Chapter 1: Starglow

Eve

Starshroud Forest:

Just beyond the luminous city of Starglow, there existed a vast, unexplored forest known as Starshroud. To the locals, it was a cruel, terrifying maze that knew only darkness and witchcraft. To me, it was my home.

I hopped off the tree stump that had been my bed and padded off for my morning walk. Out of all the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest, it was the trees that were the most impressive. For a simple wooded area out in the middle of nowhere, their size was a sight to behold. No one had ever been to the top of these things, or so I'd heard, and I knew everything that went on in town. Every rumor spread was my daily entertainment, and I took pride in the hobby.

True to the word of the folks in town, light was scarce in the forest, even during the day. A canopy of foliage rose high above the forest floor, covering the maze in a veil of darkness. Nighttime was another story. The city once called down a bunch of science fanatics to debunk the myths of witchcraft affecting the forest, yet none could explain the soothing glow of the plants and trees come nightfall. Explorers and merchants took advantage of the soft light, often flocking to Starglow under the cover of night. Along with them came more rumors, and with new rumors came new problems to solve. Perfect chores for new guild recruits and working citizens alike!

The eerie glow of the forest gave way to blinding rays as I approached my favorite clearing. If only the village folk knew how beautiful Starshroud's clearings looked, they'd stop spooking kits with dumb legends. They were flowery meadows, each surrounded by walls of dense foliage. My favorite clearing in particular hosted countless pink flowers, all strung along the branches of some small tree I never knew the name of. There were too many of these pink trees to count, and not one of them wilted during the fall. The pink trees shared the space of the clearing with a small, reflective pond, and the sweet scent the flowers lent to the air was nothing short of peaceful. I'd come here every morning to bathe and relax by the pond, waiting for the daily arrival of my sister to escort me to the village.

Early in the morning, the sight of the pond was breathtaking. Each day it would perfectly capture the image of everything that made the forest great. The blueness of the sky would blend perfectly with the vibrant greens and pinks of the clearing, forming what I could only describe as a natural soup. Such was the reason I spent every night out among the trees. I always hoped that Ally, my twin sister would share it with me, but she never seemed interested in what went on in the forest. Ever since she moved out, she'd spent more time in the city than she did around nature. Ally had always been more of an inside vee, but I wish she'd stop once in a while and relax. Nature was a pretty good stress reliever after all.

I smiled, stepping into the warm water and soaking my fur in preparation for my morning bath. If I could name the best place to lose yourself in your thoughts, it'd have to be a forest clearing full of flowers. They're secluded, like a mini meadow, and offer quite the view of the sky. Add a dose of the summer's heat and a small pond, and you've got yourself a free vacation home! If I said it was foolproof, however, I'd be lying. Sunlight beat against my forehead as I lay half-submerged in shallow pond water. Today was a particularly hot one and, unfortunately, the clouds weren't doing their job. Pushing off from the shore, I couldn't help but groan. "Ugh. It's way too hot!"

"Never thought I'd hear you complaining about this place." Another eevee padded up to the pond's shore. "Isn't this your hideout?" Ally sighed. "If you're going to invite me here, the least you can do is act."

I narrowed my eyes lazily as I floated belly-up in the water. "Shut up. I have a migraine…" I attempted to splash her, but she was too far for my pitiful waves to reach. "Come closer will ya? I can't hear you." Ally and I were twins, born from the same egg. Despite this, she and I were far from similar. We matched in every aspect other than eye color, yet unlike me, she was quite the nerd. Books, libraries, research. She got all the smart hobbies, and though our parents wished I was more studious, I just couldn't see the point.

"As if. You're just going to drag me in." The green-eyed eevee huffed. "That aside, there's nothing wrong with catching a bit of honesty from my sister. It's nearly noon. You should try not to be lazy." Ally was hounding me, but I knew she was dying to jump in herself. Unfortunately, that proper attitude of hers wouldn't let her. "Besides, if it's really that bad, you could always find some shade."

"In Starglow? Good luck with that." I kicked to shore, shaking out my fur under a nearby tree. "Most trees here glow. You couldn't find an inch of dark woodland around here if you tried. Besides, this is a great place to relax. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be doing that? It's your day off." I asked, grasping lazily for my brush. "Don't cave in. Those eco-whatever guys already work you hard enough."

The eevee frowned disapprovingly. "The Ecological Coalition. They're an important organization, Eve. They help keep the environment in check." She shook her head. "To be honest, I'm surprised you're not interested yourself. They're a branch of the guild system. Explorers help out all the time."

"Why have a branch when you can have the whole tree?" I smirked. "Honestly, I'd rather apply at the guild. Guildmaster Evelyn is supposedly super strong. Rumor has it she took on a rogue guild herself and won!"

"I doubt it's that simple." The eevee shook her head. "Look, every branch is connected, Eve. Volunteer and you might be surprised. Someone might speak well of you to Evelyn." Evelyn, or Jade as she was known in town, was the guildmaster of the Starglow Guild. It was far from new, but only recently garnered some fame. Long story short, some big shot had made a name for himself, and when it came out that he was from Starglow, everyone wanted in.

"I'd rather take a few of those requests from the mission board in town." I paused, tossing my brush aside. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. Oh! And I want you to come with me. No sneaking back to work."

Ally shuffled about uncomfortably. "Eve, you know that's not-"

"Not allowed?" I shook my head. "Don't give me that. That only goes for missions dealing with criminals. Everything else is fair game."

"You're going whether or not I come along, aren't you?" She sighed. "Fine, but only after you pick up your hat. Verdant won't wait all day. You know how she gets." Verdant was our local seamstress. She ran a shop in town that dealt with fixing clothes, and I'd left my hat in her care. It was a black, straw fedora with a bright pink bow, a birthday gift from my father. Not a family heirloom in the slightest, though Ally certainly considered it one.

"Well, you're right about one thing at least." I stretched. "Verdant's strict about her schedule. I'll get an earful if I make her late for lunch." I shook my head. "Most places are open at night. I don't get why she can't wait until then."

"Verdant's like us. She's not nocturnal like the rest of the city." Ally folded her tail over her paws, pleased. "Personally, I'm glad. It's odd the way this place is. Flipping night and day is hardly healthy." Starglow was known far and wide as the nocturnal city, thanks in part to the glowing forest it was located in. The trees, plants, flowers, and even fruit gave off a faint glow of their respective color. No one was sure why this occurred, but it was quite a popular site for tourists. Most folks slept during the day and went out at night. The same was true with most of the businesses, including the guild. They operated all day long, but in most cases, all requests and missions exterior to the city were reserved for high-ranking teams during the day. "Have you even considered what kind of request you're going for? You won't be able to go far."

"I'll get to that when the time comes!" I took the lead, beckoning my sister into the deeper wood. "Hurry, before I leave you behind!"

"Don't run ahead!" She called after me as I left her in the dust.

Starglow - Commercial District:

Starglow itself was, despite its size, a relatively calm city. It was a tight-knit settlement, parked snugly in the center of a forest clearing, with a heavy emphasis on trade and tradition. We even had our own request boards! Granted, those were mostly used by local law enforcement and altruistic crowd pleasers. The preachy, showman-type explorers that brought us recognition. Not the real explorers that made the big discoveries. According to Ally, they helped keep the peace. I just found them irritating. Nonetheless, we were recognized by the guilds!

The trees were Starglow's real attraction, however. Those who came to see a popular face often stayed for the beauty of the bioluminescent plants. Their glow was unlike any other tourist attraction in Veralos, and the merchants knew it. None more so than Verdant who, despite her strict schedule, was the most eager to take advantage of the town's steady stream of tourists. Even if she missed out on the busy hours of the market, she was eager to cash in on those who'd just arrived. Naturally, tourists weren't the crazy nocturnal folk that made up the rest of the city. More importantly, they hadn't yet been swayed by the negative rumors surrounding the forest, so they were ripe for the picking for any opportunistic merchant.

"Ooh! You actually kept up this time!" I cheered for my sister as she dragged herself out of the forest. "I'd say that's a record."

Ally glared daggers as she plopped down on her belly, heaving deep, sweaty gasps as she struggled to catch her breath. "Yeah well." She huffed. "You wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't caught up. Besides, you have way too much stamina. It's got to be those pink eyes of yours. I swear they glow as much as the forest."

"As if that makes sense." I grinned cheekily, poking the eevee's nose with a paw. "And I would have stopped if you were in serious trouble."

"Rather than wait all day for your hat?" Ally managed a cunning smile. "You care about it more than you'll admit."

"Yeah, well." My cheeks burned. "Whatever. Verdant's going on break soon. Pull yourself together."

"Fine, fine." Ally hesitantly stood. "But you owe my fur a brushing when we get home."

"Gladly!" I giggled. "Let's just grab the hat and go before all of the requests are gone!"

Despite the spectacle of a glowing forest, the paths were deserted this early in the day. Starglow had its fair share of tourists, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone up during the day in this nocturnal city. Even at noon, most of the city folk were just starting to stir from their sleep and prepare for work or school.

"Good to see you're not late for once." Spouted a familiar voice. It was Verdant, a sprigatito with brilliant, amber-colored eyes. The seamstress was huddled up under the shade of her small merchant booth, just a step away from melting in the heat. "Oh! And early too. Your sister's a good influence."

"Very funny, Verdant." I shook my head. "Can we cut the sass for today? It's way too hot." Verdant was, for lack of a better word, well-spoken. She could get along with anyone, though whether she wanted to or not was the real issue. Occasionally she'd get under your skin, though she was perfectly civil most of the time. I wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose, but she wasn't a bad pokemon.

"That we can agree on. This heat is taking a toll on my profits. No one wants to go out, not even the tourists." She lashed her tail. "That being said, your hat was in good paws. It's fixed, though I question how it ended up in such a condition in the first place." The seamstress retrieved my hat from the back of her booth, placing it evenly on the counter. "This piece is immaculate! Whoever crafted this had a keen eye. It's nothing short of a work of art. You should be more careful."

"Hats are for wearing, not coddling." I returned the fedora to its proper place atop my head. "I don't see how they can be art."

"So says the explorer." She shook her head. "Think of it as iconography. The things famous explorers wear become synonymous with their image, even if they're not personally attached to the garments. That level of art should be relevant enough to you."

"I suppose so." I shrugged. "So, are you going to stay here and melt? We're looting the request board if you wanna come along."

Verdant paused as if considering the offer. "I suppose if it won't involve leaving the forest. I could use a break from the market." The sprigatito slid from her seat and timidly stepped out into the sunlight to lock her booth. "Ugh. Just find us some cover. I don't think I can bear this for long."

Starglow Forest Depths:

At Verdant's request, our search was limited to the inner forest. Requests centered around this section of the forest tended to be more difficult, but the benefit of the forest canopy was too much to overlook during harsh summers. Unfortunately, these requests were also rare. While there was plenty of exploring to be done in the deeper wood, most of the leftover morning requests were odd jobs based in the city and its wooded borders.

Regardless, we'd lucked out. Ordinarily, rescue missions were reserved for guild staff alone, but a relatively harmless one had been misplaced and, as much as Ally wanted to protest, it was the only request that fit the bill. "We shouldn't be doing this, Eve. Even if we're still in Starglow, this could be unsafe."

"You're always saying I should do something to impress Evelyn." I swished my tail dismissively. "Imagine completing an actual explorer mission!" I glanced down at the roughed-up parchment. Someone, perhaps an explorer, was eager to get rid of this request. The parchment was battered—torn even—as if it'd been pinned in a hurry.

"It's against the rules, Eve! And more pressingly, we don't have any training." The eevee quivered. "What if we run into a rogue?"

"It's just a lost pokemon." I squinted at the chicken scratch on the page. "Someone named Lisa. It can get pretty confusing here. Everything looks the same." I shrugged. The forest depths, despite being completely lit, were an easy trap for those unfamiliar with its layout. Living out in the woods came with its benefits; however. I knew the place like the back of my paw."

"Give it up, Ally." Verdant trotted the path backward, a jovial spring in her step. Unsurprisingly, she'd had no complaints once the forest canopy was at play. "Not even the guildmaster herself would be able to convince her to turn down a mission like this. They're quite rare at this time of day."

Ally's ears twitched in annoyance. "Oh, fine. Just don't complain to me if we get scolded."

By the time we reached the deepest part of the forest, the heat of the morning had faded. It wasn't late, but the thickness of the forest canopy was significant enough to cool us off a decent bit. "All right." I plopped down, shifting my focus around the canopy-covered clearing. Even during the day, the glowing of the trees and plants this deep in was mystical. "We've gone as far as we can go. Where is she?"

Ally bit her lip. "In this heat, I wonder." She wandered about the clearing, gazing about nervously. "If they didn't have water, could they have fainted?"

Verdant shook her head. "That's for the medics to worry about. Still…" She produced a small water flask from her sewing pouch. "Better safe than sorry."

Ally frowned. "Even so, where are they?" A glint of hope entered the eevee's eyes. "Maybe someone already helped them? The request could have been put back up by mistake."

Verdant narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't be too sure." She flicked her tail towards a heavily wooded section towards the entrance to the clearing. An odd, red gleam seemed to part the foliage of a bush. "It's not a person, but…" The sprigatito plucked the object from the bushes, revealing a strange, red gemstone. Like the surrounding foliage, the gem glowed an eerie red. "Something they dropped?"

I nearly leaped at the sight of the treasure. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen. "Do gemstones really glow like that?"

Verdant's expression twisted. "I'm not sure, but something doesn't sit well with me." She pocketed the crystal and scanned the perimeter of the clearing.

"What do you mean? I call this a win!" I grinned. "Ally's right. That girl probably got rescued already. At least we found some treasure! We can…" Before I could continue, Verdant tackled me to the ground, followed shortly by the rustling of leaves and an extended cracking sound, as if a tree had toppled. "What was that for!"

"Yes indeed. What was that for." Replied an unfamiliar voice. Verdant pulled me up just in time for a zorua to breach the thick foliage beyond the clearing. "Why'd you have to go and dodge?" They snarled. "I go through the trouble of tracking that stone down, all for a bunch of city folk to wander in and snatch it. First that curious kit and now you lot." They narrowed their eyes. "Hand it over. You won't dodge it this time."

"What's the big idea?" I lashed my tail. The zorua didn't look any older than I was, yet he approached with the ferocity of a pokemon well beyond that. "Look, I don't know who you are, but who leaves a treasure like this lying about in the woods?"

"Eve!" Verdant nudged me forcefully, then gestured towards the woodland behind us. Where there had once been thick bushes was now a shredded mess of glowing leaves. The damage extended back a few furret's lengths before ending abruptly against the stump of a fresh-fallen tree. "This isn't the time." The seamstress reached for her bag, but I stopped her.

"No way. We…"

"You'd better listen to your friend there." Slowly, a pebble levitated off the ground until it hovered around his upraised paw. Then, in the blink of an eye, it shot off to his side and lodged itself in another tree. There was a sickening crack, then it too began to topple.

I stumbled back in surprise, nearly tripping over my own tail. Had Ally not been there, I would've landed on my rear. "W-Woah! Back off, ok." I bit back a whimper. I'd read about explorers with special powers, but nothing came close to a pebble knocking over a tree…at least the explorers I read about. I found the braggy ones annoying. "All right, Verdant. Give it to him."

Verdant nodded and prepared to toss the gemstone, but I halted her progress. "What are you doing?" She glared. "This isn't the time for games, Eve."

"We'll give it to you." I heaved a nervous sigh. "In exchange, tell us where that girl is. The kit from before."

The zorua frowned, then straightened. "That's it? Doesn't take a lot to break new explorers now does it?" He shook his head. "All right then. Truth be told, she wasn't here long. Made a break for the exit the moment I confronted her. Scared for her life, the poor thing. " He flicked his tail in the direction we came from. "Likely passed out in the thick of the woods. Beyond that, finding her is your problem." His expression hardened. "Now, fork it over."

Verdant tossed the gemstone without a moment's hesitation as if she thought I'd cling to it once more. All the while she stared at me with an expression rivaling the rogue.

A glint of satisfaction adorned the zorua's expression, but before he could lay claim to the crystal, it was forcefully shoved into the ground by some unseeable force. "You…" His expression twisted into one of rage. "What is this? Just what are you playing at?"

"That's what I'd like to ask you." A female meowstic dropped down from the canopy above, blocking the zorua's path. For someone who'd just dropped through the trees, her fur was relatively neat, as if recently brushed. Her eyes were a bright blue and, despite the heat, she wore a scarf. It was the color of onyx. The emblem of the Starglow guild was cleverly stitched into one end, a plant stem with two asymmetrically spaced leaves branching off from it. The logo itself was contained within a diamond frame with a different texture from the rest of the fabric. "Nexus, correct?" She knelt down and retrieved the crystal without giving him time to answer. "You'd risk arrest for something like this?"

Nexus growled and took a step back toward the trees. "Great. Now we've got a big one."

The meowstic began to lift her ears. The moment she did so, the leaves, vines, and branches of the trees behind Nexus began to constrict, effectively blocking his path.

The zorua put his weight against the wall of plant life, but he was far too small to make any decent progress. "Fine, have it your way." Like before, Nexus lifted a pebble off the ground and flung it our way.

The meowstic stopped the pebble in its tracks, but he was gone before she could return her attention to Nexus. "That little sneak." She sighed and let her ears fall. "Are you three ok?"

I heaved a long sigh, dropping into a heap on the ground. "This isn't the mission I signed up for. Who was that guy? And you?"

The meowstic turned around, her bright blue eyes blinking curiously. "My name is Herra Verna. I'm an executive explorer under the direction of the Starglow guild." Herra narrowed her eyes. "Just what are you three doing out here? This area is closed pending a criminal investigation.

"An investigation?" I sprung up, looking over the request flyer from before. "But it doesn't say anything about that on the flyer."

"From the request bulletin?" Herra gently lifted the parchment from my paws. "This…is not a mission meant for civilians." The meowstic frowned. She sounded…disturbed? "I don't know what this was doing on the civilian board, but you three shouldn't be out here."

"Our apologies." Verdant offered. Despite her usual composure, the seamstress sounded shaken. "We must've overlooked the description."

"Well, I didn't!" I lashed my tail. "It doesn't make sense. The flyer says this is a rescue mission."

"That may be, but missions are for guild staff alone." Herra shook her head. "That being said, I suppose there's no harm done." Her expression softened. "The client is young, correct? Perhaps she came across our bait and ended up in a confrontation with that criminal." The meowstic revealed the red crystal from before. "At any rate, have you found her yet?"

"That zorua from before… Nexus you said?" Ally approached the path back to the clearing. "He said she ran off this way, through the trees." She bit her lip. "Whether or not he was lying, I don't know."

Herra nodded. "Hold this for a moment." Leaving the crystal with me, the meowstic disappeared into the mass of trees."

"What were you thinking, Eve?" Verdant spat. "I understand you want to be an explorer, but this is far from what we're capable of."

My tail felt heavy with guilt. "I know. I'm sorry." I pawed at the ground uncertainly. "Can't we just apply at the guild the old fashion way? Would that work?"

Ally nudged my side playfully. "Honestly, Eve. I only mentioned the coalition because you kept making fun of it." She chuckled. "We're old enough now. You should've asked me to help you apply."

"After what you put me through, I should say no." Verdant huffed. "But if I leave you to your own devices, you'll wreck that hat in no time. There's no way I can leave you alone with it."

"Oh come off it! It didn't even get dirty when that guy attacked us." I growled. "But since you like it so much, we're naming the team after it."

"Team Fedora…" Verdant blinked. "So be it. I can work with that iconography."

Our conversation was cut short by the rustling of leaves as Herra returned. She was carrying another pokemon in her arms, though I couldn't quite make out their species. "Sounds like you've made up your minds." She chuckled. "In that case, I'll have you present the results of your mission to the guildmaster. I certainly hope you can explain why we found a mew out in the middle of the woods."

"A mew?" I sputtered. True to her word, in Herra's arms lay the unconscious form of a young mew.

"But her fur." Verdant approached, running a paw along the kit's caramel-brown pelt. Speckles of cream dotted the kit's muzzle. Its paws, ears, and tail split off into tufts of white and, curiously, its tail tip was shaped like a cloud. "And are these socks?"

"We'll save the questions for when they wake." Herra grinned. "Well then. If you're ready to form a team, we'd better hurry. Applications during daylight hours are a limited-time thing." With little more than a simple chuckle, the meowstic turned down the path to Starglow and beckoned for us to follow.

Author's Note:

Hello to anyone who still reads my fanfic stuff! This here is the beginning of a rewrite of a PMD fanfic that I wrote all the way back in 2012-2013. It's been a while! So long that I've finished a few drafts of my own novel. Said novel is taking up the majority of my creative focus at this time, however, I do plan to dump my more experimental ideas into this kind of stuff from time to time, so do look forward to updates to this along with one of my older stories, Imagine from time to time. These chapters may be a bit messy as I tend to rush out these test ideas for the sake of practice, but I do plan on putting together a somewhat cohesive plot for each fanfic I revive. As always, thanks so much for reading!

-EMG