Chapter 37 - What's Next?

Sparks very gently knocked on the door. It was quite late in the evening, and some other members of the active team had already gone to sleep. As such, Sparks wasn't sure if the room's occupant was asleep as well or not.

A lethargic, but very much awake, voice could be heard on the other side. "C'min…"

The Raichu pushed open the door, now noticing it hadn't been closed and locked. Ziggy often did this when he was residing in his room, as he was someone who often received visitors and didn't want to always get up and unlock the door. It was somewhat of a holdover from the days when he'd had this room but without a badge.

"Hey bud," Sparks greeted the Buizel quietly, "Still up?"

"Mm… "Ziggy mumbled. He was sitting on his bed at the side against the wall, looking up through the window that was situated above. The starry night was shining through.

Sparks walked over and held something out to him. "Mail just came for you," he said, "Express delivery."

Ziggy looked over in surprise at the letter Sparks was holding, and then reached out to grasp it. He carefully used his paws to rip open the envelope to retrieve the letter from within, and then started to silently read it. Ziggy was still rather shell-shocked from the revelation of his lost memories from a few days ago and had been spending quite a lot of time in his room, though he wasn't entirely holed-up inside.

"What's he saying?" Sparks asked. He already knew who the letter had come from.

"I…" Ziggy started to say, but then trailed off. Sparks waited quietly for him to finish the letter, and then Ziggy simply let his paws fall limply onto the bed. The letter fluttered softly onto the bedsheets.

Sparks regarded Ziggy for a moment. He had a look on his face that clearly expressed some inner turmoil, and he didn't seem like he had much to say at the moment. "May I read it?" he asked, and Ziggy just quietly nodded. So, Sparks picked up the letter and held it up to read. It was actually written in legible paw-writing, which meant Dante had gotten someone else to pen it for him.

"Dear Ziggy,

"I had expected, from the very first day that I left the city, that I would be hearing amazing and incredible stories from you. I must admit, however, this still took me completely by surprise. I was honestly at a loss for words after reading your letter. I was almost certain you had just sent over a short story you'd written.

"Take it from me, someone who has seen some of the most wonderful and bizarre things that this strange world has to offer; what you've told me is incredible. I did not suspect for even a moment that you had memories locked away. I am delighted to hear that you've gotten them all back, and just as much so that Rico's memories have returned as well. Please give the happy couple my regards.

"Now that the truth of your childhood is known, please allow me to offer my condolences for the passing of your parents. Losing loved ones is never easy in the most normal of circumstances, and these are anything but normal. It's okay to cry and to feel sad. It's okay to show how much you miss them. It might even take a long while before you feel ready to get up and go again. But just know that eventually you will get up again. You will feel better again. You will feel happy again.

"When Riya died, I thought the pain in my heart would torment me until I drew my last breath. I thought it was a hurt so strong that it would consume me. It felt at first like nothing else in the world mattered anymore. It honestly did feel like I would be sad for the rest of my life. But it does get easier. Eventually you will come to realize that the love you shared was stronger than any sadness. Even though it's in the past now, it remains forever in your heart. Soon enough, you will only remember the happy moments you shared. It may sound like a cheesy line from a novel, but it's the truth.

"Though I have never met either of your parents, I know with certainty that they would both be proud of you.

"As for what you have told me regarding the guilt you feel, I can tell you that you need not feel any guilt for something that was not your fault. More so, it was an affliction that was forced upon you. You didn't have a choice in the matter, so there is no reason to feel any guilt. If your parents were looking upon you from heaven with anger, I would be most surprised. They were most likely very worried about you and concerned for your safety. And now that your affliction has passed, they can rest easier.

"It is an unfortunate thing at the end of the day. It is true that expected feelings of compassion and remembrance were not felt when your parents lost their lives. But, that is the thing about loving parents; they truly do not care. If your parents loved you as much as you remember they did, then I can tell you with absolute certainty that they only cared about your happiness and well-being. The fact that you managed to get off that island, safe and mostly unharmed, was all they could have asked for. By simply moving forward and continuing to live, you did all that you needed to do. The last thing they would want from you now is for you to beat yourself up, so please do not.

"Stay strong, be brave, and cherish the friends you have with you. I'm very happy that you've gotten your memories back, and I'm sure soon enough you will be too. Truthfully this does raise many further questions about the Nihilego, considering you encountered one almost seven years ago, but I'm sure Danika is already pouring all of her focus into that. But don't worry too much about that right now. Take time to grieve, and then focus on the here and now.

"You're loved, Ziggy. Then and now, you are loved.

"~Dante"

Sparks glanced up from the letter, and noticed that Ziggy was now laying on his bed atop the covers. A few tears were gently running down his cheeks as he quietly cried. "What a wonderful letter…" he spoke softly. He carefully folded up the paper and then placed it on top of Ziggy's dresser, then went to sit down next to him on the bed.

"He's right, you know," Sparks continued, "I felt the same way when my folks died. It was a little different for me obviously, but the end result is the same. The pain will fade."

Ziggy sighed forlornly. "I'm used to pain…"

Sparks winced slightly and bit his lip.

"You're right," Ziggy said, "And Dante's right. But still…" He trailed off for a moment, then sighed softly and shook his head. "I'm not gonna be upset at myself anymore…" he said, "It's not my fault."

"It's not your fault," Sparks repeated.

"You're all right…" Ziggy said, "You're all so smart, and you always say the right things. I'm sorry for beating myself up. I should be grateful that I got my memories back at all."

Sparks reached over and patted the Buizel's leg gently.

"…But I'm still sad…" Ziggy muttered.

"Of course," Sparks said understandingly, "You still lost your parents. That hasn't changed, and that would make anyone feel sad. It's a little…delayed, but it's still normal."

"I miss them both so badly already…" Ziggy continued softly, "I think of all the time we could've had together…How different my life might have been…"

A quiet moment passed, with the only sounds being Ziggy sniffling occasionally. "Well…" Sparks said, "At least you don't have to feel lonely."

Ziggy looked up at him with a frown, but eventually a little sad smile tugged at his lips. "Y-yeah… If I didn't have you guys with me, I…don't think I could've handled everything…"

"Take all the time you need and talk to us whenever you want," Sparks said, "Guildmembers get five days off automatically when an immediate family member dies, no questions asked. So, you won't be expected to do a single thing until Tuesday."

"Okay…" Ziggy said, but then a moment later he sighed forlornly.

"What's up?"

"I still feel bad that I said…some kinda horrible things about them, back when I thought they'd abandoned me…"

Sparks shook his head. "They'll understand. Someone messed with your head, after all."

Ziggy spent the next couple of seconds staring off at the wall, apparently deep in thought. Sparks waited patiently until he eventually said, "I…d-don't think I can go visit their…g-grave just yet. Not until a little while later." He then winced and said, "I hope that's not a terrible thing to say."

"Not really," Sparks replied, "but do you mind if I ask why?"

"Because…" Ziggy started, but hesitated for a moment. He glanced over at Sparks, who gave him an encouraging nod. "Well, because I think I can… No. No, I know I can still make myself better than I am now. I can still improve. I still have a ways to go in being a better Pokémon." He closed his eyes, sighed softly, and said, "When I finally see them again, after all this time, I want them to…"

When Ziggy trailed off, Sparks quietly finished the sentiment for him. "You want them to be proud of you."

Ziggy just quietly nodded.

"If you feel like that's what you want to do, if you feel that's the right path for you, then you do that. Someone here will take you out to the island whenever you're ready. Just let us know."

"Thank you…"

Sparks then got up off of the bed and said, "I'll let you get some sleep. We gonna see you tomorrow at breakfast?

Ziggy hesitated for a moment. "Y-yeah…I think so."

"Good," Sparks replied with a smile, "Have a good night."

"You too…"

Sparks gave Ziggy a little wave and then quietly exited the Buizel's room. He shut the door, and when he turned around he nearly walked right into Danika.

"Gah!" he yelped in surprise, "Hi, Dani…?" The Sneasel just looked up at Sparks with a frazzled, distant sort of look, prompting him to say, "No offense, but you kinda look like hell. What's wrong?"

Danika just tiredly said, "Nihilego…"

Sparks blinked. "Oh, right…Is that why we've barely seen you for two days?"

"Sparks, what does this meeeeeean?" Danika whined softly.

"I don't know, Dani. I really don't know…" He gestured with his head towards the common room, and then walked off with the Sneasel behind him. He didn't want to risk waking anyone up, so he figured the two of them could talk on the couch. Soon after, both Pokémon were seated on the cushions.

"As far as everyone knew…" Danika spoke up with a little more energy in her voice, "The first ever appearance…first sighting of the Nihilego was a few months ago in the park. The incident that took Rico's memories. Nobody had ever even heard of something like that until that point."

Sparks nodded with a troubled look. "Now we know there was apparently one hanging out about seven or eight years ago."

"How have there been no sightings, or even rumours, in all those years since then?" Danika asked, "I've been looking through old newspaper records for any kind of story about paranormal sightings and whatnot for anything that would even be close, and I've found nothing. Or did it really show up eight years ago, torch an island, and then just never showed up until now when it's showing up all over the place?"

"Not to mention," Sparks added in a grim tone, "how it torched the island in the first place. In these recent sightings, it's never displayed any fire-based abilities. Only electricity. We at least know it also had the electricity powers back then, because that's how it…killed them."

"And took Ziggy's memories."

"I'm shocked he survived it. Rico only lost a fraction of his memories compared to Ziggy, and his injury still charred his fur pretty badly. I had figured that any more, and the Nihilego would have fried Rico's brain…"

Danika leaned forward and held her head in her claws. "What is going on…?"

"The Nihilego has never been violent in recent sightings either," Sparks continued, "It's debatable whether it's aggressive or not, and it's definitely dangerous, but it certainly hasn't been attempting to burn down buildings or anything. Ziggy's recollection makes it sound like this Nihilego came to the island to systematically destroy it and everything on it."

"That's the other other thing!" Danika exclaimed, sitting up with a more frazzled look, "We just learned that the Family Day Tragedy wasn't what we thought it was! Everyone thought the island burned down by accident, or as part of a natural disaster. But no, apparently a Nihilego floated down from the sky and murdered an entire village!"

"Dani, relax…" Sparks reached over to pat her shoulder gently.

An uncomfortable grimace spread across Danika's face. "Do we even tell anyone?"

"Would anyone believe us?"

"It would bring unwanted attention towards Ziggy…"

Sparks let out a huff and shrugged. "I guess there's really no need to spread this beyond our little clique. At least not right now. Unless we finally get some concrete answers about the Nihilego, it won't matter much…"

"My head hurts…" Danika moaned.

"Welcome to my world. Go drink some water." When Danika didn't get up, and simply stayed sitting still with a far-off look in her eyes, Sparks nudged her. "Cheer up, Dani," he said, "It'll be okay. We'll figure this out together."

To his delight, Danika snickered. "You know that's like your catchphrase, right?" she quipped.

Sparks shrugged again and said, "It's what we do, isn't it? Sort of?"

"I subscribe to the idea that we just make it up as we go along."

The two Pokémon shared a light but genuine laugh together.


"Good morning everyone!"

The heads of all the Pokémon sitting at the long dining table turned in unison, and soon they all broke out in smiles. "Hey, Ziggy!" Kona called.

The golden Buizel stood in the doorway, having just exited the dorms. He took in a breath and let it out slowly. His fur was a bit disheveled and he had a very tired look in his dark-ringed eyes, but he was smiling warmly.

Many members of the active team were already at the table, no doubt eagerly awaiting breakfast. "How're you feeling?" Kona asked.

"We haven't seen you," Shay spoke up, the Yamper looking surprisingly quiet and reserved, "You've been in your room for like three days."

"I'm all right…" Ziggy said, only slightly exaggerating his current state. The other Pokémon ushered him over to the table, and he soon made his way over. He ended up sitting between Kona and Jules. He felt happier now that he was sitting among Pokémon who were close to him.

After some pleasantries, the Pokémon there all told Ziggy they were sorry for his loss. Ziggy knew something like this would be coming, and it did send a few painful daggers right into his heart. Thankfully, though, none of the Pokémon dwelled on it for very long. They simply made it known that he had their support.

"Thank you guys…" Ziggy mumbled as he wiped away a couple stray tears. He shook his head and let out another breath to calm himself down. He promised himself he wasn't going to cry at breakfast; he'd done enough of that already. Looking around, he saw Kona, Jules, Kandice, Javier, Shay, Tora and Akash were at the table.

So much had been going on that it had been a while since he'd talked to some of these Pokémon. "Where's Sparks?" he asked curiously.

"He's in some meeting with Carmen and Danika," Jules said, "That's all he told us."

"So, Ziggy," Kona spoke up, "Nice to see you. We were all worried about you, but it's good to see you smiling."

"Yeah!" Shay proclaimed, "Breakfasts are better when you're here with us!"

Ziggy blushed slightly and said, "Gosh, you guys… It still feels weird sometimes. I'm not on the active team, and I don't think I ever will be, but I'm still here eating breakfast in this room and sleeping in these dorms."

"Neither is Sparks," Javier observed plainly.

Kona just gave Ziggy a cheesy sort of grin and said, "Sometimes the bonds of friendship outweigh rules and regulations, y'know?" He then surprised his fellow Water-type with a quick side hug.

"Thanks Kona," he said. Then he turned to the others. "How're you all doing?"

"Moving forward every day," Kandice replied.

"It's been kinda busy," Jules spoke up, "A lot of Pokémon out there are…well…trying to set up 'Nihilego-defense' and stuff, and so a lot of the jobs on the job board relate to that."

"I've been delivering materials and stuff all over," Tora said, "My wings are killing me. I'm actually on a no-fly break for the next three days." The Pidgeot took a moment to stretch her wings as much as she could without bothering those next to her.

"No more scary monsters from the sky, though?" Ziggy asked.

"Nope!" Shay proclaimed, the Yamper's tail wagging wildly.

Ziggy couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Are you ever not excited?"

"I just like working here, and because I can keep working here, I'm happy! So long as nothing stops me from working here, I'll keep working here and-"

"Shay, buddy," Jules cut in, "Your record's skipping."

"More adventures!" Shay exclaimed, "Whatever it takes! Let's get out there and have some fun!"

"You're like the opposite of me…" Ziggy said. He then turned to address the Sylveon. "How's your girlfriend? Did the anniversary happen yet?"

Jules shook his head. "This Thursday," he said, "Gotta work my awesome tail off to put in extra work for Carmen so she'll let me have those two days off."

"Two?" Ziggy asked in confusion.

"Yeah, 'cus on Friday w-"

"Anyway…" Kandice suddenly cut in, "I hope you're doing all right, Ziggy. You haven't come to talk with me for a while, even though a lot's been happening."

"Mhm…" Ziggy nodded as he looked over to the Audino, "I…didn't want to feel dependant on you. I tried a lot of the stuff you talked with me about and I…think I'm getting through stuff okay."

She smiled. "That's good to hear. My door's always open, though. Don't forget."

"It's been…rough," Ziggy said, addressing the group in general again, "But I guess I'm kinda used to rough."

"Aw, don't say that," Kona said comfortingly, giving him another side hug.

"It's true though," Ziggy insisted, "Even though I just learned that I spent a whole lot less time living on the streets than I thought I did, I was still…y'know."

"Sparks told me that once," Kona said, "He said that's something you're good at; taking that bad part of your life and making use of it. Because of that, you're fast and you're sneaky, you're really good at climbing things, you've got a tough skin for physical pain…"

"It is admirable," Tora said, and the others chorused in agreement.

"I…guess…" Ziggy said, slightly unsure.

"You can talk to me about stuff whenever you want. I'm always down for a chat," Kona said with a grin.

"You're a really good friend, Kona," Ziggy said.

"So, what's next for you in terms of, well, normal guild stuff?" Tora asked, "It's been a while for me, so I forget what the next step is now that you have your bronze badge."

"Well, uh…" Ziggy said a bit hesitatingly, "I kinda thought I'd just be bronze for a while."

"Oh of course. That's not what I meant. By all means, take your time."

"Silver badge requires more experience working with teams," Javier spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes, "usually requires forming a permanent team, further combat training, overnight job experience, a clean record of major mistakes and testimony from plenty of clients."

"Heh, yeah…" Ziggy said, "I'm good with bronze for now." He then cleared his throat and looked over at the Quilava. "But, uh, Javier! I haven't seen much of you for a while. What have you been up to?"

Javier was silent for a moment, wearing the neutral expression that he always seemed to have. "I was assisting Dante in studying Nihilego," he explained, "…and now I am doing the same, but on my own."

"Really?" Ziggy asked in surprise.

"Carmen has made it my sole mission."

"Have you…found anything?"

"I have nothing definitive to report at this time."

Ziggy skewed his lips a little. He was still off-put by the flat, emotionless way that Javier tended to talk. It wasn't unfriendly at all, but it was still strange. Folks often talked about how they had never seen Ziggy smile until a certain point, but nobody ever talked about Javier never smiling.

He then leaned over and looked at the only Pokémon who hadn't spoken yet. "What about you, Akash?" he asked the Deerling, "I heard you were leaving the active team."

Akash looked up at him. His pink coat was fading and starting to turn green but wasn't quite there yet. He had a bright look in his eyes and seemed alert and full of energy, despite his lack of a smile. "Probably," he said simply, "I'm gonna work this summer and then that's it."

Ziggy frowned. "That's too bad."

"It was a…weird decision to make, but I had to make it when my mind was the clearest. It's not easy living with seasonal mood swings like this. I feel great right now. I feel like I'm ready to rush out there and take on the world. So of course part of me thinks that it would be ridiculous to quit right now…but I just have to remind myself how hard and stressful it is in the colder months…"

"Oh…" Ziggy said softly, "I'm sorry…" He was quiet for a moment as he thought about this, and realized that it was sort of the opposite of how he had learned to cope with his own feelings. Even though it was disheartening, Ziggy felt like he understood where Akash was coming from. He knew that focusing only on the bad parts wasn't a good thing to do, so it made sense that focusing on only the good things might be a problem as well.

"I'm sure you'll do great at whatever you do next," Ziggy then said.

Akash blinked a few times, and then smiled. "Thank you," he said, "You're the first not to tell me I should stay…" His remark caused a few slightly uncomfortable looks from the surrounding Pokémon.

It was at that moment that the doors to the common room burst open. "Who's hungry?" a powerful yet pleasant voice rang through the air. Ziggy turned and saw Liz had entered. The Miltank was expertly balancing five plates of food, which at this point was no longer a surprise to him.

"Wait, already?" Ziggy asked, "We're missing a whole bunch of Pokémon."

"Well, like we said," Kona answered, "Sparks, Danika and Carmen are in a meeting. Rico and Terry are having breakfast out together today, and Lupe's out at the moment."

"Oh, I see."

Liz placed all of the food on the table as everyone started to dig in. She, apparently, was not made aware of Carmen's meeting as she started complaining that she had made too much food and it would go to waste.

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Jules quipped, "Shay will eat it all."

"And somehow not get fat," Kona said with a giggle.

Shaking her head, Liz walked over to take a seat but paused as she passed by Ziggy. "Howdy, sugar pie," she said, "Good ta see ya. Eat up, now!"

"Thanks Liz. You're the best!"

"You starting to miss Ziggy's help in the kitchen?" Tora asked.

Liz leaned right over the table towards her. "You implyin' I can't cook for y'all on my own?" she said with a challenging smirk.

Ziggy giggled softly. "She never needed my help, it was just something to keep me busy. Actually it's probably good that I usually only did dishwashing and stuff or I'd probably ruin Liz's food…"

"Yeah, you've prob'ly never cooked anythin' yourself in your life," Liz observed. She then grinned and said, "Y'wanna learn?"

"Whuh?" Ziggy remarked, with half a buttered waffle in his mouth. He carefully swallowed before saying, "Learn how to…cook? Me?"

"Sure! Why not?"

"Do you even have time to teach me to cook?" Ziggy asked incredulously, "I still have no idea how you cook for this whole guild…and somehow still have time to go on missions sometimes!"

"I'll make time to teach someone how to cook. Don't you worry 'bout that."

Ziggy just looked at her in surprise. "Wow. Uh…M-maybe later on? Like…way later on?"

Liz winked and said, "You let me know!"


Though Ziggy was now up and out of his room, feeling much better about what had been going on, he still had more days off and nothing much to do with them. He was sure he wasn't done crying yet, and would probably cry himself to sleep that night, but for now he was just looking for something to occupy his mind.

It didn't take too long for at least one idea to enter his mind, and he let his paws carry him through the halls of the guild over to an area he hadn't visited very often. Most of his guildwork as a new recruit was done out in the field or in the guild offices, but now he found himself walking amongst the guild's temporary living quarters. This was where struggling Pokémon were allowed to live for up to a month, the very same restrictions that had once been placed upon him.

Ziggy knew that some of the Pokémon here weren't exactly the friendliest, or were simply uncomfortable to be around, but thankfully not many Pokémon were roaming the halls at this time. He quickly found the room number he was looking for and knocked on the door. A voice invited him in not long after.

"Oh! Hi, Ziggy!"

The Lopunny hopped up from the bed and rushed over to give Ziggy a quick, warm hug. "Heh…Hi, Charlie. How are you?"

"I'm okay," she replied after moving back from the hug, "How about you? You look tired."

Ziggy was about to answer, but he caught a glimpse behind Charlie into her room. In particular, he noticed a bunch of brown cardboard boxes piled up on the floor. "I almost forgot you were moving out in a few days…" he then said.

"Yeah," Charlie replied in a melancholy tone, "It's been a month since I finally told my aunt what I really think of her and, well, basically ran away. My time here is up, but it's okay. I made friends with one of the workers here and she's going to let me stay at her place for a little bit of share in the rent."

"That's good," Ziggy said, though he started to frown, "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you lately…"

"You've come to see me plenty during my stay here, and I enjoyed every visit," Charlie said, "But, I'm guessing there's a reason why. You look totally worn out. What's wrong?"

Ziggy bashfully glanced off to the side. Was he really that easy to read? "It's….kind of complicated," he eventually answered, "Can I come in?"

"Sure, sure! Come right in…"

The next ten minutes were spent sitting on the bed in Charlie's room, with Ziggy telling the Lopunny about all of his newly regained memories. It definitely wasn't a pleasant experience to talk about them again. It was just that Ziggy had rather embarrassingly forgot that Charlie wouldn't have been aware of what had happened yet.

"So…yeah…" Ziggy eventually concluded, "Turns out I did have parents."

"Oh my gosh…" Charlie said through the paws she was holding up to her muzzle, "Ziggy that's…unbelievable…"

"I found out who I really am," Ziggy said, "but…mom and dad are dead. They died a long time ago…"

Charlie reached over and gave Ziggy another hug. "Now I totally understand why I haven't seen you in a while. It's okay, though. It's a perfectly reasonable excuse."

Ziggy sighed. "Even though it's been so long, because of the memory thing it feels like they died just a few days ago. And it really hurts…"

"I imagine it must," Charlie agreed, "I lost my parents too, but I was too young to even remember them. And…even though I hate her now, if I had lost my aunt while she was raising me then I'd have been devastated."

"'Devastated' sucks."

"Oh, you'll be fine though. What, with all your wonderful friends."

Ziggy nodded as a little half-smile appeared on his muzzle. "My friends are great."

"I wish I had as many as you do. Maybe you can teach me how to make more sometime."

To Charlie's delight, this little quip brought out a little laugh from the younger Buizel. "Thank you for being my friend too, Charlie," he said.

"Well, it's not like I'm gonna stop being your friend. I'll give Sparks my new address, and you can visit me whenever you'd like! And we can write to each other too. We'll be pen pals!"

"Okay. That sounds good," Ziggy said with a nod.

"And also, I wanted to tell you…" Charlie said, "I'm getting you a gift!"

Ziggy turned to her and looked up in surprise. "Huh? For what?"

"Just a gift for a friend," she replied, "but I can't get it for you right now. I need to save up some money first. But as soon as I can, I'll get it for you!"

"Oh, um…O-okay…"

Charlie then gave him a bittersweet smile and was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry again for how we met," she said, "but I really am glad that we did meet. I haven't had a real, honest friend like you since I was a little Buneary."

A little smile tugged at the corner of his lips as well. "I'm just glad everything worked out with all of that."

"Yup. And now I can finally start…my new life. My inheritance is gone for good, but living a lifestyle like hers wouldn't have been worth it." Charlie was silent for a moment. "I'm…kind of scared. I've never really done anything totally on my own before."

"Oh, well that's normal," Ziggy said, "I only started doing things totally on my own this month. It's really scary at first, but it'll be okay. What's most important is to have someone you can call for help if things get really bad."

Charlie glanced down for a moment. "I don't have one of those fancy badges, though."

"But you've got your new roommate. And there's always members of the Rescue Society just out walking on the streets looking for signs of trouble. I did that job once with Kona and Lupe. It was fun!"

"You know…" Charlie then said, "When all of that bad stuff was happening, Sparks told me how much you'd changed since he first met you, and he was sad that my aunt's crap took that away from you. Well, you've changed a lot since I first met you too, so I'm happy to see that he was worried for nothing. Even though you just learned all this horrible stuff from your memories, you're still smiling here and there…"

Ziggy blushed a little and glanced away. "Everyone keeps talking about my smile. It makes me feel weird…"

"Sorry," Charlie said with a giggle.

The Buizel then looked up at Charlie once more and said, "I'm gonna miss you. I'll try to come visit whenever I can. I hope you do well in whatever you're gonna do."

"Thanks, sweetheart. Same to you."

The two Pokémon then leaned in for one last hug.


"There you are…!" Ziggy quietly exclaimed as he walked into a relatively empty common room. He had been spending all day looking for two Pokémon in particular, and here they both were on the couch.

Caught in mid-smooch.

"Oh, hey Ziggy!" Rico called over.

"Hi, Zig!" Terry chirped. He then giggled and squirmed as Rico tried to lean in for another kiss. "Stoppp!"

"Heh…" Ziggy said, though with a touch of a crimson hue on his cheeks, "You two look…happy."

"We're so happy!" Terry proclaimed with a big, toothy grin, "I'm the happiest Eevee ever! It feels like I'll never be unhappy again!"

Rico just let out a quiet sigh and held a paw to his head. "It still boggles my mind a little…" the Riolu spoke, "It feels like the last couple months were all a weird dream."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ziggy agreed.

"Right!" Rico agreed, "I still can't believe the same thing happened to both of us…"

"If it hadn't been for you," Ziggy said, "they wouldn't have been able to fix me. So…I guess I'm grateful for that. I wonder if Sparks and Dani would have even considered it…"

"Y'know, I really hope you and I are the only ones that this happened to," Rico said, "It sucks. I wouldn't want anyone else to go through it."

"So," Terry politely cut in, "how are you, Ziggy? Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. Kinda…" he replied softly, "I think some part of me just got sick of being sad in my room and remembered that being with my friends always cheers me up."

"Let us know if we can help!" Rico said cheerfully, "We've got happiness in spades now, so we're glad to share!"

"Well, that wasn't corny at all," Terry quipped.

"So, you two are okay?" Ziggy asked, "You're all good now?"

The two nodded eagerly. "We're making up for lost time," Terry said, "We're spending every free minute of every day we can being together and doing something we love, even if it's just snuggling." Rico blushed slightly, but Terry continued. "We're picking jobs that are fun too, so we're just enjoying our time together as much as we can. I'm just so happy! I'm engaged again!"

"Settle down, fuzzball," Rico said with a laugh.

Terry responded by nuzzling his cheek against Rico's, making the Riolu blush again.

"Well, that's good. I'm happy you two are back together," Ziggy said, "I hated seeing the two of you so upset all the time."

"Nothing's gonna split us apart again," Rico said, "We'll make sure of it."

Ziggy then sighed softly and put on a little smile. "I think I made the right choice…" he said, "Talking with all of you is so nice. It makes the bad feelings just kinda go away."

Terry nodded. "You've been talking to everyone on the team? I know they were all worried about you."

"Yeah," Ziggy answered, "I just couldn't find you guys until now." A moment passed, and then he asked, "By the way…Where's Lupe? I couldn't find her, and someone said she was out."

"She's taken a short personal leave," Terry replied. When the Buizel just stared at him in an uncomprehending way, he cleared his throat and adopted a more serious tone. "It means she's taking time off work for personal reasons. It's a thing you can do at most jobs, and Carmen's really liberal when someone on her team requests it. Most Pokémon will use it if a family member is sick or if something bad happens in their personal life."

"Oh no!" Ziggy gasped, "What happened?"

Terry shook his head and quickly backtracked, "No, no, no, those were just examples. Nothing bad happened. She's okay." He cleared his throat. "She's just…just, uh…"

As the Eevee trailed off, Rico spoke up instead. "She's just giving the two of us some space."

Ziggy tilted his head. "Some space?"

Rico chuckled softly. "Don't worry about it, Zig. She's fine and she'll be back soon."

"Oh…Okay," Ziggy said, realizing that he might have crossed a line he wasn't supposed to.

"Anyway," Terry spoke up, "We're here to talk to if you need us."

"It might make you feel uncomfortable right now," Rico added, "but we'd love to hear stories about when you used to live on the island."

"Yeah," Terry said, "Remembering the good times, even if they weren't super great. It might help, if you feel up for it some other time…"

Ziggy fidgeted with his paws for a moment. "M-maybe…"

"Just, whenever," Terry said with a shrug, "No rush."

That was as far as their conversation could go, however. The next moment, the door to the common room practically burst open and a very serious-looking Carmen marched in. Sparks and Danika followed behind with more grim looks on their faces. The Braixen briefly glanced at the table and its occupants, and then pressed her paw against her badge.

"All members of the active team," she barked authoritatively, "Convene in the common room immediately."


Only about ten minutes later, the common room was filled with every member of the active team save for Lupe. They all sat at the table, looking curiously at the trio of Pokémon who stood near the table's head. Carmen stood professionally with her paws clasped behind her back. Sparks and Danika each stood at her sides, though neither's expression betrayed what this impromptu meeting was about.

The only one not at the table was Ziggy. He was instead sitting on the couch nearby. He wasn't part of the active team so he couldn't take part in this meeting. However, it apparently wasn't something meant to be kept secret by the active team, so he was allowed to stay.

"Right!" Carmen bellowed in an authoritative tone once everyone had been settled, "I'll cut to the chase. Multiple Nihilego sightings reported last night and this morning, as well as recent unreported sightings that have been brought to our attention."

A chorus of quiet gasps resounded through the room.

"Furthermore," Carmen continued, "At least one Pokémon was injured during one of these sightings. A Piloswine took a glancing blow from its tentacles. And, yes, he did lose parts of his memory. Just as Rico did."

"No…" the Riolu in question blurted softly.

Carmen held up a paw. "Worry not about him," she said, "We have referred him to the services of Jin so he can get his memories back."

Rico sighed in relief.

The guildmaster then stood up straighter and adopted a very serious expression. "This," she barked, "in addition to new information we have learned about the Nihilego, has made things clear to us. After a very in-depth discussion with Sparks and Danika, we have all come to an agreement." Carmen then leaned in slightly and slammed one of her paws against the table, causing a few of the others to jump.

"It is time to act," she proclaimed.

Murmurs rippled through the gathered Pokémon.

Carmen stood up straight once again and continued speaking. "Though this creat- Ahem…this Pokémon's intentions are unclear, the fact is that its mere presence presents a danger to everyone around it. We still know so little about it, besides its fatal powers. It continues to appear suddenly and randomly, and we fear that it's only a matter of time before it kills someone.

"So, effective immediately, the Rescue Society is setting up dedicated task forces to deal with the Nihilego. All branches of our guild will form one or multiple teams tasked entirely with tracking this creature and/or finding some sort of solution. This includes one team who will be tasked with finding this creature and subduing it."

A heavy silence filled the room, so Sparks took a step forward. "This one team," he clarified, "will be made up of the best and the brightest of our guild. Namely…the active team."

"We're here today," Danika added, "to discuss who among you is most fit for this task."

"And who is willing," Sparks concluded.

"Wait. So, like…" Rico spoke up, "We're gonna, like…hunt this thing down? Like a pack of feral predators?"

"If that leads to capturing it, then yes…" Carmen said with a stony expression.

"We have absolutely no intentions of harming the Nihilego," Sparks reassured the group, "but…if we don't do something to better understand this situation, then Pokémon are going to start dying."

"And with these task forces, the Rescue Society can be better prepared to help those in trouble during Nihilego appearances," Danika added.

Carmen spoke up again. "This is undoubtedly the biggest and most important task the Rescue Society has ever carried out, but it's something we need to do. We're here to help. That's what the guild is all about. And this is how we can help."

"For various reasons that I'm sure are obvious to you," Sparks continued, "none of the three of us can be a part of this team. So…we're asking who among you is willing to step up."

There was a moment of silence as the other guildmembers shared glances with each other, their expressions varying across the entire spectrum of emotion. Eventually, though, a single voice spoke up. "I'll go."

Everyone turned to look at who had spoken. Carmen smirked slightly. "I had a feeling you would be the first to speak, Javier."

The Quilava, as quiet and expressionless as always, nodded. "I am ready to do whatever it takes," he said.

"I'm in!" Tora piped up suddenly, thrusting out her chest proudly. She then said, "I know it wasn't a Nihilego, but after seeing what that thing's friend did to Dante…I can't stand by."

"You were the only one of us who saw it happen…" Carmen said sagely.

"Sparks is right," the Pidgeot said with a nod, "Even if they aren't always aggressive, those things are dangerous. Deadly."

"I wanna help too!" Shay blurted out excitedly, "If Sparks can't go, I can do electricity stuff!"

"Are you sure?" Carmen asked. When the Yamper nodded eagerly, she chuckled softly and said, "We're grateful for your enthusiasm, Shay. Thank you."

A bit of a silence fell over the group for a moment. Ziggy was still watching quietly from the sidelines. The three who had volunteered already were the obvious choices. They were the Pokémon who had taken the most combat training out of the group, besides Carmen. The next on the list would be Liz, but Ziggy didn't know if she would be able to go since she had an important job here at the guild. Instead, everyone found themselves looking at the next one on the list.

Rico fidgeted slightly in his seat. Ever since Ziggy had known the Riolu, Rico had always been the first to jump at a challenge. He was eager to go anywhere, regardless of the danger, to the point that Sparks had scolded him for being so reckless while on the mission to save Zuri from the Mystery Dungeon.

"I…" Rico murmured, and then turned to look at Terry. The Eevee looked very distressed, biting his lip and flitting his tail subconsciously. Rico looked conflicted for a moment, but soon his expression was the same as his future mate's. He glanced down at the table for a moment, seeming disappointed.

"I can't…" Rico said remorsefully, "We can't."

"W-we…j-just can't…" Terry said in a much shakier voice.

Carmen simply nodded. "Understandable," she said, "We didn't expect you would want to join."

Rico looked up at her in surprise, while Terry just seemed relieved. The Riolu deflated slightly and looked remorseful again. "We…just got each other back."

"You don't have to explain," Carmen said, holding up a paw to silence them, "It's perfectly fine."

"Thank you…" Rico said, though he still looked disappointed in himself. Terry lifted a paw and gave him a quick side hug.

"Well…" a new voice perked up, "if the guild's best Eevee can't go, I guess you'll just have to settle for the guild's best former Eevee."

Everyone turned and gave Jules an odd look. "Jules, are you sure?" Carmen asked.

The Sylveon shrugged. "What can I say? It sounds fun. And it's not like this will be a 24/7 deal, right? I'll still have a bit of time here and there for my girlfriend."

"That's correct," Carmen confirmed, "It's basically the same working hours you already have, but your sole mission will be focused on the Nihilego."

"Gotcha," Jules said confidently, "I'm in."

Carmen clapped her paws and said, "All right, then. We were hoping for a group of at least four, so that's good. Even if no-one else wants to join, this will be satisfactory."

"Wish I could go," Liz said with an accepting smile.

"Me too, honestly," Sparks said. He too looked a little disappointed in himself as he said this.

"M-me too…" Ziggy whispered to himself.

It seemed the group had been decided, as nobody else was speaking up, so Carmen gave the group an affirmative nod. "Thank you four for volunteering. Just know that even though I have to remain here and act as guildmaster, you will have my full support. Anything you need, just let me know. If we all work together and work hard, I know we can figure this out. We'll all get through this."

She was met with a chorus of agreement, many wearing confident smiles.

"Do we get to name ourselves?" Jules spoke up suddenly.

Carmen rolled her eyes. "As long as one of the other three picks the name."

"You're no fun."

The active team and Carmen then continued talking amongst one another, discussing the objective of the newly formed group and other topics related to the Nihilego. Ziggy had been listening quietly to the whole thing, and he felt uneasy. Things were getting serious now, and it made him nervous. To hear Carmen talk about potentially hunting down and capturing the Nihilego didn't sit right with him, but just knowing that the guild was going to put so much effort into dealing with this sent chills down his spine.

Just as the guildmaster had said; how long would it be until someone died because of this thing?

'This Pokémon', Ziggy corrected himself. He still remembered seeing the other creature using Mega Punch, verifying that it was probably a Pokémon. Good heavens, what would they do if that thing came back?

"…We're going to set up a few bases around the city, and some in other surrounding towns," Carmen was saying.

"'Bases'?" Tora asked.

"You can live in them, sleep in them, use them to store anything you might need," Carmen explained, "We want to make it as easy as possible for you to get where you're needed when you're needed."

"Guess this means we won't be at breakfast and dinner with you guys anymore," Jules said sadly.

"Really…?" Terry asked in a heartbroken tone.

"They'll still be around," Carmen reassured the Eevee, "It's not like we're shipping them off and out of the building permanently. It's just that they won't be living in the dorms while on this task force."

"Still, though… It's gonna feel pretty empty here in the mornings," Terry said sullenly.

"You've got me, sweetheart," Rico said to him, "I'll be here every morning with you."

Terry couldn't help but smile at this and lean onto Rico's shoulder.

"I'll hold another meeting tomorrow with the four of you to go over things in greater detail," Carmen said, and received four prompt nods in response. She then let out a long breath and visibly relaxed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "That settles that, then…" she said in a low voice.

Danika went to sit down next to the others, while Sparks walked up and gave Carmen a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you four for doing this," she said in a less authoritative tone, "I know it's a lot to ask."

"We understand," Tora replied, "This thing has to be dealt with before it hurts someone. We have to take drastic measures, and it's not like we're gonna kill it."

Carmen glanced at the Pidgeot. Stress was written across all of the Braixen's features. "This isn't what we're meant to do…"

"It's not," Javier agreed, "but it is what we can do."

"I don't want any of you doing anything reckless," she said. At Sparks' urging, she took a seat at the table. "I'm serious. You four have two jobs; catch that thing, and stay alive."

"We're not idiots, guildmaster," Jules replied, "We're the active team. We didn't get this position by inheriting the title."

"Yeah!" Shay agreed excitedly, the Yamper unable to sit still in his seat, "We'll be careful!"

Carmen just sighed and shook her head.

"There's a reason we've been discussing this all day," Danika quipped, "In the end, though, we all agreed that you Pokémon are the best of the best around here, and we know we can rely on you."

"You can also quit this task force any time you like," Carmen spoke up again.

"Carmen, relax," Sparks urged, "You know these four. You know they're smart and know how to take care of themselves."

The Braixen nodded softly, though her tail continued to flit in irritation. "I was seriously considering resigning as guildmaster just so I could join you guys on this task."

There were a few quiet gasps before Sparks spoke up. "We thankfully managed to talk her out of that."

"You're our guildmaster, Carmen," Kandice said, "Nobody could do what you do."

Carmen fixed her gaze on the Pokémon surrounding her, and then a small but warm smile graced her muzzle. "You all make this job worth it."

She was met with eager smiles from everybody.

"Alright, then!" Carmen said softly as she sat up straighter, "Let's do some good, today, tomorrow, and until this thing is done."

"Yes, Guildmaster!" the other 12 chanted in unison.

She chuckled softly and then simply said, "Make Radiant City proud, everybody."


Later that night, Ziggy was about to go to bed when he found Jules and Javier alone in the common room.

"Heya, Buizel Boy," Jules greeted in his typical slightly-smug fashion.

"Oh…Hey, you two," Ziggy replied as he walked over. He saw that the two were busy packing a rather large backpack. Slightly crestfallen, Ziggy asked, "You're getting ready to go already?"

"Yup…" Jules said, "Wish Carmen woulda told me that dinner today would be the last time I'd taste Liz's cooking or I'd have asked for triple servings…"

Ziggy felt a little dagger in his stomach. "It…won't be the last time…"

"I know, but you know what I mean."

"I still can't quite believe something like this is happening…" Ziggy remarked, glancing at the two and then at the half-filled backpack.

"Nothing is set in stone," Javier spoke up, "The Rescue Society is always flexible to Pokémon's needs."

Ziggy regarded the Quilava for a moment, and then nodded. "I hope we can figure this out."

"Don't you worry," Jules said confidently, "We'll catch 'im!"

"It'd be nice to figure this out without having to catch him…"

A contemplative silence filled the room for a few seconds, and the two continued to pack afterwards.

"Are you guys nervous at all?" Ziggy asked.

"I'm excited!" Jules proclaimed, "It feels like a real adventure! We're out there, moving around with a mission in mind, a team of four ready to save the day! Feels like the stories of yore."

Ziggy gave him a confused look. "What stories of mine?"

Jules snickered. "'Yore'," he clarified, "Y-O-R-E. It means super duper old. Like Sparks." That remark earned him a whap on the side of the head compliments of Javier's paw. "Hey, save the mutiny until we all hate each other."

Javier just rolled his eyes. "What else?" he asked, indicating the pack.

"Just gotta get a copy of all the data we have on this thing so far. Danika's printing it out, so it should be ready by now. I'll go get it."

"Fine."

Ziggy watched Jules walk off for a moment, noticing as he always did the confident and impressive way he walked. In some ways, the pink Eeveelution was the opposite of him, as he always seemed to be sure of himself and wasn't afraid of what others thought of him.

Once Jules was gone, Ziggy turned his attention back to Javier. The Quilava wasn't looking at him, and was inspecting what they had packed so far. After a moment of quiet, Ziggy spoke up again. "I feel like I never really got to know you…"

Javier lifted his head slightly and regarded Ziggy with just a single eye for a moment before he went back to his task. "You know as much about me as is needed," he replied in his typical monotone way.

Ziggy screwed up his muzzle. "I…don't think I know…anything about you, actually. I just know you're a hard-worker, you're part of the active team, and you're really friggin' strong."

"Mm…"

"How did you get so strong?" Ziggy asked, recalling how the relatively small Quilava had blocked a powerful swing from a Simisage with just one of his paws.

"I trained," he replied simply.

Ziggy bit his lip and glanced away. He had known Javier long enough to know that the Quilava was nice and trustworthy, but it still felt uncomfortable talking to him. The fact was that Javier didn't talk like anybody else he knew.

Eventually, Javier lifted his head from the backpack again. Ziggy noticed that Javier was giving him a longer stare, and he shivered slightly under his gaze. Those red eyes of his, despite being the colour of flame and heat, somehow always looked so cold. A heavy silence passed before Javier opened his mouth and spoke again.

"I…apologize if I have ever been off-putting to you," he said, though still in that flat tone.

"Huh?"

Javier already had his head back in the backpack, but he spoke loud enough to be heard nonetheless. "Pokémon around me are always trying to figure out what's 'wrong' with me. Why I behave the way I do. Why I am so quiet and reclusive…Most assume that Sparks is not the only one here with PTSD."

Ziggy simply blinked, unsure of how to respond.

"The fact is," Javier said as he brought his head up and fixed his cold gaze onto the Buizel, "this is simply who I am."

"…O-oh," Ziggy responded dumbly.

"You have not missed out on getting to know me," Javier continued, "because there is nothing to know about me that you don't already know. I was a Cyndaquil once, I am a Quilava now, and I hold a respectable position on the Rescue Society's active team."

Ziggy glanced away for a moment in thought. He wasn't sure what to make of Javier's words. 'This is simply who I am' were words that resounded meaningfully in Ziggy's mind. How many times had he wished this was something he could confidently say about himself? "Is that…really all there is to know about you?"

Javier stared at him for a rather long couple of seconds, his gaze remaining as neutral as ever. "It is all there that is needed to know."

"Oh…Okay," Ziggy said, shrinking back slightly, "S-sorry…"

"My condolences on the loss of your parents."

Ziggy's eyes went wide and he looked up at the Quilava. His muzzle opened but he couldn't form any words as emotions started to swirl in his head.

Javier was looking away as he spoke again. "Cherish the support you have," he said quietly, "and make full use of it. Embrace your grief but do not let it…consume you."

For a few moments, Ziggy just looked up at the Quilava while feeling conflicted. The sudden reminder of his parents formed a heavy lump in his chest and threatened to send him into a fit of tears once again, but Ziggy fought against it. He regarded the mysterious Quilava, someone he could truthfully call a friend but also someone he hardly spoke to. Javier's words repeated themselves in his head a few times. At first they made his stomach do a flip, but a moment later he didn't feel as sick. The Quilava gazed back at him as he did, though he shared no further words.

"…I won't," Ziggy replied plainly.

Javier simply nodded.

"Good luck on your mission," Ziggy then said, "You and Jules and Shay and Tora. Promise you'll all stay safe and…d-don't let that thing…do anything to any of you. Promise you'll all come back safe and sound."

The door to the common room then burst open, and Jules emerged from behind it with a flourish of his ribbons. "Hot Sylveon stud comin' through with paperwork! The least studly thing imaginable! How does he do it?!"

Ziggy looked over at the Sylveon in confusion, not knowing what a couple of those words meant. Javier, meanwhile, just sighed and shook his head. "The Nihilego is not what concerns me about this mission…" he grumbled.