Chapter 5 - Good Morning
Ziggy awoke with a startled gasp.
Panic gripped him for a moment as the last remnants of his frightening dream twisted his perception of reality. He didn't know where he was or what had happened. He was in an unfamiliar place. Something bad was happening!
After wildly wrestling with the 'evil creature' that was trying to suffocate him, he eventually came to the realization that it was, in fact, a blanket. His heart hammered in his chest as he looked around, trying to understand the world around him. A fairly plain, featureless room was what greeted him. He was surrounded by the wood paneling of blank walls and a complete lack of furniture.
It took him a moment to latch onto the surprising fact that he was indoors.
Again, panic choked him in a vice grip for a moment, until finally his memories of the past day came back to him. He remembered Sparks, and the incident with the Clefable. He remembered that this was the room he had fallen asleep in; a room within the building for the 'Society'.
Ziggy took a moment to glance at his surroundings again, and then examined himself. He was unscathed. He had been almost positive that he was going to wake up in chains, or with his fur burned off, or any number of horrible possibilities. Instead, it looked as if nothing had happened during the night. Nothing at all.
It really had been a safe place to spend the night.
Ziggy then glanced over his shoulder, looking back at the one wall he hadn't examined yet. That was where the room's door was located, and it was currently shut tightly. There was also something white sitting at the base of the door.
The Buizel slowly got up and carefully inched his way over to the door. He picked up the object, seeing that it was a sheet of paper with something paw-written on it. Ziggy sat there for a minute and studied the note. Reading wasn't exactly his strong suit. It just took him a bit longer than others.
It read, 'Good morning, Ziggy. Hope you slept well. I know a lot has happened lately and you still might be a bit nervous about things. I'd like to talk to you alone in this room, where nobody else will bother us. Take your time waking up. When you're ready, just knock on the door. ~Sparks'
A few minutes earlier…
"Is that the Buizel's room?"
Sparks' ears perked at the sound of the newcomer, and turned to see that Kona was approaching him. The Dewott wore an inquisitive look.
"Yes," Sparks replied in a quiet voice. The rooms were somewhat soundproof, but he still didn't want to risk waking Ziggy up. "I'm gonna have a chat with him when he wakes up."
"Is he okay?" Kona asked, likely referring to everything that had happened yesterday.
"I…don't know for sure," Sparks admitted, "He's very easily frightened around other Pokémon."
"Yeah, I definitely noticed that…"
"Hopefully I'll be able to get him out of his room some time today, and I can introduce him to everybody here."
Kona nodded. "He did seem nice, despite his panic. Well, I gotta go. The request board is callin' my name. I was just grabbing something from my room."
"All right. Good luck out there, bud."
Sparks watched idly as Kona ducked into his room, which was across the hall from his own, and then headed back out the door with a shoulder-strap satchel. Memories of Sparks' earlier days in the guild resurfaced, making him feel nostalgic for a moment. He had joined the Rescue Society only a few days after evolving into a Pikachu, back when he was still very young, and had been with them ever since. Decades had passed since he had first joined, and life had thrown many wild things at him along the way.
He idly wondered what sort of 'thing' life was trying to throw at him with Ziggy.
Speak of the devil, Sparks' ears perked up. He had just barely heard a very quiet knocking coming from the door he was standing next to. It appeared that his guest was awake. "Ziggy?" he called through the door, "You up? Can I come in? Knock again if I can come in." After a noticeable pause, there came another couple of knocks on the door. Sparks leaned forward and presented his badge to the door, causing the former to glow and the latter to unlock. Usually only the room's owner and the guildmaster could unlock dorm room doors, but any badge could unlock an unclaimed room such as this.
Sparks slowly swung the door inward and caught a glimpse of Ziggy darting back in fright. The two locked eyes and Ziggy seemed to relax just a little bit. Sparks smiled warmly and said, "Good morning!"
"…M…Mornin'…" Ziggy Mareepishly replied.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Um…Good, actually…"
Sparks nodded, remaining in the doorframe. "Hungry?" he asked.
Ziggy practically inflated like a balloon just from that one, single word.
"Heh," Sparks chuckled, "Liz already made you some breakfast. Would you like me to bring it here?"
The Buizel glanced around a bit, and then nodded demurely.
"Be right back!"
Sparks closed the door again, and then headed back towards the common room. Sitting on the table nearby was a plate holding a croissant, a Nanab berry and a few slices of Oran berry. It was a small but simple breakfast that didn't need to be kept warm, and next to it was note requesting that nobody else touch it. Sparks picked it up and brought it back to the room. He knocked on the door to signify his presence and then opened it with his badge again.
Ziggy was sitting on his collection of blankets and pillows in the middle of the room, and his eyes grew quite large when he saw the food Sparks was carrying. Sparks handed it to him and sat down on the floor a respectable distance away. "There you go. Dig in! That's just to start you off. Later, Liz can make you a warm meal for brunch."
The Buizel took one cursory look at Sparks, just to make absolutely sure it was okay to eat the food, and then picked up the croissant. He practically started weeping after taking a bite. After he swallowed, an inquisitive look appeared on his face and he asked, "…What's 'brunch'?"
Sparks held back a snicker, not wanting to offend him. "It's a meal between breakfast and lunch. Or, in your case, just an excuse to eat a hot breakfast meal even though it won't be breakfast. It's just semantics."
Ziggy had gone wide-eyed at the concept of an extra meal in the day, but Sparks' last word had left him looking confused.
"More food is coming later," he simplified.
"Y-yeah? Okay…!" Ziggy then went back to finishing his croissant. Just like yesterday, he ate quite hungrily. It was easy to see his malnutrition just in the way that he ate. Sparks would have to make sure Liz didn't skimp on the eats later.
Once he had eaten all but a few slices of Oran, Sparks decided to reignite the conversation. "How're you feeling? Still no injuries or anything?"
Ziggy shook his head. "I'm okay…"
"I just wanted to, again, apologize for the behaviour of one of our clients in your presence. And…I also wanted to apologize for leaving you alone in that room. That was just a dumb move on my part," Sparks said remorsefully.
The room fell silent for a few moments. Ziggy swallowed his last bites of food, and then looked up at Sparks with a sort of melancholy look. He then took another look at his surroundings. "Um…" he spoke up in a very soft voice, "Th…Thanks for…letting me come back."
"You're welcome! But don't just thank me. Carmen's the one who decided to let you have this room. During your stay here, I'll be right next door to you. And don't worry, we're gonna get it furnished today. You'll have an actual bed by tonight!"
For a moment, Ziggy just looked up at him. His eyes were again big and wide, and Sparks could see immense gratitude in them. He still wore a frown, though. "I…R-really…?" he muttered, "I...don't know what to say…"
"You don't have to say anything, buddy."
"This is so much…Y-you're so nice to me…I really don't know what I did…to deserve all of this kindness…"
Now it was Sparks' turn to frown. "You don't have to 'do' something to deserve kindness, Ziggy. Kindness is what our organization's about, remember? We just want to help you out, and see you towards a life off of the street."
A cloud of pessimism washed over him. "That's…really nice of you to say, but…I don't think it's gonna happen."
"What? Why not?" Sparks paused for a minute, a troubled look on his face. "Hasn't anybody tried to help you before? Even just a little bit? Maybe someone gave you a few Poké, or a free piece of bread?"
To Sparks' shock, Ziggy just shook his head.
"I…can't fathom something like that. Why? Just…why?"
"Because I'm a freak," Ziggy replied depressingly, "I'm just a freak to everybody. No-one wants to help me. No-one wants anything to do with me."
"Hey," Sparks interjected, giving Ziggy a serious look, "I don't ever want to hear you call yourself a freak, okay? Alternately coloured Pokémon are not freaks, they're just different. It's bad enough if others have called you that, but I'm not gonna sit here and let you call yourself a freak."
Ziggy just gave him a look that said he didn't share the Raichu's enthusiasm.
"I guess…you really haven't been treated very well in the past?" Sparks asked, a bit of a sobering tone to his voice.
Distress immediately appeared in Ziggy's expression and he glanced away.
"That's why you wear the mud…and why you steal food and hide away from everybody in the alleys?"
Ziggy just nodded.
"…What about your parents?" Sparks asked.
"I never had parents," Ziggy replied flatly, "They were gone before I ever knew them."
Sparks frowned even more, heartbroken. It was bad enough to hear that something had taken Ziggy's parents away so early in his life. What made it worse was the complete lack of grief in Ziggy's voice. There wasn't a trace of sorrow. Ziggy wasn't upset that he had lost his parents, because he had never known them in the first place.
"Ziggy…I'm so sorry to hear that."
Ziggy let out a heavy sigh. He was starting to retreat back into his shell already.
"So…even if circumstances were better, you would have nowhere to go?"
The Buizel numbly shook his head.
"Well, hey," Sparks said, trying to cheer him up, "It's our mission to change that. I don't mean to brag, but we have a very high success rate."
Ziggy lifted his gaze and looked up at the Raichu. There was a bit less sadness and a bit more curiosity in his eyes.
"So, listen," Sparks continued, "We have to get out of this room, because some of our guildmembers are coming by pretty soon to set it up for you. Y'know, bed and such?" When Ziggy started looking a bit nervous about the prospect of leaving his room, Sparks said, "Do you feel okay going to hang out in the common room with me? Or do you wanna keep things low-key for a bit longer?"
"Well, um…" Ziggy murmured. He said nothing more, but his answer was clear.
"That's okay. We can go hang out in my room. Is that okay with you?"
"Uhh…" Ziggy pondered the question for a moment. "I, uh…I guess so."
"Great!"
So, the two got up and made their way to the room next door. Sparks noticed how Ziggy carefully looked to make sure the hallway was empty before crossing the extremely short distance between the rooms. Either way, they were soon enough in his room.
Sparks saw Ziggy looking at his surroundings. His room was a bit of a mess, to be quite honest. There were papers and other work-related junk lying about wherever it had fallen, and a writing desk that was not organized even a little bit. It was lit up by a single table lamp. On the far wall was a small bookshelf. Sparks liked to read, but he was quick to admit that his tastes were very particular and not many books could grab his interest. On the walls were a few photographs of memorable points in his life; some with his family, and some with past clients. Finally was his bed, which wasn't made. Sparks didn't believe in making beds. It was just going to get messed up as soon as you went to sleep in it anyway.
Sparks sat on the carpeted floor and indicated for Ziggy to do the same, but saw that Ziggy seemed to paying a lot of attention to some of the pictures framed on his wall. "Those are some of the Pokémon I've helped," he explained.
"Really…?"
"Yeah! Right there in front of you, that's a little orphaned Smoochum and the family I found who were willing to take her in. Up there, you've got the Pokéathlon team I stepped in to coach when the actual coach broke his leg. There's the Leafeon I saved from a burning building, and there's me and Carmen standing next to a young Poochyena who…was standing on the Radiant City Bridge…ready to jump."
Ziggy turned and looked back at him in shock.
"That's why I do what I do," Sparks said, "That little Poochyena is now a Mightyena, and he's now a police officer in a small town."
"Wow…" Ziggy breathed softly, "There's…a lot of pictures here…"
"These are just the ones that had a great impact on my life. The ones I stay in touch with. But, there's also some pictures of my family. Right there to your left, that's my dumb brother." He snickered after the last sentence, but then his laughter died away. Sparks bit his lip, hoping he hadn't hit a sore spot.
Ziggy didn't seem offended, and finally came over to sit down on the ground across from him.
"Sorry, I don't mean to brag or anything," Sparks apologized, "but I figured we've been talking about you for quite a while now. Is there anything you'd like to know about me? Or maybe about the Society?"
"Uhm…" Ziggy murmured, appearing as if he had been put on the spot suddenly, "I…I dunno…"
"Go ahead. You can ask anything you want."
Ziggy fidgeted on the spot for a minute, and Sparks figured that he was unused to being in the spotlight even in a one-on-one conversation. He briefly glanced back at the pictures on the wall, and then asked, "What did you save the…sports team from?"
"Hm?" Sparks tilted his head. "Save them?"
"Did you…rescue them from something?"
A few seconds passed with Sparks just blinking, a blank look on his face. Then, the torch in his brain lit up. "Ohhh!" he quietly exclaimed, "Oh, 'The Rescue Society'! Oh, I see what you mean." He then shook his head and chuckled softly. "No, that's just our name. It's not…exactly our 'mission statement', per se. Although, I guess you could say it fits sort of abstractly. We rescue those who are in need of help, but it's not like they're all trapped in burning buildings or lost in dungeons."
"Oh…"
"It's actually a historical name," Sparks continued to explain, "You see…back when the lands were still being discovered and explored and colonized, there were still plenty of dangerous places where unknown dangers lurked. Thus, 'Rescue Teams' started to form so they could go and rescue Pokémon who got lost in a forest or trapped in a cave. Then later came the Exploration Teams, and the Dungeoneering Teams, and such and such. When most of the world's guilds unified into a single organization, the name we chose harkened back to those original 'Rescue Teams' who started it all. The world is a different place now, more modern and mapped-out, but Pokémon still need help so we're still around."
Ziggy blinked a few times. "Huh…" he commented, "C-cool…You seem to know this stuff."
"Heh…I oughta. I've been working here for more than 30 years."
Ziggy's eyes nearly popped right out of his skull. "30 years…?!"
"Uh huh," Sparks said with a nod, "Carmen is the guildmaster, but I'm the 'senior alumnus', meaning I've been here the longest."
"Oh gosh…"
"Yeah, a lot's happened in those 30 years…" Sparks sighed nostalgically. "I used to be out there in the field every day, just like the rest of the active team like Kona and Terry. Taking requests, answering calls to action, working with clients. I rose to quite a high rank, which meant that I was allowed to pursue tasks that were a bit more dangerous.
"But, ah…" Sparks trailed off for a moment. "Things changed. Technically speaking, I am no longer the same sort of alumnus that the others are. I don't take requests or do very many missions these days, rather just the stuff Carmen assigns me. I spend more of my time here in the headquarters." He sighed again. "A part of me misses those days, but I always remember that in cases where I can't be of help, there's always more than one Pokémon working here who can."
Ziggy was looking up at him like a cub listening to a story being told, and it made Sparks chuckle a little. "I wasn't even on duty when I found you. Both times, actually. But, well, it's hard to turn that switch in my brain off. Someone needs help, and I gotta try."
"Mhm…" Ziggy glanced away for a moment. "Th…Thank you, again…"
"Not a problem, buddy. Not a problem at all."
"I was…actually glad when you came back the second time…and then the third time…"
Sparks studied the Buizel for a moment, recalling a thought he'd had earlier. "Ziggy," he said, "Have you always lived in Radiant City?"
Ziggy glanced back at him and then shook his head.
"I had a feeling," Sparks remarked.
"I…Well, I think I was born in a place called Dewdrop Town, or something like that..."
Sparks furrowed his brow as he tried to think of the town in question. He was sure he had heard the name before, but was having trouble putting his paw on it.
"I only have a few fuzzy memories of there, so I think I lived there when I was very young," Ziggy continued, "And then I went and lived on the streets of Sunshine Village. That's where I lived for most of my life."
Sunshine Village was a place that Sparks had actually been to a few times, mostly when he had been a Pikachu and was working on assignments. It was a bit of a larger village, but still quite small and very peaceful. "On the streets?" Sparks asked.
Ziggy nodded. "I lived in the shadows there and stole just enough food every day so I wouldn't starve," he said, sadness creeping into his voice, "It was a hard life, but I could manage. I got good enough at sneaking food away that I could do it really easily, and I never stole from the same Pokémon more than once in a week…"
Sparks simply kept a soft expression and nodded. He had already committed to forgiving Ziggy for his life of theft and wasn't going to change that now.
"But then…" Ziggy said as his expression soured, "Well, Pokémon started catching onto me. Just…y'know, over time they started to notice me. Soon everybody in the village knew about the 'muddy thief', and they started to band together so they could…c-catch me.
"One day…I realized I had to go. Something bad was going to happen if I stuck around, so…" Ziggy swallowed a lump and adopted a grim expression. "I waited for the next delivery wagon to come to town and snuck on board. I decided, wherever the wagon took me…that would be my new home."
A sobering look appeared in Sparks' expression. "And it took you to Radiant City."
Ziggy nodded sadly. "I didn't expect it. It's such a…big city… I was scared, but I thought maybe…just maybe…something good would happen here. I could somehow catch my big break in a city like this. Find a job, or a place to live…?"
The Buizel then shut his eyes, a couple tears rolling down his cheeks. "It was too much…" he bemoaned, "Too big. Too many Pokémon. Everything I did was ten times harder. I…I just…j-just couldn't…"
"Hey, buddy, don't cry," Sparks said reassuringly, "It's okay now." He sighed internally, though. It was as he had expected. Ziggy had been quickly overwhelmed by the big city streets of Radiant City. He was more relieved now than ever that he had managed to get Ziggy off of the streets for the time being.
"I've only been here about a month…" Ziggy spoke, "I'm…not sure how much longer I would've…"
"Well, those days are behind you now," Sparks said, trying to steer the conversation back to something a little more positive, "You're here now, and when you eventually leave here, it's not going to be back onto the streets. We're gonna do everything we can to help."
"Mmm…" Ziggy murmured.
Sparks looked at the poor Buizel. He looked truly defeated. Sparks couldn't help but think that, even though Ziggy had found a touch of salvation and was off the streets now, he still felt a bit like he had failed somehow. Ziggy certainly didn't seem optimistic about his future, in any case.
"Want your brunch now?"
As expected, Ziggy's attention was immediately earned. "Huh? Now…?"
Sparks shrugged and chuckled. "If you want. It's almost 11 o'clock, I think."
"Uhh….Okay…"
"I'll ask Liz to bring it in here for today, okay? We'll eat at the dining table next time."
Ziggy glowered a little bit at that notion, but then nodded.
"What would you like? Liz can cook just about anything."
It was as if the Buizel's brain overloaded for a moment. Ziggy looked as if he was contemplating a completely alien notion. Sparks got the impression that Ziggy had never before had a choice as to what he could have to eat. "I…uhhh…" He spent a couple of seconds just staring ahead blankly, the gears in his head turning. Eventually, though, he just looked up at Sparks with a lost look in his eyes.
"Heh…" Sparks remarked, "Just about anything would be good, huh?"
"Um…Y-yeah, I guess. Uhh…" He paused for a moment. "What, um…What would…you suggest…?"
Sparks raised his eyebrows. "What I would suggest would be to let her surprise you, if that's what you really want. Liz has this kind of magic touch in the kitchen. Even though she's never met you, she'll bring you something you'll love. I can almost guarantee it." After a pause, he added, "Though, she does make some killer pancakes."
"Pan…cakes…?" Ziggy murmured reverently.
It looked like the Buizel's mind was made up right then and there, and Sparks laughed softly while good-naturedly rolling his eyes. He tapped his badge and said, "Liz? You there?"
After a brief pause, a voice answered. "I'm all ears, honey!" Liz replied in her easily-recognizable country accent.
"Ziggy's ready for his brunch. Bring him whatever you think sounds good, though I should mention that his eyes lit up when I mentioned your pancakes."
There was laughter on the other end. "Comin' right up, sugar pie."
"Thanks so much!"
Sparks ended the call, and then returned his attention to Ziggy, who had been staring at his badge again. "This is gonna be trouble for me. I'm gonna be smelling her delicious food while you eat it, and then I'll have to wait until dinner to have some…"
"Huh…?" Ziggy gave him a look, "You…I don't have to, if…"
"I'm joking, buddy. Well, half joking. It doesn't matter either way. We gotta get some good food in your belly."
Ziggy's stomach growled a second later, as if on cue. He blushed a little in embarrassment. The two then spent a couple of minutes having very light conversation while they waited for the food to arrive. Ziggy wasn't exactly the most talkative guest, but Sparks didn't mind. He was just happy to see that Ziggy was slowly approaching something that was vaguely similar to 'calmness'.
Of course, Ziggy jumped about a metre into the air when there was a sudden knocking on the door. "Roooooom service!" an upbeat voice called out from the other side.
"You're hilarious, Liz," Sparks replied in a droll voice as he stood up. He looked at Ziggy, seeing that his agitated state had returned. "You gonna be okay meeting Liz?" he asked, "She's got a lot of energy, but she's sweet as honey."
Ziggy gulped, his eyes darting between Sparks and the door, but he eventually managed to nod.
Sparks smiled at this, and then opened the door. Standing on the other side, miraculously balancing no less than four plates of food and a glass of juice, was guild chef Liz. The Miltank wore her signature upbeat, larger-than-life smile and her floral pattern apron. "Mornin', sugar!" she greeted Sparks.
"Good morning, Liz," Sparks replied, "Inside voice, okay?" He then stepped to the side and gestured for her to come in.
Liz stepped into the room and looked down at Ziggy, who was still sitting on the floor. "Well howdy, sweet pea!" she said in just a slightly more subdued voice.
Ziggy seemed quite distressed and nervous, quivering a little on the spot, but he wasn't running and hiding. Liz, like most Miltank, had a larger frame and could be intimidating if she looked down on someone. Sparks wondered if it was Ziggy's improving sense of bravery, Liz's award-winning smile, or the fact that she had food that was keeping him from scurrying away.
The little Buizel let out a squeak that vaguely sounded like the word 'hi'.
Liz approached him while still keeping a respectable distance, leaned down, and started expertly placing the dishes of food on the floor in front of him. It was always amazing to see Liz carry food. She had previously worked as a waitress at a high-end restaurant, and it showed. She was always breaking her own record for how many dishes she could hold at once.
It was also amazing to see the fear visibly disappear from Ziggy once there was food in front of him. His eyes locked on to the lightly steaming stack of pancakes slathered with butter, and it was as if nothing else in the world existed.
"There ya go, sug!" Liz said once all the food was placed, "One stack of Liz's apparently world-famous pancakes, ocean-style salad with honey mustard dressin', home-style hash browns with a side-a toast 'n' jam, and some Pecha juice 'cus who could go wrong with somethin' a li'l sweet?"
Ziggy looked like he was about to pass out from overstimulation. He stared reverently at the food for a few moments, his nose twitching as the delicious scent permeated the room. Then he slowly turned to Liz, who was now squatting down so she was closer to his eye level, and softly whispered, "All this…i-is for…me?"
"Absolutely, cutie pie," she replied, "Sparky-boy tells me yer the newest guest in our humble home, an' we treat guests like family here."
"I…" Ziggy started to say, but then trailed off as his gaze returned to the food.
"Ziggy's a little bit scared of other Pokémon," Sparks explained to the Miltank.
"What? Shucks, hun, ya ain't got nothin' to be afraid of here. We're nicer'n a big ol' pile-a fluffy Jumpluff."
Ziggy looked up at Liz again. Though definitely not as bad as his earlier interactions with guild members, he still looked a bit afraid of her. "Um…Thank you…Thanks so much for…all this."
"Sugar, ya gotta relax," Liz said with a compassionate smile, "Nobody here's gonna hurtcha. I mean, Sparky-boy's prob'ly the scariest one here an' you seem like you're already pals with 'im."
"Liz…"
"What…?" Ziggy murmured in confusion.
"Nothing, buddy, don't worry about it," Sparks said, "She is right, though. Even if, heaven forbid, the worst happens and we have to kick you out, even then we wouldn't hurt you. Nobody in the building would."
"Mmm…" Ziggy murmured, unfortunately still not sounding too convinced.
After a brief pause, Liz spoke up. "Anyway, ya can call me Liz. It's nice ta meetcha, Ziggy. You just let me know if there's anythin' there ya don't like, and if ya have any special requests for dinner, well then lay 'em on me."
Ziggy was practically drooling as he stared at the food. It looked like it was taking every fibre of his being to keep from diving in like a rabid Loudred. "H-hi…" he eventually said to Liz, "Ahem…Thanks again…"
"Ah, ya don't get ta thank me until ya start eatin'. I can promise ya, you'll be smilin' by the end." Liz then stood up and moved back to stand beside Sparks. "Ah'll get outta yer fur then. I gotta go anyhow. Now that that's all done, I gotta hit that board out there." She turned to Sparks. "See ya, Sparky-boy. Lemme know if ya need anythin' else."
"Thanks, Liz," Sparks said with a nod, "We appreciate it."
"Bye bye, cutie pie," Liz said as she waved to Ziggy. The Buizel nodded and waved back, saying 'thank you' one more time, and then Liz turned and exited the room.
"Well, I think that went well," Sparks commented, "Y'see? We're all nice and friendly here. Maybe later in the day we can go out and meet the rest of the gang?"
Ziggy looked up at Sparks, as if silently asking for permission to start eating. Sparks just chuckled and nodded. When Ziggy turned back to the large array of food, it was as if he didn't know where to begin. Eventually he decided to try the pancakes first. He picked up the knife and fork that Liz had provided and started to cut a few pieces off.
Sparks noticed how Ziggy held the silverware. They were a bit unwieldy in his paws, showing that he didn't have much experience using them in the first place. He did manage to use them, but it was an awkward process.
The Raichu smiled as he watched Ziggy's eyes light up with fireworks when he took a bite of the pancakes. "Dear heavens…" Ziggy murmured reverently.
"Toldja they were good!"
Sparks ended up hanging out in his room with Ziggy for quite a number of hours. The day passed by outside, but Sparks didn't mind. Every minute spent with Ziggy was spent working at chipping away at the Buizel's walls of anxiety and fear. Ziggy's mood had improved greatly after he had eaten Liz's brunch, although Sparks' heart had ached when he heard Ziggy remark that it was the first time he had ever felt full.
Ziggy wasn't exactly very talkative, and Sparks just spent time with him so that he could eventually feel comfortable in the presence of somebody else. Though Ziggy wasn't really afraid of him anymore, he still acted like he didn't know what to do with himself. He had been alone for so much of his life without a single Pokémon to call a friend, so this was all new and confusing to him.
In actuality, their conversation had mostly geared towards the stuff that was in Sparks' room. His desk and shelves were full of knickknacks he had picked up here and there, and he was more than happy to tell a few tales.
Eventually, the clock hit six in the evening and the sun started to set. Six o'clock was around the time when most of the others returned to the headquarters if they were off in the field, since dinner was served at seven. Sparks had been idly wondering if he was going to be able to join the others for dinner, but his thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door.
Ziggy's head darted towards the door immediately, and Sparks saw a wave of fear wash over him. He stayed sitting where he was, though, and simply shot Sparks a quick look. Sparks could tell he was silently asking him to find out if there was a 'threat' on the other side or not.
When Sparks answered the door, he found Carmen on the other side. He turned back to Ziggy and said, "It's Carmen, Ziggy. Want to say hi?"
"Carmen…?" Ziggy murmured, and looked hesitant for a moment. He ended up nodding, though.
Sparks opened the door and allowed Carmen to enter. The Braixen nodded to him in thanks, and then took a few steps towards Ziggy before squatting down to his eye level. "Hello again, Ziggy," she said calmly, "How are things going?"
Ziggy still seemed quite nervous in her presence. He was looking up at her with a tense expression, as if he was afraid to make even the smallest of wrong moves. "G…G-good," he eventually managed to squeak, "G-good, ma'am."
Carmen quietly chuckled. "No need to call me 'ma'am', you don't work for me. Right now, I'm just a friend, okay?"
Ziggy visibly gulped and then nodded.
"Your room is all set up next door," she informed him, "I had Danika adjust the lock so that you won't need a badge to enter. But, if you want some privacy or security, you can ask Sparks to lock it for you. Although, keep in mind that this means he'll also have to unlock it for you."
She then gave him a sweet smile. "Has Sparks been treating you well so far? Do you think you'd like to stay with us for a bit longer this time?"
"Umm…Y-yes, please…"
"That's good to hear, and I'm glad to have you with us. I'm sorry we had to meet under such circumstances, but we're all going to work hard to help you get a better life." She then slowly, calmly, extended one of her paws towards him. "Does that sound good?"
Ziggy stared up at her, and there was still fear in his eyes. He eyed her paw a couple of times without reacting in any way. Sparks tried to give him encouraging gestures, but he was hyper-focused on Carmen. Eventually, after almost a full minute of silence and stillness, Ziggy started to lift his own paw. He moved at a Slowpoke's pace, hesitating multiple times, but his paw slowly made its way towards the Braixen's black one. Ziggy's eyes darted back and forth between Carmen's paw and her face.
His paw made the tiniest of contact with hers, and he quickly yanked it back a few inches. It looked as if he had been shocked. Carmen didn't react to this at all, and simply kept her paw extended. It took a few more moments, but Ziggy's paw eventually found its way to hers once again. The two paws gently grasped one another, and a very light pawshake was exchanged.
"There we go," Carmen said softly, "I might be the boss here, but please just treat me like another friend. I hate it when Pokémon treat me like an all-powerful leader or something."
Ziggy chuckled nervously. "O-okay…"
The pawshake ended, but Carmen remained at his eye level. "So," she spoke, "I'm sure Sparks already explained this to you, but guests usually stay in the guest wing and we made an exception for you. We provide breakfast and dinner, courtesy of Liz, but lunch comes from outside the guild so you should ask Sparks to pick something up. Sparks has been 'assigned' to you, so he's your go-to Pokémon if you need anything, and he'll be the one for the most part that is working with you and helping you out."
Ziggy briefly glanced up at Sparks, who gave him a quick, humble smile. Carmen followed his gaze, and then chuckled. "Sparks does really good work," she said to Ziggy, "I'm really positive he'll be able to give you all the help you need within your month here."
At first Ziggy was nodding softly, but then he frowned. "Month…?" he asked.
Carmen nodded. "We provide lodging to guests for a period of one month. After that, you can no longer stay here."
The range of emotions that then flashed across Ziggy's face was astounding. He started out looking wide-eyed and shocked, which transitioned into sadness and worry, before finally ending with a look of disappointment and resignation.
"Sorry, Ziggy," Carmen said sympathetically, "Unfortunately, we're not a hotel. We can't provide long-term shelter. We just don't have the resources, and we may ultimately need the space. But, don't worry! Like I said, Sparks works wonders. I would bet money that, within a month, you won't even need shelter here anymore."
Ziggy didn't seem convinced. His shoulders slumped and he hung his head, and then he simply nodded in resigned acceptance.
Sparks had ended up calling on Liz to deliver food to Ziggy's room again at dinnertime, where the two of them ate in solitude.
He had completely forgotten to tell Ziggy about the one-month limit. Somehow, it had entirely slipped his mind until Carmen had brought it up. That had put a bit of a damper on Ziggy's mood, but what could Sparks do about it? That was the rule, and everybody had to follow it. If a Pokémon were still homeless by the time the limit was up, they would be directed to one of the homeless services in the city. Sparks felt bad about it, but he reasoned that he would only have to try harder to help Ziggy out.
Besides that, though, Ziggy seemed to be acclimating to his new living quarters quite well. That air of constant jittery nervousness that had followed him in off of the streets was ebbing away. It only took him a couple of hours to grow to feel comfortable in his new room. His second interaction with Liz had gone much better than the first, too.
So, as 7:30pm rolled around, Sparks decided to ask Ziggy if he would like to meet some of the other members of his guild.
"They're all going to be helping you out one way or another while you're here, and I'm sure they'd all like to say hello," Sparks said to the unsure Buizel.
Ziggy gulped. "Ummm…I, uh…" He was visibly shrinking back, as if retreating into a shell he didn't have. "I dunno…"
"Buddy, I promise you they're all as friendly as me or Carmen or Liz."
"Mnn…" Ziggy wrung his paws and bit his lip. "What about…others…?"
"Hm? You mean other clients? Nobody's really around at this time of the evening, and most of our guests usually stay in and around the guest wing. We don't have to go there. That's fine."
Ziggy gulped again, and then looked up at the Raichu with the eyes of a cub. "Will…y-you be with me…th'whole time…?"
"Of course I will."
It had taken a bit of convincing, but eventually the Buizel agreed to leave his room and meet some of the other guildmembers. The simple act of walking to the exit of the alumni wing again showcased how unused Ziggy was to being out in the open. He looked very self-conscious about both his appearance and his visibility. Even when there was nobody else in the hallway, he tried to hide himself behind Sparks' larger frame.
"If it gets to be too much for you, just let me know and we can go back to the room," Sparks told him.
"Okay…"
"There's no shame in that. Baby steps are important."
"Mhm…"
When they reached the door at the end of the hall, Sparks paused and said, "Everyone was just in here about a half hour ago eating dinner, but there's usually a couple of alumni who hang out in this room afterwards to talk and relax. Why don't we see who's out there?"
Ziggy looked stressed. He did not look like he wanted to go through that door at all.
"You okay? You wanna go back to the room?" he asked.
"Uhh…" Ziggy looked conflicted for a short time before eventually answering, "N-no, I'm okay… I'm just…just…"
"Don't worry about being a shiny, Ziggy. I promise you that it's okay."
"Ngh… I'm sorry…I j-just don't believe you…"
Sparks frowned. "That really makes me sad to hear…" he lamented softly. Then, he said, "Well, would it make you feel any better if I promised to run you back to the room as fast as I could the moment anybody says anything mean at all about you? That's not going to happen, but what if I promise you that?"
"I…I guess so," Ziggy said as he wrung his paws.
"It'll be fine. I can guarantee it."
"…Can you see how many Pokémon are out there…?"
Sparks took a peek out of the door, and then informed Ziggy that there were five alumni in the common room. The number seemed to spook him at first but he eventually mustered up the courage to nod at Sparks, indicating that he was ready to enter the room. Sparks could sense Ziggy standing very close to him, their fur brushing against one another at some points. He wondered if Ziggy was going to want to hold his paw, but it didn't quite reach that level.
Finally, after giving Ziggy one last moment to take some deep breaths, Sparks opened the door and led him through.
In the common room, Sparks quickly nodded in greeting to his fellow guildmembers and then turned to look at Ziggy. The Buizel was a couple of steps away from literally hiding in Sparks' shadow, looking nervous and very self-conscious. There was a hint of shame in his expression. Sparks got the feeling that, before this present week, Ziggy had never willingly shown off his fur colour to this many Pokémon before.
"Everybody, this is Ziggy," Sparks said to the others. Thankfully, they all seemed to pick up on his nervousness and all of them silently waved to him and nothing more.
There were three Pokémon sitting at the table, two of which Ziggy had already met. Kona was sitting off to one side, idly reading the newspaper, and sitting on the other side of the table was Terry. Seated next to the Eevee was Rico, a young Riolu who was about the same age as Terry. Rico wore a blue scarf around his neck, and the two looked like they had been having a lively conversation before Sparks had arrived.
Elsewhere in the room, Kandice was relaxing on the couch. The Audino looked somewhere between bored and content, but was looking at the newcomer with interest in her kind eyes. Finally, seated and adorably curled up on one of the beanbag chairs, was Javier the Quilava. He was doing such a good impression of a noodle that one could hardly see the necklace that he always wore. All of them were wearing badges that were identical to Sparks', save for the colour.
Sparks turned back to Ziggy. "Wanna go sit at the table?"
"O…Okay…" Ziggy stammered, not seeming very keen on the idea.
Everyone remained silent as Sparks led Ziggy over to the table towards where Kona was sitting. Sparks sat himself down, and then patted the open seat that was between himself and Kona. Ziggy gulped, his eyes darting between the gazes of all the other Pokémon, and hesitated quite a bit before finally summoning up enough courage to sit down.
"Hello again," Kona said kindly.
Ziggy had nearly jumped right out of his fur at the sound of Kona's voice. He turned to the Dewott, who was offering him a pleasant smile. "H…hi…" Ziggy replied softly.
"You're looking better already," Kona observed.
"…I am…?"
"Yeah. It's amazing what a good meal can do, hm?"
"Y-yeah…"
Sparks then gestured to the opposite side of the table, where the other two occupants were waiting to be addressed. "And this is Terry and Rico," Sparks introduced them, "They're the rookies."
Rico immediately gave Sparks a flat look. "Oh, real nice."
Snickering, Sparks said, "What? It's true."
The Riolu's frown lasted a couple more seconds before he started snickering as well. It was almost a tradition at this point to poke fun at the most recently joined recruits, but Rico always managed to take the good-natured ribbing in stride.
"What's up? I'm Rico," he said, reaching his paw over the table towards Ziggy. When the Buizel flinched and shrunk back, Rico quickly abandoned the pawshake and sat back down. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya."
"I told you about him, remember?" Terry said to him.
"Right, right. Sorry. I just kinda did it without thinking…" Rico said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "But anyway, hey! Welcome!"
"And you remember Terry, right?" Sparks said.
"Hi!" the Eevee said with a friendly wave.
"Terry and Rico joined the guild only about a year ago, at the same time," Sparks explained.
"Yeah!" Terry chirped, "We've known each other for years, and now we're a team! We work together a lot out in the field."
"We still need to come up with a cool team name," Rico commented, "But nothing we've come up with so far is any good."
"Yeah, nobody wants to get help from 'Team Terrico'. Sounds like some dumb horror novel."
Everybody at the table laughed, while Ziggy continued to sit silently and look awkward and out of place.
"So, uh… Your name's Ziggy, right?" Terry asked. When Ziggy subtly nodded, Terry said, "That's a neat name. I don't think I've ever heard it before. Is it your real name or a nickname?"
"Uhm…" Ziggy shrunk back a little from the questioning. "I dunno…It's…just what Pokémon call me…"
"Oh…" Terry replied, paused, and then added, "I guess that's just what a name is though, huh? A thing that Pokémon call ya?"
"Mhm…"
Ziggy still looked quite unhappy to be in the presence of others. He was very subtly hanging his head, and Sparks wondered what sort of thoughts were going through his mind. Was he imagining insults in his head and reacting to them even though they weren't real? Not a single Pokémon in the entire building, besides that one awful client, had even mentioned the colour of his fur.
"Hey," Rico spoke up, "I like your fur."
Sparks' head shot in the direction of the Riolu so fast that he almost got whiplash.
Rico looked confused for a moment, but then shook his head and clarified. "I-I mean the way it's groomed. I like the furstyle you've got going on."
A silent breath of relief slipped out of Sparks' muzzle, and then he slowly turned to regard the Buizel. Ziggy looked strange. Sparks hadn't seen his reaction to Rico's initial comment, but now he looked somewhat odd. He looked as if he had been hit with a Pin Missile and was now wondering why it didn't hurt.
"I…" Ziggy muttered, "I-It's not groomed, or anythin'…'S just messy…"
"Yeah, but I think it's a good look on you."
Sparks gave Rico a sidelong glance. Rico's fur was always styled in an intentionally messy-looking way. He always said that he liked how 'wild' it made him look, so these comments were not unheard of coming from him.
Unfortunately, what followed was a very awkward silence between all four Pokémon. Sparks spent a moment trying to figure out what to do next, but his conundrum was answered for him when Kandice walked over to the table.
"Hello, sweetie. Welcome," she said in her sugary-sweet voice.
Ziggy had half-rotated in his seat so he could face her, but was already shrinking back and trying to make himself as small as possible. "H…Hi…" he squeaked.
Kandice was probably the kindest, sweetest, most generous and caring soul in the entire organization. She abhorred violence and was just about as non-threatening as you could possibly get. That being said, though, Kandice was very tall. She was just a little bit taller than Sparks was, which meant she was almost double the height of Ziggy.
"Kandice is our guild nurse," Sparks explained, "She spent four years at university, so if something's wrong you can always count on her."
The Audino nodded, though she gave Sparks a sidelong glance that said 'Stop putting me on a pedestal, please.' When Ziggy didn't move or say anything else, she spoke up again. "The infirmary is just out that door to the main hall and down at the far right side, behind the big staircase. I'm usually there, unless I'm out on a job, but there are aides who work there as well and can give you first aid if you need it. If a patient needs me, I always rush back."
Still, Ziggy didn't offer much response. When the room fell somewhat silent, with everyone seemingly waiting for him to say something, Ziggy finally murmured, "O…Okay…"
Kandice seemed concerned about Ziggy's reaction. "Well…That's Javier, sitting over there," she said, gesturing behind her to the beanbag chair with the Quilava curled up in it. Ziggy, Kandice and Sparks all turned to look in his direction.
Javier's head was up and he was looking in their direction. He shot a brief smile in Ziggy's direction and waved with his paw.
"He's kind of quiet," Sparks said to the Buizel, "but he's really nice. Once he gets to know you, he'll talk to you some more."
"Umm….Okay…?" Ziggy murmured.
The awkward silence returned with a vengeance. Sparks and Kandice both shared an unsure look.
"Uhh…" Kandice said, "I hope Liz has been feeding you well. I can see you definitely need a lot of good meals…"
Sparks gave Ziggy a chance to answer for himself, but Ziggy just continued to shrink on the spot. "She has," he finally answered to Kandice, "No need to worry about that."
"Good."
Ziggy's frown was just as heavy as when he'd first entered the room. Despite all of the kind faces and friendly atmosphere in the room, they were getting nowhere. Sparks had deduced that Ziggy's behaviour most likely stemmed from lots of negative interactions with others. However, even when such interactions were absent, Ziggy's mood did not seem to improve.
Then, Sparks had an idea and decided to shift gears. He recalled their conversation from earlier in his room. Back then, Ziggy had been visibly uncomfortable whenever the spotlight was on him, even if it was just a simple question, but he had relaxed a little when Sparks had been talking about himself and his own past. Maybe that was a better way to break the ice.
"So, guys," Sparks said, addressing all of the others, "Why don't we tell Ziggy what the active team is all about?"
"Sure!" Terry replied, and there was a quiet chorus of agreement. Ziggy, though still frowning, had at least lifted his head and was now shyly looking at the others.
Kona started talking first. "Everybody in this room, except Sparks, is part of this guild's active team. We're the ones who are employed here full time. We go out every day and perform guild duties."
"The Radiant City guild is the largest guild in the Rescue Society," Kandice continued, "Considering that not only is Radiant City the largest city in the land, but that we're also housed in the Society's headquarters itself. So, our team is pretty large. I believe we have at least 50 fully qualified members working for us right now."
"But because the city and the guild are so big," Sparks said, "A lot of our guildmembers don't work here full time, or are specially trained in one specific area. Some of them have other jobs and only help out when they have the time. We see them around the building, but they don't live here like we do."
"We're the 'active team', though!" Rico said, adopting a proud grin, "We're the best of the best!"
Terry rolled his eyes and elbowed the Riolu. "We're more like a traditional guild, that you might see somewhere like Treasure Town or Lively Town. A group of around 10 hard-working Pokémon whose mission every day is to help others out. We live here, we directly follow our guildmaster's orders, and we're always available. Every morning, the active team wakes up and gets together for a morning meeting, where Carmen discusses with us what we'll all do today."
Sparks glanced down at Ziggy, and was pleased to see that he was paying more attention than before. His expression was a bit livelier and his eyes were attentively following each speaker. He seemed intrigued by what everyone was saying.
"So," Kona added, "We're sort of like a guild within a guild…within a guild."
Ziggy looked a bit confused at that remark. "Uhh…"
"There must have been a guild in Sunshine Village, right? I'm sure you probably saw them at some point," Sparks spoke, "They were probably wearing badges like ours."
"Um…" Ziggy looked deep in thought for a moment, and then subtly nodded. "I think so…I think I remember seeing them all gathered together in the park once…"
"Right! So, our guild is a lot bigger than theirs is, but the active team is pretty much just like the one in Sunshine Village."
"Oh…Okay," Ziggy said with a curt nod, seeming to at least basically understand what was being said. After a moment, though, he looked over at Sparks with a puzzled expression. "Wait," he said, "Did he say…'except you'?"
"Ah, yeah," Sparks replied, "I used to be on the active team. Not anymore, though… I still live here, though, and I still attend the morning meetings… I'm a bit of a special case."
"Sparks was here before any of us were!" Terry piped up, "He's taught all of us at least a little something along the way."
"Thanks for making me feel old, Terry," Sparks retorted playfully.
"You're not old!" Terry fired back.
"I'm the oldest one in the building!"
"Well that's just 'cus it's a building of mostly really young Pokémon."
Ziggy was watching their back-and-forth with a slightly confused look. "S-so, um…" he said, his voice quiet at first before he cleared his throat and spoke up, "Y-you're not on their…team?"
Sparks shrugged. "Technically no, practically yes? It's not super important, I'll explain it to you some other time. The only difference is that I don't go out on 'jobs' like these guys do. Carmen assigns stuff to me."
"We like having him around, though! Wouldn't be the same without him."
Both Sparks and Ziggy turned to look at Kona because his voice had sounded funny when he had spoken just then. Sparks saw that Kona had taken out a chocolate bar from somewhere and had taken a bite.
"Well thanks, Kona. That's nice of you to say," Sparks said.
Kona flashed the Raichu a quick, friendly smile, and then went back to take another bite. As he was chewing, though, he turned to his side again. The Dewott had noticed Ziggy staring at him. Ziggy started slightly and quickly glanced away, looking embarrassed.
A second later, there was a quiet crack sound. "You want some?"
Ziggy looked at Kona once more, and his gaze drifted down to the Dewott's paws. Kona had snapped the chocolate bar in half and was holding one half out towards him. "…What?" Ziggy mumbled.
"Here, you can have some if you want. I don't mind." Kona then reached out and deposited the half chocolate bar into Ziggy's paw.
Ziggy stared down at the confection, looking like he didn't know what to do. He glanced up at Kona with a questioning gaze, but Kona was busy taking another bite out of his own half.
"K…Kona…?"
"Mm?" the Dewott replied, glancing over.
"Wh…?" was the only thing the Buizel could muster.
Kona swallowed his bite and then smiled in a friendly way. "You were looking at it like you wanted some, so I thought I'd share. You like chocolate? I don't blame you; chocolate's good!"
Ziggy wordlessly stared for a few moments, making Sparks quietly chuckle. It might take a couple of days before he stopped doing that every time somebody gave him free food.
"Really…?" Ziggy whispered.
"Yeah, sure!"
Ziggy looked starstruck, to say the least. "Th…Thank you…"
"No problem!"
Ziggy humbly lifted his gaze and looked at all the other smiling faces sitting at the table. When he finally ended up looking in Sparks' direction, the Raichu gave him an 'I told you so' smile.
While the meeting with the group of guildmembers had gone pretty well, Ziggy was still noticeably uncomfortable the entire time. Friendly or not, Ziggy still didn't seem comfortable in crowds of Pokémon yet, even small ones, so Sparks eventually decided to cut the meet and greet short. Everyone had given Ziggy a friendly wave and a goodbye, which Ziggy had shyly returned.
"Do you feel okay to meet one more?"
The question had unnerved Ziggy a little at first. But, after clarifying that it was only one single Pokémon, Ziggy finally agreed.
So now, Sparks was leading Ziggy to another area of the society headquarters. They had exited out of the opposite end of the common room, ending up in the main entry hall. Thankfully it had been empty, so Sparks had led Ziggy up to the second floor and the two were now entering the wing that was located directly above where they had just been.
There were a few doors with labels on them, mostly meeting rooms and other such facilities, as well as some tables, bulletin boards and potted plants here and there in the hallway. Sparks headed for a specific door, Ziggy following close behind him.
Sparks simply opened the door, knowing ahead of time that its occupant didn't mind not knocking before entering. The room inside was slightly darker than the outside hallway, but Ziggy followed Sparks without hesitating.
"Ziggy?" Sparks said, "This is Danika."
The room they were in was actually quite small, but that was just about the only mediocre thing about it. At the far corner of the room, opposite where the door was, there was a desk with something massive sitting upon it. It was mechanical, featured a flat front like a picture frame, and had all manner of flashing lights and buttons surrounding it. Resting against both walls next to the device were tall box-shaped objects with even more lights and unidentifiable gizmos on it. Ziggy was already staring wide-eyed at the fantastic array.
On the floor in front of the desk sat a large rolling swivel chair with a comfortable-looking padded back. After a moment, the chair rolled back a few feet and then turned around, letting its occupant face towards the two visitors. "Hi Sparks. And hello to you as well!"
Danika the Sneasel sat in the chair, eying the newcomer and giving him a welcoming smile. She was about the same height as Ziggy, which was somewhat short for a Sneasel. There was a badge pinned to the fur on her chest, just like everybody downstairs had been wearing.
"Hi Danika," Sparks greeted her, "This is Ziggy, our new friend." The Raichu then glanced down, expecting to see Ziggy shyly avoiding eye contact like he usually did. However, he found Ziggy looking right at Danika, wearing an intrigued expression. It took him a moment to realize what the Buizel was probably looking at.
Ziggy was looking at the pair of red-rimmed glasses that Danika was wearing.
"Welcome to the guild, Ziggy," Danika said to him, "I see you're the one that stole Sparky-boy away from me?"
"…Huh?" Ziggy muttered confusedly.
"She's joking," Sparks clarified, "I was working with her on a project before I found you."
"Oh…S-sorry…"
Danika waved a claw dismissively and said, "It's fine, I'm a big girl. I can handle it myself!"
"Danika is the brains of our guild. We trust her with things like logistics, planning, research, communications, badge maintenance…"
The Sneasel counted with her claws and continued Sparks' list by saying, "Budgeting, budgeting, budgeting…Also, some more budgeting."
"Aw, but c'mon… You know Carmen appreciates it."
Danika rolled her eyes but had a good-natured smile on her face. "Yeah, yeah…So, this is the little runaway I've been hearing so much about huh?"
"Yup. He's going to be staying with us for the next month," Sparks replied with a nod.
When he glanced down at Ziggy, he saw that the Buizel was looking at her glasses again. When he felt the others' eyes on him, he quickly averted his gaze and ended up looking at the machinery sitting behind Danika once again. "What is…?" he murmured.
Danika glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, this old thing?" she said jokingly, but then adopted a more genuine tone. "That's a prototype for a brand new device that was just invented about a year ago. It's called a 'multifunction computing and analysis system', but I just call it a 'computer'. Our guild is one of the lucky few that gets to test one of these out before they go onto the market in about 14 months."
Ziggy was just looking at all the flashing lights like it was some sort of alien spacecraft.
"They're still testing some stuff, but right now this particular model runs a writing program for making things like newsletters and posters, lots of math and computational programs, lots of virtual space for images and documents, and tons of other neat stuff! But, the most important thing is that this is connected to a bunch of databases so I can use it to quickly look up information. I can pull up files from the city records, so long as they're public or I have clearance, of course, and lots of encyclopaedic information from the city library."
Sparks chuckled. "Slow down, Danika. I know you're excited, but don't confuse the poor boy…"
Ziggy did indeed look a little bit confused, but he was listening to Danika with his full attention.
"Here, let me show you!" Danika said, and then whirled around in her chair before anybody could say anything else. She pushed a button, and suddenly there was a loud humming noise that startled Ziggy. The large flat part suddenly lit up in white, bringing bright illumination to the rest of the room. Danika used her claws to quickly tap on something that was sitting on her desk, and as she did letters and words began to appear on the screen. It was a bit like an advanced typewriter, but Sparks knew that was only scratching the surface.
Not long afterwards, the flat part was suddenly filled with lots more words. Most notably, though, was a large photograph of an unknown Raichu that took up half of the available space.
"See here?" Danika spoke up, "I queried which Pokémon is the doofiest, and look what appeared on the screen!"
"Funny, Danika," Sparks said dryly.
Danika chuckled. "No, but seriously. This is the encyclopaedia entry for the Raichu species. See, there's the typical height and weight, evolution information, type, known moves and abilities… Normally you'd have to wander down to the library and take out the big huge 'R' book from the set of encyclopaedias to find this!"
"I still barely understand how it all works," Sparks commented, "Danika picked it up like 'snap!'"
"It's not so complicated. With a bit of time, anybody here could use it. The guild has actually been tasked with transferring some information into a digital format. And yes, Ziggy, the red glasses are my favourite."
Ziggy visibly started and covered his mouth with his paws. He looked almost mortified, which soon morphed into remorse and even a bit of fear. He must have been looking at her glasses again.
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Danika said with a smile, "Everybody checks 'em out when they first meet me. It's really not a big deal."
"S…S-sorry…" Ziggy whispered.
Sparks glanced at Danika for a moment. Those glasses she wore were really a defining feature. A ton of Pokémon in the city knew about the glasses-wearing Sneasel who worked for the guild.
Vision problems in Pokémon were incredibly rare. Pokémon, as a species, had a strong sense of vision that lasted well into old age. Unless there was an accident where a Pokémon's eyes were damaged, it was almost unheard of for a Pokémon to develop vision problems. Genetic vision deficiency was very rare, and it was just as rare to see corrective lenses being worn by a Pokémon.
Danika was 'one of the lucky few', as she herself liked to put it.
"It's okay, buddy. Calm down," Sparks said to his companion, who had reverted to his standard withdrawn state. Despite the reassurances and Danika's smiling face, though, Ziggy looked pretty miserable.
"Oh dear…" Danika said with a frown. She gave Sparks a look that silently said, 'I guess you weren't exaggerating…'.
The upset Buizel was trying to subtly hide behind Sparks' larger frame now.
Danika cleared her throat. "Well, uh, it was nice meeting you, Ziggy. I spend a lot of time up here, because I never seem to run out of work. As you can see…" She gestured to the opposite wall. Ziggy turned around and gasped softly when he saw the desk resting against the wall next to the door. He hadn't seen it when they had first come in, but it was practically overflowing with physical files and all manner of paperwork.
"I'll, uh….try to come help you one day if I can…" Sparks muttered.
"It's fine, Sparky. Your work's more important."
"Well, I mean…"
"Anyway," Danika said, addressing Ziggy once more, "My door's always open if you want to talk to me or ask me something. Sparks told me you're new to this city, right? I've been living here ever since I was hatched, so…"
Sparks regarded Ziggy again, but his condition wasn't improving much. "Tired, buddy?" he asked in a quiet voice, "Wanna go back to the room?" Ziggy only replied by making eye contact with him.
"Ziggy's had a big day," Sparks then said to Danika, "And, honestly, an even bigger one yesterday. I think we're gonna go relax for a bit."
"All right. Again, it was nice to meet you, Ziggy. I hope you enjoy your time with us!"
"So, as you can see, my guildmates all think they're hilarious…"
"Mhm…"
Sparks looked over at Ziggy upon hearing his somewhat gloomy response. They were back in Ziggy's room. It was getting late and it would be bedtime pretty soon. "Did you enjoy meeting my friends?" he asked delicately.
Ziggy looked up at him and was silent for a few moments. "They seemed…nice, I guess…"
"Well, that's the right impression to get because they're all very nice. And everybody that you didn't get to meet today, they're all just as nice. I've worked closely with quite a few of them for many years, so…" Sparks paused and regarded the quiet Buizel. "Did anybody stand out to you at all?"
"…Kona gave me…chocolate…"
"Yeah, Kona seems to like you. Maybe the two of you will get to be good friends."
"Mm…"
Sparks walked over and sat down on the cushions on the floor next to Ziggy. The Buizel had a bit of a blank look, and was almost staring off into space. The meet with the other Pokémon had gone perfectly in Sparks' mind. Everybody had been cordial and polite, nobody had even batted an eye at his fur colour, and nothing had particularly set off Ziggy's anxiety.
So why did he still look so gloomy?
"Ziggy? Buddy?" Sparks said in a gentle voice, "What's wrong?"
The Buizel didn't answer.
"I thought today went pretty well. Don't you? What's still bothering you?
"I'unno…" Ziggy muttered.
"Tell me, Ziggy," Sparks pressed, "Please?"
The room was silent for a few more moments. Ziggy didn't look at Sparks, and instead just stared glumly at the floor. Sparks was about to speak up again, but he stopped himself when he caught a glimpse of a single tear rolling down Ziggy's cheek.
"This's happened before…" Ziggy croaked, almost too quietly to hear.
"Huh? Happened before? What do you mean?"
"Pokémon who come and they say they're gonna help me…"
Sparks blinked, confused. "I…I don't follow…"
That's when Ziggy finally turned to look at him. The look in his eyes could only be called 'hopeless'. "They don't…" he said, "They find me, and they take me somewhere, and they promise they'll give me food, or a place to stay…They seem all nice and friendly…a-and then…" He trailed off.
"Then…what?" Sparks said, now looking concerned.
Another tear rolled down his cheek. "Well," he murmured, "It kinda sucks when you wake up…c-covered in orange paint."
A horrified look appeared on the Raichu's face. "Oh no…"
"Or…" Ziggy hiccupped. "O-or, they tie you to a post and eat a big dinner in front of you…Don't even toss table scraps at you, and just leave you there until you chew through the rope… Or even if they just…want to show you to their friends so they can…point and laugh. Point and laugh at the…the freak…"
"Ziggy…"
The Buizel hung his head and sighed.
Sparks was just shaking his head. He wanted to reach over and give the Buizel a hug, but refrained from doing so lest he scare the poor Pokémon. "Ziggy, I…" he said, having trouble finding his words, "That's awful, Ziggy. I figured you'd had a rough time, but… That's a lot, buddy… I'm so sorry…"
"I just…fool myself into believing it every time…"
"Ziggy," Sparks continued in a more firm tone of voice, "I really hope you don't think that's what's going on here. I mean, we-"
"I want to!" Ziggy looked up at Sparks, tears in his eyes, "I-I want to…I want to believe it…s-so badly…" Then, he sniffled and looked down at the floor. "You're so nice…a-and so generous…but it's just so hard to believe…so hard to…trust you…"
"I…" Sparks frowned. He was at a loss for words.
"Every time I think it's gonna get better…it doesn't…it just gets worse…"
"But… Ziggy, didn't everybody here treat you really nicely today? Haven't I treated you with nothing but kindness and respect?"
Ziggy hung his head. "So did the ones who painted me orange…"
"Nobody's going to paint you orange here, Ziggy. I promise you, I won't let that happen. Nobody here will. Carmen would literally erupt in flames if we allowed something like that to happen." Sparks then sighed and shook his head. "Ziggy, I…I know, okay? Chromaphobes can be…really awful Pokémon. I'm just sorry you've met so many of them."
"Chroma-what…?" Ziggy murmured, turning to look up at him.
"Pokémon who fear or dislike shinies," Sparks replied, simplifying the answer, "And…Well, if I had to guess…You feel like the whole world is just full of two types of Pokémon; shinies and chromaphobes. Right?"
When Ziggy nodded his head, Sparks felt his heart break.
"Well…It isn't like that, bud," Sparks said, "Believe it or not, there are Pokémon out there who are neither. There's me, there's Carmen, and you met seven other ones today. Seven is only scratching the surface. They're out there, Ziggy… It's just unfortunate that they can be…hard to find, sometimes…"
Still, though, Ziggy didn't respond. He was just as withdrawn as ever. At the very least, Sparks could see that Ziggy no longer seemed anxious when it was just the two of them alone in a room. However, there was still a heavy cloud of depression hovering around the poor Pokémon. And, Sparks knew that as soon as somebody else came into the picture, or when he himself left, Ziggy's anxiety would return in spades.
"…Should I just leave now?"
Sparks' ears perked up, and he shot Ziggy a baffled look. "What? Why? Things are going well. Why would you leave?"
Ziggy wasn't looking at him. "D'you really think you're gonna be able to fix me in a month?"
"Well…" Sparks hesitated slightly. He had not be prepared for the rather heavy question. "Well, first of all, you're not 'broken'. Don't say that about yourself. Second, I can't promise we'll make you completely 100% better, but even just taking a few big steps towards a better life will be helpful for you. I know a month doesn't seem like much, but we're good at what we do!"
"I should probably just leave now and save you the trouble…"
"Ziggy…" Sparks hid an exasperated sigh and glanced off to the side. Pessimism oozed off of every one of the Buizel's words. Even meeting some really nice Pokémon today had barely made a dent in Ziggy's heavy defenses. Sparks just hadn't realized how badly Ziggy's trust was fractured as well.
If he had learned something today, it was that this was probably going to require a lot more work than he had first thought.
