The early morning seas near Azure City were as calm as they could ever be. Zen wasn't a sailor, knowing only the basics in sailing at all, so he was satisfied in not needing to do anything. It gave him plenty of time to think. To stand at the front of the dinghy and look up at the skyline of Azure and at the dock ahead and reminisce. All with a sharp grimace on his face. He and Kane weren't aiming for the nice, orderly, open dock that BoraBora was set for, they were sailing far from it. The further east one went, the less crowded and maintained the dock became, and didn't stretch out half as far as the nicer, newer docks.

Dock pilings were covered in barnacles and caked with salt, and the worst of them were splintering and had to be tied tight with chains or rope. The boats docked at or sailed from here, as few as they were, weren't in much better shape either. Most of them were worn and weathered, with scuffed paint if they had any, were covered in shoddy repairs, or were simply outdated or dirty. Curiously, most of the ships there were small fishing or shipping vessels, and most of the pokemon there were aged as well.

"How little it all changed, yet how foreign it feels," Zen muttered, his grimace only getting sharper as they sailed even further.

"Uhhggg…" Kane groaned, sitting up and holding his head. "I'm gonna be feelin' this for the rest of the day. Dammit Minerva…" The Scrafty then clenched a fist and lightly jabbed Zen's shoulder. "Thanks for jack, metalhead. Couldn't even catch me when that runt sent me flying?"

Zen glanced back at Kane, then focused again on the sea ahead. "Do not blame me for not helping you with your mistakes. You know better than to rile her up for no reason."

"Well I didn't know she'd be that strong. Been a year for me since she last dislocated my damn jaw," Kane said with a bitter scoff and a cross of his arms. "Almost feels like I went an' got stronger for nothin'. Maybe if she was a giant Galvantula I'd stand a better chance."

"Hmph."

The two sailed in silence for a moment, which was ever so quickly broken by Kane. "What's wrong?"

Zen glanced back again. "What do you mean?"

"I've been trapped underground a year, but I didn't magically turn dense, Zen. Somethin's botherin' you, isn't it?" Kane asked.

"And how exactly do you know that?" Zen replied coldly.

"The fact you bothered to retort, for one. That, and that grunt. You love to hear yourself talk, you'd probably chew my ear off about that fight for hours if I had 'em," Kane said. "Don't need any fancy aura sense to read your tells."

The Bisharp grimaced and turned away, clenching his fist, then relaxing them. He saw no reason to lie about it, Kane would only pester him further. "It is nothing you need to worry about. I can handle my problems on my own, unlike you."

Kane scoffed and sat down hard, rocking the small boat the two shared. "Don't you start puttin' in quips to throw me off now, it's too late. We got, what, ten minutes 'till we hit the dock, so now's your chance to talk without anyone else hearin' that the all-powerful Zen has mortal issues."

"You do not–" Zen began, gritting his teeth, then letting out a sharp, aggravated exhale. First Frost tried to get him to talk, then Kane. Of all Pokemon, it had to be Kane… "I do not wish to talk about it. Not now."

The dinghy rocked again as Kane shifted onto his side, hanging his legs over the side of it. "Hey, if you say so. I'll always be around. Eva too, once we meet up with 'em." A beat, and another rock of the boat. "Still not gonna tell me where we're headed?"

Zen was about to speak, to say something truthful without speaking the whole truth, but instead he focused ahead once again, giving a quick, dismissive, "Hmph."

Further along the coast, past where some parts of the dock were broken or rotted, where jagged stones jutted out of the water, and the shore itself was replaced with a tall, sheer rock face that hid the city skyline, Zen and Kane sailed towards a large drainage pipe. There was more dock here, built outside of and leading into the pipe. It seemed purposefully built to look shoddy and old, but all of the wood was polished and new, the pilings were tightly chained and roped and didn't have more than a few barnacles at most. Larger ships ported here, nothing nearly as big as Bora Bora, but still impressive in size.

Hardy and gruff Pokemon carried unmarked crates and barrels off ships and carrier 'mon like Lapras and Drednaw, shady groups loitered about with bottles of alcohol or cigars and cigarettes, the smell of both were as rich in the air as the salt in the sea. Even the collection of aura here felt grungy and sinister.

As Zen and Kane came to port outside the pipe, nearly every head turned in their direction. Hushed whispers and skeptical tones rumbled over the crowds, greedy eyes looked at them from the shadows, piecing them for all they may be worth, but they all turned away as Zen met their gazes.

"Sure as hell did not miss this place," Kane grumbled, waving a hand before his face to drive some of the smell away. It didn't work. "A lot less lively than I remember, but maybe that's for the best. Since you ain't gonna tell me where we're goin', can you at least say how long it'll take to get there?"

"A few hours by rooftop," Zen replied as he stepped onto the dock, making sure his bag was at his hip, and started towards the pipe. The wood barely even creaked, but even that brought several slight head turns. The Bisharp took note, but paid them no visible mind. "How fast can you scale a building?"

"Dunno, left this place before I was old enough to try, or strong enough," Kane shrugged, then grimaced and groaned. More eyes glanced at him, but much like Zen, Kane acted like he didn't notice. "And honestly I doubt I could anyway. I have stubby legs, compared to you at least. And I doubt the others are gonna be allowed to just climb buildings day one."

"Then we will be walking through Azure for several more hours if we are lucky," Zen replied flatly. "At the very least, we should be able to reach Eva and the others before they're swept up in Azure's snare of abundance and grandeur."

Kane scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I'd be surprised if they sit still in customs for more than a few minutes. Maybe Minerva's already gawkin' at the stores. Shoot, Mew too. Hope she keeps her paws to herself at least…"

"Hmph, perhaps we should move more quickly then," Zen scoffed, but didn't move any faster. The crowds were getting thicker, and more Pokemon were giving the pair sideways glares, with either greed or malice in their eyes. Hardly even a minute since they disembarked and they were already being made targets. Zen frowned, seeing nobody worth the effort of actually fighting in the crowd. "If only to get to our abode more quickly."

"Whacha in a hurry for?" came a girl's voice, a Sneasel, with unruly fur and dark blue feather-ear instead of red and a clearly forced smile, who sat on top of a Krokorok's head. She was one of those greedy eyes Zen saw, and the Krokorok… In truth, the Krokorok looked harmless. "The both of y'all just came off'a that lil boat, right? Y'all oughta be tired."

"Yeah, tired," Krokorok repeated, chuckling to himself.

Kane glanced at Zen, who didn't pay the two dark types any mind at all, then scoffed. "Yeah, that's exactly why we're gonna be leavin' girly."

Sneasel's smile twitched, but stayed painted on her face. "Well why don'cha let me an' ol Krok here help y'all out? Why, the both of ya ended up in a rough bit o' town! We'd be glad to show ya newcomers 'round!" The feline's smile turned more devious, but only slightly so. Enough that Kane could pick up on it.

"Lemme think about it," Kane said, tapping his chin. He waited for a single second, then turned and kept following Zen. "Nah."

"Wha–" Sneasel sputtered, then shook her head and patted Krokorok's cheek. The reptile sped up to match Kane and Zen's pace. "Don' be like that fella! Tell ya what, I'll even do it free o' charge! Might even be able to point ya towards some buddies o' mine that'll help ya settle into good ol' Azure bettuh!"

"And I can assure you we do not need such assistance," Zen replied coldly, still refusing to turn and face the two annoyances. "If you know what is best for the both of you, you would leave."

A boisterous, annoying laugh came from Sneasel, followed quickly by one from Krokorok. ""If we know what's best for us," he says! Can ya believe this guy, Krok?" Sneasel scoffed, slapping the top of her companion's head. Who didn't seem to mind it at all.

"I can't!" said Krokorok, or just Krok apparently. "This guy thinkin' he's all that! When we're all that!"

"I know! An' here I was thinkin' I was goin' mad!" Sneasel laughed.

Zen sighed, calm, yet his eyes and hands twitched, bitterly annoyed. His pace slowed, and his head turned to the dark duo, but Kane stepped between the three of them. "And why exactly would we be mad for thinkin' we're all that?" Kane asked, wearing his skepticism on his sleeve.

A bright, toothy grin flashed on Sneasel's face as she puffed out her chest, sitting up a bit straighter. "'Cuz I'm human! One-Hundred percent bonafide… er, no, certified! human spirit!" she proudly proclaimed. "I bet I'm stronger 'an the two of ya combined! An' add in Krok with that man power and the two o' ya mucks'll regret passin' up on this offuh!"

"Yea! Human spirit!" Krok repeated with a flex of his arms. For a Pokemon that wasn't fully evolved, and who seemed harmless at first glance, he did have some considerable muscle when he wanted to show it.

"Yea!" Sneasel nodded, grinning even more, giving Kane and Zen a smug stare.

Which was met with the same cold indifference as before.

"...Uh, what? Are ya mooks defectstive?" Sneasel blinked, her grin starting to fade. "This is the part where ya get all intimidated an' backpedal an' shit, ain't it? Ain't ya new?"

Krok nodded, looking just as lost as Sneasel. "Yea, instigated."

"No no, Krok. Intimidated. Ya know, all scared an' shit, not instigated. That means they'd be lookin' for a fight," Sneasel corrected, giving another smug look to Kane and Zen. "We don't wanna break the new merchandise, do we?"

"The only thing that would be broken is yourselves," Zen replied, colder than before. "If you think being human holds enough weight to intimidate others, then I pity your hubris."

Sneasel and Krok seemed to shut up at that, much to Zen's pleasure. He figured they'd finally leave him and Kane alone to their business, and nodded to Kane to follow him. Unfortunately…

"Uh… hummus?" Krok muttered.

"No, hubris," Sneasel corrected. A pause followed, then the feline hummed thoughtfully. "Dunno what it means though." The dark duo walked up to Zen, and Sneasel tapped the Bisharp on his metallic shoulder. "Don' jus' leave us hangin' ya mook, spill it. What's hum– uh, hubris?"

Kane snorted, biting his fist to hold back his laughter. "Are the both of ya serious?" he asked. When he got a genuine "yes" from the both of them, he snorted as he tried his damnedest to not laugh. "Pretty sure hubris is overconfidence or somethin' like that. Which, you two wouldn't know, is hilariously hypocritical comin' from this guy."

"Ohhh…" Krok nodded and hummed with a near vacant stare.

"I gotcha," Sneasel said, with much less vacancy in the eyes than her companion. "Dunno what that's gotta do with us, we're the normal human kinda confident. I'm damn near invincible," she scoffed, then put on a cheeky grin and puffed out her chest. "Spittin' all that fancy talk don't do nuthin' on us, but I know a language everyone speaks!" she huffed, about to say something else, but stopped as she saw Kane struggling to keep a straight face. "What's it this time?!"

"Yea! What's the time!" Krok pouted, then shook his head. "Aw shoot, I mean… what she said!"

"Nothing nothing! It's just that shorty here is showing the textbook definition of hubris!" Kane let out a long exhale, patting Krok on the shoulder. "But don't let it get to ya big guy. I know it's hard thinkin' with nothin between the ear holes."

Krok blinked, then gave a bright, toothy grin and patted Kane back, nearly knocking the Scrafty over. "Aw, thanks fella!" the croc beamed.

"Do this mean you's on board scales?" Sneasel asked, her flagship smug grin back on her face. "It's weird what ya doin' with ya pants, nevuh seen a Scrafty with such tight tights, but ya'll fit right in! All ya gotta do is say yes an' follow us! Same with tall an' jagged ovuh 'ere. Can tell he's packin', right?"

Zen, meanwhile, was quietly seething at all this. He somehow managed to run into two people too dumb to be insulted. They just… fell back into their routine like nothing happened. It was like a worse version of Kora and Minerva. A long, bitter groan left Zen, followed by a few quick breaths, then the Bisharp turned to face Kane, cold and silently livid. "We have wasted enough time on these neanderthals, Kane. Let us go."

"Geez, someone's grumpy today," Kane remarked, then turned and gave the dark duo a wave before following behind Zen once again. "Guess this is where we part. It was fun, kinda. See ya never."

Unfortunately, neither got very far before getting a tap on the shoulder. "Now wait'uh minute scales!" Sneasel huffed. "I'm the tour guide here, y'all ain't gon' get no-where without us!"

"Yeah!" Krok puffed. "And I still dunno what that big word was! Meander stall!"

"I am going to regret my actions…" Zen bitterly muttered, clenching his gauntlets so tight they creaked. He gave the dense lizard a sharp glare. "Neanderthal. It means you are a simple-minded twit lacking in common sense and basic intellect."

Krok blinked, staring back at Zen. He was silent for a few seconds, then gave an almost comedic, "Ohhhh!" He practically pranced up to Zen, sporting a grin almost as smug as Sneasel's. "I don't have simple, scales! I have intimidate! I ain't no Bidoof!" Krok blinked again, then gasped and anxiously tapped his claws together. "Ah, I know what's wrong… I intimidated y'alls two on accident! My bad," Krok whimpered.

"Oh is that what happened? Shoot, no wonduh y'all were tryin' to beat it," Sneasel tittered, patting Krok on the top of his snout. "He's tryin' to get a handle on it, he's a real chill dude when ya get t' know'im! Promise!" she beamed. "I bets the team buildin' exuhcises'll help th' twos of ya get used to 'im!"

Zen's eyes twitched. He really couldn't think of what to say. Anything he did clearly went over these two idiots heads. He might as well not have been talking at all. A thought did cross his mind; knock them both unconscious, then throw them into the water. They either knew how to swim or wouldn't be a problem again.

But… no. That was excessive, wasn't it? And surely if he did choose to fight these two, it would cause a scene. Others would get involved, a fight would break out and word would spread, faster than it normally would, reaching ears Zen wanted to avoid for just a bit longer. Zen couldn't have that, no no… not at all. Zen took a deep breath, easing away his tension, then gave a more neutral sideways glance to Krok and Sneasel. "We were not intimidated," he said simply.

"Ya don' gotta sugar coat it," Krok muttered with a shake of his head, then turned and sighed. "Aw man, I went an' messed this up, Sneasel. All 'cuz if this dumb intimdatin' aura whatever..."

"Hey big guy, is aight," Sneasel softly comforted her companion. Her gentleness was a surprise, considering her accent and bravado. "Happens to the best o' us. We can patch things up with 'em another time, aight?" She looked to Zen and Kane, surprising both again with an awkward, genuinely sorry smile. "Sorry again fellas, it won't our intent, promise."

"...I, uh," Kane muttered, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced at Zen, who didn't say or do anything but stare in silence, then tittered. "I mean… seriously, y'all didn't intimidate us, you're all good, er, Krok? That's your name, ain't it?"

Krok suddenly lit up, his tail starting to wag and smack into the boxes nearby. "Y-You mean it?"

"Yes, we mean it… Krok," Zen scoffed, crossing his arms. This was only wasting more and more time. "Now, if you'll excuse u–"

"Alright!" Sneasel cheered, her and Krok both pumping their fists.

"Only my friends call me Krok! I didn't intimidate y'all, I just swooned ya!" Krok cheered, the wag of his tail more akin to a bludgeon with how it thumped against a crate, cracking it. "I'm the best, Sneasel!"

"Hell yea ya are!" Sneasel beamed. Another grin found its way onto Sneasel's face, this one more proud than smug. "Aight fellas, pleasure gettin' friendly with ya! I can tell y'all're gonna rake in the big bucks!"

Dumbfounded, Kane couldn't help but blink and stare vacantly. "Wh-Wha?" His stare was only more vacant and he himself more dumbfounded when Krok and Sneasel gave him high fives and threw an arm around his shoulder, as if they've known him for years. "H-Huh?"

Zen was once again made speechless. But this time it was more skeptical and analytical than shocked at the lack of intellect these two shared. In fact, he was starting to suspect the opposite. This was all a ploy to guilt and confuse Kane and him into subordination. However, if Zen had anything to say about, and he absolutely did, he would never give them that much benefit of the doubt. To do so would be to admit that he was swindled into recruitment. Zen. Tricked by… the second coming of idiocy.

Yeah, no, as far as Zen was concerned, this was nothing more than eccentric personalities coupled with childish naivete. And those tricked Kane, not Zen.

"Yes yes, we are all… friends, now," Zen said, doing his best not to groan at himself playing along with this. At the very least this should speed things up. "But, once again, we have places to be. If you two could be so kind as to let us go, that would be much appreciated."

"Oh yea!" Sneasel snapped, grin still in place. "We can guide ya! Just tell us where an' I bet we can get the both o' ya mooks anywhere in no time flat!"

"No," Zen said flatly. "I know where I am going. First to the customs in the entertainment district, then…" he paused, glancing briefly to Kane, then didn't say a word.

Kane scoffed and crossed his arms, adding an eye roll for extra effect. "You're doin' everythin' you can to not say where we're actually goin', huh?"

"You will know where we are heading when we get there, Kane," Zen answered.

"Ya mooks already got a place? Hell, saves us the trouble of findin' room an' board," Sneasel scoffed, arms crossed. "Tell us what district it's in an' we'll help y'all to a teleportuh. One ain't too far from the dock, actually."

"Yea! Ain't far at all!" Krok chimed in.

Zen raised a brow as he stared back at Sneasel. "Teleporter? They're active?"

"Yeah, Azure was always a pain in th' ass to get anywhere, so a few years back the techies went an' made giant teleportuh rings," Sneasel explained, sucking her teeth in annoyance. "Prideful pricks made a whole show o' it, goin' on about their nerdy ass advancements or whatever. I ain't care all that much, but it helps a ton."

"How about that, huh? A teleporter would've saved my ass from runnin' around this place as a kid!" Kane chuckled, then winced and rubbed his legs. "I can already feel the aches comin' back…"

Zen went silent again, pensively this time. "I could have sworn the teleporters weren't due until the end of the decade… How did they manage that in only five years?"

Sneasel blinked, then frowned. "Why're th' both of ya mooks talkin' like ya've been 'ere before?"

"We have," Zen and Kane both answered.

"Well I ain't evuh seen neithuh of ya mooks. An' I'd remember someone as tall an' edgy as blades 'ere an' slim an' tight as scales," Sneasel huffed.

Krok hummed, swaying his tail. "...Well, we only got here three years back, right? Blades said something about five years…" The crocodile paused, swaying his tail more. "Uh, didn't somethin' happen five years ago?"

"...Oh yeah," Sneasel hummed, then shook her head and groaned. "Uhg, we ain't here for some borin' ass history lesson anyway! We gotta get our friends home!"

"Oh, right!" Krok beamed.

"To th' teleportuh!" Sneasel ordered, pointing a claw proudly forward.

"To the teleportuh!" Krok cheered, barreling through the dock upon Sneasel's command. Other Pokemon had to jump out of the way, or lift heavy crates over the charging reptile before he smashed right through them. All the eyes that were watching Kane and Zen were now focused on Krok and Sneasel.

Zen watched the two go with a tired sigh. "...I do not miss this place."

"Neither do I, but hey, places to go, asshole wolves to pummel," Kane said as he walked past Zen. "And it sounds like things have changed. It'd be smart to follow the two idiots for once, yeah?"

"Unfortunately," Zen muttered, straightening himself and following as well. He felt more eyes fall on him as he passed by others, but same as before, he gave them no attention but kept them in mind.

The giant drainage pipe was even larger on the inside, holding more ports and docks, but smaller boats and fewer groups loitering or carrying cargo, all lit up by flickering, luminescent gems that were growing or placed all over the ceiling. Everyone there looked more sinister than those outside, but that could easily have been a trick of the lighting. Krok and Sneasel's charge made it easy to navigate at least, and Zen made sure he and Kane didn't linger. The pipe itself narrowed the further they went, eventually leading to several branching pathways. Even fewer Pokemon stood here, conversing amongst themselves until the speeding idiots took their attention.

"Aight, we're at the hub," Sneasel announced, looking back at Zen and Kane with a grin before scanning each of the different paths like a proper lookout. "If I remember correctly, and I do, the teleporter should be–"

"Through there," Zen interrupted, pointing at a tunnel to the east. It looked the same as any other tunnel, but there were a few shady folk bringing crates into it.

Sneasel threw her head back and groaned, giving Zen a nasty glare. "The hell! I was buildin' it up n' shit!" she puffed. "All that shine n' polish on ya armuh an' ya ain't gotta sense o' flair or nuthin'?"

"Yea! Ain't no flare sense!" Krok huffed and crossed his arms, but wagged his sturdy tail and grinned. "But yea, das the one! It's like ya been here b'fore!"

"What a thought," Zen sighed, then turned to the tunnel and started towards it. "In that case, we do not need your assistance anymore, so feel free to leave."

Kane gave a wave before jogging behind Zen. "Yep! See y'all later!"

"H-Hey!" Krok exclaimed, quickly running in front of Zen and Kane to block them. "We promised we'd get ya home! Gotta make sure our new friends get there safe n' sound!"

"What he said!" Sneasel said, putting her paws on her hips and tapping a foot on Krok's head. "The hell're ya in such a rush for?"

Not wanting anything to do with this, Zen pushed past the two and kept his march to the path with the teleporter. He was close enough to see a faint, red glow inside it. It really was there, being used. Zen would've kept going, but Krok managed to get in front of him again. Zen grimaced and shoved the reptile to the side. "I do not have time for this."

"Aye, ya got time a'plenty," a gruff, rugged voice called from the tunnel before Zen. Out came a tall Magmortar, much taller than even Zen, and right behind him was an equally tall Emboar. Both of them blocked Zen's path, looking down at him with blatant distaste on their faces. Magmortar leaned down to Zen, tilting his head from side to side, then scoffed. "I'll be damned, it really is him."

Zen's eyes narrowed and a bitter scowl started to form on his face. "What are you doing here," he said sharply.

"Hah, half a decade outta the business an' he still got that air of…" Magmortar put up his arm cannons, then made a mocking, shaking motion as he said, "Authority," the word coming out as if it was made of bile. He looked back at Emboar and chuckled. "Can't say he got half the blood behind it this time though, can we?"

"Careful, ya might set 'im off," Emboar scoffed, the flames around his neck flaring for a moment as he also got close enough to get a good look at Zen. His nostrils flared as he snorted out a cloud of smoke, then his grin grew further. "...Then again, might not be a problem. Looks domesticated, don' he?"

Kane went to Zen's side and crossed his arms, uncaring of the blatantly obvious size difference between him and the others. "I thought I smelled rancid pork on the way here," he spat with a fierce glare.

Both Magmortar and Emboar gave Kane a glance, then shrugged him off and turned to Zen. "Who's the runt?" Magmortar asked.

"Nobody," Zen said, putting a gauntlet in front of Kane before he could say otherwise. "Let us pass. You do not want this."

"Oh, oh no no no, I do," Magmortar scoffed, stepping closer to Zen. "But I'm a man of flair and gravitas. If I'm gonna fight, I'm gonna make sure more th'n sewer rats get front row seats," he said, looking over the others in the hub, before his eyes fell on Krokorok and Sneasel. His expression fell as he grit his teeth. "...Why're Obstagoon's gaggle of clowns here?"

"Doin' our rounds," Sneasel said with a proud smile. "And we got these two as new recruits! That ain't somethin' ya Draco assholes can do!"

Krok beamed and nodded. "Yea it ain't!"

"Draco..?" Kane paused at that, but shook it off and glared at the two burly fire types.

Emboar groaned and crossed his arms. "We ain't lookin' for recruits, we got plenty. An' we ain't need this neither–" he gestured to Zen, snorting out black smoke, "Ain't in the habit of pickin' up garbage."

"And we are not in the mood for dealing with garbage either. So move," Zen spat, pushing past Emboar and Magmortar with… some actual effort. The fact he needed to try just a bit irked him, not that he showed it. Not to these fools.

Magmortar held up an arm in front of Zen, the air around it distorting with heat. "Seems like ya forgot, time away'll do that to a brat," he huffed. "But I ain't takin' that kinda talk from someone beneath me."

"And you seem to forget how little I care," Zen replied with a cold glare. "You can be as boastful as you wish, but we both know you have not forgotten your rightful place."

Magmortar matched Zen's glare with his own, then scoffed, lowered his arm, and turned away. "Ain't the time, ain't the place. But remember, word spreads like wildfire 'ere," he warned, nodding for Emboar to follow him. "Don't worry, we'll give ya a lil reminder. For old time's sake, boss." And without another word, the two fire types left.

Silence filled the room, until the creak of Zen's greaves broke through it. "We are leaving."

"Y'ain't even scared? Those pigs ain't just huffin' hot air," Sneasel asked, then shook her head. "An' the hell was that… thing ya did with ya voice?"

Krok pumped his fists and thumped his tail. "If ya need backup, we got plenty!"

"Worry about us at your own risk," Zen muttered, focused on the teleporter room ahead of him. He could feel it… eyes staring at the back of his head. Kane's. Zen knew why, but he didn't address it. Not yet.

…Not yet…

Most of the team was huddled up in a mess of a room. The floorboards were rotten and dusty and covered in garbage, the walls were ripped and torn, at first glance the carpets looked… for the most part, alright. They were definitely high quality, and the only place anyone really wanted to stand on. "Anyone," being Zen, Rio, and Reme. The former was filling them in on where he and Kane were.

"-And after we used the teleporter, we were struck by a fireball. Which scared those two idiots off," Zen grimaced, dusting some soot off his armor. "That I assume was your… welcoming party?"

Reme nodded, but seemed disappointed. "If that was all she was going to do, she never should have accepted my request to welcome you."

"That's… yikes," Rio muttered and winced. "That's really rough. Can't believe you guys almost got into a fight, but still ended up getting burned… Hope those other two are alright though."

"They will be fine, they're professionals, intelligence aside," Reme said. "But we are digressing. I assume you made your choice of work already?" she asked Zen. "Knowing you–"

"Heroes," Zen said, arms crossed. "We came with the Sunrise Guild, and after they," he gestured to Rio, then some vague direction in the house. They could hear Mew and Z gawking at everything through the walls, "finish their entrance tests, we will be joining the guild proper."

"You aim to work as a hero?" Reme narrowed her eyes on Zen, practically staring through him. Rio suddenly felt really out of place here. "...And to think I stopped believing in fairytales half a decade ago."

Zen grit his teeth, his eyes darting elsewhere. "Believe what you wish, but this is no fairytale, Reme."

"So you say," Reme shrugged, very obviously not buying it. A groan left the Gardevoir before she straightened herself. "That being the case, it would be my duty to guide you all through the process of attaining hero positions. You all will need to take medical and physical examinations, a battle proficiency test, and a basic knowledge examination as soon as possible." She turned to Rio, quickly looking him over. "Under normal circumstances you, being human, would be able to simply walk up to the Azure Guildmaster's office and ask for one but… I take it you are auraless?"

"Auraless..?" Rio repeated, tilting his head.

"Auraless. You have no aura, or too little to be at all usable in combat," Reme clarified. "Which is nothing to be ashamed of, but should you seek out heroics, you would need proper training."

"I-I guess," Rio tittered, scratching his cheek. He didn't know if "auraless" really fit what he was, but actually thinking about it, and the fight from earlier, he might as well have been. Which… got him thinking about how Reme fought, and a thought came to mind. "Honestly I'd… like to fight like you. The way you handled that entire group was incredible."

A slight smirk found its way onto Reme. "Is that so?" she said.

"Yeah, you didn't have to use any flashy attacks!" Rio nodded. "I can't even imagine how awesome a fight would be if you really tried. I… don't know too much about Gardevoir, or anything really, but I feel like psychic types fighting would be a spectacle."

"Even if she could, she would have no need to," Zen answered, gripping his still-crossed arms. "Reme herself is auraless, and possibly one of Azure's greatest combatants."

"R-Really?" Rio blinked, looking between Zen and Reme before his eyes fell on Zen. "How do–"

Reme clapped her hands, shaking her head, frowning. "We are digressing again," she said, then turned to Rio with a slight smile. "I can assist you in properly using your body to its fullest. I will warn you that the training will be strenuous, but being human, I doubt you lack the tenacity to pull through."

Zen scoffed quietly. "He is hardly as headstrong as y–" his voice trailed off when he noticed Reme glaring at him. The Bisharp cleared his throat and nodded.

Rio tilted his head at Zen, taking note of how weird he was acting, but knew better than to ask. "So, Reme, uh… I'm not… totally auraless. I mean, like, right now I can't really use my aura, or my powers, but…" he chuckled shyly. "That wouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Of course not," Reme answered with a shake of her head. "In my personal opinion, I would advise everyone to get "auraless" training. Knowing how to bring out your body's potential without aura would only make you stronger when you do use it." She then sighed and shrugged. "However, I understand seeing the appeal in relying solely on aura. If you have power, you use it." Her eyes went to Zen, narrowing, but she said nothing else.

Zen turned his gaze elsewhere, a faint metal groan coming from his as he gripped his arms tighter. "I assume we have little else to speak of, Reme, but I do have a request."

"Of course you do," Reme said.

Zen's metal creaked again. "It is… There is a wolf. A… I hardly recall the species, but he has crimson fur and goes by the name Lee. He is a danger to the rest of you," he said. "Should you find any sign of him, you are to inform me immediately."

There was a pause, then a scoff from Reme. "Even when you ask for help it sounds like a demand," she muttered bitterly. "I have a city to protect and a guild to manage, Zen. But if this crimson wolf is as dangerous as you say, we will find and handle him ourselves."

Zen opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. "...Hmph."

"And that is all you have to say. Because I had the gaul to expect more," Reme sucked her teeth and started walking to the exit. "I will be here at sunrise to take you all to your examinations. It will be a whole-day affair, but I doubt that will be an issue." Before she left, Reme turned back to Rio and gave him a nod. "You and I, however, will go to meet someone. It is important you start your training as soon as you can, Outlander Rio."

Rio waved to Reme as she left, but really felt like he shouldn't have been here for this. The tension was suffocating… or was that the smell of rotting wood and the stagnant air getting to him? "Ho boy…" the lucario exhaled, then turned to Zen. "You uh… You alright?"

Zen gave Rio a sideways glance, then took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. "You should find a room to stay in, Outlander. Make it suitable to spend the night in," he said before turning to the exit himself. "I will buy the bare essentials for all of you. Cots and blankets, or perhaps just one or the other."

"I mean, ok, but…" Rio watched Zen go, his ears flicking as he sighed. "Alright, yeah. See ya later, Zen."

'Really feel for the guy.'

"Yeah…" Rio muttered, then his eyes immediately lit up. 'O-ORION?!' he loudly exclaimed, luckily only in his head.

'Ow. Yes. Ow,' Orion answered. 'Why?'

'You've been quiet all DAY–'

'Please stop shouting.'

'-And now you're just back?! No hi, no telling me what happened, just… Just!'

'I know, I know, I just…' There was a long pause, but just as Rio was about to mentally yell again, Orion spoke up. 'Figuring out all this body stuff from the inside is hard work. Buuuuuut I think I got a lead on how to fix you up good.'

Rio chuckled, relieved. 'Well that's good. Hurry up and do it, or is this some sorta… 'I need to do something' sort of lead?'

'Eh, hard to say, but we'll see once you go to bed. Make sure to find something comfortable to sleep on, going to bed with a stiff neck leads to nightmares.'

'...Really?'

'Do you want to find out?'

'Point taken,' Rio snickered. 'But, like, seriously. Speak to me more. I'm already spoiled with a voice in my head, having peace of mind will make me worried.'

There was another pause, and just before Rio thought it was suspicious, he heard an inner scoff from Orion. 'Alright, alright. But you better not bitch about me talking too much.'

'I withhold my right to bitch whenever I want,' Rio snorted, then spun on his heel to leave the room. 'But for now, let's go find a room. This place is massive… wonder what the master bedroom's like…'

As Zen made it to the front yard, Kane, who was leaning on the outside of the doorframe, waiting, walked beside him. "You gonna explain yet?"

"In due time," Zen replied.

"I'm not gonna settle for that answer for very long, Zen," Kane spat, grimacing. "Not very damn long at all."

Zen let out a slow exhale, but kept his eyes forward, kept walking. "I understand your anger–"

"No you don't. Don't even start with that shit," Kane scoffed. "You understand my anger? That my own best friend didn't have the balls to tell me he owns my home? That I had to hear this from some lil miss goody two-shoes police girl, not from him?"

"Yes, I understand," Zen said coldly. "And there will be time to discuss this. Later."

Kane grabbed Zen by the shoulder and turned him around, a furious glare fixed on the Bisharp. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that. Promise me that."

Zen crossed his arms, meeting Kane's eyes. For a moment, a split second, he hesitated. "...I promise, we will talk about this later tonight."

"And no pussyfootin' around it?"

"None whatsoever."

Kane stared back at Zen for a long, long while, frowning, growling… But eventually huffed and let go of the Bisharp. "I'm holdin' you to that."

"I am aware," Zen nodded. "Once I get back from shopping for essentials. You… You deserve the truth."

Kane blinked, frowning still. "...Yeah. Yeah I do," he said, then shook his head and crossed his arms. "Hurry up then. Pick up some pillows, metalhead. Snacks too."

Zen gave another nod, then went on about his business. Kane watched him for a few seconds before turning back to the old house, just barely catching a few spying eyes. The Scrafty grit his teeth and shook his fist. "HEY! Ain't none of y'all heard about privacy!?"

"It ain't privacy if ya standin' out in the yard, dumbass!" Minerva called from inside.

"IT IS 'TILL SOME NOSY ASSHOLES START STARIN'!" Kane barked back.

"Minerva! He probably didn't even know we were here!" Z snickered.

"If I'm quiet, he won't know I was," Mew cooed. "I'm a super-stealth master!"

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE!" Kane gave a tired sigh and started marching back inside. "Just hurry up an'... I don't care! Quit bein' nosy!"