---

Ting didn't remember much of the night before. All he remembered was being told he could join, being shown where to sleep by a buneary, and being told there was a meeting in the morning before he collapsed into his bed. But then the next morning came, and everybody stsrted heading upstairs. He followed behind into the main hall, and the next thing he knew, the whole guild stood around him. Pokemon he'd never seen before of many shapes and sized stood by his side, all looking up at a small podium towards the back of the room, where Kick, the Blaziken stood on a stage. There was quiet muttering throughout the small crowd as Kick seemed to be reading over a few small papers. Ting's eyes wandered around the room as he waited for Kick's speech to begin.

The first thing Ting noticed were the posters on the walls. They appeared to be posters for bands from the old world. It made sense, given that this place used to be a concert hall. Did Kick put these up? "Durant Durant", "Imagine Dragonites", "Weezing", and even one for "The Red Hot Cheri Berries", Kick's old band. Or at least, he was pretty sure it was, given it had his face plastered on it, along with a couple others.

Other noticeable things around the room included a few corkboards, most side by side. They had a handful of posters stuck to them. Missing pokemon and rescue requests covered one, delivery requests covered another, each categorized by Rank and danger. The boards for Gold rank was particularly sparse. Only two papers were on there. There were no pictures, and he couldn't read the text from here, so it was anyone's guess as to what was on there. The Platinum board was only a step away from Kick's Office. It was also completely barren. Had anyone even gotten to Platinum Rank? Or... had Kick himself been taking those requests?

There was a loud "AHEM!" from the stage where Kick was standing. The room quickly fell silent. Kick stood behind the podium, arms behind his back. His natural height, along with the height of the stage made him tower over everyone in the room. His command presence was enormous. Ting couldn't tell if he was inspired, or terrified. Likely both. If this was the kind of charisma Kick had in his old age, he couldn't even begin to imagine what he was like in his prime. He guessed that's probably what made him so legendary.

At last, Kick began to speak, and when he did, his demeanor changed almost instantly, to that of someone who talked like they were your best friend. His eyes lit up, as if he hadn't seen you in years. "Good morning everyone! I trust you've all slept well? Well then, on to the main event. For those of you who somehow haven't heard by now..." His eyes glanced over to a Trapinch on the outskirts of the group, who didn't look like he was paying much attention. "...We have some new recruits! These are some pretty young folks, so don't be too hard on them now, y'hear? Though it is nice to see the new generation getting into the rescue team business. It makes this old man happy. But for now though, why don't we have our new recruits come up and introduce themselves?" Kick's eyes scanned the gathering before landing on Ting, meeting his eyes. "Let's start with you young lad!"

Ting tensed up. His legs felt like lead. How was he supposed to seem competent in front of all of these adventurers? Only one way to find out. Breaking through his stage fright, he made his way up onto the stage. Even with the added height of the stage, Ting was barely eye level with most of the other pokemon. He suddenly felt very small. He stood in front of the podium and began to speak.

"Uh... hello! My name is Ting!" He tried to project his voice so that everyone could hear him, though the relative silence of the room already did most of that for him. "Um... I'm from Dunescar originally, but I've made my way to Narvac here over the past couple of years to get away from there. It... wasn't a very nice place to live. But I'm here now, and that's what counts, right? Anyways, um... I hope we all get along together." Ting looked up at Kick, before quickly making his way down the stage and back into the crowd. That probably could've gone better.

"Alright then, Ting, it's nice to meet you. I hope we can all get along here as well. Now then, who'd like to come up next?"

---

Fio had been excited for the events of this morning: The day where she'd get to actually join up with the guild and join a Rescue Team! Everything was definitely going to go great: The sun was shining, her horoscope said she'd have great luck with money today, and she'd managed to have a good dream. All good signs! She was bouncing on the tips of her feet as the group gathered, before letting out a surprised "Meep!" at Kick's attention-gathering sound. He hadn't even done anything, but even Fio could feel the pressure in the room. As if on reflex, she would flop onto the ground, curling her leaves out around her as if to camoflauge herself. Then, once Kick started talking proper, she shot back up, smile renewed.

"Phew! I thought he was mad...but he sounds so nice!" she thought to herself, swaying from side to side in excitement. One of the other new Pokemon, Ting, would introduce himself first. He didn't seem especially prepared to give a speech, but then again this was kind of strung on them last minute. Oh well! Seeing as the Minun that was beside her didn't look eager to go up, Fio would gently pat their back, then gesture at herself with her other leaf. Waddling up, Fio would use her leaves to pull herself up on stage, eyes sparkling. "Hello everyone!"

She would bounce a bit on her feet, looking at all the cooler, more experienced Rescuers around her. "I got saved from being in a bag, so now I wanna help people too! I think being a Rescuer is the best job in the world for helping people, so...um..." This speech stuff was hard! She'd look a bit conflicted for a moment, before looking up at Kick and renewing that sparkle-eye thing she somehow did. "I wanna make lots of friends, and save lots of people! I hope I can get super strong, so that nobody can stuff people in bags while I'm around," she said, before bowing, leaves curling as if they were her arms before she started wobbling off the stage, taking her place back where she'd been standing.

Now, the Minun was the only one left to speak. Seeing as the three of them were the only novices present thus far...did this make them a team? She was too excited to read all the details in full, but was just super stoked to be accepted by the guild. ...Well, that and because it was either the guild or going homeless.

There were a number of pokemon gathered in Songstream hall, one of which being a tiny little Minun called Gale. He wasn't actually the shortest pokemon in the crowd for a change, though. Next to him stood an even smaller bundle of energy, bouncing sprightly on her little feet. The Fomantis was clearly the most excited of all the group, and this attitude wistfully reminded Gale of the reason he was here to begin with. He turned his gaze downwards, let out a small sigh, and then nearly had a heart attack when he heard the loud "AHEM!" coming from the guild master, Kick. It sure did grab everyone's attention.

Gale briefly glanced beside him to see the Fomantis scared out of her wits and, if he was perfectly honest with himself, the Minun was only barely keeping it together himself. Still, when Kick explained further how he wanted to greet the new recruits, Gale felt at ease... briefly. The notion of him having to introduce himself for the crowd, as well as an Aron being involuntarily volunteered, left him uncomfortable again just as quick. Said Aron's name was Ting and he was just about as nervous as Gale seemed to be. Ting took his leave, leaving the next candidate for introduction yet to be decided. Gale wondered if he should be the one, and if he did go, what to say. Should he talk about Breeze? Or make something up? Does he talk about where he came from, like Ting? As his mind raced with what-ifs, Gale suddenly felt a pat on his back. He turned, seeing the same Fomantis he'd been stealing glances of gesturing at herself. She proceeded to confidently waddle up on stage, gave an enthusiastic greeting and then left Gale wondering why he was so indecisive about this.

The Fomantis returned to her position next to Gale, who sheepishly said: "Thanks... err..." and couldn't finish the sentence. He... actually didn't catch her name during all that, as it turned out. But, still, it was Gale's turn to speak now, and the longer he stayed there whispering, the higher the chance of Kick dragging him up there by force. He gave his fellow recruit a determined nod and then climbed up on stage himself. Unlike Ting, he didn't have much stage fright. Seeing the crowd in front of him didn't do much to Gale. If anything... he just had no idea what to say.

"...I'm Gale." he began. An awkward silence and pause ensued as he put his little paw to his mouth, pondering. "I guess I'm looking for someone. And I think rescuing will let me travel the world and help with that. ...That's all."

Not much to Gale's introduction, but it got the point across. He looked up to Kick again, who was about five times the Minun's size, so he could give him a nod. Then Gale simply hopped off stage, walked back over to his spot and stared, once more, at the guildmaster.

---

Kick clapped his hands together as Gale made his way back to the crowd. "Well, it was great meeting all of you. Ting, I've been to Dunescar, and it was pretty bad back then. I can't imagine what it's like now. Fio, I'll admit I've never gotten trapped in a bag before, but as far as making friends and rescuing pokemon go, this'll be a great place to start. And as for you Gale..." His head turned towards the little blue and yellow pokemon, and his demeanor momentarily softened as he resumed speaking. "I'm sorry to hear that. It's a story I've heard too many times these days. I hope you find who you're looking for." Kick's attention turned back to the crowd at large, his previously gloomy disposition disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived.

"Now then, I do hope you're all holding on to something steady, because it turns out we may have yet another new recruit or two coming in. I'm just mainly waiting for a few things to be finalized, paperwork-wise. You know how it is. What should take a few hours ends up taking a whole week because permit this, approval that, yadda yadda yadda." He twirled his hand in a circle as to add emphasis. "Anyways, I do believe it's chow time boys and girls. Hector has prepared a fine selection of breakfast foods, as usual. " He raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger gun towards a Heracross in the back, who in turn gave a polite bow. "You all make sure to eat well, and as for our new recruits, come see me in my office afterwards, I'll have your first assignment there." Kick put his legs together, before putting his right hand to his head in a salute. "DISMISSED!" His authoritative voice boomed across the room.

Ting flinched as Kick's voiced boomed. He didn't seem angry, just loud. He'd guessed all those years in the war just made him talk like that. But chow time? Did he mean breakfast? He hadn't eaten in a while, so food was near the top of his priorities. He followed the rest of the group down a nearby hallway, following a newfound scent of food. He looked towards the other two new recruits. At least they weren't bigger than him like everyone else here. Hopefully that bodes well.

Finally arriving in the dining hall area, everyone immediately scattered in varying direction, some towards the back, some off to the side, some taking a hard turn right at the entrance, but they all seemed to be heading to different tables with varying foodstuffs on them. Some were loaded with pastries and tarts, others had fruits and juices, a few even had a variety of still sizzling meats on them. Ting looked around the room before he eventually settled on a small table that had a few omelets on it, and grabbing a seat there. Was he... supposed to take one and then leave? Was he supposed to grab what he wanted and then head to the big table in the center in the room? He couldn't really carry much by himself. And why were there seats here and at the other little tables? A tour would've been nice.

He eventually noticed that many of the others had taken small amounts from one table to another, and sat there, and that the large one in the center was mostly unused. He saw a lone trapinch sitting there with a plate piled high with a bit of just about everything on in. How did he manage to carry all that? Ting looked back down at his plate with an omelet on it. It looked and smelled amazing. Fortunately, the table had some other things with it, namely some toast, jams, and water. Time to dig in!

---

With introductions said and done, Fio was more than ready to get her grub on. ...Or rather, her drink. She was glad that even a great hero like Kick realized how scary being stuffed in a bag was, making Fio glad that someone had actually saved her from a bag. Bags in general were evil unless they were like, utility size. Or purses. But big burlap was a no-go. From the sound of it, they might even have more new friends later on, too! And then right at the end of him talking Fio just about bowled over from his voice, needing to flail her leaves back and forth to stabilize.

But hey, who cared, food! And by food, Fio's brain meant: Water! Juice! And maybe some sort of sauce-based food because she didn't have teeth. Or...wait, did she have a mouth? She never really thought about it, but she sure must have one if she talked. All she usually ate all day was water, fruit juice, and good 'ol sunshine, so...who knew, honestly. Fio would loud up her four leaves with a drink in each, ranging from apple juice to water as she happily sipped in contentment. She'd take a seat by wherever Gale wound up, thinking that the gloomy looking Minum might just wind up eating by himself if he didn't have a friend nearby. "A conversation makes a friend, that's what...wait, who said that again? Me? I don't know...probably me," she thought, plopping down across from him. "Hi!"

There was definitely a level of social ineptitude on the part of the Fomantis, since she didn't have a conversation starter beyond yelling a greeting and staring.

The dining hall sure was an impressive sight, with the food all lined up like it was. One would have to wonder where they got such an impressive assortment but, really, such musings are not as important as the growling of Gale's stomach. He waddled over to the fruits table, grabbing a couple of the berries for himself. He took a bite of a Wacan berry, his face lighting up a wee bit as he enjoys the sweet and slightly sour juice seeping out. Gale could eat just about anything, but fruits were always nice and sweet. Sweet things were the best.

As he enjoyed his berry, Fio waddled up and plopped herself down straight ahead. She gave Gale an enthusiastic "Hi!" but didn't say much else. Gale blinked. With a half-eaten berry in his mouth, he replied with a muffled:

"Hai fyo." and only then swallowed the food in his mouth. Gale looked about the room, noticing their fellow recruit by himself. Staring at an omelet- no, wait, he's actually eating it now. For a moment there, Ting looked more pitiful than Gale did up on stage just a little bit ago. The Minun looked at his new friend, then back to the Aron, then back again to Fio. "Do you..." he started, with a bit of hesitation. Gale shot a quick glance back to Ting. "...want to go talk to Ting?" Gale took a bite of an apple, staring at Fio for a few moments. "I'm going to go talk to Ting."

With that stunning display of socializing out of the way, Gale rose from his seat, took the plate of delicious fruit with him and then shimmied his way over to the third recruit's table. Once there the Minun quickly realised he had about as much of a plan talking to Ting as Fio did to him. Gale shot the other recruit a glance, then picked up a piece of toast to munch on. The munching was there to help him think through his next move. Gale looked down at the assortment he'd carried over, picked something out and pondered it like one would ponder a mysterious orb. "Fing," Gale said with his mouth stuffed, then stretched out an Oran berry to the Aron. "Wan wan? (Want one?)"

---

The omelet was surprisingly good. The eggs were soft, and it had lots of flavor, so that was good enough for him. The other foods at the table were of little interest to him. Sweet things didn't sit too well with him, and toast seemed kind of boring, but at least bread was filling, so that's what he was used to eating. What he really wanted was some iron. From what he was told in Wude that was supposed to be an essential part of an Aron's diet to make their armor stronger. Maybe that's why his was so dull?

Ting snapped back to reality as a voice next to him spoke. It was Gale, one of the new recruits. He was about as tall as he was, and was yellow and blue. He certainly didn't look like any Pokemon he had ever seen before. Most of the pokemon he'd seen were rock, ground, and steel types like himself. But with Narvac's more "lively" terrain, he's seen all sorts of strange pokemon wandering around. Even here, the only pokemon he actually recognized was the Trapinch and the Absol. Though the Absol seemed a lot different than the ones he was used to.

The minun offered him an oran berry, with a mouthful of food. "Uhmm..." Ting swallowed the mouthful of omelet he had. "No thank you. Sweet things typically don't sit too well with me. I'm more accustomed to this kind of stuff." He looked down at his single, mostly eaten omelet and stray peice of toast. "But thanks for the offer. So, what do you think our first assignment will be? I bet it'll be something boring like a delivery across the city."

In truth, something easy like that was what Ting was hoping for. A simple job, easy pay, and it would give him time to explore the city. He was tired of walking on trails and paths made of dirt and gravel. He ran across the odd small settlement here and there, but nowhere like this. A sprawling, living city. Almost like a glimpse into what the world might've been like before the war. He silently wondered if Kick's influence was what made this place how it was, or if it was such a big and populous place that it was able to resist total destruction.

---

Fio didn't have much reason to not bounce behind Gale as he walked, joining him in greeting Ting at the omelets table. Or rather, former omelets table since there were only a couple left. Thankfully, she was content to keep on sipping her last juice, carried like a little treasure with her leaves curled around it. She drank really fast, but that was mostly because she kind of just...lived off liquids and sunshine.

"Hi!" Fio happily greeted Ting in the exact same way she greeted Gale, sipping on some juice right after. "Ooh, I like sweet things. If you ever don't want the ones you have, you can give them to me," she'd happily exclaim after hearing of Ting's dislike of sweets. Gale seemed like the sweet-loving type, so...maybe her and Gale could share! Regardless, Fio would take a seat across from Ting, happily kicking her little stubby legs to and fro as she finished her last drink.

When the time came to discussing what they hoped their first guild assignment would be, Fio's eyes somehow got wider at the prospect. "Ooh, maybe we'll go and save some people from sacks!" ...She seemed really hung up on that as an act of heroism. But she also wouldn't mind delivering things like Ting was hoping. "Or maybe we'll go beat up some bad Pokemon...but...that might be a bit scary," she said, quivering a bit. She seemed to be stuck remembering something scary.

Gale continued to chow down on his food. Each time both Fio and Ting took their eyes off him for a moment, he'd grabbed something else to snack on. Currently having his mouth stuffed with one of the ever-shrinking supply of omelettes, the Minun got to thinking. "Hm..." he hummed to himself as the question of their first job hung over the impromptu party's head. Making sure to swallow before speaking up this time, Gale said: "I don't think we'll be sent after a scary Pokemon yet... maybe we'll do something small like look for someone's lost item?"

Gale put his paw to his chin again. "Then again... but maybe..." he started to mutter to himself, wandering off from the table for a bit. He looked really deep in thought. You'd think the Minun was considering the question seriously, but in reality, it quickly became apparent he'd just wandered off towards the pastry table to grab a few confections. Not missing a beat after returning to the now-extinct-omelette table, Gale sat down to take a bite out of a tart. "...Mhm. Delicious," he said with an approving nod.

The minun then looked up at the other two. "I think we might get the same job. Maybe it'll be like a competition."

---

As Ting munched on his bits of toast and omelet, he began to consider what the other two said about what their first mission would be. While Ting certainly hoped it would be something easy, given the state of the world, it likely wouldn't be that easy. Granted, this small piece of the world seemed... less affected than the rest. What was the reason for that? Was this place able to recover quicker somehow? Or did the destruction here have less of an impact? He'd store those questions for later, as he responded to his other two guildmates.

"Well, I don’t exactly think we'll be beating up any baddies. We're just starting out after all. And even if we did, it would likely just be some small-time crook who would probably give up without much of a fight if they found out the guild was on their tail. As for bags, well... I don't know about that either." Ting at this point had finally finished his food, and had felt quite full. He hadn't eaten like that in quite some time. It felt nice to finally have a full belly.

"A lost item definitely sounds more like something for first timers. I just hope it doesn't require us trekking all the way to somewhere like Starfall Bay. Even by cart that would probably take a few days, maybe even a week if things don't go well." Then the idea of them all having the same job hit. Did Kick say "mission" or "missions"? A competition would be a pretty weird way to start things off. But then again it might help to see just who is capable of what. "You know, we never really did get told how party composition works here. Given that there's so few of us, solo missions seem like it would get more done, but that would also be extremely risky. Maybe Kick will tell us more? You guys finish up, I'll go wait by his office."

Ting gave a short nod, and hopped down from his seat and sauntered down the hallways, until he was back in the main hall, standing in front of the entrance to Kick's Office. The door was slightly opened, and he could see a few details inside. Kick was in there, looking over a few papers at a desk. It seemed pretty cluttered from what he could see, but from such a low angle he couldn't tell for sure. Once his other two guildmates showed up, he knocked on the door, and opened it the rest of the way, stepping inside. "Well, here we go..."

Upon stepping into the office proper, he could finally see the rest of the circular room. It seemed... kind of messy. Papers were strewn about haphazardly, along with various bags, trinkets, fabrics and boxes. A few more posters like the ones in main hall were strung up here as well, though these were smaller, and were framed. A banner was also adorned on the wall, with various colored strips of metal in a case underneath it. The banner had gold edges, a purple background color, with the center emblazoned with a large golden star with a light blue circle around it, connecting the points of the star. Was that the emblem of the guild? If so, why wasn't it anywhere else?

Kick's head turned towards the door. "Ah, my new recruits! Come in, come in. Forgive the mess, it's been a wild week." He stood up from the chair he was sitting at and stood to meet the Ting and the others. Not being up on stage made him significantly less intimidating, but the size difference still gave Ting a bit of hesitation to move forward. Still, he pushed through his minor fear and walked over to Kick.

"So, I trust you all have had a good morning thus far? Anyways, let's get down to business, eh? It's time for your first mission. I'm sure you'd all like to go on some grand adventure to rescue someone from the clutches of evil, but uh..." He looked down endearingly at the three young adventurers, before he continued speaking. "Well, before I can really send you out to do any of that in good conscience, you'll need to be a bit more experienced, and perhaps a bit more uh, 'learned' as it were." Kick let out a sigh and put his hands on his hips, it looked like he was trying to find the right words to say.

"Look, long story short, when you go out there, you're not just going out there as yourselves, but you're also going out there as representatives of both the guild and myself. You have to learn to carry yourselves a certain way in a few instances, that way people will take both you and the guild seriously. As you complete missions, I'm sure that you'll learn this through exposure, and you can even watch how a few of our more experienced members present themselves in these situations, Astram or Pandora might be a good place to start. But enough about that, it's time for your first mission." Kicked waved his hand, as to dismiss the earlier conversation, and to start a new one.

"About half a day's travel south of Mandalay, or uh..." He leaned a little closer the trio of small pokemon. "...Maybe closer to a day with those little legs of yours. Anyways, there's a farm there called the Azure Orchards. They grow a lot of food there, and are one of many farms that provide the city with food, and in return, we provide them with protection. We've recently gotten reports from some of the merchants that their supplies have been coming up short, and the farmers have reported a series a thefts from the farm as well. Your mission will be to go to the Azure Orchards, and see if you can find any clues that may have been left behind, or see if you can establish any patters, such as what is being targeted, or why."

Kick cleared his throat before taking a couple of steps over to a bag on a nearby chair and began rifling through it. "Normally this would be something we could send out someone solo for, but given your inexperience and whatnot, I think it would be safer to send all three of you. Safety in numbers, and all that. Plus, heavens forbid you actually run into our thief or thieves, you stand a much better chance against them. Not to mention the farmers would probably be willing to lend a hand or two just out of revenge." He finished fishing through the bag and pulled out a trio of wooden medallions on red ribbons, each carved with the letter "R" on the front, and on the back, seemed to have some text, stating that they were official recruits of Kick's Guild. He handed one out to each of the three pokemon before him.

"These are your recruit rank badges. Once you complete your first mission, I'll swap these out for the bronze ones. These show that you're officially part of my guild, so don't lose them. I'd advise you get prepared in whatever way you see fit, whether that's getting supplies from Cloud Street, or getting your fortune read by Pandora, our resident seer, if you're into that. She should still be here, likely downstairs in the barracks doing someting with that crystal ball of hers. Otherwise, do you have any questions?"

---

Ting left the table, shrinking the part down to two. Still munching on a pastry, Gale somewhat lazily watched the Aron waddle off. "Fyo," he addressed the Fomantis before swallowing, "Is that fruit juice any good?"

Gale's food-addled brain aside, it took surprisingly little time for him to finish the rest of his breakfast and join Ting in waiting at Kick's office. Before the Aron ever opened the door, Gale withdrew back into the recesses of his mind. He was still mulling over what their mission could look like, even far after the conversation had died down. Investigating something? Helping someone sort their storage? Looking for stray coins of poké on the floor? Maybe not that last one, but one thing's for sure: Before he knew it, both Fio and Ting had already stepped inside the office while Gale was left there, blinking. He quickly hurried inside to join them, listening in carefully to Kick's explanation.

The party was to make their way due south to a nearby orchard, anywhere from half a day to a day's walk. Find out why the stock's coming up short and report back. Sounded simple enough, even if it's not exactly any kind of handiwork gale had done before. Usually he'd had to help harvest the orchard, not go ghost hunting. Come to think of it, didn't he pass that place on his way to Mandalay...? He remembers seeing something of the sort, but couldn't recall how far off from the city it actually was. Or the direction. Gale might have been slightly bad at keeping track of both those things. Either way, first he had to-

-snap back to reality, given that Kick just shoved a small little badge in his paws. Wooden, carved with an R and with a ribbon that matched the one around his ear. Proof the three of them are a part of the guild, and all that. Kick gave the party some suggestions on what to do, asked if they had any questions and left the three of them to it. Gale didn't have anything he needed Kick to answer, so he waited until the other two were finished and thanked Kick for his time.

Once back outside the office, Gale put his paw to his chin and seemingly took initiative for a change, speaking up with: "If we're going to be travelling for a day, we might want to pick up some food for the road. But I'm also pretty curious about that fortune-telling?"

His words made it pretty evident that Gale actually didn't actually have any plans to take decisive action. "Maybe we should split up and do both? We can have our fortune read and go shopping, then meet up in town. What do you two think?"

"Its super good!" Fio asserted, sipping up the last of it as she said that. She looked back to the table where she got it and saw...it was all gone. That made her a little sad...if she'd have waited just a couple seconds on slurping it all up, she could have shared with Gale. "U-Uh...I promise I'll get you some too next time!"

With food time over, it was now time to enter Kick's office and get their first jobs! After disposing of her cup and making sure she was presentable, Fio would stroll in with the others to present themselves to Kick. With the Blaziken explaining in very kind terms that they'd get absolutely destroyed if they went after evil clutchers on grand adventures, Fio was eager to hear what they'd actually be doing. Even if he was strong and fearsome looking, the big bird seemed to choose his words very carefully. Perhaps he was afraid of scaring them all off on the first job?

With the talk of representation and seriousness, Fio wondered if maybe she should try and look more serious. The Fomantis would have to give making serious stares at the mirror later, but figured that for now she could still be herself. When Kick explained what needed doing and handed over the badges and bandannas, she looked beside herself with happiness, eyes sparkling as the little Fomantis hurriedly tied her new red bandana in place of the green scarf she'd been wearing, right under the white foliage atop her head. She'd keep the green one in her bag for later and would say: "Thank you very much Mr. Kick! We won't let you down!"

Fio didn't have any pressing questions and would exit with the others once they were ready. At the mention of getting their fortunes told, Fio looked a bit smug as she proudly said: "I got mine told before we got initiated today, actually! Well, I mean, horoscopes are different from fortunes but...it said I'd have great luck with money today, so I'm more than ready to do some shopping. Maybe we'll get a bargain on food or something! Ooh, or maybe that one dumpster I hid in still has that half-eaten apple..." Fio sort of trailed off at the end there, but would pull out her wallet, taking out the single-digit amount of money she had. "Um...a-at least we should be able to get you two some food! I can just have water and sunshine, and I'll be good to go all-day long!" Fio asserted that she'd be fine without food, which...given her lack of a mouth, might very well be the case.

---

Ting listened intently as Kick explained the mission. It looks like they'll be doing some investigating. Well, that didn't seem so bad. Probably just a small time crook at worst, and somebody who's just stealing because that's all they can do at best. Either that or it's a bunch of kids and this is their idea of a prank. Maybe the farmers knew more. Guess that would have to wait until then.

Taking the medal, he swiftly put it around his neck. It dangled a little but otherwise fit fine. At the end of his speech, he was asked if he had any questions. "No, sir. No questions." Any questions he did have were more for the farmers and his two teammates. He watched as Kick gave a salute as the three walked out of his office and back into the main hall. "So... what now?"

He listened in as the other two spoke. "I'm mostly in the same boat as Fio. I don't really have any money. I haven't had too much of a need for it on the open road. I have a few coins lying around to maybe get something like a lantern, but I mostly just did scavenging for my food. I'm not really a big believer in that whole fortune telling stuff, but if you guys want to go see this Pandora lady I'm all for it. We probably should stick together though. This way we all know what we're thinking. For now, I'll just follow you guys, do what you think is right. Besides, worst case scenario, we're not going that far away from town, so we shouldn't be in any real danger."

---

The input from the other two was taken into account by Gale. Apparently, neither had many funds, nor much interest in going to get their fortune told. A bit of a shame on that last part... Gale wanted to go see what that was all about. "Hm..." he started to ponder, retreating into himself again. He could still go get his fortune told, but it'd mean dragging his fellow recruits around for no reason. On top of that, he really did want to shop for some supplies. Gale should have enough money to cover the three of them for at least the one trip. He could try to get both his fortune told and shop, sure, but that would take too much time. The road to the orchard sounded long, so the earlier they departed, the better. The party might, at that point, even make it before sunset.

"I... thiiink..." Gale slowly started to form his thoughts, still mulling it over. Fio already had her fortune, but neither Gale nor Ting had theirs, did they? For safety's sake, the three should at least check it out. But, then again, the time issue was still present. Fortune or shopping, fortune or shopping... that was the dilemma Gale was faced. A dilemma, he realised, was causing him to space out and totally forget about the other two for a moment.

"...Oh. Sorry," he quickly apologised, shifting his little feet paws in place. "I think I know the way to cloud street, at least... do you two want to go shopping?"

A decisively non-decisive answer, but it was the best he could do.

Fio tapped a leaf to her chin, thinking about Ting and Gale's suggestions on their course of action. They were like, brokey broke. Barely had two Poke to rub together, and unlike her, the twosome needed to eat normal food to live. Gale seemed intent to visit the fortune teller at least, but...Fio knew her fortune! Luck with money!

Balling her arms up at the tips, Fio would say: "Me and Ting can handle shopping! My horoscope said luck with money, so maybe they'll have discounts! Bargains! Buy-one-get-one-or-maybe-two-free!" Fio's ideas were very...optimistic, but maybe there was a chance for some bargain or clearance sales. Maybe even some nearly-expired stuff they could find in a dumpster somewhere. Either way, she seemed convinced they'd at least find some berries for the two to eat along the way.

"A-Anyways, go and get your fortune read Gale! Its really neat, I promise," Fio said, proudly showing the fortune slip she'd gotten to the two, showing the picture of a Meowth dancing on it, coins raining down from the sky with "Luck with Money!" on it. ...It...might not even be a proper fortune, but it sure did look like one.

Her two teammates would probably have to deal with her perpetual optimism for the entire trip to Azure Orchards and back.

"Are you sure, Fio?" Gale would ask of her, considering she turned down Gale's intended offer of joining them in shopping. He wasn't aware himself that he'd made it sound otherwise. "Hm... if you think you can handle it, then I'll leave it to you two."

Gale gave both Ting and Fio a nod. He scanned the guild hall, trying to find the exit. "Hm... I think we should meet up right on the exit of town when we're done. Then we can depart for the orchards after."

It felt a little weird to the Minun to be giving out orders like that, but the party had been held up long enough. "I'll see you two later then," Gale said, gave his team a goodbye wave and made his way down to the barracks to go see Pandora.

---

"Well, I guess that solves that. Come on, Fio, Cloud Street can't be too far. Hopefully at this time of day they'll have lots of stuff to sell, and will give us some good deals." Ting watched as Gale headed towards the barracks, and he began to waddle towards the exit of Songstream Hall. There wasn't anyone in the problem center or at the front gate yet, though Ting guessed that would probably change very soon.

Following a few Street signs would quickly lead Ting to the area known only as Cloud Street. It was a broad, straight street, with many merchants at stalls or with caravans displaying their goods, and even more buildings, telling of sales and quality items. There were fabrics, pastries, various shining stones, boxes full of berries, there were even pokemon offering services like locksmithing and transportation. It was like a whole new world from what he had seen in Dunescar and Wude. It was kind of overwhelming for the poor Aron at first.

Usually places like this are where you'd hold on to your coin purse a little tighter in other places around the border. And brazenly displaying all your goods was a good way to get them stolen. But the pokemon here all seemed like it was just your average day. What kind of place was this?

Ting quickly snapped back to his senses as a large foot stomped in front of him. A Grotle had just run by, carrying a bag in its mouth towards one of the many buildings. He turned towards Fio. "Well, here we are. Guess we'd better watch our step, we probably don't want to get trampled. Any idea where to start? You're the one with the good fortune."

What exactly would they need? Food probably shouldn't be that big of an issue. Bread was relatively cheap, and would fill him up for the road, plus he had some iron scraps in his bag, should push come to shove. Maybe the farmers would be willing to pay them in food for their help? If it did get dark, some form of light would probably be a good idea. A lantern or something would help there. Maybe some of the shopkeepers would be feeling generous and give discounts to new recruits at the guild?

---

Fio would follow after Ting, definitely of the opinion that the Aron knew his way around town a lot better than she did. Even the street signs didn't exactly prove that helpful when you weren't exactly "literate", so she was glad she had Ting to guide. But thankfully, even if she couldn't read, Fio sure could count! And wow, those were some big numbers on the signs with the two circles around the line thingie that said "hey, its cheap!". It seemed Fio's fortune had come true and there was an abundance of food that needed to leave market TODAY.

Of course, even with the good fortune of some discounts, it wasn't like they could really splurge or anything. At best, probably four berries, which would most likely last the non-plant members of the team a day's journey, while Fio was fine with her existing bottle of water. Still, she wanted to make sure she wasn't recklessly spending, and would consult Ting first. "So...I think with our money pooled together, we can get you and Gale two Oran berries each...w-would that be enough?" the grass-type asked, hoping that her friends wouldn't be upset with too little food. She knew how she felt when she didn't get enough sunshine.

Fio also seemed a bit worried being in the market, looking over her shoulder on occasion, only to have a look of relief. ...Something might be bothering her...probably something to do with her "stuffed in sacks" schtick that she'd said during her introduction.

The barracks of Songstream Hall were pretty barebones in all honesty. Several Bunk Beds were set in rows, in varying sizes, with small bags and chests sat at the foot of each of them in a large rectangular room. Many were unclaimed, but it was easy to tell which bed belonged to whom. Whether it was the small decorations that sat on or around them, or the state of some of them, such as Squegg's unkempt blankets and crumbs of food littering his bed, or Rio's bed being surrounded by flowers and brightly colored dresses.

The barracks were empty, with the exception of one lone figure in the dim lights. It was none other than Pandora, who was busy polishing a crystal orb the size of her head to a perfect sheen. She sat near her bed on the floor, surrounded by several other strange objects. There was a deck of cards with strange pictures on them, a map of various constellations, a pair of bent copper rods, and other various fortune telling and divination paraphernalia stacked neatly on the chest by her bed.

Her being the only other Pokemon down there made it all too easy for Gale to find the Absol. One small issue still had to be overcome though; the matter of drawing Pandora’s attention. She seemed preoccupied to put things mildly, as well as Gale not being the most assertive mousey creature around. A light tap probably wouldn’t do; at best he’d be looked at funny, but at worst he could startle the woman. Well, she didn’t look like the easily startled type, but if she WAS, then Gale had no intention of paying damages for the crystal ball he might or might not end up being the cause of breaking. In the first place, Gale would need to-

-focus, and remember why he came here rather than get lost in his musings. "Uhm, excuse me?" he’d try to reach out. "Are you Pandora, by any chance?"

The Absol flinched ever so slightly at the sound of Gale's voice and touch. She looked around, somewhat confused, before looking down at the little yellow and blue creature. She set down the cloth she was using on the chest next to her, amongst the various other tools that laid there before turning back towards Gale. "Yes, that's me, who are… " she cocked her head to the side, eyeing up the small creature in front of her, seemingly taking in every detail. "Ah, you're one of the new recruits. Gale, was it? Do you require my services? If you've lost something I might be able to help you find it. Or I may be able to illuminate what lies ahead." As if for emphasis she looked over and put her paw onto a nearby stack of cards.

Gale shot it a quick glance, then back at Pandora. "...Yeah. Gale. I’ve come here for…" he’d voice, his words petering out as Gale took a hard look at the reason he actually came down here for. Sure, he came to get his fortune told. And, truthfully, he’d appreciate any clues to his personal goals- to finding his sister. His first instinct was even to ask about it, just now. However… he couldn’t do that, not now. Both Ting and Fio were preparing for the mission and Gale couldn’t just be selfish when others were relying on him. Hurricane always did teach him to be a good brother to Breeze like that. "Actually, I’m going out on my first mission soon," he’d say, "and I’m not doing it alone. I’m going with two other recruits, Fio and Ting. I wanted to know our fortune for the road, if it’s not too much to ask."

The Absol smiled gently at the seemingly shy boy's request. "Of course, of course. A little illumination for the road ahead. I'll tell you what I can. Now then…" Turning her head once more, Pandora’s eyes began to glow a soft violet hue, as the cards she had her paw on began to slowly shuffle themselves, turning in various directions and rearranging their positions for but a brief moment, until the cards were once again still. "Just a little trick I picked up during my travels. Only works on light objects like cards, though."

In one swift motion, Pandora swiped the top card off of the deck and onto the floor, face down. "Let's see what fate has in store for you today." She flipped the card over. The card had a picture of a cart, pulled along by two Rapidash in full gallop, the cart containing a thin, featureless bipedal figure holding some sort of golden staff under a starry sky. Although to the young Minun, the picture was upside-down. "The Chariot, in the reverse position. The Chariot in its reversed position usually represents opposition, or roadblocks of some kind. Perhaps you will run into a 'bump in the road' as it were. Or perhaps…" the Absol's voice trailed off as she seemed to explore her thoughts momentarily. "You may encounter a problem you cannot face head on, and you may have to approach from a different angle." She looked up from the card to Gale. "If I were you, I'd be wary of trickery, and try not to focus too much on things out of your control. Focus on the how and why, as you may be focusing your efforts on the wrong problem." She picked up the card and slid it into a random spot in the deck sitting on the chest.

"I wouldn’t be too worried, all things considered. If anything terrible were to happen to you, Kick would be on the hunt to bring you home safe personally. But otherwise, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Gale put his paw to his mouth. "Anything else…?" he repeated after her, pondering the offer over. The offer was tempting enough, but he felt like he shouldn’t take too much of the Absol’s time. "Well… maybe not now, no. I’d like it if I could come by again later, though. I might want my fortune told again for something else..."

Gale would’ve been lying if he said he hadn’t got other things on his mind, but they could wait at least a little bit longer. He shouldn’t hold up his team or his senior any longer. Further, he needed time to think about what that prediction meant. From the sounds of it, this first mission wasn’t going to be nearly as routine or simple as Gale had hoped. ”Thank you for your time," he said with a quick bow of respect, turning to rejoin his teammates.

"Of course," The Absol mirrored Gale's bow. "Feel free to come back any time."

---

"Well, if you ask me..." He looked down as he sorted through his thoughts. They'd probably only be gone for a day or so at most, and he's got some spare iron scraps in his bag if things really went bad. But berries probably wouldn't last them very long. Then again, they didn't really have many other options. Ting let out a "Hmmmmm... as he wracked his brain for ideas.

Eventually, Ting just decided to let things play out. They weren't going to be in any terrible danger, and if things did get out of hand, they wouldn't be that far from the city anyways. He turned back to Fio. "Yeah... I think we could work with that. Let's go find a shop." Ting's eyes scanned the many shops and vendors lining Cloud Street. "There," he pointed. Just across the street were a pair of Kekleon selling all sorts of foodstuffs. They looked less like farmers and more like merchants, however, wearing traveling gear and having a large covered wagon behind them. They had a large wooden sign in front, detailing their prices and various deals they had going on. It even looked like they were having a special on various berries! Maybe Fio's horoscope wasn't made-up nonsense after all.

Ting reached into his bag, pulling out a small pouch of coins, and pushing it in Fio's direction. "Here, why don't-" His voice stopped as he looked up to see Fio looking over her shoulder before being seemingly relieved of something. "You okay Fio? You scared of getting stepped on or something? Just stick close and we should be fine." He nudged the small pouch closer to Fio once more, as if to reassure her.

---