Ready? Ready.

The Tale of Twin Hearts

Chapter 5

I never realized how big the guild was until I was left alone on the bottom floor...not counting the Croagunk watching me from the corner of the room, grinning; I forgot he was even there.

I should have realized the sheer size of this place the moment we climbed up the stairs. It was already bad enough that the fur-tuff around my waist covered over my feet and since I barely have any legs, those stairs were a nightmare. Unlike other Bunearys, I don't know how to hop, and because of it...well...you get the picture.

Although I didn't get to see much of the first floor, the second floor had a corridor to the left that held a long hallway full of rooms. I would've checked to the right, but since I told Miya I was coming after I talked to Queen, there was no reason for me to delay.

Heading down the hall, I got a good glance at each room. The first room to the right had three beds: One covered neatly in mud, one with sticks tangled in the hay, and one much larger, yet messy. The room on the left only had two beds: One with flowers sprouting out of the hay bed and one that was extremely neat to the point you couldn't see one stray out of place. As interesting as those rooms were, there were actually even more rooms up ahead, but the one that caught my attention was the room straight ahead with two beds, both recently used.

Looking around the second pair of rooms, I finally found everyone on the left, standing close as Pumpkin laid in one of the beds, facing the window. I couldn't tell if he was alright or not, but judging by everyone's expressions, it was clear he wasn't any better than the time he got here.

"Oh, Hey," Loudred said as I entered the room. It sounded like he was trying to whisper, but even that had a bit of volume. "You're Liloxi, right?"

"Yeah. How's Pumpkin doing?"

"We're not sure," Chimecho said as she searched him. "We checked for injury and, besides the cut on his cheek, he seems fine."

"That's odd…" I said, frowning. Walking over to his bed, I proceed to sit in front of him. Tears were still running from his eyes as he stared unwaveringly through the open window. I couldn't bear to see him like that. I may not be a sympathetic crier, but it was hard to even look at him. I felt so bad. It was as if he had come face to face with his worst nightmare, and judging by what we had experienced, it wasn't too far off...

"Hey Pumpkin. how are you doing?" I said, moving a bit closer. He didn't budge nor did he respond; not even blink.

"Wow...What happened to you…"

Looking over on the other side of the bed, I noticed Miya was also standing quite close to Pumpkin, her eyes fixed on him, not saying a word. Unlike the cut on Pumpkin's face, Miya looked like she recovered from the hit pretty well, with no burns or scars; not even a bruise. However, judging by her expression, I could tell something was bothering her.

"Miya," I called out. Quickly she looked up at me surprised as if she had just realized I was in the room.

"Oh, Liloxi, what's up?"

"You alright? You seem a bit down."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hmph, I'm not buying that," Loudred cut in. "You've been moppy even since ya got in the room. What's bugging ya?"

"Yes, tell us. Don't worry, we aren't ignoring Pumpkin here. Just, if you're down, I don't think it'll help his mood in the slightest. What's on your mind?

Slowly, Miya looked at Loudred and Chimecho, then at me. I didn't notice it before, but apparently, she had been crying as well, with streaks down her face. It was already sad enough the way Pumpkin looked, but Miya too? I wasn't sure how much more I could take before I ended up giving in.

"It's my fault he ended up like this…I couldn't protect him..." She said, lowering her head.

"Hey, I watched you get in between Him and that Mightyena," I said, crossing my arms," You did everything you could to help."

"Yeah, but that wasn't enough, now look at him. If I had succeeded in fending off that Mightyena, he wouldn't be like this.

"Miya, that Pokemon was way more than we could handle, more or less the mission! What on Earth could you have possibly-"

"That Mightyena…"

Shocked, everyone looking at him. Pumpkin was looking down at the floor. Tears were falling from his eyes like rain on a gloomy night as he continued to speak after being quiet for so long.

"...I...never thought something like that would happen...my favorite Pokemon…"

Loudred scratched his head. "W-What? Favorite Pokemon? What do you mean by that?"

"...Ever since I was younger, I had always loved Poochyenas and Mightyenas. I always thought they were so cool, even wore a costume and pretended to be one...but...for something I admired so much to attack me, call me "weak" and "pathetic", and then to almost rid me from this world without hesitating...I don't know how I should feel right now."

The room fell into silence. As bad as I felt, there was nothing I could say, especially since I've never been in that kind of situation. However, still confused on the matter, Loudred spoke up once again.

"A pokemon admiring another Pokemon. As weird as that sounds, I guess I can somewhat understand. I mean for starters, I wish I wasn't so big and loud, unlike the rest of ya."

"I wish I had hands so I could do much around the guild, so I can somewhat relate as well," Chimecho said, holding up her ribbon.

Walking around, Miya sat in front of Pumpkin as well, her eyes still fixed on him. Slowly, she picked up his paw and held it. Her eyes filled with concern. The amount of guilt written on her face was enough that I started to feel guilty myself. However, despite how much concern was in her eyes, I couldn't help but notice the look of longing as well.

"Pumpkin...I'm sorry I wasn't able to do much to help you. If I didn't get knocked unconscious, I would've-

"Don't say it, Miya. You did what you could, besides, you barely even know me. Though, what you did back there was actually brave. Thank you.

Miya smiled as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Of course...wait...huh?"

Suddenly, Miya looked down at Pumpkin's paw, which was shaking uncontrollably. Noticing it as well, Chimecho floated over to him and took his paw, examining it before checking the other one. Chimecho narrowed her eyes.

"You have no injuries...Why are you paws-WAIT! Pumpkin, can you move?"

"...No. No I can't."

"Oh my goodness...hold on, let me try something."

With a quick shake of her head, the sound of a bell filled the room. Right away, Pumpkin's body began glowing and just as quickly as it appeared, the light suddenly burst from his body, disappearing in a flash.

"Alright, how about now? Can you move?"

Slowly, Pumpkin sat up. Without a word, he looked at his paws, opening and closing them.

"Yeah, I can move now."

Before he could say anything else Miya hugged him, sighing in relief. Pumpkin smiled faintly.

"How do you feel?" She asked, taking a good look at him.

"Still a bit shaken up, but better. Chimecho, what did you do?"

"Heal Bell. Pumpkin, I think you were inflicted with Terrified."

"You mean the status?" Loudred jumped in. "Doesn't that only last for like 5-10mins?"

"Yes, but...it's been hours, and to leave you Petrified as well? What in the world did you guys fight? That's no way it could have been a Mightyena."

"Believe it or not, it was, just...REALLY weird looking and-heck, I don't even know where to begin." I said, picturing the monstrosity in my head.

"Hmm, as much as I want to hear about it, I need to finish preparing dinner. Maybe you all can tell us about it then?"

"Sound good, " I said nodding to her, "Although, where's Chatot? There's something I wanna ask him."

"He should be upstairs, on the first floor. He's probably finished with his conversation with the other recruits so now's a perfect time."

"Alright, I'll go and see if I can talk to him."

"In that case, Ima be heading out too. Loudred said, stretching his arm. "Gonna finish my post before dinner. I hope ya get better soon, Pumpkin. Don't let something like that bring you down!"

"Thanks, Loudred" Pumpkin said, forcing a smile.

With a bow of the head, Chimecho exited the room followed by Loudred, leaving only the three of us once again...

"Chatot?" Why do you need to see him" Miya said, looking unsure.

"I want to ask him about the mission he had us do. Why us? Also, how did he know when to break us out of that place?"

"Honestly, I was wondering the same thing. Maybe we should go talk to him."

"I'll go too." Pumpkin said getting up slowly.

"What? Pumpkin, I think you should get some more rest," She said, shaking her head profusely. She clearly didn't like the idea. I wasn't sure if she was acting more like a concerned leader or a concerned mom. Regardless of which, Pumpkin was not taking no for an answer.

"Where you guys go, I go, despite how I feel."

Miya frowned as she studied him. "Are you sure?"

Taking a good look at him, it was obvious he didn't fully recover. Even though Chimecho healed him from his status infliction, I can see he was still shaken up from his encounter. However, not willing to yield, he nodded in agreement to which Miya nodded back hesitantly. "Alright, let's go find Chatot."

Heading up to the first floor, we check around to see if Chatot was there, or at least still talking with the other recruits Chimecho mentioned, but no luck. Looking around, there were only a few pokemon standing around talking to their partners, some even sitting against the back wall as they caught their breath after coming back from a long mission. Desperate to get some kind of idea where Chatot could be, I walked up to a Bidoof who was scanning a board Labeled "Rescue", picking out missions labeled as "D" or "C". He was rather big for a big, but some told me he didn't act his size judging how hesitant he was choosing which mission to do next.

"Hey, excuse me. Did you happen to see where Chatot went?"

Surprised by our sudden approach, he dropped the missions in his hands, then scrambled to try and pick them up. Feeling sorry, I proceed to help him pick up the missions, me along with the others.

"H-hi! O-oh goodness, thank you...I'm sorry 'bout that. I didn't know y'all were behind me. What can I do for you all?"

"Hi, we were looking for Chatot. Did you happen to see where he went?" Miya said on my behalf. At hearing it, Bidoof ears perked up.

"Oh, well, Chatot headed out of the Guild not too long ago. Usually, he'd tell us that he'll be leaving somewhere, but not this time. When that's the case, he's just taking a scroll and he'll come back later to eat. But uh...why do y'all need him? If ya don't mind me askin'..."

"We wanted to ask him about our first mission that we just went on. We recently joined the guild and-"

"Whaaat? You guys are also new to the guild? By golly, I thought there were only 2 other new recruits besides me! Well, although I've only been here for a short time, I'd still like to welcome you all to the guild!"

"Thanks, we appreciate it," Miya said Smiling brightly. Pumpkin also smiled at the welcome which was a good sign after seeing the condition he was in beforehand.

"Hmm, if you three are new and just finished your first mission, I don't think he'll mind you meeting up with him. Though...I'm not sure where he'd be at this time."

"He's at the Beach," A pokemon said. Looking over a Trio stood at the right corner of the room, leaning against the wall. Judging by their demeanor, they looked like veterans. Out of the three, a Weavile seemed to be the one who was speaking and probably in charge. If I know anything about them, gain of any kind, whether it's money, items, fame, or an I.O.U., they'll seek it no matter what.
"He wanted me to tell anyone we were looking for him."

"Oh. Well, thanks!" I said, showing gratitude by waving at them. The Weavile scoffed and looked away. "I guess to the beach then, let's go! Also, thanks Bidoof for the help, and nice to meet you"

"Oooh, it's no problem at all. If you ever need me, I'll be downstairs for Dinner!"

"Will do!" I said as we headed for the exit.

Making our way to the beach, it was not hard to notice how dark it was outside since it was pretty hard to see. If it wasn't for the light of the full moon, I probably would have fallen down the extra set of stairs that lead to the beach without even knowing it; wow time flies.

It seemed like only a few minutes ago when we returned to the guild. Although the mission was apparently a success, I couldn't help but feel defeated, especially after what happened to Pumpkin. Even now I still question what kind of mission that was, but for us to narrowly complete it, botch it down to the core (literally.), and have Chatot to save us in the process? I needed answers.

Arriving at the beach, we stopped as we found Chatot standing on top of a large rock formation, facing the water as the moon's light shimmered over it. The ocean looked as still as it could be with waves reaching the shore in calming motion; It was a pretty sight. Every so often a pokemon would jump out of the water and splash by in, making mesmerizing ripples in the water. The sight of it all would have been quite an enjoyable one, but the moment I saw Chatot's face, a feeling of concern fell over me. As the moonlight bathed him, his face showed no expression. His gaze was deep, looking over the horizon as the wind gently blew against feathers. As we stood there, something felt like it was preventing me from asking him about what we had gone through some sort of Pressure, and honestly, I probably wasn't the only one feeling that way. As tough as it was, I knew this was the only time we could ask him, face to face, without any interruptions. Nervously, I stepped forward.

"Hey Chatot, sorry for intruding on your walk, but Miya, Pumpkin, and I have something we want to ask you."

There was silence.

Confused, we looked at each other. Chatot didn't move his head nor show any sign of our presence. Frowning, Miya quickly signaled for us to leave, but I couldn't. I wouldn't. I wanted an answer.

Despite the protest from Miya, I turned back to Chatot, however, before I could say a word, he spoke.

"I want to be the first to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what happened to you all during that mission and I'm sorry you had to go through all that trouble, just to narrowly escape with your lives...," Slowly, Chatot turned his head. As he looked at us, his body gave off a very faint shimmer as the moonlight continued to beam on him. "However, I'm not sorry for giving it to you because that mission, it was meant for you three."

"Meant...for us? That can't be possible, we just joined." Miya said, stepping forward.

Chatot looked off to the side before smiling sadly. "About a week ago, a very special, very important pokemon, which happened to be an old friend of mine, approached me and gave me a letter containing a mission and a map without saying a word; frankly, he didn't need to. 5 years ago, he told me that one day I will meet a very unusual trio, and when I do, to give them his regards. Many pokemon join the guild since then and graduate, but the moment you three stepped foot in the guild, I knew it was time.

Liloxi, Miya, Pumpkin. I knew you would come here seeking questions about the mission, but I'm sorry to inform you that now isn't the time."

"Why is that?" I questioned. I wasn't sure where Chatot was going with all of this, but something told me that it was important.

"You all have a big adventure ahead of you, each one their own legacy, especially you," he said, as he pointed a feather at me. "I was also told that once I found them: 'One of the trios, when met with his true companion, will give off a ray of light followed by the occurrence of an unforeseen disaster.' I'm sure you know what I mean, don't you Liloxi"

"Yeah, I think I do," I said, recalling the situation.

"Wait, that light we saw, the one that saved me, that happened because Liloxi and the Pokemon we rescued were together?" Pumpkin said, putting the piece together. Chatot nodded.

"Liloxi, would you care explaining who that Pokemon was?"

Uneasy, I turned and looked at Pumpkin and Miya. Their eyes fixed intently on me. "I never told you guys this, but 5 years ago, I was separated from my childhood friend. Since then I've been searching for him. It wasn't until today that I finally found him. That pokemon we just rescued, was him, Queen."

"...Really!?" Miya exclaimed to which I nodded. Behind her, Pumpkin was shocked, not saying a word. "So you knew we were going on that mission?"

"No, I-"

"Everything that I've told you, it was kept hidden, even Liloxi knew nothing of it." Chatot cut in. "The only ones who knew were the Guildmaster and I since we share just about everything with each other. The reason why I'm telling you now is that since Liloxi here has now come face-to-face with his long-lost friend, the start of something long foretold is beginning. Liloxi and Queen together will either be a beacon of hope for future peace, or harbingers of darkness and destruction of our world. The only way this can be settled is for them to resolve their hearts and gain the respect of the Guardians, the ones who watch over each section of the region. So this begs the question:

Liloxi, Miya, Pumpkin. Are you three up for the task? Will you three be willing to bring peace for us in the future and to save us from the upcoming disasters of our world?"

The moment he asked those questions to us, I was too stunned to speak. A few minutes ago, we were planning on asking Chatot what happened during our mission and why he was there. And now...he's asking us to basically save the world!?

Looking back at Miya and Pumpkin, both of them had the same expression on their faces, just as I had expected. All we did was look at each other with our mouths open, trying to process Chatot's request. Though despite my expression, something about all of it made sense, especially when he said it involved me. Ever since Queen and I's encounter with that strange pokemon, things have been weird; from us being separated to my mother always being deep in thought with a mixed look of anger and remorse. I've always thought something was odd about our separation and now that Chatot put together some of the pieces, I felt I could finally understand what happened years ago.

Unphased by our expressions, Chatot nodded to himself.

"I was told you may or may not agree, I've had 5 years to prepare for this moment. You do not need to give me an answer now. In fact, if this is too much for you all, you can always say-'"

"We're up for it, Chatot," Pumpkin said, nodding to us. I had a feeling he would say that.

"W-What? Really?" He said, catching him by surprise.

"Yeah, I don't see a reason to refuse help, especially if it involves me," I said, giving a confident smile.

"...As much as all of this baffles me, I have to agree. I don't see a reason for us to refuse. We're an Exploration Team now and last time I checked, they don't give us so easily, especially us." Miya said in a confident tone.

With that, Chatot smiled brightly. "He was right, you three are an unusual bunch. Very well, seeing that you all are in agreement, there is one more thing left for me to do...I must teach you three a unique ability called "Overflow".

"Overflow?" I said, tilting my head.

With a smirk, Chatot raised his wings off towards the ocean as he stood in an elegant pose. Gradually, what I once thought was the moonlight shimming off his feathers, the light suddenly flared into a ghostly haze. The moment it erupted, Chatot jumped off the rock he was standing on and landed in front of us, causing us to take a step back. As I got a good look at him, he no longer resembled any bird pokemon I've ever seen. The ends of his feather moved gracefully like flames but faded away like a wisp of smoke. His body gave off a faint lavender glow as his body wavered like a mirage. On top of his head, which sat his signature horn was now replaced with a black wisp and in front of it, a crown that resembled a fan.

"Before we begin, I would like to ask, what is your team name?" Chatot asked, his voice about as haze as the atmosphere that shrouded him.

Looking at one another once more, we nodded, and Miya took a step forward.

"From the moment we met each other and agreed to make a team, we knew who we were going to be. Our team is Team Silver.

"Well, Team Silver...Let us begin! EN GARDE!"