Chapter 2: Colors

Mula, a Floragato with a knapsack slung over her shoulder, found herself in the surprisingly bustling streets of Leboa Town. Pokémon were at the various shops in town, heading into the Lilligant Café or making their way to and from the port. Mula marveled at the amount of Pokémon out and about. From what she'd learned about the town on her travels, it was a relatively young settlement compared to others like Treasure Town, but the port built on the Grass Continent's northern shore and the guild that opened in town allowed a lot of Pokémon to move in search of opportunities. The guild was even her own reason for being there.

"I'll finally become a real explorer," Mula mumbled to herself, clenching her paw. Now she just had to find the guild. "Right…" Realizing it would be easier said than done in this crowd, she whipped her head around this way and that, hoping to find anymore who'd be willing to give her the time of day.

Not really looking where she was going, the Grass Cat Pokémon started craning her neck, trying to see over some of the taller Pokémon. The inevitable result of not paying attention very quickly happened. She bumped into someone else trying to weave their way through the crowd. The other Pokémon was a bit smaller than Mula, so it must have felt like more than a bump. The two of them fell backwards and found themselves sitting on the walkway.

Mula scrambled to apologize, not even seeing the other creature before then. "Urf… I'm so sorry! Are you o…kay…?" The other creature was unlike any Pokémon she had ever seen. She was wearing this tattered brown cloak, her hood falling back to reveal orange fur with stunning black, brown and copper red markings crowning a pristine white face. The cat-like creature had a long, elegant orange tail with copper red strips and a tuft of fluffy red fur at the end and tied to it was a ribbon that was a gradient of red, orange and pink. Bringing all of those striking colors together was a set of golden eyes.

The other cat gasped and quickly threw her hood back on over her large ears. Mula scrambled over to her and offered out a paw. The shy cat, with hesitancy and a glimmer of hope in those golden eyes, took hold of it with a gloved paw tipped with sharp black claws. They both rose to their feet together when the shy cat answered softly, "I-I'm okay."

Mula sighed in relief and gave a friendly smile. She sheepishly apologized again, "Sorry about that. I should have looked where I was going. Anything I can do to make it up to you?" Stopping herself short, she sprung to introduce herself with a bit more zeal than she intended to show. "My name's Mula!"

Eyes widening a bit, the other cat cracked a small smile under her hood and replied, "Nice to meet you. I'm Mickey." She paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out what to say next. "C-could you maybe show me to the guild?"

"Absolutely!" the Floragato exclaimed cheerily. "As soon as I figure out where it is myself. I, uh, I'm not exactly from around here."

"Oh," Mickey remarked, ears drooping under her hood.

"Hey, don't fret," Mula said encouragingly, looking around. She was immediately struck by the sight of a small building with a flower-shaped roof. A sign out front read 'Lilligant Café'. "Ah-ha! Let's go in there. Someone in this café ought to know. Explorers from the guild probably even frequent this place."

"Oka-ay!" Mickey responded, staggering the last syllable as she was pulled into the café by the excited green cat. She used her free paw to keep her hood on, not looking to attract unwanted attention.

The café had a fair number of patrons. A Vileplume was sitting at the counter, chatting with Lilligant between sips of a minty green smoothie. A Kricketune sang in the corner, and a Croconaw was making an exchange with the Trubbish and Slowking that ran the recycle shop. A gold colored Cacturne was doing a tarot card reading for a fluffy Ponyta at one table. At another table, the biggest Dunsparce that Mula had ever seen was regaling an Exeggcute with an old story.

"…And I'll tell ya, those Team Charm ladies are even prettier in person. I do wish I had had the courage back then to explore Boulder Quarry and keep pace with 'em," the long Dunsparce told the seedlike telepaths. "That was, of course, before I evolved. Heck, it was even before Guildmaster Cait gave me the name Yamato."

That got the attention of Mula and Mickey, who shuffled over to the table earnestly. Mula cleared her throat and asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Dunsparce, we couldn't help but overhear. Would you happen to be with the Amazon Exploration Guild?"

Without missing a beat, Yamato responded, "That's Dudunsparce, young lady. It's like Dunsparce, but more." He turned to the felines proudly, not noticing the Exeggcute sidle away. "And yes, I am a member of the guild. The oldest members, in fact! Hohoho!" Mula chuckled awkwardly, and Mickey stood quietly in the face of such boisterous bravado. "…If you don't count Lady. Or Ves. They're special cases. Why, I've been exploring even before the great Wigglytuff reached the rank of guildmaster, so long before Master Cait explored. Perchance I should regale you with my exploits."

"Sounds like you're very accomplished, having explored for so long," Mula marveled, excitement mounting in her voice.

"Oh, yes, I'm a Silver Rank explorer," Yamato boasted. And the excitement was gone. "Would you young ladies like to see the guild?"

"More than that! We're looking to join!" Mula exclaimed, optimism returning like a tidal wave rushing onto shore. Mickey's head whirled, her golden hazel eyes wide in surprise. Mula beamed at her, grinning ear to ear. "We both wanted to go to the guild, right?"

Mickey fidgeted her gloved paws as her eyes fell to the floor. She mumbled, "I do want to go to the guild and talk to the guildmaster, but I don't think I'd fit in…" She bit her lip and started wringing her paws together, and Mula thought she saw tears welling up in the shade cast by the hood of her cloak. "I'm so different from everyone else…"

Mula stood in stunned and pensive silence for a long moment. She'd never met any Pokémon quite like this creature that she'd only just met, and she had no idea what the multi-colored felid had gone through, but something in her heart compelled her to act, to be by Mickey's side. She said the first thing that felt right, "The only difference I saw was your pretty fur." Mickey let out an inaudible gasp, looking up at Mula and taking in the gentle seriousness of her rose eyes. The Mikemon's cheeks started to feel warm.

Yamato looked between the two felids and remarked, "The entire guild is full of oddballs, from Master Cait on down. Both of you will fit right in. Trust me, you'll both be as normal as a Plain Seed. Alright, I'll take ya there!" Yamato thusly tossed some Poké onto the table and hopped away, glancing back and beckoning Mula and Mickey to follow. Sparing a glance and subtle nod at each other, they trailed the Dudunsparce. Along the way, he regaled them with exploits of the Mist Continent and how he was alongside the legendary Virizion in a landmark high-stakes expedition. Neither Mickey nor Mula could visualize it, but Yamato seemed not to notice as he went onto the next story.

Soon enough, they had made their way up to a stone archway, and beyond that was a stone building with a wooden frame, casement windows, and a series of banners draped neatly across the front of the second story. Atop the roof was a small flag flying proudly in the breeze. Sitting above the front door was a wooden ornament, a simple flat circle with a design painted onto it that one could only describe as peculiar and intricate, a series of swirls and lines radiating from a central circle.

"Whoa…!" Mula exclaimed under her breath. "It's like a castle that isn't overdoing it on the castle part."

"Welcome to the Amazon Guild," a deep voice greeted. It wasn't Yamato, so Mickey and Mula peered around, seeking out the source. "Up here." When the young queens looked up, they found themselves locking eyes with the stone archway that was before them. The arch had a lopsided smile and wore a friendly gaze in chalky white eyes. Mula's body went stiff with shock, and Mickey quickly sidestepped behind her. The arch, a Stonjourner, let out a hearty laugh. "That's everyone's first reaction. Two more Pokémon you gave the over-under on your biography, Yamato?"

"Prospective apprentices, I'd say. They wanted to speak with the guildmaster and they got that special twinkle in their eyes," Yamato claimed. "Though, I guess it's, uh, a little harder to tell for the shorter one wearing the hood." The segmented serpentine buzzed his little wings and turned around to face the felines. "Stonjourner here is the sentry for the guild. He is both the gate and the gatekeeper."

Mula waved awkwardly, giving a stiff-yet-chipper, "How do you do?"

"Hi," Mickey mumbled as she took a half step out from behind Mula. "Nice to meet you."

Stonjourner eyed them, then Yamato, then the duo again and shrugged his short, blocky arms. "The guild makes a stronger first impression than the building would have you think. Go on in."