"Why, good morning, Treecko!" Kecleon piped from his store window. "What might I do for you today?"

As the sun peeked out over Impetus Town, the three of us stood in front of the Kecleons' humble shop. With our schedule going along swimmingly so far, we'd decided to go ahead with today being a shopping day. While we probably wouldn't be needing anything in terms of dungeon materials, our list was still long regardless. First things first, though, we needed food. Aside from our noticeable lack of regular food, I'd noticed that a couple of our berries were starting to grow all moldy, so replacing them was of priority.

As for what I'd heard Arden and May discussing yesterday... well, I honestly didn't have it in me to really worry about it for long. I mean, sure, Arden knew there was a human involved in all this, but he hadn't mentioned me, had he? Honestly, I was just getting used to all this, so at this point, I'd just brushed most of my concerns from that conversation aside.

If I was causing the Quilava that much stress, though...

'Hrm. Might have to look into that in the future.'

As Rye told the green shopkeeper of our needs, his purple partner gave me a sideways glance, his scales taking on a bit of a paler hue as he shifted in place uncomfortably. I gritted my teeth, knowing where this was probably going; I hadn't forgotten when I'd been politely shooed away by the two that one time. However, after a minute, Purple just nervously pursed his lips and averted his gaze, staying at the counter as Green headed into the back. I blinked once or twice as I watched him stand there.

'Huh... well, that's an improvement.'

Before long, Green emerged from the back and handed Rye a sack that a quick look showed to be full of various berries and foodstuffs.

"That'll be 900 Poké. Remember if you need to put all this anywhere, there's always the Durants next door," the shopkeeper said, pointing to a tall dirt mound next foor teeming with metallic-looking insects crawling in and out. "Their tunnels go down a hundred feet, they're the safest storage business this part of Gray Proper, and their services are free for everyone on the Guild!"

As the nearest of the Durants gave a bit too perfectly timed wave at the clearly premeditated pitch, Rye cleared his throat.

"Uh, w-we'll check them out some time. Thank you," he said, pushing a few coins onto the counter. With that, we filed out of the line and headed back to town square as Rye looked over the berries we'd bought.

"Okay, alright. Uh, we have, like, three thousand Poké, I guess we can grab rope, supplies for c-camping, and, uh, scissors," he said. Mavy and I gave him a confused look.

"Wha?" I asked.

"W-well, Mavy's still gotta shave, right?" Rye said. Mavy bit back what sounded like a swear, but managed to keep his cool.

"Ain't gotta do nothing. You wouldn't want poor little me goin' buck naked on your lil' expedition; I mean, Pa always... uh..."

The Zigzagoon faltered as he zigzagged along, his face becoming distant for a moment before he quietly cleared his throat.

"So, uh, where we goin', then?" he asked.

"There's a bunch of merchants at the bend on Stonecutter Road. Impetus Town's a Guild town, so I think we'll find what we need. Th-they might not be, uh, used to you, Beck, so j-just stay close, alright?" Rye said. I nodded, waddling along as we headed through town square and onto an unassuming street.

Before long, the road took a sudden forty-five degree turn to the left, where I found myself surrounded by colorful awnings lining the street and the shopkeepers under them selling their wares. I inched towards Rye as the vendors shouted their usual marketer rhetoric.

"Used scarves and bows! Pecha, defense, choice ribbons! They're in good condition, get 'em while you can!"

"Sugar dates! Sugar dates and figs!"

"Hey, kid, you see these? These're Escape Orb shards used by the explorer Ursaring when he scaled Mount Inverse! You- wait, I'll give you a good price!"

"Exotic meats here! We got frost Vulpix, we got Heracross, we got Osha- wait, crap, th-there's- uh, these can't be found here in Gray Proper, get a taste before they're gone!"

"Tents, charcoal, anchor devices! All you need to camp safely sold here!"

Nice to see the concept of pushy salesmen hadn't changed.

As Mavy wandered off to examine the Thievul selling scarves, Rye lead me to the Watchog advertising camping supplies.

"Sir? We, uh, need a tent, do you have any for deserts?" he asked. The Watchog gave something between a scoff and a chuckle.

"Do I? Well, little Grassie, you got a good few options here. See, there's this one, keeps out the cold at night. Gets mighty cold out there, always useful for coldbloods like you. Then there's this one, it provides extra protection against the burrowing ferals out there..."

I quickly got bored of the vendor's spiel on what type of tent was best suited for the season and began to restlessly look around. Being a relatively small town, it seemed Impetus Town didn't boast too big of a market, as only fifteen or so vendors were gathered here. Despite this, I couldn't help but stray off to see the sights. I don't know, I was curious. What would a Pokémon market be selling aside from... uh, weird meat?

As the Watchog turned to dig from his pile of tents, Rye gave me a quick worried look as I approached one of the makeshift shops, where a Buneary sat quietly over random trinkets strewn on the ground. It ears stuck up curiously as I approached and looked at some of the stuff on sale, cocking my head. Most of it looked to be used and of not much interest, with only a couple things of much note. Before long, though, I stopped and hunched over to examine a particular item: a banjo, by the looks of it.

'Huh. I remember how to play this, don't I? Yeah, that time at the amphitheater...'

Though crude and well-worn, an experimental strum of its strings gave a promising sound. As Buneary took notice of my interest, I gave a little smirk.

"Hah mash?" I asked the shopkeeper.

Before long, Rye walked up with a satchel and a length of rope around his arm, only to find me three hundred Poké lighter and proudly lugging my purchase along. The Treecko stared for a bit before giving a little smile.

"Y-you want me to carry it for you?" he offered.

"Yeah, thanks," I said. As Rye took the banjo off my paws to hold under his other arm, he double-checked the rest of his load and waved me along to leave the little market. Mavy quickly caught up to us with a bundle of cloth haphazardly resting upon his head, and as it threatened to fall off from his zigzag walking, he gave Rye's cargo an odd look.

"What's all that?" he asked.

"Uh, a-a tent, some rope, an orb frame, and this... uh, instrument Beck got," Rye said. Mavy blinked confusedly.

"Why the instrument?" he asked. Rye shrugged, prompting the Zigzagoon to narrow his eyes.

"There ain't some kinda festival comin' up, is there? If not, then that's a buncha cash down the well. Like, I at least tried to buy us some team bandannas, but y'know... you're alright with that?" he asked.

"I-it's alright," Rye said, giving me a reassuring glance. Mavy just rolled his eyes in response.

"Both o' y'all are crazy," he said. With that observation, we headed back into the Guild proper, waving at Cinccino for a bit before a shrill voice caught my attention.

"Hey! Hey, you guys!"

Turning around, I found a Nidoran at Cinccino's window waving a paw at me as her Seedot friend watched us curiously... hey, wait.

'Hey, it's the Nidoran we helped out! Uh, when was that? Our... first mission? Damn, it's been a while.'

"Oh, hey!" Rye called as he ran over to the two. Seeing us running up, Cinccino smiled.

"You know Team Reach? Well, good, always nice to know someone in the Guild!" she piped. As Nidoran grinned in response, I stepped forward.

"Wha dahing hah?" I asked.

"Huh?" Nidoran asked as Seedot inched back nervously.

"H-he asked what you two're doing here, I think," Rye clarified. Nidoran nodded before nudging Seedot, who jumped a bit before clearing his throat, a sound akin to wood clacking against wood.

"Well, uh, you left an impression on her, by the looks of it. We've always wanted to hold our own and make it in the Guild, and, uh, she decided if a dungeon feral can do it, then anyone can," he said.

"Yep! We just finished the paperwork, and now we're a team on this Guild! We're Team Hemlock!" Nidoran declared. Rye and I gave a grin in response.

"W-well, uh, congratulations!" he said.

"Yeah, cah-greh-sha-shawah... y-yeah!" I added. As Mavy gave us a look, clearly confused, Nidoran beamed.

"Uh, we're gonna set out on our first mission tomorrow, and after that we're gonna try and evolve! How about you, what're you up to?" she asked, pointing at Rye's load. The Treecko hesitated for a second before the both of us looked over to Cinccino, who forced a smile as she ever so subtly shook her head. Understanding, Rye looked back to Nidoran and Seedot.

"Uh, we're about to survey up the, uh, Moder River. W-wild ferals, you know?" he said. Cinccino gave a quiet sigh of relief as Nidoran nodded.

"Oh, that's... cool! Uh, maybe we can talk about it later, we've gotta finish our housing stuff!" she said. With that, she grabbed her new team badge in her mouth and started dragging Seedot along by his Pecha scarf. "See you around, Team Reach!" she added.

"Yeah, see you, uh, Team Hemlock," Rye called before the two disappeared behind the Guild's team bases. Now that we were alone, Cinccino gave us a quick look before waving us off and turning to the next team in line. With that gesture, the three of us reluctantly moved along. While I wasn't too informed on what would be going on with the two, I was happy to have inspired them. Confidence bubbling up, I waddled after Rye and Mavy as they walked into our base and set our haul down. After a quick check from Rye, he turned to address us.

"So, uh... y-yeah! I think we're ready! Uh, make any preparations you need to, we've got all day. Uh... y-yeah!" he said. "Team Reach?"

"Teem Reesh!" I responded.

"Yeah, Team Reach," Mavy parroted.

With an encouraging grin, Rye nodded before turning to tuck our purchases away. Having nothing better to do, I grabbed for my new banjo, and as both Rye and Mavy gave curious glances, positioned it over my little form. Now, it was by no means ideal for my two-foot, stubby-armed body, but eh. I figured could improvise.

Twang!

"Ah get the feelin' I'm gonna come to hate that noise," Mavy said.


The blissful darkness of sleep began to part as I became aware of a sour smell filling my nostrils. Stirring as consciousness hit me like a truck, I opened my eyes in time to see Rye rubbing at his head as a Guild Pokémon stuck a cloth in Mavy's muzzle, waking him almost immediately. Seeing us all awake, the Delcatty nodded to herself and put away the Chesto powder-covered cloth.

"Gather your things and report to the amphitheater as soon as possible. The rest of the expedition will be waiting. Stay quiet and don't disturb anyone," she whispered before quickly walking out to move on to the next team on her list.

The sky outside was still dark, suggesting that it was early morning, and an eerie silence hung around us as the Chesto set in. After a minute, Rye got to his feet and quietly picked up one of our bags, looking around for any missed item as I uncomfortably tugged at my new bandanna. Mavy had insisted we wear them since he'd already paid for them, so it seemed we were stuck wearing these dirty things for the trip. Rubbing at his own, Rye looked around for a second before adjusting our bag on his shoulder and giving a gesture.

Minding the banjo now awkwardly sticking out, he led Mavy and I outside on tiptoes, careful to not disturb our neighbors, whoever they might be. With no torches lighting the roads, an unsettling aura followed us as we cautiously made our way through the Guild, only relaxing as the dimly lit amphitheater came into view.

Among the other teams gathered there, it seemed there were only two with more cargo than one bag, one of which was Team Apex; the other three I could assume were not quite elite level. Regardless of their level, it seemed most of them now regarded us with general confusion as I sheepishly waved and took a seat next to Rye. As we got a look from Arden and a proud grin from May, the team next to us gave us a sideways glance and began gossiping.

"You owe me twenty Poké. Wasn't a typo," a Luxio said. As her Emolga partner grumbled and dug for payment, the Electabuzz in the trio rolled his eyes.

"I tell you, Arcanine's gone senile. I mean, come on. It's enough they're only a moon old, but really, who in their right mind slates someone like a Zigzagoon for an expedition?" he whispered a bit too audibly. Mavy growled a bit as his fur bristled.

"Not all Normal-types, asshole," he called over, inciting a flinch from the Electabuzz. As he grimaced at his laughing partners, a new trio of Pokémon entered the amphitheater, followed by Delcatty and a couple of other officials. As the gathering fell to a hush, she took Arcanine's usual place and unfurled a map before beginning to address us.

"Thank you all for coming. As you all know, we are about to set out for the Imperium Desert. This will be a relatively minor expedition, meaning the Guildmaster will not be coming with us. As expedition leader, I'll lay out the plan real quick before we depart," she said quietly before gesturing to the map, which showed a drawn line snaking between Impetus Town and Bassa Village. "Now, due to our numbers and the location of the find, we probably won't be able to arrange any flights, so we will have to make the journey on foot."

I heard a few protests from the Pokémon around me before Delcatty continued.

"We will hike along the Divide trail until we meet our contacts in the Imperium Desert tomorrow afternoon, then they'll take us to the site in time to set up camp. Any questions?" she asked. When no grievances were shared, she nodded as the Hitmonchan flanking her rolled up the map. "Right, then, we're off. Forever forward," she said.

"Forever forward," came the hushed reply. Rye adjusted our bag on his shoulder before the three of us stood up to join our fellow guildmates as they made a final check of their supplies. With a wave of Delcatty's tail, we started down the road, the amphitheater's lights going out behind us as we left. As our caravan of twenty passed through the Guild's gates, I took a quick look back before the group turned on the road north.

"You nervous, Beck?" Rye asked. I looked over at the Treecko, giving a small sigh.

"Yeah. Yeh?" I asked.

"You know it," Rye said, smirking a bit as his tail twitched. "Uh, you good so far, Mavy?"

"Boy, we just started walkin'. I'd make sure you'd know if ah weren't good," Mavy said. Biting his lip, Rye nodded as chatter began to rise ahead of us. Now that it seemed there was distance between us and the Guild, the Pokémon in our caravan had started lighting torches and exchanging conversation as they walked. Apparently figuring he might as well add to it, Mavy started talking with Rye about girls past as I looked up at the stars, deciding I couldn't add much to the conversation. I just idly walked as the quarter-moon in the sky pleasantly tugged at my gut for a moment before I noticed Team Apex slowing down to walk opposite us.

"Hey, Rye, buddy! Landed an expedition, congrats!" May piped as Arden and Pike gave halfhearted agreements.

"Y-yeah! Uh, it's still really weird being here, y'know?" Rye said. May grinned and looked over at her Quilava... er, friend. Damn, this was gonna be awkward, wasn't it?

"What do you say, Ardie?" she asked. Arden snorted to himself.

"Really, now? Team scarves? What are you, hatchlings?" he asked. My face fell a little as Pike gave him a look.

"Don't mind him, kid, he's just salty is all. We tried 'em once and his vents burned his off," he told Rye. Arden responded with an annoyed spark from his back.

"Oh, ha ha. Let's all make fun of the guy with the disability, yeah," he said before shifting his gaze to me. "We'll be up front all day if you need anything, I guess. We got nothing better to do," he added, grinning at me. Pike only scoffed and flew into the air, leaving May to give Arden a quick smile before looking back at us.

"Yeah, you... uh, Zigzagoon?" she asked. Mavy snapped out of a daze as he fumbled for words, looking quite intimidated as he gave Arden a long look.

"Y-yeah, uh, Missus Leafeon?" he asked.

"You shouldn't run so fast this early on. Gotta preserve energy for what's coming, the sun hasn't even risen yet," May said. Mavy blinked before giving what I guessed was the quadruped equivalent to a shrug.

"Ah'll be fine. Whole life's been nothin' but a load o' work, I've done worse," he said.


"Sweet fuck... h-how do y'all do this every day again?"

"Shaagh," I groaned and tromped along as an exhausted Mavy panted, tied to my back to rest. Our caravan had been doing nothing but walking the whole day, and it had been quite the hassle when the Zigzagoon had given out. No one wanted to carry the talkative ball of fuzz anymore, so naturally it had been deemed best that we get the rope so I could carry him along. Normally, I'd have no qualms, but in this case...

"Ryyye..." I whined.

"I can't carry him, I've got the pack," Rye sighed, his tone begging me to put a sock in it. I mean, sure, I was starting to act like a little shit here, but I felt justified. I wasn't about to carry a thirty-pound pile of itchy fur and thick-accented complaining for an hour straight and take it without whining a bit.

We'd long since left the forests of the Serperior river valley, leaving only rolling hills and nothing to stop the afternoon sun from glaring down on us. We must've been at least halfway there, and despite the issues weighing down on my back, spirits seemed to be high. Merry conversation had been ringing from ahead the whole day, and the few times we'd managed to chat with Team Apex had been pleasant enough. What I'd appreciate now, though, was-

"We're stopping at this valley here. We've got enough sunlight left to look for firewood, let's not waste it out here," Delcatty called back.

...nice.

I immediately fell over onto the dirt path, my little legs screaming at me as Mavy squirmed on my back.

"Agh, Beck! At least untie me here!" he protested. Rolling onto my side, I instinctively reached for my scalchop before stopping myself. It wasn't fully grown by any stretch, but it was definitely big and sharp enough to use by now. I didn't think cutting the rope we'd bought was really a good idea, so I just laid there as Rye ran over to get the Zigzagoon off me. As I felt him peel off my back, I sat up to look over at everyone as they hurried about to set up camp.

"So, Rye? You willin' to use any of those weird plant powers to grow us some wood?" Mavy asked. Rye sighed.

"Th-that's not how it works," he said. "Uh, I'll try and get the tent set up, then we'll figure things out from there."

We all agreed, so I pushed myself up to follow my teammates into the roadside valley Delcatty had pointed out. Settling on a spot off to the side, Rye dug the mass of canvas and rods out of our pack, and as he got more and more parts out, the confusion on his face grew. Mavy and I were equally lost on how to set the tent up, so we only watched as Rye fruitlessly tried to put random metal rods together. Before we could agree to just sleep on the ground, a voice cut in.

"That's not how it goes, kid. The long ones are supposed to have their ends together like this," Arden said, walking over and bending down to help us out with the mishmash of pieces.

"Mr. Arden? Uh, wh-what're you doing?" Rye asked.

"May wanted me to help out, I guess," the Quilava shrugged as he worked on the tent's frame.

"Oh... er, thanks!" Rye said, watching him intently as he worked.

"Yeah, no prob. I'd get some sort of bed, too, sleeping on the ground isn't gets body heat down. I... damn it, tents are paw-friendly my ass! …urgh, just put it together like I was trying to do," he said, gesturing to the vaguely tent-shaped frame. "You need me, I'll be waiting for when they need a firestarter. Yeah, May and I'll be right here if you..."

Arden paused as he forced a horrid smile.

"...if you wanna talk, Oshawott," he managed out through gritted teeth. Rye winced, confused by his former boss's behavior.

"Uh... wh-why Beck?" he asked.

"Who- oh, Beck. Right, that's his name. Uh, curious about what the impressed feral's gotta say, you know? Not every day you get to get a few words in with 'em," Arden reasoned before hurrying off before Rye could say anything else. The three of us exchanged glances, sufficiently put off as we started going at the tent again. Especially given what I'd seen a couple days back, I wasn't sure what to make of this. Was the guy okay? What had I done to him? Was my presence as a human really that unbearable to him?

As Rye muttered to himself in approval as he put the tent together, I could only hope I'd manage to find out some time.


The fire crackled before me as we all sat in the center of our campsite, contented with our legs not being jelly and the promise of food being front and center. While we waited for dinner, my teammates and I had decided to sit around the fire with the others. Of course, with that came some unwanted attention in the form of my apparent talents. As I finished plucking away what must have been my fifth crude song on my banjo, excited chatter and hoots came from the Pokémon watching.

"Make him do another one, Treecko!" the Gligar in the crowd shouted. Rye shifted in his seat as I groaned, slumping in place. Mavy, who we'd found quite helpful for having a spine, had left a few minutes prior to find himself some food, so we were basically defenseless here.

'Just... alright, here's Wonderwall, I guess.'

Before I could start another crude tune, a large fireball suddenly rose in the distance, followed by a loud boom. As I stumbled back, bright flames lit up the horizon, continuing for a good minute before a couple of horrible screeches met my ears, followed by silence. After a bit, Arden emerged from the grasses, dragging the bodies of two Furrets behind him. After he spit the fur out of his mouth, he offered the twenty-odd gathered Pokémon a hefty grin.

"Got dinner. Gonna work on these guys for a bit, then we can stuff our faces," he proclaimed. "Here, Oshawott, let me see that shell of yours."

I instinctively put a protective paw over my scalchop. I'd just regrown the thing, I wasn't about to risk losing it again. But... well, I mean, the worst that could happen was him dropping it. After all, what was he gonna do, shave the Furrets for easier roasting or something?

Sighing, I tossed my weapon over to Arden. He looked over it for a second, nodded, and then, without hesitation, stabbed the damn thing into one of the carcass' flesh and just started carving away.

I watched in horror as he used my dear, now-bloody scalchop to... actually, yeah, I think I'll just spare the details. All I'll say is that by the end of it, there was a pile of gore off to the side, a good few cuts of meat roasting over the fire, and a decently shaken Oshawott watching it all.

"Come on, 'mon, Oshawott was right there. Not the best time to clean a feral," the Luxio in the group pointed out as Arden spun the spits, sniffing at the meat.

"His doohickey was the closest sharp thing, had to cut these somehow. What, you think feral meat still makes him uncomfortable?" the Quilava rebutted.

"Come on, say you're sorry," May chided him. Arden kept cooking the meat for a minute before sighing.

"I'm sorry, Oshawott," he said.

"Eugh," I replied. Arden gave a gesture and a nod to the others as I grimaced at my disgusting scalchop on the ground. Before long, I grabbed a long stick from around the fire and pushed the shell among the hot coals, hoping fire would kill whatever infection was undoubtedly covering it now. I could hose it off later, I guessed.

While I pondered over that, Arden suddenly looked back towards the tall grass, keeping a wide-eyed gaze fixed on it before the scent of burning meat snapped him back. As he slid blackened Furret loins off the spit, he gave the grass another quick glance.

"Did anyone go out there while I was out?" he asked.

"Yeah. Uh, Zigzagoon and Roggenrola," May said. Arden blinked hard.

"Weird," he muttered before sniffing at the meat in his paw before holding it above his head. "So anyone want first dibs? I'm not Raticate by any stretch, but I'm sure May and Pike here can attest to my abilities!"

"It's decent enough," Pike said.

"See? Whole lotta practice goes into preparing meat, you see. Need to figure out all the right ways to cut, roast, the whole... uh..."

Arden trailed off as the grass to the side rustled before parting, revealing Mavy dragging a limp Sentret in his mouth. As we all watched, he got a look at the cooked Furret meat, sighed to himself annoyedly, and started tearing away at the Sentret's corpse.

"...what?" he asked once he noticed our stares, blood dripping down his maw.

"Small-towners, 'mon," Arden muttered, leaving the Zigzagoon to eat as he passed his overcooked meat out around the fire. Pulling my scalchop out of the hot coals, I hit it with a quick burst of water to cool it off. As it sizzled, Rye cleared his throat next to me.

"Uh, you want some? I'm not really a meat Pokémon," he said.

"Yeah, sure," I said, taking the piece of food he offered. "Maagh?"

"Ah'm good," Mavy said through a mouthful of flesh. Shrugging and averting my eyes from his grotesque meal, I sat back and took a bite out of mine as I watched sparks fly up towards the stars above. Despite everything, I had a good feeling about tomorrow.

...wow, this stuff was chewy, wasn't it?


Bassa Village had never thought it'd see the day the Societies would descend on their little town.

The human town they had settled over had long since been sand-blown and looted beyond any sort of value, and what little remained was of brief interest, then there had been nothing for a good couple of centuries. The temples of the north were of far more interest to the Societies, so the Pokémon of Bassa had concluded they were content to act as just a little landmark town and nothing more.

Then the sheriff and an explorer from down south had returned from a raid telling of an undiscovered ruin only a mile or two out.

Now where there had been desert and a relatively uninteresting structure was a sprawl of tents and eager explorers from across the continent running about to finalize their preparations. Although the sheriff's leg injury prevented her from overseeing the encampment, everything was going smoothly thus far. Looking over the team he'd handpicked for this endeavor, Guildmaster Haxorus nodded to himself. It seemed everything would be ready for his Guild's descent on schedule, so long as any other bureaucratic hassles did not arise. He had worked long and hard to convince the other explorers to hold off until his team had had their turn inside the ruin, and now he gave a satisfied smirk as he prepared to address his team.

Before he could, however, something caught his eye: a cloud of dust on the horizon growing bigger by the second. Haxorus narrowed his eyes as the newcomers revealed themselves as a pack of Mudsdale, carrying what must have been twenty Pokémon. The Guildmaster ground his tusks as several familiar faces revealed themselves through the dust: Delcatty, Quilava, Luxio...

Arcanine's Guild had arrived, by the looks of it. As if the day wasn't already frustrating enough.

"What are you doing here?" Haxorus rumbled. Taking notice of him, Delcatty grimaced a bit before straightening up.

"Just the same as you, I suppose. Vale Keep gave us first calling on the place, so we're here to act on that," she said. Haxorus huffed to himself.

"I believe we have first calling, not you," he said.

"On what grounds?" Delcatty asked.

"One of my explorers laid claim the day the ruin was revealed. You can set up your camp for your turn once we-" Haxorus began.

"And one of our explorers found the place. Arcanine talked with the 'mons on top, we've got-"

"Distortion with the dog! I've already come all the way from Ironside City, I am not just letting you take what is already ours!" Haxorus roared, quite miffed at being interrupted. As several explorers behind her cowered in fear of the imposing dragon, Delcatty sighed and put her bag on the sand, pulling out a slip of paper. Haxorus's demeanor faltered a bit; where had she gotten actual paper?

"I was afraid of that. This form officially recognizes this site as discovered by our Guild, and we thusly have first rights to it," she said. Haxorus eyed the form suspiciously for a moment, frustration growing as he did so. As his claws twitched, his tusks glowed with Dragon-type energy for a bit before he sighed.

"Fine, then," he simply spat. Gesturing to his dive team, he stomped back to his Guild's campsite. Of course it would be the dog again, he couldn't help but think. As he passed by Arcanine's chosen teams, he met eyes with what looked to be a rookie team, their Treecko leader shivering as he watched. Haxorus regarded the team for a second before huffing and tromping away.

"Now, then," Delcatty said. "We'll be setting up here, then we'll go in before sunset. You'll be responsible for your own care; if you don't show up in time then we'll leave you. Understood?"

"Yeah," Beck's voice joined in the chorus of affirmation.

Still nervous from the quick encounter with the rival Guildmaster, he hurried after the others as they flocked to a sufficient empty space. As Rye shivered and Mavy zigzagged along eagerly, the three members of Team Reach stopped to pull out their tent, looking over the pieces before them as the others set up camp around them.

Taking a moment to look at the somewhat excavated ruined building and the gaping hole in it, Beck bit his lip before turning to help Rye out. He figured he could worry about whatever was inside and whether it could provide some sort of help later, right now the issue lied in remembering Arden's assembly instructions.

He just hoped that would stay the biggest problem this trip had to offer.


Author's Note: Well, this has been an interesting week on this site for sure. Here's hoping the admins don't let it happen again. Stay tuned, rate and review, so on and so forth.