - Abigail

"dibs" - Aaron

"dibs?" - Gawain

"seriously?" - Gawain

"yes pls" - Aaron

"We're sort of adults. Let's just grab food together. We never even got properly introduced in person." - Zen

"how about we swing by her room and take her upstairs in a few minutes?" - Gawain

"Okay." - Abigail

"Alright, let's do it." - Zen

Furret got her fur straight with minimal effort before simply sitting down and waiting. She put a small bag over her shoulder for her phone. Her thoughts were nodding off into different directions when a knock on the door made her shoot onto her feet.

Furret opened the door quickly, and was greeted by a Buizel, shiny Zorua, and Quilava. Each of them holding a small amount of pink flowers. Before she could respond to it, they all gave her decently surprised looks.

"Woa!" Zorua yelped.

The Quilava and Buizel didn't react with as much surprise, but still paused in their tracks.

"That is strange, huh," Buizel said. "I mean, it looks fine. Great. Just... Huh."

"You said you felt beat yesterday after what happened, right?" Quilava asked.

"Uhm... Yah," Furret said.

"It could be connected to your body's energy, then," Quilava said. "We have plenty of time to sit down and eat, but we should pay a quick visit to Charlotte."

"Who's Charlotte?" Furret asked.

"Charlotte Evergreen," Buizel said. "She's a pro in researching pokemon's bio-energy. She designs a lot of equipment."

"Yah, but I don't think our parents keep up enough to know about her," Zorua said. "Might as well try asking. I'm sure she has time for us nowadays..."

"It's really unnecessary, I feel fine," Furret said.

"It would make us feel better," Buizel said, "so, uh, please?"

Abigail thought about Zen's request for a second. She nodded slightly, making him give a light smile.

"I know the way to Charlotte, so let's go." Buizel said. "And, uhm..."

The Buizel, Zorua, and Quilava all awkwardly held out their flowers for Furret to collect. She took the tiny bunches one by one and jogged to leave them on her bed before heading out with them.

Buizel led the way to the elevator, and used some sort of password the make the elevator go up. The ride was a bit longer than Abigail expected, but their chatter soothed her nerves a bit.

When the elevator stopped, and the doors opened, she didn't get anything of what she expected for a lab. The entire floor was a single, large room with a metallic floor. The outside was visible through clean glass in every direction as soon as they stepped out.

A Leafeon was walking among an enormous mess of ropes on the ground when she noticed them step in. She headed towards them with her every step being different to move past all the ropes. Despite the mess, she appeared to be in her element.

She started to speak when she didn't have to stretch her voice for them to hear her.

"Hello your majesties... And miss Lodestar," Leafeon said. "My name is Charlotte Evergreen, nice to meet you... Have you visited me with a specific reason in mind?"

"Uh, yah," Buizel said, "about her fur color."

"I guessed that might be it," Leafeon said, "hold on."

Leafeon approached the Furret, circling her slightly.

"May I see your hand?" Charlotte asked.

Furret nodded and held out her arm. Leafeon observed it extremely closely with her face right on her hand and pulled on a few strands lightly.

"Looks like it's been burned this color from your own energy," Leafeon said, "or... Maybe burned's not the right word. It's perfectly healthy, but I'm not sure I have an explanation why it occurred last night."

"But how can her fur change color from energy?" Zorua asked.

"Well, when we use our energy for moves and when we're trying to lift something heavy, we can sometimes glow different colors, too. The color depends on that person's personality and other aspects," Charlotte explained. "When whatever happened occurred, specific parts of her fur were lit up so intensely with energy that it may have permanently changed the color."

"Permanently?" Quilava asked.

"I'm sorry, but it's from the skin up. New fur that grows would just be the same color," Leafeon said.

"It's okay," Furret said.

"It looks beautiful, dear. But if you want, there are places to get dye for fur downstairs in the plaza," she offered.

"I'm good," Furret said, "I don't really look at myself that much, anyways."

"Well, if you would like, I can take a sample and have it for research so I may report back to your majesties if I discover anything useful."

"I think we'd like that, if Abigail does," Buizel said.

"Yah, sure," Furret said.

The Leafeon nodded and pulled a few strands of her fur. She hardened to the green edge of her arm and cut the tiny amount off and held it in her closed hand.

"Is there anything else you would like help with, your majesties?" Charlotte asked in a polite tone.

"That's it," Buizel said, "thanks for your help."

"Okay, but if your majesties don't mind I'd like a word with the Lodestar regarding her new position here," Leafeon said.

"Oh, ah, sure. We'll give you some space."

"Alright, come with me," Leafeon said.

Buizel, Zorua, and Quilava waited by the elevator while Furret followed Leafeon over the entangled ropes on the ground. Leafeon went over to her desk and set her fur in some kind of tiny glass case before doing a quick turn towards a large pile of metals and plastics.

"Even before you agreed this morning, the Association has been pushing me from behind to make sure you have some of the best mobility gear possible to get you places fast. And a few other things."

"Uhm, sorry..." Abigail said.

"I got paid overtime. Thank you."

Furret smiled a little as the Leafeon went through the pile and grabbed specific objects. She threw them onto the floor just in front of her, so Furret wasn't able to see them until she presented them all.

"They want you to get to a scene as quickly as possible as a first respondent to aggressive crime," Leafeon said, "and I agree that seems to be where your talent lies. So I made two grapplers, and a high-end glider."

Abigail was familiar with both of them. Grapplers shot out flat pieces of metal attached to strong ropes. The metal got extremely sticky when they had energy passed to them, letting the person the specific grappler was designed for zip around. The gliders were used by flightless species to respond from high in the Nightlight tower to reach the whole surrounding.

There were two grapplers on the ground that looked to fit around both of her arms. The glider was a very large size to carry her whole body, and shaped like a triangle. There was also a dark brown cloth on the ground that Charlotte noticed she was looking at.

"You made a whole new fashion style, so I figured I'd put in an order for this," Leafeon said. She grabbed the cloth and pulled it upwards, revealing a hooded cape. "It's energy and cutting resistant, so it's a nice durable banner. It also has pockets for carrying your grapplers and phone."

When the Leafeon flipped it over, Furret was surprised by the dark gold compass rose symbol on the back. Leafeon smiled more as her Furret started to adore it in front of her.

"Your phone will be sent the digital key for your new room on the forty-ninth floor along with some other information. And come to me if you need anything else."

"Well, uh, thank you. A lot." Furret said.

Furret carried the cape under the grapplers in her arms while the Leafeon put the glider on her back so she could carry it.

After asking, the other three pokemon also went with Abigail on the short elevator ride up. The hallways looked identical to the ones before with the brown carpet and walls, but Abigail noticed the doors were further apart from each other.

When they stopped at a doorway, Furret went through her phone quickly and was able to find the code to enter as a text message. She entered it in, and the Buizel stepped forward to open the door for them.

The first thing she noticed was large windows covered over with white curtains to the outside. There was an empty pit with water faucets surrounded by tiled, stone stairs leading down into it. A large, velvet covered bed with curtains drawn over it was in the back of the room with a TV on the wall just barely past it.

"I'll be read in just a minute," Furret said, "just setting things down."

"Take your time," Buizel said.

Furret trudged up the short set of low stairs and placed the objects on her bed. As she bent down, a large red button under a glass cover on the wall caught her eye.

Abigail recognized what the button did. Although it was an older practice, the windows could be opened.

"Thanks for your help," Furret said.

She decided to put on the cape and did a little twirl wearing it. It was a strong, soft fabric and settled at the perfect distance above her feet. It was wide enough for Furret to be able to pull it close to her body and cover herself completely, and the hood felt comfortable on her head.

The grapplers fit around her the midpoint of her forearm. She already knew it would trigger from her own body's energy, but planned to experiment with how they felt later.

When Abigail came outside again, she was wearing the brown hooded cape. After she closed the door and looked at the other pokemon, she smiled while they had their eyes on her face.

"I'm ready," Abigail said.

"You look ready," Buizel said.

"Thanks."

"Do you know that you started a trend with that?" Quilava asked. Furret looked at him, asking him to continue with eye contact. "Capes got super popular after everyone could see you roundhouse kicking in that cloak. Prices and demand skyrocketed the same night."

"And I thought I was a the best copycat," Zorua snickered.

"Well, it's not like I can trademark it," Furret said.

"Legally, at least," Quilava said. The Quilava smiled at Furret before turning away while the Buizel started to walk them down the hallway.

"Where are we getting lunch from?" Abigail asked.

"I was just going to have us go downstairs," Buizel said.

"It's still swarming down there. All of us at once would set off something," Quilava said.

"We don't have much left upstairs," Buizel said.

"I do want her to see the Founding Weapon, though," Zorua said.

Abigail wondered for a short second what he meant. 'The Founding Weapon' sounded familiar in her head.

"I wouldn't rush it," Quilava said, "let's go upstairs and maybe have something brought up."

"Yeah, I agree. Only if you're fine with it, Abigail," Buizel said.

"Of course."

The Buizel led the group down the halls. Abigail started to wonder where they were going, given that they passed the black elevator doors. The Quilava and shiny Zorua talked about what to eat during their walk.

Abigail was amused they decided to order pizza, but it did make her laugh to herself a bit that princes chose it. Paintings of different landscapes were hanging along the wall as they continued.

After a short moment, they came to a hallway that had no doors on its sides and a ramp with velvet carpet leading upwards at the end. The double, wooden doors at the end didn't have hinges, and had the Nightlight's insignia of Lugia's wings on it.

The Quilava and Zorua trailed behind a bit, leaving the Buizel to open the door for Furret and let her in first. She thanked and smiled at him while she passed.

The inside of the room had a circular shape, and had the same velvet carpet. The walls were a dark blue and black color, but the strong light from above kept the room from feeling dark.

There were comfortable looking cushions on white, fluffy couches. Mightyena was sleeping on one of them with the Umbreon lying back sleepily next to him. The Samurott and Serperior were talking around a small, circular wood table until they came in.

"Welcome, Abigail," Serperior greeted.

"Hi," Furret responded. Her voice went unnaturally high from her nerves.

"This is the Nightlight Hub. High profile guests are housed here temporarily, and Master Rank Nightlight agents often meet in here for strategy. It's open to you anytime, now."

"Well... Uhm, why?" Furret asked.

"The Nightlights accepted you as soon as they got the go ahead," Serperior said, "and I agree with their decision to give you a unique kind of Master rank."

"Named Lodestar," Buizel added. "Congrats."

"Oh, uhm, thank you," Furret said. Her tail twirled a small distance in the air behind her.

The shiny Zorua bounded from behind and hopped over the side of the couch. He landed on his face on top of the Mightyena's back. Mightyena opened his eyes while Zorua wiggled on his back.

"Dad, can we order pizza?" Aaron asked.

"Zen's parents already happened to order some ten minutes ago," Mightyena murmured.

"Lit."

"How does this floor work?" Furret asked quietly. Buizel leaned in, matching her volume as they walked in slowly.

"This is a floor for members of the Council, for Master ranks to meet and talk business, special guests, and the Overlord's housing, which is one more ramp up. There's no Overlord right now, though, so there's a lot of tension. It's empty up there."

"What happened to the last Overlord?" Abigail asked.

"Kite August, a Jirachi. He got burned by stress to the third degree. His girlfriend Anne takes a lot of responsibility here, but we're not sure where he is.

After the Buizel went over to talk to his parents a bit, Furret turned her attention to the couch. The Umbreon was watching a lower level battle in the arena on the TV it was facing. She approached the couch with her arms behind her back, looking down at him.

"Hello there," Umbreon greeted. His tired made a slow blink.

"Hi," Furret said," are you, uhm..."

"I'm fine, sorry. Just tired," he said, "but you're welcome to sit here and change the channel."

"Oh, I'm alright..."

A Servine holding trays with dome coverings opened the double doors. He set them down on the wood table the Samurott and Serperior were sitting in front of and made his way back out without a word.

Abigail had never tried it before, but when plates were set up with pizza on them she decided to take one. She watched the other pokemon eat a little first before trying it. She only had the one slice, but made note to try it again another time.

The loudest thing in the room was the TV for a few minutes until the Quilava decided to stand near Abigail on the side of the couch. He started eye contact with her before speaking.

"So, Abigail," Gawain started, "do you want to try out some of the gear Charlotte made for you?"

"I'm good for now," Abigail said. "I'm, uhm, not sure what I want to do."

"Maybe take a selfie?" Aaron suggested. He shifted his body on the Mightyena's back to look up at her from the couch. "Lots of people got a little worried when you were out of it after the ceremony. Maybe I could show you the whole social media thing."

"I know social media things," Abigail said. "Like, Chatotter. And, uhm, instant ramen."

"First one was right," Aaron said. "It's okay. No one ever has to know everything."

Abigail was reluctant, but she to unzip her cape's pocket and give her phone to the Zorua. His fingers flew over the screen fast enough to impress her.

"Alright you two, smile," Aaron said.

Before Abigail could piece together what he was doing, the Zorua raised the back of the phone and snapped a picture. When she turned, Gawain had already been smiling.

"Wait," Abigail said, "I wasn't ready."

"Yah, it's cute," Aaron snickered. "I'll set you up and show you how to change things. Let me just, uhm..."

The shiny Zorua sat up and looked at the phone more closely. After a second of his eyes moving back and forth, he tugged on the fur of his dad's back.

"Hey guys?" Aaron called. "I think something happened."