Dr. Gardevoir was no stranger to the strange.

Although he was still relatively new to Wigglytuff's Guild as its resident doctor, he'd already been known throughout the Grass Continent as a top medic well before then. From his youth, he'd known that his purpose was to be a healer. In his eyes, it was a sophisticated craft; a beautiful marriage between the powers of nature and the unknown. He'd dedicated his life to mastering that marriage, and many who knew him would agree that he'd achieved that already. From a Nidoking getting its horn stuck in a Finneon to a Ninetales somehow getting all of its tails sliced off by a dare that went wrong, he'd seen everything.

And yet, here he was, stumped by this Treecko's simple case of amnesia. Part of him was already certain that Asbel was human, and that was concerning in its own right. But the why of it was what especially bothered him. How was it possible to exist in one dimension and wake up in another? The former being one that, to date, no one had traveled to and returned to tell about it. No doubt, it was the doing of a deity, as it had been the first two times. But there had to be a reason for it, and Dr. Gardevoir hungered to know exactly what it was.

As he made his way to the Guildmaster's chamber, he silently debated with himself on how to break the news. How did one simply tell another that a being from another world had possibly arrived in the area? It didn't matter that it had already happened before. Both times, disaster was right around the corner. They had to be ready, no matter what.

"Dr. Gardevoir?"

Dr. Gardevoir stopped, turning his attention to the familiar, proper-sounding voice that had made itself known below him. He looked down to see a small, multicolored bird with a musical note-shaped head. None other than Chatot, the Guildmaster's right-hand 'mon.

"Oh, Chatot," he began. "There you are. How are you?"

"Good, good. Quite the productive day, I would say." There was a hint of haste in his voice as he cocked his head. "Have you seen the Guildmaster?"

"...No. I was looking for him, actually. We've had a development, and I've been unable to find him. I was hoping you would know, actually."

Chatot frowned. "Oh….oh no. Oh dear. This won't do. I must find him." He began to hop away, but suddenly turned back to Dr. Gardevoir, concerned. "Wait. You said…development?"

Dr. Gardevoir nodded. "Somewhat. I…believe it's possible that a human is here again."

Chatot froze, simply staring at the taller Pokemon. There was a long silence between the two before Dr. Gardevoir began to repeat himself.

"Chatot, I-"

"What!?"

The small bird flapped his wings, flying closer to Dr. Gardevoir. He circled around him once before landing in front of him.

"Please tell me that you are joking. Please!"

"I can't confirm anything right now. But the Guildmaster needs to know about it."

Chatot looked around frantically. "Do you know where they are?"

"That's not relevant-"

"Do you know where they are?"

Dr. Gardevoir sighed. "Mienshao is with him. He poses no immediate danger. He's only a low-level Treecko."

"It's not the human I'm worried about. It's what his presence implies!"

"I did not say that he was a human. Only that it was a possibility. Now, please, calm down."

Chatot opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. He settled, taking a deep breath.

"I apologize. This is no way for me to act." He cleared his throat. "I need to find the Guildmaster. Now. This is a priority. I cannot stress enough how much-"

Suddenly, the two of them paused, hearing footsteps behind them. They turned to face a round, pink, long-eared Pokemon smiling at them, holding a satchel full of Perfect Apples. He stopped in front of them, smiling.

"Friends! I've just returned from Apple Woods!" he exclaimed, pulling out two of the apples from his satchel. "Plenty of apples! Plenty to share! Plenty of fun!"

Dr. Gardevoir and Chatot exchanged looks, then looked back at the Guildmaster. Chatot let out a deep sigh, putting a wing to his forehead.

"Impeccable timing, Guildmaster…as always."

Treasure Town, in name and in spirit, was a very sought-after place within the rescue and exploration industry. While it had already been a somewhat well-established explorer's destination for years, the Time Gear Crisis changed everything. After all, Wigglytuff's Guild was located there, the group credited with training those who stopped it. It was also there that the Exploration Team Federation had moved its headquarters afterwards, which certainly helped things. In a relatively short period of time, Treasure Town became the de facto place to go if one wanted to become an explorer.

And yet, to Asbel, the logic of the place was worth exploring all on its own.

"So, let me get this straight," he began to Kama, a confused look on his face. "The bank here stores your money for free?"

"If you're a registered explorer, yes," the white-and-purple weasel replied.

"And it's run by one guy, the entire bank."

"Yes."

"And you trust said guy with all your money?"

"Yes."

"You're really confident in saying that? You trust a one-eyed floating skull with everything that you have ever earned?"

Kama sighed, eyeing him. "Asbel, what did we talk about?"

"I'm just trying to make sense of this," the smaller Pokemon quipped. "Because, right now, shit's not adding up. Literally. It's all interest-free."

Kama calmly put his hands together. "Firstly, the bank generates plenty of revenue from non-explorers," he replied firmly. "Secondly, Duskull cannot physically touch the coins that he keeps, or any object for that matter. There is no one more suited for the job." He looked to Asbel. "Does that make sense?"

Asbel shrugged. "More than anything else has so far."

Just then, a regal-looking serpent slithered up to them. Asbel flinched; they were huge, much bigger than he felt any snake had a right to be, with red eyes that pierced through his soul. Kama, however, was unfazed, stopping and smiling at the newcomer.

"Serperior! Fancy seeing you this afternoon."

The snake smiled back, adjusting his posture. "I'd say the same, Mienshao. I don't believe we've seen one another since…"

"Aurora Ruins, right?"

Serperior seemed to ponder for a moment, then threw his head back, laughing. "Oh, right! What a debacle that was. I still have a scar healing from that." He glanced at Asbel. "And who might this be? A new apprentice?"

Kama looked down at Asbel, then back to Serprior.

"No, not this time. This is Treecko. I found him in Living Cove this morning. He's having some memory issues, so I'm trying to help him make sense of his predicament."

Serperior frowned. "I see." He turned to Asbel, lowering his neck to be closer to him. "I'm so sorry to hear that, young one. But rest assured, you're in good hands."

Asbel offered a half-smile, rubbing the back of his head. He still felt intimidated by Serperior's size.

"Y-yeah, Mienshao's really cool. Seriously off-the-chain."

Serperior gasped, and Kama froze. Both seemed to be taken aback by what Asbel had just said, which left the tiny gecko more than confused. His attention shifted between them both.

"...What?"

Serpeior glared at him, moving his head back. "Gods. Even at your age, you should know better than to speak like that. Appalling." He shook his head, turning back to Kama. "I've got somewhere to be. I wish you the best of luck with this one."

Kama sighed. "Thank you. Blue skies to you."

Serperior nodded. "And you." The serpent then glanced at Asbel one last time before slithering away, clearly uncomfortable. Asbel looked at Kama, dumbfounded.

"What just happened?"

Kama turned to him, visibly red. He placed a palm on his forehead and closed his eyes. "I am going to assume that the…phrase…you just uttered means something different where you're from."

Asbel titled his head. "What? Off-the-chain?"

Kama nodded, cringing. "Yes, and please don't say it so loudly."

The Treecko shifted his feet. "Okay…I mean, yeah. It's a compliment. Like, you're so cool that your coolness can't be contained. It's off-the-chain." He paused, putting a stubby digit to his chin. "I'm guessing that's…not what it means around here?"

Kama hesitated. "Not quite. Are you aware of what a brothel is?"

Asbel blinked. "Uh…yeah. Can't say I really expected that to be a thing here."

"They were, until they were outlawed several decades ago. They were sometimes referred to as 'goon saloons', because they commonly employed felons. It was normally the only line of work that would take them, until they regained the trust of society."

Asbel looked away, thinking to himself. Holy shit. If I knew Pokemon got this gritty, I might've played as a kid. He then turned back to Kama. "Okay…but what does what I said have to do with that?"

"Well, the felons in question were usually newly-released, otherwise known to be recently…"

Asbel had to think for a few seconds before it hit him. When it did, his eyes widened, and he didn't know what to say. Effectively, he'd just called his new friend both a whore and a criminal in front of a total stranger. Seeing his reaction, Kama nodded, understanding that it was an honest mistake.

"It's alright. Please, don't dwell on it." He bent down to be closer to him. "It might take you some time to learn what's acceptable to say and what's not. For now, perhaps you should try and use more conventional language. Alright?"

Asbel scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah…I can try."

Kama smiled. "Good." He stood back up, looking down the street. "The school is straight ahead. Let's go and get you sorted."

Asbel nodded, and the two of them set forth once more. The gecko became lost in his thoughts again, thinking about all of the phrases he now potentially couldn't use. So much for remembering how to talk to people, he thought. He hoped to whatever gods existed in this world that any language classes at school would have a section that covered offensive phrases.

With any luck, he'd narrow down his next vocabularic fumble to just one insult instead of two.

"Tyde…I don't know how else to explain to you that nobody wants to eat a toast sandwich."

Oshawott let out a long grumble, sitting up from the bed on his side of the room that he shared with Torchic.

"Well, duh. Nobody wants it because it's not a thing yet."

Torchic didn't budge from the book she was reading.

"It's not a thing…because it can't be."

Oshawott sat up, itching for another debate. "Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

Torchic hesitated. "Because it's bread on top of bread. A sandwich has to have a filling between two pieces of bread."

"Right, and with a toast sandwich, the filling is toast."

"Which is…bread. So, it's not a sandwich, just three pieces of bread stacked on top of each other."

"Who are you to say that bread can't also be a filling? Were you there when the sandwich rules were written, Hess?"

Torhic let out a deep sigh, finally looking up from her book and turning to her friend and roommate.

"Can we just…argue about this another time? I'm trying to read."

Oshawott shrugged. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, as Torchic went back to reading her book and Oshawott went back to staring at the ceiling. Eventually, the otter spoke again, too bored to keep quiet.

"So…what about that Treecko earlier?"

"What about him?"

"I dunno. Don't you think he was weird?"

"I mean…yeah. Definitely. And rude." The Fire-Type paused. "I wonder how he lost his memory."

"Probably hit his head when he fell from that tree."

"Maybe. But with amnesia, there's usually some kind of injury that causes it. I heard Dr. Gardevoir said he wasn't hurt at all."

"Huh…I dunno, then. Maybe he ran away from his family and he's faking it."

"Could be."

Just then, there was a knock at the door, causing them both to look up, then at each other. Oshawott got up to answer, being the more dexterous of the two. He opened the door to reveal none other than Chatot, the sight of whom instantly made his spine shiver.

"Uh oh," the blue-and-white otter began. "What did I do?"

Chatot gave him a confused look. "What? Nothing." He narrowed his eyes. "That I know of…"

Before Oshawott could reply, Torchic appeared at his side, smiling at Chatot.

"Oh…good afternoon, sir!"

Chatot continued to eye Oshawott for a moment before splitting his attention between them both.

"Ahem…good afternoon, you two. Are either of you busy?"

Torchic shook her head. "Not at all!"

"Good. The Guildmaster requests your presence."

The two roommates glanced at one another before looking back to Chatot. Oshawott gulped.

"I swear, I didn't-"

Torchic subtly kicked him in the side, causing him to go silent. She again smiled at Chatot.

"Yes, sir. We'll see him right away."

Chatot nodded, again eyeing Oshawott but seeming to dismiss his suspicions for the moment. "Very well. Follow me."

As Chatot began to hop away, Torchic glared at Oshawott.

"What did you do?"

Oshawott scratched the back of his head, a guilty look coming across his face. "Okay. Don't get mad…"

Torchic braced herself. "Oh, 'mon."

The Water-Type took a deep breath. "I maybe, kinda, sorta…"

Chatot turned back to them, waving a wing and shouting impatiently. "Ahem?"

Torchic turned her head towards her superior, maintaining her smile. "We're coming, sir!" She then glared back at Oshawott, who was anxiously fidgeting. She leaned in closely, her beady black eyes piercing through his.

"Whatever this is about, you'd better hope I fall from a tree and forget about it, too."

"...So…what you're saying is…the only dividing factor here is age."

The school's vice principal, an orange-maroon female fox with a mustache larger than any human male's Asbel had ever seen, stared down and nodded at him.

"...yes. That's right."

"So, in a world consisting of nothing but monsters, some more dangerous than others, you're telling me that it makes sense to have all of them under one roof, with no separation between types or anything."

"It is." The vice principal blinked. "Are things different where you're from?"

Asbel hesitated. "Well…no. But back home, I'm not a scaly leaf-licker that has to worry about getting third degree burns from the kid with a flaming tail that I might have to sit by." The gecko sighed. "Why couldn't I have been that lizard?"

The vice principal stared at Asbel for a few seconds, then looked at Kama, who had a somewhat annoyed look on his face. The fox then looked back to Asbel, feigning a pleasant smile.

"I see. Treecko, will you give Mienshao and I a minute, please?"

The gecko huffed before turning around and walking out of the room, leaving Kama with the vice principal. She gave him a concerned look.

"...Remind me. Where did you find him, again?"

"Living Cove."

"And he's having…memory issues?"

"Correct."

The fox sighed, putting her front paws together as she hesitated. "Well...he's witty for an amnesiac. I'll start with that."

Kama chuckled. "Yes."

"It's interesting. He's definitely a kid, but he doesn't talk like someone who's school-age."

The weasel shrugged. "He's certainly unorthodox. But I see potential in him. He's intelligent, and he loves to question things."

The vice principal chuckled. "I can see that." She cleared her throat. "We'd be happy to take him, but he's going to have to straighten up. I assume he's staying with you for the time being?"

"We've yet to discuss it, but yes."

"Good," she replied, smiling. "I'll get the paperwork done before I leave, and he'll be good to go."

Kama nodded, thanking her as he turned to walk away. Before he did, the vice principal spoke again, leaning closer to him from her desk.

"Mienshao…have you given any more thought to what we talked about?"

Kama stopped, his back remaining turned to her.

"I have."

The vice principal tilted her head. "And…?"

"You know why it can't happen."

The fox jumped down from her chair, approaching Kama and looking up at him.

"Kama…"

The weasel looked away. "I've asked you not to use my name."

"And why is that?," the vice principal began. "Am I just supposed to treat you like every other passing face now?"

"I'm not having this discussion with you right now, Thievul."

"Freiya. I have a name. My name is Freiya."

Kama inhaled deeply, finally turning to face her. "Vice Principal, is there anything else you need from me?"

Freiya scoffed, a slight shimmer in her eyes as if she was preparing to cry. She stared at him for a moment before slowly turning away and trotting back to her desk, climbing back onto her chair and facing him as if nothing had happened.

"That's all."

Kama nodded, turning to walk away once more. "Blue skies."

The fox turned her attention back to the paperwork on her desk, the wetness in her eyes remaining.

"Yeah…blue fucking skies."

Asbel narrowed his eyes as he silently leaned against the wooden door of the vice principal's office. These two were definitely ex-lovers of some kind. Aside from the fact that Pokemon apparently did indeed know the word "fuck", this interaction was only raising more questions than answers. Theme of the day, he guessed.

Suddenly, the door opened with considerable force, leaving Asbel with no time to react. He expected to be knocked backwards, but instead seemed to somehow stick to the door. Luckily, the door stopped only inches before hitting the wall behind it, leaving the gecko confused but unharmed.

"Asbel?," Kama inquired, looking around. "Where are you?"

"Back here," the Grass-Type whimpered. "I'm, uh…stuck."

There was a brief pause before Asbel felt the door move again, this time in the opposite direction. He felt himself pull away from the wall, and remained stuck to the door as Kama closed it completely. The weasel gave him a concerned look.

"...My apologies. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Asbel replied, trying to pry his hands and feet from the door. "Just, uh, trying to figure out why the grip is insane."

Kama sighed. "You're a Treecko. You have suction on each of your digits."

"Yeah, I…see that," the gecko replied, pausing in between pulls. "I'm just…really…really onto-"

Suddenly, he lost his grip, falling off of the door and onto his back with a yelp. Kama stood over him, looking him over before offering a hand.

"That's why you shouldn't eavesdrop."

Asbel rolled his eyes. "And how do you know I was eavesdropping?"

"I doubt you'd have been so close to the door if you weren't."

"Maybe I was just leaning against it."

"In which case, you'd be close enough to eavesdrop, whether you're meaning to or not."

"Okay, but eavesdropping is the deliberate action of butting in on someone's conversation. The fact that I heard anything could have been totally involuntary."

"Well…was it?"

Asbel rubbed the back of his head. "...Nope. Got me there."

Kama sighed, shaking his head. "Don't make a habit of that."

The gecko shrugged. "Can't make any promises." He paused. "So, uh…am I good?"

Kama nodded. "Your first day will be tomorrow. I can give you a tour of the school, if you'd like."

Asbel shook his head. "I'm good. This'll be more fun if I'm thrown into the fire."

Kama crossed his arms, his tone shifting. "Asbel, I need you to take this seriously. This isn't a game."

Asbel chuckled. "Oh man, I wish I could point out the irony…but seriously, I'm good."

"Just let me show you around. It will make tomorrow so much easier."

Asbel rolled his eyes. "Fine. Go ahead. Let's take a stroll around Monster High."

Just then, the door to the main entrance burst open, revealing a strange-looking bird as it swooped in with a conviction. Kama seemed unphased, but Asbel was taken by surprise. He backed away as the bird landed directly in front of him, a burning glare in his eyes.

"You!," he squawked, flapping his wings. "It must be you!"

Asbel began to stutter, not sure how to respond. "U-uh…"

Before he could conjure a thought, Kama stepped in front of him, looking down at the small bird.

"Chatot, what's the meaning of this?"

The small bird scoffed. "You know exactly the meaning of this. I should have been notified imme-"

"Calm down, please," Kama interrupted. "There's no need to make a scene."

Chatot scowled. "Please, Mienshao. Hardly anyone is here." The small bird tilted his head, looking again towards Asbel. "Why have you come here?"

Asbel shrugged. "Dunno. Why does your head look like it could be played in E minor?"

The bird stared at him blankly. "Wha…?"

Kama sighed. "Chatot, I would be happy to have this discussion at the guild. But not here."

"That's just as well. I came to inform you that the Guildmaster requests your presence." His gaze shifted once again towards Asbel. "Both of you."

Asbel stepped out from behind Kama, crossing his arms. "Look man, I don't know who you are or what your deal is, but you're pretty close to my size to be talking like-"

"Asbel!"

Both the gecko and Chatot looked up at Kama in unison. An intrigued look grew on Chatot's face.

"Interesting. You've already become close enough to exchange names."

"I'm simply adhering to his culture. I don't believe he's from here."

Chatot chuckled. "Oh, that much has been established. In any case, I need you both at the guild." He narrowed his eyes at Asbel. "Now."

With that, the musical note-headed bird flapped his wings and flew back out through the entrance. Asbel looked up at Kama.

"So, uh…what's happening?"

Kama shook his head, walking towards the entrance's double doors that were still swinging back and forth from Chatot's swift exit. He motioned for Asbel to follow him.

"You're being thrown into the fire."

The first thing that Asbel noticed inside of the Guildmaster's chamber besides the awaiting Torchic and Oshawott were the two treasure chests that flanked each side of the red carpet towards the back. They were both open, with no attempt to hide the presumably precious gems that were sticking out. For someone in a supposed position of power, it seemed like an arrogant flex. Then again, this "Wigglytuff" guy was supposedly late to a meeting in his own guild. Maybe this was less like a legitimate organization and more like some weird little club, he thought.

"Ahem."

Asbel snapped out of his thoughts, turning away from the others and towards the mildly aggressive bird that seemed to have it out for him. As much as he didn't want to piss off the wrong creature, this bird seemed both unintimidating and deserving. He decided to gauge this world's familiarity with one of his favorite words.

"Well, ahem yourself, douchebag."

Chatot tensed. "I have no idea what that means, but it sounds like an insult."

Oshawott giggled. "It sounds kinda funny."

Torchic shook her head, and Asbel grinned. Kama, standing next to him, was less amused. Scowling, he turned to the smaller Pokemon.

"Asbel, please be respectful."

"I would love to be," the Grass-Type replied half-sarcastically, gesturing towards Chatot. "But seriously, does anyone in this room wanna tell me what's going on?"

Chatot scoffed. "Well, I was going to get to that, before you so rudely called me a…douchebag?"

Asbel crossed his arms. "Alright, fine. You're not a douchebag."

Chatot stared at him for a few seconds, then began to pace around the room. "Ahem…I apologize if I came on strongly. But you must understand the severity of this situation, Treecko."

"No, I really don't. Please enlighten me."

Chatot blinked. "Well, you claim to be human, yes?"

"I am human."

"And how can you prove this?"

Asbel shrugged, looking at Kama, Torchic, and Oshawott. "I have no clue. All I can tell you is that I woke up on the floor in a cave with these three standing over me. I can't go back any more than that."

Chatot put a wing to his chin, his skepticism growing. He turned to Kama, Torchic, and Oshawott.

"Where was it that you three found him?"

Kama was the first to speak. "We found him at the foot of a tree in Void Cave, with no memory or idea of why he was there."

"Did he have anything with him? Any clues as to who he might be?"

Torchic shook her head. "Nothing at all."

Chatot sighed, turning back to Asbel with a hint of annoyance.

"You must know that we're going to need some sort of proof."

Asbel crossed his arms, mirroring Chatot's mild agitation. "Look, I don't exactly have the appearance or memory to be able to prove I'm anything other than a child-friendly version of Gex. You're just gonna have to take my word for it."

Chatot suddenly went silent. He looked around the room for inspiration, but no one else seemed to speak up. As Kama began to open his mouth, the door burst open, and everyone turned to face the pink Pokemon that stood at the entrance. Chatot stepped in front of the others, seeming to tense a bit.

"T-there you are, Guildmaster. I was beginning to worry."

Asbel tilted his head. He hadn't expected much from a Pokemon named Wigglytuff, but this was certainly a curveball. This "Guildmaster" looked like an off-brand Furby doll that was fresh out of the clearance section at Walmart. Big white belly, beady big-pupiled eyes, and all the authoritative presence of a preschool teacher. It made Asbel want to laugh.

"Friends!," the Squishmallow wannabe boomed, with a volume that took Asbel by shock. "It's so very good to see you!"

Asbel couldn't hold it in any longer. The tiny gecko burst out laughing, raising the eyebrows of everyone in the room save for the Guildmaster himself. The pink Pokemon simply smiled, stepping closer to him.

"Ah," he began, his big, friendly eyes locked with Asbel's devious slits. "You must be the potential human I was told about. And a jolly one at that! I like you already."

Without warning, he pulled Asbel into a hug, sinking the comparatively tiny Pokemon into his big, soft belly. The gecko struggled to pry himself away, but he was powerless. He was sure that he could put a plastic bag over his head and breathe more easily.

"A-ahem," Chatot muttered, a hint of unease in his voice. "I think he's gotten the message…sir."

Wigglytuff released the smaller Pokemon from his grip, stepping back a bit as the other stood gasping for breath. The Guildmaster seemed unphased, his smile remaining ever-pleasant.

"My apologies, little one," he giggled. "I get carried away sometimes."

"Y-yeah," Asbel croaked, still panting. "I can…see that."

Torchic stepped forward. "Guildmaster, you know how to prove that he's human, right?"

Wigglytuff put a finger to his chin, seeming to ponder for a moment before beaming again.

"Oh…yes! Yes, of course. It's very easy." He cleared his throat, once again stepping closer to Asbel and putting his hands together with an almost childlike enthusiasm.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, and your answers will reveal the truth without a shadow of a doubt! Are you ready?"

Everyone else stood silent. Asbel hesitated before nodding, his skepticism masked by a thin layer of curiosity. "Sure, yeah. Ask away."

Wigglytuff clapped again, his eyes sparkling with cartoon-like joy. "Great! Now, question one…do you like apples?"

Asbel narrowed his eyes but nodded slowly, willing to entertain this weird little test. "...Sure."

Wigglytuff beamed, seeming to like his answer. "Excellent! Question two…do you think rainbows are beautiful?"

Asbel's confusion deepened. "...Yeah, I guess."

"Wonderful!," Wigglytuff exclaimed, the light pouring in from the window reflecting in his gargantuan eyes. "Now, for my third and final question…what was the outcome of World War II?"

Everyone in the room looked at each other in confusion, save for Kama who remained expressionless. Asbel, himself surprised, hesitated for a moment. World War II? That happened on Earth, unless this world had their own version of that. That would be interesting.

"...Uh…the Allies won? How do you even know about that?"

Wigglytuff's face fell for a moment, but he quickly regained his cheerful composure.

"You see, when the last human came through here fifteen years ago, he talked about a 'World War II' happening, and he said the 'Allies' won. I don't quite remember what any of that means, but I thought you might give the same answer if you were human. And you did!"

The Guildmaster clapped his hands vigorously, and Asbel simply stared at him in confusion.

"Okay, but…what did the other two questions have to do with me being a human?"

Wigglytuff stopped clapping, shimply shrugging. "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to get to know you better. Liking apples and rainbows tells a lot about someone's character!"

Asbel didn't know whether to be amused or irritated at the Guildmaster's shenanigans. Between this nonsense and the snooty Chatot character, he was sure that this place was nothing more than a loony bin.

"Ahem…," Chaot began, turning to the Guildmaster. "I believe we should discuss this further." He cocked his head towards the others for a moment, then back to Wigglytuff. "Privately."

The Guildmaster nodded, seeming to simmer down a bit. "Of course. But before we do…," he trailed off, turning to Torchic and Oshawott, "I'd like to talk to you two about something."

Torchic looked to Oshawott, who looked away as if pretending not to notice. Chatot eyed them before turning to Asbel and Kama, ushering them out of the room.

"Mienshao, see to it that this Treecko stays in the area for the time being," he began, closing the door behind them with one swift motion of his wing.

Asbel scoffed. "Oh, what, am I being held hostage now?"

The gecko's outburst earned him a disapproving glare from Chatot, but Kama placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"We just want to make sure you stay out of harm's way while we get to the bottom of this."

Asbel huffed. He didn't appreciate being under the jurisdiction of a bunch of living plushies, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. Even if he could, what would he do? He could either stay in Treasure Town or take his chances elsewhere, and that was the one choice that he felt confident in making at that moment.

After all, if normal civilization had Pokemon that looked like they could tear him apart, he didn't want to imagine what the wilderness looked like.

As one of the longer-tenured educators at Wigglytuff's Guild, Kama was more used to Chatot's impetuous tendencies than most. In fact, only the Guildmaster himself was more familiar with his assistant. Even so, it never made dealing with him any more pleasant. While Chatot was an intelligent and effective leader, his impulsiveness had always limited his potential in Kama's mind. He could have done without him barging into the school and demanding he and Asbel to leave with him, or his unnecessarily interrogative questions. He was too harsh on children, and children needed a softer hand to serve as a balance. Then again, he thought, Wigglytuff's blissfulness was more than a balance to his hotheaded counterpart.

"So…explain to me. What's this 'guild' all about?"

Kama looked down to Asbel, uttering a muffled 'excuse me' to the passing Scraggy as they walked down the main hall towards the ladder.

"Wigglytuff's Guild is a rescue and exploration guild that exists to train young Pokemon who are interested in the field, as well as help protect and serve the local community."

"Oh, okay. So, like, a trade school for outdoorsy people that also doubles as some kind of vigilante police department."

Kama hesitated, not knowing what half of those terms meant. "...If that's what the equivalent would be in your world, then yes."

"I like it."

"Well, if it's something you find yourself to be interested in, we work very closely with the school."

"Yeah, we'll see. For now, I'm a lot more interested in learning why the hell I'm here."

Kama sighed. "I'm afraid school won't teach you that. But we will find the answers together, I promise." The weasel paused. "By the way, you are more than welcome to stay with me for the time being."

Asbel chuckled. "You say that like I have a choice."

"Well, do you have other plans?"

The gecko was silent for a moment. "Well…no. Not really. I guess it makes the most sense to stay with you. You're the only one who's treated me like I'm normal so far, apart from that Zorua kid."

Kama smiled. "Ah, I see you've met Zorua. He's a good student and a good friend to have. Very cheerful."

"Yeah, he seemed pretty off-the…"

Asbel stopped himself, freezing at the top of the guild's outside staircase. Kama stopped as well, cocking his head towards the smaller Pokemon as he waited for him to continue. The gecko's face went red as he took a deep breath.

"...Chill. He seemed pretty chill."

The weasel smiled, giving the Grass-Type an acknowledging nod. The sun had completely set now, and the emerging moonlight reflected brightly in Asbel's yellow eyes. Kama turned his attention back towards the path, continuing down to the crossroads below with the smaller Pokemon in tow.

"Chill…hmph. I like it."