Chapter 4 – New Home, New Life

The sound of burning fire crackles as the sun continues to set beyond the horizon. Totem poles erect from the ground, accentuating the entrance to the large and, admittedly rather crude building made in the image of a Wigglytuff, a small, open grate built into the ground just outside the door.

“Well… This is the place.” Rickety says as he takes a step forward, his body ever so slightly shaking, trembling from just how silent the place was. “Kinda has a really odd feeling to it, don’t you think?”

“You mean the Wigglytuff shaped building wasn’t already tipping you off on that?” Lexxi jokes, her tail at a standstill as it hangs up in the air. “I understand, though. There’s certainly something strangely… Intimidating about it? I dunno, let’s just get in before either of us get too scared and change our minds.” She glances up at him. “You know how to get in?”

Rickety nods. “Yeah. At least, I think I do.” Staring down at the grate, the Riolu walks up and stands right on top of it. And only a few seconds later, two voices could be heard coming from below, briefly startling both Rickety and Lexxi.

“Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!”

“Whose footprint? Whose footprint?”

“The footprint is Riolu’s! The footprint is Riolu’s!” Rickety exchanges a mildly nervous glance at Lexxi, steeling his resolve and keeping in place. Not gonna chicken out of this like last time. Nope. No sir.

“…You may Enter!” One of the voices shouts, briefly pausing before speaking back up again. “Someone is with you! Get them to stand up there!”

Letting out a long, shaky sigh, Rickety steps off the grate and stands aside, smiling nervously and gesturing for Lexxi to go after him. She walks up to the grate with a bit of hesitation in her step, staring down at it, carefully examining it. At least it seems like the little holes aren’t big enough for her stubby limbs to slip through, so she should be fine. Hopefully. She carefully steps onto the grate, doing her best to keep still.

“Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!”

“Whose footprint? Whose footprint?”

“The footprint is…” The voice seems to go quiet. Is there confusion present in its tone? “The footprint is… It’s, uhh…”

“Sentry Diglett! What’s the holdup?”

Rickety and Lexxi exchange confused glances at each other, with Rickety walking back up to the grate and getting down to the ground, listening closer to the voices talking below.

“The footprint is, uh… Skitty’s, I think!”

“You THINK?! What do you mean, you think?!”

“I-I don’t know! We don’t normally get Skittys around here so I can’t be sure!”

Rickety looks up at Lexxi, seemingly even more confused than he was previously. “The heck are they doing down there? Arguing?”

Lexxi shrugs. “I guess I’m an anomaly in more ways than one.”

“…Sorry for making you wait! While it’s true that Skitty don’t normally come around these parts, you don’t seem like a bad person!” The gate suddenly opens up, startling the duo once again. “Please, come in!”

Rickety, his eyes lighting up with excitement, immediately springs back up off the ground. “It’s open! Lexxi come on, let’s head inside!” He darts right off towards the entrance with Lexxi stumbling a bit over the grate as she follows him inside.

---

“Ohhhhh my gosh, look at how many Pokemon there are!”

Rickety’s heart was practically pounding in his chest as he descended down the ladder, a big, stupid grin curled up on his lips as he took his first gander at the guild, bustling with life as a number of conversations could be heard, all of the Pokemon talking over each other. Quite a variety of Pokemon too! A number of teams. A Taillow and a Wurmple, a Pidgey and a Seedot, a Kirlia and a Zoroark, the list just goes on!

“Do you think they’re all exploration teams, Lexxi- ACKPTH!” His question is immediately cut short as the Skitty falls down the ladder after him, landing on top of him and knocking him down to the ground. “Mnnweeeeehhhhhh…”

Lexxi groans as she shuffles on top of Rickety, rolling off of him and shaking her head. “Oogh… Sorry, Rickety. Still not used to the whole four-legged thing. Climbing down a ladder with four legs is impossible.”

“Ahem.” Someone had cleared their throat while the two were loafing around on the ground. Looking up, the two of them see a Chatot staring down at them quizzically, his head tilted to the side in that very bird-like manner, arching an eyebrow. “You’re the ones who just arrived, yes?”

The two of them quickly nod and get back on their feet, Lexxi stumbling a bit, having to lean against Rickety a little to keep herself steady. “Y-Yeah, that would be us!” Rickety stammers nervously, rubbing at the back of his head a little bit.

The Chatot’s beak curls up into a smile, ruffling his feathers up. “Name’s Sir Lemmy III, Wigglytuff’s right-hand Pokemon here at the guild. though I would prefer if you simply called Mr. Chatot to keep things formal and simple. Now, we don’t exactly have time to deal with silly surveys or salespeople or whoever you are, so please feel free to scram, if you wish.~”

Rickety and Lexxi’s expression fall, then shift into confusion. Well, so much for the welcome wagon. “That’s not what we’re here for. At all.” Lexxi speaks up, muzzle scrunched up a tad.

“Yeah, that’s right. We’re here to form an exploration team! We came here to train and form a team and all that stuff!”

Mr. Chatot blinks in surprise, staring at them dumbfounded. “I, er… Beg your pardon? You want to become an exploration team?” He begins to pace back and forth, mumbling to himself as his eyebrows furrow, deep in thought. “Hmm… Surprised these two want to become a team at all, everyone else has been running away from how harsh the training is…”

“Uh.” Rickety leans forward inquisitively. “Is the guild training really that tough, Lem- Mr. Chatot?”

The bird Pokemon squawks frantically and rapidly flaps his wings as he realizes he’s being overheard, fervently shaking his back and forth. “Goodness, no! No no no not at all! Our training is as easy and as accessible as it could possibly be for new members!” The Chatot puts on a very forced, very unconvincing smile. “I-If you wanted to become an exploration team, you should’ve just told me from the start, kweh-heh!”

As Chatot starts heading back towards the ladder, Rickety and Lexxi quietly talk amongst themselves.

“What’s up with the sudden attitude change?” Rickety mutters. “It’s like he turned a complete one-eighty.”

“I don’t know.” Lexxi side glances at him. “Something about him just rubs me off the wrong way.”

The Chatot peeks back behind him, gesturing with a wing for the two to follow before he descends down the ladder. They do follow, but Lexxi stops once she gets to the ladder, staring at it intensely.

“Uh… Rickety?” The Skitty sheepishly glances up at the Riolu, pawing at the ground a little bit. “Can you carry me down?”

Blinking, Rickety chuckles softly, turning around and bending down to the ground. “Alright, hop on and grab hold.”

---

“Guildmaster! It’s Chatot! I’m coming in, and we’ve got visitors!”

As the doors to the Guildmaster’s chambers open, it’s… Rather small and simplistic. Two open chests with various treasures, a comfortable mat for laying and resting on, not to mention the mural of Wigglytuff on the wall- A lot of Wigglytuff imagery in the Wigglytuff Guild, huh? Guildmaster Wigglytuff, of course, was there too, his back faced against the small group as they step inside.

Chatot clears his throat once again, speaking up. “Guildmaster! I would like to introduce you to the two wonderful Pokemon who wish to become apprentices within our guild!” No response, not even a visual one. The Guildmaster is as still as a statue. It doesn’t look like he’s even breathing, he’s that still. “Uh… Guildmaster?” Chatot speaks up again. Still no response.

Lexxi and Rickety glance to themselves, then to Chatot, as if seeking some sort of guidance or explanation, then back at the completely motionless Guildmaster. Just as they’re about to step forward and speak up, the Guildmaster quickly and suddenly turns around to greet them.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeello there!” Lexxi and Rickety jump, startled. He was so motionless just a second ago! “I’m Wigglytuff, Guildmaster of Wigglytuff’s Guild!~ But I’m sure you could’ve already worked that out by the name, hmhmhm!~” He places his arms behind his back, smiling widely at the duo as one of his ears flops down slightly. “You wanna form an exploration team, hmm? Let’s get right to it, then! First things first, we gotta register your team name!”

“Our, uh… Team name?” Rickety blinks, chuckling nervously as he scratches at his head. “We haven’t thought of one yet, heheh…” He glances down at the Skitty inquisitively. “Got any ideas, Lexxi?”

“Really putting me on the spot, huh?” Lexxi puts one of her little stumps to her chin, pacing back and forth in place a bit as she really, reeeeaaaaally thinks, but everything she can think of sounds either stupid or ridiculously cheesy.

But then, one idea comes to mind.

One that sticks out amongst the rest.

“How about Team Void?”

“Team Void?” Rickety hums curiously, letting it stir around in his mind a bit. “Interesting… Why Void, though?”

“You know! Think of it as like, ‘you stare into the void, the void stares back. You try to strike the void, but the void strikes back with even greater force.'” She smiles proudly, tail swishing back and forth behind her. “Like how we stroke back at those bullies for stealing your necklace!”

Rickety’s curious expression slowly turns into a smile. “You know what? I can work with that! Team Void it is!”

“That settles it, then!” The Guildmaster perks back up, hopping in place. “I hereby register you as Team Void! Scccchooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo… WHOOP!” The Wigglytuff claps his hands together and… Doesn’t do anything else, really. No papers, no contracts, a very simple process. “Now then! You’re both officially registered as an exploration team! As a commemoration, please have this!~”

The Wigglytuff reaches behind his back, presenting a small box that he places down in front of Rickety and Lexxi. Rickety’s jaw drops, gasping in awe as his pupils grow to the size of saucers. “Our own exploration team kit?! This is so awesome!”

“Mmhm! Go ahead and open it up!~”

Rickety practically dashes towards the box as Lexxi follow behind him. Gosh, every time he gets so excited and energetic like this, Lexxi can’t help but smile. She’s only known him for less than a day but gosh if his energy isn’t contagious. A variety of items can be seen as Rickety opens up the chest. An Official Explorer Badge, a Wonder Map, and even a Treasure Bag! Everything they could ever need was all in here.

Being as excited and impatient as ever, Rickety opens up the treasure bag and peers inside. “Ooh! There’s already stuff in here!” He reaches into the bag, pulling out a red bandanna and a sky blue bow, eagerly showing them off to Lexxi. “We get out own little accessories!”

“A little gift to welcome you to the guild!~” Wigglytuff perks up as he smiles, giggling to himself as he shifts back and forth, as if dancing in place. “But remember! You’re only apprenticing for now! So be sure to do your best while you’re training!~”

“Of course we will. We’ll be the very best apprentices we can be.” Lexxi smiles and nods, glancing back at Rickety. “Right?”

“You bet!”

---

“And this is where you’ll be staying.” Chatot gestures with a wing as he leads the duo into their quarters. If the Guildmaster’s chambers were minimalist, this was minimalizing minimalism. A small room with a window and two little cushions for beds. Not exactly the most luxurious living space, but hey, it works! For Pokemon at least.

While Lexxi makes herself comfortable on one of the cushions, Rickety runs up to the window, gazing out at the vast ocean along the cliffside. The sky was finally starting to grow dark as the sun dipped below the ocean, the stars beginning to come out and light up the night sky.

“Things are going to be very busy for the both of you tomorrow, and we expect you to follow our code to the letter while you’re working with us! So be sure to get to bed and wake up early tomorrow! Understood?”

Lexxi nods, sprawling herself out across the cushion, sinking into it. If she’s a cat now, may as well behave like one. “Understood, Mr. Chatot Sir.”

Chatot nods, glancing over to Rickety. “And you?”

Rickety just keeps staring out at the ocean through the window, eyes locked onto the night sky. It takes a moment for him to register that Chatot was talking to him and he quickly turns, voice stammering. “O-Oh! Yes, of course! Understood!”

---

…

Yeah, getting to sleep is easier said than done.

Lexxi shuffles and shifts on the cushion, trying to find a more comfortable position to sleep in, but no matter what she does, she simply has too much going on in her mind. The hectic nature of the day had kept her from realizing the weight of everything she had now.

Most of all, who was she? She used to be a human, but.. What kind of human? What was she like? Where did she live? Did she have any sort of family to go back to? And why did she turn into a Pokemon of all things? How did she even get here to begin with?

“Hey.” Her ear flicks as she hears Rickety’s voice whispering out to her. “You still awake, Lexxi?”

She shuffles around on the cushion as she turns to face him, only really able to make out his bright red eyes in the darkness. “Yeah… Got a lot on my mind and I can’t stop thinking about everything.”

Rickety leans over on his cushion, resting his head on top of one of his arms. “Still thinking about the whole ‘being turned into a Pokemon with amnesia’ thing, hmm?”

“Mhm.” She nods, sighing as her ears droop down against her head. “I don’t get it. I feel like I should at least remember something about myself, but there’s just… There’s just nothing there at all. It’s hitting me pretty hard, not gonna lie.” She shuffles again, stretching her stubby little limps out. “Don’t get me wrong, everything that we’re doing? It’s neat! I’m happy I get to explore with you and all, but it’s all just so confusing.”

“Mmnn… I don’t blame you. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through right now.” Rickety rolls over onto his back, staring down at his necklace. “I wish I knew more or there was more that I could do to help, but there’s nothing we can really do about it. For now, anyway. Best we can probably hope for is that you slowly start remembering things over time, or we learn more about you on our adventures together.”

“Yeah. It seems unlikely, but I guess you’re right. No used getting worked up over what can’t really be helped or explained.” She huffs, shuffling around again, getting more comfortable. “What about you? Nervous about tomorrow?”

“Not really. If anything, I’m having the opposite problem.” He chuckles softly, looking at her as he arches his back a lil’ bit. “I’m too excited. I can’t stop thinking about how awesome it is to finally be part of an exploration team, about all the things we’re going to get to do, all the adventures we’re going to go on. My heart’s still racing just thinking about everything that happened today, everything that’s going to happen tomorrow.”

He lets out another sigh, this one more content than the last. “I haven’t been this excited in a long time. I know you think you shouldn’t really be here, Lexxi, but… I’m glad you are.” He quickly follows this up, voice stammering again. “U-Uh, sorry if that sounds rude or anything, I just-“

“You’re fine, Rickety, don’t worry too much about it.” Lexxi smiles softly as she looks back at him, her tail swishing slightly. “It’s complete happenstance I happened to be there at the right time, and I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t want to. I have a lot going on in my mind, sure, but like you said, we just kinda have to take it as it goes.”

Rickety stays silent for a few moments, before muffling a laugh. “Yeah, you’re right. My mind’s just making me overthink things a little.” He rolls over stretching his body out a little and yawning quietly. “I’m gonna try and actually get some sleep. Goodnight, Lexxi.”

Smiling softly to herself and stretching her body out a bit too, Lexxi curls her body up and lets herself sink into the cushion, closing her eyes and letting her mind drift off. No use thinking about it now. “Goodnight, Rickety.” She’ll figure out everything in time.

Tomorrow’s a new day, after all.