It was odd; Monado had been asked that same question many times before. However before it had been used to justify stealing his food. Now it was just his Best Friend Lupus asking out of genuine curiosity "yep" he answered. Getting off of his Best Friend Lupus' back, he slid a little but out of his sheathe and reached out with his sash to grab a piece of toast. After taking a bite (don't question it dammit!), his eye began to sparkle "wow! So this is toast. It's so amazing, I can't even taste the mold! Best meal ever!" he cheered. Not only was he getting to taste the most delicious thing ever, but he was also going to get to go on an adventure with his Best Friend Lupus right after "I feel happy to be alive"

---

A mission, finally. Now this was something he understood. 'A retrieval mission to test our skills. At last, things start making sense again. Not only that, but it's going to be inside one of these 'mystery dungeons.' I remember hearing about them back in the village, but this'll be my first time inside of one. My first time fighting outside of the safety of the village...it's time to put my training to the test' Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Zorua glare at him, although he had no idea why

Russet awkwardly shuffled about awkwardly as Willow's smile disappeared. He wasn't sure what to think about working with the newly established guild. He was already slacking on making deliveries and his purse was already suffering for it; there was barely enough to pay for room and board for a few days. Yet, something about this guild quelled his worries. His mind went back to the cafe; maybe it was time to settle down somewhere, and guilds like these usually provided lodging for their members, right? In any case, he felt bad about embarrassing the guild master. "I didn't mean an-", he started, but was cut off by Tina's enthusiastic questions, though the guildmaster didn't seem to share the excitement. In fact, she seemed a lot worse off.

Unsure about what to do, Russet slowly shuffled his way towards the table that held the food and carefully picked up one of slices of toast. Folding it in half for quicker consumption, he easily cleared half of the slice in a single bite. It was... okay. He really wished that he had some tea right about now, from the Sylveon's description it had to be... Oran, and if she was to be believed it was a darn good tea. He should probably say something to the Braixen, if only to snap her out of whatever despair-induced trance he and the Sylveon had-
"I have an... idea of something we could do,"
Oh, Willow seemed to have snapped out of it on her own. A test, huh? He hadn't actually spent too much time inside of a mystery dungeon before, usually just passing through them briefly as a shortcut. He supposed that delving into mystery dungeons was simply something that was going to be required of him as a member of an adventurer's guild, and nodded. "Oh, I'm fine with that. Say, are there any rooms I can stay in for a few nights? I'm uh... running short on money."

"I'm glad you asked that, Lupus," Willow said, holding her head up high. She appeared slightly smug with that smile across her face. "I say we start today. Best get started as soon as possible." She folded her arms. "The mystery dungeon we'll be heading to is called Mushroom Forest. It's not far from here an consists mostly of grass and poison-types, particularly mushroom-like Pokemon. I already have a good idea of the natural items that are there and what to look for. I'll be splitting you into pairs for safety reasons and also to work a little on teamwork. There are six of us, so that works out nicely." She glanced around at the Pokemon around her. Her eyes settled on Lupus and Monado. "Well, you two have pretty much bonded already so I suppose you two can be a pair."

She looked at the remaining Pokemon for a moment. Because Ame has a type disadvantage against grass types, she thought it would be best if she went with him so he wouldn't get into too much trouble. "Ame, was it?" she addressed the Frogadier. "You'll come with me, if that's alright." She then looked over at Tina and Russet. "And you two can go together." She paused for a moment, a little uncertain. "Erm, everyone's okay with that, right?"

When Russet asked about lodging, Willow's uncertainty became even more. "That's right..." she said. "Err, I guess some of you might want to lodge here." She paused for a moment and glanced behind her. The only room besides her own was her mother's... and she wasn't sure if she wanted anyone sleeping there. She herself hadn't been in there since Constance passed away. It felt... weird, like she shouldn't go in there.

Ame nodded "fine" he answered his defalt tone of voice; neutral. 'Strange, why do I feel an even greater desire to preform well? It's not like I haven't done any retrieval training before. Sure I'll be faced with more hostility, based on what I've heard...but still, it doesn't make sense.' Suddenly, Ame had an epiphany 'It's because of her; Willow. She's why I want to so well. I want to prove to myself that this strange allergy of mine won't hider me in battle. Like when I was recovering from that broken leg.' Ame nodded, feeling satisfied with his conclusion 'yes, that makes a great deal of sense. Although for me to take so long to figure it out...father was indeed right; I still have a long ways to go if I have this much trouble understanding my inner thoughts'

---

"Yay! My first ever adventure, and it's with Best Friend Lupus!" After Monado finished savoring his single piece of toast. "Not only that, but we get to stay here. Somebody hit me! I need to know that I'm not dreaming!" Ame hit him with a light Bubble attack "Gah! That hurt...that means that this is all real! I've never been so happy to feel pain! Thank you water guy" Ame simply nodded. Sliding back onto his Best Friend Lupus' back and wraping his sash around him, he said "I'm so ready for this I think I might explode!" He began to quiver in excitement

Tina looked at the Honedge with a smile and a tilted head. He sure was a positive Pokemon. She then turned to face Russet. "So, guess we're partnering up, huh?" She stuck out a paw. "My name's Tina. I look forward to working with you!" she said, beaming excitedly. She couldn't wait to get started. While she'd never actually been to a Mystery Dungeon before, she'd heard enough about them to have a basic understanding. Still, to actually visit one with a new friend, and even as part of an Adventurer's Guild! She had to make a conscious effort to keep from bouncing excitedly in place. "I'm still young and kind of inexperienced, but I promise I'll do my best!"

The Furret's face visibly brightened at Willow's response, even if she hadn't given him a solid answer. He looked at the room Willow was looking at; must be the guest room, he thought. Storing the information in his head, he made his way to the partner that the he had been assigned. There wasn't a problem working with the Sylveon, though working in a team was something he hadn't done in a long while. He took the Tina's paws and gave it a firm shake. "Russet, pleasure to meet you. And don't worry about that, I'm sure you'll be fine in my hands." He was worried about his partners' lack of experience, but her enthusiasm and cheerfulness was awfully contagious, not to mention how happy everyone else seemed to be. His worries seemed to disappear as the atmosphere sank in and his tail started to contently swish around. Maybe being part of the guild would be a lot better than he expected, he might even stay.

Lupus looked kinda stunned at the fact that the honedge wanted to be hurt. but after that weird conundrum. the honedge slid back in while over-zealously screaming in joy. Lupus sighed heavily "yea Sure Lets do this" Lupus said with a grin on his face when he heard the pokemon types and where they where going. "so Monado" lupus started while watching russets Awkward introduction to Tina. "How much combat experience do you have" Lupus finished curious To what his Sword and Friend could do. as he looked at the other pairings He didn't like the frogadier he felt off about him.

Isra had been staring at the ceiling of the police station for only a short while when the whole structure shook causing small bits of debris to fall from the ceiling and scatter on the floor. Shouts could be heard muffled from behind the wall but she couldn't make up what they were saying. Only moments Isra heard footsteps as a Growlithe followed closely by an Abra came around and began unlocking her cell. She studied the Abra for a moment and although he didn't seem like a sinister type, you could never be too careful. The cell door eventually flung open and the Growlithe hurried off as if he had somewhere else he needed to be. The Abra presented himself by bowing an apologizing for what had happened, Isra raised an eyebrow at him and looked over to her stuff. Slowly she walked over and picked them up before she said anything to the Abra.

Isra pondered as she walked over to her things, allowing many questions filled her mind. "So.. who are you? And where am I? And what is going on here..?" She threw the poncho on hastily before tying the string of her hat back under her chin as she spoke. The Abra in front of her looked civilized enough, he was clearly polite but there had to be a reason he came

"Does getting beaten up count as combat experience? Because if so, then I have a whole lot" Monado answered "I'm still working on the 'fighting back' part, but I'll get there." Just then, he realized something "oh yeah! My Fury Cutter move is Bug Type, that means it's good against Grass Types. I'll just charge it up and then you go *swoosh!* and down they go. Also...I think it gets stronger for a little bit if you use it over and over again"

Franklin noticed the advertisement posted in town. "Ooo, I've always wanted to join one of these," he said to himself as he thought of his father and his adventure guild. "I hope there's still room for new members." he squealed excitedly and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him towards the library. When he got there, he stopped and took a few deep breaths. "You just gotta be professional, Franklin, that's all."

Franklin poked his head in the door. "Hi, um, is this where I go for the Adventure Guild?" he asked, timidly. Franklin went to step into the library when he tripped over the threshold, fell over, and landed on his face.

"That's enough, Sergeant."

The Arcanine turned around, and his muzzle contorted into an angry snarl. "What the HELL do you want, Capella?"

A Mawile stood calmly about 20 feet away, many pokemon staring at her. "The Rhyhorn, naturally. You're letting your anger get the better of you again. As both a witness and as someone who can keep level headed, I can say that the Rhyhorn is not to blame for this. Your own officers are."

The sergeant barked angrily. "What are you insinuating?"

"Your officers were chased this already frightened Rhyhorn into the wall of your police station. It's their fault any of this happened." She glared at two growlithes standing nearby, who bowed their heads in shame. "Besides, I'm sure even you can tell that despite his appearance, this Rhyhorn is little more than a child."

Timothy turned his head toward the sky and wailed. "I'm not a chiiiiiiiiiiiild! I'm a real Rhyhorn and I'm grown up and when I evolve you'll all see I'll prove you wrong and I'll be the greatest of heroes just you wait and see I'll do it just waaaatch!"

The sergeant facepawed and sighed. "No argument there, I suppose."

Capella continued. "Furthermore, do you really want to jail this guy in your police station? He's bound to cause more damage, whether intentional or not, and Rhyhorns eat a lot. You'll be fully responsible for all that food. Due to the fact that this whole thing is an accident, there's really no reason to hold him anyway. Besides, I know what to do with him." She came close to the sergeant, and spoke in a lowered voice. "I'm sure you're well aware of that new adventurer's guild that young Willow has—"

"NO!" The sergeant roared, tendrils of flame escaping from his fur, causing Timothy to shake in terror, "I'll have NOTHING to do with that damn guild!"

"Okay, then, here's a thought..." Capella muttered something into the sergeant's ear. The Arcanine's expression slowly changing from a snarl to a grin.

"You really do have a way with words, Capella Silver-tongue. Very well." He turned to face the Rhyhorn. "Boy, whatever your name is..."

"T-t-timothy." The Rhyhorn whimpered.

"Timothy." The sergeant continued. "You said you wanted to prove that you're more than a mere child? Come with me. I'd like to introduce you to a new guild in town."

~~~

"The guild is in that tree just up the hill. Now, don't forget what I've told you."

Timothy nodded nervously at the sergeant, and began walking up the hill to the tree. The sergeant watched intently for a few seconds as his tail slowly wagged from side to side. Once he was certain that Timothy was going to do just what he told him, he quietly leapt out of sight.

"H-hello? is anyone in here?" Timothy tried turning his head so his good eye could see the inside of the library, but he only ended up whacking the door frame, causing the whole tree to shake.

Willow smiled at those gathered around her in the room, the enthusiasm of Tina and Monado and even some of the others seeming to influence her. "I'll start working on a list of things we're going to find and-" she began to speak but was interrupted when she heard someone calling from the door. Her large ear twitched.

"Excuse me a minute," she said to the group, giving a little bow before heading for the front door to where the newcomer, a Turtwig, had entered, tripping over the threshold as he did. "Err, hello?" she said, addressing the Turtwig a little nervously. "Are you here to check out a book? I'm a little busy at the moment." It was not any sooner that she said that that another Pokemon, a Rhyhorn showed up, and she blinked at the stone creature in surprise. "Erm... hello...? I'm Willow, the Librarian and Guildmaster here..."

Abby had been expecting some amount of confusion from the pancham, but this was a bit much. She didn’t know where she was or what was going on? That did not bode well for his own questions.

“Well, you see… I was hoping that you could answer those questions for me,” he said, quietly closing the cell door now that Isra had removed herself from its confines. “I was led to believe that you might have some answers for me.”

He stood for a moment to size her up. He liked the cape: apparently she thought them as fashionable and practical as he. The hat wasn’t so great, but he supposed that it worked with the mystical stranger aesthetic that she might have been going for. It stopped him from looking her fully in the face, though, suggesting that open communication was not high on her list of priorities.

“You are from a nomadic clan, yes? I believe that I was, as well, and was hoping that you could inform me about myself. I appear to have some holes in my memory since the day that the feral attacked me.”

Franklin quickly stood up and shook his head to bring things back into focus. "Hi! I'm Franklin and I'm here to join your Adventure Guild!" the Turtwig chippered excitedly and way too loud for a library. He smiled at Willow. "So, can I?"

Franklin was shaking with excitement. He'd always wanted to be a part of a rescue guild. His smile was very pleading. There was also a slight childish gleam in his eyes, since he was in fact very young. His stance was relaxed, but he could be strong. He hoped that he would get the opportunity to show them that. He also had a bit of blood drizzling from his nose, because he had hit his face pretty hard.

"Daaaah!" Timothy nearly jumped out of his rocky skin when he felt something brush against his leg. He backed up several steps to see what it was: An Eevee. "Don't scare me like that!" he exclaimed. "I don't like it when people do that to me it's not funny why would you do that that's so meeeeeeaaaaaan!" He clumsily tried to wipe a tear from his eye with his leg, but only ended up stumbling to the side. When he regained his balance, he stared blankly at the pokemon at the door, his jaw quivering. "Please don't look at me like that I don't like it I just want to join the guild so I can become strong is that so much to ask I promise I'll be good please let me join oh please please pleeeeeeease!"

Willow was about to say something more when an Eevee walked up. She blinked in surprise. "Err... okay..." She looked from each Pokemon to the other. "Do ALL of you want to join the Guild?" she said.

Lilith flinched, surprise by the Rhyhorn's reaction, her tail swinging between her legs. She cleared her throat and relaxed her muscles, standing more firm. By the sound of the Braixen's response, she couldn't tell whether or not she and the other two pokemon were welcome. but it couldn't hurt to try. She mustered up the courage to speak up. She inhaled a deeply and smiled up at the Braixen. "Yes ma'am," she chirped. "I hope that's not a problem. I was sent here by Kala, down the hill," she explained, gesturing her head towards the orphanage, her tail relaxed, calmly wishing behind her.

She turned to the Rhyhorn and lowered her head a little, her ears resting against her head. "I'm sorry if I frightened you," Lilith apologized. She hadn't meant to scare the Rhyhorn. She didn't think it would be sensitive, judging a book by its cover. As small as she was, she wouldn't have been easily noticed unless she made her way to the front. She gave the Rhyhorn a friendly grin, assuring it that she meant no harm, and returned her gaze to the Braixen.

Franklin cheerfully smiled at Timothy. "Aw, come on, it's alright big guy. She's only an eevee. She's not scary. She's fluffy, and cute." Franklin said, trying to calm him down. He thought it was kind of odd for such a big rock type to be afraid. They're usually as stalwart as the earth itself, and such. Whatever, he knew that everyone had a softer side anyways.

"Hi," Franklin said to the eevee with a smile. It wasn't often he met a pokemon smaller than himself, even if it was only a few inches. "I'm Franklin." All of this was making him excited and a bit nostalgic. It reminded him of his father and all of his fellow guild members he would always have around the house. Planning missions to go help him. He thought he remembered a Rhypherior coming once, and he was really nice like Timothy. He also remembered meeting an Espeon. All of the pokemon here reminded him of his father and his father's rescue guild. That was always a plus, because these were the kind of pokemon he strived to be, so he was glad to have some similar surrounding him.

If Timothy's stone cheeks could change color, they'd be as red as a pair of Cheri Berries. "I'm sorryyyyy...." he whimpered. "I've been really tense since this afternoon when I ran into... I mean... I've been really tense today. I guess I might want to calm myself a bit, I think..." He trailed off as his eye shifted back to the Braixen. "M-my name is Timothy. I'm here to join your guild. I hope I'm not... too much of a bother... I guess I just want to be strong and fearless... Kind of a hero of sorts..." He sighed a deep sigh, and started taking quick, deep breaths. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eye, trying to keep himself calm, but to no avail. Opening it again, he took a step forward and yelled in the Braixen's face. "PLEASE! MAKE ME STRONG I BEG OF YOOOOOOU!"