Hello all, we've reached Chapter 4! I originally had this ready last Friday, but after very careful analysis, I decided to write another chapter before the big mission. I think it came out decently well. But I'm always open to feedback. As always, please feel free to review, I love feedback as it really helps me become a better writer. I hope everyone reading this has a great week, and God willing I'll see you all next Friday!

Chapter 4:

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"MOM! DAD! HURRY UP!"

Multiple Pokemon moved out of the way, some in amusement, others in annoyance as a young Snivy bolted her way down the busy street. An oversized brown satchel swung her torso, bouncing around as she pumped her arms forward. Two Serperior, both of whom were looking embarrassed, slithered their fastest in an effort to catch up with the young one.

The bigger one panted. "Erin, can you slow down a little please?" He was out of breath as the other Serperior gave him an amused side eye.

The Snivy stopped momentarily and looked back at the older Pokemon. "Oh…sorry about that, daddy." She said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. Steadying down, the two Serperior caught up to her before the much older Serpeior collapsed, his breath heaving in and out comically.

The other Serperior, a female one, gave him an amused look. "You know, Roger, I think it's time to take Dr. Cirujano's advice and maybe start that diet and exercise routine." She mentioned, ignoring the stares her husband was getting as Pokemon walked by.

Roger's tongue hung out, his eyes swirling. "I…would rather... die...Andrea." He barely squeezed out.

Andrea rolled her eyes. "You're going to be there quickly at the pace you're going." She retorted. Erin, meanwhile, tugged on her father's neck.

"Daddy, you can't die here. We have to go to the cafe." Erin whined.

Tears rolled down Roger's cheeks. "Okay, but can we please go slower." He cried.

Now skipping at her parents' side, they made their way much more slowly down the street. Erin's eyes shone as they fixated on the upturned ship she had seen a million times. However, their destination lay right across the street from it, resting on the corner of the street they were walking down. The cafe was light blue in color and had many flowers growing outside of it. An elderly Armaldo was tending to the flowers, humming merrily to herself. Catching the family out of the corner of her eye, she waved her hand in the air at them.

"Ah, if it isn't the Winters family! How are you doing?" She asked, smiling warmly.

Andrea returned the warm smile. "Doing well, Margaret." She replied in a friendly manner.

Roger huffed, still not fully recovered from the ordeal. "Water…. please…" He gasped, earning a chuckle from his wife.

Erin bounced up and down on the spot. "Is our spot still open?" She asked, the excitement in her voice unmissable.

Margaret gave the young child a warm look as she opened the door for her. "Of course, dearie. Shall I-" No sooner did she open the door for the family did Erin dash in at a fast speed.

The inside of the shop had a nice warm glow to it, with wooden tables and chairs scattered across the main area. It was smaller on the inside, but potted plants and the smell of coffee gave the cafe a nice warm feeling on the inside.

Behind the counter on the opposite side of the door, a Mamoswine bumbled in and out of the kitchen, doing his best to make food in the small space. Behind him, spare ingredients for coffee, food items and other devices were lined up in a neat order. The cafe currently had no other customers in it, making the soft ambient music playing even clearer.

Erin, meanwhile, had dashed to a table that was by the window, a perfect view of the overturned ship she was so interested in. Placing her hands on the window, her eyes glowed as a Leavanny, who Erin recognized as Deputy Paulson, and a Gogoat were currently talking with one another, presumably about a mission.

Margaret and her parents soon followed, with the Armaldo picking up a piece of paper and pen and writing down the order Erin's parents gave him, Erin too enthralled with the members to place her own order. The two Serperior sat down afterwards, with Roger scratching his chin with his tail.

"I'll never understand how she writes and holds stuff." He said.

Andrea shrugged. "Some things in life are a mystery I suppose." She replied before looking over at her daughter. A look clouded in her eyes as Erin's concentration didn't break. "You know, Erin, you're allowed to enjoy the cafe too."

Erin looked back at her mom, not comprehending what she was saying. "Mom, what do you think they're going to do today? I heard Guildmaster Finnegan took down a whole herd of Tauros the other day by himself. I wonder if I'll get to fight Tauros one day." She pondered.

Andrea had an uncomfortable look in her eye as Margaret brought over two coffees, a juice and a water. Roger started drinking the water like his life depended on it while Erin took more precarious sips of her juice and Andrea put a Splenda in hers.

A twinkle in her eyes formed. "Apparently Deputy Paulson took down a rampaging Salamence the other day. It was a four-star level threat from what I heard." She said, earning a glance from Andrea. Roger had started pouring the entirety of the sugar container in his coffee in the meantime.

Erin looked up from her drink, her eyes stretched. "A Salamence? No way!" She squeaked, astonishment in her voice.

Margaret laughed nervously. "Keep in mind baby, there's no shame in working a…. safer job, right, Roger?"

"Mhm, do you have any more sugar?" Roger asked Margaret, making the cafe owner sweat drop at the mound of sugar in his coffee. Shaking her head, she scuttled off to find some more sugar.

A vein popped in Andrea's head. "Roger!" She snapped, making her husband's head shoot up from his…creation.

"Eh?"

"Don't you agree the Justice Guild may be a little too dangerous of a dream for Erin?" She asked, her voice calmer, but still a little uncertain. Erin looked disappointed at her mother's criticalness but regained her enthusiasm as her dad spoke up.

"Eh, maybe she should think about becoming a Serperior first to get an advantage." He pondered out loud, adding to Andrea's annoyance.

Erin proudly put her hands on her hips. "Nope, I'm never going to become a Serperior." She proudly replied.

Her dad raised a confused eyebrow. "Oh? Why's that?"

"Arms!" She told him, raising up her hands to show him. "If I become a Serperior, I won't have my arms anymore. I won't be able to punch, or draw, or hold stuff, or-" She cut herself off as Roger nonchalantly extended one of his leaf-like arms he had to reach forward to stir his drink.

Seeing her flabbergasted look, he laughed. "How did you think your mother wrote those articles? Although, they're pretty weak, so we don't tend to use them often." He told her.

Erin sunk in her seat, flabbergasted. "What other lies have I been living?" She asked out loud, making her dad laugh harder.

Andrea wasn't as amused. "I believe we are getting off topic here." She pressed.

"Oh, Andrea, let the little one dream. She'll hit the top of the mountain easier shooting for the stars rather than the base." Margaret had returned with an entire pouch of sugar, making Roger's eyes light up in happiness. "After all, I remember another young Snivy who was eager about writing a book when she was about the same age."

Andrea blushed as she sipped her coffee. "Hmph…at least my goals were safe." She muttered, looking towards the overturned ship for a distraction.

Erin's eyes stretched wide. "You knew mommy when she was young?" She asked, sounding impressed.

Margaret nodded. "I knew both of your parents when they were your age." She replied. "I think I've made enough food to feed the entire city for him."

"You must be ANCIENT." Erin replied. Margaret hid her rage behind her sweet smile while Andrea and Roger nearly choked on their coffee in embarrassment.

The Mamoswine, who overheard, gave an amused huff. "Gonna need a Burn Heal for that one." He laughed.

After a couple of profuse apologies from her parents, and a forced apology from Erin, everyone settled down and Roger scratched his daughter on his head with his tail.

He gave her a look. "Baby…is the Justice Guild really something you want to do?" He asked his daughter, his tone not giving away much.

Erin nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, daddy. I want to make the world a better place." She told him firmly, meeting him in his eyes. She was pleased to see pride glowing behind her father's eyes so intense she had to go back to looking at her juice.

He wrapped his tail around her warmly. "Then I want you to be the best darn guild member you can, champ. Your mother and I will be proud of you, no matter what. Right?" Looking at his wife, they shared a look for a moment. Erin couldn't help but glance at her mother, whose eyes seemed more troubled than angry. Erin could feel the worry seeping off her and felt guilty.

However, her mother sighed. "He's right, sweetie." Her voice carried genuine warmth, which melted away Erin's guilt. "Just promise to keep giving whatever it is your all."

Roger nodded. "And if you fail, don't you ever give up. Just try again." He continued. Erin beamed warmly at her parents, their love for her contagious. Margaret looked warmly at the family, happiness swelling in her heart at the sight.

Erin clenched her fists, determination spreading rapidly across her face as she straightened up.

Giving up would never be an option for her…

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"BZZT! BZZT! STOP 16 RAPIDLY APPROACHING!"

Erin blinked out of her trance as the voice over the intercom broke into her thoughts. She was wearing a newer looking brown satchel, however this time it carried berries inside of it. While not as effective as the many potions sold by the market, they were much easier to use during battle for quick energy. She also carried a light blue crystal underneath the pile of berries, which sent her location directly to Guildmaster Finnegan in case something bigger than the task assigned appeared.

Although Liza was definitely quick to poke fun at Erin, as apparently, she was the only one that decided to use the gear.

Ah well, better safe than sorry.

On her arm she also wore a dark brown glove with a green stone that shone on it. This was an item known to be a Teleport Glove, a device made by a world-famous professor. From what Erin was told, the stone in the glove kept track of your heart rate, teleporting you a certain distance away if your heart rate fell below a certain bpm. It was a safety precaution so knocked out Pokémon wouldn't keep getting attacked while defenseless.

Blinking out of her thoughts, she stretched her body, feeling a satisfying crack in her back.

I have to remember to give dad a call tonight…. maybe we can go visit mom soon…

For a brief moment, sorrow filled Erin's mom at the thought of her mother. She had passed away of an illness a few years after that memory, leaving Erin's father to raise her herself. Not that he wasn't a great dad, hell, Erin doubted she'd have the courage to join the Justice Guild if not for him. Still, not a day passed when she didn't think of her mother. Letting out a sad breath, she returned herself mentally to the task at hand.

They had been riding the train for a fair amount of time, most of it being through the western side of Peridot City. They train carried them through the actual forest, with the track being hugged by the dense trees that grew for miles. They still currently were riding through the same forest, the shade feeling nice on Erin's skin.

She couldn't help but glance towards Liza, who was sitting directly to Erin's right. Currently, she was staring out of the window in content, not at all worried about their current mission. They had spent the walk to the station discussing it, there not being a whole lot of details. From what Erin read, essentially some miners got robbed of their Nuggets by a few Passimium. Erin couldn't help but feel a little surprised by how tame the mission seemed compared to the ominous warnings of the Guildmaster, but then again, it's not like she should be expecting to be saving a village EVERYday.

Erin suddenly blinked as something on her mind came up. "Hey, Liza, I had a question." She said, causing the Luxray to break out of her trance. "Deputy Paulson….is he like everyone else?"

Liza studied her face before laughing. "If you're asking if Paulson is 'normal', then yes. He's the one that keeps us all in check. Does a damn good job at it, too." She said, "Hell, I'd be surprised if the old man got anything done without his trusty sidekick."

Erin looked a bit worried "You're not worried, even with him battling Thorn on his own?"

Liza shook her head. "Oh, please. There's no way our deputy would lose to an oversized pincushion." Not seeing Erin's anxiety alleviate, she let the humor leave her eyes and let it be replaced by respect. "Deputy Paulson won't be beaten by someone like Thorn. He's incredible. Brave, and although not nearly as strong as the Guildmaster, he's just as powerful as a leader."

Erin felt relaxed, amazed by the respect in Liza's eyes. "You have a lot of trust in him, huh?"

Determination flared in Liza's eyes. "I vowed a long time ago, when the old man retires and Paulson becomes Guildmaster, I'm going to work my tail off to become his deputy. I'm going to show everyone I'm worthy to be Paulson's partner. I owe it to both of them" Her eyes blazed, and Erin couldn't help but reaffirm her own motivations. Liza's energy was contagious.

However, it didn't take long for a sheepish smile to appear on her face once more. "So, don't go dying on me, okay? It would be a bad look if you got killed on your first mission with me."

Erin's face vaulted. "Seriously, do any of you have faith in me?" She cried in disbelief. Crossing her arms, she rested in a fake pout which made Liza laugh.

"BZZT! BZZT! NOW REACHING STOP 16, SUNNYTOWN!"

As the voice over the intercom buzzed, the forest around the train seemed to disappear and everyone on the train was treated to a beautiful view.

On the right side, a small village lay. The houses were study, but simple. A few newer looking buildings were visible, which made sense as Sunnytown was generally regarded as a more up to date village compared to the several others that were in Peridot City's area. The forest that once engulfed the train now wrapped around the small village, growing denser at the far side of it, with a grassy mountain bobbing in the middle of the thick green sea.

On the left side, the track fell off as the blue sea stretched for miles, with an island Erin knew as Ruby Island barely visible from their eyesight. Despite appearing as just a small speck from their viewpoint, it supported Ruby City with its own Justice Guild, as well as a handful of its own villages.

Clenching her fists in her own resoluteness, Erin grinned. "Well…. I better give it my all too. After all, the future Deputy is going to need a student just as worthy."

Returning Erin's eager grin, Liza nudged her shoulder as the train came to a complete halt at an old looking bus station. "Well, then…let's see what you got!"