A beam of light crept across Shane's body. He brushed his forepaws against his face and groaned. Shane curled up into a tighter ball, attempting to will away the light. But the beam lingered over him. Eventually, Shane gave an annoyed huff and poked his head up. "What?" he growled. "What's the prob–?"

He cut himself off and blinked in surprise. "Uh… this isn't my room," he said, getting to his feet. "How did I get back on the beach?" Shane looked around, surveying the sand in front of him. The beach gave way to luminescent, orange water that seemed to extend off beyond the horizon.

Shane looked up and noticed the sky perfectly matched the water's orange glow. "Okay, kinda creeped out here," he said. "This is definitely not the same beach I washed up on. So, what gives?"

"Finaaaaaaaalllllyyyy!"

"Gah!" Shane fell to his belly, covering his ears with his forepaws.

"Do you have any idea how long I've waited for you to wake up?"

Shane looked around, but didn't see any signs of another Pokémon. "Two words, whatever you are: volume control. I'm right here. I can hear you perfectly fine," he scoffed, slapping the side of his head.

"Foooooooool!" the disembodied voice bellowed, sending Shane to the ground once again. "I do not have time for smart remarks. I cannot maintain our dream link for long, human."

"I'm dreaming?" Shane tilted his head. "That'd explain the crazy water, I guess." His brow furrowed. "Wait, did you just call me a human?"

"Of course I did. I summoned you here, after all."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "Wait, by 'here,' do you mean this dream or the Pokémon world as a whole? This is kind of an important detail."

"What do you think, human?"

"Uh, I'm gonna go with 'Pokémon world as a whole,'" Shane replied, preparing to cover his ears again if the voice got angry.

"Yes… correct! You see, human, I am in need of your help."

A broad smile crept onto Shane's muzzle. "Go ooooooon…"

"There is something out there… draining me of my powers! Something… that wants to upset the balance of nature. But I do not know what it is."

"Hmm…" Shane scratched his chin. "That's pretty vague, but just as I'd expect of a weird voice inside my head." He looked out toward the ocean. "Isn't there any kind of clue you can offer me? A cryptic riddle? A vision of the future? Heck, I'll take an interpretive dance. Anything's better than flying blind, here."

"Did you not hear me, you foolish fool? I said I don't know! Why do you think I brought you into this world? To figure everything out before it's too late for me!"

Shane's grin broadened. "So, what you're saying is, you need me to save the world? Ha ha, yes! Wait'll the guild hears about this. Tessa can take her stupid 'you're here by accident' nonsense and shove it!" He started dancing around the beach, singing, "I'm gonna be a he-ro! I'm gonna be a he-ro!"

"Fooooooooooooooooooool!"

Shane fell flat onto his face.

"You cannot tell anyone about this! I've put myself in enough danger already just by bringing you here. Go forth… and find whatever is threatening the balance of nature!"

"Uh-huh, sure. I'll get right on that," Shane promised. "And what are you going to do? Sit around and bother me with cryptic dreams like this again in the future?"

"This is all I can do if I wish to conserve my power. You'd better figure something out, because I will contact you again."

Shane nodded. "Sounds good to me. Now, uh, think you can wake me up so I can get started with this whole investigating business?"

"Fine. As you wish. Farewell for now, human."

For a brief instant, Shane saw a sun-shaped silhouette appear in the water. Then, the silhouette let out a bright flash, completely blinding him.

Episode 3: One Step Forward

Chapter 5: Pearls of Wisdom

"Vulpix, wake up!" Tessa said, shoving her slumbering partner's hide. "C'mon, it's already dawn. You're gonna make us late for our first morning assembly."

"Gzzkkrr… snnnrrrkk… mmmfffffrr…" Shane snorted and stretched a forepaw forward. "Five more minutes… Mom," he groaned.

"Okay, we do not have time for this," Tessa grumbled. She grabbed hold of Shane's cushion and yanked it toward her. Shane rolled off it, landing splayed out on his back. His eyes shot open.

"Hey, what was that for?" he growled.

"You overslept, you dolt," Tessa scolded. "Let's get going or Braviary will yell at us for sure."

Shane rolled to his feet and threw on his scarf. He jogged into the hallway, with Tessa following after him. They proceeded toward the main assembly area, where they found the guild members they had met yesterday. Braviary stood in front of the door to Metagross' office. Team Radiance shuffled up beside Yungoos and Growlithe. "Psst, did we miss anything?" Shane asked.

"Nah, youse rookies are fine," Yungoos replied. "I think Braviary's waiting ta see if da Guildmaster's showing up."

Shane nodded. He turned toward Braviary, but then something sparkled in the corner of his eye. Shane craned his head to the right. "Uh…" He raised an eyebrow. "Anyone else see a Milotic, Serperior, and Dragonair huddled in the corner? What are they doing?"

Tessa turned and spotted the three serpentine Pokémon in question. "You mean Team Captivate?" Growlithe spoke up. "They're one of the veteran teams. Must be taking a request from the Guildmaster if they actually showed up to a morning meeting." Tessa eyed the veterans skeptically. Milotic spotted Tessa and her eyes widened. She held up her rainbow tail to shield her face, but Tessa could see Milotic whispering excitedly to her teammates. Tessa hiked her scarf up over her muzzle and turned back to face Shane.

"Alrighty, folks," Braviary said with a clear of his throat. "Don't look like the Guildmaster will be gracing us this morning. So, without further ado, here are today's announcements." Braviary looked at Team Radiance. "Now, I know most of y'all met 'em yesterday, but we got us a couple of new recruits. That there…" He pointed a wing at them. "… is Team Radiance. If'n ya haven't greeted 'em, say hi to Vulpix and Te–" He paused again. "I mean, Riolu."

"Why don't you want anyone calling you Tessa, again?" Shane asked.

Tessa looked down at the ground. "I already told you, it's none of your business. Now drop it." She noticed the trio of Team Captivate exchanging whispers again. She repositioned herself between Shane and Yungoos, although Shane didn't seem to care.

"Now then," Braviary continued, "I'm sure a few of ya have heard that Sunset Shoals had some of its caverns flooded. Well, the team that went to investigate reported back to me yesterday. They said the local Pokémon are claiming the tide's steadily grown stronger over the past few weeks."

Shane raised an eyebrow. 'Huh… could that be related to the whole 'messing with the balance of nature' thing I heard about in my dream?'

"Ain't entirely sure why that would be. But what is important is making sure the folks in nearby Circadian Coast are safe from any flooding. To that effect, Team Captivate over there will be delivering some supplies on the guild's behalf." Braviary nodded at the serpent trio. Milotic winked and blew a kiss toward him. "Lastly, Magearna asks that y'all refrain from using yer Gear-Coms if'n you do any assignments today. She'll be performing some maintenance on her receiver," Braviary announced. "That'll about do things for us this morning. Now, get out there and show Horizon what we're made of!"

"Hooo-rah!" the apprentices shouted in unison.

"What, no motto? Lame," Shane mused.

As the group dispersed, cream-colored scales filled Tessa's field of vision. She looked up into Milotic's soft expression. Shane just sat beside her, a mystified look in his eyes. "Hiya… Milotic…" Tessa whispered.

"Tessa, sweetie!" Milotic wrapped Tessa up in her body. She craned her neck down and nuzzled Tessa's forehead. Tessa flinched from the contact and fought to dodge Milotic's gaze. "Oh, sorry." Milotic released her. "It's just Riolu now, right? Like it should be?"

"Yeah," Tessa whispered.

"Well, it's great to see you again. It's been ages!" Milotic chirped. "I can't believe you're finally in the guild. Oh, I'll bet your mom and brother are so proud!"

Tessa winced and looked away. "Milotic," Dragonair whispered. "You're being inconsiderate. Can you not see the distress on her face?" She slithered forward. "Sorry about her, Riolu. You know how she gets sometimes."

"It's… it's okay, Dragonair," Tessa stammered. "Mom's still… away."

Milotic's eyes widened. "Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry, Riri! I had no idea. I'll drop the subject right away." She turned to her teammates. "C'mon, ladies. We've got some supplies to deliver!" They all lifted their tails and tapped the tips together. Then they slithered off toward the stairs. Braviary fluttered over to Team Radiance the moment Team Captivate had departed the area. Shane still had a starry-eyed look about him, so Braviary flapped a wing in his face.

"Paaaafffttth! Pfffftt! I'm awake… I'm awake!" Shane hollered. He blinked rapidly. "Where's the fire?"

"Quite spacing out, hoss," Braviary scolded. "It's time fer y'all to get working. I'm here to show you the job board. So, follow me." Braviary escorted Team Radiance up to the main entrance. Shane spotted two bulletin boards on either side of the room. One of them clearly had sketches of Pokémon on it, but Shane couldn't make out any specifics. "We collect jobs from all over," Braviary explained. "Pokémon interested in our help can post jobs here themselves or send requests to us via couriers."

'Wonder how a postal system even works in a place like this,' Shane thought. 'Must be some secretive legion of flying-types.'

"Now then, I want y'all to get used to accepting assignments from this job board. So, I'm gonna pick out yer first one. Sound good?"

"No objections here," Shane chirped.

"Yeah, that's fine," Tessa agreed.

Braviary unclipped one of the pages from the board and inspected it. "Perfect. Y'all can take this to start." He passed the page over to Tessa.

"Please help me, Horizon Guild," she read aloud. "I have this string of pearls that I wanted to exchange at the Kecleon Shop. I could really use some extra funds, and I was just so fortunate to discover these pearls. But when I was on my way to Aeon Town, I lost them. I believe they're somewhere along the Clayback River. Signed, Lunatone." She looked up at Braviary. "The Clayback River? That's a bit of a trek, isn't it?"

"Now don't you worry about something like that," Braviary laughed. "Y'all are part of the guild now. We've got ways of navigating the continent lickety split. If'n you head over to Aeon Port, you'll find the transportation you need."

"Is it a Lapras?" Shane asked.

"Ha, yer a riot, son! Ya really expect one Lapras to service the guild? Nah, we've got something much faster," Braviary exclaimed. "But I'll let y'all figure that one out for yourselves. Do whatever preparations y'all need. Then head on out to the port. I'm-a log this job into yer file in the meantime." He turned and glided over to the stairs, leaving Team Radiance over by the entrance.

"So, uh, we've got our first job!" Shane cheered. "You've got our pouch, right?" Tessa nodded. "Then let's make for the docks!"

"Don't you think we should get some supplies first?" Tessa exclaimed.

"What do we need? We're just going to investigate a river," Shane scoffed. "Besides, how could you still have money after the stuff you bought yesterday?"

"That was money I had saved for, uh, a special occasion?"

"Are you asking me or telling me? Look, we're burning daylight standing around here. We've got some pearls to find. So, let's get going!" He trotted out of the front door. Tessa groaned and followed behind him. She quickened her pace in order to get in front of Shane and properly lead up down one of the larger streets.

After a few minutes of walking, the buildings of Aeon Town gave way to a small hill that ran down to a set of wooden docks evenly spaced out in the water. Shane whistled. "Huh… they actually have more than one dock here. I'm surprised."

Tessa adjusted her pouch. "Well, Aeon Town is one of the bigger communities in Horizon, if I'm not mistaken. It's only natural we'd have to be ready for a bit of traffic."

"So, is this port connected to the water that surrounds Rainbow Island, then?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, the Midnight Sea," Tessa acknowledged. "I'm surprised you actually remembered."

"Hey, anything related to Ho-Oh is bound to stay in my brain," Shane declared. "And, seriously, it's called the Midnight Sea? That's totally not ominous or anything!"

"It's named that way because if ye be dumb enough to try swimming underwater, ye'll find it's as dark as the night sky!"

Shane's fur bristled. "Did you hear that?" He looked around rapidly. "That sounded like a pirate! Quick, find us some eyepatches so we can blend in."

"That's just our ride, oh wise explorer," Tessa deadpanned, pointing toward the edge of the dock. 'What the heck is a pirate, anyway?' she wondered. Shane followed her line of sight and spotted a jagged blue dorsal fin and a pair of beady red eyes separated by a yellow star marking.

"Oh, sweet! We get to ride a Sharpedo?" Shane gasped. "That's awesome!"

Sharpedo surfaced. "Aye. I be the cap'n of Horizon's Sharpedo Sailors. Yer the new guild members, right?"

"Sure are," Shane chirped, his earlier trepidation having vanished. He jogged up to Sharpedo. "I'm Shane, and this is my partner, Riolu."

Sharpedo examined Tessa as she joined up with Shane. "Yer eyes be familiar, lass," he acknowledged. "Yeh wouldn't happen to be–?"

"Yes, yes, my parents and brother are all in the guild. Can we just get going now? We need to get to the Clayback River," Tessa cut in.

"Of course." Sharpedo swiveled around, exposing a pair of plastic seats that attached to his dorsal fin. "Climb aboard." Tessa jumped into one of the seats. Shane had a bit more trouble steadying himself thanks to his lack of any arms. "Alright, we be setting course for Clayback River!"

~Clayback River~

"Okay, I'm sensing an immense bias toward light-furred Pokémon in this continent!"

Tessa paused in the middle of climbing up a rock. She glanced down to see Shane along the dark red riverbank, brushing his forepaws against the very same rock she clung to. "What's the problem, exactly?" she sighed.

"Look at me!" He lifted up his forepaws, showing the wet, brown dirt caking them. "I'm tired of getting my fur all grimy. First, it's sand. Then, it's dirt. And now, it's silt!"

Tessa smirked. "What happened to not wanting anyone to think you were girly?"

"I can't help it!" Shane proclaimed. He stumbled back from the rock. As he did, his tails brushed through the riverbank. Clay and silt caked them, making Shane cringe. "It's this stupid Vulpix body and mind of mine. There's a part of my brain that's insistent I keep this pelt nice and shiny. And if it ever gets messed up my fur bristles, my stomach twists in knots, and I feel like I've got this awful itch I can't scratch."

"Aww, you poor, poor thing," Tessa teased. "Guess exploring's not for you if you can't handle a getting down and dirty."

Shane's left eye twitched. "I… that's…" He stomped a forepaw on the ground. "I can totally handle it! Watch!" He scooped up a pawful of clay and smeared it across his chest. "See? Perfectly…" He looked down at his clay-covered chest. Shane's muzzle twitched. Seconds later, he smacked his forehead with his paw. "Aggh! What am I doing?" he groaned, only to stare at his grimy paw with wide eyes. "CRUD! I just made it worse!" he howled.

"You know, you're really not helping things," Tessa scoffed. "Find some higher ground so we can get a better look around the river, will ya?" Shane looked away dejectedly and started trying to spot a vantage point of his own. Tessa resumed her climb up the rock. She hefted herself up to stand on the top of the rock and survey the area.

Two banks of clay ran in parallel. Both had steep, rocky inclines separating them from the surrounding plains. The brown, dirt-filled river coursed in front of her, providing a considerable gap if Team Radiance hoped to reach the other bank. Tessa soon spotted a few outcroppings of rock that seemed close enough together to jump across.

"This river's current looks pretty strong!" Shane shouted. Tessa looked down and noticed Shane had dipped a paw in the river. "I can feel it racing against my paw," he said. "This is running out to the ocean?"

"I'm not sure," Tessa called back. "Do you see anything sparkling in the water?"

"No. This is way too murky. Probably from all the silt and clay in the basin," Shane reported. "But don't you think Lunatone would have known if he dropped his pearls into the river?"

"I guess he would've requested a water-type's help, yeah," Tessa acknowledged. "But the river continues out to the north. And it looks like it gets wider over there."

She slid back down the rock to regroup with her teammate. "What do you propose we do then? We've got to search the other side of the river too or we're bound to miss it," Shane said.

"I know. I spotted a set of rocks that jut out into the river up ahead," Tessa announced. "One of us should try to jump the gap and reach the other ba–"

"Oh! Dibs! Dibs!" Shane jumped about excitedly and then sprinted forward.

"Hey… wait! We should talk this over before we split up," Tessa protested, but Shane was already halfway toward the outcropping she saw. She ran after him, only to notice Shane spraying the part of the river between the rocks with a jet of snow. To her surprise, a thin layer of ice formed atop the river.

"What are you doing? You're just gonna tire yourself out," Tessa warned.

"It's a failsafe. If I can't make the jump, I won't end up in the drink," Shane stated, puffing his chest out.

"Ice doesn't work that way, dummy," Tessa growled. "A thin layer's not good enough. You need to consider your weight and the fact that you'd have momentum from falling!"

"Bah, physics was never one of my strong subjects. I'll be fine. It's just something to make you not complain. Guess it didn't work," Shane said, laughing. "Okay, 'Operation: Miles Prower' is go! Three… two… one… CHARGE!" Shane sprinted across the first outcropping.

Tessa shut her eyes and look away. 'Please don't screw this up and crack your skull in half…'

"Ta-daaaaaaaaah!"

She poked an eye open to see Shane trotting confidently down the rock along the other side. "What did I tell you?" he called back to Tessa. "Nothing to it!"

'Thank goodness,' she sighed, but she wasn't about to give Shane any satisfaction. "Don't celebrate until we've found the pearls. See if you can get up the dirt embankment over there and get a look around."

"I was already about to do that. Sheesh, no need to order me around," Shane scoffed, trotting over toward the hill. The dirt pile rose up high enough to reach the fields of green grass overlooking the river basin. As he approached it, Shane noticed something glimmer in the corner of his eye. "Hang on, I think there's something in this dirt pile," he announced.

"Don't just stand there, then. Dig it up," Tessa called. Shane braced his forepaws against the dirt and started digging away.

"Ugh… blecch!" Shane sputtered. "I can't believe dogs actually enjoy doing this back home."

"It's cause your technique's sloppy!" Tessa scolded. "Stop throwing the dirt to the side like a wuss and push it toward your belly."

"I'm… doing… fine!" Shane insisted. After a couple of minutes, his paws struck something hard. He looked down and noticed a sparkling silver bit of metal staring back at him. "Oh-ho! What have we here? Come to Shane, shiny." He stuck his paws into the dirt and gave a hearty tug. Tessa watched him unearth a string of mud-caked, silver beads. Shane tumbled back, clasping the beads as he landed on his back.

"Hey, those look like they could be our missing pearls," Tessa said. "Think you can manage to get back across with them in tow?" She bit her lip. 'Ugh, we did not think this through! I have the pouch and I have hands. Why did I let him jump across? Did I really think I'd be the one to find them?'

"Uh…" Shane looked at the pearls. "I think I can manage if I sling these pearls across my scarf. They're not that heavy."

"Kweh heh heh heh! Thanks for taking the trouble to dig those out for us, Snowy. Now we don't need to get our claws dirty!"

Tessa's heart leaped into her throat. 'No way… that's Sneasel's voice! What's he doing here?' As if to respond, Sneasel and Jangmo-o both emerged from the other side of the dirt hill, grinning wickedly.

"I thought your voices sounded familiar," Jangmo-o said with a laugh. "See, told you it'd be a good idea to lay low behind the hill."

Sneasel whirled on Jangmo-o. "What are you talking about? That was my idea!"

"Yeah? Well, I still provided moral support," Jangmo-o declared.

Shane narrowed his eyes at the duo. "What are you creeps doing here?"

"Kweh heh heh heh! Ain't it obvious? Combing for treasure, of course!" Sneasel declared.

"Yeah. Ain't nobody better at scooping up treasure than Team Fang," Jangmo-o added, only to receive a smack upside the head from Sneasel.

"You idiot. Why would you tell them our team name?"

"Uh, to strike fear into their hearts?" Jangmo-o squeaked.

"Yeah, but now they can try to report us!" Sneasel hissed. "Whatever, doesn't matter. Let's nab the pearls and toss Snowy into the dirty river where he belongs."

Tessa's eyes widened. "Vulpix, you've gotta jump back over here. Quickly! Don't try to take them both on at once."

"Why not? I've beaten 'em before!" Shane huffed.

"Don't be stupid! I've got all our supplies."

Shane's ears and tails drooped. "Uh… right." He turned and started running toward the rock.

"Oh no you don't!" Sneasel bellowed. He opened his mouth and launched a blast of frigid air toward Shane. The sand froze up in front of him. Shane's paws failed to gain proper traction and he skidded forward. He spun around and wiped out on the edge of the rock. In the process, the pearls tumbled from his neck, rolling toward the edge of the river.

"No!" Shane shouted. Tessa gritted her teeth at the sight.

'Okay, no point staying around here anymore,' she figured. Tessa took a deep breath and dashed across the rocks on her side of the river. She leaped over the water, letting out a grunt as her feet impacted the rock on the other side. Shane looked up and saw Tessa run by him. He rolled over and shot a blast of slushy snow ahead of himself. This forced Jangmo-o to skid to a halt. Sneasel, on the other hand, ran right through the attack, brushing snowflakes out of his eyes.

"Nice try, Snowy, but you're not going to stop me!" Sneasel yelled. Seconds later, Tessa slammed into his side, knocking him away from the pearls.

Shane immediately scrambled to his feet and leaped to his partner's side. "You grab the pearls and get back to the other side of the river. I'll hold them off!"

"Are you nuts? I just said you can't handle two-on-one!"

"Yeah, but I'm the one with the ranged attacks and you have the bag," Shane pointed out. He spun around and belted a high-pitched shriek at Jangmo-o, pushing the dragon back. "Give me an Oran Berry to tuck into my scarf and go!"

Tessa's muzzle went agape. 'Wait. He actually thought this through? Could it be Vulpix is actually listening to me?' She plopped an oran berry against his neck and ran off. Shane turned and lay down a stream of snow to cover Tessa's scramble up onto the rock.

Sneasel again leaped directly into the line of fire, catching Shane by surprise. His eyes widened and he tried bucking up on his hind legs to impede Sneasel's progress. But Sneasel successfully jumped over Shane. He whirled around and, in desperation, spewed wet, slippery snow onto the rock. The snowflakes lined its rough surface, creating a layer of slush. Sneasel had no way to avoid landing on the slick part of the rock. Though his claws offered decent traction under normal circumstances, uneven, slippery rocks were another story entirely.

Unfortunately, Tessa was still on the rock. And her paws offered no traction. Shane realized his mistake the moment he watched Sneasel land awkwardly, slip, and fall into the river. At the exact same time, Tessa prepared to lunge for the opposing rock embankment. But her foot slid out from under her and her momentum sent her off the edge of the rock.

Shane rolled to his feet and narrowed his eyes at Tessa. He felt the same spark of psychic energy he had drawn on in Dewdrop Woods. Concentrating, Shane fired a pink circle forward. Seconds before Tessa would have impacted the river, the attack exploded around her, flinging her back across the river. She landed on the opposite bank, leaving a Riolu-shaped crater in the mud.

"Eeep! Sneasel!" Jangmo-o gasped. He broke off from trying to attack Shane while the latter's back was turned and ran downstream. His partner surfaced, flailing his arms about.

"Don't worry… about… me! Get the… pearls!" Sneasel sputtered. Shane let out a growl and unleashed the biggest burst of snow he could muster. Jangmo-o hollered and jumped forward, trying to get away from the attack. However, this proved a foolish decision, because the only thing in front of him was the river.

Splaaaaaaaash!

"Jangmo-o, you iddddiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooot!" Sneasel hollered as the harsh current swept him and his cohort away.

"Phew. Made it out of that jam," Shane sighed. "See, Riolu, I told you I could handle…" His voice trailed off as he recalled the state he had last seen his partner in. Ears drooping, he muttered a weak, "Oh boy."

Shane dashed along the rock embankment and lunged back toward the other side of the river. He scampered down to Tessa's position, only for a ball of clay to strike him in the face. He staggered back in surprise. "Hey! What the–?"

"That was your cover? Freezing the rock?" Tessa snarled.

"Sneasel got around me, so I had to improvise. It worked, didn't it?" Shane groaned, trying to rub silt from his eyes.

"I nearly fell in that river! And I am not what you would call a strong swimmer," Tessa shouted, trying to suppress a shiver.

"But you didn't fall. I had everything under control."

"You hit me with Extrasensory right next to a very large and very sharp rock!" Tessa barked.

"Only because I wasn't close enough to use Roar effectively… aha ha…" Shane said with a nervous laugh. "So, I took a gamble. Big whoop. I succeeded. At the end of the day, that's all that matters. You should be thanking me for ending up in the drink."

"If your trajectory was even the slightest bit different I would have hit that rock. Then I'd probably have passed out and drowned!" Tessa hissed, her eyes watering. "And that attack really hurt!"

Shane nudged the oran berry in his possession over to Tessa. "But you didn't hit the rock. And I thought I told you yesterday that I don't dwell on what-ifs."

SLAP!

Shane whirled about and collapsed onto his belly. His right cheek now had a brown, palm-shaped imprint in it. "I thought you had taken what I told you yesterday to heart!" Tessa said, sniffling. "But, in the span of an evening, you somehow got even more reckless."

Shane pursed his muzzle. "Okay… my bad. But you really didn't expect me to just stand there and let Sneasel attack you, did you? We would've lost the pearls for sure." He walked up to Tessa. "You, uh, did hang onto the pearls, didn't you?"

Tessa glared at him but ultimately pulled the pearls out of her pouch. "Alright! A job well done," Shane proclaimed. He then looked at Tessa's mud-covered form, and then glanced at the mud and silt on his pelt. "Well, for the most part, I guess. There's nothing left to do now but head back to the guild, right?"

Tessa silently pocketed the pearls and stormed off upstream.

~Aeon Observatory~

"Oh, thank you! Thank you both very much!" Lunatone spun about in excitement while he levitated the pearls up beside him. "I had a momentary lapse in concentration with these things and flung them away. I'm so happy you were able to find them."

Shane stood tall and beamed. "It was no trouble at all, sir."

"Are you sure? You two look pretty grimy. Where did the pearls end up anyway?"

"In a bank of clay. No worries, I dug it out just fine," Shane exclaimed.

"But we did encounter a pair of thugs," Tessa stated, directing the comment to Braviary.

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow. "Who were they?"

"A Sneasel with a scar across his head-feather and a Jangmo-o with an oversized forehead scale. They called themselves Team Fang," Tessa explained. "They tried to attack us to steal the pearls."

Braviary fluttered over to the board on the opposite side of the entrance room. "Hrrrm… ain't on our outlaw board. Could've been a misunderstanding. But I'll be sure to pass it along to Officer Magnezone next time I see him."

"In any event, please let me offer you this pair of wands for your troubles," Lunatone declared. He levitated the rod-like instruments over beside Shane, who looked skeptically at them.

"Am I gonna turn into a Braixen if I touch one of these?" he wondered.

"I don't think it works that way, hoss," Braviary chuckled. Lunatone levitated his pearls onto the top of his crescent-shaped body and departed the guild. Braviary flew back over to Team Radiance. "Good work out there, you two. Although, I'm not too keen on y'all tracking mud in here like this," he said. "Next time, I'm-a have to write y'all up on a hygiene violation. But seeing as this was yer first assignment, I'll let it slide." He reached underneath his wing and produced a small pouch. "This here's your compensation. Fifteen percent of Lunatone's coin reward."

"Fifteen percent?! We're getting gipped! That's highway robbery," Shane whined. Braviary started to open his beak but Shane held up a forepaw. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Guild's gotta make money somehow."

Braviary scowled. "One of these days yer gonna mouth off to the wrong feller and end up tied to a branch by them fussy little tails of yers. But, yer right. If'n yer looking to make more, take more assignments. Also, ya get a better commission once y'all are apprentices." He stole a glance out the window. "I see plenty of daylight left, so y'all should consider taking on another job request or two."

Tessa's shoulders slumped. "Do we have to?"

"I suppose not, but it sure wouldn't look good fer rookies to be slacking on their first day," Braviary mused. He bid them farewell with a wave and descended into the guild.

"Hey, here's one asking for help gathering honey from Dewdrop Woods! We can totally do it," Shane chirped, waving a piece of parchment around. "I mean, we're already filthy, so might as well."

Tessa squeezed her eyes shut. 'It's gonna be a long afternoon.'

That same evening, a damp Shane walked into his room, a towel draped over his backside. "Ah, I feel so much better!" Shane said, shaking his torso and flecking water across the room. "I'm surprised my tails got unstuck that easily," he marveled, pivoting to wag his tails in unison. "Comfey's special soap worked like a charm!"

Tessa muttered inaudibly and turned her back to Shane. "You say something?" he asked.

"… no. You must have water in your ears," Tessa grumbled. 'How can he be so upbeat? Today was awful. This was even worse than the time Eevee's friends made fun of me for being a bad battler.'

"Oh, okay then," Shane said. "You're, uh, not still sore about getting sprayed by that tree sap, are you? Because I had no idea it could do anything but drip out of trees." Tessa tucked her knees in to cover up her face. "Aha ha… but it was kinda fun, wasn't it?" he added. Shane got no response. "Um… Tessa?"

"Don't call me that!"

Shane's tails stood up straight. "Are… are you feeling okay, Riolu?"

Tessa pulled her scarf up to cover her head.

"C'mon, you can tell me what's wrong," Shane insisted. "I'm your partner, after all."

Tessa whirled around on him. "Are you? Because you sure have a funny way of showing it!"

Shane's eyes widened. "Hey now. What's that supposed to mean?"

Tessa tried to suppress a shiver. "I need to you to promise me that you've got my back. Like really got my back."

"That's silly! Of course I do."

"No, I want you to promise me and mean it," Tessa said. "Having my back means working with me. Not doing whatever you want to do and hoping that I adapt. The reason the heroes of the past did so well is because they worked together. We're nowhere even close to them... and that's upsetting."

"This… this is about the river, isn't it?" Shane whispered.

"Yes! Yes, it's about the river!" Tessa barked. "It's easy for you to brush off… but for a moment there, I was horrified. I was falling down toward a very fast, very dark river with absolutely no way to save myself! And then suddenly this strong, painful force grabs onto me…" She picked up her pillow. "… and tosses me…" She hurled the pillow, striking Shane's face. "… across the river!"

Shane stood there, his eyes darting about the room. Tessa could see him visibly struggling to figure out something to say. "So please, Vulpix," Tessa whispered, fidgeting with her scarf, "please… just promise me you've got my back. Otherwise, I don't think I can make this work."

Silence followed. Tessa scrunched her eyes shut. 'Come on, Vulpix. Say something. Show me that I'm worrying for nothing. Show me that we're not doomed to fail... just like I failed at aura training and making friends in Sunrise Village. I need this... so, so badly. If this falls through... if I miss this one chance at making my biggest dream come true...'

Tessa flinched as Shane's forepaw tapped her shoulder. She shrank back from him. "Of course, I've got your back. You're my partner," Shane exclaimed. Tessa's muscles relaxed slightly. But then a grin appeared on Shane's face and he added, "After all, you're gonna help me rid the world of evil. Even if you don't know it yet." He gave her a knowing wink.

Tessa frowned and sat back down.

'… that's not what I wanted to hear.'

Next time: Team Radiance meets an outlaw that really rocks.