Author's Note: I think I've accidentally conditioned myself to the point that I write this story best while listening to old Russian music. I have no idea how this happened. Please send help.

"Alright, kid, rise and shine."

Rye shifted in his bed, blinking the drowsiness out of his eyes. As he gained his composure, he realized that he and Beck were not alone in the room. The three Pokémon of Team Apex stood at the door, seemingly fully equipped for a long journey.

"Wh-what are you...?", Rye groaned.

"The Bewilder Forest dive's today.", May said. "Don't you remember?"

As Rye blinked, he remembered the team's plans. He had been so eager to go on that trip before he had found Beck, but he had put that aside once this had all started. Even if he were planning on going anymore, it seemed like any hope of that had been snuffed out once the two of them had formed Team Reach.

Rye cocked his head confusedly. "W-why are you..."

A small murmur sounded from beside him. Beck had seemingly not been affected by the wake-up call and was still soundly sleeping, shifting occasionally in his dreams. Rye nudged the Oshawott, but to no avail. He turned to Team Apex for help, but noticed Arden and May now whispering to one another, mischievous grins growing on their faces as Pike shrunk back and watched interestedly, obviously knowing something Rye didn't. The two pulled a small seed out of their bag, then as Arden aimed to throw it at the room's center, May apologetically looked to Rye.

"I advise you step back and cover your ears. Even a Blast Seed this small can get pretty loud."

…

W-wait... this place again...

I am glad to see you at least remember that much.

Y-you?

I do not have much time, child. Continue as usual, but when the time comes, the signs will show themselves. When they do, be ready to stand for what you believe in, no matter the cost.

What? What does that even mean? Who are you? Why am I here? Why did you-

I cannot remain. Farewell.

No, don't-

BANG!

I shot out of my bed like a startled Pidgey, screaming as I landed on the floor and scampered backwards into the wall. As my head cleared, the sound of uproarious laughter made itself known. Looking up from my fetal position, I found three things: one, Arden, May, and Pike all busting a gut at me; two, Rye looking horrified at whatever had just happened; and three, a smoking crater in the middle of the wooden floor.

"D-did you see his face?" Arden wheezed. I shakily stood up, putting on as angry of a face as I could make. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to come across as very intimidating, as it only made the three laugh harder.

As they settled down, Rye cleared his throat, questioningly pointing at the hole in the floor. Stamping out the small fire started by the explosion, May began staring intently at the crater. As she focused, several thick vines burst from the sides of the hole, eventually weaving together to fill it, replacing the blown-away wood.

'Well, that's convenient.'

Arden turned to us, still looking quite amused.

"Sorry, it's just that now that you're officially on this Guild, you've gotta go by our schedule," he said. "Besides, it's good nature to mess with guildmates. You'll understand soon enough."

At that moment, Rye stepped forwards, dusting himself off.

"O-okay, Mr. Arden, why are you all in here if you're supposed to be going to Bewilder Forest?" he asked.

"Well, obviously, you're coming with us!" Arden piped.

"What?! R-really?!"

"...sha?"

Arden beamed, adjusting his bag on his shoulder while May cleared her throat.

"What he means to say is that you'll be accompanying us on our way to the forest. Bewilder Forest itself is too dangerous for rookies like you two, but the ride there should be more manageable. It'll be good training for the two of you before you start going on real missions," she reassured us.

"Th-the ride over there? How would flying...?" Rye asked after a moment.

"Haven't you been reading the notice board, Rye? There's a thunderstorm happening over the area. We don't have an Electric or Ground-type to be our lightning rod, and we don't plan on gambling our lives with Thundurus anytime soon," May responded.

We both looked on confusedly as Arden unfolded a map, tracing his finger along a long line snaking westward, only stopping to tap a small spot on the western half of the central island.

"That's Bewilder Forest there. As you can see, the Serperior River gets about a day's walk away from it there," he explained. Understanding dawned on us as the Quilava shivered.

"Never did like taking a boat."

Panting heavily, I trudged along the worn path from Impetus Town towards an unclear destination. My chest had certainly healed by this point, but seeing as I hadn't actually walked in four days, not counting my down time, it was my legs' turn to scream in protest as I tried to keep up with the others. Arden and May walked on just up ahead, seemingly unfazed by the thirty-minute uphill climb, as Pike flew ahead, keeping lookout for any potential landmarks. Rye, meanwhile, was in a similar state as I, slowly climbing yet another hill in the road.

"M-Mr. Arden, why aren't we just g-going straight to the river?" Rye gasped, sweat beading on his head.

"If you have a way to send a boat over Bibarel Dam without blowing the thing up, I'd love to hear it," Arden responded. As I groaned exhaustedly, a call sounded from above. Pike was signaling to our group, pointing ahead to a coastline in the distance. Was it...?

'...yes! Finally!'

With newfound energy, I began bounding ahead. Unfortunately, I didn't get very far before falling flat on my face. Guess I still didn't entirely have walking down.

I ignored the looks the others gave me as I focused on the sight ahead: a tall lighthouse standing atop several docks, many of which had rafts and boats of varying sizes occupying them. As we approached the port, a fluttering noise sounded from overhead as a Pelipper flew over, giving a quick salute.

"Always a pleasure ta see you lot 'ere! What can oi do for ya, lassie?" he boomed while lightly nudging May, who rolled her eyes in response.

"We just want a boat to get us to Bewilder Forest, Cap'n Brine. Don't give me any of that," she said flatly.

"Bewilder, eh? Not exactly a walk in the meadow, there. Ye sure ya don't a guide or sumthin?" the Pelipper responded, giving a quick wink.

"We're fine, thank you," Pike quickly butted in, having landed just in time to see the captain's flirting. The Pelipper gave a jovial chortle.

"Confident as always, oi like it! Take the one in numbah 14. It'll be 200 Poké, 1,000 if ya lose her; just leave the payment before ya go. Be careful, now, there's a mighty nasty storm upstream, it'll do ya in if you aren't ready! Happy trails, an' don't be 'fraid to visit if ya ever feel it, lass!" he said before flying away, disappearing behind the lighthouse.

"Nice guy," Rye observed. May turned to him, exasperation clear on her face.

"You have no idea," she said through clenched teeth.

"Alrighty, dock 14! Look at this beauty!" Arden exclaimed. We stared at the raft, unimpressed. Sure, it had enough room for all five of us and more, but that was about it. Whether it was worth 400 Poké, I couldn't tell.

"How are we supposed to go upstream with this thing?" Rye asked confusedly. Seemingly on cue, a Wartortle poked its head out of the water.

"Afternoon. I'll be pushing this thing today," he said before dipping his head back underwater. Rye and I exchanged glances as Team Apex loaded their bag onto the raft. As we did the same, I heard Pike exclaim.

"Ah, shit, I think I left my Sharpbeak over at payment. Mind if I go over and get it?" he asked.

"Go ahead," Arden said, still checking his bag.

"Thanks." The Swellow turned to me, narrowing his eyes. "Come on, kid, I can explain how it works to ya," he said.

His tone of voice implied that this wasn't a request, so I hesitantly followed. The two of us headed back into the port, walking for a couple minutes before stopping short. Sighing, Pike held up his talons, revealing a previously hidden necklace with a detached beak strung to it. Putting it around his neck, he turned to face me.

"Alright, look. I'm willin' to accept you've got some brains. I'm willin' to accept that the kid sees ya as a friend. I've been doin' a bit of thinking over the last few days, and I've decided. I ain't gonna stop ya from sticking with the kid," he said calmly. His demeanor quickly shifted as he glared at me.

"However, when it comes to it, you're still a feral. You're all the same. You'll go after a lost baby bird fresh outta the nest if it means a quick lunch for ya, won'tcha?"

"Sh-sha..." I fearfully managed out as he continued.

"Like I said, I ain't gonna try to throw ya back into the wild, but hear this."

He leaned in close, prompting me to fall over backward. He inhaled sharply, his loathing glare intensifying.

"You try and hurt any of my friends, I'll make sure you don't get to tell the tale. Understand?" he spat.

I was frozen in place, gaping at the bird.

'Did he really just...?!'

Presented with no other option, I gave a shaky nod, prompting Pike to back away, his air of anger dissipating. He gave a simple nod of acknowledgment and began back the way we came. Still shaken, I hurriedly followed.

"H-hey, Beck, what's the matter?" Rye asked. Ever since we had returned, I had been sitting on our raft's side, staring blankly into the water and occasionally glancing at Pike, who had returned to his usual business, though he occasionally sent me a wary look.

"Sh-sha," I said, shaking my head. Rye's face grew more worried, but he obviously decided not to push it. As he sat beside me, a bell sounded from the dock, courtesy of a Wingull. With a quick Steel Wing, the Wingull sliced through the connecting rope, which was quickly followed by a sudden lurch as we embarked. With nothing else to do, Rye and I stayed on the raft's edge, watching the harbor as it slowly disappeared below the horizon.

"You nervous, Beck?" Rye asked after a while. I gave a quick nod, getting a small laugh out of Rye.

"Don't worry, so am I," he said sheepishly.

With that, we resigned ourselves to watching the calm waters as our raft lazily trailed along, slowly drifting into the unknown.