Lily's eyelids were still open, albeit a little droopily, to witness the first glow of the morning sun seep into the sky. From the narrow foyer of the Bayleef's den, she watched as the hoard of ghosts shriveled and dissipated into nothingness, retreating back into some alternate dimension until the night would come again.
Though she had blinked out of consciousness a few moments now and then, she'd stayed up all night wondering about this unexpected army of ghost Pokémon. To be honest, they disturbed her to the core, almost dashing her hopes that Ambera would be a good place to live. But, after thinking about it a little bit, she determined that it really wasn't all that bad. For one thing, Chikorita were weakest during the night without the sunlight to feed them strength, so she figured that exploring after dusk was a loss not to be mourned. For another, she always found it hard to force herself to sleep on time, often sleeping in until midday… but no longer. Ambera would help to discipline her into a strong and healthy Chikorita, so she could take on the most challenging difficulties. In the end, she found herself welcoming the presence of the ghosts—they meant that her new home was full of mystery and danger, just as she hoped it would be.
She wanted that conviction to stay with her for as long as possible.
But as the sun slowly crept up into the sky, Ambera once more became something beautiful. Without the twisted ghosts defiling the countryside, the view was a gorgeous depiction of an endless, boundless wilderness filled with life. Some birds called to one another, their screeching cries so loud they echoed all the way from the forest she had passed through on the road to Regigas Mounds. Some Pokémon scampered across the grass chasing one another or searching underfoot for tiny things to eat. It made her smile.
At last, she closed her eyes and drifted contently into her dreams.
---
Several hours later, a voice called her back to consciousness.
"Aww, poor thing," the Bayleef's voice sang. "You spent all night there… Sleep well, at least?"
"Mostly, yeah," Lily lied.
Sighing, the groggy little Chikorita took in the view of the Regigas Mounds one more time, the rolling ocean of hills now bathed in sunlight. Now, more than ever, they called to her…
"Well, honey, the night's over now. The world is yours," Mary said gently. "What do you think you're going to do now?"
"Probably should go find a job," Lily said. "If I'm going to need a place to stay every night, I've got to afford it… Hey, Mary?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you," Lily said sincerely. "For letting me stay here, I mean. If it wasn't for you, I probably would have gotten myself killed on my first day in Ambera. Thanks for protecting me from the ghosts."
"Aw, it's no big deal, honey," Mary said. "What's a Pokémon who doesn't help out someone in need? You're welcome here as long as you want to stay, you know."
"Heh, thanks, but I really think I want to go and see the world," Lily said. "I'll find somewhere I can be…"
"Well, I'm not going to stop you," Mary said. "But hey, why not you and I get something to eat, and then I'll walk you into town? I know this city up north, I'm positive there'd be some explorers' guild there you could join…"
---
So, come high noon, Lily and Mary were well on their way northward to a place Mary called Great Crystal City.
As Lily jogged down Route Eight thirty-four, taking in every last bit of the scenery, she found herself stunned by the sheer diversity of the landscape in only a localized area. To the north, Regigas Mounds dissolved into a swampy grassland. Dozens of lakes covered the plain, each surrounded by stalks of dark-blue plants, as far as she could see. Yanma buzzed around the cattails, Politoed and Poliwag hopped in and out of the lakes, and Lily-pads on the surface of the water came alive right before Lily's eyes, revealing the heads of strange Pokémon underneath them as they peered above the surface of the water.
To the east, a cloud of vivid green covered the horizon. Carver's Domain, Mary had called it. The largest jungle in the world. Straining her ears, she thought she could catch the sound of strange Pokémon cries rising from the far-off habitat.
The road continued northward. After an hour or two of walking, the landscape had changed yet again, turning dry and rocky. The ground became a stretch of yellow dirt and sand, littered only with gray boulders. Route eight thirty-four continued across a rocky ridge which rose a dozen feet above this barren plain. As Lily traversed it, she gazed down at the large chunks of scattered rock, and nearly jumped a foot in the air in surprise as one of them moved, opening a massive mouth to yawn and emitting a moaning sigh. The strange Pokémon was half-covered in sand, almost looking as though sand was spilling from the dark shell Pokémon's back.
Though Lily's eyes sparkled at every little thing she saw, she dared not stray from the path this time. She knew now why Mary had been in such a hurry the other evening. All of Ambera was on a schedule.
This is all so weird, Lily told herself, gazing down at the sandy pit. It doesn't seem natural for so many types of Pokémon to live so close to each other. I wonder if Pokémon here altered their environment to suit them…
"So, what's this place we're heading to?" Lily asked her traveling companion. "Great Crystal City. Have you ever been there?"
"A few times," Mary replied. "It's a pretty place. But it's known for being one of the wealthiest cities in Ambera."
"Oh…" Lily said with concern. "Then will I be able to live there? I don't have a single coin to my name at the moment… Even my family paid for the voyage here."
"Would you like to know why Great Crystal City is so wealthy?" Mary hummed. "Because of the treasure hunters who live there."
"Treasure hunters?" Lily cried. "So… there's actually real explorers' guilds there?"
"Oh, you'd better believe it," Mary said, smiling warmly. "Though they aren't the greatest in the world, or anything. Everybody knows the greatest exploration guilds are in Salamance Valley way down in the far south. But since it'd take you a year just to walk there, I figure you'd rather go somewhere closer for now. Great Crystal City is a fine place on its own."
"Sounds like a plan," Lily said. "First, I'll just work on getting my career started, I guess. Then I can think about moving up the ladder."
But wow, to be a professional treasure hunter… Lily said to herself, scanning the sandy mounds below as if she expected diamonds to be buried somewhere within them. That seriously has to be the best job in the world! But… will any of them let me in? Maybe just as an apprentice for starters? Oh, but if treasure hunting is so lucrative, wouldn't everyone want to get into the guilds at once? What if there's no room for me? Or they think I'm too weak? Oh, I'll show them… Somehow, I'll get them to accept me…
"Excuse us, travelers…"
Lily blinked out from her daze to see that she was blocking the way of a couple of Pokémon who were heading back the way they came. A Sandshrew and a Phanpy, both with tiny travel packs strapped to themselves, waited patiently for her to stop gawking at the scenery and move aside.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Lily yelped, giving them room. "Hey, um… I couldn't help but notice those bags… you wouldn't happen to be explorers, would you?"
"Hah," the Sandshrew coughed. "Hah hah… hah…"
The shrew made no further reply, scampering quickly down the road with the Phanpy close behind.
Lily frowned.
"Humph, how rude of them," Mary commented. "Some Pokémon just don't know how to be nice to little girls…"
It was easy enough to disregard the Sandshrew, but Lily found herself with some sort of nagging that she couldn't seem to shake. She tried to figure out what it was, and why it had been sparked by seeing the other travelers…
"Hey, um… I've been wondering," Lily said meekly. "If there are so many Pokémon here in this country… how come we haven't seen any other travelers today besides those guys? This road has been practically empty the whole way."
"Well… there are a number of reasons…" Mary said, though hesitantly, as if she regretted the subject. "Lots of Pokémon just don't like traveling. They find it safer just to stay in one place all their lives. And… well… remember how back at the docks, that road was closed? Well… I'd bet that might have something to do with it…"
"I don't think I understand," Lily muttered. "Why… why was the road closed in the first place? Why is it so bad to ask about?"
"Don't worry yourself about it, Lily," Mary replied, a hint of nervousness in her voice. "Just… when they close a road, don't go down that road. There's nothing more you really need to know. You'll… be happier that way. Trust me."
---
Though it continued to bother her that Mary was keeping a secret from her, Lily forgot all about it the moment she caught sight of Great Crystal City.
It was an aptly-named place: in the center of the city, jutting out of the very earth, was a giant blue crystal! It was easily the most beautiful sight Lily had ever glimpsed at. It was as tall as a skyscraper, and had dozens of huge protrusions at the base like tree branches. The sunlight struck it and refracted in all directions, making it difficult to gaze directly into, and sending huge flecks of blue, red, and yellow light all across the city as if a giant stained-glass window was covering the sky.
Lily's mouth hung open as she gazed at the spectacle.
"Here we are," Mary reported. "Great Crystal City! See that crystal in the center?"
"How could I not?" Lily replied, unable to tear her eyes away from it.
"Legend has it that a little Sandshrew woke Jirachi somewhere in this vicinity," Mary explained. "They say it was a poor soul, never able to have anything it wanted, so it wished for the world's biggest, most beautiful, most valuable crystal. And it wished that Jirachi make the crystal so that nobody would ever be able to steal it from him."
"I'd say Jirachi delivered," Lily replied, completely incredulous. "What's the point of even treasure hunting if this is your city?"
The closer she got to the city, the more surreal it looked, as though she were watching the whole area through a crystal ball. The road was paved with a pattern of smooth black pebbles atop platforms of hardened gray sand. The strange-looking buildings which lined the streets were made of metal, most of which had a miniature crystal as part of their architecture. Lily wondered if the small crystals had been chipped off the larger one. She glanced over a nearby building, which had to have been a shopping center, with a glowing red crystal positioned atop the half-circle entryway. Another building, which looked like a castle, had a crystal poised at the top of a long steel spire. Lily couldn't tell if the crystals were glowing with power, or if they just caught the light cast from the big one.
The whole city seemed like a dream. Lily's mind kept telling her it wasn't real. Yet, the Pokémon which walked the streets kept about their business as though their city was as normal as could be. Nobody stopped to gaze at the crystal, which was loathe to even let go of Lily's attention.
"Well, this is the place!" Mary said. "There are a bunch of guilds here. I'm sure you'll be able to find one you could work with!"
"I… I hope so…" Lily said absentmindedly.
"Aww, hold your head up!" Mary sang. "Nobody in their right mind is going to turn down such a free-spirited adventurer like you! I bet you'll get any job you want!"
"Thanks," Lily muttered, half-sincerely. "I guess you're right. I should just start trying…"
Mary frowned, sensing that the little Chikorita was beginning to feel anxious. She knew that Lily wanted to go wander off on her own.
"Hey, I just remembered," Mary said suddenly. "I have a friend who lives here. I should go tell them all about my trip to the human countries. Think you'll be alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Lily answered.
"You sure, now?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," Lily said again, glancing around at all the strange buildings and constructs she could visit.
"Well, in that case, meet me at the north side of the crystal at sundown, and I'll convince my friend to let us stay for the night," Mary told her, taking her leave. "I'll go back home in the morning. After that… I guess you'll be on your own."
---
Lily didn't waste a single minute before scampering down the streets and gawking at all the sights. The deeper into the city she got, the weirder the buildings were, taking shapes that no human in their right mind would ever construct. Some were a mess of appendages with crystal shards hanging from them by chains, others were open-ended with no doors, windows, or walls, only composed of huge piles of stone and metal propped up on stilts or pillars. Many were even built in the very likeness of certain Pokémon species with windows where the eyes should be, most of which she didn't recognize, just like the Pokémon which surrounded her on the street. Every moment, some strange new life-form approached her, many of which defied all recognition or even the laws of physics…
"Excuse me…" Lily randomly called out to a passer-by which looked like a grass-type. "What… uh… what kind of Pokémon are you?"
The green ball-shaped Pokémon hesitated in mid-stride, coming to a halt upon his unsteady cone-shaped legs, supporting itself with its thick blunt arms…
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… Cacnea?" it replied, giving Lily a look like she was crazy.
Lily tried to thank the strange Pokémon, but it had already hobbled off in a hurry, as if Lily had wasted a precious moment of its time. She scowled, shirking back from the impending crowd for a moment. Were all Pokémon of Ambera this rude? No, no they weren't… Marita was kindhearted enough. Surely there were other friendly Pokémon. In fact, she determined, it was probably just her ignorance and how she kept asking inane questions; she was new here, but she couldn't expect the world to accommodate that. She would have to learn the laws of the land, one way or another.
She kept up with the crowd for a while, not really knowing where to go. Eventually, she spotted a business establishment open to the public, and decided to wander inside.
It was a very homely place, with walls made of a dark finished wood and the floor paved with something like decorative linoleum. Colorful but odd sculptures lined the walls, and structures which vaguely resembled tables were scattered throughout the room. To Lily's disappointment, though, the place did not offer refuge from the disorienting glare of the great crystal: the ceiling was lined with small gems, the light sources somewhere above them, casting the whole place into a glittering cacophony of colors. She sighed, figuring she'd get used to the "crystal" theme eventually.
The establishment was quite active. Many groups of Pokémon were positioned at the tables, enjoying noisy conversations with one another. At the front, a weird brown rabbit-like Pokémon attended to the guests at the counter. Upon closer inspection, it was less like a rabbit than Lily expected. Its body was covered in colorful blotches, though Lily figured most were cast by the ceiling but couldn't tell which. Its small, black, beady eyes were hidden at the center of crazy facial markings. It seemed to like teetering on one foot, and then the other, rather than just standing still.
"Hey, what's your fancy today, little 'rita?" it called to her in a friendly manner, making her realize she was standing just shy of the business counter.
"Uh… I don't know if I want anything," Lily confessed. "I'm… I'm new here…"
"Oh, well, in that case, I'm Spinda, and welcome to my world-famous café of Great Crystal City!" it cheered. "Family owned and operated for five generations! We specialize in making exotic smoothies and other drinks from all sorts of fruits and berries! And if there's something we don't have, bring it in! Care for a wonderful apple juice cocktail as a free sample?"
"Sure! I guess…" Lily answered curiously.
Jumping to action, Spinda stumbled over to the far counter, picking a big green apple and several smaller berries, and jamming them all into some sort of juicing container. It amazed her at how the Pokémon looked at every moment like it was about to trip over its legs and fall flat on its face, yet it always regained its control at the last possible moment. Before she knew it, the Spinda was carrying a tall glass of a green, fizzing liquid back over to the counter. Even while carrying the drink, the Pokémon continued its abnormal habit of avoiding its center of gravity as much as possible. Lily expected the concoction to go crashing to the floor at any moment, but not a drip sloshed from the rim despite the glass being filled to the very top. Lily was dumbstruck at the Pokémon's mastery of balance.
"And it's all done!" the Spinda announced. "Hey! That'll be three-seventy five Poké!"
"Hey! Wait!" Lily cried in surprise. "I thought you said it was free!"
"No I didn't!" the Spinda insisted. "Why would I say that? That's silly! Wait… maybe I did? I can't remember! I'm always saying things I don't mean to say…"
"So… uh…" Lily said oddly. "I don't have any money…"
"Well, in that case, just take it, as a free sample!" Spinda decided. "If you like it, come back sometime! Just leave the glass on the table when you're done. Enjoy!"
Extending her vines, Lily ever-so-carefully took the overfilled glass and carried it to the nearest empty table, trying her best not to spill it too much.
Propping herself up on a lumpy seat cushion, Lily leaned on the table and reached her mouth for the straw which Spinda had included. She eagerly took a sip. The fizziness assaulted her mouth first thing. After the surprise faded, she found that the drink had a very delicate sweetness which combined with a unique bitterness to form a satisfyingly mature flavor. She happily drank more.
"Like it?" a deep voice asked. "Next time, try ordering the special Cheri berry shake. The flavor is absolutely out of this world."
Lily jumped back into her seat, narrowly avoiding knocking her beverage clear across the table. Two seats away from her, there sat another Pokémon she hadn't even noticed. It was a feline of some sort, with a thick black mane and a dark blue coat. It had poised itself in the shadow so well that it had escaped Lily's attention as she focused on the apple soda. In front of this Pokémon was a glass similar to hers, this one filled with a thick, dark-red liquid that could have been blood for all she knew. The Pokémon sipped at his straw and glared at her curiously.
"Oh, sorry if I startled you," the Pokémon said, leaning back into its seat. "Almost had to buy you another drink, there."
"Ah, it's alright," Lily sighed. "Didn't notice you there at all. Heh. By the way, if you don't mind me asking… what are you? What kind of Pokémon are you?"
"Luxio," it shrugged. "Evolved from Shinx, someday into a Luxray. Friend of lightning. We're common in these parts. So… you're new here, I heard you say?"
"Yeah," Lily said, trying to make herself comfortable. "New to Ambera, actually. Just arrived yesterday. Never heard of half these Pokémon in my life…"
"Hmm, interesting," the Luxio said, leaning in to drink from his glass again. "What brings you to Ambera?"
"Well, to be totally honest, it seemed like it'd be fun," Lily admitted. "Adventure and all that. I'm going to see if I can be an explorer."
"Mmm. Good thing you came here," the Luxio said after swallowing his sip. "I think there are five whole explorers' guilds who live here in Crystal City. Though, I couldn't tell you how many are off on expeditions right now. You could try checking out the Golems, right down the road from here. Take a left, go all the way down Shimmering Ruby Street, and it's right there on the corner. Then there's the Evergreens. They're all the way on the other end of the city past the crystal park on Clear Diamond Street. Those are the guilds I pass by sometimes. I don't know about the other guilds. City's big. "
Lily couldn't help but smile at having found another kind Pokémon. "Thanks," she said to him, keeping his directions in mind. "I'll probably check those places out later today."
"Ah, don't mention it," the Luxio shrugged again. "The least I could do. But I'll tell you what, you've got some guts wanting to go into exploration in this place. It's not exactly a job everybody's dying to get into around here…"
Lily blinked. It wasn't something she was expecting to hear. "Oh… really?" she replied. "Why's that?"
"Well… it's a dangerous job," the Luxio said. "I mean, dangerous dangerous. Lot of wild Pokémon in Ambera to knock you down. And the mystery dungeons. And the Watchers at night and all. Yeah, I hear there were a lot more explorers around here before they came around… now, practically nobody sees it worth the risk."
"Hah, the danger's not a problem. I like danger!" Lily forced a laugh, acting brave for the fun of it. "Just means I have to get stronger!"
"Hmm… I like your attitude," the Luxio said after another sip of his shake. "You've got a real heart. Hmm… But that's still not the real reason exploring's so dangerous, you know…"
"Oh…" Lily said again, her smile dashed. "Well… what is it, then?"
"You mean you don't know." the Luxio said with some surprise. "Really. You don't know?"
"Don't know what?!"
"You came to Ambera… and nobody told you about the Master. That's… interesting. Though… I guess I can understand why…"
Lily grimaced. Something about the way he said it sent a tiny chill down her back. "So… what's the Master?" she pleaded.
"Hmm…" the Luxio sighed. "The Master is the king of Ambera. He makes all the laws around here and his Pokémon enforce them. Helps to keep some balance to the chaos, I guess. That's about all you really need to know. Let him do whatever he wants, don't get in his way, and… well, what you don't know can't hurt you… … … Are you going to drink that?"
A little confused at the Luxio's words, Lily leapt back up to her straw to take another drink in response to his question. It didn't nearly taste as good as the first sip, but there was no way she was going to waste the freebie.
"You should come here again sometime," the Luxio said with a smirk. "Tell me about your adventures. I'm… well, I do some tough work myself, but I come here every day to unwind. I'd like to hear what it's like for a new Pokémon to grow into Ambera."
"Heh… maybe I will," Lily said, glancing around the café.
But first, she told herself, I've got to get some money…
---
After finishing her whole cocktail and exchanging some smalltalk with the kindhearted and laid-back feline Pokémon, Lily set off down the road in the direction of the first exploration guild the Luxio told her about. Shimmering Ruby Street was a very long road. She tried to ignore the multitude of stores and facilities lining both sides of the street and the Pokémon which flocked to them; if she got distracted again, it would be nightfall before she knew it. She had to jump in and get this out of the way.
Butterflies gathered in her stomach as she approached the end of the road, anticipating the exploration guild. Would they consider her? Or would they brush her off as a weak little child? She took comfort in remembering the Luxio's words that aspiring explorers were rather rare, and hoped the guild would leap at the opportunity to accept her into their ranks and train her.
I'm not a child, either, she also told herself. I can fight when I have to. I'll show them what I'm really made of. Yeah… they won't turn me down.
At last, Lily found herself standing before the guild's base entrance. It was a rather large, wide staircase leading down into the ground, some crackling torches hanging from the walls. Pinned to the far side of the trapdoor was a sign written in the universal Pokémon footprint script which Lily had seen a couple times back at home, but wasn't quite an expert at reading. Squinting at it, she eventually managed to make out the meaning:
The Iron Golems
Explorers of Earth
Keepers of Wealth and Beauty
Fortitude Unrivaled
Sounds like a really serious group, Lily thought. Guess I'll go ahead and inquire…
Breathing a nervous sigh, Lily collected herself and hobbled her way down the marble staircase.
The cave was a little bit creepy. It was totally lightless, save for the flickering torches on the walls here and there, most of which had long since burned out. The ground was paved with the same scratchy, unpolished marble, making the place feel unkempt and a little unstable…
Eventually, Lily found herself faced with a giant steel door with no handles in sight. She figured that now was the time she would have to make her presence known.
"Hel-lo…?" Lily called, hearing the sound of her voice echo back through the tunnel behind her.
She didn't have a chance to get another word in before the ground started to shake. She wondered if the sound of her voice had triggered the collapse of the tunnel, and she cringed as the earthquake worsened.
There was an explosion of rock and rubble as the head of a large snake-like Pokémon protruded from the wall just next to the door. Trying to make out its shape in the dark corridor, she determined it to be an Onix. At least it was a Pokémon she recognized. She gulped as it glared at her.
"Visitor," the Onix boomed. "Who are you here to see?"
"Uh… Nobody. Well… the guild leader, maybe? I was thinking about… joining."
To Lily's relief, the Onix lightened up instantly. "Oh, really? It's a good time to come. We just finished with an expedition and we're being lazy for a few weeks. Come on in! We can interview you immediately."
There was another noisy earthquake as the steel hatch rose into the ceiling. It opened just enough for Lily to pass through, as though the Pokémon manning the door control was too lazy to open it any further. She darted underneath it, her heart pounding at the thought of having it suddenly drop and crush her, the leaf on her head scraping it the whole way. When she was safely through, there was an earth-shattering thump which nearly tossed Lily a foot into the air from the sheer knockback as the door shut.
The tunnel was dark, dark, dark. A faint glow from some far-off light source let her see a sketchy outline of the walls, but it wasn't any more helpful than the glow of the stars in the night sky. The Onix made terrible grinding noises as it slithered and shifted before her.
"Trust me, boss'll be thrilled to see this," the Onix grumbled. "And you're a grass-type. We don't have any of those on our team. You'll be useful. I think the future's already looking bright for you. This way, please. Follow me…"
Brighter than this corridor, at any rate, Lily said to herself as she carefully traced the movement of the Onix in front of her and tried not to run headfirst into its tail.
In addition to being dark, the tunnel was long, long, long. Lily lost count of how many steps she took down that never-ending ramp; it seemed to her that the guild base was located in a completely different region connected only to Great Crystal City by this obnoxiously long artery for contractual reasons.
At last, after at least ten minutes of walking, there was light, and surprisingly, heat. The cave opened up into a spacious chamber. The ceiling was carved out in the shape of a perfect dome, with holes of various sizes poked into the surface in every which direction. The floor itself was perfectly circular, the form of the sun inscribed upon it. At the center of the chamber, there were some monuments and statues, each engraved with plaques and colorful crystals. The whole room glowed with an eerie red-orange light…
A tremor overtook Lily's chest when she found the light source: from several holes in the wall, there flowed a constant stream of brightly- glowing lava, spilling and oozing like waterfalls down into reservoirs. In a surprised horror, she traced its path with her eyes and found that she could see glimpses of lava streams through small cracks and gaps in the floor. In fact, the whole floor was a disc that hung several feet above a great lava pit!
"Awesome, isn't it?" the Onix laughed, noticing Lily's wide eyes. "Took us a long time to rig it up right! It kept burning through the ducts and spilling everywhere. But it was worth it, I say. I dare you to find a better subterranean light source than graystone magma… So soft and pleasant on the eyes… Heh… I forget, you burn easily, don't you. Might want to stay away from the falls then…"
Lily was very quickly being reminded of the fact that, though she was mostly a plant-based creature, she could still sweat.
Mnnh… Okay, yeah. That is kinda awesome, Lily told herself, quickly becoming hypnotized by the strange beauty of the bursting colors in the flowing, fiery rock. Scary. Really scary. But awesome. Eh… maybe if I spent some time in this place, it'd help steel myself against environmental hazards. Explorers shouldn't be scared of a little fire… Not even grass-types…
"Wait here," the Onix instructed, slithering towards one of the side tunnels. "I'm going to go get the boss. He's going to be thrilled, let me tell you…"
Thankfully, she didn't have to wait for very long. After less than a minute, another earthquake-like tremor shook the ground. It was a march of a mighty Pokémon, she realized, perhaps more than one. When the shockwaves began to bounce her into the air, she knew an entire army was headed her way.
All at once, from several of the side-tunnels, the entire guild spilled into the chamber, yammering and growling, excited to see the newcomer who was looking for work. Lily watched as the room filled, surprised that she recognized many of the Pokémon. There was a Typhlosion, a couple Golems, a Skarmory, the Onix that greeted her at the gate alongside a few others of its kind...
"Wait, what, are you kidding? You've got to be kidding me!" a Golemn cried out. "That little thing? She's useless! She doesn't even have graspers!"
Rolling her eyes, Lily extended her two vines and waved them around for display.
"Ahhh!!" another Golem yelled. "Ahh, put those away! Get 'em away! My brother was nearly cracked in half by one of those… Eeesh!!"
But then, there came a Pokémon that she had certainly never seen before. It entered the room last of all the others, the ground trembling with each step it took. She didn't even have to wonder—this, she knew, was the guild's leader. It was so massive, it looked like a walking mountain to the little Chikorita. Its body was covered in steel armor that must have been inches thick. Its helmet was bright-white, like pearls, its eyes shimmering turquoise in the glowing light of the magma like misplaced raindrops. It stood on its hind legs, towering over all the other Pokémon. The guild parted to give it room.
Lily clenched her teeth and stood her ground as the great Pokémon approached her.
"I am Aggron, director of the Iron Golems," the monstrous one boomed. "Pleased to meet you, little leaf Pokémon. I apologize for Grayshield's… rudeness. Many of us have not familiarized themselves with your type."
"It's alright, Master Aggron," Lily said as politely as she could manage. "Pleased to meet you, too. I'm Lily. I'm… new to this place. This is my first day in Great Crystal City. Actually… this is my first day in Ambera, too. I come from overseas."
"Lily," the Aggron grunted in admiration of the name. "Ambitious little one, it seems like… So I hear from my servant Orix that you are an aspiring explorer?
"I am," Lily said simply.
"That is rare," the Aggron admitted, dropping to all fours to get a closer look at her. "Nobody has wanted to join this guild for years. And you are… you are special. We could use someone like you to wield grass-type attacks. We fight many rock-types."
Lily thought the plate of metal beneath her feet was sagging. She imagined the whole floor collapsing under the collected weight of the guild into the vortex of magma below.
"Tell me, little leaf Pokémon, how… serious are you?" the great steel Pokémon questioned. "This is a mining guild. We explore far and wide into the darkest caves and excavate all the valuable metals and minerals we find. Our work is never easy. It is only fit for those who will dedicate themselves to achieving their greatest potential of strength. How… far are you willing to go to become strong?"
"As far as it takes," Lily asserted. "If I join a guild, this is going to be my life. Nothing else is going to be more important."
"Good," the Aggron hummed with a gleaming smile. "Fortitude and perseverance are vital to working with us. Our expeditions can take months at a time. You will be expected to keep up. I hope you will not have a problem with evolving to your highest level in a timely manner?"
"No. I understand that I will have to evolve," Lily responded. "I- look forward to it."
"Again, good," the Aggron said. "Our work is not easy. Our work is painful, and relentless, and we don't stop to rest very often. But… should you chose to join us, the reward is… unparalleled. You see, little leaf Pokémon… we are wealthy beyond your wildest dreams! Every member of this guild has a treasure trove to their name. Their children and their children's children would not need to work a day of their lives for five generations."
Lily glanced around the room at the other guild members. They all nodded in agreement to this statement. She could see that they were all world-hardened creatures, adapted to a life of difficulty… yet, not one of them had any regrets. The payment was worth everything.
"We recently returned from an expedition hundreds of miles to the west," Aggron explained. "There, we unearthed several thousand pounds of coal and sold them into Ambera's markets. We are weary of the journey, so we are taking a month's rest. But that is not to say that we wouldn't have time to begin your training immediately. So… when could you start?"
---
She had her doubts from the beginning. She grew especially worried when she tried to answer the Aggron's question and found herself to be trembling, not from the heat, or from fear, but just from… being overwhelmed. This was a serious group. They were dead-set in their position in life, a life she would have taken up if she would have joined them. Even as she told the guild she'd think about it, even as she was escorted uphill back through the lengthy tunnel, she knew in the back of her mind that it could be her life if she really wanted it. It was secure. It paid well. And she knew she was capable of it.
But the real moment of truth for Lily didn't come until she emerged from that staircase and found herself back among the late afternoon streets of Great Crystal City. She realized how much she missed the sun. It was something so simple, yet something she always took for granted. Living down there, and focusing all her efforts toward cave mining expeditions, she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she didn't want to spend all of her life deprived of the sunlight. It was one of her favorite things in life, after all.
And so, she scratched off the Golems from her list of possibilities.
What was that next place? Lily asked herself, blinking as her eyes tried to adjust to the daylight. The Evergreens. On… what was it? Clear Diamond Street? Heh… that guild sounds like it'd be more of my type. Hope they're just as open to recruits as these guys were…
And so, almost an hour later of walking through the crowded city and asking for directions several times, Lily finally arrived to Clear Diamond Street. The place certainly made an impression on her: it was lined, on both sides, with what looked to be black-stoned fortresses, built from blocks of something like pure, shining obsidian. These were extremely expensive houses, she figured, just like the mansions in the human cities built with thousands upon thousands of red bricks. Not very many Pokémon wandered the streets here, and those that did sent her questioning glances, making her slightly uneasy.
She had to wonder why the street was given the name that it had. There were no diamonds, nor was it very clear; the tall, black-colored houses cast long shadows over the walkway, obscuring even the ever-present multicolored light from the city's epicenter.
This guild must be really rich, too, Lily realized. If they live in this place… wow… I wonder what it feels like to be rich? I bet things are a lot easier…
Block after block of monstrous buildings went by. Lily inspected each one, hoping to find a telltale sign of where the guild lived. As she looked closer, she found that each mansion had its own unique architecture, probably suited to the Pokémon which lived there. She wondered if the buildings had been raised to order. She wondered if the Iron Golems were the architects, with the sturdy dark material which comprised them being stone that they had dug out from under the earth's surface with their own hands and claws…
After a half-hour more of walking, the sun was ever-so-slightly beginning its decent, but still Lily found no indication of the guild's whereabouts. Getting just a little anxious thinking about the ghost Pokémon of the night, and wondering if she'd missed something along the way, Lily picked up the pace down the road, her eyes darting from house to house.
But just before Lily was tempted to ask for specific directions to the guild, she reached the very end of the road. She was on the edge of Great Crystal City. Beyond the last remaining houses, there was an empty lot of land, and far beyond that, the city boundary…
And there, at the very, very end of Clear Diamond Street, literally pinned directly on the dead-end, was a small wooden shack.
Evergreen Guild
Crystal City Office
Lily blinked. Compared to the spectacles of the surrounding buildings, this was pathetic! It was some sort of short cabin made of carved wood loosely held together by nails. She imagined that it was practically a pile of toothpicks, ready to collapse at the mere touch of the wind. The sign hung in a lopsided manner next to the front door.
Well, alright, Lily told herself. Might as well try it… I spent all day walking here, so here goes nothing…
There was no door, and no attendant to guard the entrance. She simply walked in.
Inside looked just as bad as outside. The whole place was made of wooden beams of varying lengths and colors, all splintery and unfinished and nailed together. There was something like a welcome mat on the inside of the door, a metal pad made from interconnected chain links. Lily wondered if it was from a discarded fishing cage.
Lily looked around. The ceiling was low. The walls were bare. There was a desk which she could not see over. It was well-lit enough, with light flowing in freely from some open windows. But aside from some incomprehensible decorations, the only thing of note in the entire place was a cute little potted plant growing out from somewhere behind the countertop.
"Hel-lo?" She called.
She was halfway relieved that her voice didn't cause an earthquake this time. Probably would have brought down the whole building.
Her call was answered by a low, feral grumble.
She jumped in surprise, having thought that she was alone in the room. There was movement. The plant on the other side of the counter began wobbling up and down, supported by an unseen force!
Oh¸ she quickly realized. That's not a potted plant at all! That's… one of those big grass-type turtle Pokémon. I remember seeing some of them from the harbor town…
Lily looked around for some chair or something to support herself so she could meet the Pokémon face-to-face over the counter, but a hinged door flew open and she soon found herself staring the turtle Pokémon in the face.
At first, she found her tongue tied in knots. This Pokémon was much larger than she expected! It was nothing like the other turtles she saw at the docks. This one towered over her and stared at her with huge menacing eyes that were almost as big as she was! It looked at her curiously, sending its exhaled breath sweeping across her body…
This… thing… it's almost as big as Aggron! Lily realized. Heck, it could probably tear Aggron apart in a fight, given the type matchup and all…
"Uh… hello…?" Lily tried.
A joyous smile suddenly covered the giant turtle's face.
"Chi-ku!" it cried in a light, playful tone. "Chi-kuuu!"
Lily bit her lip.
"Chiiii-ku!!" it said again. "Chi-ku-rita! Hello Chik-ku-rita!"
"Uh… hi," Lily said, a little dumbfounded for words. "I'm Lily."
"I'm Seeeeeeeeismic!" the turtle responded gleefully. "I'm a Tor-terr-a! A terr-i-ble Tor-terr-a!"
"Nice to meet you, Seismic!" Lily sang. "I'm here to—"
"I'm a level hun-derrred!" it boomed in pride.
Thump.
Lily fell over backwards in a stunned bout of shock and awe.
"Are you kay, Chi-ku!?" the Torterra cried, blinking in surprise, though not budging from its spot.
She scrambled to her feet, but her legs still weren't following her orders, and her eyes still bulged out of her head. It couldn't be true. She just couldn't believe it. "Level one hundred" was a term humans used to describe a Pokémon who had trained so long and hard, it reached the absolute maximum potential of strength allowed by its bodily makeup. There were few Pokémon in the whole world who ever achieved this distinction. She'd never met one in her life, and never planned on meeting one. But here, right before her eyes, there was a Torterra, a Pokémon she'd never known existed, claiming to be a level hundred. Given its raw size, she wasn't going to challenge the assertion. She just couldn't seem to accept it.
"A, I, uh, that's… great!" She managed to say. "You look… really tough!"
"Cute little Chi-ku!" it said, bobbing its head up and down. "Play with me, Chi-ku!"
"Um…"
Lily grimaced. She thought about making a dash for the exit door. But thankfully, just then, another Pokémon showed up.
It fluttered in from a hallway somewhere behind the countertop. It was a very colorful thing, beating its large wings energetically as it swooped and tumbled through the air. Lily thought it was shaped much like a Butterfree, but it soon became clear that it wasn't one. Again, it was a Pokémon she'd never seen before.
The colorful butterfly Pokémon landed daintily on the table and surveyed the scene. Its eyes darted from Lily to the giant Torterra.
"Seismic, if there was a visitor, why didn't you call for me?" it cried, waving its tiny limbs around in the Torterra's direction. "Chikorita, I'm very sorry about all this… Seismic can be a little bit out of touch with reality sometimes. Hey, you oversized walnut you, don't stand and block the door. And tread lightly, don't want you making the roof cave in again!"
"Oh, it's fine, really," Lily said quickly, eyeing the Torterra as it sank back out of sight, everything but its little tree disappearing behind the countertop. "He seems like a nice Pokémon. But… is he… okay? He didn't get bumped on the head, did he?"
"Well, yes and no," the butterfly said, flitting off the table and around Lily's head, coming to land at her side. "You see," he whispered, "he's actually more like a newborn. He only hatched a little over a year ago…"
Lily blinked. "That's… wow…" she responded, trying to digest the news. "If he's so young… how is he… so strong? He says he's… a level hundred."
"He is, indeed, he is," the Butterfly said. "You see… he was raised by a human trainer, right? And when he first hatched, the human trainer… well… you know these things called 'rare candy' right?"
"Yeah, they're like steroids for Pokémon," Lily said. "They make your body grow even if you don't train. But they're really rare…"
"Well, you see," the butterfly explained, "not one minute after the poor little thing hatched out of its egg, its trainer started stuffing these things down its throat, until he had eaten over a hundred! A tiny little Turtwig found himself in the body of a Torterra before it even knew how to speak. Unfortunate, because now that he's all grown up, his mind can't develop the way it should, so he's… yeah."
Lily winced, imagining how horrible the turtle had to feel.
"But that's not the end of it, though," the butterfly continued, flitting around to speak into Lily's other ear. "When he became a level hundred, his trainer ditched him!"
"That's horrible!" Lily cried in astonishment. "That trainer should be put away! Why would a trainer do something like that? Even after using all of those rare candies?! He must have been a billionaire to even own all those at once… Wow, just… wow. How inhumane. Why would that happen?"
"Well, I'm a little fuzzy on that part," the butterfly said. "Seismic claims that his trainer abandoned him because he didn't like the looks of his ivies. But Torterra don't grow ivy on their backs, just trees. Right? So, I'm not quite sure what he means. Anyway-!"
The butterfly buzzed back up to the countertop, standing at the visitor's attention.
"My name is Yuu, a Beautifly," it announced. "I'm the second-in-charge here at the Evergreen Guild. What can I do for you, Chikorita?"
"I'm Lily," she responded. "I just got here to Great Crystal City, and I was wondering about joining an exploration guild—"
"Applying?! You're applying?!" It cried out eccentrically, beating its wings and hovering in place. "Hired! You're hired! Welcome aboard!"
"Um… uh… thanks," Lily said, "But… first… could you tell me a little about your guild? You know, how do you work?"
"Oh, yeah! Right! I'm getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I, huh?" Yuu rambled, setting himself back down onto the table. "Sorry, really, I am. I'm not usually this crazy. I'm never this crazy. I promise! But I'm just happy to see an aspiring Chikorita like yourself wandering into my door! Oh, by the way, nice place, huh? We just had it built a month ago. It's actually not finished yet. But you probably already knew that by looking at it, huh? But yeah, before we opened here, the whole guild had to operate without an office of operations! It was torture!"
"Uh… yeah, but… why are you so out-of-the-way?" Lily asked the Beautifly. "It took me forever just to find this place next to all the mansions. There weren't any signs or anything. It was so hidden!"
"Well, well, if you can't find things that are hidden, what kind of explorer do you think you'd make, anyway?" Yuu laughed. "Hah. But no… we're here, because it's on the very edge of town, which is perfect for us! The countryside is so close by, it's just a walk out of the city! And with all these wealthy Pokémon living at our doorstep, we get plenty of work to do! So, Lily! When can you start? We have a perfect position open for you! It has your name on it, Lily, in bright shiny colors! It's yours!"
The energetic Beautifly winced, stopping itself in mid-thought.
"Sorry, sorry, I… sorry, yeah. I'm serious. This isn't me. I never act like this," Yuu sighed. "It's just… yeah. Alright … So… okay… anyway… we're the Evergreen Guild. We're really famous around these parts. You ask people here to name the exploration guilds here in the city, and we're first on the list! Well, sometimes second. Or third. But, we're on the list, and that's what really matters! We're a team of very talented Pokémon with a wide range of skills and huge hearts for what we do."
"So, what do you do?" Lily implored. "Do you mine for minerals, or…"
"We're treasure hunters!" Yuu answered energetically. "We go wherever we feel like and look everywhere for shiny things! And then the rich people here in the city buy those shiny things at ridiculous prices and we get rich! Have fun, don't run, get the job done! That's our motto! It's a great life, I tell you. But we need strong, dedicated Pokémon to make it happen! Those mystery dungeons aren't very nice places, let me tell you. Seismic may look like a real powerhouse, but this one time he was KO'd by a legendary Pokémon named Heatran on one of his first expeditions here. True story!"
"Heh, wow," Lily said. "Sounds fun. So… are you… successful, at all? Do you make a lot of money?"
"Oh, of course, of course, we're successful," Yuu said quickly. "We make enough to keep our guild members fed and sheltered every day! And sometimes, when there's something that we all really want, we all set a plan and save up for it until we get it! Like this office!"
"Hmm… okay," Lily said skeptically. "So… you say you're the second in charge? Who's your leader? And how big is this guild?"
"Our guild is in the dozens," Yuu assured her. "And every last one is special and talented. Our leader… well… I shouldn't talk about her. She might not like it. I'm not too sure."
"Why not?" Lily wondered.
"Well, you see," Yuu said lowly, "Our leader… has something to the effect of… how should I say it… a split personality? Yeah, it's like she's two completely separate Pokémon living in the same mind. Sometimes she's all happy and outgoing, but other times, she's really self-conscious, especially about the kind of Pokémon she is… Seems to be embarrassed that others would find out. She'd give me a real talking-to if she found out I was talking about her… that is, if that personality were in control at the moment… Trust me, it's a sticky situation. But you'd meet her first thing when you join the guild, promise!"
Split… personality? Lily wondered, mulling about the concept. That… doesn't seem to be a very pleasant Pokémon to be around…
That's when a horrible realization began to click into place. A clearly eccentric butterfly… an overpowered turtle too young for its body… a schizophrenic guild leader… and, not least of all, a guild base that was falling apart at the seams…
"Oh, but we all love her, and the guild gets along just fine with her!" Yuu assured. "Most of the time. That is. We're all special in some way or another. You'll love meeting the whole team! There's Elder. He's a Girafarig, he likes walking backwards instead of forwards. Then there's Paras, he's great, never talks very much, though. And Nolaf, the Leafeon, he's got the best sense of humor in the world! It's a total blast, Lily. You'll be a perfect addition to the team…"
They're all crazy.
Lily shifted her stance.
They're just a bunch of crazy Pokémon who don't have any idea what they're really doing, Lily realized. Probably all rejects from society in some way or another, just trying to make a living for themselves… well, good for them, but… I almost want to go back to the Golems. At least there wasn't any question about their competence…
"I'll think about it," Lily said quickly, trying not to panic. "But I've got to check out the other guilds before sundown. So… thanks for everything, but…"
"Oh, really?" Yuu cried in disappointment, his energy dashed yet again. "I was hoping… I could go tell our leader about a new recruit today! That'd totally make her day! Well… You come back and tell us if you've made up your mind, Lily! We'll be waiting for you—"
The little Chikorita had dashed for the exit so quickly that the Beautifly wasn't even able to finish speaking.
Once she was gone, Yuu stared at the door-less entryway through which she disappeared, wondering what he had said to chase her away.
Yuu the Beautifly was created by Imagine .EXE.
Seismic the Torterra was created by Kishoto.
(I changed him a little bit from the character sheet that was sent to me, including upgrading him to level 100. But I should mention that, of all the character submissions I received, Seismic is my favorite. I'll certainly have fun with him.)
Also, you gotta pardon my blatant Explorers of Sky reference… Well, I had to do something to acknowledge the game's release! I've been playing it almost constantly for the past few weeks. It's one of the many reasons I haven't gotten around to finishing this chapter until now.