DarkFoxKit: Hello everyone! Those of you who know me from Child of Mew… sorry that I'm not posting the sequel to it yet, but I've been working on a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon story with Traveling Master here. No, he's not Darkzdragon 'Onyx' named differently, this is an entirely different person. Traveling Master, say 'hi' to everyone.

Traveling Master: *A Charmeleon comes into view* Hey everyone. Gotta say, really excited to be here with DarkFoxKit.

DarkFoxKit: Heh, it's been a while since I wrote with anyone other than Onyx. Traveling Master is an old friend of mine. We were discussing a possible story idea, and Traveling Master here was telling me about an idea he had for an Absol, and it sounded pretty exciting, so I asked if he wanted any help, and… well, this story came to be. Now, I know what you're thinking, you guys are worried it might turn out like my last Pokemon Mystery Dungeon story where the story pretty much got abandoned. That one got a bit complicated, and eventually the person who wrote it with me just kinda disappeared. But I'm hoping we'll actually be able to finish this one, and you can all enjoy it.

Traveling Master: I think we'll finish this story, we've been working on it for a bit now and it's too good to just let it die on us. Honestly the idea came out of nowhere, hit me like a wrecking ball. But thanks to DarkFoxKit, we are now turning this simple idea into reality, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you all.

DarkFoxKit: Yup, if you guys have any questions or just want to say something, you're free to leave reviews. We will be answering them on the next update. If you have criticism, please make sure they're constructive, if you review just to insult us or the story, you will be removed. Oh, and disclaimer… you know none of us actually owns Pokemon, right? Okay, now that that's out of the way, we'll let you guys get into the chapter.


Chapter 1: Dust

It was a beautiful day in a forest. Wild Pokemon were moving on about their business, not seeming to care about other species, but rather only their own kind. The forest was filled with Grass or Bug type Pokemon.

Then, a white-furred Pokemon started to walk through the seemingly peaceful forest, followed by a smaller white-furred Pokemon. The larger of the two kept their red eyes forward, while the smaller one was looking around, his red and blue eyes filled with wonder. The wild Pokemon looked at these two in curiosity, but most went into hiding, for they knew the appearance of these two Pokemon meant a disaster was on the horizon.

"Huh, strange that they're running off." The smaller of the two looked to see if any other remained, but there were none. "We haven't even said anything."

"That's because we're Absol, Dust. Wild Pokemon see us for what we are, not who we are, and as you know, the appearance of our kind usually meant disaster would be coming soon," The bigger Absol explained.

"Well, that's rude. I can understand that from civilized Pokemon and such. But I never thought wild Pokemon would give a similar reaction. Fascinating." Dust looked around a bit more, deep in thought about the very nature of wild Pokemon. "Mother, do you think we can-"

The bigger Absol cut him off by holding up her paw. "No, I already told you, we are here for a mission, not to waste time."

"I wouldn't call it wasteful...More like an investment for future research. Think of the possibilities we could unlock if I can study and understand wild Pokemon! Just give me five minutes! No, three! That's all the time I need to find the perfect test subject."

The bigger Absol sighed in exasperation. "No, Dust! I'm here to show you what a real mission is like. You're not here to research, you're here to find and capture an outlaw. If you waste too much time, the outlaw will get away and will be free to cause more crime and put innocent Pokemon in danger. Now stay focused, I know the outlaw is close."

The bigger Absol turned away from Dust and started to move forward, her senses sharpened as she began to move faster. The younger Absol sighed as he followed behind, struggling to keep up with her. They continued to move through the forest, the mother picking up pace with each step. She suddenly came to a halt, spotting a dark figure in the distance. She quickly crouched low, making sure not to give her position away.

Dust, who had fallen somewhat behind, and was out of breath, had to stop to take a breather. Then the young Absol noticed something moving from the corner of his eye. Looking to his left, he saw a wild Shroomish looking curiously at him. The Shroomish appeared to be smaller than the average Shroomish, so it was likely a young one, and didn't know any better about Absol yet.

"Shroomish…?" The Shroomish said, speaking in the primitive language of Pokemon.

Dust looked around, seeing no sign of his mother. "I'm sure she won't mind if I spend a few minutes studying this Shroomish. If only she allowed me to take some of my items with me. Oh well, I'll make do with what I got. Now Shroomish, I'll call you Shroom for short, I hope you are just as excited as me because together we are going to learn so much!"

"Shroom?" The Shroomish didn't seem to understand what Dust was saying.

Meanwhile, Dust's mother was planning on her next move. "Okay, Dust, you're going to want to pay attention to-"

The Absol stopped when she realized the smaller Absol was nowhere in sight. She let out a hiss before she backed away from the Pokemon so she wouldn't alert them, then turned around and hurried back.

"Dust! Where are you!? Get your tail over here right now!" The Absol called out in annoyance.

Dust, who was currently holding the Shroomish between his claws to get a better look suddenly tensed up. A chill ran down his spine, knowing all too well that sense of dread. Unfortunately, that caused him to tighten his grip on the Shroomish, who cried out in pain.

"SHROOOOO! SHROOMISH!" The Shroomish cried, struggling in Dust's claws.

"Dust! What are you doing!?" The bigger Absol hissed when she found him. "Put that thing down before it-"

The Shroomish unleashed yellow spores from the top of its head, covering both Dust and the bigger Absol in it. Dust, being the closet of the two to the Shroomish, instantly breathed in the spores, already feeling his nerves going stiff, his body becoming stiffer and number by the moment. The bigger Absol quickly held her breath not to breathe in the Stun Spore, but just by touching the spore was already causing her body to feel numb, she moved back but her foremost leg was covered in spores, and it caused her to limp as she was unable to move it.

"What's that noise…?" The dark shadowy Pokemon moved towards them, wanting to see what all the commotion was.

The bigger Absol hissed in frustration when she saw a Nidoking walking up to them. The Nidoking looked at the two Absols, though he gasped when he saw the bigger Absol.

"Eclipse…" The Nidoking whispered in horror before he turned tail and quickly ran away as fast as his big body would let him run.

The bigger Absol that was called Eclipse tried to give chase, but her numb body and paralyzed leg made it impossible for her to move fast enough to catch up to the running Nidoking. It wasn't long before Eclipse lost sight of the Nidoking. She soon stopped, knowing that pursuing the outlaw would be a lost cause. Any Pokemon nearby felt the threatening aura coming from Eclipse and quickly ran away in fear, including the Shroomish that paralyzed them. Dust would have done the same if his body wasn't currently paralyzed. It wasn't long until Eclipse returned to where her son was lying on the ground.

"N-now mother, I know what you're thinking. B-but don't you think me being p-paralyzed is a good punishment already?" He asked, both with hope and fear in his voice.

Eclipse looked down at her paralyzed son, her eyes almost looking like they were glowing red. "You haven't even begun your punishment. Once I'm through with you, you will wish you were still paralyzed. You had one job, just one job, Dust, and that was to watch me catch and subdue the outlaw!"

"W-would it help if I mentioned that the spore on my fur can be u-used to make a form of anti-paralysis potion?" Dust asked nervously.

Eclipse didn't give a response to that, instead walking closer and closer to Dust. His screams rang out through the forest, causing Pidgey and Starly to fly away into the sky.


Eclipse was pacing around in an office, talking to a Gardevoir, who was sitting at her desk, listening to the frustrated Absol.

"I just don't know what to do with him, Grace! I've tried to get him to learn what being on a real mission is like, and he somehow screwed up the mission so bad that the outlaw managed to escape! Honestly, I don't know where he gets his curious mind from, he's not a Psychic type, nor is he a researching Pokemon, yet for some reason, he is! And he's so shut in that he doesn't know how to survive in the field, so much so he actually grabbed a wild Shroomish. A WILD SHROOMISH! Can you believe that!? I'm at the end of my rope here!" Eclipse ranted.

"Hmm, you would think that from all the time he spends in the guild library he would've at least learned about Shroomish and their spore ability," Grace mused.

"And that's another thing! He spends all day in that library! Refusing to participate in missions. I tried to get him a partner but he somehow manages to drive them away!"

"Ah yes, I remember reading some reports from our members. To best put it, they mostly said that his 'personality' was too much for them."

Eclipse sighed. "He keeps wanting to use them for his silly experiments, which, more often than not, end up causing them to get hurt with an explosion. There's one thing about Absol he got right; he brings disaster wherever he goes! At this rate, I fear for my son's future. He can't be a member of a guild if he won't go on missions and actually contribute to the Pokemon society."

Grace was in deep thought, trying to think of any helpful solutions for the young Absol. Then an idea came to her, and the more she thought about it, the more her idea made perfect sense.

"I might have a solution that may benefit both you and Dust. Perhaps you should cut him off?" The Gardevoir suggested.

"Cut him off?" Eclipse repeated the question, confused by Grace's words.

"Normally guild members have access, depending on their rank, to the many resources our guild provides. Because of your status and you being his mother, it seems as though he has taken advantage of using our resources. Even ones that are normally restricted to lower-ranked members, he gains access to."

Eclipse frowned. "I don't know, Grace… Dust showed he isn't exactly… capable of surviving on his own. And I doubt any of our Normal Rank members would even want to be his partner considering his reputation. You know how dangerous it is to send a member alone on missions."

Grace smiled as she stood up. "I understand, that's why I suggest he joins another guild. One that doesn't know of his reputation."

The Absol raised an eyebrow. "What guild is going to accept a weak Absol who doesn't even act like an Absol? You know guilds have requirements for Pokemon to join them, right? The only reason Dust is even in this guild is because of his connection to me."

"I have a few that come to mind. Perks of being a guild master is you tend to have some connections with other guild masters. I'll see which guild will best suit Dust and his...skills."

"Well, once you find them, we'll have to call a council meeting to decide Dust's fate," Eclipse stated. "Deporting a member of the guild is a big decision after all."


In a quiet library, Pokemon were looking through books for research or entertainment purposes. A certain Absol, with some injuries, was sitting on a personal table, reading a book about Grass type Pokemon. Dust was currently reading about Shroomish.

"Interesting. To think that their spores are potent enough to cause nearby trees and plants to wilt. We were definitely lucky that it only released stun spore. If only mother had allowed me to keep a sample of the spore, I'm sure with enough time and research I could've come up with a formula to counteract the paralysis."

"Great, look who showed up." A voice whispered across the room, though it was loud enough for Dust to hear the words.

"We better stay clear of him, don't want to be caught up in another one of his experiments." Another voice whispered back.

"I still don't get why that freak is allowed in here. You would think after all those fire incidents he caused they would've banned him from the library."

"He is Eclipse's son, it wouldn't be easy to get rid of him."

"He sure doesn't act like Eclipse's son."

"Shh, not so loud. The last thing I want is to face his mother."

"I still wonder why one of his eyes is blue, it just looks so weird."

"Probably one of his experiments blew up in his face."

"Yeah, let's find another spot away from here in case he causes another explosion."

"What are you worried about? At least you're a Fire type."

The whispering started to get softer and softer until Dust couldn't hear them anymore. Despite all the words they'd said about him, he just took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, going back to his reading. He heard all the rumors before, he noticed all the glares when others thought he wasn't looking, it was nothing new to him. As long as he had his research, he didn't really care what the others thought of him.

The only thing that did bother him was his right eye. From what he learned, Absols are supposed to have red eyes. But he never understood why his right eye was blue instead of the natural read. He had done some research in the past concerning pure and mixed breed but all he learned was how society viewed them. His mother often refused to bring up the topic, and eventually, he stopped asking her. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the book again, wanting to learn more.

There was some information in the book on how to cure things like paralysis, like Cheri Berries could cure paralysis, Pecha Berries could cure Poison, Oran Berries could heal small wounds, and so on. The guild always had a stash of these special berries in case they needed them for healing or emergencies, though Dust never had a chance to really study the berries and their special properties. But after the incident with the Shroomish, he now wanted to 'borrow' said berries. Knowing full well that he could easily obtain them due to his relationship with his mother, he closed the book and put it back on the shelf to start making his way to the guild's storage facility.


Eclipse was sitting at a marble, rounded table in a large conference room. There were four others sitting there. Grace was there, of course. Then there was a Metagross, who was the largest one here and had the largest seat, a Lilligant, who elegantly took her seat, and a Morpeko, who was the smallest one in the room and had a small seat that was lifted up to the table so he could see over it.

"So we were called here to discuss the fate of Dust?" The Morpeko spoke up.

The mere mention of his name caused the Metagross to groan. "Can we make this quick? I feel every minute spent here is a minute for Dust to cost our guild more of our income!"

"Calm yourself, Xavier. Perhaps by the end of this discussion, Dust will be out of your metallic feet," The Lilligant remarked.

"Easy for you to say Peach, you're not the one who has to constantly deal with his experiments! It costs fortunes to clean up his mess! And yet I've never seen him touch any of your precious food supply." Xavier snapped.

"I think he keeps things entertaining," The Morpeko chuckled. "It certainly keeps me on my toes to make sure he doesn't cause a complete blackout."

"Because you're used to things going wrong, Oxnard, and you get a kick out of it," Peach rolled her eyes.

"Enough!" Grace shouted to the council, letting out some bits of energy. "I didn't call this meeting for us to list the complaints of Dust and each other. As Oxnard said before, we are here to discuss the fate of Dust."

"What is it that you plan to do with him, exactly? While I'm sure Xavier would love to put him out on the streets, we can't exactly do that," Peach said.

"I'd rather we didn't either, I am still his mother," Eclipse added.

"You're the reason why we have to deal with Dust." Xavier pointed out, only to be greeted with a glare from Eclipse, causing him a brief moment of dread. "What I mean is that due to you being his mother, he has been given too much leverage in our guild. Things would be different if he contributed to the guild, but so far he's done nothing but cause problems."

"I understand your complaint, Xavier. I even tried to give him experience on the field in hopes that he would be inspired to go on actual missions," Eclipse sighed. "Unfortunately, that didn't turn out so well either."

"You know what the problem with that is? You're a Master Rank, he's barely a Normal Rank himself. A Normal Rank would have trouble keeping up with a Master Rank. You're also used to going on dangerous missions with more capable teammates, you don't have the patience to deal with a complete rookie," Oxnard pointed out.

"Which is why I've come up with a solution." All eyes turned to Grace. "Xavier, you are right, he has too much access to our resources. And Oxnard does prove a point, you can't expect him to be able to keep up with you, Eclipse. I've received reports in the past from his former partners, and at this point, he's made a reputation for himself."

"So then what is this solution?" Peach asked the question everyone was thinking.

"We simply send him to another guild, have him start anew. He will have no connections to this guild, no access, no resources. He will have to work his way up from the bottom. Despite the many issues that he has caused in the past, he is a brilliant member. He has great potential, what he lacks is motivation, a drive to become a crusader Xavier, you said it yourself, things would be different if he contributed to the guild."

"But how would we send him to another guild? Most guilds have certain requirements for Pokemon to join. Dust doesn't exactly… fit most of those requirements," Oxnard pointed out.

"I still say throw him onto the streets, so he'll learn from experience on how to fight and survive, then he'll be strong enough to join another guild for sure," Xavier grumbled.

The Absol shook her head. "As I mentioned before, he struggled out on the field. I recognize that my experiences differ vastly from my son, but even then he showed that he would have a very difficult time out on his own. A guild will make sure to keep him safe while he gains experience."

"There is a guild that will let a weak Absol in," Grace spoke up, answering Oxnard's question. "It is a guild that is often known as the outcast guild, because they are willing to take in just about any Pokemon, including the naturally weak ones. But the actual name for the guild is the Unity Guild. They will accept him."

Xavier laughed after hearing the name. "You must be joking! You want to send him to that guild? That's even better than the streets! When can we send him?!"

"Patience." Grace held up her hands to calm the Metagross down. "As with all things, we must come with a unanimous vote before determining Dust's fate."

"I… unfortunately think this is the best solution for him," Eclipse sighed. "Dust needs to learn and grow on his own, even if it means sending him to the Unity Guild."

"I'm down, I'm curious to see how he does," Oxnard chimed in.

"You already know my vote. The sooner he leaves, the better." Xavier grinned.

Everyone looked to the Lilligant, waiting for her answer.

"What's your vote, Peach?" Grace questioned.

The Lilligant hesitated. "I'm… not sure… I mean Dust may be a bit of a troublemaker, but I don't think it would be fair to just send him off to some outcast guild…"

As if on cue, the door suddenly flew open and a Chatot came flying into the conference room. "P-please excuse me, Guild Master and Council members, but I have an important message to give you."

"What is it?" Grace asked.

"Dust the Absol took about half of the guild's berry supply and caused an explosion with his experiments. The hallway and library are covered in berry juice," The Chatot reported.

"He what?!" Peach shouted as she stood up from her chair.

The Chatot gulped as he repeated his message. Grace dismissed him, leaving the council room silent for a solid minute.

"You were saying, Peach?" Grace asked.

Peach looked like she was ready to skin Dust alive. "Send him, right now, get him out of here!"

The Gardevoir smiled after hearing those words. "Then we are all in agreement, Dust will be sent to the Unity Guild by tomorrow morning. Eclipse, I trust that you will inform your son of this?"

Eclipse nodded but frowned a little. "I know that you all want him gone, but… isn't there any way for him to come back to this guild? Perhaps after he proves himself to be an effective guild member?"

"Please, as if we'd ever let him back here," Xavier replied. "The day he becomes anything other than a Normal Rank will be the day I denounce my own nobility."

"How about Gold Rank?" Oxnard added. "I think that would be pretty interesting if he reached that rank."

"It takes guild members years to reach the Gold Rank though," Eclipse pointed out.

"Good, maybe those years of having to actually work for his food would teach him better respect for the berries I worked so hard to grow," Peach hissed, still ticked off.

Grace then looked at Eclipse. "Okay, Eclipse, how about this? If Dust can become a Gold Rank in one year on the day he was sent to the Unity Guild, we will trust that he's become an effective guild member and will welcome him back with open arms."

"One year?!" Eclipse shouted out. "You can't expect him to reach Gold Rank by then!"

"Actually I do. I said it before and I'll say it again. He has great potential, he just lacks motivation. I believe this will motivate him enough to achieve Gold Rank by then. He is also your son and you were able to reach Gold Rank in under a year, so he should be capable of doing so as well," Grace informed.

Eclipse didn't seem all that convinced. "He's not exactly a prodigy like I was…"

"It's either this or he stays at Unity Guild," Grace shrugged.

"Fine, I'll take you up on the offer, Grace," Eclipse relented.

Grace smiled at Eclipse's response. "Very well, meeting adjourned."


Later, that night, Dust had just finished his bath, having had to wash off all the berry juice that had soaked deep into his fur. He was at home, a place of great comfort for him. He and his mother lived in a large room in the guild, where everything he could want and need was. Except for the books, the library had all of that.

Dust was doing some more research on berries and Grass type Pokemon when he heard the door open. Eclipse came walking inside, having a somber look on her face.

"Dust… we need to talk," Eclipse said in a serious tone.

"Ah, mother...If it's about earlier today, I promise you, that was not my intention. I'd never had a chance to work on berries before, so I admit, causing that explosion was very unexpected. But on the bright side, we have a surplus of jam." He grinned, hoping to lessen the oncoming punishment he was sure he was going to get.

"I think Peach would have a worse punishment for you than whatever I could think of," Eclipse remarked. "And this isn't about that."

"Really?" Dust was actually surprised. "Was it about this morning with the Shroomish? Because I promise you I learned my lesson. In fact, I've done some research on the Grass Pokemon itself."

Eclipse raised her paw to silence Dust. "Listen to me, Dust, there was a council meeting earlier today. We've all made a decision… you're going to have to be cut off from the Olympus Guild. We will be sending you to Unity Guild tomorrow morning."

For a moment, Dust just stood both shocked and confused. But then he smiled, thinking it was a joke. "I get it, you're joking. And here I thought you didn't have a sense of humor. I mean come on, Unity Guild? I've never heard of that. But I commend you on your joke mother. You gave me quite the scare for a moment."

"I'm dead serious, Dust. You have caused a lot of problems and inconvenience for a lot of Pokemon here. Nobody wants to be your partner now, even the new members will stay away from you due to your reputation alone. You haven't contributed anything to the guild, and you need to learn to get stronger without being a complete shut-in," Eclipse said firmly.

"Mother, please be reasonable. You've seen what happened this morning. You can't honestly expect me to survive out in some random guild on my own!" Dust pleaded. "Everything I need is here! The library alone has given me so much!"

"And that is exactly the problem!" Eclipse hissed, looking directly into Dust's mismatched eyes. "You firmly believe all you'll ever need are books, food, and things to experiment on. You also treat others like they're nothing more than either an annoyance or something to experiment on, no wonder nobody wants to be your partner! You need to stop staying indoors, only reading books, and get out there and actually do something useful! You're lucky we're even sending you to a guild at all, many would've just been fine putting you out in the streets!"

Dust started evaluating all possible options, any possible solution, anything to convince his mother to change her mind but nothing came to him. "Isn't there anything I can do to change your mind?"

Eclipse's expression softened a little. "The Guild Master did give you a chance to come back if you can fulfill the condition. If you can become a Gold Rank in one year starting tomorrow, you'll be allowed back to the Olympus Guild."

He jumped back at hearing the condition. "One year?! That's impossible! It takes years for any member to reach such a rank. You can't expect me to honestly become Gold Rank within a year!"

"It's not impossible, Dust. I was able to do it in under a year, you're my son, and I know you have the potential to do it if you actually put in the effort. If you continue with the 'it's impossible' attitude, however, you will surely fail," Eclipse remarked. "The Guild Master is set on this, no matter what I say, those are the conditions for you to return."

Dust sat in silence, taking everything in until he finally spoke. "You said I leave tomorrow?"

"Yes, you'll be leaving once you wake up. And no, you can't delay it by sleeping in longer, you are leaving in the morning," Eclipse said. "So pack up whatever you want to bring with you, and don't pack a bunch of books either."

He sighed in defeat and went to his room, only thinking of the little time he had left before he left his only home.


Dust wasn't sure if he'd be able to sleep that night. He wasn't sure what to pack. His mother told him not to pack a bunch of books, but he didn't know what else he wanted to bring with him to this unknown guild.

Then there was a knock on his bedroom door. Caught off guard, he opened the door, expecting to see his mother. Instead, it was the Guild Master herself.

"Guild Master Grace?! What brings you here?" He then noticed that his mother wasn't nearby, only adding more to this strange visit.

"Shh, don't make so much noise," Grace hushed. "I'm here to give you a secret mission, that means you can't tell anyone, not even your mother, understood?"

"But why? I'm already being tasked with joining a guild I've never heard of and to top it off I need to reach Gold Rank by the end of the year!" Dust said, though in a whisper tone.

"Yes, and that's exactly why I'm assigning you the secret mission. There's a special item in that guild that I want you to investigate and retrieve without getting caught. If you can do that, I will talk to the Guild Master there to raise your rank to Gold," Grace informed quietly. "Only members of the Unity Guild can even come close to the item, which is why I can only assign this secret mission to you."

Dust was in deep thought, a small part of him found it strange that he was given this secret mission, but his more curious part drowned out those thoughts. A special item that only the Guild Master wants? What could it be? And the possibility of gaining Gold Rank if he completed this mission only pushed his curiosity further. After thinking more about it, he looked at Grace, determination in his eyes.

"I accept." He nodded to the Gardevoir.

Grace gave a smile. "I'm glad you've accepted, Dust. Remember, you can't mention this to anyone. If the Guild Master suspects you, then you'll never be able to get near the vault that holds the item in question. Don't be hasty either, this isn't a mission you can complete in one day, you will need to spend some time to gain their trust. I'll let you be the judge for when would be the best time to approach the subject of that item to the Guild Master."

"You can count on me." Dust promised.

"Good. I'll let you get back to your packing. I wish you luck with this mission." She smiled one last time before teleporting away.

"Amazing. If only I could use teleport, oh the possibilities!" He fantasized for a moment before remembering that he still needed to pack.

Now with a new goal, he had a better idea of what to take with him to this new guild. It wasn't long until he had his satchel filled with all the necessary items he believed he would need for his mission. He looked outside the window to see the moon was high. He smiled to himself, glad to know that he now had a chance. A chance to return to his home.


Morning came all too soon for Dust, and although he had hope again, he still didn't like the idea that he would have to leave the comforts of his home that had everything he needed to some unknown guild. Dust wasn't even sure if the guild had a library or any books at all. He was likely to just find more Pokemon who would judge him, though on the other paw, he might get to see Pokemon he never saw before and he wouldn't be away forever now that the Guild Master trusted him with this secret mission. His thoughts were interrupted by knocking on his door.

"Coming." He opened the door to see his mother waiting on the other side.

"Are you ready yet?" Eclipse asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Despite his secret meeting last night, he tried his best to sound depressed about leaving. But to be honest, it wasn't that hard. He still didn't want to go.

Eclipse could see a blue bag that was strapped around Dust's chest and side and gave him a nod. "Okay. We should get going then. You'll be taken to the guild by the Carriage."

Dust gave a solemn nod to his mother before following her out of his room, he looked back at it one more time, knowing it will be a while before he saw it again, before he followed after Eclipse.

While the two Absol were making their way out of the guild, Dust could see mixed receptions. The other members were bowing in respect to Eclipse, though they did glance at him in either disgust or relief that he was leaving.

When they finally made it outside, Dust saw two Ponyta strapped to a carriage. Though they were two different Ponyta, one was the Fire type that was the most common in their area, while the other had a cotton-candy-like mane with a horn. Dust knew this Ponyta was a different form, and was rare around here, though they were more common in another region. It was rare to see both forms of the same species in one place.

"So how long until I reach the guild?" Dust asked while at the same time taking a closer look at the two Ponytas.

"Depending on traffic and the weather, it should take them about 2 or 3 days to reach the Unity Guild," Eclipse answered.

Eclipse then used the blade on her head to open Dust's bag before she dumped some Pokes into it. "This should be enough to give you a week's worth of food, as long as you don't blow it all."

"Do not fret mother, I promise to not waste all of it." He closed his bag, making sure that it was secured.

Eclipse nodded as she looked at her son. "Despite me being hard on you, I do care about you, Dust. I wish you the best of luck in Unity Guild."

She then hugged her son, catching him off guard. He always tried to avoid physical contact with others, and it wasn't very often that he received hugs from his mother, but he hugged her back, taking in the comfort of her arms.

"Thank you." He didn't want to let go, but he knew he had to get on that carriage eventually.

"I will see you again when you become a Gold Rank, Dust," Eclipse said when they finally parted. "I know you can do it, son."

He gave her one last smile before turning towards the carriage, his smile disappearing soon after. He took one last look at his mother and at the guild behind her, his home, before hopping on. Dust looked at the two Ponyta, who were waiting for him to give them the destination, but then it occurred to him that he didn't even know where Unity Guild was. He looked back at his mother, giving a sheepish grin.

Eclipse rolled her eyes, realizing what that meant. She walked up to the two Ponyta. "The destination is Unity Guild in the White Leaf town."

"Oh, that's just fabulous, it will give me and my sister quite the workout," The Psychic type Ponyta stated in a male voice.

"Speak for yourself, it's hard to run without your annoying long mane getting in my face," The Fire type Ponyta huffed.

"Oh, it won't be so bad. Plus, it's been awhile since we've been there. It'd be good to look around after we get there." The Psychic type Ponyta happily replied.

"Whatever, let's just get going," The Fire type Ponyta rolled her eyes.

Dust watched as the two different types of Ponyta began moving. The young Absol looked back at the Guild as he was getting further and further away from it, feeling a sense of finality.

He sighed to himself. "Only three hundred and sixty-five days left before I can return home.


The ride started out lonely and anxiety-inducing for Dust, but after the first day had passed, Dust became fascinated with the scenery as they were going. He also started to talk to the two Ponyta that were pulling his carriage. Dust began to ask them questions about how and why their types and forms are so different from each other. The female Fire type Ponyta got annoyed rather quickly, though the male Psychic type Ponyta seemed to enjoy answering questions that involved him showing off.

The second day they had hit a little snag. A storm came by, forcing them to stop by a nearby inn. Despite enjoying all the questions from the previous day, the Psychic type Ponyta was started to get a little tired of the constant questions from Dust.

By the third day, a rural town came into view. The two Ponyta sighed in relief, glad to be close to their destination. Soon they reach White Leaf, catching the attention of some of the Pokemon outside their homes. They continued onward, passing the town square, many other buildings of different sizes until they finally stopped in front of a strange building. Dust had never seen anything like it before but it seemed to resemble some sort of Pokemon, though what kind he couldn't name.

When the two Ponyta stopped, the Fire type looked back at the carriage. "Okay, we're here, time to get off, curious boy."

Dust hopped down from the carriage, not only was the building new to him, everything around him was new. He had read about the rural areas before, but it was his first time actually seeing it with his own eyes. The air was much cleaner here, there was also a strong scent of vegetation. It was far quieter than the capital that the Olympus Guild was in.

"So is there someone who I'm supposed to meet? Or do I just walk in?" He asked the two Ponyta but received no reply. He turned around and noticed that they had already left, likely when he was busy taking in his new surroundings. "Oh...okay...Guess I'll just...walk right in."

The young Absol hesitantly made his way to the entrance of the guild, he then lifted up his paw to tap on the door, his own version of knocking. After about a second or two, the door opened, which surprised Dust as he was sure that there would only be a top door that would open, or someone looking through a spy hole to make sure he wasn't dangerous or some hobo trying to ask for a favor.

The Pokemon that opened the door was a Kangaskhan, who looked down at Dust. "Oh, hello there, how can I help you?"

"U-uh...I...Um…" Dust was lost at words, still taken aback by the sudden appearance of this Kangaskhan. He had read about their species before but never seen one himself.

The Kangaskhan looked at Dust for a moment before giving a kind smile. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Carrie, it's nice to meet you, young Absol. What's your name?"

After a couple seconds, he regained his composure. "Ah yes, introduction. My name is Dust. A pleasure to meet you."

"Ah, so you're Dust. The Guild Master told us that an Absol named Dust would be coming here soon," Carrie noted. "If you'd like, I can take you to our Guild Master so you can meet her."

"Yes, that would be best. Thank you." He accepted her offer, glad to receive some help.

Dust noticed that there was no baby in Carrie's pouch, which he found a little odd since every picture he saw of a Kangaskhan always had a baby in their pouch. For once, Dust decided not to ask questions, and just follow the Kangaskhan to meet the Guild Master. The sound of heavy wood scraping against the floor caught his attention. Turning around, he saw the doors he had just entered thru had started to close. He turned back and continued to follow Carrie, wondering what kind of guild he'd have to endure before he could return home.

What Dust didn't realize at the time, was that this was his first step into a grand adventure.