There was nothing to be found here. In a whole guild dedicating themselves to knowledge, there is nothing in their archives charting The Seas other than copious amounts of coastal maps and guides to exploring other continents. Oh, there's plenty of texts talking about it. Endless tales, endless nonsense, Prinn has read plenty since the day he was admitted full permission to the library, but nothing speaks to the sea itself.
The books mostly ramble on and on about these do's and don'ts of seafaring back when a couple pokemon had boats, some still do so there's value to be had in their superstitions, just not so much anymore. There are many vivid terrifying descriptions of feral water types out there spelling the doom of many a seafarer, yet none of these mention the greatest beast of all - The Sea itself. It's as if all these people in all these journals were terrified to even mention it, like invoking the name would summon up something terrible from its depth. There is something to this Sea, and Prinn will find it.
How else would two healthy water-types vanish after leaving him as an egg and going back across the Sea? Dad was a seafarer, dad knew something, didn't he? He's had all his time to think about what happened to them, but only now, with the whole guild's library in his flippers, can he start looking for some kind of answer.
And what does he find after days of searching? Nothing.
Prinn breathes a sigh of frustration, clamping an old naval tome shut. A voice in the library calls out to him.
"Careful with those, young one." Froslass speaks from afar. "I understand your frustration very well, but those books are as old as I am, ancient."
"Oh, sorry misses." Prinn grabs his notes from the desk, stuffing them all into his carrying bamboo tube. Looking off, he can see the icy ghost tending to the shelves, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "You still haven't found any books talking about it, right? You know, the uhh - the water?"
He's been specifically told not to mention it aloud. Apparently it does invite bad things after all, who knew?
"I've given you all I have found, Prinn. There isn't much more I can do for you." Froslass closes a book, stuffing it into the shelves then walking out with her yellow notepad in hand. "Your partner, Leon, has placed a request. I left a note for him by my desk, could you take it to him, please?"
"What for?" Prinn asks, utterly oblivious.
"It's about your friend's badge. I've searched long and far to find anyone with such a badge, the only mention of anyone wearing such a mark I have written down and placed in a message for his viewing." Her yellow and red eyes dart towards him. "No peeking, Prinn. I have ways of knowing."
What, can she just see everything in here? Is she psychic? Prinn doesn't ask. With his notes already packed away, he slides out of his chair, swiping the note on the desk on his way out the Library's doors. Outside he hears the rumble of the Kitchen in full swing, beckoning him with the ruckus. But if Leon isn't out here, nor waiting in the dining hall, then there's one place he's gonna be.
The Prinplup continues walking, passing the foyer into the corridor of rooms. Way at the end of the hall was his dorm, a closet now converted into a two-bed suite. Upon opening the door, the eyes of a bleary Braviary peek from the lump on the bed, mutter something, and turn to face the wall. Bottles of healing brews lie on the table next to them whilst a powerful incense masks the smell of rot coming from the unwashed bird. Leon sits on the adjacent bed, arms folded, waiting.
"Take a seat or stand there." Leon says.
"Yeah, in a sec." Prinn chirps, extending a flipper with the note. "Uhh…Froslass wanted me to give you this."
Leon swipes it, reads the contents of the message, then stuffs it away in a hurry. The look on his face doesn't, he is still in business mode, but he flashes a quick look at Braviary's badge.
Prinn just stands by the door as Leon lays his bag on his lap. Reaching inside within full view of them, he takes out a large pouch of glittering coins, the weight requires both his hands to hoist it onto the bed. The jingling wakes Braviary up. The pain in his legs keeps the codger from leaping out of his se
at.
"Oh finally!" Braviary shouts. "Only took you four days! How much did she give us, anyways?"
"Forty Thousand."
The price makes Prinn's heart skip a beat. Forty Thousand? That's enough for him to buy a boat, yet alone get his career off the ground. He wants to chirp with glee, but one look from Leon puts him right into his place. Here comes the "but".
"This money is for saving the Aromatisse, but it's also to keep the guild happy. Guildmaster has taken a majority, leaving us with eighteen thousand, six thousand a piece." Leon leans over, looking a scowling Braviary in his eyes "We're a Trio now. We're part of a team, so we're all getting equal shares.
"I didn't want to join a guild." Braviary growls, his beak about to spew the same old vitriol Prinn has heard a billion times over before he manages to stop himself, shrugging to the best of his ability. "But six thousand is six thousand. We're all partners and buddies now?"
"Precisely."
Braviary falls back into his pillows. He looks up at the brews near his desk, then at prin. "Hand me the Cheri, kid. I can't move my leg right now."
Prinn goes over, fetching the red bottle for Braviary. He swipes it, presses his beak up to the glass and downs a good third of it in a single swig. A smile spreads across his face as he hands it back. As awful as it is to be bedridden, drinking constantly must be a paradise for this haggard.
"Well uh, if we're partners, doesn't this make us a Team?" Prinn sets the wine back with the others. "I know teams are usually pairs, so like, are we still a team of sorts?"
"Yes. The Guildmaster was going to assign us a name, but I had ask to reserve this right to ourselves." Leon tilts his head, a soft smile appearing on the Smeargle's face. "I don't have any problems being named Team #4, but I suppose it's only right if you people get a choice in the matter. Just don't name it anything crude-"
"Salt." Braviary speaks up.
"Salt?" Prinn warbles. "Like what kind of salt?"
"Sea Salt. Team Sea Salt is one word too long, so just Team Salt." Braviary snuggles back into his blankets, turning his back to them. "We're naming ourselves Team Salt because I said so, and because you found me on that beach back when. It fits, y'know?"
Prinn would at least like a say in the matter, but Braviary is not listening. He has made up this name long before Prinn ever had his chance. Maybe, maybe if he could ask.
"What about Team Pokepa-"
"No. It's Team Salt." Braviary reaches blindly to the table next to him, tapping it with his wing. "Leave my share right here. I'd like my money before you clowns decide to do somethin funny with it."
Leon counts his coin, then doles out his share, leaving it among the dozens of medicinal wines next to his table. Braviary shuffles around, getting a look at the coins to make sure they were not keeping it away from him.
"Do you folks have anything else?" The old man groans. "If you're going to be doing jobs or whatever you guildies do, you can count me out. My legs aren't working, and I'm not sure about getting them working just so I can be dragged along for an adventure."
"You're able to heal them?" Prinn says. "Like can-"
"No. I can't walk, stupid."
He had no idea what he was thinking, or why he asked it in the first place. Prinn sighs, trying to think of one last thing before they call their team meeting short. He looks at the wine table.. On it, nestled behind the pillars of glass, is his badge sitting safely.
"I was wondering, if I could-"
Braviary rolls over, catching where Prinn is staring at instantaneously.
"Go on, take it. It ain't like I can get up and stop you." Braviary groans. "Considering you almost got shot down by some giant lizard and his water powers trying to get it back, I reckon you got a grasp of what's gonna happen if you lose it. You can take it, do all you want to figure out what it does or whatever, I don't care."
Given what Braviary did to Lucario who had kidnapped the merchant, he can only imagine the type of pain Braviary would dish to him for losing his precious badge. Prinn, knowing the consequences, nods quietly and takes the badge from the table. The brass token somehow feels warm in his flippers.
"I uh…I understand." Prinn slots it into his carrying tube, the lid sealing it away with his fragile maps. "I'll have it back for you before you know it. It just needs uh…field work, okay?"
"Sure, kid."
With this, Braviary pulls up his bedsheets even further over his head, then shuts his eyes. If he didn't make it obvious earlier, then him now nearly suffocating his beak into his pillow makes it clear he has had enough talking for the day. He got his money, and given as he is Braviary, that is probably where he signed out of this conversation altogether.
Prinn nods at Leon, then waddles outside, the Smeargle following shortly behind. Once the door closes, he motions at the water-type to follow.
"Guess we're Team Salt now, and we already have our first job." Leon explains, handing him a paper as they lead down the hall. "I've already spoken to Guildmaster about it. I've decided to take it on myself, and if you don't wanna take it, then I won't stop you from not following me."
"I thought we'd have a job board. Don't I get to decide what jobs I wanna take? I mean, first it's the name, now you guys are giving me a job." Prinn fiddles with the letter in hand. "I'd like a choice, you know?"
"It's frustrating, I know. You don't need to tell me."
As they enter the foyer, the smell of berries hits their nostrils. Leon goes towards the door, picking up a smaller bag of things left for him by the coat rack, stuffing it inside his duffle bag..
"We're gonna stop at Calico Town to meet up with our client, get some supplies, then go from there. You can follow me or stay here with Braviary, the rest of the guild's gonna be looking after him if we both leave."
Prinn is about to ask what in the world this is all about, then finally, he gives in to his curiosity instead of asking a thousand questions. He opens up the letter to find a message, it's from the psychic in Calico Town. They are looking for someone to help find Xatu with them, who seemingly went towards Lapis Town, a place far to the north of here - somewhere he's very familiar with. A handwritten scribble below asks whoever copied this letter to deliver a copy to Braviary and Leon of the Scholar's Guild.
Given the urgency of the letter, the fact a copy was addressed to them personally, Judeau is obviously relying on them. And with one pokemon short of their usual three man band, they are going to have a handy dandy psychic to temporarily replace the old bird.
Team Salt has its first job, and its first, albeit temporary recruit. Prinn couldn't be more happy to be up to the task.
Of course it is an overstatement, it has to be an overstatement, no one takes jobs unless there is a sense of urgency to them. But his business - Xatu's business - is not going to last. The drip feed of customers has been dwindling day by day, not even this influx of travellers is going to be enough to save it because most are asking for readings about these gears, which Judeau is in no position to scry about. And the ghost of the town, Mismagius, had the good conscience to leave the moment the bounty was announced.
It leaves them as the sole provider for a town flooding with explorers to be their spiritual guide, which they really can't be. They work with affairs of the mind, but no matter how much they tell them these explorers still insist on calling for their aid and acting like children when they don't get what they want.. They should have left when this Lucario began threatening their life, they should have followed in the phantom's stead to Calico, but no, they wanted to save this place instead.
What a mistake this was turning out to be.
There is a knocking on the door, the shadows of two pokemon peer through the blue curtains into their shop. More customers, it seems. Judeau sits upright from their couch, and with a flick of their hands, pulls the curtains aside with psychic.
Standing there is Leon, and an unfamiliar, though no doubt friendly face. Upon making eye contact, Leon opens the door, inviting himself inside.
"Judeau." Leon speaks. "We got your message."
"Oh good!" Judeau would smile if they could. "I'm only one pokemon, I can't run the Emporium and go looking for him. Would you like to take a seat while I discuss the details?"
The water-type with Leon chirps happily, waddling over to the couches with a smile on his head and slumping down. He looks exhausted, Leon as well, he seems better at hiding it. As both pokemon take their seats, Judeau clears his throat.
"My teacher, Xatu, has been missing for quite some time. About four weeks now, I believe. Things have changed in Calico Town these last couple days, and I can't keep up with everyone's demands." Judeau holds up their stubby hands in defeat. "I've decided to go searching for him personally, but I cannot do it alone."
They could give people migraines if they were to ever get into a ruckus with criminals or ferals, but they're no fighter. If their run in with Lucario was a sign of anything, the people looking for these gears would tear him apart if given a chance. It's a good thing someone they trust answered the call to action, not these hundreds of new faces in town just looking to gut their wallet dry.
"Where'd he go?" The blue one leans in, pointing at himself with a flipper. "I'm Prinn by the way! I don't know if Braviary or Leon introduced me."
"No, but I think one of your friends mentioned there's a third - there's usually a third with your explorers." Judeau nods. "But there isn't much I can tell you that isn't from the job I put out. He's been gone for a while, there's no reports of him in Scoria Town, so I'm to believe he went somewheres north towards Lapis Town. If he's not there, or if he's gone, then…"
If he's done for, as in dead, then there's no way this place is going to survive. There will be no way they can master his abilities without someone like him teaching them the ropes. The Emporium will crumble, their work will be lost. They will be nothing more than another failed psychic riding off the masses of those who want to become explorers, one of possibly hundreds out there.
"I understand." The Smeargle speaks in a voice as cold and dense as ice. "We have enough equipment to last a dungeon run, and enough food for a week's worth of travel. Do you have anything else you can tell us about your teacher?"
"Well, I went looking through his things and…" Judeau taps his hands together, looking at the curtain leading into the backroom. "He left everything back there. Clothes, orbs, everything's all there. He even prepared his bed before he left. The only things he took were some of his money, and…"
"There was this empty box I never saw before, a heavy metal box with a key on it, it looks like the kind of thing you would only put things very important to you in. He kept his money and everything else in our safe back there, so it wasn't something expensive, I don't think."
"And when I found it, I started thinking." Judeau points to where Xatu's feathery chest would be. "He wore this badge once or twice. It was the strangest looking one I've seen, until I saw your friend come in here I thought it was one of a kind."
The Prinplup hops out of his chair. Reaching behind him, he unscrews the cap to a tube, and from it brings out a brass badge - the same sort of diamond as Xatu's badge was smack in the middle of its wings. It looks like their teacher's. Maybe it was an earlier rank?
"It does something too." Prinn explains, tapping the badge's solid brass diamond. "It points to uh, people or places? It's like a compass of some kind. Maybe it could help us find your Teacher, it wouldn't hurt to try."
Badges do have abilities, they're all similar to orbs in this way. And if Braviary's is a compass, then maybe it could have its use. Judeau kicks their stubby legs off the couch, floating up to Leon's height as they look at the Smeargle in his bleary eyes.
"Give me a moment." They say nervously. "I'll bring a scanner orb and whatever I think's going to help. Are you okay leaving right away? Lapis Town is…"
"Yeah, faraway. I used to live there." Prinn chimes in, tapping Leon on his side as he wanders out the door. "Come on, I know the way like the back of my flipper."
Leon follows his boy out the door, and the two wait patiently as Judeau scrambles for their things. They grab whatever coins they can from the till, maybe a thousand at most, take a few orbs lying all along the shelves, then stuff it into a blue silk bag they used to bring along to shows in the town square. With everything packed up, Judeau wanders up the door, then shushes the two explorers aside.
They put in the key, lock the door, close the blinds to the display room with a flick of their wrist and the little psychic shop in Calico Town closes for what could be the final time.