This is the first chapter to feature a special "boss description" at the end. If you've played Kirby games before, this extra feature should feel familiar.

Chapter 6: An Outlandish Outlaw

~Aeon Observatory~

Braviary whistled. "Y'all got quite a few jobs done. Not bad fer yer second day. Color me impressed."

Shane beamed at the praise while Tessa preoccupied herself with pocketing the team's earnings. "Does this mean we're ready to move up to apprentice rank yet?" Shane asked.

"Now what kind of shoddy establishment do ya think we're running here, rookie? Y'all still got a lot more to learn about the ins and outs of guild life. Don't be getting big fer yer britches, ya hear?"

Shane's ears drooped. "Dang. Well, can't blame a fox for trying."

"We've still got an hour before supper, so y'all feel free to occupy yerselves with something else." Braviary exclaimed. "I hear Crabrawler's Café done be offering a two-fer-one special on berry juice."

"Ooooh, that sounds refreshing!" Shane chirped. "What do you say, Riolu?" Tessa shrugged and made for the exit. Shane's ears perked up and he trotted off after his partner.

'Okay, I'll admit things went better today,' Tessa thought. 'Though the jobs were pretty basic, so I shouldn't get my hopes up that Vulpix is really taking last night's conversation to heart.'

They wound their way down the hill into Aeon Town's central plaza. Crabrawler's Café stood right on the outside of the town square, facing the fountain. The duo hovered in the doorway, looking around the room for a spot to sit. The walls and floor were lined with smooth, dark brown wood. Luminous orbs were perched in the walls, giving a warm, orange tint to the room. Booths lined the walls, with various sized tables and benches to serve the many shapes and sizes of Pokémon. The more centrally-located tables were surrounded by bar stools. And the bar itself had a long, thin table spread around it. Standing behind it was a crab-like Pokémon that greatly resembled the building's exterior. He had a mostly purple body, with yellow antennae and blue pincers resembling boxing gloves. Additionally, his right eye was half-shut. He held a rag in one claw, using it to polish the counter top.

"Guess that must be Crabrawler. Anyway, I see a table for us over there," Shane exclaimed, pointed a forepaw to his left. An empty table sat over in the corner of the room by a glowing, multicolored jukebox. An outline of Shaymin lay etched into the front of the machine, surrounded by various music notes and floral patterns. Sparkling, rainbow crystals sat inside the glass dome at the top of the machine. Shane trotted over to the table and sat down by it, while Tessa turned and made for the bar area.

Crabrawler looked up and spotted Tessa walking up to the counter. "Afternoon, m'lady. What are you fixing for?"

"Can I get two mago berry juices, please?" Tessa asked, placing a few coins and her explorer's badge on the counter top.

"Certainly." Crabrawler glanced at the badge and then took all but one of Tessa's coins. She looked down in confusion. "Your discount still applies even if I'm running a special," he explained, prompting Tessa to pocket the coin. Crabrawler brushed two empty glasses toward her and started adding the contents for the drinks into a mixer. "So, I take it you're a new face around the guild, eh?"

"Yes, sir. My partner and I just joined a couple of days ago," Tessa explained.

"Ah, jolly good. And how are you finding things over there?"

"It's, uh, certainly something," she whispered.

Crabrawler inserted a large stone rod into the mixer and started mashing it. "I say, that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Exploring proving tougher than you thought?"

Tessa stole a glance at her partner. Shane sat at a table, gazing hypnotically at the jukebox. "You could say that. My team's having some… growing pains," she finally replied.

Crabrawler started shaking the mixer up. "Speaking from experience, some Pokémon get taken in by the excitement of exploring and don't really consider any of the repercussions. They think they can be like the folks who stopped the Bittercold and Dark Matter."

Tessa winced, then fidgeted with her scarf. "But... um... they didn't really cause that many problems in Horizon, right? I didn't really think people here cared all that much about that stuff."

"Well, as far as I know, people don't speak all that openly about it. Besides, it's not really my place to judge. I'm just here to help Pokémon take a load off. Whether or not they're explorers or care about Mystery Dungeons doesn't matter," Crabrawler said. He filled up the two glasses with pink juice and pushed them toward Tessa. "Here you are. Two mago berry juices. Anything else?"

"That'll be all. Thanks," Tessa said. She grabbed the two glasses and turned to bring them to her table.

"If I may give you one bit of advice, my dear?"

Tessa froze and glanced over her shoulder at Crabrawler. "Yeah?"

"Don't let your doubts create a self-fulfilling prophecy," he declared. "You're bound to have some hard days, but as long as your spirit's in the right place, your mind and body will follow suit."

Tessa blinked in confusion. "Uh, thanks… I guess," she muttered, and resumed walking back to her table. Tessa set the glasses down and took the seat opposite Shane. He remained focused on the jukebox, his head slowly swaying back and forth. "I brought you your drink," Tessa announced, shoving the second glass toward him.

Shane jumped to attention and spun around in his seat. "Smells good." He licked his lips and pressed the straw to his muzzle. "Say, what's with the jukebox? I didn't think music was a thing around here." Tessa replied with a wordless shrug and drank her berry juice.

"It's a nice song," Shane hummed. "Very relaxing. And I like the lyrics. 'Solgaleo, provider of daylight… Great Lunala, defender of the night…' I don't really get what it's about, but it's catchy!" he said, getting a few annoyed looks from other patrons when he belted out the lyrics. "Do you know who sings this, Riolu?" Tessa ignored him and took another sip of her drink. "Uh, hello? Earth to Riolu." Shane waved a paw in front of her. "I asked you a question."

"… Primarina," she replied. "He lives near Sunset Shoals and makes music crystals that are distributed to Sky Jukeboxes around the world."

Shane blinked in surprise. "That's a dude singing? Dang, he's got some impressive pipes. I was totally fooled!" Tessa spun sideways in her seat and sipped more berry juice. "Um, okay, what's with the silent treatment? You barely said a word to me during any of our jobs today," Shane said.

Tessa shrugged. "… wasn't really up for conversing."

"Are you still mad about yesterday? I said I was sorry and I told you I've got your back," Shane insisted. "What more do you want for me? A lock of my fur? One of my tails?"

'How about an off-switch on that big mouth of yours?' Tessa scoffed, sighing. "Look, I've just… got a lot on my mind right now, okay? It's not like it was that big a problem. We did four jobs today, after all."

"Yeah, but I don't just want to work in silence."

"You were doing plenty of talking," Tessa said.

"It's not fun if you don't have someone to talk with," Shane muttered.

"All I'm asking for is a little space while I think things over," Tessa insisted. "You just told me you had my back. So, please just lay off the subject for the moment. Besides, how's a guy like you going to 'save the world' if a little silence bothers you so much?"

Shane's ears drooped. He poked at his straw with his snout and gave a defeated sigh. They finished their drinks and returned to the Observatory. Tessa immediately made her way back to the team's room while Shane remained in the main assembly area until dinner was called. As dinner went on, Shane noticed that Tessa was conspicuously absent.

He hastily finished his meal and retreated to his room, where he found Tessa laying on her pillow. "Hey, if you don't hurry up, you'll miss dinner," he said. Shane got no response. He walked up to Tessa and soon realized that she was fast asleep. "Oh... guess you must've been pretty tired," he muttered. "I'll, uh, leave you alone then, I suppose."

Shane walked over to his own pillow and lay down on it. His boredom quickly lulled him off into a deep sleep. He got up the next morning to find that Tessa was already awake and out of the room. Shane left for the central hub and found all the guild members settling in for the morning assembly. He made his way over to Tessa's side and sat down. Surprisingly, Braviary was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Metagross stood outside of his office.

Fact: Braviary is absent. Order: in his absence, direct all inquires to Magearna, Metagross said. Fact: there are no further announcements. Order: get to work.

"Hoooo-rah!" the guild apprentices shouted in unison. As the crowd broke apart, Team Radiance noticed Bruxish and Yungoos approaching them.

"Good moooooooooorning, dahlings! Settling in okay?" Bruxish greeted.

Shane tensed up. "Well, if I was sleepwalking before, I'm definitely not now," he muttered, casting panicked looks at both Pokémon's large, toothy grins.

"You need something from us?" Tessa asked.

"Actually, it's youse who needs somet'ing from us," Yungoos declared. "Braviary's out doing some work. So, he left it to us to show youse two da Outlaw Board."

Shane grinned. "So, we're catching baddies today, huh? Count me in!"

"Now, now. Don't go psyching yourself up too much, dahling. We're not going to send you two out unless we're confiiiiiiiiident you can deal with at least oooooooone of the posted names," Bruxish chuckled. "Now, come along." He waved his fins around and led Team Radiance up into the entrance area. The team approached the board opposite the one they had used the previous two days. Sketches of Pokémon were pinned up across the board.

"So, as youse can see, we put up drawings of wanted Pokémon. Da number of stars underneath is a rating of how dangerous we t'ink dey are. And below dat is da reward Officer Magnezone and his squadron are offering for da outlaw's capture."

"Wait, I don't remember seeing any jail in Aeon Town," Shane said.

"Dat's because da jail ain't in da town, rookie," Yungoos said.

"Yes. After all, it would be mooooooooost dangerous for the good townsfolk if the jail was right here. Imagiiiiiiiine if there was a jailbreak. Oh, it'd be utter chaos, dahling," Bruxish added. "Now, let's see if there's anyone here that fits your ranking." He ran his eyes along the board.

"Oh, what about that, uh, fruit-looking girl with the long legs?" Shane proposed, pointing to a picture in the corner.

"Tsareena? Not a chance, newbie. She's outta yer league," Yungoos scoffed. "Besides, Growlithe's been on the hunt for her. He'd get mighty sore if ya scooped in and snagged his capture."

Bruxish shook her head. "I'm sooooooooorry, dahlings, but these outlaws are too tough for you."

Shane's lower lip jutted out. "You're kidding! Well then, what are we supposed to do today?"

"Uh, there's still the Job Board," Tessa reminded him.

"Well, Magearna should be around shortly to update this board," Bruxish explained. "You could wait a bit. Maybe buy some supplies in the meantime?"

Shane looked expectantly at Tessa. "Yeah, I guess we can wait a little while," she said with a shrug. "Actually, I want to drop something off at Dhelmise Depot."

"Great, I'll go with you," Shane chirped.

"Uh, this isn't really a two-mon job," Tessa mumbled, but Shane was already at her side. She sighed and proceeded out the main entrance. Once again, the duo walked into town. This time, they headed for the street leading down toward the port. Tessa's eyes were fixed on a building that was styled to look like a giant blue anchor.

"Oh, Team Radiance! What a pleasant surprise," Lunatone called, waving the string of pearls at them. He was floating in front of the Kecleon Shop.

Shane and Tessa paused and walked over to him. "Hiya, Lunatone. Finally going to trade in those pearls?" Shane asked.

Lunatone nodded. "Yes, yes. I wanted to trade them in yesterday, but then Kecleon told me I could get waymore for these pearls than I thought. He told me he's getting a supply shipment today. So, I decided to wait and see if he got anything new in stock. Oh, if I could get a Psychic TM I'd probably explode with happiness!"

Shane smiled. "Well, I'll cross my fingers for you, then," he said. "My, uh, nonexistent fingers, anyway."

"Hey, Lunatone! Drop those pearls, you lousy thief!"

Lunatone and Team Radiance turned to find a Solrock levitating quickly toward them. It had a noticeably large crack spreading across what constituted its forehead. "A Solrock?" Shane raised an eyebrow. "Is that your brother or something?"

"No." Lunatone's eyes narrowed. "I've never seen her before in my life."

"Liar!" Solrock accused. "You swiped those pearls from me. They're mine!"

"What are you talking about? I found these in Twilight Forest a few weeks ago." Lunatone gave Solrock a suspicious look. "I'll bet you're trying to take them from me."

"You've got that backwards. I was taking them through the forest, minding my own business, and you blindsided me and made off with my treasure. That's how I ended up with this wonderful little crack in my head," Solrock declared. "Now, fork those pearls over!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold the phone a second," Shane said, stepping between the floating rocks. "I don't know what your story is, Solrock, but Lunatone here reported the missing pearls to the guild. And we're the team that found them. So, I'm inclined to believe him."

"Butt out, kiddo. This don't concern you!" Solrock growled. Next thing Shane knew, he was hurtled back across the ground. Tessa's eyes widened and she ran over to her partner.

"Are you okay?"

"Nnngggh… head… hurts…" Shane groaned, eyes spinning about in a daze.

Solrock refocused on Lunatone. "It's not my fault a couple of guild dweebs fell for your obvious ploy. Now, last chance. Gimme those pearls or I'm using force! You messed with the wrong Pokémon, you two-bit con."

"But… these are mine! I found them myself," Lunatone whimpered.

"Fine that… have it your way."

Solrock's eyes flashed blue and the area erupted in a bright light.

"Uwwwwwaaaaaaaaaah!" Lunatone gave a pained cry.

"Lunatone!" Shane gasped. He tried to get to his feet but ended up headbutting Tessa in the process.

"Ow! Watch it, doofus. I'm right in front of you," she groaned, staggering back. The flash of light subsided, revealing Lunatone lying on the ground with a dazed look in his eyes.

"Oh no." Shane finally got his bearings and ran up to Lunatone. "Are… are you okay? Do you need to heal?"

"Pearls… gone again…" Lunatone blubbered. "Not… fair…"

Tessa rubbed her eyes with her paws and looked into the distance. "I think I see her on the outskirts of town!" She pointed forward. "Sunrise Village and Azure Cape are in that direction."

Shane looked down at Lunatone. "Don't worry, we're gonna get those pearls back for you. C'mon, Riolu!"

"But she can levitate! How are we supposed to keep up with her?" Tessa asked.

"Uh… I don't know," Shane conceded, breaking into a run. "I was kind of hoping you'd come up with an idea while we're chasing her!"

"Seriously?" Tessa groaned as she ran off after her partner.

~Azure Cape~

Solrock floated across the sandy beach, stealing glances backwards. "Unbelievable. Those little runts actually tried to tail me! I'd have thought they'd give up for sure the second I skipped town. They don't look like seasoned explorers." She screeched to a halt. "Wait, what am I doing? It's a Vulpix and a Riolu. I can take them down easily. And then I can loot all their stuff, too! Oh-ho, Solrock, you absolute genius you. This is gonna be a better day than I tho–"

Something small and green struck Solrock square between the eyes. A series of bright, sparking lights ensnared her. "Auuugh!" she hollered, sputtering toward the ground. As she opened her eyes and tried to right her position, her whole world spun about. "Everything's… a total blur. World's spinning..." she groaned. Solrock lost her grip on the pearls, which fell into the sand. "What… hit me?"

"Mwee hee hee! Oh, what an absolutely perfect shot. Picture perfect, wouldn't you say, team?" a shrill male voice cut through the air.

"Golly, you sure got her good, boss," a second, feminine voice praised.

"Yeah, she's totally dumbstruck," a third, deeper male voice chuckled.

"Who's out there?" Solrock barked. "Show yourselves!"

"Mwee hee hee… why we're right here… in front of you!" the first voice cackled. Solrock tried to shake the stars from her vision, but all she could see was a set of blurry circles hovering in front of her.

"Hoo boy, I bet you didn't expect to steal a set of cursed pearls when you woke up this morning, huh?" the female voice giggled. "Shucks, that would ruin anyone's day, wouldn't it?"

"Cursed?" Solrock's eyes widened. "Bah! There's… there's no such thing as cursed jewelry!"

"Is that so?" the deep voice chuckled. "Because we, the Vicious Pearl Spirits of Twilight Forest, beg to differ!"

Solrock grunted in surprise as the string of pearls smacked against her left side. It didn't hurt, but it left her quite unsettled. "This… this is a trick, isn't it?" Solrock growled. "Someone must've hit me with Confuse Ray or something."

"Oh golly, we can't do that. We're undead spirits, not Pokémon," the female voice replied. "I'm afraid you're just facing an impending curse. Ain't that a real shame?"

Solrock started looking about the beach in a panic. The sand melded with the trees in the distance, turning her vision into a canvas of green, tan, and brown. "What do you want with me?" she barked.

"Why, what any good spirits want, dearie. To C-U-R-S-E you! Mwee hee hee hee!" the first voice laughed.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Hold it right there, Solrock! Release those pearls," Shane bellowed, as he and Tessa appeared on the hill overlooking the beach. They ran forward, their hearts pounding in their chests.

"We've… uh… got you now," Tessa panted. She sat down in the sand. "Well… maybe a quick break… first…"

Shane hoisted Tessa back to her feet. "C'mon, don't get soft on me now, partner!"

"Eh? Who's there now?" Solrock barked. She turned and stared at the levitating pearls. "Don't tell me there are more of you awful spirits!"

"Riolu?" Shane whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Is… is that Solrock… talking to the pearls?"

"… sure looks like it."

"Is that normal around here?" Shane asked.

"… no. Maybe your special brand of crazy rubbed off on her?" Tessa sneered. Shane jutted his lower lip out in the biggest pout he could manage. "It was a joke. Sheesh." Tessa shook her head. "I think she might be confused. Her eyes are rolling about in a daze. We should strike now," she instructed.

"Good idea!" Shane chirped. "You go in low with Bite. I'll go in high with Powder Snow." He craned his neck up and shot a snowball ahead of him. Tessa sprang forward and dived toward one of the shards of rock sticking off Solrock's body. Solrock tensed up from the sudden influx of cold, but wailed in pain as Tessa bit her bottom-most shard.

The pain snapped Solrock out of her trance. She glared at Team Radiance. "Ah-ha! I knew there were no such things as pearl spirits. It was you two brats, wasn't it? To think you actually tailed me out here. Well, now you're really gonna get it," Solrock declared.

Tessa quickly ran behind her, but her eyes glowed blue. A plume of sand shot up, showering Tessa and sending her tumbling to the ground. All the while, Solrock kept her eyes focused on Shane. He opened his mouth and arced some slush skyward, but Solrock telekinetically kicked up more sand, blunting his attack.

"Aww, that's just plain uncool!" Shane groaned. A pair of rocks suddenly hurtled through the dust cloud. The first one struck Shane upside the head and he stumbled back with a loud howl. And the second one hit him in the gut, knocking him onto his back. He rolled about in the sand, groaning in pain.

"One down," Solrock boasted, turning to face where Tessa had fallen, "And one to g–" She looked around. "Hey, where did that Riolu go?" She swiveled her body about the beach, trying to locate Tessa.

"Try below you!" Tessa bellowed and leaped up, using some of Solrock's tiny craters to get a grip along her back.

"Aaaaaugh! Why you fussy little demon furball. I'll pluck every hair from your body! Not even your mother will be able to look at you when I'm through with you." Solrock tried to draw forth the energy to fling Tessa away with a pink blast, but Tessa bit down on Solrock's back first. Solrock gave a pained cry and her levitation failed, dropping her into the sand.

Tessa leaped off her and swiped the pearls off the ground. But her upper hand didn't last long. The small mound of sand Tessa stood atop parted, dropping her into a makeshift sinkhole and prying the pearls loose. Solrock floated back up, flinging sand off her form with short pulses of telekinesis.

"You made a big mistake challenging a psychic-type on this kind of terrain, furball," Solrock spat. "Enjoy having sand in the worst possible places!"

"Oh yeah?"

Solrock swiveled around in time for a high-pitched wail to push her back across the beach. Tessa's eyes went wide and she dug herself further into the sand to avoid getting beaned in the face. Shane stepped forward, grinning. "You made a big mistake turning your back on me, lady." He turned toward Tessa, tails thumping happily. "See? I told you I got your back!"

"Vulpix! How many times to I have to tell you to watch where you're aiming? You nearly Roared her right into me," Tessa whined, pulling herself out of the sand.

Shane's triumphant smile vanished, replaced by fervent blushing. "Aha ha… that was… I, uh, must not have seen you there." He laughed nervously. One beat later, a crushing force struck his back and, next thing he knew, he was the one eating a face full of sand.

"It's not polite to interrupt others like that, you snot-nosed brat!" Solrock hissed in the distance. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down this time." Solrock used telekinesis to gather more sand, balled it into two large, hardened rocks, and tossed them at Tessa. She then hovered forward to close the gap between her and Tessa.

However, Tessa held her ground, allowing the first rock to strike her. Her paws lit up and she caught the second rock. She spun around and hurled the projectile shotput-style back at Solrock. She wasn't expecting that and had to fire off a single pink wave to blow the rock into sandy smithereens.

Back on his feet but rather far away, Shane tried to seize on the opening. He narrowed his eyes and sent jagged pink waves rippling along the beach. By the time they reached the unsuspecting Solrock, however, they were severely weakened. They detonated in a small pink flash. While the attack failed to rattle Solrock, it still disoriented her and allowed Tessa to get in close and bite her from below once again.

"Ha! It worked!" Shane cheered, jumping up and down. "See? Told you I can cover for you!" he belted out. Solrock hissed her frustrations and fired an arrow-shaped pink blast straight down, hammering Tessa into the sand. Shane abruptly stopped jumping for joy and sprinted forward. 'Crud, now I've gotta buy time for her to heal up or she'll be finished!' he thought.

"Hey, lady!" he barked. "Your face is so ugly it makes a Barbaracle blush. And your voice is so screechy that only a Loudred could love it." Solrock turned to give Shane a death glare. Shane yelped at the sight of several sand-made rocks getting thrown in his direction.

He put on his best Zigzagoon impression, attempting to weave between the rocks. Shane even used a well-timed, conical blast of snow to harmlessly shatter one of the projectiles. But just as he managed to see Tessa safely down an oran berry, a rock nailed him in his left flank, knocking him to the ground. His vision faded in and out for a second before going completely black.

"You're one nasty little Vulpix, kiddo, but now you're out of the picture," Solrock cackled. "Which just leaves that demon furball you call a partn– AAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGH!"

Tessa had successfully jumped onto Solrock's back. She once again bit down onto the rocky surface, scoring a decisive blow. Solrock crashed into the sand and rolled into an unconscious heap right next to the hole she had previously made to trap Tessa, who dropped to her knees, panting heavily. "We… we got her," Tessa muttered. "And the pearls?"

"Hooo-weeee, why they're doing mighty fine, thanks to you!"

Tessa's ears and aura feelers jolted upright. Her eyes widened as she watched the pearls levitate into the air. A purple cloud gathered behind them, materializing into a Misdreavus. The pearls sat between the ectoplasmic tendrils that made up Misdreavus' hair. "Oh great, don't tell me you're here to steal the pearls too?" Tessa groaned.

"Mwee hee hee… as much fun as it would be to see your reaction to that, we've got to draw the line somewhere. Besides, we got our kicks messing with that dumb Solrock."

Tessa shuffled back on the beach at the sound of a different, shriller voice. The sand beneath Misdreavus darkened. Out of the shadows rose the jagged, gaseous, purple form of a Haunter. Tessa immediately spotted a Looplet around Haunter's right hand, and a gold Horizon explorer's badge clipped to it. "Wait a second." She narrowed her eyes at the two ghosts. "Were you the reason Solrock was acting funny when we got here?"

"Guilty as charged!" Haunter cackled. "Team Specter, at your service. 'We care when it matters, and scare the baddies 'til they scatter!' Mwee hee hee hee!" He threw his head back to let out a hearty laugh.

"Vulpix is back on his feet, Haunter!"

Tessa pivoted to see Shane stumbling toward her. A small, purple-and-white balloon drifted beside him. Tessa had to blink a few times before she realized that she was looking at a Drifloon. "Excellent work, Drifloon. We owe it to our new recruits here after they downed this outlaw for us," Haunter declared.

Shane's eyes widened. "Solrock's an outlaw?" he gasped. His muzzle stiffened. "In retrospect, I really should've seen that coming. Guess the adrenaline rush was messing with my brain."

"Yup. One of the nastier outlaws too, if you ask me," Drifloon said. "Tell 'em, Misdreavus."

"Hoooo-weeee, Solrock's been on a string of thefts lately. Must be taking advantage of all the confusion these weird changes to the tides have brought. She always makes it seem like the things she steals belong to her. And, if Pokémon don't believe her, she uses Flash to escape," Misdreavus explained. "We saw the commotion at the Kecleon Shop, yup yup. Figured she could do with a taste of her own medicine."

Haunter's mouth widened and his oversized tongue fell out. "So, we gave her the old 'Team Specter Special.' We beaned her with a Totter Orb and played mind games with her to totally freak her out!"

"But then, golly, you two showed up out of the blue. Shucks, we weren't expecting that to happen," Misdreavus conceded. "We're awfully sorry for any confusion."

"Why didn't you guys help us out then?" Shane asked.

"Haunter told us to lay low and see how you two newbies handled things," Drifloon explained. "If you'd both gotten knocked out, we would've jumped in. But you didn't! And only Vulpix got KO'd."

"Which means you owe me your cut of tomorrow's profits, Drifloon! Mwee hee hee hee!" Haunter cackled.

"You guys… bet on us battling Solrock?" Shane gasped. "Isn't that, like, against guild regulations or something?"

"Golly, of course not! We'd never do something against the rules," Misdreavus insisted.

"Yeah… thanks for taking a dive by the way, kiddo," Haunter chuckled. "I cleaned up thanks to you!"

Shane pouted. 'Great… rub it in why don't you? I got knocked out in a battle against our first outlaw. I'll bet Haunter cheated or something to make sure I went down. That's the only thing that makes sense to me. Well, when I end up saving the world he's gonna look like a big old fool.'

"If it's any consolation, I think you guys did a really good job," Drifloon said.

"Gee… thanks," Tessa grumbled.

"Hey, we were all newbies once. A little tough love can go a long way," Haunter mused. "And since we're good sports, we'll even let you guys claim the bounty on Solrock."

Shane's pout quickly faded. Dollar signs flashed in his eyes.

~Aeon Observatory~

Shane nudged his empty plate over to the end of the table. "Ah, another wonderful supper. Thanks, Steenee!" he chirped.

"You're very welcome," Steenee giggled. "Always nice to see a new face enjoying my cooking." She twirled around and scooped up the empty plate.

"So, wanna head back to the room, Riolu?" Shane asked. He didn't get a response. "Riolu?" Shane looked over his shoulder, only to discover her seat empty. "Tessa?"

"If you're wondering about your partner, she finished eating and took off a while ago," Growlithe announced.

"Oh, you mean Riolu?" Togedemaru said as she entered the room. She had a pair of metal bolts firmly attached to her head. "I just saw her heading down to the veterans' quarters not too long ago. Someone's looking to get in troooouuubbbllllleeeee!"

"Thanks." Shane trotted toward the exit, only to pause beside Togedemaru. "Uh, what's with the... y'know...?" He pointed up to his forehead.

"It's an electrical amplification testing apparatus," Togedemaru snorted. "… obviously."

"Oh, right, of course. How silly of me," Shane deadpanned. He turned and departed the room. "What a dweeb…" he muttered under his breath.

"Don't think I didn't catch that sarcasm, mister!" Togedemaru shouted after him. "And you're the dweeb from where I'm standing! Calling me a Pikachu. Honestly! You'd have to be blind to make a mistake like that."

Shane ignored her and soon found himself in the assembly area. He descended the stairs to find a set of dimly-lit corridors. Shane spotted a thin veil of orange light flickering from one of the doorways. 'Wonder whose room that is?' he thought. 'Better not go in there. I don't need to be causing any troub–'

"… this is the way it was when she left. Honest. No one's gone in here since then. And, well, you've already seen where the Guildmaster's residing."

'I recognize that heavenly voice from the other day. It's Milotic!' Shane realized.

"What about Braviary?"

'… and Tessa's with her.'

"He got a room to himself once Metagross became Guildmaster," Milotic replied. Shane tiptoed toward the room.

"And… no one's heard anything from her? What about Team Buzz Buzz?" Tessa asked, her voice filled with desperation.

"Riri, please. If my team doesn't know, I strongly doubt those second-rate hacks would," Milotic scoffed. "She really doesn't want anyone finding out what she's up to. Maybe the Guildmaster knows something, but he's hardly one to share much of anything with anyone who isn't Braviary. So, good luck getting any info out of him."

'What are they talking about? It sounds like there's someone away from the guild on an important assignment,'Shane thought. He hovered by the edge of the doorway, pressing the left side of his face against the wall.

"Uh, okay then," Tessa muttered, "Well... what about… y'know… him?"

"Gallian? As far as the guild's concerned he never even existed," Milotic exclaimed ominously, "Guildmaster purged his record last week and— hold that thought, Riri."

Shane raised a curious eyebrow. 'Now who are they talking about?' He had no time to contemplate this further, as Milotic's form slithered out of the room. His tails and fur stuck up as Milotic gave him a disapproving look.

"It's not very polite to eavesdrop, you know," Milotic scolded. "Even less so in this part of the guild. You're only allowed on this level in the company of someone with veteran or staff status. So, who let you down here?"

Shane gulped. "Nobody. I… I was just trying to find Tes— I mean, Riolu," he stammered. "I, uh, just got down here, I swear."

"It's fine, Milotic. Leave him be," Tessa dismissed. Her head poked out of the doorway moments later. "Sorry I ditched you at dinner."

"You could have at least told me you were coming down here," Shane muttered. "What's in that room, anyway?" He craned his neck to get a better view but Milotic's rainbow tail spiraled up to block him.

Tessa stepped out beside Milotic. "It's my mom's room. I was just… seeing if she had maybe left something for me on the off chance I made it to the guild, since she's still away."

'… liar,' Shane thought. 'From the sound of things… she doesn't actually think her parents are in the Grass Continent. But then… does that mean they lied to her?' He wanted to press the issue further, but Milotic's scathing look told him he was in hot enough water already, so he dared not try his luck.

A smirk appeared on Tessa's muzzle. "You weren't actually worried about me, were you?"

"I'm, y'know, supposed to have your back… remember?" Shane stammered out his reply.

Tessa flinched. 'I think this is him trying to do a better job. It's just so hard to tell. I wish I knew exactly what was going on in his head. Sometimes it feels like he doesn't really understand what I'm telling him.'

"D'aww, that's adorable!" Milotic giggled. "It's almost enough for me to forgive you for coming down here by yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. 'Don't do it again, Shane, or you're in big trouble,'" Shane groaned.

"Hey, you said it. Not me. Now run along you two, or I'll get Braviary down here." Milotic shooed them off with her tail. But as they departed, Shane managed to catch a glimpse of the room Tessa was in. Specifically, the light revealed a tapestry showing what looked like two Pokémon. One was a large, metallic-gray lion with a gigantic mane. And the other was some sort of bat with giant, crescent-shaped wings.

"Ready to head off to sleep?" Tessa asked as she climbed the stairs.

"Hold up… one question," Shane said. "What was with those two Pokémon on the wall in your mom's room? The oversized Pyroar and Golbat?"

Tessa tried to stifle a giggle. "You mean Solgaleo and Lunala? They're spoken of in Horizon legends. It's said they embody the sun and moon themselves… or something like that."

'Wait, what? I thought this was Ho-Oh's turf. Didn't I see a sun in my dream the other night?' Shane gasped. "Hmm... sooner or later, I think someone needs to bring me up to speed on the local legends."

Tessa shrugged. "I don't exactly have them committed to memory. You're better off asking someone else in the guild. For now, let's get some rest. I'm still sore from battling Solrock."

Shane's brow furrowed as he watched Tessa climb up the stairs. "You're sore? I'm sorry, but which one of us got pelted with rocks again?"

"… let it go, Shane. Everyone gets knocked out in a battle sooner or later."

Shane hung his head and followed Tessa, grumbling bitterly under his breath.

End of Episode 3

Nasty Ball of Sunshine, Solrock
While not one of the stronger outlaws in Horizon, Solrock's wit makes up for her lack of raw power. She specializes in using her psychic powers to turn the terrain on her enemies, and then make a quick getaway. If an exploration team can coordinate well enough, perhaps they can throw off her routine and defeat her?

Next time: Team Radiance seems to be making progress. But a stint on sentry duty may Nullify it.