Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Chaotic Times Together


Chapter 2 - Patient

"I'd give him the lowest ranking I could possibly give."

Vylet stood in a location that was now familiar to her. It was a moderately-sized office room with a large desk, shelves full of stacks of papers and books, various framed photos on the wood-paneled walls, and a rather stern Floragato looking down at her impassively.

The latter Pokémon spoke in a rough, mildly intimidating tone of voice. "You don't think that's a tad excessive?" she asked.

Vylet shrugged and shook her head. "Call it hyperbole if you'd like, but if I were a client then I wouldn't want that Quagsire handling my mission even if he were the only one working here." She started visually counting down on her claws. "Dismissive, self-centred, overly-confident, rude, abandoned his partner, not aware of his surroundings, cares more about the mission than the lives and wellbeing of other Pokémon…"

The Floragato let out a slow, even breath and folded her paws before her face. "…I see," she eventually spoke, "Thank you for your report."

"My pleasure, Guildmaster Zarah."

"This cannot continue, you know."

Vylet flinched slightly under the stern gaze of the Floragato. Zarah wasn't exactly a mean or abusive Pokémon, and she did have her moments where she could act friendly and even smile once in a while. However, she did take her position as Guildmaster very seriously and was often stern and tough on the members of the guild.

"I…" Vylet eventually spoke, "I do know, yes."

"Four different trial runs already that have ended without a partnership," Zarah continued, "Few Pokémon have reached that sort of record, and I'm afraid it does not reflect very well upon you."

Vylet frowned. "Ma'am, with all due respect, it's not my fault. Nobody can claim to be a perfect judge of character, and not every new recruit is guildmember material. I have just hit bad luck when it comes to choosing potential partners. I do want to work for the guild, and I do want to find a partner to form a team with."

"You know, of course, that nobody is forcing you to commit to a permanent partnership. If things fall out, you can always dissolve your team and search out someone to form a new team with."

"I wouldn't even want a temporary partnership with any of these bozos."

Zarah closed her eyes for a moment and leaned back in her large chair. "You have been here for a month," she said, "I will give you two more weeks."

The Floragato's words hit Vylet like a knife in the stomach and she winced, but nodded and said, "I understand."

"Very well. Dismissed."

The Sneasel sighed softly to herself and turned to exit the room. She took a few steps towards the door before Zarah called out to her again.

"For what it's worth," the Floragato said, "You did make the right decision to abandon your mission in order to get that Eevee some medical attention. You made the right call, Vylet."

Vylet smiled for the first time since entering the office. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Zarah and said, "Thank you, ma'am. I'm glad I was able to help him."

Zarah simply gave her a curt nod, and Vylet knew that was the official end of the discussion. She walked out of the guildmaster's office and closed the door behind her, and then let out a calming sigh. Others had told her that she had no reason to fear the Floragato, but she couldn't help feeling a little nervous. She hoped it was just new job jitters.

The Sneasel then turned back around and beheld the room she was now standing in. Like most guild headquarters, the guildmaster's office was connected to the large main room of the guild building in order to promote interaction with the guildmaster. As far as guild headquarters went, this one was fairly standard; not much really set it apart from its sister locations in other cities and towns across the land.

The room was somewhat circular, with a large open area in the middle. There was an intricate design on the floor, consisting of swirls and triangles, that made up the guild's insignia. On the far side of the room, opposite the guildmaster's office and directly in Vylet's line of sight, was the series of four corkboards where requests and jobs were posted. A mainstay of any guild, there was usually at least one Pokémon hovering somewhere near the board at any time. Right now there was an older-looking Hypno and an intimidating Pangoro looking over the various leafs of paper tacked onto the board.

There were various benches lining the walls, as well as an area set aside for refreshments where a water cooler could be found and a table that was regularly restocked with quick snacks. To the right, she could see the ladder against the wall that led up to the guild's entrance. At the ladder's base was a small desk with a bored-looking Nidorina seated behind it. She was the guild secretary, and it was her primary job to answer any questions from visitors to the building.

On the other side, opposite from the ladder, were the three hallways leading deeper into the guild. The first one went to the living quarters for those guildmembers who lived at the guild itself. The second went to a variety of rooms including training gyms, practice rooms, item and food storage, the guild vault, and the offices of a few specialists working for the guild. The third hallway, though, was off-limits to all but the highest-ranked members of the guild. Vylet had no idea what lay behind the locked door just down that hallway and out of sight.

It had only been a month that Vylet had been walking among these walls, but this place already felt like home to her. She had proven herself while taking her trials and exams, and getting accepted into the guild had been the happiest day of her life. Ever since she had been a tiny little cub, she had always dreamed of working at the Eclipse Guild. She was here at last, finally an official member, and her life's calling could truly begin.

That is, if she could ever find a partner.

Vylet grumbled, recent memories of the prior day souring her mood even further. Lev had seemed like such a friendly guy when she had first met him. Another new member of the guild just looking for a partner, the Quagsire had acted friendly and jovially towards her when they were getting to know each other the day before their mission.

"Is it me…?" she mumbled to herself, "Do I somehow just attract jerks like some kind of jerk magnet?" She then sighed and shook her head. "This guild would have fallen apart years ago if it were filled with nothing but jerks like them. I'm just really unlucky…"

Vylet wandered over to one of the benches along the wall and sat down, crossing her arms and pouting a little. She was thankful that as a new recruit she wasn't expected to go out regularly on missions yet, because she was in a grumpy mood now and didn't much feel like exploring any Mystery Dungeons. She sighed again and glanced off into space. Mystery Dungeons, those fascinating anomalies that defied the very laws of physics around them, were just one of the reasons she had been so invested in becoming a guildmember. She didn't fancy herself a scientist or anything and would probably never come even close to unraveling the secrets of the dungeons, but the prospect of simply exploring them was something that drove her.

Before she knew it, ten minutes had passed and absolutely nothing had happened. When she realized this, Vylet reflected on how empty and plain her life was when the guild was taken out of the picture. She didn't have to go on any missions today, but what to do instead? Relaxing and destressing was great, but she couldn't fill the whole day up with it.

Idly, she found herself glancing over at the three hallways. Specifically, she wound up looking at the middle one, and an idea struck her. She shrugged, figuring she had nothing better to do, and hopped off the bench.

The infirmary was also down that hallway.


Vylet peeked around the corner. "Hello?"

The inside of the guild's infirmary wasn't terribly grand, but large enough to suit its purpose. It was an open room with multiple beds set up against the far wall, each surrounded by a hanging curtain. Against all the other walls were tables containing various medical tools, bottles filled with medicines and potions, and a couple shelves holding baskets filled with papers. Sitting behind a small desk off to the side was an Aromatisse wearing a white nurse's cap on her head, who perked up instantly upon seeing her visitor.

"Oh, Vylet!" she exclaimed quietly, "Good, you're here. I was just about to go looking for you."

"You were?" Vylet questioned as she stepped into the room.

The Aromatisse, who worked as the guild's resident nurse, stepped around her desk and approached her. "He's awake," she said.

"Oh good! That's great. That's why I came down, actually, to see how he was doing. Is he okay, Raye?"

"He's stable," Raye responded, "No life-threatening maladies. But right now…he wants to see you."

Vylet looked up at Raye in surprise. "Me?"

Raye nodded. "He keeps asking for 'the Sneasel', which I can only assume means you."

"Oh…" Vylet remarked, "All right, that's fine. I'd be happy to talk with him."

The Aromatisse then gestured for her to follow, and then led her over to the bed on the opposite side of the room from the desk. Vylet noticed that none of the other beds were occupied at the moment. The two approached the bed, and then Raye grabbed the hanging curtain and pulled it back.

Revealed behind the curtain was a familiar little Eevee resting under the covers in the simple bed. He had some bandages wrapped around his limbs, and a large one around the top of his head, but otherwise looked no worse for wear. He had been staring off at nothing with a somewhat unfocused look in his eyes, but his ears perked up once the curtain was parted and he lazily rolled his head so that he was looking at his two visitors.

He blinked a few times, and then a smile graced his muzzle. "Heeeeey, there you are," he said in a weary tone.

Vylet smiled as well and approached the side of the bed. "Hello again," she greeted him, "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty dizzy…" he commented.

"Oh dear…" Vylet replied with a frown.

Raye approached the opposite side of the bed. "He has sustained a pretty severe concussion," she reported, "He only just recently woke up, and has been complaining of dizziness, headaches, difficulty processing thoughts, all the classic signs of concussion."

Vylet cringed slightly. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. Back in the Mystery Dungeon, you smacked into that wall hard."

"Is that what happened…?" Eevee murmured.

"Thankfully," Raye continued, "There was no physical damage to his skull or any of his bones, and no contusions or lacerations on the scalp. This poor boy jostled his brain around, but otherwise isn't badly harmed."

"Well that's good, at least," Vylet said with a quick glance to Raye before looking down at the Eevee again, "I'll admit, I've never had a concussion before."

"Everything's kind of…spinning…" Eevee mumbled.

"Hopefully," Raye said, "after some time under observation here, he should make a full recovery. Although, how quickly that will happen, I can't say."

Vylet then addressed the Eevee again. "Uh…Raye told me that you were asking for me?"

"Mhm," Eevee replied, "I wanted to make sure I got to thank you…for saving me."

"Oh," Vylet said as her smile brightened, "Well of course! You're quite welcome. That's just what we at the guild do, after all. No trouble at all." Her smile faltered a little as she added, "I'm just glad I happened to find you. What were you doing down in that Mystery Dungeon anyway?"

Eevee glanced downwards and knitted his brow. "Uh…" he muttered, "I…don't remember."

"…Huh?"

"I don't remember at all…"

The Sneasel tilted her head. "I don't understand. Do you live here, or around here somewhere?"

Eevee blinked once before looking up at her. "Well, uh…Where exactly is 'here'?" He gave her a Mareepish grin.

Vylet's eyes widened and it took her a moment to form a response. "Oh no…Don't tell me…" She briefly glanced at Raye before looking down at the Eevee again. "Please don't tell me you have amnesia!" she quietly exclaimed. She shook her head and held a claw up to her forehead, hardly believing that something like this could happen. This was the kind of nonsense that happens in bad novels. It was almost cliché.

"No, no, no," Eevee replied, "No, I definitely don't have amnesia. I remember plenty about myself. I know who I am, what my name is, where I come from, my boring life story…"

"Oh…" Vylet said, almost letting out an actual breath of relief.

"I just don't remember…some stuff…"

Raye then cut in. "Another common symptom of concussions; sporadic memory loss. Concussion usually results in loss of short-term memory, especially events surrounding the injury itself, but it's not always consistent and sometimes random unrelated memories can be difficult to recall." She briefly glanced down at the Eevee. "It usually clears up alongside the rest of the symptoms. Though, of course, there's no harm in reminding him of things he cannot recall."

"Oh wow…" Vylet remarked.

"Kinda got some holes in my memory," Eevee said with a quiet chuckle.

At that moment, someone called out Raye's name. Everyone turned and saw a Greedent at the door. "Urgent medical issue near the plaza," the Greedent said.

"Ah, it seems I am needed," Raye said with a firm look on her face, "I'll need to attend to that." She then started marching out of the room, though she glanced back over her shoulder at Vylet. "Get someone to come find me if anything happens, and close the door if you leave."

"Okay. Thank you, Raye, and good luck out there," Vylet replied to her. She waved her claw, and Raye waved back briskly before she disappeared out the door.

Before they knew it, Vylet and the Eevee were the only ones left in the room. "She's nice…" Eevee commented, "She made me feel better."

Vylet glanced back at him. "Yeah, she's really good with Heal Pulse. She's the only one in town who's an expert with that move, so she's kind of in high demand from time to time."

Eevee slowly rolled his head and made eye contact with her. "Thanks again for rescuing me."

"Aw, don't worry about it. Just glad to help."

"Can I…ask you a favour?"

Vylet tilted her head. "What is it?"

"Are you busy right now?"

"No, not at all," Vylet said with a chuckle, "I was actually bored before I came here."

Eevee gave her a hopeful look and asked, "Then, could you hang out with me here for a bit? I'm kinda lonely and, honestly a little bit scared. The doctor is nice but she isn't much for small talk and she's really busy."

Vylet looked down at the Eevee with wide eyes for a moment, not having expected such a request, but then she smiled once again. "I don't mind at all," she said to him, "I'd be happy to chat with you for a bit."

"Really? Oh, thank you so much."

"It would be my pleasure." Vylet then glanced around the room before spotting a chair sitting off to the side. She crossed the room towards it and then carefully dragged it back towards the Eevee's bed. She set it up at his bedside so she could sit down and be at eye level with him. Once she was seated, she saw the Eevee gingerly holding a paw to his head. "Headache?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Eevee grumbled softly, wearing a bit of a grimace.

She then cleared her throat and said, "Well, I suppose I should properly introduce myself. My name is Vylet, and I'm a new recruit here at the guild."

Eevee glanced at her. "Vylet?" he repeated, and then grinned softly, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well. So…You said you still remember your name and everything, right? May I ask what your name is?"

While she had been asking the question, Eevee had tensed up and was grimacing again. He held his paw a bit tighter to his forehead. "Ngh…" he grunted, and then mumbled something.

Vylet tilted her head and angled one of her ears closer to him. "Pardon? I didn't catch that."

He repeated his response.

"…Anrey?"

Eevee then blinked a few times and brought his paw down. It seemed like his headache pain had passed. He glanced back over at her again. "Yeah."

"Am I saying that right?" Vylet said, "Awn-ree?"

"Yeah. Anrey."

"Well, nice to meet you, Anrey. We don't seem to get a lot of Eevee around these parts."

"Is that so?" Anrey glanced up at her with a lost look on his face. "So, uh…where exactly are 'these parts'?"

Vylet raised her eyebrows. "You really don't remember coming to this town at all?"

"No… Besides remembering the faces of those two thugs you saved me from, I can't remember where 'here' is."

"Ah… Well, I found you in Rockfall Cave, and right now you're in Clover Town."

Anrey knitted his brow for a moment, before a bright look finally came to his eyes. "Clover Town…Yeah, that's starting to sound familiar… I guess that was my next destination." He then scratched at his ear idly with his paw. "Dunno why I was in Rockfall Cave, though…"

"'Destination'?" Vylet asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well..." Anrey said as he gingerly stretched out his paws and let out a sigh, "I'm kind of a traveler. I've been sort of just aimlessly wandering the world, going from place to place to see the sights. I've been doing this for…gosh, I'm not even sure how long at this point. At least a year…maybe two."

"Really?" Vylet remarked in surprise, "Are you, like, an explorer?"

"Not really…more like a tourist with nowhere in mind."

"Huh… So you were on your way to Clover Town as your next stop."

"Mhm… I came here from…I think I was coming from the north. Somewhere to the north. Maybe east. There was another lovely town back there I came from."

"You were in Cloudy Village?" Vylet perked up suddenly, "My sister lives there! Oh, I wonder if you saw her…"

"Uhhh…Don't think so. I don't remember seeing any Sneasel."

"Aw, that's too bad. She's funny. I think you woulda liked her." Vylet then cleared her throat. "So you've been wandering the roads for years, hm? Where are you from originally?"

"I am from a small, small little town waaaaay up north. In fact, calling it a 'town' is being generous…More like a collection of homes that just happen to be close to each other."

"Really?" Vylet said, interest evident in her voice, "What's it called?"

"Nula" Anrey replied, "Li'l old Nula."

Vylet smiled brightly and said, "I'll have to get a map so you can show me, 'cus I've never heard of there before."

"Ah, heh…" Anrey chuckled, "I can point it out on a map, but I'd be floored if you could find a map that actually has Nula on it. It's just that small. Less than 20 live there."

"Oh wow, that is really small!"

"Can you imagine why I decided to head out and explore the world?"

The two Pokémon shared a laugh together. Vylet was pleased to find herself smiling in spite of her dour mood from earlier. She had only known him for a very short time, but already she was enjoying this Eevee's company.

"I see you're a Fighting/Poison Sneasel," Anrey spoke up, "I can honestly say I've never met one before, so this is pretty neat for me."

Vylet perked up. "You recognized my types?" she blurted out in surprise.

"Yeah?" Anrey chuckled, "I mean, it's pretty obvious just from looking at you that you're not a 'typical' Sneasel."

"You'd think so, right? I can't believe how dense most others are. Everyone just assumes all Sneasel are Ice-type, it's ridiculous! I mean, I know we're pretty rare, but…"

"Really? That's dumb…" Anrey remarked, "Are Pokémon…blind?"

Vylet snickered. "I guess so…"

Anrey spent a moment adjusting his position on the bed, which came with a lot of grunts and groans of protest. Vylet patiently waited until he was finished. He looked up at her again and asked, "Do you live here? In Clover Town?"

"Mhm," Vylet said with a nod, "I'm still kind of new in town, as I haven't even been here half a year yet, but I did finally get a place of my own. I actually work right here, in the guild!"

"The…" A blank look appeared on Anrey's face. "The…guild…" he muttered, confusion in his tone.

Vylet looked at him in surprise, but then she remembered what she had been told about the concussion affecting his memories. "The Eclipse Guild?" she said softly.

Anrey sat in place and blinked for a moment, then frowned and tenderly held a paw to his head. "This is so weird…" he remarked, "It's like there's holes in my brain… It doesn't feel like anything's wrong with my head when I think about the past, but when I try to think about the Eclipse Guild everything gets…fuzzy…"

"Dear me, that sounds frightening," Vylet said sympathetically, "I couldn't imagine forgetting about the guild. I mean, it's everywhere. There's branches in every major town and city across the whole region. If you've been traveling around, you definitely interacted with the guild at some point. It'd be unavoidable."

"Right…Right…" Anrey murmured, though in a shaky voice, "The guild…that Pokémon everywhere work for…and you do…jobs?"

"Jobs, missions, whatever you call them," Vylet said with a shrug.

"Ugh…Apparently this part of my brain got hit hard. It hurts to think about…"

Vylet frowned and reached over to gently pat him on the shoulder. "Well, don't strain yourself. I mean, even though the guild is everywhere it's not that complicated to understand. You could just sum it up by saying we handle anything Mystery Dungeon-related." She paused before adding, "And, I guess, some volunteer work here and there."

"Like the one I was in," Anrey muttered, "The one you found me in. I guess you were…working when you found me?"

"Pretty much."

The conversation lulled into quiet for a moment, with Anrey once again adjusting his position. Vylet winced at the amount of stress and pain it looked like he had to go through just to move.

"So, uh," Vylet spoke up, "If you don't mind me asking…What kinda stuff do you do once you reach a new town on your big journey?"

Anrey shrugged. "I find a place to stay and then see what the town's about. I stay until I feel like moving on, then I do." He sighed softly and then continued, saying, "Although I should probably get comfortable here, 'cus I'll probably be here a while."

"Hm? You will?"

"The doc said that, because of my 'severe' concussion, it's gonna be really really hard for me to walk. Concussion affects balance, so I'm gonna be stumbling around a ton. Definitely can't hike to the next town over like that…"

"Oh… Yeah, I never even thought of that."

"But I suppose it's all right. Is there a nice, cushy hotel here? If I get a good enough room, I wouldn't mind the extended stay."

"Yeah, there's Sawk & Gothitelle's Inn, and that's about as fancy as this town would get," Vylet replied, but then frowned and asked, "How are you going to pay for that, though?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I have plenty of funds with me."

Vylet bit her lip. "Uh… Oh dear…"

Anrey gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Well, I guess Raye didn't tell you yet…but there was nothing with you when we found you. You weren't wearing or carrying anything with you. It was just you and your fur."

"Just me and my…?" Anrey stared off at nothing for a moment before looking back at Vylet in concern. "I…didn't have my…my bag?"

Vylet shook her head.

Again, Anrey was silent for a moment. Then, he slumped down onto his pillow with a frown. "So I'm broke then."

"That's what I figured…" Vylet commented.

"My wallet with all my money was in that bag, and I'm probably not getting that back…" He slowly looked over at her. "Please tell me this little hospital visit is free…"

Vylet waved a claw dismissively and said, "Of course it is, don't be ridiculous. The guild nurse treats any and all injured Pokémon rescued from Mystery Dungeons."

Anrey sighed in relief. "That's good at least…Still, though."

"Oh dear…" Vylet murmured. She frowned as she looked at the injured Eevee, who now had a worried look on his face. Since he was a traveler, it was possible that he didn't use the banks and the money in his bag had been everything he had. Now he was in Clover Town with no place to stay, no money to spend on lodging and, to cap it all off, no way to work for money given that he was injured.

Vylet gave the matter some more thought, but it didn't take her very long to reach a decision. "Hey, Anrey?" she spoke up.

"Yeah?"

She offered him a smile and said, "You can stay with me once you're discharged, if you'd like."

Anrey's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "What?" he sputtered, "What are you talking about?"

"If you've got no place to stay, I wouldn't want you out sleeping on the streets or anything. My place isn't that big, but I can squeeze you in so you at least have a roof over your head."

"…Really?" Anrey asked in stunned disbelief, "You would seriously do that for me?"

"Absolutely!"

"But…You hardly know me. You've known me for a grand total of maybe 15 minutes."

Vylet shrugged. "You've been very nice and friendly for those 15 minutes, and I really don't want you to be both injured and struggling to find shelter. It's okay, I get a good vibe off of you. I trust you."

Anrey stared at her, his jaw working wordlessly for a moment. "I…I, uh…don't know what to say…"

She snickered and said, "Just say, 'okay', or maybe a 'thank you'."

"Yes, of course. Thank you very much. I…I would really appreciate that. That's so generous of you."

"It's totally fine with me. It might even be fun!" She chuckled softly.

"I promise I won't be a freeloader or anything," Anrey then said, "I'll help out as soon as my injury's better, and I'll get out of the place as soon as I'm able to."

"Oh stop. Don't worry about any of that right now. Just focus on resting up and getting better, and you can come crash with me as soon as Raye lets you out of here."

"Are you sure?" Anrey pressed.

"Yes, I'm sure. Relax. Helping out is what I do. I'm a member of the guild, after all."

Anrey gave her a genuine smile and said, "I can't thank you enough."

"You're very sweet," Vylet said, matching his smile, "There's so many Pokémon out there who are just jerks, so it's really nice to see someone as pleasant as you." She paused for a moment and then continued in a quieter voice, mostly to herself. "Haven't made many friends since I moved out here."

"Did you move out here to work at the guild?"

"Mhm," she said with a nod, "It's been my dream to work for the guild, and this seemed like the best place to get in. And I did get in! …Technically."

"What do you mean by that?" Anrey asked.

"I'll…tell you later. Don't worry about it now."

Anrey shrugged and accepted her answer. There was a brief pause, and then he chuckled softly. "You know what the worst part is?"

"Hm? What's that?"

He gave her a glance and said, "I got knocked out before I could see you fight those two goons. I didn't get the satisfaction of watching you dish out the karma."

Vylet laughed in response. "Oh, you didn't miss much. The fight barely lasted three minutes."

Anrey's eyes went wide. "Really?"

She held up her claws defensively. "No, no, not like that. I know how to fight, but I'm not all-powerful Arceus. I just had double type-advantage."

"Right, right, of course. Duh! Fighting on Rock, Poison on Fairy."

"You're smarter than those two idiots," Vylet said with a smirk, "You must be so proud."

The room was filled with the laughter of the two Pokémon, both now smiling even after the dismal start to the day for both of them.


It was another boring day for Vylet, the new recruit without a partner. She wasn't sure what frustrated her more; her inability to find a fitting partner, or how boring it was to work at the guild without one. There were very few things she could do without at least teaming up with someone for a trial mission.

Vylet had spent most of the previous day setting up her apartment for her eventual roommate, as she didn't know when Raye would relinquish him. It was now three days since she had first met the injured Eevee, and she figured that he wouldn't mind if she paid him another visit. Honestly, she was guessing he was just as bored as she was.

So, Vylet once again made her way down the hallway in the guild that led to the infirmary. When she reached the room, she peeked her head around the corner and announced her presence. The first thing she noticed was that Raye wasn't at her desk, but a second later she was startled by the sound of something clattering to the ground.

She looked over towards Anrey's bed and gasped at what she saw. Raye was standing near the Eevee's bed, but Anrey wasn't in it. Instead, he was sprawled out in a heap on the floor.

"I told you to be careful…" Raye scolded gently.

"Ow…" Anrey muttered.

Vylet gasped and quickly dashed over. "Anrey!" she called out, "Are you okay?"

The sprawled-out Eevee tilted his head in her direction. "Vylet? That you?"

"What happened?" Vylet asked as she approached and got down on one knee next to him.

"I tried to walk…"

The Aromatisse stepped closer and said, "He's still suffering the effects of his concussion, and it's negatively affecting his sense of balance. He shouldn't be walking anywhere yet, but he insisted on trying."

"I figured it couldn't be that hard…" Anrey mumbled to himself.

Vylet shook her head and helped Anrey back up into a seated position on the floor. Even just placing his two forepaws in front of him while seated seemed difficult, based on how wobbly and shaky he was.

"You sure you're not drunk?" Vylet asked jokingly.

"I feel dizzy enough to be drunk…"

She gave him a look. "You tried walking when you still feel dizzy?"

"Well, the nurse said I was going to be feeling dizzy for a while," he replied defensively, "I didn't wanna be bedridden for the whole time. You can still walk…slowly…while you're a little dizzy, right?"

Vylet rolled her eyes. "Oh boy…" She glanced at him, again noticing how rigidly he seemed to be sitting. She also noticed that the bandages had been taken off of his head, though other smaller bandages and medical adhesives remained on other parts of his body. "You do look better, though. At least, a little bit."

"I do feel better," he replied, "Head stopped throbbing constantly, for one thing. My brain still feels kinda…spacey, though."

"And you're dizzy and can't walk," Raye interjected, causing them both to look up at her. She was holding a clipboard now and glancing at it. "As far as medical treatment, assuming no further complications of course, there's nothing more I can do for you. Obviously, I recommend more bed rest to recover and to avoid walking."

Vylet stood up and addressed the Aromatisse. "Wait, what are you saying?"

"His concussion is major," she explained, "but not life-threatening. I've given him plenty of Heal Pulse and Heal Bell, treated him for swelling and his lacerations, and ruled out other severe head injuries. He'll have concussion symptoms, but hopefully nothing more."

"Are you releasing him, then?"

Raye glanced off for a moment. "Technically yes, I suppose. He should stay here and rest in bed, but you know the guild doesn't like to keep these beds occupied unnecessarily."

"Oh, good!" Vylet perked up, "Then he can come to my place now. Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets tons of rest."

"Your…?" Raye muttered in confusion, "Huh?"

"He and I talked about this before. I'm letting him stay at my place until he recovers and gets back on his paws. I already have the apartment set up."

Raye glanced over at Anrey, who was still sitting lamely on the floor, and then back at Vylet. "Oh…! Well, then, yes. Yes, he is fine to stay at your place, if that's the plan. Just make sure to contact me if his symptoms worsen."

Vylet nodded. "Absolutely!"

"Though, I suppose getting him to your place is another matter entirely…"

Anrey frowned worriedly.

"Well," Vylet remarked, "The good news is that I don't live very far away from the guild. At normal walking speed it only takes a couple of minutes to get there. The bad news, of course, is the ladder…"

"…Ladder?" Anrey repeated, giving her a confused look.

"Because we're underground," Vylet answered, "Yeah, I guess you missed that part, considering you were unconscious at the time…"

"The only way in and out of this place is a ladder?" Anrey asked, "…Yikes."

"We might have to hire an aerial transport just to get him up above ground…" Raye then said.

"That'd be a ton of money for two minutes of work," Vylet replied with a dry chuckle, "They'd probably appreciate that."

Anrey was looking between them with a confused look. "…Aerial transport?" he murmured.

Vylet looked at him in surprise, but then again remembered that the concussion was affecting his memory. "The flying Pokémon who provide transportation around the region for a fee? Y'know, the fastest way to travel?"

"Like…Pigeot, right?"

Vylet nodded and said, "Mhm!"

A look of recognition appeared on the Eevee's face. "Right, of course. Duh, that's how I got up to that mountain village."

"'Mountain village'? Which one?"

"I don't remember," Anrey said with a chuckle, "And I don't think that's the concussion this time. I mean it was so long ago I barely remember it…"

The Aromatisse cut in. "Either way, I doubt the guild is going to sign-off on paying that much just to get him up the ladder."

Vylet frowned. "I'd like to just pay for it myself, but aerial transport costs a ton…"

"No, no," Anrey shook his head, "Don't feel bad. I wouldn't expect you to break your bank just for me."

She gave him a smile, grateful for his understanding.

"Should I try walking again?" Anrey asked.

"No point," Raye replied, "Even if you can walk, I doubt you'd be fine enough to climb up a ladder."

"Well we gotta think of something," Vylet continued, "We can't just leave you sitting on the floor all day…"

Anrey smiled at her again. "I appreciate the concern, in any case. I'm sure you can figure this out. Uh, do you have any friends who work here that might be able to help?"

Vylet glanced away and awkwardly rubbed her arm. "Uhhhh…No, not really. Not at all, actually."

Raye sighed. "I may have to call in a favour…"


In the end, Anrey the Eevee had been successfully extracted from the guild. Raye had recruited another worker at the guild, an Ivysaur who was able to use her long vines to safely lift Anrey up the length of the ladder and out the top. From there, Vylet was able to borrow a wheeled dolly from the guild, stored above-ground in the access building, which she then used to move Anrey along the streets.

Vylet figured that Anrey would feel totally embarrassed from being moved around like cargo in front of the curious eyes of the local citizens. On the contrary, Anrey spent the whole 'ride' taking in his surroundings with a fascinated look in his eyes. Vylet recalled how he was a traveller and his main goal was to see new places. Since he had been unconscious before, this was his first chance to get a good look at Clover Town.

It wasn't a big city, but it certainly wasn't a tiny town either. The cobblestone streets snaked their way through the various colourful buildings with their thick stone walls, wooden roofs, and variating designs. The entrance to the guild was just a singular building near the city's central plaza, decorated with the guild's colours and insignia but otherwise just a simple square building. Citizens often disagreed on whether the guild was built under the town, or if the town was built upon the guild.

It was the middle of the day and so, as usual, the town was bustling with Pokémon of all types going to and fro. Vylet was still new in town so nobody recognized her or waved at her, but she just focused on the task of getting Anrey back to her place. It was a bit awkward to roll the dolly over the cobblestone, and she repeatedly apologized to the Eevee for the bumpy ride.

Before long, the pair had reached the apartment building where Vylet lived. It was a simple stone building like all of the other dwellings of the town, except this one was much larger. It housed about 15 occupants in total. Thankfully, Vylet lived on the bottom floor so there was no need to transport Anrey up any stairs. She got a few odd looks from some neighbours as she wheeled the Eevee in, but she just smiled and gave them each a quick wave.

"All right, here we are," Vylet proclaimed once they finally reached her door, "It might not be the posh hotel you were expecting, but hopefully it'll suffice."

"I'm sure it'll be just fine, Vylet," Anrey reassured her.

Vylet then opened the door and wheeled Anrey in. The apartment was, by all accounts, quite bare. Vylet had only recently moved in and hadn't had much of a chance to furnish or decorate the living space. Regardless, there was still a large couch near the windows, a sectioned off area for making meals, a bathroom and her bedroom off to the side, and a couple shelves that she had just started to fill with knickknacks. Besides two photos hanging on the walls, the rest of the wall space was unoccupied.

"You weren't kidding when you said small," Anrey remarked.

"Yeah," Vylet agreed as she moved the dolly over towards the couch, "Couldn't afford much bigger, but I've never really been a Pokémon that needs very much material stuff. A roof over my head and a lock on my door are really all I need."

As they approached the couch, the two got a closer look at the makeshift bedding Vylet had covered it with. "I tried to make it as comfortable for you as I could," she said.

"Oh this looks just fine," Anrey said appreciatively, "Thank you."

"All right, lazy bones," Vylet said jokingly, "Free ride's over. Get up on that couch so you can get some more rest."

Vylet then watched as Anrey started to get up from his prone position, and she winced again when she saw how slowly and shakily the Eevee was moving. It took him almost a full minute just to sit up. "Gosh," she remarked, "Is the room really spinning that much?"

"Yeah…" Anrey murmured. He was sitting up now, but seemed to be at a loss for what to do next.

"You didn't seem very dizzy when we were walking through town. It's so busy and colourful out there that sometimes I feel dizzy."

"I was too distracted taking in the sights…" he remarked, "However spinny they may have been…"

Vylet shook her head as she approached him. "Remind me to never get a concussion." She approached him and said, "Here, I'll hold onto you so you won't tip over."

He smiled at her and said, "Thank you." Anrey then slowly stood up on all fours while Vylet carefully used her claws to hold onto his midsection and hold him steady. He looked incredibly shaky on his paws, but Vylet kept him stable. Anrey nearly tipped over completely when he lifted one forepaw up towards the couch, but with Vylet helping him he was able to clumsily clamber up off the dolly and onto the couch. There, he finally allowed himself to collapse onto the cushions and let out a sigh of relief.

"All right, get comfy," she said to him while he settled onto the couch, "I gotta take this thing back to the guild, so I'll be right back. Please don't bother robbing me because as you can obviously see I've got nothing worth anything here." She finished her remark with a smirk.

He, in return, leveled a flat look at her. "Oh yeah, you saw just how well I can walk. I'll be off with all your junk in two seconds flat."

The two Pokémon both shared a hearty laugh. Vylet couldn't help but smile as she wheeled the dolly out of the apartment. She hadn't smiled or laughed like this ever since she had moved to the city. While she locked the door and quickly headed back to the guild, she found herself wondering if she had finally achieved one of her goals since moving here.

Had she finally made…a friend?


Vylet knew she had nothing to fear from leaving the Eevee alone in her apartment, but still it made her smile to return and find nothing out of place and Anrey still sprawled out helplessly on the couch. He grinned over at her when she stepped through the door. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks! Hope you're enjoying the accommodations."

"Best couch that no money could buy."

Vylet rolled her eyes and snickered. She closed the door behind her and made her way over to her patient/houseguest. "So," she said to him, "Just let me know if I can get you anything. I'll do my best to help you while you're, y'know, immobile."

Anrey wore a warm, grateful smile. "I still can't believe how nice you're being to me. I'm a total stranger, but you're treating me nicer than most of…anyone I know."

She shrugged and took a seat on the floor next to the couch, as she was tall enough to be at eye level with him even while doing so. "I guess that's just how I've always been. I give as much kindness as I can to anyone who deserves it. You're in a bad spot right now, so you deserve all the kindness you can get."

"Well, then I'm really glad you're the one who rescued me…"

"Ugh…" Vylet grumbled, adopting a sour look, "Dumb idiot punks. Who just beats up a random Eevee for no reason like that?"

"Especially one who was confused and didn't know where he was…"

Vylet looked over at him sympathetically. "You still don't have any idea why you were down there in the first place, huh?"

Anrey shook his head. "Not a clue. I remember walking down the way between towns and then suddenly you're there rescuing me…"

"Well, the important thing is that you're here now, safe and sound. So just settle in, get yourself comfy, and get some rest."

The Eevee did nestle himself into the pillows a bit upon that remark. "I do wanna get back up and walking as soon as I can, though," he then said, "Y'know, I just hate sitting still for so long. I hate not being able to move."

"Heh, I guess that makes sense, since you're a traveller. Don't worry, I'll help you out with that."

"Really?" Anrey glanced over at her. "Gosh, you're way too kind."

She shrugged. "So I've been told, I suppose… But that'll be another day. For now, you just rest your poor head for a bit, okay?"

"I guess I'll try to get a nap in. Believe it or not, your couch is more comfortable than the hospital beds back in the guild."

Vylet laughed. "I'm not surprised in the least. Anyway, give me a shout when you wake up and I'll come and spend some time with you."

"Yeah?"

"For sure," Vylet said with a nod, "I've got pretty much nothing going on right now. I'm usually bored."

Anrey frowned at her. "How can you be bored when you've got such an exciting job?"

"Well, because I'm still new there, and I…" She paused and then waved a claw at him. "Ah, I'll tell you later. Get some rest, fuzzy."

"Oh dear…" Anrey gave her a mildly worried smile. "Is that gonna be my new name around here?"

Vylet just chuckled to herself as she wandered off towards the kitchen. "You're an Eevee. It's automatic."

"Aww…" Anrey whined playfully.

Vylet smiled to herself as she went about making herself a quick bite to eat. She heard Anrey shuffle about on the couch a few times, and then all sound from the couch ceased entirely. Once she had finished making her sandwich, she glanced over and found Anrey was already fast asleep.

She was already pleased with this arrangement. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so calm and content, especially not since the whirlwind of her guild employment had started. She knew for a fact that she was probably jumping way ahead of things, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't deny it, even if she'd wanted to.

Anrey was her first friend in Clover Town.