The first rays of the morning sun peered over the horizon and flooded into Lilac City. It was the dawn of a new day. A new day meant a fresh start to forget anything that had happened the day before and to start anew. It was a brand new day of untapped potential and adventure for everyone slumbering within the city.
Almost everyone, that was.
A Tranquill awoke the moment the light settled over his eyes. No one was there with him. Only he lived in his room, or a hutch as he always preferred to call it. It certainly reminded him of the coops that the farmers of the city kept their uncivilized Pidgey with how there was not a single window in the room. Steel wire replaced where any glass panes should be. The wire also replaced half the walls, specifically the walls that faced east so that the sunlight would hit him without fail every morning. To his right, there lay a large, wooden box for him to wander into at any time that had no steel to replace the walls. It made a decent shelter during the stormy nights when the wind howled louder than the Mightyena packs in the midst of a hunt and when the rain left you shuddering whenever it pelted you.
Yes, this place was most certainly a hutch.
But he didn't fret. He took comfort in the fact that unlike those Pidgey, he could actually leave the coop on his own. There was not a single lock to be found on it.
The Tranquill stretched out his wings before he stood up from his nest-like bed. He picked off the straws of hay that stuck to his plumage, meticulously pulling out every last fiber, until he was completely spotless. Once he had done that, the Tranquill stepped out of his nest and walked to the little door built into the wire mesh near his bed. He pushed it all the way open with his head and then stepped into the doorway.
He looked out to see that he stood high over a great forest of evergreens that covered the land for miles and miles. In the distance, he could see a river weaving its way through the thick foliage, as well as a few mountains' hazy outlines looming in the distance. He even saw other flying-types soaring through the air, some of which he felt were also Tranquill. The body shape and the feathers' sheen in the morning light certainly reminded him of his own.
It didn't really matter, however. They wouldn't be much of a bother. The Tranquill spread his wings and then leapt forward. He swiftly flapped his wings just as he began to plummet, and caught the wind under his feathers. He barely dropped a few inches before he swooped back up and returned to his parallel position with his hutch. He looked back at it and admired how it still managed to stay latched onto that towering tree's trunk even after so many years. He really thought that the nails keeping the hutch attached to the tree would have rusted by now and sent the hutch tumbling down into the forest below. Perhaps the nails were useless now and only the branch resting beneath the hutch kept it in its place. The Tranquill didn't know.
But just like with those flying-types he had seen earlier, it really didn't matter if he knew. It didn't make much of a difference.
The Tranquil kept his gaze on his home for just a moment longer, and then flew away.
Many minutes later, the Tranquill found himself in the midst of Lilac City. Since the sun had just barely risen, not many Pokémon were roaming about its cobblestone streets. There were a few dozen from what he could tell, but they were mostly merchants leaving their homes and setting up shop for the day. But other than that, the town was quiet and in a state of lull.
The only real activity of Lilac City was from the tower mills. There were five mills in the entire city, each one standing atop one of the small, isolated hills throughout the vicinity. Four of them rested on hills that landmarked the corners of the town. The fifth one, the largest of them all with twice the mass of the others, stood in the very center of the town. Each and every one of the mill's set of sails spun as a soft breeze pushed through the city. They moved so slowly that the Tranquill knew that he could probably sit on one of the sails for a full minute before he would be forced to fly away lest he plummet to the ground.
Of course, it wasn't the season for strong gales to blow through the city right now. That would be in another couple of months, and then the city would surely have more than enough energy to make all the paper they wanted with all the wood pulp they surely had gathered in storage. The Tranquill was sure that the mills had other uses, but he had never cared to wonder what they were. To him, the mills were more tourist attractions or landmarks for the city than to actually gather power from the wind.
He turned his attention away from the mills and continued on with his flight until he found himself at his destination; a brick building with a single tower protruding out of the roof. A red flag raveled limply in the breeze from the tower. He saw the words "Lilac City Guard Guild" printed on the one side of the fabric that would occasionally unfurl completely in moments of a strong, momentary gust.
The Tranquill settled himself on the ground by the entryway before tucking his wings into his body the moment both of his feet firmly planted on the ground. Then, after taking a moment to catch his breath, he made his way into the building.
When the Tranquill entered the building, he found that just like the city, it was mostly vacant. No voices bounded off the walls of the building, nor did any footsteps. However, the Tranquill knew that the building wasn't totally vacant. Someone was always here at the crack of dawn, specifically waiting for Pokémon like him.
And after a moment of wandering through the winding hallways and passing by several rooms, the Tranquill found that very Pokémon. There, behind a large counter of a spacious room filled with shelves of papers and books, stood a Haxorus. He didn't seem to notice that the Tranquill had just walked in. He instead continued to glance through a number of pages resting before him with a bored, vacant expression.
The Tranquill made his way over the front of the counter, but stayed back far enough so that the Haxorus could actually see him the moment he stopped reading those papers. The counter towered over a good many of guild members that were taller than even the Tranquill, much to everyone's chagrin, but no one had ever bothered to get a shorter counter. It supposedly was too much trouble.
"Sir, I'm here to report for my shift today," the Tranquill stated.
The Haxorus lifted his head and quickly caught the Tranquill's eye. The moment the two locked eyes, the Haxorus cracked a smile.
"Ah, right on time as always," the Haxorus noted. "Thanks for checking in."
"It's not an issue, sir. Is there anything I should know about before I head to the tower?"
"Oh Patience, you know the answer to that already. Do you really need to ask that?"
Patience had to resist sighing. Yes, he did know the answer to his question. It had been the same answer for a very long time now. He didn't know why he had even asked.
"Alright. Thank you. I'll see you in the evening," Patience then said.
"See you. Don't fall asleep up there," the Haxorus replied.
The Haxorus went back to leafing through his papers. Patience turned away soon after and walked toward the door at the other side of the room. Once he reached it, he exited out of the guild and found himself back outside once again. The sun shined much brighter now, making Patience's entire vision fill with an irritating glare. He quickly squinted his eyes and forced himself to stare at the ground.
When the light no longer suffocated his vision and there were no fuzzy lights to be seen dancing before him, he pushed off against the ground with his legs. He flapped his wings down as he shot into the sky, pushing him higher into the sky. Then, he flapped his wings up, spreading apart his feathers so that the wind couldn't push him back down to the ground.
Flap up in a forward motion, and then flap down with feathers split apart. Repeat over and over again while using your tail to help with sharp turns.
Such simple directions done so swiftly. It was all subconscious really, something so simple to do that you didn't even need to think about it once you practiced enough.
So many Pokémon envied the flying-types wings and their ability to soar with the wind. They looked at the flying-types' wings and they wished that they too could be as free as the flying-types. After all, what could possibly make you feel more free than the thought that you could go anywhere you wanted to be? No one could hold you down, no matter how hard they tried. Once you were in the sky and had the wind beneath your wings, you were invincible and the pilot of your own destiny.
But Patience knew the truth, and the truth was, no one could ever be absolutely free. Deep down, everyone was shackled to something, whether it be an obligation or a perpetual routine forged after many years of monotonous activities. The flying-types were no exception with their wings only being a means of slightly faster transportation than running on multiple legs. They were not the embodiment of freedom.
Especially not Patience.
It wasn't long before Patience found himself near the forest he had left behind earlier that morning. Except this time, he was by the side of the forest that faced directly toward the city's entrance. A large trail weaved its way through that side of the forest, stretching from far past the horizon to the very gate that lead to the city.
And there, standing at the border between the Lilac City and the forest, stood the watchtower Patience sought. It was a metal structure that stood high over the forest and city, looming over them almost as high as the mills of the city. The very top of it was nothing more than a box, and to access it, one had to climb up a ladder that lead up to it in a corkscrew pattern.
Of course, Patience didn't have to use that ladder. With a few flaps and a change in angling, he propelled himself up to the very top of the watchtower. When he found himself right above the edge of the box, he pulled his wings toward his back and gripped the thin metal with his talons. He lurched forward for just a moment, but didn't fall from his perch. He only waited for the momentum finish its toll on him, and then turned around and faced the forest that sprawled past Lilac City for miles and miles.
It was time to begin his shift.
For the next twelve hours, he needed to watch that forest. He needed to see what Pokémon were coming through it and had intentions of entering Lilac City.
It wasn't a job for everyone. Not everyone could identify every known Pokémon species within seconds. With the species count surpassing nine hundred, it was easy to mix up a few Pokémon. Mistaking Pidgey for Pidove was quite a common mistake for instance, along with thinking that Emolga were Pikachu. Patience had heard of the other sentry Pokémon before him making a number of clumsy mistakes with their duty. One of them, an Electabuzz, identified so many Pokémon incorrectly on one bad day that the guild forced him to spend an entire night correcting all the inaccurate paperwork they had filed regarding who had visited the city.
Everyone expected that Patience would be the same when he first joined the guard guild those many years ago. After all, he was only a fledgling of ten years who had just left his home behind. How could a Tranquill who had no life experience prior do any better than far older Pokémon?
Patience noticed a flash of movement amongst the green in the forest. He straightened himself up as he peered down and waited for the Pokémon to show itself. Within the moments, the Pokémon emerged from the thick forest. It appeared to be a bipedal, brown Pokémon with a green hood over its head. Patience couldn't see its face from beneath its hood, but he didn't have to see its face to know what the Pokémon was. It was an easy one; a Decidueye. Only Decidueye had that green hood and that feather sticking out of the top of it, not to mention they were the only Pokémon with unnaturally long, white legs to hurry through the night with.
"Decidueye," Patience called. "Where are you from and what is your purpose for coming to Lilac City?"
The Decidueye stopped in its tracks. It peered up at Patience with a misty look in its eyes and for a moment said nothing.
"Oh. Oh right, this city has a sentry monitoring who goes in," the Decidueye realized. "Friend of mine told me that, but I didn't remember until just now."
"Where are you from and what is your purpose for coming to Lilac City?" Patience said again in a bland tone.
"I'm passing through so I can reach Jasmine Town. I'll probably be here for the night since I've been travelling for quite a while. And I came from Daffodil Town."
"Very well. You can go."
The Decidueye gave Patience a nod, and then made his way toward the city's entrance. Patience leapt off his perch and settled himself inside the tower's box. He then grabbed a blank piece of parchment from a pile resting near his feet, along with a pad of ink. After he dragged the both of them over to his side, he opened up the pad and then pressed the tip of his beak into the pad. He ignored the strong scent running into his nostrils as he scribbled a simple message onto the paper. Within seconds, the words "Decidueye from Daffodil Town- Passing through" were inscribed at the very top of paper.
The Tranquill lifted his beak from the paper and then flew back to his perch before he resumed his watch over the forest.
How large was the forest? Patience had never known for certain. Despite all his years of watching over this spacious, empty forest, he had never asked anyone how many trees it was. Perhaps it was a two hundred tree forest? No, that was most certainly too small. It had to be at least a five hundred tree forest with how much space lay between the watchtower and the mountains. Maybe it had been a three hundred tree forest when he first started his job, but it had grown over the years.
How many years had he been watching this forest again? He had become a sentry at age ten, he knew that. Ten was the age Pokémon were deemed capable of providing meaningful service to society. The very day he turned ten he became a sentry.
But how long had he been a sentry? Could it have been ten years? He wouldn't have been surprised if it had been that long. He certainly felt he had been watching the forest for the same amount of years he had been a hatchling. Or maybe it had been even longer. Maybe he had been a sentry for twenty years.
Patience didn't know.
There was another movement in the sea of green. Patience eyed the opening of the forest and saw a Pokémon once again. This one had black and blue fur with streaks of yellow and walked upon four legs. Obviously this was an electric-type. Only electric-types held that color scheme for the most part. Now what electric-types walked on all fours with those colors?
"Luxray," Patience called out. "Where are you from and what is your purpose for entering Lilac City?"
The aforementioned Pokémon stopped and looked up at the Tranquill. His stern expression didn't break.
"I have a friend who lives here that I came to visit," the Luxray answered. "Her name is Ivy and she's a baker here. I came from Sage Village."
"Very well. You can go."
The Luxray brought his gaze back to the city entrance and carried on his way. Patience swooped back down into the box and once again dipped his beak into the ink pad. Then, he wrote "Luxray from Sage Village- Visiting" on the paper right below the line stating the Decidueye's information. He barely even remembered writing the words by the time he landed back on his perch and resumed his watch over the forest.
Patience could still see the river that resided near his home. It had shrunk down quite considerably in size from his current distance and had become barely anything more than a miniscule creek, but he could still see the glistening of the water's surface. He wondered what sorts of Pokémon lived in that water. Perhaps a small family of Squirtle or Poliwag? Maybe there were even some Magikarp in that river. Perhaps Patience could swoop down to that river after his shift and catch a Magikarp. He always did find their flavor quite rich and salty.
Why did the Magikarp taste so good anyway? They were the most common water-types to be found. Every single flying-type that was also an active hunter loved to eat them. Surely, if they were so plentiful, they shouldn't taste as wonderful as they actually were. Everyone would have caught them if that was the case and fished them out of extinction. And yet, they remained so numerous in so many of the rivers and seas of the world. Could it be because they all had the potential to become those ferocious Gyarados that could ravage entire villages? Was that capability to become those fearsome beasts deep within their bodies what made their meat so tasteful?
Patience saw the blur of movement near the opening of the forest again. This time there were two upstanding Pokémon emerging from the forest. One appeared to be a black-furred Pokémon with a large, red mane tied together with what seemed to be a bead. The other was a brown, scaly Pokémon with a skull helmet covering a majority of its head, preventing Patience from being able to read its facial expression.
The brown one most definitely was a Marowak. Only Marowak wore skulls on their heads. The other one was a Zoroark, as it held the bushy mane Zoroark were known for, as well as having red claws on its paws and feet.
And yet, even though Patience knew what species these two were, he could not fight off a nagging feeling that something about them was not right. Nothing about their appearance was unnatural, and no malicious intent seemed to glimmer in their eyes, but his innards continued to crawl.
"Marowak and Zoroark," Patience called out, forcing himself to ignore the feeling. "Where are you from and what is your purpose for entering Lilac City?"
The two of them stopped and looked up at him. For a moment, they said nothing and only stared up at him with puzzled frowns. At least, the Zoroark did. Patience still couldn't see the Marowak's expression behind his helmet.
"Huh?" the Zoroark asked.
"Where are you from and what is your purpose for entering Lilac City?" Patience stated again.
"Why do you want to know?" the Zoroark asked in return.
"Because I am the sentry of Lilac City and I'm required to ask every visitor that wants to enter why they want to do so," Patience stated in a dull tone. "It is so we can keep track of how many Pokémon are in the city and who they might be. It is a safety precaution."
"So you guys like, monitor everyone coming in, in case someone does something bad and you kind of have an idea of who they were and who they came from so you can track them down later."
"Essentially."
"Huh, that's actually kind of cool. Nobody ever did that where I was from as far as I can remember. They ever do that where you were from, Talus?"
"No, there wasn't any need," the Marowak answered with a shake of his head. "We had more efficient ways of keeping track of who was where."
"You mean with-"
"Where are you two from and what is your purpose for entering Lilac City?" Patience cut in, barely able to suppress a sigh.
"Oh. Oh right," the Zoroark said as she turned back to the Tranquill with a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that. We wanted to come here because we wanted to try living here. It seems like a nice place. Nice and quiet and everything."
"And where you're from?" Patience asked.
"Uh… We're from Amethyst City."
Patience slowly shook his head. These two Pokémon really were something. He wondered how much time he had wasted on these two just to get to this point.
"There's no such city as Amethyst City. Turn around and go back to wherever you came from," Patience ordered.
"What? How do you know that Amethyst City isn't a real place?" the Zoroark babbled. "You can't possibly know all of the cities in the entire region!"
"No, but I can know the names of all of the neighboring cities," Patience droned on. "Besides, there is not a single city in this entire region that is named after a rock."
"So then what do you guys all name your cities after then? Is it flowers? What, do you just name your cities after whatever flowers you have in the area? You could be a little more creative."
"Please turn around and go back to wherever you came from. I'm not letting you into the city and if you resist any further, I'll call someone to come take you away."
"You can't just turn us away just because you don't know what city we were in last! We're new around here and we really don't know anything about-"
"We should go," the Marowak then said, silencing the Zoroark's outbursts. "Come on, it's not worth it if we have to keep arguing with him and whoever is going to try and make us leave."
Patience could see how much the Zoroark struggled to say something to the Marowak, but was unable to find the words to offer a rebuttal. So after a few seconds of staring at him, she finally sighed and turned her back to Patience.
"Fine, let's try somewhere else," she said glumly.
The two then disappeared back into the forest and out of Patience's view. The Tranquill exhaled loudly as he ruffled his feathers. It had been a while since he had dealt with Pokémon like those two. Why did the Zoroark say she was from a city named after a gem? Weren't Zoroark supposed to be sly and crafty, not to mention usually disguised as other Pokémon? Surely she could have come up with a legitimate city name to pretend she was from, as well as pretend to be something inconspicuous like a Mareep.
Maybe she was crazy. That had to be it. That was the only way to explain why she had been acting that way. Of course, that didn't explain the Marowak. Was he supposed to be her friend? Or was he her mate? He certainly seemed to care about her, but that was all Patience could infer from their interactions. Their relationship was ambiguous at best, and it still didn't explain why he put up with the Zoroark's odd behavior. Of course, if they were mates, perhaps that did explain some things. Maybe.
Patience couldn't remember the last time he had pondered this much over Pokémon he had seen on sentry duty. How long had it been since he last turned someone away? Was it ten years? And who was it, exactly? Why did he turn them away?
He saw another flash of color near the forest edge. He immediately stopped thinking about those strange Pokémon.
The new Pokémon barely emerged from the forest and Patience already knew what it was.
"Umbreon," he called out. "Where are you from and what is your purpose for entering Lilac City?"
The Umbreon didn't stop. He only kept walking as he glanced up at Patience.
"I'm from Daffodil Town," the Umbreon replied. "I'm here to buy some supplies before heading back."
"Very well, you can go."
Just as with all of the other Pokémon permitted to enter the city, the Umbreon continued on his way. And just as always, Patience wrote down his name, city of origin, and reason for coming. Just as always, he barely processed the movement.
And then just as always, once he finished, he stood back on the edge of the box and looked back at the forest. Then he waited for more Pokémon.
Just as always.
After allowing fifty Pokémon into Lilac City, the sun finally began its descent and dyed the sky with warm, pleasant shades of purple and orange.
The moment Patience saw it, he grabbed the paper he had been writing on all day and held it tight in his beak. Once he clamped down hard on it, he then swooped off the watchtower and made his way back to the guild. As he flew past the many buildings and streets of the city, he noticed that not many Pokémon were out and about in the fading light of the sunset. Just as with the early morning of that day, everyone seemed to be inside their homes. However, instead of still sleeping, they were now resting after a long day's work. At least, that was how it was before Patience was on sentry duty all those years ago. He couldn't imagine that the daily routine of the city had changed all that much in those years.
Patience didn't really have a reason to talk to them anyway. It was getting late and though he hadn't done much movement besides flutter back and forth in his watchtower, his body still felt heavy and flapping his wings was slowly becoming more and more draining. He needed to get back to his hutch and recharge as soon as possible.
Patience hastened his flight and within minutes, found himself back at the guild's entrance. He quickly settled himself onto the ground, and then made his way inside. When he entered the building, he found that unlike in the streets, the guild did have some Pokémon gathered in its vicinity. Specifically, it had seven Pokémon at the counter where the Haxorus usually was; a Scyther, Raichu, Ampharos, Lucario, Pyroar, Heracross, and a Butterfree. They were all gathered around the counter, talking amongst themselves about something that Patience couldn't quite discern from his distance. All he knew was that he recognized all of the Pokémon at that counter.
They were all guild members. A few of them worked together in teams, such as the Lucario, Butterfree, and Pyroar with wandering around the city and keeping an eye out for any sort of trouble. Some of the others though, such as the Ampharos, worked solo and mostly stayed out at night to help any Pokémon that might be lost in the night's thick darkness and help them find their way back home. But at the end of the day, they were all a part of the guild and had been so for many years, just like Patience.
Patience had only stared at them for a couple moments when they all seemed to notice him in the corner of their eyes. Each of them turned toward the Tranquill and shot him beaming gazes.
"Oh hey, it's Patience!" the Lucario said. "We were just wondering if you had finished up your shift yet or not."
"You were?" Patience asked as he placed the paper in his beak down by his feet. "I wonder why that was."
"Because the seven of us were going to go down to The Miltank Café for a little while," the Lucario explained. "Today they've got a special on those delicious Lum shakes they always sell. We were going to invite you over."
"Hmmm, tempting," Patience said with a slow nod. "I do enjoy those Lum shakes. They're always quite pricy and I never have enough money to purchase them. But I am quite tired after standing on that watchtower for the entire day… not to mention I have to be awake by dawn tomorrow."
"We won't be gone too long," the Butterfree then assured. "We were all just going to order some shakes and then talk for a little while. We have jobs to do in the morning too, you know."
"I know, Bree," Patience replied. "Hmm. Well I suppose I can stay for a little while. It has been quite a while since I've spent time with any of you."
"Alright! Then let's get going!" Bree cheered with a flutter of his wings. "We'll meet you there since we know you need to give the chief your report and everything. So see you there!"
The rest of the Pokémon gave a cheer and a remark of their own, and then made their way toward the exit. Patience watched them all pass by for a moment, and then picked up his paper and went up to the counter. And even though the Haxorus was nowhere to be found, he knew that he didn't need to wait for him to return. Nothing of note had happened during his shift. Other that strange Marowak and Zoroark Patience had to reject, all of the Pokémon that had come by peacefully came into the city with no problems whatsoever.
With this thought in mind, the Tranquill neatly placed his piece of parchment on the counter and put an inkpad on the top of its corner. Then he turned around and hurried after the others.
By the time that Patience caught up with the other guild members, they were already inside The Miltank Café. It should have been surprising to him, but given that the café was right across the street from the guild, there was no reason to be surprised at all. Besides, they were all fast walkers, or fliers in Bree's case. They had to be with their specific line of work. The thought of slurping up delicious Lum shakes probably helped.
The café was a cozy little place, a perfect place to visit after a long day of sentry duty. The moment Patience entered inside, he saw the soft glow of the illumination orbs spread throughout the café. Some clung to the ceiling while others sat in little orb holders latched onto the walls. But despite the large amount of them, they did not fill the café with blinding light. They only cast a soft hue upon the interior, bringing about a calming vibe that Patience only really felt when he stood next to rivers on quiet mornings in his youth. It made it difficult to tell what color the café really was with the dim amount of light, but Patience found he didn't mind.
He could smell the rich scents of various aromas in the air. The Miltank Café was special in that it was one of the few places in the city that remained open after the sun set. With most of the businesses, they closed their doors the moment the first stars of the night appeared in the sky so that they could have the rest of the night to themselves. And after providing service for an entire day, Patience could understand why. If he was in their position, he would want to close up the shop and rest for the remainder of the night as well. Dealing with so many Pokémon, all demanding different goods or services and being especially picky about how they wanted things their way, surely had to be exhausting.
About a dozen wooden tables were set up inside the café with little cushions to sink into near each of the tables. Quite a number of Pokémon sat at those tables, sometimes alone and sipping their drinks in peace, or with others and chatting the night away. And for those that didn't want to sit at the tables, there were many cushions lined up behind the counter so that you were right next to the employees and could watch them make your drink.
That was exactly where the guild members sat. They had each seated themselves in one of those cushions, all the while waiting for either the barista or Patience himself to join them.
Patience wasted no time and strolled over to an empty seat between the Lucario and Pyroar. He would have flown over to them, considering it was a much faster alternative than walking on his skinny legs, but no one would be fond of that. Flying-types could fly all they wanted when outside, but once they were inside, they had to behave just like the land Pokémon. They couldn't flaunt their wings in such crammed places and make such a ruckus for everyone.
When Patience settled himself between the two Pokémon, it didn't take long for the guild members to notice him.
"There you are," the Lucario said with a smile. "Everything go okay?"
"The chief wasn't there, so I left the paper for him on the counter," Patience stated. "But he won't mind. I've done that before multiple times and he never minded."
"Well it's because you're such a great sentry," the Lucario laughed. "Nobody has been able to identify all those Pokémon as well as you. He knows you don't make any mistakes."
"And because we never have any suspicious Pokémon ever trying to enter the city," Patience stated blandly.
"Well yes, there's that too. Really says something about the city and the Pokémon that want to come in, doesn't it?"
That it was peaceful. That it was a wonderful place to live and that there was no real reason to be afraid of anything. There wasn't even any reason to stay inside at night. Anyone could walk out at night and not have to worry about shady Pokémon hanging out in the dark corners of alleys or feral Pokémon roaming about the streets at night. Everyone could live content and happy lives in Lilac City, never having to worry about anything.
They truly lived in a wonderful place as beautiful as the very lilac flowers the city was named after.
"I wonder how you never get bored of being up there on that watchtower," the Lucario then said. "Because you know, I used to be on that tower once when I first came here."
"You were the sentry they had before I took your place," Patience said with a nod.
"Oh, you remember that! Well yeah, I was. I'd been up there for I think two years at the time? I keep forgetting how long it was. That shift ruined my perception of time. Entire weeks seemed to go by and I wouldn't even realize it… but anyway. I remember really hating to be up there. Just watching that forest every day… that same forest… it wore on me. I'd just stand there all day and couldn't even take a nap. I'd have to keep my eyes on that forest all the time in case someone went by. I don't know how many times I'd miss someone and the chief would grill me when I turned in my report for the day."
It was then that a Miltank came over to Patience and the Lucario and gave the both of them a warm smile.
"Hello there, what can I get you two?" she asked.
"Lum shakes for both of us," the Lucario said with a grin. "The special is still good right now, isn't it?"
"Sure is, all the way until closing," the Miltank replied. "I'll get that for the both of you in just a few moments."
"Alright, thank you."
The Miltank kept her smile on them for a moment longer, and then turned away and went to retrieve the orders of the rest of the guild members. The Lucario set one of his elbows on the counter and held his head with his paw before turning to face Patience completely.
"But you're a natural at being a sentry," the Lucario went on. "It was like you were hatched to be one. You always knew when someone was coming and you never once made a mistake with identifying anyone. Hah, we're so lucky to have you, Patience. I really don't know what we'd do without you. We'd probably never be able to find a sentry as good as you, or someone who's even willing to stay as long as you."
An uncomfortable feeling passed over Patience that made his heart sink into his chest. He had to resist opening his wings and flying out of the café.
"What did you do that made you so good at being a sentry, anyway?" the Lucario then asked. "Was there anything you did as a Pidove that made you like this?"
"… I used to fly around during the day and explore the areas around here," Patience answered. "Whenever I did that, I would see many species of Pokémon. I would remember what they would look like, and then when I went home at the end of the day, I would ask my caretakers what they were. Usually they knew, but sometimes I would need to look it up in books because it was something exotic like a Banette. But it came naturally to me. I saw those Pokémon and once I knew their names, they stuck with me, like they were only other names for myself."
"Oh, so you were a little explorer huh?"
"Yes. I liked to see new things. I liked to see how different the sunset was in each place. I liked how the trees were different in some forests. It was exciting really, seeing all of those new sights and new Pokémon. "
"I see. It sounds like you really loved to explore."
"I did, yes."
"But now you're a sentry and you sit on top of a watchtower all day."
"Yes. My caretakers suggested that I did that when I became a Tranquill that so that I could do something useful for the city."
"Huh. Sounds like you really changed then. But I guess that happens to everyone. We all change our priorities and interests in life when we get older, especially when we try to find out place in life. There's just some things we have to leave behind in our hatchling days. It's the only way we can ever really grow. We can't really become better Pokémon if we want to keep doing the same thing forever."
"… Yes, Rale."
"It kind of reminds me of something I went through when I was younger. Back when I was still a little Riolu, I really used to love collecting all of these skulls of dead Pokémon I found out in the forest. I don't even remember why now; I found them fascinating for some reason. Something about the way it felt and how the eye sockets looked, I think. So I would go out hunting for them every single day and keep them in my room in these little piles. Well as you can imagine, when I came to the Guard Guild, I couldn't exactly do that anymore. Because it really doesn't look good for you to abandon your shift to find these skulls or-"
Patience's caretakers had both been good Pokémon. They were both Talonflame who claimed to have found him wandering about a forest as a hatchling so young that he could only make chirping noises to communicate. For ten years, they raised him on their own, as if he truly were their son. They nurtured him and taught him everything they could to make him the best Tranquill he could possibly be. That was why they told him to join the guild. They had wanted him to grow more so he could later potentially pursue a dream of becoming an adventurer in the future. After all, he could only learn so much from flying through the skies each and every day. He had to learn to interact with Pokémon and develop useful skills if he wanted to be a successful individual.
And he had just done that. He was a very successful individual now. He was an esteemed sentry that everyone admired. He had a home of his own and had become completely self-sufficient. He truly was the best Tranquill he could possibly be.
And yet… he didn't know what to think of the Tranquill he had become. He knew he made many Pokémon in his life very happy but… was he happy? Did he enjoy being a sentry that watched the same, unchanging forest every single day? Did the fact that he could no longer remember how old he was indicate that he was finally content and happy to settle into a routine, or that he no longer cared to find meaning in his days?
Or what about the fact that he couldn't even taste the drink that had just arrived in front of him? What was he supposed to think of that? He knew Lum shakes were delicious with how they were an explosion of just about every flavor imaginable. And he knew that the recipe hadn't been watered down over time, as Rale's ears perked up the second he slurped up his own shake. So why did it taste like water? Why did sipping up the shake feel very similar to forcing down a bitter medication?
"Hey, what's that outside?"
Patience lifted his beak from the inside of the class. He looked over to see all of the Pokémon in the cafe abandon their seats and congregate to the windows. Patience glanced over at Rale to find that he still sat nearby, though now eying the windows as well.
"What's going on?" Patience asked.
"I don't know, but there's only one real way to find out, isn't there?" he asked in return.
The Lucario and Tranquill got up from their seats and made their way over to the growing crowd. They forced their way through the crammed place, squeezing themselves into any space they could, until they made it to the very front of the crowd right by the windows. Patience didn't even need to follow everyone's gazes to see what all the fuss was about.
A hole had appeared in the sky. A great rip tore through the black sky, and within that tear, lay a vast amount of interchanging colors. And though it seemed small from where Patience stood, he knew that an entire city could fit inside it. Perhaps even two.
Patience kept his eyes glued to that tear, watching it carefully as everyone around him muttered amongst themselves, wondering what it could possibly be.
"Well, that's certainly something you don't see every day," Rale noted.
Patience didn't respond. He could barely hear Rale anyway. His words sounded muffled, as if he were talking underwater. The same could be said about all of the other Pokémon surrounding him. Everyone seemed to be growing further and further away from him the longer he stared at that hole.
What was that thing in the sky? What were all of those colors within it, swirling and streaming past one another like rivers? And why did he feel the need to ruffle his feathers the more he stared at it?
"… and I'm pretty sure you're going to have to keep any eye on it."
Patience blinked, and all of the voices came rushing back to him with full clarity. He almost flinched from how sudden it was. He puffed himself up and fluttered his wings for a moment, and then looked back at Rale.
"What did you say?" Patience asked.
"I said, it looks like everyone at the guild has got something to keep an eye on, since I'm pretty sure whatever that is can't be a good sign," Rale explained. "And I'm pretty sure the chief is going to make you the one who is going to be keeping an eye on it the most."
It took Patience a moment to process what Rale just said. However, even after he did, he still couldn't wrap his mind around it.
"Why do you think that?" he asked.
"Because you're at the watchtower all the time and have the best view of it," Rale explained. You'll always have it in your sight when you're up that high. And you're good at noticing anyway. So you'd be the first one to pick up on if it begins to change and if we need to tell everyone we need to evacuate the city or something like that."
So that was it. Now not only would he be watching the forest for visitors, he would be watching the sky to note any changes with that tear. He could see the chief giving him that order. It was most certainly a strong possibility.
The thought of that should have made Patience's heartbeat quicken or entice him to chirp merrily. Something new, after all these years. Something different to look at other than the canopy of that forest. Potential danger up in the sky, staring right back at him.
But this thought didn't do anything. He felt nothing at the thought of watching that hole in the sky. Because even if he was watching that hole in the sky, waiting for it to possibly spell out disaster for the Pokémon in the land below, it didn't change the fact that he was still stuck on that tower observing it.
In reality, his job would become no different. He would still on that watchtower every day of his life, watching something. But now instead of just the forest down below, it would be the sky above as well.
Patience turned away from the window and forced his way through a space between a Pikachu and Ivysaur too dumbfounded by the anomaly in the sky to even notice the Tranquill.
"Hey, where are you going?" Rale asked.
"I'm feeling tired, so I'm going to go home and sleep," Patience answered. "Can you pay for my shake and I'll pay you back tomorrow? I don't have any money on me at the moment."
"Oh, sure, I can do that. Have a good night, Patience."
Patience forced his way through the rest of the crowd. When he managed to make it through the mass of squirming bodies, he headed out the door. The moment he felt the cool, night air hit his face, he opened up his wings and shot into the sky. He soared over the city, quickly leaving it behind as he entered the great forest bordering it.
It was not long before he found himself at the foot of his hutch. Without wasting a moment, he opened up the door before closing it shut and settled himself in his bed.
He hadn't been lying. He did feel tired. His eyes felt droopy and he lacked the strength to flap his wings anymore.
So after he adjusted his posture and moved around some of the bedding so that it did not dig into his skin, Patience closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep.
Tomorrow would be the same as today, he knew that. It had been like that since he first joined the guild and became its sentry. He would wake up, receive his assignment, and then watch the forest all day. And then he would go back to the chief and report that nothing of note had truly happened. All was peaceful, just as they wanted it to be. Then he would return home and sleep, so long as no one invited him to spend part of the night with them.
And then the cycle would start anew once again.
Again and again.
Never to end.
And a new tear in the sky was not going to change that.