Chapter 3: Meeting the Guildmaster
Stonjourner's words were truer than either Mickey or Mula anticipated. As soon as Yamato opened the front doors of the guild hall, he was sent flying by a sugary explosion of sprinkles and fruit. The felid creatures' jaws dropped, stunned silent as a Rainbow Cream Alcremie simply went, "Whoops. I overdid it with the sweets."
"I don't get why you need to mix in sweets for your swap alchemy anyway," came a feminine voice. Its source, in Mula's eyes, was a tall purple Sneasel with the longest head feather she'd ever seen. Floating next to the lanky Sneasel was what appeared to be a massive Misdreavus with feathers in their flowing hair tendrils and slit pupils amidst glowing yellow eyes.
"W-why are they acting like this is normal?" Mickey whispered, but Mula was at too much of a loss for words to even think of a half-decent answer.
A Pawmi gasped, "Visitors!" He scampered over to the feline duo. "The name's Pawl. Welcome to the Amazon Guild! Unless you're selling some dodgy service. Then I'm gonna bap you til you're medium rare."
"Uh…" Mula droned, unable to come to conclusive feelings about the all-too-casual threat.
"They're legit," Yamato proclaimed, shaking off a dazed stupor as he hopped over. "They want to meet Master Cait. Our very own juniors."
A Bayleef with a Power Band around her neck sauntered out from a back room, likely beckoned by the carbohydrate-fueled explosion. Rather than being in any state of shock over the door being blown open, she smiled at the two felid creatures. "Hello! I'm sorry about all this; we have a habit of leaving a strong first impression around here. My name is Hibiki! What business do you have with our guildmaster?"
"I-I really need to speak to her," Mickey mumbled, rocking on her paws.
"We want to become explorers! I want to be able to make a difference in the world," Mula proclaimed, comparatively more determined.
Hibiki turned her head aside for a moment, muttering to herself, "Even after all that, these girls still want to become explorers? We're not exactly slow and steady around here." Then, her smile brightened as she stifled a giggle. "How nostalgic! This takes me back to my apprentice days with Cait!"
"Sounds intense…" Mula mumbled, suppressing a tremor of anticipation within her body.
Mickey spoke up, gently interrupting the Bayleef's musings. "Apprentice days?"
"Oh yeah! See, I'm one of the cofounders of the original Team Amazon, and Cait's partner. Feels like just yesterday we were in your position when we went for apprenticeship at Wigglytuff's Guild," Hibiki elaborated, eyeing each of the prospective recruits carefully. "I'll take you to her chamber. Just be calm, confident and respectful."
With a beckoning craning of her neck, the Bayleef led the two cats toward the back of the building, then up a set of stone stairs. Mula looked back at Mickey as they ascended. The multicolored creature had been relatively reserved since they met this morning, but the Floragato thought she saw a fire in those hazel eyes. The trio stopped at a door marked with a very peculiar pattern, formed with swirls and lines radiating from a circle.
"Cait?" Hibiki called out through the door. "It's me. We have some prospective recruits who want to speak with you." There was a pause, then Hibiki opened the door and guided the cat creatures in. The walls were lined with ancient treasures, and the back wall was adorned in the three banners that were draped out on the front of the guild. One for the Grass Continent, one for the Exploration Team Federation, and the middle banner being an A-shaped crest where an Eevee tail met with a Chikorita leaf. Small stacks of letters and paperwork were piled aside like an afterthought. Inside, on a large red mat, sat a fluffy Flareon with a bucket on her head gazing wistfully at a map of the world. Hibiki called out again. "Cait."
"Hm? Hibiki!" the Flareon replied, happily surprised as if awoken from a trance. She pranced over to the Bayleef and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How's my lovely partner? Hm? Oh!" She turned her attention to Mula and Mickey, her dark blue eyes sparkling in wonder. "New friends! Hello, friends! I am Cait, the guildmaster here! Gosh, are you as fascinated with the wonders of this world as I am? So many sites, so much lost knowledge just waiting to be uncovered, so many lives to change for the better."
Mula, not missing a beat, exclaimed in turn, "Heck yes! That's everything I want in exploring! What treasure is better than a bright and happy smile?"
"Oh, I like you!" Cait responded, feeling a sort of resonance with the Floragato. "You've definitely got the spirit of an explorer." Abruptly, she cleared her throat and walked back over to her mat. "Let's see… A Floragato and…" Eyeing the duo again, she found herself at a loss for words as Mickey lowered the hood of her cloak. "Oh my! I'm sorry, but I don't think I've ever seen a Pokemon like you before."
"That's probably because I'm…not. It's a long story, but I'm…a Digimon. Specifically, I'm a Mikemon. You can just call me Mickey, though. Porygon-Z told me I'd be safe with you. He asked me to give you this," Mickey replied, approaching Cait and pulling a small box from her cloak. The box was made of clear purple glass, with a small disc suspended inside.
"A Dubious Disc?" Hibiki observed in confusion.
"If we're thinking of the same Porygon-Z, he probably asked you to have me touch it. Sound about right?" Cait deduced, gazing at the box.
"Y-yeah. How'd you know?" Mickey asked, stunned by the accuracy of the prediction.
"Because he's a colleague from the Federation, and he knows I have a special ability related to my sense of touch," Cait explained all too cooly for a Fire-type. Gently, yet firmly, she placed her paw over the box.
Mula watched in utter confusion. Digimon? Special ability? Somehow, the conversation took off without her. She was about to say something when Cait winced and wobbled on her paws. She and Hibiki both rushed forward to keep the Flareon steady. Mula asked, "W-what's happening?"
"It's called Dimensional Scream," Hibiki said in a hushed tone, eyes locked on Cait's face as the wince melted into a thousand-yard-stare. "When she touches something, sometimes she sees or hears something connected to that item that happened in the future or past."
Cait seemed to emerge from the daze, gazing upon Mickey with an incredulous amount of sympathy in watery eyes. She spoke, "I see now. You were taken from your home by interlopers playing around with space-time, and you need shelter."
"I mean, 'home' is a bit of a strong word, but yeah…" Mickey mumbled, baffled by the power a single touch on the glass box. Porygon-Z was right. Guildmaster Cait really would understand once she received the Dubious Disc.
"Well, I guess we are more alike than I thought," Hibiki mused, letting go of a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "An upstart Pokémon with a dream to explore meets an otherworldly traveler lost in a brand-new world, and they go join an exploration guild."
Cait's face instantly brightened as she turned to her partner. She added, "And the two have been inseparable ever since."
As the guildmaster and her second-in-command gazed at one another, having a conversation with their eyes, Mickey and Mula looked at each other, their cheeks burning. Mickey thought back to how a single compliment Mula gave regarding the colors of her fur was a whirlwind in her heart, and she smiled. She claimed, "I think I'd like that."
"Are you sure…?" Mula asked, choosing her words carefully. "I kinda went ahead and spoke for the both of us when we ran into Yamato. I didn't realize that you…you know, had other plans in mind."
"It's not much of a plan, trust me," Mickey giggled sheepishly. "I do want to explore with you, Mula. If you still want me to, I mean. I'm sorry I didn't say anything…"
"I'm not sure I gave you a chance to," Mula admitted. "Still, I'm so happy you wanna explore with me! I promise we'll make a great team, and I'll protect you."
"Th-thank you," Mickey replied graciously.
"Well, now that we're all on the same page, we just need your team name so the guildmaster can register you," Hibiki informed them, finally looking away from Cait.
"How about Team Sunset? It goes with your pretty colors, and it matches your tail ribbon," Mula suggested.
Mickey looked back at the ribbon on her tail, its warm, bright colors as resilient as ever. Red into orange into white, then into a light pink and then a darker pink. That coupled with the burnt orange and coppery red tones in her fur did remind her of sunsets. Still, something felt off about it. Mickey rebutted, "That name doesn't include you, though."
The Floragato let out a silent gasp, that not even being a thought in her mind. Yet, it had been on Mickey's. That was particularly moving for Mula, someone else keeping her in mind. The Floragato did want the team name to include a color theme for Mickey's fur, but if she put herself into the equation with her various green tones… Then it hit her. "Team Rainbow."
Mickey's eyes lit up, and she smiled a big, stunningly joyful smile, a joy unencumbered by the circumstances life threw her way. The Digimon exclaimed, "Team Rainbow! Oh, I love it!"
"Team Rainbow it is, then," Cait affirmed with a nod, flinging the bucket off her head with a shake. Sitting in the fluffy, flame-shaped tuft between her ears were two Normal Rank Explorer Badges. The bucket bounced off the wall and rolled around on the floor. "There's no good way to do that."
"So why do you keep doing it?" Hibiki asked as the newly formed Team Rainbow took their badges. Hibiki pivoted to face the new recruits. "Congratulations. You're officially Amazon guild members. Welcome aboard! We'll show you the ropes tomorrow morning."
"Thank you!" Mula exclaimed graciously. Her paws trembled around her badge, clasping onto a dream come true, but knowing this was just the start. She looked to Mickey, who was similarly mystified. "Let's work hard, partner."
"You can count on me!" Mickey assured.
"Hibiki, could you please show them to the crew rooms? Afterwards, come right back," Cait instructed, receiving a nod in response. In a softer voice, she informed the Bayleef, "We need to talk about what I saw."