Chapter 7: A Creature called "Human"

Author's Note:

This chapter contains an appearance from characters of an old collab partner of mine. Allegra, Flora, Kai and Ace of Team Silver belong to CloudSkylark18. These cameos have been on hold for a long time, so I'm glad I could finally put them to the page! These four will appear in the next chapter as well, and possibly future ones if their writer is ok with it, so I hope I portrayed them correctly. ^^'

In any case, lots of stuff to cover in this chapter. It's more than double the average word count for my chapters nowadays, and for the most part serves as a setup for important events to come. Additionally, after reading through the older chapters of this fic, I may have found some plot holes, so I'll be covering those before the next update. Hope you guys enjoy and thanks for reading!

- EMG

Cautious, aloe vera eyes snapped from one 'mon to the next as Verdant aided Esuna in drying Nickie's fur. A toasty, yet fragrant aroma wafted off of the two in the process, tickling my sinuses and, thankfully, shielding us from the putrid scent of drying mud. Was this Verdant's doing? "Huh. Did you two use some kind of invisible conditioner, cause that's not how mud is supposed to smell." I sniffed lightly at the air and chuckled. "That you, Verdant?"

Verdant shrugged. "What good is there in keeping up appearances if your clients are forced to smell sweat and filth?" She took a break from aiding Esuna and stepped into a slow twirl, giving me a view of her expertly-groomed coat. "What about it? You're hardly the type to pry into the fur care habits of others." The sprigatito eyed me with suspicion. "Something on your mind?"

"I..." I tried to answer, but no words came. Something about the floral-scented feline had gotten my thoughts in a twist, and the curious stare from her tree-lit speckled, amber orbs wasn't helping. "Sorry, it's nothing." I turned away, feeling my heart begin to pound in my chest. Either the level-headed business-cat had come up with some kind of special intimidation strategy for her clients, or the stress of the evening was getting to me. We still had an entire night ahead of us according to guildmaster Evelyn, and I wasn't entirely sure what to do with the time.

"If you're sure." The grass type flashed a small smile before tending to Nickie once more. Despite our rescue of the poor nickit, the girl was hardly holding it in! Her expressions were hurried and stiff, her tail tucked up close like a shield. She hugged the fluffy appendage to her chest like a pillow and kept her head low, as if any amount of attention would cause her to melt. Even as Verdant continued to encourage her with questions, she refused to meet her gaze.

"You're a…cat, right?" Nickie asked hesitantly. "You look like one, but…" She risked a glance up at the seamstress, as if to confirm her own suspicions. "I don't know any cats that have green fur, let alone ones that speak."

"So you're…" Verdant cut herself off mid sentence and shook her head. Even she was getting tired of the questions, it seemed. Not that the others were much help in that regard. Ally had gone off to fetch Herra, and Esuna had nearly drowned the fox! For the sake of my fur, I just hoped she'd forgotten I carried her. "In a general sense, yes." The sprigatito nodded. "But I've the sense that you mean something else by the word cat. There are plenty of feline pokemon, but I'm afraid without a baseline, we'd just be talking in circles with each other." She sighed. "To that end, I am what's called a sprigatito."

"Pokemon?" Nickie titled her head in confusion. The nickit's marble-shaped earring swung in tune with the sudden motion, adding much to her confusion as she reached back to swat at it. "So sprigatito is the name of a pokemon? And you're all pokemon?" She asked timidly. Upon receiving confirmation from Verdant; however, her demeanor seemed to shift for the better. "Well good!" She clasped her paws together fervently, her mop-like tail swinging back into a joyous rhythm behind her as she attempted to stand. "There's still a lot I don't get, but you all seem nice. Thanks for drying my, uhh...fur." She bowed her head gratefully. "I can't explain it, but I feel a lot better!"

"It's always the fur." I chuckled and stepped forward to offer my tail in greeting. The fluffy appendage was somewhat top heady; however, leading to its paper fan-like folds to come undone as flicked it in her direction. "Nice to meet ya, then! I'm Eve!"

Nickie seemed taken aback by the gesture; however. The nickit stood still for a moment, at times lifting a forepaw, yet nonetheless remaining undecided. "Uhh…"

"Not with your paw. With your tail!" I shot the nickit a grin. "It's normal. Just bump your tail to mine."

Verdant eyed me curiously. "You consider that normal?" She chuckled lightly and touched her own tail to mine as a show of good faith to the newcomer. The feline had to turn around to do so given her short, pom-pom of a tail; however, she put in enough effort to make it believable. "Nickie, this is Eve. For better or worse, she's our leader."

"What do you mean for worse?" I cast the sprigatito an indignant glare. "I'm your best customer!"

The amber-eyed sprigatito nodded in acknowledgment. "The word better is used in that phrase for a reason, mind you." She shrugged. "Not that I mind the sworn loyalty of your coin." She reached a paw up and adjusted the ear muffs she'd given me. "I've a feeling you'll need it soon."

A soft, yet sudden impact signaled the end of our conversation as Nickie swung her tail around to meet mine, followed shortly by Esuna's six. "She's an eevee, by the way. The golden-pelted vixen chimed in, an energetic glint in her ruby eyes. "And I'm a vulpix. Both foxes, both fashionably fluffy." She snuck in a pose. "Name's Esuna! Would've greeted ya earlier, but I was trying not to burn ya." She chuckled heartily and pulled away like the others. "So Nickie, if you don't mind me asking, what's so weird about us talking?"

Nickie seemed to freeze up at the question. "I…"

Verdant cast Esuna a disapproving glance. "Let's not pester her any more than we need to." She sighed. "If she's in good spirits, we're done."

A hint of guilt spread across the ruby-eyed vixen's muzzle. "Right, sorry!" She nodded apologetically at Nickie and glanced off further down the river. "In any case, we should bounce before anyone troublesome comes snooping along. Since we're down a member, we should stagger ourselves out. Eve?" She sought me out with a forepaw and perked her ears curiously, taking on a more authoritative posture in the process. "If you're capable, we'll have you in the center. Nickie has her energy back and that's great, but we shouldn't push our luck. We'll need you to support her just in case she has difficulty walking." Without skipping a beat, the vixen fixed her gaze on Verdant. "You'll go first, Verdant. Eve will head out soon after with Nickie, and I'll bring up the rear. You don't often find criminals this deep into Starshroud, but we're better safe than sorry with a pokemon who can't defend themself."

"Understood." Verdant nodded and took off. "Guess we'll discuss the terms of my kitnapping at the guild then, Eve." She flashed a teasing grin as she passed.

"I didn't have a choice, ok?" I hollered after the feline, yet my words fell on deaf ears as the sprigatito hopped the gap in the path and sprinted off along the forest-lit riverbank.

By now the sun had completely set, leaving the rest of us to bask in the bejeweled lights of the surrounding foliage. Just being among them had an almost hypnotic effect that could put even the most stubborn of insomniacs to sleep in minutes. Of course we had a job to do, but that didn't stop me from wondering just how many pokemon had lost their jobs to the whimsical nature of the forest. "Need any help walking?" I offered Nickie. Despite demonstrating the ability to stand, the nickit had yet to move from the spot she'd woken up.

"No, I think I…" The nickit pushed forward on wobbly legs, so much so that you'd think she'd never tried it before. "Have…it…" She stumbled forward a few more paces before mixing her right from her left and slipping. "Never mind! Shit!"

Before the green-eyed fox could hit the ground, I crouched down and lent her my neck for support. "Hold on, hold on!" I giggled. "Come on. Is keeping your dignity really worth eating dirt?"

"Sorry…" Nickie replied and produced a solemn look as I helped to stabilize her.

"Nah, 's fine." I snickered and lent her my side for support. "Don't hide your discomfort, hmm? Trust me, it doesn't work." A warm, tugging sensation pulled lightly at my chest as I adjusted the earmuffs from earlier. Why did I have to go and repeat those words? "Anyway, I'll ask again. Need help?"

Nickie couldn't help but smile. "You're a bit strange." She chuckled heartily. "Lead the way, then! I don't want to keep Verdant waiting."

"Strange?" I echoed in disbelief. "You should see my sister!" I declared as we skirted around the gap and onto the unblemished riverbank ahead. Once we'd gotten far enough out from Esuna, I signaled back her way with my tail. "All of this stuff out here and she prefers to read about adventure in books." I shook my head. "Granted, you can't start an exploration team until you're eighteen, but still. She's a book fanatic."

"Books are great." Nickie nodded along in agreement, her aloe-toned eyes glancing about the forest in wonder. "I've never seen anything like this before, though. It's night…I think? But everything's still so visible." She shook her head, nearly tipping the two of us over in the process. "It's all so much to take in. My memory's still not all that great, but… Well, wherever I'm from, it's nothing like this."

"I'm just surprised you can't walk. Or, well…" I chuckled nervously. "For someone who can stand properly, you seem like you've never taken a step in your life is what I meant."

"About that…" Her smile faltered slightly, but didn't fall as she glanced back to search for Esuna. "When I said everything was fuzzy, I wasn't exactly telling the truth."

I shot her a puzzled expression. "You lied about your memory? Why?" A dull fear rippled along my form at the admission. Had we done something wrong?

"I-it's nothing you did or anything!" She prefaced. "I just didn't think you'd all believe me." Her ears fell at the admission. "At least, not all at once. You're the leader, right? If I can convince you, then…"

"Sure! What is it?" I shot back. The sheer befuddlement her expression returned was almost comical. I couldn't help but giggle. "Go on. I can't promise how easy it'll be to start with me. They might think I'm spinning some kind of story at first, buuuut it might be funny seeing their justifications." I snickered. "What do you have for me?"

Nickie's cheery expression returned in full force. Pink tinted triangles bounced atop her head with glee as if made of rubber, and her eyes filled with wonder once more. "Goodness, you're all so kind." She nodded her thanks. "So umm… I don't know if this'll mean much to you, but I haven't always been what you called a uhh…a pokemon?" She shook her head. "Not a nickit or anything else for the matter. I was a human." She explained. "Those don't have four legs, if that wasn't obvious." She sprinkled on top. "Or, well. Any fur at all, though it is nice to pet."

"What's a human?" I sized the nickit up curiously. From tail to muzzle she was the exact depiction of a nickit, minus a few personal flares to her fur pattern. Did Nickie mean to say she'd been transformed? "So you haven't always been a pokemon?" I chuckled. Just what had I gotten myself into? "You're right. That's definitely going to suck." I hung my head as we approached Litmus' pride and joy. "The others will think I'm crazy."

"So… You believe me?" Nickie asked hopefully.

I eyed her teasingly. "You're so lucky I saw ya walk first." I shook my head. "Ok. So a human then? Whatever that means." I mumbled. "Let's keep this to ourselves for a bit, hmm? I'll see if I can't get Ally on board on my own. She'll make this a lot easier with her research skills, believe me!" I sighed. My eyelids were already growing heavy under the hypnotic lights of the forest foliage, and this mission had all but sapped me of my remaining vigor. Still, if this human thing wasn't a pokemon, then what was it? "Just be glad ya got some sleep in. We're going to be up all night, and you just bought yourself a one way ticket to keeping me awake!"

Starglow Guild - Loft

The rest of our trip back to the guild was uneventful, and while a part of me wished we'd been assigned to something with a little more oomph, Nickie made for good enough company, and the mystery she brought along was more than intriguing. Speaking of, the nickit was in fairly high spirits for a girl who claimed to be from another world! Even as we climbed the spiraling steps of the loft, the only complaints the newcomer seemed to have came from her frequent struggles to walk.

She…couldn't have been telling the truth, right? I said I believed her, but the more she revealed about these…humans, the more they sounded like fairy tales. Bare-skinned bipeds that bore more cloth than they did fur? What kind of sense did that make? Not to mention the absurdity of her apparent transformation. Still…well, she was nice enough, and I was the dumb vee who signed up to make the story convincing anyway.

"Alright, that should be far enough." I stopped just short of the office and let Nickie go. "I'm sure the guildmaster has a spare room for you and all, but I can't help ya walk forever."

"Right now?" Nickie asked. She pressed her flank nervously to the guild's gaudily-dressed wall and attempted a few shaky steps. "Is this really necessary?"

I took a few steps toward the office and glanced back. Verdant, Ally and Herra had likely made it to the office already, so it didn't make sense to rush. "Unless ya want to be bound to someone else for the rest of your stay here." I snickered. "Come on, you're overcomplicating it. It's easier than you think. Take it slow and meet me at the door, kay?" Sure enough, by the time I reached the office and turned to check on the nickit, she'd already separated herself from the wall. Slowly she padded forward, at first shuffling along the polished ebony floorboards before taking a few steps, then many as instinct seemed to take hold, allowing her to close the gap in seconds.

"Woah, what?" The nickit paced around in a circle and inspected her legs, lifting each limb as if they hadn't been there a moment before. "That's…weird." She raised a pink-tinted forepaw and flexed her claws, giving the appendage a few twists and turns to check if it was really hers before padding the rest of the way over to the door. "I swear I wasn't making things up." She stammered. "It just sorta clicked."

"No, I believe you." I slapped a paw across the nickit's shoulder and laughed. "I don't know a single pokemon who'd risk making a fool of themselves to fake something like that." I whirled around and padded back to the office. Its thick, mahogany-crafted door had been made paw-accessible, with various types of switches, buttons and latches adorning its decorative surface. Not a single one made it look any less bizarre, but the three-digit, pawprint-shaped indent on one of the buttons looked adorable enough. "Like I said. You were just overcomplicating it."

"Overcomplicating what?" Herra eyed Nickie curiously as the door swung open. The meowstic's coat shone like scarlet under the room's artificial lights. The particular red and white combo the feline explorer sported gave off the appearance of red velvet cake, and it seemed she knew it. The softness of the bountiful tufts looked almost too perfect! There wasn't a stray hair in sight, as if her coat had been crafted rather than grown, and the feline gave no signs of betraying her secrets. It was enough to make an eevee jealous! "Something happen?" She eyed Nickie curiously. "Are you able to walk now?"

"Certainly seems like it." Verdant met Herra at the door. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you forced her, Eve." The sprigatito shook her head. "Come on, then." She flicked her tail invitingly. "Evelyn's waiting on us."

I turned my head away indignantly as I slipped into the office, followed shortly by Nickie, who gave Herra a polite nod. "Sorry for all the trouble, Miss Herra." The nickit bowed her head. "I think I'm ok."

"No, no. That's more than reassuring." She met Nickie with a grin and stepped to the side just as Esuna barreled into the office and stopped on a dime before the guildmaster's desk. "Speaking of." She smirked. "Trying not to lose points, are we?"

Esuna met her with a similar smirk. Whatever formality they'd had during our mission had all been lost as the two stared each other down. "Like I could afford to let up around you. I'm not benefiting from this mission if you're also involved. Would be bad if I lost points being late."

"Points?" I glanced between the two. "Late? What're you two on about?"

"They're describing the explorer rankings, unfortunately." Evelyn spoke up, a dull tiredness dripping from her tone. "Esuna and Herra here are neck and neck this year." She explained. "The highest ranked explorer of the year for each of Veralos' guilds qualifies for a chance to be knighted by Queen Celosia herself. It's quite the honor!" She eyed both Esuna and Herra with the faintest hint of disapproval before shaking her head. "Of course, there is a reason why only two have been named so far. Nonetheless…" Her expression brightened as the door swung shut behind us. "Welcome back, you lot! I see you've brought a newcomer." She waved her forked tail at Nickie. "Is this your client?"

Herra nodded, all sense of competition having faded from her expression as she addressed the guildmaster directly. "I didn't accompany these four the whole way of course, but from what I've been told, the rescue went swimmingly!" She nudged Nickie ahead with her twin tails.

"Oh! I-I'm Nickie, Miss…"

"Evelyn." The espeon cut in. "It's good to meet you, Nickie." Her expression hardened somewhat. "What's not good is your predicament. Are you aware of how you washed up on the riverbank?" She inquired. Her emerald-colored eyes and brilliant, green gemstone shone brilliantly with concern as she examined the dark type's pelt. "Goodness, that's quite a lot of mud. Are you ok?"

Nickie nodded. "I'm ok, don't worry!" She prefaced. "I'm just, well, dirty." She shook her head. "But umm…no. I don't know how I ended up in the forest. I'm still not entirely sure where here is."

Evelyn listened attentively to every word, and sighed when she didn't receive a favorable response. "I see… That won't do." She shook her head. "I'll have the medical staff secure you a private bath. Of course if you require assistance, I'll relay that to one of the healers as well." The guildmaster offered. "We can discuss the specifics of your situation once you're comfortable and clean." She smiled reassuringly. "Is this acceptable?"

Nickie nodded appreciatively. "Oh, umm… Sure!" She paused for a moment, an unsure expression accompanying her muzzle. "About the bath, umm… Would it be ok if I requested Verdant join me?"

"Me?" Verdant's ears perked curiously. "Certainly Aloe or Basil could help just fine, if your coat is what you're worried about. Or heck, even Eve would be far more helpful to you in that regard. Why ask for me?"

Evelyn held out a forepaw to silence the sprigatito. "Actually, Verdant. That may be preferable, assuming she's comfortable of course." The espeon met Verdant with a nod. "Your work is not done until a proper briefing has been conducted, after all. It's best that someone accompanies her." She fixed her motherly gaze on me. "Besides, Eve will soon be preoccupied."

"Hmm?" I snapped to attention. "Oh, uh! Yes ma'am?" I returned a curious expression. "What is it?"

"Relax and listen." The espeon shook her head. "Mist has informed me of your progress with shadow ball, and I wish to further improve on that experience with a little entertainment I think you'll enjoy." She explained merrily, taking leave from her desk and padding over to the door. "The rest of you are dismissed for the time being. As for you…" She touched a paw to my nose and chuckled. "Follow me. I have a few friends for you to meet." Before I could so much as say goodbye, the espeon guided me out into the hall with her tail and down into the main room below.

Starglow Guild - Staff Lounge

"Is uhh… now a bad time to tell you I'm exhausted?" I yawned as Evelyn led me through the night traffic of the guild and back through the lower hallways that led to the staff lounge.

"That so?" She laughed heartily. "Welcome to the club!" She cast me a sly glance over her shoulder. "The first day is always the hardest." She tapped my shoulder with her tail. "Lucky for you, I have an activity in mind that should keep you awake." Casting the lounge's double doors aside, Evelyn led me into a room packed full of explorers. Notably, half of Team Forecast: Mist and Stratus, along with Nebula, and another team whose members I'd never seen before. A brown eyed zorua lay curled up on one of the lounge's many couches, accompanied by a snivy with beautiful, dandelion-yellow eyes. The grass type's scales were tinted a blue-ish color that almost made her appear softer.

Down by the foot of the couch, almost obscured by the color of the fabric sat a shinx with a pitch-black pelt and electrifying eyes. Not a single tuft of the feline's fur was exempt from their midnight complexion, save for their forelegs which had shifted to a light gray, separated by a ring of electric-yellow fur around their ankles. A scorbunny kicked around a fireball to his right, just out of range of any furniture. No doubt all of it was fire proof, but was it really ok to tempt fate?

"Ah good. Most of you are here, it seems!" Evelyn spoke up, signaling the end of the chatter from the large group of pokemon. "First of all. Mist, Stratus? You'll be pleased to know I've found you a suitable fourth teammate."

Stratus' aquamarine eyes lit up upon seeing me. "Eve!" He waved me over with a cream-furred paw.

"My pupil!" Mist followed along shortly, almost toppling me with her fluffy, fin-like tail as she rushed me down and rested her paws on my shoulders. "How'd the mission go?" She grinned, her aqua-blue eyes scanning my expression for clues. "Wait, don't tell me!" She pressed her nose to mine and closed her eyes. "Hmm… Yep! It was a success alright!" She chuckled and pulled away. "Great on ya!"

"How did you…" I turned away out of embarrassment. I'd known Mist to be a bit…excitable, but nonetheless the vaporeon's forwardness had caught me by surprise.

Stratus padded up alongside his companion and shook his head. "Not this again, Mist." He sighed. "She's not gonna believe you're a psychic."

Mist whirled on him and shrugged, flicking her tail about joyously. "Oh, don't listen to this old guy, Eve. He wouldn't know fun if it bit him on the tail." She teased. "Besides, it's not hard to imagine a talented vee such as yourself succeeding on your first mission. Especially with me as your mentor!" She struck an elegant pose. "She's a star in the making, Stratus! You wouldn't understand." She faced away from the raichu, a satisfied expression born upon her muzzle to the electric type's dismay.

"You're our fourth?" Nebula rushed forward to join us. The flaffy's dark, opalescent tail orb fluttered about behind her as she rushed to meet me, her violet eyes shining with excitement. "Wait…did the guildmaster tell you what's up?"

I shook my head. "Not exactly, no?" I chuckled. "What do you mean by fourth teammate?"

"That's what I was about to address." The espeon spoke up, prompting yet another bout of silence from the group of explorers. "Eve?" She eyed me quizzically. "You're an avid fan of exploring, no?" She inquired.

"Well sure." I nodded. "What about it?"

Evelyn smiled in return. "I'm sure you've heard rumors of collaborations between our guild and another in the future, and while I cannot confirm them for you, I can explain how similar events are handled." She replied. "Every so often the guilds of Veralos will invite teams from other guilds to take up residence within their walls for collaborative projects. And, in the spirit of encouraging friendly competition, sparring matches are often arranged between these teams and those from a guild's home turf." She paced about the room and stopped to close a window with her forked tail. "Now, these aren't always a big spectacle depending on where you live, but the citizens of Starglow are always on the lookout for entertainment. In other words, I'm having you compete in a tournament with these three. The group next to you will be squaring off with another of our teams in the first round, and I would like you to watch their match closely before you compete."

"Me? Fight?" I frowned. I didn't like the idea of competing with just one move under my belt, but nonetheless I nodded my agreement and turned to wave at the other four 'mon in the room. After all, how bad could it be if I had Esuna's friends on my team? Mist alone was surely a power house, and Stratus had me curious as well.

"Oh!" The zorua scrambled to her paws and nodded my way. "Nice to meet you! Eve, right? I'm Allegra! Leader of Team Silver!"

The snivy stood up alongside her and placed a soothing hand on her shoulder before turning my way. "Hello, there!" The grass type waved. "My name's Flora."

"Ace." The scorbunny grinned, juggling a fireball in one paw while signaling hello with the other. "And that dark furball over there is Kai." The fire type nudged his shinx companion, seemingly breaking him from a trance.

"Oh! Sorry." He nodded an apology Evelyn's way. "This place is fascinating, so I uhh…kinda got distracted." The blackened feline chuckled nervously. "Like Ace said, I'm Kai." He introduced himself with a kind smile.

"Allegra, Flora, Kai, Ace." I nodded to each of them in kind. "Geez, that's a lot to keep track of on top of everyone else I've met so far, but I promise not to forget you." I chuckled nervously. It seemed that even amongst friendly faces, I couldn't avoid crowds.

"Now then!" Evelyn called our attention once more. "Now that introductions have been, mostly, attended to." The espeon turned to Mist. "Mist? I'll depend on you to keep everyone awake until I return with the rest of the teams. Feel free to use any means necessary! Especially with Eve!" She held Mist's carefree gaze firm before making her exit, vanishing back into the hallway just as swiftly as she'd whisked me away from my own team. First I was learning about humans, and now I was competing in a fighting tournament? Geez. All I wanted was a nice pillow and a warm blanket, but the threat of Mist kept even that possibility away from me. If and when my team received their room assignment, I just hoped I'd get left alone for long enough to sleep.

Elsewhere in Veralos - One Month Prior

It's easy to forget just how peaceful everyday life can be when you're not wrapped up in the comings and goings of other mon. Weary eyed, sunken back against the trunk of a sun-warmed tree, your fur hardly presentable to any but the most disinterested of folks about the market as the final rays of sunlight painted the sky a calming citrus. Many would call this a boring day, but only the truly observant would see its true value. The air was always freshest in the evenings, and though I'd yet to get a grip on the sensitivity of my newfound, moistened button of a nose, I could sense just about enough to understand the feelings of the pokemon of the square. Not an ounce of their former hostility remained, the proof of which could only be felt with the gentlest of summer breezes. The disasters were gone, and I could finally breathe.

"Don't get all sappy, now." My partner, a soft-spoken fennekin, called out to my left. The fire fox nudged me aside, making room for the most untamed pelt I'd ever seen as she propped her scarlet-dotted paintbrush tail against the tree trunk and kicked back to breathe all the same. "You're not out of a job just yet! I've still got places to see, and people to feed!" A purple-eyed, white-furred face stared back at me; a humorous expression spread across their lavender muzzle as they contemplated their next move. Dense, pinkish-purple fur cascaded down from one of the vixen's ears, spilling into a thick, curling tuft across one eye. Their nose, contrary to the usual spongey black, was an unblemished white dot. Despite its thickness, any excess fur had been tied back into soft, curly tufts with brilliant blue hair ties. "Hear that, August? No slacking off." She demanded. "We can't afford to if we want to save up enough to travel. The square's fun and all, but I want to see more than the same old faces."

Blonde-ish yellow fluff faded to creamy tufts as I stared idly at my paws. "Pikachu are supposed to have five digits, right? Why do I only have three?" I waved a paw before the confused fennekin's muzzle. The furry appendage more closely resembled that of an eevee, rather than what was typical of the species. It even had pads! "That's weird, right?"

Shana sighed and brushed my paw aside. "You didn't hear a thing I said, did you?" She shrugged a cast my paw a side glance. "Why should it be? I don't know of any other humans that just up and become pokemon. Besides, every mon is different." The fennekin prodded my side teasingly. "Maybe you're part eevee, too. A pikavee!" She giggled. "Come on, now. Knock it off with the dramatics. You're supposed to be the leader."

Taking the words to heart, I folded my arms behind my head and kicked back in the forest grass that made up our lawn. The base had been due for a trimming ages ago, but I wasn't sure if the concept of a lawn was even a thing for these folks. Certainly, the thought of having to go over the place with a pair of scissors was enough to turn me away from the idea. "Fine, fine." I took a deep breath as scents of fresh-picked herbs wafted in from the nearby market. These features: my paws, fur, tail… Everything, even down to my lungs felt so foreign, even now. Yet at the same time, I felt the same. Perhaps these feelings were no different from the sense of excitement our base elicited from the overgrown, thunderbolt-shaped appendage, but deep down I was still me. "So, given we're able to save the money, what's next. I can't imagine much can top walking on clouds, or taking the business to a meteor." I shot Shana an inquisitive expression. "Did you know that meteor showers are rather common? There's more than 30 every year." I paused. "Well, at least where I'm from."

"Nothing can beat that, no." Shana shrugged. "But that new trivia habit of yours is exactly why we need to see new things. For both our sakes." The lavender-pelted fennekin stood up and stretched. "Come on. Mail hasn't come yet." The gentle fox offered me her tail. "Mind a trip to the post office? Knowing our team, there's no way we've hit a dry streak on mail. Who knows? I might find the materials we need to fix up that ear of yours on the way through the market."

I reached for the fennekin's tail and pulled myself up on unsteady paws. I wasn't sure how long I'd sat out in the front yard, but I didn't want to think about it. "Fix?" I frowned. "I didn't know you could even fix things like this. Isn't it like, gone gone?" I asked, giving my left ear a squeeze. The black-tipped limb had been nicked in a scuffle not long ago and was missing a not-so sizable chunk. I wouldn't say it bothered me, but it was noticeable.

Shana flicked her tail about thoughtfully. "Fix might be a bit much." She admitted sheepishly. "I merely meant we could get you something to complement it. I'll bet you'd look great with a hat of some kind." She tilted her head and slowed down as we walked, as if trying to catch me from another angle. "Something to go with all the extra white fluff you've got going on." She caught up once more and poked a paw at my cream-furred belly. "Besides, well, the chub."

"Hey!" I swatted her paw away and grumbled. "I'm not chubby. All pikachu are like that." I stuck my nose up at the notion. "It just doesn't blend in as much."

The fennekin burst into a fit of giggles. "I'm kidding. Sheesh." She whirled back around as we set foot on the familiar dirt-ridden paths of Pokemon Square's market. "That scarf of yours is fine anyway. Checkered blue and green suits you." She nodded her approval. "Though you should really tighten it up some. It looks like it's about to fall off."

"It's winter wear." I shot back. "If I wear it any tighter, I'll die of heat stroke." I sighed. The garment was a remnant of my past. Other than my name, it'd been the only connection I had to my former self, yet even that sentiment had its limitations. The added layer of fluff I carried around certainly didn't help. What use was a scarf when you had the equivalent of a permanent electric blanket?

"So, the hat is on the table, then?" Shana chuckled. "I know, I know. I'll leave you alone about it for now. We've still got the post office to worry about." She shook her head and quickened her pace. Sometimes I wondered if the fennekin knew she was a quadruped. I could be one too, but that didn't make my stumbling any less awkward. Shifting stances is hard, ok? "So, ever wondered about the guilds?"

"The what?" I nearly toppled over, the question having all but robbed me of my concentration. "Guilds? What? No." I shook my head. "I think Flint's mentioned them once or twice, but I never questioned him further. What are they?"

Shana's eyes lit up in a way I'd only seen before in her talks about rescue teams. "The explorer guilds." The fire fox elaborated. "They're groups of, well… explorers. It's not so different from what we currently do, so I've heard." She flipped around, padding along backwards down the trail as we crossed the bridge connecting the town to the post office. "That's just one of our options going forward, though. I won't call for any major changes to the team without the others present."

"Speaking of." I cut in front of the fennekin an stopped her in her tracks before she could make a break for the post office entrance. "Isn't it Soul's birthday tomorrow? Should we really be strolling through town right now?" My heart ached at the statement alone. It was almost sundown and we'd hardly prepped anything for the solosis.

Shana flashed me a knowing smile. "Just why do you think I dragged you all the way out here? We're not here just for the sake of a little mail." She chuckled lightly. "I've been expecting ingredients. I thought pelipper would've delivered them, but then again." She shuddered. "Probably not the most sanitary solution." She shook her head and padded around my side, then, pushing her head into the small of my back, the fennekin forced me forward. "Now hurry! I'd rather not bake in the dark!"

Pokemon Square – Pelipper Post Office

I'd never made a habit of visiting the place, yet in just the short time since I'd arrived in Pokemon Square, the post office had changed significantly. The size of the pelipper-shaped dome had been expanded slightly, with all of its old, interior furniture shoved off to the leftmost corner. The office's bookshelves, calendars and various press-making tools were organized neatly along the room's semi-circular wall, a familiar desk serving as a barrier between customers and any sensitive documents or equipment the place might have. Curiously, the desk only extended halfway across the building's diameter, at which point a freshly-installed, semi-circle desk split off from it, ending in a raised arch that connected with the right-most wall, beneath which a door had been installed. Behind the new office fixture stood an unfamiliar, yet kind looking jolteon, his eyes a purple-tinted topaz. The lightning eeveelution sported a blue bandana with an icon of a pelipper carrying a letter emblazoned upon its surface, a grey, felt-woven newsboy cap hanging lopsidedly off the top of his head. Had it not been for the electric type's diamond-shaped ear, the garment would've long-since met its fate atop the office's dew-drenched grass flooring.

"That's new." Shana whispered. "Has it been that long since we last visited this place?" The lavender-eyed fennekin eyed the newcomer curiously and approached the counter, not a pelipper in sight. White-furred paws hit the counter eagerly as she approached, revealing more about the office's new employee. The jolteon bore a leather-sewn letter bag, slung over one shoulder and remarkably empty-looking for a postal worker. Whoever the pelipper had hired, he must've been quick! "Hello!" Shana passed the jolteon a paw in greeting and glanced over his shoulder. An impressive collection of shelves and cabinets lined the wall behind the postal worker, each etched with the symbol of a pokémon's paw, rather than the pelipper wing that decorated the equipment on the opposite side of the room. "Did the pelipper expand? I've never seen this counter before."

The jolteon nodded enthusiastically. "I was hired a few weeks ago. To my knowledge, they built this the week before. Something about an increase in food-related deliveries." He chuckled. "I'm Zephyr, one of Veralos' first ground-travel post-mon!" The electric type explained. "And you're Team Kilowatt, correct?" His eyes flashed with a star-stricken excitement. "What brings you two here? Anything I can do for a few celebrities like yourselves?"

Shana took a step back, seemingly at a loss for words at the suggestion of fame. "We're actually here about a delivery." I cut in. "Should just be a bunch of ingredients. Do you know anything about it?"

The jolteon frowned. "Not at the moment, but I can check." Zephyr whirled around to address the array of cabinets and shelves behind the counter. "Sorry about that. Just got back from Starglow a moment ago and must've missed it." He shook his head. "I'm about to head out again as well, so I'm glad you caught me."

"Wouldn't someone have noticed it yesterday?' I crossed my arms and glanced at Shana with concern. Baking a cake from scraps gathered around the forest didn't sound so appealing, and Shana was rather, uh…scary when it came to cooking. I didn't like the idea of catching strays for mistaking ingredients. The magical berries this world had were great and all, but I couldn't make heads or tails of them. There were so many, some of which had identical, poisonous variants. How's a guy supposed to avoid poisoning his friend when everything looks the same?

"Wait, did you just say Starglow?" Shana inquired, a tinge of surprise clinging to her tone. "That's half the continent over! You made that trip in less than a day?"

"More like half an hour." Zephyr flashed Shana a grin over his shoulder before continuing his search. "I might not look it, but I'm quick. The job pretty much demands it!" The jolteon plucked a small box from one of the bookshelves and gently placed it onto the desk space between us. "Here we are!" He let out a satisfied sigh. "You should see some of my competition. I'm not even close to the fastest." He chuckled humbly. "Though if you're curious, they're only considering electric types right now. Bonus points for quadrupeds! We cover long distances, not just local areas."

"That far though?" Shana frowned. "Just how far do you travel every day? We might just kill for someone with your stamina on the team."

The jolteon's cheeks reddened at Shana's suggestion. "Well, I don't really know how I'd feel about joining a rescue team in all honesty, but I'll think about it." He chuckled. "As for my job, I'm mostly in charge of the northwestern territories of Veralos. That covers anything between the Square and the port town northeast of Starglow." He shrugged. "I'm used to it. Been doing this kind of high energy stuff since I was a kit."

"That's a bit…hard to imagine to be honest." I winced. I supposedly met the qualifications myself, yet I couldn't fathom traveling across the continent in less than an hour, let alone faster than Shana. "In any case, could you check if we have any mail as well?" I eyed the pelippers' side of the office out of the corner of my eye. "I'm assuming the others are out?"

"That's the gist of it." Zephyr nodded and took to the other side of the office. "The others are at a conference, so they say." The jolteon explained, specifying air quotes around the word conference. "In the great post office in the sky." He paused and flipped around. "Literally. Veralos' main post office is located in a floating city somewhere. The pelipper tend to gather there for meetings this time of year, so I'm in charge of the place while they're gone." The electric type fished a letter out of a nearby shelf and passed it to Shana. "Speaking of, if that's everything, I've really gotta go." He zipped around the counter and through the far door, gripping his cap in his haste as he met us at the door. Curiously, unlike most of his species, the jolteon had retained his paintbrush-like tail through evolution, using the limb to lob the door shut once we'd caught up. "I'll take a rain check on the rescue team offer, kay? Who knows? Might have more time once the pelipper are back." Without stopping for an answer, the jolteon checked the lock twice over to make sure it was secure before darting off into the square. Stray sparks kicked up from the dirt behind the electric type, leaving a crackling trail as he vanished out of sight.

"But I didn't…" Shana sighed. "Guess we're recruiting again, I suppose." She chuckled lightly and glanced at the letter in her paws. It was far from the usual sort, its envelope a light, cherry-blossom pink. A red, fancy wax seal kept its contents secure, its form engraved with the shape of a smiling wigglytuff accompanied with the letters SGM. "What's this letter about anyway?" She pondered. "It's a bit too formal for what I'm used to."

I stuck my paw in front of the letter to keep the fennekin from opening it. "A formal letter makes this a team matter, doesn't it?" I grinned. For once, something exciting might be happening and it wasn't part of a plan. "Let's head home first."

Shana looked conflicted, but nonetheless she relented. "Fine. I suppose that's sound logic." She pocketed the letter and nudged me forward. "But you're carrying the package. And don't you dare let Soul see it!"

I threw the box up in front of my chest in defense, as if the lavender-eyed vixen would attack. "Relax! She won't find out." I couldn't help but chuckle. "Sheesh, you're scary sometimes."

"I'd better be." Shana shot back. "Baking's no joke."

Pokemon Square - Team Kilowatt Base

"You two sure took a while!" Flint, a oceanic, blue-eyed growlithe commented as we padded our way back into our base. I made sure to stash the ingredient box, and just in time too! The moment we set foot within the confines of the base, a large mass of what felt like jelly slammed into us, enveloping Shana and I in the makings of a hug.

"Took you long enough." The transparent, blue gelatin-like substance seemed to echo as a draconic head peered down at us. It was a large, semi-transparent goodra. Or should I say, our teammate, Soul. The shiny solosis had a fondness for pranks, yet unfortunately she never let slip how she managed to shift her form around so wildly. Nonetheless, her next greeting was always a welcome surprise. "It's almost sundown. Were you two thinking of roughing it in the woods for the night or something?" No matter the struggle Shana put up, the solosis refused to free us, supporting our weight against the chubby form of the pokemon whose likeness she'd impersonated.

"Geez, come on, Soul!" Shana struggled to free one of her braided-up ears and sighed. "We just went to check the mail. The pelipper are out right now, so we had to visit the office." She admitted, a tinge of guilt infiltrating her tone. "Sorry. We should've told you two where we were going, come to think of it." She added sheepishly, trying and failing to use Soul's transparent limb to hide her face.

I couldn't help but laugh. Something about the absurdity of the interaction had been enough to lift my anxious mind from the rut it'd been in earlier. "If you let us go, we found something potentially exciting." I let my tongue linger on that final word, hoping it would be enough for the solosis to let us go. Sure enough, Soul's curious, yet warm, glowing eyes shifted from their position in the goodra's head to something more unnatural.

Even without a proper mouth, I could hear the solosis sigh. "Alright, static fur. You don't have to pander to me." She snickered, and suddenly the goodra was gone, replaced by an ordinary solosis. That didn't last for long; however, as the gelatin-like pokemon shifted to a form befitting of a sylveon. The sylveon-shaped solosis was quick to catch us with her so-called ribbons before lowering us to the polished-oak flooring below. Small particles of shiny, glitter-like dust floated about in the gelatin-like substance, representing what I could only assume was Soul's main body. "So? Quick with it, then. What's the excitement all about?" Her ghostly, orange eyes beamed. "Don't hog it all to yourselves or I'll take you fling next!" She threatened teasingly.

"This." Shana waved the letter from earlier before the faux-sylveon's muzzle, giving her a good look at the seal.

Soul's ghostly eyes examined the envelope curiously. "A letter?" The faux-sylveon's head swiveled at her command. "What's exciting about a letter? Did we get some kind of special mission?"

Flint padded up along side her, his rusty fur brushing lightly against her sylveon-like form as he examined the letter with an ashen-furred paw. "Doesn't look like anything from the Rescue Association, that's for sure." He shook his head. "That seal looks promising, though. Seen plenty of those from some rather…princely folk in the bigger cities where I'm from. They're either stuck up or eccentric. Both are perfectly fine by me." The fire type chuckled, a hint of greed in his tone. The guy wasn't the most humble of 'mon, but the girls helped keep him in check I suppose.

"Alright, enough speculating." Shana sighed. Ignoring the formality of the seal, the shiny fennekin ripped the top off of the envelope and retrieved its contents in record time. The parchment that made up the letter itself was much the same as the envelope. Pink like a cherry blossom, and unusually formal. The handwriting, err…paw writing was comprised of a cursive-like calligraphy, not that it mattered to me anyway. I could read the language of pokemon to an extent, but anything beyond the most simplistic written form was asking for too much. If it didn't look like the alphabet, I wasn't interested in learning it.

"I'm no use here, Shana. You go ahead." I nudged the fire type and plopped down for some much needed rest.

The lavender-pelted fennekin sighed. "Remind me to teach you to read sometime." An eerie, purple glow overtook the letter, lifting it out of Shana's paws and allowing her to read from it unhindered.

"Dear Team Kilowatt,

In light of recent events, I have been urged to extend to you this invitation. It would seem our esteemed guildmaster has been informed of your feats by a relative, and as such has become infatuated with your tale. If you would ever be so kind, it is my intent to invite your leader and any subsequent followers to a meal at our expense. Should you agree, a fare suitable for your safe travel has been provided within this envelope. Please do with it as you see fit, but do know than no further assistance will be allotted. Please prepare accordingly.

Furthermore, the guildmaster has expressed interest in your continued support of the community, as well as the greater public at large. Please be advised that this can involve, but is not explicitly limited to employment, and that any suggestions to the latter are subject to further negotiation should you choose to heed our call. And, of course, should you choose to return home after the conclusion of the festivities, an amount determined to be appropriate for your return will be negotiated.

Best wishes from Wigglytuff's Guild,

Chatot

Director of Recruitment"

"Wigglytuff's Guild?" I echoed as Shana finished. Wigglytuff certainly fit with the depiction on the seal, and the friendly presentation of the letter was a bonus, but the formality of the wording suggested something a bit too bureaucratic for my liking. Were rescue teams and exploration teams even that different? "Is that good?"

"It's more than a good thing!" Soul squeaked joyously. "They're one of the best!" The solosis bounced merrily.

Shana carefully folded the letter and placed it back into its envelope. "But why invite us?"

"Why not?" Flint chuckled heartily. "We saved the world, remember? I'll betcha have fans of yer own down there, Shana." He snickered, only to receive a sharp jab to the side from Soul in return.

The sylveon-shaped solosis narrowed her eyes at the growlithe. "Keep that up and you won't be coming." She glanced my way. "We're going, right?"

"I don't know much about any of this, but if Shana's up for it, I don't see why not." I shrugged. "They said they sent travel funds, right?" I asked the fennekin.

Shana nodded enthusiastically. "This is perfect!" The lavender fennekin's expression twisted into a small frown. "But what about the base?"

"Relax. I'll pull a few favors." Flint puffed out his chest, a proud smirk emblazoned upon his muzzle despite Soul's warning. "Besides, we've built up enough good will with the square. I doubt anyone will try anything while we're gone."

Shana shook her head. "I'll head into town and ask around while you three prepare. Maybe Mrs. Kangaskhan can watch over the place in our absence." She lent the envelope to me as she passed, before stopping at the exit and hurling a concerned glance my way. "Keep an eye on Flint, ok August? I'd rather not have to deal with another angry mob when we get back."

"Oi!" The growlithe huffed in response. "Come on, I know people!"

"Yes, but we know Kangaskhan." The fire-fox chuckled. "Relax. I know you're just trying to help, but we should tackle who we know first." She cast the growlithe a reassuring look before turning the corner and dashing off into the market, leaving the rest of us to pack for the morning journey ahead.