The Glaceon padded his way slowly through the rainy streets of his new home. It'd been two days since the worst of the storm had blown overhead, and while rumbles of thunder had persisted through the days, they were nowhere near as loud and fierce. To protect his young charge from the weather, Kaguya had the Eevee curled under his cloak, ensuring she was as warm and comfortable as she could be. The storm clouds were meant to break by early evening, but if the letter was correct, he wouldn't be out of the guild building before nightfall.

A grimace wormed its way onto the ice types face at the thought. Sunshine wouldn't be allowed to stay with him during the initiation and training session to follow, meaning he'd have to find somewhere she'd be able to spend the day. A full day without his daughter around. It felt alien, to the young man. Wrong on some fundamental level. Finally, his first destination for the day was in sight and the boy let out a grim sigh, he felt awful for doing this, but he had nobody else to turn to.

"Papa? Is something wrong?" Right, she could hear him still. 'Put on a brave face, idiot. It's not going to be forever.'

"No, no. Nothing's wrong. But remember, we're only asking. If they say no, we'll have to find somewhere else. We can't force it on them." He could practically hear the pout she was making.

"I know that! I just..." The Glaceon shook his head and laughed softly as his grumpy daughter's voice.

"Now, now. I know, Sweetpea. And I'm fairly certain they'll be more than happy to help. She adores you, after all. We're heading in now, so just let me do the talking, ok?" He felt the kit nod, took a breath to steel himself, and pushed open the door to the warm, inviting shop.

The gentle whistling of the one behind the desk caught his attention first, followed quickly by the delicious scents of the pastries on display. Fresh out of the oven, he'd assume from the heat within the building.

"I'll be with you in just a moment~!" The melodic voice of the Leafeon reached his ears as she swept away the last few specks of crumbs and dust from the floors behind the counter, giving herself a moment to look proud of her hard work before she spun. It was odd, watching her "I'm on duty, gotta smile for the patrons" smile melt away to be replaced by the more genuine thing.

"Kaguya! Oh, thank Arceus above! Lumi told me you'd had trouble sleeping and that Sunshine was having a rough time and it got me really worried and I wanted to come and help in some way but I couldn't think of a way to and it got me feeling really anxious and- Oh, please tell me you're both alright!" The boy blinked at the sudden surge of frantic, worried words pouring from the girl, her eyes shining with worry as she waited for his response.

"Oh, uh. Lumi let you know? Sorry for making you worry, Juniper. I promise, we're both fine now. I've never been that bothered by bad weather, it was mostly Sunshine who was having a rough time. Thankfully, she calms down when she knows she's safe. I just... forgot to get myself back to sleep afterwards. She comes first, you know?" The Glaceon shrugged slightly. "But, you can ask her yourse- You can stop wiggling, young lady, I'm getting there!" The boy scowled slightly, loosening his cloak to let the bundle of fluff beneath lunge out towards the eager Leafeon.

"Aunt JuJu! I'm fine, see? Papa was there, and he sang for me! Papa's a good singer, I always get sleepy when he does." The ice types face mirrored the grass types, a picture of shock and confusion.

"A-aunt JuJu?" The Leafeon giggled, turning her gaze to the baffled Glaceon. "Just what have you been teaching her?"

"Hey, don't look at me. First I've heard it too."

"D-did I say something wrong...?" The little Eevee's ears folded down behind her head, pouting slightly as she stared up at the Leafeon, doing her best to look adorable.

"N-no, no! It's nothing like that! It just... caught me off guard, that's all! You can call me whatever you like, sweetie!" The Eevee's face lit up as she snuggled up against the Leafeon, giggling happily and repeating "Aunt Juju!" over and over.

The young man across the counter couldn't help but snort slightly at the ridiculousness of his daughters behaviour before smiling to himself. "Actually, she's the reason we're here this morning. I've got... a big favour to ask of you. And I know, it's going to sound ridiculous given we've only known each other a few days, but I've really got nobody else I can turn to..."

That caught the Leafeon's attention. "You... need a favour? From me? Oh, uhm... I can definitely try! I don't know if I'll be able to help, but... I can do my best!" It was only then he noticed it.

"Oh, you're still wearing it? I thought you'd have put it back with the others..." The girl giggled, blushing softly as she smiled at the boy.

"Oh... yes, mother and father both told me it looked really pretty! I just saw it sitting on my night stand and thought it'd be nice to... see how customers react to it, you know?"

The Glaceon gave a slight not, humming to himself. "Yeah, makes sense I guess. Just between us, I think it's very pretty. Sunshine picked well, didn't you trouble causer?" The Eevee stuck her tongue out at her father, who childishly returned the gesture. The grass type found herself giggling at the bond between the two, before she caught herself staring at the Glaceon, who was now locked in a poking war with his young daughter.

"Well I'll be, if it ain't our daughters favourite guests! How ya doin' this morning, lad?"

"Good morning, dears! I do hope you're well today, what with all this dreadful weather we've been having!"

The Glaceon smiled politely up at the two new voices, letting the young kit continue to poke away at his face undisturbed. "Good morning sir, ma'am. We've been ok for the most part. Heavy storms like that have never really bugged me all that much. I like the sound of the rain, and the cold really doesn't effect me much anymore. One of the few perks of being an ice type, I suppose." The boy lazily shrugged.

"Oh? My, that's a different story to what miss Lumi was ranting and raving about two days ago, isn't it Edward?"

"Oh, aye. That lass stormed in here looking more grim than the sky outside. When our Juni asked her was was wrong, she exploded. Ranting on an' on about "that dumb stupid idiot Glaceon!" Something about him "staying up the whole night like a total moron" and "he'll make himself sick at this rate, the idiot!"

The Glaceon grimaced slightly, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck. "...Ah. I should've assumed Lumi wouldn't be... subtle about her feelings of what I did. That's fair enough. It's nothing major. Like I said, storms don't bother me all that much. But Sunshine..."

The Eevee in question whined and pouted, folding her paws across her tiny frame as she shivered softly in the Leafeon's embrace. "I hate storms... they're cold, and wet, and awful and nasty! I hate them!" The older boy simply gestured with his paw to his young daughter.

"Yeah, that... so when the lightning and the thunder started booming right over our house I was under no illusion Little Ray here wouldn't be staying in her bed for long. She's terrified of storms, the poor thing... so I did the only thing I could, and made sure my daughter could sleep peacefully. My needs will always be secondary when my daughter is concerned. That's just how it is. Surely, you both understand?" The Sylveon smiled sweetly toward the young man.

"You'd do anything for them. Children are Arceus' gift unto us. And so we love them with every fibre of our being, unconditionally, no matter how long it's needed. Even though she's not yours by birth, she's still your child. And that love spans any border, right?"

"Right... there's nothing I wouldn't do to see my child happy. Whether she's mine by blood or not is irrelevant. She's my daughter. And I want only the best for her." The Glaceon was startled when the young kit wiggled her way free of the Leafeon's embrace, leaping across the small gap to wrap her paws tightly around his head, nuzzling his cheek lovingly.

"I love you, Papa! You're the best!" The Glaceon's cheeks flared and he flattened his ears slightly.

"I love you too, Sunshine. I'll always protect you..."

"Aaaaaawwwwwww! You two are just so adorable!" The groups eyes shot up to the Leafeon, who quickly slapped her paws over her muzzle, blushing fiercely.

"Woops, looks like Juni went into full on 'fawn over small children' mode again!" The Arcanine burst into laughter as his embarrassed daughter shrunk down beneath the countertop.

"Oh, right. That's actually what I'm here for! I need to ask a huge favour of you all, and if you can't, it's completely fine. But I thought I'd ask here first. I've got to go to the Guild building to have my formal induction into my Exploration Team, a meet and greet for me and the other members. And then we're going straight into our first day of training. Training that's apparently going to take up to a month, day in and day out. Sunshine won't be able to come along with me to these sessions, so... I was wondering if you guys could look after her during the day? She's expressed great interest to me in getting to better know Juniper, and maybe you could teach her a few things I can't? I'm... pretty hopeless as a father, not gonna sugarcoat it. You've both had so much more experience than me..." The Glaceon felt a paw upon his shoulder, looking up her saw Juniper glaring straight into his eyes.

"Enough of that, Kaguya! Just look at her. Look at your daughter. She's a bright, happy young girl despite all the troubles she's had to deal with in her short life. Do you know why she's so happy? Because she has you. She has somebody who loves her unconditionally, who's willing to move mountains and split the sky if it'd make her happy. She has a wonderful father in you, and you're doing a good job at it!"

"Aye lad, the way you and yer daughter interact reminds me of when Juni was a kit herself. She'd do the exact same things with her old man, cause she was a happy, well looked after kit. Yer doin' just fine, lad. Don't be so hard on yerself."

The Glaceon's eyes moved downwards, as he bit his lower lip slightly. "But-" He as immediately cut off by the Sylveon's ribbons pressing against his muzzle, silencing him from any further words.

"Kaguya, Juniper and Edward are both correct. Sunshine is a happy, healthy Eevee. She's surrounded by people who love her, and has a father who would go any distance for her. There's very little we could teach you, because you're already doing a fine job. Please do not be so hard on yourself. You might upset Juniper, she hates the idea you're not happy here!"

"MOTHER!" The Leafeon shrieked in shock, glaring at the now laughing Sylveon.

"Am I wrong, dear~? You love seeing them smile! Both of them!" The grass type whined and flattened her ears against her head, turning bright red once again.

"Please... ignore my mothers teasing, she just can't help it. As for your favour, I'm completely happy to watch over Sunshine while you undergo training. It's really up to mother and father though. It's their shop, after all..."

"Grahahahaha! Having a young kit around the place wouldn't be terrible, now would it Gloria dear? Customers love cute kids, and seeing the bond between Juni and little Sunny here might increase sales! Besides, it'll be nice to have a young 'un around again. The sound of laughter is good for the soul!" The Arcanine seemed completely onboard with the idea.

"Yes, I suppose you're not wrong dear. And we'll be able to teach her a thing or two about baking! We'll make a fine little chef out of her yet, just you watch young man!" The Sylveon beamed at the Glaceon, who let out a sigh he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"Thank you. All of you. I really owe you for this, I swear I'll pay you back for it and-" The Leafeon's paw pressed against the boy's muzzle, silencing him as she blushed softly.

"Just spending time with the two of you is more than payment enough. If we're not here when you come to collect her, we'll be at our home. It's not too far away from the shop. Just down the street on the left, the house with all the flowers out front. I grew them myself, and I've got quite a pretty little garden out back!" The Glaceon nodded, leaning over the counter to kiss the Leafeon on the cheek softly.

"You're really a lifesaver, you know that? I'll come collect her later. Thank you for this. Really!" The boy was already rushing out of the doorway, waving goodbye to his saddened daughter and the stunned grass type. Slowly, her paw moved to the spot he'd kissed. A blush spread across her face, followed by a bright smile as her parents watched their young daughters reaction with glee. Sunshine giggled brightly as the Leafeon hugged the kit tightly, before the family set about their duties, taking the young girl with them to help out.

If Kaguya had been told that the Guildmaster of this branch of the Guild's operations was a jovial Golisopod with a penchiant for cracking bad jokes, he never would have believed it. The idea of a Pokemon as fierce as a Golisopod being highly charismatic and friendly just seemed so... alien to the young man. However, he was used to the ones from The Hinterlands, where the strong thrived and the rest survived. Golisopod's of the north were feared and respected as warriors of great strength. To see one follow and academic path and enter administration duties? It was a surprise, to be sure.

Seated alone in a room with 6 other chairs waiting to be filled, the boy patiently awaited his other guests. His teammates to be. They were most likely chatting in the atrium, enjoying the welcoming ceremony. He couldn't stand such a crowded venue, and had retreated to the room he was meant to meet the others in. He grimaced at the thought. Would he really have to team up with 6 other Pokemon? He struggled in social settings, and always had. Even around Lumi and Juniper, he felt incredibly awkward, though he did a good job of hiding his worries. The sound of the door opening behind him snapped him from his thoughts.

"I thought I'd find you in here. I noticed you were missing in the atrium. Is everything alright?" The vixen padded her way over, taking a seat beside the boy.

"Oh, hey Lumi. You're not still at the welcome ceremony? Aren't you, like, required to be there?"

"No, we're free to leave when we please. And I didn't feel like sticking around. Besides, somebody has to keep your grumpy butt company, don't they?" The white furred fox grinned at the boy, who rolled his eyes.

"No, not really. My grumpy butt is perfectly content to wait here patiently for the others." The Glaceon answered in the same snarky tone she'd fired off in. "More to the point, what on Earth are you think about my butt for? Honestly, have you no sha-" The ice type dodged an incoming smack from the vixen, laughing out loud at the flustered look upon her face.

"EXCUSE YOU!? I'm not thinking about your butt, you cheeky little-"

"Taller than you- Ow." This time he failed to dodge the smack, causing the Vulpix to emit a loud "HA!" of triumph.

"Gotcha! That'll teach you, jerk! How rude, assuming a refined and pretty lady like myself would stoop to such thoughts!" The Glaceon laughed softly and shrugged, missing the yawn from the vixen beside him.

"Hey, you said it. Not me- Whoa, what are you doing?" The Glaceon was baffled when the Vulpix suddenly rested her head against his chest with a soft yawn.

"Didn't sleep all that well last night... and your fur is soft, so sue me. Consider it punishment for being a jerk!" With that, the vixen grabbed the Glaceon's paw, wrapping it around her smaller frame as she leaned into him. "Gonna take a brief nap... can you wake me when the others get here? Sorry about this... I just-"

"No, no. Don't be sorry... if you're tired, it's fine. I've got no room to complain given the state I was in a couple of days ago, right?"

"Hey, I'm nowhere near that bad. I just... had a little trouble sleeping, that's all." The young man nodded and hummed softly.

"...You wanna talk about it?"

"Nothing to talk about. Just some... confusing feelings, that's all. I'll be alright. After a nap~" And with that, the Vulpix shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep surprisingly quickly, leaving the Glaceon in a very awkward position. His new teammates were to arrive and see her wrapped in his paw, fast asleep against his chest. And naturally, they'd all begin to assume something was going on between the two of them. The boy sighed.

'Wonderful, that's all I need. Rumours of me dating a Guild Official. We barely even know each other, she's just tired and needs a break. Eugh, this is gonna be a great first meeting...'

Thirty minutes later, the Glaceon's ears perked from the Vulpix's soft breathing. He could hear voices approaching.

"...My gosh! You two sound like such a cool duo, you've been through so much together! I can't wait for us to work together too!"

"Ah, but the joy is all mine young Melody! We will make a magnificent team, all of us! Together, we shall shine brighter than the stars above!"

"Now don't go givin' 'em too many ideas darlin'! We've yet to meet the last member yet, I wonder where they're at?"

"Probably decided to run away with their tail between their legs, cowards will be cowards after all."

"N-now that's not very nice... I'm sure they're just w-waiting for us already!"

5 distinct voices were approaching. 'Great... here we go, I guess...' The door opened.

"Oh my! We ain't intrudin' or nothin' are we, darlin'?" A kindly looking Primarina stood at the head of the group, staring at the duo in the chairs before her.

"Oh, um. No, no. It's not like that. She's just... really tired from a long night, that's all. So I agreed to let her take a nap..."

"YOU!" Both the Glaceon and the Vulpix in his paws leapt almost fully out of the seats at the sudden bark. A Luxray, cracking from muzzle to tail in electricity stormed into the room, glaring straight at the Glaceon before him. "What do you think you're doing with MY girl, punk?!" The startled ice types shared a bewildered look before turning back to the Luxray.

"Hang on a second... I know you!" The Glaceon's paw shot out, pointing directly at the Luxray. "You're that idiot that was harassing Lumi the day we arrived, the guy who got manhandled out of the Guildhall by that tough as nails Mienshao! You're gonna be part of the team I'm on? Oh, that's just great ain't it?"

"Watch your tongue, whelp, or I'll fry it for you!"

"Oh yeah, hotshot? Wanna put your money where your mouth is?!"

"ENOUGH!" The two men jumped at the sudden unexpected yell from the Vulpix beside the Glaceon. "FIRST THINGS FIRST. YOU!" She pointed directly at the Luxray, growling lowly through clenched fangs. "You EVER call me YOUR GIRL again, and I'll freeze you solid. Got it!?" The Luxray gulped at the raging vixen, nodding slightly. "Good. YOU!" She spun and pointed at the Glaceon who recoiled slightly. "Do NOT stoop to his level. You are better than that, and we both know it. Don't start acting like a stuck up prick because you're arguing. You're both adults, now act like it!" The group were stunned by how efficiently the previously sleeping fox had grasped the situation and shut it down. She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing.

"Right, now. Everybody! Please, take a seat and gather round. We've got introductions to go through before we can begin our training session for the day. That's it, everybody in the circle!" The 6 Pokemon took their seats, all eyes locked on the Vulpix. "Right, I'll set us off seeing as I'm your Liaison Officer from the Guild. My name is Luminous Snowdrop, please, call me Lumi. I'm not a fan of my full name, it's such a mouthful. Anyway, I'm 22 years old, and I'll be acting as your support from the guild. Any and all queries should be directed to me, and I'll be able to pass them along to the correct person for your answer. Ok, now you." The vixen turned to the Glaceon beside her, who sighed softly.

"Right, right... hello everybody. My name is Kaguya. I'm 22 and I'm from Azure Pines up in The Hinterlands, and I moved here with my 3 year old daughter in order for her to have a better life. I'm not the best at working in teams, or dealing with social situations. So if I come across as cold or awkward, I'm sorry. It's not a you issue, it's a me thing. I'll do my best though, you can count on that." The Glaceon turned to the shy young Riolu beside him.

"You're a father, young man? Truly? And would the young miss beside you be-" The Glaceon cut off the Goodra's train of thought in an instant.

"WHOA, WHOA! No, it's not like that! I told you, she was just taking a nap, that's all. Tell them, Lumi!" The blushing Vulpix cleared her throat before answering.

"Y-yeah, I didn't sleep very well last night, and so I was just resting my eyes. It's not my fault he was the closest thing to a pillow I had to paw! N-no, I'm not his daughters mother. We're not even a couple, we only met a few days ago! E-enough about us, you're next young man!" The vixen pointed to the Riolu, blushing deeply at the accusation.

"Oh, um... h-hello everyone. I'm Elias! I'm, um, 16 years old and I'm not a very strong fighter... but I need this job in order to bring in money for my family. I may not be the strongest, or the fastest... but I promise, I'll pull my weight! Just give me the chance to prove myself!"

"No need to worry, Elias." The Glaceon spoke up, having calmed himself down from the odd line of questioning before turning to face the younger boy. "No matter how strong a Pokemon is, they'll always have weaknesses. And judging by the grouping we've got here, we're all meant to cover each others weaknesses. We're a team, even if there's something you can't handle alone, that's why we're all here. To help each other, right?"

"Well spoken, friend! You took the words right out of my mouth!" The Goodra's bombastic voice sounded, drawing the groups attention. "You need not fret, young Elias! We are friends, allies, brothers and sisters in arms! We shall defend and aid each other, that is what an Exploration Team does!" The Riolu beamed at the two, wagging his tail slightly before turning to the Luxray.

"My name is Teravolt, Tera for short. I'm 32 years old and the strongest one here. So none of you need to worry your little heads over anything, cause I'll carry this whole team on my back without any issue whatsoever. So, let's just move on already." The Vulpix scowled at the older electric type, before sighing softly.

"Hiya everybody! My name is Melody! I'm 18 years old and I've just left home to join up with the Guild! Oh, I can hardly wait to get to know all of you better! We're gonna be such good friends, I can just tell!" The Skarmory was surprisingly bubbly for one that looked so fierce. She beamed across the room at the young Riolu, who happily smiled back. It was nice for them both to know there was somebody around their age to hang around with.

"Well how d'ya do darlin's? My name's Cassandra, y'all can call me Cass though! I'm 45 years old and a retired songstress of the Starlight Troupe Travelling Musicians! We used to travel around and bring smiles to the people, all for the love of music! But now, me and my old conductor have decided maybe we can put our talents to better use in helping save people! We ain't doin' it for glory or nothin', we just genuinely wanna help people. It's what we do~" The Primarina gave a wink to the group, before flourishing her flippers towards the Goodra beside her, who took a deep bow.

"Greetings my friends, my name is Eduardo and I am 50 years old! I was the conductor for the Starlight Troupe Travelling Musicians for almost 20 years, and now that we have parted ways, both Cass and I have agreed to put out best feet, or flippers, forwards in order to lend aid to our fellow Pokemon! We have both have experience in the field before, and know our way through combat. However, we still have much to learn. I look forward to our time together as a team, and trust that you will have my back as I shall have yours, my new friends!" The Goodra took another bow before seating himself back down.

With the 6 new teammates more or less introduced, the Vulpix nodded her head. "Great, get used to being around each other. Because for the next month or so, you'll be seeing each other daily for training sessions. You'll spar against each member of the team, pushing your limits and growing with each interaction. We'll also be teaching you all how to better harness your strengths while covering for your weaknesses. Now, before we begin todays session, there's one last thing we need to sort out." The group turned to face the vixen, who grinned mischievously.

"Who wants to spar with who~?"