Hey everyone, sorry for the long hiatus. To be honest I was just swamped with school and sports so I didn't really think I had time to continue this story. However, I've decided to take a break from school for a while and spend some time focusing on my personal and mental health. Given the free time I have now, updates should come out much more regularly. Thank you all for the incredible reviews, (especially a certain one that really helped me get back into this story). Enjoy the latest chapter of A Frozen Heart and please leave a review with any tips.

Chapter 8: Pokémon relations

The streets were still bustling with activity, but it was easy enough to maneuver through the crowds, especially following behind two massive pokémon like Fabian and Golem. My head swiveled back and forth as I took in the sights around me. Pokémon of all types moved from building to building and store to store, doing what I could only assume to be final preparations for the upcoming festival.

Golem led the group, and she guided us through many streets and passageways. As we passed underneath a large arch, the sunlight went straight into my eyes, and I was forced to close them. When my eyes opened, I was greeted by one of the strangest sights I had ever seen.

In front of me was a massive ruin made of faded, yellow stone. It was in the shape of a gigantic circle, with multiple levels of arches scaling up the walls. There were large sections of the walls missing, starting from the top and slanting down towards the ground. Lengthy, checkered green and yellow banners waved in between the entrances, and festive braziers burned with a bright flame inside the walls, giving the arches a warm glow.

Hundreds of pokémon moved around and inside the ruin, carrying decorations, food, and tables. I was well acquainted with the sight, having experienced so many celebrations and balls in my life. I immediately recognized the sight of pokémon setting up the final preparations for a festival. The air buzzed with the sounds of conversation, shuffling feet, and construction, making my heart ache as I remembered all the times I would watch the servants prepare for a ball.

I bit my tongue and lowered my head. Now was not the time to be reminiscent of the past. Taking a deep breath, I kept up a steady pace behind the trio of older pokémon as they headed straight for the entrance to the ruin. The sun's golden light was replaced by the orange glow from the braziers as we entered, passing a pair of guards who gave a single nod to Golem and Ampharos when we passed.

We walked down long hallways of seamless stone walls, making a few turns until we pulled out into a large open area. My mouth fell open as I spun in a circle. It was a massive stadium, with rows upon rows of seating facing a pit in the center. Inside the center area was a flat terrain of sand, only broken by a large wooden structure set in the middle. A crew of pokémon was pounding away at the wood, putting together what seemed to be a podium for a public speaker.

Standing in front of the structure was an aurorus, the massive blue pokémon giving orders to the construction crew as they worked to set up the podium. Golem led the four of us straight to the aurorus' side before she cleared her throat, bringing the ice type's attention to us.

A wide grin appeared on the aurorus' face when she saw Golem and Ampharos. "Oh, hello there Team Triumph. You're here early," she said in a voice that seemed to wave with the frills on the back of her neck. Her gaze turned towards Fabian, and her eyes widened before she said, "Well, I'll be. It's been a long time since we've seen you at our guild Feraligatr."

Fabian grinned towards the aurorus before offering her a short bow. "It's always a pleasure to be here, Guildmaster Aurorus. I just couldn't stay away," he said with a chuckle.

The ice type laughed. "As charming as ever," she said before her gaze flicked over to me. "Now, I don't think I've met you before," she said as her head lowered, her lengthy neck allowing her eyes to reach my level. "Who might you be?"

I stared into her deep, lapis eyes with my own azure ones, not gracing her question with an answer. We sat locked in a silent staring contest for Arceus knows how long until Fabian came around and said, "Guildmaster, I'd like you to meet…"

The feraligatr was cut off by Aurorus' flowing voice. "Now now Feraligatr, let's let the lady speak for herself," she said while maintaining steady eye contact with me. Fabian backed away, leaving me alone with the other ice type. Our staring match continued, pokémon weaving around us as the time wore on. Her piercing blue orbs not wavering the slightest bit.

Finally, after what felt like an hour, a white shape floated down from the air above. "Excuse me, Guildmaster, but there is an urgent matter that requires your insight," the white pokémon said, and Aurorus raised a brow before turning away. I smirked as the ice type raised her head to look towards the messenger. It was a swanna with a scroll tucked into the crook of their wing.

Aurorus let out a sigh. "Alright, lead the way Swanna," she said before turning back towards me with a thoughtful look. "I look forward to meeting you again," said the ice type as she followed after the flying pokémon.

I watched her leave with a confident smirk before turning back towards Fabian. His arms crossed over his scarred chest, and he had a remarkably neutral expression. "You know," he said before taking a deep breath. "That's the exact type of behavior that'll get you found out."

Letting out a groan, I rolled my eyes. "Are you seriously bringing this back up? All I did was look her in the eyes," I said while absent-mindedly brushing at my mane.

"The problem is not what you did. It's what you didn't do. She asked you a direct question, and you completely ignored her," said Fabian as he unfolded his arms to place his claws on his hips. He turned to Golem and Ampharos before saying, "Could you give us a moment?" The other two pokémon nodded and moved towards the wooden podium, Golem shooting me a cheeky glance before she left.

Fabian walked past me and towards a set of stairs leading up to the rows of seating above. "Would you follow me, please, Ninetales?" he asked as he passed, and I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes before getting in line behind him. He climbed the stairs and moved to sit on one of the benches, waiting patiently for me to join him. I dropped myself onto the seat beside him and looked him in his eyes, giving him an expectant look.

The feraligatr returned my look. "Why didn't you answer her question? I'm not upset, just curious," he said while scratching at his chin.

I let out a "Hmph," and raised my chin. "I did not need to, that is why," I said and flicked at a loose lock of my mane.

"You really should have," Fabian said. "The Guildmaster is the biggest authority figure outside of the capital city. When you just flat out ignored her question, it implied a lot of things about you that we don't need other pokémon knowing." He tapped his claws against the seat below him, creating a monotonous drone of clicks. "Do you want pokémon to know about your nobility?" he asked

With a scoff, I said, "Of course not, but I am not going to grovel at the feet of any pokémon."

Fabian shook his head. "I'm not asking you to worship anyone. Just, for your secret to go unnoticed, you need to give a little effort to show some respect," he said.

I huffed and flicked my head. "Fine, I will talk to the Guildmaster next time," I said with a roll of my eyes.

The feraligatr took in a deep breath before saying, "It's not just the Guildmaster. When you join the guild, you can't join alone. You have to be a part of a team, and if you aren't, you'll be put together with a group of other pokémon." My brows furrowed as I struggled to understand what he was saying, but he continued before I could ask any questions. "You also won't be able to join right away. Being a guild member is hard work, and not every pokémon is cut out for it. The Guildmaster knows this, so after the ceremony, you'll have a week of trials to prove you're capable. There are multiple aspects the Guildmaster and her assistant look for in a pokémon that is ready to join the guild, and one of those aspects is the ability to work as a team."

I held up a paw. "Stop, explain yourself. What do you mean I will be put with another group of pokémon?" I said.

Crossing his muscular arms over his chest, Fabian said, "There are other solo pokémon who come here to join the guild. They, along with you, will be randomly put into groups of four. Guild work is not something you can possibly hope to do alone."

With a shake of my head, I turned away from the water type to rub at my temple. "No, I am not going to join a ragtag group of random commoners," I said while shaking my head.

"Listen, Ninetales. You'll have to deal with it if you want to join the guild. I know…" Fabian said, but I cut him off.

"I do not want to join the guild," I snapped, jerking my head up to look the feraligatr in the eyes. "I do not want to join a team of commoners. I do not want to be in Darun. I do not want any of this. You assume that I am happy here, but I am not. I hate every single second of this," I said through clenched teeth.

Fabian let out a sigh and rubbed his head. "If you want to go back to Kalia, then we'll leave right now. I'm not here to hold you prisoner. I'm just a guide. But you know exactly what the consequences are if you return early," he said, crossing his arms back over his chest. "My only goal is to see you become a member of the guild, but if you get kicked for not cooperating with your teammates, then there's nothing I can do."

I groaned, tossing my head. "What do you expect me to do? Pretend as though I like them?" I said sarcastically, but Fabian's expression shifted to a slight smile.

The feraligatr gave me a soft shrug. "Yeah, actually that would help a lot," he said while scratching at his scarred chest.

Shaking my head, I let out a scoff. "You have to be jo…" I began, but a loud sound rang through the air, making me cringe and lower my ears. A massive bell placed in an arch not far above us swung back and forth, a deep ring sounding with each swing. I placed my paws over my ears and glared in annoyance.

Fabian glanced up at the bell with a grimace. "The ceremony starts in ten minutes. We need to get back with Golem and Ampharos," he said with a grunt as he stood. "We'll talk about this later. Just remember, be nice to your future teammates, or else you might get kicked from the guild. None of us want that." He shifted towards the stairs and made his way down towards the center pit, with me not far behind.

We found the other pokémon easy enough, with Ampharos waving frantically near the other side of the pit. As Fabian and I walked across the sandy ground, I noticed pokémon began flowing into the stadium, most of them moving to sit in the many rows of seating above. When we reached the other pokémon, Golem gestured toward a set of stairs, and we all moved up to the stands. We made ourselves comfortable on some benches a few rows up and watched and waited for the ceremony to start. A few pokémon sat next to Golem and Ampharos, exchanging happy greetings, and then a few more pokémon joined them, and then a few more. Before I could realize it, a massive crowd of pokémon had formed around our little quartet, with a majority of them wearing the signature scarves and bandanas of guild members.

I thanked Arceus I was sitting at the very end of the bench so no one could sit next to me, and I watched as a quarter of the stadium was taken by similarly dressed pokémon, forming a group of what I could only assume to be a couple hundred guild members. The rest of the stadium began filling as well, every single type of pokémon sitting together to form an array of colors. The air buzzed with activity as pokémon chatted to one another and shuffled towards their seats.

A hush fell across the crowd as a sizable blue pokémon, who I immediately recognized as Guildmaster Aurorus, walked onto the wooden podium in the center of the pit. She held her head high and gazed across the stands with her piercing blue eyes, before clearing her throat and beginning to speak. "My fellow pokémon," she said, and my eyes widened. The acoustics in the stadium were incredible, she hadn't raised her voice at all, yet it sounded as if she was speaking a few feet in front of me. "It would be my pleasure as Guildmaster, to formally begin this year's Guild Opening Ceremony."

As soon as the words left the Guildmaster's mouth, a massive roar came from the crowd of pokémon, many of them throwing their arms in the air and letting out cheerful cries. With a smile on her face, Aurorus waited patiently for the stands to quiet down. "Thank you for your enthusiasm. I am sure this ceremony brings you all as much joy as it brings me," she said as her eyes traveled across the stands. "The guild is one of the most important organizations in Darun, her members brave the dangers of the mystery dungeons, fight against those who wish to do others harm, and help any pokémon in need. It brings me so much delight when I see so many new faces who travel here with high hopes of becoming one of the guild's members."

Aurorus' happy grin faded away from her face, replaced by a solemn smile before she said, "Sadly, it is my duty as Guildmaster to warn any newcomers about the dangers of joining the guild. Mystery dungeons are perilous places, not to be traversed by the weak of heart, and many outlaws will actively seek out your demise. These reasons are why not every one of you who tries to join the guild will become guild members. Those who seek to join the guild will be given a series of trials to test their fortitude and capabilities. I wish all newcomers the best of luck, but I will turn the time over to my assistant for the presentation of potential members."

Guildmaster Aurorus stepped away from the podium, and the Swanna from earlier moved to take her place. "Good afternoon," he said in a posh voice as he unrolled a scroll onto the podium. "As the Guildmaster has said, I am her assistant. Any business you have with her will have to go through me first. But I digress. Welcome one and all to the Guild Opening Ceremony. It is my pleasure to present the potential new members of the guild." He held his yellow beak high in the air while he scanned the stands above." Will all pokémon who wish to join the guild this year make their way down to the front of the podium," he said.

Fabian nudged me with his elbow, and I shot him a sour look. He motioned towards me and then towards the pit. "That's you, go on." he whispered with a flick of his claws. My brow furrowed and I shook my head, but Fabian leaned in closer to whisper directly in my ear. "It's now or never, if you don't go down there then we'll have to go right back to Kalia." I groaned and jerked myself to my feet before stomping my way to the sandy pit below.

I joined the growing crowd of pokémon in front of the podium and stared up at Swanna with a scowl, ignoring the other pokémon shooting me odd looks. The assistant's eyes traveled over the group as the final stragglers made their way to the floor. "My My, eighty-three pokémon," Swanna said as he marked something onto his scroll. "Now, if you already have a team, please step forward and separate yourselves into your prospective groups."

The crowd shuffled around as any pokémon with their own group separated themselves and formed into messy teams of four, three, and even two. After a minute, I was left alone with about a quarter of the original crowd. Swanna counted over the groups and made a mark on his scroll. "Nineteen premade groups," he said before turning his attention to those who were left, pointing briefly at each of us as he counted. "Oh perfect. Twenty solo pokémon, Arceus has blessed my mathematical mind with a bit of rest," Swanna said, and the pokémon in the stands hummed with laughter.

The assistant gestured us forward with a wing. "Come closer, and we will make the final teams," he said, and I dragged my feet as the last pokémon moved to stand in front of the podium. Swanna proceeded to point out four pokémon at a time and form them into a group. He did it twice until he said, "Floatzel, Sandslash, Ninetales, and Eevee, you all will be a team. Please move over to the side and greet your new teammates."

I scanned the crowd until I saw the floatzel's bobbing head, and I followed after the water type. I found the floatel already with the sandslash and the eevee, and as I approached, the water type gave me a cocky grin. "Hey there Sheila," he said as he placed his paws over the yellow tube circling around his body.

The sandslash had her arms crossed in front of her and a serious frown on her face. "Hello," she said in a flat voice, before turning to face the podium.

"Umm Hi," a soft voice said from behind, and I turned to see the eevee standing there. His gaze fell to the ground as he rubbed at his foreleg with his other paw. "It's um… It's a pleasure to meet you," he said flicking his eyes up to meet mine, only to turn away. I scrutinized the small normal type. He seemed to be around my age, but he was still an eevee. Shouldn't he have evolved by now?

Eevee shuffled his paws, but he didn't move from in front of me. My eyes widened when I realized he was waiting for a response. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, mentally telling myself, "Just imagine this is a ball, and they are visiting nobility." I repeated this mantra in my head a few times to try and convince myself it was true.

My eyes opened to find Eevee staring up at me with a wistful expression, and he jumped before flicking his head away from my gaze. I let out a sigh. "The pleasure is mine," I said in the most pleasant voice I could muster and turned back towards the podium.

Swanna had finished separating the last of the solo pokémon into teams, and he turned his gaze to the stands. "Pokémon of Venture City, would you please give a warm welcome to this year's potential guild members," he said while raising his wings in the air. The pokémon in the stands roared to life as they let out loud cheers and applauded for the new guild members.

After a minute of nonstop noise, Swanna raised a single wing, calling for silence. "Thank you for your support," he said while rolling up his scroll. "But now, it is time for the part of the ceremony I'm sure most of you are here for." When the assistant said this, the surrounding pokémon broke out into laughter. "Let the celebration begin," Swanna cried, and the entire stadium erupted into action.

I watched dumbfounded as pokémon streamed into the pit to congratulate their peers. The firelight from the braziers seemed to brighten and the air hummed with happy conversation. A heavy claw tapped on my shoulder, and I turned to see Fabian behind me with a grin on his face. "Well there you go. That wasn't so hard," he said, and I rolled my eyes. "Now all you need to do is pass the trials, and you're in."

The feraligatr's eyes traveled over to the nearest pokémon, and he patted me on the back, causing me to shift away. "Well come on, I'd like to meet your team," he said, and moved over to the trio of pokémon.

Floatzel's eyes widened when he saw the other water type. "Holy mackerel mate," he said as his eyes traveled up and down Fabian's muscular, scarred form. "Did you lose a fight with a twista' or something?"

Fabian smiled at the floatzel's comment. "No, but just about everything else," he said light-heartedly, making the other water type laugh. They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Fabian had his attention pulled over to the eevee. "Hello there," said the feraligatr as he crouched in front of the normal type. "What would you say if I said that you looked familiar?"

Eevee balked under Fabian's incredible size. "I-uh-you-you've probably seen my parents," he said while rubbing at his foreleg. "They're Flareon and Glaceon, the adventurers."

The feraligatr's eyes widened and he placed a paw on his knee. "Really. Are they here? It's been a long time since I last talked to them," Fabian said as his eyes scanned around the surrounding area.

The small normal type shook his head. "No they-uh-they couldn't make it," said Eevve with a frown, dejectedly looking at his paws.

Fabian returned his attention to the eevee and pursed his lips when he saw the state the normal type was in. "I'm sure they'll come around some day," he said kindly. "But now's not the time to think about that. Now is the time to celebrate. You and your team are one step closer to becoming guild members."

Eevee's eyes flicked up towards me only to shift away again. "Uh yeah thanks," he muttered and shuffled away. Fabian's gaze followed the normal type until he went out of sight. The feraligatr then stood up and looked around the crowd of pokémon, his brows furrowing.

"Now where did that sandslash run off to?" Fabian muttered as he spun on his feet, only to shrug a few seconds later. "Oh well. I'll catch her later." However, I kept my eyes moving around the sandy floor. Where had the sandslash gone? She was just here when Fabian came over, but she disappeared as soon as I took my eyes off of her. I finally stopped searching when Fabian's voice spoke up behind me. "Hello Guildmaster," he said, and I spun around to see Aurorus standing behind me.

Guildmaster Aurorus lowered her head in greeting to Fabian and then turned her attention over to me. "I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting you to be one of the prospective guild members," she said in her flowing voice. "I thought you to be just a visitor tagging along with my good friend Feraligatr." I stared back at the guildmaster until I saw Fabian motioning towards her and then towards his mouth.

Taking in a long breath, I repeated the same phrase in my head, "Just imagine this is a ball, and she is visiting nobility." I let out the breath before saying, "Yet here I am, and I must say, it is a pleasure to be here."

Aurorus' eyes widened and a slight smile appeared on her face. "Oh, so you can speak," she said, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from retorting. "Well, I look forward to seeing your progress in the guild. With a mentor like Feraligatr, I'm sure you'll accomplish much."

Fabian came over from the side. "Speaking about that, Guildmaster I'd like to have a word with you," he said, and Aurorus gave him a nod. The feraligatr motioned her to lower her head, and he began talking with her. I tried to listen in, but the constant drone of conversations happening all around me kept me from overhearing anything.

After a few seconds, Guildmaster Aurorus raised head and a thoughtful expression filled her face. She then gave Fabian a smile and nodded. "That sounds like an excellent idea," she said, then her gaze flicked over to some other pokémon nearby. "I'll make the necessary changes, and I'll talk to you tomorrow." She gave Fabian and I one more kind smile before she moved over to another group of pokémon.

I glared at Fabian as he walked back over to my side. "What was that about?" I asked when he was close enough.

The feraligatr gave me a soft grin. "We can talk about it later. It's a little too loud here don't you think?" he said and pointed towards the other side of the stadium. "But anyways I'm starving, and there's an entire roast beast over there just tickling my nose. Come on." He walked towards the other side of the pit, and I scoffed before following behind him. Pokémon gave him odd looks as he passed, eyeing his scars and muscles. And every now and then, I would catch a pokémon staring at me, but a quick glare would often send their eyes shooting someplace else.

Before long, we found ourselves at the end of a long line of pokémon waiting to be served. The cooks had set up an efficient train of catering stations, so every pokémon would have the opportunity to walk down the line and receive a hearty serving of the food. I scowled as I inspected the line. I never had to wait for food in the castle, no matter how large the celebration was. However, I didn't have to wait for long, and within a few minutes, it was my turn to be served.

I looked toward the caterers and opened my mouth to tell them what I wanted, but before I could say anything, the first pokémon shoved the handle of a tray into my open maw. With my brows creasing, I glared at the first caterer, when the next pokémon slapped a substantial amount of meat onto the top of the tray. My head snapped to the meat server, only to receive a glob of mashed vegetables from the next pokémon in the line of caterers. I was caught in a whirlwind of food and pokémon, and by the time I made it out, I had a tray full of meat, vegetables, and fruits.

Fabian emerged a second later, and his eyes widened when he saw me. "You doing alright Ninetales?" he asked, and I glanced towards myself to see my predicament. I had all four legs spread out like I was trying to stay steady in an earthquake, and I was breathing heavily through my teeth clenching onto the tray.

Sliding my legs underneath me, I stood up straight and made myself look as presentable as I could. "Aihm Faihn," I said through the handle in my maw, and Fabian shrugged before leading me to a set of stairs going up towards the stands. In the seats I found Golem and Ampharos sitting in a circle of pokémon, all of them enjoying a tray full of food. Fabian walked straight over to them and sat at one of the adjoining seats, leaving me standing to the side as I stared at the group of pokémon.

Golem looked up from her food and smiled at me, waving me over with one of her rocky arms. "Come on over Ninetales, guild members always eat with each other," she said. Every eye in the group turned towards me, and to keep face, I was forced to go with Golem's words. I kept my eyes down and tried to eat my dinner in peace, but Golem offered me no respite when she said, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Ninetales. In case you didn't notice, she's just joined the guild today."

A bronzong spoke up from one side of the circle. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure every male noticed her join," he said, and grunted when the pokémon next to him elbowed him in the side.

My scowl deepened, but I continued to keep my head down and eat my meal. Suddenly a soft, fast speaking voice rose from the other side of the group. "Wow, it's nice to meet you Ninetales. Where are you from?" the voice said, and I glanced up to see a comfey floating in the air by Ampharos.

I planned on ignoring her and sticking to my meal when Fabian whispered behind me, "Remember, if you don't give them any information then they're going to get suspicious. Just tell them the fake story we talked about earlier today."

I sighed and lifted my head to look the fairy type in the eye, and I said, "I am fro.."

"I'M," Fabian whispered, and I kicked him behind the seats.

"I'M from Kalia, but I lived right on the border, so it was easier to join the guild than the Kalian expedition society," I said, and Comfey's face lit up.

"Oh wow, Kalia? What's it like?" The fairy type excitedly asked as she drifted closer.

I leaned away from the flowery pokémon's approach. "It is just like here but with a few less trees," I said, barely restraining myself from lashing out.

Golem reached out with a rocky arm and snagged on Comfey's loop of flowers. "Slow down Comfey. You'll get plenty of time to ask questions later, but I think all the sugar you've had tonight has made you a little excitable," she said while dragging the fairy type back to her original place. Comfey pouted, but obliged, turning her attention back to a cup of juice which she proceeded to slurp from.

I managed to go unnoticed for the rest of the night while Fabian and the other adventurers shared stories and laughed. It wasn't until long after the sun had set below the trees when the feraligatr tapped me on the shoulder. Looking up at him, I saw he had stood and already had a foot going down a stair. Fabian smiled at me before saying, "Come on, all the new guild members need to meet in the center pit again."

With a sigh, I pushed myself to my feet. I was more than happy to get away from the annoyingly loud group. As I followed Fabian down the stairs, I saw a crowd of pokémon forming in front of the podium, and within a few moments, the feraligatr and I had joined them. However, instead of stopping at the edge of the group, Fabian led me straight through the crowd until I found myself standing next to Eevee, Floatzel, and Sandslash.

Eevee glanced up at me and jumped when he saw who was standing next to him. He snapped his gaze to the floor and shuffled a few steps away, rubbing at his foreleg with a paw. Floatzel gave me a jaunty grin while Sandslash kept her arms crossed over her chest.

A cleared throat pulled my attention away from my' team,' and I looked to see Swanna standing at the podium. He still had his scroll tucked into the crook of his wing, and his eyes scanned over all of the new guild members. "It is a pleasure to see you all here again," he said, sliding the scroll out from underneath his wing. "But as you should already know, you are not guild members just yet. You need to be trained and tested before the Guildmaster can truly make you a real guild member."

Swanna unfurled his document across the podium. "Yet, in order for you to be trained, you need a trainer. That is why we have designated twenty four senior guild members to be your mentors," he said, it was then when I noticed the crowd of pokémon was not only made up of new guild members, but older, more seasoned pokémon as well.

"I will call teams one by one. When I call your team, please make your way to the front, and you'll be introduced to your mentor," Swanna said. He dragged his wing across the scroll before he called out, "Floatzel, Eevee, Sandslash, and Ninetales, please come forward."

I gave silent thanks to Arceus as I walked to the front of the crowd, with the other three pokémon following not far behind. When I made it to the front, I gazed up at Swanna with an expectant look. He better not give me some kind of idiot for a mentor.

Swanna smiled down at us before he said, "I called your team up first because you are going to have a very special pokémon for a mentor." My eyes widened at the flying type's words. What kind of pokémon would I be stuck with?

With a wing gesturing to the south, Swanna held his head up high before saying, "The kingdom of Kalia and the kingdom of Darun have been close allies for many decades. Yet, the Darun guild and the Kalian expedition society have grown even closer in the last couple of years. So, it is my great pleasure to announce the first ever joint action between the two organizations."

My brows furrowed as I ran the last sentence over in my head. 'First ever joint action.' What in Arceus's name could he mean by that?

"Feraligatr, if you would please step forward," Swanna said, and my eyes practically bulged from their sockets. I spun around to see Fabian sliding out of the crowd with a big smile on his face. He now had his scarlet defense scarf wrapped around his neck, and in the light of the burning braziers, his scales seemed to sparkle.

Swanna's posh voice called from behind, but I kept my eyes flat on Fabian's smiling face. "Feraligatr is one of the most prolific pokémon in the Kalian expedition society, and I know we are all very excited to see how he can help you four learn to be just as good as him," said the flying type.

From the side, I heard Eevee let out a soft, "woooow," and I turned to look at my supposed teamate's reactions. The small normal type was looking up at Fabian with sparkling eyes, while Sandslash still kept her flat expression and arms crossed. Floatzel had his paws over his yellow tube and a confident smirk.

Swanna spoke yet again. "Now Feraligatr, I'm sure you're familiar with the guild's layout. If you would please guide the new recruits to their chambers," the flying type said, and Fabian nodded before turning to us.

"Well, let's get a move on," he said, and he walked away from the podium. With a scoff, I followed after him, and the sounds of paws and feet followed behind me.

We were moving towards an archway leading out of the pit, and as soon as we walked through, I picked up the pace to walk at Fabian's side. Fixing the feraligatr with a stern look, I said, "You could not have told me this beforehand?"

Fabian smiled down at me before he whispered, "couldn't," in a corrective tone. I scowled at him, but it only made him laugh. "Oh come on, It would've ruined the surprise," he said with a cheeky grin.

I huffed, and said, "I do not li-,"

"Don't," Fabian corrected again, making me curse.

"I don't like being kept in the dark," I snapped, letting out a groan as I flicked my head, moving a lock of hair away from my face.

Chuckling, the feraligatr rubbed his claws against his chest. "There was no harm in keeping that little secret. Believe me, if there was any information you needed to know, I would tell you without hesitation," he said. We turned a sharp corner and I found myself at the top of a long stone staircase leading down to a dark hallway. Fabian began walking down the stairs without hesitation, but stayed still as I eyed the dark area below suspiciously.

The three other pokémon paused behind me, and Fabian stopped a few seconds later when the pitter-patter of paws and feet stopped echoing through the hallway. The feraligatr glanced upwards, a single eyebrow raising when he saw me standing apprehensively at the top of the stairs. "Are you alright?" he asked while placing his claws on his hips.

I sneered towards the dank area at the bottom of the stairs. "Swanna said you would lead us to our chambers," I said, and Fabian comfirmed my statement with a single nod. With a shake of my head, I said, "I am not going to sleep in a filthy dungeon, basement, or whatever it is down there."

Fabian shook his head while letting out a sigh which finished in a chuckle. "Ninetales, I can promise you that the new member chambers are nowhere near as bad as you think. It's just a little dark and dusty because no one has lived here for the better part of a year. Just lighting the torches will give this place a whole new look," he said before continuing down the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, I tentatively took a step down, then another, then another. I shied away from the walls and avoided touching anything coming close to me. Within a few moments, I had made it to the bottom stair, where I found Fabian fumbling with a torch before it sputtered to life. The feraligatr held the torch high as he walked down the hall, touching it to a few lanterns to light their wicks. The glow from the torch and the lanterns bathed the hallway in a rich orange light. Illuminating door after door lining the walls.

Fabian spun around and gave my team and me a smile. "Well, go ahead and pick a room," he said while gesturing to the many doors.

Floatzel strutted forward, cracking open the nearest door and peering inside. He shook his head before closing the door and moving over to the next one. The water type repeated this process until he opened one room and immediately turned back to us to yell, "Oi."

Eevee had been peeking through a door of his own, but when Floatzel called out, he jumped and knocked his head against the doorframe. The normal type groaned and sat on the floor, rubbing at his head with a grimace.

I strolled over to the door Floatzel was standing besides and peered inside. It was a hole in the wall - a little room with four sleeping mats sprawled across the floor. Near the back wall was a dark gray furnace which had pipes leading up to the ceiling and through the adjoining walls. That was it, there was no furniture, no decorations, just sleeping mats and a furnace. I fixed the furry water type with a hard glare. "Why this one?" I asked.

Floatzel pointed to the back wall and said, "This room's the only one that's got a furnace. Sheila, I don't know about you, but I like sleeping nice and toasty." He ran a paw across the tufts of hair on the top of his head. "Do you see a better one?" he asked while crossing his arms.

With a huff, I marched into the room, frowning at the drab stone sides. The walls weren't much farther apart than the distance between the end of my snout and the tips of my tails. I poked one of the sleeping mats and groaned as a plume of dust rose up from the cushions. "I will not sleep here if this place is not cleaned," I said while swinging my paw in the air, trying to get any of the dust off.

Fabian appeared in the doorway, and he smiled as he looked around the interior of the room. "Well the way I see it, you got two options. Either you're not going to sleep tonight, or you can get cleaning," the feraligatr said, producing a pair of brooms out of Arceus knows where.

One of the brooms was yanked from Fabian's claws as Sandslash waddled into the room. She silently moved to the back wall and began aggressively sweeping out the corners. Without looking towards us, the ground type said, "Floatzel, grab a broom and come sweep. Ninetales, Eevee, you get the sleeping mats out and beat the dust out of them."

I looked towards Sandslash with a scowl. "You can't just tell me what to do," I snapped.

Sandslash stopped sweeping and looked at me with a neutral expression. "Do you want to sweep, quadruped? You don't seem like the type to want to put a broom in your mouth," she said, and turned back to sweeping the floor.

"No I do not want to sweep," I said quickly

I heard Fabian mutter, "don't want to sweep," and I had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping at him.

Sandslash kept her head down and continued to aggressively swing the broom back and forth. "Then move the sleeping mats, it's the best option for quadrupeds like you and Eevee," she said matter-of-factly.

The grinding of cloth against stone made me turn my gaze to see Eevee pushing at one of the sleeping mats with the top of his head. As the normal type passed through the doorway with the mat, Floatzel sighed and grabbed the other broom from Fabian's claws. When the floatzel began to sweep alongside Sandslash, I looked towards Fabian for some kind of support, but he only smiled and gestured to one of the mats.

Sighing, I grabbed the nearest mat and gave it a weak push towards the door. I was not going to lower my head to the floor like Eevee was doing. I slowly made it outside where I found Eevee leaning the mat against the wall, he reared back and gave the bedding a solid slap with his tail. A shower of dust fell from the mat and drifted to the floor, leaving a fine gray coating on the ground. I leered at the dirt and grime coming off of the cushions. There was no way I was going to beat these cushions just to get the dust all over myself.

I left the sleeping mat at Eevee's side and moved back into the room to grab the next one. By the time I had taken the other two cushions out, Eevee had beat the dust out of the first two, and Sandslash had just finished sweeping a massive pile of dirt out of the room. Floatzel came over and swept away the dust left by the sleeping mats, and I gave Fabian an expectant look.

Fabian looked back at me with a quizzical smile. "What?" he asked after a few seconds.

"You need to lift these things back into the room, if we drag them then they're just going to get dirty again," I said while gesturing to the sleeping mats.

The feraligatr tapped a claw to his chin before saying, "That's a good observation, but unfortunately, as your mentor, I'm not supposed to help you with this kind of stuff." I opened my mouth to object, but Fabian held up a claw. "Talk with your teammates, I'm sure you can come up with a solution together," he said.

Eevee finished slapping the dirt out of the last sleeping mat, and Sandslash and Floatzel swept away the last of the dirt when I cleared my throat to grab everyone's attention. "We need to move the sleeping mats back to the room, but we cannot drag them or else they will be filled with dust," I said, and I cringed as I waited for the correction I knew would soon come.

"Can't" came from Fabian's quiet voice, and I almost lost it right there.

Sandslash walked over to the nearest sleeping mat and lifted one end. "Eevee, come here," she said, and after a moment's hesitation, the normal type shifted over to her. Sandslash had Eevee stand underneath the lifted end, and she placed the sleeping mat across his back. The ground type then went to the other side and lifted, amazingly able to hold the entire cushion off of the ground. She turned to Floatzel and I and said, "Copy us and we'll be able to take them all inside."

Floatzel looked at me with a cocky grin, "Aight Sheila, we best get started," he said while lifting one end of another sleeping mat. I stared at him for a second before letting out a huff and turning away.

I found Fabian standing on the other side of me with an expectant look. He mouthed the word, "Cooperate," and moved to the side as Sandslash and Eevee came out of the room empty handed. With a heavy sigh, I put myself beneath the sleeping mat and helped to bring in the rest of the cushions. It was utterly humiliating, to be used like a pack animal.

When we finished cleaning the room, it looked a lot different than before. The walls didn't appear as bare, and the floor did not look as dirty. Fabian ushered us inside as he stood in the doorway, his eyes traveling across the room again. "Well done," he said with a smile. "Honestly, I'm impressed, you four worked effectively as a team to complete your first trial."

Eevee's ears perked and his eyes snapped up to stare at Fabian. "Wait, that was one of the trials?" he asked, and Fabian chuckled while nodding.

"The trials are designed to test your ability to work as a team and make smart decisions, and you'll never know when one pops up. It could be something as simple as taking out the trash," Fabian said with another laugh, he leaned back and grabbed onto the door handle. "You should get to sleep though. You're going to have a hard day of work tomorrow, so you'll need all the rest you can get." The feraligatr pulled away from the doorway and pulled the door closed, but not without saying one final, "Goodnight."

Floatzel flopped onto a sleeping mat near the back wall and folded his arms behind his head. "Oi, I'm telling you. We've got the best team in the whole guild. By the time we're done, they're going to be begging us to become fully fledged members," he said to no one in particular.

"I sure hope so," Eevee said as he curled up on his own sleeping mat. Sandlsah said nothing as she laid onto the floor next to a sleeping mat and closed her eyes. With a shake of my head, I put my adventurer's bag on the floor and laid myself down on the only sleeping mat left.

An hour passed, but I struggled to find sleep, hearing the sounds of team after team coming into the hallway and making a ruckus as they tried to clean their own rooms. It wast until late in the night, when everyone else had gone to sleep, did I finally manage to lose myself in the land of nod.