"Hey, Vynn." The Archen gently shook the Servine. "Time t' wake up."
"Five more minutes." Vynn mumbled as he turned away.
"Come on…" Archie shook the Servine again. "We gotta be ready 'fore Sable come in."
"It's not even morning yet." Vynn yanked the blanket over himself. Only the yellow leaf of his head was poking out. "And we walked the entire day yesterday to get here. We can sleep a little more."
Nngh. Why did Vynn have to be this difficult every morning? Archie stared at the only lit Luminous Orb lamp from their shared inn room's nightstand. Part of him really wanted to take the lamp and point at his friend's face point blank. Today was too important to play games. But it was better to not take the Hyper Beam route. It wasn't warranted. Not yet.
"We already discussed this. It ain't only us. We're part of a whole division now." Archie tugged Vynn's leaf, eliciting an "Ow" from the Servine. "Sable wake up 'fore sunrise, so we gotta show we're taking this as serious as 'im."
"Guh… Fiiine." With a vine, Vynn tossed the blanket away. He groggily sat up and mumbled, looking at nowhere in particular. "But I'm calling dibs on Blast Seeds for the day."
Archie had an unamused face when he peeled the bedding off his head. "'S not like we gonna be using 'em anyway. 'Less we go to Overgrown Farm. Now come on, Sable's—"
The door of the room swung wide open. The overwhelming lights of the corridor blurred the imposingly tall silhouette. The Inteleon tilted his head, his crest nearly hitting the door's frame in the process. The imposing golden eyes stared at the duo. They stared back, unmovingly.
"Good to know you're awake. Saved the trouble." Sable said nonchalantly, hand still on the handle. "Briefing in five at the inn's diner. Bring your supplies."
Just as quickly, the door closed. Sable was gone. Vynn blinked, looked at Archie, then scowled. Archie had that waste-eating grin plastered in his face.
"Told ya. 'Ooo, Archie, we c' organize our bags tomorrow. We'll have enough time. Ain't nobody wake up 'fore sunr—.'"
The pillow came too fast to the Archen's face. A loud thud hit the floor and a puff of feathers flew upwards.
"Too early for this." Vynn mumbled as he dragged out of bed.
… … … …
… … … …
The shades of blue pierced the windows of the rustic diner, contrasting with the darker tones surrounding the buildings of the town's square. Several round tables with chairs of different sizes cluttered the spacious room, but they were all empty save for the trio. The Miltank server had told them it was still at least half an hour before the townsfolk would begin to trickle in, so it was the best opportunity to have a private meeting alongside breakfast. Efficiency, Sable had claimed. The strong scent of coffee alongside the sparse illumination of the large rustic chandelier brought a pleasant coziness, a homely feel. It was just like when the Archen was a wee-lad having breakfast before Pokémon School. Archie eyed Vynn. His friend still struggled to keep upright, the sound of Sable pouring yet another mug from the thermal jug jutting the Servine awake. The bird's eyes turned to the Inteleon. It was Sable's third mug and they had been there for what, five minutes? Did he need that much coffee to wake up in the morning or had he become addicted to it that badly?
Archie pushed the thought aside when the Water-Type pulled a folder from his backpack and began to fiddle with its various sheets of paper. The bird took a sip of his warm Moomoo Milk and another begrudging bite at his Plain-Seed Butter Banana-jelly sandwich. It wasn't like his mother's, but breakfast wasn't really breakfast without a Plain-Seed Butter Banana Jelly sandwich. Vynn still hadn't touched his Oran tart. Maybe Archie could snag a bite of it later. His friend always took a while to work up an appetite, and there were always leftovers anyways.
"Archibald, Vynn." Sable summoned their attention, clearing this throat. The Servine groggily nodded and yawned, whilst the Archen's eyes gave the Inteleon his undivided attention. "As members of the Lunar Guild, you must be aware that the organization works tirelessly to aid all Pokémon who require any and all kinds of assistance in the Moon Continent. Pokémon go to the guilds with requests while others form teams to fulfill them. Having risen to Bronze Rank as Team Stargazers, I believe you have had the opportunity to get yourself acquainted with the inner workings of the system and with the importance of our work. Would that be a correct assessment?"
"Yeah." Archie nodded enthusiastically, then shoved the rest of the sandwich in his mouth. If talking were to begin, eating would be on the backburner. So let's get it over with already, right?
"While there are teams who specialize in hunting outlaws, in escorting Pokémon through dangerous territory, or even in exploring Mystery Dungeons, events that happened in neighboring continents over the past century have brought into light a different demand. The Air Continent and the meteor coming from the sky, the Grass Continent and entire areas being frozen in time, the Water Continent and Pokémon all over the world becoming stone. While all of those events had many things in common, one stood out above all; the world at large was caught by surprise and they required an outside source to deal with them. So, with the intention of getting ahead of that, the Lunar Guild's Crisis Division was born."
Archie snuck a glance at Vynn. The Servine had his eyes closed, lightly snoozing upright on his seat. Archie's blood ran cold. Did Sable notice it? He didn't seem to react to Vynn asleep, and he just kept talking. The bird adjusted himself in his seat, tugging at his partner's tail with his clawed feet as he did so. He hoped it would be enough to wake up the Servine whilst being sufficiently discreet.
"The Crisis Division specializes in both scouting and quickly responding to both Pokémon-induced calamities and natural disasters, and for the past two decades it has racked an enviable track record through an unquantifiable amount of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. The division goes through thick and thin to assure that, no matter how bleak or insurmountable the situation looks, there will be Pokémon out there who will stand tall and assure aid and help will get to them. We are the first and the last line of defense. And to provide that, all of the Crisis Division members are held to the highest standards." Sable paused and took a long look at the duo. "Thus, with Team Stargazers joining the ranks as The Crisis Division's apprentices, so will you."
The bird glimpsed at his still snoozing friend, and the loudest panicked scream echoed in his mind. There was no way Sable hadn't noticed now. Archie had to salvage the situation somehow.
"Ya c' count on us, Sable!" An eager elbow to the rib spurred the Servine's eyes open and a lost look at Archie. The bird had the fiercest and most determined look in his eyes. "We won' disappoint the Crisis Division, right, Vynn?"
"Yeah, yeah! We won't disappoint!" Vynn gave a sheepish smile at Sable. The Inteleon's expression was an unreadable blank. After this gaffe, the Servine was sure to stay properly awake.
"Now that we are on the same page." Sable moved on. "Allow me to brief you on your first mission."
Archie scooted closer to the table when the Inteleon pulled a long cylindrical leather case, taller than the Archen himself. From it, Sable produced a massive map, and then unceremoniously unrolled it, covering almost all of the table. From a side pouch, he pulled a few tacks and pinned it. Sable must do this a lot of times, considering the ease and speed the Water-type went through the whole process.
Sable cleared his throat. "For the past two weeks, Meteor Pass has been facing relentless storms. As previously stated, the Crisis Division has been…"
The Archen's eyes curiously darted all over the detailed paper of the Moon Continent and its crescent moon's shape. He had seen maps before—he had even seen the entire world's map a few times—but never one with this amount of detail. Mountains, forests, rivers, canyons; it had everything there, all identified in these pretty round handwriting he always tried to mimic but never managed to. Many large dots also littered the map with dashing lines snaking, splitting and connecting them. They were all towns, villages and roads, many Archie had no idea existed. It was so cool! However, what really set his beak agape was when he noticed the tinted geometrical shapes millimetrically splayed in several spots on the map. They had mapped out the perimeters of Mystery Dungeons too!? No. Way! He had to snag a copy of this map!
The sudden silence screamed at Archie. He looked up. The Inteleon was looking at him expectantly. Had Sable asked a question? Was he waiting for some sort of confirmation? Archie was like a Deerling in the headlights.
"Okay… Let me see if I got this right…" Vynn spoke up. "We've come to Oran Stead to gather Oran berries to take to Meteor Pass. Is that right?"
Sable's gaze turned to Vynn. The stale air Archie didn't even notice he was holding left his lungs. Thank Cresselia his friend stepped up.
"Yes and no. Oran Stead is the single largest producer of Oran berries in the continent. Despite the fact Oran berries can grow pretty much anywhere, the ones produced here last longer and have a stronger healing factor than others found in the wild. We are here to secure a large shipment of Oran so our Navigators may take them to our efforts in Meteor Pass."
"What's the difference?" Vynn blurted out.
Archie stared at him with a frown. Vynn looked back and mouthed a "what?" Archie shook his head; it was not the time nor the place for the sass. Vynn responded with a 'too early for this' head shake, letting out another yawn.
"Gathering is an inaccurate word for the actions we will be executing," Sable said. "The Lunar Guild has an agreement with the local farmers; in exchange for our services, they supply us with sealed crates of Oran berries. So, yes, we will be gathering a shipment of Oran Berries, but no, we will not be out in the fields hand picking them if that was what you were implying."
"Got it! Secure shipment!" Archie intervened, forcing a smile. He hoped Sable wouldn't hold them for this little bout later.
Unphased, Sable pulled three purple tacks and pinned to the map; one close to its center, another in the middle of the upper wing of the crescent-moon shaped continent, and the last one directly to the South of the middle one.
"Moving on, the missions the locals often request are usually simple. But as you can see on the map, Lunar City is in the middle of the continent while Oran Stead is in its far Northeast. The low rewards offered by the Lunar Guild's official channels coupled with the distance rarely attracts teams to come and fulfill its part of the bargain. And that's where Team Stargazers come into play. Your job in our current assignment is to fulfill their accumulated demands while I negotiate the conditions and secure the shipment to Meteor Pass so it can be sent to Meteor Pass, to the South. This paper here is your first official assignment as part of the Crisis Division."
Their first mission in the Crisis Division!? Sweet! Archie eagerly swiped the paper from Sable's hand and haphazardly unfolded it. Vynn gave the slightest lean to spy over Archie's shoulder.
"Tiny Mushrooms… Road t' th' East… Border with Tranquill Forest…" Archie mumbled as he read the paper. Upon reaching the end, his brows furrowed. "Wait a minute. Rank E!?"
"Yes." Sable stared at Archie. "Is that a problem?"
"You know we c' bite more 'an that!" Archie protested.
"Everyone who joins the Crisis Division is keenly aware no mission is below them." The Inteleon said with squinted eyes.
"But there's Overgrown Farms along th' South o' that road, between 'ere and Tranquill Forest." Archie retorted. "Everyone know that where there's Mystery Dungeon, there—"
"No." Sable interrupted.
"But'sa easy dungeon an—"
"Your current mission does not require anyone to go to any Mystery Dungeons." The Inteleon said matter-of-factly.
"But—"
Archie's open beak was suddenly filled by Oran tart. Archie stared indignantly at Vynn, who tiredly had a vine over his neck and a light shake of his head. Cut it.
"Repeating, your current mission does not involve any explorations in Overgrown Farms." Sable stated bluntly. "You two are to steer clear from it and stick to your assignments. Have I made myself clear?"
Archie had the biggest scowl as he looked away and angrily chewed the pastry in his mouth
"Have I made myself clear?" Sable glared at Archie. The Archen forcefully gulped the tart. He didn't know what was the hardest to swallow, the dry pastry or this crappy assignment. He huffed, but relented with a nod.
"Good." The Inteleon said, unphased. "It has to be done by noon."
Okay, now Sable was really pushing it. Not only was it crappy, but it also had a tight deadline as well? Vynn's vine went to Archie's mouth before he could protest again.
"It will be done." The Servine intervened with a forced smile. "Don't worry about it."
Archie glared at Vynn. His friend's look said it again; cut it. It was hard with Sable just stepping on them. He crossed his wings and looked away. If he looked at Sable again, he wouldn't be able to control his beak.
"Now that this is settled," Sable said, back to his blank self. "I want a detailed run down of the inventory you have prepared for today…"