Chapter 3: The New Team in Town

Kuro and Sammy entered the town. Even though it was beginning to get late, the area seemed pretty active. Kuro could see Pokemon everywhere, at different places, doing different things. As Kuro followed Sammy through the town, he could see several Pokemon shooting glances at him and Sammy, and they looked anything but friendly. "The Pokemon here really don't like her that much? They don't take too kindly to outsiders..."

"The Guild is not far from here." Sammy spoke. "All we have to do is go straight, make a left, and we'll be there! I just hope the Pokemon at the Guild are kinder..."

She let out a heavy sigh. Kuro felt sorry for her. The two continued walking. Kuro felt as if everyone was staring at him, and he wasn't too fond of it. He wondered; "If they don't like Sammy... Will they like me?"

He thought he was just overthinking, so he pushed the thought aside. He decided to try striking up a conversation to distract himself. He asked Sammy a question; "Say... Is this your first time in Sugarcane Town?"

"No, not really." Sammy answered. "It's the first time I've been here in a while. I think the last time I came to Sugarcane Town was when me and my family first came to Evenspire."

"Evenspire?" Kuro repeated. "I have no idea what your talking about."

"Oh yeah, the amnesia, I forgot..." Sammy said under her breath. She explained; "The world consists of three-continent like regions. Evenspire, Pravadyr, and Shirna. Me and my family came from Shirna, which is the poorest region out of the three. The current region we are in is Evenspire, the largest region out of all of them. Many refugees like me come to Evenspire in search for a better life. But I think our life changed for the worse when we came here! The Pokemon here are horrible!... Except you, Kuro."

"You've gone through a lot, Sammy. I admire that you have the willpower to keep going!" Kuro complimented her, trying to cheer her up.

"My family motivates me. I made them a promise, and today, I'm finally going to fulfill it!" Sammy vowed, gazing up at the sky with a determined expression.

Kuro smiled at Sammy's glimmering resolve. The two continued walking through the town. Kuro saw even more unfriendly glares clinging to him, and it made him feel a bit uneasy. Nonetheless, he and Sammy continued onward.

Kuro was so focused on the Pokemon of the town staring at him that he didn't even realize he had made it to his destination. Sammy snapped him back to reality with her voice; "Hey, Kuro! We've made it to the guild!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry..." Kuro replied sluggishly.

In front of him was a large flight of stairs that seemingly led to the guild. Kuro commented; "Looks a bit forbidding, don't ' cha think? Sammy?"

Sammy didn't reply. She was looking up at the staircase with a frightened, uneasy expression, as if she had a sense of impending doom. She was also shaking.

"Sammy, Sammy..." Kuro inched closer to her as he spoke. "It's going to be okay..."

"I-I've never been this close to the Guild... I-I'm so nervous..." Sammy stuttered out a slur of words. Her eyes began to brim up with tears. "W-Will they like me...? Will we qualify...? W-Will we even be able to get in...?!"

"Sammy, it's going to be okay!" Kuro consoled her. "And besides, we've gone to far to back out now."

"Y-You're right..." Sammy sniffled, as she wiped her tears. "Let's go..."

Kuro nodded. The two walked up the stairs. At the top was a spherical building that was stylized to look like the face of a Corviknight. Several torches lit the dirt pathway that led into the building.

"Is this the guild?" Kuro asked.

"Pretty sure it is..." Sammy replied. "I've never seen it this close in person!"

Kuro inched closer to the building. He looked back at Sammy. "Do we just head right in?"

"I don't know, do we even have permission to enter?" puzzled Sammy.

Kuro knocked on the door. He was met with silence. He knocked on the door again. Once again, nobody answered.

"T-There isn't even anybody there!" Sammy cried. "W-We should go, this is—"

"No, we are doing this!" Kuro shouted to her. "Remember your promise!"

Sammy was silent for a few seconds. Then, she heaved a loud sigh as she walked over to Kuro. Out of curiosity, Kuro tried opening the door. To his surprise, it was unlocked. He managed to push it open with his head. Right in front of the two, stood the entrance to the guild.

"The doors unlocked!" Kuro announced. "Come on, Sammy! Let's go in!"

"Okay..." Sammy agreed.

The two of them entered the guild. Immediately, they were met with another flight of stairs. "I've gone up enough staircases for a lifetime..." Kuro thought.

Nonetheless, he continued onward. The two of them went down the stairs into the next room of the building. Immediately, they're ears were met with the sounds of loud chatter. In the room, there were Pokemon of different species, shapes and sizes going about the guild. Doing different tasks, and most likely chatting about different things.

"Well this place sure is lively!" Kuro beamed.

"Yeah!" Sammy agreed. She glanced around. "Well, we need to find the Guildmaster... Or the guild assistant... They'll be able to register us as Explorers!"

"And do you have any idea who they are?" Kuro asked.

"Well, I think the assistant is a Pachirisu, and the Guildmaster is a Corviknight..." Sammy explained. "Search for Pokemon of that species."

Kuro nodded. He looked to his left, and saw three Pokemon; a Mightyena, a Gabite, and one of the Pokemon he was looking for—A Pachirisu. The Pachirisu was speaking to the two other Pokemon with a stern tone. He couldn't hear much of what he was saying due to the loud chatter of the other guild inhabitants, but he caught a singular sentence; "If you two were competent enough, we would have found him already! Are there any Explorers in this guild capable of doing this task?!"

Kuro listened with confusion. He wondered what the Pachirisu was rambling about. He pushed the thought aside, and decided that he'd get the Pachirisu attention. He tapped his back with his paw. The Pachirisu whipped around and shouted; "What?! What do you want—"

He suddenly stopped speaking. He looked Kuro up and down. Kuro tilted his head to the side in response to the Pachirisu's odd behavior.

"U-Uhm, Calvin-"

The Gabite he was previously yelling at was about to speak, but was interrupted by the Pachirisu; "You will address me as sir, thank you! Whatever... Your dismissed! Go do your job before I fire you!"

The two quickly scurried off without missing a beat. Sammy walked over, and stood next to Kuro. The Pachirisu, or rather, Calvin, cleared his throat, before speaking once more; "I haven't seen you're faces around this guild, or the town. I'm confused on how you got in. Someone must of left the door open... Another Pokemon to scold. Whatever, what business do you have in the guild?"

"U-Uhm... We'd like to register here as Explorers!" Sammy jumbled her words."

"Oh, perfect." Kuro heard him mutter under his breath. "Perfect...?" he thought. Calvin continued; "Okay, then. You two, follow me. We will be going to the Guildmaster's Office."

"W-We're meeting the Guildmaster directly...?!" Sammy muttered. A droplet of sweat trailed down her face. She seemed to push her nervousness aside, however, as her next words were spoken with confidence; "Well... We've gone too far to give up now, Kuro. Let's go!"

Calvin beckoned Kuro and Sammy with his tail, as he turned around, and began to walk down a pathway. Kuro and Sammy scrambled to they're paws to follow. The pathway led to a hallway with doors leading to different rooms on the sides. Calvin stopped in front of one that was labeled; "Guildmaster's Office" Calvin turned around to face the two. "Well, come on. Let's go."

Calvin pushed the door open with his paws, and entered the office. Choking back nervousness, Kuro went inside as well. Sammy trailed close behind.

Kuro, Sammy, and Calvin entered an office that was slightly dim due to it currently being night time. In the room was a wooden desk with a Corviknight behind it. "That must be the Guildmaster!" Kuro thought. The Corviknight's eyes were fixated on the papers on his desk. He looked up from his papers when he heard Calvin's voice; "Guildmaster, sir... I've brought some new recruits."

"Ah. Thank you for bringing them to me, Calvin." thanked the Corviknight. He looked up from his papers. His eyes widened once his gaze locked with Kuro's. Kuro tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Calvin looked at me weirdly as well... What's up with that?" Kuro thought. "Do they not see Eevee's around these parts...?"

"We don't see many Eevees here in Sugarcane Town..." the Corviknight said.

"Oh, I was right." Kuro confirmed within his thoughts.

"Well, that doesn't matter. I'm Chrome Morris, but you can just call me Chrome, or Guildmaster." the Corviknight introduced himself. Then, he reached into one of the cabinets of his desk, and took out a stack of papers, placing them in front of him. "Now, what we should be focusing on is getting you two registered as Explorers. Full names, please."

"O-Oh! I'm Sammy. Sammy Darkstorm..."

"I'm Kuro. I... I don't really remember my last name."

"You don't remember?" Calvin said skeptically.

"I kind of have amnesia... I woke up on a beach shore with no memories of my past." Kuro explained. His own words reminded him of the actuality he was in. He looked at the ground sadly for a few seconds, before looking back up. "But we'll still be able to register, right?"

"...Fortunately, you will." Chrome replied. He had a puzzled glare, as if he doubted Kuro's story. He took out a pen, and jotted down onto one of the papers on his desk. Once he was finished, he looked at Kuro with a stern stare; "Given the current circumstances you told me, are you really sure that becoming an Explorer is a good idea?"

"I am." Kuro answered. He explained; "I feel that becoming an Explorer might help me out with my memories. The things I discover might help me remember the pieces of my past. Whatever this Exploring thing has to offer, is no match for me, or Sammy! She's the strongest teammate I could ever ask for!"

Nearing his last sentence, he glanced at Sammy with a beaming smile. She smiled back. Kuro noticed a faint blush on her face, but didn't think it as much. He looked back over to Calvin and Chrome; "So, yes. Me and Sammy are ready to become Explorers!"

"Hm. You have a lot of confidence, Kuro. That's a good thing to have as an Explorer." Chrome pointed out. A small smirk grew across his beak. "Now, the last thing you need is a team name. Once you have one, I'll be able to register you two as Explorers into our system. I'll give you a few minutes to contemplate on what your name will be."

Then, Chrome's attention shifted to the papers on his desk. He began to write down onto them. Kuro looked over to Sammy and spoke; "What should our team name be?"

"I don't know... How about Team Sunrise, since we came to the guild when the sun was setting?" Sammy suggested.

"Interesting name, but I don't really like it. How about Team Tailshore, because I woke up on a shore, and we have... Tails?" Kuro said. He didn't like his own idea.

"That name sucks, Kuro." Sammy deadpanned. Kuro nodded in agreement. She gazed at the ground beneath her, seemingly pondering, until she looked up at Kuro with a bright expression. "Ooh! Ooh! Hang on, I think I've got an idea!"

"What is it?" Kuro asked.

"Team Shadowstrike!" Sammy answered, sounding extremely confident, and proud of her name choice. "I think it has a nice ring to it! Don't you agree?"

"Wait, actually, I do! That's a really good name! I love it!" Kuro gushed.

"Then it's settled!" Sammy announced.

Kuro turned towards Chrome's desk, and spoke out loud; "Mr. Guildmaster, we've decided what our team name will be! Team Shadowstrike!"

"Interesting name choice." Chrome pointed out. "Then, I shall register..."

Chrome trailed off, as he placed one of the papers he put aside on his desk in front of him. He used his pen to write something down into the paper. Then, he took out a folder filled with several other papers, and slipped the paper he held with his wing into it. He then put the folder back into the cabinet he previously took it out of. "You two are now officially Explorers. You are now Team Shadowstrike!"

"Yes! Yes, I finally did it!" Sammy exulted, leaping up into the air in delight. "I finally did it! I'm finally an Explorer!"

Kuro smiled at Sammy's excitement. He was excited as she was. Calvin got out of his sitting position in the corner of the room, and leapt onto Chrome's desk. Chrome handed him a box. Calvin pushed it off the desk with his head. It landed in front of Kuro and Sammy.

Then, he walked over to the two. He unsheathed his claws, and used them to open the box. He then spoke; "Your team receives a complimentary satchel to put items in. I see you already have a satchel, Sammy. It's best Kuro holds onto this one, then."

"Sweet, free stuff!" Kuro smiled.

Calvin reached into the box. He struggled a bit due to his sized, but he managed to take some of the items inside of the box out; The satchel he mentioned, and two strange looking purple emblems. He picked them up. "These are your badges. They've been calibrated to teleport to your dorm. To teleport there, you'll simply need to touch it. On the topic of dorms, I should take you to yours. There's a few other items in the box, but I think it's best I take you to your dorm now. Follow me."

"Oh my goodness, we get our own dorms?! Awesome!" Sammy shouted with glee.

Calvin pushed open the door, and walked out of the office. Kuro and Sammy followed. They walked down the same hallway, but made a sharp turn to the left. Calvin stopped in front of a door leading to another room. He pushed open the door, and entered. Kuro and Sammy entered as well.

The three entered the room. It was a small, but pretty spacious area. In the center of the room were two circular beds made of hay. Calvin turned towards the two. "This is your room. It may look pretty... Dingy... But with the money you get from your explorations, you may be able to spice it up a bit. Now, I shall be taking my leave now... I must be going. I suggest you two get some rest, as it's pretty late, and you have a long day ahead of you."

Calvin began to make his way out of the room. Sammy smiled; "Okay! Thanks, Calvin!"

"Y-You shall address me as sir!" Calvin shouted to Sammy on his way out, sounding angry. Once he was out of the room, he shut the door behind him.

Sammy heaved out a sigh. Then, she giggled, as she ran towards one of the beds, and leapt into it. "Oh my goodness I get my own bed! Wow!"

Kuro walked towards the other bed, and lied down in it. "N-Not very comfy... But it's manageable!"

"...Calvin's right, we should get some rest. It's pretty late, now..." Sammy said. Kuro looked away for a moment, and therefore, didn't notice that she had moved towards one of the three windows in the room. She walked towards the light switch on the wall, and flicked it. The room became light. Then, she said goodnight to Kuro; "Good night!"

"Night, Sammy!" he said good night back.

Kuro then closed his eyes. He could hear Sammy walking back to bed, and climbing into it.

It was midnight, yet Kuro found himself awake. He was looking out the window, which he could see the town below him out of. What was keeping him awake were his thoughts. He was now a bit nervous about being an Explorer, and he was very unhappy about his amnesia. He uttered out an exasperated sigh, as he blankly gazed out the window.

"Can't sleep either?" he heard a voice. He turned around, and saw Sammy standing in front of him.

"...Yeah." he replied.

"Well, what's troubling ya?'" she asked, as she sat down beside Kuro.

"A lot of things. I'm not a bit anxious about becoming an Explorer. I'm determined I can do it, but I just can't help but feel a little bit nervous!" Kuro began to explain the reasons for his uneasiness. "On top of that, I've been thinking about my reality. I have no memories! I don't remember a single thing except for my name, my species, and a few other things!"

"...I understand. The Explorer part, at least." Sammy consoled Kuro. She inched closer to him. "Well, I'm sure that we'll be able to recover your memories at some point. That's why you became an Explorer with me, right?"

"Mhm." he answered.

"You know, there's another reason that I became an Explorer..." Sammy said.

"Really? What is it?" Kuro questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"You know how I mentioned my brother, Akari, who went missing?" Sammy recalled. Kuro pondered for a few seconds, before nodding yes. He did remember. Sammy continued; "Well... I want to find him, and reunite with him! And I feel like becoming an Explorer will help me find him. So, we're both looking for things we've lost. We've got similar conflicts!"

"Say... You're right. That actually does make me feel a bit better." Kuro smiled warmly.

"I'm glad." Sammy smiled back. "We can help each other out as we journey! And I'm soon in no time, we'll succeed in our goals!"

"Yeah, Sammy. Thanks for telling me that, I feel a lot better now." Kuro thanked her. "I thank you for everything you've done so far, actually. From feeding me that oran berry when we first met on the shore, and becoming an Explorer with me. I don't know where I'd be without you!"

"Awwww, thanks!" Sammy replied, flattered. "You've done a lot for me as well, today! You helped me get my pendant back! Thank you very much."

"You're welcome!" Kuro's smile grew even bigger. He felt a small blush appearing on his face, but he didn't know why. He shook it off as nothing, and began to make his way back towards his bed. "Well, we should probably get some rest, Calvin did say we have a big day ahead of us..."

"Yeah, your correct!" Sammy agreed. She walked towards her bed, and lied down in it. "Night, Kuro."

"Goodnight, Sammy." Kuro said goodnight.

With his troubles washed away by Sammy's words, he was now able to sleep peacefully. In just a few minutes, he slipped into unconsciousness.

Author's Notes

Finally! After a few days of procrastinating it, I finally decided to sit down, and finish this chapter. I really took my time with this one, sorry about it, lol. Hopefully I'll be able to push out chapters sooner, I have an entire summer break to write this fic! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. I have some big things planned for the next one. Anyways, this concludes these author's notes. I'll see you soon. Peace be upon you, and may God be with you.

- AkariNocturne