Author's Note: Howdy, sorry again for the delay in getting this chapter out. Alot of stuff has been happening over the last few weeks, both on a personal level and with my current career plans, which are starting to become alot more important in the next few weeks. But GoB is still very much on. I hope this chapter offers something a bit different than normal. Enjoy.

EPISODE II - DARK, WONDEROUS PAST

CHAPTER IV - A TASTE OF POWER... AND CONFUSION

The clinic was quiet that morning, given there wasn't that many Pokémon staying inside. Indeed, a cursory look at the medical register would reveal only three Pokémon currently in there. The first was a Sneasel who had got injured on a previous rescue mission, currently resting up before he was released that evening. The second was the most recent arrival to the clinic, a young Trumbeak that got flown in yesterday, still out cold in her bed but in a better state than she had arrived in.

The final patient was behind a locked door, on the orders of doctor Rebecca. The Rapidash may have been the main medical authority for Robinwood, but despite doing so much, she still needed assistants.

The Chingling was one such assistant, hopping up to unlock the door with a swift twist of a key. Gently ringing, the yellow bell wandered on into the room. "Good morning Mr Zeke!" she cried out happily, moving to close the door behind her.

On the other side of the small room, positioned on a clean bed was a green canine, his chest slowly rising and falling. An Electrike.

The Chingling floated up onto the bed. Zeke had been found in Broken Wood by trainee recruits. Before that Mystery Dungeon collapsed anyway.

"Don't mind me Mr Zeke! I just need to make sure that you're still all comfortable here!" she started looking over the electric-type's body, making sure there was no sores or bruises across the body. Then she could start setting up the drinking fluid. The poor Electrike had been unconscious for five weeks, but despite Doctor Rebecca's efforts, she hadn't been able to rouse him. Was the strain of being in a Mystery Dungeon and missing his team for so long a factor?

Well, the Chingling was only a nurse. She was only around to help the good doctor. Finding no problems with Zeke's body. She began to move towards his head, reaching for a clear bottle of water at the side of the bed. "Okay Mr Zeke." She cheerfully said, "Time for your drink!" She placed one hand over his mouth.

In that moment, the Electrike's eyes snapped open.

The Chingling screamed.

Sam stood rooted to the ground; his eyes locked onto the guildmaster standing at the entrance to the gym. He could just make out Alice at the edge of his vision, positioned on her large cushion with her arms crossed, and yet, he couldn't make out her expression.

Hell! He cursed internally, Why did it have to be Rex!? How did Alice even get to do training with him! When did it happen!? Crap! What did I stumble into?! I-

"You can calm your foot down Sam." Rex chuckled.

The Scorbunny blinked, registering the bemused smirk forming across the avian Pokémon's face. Then came the platter from below, the rabbit looking down to find his right foot tapping wildly against the floor. "Crap." He managed to utter again, forcing himself to stop and nearly cursing for the third time. "S-Sorry guildmaster! I wasn't doing anything weird, I was just wanting to try some training out and… err…"

The words faded away, only to be replaced with a deeper chuckle from the guildmaster. "Relax Sam. If anything, I'm glad you managed to convince Alice to let you join in."

Scowling, the Buneary spun around on the Blaziken. "You can't be saying you're okay with this! Unc-unbelievable!"

Alice seems just as surprised as I am. Sam thought, before sharply shaking his head. "Okay, b-back up one minute!" he managed to stutter out, "When did my partner end up on some private training with the Guildmaster of all people!?"

Alice's gaze snapped between the two fire types, but the Blaziken merely raised his hand for calm, "I know Alice's guardian well, and given her circumstances, I agreed to help keep up her training regimen. Nothing more, nothing less."

Sam frowned; he knew of Alice's past too. How she had lost her parents, been driven out of her home and rescued by a friend of said parents. In the five weeks he had known Alice, he had never actually met her uncle. Always busy, according to her.

Still, he felt a small warmth in his chest. Alice had been through so much crap throughout her life, it was good to see someone other than her uncle was also watching out for her.

"A-Alright then." Sam finished, shaking himself loose. "So, what kind of training do you do here? It can't be just running around doing push ups right?"

He dreaded the prospect, Alice's 'warm-up' was bad enough. The main event sounded like a living hell.

This time, Alice began to smirk, as if she was just realising there was an opportunity to exploit. "Combat." She said, a little devilish spark in her eye, "Combat training.".

The dread only amplified in Sam's very core, his eyes drifting back towards Rex. "Combat? You're not talking about… sparing right?"

Cracking her paws together, Alice's grin only widened. "Yep."

Sam flicked a digit between them, still not quite able to process the scene in front of him. "And that involves… you two sparring… right?"

"Right." Alice replied pridefully.

Well crap.

He gave the floor a light stamp, so it turned out Alice's training was not only sparring, it was sparring the much larger, much more experienced Rex. What remained of the warmth in his chest was all gone, the prospect of sparring Rex sending a chill running through his spine.

The Buneary rolled her eyes, pushing herself off the cushion. "Don't start freaking out on me. The old man doesn't have us walk away with any broken bones."

Phew… Sam thought, once more trying to shake himself warm again. But then the words finally clicked, the Scorbunny cocking his head at the realisation. "Wait. Old man?"

Sam fought the urge to smile as Alice blinked blankly at his response, the blush swiftly spreading across her cheeks. With a tiny gasp, she tore her gaze aside, trying her best to hide her face from the Scorbunny.

Didn't think Alice could ever blush. Actually, she looks kinda cute…

He immediately slammed the thought down, the cringe burning enough to make Sam flinch. NOPE. NOPE. DO NOT GO THERE.

"Hmm…"

Thankful for the distraction, Sam turned his gaze back towards the guildmaster. The Blaziken had turned away from the two younger Pokémon, his beak resting on his fingers and eyes closed in thought. Sam tried to ponder what gears were turning in his head now.

But Rex didn't hold that pose for that much longer though, opening his eyes and looking across the group again. "How about Sam and myself spar first?"

Sam felt the verbal punch hit him in the gut. Crap.

Alice spun back round again, the blush vanishing in favour of a slack face, "Wait, guildmaster. I don't think that's a good idea…" she questioned, "At least let us spar first so Sam gets an idea of how it works. It's supposed to be our session after all."

"Y-Yeah." Sam managed to stutter out, "I don't want to throw a wrench in your plans."

Rex merely smiled, "It will be fine. Besides, sometimes it's better to simply get stuck in rather than sit back and worry too much over it."

Sam's mouth opened just in time with Alice's, ready to protest, but the Blaziken merely strode past them, headed towards the balcony-side of the gym. "Go ahead Sam, take position on the other side of the battle court. Alice, can you please turn on the safeties?"

The Scorbunny silently mouthed at the air as Rex slipped past, unable to even squeak a word out. He caught Alice shaking her head, muttering something under her breath before hopping off in the direction of one of the pillars. Knowing all too well that the Blaziken's mind was made up, Sam let out a heavy sigh, and made his way to his half of the so-called battle court.

He positioned himself at the centre of the door-side half of the court, watching as Rex stood with his back turned to him, rolling his shoulders and legs as if to lightly warm himself up. The memory rushed back to the surface. He had seen Rex in action once. Against Greg – the first time the former human had come across him.

Sam remembered closing his eyes, ready to accept his death by Hydro Pump. Only for Rex to jump in, cut the attack off, then proceed to easily beat Greg into unconsciousness within a matter of seconds. Hand to hand.

And after seeing the state of the Trumbeak Kaliani, nevermind nearly blowing out Greg's mouth himself… Sam knew how much damage any Pokémon, Rex especially, could do.

And that, secretly, terrified him.

Rex turned towards him, rubbing his hands together. A low hum rose up around the two for a moment, the air even shimmering before the balcony, before that hum faded away. Alice hopped back round the edge of one of the pillars, brushing her hands off. Whatever she had done, the effects were already seeming to fade away.

"Alright Sam." Rex started, dragging one foot back as he settled into a combat stance. "I want you to try and knock me down. As hard as you can with your moves."

Sam blinked, hesitating before sweeping his foot back. "Err… are you sure Rex?"

Rex chuckled in response, "Don't worry Sam. I can take it."

"You might want these Sam." Alice added, lifting out a bag and tossing the contents across the battle court, pebbles, to be precise.

Well, at least using Ember will be easier.

Sam stepped forward, placing his foot over the top of one of the pebbles. He locked his eyes onto Rex, willing the fire in his chest to ignite. Okay, I only need to knock him over. I've probably got a speed edge… so… here goes.

He sprung to one side, rolling to another pebble and booted it towards the Blaziken. The pebble ignited instantly, the fireball easily flying across the room towards its target.

Rex stepped aside, the Ember sailing past and towards the balcony. But to Sam's surprise, the fireball bounced harmlessly of thin air and flopping back to the ground. The Scorbunny could only freeze as a faint blue crackle ran through the air before vanishing out of existence.

"We don't want to accidently burn down the tree now don't we?" Rex asked rhetorically, resettling onto the same spot he was originally standing on. He narrowed his eyes, "Come on. Try and knock me over. One Ember isn't going to cut it."

The fire intensified in his chest, the fear of damaging the gym dissipating as the Scorbunny gritted his teeth. "Alright then, you asked for it."

He booted another Ember away at the Blaziken, bouncing away immediately to another position to fire off another. Then another. Sam focused on spamming out Ember after Ember, hoping his opponent out on sheer speed.

It didn't even faze Rex, the avian stepping, rolling and ducking each of the incoming fireballs. Sam panted, firing off even more Embers, even feinting his kicks from time to time, but nothing was working.

Finally, one Ember shot towards Rex, a grin forming across the Scorbunny's face. He's not got no chance to dodge that!

One clawed hand snapped out, the fireball striking the palm with a brief flash of yellow light. And yet, Rex didn't even flinch, the flame burning in his grasp, flickering as it struggled to push on further.

Sam's grin vanished as the Blaziken pulled his hand back in, still holding the Ember in his hand, icy eyes narrowing as he inspected it.

Then snapping his fingers shut, the Ember sizzled out of existence with a puff of smoke, and when his hand opened up again, a blackened pebble fell to the floor.

"Good effort." Rex admitted, starting to stride towards the Scorbunny with his eyes narrowing further. "But I think you're holding back."

Sam slid one foot back, linking his lips. Okay... Spam didn't work. Gonna need to work a different tactic and-

Rex shot upwards into the air, fire erupting from his feet as he dove down towards him. "So show me your worst!"

Eyes widening, instinct took over, the Quick Attack flinging the Scorbunny forward. As he reappeared, his head snapped round just in time to see Rex's flaming foot slam into the ground with a catastrophic boom, the floor quivering beneath his feet.

"Rex!" Alice barked from the edge of the court, taking a step back from the impact. "This is overkill!"

"Yeah!" Sam snapped, "I thought this was supposed to be a spar!"

"Nonsense!" Rex exclaimed, spinning back towards the Scorbunny. "This is a spar! As we did in the old days! And I'm STILL WAITING!"

He charged towards him again, his fists brightening as he got within range. Adrealine rushing through his body, Sam sprung upwards, trying to throw himself clear of the Blaziken.

A bright white fist slammed into his gut hard, the air rushing out his lungs as he was flung skyward. The room spun around him, only for something else to strike against his back, flooding said lungs back with air as he flew downwards.

The yelp echoed throughout the room, the pain surging through every part of Sam's body as he faceplanted with a crack. The pain vanished, his mind going dark… and then the agony came rushing back, stirring the Scorbunny with a gasp.

"-le! Stop it! This is fucking insane!"

"I need to see what he is capable of."

Sam groaned, fighting the pain rolling through his body. His vision was blurry as still on his knees, he glanced over his shoulder to find the Blaziken slowly approaching him, the balcony somehow at his back again. Alice was off to one side, already taking a step forward towards the guildmaster.

"NO!" Rex barked, with an unparalleled force in his tone that got caused the angry Buneary to recoil backwards. And for the first time since Sam had met her, fear dominated her eyes.

Rex's eyes never left the Scorbunny, eyes so cold that it smothered the fire he had willed up just moments before. "And this is the effort of the amnesiac Pokémon who defeated a bandit." He spat, menacingly stepping closer toward him. "The Pokémon who has come out of nowhere, the one who should be amongst the best, holds back. Perhaps that is why he was beaten so badly."

Growling, Sam's fist slammed into the floor as he pushed himself back up, his entire body still throbbing. "Shut up…" he seethed, turning to face the Blaziken head on. "I tried to fight."

"And yet, you didn't even fight Volcanion." Rex hissed back.

Wait… what?! That guy was just a fucking tank! What the hell was I supposed to do to him!?

"Not only that, you were barely able to save anyone else yourself. You just wondered into the town, figured you could be a Rescuer, and not only struggle to rescue others without any kind of help, you proceed to beat anyone who would otherwise get in your way!"

Every part of Sam's body began to pound, the blood starting to rush through him. "I said shut up!" he bellowed, the fire reigniting with a new found intensity that rose into his head.

"Is that the best you can offer!?" Rex demanded, fire erupting from his wrists as he cracked his fists together. "You always fall short, act irresponsibly and threaten the lives of your comrades, all to inflate your own ego even if it kills someone!"

Unable to control it, the fire flashed through him entirely, Sam's entire body shuddered, his teeth bared as he stomped the ground.

"SHUT. UP!"

His gruttal roar blew through the room like a cannon shell, the Blaziken's eyes widening as the Scorbunny's own flashed a dark red.

Eyes fixed on his target, Sam started to kick a pebble up into the air, but instead of sending it flying as an Ember, he instead started to juggle it between his feet, every kick sending another spark off the fireball… a fireball that was getting bigger.

Across the way, Alice had taken a couple of steps back, her entire body tense with her gaze fixed on her partner. Rex's response would have been even more shocking, his eyes widening with both realisation and clear worry. The wrist flames died down, raising his hands as the Blaziken… started to step back. "Sam…" Rex quietly said, all the seething anger he once had obliterated. "Calm down, stop what you are doing, right now."

Sam shoved the words aside, his mind focused on decimating the target in front of him. The fireball grew ever more massive, faint rings forming in front of the Scorbunny as he began to hop, still bouncing the fireball.

"Sam! You'll hurt yourself! Stop!"

But it was too late, as with one more kick up, Sam leapt after the fireball. With a final, bestial roar, Sam kicked the fireball with a devastating blow. The air igniting into rings as the flaming projectile sailed through the air towards Rex. Eyes widening, Rex dove to the floor with a bang, the Ball screaming past where he once stood towards the open balcony.

The Ball struck the safety field as Sam touched down, the air crackling around it as the fire attack tried to power through it, growing bright and starting to hum louder and louder. The rage vanished from Sam as he watched, his vision started to go dark and legs went wobbly beneath him.

Alice hopped onto the court, her back turned towards the Scorbunny as she looked at the burning projectile. "What the fuck-"

She couldn't finish her sentence, a cold sweat settling onto Sam as he stumbled back, the image before him blurring as Rex grabbed Alice and sprinted towards him, reaching for him.

As he toppled backwards, the last thing he saw was the bright flash of white light as the Ball exploded.

"…on Sam. Come on back to us."

A low throb ran through his body as he stirred from the depths of unconsciousness. Dragging him back into the waking world. His ears started to softly ring, and slowly, Sam opened his eyes. The blurry red and brown shapes hanging above him not quite drifting into focus.

"That's it my boy." Rex said, a scaled hand gently tapping the side of the rabbit's face, "Come on back."

Blinking, the shapes started to reform into the familiar forms of a Buneary and a Blaziken.

"W-What happened…" Sam croaked weakly.

Alice let out a visible sigh, her entire body slumping enough that Sam honestly thought she was starting to melt. "Thank Arceus…" she whispered, "Not again."

Rex did not look so relaxed, briefly closing his eyes before holding up a small vial of blue fluid. "Here. Drink this, it will help."

Sam tried to lift his head up, only for what little strength he had on him to crumble away. As his head dipped back down, Alice reached forward, only for Rex to get his hand underneath his head. "I've got him. Here, open up."

Letting his mouth drop open, he allowed the fluid to drain down his throat. Almost immediately, the dull throb began to fade away, the ringing ceased and his limbs began to stiffen. Coughing, Sam slowly lifted up one trembling arm, watched as it steadied as he held it up.

Feeling his strength slowly returning, Sam managed to start lifting himself up, Alice's hand grasping his back. "Easy." she whispered, helping him upright. "You scared the fucking shit out me. You okay?"

Groaning as his body protested, he slumped forward for just a second, the momentum carrying him forward before he managed to lean back. A singular pulse of pain went through his skull, the Scorbunny rubbing his forehead. "I-I'm feeling better now… what the heck was that stuff?"

Rex held up the now empty vial in between his claws. "A max strength Potion." He explained, "Made from Sitrus berries and King's Leaf. Not exactly common."

Alice narrowed her eyes, "Works a treat alright. Especially after that stunt."

"S-Stunt?" Sam questioned, shaking his head as he struggled to drag up any memory, "I don't know what you're talking-"

His heart missed a beat, the Scorbunny leaning forward to try and peer past Alice and Rex. The gym ahead of him was intact, as if no fight had occurred.

Well, apart from the massive black scorch mark that dominated the floor, stretching out towards them, whilst on the other side, it abruptly ended at what had been whatever that safety system was with a clear cut going through the mark. But even then, the wooden floor looked that little bit darker around the scorch mark on that cut off side of it.

"What the hell happened?" Sam managed to gasp.

Alice pressed her lips together, "You did."

Flinching, Sam turned to face the Buneary to question her, but then the memory rushed to the surface. Kicking that ball between his feet, almost on autopilot, before sending the raging attack flying. The explosion… that flash of light.

His gaze drifted back towards the blackened floor. "I… I did that?" he whispered, a slow shiver running through his bones.

Alice's own eyes drifted towards the mark, "Yeah. If it wasn't for Rex getting us out of the way, we'd be toast." She frowned, rubbing one of her shaking ears. "Still… never seen an Ember get that nasty."

"That's because it wasn't an Ember." Rex said quietly, himself inspecting the damage. "That, was Pyro Ball."

One of Sam's ears dipped aside, blankly staring up at the Blaziken. "Pyro Ball?"

"A powerful fire type attack, exclusive to the Pokémon Cinderace." Rex narrowed his eyes, "Until now."

The Buneary froze hard enough that Sam thought she had quite literally frozen on the spot. "Shit, that was Pyro Ball?"

"Indeed, I've only seen it a couple of times, but it's always left a mark." Rex's eyes flitted back to the scorch mark. "As you can see."

"Hold up." Sam cut in, raising a hand up to stop him, "You said only Cinderace know it. That's like, the final evolution Pokémon like me should have right?"

"Indeed."

"So… how the hell did I pull that off?"

On cue, Alice had swivelled on the guildmaster, "I know why." She hissed, stabbing a finger at the guildmaster, "What the fuck were you thinking!? Beating the fucking crap out of him and saying all that shit to his face! What was it even for!?"

The memory of Rex's aggressive attacks and his verbal tirade finally rushed back up to the surface. Sam spun himself round, nearly going dizzy as he glared up at the avian. After every good moment, every moment of trust, the guildmaster had just spun round on him and came down on his head, shattering that in not even a second. "Damn it Rex!" Sam cursed, eyes narrowing and a fist shaking, "I trusted you! And you just-"

One hand rested on each rabbit's shoulder, the Blaziken bowing his head down as he brought himself lower to their level. "I very firmly believe, that you two are excellent Rescuers." He stated, his voice soft and gentle. "You have saved so many lives in such a short period of time and defied the odds again and again. Whilst I do think you are a little bit reckless Sam, and you both have difficulty with emotions. I do believe your hearts are in the right place, and you have potential to be amongst the very best. And sometimes to get there, you have to occasionally get very challenging training assignments to get there. Both physically and mentally."

The anger was slowly starting to fade away from the Scorbunny as the words slowly settled. In the corner of his eye, he could see Alice slowly slump. The sudden change of attitude, the gentle pressure from his hands… the realisation was becoming as bright as day.

"So." Sam started with a click of his tongue, "You didn't mean…"

The corner of Rex's mouth began to twitch upwards. "I believe the word the youngsters use is… trolling."

A potent mixture of emotions boiled inside the Scorbunny at the words. Relief. Anger. Confusion. But unable and unwilling to dwell on it, Sam merely let out a heavy sigh. Rex had his ways at dealing with things. If he was going to throw a curveball at them, he could understand why.

"Geez Rex." Sam breathed out with a hint of frustration, "You really know how to get a rise out of people."

"You can say that again." Alice growled, thumping a fist against the Blaziken's arm with only a little bit of force. "After that, you're lucky Sam didn't blow your head off."

Rex bowed his head down at them, eyes slipping closed. "I know. Sam, Alice. I apologise for pushing you that far. I wanted to see how Sam would fare in a difficult situation, but underestimated how you would react. I'll never push you like that again."

One clawed hand rested against the avian Pokémon's chest. "I'm sorry."

Alice let out a heavy sigh of her own, briefly shaking her head. "I… I understand what you mean."

"Aye." Sam replied, nodding slowly back. "I mean, I hate the way you've done it. But I know you didn't mean to be… well…"

"An asshole?" Rex mused.

Sam pulled a thin smirk, "Language."

The Blaziken stifled a chuckle, "I suppose I've earned that one."

"Yes." Alice stated, "You have."

Sam's eyes drifted towards the scorch mark again, the realisation of what he had exactly done starting to spread through his mind. "Wait a second… maybe I could do that again." He stated, "I mean, just look at that!" he waved a hand over toward the blasted ground. "With Pyro Ball, I could kick some serious ass!"

Rex's eyes immediately went cold again, piercing through Sam like a sword. "No."

Sam recoiled a touch, nearly falling onto his back again. The Guildmaster rested a hand on his shoulder. "Sam, Pyro Ball has been exclusive to Cinderace for a reason. It's not only a powerful move, but draws a lot of energy. Something that a Scorbunny can't handle."

Alice seemed to realise what Rex was saying, crossing her arms at the sight, "Like a pre-evolution using Fire Blast. They'd be lucky to use it at all."

"Exactly." Rex explained, squeezing Sam's shoulder. "You were lucky to even use Pyro Ball when bruised up, and the result was you passing out. If you were in a true life-or-death battle and used Pyro Ball… the stress of the attack could kill you. It will kill you Sam."

K-Kill me? Sam thought, a cold wave churning in his gut.

Rex leaned closer in, narrowing his eyes, "There will be day you can use it safely Sam. But for now, you must – no – I'm ordering you as the Guildmaster to not use Pyro Ball. Do you understand?"

His voice was firm, but not massively to spook him. He didn't want to hear it, but he knew Rex had a point. Sam had felt his strength sap away within moments after he used Pyro Ball. He had got lucky this time. He wouldn't be the next."

Slowly, Sam nodded back at the Blaziken. "Yes sir."

"Good." Rex stated.

Behind the Scorbunny, the doors creaked open, the Guildmaster's head lifting up. "Esper?" he asked, surprised. "What brings you up at this hour?"

Standing at the entrance to the gym was the white and blue form of a Meowstic. Esper.

The deputy guildmaster and Team Spirit leader glanced around the gym, her eyes hovering over the scorch mark on the far side of the room. "I felt the battle whilst studying some files." She replied, raising a brow as she closed the doors behind her. "I was going to pass the files onto you, but it seems like you're quite busy."

"Just another training session." Rex said, rising to his feet. "Though it didn't go quite as planned."

"I can see that." The feline replied, not missing a beat as she approached. Alice rose to her feet and reached down to help Sam up. Legs wobbling, the Scorbunny stumbled upright, struggling to maintain his balance. He couldn't help but wonder how Esper was able to feel the fight. Through her own psychic powers? Or from the sheer power of the exploding Pyro Ball that he was able to release?

The Meowstic's gaze slipped between the two rabbits and the Blaziken, the latter slowly rising to his feet. "Don't worry Esper, they know about the recent events."

With a confirming nod, Esper walked over to the taller Guildmaster, reaching into a satchel at her side and passing over a brown folder to him as she walked past, one eye still flicking over to the scorch mark. "I've been looking through the reports on pirate attacks heading between Robinswood's port and the eastern continents. And I've noticed a pattern compared to those leading westward."

"Like the Daywalker being caught out?" Alice noted with a tilt of her head.

"Very much so." Esper replied as Rex opened up the folder and flicked through the documents inside. "The level of pirate activity is pretty much the same on both sides of the main continent, but the attackers themselves seem different on both sides."

Sam blinked, trying to picture the top-down view of the Sea of Wonders that he'd have seen on maps all the time. "What would you mean? Pirates are pirates right?"

Esper looked over at him, "True. But they aren't one big group, they will have different crews and ships. The ones reported on the east side tend to have larger ships, yet smaller crews."

"Sounds unorthodox." He replied with a frown. "Wouldn't they have a harder time even doing anything?"

"It would be, except it was also reported that the crews were more organised, and had an easier time fighting the defenders. Those on the west side often came on smaller, more crowded ships that tended to throw themselves at the merchants. That would imply-"

"That the pirates in the eastern Sea of Wonders are much more experienced." Rex finished, "And therefore are likely making use of intelligence and recon to pick out their targets."

Esper pulled a small smile, "Almost as if you were psychic yourself Guildmaster."

Rex let out a quiet chuckle, "I've said it a million times Esper, but for your age you continue to astound me."

Hold up. Your age?

He could already see Alice's ear twitch, knowing she also caught the hint.

"Her age?" Alice questioned, hands on her hips "What's that supposed to mean?"

The two guild leaders shared a glance, the Scorbunny tilting his head. "Yeah… we don't mean to pry but… how old are you?"

Rolling her eyes with a hint of annoyance, before almost seeming to visibly relax. There was something strange with how the feline Pokémon suddenly carried herself, with a hand placed on her hip and head tilted to one side. All of a sudden, Esper looked younger in every way. "Well, I'm eighteen, since you asked so nicely."

Sam felt an invisible fist hit him in the gut, feeling the blood rush to his face. All this time, he had assumed that Esper had been in her late twenties at very least, probably more so. Someone he could at least get advice from. And now she revealed this?

The Scorbunny realised he was chewing on his lip, "Well… crap…"

The teenager formed a little cheeky smirk, "Let me guess. You're twenty-five right?"

"You didn't have to read my mind on that." Sam groaned, feeling a headache slowly coming on. He had been getting advice from someone seven years his younger, and it felt like he was getting kicked in the n-

Sam could already see Alice's own teeth flashing, "You know Sam. You've never asked me how old I am."

"Err…" Sam winced, his body already shying away from the Buneary. "You're my age, right? Twenty-five? Twenty-four?"

"No." Alice replied, somehow managing to mix annoyance and amusement into her tone. "I'm not."

"Then… err… how old are you then?"

"Twenty-two. That a problem?"

Sam recoiled, "Hell no! That's fine!"

Alice smirked, "That's what I thought."

"Moving on." Esper said, turning back towards the Guildmaster. "If we are dealing with more experienced units with smaller crews, they likely have a base of operations in the eastern region. And if they are able to obtain intel, they likely knew what was on the Daywalker, if not, knew her size and typical cargo."

Sam clenched his fist into a ball, the thought of a targeted raid twisting his gut into a tight knot. "So it's even more likely they were getting Greg and the others out."

"I wouldn't believe that." Esper replied, "Greg wasn't exactly the most influential bandit. It's likely that cargo would be the prime target."

"Certainly didn't feel that way…" Sam grumbled.

"Did you recover the manifest?" Rex questioned, tearing his gaze from the file.

"I did, but there is nothing outstanding there." Esper confirmed, "Most of the cargo is on route for either Grass or Air, but it's things like food, some medicines and research samples, but nothing that would ring alarm bells."

The Guildmaster's frown deepened, his eyes narrowing. "That's odd. Why target a ship that is otherwise mundane?"

Esper merely shrugged, her own eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid we won't know without an actual pirate to interrogate. Or one of their informants."

"We could have someone else providing info in town?" Alice growled, ear twitching.

The thought of another informant in the town, like those potentially helping out Aidan only tightened the knot further in Sam's gut. But Esper shook her head, "We'll need to dig deeper. There could be a wider network that Aidan's smuggling ring was part of."

"Then do what you can to dig it out Esper." Rex stated, handing over the file back to her. "If there is a more extended crime ring around Robinswood, we need to find it. Especially with the representatives coming in soon."

"I'll get started immedia-"

"There you are!"

The gathered Pokémon spun round to find the familiar form of a Rapidash galloping in, her pink and purple mane fluttering behind her. Esper swiftly placed her hands behind her back, looking older just as quickly as she managed to make herself look younger moments before. Rex straightened up, "Rebecca, I didn't expect you to be up this early. Has Miss Kaliani woken up?"

The Rapidash shook her head, puffing out a visible blow of hot air from her nostrils. "No, but one of my other patients has gone missing! That Electrike!"

That caught the Scorbunny off guard, flinching back. "Zeke?" he questioned, the memory of the crazed electric-type attacking him in Broken Wood fighting to resurface. "He's awake!?"

"That guy?" Alice added, squinting, "I thought he was going to be unconscious for a while yet?"

Rebecca narrowed her eyes, "I came in to find one of my assistants crying in a corner. Said Zeke woke up with a start, snapped at her and ran off."

Narrowing his eyes further, Rex stepped forward past the younger Rescuers and up to the doctor, the doors off to one side, which had now been jammed open. "We'll start the search immediately." He declared, "He can't have got far. Get your supplies ready. Sam and Alice." He turned towards the rabbits, "I want you to wake up Team Seekers and Team Active. I'll rouse some of the other teams, to help search the town and surrounding woods-"

"I don't think there is any need Guildmaster."

Everyone turned towards the Meowstic, her hands still clasped behind her back. "You can sense him Esper?" Rex asked.

"No." Esper replied, nodding towards the door. "He's right there."

Blinking, Sam joined the others in turning towards the door. There, slowly stumbling through the corridor was a familiar looking Electrike. He blankly stared around him with clear, normal eyes. A long ribbon was wrapped round his chest, trailing behind him. Coming into view at the edge of the door frame, the ribbon wrapped round a plant pot, a small tree brushed against the floor as Zeke crept along.

The assembled Pokémon stared at the confused looking electric type as continued wandering through the corridor, many of them with widened eyes.

Finally losing it with the silence, Sam quietly coughed. "Well… that was easy."