Mentions: @Ambra

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"I think I've got it all!" A dressed-up Buneary sits on the floor, feet to either side of her pink and black plaid backpack. Her room mirrors her very appearance, with fabrics of all shades of red and white lining the walls in careful arrangement and forming the various faces of idol bands she follows. There's really not much she expects to bring with her, calling out the fact that her tailor's box is organized and nothing is missing. She pulls on the drawstrings and hops up onto her feet, swinging the bag around to her back as she's practiced many times before.

Standing in the doorway is her mother, a Lopunny not as dolled-up as her daughter. Genevieve's feet pad up to her mom quickly and she embraces her, arms reaching as far around as she can. "I'll miss you, mum."

"I'll miss you too, dear," her mother bends over to accept the hug. "Be safe. Do what you're told." She does her best to hide the worry, but Genevieve notices anyways.

Genevieve pulls away from her mom to look her in the eyes and gives a confident nod. "I will!" As any young one, she bounds away down the wooden hallway to the stairs, eventually leading into their small and quiet shop. "Bye dad, love you!" She hops up to kiss her dad's cheek, barely waiting for his response before she races out the door. The daylight rolled into the windows of the shop, but even still she finds herself shading her eyes the moment she makes it to the cobblestone street. The day is bright and warm, and the bustle of the city continues as normal. For her, though, this day will hopefully be anything but.

Launching from her spot in front of the shop, the many onlookers around her nearly assumed something was chasing her until they realized: it's just Genevieve. Her energy comes in bursts, and if wearing herself out with sprinting down the open roads meant getting her there faster at the cost of exhaustion, she'll do it. She's familiar enough with Cloudgate, she's lived there since she was born. The sandstone structure just so happens to have a pastry shop on its way, so she stops in long enough to grab a basket of treats with a short, but familiar, interaction.

Now with a basket of sweetbreads in one hand, her pace slows enough to enjoy the day. With a bounce in her step, she practically skips the rest of the way. Upon arriving, her head tilts up and she inspects the building with parting lips. There's something more impressive about it, knowing that adventure awaits her. With a giggle, she finishes her outdoor walk by approaching the open front door. Before she steps in, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath of the nearby ocean. As if filled with new vigor, she steps inside. Just within, what she presumes to be the lobby, is a Poochyena, a Sylveon, and a clutter of notices.

"Morning! Or, is it afternoon now?" She raises a paw to her chin as she considers. "Oh! I brought breakfast!" With an extended arm, she offers the basket.

The sun streamed through the windows of the small home as Ace threw his satchel over his head and tossed a blanket back onto his bed from where it had fallen onto the rug. He did a last sweep of his room with his eyes; cataloging the various different knick knacks that were scattered across shelves along with well loved books and old toys he didn't have the heart to get rid of just yet. He gave an approving nod to himself before trotting quickly from the room and, "Oof," slammed directly into a much smaller shinx who had stuck her head out of the room next to his. "Sorry Lex," he said with a sheepish grin, "Bit lost in thought."

"You're leaving for the guild today right?" she asked with a mix of excitement and sadness in her voice; her bright yellow eyes staring up at him and star tipped tail waving slightly.

He nodded, "Yeah," he looked out the window at the end of the upstairs hall where the sun hit a small table and flower vase, "I'm running a bit late actually, so I'll see you later ok?" He rested his head on top of hers for a moment before slipping by her down the stairs into the sparsely furnished kitchen and living room where his father, an older, rough looking Luxray was preparing lunch. He thankfully worked close to home so it was feasible for him to come home and then head right back to work on time. "Bye dad!" he called out as he rushed by him to the front door just catching the "Be careful!" his father shouted after him.

He bounded down the street, enjoying the warmth on his fur and paws from the noonday sun. He greeted a few of the other pokemon that were walking the streets as he finally made it to the larger building that felt much more imposing than it really was. His eyes scanned the flags that hung from various parts of the sandstone as he caught his breath. He could feel nerves beginning to prickle underneath his skin, but before they could get the better of him he squared his shoulders and stepped out of the sun into the building. He looked across the various windows with stunning views of the ocean nearby and the boards crammed with notices before finally settling his gaze on the other three pokemon in the room.

"Morning," he gave a slight, respectful nod, "I hope I'm not late." He moved out of the way of the door and sat down letting his eyes continue to wander across the interior and other members of the guild.

---

Zaru hurried around Cloudsgate to finish his last minute deliveries for his mother's business. He got a few extra tips from the usual customers and he mentioned that he likely wouldn't be doing deliveries after this day. After all, he would be part of the guild and he would probably have a lot of better things to do! Zaru felt a little bad since his mother would actually have to hire a delivery Pokemon once he joined, but she did reassure him that she would be perfectly fine. It wasn't like their particular family to ever stay still anyway. They were proud that Zaru was doing something more with his life instead of letting the Shade dictate the rest of his days.

With the last parcel delivered, he scurried back to his mother's little shop that she had managed to establish after a few months. Zaru burst through the door and placed the pouch of Pokecoins onto the counter. The Infernape grinned at her son and patted his head. "You leaving for the guild orientation now?" She questioned as she collected the pouch and deposited it into a safer area.

"Yep. Just gonna grab a few things." Zaru responded as he vaulted over the counter and into the inner room. He collected his small pouch of berries and tied it around his waist. He grabbed an apple from the storage room and headed back out. "Alright ma, gotta jet!" He tightened the knot around his scarf and headed off - hearing the farewell of his mother as he began to run towards the guild. He was a bit late - the information irking him a bit - but he could still make it within an acceptable window.

Despite having called Cloudsgate his home for a year, it never settled well for any of the three to stay within these walls. The houses and buildings were monotonous - the same thing everyday. He headed towards the cliff where the base was situated in. He's practically memorized the layout of the city over the past months that he's been on delivery duty. He passed by one of his regulars and gave them a cheerful wave before continuing his dash.

He stopped to momentarily marvel at the architecture of the building. It was far more ornate than practically any other infrastructure in the city. He wondered who the Pokemon inside were, about the other recruits - and there was only one way to find out. Not one to dwell on his own thoughts for too long, Zaru quickly made his way inside. He stopped at the entrance of the lobby, scanning the inhabitants and concluding that it hadn't started yet. "G'day y'all!" He greeted everyone with enthusiasm. Spotting the basket of sweetbread from the Buneary, Zaru grinned and approached her. "Don't mind if I do then! Much appreciated ma'am." He cheerily said as he grabbed a sweetbread and began munching on it. His eyes sparkled as he quickly gulped down the bread. "This is really good." He complimented before growing silent as he focused on consuming the pastry.

It felt surreal that Tusk was standing before Scorch's illustrious Guild Headquarters, his eyes beaming in awe as he gleamed the numerous banners that decorated the building. His cheeks puffed out as he brought his small arms up to press into his face, trying to shake off all of the nerves that he felt. He'd made sure to run and complete all of his daily errands for his family early in the morning, and left his father under the impression that he'd went off for extra training at the Arena. There was no telling how his father would react if he'd been discovered, but it was too late for worrying; becoming an adventurer on a rescue team was the only thing on his mind.

There seemed to be a number of similar-minded, aspiring Pokemon that were interested in the recruitment drive, but nobody that he recognized in particular. His family resided in one of the quieter neighborhoods in Cloudgate, and the nature of their species tended to be more reclusive. Tusk lagged behind the prospective crowd as they individually filtered into the building, jittery with excitement; he was ready to complete whatever assessment that would be asked of him in order to be welcomed into the guild. 'It starts now,' he told himself. 'I'll be a hero like my dad was!'

Though Tusk was having a hard time finding a spot to loiter, the scent of sweetbread wafted into his nose, luring him to the basket that belonged to a Buneary. "U-um," the Bagon's eyes were conflicted, showing resistance as his arm reached out. Eventually, he caved in, accepting a loaf of sweetbread and munching on it gratefully. "Thanks!"

---

As the wind whipped wildly through the streets of Cloudgate, making the ends of the bright orange cloth wrapped around Ting dance around, he wandered through the streets, his mind on autopilot. He was about halfway to his old construction job when he suddenly remembered that he needed to go to orientation for the Scorch's guild. He hadn't had any trouble getting there the first time, so it shouldn't be that hard to get back to right?

Well, unfortunately, it was. With the combination of much taller pokemon blinding his sight, as well as his stubby legs not offering him much in the way of speed, he spent a good hour pacing the streets, looking for the entrance to the building. "It's supposed to look like a castle, right? Why the hell's this place so hard to find?" But finally, a bright red flag caught his attention, which he followed to see several more, right by the entrance of the guild. Now the other problem: it's right across a busy street. This would not be fun.

After what felt like an eternity of trying to get through the crowd, and having to say "Excuse me!" and "Sorry!" about a thousand times, he had finally made it across the street. The structure seemed to loom on forever to him, now that he had the time to take a better look at it. It looked like it would've taken decades to build. But that was enough about the outside. It was time to head in and begin his new life. Or so he hoped.

Inside the building sat several other pokemon, many of them seeming to be crowded around a buneary handing out something. Perhaps it was worth investigating? Taking a few slow steps forward he inspected further, eventually seeing that pastries of some sort were being handed out. Ting wasn't very familiar with pastries, he just knew they were sweet in flavor. Sweets were a rarity for him, as he often decided his money would be better spent on more important things. He considered for a moment about getting one.

He'd really rather try to to make himself stand out. But then again, the bright orange cloth wrapped around him makes him stand out like a fire type in a lake. Standing off to the side and trying not to interact with anyone might make him stand out more since he's not with the group. But at the same time, standing around so many people is bound to draw attention to him. What a dilemma. Those pastries were starting to smell pretty good though. If he just kept his head down and his mouth shut, they might not pay him much mind.

He approached the group surrounding the buneary holding the basket of sweets. Ting's eyes never met the buneary's as he reached for the sweetbread. "Thank you." he said meekishly, trying not to make too much noise. The sweet taste was somewhat foreign to him, though not unpleasant, and before he knew it, he had finished the loaf he was given. Taking another look around the room, a Sylveon sat somewhat farther away, likely some sort of official for the guild. For now though he decided to stay put however.

Midday came, and Hex Jr. found himself standing outside the legendary Scorch's Guild Headquarters. Finally, a way back into the game. No more of this "it's too dangerous to venture outside Cloudgate" pussyfooting that the city officials had been spouting. Explorers, doing the thing they should've done from the start: investigating what was going on outside the city. Only took Scorch a few years to grow a pair and start recruiting, huh?

The Litten sauntered into the Guild, making sure his mask was on right as he looked around. Seemed like a more or less standard setup. Scorch at least knew how to run a proper Explorer's Guild. He'd never met the old veteran in person, but hopefully he wouldn't start babbling on about his father. The last thing he wanted right now was to be reminded just how large the shadow he stood in was.

A good few other Pokemon had beaten him to be the first one there, but that was fine. Just as long as he wasn't the last one. The sweet smell of baked goods hit Hex Jr.'s nostrils, and he moseyed on over to the Buneary holding the basket.

"Don't mind if I do." He grinned slightly, taking a chunk of banana bread and starting to horf it down. "Mnf. Mnf. This's good!" Hex Jr. told the Buneary, nodding. "Where'd you pick these up?"

Today was the single most chaotic day in the Persian household since the family had first moved to Cloudgate. Food and fur were flying all around the small main room as five meowths chased each other around the breakfast table. Their mother would normally have kicked them all out of the house by now, but it was a special occasion. Persian watched her daughters laugh and fight while she tried to finish up her meal.

"It's today!" Nyatsuki shouted.

"Hey! You're messing up my fur!" Meowgan cried.

"You still owe me for that berry last week!" Nyacole said.

"The Fearsome Fivesome becomes the Fearsome Foursome!" Meowdelyn exclaimed.

The five balls of fur slowly ceased their play fighting until they were standing in a circle facing each other. Behind them the room was full of toppled stools, hairballs, and strewn about food. In front of them were four identical sisters, and one extra fuzzy - but equally beloved - Meowth.

"Oh yeah..." Nyatalie started, blinking around the circle at her siblings. "I'm not just gonna miss you guys, you're gonna miss me too."

"Who said anything about missing you?" Nyacole retorted, lifting her nose high into the air.

"She's just playing," Meowdelyn snickered, shoving Nyacole over. The other two sisters crowded close to Nyatalie and clung to her. "It's gonna be so weird with just the four of us! Can you visit us soon?"

"Yeah! I'll be part of a super famous rescue team and when I come back I'll tell you guys all about it!"

Finished with her breakfast, Persian shook the mess that landed on her fur off and stood up. Poor things, Nyatalie hasn't even left yet and they're already missing her, she thought. She padded over to the group of snuggling kittens and stuck her paw into the pile, pulling Nyatalie out of the bunch. "You all say goodbye and get upstairs and clean yourselves off," she instructed. The four sisters did so, waving as they scrambled up the steps. Persian looked down at Nyatalie, giving the girl a gentle smile before she went about grooming her.

"Mom! I'm not a kid, I can do it myself!" Nyatalie complained, but honestly it'd been a while since the last time her mother had taken the time to clean her up. For the feline type Pokemon like them, it was a welcome, familiar feeling. Now that Nyatalie had resolved to leave home and join and adventuring guild, she didn't know when the next time she'd be home was. The guild was in town, sure, but how busy would it be? Would they be sent on missions far away from Cloudgate for days at a time? Persian hushed her and just continued on until Nyatalie's fur was free of any imperfections. Once it was done, Nyatalie bundled up her excess fur in simple ribbons and presented herself to her mother for inspection, striking a pose as she did so.

"Wonderful," Persian laughed, sitting on her haunches and clapping her paws together. "You'll be just fine, Nyatalie."

"Of course!" Nyatalie beamed, her fangs shining. "I'm gonna make everybody proud!"


Once she'd made it to the guild, Nyatalie spent a few moments outside of the great castle-like building psyching herself up. She was a strong, independent, beautiful Meowth that didn't need no squad of troublesome sisters! Okay, let's go!

The first thing she noticed was all the Pokemon milling about. To one side of the room a small crowd started to form around something that smelled delicious, so needless to say Nyatalie made a Combee-line there. Most of her own breakfast had ended up on the floor or in her fur anyway.

"Good Meowning!" she said back to the Chimchar, giving him a wide smile. What a nice Pokemon! Most of the others nearby were on the quieter side it seemed though. A Poochyena, Croagunk, Bagon, Aron... Nyatalie took special note of the Shinx and Litten. Being fellow felines, maybe they would get along! The last Pokemon nearby was a Buneary, who was also the source of the nice smell.

"Yay! Free food!" Nyatalie reached into the basket and immediately shoved the bread into her mouth. It was delicious, but halfway through chewing the Meowth's eyes widened. She'd forgotten something very important. Quickly swallowing the food, she fixed the Buneary with a serious gaze. "...thank you!"

---

It been ten days since Neva left her home to travel Cloudgate but Neva feels like it was yesterday. Neva look at the map that her mentor left, it has his handwriting on it and big red circle with a sign that says Guild on it, Neva sees the town of Cloudgate beyond the horizon, traveling to get here was hard but it will all be worth it soon once she find some clues for Blake disappearance. While entering Cloudgate, Neva hear some whispers from pokemon, feeling suspicious toward the young Sneasel in their town, Neva just ignore the suspicious whispers from everyone, she just need to focus on the task in hand.

She hears tell from Blake saying that the guild headquarter looks like a castle, he wasn't kidding, it really goes look like a castle. The Sneasel nod her head at the Sylveon, who welcome her into the guild, Neva was surprise that were alot of Pokémon here but at the same time, this is a coronation party, everyone wants to join the guild. Neva lay against a wall while everyone is socializing with eachother, even though she want to take a bite of that Buneary breakfast, Neva needs to stay focus and serious.

Tusk had been too caught up in the moment of devouring the sweetbread that he had failed to notice Scorch's arrival until after the Arcanine's scope of the recruits. The Bagon flinched in awe upon the sound of the guild leader's intimidating tone, fumbling the remaining inch of sweetbread around his small arms before it fell to the ground. Trying to save face in the presence of the legendary figure before them, he quickly swiped the sweetbread from the ground and gulped the rest of it in a single swallow, straightening himself up to stand at attention.

"I-i-it's an honor to meet you, sir!" Tusk did his best to reach up for a respectful gesture in a salute, his words mixed between awe and twitchiness. Scorch really was as eminent and illustrious in person as he was in all of the stories! It was hard to contain his excitement. "I'm Tusk! I'll be the best adventurer you'll ever have, just you see!"

What a douche. This prick got willing volunteers, and the first thing out of the old bastard's mouth was that none of them were adults? No wonder his dad never said much about Scorch, if this was how he was.

Hex Jr. angrily horfed down the rest of his banana bread in one go, swallowing and wiping the crumbs off his mouth and mask before angrily stepping forward as he gently nudged the Bagon aside after he spoke.

"No, don't kiss his ass, he just basically said we're worthless to him." The Litten hissed to Tusk, before turning to the mon in question.

"There a problem, old man?" He raised his head high, meeting the rugged Arcanine's gaze in challenge. "You're disappointed we ain't evolved or experienced enough? Blame the rest of the cowards in the city for just being happy to hide behind the walls. Like it or not, we're all you got, so deal with it or kick us out. But then who're you gonna get to fight your own battles for you? Arceus, no wonder my old man never talked about you."

Okay, that thing Nyatalie had thought about getting along with her fellow feline recruits? That wasn't looking so likely now. That Litten was so rude! Nyatalie felt her fur bristle up in second hand embarrassment for her fellow recruits when the masked Pokemon opened his mouth.

"You can't just say that to Scorch!" she hissed at the Litten. Yeah, Scorch was big... and kind of rude and more than a little ugly with all of those past wounds on his body... but he was still the guild's leader, and a local hero!

Nyatalie stepped up closer to the Poochyena, Bagon, and Litten, putting her paws on her hips and glaring at the later. Didn't he know that when you didn't have something nice to say, you just thought really hard about it and then said the opposite? Sheesh, that was catty behavior number one!

Rather than fume, Nyatalie cleared her throat and puffed out her chest before doing a mock curtsy in front of Scorch and Fae. "Mister Sir, you will find some of us are adults already, at least in mind... and manners!" she said, closing her eyes and smiling in the most confident way she could. Hopefully the rude remarks from that Litten didn't blow it for everyone... Nyatalie didn't think she could face her family if she got kicked out on the first day.

---

Other Pokemon had began to file in as they waited for the orientation to start. He smiled at the Meowth as she returned his greeting. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all, seeing how most of the Pokemon gathered in the lobby had partaken on the free food the Buneary had brought.

A cough had caught his attention just as he finished the sweetbread he had gotten and looked up at the Arcanine who had certainly seen better days. Zaru acknowledged that he had probably gotten most of his injuries from exploring. After all, it was a very dangerous job. He had seen all forms of explorers back when he was traveling with his family and the Arcanine - Scorch, he learned - had certainly been through a lot. Getting as much esteem as he did, maybe these injuries were just to be expected.

His attitude matched his grizzled appearance. He was very displeased by the group that had landed on their guild - a bunch of young ones. Zaru looked over at Fae who looked nervous but reassured that they were just as good too. That was a little rude of their leader, wasn't it? Evidently, there weren't many adults who wanted to participate in the guild, or else they would have been there! He really should have been thankful to get anyone at all, right?

The words in his head were spoken by the Litten, indignant at the Arcanine's behavior. He could have been a little less rude about it, which the Meowth quickly rectified, but he really did have a point.

"Besides, we're all willing to train to be the best we can be." Zaru pointed out. "We didn't come here to laze around and I'm sure everyone wants to help in any way they can." Maybe it's the allure of adventure, maybe it's helping people, maybe it's for the money - in the end, everyone had their own goal and he was willing to bet that none of them would drop out just because the leader of the guild didn't think they were up to par.

Ace watched as more and more new recruits filed in. There were quite a few and he felt excitement prickling across his fur at the prospect of getting to know them. He was usually too busy taking care of the house and his sister while his father was away to make many friends around the city, so this would be a new experience for him. Hopefully a good one.

As everyone filed in, and picked up some of the baked goods the Buneary had brought in, there was a small amount of conversation. Mostly muffled thank yous until a much deeper voice dragged his attention to the massive Arcanine that had stepped into the room. He could feel his eyes widen at the crisscrossing scars all across the thick fur of Scorch. He knew adventuring wasn't easy, but it looked like he'd had it rougher than any of the other guild members he'd ever seen.

His eyes went from wide to narrowed slits at the remarks their new leader made. So what if they were young; he wasn't about to let them be insulted because of it. It seemed like several of the others around him had similar ideas, some just expressed a bit more politely than others. He couldn't say he didn't agree with the snappish remarks of the Litten, but why did Fae even let them in if they weren't what Scorch wanted.

He appreciated everyone immediately standing up for themselves and stood up from where he was sitting off to the side to position himself next to the Chimchar who had just spoken up; nodding in agreement with his assessment. "He's right. We're all here because we want to be, not because we have to. None of us would have shown up if we weren't willing to put in the effort." His tail twitched slightly in annoyance as he clenched his jaw and stared up at Scorch just waiting to see if he'd try and kick them out.

---

To Ting, the Arcanine stood several times taller than him. Granted, just about everybody else stood taller than him. He was only a foot and a half tall anyways. If he wasn't so used to seeing other big pokemon during his job as a miner and construction worker, he might've been a little intimidated.

According to Scorch, they were supposed to all be adults. Well, he wasn't exactly a child, but he was only barely an adult by most people's standards. "Well, sorry to say but I think this is the best you're going to get. Besides, being younger just means we have more time to learn and gain experience."

Unfortunately, his little comment probably ended up getting overshadowed by the others' loud antics. Something about kissing ass? The Litten certainly seemed into it. Perhaps silence would suit him better. Perhaps he'd blend into the crowd better if kept his mouth shut. Getting noticed was the best way to get dragged into unnecessary drama. Maybe things would resolve themselves if he just waited.

Ting tried his best to walk to the edge of the crowd unnoticed, hoping nobody would try and stop him. The Sylveon was probably his biggest obstacle for staying anonymous. She wasn't in on the whole argument that seemed to be rising, yet she seemed aloof enough that he might not even be paying attention. Granted, it could all just be an act, and she might be significantly more perceptive than she lets on, perhaps as a way of keeping attention away from her, and to seem inconspicuous. Ting wasn't exactly all about that, and his bright orange cloth wrapped around him kind of naturally drew attention to him. A small price to pay to hide his past.

---

Neva stands and watch as the Arcanine appeared and complain that there is no adults here, the Sneasel was puzzled by the leader comment, Blake was young when he join the guild, how come this is different? Neva then watch as the other new members stand up to the the Arcanine, even though she have a blank expression on her face, Neva heart smile a bit, seeing everyone band together, Neva finally want toward everyone.

"And rather you like or not..." Neva finally spoke up from her silents "...We are not going anywhere." Neva say as she stands with the new members, staring at Scorch with determination in her eyes, if Blake was here right now, he would be proud of her and every member here.