Chapter 2

Key awoke with a sharp pain in his snout. His eyes snapped open to reveal a close up view of the floor.

Ah. He had rolled off his bed. He groggily shook his head in an attempt to scatter the remaining static of sleepiness from his brain (as well as some dust) and, befitting of a criminal, scans his surroundings once more.

That’s right. No more secret base. I live here now.

He gave the room a good sweep, half to familiarize himself and half to see if there was anything worth nabbing. Besides a bowl of Berries (which he helped himself to) and an empty Deposit Box, the room was nothing more than just that… a room. Except of course, for the lump under the other bed.

Key didn’t join the delivery service alone. Hei offered to help pay his debt too, for some reason. She even evolved from an Eevee to a Vaporeon because of him. He couldn’t help but feel a little bit bad about that; evolution is the most important step in a Pokemon’s life. It seemed a little unfair that the young Eevee was forced into a scaly body when she could have chosen from many other forms. At least that’s what he had once heard about Eevee.

Well, what’s done is done.

The Zorua crept behind the curtains to gaze out into the window. Dawn had barely broken through the horizon, tinging the vast sea with warm sparkles of crimson and peach. In all his time here in Crossroad Town, Key had never seen a view quite so beautiful. It was one he could get used to. Within the watery expanse, he could make out silhouettes, flying above in the cloudless sky or swimming across the colorful waves. No doubt deliverymon beginning a day’s work.

That was going to be him now. The thought of spending the day doing honest work irked him. The fun thing about being a thief was that he was his own boss. Or rather, his stomach was. He got to do things at his own pace as he pleased, with no one to tell him otherwise or weigh him down. He spent some days sleeping in the windmill, others sneaking around the town. It was a life of lonesome freedom.

Now he had a commitment. Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, he had to clock in, clock out, work hard no matter what. Why some people chose to live like this, he could never understand.  However, despite all this, he couldn’t shake off a certain excitement for the day to begin. After all, if his community service involved crossing that beautiful ocean, it couldn’t be that bad. Certainly better than that grimy prison cell back at Pudding’s precinct. And besides, the sooner he got to work, the sooner he could go back to his life of freedom.

A wave of eagerness overtook Key, and he burst through the curtains to face the room once more. He pounces on the small lump that was Hei and recklessly stomped his paws around like a trotting Mudsdale.

“Wake up, fish face! We got bail to pay!”

The lump wiggled underneath him, clearly confused. The Dark type finally hopped off and allowed her to get up.

That’s funny, for a Vaporeon, she didn’t feel too big…

A pair of fluffy ears flopped up from the blankets, followed by the wide yawning jowls of an Eevee.

“G’morning…” Hei mumbled.

Key’s jaw dropped.

“You’re back to normal?!”

Hei tilted her head, his words clearly not resonating with her, though this was more likely due to her sleepy stupor.

“Whaddaya mean?”

“Yesterday!!” He yelped. “You evolved into a Vaporeon yesterday! You had a fish tail and a weird webby thing on your neck! Why are you an Eevee again?!”

Though Hei still didn’t bother getting up from her blankety cocoon, one hind leg emerged from the folds to lazily scratch her cheek. “I dunno. I guess it wore off.”

Key seethed. “Evolution doesn’t ‘wear off’! It’s permanent! It’s like the most permanent thing there is! Even more than a criminal record!”

A sudden knock on their door interrupted them. A timid voice from the other side called out to them.

“Rise and shine, newbies… Please come out…” It was Maurice’s voice, the slow-witted Cramorant from the previous day.

“Hm… Five more minutes…” The sleepy Eevee mumbled into the folds of her blanket.

“Get up, you!”

The Zorua grabbed her fuzzy tail from underneath the fort of blankets and dragged her out of bed entirely. She imitated his fall earlier and landed face first into the wood floorboards.

“Thieves need to be up before dawn if they want eat breakfast!” Key exclaimed with pride. “Slowpoke like you are the first ones to starve!”

“I’m not a thief…” Hei grumbled while staggering up. “And you’re not anymore too.”

“Technicalities.”

Opening the door revealed the fidgeting blue bird Pokemon. “Ah… g-good morning, you two.”

His eyes fell on Hei, and his expression grew even more distressed. “W-weren’t you…?” He never completed his sentence, fearing it would be somehow rude to point out that he could’ve sworn she was a Vaporeon the night before.

“Never mind.” He shook his head. “Follow me.”

Seemingly content with his instructions, he began waddling down the hall, the four-footed duo trailing behind.

“Where are we going?” Key called out.

“First, to the cafeteria for breakfast. Then to Coco to get your assignment for the day.”

The Zorua licked his lips. “You had me at breakfast.”

After following the Cramorant down stairs and around corners, the passage eventually opened up into a grand mess hall. An impressive ovate table stood at the center of the space, encircled by chair of all sizes, most of them already occupied by hungry deliverymon. Above them, the ceiling could barely be seen as it was so high up. It appeared to be thatched out of straw, as blotches of the early morning sunlight trickled in to light up the room along with a crisp breeze. Lastly, to the far right of the room stood a winding line of Pokemon. They seemed to be waiting to get their food from a counter manned by a Miltank and a Scrafty.

“Y-you get in that line for breakfast.” Maurice explained. “Then pick a seat wherever is free. Make sure to return your plates to the side over there.” He pointed his beak at a clutter of china piled atop a counter next to the food stand. The plates were being swiftly hauled to the inside of the kitchen by the cleaning staff, presumably to be washed.

“A-and make sure to eat everything. Kids your age should eat a good breakfast.” The water bird made weak attempt at a smile. Both youngsters reciprocated the smile, Hei out of gratitude and Key out of mockery.

“Do you wanna join us, Maurice?” Hei asked.

“M-me? Oh no, I already ate. I’ll wait for you outside once you’re finished. Try not to be too long.”

“Sure, sure,” Key butted in, already charging for the line. “Let’s go eat!”

They stationed themselves at the end of the long queue. Despite its intimidating length, it moved fairly briskly, meaning it wasn’t too long before they reached the two lunchmon behind the counter.

“Morning, sugar!” The Miltank greeted cheerfully. Once she got a better look at the two, her eyes widened. “Well bless my stars, aren’t you young! You must be the new recruits the Postmaster brought in!”

Key’s ears flicked impatiently. “Yeah, that’s us, and we’re hungry. Make with the breakfast, lady.”

“Hey!” The Scrafty next to the lunch lady slammed his paws down on the counter with a milk-curdling sneer. “You better watch how you speak to Ms. Daisy, punk!”

Key flinched at the sudden aggression, but the bovine Pokemon placed a hoof on the Scrafty’s shoulders to calm him down.

“Now, now…” Ms. Daisy cooed at the huffing Hoodlum Pokemon. “Remember what we talked about, Mano. Violence and intimidation are never the answer.”

“B-but, Ms. Daisy-!” He whined. “That little punk was talkin’ smack about you!”

“I can handle myself just fine, Mano. Thank you for being so concerned.”

Mano fidgeted in place, his shed skin attire rustling with each squirm. Ms. Daisy looked down again at the young, perplexed duo.

“Well, that’s as good an introduction as any. Here’s your breakfast, dears.” With a smile, she placed a bowl of streaming warm porridge on the countertop.

“Thank you,” The Eevee grabbed the bowl’s handle with her teeth, her partner reluctantly doing the same with his. “‘Ws naishe meetih yoo! Ah’m Hei ’nd thif is Key!”

With a final wave of her tail, she and Key trotted off to the dining table. Mano and Ms. Daisy stare at each other with a bemused expression.

“Did… you understand what she said, Ms. Daisy?”

“Not a word, sugar.”

Not many seats were empty, but Hei and Key managed to find two chairs next to each other squeezed in between some Pokemon. They spat out the bowls on the table and began hungrily gobbling up the mush, much to the discomfort of neighboring diners.

“Mmmm, so sweet!” Hei sighed in between bites. “This is so good, whatever this is!”

“You never had porridge?” Key asked with mouthful of food. “Even I used to steal some from time to time.”

“I don’t remember having this. I wonder if they give seconds?”

After licking their bowls clean, and after Key and Mano had another vicious quarrel, the pair found out they did not give seconds. Resigned, they left their dishes at the drop-off (in the process meeting the taciturn Grapploct who was scooping the bowls by the many armfuls) and exited the cafeteria, where Maurice awaited.

“Ah, that took a while.” He noticed. “Everything go okay?”

“They should really give some more grub.” Key grumbled.

The Cramorant offered a nervous chuckle. “A deliverymon shouldn’t eat a lot in the morning. You’ll get tummy aches during the delivery.”

“There’s always a catch.”

Maurice cleared his throat. “W-well, now that you’ve had some breakfast, I’ll hand you over to Coco. She’ll give you your assignment for the day.”

“Who is Coco?” Hei asked.

“She’s in charge of coordinating deliveries. Basically, she decides who delivers what, where and when.”

“Wow, she sounds really smart.”

“Yep, she’s kind of a genius.” Maurice nodded. “Though with four heads, it’s only natural.”

“Four heads?”

She soon found out what he meant when he lead them to a colossally tall cylindrical room. A glass ceiling allowed the sunlight to light up the room, revealing a spiraling staircase that clung to the walls, going all the way up to the very top. The stairs periodically plateaued into wooden planks. Each floor had a large window that gave way to the outside of the post office. Winged Pokemon flew in and out of these exits. This was all built around the most eye-catching element of the spire: at the center of it all was a tremendous Pokemon, easily over 10 meters tall. She looked remarkably like a palm tree, her long wooden neck comprising most of her height. Though it was hard to see, three coconut-like heads were talking to Pokemon at the top of the staircase. Grabbing on to the neck were three more Pokemon. One was green, one was red, and one was blue. They each shimmied up and down with ease, handing things to Pokemon of each floor with surprising agility.

“W-woah…” Even Key was taken aback by the surprising sight. “She’s Coco?”

“Yep.” Maurice confirmed with a certain air of pride to him. “She must have your assignment ready by now.”

They approached the central hub of the room. Coco’s massive body was cordoned off by a wooden reception desk, so they stopped in front of the counter.

“You said she had four heads, but I only see three.” Key prods at Maurice. “Where’s the fourth head?”

The massive plant Pokemon suddenly turned around, revealing her back to the crew. And on the base of her rear was a peculiar tail. It tapered into a small, green head with beady eyes and a puckered mouth.

“That would be me!” The little head exclaimed. Hei and Key jumped at the bizarre sight before cowering behind Maurice.

Coco’s tail huffed. “Jeez, I won’t bite! You two rookies got a lot to learn, ya hear?”

Maurice waddled out of the way, nudging both of them to approach the counter. “I’ll leave the rest to you, okay? Don’t be too harsh on them.”

“Roger that, Maurice! I’ve got the perfect assignment for them!” The tail squeaked.

The blue Pokemon gave one last timid wave before doddering off.

“Now, are we done being such scaredy-Skitty?” The bobbling head chortled. “Let’s make with introductions!”

“My name’s Hei. It’s nice to meet you.” The Eevee started shyly. “Sorry for thinking you were scary.”

“I-it’s not like I was scared, though.” The Dark-type next to her butted in. “The name’s Key.”

The tail’s tiny eyes closed in (what Hei can only imagine is) a smile. “Hei and Key, huh… Well, it’s not like I didn’t know that. But those are some nice names. Time to introduce the whole team! HEY, YOU GUYS!”

In a flash, the three Pokemon clung around Coco’s neck slid down to the base, revealing themselves as a Pansage, a Pansear, and a Panpour.

“Well if it isn’t the rookies!” The red monkey declared with a smirk. “You guys are even cuter than I imagined!”

The mighty tree shook. “What are you waiting for? Introduce yourselves!”

“Sure!” The Pansear struck a pose. “I’m Cheri, the oldest of the Pan Brothers! I’m also the coolest!”

The Pansage next to him yanked on his tail to shut him up. “More like the loudest. I’m Lum, the middlest of the brothers.”

The last brother was the blue one, who scratches his fluffy head as if he were not aware of his brothers’ bickering. “And I’m Oran, the baby bro! Together, there’s nothing we can’t do!”

Lum shook his head sadly. “We really just give you the packages to deliver.” He waves a tightly wrapped parcel in his paw as proof.

“And I’m Coco!” The Exeggutor announced, her little tail wagging wildly. “ Chief Mail Coordinator!”

“Nice to meet you all!” Hei smiled.

“Very, very nice!” Coco agreed. “Now get back to work, you sluggish simians! Deliverymon are waiting for their packages!”

“Yes, m’am…” The three brother groaned. Just as quickly as they came, they scaled back up the towering neck to continue their work.

“Now, that just leaves you two…” With a heave, Coco lugged a hefty parcel from under the counter (maintaining a grip without teeth seemed harder than it looked), and placed it on the top.

“This will be your delivery for the day.” She huffed with satisfaction. “Make sure this gets to Miss Munchmoney as soon as possible.”

“Miss…?” The Zorua tilted his head, trying to retrieve an important memory. “Isn’t that the Snubbull that got me into this mess?”

“You stole from her, you know.” Coco corrected. “But yes, you’ll be delivering a new Gold Ribbon, as well as five Sky Gifts. And an apology for your behavior.”

“What?!” The fox Pokemon snapped. “You set me up! I don’t wanna talk to that old hag!”

“Sorry. Postmaster’s orders.”

“How are we even supposed to carry these stupid things? It’ll take us all day!”

Coco winked. “I guess now’s the time for you to suit up then.” The tail suddenly shot up. “ORAN! Get the uniforms! Two smalls!”

The Panpour on her neck flinched, before shimmying down the wooden pole all the way to the ground and rummaging through a large cupboard next to an imposing pile of packages. With a contented exclamation, he nabbed something from its insides and bounded towards the rookies. He outstretched his hands, one towards each Pokemon to reveal a bulky, brightly colored vest in each and a petite ribbon sporting the same colors sat atop it all.

“Here ya go!” He chirped. “Your very own official Shaymin’s Delivery Service uniform!”

Hei stared at the garment with wide eyes. “Uniforms?”

“Try them on for size!” The chief mail coordinator coaxed.

The vest was easy enough to put on, even for a Pokemon with no thumbs. On the left flank of the garment was a satchel, its cerulean blue cloth being interrupted by a white cloud decal near the bottom. An elastic band around a pink wooden flower held the bag’s upper flap shut tight, sealing any potential cargo safe inside. After an extended back-and-forth between Key and Coco about having to actually put on the ribbon, he grumpily settled on tying it around his tail (‘at least it won’t be choking me’ was his explanation), while Hei happily wore it as a bowtie.

She craned her head from all angles, trying to see how the vest looked on her. “It’s so cute! Isn’t it, Key?”

The sour grimace spread across her partner’s face, however, did not agree. “It’s way too cutesy for me! And it’s weighing me down! Thieves need to pack light, you know!”

“You’re not a thief anymore.”

All Key could do to that was to stick out his tongue at her.

“I think you’ll find it plenty light, short stuff,” Coco’s tail chimed in. “That’s a special bag. It’s made out of the same stuff that Treasure Bags are. You know, the ones that Explorers used.”

The young Zorua’s ears pricked up upon hearing that. “Oh. R-really?”

“You can stuff a Wailord in there and run a marathon just fine.”

“Well…” He gave a tentative glance to the blue satchel strapped at his side. “I guess that’s fine then. And the ribbon?”

“That’s just because it’s cute.”

“Ugh.”

“Oh, and one last thing… When you’re back, head to the Postmaster General’s office. She said she wants to speak to you two.” Coco ruffled her leaves together in excitement. “Now that you got everything, off you go! Don’t come back until you delivered those packages with a smile on your face!”

Ignoring Hei’s smile, Key shot a huff out his nose. “Don’t rub it in, lady.”

---

The sun had already made its daily debut to the sky by the time the two left the delivery service’s headquarters. Illuminating the clusters of building that lived down the hill, it guided the two young deliveymon down the paved path.

“Our very first delivery!” Hei exclaimed, swishing her tail from side to side with each skip.

“I’m starting to think being a deliverymon is just a fancy way of saying “errand boy”.” Her partner grumbled, but these bitter words fell on deaf ears. “I mean, can’t we at least go somewhere more exciting than a block away?”

“You really are a sourpuss, you know that?”

“That’s because my brain isn’t made out of cotton candy like you.” His eyes suddenly widened. “Speaking of cotton candy… man, oh man, I bet Pudding must be fuming over all of this. He’s been wanting to throw me in the slammer for as long as I’ve been in Crossroad Town.”

Hei tilted her head at this. “Are you not from here, Key?”

“‘Course not. I’m from all over. I was just squatting here for a bit, is all. You can’t keep someone like me pinned down for too long!”

The Eevee’s expression turned lonely. “Oh… I guess I’m like you then. I don’t really have a home either.”

Seeing her sad expression, the Zorua suddenly grew flustered. “H-hey, don’t act like it’s a bad thing! That means people like us are totally free! The world is our Clamperl! Except for this… community service hassle, that is.”

“So does that mean that once we pay off our debt, you’ll go away?”

“Well, yeah.”

“…Oh. Okay.”

The rest of the trip was doused in awkward silence. Hei resigned herself to take in the still unfamiliar townscape instead. It wasn’t called Crossroad Town for nothing; the hustle and bustle left her breathless. Pokemon of all shapes, sizes, colors, and typings trotted by with confidence. Each had a story to tell, a life they led here in this staggering city. She gazed each stall they passed by in market squares, each vendor who noisily promoted their goods, and each customer who loitered around while debating whether or not to buy them. Perhaps someone like Key wouldn’t even bat an eye to a town like this, but to a blank slate like Hei, this was nothing short of mesmerizing. She almost cursed her job for holding her back from exploring the city at her leisure.

Eventually, the duo arrived in the ritzy neighborhood Key recognized as Miss Munchmoney’s. The pink Snubbull-shaped house gave the rest away.

Key’s footsteps petered out behind Hei when crossing the lawn. Now hiding behind a safe Eevee shield, he sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Hei nodded, proceeding to knock on the door with one of her front paws. They waited, enduring a sequence of increasingly louder ruckuses coming from inside the home until the door slowly crept open. On the other side was none other than Miss Munchmoney, her face still concealed by her signature mask of thick green paste.

“What?!”

The Zorua coughed and lightly nudged his companion. She perked up immediately as if suddenly remembering her assignment.

“Um, package for you, miss!”

The Snubbull’s narrow eyes lost a bit of their hostility. “Oh, it’s you. The rabble-rousers from yesterday.”

“Yep! We have the gifts Miss Aldora promised you.”

Munchmoney gives a haughty (and phlegmy) snort. “That’s Postmaster General to you, missy. You ought to show more respect to your superiors. The Postmaster General practically built this town.”

“Just take the package and sign here, m’am.” Key demanded through gritted teeth, sliding a clipboard to her feet while Hei quickly struggled to fish out the assortment of parcels from her Delivery Bag.

“Well I never—!” The Fairy-type gasped.

“This is a fun first for you then.”

Grumbling, she reluctantly swiped the clipboard and scratched out a flourished signature in a flash. However, her temper subsided immediately upon seeing the small pile of parcels Hei stacked on her doorstep.

“That should be everything!” Hei affirmed.

“My beloved Gold Ribbon and five free Sky Gifts…” Munchmoney chortled to herself. “Speaking to the manager does have its benefits, after all.”

Hei wondered what all the big fuss was around these so-called Sky Gifts, but decided to keep quiet for fear of incurring the stout pink Pokemon’s ire once more. Key certainly didn’t seem to impressed with them; his hungry gaze was locked on the box containing the Gold Ribbon. She suddenly remembered Coco’s full order.

“Key…” She whispered. “You gotta say sorry for yesterday.”

“What?!” He hissed back. “This already counts as an apology!”

“It’s the right thing to do. Say you’re sorry.”

He let out a prolonged groan under his breath, culminating into two short, sharp deep breaths. With a sudden resolve, he cocked his muzzle high in the air haughtily.

“Sorry for stealing your stuff.”

“Is that what counts as an apology to the youth nowadays?” The Snubbull grunted, unimpressed. “That was as sincere as a Mimikyu’s tail!”

“Whaddaya want from me, you old hag?! A written note?!”

“Well, you could start by carrying these items inside.”

“We can do that.” Hei hastened to end the argument as quickly as possible, and nipped three parcels by their ribbons. “Lead the way, miss.”

Munchmoney’s raised a brow, somewhat impressed. “Very well. Try not to track dirt inside, or touch things.” She shuffled back inside the abode, allowing the deliverymon to follow behind. While the house didn’t boast the scale of something like the delivery service HQ, it more than compensated with the sheer ostentatiousness of the decor. Nearly everything in the room sparkled with gems, gold or glitter.

“Yeesh…” Key muttered with his teeth still clenched around the packages. “Rich people have no taste.” Even Hei had to agree with that. The decor’s dazzle was beginning to make her eyes ache.

“You may place the parcels on that rug over there.” She pointed at a grand striped mat meant to resemble a Zebstrika’s fur patterns, only pink. Tacky. Eevee and Zorua did as they were told. The clutter of presents now sat on the gaudy rug, a sight that appeared much too beautiful for Munchmoney to bear.

“How wonderful it is!” She chirped (how she managed to hit that high an octave with her raspy voice remained a mystery). “Glorious!”

“We’ll be off, then.” Hei bowed her head, her partner mustered a reluctant head nod. “Bye bye, Miss Munchmoney.”

“Yes, yes…” The Snubbull paid little mind to the farewell, still coveting the pile of goods. Her drooling was abruptly interrupted by a loud jackhammering that rattled the entire house.

“Wh-what was that?!” Key exclaimed.

The Snubbull’s expression turned exhausted. “This infernal racket has been plaguing my house for days! I have no idea what it’s about, and I’m at my wits end.”

This intrigued Hei. “Does it happen all the time?”

“No, no, only during mornings like this one. Why do you think I’ve been losing so much beauty sleep?”

“So I guess that means it’s probably not a Ghost Pokemon, then.” Key commented. “They only come out at night.”

“Do you mind if I take a look around?” Hei asked, prompting a wheeze from her partner.

“Hay-for-brains, whaddaya mean?! We’re done here so let’s just go back!” He spat under his breath.

“I dunno, I’m curious about it. We should help her out.”

“W-well, I refuse to participate! I’m getting out of here!” With a petulant huff, he trotted off without a second to spare. Hei called out for him, to no avail.

The old lady next to her only gave a contented smirk. “The bandit’s runs off, has he? I’m not surprised.”

Another barrage of deafening jabbing sounds interrupted both of their thoughts. On second hearing, Hei realized the uproar sounded like something pounding against stone.  Stone…?

She restlessly gazed around the living room. The walls were made of a thick clay material, one that wouldn’t make such a harsh screech when broken. The only structure made out of stone was the fireplace. Albeit gem-encrusted, but still stone. The Eevee curiously approached it and stuck her head inside. The base was covered in a thin layer of soot, concealing lumps of sapphires and emeralds, clearly not having been used in a while. Gazing up towards the chimney top revealed only an empty passage illuminated by the sparkling stones.

“Yes, I also thought it might come from there.” Munchmoney nodded. “But every time I look, it’s completely normal. Perhaps my chimney is possessed?”

Hei didn’t remove her head from inside, however. She wanted to hear the sound again. Soon enough, the clangor abruptly resumed, making her heart nearly jump out of her chest. The banging was made even louder by the confined space.

Focus… focus… where is the sound coming from…?

She stretched her ears upwards. Cold. Towards the sides of the walls. Cold. She pressed her face against the dusty hearth. Her ears ring. Bingo.

“It’s coming from under the hearth!”

“No need to yell.”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you! Or me! Ears still ringing!!” Hei yelled, pawing against the sooty stone. “It’s over here, I’m sure of it.”

The bewildered homeowner approached the fireplace. “You may be right. I never bothered to check inside. I didn’t want to get all dirty.”

“I’m afraid you need to get a little dirty now.” The Eevee gazed at the old lady with surprising severity. “Can you lift up the base? I can’t do it by myself.”

“M-me?” She repeated dumbly. “I-I haven’t done that much heavy lifting since my youth…”

“You gotta try, m’am!”

A toothy smirk spread across the Snubbull’s face. “Oh, to heck with it! Munchmoney’s gonna Play Rough just like she did in her battling days!” Rolling up her sleeve-like fur, she grabbed the heavy slab of glittery stone in between her clawed paws.

“Here we go!” She barked. “Heave… ho!!”

In a labored motion, she pulled the block free of its cement encasing and flung it towards the room behind her, missing Hei’s face by inches.

“Oh, ho ho!” She chuckled triumphantly. “Not too bad for a retiree, if I do say so myself!” Looking back, her face quickly blanched. “Oh, no the room is all dirty! I’m all dirty! This is terrible!”

“Look at that!” The deliverymon pointed at the fireplace, snapping her out of her rant.

Removing the hearth’s base revealed a hole leading underground. But more importantly, it revealed a pair of blue eyes nervously peering back at them. It was a Pikipek, covered in the same dirt and soot they were.

“What the deuces are you doing under my fireplace?!” Munchmoney yelped. “Are you the one causing the horrible hammering that’s making me lose precious beauty sleep?”

“Yikes!” The little Flying type squeaked. “I’m outta here!”

“Wait!”

No sooner did he arrive, the strange Pikipek already dove back into the tunnel. Hei rushed to look inside, but the little Pokemon was long gone.

“What was that all about…?”

She stared blankly at the dark cavity if only because it was a relief from the sparkly eyesore of a living room. Wait… Relief?

Looking at the chimney passage above her, she could clearly spot gems encrusted into the stone softly shimmering. But the stones in the passage below had no jewels at all. Before she could begin to process this fact, another commotion shattered her train of thought once more. This time, it was coming from outside. Munchmoney and Hei ran outside to the back end of the house, where the yelling was loudest. There, they stumbled across a bizarre sight.

Key had the Pikipek from before pinned down on the ground, basically sitting on him. A wide variety of gems were scattered across the backyard, poking out from the blades of grass like colorful mushrooms.

“G-get offa me, jerk!” The Pikipek squealed.

“Key!” Hei called out. “What’s happening?”

“This guy suddenly flew right at me! He shot up from some hole in the ground and bashed my face in! He’s carrying tons of loot, too!”

“I-I’ll call Chief Pudding!” The Snubbull rushed back inside.

Things finally settled when the chief of police arrived. Once the suspicious Pikipek was safely detained and cuffed, the group of Pokemon could finally discuss what happened on that strange morning.

The Pikipek went first. “Okay… so a few days back, I was just flying around, minding my own business. But something catches my eye. Something shiny. In the back of this lady’s house was a gem wedged into a rock on the ground. It was a real beauty of a gem, you know? And then, I saw that it was a loose brick from this fireplace. The whole thing was full of gems like Berries in a fruitcake!”

He ruffled his feathers emphatically. “So I said ‘surely this lady won’t miss these gems if she’s puttin’em in her walls.’ And Pikipek are really good at picking stuff outta hard things. So for the past couple of days… I’ve been helping myself to them. At first, I was just getting the ones here on the outside,” He points to the exterior of the chimney, which had indeed been picked clean, now only crumbly rock. “But eventually, I ran out. So I dug a little hole and started nabbing the ones that line the inside. I guess my Fury Attacks were a little too loud, huh?”

“Try deafening!” Munchmoney screeched. “You no-good little thief! Why do ruffians always pick my house to harass?!”

“You’re considered, what’s know in the industry as, an easy mark.” Key remarked.

“I admit I got greedy,” The Flying type tweeted. “But you gotta understand, I just couldn’t help myself! The gems… they were so shiny and colorful… You know, I have some Murkrow blood in me, so…”

“So wait…” The chief of police interjected. “This WASN’T that lil’ varmint’s fault?” He pointed a stubby paw towards Key, who was utterly unfazed by the accusation.

“I’m the one who caught him, genius!” He snarked. “Oh, this just isn’t your week, is it? Ba hahaha!”

“Um…” The Pikipek chirped. “How aboutyou let me off with a warning this time, huh, chief?”

“Tell it to the judge!” Chief Pudding snapped. “But I’m the judge ’round here! And I say yer guilty! You and me are moseyin’ on down to the precinct!”

With a triumphant holler, the Slurpuff hauled the little bird off into the distance, leaving only the Snubbull, the Eevee, and the Zorua.

Hei turned to face her companion. “Key, if that Pikipek ran into you, doesn’t that mean you were outside of the house the entire time? You never left.”

The Zorua’s cheeks flushed. “Well, I was just… I knew I’d get in trouble if I came back alone so… I figured I’d wait it out around here.”

“Aw!” Hei leaned against him affectionately. “You do care!”

“Nuh-uh!!”

“Ahem!” Munchmoney cleared her throat. “Well, it seems the matter is resolved.”

“Yup.” Hei smiled. “Just try to get some non-gem encrusted stones next time. They do seem a little wasteful.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. You have my thanks, youngster. I even reignited my passion for weight lifting because of you!”

“I’m glad.” Hei’s eyes suddenly turned sharp. “Now thank Key. And apologize, too.”

“What?!” Both Dark and Fairy Pokemon exclaimed in unison.

“Key’s the one who caught the culprit. And you said all those terrible things about him. So be nice.”

Snubbull’s eyes darted around rapidly, clearly going through a maelstrom of thoughts. “Tch! I suppose it is a lady’s duty.” With drooping eyes, she glared at the Zorua, who was clearly relishing every minute of this. “Thank you. And… I apologize.”

“Hm…” Key swished his tail in delight. “A little stiff, but I guess it’ll do.”

If looks could kill, he would’ve been six feet under thanks to the stink eye the Snubbull shot at him. But she soon turned to the little Eevee with a much more docile expression. “Your name is…?”

“Hei.”

“I understand you apprehended the scrappy looking fellow next to you during yesterday’s incident, correct? And you’re working to help pay off his debt, no?”

“Yep.”

“Hmm…” She closed her eyes pensively. “You look remarkably slow-witted, but a good child at heart. I’m not sure what that troublemaker’s intentions are, but… Make sure you don’t get taken advantage of. There are many bad Pokemon out there, you know.”

“But Key’s not a bad Pokemon.”

The other two Pokemon fell silent. They couldn’t think of a response.

---

It was around lunchtime by the time the two rookies returned to headquarters. As per Coco’s instructions, they continually asked for directions around the labyrinthian building until they eventually reached the top floor, where Postmaster Aldora’s quarters resided.

“I guess… this is it.” Key said flatly. “You wanna… do the honors?”

Hei obliged by rapping on the door. It only took a few seconds for the voice on the other end to grant them permission to enter.

The Postmaster’s office was homely but but by no means plain. The most notable component was the abundance of greenery and flowers (most of which were beautiful blooms of Gracidea) that adorned each and every corner of the room, not just potted but rooted in the very walls and floors themselves, bestowing an undeniable vibrancy to the ambience. The leftmost wall was hardly a wall at all; two thirds of it were missing altogether instead replaced with an elongated wooden balcony, revealing the outside world in all its glory. Even among the already impressive views the edifice had to offer, this was easily the most breathtaking. The gentle wind that wafted into the room rustled the foliage, creating a relaxing soundscape. It could hardly be called an office.

Aldora sat behind a robust desk several times too big for her. Either ends of the oaken surface were all but covered by towering stacks of paperwork. It made the two youngsters gulp just at the sight of it.

The Shaymin smiled at their entrance. “Hello, you two. Come over here.”

They silently obliged. She studied them for a while longer in silence with her docile emerald eyes before finally continuing. “How was your first delivery?”

“Successful… miss.” Key mumbled awkwardly.

“That’s good to hear! Miss Munchmoney and Chief Pudding both sent me a Dedennegram explaining the entire incident. Sounds like you two had quite the adventure.”

“Yep.” Hei nodded. “But it was fun!”

“Seems like you’re beginning to understand what being a deliverymon truly means. It’s about connecting other Pokemon together, and connecting with them in turn. Helping others in need is what we’re all about.”

“Just like an exploration team.” Key said.

The Shaymin was a little surprised to hear that from him. “Yes, it’s a lot like that. So in future deliveries, never feel limited by what you cannot do. Let your heart carry you to do whatever you feel is right. You never know what you’ll get from it.”

She glanced at the duo’s Delivery Bags. “Speaking of which… Miss Munchmoney also told me that she gave you two a tip, right? May I see what you received?”

“R-right.” On cue, they both took out their ‘tip’ from their satchels and placed it in front of them. Two Sky Gifts, complete with the same blue and white pattern their uniforms donned and a lovely sprig of Gracidea.

“She gave you two of her Sky Gifts? I see…” Aldora’s eyes twinkled. “Looks like she was very grateful for your help.”

“I don’t get why everyone is crazy about these things! Uh… m’am.” Key blurted out. “I’ve stolen a couple of these in the past, and there was nothing inside!”

“Of course there was nothing inside when you opened it, Key.” Aldora chuckled. “Sky Gifts are expressions of gratitude from the gifter to the receiver. It only works when there is sincere emotion between two parties. If you are ever lucky enough to receive one… it will grant you whatever you need the most. That is what gratitude looks like.”

“Wait, really?”

She winked. “Why don’t you open yours and find out?”

He obeyed. As she had said, this Sky Gift was indeed not empty. Within the box sat a Black Gummi.

“No way!” Key howled. “My favorite! And I’m so hungry, too!”

“That is what you needed. Make sure to enjoy it.” Aldora nodded her head. “Your turn, Hei.”

The Eevee also opened her box. The item inside hers was much smaller than Key’s: It was a peculiar pendant earring, with a dark metallic frame from which a small pink-colored stone hung. The stone reflected the sunlight with an enticing glimmer.

“What’s this?” Hei asked, placing it on her paw.

“That’s-!” The Postmaster’s eyes widened at the sight of it. “That’s an Evolution Crystal! But the material of the frame… I’ve never seen it before. This is an exceedingly rare item.”

Hei looked at her helplessly. “I’m sorry, Postmaster, but I don’t know what to do with this.”

The Grass type’s pensive face melted into a reassuring smile. “Whatever use this may have, it is clearly something you need. A Sky Gift is never wrong. In fact, why don’t I put that on you right now?”

After a quick prick from Aldora, and a handful of tears from Hei, the mysterious earring now dangled proudly from the Eevee’s left ear.

“It suits you quite well!” Aldora praised. “At the very least, it’s a cute accessory. Or maybe it’s a good luck charm.”

“You think so?” Hei asked, rubbing her still sore ear with a paw.

“I’m certain it will help you in the future. After all, you seem to have a curious ability when it comes to evolving. I met you as a Vaporeon, but you’ve reverted to an Eevee again.”

“I also thought that was weird!” Key chimed in. “Evolution is supposed to permanent!”

“It is,” Aldora hummed. “Hei appears to have a special gift. I’m sure it will come in handy during your adventures.”

Hei glanced back and forth between the two, still not really understanding much of anything.

The Postmaster moved on. “I just wanted to know how you two were adjusting to life here at the Delivery Service, is all, but it seems my worrying was for nothing. You pass with flying colors. You’re free to enjoy the rest of the day however you see fit. Just make sure not to sleep too late. You’ll be up bright and early tomorrow, too.”

“Yes, m’am.” The rookies said in unison, and politely took their leave from her quarters.

They let out a sigh of relief in the hallway. Key had expected the Postmaster to be angry with them after that chaotic first delivery. Maybe she really was as kind and generous as people say…

“I’m hungry.” Hei interrupted his inner monologue. “Wanna have lunch?”

“Sure.”

The Eevee began walking off, but her partner only took a few hesitant steps before stopping once more.

“Hey.”

She looked back at him curiously. “What?”

“Um. I…” He fumbled. “Thanks again for earlier. For defending me.”

Hei responded with a quizzical grin. “You shouldn’t thank me for that. It’s the least a friend can do.”

“Right.”

“Now let’s go eat lunch. I’m starving!”