The weekend was already over. Ryo woke up at around eight o'clock and he was annoyed by the fact that it was Monday already.
Oh man, I hate Mondays… Ryo thought to himself.
Ryo left his room and entered the living room. As usual, Akira was sitting at a table, eating a loaf of bread and some oran berries for breakfast.
"Good morning, Ryo." Said Akira
"Good morning big bro. Where is dad?" said Ryo.
"He left early this morning to do an escort mission. He received an order to accompany a noble named Nicolas van Deventer and his wife in their trip to Calen." Said Akira.
"Calen? The grass type kingdom? That is very far…" said Ryo.
"Yeah, Dad said that he will be back in 2 weeks." Said Akira.
"Akira, I wonder…wouldn't it be way faster and safer if nobles were to travel by riding a big flying type pokemon like a pidgeot or a corviknight? Why aren't they doing that?" asked Ryo.
"Because there are no big birds left in Arcadius." Said Akira.
"Why? Because they were killed in the war?" asked Ryo.
"Correct. Do you know why is it mandatory for big birds to serve in the military?" asked Akira back.
"Let me guess. Because the greatest advantage that dragons have in battle is flight. Therefore, in order to fight the dragons evenly, the soldiers of Arcadius need to ride flying type pokemon in battle. That is why flying type pokemon who are big enough to carry a soldier on their backs must serve in the military and all of them were killed. Am I right?" asked the Riolu.
"Precisely…" said Akira.
"By the way, since dad is not around to force us to go to church, does this mean that we don't have to go to church?" asked Ryo.
"Before he left, dad told me to take you to church every Sunday, so you are not skipping church. Not on my watch." Said Akira.
"Big brother, why do you have to be so obedient?" asked Ryo.
"Because obedience is a virtue. Now finish your breakfast or we will be late." Said Akira.
Ryo quickly finished his breakfast and the two of them went to the knight's guild. Ryo was glad that there was no sparring session today. As the two arrived at the knight's guild, guild master Gallade instructed the apprentices to gather in the main hall because there was a new member joining the knight's guild today. He was a treecko.
"Good morning, everyone. Today we have a new member joining the knight's guild. His name is David. David, please introduce yourself."
The shy Treecko came to the front and started introducing himself.
"Um..hi. My name is David. I'm 10 years old…My parents are both immigrants from Calen. I decided to join the knight's guild to bring honour to my family. My grandfather fought in war and was killed by dragons. I really admired my grandfather…I wished to die a noble death just like him…." Said the Treecko.
"My weapon of choice are bows and arrows…" the Treecko continued.
"Interesting. Tell us more about yourself." Said Guild master Gallade.
"My hobby is playing flute and my favourite colour is orange. Oh, and I really like pecha berries" said David.
"Nice. Alright, you all can go now. Ryo, why don't you show David around the guild?" said the Gallade.
"Yes sir." Said Ryo.
"Come with me, David." Said Ryo friendlily as he showed David around the guild.
"So, this is the battle arena where we have sparring session. The guild master's room is in the second floor, while the eating hall is located next to the main hall. The basement is where we usually have meetings with the intelligence division. And one more thing…" said the Riolu as he was pointing at a huge board.
"This is the job bulletin board. The missions are listed here. The missions are ranked by difficulty. The easiest job is rank E, while the hardest one is rank S. I usually do rank C or rank B mission. We can do the missions individually or in groups. And the missions are not restricted to the guild members only. All Pokemon in Arcadius can take the missions, that is why we can see many warriors form all around Arcadius gathering to take missions." Explained the Riolu.
"Great, can't wait to do my first mission. Can I team up with you to do a mission?" asked the Treecko.
"Of course." Said Ryo with a smile. As the two were looking at the job bulletin board to find a suitable mission, Renard came and pushed the two aside.
"Out of my way, weaklings!" said Renard.
"Hey, wait your turn!" said the Treecko.
"Nobody tells me what to do, especially a weakling like you. A treecko eh? Grass types are losers. How pathetic!" said Renard.
"I'm not weak!" said the Treecko.
"Then how about you take on this A rank mission to prove me that you are not a weakling?!" said the Jolteon. Renard took a mission paper and gave it to the Treecko. It was written on the paper: Rescue mission, rank A. An Espurr was kidnapped by a group of mankeys led by a Primeape. Their hideout is in the abandoned mine located south of Aeterna called Embershard mine. Be careful, they are tough. Many Pokemon had failed this mission before. Reward: 50 gold coins.
"Ummm…I'm not sure if I can do this…" said the Treecko
"What a coward!" said Renard.
"I bet 10 gold coins that you'll fail the mission." The Jolteon continued.
"Don't worry David, we can do this." Said Ryo.
"Are you sure? But how? Barge in and defeat all the mankeys?" asked the Treecko.
"You said that you like to play the flute correct? So here is the plan…" said the Riolu as he whispered to the Treecko. Renard looked at them curiously.
"We are taking this mission Renard. Just wait and see…" said Ryo. The two then left the building.
"Ryo, where are you taking me?"asked David.
"We are going to the library." Said Ryo.
The two went to the library of the university of Aeterna. As they arrived, Ryo told David to wait at the gate while Ryo took a book from the library by means of stealth. The book was titled 'The Book of Songs, written by Meoletta'. Ryo then opened page 39. The page was about a song called 'grass whistle'.
"David, how good are you at reading musical notes?" asked the Riolu.
"Good? Music is my passion!" said David.
"Excellent! Now play and memorize this!" ordered the Riolu.
David then took out his flute form the backpack and start playing the song written on page 39. Not long after that, the Riolu began to feel drowsy. As soon as Ryo about to fall over, David stopped playing. He just learned a move called grass whistle.
"Ryo, are you alright?" asked David.
"I'm okay. But more importantly, we are ready for the mission." Said Ryo confidently.
The two then looked at the map and travelled to Embershard mine after dusk.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" asked David.
"Trust me, David." Said the Riolu.
David then knocked on the mine door while Ryo was hiding behind a large rock. As expected, a mankey opened the door.
"What do you want Treecko?" asked the Mankey.
"I'm from the knight's guild. I'm here to rescue the Espurr that you kidnapped!" said David.
When David said that, the remaining mankeys came out and surrounded the Treecko.
"What a brave hero. Brave but stupid. You do realize that you are outnumbered right?" said the mankeys.
"Please don't kill me. Please spare my life and let me go… I won't tell anyone…." Said David.
"You think you can just walk away?! You are now our prisoner!" said the mankey as he dragged the treecko into the mine.
"Boss! There is a treecko form the knight's guild! What should we do with him?!" asked the mankey.
"The knight's guild, eh? Lock him in the cage along with the Espurr!" said the Primeape.
The treecko was then locked inside a cage. After that, the mankeys along with their boss gathered around a fire to have dinner.
"So boss, what are we going to do with the treecko?" asked one of the mankeys.
"I'm sure the knight's guild are willing to pay a huge ransom money for the treecko, hehe" said the primeape.
"But what if Akira shows up? He'll destroy us." said the mankey.
"Akira? The son of the legendary dragon slayer Daisuke Yamazaki? He's got quite a reputation. You know what? Forget it! Just kill the treecko after we are done with dinner" said the Primeape.
"As you wish boss. By the way, did you hear something?" asked the mankey
"Hmmm… it sounds like a flute…Oh boy…I'm getting sleepy… I should not have eaten too much food…" said the primeape.
"Me too…I feel tired all of a sudden…" said the mankey.
Before they knew it, they were already asleep. David was using the move grass whistle with his flute to lull all the mankeys and the primeape to sleep. Afterwards, the riolu entered the mine. Ryo took the cage key from the sleeping primeape and freed the treecko and the espurr. The three then left the mine and travelled back to Aeterna.
"You have done well David." Said the Riolu.
"They almost killed me Ryo! But I must say, your plan was brilliant. Risky, but brilliant!" said David.
"Haha! You're flattering me. It was not that brilliant, I'm just using simple logic and strategy" said Ryo.
"Thank you for rescuing me…"said the espurr.
"You're welcome!" said Ryo and David.
In the next morning, the three showed up at the knight's guild. A female meowstic, was waiting anxiously in the main hall. She was the mother of the kidnapped Espurr. Immediately as she saw the espurr, she hugged the little espurr.
"Mary, you're alive! I was so worried," said the mother.
"These two brave pokemon rescued me, mom" said the espurr.
"Oh, thank you! Please take these 50 gold coins." Said the Meowstic to the Treecko and Riolu.
"Thank you, mam…" said David and Ryo as Renard watched in disbelief.
"No way…You…HOW DID YOU…" said Renard.
"Zip it, Renard. Just give us 10 gold coins." Said Ryo.
Renard reluctantly gave David and Ryo 10 gold coins. He still had no idea how a riolu and a treecko could rescue an espurr from a gang of barbaric mankeys led by a powerful primeape. This made him furious because he did not want to lose to a Treecko and a Riolu that he deemed as weak.
"Your success is nothing but a mere beginner's luck! I'm still better than both of you!" said Renard to David and Ryo.
"Then it is your turn. Prove that you are better than us by taking an S rank mission!" said Ryo.
"Gladly!" Said Renard. He then searched for an S rank mission on the job bulletin board but there were no S rank missions left. Just then, Rowley the Kecleon, a member of the intelligence division, came to update the job bulletin board.
"Rowley! Who took the S rank mission?!" asked Renard impatiently.
"Akira. He took the only S rank mission available for this week. There hasn't been many S rank missions lately. If you want to take the S rank mission, it is already too late." said Rowley the Kecleon.
"Damn it!" cursed Renard.
"You know, if you insist on taking the S rank mission, you can team up with Akira and the reward will be evenly divided." Said Rowley.
"Fine! Where is that Lucario?!" asked Renard.
"I saw him in the eating room just a few minutes ago and if you are lucky, you will…."
Before the Kecleon could finish his sentence, Renard rushed to the eating room to find Akira. Fortunately for the Jolteon, Akira was still there, having a loaf of bread with grilled unfezant for breakfast.
"Akira! Can I team up with you?" asked the Jolteon.
"Sure, if you must." said Akira. He hated teaming up with the arrogant and narcissistic Jolteon, but he was too polite to refuse.
"Good! Now give me the mission paper!" said Renard
"Take it!" said Akira.
Defeat Outlaw mission. Rank S. A group of bandits led by an Aggron is occupying an abandoned fort located east of Aeterna near Deepwald village. They have been robbing and murdering unwary travellers. Take no prisoners, kill them all. Bring the head of the Aggron as proof. Reward: 400 gold coins.
"Great! I love this kind of mission! Killing criminals will earn me high admiration and recognition I deserve! I will be hailed as local hero, as always!" said the Jolteon. Without wasting any time, Renard and Akira went to the abandoned fort to defeat the bandits and their leader. As the two were traveling, Renard began a small conversation with Akira.
"So, Akira. How does it feel like to be the best fighter in the knight's guild? You are highly skilled, all girls like you, and there is not a single pokemon in Arcadius who does not know you. So let me ask you one thing: How come you are so humble?" asked Renard
"Because showing off is for losers" said Akira bluntly.
"Hey! Are you saying that I'm a loser?!" asked Renard.
"If you don't want to be regarded as a loser, I suggest that you stop showing off." Said Akira.
"That is easy for you to say! I can't stop my habit of showing off because I constantly need praise and external validation! I desire to become the number one, but you are always getting in my way. I envy you Akira! You have fame, charm, intellect, and skill!" said Renard.
"Listen Renard. If you envy someone, you are just tormenting yourself. Rather than resenting on things that you don't have, you should be grateful of things that you have. That is the cure to envy." Said Akira.
"And What do I have?! Nothing! And nobody understands me!" cried Renard. Akira felt pity for Renard but chose not to say another word as he did not want to offend the Jolteon. Akira knew that deep down inside, Renard hated himself because he had a fragile self-esteem. The cause was still unknown however. Not long after that conversation, Renard and Akira arrived at the bandit-occupied fort. Seeing the two pokemon, the bandits, which consisted of Gravelers, attacked Akira and Ryo without hesitation. Akira quickly dispatched the all the Gravelers while Renard could not do much since he was an electric type. After the Gravelers were killed, the Aggron finally came out to fight Renard and Akira.
"Akira, let me deal with this Aggron. Leave this to me and don't interfere!" said Renard.
"Are you sure? I can kill this Aggron with one aura sphere since he has four times weakness to fighting type moves. Let me help you…" Said Akira.
"No! I may be a show off, but at least I am honest! I hate bragging about doing something that I didn't do! Let me kill the aggron so I can boast to everyone about how I single-handedly defeat the boss!" said Renard.
"As you wish then…" said Akira.
Renard attacked the aggron using the move thunderbolt. The attack landed successfully, but it didn't seem to hurt the aggron.
"HA…That tickles….Puny Jolteon!" said the Aggron.
"Don't call me puny!" Renard got offended and then he used the move wild charge. Again, the aggron was unaffected. He laughed at the poor jolteon. Renard froze in disbelief as the aggron insulted the jolteon.
"Now it is my turn." Said the Aggron as he used the move iron tail on the joltoen. The attack was a critical hit and the jolteon got injured severely.
"Argh… *cough*…damn you...*cough*" said the Jolteon.
"Renard! Are you okay?!" asked Akira
"I'm okay… The battle is not over yet! *cough*…" said the jolteon as he coughed up blood.
Oh no, he has internal bleeding…Akira thought.
The aggron continued to attack the jolteon with stone edge. Because of the attack, the jolteon was thrown up in the air and landed violently. His legs broke, and he became unable to move afterwards.
"This is too easy!" said the aggron.
As the aggron was about to step on the jolteon to crush him, Akira fired an aura sphere directly at the aggron's abdomen. The aura sphere was so powerful, that it tore open the abdomen, killing the aggron instantly. After the aggron died, Akira sawed the neck of the aggron and immediately use the move heal pulse on Renard.
"This should stop the internal bleeding…" said the Lucario. As the jolteon was being healed, Renard uttered a few words.
"Akira…." Said Renard weakly.
"Yes?" said Akira.
"I'm such a loser….I'm not like you…I never was…." Said Renard before he fainted.
The Lucario put the aggron's head inside his backpack, and proceeded to return to the knight's guild while carrying the unconscious Jolteon.