Author's Note: I'd like to have made this chapter a bit longer, but college work and some personal affairs I had to take care of limited my time. I'm hoping the next chapter will be at least 3K words, and ideally 4K words or more. Either way I hope I get more reviews to see what I can improve upon for future chapters.
It's been three days since I first appeared in this world. Every since I arrived at River Village and the guild I've been doing the same tasks every day more or less. Spar, study, work, and sleep. I have to prepare for when I go out into the world. I've been learning about types, moves, abilities, and what strengths and weaknesses each type has from my spars with Jules. I've been studying what's safe to eat, what seeds are, do, and how to identify them, and survival in mystery dungeons from June, I've been working with Twi and some others to move wood to the guild, and I've been learning the names of different kinds of Pokemon. My actions of repaying the guild's generosity do more than words could ever describe my thanks to it.
I entered my room after finishing dinner I went straight to a bed of hay to sleep on. I was exhausted after today's work and I getting some sleep was mostly on my mind. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but my mind kept me awake with the same question I ask myself when I wake up and try to sleep, what will I do in this world? I know what I want to do, I want to do more than survive and have a hobby. I want to help others, I want do contribute to something more than an individual business, but what can I do here? Each night I thought over what jobs I could do to help a community. I could be a guard or some kind of watch for a settlement, but I have a long way to go before I'd consider myself competent enough to take that up. I though about a shepherd's watch, but from what I've gathered shepherds aren't a thing in this world, at least in most places.
I let out a sigh and began to walk around the room. With tomorrow being my last day here I need to come up with a plan, or some kind of lose idea of one. I'm better improvising and making up plans as I go along. As I walk around the bed I step on something soft, my uniform fragment. I look at it and the patch, I could remember my time in the Civil Defense. All those years in it, the work I've done, and the smiles of those I helped. Then it dawned on me, something I could work to contribute to a community. I could see about working for this guild. I don't know why it wasn't one of the first things I thought of, in fact thinking of the comparisons between this guild and the Civil Defense made me realize how similar the two are. I contribute to a noble cause, River Village, and other nearby settlements. All I'd have to do is learn and adapt to how it operates on a daily basis, and keep up with the expectations of the guild. Simple enough at least in my mind, in practice I'd expect it to be more difficult. I lay back down in the bed and close my eyes to try sleeping again, I should rest before doing anything in the morning.
It's morning, at least from the sounds coming from outside. I can hear different kinds of Pokemon walking around outside. Getting up on my own was easy, it's a force of habit I developed when I was human. Although having four legs instead of two made me take a bit longer. I stretch out my legs and head out the doorway to find Jules and June, mostly likely in the main hall but you'll never know if they might be outside. A Marowak and a Furret say "good morning" as they pass by me as I head to the main hall. I've been meeting Jules and June after the guild's morning meeting. When I arrive at it I didn't see them there, nor heading to it. They must have gotten to it before me. I'm not apart of the guild and it seams awkward for me to attend the meeting so I requested that I stay outside and to be informed when it's over a. I can hear parts of announcements and any cheers made by the guild as a whole outside, but not much else. After about seven minutes by my count the doors open and a Breloom stepped out.
"Hey Alex, the meeting is over." They said.
I nod my head to them and walk into the main hall as they hold the door open. Once inside I scan the room for Jules and or June and noticed them both in the far right corner with Jules talking to that Marowak I saw earlier. As I walk over to Jules they finish their conversation with the Marowak and turn to me.
"Alex!" Jules said as they came over to me. "How did you sleep last night? You mentioned about the hay bed being strange yesterday."
"Fine. It's that humans don't tend to sleep on hay." I said. "Can I talk to you about something after breakfast?"
"Sure." Jules said. "We're about to head to the mess hall if you want to follow us."
With that they began to head to the mess hall's door with June following behind. I follow them into the mess hall and take a seat by the two when we find open seats. I look at the fruit stew again and wait for the go ahead to start eating, when it was given shortly after I sat down I began to eat. I've been getting the hang of eating with only my mouth. But it still felt strange and it didn't help that some Pokemon had hands they could use, I kind of envied them because they had something I lost. The stew tasted the same as when I first came here, and the prior days as well. The guild's cook is an Audino named Tule, and I learned she's obsessed with making meals that taste great, but also identical each time. However she does it I must commend her for the work she does.
As I finish the last of the stew I look up and see several Pokemon leaving the mess hall and either out of the building or staying around in the main hall. I look over to Jules and June and I see Jules finished their stew with June almost done with hers. The other Pokemon around me begin to leave one by one. When the last few left I turned to Jules, I didn't hesitate to speak.
"Jules." I said with a lowered voice. "I need to ask, what does it take to join the guild?" I'd assume there's something I'd have to go through, training, a test, or something else.
"Not much, a small test to see if you have enough knowledge of basic fighting and if you can safely explore a mystery dungeon." Jules said. I saw their lips beginning to move, I assume she's going to ask me why I'm curious about it so I might as well say it.
"I want to take it to join the guild." I said bluntly.
June looks at me without a word, then Jules responded. "Hmm, you're not the first human to join a guild. But if that's what you wish to do we can talk to Tor to arrange a test later today." Jules said. "We can talk to him now if you want."
I nod my head and follow the two when they stood up from their seats. Tor wasn't in here so I followed Jules into the main hall then to the door of Tor's study. June knocked on the door with her claws and we heard a voice say "Come in." from the other side.
We enter into the study and I see the room lined with rows of shelves filled with scrolls and assorted objects in them, at the end by a short table was Tor looking over scrolls and Maple next to his left side.
"Ah Alex, I hope your time here was pleasant. I see you're with Jules and June too." Tor said with a nod to them.
"It has been. I've also deiced on what to do in this world. I want to join your guild." I said.
Maple looks at me before turning to Tor and walks behind him while Tor nods. "I see. If you wish to join you just need to pass a small test. About five miles northeast of here there's a mystery dungeon called 'Wayward Woods', it's five floors large. Maple will head out and place a shiny stone at the end of it and it will be your task to find it and return it back here." Tor said. "You'll be given a heal seed, oran berry, and an apple to help in your test as well as someone to watch you in case something happens."
"I can go with Alex." Jules said.
"Very well." Tor said. "Once Maple leaves this room you can head to storage and get those three items and a satchel to keep them in. Then wait ten minutes before heading to Wayward Woods. Any questions Alex?"
I shook my head, Tor's instructions were clear. Maple passes by me with a small satchel on her and out the door.
"You may start to prepare." Tor said.
With that I follow Jules to the storage room, with June staying with Tor. "I will be doing some training and work around here if you need me once you two get back." She said.
As we exit the main hall I start to feel a light pressure on my forehead briefly before it went away, must have been a minor headache because nothing else felt off. A few Pokemon pass by us as we turn a corner with a Seviper says hello to me and Jules as they pass by us. Soon we arrive at the door of a building, large but not as large as the main hall. However when Jules pushed the door open and I looked inside I stood corrected. There was a large spiral staircase in the middle of the building that went underground. When I looked down it and didn't see a bottom I backed up almost instantly, I could feel my heart pounding on my chest and my brain telling me to stay away.
"Alex?" Jules said.
"S-sorry. I'm afraid of heights and uh, I didn't see the bottom." I said, my legs shaking lightly.
"Ah, well you don't have to come down to get them, I'll ask for the Pokemon who works here. Hey Sol! Are you down there?" Jules shouted down the staircase.
No response, Jules shouted the same question again. "I am now Jules." A voice said behind us, when I turned around I saw an Aipom, I think.
"Are you an Aipom?" I asked.
"No, but I was one. I'm an Ambipom, the evolved form of Aipom." They said. "I'm Sol, the head of storage. You're Alex right?"
I nod my head. I've only got fifty or so Pokemon memoried so far so I wasn't surprised to have gotten it wrong.
"Ah, I got it right. I knew another Absol before I came here who was named Alexei, almost got the names mixed up. Can I ask what you're doing with Jules in here?" Sol said.
"I'm taking the test to join the guild, and I was told I'd be given some items for it." I said.
"Ah! Okay. I'd get them for you, but I got word a shipment got here and I need to deal with it. Jules, you remember where they are?" Sol Asked.
"I still do. First level down to my left when I get off the stairs." Jules said.
With that Sol gave a nod to the two of us and walked off. "I'll be back in a minute" Jules said as they began to head down the stair case.
I choose to stand by the door, better than being near that staircase. The only saving grace it had was that it had railings, if it didn't who knows how I'd reacted to that. As I wait for Jules to come back up I get that pressure on my forehead again, it lasted a bit longer than last time but it went away. I don't know what's causing it but hopefully I don't have to see a healer about it. I hear some wooden scraping noises echoing from the stairs, likely just Jules going through some boxes. After the last noise Jules came up soon afterwards with a small satchel on their side.
"I got everything, now we just have to wait." Jules said with a sigh at the end, as if something was on their mind.
"Something wrong Jules?" I asked.
"Yes, but it's minor." They said. "I find the 'find the stone' part of the test to be pointless. Why not let the accompanying guild member report if the test was a success or failure based on if someone exits the mystery dungeon so we don't have to wait around?"
"Maybe it's to ensure the guild member isn't lying to get a friend in." I said.
"Huh, never though of that." They said. "Makes since, but I've heard some physic types can tell if a person is lying by reading their mind. You're lucky, dark types can't have their minds read by anything."
"Speaking of types, what kinds are there in Wayward Woods? From it's name I'd expect to see grass, bug, and flying types." I said. If me and Jules are going to have to wait for a bit I might as well see what I'm up against.
I heard a knocking on the door. "Tor, are you present in your study?" Orei said.
"I am! Come in Orei!" Tor shouted.
Orei entered the study and closed the door before drifting over to me and Tor. "June you are here too, wonderful. I needed to discuss with you two about those letters I sent regarding Alex." She said.
"What did the other guilds say?" I asked.
"No other guild has encountered a case similar to Alex." She said. "A few of the heads of intelligence were surprised at such a thing occurring."
Never before? Something different must have happened when Alex as brought here. It is the only explanation as to why Alex's situation is unique, but what could have happened that lead to their situation?
"Hmm" Tor hummed, likely thinking something similar to me. "I don't believe we can investigate this any further. We'll just have to wait until the next human appears in this world."
"I agree with that. There is no leads nor anything to follow up on besides satisfying cursory about the human world." Orei said. "That is all I have to report about Alex. Where are they however?"
"They are with Jules taking the entry test, by now they should be on their way to Wayward Woods." I said.
"Please inform me when they return, I need to observe Alex for when Void's Call starts to occur." Orei said. "Depending on how severe their case is I might need to request the aid of Asher."
"I will inform you when Alex comes back." I said. Hopefully with Alex being an Absol, Void's Call will not as severe as in other dark types but until they return we will not know.