Chapter 4 – Peas in a Pod

“Good morning, you two!”

Eri’s greeting was strangely enthusiastic, but her recipients didn’t share that enthusiasm.

“Hrmmmmm…”

“A-Ah! Good morning, Eri! And you too, Hopper…”

All I have for the gatekeepers is a little wave. Ernest reluctantly returns it, but I think it made Hugh even more upset than before. Meanwhile, Eri looks like she’s having the time of her life as we pass by the gates without a hint of resistance; her big smile complimenting her confident, almost condescending strut.

“…I didn’t take you for such a showboat, Eri.”

“Hm hm hm… Not usually, but we’ve earned it this time.”

And so began our third day in Radiant Square, and our first as licensed adventurers. Despite the complications getting licensed, Eri and I treated ourselves to a huge celebratory dinner last night. Come to think of it, my food stash isn’t going to hold up at this rate. I’m used to just feeding myself, but now I have a second mouth to feed. A somewhat gluttonous one, might I add…

It was just before noon when we passed through town hall’s titanic doors, greeted Lisa, and made our way to the public mission boards.

Past the S-Rank missions…

And A-Rank…

B-Rank, too…

C-Rank…

Even D-Rank…

Past the well-decorated C and D-Rank boards, we arrived at the F-Rank boar-

“Really? This is seriously it?!”

“Hm?” I lean in to take a look. Unlike most of the other boards, the F-Rank board is adorned with just a few missions.

“Lost item, lost item, lost item, berry gathering, lost item…” Eri trails off as she darts from flier to flier, reading each for no more than a half second before moving to the next. “It’s all just a bunch of delivery missions!” She hurriedly snatches one from the board and shoves it in my face. “And look, this one is practically a clone of our exam mission!”

Each mission posted mimics the format of our exam mission flier. MISSION, LOCATION, and REWARD are all detailed beneath a simple illustration. We hadn’t noticed it the other day, but there’s also a field for the client’s name. The one Eri is showing me is a familiar berry mission, though this time for Sitrus berries. Its location is North Radiant Forest, and its reward is 200 Poké, which even I know is a pittance. The client is listed as Blitz’s Guild, so this is likely a supply errand for them. “Town Hall must have these as backups for Pokémon taking the exam, though I don’t think we got any Poké for ours.”

“I can’t believe we’re stuck running errands like this. And they’re all in Radiant Forest, too. So much for adventure.” Eri pouts a bit as she pins the berry mission back to the board. “Well, the reward is pretty much the same between them all, so it doesn’t matter to me. Do you want to pick?”

“Let’s see…” I pace by the board from end to end, skimming each flier as I go. Each one has an illustration of some item. A bag, a necklace, other mundane stuff. One catches my eye: a knit cap. I grab it and read from the top…

MISSION: Retrieve my hat!
LOCATION: South Radiant Forest
REWARD: 400 Poké
CLIENT: Jake the Pachirisu
Help! I was out for a walk in the forest – not even an hour down the trail – and some icky Bug-type Pokémon stole my awesome hat! My girlfriend got it for me so she’ll kill me if I lose it! Er, it’s real sentimental, I mean… Please, help a guy out!

I hand it to Eri, who looks less and less amused the more she reads. “This one seems like a real class act… How do you make a Freudian slip in a written mission description?” …Freudian? “Well, not much choice. If you’re cool with throwing down with some Bug-types, let’s do it.”

“…Let’s think of it as good practice.”

---

I’ve heard that a lot of people get freaked out by Bug-types, but I don’t really get it. Sometimes they’ve got a bunch of legs and spit silk or whatever, but all Pokémon have weird quirks. Hopper could light up a room with electricity, but we don’t find that weird. And a lot of them are so small too, they’re cute!

Yeah, cute little bugs…

“Oh, Hopper, that reminds me…” I put my map to the side and look back at him. It was my turn to carry the bag today, and we were coming up on where the client said their hat was. “Shouldn’t we be worried about Vincent?”

“Hmm…” He rubs his chin while picking up his pace to meet me. “Probably not. You rang our distress signal during the exam, right? Those three don’t want to deal with that kind of heat.”

“But then why would they attack during our exam to begin with?”

Hopper is hesitant to answer, dragging his feet as he walks. “He… must’ve known I wouldn’t use it…”

Is he still upset about that? “Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it.” I give him a little punch on the arm, which seems to cheer him up a bit.

His attention returns to the path ahead. “They’re all super afraid of Grandpa, so they take off once they think I’ve had enough. If they know we have a button to call for help within minutes, they won’t be so bold.”

“I hate to rely on the signal, but it’s better than having a repeat of the exam…” I look down at the badge on my scarf. “Maybe I should conceal it?”

“I don’t think it’s necessary.” Hopper plays around with his, which he has clipped to his armband. “Ellie is the only one who could easily swipe them from us, so we should be fine as long as we can hang on to one.” He stares at my badge instead. “Besides, I think it’s important to keep them out. They let everyone know we’re adventurers!”

We’re adventurers, huh? It doesn’t feel like it yet, but it’s the truth. “Alright, then, let’s promise!”

“Promise?”

“If one of us is in a pinch and we can’t get out, the other will use the signal! Promise, Hopper, promise!”

“Sure… I swe-ACK!” Hopper begins scratching his arm mid-pledge, pulling out a small needle.

“Where did that come from…?” I scan the forest ahead for any Pokémon, but the only motion I see is some rustling leaves. “Come on out, I know you’re there!”

…Nothing.

“Ughhhhh…” Hopper groans at my side, wobbling back and forth until he eventually slumps over my shoulder a bit.

“H-Hey! What’s gotten into y- Holy shit! Hopper, you’re purple!” I rummage through our bag; knowing there were Bug-types on the horizon, I packed a few Pecha Berries before we left, and Hopper clearly needs one righ- “EEP!”

A sharp pain erupts from my shoulder, a numb sensation quickly spreading down my arm. With my other arm, I frantically look around for the berries, and thankfully find two. I shove one into my mouth without hesitation, and try to hand off the other without losing my focus like before. “Come on you dope, take the berry!”

Hopper doesn’t move an inch. “No choice then, sorry for this.” I push the berry into his mouth and he bites down on reflex, snapping him back enough to continue eating on his own.

“W-Why do they always go for me first…”

“Are you alright now?”

He feels around the spot a bit. “I think so?”

“Then eyes up, you can whine later. I still haven’t tracked down our opponent.”

About 30 seconds pass without any motion. Whoever our target is, they’re real patient.

“Eri… What do we do? I don’t wanna get stung again…”

It seems like they’re hiding outside of our range, and they take advantage of us getting distracted. But since they made the first move, they know about as much about us as we do about them, so we’ll just have to surprise them back. “Hopper…” I lean in a tiny bit to whisper. “I need you to pretend to lose focus for a second.”

“What?! And get stung again?”

“I owe you one if it doesn’t work, just try to trust me! On my signal, alright?”

“A-Alright… I trust you.”

I charge up energy in my paw. When I’m satisfied, I nudge Hopper with the opposite arm. He hesitates for a second, but builds up the nerve to turn away a little.

There it is, a rustle! “Swift!” Through the bushes, I can just barely make out a little leg, which should be just enough for this to work!

“Whoa!” I shove Hopper out of the way, anticipating another sting.

Fwoosh…

Like clockwork, something tiny shoots between us, whipping up a sharp current of wind around it.

HISS!

---

A big Pokémon – somewhere around double our height – jumps out from the bushes. It stands on four thin legs, but has a pair of appendages sticking out its back, each bearing a pattern of yellow and purple stripes. The deep red of its large torso is accented by black, giving way to a big head bearing a horn and two mandibles. Its beady purple eyes practically stare through us. Makes me shudder a bit.

Of course, atop its head is a striking green knit cap.

Eri helps me to my feet. “That hat belongs to someone else, we’ll give you one chance to give it back.”

…

Hiss…

It shakes its head.

In my peripheral vision, I see Eri nod.

“Understood.” I widen my stance, lift off my heels, and raise my arms, getting ready to jump into action.

“Just don’t lose sight of it.” Eri’s voice is quiet yet firm.

“Got it. Get ready…”

Eri gets low, likely preparing to run on all-fours.

“Alright, now!” As soon as I shout it, Eri and I circle around in a pincer formation, with me closing in on its back. I don’t let my eyes off it as I move, but it doesn’t seem to be tracking me. “Eri, careful, it’s on you!”

“Right!” Eri dashes towards its face, winding up an attack with one of her forepaws.

I begin to charge electricity in my arms as I run at the enemy. When a bit surges from my paw pads, I can tell it’s ready to release. “Alright, taste this!”

“And this, too!” Eri closes the gap to its face just as I arrive near its back, and we prepare to attack in sync. I raise my right arm, aiming the paw pad on my palm at the opponent, and then rele-

PSHHEW!

A warm sensation overtakes my arm and the right side of my torso. I feel my electricity release, but then go coursing back through my body.

“Oomf! H-Hey, knock it off!” The Pokémon whips itself away from Eri’s attack, causing her own momentum to send her face first into the dirt.

“Eri, are you alri- Huh?” I move my right arm to reach out to her, but a strong pressure keeps it at my side. “Oh, gross!” A huge web has my arm stuck!

“Don’t lose focus, Hopper!”

“Y-Yeah, understood!” Right. That thing probably won’t move again for a second, so here’s my chance! I lift my left arm up and take aim for the legs, letting loose a Thunder Shock. “Take this!”

BZZT!

It collapses a little as its left legs succumb to the shock, but it regains its footing before long. I take my opportunity to reconnect with Eri.

She takes a quick glimpse at me, but turns to get a better look when she notices the web. “…So that’s why the client was so grossed out.”

“Yeah, right, moving on… the legs seem to be the sore spot.”

“Figures, with how skinny they are. Try your best to shock them simultaneously, I’ll hit it while it’s down.”

We both nod in unison, splitting from our little team meeting just as it returns to its senses. We go for the pincer again, but I need to be really careful about those webs. My paws charge up again, but I don’t know how I can hit both with one arm like this. I could take a chance on shocking just one pair of legs again, but Eri will get hurt if I mess it up.

…Wait a minute, maybe I’ve got something.

While it’s not as strong as getting up close, Thunder Shock comes in handy when I need to attack from a distance. Without control of my arm and with this web blocking my paw pad, I can’t take aim with both hands, but if I close the gap a bit…

“Hopper! Are you ready?” Eri shouts from the other side of our opponent.

“Yeah, let’s do it!”

I rush in directly behind it, leaping towards it at top speed. I put everything I can into both arms, taking aim with my left arm as I lean to the right. If I can land on his right side, then…

PSHHEW!

A web coats my left arm as well, leaving me bundled up in free fall.

“Too late for that now!”

Two seconds to impact.

One second to impact.

Half-second to impact.

Release!

Electricity covers my body, trailing along the webbing and then feeding back to me: a continuous circuit.

ZZZZZZZZZZZT!

HISSSSSSSSSS!

I collide with the enemy and deliver a tremendous shock, destroying its balance entirely.

“This’ll end it!”

HISSSSS!

The Pokémon cries out as Eri’s paw, clenched into a fist, slams into its chin.

Before it can fall off, Eri grabs the cap perched atop its head. “Gotcha!”

---

“So, you really just wanted your own hat…?”

Hiss…

“Hmm… This one’s too small for you anyways.”

Hopper leans over to me and whispers. “What’re you getting at, Eri? Shouldn’t we head back to town?”

I push Hopper’s head away from mine and bend down, meeting the dejected and defeated Ariados at around eye level.  “Alright, listen. Give me some time and I can try to get you a hat just like this one, but NO STEALING, got it?”

H-Hissssss…

“I’ll take that as a yes.” I gently lower the client’s hat into my bag and motion for Hopper to follow me back. “See you around, then! Let’s call it even on the battle damage.”

Once we’d gotten a couple minutes away, Hopper spoke up. “We’re… giving that Pokémon a hat?”

“Not right this second, no, but if I find the time. I don’t think he knew it was wrong, after all.”

“He reminded me of those Pidgey from the other day. Do you think he understood you?”

“I like to think he did. Still, though… I wonder why so many Pokémon in the woods are, like, feral now.”

Hopper seems confused. “Was it not like this before?”

“Some, sure, but between the Pidgey, this Ariados, and some stuff I heard back home… There are way more than before.” Is something making them lose it? Or are they all coming from somewhere?

“Ariados, huh…”

I’ve seriously gotta get Hopper up to speed on Pokémon species.

---

In all, our first mission only took something like two hours. Even if we had the time to take on another, we were beat by the time we arrived back at town hall.

“If it isn’t Team Earshot!” A familiar voice, belonging to what Eri told me is a Maractus, called out from behind the counter. “How did your first mission go?”

“Hey, Lisa!” Eri sifts through her bag and holds the hat high. “Success!”

“Thank ya thank ya thank ya!” A little white and blue Pokémon with a big curled tail sprints up to us from his seat along the wall. “That’s my hat, I’m so glad ya found it! I was worried that big bug had ripped it up or sold it or something…” He speaks at a breakneck pace, it’s hard to keep up with him.

Eri bends down a little and hands the cap off to him “Nope, guy just wanted his own hat.”

“Put up a good fight over it, but he seemed nice enough otherwise,” I add.

The client fastens the hat on his little head, stretching it thin with his ears. “It’s not super comfy, but I do what I must for the missus!”

“I really hope you don’t tell your girlfriend that.” Eri’s tone is flat. I can tell she’s straining herself to stay polite in front of a client.

It doesn’t seem like he’s listening. “Welp, I’ll be off. Team Earshot, eh?” We try to confirm, but he just keeps going. “I’ll keep ya in mind. Clerk’s got your reward. Be seein’ ya!”

He somehow pushed those huge doors open, and was gone with the wind within seconds.

“Hopper, is it bad that I liked our opponent more than our client?”

“I’m sure that girl sees a wonderful Pokémon in him somewhere.”

“You’re public servants now, so you’ll deal with all sorts of folks.” Lisa’s words are those that come only with experience. “You get used to it after a while. Actually, you start to look forward to it. Makes for good small talk!” There’s a hint of jaded apathy in her tone, too.

“So we should see you for our reward?” Eri leads the way to the front desk.

“Mhm! It’s an insurance policy so the clients don’t try to cheat any of our adventurers.” She opens a drawer behind the counter, sifting through it until she pulls out a small pouch. “Alright, this should be 400 Poké.” Eri stores it in our bag. “Oh, you guys kept the mission flier, right?”

“Should be here somewhere…” Eri digs around and finds the flier. It’s a little crumpled, but readable.

STAMP!

“With that…” Lisa holds up the flier, now bearing a stamp reading ‘COMPLETED’. “…your first mission is officially complete! Great work, you two!”

---

It was like that for a week or so: just miscellaneous retrieval missions and the like. Sometimes we’d fight a Pokémon or two, sometimes we wouldn’t. Meager rewards suited such dull missions, but the promise of a promotion – and the long-term goal of Guild membership – kept us motivated. Well, it kept me motivated at least. The promotion itself didn’t seem to bother Hopper one way or the other; it seemed like he was mostly following my lead.

Today was another item retrieval mission. An above average reward of 600 Poké was in order this time, as the client had misplaced their entire bag. We were headed through North Radiant Forest for this mission, and it seemed simple enough, but…

“Hopper, doesn’t it strike you as odd?”

“What’s odd?”

“Check the mission description again.”

He was carrying his big backpack today, so I did him the courtesy of grabbing the mission flier. “Alright, let’s see. MISSION: Find my bag! LOCATION: North Radiant Forest. REWARD: 600 Poké. All sounds right.”

“No, below that. Read the note.”

“Ahem… I was out for a walk, and a bunch of wild Pokémon started chasing me! I dropped my bag in the commotion, they should mark the spot on your map. The wild Pokémon didn’t seem super strong, but there were a whole bunch of them! Please try to find it for me, I don’t wanna go back in there!” He folds the flier back up and hands it off to me. “No wild Pokémon that we’ve seen…”

“Maybe the client was exaggerating?”

“Or maybe the wild Pokémon think we’re too cool and strong…”

“Keep dreaming, Hopper.” I give him a tap on the head with the folded paper. “If they’re attacking in numbers, they’d probably overpower us no matter how strong we looked.”

“Come on now, you’ve gotta admit we’re improving a little.” He pumps his arm to flex and flashes a little grin.

I hate to gloat, but Hopper’s right: We are getting a lot stronger. Even though I met him less than two weeks ago, I’ve really felt my own growth. My physical hits are stronger, and I’m able to call Swift with greater ease than before. The extent of my combat experience until I met Hopper was some light sparring with my brother Polo, so it makes sense that fighting near-daily would pay off quick. I’m sure the growth will slow down a bit, but I really do feel it.

“I mean, I do feel stronger, but…” Such rapid improvement makes sense in my case, sure, but what about him? “You did a lot of training with your grandfather, right? Do you feel stronger after the past week?”

It doesn’t seem like he thought about it that way. He lowers his flexing arm and assumes that exaggerated thinking face I’ve become accustomed to. “Grandpa was a lot tougher than any of the Pokémon we’ve fought, but he’s been gone for a while, so I’m a little rusty. Even while he was still around, the training slowed down towards the end…” He trails off a bit, releasing eye contact and fiddling with his armband and backpack. It takes him a minute to regain his focus, and he scrambles to regain his usual energy. “Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to get into it…”

“W-What? No, no, you’re alright! I get what you’re saying, I guess a couple months would do it.” In terms of raw strength, there’s a pretty huge gap between Hopper and I. If he’s as rusty as he claims, then I wonder what a Hopper at the height of his training would’ve fought like?

Thinking about the strength gap with that potential Hopper makes me a little nervous, actually. How could I keep up?

“Anyways, I don’t know if I feel much stronger, but I do feel li-”

“Shhh…” I hold my paw in front of Hopper’s mouth to cut him off. “Do you hear that?” I lower my voice to a whisper.

“Huh? I don’t hear anything…”

I gently tug at his left ear. “What’re these big ears for, then? Listen closely.” We continue slowly so we make less noise.

“-let’s get moving.” A low, masculine voice.

“Mhm~! We’ll be moving up in the ranks in no time!” …and a chipper, feminine one.

“Oh, oh! I hear them!” His whisper gets a little too loud, so I shush him again to be safe. “R-Right, sorry.”

Both are hard to make out, but we’re getting closer to them. I delicately search Hopper’s bag for our map. “If I’m not mistaken, we’re almost at our destination, which means whoever we’re hearing is already there.” I fold the map back up and slide it back in. “Let’s close in slowly. Watch your step.” He nods nervously.

Being as small as we are isn’t always ideal, but it makes sneaking through bushes like this far easier. The foliage is able to cover us almost entirely, though it’s a pain to keep my coat clean.

Before long, the two Pokémon we heard a moment ago are in sight: a Sandslash and a Lilligant. They’re both rather tall, around triple Hopper’s height if you exclude his ears. The Sandslash has a pair of black boots on, and a peculiar spine hanging over the right side of their face. The Lilligant has their orange-tipped leaf-hair tied into a cute low ponytail which hangs over their shoulder. More pertinent, the Sandslash has their claws on a larger brown duffle bag. Kind of imposingly large, actually. Hopper or I could probably fit in the thing.

“Eri, that’s…” He points to the Sandslash. “That’s the bag we’re looking for, right?”

He’s got mediocre ears, but good eyes. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” This is tricky. If we have to fight, a Sandslash and a Lilligant would be a tough match. That said, we can’t be too sure what their deal is, but why else would they have the bag? Nobody else should be looking for it right now.

Wait a sec, these two were speaking just fine. Didn’t the client say they were chased off by wild Pokém-

The bushes rustle next to me as Hopper leaps out. “Stop right there!” His dive kick is interrupted by the Sandslash’s claw, large enough for Hopper to stand atop. “Hand over that bag, or prepare for battle!”

“Arceus Almighty, HOPPER! What are you doing?!”

Oh, shit.

My outburst attracted the attention of the Lilligant, while the Sandslash just steals a quick look before returning their attention to Hopper.

More critically, Hopper was startled as well. He wobbled around and fell off the claw, but managed to grab hold and establish his footing again in just a few seconds.

“And just who are you?” The Sandslash swipes at Hopper with the other claw, but he’s able to launch off in time. That deep voice from earlier belonged to him, it seems.

“We are Team Earshot of Radiant Square, and we’ve been assigned to retrieve that bag you’re holding!” From his position in the middle of the path, he confidently shoots his finger toward the bag, prompting the Sandslash to sling it over his shoulder. “This is your final warning. Please, return it at once!”

“Nice try, but I’m not that stupid.” He sharpens his claws with one-another, taking a low, defensive stance as he faces down Hopper. “Rose, take the Minccino. I’ll deal with the Pawmo.”

“Understood~!” His partner – Rose, it seems – speaks up, making eye contact with me. She punctuates it with a little wink. Not a cocky wink, but one that says ‘Just follow my lead.’

Hopper closes in for an Arm Thrust on the Sandslash, but the big guy doesn’t seem fazed in the slightest. One hit, two hits, three hits; Hopper’s attacks don’t elicit the slightest reaction as the Sandslash blocks each effortlessly. He retaliates with a heavy slash, but Hopper jumps away without a problem.

“Not bad!” The boys shout to each other in unison, resuming their battle immediately after.

Something light taps my shoulder. “Peas in a pod, huh~?”

“A-Ah!”

“Oh, sorry to startle you!” Towering over me at my side is the Lilligant, but she doesn’t seem interested in a fight. “I’m Rosemary. You can call me Rose, or Mary, or just Rosemary~! What’s your name?”

“Uh, Eri. No nickname.”

“And your partner is Hopper, then?”

Observant. “…Yeah. Aren’t you supposed to be fighting me right now, Rosemary?”

“Come on, not you too!” She looks over at Hopper and the Sandslash, who have just wrapped up another tied exchange. “Samuel likes to jump to conclusions. I take it Hopper here is similar?”

“I didn’t think he was this hasty, but here we are.”

“Hehehe~!”

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned? How can you trust me so easily?”

She points her leaf-like appendages at my scarf. “Up close I can tell: that badge is the real deal. What’s more, it looks like an F-Rank badge, which means…” She lifts the leaves around her collar, revealing a nearly identical badge. “…one way or another, we must’ve landed on the same mission~!”

“How could that…? Wait a second, shouldn’t we be stopping them?”

“Oh, I say we let them tucker themselves out. Samuel’s been itching for a good fight, and they seem pretty evenly matched. I get the feeling Hopper feels similar.”

---

Both of us are getting nowhere fast. He can’t keep up with me at all, but I don’t know if I’ll ever wear this guy down. After another couple hits hardly do a thing, I keep my distance to play it safe. He begins curling up, leaving little revealed beneath his spines. With those spiky spines it’s a gamble to close in for an attack, and I smell he’s got something up his sleeve.

Just as I think we’ve hit a stalemate, he rolls himself into a ball and spins out straight my way! I’m able to sidestep just in time, but it’s another narrow dodge. I hope Eri is doing alright with that other Pokémon, but I don’t have the luxury of checking in. If I lose focus, this guy could knock me out in one go.

He rolls back at me, and I dodge again.

He’s regaining his bearings, this is my chance!

I jump in and go for another dive kick, but he recuperates before it lands, perching me atop his huge claw. We’re face to face, and back to square one.

“Playtime’s over, time to wrap it up.” Before I can find my footing and jump away, his other claw closes in on top of me. If I jump now I’ll just clunk my head on it, so I need to push it back!

“U-Urk!” I push with all my strength against it, and he begins pushing from below too.

“All that chub makes you hard to fold in half, but not impossible.”

“I-I’m… not… chubby…! Grrrrrrr!” He’s so strong! I’m pushing away from the top and bottom at this point, but he’s not letting up an inch!

“You’re real resilient, I’ll give you that. Just need to learn how to pick your battles.” It’s all in one ear and out the other. Every little bit of my energy is going to keeping myself standing. “Oh, by the way, it’s not me you should be worrying about right now.”

Huh? What does that mean? Forget the details, I think it means I need backup, and fast!

“Rose,”

“E-Eri,”

“…lend me a hand!”

If she doesn’t jump in now, I’m done for! Eri, Eri, Eri, please Eri!

“Alright, you two, that’s enough~!” As my resistance begins to slip, a pair of leaves slip me out from this guy’s claws, holding me in the air for a moment. With me no longer holding them apart, the claws come together with a mighty CLANG. Kinda makes a pit in my stomach.

Wait, those leaves… This must be his partner! “H-Hey! Let me go! Let me… go…?” My anxious flailing stops when I’m gently lowered to the ground. Behind me, the vegetative giant stares me down with… a cute – if a little condescending – smile, surprisingly. Well, not a smile exactly, since she doesn’t have a mouth. It’s all in the eyes.

“Geez, Samuel, I didn’t realize you were so cruel!” The girl puts her arm-leaves to her hips as she verbally scolds her partner. “Eri and I were having a nice conversation, and you were here about to snap this little guy in two!” Her visceral description sends a chill up my spine. “She’s a seamstress, you know. She said she might be able to make us some cool outfits!”

“Wait, you make clothes?”

Eri came to my side after I was set down, but she seems about as pleased as Samuel’s partner is. “You’re not off the hook either, Hopper. What were you thinking, attacking someone on suspicion like that? And someone so strong, too!”

“Yeah, Samuel, what were you thinking?”

My former adversary and I exchange confused stares before he speaks up. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”

---

“I was panicking, so I pinned it to the board myself and then gave another one to Miss Lisa here. I’m surprised you both took it!” The mix-up prompts a hearty chuckle from our Slurpuff client, and Rosemary giggles a bit as well. Normally I’d laugh too, but this mistake almost got my partner flattened to a pancake.

“Please, do try to be more careful in the future, ma’am…” Lisa, no doubt embarrassed herself, isn’t very amused either.

“Welp, whatever the case may be, thanks for finding it!” The girl happily saunters out of town hall. No wonder these Pokémon keep losing all their stuff, they all seem like a bunch of airheads.

Lisa looks through her desk as she speaks. “Sorry to say, but the reward is still 600 Poké, so you four will have to share.”

“No, no. Rosemary, Samuel, you two did all the work. For that, and as an apology for my partner, you two can keep it.” It’s only fair. All those wild Pokémon that the client reported must’ve been handled by them, after all.

“Hmm…” Rosemary looks to Samuel, who seems ambivalent. “True, true. But… my partner almost squished yours, so I think that makes us even on that part.” That look of ambivalence changes to a frustrated, or maybe even a little shameful, pout. “Still, though, I feel bad that you guys wasted a whole day on this.”

“N-No, it’s fine, really.” Hopper speaks up from behind me in a quiet, guilty tone. “I’m sorry for earlier, Samuel…” That second comment felt restrained. Is he afraid of him?

The Sandslash stares down at Hopper for a second, like he’s holding a grudge, but ultimately pipes up. “…It’s fine. You did a good job holding your own, considering your size and inexperience.” Rosemary doesn’t look satisfied with that response, and Samuel continues after they exchange looks. “And… I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have tried to crush you.”

Rosemary still isn’t satisfied.

“…and I shouldn’t have called you chubby, either.”

“Much better.” Her carefree demeanor returns. “You know, you two are the first adventurers we’ve met in Radiant Square. To bury the hatchet, how about we get dinner? Our treat!” She locks arms with Samuel at the end, but he doesn’t seem thrilled with covering our food.

“A-Are you sur-”

“Yep! My mind is set, so don’t try declining! We’ll grab a table at the Café de Indeedee. Call it a double date~!

And before we knew it, they were out the door.

“D-Double… d-date?” I feel my face light up as I nervously turn to Hopper.

“Double date…” He looks at me vacantly. Oh, Hopper, don’t tell me… “What’s a double date?”

“Uh, It’s nothing. She’s just being weird…”

---

“One Liechi Juice, one Nanab Juice, one Tamato Juice, and one Petaya Juice… Is that everything?”

“Mhm! Thanks a bunch!” Rosemary and Samuel distribute our drinks about our booth: Liechi for me, Nanab for Eri, Tamato for Samuel, and Petaya for Rosemary. When Eri and I came the other day, we had a maid wait on us, but it looks like Rosemary decided on a butler for today. The cold demeanor is a little off-putting, but maybe this type appeals to her?

We all get to drinking, but the vibe at the table is rather uneasy. Eri and I are seated next to each other, with Rosemary and Samuel across from us respectively. My partner is exuding this awkward feeling, while Rosemary is as bubbly as can be. Samuel doesn’t look like he wants to be here at all.

The ambiance of the café was the saving grace of this… what did Rosemary call it… ‘double date.’ Dim, warm, electric-powered lights hang from the ceiling throughout in the form of angular glass lamps. Deep brown wood coated in a glossy finish composed the furniture, and soft green cushions tied together the inviting feel. The steep angle of the booth took a bit of getting used to, but it was fine.

The cherry on top was the band playing music in the corner. A serious-looking Pokémon with light green fur played drums, a relaxed purple one with blue electric spines took bass, and a hunched-over Pokémon with puffed out cheeks and deep blue scales worked their magic on the piano. They played a nice relaxing tune that reminds one of home. Grandpa owns a couple records in a similar style, and we’d listen together in what he called ‘music appreciation hour’. In retrospect, it was probably a ploy to settle me down as a kid, but it worked. I haven’t been listening much in the past couple months, though.

“Soooooo…” As one would expect, Rosemary was the one to speak up. “You two are brand new, right? Is Radiant Square your first stint as adventurers?”

“That’s right. We’re a couple of newbies, hence the F-Rank.” Eri sounds a little embarrassed as the words fall out. “Oh, Rosemary, you said you guys are F-Rank too, right? Does that make you two newbies as well?” They must have gotten well-acquainted while I duked it out with Samuel.

“You could say we’ve been around. We’ve come a long way from our homes, that’s for sure. We were C-Rank – close to B, actually – in our last town, but…” She nudges Samuel on the arm, whose disinterested face shifts to an embarrassed frown.

“Uh… We-” Rosemary nudges him a little harder, interrupting him. “Ok, ok… I forgot to pack our badges and some identification stuff, so we’re back at the bottom here in Radiant Square.”

“It’s inconvenient, but also a nice change of pace.” Rosemary takes a sip of juice before continuing. “Missions get a little tough in those upper ranks. The simple stuff is nice to come back to when you’ve had your fill of rescue missions and team-up missions.”

Ok, how does Rosemary drink without a mouth? Does she just, like, absorb it? Because she’s sort of like a plant? It doesn’t even look that weird when she’s doing it, just kinda fixated on it.

“Really? That stuff sounds so much more rewarding, though.” Eri is more concerned with the conversation than with the mechanics of Rosemary drinking juice.

“Maybe… But you start to miss the mundane stuff, you know? Like helping that Slurpuff find her bag today. It’s little, but you lose some of those simple joys when you move up the ranks.”

“The mundane joy, huh…” Eri returns to her drink as she considers what Rosemary said.

Samuel and Rosemary are like seasoned pros compared to Eri and I, it feels so weird having a casual dinner with them…

“But the higher ranked stuff is cool, too! Your teamwork gets put to the test in a lot of those missions, and the smiles of the Pokémon you help shine even brighter when you worked hard to do it!” Seems like Rosemary could sense the tension her comment left in the air. “Speaking of teamwork… I’ve been dying to know, how did you two meet? I wanna hear all the details!”

Eri and I look at each other nervously, both unsure how to start. Eri takes the lead. “Well, it’s kind of a long story, and a little complicated…”

“Long and complicated, huuuuuh~?” Her eyes narrow as she says it. She seems to be enjoying herself. “We’ve got all the time in the world, right Samuel?”

He puffs some air out his nose, but his response surprises me. “Honestly, I’m a little curious too…”

“So, what is it? Childhood best friends?”

“Maybe a star-crossed couple who ran from home?” C-Couple?!

“Or a damsel in distress?” Damsel?!

“N-No! No romance tropes, okay! Actually, maybe a little of the last one… but still!” Eri shakes her paws in front of her frantically, succumbing to the onslaught of these two gossips.

“Care to weigh in, Hopper~?” Rosemary flaps her hand-leaf up and down as she turns to me.

“Wait, does that make me the damsel?”

“Alright, all three of you settle down!” Eri slams her drink to the table. “Fine, I’ll start. But you two try not to interrupt, okay?”

Eri and I explained everything in detail. From her upbringing, to our fight with Vincent at the lake, all the way to our fight with Hugh and Ernest. Rosemary would lean in whenever anything sentimental happened, while Samuel egged us on for a little more detail on our fights.

“…and that’s about it. Hopper, I didn’t leave anything out, did I?”

“Uhhhhhh, I think that’s everything?”

The pair across the table looked to each other with somewhat astounded expressions, then back to us.

“More dramatic than ours, that’s for sure.” Samuel crosses his claws and flashes a little smile.

“But such a cute story, too!” As expected, Rosemary is in her own little world.

I feel my face warm up, and Eri’s gone a bit red as well. “A-Alright, what about you two, then? It’s only fair that you tell us how you met too.” It seems like Eri would like to move on from our little story.

They look at each other again, and Rosemary nods at Samuel. “Well… Rose and I have known each other since we were kids. When we were teenagers, we started to talk some more.”

Rosemary takes over. “My parents were adventurers for a bit, but they put it behind them when I was born. When I was old enough – right around your age, or maybe a little younger – I decided I’d give the adventuring thing a try.”

“And as luck would have it, I was planning to move out of my dad’s place around the same time.”

“We went to Oak Square first, then hopped around a few places and, a couple years later, here we are in Radiant Square~!” She returns to her drink, signaling that her story is over.

“That’s everything?” It’s so quaint compared to the harrowing drama Eri and I just went on about.

Samuel shrugs. “A lot happens in two years, but that’s where it all started.”

“Oh, our anniversary is around the corner, isn’t it?”

“Would’ve been early winter, so yeah, in a couple months.”

---

They begin to go back and forth with each other. Hopper and I look at each other a bit dumbfounded.

“I didn’t realize our story was so out of the ordinary. Took us half an hour to tell ours, but they wrapped up in hardly a minute…”

Did it really take him this long to figure that out? “Hopper, not everyone has a gang of Pokémon plotting against them.”

He looks a little embarrassed. “I guess not… Makes for a good story though, clearly. We can thank Vincent for that!” There’s that goofy grin.

I can’t help but laugh a little. “Let’s not thank him too much, wouldn’t want to encourage him.”

Huh. I hadn’t even thought about it much, but Vincent kinda is to thank for Team Earshot happening. That night, I was this close to turning around. If not for Vincent, I wonder…

“Oh, oh! Eri! Helloooo? You there~?”

“Huh? Yeah, sorry, got lost in thought. What’s up?” The bubbly girl sitting opposite to me makes me lose track of whatever I had on my mind.

“You said you made that coat yourself, right?”

“Took forever, but it’s an Eri original.”

“It’s so nice! Have you been making clothes for a while?”

“Hmm… Must’ve been when I was around thirteen or fourteen. I started by mending my brothers’ clothes when they’d roughhouse with each other, but later on I got into bigger and bigger projects. This coat is one of my best.”

“Alright, tell me, what could you throw together for me?” Rosemary spreads her leaves out, inviting me to visualize something.

Her gesture isn’t needed, though. When we talked earlier, my creative spirit lit on fire. Such a pretty and elegant Pokémon is the perfect model! But at the same time, it’s that much harder to pick something out for her. A Pokémon like Minccino works as a blank slate, but a Lilligant has so many natural adornments that any additions run the risk of looking tacky.

“Eri? Spacing out again?”

Oh, shit, I was staring way too long. “Maybe something like a fleece? I’d hate to cover your arm-leaves, and adding anything below the waist would conflict with the natural dress you have going on. Something simple and cozy around your torso could look really cute, though. Maybe a blue? What do you think?”

---

While Eri and Rosemary are immersed talking about this and that, Samuel and I are at an impasse. Between sips of juice we exchange a glance or two, but there’s this impenetrable wall between us that neither of us can break.

It’s totally unfair! Eri and Rosemary had time to chat earlier, so they’re at the advantage. What am I supposed to talk about with the guy who tried to, in his own words, fold me in half earlier? Maybe talk about hobbies like Eri, but what hobbies? Until a week ago, all I did was sit at home and at the lake.

I guess I can talk about the one thing I know we have in common: fighting. I break from my juice and look him in the eyes…

Huh? Come on, guy, spit it out! You’re already on that double date thingy with him, and Eri’s getting along just fine with Rosemary. Why’s he so hard to talk to?

“Are… you alright? You’re staring.”

“A-Ah, yeah! Uh, I’m fine. Yep.”

And there it goes. After a flub like that, I’d rather just keep quiet.

---

“It was fun getting dinner with you two~!” Rosemary shakes Hopper’s paws, then mine, as we prepare to go our separate ways. “We’ve got a place in town, so let us know if you wanna go out again sometime!”

“Thanks again for spotting dinner. Maybe again next week?” Samuel doesn’t look thrilled by my proposal.

Rosemary, meanwhile, looks elated. “For sure! Oh, I almost forgot, we should do some team-up missions when we all hit D-Rank!”

“For real? I don’t want to weigh you dow-”

“Zzp!” Rosemary holds her hand-leaf out, as if to say ‘Stop right there!’ “On behalf of Team Thorn, we look forward to working with you, Team Earshot~!”

And off they went. That Rosemary can’t help but get the last word.

It was already dark, so Hopper and I began on our way home. Like the night we met, Hopper used his paws as a guiding light.

“I had no idea you made clothes, Eri.”

“Hm hm! Must mean I did a good job on the coat!”

“What about the scarf? Is that homemade, too?”

“Not the scarf. It was a gift from my dad. He got it for me when I showed interest in being an adventurer. He said something like, ‘Red is the color of a hero!’ when he gave me it.”

Hopper analyzes the garment for a moment. “Red is for heroes, huh? I like it!”

“Yeah, the sentiment is nice, but it’s a little roomy… That’s the perk of going homemade: you can fit it to yourself.” The coat is a little big too, actually, but that’s by design. I want it to still fit if I evolve. Even then, the scarf will still be a bit big.

Hopper is quiet for a second, kicking some pebbles on the ground. “So… you’re gonna make Rosemary something?”

“I’m so glad she asked! She’s the perfect model, don’t you think?”

“Mmm…” It doesn’t seem like he registered my question. “And Samuel, too?”

“Sounds like Rosemary wanted something for him too, but he might be a tricky fit with those big spines.”

“I see…” He continues kicking at the gravel. Absolutely no subtlety. I walk ahead of him and lean in, getting a good look at his face. “H-Huh? What’s up?” He goes a little red when he notices.

“…Your poker face is horrible, Hopper.” I return to normal posture. “I get it. You want something too.”

“M-Maybe…” Got him.

“Alright, let me think…” I look him up and down. Like a Minccino, a Pawmo works as a blank slate for fashion. The armband is a good start, but there’s definitely something missing. We’re partners, so maybe something that matches me? A scarf might be cute, but a knit coat like mine doesn’t sound right. The scars clash with the cute charm of this kind of coat. Oh, and the blue of mine isn’t a good fit for him. I think he could use something darker.

“Anything come to mind?”

“It’s an art, not a science. Something will come to me, just give me some time. Besides, if I make you something now then you’ll grow out of it when you evolve. If I’m gonna make something special for you, you better wear it for the rest of your life!”

“R-Right! I hadn’t even thought of evolution…”

We were home before long, and it was unanimously decided to sleep early. We had a busy day, and it never hurts to get up early.

It’s a long commute, but Hopper’s homely house makes it worthwhile. I’m beginning to get used to living here. The cozy fireplace, the records, the cute little kitchen, and the big beds, of course! Tonight, though, my eyes are drawn somewhere unusual: the big rocking chair. Judging by the big trench coat hanging from the back, far too large for Hopper, it must have belonged to his grandfather.

Trench coat…

“Oh, before you go to bed, Hopper.”

“Yeah? What’s on your mind?”

“Sorry if tonight was a little boring. You and Samuel didn’t seem too talkative, I should’ve tried harder to include you two…”

It looks like my question caught him off guard. His ears perk up as he thinks about what to say.

“You’ve got it wrong.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t talk much, but it was still fun spending time with everyone. We should go on double dates more often, Eri.” An adorable, closed-eyed smile takes Hopper’s face, clashing with such a bold proclamation.

“D-Dates… More often…?” I mumble to myself, my face shrinking into my scarf.

“Mhm! Good night, Eri!”

…and the clueless dummy disappears into his room.