Chapter 3 - The Rescue Society

Ziggy practically clung to Sparks the entire way from the beach to the Society building.

It was saddening to see just how afraid the Buizel was of being seen by others. It wasn't hard for Sparks to imagine that he probably spent almost all of his time caked in mud so that nobody saw his different colours. To him, being seen as a dirty, filthy street punk was better than being seen as a shiny. A thought like that was simply heartbreaking.

"Come on, buddy," Sparks said to him in an encouraging voice, "There's nothing to be afraid of. Nobody's going to bother you."

Sparks did not challenge this behaviour as they approached the Society's headquarters. It was not exactly healthy behaviour, but Ziggy looked like he was already at the end of his rope. Sparks moved as quickly as he could. He had interacted with shiny Pokémon before, but none of them were nearly as skittish and nervous as Ziggy was.

Luckily, they managed to make it to the grounds of the Society without any issue. The worst they got was a few seconds of staring from some passing Pokémon. Soon enough, they stood before the massive building that housed the main branch of the Rescue Society. Sparks led Ziggy through the front gate and onto the grounds.

"Well, here we are!"

Now that they were past the gate and beyond the row of hedges that surrounded the property, there was a fully unobstructed view of the Society headquarters. A sprawling three storey building that rose up impressively from the hilltop that it stood upon. There was nothing particularly unique about its outward appearance, aside from the large logo of the Rescue Society emblazoned above the front door. Yet, it still projected a radiance of prestige, power, and leadership. Perhaps it was the way the building was kept in pristine condition, looking like a perfectly-shaped present that was waiting to be opened. Its walls were a pale off-white colour, with the trimmings painted in a mix of blue and yellow, the colours of the Society. Its front doors were large and imposing, not terribly unlike the doors of a castle, but their bright colours invited others to come in at any time of the day.

While Ziggy was busy looking up at the building with a mix of awe and intimidation, Sparks quickly dragged him off to the side, away from the front door. He led him around a corner to the eastern side of the building, where a smaller, secondary entrance was located. This was the door that only Society members could open. It was sort of an 'Employee Only' entrance.

Sparks let go of Ziggy's paw and stepped up to the door. He thrust out his chest a little, moving his badge closer to the door as he did. The badge shimmered a little, as if the sun had just cast a ray of light on it, and the door clicked open a second later.

"All right, come on in," Sparks said invitingly as he stepped through the door. He turned around, but saw that Ziggy hadn't followed him in. The Buizel was standing outside of the door, looking up nervously at the rest of the building that was now towering above him.

"Ziggy?" Sparks spoke up, recapturing his attention, "It's okay. Come on in."

He still didn't move. "Um…I…" he murmured as he wrung his paws together. He lifted his head and gazed through the doorway, but gulped as a flash of nervousness spread across his expression.

Sparks stepped back into the doorframe and held out his paw. "Ziggy, it's okay. You're allowed to come inside. I promise you. I'm inviting you in, and that's all the permission you need to come in this way." He tried to smile reassuringly. "Come on. It's warmer in here."

The Buizel seemed to hedge on whether or not to come inside, until he finally reached out and took Sparks' paw, allowing the Raichu to lead him inside.

"There we go," Sparks said to him in a soft voice that conveyed the fact that it was okay for him to be here.

Ziggy nervously gazed at his surroundings. That side door led directly into the alumni common room, a fairly large room that was designed as a mix between a lounging area and a dining area. There was a long wooden table along one end of the room, with one singular, long bench on either side making it resemble an extended picnic bench. That was where meals were eaten, but alumni were known to sit there between meals to just discuss things and hang out. Also in the room were a pair of couches, a single beanbag chair, and a large whiteboard with all manner of colourful marks and labels on it.

Sparks explained to Ziggy what the room was, and then went on to explain why it was currently empty. "It's the middle of the day, so pretty much everybody is out doing their job in one way or another. No-one should really bother us here while I get things sorted out, although you might see one or two Pokémon. Don't worry, they're all very friendly. I swear on my life."

He led the Buizel to one end of the long table and motioned for him to sit down. Ziggy hesitated yet again before eventually taking a seat at the very edge of the table. Sparks recognized that he had sat himself on the bench in such a way that he could make a quick escape if he needed to.

"Stay there, and I'll get you a towel," Sparks said to the Buizel, who was still damp from his bath in the ocean. When Ziggy looked frightened, Sparks reassured him. "I'll be gone two seconds. The bathroom's right over there."

Despite its important function, there were only three other doors leading into the room. One lead to the main hallway, where most of the society's other amenities could be found. Another led to the society's private dorm rooms, where all of the alumni lived and slept.

And, the third was the bathroom. Sparks quickly darted over to that door and stepped inside, grabbing a towel off the rack near the door. He stepped back out a moment later, half-expecting Ziggy to have run off already. Luckily, the Buizel was still seated at the table. Sparks headed over and handed the towel to Ziggy, who hesitantly took it. As Sparks sat down across from him, Ziggy dried his fur.

"Welcome to the Rescue Society, Ziggy," Sparks spoke up.

Ziggy was still glancing at the room around him as he finished drying his fur. When he looked back at Sparks a moment later, he just looked confused.

"…You do know what the Rescue Society is…don't you?" Sparks asked dubiously.

Ziggy shook his head.

"What?" Sparks replied in disbelief, "Are you for real? What, have you been living under a rock for the past 30 years?" A moment later, he reeled himself back in. "You know what? Don't answer that." He cleared his throat. "The Rescue Society is a worldwide organization devoted to helping others," he explained, "We have a presence in every major city on the map, but right here in Radiant City is where it all started. This building is the main headquarters for the Rescue Society, while also serving Radiant City itself. I am one of the many alumni working here. Our goal is to help others out, wherever help is needed. Helping others is what we live for."

The Buizel simply sat there and listened to his spiel in silence, and then nodded afterwards.

"I can tell you more later, but the point is that we're here to help you, Ziggy. If you're in trouble, that's all the reason needed for you to be here. We're all gonna do our best to help you, however we can. Does that sound good?"

Ziggy bit his lip and glanced around nervously again. Oddly, after he had finished drying his fur, he had left the towel draped over his head and shoulders as if he was wearing it. Sparks waited patiently for him to say something, and eventually he managed to get out a few words.

"I…" he mumbled, "I can't…pay you back 300 Poké…"

Sparks' eyebrows raised up. "What? Oh, forget about that, Ziggy. You don't owe me anything. It's no big deal."

Ziggy just gave him a look that said 'Are you nuts?'

"I know it's a lot of money," Sparks said, "but I don't care. Honestly. The important thing was getting you out of that bad situation. And furthermore, while we're on the subject, let me just remind you that our services are free. What we're doing for you isn't going to cost you anything. We just want to help."

"Help…?" Ziggy said. His voice was very low and rough, making it seem as if this was the most he had talked in a long time. "You'd help…someone like me?"

"Of course we would!" Sparks replied, slightly taken aback, "Why wouldn't we? Ziggy, we're not going to treat you like a criminal here unless you steal something from us."

Ziggy shook his head. "No, it's not that…"

"Then what?"

His look soured and he glanced away. He only grumbled softly in reply.

"What, because you're a shiny?" Sparks replied, "Ziggy, don't be ridiculous. We don't discriminate here. We help everybody here, whether they're an ACP or not."

The look Ziggy gave him in return conveyed that the Buizel didn't believe his words, and Sparks sighed again. Shiny Pokémon, unfortunately, were not treated well by society. Hundreds of years ago, they were ostracized and treated as freaks of nature. Civilization has come a long way since then, but shinies are still looked down upon by many Pokémon. They're shunned by some, and even hated by others. Shinies often have to endure undeserved violence and mistreatment. It was usually very difficult for them to get jobs, and there were even some backwards-thinking places that outright banned shinies, such as certain nightclubs and movie theatres.

Even from a young age, Sparks had found this behaviour disgusting. Thankfully, there were others out there who shared his sentiments towards shinies, but the number of such Pokémon was far too low. Sparks could even recall his mom and dad making some off-colour remarks about shinies from when he was a cub, which had always made him feel a bit put off.

Sparks now realized what Ziggy was doing with the towel. He was using it to try and hide the colour of his fur, even though it was only big enough to cover his head, and despite the fact that they were the only two in the room. Ziggy wasn't covered in mud anymore, which Sparks realized must have been something that gave the Buizel a sense of security, however small it may have been.

"Ziggy," he said, recapturing the Buizel's attention, "If anyone working here has a problem with your fur, then they won't be working here for much longer. Intolerance like that is not acceptable behaviour for an RSGA."

Ziggy's bewildered expression told Sparks that he didn't know what the acronym stood for.

"It means 'Rescue Society Guild Alumnus'," he explained, "It's sort of a blanket term for anybody who works for the guild. RSGA's get a badge like this one." Sparks pointed to the badge on his chest.

The Buizel examined the badge for a moment. "What's…an 'alumnus'?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Sparks snickered and replied, "A fancy word. It just means I trained here and now I work here."

"Oh…" The Buizel then fell silent and returned to nervously glancing at his surroundings. Sparks examined the other Pokémon, his expression troubled. He wanted to get more information out of Ziggy, but the Buizel was so jumpy and nervous. Ziggy looked like he didn't feel like talking at the moment.

"Food!" Sparks piped up, "I promised you food, didn't I?"

That particular word got Ziggy's attention.

"Heh…Sorry, Ziggy, I got distracted. What would you like? We've got all sorts of berries, we've got bread, jam, peanut butter…All kinds of good snacks. I'll get you a full meal later, but for now let's just get you something easy to snack on."

Ziggy blinked. "Full m…?"

"How about a PB&J sandwich?" he said, thinking about the bread that Ziggy had tried to steal but not wanting to bring it up.

"Uhh…" Ziggy murmured, looking up at Sparks anxiously, "S-sandwich…?" A bit of hope danced in his eyes briefly. "Um…S-sure, I'd like a sandwich…" His voice trailed off to a murmur, as if he was immediately afraid he had said something wrong.

Sparks smiled pleasantly and started to stand up. "No problem. I'll go get that right now."

Ziggy's demeanour changed the moment that Sparks stood up. He had started to look intrigued and somewhat hopeful at the prospect of food, but now looked panicked in the blink of an eye. He shot Sparks a terrified look and shrunk down in his seat. He didn't say a word, but Sparks quickly got the message.

The Raichu sat back down. "I can get somebody to pick it up for us," he said.

"Mmmn…" Ziggy whined, not looking very comfortable at all.

Sparks frowned as he looked at the Buizel, his concerns only growing. He then lifted a paw to his chest and tapped his badge. It glowed dimly and he spoke out loud. "Anybody in HQ?"

After a momentary pause, a male's voice emitted from the badge, just loud enough for both Pokémon to hear. "Kona here," it said, "What's up, Sparks?"

Ziggy was again staring wide-eyed at the badge. Sparks flashed him a quick grin, and then replied to the voice. "Hey, Kona. Can you do me a huge huge favour?"

"Sure! Whatcha need?"

"Can you please go down to the kitchen and make a peanut butter and jam sandwich, then bring it to the common room? I'm pretty sure Liz isn't here right now."

The voice snickered and replied in a joking tone, "Gettin' lazy in your senior years?"

"It's not for me."

There was a short pause, and Kona's voice returned in a more serious tone. "Got it. I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Thanks so much, Kona. I appreciate it."

The badge went dark, and Sparks returned his attention to the somewhat mystified Buizel. "Handy things, aren't they?" he quipped.

"How did…?"

"They're crafted with psychic energy," Sparks explained, "When you want to use one of its features, it can read your thoughts so it knows what you want. Like, if I think about turning on the flashlight…" Sparks then tapped his badge again, causing it to suddenly glow quite brightly. Ziggy yelped in surprise. The badge was now shining at him just like a flashlight.

"Oops," Sparks said as he turned the light off, "Sorry. Didn't think that would get you right in the eyes. My mistake."

Ziggy nodded, thankfully looking like he wasn't upset at being briefly blinded.

There was a short moment of silence. Sparks was hoping that once Ziggy got some food in his belly, he would become a bit more talkative. He was being very careful not to overwhelm the incredibly skittish Pokémon that sat before him. It would only take a few minutes for Kona to get the sandwich anyway.

"S…Sparks…?"

The Raichu almost missed the tiny voice. "Hm? Yes?"

"Can I…C-can I really…get help here?"

Sparks' heart nearly shattered in two when he heard the quiet, pleading voice of the Buizel. "Of course, Ziggy. That's what we're here for. I saw you out there and I saw that you needed help, so I'm going to help you."

"…Why?"

It was as if Sparks had just been asked why Pokémon needed to breathe air. "Huh? Why not?"

Ziggy sighed and said, "I'm…a thief. I've…been a thief for a very, very long time."

"Do you want to be a thief?" Sparks asked.

"H-huh? N-no, not at all…!"

"Are you going to steal from us?"

Ziggy's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "No…!" he said in a very shaky voice, "N-no, n-never! I-I-I…I would never steal from a place like this…I'd…get caught for sure, and I…" He gulped. "I couldn't…I c-couldn't handle it…"

Sparks reached over and placed his paw over Ziggy's, causing the Buizel to look up at him. "It's okay, Ziggy. You don't have to be a thief anymore. We're going to help you get on your paws. Even if it's something that's going to be difficult for us, we'll still do it. As long as you don't break our trust, you're our guest here. You'll get free food, free shelter, and free help." Sparks chuckled. "You're probably thinking that stealing wouldn't be worth giving all of that up, right?"

"F-free…?" Ziggy murmured.

Before he could say anything else, though, the door on the other end of the room clicked open. Ziggy reacted immediately, and started to dart out of his seat and run for the hills. The towel flew off of his head and fell to the ground. Sparks had to quickly stand up and intervene. "Ziggy! Hey! Calm down, okay? Calm down. It's okay. He's a friend of mine. He won't hurt you."

Ziggy had gotten halfway out of his seat before Sparks had stopped him. For a moment he just stayed there haphazardly, breathing quickly and staring up at Sparks. Then, he nervously glanced over his shoulder to behold the newcomer.

Standing in the doorway was a short Dewott holding a plate with a sandwich on it and a glass of water. Like Sparks, he had a badge clipped to his chest fur. The Dewott was looking in on the scene with wide eyes and was refraining from moving beyond the doorframe.

"Ziggy, that's Kona," Sparks said, introducing the newcomer.

This seemed to relax Ziggy, but only slightly. He was now staring at Kona with an anxious expression, his chest still rising and falling rapidly. Sparks urged him to return to a proper sitting position, and he did so somewhat reluctantly. Not once did he take his eyes off of the Dewott.

"Come on in, Kona. This is Ziggy."

Kona entered the room slowly, closing the door behind him, and carefully approached the end of the long table. He had adopted a friendly smile, but Ziggy was still staring at him warily. Once Kona was close enough, he reached over and placed the sandwich and water on the table.

"Hi there," he said, "As Sparks already said, my name's Kona. Welcome to the Rescue Society."

Ziggy didn't react. He was as still as a statue. Sparks looked at him and realized he was shivering a little.

Kona seemed to pick up on this, thankfully, and said, "You look like you're pretty hungry, so I'll let you enjoy your sandwich. It was nice to meet you." He then bowed his head respectfully in lieu of a pawshake, and then promptly turned around and left. Ziggy still kept his eyes trained on him until he had left the room and shut the door once more.

"See? What did I tell ya?" Sparks said, slightly jolting the Buizel back into reality, "We're all friendly here."

Ziggy's eyes briefly darted down to Sparks' badge, and appeared to make the connection in his mind. "He's…an…?"

"An RSGA, yes. He's been here for a couple of years. He joined just after he evolved from an Oshawott."

"…Oh."

Sparks sat back down across from him and indicated the sandwich with his paw. "Go ahead, buddy. Eat up. Don't worry, I don't mind waiting."

Ziggy looked down at the sandwich, as if suddenly remembering that it was there. Within seconds, he was practically drooling. His eyes started darting around, first to Sparks and then to the door where Kona had gone. It was like a window into the mind of somebody having a conundrum.

Sparks didn't have to verbally encourage him, though. The allure of food was too much for Ziggy to resist. He reached down with his paws, hesitating for a moment before actually touching it, and then picked it up. He looked up at Sparks one last time for confirmation that he was indeed allowed to eat it.

Then, he took a big bite. He chewed slowly at first, but Sparks could practically see the magic quickly growing in his expression. His eyes grew wide as he chewed his first bite, and one could practically hear the heavenly choir.

Once he swallowed his first bite, Ziggy then began to ravenously devour the rest of the sandwich. Sparks watched in amusement as the Buizel practically inhaled the snack. He was holding it close to his chest, as if subconsciously afraid that somebody would take it away, and he took bites from it so quickly that Sparks worried he would get the hiccups.

In no time at all, the sandwich was completely gone, crusts and all. There were hardly even any crumbs left. Ziggy was chewing his last bite, wearing an expression of relief and satisfaction. He didn't smile, but Sparks could see the sense of bliss overcoming the hungry Buizel. Even just a simple sandwich like that had to have tasted absolutely incredible to him.

"Good?" Sparks enquired.

Ziggy's eyes fluttered back open, and he reached for the glass of water. In seconds, he downed the entire contents of the glass.

"Whoa. Slow down there, buddy."

"Dear Arceus…" Ziggy murmured in a far-off voice, "I…Th-that was incredible…"

Sparks snickered softly. "You looked like you needed some real food."

"I…" Ziggy slowly turned to look at him, "I…I haven't eaten something like that in…in…I don't even remember…"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Sparks said with a smile.

"It tasted so good…" Ziggy spent a moment just looking at him, and the room was silent for a short time. Eventually, Ziggy finally spoke up again in a very quiet voice. "Th…Thank you…"

"Ah, you don't have to thank us for that. Free food is one of our staples."

Ziggy shook his head. "No. No, I…Thank you, S-Sparks… I didn't…want to believe it. But you really gave me…good food. Food I didn't have to steal…"

Sparks frowned, and leaned across the table a bit. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" he asked in a compassionate tone. He was thankful, at least, that the Buizel was a bit more talkative now that he had food in his stomach.

"I…I don't know what to say…I don't think I can remember the last time anybody gave me…free food…"

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?" Sparks asked, "What's the story of Ziggy?"

The Buizel frowned in response. "It's not a happy one…" he mumbled. He then sighed and leaned his head on one of his paws. "There's not even much of a story to tell. I live on the streets, I sleep in alleyways, and I steal something to eat every day. I…only steal so I don't starve…and sometimes it feels like I can just barely manage that."

Sparks gave him a troubled look. "But what about before all of that? What happened? Why did you end up homeless?"

"Nothing happened. It's been like that my whole life. Just been me, alone on the streets."

"Your…whole life?" Sparks blinked. "…How old are you?"

"Ummm…" Ziggy appeared confused. "I dunno. I don't really keep track."

Sparks skewed his lips. Ziggy looked like he was at least 15, but it was startling to find somebody who didn't even know their own age. "That's…really all you know? Being on the streets since you were a cub?"

Ziggy nodded sadly. "Pretty much…"

Sparks was about to say something a bit more uplifting when the door swung open once more. Just like before, Ziggy immediately panicked and started to dart for safety. Sparks reached out and firmly grasped his paw, uttering some calming words and managing to stop Ziggy before he got out of his seat. "Good heavens, buddy. Relax…" he said in a slightly exasperated tone.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

Sparks and Ziggy turned to regard the Pokémon that had come through the door. It was a short, fluffy Eevee with a badge on his chest and a bag over his shoulder.

"Hi, Terry," Sparks greeted him, "It's okay. I'm helping Ziggy here get settled with us." He then addressed Ziggy and said, "That's Terry. He's one of our newer guild members."

Sparks was astounded at the level of fear in Ziggy's expression. Terry was about as non-threatening as Pokémon could get. Though he hated to be described as such, he was an adorable fluffy ball of poof. Yet, Ziggy still stared at him with the same wide-eyed expression one might give a rampaging Aggron.

"Hi, Ziggy!" Terry greeted him cheerfully. He then turned to Sparks and said, "I was gonna hang out here and read, but I can do it in my room instead."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Sparks replied.

Terry took another look at Ziggy and then shrugged. "It's okay. I don't mind. I wanted somewhere quiet, and my room's just as quiet. It's fine."

"All right, then. Thanks, Terry."

The Eevee smiled and nodded, and then began to make his way to the door on the other side of the room. Ziggy watched him the entire way with a fearful and self-conscious look. Sparks again frowned, realizing the extent to which Ziggy was failing in basic social situations.

Terry paused before opening the door to the guild members' dorms and turned to look at them once more. "It was nice to meet you, Ziggy. Welcome to the guild."

As Sparks expected, Ziggy didn't respond. Terry frowned a bit at this, but only for a second.

"Hey, Terry? Before you go," Sparks spoke up, "Is Carmen busy?"

"Carmen?" Terry replied, "I saw her walking through the halls a moment ago, so…?"

"Ah, she might still be busy but that's the best I'm gonna get. Thanks, Terry."

Terry nodded, and then gave one more parting smile to the Buizel before he left the room. Ziggy didn't relax until the door clicked shut.

"I forgot that he has the day off today," Sparks commented.

"C…Carmen…?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Hang on a sec…" Sparks then tapped his badge again, making it glow once more. "Carmen? I'm sorry to bother you, but there is an issue that requires your presence in the common room."

There was a noticeable pause before the badge glowed again and a somewhat gruff female's voice emitted from it. "Sparks, are you certain this is something that requires my presence?"

"Yes ma'am."

There was another pause. "All right, I'll be down in a bit."

The badge dimmed, and Sparks returned his attention to Ziggy. He was slightly surprised to see the Buizel giving him a wide-eyed, fearful look. "Who…?" Ziggy murmured.

"Oh, sorry buddy. Carmen is our guildmaster. She runs the guild that specifically serves Radiant City. Technically, she's only a few steps below running the entire Rescue Society, so a lot of our alumni answer to her. She's the one I need to talk to in order to get you set up with us. Y'know, get you a room to sleep in and all that."

Ziggy didn't look any less fearful, so Sparks added, "Don't worry, she's very friendly. She just has a bit of a smarmy attitude sometimes because she has so much work to do. When it comes to clients like you, she's very polite."

Still, this didn't really seem to lower Ziggy's anxiety. This troubled Sparks, and he wondered if the Buizel had an aversion to Pokémon in positions of power. It was likely that, due to his past, he'd had unfavourable run-ins with the police before.

"Ziggy. Buddy. Relax, okay? I've known Carmen for a long time. I was here since before she became guildmaster. We're old friends, she and I. She might be a bit rough on the outside sometimes, but you don't have to worry about her. So breathe, okay? Or you're gonna pass out."

Ziggy whined softly. "Okay…" he said in a tone that was clearly unconvinced.

Sparks realized he was being a bit intense and reeled himself back in. "I'm sorry if this is prying a bit," he asked, "but why did you react to Terry the way you did? Terry wouldn't hurt a Caterpie. He hasn't even taken combat training yet."

He just whined again and hung his head.

After a moment of silence, Sparks said, "It runs that deep, huh?" His heart ached again as he took in the sight of the pathetic-looking Buizel. There was still dirt on his fur from when he had been covered in mud and he was far too skinny. He had a very tired look in his eyes, despite how alert and afraid they could be sometimes.

"Well, cheer up, buddy," Sparks spoke up, "After we talk to Carmen we'll get you a full meal, okay? A nice, real dinner."

Again, the mention of food grabbed Ziggy's attitude almost instantly. "M…more…?" he murmured.

"Oh, heck yeah. We gotta get some meat on those bones, buddy. Speakin' of which, I gotta admit, you move really fast. I honestly didn't expect you to be so swift when, well, you're malnourished and covered in mud."

"Ah, well…" Ziggy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and glanced away. "That's…why Pokémon call me Ziggy. That's how I got that name. Y'know, 'cus I zig and zag everywhere. I've always been kinda fast…"

"Oh, really?" Sparks asked, intrigued, "Who gave you that name? Did you have friends when you were younger?"

"I don't know, it was when I was a really young cub."

Sparks studied the Buizel for a moment. A few interesting thoughts started to cloud his brain, but he wasn't able to give them any attention because the door opened a few moments later. Ziggy again tried to bolt, and this time Sparks was too distracted to calm him down in time. However, instead of running away, Ziggy simply ducked underneath the end of the table and nervously peeked over the top.

Standing in the doorway was a tall Braixen, about a half a foot taller than Sparks was. She too had a badge clipped to her chest, but hers looked a little bit different in design. She took in the scene inside of the room with a calculating eye, quickly assessing the situation. Her fur was a bit scruffy in places, but Sparks knew that was because she was very busy and didn't really care about looking perfect. She wore around her neck a blue scarf that was draped over one of her shoulders.

"Hey, Carmen," Sparks greeted her, inviting her in with a wave of his paw.

"Hello, Sparks," she replied as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She made her way over to the table, studying the hiding Buizel the entire time. "And hello to you as well," she said to him, "Who might you be?"

Sparks gave Ziggy a chance to answer for himself, but it looked like no words were coming out of his mouth. As Carmen had approached, he had sunk a little lower beneath the table. Ziggy was already intimidated by him, and Carmen was even taller than he was.

"This is Ziggy," Sparks eventually replied, "He needs a place to stay and a bite to eat."

"I see," Carmen replied. Instead of sitting down at the table, she instead took a step to the side and knelt down so that she was at eye-level with the frightened Buizel. "Welcome to the Rescue Society, Ziggy. My name is Carmen." She held out one of her paws for a pawshake, and Ziggy flinched at it. She immediately withdrew it but continued to smile warmly at him.

"It looks like you're going through tough times," Carmen commented, giving him a sympathetic frown.

A tiny little squeak of a whine was the only sound Ziggy made, and Sparks could see that he was now shivering. "Buddy," he said in a calm voice, "Relax. If there's anybody you can trust in this place, it's Carmen. She's the guildmaster for a reason."

Carmen simply remained in place, looking at Ziggy and smiling gently. A heavy silence fell across the room and nobody moved for a couple of tense minutes. Carmen never said or did anything else. She simply remained kneeling there, looking at the Buizel and giving him a friendly, disarming smile.

Finally, the silence was broken as Ziggy gulped. "H…H-hi…" he chirped in a hoarse voice.

"Hello," Carmen replied softly and sweetly.

Ziggy whined and shrunk back a little.

"Not much of a talker, hm? That's okay." Carmen then lifted her head to regard Sparks and said, "What happened?"

"Ah…Long story short, he's been living on the streets for years and stealing food to survive. A shop-owner caught him trying to steal food and threatened him with violence, so I stepped in to disarm the situation. I offered him our services afterwards."

Carmen nodded and said, "I see." She then looked at Ziggy again. "We can certainly get that set up for you. We offer temporary lodging for those who need it, during which time we can help you get back on the right track. Does that sound okay?"

Ziggy, still frozen on the spot, gulped and then nodded subtly.

"Great," Carmen replied, "I will get you registered then." She then stood up, which made Ziggy flinch just a bit, and turned to the Raichu once more. "Sparks, could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," he replied, and then got up from the table. Ziggy let out a confused and worried whine, and made a feeble attempt to reach out with his paw and grab Sparks' hind leg. When Sparks turned to look at him, Ziggy looked terrified.

"I'll just be a minute," he said reassuringly, "I'll just be through that door over there." He then pointed to the doors that led to the alumni dorms. Carmen usually liked to have one-on-one conversations in one of the presently-empty dorms.

Ziggy didn't look reassured at all. There was a now-familiar look of growing panic in his expression. Sparks was confused at first, but then realized that the frightened Buizel might have latched onto him as a sort of security anchor. "I'll just be a couple minutes," he repeated, trying to give Ziggy a calming smile, "You have nothing to worry about here. If anybody asks who you are, you can just say you're with me. If you really, really need me, then come and knock on that door. Okay?"

Still, Ziggy didn't look too pleased with this notion. Eventually, though, he did give Sparks a nervous nod and slowly made his way back to his seat. Satisfied that the Buizel would be fine for the moment, Sparks turned to Carmen again. Carmen had been watching this exchange with a slightly troubled look. When she saw he was ready, she led him over to the door on the far side. They exited, with Sparks giving Ziggy one last reassuring smile.

On the other side of the door was a simple hallway, like one might expect to find in a hotel or a school. There was a long row of doors on either side of the hallway, some of which had nameplates on them. Carmen used her badge to open the door immediately to their right, which was unlabeled, and the two headed inside. This room was completely bare, without a single article of furniture in it. It was one of the rooms that would be given away should they get any new members.

Once the door was closed, Carmen gave Sparks a look and rubbed her forehead. She let out a quick sigh and then simply said, "Sparks…" in a slightly exasperated voice.

"Yes, ma'am?" Sparks replied.

"Sparks, we've talked about this," Carmen said, giving him a flat look, "The Rescue Society cannot take in every single homeless Pokémon you find out in Radiant City. I know your intentions are good, but we just simply don't have enough room or the resources. There are other services out there that can help with homelessness."

"I know, I know," Sparks interjected, holding up his paws in defense, "I didn't bring him in because he's homeless, Carmen. I brought him in because I could see that he needs our help. Bad. I mean, you saw him out there. He was absolutely terrified of you from the moment he saw you."

"He did seem rather skittish," Carmen commented.

"'Skittish' doesn't even begin to describe it, I'm afraid. He's terrified of everybody else, and he told me it's simply because he's a shiny and he's been mistreated in the past."

"Oh dear…" Carmen started to lose a bit of her stern expression.

"Carmen, when I found him out there he was covered from head to toe in mud. He told me he keeps mud on his fur all the time so that others don't see the colour of his fur. He nearly had a panic attack when I told him he had to take a bath and wash it off. And it isn't just you. He panicked when Terry entered the room."

Carmen was silent for a moment. She was the boss of almost everybody working in the building, but she was never one for formalities and such. Sparks had known the Braixen for long enough to know that he could talk to her like she was just a friend, and wasn't afraid to debate things with her. She wasn't even a fan of being called 'ma'am', and she simply tolerated it.

Above all, though, Sparks knew the reason why Carmen was the guildmaster. It was because she had a big heart.

"How would you describe him, Sparks?" she eventually asked.

"Scared, alone, hopeless, feeling like he's trapped…Words I would not use to describe him are criminal, vagabond, or dangerous. I am certain that he's not going to cause any trouble for us, and I think we can really help him."

Carmen nodded thoughtfully. To be fair, Sparks understood her side of the argument. In his early days as a Raichu, he had come back to the Society with many homeless Pokémon in tow, some of which were not the most savoury of characters. It had just hurt his heart too much to see Pokémon without a roof over their heads. Carmen eventually convinced him that homelessness programs in Radiant City would be better suited for most of them.

"He told me he's been homeless for as long as he can remember, because he's so afraid of others mistreating him."

"I suppose we can give him a room. We're not exactly strapped for space at the moment. I just wanted to make sure you weren't overstepping this time."

Sparks nodded. "I understand, Carmen. Thank you. Although…I was thinking that it might be better if we could house him here, in the alumni wing."

"What? Why would we do that?"

"Because he's so frightened and prone to panic. I know most of the Pokémon we shelter here are nice and friendly, but we do have a few…'characters' here. I would hate for him to be frightened off, and I thought it would be helpful if he has a room near someone he trusts. Right now, I think I'm the closest thing to someone he trusts."

Carmen crossed her forelimbs and pursed her lips for a moment, but then said, "I'll consider it. Let's just worry about getting him registered and giving him a proper meal for now."

"Right," Sparks nodded, "Thanks, Carmen."

"You're a good Pokémon, Sparks," she replied, "Just watch that your good heart doesn't get you into trouble."

The two exited the room and made their way back to the common room. Sparks was feeling good, happy that Carmen could see things the way he did. As soon as Sparks opened the door, though, he immediately saw that something was wrong.

The room was completely empty. Ziggy was nowhere to be seen. The only sign of him that remained were the empty plate and drinking glass on the table.

"Ziggy?" Sparks called out, hoping that the Buizel was just hiding under the table. Nobody answered.

"Where did he go?" Carmen asked from behind him.

The answer came to him a moment later when he turned his head to the side. The door to the outside, the one he and Ziggy had initially entered through, was wide open. As it was an employees-only door, all RSGA's were strictly instructed to close it behind them. As such, there was only one logical explanation as to what had happened.

Ziggy had bolted.

"No…" Sparks slumped, his ears and tail drooping as a feeling of defeat overcame him. The first time Ziggy had run away from him had hurt, but this was like a punch to the gut. He had really, truly thought he'd broken through to the poor Buizel. Apparently not, though. Something had spooked him, and now he was gone again.

"He ran away?" Carmen spoke up from behind him. It wasn't so much a question as it was a simple observation of fact.

Sparks simply hung his head.