Prologue: Tremors in the Night

This story begins where many others end.

It begins after the countless adventures and vicissitudes that a human and a Grovyle had to face to avoid the planet’s paralysis.

Her name was Amber, a girl who suddenly arrived from the future along with her trusty Pokémon companion and a mission of vital importance. For reasons as yet unknown, the human was transformed into a Pokémon when she arrived in the Land of Grass. She became a Torchic, to be precise, but that was probably just an advantage for them, as it was easier for her to be accepted by the inhabitants of Treasure Town.

What obviously wasn’t easy at all was explaining who she and Grovyle really were, why they were in that place… and what they actually had to do to save the future and the whole world. Not everyone was able to grasp the idea of the two foreign travelers just coming in and removing the Time Gears.
Who could have blamed them, after all?

It was at this point in the story that the Guild came into play, to which Amber and Grovyle turned to discuss the situation with the major local authority: the Guildmaster Wigglytuff.

Thus, their journey within the Grass Continent began…

In a matter of few days, the pair kept their word, saving the future from the planet’s paralysis, but such heroic act came at the price of their lives. Their sacrifice was never forgotten, and never would have been.

Five years passed from that day.

And here, in the Guild where it all began, a trio of young explorers was going to rest. They were unaware that the wind, after five years of peace, was bound to change again.

It was an evening like any other at the Wigglytuff’s Guild. The apprentices had just finished eating their dinner after a long day of work and they were going to go and enjoy a well-deserved sleep.

Among them, Team Spark, the most promising team in the Guild, was no exception. After saying goodnight to the fellow apprentices, they set off to their room, the last one down the hall.

They had chosen a simple name for them. After all, they were just three kids with big dreams. “Team Spark” was also a tribute to their leader: a brave and ambitious Shinx named, ironically, Sparx whose main move was, in fact, Spark. In addition, they felt that their name reflected their roaring and sparkling spirit.

As for the other two members of the team, one was a keen Mudkip called Ardin. He was an attentive and intelligent explorer, able to exploit the environment that surrounded him to his advantage and grasp even the smallest details, as well as having vast general knowledge as the good scholar who he has been.

Last but not least, there was Yeaf, a charming emerald-eyed Eevee. She came not from one, but from two lineages who had different colored eyes than normal Eevees. Behind her adorable appearance and character, however, there was a strong and capable fighter, able to knock out anyone who got in her way with a few powerful hits.

It may sound strange that these three Pokémon had personalized names, but truth is that, inspired by Amber’s influence, giving names to the newborns was becoming a more and more common practice amongst the population of the Grass Continent. Such thing happened in the past already, even before Treasure Town’s foundation, but they were really rare cases.

Going back to the trio, once back in their room, the Eevee collapsed face down on her bed, sinking her face in the straw and letting go a long sigh.

«I’m… exhausted…» she then muttered, her soft voice smothered by the straw. «I want to sleep without interruptions until I hear Loudred’s voice bashing my ears…»

Sparx chuckled lightly to himself, even though he was quite tired from the day as well.

«I can well believe so, Yeaf. You’ve been amazing, though.» he told her with a contented expression. «We’ve arrested our first “S” rank criminal! This is a great achievement for us!» he exclaimed, with a strong hint of enthusiasm.

Ardin nodded, letting out a satisfied snort as he did so. «Absolutely. That Venusaur was much tougher than expected, but luckily Sparx’s vision is able to see almost perfectly even through the thick fog of the Foggy Forest.»

«You can say that out loud!» Yeaf rotated slightly, lying down in a more normal position and showing her face again as she spoke. «If you hadn’t had the idea to have Sparx use his glowing fur as a living landmark, I wouldn’t even have been able to see that big guy! And yet he still fought a lot…»

The Shinx smiled warmly. He remembered well that battle in the fog; he still felt its ardor. Despite everything, they were back home, safe and sound… and with more or less 500 extra Poké at the Duskull Bank.

«But in the end we made it. Together.» he said kindly. «I knew we could do it since the very beginning. I’m proud of you, Ardin, Yeaf.»

They smiled back. They had a strong respect for Sparx, but it wasn’t just a matter of that.
The three were united by a very strong bond of friendship. It was born just less than three years before and it drastically strengthened during that period of explorations and adventures together.

Yeaf and Ardin were already childhood friends when they joined the Guild, while Sparx had been raised there directly by Wigglytuff himself, as well as, consequently, by Chatot. Needless to say, there was way more than one reason why the young Shinx had decided to become an explorer. He later bonded with his two current teammates, deciding to form Team Spark and soon becoming rather well known for their skills as an exploration team. They were indeed really promising, even though the three Pokémon had just reached adolescence.

Finally overcome by the tiredness, Sparx crouched on his bed, being immediately imitated by Ardin. The young Shinx took one last look at his teammates before settling down for the night.

«Goodnight, guys. Let’s give our best even tomorrow.» he told them encouragingly.

«You can count on it, Sparx.» Ardin replied, then letting out a deep yawn.

«Yeah… whatever Ardin said… ‘night…»
muttered Yeaf, whose emerald eyes were already basically closed.

After a few minutes, they dozed off.

The night continued peacefully. The room was illuminated by the silver light of the half moon that filtered through the window, wrapping the three Pokémon in a cool embrace. They were sleeping well, basking in their sense of contentment after the success of that day.

That calmness, however, was not destined to last long.
All of a sudden, the ground began to shake beneath the team and all the other Guild members, jolting them all awake despite their heavy sleep.

«What the-» Ardin instinctively jumped to his feet, but he eventually lost his balance and fell again on the straw.

The first thing that the tree could hear, beyond the roar of the earth, were the panicked shouts of the other Pokèmon.The voices were blending together in an incomprehensible chorus.

«What’s happening?!»

«It’s an earthquake!»

«Oh my gosh! It’s about to collapse!»

«The Guildmaster! Where’s the Guildmaster?!»

This was what Team Spark was able to understand in the midst of the general chaos. Then, as quickly as it had come, the earthquake stopped, but it still left the Guild in total panic. It was the first time that such a phenomenon had occurred, hence why the young apprentices were so startled by it.

Yeaf was on full alert, despite having been fast asleep just seconds before. She was standing still, her muscles tense as if waiting for an invisible enemy that even she knew wasn’t actually there.

«What happened…?» she whispered in confusion while looking around.

Their minds were still a bit numbed by the sleep they were having, however the reality was quickly waking them up for good. Ardin managed to get up again, then turning immediately to his friends, his heart still pumping fast due to the scare.

«Sparx, Yeaf, we should get out of here. Let’s search for the Guildmaster or Chatot and leave!» he exclaimed worriedly.

The Shinx nodded, however out of everyone he seemed to be the calmest one. «Totally agree, but I’m sure the Guild already has an evacuation plan of its own.» he answered him confidently.

Having been raised by Wigglytuff, he had the chance to discover many more “behind the scenes” aspects of the Guild than the other apprentices. Indeed, his words then proved more than apt. In a matter of seconds, Chatot, Guildmaster’s right-hand, rushed towards their room with a terrified expression like few other times. He was flapping his wings rapidly as he zoomed around the hallway.

«Squawk! Stay calm!» he squawked loudly, probably more to himself than to the three Pokémon. «Come out of your rooms and meet up with the Guildmaster!» he kept repeating.

In the end he obtained the desired results: the apprentices began to leave very disorderly, followed by Team Spark and Chatot.

«Has your room been damaged?» the latter asked them.

Sparx shook his head. «No, no damage. We just got a little scared.» he replied to him.

The Music Note Pokémon breathed a sigh of relief. «Thank goodness! I was worried about the integrity of the Guild…
You know, in the Guildmaster’s room a beam from the ceiling collapsed.» he informed them.

The news alarmed the Shinx and his companions.

«What!? Is the Guildmaster fine?» Ardin asked in anguish.

«Yes. He’s not injured and fortunately the beam was not load-bearing…» he reassured them.

«Phew… glad to hear so.»

Yeaf quickened her pace a little to come alongside Chatot. «Where’s the Guildmaster now?»

«Right here.» he replied, pointing to the main room on the second Guild Sublevel, where they were headed.

Wigglytuff was in the hall. He didn’t show the slightest hint of concern, in fact, he even seemed to be smiling carelessly at the worried apprentices. When he saw Team Spark and Chatot approaching, he turned towards them almost as if nothing had happened.

«Hiya! Here you are, friends! Are you all good, Team Spark?»

The three gave him an affirmative answer. Again, no damage and just a good scare. The Guildmaster’s smile widened a bit more. Everyone was unharmed and there couldn’t be better news than that.

«Alright, friends! Now that we’re all here, let’s get out of the Guild! We will be safer there!» he ordered, albeit in a far too happy tone.

Either way, no one had to be told twice. They all knew that the Guildmaster was pretty… peculiar, even in the most inappropriate of cases. The apprentices and their superiors proceeded to quickly left the Guild, fearing further aftershocks that might have come any moment.

They, however, were not the only ones worried in that situation, as several voices could be clearly heard from the nearby Treasure Town.
Only then Sparx was the first to notice from above that the little town had emerged somewhat damaged by that earthquake.

He could see that to some Pokémon the tremors had damaged their house or store, while others were just apparently scared. The metallic voice of Officer Magnezone began to be heard too, trying to maintain order and calmness among the citizens.

The rest of the apprentices also looked out from the top of the cliff where the Guild was built, standing alongside Sparx and observing the city beneath them and its turmoil.

Sunflora, one of the best apprentices there, put her leaves on the mouth upon gazing at Treasure Town and hearing the voices.

«Gosh! What a disaster!» she exclaimed concerned.

Sparx turned towards her, putting on a reassuring expression. «Don’t worry. As far as I can see, it doesn’t seem to be too serious.»

She had no reason to not trust his words. Although still young and in development, his keen eyesight has always been impeccable, even in the darkness of the night.

«Hey hey hey!» Corphish spoke. «I immediately thought that Loudred was using Snore in his sleep again, but then everything shook very badly, hey hey hey!» he added, waving his claws in the air.

Chimecho bowed her head, making a faint jingle with said movement. She was the “oldest” apprentice, as well as the closest to graduating among all of them, given the immense contribution she gave to the Guild.

«It’s strange, though.» she said. «Treasure Town has never been in a seismic area. Such a phenomenon had never been witnessed here…»

«You’re right.» Ardin went along with her. «But I think it’s a natural phenomenon. Sometimes it can happen, I suppose.»

Any conversation between the apprentices was soon interrupted, as a small crowd of Pokémon from Treasure Town, accompanied by Officer Magnezone, had reached the Guild’s square.

The Magnet Area Pokémon took a quick look around and then at the crew of the Guild, before speaking with his both metallic and buzzing voice.

«ZZZT! Guildmaster, I’d say you’re all fine here too. It’s a relief. ZZZT!»

As much as his round body would allow, Wigglytuff nodded.

«Yup, Officer. Everyone in the Guild is safe and sound.» he replied cordially. «How are things in the town, instead?»

Before Magnezone could even respond, the Pokémon with him began talking over each other in a jumble of words, without anyone being able to understand anything. The Officer calmed matters by shooting a Thunderbolt into the air and raising his monotonous voice.

«ZZZT! ORDER, PLEASE! ZZZT!» he fumed. «ZZZT! Speak one at a time. ZZZT!»

Wigglytuff took a step forward, still keeping his quirky smile on his face. He then spoke with a calm and reassuring tone, in stark contrast to his usually overly playful personality.

«Folks, I understand that you are scared, but this is not the time to panic. So, I’ll ask again, how is the situation in Treasure Town?»

Kecleon, one of the two merchants in the city and the green one of the pair, was the first to speak.

«No serious damage. Something caved in, but the city held together.»

Marowak, owner of the dojo, let out a long sigh. «The dojo is still standing, even though I was afraid it would collapse again.»

«Everything is fine with me too.» said Kangaskhan, the Warehouse attendant. «Just… I haven’t seen Xatu around… Does anybody know if he’s good?» she asked, searching for the Mystic Pokémon with her eyes.

The other merchant Keckleon, the purple one and brother of the previous, looked at Kangaskhan and shook his head.

«Bah. We didn’t find him in his shop, so I think that weirdo simply flew off somewhere, since he can do it. I’m sure he’ll be fine.» he said, without the slightest of worries.

After a short time, it was concluded that the earthquake had caused neither major problems nor serious damage. Even Spinda’s Café, despite being built just below the ground, had emerged almost intact.

At that point, after Wigglytuff, Chatot and Magnezone gave a few more words of encouragement, everyone returned to their respective homes, feeling a little more relieved.

The entire Guild’s crew found itself alone again on the square in front of their building. It was still late at night; every star and a half Moon were still clearly visible in the completely cloudless sky. The mesmerizing sight helped the young Pokémon calming down a bit more. Until, finally, tiredness took over fear and, after a few minutes in which the earth continued not to shake, they walked back to the Guild.

The apprentices returned to their rooms, some not without some anguish, including Sparx’s team. They took a look at the room, noticing that there was actually no visible damage. It went well for them.

And yet… something…

Suddenly, for a brief moment, Sparx felt his blood run cold in his veins, but… there was nothing in there. No sign of harm, danger or anything else. All his senses were fully alert, yet everything was calm and still as if the world had already forgotten about the earthquake that had just occurred.

“What… what is going on…?” he silently asked himself with a slightly worried expression.

None of his teammates seemed to notice it as they stepped further in.
Yeaf stretched her muscles and yawned as she did so.

«It’s fortunate that everything ended without too many problems.» she said, walking towards her bed.

«Yeah. It seems that the earth has calmed down.» Ardin replied, crouching down on the straw. «Let’s go back to sleep and hope nothing else happens.»

Sparx said nothing. He was simply staring thoughtfully and slightly somberly out of the window and at the Moon. He could feel… something in the air. Something that not even he could explain. Every fiber of his body quivered internally, shouting danger signals to him from everywhere.

That earthquake… was it really natural? Or was there something else behind it? Sparx couldn’t get those thoughts out of his head, and he didn’t even know exactly why his mind was flashing those things to him.

Yeaf looked at the Shinx, and instead of going back to bed she approached him, touching his shoulder with her own to get his attention.

«Hey, Sparx. What’s going on? Are you feeling good?» the Eevee asked him, a little worried.

He shook his head. He didn’t want to alarm his friends about something he wasn’t even able to understand, but he really couldn’t hide his concerned state of mind.

«Mhm… guys, I don’t know about you, but…» he stopped for a moment, trying to find the right words to explain himself. «… I have a bad feeling about all of this…» he then sighed tensely, continuing to look at the Moon.

Ardin tilted his head slightly, hearing his leader’s words. «A bad feeling, you say? What do you mean?»

The Shinx took a few seconds before responding, but left them even more questions than before.

« I… I don’t know… » he murmured. «It’s just that… I don’t feel calm at all…»

Yeaf gazed at him a little strangely. Sparx wasn’t one to be influenced out of the blue, so she couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head.

«Sparx.» Ardin’s calm voice broke the moment of silence that had been created. «It’s normal to be afraid, especially after what happened tonight. Your mind is probably just playing some tricks on you, that’s all.» he said, in order to reassure him.

Then Yeaf smiled and gave the Shinx a light, friendly nudge.

«Exactly! And by the way, your Electric type doesn’t really get along with earthquakes, am I right? » she added, trying to lighten things up a bit.

This had its effect, as Sparx let out a small snort of amusement and stopped looking out the window, turning instead to his friends.

«You’re right. Maybe I’m just a little tense.» he said, snapping back to his former self. «Forgive me. I didn’t want to make you worried…»

Ardin smiled back. «Don’t mention it, friend.»

The emerald-eyed Eevee instead trotted towards her bed, this time finally managing to curl up on it.

«Yeah, Sparx. Don’t apologize; it’s all right, really.» she gently told him.

He sighed, relieved to have two dear friends like them always ready to support him. He also curled up in his bed, the one closest to the window. He yawned, drowsiness starting to numb his mind.

«Thanks, guys…» he murmured softly. «Goodnight…»

«Goodnight, Sparx»

«’night. Again»

Despite the earthquake that had occurred a few hours earlier, the rest of the night passed peacefully for Sparx and his team. The young leader, however, despite the comforting words of his companions, still wasn’t fully at ease.

A thousand thoughts crowded his head as he tried to fall back fully asleep. It certainly wasn’t the earthquake that scared him, but rather that strange feeling of fear that had been pervading him for a while.

How much time had passed since the earthquake? An hour? Two? Three? Sparx didn’t know. He only felt a strong sense of danger above him that was threatening to slowly crush him. In the end, the Shinx fell asleep, definitively overcome by the tiredness accumulated during the day.

All of this, again, did not last long. His eardrums were, like every morning, shattered by Loudred’s extremely powerful voice.

«UP AND AT ‘EM! IT’S MORNING!»

The trio didn’t even have the strength to react due to how powerful that voice was and they all just let out a muffled moan. After Loudred left without saying anything else, Ardin spoke.

«Ugh… good… morning, guys…» he muttered, stunned by the mighty shout.

Sparx couldn’t find the strength to say anything, while Yeaf managed to answer his friend.

«G-good… morning, Ardin… good morning … Sparx… » she said feebly.

The three steadied themselves only after a few seconds and shook their heads. Yeaf started brushing her head with a paw, fixing her fluffy fur in the process.

«Bah… it was even worse than last night’s earthquake!» commented the Eevee, who more than anyone else was sensitive to loud noises.

Upon hearing the word “earthquake” Sparx shuddered, but he didn’t show it to his teammates. Even after the whole night, he still felt that sensation. Yet nothing else had happened that night, not even the faintest of tremors.

He was slightly frustrated towards that matter; oppressed by his own instinct without the possibility of suppressing it. He didn’t want to feel this way, but he was forced to by reasons still unknown to him.

Ardin got up from the bed, rubbing his eyes alternately with his fore paws.

«At least it’s an efficient system, even if it risks damaging the sense of hearing in the long run…» he said, in response to Yeaf.

Fighting against the tiredness caused by his agitated night and the weight he felt inside, Sparx also got out of bed. He sighed, then forced a faint smile, trying to prepare himself for a new day of work.

«Alright, team. Let’s get a move on and join the others for the morning briefing.» he said, casting his gaze on the Eevee, who was still lying down. «Yeaf.» he called her.

«Coming…» she muttered, finally getting up.

The morning light began to flood the small room, also wishing the three young explorers a good morning. It looked like a beautiful late spring day outside, as they had had many lately. Perfect climate for going on adventures.

Team Spark was ready to begin the day. They left their room behind, walking briskly towards the morning briefing.

They had no idea about what was about to come next. They didn’t know that in such ordinary and beautiful sunny day, their lives were bound to change forever…