Well, here I am again! It's been so long but one of my resolutions this year is to write a lot more, so expect a few chapters in the coming weeks. A new character gets introduced here so the coming chapters will be focussed on them for a while. I hope you enjoy what you'll be reading! So sit back and relax, grab a lifesize plushie and a blanket, and enjoy this latest chapter!
Star's PoVOne nasty patch of prickly thorns, some anxious berry-gathering and a lot of walking later I finally reached the treeline. Here I could see the Gale Plains sprawled out before me like a gigantic carpet, complete with swathes of lush grass and plentiful food and water right across the plains. I could even see little Mareep and Wooloo grazing in the distance, and best of all I couldn't see anything immediately threatening either! I smiled and set off, a little spring in my step. Anyway, even if anything did present itself as hostile I'd have plenty of time to see it and run away screaming.
? PoV, City of ArmoniaIt was nice and cosy at the moment, tucked up comfortably in bed. I had no commitments or incentives to get up, and I certainly didn't intend to rise just yet. The sun was just starting to peek in through the curtains though, and I groaned and turned away from the light, clutching my Eevee plush tighter and burying my face in its warm fur. How easy it would be to just stay snuggled up in bed all morning, I smiled closing my eyes again. Three seconds later they shot open again. "The guild!" I gasped, springing out from under the covers. "I can't be late for that!"
Despite my immediate rush though, I couldn't leave looking like I'd just got up… even if that was exactly what had happened. Being a shiny might sound awesome but the reality was far from it, and my yellow fur often saw me prejudiced for being different. It was for that reason that I always made a lot of effort to look immaculate, so at least there was less to make fun of me for. Sitting down in front of the handy mirror against one wall of my room, I spent a few minutes grooming myself as best as I could given the time restrictions, from head all the way down to the orange star-tip of my tail. When I'd done the figure watching me through the mirror looked far better, fur neatly straightened and flattened down neatly. Now I was ready to face the music of the day, and boy was I excited!
Bouncing out of the room, I rushed down the stairs excitedly and ran out of the inn, only stopping briefly to grab a pastry of some kind from the breakfast table and call out a cheerful "Good morning!" to Sekargo, the Ariados innkeeper. Luckily my destination wasn't far- despite being a city, all the important parts of Armonia were around the centre so it was easy to find your way. I hurried down the street towards the guild, eating my pastry and dodging past other 'mons cluttering my path. In reality there was no way I'd be late, but I always made a point of being early for everything, especially when first impressions would be important like today.
Before long I reached the guild building, a sprawling structure that shot up into the sky. It had an ornate style to it that screamed of an important part of the city, complete with carved pillars and statues lining the steps up to the grand doors. And just above the doors, written huge and bold was a name: Kubfu Guild. I'd been here already for my introduction to the guild and a guided tour, but an interruption to the day had left me and everyone else unable to finish the initiation day. We'd all been told to come back to the guild today to officially complete the sign-up process. This was the biggest day of my life! I was finally getting to follow my dreams of becoming a famous explorer! Of course, I was a little early to follow my dreams, so there were very few Pokemon actually in the lobby as I entered and glanced around. A pair of Bellsprouts were talking in hushed tones at the other end of the room, whilst an Aron and a Marowak seemed to be butting heads to see who was stronger. The only other 'mon in the room was a small Alolan Vulpix who beamed and waved eagerly at me from where she was sitting on her own. I smiled and waved back, and seeing as she seemed very friendly I decided to approach. With a little luck I could hopefully engage in conversation, if for nothing else then to pass the time.
If it was even possible, the Alolan's grin widened even more as I headed over and all six tails wagged eagerly. For one reason or another she was clearly delighted to see me, although potentially that had something to do with her being on her own presently. "Hi hi hi! You're here to join the guild, right? Me too! This is so exciting I can hardly wait!" she babbled, her grin never faltering as she spoke. I chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Me too! I've been waiting for this day for so long, ever since I was a little kid!" Her excitement was infectious, especially when I'd been hyped up all morning already.
"Really?! I didn't even know about this place until just a few weeks ago! Now I do though it's all I can think about! We're gonna go on so many adventures together and find loaaaaaaads of treasure," the Alolan giggled, bringing a great smile to my face- that was so similar to my thinking! "My mum and dad used to tell me stories about the Kubfu Guild and some of the most legendary heroes that were members. I swore even then that I'd become a famous explorer just like the ones from the stories," I explained to her, earning a gasp of amazement.
"I soooooo wish I'd got to hear all those stories, but my parents were just normal 'mons. They never cared for being explorers or doing the fun stuff, so I gotta do their share as well as my own," the Alolan Vulpix told me, her tails bobbing up and down as if agreeing. "Wow! You really are committed to the whole idea, huh?" My smile didn't waver- her optimism was contagious, and of course combine that with the fact that I was here to finally fulfil my goal and we both looked like we'd had way too many Sitrus berries!
"I'm gonna be the most famous explorer ever! Everyone's gonna know Snow Vumiere, the dashing hero who could do anything!" the Alolan boasted, to which I rolled my eyes and smirked. "What about when the brave Vumiere has to face the might of the evil Camerupt? She'll have no chance against such fiery heat." To her credit though Snow didn't back down. In fact, she half-crouched and I wondered what she was planning for a moment. I didn't have to wonder for long though as the next second a furry white mess of fur threw itself eagerly in my direction, pouncing on me and earning a squeak of surprise.
What I wasn't expecting was for Snow to jump on me but I couldn't help giggling as she playfully hit me. "Aaaaaaaah! How could I be beaten by the likes of you! Oh Vumiere, how strong and mighty you are!" I cried, putting on a hugely exaggerated death that quickly had her giggling as much as me. Before either of us could comment though I heard a Pokemon very forcefully clearing their throat and looked around. The Venipede at the front desk was shaking his head disapprovingly and everyone else in the room was watching. I scrambled out quickly from under the mischievous Alolan, feeling a little embarrassed.
There was an awkward silence for several seconds, but I waited until everyone was occupied again before even glancing at Snow. "Oops…" she grinned, her face making clear she didn't regret our messing about in the lobby. I offered an uneasy smile and decided to try and shift to a better topic. "Sooooo… who are you waiting here for, Snow?" I asked after a brief thought. Presumably she was just here early like me, and our partners would be here soon. "Oh, it's my best friend, Autumn. She's coming, I just got the times wrong and came three hours early," she piped up. I stared at her, gobsmacked for a minute. She'd come here three hours early?! That meant she'd just been sitting here for hours on her own!
She must have realised what my expression meant because she laughed again, and for a moment I wondered if she'd been joking. That was shot down quickly… "I always get confused with the times I have to be at places. At least this time I was three hours early and not three hours late!" she told me. I didn't know whether to be confused, worried or both. Snow was quite the enigma of a Pokemon and I'd only spent a matter of minutes with her.
"Well I'm waiting for my partner too. A Sunflora agreed to partner with me on initiation day. In fact they should be here any minute now," I said, quickly speaking again before my brain stopped working with surprise. Anyway, I'd be leaving the lobby soon, once the Sunflora arrived and we completed the sign-up. And I hoped Snow's partner would be here soon too- the Alolan Vulpix seemed unable to sit still for more than twenty seconds!
The next few minutes passed rather uneventfully, with Snow rambling on to me about absolutely anything that crossed her mind, as I half-listened while I looked around every now and then to see if anyone new had arrived. After nearly another hour had gone by though the front doors finally opened again and a familiar flower 'mon entered. My partner, at last! I got up with a cheerful smile on my face, but she didn't even glance in my direction, instead heading straight over to the two Bellsprouts and greeting them both with an embrace.
My face twitched as I watched them head over to the Venipede at the desk, with realisation dawning on me all too quickly. My new partner had no intentions of joining me. Either she'd never intended to or her new friends had convinced her they were better. As I was still watching, one of the Bellsprouts turned around and smirked at me, and I narrowed my eyes. He knew exactly what was going on. The Sunflora finished talking to the Venipede staff receptionist and a few moments later when the three turned around the glint of their new badges wrenched my heart. The Sunflora didn't even offer me a glance as she passed me by on the way out, but the same Bellsprout from before deliberately pushed past me as he followed, and I had to grit my teeth to stop myself zapping him into tomorrow.
I sat back down, feeling numb as I tried to process what had just happened, and it was only a few seconds later that Snow gasped. "Wait! You said you were waiting for a Sunflora, right? I think you just missed one now!" I froze and a spike of frustration shot through me. "I am aware…" I muttered, tucking my head down and looking at the floor. There were another few moments of welcome silence and then the snow fox interrupted it again. "Did you change your mind about being partners with her?" she piped up, and I glanced up to see her looking intently at me, head tilted curiously. "Did you not just see what happened?! She abandoned me for those other 'mons! I never had a chance to say otherwise!" I told her angrily. Snow opened her mouth to reply but I wasn't finished. "Look, don't you have someone else to annoy? Just leave me alone Snow!" I snapped, looking back down at my paws darkly. I didn't even look up after the pattering of feet had vanished.
How could this have happened? First the initiation day had to be shut down because of some stupid fight that took place, and then my partner gave up on me today without warning. Not to mention the only Pokemon even left around here besides me was an annoying Vulpix who couldn't keep her nose out of my business or be quiet for half a minute! It really wasn't right to assume but my natural first thought was that this was all because I was shiny, but it wasn't without reason. I couldn't believe it when the Sunflora asked to be partners the other day, but now it was obvious she just didn't have a better choice at the time. The Kubfu Guild didn't let Pokemon join on their own- that was far too dangerous. Instead there had to be at least two of you, but teams could go up to four. The problem I had was that I was now a group of one… which meant my guild career was over before it had even begun.
I eventually snapped out of my miserable thoughts and picked myself up slowly. There was no use in hanging around now, I'd lost my chance. The next initiation probably wouldn't be for at least another year now. I should just go home now, try to get on with accepting I won't be joining the guild, I told myself mentally, trudging for the door. In fact, I didn't even register the low buzz of conversation my ears unconsciously picked up as I headed outside. The world had looked so bright when I woke up this morning. Now it had never looked duller as I tucked my head down and headed for a place to sit down and contemplate what I'd do next.
It was just a few short minutes before I was looking at an expanse of green grass, shrubbery and a few benches dotted amidst the flowers. Gaia's Gardens always helped me gather my thoughts and clear my head, and I figured I never needed that more than right now. Hopping up onto a bench I lay down with my head resting on my blue paws. Maybe a nap was a good idea… Surely everything would feel better after a rest, and I had gotten up especially early today too. For that reason, it wasn't long before I started dozing off, or at least I felt like I must not be seeing things properly when some sort of small bird came flying towards me. I raised my head a little to squint at it and then the bird bonked me on the nose. Except now I could tell it wasn't a bird, it was some kind of small object or projectile! I shook my head to clear it and looked down at the foot of the bench . Was that…?
Jumping off the bench I picked the item in question up and my thoughts were answered immediately. This was a Kubfu Guild badge! Where had that come from then?! I glanced around me and it wasn't until I did a double-take that I saw there was indeed a familiar snowy fox in front of me with her trademark playful grin. "You left without getting your badge so I took it and followed you here so I could give it to you!" she chirped. Did she still not understand what was going on? I had no team, so this badge was useless! This time I didn't feel angry though, I just felt disappointed. In myself and in those around me. "Snow… I don't have a team… I'm on my own. This badge isn't for me," I sighed dejectedly, letting the badge fall from my paw. Snow gasped and jumped forwards to grab it before it hit the ground.
"I told the guild bug guy at the desk that you did have a team. I… I wasn't lying, was I?" She held the badge out to me, a mixture of uncertainty and hope hiding behind the smiling facade. For a moment I felt like I was seeing another side of the Vulpix, a more vulnerable and unsure side. Even as I processed this a feeling was creeping into my body, small but growing quickly. Surely I was mistaken, surely this wasn't what I thought it could be! "What's so special about me? I pushed you away before, and I just attract trouble…" I murmured, dropping my gaze to the floor again. I didn't want to believe that my feeling was valid and justified because I was afraid of being disappointed again. That all changed when Snow spoke again though. "I know that Sunflora hurt you by leaving, and I know you didn't mean to shout. I don't care that you're shiny, I think it's nice to be different, and there aren't a lot of my regional kind either… I want to be your friend, and… and I want to help you get what you wanted. If… you'll let me?"
I was stunned that she actually cared about what happened to me despite having only met me today. "Snow… I… thank you…" I smiled softly, taking the badge and pinning it to my chest. That warm feeling blossomed and my whole body felt as light as air. Without thinking I closed the distance between us and hugged the snowy Vulpix tightly, for words couldn't describe how grateful I was to have been given a second chance. All that had happened earlier felt like it was just a bad dream now. I was a Kubfu Guild member now! And I'd made a new friend, one who cared about me for who I was and who couldn't be less bothered by my shiny fur. Snow giggled and her tails wrapped around me, and for a few wonderful moments the rest of the world didn't exist.
Eventually though we had to return to reality, and I had a few questions to ask about Snow and her plans. "Ummmm… didn't you already have a teammate for the guild before I came along?" I was sure I remembered her mentioning someone she was waiting for. Snow gave a nervous chuckle that made me focus my attention entirely on her. "Weeeeeeeell… yes. You uhhhh don't mind having another teammate do you?" she asked tentatively, her body freezing in place. That proved I'd been right, she had mentioned a friend back at the guild. I definitely had some reservations about a third member of the team; just because Snow was fine with me didn't mean someone else would be. But it was Snow who'd invited me to join her, so telling her I didn't want someone else around would be pretty mean. "I guess not. So long as they're… well, open-minded," I said awkwardly, but she either didn't notice the tone or didn't care, clapping her forepaws together excitedly. "Yay! I can't wait to tell her the good news!" she gushed, bringing yet another question to my mind. "Where exactly is your friend? Why didn't she meet you at the guild today?" I asked, tilting my head slightly with mild curiosity.
"Ohhhhhh, don't worry! Autumn probably just overslept again. She does that a lot! We can go and see her now and tell her the go0d news!" Snow beamed.
At least I'll be able to get a read on her early then, see whether she really is as open as Snow is, I thought to myself, though I didn't really know what I'd do if she wasn't welcoming. Could I really back out of the team for something like that after how hard I'd worked to get to this point? I certainly didn't have an answer for that at the moment. I jumped as a white paw bopped me on the nose and I reddened as I realised I'd completely spaced out for a minute. "Ack! Sorry! I was just uhhh…. Thinking about something," I apologised, but as with everything so far it didn't seem to bother her. "Autumn tells me I do that sometimes and she has to get my attention again. See, we have so much in common already!" Snow grinned. "Now come oooooooon, I wanna go tell Autumn we're a team now!" I couldn't argue with that, nor her insatiable enthusiasm for everything.
"Lead on then. How far away does she live?" I asked.
"Just a few minutes away. She's even closer to the guild than I am!" Snow told me, spinning around and then pointing in a direction. There was a certain amount of irony over the fact that her friend was closer and still managed to be the one not to make it to the guild today. I lived a fair distance across the city and still managed to get there early! Though I suppose having Snow there made sure both of them got in regardless- the same couldn't have been said for my situation. Shaking my head to clear it I hurried after Snow, who was practically running down the street in her eagerness. With an eyeroll and a smile I ran after her, taking a moment to acknowledge just how lucky I was that that Alolan Vulpix had wandered into my life today.
Just as she said, it didn't take long to reach our destination, and I inwardly wondered what species her friend was, and whether she was like Snow or not. The house itself looked fairly unremarkable, with simple brown walls that had vines creeping along, and a very well-kept little flower garden placed in front of the structure. The house in general looked like it was cared for more than suitably, and all these signs made me rather hopeful it was a nice 'mon. I expected Snow to knock on the door, but instead she barged straight through the door with such force that I was impressed! At least, I told myself that was the reason for my gasp. The Vulpix glanced at me and snorted; "Don't worry, I do that all the time and she never minds it! I'm just announcing we're here at the same time as entering, so it's extra useful!" Her logic made about as much sense as I was quickly coming to expect, but I hurried to catch up to her before she vanished. I didn't want to get lost in a stranger's house, that just seemed rude!
Snow was wandering into what seemed to be a kitchen when I caught her up, but the owner of the house was nowhere to be seen. I had to stifle another gasp when the snow fox started rooting through cupboards, sniffing around for something. "Uhhhh are you sure you should be doing that? Even if your friend does live here," I eventually felt I had to speak up, unable to keep my concerns inside any longer.
Snow turned and gave me an incredulous look, as if I'd sprouted a second head or something equally ridiculous. "How do you act around your friends? Aren't you like this too?" she finally asked, turning back to the cupboards. Now it was my turn to stare at her, although my hesitation in answering wasn't because the question was very strange. "No… I definitely don't do that at all!"
She didn't answer, and a moment later she gave an excited squeal, pulling a white package out and jumping down onto the table. "Look! Look! I found it!" she babbled, nearly jumping on me in her excitement. I had no idea what it could be so I figured I'd give her the attention she desperately wanted. "What is it that could get you this excited?" Before the snow fox had a chance to answer though a tan head appeared in the kitchen doorway, swiftly followed by a body of the same colour, leaves adorning various parts of its body. "Snow, you really shouldn't have any sugar, that's why I hid those!" the stranger said, a playful note in a more adultlike voice than Snow's often-childish chirp. She glanced at me and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry you're here at this time. You have no idea what she's like when she's hyped up on sugar. Especially-"
"POKEPUFFS!" Snow interrupted, finally wrenching the paper away from what was indeed now visible as a tray of freshly-baked Pokepuffs, the little cakes adorned with little designs of different Pokemon. I opened my mouth to respond but the Leafeon raised a paw to stop me. "Don't. It's not worth trying. Once she gets her paws on those there's no stopping her. At this point you just have to let her have one. It's the easiest way!" she chuckled, prompting me to nod, that having been the exact matter I was going to address. Meanwhile Snow had daintily picked one out and was now holding it proudly in her forepaws; amusingly she'd chosen a blue one with a little Shinx design on the top- something I chose not to comment on, though I did catch the side-eye and little smirk the Leafeon had when she realised herself.
As funny as it was watching Snow make such a fuss over the (admittedly delicious-looking) cake I was conscious of the question of what I was doing here surely looming on the horizon and I wanted to be the one to address it first. "It's nice to meet you. I assume you're the friend Snow keeps talking about?" I asked politely, directing my gaze to the Leafeon stranger. She nodded and smiled at the remark about Snow. "Autumn Veliker's my name if you want to get all official with the greetings," she teased, doing a little mock bow. I gave a sheepish laugh and made an effort to look more relaxed and less like I was talking to Pokemon royalty! "I'm Sparks Aria… or just Sparks," I quickly added onto the end to sound less formal. "Snow invited me in… sorry for her… forced entry."
Autumn waved that away and shook her head. "I'm used to her being that hyper and eager, this is how she's been for all the years I've known her. Luckily you get used to it after a while," she explained, a clear joking note in her words.
Not that I'd explicitly doubted Snow was telling the truth, but it was clear some of her words should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially when she was excited. It was clear the two had been friends for a while though, which made me feel a little odd, like I was intruding on something I shouldn't be privy to. "Hey, we don't bite, we're friendly 'mons. If you're sticking around for now then relax. I don't care what Snow does here for the most part and that extends to you too. Make yourself at home," Autumn prompted kindly, clearly assuming that my silence to be shyness in her presence. I chuckled and nodded; "I was just thinking, that's all. But you're both very kind, thank you!"
"Eh, there're plenty of dodgy folks out there so we don't mind another friendly body around. Well, I don't think Snow minds anyone being around but I've got enough sense not to let whoever in. You don't seem like the worst Pokemon that could walk in here at all. Especially with that nice orange coat you've got there," she smiled, gesturing to me. My cheeks coloured but I returned her smile gratefully. "I'm happy neither of you mind me being… me. I uhhh… don't always get the best of receptions with 'mons in the street. Not everyone likes someone who's different." And that's just the start of it. Not liking someone is just putting it in a light way! I thought to myself idly.
Despite my initial reservations though I was definitely liking what I was seeing in these two so far. They appeared to be very open and honest, and most importantly of all they were willing to give me a chance rather than judging purely on what they could see- even if they didn't actually mind one bit what I looked like. While I had my internal monologue Snow had eaten her Pokepuff, and as soon as my eyes flickered to her I got the impression she was very energetic now. All six of her tails were thumping the ground behind her rhythmically and her eyes were bright with joy and eagerness. "Talking is boooooooooring! I wanna go outside and do something! Something fun!" the Alolan practically shouted at us, tapping her paws impatiently. This could be very interesting… she was already pretty hyper before, but now she looks like she's about to explode any second!
"Oh boy, here we go," Autumn spoke beside me, her thoughts mirroring mine. "Though actually that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Beats lounging around in here all day anyway. You up for it, Sir Aria?" she teased, grinning playfully at me. I prodded her and rolled my eyes, but quickly followed up with an answer. "I'll happily do whatever you want. I don't have the right to impose on you both."
"I'd say you've got every right to make a suggestion, but if we don't take Snow outside she'll be bouncing off the walls causing havoc soon. And I don't think either of us wants that to happen!" Autumn told me, that teasing undertone still there. Truthfully I really didn't mind what we did though, I was just glad to be included. I really couldn't express in words how much that actually meant to me. So when Snow went barreling out of the door and Autumn shook her head and ran after her, I was happy to follow them both.
To my surprise the Alolan Vulpix was in fact sitting outside waiting when I emerged from the house. Apparently she wasn't just going to run off without us, as much as I'd admittedly expected her to! "Where are we going? Tell me tell me tell meeeeeeee!" she blurted out, tapping her paws on the ground again. Autumn laughed and gave the fox a light shove. "Calm down, we're going somewhere fun! I think I have a good idea, and it's a perfect way to seal our new friendship with Sparks! That caught my attention as much as it did Snow's; "Where are we going then?" I asked with a half-smile, but Autumn tapped her nose with a sly grin. "You'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure you'll both like it!"
This managed to get Snow even more excited and now she started running circles around us as she squealed about how much she loved surprises. I was seeing exactly why the Alolan wasn't normally allowed any sugary treats- she ended up a sugar-hyped menace that I didn't think even the guild could put a stop to if they tried! Though as overwhelming as it was I couldn't help but also find it cute and endearing seeing her scampering around so excitedly as she was. "Y'know, sometimes I question my life choices. Just when you think she can't get any more hyper you go and say something that makes it worse," Autumn laughed. "Come on, we're heading out of Armonia for a bit. The place I'm taking you to is a short way out in the wilds." That had me wondering; I'd lived in Armonia all my life so I knew the place and its surrounding areas like the back of my paw, so I knew there were a lot of places Autumn could have in mind. I'd just have to wait and see, though it was obviously somewhere fairly significant for her to have mentioned sealing a friendship.
While I'd been contemplating this Autumn had been talking to Snow, and whatever she'd said seemed to have calmed the Vulpix at least a little bit, and she didn't look quite so much like she was ready to take off into space at any moment now! That was a good thing I supposed. Now we might all make it out of Armonia together. And with that dealt with we set off at a brisk pace, Autumn taking the lead since it was her that knew where we were going. I could have contemplated all day about how I'd struck gold today, far more than I'd expected to when I woke up. But that would have stopped me appreciating the two of my companions in the here and now, and what better than to enjoy their company. I turned my full attention to the pair, finding I could easily slide into their conversation as we headed down towards the main gate to the city.
Star's PoVDarkness… a blackness that outdid even that of nighttime out in the wilds, away from artificial lights and comforts. A blackness that felt like it was eating away at my soul. Raising my head slowly, I could make out nothing in any direction, though my head was pounding in a way that made it incredibly hard to concentrate. It was like the darkness was trying to swallow me up and it took every ounce of my willpower to resist disappearing like even the light itself had here… A small part of me wondered if I was even alive anymore. There wasn't a sound, nor a thing I could touch or even catch the scent of. Without anything at all to guide me, how could I be sure this wasn't an oblivion known only to those whose time in the world as I knew it had ended?
Eventually the darkness tore my focus away, and I fell back into whatever slumber I'd broken momentarily away from, black hands pulling my consciousness and resolve away…