ALWAYS AUDACITY
CHAPTER XIX – DEBRIEFS AND RECOVERY

Author's Note: Well, this took alot of time to write, but it is done! Unless it turns out that more are needed, there are now five more Chapters to go for the first episode! Chapter XX is going to very likely be a big one. So despite my efforts, that Chapter could take time. But I will be focusing my efforts on completing that chapter! Either way, enjoy the little bit of development and lore here! And the build up for Chapter XX.

Broken Wood was gone.

From Sam's view at the edge of the cliff, that was at least what I looked like to him. Parts of the Woods that had once dominated the area had now collapsed into a crater easily a mile across. It seemed like the earthquake didn't just destroy the dungeons, it took out the entire area. Trees remained, but they were now even more damaged than before, trunks often split in two and those that remained hanging in precarious places, often held in place by only a few roots on sheer cliffs. At the very bottom of the crater, Sam could just make out little pools of magma and every so often, the crack of crumbling rocks could be heard as they broke away from the still crumbling rock faces.

A chill settling over him, Sam tightened his red jacket around his chest. Could Volcanion cause all this? He questioned, Or maybe he has pulled off the earthquakes before… no, that doesn't make any sense. He was powerful, but given we could slow him down… I doubt even he could cause all this… maybe it was just the same kind of earthquake that struck… err… what was that place called? Harbour Town?

Even with the jacket, Sam couldn't help but shiver. Was… was that earthquake just as bad as this?

"I was wondering where you were."

Sam looked over his shoulder to find the white and blue form of Esper stepped up onto the mound, a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright?"

The Scorbunny looked back towards the ruined woods and the crater. "Yeah… what about the others?"

"They're all getting treated right now." Esper stated, "No one is seriously hurt physically anyway, though I suspect the mental pain will be around for a little more time. But it's nothing that we can't work through and help with."

The Meowstic stepped up alongside him, hands behind her back as she inspected the scene before them. "I wanted to apologise."

Sam's ears twitched as he turned to look round at her, "W-What about?"

"About sending you into that dungeon." She closed her eyes, head bowing a little bit. "We had surveyed Broken Wood ahead of the trials. The conditions were comparable to other dungeons we have come across before that were still stable, even in the last one, and we believed we would be able to put one final group of recruits through it before sealing it off. As you saw, it still only needed an earthquake to cause as a cascade."

Esper's eyes drifted open, "From what we know, all that remains is the second dungeon."

"The first one is gone too?" Sam asked.

"Yes. When the earthquake struck, it caused the ground beneath it to collapse. Nearly took out the second dungeon too if it wasn't for the volcanic rock there. But I doubt it'll be there for much longer now."

Volcanic rock… Sam pondered, eyes flicking between the distant pools of lava and Esper, who had now turned towards him again. "Again Sam, I can only apologise."

Sam shook his head, "No no. It's fine, really." He said, "I mean, you can't really predict when an earthquake is going to hit."

A little smile forming on the feline's lips, she finally turned away from the scene. "Come then, we'd best leave this place."

Nodding, he turned to follow her back down the slope. "Alice and Aidan informed me about the Pokémon you came across in the tunnels." Esper said, "Volcanion I believe?"

"Y-yeah." Sam replied. "He just came out of the ground and attacked us, something about transgression or something like that?"

She nodded herself, "Fairly typical behaviour to the sounds of it."

The Scorbunny stiffened, "Wait… you know about Volcanion?!"

"Only from myths."

The Meowstic's gaze remained focused on the path, even as her voice became a little softer. "Volcanion is a mythical Pokémon with the ability to manipulate fire and water to produce steam. It is said to be powerful enough to level mountain ranges."

Sam nearly froze on the spot, a cold sweat beginning to emerge. "W-Wait, you don't mean it caused t-"

"I wouldn't worry too much." Esper said, "Even amongst the more powerful Legendaries of the world, there is some exaggeration of their capabilities. Even if they were powerful enough to do what they are said to be able to do, they tend to restrain themselves."

"Didn't feel that restrained to me…" Sam mused.

"Believe me, if Volcanion wanted to fully destroy you, then he certainly had the means to do it far more quickly. It takes a lot for them to unleash their full power like that."

Still not quite comfortable with the answer, he could only focus his own footsteps. "Any idea why Volcanion would attack us then?"

"I can't say for certain, as I don't know enough about Volcanion's history to even guess. He is a mythical Pokémon in a place we are only just beginning to understand. But given what you have said, I suspect that Volcanion might have been reacting to your presence on his territory, accidental or not."

"A territory?"

"Yes. Most Legendaries and, by extension Mythicals, often have a territory or domain of their own they rule over. They are all aspects in some form or another, and place a role in how this world functions and as such, they very rarely leave these locations for the sake of the security of those places and the balance of this world. If they did, there would either be a severe crisis… or something has piqued their interest."

Sam felt the warmth of Esper's hand rest on his shoulder, "I doubt Volcanion will pursue you out here. But we will close off what is left of Broken Wood and leave sentries in place as a precaution. You have nothing to fear."

Sam nodded, feeling a little more confident about Esper's words. "I have already spoken to Rex." She continued, "Given what has happened, we are going to bring all of you into the Guild."

That finally perked him up, the Scorbunny turning to face her. "W-wait, really?"

"Of course. Not everyone faces a legendary or mythical and lives to tell the tale, and given you were able to survive in the cave it only makes sense."

Esper flashed a little smile, "We'll need to time to get a small initiation ceremony ready, especially whilst securing the ruins here. But that should give you time to yourselves and to recover. You've all been through a lot so suddenly."

Rounding a rocky corner, they found a sizeable group of Pokémon waiting for them, almost of all them wearing some kind of team identifier. The exceptions naturally being the recruits he had accompanied. Alice, Aidan, Team Forest, Nia and Dan were all gathered round a small cart, beginning to climb into the back.

"I do have to ask one thing though." Esper said.

"Hmm?"

Bringing herself to a stop, the feline looked towards him with a tilt of her head. "When you were down in the tunnels, did you come across anything strange? Anything that could be related to the earthquake itself or Volcanion?"

Frowning, Sam's hand drifted across his mouth in thought. He focused on trying to look past the memory of Volcanion charging after him and the others… and back towards that Mural…

"Yeah… there was some kind of mural down there…"

"A mural?"

"Yeah… it was made out of metal and had all these weird markings on it. No idea what any of it meant, I didn't really get a good look before Volcanion showed up."

Esper narrowed her eyes in thought, "Well, marks and murals aren't exactly uncommon. Many such features exist in old ruins and archaeological sites. The mural could be important, but at the same time, it might just as likely be an old piece of artwork that had just happened to survive for that long."

She shook her head, "Either way, I appreciate you bringing this up. I'll be sure to include it in my report. Perhaps someone at the Guild will have a better idea about this."

Esper motioned with her hand towards the assembled recruits, "Come. We'll get you back to Robinswood." She headed back further the path towards the others, and Sam took the few steps after her. But then the memory yanked him to a halt. W-Wait! Of course! There was something else!

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Sam pulled out the blue armband, complete with it's silver tear and cross. This was by the mural! He opened his mouth, ready to call back Esper…

But then the new memory flushed back to the surface. "With the children's cries more desperate." Edward had said, "The Pokémon of the island didn't know how best to proceed, until a Lapras arrived on the shoreline, carrying two Pokémon on it's back. A Lucario and a Zoroark. The villagers who lived close to the cave didn't not recognise the newcomers, but they did know of the emblem they carried. A sharp cross, emboldened with a tear in front of it. According to the myths, they were known as Guardians."

Sam blinked, the realisation hitting him with a jolt. Guardians! He realised; Edward talked about that myth! The emblem they mentioned. A tear and a cross! That means…

He looked down at the armband, bearing the exact same symbol.

It's the emblem of the Guardians!

You watched from atop the cliff as Sam stuffed the armband into his pocket and scrambled to catch up with the others, a conflicted look on his face. For the most part, you were merely relieved that he had made out safely from that dark place. Whatever the reason, he was still in play.

Ah… elected to be the hero hmm?

That dark presence drifted by your side, and a quick glance revealed a black shadow drifting by your side. It was about time I met you face to face… this is not actually me by the way. Just an extension of my will. Did you think I wouldn't notice that little stunt?

A chill ran through you at the presence's words. You can relax. I must say, I'm impressed you could actually slow Sam's descent. Whilst he would likely have been fine, he was getting perilously close to some of those rocks… that would be something even myself would struggle to achieve. At least with this shadow anyway.

The chill faded as the presence seemed to lean forward, inspecting Sam leaping up into the cart. So… the mythical Volcanion. It has been some time since I have been aware of his existence. I had thought he had died centuries ago. And yet he lives… hmm… most curious. But even Volcanion couldn't destroy this place on his own. Not in this state. Something else is afoot. And that mural, a strange place for it to be, is it not?

The shadow shifted, And these Guardians… that is a title I have not heard for a long time either… is there a link between these events? The disasters? Volcanion? Broken… Broken Wood, is it? And the Guardians… and a mural? Most curious. Perhaps it is all connected.

Somehow, the form managed to pull a shrug. Alas, there are missing links to this. Perhaps they are indeed unrelated, at least from what little I know on Volcanion. To enter this place like this would risk the wrath of Volcanion, but I must investigate that mural. I have a feeling Sam will want to read into the subject matter.

You turned towards the shadow. I imagined you would be curious. You are determined to look after our young fellow here… I will investigate this crater as best I can. You follow Sam as you always do, and perhaps he will find his way over to additional answers.

In silence, the shadow drifted away, and you moved to follow the Pokémon as they departed.

The journey back to Robinswood was uneventful, and frankly, that was all that really mattered to Sam and be extension, the others, he imagined. Most of the rescuers had elected to walk on back to town, leaving only a few others to watch over the now ruined area. But as for the rescued, the cart was a convenient change of pace. Dan and Nia were cuddled together inside a blanket, whilst Denver, Callum and Filip were likewise wrapped in their own sets. Aidan, Alice, Bruce, Edward and Sam himself were not. Namely because out of the lot of them, they were all in the best kind of shape. At least, that was Sam could guess any way. Bruce and Edward were sat down next to their teams, flashing looks of concern at their comrades and quietly working to talk to them. Edward was quiet and supportive, and it seemed to be bringing his Skorupi companion out of his shell. No pun intended. Bruce was a little more upbeat, if only barely, and it didn't seem to be having the same impact.

Alice and Aidan stood at the edge of the cart; their eyes fixed on the ruins of Broken Wood behind them. From his position further to the front, Sam couldn't see their expressions. But he could easily imagine their dour looks. This is going to leave some scars… especially after going through all this so quickly…

He reached into his jacket pocket, feeling the armband within… So quickly…

The journey was at least far quicker, and soon enough, the cart, having been towed by a big Tauros, came to a halt by the giant guild tree, the sun now hanging lower in the sky and approaching the horizon. It wouldn't be much long until sunset came.

Sam felt the metaphorical weight lift of his shoulders, that aura of safety now rushing into take its place. They were out of danger.

Well, he knew he had mostly been out of danger the moment they came flying out of those tunnels. But he supposed that tension had still remained. Adrenaline still waiting to get burnt out, he guessed.

Any remaining fears evaporated as they climbed off the cart to find none other than Rex and Emrys waiting for them. Rex stood tall, and yet showed a clear look of worry on his face. Emrys meanwhile, was wrapped up in a mix of bandages across their body and wings, clearly looking pained as they hobbled towards them. Sam's ears immediately sprung up. "Emrys! You made it!"

That joy quickly shifted to concern, "Are… you okay?"

Pulling the closest thing they could to a pained smile, Emrys bowed his head towards, twitching a little bit. "Nothing permanent, I'm already starting to feel better right now. But the main thing is you are safe."

"You know this guy?" Bruce asked, dropping down from cart and walking over to the rabbit's side.

"Emrys was the final test." Aidan explained with a little smirk, "And I guess it was based off a real event… although we didn't really get a chance to fight before that earthquake hit."

There was a little gleam in Emrys eyes. "Very astute. I lived on Air Continent during the disasters… to say that it drove me… mad would be an understatement."

"Let me guess." Alice said, arms crossed, "You ended up getting in the way of rescuers because your home was falling apart?"

The Skarmory dipped their head again, "Indeed… I was still enraged after that team defeated me, but after the crisis and I saw what had happened… I later came back to apologise. That little Diglett found that quite heart-warming once I managed to talk sense into his Magnetmite friend…"

The bird shook their head again with a wince as Rex crossed his arms, a little smile of his own forming. "Emrys insisted on searching for you in the air despite not officially being a rescuer, and wouldn't take no for an answer for at least passing the word back to me. And very few Pokémon can get past Esper like that."

The Blaziken turned towards the recruits, his gaze holding for a moment on… Alice of all people. Sam's ear twitched at that, especially when his beak opened a touch before continuing his scan. "Either way, I'm glad to see you are all home and safe. Esper managed to send me a telepathic report, although the instability of the area has made it difficult to get said information to me that way until now. Given what you have all faced, we'll get you all enlisted in the Guild soon."

A few smiles spread across the recruits at the words, some measure of relief after their experiences. "In the meantime, whilst we prepare and check things over accordingly, get some rest. All of you. It looks like you will definitely need it, especially if we need to discuss what happened in those dungeons. Especially you… Denver, right?"

The Skorupi perked up, his bandaged legs shivering a little bit. "Y-Yeah!"

Nodding with a relaxed smile, as if a little pleased with himself, the Guild master continued, "Go and get those legs checked out with Rebecca, she'll get you crawling around everywhere in no time."

"Err – sure thing!" Denver said, with his Skiddo companion stepping up alongside him.

"Come on." Edward said, "I'll help you there."

Denver took a few shaky steps forward on his own, before promptly collapsing into the Skiddo's side, "Alright. Thanks."

As the two departed across the square, Rex turned to Emrys. "Now, I insist you go and see Rebecca yourself."

"Of course." They replied, bowing their head once more before moving to follow the others on foot.

Rex turned to look over the group once more with a focused eye, again his gaze hovering a second longer over Alice… and then Sam. His heart missed a beat, worried that the Guild master would see some flaw or problem with the Scorbunny. But the gaze, likewise, only held for a second before he addressed the group. "Well, don't wait on my account. Go ahead, relax. If you need to talk to me, the door to my office is open to you. And I am certain the rest of the guild will assist you if you need it."

With a final bow of his head, he turned and strode back into the base of the tree.

A truly gigantic grin spread across Edward's face, his red eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Hell yeah! We're going into the guild!"

Alice rolled her eyes, "And immediately he goes into celebration mode." She mumbled, earning a glare from the Bulbasaur. "Oh come on! We made it out, didn't we? We should celebrate! Right guys?"

He turned towards his teammates… and Sam could promptly see the joy vanish from his face. Callum and the now lucid Filip had backed away from the group. The Ducklett was slouched, whilst the Yanma seemed to be trying his best to look away. "Yeah… err… Bruce…" Callum started, struggling to find his words, "Me and Filip have talked about this and… well… I don't really know how to put this-"

"We don't want to join the Guild." Filip buzzed quietly, still keeping his eyes pointed away.

Bruce blinked, shaking his head rapidly. "Y-You can't be thinking of that! We made it through in the end right! We all agreed to give it a try!"

"Yeah. We did." Filip said.

"And we nearly died down there!" Callum added, "That was just a bit of training, how are we going to fare with other missions!"

Alice narrowed her eyes, "We had no idea that would happen. Saying no to everything on one bad thing is a bit stupid."

"I wouldn't put it like that." Aidan said, "But going through all that effort to just give up? You've got no idea what you are missing out on."

Callum's eyes narrowed, "And constantly being at risk of dying?! Sorry. That was too much of a wakeup call."

"If you came into this not expecting to throw yourself into danger…" Alice said, "Then you haven't thought this through."

"Not as much as we thought." Filip said. "Either way, we're out."

"Come on guys." Bruce said, voice shaky and looking limp. "We tried so hard to get here… we can't just quit now. If you leave… I can't join either… we always planned on this as Team Forest… remember?"

The Yanma turned away again, and Callum seemed to hesitate, as if debating wherever or not leaving was the right move or not. But with a final sigh, he shook his head. "Sorry Bruce… I'm sure you can find someone who will take you in but… we can't."

"G-Guys!" Bruce called out, but it was too late, the two former recruits swiftly walked into the town.

Sam felt his chest tighten as he watched the two depart. His eyes flicking between them and the quivering Bulbasaur, now bowing his head down. A part of him felt immediately sorry for Bruce. So committed to bring himself and his team through to the Guild… and yet his team lost their spirit. Unwilling to put their lives on the line after all that danger… on one hand, he couldn't blame them for leaving. But at the same time, they are leaving poor Bruce to dry…

Of course, you have to join the Guild as part of a team, or not at all… maybe Rex can bend the rules on this occasion and… I don't know. Maybe we could ask for him to join our team? It'll give him a chance t-

"Hey Bruce… if you want to, you can join our team."

The Scorbunny blinked to attention. Nia had emerged from the blanket and was now standing next to Bruce. The reptile's head lifted just a touch; his voice shaky. "Are… are you sure?"

"Yeah!" Nia exclaimed cheerfully, "I know how much it means to you to be on a team! We'd happily take you on! The more the merrier!"

Sam felt a smile form on his lips as a few tears formed in Bruce's eyes, the grass-type lifting himself. "T-Thanks Nia! And you too Dan!"

Dan looked comical with that big blanket wrapped around him in such a way to leave only his head in view. "Err… yeah! Sure! It was mainly Nia's idea but I'm fine with it!"

Bruce let loose a massive grin. "Heh- thanks! Same with you Al-"

The smile faded, the realisation kicking in as he turned to face Alice. The Buneary kept her arms crossed, a slight frown sketched across her face but otherwise, her expression was neutral. If anything, she looked more concerned than annoyed.

Bruce grimaced at first, trying to work out his response before he opened his mouth.

And then promptly closed it, as if changing his mind at the last second. He opened it again and just as swiftly shut it. This time, he hesitated for two seconds before finally opening his mouth again. "Look… I suppose-"

"You don't need to ask." Alice interrupted him, "I'll leave the team."

Everyone's eyes locked onto Alice. Wait… what!? Now you want to leave?!

This was too much of a surprise for Sam, Alice didn't seem like the type to just bow out of something like this.

Aidan reacted first. "Holy shit. I wasn't expecting this…"

"A-Alice! You've been a big help!" Nia cried out, eyes widening in shock. "We'd be happy for you stay on! Right, everyone?"

Bruce once again looked hesitant, his nose wrinkling. Dan meanwhile seemed to shrink a little bit deeper into that blanket of his.

Alice didn't wait, shrugging without any signs of malice. "It's obvious. You don't entirely trust me, even you Nia."

Bruce finally spoke again, "I've got to admit… you aren't as bad as I thought… I mean, there was the camp… I just… I don't really know what to think."

Dan shivered. "Sorry. But you kinda… err…"

"Scare you?"

The Morpeko hesitated, before finally nodding, shrinking deeper into the blanket. "Y-Yeah…"

Nia shook her head, "But… we can work through that!"

"Rescue teams need to trust each other entirely." Alice said, not even angry or disappointed as she shook her head. "If you can't trust me now, you never will. And that could get someone killed."

Uncrossing her arms, she turned away from the others. Come on Alice… you don't have to force yourself out like this. It's no better than beating yourself up!

Sam straightened himself up, taking a breath in. Alright, here goes nothing.

"Alice, you c-"

"Don't bother." Alice said, "Aidan will never have me around either. Same with Denver."

He glanced over at his Froakie friend; the blue frog had been rubbing his head with a grimace before stiffening as the group's gaze shifted onto him. But he didn't hesitate, swiftly shaking his head. "No. I don't trust her."

His heart sank like a stone, Aidan…

Alice merely shrugged again, "Then I won't keep you. Good luck working at the Guild."

And with that, the Buneary strode away into the Guild Tree, leaving the others behind.

Sam felt a cold pang in his chest. Barely able to process this decision. The logic? Maybe he could see that. But at the same time… just calling quits because of a little bit of distrust felt… overkill… even Bruce seemed ready to try and shove that aside?

Alice… what made you start thinking this way?

"Well." Aidan started, bring himself forward. "You heard what Rex said. We need to go and get some rest. Don't think too much about this, alright?"

Bruce, Nia and Dan all looked between themselves, all of them seeming to shrink. The exhaustion now finally beginning to settle in to each of them. "Yeah." Bruce uttered. "I could sleep for a thousand years after today…"

"Same here…" Dan replied.

Nia didn't reply at first, eyes focused onto where Alice had entered. She held them there for a few seconds, before finally with a sigh she nodded. "O-Okay…"

Sam started to open his mouth, a flare of heat burning through his chest. None of this seemed right. Callum and Filip running off was one thing. Unkind but understandable. Driving someone off? Even unintendedly? He struggled to restrain himself from snapping.

But the group was already beginning to scatter, and Sam, unwilling to escalate this mess, clicked his mouth shut.

He turned towards Aidan, "What's your plan now Aidan?" Sam asked, "Anything you need to check out and-"

What was left of the anger quickly faded away as he found the Froakie cradling his head in his hands, eyes squeezed shut. "Aidan!" Sam exclaimed, focusing his full attention on his companion and placing a hand on his shoulder, "You alright?"

Groaning, Aidan nodded slowly back. "I'm fine…" he uttered, "This headache just doesn't know when to quit! I think I must have hit my head on the way down that pit."

"Come on then." Sam said, beginning to tug him a little bit. "Let's go and get it checked out."

"And take Rebecca's attention away from the others – and get her hooves up my behind too? No thanks."

The memory of the Rapidash screaming in his face sent a shiver running up his spine, and in a desperate attempt to hide any inevitable flash of fear, he quickly let free a chuckle. "I get what you mean."

His eyes flickering open, Aidan pulled a tiny grin, "It's not any worse than a Psyduck's anyway. I'll just get some health juice or something later to clear my head. A nap would do some good too."

Aidan's grin grew bigger, "In that case, I'm going to head back to the barracks and get my head on a pillow. A nap wouldn't hurt you either."

Sam was about to agree, but his mind shifted back towards the tunnels… and the armband that remained in his pocket. This isn't something I can just sleep on. If the Guardians actually existed, I need to try and find some information on them… and looking for some extra information on the world certainly couldn't hurt. Maybe I could ask Edward? Nah, he'll be busy with Denver… so perhaps… yeah, that could work…

"I'm actually going to do some reading up." Sam declared, "Is there a library here I can check out?"

"Ah, the intellectual type then?" Aidan mused, "Well, there is one in the Guild tree, if it helps."

Sam rubbed his hands together, "Great. I'll check it out."

The Froakie seemed about ready to ask another question, but then an invisible force settled back into the Scorbunny's partner. The grin flipped upside down as a hand cradled Aidan's head again. "Right… I'm outta here then. I'll see you later."

"Sure you don't need a hand back to the barracks?"

"I'm not a Psyduck." Aidan countered with a hint of warm sarcasm, "I can hobble back home dear nurse."

"Okay okay." Sam replied hurriedly, "No worries then. Take it easy Aidan."

"Yeah, you too."

Aidan back to half hop, half hobble back towards their barracks, leaving Sam on his own once more. He took a deep breath, Alright. Let's go and check out some books.

Turning away, Sam strode on into the Guild Tree.

To say that the inside of the Guild tree was quite the sight was a massive understatement. Sam had expected tight corridors cut through the bark and the trunk, complete with tiny chambers. Something that would be deeply cluster phobic.

What he didn't expect a room so massive, that he could barely see the ceiling far above his head at the end of the entrance. He let out a gasp, gazing at a beam of light shining down from above and through a series of what appeared to be rounded balconies that ringed the inner walls of the tree itself. At the bottom floor, where Sam himself stood, had three major features amidst the half a dozen Pokémon walking through the space. On his flanks, large open passageways beckoned and led onto to ramps that climbed or descended to other floors. Flanking the far walls, he could make out what appeared to be elevators, bypassing the ramps leading elsewhere. Finally, at the very centre of the room was a large round desk, a trio of Pokémon manning it and shifting through files…

All of them Meowth, he recognised. And yet, they looked very different from each other. The one in the centre he was familiar with, it's cream fur and golden coin on his head pretty distinctive. The other two less so, the one on the left was covered in blue-grey fur and the one on the right had a shaggy, grey-brown coat with a borderline black coin instead of the normal gold. Different variants? He guessed.

Walking across the stone floor, he approached the Meowth at the desk. "Hey there." He said, "I'm looking for the library, can you guys point me in the right direction?"

The cream Meowth lowered the file he was looking over, eying the Scorbunny now standing the desk's edge. "Huh, the studious Pokémon, eh? I've not really seen you round before kid."

Sam frowned, "I'm not a kid."

"Eh, you've got that young'un look. That's all I'm saying."

He poked over his shoulder towards the elevators. "Head up to the eighth floor. The 'hole library is there."

"Right, thanks."

Sam walked round towards the elevator. It was made entirely out of wood, and came complete with a sliding wooden railing to stop someone from falling off. It was operated by a single lever, and with quick lift of it, the wooden contraption swiftly but gently rose upwards. Okay… I've gotta admit this is pretty ingenious.

The ascent up to the eight floor took little more than a minute, and the Scorbunny stepped off to once more gasp. Bookshelves stretched for an easy eight metres above his head, all arranged round a donut shaped space with a handful of small offshoots to the sides, cut deeper into the tree wall. There were a few Pokémon scattered around the library, but it didn't take long for him to find an Oranguru at a central desk. The chief librarian, judging by the number of books that surrounded him. A fact that Henry proceeded to confirm when Sam spoke to him.

The orangutan frowned, "I don't have anything about Guardians here."

Sam blinked, "Really?" he asked, glancing around the vast space, "Seems like a pretty big library."

Henry chuckled, "Big for the Sea of Wonders? By far and away. But there are libraries back on the other continents which are much bigger than this, and they have far more specific books."

"So those ones could have some information on them?"

"Perhaps… but there is so little to be said about the Guardians. What is known has often been passed down orally and I believe only one such book detailing even minor details existed, and that was lost some time ago."

Sam rubbed the back of his head, "Do you know much about those oral stories yourself?"

"No." Henry replied, shaking his head. "I do not. I did speak to someone who knew of a simple tale, a young Skiddo, Edward, his name was, I think. And that was just something he had heard of as a child."

Well, bugger to that plan. There really isn't that much information on the Guardians at all? Well, unless that book is magicked out of nowhere, I think that is about as far as I'm going to get.

"You might find a reference to guardians of some form or another in one of the other books we have." Henry advised.

Sam's ears perked up at the suggestion, "That could work…". He pondered what kind of details he could read. Something that could better introduce him to this world…

"Anything history or geography related?" Sam asked, "Like an overview of the world or that? I just want to… brush up on some details."

A warm smile spread across the librarian's face as he clicked his fingers, "Luckily for you, I have an ideal starting point."

Within minutes, Sam was seated at a table ideally sized for himself. Someone had obviously been sat here just before he was, noting by the stack of books placed to one side.

He nearly choked however when he flicked open the cover to find the pages covered in scribbles. Weird symbols and shapes to be precise. In that moment, it became all too clear that Sam hadn't thought of one key detail…

I… I'm not sure if I can read…

Over the course of fifteen minutes, Sam would flick through the pages of the book, focusing his efforts on the diagrams, charts and maps that filled its pages. But with all unintelligible characters written across the page, he had no idea what any of it meant.

I mean… what the heck is this supposed to mean? He pondered, This circle with the two bent lines out to the side… I mean, this looks kinda like an N for some reason, but how could that-

Sam stiffened, immediately scanning over the characters on the text. That's an A… an I here…

He pressed his forehead into his hands, a faint ache running through his head… what was this? A memory? Or did some skill just turn back on in his head? He started reading through the characters again, and little by little, it started to make sense. He looked up towards the stack of books to one side, the titles now clear for him to read such as 'Rescue Teams of Air Continent', 'Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky', 'Gates to Infinity' and 'The Dark Matter Crisis.'

Curious titles. He figured, and with that settled, Sam flicked towards the back of the original book now revealed as the Atlas of the Pokémon World, and flicked through to the curiously titled section, Age of Discovery. Reading further…

'After the Dark Matter Crisis, there was increasing support amongst the Pokémon of the world to come closer together than ever before. Individual towns and villages across the main continents of the world began to establish closer ties with each to the point that they were now economically and culturally aligned, aswell as being dependent on one another, leading to the emergence of a new entity in the Pokémon world. The nation. With the re-founding of Baram Town as Baram City on the Air Continent, this new type of society quick spread across the world. Sahra and Lively Cities followed only a few short months after that, and Capim and Noe Cities the following year. Each one becoming the capital of a new continental nation.'

Sam cupped his chin in his hand as he read on through, Huh. I'll need to read up some stuff on this Dark Matter Crisis later. But I guess just a few years ago most of the towns and villages were just that, little communities doing their own thing. I guess this Crisis was a big enough deal for them to come together.

He read on, 'However, attempts to unite the continents would ultimately fail. A combination of managing trade between each continent, the cultural differences between each country and finally, the rise of continentalism would prove decisive, leading to the five continents of Air, Grass, Mist, Water and Sand becoming competitors. Alliances would emerge from this however, between the Eastern and Western Continents. Air and Sand Continents had always been rivals, especially with the latter's more directly intrusive policies. Air enjoyed a new industrial and resources advantage, whilst Sand was able to compete with its own advances in technology. Grass, which had in the past been significantly settled by Pokémon from Air Continent, gradually became an ally to the increasingly strong Air, whilst the isolationist Mist, a rival to Grass, began to partner and work more closely with Sand in the process. Only Water Continent elected to remain neutral, working to try and mediate the differences between the opposing sides.'

'Roughly eighteen months after the Dark Matter crisis, it had become apparent that the islands of the otherwise uninhabited Sea of Wonders began to rise, becoming far larger and exposing new lands to discover and explore. This triggered an exploration race between the nations, only tempered by an agreement between Air and Water continents before Grass joined the partnership. Eventually, Sand and Mist would sign in. With this deal, the continental governments agreed to launch a joint expedition to the Sea of Wonders and run a shared administration within the region. A little town in the process of expansion and relocation by the native Corviknight and Talonflame known as Robinswood, would ultimately become the main hub for explorers and settlers from all five continents, as per an agreement with the settlers of the town. However, the competition between the nations continues to this day, especially as more islands rise and other explorers head out into the seas to try and find other potential lands in the Far West and East, or the North and South.'

Sam leaned back into his chair, An Age of Discovery huh? I don't know but that sounds…

He frowned, Familiar for some reason… either way, it doesn't sound like it's all sunshine and rainbows. So Robinswood is quite literally the frontier. Let's just hope this doesn't blow out of proportion. The fact they can agree on something helps at least…

Fingering the paper, he began to flick back the pages, whilst also reaching for the stack of books left behind. If these are what I think they are… they should help offer a bit more insight! Maybe they might have a reference to Guardians in here to-

"Ah! Found you!"

The Scorbunny nearly leapt out of his seat at the sight of Aidan hopping over to him, eyes wide. "Ge- Aidan! What are you doing here?!" Sam hissed, more surprised than angry, "I thought you were getting a nap!"

"I was!" Aidan replied, panting as he came to a halt. "I just… heard something important was going on that I need to check out."

Sam dipped one ear, "What do you mean Aidan? What's so important?"

The Froakie opened his mouth, but his eyes suddenly widened and he quickly shook his head. "I… I can't say here."

"You can't? Why not?" Sam's frown deepened, "I mean, it's just us two over here-"

"No." Aidan snapped, eyes narrowing for a second. "I really can't talk about it here." His gaze flicked round left and right, "It'd… be easier to explain if I just show you. I kinda wanted to show you this anyway. Just not so soon."

Sam narrowed his own gaze, "That… isn't a lot of information to work on."

"Look… I just need you to trust me on this. You trust me, right?"

Sam looked over the Froakie, fidgeting on the spot in front of him. Aidan's fingers were interlocked and rubbing against each other, and his eyes still flicked from left to right. The Scorbunny felt himself slump, Geez… Aidan isn't someone who would get nervous like this… well, he's been helped me out so much… it only makes sense that I help him out here.

Closing the book, Sam rose to his feet. "Alright then Aidan. Lead the way."

Aidan's eyes brightened immediately, "Brilliant! Come on then, I'll explain everything once we're out of here."

As the two Pokémon hurried towards the elevators, one of the books on one of the bookshelves shifted to one side, a pair of eyes watching them from the shadows…