"Mom! Dad!"

Among the steep rock faces and rather close to the water's edge was an opening in the cliffs denoted by a blue curtain (that had certainly seen better days) covering the entrance, which Arashi shoved aside just a bit. His tiny hands clearly weren't the ones that put it up.

"I made a new friend! She's a Rowlet!"

Astrid's feathers puffed out just a bit, the little avian looking uncertain at the 'friend' label being thrown out so quickly but not protesting it all the same. Arashi glanced back at her and beckoned her along, and she followed with bashful steps as her company went hopping away without wasting a second.

"Oh? Did you?" came a voice that Astrid guessed belonged to someone older- it was deeper, though not too deep.

"Yeah!" Arashi excitedly called back, almost leaving Astrid in the dust as he darted in.

The walls of the enclosure were akin to a grey sandstone hallway, carrying a salty smell that she was sure came from the waters they were so close to. It wasn't a long hallway though, for it shortly opened up into a larger room, brightly illuminated with a lantern hanging from the ceiling and several others sitting on rocky shelves jutting out of the stone walls. A small table was positioned in the middle, several leafy chairs scattered about at various places, and a few baskets of goods the Rowlet couldn't see were positioned in some more carved cupboards at one edge. Two other curtained doors hung over two other openings that she guessed lead to other rooms. She was sure that she remembered houses looking different, but nothing in particular was coming to mind as to how they looked different. Yet, somehow, it felt… cozy, as if she'd be fine to nestle up and roost in one of the cupboards.

The source of the other voice was another Pokémon of reptilian form and blue in color with a yellow frill running down his back- an Inteleon. Arashi bounded up happily with Astrid in tow, and the larger figure knelt down to look at Astrid more closely while giving Arashi a gentle pat on the head.

"… So you did," the Inteleon noted coolly, observing the Rowlet with a smile creeping across his face. "And indeed, a Rowlet- not common to these parts."

Astrid shrank into her feathers a bit more, unsure of having another set of eyes on her.

Arashi, however, giggled. "And she's all fluffy, too! It's great!"

The one in question got a bit wide-eyed. She had no idea what to make of Arashi's fascination, much less what to say to this new individual. "A-ah…! E-er, I, um…"

The Inteleon giggled. "Shy, I see. What is your name, dear?"

"Astrid!" Arashi exclaimed before she could get the words out herself.

Her feathers deflated a bit. "Y-yeah, A-Astrid…"

Another giggle from the larger figure. "Astrid. A fine name.~"

She deflated a bit more, still unsure of what to say, though it shortly appeared she didn't need to think of much.

Arashi turned back to her, taking a hop closer to her side and sticking a hand on her wing again. "This is my dad," he noted to her of the Inteleon.

"A pleasure to meet you, Astrid. I am Niles," the Inteleon greeted her.

Niles' hand reached out towards her, and she soon noticed that it dwarfed her too. However, Niles didn't touch her, and as if by instinct, she awkwardly stretched one wing out for something of a handshake- if a wing could count as a 'hand' for such, anyway.

"N-nice to m-meet you, Mr. Niles," she shyly responded.

Though, at that time, another figure appeared, coming from behind one of the curtain doors and with a small knapsack in her hand- the amphibious, mostly dark blue form of a Greninja.

"What is this I hear about a friend?" she inquired, glancing among all of them, and then settling on Astrid, "Ah. That would be you, little one."

The Rowlet couldn't help but scuttle backwards a bit, her body tensing up at all the sets of eyes on her. They weren't malicious, but nonetheless, with her nerves running wild, she didn't feel particularly at ease regardless. Arashi, however, was still beaming and gave her wing another pat.

"This is Astrid!" the Froakie proudly proclaimed, then to Astrid, "And this is my mom! I guess that's obvious, though, aha!"

"H-hello," Astrid pitifully squeaked out.

"Hello," was the amiably swift response, the Greninja still looking at her while setting her bag down and then striding a bit closer. "You're Astrid?"

A hapless, silent nod was the answer.

The Greninja smiled a bit at her nonetheless. "Nice to meet you," she chuckled, "I'm Kaminari."

"N-nice to meet you too, Ms. Kaminari," Astrid spluttered.

Kaminari smiled, then returned to her bag on the table and began sorting through its contents. Astrid almost wondered if Arashi had a smile permanently frozen on his face, for it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, it seemed.

"Are you from around these parts, dear?" Niles inquired, "I haven't seen you- or anyone like you- around."

Astrid froze at the question, completely unsure of what to say and going wide-eyed. "E-er, I, um, w-well-"

"I found her on the beach!" Arashi proudly declared, grin plastered on his face, "She was knocked out at first, but she came to pretty fast! And she's not from around here, either, but she says she can't remember a thing except that-!"

"Arashi, dear, let her speak," Niles cut him off gently but chidingly, then to Astrid, "Apologies, dear."

The Froakie shut up, smiling awkwardly.

Astrid blinked, still caught off guard, but nonetheless managed to stammer out, "I-it's true; I w-was on the beach and he f-found me," she answered, then getting overwhelmed again by all the happenings and her flurry of emotions, "And this thing is what knocked me out there! I don't remember anything, except that I just found myself in the forest, that abomination started chasing me, I tried to fly away, and it zapped me! A-and I'm not even supposed to be a Rowlet, I'm…!"

She buried her face in her wings again and burst into tears. Arashi gently put his arms around her, patting her again.

"She says she's a human, but everyone knows humans are extinct," Arashi clarified, then looking back to her, "Hey, it'll be alright, Astrid; we'll figure this out!"

Astrid didn't say a word, merely sobbing into her feathers with Arashi trying to console her. Niles gently cooed some words of affirmation too while putting one of his hands around her, though the two adult Pokémon shot each other a glance.

Astrid was startled at first by Niles' gesture and at how small it made her seem what with getting utterly engulfed by a larger hand, but then remembered that, as a starting stage in her evolutionary line, such was bound to happen and brushed it off. She wasn't protesting Arashi and his father's efforts to comfort her, but still, it was hard to get a grip.

"What 'thing,' Astrid?" Kaminari calmly inquired, leaving the bag and taking a few steps closer, "You say you were attacked? By whom?"

She lowered her wings a bit to peek out over them and responded, "I d-don't know who," she mused with a cracking voice, "I-it was this creature, n-not really anything like a Pokémon… A-at least, n-not one that I know of…"

"Can you describe it, dear? Perhaps we know," Niles inquired, moving his hand back.

She shuddered a bit, though she lowered her wings some more. "I-it was big- er, tall, m-more like tall… And its body was mostly made of black wires that were held together b-by more wires that were white and g-glowed… It didn't have a face, just a spiky ball where its head should've been, but somehow it talked to me… A-and it used two of its wire bunches like legs, another two like arms, and another one was its tail, I g-guess… It m-made my feathers stand up; its whole body was just c-crackling with electricity…"

Niles and Kaminari looked at each other, growing more puzzled the more she described.

"I-is that normal around here…? H-have you seen one of those before…?" the Rowlet sheepishly asked, as if afraid of the answer she might get.

A positive would only indicate that the area was even more awful than it already had been, while a negative would only indicate she had the misfortune of discovering a new and terrifying creature. She didn't like either outcome, and the puzzled expressions on everyone else's face didn't bode well.

"Have you, Niles?" Kaminari inquired.

"No," Niles answered. "Have you, honey?"

"No."

A squawk of distress shortly followed. She buried her face in her wings again. "You have got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed to no one in particular. "Oh, this is terrible! Terrible!"

Arashi patted her wings some more, still looking rather happy with all things considered. "Oh, there, there, it's alright, we'll get it taken care of!"

"No!" she fussed, "This is not alright!"

"Oh, dear, don't be so distressed; you're safe now," Niles cooed, giving her a warm look, "No creature is going to hurt you while you're here. If nothing else, my Snipe Shot never misses."

"And if this creature is made of wires, my Water Shuriken will slice them apart," Kaminari added.

The Rowlet sniffled a bit more, but somehow that comforted her- even if she doubted that type matchups would be in their favor against a bolt-wielding creature.

Nonetheless, she put her wings down and looked up at them. "R-really…?"

"Yes, dear. Don't worry about it," Niles affirmed.

Kaminari, however, was more interested in something else. "Though, what is this about you being a human and unable to remember anything? That's quite a claim."

She got a bit shy again and ruffled her feathers up, skittering a bit in place and unsure of what, precisely, to say. "W-well, I… I just know I'm not supposed to be a Rowlet; that I'm supposed to be a human… And that my name is Astrid… And I honestly can't remember anything else before ending up in the forest, j-just that… I felt like someone was t-talking to me and then I kinda… w-woke up… and that th-thing was there, but I didn't recognize its voice at all…"

Again the two older Pokémon were looking at each other. She fell utterly silent again, not sure of what their glances were supposed to mean, but honestly not thrilled about any of it. If this was some sick joke from Arceus' underlings, or some ridiculous prank from Hoopa, or even some odd dream she'd yet to wake up from, she didn't appreciate it. Yet, still, she knew that was likely not the case.

"… This has happened before, hasn't it?" Kaminari mused to her mate. "Just… not very often."

"It's kept as mainly classified information, but it has," Niles answered.

That certainly piqued the Rowlet's interest, but Arashi's even moreso.

"Eh?! So she didn't just hit her head really hard?!" the Froakie exclaimed, eyes practically sparkling with excitement. "Sheesh, Astrid! Aren't you something?"

"A-ah…!" was all she could stammer out in response.

"The natural disaster incident with Rayquaza had a former human involved, as did the Primal Dialga incident, the Bittercold, and Dark Matter," Niles expounded, "To avoid cataclysmic damage, the gods of this world- a select group of Legendary Pokémon- will search the dimensions for a candidate best fitted to deal with the problems that arise, and thus far, they have all been a human from another world that partners with a native of this one… or at least, those are the cases we know of."

Arashi's eyes practically sparkled at his father's words, and he looked at Astrid. "Woooooow! You really are something else!"

A squeak was the only response from the Rowlet, who practically wished the ground would swallow her up so she wouldn't have to bother with any of the situation's absurdity anymore.

Niles, though, apparently seemed to pick up on her distress, for he again cupped his hand around her and gently stroked her fluff. "Now, now, dear, those are only the cases we know of. Don't feel too upset with yourself; there could very well be another reason."

"A-ah… I s-sure hope so… I'm no good for that… s-sort of thing…"

Arashi couldn't help but giggle again, and Astrid merely stood there with her feathers ruffled up and a dismayed look on her face when Niles withdrew his hand again. If she were there for any sort of world-saving, she was sure the gods had made a terrible miscalculation, and if it were some sick prank, it was a terrible success. She hadn't even been present in this new world for a whole day, and she was already horrified by almost everything in it.

"Let's alert the Expedition Coalition; perhaps they can be of help," Kaminari suggested, giving Niles a look. "Their researcher should have plenty of information, and her psychic abilities could help restoring Astrid's memories."

Arashi got sparkly-eyed again, a blissful gasp coming from him. "The Expedition Coalition?!" he exclaimed, then looking to the Rowlet, "Ah, Astrid, I've always wanted to join them! They're the best! If they can't help you, no one can!"

Astrid was taken aback by this sudden development. "R-really…?"

"Yes, dear, they're well-known around these parts," Niles noted.

"A-ah…"

Kaminari strolled over to one of the cupboards and retrieved something else- what looked like a paper and a bit of ink. "I'll write up a letter and have it sent off; they should be keen to take up a case like this. Arashi, perhaps you should go show your friend around town," she instructed her son.

A cry of glee came from Arashi, who clapped his hands together before taking hold of Astrid's wing again. "Yeeeees! C'mon! You'll love it!"

The Froakie started bouncing down the corridor leading out again, and Astrid hesitated for a second before haplessly skittering off after him with a few flaps of her wings to catch up.

Niles got up from his kneeling position, calling after them "Be careful! Don't go too far outside of town!"

Arashi didn't seem to be paying it much mind, for he didn't respond.

Astrid, on the other hand, called back over her shoulder, "Th-thanks for h-having me!"

Her tiny legs simply weren't fast enough. She took to flying after Arashi, who probably would have inadvertently left her in the dust had she not.

Nonetheless, back along the beach and to the edge of the rocky cliffs they went, until a somewhat wide staircase lead to the top of the cliffs around 40 meters up, clearly having been carved long ago and weathered since then for the cracks and chunks broken off here and there.

"Here! This is how you get up to town," Arashi noted, bouncing up.

Astrid flapped along beside him. "S-so I guess you and your folks live on the beach because you're Water-types, then…?"

"Yup! It just feels natural, y'know?"

She didn't know, or have any idea, but she figured that was also to be expected.

She couldn't help but be aware of the trees closer to the cliffs' edges. If that creature was still there, even with a second tagalong with her, she knew they weren't going to win alone, yet it seemed she didn't have to worry about it. On reaching the top, the forest did not encroach on them, for the edges of it were around 15 meters away (though quickly grew thick heading inwards, it seemed), and there was no sparking wired beast there to meet her. A winding, sandy path lead off somewhere to their west, close to the perimeter of the forest, and the trees seemed to extend for almost as far as the eye could see in either direction they went. They seemed a bit denser on the east half, but in any case, the edge of Tranquil Town was plainly visible not too far in front of them. It relieved Astrid to see more little houses and places with more Pokémon bustling about through them.

"Oi, Arashi! How are you and your folks?" a Nidoking called from the outskirts.

"Going great, Nez! Good afternoon!" the Froakie called back, then pausing and motioning at Astrid, "This is Astrid! She's new to these parts!"

Astrid froze in dismay, holding up one wing as if to hide behind it.

"Aye! Nice to meet ya, Astrid!" the spiked one called back, waving with a big grin.

She was too flustered to respond in proper. Nonetheless, Arashi beckoned her along and she followed, going back to using her feet for movement.

She didn't remember these houses looking quite the same either, yet still, she couldn't recall a reference point. Most of the ones she saw looked like little round cottages made of wood and natural materials, but there were some others hewn out of rock or made of sticks arranged in trees- down to type and preference, she supposed, like Arashi had mentioned. A Jolteon strutted about outside of one cottage, a Toucannon also taking up in a tree house and preening a little Pikipek's feathers. She couldn't help but be a bit fascinated by all the variants, but she said nothing to the effect.

Arashi, though, bounced up to a smaller stand covered by a green tent in the middle of the town's spread, where two Kecleon stood behind the counter. Astrid shyly approached as well, ambling up and practically hiding behind the Froakie.

"Alright! So this is the first place you should be familiar with," he happily declared, giving Astrid a glance then turning back to the little shop, "This is the Kecleon Shop; you'll find them in pretty much every town!"

"Greetings, traveler~" one of the Kecleon, a green one, sang in response.

"Welcome~" the second, a purple one, likewise greeted.

Astrid gingerly looked at them. "Hello," she responded, hardly above a whisper.

"This is the place you go if you need something," Arashi explained, "And they've got everything! Berries, items, food, you name it.~"

"Indeed!" the green Kecleon concurred. "My expertise is in general-use and edible items~"

"And mine is in TMs, Orbs, and other specialty items~" the purple one added.

"Come and see us anytime~"

"We will not let you down~"

The Rowlet wasn't quite sure what to make of them with their sing-song tones that struck her as a bit odd, though Arashi didn't seem bothered in the least. She had to wonder if this was normal or if she was the only one taking note of it.

"You can find them in dungeons sometimes too, or so I've heard," Arashi noted, "But don't try to steal from them! The last person that tried didn't speak to anyone for a week after the heist failed, because she'd never been beaten so badly in her life!"

Astrid's eyes widened, and she looked back at the two Kecleons standing before her. They started smiling.

"It's true~" the purple one confirmed.

"We might have to release the swarms on you if you try~" the green one chirped.

She was utterly stunned, not quite sure of what 'swarms' entailed but not wanting to find out. "P-point t-taken," she said faintly, "N-not that I w-wanted to in the first place…"

Arashi giggled, patting her wing again. "I didn't take you for the thieving type, aha! But it's always worth noting."

She nodded, still staring at the Kecleons with huge eyes.

"Buuuut, you won't be doing any shopping without some cash!" Arashi noted, still grinning, "And I'm betting you don't have any, right?"

She shook her head. Arashi hopped over to another point of interest- a large billboard with lots of pieces of paper stuck to it haphazardly, some overlapping the others and some appearing to be much older than the rest. Headlines and text covered the pages, some of them with pictures of various Pokémon in the center.

"This here is the bulletin board," the Froakie noted, "Sometimes, other Pokémon will have a certain service they request or the sheriff's office will post a bounty for a criminal, and this is where they put those notices. Some of them offer monetary rewards; others will offer you items and the like. Anyone is free to respond to them, but generally that's the work of rescue and exploration teams."

Astrid scanned the pages. Some of them included headlines such as "Please retrieve my treasure!" with a location listed, while others were endowed with a picture and a headline along the lines of "Apprehend this outlaw!" with a description of the individual in question and their less-than-stellar dealings.

However, one in particular stuck out to her, one poster in particular bearing the image of a Fennekin. "WANTED" was displayed in big, red letters beneath the picture, along with "Salem- highly dangerous, NOT FOR AMATEUR PURSUIT" underneath it. She couldn't help but read the rest of it.

"Highly elusive, highly difficult to apprehend. May or may not be using puppet subordinates, may or may not be in an evolved form. Reported to use techniques and abilities not innate to species or evolutionary line. Utilizes strong attacks and foul play, also commonly blindsides targets and slips away through a flame shield to discourage pursuit. Victims commonly suffer grievous bodily harm and memory loss. Motive is unknown. Whereabouts unknown. ABSOLUTELY NOT TO BE PURSUED ALONE. UTILIZE EXTREME CAUTION IF ENCOUNTERED."

Astrid blinked, tilting her head while studying it. "W-what is this…?"

"Hm? Looking at Salem?" Arashi inquired.

"Y-yeah…"

"Yeeeaaaaaaaah, she's a real piece of work, they say. Sheriff Magnezone got pretty beat up the last chase Salem was involved in, and she's managed to outmaneuver even some of the more well-known teams."

"So she… h-hurts other Pokémon…?"

"It seems that way, anyway," the Froakie answered, "As far as anyone knows, she just shows up and starts attacking, then sets everything around her on fire to run away. That's not so much a problem for some Pokémon, but somehow, no one can catch her, and it seems like she just… disappears. It's been suspected that she's got a buddy that knows Teleport or a Psychic or Ghost-type to hide her away, but even other Psychic and Ghost-types haven't been able to find one on her side. It's not like she's out for money or items, either; she never steals anything. So add it all up, and it just looks like she's out to do damage and cause trouble."

Astrid looked to the poster again, narrowing her eyes just a bit in scrutiny. "S-so the worst kind of person- ah, I m-mean, the worst kind of Pokémon…"

For whatever reason, Arashi started grinning again and patted her wing. "Yup! Absolutely awful!" he chirped without a care, "But I'm not that worried about her showing up; me and my folks are all Water-types, so we naturally resist a lot of her attacks. That, and if she's evolved into a Delphox, my mom is a perfect counter! So it should be alright!"

She considered it for a moment. "Ah…"

"And speaking of my folks, that's where I get any of my money from," Arashi laughed, "My mom and my dad take these jobs on occasion, and they, er… My dad, well… He does something, but apparently he's not allowed to talk to us about it 'cause it's secret! And my mom's a lightning-fast ninja; it's kinda in her species name.~ I haven't been dungeon-crawling by myself yet, but one of these days, I wanna form a team! It's always been my dream, aha~!"

"A-ah… You… You want to do that sort of thing…? Fight criminals and explore uncharted places…?"

"Sure do! I'm a sucker for adventure and excitement!"

"Ah…"

That much was painfully obvious from literally everything the Froakie had done so far- approaching strange new figures on the beach, taking them back home with no protestation, and beaming all the while in the confusion. It was something Astrid simply couldn't wrap her head around, yet… if she were in this world, and likely stuck for the easily foreseeable future… perhaps keeping someone of Arashi's sort close was not a bad idea, for it seemed he had all the relevant info she needed and was more than happy to do all the socializing. Even if she weren't completely comfortable, it seemed to be working out in her favor.

"What about you, huh?" Arashi inquired, glancing over to her, "I mean, even if you don't remember anything before that weirdo ambushing you, you've gotta have something in mind, yeah?"

She considered it for a moment, yet still, nothing came to mind. "I'm… not so sure, honestly…"

A giggle. "Then maybe we could make a team together! Go on missions and explore the world! Heh, it might even help you figure out what happened to get you here, aha!"

She blinked. When the Froakie worded it that way, it almost sounded attractive. Almost.

Though again, he beckoned her along and set to hopping northeast, leaving the billboard behind. Astrid set to haplessly flying again so as not to get left behind.

"So you've seen Kecleon, you've seen the billboard…" Arashi thought out loud, mostly to himself. "What else is there… Oh! The post office!"

He made his way over to a rather large building that seemed to be carved out of an old, wide tree trunk (that was still appearing to grow shoots in some places). The top of it was carved open with only a few leafy green branches jutting out, and as Astrid took note of its features, a Swoobat shot out of the top with a bag slung over on one side and quickly vanished someplace into the distance. Out front, an Aipom and a Croagunk seemed to be having a lively conversation.

"Arashi! You meet someone new?" the Aipom called, grinning while looking their direction.

"Yup! This is Astrid!" the Froakie replied, still bouncing along.

"H-hi!" was Astrid's panicked response, too flustered to even look over at them.

In any case, the Rowlet didn't have to worry herself with conversation, for her company hopped into the entrance and she wasn't lagging behind. The inside of the post office was more spacious in the front half, since in the back half, boxes of letters and stacks of packages cluttered the wood-carved shelves and walls with a few little sprigs of greenery poking out of the walls. A few Combee buzzed about, looking the items over, and an Emolga moved them about to their appropriate places. At the front counter, a Vespiquen directed them, but on noticing the two smaller Pokémon come inside, turned her attention to them.

"Greetings, my darlings. What brings you in?" the Vespiquen inquired, voice firm but welcoming.

"Hi, Reina!" Arashi replied, "I'm just showing my friend Astrid around town; she's new to these parts. Your location is important, so here we are!"

Astrid couldn't help but think that the insectoid Pokémon was a tad bit intimidating, but somehow, her greeting eased her mind. However, she still found her feathers fluffing out a bit at yet another set of eyes on her. "H-hello," she chirped bashfully.

"Ah, so you are Astrid and you are new," Reina noted, looking her over, "Well, your company is right about my location- I take care of everything that comes in and goes out of this town by post. If you desire to send something far away, my Swoobat courier Lucy will see to it. If someone else wishes to send you something, it will come through me."

Astrid nodded. "A-ah… That is pretty important, I would suppose…" she considered, then turning to Arashi, "I guess this is where your mom is coming later…?

The Froakie nodded. "Yup!"

"Oh? I can expect to see Kaminari?" Reina mused, perking up, "How lovely. I have received some more letters for her and Niles- of course, things I cannot read. Secrecy is always paramount in their dealings, it seems."

Arashi giggled, giving Astrid a playful nudge and wink at the mention of secrecy. The Rowlet didn't react, merely taking it for what it was.

"So if you ever need to take care of that sort of thing, you come here!" the Froakie said happily. "And who knows, maybe someone out there will send you something fancy!"

The Vespiquen chuckled. "Oh, wouldn't that be lovely?"

Astrid wasn't so keen on the idea, thinking she had no one to send anything to nor anyone to send her something, but perhaps if she got more acquainted with the surroundings and the inhabitants, she'd frequent. Nonetheless, she catalogued the information.

Her comrade motioned her to follow along again, noting, "Alright, so you know about Reina and the post office now in case you need it. Let's go; there's still more!"

The Rowlet nodded, and shortly Arashi was hopping along again with Astrid skittering behind.

"See you later, Reina!" the Froakie called.

"Keep well, Arashi. Nice to meet you, Astrid," Reina called back.

They were off again, blowing past the Aipom and Croagunk still conversing outside- however, it seemed their conversation had taken a turn, for the Aipom started looking annoyed and flustered while the Croagunk laughed and patted him on the back with a big smirk. Astrid wasn't sure what they were up to, and didn't bother trying to figure it out. Off on the sandy path again they went, the Rowlet flapping along closely.

"That's really all the extremely important landmarks around here, so remember them if you don't remember anything else," Arashi explained, "You can meet everyone else later if you want to.~ Nez, the Nidoking that called at us earlier, looks kinda terrifying and could probably rip a boulder in half, but he's really nice and makes a really good chestnut curry! Sometimes he'll cook a big batch and invite the whole town over!"

… Maybe this place wasn't so terrible.

"And Lila the Jolteon, one of my other friends, is really cool! When the weather is bad, she just goes and yells at the clouds, and it's kinda fun to watch! But if you make her mad, well… you'll want to run, aha!"

… Perhaps still a little bit terrible.

Nonetheless, a row of stones rose up on what she guessed was the edge of town, for between two large ones was fixed a gate of the sorts… or rather, an open picket fence that had definitely been worn down over time. There was little purpose in it for keeping anyone out or in, but rather it merely seemed to delineate the town's boundary, though that too didn't need much help for she could see no other dwellings or landmarks reminiscent of civilization further out.

Something tugged at her mind, though. "H-hey, Arashi…?"

"What's up?"

"D-didn't your dad say not to go too far…?"

"We aren't! We're just gonna go see the lake, and- OH MY GOODNESS!"

His sudden exclamation made Astrid squawk and give a startled flap, almost losing her place in the air. Arashi paused, and she landed on the ground next to him.

"W-what is it?! Is s-something wrong?" she hastily inquired.

If something was wrong, then a smile indeed was permanently plastered on his face, for he wasn't showing fear or surprise. He was gawking at something, and the only thing the Rowlet could see was the town's edge and two other figures on the path- a Scrafty and an Audino, the latter carrying a bag over his shoulders.

It was the Froakie's turn to stammer haplessly. "Oh, Arceus above! Astrid, I, er… Oh, goodness! Just come with me!"

He grabbed her wing again and darted off behind a house carved in stone, out of view of most everyone else, eyes huge but grin even huger. Astrid was beginning to wonder if this creature was indeed crazy, for she wasn't making sense of his mannerisms in the slightest. Surely, someone couldn't be happy literally all the time.

"Arashi! What's wrong?!" she pressed, keeping her voice hushed.

"I can't look like a fanboy in front of my idols!" he cried back, trying to keep his voice low and only borderline succeeding, "Then I'll just look desperate and they'll never recruit me! I gotta play it cool!"

"Your 'idols?!' Who?!"

"Them!"

He peeked his head out from behind the stone and pointed her in the direction of the Scrafty and Audino. She still wasn't completely sure what he was getting at.

"That's Rush and Rozen! The leader of the Expedition Coalition and his second-in-command! They're practically invincible together!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the Scrafty when mentioning 'Rush' and the Audino for 'Rozen.' She studied the two of them, and the Scrafty seemed to have the remnants of plenty of battle wounds across his body and walked with a certain swagger to his step, while the Audino seemed as harmless as harmless could be. She was sure it was merely due to natural variation, but the Scrafty had a rather small crest atop his head that she was sure was smaller than the average… not that she had a great reference point to compare it to, for there wasn't an array of Scrafty pictures in what tiny shreds she could still recollect.

Arashi's words piqued her interest, however. "W-wait, the Expedition Coalition? Isn't that who your mom said she'd contact?"

"Yes!"

"And why are they invincible? N-no one is invincible, I'd think…"

"Oh, pfffft! You haven't seen them, Astrid!" Arashi said to the contrary, "You see, Rush is… a bit of a brawler. He's an absolute madman if you get him in a fight, and allegedly he once won a fight with another expedition team, twelve-versus-one… but no one can verify that, because the other expedition team retired after he wiped the floor with them."

Her eyes went wide. "… You're kidding."

"No, I'm dead serious!"

She looked at them again, and still couldn't quite believe it. Rush certainly looked the type, but…

"And Rozen isn't much for fighting, he's purely support, but you put him with someone like Rush, and, well…" Arashi's voice trailed off, "It doesn't matter what you do to Rush, because Rozen is just gonna nullify it, and then you'll be down on your moves and probably your health with an angry, brawling Scrafty that's probably gonna put your head through a wall…"

"… And these are supposed to be the Pokémon that'll help me…?"

Arashi's voice turned bubbly again. "Yup! They're the best!"

"They sound like delinquents!"

"You only have to worry about them if you're up to no good! And you're not up to no good, are you, Astrid~?"

"W-what?! N-no!"

"Then you should like them! If that creature tries to chase you again, and they're here, you can just sit back and watch and enjoy yourself! It'll be great!"

"You're crazy!"

"Oh, don't say that! We're friends, aren't we~?"

She looked at him, feathers ruffled, completely unsure of what to say.

However, at the Kecleon Shop…

"Yo, Kecleon, my li'l green guy! Where ya at?!" Rush hollered, swaggering up to the counter without a care in the world.

"Ah, Rush, no need to be so loud when this town is so quiet," Rozen remarked.

And indeed, everyone around them was quiet, as if not quite believing their eyes (all of which were on the two expeditioners). A pin dropping could be heard, if not for the conversing of Rush and the Kecleons.

"Right here, valued customer~" the green Kecleon chirped back, darting over from organizing a box's contents, "May I assist you~?"

"Yes!" Rush loudly declared, "How many Oran and Sitrus berries ya got?! I need all of 'em! Every damn one!"

"Ah, let me go check~"

The green Kecleon scurried away into the back of the tent. The purple one, however, turned his attention to them next.

"What brings you to this town, Rush~? Did our sister location near your base of operations not meet your needs~?"

"Nah!" was the Scrafty's reply, "Some other squad got up to the other Li'l Green before Rozen could, and they took the last of the berries! And man, I needed those! The last mission that Cinder went on, he got busted up and used the last of our supply! Y'know how it is these days; some of these incidents involving crazy Pokémon are just crazy, man! They just beat the hell out of every damned 'Mon they see!"

The purple Kecleon laughed. "Oh, I have heard tales~"

At that moment, the green Kecleon returned with a basket full of the berries in question. "Will thirty-six fit your needs~?"

"Perfect!" Rush affirmed, grinning and slamming his fists together, "How much?!"

"Ah...~ Four Sitrus and thirty-two Oran… That comes to 17,600.~ Is that affordable~?"

"Sure is!"

The Scrafty reached into the 'hood' around his neck and procured an armload of coins, dropping them on the counter. Kecleon quickly counted them and turned over the basket.

"Thank you for your business~"

"Thanks, Li'l Green!"

Rozen haplessly rolled his eyes at his comrade's manner of addressing the reptilian shopkeeper as he stowed the berries away in the bag, but said nothing to discourage it. Off they went, still getting a few disbelieving looks from the silent bystanders around them.

Though, further up the path, Astrid still tailed Arashi as he hopped towards the town boundary fence.

"Arashi, are you sure about this?! You swear this place isn't too far?"

"I swear! I go here all the time and nothing bad has happened yet!"

There was no use protesting, she was sure. The sandy path still wound around outside the town's border, and there was very little forest to be seen. To their northwest, however, she could see some more cliffs, the other sides of them obscured from view. Unsettled territory was her best guest, the outright wilderness seeming plausible too but far less appealing to think of.

The place Arashi made way to was still part of the sea that Astrid had initially seen when waking up on the beach. Still, it stretched too far for her to see the end of, though instead of a beach, there was a dirt embankment that had probably been formed from years of rain and erosion. The border was rather muddy and marshy, only a few patches of taller grass and the remnants of aquatic plants sticking up through the mud.

"Sometimes, things will wash up on this part," Arashi noted, "And sometimes the Magikarp come up to play and see who can Splash the highest. It's pretty fun to hang out here!"

"Ah…" she replied, eyeing her surroundings.

It was a peaceful atmosphere, she had to admit, at least given the circumstances. She still would have much preferred to stay within town boundaries, for it seemed a much safer place to be, but at least, if anything bad were to happen, town wasn't too far away…

Boom!

Their heads perked up. The Rowlet went right back to being nervous, though Arashi was still grinning.

"W-what was that?!" Astrid cried.

"Probably just a Golem sliding down a hill," the Froakie replied, "It happens occasionally, aha!"

She deflated, thinking it a reasonable explanation. One who lived in the vicinity would probably know far better than her regardless.

Arashi hopped closer to the water's edge, Astrid gingerly following along. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the swampy ground that wanted to slosh around her feet (and halfway swallow her tiny legs up), but she figured at least she had wings if her legs failed her on the terrain. The mud sloshed about under her feet and leaked through her claws, which wasn't the greatest sensation- yet Arashi didn't seem to mind it at all, which she guessed was again up to type differences. His kind was aquatic and hers lived in forests, after all.

In the rocky faces bordering town, and somewhat close to the town's outer perimeter, she could see an opening that quickly turned dark within- a cave, something akin to Arashi's house but much less welcoming and much further away from it. She studied it. "Arashi…?"

"Yeah?"

"W-what's that…?" she inquired, motioning at the entrance.

"Oh! That's Tranquil Tunnel! Don't worry about it," her company answered.

"A-ah…"

He kept hopping. She went to flapping, not wanting to become stuck.

CrraaAAAAck!

Their heads perked up again, and someplace off in the distance but still not too far away, a bunch of trees wavered and fell, making quite the uproar.

"Arashi, are you sure that's just a Golem…?" she couldn't help but ask, giving a glance back.

He was still grinning, yet his look got a bit uncertain. "E-eh, m-maybe someone encroached on someone else's territory…?"

"Is that how you settle disputes…?"

"Not really; you only really see that sort of violent negotiation in dungeons-"

"GgggGGGRRRAAAAAaaaAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"

A mighty roar came from the trees not too far down the path from them, and from the greenery emerged a far larger Pokemon with a rocky body, a drill-shaped snout, and a tail like a flail- a Rhyperior, and one that looked absolutely furious.

"A-ah…! D-do you know who this is?!" Astrid cried in fright, studying the new figure.

"Not a clue; never seen one around these parts!" Arashi responded, still grinning. "But type advantages are in our favor! We can take 'im-"

The Rhyperior raised up one hand and shot a boulder at them from the hole in his palm. The Froakie hopped out of the way and the Rowlet quickly fluttered sideways, the boulder going between them and creating a giant wave someplace off in the water. Even if it didn't make contact, they could feel the raw energy it was shot off with- Astrid caught a breeze from its trajectory and Arashi's bubbles drifted on the wind it created. They looked at each other, both their sets of eyes wide.

"I'm gonna kill you!" the Rhyperior thundered, revving up for another attack.

"… On second thought," Arashi croaked, "Follow me!"

He hopped as fast as he could toward the cave entrance, Astrid flapping close behind. The Rhyperior let out another roar and bounded after them, the ground quaking as he ran.

Though, at the town's boundary, two other figures came running along the path, several confused glances coming from the townsfolk perking their heads up at the commotion.

"What the everloving hell was that?!" Rush hollered, scanning the vicinity.

"That was a Rock Blast, if I'm not mistaken," Rozen noted, scurrying along as fast as his dainty feet could go, "And an Earthquake- must be a large Rock-type."

They both caught sight of the hulking Pokémon darting into Tranquil Tunnel, his tail battering the entrance as it swung wildly behind him.

"Hah! Have you lost your mind too and feel more at home in the dungeons?!" Rush taunted, mostly at no one since the Rhyperior couldn't hear him. "Don't worry, I'll knock some sense into ya!"

Rozen, however, stopped him, getting a slightly hesitant look. "H-hold on, Rush."

Rush gave him a glance. "What?" he inquired, a bit impatient.

"Didn't we see two younger ones heading this way…? A Rowlet and a Froakie? You don't think they…?"

Very quickly, Rush's face fell. "Oh, goddammit!" he hollered, making a fist and swinging it at the ground, "They were little pipsqueaks, too! They'll never last in a dungeon by themselves!"

They shared another glance, the Scrafty's eyes narrowing.

"Don't worry yourself with me; save your Heal Pulses for those two little pipsqueaks," Rush instructed, "Arceus knows they'll probably need it. Let's go!"

The Audino was close behind, the duo quickly vanishing into the tunnel entrance themselves.

Though, within the tunnel, the light from outside quickly faded into a murky dimness that obscured almost everything from view. They couldn't hear the Rhyperior's thunderous advance, but even so, Astrid and Arashi weren't stopping, even if they could hardly see a meter in front of them.

"He's probably another of the incidents," Arashi noted, "Another incident of a Pokémon just going crazy- if we outrun him, we won't have to worry, and he'll be back to normal eventually."

The Rowlet shook her head, somewhere between panicking and sheer disbelief. "Sheesh, this is insane…" her voice trailed off. "Say, Arashi, you do know the way out of here, don't you…?

Again the Froakie started beaming. "Nope! No one does!"

The Rowlet's eyes shot wide open, the disbelief suspended for panic. "What?! No one does?!"

"Of course not!" was the still happily unfazed response, "This is a mystery dungeon! It changes paths every time someone enters it, so it's kinda impossible to know the way out! And I've never been in one either, but I guess today is just a great day for new things!"

A 'great day' was certainly not the phrase that came to Astrid's mind; the phrases that did come to mind were all utterly filthy and she opted not to say them out loud.

However, she did make one vocalization, more of an angry and flustered screech than anything. "You have GOT to be KIDDING me!"