Chapter 6: What it means to be an Adventurer

I spun around just in time to evade the massive hunk of gold falling from above, it crunched to the ground and sent shards of metal flying painfully into my skin. Little bits of metal dug into the pads of my paws as I ran a circle around the room, the colorful mosaic on the floor having long been covered with golden shards.

A blinding white pain shot through my skull as a chunk of gold the size of my paw slammed into the top of my head, making me crash to the ground. Drops of blood dripped from the edge of my snout and splattered onto the gold-covered floor as I strained to push myself to my feet, but a hunk of metal slammed into my hip, sending me to the floor again. I shifted on the ground and managed to turn my head to see a massive block of gold falling right towards my face, so I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable.

GASP

My eyes shot open, and I jerked myself into a sitting position as I took in a massive lungful of air. I panted heavily while my eyes traveled around the room. I was in Aromatisse's inn, not the white hall filled with shattering golden pillars. I wiped at my snout and settled back into the bed as a groan escaped my throat while I pondered over what had just happened. What in the distortion world was that? I had never had the same dream two nights in a row before.

I glared at the ceiling, it's boards beginning to glow softly in the light of the morning sun. Why now? Why did Darkrai decide to send me weird dreams when I already have a million other things to worry about? My eyes bore holes into the ceiling, and I thought over what I was dealing with until I heard Fabian moan and shift on his sleeping mat.

The feraligatr sat up and rubbed at his eyes, the muscles in his arms bulging as he wiped away the remnants of sleep. He pushed himself onto his knees and proceeded to roll up his sleeping mat and store it into his pack before standing up. Turning to me, he said, "Hey Ninetal-,," but he froze when he saw me with my eyes wide open, a curious grin slowly spread across his face. "Good morning," he said, the scars around his lips curling with his odd grin.

I sighed and rolled myself out of bed, planning on catching myself nimbly on my paws, but my body had different plans as my legs gave out beneath me, and I fell to the floor. A loud "oof" left my mouth as my chest smacked the wooden floorboards and my legs burned like fire as I struggled to stand back up. A hearty chuckle rang through the air, and I stumbled in a circle until I faced the cheeky feraligatr who had the biggest smile on his face.

"There's nothing like sore legs after a long walk," he said while scratching at his chin, and I returned his statement with a scowl and a swish of my tails as I spun around to leave. The door swung open effortlessly, and I stumbled out into the hall.

Aromatisse was in the kitchen, and she swung around when the door slammed against the wall, clutching her wooden spoon like a weapon. Her face brightened when she saw me, and she stuck the utensil into a pot before turning back to me. "Good morning Madame Ninetales, did you sleep well?" she asked, but her face fell when she saw my awkward gait. "Oh mon cher, you must be sore," she said before her eyes lit up excitedly. "Do not worry, I have the perfect remedy."

She shuffled over to a cabinet and rummaged through it for a few seconds before she emerged, holding a bottle in her claws. "Here you go, Arnica oil, the best remedy for sore muscles," she said while extending the bottle towards me.

I glared between the fairy type and the bottle, and I was about to refuse when something hit me. A dank smell wafted through the air, invading my nostrils with brute force, making my nose curl and forcing me to turn away from the smell. Holding a paw to my nose, I stared at the bottle extended in the aromatisse's claws, it smelled disgusting, and she expected me to use it on my body.

My mouth opened to make my complaints known when the horrible smell hit me again, except this time, it did not come from the bottle. It came from my paw. I sniffed at my fur, and my lips curled. I smelled of sweat and dirt, probably from the excessive amount of walking I had done yesterday. I turned back to Aromatisse and lifted my head in an attempt to maintain my dignity. "I need a bath. Where can I get one?" I said as clear and concise as I could.

Aromatisse gave me a curious look before spinning around and removing the cooking pot she had been attending to off the flame. She then turned and moved down the short hallway to the third door. "Come with me darling," she said and pulled a key from the frills on her waist before opening the door.

I followed her through the third door and found a washroom complete with a shallow wooden tub and an area to relieve myself. From behind the wooden tub, Aromatisse pulled out a few knobs of soap and placed them in a bucket next to the tub. She also withdrew the bottle of arnica oil from Arceus knows where and put it into the bucket. The fairy type reached over to a small faucet and twisted the handle before a steady stream of clear water poured from the outlet and into the tub.

My eyes widened when I saw the flowing water. Usually, only the wealthiest cities could afford to have running water systems, yet here in this small town, a tiny two-room inn had a working faucet. Aromatisse turned to me and beamed when she saw my wide-eyed expression. "Wonderful isn't it? Monsieur Feraligatr helped the whole town get running water a few months ago, we could not have done it without him," she said before moving towards the door. "I will let you have your privacy Madame Ninetales, prendre plaisir." And with a swish of purple and pink feathers, she left, closing the door behind her.

I shook my head and turned to the tub, watching the water stream steadily into the pool of water below. I waited until I felt there was enough water and turned off the faucet. I stretched to pull myself into the tub, but before I could even reach the lip, my legs screamed at me and forced me back down. Sighing, I looked at my legs and lifted them one by one, trying to see if a little movement would ease the soreness away, but when I stretched towards the tub again, the same thing happened.

A thought popped into my head, and I turned towards the bucket filled with the bars of soap, and most importantly, the arnica oil. I lifted the bottle out of the bucket and stared at it, thinking about how strange the inn owners in Darun are. I had only met two so far, and both had given me weird creams and oils to solve my problems, which made absolutely no sense. I had done nothing for them, yet they tried to help me. With a sigh and a shake of my head, I looked for a way to apply the oil onto my sore muscles. But with no other containers in sight, I resorted to pouring the bottle's contents into the bucket along with the soaps.

When all of the oil had been emptied into the bucket, I placed the bottle to the side and inspected the pool of oil, it looked just like most oils, but it had a slightly greenish tint. I dipped a hesitant paw into the thick liquid and watched the light flicker off of my wet fur before slathering it all over my opposite leg. My lip curled at the feeling of oil in my coat, but when the oil reached my skin, my expression completely changed. The oil touched my skin with a soothing cold, seeming to suck the burn out of the muscles beneath. I gathered more oil and rubbed it all over my body, and by the time I was done, there was no oil left in the bucket, and I was in pure bliss as the cool touch of the oil drew all of the soreness away.

My fur stuck up in random directions, glued together in clumps by the oil, but now I could reach into the tub, and a quick bath left my fur clean and smooth. I left the washroom and walked to the kitchen with a happy trot and a slight smile, enjoying the feeling of being clean and having my legs move without a hint of soreness. I entered the front dining area and found Fabian speaking with Aromatisse, and they both turned to look at me when I passed through the doorway.

"Ah mon cher," Aromatisse called when she saw me. "You look absolutely stunning." My smile instantly faded, and my trot turned into a walk at her comment, making Aromatisse's face fall, and she turned to Fabian with a worried look. "Was it something I said?" she asked the Feraligatr.

Fabian chuckled and softly patted the fairy type on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, I can't even go a few seconds without making her frown," he said, and I shot him a sour look, which made him laugh and point towards me. "You see, just like that."

I scoffed and sat at one of the opposing tables, focusing on nothing in particular as I stared blankly at the seat opposite me. Fabian and Aromatisse continued their conversation, which I paid no attention to until a plate suddenly appeared in front of me. Snapping my head to the side, I found Aromatisse handing a similar platter to the feraligatr before scurrying back to the kitchen. She emerged a second later, carrying a pot full of steaming vegetables, and placed a hearty breakfast's worth of food on my plate.

Steam from the vegetables floated into my nose, carrying with it the fantastic smell of herbs and spices, and I caught myself drooling as I stared at my breakfast. I ate it all, surprising myself with the amount of food I could take in before I was full. It was even better than the food from last night, reminding me of the food from back home.

Home

The word rang through my head like a bell, echoing back and forth while I stared at my now empty plate. It seemed to place a lead weight on my heart, and I could practically feel it sinking in my chest. How often would I get the chance to enjoy food like this? Would a good night's rest become something of the past? Will I ever see the sandy shores and smell the salty air of Helion City's beaches again?

Fabian interrupted my thoughts, placing a paw on my shoulder, and I looked to see a soft, concerned expression on his face. "Are you all right?" he asked in a kind voice, but I shook off his paw and hopped down from my seat.

"I am fine," I said curtly, talking over my shoulder so he wouldn't see my face. "When are we leaving?" I glanced at him to see his pack slung over his shoulder while he held two adventurer bags in his claws.

He lifted the bags before saying, "Right now," he walked over to me, and before I could move, placed one of the bags over my shoulder. I glared at it and realized it was my father's bag, the same one Fabian had used to introduce the idea of adventurer bags to me. The strap fits snugly in the crook between my shoulder and neck, while the actual pack laid against my side.

"What is this?" I said, looking up at the feraligatr with a perplexed frown.

Fabian shrugged and placed his claws on his hips, the scars across his body, catching the lamplight, and appeared to shine. "It's your bag, and you'll want it when you join the guild. So I figured I might as well give it to you now so you can get used to walking with it," he said before heading towards the door. He placed a paw on the handle and stopped, pausing a second before turning around. "Thank you for your hospitality Aromatisse, I'll return soon with some way to repay you."

I spun to look at where the feraligatr was talking and found Aromatisse standing with her claws on her fluffy hips. "Monsieur Feraligatr, I have told you once and I will tell you again, you have done more than enough to earn a free night's stay. Now go, before I make you stay another night for free," she said with a smile while making shooing motions with her claws.

Fabian chuckled and opened the door, leaving with me close behind, we headed down a side path towards the main road, but as soon as the feraligatr turned the corner to go down the main street, he froze, his eyes glued onto something out of my view. My brows furrowed, and I moved around the corner to see for myself what had caught the feraligatr's attention. Then what I saw made my mouth fall open, and my eyes go wide.

Standing a few steps down the road was a large group of pokémon, probably forty to fifty of them, all of them holding colored cloths and rags, and the second I turned the corner, they all turned to look at me and let out a loud cry while waving their cloths and rags in the air. Chandelure emerged from the crowd and drifted over to us, colored fabrics tied to each of her metal arms. "Good morning Feraligatr," she said as she approached Fabian.

With an astonished look, Fabian crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "I really don't deserve this," he said with a shake of his head.

Chandelure shook her own head in reply. "Feraligatr what you must understand is that, for you this was just another job, but for us it means everything. Please, let us give you the hero's farewell you've earned," she said while hovering circles around the water type.

I realized that this group of pokémon wasn't looking or cheering for me. They were here for Fabian. The feraligatr let out a resigned sigh as a smile crept onto his face. "Alright, I'll try not to run away this time," he said before glancing towards the group of banner-waving pokémon and walking forward. The mob parted in front of him like reeds, giving him enough space to walk freely down the road. My head swiveled from side to side as I watched the pokémon cheer his name and wave their rags. It was madness. What could Fabian possibly have done to earn such respect that he was practically treated like a king by these people?

We passed through the crowd and walked down the road as the pokémon behind us continued shouting and cheering until we were out of earshot. I shot Fabian a bewildered look, and I saw he had the biggest smile on his face, grinning like a child on their hatchday. I cleared my throat, grabbing the feraligatr's attention before I spoke. "What in the distortion world was that?" I asked with a shake of my head, a curly lock of hair falling across my face as I did so.

Fabian turned to look at me, the giddy smile never flickering for a second. "That is why I became an adventurer, so many people whose lives have been changed for the better. Did you see how happy they were? That's what makes every scratch, bruise, bite, and break worth it," he said and turned back towards the road while humming a merry tune.

We walked for the better part of the morning, only stopping to take short water breaks and to enjoy the shade where we could. The sun was well into the sky when we finally reached a fork in the road, Fabian stopped at the split and inspected the two paths, and a slight frown appeared on his muzzle. I moved next to him and looked down both roads. They looked to be identical, long dirt roads with trees lining the paths on either side. In the space between the two branching trails was a sign with arrows pointing in either direction. Next to the arrows were words showing the destination of either route. The arrow pointing to the left said, "Osban City," which I knew was the capital city of Darun, while the arrow pointing to the right said, "Hill town."

Fabian looked at the sign with a thoughtful frown, and he tapped a claw against his scaly chin. "Hey Ninetales, do you know what direction we are headed in?" he asked, making me tilt my head at the randomness of his question. I shot a quick glance towards the sun and watched it rise behind us.

"West," I said before shooting an odd glance at the feraligatr. He is the adventurer out of the two of us. If anyone knew what direction we are heading in, it would be him.

A short nod was my reply as Fabian's eyes narrowed on the sign. "And what direction is Osban city from our location?" he asked, and my own eyes narrowed on the feraligatr. Where was he going with all these questions?

I thought it over, Kalia was to the south, and we had just crossed the border a few days ago, and because Osban city was right in the middle of the kingdom, we still had to be a few day's walk south of the capitol. "Osban City is north of us. Why are you asking all of these pointless questions?" I said while shaking my tails from side to side.

Fabian held up a paw with a single claw raised. "One more question. Since we are heading west and Osban City is to the north, don't you think it's odd that the sign says to turn left to go to Osban City?" he asked, and my eyes widened as the realization dawned on me. Someone else must have realized it, too, because a loud gasp rang through the air and a bush to the right of us shook violently as a pokémon ran from underneath it.

A massive blue shape covered my view as Fabian pushed himself in front of me, and his arm swished through the air, a single silver projectile flying from his claws and into the bushes with his movements. He then pushed away and ran towards the place the missile had gone, moving with a speed I would never have expected from him. After a second of spinning my head around like a top, I ran after the feraligatr, not wanting to be left alone in the middle of the road.

I found him with his claws on his hips, staring down at a silver and gold shape shivering at the base of the tree. I studied it for a second and realized it was a jangmo-o. The jangmo-o whined when he saw me and pulled at his tail, which had been pinned to the tree by a single silver needle sticking through the disc at the end. He made very little progress and only ended up tripping over his own legs and falling to the ground in a mess of silver scales.

I thought it was wild until the little pokémon looked up at us with tears in his eyes and spoke, "I'm sorry, I'll never do it again, I promise," he cried in a young voice, while the larger scales on his sides clinked together as he shivered.

Fabian tapped his foot on the grounds as he stared sternly down at the young dragon type. "You know that is a very irresponsible thing to do. Some pokémon have very important business to attend to and they need to get to either Osban City or Hill Town as quickly as possible, and you do not help them at all by switching around the sign," he said, using his baritone voice to deliver a powerful lecture to the jangmo-o while he pointed authoritatively towards the dragon type.

The jangmo-o squirmed under Fabian's stern glare. "I get it, I get it, it was just a joke. If you let me go, I promise yous guys will never see me again," he said while tugging at his tail.

Fabian's massive arms crossed over his chest as he pursed his lips. "I'm gonna get you out of that tree, but you'll be coming with me until we can find your parents," he said and moved over to the tree before kneeling down by the dragon type.

Shaking his head furiously, the jangmo-o shifted away from the feraligatr's paws." No no no, Ma doesn't need to know anything about this, I'll be grounded for a week," he said with wide eyes.

Gripping tightly onto the silver needle embedded in the tree, Fabian yanked it out, freeing the jangmo-o. He then slid a paw underneath the dragon type's chest and lifted him up, holding him as effortlessly as Aromatisse held her spoon. "Be that as it may, sometimes getting grounded is the best way to learn a lesson. So, where do you live boy?" he said while sliding the silver needle back into his adventurer bag.

The jangmo-o let out a defeated sigh, and he fell limp in the feraligatr's paw. "I'm from Hill Town," he muttered while staring dejectedly towards the ground.

"Good, we were headed there anyways," said Fabian as he walked back out onto the road. He moved to the sign, and with a single paw, lifted the post out of the ground and spun it back around to the correct position. He placed it back into the dirt and gave the top of the sign a hefty slap, forcing the post into the ground much deeper than it was before.

With wide eyes, the jangmo-o watched the whole ordeal, slightly shivering when Fabian slapped the top of the sign, and he turned to look towards the feraligatr with a curious eye. "How did you know I had switched the sign so fast?" he asked while shifting his gaze back and forth between the sign and the water type's face.

Fabian smiled at the jangmo-o's curious expression. "I've been down this road countless times, I knew it was a left turn here, but when I saw the sign pointing the wrong direction, I knew something was up," he said and began walking down the left side road, forcing me to walk after them.

"You've been down this road a lot? Then what are you? A guild member or something, you don't have a bandana," the small dragon type said while shifting his head back and forth, looking around Fabian's neck.

A soft chuckle left the feraligatr's throat, and he reached into his bag to pull out his defense scarf. "Pretty close, I'm from the expedition society, it's basically like the guild but in Kalia," he said before returning the scarf to his bag.

The jangmo-o's eyes widened, and he stared at the feraligatr's face. "From the guild in Kalia?" he asked with wonder in his voice, and he received a nod from Fabian in reply. He then shifted around in the feraligatr's claws until he looked towards me. "Then who's the broad?"

Fabian let out a loud laugh at the young pokémon's question, and he looked at me through the corner of his eye. "She's a friend, we're going to the Darun guild right now," he said, but before he could say anything else, the jangmo-o came with another question, and another, and another. The whole trip towards Hill Town was spent with the dragon type asking question after question and Fabian answering every single one of them with infinite patience.

I was about ready to rip out the jangmo-o's tongue when a collection of houses finally came into view, and we reached a sign which read, "Hill Town." As soon as we passed through the town limits, Fabian lifted the dragon type into the air and said, "Alright boy, which house is yours?" and the jangmo-o pointed towards one of the houses near the edge of town.

We walked towards the house, and as we approached, a goodra came out of the front door and crossed her arms over her chest while a stern frown appeared on her face. As soon as we were in earshot, she yelled out, "Jeremy Dante Jangmo-o, where have you been?"

The jangmo-o cringed at his mother's shout, and he seemed to try and hide in Fabian's claws, yet the feraligatr didn't help the small dragon type at all as he walked straight up to the goodra and offered a short bow before saying, "Good afternoon Miss Goodra."

The older dragon type looked towards Fabian, and her face fell. "I hope he didn't cause you any trouble," she said while rubbing her slimy arms together.

Fabian grinned, and a strange twinkle entered his eyes as he glanced between the jangmo-o and the goodra. "No none at all, I actually wanted to come here to let you know of the potential your son has," he said and reached into his bag before pulling out his defense scarf and showing it to the goodra. "You see, I'm a member of the expedition society, and I found your son exploring the woods with a great deal of enthusiasm. He has a lot of restless energy and a curious mind, which are all good attributes of an adventurer."

The jangmo-o's eyes lit up at the feraligatr's words, and his head swung back and forth between his mother and Fabian. My own eyes widened as I fixed the feraligatr with a confused look, wondering why he hadn't told the goodra of the jangmo-o's mischief, while the goodra's eyes softened and a smile appeared on her face. "Ah, well, thank you, I can definitely attest to him having restless energy," she said with a small chuckle.

Fabian kneeled and placed the jangmo-o on the ground before returning his defense scarf to his bag and replacing it with a silver needle. "Listen here boy, the world needs more pokémon who are willing to use their talents to help others, and I'd personally love to see you join the guild one day and use your energy for good," he said and extended the silver needle on an open palm to the young dragon type. "I'm going to give you this as something to remember me by. Also as a reminder to use your energy for helping others. What do you think?"

With eyes sparkling like diamonds, the jangmo-o nodded furiously. Fabian laughed and held out the silver needle, which the dragon type eagerly took in his mouth. The jangmo-o's mother looked at the exchange with a kind smile, and she also kneeled to the young dragon type's side. "What do you say?" she asked in an expectant tone.

"Tank yoo," the jangmo-o said through the silver needle in his mouth while his tail wagged happily behind him. Fabian smiled and gave a single nod in reply before offering another short bow to the goodra and shouldering his pack. While he walked away, I glanced between him and the jangmo-o, before shaking my head with a scoff and following after the feraligatr. Hill Town was much bigger than Forrest Town, and it took us twice as long to walk through as pokémon stopped and stared at the massive, scarred feraligatr walking through their town.

As soon as we reached the other side of town, I shot Fabian a suspicious look. "OK I want answers, what was that? That brat deserved a good beating, not to be given a present. You said it yourself, getting grounded is the best way to learn a lesson," I said with a snappy tone and a severe frown.

Fabian chuckled and turned to look at me, the strange glint still in his eyes. "No, I said 'sometimes' a grounding is the best way to learn a lesson," he said while putting extra emphasis on the word 'sometimes.' "Most of the time, however, a child just needs a push in the right direction."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "And what about the silver needle? He did nothing to deserve that," I said while my tails shifted behind me.

A grin filling his muzzle, Fabian pulled another silver needle from his bag. "Kids are very forgetful and they need something to remind them of their commitments, besides I've got like twenty more of these," he said while twirling the needle around in his claws.

I groaned and shook my head before falling in step behind the feraligatr, and we continued our walk down the endless roads. It wasn't until a few hours later we arrived at a new sign, one I immediately recognized. It read "Warning, Mystery Dungeon Ahead," and a sign below it said, "Twisting Trails Dungeon," and it had the same five circles with only one of them filled in with dark paint. My eyes widened when I saw the signs, and I fixed Fabian with a scowl.

"Are you serious? Another dungeon," I said while gesturing to the signs. Fabian only gave me a single nod and continued walking straight down the road. "You did not think this would be information I would have wanted to know beforehand?" I asked after I ran in front of him. "Did you think I would enjoy getting blindsided by another cranidos?"

Fabian stopped in front of me and placed his claws on his scaly hips while a small smile graced his features. "Would me telling you beforehand have changed anything? You can read, and the signs are pretty visible. You are just as prepared now as you would have been eight hours ago," he said and proceeded to walk around me to continue down the road. "And besides this is mainly a grass and normal type dungeon, you'll have the advantage here."

Grinding my teeth, I followed behind the feraligatr as we entered the dungeon. This one didn't have a clear entrance like the last dungeon, and I had trouble telling where it started. Still, it was pretty clear we had entered when an ivysaur lept from the bushes and lashed at Fabian with a vine. Fabian caught the vine in his paw and spun around. he lifted the grass type off its feet and sent it flying off into the trees with a "SAUR."

Fabian grunted and fixed his pack before heading down the trail again with me close behind, the path shifted towards the left, and we followed it, but my eyes narrowed as the route continued to turn to the left more and more. After a few minutes of turning continuously to the left, I had a suspicious frown on my face by now. We definitely should have looped back around to the original trail, but there was nothing, only an endless left turn. My eyes widened as a thought struck me, the dungeon's name was "Twisting Trails," and maybe this is what whoever named dungeons meant.

We continued in an endless leftward spiral, only stopping occasionally to take out an attacking feral pokémon. Yet, when we came around one of the bends, we found something very odd placed on the side of the road. A large board was posted on the trailside with a few odd papers pinned to the wood. On the documents were pictures of random pokémon of all types with a name written below each image. There was also small text placed below the pictures and text, and I squinted at one of the papers and got closer to the board.

The small text read, "Skarmory was last seen near Tandy Town heading east, he is wanted for theft, robbery, and assault. Be advised, he is dangerous and will attack with the intent to harm if confronted. Reward : 500 Brands." My brows furrowed, and I turned to look at Fabian. I found him with his own face set in a curious frown while he tapped on his chin with a claw. His eyes traveled across the board, taking in every paper with serious scrutiny until he pursed his lips and turned to me.

My mouth opened, and I prepared to launch a barrage of questions, but Fabian held up a claw, asking for silence. "So I actually don't know what this is for sure, my best guess is this is a vigilante board. Unless the guild decided to start putting wanted posters in dungeons, but that would be pointless," he said before crossing his muscular arms over his chest and returning his gaze to the board.

One of my eyebrows raised itself in a scrutinizing look." What in the distortion world is a vigilante board?" I asked while flicking a strand of hair out of my face.

"Guards and guild members are the only ones with the authority to detain wanted pokémon, anyone else who does it is considered a vigilante. Since I'm pretty sure the guild didn't put this board here, it must be used by a vigilante instead," Fabian said while placing a paw on the board. With the same amount of effort that it would take me to open a door, he pushed the board to the ground, it's wooden posts snapping under the pressure. Fabian dusted off his paws and shook his head before turning away from the board and heading down the trail.

We made it out of the dungeon without any other incidents, and we hiked to a large town sitting not even an hour's walk away from the edge of the dungeon. It didn't take us long to find an inn, and soon we stood outside the doors of a rather large building, with bright orange light coming from the windows and a whole lot of loud conversation echoing through the door. I glanced at the sign by the entrance and saw "Skunkank's Tavern and Inn," and my lip curled as I thought about all the drunk pokémon inside.

We made our way inside, and luckily, unlike the High Country Inn, the noise of conversation was too loud for anyone to notice our entrance. The interior was packed with pokémon sitting at tables and drinking from mugs, all of them talking over the other while they tried to share stories and local gossip. Fabian led the way as we wove through the sea of benches and chairs, eventually finding ourselves at the end of a long line of pokémon waiting to be served.

Fabian took a look at the line and grimaced before turning to me, "Why don't you take a seat at the table over there, and I'll wait in line to get us a room," he said while gesturing to an empty table near the corner of the room. I was happy to oblige as my tired legs carried me over to the table before I sat down and finally gave my legs a proper rest after a long day of walking. While I waited for Fabian to finish his business in the line, I gazed around the room, inspecting the many aspects of the tavern.

Illuminating everything were large braziers hanging from the ceiling, casting over everyone with a bright orange light. The pokémon sitting at the tables milled about endlessly, and looking at their heads bob was like watching waves swell across the ocean's surface. I glanced to the right and saw a stairwell leading upwards to what was probably the rooms and, to the…

SLAM

A large black paw slapped down onto the table, making me jump. My gaze traveled up the length of the black arm until my eyes met with an emboar leaning on the table with a cocky grin. "Well what's a beautiful thing like you doing all alone?" he asked in a slur while the rancid stench of alcohol flooded out of his mouth.

My nose wrinkled at the smell, and I turned my head away and stayed silent, not wanting to give such a disgusting oaf the benefit of a reply. However, the fire type didn't relent, and he leaned in closer, very much invading my personal space. "Ahh come on, no need to be rude sweetheart, you're just a little uptight 'cause you don't have no one to give you company," he said and raised a claw, dragging it affectionately across my cheek. "You know, I could give you all the company you need and more," he whispered into my ear.

That did it. I held back to keep the promise I had made to Fabian about not hurting anyone, but to distortion with Fabian and to distortion with this pig. He had no right to touch me that way. I spun around and slapped the emboar across the snout, my paw quickly traveling through the collar of fire around his neck and striking him right next to one of his tusks. The emboar's head snapped to the side, and the sound of the slap echoed through the tavern. A few of the pokémon at the nearby tables raised their paws to their mouths, letting out loud "OOOOOH's."

I stared at the reddening spot on the fire type's cheek with a furious scowl. I could feel the fire of anger roaring inside my chest, matching the fire coming off of the emboar's body. His head slowly turned back to me while his lips pulled back to reveal bared teeth, and when his eyes met mine, I could see the fire of anger burning brightly behind his scarlet irises.

His paw snapped forward, and he grabbed onto a fistful of my mane before yanking me upwards. I let out a strangled cry as I was literally pulled from my seat, the emboar holding me in the air by my mane. "YOU LITTLE WHORE," the emboar yelled while pulling my face into his. I struggled against his grip, slapping and clawing as hard as I could at his arm, but to no avail. I was absolutely powerless against his brute strength.

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" he roared, and I watched with wide eyes as he drew back his other paw, preparing to strike me, but before he could bring his arm forward, a blue paw with a set of white claws wrapped themselves around the forearm holding me in the air. A loud "crack" sounded through the air as the blue paw twisted, bending the emboar's arm in a way it should not be bent.

The emboar screamed and let go of my mane, making me fall. I hit the ground with a loud "oof," my heart pounded, and my head swam as I looked up to see Fabian had been the one to break the emboar's arm. He twisted the emboar's broken arm as leverage to pull him closer and wrapped his other paw around the fire type's throat. My chest tightened, and I found myself taking short, shallow breaths while my vision darkened. "No… No… Not now, Not here," I thought while I struggled to my paws. I couldn't have an episode in the middle of a busy tavern.

My gaze locked onto the stairs to the right, and I ran towards them, shoving descending pokemon out of the way while they tried to see what was happening downstairs. I found a long hallway at the top of the stairs, and I ran to the very end of it and collapsed against the wall. Shaking like a leaf, I tried to control my shivering breaths and calm my pounding heart. Yet, every time I managed to take in a full breath, the emboar's burning rage-filled eyes and the pain of being lifted by my scalp popped back into my mind, sending me into another fit of shivers.

A paw landed on my shoulder, and I gasped and pulled away, pushing myself as hard as I could against the wall. My eyes searched for the owner, and I found Fabian kneeling over me with a sincere, concerned expression. "Are you hurt?" he asked while his gaze traveled across my body, searching for any injuries. I clenched my eyes closed and curled myself into a ball as another bolt of dread and fear shot through me, my breath came in shaky gasps, and I struggled to calm myself.

Fabian's paws slid themselves underneath my body, and he gently lifted me up into his arms, carrying me like a small child. He moved to one of the nearby doors and pushed it open, bringing me over to a sleeping mat before laying me down on top of it. He pulled out his defense scarf and laid it across my shaking body, covering me like a blanket. "You're alright Ninetales, just focus on taking deep breaths OK," he said softly and placed a paw on my back, rubbing gently at the space between my shoulder blades. "You'll be OK, you're safe here, take deep breaths."

Hey everyone, thank you for reading my latest chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this one. Anyways, please leave a review on anything you think I can improve on, and have a wonderful week.

He continued offering words of encouragement while putting gentle pressure on my back and rubbing at my spine. I struggled to breathe for a few more seconds before I finally managed to take my first full breath in a while, and I focused on taking long, deep breaths until my heart eventually calmed and my body ceased to shiver. I wanted to get up and move, but my body refused to listen. All the traveling today and the episode I'd just had left me exhausted. My legs seemed to be tied down by lead weights, and my head pinned to the floor by the weight of my own mane. My eyes slowly drooped closed as the exhaustion of the day finally caught up with me, and I fell into the land of sleep.