A team of four childhood friends – consisting of a Machamp, a Hitmonchan, a Delcatty, and a Electabuzz - heard of rumors that a healing spring could heal their team leader from his mysterious condition. In hopes that they could cure their team leader of his mysterious condition, the four decided to search for this spring. But first, they needed information.

They made their way down to Cider Point, located nearby the Berry Forest. The town was known for the number of aspiring merchants and salesmen who passed by, selling their homemade goods to everyone, explorers and townspeople alike.

"Arceusdamn... It's bin half an hour 'n' we're still not at Cider Point?" the Hitmonchan sighed. "Ye said this would be a 15-minute trip, Emmett. What happened?" He impatiently nudged his boxing gloves against one of the Machamp's ruggedly developed arms.

"Relax, Kyle. We're almost there."

Approaching the entrance of Cider Point, they were greeted by one of the guards. "Welcome to Cider Point, travelers. As long as you don't cause any trouble, you're free to do as you wish."

"Ah, don't worry. You can always trust us." The Machamp reassured, "I won't hurt even the smallest of Cutieflies!"

And so, they set off to look around Cider Point. There were other exploration teams, who were enjoying their time in the Town Square. Along the way, there were a few shopkeepers who set up shop, and a few others who were simply townspeople, living a comfortable life in Cider Point. Their homes were made of stone and wood, a local café could be found nearby, along with a few recreational spaces for Pokémon to relax in.

"Hm... I would like an accessory of my own." The Electabuzz looked around, "Other Pokémon can get quite fashionable, and I just feel so... plain without it."

"I'm not very fashionable myself, Timothy," Emmett grabbed onto his orange scarf, "All I have is this old scarf that mum made for me when I was young."

Timothy looked back at Emmett, "But you also wear a cool looking belt and a speedo. All I'm saying is, I just look so ordinary. Look at Peanut! She's not wearing much, and yet the bow attached to her tail has a cute little bell attached to it!"

Peanut's ears twitched a little, her face turning a pastel pink. "Cute? You think it's... cute?"

"U-uh... I mean, it looks nice, Peanut."

She giggled, "No, no, it's okay if you want to call it that, Timothy!" She beamed.

Suddenly, a small stand caught her eye; a Whimsicott could be found setting up shop. The store was a tent, which curved over and appeared similarly to the large ball of cotton on his head, which acted as his 'hair'. He had a bag full of cotton, presumably from plucking the excess cotton from his head.

"Oh! Maybe that Whimsicott over there can help us out." She pointed to the tent with her paw.

"U-uh... Okay, maybe I'll try that..."

They approached the salesman, who at first, didn't notice their presence until Emmett's big, dark shadow loomed over him. He was taken aback but calmed himself down quickly when he realized they were just mere customers.

"Welcome to Whimsicott's Workshop! I'm Theo, and I make equipment for explorers! What would you four like? I have scarves, bandanas... I take commissions, too, if you don't find what you're looking for."

"Oh! Could you get a Joy Ribbon, maybe?"

He took out a notepad. "Alright! Do you want to customize it, or do you want the default design?"

Timothy couldn't come up with something; He didn't want to look plain, but he also didn't know what he'd want on it. Peanut chimed in with her own suggestion. "Maybe try a lime green?"

"Lime green? Mm, I like the sound of that... Alright, make it a lime green color!"

"Okay! I have some lime dye for that. That'll be around... 2500 Poké."

Timothy gave him the amount asked for, and Theo immediately got to work. Taken from the mass of cotton that sprang out of the Whimsicott's head, he weaved the cotton into a piece of cloth that was long enough to be wrapped around one's body part. He then dipped the piece into a bucket of dye, which colored the once-white cloth into a bright lime green.

"There we go! A Joy Ribbon customized to your liking."

Timothy took the band and wrapped it around his arm. "Thanks!" He gleefully wagged his tail.

"I think it fits your look quite well!" Theo looked at the other three, "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"Nah, I think we're good!" Emmett smiled, "Besides, I already have this scarf of mine."

"Alright then, come again anytime!"

The four waved goodbye, leaving to explore the other parts of town. Theo continued to organize his materials, humming to himself as he sorted everything in his stock.

"He's right; the sash does look pretty cool on you, Timothy."

"Ah, thanks man! I feel more 'me' now, if that makes any sense... The price was also surprisingly cheap, especially when you know how much these can go for."

Kyle wasn't necessarily impressed "Alight now, we cam 'ere fur a reason, didn't we? it's so we can fin' some info on th' springs, not to buy clothes, ye galoots!"
Peanut glanced at Kyle, "I suppose you're right, but could you be a little nicer next time...?"

He sighed, "Fine. Just don't waste any more time, wull ye?"

"Maybe we could find something out in the local tavern over there?" Emmett suggested, "That's where people usually find intel about stuff, as cliché as it sounds..."

Peanut didn't like the idea very much, since she dislikes alcoholic beverages, and the type of people that hang there creep her out. "W-wait... maybe we could check the café inst-"

"Weel, if it's cliche, it likely works." Kyle shrugged, "Let's go check it out then, shall we?"

Peanut frowned a little, "Oh, okay then..."

Entering the tavern, it was filled to the brim with Pokémon, lone travelers and explorer teams alike, hanging out, discussing current events, and even playing some party games together. The mon working at the counter appeared to be a Bibarel, who was at the bar table serving up drinks and food to the customers.

Emmett hopped onto one of the stools, waiting for a waiter to get to him. It was a busy day, after all, and there were other Pokémon waiting for their food and drink as well.

"Wotcher, mates. What can I do to help yeh four today?" The Bibarel said, as he served someone some food.

"Well, we were looking for some details on the healing springs," Emmett grabbed a piece of paper from the bag, "We heard rumors about a spring that could heal any condition or curse, and we thought that the tavern may have some info on that. Do you know anything about the springs, or the Shadow?"

"Ooh, 'n' do ye mind if we get some food n' drink as weel?" Kyle asked.

"Actually, I do know a tad..." He turned to Kyle for a second, "For the drink, would you fancy some Gummis dropped into the mix?"

Kyle nodded, "Sure, mukker. As long as it tastes guid."

"Good to know. As for the rumors, I unfortunately do not know where the spring may be located, but I do know that cases of Shadow Pokémon have risen exponentially, to the point that guilds are sending out whole exploration teams to find a cure, which just so happens to be the springs that you are talking about."

"Huh. So, what you're saying is, guilds are trying to race for a cure out of fear?"

He nodded, "As the world's natural disasters spiral out of the control, and more Pokémon have gone missing, the need for exploration teams has increased exponentially. Reported sightings of 'Shadow Pokémon' have made guilds send out exploration teams to hunt for the cure, in hopes that it could help combat the Shadow.

However, this sudden rise in tension to race for the cure has resulted in rival guilds engaging in fights whenever they encounter each other. This has created a competition; whoever is the first to find the cure will become a "hero" of sorts. Out of collywobbles, the townspeople have begun to fight back – both against the shadow and the rival guilds – as the tensions rise and their rivalries grow destructive."

"Damn. It seems th' "shadow" is more serious than we thought."

"Yep," Emmett sighed, "Oh yeah, our food. You got any of that?"

"Oh, whoops! I was distracted, I'll go get that for you immediately, sir." He hurried to get their food and drink and left them to their own devices.

A Scrafty bumped into the conversation, smirking at Kyle as he said in a mocking tone, "Pfft. Your accent sounds weird. Where diid you blow in from, Weirdo Town?"

"Are ye talking jobby aboot mah accent, buddy?" Kyle stood up, threatening the Scrafty, while tapping his boxing gloves together, "Gonnae say that again, 'n' ah will kick yer ass, fud!"

"C-calm down!" Peanut tried to calm them down, "I don't want a fight going on between you two! Y-You know how people get in these types of places when tension rises..."

"... See yerself lucky." Kyle sat back down, scowling at the Scrafty.

The Bibarel returned with their order, placing it down onto the table. "Your food and ale are done! Dive in, mates!"

As expected, Peanut only ate a little. She didn't drink at all, as the taste bothered her.

Timothy took some big bites but didn't eat the whole thing. He didn't want to drink too much. From personal experience, he knew that whenever he got drunk, he'd uncontrollably zap everything that came his way, so he's been careful whenever he drinks.

Emmett and Kyle, however, finished everything up quite quickly. Before they could gulp down all of their ale, however, Peanut kept pawing at them, which was gesturing that they probably shouldn't. She didn't want to see them drunkenly getting into fights, especially when knowing how strong Emmett can be at full power, and the fact that Kyle can punch right through walls.

"Whew! that wis great, wasn't it, Emmett?"

"Yep! Though, I do feel a bit... queasy. Good thing Peanut stopped us in time." He chuckled.

She smiled, "I just wanted to look out for you two, y'know~? Now, where should we look next..."