Chapter 9: Good Things Come in Twos

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ivan grumbled as he stared up at a bulletin board. He gripped his temples and let out a long sigh. 

The standing wooden sign was covered in colorful advertisements, notices, and mission requests. The Grovyle gazed wearily at a brimming packet of pamphlets held together by a paper clip. They were his latest ads aimed at enticing aspiring recruits, testifying to the mission of the new Nightscale. However, not a single pamphlet had been taken. 

‘How many people have passed this board since I put them here? Dozens? Hundreds?’

he wondered.

‘I know a few missions won’t change its reputation, but is there nobody who will give us a chance?’

Unable to look at the board any longer, Ivan looked instead at his surroundings. Around him was a small, circular park surrounded by trees. In its center was an old, mossy stone fountain eagerly pouring water into its basin. Three dirt paths shout out from the park, the northernmost of which sloped toward tall wood buildings. The circle of buildings made up Florei Valley’s shopping plaza. The collective murmur of voices escaped it, resonating down the hill and over the tired Grovyle. 

He groaned. “I need an aspirin.” His head dropped as he turned to walk toward a dirt path leading west. 

Ivan dragged himself down the dirt path and toward Nightscale’s base. After several minutes, he could see the worn house peeking over a wall of short trees. The always-scowling face of Umbrich rose above, though its haphazard construction made its lips’ corners snake upward. It looked more like a malicious smile, mocking the Grovyle. 

‘You’re Arceus-knows-where, but it’s like you’re still looming over me,’

Ivan thought as his eyes fell. 

“No,” he muttered before shaking his head. “I have to think positively. It’s… not all bad. I’ve got a great teammate, and we’re doing awesome! The Nectardrop Festival committee loved our contributions. We helped Uncle Chester, and he’s proud of me. We’re making progress, we just have to keep at it.”

The Grovyle continued until he reached an old wooden bridge arcing over a stream. Past it stretched the streets and gardens of his home neighborhood. 

He stopped and rubbed his chin. “What would make people want to work for Nightscale? Flexible hours? A sign-on bonus? Don’t know if that’d be fair to Gal—”

Ivan froze. There was a soft noise behind him, a light whooshing followed by a hardy flap, as though a Pokémon were fanning themselves. The sound grew louder and closer, causing the Grovyle to crane his neck back. 

Flying towards the Grovyle was a Beautifly woman, a small specimen with rosy cheeks and eyelids. Her big, royal blue eyes looked eagerly toward him. A hollow wooden accessory adorned her left antenna. 

“Helloooooo! Excuse me!” she called, her voice high and sing-song. 

Ivan spun around to face her as the distance between them closed. The Beautifly floated so that their eyes were at the same level, despite being a foot shorter than him. The Grovyle studied her wings, which had round spots and branching yellow stripes crowned with pointed shapes.

He smiled. “Oh, hello! Can I help you?” 

Though she had no outward mouth, the Beautifly’s glittering eyes smiled back. “It’d be so nice if you could! I’m looking for a rescue team base, but don’t know where to go. Would you know where to find it?” Her voice was high with a mild softness, though when she raised it, had the excitement and pitch of a teapot boiling over.

Ivan nodded before grinning. “I might be able to help! I’m a team leader myself. Who do you need to find?”

“Oh, how lucky!” she replied as she flapped her wings, causing her to float higher. “I’m looking for someone named Ivan Drakonov from Team Nightscale. Do you know him?” 

He laughed. “I believe I do, he should be…” 

The Grovyle playfully pointed his claw around before turning it toward himself. “Right here! I’m Ivan. What can I do for you, miss…?”

The Beautifly gasped. “Lady, Lady Springs! This is wonderful! I want to be on a rescue team, and your flyer said you needed Pokémon to join you. I hope I’m not too late!” 

A sudden warmth overcame Ivan, reassurance and joy making him stand a little taller.

‘Ask and you shall receive— The flyers worked after all! This is great!’

“Nice to meet you, Lady. And don’t worry, we have plenty of room!” he replied. “I’m heading back to base now, so let’s walk— er, in your case fly, and talk about it.”

“Okay!” Lady squeaked with a nod.

Ivan stepped onto the bridge as he continued walking, the boards softly creaking under his feet. The Beautifly followed eagerly, fluttering gracefully over it. 

“So Lady, did you fill out an application?” Ivan asked as he hopped off the bridge and back onto solid ground. 

However, the Beautifly froze in place. She went quiet, and her eyes became wider than usual. She had nothing but the accessory on her antenna

“Oh goodness, I don’t have it with me!” she cried. Her head fell and her antennae drooped. “I’m so sorry, I don’t want to waste your time! I imagine you need an application to consider me…”

Ivan gritted his teeth as he watched the life drain from the Beautifly. He wrung his claws. “It’s not a problem, really! The application’s just a formality. I might have a spare form at the base anyway. We’ll do the interview there.”

“Oh?” Lady uttered as. She picked her head back up as the energy surged back into her. “Thank you, that’s such a relief. But can we talk now? I’m too excited to wait another second!”

The Grovyle laughed as the two began moving again. He pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil from his bag. “Fine by me! I know the basics already, like your name and species, so tell me about your experience. How long have you been with AIRTA?”

“As of today!” Lady replied. “I’m new to this lovely town too, I’m from the wilds.”

He scribbled on the paper before raising a brow in intrigue. “Talk about a fresh face. In that case, do you have battle experience?” 

“I haven’t done much battling, but I’ve been training really hard!” she said with a glint of pride in her eyes. “ I have Silver Wind, Air Cutter, uh… Morning Sun! And my super special Solar Beam!” 

Ivan nodded attentively. “A special move, huh? I’d love to see that. We can always work on your fighting if it’s a concern. Now, how would you describe yourself? What makes you a good teammate?”

“Ooh, I know this one!” Lady peeped as she gave the Grovlye a determined look.  “I’m dependable, enthusiastic, goal-oriented, passionate, hard-working… Oh, and strong-willed!” 

He chuckled. “That’s a nice pitch. Did you write and rehearse that yourself?” 

The Beautifly blushed. “I may have had some help.”

“That’s not a problem,” Ivan assured before tapping his chin with a claw.

‘If she doesn’t have any experience, I guess there’s only one more thing I need to know.’ 

“So, Lady, what makes you want to be a rescuer?” 

Her eyes sparkled, and she fanned her wings eagerly. “It’s my dream! Helping Pokémon, seeing the isle! I’ve wanted to see the world since I was just a Silcoon.”

‘Seeing the world isn’t an uncommon reason to join a team,’

the Grovyle knew.

‘But a sense of adventure is a good sign in a Pokémon, so long as they’re passionate about the work too. If that’s the case, I could probably depend on her to tackle tough missions.’

“Well, you’ve certainly caught my interest,” he remarked. “We can test you out to make sure, but you’re probably Nightscale material. You’ve certainly got the attitude for it.”

Lady gasped. “Really? I can join your team?” 

“Well, there’s a few more things to discuss, mostly employment legalities. But if you want to join us, I have a good feeling you’ll fit in!” Ivan said confidently. 

The Beautifly went still and silent again. She stared off into nothing as she processed the words. 

Ivan frowned. “Are you okay, Lady? If you need a day or two to think about it, that’s no prob—”




“EEEEEEEEEEE!” she suddenly squealed before taking off, rapidly flying up and around Ivan in a circle. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouuuuu!” She stopped right in front of Ivan, meeting his eyes with a brilliant glow on her face. “This is amazing, I’m going to be on a rescue team! I’m so excited!” 

The Grovyle couldn’t help but giggle at the display of energy and delight. “You’re welcome! I love your enthusiasm, I think we’ll be fast friends! Speaking of which, I can’t wait for you to meet Galena! She’s great, you two will get along for sure.”

“This is just too amazing!” she replied, her wings beating as if trying to cool a Macargo. “Today’s been more wonderful than I imagined. I can’t wait to tell my hubby about this!” 

Ivan raised his brow again. “Your hubby?” 

“Lady? Lady!” called someone from behind the Grovyle with a breathy, slightly gruff voice. 

The two turned to see a large, scaly blue form approaching. The Druddigon trudged as fast as he could, his large feet pounding the dirt and his thick, muscular arms swinging. He looked down at them with beady amber-orange eyes resting above his gaping crimson maw. Behind him followed a spiky tail and two massive wings. 

“Ha… ah… Lady!” he uttered again, puffing out heavy breaths. “Why did you fly off like that? You could have gotten lost, we don’t know this place.” 

The Beautifly’s head fell. “I’m sorry, Inti. I didn’t mean to leave you behind, I was just excited. I even forgot our papers, silly me.” 

The Druddigon sighed as he raised his large, clawed hand. He presented two envelopes stamped with the AIRTA symbol. “It’s okay, sweetheart. But we must have these close. We never know when we’ll run into this Drakonov person.”

He turned to look at Ivan, as though the rescuer had just appeared from thin air. He seemed to shrink before his eyes darted back toward Lady. “Er… who is this you’re talking to?” 

“Oh, you won’t believe our luck!” she cheered as she gestured to the Grovyle. “This is Ivan! Ivan, this is my darling husband Inti!” 

Inti recoiled. He stared at the Grovyle with panic in his eyes as his jaw dropped. “Y-you’re Ivan?” 

He smiled and held out his claw invitingly. “That’s me. Great to meet you, Inti. Lady and I—”

“I-I’m sorry for being behind!” he interrupted, his voice trembling. “My wife gets ahead of herself sometimes. Arceus, that sounds bad, but I assure you we’re not normally so disorganized! We’ve sorted everything with your organization and are taking this very seriously. Not to say we can’t be flexible of course. I have our applications, so you can take those into consideration— i-if you’re considering us at all. If you would give us a chance despite our poor introduction that would be very kind of you! Iamsorrythisissonewtousandtodayhasbeenablurand—”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t worry!” Ivan interjected, throwing out his claws before Inti could ramble further. “Lady and I have already spoken about her application.”

The Druddigon’s face turned pale. “O-oh, you have?” 

“Yes, and I’d like to try her out!” Ivan assured.

Inti blinked as his color returned. His eyes went wide in surprise as he stood tall again. “Really? You’d… like to hire my darling?” 

The Grovyle nodded before gazing at the envelopes in the Druddigon’s claws. “We were about to work out details, yeah. I’m guessing from your explanation, you’re applying with her?” 

He looked away. “If that would be alright, yes.”

“My Inti taught me everything I know about fighting. He’d be perfect for the team!” Lady remarked happily. 

Ivan rubbed his chin. “We do have two open positions. Why don’t we sit down and talk about it?” 

The Druddigon sighed in relief. “That would be nice, thank you.” 

“Two for one. That’s lucky,” Galena remarked before whistling. She placed a steaming cup of coffee on the base’s dining table and lowered herself onto a stool. 

Ivan chuckled from the seat next to her before gesturing to the couple across from them. “I’ll say. Just when I thought we’d have nobody applying.” 

Inti poked nervously at a pastry on a plate in front of him before cautiously meeting his eyes. 

Lady was perched beside him atop the table, her proboscis extended as she sipped the juice from a Pecha berry on her plate. She curled her proboscis before wiping it with a napkin. “We’re the lucky ones! We found you right when you needed two more Pokémon. It’s like it’s meant to be!” 

Ivan smiled as he flipped through the pages of their applications. “I guess we’ll find out. But from what I’ve read, you two could be useful to have in battle. It says here Inti knows Sunny Day to back up your Solarbeam?” 

The Druddigon nodded. “Yes, I learned it as we prepared to come to town. Lady knew Solarbeam already, so it only made sense. That way I can better protect and fight alongside her.” 

“My hubby is so loving and considerate!” Lady said, closing her eyes contently. 

He blushed. “Er… I needed to ensure we’d be safe.” 

“Good to know,” Ivan remarked as he wrote on a separate paper. “Working together and supporting each other is crucial to a successful team, as my dad would say.”

Galena finished a gulp of her coffee before smiling. “Looking out for each other, huh? I can respect that. You guys make a cute couple, would certainly be interesting having you around. Especially if it means I get a new gal pal.”

Lady’s antennae stood up and her wings danced happily. “You want to be gal pals? I don’t have any, aside from my sisters. That would be wonderful!” 

The Goodra gave her a thumbs-up. “Sure thing, girlfriend. Ivan’s good company, but he spends all his time reading. Can’t get him to go out and do something fun half the time. His favorite hangout is the library.” 

“Hey, that reading does the mind good,” Ivan huffed as he crossed his arms. “Gotta keep my mind sharp as team leader. And I’ll have you know I have a degree in classic literature.”

She rolled her eyes. “Is that what the certificate in your office is for? We need a dartboard or something in here. I’ve been using that thing for target practice with my stress ball.” 

The Grovyle’s mouth fell open as he rose from his seat. “Is THAT why the frame keeps getting scuffed!? That’s not funny, I worked hard for that! You try writing a thirty-page paper on the symbolism and cultural significance of De Pala’s greatest works, including but not limited to—”




He stopped himself as he noticed Lady and Inti staring. He cleared his throat as he sat back down. “Bit of a tangent there. We’ll get a dartboard. But let’s get back to the interview.” 

“That would be nice,” Inti muttered. 

“Right, sorry,” Ivan replied. “I’d like to see what you can do. I know of a mission request that’d be perfect for new rescuers, if still available. Just a retrieval mission in Riptide Reef, a mystery dungeon across the river. A team called Skyward lost a satchel there.”

Lady’s eyes lit up. “A mystery dungeon? Ooh, I’ve never been in one!” 

“I… didn’t know we’d enter one so soon,” Inti remarked with an anxious frown. “I understand they are quite dangerous.”

“Not all dungeons are the same. Riptide Reef, despite the name, doesn’t have dangerous Pokémon. We just call these easy missions ‘fetch quests,’” Ivan explained.

Galena crossed her arms. “If it’s so easy, why didn’t this team go back for it?” 

“Probably just busy,” he said with a shrug. “They’re a Gold-Rank team. Besides, if you went back to a dungeon every time you lost something, you’d never have time to do anything else. Better to cut your losses and buy new items. But look at it this way— This is an opportunity to help out a seasoned, well-known team, to build our repute.” 

Inti let out a deep sigh. “If you think we should learn, and that it will be safe, I suppose I can’t argue.” 

“Then it’s settled. First thing tomorrow, we’ll pack and head out!” Ivan announced. 

The Druddigon exhaled. The corners of his scaly lips finally curved into a small smile. “That sounds nice. Today has been quite eventful, as this is our first day of civil life. It would be good to rest and—”

“Can we go today?” Lady interrupted, her eyes enlarging and pleading the Grovyle. 

Inti’s smile disappeared as he looked at her. “Sweetheart, wouldn’t it be better for us to acclimate to this?” 

“But… it’s our first mission! I’ll explode if we don’t go as soon as possible!” she begged as her antennae drooped. “Aside from you, I’ve never wanted anything more.”

The Druddigon’s eyes fell, and he gritted his teeth as he thought. After a moment, he slowly turned his head toward Ivan. “Could we… possibly do the mission today?” 

“Maybe? It’s early enough for it,” Ivan replied before looking up at Galena. “Would that be alright? I know we planned to take it easy today.” 

The Goodra smiled. “Hey, a first mission is a big deal, and so are new teammates. I’ll quickly pack dinner for us all, then we’ll high-tail it.”

“Thank you so much, this is going to be great!” Lady cheered. 

Galena chuckled. “I bet you’re gonna be a ton of fun, girlfriend.” She balled her fist and presented it to Lady. The Beautifly squeaked gleefully before tapping it with her arm. 

Ivan nodded before putting his papers down on the table. “Okay! It’s decided, Riptide Reef, here we come!” 

‘A test mission with a full team… if this goes well— and I pray it will— it will be a game changer for Nightscale! And even better, it’d mean making new friends!’