Chapter 3 - Day 1, Part 3: A Proposal

The throne room doors opened on their own before I even got close. After I hurried outside, I caught sight of Lilac leaning up against the opposite wall.

She smiled at me as I approached, halting her hair-twirling. "You're back!" Lilac exclaimed. "I'm assuming everything went well?"

"...Yeah," I muttered in response. "Everything went fine."

"Great! Did she tell you what we're doing next?"

"No. Did she tell you?"

Lilac threw her arms into the air, her body swinging forward and back with the motion. "Yes, she did! Telepathy is a wonderful thing, isn't it? We're going on a tour! I'm gonna show you the best that this castle has to offer! We'll get to see where you sign up for jobs, where you get to learn, and even where to find your very own room! Lucky you!" Lilac's smile only seemed to get bigger, and more overtly friendly, with each word. Sure, she was bubbly before, but now she seemed to just radiate positivity.

It made me uneasy.

"Um-"

"Now let's get going, buddy! We're wasting daylight!" Lilac floated down the hall, smacking the elevator button before flipping and landing on her braids. "Come on!" she called out to me.

I scampered after her, pulling myself into the elevator just before the gate shut on us. The lever turned and landed on a phrase that I didn't recognize but was most definitely not the bottom floor. Just as I found a foothold on the elevator's carpet floor, the lift lurched and I nearly lost my balance. Soon after, the device began to descend.

Lilac and I didn't speak for a few moments. Maybe it was just my anxiety getting the better of me, but I couldn't help but notice how tense Lilac suddenly was. She watched the wall move past the steel gate apprehensively. Eventually, the Hattrem exhaled and muttered the word "okay" under her breath.

"What?" I asked, barely hearing her.

She looked back at me, her chippy persona gone and replaced with a neutral expression. Pointing up, she said, "We're out of her range."

"Huh?"

"Anemone," she clarified. "She shouldn't be able to hear us anymore. You can relax now."

It took me a few seconds to understand what she meant. I didn't think I was on edge before, but after hearing Lilac saying that, I realized that I had been holding in a pretty heavy sigh. Knowing that I was further away from the mind reader made me feel safer. Now I could actually think without my brain being invaded.

Lilac grinned slightly. "Her range is pretty big. We should be out of it by now, though. I should know. I've had a lot of time to test it. Anyways, I hope I didn't creep you out with that bit."

I raised an eyebrow. "That was a bit? Why were you doing a bit?"

"I have to appear all bubbly in Anemone's range," Lilac replied. "It's how I keep her out."

"That works? You're telling me this now?"

She shook her head. "No, it won't work for you. Only me and the other psychics in the guild can do it. That's why we stick together." She winked at me.

"Okay, but why are you trying to keep her out?"

The gate of the elevator opened shortly after the ride came to a stop. Lilac hopped outside then turned around to face me, a sly grin on her face. "Let's just say that some of us here value our secrets. You get what I mean, Oswald?"

In a way I did. Having Anemone probe my mind and discover the only secret I had didn't sit well with me. Of course, it all worked out in the end, but I can only imagine how sour some pokemon must've felt after having their privacy be encroached upon without any say in the matter. A leader with a power like that...it's a miracle the pokemon here are as optimistic as they are. They don't fear her as far as I could tell, but…

...Wait...don't they? I know I do. I'm not alone in this, right?

I pushed that thought to the back of mind for now and grinned back at Lilac. "Yeah, I do."

"Awesome."

Lilac turned back around and started walking away on her braids. I followed behind her, taking her silence as a signal to go with her.

Lilac then showed me around the floor we ended up on. She explained to me that this floor was one of the few that housed the many teams that worked in the castle. She showed me the lounge, where pokemon sat about on cushioned chairs and were able to read the news on a bulletin board nearby. Surmising that I would need to come back here a lot, I noted its location.

Next she showed me the dorms. There were communal dorms where loners and lower-level teams slept together in large rooms, while Staff and higher-level teams got their own rooms.

To my surprise, I got my own room, too. Being a human had some benefits I suppose. The rooms didn't have keyholes on them, instead they opened with the paw prints of their respective owners. How this worked for pokemon without hands or limbs I didn't know, but Lilac got me assigned to my room and told me to contact the pokemon at the front desk if I found someone to live with.

Inside the room itself was one small silk bed, multiple straw beds on the floor, a dresser, desk, and even a window. The room reminded me of a hotel room (The image of what that would look like in the world I came from flashed in my mind) but much smaller. Quaint, kinda musty, with feeble attempts to give it any semblance of personality. I doubted they had room service here either, what with the fewer amenities.

"It's not that extravagant, I know," Lilac said. "But it's yours, so that amounts to something, yeah?"

I tested the bed, jumping onto the soft and comfortable covers before laying down. "Good enough for me. I can live with this just fine." I rested my eyes for a moment, just taking in the bed's alluring, plushy feel.

"Oh, something else I just remembered," Lilac started, "Anemone told me to tell you that you have to room with at least one other pokemon and form a team by tomorrow. Otherwise we'd be wasting space."

My eyes shot open. What? Did Lilac interpret those orders incorrectly? Make a team by tomorrow? I just got here. "What happens if I don't make a team on time?" I asked after sitting up, exasperated.

"Well, you can't lose the room, apparently. Anemone made that clear. So I imagine that you'd be assigned one." The Hattrem shrugged. "I don't understand all of this special treatment you're getting. Good for you, though!"

I don't get a choice then, I thought while getting off the bed. I don't know why I expected anything different. But seriously? One day? Where am I going to find someone willing to join up with someone like me on such short notice? I don't want to end up with someone I'll hate…

I looked at the Hattrem. "Hey Lilac-"

She interrupted me. "Already on a team, sorry."

That made me flinch. "Really? What team?"

"Team Snow In Summer. The others were by the entrance earlier."

"That's an...interesting name." Really rolls off the tongue.

Lilac shrugged again. "Not my idea. Anyways, take note of where this is because I'm dropping you off at the end of this tour. You can come back here on your own."

I did take note of where my room was, tracing my path all the way back to the elevator. When we got there, I memorized the word on the lever corresponding to the floor I was living on.

"This elevator is pretty convenient," I stated aloud. "Why don't more people use it?"

"Because it's Anemone's personal elevator," Lilac replied. "It's the only one that connects to her office. We're still using it because she gave me permission to use it for tours like this one."

Did she? Oh. Guess I'll need to take the public elevator, or stairs, like everyone else. How disappointing.

We returned to the ground floor.

"You see the front desk down there?" Lilac pointed towards the desk at the entrance manned by a Leavanny and Simipour. "Lace and Ipo will accept your finished jobs and get you your rewards. They'll also take your complaints." She smirked. "Within reason, of course."

Whatever Lilac was implying caused me to grimace. "Alright?" I remembered Team Phlox and how they just handed over that Persian without even going inside. "Why didn't Dahlia's team claim their reward for that Persian?" I wondered.

"They'll probably come pick it up later. Bounty jobs require a lot of paperwork. Plus, he's not going anywhere anytime soon."

That made sense, I suppose. Why couldn't they stick around for longer, though? I could really use the extra guidance.

The Hattrem showed me around the rest of the bottom floor. In particular, she showed me the courtyard, an outside area where a variety of pokemon were testing their skills, firing off attacks, and sparring. Lilac told me that there were trainers that would be willing to coach me for free there. I would just need to find one. Looking across the field, I saw a Samurott training with a Wartortle amongst the crowd. I took a mental note to seek them out later.

On our way out, Lilac stopped me. "Your tail," she said flatly.

"My tail?"

"Yes, your tail. It's dragging on the ground. Does that not bother you?"

I looked behind me. Sure enough, my paddle-like tail was angled downward, barely touching the ground. It still hurt somewhat, probably due to the fact that it had been dragging behind me this whole time. I don't think anyone could've blamed me for not being used to having a tail. Not like I could control it or anything. Except…

I made a conscious effort to make it move just then, and it did. Not much, though. I shook my behind to make it move more, swaying my hips left and right. It did move more, but very limply, almost like it wasn't listening to what I was telling it to do.

Ugh, this is stupid. I'm not even moving the tail itself! How do you even…?

"Who are you courting, Oswald? The Smeargle or the Mawile?"

I looked up and behind me. Two pokemon were staring back at me strangely. The Mawile seemed almost disgusted while the Smeargle's face flushed a bright red. My own face flushed as I realized what I had been doing this whole time. I looked away.

Well, that's embarrassing.

Lilac laughed at me. "Not used to having a big tail, huh? Did you just evolve?"

More like no tail. I went along with the evolving excuse. It wasn't like I had one planned anyways. "Y-yeah actually," I replied, still blushing. "I didn't use it much before, so…I don't...really know how to...use...it." I cringed at my own words. There's no way she'll believe that!

"Okay. Makes sense."

...She is really understanding. Too understanding. She's practically crafting my lies for me!

Lilac must have been able to tell how much I was depending on Anemone's elevator because she spent the rest of the time we were on the ground floor showing me the other elevators and where the stairs were.

Both were packed. The elevators had so many pokemon waiting for them that they spilled out into the halls. I was thankful that I could at least use the stairs. One Electrode I saw looked absolutely miserable. I wonder how he uses the pawprint scanners…

There were…a lot of pokemon here. It hadn't registered with me just yet how populated the castle was. Surely one of them would have made a good teammate.

Anemone's (I'm just gonna call it a warning) warning made me pause, however. How was I even supposed to go about that if I knew literally nothing about where I was or what to expect? If I was going to make an educated decision, or at least as educated as it could get, where should I start?

That word lingered with me: education. I wasn't even at square one, I may as well have been at square zero, or worse. There was nothing for me to work with here, but I had to figure out something.

So, uh. Uhh. Uhhhhh.

I guess I must have been drooling or something because near the end of the tour Lilac looked at me with her head tilted. "Oswald buddy," she said, "are you still listening?"

I flinched. "Oh, y-yeah sure. I am."

She gave me a knowing smile, no less uncanny than before. "It's okay, I can tell I'm boring you. We're nearing the last stop, don't worry."

I considered telling her that I wasn't bored, but my curiosity got the better of me first. "What's that?" I asked.

"The library. Finest collection of books on the continent."

Admittedly, the prospect of reading books was at the far back of mind. It didn't exactly solve my situation to learn about things that already happened, or things that never happened. I could do with not being even more confused. So my honest response was just to shrug and follow along the rest of the way. That being said, it stuck out to me how Lilac chose to end this off at the library of all places. Maybe she was expecting me to go inside and read after such a long day? Yeah right.

Notably, the corridor leading to the library was quieter than anywhere else I had been outside of the throne room. Very few pokemon were coming and going, and by the time we reached the double doors we were the only two pokemon around.

Lilac stopped at the entrance and pointed back the way we came, angling her arm to the left in the process. "The cafeteria is right down the hall," she said. "You can eat after you're done here. The kitchen staff prepare three meals a day, every day. They don't do snacking or anything like that, so if you want something else you'll have to go into town. That'll cost money."

"I don't have any money," I deadpanned.

"I know. Thankfully, you haven't missed dinner."

"Thankfully" is right. I'm starving. Sunlight shined through the glass windows of the library's doors and bathed the room in a calming orange glow. The voices of the other pokemon in the castle were muffled here, far away from the two of us. Occasionally a shadow walked past the windows inside the library itself, casting a shadow across the walls. It's a good thing I managed to find this place when I did, I thought. The sun is going down soon. I don't wanna know what would've happened if I was still in the meadow at this point.

My Hattrem guide turned back to me. "Well, this is the end of the tour. It was nice meeting you, Oswald. But I need to get going."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Lilac." I grinned politely. "You were a really big help. I definitely would've gotten lost if you hadn't been there to show me around." I scratched the back of my head and my grin turned sheepish. "But uh...you sure you can't help me find someone to form a team with?" May as well ask.

"No, sorry," Lilac shook her head. "That's up to you. I had plans with friends in town today, anyway. I'm already late too, so...I hope you're fine with that."

I nodded. "I can figure things out from here." It was nice having Lilac around, but I wasn't going to pry. Getting a random team member seemed daunting, but if they're anything like Lilac or Dahlia then I was sure there was nothing to worry about. Granted, I would've preferred to stick with someone I could trust. If I was being honest...there was something so intimidating about being in this castle alone. I was hoping I could have someone to guide me around for a little longer.

"Great!" she exclaimed. "Oh, and one more thing…"

My body lurched forward. I was eye level with Lilac and a few inches from her face within an instant. Her eyes took on a serious gleam and she lowered her voice. "You're not as slick as you think you are, Oswald. You think you can just show up and get special treatment without anyone noticing, huh? You show up out of nowhere and get Anemone's blessing? What's the deal with that? Who even are you?"

"W-what-"

"I've got my eye on you, Oswald. I don't know what your deal is but when the time comes, if you're not on our side, then I won't hesitate. Understand?"

I was too horrified to say anything but, "Y-yes, ma'am."

What the hell!?

I was suddenly pushed back to my original position. Meanwhile, Lilac's demeanor quickly flashed back to her regular smiling facade. "Great!" she said, her voice several octaves higher. "I'll see you around!"

And then she just...walked away. I was still processing what just happened long after she was gone. I was so certain that Lilac was at least willing to help me, but considering the whole "bit" thing I guess I should've expected this. There's more to this place than I could've possibly known.

Still, I haven't even been here for a day. Expecting everyone to be agreeable at face value was pretty naive of me. Lilac's words bothered me, however. I had no idea what was going on or a whole lot about where I was. I didn't want to pick a side in any of these pokemon's squabbles.

But...what if I have to choose? Who should I be wary of? Anemone? Lilac? Somebody else?

Whatever. I didn't want a part in...whatever this was. I just wanted to figure out why I was here and go home. That's it.

With that thought, I turned back to the library's doors. Staying here felt wrong after being led around by someone who turned out to not be so fond of me. But also, leaving meant potentially bumping into Lilac again and I wasn't too happy to think about that.

I guess I could just sit down for a bit, I thought. Not really hungry after that.

I suddenly became acutely aware of how sore my feet were after all that walking. So yeah, sitting down sounded like a good idea. I pulled open one of the doors and headed inside.

The library was expansive in a different way compared to the rest of the castle. The ceiling was comparatively low, but the room itself was more than large enough to fit what looked like well over a hundred bookcases. Maybe more. Tall windows linked to swaths of trees beyond, while the setting sun cast the multitude of tables and chairs in an ethereal glow. I noticed how organized this place was compared to the rest of the castle, too.

Most of all, though, it was quiet. Just like outside those doors. Very few pokemon were actually here, let alone those reading books. Pokemon were more interested in fighting, I guess.

Fine by me. After today I could use the break from all the noise.

Immediately after walking in I was greeted by a big yellow spider behind a desk on my left, just out of my immediate periphery. A Galvantula. And a spunky one at that.

"Oh hello," the Galvantula trilled, mandibles clicking. "Welcome to the Kebia Castle library."

I said "Hello" back in a dull, distracted tone because Lilac's threat was still bothering me. I barely even spared the librarian a glance before casting another look across the library, unsure of what to even do.

Trying to be helpful, the Galvantula kept talking. "Did you need help looking for something?"

More like someone.

For a moment I considered asking about books on humans. After all, starting with myself and going from there wasn't a bad idea. Even if that meant putting my current goal aside for now. What stopped me was the thought of what Anemone said earlier, about keeping it a secret.

So as a result I started sputtering.

"U-uh, yeah." I hesitated. "Hisss-tor-y…?" My own answer made me cringe. Good going, nimrod. How was that going to help me? Also, didn't I just want to sit down? What was I doing?

"History?" she parroted. Her many eyes blinked at me, making me shiver involuntarily. Another reason why I was looking around more than looking at the person talking to me: spiders freaked me out. "Are you interested in anything specific? A certain time period, perhaps?"

I shrugged. "No, just history…in general." Too late to back out now. I didn't even like history…I think.

"I'll show you to the Enigma history section and we can go from there," the librarian offered. She closed the book she was working on, climbed over the desk, and scuttled over to and past me. "Follow me."

As much as I had done enough trailing behind for today, those spider legs gave me the heebie-jeebies. I just followed.

I was led to a bookcase on the western side of the library, where the spines of the books were dull in color, dusty with dust, and fat with pages. The bookcases, too, were enormous. I was sure that even with a stepping stool or ladder I couldn't reach the top shelf with my pathetic Dewott body. I stared up in awe.

There were so many books. So, so many. Why did I come here again?

The Galvantula spoke up, startling me. "So, we have books on the past century, the war, trade routes, historical figures-"

"I'll just look around, thanks." I cut her off.

She blinked out of the corner of my eye, but ultimately didn't question it. "Alright then," she said. "Let me know if you need any more help."

I nodded and she headed back towards the front desk, leaving me alone. Without thinking I pulled a heavy book with a dark red colored spine. I carried it with both hands over to a table near the center of the library, throwing it down in front of me with a loud thud.

This is stupid, I thought. And I sure felt stupid when I opened the book to a random page. All of the text was painstakingly written in that nonsensical feet text I kept seeing all throughout town. Even if I did feel like reading, I literally couldn't. A second later I slammed the book closed.

"Ugh," I groaned. I slumped in the chair I was sitting in and even went as far as to let my forehead fall onto the book itself.

So stupid.

My cheeks burned red. Even the way that felt wasn't right. The embarrassment itched differently when fur was involved. All of this to remind me that nothing about this was going to be easy.

Maybe I'll get lucky, I reasoned internally. I might not be able to read, but the guy I end up with can handle all of that for me. Won't even judge me for it either. That'd be ideal.

I had my doubts. Several of them. Enough doubts to fill every bookshelf in this place, even. That guy I was imagining probably didn't exist.

Exasperated, I turned my head, resting my cheek on the book's cover. I was expecting to look out the far window at the sun shining in from outside, but instead I saw someone that stuck out to me.

My eyes widened at the pokemon sitting in a cushioned chair two tables down from me. A tan underbelly, blue back, and two pointy ears. It was a Quilava! Not only that, but it was the same Quilava as before. Or at least it felt that way to me. Had to be.

What is he doing here? Is he part of the guild?

The Quilava was reading a book with a purple cover, completely unaware of my existence at that point in time. All he'd have to do to see me was look up.

But why would he do that? To say hi? I already apologized, we had nothing left to say to each other. You know, implying it was the same Quilava. I could probably check if I wanted to.

Maybe he could help me, I suddenly thought, and I don't know why. Help me with what? Also why to that, too.

For a couple reasons, I suppose. For one, I wasn't going to be doing any reading anyway. And two, my guides were gone. If I wanted to find a teammate, I would have to do the daunting task of talking to someone of my own merit.

Or I could just stand up and walk out. Wander around a bit. It would probably be less awkward to accept my fate and take what Anemone gave me.

Yeah…whatever. I doubted it would be that bad to-

Oh, the Quilava looked up. He was staring right back at me with a set of brilliant red eyes. His ears were perked.

The world screeched to a halt.

This continued for what felt like hours, neither one of us willing to look away. It was like there was some unspoken agreement between us, one that demanded that we both remain in our spots for the rest of time.

But the moment did not last. I blinked and he glanced off to the side briefly. The silence of the library was immediately present unlike how it had been previously. I realized right then and there that this conversation needed to happen or one of us might have frozen in our seats.

So, I slid my chair back and walked over to the Quilava. His eyes followed me as I approached. Once I was close enough I confirmed that this was the same Quilava I met on the streets. I could tell because the way his fur curved and matted in some places was familiar. He had that same look in his ruby red eyes.

I cleared my throat. "Hey," I said awkwardly.

"H-hello," he muttered, his ears drooping slightly. "It's you."

I rubbed the back of my head. "It is," I said with a chuckle. "Funny seeing you here."

The Quilava smiled shyly and closed his book. Then he looked away, rubbing his arm. "Y-yeah, I guess. Heh…"

There was a pause between us.

"So, um," I started awkwardly, "sorry, again, about earlier."

"N-no, it's okay," he said. "Really! I-I mean it. It was my fault."

But I wasn't having it. I shook my head. "I was the one with the headache. I wasn't paying attention…and it's been a long day, you know?"

His ears drooped fully. "O-oh. I'm s…s-sorry to hear that. Are you o-okay now?"

It was pretty cute how worried this Quilava got all of a sudden. We didn't even know each other and he acted concerned for my health. The way his ears expressed how he was feeling and how stubby his little paws were—pokemon could be adorable sometimes, I figured. This one sure did stutter a lot, though.

"Yeah," I replied, "half of it melted out of my ears earlier so that's probably why."

Jokes aside, the headache was mostly gone by this point. Anemone and Lilac must have scared it out of me. Still had no idea what caused it.

The Quilava, surprisingly, laughed! It was a quiet, subdued sound, but it made me feel all warm anyway. He smiled at me after that. And kept smiling.

Said nothing. Neither of us did.

We just stared at each other, like before. I was expecting a response to that but when nothing came I just…stood there.

Now would be a good time to change the subject, moron.

"Right, uh," I stammered, reaching for one of the scalops on my hip, "what are you reading?" I was sure it was something. Too bad I couldn't read the cover.

In a fit of what I could only assume was instinct, the Quilava slid his paw over the book, covering it in a display of bashfullness.

"O-oh, it's nothing," he stuttered, looking away. "Fantasy…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Just…fantasy?"

"Mhm."

He didn't want to tell me. I guess that part was obvious. Not like we knew each other or anything.

Oh yeah.

"I didn't catch your name," I said.

"F-Fenn," the Quilava mumbled quietly. He wouldn't look at me when he said it.

"Fenn! What a good name! A great name, even! I'm Oswald. Nice to meet you." I extended a paw towards him until it was a short distance from his face.

Fenn looked between my hand and me, unmoving.

I held it there for a few seconds before I retracted my arm and brought it back to scratch the back of my head. I laughed awkwardly. Guess they don't do handshakes here? Geez, this is going horribly!

"Anyways," I continued, clearing my throat, "what are you up to, Fenn?"

Finally, he turned to look at me, his expression as blank as his tone. "I-I was reading…like I already told you."

…Oh yeah.

"...Cool…" I nodded several times in quick succession.

Fenn blinked at me. "Do y-you…want something, Oswald?"

I shrugged. "I'm kinda hungry." And it wasn't a lie. My stomach was aching for food. That came out of nowhere. Which reminded me that I hadn't eaten anything since I first arrived. What was I even supposed to eat?

"I'm kinda hungry, t-too," Fenn admitted.

That works out, actually! I put on a grin and pointed over my shoulder. "Do you want to get something from the cafeteria? With me- go with me, there, and get something? I'm new here so we could help each other, right? You show me the way and…I can get your food for you?" My grin was only getting bigger and faker every sentence. Not that that stopped me.

I had a good feeling about this Quilava. Maybe I shouldn't be judging pokemon on their outward appearance because of what just happened, but I found his shyness endearing. Plus, I needed to form a team. Was it too early to say that he might be able to help me with that? Either way, I wanted to get to know him better.

He grimaced and started rubbing his arm. "Um…I-I guess so. But…y-you don't have to get my f-food for me, it's fine."

"No, I insist. What would you like? Maybe we like the same things."

The Quilava didn't seem to know what to do. I wasn't trying to make him uncomfortable, but it seemed like I didn't do a very good job. He looked left and right as if looking for a way out, and after a few more seconds, he made up his mind. "I like...pecha berries," he mumbled while still rubbing his arm.

"Pecha berries." I nodded. "Got it."

Much like the throne room, the cafeteria was huge with tall ceilings. Judging by the sheer number of tables in the room, I'd imagine the cafeteria could fit as many as 500 pokemon, or maybe more. On one end of the room, a Heatmor and Simisear prepared and served plates of food. At the back of the room was an empty stage. A stray Natu flew past the rafters, casting a shadow on the floor below as the two of us walked in.

I instructed Fenn to stay seated while I went to go get our food, and he had what I could only assume was a basic reaction for him and gave me a reluctant, silent nod. He rubbed his arm, too.

Lots of ticks with this guy.

I had no idea what a pecha berry was. My mind wasn't doing me any favors in unearthing distant memories of the berries here so I was just hoping that I'd get lucky and find the right ones. So, I stood in line to get the food. It didn't take long for me to get to the front of the line and come face-to-face with a Simisear with a white piece of cloth around his arm. A Heatmor stood nearby cooking something over a grill. He had on a white piece of cloth as well.

"Hey, new face," the Simisear beamed. "Always nice to see new pokemon join our happy family. Got a name, Dewott?"

"Oswald," I said absentmindedly, eyeing the selection of food on the table.

"Oswald...Oswald," he parroted. "Oh yeah. I'm remembering that one. Way too unique to forget." He spun the spoon in his hand and grinned wide. "Well, Oswald? See anything you want?"

I didn't. I made it a point to avoid looking at the meat up for grabs, lest I vomit, and eyed the rest of the selection. Various vegetables that weren't very appetizing to look at, multicolored fruits that I didn't care for, and some berries were what I had to work with. I mostly eyed the berries because that's what I was looking for, but I couldn't tell if any were of the pecha variety. I could ask, but then I'd look like an idiot if they were right in front of me.

Maybe I should just get something random and say they didn't have it. At least then it's not my fault. Ugh, what a pain. Why did I have to be thrown into a world so different from my own?

"Helloooo, you there Oswald?" The Simisear tapped his spoon on the table.

"Hm? Oh yeah, um," I pondered for a moment. "Just give me some berries. Any will work."

Yeah, hopefully.

The Simisear scooped up some berries and tossed them onto the plate I was holding with incredible precision. "Enjoy! See you around, Oswald!"

I nodded and left the line, a plate of berries in my hands. The Quilava was thankfully still there when I hurried back to him. In fact, he seemed to be staring off into space as I approached.

"I'm back with some berries!" I called as I sat down. The Quilava flinched, probably not expecting me to appear so suddenly. "They didn't have any pecha berries, though. Sorry."

The fire type frowned in disappointment for a moment, then he looked at the plate and just seemed confused. "W-what're you...there are...pecha berries...on the plate," he murmured slowly.

"O-oh...haha...I didn't notice…good for you, huh?" I chuckled awkwardly.

Damn it! Now I look like an even bigger idiot!

Fenn raised an eyebrow but said nothing and took a berry from the plate. Being hungry myself, I took a berry from the plate as well, biting into a blueish berry twice the size of my hand. It was sweet and its juices flowed deliciously down my throat. I loved it. So much so that I didn't stop eating it until it was all gone, berry juice coating my lips. When I was done I looked up to find the Quilava staring at me strangely, his berry half eaten.

...I must look like a slob. What a terrible first impression. How do I…oh right!

"So," I said, swallowing roughly, "do you work at the castle here?

Fenn took a small bite of the berry he was eating. "Y-yes," he whispered, avoiding eye contact.

I nodded. "And...what do you do?"

"I-I...clean the floors...occasionally." Fenn took another bite of his berry, staring at something other than me.

"Oh...that's...cool."

He's really not making this easy for me, is he? I hated having to be one to carry the conversation like this, but Fenn was making it harder than it had to be. I wasn't trying to make the conversation awkward. We were doing a lot better earlier.

I cleared my throat. "Well, I came into town earlier and joined the guild. I just got back from a tour of the castle. How long have you been here?"

Fenn finished his berry and grabbed another from the plate. "A few months," he said quietly before nibbling on his new berry some.

I nodded yet again and grabbed another berry myself. This one was round and red with a long winding stem. The flavor of the berry was noticeably spicier than the last one I ate. I didn't hate it, but it definitely didn't taste as good.

"So you're like a janitor?" I asked between bites. "How'd you end up with that job?" That probably sounded a bit more condescending than intended.

The Quilava looked at me for a second as if he were gauging whether or not I was serious. Then he just as quickly looked away. "N-not...good at guild work," he mumbled.

"Really?" I pondered. "I'm sure you can't be that bad. Maybe you just need a team to help. If you were good at it—which I'm sure you are—would you want to do jobs for the guild?"

Fenn winced. "I...d-do want to help pokemon. Helping pokemon is...nice." He was rubbing his arm so much that my brain stopped acknowledging it.

I smiled. I'm actually getting somewhere now! This is good. "If I'm being honest," I started, "I'm probably not great at guild work either. But I'm like you. I wanna help pokemon, too."

That wasn't a complete lie. Guild work seemed pretty fulfilling from what I knew so far, but my main goal was entirely my own. Based on what Anemone told me, I had no other option anyways, so I may as well help others while I was here.

I added, "The problem is that I don't have a team and Anemone is gonna set me up with one unless I can find some team members in a day."

Fenn looked up. That seemed to get his attention. "Why?" he asked.

Anemone's threat- er, warning flashed in my mind. Being discreet about my humanity was something I'd have to keep in mind for as long as I was around, even with potential team members. I didn't want to keep Fenn in the dark and lie, but I had to, at least for now. I just hoped it wouldn't come back to haunt me later...

"I don't know actually," I stated. "I get my own room regardless. Maybe she likes my whiskers?" I twirled the white bristles on my cheeks in my fingers for a moment to drive home the point. Cause, I mean, come on. They were some good whiskers.

Fenn looked back down at his paws. "Y-your own room..." he mumbled quietly.

I took another bite of my berry before continuing. "Do you have a room of your own, Fenn?"

"No…"

Here we go.

"Do you want one?"

His eyes shot up and stared into mine. "What?" he asked in confusion.

"Yeah, I mean, I have a lot of extra space. You could come join up with me and share the room."

Fenn looked stunned, his mouth open slightly. "Y-you're asking me to...join your team...right?"

I nodded. "I think it could work out. We're probably both on the same level. Plus, I'm sure it'll be more fun than cleaning floors."

The Quilava sitting across from me stared down at the berry in his paws in thought. Not once did his expression change from that same look of bewilderment. Eventually, he spoke up and looked back at me.

"C-could you…could you give me some time to th-think about it?" Fenn asked slowly.

"...Sure," I answered slowly. I wasn't happy with having to wait. I only had one day after all. It wasn't like I was going to force it, though. I wanted Fenn to like me! Getting upset with him was not a good start. "We can meet up again tomorrow if you'd like. Here, at the same time?"

That should be enough. If not then I guess I'd just get a rando instead. Wasn't exactly looking forward to that.

"O-okay," Fenn said quietly. Then he lifted himself off of his seat. "I should...get going. Bye, Oswald." The slight smile on his face was reassuring at least.

"See you tomorrow, Fenn." I hoped my smile gave off that same reassurance.

The Quilava walked away, exiting the cafeteria and leaving me alone at the table.

I let out the breath I was holding in. That went...surprisingly well all things considered. I wasn't expecting to run into that Quilava after earlier today, but it worked out. Kinda.

His situation seemed particularly convenient for me. I wasn't really sure I would be able to approach any pokemon here and get them to agree to anything. Fenn seemed shy, but if he gave me a chance, I think we could work well as a team. Granted, I couldn't use any moves and I hadn't seen him use any himself. But I had the time to figure everything out. That was implying he does come around to the idea. If not, then I suppose I'd have to go with the punches.

Maybe Team Phlox will let me join their team...or maybe I could ask Lilac again. Or...not, no. I think I actually want to avoid her now.

Okay...I should really stop thinking about this. I wasn't going to get the answers to my problems all at once. The most I could do was just live as a pokemon for now. Anemone would get back to me when she learned something new.

Except...should I even trust her? Should I trust anybody here? What about Fenn? Can I trust him?

Ugh. There I go again, asking questions I have no answers to.

Thoroughly exhausted and my plate empty, I left the cafeteria in search of my room.

If uh...I could find it again that is.