Author's Note: More setup stuff, but the appearance of a certain Pokémon at the end of the chapter should give you an idea of about when this fic takes place in relation to the main game. Also, I'm kind of winging it here as to what Pokémon-world food would be like, but it's still fun to guess at this stuff.

Chapter Two: Cold Reception

It really hadn't taken long to arrive in Post Town, and Hannah was left in awe for a few seconds as she observed the area.

The town was relatively small, but it was full of activity nonetheless. Hannah could see a couple of vendor stalls with decently-sized lines in front of them. There was also a larger building in the distance that a few Pokémon were coming and going from. Maybe it was another store, or maybe it was something else—she'd actually have to go in to find out. And behind that was another small path, though she couldn't tell where it led.

"Come on, we need to get some stuff from Kecleon," Heath said. "That last dungeon went through a lot of our items."

"Dungeon?" Hannah repeated, blinking.

"Yeah, I'm a dungeon explorer," Heath explained. "I've been going at this for a while now. I like picking up treasure and stuff, you know? And Desolate Canyon was a long one."

"You are?" Hannah glanced over at Mia. "But what about—"

Mia shrugged. "I…only met up with Heath recently. I've been helping him out, but he's been at this way longer than he's known me."

Hannah hummed in acknowledgement before falling silent. She mulled it over as they fell into line. Well, maybe she could ask how Mia and Heath had met later, but now she was curious… It was rather coincidental that Heath had taken in two people—no, Pokémon, she corrected herself—in a short amount of time.

Oh, well; it probably wasn't a big deal; Hannah might've just been thinking too hard. She shrugged and shuffled after them as the line moved. They weren't too far from the counter now, and she was interested in what kinds of items a Pokémon shopkeeper would sell.

"Oh, hello, Bagon!" Kecleon greeted once they approached him. "Back again for more today?"

"Yep." Heath nodded. "You got any Oran Berries in stock? I could use a Reviver Seed or two if you got any, too."

"Hmm, let me see…" Kecleon turned towards the shelves in the tent behind the counter. "Oh, yes! I have two Oran Berries and one Reviver Seed. Will that do?"

"It'll be fine for now, yeah." Heath set the appropriate amount of coins on the counter as Kecleon handed over his wares. "This enough?"

"Yes, yes! Thank you for your business, as usual, Bagon!"

Heath nodded as he put the items into his bag. Then, he turned around, and Hannah and Mia followed him as he stepped out of line. He glanced over at them, and then he nodded towards the larger building nearby.

"What do you say we grab some dinner at Swanna's place? Let's see if we can stay for a couple days, too. It'll make exploring the dungeons around here much easier."

"Swanna's place?" Hannah repeated. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's a restaurant and an inn," Mia explained. "The rent can be a little pricey if you're staying a while, but the food's really good."

"Okay, that sounds nice." Hannah nodded. "Besides, if you two were going there anyway, I may as well come with you."

Pokémon had inns and restaurants, Hannah thought as she followed them. That was…certainly something. Of course, if they had towns and shops, she supposed that made sense. Still, it wasn't something she'd expected; this place got more and more interesting the more she saw of it.

"Hey, watch it, birdbrain," a voice snapped nearby.

"Excuse me? I need to watch it? You're the one who ran into me!"

"Now you're just making stuff up! Ugh, I swear, you get more annoying every day!"

Hannah blinked as she glanced over at a pair of Pokémon they'd just passed. They were a Patrat and a Ducklett, Hannah believed. Patrat rolled his eyes and walked off in a huff, and Ducklett squawked indignantly before flapping away as well.

"What's up with them?" she wondered aloud.

Heath rolled his eyes as well. "Oh, those two are always at each other's throats. Don't worry about it. They have been getting worse about it lately, though."

Mia sighed. "Everyone here's been so…out of it. If they're not arguing like that, they're getting depressed over every little thing that happens."

Huh, so Pokémon got into random arguments on a regular basis. Maybe they really weren't so different than people after all. Still, Hannah frowned as the trio entered the restaurant. If this happened to the degree that Heath and Mia implied, maybe she hadn't woken up in such a good place after all…

She shook her head as they approached the counter. Swanna waved a wing in greeting as they arrived, and she smiled warmly at the group.

"Oh, Bagon, Gothorita! You have a new friend today?" she greeted.

"Well, sort of," Heath said. "We just met her a little while ago. Anyway, what've you got for dinner tonight, signora?"

"You're in luck; I've just finished up some Cheri Berry stew with some Blast Seed oil. I know you like that one! Three bowls, then?"

Mia nodded. "Mm-hm. I'll pay for this one, since Heath just did the shopping."

She had a small bag of her own, and the Psychic-Type handed some money to Swanna. The bird proceeded to dish up three bowls of food, and Hannah observed the meal as she took hers. It smelled surprisingly like of chili, though it lacked any kind of meat. Hannah was curious to try it, though she looked up as Heath spoke up again.

"Oh, and we're gonna need beds for a couple of nights. You got three open right now?"

"Well, it'll be a bit of a squeeze, since I've got another Pokémon staying right now, but…" Swanna nodded eventually. "Yes, three should be fine. I'll take your payment in the morning."

"Thanks, signora!"

The three of them headed over to a table in the corner near a set of stairs. That probably went up to the bedding area, Hannah mused. At any rate, she sat down, curiously sniffing at her bowl again. Normally, Hannah would want a spoon, but…somehow, she found herself not minding too much. Was that just a Pansage thing? Would she get used to it? …Did she want to get used to it?

Shaking her head, Hannah decided to put that out of her mind. She was okay at the moment, so she may as well just appreciate it. While she did want answers, maybe some food and a night's rest would help.

Hannah carefully picked up the bowl and took a sip. The sauce was thick and spicy, and the berries were soft and chewy. It was surprisingly good, she thought as she swallowed. Normally, she preferred sweet food, but…this was still tasty.

"See, what'd we say? Good, right?"

Hannah blinked as she looked over at Heath. He'd already downed half his bowl, and the little dragon was grinning broadly. It was kind of a weird expression, since he'd seemed kind of standoffish before, but Hannah supposed that was just a sign of how much he liked it.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. …Thanks for paying for me, by the way."

"Eh, don't worry about it." Mia smiled as well. "I figure you're going to need some time before you get any money of your own. You…don't exactly look like you have a lot on you."

"Yeah, you don't even have a treasure bag or anything…" Heath frowned. "Now that I think about it…where'd you even come from? Don't think I've seen you around here before…"

"Ah…"

Hannah looked away, then hastily grabbed her bowl and took a few more sips of the stew. Hopefully that would give her some time to think of a good reply… She needed to come up with something that didn't sound too weird.

After setting down her bowl, Hannah paused and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. Mia and Heath were still looking at her… What should she say?

"Well, um…I'm not really…from around here," she replied slowly. "I got separated from my family, so I don't really know what to do now."

Well, that was all true. Still, it was pretty vague… Hopefully they'd buy it. They stared at her for a few more seconds, but then they just shrugged.

"I mean, I haven't seen a whole lot of Pansage around here anyway," Heath commented. "You must've gotten pretty darn lost. Guess you're gonna need some help getting back."

"If you want to stay with us until they find you, we don't mind," Mia offered.

"Yeah! You just gotta not mind helping me on dungeons every now and then."

"Heath!"

"Oh, come on, Mia! You're helping me, too! It's not like it's hard or anything—"

Hannah giggled as the two started bickering. This seemed more like the casual kind of arguing, instead of the snappy sort she'd seen earlier. Heath and Mia did seem like they'd be nice to spend some time with, if nothing else. Even if Hannah didn't know what to do, at least she was in good company.

Yeah, she thought as she finished her meal. At least there was one bright spot in all of this. Once they were all done with their soup, Mia collected the bowls and carried them back to Swanna. Then, the trio headed upstairs, and Hannah was still smiling hesitantly.

There was an Umbreon curled up in the bed on the far side of the room, but there were enough beds left for the three of them. Hannah settled down in one of them, watching as Heath and Mia curled up in the others. Her mind was still racing, so she doubted she'd fall asleep for a while, but… Hannah decided that her new acquaintances were a positive amid the whole mess nonetheless.