Author's Note: Right, after a long delay. GoB is back again after a delay. I had some big art projects to complete and alot of real life stuff to sort out. But Chapter 2.3 is now complete! Not a massive amount of stuff happening this time, but it does help set the stage a bit for future chapters down the line... and a bit of a small wham for one character. Again, sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

EPISODE II – DARK, WONDEROUS PAST

CHAPTER III – THIS IS A LOT TO TAKE IN

"Oh by Arceus! Thank heavens you are alright!" exclaimed the Maractus, visibly shaking their body side to side as she stepped towards one of the gathered teens with their arms widening. Only for her intended target to immediately shy away and quickly reassure her they were okay. That being said, Sam imagined that it was more because they didn't want to get stung by the spines scattered across her body than anything else.

Not that Sam himself particularly caring at this point, water dripping down his face and soaking into his fur, courtesy of the drenched cold towel he pressed against the bruise left behind from Alice's punch, still throbbing away. Shit… hit harder why not?

Then again, they did agree on it. He would just have to catch her back later.

Just without a punch.

The sun was slowly coming down over Robinswood, coating the town in an orange light. And yet, the town was still abuzz with activity, the chitchat a constant background noise for Sam's ears to pick up. The clang and bang of the shops occasionally broke through the chapter, as items were made and deals with sorted out.

Team Audacity and the rescued teens didn't waste any time getting back home once they checked over any injuries, all of which had thankfully been minor. Now they stood under the massive Guildtree that stood at the centre of the town, its massive girth blocking out a significant portion of the sky and yet, Sam couldn't help but feel the tension flow out of him each time he saw it.

Sam glanced over towards his partner. Alice had her arms crossed with a scowl on her face. She had to have seen the Maractus try and embrace one of the teens at least six times now, and it was clear her patience was beginning to run out.

Resisting the urge to chuckle at the Buneary, Sam merely turned back towards the sentient cactus and with his mouth covered, let out a quiet cough. Only then did she finally turn round to face the Rescuers proper. "Pardon my manners!" she exclaimed, hurrying towards them. "I must offer my most gracious thank you for rescuing my students!"

Flashing a grin, Sam flicked the towel off his head and placed it over his shoulder, struggling not to wince as the bruise continued to throb. "It's our job. Besides, we couldn't leave anyone in danger."

"I'm surprised you didn't realise they had wandered off until the quake hit." Alice noted with a severe lack of humour.

"I was multitasking!" she replied loudly, "I had a lot of stuff to prepare."

Elliot stood further forward, rolling his eyes less in annoyance and more as if he was bored. "Miss Catrina was trying to cook mago cakes."

Catrina laughed, not quite looking back towards the Furfrou, "M-Multitasking Elliot. I was multitasking."

In the corner of his eye, he could tell by the twitching ear that Alice wasn't impressed with that response.

"Anyway, I have already given the guild's share of the reward." Catrina explained, "Here is yours."

Rewards. There was something about it that didn't sit quite right on him. He couldn't shake the feeling that a simple thanks would be enough for him rather than someone giving away their money. Sure, if they were diving into a dungeon to retrieve something when it was just their lives at stake, then he would like a bit of Poke to pocket. But for rescues? Not so much.

Even though many of his fellow guildmates assured him that it was as much a thanks as just the words, and an old tradition. Apparently anyway.

Still left him with a cold pit in his stomach as Catrina handed over a hefty looking pouch over to Alice, the Buneary narrowing her eyes as she handled the weight. As if she could tell how much was in it as if she was a set of scales. Without much of a reaction, she slipped it away into her satchel. Must be the right amount then.

"We're glad to help out." Sam chipped in, "Probably not a good idea to go back there anytime soon, at least until the guild can make sure it's safe."

The cactus opened her mouth to reply, but Elliot beat her to the punch. "Trust us, we have zero plans to go anywhere near that river." He said with an exhausted smile.

Claire was stood next to him with a narrowed set of eyes, a wet towel of her own resting atop her head. "I'm good for not going through earthquake zones for another couple of years."

Teenagers. Sam chuckled mentally as the grass-type's mouth soundlessly open and close, Don't want their teacher or elder to get the last laugh. I don't think they'll end up in any trouble at least.

"Then that is… excellent then!" Catrina celebrated, spinning back towards the rescuers, her face relaxing to show her goofy smile once more. "In the meantime, we shall depart. Thank you once again for your aid rescuers!"

She stepped forward, arms widening as she got ready to drag the rabbits into an embrace. Sam's eyes widened, his foot sliding back as Alice snapped one hand up, "We don't need hugs!" she quickly stressed with a faint quiver.

Luckily, the cactus didn't seem to notice their distress, instead offering a small bow to them before she finally shuffled back towards the gathered teens, quickly requesting them to follow her back to their homes.

Much to their very audible grumbling as they started to scatter before her.

Leaving the rescued to 'rescue' themselves from their elder, Sam and Alice slowly made their way back across the square towards the Guildtree's entrance. "What an idiot."

Sighing, the Scorbunny rolled his eyes towards the sky, prepared for what tirade was about to come forth, "Go on then, what was idiotic about the folks we were helping this time?"

Alice let out a hefty groan as they crossed the central bridge in the town square. "The kids are certainly old enough to be on their own. But that damn cactus should have kept a better eye on them, or at least had some means of knowing where they were going or reaching them. Instead, she spent her time cooking without noticing them going anywhere."

"And she didn't have the means to quickly contact them." Sam replied, "At least she did get in touch with the guild as quickly as she did."

Now the Buneary growled, "She only noticed after the fissure opened up and caused a small earthquake. She could have gone and checked on them at any time. And then she tried to play down her own stupidity!"

Come on Alice. Calm down, or I'll be calling on my half of the promise.

He narrowed one eye as he glanced around them, searching for any sign that someone was listening. But everyone seemed too occupied to look their way. "Might want to be careful with what you say around here." He quietly stressed.

"She's still an idiot. That area was marked as a risky location, why even go there?"

"It was a last-minute update."

"Not good enough! She should have checked the board before leaving! Or had some back up plan!" her hands visibly shuddered as they approached the entrance to the tree. "Instead, she was probably too busy thinking about stuffing herself, damn plant."

"Hey!" came a deeper voice just behind them. "That's a bit shitty."

Sam froze on the spot, recognising the voice immediately. Crap. Seems like the promise is coming through about-

Alice spun round, eyes red, "Excuse me then you green cu… crap."

Now.

Her words trailed off into the curse almost like some kind of broken record player (whatever that was to the Scorbunny's mind.). Rolling his eyes in bemusement, Sam turned to meet the new arrivals.

Standing behind them were three Pokémon, a Bulbasaur at their front, a Noibat and a rather nervous looking Morpeko at his flanks, brandishing green scarves and armbands similar to the blue bands that Sam and Alice wore. Each one embroidered with a white emblem showing a pair of wings, a leaf, and a lightning bolt.

The Bulbasaur dipped his head forward, red eyes narrowing a little bit. "You know I'm part-plant right?"

Alice blinked once, as if realising what kind of mess she had just got herself into, before narrowing her eyes again and crossing her arms. "I wasn't talking about you. I was meaning some idiot."

The reptile flashed a toothy smirk, "And wasn't that what you called me last week?"

"That was because you forgot your pecha berries again." She growled, before shrugging, "Then there was five weeks ago…"

His face suddenly went black, eyes widening with a flicker of fear. The other two Pokémon glanced over at him, a flicker of confusion evident in their eyes.

Welp, better break this up before one of them does anything stupid.

Sam stepped forward, placing one hand down onto Alice's shoulder with a subtle squeeze. "Okay Alice, dial back the grumpy will you?"

Alice visibly flinched, ready to snap something back. But she couldn't even get out the faintest letter as she looked towards Sam's face, the Scorbunny keeping a relaxed, expressing, focusing his gaze on her with a twitch of his ear.

With that look, Alice sighed softly and turned back towards the others, unwrapping her arms as Sam spoke once more. "And to be fair Bruce, you did kinda over rely on some of your moves. She has a point."

That snapped Bruce out of his stupor, his eyes focusing onto the Scorbunny. "Err… yeah, you're both right."

"Told you that before." Alice mused with a thin smirk, "Maybe we can go for the ceasefire?"

Bruce blinked a couple of times, before flashing a similar smirk, "Alright, I can go with that."

"Brilliant!" exclaimed the Noibat, clapping her little hands together. "About time you to started getting along!"

"We are not Nia." Alice and Bruce said together, voices deadpan. Sam couldn't stop the chuckle erupting from his chest, coughing to cover it up. Bruce had never fully liked Alice, and she didn't mince her words with him. But since the trials at Broken Wood, the two had kinda agreed to disagree and tried to work together. Somehow, they kinda got it working.

The Noibat Nia was the complete opposite to Bruce regarding Alice. In fact, it was Nia who had first got Alice roped in with the trials. As for the Morpeko, Dan, well…

He shuffled on the spot, eyes flicking between the rescuers. "Maybe you shouldn't push it too far Nia. They can get kinda… scary when they don't listen."

"You know me buddy!" Nia cheered, hugging the electric-type tight with her wings, the poor guy squirming in her embrace. "Gotta keep trying until we drop right?"

"I-I'd rather not drop at all!"

His grin widening, Bruce turned towards the Scorbunny. "You look like you've busy. What kind of mess did you get into?"

Head throbbing at the words, Sam rubbed his forehead, wincing hard enough for his jaw to hurt. "Fissure opened up near the western river." He explained, "Had a lot of teens to rescue. What about you guys?"

Bruce's smile flickered just a touch. "Team Seekers is still doing a lot of good! We've just… err…" he groaned as he stomped the floor, shaking his head. "Just had to collect something important from one of the smaller dungeons. On the beach?"

"Let me guess." Sam chuckled, "It was a ribbon or berry right?"

"H-Hey!" Bruce bellowed, jaw clenching tight. "We're not getting the same jobs you do! You got the Bronze Rank ahead of us! Once we turn this job in, we'll be onto Normal Rank!"

Another weird thing that had occurred between Team Audacity – Sam and Alice's Team – and Team Seekers. As both a reward and a 'punishment' for their actions, Sam and Alice were inducted two ranks ahead of their fellow recruits. Said actions involving racing after the Swampert known as Greg on an impromptu rescue mission. Greg had broken out of the guild's prison and kidnapped the little kid, Kyle. With the help of Team Spirit – which included Kyle's dad Jack – Sam and Alice were able to rescue him, and take down Greg with a few kicks, ice covered ear punches and naturally, a few fireballs down his mouth.

Sam's fist automatically started to clench as he dove back through the memories. The only reason why Greg was able to get out of the prison in the first place was due to Aidan.

His old partner.

"And it wasn't anything like that either!" Nia added. "Our client wanted to pick up an Evolution Crystal."

Evolution Crystal… what? Sam felt his brow scrunch up, what was that supposed to even be?

"You're kidding me right?" Alice asked, a blank gaze aimed at the bat. "Are you sure you heard them right?"

Releasing her grip from the quivering Morpeko, Nia reached into a satchel clipped onto her side and pulled out a brown-grey rock, or rather, the rocky coating surrounding a brilliantly pink crystal that shone from within. "See?" Nia explained, holding it up for everyone to clearly see.

Alice blinked with a deepening frown, "Someone can't be that dumb to think that the evolution crystals still work?"

"I-Its what they asked for though." Dan quietly whimpered.

Foot tapping away and with the confusion clutching at his chest, Sam slowly lifted his arm up. "Err… amnesia kicking in again. What the heck is an evolution crystal?"

That earned him four different glances, ranging from amusement from Alice to complete bewilderment from Bruce.

"It is in the name Sam." The Buneary said with a smirk.

A brief chill settled over Sam's shoulders, his own turn to stare blankly at her as his mind processed it. A second passed, and the realisation had kicked him hard enough in the gut for Sam to let out a heavy moan. "Holy crap."

"Maybe Sam needs to go back to school again!" Bruce laughed, hard enough that his eyes were squeezed shut.

Dan seemed to shrink, even as he giggled to himself, "L-Like a kid again!"

"Shit! Stop it!" Sam barked, face resting within his palm, as much to hide his smile as much as his embarrassment. Damn it, I can be really thick huh?

"…you little damn wi-agh!"

Sam's heart missed a beat, the smile vanishing immediately as the memory surged back up to the surface. The memory from that night, after Sam and the then-recruits had escaped what was left of the Broken Wood mystery dungeon and the mythical Pokémon Volcanion. Aidan had brought him out of town, revealing himself to have been a smuggler. He claimed that he was providing a service, trying to bring Sam round to help him out. He had been so convincing that he was trying to do some good, that whilst the fire-type wouldn't help with the actual smuggling, he would support him.

Until the Froakie tripped up and revealed he was complicit to murder.

Something so dark and horrific, after nearly getting killed himself, was something the Scorbunny couldn't allow Aidan to get away with.

He could remember it all now, Alice, having followed the pair, had just jumped in and saved his life when the Froakie attacked him with a Water Pulse. But that was when Aidan had took the gloves off. From the moment he first met Aidan, the water-type had been suffering from countless headaches. It had been something that had troubled the Scorbunny, and yet, he didn't realise that they were hiding something else.

The headaches had returned with a vengeance, and finally pushed too far, Aidan transformed – evolved – into Frogadier. If it wasn't for the arrival of the rest of the guild, Aidan would have killed Sam and Alice there and then.

So why was he thinking of Aidan now? The evolution? How did-

The Rattata quivered, "Look, you know how no one's evolving again…"

"Sam?" Alice asked, head drifting in front of him with a set of narrowed eyes. "Snap out of it."

Blinking as the lump formed in his throat, Sam leaned back a touch. "Sorry." He coughed, "I was just thinking… I heard from someone that Pokémon have stopped evolving before. But Aidan evolved right in front of us, didn't he?"

Alice's eyes widened for a couple of seconds, as if the implications had just started to yank her back before they narrowed once more. "Yeah… he did."

Bruce frowned, eyes clouding over. "Wait, he did?"

"Yeah." Sam explained, tapping his foot, "He evolved into Frogadier right in front of us. Those headaches he had? That was, like, a sign he was nearly ready to evolve or something."

Holding up the stone, Nia tilted her head curiously. "Huh, maybe we can all evolve again."

Her eyes began to sparkle, "Oh yeah!" she shouted, her voice quivering to the point that Sam immediately started reaching for his ears to pull them down. "Maybe I can become a Noivern! A dragon bat! That'd be awesome!"

"Volume Nia." Came a new voice.

Approaching from the square was another pair of Pokémon. Team Active. Taking point was a Skiddo that Sam immediately recognised as Edward. Out of the recruits that got through the trials, he was easily the smartest one of the bunch, at least from Sam could see. He recalled Perry once calling the guy a walking encyclopaedia, and he didn't think the bird was wrong.

"And as for evolution, it's kinda yes and no." Edward explained as he approached. "It's not impossible to evolve, just very difficult. Headaches are a pretty good sign that someone is getting close to evolving nowadays in theory."

Pulling up alongside the new grass-type was a purple bug, a Skorupi – Denver. He was the one Sam knew the least about, other than he was a close friend to the Skiddo. He looked up at Edward. "First I've heard of that."

Edward clicked a hoof in response, "Yeah. One of the main theories why evolution is so difficult isn't that Pokémon can't evolve. More like the energy used in evolution isn't getting through enough."

Sam let go of his ears, letting them spring back up with a faint boing. "What, like a bottleneck?"

The goat nodded smoothly, as if savouring the comment. "That would be a good analogy, aye. Those evolution crystals might not be useful now, but at some point down the line, areas which are particularly potent with evolution energy can let some Pokémon evolve."

Nia's wings drooped comically before them. "Aaawwww… I guess I'll have to wait along with everyone else."

With her arms crossed, Alice flashed a smirk, "I wouldn't worry too much on it Nia, besides, you'll probably evolve well before most of these boys will."

Now it was the four guys turn to spin round on a rabbit, with Bruce's mouth dropping open far enough towards the floor that Sam couldn't stop himself from bursting out into laughter. "Well, holy crap!"

"O-Oh shut up!" Bruce blurted out, "I'm just as good as Nia here!"

Sam leaned next to Alice, struggling to cut his laughter short. "Yeah… heck of a thing to say to your partner."

A small smile spreading, Alice leaned in herself, not looking towards him. "Would you like another punch in the face?"

The sharp pulse rushed through his head, and the Scorbunny barely was able to transform the wince into a smile. "No thanks!" he replied, his voice tightening as if wounded.

Nia did a little hop, "Well, I did do a lot of the work last time…"

"Nia…" Bruce groaned.

"E-Err… guys?" Dan started, his paw digits sliding together.

The bat beamed cheekily, lips curling upwards. "And I did get the better score in the dojo…"

"Girl power for you." Alice smirked.

"G-Guys…"

Sam laughed nervously, head dipping down, "Come on Bruce, they're just screwing with you."

"I can agree on that one." Edward admitted.

"Especially with the witch." Denver hissed, clearly flicking his eyes over the Buneary.

Something that she noticed, as the Buneary snapped round towards the bug, paws tightening into fists whilst her coiled ear twitched. "How about you say that to my face!" she barked.

Denver yelped, legs quivering as he scurried backwards a few inches. His heart starting to race, Sam swiftly clamped on hand down onto her shoulder. "Alice, don't let him get to you."

Bruce's head drifted between the purple bug and the brown rabbit, "Yeah… that was a bit too far."

"No shit!" Alice growled, waving her fist at the spooked Denver "I'll give him-"

"STOP FIGHTING!"

The anger and rage was blown away in an instant, Alice ceasing to shake under his hand. Sam's head spun round to find Dan shivering on the spot, a faint flicker of solid red coming from his eyes.

Freezing on the spot, Sam's body tightened up, ready for the Hangry Morpeko to come out. The memory of the crazy form of Dan chowing down on his arm still fresh in his mind.

He released a heavy sigh as Dan shook his head, the rodent's eyes reopening to reveal their normal colour. Nia sank in front of them, hands grasped together in front of her. "D-Dan… sorry. We-"

Dan shook his head again, pointing a finger towards the sky. "Look!"

Frowning, Sam followed the finger towards the orange sky and onwards towards a dark blot. A dark blot that was drifting closer towards them… and increasingly quickly.

The blot split into two, one on top of the other. Then they began to come into focus. Two large, metallic wings beated away as it approached. It wasn't just the wings either, the entire body was covered in dark metal feathers. A Skamory like Emrys? No, it was too big. A Corviknight.

The avian knight slowly drifted downwards into the town square, several of the Pokémon present there or around the stores started to bring their gazes upwards towards the giant bird coming in, carrying a large basket in it's claws.

Sam blinked, mouth dropping at the sheer size of the raven/raptor, "I thought the Corviknight worked at the Post Office up top."

"They do." Edward replied, giving a quick shake of his head as if to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "The Corviknight often come in to carry heavy packages, but why would one be coming down here?"

Alice narrowed her eyes, lips twitching. "Something's wrong."

"More like the circumstances are unusual." Came the much older, more authoritative voice from behind them. The seven Rescuers would turn to find the tall, red and yellow avian standing behind them with his cool blue eyes.

Sam's eyes widened as a good chunk of the groups straightened up around him, "Guildmaster!" they shouted in alarm.

The Blaziken Rex returned the younger Pokémon a small smile, "Relax. This isn't the army."

A few sighs of relief rolled over Sam's shoulders. As far as the rest of the group was concerned, Rex was their boss. The experienced and wise leader of the Robinswood Rescue Guild. But that level of authority didn't seem to bother Sam. He had spoken to Rex enough times over such a short period of time it never really came to him. Not with the amount of support Rex had shown him and Alice in the past.

Alice didn't seem that fazed either, tilting her head at the fire-type. "Guildmaster, what's going on?"

Rex's smile vanished, his eyes drifting across the gathered group, as if trying to work out how best to reply. Sam could almost see the gears turning in his head before he finally spoke, "One of our outposts pulled someone out of the ocean. She was a crewmate on a ship that appears to have been attacked by pirates."

H-Huh? Pirates? What wo- oh. Right, if we had bandits like Greg in an island chain, then pirates totally makes sense. The Scorbunny felt his brow tighten as he reflected on the information, "Are pirate attacks that common?"

"Common enough to be a problem." Rex replied, eyes lifting back up to the incoming arrival. The Corviknight beated it's wings harder as a small cloud began to approach, a pair of Pokémon approaching from the edge of the square. Sam nearly shivered at the sight of the Rapidash Rebecca trotting her way towards the bird. The ever-grouchy nurse had her eyes fixed on the basket, either ready to start shouting as much as she was going to treat anyone.

With a final thud, the basket touched down on the ground, followed shortly after by the Corviknight themselves. Bruce shivered at the sight, "Never liked the sea…" he grumbled, "I thought the pirates were just some kind of joke."

Nia frowned, "I wouldn't write it off – hey! Guildmaster!"

The Noibat stumbled after the Guildmaster, who was already beginning to move towards the basket himself. "Can we have a look?"

Rex let out a small huff, clearly more amused than annoyed, "I appreciate your enthusiasm Nia, but it would be best not to crowd out Rebecca."

Fair enough. Sam figured, It'd be a good idea not to piss off the grumpy horse.

He cast his eyes across the three teams once again, gears seeming to turn once more before his eyes settled onto Sam and Alice. "Team Audacity. If you'd like to come with me?"

The two rabbits shared a glance – trying their best to ignore the looks of the other gathered Rescuers. It wasn't the first time Rex had pulled them to one side, but this was the first time he had did something like that in front of anyone else.

Alice merely shrugged back at Sam, and feeling satisfied, he began to walk after Rex, "Don't worry about it guys." He said with a thumbs up, "We'll be back in a minute."

The two rabbits pulled up alongside the much taller Blaziken as they strode towards the landing site. Sam waited until they were mostly out of earshot before he finally looked up towards the Guildmaster. "So… what's the unofficial story then Rex?" Sam asked, keeping his voice down.

Rex flicked his eyes down towards him, "This crew member was onboard a ship called the Daywalker."

"Daywalker?" Alice asked quietly.

"A forty-metre ship." Rex explained, "Mainly used for transporting cargo… and occasionally prisoners."

The guildmaster let out a heavy sigh, "Including Greg."

Sam nearly stopped in his tracks, if it wasn't for Alice's hand slapping him in the back to keep him marching forward. He felt his fist tighten up immediately, even as his body kept itself moving. "Do you think it was planned?" Sam growled.

"We don't know for sure." Rex admitted, "It could just be coincidence, but that's why I had the survivor brought here."

"Forty metres…" Alice mused, "Sounds pretty big."

"The biggest one yet."

"Then, maybe Aidan got involved?"

Sam shook his head, willing his shaking arm to stop moving. "I doubt it. Aidan threw Greg out to the wolves to cover his own ass."

Rex nodded, "I concur. Besides, smugglers rarely have access to the ships themselves."

They reached the basket just as one of the attendant Pokémon unlatched a door on the side and pulled it open to reveal a bird just that little bit bigger than either rabbit. She were covered in black and white feathers, save for a red band round their neck, as well as a very pointy yet bright orange beak. A Trumbeak. She was laid out on her side, chest softly rising and falling with her eyes closed.

Rex turned towards the Corviknight as Rebecca leaned in closer to have a look at the tropical bird. "So, anything you managed to find out at the outpost Clovis?"

The Corviknight straightened himself up. Sam had to take a moment to steady himself, as the metal raven was even bigger than Rex was, his black and red eyes looking down at the fire-type. "Her name is Kaliani, she's from the Grass Continent." He stated in a rather posh, borderline upper-class tone that seemed strange for such a big Pokémon. "She was working up in the masts when the pirates hit. Tried to warn her crewmates but she was struck by some kind of electric attack."

"Bloody powerful one to boot." Rebecca noted grimly, eyes scanning the bird as her horn softly glowed. "She's got electric burns all across her body."

Clovis tilted his head, "The Pokémon at the outpost caught her mentioning something about a rod."

"Lightning Rod." Rebecca replied, "The attack could have caught her working on it. Metal and water are nasty conductors."

She hissed softly as she glanced back over at the Guildmaster. "You made a good call in bringing her back here. She'll need a lot of work."

"How long until you reckon she is conscious again?" Rex asked, a talon scratching his chin.

"I can't say until she's in the clinic."

"Then do what you need to then."

Nodding, Rebecca leaned back from the basket and barked orders to her assistant, who slowly and carefully began to lift the sleeping bird out. Sam felt his skin clump up as he got a better glimpse at Kaliani, seeing the darkened, singed patches of feathers that covered her body. He recalled his fight with Zeke back in Broken Wood, and the sheer power of electric type moves.

Geez… could my Electro Ball do anything like that done the line? What about the rest of my moves? He felt a shiver run down his spine, I've been lucky so far, but what if the dice rolled that badly, I could have accidently killed someone.

He caught a flash of his fight with the insane Zeke, his Ember slamming into his gut and throwing him across the room-

Sam shook his head, watching the assistant carry her away with Rebecca carefully inspecting her as they went. Clovis turned back towards the Guildmaster, "I best prepare my own report, I'll leave the basket just in case the guild wishes to investigate." He bowed his head, before with a massive whump of his wings began to rise into the air.

"Pirates freeing Greg would be bad enough." Alice noted, "And with a big ship being lost too. But Rex…" she looked up at the Blaziken with narrowed eyes, "I've got a feeling there is more to it than that."

He pulled a sad smile at her. "More for political reasons sadly. You both know of how Robinswood is as much a colony as it is a native town?"

Sam nodded towards him, rubbing the back of his head, "I've tried to read a bit into it. All five continents made an agreement along with the town itself right? And there's like a pseudo… Cold War or something going on between them all right? The Eastern Continents up against the Western ones right?"

"I hope it's not a Cold War." Alice admitted, shivering a touch on the spot before frowning, "Not that I've ever heard of a cold war."

Rex quietly coughed, "Either way, you are correct. When the islands of the Sea of Wonders began to rise out of the ocean, the continents nearly entered a free-for-all in the name of a landgrab. Especially between Air and Sand Continents. When Water Continent tried to put forward a deal for joint exploration, most of the continents laughed it off."

"Most of them?" Sam questioned.

"Water Continent may be neutral, but Air Continent has always had pretty good relations with them, so the two continents happily launched joint expeditions. Once that started making rapid progress, it wasn't long until the other Continents realised that they were missing out and signed in. But that is besides the point."

The Blaziken crossed his arms, "Robinswood in it's current state exists on the whims of the Continents, and whilst places like Air and Water would like nothing more than to keep it in said state, the others will be looking for any opportunity to gain more power or to cut their support."

Sam's frown deepened, "But Grass is an ally to Air right?"

"It is. But Grass may well act against it if it thinks it's own interests are at risk. Air is the strongest Continent, but it's not strong enough to force another to bend a lot of time, never mind the political capital loss of turning on it's ally. And right now, representatives of all five continents are on their way to 'assess' Robinswood."

Sam let out a faint ahh as the whole picture came to the front of his mind. The Continents held the strings, and if there was something they didn't like…

"Then a surge in pirate attacks on top of everything else might not send the best impressions right?"

Rex bowed his head without any air of humour, "Exactly. Which is why we need to get to the bottom of this and keep on top of everything until they arrive and not a second before they leave, otherwise it can affect not just the Guild, but everyone on the islands. So far, only Esper and myself know the full extent of this pirate attack, so I trust you two can stay quiet on this until we complete our initial investigation?"

The two rabbits swiftly nodded back, "Sure thing Rex." Sam said, sharply nodding back at him. "You can count on us."

"Seconded." Alice replied.

Cool blue eyes scanned over the pair, as if searching deeper within them to confirm they had received the message. Sam rested the urge to falter and tear his gaze away. A part of him was terrified that Rex was somehow able to see through his façade. Towards the fact that he was once a human being.

But that wariness faded away as the guildmaster uncrossed his arms. "Excellent. Well, I won't keep you any further. I need to get to work on the endless pile of paperwork that seems to grace my desk as of late."

He turned away, looking back towards the Guildtree. "Take care you two."

As the much taller Pokémon strode away, Sam let himself exhale, his body wavering on the spot.

"Well… shit." Alice grunted, "How did we wander into politics?"

Sam snorted as he turned round, looking back towards their fellow guildmates. "Ask me again when we get through the ribbing we'll receive from them lot. They'll want to know what is happening."

Alice stiffened at the sight, "Damn it… Nia will be begging me right?"

With a smirk, Sam rubbed his hands together. "Definitely."

The seed that had been planted before Rex had first appeared was now beginning to sprout, and his now gently throbbing forehead was only serving to remind him of what had occurred. He leaned in closer, the smirk widening, "Meanwhile… I'm calling dibs on my half of the promise."

The Buneary stopped dead in her tracks, her coiled ear visibly dropping to the side like it had suddenly been paralysed.

It sprung back up with shocking speed, teeth grinding against each other. "Come the fuck on!" she snapped, "Denver started it!"

"Yeah, Denver was a jerk, but we agreed you would try and act a bit nicer to everyone or at least ignore the idiots. And even if he wasn't, you did nearly bite Bruce's head off again." Sam gently elbowed her side, "Come on, you get to punch me when I jump off the deep end, you know what happens when you do the same."

Alice stomped the ground, fists clenched, "Fuck!" she barked, shaking heavily. "Well, damn it. Just… please don't have me do your shift down under the tree again. I swear the smell followed me for half a week…"

Hell, I am so glad that I managed to cop out of that! Makes the punches definitely worth it sometimes. He placed his hands behind his head, savouring the moment way too much. "You'll be glad to know I don't have any shift now. But… hmm… let me think…"

What could I ask of her? Well, I can't ask for something particularly stupid or invasive obviously. Maybe something mundane. Maybe join her on one of her training excursions – aha!

"Tomorrow you go on your early morning training right?" he asked.

Alice's eyes widened in shock, "No, no! Absolutely not!"

"Come on!" Sam protested, "You always go to do that this time of week! It might help us both improve!"

She spun back round on him, raising a finger up to counter him. "Oh, you are not pulling that one on me!"

"Hey." He countered, twitching one of his ears as he adapted a more serious tone, "Compared to under the tree and your punches, this is pretty tame. You earned that much for saving my life."

The Scorbunny shrugged, "Again."

The brown furred Pokémon's ears quivered so fast, Sam was half sure they were about to fly off across the square, but with a final hiss, Alice spun away. "Fu-fine! You win. 5:30am, we get up then."

And hook, line and sinker! Sam mentally cheered as he sharply fist bumped the air, soaking the small victory he had. A tiny one to be sure, he could have got away with more, they did make that promise to deliberately make sure they didn't go off the deep end, but even so… why did Alice resist so much on that?

He didn't get much of a chance to think of that though, as Bruce's voice shattered his thought pattern, "Hey you two! Are you coming or not! I've got my hands on some new gummis to throw in at Spindas! I bet they've got one hell of a kick!"

Letting out a quiet sigh, Alice managed to force out her own smirk, taking a step back and waving her arm forward. "After you, rabbit boy."

The thought finally fading away, Sam struggled to control the laugh as he led the way towards the gathered Rescuers. "As long as we don't get drunk off them, sounds good to me!" he exclaimed.

Alice thumped him in the back as the assembled Pokémon made their way into the tree. "You can't you idiot." She teased him, ears relaxing.

You observed the seven young Pokémon enter the tree from atop a stack of small crates in the square, invisible to any that looked your way. It had been a while since you started watching Sam and yet… there was something that you couldn't really shake off. Something tied to your very presence here.

No… it wasn't Sam's current state, he was well enough. It was something else. More about yourself.

A dark cloud materialised alongside you, the surrounding Pokémon not responding to its presence.

And the only entity that sees -and knows - you.

Greetings, Observer. It declared, Do you ever stop watching Sam?

The shadow chuckled as it settled down next to you. Sorry. A stupid question. I only tease. Although… it is perhaps not that stupid a question. There must have been someone else you have watched over the past few weeks? Alice perhaps?

You pondered on that for a moment… it was true that Sam was the primary focus of your efforts. But it hadn't stopped you from observing some of the other Pokémon. Bruce, Edward and Perry came to mind. You couldn't quite explain how you could or why, but you felt like you had to at least get a better lay of the land. But Sam himself… the reasons seemed obvious and yet…

You shivered at the thought. Or at least, a part of you did.

Ahh… I'm beginning to understand. The shadow observed, You may be focusing mainly on Sam here but the truth is, you don't know why don't you?

Shifting position, the shadow drifted to your opposite side, Not to dissimilar to Sam himself. Or any other humans that came to this world. It would not be the first time someone has been an observer of a sort. A Pokémon Spirit from the Air Continent comes to mind, but you... you are something else. Something more central to these events. To those that Sam is tied too. Alice as well. And even the one who lies in the clinic.

The shadow quivered itself, Questions, and yet no answers. It is not so satisfying to be on the receiving end of a grand conspiracy, but I digress. I have a feeling that an opportunity for more answers will be coming soon.

Slowly, it began to rise to the sky. I will be at the ready as always, no matter how far I am. As for yourself Observer, I would keep Sam close. The fate of the world may depend on it.

In an instant, the dark cloud shot up into the sky and out of sight, leaving the gathered Pokémon non-the-wiser.

You slowly rose, and followed the Rescuers inside.

The sea of colours was dim in his vision, shifting between the reds, blues, greens and the other dozen or so colours that seemed to fade in and out of existence. It seemed endless, stretching as far as the eye could see in all directions. A soft, rhythmic sound rolled all around, as if trying to make the sensation more peaceful.

He couldn't feel his body. In fact, he felt a strange nothingness where it should have been.

A faint white star flickered in the middle of the sea. Rapidly. Weakly. As if begging to get his attention.

What… what do you want from me? He groaned, Can't you speak up or just… show me something? Please, what am I doing here!

The star faded away, and with it, the colours of the sea.

Why… why am I a Pokémon?

"Sam. Wake up."

The Scorbunny moaned as his eyes flickered open to find the darkened dorm room opened out before him, a furred hand giving him a firm shake. "Come on." Alice told him, "This was your idea after all. Those gummis were definitely not alcoholic."

"Yeah yeah…" Sam mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he pushed himself up right. Their dorm was a fair bit bigger than the barracks room that Sam had crashed in when he first arrived. It had enough room for two free-standing storage spaces, a few cupboards and drawers, as well as a sizeable chest by the entrance. A set of curtains in one of the walls were pulled apart, revealing a grey, poorly lit sky. Clouds were probably not helping matters.

Alice stepped off his bed, a serious expression fitted to her face, "Better leave the jacket here." She said, "Though don't forget to bring the water."

Letting out a chuckle, Sam leaned over and picked up a bottle of water he had left on the bedside drawers. "Don't worry, I'm not that thick."

He let out a sigh though, as he rose to his feet. It had not been the first time he had dreams like that. It was the first thing he could ever truly remember. That star, that voice trying to speak to him. Asking him to help.

To 'save' something. But what, he didn't know. The events of his first few days at Robinswood drove that dream into the back of his mind… until he had the dream of that battle. A battle with a burning castle, death, the battle of the electric feline and the dark simian. The collapse of an entire island into the ocean.

Whilst that dream didn't return, he did have to put up with the colourful sea again, and that star. So close, and yet so far out of reach.

Alice's frown deepened as she took a step forward, "Another dream?" she asked.

A deeper sigh coming out, he didn't tell her the full details, especially the fact that he was a former human and his dreams may well be tied with that. He didn't want to throw that mess at anyone, never mind see what the result was. But Alice wasn't stupid. She was smart enough to know something was up. So he did the next best thing.

"Yeah." He replied, "Still just some weird mess that doesn't make much sense." He thumped the side of his leg, "Really starting to annoy me now."

A half truth. It wasn't perfect, but it would serve Sam's purposes until he could find the right time to explain things. Or rather, work out the best way to do so.

I'm gonna have to admit the fact that I'm a human eventually… but… how? And what if I lose everyone in the process?

He shook his head, brushing the fur at the top of his head back and placing his paws on his hips. "Well, let's not get bogged down with that." He said with the warmest smile he could manage, "What's the plan then? You go for a jog, or head to some secret grove to train?"

The Buneary crossed her arms, her lips twitching upwards a touch. "Nope. We're going to jog up to one of the gyms higher up in the tree."

His head flinched back, "Huh?"

She jabbed a finger upwards, "No one is up there this early. We've got them all to ourselves."

Okay, that kinda makes sense. Why find something out of the way when you can just sneak in somewhere that was already on hand?

Hopping over to the door, Alice didn't even look back, "Time for the warm up."

Sam stepped after her, "Wait, what wa-hey!"

Alice was already hopping away at a near unreal speed, the Scorbunny sprinting after her through the door. The tree itself was near silent and devoid of activity, the corridors were empty and whilst there was enough light creeping in threw the windows to help guide the way, it was a little bit more on the darker end.

Not that the Buneary was holding back from going full throttle. She boinged through the corridors without slowing down, so much that Sam running at full chant was barely enough to keep pace. He panted, his muscles beginning to ache and his lungs starting to burn as he chased her on a path leading up the tree. Geez, I knew Alice was fast, but – holy shit this is something else!

He winced as he skidded across the wooden floor, nearly crying out as he struggled not to bounce of one of the walls. "Alice!" he hissed, struggling to burst back into range of the still mobile rabbit, "How much more of this are we doing!?"

Sam barely caught her smirk as she rounded the next corner, "We're just getting started. Not much further though."

Groaning, the Scorbunny pushed himself faster.

When Alice finally skidded to a halt by a pair of double doors, he was about ready to keel over, managing to catch his hands on his knees as he struggled to draw in breath. "Had enough yet?" Alice asked teasingly.

Without looking up at her, he swallowed a lungful of air and casually waved a weak paw back up at her. "I… I'm… I'm good…"

A satisfied huff rolled past his ears, lazily followed by the sound of the doors creaking open. "Come on then, we better head in."

With a final gulp of air, Sam straightened himself back up and followed her in, doors swinging gently shut behind him.

The gym, as Alice had put it, only had about two thirds of itself in the tree. The rest was actually built onto a covered balcony that hung out of the trunk. Wooden pillars supported the ceiling that was easily over eight metres above his head. It wasn't ideal for every Pokémon out there, but the really big ones were going to have a hard time getting up the tree anyway. At the centre of the room was what almost looked like the markings for some kind of sports court, a large white box outline that stretched for most of the length, split in half in the middle by a single line and a pair of circles.

Well… this is certainly striking. Sam mused.

Alice moved off to one side of the room, where admist what appeared to be training equipment was a large pile of cushions. The Buneary plopped herself onto one of them, "Make the most of the break, he should be here soon."

Sam sighed with relief, "I definitely will." He admitted, walking closer towards the edge of the court markings. "I don't know if that is your idea for a warm up everyday but it's definitely not m-"

Ears stiffening, he spun towards Alice, "Wait a minute. He? You've been training with someone else?"

Alice gazed towards the floor, refusing to even glance at the fire rabbit. "It's not what you think."

Wait… what would I think it would be? Another partner? An old friend? Damn, what would it be? Wait, maybe…

He turned round towards her, rubbing the back of his head. "Look, if I'm… getting in the way of something… like… a date or something… I can slip away now and-"

"Oh, Arceus no!" Alice retched, visibly recoiling on her cushion, "Just… eww, thanks for putting that image into my head."

Sam shuddered, raising his hands up reassuringly, "Okay okay, sorry. Just having a guess, I'm wondering who it'd be."

That was when the doors groaned once more, swinging open to Sam's side. "Apologies for the delay Alice, I just had another round of… oh."

He stiffened immediately. That authoritative voice, only more relaxed than before. It was one he knew all too well. No… you've gotta to be kidding me. Alice's had help from…

Turning on the ball of his foot towards the source, he found standing at the slowly closing doors was a very familiar looking red and yellow avian Pokémon.

Rex's eyes widened as he seemed to process what he was seeing, his beak slightly ajar. "Ah." He finally breathed out, "This is new."

Sam let his mouth drop, "Crap."