Chapter 3

It had been a week since Hei and Key began their ‘careers’ at Shaymin’s Delivery Service. As expected of an Eevee, Hei adapted quickly to the lifestyle of a deliverymon. Although she struggled with remembering addresses and with navigation (she was not much better than Maurice), Key’s quick wits kept her in check. What the Zorua lacked in enthusiasm, he made up for in street smarts and a thorough knowledge of Crossroad Town’s layout.

Together, the two shared a daily routine. Wake up at the crack of dawn, devour their breakfasts (and get yelled at by Mano the Scrafty in the process), receive their assignments from Coco and set out for their deliveries. The jobs were standard and harmless, nothing as hectic as their first delivery with Miss Muchmoney. Since they were still rookies, all jobs stayed within the confines of Crossroad Town, much to Key’s annoyance.

“I thought we would be setting out for the other continents, going on adventures! Not running across the same ol’ town every day like errand Yamper!” He whined one night after a particularly strenuous delivery.

“We only just started,” Hei contended. “I bet once we get really good they’ll send us all the way across the ocean! I wonder if we’ll be able to swim that far…”

“Please, I’ll be outta here by the time I get really good! But then again, they definitely plan to keep us trapped here for a while considering our lousy paychecks…” The Dark type grumbled. Indeed, Aldora had stated once that each delivery only nets them around 2 Poké to pay off Key’s debts. “A thousand deliveries for one stupid Ribbon. It’s exploitation, I tell you!”

Hei tilted her head in dissatisfaction, her earring jingling. “I think it sounds better than being locked up in a cell. You should be more grateful. And I don’t feel trapped here. Every day is a lot of fun!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Despite the ex-thief’s occasional rants, life for them was looking up. Even though they were only a week into the experience, they felt confident in their abilities. That morning, they began the day like any other. Now able to navigate the confusing halls of the headquarters without needing to stop and ask for directions (most of the times), they eat their fill of morning grub and head over to the Chief Mail Coordinator’s tower and approach the counter. The Alolan Exeggutor spotted them down below and deftly whipped around so her tail could greet them.

“Morning, team!” The small green head chirped. “You’ll be handling just one delivery today.”

“Just one?”

Coco nodded. “Yup. It’s a big order so it’ll take up most of the space in both of your bags.”

“Jeez, who’s the big spender?” Key asked.

“The town Kecleon Shop! They get their exotic products via courier once a week! It’s a very important delivery. You guys think you’ll be able to handle it okay?”

Hei nodded proudly. “We’ll do a good job!”

“That’s what I like to hear! Let’s get the Pan brothers to suit you up.” High above, the Exeggutor shook her leaves fervently, signaling the monkey Pokemon climbing up and down her neck to zip down to the delivering duo.

“Morning, pipsqueaks!” The eldest Cheri greeted with a haughty grin.

“You’re shorter than I am, pipsqueak!” Key snapped back.

“When you’re an adult, you get to call whoever you want a pipsqueak. Even Coco.” Lum chuckled, prompting Coco’s mini head to bite Lum’s tail. Hei wasn’t sure how painful a bite like that could be considering the Dragon-type’s tail was toothless, but from the way the Pansage yelped, it had to have hurt.

Despite the initial kerfuffle, the brother’s quickly suited up the four legged pair, stuffing their delivery bags full of wares. Apples, Berries, Elixirs, TM’s, Orbs… Soon their bags overflowed with valuable-looking goods, too many in quantity to be wrapped in the Service’s iconic parcels. Luckily for them, the satchel still remained as light as when it was empty.

“You know your way to the Kecleon Shop, right? Off you go!” Coco gave them one final grin before shifting her attention to an incoming Pelipper flying in through one of the entrances. The trio of brothers also scuttled back up the dragon plant’s neck as they tossed parcels to one another.

It was time for Hei and Key to go too. Surprisingly, the Zorua seemed to be unnaturally chipper after receiving the assignment. The two skipped out of the building together, making their way down to the town center.

“What luck, what luck!” He hummed. “Just one delivery! We can spend the rest of the day goofing off!”

“Goofy goof!” Hei sang along with him, more content with his good mood than his words. “Whaddaya wanna play once we’re done?”

“We can play fight!” Key suggested, but suddenly remembered how hard the Eevee can headbutt. “No no, I mean, let’s play hide and seek!” He also remembered how they last time they played that, Hei got locked up in jail. “I’m running out of games to play with you.” He concluded.

A loud crash cut the conversation off. The two friends jumped to alertness and searched the area for the source of the ruckus. In the lively streets, a dark creature zoomed around recklessly, knocking over displays and trash cans. It suddenly collided head first into a street lamp. The resounding metallic clang echoed throughout the road, causing all nearby Pokemon to huddle around the collapsed critter.

Curiosity got the best of the deliverymon too. They tried squeezing past the small mob to see who had been causing such a scene. After a short battle against the current, they managed to poke their heads through. Panting and rolling around on the ground was a Galarian Zigzagoon. His droopy pink eyes pointed upwards, dazed, as his pierced tongue lolled out of his mouth, matching the piercing above his left eye. Judging from the scar across his nose, this was not his first painful accident.

As the surrounding Pokemon asked the Zigzagoon if he was okay, Key squinted at the fellow Dark type.

“What’s wrong, Key?” His partner asked, sensing his tension.

“That guy… Is that…?”

The Zigzagoon suddenly locked eyes with him. They exchanged bewildered glances, and in a flash, the raccoon Pokemon hopped on his feet and peeled off, leaving a crowd of confused Pokemon in his wake. Key spent a few moment in a stupor, merely watching the clouds of dust churn above the pavement until dissolving in the air. But suddenly, his expression morphed from dazed to horrified.

“Quick! Check your bag!” He screeched.

Hei jumped at the sudden command but reluctantly complied. To her astonishment, the once cram-full bag was empty, save for a Tiny Apple. Key followed suit with his satchel, and confirmed a similar void.

“Th-the merchandise!” She blanched. “It’s all gone!”

“I knew it…” Key’s eye twitched. “Good grief…”

The Eevee next to him was not so calm. Panic began to overtake her, manifesting as erratic pacing, spinning in circles, and repeatedly checking her empty satchel in the hopes that the items would somehow magically return.

“Wh-what are we gonna do? Oh no, oh no, oh no….” She babbled. “All the stuff is gone, and Mr. Kecleon is gonna yell at us, and the other Mr. Kecleon is gonna yell at us, and Coco is gonna yell at us, and Postmaster Aldora is gonna yell at us, and… and… they’re gonna…”

Key placed a paw over Hei’s hyperactive mouth, silencing her. “Calm down. I know what happened to it.”

“What?!”

“That Pokemon we just saw… he’s an outlaw. A crook like me.”

“Huh? But… he didn’t get anywhere near us!”

“He didn’t have to. He was only the distraction. The real thief pickpocketed the whole crowd while we were looking at him.”

Hei pondered this. Her worried expression melted into a more desperate hopeful one. “B-but you know the thieves, then? We can just go find them and you can ask for our things back, right? Right?”

Her glimmering eyes were met with fiery ones from her companion. “Oh we’ll find ‘em all right… They really think they could steal from me?! The Yellow-Eyed Mirage?! And get away with it?!”

“…Eh?”

“No one steals from a thief! Especially not these second-rate wannabes! Oh, I’ll show ‘em…” Key muttered many other things under his breath as he bounded off after the thieves. Still not really understating what was happening, Hei had no choice but to chase after him.

“Huff, huff…” Hei wheezed as she caught up to his tail swishing in the wind. “Key, where are we going?”

“To their hideout, of course!” He declared. “Every thief’s gotta secret hideout!”

“But how do you know about it?”

“I’ve been there once. Knowing these idiots, they haven’t bothered to change location. There’s just one problem…”

“What’s that?”

“We need to go through a mystery dungeon to reach it.”

Hei’s eyes narrowed. “Mystery dungeon? What’s that?”

The question stopped Key in his tracks. He skidded to a halt and stared at her incredulously. “You don’t know what a mystery dungeon is? Wow, your amnesia really did a number on you.”

“…Thanks?”

“Everyone knows about mystery dungeons. They’re these weird places, like a maze that’s different every time you enter it. Nasty Pokemon live inside it, and if they knock you out, you’ll wake up outside the dungeon with no money and no items.” Despite his somber words, his face lit up like a Volbeat’s tail. “They’re awesome!”

Hei was not so excited. “Sounds scary… I don’t wanna go in a place like that…”

“What?! Don’t be like that! We gotta get those items back, don’t we? And this dungeon is easy to get through! Like I said, I’ve been there by myself before! Just stick close to me, and I’ll keep you safe!”

The young Eevee didn’t speak for a while, reflecting on his proposition. “…You promise it’s not scary?”

“We’ll be in and out like that! Just in time for the delivery!”

“Hmm…” Hei fell into an anxious silence, but finally, she gave her friend an unsure smile. “Okay. I trust you.”

“Alright!” The Zorua practically lept with joy. “We’re just like an exploration team! Whaddare we waiting for?! Let’s get going!”

Even though the Eevee didn’t understand why Key was so fired up over being robbed, she decided it was best to simply follow along and get this over with as quickly as possible. The Dark type led her all the way to the eastern edge of town. As the bustle and buildings began to dwindle, giving way to neglected huts and fencing, the pair approached a murky cluster of woods. A dirt path snaked into the bowels of the forest, labelled “Mildew Forest” by a faded signpost.

“Here we are.” Key announced with a confident huff. “Those crooks should be in the depths of this dungeon.”

“And you’re sure it’s not scary?”

“Please,” Key snorted. “You’ve got the legendary Yellow-Eyed Mirage by your side. This place should be scared of us.”

“Forests can feel fear?”

“Oh, brother…”

And so, the pair of deliverymon entered Mildew Forest, the meek Hei trailing behind the proud Key. The canopy of the musty-smelling trees thickened with each step, blocking out the overhead sunlight. The gloomy shade only added to Hei’s uneasiness. Her hearing was not very good to begin with– her limp right ear was completely deaf– but now, every little sound, from the rustling of the blanket of dead leaves underneath to the snapping of twigs, sent a jolt of fear up her spine.  She looked to her companion for comfort. Unlike her grimace, Key’s face shone with confidence. His attitude served to relax her, if only the teensiest bit.

“S-so, Key…” She began, hoping a conversation would loosen her nerves. “These outlaws… you said there were two of them.”

“Yep. They’ve been hustling Crossroad Town since before I got here. Course, I took over right away, so they get in my way whenever they can.”

“I saw the scruffy looking guy but… what’s the other thief like? The one who actually took the items?”

All amusement left the little fox’s expression. “She’s the worst.”

Before Hei could ask him to elaborate more, a nearby bush shook violently.  Hei jumped at the rustling, huddling closer behind Key for protection. Suddenly, a Shroomish burst out from the foliage, and with a gurgle, charged at the youngsters.

“Waaah!” Hei yelped. “It’s coming for us!”

“Leave it to me!” In a flash, Key leaped forward, landing right in front of the Grass type attacker. “Fury Swipes!”

He raised his paws to the air, claws now unsheathed, and scratched away at the Shroomish. His opponent cried out in surprise at the flurry of claws, too stunned to fight back. When Key finally relented, the stubby critter wasted no time in skittering off back into the bushes.

“Heh!” Key puffed, turning back to his stunned partner. “See? I’m the coolest, aren’t I?”

For the first time since entering the dungeon, Hei returned his excitement tenfold. With wide eyes and a wider smile, she ran up to him and circled him with elated hops.

“That was amazing! It was all ‘wraaaaar!’ But then you came in like ‘chachachacha!’ And then it ran off all ‘nooooo my faaaacee!’” She gushed, pantomiming the battle in exaggerated gestures. “You were incredible, Key!”

Hearing those words suddenly stripped the little fox of all his bravado. His expression now sheepish, he kicked at the dirt underfoot with a bashful chuckle. “Y-you really think so? I mean, I wasn’t that cool…”

“You were!” Hei objected with sparkling eyes of resolution. “You were the coolest!”

Key’s face burned a bright crimson at the overwhelming praise. “Well, if you say so… Let’s keep going.”

The two continued on, Hei now significantly more confident, and Key significantly less so. Enemies sporadically popped up from the bushes, trees or even underneath the thick layers of detritus coating the forest floor, but they were no match for the duo. Key was glad to see Hei’s iconic Headbutt not used on him.

After a while of trekking, the fox Pokemon’s face suddenly lit up. “We’re nearly at the end! They should be just up ahead!”

As he predicted, the forest path gave way to the entrance of a small, vine-covered cave. A burnt fireplace a few paces from the cave gave away the fact that it was not unoccupied, but more telling was the scattered items forming a trail leading inside. An Oran Berry, an Escape Orb, a Totter Seed, all clumsily left behind by bandits with their paws full.

“This is it.” Key confirmed. “They’re in here, no doubt. You ready?”

Hei nodded with a grin. “Yup!”

“Good.”

Warily, they slunk inside. The interior of the cavern matched the exterior’s size, no bigger than the deliverymons’ dorm room, but it felt much smaller due to piles of stolen goods crammed in every corner. Illuminated by torches that lined the rocky, mushroom-infested wall, crates filled with moldy Apples and pots half full with stagnant water took up most of the space, and scattered Poke coins glistened on the tattered rug. The only remotely neat area was a little space with two nests of hay, undoubtedly the criminals’ beds.

Key glanced around but to his surprise, the dwelling appeared to be deserted. He raised a brow, not daring to take a step further. “Something’s off…”

However, the only thing of interest to Hei is the ostentatious pile of goods at the deepest ends of the room. “Our delivery!” Ignoring her friend’s warning, she trotted up to the giant pile of loot.

“Wait, He—“

The torches were blown out all at once.

The entrance behind them sealed shut.

Pitch black darkness enveloped the two Pokemon in an instant.

“Wh-what?” Hei’s voice exclaimed.

“It’s a trap!” Key’s voice yelled out.

“Yes… trap…” An unknown voice hissed, startling the other two.

Key whipped his head around wildly, unable to see past the thick curtain of darkness. “Wh-who’s there?!”

“We… predator… you… prey…” The voice mumbled.

The Zorua felt something hard and keratinous touch his tail. He jumped, spinning in circles frantically in hopes of spotting the unseen menace. “St-stop it, you crooks! This isn’t funny, you know!”

“Key! Where are you?!” Hei’s voice called out. He tried going towards it, but something sharp swiped at his side only two steps in.

“Yowwch!” He cried out. He blindly lashed out into the dark, but made no contact. His breath grew shallow, panic sweeping his normally quick wit away.

“Key?!”

“C-careful, Hei! It’s dangerous!”

The Eevee soon understood what he meant as the unknown beast struck her rear paw, causing her to squeal in pain as well.

“L-leave us alone!”

Key’s voice was quivering, tears forming in his eyes. The situation was hopeless. Without any vision, the two kids could do nothing to defend themselves against the threat. They were utterly defenseless. The thing did not relent in its attacks, slashing at the two Pokemon mercilessly. They could only listen to each other’s yelps of pain and desperately limp about, bumping into unseen junk, hoping to find each other.

“Hei! I’m sorry!” Key’s voice suddenly shouted in between sobs. “It’s all my fault! All I do is cause trouble for others!”

“It’s not your fault, Key!” Hei yelled into the void. “You just wanted to help! You’re not a trouble at all!”

She felt her friend collapse at her feet.

“Daddy… save me…” His voice was weak and ragged. Hei ducked down to feel Key’s fur, making out his face damp with tears.

The horrific creaking voice of the attacker echoed throughout the cave. “Now… Finishing blow…”

Hei sensed the creature approaching. Her fright turned into a feeling that she could not easily describe. All she knew was that it was strong, and that it stirred up her spirit in such a way that she thought she was catching fire. It was not a foreign feeling; in fact, it was as if her entire body, right down to her DNA understood what was happening.

A brilliant reddish pink light shone from her right ear, washing away the shadow into an equally blinding radiance. Then, it was gone.

But Hei felt different. Completely different. Her body felt larger, more powerful, her senses felt completely rewired. A strange pressure warmed her forehead, ears, upper limbs and tail. And as if instinctually, she acted on it. A bright yellow glow now illuminated the cavern. Unlike the previous burst of light, this one remained, lighting up the cramped room, and her bewildered companion. He appeared much shorter than usual. But in reality… Hei had grown taller.

“You…!” Key gasped. “Hei, you evolved again!”

The Pokemon that stood before him was no longer an Eevee, but rather, an Umbreon. Her eyes were scarier than before: still a purple hue, but now with thin fearsome pupils. They, along with several yellow rings of fur, glowed brightly. Whether or not she evolved or not, it didn’t matter to Hei. Only three things mattered: that they could see again, that Key was okay, and that the unknown creature was finally revealed.

Frozen upside down on the ceiling of the cave stood a Parasect. His dull, glassy eyes reflected Hei’s light but seemed to give no reaction.

“Bad…” The creepy Bug type muttered. “This… bad… ambush… failed…”

Though the Parasect remained expressionless, Hei’s face hardened into a hostile expression.

“You’re the one that attacked us!”

The mushroom Pokemon tried to skitter off, but Hei’s strong legs allowed her to jump up and bite one of his legs. He fell down with her and landed on his oversized mushroom, leaving his belly exposed in between wriggling legs.

“No… Not hurt… Escape…”  He rasped.

“You hurt my friend!” Hei said while placing a paw on the Parasect’s defenseless stomach. “Gimme one good reason I shouldn’t squish you!”

“We… just fungus…” The Parasect answered in the same emotionless croak. “No feel pain… but need body… to live… Body… need food… you… food…”

The Umbreon pressed down on the zombie harder. “We aren’t food! I don’t care if you’re a Pokemon or a mushroom, eat an Apple if you’re that hungry!”

“Ok… We learn lesson… We… leave now… take others back…”

“Hmf.” Hei clearly looked irritated but decided to take the fungus at his word. She flipped the Parasect back on its legs, and in return, he spat out two small Pokemon from underneath the mushroom cap: the familiar Galarian Zigzagoon from before as well as a Nickit. They lied on the ground unconscious, too dazed from whatever they endured under the shroom.

“Fungus… not know… right or wrong…” Parasect said. “But… we weak… we see… your mercy… we not forget… we not bother others… any more…”

“I’m sure even a mushroom can keep its promise.” Hei nodded. “Bye bye.”

“Bye… bye…”

With what resembled a wave of its front claws, Parasect turned to the blocked off entrance of a cave. Magically, the large rock that plugged the opening rolled to the side, revealing the harsh sunlight of outside. The brightness bombarded the Umbreon’s unaccustomed eyes, but once they had enough time to adjust, she noticed a small troop of Paras crawling on the stone obstacle. Turned out the rock’s mysterious movement wasn’t magic after all. Wordlessly, the swarm of creepy crawlies huddled around their larger boss, and together they scuttled away into the depths of Mildew Forest.

Hei watched until their silhouettes blended into the haze of the forest before turning her attention to the three other Dark types who were steadily regaining consciousness. First was Key, who shakily managed to get back on four paws. Though still injured, he avoided wiping out entirely.

The now taller Hei lowered her head to meet his face with a relieved smile. “Key! We did it!”

For once, her friend was just as giddy as her. “We did it? No, Hei, you did it! You were so cool, I couldn’t believe my eyes! You sent that creep packing like it was nothing! And you’re a Dark type now, just like me! I—“ He paused suddenly. “Wait, how did you evolve? There aren’t any Evolution Crystals nearby…”

“I think it was… my earring.”

“Your earring?” Key repeated. “That’s right, Aldora did mention that stone is an Evolution Crystal. But it’s so tiny, and look it’s still there! Everyone knows Evolution Crystals disappear once you use them!”

Hei shrugged, but before Key could press her further, an obnoxious throat clear interrupted them. They turned to see the sound’s origin. The raggedy Nickit and Zigzagoon stared at them awkwardly.

“Well, well, well… If it ain’t Key.” Nickit spat in a nasal voice.

Key narrowed his eyes in return. “If it isn’t the second rate crooks… uh…”

“Are you kidding me?!” The other fox screeched. “You don’t remember our names?!”

“It’ll come to me, just gimme a minute…”

“It’s Nicki and Zag! As in, your sworn rivals in thievery?!”

The Zigzagoon, Zag, nodded along fiercely at her words.

“How many times do I have to tell you, we’re not rivals! You’re just a pair of chumps who won’t leave me alone!” The Zorua retaliated.

“We are too rivals!” Nicki growled, darting to stare down the ‘rival’ fox. “Only an esteemed rival could uncover our secret hideout!”

Key ground his forehead against hers. “You brought me here before to challenge me, remember?! And I beat you! What kind of a crummy thief leads other Pokemon into their hideout?! And stays in the same one after all this time?!”

“Thieves who know a good hideout when they see one! Peewee!”

“Numbskull!”

“Feebas bait!”

“Bushtail!”

The two continued to hurl insults at each other for a while. Hei slowly crept up to the Zigzagoon who watched from the sidelines while panting heartily.

“You ever feel like you just don’t know what’s going on?” She asked.

“All the time.”

Eventually, Key and Nicki ran out of insults (Nicki ran out first) and resorted to glaring at each other, red-faced.

“To have wasted my precious time like this… Mine! The Yellow-Eyed Mirage!” Key exclaimed.

“Yellow-Eyed Mirage? You? Please!” Nicki cackled. “Don’t insult the king of thieves like that! You ain’t never gonna be the Yellow-Eyed Mirage not even in a million years!”

“Grr… You shut up!” Key barked before tackling the Nickit.

“Um…” Hei piped up over the brawl ensuing before her. “Key, can we go finish the delivery now?”

Nicki glanced at the Umbreon, still chomping down of Key’s leg. “So the rumors are true… you really have gone soft.”

Key was taken aback by this. “Whaddaya mean, gone soft?”

“The trickster thief Key finally got caught, and is living on the straight and narrow… making deliveries, drinking tea, having pillow fights… How far you’ve fallen, ey ol’ chum?”

“I-I haven’t gone soft! And I don’t have pillow fights!”

“What about the one we had last week?” The Umbreon asked.

“Zip it, Hei!”

Nicki’s gaze turned pitying. “How embarrassing for you. I guess we really ain’t rivals no more since you… abandoned your life of crime, and all.”

“Who said anything about that?! This is all part of my master plan!”

“Sure, sure… well by all means, we don’t want to keep the Postmaster’s pets from your game of patty cake, now do we, Zag?”

Zag nodded blankly.

“Th-that’s some big talk for a couple of chumps who were inside of a mushroom five minutes ago!” Key snapped. “And who saved you? That’s right, the Postmaster’s pets!”

“P-please…! We were just…tired from our great hustle and… too busy admiring our haul to notice that weird Pokemon crawl in our hideout.”

“Yeah, an’ Nicki’s too scared to go against Bug types! They scare her outta her wits!” Zag added.

“Zip it, Zag!”

“Fact remains you and Bonehead over there were gonna be mushroom food if not for me and Hei!” The Zorua declared triumphantly.

“Tch, whatever…” The other fox Pokemon grumbled. “Since we’re feelin’ real generous today, you can take your stolen crap and leave… but don’t think we’re gonna quit messing with you and your little pal. We are rivals, after all.”

“No, we’re not.”

The deliverymon gathered up the pile of stolen good and tucked them safely inside their bags. However, Hei tilted her head, her brow furrowed.

“I could’ve sworn there was more…”

Key stomped his paw. “Nicki!”

Sheepishly, Nicki gave her tail a good shake, resulting in a surprising amount of items to fall from her fur.

“A thief’s gotta try.”

---

Having retrieved the stolen goods, scolded the thieves and escaped from the harrowing Mildew Forest, the pair of friends returned to the heart of Crossroad Town, where they meet their clients the Kecleon brothers in Kecleon Shop.

Though the color swap Pokemon were not too pleased by their tardiness, nor by the banged up state of some of the wares, Hei explained the situation honestly. Both green and purple Kecleon forgave them and even commended their bravery under the circumstances, finally promising not to complain to the delivery service. The day was considerably later than either of them had expected, already trickling into afternoon.

Though they had agreed to spend the rest of their day playing, they found themselves utterly exhausted after the hectic delivery. Instead, they settled on eating a filling late lunch in the town marketplace, and visiting Key’s old secret hideout. The walk was more taxing than usual, but it was entirely worth it when both Umbreon and Zorua settled atop one of the blades of the abandoned windmill and admired the wonderful view of the town.

“Ahh, the breeze is so refreshing!” Hei sighed, stretching her toe beans out. “Especially after that stinky old forest!”

“You’re telling me!” Key replied. “I never wanna go back there again. Especially if those two goons are there.”

“Mystery dungeons can be pretty scary places.”

“Urk. Yeah. Sorry for making you go. Since you were so scared at first, I mean.”

“You wanna know something, Key?”

“What?”

Hei smiled. “Even though it was scary… I had a lot of fun!”

“Yeah? Me too. Let’s go explore another one, someday.”

“Cuz we’re an exploration team?”

“Heh. Yeah. The best exploration team in the entire Water Continent!”

“Best in the world!”

“The whole wide world.”

“…Key?”

“Yeah?”

“Who are the Explorers? You mention them sometimes.”

Key looked at her, surprised. “You’ve never heard of the Explorers?”

Hei only looked back with docile eyes.

Her friend gave a weary grin. “I guess you wouldn’t… It’s fairy tale stuff now. But long ago, when the world was still new and full of treasure, there were these guilds of Explorers. They were brave, powerful, amazing Pokemon that travelled the world, discovered new places and found loads of beautiful golden treasures. Most of what we know about the world is because of them and what they started. And wherever they went, they helped other Pokemon in need. There was even a Hero Explorer, who saved the planet from being frozen in time itself!”

“Wow, you know so much about them!”

“Well duh, everyone knows about Explorers. When I was little, my Da- I mean, my father used to tell me stories about them every night. And I wished… that I would grow up to be one.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“C’mon, Explorers don’t exist anymore! All of the world has been explored already.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, yeah… Besides, being a thief is much cooler.”

“Hey, Key?”

“Yeah?”

“Where’s your dad now?”

Key stayed silent.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s fine. He’s somewhere far away right now. But I know we’ll meet again.”

“I’m sure you will.”

---

Aldora set the report down on her already crowded desk. With a sigh, she hopped down from the table and made her way to the balcony, taking in the cool night air as she often liked to do. She watched the dark waves dance along the horizon line.

“Oh, kind winds who lifted my ancestors high above… carry my message so that they might hear…” The Shaymin said, eyes closed. “The new recruits grow stronger and more confident… I pray their days with us bring them joy.”

She stepped closer to the balcony’s unguarded edge. “From their report, I learned their day was perilous. The Eevee has evolved once more. But tell me, great ancestors… how can she have evolved into an Umbreon in plainest daylight? How could she have defied the natural order so? And that peculiar earring…”

A strong gale swept by, ruffling her leafy pelt. She opened her eyes once more, gazing upwards to the faint twinkling stars above. “Indeed… she is not an ordinary sort. Dearest ancestors, you’ve met a Pokemon chosen by fate eons ago, gifted with skills beyond explanation, and guided them through our motherland. Could she possibly be…?”

The wind fell silent.

“For the sake of the world’s harmony, let us hope not. A beacon of salvation is also an omen of calamity.”