•
Chapter 16:

"The great explorer, Dusknoir"

"The Legendary Panacea Elixir... exists?"

Chimecho spoke with a hushed whisper, her expression was that of shock and disbelief. Everybody stared expectantly at Guildmaster Wigglytuff, waiting with bated breath for the smiling Pokémon to answer one way or another. Seconds passed into minutes as Guildmaster Wigglytuff fell into an odd silence. Sweat dripped down Loudred's back while Corphish and Sunflora both took a deep gulp.

Blue frowned and folded his arms impatiently while Fée wore a worried look on her face. Chimecho continued to look indignant.

"Does it exist...?" Guildmaster Wigglytuff finally spoke. He held a pink paw up to the bottom of his mouth and tilted his head, making his long ears flop to the side. He closed his eyes and made a deep hmmming noise, indicating that he was in deep thought.

Eventually, after a few more seconds of waiting, Guildmaster Wigglytuff opened his eyes and smiled even wider as he cheerfully announced, "Of course it does!"

He held up a paw to a stunned – looking Chimecho, "We live in a wonderful world of adventure and mystery! Something as fantastical as an all – curing medicine definitely exists!"

"B – b – but...!" Chimecho stuttered, sounding outraged and skeptical, "There's no basis for such a thing to exist! If it did exist, then why do we bother with medicines?"

Everybody turned toward to Guildmaster Wigglytuff now, waiting for his response. The Guildmaster folded his arms across his chest and closed his big eyes. To everybody, he looked like he was deep in thought.

For about three seconds.

"I dunno!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff shouted as he opened his eyes wide and beamed, making Chimecho gape at him in disbelief. The Guildmaster bounced up and down gleefully as he clapped his paws together, "But, what I do know is that the Panacea does exist somewhere in the frontier!"

The wind chime Pokémon shook her head, "But where's the proof, Guildmaster?" She swooped over to Guildmaster Wigglytuff's side and said, "I'm sorry if I'm being discourteous to you, but I can't for the life of me believe that an all – curing medicine exists!"

"But it does...!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff pouted, puffing his cheeks out like a child, "I know it exists!"

"But where's the proof?" Chimecho cried out, "I want to see such a miraculous thing with my own eyes!"

"Ahem..." Everyone turned their heads toward Chatot, who recovered from his earlier embarrassment. The multi – colored bird walked up to Chimecho and said, "Chimecho, if you require proof that it exists, why not go forth and find it yourself?"

"Eh?" Chimecho's mouth hung open as she gaped at Chatot. The bird covered his face with his wing and chuckled.

"You are an apprentice explorer, are you not? The only way for you to truly know if something legendary or mystical truly exists... or not, is by finding it and verifying it with your own eyes!"

"Mmhm!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff bounced up and nodded fervently. He raise up his right paw and pointed to the ceiling, "We're explorers! Finding legendary or mystical things is our specialty!"

"Yeah!" Loudred agreed with a bellow, making everybody to flinch from the noise, "Guildmaster and Chatot's right! There's no reason for us to sit here and debate whether or not this stupid medicine exists like a bunch of old fogeys!"

The boisterous Pokémon pounded his palm with his fist, making a low booming noise, "We're explorers! We should be going out and finding this p... pan... panga... medicine for Blue!"

"Panacea," Sunflora corrected him with a nod. She turned toward Guildmaster Wigglytuff and appealed, "I agree with Loudred, Guildmaster. If you say that the Panacea exists, then please allow us to go on an expedition to find it!"

"Hey, hey!" Corphish gleefully jumped into the air, scuttling his little legs while snapping his pincers at the air, "If you're all going out to find the Panacea, then count me in too!"

Corphish ran in between everybody and held up his pincer. Loudred chuckled and placed his hand on top of the lobster's pincer. Sunflora joined them afterward with a gleeful little giggle. The three of them turned their heads toward Chimecho and grinned.

"Come on Chimecho!" Sunflora urged the hesitant wind chime, "It'll be fun!"

"And," Loudred added, "you can prove to us whether or not this pa... medicine exists!"

"Ergh..." Chimecho grumbled as she glanced over to Guildmaster Wigglytuff and Chatot. The two of them also smiled back at the wind chime and nodded. Feeling as though she was fighting a losing battle, Chimecho sighed and reluctantly joined the group. She placed her ribbon on top of Sunflora's leaf.

"Alright, fine. You guys win," She said, making the group break out in victorious cheers, "but!" She raised and pointed her ribbon over to Loudred and Corphish, "If it turns out that this Panacea doesn't exist, then I'm going to punish you two severely."

Loudred and Corphish blanched at the little wind chime's innocent smile. They glanced nervously at each other, both of them breaking out in cold sweat. Hesitantly, they nodded at Chimecho, agreeing to her evil plan.

"Hee hee..." She giggled softly, making the Loudred and Corphish duo shudder involuntarily. Sunflora, ignoring the plight of her two comrades, turned toward Blue and Fée.

"Don't just sit there, you two!" She said, beckoning them over, "You're both explorers too!"

Fée looked surprised. She looked over to Blue, who was watching the scene unfold with an amused expression on his face. He turned toward the Eevee and grinned.

"How about it, Fée?" He said as he patted her on the head, "You want to go out on an expedition to find a cure for my leg?"

Fée smiled and gently nudged him on the chest, "You dummy. How can I say no to something like that?"

She stood up and walked up to the group and placed her paw on Chimecho's ribbon. Then, as she turned around to look at Blue, the Riolu walked past her and fluffed the fur on top of her head with his paw as he placed his other paw on top of hers. They smiled at each other before turning to face the rest of the group.

"Alright then!" Loudred announced in his usual bombastic voice, "Our goal for the day is to find the medicine for Blue's leg! Is everyone okay with that?"

"Yeah!"

Hands, leaves, ribbons, pincers and paws flew up into the air as everyone shouted energetically.

"Good, good!" Chatot clapped his wings together as he watched the group cheer together, "It's nice to see you all working together so enthusiastically!"

"Enthusiastic friends! Yay!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff gleefully clapped his paws together, mimicking the bird.

"However!" Chatot suddenly flew up and landed in between the group. He held up a wing and began to separate everybody, "As much as I hate to ruin what would most likely be a glorious cooperative effort from all of you," Chatot stated in a pompous voice, "I am sad to inform you that every single one of you, apart from Blue and Fée, are barred from helping them find the Panacea Elixir."

"Eh!?" A loud, shocked cry erupted from the group.

"But, why?" Loudred shouted in indignation, "We were all ready to go and help Blue find the cure for his leg! You can't just ban us from helping them out!"

"Hey, hey, that's right!" Corphish slammed his pincers together, "Are you saying that we should just let Blue's leg rot and fall off?!"

"Corphish! That was tactless!" Sunflora chided the lobster Pokémon.

"Oh, err..." Corphish glanced over to Blue, "S – sorry."

Blue shrugged and waved away Corphish's rude comment with his paw.

"Now, now," Chatot said, trying to pacify the growing resentment in the group, "allow me to explain."

He gestured toward Fée and Blue, "As I am sure you all already know, these two are brand new apprentices here in the guild. Therefore, I am going to consider this upcoming search for the Panacea Elixir as their introductory training mission."

Everybody suddenly blanched at what Chatot said. Loudred and Sunflora both shook their heads and covered their faces with their hands; Corphish began to scuttle around side by side while Chimecho began to mumble darkly about needing more medicinal berries.

"Introductory training mission?" Fée echoed the strange term, unaware of what the rest of the group was doing, "What's that?"

Chatot chuckled at the confused Eevee, "Why, it's a specialty here at Wigglytuff's Guild, Fée." He gestured toward the other explorers around her and said, "Consider it a special service."

"You see, unlike other guilds, we do not provide you with an experienced guide during your first expedition. Instead, we expect you to go through your first expedition on your own and learn from experience!"

"E...eh?!" Fée looked startled, "B – but, who will teach us the basics of exploring then?"

"Basics?" Chatot echoed, "Why, there is no need for you to be worried about such a thing," The bird pointed at the other apprentices with his wing and stated, "everyone else here all learned their skills on their own, without anybody holding their hands through the process."

The Eevee glanced over to the group for confirmation. Loudred, Sunflora, Chimecho and Corphish all nodded, although hesitantly, at Chatot's words.

"Don't fret, Fée!" Chatot said in a jovial voice as he patted her head with his wing, "Unlike the rest of them, you joined the guild with a friend! Therefore, I'll allow you the privilege to begin your training with Blue by your side."

He fluttered over to Blue's side and extended his wings out to the Riolu, who looked confused about what was going on.

"Hold on Chatot," Chimecho cut in, flying over to Blue's other side, "I can't accept your decision there!"

"What do you mean, Chimecho?"

Chimecho jabbed her ribbon at Blue's leg, "Blue is injured, he should be resting instead of exhausting his leg even more!"

"Hm," Chatot walked over to Blue and surveyed his leg. After giving it a thorough examination, Chatot moved back and stated, "I don't see any problem with this. It shouldn't be a problem."

"What?!" Chimecho looked aghast at the bird. Chatot ignored her appalled glare and rounded over to Blue.

"I'm sure Blue would agree with me when I say that such a wound means nothing to such a tough Pokémon like him, am I wrong?"

Blue glanced up at the bird, who was wearing a knowing expression on his face. He mulled over his options for a moment, nod and go with Fée on an adventure, or shake his head and stay in the guild, monitored by Chimecho. He could feel the wind chime's glare searing into the back of his head as he considered his choices.

"I'll go, I have no objections." He stood up and patted his chest.

Chimecho groaned and slapped her face with her ribbon while Chatot clapped his wings together with great enthusiasm.

"Good, good! Very good!" Chatot flew away from Blue and landed by Wigglytuff's side. He pointed at the door to their office, "Well then, if the two of you would kindly follow us to our office. We'll tell you the details of your first expedition there."

"So exciting!" Wigglytuff squealed as he skipped toward his own office. Chatot quickly followed behind him, whistling a jaunty tune as he flew through the cavern.

"That stinks!" Loudred grumbled as he flopped onto the grass. He leaned the side of his head against his fist as he sent an indignant glare at the door to the Guildmaster's Office, "I was getting all excited to find that stupid elixir too!"

"It can't be helped," Sunflora mumbled as she shrugged in defeat, "we went through the same thing too when we first joined."

Fée gave Sunflora a nervous glance, "What... what does this training mission thing entail, Sunflora?"

"Ooh..." Sunflora held her leaves up to the side of her head, shivering a little, "it's different for everyone, but it's basically your very first expedition, Fée."

"But... it's easier, right?" Fée asked, her face displaying a nervous smile, "I mean... I read about some guilds sending new apprentices to close by, safe places while accompanied by an experienced explorer for their first expedition."

To her great dismay, everyone shook their heads vehemently.

"I wish it was easier!" Sunflora cried out, covering her face with her leaves, "I – I remember when Chatot sent me on my first expedition... it was to the Northern Desert!" She shuddered fearfully as she remembered the harrowing experience, "It was so hot... and so dry... that I felt like I was going to wilt!"

"For me, the Guildmaster told me to go to Amp Plains," Corphish grumbled as he laid his pincers on the grass, "I couldn't feel my pincers for weeks after I came back from that electrifying nightmare..."

"I had the misfortune of joining during the rainy season..." Chimecho covered her face with her ribbon, "I never want to visit Drenched Bluff again after being swept all over the place by the water..."

Only Loudred wasn't affected by the doom – and – gloom. Instead, he had laid down on the grass and was waving his hand around in a dismissive fashion, "You're all wusses! I didn't have a single problem with my first expedition at all! Ha, ha!"

Corphish scowled at the laughing Loudred, "That's because you got lucky and ran into another group of explorers during your first expedition!" He clacked his pincers at him, "If they hadn't shared their rations with you, you would've been running home begging for food!"

"I still passed my test though! Ha!" Loudred grinned, unfazed by Corphish's irritated accusation.

"E – either way," Sunflora hurried over to Fée and Blue and shoved them toward the Guildmaster's office, "you shouldn't keep them waiting, ooh... this is so nerve – wracking!"

"H – hey, Sunflora, wait...!" Fée tried to protest, but Sunflora just gave her a quick push on the rump and shoved her through the door.

Once again, I found myself standing inside of the Guildmaster's messy office. After dropping us inside the door, Sunflora gave Blue an I an encouraging wink and quickly ducked out of the room.

Wigglytuff and Chatot were huddled over the desk. They looked like they were discussing something important with each other. The two of them looked like they haven't noticed us yet. I thought about saying something to announce our presence, but I felt a little hesitant doing so.

My first expedition... I didn't think it would come so soon. Well, technically speaking, I suppose it would be my second. I glanced over to Blue, who was distracted by the piles of junk strewn all around us. The adventure we had in the Beach Cave was my first ever foray into the world of exploration, and... well, it was fun.

But at the same time, it was also incredibly dangerous. Ever since we exited the Beach Cave, Blue was suffering from that one terrible bite on his leg. I looked down at my paws. If I had just been a little braver, he wouldn't have been hurt for my sake. I could've fought off that swarm of Kabuto alongside him instead of needing him to save me.

I don't want to be the same, cowardly Fée. I'm going to get braver, and I'm going to become a real explorer like I've always dreamed of!

"Guildmaster! Chatot!" I announced in a loud and confident voice, "Blue and I have arrived!"

"Ho ho!" Chatot looked a little startled, but he and Wigglytuff both had big smiles on their faces, "Good, good! I'm glad to see the both of you haven't ran away like the rest!"

"Ran away?" I asked, puzzled by what he said.

Chatot just shook his head and waved away my question with his wing.

"Nothing for you to worry your furry little head about, Fée. Now, would the both of you please come over here? There's something we need to discuss with you two about your expedition."

"Is this about the Panacea?" Blue asked as we made our way over to the desk, making sure to avoid all the junk that was scattered all over the place.

"Of course it is," Chatot nodded, "now, come closer. What I am about to tell you next is a very, very important secret."

"A secret?" The idea of being told a secret piqued my interest. I leaned my head over the desk, pointing my ear at Chatot's beak.

"Ho ho, I see you're eager!" Chatot chuckled, "However, there is something important I must tell you before I divulge this secret."

"What is it?"

Chatot cleared his throat and lowered his voice as he leaned in closer, "I must ask the two of you to keep the details of your expedition to yourself. You cannot tell anyone, no one at all, about what you see or what you've heard about on your expedition."

"Not even to Loudred or Sunflora?"

Chatot nodded, "That's right. Not even to Loudred or Sunflora."

"This must be something really important then," Blue remarked as he folded his arms across his chest, "is the Panacea really that secretive?"

Guildmaster Wigglytuff grinned and bent down below the desk. When he came back up, he was holding onto another one of his favorite shiny apples. He placed it on top of the desk and spun it like a top.

"Yep! It's super secrety!" He said as he watched the apple spin around, "We've already found the Panacea before, you see!"

"Mmhm, that is correct," Chatot concurred as he stopped the spinning apple with his talons, "however, we were sworn to never reveal the location of the Panacea Elixir unless we had a good reason."

"And curing a friend's injury is a good reason!" Wigglytuff cheered as he plucked the apple out of Chatot's grip.

"Yes, I believe so too," the bird turned toward Blue and Fée, a serious expression on his face, "which is why we decided to entrust you two with this incredibly important information."

"I – I'm honored, Chatot!" I stuttered nervously, "I promise that I wont tell anyone about this secret! Not even to Blue!"

"I'm right here, Fée," Blue chuckled as he shook his head.

I blushed, "O – oh, of course! That's not what I meant, I mean..."

Feeling stupid, I covered my face with my paws and ducked underneath the desk. I heard Blue and the Guildmaster laugh loudly while Chatot coughed.

"Well... you seem earnest and trustworthy enough," I heard Chatot say as I rose back up from beneath the desk.

Chatot reached inside his wing with his beak and withdrew a small, oblong envelope. He placed it on the desk and slid it to us with his feet. I stared at it curiously as Blue picked it up.

"What's this?" Blue said as he flipped the envelope around. There was some small writing on the surface of the white envelope. I couldn't quite make out what it said from where I was standing, but it looked like it was an address.

"There's a certain Pokémon in Treasure Town that knows the exact location of the Panacea," Chatot explained, "I would like you to deliver that letter to this Pokémon."

"Deliver...?" Blue's eyes narrowed as he looked away from the letter and at Chatot, "Don't you know where it is already? Why can't you just tell us?"

Blue had a point. Judging from what the two of them had said, they should already know the location of the Panacea. Having us seek out another Pokémon to find out where it's located seemed like a waste of time to me.

"Ho ho, you think we were going to make it that easy for you two?" Chatot had a devious look in his eye as he chuckled, "Consider this a part of your expedition. It pays to prepare before you make a journey, of course."

"Yep! Besides, it would be no fun if we just went and told you that the Panacea was inside the Forl – beh!"

Both Blue's ears and mine perked up. Did Guildmaster Wigglytuff almost tell us where the Panacea was? Unfortunately, Chatot had slapped his wing over the excitable Guildmaster's mouth before he managed to say the entire thing. Chatot glared angrily at Wigglytuff before trying to shoo us out of the room with his other wing.

"I – Ignore what the Guildmaster just said! The Pokémon you two are looking for is called Duskull. He should be in town somewhere right now, so go and find him and deliver that letter! You may leave!"

Sensing danger, I tugged at Blue's arm with my mouth and gestured toward the door. I bowed at Chatot and the Guildmaster before quickly turning around and sprinting toward the exit. From behind me, I could hear angry yelling and happy giggling.

As soon as Blue and I exited the office, we were immediately surrounded by our guildmates. Sunflora, Loudred, Corphish and Chimecho all began to bombard Blue and I with questions about what transpired inside the office.

"Hey! Hey! Where did the boss send you guys off to?"

"Is it an awful place? Oooh, I'd hate it if you guys had to go to to the desert too!"

"If that's the case, I must pack you some Rawst Berries! Unless you're heading to somewhere cold, in which case I'm sorry to say that we are out of Aspears."

"Calm down you guys, let the kids speak!"

Feeling a little overwhelmed, I took a step back and quickly bowed to them as an apology.

"Sorry!" I said, my face against the grass, "But I'm not allowed to tell you guys about where we're going! They made us promise to keep it a secret from everyone!"

I watched as they all seemed to wilt in disappointment. I felt a little bad, they probably really wanted to help us with our expedition. Loudred recovered first and put a big grin on his face as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Well that's a shame, but that's just how it is!" He roared with laughter, forcing everyone to wince again as he gave Blue's back a jovial slap, "You two will tell us everything that happened when you come back, right?"

"O – of course we will!" I shouted, my ears still ringing from his loud outburst, "At least, as much as we're allowed to by Chatot and the Guildmaster."

"Oooh, I can't wait!" Sunflora squealed and raised up both of her leaves. Sensing danger, I immediately ducked behind Blue and peered out from behind him at Sunflora warily.

"Hey, hey! She's used to your tricks now, Sunflora!" Corphish snickered as Sunflora's arms and head drooped down in disappointment. Chimecho hovered over to Blue and shoved something small and white into his paws. I peeked under his arm and saw that it was a small packet of berries.

"You make sure you keep your body safe and healthy, alright?" Chimecho said in a stern voice. She patted the packet of berries in his paw with her ribbon with a scowl on her face, "If I had my way, I would have you psychically tied down to a bed with your leg bound in a cast until we find a way to cure it without this... Panacea..." She paused and sighed in an irritated way, "but I can't go against what Chatot and the Guildmaster wants. So in place of a good night's sleep, I want you to take one of these Pecha Berries every time your leg starts to feel uncomfortable, alright?"

Blue held up the packet of pink Pecha Berries and grinned, "Thanks Chimecho, I'll take good care of these."

"And Fée!" I jumped with a start as Chimecho addressed me. She jabbed her ribbon at me and said, "You make sure he doesn't get into any trouble, alright? No roughhousing or fighting, no long distance running or long jumping. Otherwise I might have to bind you up alongside Blue as a punishment!"

"I – I'll try!" I gave her a frantic nod. The thought of being punished by Chimecho was triggering a sense of terror inside of me, which seemed to be shared by everyone else, since I wasn't the only one shuddering in fear.

"Good. I'll see you two back by tonight then." On that lofty note, Chimecho turned around and floated away and into the hallways. Once the wind chime vanished, everyone released a great sigh of relief.

"Is she always that... extreme?" I asked quietly, afraid that she might hear me, "She didn't seem that way when I first met her..."

Sunflora shrugged and said, "She's a really nice girl usually, but if you flick her doctor switch, she gets really scary!"

"Nice girl...? I don't think I've ever seen that side of her before," Corphish mumbled sarcastically, only to get a leaf slapped against his back as a response, "Gyeeh!"

"Anyway, you two are going to go on your expedition immediately, aren't you?" Sunflora said with a smile. She held out her leaf to me and gestured at the bags around my neck. "Here, why don't you give me that cute pink bag of yours?"

"Huh?"

"I'll keep it safe in your room," she explained, "it'll be there safe and sound until you come home."

That word seemed to echo around inside my head. As I stared at Sunflora, a warm feeling began to rise up inside my chest. I sat down and clutched the strap of my pink bag with my paws, slowly mulling over what she said as I took it off.

"You mean... I can stay here?" I asked in a quiet voice. I could see Sunflora and Loudred staring at me curiously. I guess my question must've seemed odd to them, as they turned toward each other with confused expressions.

"Of course you can stay here, Fée," Sunflora said gently. She took the bag out of my paws and put it around her own neck. I looked up at the flowery Pokémon and saw her bright smile. Sunflora held out her leaves to her side, "you, and Blue as well, can stay here for as long as you like. This is our home, and it's yours as well!"

A wave of emotion flooded through me when I heard that. I wiped my eyes and slowly walked up to Sunflora.

"Thank you, Sunflora," I reached out and pulled Sunflora into an affectionate hug. She looked surprised, considering that it was me who initiated the embrace for once, but she recovered and gently hugged me back.

While still embracing Sunflora, I took the chance to look around the cavern. Soft, green grass covered the floor while bright and warm sunlight streamed through the windows. A beautiful sparkling waterfall spilled down from the ceiling and into a crystal - clear pool of water. Furthermore, all sorts of friendly Pokémon stayed here as well, calling this place their home.

And now, I had a home as well.

"Everyone was so nice and helpful, weren't they, Blue?"

I skipped across the top of the plateau above my home. When I reached the top of the staircase, I turned around and gave Blue a happy smile. From behind him, I could see the hidden staircase slowly rebuilding itself from inside the tent.

"Yeah, they were all great Pokémon," Blue grinned as he fluffed the fur on my head, "I'd rather steer clear of that Chimecho though. Getting carried in the air like that was a pretty awful experience."

"Hee hee!" I circled around him, whapping him playfully with my tail, "It's your fault for hiding in the water!"

Blue reached down and snagged me on the back of my ruff and began to ruffle my fur in revenge, "Hey, I was tossed into the pool by Loudred. Besides, how was I supposed to know she had psychic powers like Drowzee?"

"I didn't know either!" I retorted as I flattened myself against the ground to escape his paws, "When I first met her, she was really nice and friendly!"

"Could'a fooled me," Blue shrugged as he bent down and helped me back onto my feet. He dusted off my fur for me and smiled, "well, I guess I can't complain too much. She did tell me exactly what's wrong with my leg, and gave me this stuff."

He reached inside the Explorer's Pack at his side and pulled out the packet of Pecha Berries that Chimecho gave him. I watched him as he pulled out a pink, heart – shaped berry from the pack and popped it into his mouth.

"Mm..." he made a thoughtful noise as he chewed the Pecha Berry. After a moment, he swallowed it and licked his lips, "It's pretty sweet. I think I'm going to like these berries."

"You're supposed to eat them when your leg hurts, Blue," I jumped up and confiscated the packet from him before he ate another one, "Pecha Berries contain a special juice that acts as an antidote against most poisons."

I ignored his pouting face as I stuck the packet into my own Explorer's Pack, "It's not as effective as say, a Lum Berry, but Pechas are usually easier to find out in the frontier."

"Lum... Pecha..." Blue rubbed his face as he contemplated my words, "are there any other kind of berries out there?"

"Of course they are!"

I began to list out the various kinds of berries out there in the world as we descended the massive stone staircase that would take us down from the plateau to the town. Blue listened to me attentively as I enthusiastically described to him how some berries have medicinal uses, how some can be used as paints or glues, or how some berries were only good for eating.

"Really? So how does it taste like?"

Every time I listed out a berry you could eat, he would always ask me how it tasted.

"I don't know, I've never tried one before." Was my typical response. I've never really ventured outside my comfort zone of berries you could find and eat within Treasure Town. Usually, most restaurants around here base their meals around a few different types of berry. Of course, apples were commonly used too, but it's the berries that the restaurant picks that sets them all apart from each other.

"Some places serve rare berries like Starf Berries or Lansat berries," I explained to Blue, "but those places are usually really expensive." I shook my head, "I'm not really that rich, so I can only really dream about eating at places that serve berries other than Oran or Leppa."

"Hm, that's a shame," Blue mumbled as I helped him down the last step of the stone staircase, "well, you said explorers make money, right?"

I nodded, "That's right," I pointed toward the cliff wall that the staircase was built into. There were two large, wooden signs embedded on the rock. Both of the signs had layers upon layers of paper stuck on them to the point that they looked like patchwork curtains.

"You see, some townsfolk around here tend to leave requests for explorers to do for them," I looked at one of the requests stuck up on the sign and read it out loud, "'I'm looking for an experienced explorer to take me up to the top of Mount Bristle! I want to see the wonderful sunset at the top of the highest mountain in the frontier!' and the client is offering around... wow! 6,000 Poké!"

"Is that a lot?" Blue was staring at the paper with an intense gaze.

"Yeah, it is!" I replied, "That much money can get you into one of those expensive restaurants I was talking about earlier! Maybe even two!"

"Huh..." Blue made an odd sound and mumbled under his breath, "...maybe I should've kept some... if it meant being able to eat at a good place..."

"Hm?" I didn't quite hear what he said, "Can you repeat that?"

Blue snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, "No, it's nothing." He patted the ribbon on my right ear and turned away from the sign. I gave him a confused glance, but he just shook his head again and walked away from the wall. I followed after him, still feeling a little confused.

Even now, the town was still bustling with activity. The gigantic wave of immigrants from yesterday seemed to have bolstered the population of the town. Everywhere we looked, there was at least a crowd of Pokémon wandering or just standing around. Bubbles containing lively conversation and chatter floated up into the air as we strolled through the packed streets. I stuck closely to Blue as I didn't want to repeat yesterday's incident and get separated again.

"Is Treasure Town usually this lively?" Blue remarked as we passed by a group of Cherrim and Flabébé singing a merry little tune at the side of the street.

"Well, it's not usually this packed," I replied as I glanced back at the flowery choir, "but it's usually pretty loud and lively like this all the time."

Feeling cheerful for no real reason, I pranced over in front of Blue and smiled at him, "It's wonderful like that. I love it when the town is filled with happiness and cheer everyday!"

Blue just grinned and nodded at me. He walked over to my side and fluffed the fur on top of my head again, making me feel a little abashed.

The loud roar of water spilling greeted us as we reached the main plaza. The Founder's Fountain was surrounded by Pokémon, mostly those that preferred being in or near the water. Blue and I stopped by the side of the fountain and sat down next to the pool. I noticed that Blue was staring at the statues in the center of the fountain with a curious look in his eye.

"I told you about how Treasure Town was founded by a group of explorers, right?" I said, grabbing his attention. I pointed at the statues with my paw and began to explain, "The Founder's Fountain was named such since the Pokémon who made it based the statues off those explorers who first built the town."

"Oh...?" Blue looked up at the statues again and rubbed his chin. I nodded and began to list off the names of all the founders.

"Let's see... there's the strong, but gentle Golurk," I pointed at the huge, strong – looking Pokémon in the center, "I heard that Golurk singlehandedly carried all the building materials from the forest below and up onto the great plateau so they could start construction on Treasure Town."

I moved my paw over to the strange, bird – like statue hovering above Golurk, "That's Sigilyph. Sigilyph was the one who found the great plateau with his mysterious powers when the group was lost in the frontier."

Then, I gestured toward the large, shelled Pokémon standing beneath Golurk and Sigilyph, "And over there's Torkoal. When the group of them finally reached the great plateau, it was he who suggested that they build the outpost for them to use, as well as other explorers in the future."

"They all sound like really incredible Pokémon," Blue commented. His eyes drifted to the side, where one more statue stood behind the rest. He pointed his paw at the last statue and asked, "What about that guy? What's his story?"

"That's the great explorer, Dusknoir!" I said with a wide smile and a prideful voice, "He's legendary for being the most successful solo explorer in all the land!" I ran up to the Great Dusknoir's statue and looked up at it. The statue had an awesome, regal look to it. With Dusknoir's single eye and magnificent collar being expertly carved out of smooth, gray granite.

I turned back to Blue with a certain enthusiasm in my voice and said, "It was Dusknoir who first gathered the founder group and suggested that they explore past the Mount Horn mountain range. It was Dusknoir who discovered thee vast frontier lying beyond the mountains, and it was Dusknoir who paved the path for explorers of all kinds to seek out their dreams here, in Treasure Town!"

"You're pretty knowledgeable about this Dusknoir guy, aren't you, Fée?" Blue remarked with an amused grin on his face. I blushed and looked away from Blue and the statue.

"W – well..." I stammered, "It's always been my dream to become an explorer... and I guess you could say I've always looked up to the Great Dusknoir as kind of a role model."

I turned back to the statue and gave a longing stare into the Great Dusknoir's single eye, "Since I was a little kid, I spent all my days huddled inside a cozy little corner at Mr. Mime's library, read every single book that the Great Dusknoir published." I felt a small smile on my face as I reminisced about my childhood, "I would immerse myself in his stories, and I would pretend that I was just as great of an explorer as Dusknoir."

I gave Blue a shy smile, "You could say it was because of the Great Dusknoir that I became so obsessed with becoming an explorer, hehe..."

Blushing, I reached back with my paw and scratched my head. It was so embarrassing to think about how much of a shut – in I was when I was young.

"Well, you're one step closer to your dream now, aren't you?" I felt Blue tweak my right ear with his paw. I looked up from my paws and saw him grinning at me, "All you have to do now is work hard until you become just as good – no, even better than that Dusknoir guy."

"N – no!" I rejected what he said as I shook my head vehemently, "I can't be better than the Great Dusknoir! That... that's impossible! No, I don't even want to think about that!"

"Why not?" Blue asked, looking surprised, "What has he done that you can't?"

"J – just about everything! He was the one who first found the frontier, first of all. And not to mention, he pretty much explored everything on his own even before that!" I found myself getting breathless as I recited all of Dusknoir's accomplishments from memory, "He's also really, really wise! He's an accomplished scholar and philosopher who wrote hundreds of books about the nature of the world and Pokémon! Not only that, but he's super strong too!"

I pointed at the statue of Dusknoir and said in a loud voice, "I remember reading in one of his books that he once managed to calm an entire herd of rampaging Tauros on his own! An entire herd!"

Blue snorted, "I'll believe it when I see it," I stared at him with my mouth wide open in astonishment as he continued, "As far as I can see, he's just a guy who wrote a lot of books. Once I see him in action, then I'll believe everything he says."

"B – Blue...!" I spluttered at his dismissiveness. How can he say such things about Dusknoir like that? I batted away his paw and glared angrily at him, "I can't accept you demeaning the Great Dusknoir like that! He's an important part of Treasure Town history, and one of my most revered role models! I won't allow you to say anything bad about him!"

"Woah," He took a step back, looking surprised, "I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, Fée, honest."

I sighed as I watched him nervously back up another step. I shook my head dejectedly and calmed myself down.

"No, I'm sorry for snapping at you Blue," I saw him sigh in relief. I glanced over to the Dusknoir statue once more and said, "It's just... I respect the Great Dusknoir, a lot. Like I said, he was the reason why I wanted to become an explorer in the first place, Blue. That's why I don't really like it when people insult or demean him."

Blue sheepishly scratched his nose as he walked back up to my side, "Have you ever met this Dusknoir guy – sorry, the Great Dusknoir."

I took my angry glare off of him and shook my head, "No, I've never met him before." I dipped my paws into the cool fountain water and sighed, "The Great Dusknoir wouldn't want to meet someone like me anyway. I'm just a nobody who just became an explorer."

"Fée..."

"But, if I could meet the Great Dusknoir..." I turned to Blue and smiled widely. Suddenly, I felt a strange urge come up inside me as I began to imagine actually meeting the great Dusknoir.

"If I could meet the great Dusknoir," I spun around and snagged onto my new Explorer's Pack with my paws, "I definitely want his autograph! Do you think he'd rather autograph my Explorer's Pack or my pink bag? Oh no, but if I want him to sign my pink bag, I need to fix it first... It looks too rubbishy for him to sign."

"Fée...?" Blue looked a little taken aback by my sudden change in demeanor.

I shook my head and held my paw under my chin, pondering, "Hm... no, maybe it's too lame if I just have him sign my bags." I clapped my paws together and thought of something, "What if I went out and bought a copy of his book at Kecleon's and have him sign that instead? Oooh, now that's an idea! I'll have him sign a copy of 'Dusknoir's Travels,' that'll show him that I'm a big fan of his and show him how much I love exploring!"

My eyes were positively glittering with excitement as I imagined meeting my idol in person. I cuddled my new Explorer's Pack as I continued to ramble on and on about what I could do if I actually did meet the Great Dusknoir.

"Fée..." I heard Blue sigh in exasperation before I launched into another what if situation.

"Did you get all of that out of your system now?" Blue remarked with a grin as we walked away from the Founder's Fountain, and in turn, away from the Main Plaza. My ears were covering my eyes while we walked, and I was relying on Blue's paw on my back to guide me around.

As for why I was doing something so strange, it was because I really, really wanted to just run off and dig a hole for myself somewhere far away and just sit in it until this burning shame inside of me peters out. I can't believe I ended up losing control of myself like that, and in public no less. I grumbled and strained to lower my ears even further down my face. I didn't want to see anyone, and I didn't want anyone to see me.

I heard Blue chuckle in amusement beside me as we continued to walk down the street. I grumbled again. At least somebody was having fun at my expense.

"So Guildmaster Wigglytuff and Chatot wanted us to find this Duskull guy, right?" I heard Blue say, followed by the sound of paper rustling. He must be taking out the letter that Chatot handed us.

"Mmhhh..." I replied with a low, confirming mumble. I heard another amused chuckle from the Riolu again.

"You know, if you keep covering your eyes like that, we're never going to get anywhere," he remarked. I felt a twinge of annoyance inside me.

"I'll open my eyes when completely forget about what just happened," I shot back.

Blue let out a bark – like laugh and patted me on the back, making me grumble irritatedly even more.

"Well, maybe you'll forget a few things if I throw you in the ocean, Fée," Blue joked, "who knows, if it worked for me, it might work for you!"

I shook my head and raised up my right ear to peer at Blue. He was grinning his usual dumb grin and looking completely carefree and casual. I sighed and shook my head again. Just how can he joke about such things so easily? Time and time again, I found myself dumbfounded by just how nonchalant my friend is. I was about to replace my ear over my eye again when he suddenly stopped and pointed at something ahead.

"Oh hey, Fée, what's that?"

My natural curiosity made both of my ears suddenly spring up, revealing my glowing red face. I glanced around quickly, wondering what Blue saw. But all I could see was the road and other Pokémon passing by. I turned toward Blue, preparing to ask him what he saw when a sudden blue blur flitted across my vision. Suddenly, I felt a heavy pressure against my cheeks.

"Eek!" I cried out of surprise. My eyes widened out of shock as I saw Blue's grinning face fill my sight. His paws surrounded my face as he pinched my cheeks. He began to wiggle them up and down playfully as I struggled to get him to let go.

"Leggo of my chweeks, Bwoo!" I blubbered at him, "Bweeeh!"

"Only if you stop covering your eyes," he said evilly as he continued to wiggle my face around as if I was a piece of dough. After struggling in vain to get loose from his grip, I sighed, gave up, and nodded. He beamed at me and finally let go of my face. I pawed my sore cheeks and sent the grinning Riolu an angry glare.

"Anyway, here you go," Blue's paw suddenly flicked up and grabbed onto something. When he lowered his arm, he was somehow holding onto the envelope that Chatot handed us. I tilted my head to the side, did he throw that important envelope up into the air as he was pinching my cheeks?!

As I was mulling over whether or not he did such an outrageous act, he shoved the envelope in front of my face.

"Can you read this, Fée?" He asked, gesturing to the words written on the paper. I glanced at the envelope, then at Blue. The writing was only a few lines, and only showed the address of the recipient. It wasn't really that difficult to read.

"Why?" I asked, tilting my head, "It's just an address, Blue."

"Oh... an address?" Blue flipped the envelope back to him and squinted his eyes. He scratched the back of his head as he read the address on the envelope. After a few seconds, he sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Blue..." A small, nagging suspicious appeared at the back of my mind as I watched him grumble over the envelope, "you... can't read?"

Blue looked up from the envelope and stared at me for a few seconds. Then, in a dejected way, he slowly shook his head. I felt my mouth hang open.

"But... you can talk! You can understand what I'm saying, right?"

Blue frowned and folded his arms, "Of course I can." He flicked the envelope in front of me indignantly, "I just can't read, that's all."

I shook my head and thought deeply about what he said. If he could speak and understand speech just fine, but he can't read or write, then wouldn't that mean he couldn't read or write since before he lost his memory? He could draw, that was something I was definitely sure of, but being unable to read or write... just what kind of life did he lead before I found him?

"Fée? Is there a problem?"

"N – no, there isn't a problem at all," I stammered, snapping myself out of my thoughts. I glanced at his paw, which was still holding the envelope.

"H – here, give it to me. I'll read it for you then." I snatched the envelope out of his grasp with my mouth. I dropped it onto my paws and flipped it over, revealing the address written on the paper. Blue sidled over to my side and glanced over my shoulder curiously.

"Um... it says that this is for Duskull, who lives at..." I paused.

"Yeah? Where is it?" Blue asked, prodding me in the back of the head.

I shook his paw off the back of my head and moved the envelope closer to my eyes. I read out the words in my head, trying to see if I had imagined it.

"'Phantom Pâtisserie?'" I spoke in an unbelieving tone.

A bakery? A phantom bakery? I looked away from the envelope, allowing my mind some time to process what I just read. Then, I looked back. Yep, there it was, written in bold, plain letters. 'Phantom Pâtisserie.'

In my mind, I conjured up a strange image of a half – transparent building, surrounded by floating gray loaves of bread. It was such an odd image that I actually felt a little strange just thinking about it. Shaking my head, I dismissed the thought of a ghostly building and looked back at the envelope at the rest of the address.

"It's... actually in town...?" I stared blankly at the words 'Treasure Town, Shopping District,' followed by a series of numbers. In all my years of living here in Treasure Town, I have not once ever heard of a place called 'Phantom Pâtisserie.' Not to mention, I have never heard anyone ever talk about such a... unique sounding bakery before.

I looked up at Blue, who was waiting for me to explain what I just said with an eager look on his face.

Um... how do I explain this to him?

'It... it looks like we're going to a ghost house."