Chapter 2: Cape Conundrum

~Azure Cape~

Shane quickly discovered that his bravado came with a fatal flaw: running. Namely, he was bad at it. When he finally managed to stop stumbling every few feet, he found himself wincing with every step he took. Pebbles lodged themselves between his digits, and the coarse ground scratched his new paw pads. He gritted his teeth and kept at it, though, trying to keep up with Tessa. But it wasn't long before his lungs started burning. Sweat pooled in his tuft of hair. It collapsed, plastering slimy fur against his eyes. He had to shut them to drive away the stinging sensation.

"Okay… running on four legs is not as easy… as those dogs on TV make it," he panted.

"Then why did you suggest going after these guys?" Tessa growled from up ahead of him.

"I'm not the one who lives here," Shane said. "You should've told me... how far it was..."

Tessa shook her head. 'This was a huge mistake. But, we've already come out all this way. It'd be pointless to turn back.' She spotted twinkling lights ahead of her. "We're approaching the beach."

"Great. I could do with a midnight dip at this point," Shane quipped.

"Are you even taking this seriously? This whole thing was your idea," Tessa groaned. "I do want my scarf back."

"I know," Shane acknowledged, "I just didn't factor in the run distance. Aha ha… ha…"

They jogged down the hill in tandem. The grass and dirt gave way to a sandy beach that sparkled in the moonlight. The cool sand soothed Shane's sore paws. He sighed contently. Tessa slowed up and looked around.

"I don't see them anywhere," she reported.

Shane rolled his eyes. "Puh-lease. Like they would really just stand in the middle of a wide-open beach. They may not have sounded like the sharpest tacks in the toolkit, but no introductory boss could be that stupid. Maybe they went somewhere else?"

"That doesn't make sense. The Cape's the only place in this direction besides Aeon Town," Tessa said. "Maybe they found somewhere to hide?"

"Like that giant wall of trees over there?" Shane said, jerking his head back.

Tessa's eyes widened. "No way! That's part of the boundary of Dewdrop Woods," she said. "They, um, wouldn't try to breach a Mystery Dungeon and hide there just to seal a scarf, would they? They'd get jumped by wild Pokémon for sure."

"What are you asking me for? I don't know a thing about this place, other then it's wet and sandy," Shane scoffed. "Feels nice after that run, though. We ought to come here again sometime."

Tessa slumped over. "Then, it's hopeless, isn't it?"

"Hey, cut it out with that quitter talk, Riolu! We're not giving up yet," Shane said, slapping her on the back. Tessa whirled on him with an angry look, but Shane ignored her. "Look at me. I died on the first Goomba in World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros. the first time I ever played it. And did I break the game cartridge in a rage? No. I mean, I was playing an emulator, so there wasn't a cartridge to break and I definitely wasn't about to smash Dad's computer. But, the point is, I kept at it and, a few months later, I was able to beat the game!"

Tessa gave him a confused look. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I thought we were here to get my scarf back. Are you telling me you think it's going to take months?"

Shane rolled his eyes. "No. I'm saying that, even if they're not out in the open, those two still sounded like a pair of knuckleheads," Shane said. "No way they're bright enough to have a solid escape route planned out. Especially if they just scooped up your scarf on a whim."

"You seem remarkably confident for someone who doesn't even know where he's going," Tessa sighed. She was about to say something else when her aura feelers twitched. "Wait a tic." She scanned the beachfront. "I think someone's out there."

"Why, cause your little face baubles told you?" Shane scoffed. "Man, sure must be nice having magic aura-sensing powers at your beck and call." His snout wrinkled. "All glory to the aura wielder. Making every other Pokémon look bad since the mid-2000's."

He huffed and looked away, pouting. 'Was it really too much to ask for me to be a Riolu? I never get what I want.'

"I can't really control it, you know," Tessa mumbled, rubbing one of the feelers.

"Seriously?" Shane cocked an eyebrow. "Oh god, are you, like, actually a little kid?"

"What? No," Tessa said, looking a bit insulted at that.

"Then what's the problem? Are you sick or disabled?" He rolled his eyes. 'Figures something like this would happen. I get to be around a real Riolu and she can't even use any aura. Good grief. There's bad luck and then there's my luck.'

"I just... I don't have anyone to teach me how to use aura, okay?" Tessa said. "If my feelers twitch like this, I can pick up some traces of another Pokémon's presence. But it's only for the briefest of moments and…" Her brow furrowed. "Oh, why am I wasting time explaining this to you anyway? Let's just keep going."

"To where?"

"Over by that rock formation." Tessa pointed a paw forward. She and Shane cautiously approached the area. As they did, Tessa's aura feelers twitched again. "I think we're getting close."

"Well, we sure won't hear anything if you keep flapping those gums."

Tessa reached out and clamped Shane's snout. His eyes went wide. "Quiet! They're talking," she said.

"Kweh heh heh heh! Like taking candy off a hatchling," Sneasel's voice carried from behind the rocks.

Jangmo-o whistled. "It's so sparkly. Like it's made out of gems."

SMACK!

"You dope. They don't make clothing out of gems," Sneasel barked. "How would a 'mon wear something like that? It'd be wicked uncomfortable."

"Maybe for you."

"Well, some of us don't have scales," Sneasel pointed out. "Especially not ones shaped like wussy li'l hearts. Ain't that right, heart-face?"

"Oh yeah? Well... well... I'd rather have a scaly face than a feather popping out of my head," Jangmo-o countered. "It looks all girly."

"Then catch!"

"Augh!" Jangmo-o hollered. "What'd ya do that for? I don't want this thing."

"There. Now you're the girly one," Sneasel laughed. "Go on, twirl around for me with that frilly scarf. Kweh heh heh!"

"Nnnrrrrggghhhhh." Tessa gnashed her teeth together. She released her grip on Shane's mouth and jumped across the rock formation. "Gimme my scarf back!" she shouted.

Sneasel and Jangmo-o jumped to attention. "What the–?" Sneasel narrowed his eyes at Tessa. "Hey, ain't that the broad we swiped this scarf from?"

"Either that, or she has a twin sister," Jangmo-o replied. "She's got the same extra fur tufts over her ears."

Sneasel rubbed his claws together. "Kweh heh heh heh! You actually tailed us out here? That's cute. Real cute. But you're a fool if you think you can take us alone," he taunted.

'Well, I guess that's my cue,' Shane thought. "Who said anything about Riolu being alone?" he bellowed, trotting out from his hiding spot and puffing out his chest. "Well?" He looked at Tessa with a smirk. "How was that? Pretty heroic entrance, eh? Anyway." He cleared his throat. "Surrender… you fiends! Return the scarf at once."

Sneasel and Jangmo-o exchanged looks, only to break down laughing. Shane's expression faltered. "Hey! What's the big idea? You should be, I dunno, quaking in fear or something. Don't you have any idea who you're messing with?"

Tessa's shoulders slouched. 'I don't like where this is going.'

"Kweh heh heh heh! We should be afraid? Of what, you, Snowy? Don't make me laugh," Sneasel dismissed.

"But, you laughed before you said that, dude," Jangmo-o pointed out.

Sneasel whirled on his counterpart, a vein bulging out of his forehead. "How's a guy supposed to talk tough if his partner's not backing him up, huh?"

Jangmo-o stiffened. "Err… uh… well…" He narrowed his eyes at Shane and Tessa. "We stole this scarf fair and square. Back off or we'll have to get nasty!"

"Oh yeah?" Shane jumped at the two of them. "Well, take this!"

He opened his mouth, only to cough up a puff of air. His eyes widened. "Hey, what's the big idea? Where's my attack?" he gasped.

"It's right here!" Sneasel shouted, slamming into Shane with a sudden burst of speed. Shane fell into the sand with a holler.

"Your turn, puppy-girl. This is for ruining our patented super speedy getaway special!" Jangmo-o cried. He charged at a trembling Tessa.

'No, no, no, no. This is not how this was supposed to go down!' She raised up her arms in a vain attempt at shielding. 'Oh pleeeeeeease let this work.'

Jangmo-o tackled Tessa, but she maintained her balance. Her arms glowed red and she swung both fists at her attacker. She socked Jangmo-o right in the snout. He stumbled back in a daze. "Owie! Owie!" His eyes teared up. "Sneasel! She countered me right in the schnozzle. That's not faaaaair. Tell her to fight fair!"

"That's a bit rich coming from you, don't you think?" Tessa growled. 'Thank the gods, it actually worked.'

"Oh yeah? Well… well… if you're gonna be like that, then I've got no qualms about doing… this!" Jangmo-o scooped up some sand in his claws and hurled it at Tessa. She threw up her paws, but her reaction time was too slow. Coarse granules scratched Tessa's eyes, turning her vision blurry. Tessa stumbled back, trying to brush the sand out of her eyes. Jangmo-o charged forward and tackled her to the ground.

"C'mon, Riolu! That was weak. Put your back into it," Shane barked from beside her.

"Why don't you worry about yourself, Snowy? Kweh heh heh!" Sneasel cackled. He darted forward, seemingly disappearing before Shane's eyes. Next thing he knew, Sneasel reappeared beside him, knocking him back into the sand.

"Auugggh! Pleeechff… gwwwaaaaf!" Shane coughed up sand. He ran his tongue across the insides of his cheeks, and nearly gagged. "Dang it! Why can't I make an attack? Where's the fire?" He jumped to his feet and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "Come on, stupid, girly Vulpix body. Flame on! Torch 'em! Get all fired up! Fire in the hole!" He clenched a forepaw. "Why isn't any of this working? Ugh, this is why I wanted to be a Riolu!"

"Kweh heh heh! Your friend Snowy's a few berries short of a bush, toots," Sneasel cackled, rubbing his claws together. "All the better for easy pickings."

Shane shot Tessa a panicked look. "Riolu. Why can't I use Ember? I'm a Vulpix, right?"

"I'm… a bit busy… OOF!" Tessa and Jangmo-o collided with one another mid-charge. They bounced back in opposite directions.

Sneasel doubled over in laughter. "A Vulpix using Ember? What rocks are rattling around in your brain, Snowy? You're half a world off in your thinking." He disappeared into the shadows again, and then struck Shane from behind. Shane whimpered as he skidded across the sand. Dusty streaks formed across his pristine, white coat.

"Get a load of this clown, Jangmo-o. He really thinks he's like them orange Vulpixes across the ocean. What a riot!" Sneasel taunted.

"You idiot," Tessa shouted from ahead of him, "Why would you even suggest trying to fight these guys if you don't even know how to use your own moves?"

"Well, I… I thought I could just use Ember. It's the low-level fire-type move. That's how it works when a Pokémon starts out battling, right?" Shane groaned, trying to lumber to his feet.

Tessa ducked a lunging Jangmo-o and whirled on Shane. "Fire-type? Have you completely lost your mind? You're an ice-type, you ditz! How could you not have known that? Look at your fur color!"

"Wait, what?" Shane's jaw dropped. "Is that your idea of witty battling banter? It needs serious work!"

Tessa glared at him. "For the love of... does it look like I'm joking to you?"

Shane's eyes widened. "No way! An ice-type Vulpix? What sort of messed up universe is this, huh?"

"The one that's gonna be your end, Snowy! Kweh heh heh heh!"

Shane yipped in fright and tunneled into the sand. Sneasel emerged from the shadows, but sailed right over him. Shane popped his brown, sand-covered head up.

'An ice-type? Then I should know an ice-type move, right?' he figured. 'Okay, Shane, make or break time. You've just gotta think cold. Ice cubes. Popsicles. The freezer aisle at the old grocery store with those god-awful pizzas. My bedroom during the winter because running the heat's too expensive. Aha!'

A chill ran across Shane's fur and numbness spread down his limbs. He opened his mouth and a flurry of snowflakes rushed out. Sneasel flinched and threw his claws over his face. "Holy Karp! I am an ice-type," Shane gasped. "Are you kidding me? This is terrible! Ice is, like, the most garbage-tier of all the types. I'd have even taken poison over this. What, did I piss this world's Arceus off or something? I definitely didn't ask to have my Pokémon life set to 'hard mode!'"

"Finally realized the obvious, did we?" Sneasel wiped frost from his brow. "Well, it ain't gonna make no difference. I can withstand Powder Snows all night. Kweh heh heh!"

A lightbulb went off in Shane's head. "Riolu!" he shouted, sprinting away from Sneasel.

"Not… nnngh… now!" Tessa grunted, trading blows with Jangmo-o once again. A short gust of snowy air raced past her shoulder and struck Jangmo-o. He gave a cry of pain as frost covered up his right flank.

"We're switching targets," Shane instructed.

"Right, because your other ideas have worked out great so far," Tessa protested.

Shane grabbed Tessa's shoulders with his forepaws and spun her around. Sneasel charged the duo down, brandishing his claws. "Go for it, champ. I believe in you," Shane said, shoving Tessa forward. He spun around to face the dazed Jangmo-o.

"Nuh-not c-c-c-c-cool," Jangmo-o said, tiny fangs chattering in his mouth.

"Oh, wait! Time out!" Shane held up a forepaw. "That's a perfect setup for my first heroic one-liner. Ahem…" He straightened himself up. "On the contrary, you ugly little Cranidos wannabe. It's very cool!" he proclaimed. He gave Jangmo-o a cheeky grin. "Eh? Eh? What'd you think? Pretty good, huh?" Jangmo-o looked at Shane in disbelief. "Bah, everyone's a critic," Shane grumbled, and then released another flurry of snowflakes.

Jangmo-o was ready this time and jumped back. When he did, his body started glowing red. "Oh no you don't. You can't run from me. I've got type advantage on my side, villainous scum!" Shane declared. He dashed forward, spewing more snow. Jangmo-o dug in his legs and absorbed the blow. The scale on his forehead lit up bright white in the night.

"Huh?" Shane's snout stiffened.

"Vulpix, get outta there!" Shane heard Tessa cry from behind him. She and Sneasel had just bounced back after smacking into one another. "He's Biding. If he redirects that attack on you, it's gonna hurt."

"Eh?" Shane turned around and his eyes widened as a glowing Jangmo-o charged him down. "Ahh! No… stay back… stay BACK!" He gave a loud, girlish shriek. Jangmo-o halted mid-charge. An invisible force grabbed hold of him and flung him back into one of the nearby rocks.

"Gnaaaaaargh!" Jangmo-o cried. His stored energy evaporated around him.

"Alright!" Shane cheered. "What the heck did I just do? Did I learn Hyper Voice in my first battle? Man, I am totally awesome! I'm gonna be the best human savior this world's ever seen."

No sooner did he finish that sentence then Sneasel popped out of the shadows and slammed into him from behind. Shane faceplanted into the sand. "So, Snowy thinks he's a big-shot because he Roared my partner at the right time, huh?" Sneasel scoffed. "Well that's nothing but a dirty lie. Kweh heh heh!"

"Sorry, Vulpix!" Tessa called. She flash-stepped forward, using the burst of speed to charge into Sneasel. The two tumbled across the sand.

"It's… pllletttth… Shane," Shane grumbled, spitting out more sand.

"Sneasel, it ain't fair!" Jangmo-o whined. "They ain't supposed to use tactics against us. I don't see no guild badges on 'em. We've been bamboozled!"

Sneasel and Tessa staggered to their feet. "Huh. So, that's your game huh? Kweh heh heh! Not bad, girlie."

Tessa narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You pretend to be all innocent and weak. Then you tail a couple of decent-looking targets and knock 'em about," Sneasel replied. "That's pretty low… even by our standards. How long you been on the outlaw board for, huh?"

"I am not a thug," Tessa declared. Sneasel darted from his spot, disappearing into the shadows. He reemerged and struck Tessa in the chest. But as she stumbled back, she swung her right arm around. Red light flared up around her fist. She smacked Sneasel in the gut.

"Aaaaagh!" Sneasel spun about from the force of the blow. He stumbled about for a few steps before collapsing onto his belly.

"Sneasel!" Jangmo-o's eyes widened. Shane jumped in his path.

"There. Now, surrender that scarf or I'll turn you into a lizardsicle," Shane declared.

Jangmo-o unwrapped the scarf. "Fine. You want it so bad? Here…" He used his jaw to hurl it forward. "Take it!"

The scarf blinded Shane. He let out a surprised gasp and stumbled back. Jangmo-o bore down and charged at him. Tessa saw the scene happening and immediately tried to run forward. But Jangmo-o was much closer to Shane. Just as he pulled the scarf off his eyes, Jangmo-o slammed into him.

Rrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip!

His hardened forehead scale tore the scarf in half as he and Shane fell to the ground.

"No!"

Tessa staggered to a stop. Jangmo-o looked down and saw the torn halves. "Sweet! Now we can get twice as much for these," he cackled. But as he lunged to scoop up the halves, Tessa sped forward and shoulder-tackled him. Jangmo-o smacked the sand with a resounding thump and went limp. Tessa tossed sand on Jangmo-o's face for good measure, and then got to her feet. She trudged over to her torn scarf. Shane sat beside the halves, looking particularly pleased with himself.

"Well, the going got a bit rough there at the start, but the side of good prevailed in the end. Isn't that right, Riolu?"

Tessa kneeled down and gingerly scooped up the two strips of cloth. She rested them on her knee and dusted them off. "My... my scarf..." she whimpered. "Dad's scarf. It's ruined."

"Riolu? Hello? Anyone home?" Shane started waving a forepaw in front of her face. "Shouldn't we, uh, find someone to arrest those guys?"

"Uuuuuuurrrrrgh… y-you… got lucky, Snowy."

Shane whirled around to see Sneasel up on one knee.

"Kweh… heh… you and girlie over there… better hope… you don't see us… again," Sneasel panted. He managed to scoop up Jangmo-o and rest him on his shoulder. "Next time… no kiddie gloves…"

"Ah yes, the old 'we were taking it easy on you,' cop out," Shane said. "What's the matter? Not 'mon enough to admit you got beaten by a white Vulpix?" He turned around and switched his tails about at Sneasel. "It's okay… I'd be embarrassed if I were you, too."

"Ooog… Sneasel," Jangmo-o coughed, sliding off his shoulder, "We won't get no rematch if we stick around here. We've gotta execute plan R!"

Shane raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

"Run away!" they shouted in unison and scurried along the beach, stumbling the whole way.

Shane kicked the sand. "Crud, we've got to go after them!"

"… forget it, Vulpix."

Shane turned around to see Tessa back on her feet, cradling the halves of her scarf. "Look at us. We're all banged up and dead tired," she said. Shane looked over the tan streaks staining his pelt. Blood rushed into his face. "We're not gonna catch them," Tessa continued.

'Ugh! If I was a Riolu like her, this wouldn't look so stupid. Heck, if I was a normal Vulpix, it wouldn't look that bad,' Shane groaned. 'But, she's got a point. My legs and chest feel heavy enough already.'

"What about your scarf?" Shane asked.

"Don't you mean 'scarves?'" Tessa separated them, letting them dangle uselessly in her arms. Jangmo-o had cleaved the scarf cleanly in half. The two halves were equally-sized, with each one having frayed threads on the end that had gotten cut.

"Oh..." Shane whispered, lowering his head. "Crap... I really mucked that up, didn't I?"

Tessa slung the half ending with the moon pattern around her neck. "Well… it fits much better now. No more tripping over it. I guess that's a consolation… or something." Her ears folded against her head.

Shane perked back up, failing to read the disappointment in Tessa's voice "It sure is! Now you've got two of them. See, something good came out of this after all." He smiled at her.

"I guess so," Tessa mumbled. She noticed Shane continuing to look right at her. "Uh… can I help you?"

"Well, y'know, you've got that other scarf half there," Shane said, pawing at the ground. "I thought, I dunno, that maybe I could have it?"

Tessa clasped the other half of the scarf against her chest. "And why would I do something like that? We're not friends."

Shane's muzzle stiffened. "Aww, c'mon. We battled together pretty well. I'm telling you, we could make a great team."

'There it is again,' Tessa thought. 'I know my heroes all started off fighting small-time thugs, but this just has to be a coincidence. Besides, we nearly choked big time. And... and...'

Tessa frowned. "We hardly worked well, at all. You leaped into action without even knowing if you could use any moves... and you had the gall to scold me when you weren't doing anything to help!"

"Well, yeah, I suppose you're right. But once I found my rhythm I–"

"You tried to use Ember and called yourself a fire-type," Tessa reminded him. "You didn't even realize I was facing a dragon-type at first, did you?"

"In my defense, in the world I'm from we don't have things like that Jangmo-o guy," Shane said. "Besides, he didn't use any dragon-type attacks. No harm, no foul. And I already told you before, Vulpixes are fire-types in my world. They have orange fur and–"

"But this isn't your world," Tessa said. "The fire-type Vulpixes are only in the continents an ocean away from us. And since you clearly don't know as much as you claim to about this continent, whatever makes you think that I would want to go exploring with someone like you? Your breed of recklessness could get an unsuspecting Pokémon killed!"

She bit her lip. 'Please... please just say something that will reassure me. I want this to work, but I know better than to get my hopes up over this.'

"Okay, I get you're hesitant. But I can give you a great reason to adventure with me," Shane chuckled. "I'm a human in a world of Pokémon. There are legends about what folks like me can do. That makes me important and you, as the Pokémon who found me first, equally important… by extension, of course."

'Is it really true, though?' Tessa wondered. 'Are you like the rest of them? Would... would that really make me special, too?' Her lips pursed. "You're assuming things, Vulpix."

"It's Shane."

"… whatever." Tessa flicked a paw. "You don't even know why you're here, right?"

"Well, no, but I assume I–"

Tessa quickly pounced on that statement. "Aha, see. You 'assume.' That means you don't know. So, who's to say you didn't just get brought here by accident? For all we know… no, for all anyone knows, there could be dozens of humans-turned-Pokémon running around here that don't have legends about them. All because they were dragged here by accident." She jabbed a digit into Shane's sternum and he tensed up.

Shane sucked in a weak gasp of air. His chest tightened and he clutched it with a forepaw. 'Accident?' he repeated. His jaw locked up. Sharp, pointed, invisible edges dug into his hide. Shane violently lurched his body forward, forcing Tessa to step back. His tails curled up against his rear and his muscles spasmed. He mouthed the word "accident."

"V... Vulpix?" Tessa gasped. 'What did I do to him?'

Shane swayed back and forth. Tessa stepped toward him, expecting him to pass out again. To her surprise, he blinked a few times and shook his head. "Nnngh... wh... what happened?"

Tessa managed to stuff her animosity toward Shane back in the deeper recesses of her mind. 'What was that? It didn't look like something he could just fake.' Her brow furrowed. "Mind explaining yourself, there?"

"Huh?" Shane looked about in confusion. "What do you mean? Weren't you in the middle of accusing me of assuming stuff? Which, by the way, I'm totally not doing."

Tessa's snout stiffened. 'This is some sort of mind game, right? He totally had a breakdown the moment I said I thought his arrival was an accident. Did he black out or something? Well, I guess this as good a chance as any to figure something important out.'

She frowned as Shane rubbed his head with a foreleg. "Let me ask you something, Vulpix. Why me, huh? Why do I have to be your partner?"

Shane froze, looking like a deer caught in a car's headlights. "Uh, well..." he stammered, pawing nervously at the ground. "I just... I dunno... I like you."

"How can you say that when we've only been together one afternoon?" Tessa asked.

"I don't know how to explain it. You give off a good vibe," Shane said, giving her a big smile.

'He... he can't really thing that, can he? Nobody would say something like that to me except for Eevee. Did he tell Vulpix to say that?' Tessa shuffled about nervously. "That's still not good enough," she said.

Shane bowed his head, sighing loudly. "Look, I just really like Riolus, okay. I think they're awesome." He gave her a pleading look. "You have no idea how long I've dreamed about something like this."

Tessa crossed her arms and raised a skeptical brow. "I thought Pokémon weren't real where you were from."

"I could still dream about it," Shane whispered. He looked back up at Tessa. "Isn't there anything I could do to convince you I'm worth your time?"

"Apologize to me."

"Huh?" Shane tilted his head. "What for?"

"For rushing into battle... and getting my scarf ripped," Tessa said.

Shane frowned. "But–" He cut himself off, wincing at the serious look in Tessa's eyes. "Okay. I'm sorry I rushed into battle. And I'm sorrier I got your scarf torn up. I'll try not to bungle things up again."

'Something tells me that's as good as I'm gonna get,' Tessa thought. She cleared her throat. "Okay, I can accept that."

"Ah, finally coming around, are we?" Shane asked, chuckling.

Tessa narrowed her eyes. "Don't push it, okay. I gave you a place to stay and you helped me get my scarf back... sorta. That makes us even."

"I guess that's fair," Shane replied. An awkward silence came over them. "So, uh, does this mean you'll come with me to the guild?" Shane batted his eyelids at Tessa.

She shuffled backward. "I... I don't think I can."

Her mother again leaped to the front of her mind. Lucario stood in the doorway, firmly clutching a badge in her paw. "There's something I need to do, Tessa," she said. "It's guild business, so I can't tell you about it. Go stay with Sylveon until I return. I promise… I won't be long."

The image quickly faded, only for a new one to replace it in her mind: an Absol glaring at her with as much intensity as he could muster, pointing the tip of his scythe forward.

"Don't you ever let me catch you setting foot in that guild. If you do, I won't hesitate to strike you down!"

Tessa jolted to attention and rapidly shook her head. "I'm sorry!" she blurted out. "I can't… I can't do that. If… if you want to go there," she said with a gulp, "you'll just have to find someone else."

"But you just said you'd be okay working with me," Shane reminded her. "And, well, I'm in a strange land. With no friends or family. And no idea what to do. The guild's my best option if I'm going to figure out what to do about my current situation."

"I'm sorry, Vulpix, but I can't help you," Tessa insisted. "Please drop this subject."

"… no!" Shane responded, causing Tessa to tense up.

"W-Why not?" she growled.

"Look, Riolu." Shane's gaze fell to the beach and he pawed at the sand. "You don't like me. I get it. But we can make this work somehow. We battled together pretty well, didn't we?"

He extended a green, sand-coated paw toward Tessa. She clutched the scarf around her neck. 'I really do want to, but I can't,' she thought. 'Every time I get close to the guild, I…' The same image of an Absol barking at her flashed through her mind.

'No!' Tessa straightened up her stance. 'Enough is enough. Fate may have given me the opportunity I've been praying for. To be popular! To be famous! So, I can't turn tail and run. Every pair of heroes formed a duo of some sort. And now it's my turn. Besides, Sylveon told me it's the best way to figure out where Mom went. I don't care what Gallian says… if I go with Vulpix, everyone will hopefully pay attention to him and leave me alone.'

Tessa took a deep breath. 'Even if I think Vulpix is far from perfect, I should stick with him. Then I can be famous, just like he said. People will actually pay attention to me. I won't be a loser anymore. Everyone will want to be friends with me... just like I've dreamed of.'

Tessa took another deep breath and closed her eyes. She then extended the other half of her scarf forward. "Don't read too deep into this, okay?" she said. "I'm just giving you this so it'll look like we coordinated a bit before going to the guild. So, here. Take it."

Tessa opened her eyes and thought she saw Shane's eyes sparkle. He snatched the scarf up in his mouth and slung it around his neck. "Alright! This is gonna be great!" He stuck out a forepaw toward Tessa. "Uh? You gonna fist-bump me or not?"

"No," Tessa replied. "And there are conditions attached to this. First off, I reserve the right to back out of this if I think it's a bad idea. Understand?"

"Pfffbttt, you'll have nothing to worry about there," Shane assured. Tessa glared at him. "Okay, okay, I agree. Whatever."

Tessa nodded. "Good. And, for the other condition, we're not going right away."

Shane blinked in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Because we need to do some training first," Tessa said. "I want to be absolutely sure you can use your moves when you need to so we don't have a repeat of this performance. Y'know, in case there's some sort of entrance exam or something."

"P'shaaaw, you're overthinking this. They'll be happy to have us."

Tessa crossed her arms. "That's my other condition. Either put up with it or the deal's off."

Shane rolled his eyes. "Fine, if you insist." He sauntered up beside Tessa. "Come tomorrow, when I dazzle you with my attacks, you'll realize we're just wasting time."

~Sunrise Village, Sylveon's House~

"There you two are!" Sylveon grabbed hold of Shane and Tessa with her ribbons and dragged them in through the doorway. "Where did you run off to at this time of night? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Tessa looked down guiltily. "It's my fault, Sylveon," she admitted. "I thought I heard someone shouting outside. And then a pair of thugs tried to steal my scarf. I woke Vulpix up and we chased them to Azure Cape. Things… got a bit out of control from there."

"I can see that," Sylveon said. "Your scarf got cut in half. And you two are positively filthy. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm a little banged up, but it's not that bad," Shane said. "We managed to walk all the way home from the beach without any trouble." He took a step forward, intending to emphasize his point. However, his legs gave out, and he flopped onto his belly. "Oooooooog," he groaned.

"You're far from okay, Vulpix," Sylveon declared. "I want you heading right to bed and you are not getting up until I say it's okay. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am," Shane muttered. Next thing he knew, Sylveon's feelers had wrapped up his torso. Sylveon carried him off toward Tessa's room. Tessa waited until the door closed, and then lumbered toward the couch.

"Tessa?"

She froze, and then turned around. "Hi, Eevee," she whispered. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Did something happen? You're all dirty," Eevee squeaked.

"Oh it's, uh, nothing important." She tried to give Eevee a reassuring smile. "Run back to bed."

"Okay," Eevee said. "Good night, Tessa."

Tessa let out a yawn. "Good night, Eevee." She watched her friend retreat into his room. Then she lay down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

'Mom,' she thought. 'I'm gonna do it. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna fail. Just like with your aura training. But if I don't... then I'm finally going to be someone that you can be proud of... wherever you are.' She rolled onto her side, burying her face into a cushion.

'I just hope this isn't a huge mistake...'

End of Episode 1

Next time: joining the guild isn't exactly an easy task when your partner won't keep his trap shut.