Chapter Two:
Seeing Stars
"Be wisely worldly, be not worldly wise," Francis Quarles
Kachi hummed a jaunty tune as he led Bolt and Keski through the dimming streets of Seaside Crest. The sun had almost set and a few Pokémon scurried around lighting the streetlamps, preparing for the dark night to come. Bolt, however, was more interested in the tune Kachi was producing.
"Is that 'The Ballad of the Lonely Lotad'?" he asked.
Kachi, taken off-guard, was slow to reply. "Um, yeah. You know it?"
Bolt nodded, grinning. "Yep! It's always a crowd favorite!"
"Crowd favorite?" Kachi repeated questioningly.
"Bolt sings songs and tells stories to entertain everyone back home," Keski interjected, "It's been useful so far at the few inns we stopped at. Discounted lodging and all that."
Kachi chuckled. "I see. Well then, if you're any good, you can use that to pay off the fine." Bolt and Keski sighed morosely. "Don't worry too much. It's not a large one. More of an inconvenience to most people."
"We're not 'most people'," Keski replied, "We are almost out of money. I believe we have…" He reached into his pack and pulled out a nearly empty leather purse. He gave it an experimental shake. "Three coins left!"
"Um, wow…" Kachi rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little awkward. He was a kind Pokémon at heart and felt obligated to help, but he didn't want to do too much or else risk violating one of Mayor Jasper's many restrictions. "Well…I could…find stuff for you to do…if you wanted. Help you out a little. I can't do much, since I am a police officer. But I could try and find odd-jobs around town for you two. Sound good?" Their response was as good as he could have hoped for. They weren't enthusiastic, but they were grateful nonetheless. Kachi gave them a friendly smile. "Good! And look, the guild is right at the end of this street."
Keski and Bolt's eyes followed where his paw was pointing. There, situated between a small warehouse and the palisade wall that surrounded the town, was a ramshackle three-story structure cobbled together from an impossible variety of materials. Painted with vibrant colors, the walls and shutters made of various woods rose above the town with energetic dominance. The door, however, was framed in reinforced stone and banded in iron, reinforcing it against all hostile intentions. The wood-shingled roof had several patched portions, giving evidence of fires and heavy impacts that had torn holes through it in the past. If the walls could talk, they would certainly have many spell-binding stories to tell.
"Looks…interesting," Keski said doubtfully.
"I like it!" Bolt declared, "Let's go!" He was about to take off at full speed, but Keski just managed to snag the scruff of his neck and yank him to a halt. "Ow! Hey!"
"I am not letting you run off again!" Keski growled.
"Probably a wise idea…" Kachi said with a chuckle, "Why don't I lead the way?"
"Please," Keski said with a nod.
Upon approaching the guild, the three's ears began picking up what sounded like several voices shouting and various objects being thrown about coming from inside. Kachi ignored it, but Keski regarded the building with suspicion. The pikachu knocked on the front door, but a loud crash masked it. Bolt jumped back from the door in alarm, fur on end, and Keski growled. Their escort glanced back at them.
"Oh, don't worry!" Kachi assured them, "They do this all the time."
"And how," Keski said sarcastically, "Is that not supposed to make me worry?" Kachi thought about it for a second, gave him a sheepish grin, and knocked on the door again. This time, someone answered. The door was pulled back violently, revealing a very annoyed gardevoir standing behind it, the sounds of a loud argument washing out from behind her.
"What?" she demanded harshly. Then, she saw who had knocked and her expression became much friendlier. "Oh, it's you Kachi. Forgive me. Team Firestrike and Snowpaw have been at it all day and my patience has reached its limits."
Kachi grinned. "What? You out of patience? Say it isn't so!"
She glared daggers at him. "Police or no, one more remark like that and you'll find yourself washed up in the gutter. Do I make myself clear?" Kachi rolled his eyes and nodded. Then, abruptly, they both laughed. "Oh dear," the gardevoir said, suppressing a giggle, "I'm beginning to sound like my mother."
Kachi shrugged nonchalantly. "It's your position as administrator. You used to be so much fun, but then you got promoted and now you're all responsible."
"Well you and Pyre became 'responsible' too, might I mention?" she countered, "How is he doing? I haven't seen much of either of you lately."
Kachi's expression turned to one of annoyance. "Sorry about that, Emerald. Mostly, we're stuck in the station making our own red tape. If it weren't for the occasional cooperative mission with you all, I think we'd fossilize in that room. Pyre complains a lot. He's not cut out for that sort of work. I think he's regretting not having joined the guild instead. As he puts it, 'females are so much more interested in a dashing adventurer than an officer who's grown soft from sitting behind a desk all day'."
Another loud crash came from inside. Emerald turned her head to look back over her shoulder. "I'd better put a stop to that before they break something important…Master Majyk wouldn't be pleased if they did destroy some fragile relic while he is away," she said, "But anyway, what brings you here? Is it a job request? Guildmaster Majyk and I would just love a long assignment to send these six on. Get them out of here for a bit."
Kachi sheepishly scratched one of his ears. "Well, it is a job request, but not one that requires leaving the guild… Here, it's best if you just read it for yourself." He held out the paper he'd been carrying to her and it floated up to her hand. Bolt blinked in surprise, but didn't comment.
"Alright…" Emerald said slowly, reading over the paper, "So you want us to catch the two Pokémon standing right behind you and hold them until you can come pick them up? Their threat level is listed as 'not abnormally dangerous' and the handwriting is particularly bad, so Pyre must have wrote this. What exactly is their crime?"
"We jumped over the South Gate instead of going around and getting the proper identification, ma'am," Keski answered politely.
"Oh, well then," Emerald said, turning, "We'd be glad to play warden until things get ironed out for you. Come right on in, I'll make you some tea. After I deal with the six rabble-rousers in here. You're welcome to come in, too, Kachi, if you want."
Kachi shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. Meadow is already probably worried and I don't want her coming out to look for me."
Emerald nodded. "Well alright then. Some other time. Just make sure it's sometime soon!" Kachi grinned and saluted, turning and heading back down the street. Emerald ushered Bolt and Keski inside, bringing them into a small entry-hall with a few chairs along one wall and a great big mural of the night sky on the other. The caption above it read 'Welcome to the Starchaser Guild'.
Bolt was fascinated by it. Red stars, blue stars, bands of stars, constellations, even the moon was portrayed in vivid detail. There were a few peeling sections around the edges, but if you didn't look directly at them they didn't seem worth any attention. But in the very center, set apart from all the others, was a pure white star. The entire mural seemed to spin slightly as he stared at it, rotating around that one point. He blinked and the illusion was gone. Emerald and Keski had gone ahead a bit. Startled, he ran to catch up, heading toward the source of the racket.
"Blitz! Cyon!" Emerald shouted, striding into the next room, "What do you and your teammates think you're doing?!"
"Stay out of this, Emerald," a deep voice growled, "We're settling this rivalry right here right now!"
"It doesn't matter who wins this fight because we will always be better at everything else," a male, but much higher pitched, voice shot back, "I'd like to see you plan the Harvest Festival!"
"Yeah!" a female voice agreed, "You're just a big muscle-head, Blitz! We have style!"
"Shut up!" another female voice snapped at the first, "You don't know the first thing about him! All you Snowpaws do is primp and pretty yourselves! We do the real work and that is why we will reach Master Rank first!"
Emerald took a deep breath. "WILL YOU ALL BE QUIET?!" There was instant silence. "Thank you," she said acidly. Bolt and Keski peered into the room from behind her and gaped.
What they saw was a room that normally functioned as a mess hall. Currently, it was just a mess. Wooden plates and bowls were scattered around the room, a few chairs were broken into splinters, and the soup that had once been in a pot lay pooling on the floor. Two long tables ran across the room and behind them was a long counter with a kitchen behind it and stools in front of it, vaguely reminiscent of a bar in an inn, that could function either as a buffet or a cooking space depending on the time of day. All three surfaces were in disarray, the implements that usually rested on them scattered across the floor. Also, melting ice hung from random places around the room, including the now-extinguished chandelier, and several things were on fire.
Six Pokémon were in the room already, three ice-types and three fire-types. In the latter category, there were a burly arcanine with wild, haphazard fur standing by the spacious fire-place, a monferno hanging from one of the rafters, and a female flareon standing on top of the counter in a wide, combat-ready stance. The other three were a trio of glaceons, two females and one male, standing in the middle of the room on what could only be described as an ice fortress, which was partially melted. Most likely, this was a work of the three fire-types in the room.
Keski pointed to a tablecloth that was already halfway burnt. "Um…I don't meant to seem rude, but does anyone care that THE ROOM IS ON FIRE?!"
Emerald glared at the six combatants. "Well?"
The male glaceon smiled winningly. "Yes, Emerald?"
Emerald looked directly at him and, in a tone that brooked no argument, said, "Put out the fire, Cyon. Now."
"Ah…yes! Immediately! Sorry!" the glaceon stammered. He nodded to the two females beside him and they simultaneously released a chilling wave of frost that blew out the fires and caused Bolt and Keski to shiver. Emerald's eyes glowed slightly and the frost parted around her, forming an oddly shaped bubble that shielded her. Soon, the frigid wind ceased.
"Thank you," Emerald said tersely. Under her breath, she muttered, "I leave them alone for one minute and they almost burn the place down…" The three ice-types exchanged glances nervously, but she wasn't interested in them anymore. "So Blitz," she said, addressing the arcanine, "care to explain exactly why this place was on fire? Why you were using fire attacks at all in a wood building?"
The arcanine growled. "None of your business!"
"It is my business!" Emerald snapped, "I'm the guild's chief administrator! Things which threaten the guild, like, oh I don't know, fire in the guildhall, are definitely my business!" She huffed and took a step back to massage her temples. "You know what? You all have been at it all day. I should have expected you'd get into a fight. I'll let Majyk deal with you all when he gets back with the others." She paused. "Oh, and I should probably introduce you to our new guests. They'll be staying with us until the police can sort out what to do with them. They're paying us to keep them too, which is a bonus." She turned to them. "I don't believe Kachi told me your names…"
"He didn't," Keski answered, "This is Bolt. He and the word 'trouble' are inseparable. My name is Keski. I'm his friend and his father asked me to come along on this little trip to protect him, which means it is my thankless task to try and keep him out of trouble."
Bolt's smirked. "And it's my job to make him lighten up a bit!"
"Excuse me?" Keski protested indignantly. Bolt giggled.
One by one, the three glaceons descended to earth and approached the two, adopting graceful airs. "Hello," Cyon said, making an elegant bow, "I am Cyon and I bid you welcome."
"My name is Yuki," the female to his left said with a confident smirk.
"And I'm Cia," the third added, a genuine, friendly smile on her lips.
"And we're the sensational, celestial siblings of Team Snowpaw!" they said in perfect unison, "The most beautiful team in the Starchaser Guild!"
"And don't you forget it!" Yuki said.
"Nice to meet you!" Bolt said, nodding.
"Did you by any chance rehearse that beforehand?" Keski asked casually.
"Yes!" the three answered in unison with matching grins.
Keski chuckled. "Thought so."
Yuki leaned forward toward Bolt. "Quite the necklace you have there."
"It's beautiful!" Cia added.
Bolt grinned happily, proudly displaying it. "Thanks! It was a gift from my father."
The flareon huffed and strode forward, headed for Keski so as not to come close to Team Snowpaw. "Hello," she said, "My name is Corona. The prankster hanging from the ceiling is Rafasa." The monferno grinned cheekily and waved.
Keski nodded. "Good to know. Thanks."
Corona smiled and glanced over her shoulder at the arcanine. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I'll introduce myself. Name's Blitz, you two. I'm the leader of these three. We're Team Firestrike."
"You don't seem very friendly…" Bolt observed disapprovingly. Keski gave him a sharp, warning glance, but it was ignored.
Blitz smirked. "You want friendly? Talk to my teammates. I'm a fighter, born and raised. You got someone who needs a bashing, you come to me. I stick to what I know."
"Which does not include personal hygiene…" Cyon muttered under his breath.
"Ya say something, pretty boy?" Blitz growled.
"Me? No, never!" Cyon replied with a mock-injured tone, "I'm surprised you'd accuse me of such a dreadful thing!"
Blitz snarled. "Come here, you!" He crouched to leap, but Emerald stepped forward, eyes glowing, and raised a hand. He ran snout-first right into an invisible wall, not doing much damage but stunning him.
"That's enough!" Emerald snapped, "There will be no more fighting tonight. I suggest you all clean up this mess and go to bed." Her eyes glowed a shade brighter. "Or do I need to demonstrate the power of a Pokémon that has already reached Master Rank?"
"No ma'am!" Team Snowpaw chorused, immediately beginning work on the mess around them. Team Firestrike exchanged glances, sighed, and joined in.
Emerald nodded in approval and returned her attention to Bolt and Keski. "Now, as for you two, we will just have to put you in the prisoner's quarters. Sorry, but we are supposed to be watching you and it's the only bedroom with a lock on the outside of the door." Neither Keski or Bolt looked pleased. The lucario crossed his arms and frowned.
"And will you be using that lock?" he growled.
"Not unless it becomes necessary," Emerald replied, "The way we do things around here when we are charged with keeping track of Pokémon is implant a small psychic signature that either I or the Guildmaster can detect. So in other words, if you try to escape, we'll know about it. And from the looks of things around here, Team Firestrike would enjoy the chance to set things on fire without any repercussions. Are we clear?"
"We won't escape," Keski assured her.
She smiled. "Good! From what Kachi said, I figured that would be the case. If it turns out we can trust you, we'll even let you explore the town a bit. Under supervision of course." She placed a palm to each of their foreheads. "Now hold still. I'm going to implant the psychic trackers now."
"Will this hurt?" Bolt asked, "It's going to hurt, isn't it?"
"No, it won't," Emerald replied.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"You're positive?"
"Yes!"
Bolt looked at her suspiciously. "You're just saying that to make me relax, right? That's what the healers say when they need to remove a splinter, but it always hurts! It…" Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his head and reeled back. "AAHH! IT HURTS! I TOLD YOU IT WOULD!"
"Done!" Emerald said cheerfully. Keski looked between her and Bolt questioningly.
"I didn't feel anything…" he muttered.
"Oh? How strange…" Emerald said innocently, "Anyway, once your friend gets up, I'll show you to your room."
Keski sighed and helped Bolt rise. "Come on, Bolt, let's go…"
"Okay…" he replied, rubbing his head.
Emerald led them past the six Pokémon busy cleaning up and down a flight of stairs into a lower, basement level. It wasn't anything particularly special. One hallway ran down the length of it, branching off into two other, smaller hallways. Bedrooms and storage were on either side with the occupants names carved across the top. At the near end of the hall on the left was one labeled 'Team Snowpaw' and on the right was 'Team Firestrike' with the respective members listed below the signs. Further down was another door labeled 'Team Tremor'. Past that were doors that led to smaller rooms, each with only one Pokémon's name above it. 'Shadow', 'Emerald', 'Slicer', and 'Mendigo' were the names above those doors.
"So these are all the members of the guild?" Keski asked, trying to guess what sort of Pokémon held each of the new names.
"Yes, the active members that is," Emerald replied, leading them toward the end of the hall, "On these side halls we have Skipper's room, he's our cook, and the infirmary, where our two healers live. Cotton is currently out gathering berries and supplies for medicine, but Medi is…"
The door directly to their left as she said this opened and a weavile with recently toweled fur stepped out of a room labeled 'Bath'. She stopped abruptly when she saw the three already in the hall, eyes scanning over Keski and Bolt, sizing them up. Almost instantly, she relaxed again. "Oh hello, Emerald," she said, stretching her body and receiving a rewarding 'pop' from her spine, "Who are these two?"
Emerald nodded a greeting. "Hello Medi. These are just two Pokémon that Chief Pyre is paying us to keep an eye on until they sort a few things out. Bolt, Keski, as I was saying, Cotton is gone, but Medi is still here." The two greeted her politely.
The weavile smirked and winked at them. "Hey there, you two. I'm the town surgeon. Appropriate job, don't you think?" She brandished her two sets of claws with a smug smile. "I could even get through your skin, lucario, if something needed to be cut out. Or if you didn't pay me for my services." Keski took a nervous step back and Medi laughed. "I'm just playing with you. I work for free, since everything I need is taken care of by the guild."
"Oookay…" Keski responded, stepping around her, "It's, uh, nice to meet you, Medi, but we really should be..."
"What's it like being a surgeon?" Bolt asked her curiously. Keski muttered a mild curse under his breath.
Medi shrugged. "Very delicate, tedious work. That is, until you cut someone open and it's all paws on deck to keep them alive until you can sew 'em up again. So…tedious studying followed by nerve-wracking challenges. Make sense?"
"Yep!" Bolt replied cheerfully.
"Hmm, yes, that's very nice," Emerald interjected, "But I've got to get these two settled now. After that, I'm making some more tea, if you want any."
Medi waved the question aside. "No thanks. I think I'm done with today. Going to bed." She yawned and stretched again as she passed Bolt and Keski. They watched as she walked with a swaying motion to the Infirmary, turning to wave and smirk at them once more before disappearing.
"Well she seems nice!" Bolt declared.
"Just a little too nice…" Keski muttered under his breath.
"She's been a great help to this town," Emerald said, a note of apology in her tone, "She's saved several lives while she's been here, so we forgive her a bit of…oddness."
"I see…" Keski said doubtfully. There was a stretch of silence.
"Yes, well," Emerald said awkwardly, "Let's get you to your room…at last."
Down at the very end of the hall was a reinforced iron door with several bars and bolts securing it. Emerald quickly undid them all and held the door open for the pair of travelers. They stepped inside a comfortable but not extravagant room. There were four beds, all bolted to the floor, with as many storage chests and chairs, also permanently fixed to the ground. Bolt hesitantly clambered on top of one and flopped down on it.
"Hmm, well, it's not as comfortable as my bed at home…but…" Suddenly, he burrowed under the blanket, wrapping it around himself, and snuggled into the straw-stuffed mattress. "It's still nice and warm!"
"This will…work…" Keski said doubtfully, sitting on the edge of the second bed. "Is anyone else staying here?" He indicated the two empty ones.
"No, just you two for now," Emerald replied, "So, you can set that backpack down, if you want. The baths are currently available, though I expect the Guildmaster, Skipper, and Team Tremor back shortly with our two trainees, so they may open not be for long. I'll be upstairs making sure the others keep working. Also, watch out for Mendigo. He likes to hide behind dark corners and scare people."
"Thank you," Keski replied, leaning back on the bed and sighing, letting all the tension and stress of the day flow out of him into the mattress. Soft snores rose from under the blanket where Bolt was curled up. Keski glanced over and smiled softly. "Well, he's out like a light…I'll be up in a bit, I guess. I just need a minute alone."
Emerald nodded and gave him a kind smile. "Of course! If you decide to take a bath, we have a small reservoir of water that you can draw from. It refills itself, so don't worry about that. If you want hot water, just stoke the fire and put it in a cauldron, let it sit for a few minutes, then pour it in the tub."
"Alright," Keski said with a grateful smile, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Emerald replied, stepping out and heading back upstairs. Keski rolled onto his side and stared at the wall for a few minutes, just thinking about everything that had happened, processing it. He wasn't trying to accomplish any particular purpose, just going over the events in order to gain the proper perspective on them. In short, he was meditating. He came out of it feeling pretty good about the situation. They'd hit a snag in their journey, sure, but they were warm, safe, and Emerald had mentioned something about food…
"Bath first, before everyone else arrives," he said to himself. He rose, but his stomach growled loudly. "Well…maybe…maybe the bath can wait…"
He thought about it, pacing back and forth. The baths were probably all in the same room, which meant that if he wanted the place to himself he'd have to wait until much later when everyone had gone to bed. On the other hand, his stomach was very upset at him for ignoring it for so long. In the end, hunger won out over hygiene.
"Besides," he said, "I can probably just slip in sometime when everyone's occupied elsewhere anyways." Satisfied, he decided to venture upstairs and see if he could find some food for himself and Bolt. The jolteon was already fast asleep, but he would be very hungry when he woke up.
He paused a moment by Bolt's bed, listening to him snore quietly. The lucario smiled softly and patted the jolteon's shoulders. "Sleep well," he said, "At least like this you can't get in trouble."
When he did make it upstairs, he found a remarkably cleaner room than when he had first visited. Emerald was seated by the fire, drinking tea from a pewter mug. In one corner, Team Snowpaw sat talking in hushed voices, giggling about something as they groomed each other. Their ice-coated paws ran through each other's fur like combs, making all their coats sheen and sparkle. Keski watched them for a moment in slight amusement. They weren't a bad bunch. A bit silly, but quite polite. His thoughts were interrupted by the rumbling of his stomach. He winced and began searching for food.
The door behind the counter looked promising. Maybe it was a sort of pantry. He walked over and reached for the handle, about to enter, when Emerald's voice called out. "Don't," she ordered, "Skipper doesn't like anyone entering his kingdom, I mean, pantry without his permission. If you're hungry, we have food stored under the counter."
"Thanks!" Keski called back.
"Don't mention it," she answered, taking a sip of tea.
Keski stuck his nose under the counter, searching for the promised meal. There was an Oran Berry pie already half-eaten sitting right in front of him, which he snagged, as well as a few biscuits, which he also grabbed. Setting his haul on the counter, he grabbed a platter from the cupboard to transport it down to his quarters when a heavy knock came at the front door.
"Open up! I'm starved!" a deep voice called.
"Well! Looks like they're back!" Emerald said with a smile, "Yuki, would you get the door for them please?"
"Yes ma'am!" the glaceon responded enthusiastically. She bounded over and disappeared into the entry hall. Keski heard the front door open and the sounds of many footsteps approaching. He paused what he was doing, curious as to exactly who would appear. Suddenly, a flygon burst into the room, a huge grin on its green face.
"Ah, it's good to be home!" he said, "Now, where is the food? I'm hungry and I want to grab some before the walking stomach get it all."
"Excuse me?" said a large snorlax as he entered with great, lumbering strides, "I'm not a walking stomach!"
The flygon raised what passed for an eyebrow. "Oh no?"
"I can talk too!" the snorlax said with a pleased grin. They both burst out laughing.
"Well, we should have enough food for all of you," Emerald replied, "So take whatever you want. Just make sure that everyone else gets some before you take it all."
They both grinned and hurried over to the counter, barely stopping to introduce themselves to Keski before plundering the food supplies. As it turned out, they were both members of Team Tremor. The snorlax's name, or nickname, really, was Stuffy and the flygon was called Sunsoarer. They had both run ahead of the others in order to get to the food first.
Shortly thereafter, the others arrived. A female sandslash named Naila strode in and immediately ran over to secure some dinner for herself, muttering about being on a team with two numbskulls who only thought of their stomachs right before she began shoveling food into her mouth just as fast as they did. Next came Skipper, the cook, who turned out to be a floatzel with a mariner's accent. He was quite pleased to see his edible creations being so enthusiastically enjoyed by Team Tremor and introduced himself to Keski with a hearty pawshake and a slap on the back.
Keski subtly read their auras, trying to get a handle on how powerful they were. As expected from Pokémon whose lives were devoted to fighting, they were quite strong and gave off a sense of confidence in themselves and their abilities. But also, there was an unmistakable sense that they were satisfied with life, even the rough and tumble portions of it. He quickly scanned the others and found the same thing. He found this oddly comforting and he began to lower his guard, satisfied that the guild did not pose any immediate danger.
A few seconds after Team Tremor and Skipper had settled in, the door opened once again and three Pokémon entered the guild. One, the first one Keski noticed because of the unmistakable aura of power practically radiating from him, was an elderly alakazam who floated into the room, suspended in the air by his own power. His fur showed signs of greying, especially his mustache, but his eyes had a piercing light to them that warned of a powerful threat if you chose to provoke him.
Emerald rose to greet him with a welcoming smile. "Master Majyk! How was the training session? Did our new recruits meet your expectations?"
"It went well and yes they did," he replied, patting the two exhausted Pokémon with him on the head, "These two worked hard. I'm quite pleased with them."
Keski blinked when he finally managed to pull his attention away from the alakazam and looked at the other two Pokémon. One was a zigzagoon, which was living up to its species' name and failing to walk in a straight line. Keski assumed that this was not so much from genetics as it was from fatigue. The other Pokémon though…
"What is a riolu doing this far south?" he asked no one in particular. Unfortunately, it was loud enough for the Pokémon in question to hear. His gaze snapped up and he nearly stumbled, either from tiredness or surprise, when he saw Keski.
He pointed right at the lucario, open-mouthed. "Where'd you come from?" he demanded before turning to the guildmaster behind him. "What's he doing here? I thought I was the only one of my kind in the area!"
Master Majyk raised an eyebrow, amused. "How am I supposed to know that? I have been here no longer than you have Ryke."
"Can it wait until morning?" the zigzagoon asked, almost falling asleep on her feet, "I'm wiped out…"
"Yes, you have worked rather hard today, haven't you?" Master Majyk said with a chuckle, "Go on to bed then, if you really can't stay awake. Though I was planning on asking Skipper to make something special for you two."
"On second thought, I'll just lie down by the fire until its ready…" she replied, beginning her stumbling, meandering way over there.
"What is it?" Ryke demanded eagerly.
"And here I thought you wanted to know what our friend is doing here?" Majyk replied, indicating Keski. Emerald approached him, handing him the paper containing Pyre's job request. "Oh, I see…so that's the reason." He glanced up at Keski. "Welcome then, for however long you end up staying."
Keski bowed politely. "Thanks. I just wish it was under better circumstances…"
Ryke huffed and crossed his arms. "What circumstances? Tell me!" Emerald and Majyk gave him reproving looks. "Please?"
After the situation was explained to him and the other newcomers, who were too busy eating to show much interest, Ryke approached him curiously. "So, you're a criminal then? How'd you get black fur?"
Keski glared. "I'm not a criminal and that's none of your business."
"I want black fur though!" Ryke responded, "You look awesome!"
"Well…" Keski said, a bit off-guard from, "Um, thanks?"
"You're welcome!" Ryke grinned, walking all the way around Keski, examining him. The black lucario shifted awkwardly under his gaze, not used to this sort of attention. He looked pleadingly at Emerald, who wasn't paying attention to them anymore but was discussing some business with Majyk. He glanced back down at Ryke and cleared his throat.
"So…how'd you get here?" he asked, wincing at the awkwardness of that statement. Ryke, however, didn't mind.
"I'm an orphan!" he replied with way too much enthusiasm, "Never knew my parents, was raised by the guild, and now I'm training to become the strongest explorer ever!" He struck a dramatic pose, fist raised into the air. "With my partner's help of course…"
"The, uh, zigzagoon?" Keski guessed.
"Yep! We're Team Tails!" Ryke declared proudly, "Because we both have such large tails. See?" He displayed his proudly.
Keski rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. I was a riolu once too."
"Oh, right, duh!" Ryke smacked himself on the forehead. "Did you have black fur then?"
"No…"
"Oh, so your fur turned black when you evolved?" Ryke grinned. "Cool! Can you show me how to do that?"
"No," Keski said flatly, turning. He decided it was time to leave and go back to the room he and Bolt shared before the jolteon woke up and realized he was hungry.
"Aw come on!" Ryke pled, tugging on his tail. Keski yanked it out of his paws and curled it up against his back.
"Then answer is still no," he answered.
"Oi!" Skipper called, glaring at Stuffy from behind the counter, "Where'd all me Oran Raisins go, eh?"
The snorlax blinked, looking up from his meal. "I didn't touch them…" he said doubtfully, reaching for a loaf of bread.
"No ye don't, ye glutton!" Skipper fired a short spurt of water at his paw, but the snorlax pulled it back sharply and the water struck Keski in the shoulder instead, causing him to yelp in surprise. He looked up with wide eyes, suddenly afraid for seemingly no reason. Skipper was instantly apologetic. "Ah, sorry…I missed me target…"
"Oh, it's fine!" Keski said a bit too earnestly, covering the struck area with both his paws, "I'll just go to bed now! See you all later! Bye!" He grabbed the tray of food he had gathered and edged sideways toward the stairs to the basement, keeping his side turned away from them. The entire room's-worth of Pokémon watched him in confusion, amusement, and a bit of worry as he disappeared down the stairs, slamming the door behind him. The sound of his running footsteps quickly receded downwards until it could no longer be heard.
"Well that was weird…" Ryke said, voicing the common opinion.
"Hmm…" Emerald frowned at the water on the floor, "Well this is odd."
"What is?" Skipper asked.
"Well, this water…it almost looks like it's been mixed with ink..."
Meanwhile, Keski made it to his room and slammed the door, leaning against it as he regained his breath. Eventually, he calmed down enough and heaved a sigh of relief. "That was close…" He craned his head to examine his shoulder. To his dismay, it was no longer quite black. Gold had begun to peek through, though it was still quite dull.
"I need to get a better dye…one that water won't wash out…" Keski muttered, going over to his pack and pulling out a bottle. He poured a bit of the black liquid inside it on his shoulder, rubbing it in to restore the black color. He stared at the spot for a long while, wrapped up in his own thoughts. After a while, he shook his head and sighed. After a moment's thought, he went to lie down.
"And so ends a very full day…" he muttered.
Many miles away, south along the coast, lay the city of Triton, the capitol of the Seafoam Empire. It was a glorious city carved into the natural rock along the seaside with such skill that it appeared to be built solely out of giant shells stuck in the sand that soared up into the air. The walls surrounding the city alone were a sight that stunned many visitors, much less the parks, pools, and palaces that filled the interior. The emperor's city, it was called, and well it deserved the name.
In the very center of the city, far from the squalid slums that were piled high down by the docks, was what many called the most magnificent structure erected by mere mortals. A pale-white palace that was exactly the color of the shells that washed up on the beach. Built to replicate the helical structure of an omanyte, it towered above the city, a firm reminder to all the citizens of imperial majesty and power.
In that palace, in what was considered a small office but easily dwarfed the mess hall of the Starchaser Guild, sat a sableye reading over various reports from around the empire. Most would assume, given that this was the center of the government bureaucracy, that he was going over taxes, ensuring that everyone had paid what their rulers considered a fair amount. This was not the case. In reality, the papers that surrounded him were filled with stories and fact-checks on Pokémon who were said to have extraordinary power. Most were rumor or exaggeration, but a select few he carefully inserted into a small box beside him with almost reverent care.
"Let's see here…" he muttered, "been over the borderlands, the registered merchants, the unregistered merchants, and the military. A few possibilities, but nothing special. Heh. This is turning out to be more difficult than I thought." He leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on his desk, hands behind his head, and sighed. "I'd expect a Sealbearer to stand out a bit. Eh, who am I kidding? They're probably all very good at hiding it. Maybe I picked the wrong empire to come to. Maybe there aren't any here at all. If that's the case, I'm wasting my time. I hate wasting time. And money." A glint entered his eyes. "Especially money."
A knock came at his door. "Enter!" he called, expecting a servant to come with the wine he had ordered earlier. Only the best of course. Instead, the emolga who was his personal assistant entered and bowed. "Yes? What is it?"
"Lord Sable," she said, "We've found something. One of the guilds…"
"Yes, yes, the heroes of time," Sable interrupted, waving it away, "I know all about them. They're not the ones I'm looking for. They're too young."
"No sir," the emolga said, "Not them. I took the liberty of checking up on the leaders and top staff of all the guilds." She snapped her fingers and a few low-ranking servants wheeled in trolleys filled with stacks of paper. "As you can see, it's quite a list."
"Yeah, I have eyes," Sable said casually, "And? What did you find?"
"Well, several potential targets, sir," the emolga replied, picking up a stack and carrying it over to his desk, "An aggron who leads the Ironhand Guild. He must be almost a century by now."
"Nope. Still too young."
The emolga huffed. "Then, if you wouldn't mind telling me, exactly how old of Pokémon am I supposed to be looking for?! It would really narrow down the results."
Sable leaned back in his chair, eyes searching the ceiling as if he could find the answer there. "Oh…I don't know. I'd say at least…over two-hundred. That's the last time we know the seals were passed on."
His assistant blinked and a smile crossed her face. "Well then! That's better! Let's see…" She pulled a file out from the middle of the stack. "Here we are! Master Majyk of the Starchaser Guild! He's our target!"
Sable wagged a claw at her. "Don't be so hasty. There are a lot of powerful Pokémon who aren't one of the seven who I'm looking for." He flipped open the first page and glanced over the file. "Huh. Interesting." He leaned forward, a grin slowly spreading over his face. "Very interesting…"
The emolga crossed her arms proudly. "So! Is he the one you want?"
"Eh, might be. Guildmasters are powerful Pokémon regardless. Kinda comes with the territory, you know?" Sable said non-committedly, "But he's the only lead we've got so far." With a burst of energy, the sableye burst out from behind his desk and strode for the door. "Getting tired of this place anyway."
His assistant took to the air and flew around him excitedly. "So, we're going?" she asked breathlessly, "You mean I found one?!"
"You found someone of interest, that's for sure," Sable replied, "but yep, pack things up here, doll. We're going to Seaside Crest!" He paused and then added somewhat mareepishly. "Just as soon as we can figure out where it is on the map…"
AN: Thoughts? Questions? Predictions? Leave it down below!
