Sausage notes: Y'know, they say that Iris recently appeared in the strange Teen Titans Go-esque spin off of the anime called Pokémon Journeys... but really? She acts nothing like how Iris used to act. Like, at all. She's all extremely girly (more than she ever was before), and she's champion now, too? She was somewhat decent, definitely, but she wasn't that good! She didn't even care about collecting badges! Did they play too much of the games, and not watch enough of the show, or something? (Ash also beat her in a fight, making him the Unova champion now, I guess, lol)

They also turned Axew into your usual emotionless weapon, too, with the curse of evolving him and removing his personality and charm. (The reason why I fecking hate evolution in the show. It's basically a death sentence for the poor bastard.)

Aghhh! I fecking hate that children's show so much. Every day, I pray that this shitty show will end, just so I don't have to suffer it ruining what I used to know and love anymore. Then I might actually return to writing canon fics without that garbage looming over me like a really bad smell. XP Apparently, Ash is close to becoming a Pokémon Master now, though, so there's hope! Give me the anime's closure, or give me death!

By the way, feel free to have a different opinion. I mean, I'd have to question your tastes, but you're still allowed to have your opinion, no matter how much I disagree. After all, like I saw in a Youtube comment once... opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, but nobody likes to look at ones that aren't theirs, unless they're into it. A pity, because some people like to shove theirs into other people's faces, while getting annoyed when someone tries to do the same to them.

Well, with that depressing rant about Galarian-forme Iris and assholes out of the way, it's time to learn about this guild, as well as something that will surely be fun for all the family! :D

(By the way, I added a few more voice acting weirdness to the previous chapter that I forgot to mention)

Last time: Buneary's shower went shit, and now it's time for a grand tour!


Chapter Eleven: The Uncomfortable Truths


"... So if you have any concerns..." Charjabug continued, standing in front of Snorlax and Donphan's large office door, "please feel free to knock and inquire within. I doubt they will mind."

"Sounds fair," Buneary replied, gleefully taking his words in. She had the feeling she wouldn't be up to interrupting their busy lives too much, but it was good to know all the same.

The caterpillar nodded and indicated towards what appeared to be a corridor. "Down there is the living quarters. Naturally, it's where you will be given a room to stay in during the night."

"Oh, so where we'll be sleeping with our teammates, like in the Wigglytuff Guild?"

"If you wish, but there are more than enough rooms for everyone to have their own living space. No need to share, unless you want to do so."

"Oh, okay!" She was sort of relieved to hear that, to be honest. As much as she liked to have some company, she greatly valued her privacy for... many reasons.

Charjabug turned to face a metallic door, complete with barred windows. "The door over there serves as a holding cell for any outlaws captured in the day."

Buneary frowned in concern. "Um... like... a jail? I didn't know the guild was a jail, too."

"Only until Officer Magnezone comes to collect any outlaws that are being held in the room. Though they have been known to stay the night, if Magnezone is unable to make his rounds. Or if they were brought in too late in the day to be handed in to the officials."

"Ah. I guess that makes sense..." She didn't really want to think about such a thing too much, though. It was sad that something like this had to exist...

"Anyway, that's all for this floor," Charjabug said. He began inching towards the spiraling stairs. "The next one is the Dining Floor, where-"

"Charjabug?" someone called out from the floor above in a very feminine, lightly warbled voice. "Are you down there?"

"Why're you even asking?" a boyish, cheeky-sounding voice chimed in from upstairs. "I'd recognize that ol' stick in the mud, anywhere."

Charjabug's eyebrows rose in surprise. "My teammates? They haven't gone away to do missions, yet?" he mumbled to himself. "Surprising..."

Buneary perked up. An opportunity to befriend more people? She was oddly excited! Maybe this guild was already having a good effect on her confidence.

A yellow, spherical pokémon utterly coated in leaves moved down the spiraling stairs. Because she was using leaves as clothing, it took Buneary a short while to notice her womanly physique. At first glance, she seemed to be giving an unimpressed frown... but she had a light smile on her lips as she glanced at the rabbit, so maybe she was actually happy?

At the same time as the girl, a spinarak came down from the floor above, using the hole in the middle of the stairway to descend via a strand of white string. Buneary didn't even know where to look to decide a gender, so she just guessed he was a boy, by process of elimination.

The face-like pattern on the spider's back suddenly seemed to grin, surprising Buneary. Holy heck, was it actually his face, or what!?

"Hey, hey, Zipper!" he said. "Never expected to see you wandering the halls with a cute girl in tow." He winked, both with an eye and the facial pattern on his back. "Are you finally gonna get your rocks off, so you'll stop being such a grouch?"

Buneary flinched, face warming. "N-No, we're not doing that!" she yelped.

He snickered. "Denying it makes it more suspicious, y'know!"

"Spinarak," Charjabug said sternly, frowning. "Do not make our new addition uncomfortable with your childish comments."

"Childish? It's adult humor, I think you'll find," Spinarak corrected in a joking tone.

Charjabug's eyes glowed in irritation. "It is inappropriate, all the same."

"Both of you, knock it off," the girl scolded, frowning at them from where she was. "You'll make her feel worse if you keep that up in front of her."

Charjabug's eyes stopped glowing. "You're right. Apologies..." he said with a breath.

"Yeah, yeah," Spinarak said. "I'm sure she gets the hint that I'm the guild's wacky, comedic guy, anyway."

"More like the guild's pain in the backside," the girl said with a roll of her eyes.

The facial pattern on Spinarak's back seemed to grimace awkwardly. "... That's subjective."

She huffed with a small smirk. "Sure..." She smiled sheepishly at Buneary as she left the stairs and came closer. "Um... hello. Please don't mind them. They get into spats like this quite often, as I'm sure you can guess."

"I-It's okay!" Buneary replied, smiling back. She pulled a face. "Um... me and Charjabug aren't actually, um..."

The girl giggled softly. "It's alright. I guessed as much."

"Even if he sort of needs it...!" Spinarak quipped.

"Be quiet," Charjabug retorted. He indicated towards Buneary. "This is Wallflower Buneary. She will be joining the guild."

"Nice to hear," the girl said. "I'm Rush Swadloon, and the pest above me is Trap Spinarak. We're all a part of Team Swarm."

"Utterly charmed," Spinarak said, grinning as much as his back was.

"Nice to meet you both~" Buneary replied. They must have been fairly close if they could take jabs at each other without taking too much offense.

"You're very polite, aren't you? I like that," Swadloon said, smile brightening.

"Uh, thanks!" the rabbit replied, a little bashful at the sudden praise.

"So, are ya proud of being a wallflower, Fuzzy?" Spinarak asked. "I don't think I'd stick with a title some bullies gave me as a kid, like you seem to be doing."

She shook her head, face warming. "W-Well... it's complicated..."

"Spinarak, don't be rude," Swadloon chastised. She huffed in amusement. "Remember when we were kids, and they would call you Scared Silly Spinarak?"

"Unfortunate, considering you lived in the Haunted Zone..." Charjabug added.

"H-Hey, I got over it in the end!" Spinarak said flusteredly, his back grimacing. "Besides, I'd like to think I made a better name for myself over the years."

"Hardly..." Charjabug replied. "Your current title is a result of your pranks, and pragmatic methods in battles. I doubt it's a sign that you're very popular."

Spinarak sighed and shrugged exaggeratedly with multiple arms. "Two on one, huh...?"

"It takes two to keep you in line," Swadloon joked.

"Definitely," Charjabug agreed.

Spinarak clicked his tongue. "Well... guess I'll just have to take it as a compliment, then," he said, grinning with his mouth and the pattern on his back.

Buneary giggled at their ongoing antics. Those three were sort of amusing together, she had to admit.

Her eyes widened. Wait... The Haunted Zone? She remembered that name. "Wait... when you said you lived in the Haunted Zone... you don't mean the one in the PokéPark, do you?" she asked.

"Yeah, good guess. It's where we all grew up, and met as kids," Swadloon replied, smiling lightly at her. "Spinarak is from the Haunted Zone in the East PokéPark... Charjabug is from the Tech Area in the West PokéPark... and in that same PokéPark is where I'm from, in the Arbor Area."

"The locations are spread far apart..." Charjabug continued, "but circumstances allowed us to meet together, regardless."

"Y'know. For better or worse," Spinarak added with a chuckle.

"Ooh, that's all really cool~" Buneary replied to them, really interested.

"Have you ever been to the PokéPark, Buneary?" Swadloon asked.

"No, but it's in a couple of books I read! The ones following Lightning Strike Pikachu's adventures!"

"Oh yeah, that guy!" Spinarak said, the features on his face and back brightening. "Never met him, but my cousin gave him some silk to use for a piano string he needed. Why? Not a clue, but it happened."

"I was never able to meet him, either, sadly," Charjabug said with a frown. "I wish I had done so, too. He's said to be an exceptional battler."

Swadloon grinned faintly. "Know what? I actually managed to meet him in person, though we never got a chance to battle," she said. She pulled a face. "I couldn't understand a word he said for the life of me, though. For whatever reason, he only spoke in Pokémon, so I'd imagine he could only hold a conversation with fellow pikachus."

Buneary smiled widely. "Ooh, that's all exactly like what the book said! That's really cool~"

"Easy to impress, ain't she?" Spinarak said, snickering.

Her smile grew embarrassed. "... Only a little bit..."

"Pffft, really? Compared to someone like Charjabug, here, you're like a kid who ate a week-old apple and still reached enlightenment."

Swadloon let out a little giggle, Charjabug let out an exasperated breath through his nostrils, and Buneary gave a small pout. He was probably just being a tease, but did he have to say that like it was a bad thing...?

"On a different note, if you don't mind..." Charjabug said, "why are you here? I recall both of you leaving to take on a mission, while it was my turn for dinner duty."

"It wasn't all that urgent, it turns out," Swadloon explained, "so we figured we would come lend you a hand with the cooking, instead."

Spinarak huffed in amusement. "If you're being forced to cook with Sally Skitters... then yeah. I'd say this mission's more important than chasing some guy for being a punk."

Buneary tilted her head. Sally Skitters? Did... he mean Salandit? Huh, it was oddly appropriate from what she'd seen of her, but what an odd nickname...

"I see, " Charjabug replied. His lips curled upwards in a smile. "Thank you. It is appreciated."

"Don't mention it," Swadloon replied happily.

"Yeah, it's weird when you go sappy on us, so don't," Spinarak said, winking in sync with the pattern on his back.

"... Noted," Charjabug replied in a tone that suggested he'd rolled his eyes.

Swadloon huffed amusedly and turned to Buneary. "Oh, and while we're at it... were you being guided by Charjabug, Buneary?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah!" she replied with a nod.

"I was just about to lead her upstairs, to the Dining Floor," Charjabug added. "Would you two care to join us?"

"With pleasure!" Swadloon replied.

"Oh, okay!" Buneary chimed. The more company, the better!

"Hmm, only if I can get a ride," Spinarak said, stretching out his legs. "Lazily dangling from web string gets me tired real fast, you know?"

"S-Sure...?" Buneary replied. A ride?

He and his back pattern smirked. "Since you're offering...!" He swung back and forth a few times, detaching from the string at the peak of a swing. He did a forward somersault and landed on Buneary's rolled up ear, surprising her. "Mush mush, Fuzzy!"

"Really, Spinarak?" Swadloon said, unimpressed.

"Spinarak!" Charjabug snapped, eyes briefly flashing yellow. "Do not use our new recruit as-"

"N-No, it's alright," Buneary replied, trying not to sound strained. Even though the spider was about a head smaller than she was, he was a bit heavier than he looked... "It's good exercise, eheh..."

"Haha, see? She's up for it!" Spinarak said.

Swadloon sighed. "Well... alright. Just don't let him get away with too much, okay? Give him an inch, and he'll take ten miles before you know it."

"I'd only take about five miles, I'll have ya know," he retorted cheekily, making her huff amusedly.

Buneary giggled. "Um... I'll keep it in mind," she replied.

Sighing with a shake of his head, Charjabug moved towards the stairs. "In any case... shall we continue the tour?" he asked. "There are three more floors left to explain."

"Okay!" Buneary replied, following after him. She got used to Spinarak's weight fairly quickly while making her way up the stairs, but she was still tempted to suggest starting a Pokémon Tower. They couldn't share their strength unless they both acknowledged they were in one, which would really help. Oh well...


"This is the Dining Floor," Charjabug said on the next floor.

Buneary looked around, taking in the huge room. The stone floor was smooth... its many square tables were lined in neat rows... there was a food preparing area in the back, sectioned off by a counter... and all sorts of notes and pictures on the walls.

To top it all off, the gems also lining the walls were unlike the ones on the other floors. These ones gave off a pleasant orange hue, coating the place in nice amber colors. It really made the place feel homely~

"It is likely obvious what pokémon do on this floor," Charjabug continued.

"What's that?" Buneary asked. She blinked when she realized what she'd absentmindedly said. "W-Wait, um..."

"Summoning demons, what else?" Spinarak joked with a laugh, even getting a chuckle from Swadloon.

The rabbit's face went warm. "Oh, har har..." she said with a pout. She knew a teasing comment when she heard one...

... Huh. Speaking of her face going warm, was it her, or was the room feeling a bit warmer, too? She didn't know. Maybe it was just Spinarak's body heat.

"Heh heh, hey, I'm just joshin'," he replied. Above, she saw one of his arms point to the back of the room, towards the kitchen. "'Side from the obvious, the place we all eat, this is the magical floor where our dinners get prepared."

"That, too, is obvious," Charjabug interjected.

The spider stalled. "Well... that depends on who you ask, doesn't it?"

"Hardly."

Swadloon smirked lightly at her bickering teammates. "What's less obvious..." she interjected, looking toward the wall, "... is the-" She suddenly jumped backwards in fright with a shriek, crashing against a chair.

Buneary's rolled ear sprang up in shock. She heard Spinarak cry out in surprise and realized in horror what she'd done. Whoops! He'd been on top, still!

She looked up at him just in time to see him come tumbling down into Swadloon's belly, winding her.

"O-Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Buneary called out. While frantically looking around, she was startled when she noticed a slugma standing right next to where Swadloon had been. Its lips were pulled tight in what seemed like a mix of a sheepish grimace and a light grin.

"Slugma," Charjabug said with a loud breath, "must you sneak behind pokémon without alerting them to your presence, first? We've talked about-" He paused, eyebrows bundling. "... I've talked to you about this, rather."

Slugma snickered and pulled a coy look. She was awfully silent about it, though.

"Oof... Fuzzy, you sure have a mean right hook, huh...?" Spinarak mumbled, getting off Swadloon while rubbing his head.

"S-Sorry, again..." Buneary mumbled.

"Don't worry, I'll think of a way to pay you back, yet," he replied with a pained wink.

Buneary frowned worriedly. What did that mean, exactly?

"Anyway," Spinarak continued, looking at Charjabug, "are ya surprised Slugma's up to the usual sneaky tricks with a name like Surprise Slugma?"

"A title well deserved, sadly..." Charjabug said with an exasperated breath.

Buneary looked at the slugma in question. Its feminine face, and the fair bulge on its chest made it immediately obvious she was a girl. Even from the distance between them, Buneary could feel strong heat radiating off her body. Gosh, if only she'd been travelling through Drenched Bluff with her and the others, too.

"Ughh, did I really shriek like that?" Swadloon mumbled, her face scrunched up in dismay. "I even messed up and caused such a scene..." Standing up, she hunched over to cover her face with her leaves. "I'm so embarrassed. Don't look at me."

"H-Hey, it's okay," Buneary said. "I-I punched Spinarak, so I messed up, too!"

"Only because of me. So embarrassing..."

"Not worth it, Fuzzy," Spinarak cut in. "When she mucks something up, she'll brood for ages." He sighed and shrugged. "Just how she is."

"Oh..." Buneary replied. Oh dear...

"Do not worry," Charjabug reassured. "I am well versed in bringing her out of a slump." He moved over to Swadloon and cleared his throat. "Swadloon, the scarf you made the other day was complimented by several different pokémon."

A pause went by, before Swadloon peeked out from behind her leaves. "... It was?" she asked.

"Yes. Both in the guild and in the village. Styles Skitty, especially, was very impressed."

She came out of hiding, her features brightening. "Oh, well... that's pleasing to hear."

Charjabug nodded. "Hm. And also..." He continued on.

"Yeah, she's really proud, is Swadloon," Spinarak explained to Buneary. "Whether her day's made real good, or completely ruined, entirely depends on how much she's buttered up over something she did."

"Huh, um... okay. I'd better remember," Buneary replied. Considering how Swadloon seemed to get easily embarrassed over mistakes, the rabbit had meant it, too.

As she wondered whether to try and help Charjabug, or to just leave him to it for a bit, Slugma suddenly slithered into view, mildly startling her. Jeez, this girl was certainly true to her name.

Spinarak snickered. "Man, you sure got us good, girl," he praised Slugma. "As a fellow pokémon of pranks, I approve!"

Slugma grinned widely, but didn't reply.

Deciding to be friendly, Buneary turned to her and smiled. "So, umm... hello, there~" she greeted.

The slug said nothing, but nodded cheerily in response.

The lack of a response made Buneary feel a little awkward. "Uh... I'm new to the guild! So we'll get to see plenty of each other!"

Slugma beamed widely and nodded. Aside from that, the only sound she made was the quiet bubbling of her lava-like skin.

"Um... y-yeah," Buneary mumbled. Gosh, she was quiet.

"Figured out her little gimmick, yet?" Spinarak asked with a snicker. "Whether she can't, or she's just trolling everyone... Slugma doesn't make a sound. She's as mute as they come."

She put a paw to her mouth. "O-Oh, I see! Er..." She gave Slugma an apologetic look, "... sorry."

Slugma shrugged with what seemed to be a carefree, lopsided smile. Her reaction left Buneary reassured. At least she was very expressive, if nothing else.

"Well, with that excitement outta the way," Spinarak started while raising one of his legs to point at something. "Pretty sure this is what Swadloon was going to talk about, before she got the fright of her life."

Buneary saw Slugma straighten up with a seemingly proud look on her face. What a rascal...

Shaking her head in light exasperation, Buneary followed Spinarak's gesture. She saw a podium against the wall, sitting below lots of notes adorning the same wall.

Quickly reading them, she could tell that it was a list of the week's guild chores. They came complete with pictures of certain pokémon next to the delegated chores, along with their titles scribbled on.

For today, No-Nonsense Charjabug and Runaway Salandit were on 'cooking duty'... Hobby Ducklett was on 'mail duty'... Mannish Banette - who seemed to be the girl who had been arguing with the umbreon from earlier - was on 'toilet duty'... Chill Deino and Uppity Rufflet were on 'housekeeping duty'... Sasspot Grumpig was on 'stock up duty' ... and Relic Finder Snorlax was on 'door duty'.

Buneary found the list interesting. What was really remarkable about it, however, was the level of detail on the pictures. They were less like drawings, and more like she was almost looking through some tiny windows at the pokémon themselves!

"Not my favorite part of joining this here guild, but hey," Spinarak said, interrupting her thoughts. "To sum it up real quick... every Friday, our fair guildmasters draw cards with our names on. Whoever's on 'em gets the, er... 'privilege' of doing a chore for the day. Rest of the team can do whatever, though. It'll make more sense when ya see it for yourself."

"So it's all luck based? Oh, that sounds sort of fun!" Buneary said. She smiled sheepishly. "Well... until you get picked, I guess."

"Well, ya win some, ya lose some, eh?" Spinarak said in amusement.

"Heehee, yeah..."

Slugma visibly gave a silent chuckle.

"Okay, I'm good, now," Swadloon said, moving closer. She seemed to be back to normal. "Sorry for keeping you waiting." Her face went slightly red. "I was... having a moment."

"It's okay," Buneary said. "I get embarrassed a lot, too, so I know the feeling." Especially after today's events. Ugh...

Swadloon gave her a small, appreciative smile. "Thanks. That's a bit reassuring." She turned her attention to Slugma with a frown. "As for you, missy... one of these days, I'll turn the tables and give you the shock of your life. Just you wait and see!"

Slugma smiled confidently, as if accepting the challenge.

"Before any such thing happens..." Charjabug interjected, "I suggest we continue the tour. We still have the next floor and the one after it to cover."

"You're 'No-Nonsense' for a reason, eh, Zipper?" Spinarak joked, grinning alongside his back pattern. "Well, I already explained the chores and stuff, so we should just get right onto the Bulletin Room, right?"

"Aww. And here I was, hoping to explain the chores system..." Swadloon mumbled.

"Heh. Ya snooze, ya lose, Isabella!"

Swadloon's eyes widened. "N-No, don't say that in public!"

Buneary frowned in confusion. "Uh... Isabella?" she asked.

Swadloon groaned lightly, seeming embarrassed again. "... His teasing nickname for me, just because I like to study about the mythos surrounding humans. Don't pay him any attention."

"Oh... okay?" Well, that explained the 'Sally Skitters' comment from earlier.

"He insists on calling me Zipper," Charjabug said. "Because of my mouth, he told me."

"Yep!" Spinarak replied. He smiled boastfully, along with his face pattern. "Mine's Striker, in case you're wondering."

"Oh. Er... why's that?" Buneary asked.

He winked. "'Cos it sounds cool, obviously."

"A name he came up with for himself, naturally," Swadloon said sassily.

"Guilty as charged."

Buneary smiled sheepishly. "Eheh, well, um... cool!" she said, not really understanding their line of thinking.

"Well, now that we've no doubt utterly confused her..." Swadloon said in an amused tone, "let's continue upwards, shall we?"

Everyone agreed and followed behind her as she hopped up the spiraling stairs.

While they went along, however, Buneary frowned to herself in confusion. Gosh, she was never going to remember those nicknames easily.

A pokémon's title was usually something given to them by others, based on their personality, something that they were well known for doing, or something that made them famous. Sure, sometimes one could encourage others to use a specific title for them, and titles could change over time, but... Buneary had trouble picturing those nicknames for the trio. Spinarak sure was creative...

That said... she wasn't entirely sure why their names were 'Rush Swadloon' and 'Trap Spinarak', either. Maybe that would become a little more obvious later? She hoped so.

She noticed Slugma shoot her an equally confused look while shrugging her shoulders. Buneary returned the shoulder shrug, earning a silent giggle from the slug.

Buneary giggled, too. Well, she wasn't alone in her thoughts, at least.


"Now here's a rather important room, indeed," Swadloon said as they arrived on the next floor. "It's what keeps this whole place afloat, after all."

"Indeed," Charjabug said with a nod. "The Bulletin Room."

Buneary looked around. There were large signboards attached to the walls of the room, filled with a fair amount of notes each. They reminded her of the bulletin board Elder Slowking had set up in their village, which was often filled with rescue missions and requests.

Putting two and two together, she smiled eagerly. "So the place where we can get our missions for the day?" she asked.

"That's right," Swadloon said with a nod. "What type of explorer do you wish to be, Buneary?"

Buneary tilted her head. "What... type?"

"Yeah. Being an 'explorer' is just a catch-all term for someone who explores dungeons for a living... but there are those that prefer specific sorts of missions. For them, there are a fair few different names."

Swadloon tapped her chin with one of the leaves she used to cover herself. "Like... a rescuer often goes for missions that involve saving other pokémon... a bounty hunter, or just a hunter, often goes after outlaws... expeditioners tend to prefer exploring dungeons, either to learn more about them or to loot them for treasure... there's also helpers, who go for missions that benefit other pokémon, such as item retrievals or escort missions... there are challengers, who gravitate towards fight requests..." She huffed in amusement and looked at Spinarak, "... and, of course, we have lazy butts, who like watching as everyone else works," she finished with a small grin.

A puff of air escaped the spider's lips. "Hah, well, good thing we don't know anyone like that, huh?" he said.

"Well... you might not."

Buneary giggled. She also saw Slugma doing the same. A natural comedy duo, those two.

"Which do you find yourself interested in?" Charjabug asked.

"Well... I-I dunno," Buneary mumbled. "That's a lot to consider..."

"Being a general explorer is also an option, if you'd prefer. Though even if you find yourself deciding to be a specialist, it's not like you are banned from doing missions outside of your chosen specialty."

She let out a breath. "Oh... well, that's a relief, I guess. I'll... sleep on it."

"A wise decision."

"We prefer outlaw missions, ourselves," Swadloon said. "So I suppose we're hunters. Something that would've been unheard of in PokéPark, what with its very low crime rates."

"That seems fair," Buneary replied, able to sympathize a little bit.

Slugma quickly slithered towards one of the notice boards with surprising speed. She pulled off a note and moved back to Buneary to drop it by her feet, smiling expectantly at her, after.

"Oh, th-thanks?" she said, picking the paper note up with both paws to avoid dropping it. It felt really warm as she held it, reminding her that Slugma was practically made up of lava. Gosh, how had it not burned? Could she control her temperature?

Deciding to just roll with it, she looked at the note.


Type: Expedition mission

Request: "Please bring me through that place with the pretty rocks! I must learn how to polish them!"

Client: Rock Polish Amaura

Location: Lapis Cave (Air Continent)

Goal: Escort Amaura until satisfied

Reward: 2500 pokédollars + 20 gravelerocks

Difficulty: C rank


Buneary stared at the note. A mission request... Even just holding one made a shiver of excitement shoot up her spine. Soon, she would be doing these for herself, wouldn't she? And not just letting everyone else choose them and more or less do them for her.

She just couldn't wait to get started!

But wait... why had Slugma given her this? "Umm..." she mumbled, giving the slug a confused frown, "did... you want me to do this, or...?"

Slugma chuckled silently and shook her head. She nudged the top of the paper with her nose.

Buneary blinked. She stared at the note. "... Uhh... I don't..." She paused when she noticed the word 'Expedition'. "... Oh, I get it! You and your team prefer expedition missions, right?"

Slugma grinned happily and nodded repeatedly, giving the rabbit the confirmation she'd needed, as well as some pride at being right. Yay~

"Someone give the girl a prize!" Spinarak joked. "She's a natural brainiac, for sure."

"An exaggeration, but it was a nice guess all the same," Charjabug said. "I believe Slugma's team have an affinity for nature, so they pick missions appropriate to that end."

Swadloon huffed amusedly. "You'd never guess it, because they're all wildly inappropriate types for nature-lovers... but yeah, that's Team Nurture for you," she explained. She paused and smiled sheepishly at Slugma. "Uh... no offense, or anything, Slugma..."

Slugma gave her a seemingly playful pout before laughing silently.

Briefly pausing to smile at the slug, Buneary nodded. "Well, okay! Seems fa-" Her eyes widened. Wait a second... "Team Nurture! I nearly forgot!" She looked at Slugma, who was giving her a curious gaze. "Octillery's still in Drenched Bluff! I met him there and last saw him on the last floor."

Slugma's eyes widened in surprise. A pause passed, then she nodded and smiled appreciatively.

Buneary returned the look. "Don't mention-" She stopped dead in her tracks. No, wait, that was really bad wording for Slugma, wasn't it? "... D-Don't, um... worry~"

Slugma shot her a sassy grin. Buneary got the feeling the slug knew exactly what she'd been about to say. Whoops...

"Octillery..." Charjabug murmured, eyebrows bundled up in displeasure. "His loud, abrasive personality can be a chore to deal with. I hope he did not give you a bad impression of the guild."

"Aww, not at all. I like Octillery," Buneary replied with a sad frown. "He's just a little rough around the edges."

Her words earned her a very pleased look from Slugma. Charjabug, however, looked at her in surprise. "... A surprising opinion to hear from you, but okay then."

"He's fun to mess with and tick off, if nothing else," Spinarak said. He cringed along with his back pattern. "If... I'm outside of his grabbing range, anyway. Some lessons you only gotta learn once..."

"One of these days, you'll learn it again if you're not careful, I'm sure," Swadloon said in amusement.

He grinned. "I'd better plan my will in advance, then. He's just too fun to rile up."

Buneary pulled a face. What a troublemaker.

Swadloon shook her head disapprovingly. She gasped lightly and looked at Buneary. "Know what? That reminds me of something." She paused to glance off to the side briefly. "... Okay, it's a little unrelated, maybe, but all the same... I should tell you about the board."

"Th-The board?" Buneary asked, a little confused. Weren't bulletin boards why they were in here in the first place?

"No... the board."

The rabbit frowned apprehensively and looked around at the others. All of them were pulling some rather awkward or displeased looks.

"I'm... not sure I agree with that idea," Charjabug said. "It is unwise to mention something that may scare her from joining the guild. Not everyone is as brave as you are."

Swadloon frowned lightly. "She should probably learn, just in case."

Slugma said nothing, unsurprisingly. Her worried frown in Buneary's direction said all that needed to be said, however.

Buneary gulped. "You guys are really making me anxious, right now," she mumbled. "W-What's this board business?"

Swadloon let out a breath. "Well... there are three different kinds of outlaws, right?" she said.

"... There are?"

"Hoo boy, she doesn't even know about the first two types," Spinarak said with a heavy sigh. "Maybe you should call it quits while we're still ahead one guildmember."

Buneary pouted lightly. "Aww, please don't keep me in the dark after all that! I'm all nervous, now..."

"Okay... I'll lead into it gently. Well, as much as I can, I guess," Swadloon said. She stalled, as if thinking. "... Okay, let's go over to the outlaw board over here." She moved towards one of the boards. Curious, Buneary went with her.

When they stopped in front of it, Swadloon continued. "Now then..." She jumped and grabbed a note from the board, handing it to Buneary.

Putting it on top of the other note she was still holding, the rabbit looked at it, wondering what Swadloon was trying to teach her.


Type: Hooligan mission

Request: "He keeps throwing rotten berries at everyone! Someone should teach him a lesson! Quick, before he interrupts my sunbathing again!"

Client: Belly-Up Slakoth

Location: Sunny Spot Hill (Grass Continent)

Goal: Punish Mould Mankey

Reward: 500 pokédollars + 2 oran berries

Difficulty: 3 stars


Buneary frowned at the note. "Yeesh, he sounds really mean..." she muttered disapprovingly.

"Right?" Swadloon replied. "That's a 'hooligan' for you. A term for anyone who acts like a bully to other pokémon, or just generally likes causing trouble."

"They're not bad enough to be considered true outlaws..." Charjabug added, "but all the same, if they're causing problems, they need to be dealt with. Either by appealing to them, or by force, if necessary."

"Whatever stops their mischief's good, really," Spinarak concluded.

Slugma gave a sharp, confident nod, as if to reinforce their comments.

"Okay..." Buneary mumbled. That all made enough sense. They didn't seem too bad, so if appealing to hooligans was possible, she hoped she could go about it.

Looking at the page again, her eyes widened when she spotted something. "W-Wait... stars!?" she yelped. "For a mischief maker, that's really strong, isn't it?"

"Ah, not really," Swadloon corrected, chuckling softly. "I mean... it used to be, but there's a new standard, now. Instead of how it used to be - mission difficulties jumping from S-rank missions to star-ranked missions - rescue missions exclusively have letter ranks, and outlaw missions get stars, now. Something about it being less complicated."

"Ah... right." Gosh, that was so different to what she'd read about in her stories. Things really must have changed over the years...

Charjabug nodded. "Naturally, more stars means you're likely to face stronger, smarter outlaws in the mission," he said. "It's not a guarantee, being merely an estimation... but please be wary, all the same."

Buneary nodded back. "Alright, I will."

Swadloon gave a small smile before continuing. "Anyway, next up on the scale are actual outlaws." She jumped up to grab another note to plonk on top of Buneary's growing pile of notes. "You'll wanna watch out for these guys."

The rabbit read it carefully and worriedly. She took notice of a picture of a strange pink pokémon that had been etched into the corner of the note, with the same super high quality as the ones on the chore board from earlier.


Type: Outlaw mission

Request: "She broke into my house and stole all my food! Oh my, but I still caught her in the act! Bring her to justice!"

Client: Huge Shell Omastar

Location: Valley of Strong Winds (Sand Continent)

Goal: Arrest Treat Taker Slurpuff

Reward: 700 pokédollars + Some random TMs and TRs

Difficulty: 2 stars


Buneary's frown deepened. Breaking into someone's house just to steal food... How nasty!

"Speaks for itself, don't it?" Spinarak said.

"Yeah..." Buneary mumbled. "Are they... pokémon who break the law?"

"Yep," Swadloon replied. "Thieves, muggers, burglars, extortionists... All sorts of criminals, really."

"Dodgy stuff like... I dunno, groping pokémon counts, too," Spinarak added. He huffed in amusement. "Probably why we'll lose Peeping Hoopa one of these days."

Slugma stuck her tongue out in what seemed like distaste, though at what exactly, Buneary wasn't sure.

Charjabug let out a breath. "As distasteful as his peeping is, I do not believe he is known for groping," he said.

"Yeahhh, true," Spinarak replied. He chuckled. "That's Yamask's job, after all."

Buneary pulled a face. "He's not that bad about it..." she mumbled.

He chuckled even louder and prodded her in the side, the pattern on his back grinning wide. "Lemmie guess... he got you, too, eh?"

She instinctively covered her bosom. "... N-Not much..."

"Hah! Knew it."

"Quit teasing the poor girl, Spinarak," Swadloon scolded, frowning. "Keep it up, and she might mysteriously learn about the incident with you and that outlaw who had Attract."

"An embarrassing memory, indeed..." Charjabug mumbled, face creasing in a cringe.

"H-Hey, hey, hey!" Spinarak cut in, face going red. His back pattern was cringing, too. "What happens on Rusty Mountain stays on Rusty Mountain, you hear me?"

Everyone chuckled, save for Charjabug, who just huffed in amusement, and Slugma, who did it silently. Buneary felt sympathetic towards Spinarak, though. She'd been through her fair share of humiliations from Attract, and she was sure she would have more, yet. Tsk, she couldn't wait...

"Well, anyway," Swadloon continued, "so now you know all about outlaws, I take it?"

"I guess so..." Buneary mumbled. She looked at the outlaw mission she was still holding. "... Um... there was this wild lileep that was trying to steal our food, I think... Does he count as an outlaw?"

Swadloon frowned in thought. "Ah, well... sort of? It's a bit weird with wild pokémon. After all, most of them attack outsiders anyway, don't they?" she said.

"Yeah... they seem pretty grouchy over here."

"Better believe they are," Spinarak agreed. "It's 'cos of them there's no laws for starting fights with pokémon who can fight back."

"Right," Swadloon replied. "They're not above the law, though. If they steal valuable stuff, or take it too far with their mischief, they can expect a bounty on their heads just like anyone else. If it's reported, anyway."

"Well... that makes sense," Buneary replied. "Um... outlaws go to jail, right?"

"Yes, though the type depends on their length of stay," Charjabug replied. "A short stay of a few days or so will require being taken to a detention center, somewhere in the current continent. A longer stay will require rehabilitation in 'Sawk & Throh Boot Camp', somewhere south of Forest Grotto in the Mist Continent."

Buneary's eyes lit up at the last thing he'd said. "Oh, they have rehabilitation?"

"Yes. Outlaws are cruel, but it is not believed that they are heartless... thus, they must work off their criminal actions via strenuous work of various kinds in the boot camp."

"Hard work and discipline can change a pokémon, you know," Swadloon said with a small smile. "For the better, of course."

Spinarak shrugged sassily. "Orrr it just makes them way stronger for the next time they wanna commit a crime," he said with a grin. "Double-edged wand, really."

"You're so cynical, Spinarak," Swadloon said with a roll of the eyes which made Slugma giggle. The bug smiled lightly at Buneary. "Really, though, it has a good rehabilitation rate, so it can only be a good thing. They even offer therapy sessions, if someone looks like they need it."

Buneary smiled back widely. "Oh, that makes me really happy to hear~ I don't think there are any truly nasty pokémon, so I'm glad they have a second chance."

She smiled at the others, who gave her various pleasant looks at her sentiment. Her own smile fell into an awkward one when she saw the others start to look rather unsure of something. Huh?

"Well, yeesh," Spinarak started, cringing like his back pattern, "that's gonna make this next part a bit awkward, then, huh?"

"W-Why's that? What's-?" She paused. Wait... there was another type of outlaw, wasn't there?

... Oh no. And she had a feeling she knew what they were called, too. "Oh, is this... about those 'renegades' people keep mentioning?" she continued.

At the mention of that word, Slugma looked somewhat frightened... Charjabug had a large, discomforted frown on his face... Spinarak looked off to the side while the pattern on his back pulled an awkward, tight-lipped expression... and Swadloon just sighed sadly.

Buneary gulped. Bingo... "What, um... what're renegades?" she asked, afraid but curious.

"Uh, well..." Swadloon started. She paused for a brief spell, until a determined frown showed up on her face. "Know what? No. No time for beating around the bush. I'll tell you exactly what they are." She quickly moved towards another part of the room.

Surprised, Buneary followed her, and heard the others do the same behind her. Eventually, she stopped next to the bug, who was looking up at the wall.

"Okay, Buneary," she said, pointing up at the wall with a leaf, "see this board?"

Buneary followed her gesture and saw the black, spiky notice board she'd seen earlier in the day. Even though it didn't have any mission requests posted... just standing before it left a pressuring feeling in Buneary's gut that she couldn't describe. "Um... y-yeah. It really stands out, doesn't it?" she said.

Swadloon nodded. "Definitely! There's a reason for that, too. This is the Renegade Board. Any missions that show up on here are to be avoided at all costs."

Buneary's head jerked back in surprise. "A-Avoided!? Why would you wanna avoid missions? Are renegades super strong?"

Swadloon nodded. "Usually, but that's not why. After all, outlaws and even hooligans can be really strong, too... but it's what renegades do that make these missions worth avoiding."

"And this is coming from Rush Swadloon, mind," Spinarak said with a huff. "Believe it or not, she's stupidly brave and always hops into fights, even if they look impossible."

Charjabug nodded. "Once she sets her mind on something, she is stubborn and never gives up," he explained.

Swadloon let out a light chuckle, face going somewhat red. "Um... I can't deny it," she said.

Slugma looked at them in confusion and shrugged, clearly not entirely convinced.

Buneary tilted her head, feeling on the same page. Huh... Swadloon sure didn't seem it, but okay.

Her eyes widened. Gosh, if she was as brave as that, then how bad were renegades to make even her think twice?

Swadloon cleared her throat. "Um, b-back on topic..." She frowned seriously again, "to be precise, renegades are outlaws who have done, or have attempted to do, unforgivable things. Things that not even rehabilitation could fix in a thousand years."

Buneary stared at her in shock. "U-Unforgiveable? What could a pokémon do that's unforgivable?"

"There are... five main things," Charjabug said. He let a drawn out breath escape. "... In all honesty, even talking about it to that extent puts a bad taste in my mouth."

"You're telling me," Spinarak replied with a breath of his own. "No way to turn this conversation wacky and light-hearted, that's for sure."

Slugma deflated with a sad look, clearly feeling the same.

Buneary's extended ear drooped lightly. Jeez, they really knew how to worry a girl, that was for certain...

Swadloon sighed. "Up to me, then. Well, I can't blame you guys," she said, giving a light, sad frown. "Pokémon, by nature, despise causing proper turmoil for no good reason. From the sounds of it, you know exactly what I mean. Right, Buneary?"

"Y-Yeah..." Buneary mumbled.

"However, some pokémon that are twisted in the head for some reason, either because they became that way over time, or, legends forbid, they were born that way... Those pokémon engage in truly horrible things, such as..." She paused for thought. "Well... let's work upwards, one by one. The first horrible act is attempting to end the world, or otherwise cause it and the pokémon on it really nasty damages."

"Oh... like Darkrai tried to do?"

Swadloon gave Buneary a confused look. "Oh, well... sort of? To be honest, he was exempt because he eventually tried to fix the problem himself, even at his own sacrifice. Not to mention, he hadn't wanted the dark void to open up and nearly swallow the whole of the PokéPa-"

"Swadloon," Charjabug interrupted, sounding slightly exasperated. "I believe she means Darkness Darkrai, the one who went about turning Dialga insane to cause the planet's paralysis. Not Wish Darkrai, the one who enslaved pokémon within the Wish Park for a time."

Swadloon blinked. Her face went red again. "Oh... I-I see." She covered her face with her leafy hands. "Ughh, embarrassing...!"

Spinarak laughed. "Darkrais ain't exactly known for their good reputations, so hey," he said.

Slugma seemed to giggle at the antics, though Buneary just felt a bit guilty. Maybe she should have specified...

"Anyway, yeah," Spinarak said, "world enders are real bad news. Er, but only when they're super malicious about it, I guess. Apparently, they give you a slap on the wrist if you tried to help fix things and no one got too hurt, or you were hypnotized, or something along those lines."

Buneary nodded. That made enough sense... There had been a few attempts to harm or take over the world in the past, according to the stories. The only one she remembered never having any sort of excuse was Darkness Darkrai, though. But maybe he secretly had...? She hoped so. Not that it mattered much, because the book had said he'd been erased from time and space, but still...

"The next thing that defines a renegade..." Swadloon started, the redness in her face dimming slightly, "is kidnapping and keeping someone imprisoned for a long time."

"Oh dear..." Buneary mumbled. "So... like Dream Dive Drowzee, in Mr. Snorlax and Miss Donphan's book?"

"A simple abduction for monetary gain would only make you a criminal," Charjabug replied. "In the case of a renegade, it is more like... Great Hunter Scizor, who I hear was imprisoned by a froslass for several decades within a block of ice."

Slugma pulled a very concerned and confused look, almost as if questioning him.

Seemingly spotting it, Spinarak piped in. "Hey, it can happen. Ever heard of getting cryogenically frozen? Heard it can keep you going for hundreds of years."

Slugma simply shrugged at him, though whether she believed him or not, Buneary wasn't sure. The rabbit did, though. Something involving Scizor had been glossed over in Donphan and Snorlax's book, so she believed it.

"Another thing that a renegade would do..." Swadloon continued, "is torture other pokémon. You know, by maliciously causing really excessive harm to a pokémon that can't fight back."

Spinarak nodded. "Anything that would make normal mons like you and me lose their lunch, pretty much," he explained.

"Um... o-okay..." Buneary replied. She couldn't even picture what they meant. Nor did she really want to.

"Punishment will be especially harsh if dismemberment is involved..." Charjabug added.

"D-Dismemberment?" Buneary asked, not liking the sound of whatever that was.

Slugma pooled some magma into the top half of her body, forming something that sort of looked like an arm. She let it fall off to land on the floor nearby while sticking her tongue out, looking unwell.

Spinarak laughed. "Yeah, that, pretty much," he said.

Buneary gulped and tenderly rubbed her own arm. Okay, well, now she could picture what they'd meant. She still didn't want to, though.

After huffing in amusement from Slugma's demonstration, Swadloon turned back to Buneary with a small, serious frown. "Okay... getting to the really big ones, now," she said. Her frown deepened. "You'll instantly be branded as a renegade... if you kill another pokémon."

Buneary's blood went cold. "Oh, j-jeez..." she muttered.

"Of course, if it was in self-defense, or if it was just a horrible accident, you'll probably be excused... but no, I mean cold-blooded murder. No matter the reason, if you take another pokémon's life, you're a renegade for sure."

"Doesn't usually happen in dungeons, 'cos, well... you can't die," Spinarak added. "But if someone wants you dead enough outside of one, and you can't fight 'em off, you're brown bread."

Buneary felt herself shiver. Murdering other pokémon? How could someone do something like that and be able to sleep at night!?

"Swadloon, I think we should stop," Charjabug said, looking at the rabbit with a displeased frown. "We are starting to scare her."

Slugma offered Buneary a sad, sympathetic look. Seeing it, Buneary swallowed back her fear and attempted a small smile.

"Thanks, but... I'm okay. I-I should learn this sort of stuff..." she said, trying not to let her voice shake.

"Well, if you're sure..." Swadloon said hesitantly. "The final thing to mention is perhaps the worst one, though. Well... debatably."

"I think getting my limbs slowly torn off would be worse, personally," Spinarak said, shrugging. He pulled a face, as well as the pattern on his back. "Uh... but when I suggested that out loud one time, and Whimsicott overheard me, things got real scary real fast. So I think I'll keep my trap shut for once."

Slugma also pulled a face. Clearly she knew exactly what he meant.

"Wise," Charjabug commented.

"Yeesh, it... must be pretty bad, either way," Buneary mumbled.

"You bet it is," Swadloon replied. She let out a drawn out breath. "Okay... Buneary, first, I must ask... do you know what rape is?"

Buneary spluttered in shock. "Th-That's... Well, I-I guess, but it's fictional, right? Surely!" It just had to be. After all, she'd only ever heard of it in a really gruesome story she'd once mistakenly read, called 'Hell on High Waters'.

It had been a story in which a skitty had been captured by a notorious pirate called Violent Seas Perrserker, and taken onto a ship, which had then set sail.

Buneary had expected a fun - and perhaps slightly sexy - story, involving pirates and a fair maiden going on adventures and sharing romantic moments, or something. What she hadn't expected, however, was the skitty being held down by the pirate's crew and used to breed, having their children against her will. All while they taunted her and ignored her distressed screams and desperate cries for help.

Reading that horrid section had killed any plans she'd had that evening, as she'd spent most of it weeping and being depressed, even though it was just a fictional story. Or she hoped it was, anyway...

... Ugh. Even thinking of that story had just sent a wave of displeasure over her...

"Um... not surely, I'm afraid," Swadloon replied, frowning sadly. "It's extremely rare that someone's bad enough to do it... but it has happened. And to both boys and girls, at that. So I'd say it's important not to turn a blind eye to it, if you know what's good for you."

Buneary felt her heart skip several beats in shock. Oh... how dreadful. Her ear drooped, and she felt a little bit of her spirit die. How long had this been a thing? That, combined with everything else, was... well, evil, to put it lightly. Sure, Salandit had freaked out about potentially being raped and murdered, earlier, but... well, Buneary thought she'd just been acting dramatic. How could such things really be a thing...?

Apparently catching on to her souring mood, Slugma came over and rubbed her head against Buneary's side reassuringly. She was lovely and warm, despite what the rabbit would have expected. Even so, it did little to ease Buneary's newfound sadness.

Seemingly taking note, Swadloon started to sweat. "Um... b-but don't let it get you down, okay, Buneary? It's good to keep them in mind, but renegades are extremely rare," she explained. "I've never seen any notes on the renegade board in all my months here, let alone seen any renegades in person."

"... None?" Buneary asked.

"Nope. It's just not in a pokémon's nature to be so diabolical, is it? In fact, it's so rare that it makes the news for weeks whenever one's reported, most times."

"Also, whenever one is caught..." Charjabug added, "they will be taken to a special prison in Noe Town, known as 'The Renegade Pit'. It is a jail within a giant hole in which escape is all but impossible."

"Oh, well... there's that, I guess..." Buneary mumbled, a little reassured. She paused for a short while and shook her head lightly. "Well, I... There's one thing, actually..."

"What's up?" Swadloon asked.

"I... I like to think there's no such thing as truly bad pokémon, but... hearing all this, and after seeing outlaws for myself a lot, today. Am I... wrong?"

Everyone stared at her for a short while with various displeased looks. Eventually, though, Charjabug shook his head. "Renegades are named as such because it is believed that they're a perversion of what makes a pokémon. No one truly knows why they are this way, but the most likely cause is mental illness. As in, they're not in their right minds."

She looked at him in surprise. "You... think so?"

"Yes. So it is best not to hold all pokémon to their level. The exception does not make the rule."

Hearing that made some hope bubble in Buneary's chest. "Y-Yeah... maybe you're right. Truly bad pokémon... ones that are thinking straight... they still don't exactly exist, right?"

Smiling, Slugma gave a hearty nod. Everyone followed her example and nodded along, with murmurs of agreement.

Buneary let out a relieved breath and beamed. "Yeah, that makes me feel so much better, thanks~ Yeah, I definitely still believe in Pokémon kindness!"

"Saved it," Spinarak joked.

"Heh, yep. Well done, Charjabug," Swadloon said. She let out a breath and gave Buneary an apologetic look. "Please forgive me for scaring you so much, Buneary, but... well, I don't want you falling prey to anything like this." She closed her eyes and let out another breath. "I heard a rumor... that there was once a member of this very guild who ignored warnings of a small renegade gang. A blitzle, or something." She opened her eyes to look at Buneary. "I don't know the exact details, but for sure, that blitzle definitely paid the price one way or another."

Buneary felt a huge chill run up her back. "Y-Yeesh... really?"

"No doubt about it," Spinarak piped in. "Heard someone bring it up, once, and things got awkward. Definitely a sour topic."

"Oh no..." She pulled a face. "A-A gang of them, though? But... they're rare, right?"

"Some pokémon are easily influenced..." Charjabug explained. "Not unlike Dark Matter from the events last year, a renegade can garner followers, and convince them into very unsavory practices, indeed. Even if it would have been unthinkable for them to do any such things previously."

Buneary gulped. "I-I see..."

"Exactly..." Swadloon replied. She frowned lightly at Buneary. "So, as unlikely as it is, if you ever do encounter a renegade... whether you decide to run or, for whatever reason, fight him or her... be extremely careful. If you lose a fight against them, you will not have a good day."

Looking quite worried, Slugma shook her head, as if agreeing with the bug.

Quite frankly, after everything she'd heard, Buneary felt obliged to agree, too. "Yeah... y-you don't have to tell me twice," she replied.

Swadloon smiled lightly. "That's good," she said in a pleased sigh. "I might not look it, but I'm so very relieved to hear that, you have no idea."

"Same. Don't go pushing up daisies, now!" Spinarak said. He winked, along with the face pattern on his back. "At least wait until I prank ya first, eh?"

Slugma giggled silently, but Buneary could only look at him in concern. "Um... okay?" she mumbled. Oh no... he was going to be exactly like Tricky Sneasel back in her old home, wasn't he? Pulling pranks and causing mischief.

Charjabug frowned at the spider. "Don't you dare, Spinarak," he warned. He turned to face Buneary, frown gone. "We were delayed by quite a bit, but that concludes the tour of this floor. Shall we continue to the last one?"

"Yeah, let's..." Buneary replied. "I think I'm done talking about criminals for today. I can't seem to get away from them at all..."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Swadloon asked.

"Well... learning all of this, bumping into a gang of thieves in Drenched Bluff, and seeing an outlaw attack Whimsicott has made today sort of tiring." She'd almost mentioned Marowisp, but he wasn't quite an outlaw, right? Even if he was really mean... Maybe he counted as a hooligan, instead?

Slugma pulled a concerned face and silently gasped when Buneary had mentioned Whimsicott, followed shortly by Spinarak laughing.

"An outlaw attacked Whimsicott?" he asked. "Well... rest in peace, I guess."

Slugma nodded along, cringing in what seemed like empathy pain.

Swadloon huffed in amusement, nodding along with the conversation. Her eyes suddenly snapped open wide. "Wait... a gang of thieves? In the Bluff?"

"Oh? Uh... yeah," Buneary replied. "They called themselves the 'Water-Rock gang', and lured me into a monster house. They nearly beat me up and stole my stuff, but a trap knocked them out and saved me..." She paused. "They, um... do they count as outlaws?"

"If they're trying to mug you, then sure!" She frowned. "Nothing for it, then. I'm going to go and stop them before they cause any more trouble."

"That... isn't necessary," Charjabug said quickly, looking slightly alarmed. "We can wait until after-"

"No time to wait! If they've fainted already, I need to take action before they strike again!" She rushed towards the stairs and jumped down the hole in the middle, apparently not caring for the large drop.

Everyone stared after her. Buneary found herself pouting after a short while. Didn't even say goodbye...

"... Uh, apologies, but I feel as if I should accompany her," Charjabug said with a bow. "Competent as she is, she has a tendency to bite off more than she can chew." He paused, eyebrows creasing in bemusement. "Also... I have a feeling that she will forget her bag, again."

"That's okay..." Buneary replied. "I think I understand the 'rush' part a bit better, now."

"Heh, no kidding. So much for 'be extremely careful', eh?" Spinarak remarked. He sighed, the pattern on his back frowning tiredly. "And here I was, hoping I could slack off, today, too. Guess I'd better go help, instead."

Slugma nodded and moved towards the stairs.

"Oh, comin' to lend a hand, Maggy?" Spinarak asked curiously.

Slugma turned back to him and nodded with a determined frown.

"Heh, well, the more the merrier!" he replied, grinning just like the pattern on his back.

"Should I come, too?" Buneary asked.

"Do not worry, Buneary," Charjabug replied. "It is as you said. You have been through a lot today, from the sounds of things, so you should rest."

"Oh... okay," she replied, secretly a little relieved. She most certainly was done with outlaws for the day...

"Yeah, take it easy, like I wanted to," Spinarak said with a chuckle. He curled his body to aim his back at the underside of the spiraling stairs and fired off a long, white string of web. It quickly retracted, bringing him flying towards it. When close enough, he descended down the hole in the middle of the stairs, out of sight. "See ya, Fuzzy!"

Slugma gave Buneary a pleasant grin and a goodbye nod. She quickly slithered towards the stairs and slid into the hole in the middle.

"Bye, you two!" Buneary called after them eagerly. "Good luck!"

Charjabug nodded and started towards the stairs. He paused and turned back. "Oh, and regarding the final floor... naturally, it is the front door to the guild," he explained. "When a client arrives to drop off a reward, or to take away an outlaw, or etcetera, they will be waiting there."

"Oh, thanks. Got it!"

His lips curled upwards in a small smile. "Good. In that case, I shall take my leave. See you later."

She gave him a small bow. "Bye! Thanks again!"

He gave one last bow of his own before heading on his way, down the stairs.

Buneary kept her gaze on the stairs. She looked down at the mission requests that were still in her paws. Umm... wait, what now?

Thinking about it... all day, up until now, she'd been following someone else the entire time. So now she was a bit lost on what to do with herself. Tsk... she was still depending on others, wasn't she?

Oh well... it was only her first day here, so it couldn't exactly be helped. After today, she was truly going to become independent, and work towards earning some respect!

She frowned in worry. Well... as long as said work didn't involve renegade pokémon, of course. She wanted nothing to do with them. Ever.


TO BE CONTINUED!


Finished: 29/05 (May)/2021

Word count: 9,895

VGS2's sausage notes: Uh oh, serious talks, eh? O,o Oh well, I'm sure it'll never become relevant, so don't worry about it!

By the way, if you guys want to make edgy jokes in the reviews, then feel free. In fact, I encourage it! I make them all the time in real life, so the chances of me being offended are non-existent, mate. XP

On another note, the whole of Team Swarm (Swadloon, Spinarak, and, of course, Charjabug) are OCs, given to me by MewLover54! Cheers, mate! :P

I'd like to imagine that I got them fairly spot on from the descriptions he gave me... but, to be honest, there was a fair amount of wiggle room for Swadloon. So I decided to take her in an interesting direction! I won't mention too much... but next time you play PokéPark 2, maybe go to the Arcane Area, eh? XP

...

... Alright, one last thing. Are you wondering if the Skitty story thing was a reference to something? Well, if so you're right! It's really obscure, though, so fak it, I'll tell you. XP

It was a public role-playing session on Deviant Art I saw by somebody and a friend of hers. It seemed innocent enough, May's skitty being kidnapped by a perrserker, and leaving a trail in the dirt for Meowth (Yeah, that one. XD) to follow and hopefully come save his girl.

Uh... things sure got turned up to eleven, though, lemmie tell ya. O,o Bless the second person for trying to steer the RP into a direction in which Skitty got to keep her innocence, but it was all for naught, it seems. You gotta admire the balls on that other gal for going through with it, though, gawd. XP I mean, it's sort of ruined by the fact that Meowth had to join forces with Ash Ketchum to save her, which is sort of narmy, but heyho. XD

Needless to say, I've immortalized it here. You're welcome! :D (I'm sorry.)

Today's shameless promotion: PMD: Flowerbeds

Author: TheSnapDragon

Universe: Original Mystery Dungeon

Main species: A dewott (Human), and a quilava (Not human)

Summary: A human turned Dewott named Oswald wakes up in a world full of talking pokemon with no memories of how he got there. He soon finds himself at the center of a power struggle between opposing forces that seek to use him for their own personal gain. Completely unaware of the true nature of his role in this conflict, Oswald takes it in stride. A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon fic.

Romance: Lots! (Sappy and very gay!)

Wackiness: A fair bit! (Mostly grounded, but some quirky characters help to balance things out!)

Lewdness: Not much!

Action: Lots!

Grittiness: A fair bit! (The dungeons are dangerous enough to warrant death, and trauma is a thing!)

Length: Pretty long!

Admittedly, I've yet to read through the whole thing, but from where I'm at, Flowerbeds is looking to be one neat little read! It has some pretty metal dungeon exploring, it promises of a grand plot involving fighting an evil squid bastard, and it's got lotsa gay fluff, if you're into that. What's not to love? Go give it some tasty reviewing action!


Fun mistakes of the day:

#1: 'I doubt they will mine.'

(Not one for Minecraft, these guildmasters. Despite their base being underground.)

#2: 'Charjabug turned to face a metallic door, complete with bared windows.'

(Clothe those windows immediately! What would Microsoft say?)

#3: '"Oh, and while we're at it... were you being guided by Buneary, Charjabug?" Swadloon asked.'

(Um... wrong way 'round. XD She must be a hell of a tour guide if she can lead a local around a place she's never been in, before.)

#4: 'its many square tables were all lines in neat rows'

(When the gang goes off to visit Mr. Game & Watch, this is what they see.)

#5: 'She looked up at him just in time to see him come tumbling down in Swadloon's stomach'

(How horrifying! D: Or sexy, if you're into that, for some reason. XP)

#6: "Don't worry, I'll think of a way to get pay you back, yet,"

(Wallflower Buneary You litte F**ker You made a shit of piece with your trash Questing it's f**King Bad this trash fic I will become back my money I hope you will in your next time a miltank on a trash farm you sucker.)

#7: 'Shaking her head in light exasperation, Buneary followed Sin'

(Oh dear, Buneary, which one of the seven is it, this time...? XP (Hard mode: not lust))

#8: 'Hooby Ducklett' was on 'bulletin duty',

(The blue-footed hooby known as Ducklett.)

#9: 'she could tell that it was a list of the week's guild chores, complete with pictures next to the delegated chores.'

(I never specified what's on the pictures, so they could be anything... XD)

#10: "Don'tBuneary "

(Not even once...)

#11: "Hard work and discipline cane change a pokémon"

("Stealing apples? That's a whippin', boy!" - Cranky Kong)

#12: 'Swadloon shrugged sassily.'

(I somehow said the wrong character, so here's sassy Swadloon. Next up is pottymouth Buneary, or lewd Salandit)

#13: 'some pokémon engage in horrible things, such as... tortube"'

(Swadloon really hates video streaming services... Maybe she got demonetised, lately.)

#14: 'Buneary blood went cold.'

(The end of the buneary race. Something the Pokémon Company has dreamed about for years.)

#15: 'How could someone do something like that and be able to sleep at nighty!?'

(Buneary prefers going to bed in the nude, rather than wear a nighty. ... Not that there's anything to see in this world (most of the time), but still!)

#16: 'Well, I-I guess, but it's fictional, right? Surely!" I just had to be.'

(Oh shit, she's becoming self-aware! O,o)

#17: 'What she hadn't expected, however, was the skitty being held down by the pirate's crew and used to breed their children against their will.'

(The legendary reverse rape in action. XD Skitty is hardcore.)

#18: 'and used to breed their children against her will.''

(And while we're on this sentence... I guess this skitty's being forced to do the same thing I did in my Kalos days, which is breeding baby pokémon with each other for personal gain. For hours on end, mind. I hope she has a bike, a nice long straight road and a magcargo on hand, to make it go by faster. XP)

#19: "they will be taken to a special prison in Noe Town, known as 'The Reegade Pit'."

(That's where they keep your average Twitter SJW.)

#20: 'well, I don't want you falling pray to anything like this.'

("Arceus will get angry if you do!")

#21: "Even if it would have been unthinkable for them to do ant such things previously."

(Previously, they would've only done Dec things. (... It's a British joke. XP))

#22: 'She gave him a small bow. "Bye! Thanks again!"'

(Not a mistake, but Microsoft Word thinks I should be using the word 'bowl' instead, apparently. The frick? "Goodbye! Here's a bowl!")

- More Super Mystery Dungeon note mishaps! -

#23: 'Venonat: I can shoot beams out of my eyes! Beams out of my kids! That's every kid's dream come true!"

(Jeez! Unless they're suicidal kids, I doubt it! O,o)'

#24: 'Venonat: *Speech bubble* "I can shoot..."'

(Lol, and then the game says this. XD I guess it's not a mistake, because the little speech bubble is a shortened version of whatever an NPC'll say when they talk to you... but still, lol. RIP, Venonat's kids!)

#25: *Steal poopular ribbon from Basculin mission in Cape of Wonders*

(My favourite item from The Binding of Isaac.)

#26: "Ampharos: "I hope you two will continue dong your work for the society like usual."

(Steady on, there, Ampharos. The main characters are only children! ... Apparently! I think...?)


Welp, that's me lot for tonight! Hope you enjoyed this talkative chappie! Be sure to drop a comment and some faves and follows, and I'll catch ya later! Tata for nwo! c:

... Okay, one more thing.


- Bonus section that ravengal wrote after a fresh game of Binding of Isaac while I was distracted -

He and his back pattern smirked. "Since you're offering...!" He swung back and forth a few times, detaching from the string at the peak of a swing. He did a forward somersault and landed on Buneary's rolled up ear, surprising her. "Mush mush, Fuzzy!"

"Really, Spinarak?" Swadloon said, unimpressed.

"Spinarak!" Charjabug snapped, eyes briefly flashing yellow. "Do not use our new recruit as-"

"N-No, it's alright," Buneary replied, trying not to sound strained. Lifting Spinarak up with her ear, she activated his Spider Butt power, slowing down all members of the guild. Huh. This could prove useful in the next dungeon.