Welcome to the first Bonus Chapter! Or… the third one… the first Arc 2 Bonus Chapter!

And as we already know, we're focusing on little Raigeki. I'm going to try and keep this relatively short.

I've thought a bit on how to write this, Mane's one, and how to write things that are yet to come. I've listened to what you all had to say about Arc's one and two, and I'm going to be trying out some new stuff. I generally am a bit wonky when trying to change, so bear with me for at least a few moments. If the stuff I try just doesn't work, don't hesitate to tell me.

So. Let's begin with Rai's backstory. Each section of this story will actually start with an italics 'first-person' segment from Rai. Part of the new stuff I'm trying out.

It's not a widely known thing that I am… or I was a wild pokémon.

It's a little blurry with me since I grew up in Treasure Town and joined the guild and everything. But I was hatched as a wild pokémon, to wild parents, with wild siblings, in a wild place.

I guess it's not widely known because the rest of the town sees me just like them, while my sister never acclimated to it and left eventually, I was still young enough to adapt. I'm like… a wild pokémon coloured in like a civilised pokémon. It's why I can be a bit erratic, I think, and hasty.

I grew up in Treasure Town, and I love the pokémon there. I like the stability and the community. But a part of me never has and probably never will forget the absolute base part of my roots.

I'm Shinx of Team Ion.

This is my story.

"Raigeki? Get back here!"

Shinx looked back curiously. The lightning-charred plains smelled of ozone and with the tangy smell of sitrus berries. He was climbing an outcropping of rocks, wanting nothing but to see the other side.

Down below Mother frowned up at him. Her shaggy mane was full and fluffy and very warm, Raigeki knew that for a fact.

Confident she'd catch him if he fell, he just continued on like a little shit.

Raiton stared after her son with concern. He had big paws and a big head and no sense for what could go wrong. He was still too young to really understand consequences, she spoiled him she knew, but he was the first boy of her babies, and Kogeki was no better.

"Arashi!" Raiton called, looking around. "Fetch Raigeki."

They had stopped for the night, going a little farther than normal into the lightning fields. It was a nice little cove. There would be an entrance to a twisted labyrinth nearby in case there was the need to leave urgently, but with the thunderstorms growing fiercer it was highly unlikely anyone would come by.

A few large rocks were scattered about, one of which Kogeki was napping on, letting the cubs play while Raigeki, always the spirited lad, tried to climb the cliffs.

Arashi, oldest of the four, was busy making sure Sa and Ji didn't roughhouse too much, looked up. "Coming mother," she said, separating the young twins and trotting over.

Sa was a big fan of tossing sticks into the jaws of trapinch, while Ji had an unfortunate love of discharging a bunch of charged electricity into his parents when they picked him up.

Seeing his daughter move to fetch his oldest son, Kogeki also got up from his nap and made his way over.

It was getting awfully loud, and the smell of ozone permeated everything. This might have been a dangerous time for a wild family, unable to hear or smell the approach of anyone. But no one would be foolish enough to be out here right now.

Right?

The clouds were rumbling louder, but Raigeki wasn't afraid. He had been warned about the danger of being hit without Mother or Father, but it'd never happened, so he knew it never would.

As Arashi neared, Kogeki nuzzled his mate, getting shocked by Ji when he tried to pick him up. But he was a tough luxray and didn't drop him even as Ji giggled.

Raiton picked up Sa, it was just about time to leave this place and step into the fields so they couldn't let the twins run off.

It was Kogeki who's ears flicked first, sensing something wrong. It was Raiton, however, who smelled the taint that was approaching.

Raigeki climbed without a care in the world, his older sister staring up in concern.

He nearly cut his paws on the rocks, but he pushed through the discomfort, he was nearly to the top. Around his neck on a thick reed swung some old rock. He'd found it months back while exploring just like this.

It was proof that there was treasure about if only one was brave enough to look.

"Rai," Arashi called, from below. "Come back down, looks like the storm's getting close to beginning. Arashi was the only one who called him Rai, they weren't too far in age, and she couldn't quite manage Raigeki at first, settling on Rai.

It was their thing.

"Give me a moment, Ara," Rai returned, he too called her by a nickname. More out of fair play than anything else. "I'm almost to the top! Maybe everyone can come up too after-woah!"

He had hoisted himself up that last foot and had expected flat ground or at least some surface. Instead, he flipped himself over a steep cliff and immediately began to roll. "Aaahh!"

Gasping when her dumb little brother just vanished, the claws came out and the legs got-to-working. Arashi ascended the cliff in record time and jumped after him. She didn't hear Mother or Father drop the twins to yell out a warning, she was already running.

She may have been the oldest of the four, but she still was pretty young and prone to acting without thinking.

Arashi too tumbled down the cliffside until she landed on Raigeki, causing him to squeak. "Owww," he whimpered as she groaned and picked herself up.

"Why did you jump over?" Arashi demanded.

"Why did you jump on me?" Raigeki retorted, getting up on shaky legs. His back left leg was limp, and he whimpered again. "I-I-I hurt my leg."

His legs buckled and he sunk back onto his belly, whimpering as Arashi's anger turned to concern. "Okay, here let me take a look at it."

"No."

"Rai… come on."

"It hurts!"

"I know, but it won't get better unless I take a look." Raigeki still wasn't extending the leg, so she had to use her forepaws and nose to angle it out.

Rai squealed when she pulled it out, flinching back. "That HURTS!" he yelled.

Arashi didn't know what to do, she didn't want to leave him, so she looked back. "MOTHER!?" she yelled. "FATHER!?"

But the clouds were rumbling every few seconds, any call for help was drowned out before it could reach them. She could see bolts of lightning fall from afar and knew that, if nothing else, they'd come looking for them pretty soon.

Arashi looked back at the cliff, considering if she should climb it just to let them know where they were. Then, a titanic blast of lightning came upwards.

And over the storm, a bellow of pain could be heard. Gasping in shock, Arashi bolted up the cliff again, leaving Raigeki alone and afraid. She didn't vault over, instead poked her head over, muzzle resting on the rocks.

This is a story of what Rai suffered, and he did not suffer so much as to see what Arashi saw in the Amp Plains clearing. But he did suffer the weight of hearing the carnage.

Lightning tinged with purple was split in the sky by twin-bolts of golden electricity, carving the corrupted attack and shattering it in the sky. The thunder itself seemed to pause at the display of carnage in the clearing.

The dungeon was far away, this was years back. One may remember hearing that the Amp Plains was a strange dungeon, unlike most it continued to spread, drawing in more land. During this time, it had not spread so close to this clearing.

"ACCEPT!" a voice screamed over the crashing of lightning. "ACCEPT! ACCEPT! ACCEPT! FALL-PERISH. DIE-DIE-DIE. FEED A HUNGER. FEED THE HUNGER. HUNGER! YOU FALL. YOU SUBMIT. YOU DIE AND FEED HUNGER! ACCEPT AND DIE."

Raigeki cried as Arashi bolted back down, ears flattened, and bellows of pain choked into screams of it.

She reached Rai and gripped his scruff in her jaws, squeezing down far too hard and biting into his scruff. He cried out as she flipped him onto her back. "Hang onto me as hard as you can!" she demanded, moving before he responded. He nearly fell before his forepaws anchored around her neck, nearly choking her.

Knowing the escape plan their parents had told her about, she went for the dungeon, knowing it was difficult to be followed through it.

Arashi ran.

Rai would never actually know that, not quite. Not of the guilt, Arashi held, wondering that had she gone to fight rather than to flee, maybe they would have survived?

But what was a shinx barely out of being considered a cub going to do to tip the scales that two luxray couldn't?

But maybe… just maybe she could have saved her other brothers as well. Maybe without having to protect them as well, Raiton and Kogeki could have fought harder?

Or maybe she just would have died as well, leaving Rai helpless for them to claim him too.

Not knowing was a poison.

Raigeki was blind to all this, knowing only of the sounds of violence as his family was killed by a monster.

I don't really remember much of that night. I was young, but I think it was mostly just repressed stuff. All I remember is Ara telling me to hang on and the… sounds that the monster was making as it took my parents and brothers.

How long she ran for? I don't know. I think she ran the entire way to Treasure Town without stopping. She made it to the Amp Plains dungeon, smaller than it is today, and so had an even bigger distance to go than we did when I returned to Amp Plains back then.

It took us a day of travelling to make it. She was carrying me the entire time. I might not be the closest with my sister, since she's not really around much, but I've never known anyone as strong as her.

She was still a child herself when she had to raise me.

I won't really go into detail about settling into Treasure Town. It's annoying to say, but I don't really remember. It's a haze of pain and confusion, going from the simple life I knew to my new life with that hole ripped out of me.

I don't know how Ara handled it. I was young enough to not entirely understand, but I know that she saw it. She saw what the monster did and could only run.

She was also too old to be comfortable in Treasure Town. She's a wild pokémon, still is. I mean, sure, she goes about the continent, acting as a mercenary for towns. She still pays with money and sleeps in the occasional hostel, but she's never been one to remain in place. She says our family was like that, always moving.

Living in Treasure Town, raising me, still a child herself… she stayed there for four years, being a rock for me to brace on until I could stand on my own.

There's not so much I can say about that stuff that isn't me being fragile and helpless and Ara being fierce and difficult. So, I'll move onto the first time I met Mane. It was year two of my stay in Treasure Town, so I was pretty used to the place by then….

The day was like any other.

That is, it was sunny, and the town was lively.

The Wigglytuff Guild stood strong as Ponyta once again nearly tripped upon standing on the grate. He could be an apprentice forever, and he'd never be able to do it right.

It wasn't Diglett who read his hoofprint but a trapinch.

But this isn't about Ponyta the Wigglytuff Guild apprentice.

A new family had arrived in town. Well, they'd been around for a while on the outskirts. A stuttering morpeko avoided the Kecleon Brothers' eyes when he bought various healing items, and a stunning pyroar caught the eyes of many.

The two weren't seen together at all, but there was a rumour they were involved, nonetheless. Likely based off the fact that both had appeared in town around the same time and both avoided bringing others back to their home, no matter what kinds of eyes Pyroar gave others.

Arashi didn't take much notice of Morpeko. Despite being another Electric-type, he was just another Electric-type. It wasn't like there were none around, Electabuzz taught pokémon new moves, and a dojo could help refine those moves better.

So, some random electric rat didn't take her notice. He was too nervous, anyway.

Pyroar, however, she hated on sight.

She didn't know why.

Pyroar moved with a silky fluidity that raised the fur on the back of her neck. She smiled in a hollow way that didn't reach her eyes. She spoke with a tone that could only be described as seductive one minute and patronising another, depending on who she was talking to.

Arashi hadn't been close enough to Manectric to notice much of anything. But if she had, she may have understood why she felt so uneasy.

Rather, the two butt heads a few times. Arashi compelled to start trouble and walked off steaming, looking like a rude bitch, or even got in trouble with Magnezone by attacking Pyroar with a Thundershock.

She was just a shinx, she couldn't do much to Pyroar and Pyroar, most graciously, insisted she not suffer any real punishment for her actions.

"The poor thing is wild," she justified to the police. "Cannot blame her, and she's caring for her sweet young cub. You can't lock her up, even for a day."

"He's my brother!"

"So you say."

Rai wasn't allowed near her, and if they were together, Arashi would send him away.

But they weren't always together, and one-day Pyroar came in with company.

Rai had been talking to snubbull from the guild about what it was like to find treasure when Pyroar strode into the marketplace.

All eyes naturally fell on her. Possessing a feline grace unlike the scruffy shinx who took care of her brother, Pyroar took centre stage whenever she stepped into a room.

Even if that room was as large as a town.

Her mane trailed silkily behind her, cascading along the edge of her back, and occasionally ruffling in an unfelt wind. It was said that when she smiled, Guildmaster Wigglytuff himself would sing, just to maintain the look.

It was not unusual for pokémon, male and female, to flock to speak with her. Some for her beauty, others for the mysterious nature she cultivated, and others for the simple charisma she had, hoping to learn it themselves.

But this time no one approached, for trailing in her wake were two litleo.

"Everyone," Pyroar said, pokémon having followed as she entered the town, "I would like to introduce you to my sons. Boys?" She looked left and right where both were. One was hiding slightly behind her, but pokémon were everywhere, the other was standing tall and proud.

"Go on," Pyroar said. "Mother will attend to her duties. Mingle, get to know someone, and come back once I call."

One litleo separated right away, the other one didn't move just yet.

Rai, who had forgotten that Snubbull existed, not that she remembered Rai was there either, approached Pyroar. "Hi!" Rai said.

"Why hello dear," Pyroar said, noting that one of her sons was still close by. "Could I trouble you to play with Litleo? He's rather shy."

"Sure!" Rai said, eager to play. Pyroar smiled at him, it was an empty sort of thing. An emotionless twitch of muscles. She caught the eye of a mightyena and drifted off to speak with him.

"Hi!" Rai repeated, this time to Litleo who held a most perplexed expression at the leave of his mother.

Fear but also a sense of relief mixed and Rai cocked his head. "Aren't you going to talk?"

"Of course not," Litleo scoffed. It wasn't the litleo in front of him.

Rai oof'd as he was bumped and the little saddlebag he had to carry some berries scattered its occupants. "Hey!"

Berries rolled, and the aggressive litleo speared one with his claws and took a bite. "What?" he asked as Rai gave him a dirty look.

"That's mine!" he growled sparking. The show of threat immediately got him headbutted, and he fell back with a yelp.

"You shouldn't do that," the smaller litleo said, speaking up at last.

"What did you say?" Litleo demanded.

"You shouldn't do that," Litleo replied, meeting his brother's eyes. "Everyone is looking. Mother will be mad."

Litleo paused as he realised that, yes, there was a lot of pokémon staring at them. A few whispers were shared, a few curious looks were sent at Mother Pyroar.

Litleo swallowed, his bravado popping like a balloon. "S-sorry," he muttered out and slinked off, bumping into a fennekin but not apologising.

"Your brother is mean," Rai complained, rubbing his head as he got back up. "But my sister can be mean too! Let's play."

Litleo stared at him curiously before the sound of his mother's laughter caused him to twitch, and a big, fake, smile took over his face. "Sure!"

They played tag. Shinx was pretty fast, but Litleo was cleverer, and they tagged each other multiple times. Eventually, Marill and buizel got pulled into the game and took advantage of the river through Treasure Town.

Litleo loosened up a little over time, giggling without control for a time that let Rai give him a proper tackle hug and pin him for tag. "Gotcha!"

Litleo's paws immediately shot up and clamped him, holding him in place. "Nah, got you!" Litleo purred.

Rai blinked. "What?" He struggled out of the hold and eventually rolled his way off Litleo who looked embarrassed. "You're it!"

Shaking off the moment, the game was re-joined, but Litleo lost the energy for it, and Pyroar finished her tasks for the day.

"I've got to go," Litleo panted, nodding to where his mother and brother were waiting. Pyroar was smiling in a good way, older brother Litleo was not. Both things made the litleo called Mane pleased.

"Bye, Shinx," Litleo said shyly and slunk up to his family members. Rai didn't hear what they had to say before they were going.

He was lighter on berries by a significant amount, which Arashi would not be happy about, but was lighter in spirit, delighted in making a new friend.

Now that Mane and I are close I've remembered our first meeting as it really went.

Over the years I've twisted it around. Forgetting that his brother was the one who headbutted me and ate the berry, thinking it was Mane who did it.

Changing the story of our game of tag to him bumping and bullying me a lot. I thought I imagined all the bad stuff, although Mane did confirm he did grab me after I pinned him. He didn't know what he was doing, and neither did I, it was just something he had been taught by his mother.

I never noticed anything wrong with her and Ara didn't let me know what really happened to her, about what she really was. She shielded me from a lot of things in those years together.

Afterwards, Mane changed. He's never told me why exactly, but I can put enough pieces together to make a guess or two. But after that our games became a bit harsher. He began to mock and tease me when I'd lose, and eventually, it spiralled into outright bullying.

I've forgiven him for it now, but for a long time, I hated him, or at least as much as I could hate. Major dislike really. It's in the past now, and I love him.

Pokémon are tough. We often base our lives around fighting, and even young pokémon can take a pretty big hit before any real danger is had.

But there are things, tiny little things, that can make a joke out of that toughness. It was the infection that ultimately would have killed Scout, and he's as tough as they come especially for a meowth. I too got sick once, so sick I can barely even remember anything about it.

It's important, though.

Arashi was exhausted.

It wasn't uncommon for her to be exhausted. She was a growing shinx still, and she lived next to a waterfall.

A waterfall because it was loud enough to drown out thunder when it grew stormy. But she still didn't sleep well.

It wasn't uncommon because what food she could scrounge up was mostly given to Rai. Their most common fight was over how much he ate and how little she did. So, she pretended like she ate more than she did to appease him.

She was a wild pokémon. She couldn't work for the Kecleon Brothers or for Kangaskhan. She was too caustic, too rough, too wild to handle it.

There were generous townsfolk who offered help, but Arashi was also proud. The only times she bent the knee, and accepted help was when it was just getting too hard, getting too weak and Rai getting too upset.

She entered dungeons and exited them. She occasionally brought items looted from the dungeons to sell, but then would spend all the money she earned to feed herself and Rai for a week or two.

She knew she could never adapt. She knew that Rai had a chance, though. So, she got him into the school, and she did her best to keep him fed, happy, and healthy.

She couldn't do the last.

What caused him to grow a fever, she didn't know. Was it from roughhousing? Was it some bad food? Did he not eat enough during a bad period? Or was it just simply, terrible, luck? She knew they'd had their pyroar's share of bad luck, especially with Pyroar around.

It started off mild, Rai just didn't feel well. He still went to school. He still ate. He didn't play much.

Two days later, he collapsed.

Arashi was no medic nor a rich mon, but she still dragged Rai to Chansey. It didn't matter that she didn't have any money or anything to pay with, Chansey was kind, and she'd pay her back later if she had to.

Chansey did her best, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't an injury that she could heal, it was already going too deep. Rai could barely wake up and couldn't move. He was vomiting and making noises so awful it reduced Arashi to tears.

She shouted. She roared. She demanded. She even cried and grovelled, but this wasn't Chansey holding healing for ransom. She simply couldn't do it. Neither could Chimecho.

So, Arashi asked around. She avoided the town normally, but civilised pokémon kept records, someone somewhere had to know.

It was from wise old Torkoal that she learned of the Gabite Scale and rushed to let Chansey know of it.

She didn't have any.

The Kecleon Market didn't either, the difficulty of gaining them was far too much to reasonably sell.

It was Chimecho who suggested the guild, Ara could put in a request for help.

"I have no money," Arashi barked. "Nor any trinkets that you like. I only have Rai!" Rai had something, though, and Arashi considered offering it.

The Relic Fragment. His treasure.

She hesitated on it, however. Rai had nothing else to call his own besides it. Even their saddlebag was technically Ara's.

She almost did, however. His life was worth so much more.

"Ahem." The bird of the guild, Chatot, cleared his throat as he hopped into the medical area of Chansey's nursery. "I believe you are in need of aid?"

"What do you want?" Arashi demanded. "I don't have money or items. But I'm strong. I can get them for you. I can join your guild, or, or, or something! Please just… he's all I have."

Chatot cast a compassionate eye on Rai, shivering under blankets, and nodded. "The guild will not demand anything of you," he said. "Already we have a team dispatched to Labyrinth Cave, where a feral gabite is known to be. You won't owe us anything."

"A favour then."

It's what she intended, no matter what Chatot or any guild member had to say. If they were to save Rai's life, then she'd give them anything they wanted.

The favour was never called, and she was then never around to see it be called. Rai was given the life-saving scale and made a full recovery, now bedazzled by the idea of the guild who would be so incredible to save his life.

Arashi never called them generous. In her mind, she owed them tremendously, more than she'd ever owed anyone. And Rai became enamoured by the exploration, by the thrill, and by the excitement of finding new places, his old treasure tucked safely in Sharpedo Bluff calling out a siren song of exciting times of finding and doing incredible things.

Despite what Arashi thought, she never did owe the guild anything.

"Why are you doing this?" Chatot asked curiously, half an hour before he met with Arashi to tell her the guild would help.

"Fuck off, that's my business," Litleo the Younger snapped. "Just take the cash and don't let ANYONE know I was here."

Chatot handled the bag of Poké, that was a hefty sum for a hefty job like obtaining a gabite scale. "You're doing a good thing, but why would you not want them to know?"

"I already told you it's none of your business," the hot-headed feline said. "Just…." An unbidden flicker of concern washed nakedly over his face. "Make sure little Shinx gets better, or I'll take the money back."

With that, he stomped off, head held high out of pride his tail stiff with nerves. There would be hell to pay later, he knew stealing that much money from Mother would get him caught.

He still did it, though. Not that he'd ever let Shinx know. And it was more than worth it, in the end, to make Morpeko grow a spine.

Being saved by the guild awoke something in me.

By that point I was old enough to have adjusted to the town and not that I knew it, Arashi was thinking of leaving. Me getting sick caused her to stick around longer, but only for so long after that.

I didn't always want to join the guild, but after that, it was on my mind every waking moment. I did try and join not long after, but I was turned away because I was too young. Which is fair enough.

Afterwards, Mane really started getting nasty to me, seeking me out all the time to pick on me, and my confidence got shaken by him. I don't know why maybe it was a weird sort of concern that I almost died? I haven't actually asked him, I think I should but revisiting those memories is never fun for either of us.

Still, I'll always treasure the guild for what they did for me.

I know I've emphasised it a lot, but Arashi was not happy in Treasure Town.

She stayed for me. Because we could not have survived on our own. She's very proud, but she knew that she needed the community to back her up. She was still a kid. I can't stress that enough. Still so young herself when she had to take care of me.

I never really knew my mother, and she never pretended she was my mother, but she raised me, nonetheless.

Once I was old enough, once I could stand on my own feet, once she trusted the town enough to make sure I was okay in her stead, she left.

At least she explained herself.

"Rai… it's time for me to leave."

"What… what do you mean?"

"Treasure Town is… well, the place is fine. I won't deny that."

"Yeah…?"

"Rai, I don't belong here."

"…"

"I never did. That's why we live on the outskirts, well partly. It's why I never tried to hold one of their 'jobs' and why I don't really get along with anyone here."

"…"

"What do you want me to say, Rai?"

"…I want you to tell me this is some bad joke."

"I can't do that."

"Well, this IS a bad joke because I'm not laughing!"

"If you think you can convince me to stay by acting like a cub, well it's not going to work. Rai, I'm… restless. I'm cranky and zappy. I want to run through the leaves, climb the rocks, race along the lightning plains. This kind of place… I'm just choking here."

"I… I need you, though."

"That's why I stayed this long. But you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"Raigeki, you are not a cub anymore. You're getting stronger, and you can handle yourself."

"Litleo would disagree."

"Fuck, Litleo."

"Ara… I've never been alone before."

"You can handle it. You're strong, I know you are."

"I'm not you."

"You don't need to be in order to be strong."

"…"

"I'm sorry, Rai. I will come and visit, but I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. I'm not leaving right this minute, but I will be going soon."

I was lost after she left.

Personally, I don't think I was ready for her to go. I was older than she was when she had to take care of me, I will accept that. And it's not fair that she had to grow up so early, just to take care of me. I feel like I'm ungrateful, but I wasn't ready to lose her.

And she didn't come and visit.

I feel like there is some exaggeration on the idea of how many times I tried to join the guild.

I was definitely too nervous and a bit of a coward, but I was rejected once for being too young and Mane really, really, wasn't helping.

I lived in Treasure Town for seven years before I joined the guild. I was around half a year when I lost my family. I was rejected from the guild at age three and a half, fair enough. And I knew Mane for five years. Five years of teasing and bullying and breaking my confidence.

I tried to join the guild a bunch of times, but I only really remember seven times in particular. Heh, seven times for seven years. I succeeded on my eighth.

Rai took a heavy breath, facing the Wigglytuff Guild looming before him.

He'd gone in before, sometimes just to hang out on the middle level and talk to the exploration teams. He knew he wasn't really supposed to, but the apprentices and Chatot and Wigglytuff didn't seem to mind.

Chimecho was always around and was nice.

To step in and ask to join felt different. Wigglytuff felt like he was looming over him, casting a judgemental look as if to ask. "You? Join MY guild? Hahahahaha."

He'd not seen much of the Guildmaster, and everyone spoke of his pure strength.

Rai had felt a couple earthquakes that were not earthquakes.

The first time Rai tried to gather the nerve to join the guild, he ran away without even touching the grate.

He stopped entering the guild after that, unable to escape the feeling of being judged and judged poorly.

The second time he tried, he even wore the Relic Fragment to give him some strength. He mulled about, slinking closer and closer to the entrance as the setting sun beamed its last rays. He was almost there when he was interrupted.

"Well-well-well," a voice most unpleasantly familiar caused him to jump.

Spinning around, fragment swinging, he saw Litleo strutting up to him with a smirk. "Finally trying out your dream then?"

"What do YOU want?" Rai growled, putting a paw over his Relic Fragment. He rarely wore it, fearing it to be stolen. And he never wanted Litleo to see it.

"What have you got there?" he asked, coming closer despite Rai growling. He pulled Rai's paw away and tapped the Relic Fragment. Rai swatted him with his other paw and edged to the side.

"None of YOUR business!" Rai snapped and then ran off before Litleo could say anything more, hoping that he'd just forget about seeing it.

The third and fourth time Rai didn't bring the Relic Fragment, paranoid that Litleo was lurking in the bushes or something. He briefly stepped on the grate the third time and managed to do it the fourth time but ran off before Diglett could finish his spiel.

He'd lived in Treasure Town for five years at this point. He'd try, run off, and pretend otherwise as he decided he didn't need to be an explorer, or didn't need to be a guild explorer, or didn't want to anyway.

He always came back, whether it took days or months.

Sometimes Rai would approach, and there were pokémon about, so he'd turn around. He tried to time it to be alone, so he'd have time to gather his nerve.

But as failures mounted and Litleo's comments grew heavier, he began to drown.

"Little Shinx unable to survive without his big sister."

"Hey, Little Shinx, joined the guild yet?"

"Heey… it's Little Shinx. Tell you what, let's make a bet. If you join the guild today, I'll suck your-"

"You know, Shinx, you're really pathetic sometimes. If you want to join that bad, just DO it. What do you think they'll do? Eat you?"

"Hey Little Shinx, I heard Wigglytuff eats little shinx for breakfast."

Fifth time, as he walked away. "You know, the only one who's stopping you from joining is yourself." That one stung.

"Shinx, Shinx, Shinx. Say it enough times, and it doesn't even sound like words anymore. Is that why the guild hasn't let you join? You stutter when trying to introduce yourself. They don't even know you exist?"

"It's been years Shinx. Why would they want you now when it's so obvious you can't even muster the courage to ask?"

"Wow! Shinx! Looking strong today. Want to wrestle in the dojo? Hey. Come back, I'm serious you look… urgh."

"Hey, Shinx. Electabuzz told me to stay away from you but fuck him. We… hey, come back!"

"You know, I try to be nice, Little Shinx, but you're nasty too. Why would they want that?"

"Just go up to them and ask! There are guild members everywhere. It's not that hard to just talk to someone! Want me to do it?"

"Hi, Shinx. Oi, you're not running this time. Gotcha. Now. We're going to march up and, GYAH!"

"If you weren't the pet of the town you'd get in trouble for shocking me the other day."

"This is all you're going to be, Shinx. Because you don't have it in you to even try."

"Okay…," Rai breathed, nervously eyeing the guild. He still wanted to join. His spirit may have been battered but never broken. "I'm going to do it this time."

He strode forth and put his paws over the grate.

"Pokémon Detected! PokemonDetected!" Diglett sped up, recognising the feet already.

"Whose footprint? Whose foo-"

"SHINX! The footprint is Shinx!"

It was daytime, rather than evening, and Rai was trying a different way. Maybe the idea of other pokémon being around would help rather than hinder?

"OH!"

The gate opened up fast, clanking harshly. Rai steeled himself; it'd been years since he'd entered the guild. He began to walk forth.

"There he goes."

Only to pause in the mouth. He flinched and looked back, spotting Litleo who was grinning at him. All he saw was another mocking smirk. "I knew you had it in you!"

It felt facetious.

Mane wasn't a dumb pokémon, although he still was pretty dumb most of the time. He recognised what was going over Rai's face and tried to backpedal. "Well, whatever, have fun, Little Shinx."

Perhaps if he hadn't said it that way, calling him 'Little' again, or if he hadn't been around at all, Rai still would have gone in.

But he didn't.

Mane cursed as Rai zoomed past him, guilt gnawing at his stomach. But he had to hold his head high, always save face. He couldn't look like he actually cared, then he could be hurt.

Mane explained to Rai later that that was how he justified his actions to himself.

Maybe if he hadn't have been there, Rai wouldn't have met Scout or would have met him in a different way, the story already vastly different to what Scout knew.

Or maybe he would have run anyway. Not having someone to lean on, even a little bit, had always proven to be too much for him. Maybe if Mane had been that rock to steady Rai in the sea, rather than the water-rip dragging him under he would have done it much sooner?

Maybe Rai wouldn't go to bed, hating himself, and try again another day, only to back out again.

So… that's my story.

I know not much detail, but a lot of the more 'interesting' stuff I don't quite remember and the rest of it is kinda painful.

We've never been a group to treat our own pain as 'worse' than anyone else's. Mane and Scout had horrid upbringings. Mine was, by all accounts, a walk in the park compared to them. I don't really remember losing my family and Ara leaving… well I still made it through that.

Those two though. Mane got raised by a Shadow Pokémon, and I can't even imagine what she did to him. And Scout grew up in a time that I literally cannot imagine. I've been told about it, even told I was supposed to go to it myself.

Honestly, what happened when Striker, Sean, and I were going through the Hidden Land the first time and how those… things were nothing new to them speaks a lot.

Still, this is where I came from. Half wild and half civilised, with a sister who's too young and too old, with my dreams breaking.

Heh, whoever would have thought that that silly old daydream of the Relic Fragment's importance did mean something? I don't know why I was chosen for the Relic Fragment. Honestly, I'm not too convinced there was any magical choosing of the chosen one. I just found it because I explored to far, maybe I'll tell that story one day too?

Poor Rai. At least things go UP from there, though!

I might hold a few polls with some mechanical ideas I have for Arc 3…

Anyway, I've put together that Discord server after all! I'm debating between putting a link here/on the author note of the chapters to come, on the summary of the story, or just send out specific invites to people who are interested? What do you think? I'm leaning towards specific invites, which is why there isn't a link here already.