Chapter 3: Guide My Way

"Wh…where am I?"

"Oh, good! You're awake!" a voice exclaimed excitedly.

My blurry vision was starting to come into focus. Snuggled up next to me was a red Pokémon with a big yellow fluffy collar of fur and an even bigger bushy yellow tail. Kind, dark eyes were beaming up at me in a mix of relief and fascination. A cobalt blue bow was tied around the base of the Pokémon's ear. A Flareon…?

It was. It was a Flareon. My eyes darted around the…room? We were in some sort of cave. Before us crackled a campfire, likely started by the Flareon. I had vague memories of the species, but this particular one was brand new to me. A soothing scent had wafted through the tiny cave. To our right sat a Bayleef wearing a scarf of some kind who was exuding a sweet and spicy aroma. It wasn't until I saw her that I realized how relaxed I was. At the mouth of the little cave was a Garchomp who seemed to be keeping watch, peering out at the blizzard raging beyond the safety of our stone walls.

"Hibiki, Cynthia, look!" the Flareon encouraged, her big, bushy tail wagging.

"You had us pretty worried, stranger. Cait and Cynthia's Dig move and their quick thinking might have saved you there," the Bayleef remarked. "Cait took some sticks from our bag to get the fire going."

"You need to give yourself from credit, Hibiki, my love. Your Aromatherapy is keeping her calm and what I think actually brought her to," the Flareon remarked.

"Nngh," I groaned, trying to make sense of everything going on around me.

"If I had a Poké for every time our team found a Pokémon who was frozen solid on this island, I'd have two Poké. It's not a lot, but it's weird it happened twice," the bemused Garchomp remarked. I was frozen? For how long?

"I've never seen a Pokémon like you before. Got a name?" the Flareon, evidently Cait, asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"I'm a Sneasler…" I replied, shocking myself at how hoarse my own voice sounded. Coughing in an effort to clear my throat, I continued, "Sneasler's what you can call me. We tend to keep to ourselves, so we don't really use names."

"Sneasler?" Hibiki the Bayleef echoed, the name seeming completely foreign to her.

The Garchomp, Cynthia, turned away from the mouth of the cave, and gave me a knowing smile. "I've read a Pokémon called Sneasler before. Sneasel were very different hundreds of years ago, and they had an evolution called Sneasler. They were known for their huge claws, their lean physique, powerful muscles and ability to scale large cliff faces and mountains."

"Read about?" I echoed, my turn for confusion having arrived. "You mean…you don't know of any Sneasel or Sneasler today? Have I been asleep for hundreds of years?" Any sense of panic I had was being hampered by the Aromatherapy.

"Hey, hey, easy now. No sudden movements," Cait instructed, gently placing a paw on my chest. She was so warm. So soft. "Let's slow it down a little bit. You probably figured it out by now, but my name is Cait. That big-leafed beauty over there is my partner Hibiki. She tends to keep our explorations on track, and she's a real powerhouse. And our other powerhouse and resident archeologist is this lovely Garchomp right here. Her name is Cynthia."

"We've never encountered a Pokémon like you before, but the world is huge, so there may be others out there," Hibiki said, trying to reassure me. She smiled softly to me before continuing, "The Sneasel of today don't really look much like you, and they have an evolved form called Weavile. They tend to work in groups and small packs."

Slowly, I drew my knees in. I had nothing to give them for their troubles, nothing to build a life on, and now my kind was basically being rediscovered? What was I to this world? Memories of what I knew, mundane as it might have been, were so fuzzy and scattered. The other Pokémon looked to me somberly, exchanging what must have been worried glances. They didn't have to bother.

"Mm?" Cait's ears perked up. "Cynthia, the entrance. I think I hear Gracedia."

"I'll never be able to understand how you can hear anything through that wind, but okay," Cynthia remarked, turning to the cave mouth only to be slammed into at full force by a small being of white and green…fur? Folliage? I couldn't tell. "Ooof!"

"Not my finest landing…" the creature mumbled. When I got a better look at the small Pokémon, I could make out a tiny deer-like white body with a red floral scarf-like set of flower petals stemming from the base of their neck. It was a Shaymin. I couldn't remember how or why I knew, but I did, and my eyes were wide with wonder. This was their fabled Sky Forme, a form capable of trekking through the air as fast as the wind. The Shaymin shook some of the excess snow from their leafy green bangs and said to Cait, "You know I don't do well in the cold."

"I know, but I wouldn't have sent you if you couldn't do it," Cait told them. "You could do laps around Blizzard Island faster than any Pokémon, and you've always been a natural explorer, Gracedia."

"Speaking of," Gracedia the Shaymin began before tossing an Oran Berry to me. "Eat up. You'll get some of your strength back."

"Thanks, but…" I muttered, "what's the point? I…I don't really have anything to go back to."

Cait shook her head and replied, "Move forward, then. I've been in a similar situation and look at me now! I'm an explorer and I'm about to be a guildmaster!"

"How…how could you understand…? You have this team and I…I never had anyone," I asked.

Cait's face was very calm, the childlike wonder melting away, as she stoically answered, "I came here with no memories from a dark, paralyzed future, and I was a human who had somehow turned into an Eevee."

The answer sounded absurd, but she was so calm and straightforward. I didn't think I could have taken her seriously at face value, and yet I did. Hibiki drew closer and sat beside me, continuing the story, "And I found her on the beach the day after a terrible storm. I couldn't believe it either, at first, but she was genuinely shocked to have become a Pokémon. We formed Team Amazon together because Cait vaguely remembered a tribe of female human warriors called Amazons. We were going to be an all-girls team, but quickly decided being exclusive would have been kind of dumb."

"These two have been a dynamic duo ever since," Cynthia summarized. "Even though they're not doing their love story any justice right now."

"Hey!" Cait exclaimed in protest.

"Before them, I was just some Gible from Landslide Cave. Now, I'm an established archeologist, prospector and soon-to-be third-in-command of a brand-new exploration guild," Cynthia elaborated on her position in the team.

The Shaymin went next. "For me, it was when I guided them up Sky Peak, and they helped bring back beauty, life and passion to it," Gracedia remarked. "After our trip up the mountain, they came back specifically to thank me for guiding them and recruit me onto their team. Cait even thought it fit to name me after the flower we Shaymin hold dear, the flower of gratitude."

"Names…" I murmured.

"We came to Blizzard Island as one last hurrah. It took a lot of saving up, but we have enough money to open our very own guild on the northern shore of the mainland of the Grass Continent now," Hibiki explained.

"If you want to build a new life, a life that shines, we can help," Cait assured.

It didn't take me long to consider it. I just admitted to them and to myself that I had nothing. That meant I had nothing to lose. I asked the leader, "What name do you think would suit me?"

"Hmm…something that works with your strength without undermining your beauty. I wonder…" she pondered. "How about Lady?"

"Lady…" I echoed, gazing into the campfire before me. Its embers were like scattered petals, the dancing flames red like roses. "I love it!"

A gold light burst from my Treasure Bag and enveloped my body. Malamar stopped short of advancing on Flutter Mane as the light of life lifted my body. I rose to my feet, my eyes fluttering open. My strength was renewed, and all the pain was gone. I knew who I needed to be; she was right there all along. The kindness that had been shown to me, I'd pay it forward with fuchsia brilliance and red-hot passion.

"Tch. Reviver Seeds… You don't know when to quit," Malamar griped. "I suppose you'd make a fine specimen, too. Now that I know what's effective against you, this will be quick."

Reaching into my Treasure Bag, I pulled the TM for X-Scissor out and touched it to my forehead. The knowledge of the move was crystal clear to me. The stance, the form, the amount of power behind the swinging of the claws. It was elegant, strong, and the epitome of a claw-based move.

"Psycho Cut!" Malamar called out, going for another tentacle strike imbued with psychic energy. This time, I was ready.

As he moved to bring the blade of psychic energy down on me, I brought my arms up into a cross formation and blocked the attack, parrying perfectly and forcing him back. Then I rushed in for another attack, blocking his Psycho Cut again with X-Scissor and landing a well-placed kick to his midsection. Frantically, he began to swing his tentacles wildly. I jumped back and flung a few Iron Thorns at him, only for him to bat them away in his frenzy. He charged at me charge, all of his tentacles wielding Psycho Cut now. At the last second, I jumped onto a mossy rock, then flipped over him as he rammed into it mindlessly, flinging another Iron Thorn that hit him square in the back.

"Seems like you can hardly think straight, between my venom staggering your reflexes and your own ego clouding your judgment," I observed, putting a paw to my hip. He doubled over, but his psychic powers allotted him some recovery as he hovered into the air once more. He went for a standard attack, and I batted him aside with one of my own.

As Malamar skidded back, he grabbed onto a fragment of the rock he crashed into and flung it my way with incredible force.

"Brick Break!" I called out, chopping the rock and breaking it up even further as the pieces tumbled behind me. "Give it up. I'm responsible for rescuing this Pokémon, and I'll bring you in while I'm at it." Instead, Malamar scoffed and readied himself for one more strike. "Fine. Just…say your prayers, 'kay?" With that, there was nothing left to say. I primed X-Scissor.

We clashed one more time, the force of our blows and our wills seeking to override one another. Hatred and greed versus love and compassion. I saw my reflection in his dark sclera, and in that moment, I knew that I was going to win. He faltered for a moment of hesitation and intimidation, and I pulled my claws back to strike, bringing them down in a cross formation and decimating the overgrown appetizer.

As Malamar fell, I turned to Flutter Mane and asked, "You okay?"

The ghostly pterosaur's eyes bulged, and their mouth hung agape. Their lips moved wordlessly before sounds finally came forth. "I should be asking you that."

I chuckled, "I'm fine. Being a little worse for wear isn't really anything new. Once I apprehend Malamar, we'll head back to the guild. He'll never hurt you again."

Flutter Mane smiled at me, then the smile quickly faded as they gasped, "Lady, behind you!"

I whirled around to see Malamar, on the ground, a being seized by the long, thin arms of a Drifblim. The Blimp Pokémon grumbled, "I hope you pay me double for this, Doctor."

"Hey!" I shouted and tried to dash forward at the Drifblim, but to no avail as the mad scientist was carried away, presumably on the way out of the dungeon. "Augh! Oh well…" My attention returned to Flutter Mane, who looked at me incredulously. "Rescuing you is the priority. Someone will catch him, especially once I tell my guildmaster."

"Right…C-can we go to the guild now?" Flutter Mane asked nervously.

"Yeah. Let's bounce," I replied, pulling out my Explorer Badge. With the mission complete, I was able to activate its special function to escape with the target or client. We were warped out of the dungeon and made our way to the guild.

Sometime later, when we returned to the guild, Stonjourner signaled my return, and rather than going to the job boards, we were rushed to the medical bay so Clefable and Comfey, the Amazon Guild Medics, could look us over. They were utterly baffled by my client's relatively unusual physiology. Pawl was with us, listening quietly.

"We're not seriously breaking protocol so you two can gawk, right?" I huffed, crossing my arms.

"W-we're not, I promise! It's just…" Clefable stammered defensively.

"A Flygon came by and told us she met you and what's been happening in the jungle, so…we all got a little worried," Comfey informed me while wrapping her flowers around Flutter Mane.

"O-oh…Th-they smell nice…" Flutter Mane whispered; mouth curled into a small, sheepish grin as Comfey did her Floral Healing.

"Hibiki wants a full report," Clefable informed me, listening to my breathing. "I can't exactly blame her. It's dangerous going solo, even for the most experienced explorers. Breathe in?" I inhaled. "And out." On command, I exhaled.

"Flygon's buddies gave me a handy TM that came in clutch, but I guess that's not something I should count on for every mission," I sighed. Now that Flutter Mane was safe, I had no idea what to make of the whole situation. "Hibiki's going to want to hear about what happened. Master Cait, too. Turns out the perp was a former colleague from within the Federation, only to get ousted once they caught him doing unethical research practices."

"I was afraid of that," a new voice cut in. Entering the medical bay was none other than Hibiki the Bayleef, her ruby eyes welled with concern. "Dr. Malamar? Yeah, I remember him. He tried roping Cait into his research because of her Dimensional Scream ability. She refused, blew the whistle, and the Federation stripped him of his credentials. So where do you guys come in?"

I looked over to Flutter Mane, who gave me a small nod and requested, "Promise me none of you will freak out."

"You have my word," Hibiki assured. Pawl gave a tiny thumbs up, and the medics nodded.

The specter began to tell their story. "Okay. So…I think you all know by now I'm not really a Misdreavus. I'm actually an ancient ancestor of the Pokémon you call Misdreavus. I actually come from a time when we didn't really need to use names, so self-identifying is kind of difficult for me. From what I remember, I was minding my own business when the air seemed to collapse into itself, and a hole opened up. That…that Malamar popped out of the whole and dragged me in. I was poked and prodded with needs, had probes put on my head, made to eat nothing for days…" They choked up, and Pawl scampered over to them to give a reassuring nuzzle. With shaky breath, Flutter Mane continued, "I was given a name. Well, no, it was more of a code name. Subject Flutter Mane."

"That rift…I think it was a dimensional hole, but to open a dimensional hole without the aid of a legendary Pokémon is unthinkable," Hibiki murmured, the implications getting increasingly horrific.

"Don't forget it's our job to explore the unthinkable," another voice cheerily piped up. Our guildmaster, Cait the Flareon, strolled in with a confident, deliberate strut and a bucket atop her head. Sweet Arceus, her eccentricities were baffling.

"Hello, guildmaster," Clefable greeted.

"Master, I did it," I said proudly, a huge smile creeping onto my face.

"I'm proud of you, Lady. Our own boundaries are some of the most important places a Pokémon can explore," Cait remarked. She went to give me a wink, but her bucket fell over her eyes, and she had to adjust it with one of her paws. "There's no great way to do that."

"Is she always like this?" Flutter Mane whispered.

"Yeah, that's pretty normal," Pawl replied nonchalantly. "It takes a special brand of Pokémon to go into some of the hardest dungeons on the continent with nothing but a Warp Scarf and some keys and come back with hoards of items and cash."

"That…that's actually pretty clever," Flutter Mane admitted as the realization hit them.

As she took her place beside Hibiki, the Flareon greeted her with a peck on the cheek. "Hi, love." Her attention turned to Flutter Mane. "I hope when the time comes, you'll be with us to provide testimony."

"I-I…yeah," Flutter Mane assured. Another pang of realization hit them, and they turned to me. "Lady, I never rewarded you, did I? Truth be told, I don't have anything to offer, but…would you let me join your exploration team?"

"I, uh, I don't have a team," I admitted sheepishly. "It's always been just me. I have to admit, though, the doc is right. It is dangerous to go alone. If I didn't have that Reviver Seed and that TM today, we'd be done for. I'd have been knocked out, or worse…"

"No time like the present, right?" Cait interjected. "You know we'd move mountains to find you if you needed us, though, right?"

"Yeah," I replied, blinking away tears as the gravity of what happened was settling in.

"Besides, your new friend will be safer with us than on their own," Hibiki added.

"What do you think, Lady?" Pawl asked.

My thoughts shifted to when I was in this situation for the first time, not long before the guild. Back on Blizzard Island, when Team Amazon saved me. I beamed at the pterosaur and announced, "You're joining my team, and we're giving you a proper name. No code names, no experimental labels; just the building blocks for you to build up your own identity."

Flutter Mane's eyes lit up, ecstatic at the prospect of ditching a name that clearly carried a lot of baggage in their life. They questioned, "Well, what did you have in mind?"

"Well," I began, brainstorming in real time, "it would have to be something strong, yet humble, simple, yet vibrant. Something that's neutral, kind and rolls off the tongue… How about Ves?"

"Ves…" the ghost echoed, lips curling into a smile. "I like it."

"Ves it is, then," I declared. "Today, you and I are starting Team Eras."

"Eras, huh? I like that. It suits us," Ves giggled, elated.

"Welcome to our family, Ves, and congratulations on your new team, Team Eras," Cait bid her congratulations. "I'll update Lady's registration. In the meantime, Ves, you'll want to have these." With that said, she approached Ves and took the bucket off her head, a box sitting on her fluffy head tuft.

"Were you prepared for this?" Ves asked. Nevertheless, they used their mane-like appendages to lift the lid off the box. Inside was an Explorer Badge and a Special Band. "I really am a real explorer…!"

"Sure are," I replied giddily, watching excitedly as they put the Special Band on. "From now on, it's you and me, partner."

"Yeah," Ves agreed with a nod. "Thank you, Lady. L-let's do our best."

End

Hi all! Wow, this took a long time to write. This is the end to how Lady and Ves formed Team Eras, but I have other story ideas that will overlap with or be sequential to theirs. Between work and other creative projects, I don't know when the next one will be out, but I am hoping to do much more. One idea is even a Pokémon/Digimon crossover.

Special thanks to my lovely and loving partner for always being there for me, my best friend from college who's partially inspired Hibiki, and to inspiring PMD Romhack creators like Parker Ryland (creator of Explorers of Deceit) and Espik (creator of Reaching for Myself, from which Ves's backstory took heavy inspiration)

Please let me know what you think of this, what you might be interested in seeing in the future, etc. Above all, if you got this far, thank you for reading.