Chapter 2 – It’s Not My Dream

When the excitement and emotion of the moment passed, Hopper made his way back inside to get himself ready for the day. While I’m eager to get on the road again, his last-minute offer gave me the chance to realize I’d left my scarf in the house. I went inside to retrieve it and could faintly hear Hopper rummaging through his bedroom.

Before leaving the house once more, I shouted to him from the other side of his door. “I’ll be outside! We have a big day today, so don’t mess around too long!”

I hear a loud THUD as I start, followed by a yelp and a couple of exasperated breaths. Whatever Hopper hit, he seemed to have hit hard, as the bag hanging on the outside of his door shook in response. Finally, he answers “Y-Yeah! Okay! Sorry!” I cast aside the numerous questions in my head and choose to wait outside, sitting against the wall.

What’s taking him so long anyways?

---

I rub my head for a moment to ease the pain, but quickly get back to business. The furthest I typically stray from home is the lake, so it’s been a while since I’ve had to use my bag. I swear, I’ve checked every nook and cranny in my room, but I just can’t find the thing. It’s not like I have much to bring along, but it would be unfair for Eri to carry all the food around if we have two mouths to feed now. I decide to take another once-over.

Closet? No. Just a couple toys from when I was a kid.

Bedside dresser? No. This one’s always been empty, actually.

Hanger on the door? No, would be embarrassing to miss something out in the open like that.

Wouldn’t fit under the rug.

Doesn’t look like it’s under the bed, either.

With a dejected sigh, I resign myself to my last option. A bag is a must for any adventurer, and Grandpa had a premium one. A beautiful leather finish with more compartments than you could count. He hardly ever gloated about his adventuring days, and there wasn’t much in the house you could call a souvenir, but that bag alone would’ve been enough to flag him as a retired pro. No doubt, it would be a high honor to inherit something like that, and I’m sure Grandpa would let me someday, but there’s one problem…

He was five times my height.

Grabbing it off Grandpa’s door, I nearly crumple under its weight. I could fit inside this thing myself pretty comfortably, there’s no way I could lug it around all day. Time’s running out, I’d really ought to get a move on. Guess I’ll just have to carry a couple berries in my arms. I walk towards the huge pile in the kitchen, past my bedroom, and lean down to-

Wait, wait, wait, back up.

I look over my shoulder, at the outside of my door this time, and immediately feel a pang of stupidity wash over me.

---

After a few minutes, Hopper emerges from the house wearing a backpack slightly larger than my bag. It’s a simple bag, constructed haphazardly from a common fabric. It bears just a single compartment from the exterior which it seems Hopper has filled to the brim with fruit, indicated by the rounded protrusions visible in some areas. For a moment, I thought to ask him what took so long, but the defeated and exhausted look on his face makes me hold the thought.

“S-Sorry for the wait, Eri…” he says with a tired sigh.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry too much about it. Lighten up, Hopper, we’ve got a big day ahead of us! Can’t be getting tuckered out before we even leave, right?”

He straightens his posture a little at that. “O-Of course! To Radiant Square, right?”

“Right you are, partner. Do you mind leading the way back to the main stem of the trail?”

“Oh, right, yeah! Leave it to me!” Hopper punctuates his sentence with an innocent smile, excitedly taking the lead as we march forward through the deep woods once more.

As we walk, Hopper tends to glance back at me through each little bend and diversion. The path isn’t particularly hard to follow, and there’s still plenty of light peeking through the leaves, but he seems very on edge for whatever reason. I guess I get it, given his circumstances.

---

After sidling between another pair of trees, I glance back at Eri for a moment. She always seems so deep in thought, but she’s having no trouble keeping up with me. I see her eyes descend from the sky towards my face, and I instinctually dart my gaze back to the path ahead.

After stepping away from a steep drop, I look behind me once more. Eri’s doing just fine, this time making some markings on her map, presumedly charting the way back to the house. Her gaze rises from the huge sheet of paper, but I don’t have the nerve to meet it.

I put a little kick in my step moving forward.

Emerging from a small thicket, I take a look to make sure Eri made it through fine. Of course, she had no issue either, but took a moment to clean the foliage off her coat. Once again, her eyes zero in on mine, and I’m too distracted to look away in time. A smile takes her face, and she gives me a little wave before continuing to brush down her coat. With the best smile I can muster, I raise my hand to wave back before I slowly turn my head forward, take a deep breath, and continue. My face feels like it’s on fire, I don’t even want to imagine how it looks.

I didn’t look back again after.

---

Finally, we arrive back at the main stem of the trail. My markings weren’t perfect, But I was able to jot down a rough approximation of the path to the house. I’d hate to invite myself in, but there’s no guarantee that we can find accommodation right off the bat in Radiant Square. Living together would be ideal, being his partner and all, so it’s very likely that we’ll be heading back tonight.

The light that peppers the trail seems to be at its peak luminosity, indicating that it’s about noon. We slept in a tiny bit longer than I’d hoped, but I guess I’d underestimated how long it would take us to get back on the trail. Looks like we’ll have early mornings in store for us as adventurers. Hopper steps aside cordially, as if to offer me the lead.

I begin walking back towards the fork in the trail. Taking a quick glance behind me – much less obvious than Hopper’s, if I do say so – I can tell that he’s relaxed a little compared to earlier. I figure it wouldn’t hurt to strike up conversation if he’s in a better mood. “Y’know, Hopper, it’s incredible that you can remember that whole path.”

“Oh, uh, thank you… I visit the lake a lot, so it’s become like second nature to me. I remember getting lost a lot as a kid, so I was worried you’d lose your way if I weren’t careful. You did great yourself, Eri.” As he talks, he picks up his pace to join me at my side.

I took a moment to take in what he said. Yesterday, I noticed a lot of craters from what I assume are fights with Bryon and Vincent. Why would he keep going to the same spot over and over? I consider asking him for a second, but I imagine he might not want to talk about it right now, so I bite my tongue.

In the interest of maintaining conversation, I pivot the topic a little. “You and your grandfather lived alone, right? Did you guys ever visit Radiant Square?”

Hopper’s eyes stray upwards before squinting, as if in deep thought. After a few seconds, our eyes meet again. With a slight shrug, he says, “Uh… I think we have before… I must’ve just been a Pawmi then, though.” He takes another moment to think. “From what I remember, Grandpa knew a ton of people around there, but he was always real sour about it. Whenever I’d ask him to take me there, he’d have some stupid excuse. He never was super social.”

There it is again, that melancholy look. I think I might have made him uncomfortable. No matter how hard I try, I can’t find the right words for Hopper right now. I think through my options. If I keep talking about his grandfather like normal, I risk making him even more uncomfortable. I consider apologizing and asking him whether he’s comfortable coming to Radiant Square with me, but I don’t want to patronize him like that. He was so confident and earnest earlier when he offered to be my partner, I need to respect that. I lose myself in thought and begin to fall behind just a little bit.

Suddenly, I feel a warm paw grasp mine. I lift my gaze to meet Hopper’s, and I’m greeted by a gentle smile. “Eri, don’t worry too much, alright?”

---

Eri’s mouth lays agape for a few seconds, our eyes locked the whole time. She closes her eyes and sighs, but it’s not a sigh of disappointment or anything bad, but rather a sigh of relief. As she opens her eyes, she meets my gaze once again and smiles. “Thanks, Hopper, I appreciate it. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Releasing her paw and continuing at her side, I continue, “It’s fine, really. It’s just a little hard to talk about Grandpa…” Eri’s expression turns to one of pity. “Don’t get the wrong idea, though. I mean, it’s been months, I’ve had a lot of time to grieve… to contemplate. It’s just…” I think about my next words carefully but decide to let it go for now. I don’t want to overwhelm Eri, we’ve only just met after all. “In any case, don’t be afraid to ask about Grandpa. Like I said last night, getting it all off my chest doesn’t hurt.”

I look to her again with a small smile, the best I can muster right now. While I can still sense her concern, she smiles back. “I’m glad, then.”

I can’t believe I grabbed her paw.

---

After just a little more walking, we round a bend in the path and see a particularly bright clearing in the forest approaching. Looking up at the sky, it seems to be around noon or 1 PM. After finishing the Oran berry I’d been eating, I fish my map out of my bag to get my bearings.

So, if we were here…

Then that means the next clearing is up here…

And that’s…

Wait, no way.

“Hopper! Look, look!” I yank the strap of his bag, pulling him into a sort of huddle.

“What? What’s the matter?” It looks like he was mid-way through an apple, so I understand his surprise.

“Look! Look at the map!” I release him and push the small scroll to his chest.

“Okay, okay. Let’s see here. If we were here… Then the next clearing is up here… right…?” I give an excited nod. “Alright, so that’s… Wait, no way.” He looks over to me, and I rip the map out of his hands and take off running as fast as I can.

“Last one to Radiant Square is a rotten egg!”

“Hey, no fair!” It takes a moment before I hear Hopper start running, but once I do, I really hear him running. Second by second, my lead is reduced to almost nothing. Just over halfway to the clearing, he’s already just behind me. I put everything I have into a final push, but I feel myself losing steam. The coat and scarf sure are stylish, but they’re no good when I’ve got to sprint. Lucky Hopper, just wearing that armband of his. He just hardly beats me to the clearing, and I come to an abrupt stop as I emerge.

Hopper doesn’t, and instead hurdles all the way to a gate before stopping just short of a collision. At either end of the wooden gate stand a Patrat and a Teddiursa. While the Teddiursa looks more startled and afraid than anything, the Patrat is on high alert following Hopper’s dramatic entrance. After regaining its composure, it points a finger at Hopper and reaches for a whistle tied around its neck.

Not good, not good! I can’t let our first impression in Radiant Square be like this! I dash to the Patrat as fast as I can, frantically pleading “Wait, wait, wait! Just one second!” Just in the nick of time, the Patrat lowers the whistle and looks over to me instead. Its stare is as cold as ice, with a hint of anger hidden beneath. It hasn’t even spoken up and I already feel like I’m being interrogated by those eyes alone.

“You, Minccino! Do you know this Pawmo?” He crosses his arms as he finishes, though he seems prepared to act at a second’s notice.

“Yes, hello. Sorry about my partner. We were so excited to reach town that we had a little race at the end there. My name is Eri, and this is Hopper. It’s nice to meet you both.” Hopper waves as I say his name, having recalibrated from his little stunt. I give a slight bow as I finish and give a small cue to Hopper.

“Ah, um… I’m sorry for the trouble.” Hopper follows my lead and gives a more exaggerated bow.

As I look up, the Patrat seems unamused. He closes his eyes for a second, lets out a sigh loaded with frustration, and locks eyes with me once more. “No sort of rabblerousers are welcome in Radiant Square. If you’ve no pressing business, I politely ask that you take your leave.” Ugh, I could tell what this guy’s deal was the moment I saw him, and it seems I was right. I look to Hopper, who is visibly distraught. Meanwhile, the Teddiursa has regained his composure and is darting their eyes between us and the Patrat indecisively.

I do my best to keep calm as I retort. Getting into a big argument with this guy isn’t going to help me at all, I’ll have to lick his boot a little to make headway. “Hey, we’re really sorry to cause trouble. We’re actually a pair of prospective adventurers, if you’d believe it. We promise not to rouse any rabble, so can you pl-” I stop short as he threatens us with his whistle. As I back down, he too lowers his whistle again, a smug smirk taking his face with a light chuckle.

This guy…

---

Without even seeing her face, I could feel Eri’s frustration with this Pokémon. Laughed out of the place she’s traveled so long to reach, all over some misunderstanding. I can’t say I don’t feel the same. To my surprise, Eri takes a deep breath and begins to back away, her aura of frustration dissipating, an air of sadness taking its place. “Come on, Hopper, let’s head back. I’m sure there’s another town we can visit tomorrow.” For a half second, I think to follow her out of reflex, but I don’t budge. We’re in this situation because of my recklessness, and I’m not going to let us give up so soon without putting up a fight.

“Oi, Pawmo, your partner there has the sense to get lost. I’d advise you to do the same.” That stupid grin disappears from his face as he addresses me, replaced with the same irritated frown he had when we arrived.

Behind me, Eri signals for me to follow her. I return my gaze to the Pokémon at the gate and take a step forward. “Hey, Freaky Eyes, it’s not right for you to laugh at us like that. I’ll ask nicely one more time, please let me and my partner in.”

I struck a nerve, clearly. I can see a vein pop on his head, he looks like he could just explode right now. As he steps forward, I shift my stance to prepare for a fight. “Wait, Hopper! What are you doing?” Eri runs up to my side. Whistle in hand, the Pokémon opens his mouth and takes a breath as if to start screaming at us, but suddenly…

“H-Hugh! Shouldn’t we just let them pass? There’s no need to sic the G-Guild on them, right? They don’t seem like bad people…” This Pokémon’s partner finally speaks up from the other end of the gate. He looks terrified to stand up to his partner, but he stands his ground regardless.

Glaring back to me for a moment, this Hugh Pokémon exhales deeply, like he’s ejecting all of the rage from his body. Finally, he allows his whistle to hang from his neck once more and backs away. He and his partner both reach for cranks on either end of the gate. “Eri the Minccino… and Hopper the Pawmo, right?” Eri and I nod to him. “Fine, welcome to Radiant Square, we hope you enjoy your stay.” The words drag as he forces them from his mouth. Eri and I both give a slight bow to both gatekeepers before proceeding. As we step through the gate and into town, I don’t feel Hugh’s gaze ease up for even a second.

---

As I enter Radiant Square proper and allow myself to take it all in, I feel all the day’s tension wash away in an instant. Just past the gate is the center of the whole town. A long, straight path extends to the left and right. To the left is an array of shops and businesses situated in intricate buildings, while a multitude of living quarters line the path to the right. Straight ahead is a long staircase stretching up a hill, with similar rows of commerce and housing intersecting it to form a series of parallel lines of increasing elevation. At the very top of the hill, a gigantic tent stands tall, adorned a bright orange with black accents and shaped to resemble a majestic flame. Anyone on this side of the continent would be able to identify that pattern, even one who has never visited Radiant Square itself.

Without realizing, a goofy grin appeared on my face. Hopper laughs a little, and I can’t help but join him, even at my own expense.

---

I can empathize with Eri’s excitement. Radiant Square is as incredible as it is in my blurred memories. I don’t know if it’s common where Eri comes from, but what caught my eye the most was the crowds. At any moment, there’s at least five Pokémon in my peripheral vision here at any moment. Some of them are of familiar shapes, some of them completely foreign. As my eyes scan over the endless Pokémon lining the streets, I feel my heart race. Butterfree fill my stomach, and even just looking feels exhausting, but simultaneously so… exhilarating? I really can’t describe the feeling.

I’m broken from my trance when Eri taps my shoulder, signaling towards a large building at the end of the first street’s left wing. “According to the map, that seems to be town hall. That’s our first stop. We’d best get going while we still have some daylight.” I hadn’t even noticed until Eri mentioned it, but it’s already early afternoon. We’d slept in a little this morning, but we’ll want to get a move on to get home at a reasonable hour. I nod my head in affirmation and follow her lead to the town hall.

As we walk, I realize how little understanding I have of our plan here. “So, Eri, what business do we have at town hall anyways?”

Eri gives me a confused look. “Your grandfather really didn’t talk much about adventuring stuff, did he. You need a license to take gigs as an adventurer in Radiant Square, and you get your license from the town hall. It’s a little anti-climactic, but our adventure starts with paperwork, unfortunately.”

We come to a wooden building at the end of the left street. For a town hall, it’s a bit smaller than I imagined. Don’t get me wrong, it dwarfs Eri and I, but I’d have thought such an important building would be larger. The wood showed signs of age, though it was accented by polished metal. I continue forward, but Eri stops short of the door. “Hm?” I turn to face her, pausing my paw as I go to push the door open.

“Ah! Sorry…” Eri snaps out of her trance, losing her thousand-yard stare and instead making eye contact.

“Is everything alright? Do you need to eat something before we get started?”

Eri shakes her head in response. “No, no… I’m alright. Just excited, I guess…”

I decide to take her word for it for the time being. “I’m a bit nervous too. Let’s just try to do our best, okay?” With an affirmative nod, she steps forward to the huge wooden door as I push it open.

Or at least I try to push it open, but the thing is a bit too heavy for me, it seems. Looking up, the door is easily five times our height, perhaps even a little taller. I suppose it makes sense; a place as large and bustling as Radiant Square must have some rather large Pokémon. A door of this height should accommodate most Pokémon, or at least any I’ve ever seen. Eri giggles a little at my expense. “Need help, partner?”

---

Combining our strength to get the colossal door open, we enter a remarkably small lobby. A simple wooden corridor with a handful of chairs to wait in, along with doors on either side. Directly across from the entrance is a desk tended by a bespectacled Maractus. The creaking of the door makes her glance up from some paperwork, a little surprised when she sees us. “Ah, hello!” I immediately identify her recited enthusiasm. When I’d greet customers back home, I’d get into the same rhythm. “You two are a pair of new faces. What brings you in today?” Her cute smile makes her approachable, but it’s hard to tell whether it’s genuine or just a byproduct of her physiology.

She looks back and forth between the two of us, a silence filling the room. Hopper seems unsure what to say. “Nice to meet you. My name is Eri. This is my partner, Hopper.” I give a slight bow, and Hopper gives a stiffer bow, just like when we dealt with that Patrat. “The two of us would like to register as adventurers.”

I said it! It feels so unreal to say. These words I’ve wanted to get out for so long, they’re finally out! I turn a little towards Hopper, unable to conceal my grin. He looks back to me with a more restrained yet equally enthusiastic smile. “Wow, haven’t seen a pair so excited in a while!” The Maractus giggles, her aforementioned recited enthusiasm seeming to have fallen away. “Step on up, let’s get started.” She motions to a spot at the end of the counter with two chairs.

---

As we sit down, the Pokémon helping us pulls out a small clipboard and pen, looking down at it as she begins. “First things first: have you two been licensed as adventurers elsewhere before?” She glances back up at us.

Eri speaks up, “No. We live a little outside of Radiant Square, but this is our first time getting licensed.”

The Pokémon jots something down on her clipboard. “Understood. Do you have any references as adventurers?”

While it seems Eri had expected the first question, she isn’t as prepared for the second. After a moment of hesitation, she responds, “Uh… I don’t believe so. Did we need any?”

The Pokémon shakes her head. “No, no, it’s no problem. If you have an existing license elsewhere or another adventurer as a reference, we can often issue you a Radiant Square license accordingly. For new adventurers, though, we have an examination mission ready.”

An examination? Eri didn’t tell me about any of this, I’m not prepared for that at all… “That’s fine, but… what is the purpose of the examination mission?” Eri doesn’t seem frustrated as she asks, but genuinely curious.

“Some settlements might provide licenses without need for an exam or certification, but we’ve implemented our exam to gauge the readiness of our prospective adventurers. Many real missions can be dangerous; we don’t want to license anyone who can’t handle the basics first.” Of course, I knew that adventuring could be dangerous, but hearing it first-hand from this Pokémon makes me shudder a little.

“Ah, okay. We’ll take the exam, then.” Eri turns to me. “That’s alright with you, right Hopper?”

I nod in response. “We have to start somewhere, right?”

We both turn back to the Pokémon helping us, who gives a pleasant smile in response. “Good! We’ll have a bit of paperwork for the two of you to go over, but once that’s all squared away, we can start the exam mission this afternoon.”

She writes a little more on her clipboard before reaching into a drawer for a handful of papers. First, she presents us each with an identical form. “This is a liability form. By signing this, you take responsibility for any harm during the exam mission.” The liability form puts us both on edge a little, which this Pokémon seems to notice. “Ah, don’t get too nervous! The examination mission is quite simple, really, and it’s just outside of town. If the two of you get hurt in any way, we’ll tend to it, but it’s still your responsibility to keep yourselves safe. That’ll hold true throughout your adventuring careers.” We both let out a sigh of relief, though I’m personally still a little nervous. “Oh, and for your information, another liability form will be required if you get licensed, which will apply to your proper missions as adventurers. We’ll worry about that later, though.”

I just skim the liability form before signing. Eri seems to be reading it in much more detail, but she eventually signs as well. After we hand the forms off to the receptionist Pokémon, she digs through her desk for another sheet of paper. “Next up, we’ll want to have your registration information prepared. If you pass the exam, this will let us register you right away!” The slight tension that had built up around Eri and I dissipated at the prospect of more pleasant paperwork.

“Your names are Eri and Hopper, correct?” We both nod. She writes something on the form. “Where do you both come from?”

Eri pipes up immediately. “I come from Bark Square to the north, but I’ll be residing with my partner for the time being.” Wait, what? I mean, it makes enough sense, but I didn’t explicitly agree yet…

The receptionist is surprised. “Bark Square? That’s quite far if I’m not mistaken. We’re honored you made such a long trip to register with us.” She writes something again.

The Pokémon looks up from her clipboard and turns to me. “Hopper, where are you living right now?”

Where do I live? I don’t live in a town or anything, so I struggle to answer for a second. “I live in the forest near Lake Radiance. It’s quite secluded, though.”

She thinks for a second. “You two are okay with that commute?”

Eri and I turn to each other. It was tiring this morning, but it will surely get easier with time. “The exercise is good for us anyways.”

The receptionist giggles a little at my answer. “Can’t argue with that logic.” She writes down a bit more, glancing down the page to the next question.

“Given that you two are registering together, you’ll be registered as a team. How you manage it is up to you, but in the eyes of the law you’re considered equal co-leaders.” We both nod. It doesn’t seem like Eri was familiar with all the nuances of adventurer registration before now. “Given that you’re a team, you’ll want a good name! You can fill out some paperwork to change this later if you really need to, but I’d recommend picking something now that you’re happy with.”

---

I realize my mistake immediately. Hopper and I had so much time together this morning, but we seriously didn’t stop once to think of a team name? I have absolutely no clue what to name our team, so I turn to him expectantly. “H-Hey, don’t look at me! I didn’t know we’d need a name…” His face goes a little red with embarrassment, and I feel mine following suit.

The Maractus looks between us. “Hey, don’t stress about it! The team’s name is really the least important thing here. I can start getting to work on your registration without it, so you two can give it some more thought during the exam.”

Thank Arceus. Even though we can change it later, I didn’t want to make our first impression as adventurers with some half-assed name. “Thank you so much! We’ll come up with something good when we come back!” The Maractus laughs again, and the two of us join in. Her demeanor is striking. Back home, I felt so hollow and exhausted whenever I had to deal with the public, but this Maractus is different. While some of her actions feel recited, she’s putting forth a clear effort to make us – especially Hopper, who’s clearly very nervous – feel welcome and at ease.

My thoughts are interrupted as she finishes filing away our papers and begins to speak. “Alright, that’s everything for now! Let me check the mission board to retrieve the exam mission information. Just one moment!” She walks off to an adjacent room, leaving Hopper and I alone.

My eyes and ears are drawn to the floor, where Hopper is rhythmically tapping his foot. The tapping alternates with the tapping of a finger on his leg. He’s not hiding his nerves one bit. I guess it’s been a long time, if ever, since he’s had to deal with these kinds of proceedings. I can’t help but feel kinda bad seeing him like this. In under 24 hours, he’s gone from a quiet little life in his grandfather’s house to a to-be adventurer. Sure, he volunteered, but I hope he’s not uncomfortable with all this.

I reach my stubby arm out to grab his shoulder, our eyes locking as his gaze jolts over to me. “You holding up alright, Hopper? You seem nervous…”

He scrambles to respond. “Ah, uh, I’m just fine! I’m nervous, yeah, but I’m also kind of excited!” I can tell he’s not being totally genuine, but I’m just glad he’s well enough to talk.

“What do you think the exam mission will be?” I make a little small talk to calm him down.

“Hmm…” he presses his hand to his chin. “She said it wouldn’t be too hard, right? I don’t even really know what adventurers do, so I’m not sure…”

He’s not sure what adventurers do? At first, I want to rip into him for that answer, but upon further thought I can’t pinpoint exactly what they do, either. They help people and explore and whatnot, obviously, but what kind of a mission could the two of us accomplish? An isolated boy all battered from bullying. A girl who’s done nothing but clean all her life. “Maybe we’ll save someone somewhere?” I wince a little as I say it. How could we possibly save someone?

“Really? I don’t think they’d have us do something so important just for an exam. Maybe we’ll find a lost item or something?” Hmm… Hopper’s right. Why would we be saving someone from something dangerous on an exam mission? “Either way, I’m sure we can handle it! I mean, we really showed Vincent last night, I’m sure we can deal with this exam mission!” I crack a smile at his enthusiasm, finally coming back to my senses.

The door behind the counter opens, drawing our attention. The Maractus emerges with a sheet of paper, handling it carefully so as not to poke any holes in it. “Sorry for the wait, you two! Here’s your exam mission!” I take the paper and look it down. Hopper leans in to get a closer look. There’s a big illustration of a Rawst Berry near the top. Below are a few mission details.

MISSION: Harvest Rawst Berries and return them to town hall
LOCATION: East Radiant Forest
REWARD: 200 Poké Radiant Square Adventuring License

“Our infirmary, or rather the Guild’s infirmary, needs a steady supply of berries to create medicine for adventurers. Usually we have routine outings to resupply, but we also use this duty as an opportunity for new adventurers to prove themselves.”

It’s pretty ingenious, honestly. It almost feels a little like busy work, but we’re indirectly helping people in need, so I don’t mind too much. “Okay… This seems manageable… What do you think, Hopper?”

For the first time since we started applying, Hopper seems genuinely confident. “We’ve got this, Eri!” He pumps his fist in the air like he’s flexing. Cute.

---

With our mission set, Eri and I made some quick preparations before heading out. We emptied out our bag as much as we could, save for two apples and two Oran berries. The receptionist Pokémon gave us a pair of temporary adventurer badges, which we can use to send out a distress signal if anything happens. She also gave us a new map which illustrates Radiant Square and the surrounding area. We began to follow a road to the east of town, back into the surrounding forest. Radiant Forest is massive. Even with our long commute, my house is still within Radiant Forest, even if it is on the western edge. We were assured that our destination is no more than forty-five minutes away, though.

“So, Hopper, have you ever been up this way?” Eri breaks a prolonged silence. It seems like she already knows the answer, though.

“Not that I remember, no. I’ve hardly ever been as far as Radiant Square, and we had no reason to grab any Rawst berries.” There’s a tree that grows Oran berries near my house, and another growing apples just a bit north. Grandpa used to harvest everything, but I’ve had to take over for him…

Eri, leading the way, slows down a bit to meet my side. “Mind if I grab the map?” I move my arm, allowing her access to the bag’s flap. “That Maractus marked the spot on my map and, based on what we’ve seen so far, I think we’re getting pretty close.” She folds the map up again and drops it into the bag, seeming confident in her navigational abilities.

“We’re just grabbing berries, right? Why would they even need adventurers to do this? It’s so sim-”

THUD!

Something collides with the back of my head, right where I bumped it this morning. Eri jumps a bit, startled as whatever hit me flies past her and towards a tree. “Woah, Hopper! Are you okay?!” She rushes behind me to investigate.

“It’s a little sore, but it’s nothing. Keep your eyes peeled, Eri!”

Her attention darts to the tree that the unidentified assailant flew to. Perched from a branch is a Pokémon even I recognize: Pidgey. “What’s your problem? Why’d you hit my partner?” Eri shouts at the Pidgey, but it just glares at her intently. She stands her ground, but she’s visibly nervous. Just as she turns to say something to me, the Pidgey launches off the branch for a surprise attack.

Object flying in my direction.

Obstacle in front.

My paw pads warm up. I feel static building in my fur, ready to erupt.

Left hand up, I grasp the red cloth.

Pull back.

“Wha-”

Right hand up, my paw pad is charg-

DINK DINK DINK DINK DINK

My focus is broken by a repeated jabbing at my face. This Pidgey was a bit faster than my own reactions, and now its beak is going to town on my face.

“You little…!”

I release Eri’s scarf from my left hand, directing both paws to my own face. The static builds again, the pads begin to glow. My attacker relents for a second to look at the light, but it catches on a little too late.

BZZZZZZT!

An intense heat meets my face instantly, though it’s more disorienting than painful. I come to my senses and look around for the Pidgey, which lays on the ground. Grandpa trained me to control my Thunder Shocks to keep them non-lethal against weak targets, not that the attack is incredibly strong to begin with. The Pidgey will be alright.

“Watch out, there’s one more!” Eri swipes her hand through the air, generating three beams of light with star-shaped tips. A second Pidgey changes direction mid-air to avoid them, but the beams seek and strike it immediately. With the enemy in free fall, Eri dashes towards it, delivering a hearty slap while it tries to reorient itself. Like its friend, it doesn’t get back up.

When we’re certain the coast is clear, we anxiously turn to each other. “Are you hurt, Eri?”

She shakes her head. “No, no, not a scratch. You, though… That Pidgey hit you pretty hard.” She circles behind me to continue investigating. “Is it sore?” Eri’s paws apply firm pressure to the back of my head.

“A little, but I’ll be fine. Anyways, you really laid it on that other Pidgey, what move even was that?”

“Oh, that one’s called Swift!” Eri waves her hand a bit in the air, generating another of the beams before shooting it upwards. “It’s weak, but it always finds its way to the target!” Swift, huh?

---

Seeing the dwindling daylight, we continue walking along the trail. “Eri, that reminds me…” Hopper wastes no time continuing conversation as we move. “If we’re adventurers, we’re going to be battling a lot. As partners, I think we should commit each other’s moves to memory.”

“Hey, you’re right! I hadn’t even thought of it! Well, you already saw me use Swift and Pound, but I also know Helping Hand and Encore.” I wasn’t raised as a fighter, so the moves I mastered are primarily assisting moves. They’re helpful when I need to work with my family, but I don’t know how well they’ll hold in a fight. “How about you? You said you trained with your grandfather, right? Did he teach you anything cool?”

“Hmm… You saw Thunder Shock already, and there’s also Arm Thrust, Charge, and Nuzzle. Since we only sparred one on one, it’s a little shallow…”

More or less what I’d expect from him. “That’s not shallow at all! You have a lot of offensive moves, and I have a bunch of supporting moves, we should work well together!”

“I suppose so… are you sure you’re fine with that?”

“It’s no problem! I’m glad you asked about moves, Hopper. A couple of rookies like us need to work in sync to get the job done right!”

“Haha, right, let’s do our best!” We both laugh a bit. It’s a relief to see him happy, I can tell that he’s starting to feel more comfortable talking about his grandfather.

Hopper and I made little more than idle chatter for a little while. We kept on alert for any hostile Pokémon, but we proceeded without any further incident. Were the Pidgey an intentional obstacle, or just a coincidence? I’m not too concerned; it prepared us for what’s ahead all the same.

“Do you know how close we are? The sun is nearly setting…”

“Hmm… Let me check.” I retrieve the map from Hopper’s bag. “Uh… I think we’re around here-ish, so we’re pretty close!”

“Do you think there will be any hostile Pokémon waiting for us?”

His question catches me off guard. I’m not very familiar with the Radiant area, but… “Well, if this is a spot they frequently send rookie Pokémon to, it’s probably safe? If it weren’t, I think they’d find another spot.”

“Oh, you’re right. We should stay alert regardless, though.”

I return the map to Hopper’s bag and, just as we finish our little exchange, I see a clearing up ahead! There’s a great big tree in the center, with a bountiful harvest of Rawst berries waiting for us, too! “Hopper, Hopper, look! Those are the Rawst berries!” I take off into a dash, and Hopper follows suit while keeping pace with me.

The tree towers over us, but even a Pokémon of greater height would be dwarfed by it. “Alright, I’ll grab as many as I can!” Hopper eagerly dashes to the base of the tree and sets down his bag, beginning a quick climb to the top.

“Careful! Don’t fall!”

“You worry too much!”

Wise guy. Absolutely not interested in scampering up this tree, I create a few volleys of Swift beams to take down the berries remotely. I’m able to take down a few whole branches worth and shove the berries into our bag before calling it enough. “Hopper, have you got anything?”

…

“Hopper? Can you hear me?”

…

There’s no movement up in the leaves, and no response from my partner. Is his hearing that bad?

“L-Look ou… t…”

…!

I lower my gaze from the heights of the tree back to the base where I stand, and spot a familiar looking Sneasel! The instant I see her, she takes off towards me.

Hopper is on the ground behind her.

He couldn’t get taken out in one hit, what happened to him?

Paralysis?

Flinch?

That’s it, flinch! But how?

Not a Crunch, not an Air Slash, probably not a Headbutt either. Maybe a Fake Out?

Fake Out…

I’ll gamble it all… on this!

“Encore, please!”

The Sneasel looks alarmed as I point to her, my move taking effect. Whatever hit Hopper is about to hit me, unless…

Just as I thought, she winds up a Fake Out, but she’s missed her chance! I slip past her, and she hurdles away from me. With nothing left between us, I rush to check on Hopper.

“Come on, you’re alright!” I grab his paws to guide him to his feet, after which we both turn to face our assailant. “Eloise, right? What’re you doing here?”

Hopper’s voice is strained yet confident. “Weird seeing you detached from Vincent’s hip, ice queen.” She snarls a bit at his comment.

The two of us look around a bit, while keeping one eye on Eloise at all times. Our eyes snap to a rustling bush behind her, from which two more familiar Pokémon emerge.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

“Impressive work, runt!” Ugh, what a lousy voice. “Big step up from the whole lot of nothing you showed us yesterday.”

A Rhyhorn marches out with the sarcastic, applauding Gligar atop his back.

“What are you doing here, Vincent? Don’t tell me you three are taking the adventurer’s exam too.”

Vincent breaks out into a condescending and fake laughter. “Adventurer’s exam? What a joke! You picked the wrong day to take your stupid exam, bug. You’ve gotta atone for yesterday, and now you’ve got this poor girl stuck in it too.” Hopper glances over at me with a conflicted expression, stuck between aggravation and a sort of sympathy.

“Can this wait? We have some business to wrap up. If it’s a fight you want, we can work it out later.” I don’t expect them to accept this proposition, but I can’t give up any ground the two of us have. I showed weakness yesterday, but I won’t falter today…!

Jumping down from his friend, Vincent gradually walks towards us. “Woah, woah! No need to jump to violence, runt.” Said the guy whose partner attacked mine. “The bug gave us some valuable information. As much as I’d love to smash his face into the dirt, I got myself an idea. I’ll let you two go without another scratch on you, but you’ll forfeit this mission for me.”

“What?!” Hopper and I both resound in unison.

“What do you gain from us throwing the mission, Vincent?” Hopper takes the words from my mouth.

“Well… I don’t gain anything, per se. But… Tell me, bug, are you and the runt ‘partners’ now? There’s no way you had the idea to be an adventurer, which means it must’ve been her. Tell me I’m right.”

Silence.

“If that’s the case, then wouldn’t it just be too bad if her oh-so-important exam mission was ruined because of her own partner? I think that would be just tragic, and I think tragedy is on your menu today. Oh, but by all means attack. I’ll absolutely accept crushing you as an alternative payment. You and the runt, I think that makes it even.”

What a load of bullshit. There’s no way I’ll let this guy get away with this! I turn to Hopper to confirm our choice of action, and he looks… surprisingly dejected? He gives me an expression that says ‘Hey, maybe we should do what he says.’ I flash a determined expression, and he seems a bit surprised. A Hopper that runs from this kind of fight… That’s not the Hopper I saw yesterday. His face says ‘Are you sure?’ I nod.

“Are you two gonna keep admiring each other, or are you gonna surrender those berries to us?”

A deep exhale from Hopper. I begin to psyche myself up as well.

“Alright, I get the feeling you’ve made your choice. A bad choice, but that’s fine by me!”

Wait for it.

“Bryon! Eloise! It’s showti-”

He turned! This is it! I imbue my right paw with a powerful energy and touch Hopper’s shoulder for just a second. I feel the energy dissipate from my paw into his fur. The instant I feel it deplete, he leaps towards Eloise. The Sneasel tries to alert her comrades, but she’s too late.

One palm connects, then retracts. It’s a lightning fast movement, but still controlled. Is this the fruit of his grandfather’s training?

A second arm winds up, but this time with a clenched fist. At the moment of collision, the Sneasel flies backwards, dazed. I doubt she’ll be getting back up. Immediately, Hopper jumps away towards the tree.

That’s one target out of the way, but the other two are far trickier. Pokémon are classified into “types” based on physiology, which serves as a baseline for how they respond to different stimulus. All of Hopper’s moves are Electric or Fighting-type, which won’t even scratch a Ground and Flying-type like Vincent. As Bryon is a Rock and Ground type, all Hopper can use is Arm Thrust, which is fine, but he’ll need to be careful on the approach. My Normal moves will hardly do anything to Bryon, which means…

“Eri, do you think you can handle Vincent?”

Bingo.

“I think I can, but…”

He’s absolutely furious. Taking out his little lady really riles that guy up. He stares daggers at Hopper, it’s like he’s forgotten I’m even here. “Alright, bug. If that’s how you wanna play, then let’s do it. Better psyche yourself up, because I’m seriously going to kill you this time.”

“I’ll distract him, you chip away at him!”

Distract him? When he’s like this? “W-Wait, Hopper! Be careful!”

By the time I speak up, he’s already bolted to the perimeter of this clearing, with Vincent in hot pursuit. Bryon stares me down, both of us a little unsure. The hulking Pokémon shakes off his uncertainty, though, and looks to be readying himself to run me over. “Sorry, Vincent’s orders. Shouldn’t have gotten yourself mixed up with the bug, girl.”

It’s no use fighting this one back, I’ll just have to evade and chip away at Vincent for now. I’ll trust Hopper to get Bryon off my tail. I make a break for the tree behind me, scampering up to the best of my ability. The scarf and coat restrict my movement a little, but I manage to perch from a branch and regain my bearings.

My eyes trace the enclosure for Hopper and Vincent. Swift will seek out its target, but I need a line of sight on the target to call the attack. I hear a bit of shouting on the other side of the tree, so I’ll just have to wait for them to circle back around…

---

Vincent is a lot faster than he looks, fast enough to keep exact pace with me. “What’s wrong, Vincent? Can’t close the gap without outnumbering me?” The taunt slips out of my mouth. There’s no strategic reason for me to mock him, but… it feels good. As good as it feels, though, it doesn’t feel good to see him speed up a little behind me. As always, he’s real pissed that I wiped out his girl. I hope Eri has the sense to take a vantage point, because there’s no way we can beat Vincent if she tries chasing him.

My path comes full circle as I return to the front of the tree. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Eri up in the branches. She gives me a nod, anticipating Vincent’s arrival. The moment he enters view, she swipes the air, sending those familiar stars straight to him. He puts up a wing to block, realizing he can’t outmaneuver them.

I look back to check on him and… he winced, but he’s still hot on my tail. I don’t have time to analyze him, though. “Is that the best the runt can muster? You two are a perfect match, bug!”

“It’s better than the nothing you’re doing, jackass!”

“Nothing? We’ll see about that!”

BOOM!

Just as Vincent finishes speaking, a loud rumbling resounds from the Rawst berry tree. I divert my attention, and see the colossal thing shake from impact. At the bottom is Bryon, who’s trying to take it down with a Bulldoze attack! Not good, Eri is up there! But I can’t shake Vince-

Shit! He’s flying straight at her! “Let’s see how you like it, bug!”

As the tree shakes from another Bulldoze, Eri holds on tight. “Hopper, back me up!”

She’s high up, but low enough for this to work…

I kick off the tree next to me, hurdling towards Bryon at top speed.

Closer.

Closer.

Almost there.

Left arm up. Palm open.

Impact. My target is huge, so I don’t need to control my force.

Left arm back.

Clench the right fist.

Wind up.

Impact.

My target barely moves, but he’s stunned for a second, which is all I need.

“Eri! Jump!”

She jumps.

“Eep!”

I need to line myself up perfectly. My mind tries to grasp the consequence of failure, but I push the image out of my mind. The catch doesn’t need to be perfect, I just need to break her fall. I need to trust her to deal with Vincent after.

“Oomf!” I break her fall, but it’s a sloppy landing. A fluffy tail blocks my view.

“Hey, you’re okay right?”

I just nod my head, catching my breath. Eri sighs in relief. She steps away from me, gazing up at the branch she fell from. Vincent is perched at the top, leaping off the moment I notice him.

He’s diving straight for me.

Talons out, a familiar formation. He’s going for Acrobatics.

I’m still winded, I can barely move.

“E-Eri… Move away…”

This sucks.

If I could just steady my breathing, I could fight…

He’s almost here.

“Not so fast!”

Blue fabric obscures my vision. My partner jumps in front, going for a Pound on my assailant. I told her to move out of the way, not in the way.

Vincent lifts Eri effortlessly from the ground, redirecting himself towards the tree. She just keeps slapping him over and over, but he hardly wavers.

THUD!

I hear a sharp, weak inhale as my partner is slammed against the tree. When Vincent releases her, she falls to the ground, her body limp.

Run and help her.

…

Get up, see if she’s okay.

…

Go, take her out of here!

…

Do something!

…

My body still won’t respond.

Vincent lands beside me. I can hardly see him in my peripheral vision. “I know you’ve got more in you.”

I don’t.

“Get up. If I’m gonna kill you, I won’t let you lay down while I do it.”

I would if I could.

“Bryon, how about you help him get up.”

“Hrmph.”

I do my best to brace for impact.

BOOM!

The beast slams his foot down, sending shockwaves my way.

It hurts like hell. I feel myself regaining feeling. I try to sit up.

A sharp pain runs through my side. I fall over again.

“What a joke. I changed my mind. You’re not dying today, bug. Neither is your runt of a partner.”

Shut the hell up.

I feel my paws heat up, a little electricity sparking from my paw pads. As soon as it starts up, it dies out.

“I’ll let you live. But I’m not letting you become adventurers. You’re gonna hand over the berries.”

I want to curse him out. I want to tackle him and knock him senseless. There’s so much I want to do, but I know I can’t.

Rolling myself over, I grip my bag. Everything hurts, but this is all I can do. I feel the bag a bit. The berries thankfully haven’t turned to jelly. I huddle myself around the large sack, laying over it.

“Did you hear me? Hand over the berries, bug.”

No. I fervently shake my head.

A claw hits my side, but it’s weak. I recognize this move: Fury Cutter.

“You’ve already lost, you’re just wasting your own strength.”

Yeah, but you haven’t won either.

Another claw. It’s stronger this time.

“Is this adventuring dream worth it? If you’ve got the fight left in you to cling to those berries, maybe I’ll kill you after all.”

“It’s… not my dream…”

Another claw. Even stronger.

“Then what’s the point?”

“D-Do whatever you want to me. I won’t… let you ruin her dream.”

Another claw, it hurts bad. Am I bleeding?

“If you wanted to protect her dream, you never should have gone along with her.”

He’s right. “Shut up, Vincent.”

Another claw. I’m fading.

“I’m… not letting go. Even if you kill me.”

“You should have given up when I let you. This is your fault.”

Another… claw…

I’m crying…

I’m… fading…

Pipipipipipipipipipipipipi–