Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here. I know updates have been sparse at best, but believe me, I'm trying. Please bare with me. Anyway, here's the next chapter, where Lauren learns about Pokemon Square, and general missions. I will probably skip later filler days, just for convenience. Enjoy!

The next morning, I woke up with the rising sun. Stretching and shaking loose straw out of my fur, I grab an Apple from the explorer's bag for a quick breakfast. Still chewing, I walk outside and check the mailbox for any new mail. Looking inside, I find it completely empty. No jobs today, I thought.

"No jobs today?" I hear behind me; I turn to see Sparky walking up behind me. "I guess we got lucky yesterday." He smiles suddenly. "Oh, I know! How about I show you around town? We can stop by the Post Office as well."

"Town? As in people?" I ask. "I thought you didn't believe in humans."

"Not a human town, silly," he teases. "A Pokémon one! It's a great spot for rescue teams to gather and prepare for their next mission. Wanna go?"

"I guess," I reply, a little hesitant; I'm unsure if I can act Pokémon enough to fool everyone. He leads me a short distance away, to a small collection of buildings situated around a central circular area. A few Pokémon are standing around, talking to one another, while others man what look like shops.

"Welcome to Pokémon Square!" Sparky exclaims, brandishing a paw at the sight. "I know, it doesn't look like a square per se, but the name sort of stuck. Here, I'll explain the shops." He points to what looks like a general store. "That is the Kecleon Market, run by the two Kecleon brothers, Gary and Paul. Gary's the green one, and he sells various items for teams to use in the dungeons like berries and seeds. Paul, on the other hand, is the purple one, and sells TMs and special Orbs."

Pointing at a stall that had lockboxes along the back wall, he said, "Felicity Bank here, run by Princess the Persian, will hold all our Poké that we don't use, so we won't lose it if we get kicked out of a dungeon. She's never been robbed, so it's guaranteed secure." Pointing next to a large brown building south of the Market, he said, "Here we have Kangaskhan Storage, run by Mama Kanga and her little one Junior. They can store any items we don't want to take into the dungeon with us, as well as any rewards we get from missions." Lastly, pointing at an odd building south of the Bank, he comments, "And here is the Gulpin Link Shop, run by Gulp. I'm not sure exactly what he does, but he claims he can 'link' Pokémon moves together so they can be used all at once."

"That's all the major shops in the Square, but there are a couple features just outside. To the north is Wishcash's Pond, where the Elder lives; he often will tell stories to the younger Pokémon or anyone who wants to listen. To the south is Makuhita Dojo, where rescue teams can train in mini-dungeons to hone their skills and moves; unfortunately, it's closed now. And lastly, to the east is Pelipper Post Office, where we're going. Come on!" Sparky leads the way, greeting some of the Pokémon talking in the area, but I mostly hang back and avoid eye contact.

After walking for a few minutes, we reach a large building near the cliff, shaped like a Pelipper's head, with the same birds flying in and out of its mouth. "This is the Pelipper Post Office, as you can see," Sparky says. "They take care of all the mail and rescue requests for the various teams around here. Also, if a team runs into trouble in the dungeons and cannot escape, it can send out an SOS here, and another team can attempt to rescue them. However, we can visit them later; what we need is right here."

He gestures to a billboard set next to the building, with lots of papers pinned on it. "This is the Job Bulletin Board. Job requests not sent directly to rescue teams are posted here, for anyone to claim if they want. We can come here every day and select jobs from the board, complete them, and reap lots of rewards. Even better, see the little sensor on top of the board?" He points at a small object on one corner. "It allows us to teleport here once all our missions are done!"

I walk up to the Board and scan the pages. Just like with the letter, I couldn't read them for a moment, but as I stare at them, they make more sense. Is this related to my instincts? I think. I'll ask Sparky later. Only a few jobs were for dungeons we've been to before, and I didn't feel like tackling a new dungeon, so I bite down on a couple papers listed for Tiny Woods, and show them to Sparky.

"An item retrieval and a rescue for Tiny Woods? Good choices. Nothing too strenuous, and we can get more items for later dungeons." He pauses in thought. "Wait, how is your tracking ability going to work on the item retrieval? I would rather not search the ENTIRE floor for no reason."

In response, I try to get a scent from the job notices themselves, reasoning that the one who put them up would leave their scent on the paper. Sure enough, I could detect faint signatures from the paper, and they match the clients'. "Thought so. I can track the clients' scent from their notices, and follow THAT through the dungeon," I respond, confidence in my voice.

"Nice!" Sparky exclaims. "Let's see what Gary has in his store, and then head out!" We walk back into town and swing by the Kecleon Market. Buying a berry or two, we visit Mama Kanga and Princess to store what we don't need, and then use our badges to teleport directly to Tiny Woods. Trekking through the dungeon itself was easy with my tracking skill, and Sparky taught me how to complete multiple missions without teleporting out. Turns out, simply shining the badge on the target will warp them out for you, and you can keep going.

Once we finish, we warp directly to the Bulletin Board, where the clients wait for us. Each give us the promised reward, which includes items or Poké. We also get Rescue Points, which Sparky told me correspond to the mission's rank, or how difficult it is. Once we get enough points, our team will move up in rank. At the end of the day, we head back to my house (I'm starting to think of it as mine, by now), and Sparky bids me good night.

Once more, I'm back in that swirling dream world. Again, the scent of incense and sweets drifts by, teasing at my nose like a dangling lure. "Are you there?" I ask silently. "Where are you?" There is no response. Suddenly, the area starts shaking violently, like an earthquake. "Is this real?" I ask no one in particular, as I wake.

And there you have it. Next time, Lauren climbs Mt. Steel, and faces her first boss! Stay tuned!

Read and review, and may your Ember never fade!

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