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Chapter 19:

"Don't you dare threaten our partners!"

With the sun safely hidden behind a layter of thick cloud, Blue and I continued our long trek toward the town gates. I acted as Blue's crutch for a portion of way there, wedging myself underneath his right arm and helping him limp across the streets. We attracted some curious onlookers as we traveled. I suppose we did make for a rather interesting sight. After all, it's not every day you see a six – legged, blue and brown – furred Pokémon limp through town!

Aside from the curious bystanders, I noticed that there were a lot of other Pokémon were also heading the same way with us. Furthermore, a lot of these Pokémon were also carrying Explorer's Packs, just like Blue and I.

"Looks like we're not the only explorers out on a journey, huh?" Blue remarked as a regal – looking Stantler trotted by us. A Explorer's Badge was present on the Stantler's chest, while a purple Explorer's Pack was slung around its neck. Following in the Stantler's wake was a couple of green – colored Deerling, all of which were also wearing shining badges and blue - colored packs.

"Looks like it," I grinned at the Deerling as they waved hello to us. From the way their badges gleamed in comparison to the Stantler's, I assumed that they were apprentices, just like we were. On the other hand, the Stantler's badge looked worn, with the color faded and the jewel in the center scratched. The Stantler was probably an experienced explorer sent along with the Deerling to train them. Mild jealously washed over me as I watched the Stantler lead his students toward the town gates.

"They look like a great, big family, don't they?" Blue commented, "I wonder if they're apprentices just like us?"

"The Deerling are," I pointed out, "but that Stantler at the lead is definitely a full – fledged explorer."

Blue raised an eyebrow at me, "Oh? How can you tell?"

I gestured toward the Stantler's pack in the distance, "See his Explorer's Pack? The purple color signifies that he's a graduated member of Kadabra's Guild." I squinted my eyes at the Stantler's retreating back, "I can't tell from this distance, but if we got a close look at his badge, there's probably a symbol engraved on it that shows his status."

"Symbol?" Blue opened his pack and pulled out his own badge. He held it up into the air and narrowed his eyes, "I don't see any symbols on this thing."

I giggled and shook my head at him, "That's because we just got it, Blue." I sat down and pointed at the badge on my ear, "Our rank as explorers increase as we continue our training at the guild. Once we reach a certain level, we become eligible to adventure out on our own, unsupervised."

"We're already doing that though," Blue pointed out. I shook my head and shrugged.

"That's... well I can't really understand why Wigglytuff and Chatot let us go on our own for our first expedition," sighing, I shook my head and shrugged, "I was kinda looking forward to having someone show us the ropes on our first trip out."

"Nah," Blue remarked as he threw his arms behind his head, "we'll be fine on our own. After all, we did get through that cave on the beach without any help, didn't we?"

"True..." I glanced at his right leg and sighed again, "but, it's not like we got out unscathed..."

"Feh," Blue snorted, "I keep telling everyone, it's not a big deal. So what if a rock bug thing bit me? I can hardly feel a thing anyway."

"Don't you remember what Chimecho said? The poison that a Kabuto secretes causes you to lose feeling in that limb eventually. So of course you wouldn't feel anything after a while..."

"Hrm..." Blue wore a pensive expression on his face as he considered my words. He bent forward and rubbed his paws around his right leg.

"Blue?" I asked, confused as to what he was doing. The Riolu shook his head and straightened himself. He then lifted his right leg and wiggled it around in the air, testing it out.

All of a sudden, he released a loud yelp as a look of pain shot across his face. With a quiet whimper, he retracted his leg and hunched back down, clutching it tight with his paws. Worried, I sped over to his side and pulled his pack off his shoulders. I dug around inside his pack for several frantic seconds before I pulled out the small package of Pecha Berries.

"Blue, Chimecho told you to take it easy on that leg," I gave him a reproachful look as I separated one berry from the rest and handed it to Blue. He snatched it out of my paws and gobbled it down, staining the fur around his muzzle bright pink in the process. Afterward, he took a deep breath of relief and leaned back, letting the berry soothe his pain. I let out a sigh and handed him back his pack.

"Are you sure you're alright, Blue?" I asked with a concerned expression of my face, my ears drooping as if to emphasize my worry. This whole time, I had thought his leg was getting better. But after what just happened, I found myself doubting whether or not that was true.

"It's alright, Fée," Blue grunted as he tried to force a smile back on his face, "I was just surprised, that's all. It didn't really hurt."

I groaned. That was such an obvious lie that even a Slowpoke would catch in an instant. Feeling frustrated at his bravado, I bumped him in the side with my head, eliciting a yelp of surprise from him.

"Blue, I'm not going to fall for that," I said, sending an angry glare at his wincing face, "I already know just how injured you are. There's no need for you to act so tough for my sake."

"Ahh..." Blue turned away and scratched his nose in a sheepish way, "I guess I can't fool you anymore, Fée." He moved his paws to the back of his head as he stood up, "I just didn't want you to worry, that's all."

Sighing, I reached up to his face and pawed the side of his muzzle. He really was a fool for trying to assuage me by ignoring his own pain. Still, I suppose I can't really get too angry at him. He was doing it for my sake, after all. For that, I felt a little grateful

"No, I can't accept that." I snagged the sides of Blue's face and pulled it toward me. A surprised look came over the Riolu's face as his red eyes met mine. I scrunched up my face and put on the most confident expression I could manage.

"Bwah?" Blue spoke through puckered lips as I squeezed the sides of his face together.

"There's one thing I learned about you since we've met two days ago, Blue," I said, keeping my gaze trained on Blue, "and it's that you're super strong, and you're super courageous."

"Thanks?"

"But!" I shook my head at his bewildered face, "That's also your biggest problem, I find. You're always jumping into dangerous situations without thinking, and you get hurt badly as a result."

"Remember when we were at the Beach Cave, and we spotted Koffing and Zubat?" I waited for him to nod before continuing, "You leapt straight into battle before even thinking of a plan on how to deal with them. Two on one, Blue. And as a result of that, you got a faceful of poison gas for your troubles!"

"Well... I thought I could handle them on my own," Blue mumbled, averting his gaze. "and I didn't want to involve you in the battle, since they might have tried to target you and hurt you."

In response to what he said, I let go of his face and spun around, giving him a gentle whap with my tail. When I turned back around, he had a surprised look on his face.

"I'm grateful for your consideration then, Blue." I closed my eyes and shook my head. When I opened them again, the confident expression on my face had returned. I reached up with my front paws and placed them on Blue's shoulders. I leaned forward, placing my muzzle close to his and staring right into his eyes, "but I'm no longer the same Fée as before. I want to become stronger, and braver, just like you!"

"That's why," I said in a cheerful voice as a big smile crawled onto my face, "from now on, I'm going to protect you when we go on expeditions! I'm going to make sure you never get hurt again! After all, we're partners! I can't just keep hiding behind you like a coward, Blue!"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Blue had a confused look on his face as he gaped at me. Feeling more and more confident by the second, I released my grip on Blue's shoulders and turned around, giving him a cheerful wave of my tail.

"I meant what I meant!" I said in a haughty voice, "If something dangerous happens, I'll be the one to protect you and keep you safe instead! Even after we find the Panacea and cure your leg, I'm still going to fight for you!"

"Heh," I heard him chuckle from behind me, "it's hard to believe that this is the same Fée that was sobbing out of fear just two days ago. Getting that badge must've really changed you."

"No, it's not because of the badge," I shook my head, letting the ribbons on my ear flutter around my face, "but rather, it's because I met you."

"Me?" He replied, sounding bewildered, "I don't think I did anything special, though."

"Of course you did something special," I turned around to smile at Blue, "you were the one who helped me out when I was at my lowest. You were the one who told me I could be strong. You were the one who supported me as I decided to finally take that first step into the guild."

"Actually, you were the one who helped me into the guild," Blue winked at me as he stuck out his right leg, "remember? I couldn't really walk down the staircase."

I puffed out my cheeks at him in annoyance. It was obvious that he knew what I meant, but he decided to ruin the mood on purpose. I stuck out my tongue at his grinning face and turned around in a huff. Sticking up my tail stiffly into the air, I sped up my gait and left Blue behind.

"H – hey! Fée, slow down! I was just kidding!"

"Hmph!" I flattened my ears down the sides of my face in a deliberate attempt to be uncooperative. Even I had shut my eyes, I could just imagine the flustered look on my friend's face. It felt a little fun to finally have the upper hand against him for once; a little payback for all the embarrassment I felt today.

"...watch out ahead of you...!"

"Eh?" What did he say? It sounded strange through my muffled hearing. I opened my eyes and raised up my ears. A large, blue wall loomed mere inches away from my face. A surge of panic raced through my body as I dug my feet into the dirt in an effort to stop myself from slamming into the wall. Unfortunately, my front paws ended up criss – crossing over each other, making me trip and fall forward, face – first.

Bam!

"Geh...!" The texture of the wall was like a huge sheet of sandpaper; it grated my face as I slid down the surface. After a several excruciating seconds, my chest hit the ground with a dull thump. I let out a pained whimper as I clutched my glowing face with my paws. It was itchy and covered in scratches. Just what did I run into?

My answer came in the form of a low growling noise from somewhere above me. Just hearing that deep grumble sent a bolt of fear racing through my body. All the confidence and bravery I had worked up earlier was beginning to ebb away, leaving me trembling on the ground with my paws covering my eyes.

"You again... do you get enjoyment from running into others?"

I peeked out from behind my paws. Immediately, I wished I hadn't. A large, scaly dragon – like figure towered over me. The sun shining over his head had covered his face in a shadow.

"I'm s – sorry!" I hastily apologized. As I cowered on the ground, I could feel an odd sense of deja – vu flash through my mind. Didn't something like this happen once already? I tried to remember, but another deep growl from the dragon sent my thoughts flying out of my mind.

"Get the heck away from her!" All of a sudden, Blue's arm came flying in between us. I turned my head to the right and saw my partner standing beside me, panting while glaring at the dragon, "If you want to fight, then I'll be happy to oblige. But I wont let you harm my partner!"

"You think you're some sort of tough guy, Riolu?" The dragon snapped back with a hiss, "Fine then, I've been bored out of my mind waiting here in this sun. I'll take out my frustration on you!"

The blue dragon's stark white talon glinted as he brought it up above his head. Despite that Blue only reached up to the dragon's midsection, he still steeled himself and went into a fighting pose. I saw his eyes wince as he shifted his weight off his bad leg.

"H – hold on, Blue!" In a panic, I pushed myself off the ground and grabbed onto Blue's torso, pinning his arms to his sides. My fear was replaced by worry for his well – being, "You can't fight! You'll make your injury worse!"

"Fée, get out of the way!" Blue shouted as he tried to lift his arms again, but I just tightened my grasp, keeping his arms immobilized. I can't let him fight, I wont let him get hurt protecting me again!

I screwed my face into an angry glare as I turned around and faced the angry dragon. He was huge, covered in rough scales, and had two long arms that were tipped with menacing talon – like claws with two long, blade – like protrusions come out of the sides... hold on a second, where have I seen this before?

"You... Eevee," the dragon hissed and pointed a claw at my face, sending a familiar shiver down my spine, "you sure have a lot of guts to pull this stunt on me again."

Staring down the frighteningly sharp point of that talon jarred my memory. All of a sudden, scenes from yesterday's fiasco at the huge crowd came flooding back into my mind. I know this dragon. I've met this dragon. I even know this dragon's name!

"L – Lazur?!" I gave a startled cry as I took a step back, bumping my tail against Blue's chest. The Gabite gave a snort at my realization, but kept his talon trained on my face.

"I don't remember ever giving you permission to use my name, Eevee," he continued to speak in his threatening voice, "for your sake, I suggest you keep your trap shut and never speak that name again."

"Where's Feldie?" I retorted, "Why are you standing here alone?"

Lazur let out a hiss and inched his talon even closer to my face. I took a deep gulp to calm my screaming nerves. It took everything I had inside of me to stay put in front of such a terrifying sight. Behind me, I could hear Blue snarling as he saw the dragon try to threaten me. No, I can't let Blue fight! I have to think of some way to make him back off!

Steeling my resolve, I glared straight into Lazur's eyes and stated, "Aren't you trying to become an explorer as well, Lazur?" Using his name elicited another angry hiss from the dragon. Undaunted, I continued, "Don't you know that explorer apprentices are forbidden from fighting each other?" A faltering look flashed across his face as I dropped that tidbit of information on him. I had to hold back the smirk that was trying to inch its way onto my face. I had a weapon to use against him!

I pointed at the badge present on my ear, "As you can see, I'm an explorer apprentice now! If you lay even a single scratch on my face, I can prevent you and Feldie from applying for apprenticeship by simply reporting this incident!" His talon began to wobble as his snarling expression began to slip off his face. Feeling more and more confident by the second, I pressed on, "Didn't you and Feldie want to become explorers? Isn't that why you came to Treasure Town? How would you feel if you had to tell Feldie that you couldn't explore anymore? All because you couldn't let go of a small mistake!"

My words were like an arrow striking right into Lazur's heart. He took step back, his eyes wide and his dangerous arms flopping to his side like rags. He gaped at me with his fanged mouth open wide. He was trying to say something, but the force behind my words had struck him speechless.

"Fée..." I heard Blue say. I felt a slight tinge of warmth on my cheeks when I heard the admiration in his voice. I smiled wide and stared directly at the flabbergasted Gabite. Inwardly, I was cheering as if I had just won a marathon against a thousand other Pokémon. I did it! I stood my ground and made Lazur back off all on my own! I didn't even have to throw a single punch!

"Lazu~ur! I'm back!" All of a sudden, Lazur's face was drained of all its color. The voice came from somewhere behind Blue and I, making us turn around out of surprise. Standing behind us was a small, orange – shelled Pokémon. It was carrying two blue – colored bags in her jagged mouth by the straps. "Eh? Fée? Is that you?"

"Feldie!" I shouted in a happy tone as I rushed over to give the little Trapinch a hug, "It's good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you too!" Feldie replied, "You wouldn't believe everything we went through yesterday!"

"Same here!" I said as I let go of her head, "But we can fill each other in on the details later. How have you been?"

Feldie gave a little prideful chuckle as she swung her head around, making the bags fly forward and land in front of me with a thump.

"Are those Explorer's Packs?" I said, my eyes widening out of joy, "Congratulations, Feldie!"

"Thanks, Fée," she said as she threw one of the packs over her head, "I see you have your own as well – and a badge too!" She pointed at my ear with one of her stubby legs, "It goes well with your ribbon, I like it!"

"Heh heh..." I blushed a little as I pawed Blue's ribbon. Meanwhile, Lazur meandered over to our side with his head hung low. He picked up one of the Explorer's Packs and slung it over his shoulder, completely devoid of any words or emotion. Lazur sent me a desperate look, as if he was begging me to keep my mouth shut about the whole thing. Feldie seemed to have picked up on his mood and sent him a curious glance in return.

"Lazur? What's the matter?" Feldie said, looking concerned, "Does your stomach still hurt? Did you eat something off the floor again?"

"Bwuh?!" Lazur's head snapped up with a start, a blush was forming on his scaly cheeks, "N – no! I didn't!" He pointed a talon at Blue and I, "And don't say stupid things about me in front of others!"

"You ate something off the floor?" Blue said with a mean – looking smirk on his face as he folded his arms. Lazur growled and sent him an angry glare while Feldie sighed and shook her head.

"I thought you'd be happier, Lazur..." Feldie mumbled with her head hung low, "Hasn't it always been our dream to become explorers? Why the long face then?"

"W – what?!" Lazur spluttered as Feldie looked like she was about to cry. He swung his head left and right in a panic as he tried to make sense of the situation."H – hold on Feldie, I'm not being sad about this or anything, I'm happy, see? P – please don't cry!" He put on a big, dorky smile on his face as he tugged on the blue strap around his chest in an effort to pacify the sniffling Trapinch.

At first, I was a little confused about what Feldie was doing, but then I caught sight of her winking at me. I quickly stifled an oncoming rush of giggles as I realized what she was doing. Blue must've realized as well, since I could hear him failing to cover his chuckles.

"I don't believe you!" Feldie said in a hurt voice, "Weren't you the one who spent hours and hours keeping me awake yesterday talking about how excited you were about our first expedition? And now I find you standing here moping and sullen – faced!" She punctuated her words with several loud sniffles.

"E – erm...!" Lazur's face was completely red now. Even though he threatened me earlier, I couldn't help but pity the poor dragon. He had totally fallen into Feldie's trap, and now he couldn't find a way to get out. He was even sending Blue and I panicked looks, as if he was begging us to help him out. Seeing that only made it harder for us to hide our mirth.

"Or were you planning on quitting Team Sands, after all we've been through together?" Feldie said as she tried to cover her teary eyes with her stubby feet. Lazur looked thunderstruck when he heard her say that. Once more, all the color in his face drained, leaving him looking like a spooked ghost.

"S – sorry Feldie..." All traces of his dragon – like pride vanished as he hung his head low in an apologetic gesture. The dragon was completely, and utterly defeated. Feldie sneaked me a toothy smile before turning back to the now – depressed Lazur.

"Apology accepted," her tone made a total turnaround as she ran up to her dragon friend with a cheerful smile on her face. She gave him an affectionate nip in the leg with her jaw, making Lazur wince slightly. "There's no way I would ever give you up as a partner. You're my best buddy, Lazur!"

"S – so you're not mad at me?" Lazur mumbled as he picked up his orange – shelled friend.

Feldie frowned and bit him right on the nose, making him cry out in pain. "Of course I wasn't, you numbskull!" A look of relief appeared on the dragon's face, despite that the Trapinch had his nose in a painful – looking chomp. Feldie let go of Lazur's nose and motioned for the dragon to put her back on the ground. He obliged and the Trapinch turned around to face Blue and I, spitting out several blue scales in the process.

"So Fée," she said, "as you can see, this oaf and I are now partners in exploration for real."

"Hee hee..." I giggled at the prideful look on her face, "well, let me introduce to you my partner, Blue." I pointed at the Riolu standing behind me. Blue grinned and bowed at the little orange Pokémon.

"Eh?" Feldie had a startled look when she saw Blue, "I didn't notice earlier... but your partner... he's a Riolu?"

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

Feldie quickly shook her head. "N – no... it's not that," she glanced at Lazur for a second before turning back to me, "I'm just surprised, that's all." She held up one of her arms and pointed it at Blue, "I've never seen a Riolu before, especially where Lazur and I come from."

"Feh, it's a good thing too," Lazur said, "I've heard nothing but bad things about Riolu anyway."

"Lazur!" Feldie turned around and hissed at the Gabite, making him blanch, "Don't say such rude things to a friend!"

"G – guh..." Lazur was taken aback by the Trapinch's angry look, "I'm just saying the truth..."

"I'm sorry for his rudeness," Feldie said, giving Blue an apologetic look, "he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut sometimes."

"It's alright," Blue said with a shrug, "I'm used to hearing people say things like that about Riolu by now. It's not a big deal."

"Still," Feldie shook her head, "I don't want you to think we believe in all those rumors about Riolu."

"I said it's alright," Blue repeated with a grin on his face, "to be honest with you, I don't even know what these rumors are. So I don't really care about what other people say when it comes to Riolu."

"I see..." Feldie turned toward me, "You have a pretty cool friend, Fée."

"You think so?" I glanced up at Blue. "I guess..."

"What do you mean by that?" Blue said in a mock – hurt voice as he reached down and started tickling my sides.

"Hee hee hee! No, stop! I'm really ticklish there! Heeeee!" I wriggled around in an attempt to escape his fingers, but he just wrapped his arms around my sides and lifted me up into the air. I took the chance to catch my breath from his tickling attack.

"Whew..." I shook my head and tried to twist my neck around to glare at Blue, who was wearing a victorious grin on his face. Sighing, I let my head flop down in defeat. "Alright, alright! You're cool, jeez! Now let me go!"

"Heh," Blue obliged with a short chuckle and put me back on the ground. I whipped him with my tail and turned away from him. Feldie was watching us with an amused look on her face.

"And they say Riolu are unsociable," Feldie remarked, "you two are really good friends. I'm a little jealous."

"He's just a big pain," I replied.

"Oh, I know how that feels," Feldie nodded sagely, her eyes darting to the Gabite standing behind her.

We gave each other a knowing glance as we broke into playful giggles while Blue and Lazur gave us looks of either annoyance or bewilderment. We didn't care though, we were having too much fun laughing at their expense.

"Well, well, well, would you look at that? It's a gathering of fools and idiots!" Feldie and I glanced at each other, our mouths wide open from having our laughter cut short by that sudden remark. I was confused and startled. Who would say such a horrible thing? As I turned around to see who it was, I heard a low growl emanate from Blue's throat.

A trio of orange – red Pokémon were strutting down the road toward us. At the head of the group was a cackling Monferno, surrounded by a drowsy – looking Combusken and a fidgeting Pignite. The Monferno was clutching his belly as he pointed at the four of us. His face was scrunched up in laughter as he continued to cackle at his own words.

"H – how rude...!" Feldie snarled, sounding outraged. I couldn't agree more with my friend.

"Kah, hah, hah!" Monferno let out an even louder cackle right in our faces when he reached our group. His face curled up into a crude sneer as he placed his hands on his hips in a haughty manner while his burning tail whipped side by side, sending sparks scattering around him.

"Monferno..." Blue growled, his paws clenching into fists, "What do you want?"

"I thought I heard the voices of fools and weaklings in the distance," Monferno replied with a smirk, "so I thought I should go check it out. And what do you know? It was you, you stupid Riolu."

"Y – you know each other?" I stared at Blue with my eyes open wide.

"Unfortunately," Blue hissed with a small nod. He pointed a finger at the Monferno, "are you just here to insult us, Monferno? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Monferno cackled again, bending forward while clutching his belly, "Kah, hah, hah! You must be mistaken!" He raised up his head again and held a fist up to Blue's face, just mere inches away from his muzzle, "I don't have time to waste on fools like you!"

"Then what are you here for?" Lazur growled as he held up his talons. Monferno gave the dragon a dismissive look before turning back to Blue.

"Keh, this doesn't involve you, lizard," he spat, making Lazur snarl in fury, "I'm only here to tell this coward one thing."

"Coward?" Blue said, his voice dripping with venom. Monferno's smirk vanished off his face and was replaced by a disgusted – looking frown.

"Don't think you can run from me forever, Riolu." The rude Pokémon tugged at the red strap around his shoulders, making my jaw drop as he revealed his own Explorer's Pack. He shoved his hand inside and withdrew a small, white – colored badge. There was the number 40 inscribed in black ink on the badge. Blue's eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the badge.

"Number 27, a Riolu from Crystal Caves," Monferno sneered as he flung the badge at Blue, "that was you, wasn't it?"

Blue caught the badge in his paws without speaking a word. Monferno continued to leer at my friend, his face was now an angry scowl.

"It was, wasn't it?" He repeated in a louder, angrier tone, "There were no other Riolu around in town, it must've been you!"

"...so what if it was me?" Blue replied in a scathing voice. He threw the badge away and glared at him, "That battle royale's over now. What does it matter?"

Monferno let out a loud screeching noise, making everyone – including the passerby – flinch at the noise. His tail flame exploded as he clenched both of his fists at Blue's remark.

"Of course it matters, you blasted Riolu!" He snarled in a fury, "You were to be my opponent! You were supposed to be crushed under my heel in front of everybody! I was to humiliate you in front of the Guildmaster!"

After releasing that outrageous remark, he grabbed his tail and jabbed it toward Blue, the flame mere inches away from his face. Blue didn't react to the heat, and instead continued to stare down the furious Monferno.

"Not only that, your absence caused Machoke to leave the arena! You ruined my plans to impress the Guildmaster with my amazing fighting skills! Do you know how furious I was when I stood in the center of that arena without an opponent and without the Guildmaster watching me?"

"Not at all," Blue replied bluntly, "I had more important things on my mind at the time."

"I was livid! Filled with rage! Enraged! Outraged!"

Monferno swiped at Blue with his tail, attempting to whip his face with the burning end. Blue, however, just leaned his head back and let the burning whip soar past his muzzle harmlessly. Feldie and I both snarled in anger at Monferno's sudden attack. We rushed up in front of Blue and pointed at Monferno.

"That was uncalled for!" I shouted, my fur bristling in anger.

"That's right!" Feldie added, showing Monferno her sharp fangs, "How dare you attack him like that?"

"You two weaklings shut your traps!" Monferno snarled, pointing his tail at us, "Unless you want to have a taste of my flames as well!"

Feldie made an angry hissing noise at Monferno. My own anger was reaching the boiling point as well. He wanted to fight Blue just to make a fool out of him? How petty! I just couldn't believe someone could be so shallow! And he was an explorer too, no less!

I opened my mouth to tell him off, but all of a sudden, a sandy gust of wind blew into my face and interrupted me. As I coughed out the gunk that got into my mouth, I saw two blue shadows move past Feldie and I, separating us from the angry Monferno.

"Don't you dare..."

"...threaten our partners!"

Both Blue and Lazur both taken a heavy step forward, standing in front of Feldie and I. Blue had clenched his paws into fists and held them in front of his chest, while Lazur had bared his sharp fangs and talons. The two of them both had furious expressions on their faces as they pointed their weapons at Monferno, their eyes daring him to move a single step.

"You can threaten me, insult me or hurt me all you want," Blue said in a low voice, "but if you ever lay a hand on my partner..."

"...then I'll make sure you lie at the bottom of the plateau in pieces!" Lazur finished, his eyes glinting with a malicious light.

The sheer intensity of their combined glares made Monferno take a nervous step back. His cocky sneer was wiped off his face by the cooperative efforts of Blue and Lazur.

"I don't care if I lose my badge or if I get barred from exploring," Lazur growled, "as long as I can keep Feldie safe, I'll gladly break any rule in the book!"

"L – Lazur..." Feldie said in an awed voice. I glanced over to Blue. He didn't say anything, but instead, he just nodded in agreement at Lazur's words.

"Keh..." Monferno backed up another step. He looked as though someone had slung a pile of mud into his face. He glanced at his partners and snorted, "Combusken, Pignite. We're going."

"Eh?" Pignite jumped up with a start. Combusken, however, just yawned and shrugged.

"I said, we're going!" Monferno snarled, his face darkened with anger, "We're wasting valuable time playing with these idiots. Come on."

Trembling with ill – hidden rage, Monferno forced his way through, giving Blue and Lazur the evil eye as he walked past us. Pignite and Combusken followed their leader, with Pignite giving us an apologetic look as he did so.

"Hey wait," Blue grabbed onto Pignite's shoulder. The pudgy Pokémon squealed in surprise as Blue held him behind.

"W – what is it? Please don't hurt me, I swear I mean you guys no harm!"

Blue shook his head and gave him a grin, "Don't worry. I just have something for you."

"H – huh?"

Blue rummaged around inside his pack until he took out the small bag of biscuits that Duskull had given us. He shoved the bag into the shocked Pignite's hands and patted his back.

"I heard your stomach rumbling earlier. Did Monferno stop you from eating again?"

"Y – yeah..." Pignite gave Blue a sad nod, "He didn't let Combusken and I eat anything at all during breakfast." As if to emphasize his words, his stomach let loose a loud grumble, "He was really, really mad when you didn't show up to his match yesterday, you know."

"I could tell," Blue said with a grin. He patted Pignite's back again and pushed him toward the rest of his group, "either way, you should get going. You can share those biscuits with Combusken, but don't let Monferno see them. He might get mad."

"Thank you so much, Riolu!" A few biscuits spilled out of the bag as he bowed low at Blue.

"PIGNITE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING STAYING BEHIND? HURRY UP!" Squealing, Pignite hurried to pick up the fallen biscuits. He gave us another quick bow before rushing off to rejoin his group. In the distance, I could see Monferno glowering at us, his tail still searing with fire.

"What an absolute creep," Feldie grumbled as she watched the orange trio disappear through the town gates. "I hope I never see that Monferno again."

"You and me both," I replied, feeling just as angry at them as Feldie was, "that guy was such a jerk. I can't believe he was allowed to become an explorer."

"There's all kinds of explorers out there, Fée," Feldie said sagely, "just like how there's all sorts of Pokémon in the world. After all, that Pignite guy didn't seem too bad."

I nodded at Feldie before turning to Blue, "Come to think of it, where did you meet those three, Blue?"

"It's a long story," Blue said with a shrug, "and not a very nice one. I'll tell you some other time."

"Oh, right!" I slapped my face with my paw, "We should get going before the sun comes back out. Otherwise the heat will be unbearable while we travel."

"You two are heading out on your first expeditions too?" Feldie said.

I nodded, "That's right. And you two are heading out as well, right?"

"Mmhm," Feldie said as she began to walk toward the gates, with the rest of us following her orange – shelled back, "our Guildmaster wants us to experience exploring as soon as possible. He said it's good for newbies to get a taste of what it's like immediately."

"Your Guildmaster?" I eyed Lazur's blue – colored Explorer's Pack with curiosity, "Come to think of it, what guild did you two join?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Feldie said in a smug voice, "We joined Kadabra's!"

I goggled at her, "Seriously?"

"I know, it's a little unbelievable, considering how much of an oaf my partner is sometimes..."

"Hey..." Lazur grumbled as he fiddled with his strap.

Feldie snorted and ignored him, "When we finally arrived at town yesterday, he wanted to go to Machoke's and join their guild." She shook her head and stuck out her tongue, "But when we got there, the entire guildhouse was completely empty. Can you believe it?"

"I can." Blue remarked.

"Anyway, so while we were wondering what we should do, this panicky – looking Sunflora ran up to us with a bundle of wanted posters and asked us to go put them up at Kadabra's guild for them."

"Sunflora!?" I said with a start as I remembered yesterday's events.

Feldie nodded, "Before we could say anything, that Sunflora just shoved a bunch of posters in our – well, Lazur's – arms and ran off. So I thought 'why not?' and we headed off toward Kadabra's."

"What happened then?"

"Well, this guy was super uncooperative the whole time," Feldie jerked her head toward Lazur, eliciting a grumble from the dragon, "but we ended up spending most of the afternoon pasting up posters of some criminal named Drowzee. Well, it was mostly Lazur." The Trapinch stopped to wiggle one of her legs at us, "I can't really do much with these, heh, heh."

"That didn't stop you from 'helping' with your mouth," Lazur remarked with a smirk on his face, "you punctured so many holes in the posters by trying to put them up with your teeth."

"S – shut up..." Feldie blushed as she turned away from the dragon, "you popped several holes in the posters too, remember? With your big, dumb claws."

"Hey!" Lazur growled as he held up his talons, "I can't help it if I have claws instead of paws or hands!"

"Hmph, at least you have arms." The two of them glowered at each other while Blue and I tittered silently behind them.

"So... what happened after you guys finished putting up the posters?" Blue asked, stifling his chuckles with his paw.

Feldie snapped out of her angry stare and replied, "Well, after we stuck up all the posters – the ones without holes anyway – we sat down inside their guildhouse for a break." The Trapinch grinned and held up the strap around her neck, "Then, while Lazur was complaining about doing work for free, who else but Guildmaster Kadabra himself came waltzing out of one of the doorways!"

"Guildmaster Kadabra noticed the two of us just sitting there like a couple'a bums and walked up to us."

"Wow... you must've been really nervous!" I said, "I wouldn't know what I would've done if that happened to me..."

"Probably not what Feldie did," Lazur said as he gave a deep chuckle, "she went totally ballistic and nearly bit my foot off."

"I did not!" Feldie retorted in an indignant voice, her face glowing red, "Well... maybe I was a little nervous, but I did not bite you that hard!"

"Sure, and my leg wasn't aching all day afterward."

"Ergh... anyway!" Feldie huffed and turned away from Lazur, "Guildmaster Kadabra asked Lazur and I why we were just sitting around doing nothing at all."

"Which we were."

"And he said that instead of wasting time, we would be better off spending it doing something more constructive. And he handed us a piece of paper with all these test questions written on it."

"It wasn't very hard, and I aced it immediately." Feldie gave a prideful snort, "It was also multiple choice, so all we had to do was pop holes in the paper instead of writing anything down." She bared her sharp teeth while Lazur played around with his talons.

"I've heard that Kadabra's Guild gives out pretty hard examinations," I remarked, "you must be pretty smart to be able to get a perfect score on it."

"Well, what can I say?" The Trapinch gave me a toothy grin, "I'm a Trapinch of many talents."

"Except being able to pick things up," Lazur snarked.

"I'm going to bite you again if you make another remark about my arms, Lazur," Feldie muttered, flashing her fangs at him.

Lazur gulped and closed his mouth. It looks like he really didn't like to be on the wrong end of those sharp teeth. I couldn't blame him. If she could make a Pokémon covered in hard scales flinch with her bite, how bad would it hurt if she bit someone like me? I shuddered just thinking about it.

"Continuing on," Feldie said, turning away from the cowed Gabite, "Kadabra didn't react when we turned in our papers, so I had expected the worst." The Trapinch shook her head, "Especially when Lazur's paper looked more like a Beedrill's hive instead of a worksheet."

Lazur looked away and mumbled something about correcting his answers.

"So imagine my surprise when the Guildmaster exited his office with a pair of Explorer's Packs and matching badges." Trapinch grinned as she plucked her pack's strap, "Lazur's reaction was better though."

"How did he react?" I said, feeling a little eager to hear. Especially since Lazur kept shooting Feldie nervous glances from beside me.

"Well..." Feldie giggled and gave Lazur a wink, "he was so overjoyed that he almost injured poor Guildmaster Kadabra with his talons when they shook hands. When that happened, poor Lazur got so scared that he was going to get kicked out that he begged the Guildmaster to forgive him!"

"F – Feldie...!" Lazur had a horrified look on his face, "You promised that you wouldn't tell anyone about that!"

"Consider it payback for that arm remark earlier," Feldie said, sticking her tongue out at Lazur. The blue dragon sighed and fell silent. The Trapinch giggled again and slowed down her pace so she was walking next to Lazur. She gave him a playful nip on the ankle and grinned, "Oh don't look so down, partner! I was just kidding!"

Lazur picked her up and put her on his shoulder, "You're a serious pain in my side, you know that?"

"Yep!" Feldie smiled and chomped the side of his head, "I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Despite appearances, these two were really good friends, I thought. I glanced over to Blue, who was chuckling at the antics between the two scaly Pokémon. I wondered if we looked like that to others when the Riolu would tease me. Smiling to myself, I shook my head and gave Blue's paw a quick whap with my tail, making him jump up with a start.

"Eh?" Blue said to me, surprised, "What's the matter, Fée?"

"It's nothing," I said, giving the oblivious Riolu a cheerful smile, "nothing at all, partner."

When the four of us reached the town gates, we halted at a small, wooden gatehouse that was built right next to it. Two Pokémon were sitting inside the tiny wooden hut. One of them, a round, ball – like Pokémon called Electrode rolled out of the gatehouse and stopped in front of us.

"Explorer apprentices, eh?" The Electrode said with a commanding voice. A huge grin was present on the bottom half of his face, the red half, "You know the rules. Badges out."

I sat down and gestured at my badge on my ear while Blue, Feldie and Lazur all took their badges out of their packs. The Electrode rolled side – by – side in front of us, examining each of our badges individually. After he had finished checking the last one – Lazur's – he rolled back to his original spot and turned toward the gatehouse.

"Oi, Chinchou!" He shouted at the hut, "We got two apprentices from Wigglytuff's and two from Kadabra's. Shine'em up, would'ya?"

"Aye!" A sharp voice came out from inside the wooden house, drawing our attention toward it. From within the tiny hut, an even tinier Pokémon flopped out. It was a blue, slimy – looking Pokémon with two yellow antennae sticking out of his head. The Pokémon – Chinchou – bounced over to Electrode and hopped on top of him.

"The four of you, would you please look at me?" Chinchou said, wiggling his antennae at us. We obliged him and looked up. "Good! Try not to blink, now!"

"Blink?" I said, wondering what he meant.

"Yep, keep your eyes open!" Chinchou said in a cheerful voice as he wiggled his antennae, "Now then, on the count of three...! Two...! One...!"

"Gyah!" A chorus of pained cries erupted from the four of us. A bright, blinding light exploded out from Chinchou's antennae, making me blanch and cover my face with my paws. Even through my eyelids, I could still see Chinchou's faint outline.

"W – what was that for?!" Blue said beside me.

"Identification!" Chinchou said, unfazed by the pain he had just caused us, "We can tell who you are by just looking at the shadows behind you when I use flash."

"It's a lot more accurate than just looking at your faces," Electrode added, "after all, some Pokémon are capable of mimicking the appearances of others."

I could make out the silhouette of Chinchou nodding on top of Electrode's head, "That's right. With my flash, I can easily reveal any pesky intruders trying to sneak in or our of town by copying another Pokémon's features!"

"I – I see..." I groaned as I rubbed the shining spots out of my eyes, "That's... pretty clever..."

"Painful, but I suppose if it works..." Feldie said, shaking her head left and right.

"Anwyay, the four of you are cleared to go." Electrode said as Chinchou leapt off his head. The two of them got out of our way and back into the gatehouse, but not before giving us some parting words, "Have a safe trip out there, kids!"

"T – thanks..." I said back at him, my head still a little dazed.

The four of us wobbled our way through the town gates, still recovering from the sudden burst of light. As we made our way down the long slope that connected the great plateau to the land below, I gazed out at the vast frontier that stretched out in front of us.

Trees, hills, mountains, rivers and the sea... The frontier truly is a wondrous place for explorers. Just a few days ago, I could only dream of heading out of town to seek out adventure and explore the lands that lied around me. Now, that dream had become a reality. With Blue at my side, I can finally leave the safety and shelter of Treasure Town and see the world with my own eyes.

I felt my excitement rising with every step I took. Walking down the road, side by side with friends that I'd never imagined that I would have. It was such an unfamiliar feeling to me, but it was a feeling that I cherished. Taking a peek at Blue, I saw him gazing out into the frontier as well. Was he feeling as exhilarated as I was? I sure hoped so.

Lazur and Feldie both wore awed looks on their faces. Lazur had taken Feldie back onto his shoulder, giving her a better look at the world around us from his height. Inwardly, I wished that Blue could do the same to me as well, but I didn't want him to strain his legs by carrying my weight. So I just settled for seeing the world on my own legs.

A wild thought ran through my mind as I saw his arms swing back and forth in a casual way. If I had Barie's ribbons, could I be able to walk with Blue while holding onto his paws? I imagined my ribbons wrapped around my partner's arm as we walked down the slope together. It would be nice, wouldn't it...?

"Looks like this is where the slope ends."

Feldie's voice snapped me out of my daydream. My face flushed red as I quickly dismissed my previous thoughts. Thankfully, it seemed as though no one noticed my embarrassment.

The slope terminated into a large, dirt road that stretched out and away from Treasure Town. I glanced around us as we stood in the middle of the road. It's hard to imagine that, just yesterday, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of Pokémon standing in line right here. As I looked down, I realized that we were surrounded by an unbelievable amount of footprints.

To my right, I recognized the road through the forest that I usually took to go to the beach. Smiling, I turned to Blue and noticed that he was staring at it too.

"There's a crossroads up ahead," Feldie stated as she pointed ahead of us, "it looks like we'll be splitting up sooner than I thought."

"It can't really be helped," I said, my ears flopping down in disappointment, "we all have our own destinations."

"It's alright Fée," Feldie said as she hopped off Lazur's shoulder. She trotted over to my side and gave me a big toothy smile, "I'm sure we'll meet again soon! Who knows? We might even be able to go on an expedition together someday!"

"You're right!" my ears perked up as I clasped my paws together, "We're all explorers now, we can meet each other any time we want!"

Lazur grumbled and folded his arms, "I'd rather do things on my own. There's no need to buddy up with these two, Feldie."

"Oh?" Blue smirked and folded his arms as well, returning the Gabite's stare, "Then you wouldn't mind if we left you home while the three of us went out on an adventure, would you?"

"You try that and you might just find yourself furless one day, Riolu..." Gabite threatened, glaring down at Blue.

"My name's Blue," Blue retorted, shrugging, "and there's no way you'd be able to give me a haircut with those toothpicks, lizard."

"And my name is Lazur," the Gabite said, holding up one of his talons at Blue, "and I'll show you what these toothpicks can do one day."

"Woah, what a terrifying threat from the oaf!" Blue sniggered as he pretended to flinch at the sight of Lazur's claws.

Feldie and I sighed and shook our heads in exasperation as our partners continued to argue and glare at each other. What happened to the camaraderie they showed when they were defending us from Monferno? Easy come, easy go I suppose.

After a few tense minutes of walking, I noticed that the dirt road was slowly becoming softer and softer. I looked down and realized that the dirt had transformed into grass. The forest that surrounded the town had abruptly stopped, giving way to a massive field of yellow. It was like standing in the middle of an ocean of grass. The fresh, summer breeze blew past us, billowing a wave through the sea of gold.

In the center of the field stood a wizened – looking stone pillar that towered over our group. Even Lazur, the tallest out of all of us, barely reached the halfway point of the pillar. Nailed onto the pillar were a ridiculous amount of wooden slats pointing to different locations into the golden grassland. Feldie and Lazur walked over to the pillar and checked out one of the slats.

"There it is!" Feldie said in a cheerful voice, "This way leads to 'Rugged Ridge!' That's where we're headed!"

"About time," Lazur grumbled in a frustrated tone, but the smile on his face told a different story. "Our teacher must've been waiting there for ages." He wrung his talons together and picked Feldie out of the tall grass.

"So we're heading off this way," Feldie said to Blue and I, "what about you two?"

"Oh... um," come to think of it, we haven't actually looked at the letter Duskull handed us yet. We don't even know the name of our destination yet.

"It's a secret," Blue answered for me, "our Guildmaster told us to keep our mouths shut about it."

"I see..." Feldie looked a little disappointed, but her smile quickly returned to her face after a moment, "Well, if your Guildmaster said so, then I guess it can't be helped!"

"I'm sorry Feldie," I said, shaking my head at her, "I'd love to tell you, I really do!"

"Don't sweat it, Fée!" Feldie replied, "It's not a big deal."

"Feldie, let's get moving," Lazur said, jerking a talon over to their destination. Feldie nodded, giving Lazur permission to take the two of them away toward their destination.

"Take care!" I shouted after them, waving my paw at the retreating orange and blue pair. Feldie turned around on Lazur's shoulder and waved back at me.

"You too, Fée!" She shouted, "And Blue! Don't you let her get into any trouble, okay?"

"Of course!" Blue replied with a wave, "I'll keep her safe, don't worry!"

"H – hey, that's my line!" I gave Blue a playful nudge with my paw. I turned back to Feldie to say goodbye again, but the two of them had already vanished into the sea of gold. Smiling, I turned back to Blue and sighed. "Well, they're gone."

"Then it's our turn to depart," Blue grinned as he rubbed my head, "come on Fée, let's crack open Duskull's letter and get going."

"Alright," I couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm as I pulled my bag off my neck, "let's take a look, shall we?"

Reaching inside my pack, I groped around until I felt Duskull's letter buried underneath a length of rope. Taking care not to tear the fragile paper, I pulled it out and held it in front of Blue and I. After taking a quick glance around us to make sure there were no one else around, I unfolded his letter.

"Well, what does it say?" Blue urged, sticking his muzzle next to mine as he tried to read the letter, "Come on, tell me!"

"Hold on," I blushed as I pushed his face away from the letter, "his writing's a little fancy, give me a second to try and read this..."

Duskull's writing was loopy and elegant, completely unlike the more plain way most Pokémon write. Furthermore, it wasn't just a single word or two that told the name of the place, but rather, it was a series of directions. However, at the very bottom of the letter were three, very distinct words.

"The Forlorn Forest..."

A cool breeze blew through the tall trees, rustling the canopy of leaves that served as the forest's ceiling. One unfortunate leaf found itself carried away by the breeze, sending it on a trip through the shadowy wood. The leaf flew in between the thick, gnarled tree trunks and through several spindle – like branches as the whimsical wind continued to whistle through the forest.

All of a sudden, a delicate, white – furred hand reached up and plucked the leaf out of the mischievous breeze's clutches, cutting its voyage through the forest short. The leaf's new owner held it in front of its face and stared at it with a curious gaze. After a moment, the Pokémon lowered its arm. It let the breeze pass through it, its yellow fur bristling in the cool wind. After a moment, the gale stopped, leaving the Pokémon alone in the middle of the silent forest once more.

"Hmm... that was quite a refreshing breeze, wouldn't you say so?"

The Pokémon nodded as it held on to the leaf with both its hands.

"What do you think it means, my dear?"

The Pokémon shook its head and glanced up at the forest's leafy canopy. A glimmer of worry sparkled in its eyes as it stared at the multitude of leaves above it.

"Do not fret. It was not an ominous wind, but a gentle zephyr carrying no woe."

It brought down its head and shook it.

"My, you're still worried?"

The Pokémon glanced down at the small leaf in its white - colored hands. It wasn't moving, as the wind had long flown past them.

"A single fallen leaf does not an ill omen make, my dear child. Do not be so frightened by trifling things."

It whimpered quietly.

"...alright. If it will ease your fear, I shall keep watch for any danger for you."

Nodding, the Pokémon held up the tiny leaf in its hands up into the air.

"Hm, hm... why don't you take care of that darling little leaf? You can add it to your collection back at the house."

It responded with a gleeful cheer and gave a deep bow before skipping off into the thicket of trees. The Pokémon kept a firm grip on the leaf, but not too tight. After all, it didn't want to damage its precious leaf.

An ominous wind? An ill omen? To the Pokémon, just hearing these words were a cause to worry. But, it knew that it did not need to be afraid. After all, it had a wonderful guardian protecting it. As long as it stayed in the forest, there was nothing to fear.