Chapter 7 - Separation

Carmen yawned, and then said, "G'mornin' Sparks…"

"Hey, sleepy boss lady," Sparks teased, earning an elbow in the side.

"There's no need to state the obvious," she replied, "Being tired comes with this job."

"Ah, well… To be fair, I'm kinda worn out myself." Sparks paused to give his limbs a good stretch. "It's been…a very interesting…couple of days…"

"You've certainly had your paws full. I presume we're finally over the first major hump, then?"

"Yeah… It's not often we have to convince a Pokémon that this place is a safe place, but… I think Ziggy trusts us pretty well now."

"Mm…" Carmen rubbed the back of her neck while taking a sip from her coffee cup. "He is an interesting case, if nothing else. But, that's good to hear. I suppose that's why he's not with you right now?"

"Exactly," Sparks replied, "He's back in his room. I'm spending a day away from him. Or, well, most of the day anyway. I'm going to do other chores today and leave him on his own in his room. I'm glad he trusts me so much, but we need to sever a bit of that 'lost cub' mentality. I can't be by his side 24/7, after all. I want him to feel safe in his own room. I told him that if he needs help, he can go across the hall to Kona's room, since he's taking today off, and ask him to contact me with his badge."

"Goodness, it really is like teaching a little cub, isn't it?" Carmen remarked, "How old is he, again?"

"Not a clue," Sparks said with a shrug, "In his mid teens, or so."

"It's so hard to imagine somebody that young who doesn't know their own age…"

"I'm hoping he'll open up to me a bit more as time goes on. I get the feeling there's more to his story."

"It's difficult because…I don't think I've ever known a Pokémon to be homeless for that many years, to the point that it's all he knows."

"Me either," Sparks agreed, "It really is like we pulled an alien from another world…"

Carmen yawned once more, and then nodded. "Right. Well, the team and I are off. I trust you'll make yourself useful, then?"

"That's my job!" Sparks said with a grin.

"All right…Good luck, Sparks. With everything, I mean."

Sparks sighed softly as he watched Carmen walk off towards the morning briefing. He was silently hoping that today would go well. The first step in helping Ziggy was to help him build a sense of security, so that he had at least some place to go where he could feel safe. He worried about the Buizel, who was hopefully sitting quietly back in his room and not trying to dig his way out, but Ziggy seemed to trust Kona at least a little bit. He had faith that if something did go wrong, Sparks would be made known of it.

It was the first step on a long staircase to success.

And some of the steps hadn't even been built yet.


"Knock knock!"

Danika spun around in her chair, giving her visitor a mockingly dark glare. "Who dares disturb my lair?"

"I thought you were trying to avoid the stereotype of a shut-in hermit," Sparks remarked.

Danika smirked and rolled her eyes. She spun her chair back towards the pile of papers on her desk, covering up the space in front of the large computer screen. "What's up?" she said, "Is Ziggy okay?"

"He's fine. Hopefully, anyway. He's spending the day alone in his room."

"Ah, that poor kid… Hope things work out for him."

Sparks groaned softly. "'Let me take you to have dinner with all these friendly faces', and then he gets a freaking knife injury…"

Danika shook her head. "But, it all worked out in the end, right?"

"Sort of, yeah…" Sparks then stepped further into the room and walked up behind her chair. "Still working on that stuff?"

"Ugh…" Danika groaned, "'Working' on it implies making headway."

Sparks frowned. "So, you still can't identify it? At all?"

Danika glanced up over her shoulder at the Raichu. "Well, you know, technically I'm not supposed to tell you anything about this project now. You're not working with me anymore, after all."

Sparks arched an eyebrow. "Say what…?"

Danika shrugged. "That's the policy of the group we're working with on this."

"What do they expect me to do? Just suddenly forget everything I was working on for the better part of two months?"

"I guess?"

"The world is dumb sometimes…"

Sparks leaned on the back of the chair and watched Danika's computer screen for a few moments. The Rescue Society was one of the few organizations to receive a computer that wasn't a governmental body or a university. It was quite fascinating new technology, and everybody in the guild was pleased that Danika had picked up on it so quickly. Right now she was studying a database file from the library. There were images of some chemical symbols, some math stuff, and other things Sparks didn't really understand.

Danika then sighed. "This is another dead end. Forget this." She then closed the window, revealing something else on the screen.

"…What is…?" Sparks murmured.

"I was bored, so I doodled something."

"What are you, five?" Sparks asked with a snicker. His gaze then wandered over to the side. Resting on the ground next to the computer desk, tucked away in an inconspicuous corner, was a small but heavy-duty safe. Sparks was one of the few privy to what was locked inside.

"I'm still upset it didn't give me super powers," Sparks quipped.

"Pff…" Danika scoffed, "You're lucky it didn't send you to the hospital or something!"

"I'm starting to wonder if it's just going to become one of life's greatest unsolved mysteries at this point…"

"I mean, the only reason Carmen approved of letting you take care of Ziggy was that we weren't making any headway with this dumb thing."

"I suppose…" After a moment of silence, Sparks' gaze then shifted over to the other side of the desk. "What's all that?" he asked, having just taken notice of the huge stack of folders next to the screen."

"Hm? Oh, that…" Danika replied with a hint of dread, "That…is my next project."

"Carmen gave you a next project already?"

"Well, it's for whenever I'm done with you-know-what, but…I think I'm pretty close to done with that anyway, since I'm pretty much out of leads…"

"What is it?"

Danika groaned softly. "It's a bunch of old, old, old files from the city's archives. Some of it from the regional archives too. When the virtual databases were all set up, all of Radiant City's newer stuff was uploaded immediately, but now the city wants all this old crap up there too. So…I'm the lucky one who gets to manually type and transfer all of this stuff onto the city's database."

"Oh Arceus have mercy…" Sparks said, "That…doesn't sound fun."

"It's not," Danika replied flatly.

"Oh dear…"

"Any dream I had of ever seeing the sun again just got pushed back by quite a bit."

"Aw, c'mon. That's hyperbole and you know it."

"I only hope it is…"

Another moment of silence filled the room. Danika started reading over some papers on her desk, adjusting her glasses every so often.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Danika spoke up.

"Go ahead."

"That kid…What are you gonna do with him?"

"You mean Ziggy…? Well, I'm not completely sure. Gonna take it day by day."

Danika turned to look at him. "I know you've worked with a lot of homeless Pokémon before, and you usually get them set up with affordable housing in the city."

Sparks nodded.

"What about him, though?"

The Raichu tilted his head and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, assuming things go well and he's ready to live on his own…in this city, though? Sparks, shiny Pokémon don't live in Radiant City."

Sparks skewed his lips. It was true that Radiant City had a virtually non-existent, population of shiny Pokémon. There were no laws or stigmas against them living here, but the fact was that shiny Pokémon usually found better lives living in smaller towns and villages, so that's where most of them were.

"I see your point…" Sparks commented, "I don't know how we would go about housing him in a different city that's outside of our jurisdiction. We might have to hand him over to somebody else to do that." He frowned. "But, that's the thing. It took so much effort just to get him to feel comfortable here, and to trust this small group of Pokémon."

"True…"

"I hate to admit it, but…The end goal isn't exactly clear here."

"Hmm… It does feel like, at some point, we're going to have to give him to somebody else one way or another. Based on what little I've seen of him, though, I can almost guarantee that would be a bad idea."

Sparks nodded sagely. "That's why I can only take it day by day…"

"I guess you're right. Man, that poor kid…"

"His story's not a happy one, and I don't even have all of it because he's too shy to say everything."

After Ziggy had returned from his trip to the nurse's office yesterday, Ziggy had managed to work up the courage to tell his story at the dinner table. He had recounted everything he had told Sparks beforehand, and everybody had respectfully refrained from prodding him with questions.

"Well… Just let me know if there's anything I can do…" Danika remarked after a few moments.

"Thanks, Danika. And right back at you. Let me know if you need help with…cataloguing or whatever."

"I probably will need an extra paw, but I won't bother you if you're busy with Ziggy."

"It doesn't hurt to ask anyway, though. Just let me know!"


Sparks spent the following hours wandering around the guild and poking his head in door after door, seeing if anybody needed help with anything. A few alumni asked him to carry some stuff, offer an opinion on something, or to go fetch food from Liz. Simple odds and ends chores that Sparks was happy to do. Lunch passed by, he stepped just beyond the gate to get a sandwich from the shop across the street from the guild, and then he went right back to wandering.

By the time it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Sparks felt impressed that Ziggy hadn't panicked yet and called for him. It was just the simple task of sitting alone in his room, but Sparks knew enough about the Buizel not to diminish such an accomplishment. It was yet another small step forward.

As the afternoon wore on, Sparks' wayward paws led him back to the main hall, where he lightly knocked three times on the door nestled behind the staircase.

"Come in," Kandice proclaimed from the other side. When Sparks opened the door and stepped into the nurse's office, the Audino smiled brightly at him. "Good afternoon, Sparks," she greeted him.

"Hi, Kandice," he replied, "How're you?"

"I'm just fine, thank you. How are things going on your end?"

Sparks knew she was referring to Ziggy. "…Slowly," he eventually settled on answering.

"I see," Kandice said with a nod, "It has been quite a while since I have seen you personally like this. You have been a busy Raichu."

"Heh… Yeah, Danika and I didn't expect that her 'project' would take so long… and then Ziggy fell into my lap."

Kandice nodded silently, and then made her way over to a desk near the rear of the room. She picked up a small notebook and flipped it open to a bookmarked page. "How are things with you?" she asked.

"Fine," he answered, "It's just been a while since I checked in with you, so I thought I would…"

"Mhm. I appreciate it, Sparks. Oftentimes no news is good news…" She scribbled a few things down in the notebook. "Are you still taking your medication?"

"Not as often as before," he replied, "It doesn't feel like I need it as much."

"Okay. Well, that's fine. As long as you're not being negligent."

"No, of course not."

"Nothing to report, though? No unexpected symptoms, no aggravation of your condition…?"

Sparks shook his head.

"Okay, well that all sounds good. Keep up the good work, Sparks. You continue to impress me every day. You got right back up when life knocked you down."

"Aw, c'mon," Sparks said dismissively, "I didn't get right back up. It still hurts."

"Oh of course. I know that. Anyway, feel free to bump up the dosage if you feel like you need it, even if it's just for one day. Just don't go over the recommended daily dosage and you'll be fine."

"Thanks, Kandice. I appreciate it."

"Any day, Sparks. My door is always open."

"Heh…" Sparks chuckled, "You spoil us…"

Kandice simply shrugged, and then put the notebook back on her desk. "Where is Ziggy, anyhow?"

Sparks explained to her where the Buizel was for the day.

"He seems like a sweet kid," the Audino commented, "Underneath all that anxiety, I mean… I hope he warms up to me enough that I can give him a medical checkup soon. For a Pokémon that used to be homeless, that'll be important for him."

Sparks nodded, but then added, "He seems relatively healthy, though. He was malnourished, but besides that he seemed fine."

"That's astounding, honestly… Especially since, as you told me, he would cover himself in mud."

"I guess he managed to learn how to take care of himself, if nothing else…" Sparks said evenly, "He came from a smaller village, so he must not have been sleeping in dingy alleys until he came to Radiant City. What I wonder is what he did when he got sick. Did he just tough it out? I wonder if he ever needed more serious treatment for something…"

"Well," Kandice said, "Water-Types are more naturally resistant to a lot of the common illnesses we all deal with. Water-Types rarely catch the common cold, for example."

"Lucky Duckletts…"

"Every Type has its pros and cons, medical-wise."

Sparks playfully huffed. "He's got a natural affinity for speed, too. Malnourishment barely slowed him down. He told me that's where he got his nickname from."

"I wonder what his real name is."

"I wonder if he even knows it," Sparks countered.

"I wonder if he even has one…"

The two fell silent as a sombre atmosphere began to cloud the room. Sparks sighed as he thought about the young Buizel, hopefully sitting quietly in his room. For a moment, the Raichu felt the urge to go and check on him to make sure he was okay.

"I hope you can help him, Sparks…"

"Me too…" Sparks said as he stood up and began to make his way towards the door. "I'll talk to you later, Kandice. Thanks for seeing me."

"Where're you off to?"

"I…" Sparks paused for a moment, and then said, "I feel like I should go check on him."

"I thought the point of this exercise was to lessen his dependence on you."

"It is. I know, it's just…I'm worried about him. I'm worried I might've given him too much too soon."

"You do what you feel needs to be done, Sparks. Come back any time," she replied. A moment later, right before Sparks was out the door, she called out to him. "Oh! By the way! Rico told me about that stunt you pulled on the grass hills when you were first chasing Ziggy."

Sparks leaned back through the doorframe, locking eyes with a very stern-looking Audino.

"Don't go breaking your neck out there, Sparks," she scolded him.

"Hey," Sparks replied indignantly, "Don't go treating me like an old 'mon…"

"You're not 'old' yet, Sparks, but you are older. Just…please be careful out there."

The Raichu nodded softly. "I will, Kandice. I will…"

With that, Sparks exited Kandice's office and started to head back to the dorms. It wasn't a long journey, as all he had to do was pass through the common room. Javier and Lupe were there, having apparently come back early from their jobs, so he gave them both a friendly wave.

Sparks was really hoping that he was being worried about nothing. It might have seemed paranoid to get this anxious after having left his charge alone for such a relatively short amount of time. Sparks knew, though, that this wasn't an overreaction. He had hope that Ziggy was taking strides forward, but he also knew the reality of the situation. Ziggy was still a flight risk.

The Raichu quickly entered the dorms and approached the doorway to what had become Ziggy's de facto room. The door had been left unlocked, so as to not make Ziggy feel like he was trapped, but Sparks still respected Ziggy's privacy and knocked on the door.

"Ziggy?" he called out, though not too loudly, making his presence known by the sound of his voice, "Ziggy, how're you doing in there? Everything all right?"

Sparks waited for a moment, but there was no response.

A chill ran up his spine, along with a very familiar sense of dread. He tried to shake those negative thoughts away and convinced himself that he was jumping to conclusions. It was possible that Ziggy had fallen asleep for whatever reason. Nothing was certain just yet, one way or another.

When Sparks knocked again but there was still no response, he decided to quietly open the door himself and peek inside. "Ziggy…?" The Raichu discretely poked his head through the doorway, his eyes scanning the entire room.

It was empty.

"Ziggy?" Sparks called out in a louder voice as he stepped fully into the room. He moved a few pillows aside, but there was nobody hiding under or behind anything. The room was empty. Ziggy wasn't there. "Ziggy, where are you?" he shouted. Sparks could feel panic approaching, but again tried to keep it at bay. Ziggy might be in the washroom, right?

"Ziggy!" Sparks called out, sounding like he was searching for a lost cub. He couldn't have run away again, could he? Sparks had been sure they had gotten past that point by now. He thought he had finally convinced Ziggy that the Society was a safe place to stay.

Had he really failed? Again…?

"Sparks?"

The Raichu's ears perked up. It wasn't Ziggy's voice, but it did catch his attention. He stepped back out into the hallway of the dorms. "Hello?" he replied.

"We're in here, Sparks,"

Sparks turned towards the source of the voice, and a sense of relief washed over him when he found himself looking at the closed door of Kona's room. He let out a sigh of relief, kicking himself for worrying so easily over nothing. With a shake of his head, Sparks walked over to the door and used his badge to open it.


Earlier…


It was just before noon when Kona the Dewott, alone and reading in his room, was alerted to the sound of knocking on his door. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Kona with a friendly smile. "Hello!" he greeted.

"Um…H-hi…" Ziggy replied meekly. The Buizel was breathing a silent sigh of relief. It had indeed been the friendly Dewott on the other side of the door, and not something else. Ziggy couldn't count the number of other things he had expected to find when Kona's door opened. He stood there for a moment, twiddling his paws and feeling self-conscious. He was trying to remain calm, yet his tail was still tucked between his legs. He was focusing mostly on trying to keep his breathing under control.

"Everything okay?"

The Dewott's question brought him back to his senses, and Ziggy looked him in the eyes. Kona was just slightly taller than him, so he didn't have to crane his neck to look upwards like he did when talking to Sparks. "Uhh, no…" he replied, "Well, I mean…Sort of?" Ziggy started glancing around again, looking to see if anybody else was walking in the hallway.

"Do you need me to call Sparks?" Kona asked, and Ziggy recalled what had been told to him earlier. If he had started to panic, Kona would use his badge to contact Sparks and call him back.

It took Ziggy a moment to formulate a response. "…No, I…don't think so…" he said, "I just…just…"

Kona studied him for a moment, and then gave him a calming smile. "Would you like to come in?"

"Huh…?"

"In here, in my room," Kona said, gesturing to the room behind him, "Did you want to just hang out with me?"

Ziggy blinked a few times. "W…Would that be okay?"

"Sure!" Kona replied cheerily, "Absolutely! Feel free to come visit me any time, Ziggy."

"Uh, okay…Thanks…"

Kona then stepped to the side, and Ziggy hesitantly made his way through the doorway and into the room. Like he had felt before when entering the guild, and again when entering Sparks' room, there was an overwhelming feeling that he was stepping into somewhere where he didn't belong. Somewhere he wasn't allowed to be.

Ziggy tried to shake this feeling by taking a look at the Dewott's room. It was similar to Sparks' room in a lot of ways. There was a desk with writing materials and other odds and ends scattered upon it, as well as many photographs of Kona standing with various Pokémon. There weren't nearly as many photos as in Sparks' room. Rather, the defining characteristic of Kona's room was the many short bookshelves that lined the walls.

"Have a seat anywhere you like," Kona said to him as he closed the door.

"Okay…" Ziggy glanced around and saw a pillow on the ground, and next to it was a book with a bookmark sticking out of it. That must have been where Kona had been sitting, so Ziggy decided to sit somewhere else. He eventually ended up sitting down on the floor a few feet away.

"So, what's up?" Kona asked him, sitting back down on the pillow, "Was it getting lonely all by yourself in your room?"

Ziggy glanced at him. "Uh, no…" he replied, "No, I'm used to being lonely. I was just…getting nervous…"

Kona tilted his head. "Nervous? About what?"

About what? How much time have you got? I could list 'what's until the middle of the night… Ziggy thought to himself. "I…don't really know," he eventually answered.

"Just nervous energy?" Kona asked.

"Huh?"

"Feeling nervous for no reason in particular?"

Ziggy frowned, looking away. "I guess…? I just…Ngh, I dunno…"

"Well," Kona said as he reached over to pat Ziggy on the back, "You're got nothing to worry about. I'm sure that's been said to you about a million times, but it's true. Sparks isn't going anywhere. He'll be back later in the day. So…Y'know, just try to relax."

"I can't relax…" Ziggy remarked.

"Why not?"

"I dunno, I just can't. I can never relax. I'm not a Pokémon that gets to relax. I've just…I've always been…" Ziggy paused and took in a few breaths. "I'm…not used to being…indoors…"

Now, Kona was frowning. "It really was that bad, huh? A silly part of me was hoping you were exaggerating…"

"This isn't…normal for me…" Ziggy said, trying to keep the whine out of his voice, "It's like…My whole life, I was playing a life or death game, day and night, and then it just…stops."

"I suppose that would be rather jarring…"

"I…I trust you guys now…" Ziggy admitted, "I really do, but…I still can't relax."

"Hmm…"

The Buizel sighed, jumbled thoughts filling his mind and twisting his stomach. In some ways, it still felt like he was in a dream. It wasn't too much of a stretch to believe it. After all, he'd had plenty of dreams like this before, usually followed by waking up and bawling his eyes out.

Ever since the big, friendly Raichu had found him, it felt like his life was being pulled in a different direction. It was sudden and so very frightening, and Ziggy still didn't know which direction he was being pulled in. It was hard to believe that his stay here, no matter how good it was, would end well.

His optimism had died long ago.

"Well, Ziggy?" Kona spoke up, "Everybody here has been spending all of this time talking about your past and all the terrible stuff in your life…Why don't we talk about something else?"

Ziggy looked up at him. "Huh? Something else? Like what?"

"Like, what's your favourite colour?"

The Buizel blinked once. "Uhh…I dunno, I never really gave it much thought." After a pause, he said, "Blue? I guess?"

Kona brightened up. "Really? Blue's my favourite too!"

"Yeah…?"

"That's great. See, now we have something in common. Maybe I can talk to Carmen and get something blue in your room, like curtains or something. What else do you like? Is there something you like to do, like a hobby or something? Maybe a favourite food?"

"Uhh…" Ziggy fidgeted a little. He was being put on the spot by these questions, which made him feel a little anxious when trying to find an answer. "I guess I like running?" Once he had given the answer, though, he found he wasn't as nervous.

"Sparks told me you were really fast."

"Kinda, yeah…" Ziggy replied with a shrug, "It's why I'm 'Ziggy'…"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I'm called Ziggy because I run fast. Pokémon called me that because I, y'know, zig and zag and nobody can catch me…"

"Oh…Oh, I see." Kona nodded and then asked, "Who gave you that name?"

"Everybody calls me that."

"No, I mean did you have friends when you were younger who started the nickname? Something like that?"

Ziggy's look immediately soured and his frown got bigger. "No," he replied flatly, "Who'd be friends with somebody like me?"

"Aw, c'mon Ziggy. You already know that's not true, 'cus you've got Sparks! And me! Everybody here seems to like you."

The Buizel just remained silent and didn't respond to that.

Kona cleared his throat after a brief awkward silence. "Well, anyway, I'm still curious. That name had to have come from somewhere right?"

"Uhh…" Ziggy skewed his lips as he thought about it, "I… I think I was in some kind of school for a tiny bit of time. Way, way, way back when I was a little cub. Maybe an orphanage school or somethin'? I dunno. The other kids there musta come up with it."

"Oh…" Kona replied, "But…you like it, right? You don't mind everybody calling you 'Ziggy'?"

"It's fine. I don't care."

"Do you have a given name? Like, an actual one?"

Ziggy shrugged. "Maybe?"

Kona fell silent again, biting his lip and glancing away. Ziggy could see that the Dewott was trying his best to keep the conversation lighthearted, but was struggling. With a sigh, Ziggy realized that he had come in here anxious and was now depressed instead. Was that better or worse?

"Well," Kona finally said, breaking the silence after a few minutes, "I suppose that makes sense. Sparks was telling me that Carmen thought you were 'well-spoken' for a Pokémon in your circumstances, but even just going to school for a little bit when you can barely remember helps."

"I taught myself how to read…" Ziggy commented, "Learned how to speak by listening to others."

"That's a good thing, then! It means you're smart, Ziggy."

"I'm not smart," Ziggy said, "I don't know anything about math or science or anything like that!"

Kona shook his head. "There's a difference between being smart and being intelligent. All I meant was that, even if you're a little behind in your knowledge, you clearly have a fairly big brain in that head. Not every Pokémon in your circumstances could teach themselves to read."

"…You think so…?"

"Sure!"

Ziggy hesitated, feeling a strange mix of emotions. It felt weird that the Dewott would put so much faith into him, a Pokémon he barely knew. Kona was…believing in him. It should have felt nice but, instead, it just felt wrong. Incorrect. Like Kona was making a mistake. Still, though, it was nice that he had at least said it.

"You're…a very nice Pokémon," Ziggy commented.

"Aw, well thank you! You're very nice too."

"When you gave me that chocolate bar a few days ago… Nobody's ever done anything nice like that to me, y'know, just for no reason. I'm…not used to Pokémon just doing something nice…and not asking for anything in return."

"Ah, it's nothing to make a big deal about," Kona said with a smile, "That's just what friends do."

"I'm pretty sure I've…never had a friend before."

"Well, you've got at least two now. Probably a couple more."

Ziggy silently considered this. Friends? The concept was almost foreign to him. His whole life had been nothing but solitude and hiding from the ire of others. It would be nice to consider somebody else a friend, but for someone to think of him as a friend? That was something Ziggy found hard to believe.

Maybe it wasn't impossible, though…

"You…really think we're friends?" Ziggy whispered.

"Sure! Why not?" Kona replied jovially, "You haven't really given me any reason to think otherwise."

"Uhh…Okay…" Ziggy said hesitantly, trying to figure out the emotions this stirred up, "Um…Then, uh…What do you do?"

"Hm?"

"I-I mean…Y'know, around here? What kind of…stuff do you do?"

"My work at the Society, you mean?" Kona said, "I've been here for a couple of years. I'm sort of mid rank, although Carmen doesn't much care for rankings. I don't have a team partner so I either work alone or team up with whoever wants my help. I like to think of myself as being on everybody's team!"

"Team?" Ziggy murmured, "You mean the…Uh, what did he call it? The active team?"

Kona nodded. "Yes, I'm part of that, but Pokémon in guilds like this often form two- or three-Pokémon teams and do most of their work together."

Ziggy straightened up a little as he recalled something. "Oh, right. That Eevee and Riolu were a team. Um…Terry, and…uh…"

"Rico. His name's Enrico but he prefers just 'Rico'."

"Right. Rico."

"You'll find more Pokémon making teams in guilds in smaller towns. We're such a big organization here that our work spreads out in so many directions, so we all work wherever we're needed. Rico and Terry are a team mostly because they knew each other beforehand and they joined together."

Ziggy nodded in understanding.

"Anyway, you were asking about me," Kona continued, "I'll do pretty much anything to help out, if I can. There's not a lot I'll say 'no' to. On a typical day, I'm either picking a job off of the board or Carmen asks me to help somebody else out with something else."

"I see… So, you go out there? In the city?"

Kona nodded. "Yup. Most days I'm out there doing something or other. Today's just my day off. Last week I helped a family set up a new trampoline in their back yard, and not long ago I helped a cub who was stuck up in a tree."

"Really…?" Ziggy's eyes widened.

"It wasn't too high up, but the little scamp had climbed higher than he realized and was too scared to get down. His dad was an Aggron. Not exactly designed for climbing trees, so I brought a ladder and got him down."

"Oh wow…"

"Yeah, he was pretty happy to get down safely. Such an adorable smile on his face!"

"That's…really cool," Ziggy spoke softly, "It's really cool what you all do…"

Kona shrugged. "Everybody needs help at some point…We're here to help."

"But…what if you can't help?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Like…" Ziggy frowned, struggling for words for a moment, "What if…even though you tried…you couldn't get him down out of the tree? Like, if he was too high up, your ladder didn't reach, and…"

"Oh, well I can call for backup with my badge. Someone on the active team might be able to help out, or someone else who's on duty that day. I've done that from time to time. Sometimes we bite off a bit more than we can chew."

"But…What if nobody could get him down? What if…nobody, not you or anyone working here, could get him down?"

"Well," Kona replied, "that's why it's important to have friends. Even the Rescue Society as an organization has friends." He started counting off on his paw. "We work with the government, law enforcement, homeless shelters, mental health facilities… Radiant City is a huge place, there's bound to be somebody out there who can help with whatever it was. Sometimes we, the Rescue Society, just need to find them."

Ziggy didn't say anything and just glanced away.

"If we can't reach a solution, we find a path to the solution," Kona stated.

"Mm…"

"I can tell why you're asking this, Ziggy," Kona said in a softer tone, making the Buizel look up at him in surprise, "I know nobody here has an exact answer for you yet, but you just have to relax. Don't think about the future so much, okay? If you focus on the future, then you can't focus on the here and the now."

"I…I guess…" Ziggy murmured, "I dunno…"

"You're feeling a bit better now, though. Right? Not as panicked as before."

Ziggy thought about it, and realized that Kona was right. He nodded.

"That's good. You can just hang out here all day if you want to, Ziggy. I don't mind. We can keep talking, or I can find a book for you maybe?"

"Can I…? Are you sure? Isn't…this your day off?"

Kona smiled sweetly. "I don't mind. I'm happy to help you relax if that's what you need. So just, y'know, sit back and try to relax. Everything'll be okay."


"Hey…Kona?"

A couple quiet hours had passed, and Ziggy was still sitting with Kona in the Dewott's room. They had talked some more, Kona had told some stories about his previous work at the guild, and at one point Ziggy had just been content to sit in silence while Kona read for a bit. It was honestly surprising to him to see how calming it felt to simply be with Kona in his room. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long, long time.

"Hm? What's up?" Kona said, answering Ziggy's query.

Ziggy, however, simply grimaced and glanced away. The question was sitting there on his tongue, but he just couldn't make his mouth open to let it out. He felt his stomach begin to twist and he considered just saying 'nothing, never mind.'

"What is it, Ziggy? Go ahead. You can ask me anything."

"Um…"

Silence filled the room for an indeterminate amount of time as Ziggy struggled with his nerves. Kona was looking at him patiently, waiting for him to speak, but wasn't saying anything or being pushy about it. Eventually, Ziggy finally found the courage to speak up.

"Do you really not care…that my fur's yellow…?"

Ziggy nervously looked over at Kona to see what reaction his question had garnered. The Dewott looked surprised by the question for a moment, but a second later he simply shrugged and said, "Nope."

"Really?"

"Really, Ziggy. I really don't care."

"But…" The Buizel whined softly and looked away for a moment before saying, "But, why not?"

"Because there's no reason to, Ziggy," Kona answered, "Really, it doesn't matter. I mean, what is it supposed to mean? What does having golden fur mean about who you are as a Pokémon?"

"It means I'm a freak," Ziggy replied with a frown.

"No. No it doesn't. You're not a freak, you're a Buizel. You've got all the Buizel characteristics. You can use Water attacks, you can hold your breath for a long time, you can use that…um, thing on your neck to float, and you can swirl your tails to swim really fast. That's still a Buizel."

Ziggy was silent for a moment before speaking up again. "But…doesn't it bother you? Don't I look weird to you?"

"Not really, no." After a pause, Kona spoke again in a softer tone. "Is…that how others treat you?"

Instead of answering, Ziggy just grimaced.

"Mm…There's unfortunately a lot of…undeserved hate for ACP's. They're so rare that Pokémon don't understand, and Pokémon get scared of what they don't understand. There is a lot of venom out there about shiny Pokémon, and I wish it wasn't like that, but…Ziggy, you know not everybody is like that."

"It feels that way…" Ziggy sighed.

"It's probably very rough. I don't know for sure, I'm not an ACP myself, but I've worked with a few of them. Not all shinies are in as rough of a spot as you, though. A lot of them have jobs, a lot of them have families and friends. Being a shiny doesn't automatically mean your life has to be the worst it can possibly be. It's not impossible for things to get better."

"Mnn…" Ziggy grumbled, not feeling very uplifted by Kona's words.

"It's just…not as easy here in the city."

"Yeah…I wish I'd never come here…"

"Well…Then you wouldn't have met us."

Ziggy lifted his head to look at the Dewott, who was trying to give him an uplifting smile. "I guess…" he said. Another few minutes of gentle silence filled the room. Ziggy sat there for a while, ruminating with his thoughts. Even despite Kona's kind words, something still just didn't feel right. It felt like there was something wrong that needed to be addressed, but nobody knew what it was.

As the Buizel looked over at Kona again, still just as calm and friendly as ever, he asked his question one more time. "You…really don't care?"

"No, Ziggy. Nobody here does. Not me, not Sparks, not Carmen…nobody."

"Then…Why does everybody else care so much…?" Ziggy whimpered, feeling his frown get heavier, "Why do they all point? And stare? And shout? A-and…"

"I…don't know, Ziggy. I really don't," Kona replied sadly, "It doesn't make sense. It's not right. Really, it's not right for Pokémon to assume they know something about you just because you have golden fur… Some of them are scared, some of them are just followers who go with what others think, and…some Pokémon are just jerks."

"I-it's not fair…" Ziggy said in a quivering voice, "I didn't ask to be like this… I wish I could have orange fur. I wish I could just be normal!"

"Ziggy…"

"I…I hate it…It's like…When I cover myself in mud Pokémon still stare at me like I'm a weirdo, because I am being a weirdo covered in mud…but it's still not as bad! Whenever somebody sees me without the mud…they'll stare and shout. They'll say really mean things…tell me to go away, get away from their kids even though I'm nowhere near, say I don't belong…"

"I'm sorry, Ziggy…I'm so sorry you have to go through that…" Kona spoke softly.

"I…don't want to be like this," Ziggy said as he started to cry, "I don't want to be a freak anymore…" The Buizel shut his eyes and sniffled, feeling a heavy pain in his chest. Years of living as a freak on the street had steeled him to the mean ways Pokémon would treat him, but the hurt never truly went away. Now, sitting in this quiet room with this nice Dewott had made him feel vulnerable, and all of the hurt was starting to spill out.

Ziggy gasped when he suddenly felt Kona reach over and give him a hug. "It's okay, Ziggy," Kona said, "You're okay. You're safe here. You're not a freak."

"K…Kona…" Ziggy whimpered. He felt himself teetering on the edge of a full-blown meltdown. He almost relented so he could just lean into the hug and cry, but the two were distracted by a sudden sound.

"Ziggy?"

There was the sound of a door opening.

"Ziggy, where are you?"

The Buizel had been quite startled by the unexpected voice that could be heard even through the closed door of Kona's room. It only took him a moment to recognize it, though, and he quickly started to calm down. "That's…"

"Ziggy!"

"Sparks?" Kona called out to him, keeping his paws wrapped tightly around Ziggy as he did so.

"…Hello?"

"We're in here, Sparks."

A few heavy pawsteps could be heard. "Kona?"

"It's open, come on in."

Ziggy glanced over his shoulder as he heard the sound of the door latch opening. A moment later, the door swung inward and revealed a slightly frantic-looking Raichu on the other side. Ziggy and Sparks locked eyes, and Ziggy immediately felt a calming sensation throughout his whole body.

"Ziggy! There you are," Sparks said, relief in his voice, "I saw your empty room and I got worried…

"S-sorry…" Ziggy said, a tearful waver still in his voice.

Sparks shook his head and entered the room, closing the door behind him. "No, no need to apologize. I'm just relieved that you're safe." He then walked over and sat on the ground next to the hugging pair. "What's going on? Why're you in here?"

Ziggy wanted to answer for himself, but his emotions were still a little muddled so eventually Kona answered for him. "Ziggy was feeling nervous being by himself, so he's been hanging out in here with me for the last couple of hours. He's okay. Things just got a bit emotional here…"

"Oh. Well, that's fine. Fine that you came over here, I mean," Sparks commented, "Whatever helps you feel more comfortable. But, what's on your mind right now?"

Ziggy no longer felt tears in his eyes. Instead he just felt glum, resting his chin morosely on Kona's shoulder. "I'm a freak…" he mumbled.

"Ziggy…" Sparks said in a distinctly 'I thought we went over this' voice.

"He was just asking why…" Kona said, but then trailed off for a moment. "…Why most other Pokémon, uh… treat ACP's so badly. Why they always stare."

"Oh, I see…"

"They always stare…" Ziggy grumbled, "Everybody. They all stare. With those big, wide eyes. 'What the heck is that freaky thing?' I hate it."

The room was silent for a moment. Kona kept hugging Ziggy, though the Buizel didn't mind. He wasn't used to physical contact like this, but he was feeling too depressed to protest it.

Eventually, Sparks spoke up. "Ziggy…" he said in a thoughtful manner, "Do you remember when you met Danika?"

Both Kona and Ziggy turned to look at him. "Huh? Danika?" Ziggy spoke.

Sparks nodded. "Mhm. That day when I brought you up to her office."

"I, uh… Sure, I guess."

"What was the first thing you noticed about her?"

Ziggy knew the answer right away. "Her glasses."

"Right," Sparks said with another nod, "You took notice of Danika's glasses, to the point where she made a joke about you staring at them."

"H-huh…?" Ziggy muttered, "I was…?"

"Yes, Ziggy. You were absolutely staring at Danika's glasses. They were something different about her. Something that made her stand out, and it drew your eye."

"Oh…I-I guess I was…" Ziggy trailed off for a moment. "B-but, that's not the same…thing…"

"Isn't it?"

"Pokémon stare at me because I'm a freak, and then they yell things at me and…I didn't think Danika was a freak. N-not at all! I wasn't gonna shout at her! I didn't think her glasses were wrong or anything! I was just…just…" Ziggy skewed his lips as confusion began to settle in. "I…I don't know…"

Sparks leaned in closer to him. Kona released him from the hug, and Sparks placed a paw gently on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "Buddy, it's normal for your eyes to be drawn to something that's different. It's a natural response in our bodies. Our eyes notice something that's different than 'normal', and it sets off flags in our brain telling us that it might be a sign of danger. So we look, to assess the situation. But we look, we see there's no danger, and after a moment we stop and just move on.

"Ziggy, I know that if you walk out onto the street just as you are, then pretty much everybody on the street is gonna notice you and stare at you. Some of them might say or do something hurtful because they're idiots, but not everybody will react like that. A lot of Pokémon who look at you, or even stare at you, are just looking because you caught their eye. A lot of them will probably just ignore you and move on before long."

Ziggy was wordlessly look up at him, a contemplative look in his eye.

"If you see someone staring at you, just remember Danika's glasses. Most of them won't hurt you. I'm sure a lot of them don't even have any bad thoughts about you."

"Y…Yeah…?" Ziggy murmured meekly.

"Y'know…I'll admit, Ziggy. Even I was staring at you for a couple seconds after you first washed off the mud. Even I'm guilty of it."

"…I guess…"

"I just don't want you to be afraid of being visible, Ziggy. Obviously I'm not gonna ask you to go parade down main street, but I still see you jump a little bit every time somebody enters a room. You're wound up way too tightly."

"Mm…" Ziggy glanced away for a moment, looking a little melancholy. After a moment, though, he looked back at Sparks and gave him a timid little half-smile. "Thanks, Sparks…" he said, "I'll…I'll try. I'll do my best…"

Sparks smiled back at him. "That's all I can ask for."

"You're…way way the nicest Pokémon I've ever met…in my whole life. I…It doesn't feel like I deserve you and all the help you're giving me…Sometimes I just…I dunno… You're perfect, Sparks."

"Ah…" Sparks gently shook his head. "Thank you, Ziggy, but I'm not perfect. Believe me, I am definitely not perfect."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll…" For a moment, the Raichu looked troubled, which was highly unusual in Ziggy's eyes. "I'll tell you another time…"

"Oh…Okay…"

"All right," Sparks then spoke as he started to stand up, "I'm glad to see you're doing fine. Are you okay to hang out here with Kona some more? There's still some errands I'd like to get done."

Ziggy turned back to look at Kona, who smiled and nodded encouragingly. "Uh…Y-yeah, that's fine," he answered Sparks.

"Sounds good…" Sparks, now standing, then walked over to Ziggy and tousled the fur on his head. "We're gonna get you through this, okay? It's not gonna be easy for either of us, but we're gonna make it work. We've both gotta work hard, though, all right? There's a better life for you out there, I know it, but I need you to work with me in order to get there."

Ziggy looked up at Sparks, conflicting emotions swirling in his stomach again. Sparks' words were encouraging and his optimistic attitude was kind of infectious, but the reality of his words weighed down on his shoulders. "Okay…"

"I'll see you again at dinner time."

"Mhm. Um…Thanks for coming, Sparks. It was nice of you."

"Not a problem, Ziggy. Not a problem…"