Chapter Ten: Welcome To Honor Town

Hope had never had a harder time trying to sleep in her life. She wasn’t dealing with insomnia or nightmares, though. It was the complete opposite, as a matter of fact. It was sheer excitement that was keeping her from falling asleep.

It was completely understandable why she would have so much trouble falling asleep. After all, come tomorrow morning, she would finally reach the Ironheart Guild and get the chance to form a rescue team with Klaw and Dewey!

She wasn’t the only one who was feeling anxious. Klaw and Dewey were also wide awake, pacing rapidly on the floor of their flimsy tent. Hei’an and Shui just so happened to have a spare tent for the trio to sleep in for the night, which Hope was very grateful for, as sleeping on dirt and stones for the past week or so had really done a number on her back. However, the tent that the twins had given them was fairly small. It was most likely meant for one larger child rather than three smaller ones. Because of the size of the tent, it was very crowded there. She was constantly getting stepped on by Klaw and Dewey, and while it didn’t hurt very much, it was still a bit uncomfortable.

“That’s my tail, guys.” Hope grumbled tiredly yet good-naturedly.

Klaw and Dewey yelped simultaneously. “Sorry!” they both exclaimed.

Hope simply chuckled. “No, I understand. This tent is way too small for the three of us. And the excitement is too much for me to handle!”

Klaw and Dewey smiled at this. “Same here.” Klaw responded cheerily.

“I j-just can’t b-believe it, K-klaw! W-we’ve been d-dreaming of this our e-entire lives! A-and t-tomorrow, we’ll finally be at the I-ironheart G-guild!” Dewey stuttered excitedly.

Klaw lit up. “I know!” he squealed. “We’re really almost there, Dewey!”

As the brothers chattered joyfully, Hope blinked slowly and yawned loudly. She rolled over and stretched out her legs, her paw pads rubbing up against the fabric of the tent. As she stretched, she took a moment to reflect on everything she had gone through to get to this point.

It had been probably only a couple months at most since she had woken up at the bottom of that hole in the Great Treehollow. And yet, it felt like she had been living in the world of pokemon for an eternity. Granted, she had Polaris and his claw machine hand of doom to blame for that.

Still, though, in the span of those few months, she had been taken into a crime syndicate, escaped said crime syndicate, foiled a supposed kidnapping attempt, and saved two strangers from getting eaten alive. Despite all of the weirdness and wackiness that had occurred, Hope found herself having fun throughout most of it. And she had met some interesting people along the way. Some of them were bad, but a lot of them were great. Especially Klaw and Dewey. While she had only known them for a few months, she was already struggling to imagine a life without them.

And yet, there was an emptiness constantly stirring at the very bottom of Hope’s stomach, one that she couldn’t shake, no matter how hard she tried. There was still a part of her that yearned to go back to the human world. Something within her craved to see people she couldn’t even remember anymore.

But how would she be able to get back? She barely had any idea how she had managed to reach this world in the first place. She had absolutely zero clue on how she was going to be able to get back to her own world.

Maybe she would be able to find an answer if she joined the guild? From what Klaw and Dewey had told her, the guild was responsible for dealing with the problems of pokemon all over the continent. Surely they would be able to help her?

…Yes, that seemed like a good idea. When she reached the guild, she could talk to whoever was in charge and ask them if they knew how she had ended up in this world. But would they even believe her? The only reason Klaw and Dewey believed her was because of Polaris’s research. Other pokemon may not be as knowledgeable about humans as those from the syndicate. What if they didn’t believe her?

What if…

“Hope! Hope!”

Hope was startled back to her senses by Klaw and Dewey calling out to her. The brothers were staring at her, amusement contorting their expressions.

“Huh?” Hope mumbled.

“So much for not being able to sleep, huh?” Klaw remarked, grinning coyly.

“What do you me-” Hope was snapped out of her thoughts by a ray of deep orange sunlight hitting her right in the eyes. Klaw and Dewey giggled at seeing this.

“Did I really fall asleep?” Hope exclaimed. “I was just taking a moment to think!”

“W-we were s-surprised as well.” Dewey chuckled. “O-one m-moment you were wide a-awake and t-talking with us, and the n-next you were d-dead to the w-world!”

Hope blinked slowly. She shakily got to her feet and looked around groggily. “W…wow…” was all that she could say.

Klaw and Dewey stepped forward, the fabric of the tent making tiny crinkling noises as they did so. “H-hey, at l-least you got some s-sleep, r-right? M-my bro and I, we s-still feel l-like we’re g-going to f-fall over at any m-minute.” The brothers did have slightly darkened half moon shaped bags underneath their lower eyelids.

Hope opened her mouth to make a cheeky response, but as she did so, a strong smell struck her nose. It was a very rich and pungent smell, and as soon as the smell grazed Hope’s nostrils, it made her mouth water.

Klaw and Dewey also perked up, their eyes dilating and small drops of saliva exiting the corners of their mouth. “Hei’an and Shui must be making breakfast!” Klaw exclaimed. “We better go out and get some!”

Hope nodded, her stomach rumbling at the same time. “Sure thing!” she responded. Klaw and Dewey nodded in response.

Hope walked over to the edge of the tent and pulled on the large, tight knots that had been tied at the base of the zipper (“Keeps ferals from breaking in” Hei’an had explained). It took a bit of tugging, but they eventually came undone. Then, Hope reached up and pulled the zipper down. As the zipper was pulled down and the tent was slowly unfurled open, the trio stepped outside.

Sure enough, Hei’an and Shui had already woken up and gotten out of their tents, and were now preparing breakfast. The urshifu brothers were standing over a medium-large pot, which was filled to the brim and bubbling with what looked like a yellowish-white liquid. When they noticed Hope, Klaw, and Dewey, the fur on the tops of their heads perked up.

“Morning, kiddos!” Hei’an called out, grinning widely. “Did you three sleep well?”

“Nope.” Klaw chuckled.

“H-hope got a few h-hours of s-sleep.” Dewey said, “b-but my b-brother and I b-barely got even a s-single hour of r-rest!”

Hei’an and Shui laughed, loud, deep, booming laughs that made Hope feel both comforted and strangely sad. For some reason, the urshifu twins’ laughs felt deeply familiar to her and her forgotten past.

“Excitement got the better of you, huh?” Shui remarked. “Well, hopefully this savory rice porridge here gives you three enough energy to get to town. It always helps Hei’an and I perk up, that’s for sure.”

“I know kids usually don’t like this stuff, but it’s all we have.” Hei’an said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “We weren’t expecting to get three extra mouths to feed on the way back, much less kids. So, we’re sorry if you don’t like it.”

“No, it’s fine, Hei’an!” Klaw exclaimed. “Dewey and I are perfectly fine with rice porridge!”

Hei’an and Shui raised their eyebrows. “…What about you, Hope?” Shui asked.

Hope took a moment to think. “Well, I can’t exactly say that I’m the biggest fan of rice.” she admitted. “But I do like savory stuff, and I do like porridge, so I think that I’d like eating this!” She didn’t exactly remember where her dislike of rice came from, but she felt it very strongly in her stomach. Hope didn’t want to turn down the rice porridge, though, partially because it was the only thing available to eat currently, partially because Hei’an and Shui were incredibly nice and she didn’t want to turn them down. And she did like porridge a lot, so maybe it would even out.

Hei’an and Shui’s expressions brightened. “That’s good!” Hei’an said. He then reached down and grabbed a gray and white ceramic bowl and a ladle. He began to spoon the rice porridge into the bowl until it was so full that tiny bits of it were oozing down the sides of the bowl. When he was done, he handed the bowl to Hope.

Hope kneeled down and began lapping at the rice porridge with her tongue. She found the rice porridge to be surprisingly pleasant. There were a vast variety of toppings in the porridge, from raisins to hot pepper slices and even what appeared to be small pieces of some kind of seafood. The range of flavors was strange yet satisfying, and Hope found herself finishing off the entire bowl within minutes.

Klaw, Dewey, Hei’an, and Shui had also received their servings and finished their breakfast. When he had finished licking the bowl clean, Shui turned to the group and smiled. “Good food as always, brother!” he boomed.

Hei’an grinned and flashed a thumbs-up at Shui before turning to Hope, Klaw, and Dewey. “Now, are you three ready to finish the journey?” he asked. “We are not very far away now. The sooner we start, the sooner we’ll get there!”

Hope, Klaw and Dewey’s bodies were vibrating so quickly one might have thought that they were about to explode. “Yes!” the younger set of brothers cried out simultaneously.

Hei’an and Shui laughed loudly again. “You two are quite enthusiastic… Reminds me a lot of our little charge, don’t you think, Shui?” Hei’an said. Shui nodded affirmatively in response.

Little charge? Were Hei’an and Shui taking care of a kid? It would explain why they were so kind and patient with Hope and her friends. That made them even more likeable to Hope.

“Anyways,” Shui said, “We better pack up all of this stuff if we want to start now.”

Hope, Klaw, Dewey, and Hei’an nodded in response. The group quickly got to cleaning up the cooking equipment, taking down and folding up the tents, and packing everything neatly into Hei’an and Shui’s large backpacks.

Hope looked back at the now empty campgrounds. This is it , she thought to herself. In just a few more hours, I’m finally going to be at the guild .

“Ready?” Hei’an called out.

“Yup!” the trio cheered. And with that, they turned around and began walking off into the distance.

After about half an hour of walking, Klaw and Dewey turned to Hei’an and Shui.

“So, what’s the guild town like?” Klaw asked excitedly.

“Oh, it’s just like any old town.” Shui responded cheerfully. “Pretty busy, and some of the rescue team guys can get a little rowdy sometimes, but the residents are good folk.”

“The other shop owners are great guys too!” Hei’an exclaimed. “When we get there, we’re going to give you a big tour of all the shops. As a burgeoning rescue team, it’s important for you three to know where all the goods are located, and these guys just love meeting the trainees!”

“A-awesome!” Dewey squealed.

Hei’an and Shui laughed again. Hope really like how their laughs sounded.

“I can’t wait to meet them! And the guild pokemon! I wonder what they’re like?” Hope wondered aloud.

“It… depends.” Shui said. “Some of them are really nice. Some of them… Let’s just say they have major sticks up their asses.” He then noticed that his words had made Klaw and Dewey look panic stricken. “T-they’re nice to the trainees, though!” he said sheepishly, raising his paws into the air.

It was then that Hope realized something about Hei’an and Shui’s wording. “So are we only going to be trainees?” she asked, her ears flopping downwards dejectedly. If I’m just a trainee, then they may not let me find out why I’ve come to this world. They would probably want the fully fledged rescue teams to investigate something as important as that.

Hei’an opened his mouth to say something, but Klaw quickly interrupted him.

“For a rescue team to operate independently from a guild and legally be considered ‘fully fledged’, all of its members have to be fully evolved.” Klaw explained.

“B-but t-trainees are a-allowed to take on big m-missions too!” Dewey chimed in. “T-they just have to c-confirm t-things with the g-guildmaster! S-sometimes fully f-fledged rescue teams may s-supervise the t-trainees, but that’s o-only for p-particularly d-dangerous missions.”

Hei’an and Shui cocked their heads quizically before chuckling. “You boys sure have done your research!” Hei’an laughed. “But yes, the ‘trainee’ term is just legal jargon that applies to teams with unevolved pokemon. As long as they’re associated with a guild, they can do the same rescue missions as fully evolved pokemon.”

Hope immediately perked back up again. “That’s good!” she responded cheerily, her tail wagging back and forth. Man, evolving sounds so cool, she thought to herself. You get a cool new form, you become so much more powerful, and you get all of these new freedoms… If there’s one thing I want to do before leaving this world, it’s to evolve. Just to see what it feels like.

“The guildmaster of the Ironheart Guild is particularly lenient about these sorts of things. Says it ‘builds character’ and that it’s ‘good for kids to get first hand experience’. “ Hei’an said, letting out another booming laugh. “Arceus, I love that big metal lug.”

“He looks big and tough,” Shui added, “but he’s really just a ginormous softie. Got the skills to back up his position, though.”

The more Hei’an and Shui talked about the guildmaster, the more excited Hope grew to meet him. If he really was as kind as they were saying, surely he would understand her circumstances and help her return to the human world!

The area where the group had first been camping out at had been in a moderately wooded area with soft, earthy soil and lots of leaves littering the ground. The roads the group had been travelling were very similar. But now, the trees and leaves were starting to disappear, and more traditional roads, paved and made of stone, replaced them.

“We shouldn’t be too far now.” Shui informed the children. “Just about half an hour now.”

Klaw and Dewey were shaking in excitement so much that they looked like they were about to fall over.

The group kept on walking, and the road became wider and wider. It seemed like it was leading up to something.

After some more time walking, the road began to widen and turn into a large clearing. The voices of pokemon started to echo from further down in the clearing, and large metallic poles with flags in all colors of the rainbow started lining the edges of the roads.

Klaw and Dewey gasped with excitement and started charging forward. Hope was right on their heels, and Hei’an and Shui followed them, laughing all the while.

The clearing grew large and larger, eventually forming into a small settlement. When Hope, Klaw, and Dewey saw the settlement, they skidded to a stop, their mouths agape with amazement.

Large tent-like structures loomed over them, casting shadows big enough to swallow them up. Pokemon milled to and fro from these structures, talking cheerily with figures obscured by the hoods of the tents. Pokemon seemed to be everywhere- talking with vendors, eating food, or just sitting on benches and talking with their friends.

The ground appeared to be made out of pure steel bricks, which shone blindingly bright as the sun’s rays kissed them. Smack dab in the middle of this plaza was a large, worn copper statue, at least fifty feet tall, depicting a strange pokemon that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a deer, with long, dangly legs and what appeared to be a massive flower bud atop its head.

Just beyond the plaza was a small hill, covered in evergreen shrubs and neon flowers. And atop that small hill was a building that Hope had only seen in pictures, yet was intensely familiar to her. A building shaped like an elephant’s head, made of pure steel, mostly dark green with some copper markings, and a long row of stairs leading through the elephant’s “trunk”. Their destination. The Ironheart Guild.

“Well, kids,” Hei’an said, grinning widely. “Welcome to Honor Town.”

Hope surveyed the area with wide eyes, trying to drink in all of her surroundings visually. After the coldness and gloom of the Absolute Zero Syndicate’s headquarters and how emotionless all the pokemon that lived there seemed, the idea that pokemon could live like this, happily in a place that was vibrant, peaceful, and filled with color, was just… astounding to her.

Quick glances to her sides quickly informed her that she was not the only one who was feeling this way. Klaw and Dewey were craning their necks so much that they kind of looked like bobble head toys.

The excitement became too much for Hope, Klaw, and Dewey, and they started to step forward, eager to explore Honor Town. But before they could do so, clawed hands reached out and grabbed the napes of Klaw and Dewey’s necks.

“Slow down, speedsters.” Hei’an joked. “Before we let you loose to explore the town, we’re gonna take you to our workplace first. Just so you know where we are if you need us.”

“And to make sure that little troublemaker nephew of ours hasn’t completely wrecked the place.” Shui chuckled weakly.

So the pokemon Hei’an and Shui are taking care of is their nephew , Hope thought to herself with interest. I wonder if he’s around our age? That confirms why they were so patient with us .

“Come along now.” Hei’an called. “You better follow us, or you might get lost in the crowd.”

Hope, Klaw, and Dewey nodded eagerly, and they followed Hei’an and Shui into the plaza. It was even more vibrant and colorful than Hope could have ever imagined. She found herself being bombarded sensually from all angles- the eagerly chatting voices of the pokemon, the smells coming from the various food stalls, and the bright colors of the vendors’ stalls.

Many of the stalls were shaped in the likeness of various pokemon’s heads. One looked like a black dog, another looked like a mole with a drill on its head, and one looked like a blue bird. Hope’s curiosity was peaked by all these stalls, and she longed to meet the pokemon that ran them.

“Well, here it is, kiddos.”

Shui’s words jolted Hope out of her thoughts. The group was standing in front of a building shaped in the likeness of a bear, similar in appearance to Hei’an and Shui. Instead of the twins’ black fur, the stall was primarily painted white. The left half of the building had crimson red stripes on it, while the right half had navy blue stripes. The “mouth” of the building was opened in a snarl that led to the inside of the building.

“Welcome to our pride and joy. The Xiong Dojo.” Hei’an said, spreading his arms out wide with a massive grin on his face.

“If you ever need to refine your techniques, this is the place to come to.” Shui added. “We’ve got training equipment of all sorts here, as well as special drinks to boost your stats. Sometimes we even set up mazes that act as replicas of mystery dungeons, which make for good prac-”

CRASH!!!

Hei’an and Shui’s heads immediately whipped around upon hearing the sound, which came from the inside of the dojo. “Arceus damn it.” Hei’an cursed under his breath.. He and Shui then darted inside of the dojo, with Hope, Klaw, and Dewey hot on their heels.

The room directly behind the Xiong Dojo’s door was its lobby… or at least, that’s what Hope assumed it was originally supposed to be. Right now the room was buried underneath a massive pile of soil and uprooted berry trees. Pieces of leftover food, broken plates, and torn up napkins were littered all over the soil pile.

It was, to put it lightly, a mess.

Standing in the middle of the chaos, smirking as if it ruled the world, was a small, dark gray bear cub pokemon, which appeared to be about five to six years younger than Klaw and Dewey. It had a large patch of white hair just above its eyebrows, a yellow mouth with a small black nose, and a white mark shaped like a bowtie just above its collarbone. It wore what Hope assumed was a simple white karate shirt and a matching belt, though right now both of them looked brown thanks to all of the dirt covering them.

“Bai! What in the name of Arceus have you done?” Shui exclaimed as he and Hei’an surveyed the mess in shock.

At the sound of Shui’s voice, the bear cub pokemon, whom Hope assumed was named Bai, turned around. “Uncle Hei’an! Uncle Shui!” he chirped with a large smile on his face, seemingly oblivious to the situation that he had been caught red-handed in. “I was just practicing my Rock Smash attack, and I think I’m getting really good at it! Look!” he cheered, gesturing to the large mess that he had created.

Hei’an graped his snout with his long, clawed hands and sighed. “Bai,” he said calmly yet sternly. “How many times have we told you not to practice your moves in the lobby? This is the fourth time we’ve had to replace those berry trees!”

Bai wasn’t paying attention to Hei’an’s words, however. He had noticed Hope, Klaw, and Dewey, and his expression had changed into a childish glower. After a short pause, he stuck out his tongue, blew a raspberry, and darted away through an open door that Hope assumed led to the rest of the dojo, disappearing in a matter of seconds.

“Bai! Come back here now!” Hei’an bellowed fruitlessly.

Shui massaged his temple and let out a long, low, growl before turning to Hope, Klaw, and Dewey. “We’re really sorry about Bai,” he said. “He’s a good kid. He just has a lot of energy, and he doesn’t quite know how to let it out in a respectable manner yet.”

“Doesn’t help that he’s not the best at regulating his own emotions.” Hei’an added softly. “Especially after what happened to his mother… our sister…” He then looked up and blinked rapidly. “Sorry about that. Was just thinking out loud.” he chuckled sheepishly. “We’ve got to clean this mess up and talk to Bai. Would you three please wait outside the dojo for us to finish up?”

“We’re so, so sorry about this.” Shui added, looking down at the ground. “We thought since Bai’s a little older now, he would be fine without our supervision. It’ll take half an hour at most, OK?”

After witnessing that interaction, Hope was at a loss for words. So she, Klaw, and Dewey simply turned around and exited the dojo, being careful not to step in any dirt.

“So… that was something, right guys?” Hope asked, trying her best to lighten the mood.

“I’m just wondering why he was staring at us like that.” Klaw replied, his tail swishing back and forth.

“Y-yeah! He l-looked really mad!” Dewey exclaimed. “H-he barely even k-knows us! W-why would he g-get so m-mad?”

“I have no clue.” Hope sighed. “It’s a really strange situation all around.”

The trio sat there for a while in the blazing sun, silently contemplating the situation that had just taken place, when suddenly, a light, cheery voice rang out.

“Hey! Never seen you three around here before!”

Hope looked up in surprise to see a pokemon standing in front of her and her friends. The pokemon was small and vaguely humanoid, with a mostly pink body and an absolutely humongous baby blue hairdo atop its head that resembled a witch’s hat. Its arms and legs were incredibly tiny, and it instead appeared to support itself by walking on its own ponytails. Two purple flower clips were attached to each of these ponytails, and there was what appeared to be a faint touch of mascara over its eyes. It smiled coyly at the trio.

“Don’t tell me…” The mysterious pokemon paused for a moment before her eyes widened. “You lot are a wannabe rescue team, right?”

Klaw and Dewey’s eyes narrowed at the use of the term “wannabe”, and they stepped forward, but Hope quickly blocked their path, not wanting to start a fight.

“Yeah… we are hoping to form a rescue team…” Hope said uneasily.

The strange pokemon laughed, a nasally high yet mirthful laugh. “Oh! And I assume you guys lost your way?” She then relaxed her posture and winked teasingly at them. “Well, don’t fear! I’m very experienced with this town and the shops. I’ll show you the way!”

“Wait!” Hope exclaimed, her ears standing up in alarm. “We already met people who agreed to show us around! They’re just inside the dojo dealing with a personal situation! Just be pai-”

Alas, Hope’s pleas to the odd pokemon fell on deaf ears, as she, Klaw, and Dewey quickly found their front legs being tangled by locks of the pokemon’s surprisingly long hair. They were then dragged away from the entrance of the Xiong Dojo and back into the main plaza.

As the strange pokemon dragged them away, she turned back to them and smiled sweetly. “By the way, my name’s Candy.” she chirped, looking way too innocent for the action that she was currently performing. “What about you guys?”

“…Nice to meet you, Candy.” Hope said uneasily. “I’m Hope, and this is Klaw and Dewey.” Even if this Candy was a bit… forward, she did owe her for being willing to show them around the plaza in place of Hei’an and Shui. And something about Candy seemed… alluring. Like she had to cooperate with her or else something… bad would happen.

Hope could have sworn that Candy flinched slightly upon hearing the names “Klaw” and “Dewey”, but if she did, she quickly got over it. She began dragging them over north to a wooden stall shaped like a pink and black teddy bear. Behind the desk of the stall was yet another bear pokemon. This one, however, looked completely different from Hei’an and Shui. It had a pink head and black arms and limbs. It had a white band of fur on its forehead, a short white muzzle with a triangular nose, and small, beady eyes. It wore a baseball cap and a bowtie with matching colors- red, blue, yellow, and green stripes. It giggled cheerily as it sifted through some turquoise orbs.

“Our first stop is the Hugs-A-Lot Shop!” she announced proudly. “This is where you’ll find all the basics. From oran berries to reviver seeds to orbs to wands, if you need the essentials, this is the place!” She then gestured to the bear pokemon. “Teddy! We got some new guys here! Say hi to them, won’t you? No hugging, though.”

Teddy turned around quickly and began flailing his arms in excitement. “New fweinds! Hewwo!” he cheered, immediately lunging at Hope, Klaw, and Dewey with his giant arms. Thankfully, Candy quickly shot out her ponytails, causing a burst of psychic energy to suspend Teddy in midair.

“Teddy! I just told you not to hug them!” she scolded, similarly to a mother scolding her child for sneaking some ice cream before bed, before dropping Teddy onto the ground. “You know what your species’s hugs do to other pokemon!”

Teddy immediately hung his head low in shame. “Sowwy about that.” he said sheepishly. “I wouwd wove to get to know you thwee, but i have to finish a vewy impowtant owdew. Pwease come back hewe when it’s finished!”

Candy’s eyes narrowed. “Teddy… please don’t tell me you’re selling stuff to them , are you?”

Teddy immediately threw his hands up in the air. “Oh no! i’m done deawing with them! just got a wescue team fwom anothew town coming in and i want to get theiw owdew pewfect! It’s nothing bad, ma’am!”

Despite his pleading, though, sweat was starting to trickle down his fuzzy forehead.

Candy continued to squint at Teddy suspiciously, but she eventually relaxed. “If you say so, Teddy.” she said tersely. “I’ve got to show these three the other four shops, so we’ll do that and come back afterwards.”

“Okay! bye bye fow now!” Teddy called. Candy waved with her ponytails one more time, and then she led Hope, Klaw and Dewey outside of the Hugs-a-Lot shop.

The entire encounter was making Hope’s head spin. Teddy seemed really nice, but what was Candy saying about not dealing with “them”?

It seemed as if Klaw and Dewey were having the same thoughts as her, as Klaw turned towards Candy. “Candy… Teddy isn’t doing anything… illegal , is he?” he asked, making sure to lace his words with the intended meaning- He doesn’t work with the syndicate, does he?

Candy stopped for a moment, then laughed her light and airy laugh. “Oh, no no no. Just a local group of ruffians.” she said calmly. “Teddy’s a really nice guy, but he’s also… really naive sometimes. He’ll sell anything to anyone if they just fake a smile. Still, if you want your wares, he’s your guy. One of the best vendors in town.”

Hope, Klaw, and Dewey let out sighs of relief that they didn’t know they were holding.

Candy glanced back at them with a soft smile, seemingly pondering something. Her glance then travelled a couple of feet away. “Speaking of vendors…”

Candy led the trio southeast, to a black metal building shaped like a dog’s head that was adorned with decorations in the shape of coins. Lounging lazily behind the counter of this stall was a pokemon that looked something in between a dog and a wolf. Most of its body was black, save for its long orange muzzle and belly. It had a long pair of curved gray horns on the top of its head, and it wore a golden collar with a large piece of obsidian in its centers around its neck. It began to stir and lifted its head up as the quartet approached.

“Hello there, Candy.” the dog pokemon purred slickly. “Strange to not see you at work right now.”

“Today’s a slow day, Wolfram.” Candy replied cheerfully. “Did meet some guys who are hoping to join the guild, though. Wolfram, meet Hope, Klaw, and Dewey.”

Wolfram blinked slowly for a little bit before smiling devilishly at Hope, Klaw, and Dewey. “Well, hello, you three. It’s so very nice to meet you. I hope you become a great rescue team so you can deposit lots and lots of money into my pockets.”

Hope, Klaw, and Dewey immediately took a step back.

“Wolfram!” Candy admonished. “Please don’t freak them out like that.”

Wolfram’s expression softened, and he chuckled. “Very sorry, my dear. Old habits die hard, you know?” He then turned to the trio and lowered his head. “This is Underworld Banking, where you can deposit the money you receive as rewards from rescue missions for safekeeping. I very much look forward to your future patronage.” he explained.

“Thanks, Wolfram!” Candy exclaimed. She then turned around and noticed something to the west of them. “Oh! I think our next stop already noticed us!” she joked.

Wolfram chuckled. “If it’s who I think it is, it really isn’t a surprise at all.” he said. He then waved at Hope, Klaw, and Dewey with his paw. “Run along, now,” he said.

“Bye, Wolfram!” Candy called before turning around and motioning to Hope and her friends to follow her.

The quartet headed over to a blue building shaped like a bird’s head with white puffs resembling clouds as decorations. Standing in front of the stall was a bird pokemon. Its body was blue, but most of it was obscured by white, puffy feathers that resembled clouds, leaving only its head and feet showing. A dark gray scarf was wrapped around its left wing, which it was now waving at Candy and the trio.

“Candy! Are these new guild recruits?” she asked excitedly.

“Not yet, Nimbus, but hopefully soon!” Candy chuckled. “Meet Hope, Klaw, and Dewey.”

“Nice to meet you three!” Nimbus chirped. “Welcome to Cloudy Postal Services! If you find yourself in a far off mystery dungeon needing help, you can request our services! Or you can just send letters to your family back home if you’re feeling homesick!”

Nimbus’s last sentence made all of Klaw and Dewey’s joints straighten out from fear. Nimbus cocked her head in confusion, which made Candy run up to her and whisper something in her ear. Nimbus’s eyes widened as Candy spoke, and as the latter stepped away, the former looked at Klaw and Dewey pitifully.

“Or don’t send letters to your family… it’s okay…” Nimbus was getting really flustered now. “I-I’m really looking forward to seeing you around!” she finished, bowing down.

That was pretty confusing , Hope thought to herself. But she didn’t have any more time to contemplate that, because Candy was leading her and her friends off to the next stall, a stone building shaped like a strange shell that looked like it had deep purple drops of poison dripping down specially placed orifices. The stall of this building was blocked by a large, hastily placed door.

Candy, however, wasn’t deterred by the blockage. She simply raised her ponytail up to the door and knocked. “Hey, Doc, open up!” she yelled.

Hope could hear loud banging noises and grumbling from the other side of the door. The banging and grumbling got louder and louder until the door swung open with a loud CREAK !

On the other side of the door was an extremely odd pokemon. It was of indeterminable resemblance, with a mostly pink body, a purple upper body, and dark purple spots on its hands and tail. It had a large, dark purple, frilly collar around its neck. But the most disturbing thing about it was its head. It was almost completely obscured by a large, dark purplish-gray shell, with two purple horns on its side and a green orb and two tiny eyes in its center. The only part of the actual pokemon’s head that was visible was its mouth, which was shadowed by the large shell. It wore a dark gray bow tie, it was leaning on a brown wooden cane, and a burnt-out cigarette hung from the edge of its mouth.

“Doc! You actually opened the door this time!” Candy squeaked cheerfully.

Doc squinted at Candy and the trio distrustfully. “Vat do vu vant from me, Candy?” he asked, his accent thick and deep. It shook Hope to the bone.

Candy, however, remained unphased by Doc’s manner. “I just want to introduce you to these newbies-to-be!” she said cheerfully. “Hope, Klaw, Dewey, this is Doc. He runs Voodoo Apothecary, which sells herbs and alternative medicine. If you get a really bad injury or sickness, he’s your guy!”

“Isn’t zat your job, Candy?” Doc asked the younger pokemon suspiciously.

This question immediately made Candy begin to sweat bullets. She looked around uneasily. “Umm… well… Gotta go, Doc, bye!” She then grabbed Hope, Klaw, and Dewey and began dragging them away from the apothecary.

“Figures…” Doc said as they left, before slamming the door.

“What was that all about, Candy?” Hope asked. The more time she spent with Candy, she couldn’t help but start to like her. She was knowledgeable about the town, willing to give a hand to newcomers like her, nice, and a little eccentric.

Candy had recovered from her shock and turned to Hope, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “You’ll find out when we finish the tour.” she replied mysteriously before brightening up again. “That won’t be long now! Only two more vendors to go!” she cheered, before dragging Hope, Klaw, and Dewey back northwest.

Candy next led them to a building made of clay that was shaped like a mole’s head. Standing at the desk of this stall was a dark brown bipedal mole pokemon. Its body was covered in red splotches that resembled scars, and there was a large metal drill on top of its head. Its claws were large and made of pure steel, and it wore black square-shaped glasses and a brown tie.

“Hello there, Candy.” the mole pokemon said politely as the small group approached. “Who are your new friends?”

“These are Hope, Klaw, and Dewey.” Candy said, gesturing to the trio. “They’re soon-to-be newbies at the guild.”

“It is ever so nice to meet you three.” the mole pokemon said while bowing. “My name is Monty, and I run Grand Tunnel Storage, where you can keep your leftover items from expeditions for safekeeping. I look forward to serving you…” He looked up from his glasses, his expression harsh. “Though I will warn you, I have no patience for those who don’t take their rescue team work seriously.”

“No, sir! We’re very serious about our work!” Hope exclaimed.

Monty’s expression immediately softened. “That’s good,” he said calmly. “How many more shops do you have left to show them, Candy? I assume you will have to get back to work very soon.”

“Just one more!” Candy said cheerfully. “Come along now, guys!” She didn’t grab them this time- she simply walked away, gesturing for Hope, Klaw, and Dewey to follow her, which they did willingly.

As they approached the final building, though, Hope realized that it looked very familiar. They were heading back towards the Xiong Dojo.

“Umm, Candy?” Hope said softly. “We’ve kind of already been here before…”

“Yeah, because you got lost and took shelter under the entrance, right?” Candy said.

“No, because we met the-” Hope tried to explain, but Candy cut her off.

“This is the Xiong Dojo, where you can-” It was now Candy’s turn to be interrupted, this time by two familiar faces.

“Hope! Klaw! Dewey! There you are!”

Hei’an and Shui had just exited the dojo and were now running towards the trio, concern in their eyes. Upon reaching them, they immediately dropped to their knees. “Thank Arceus you didn’t leave the plaza!” they cried out simultaneously.

“Why would we leave the plaza?” Klaw chuckled.

“Y-yeah! A-after we f-finally reached the p-place of our d-dreams, you think that w-we’re just going to a-abandon it?” Dewey giggled.

Candy tilted her head in confusion. “Wait… you guys already know Hei’an and Shui?” she asked.

“That’s what we were trying to tell you when we met you.” Hope said, swishing her tail coyly.

Hei’an and Shui then turned towards Candy. “So you found them, huh?” Hei’an chuckled. “There you go again, being so eager and wanting to be the one to show all the newbies around. That’s just like you.”

“Thanks…” Candy tried to put on a smile, but it was clear that she was still confused by this whole situation. “So, um… Do you mind explaining to me how you two ended up meeting these three?”

Hope, Klaw, Dewey, Hei’an, and Shui immediately launched into their tale, of how the younger kids had helped them fight off a particularly aggressive pokemon at Power Pass. They didn’t mention what exactly had caused said pokemon to go berserk. When Hope had tried to talk about it, Hei’an and Shui had glared at her.

When the quintet had finished with their story, Candy took a few steps back, her mouth agape. “Wow…” she said. “You three really are strong. Being able to help Hei’an and Shui, some of the strongest fighters in town, who literally train others in improving their fighting skills…” She then smiled mischievously. “I knew my gut feeling was right. My boss is going to love you three.”

“Your… boss?” Hope asked in confusion. “Candy, who’s your boss?”

Hei’an and Shui blinked in surprise. “Candy, you didn’t tell them what your job is?”

Candy giggled. “I wanted to surprise them at the end of the tour.” she said sweetly yet mischievously.

Hei’an and Shui sighed simultaneously. “Candy, Candy, Candy.” Shui chuckled. He then turned to Hope, Klaw, and Dewey. “You see, Candy is the-”

All of a sudden, Shui stopped talking. He began sniffing the air, the fur on his back stood up, and he let out a long, low growl. Hei’an did the same, with some added mumbling of “These fuckers again?” under his breath. Candy, too, had gone stiff, and she was looking around uneasily.

“Guys? What’s going on?” Hope asked worriedly.

Hei’an, Shui, and Candy didn’t say a word. They darted straight back into the center of the plaza, their expressions filled with fury. Hope, Klaw, and Dewey were right on their heels.

As they got closer to the center of the plaza, Hope saw that a lot of the other business owners were also rushing to the center of the plaza. Wolfram, Doc, and Monty glared furiously as they charged, while Nimbus, flapping her wings haphazardly, looked just as confused as Hope, Klaw, and Dewey. Hope could also hear the various store patrons mumbling in annoyance about “petty criminals”, “delinquents” and “ruffians”.

The moment that the group reached the center of the square, Hope immediately realized what was going on. Teddy was standing in front of the statue of the strange rabbit/deer pokemon, holding a large box that seemed to be filled with various kinds of weapons. He was chatting with four dirty-looking pokemon.

The first of these was a bipedal wolf pokemon. Its fur was mostly red, with white streaks on its lower legs, face, underbelly, and tail. It had black tips on its ears and three black claws on each paw. Its back and shoulders were covered by a large, bushy, white mane, with a sharp, jagged stone at its end. More of these stones covered its body, and its eyes were a deep crimson red. It wore an orange spiked collar, there was what looked like a purple tattoo on its left arm, and though its mouth was closed right now, its tongue was still sticking out.

The second of these was a bipedal purple lizard pokemon. It had a yellow underbelly and yellow markings on its palms and legs. Frills of pure electricity rippled from its nose to its neck, it had six of what looked to be organs on its chest, and its wrists and hips were covered in spikes. It wore a blue spiked collar, there was what looked like a tan tattoo on its right arm, and like the wolf pokemon, its tongue was sticking out despite its closed mouth.

Next there was a smaller lizard pokemon. Its body was dark gray, and its head and feet were black. An orange line ran down its tail and back, and its eyes were a deep lavender. It wore a thick, bright pink chain necklace.

Finally, there was a small bipedal cat pokemon. Its fur was greyish-brown, and it looked especially ragged. The fur underneath its mouth was especially long, making it resemble a beard. Its eyes were a deep yellow, and there was a pure black coin atop its head. It wore a brown helmet.

“Hewe’s youw stuff, okay?” Teddy was saying. “Just twy not to awewt anyone on the way out. I bewieve in you!”

The wolf pokemon and the larger lizard pokemon nodded eagerly. The small lizard pokemon and the cat pokemon, however, were looking at the large crowd that had now surrounded them. “Um, Teddy?” the small lizard pokemon said. “I think it’s a little too late for that.”

All five pokemon turned to look at the crowd.

“Uh oh…” Teddy said fearfully.

The wolf pokemon and the large lizard pokemon, on the other hand, were not phased at all by the sudden arrival of the onlookers. They both simply stretched their arms out, large grins on their faces.

“Hello, Honawh Town!” the wolf pokemon said proudly.

“Bet you lot missed us, didn’t yer?” the large lizard pokemon added just as proudly.

“Nobody missed your schtinky, good for nothing clique.” Doc grumbled angrily, banging his cane on the ground.

“We thought we told you to stay out the last time you came over here.” Monty added callously.

Hope, Klaw, and Dewey were watching this all play out with pure confusion. “Who are these pokemon?” Hope whispered into Candy’s ear.

“Those are the Raiders.” Candy whispered back. “They consider themselves this big-time crime group on par with the syndicates, and they come in to annoy the townsmon every once in a while. But they’re really just a bunch of buffoons. They just make a ruckus, harass the shopkeepers, sometimes try to break into the guild, and leave.”

“If they’re criminals, why is Teddy selling stuff to them?” Hope asked.

“Like I said earlier. Teddy’s way too naive for his own good.” Candy replied. “They keep coming back with some sob story about how they’ve changed and will use those weapons for good every single time, and the poor guy always buys into it and sells the stuff to them.” A smirk tugged at the edge of her lips. “I mean, ninety-five percent of the time they just end up hurting themselves with those weapons, so it’s not too bad, but still…”

Hope giggled at Candy’s last remark. Unfortunately, this caught the attention of the Raiders.

“Hey, look at dis, Sal!” the wolf pokemon said. “Dere’s a new face in town!”

“Yeah, yor right, Lupo!” the lizard pokemon said in response. “That’s the first eevee I’ve ever seen in this tahn!”

“…Thank you?” Hope said, genuinely feeling a tiny bit flattered by that statement.

“What’s your name, little eevee?” the cat pokemon asked.

“Hope.” Hope responded calmly.

“Pretty name.” the wolf pokemon said. “I am Lupo, de second-strongest membuh of de Raiders!”

“And I’m Sal,” the lizard pokemon said, “the second-strongest member o’ the Raiders!”

Both Lupo and Sal stopped for a minute at this, looked at each other, and blushed. The small lizard and cat pokemon, standing beside them, looked like they wanted to uproot the statue from the ground and bang it into their heads.

“A-anyways,” Lupo said nervously, ignoring the giggling from the observing townspeople, “Dis is my personal lackey, Medusa!” At this, he gestured to the small lizard pokemon, who smiled venomously.

“A-and dis is me personal lackey Odin!” Sal added nervously, gesturing to the cat pokemon, who flashed his claws at Hope.

“Together, we are the Raiders, the greatest crime group of all time!” all four of them shouted in unison. “And we’re going to take over this town!” They then each struck a pose that was supposed to look menacing, but instead looked absolutely ridiculous.

Hope heard light laughter from behind her and turned around to see Klaw and Dewey giggling.

“‘G-greatest crime group of a-all t-time?” Dewey chuckled. “T-that’s rich.”

“Believe me,” Klaw smirked. “You guys probably wouldn’t know real crime if it hit you guys upside the head.”

For the first time, the Raiders noticed Klaw and Dewey, Lupo and Sal’s jaws went slack upon seeing them.

“A litten and a sobble?” Sal whispered.

“It can’t be. Right?” Lupo whispered back. “ Dey can’t be. Right?”

Lupo and Sal continued to stare at Klaw and Dewey like they were the second coming of some sort of deity. Some of the observing pokemon were whispering among themselves while staring at the litten and sobble, causing them to instinctually tense up every muscle in their body.

“Well, if they are who they most likely are, then this is a great opportunity to get them to notice you, boss!” Odin said eagerly to Sal.

“That’s right, boss.” Medusa said slyly to Lupo. “All you gotta do is subdue them, bring them back to the base, and put up a ransom notice. They’ll come cruising right on down, and you can finally meet them!”

Medusa and Odin’s words caused Lupo and Sal to perk up with excitement. They began to approach Klaw and Dewey, practically drooling from excitement as they did so. Klaw and Dewey were doing their best to stare down Lupo and Sal, but their shaking limbs and the sweat drops rolling down their foreheads exposed the truth.

Hope had had enough. She stepped in front of Klaw and Dewey and fluffed her tail out to make herself look bigger. “Listen, I don’t know why you’re so interested in my friends.” she said sternly. “But if you’re going to ‘hold them for ransom’ or whatever, you’re going to have to get through me first.”

All of the Raiders threw their heads back and laughed simultaneously. “Yuh? You’re just a little eevee!” Lupo cackled.

“The distortion are yer gonna do, tackle us ter death, eh, luv?” Sal snarled.

Hope didn’t say a single word. She simply glared at Sal, narrowing her forehead as she concentrated.

“Wot in the world are yer do-” Sal was cut off by a purplish-pink aura surrounding him, which levitated into the air. Hope grunted, trying to push her way through the start of the throbbing headache, before slamming Sal into the ground.

“Sal!” Lupo cried out before turning to Hope. “What’s de deal wit’ yuh? You’re not supposed tuh know dat move ye-”

Hope immediately whirled around to Lupo and fired off a Razor Leaf towards him. The sharp leaves took him by surprise, slashing his body and making him collapse on the floor in pain.

“Boss!” Medusa and Odin cried out simultaneously. They immediately prepared themselves to attack, but before they could, Klaw and Dewey sprung into action. Klaw leaped towards Odin and clamped on his beard with a Fire Fang, while Dewey shot a high pressure Water Pulse towards Medusa. The powerful attacks immediately caused Medusa and Odin to crumple to the ground, their eyes having changed into swirls.

Lupo and Sal had recovered from Hope’s attacks on them, though Lupo’s body was now covered in cuts and Sal had a medium sized bump on his head. They stared at Medusa and Odin’s unconscious bodies with horror, shock, and worry in their eyes.

“D-dis won’t be de lastcha see of us!” Lupo cried as he scooped Medusa’s body into his lanky arms.

“Y-yeah! We’ll be back! And we’ll beat you three up right good wen we do!” Sal whimpered, taking Odin’s body into his arms.

The so-called “gang leaders” began to dart down the plaza, and in a matter of seconds, they were gone.

Whispering once again began to break out amongst the townsmon, with them stealing additional glances at Hope, Klaw, and Dewey. They were mostly glances of wonder and admiration, but some of the glances towards Klaw and Dewey were also filled with apprehension.

“Oh my Diancie, that was just incredible!” Hope, Klaw, and Dewey turned around to see Candy beaming at them. “You were able to send the Raiders packing with just one hit! I mean, it’s not hard to do that at all, but those were some powerful attacks! And did you just use Confusion and Razor Leaf, Hope? Man, the guildmaster’s really going to love you!”

“Thank y-” Hope started to say, but then the realization of Candy’s last sentence hit her. “Wait, did you just say guildmaster ?!”

Candy blinked slowly a few times. Then, she smiled mischievously. “Oh, right. Where are my manners? I did say I’d properly introduce myself after the tour.” She then reached out her ponytails for Hope, Klaw, and Dewey to shake. “I am Candy von BonBon, the Ironheart Guild’s official nurse. It’s very nice to meet you three. Now, how about you guys follow me? My coworkers and bosses would love to meet you guys.”