Chapter 5 – Pop Quiz

“Shock the Wiglett, I’ll take the Wooper!”

“M-Mhm!”

Today’s mission brought us to the bay of Lake Radiance, though we were north of Hopper’s house. Another retrieval mission: our client wrote a sappy love confession along the coast, but forgot it when they went home. Sloppy, but I get the sentiment. The view definitely has a romantic aura to it…

Ok Eri, back on track. Neither of our opponents are particularly strong, but I know Hopper can knock out that Wiglett in one attack. One less to worry about doesn’t hurt.

“Alright, here goes!” He squeezes the big pads on his cheeks and powers on, lighting up his entire body with electricity. It’s similar to the improvised attack he used against that Ariados, but more controlled. Certainly more intentional, too.

Rather than jump at the Wiglett, though, he tackles the Wooper before I can reach it. The little blue Pokémon falls over, but Hopper’s electricity fizzles out across its body as he sits atop it.

“Huh? Why’d it-” He’s cut off by a hearty SLAP from the Wooper, smearing mud across his face as he falls over.

“Wrong one, Hopper! He’s a Grou- Oh, come on!” While I’m distracted with my partner, a shot of water connects with my torso, soaking my coat. It’s painless, but now I have to hang this thing up to dry…

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Without skipping a beat, Hopper finds his footing, lunging at the Wiglett this time. “This’ll end it!” It slips back into its hole after he tackles it, clearly having met its match.

Before the Wooper can get a sneak attack in on Hopper, I take off towards it. Maybe ‘take off’ is a strong description. With my coat soaked, I’m significantly slowed. “Hopper, behind you!”

He hardly registers my warning in time to dodge another Mud Slap, and I take advantage of the Wooper’s whiffed attack to close in with a Pound. “Hitting my partner is a problem, but getting mud on his face is just rude!”

SLAP!

And off it ran.

The note wasn’t far away. It was in a blue envelope with white stripes, sealed with a red heart. “Ooh, isn’t it cute, Hopper? Whoever gets it is real lucky!”

“Yeah, it’s nice…” The romantic effect seems to be lost on him. His head lifts as I march toward him, making eye contact when I’m just in front of him. “Hm?” I push his muddy cheeks together, the yellow pads still a bit warm from his attack. “H-Hey!” His voice is a bit muffed, and those yellow cheeks go a rosy red.

“Again, horrible poker face.” He nearly rubs his cheeks a bit as I release him, but remembers the mud before he does. “What’s wrong?”

He looks to the side a bit. “…I’m sorry for messing up.”

“Hey, don’t worry too much.” I reach to strain some of the water from my coat. “This thing is a pain to dry, but-”

“Wait! Don’t touch it! Your paw!”

My paw? “Woah, Hopper. Good catch.” Some of the mud on Hopper’s face rubbed off when I touched him. Getting it wet is one thing, but smearing mud on this coat would be a whole different mess.

“Here.” He unties the rag around his arm and presents it to me. “Use it to clean up.”

It’s the first time I’ve gotten a good look at him without the armband, actually. The scars beside his eye and on his belly look like they must’ve hurt, but they’re both indicative of clean cuts. The one he had covered is more like the scar on his chin: large and rough. It stretched all around the outer arm, and it’s about as wide as the rag is.

“S-Sorry…” He turns to hide the arm behind his body.

Shoot, it was rude to just stare at it like that. “What’re you apologizing for? It doesn’t bother me, it’s just the first time I’ve seen it.” I reach around for his arm. “Can I?”

He reluctantly nods.

I hold his big arm carefully in my paws, examining the scar. “It looks old. Does it still hurt?”

He shakes his head. “Only when I apply pressure. It was a few years ago. Right after I evolved. It’s my second. The ear was the first.” Makes sense. Yeah, it’s chipped, but otherwise the ear doesn’t look too bad. Far better than anything else on him, actually. “It used to be a lot worse. Grandpa gave me the rag so I’d stop picking at it.”

I’m nervous to ask further, but I press on. “Was it from…”

Hopper’s gaze drifts away as he delivers a little nod.

If this one was right when he evolved, and the chipped ear was before that…

Arceus. What the hell is wrong with that guy?

I gently lower his arm. I can tell he’s a little uncomfortable. “I can wash my hands in the lake, so you can hang on to the rag. You should use it to wash your face. We have to head back into town, so don’t let the mud dry. Oh, I think I got some mud on your arm too. Sorry.” We need to purge ourselves of this mud immediately, lest we look more like a pair of Lechonk than a Minccino and Pawmo. “As for the coat, we can take a detour to hang it up at home before we head back.”

“R-Right, will do.” He’s still a little anxious, but I can tell the Hopper I know and love is coming back.

---

“Ohhhhh, thank you guys so much! Do you think he’ll like it?”

“For sure! I think it’s wonderful.” Eri reassured our client as she slipped the envelope into his bag.

Today’s client was a Pokémon roughly three times our height. A quadrupedal Pokémon with a round orange body accented by bits of turquoise. Most distinct was his long trunk, from which he held his brown satchel.

“I sure hope so… I’ve been nervous all week, but I need to let him know how I feel!” A shaky look of determination overtakes him, his body stiffening and the grip of his trunk tightening. “Now that you guys worked so hard for me, I have to try!

Eri pumps her fist in front of her enthusiastically. “Just be yourself, I’m sure it’ll work out.”

I don’t have enough expertise in romance to reassure this Pokémon as effectively as Eri does, but it would be rude not to encourage him. “Good luck! We’ll be rooting for you!”

“R-Right! Thank you so much, Team Earshot. If I see you around, I’ll let you know how it went!” With a nervous smile, he stomped out of town hall. His timid personality makes it easy to forget the size difference, until he’s shaking the ground with every step.

The reward was 400 Poké, which is unremarkable, but we finished today’s mission feeling fulfilled regardless. Even though our mission took a while, our early arrival this morning gave us plenty of daylight left.

“Alright, Hopper, pop quiz!” We hardly take a step outside of town hall before Eri gets in front of me, leaning in and pointing her paw at my nose.

“What’s a ‘pop quiz’?”

“Don’t worry about the details. Your quiz question is the following: What species of Pokémon was today’s client?”

“Uhh… I’ve got it, just let me think…” So, like, I’m a Pawmo, and I’ve got little pads on my paws. Lisa is a Maractus because she’s all prickly like a cactus. What sticks out about today’s client?

“Five seconds left, Hopper!”

“Ok, ok. He was a… trunk… ton? Yeah. Trunkton.”

“Zero points!” She crosses her arms in front of her face, forming an X. “Cufant.”

“Not fair! How was I supposed to know?”

She crosses her arms below her scarf. It’s a little jarring seeing Eri without her coat. “Don’t be so upset. Throwing a pop quiz on you was unfair, but I’ve decided it’s time to expand your horizons a bit.”

“Expand my horizons? How?”

She puffed out her chest, closing her eyes and taking on a smug smile. “It’s simple. Time to hit the books! Specifically, we’re going to tackle a major step in moving somewhere new: we’re getting library cards!”

---

Though I’d expected it to be near town hall in the north, the Radiant Square Public Library was instead situated at the edge of the residential district, in the southwest corner of town. It was a huge building primarily built from white brick and stood at least triple the height of town hall, extending far further across as well. Windows stretched from the ground to the roof along the front of the building, giving a decent view of the front desk, stairs, and a bit of the second floor.

“I assume you’ve never been?”

“Not once. Are all libraries this…” Hopper shuffles his feet. He must be embarrassed, calling a building scary.

“Intimidating? No, the one in Bark Square is more humble. Similar in height and appearance to town hall, but a lot bigger.”

The library’s front entrance is dressed with two sets of double doors. The ones on the left make even town hall’s doors look puny; they’re easily ten times taller than us. Another set stands to the right, only four times our height, give or take.

“Even together, I don’t think we could push that one open.” His head cranes up a full 90 degrees, hardly able to take in the left-hand door from its base.

“I’m glad they’re mindful of accessibility.” I hold the smaller door open.

To the right of the lobby stood a titanic wooden desk, though it gave way to a much shorter section further in. It’s like the vertigo of being in town hall for the first time times twenty. The building was well lit with tons of natural light peeking in through the windows, which was supplemented by large overhead lights.

“…and once I get out today I have a twenty five page reading to go through, then a seven page essay.” A girl behind the desk is talking at a million words per minute.

“Holy shit dude, this stuff is why I dropped out.” A slower, more relaxed voice reverberates in response.

“Yeah, we ball out.” Despite her proclamation of ‘balling out’, she sounds exhausted. I guess you can only ball for so long. “I’m just so nervous because of how rude my professor was about my last assignment.”

“He sounds like a jackass. Your grade was still good, right?”

“It was fine. The paranoia be hitting hard ay-eff though. I’m tweaking out.”

“You’re the freaker.”

“So true…”

It’s pretty strange that they’re speaking so candidly. Swearing on the clock? I could never. Guess there’s not a lot of foot traffic when most people are out and about at work, so they can get away with it. Some of it makes no sense, though. Why did he call her ‘the freaker’? Some Radiant Square lingo I don’t get?

I can’t see anything behind the desk from my angle. “Hello?” I cup my paws around my mouth and shout upwards. You’re supposed to be quiet in a library, but I don’t think my little voice will travel far enough for it to matter.

A pair of pink ears, their fur spiked at the ends, peek out from atop the desk. A second later, a crescent-shaped face follows suit. Their bespectacled, tightly shut eyes compliment a big smile. “Hello there. Can we help you?” It’s the girl’s voice, but it seems like our appearance sapped the energy out of it. Now this is the customer service voice I was so accustomed to using back home.

“My partner and I are new in town, and we’d like to get library cards.”

“Okay, one moment please.” The desk obscures the Skitty’s figure as she walks towards the end of the desk. “Max? Can you do a registration?”

THOOM. From behind the desk creeps a blue hand which grasps the edge of the counter.

“Eep!” A quiet yelp escapes Hopper when the hand comes down.

I lean in to whisper to him. “You’re fine, Hopper. He’s just the clerk.” I hope this visit doesn’t give him some weird library trauma.

Calling the hand colossal would be an understatement, though. Hopper and I could both fit in that palm with plenty of room to spare. It supports the weight of a mighty Golurk, who leans over to take a look at us. “Sure thing. Take a seat guys, let’s get started.” His other hand waves towards the end of the counter.

The chairs – as you might expect by this point – are too large, but we’re able to access the desk just fine by standing on them. “Alright, you two live in Radiant Square, right?”

“N-No, but my house is in Radiant Forest, n-near the lake.” Looks like Hopper is getting the hang of these proceedings after all our paperwork at town hall. He’s not doing a good job hiding his fear of this guy, though.

“Radiant Forest, huh…” Max sounds disappointed – or maybe frustrated – by Hopper’s response. “Bella, can you get Ken? I’ve never done an unincorporated card before.”

“Ohhhhhh. Sure thing. One sec.” The Skitty hops down from the high desk, scampering into the back office.

“Unincorporated? What’s that mean?” It makes sense that Hopper wouldn’t know. It’s not exactly his house after all.

“Homes within the Radiant area that aren’t properly a part of the town. Registering cards for patrons living there is a little trickier. My supervisor will help us figure it out.”

We can faintly hear Bella chatting with another Pokémon from the office. It’s not long before they both get up behind the counter.

“So you two live in Radiant Forest?” Their supervisor was a Meowstic with a pair of circular-framed glasses and slicked back hair. “We have a fee for cards outside of town.”

“There’s a fee? The library back home was free.”

“Not free. Patrons pay for the library with their taxes. If you live in the forest, can I assume you’re not paying taxes on your home?”

Hopper glances around while the supervisor stares at him, as if he could be asking someone else the question. After a second, his head tilts to the side. “Uh, what are ta-”

I cut off my partner. “That’s right, we don’t.” I’m not about to make this guy lecture Hopper on what taxes are. We can have that discussion later. “I get the idea, though. How much is the fee?”

“Well, we charge once per year. It’s 30,000 Poké annually.”

30,000?! We’re hardly making a thousand per week, we don’t have 30,000! “I… I see. We, uh, don’t have that much.” I stand up in my oversized chair, preparing to jump down. “Alright, Hopper. We’re off to find a bookstore.”

“Wait just a minute.” The Meowstic interjects. “Judging by your badge, you’re a pair of adventurers, right? What’s your rank?”

“F-Rank, for the moment.”

“Hmm…” He walks over to a binder on the desk, flipping through it and then skimming a page. “Alright. Nothing we can do for you right now, but come back once you hit D. They’ll start pulling taxes out of your rewards, which means you’ll be eligible. It’s a pretty niche clause, since most adventurers in Radiant Square live in town, but it’s your ticket.” Wait, we get taxes deducted from our pay? I guess adventuring is still a job…

“Either way, you’re free to hang around all you like. Don’t need a card to look around!” The Golurk cuts back in to the conversation. “Thanks, Ken.”

“Yep. I’ll be on break.” The remark sarcastically slips out as he returns to the office.

---

“Heeeeeeeeere you goooooooooo.”

“Thanks again. Sorry for disturbing you!”

Eri and I weren’t able to retrieve the gigantic book she wanted from the shelf, so we requested the assistance of a librarian to bring it to our little table. The gentleman who helped us was a large, blue Pokémon with pointed ears and a big cream-colored tummy. His eyes didn’t open an inch while we spoke, I wonder how he found his way? Come to think of it, that Bella girl at the desk was the same way.

“Oh ho hooooo. Noooooo bother!” He waddled away, fading into the labyrinth of literature that surrounded us.

Before me sat a gargantuan tome – easily several hundred pages – bound with a leather cover. Inscribed on the front was ‘ILLUSTRATED POKÉMON ENCYCLOPEDIA: NINTH COLLECTED EDITION’.

“I have to read all this…?”

She shakes her head. “Not word for word, but enough to commit some of it to memory.” How am I supposed to memorize something so long? My reading speed isn’t that good. “Not all in one day, mind you. Just go at your own pace. Memory first, speed second.”

“I see. I’ll give it a try, then.”

“That’s the spirit! Oh, while I’m here…” She reaches across the table to open the book, flipping towards the end.

“What’re you looking for? I thought you knew all this stuff.”

“No way, I don’t know every species of Pokémon, Hopper. Anyways, I’m just looking forrrrrr… there it is!” She points to the page she landed on. “Look familiar?”

Beneath Eri’s paw is an illustration of a Pawmo, their arms stretched out and their face determined. Classified as an Electric and Fighting-type. The book highlights a little blurb about our paw pad-oriented electric attacks. Alongside it is detailed information about diets, habitats, and average physical dimensions.

“I… don’t think I need to read this page, Eri.”

“I know that, dummy. You wanted clothes, right? I need an idea of what you’ll look like after you evolve.” She moves her paw down the page, tapping an illustration of a Pawmot. “Sorry to spoil the surprise, if you didn’t know.” She pulls a piece of scrap paper from a bin on the desk, jotting down some numbers with a nearby pencil. “Glad I checked. Pretty big height difference from where you’re at now. Though I’ll have to account for you being a little, uh…”

“…a little what?”

“Uhh, let’s call you petit.” Not judging, just gotta keep stuff like that in mind as a seamstress.” She folds up the scrap paper and stashes it in her scarf. “I saw there’s an arts and crafts area in the basement, so I’ll be down there if you need me. Let’s be sure to meet back up by sunset, alright?”

“Y-Yeah. Understood.” I know I’m ‘petit’, I’ve had Vincent telling me since I was six years old. Though he prefers to just call me ‘bug’ instead. Figures that Eri would’ve noticed too. Bet things would be easier if I was taller…

“Perfect. See you in a bit. Good luck studying!”

And she, too, disappeared into the maze of books.

I’d better start from square one. I use both arms to turn back to the beginning of the book, a bit of dust flying around as the stack of pages make impact with the table. After skimming past the table of contents and a brief foreword, I arrive at our first Pokémon.

#0001 – Bulbasaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison

An illustration shows a green Pokémon on all-fours with a wide smile. Its body seems to house a few rough patches, and a large bulb sits atop its back.

Further down the page is #0002 – Ivysaur and #0003 – Venusaur. Like the Pawmo page I saw earlier, they’re all grouped together within their evolutionary families. Pawmot doesn’t look too much different from me, but Bulbasaur goes through a much more dramatic change. That bulb first gets bigger and sprouts pointed leaves, then it grows to a back-mounted tree as Venusaur. Easy enough to remember. What’s next?

---

“Going down, ma’am?” A burly Machoke speaks up as I enter the elevator.

“Yes. Down to the basement, please.”

“You got it!”

He pulls down a switch and grabs hold of a wire line, feeding more and more upwards as we slowly descend. I’ve taken a few elevators like it back home, but it’s always a bit of a scary experience. You’re really putting your life in another Pokémon’s paws. Or I guess hands, in this case. More advanced elevators powered by Electric-type Pokémon are becoming somewhat common, but it seems the library hasn’t taken that step yet. Regardless of how it’s powered, it beats taking those huge stairs.

“Here we are!” The elevator jolts to a halt, an audible clang resounding as the box reaches the bottom of the shaft.

“Thank you!” I bow for him as I leave the elevator. It’s a hard job, I’ve gotta show my respect.

---

Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard.

Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise.

Easy enough so far…

---

The basement is a fairly large open floor. Brick walls painted with primary colors are supported by wooden pillars, emitting an appealing atmosphere that sparks one’s creativity. The bright electric lights above provide the visual clarity necessary for arts and crafts.

Throughout the room are valuable pieces of crafting equipment. Presses, cutters, various high quality tools, you name it.

“Welcome to The Down Low: RSPL’s very own arts and crafts studio!” A towering Aurorus gently stomps my way, craning their neck to be at least a little close to eye-level. Despite their intimidating size, their voice is gentle and enthusiastic. A lanyard suspends a name tag from their neck, listing the name ‘Prisca’. “Is this your first time? Anything I can help with?”

“Yes, it is! I’m new in town and trying to get a lay of the land. Do I need a library card to use the stuff down here?”

Her huge head shakes back and forth with a smile. “Nope! Free to use, we just ask that you provide your own materials. We have some that you can purchase as well.”

“I see. I’m looking to make some handmade clothes, do you have something I could use?”

“Of course! Come, follow me.”

She turns her back and walks along, arriving at one of the large wooden tables near the edge of the room. Though she’s walking at an average pace, the size difference forces me into a light sprint to keep up.

“Here, hopefully this works for you.” She steps to the side as we arrive.

“Y-Yes! This is perfect- no, better than perfect!” Among other tools, this table has a fabled electric sewing machine! I’ve heard about these, but I never thought I’d get the chance to use one! And for free! That said, though… “You, uh, wouldn’t happen to know how to operate this thing, would you?”

The Aurorus giggles at my excitement. “Let me show you.”

---

Sandshrew, Sandslash…

Ohhhh, so that’s what Samuel is. Sandslash. They don’t all have that weird hair-spine sticking down in front, though. There’s a blue variant too.

Nidoran, Nidorina, Nidorino, Nidoqueen, Nidoking. Those ones are kind of scary…

Clefairy, Clefable. Oh, these ones are so cute!

Vulpix, Ninetales. These two also have variants.

So far so good. This is going faster than I expected.

---

After getting the hang of the new machine for an hour or two, I managed to get a solid start on my piece for Hopper. The fabric was pretty cheap and rather high quality, so I should be able to get this thing done without breaking the bank.

There’s no natural light peeking into The Down Low, but the clock on the wall reads 5:45 PM, so it must be almost time to meet back up with Hopper-

Shit, wait. I don’t want him to see this thing. I didn’t think this through at all. I can’t run all the way home to stash it in my room, I don’t have that kind of time right now. If only we lived in town…

Oh, oh! That’s it!

After gently folding it into my bag, I carefully carry it back through the library and out to the street. The sun is indeed setting, but I think I can still manage 15 minutes or so. Thankfully, I’m already in the residential district, so I don’t have to book it across town.

“I think she said it was… here…?” I look up to one of many uniform houses. A mailbox hangs next to the door, with the house number atop it: 197. Attached to the mailbox is a small sign reading ‘ROSEMARY AND SAMUEL’ with a note saying ‘NO SOLICITORS~!’ Writing a sign on your door with a tilde is very odd, but, for what it’s worth, I can definitely read it in her voice.

I can’t comfortably reach the knocker, so I tap the door a few times with my tail.

“Coming.” A low, curt voice responds. A few seconds later, the door opens. “Oh, Eri. Looking for Rosemary, I assume?”

“Ideally. But you’d help me if she’s not around, right?”

Samuel pouts a little and looks to the side. “I’ll, uh, go get her. You can come in.”

Rosemary and Samuel’s home is small, but it’s cozy. It’s about half the size of Hopper’s, but it has two floors like most of the others in the area. The ground floor has a small kitchen with a dining table, and a rest area at the entrance. There’s a book on the table in the rest area; I hope I didn’t interrupt Samuel’s reading.

He proceeds upstairs, and I hear him knock at a door. After a brief and muffled exchange, Rosemary comes down.

“Hey Eri! Where’s your coat?”

Is it that weird for me not to wear it? “It got soaked, so it’s hanging up at home. Enough about that, though. Can you do me a big favor?”

“Mhm~! Whatcha need?”

I place my bag on the table and take out what I made. “I’m making this for Hopper. Can you keep it safe for me?”

She looks confused. “I can, but why?”

“I was working on it at the library while he was reading. I don’t want it to get damaged in my bag going back and forth, but he’ll see it if I lug it out in the open.”

“And that’s a problem because…?”

Huh? Well that’s obvious. “It’s a problem because… because it’s a surprise!”

“Ohhhhh. A surprise, huh~?” Just like at dinner last week, those narrowing eyes tell me she’s having too much fun.

“Quit it, you! I’ve gotta go meet up with him, so are you in or are you out?”

“Don’t let me stop you! I’ll keep it safe and sound.” Her little wink instills at least a little confidence. “Looks good, by the way. If you need a sous seamstress, let me know! I’ll get Samuel involved too, if you want~!”

“You will not!” Samuel objects from upstairs. Never a dull moment with these two.

“Thank you so much, Rosemary! I’ll see you around!” It’s a little rude to just run out the door like this, but I don’t want to keep him waiting. We exchange waves goodbye as I dash to the library.

Sure am a lot lighter without the coat.

---

Mankey, Primeape. Those are the first Fighting-types in the book, come to think of it. Whole lot of Flying and Poison-types so far.

Growlithe and Arcanine. Oh, I know that one. Blitz, of course.

“Hopper, what a coincidence! How’ve you been, son?”

Yeah, he sounds like that! Big, booming voice.

“Where’s Eri? You two are usually attached at the hip.”

Mhm. Just like that.

“Hopper? Hello?”

“Ok, yes, I get it. Why does my brain keep playing Blitz’s voice?” I inadvertently mumble to myself.

“Look up, son.”

“Up…?”

Oh, yeah, that’s Blitz.

Wait, what?!

“A-Ah! Mr. Blitz! I, uh, didn’t think you were real.”

“I… Huh.” The Guildmaster stares at me with a confused smile. At his side is another Pokémon I’ve never seen, who looks even more confused than Blitz himself. Their coat of sleek white fur hides a navy undercoat that’s visible around the face. A strange horn-thingy sticks out from the right of their head. They’re slender to the point of being a little unnerving, but they have a calming aura about them as well. They and Blitz have matching bands around the ankles of their forepaws: a royal blue around Blitz’s right, and a deep crimson around this Pokémon’s left.

“Wait, I know you’re real! I just meant, er…”

“Hey now, it’s a gift to get yourself so immersed in reading. May I ask what’s got you so invested?”

I attempt to lift the book and reveal the front cover, but it hardly budges.

“Allow me.” Blitz slides one of his paws underneath – itself nearly double the size of the book – and lifts it effortlessly. “The Pokémon Encyclopedia, eh? Don’t see adventurers studying like this too often.”

“Eri got frustrated when I mistook a Pokémon name on a mission today, so she told me to read through it.” I slump back in my chair on reflex. Just thinking about this morning has me exhausted: physically and mentally.

“That would make sense. Education must’ve been limited while living in the forest.” Huh? When did I tell him I live in the forest? Did he read our application or something? He removes his gaze from the book and directs it to me instead. “Something the matter?”

“W-What?” I jolt up in my seat. “Uh, it’s nothing, really.”

“Hmm…” He leans in, and I reflexively pull back a bit. Guy’s got a muzzle the size of me, can’t help but feel a little intimidated. “Horrible poker face.”

“Why does everyone keep telling me that…”

“Nothing wrong with it, but it makes you an easy read.” He pulls back, and I return to my regular posture. “No pressure of course, but you can be candid with me if you wish.”

Guess my ‘poker face’ is yet another thing I should work on. I thought Eri just knew me well, but now Blitz has me figured out too. “Just upset about it, that’s all. Messing up I mean. Last week, too.”

He tilts his head to the side. “Come now. Everyone messes up. Arceus knows I do.” The Pokémon beside him scoffs, but Blitz either doesn’t hear or ignores it.

“Right, I know, but it still gets to me. It feels like every mission since our exam I’ve done something wrong.” I slump my head atop my arms on the desk, letting my eyes drift to the window. It’s hard to keep eye contact with someone when you’re talking about this stuff, especially someone with Blitz’s reputation. “More than anything, I think I’m just… I’m just…”

“You’re just… what?”

“…just worried.”

“Worried about what?”

“Worried that she’ll, I dunno… get sick of it. If I keep messing up, what if she moves on? What if she looks for a better partner?” The two of them glance at each other silently. “Uh, sorry, haha. Shouldn’t be dumping all of this on you, Guildmaster. It’s all a bunch of nonsense anyways.” Something about this guy is so… disarming, I guess? Not wanting to waste any more of his time, I reach to grab my backpack from the back of the chair. “I’ll just, uh-”

“Woah, woah, woah. Easy, son. No need to rush, nor to apologize.” He lifts his paw and tries to grab my shoulder, I think. The size difference means he really just ended up rubbing my head, messing with my hair a little. “I understand the feeling, but-”

“Hopper, right?” Blitz’s companion joins the conversation, sitting elegantly on the floor. “Say what you said again, but listen to the words coming out of your mouth.” What? Listen to my own words? “Just humor me, okay?”

“Okay… I’m worried that she’ll get sick of it. If I keep messing up, she might move on and look for a different partner.”

“This girl, Eri. You two are close, no?”

Close? I mean, it’s been almost a month now I think. And we’ve been living together, and spending time together every day. “I think so.”

“And you trust her, right?”

“Of course I do!” The mere thought of doubting my trust in Eri makes me jump up in my seat.

“Keep your voice down, we’re in a library.” His closed eyes speak volumes. “Tell me, then. Would that same Eri say that to you? Would she even think it?”

I kick my feet a little as I think on it. She was really upset when I was in the infirmary, but she was more concerned I think. And when I attacked Samuel, things worked out in the end. Today, too. The Eri I trust, huh? “I thi-”

“Don’t say it.” The unknown Pokémon interrupts me without a second thought. “That answer is for you, not for me. I think I know the answer anyways.” A warm smile takes his face as he finishes. My own answer…

“Don’t you think you’re being cold?”

“Don’t you think you’re being nosy?”

“Uh…” I feel a little afraid to cut in with these two. “Sorry, I don’t think we’ve met before. You are…?”

Like before, they exchange looks. “Goodness, where were my manners!”

“You’re in a library, Blitz. Quiet down.”

“Yes, yes. This Absol here is Ares. He’s the Vice Guildmaster, and also my, uh, what’s the right word-”

“Partner. We’re partners.”

“Yes, partners. That works.” He gives a big grin to Ares. “Wow, take a look. Isn’t it beautiful?” He raises a paw and stretches it out to the window next to me. Even though I’d just been gazing out, I hadn’t really been paying attention to it. The sky is a lovely purple and pink, with just a bit of orange peeking out as the sun dips below the horizon. “Actually, shouldn’t you be going, Hopper? You live pretty far, don’t you?”

“Suppose I should, ye-” Wait, that’s right! I was supposed to meet Eri at sunset! “Oh, shit!”

“Arceus Almighty, have either of you ever been in a library before?” Ares is a stickler for the rules. Wonder if he’s what keeps Blitz in line.

“S-Sorry. Thanks so much for chatting. And it was nice meeting you, Mister Ares.” I give a rigid bow. “I’ve gotta meet up with Eri, I’ll be seeing you!” I took care not to yell at the end there.

“It’s a pleasure. Good luck with your partner.”

“See you around!”

I hear Ares groan at Blitz as I run off.

I somehow managed to find my way back to the lobby and out of the library, but Eri was nowhere to be found.

“H-Hopper! Sorry I’m late!” As if on cue, my partner came sprinting up to me on all fours from down the road.

“You’re fine! If you were late, so was I.” It’s technically still sunset, even if not for long, so we’re both on time. “Wait, I thought you were still in the library. Why did you come from down the street?”

She perks up at the question, looking around anxiously. “Oh, I just stopped by Rosemary’s place, that’s all.” She’s talking rather quickly. If it were anyone else, I might not believe them, but…

“Ohhh. Gotcha, I trust you.”

We decided to catch up a bit on our usual walk home. “How was the arts and crafts area?”

“It was perfect!” Seems like she was dying to tell me. “There was so much stuff down there, you could probably make anything in the world in that little workshop!”

“Really? Maybe I should take a look too. Never been too artistically inclined, though.”

“We should go together! We might even be able to make some new furniture for the house. The materials should be cheap for furniture of our size.”

“M-Maybe… I think I should start with something a little easier, though…”

“Hmm. Guess you can start as my assistant.”

Kinda demeaning. “Can we at least stick with partner as a title?”

She puts her paw to her chin and looks to the sky, then gives me a weak punch on the arm. “Sure, if you get as good as me!”

“Better than being an assistant for the rest of my life.” I throw my arms up in resignation.

“Hold it, what’s wrong with being my assistant?”

“N-Nothing!” Guess that one slipped out. “Oh, sorta speaking of assistants, I met the Vice Guildmaster today!”

Eri picks up her pace, walking a bit ahead of me to my left. “Woah, for real? Ares, right?”

“Yeah, that’s him. He’s kinda cold, but a really nice guy. Oh, Blitz was with him too.”

“W-What? Blitz?!” Forgot she’s such a big fan. “Now I wish I’d done some reading myself. You know, rumor has it that they’re a couple.”

Those two? They were a little evasive when calling each other ‘partners’, I guess. “I can see it, actually. They bounce off each other well. Blitz is kinda out there, while Ares is pretty grounded. I think it’s cute.”

A couple that goes on adventures together. Rosemary’s parents were similar. I wouldn’t mind that…

Woah, guy. What’re you saying?

“Hopper, you good?”

“Y-Yes! All good!”

“Uh huh.” I’m sure in her head she’s thinking…

---

Terrible poker face.

---

“Oh, so how did the reading go?”

“Fine, I think. I got through around, uh, 50 Pokémon? I stopped when Blitz showed up.”

She steps all the way in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. Why can I tell that this is another- “In that case, it’s time for a pop quiz!”

“Another one?”

“Come on, you studied this time! Give it a try.” I begrudgingly nod. “Alright, your quiz question is: name ten species of Pokémon you studied today. And, if you can, try not to use multiple from the same evolutionary family!”

“Urk… Let me think…” Alright, start from the top. The first one was… “Bulbasaur, that’s one.” Then, uh, “Charizard is another.” There was a Water-type in there too, but I can’t remember. Moving on, we’ve got… “Three: Pidgey.” Come on, something else that stuck out to you! Something vibrant! “Oh, Pikachu! And then Sandslash as well, that makes five.”

“Halfway there, keep going!” She grips her paws in front of her scarf encouragingly.

Alright, there was a scary one too. “Nido, uh, Nidosomething.”

“There’s a few of those, but I’ll count it.”

And that one Fighting-type! It was called… “Mankey, I think?”

“Yep. Seven down.”

“The last one I looked at was Arcanine. Oh, and I guess I learned a little about Absol.”

“You’re almost there! Anything else?”

I shut my eyes to focus as hard as I can, but… “I’ve got nothing, I’m sorry.”

She gets even closer and takes hold of my paws. “What’re you apologizing for? You memorized nine on your first try, that’s really good!”

“But didn’t I fail the quiz?”

“A failing grade in school is 60% or less. You got a whole 90% on your first try!”

I’m not really sure what to say. It doesn’t feel like I did well. “So you’re not upset?”

“What? Of course I’m not upset. You’re learning quick, and that’s something to be proud of! But even if you had failed, you shouldn’t apologize for it. I’d just quiz you again next time, and the time after that, until you got it down!”

“I…” This Eri, the one that I trust, the one I’m close to… Yeah, maybe Ares was right. I guess she wouldn’t say any of that stuff. “I’m glad. It was actually pretty fun learning about a bunch of new Pokémon.”

“I remember being bored by it in school, just felt so mundane. Maybe growing up gives you a different perspective on that kind of thing? Or it’s our different upbringings?”

I took her for more of the studious type. “Maybe I wasn’t the only one failing quizzes.”

Clearly I should have bit my tongue, as a big pout takes her face. “I praise you and you start making fun of me, is that how it is? Need I remind you that you didn’t fail, Mr. Supergenius? A-And I didn’t either, for that matter!”

“Is that so? What were your grades like, then?”

“Er-” Just like earlier, her eyes dart around nervously. “Uh, a lot of 70%s, I think…”

I can’t help giggling a bi-

PLOOF!

“Hey!”

Her fluffy tail hits me upside the head. It doesn’t hurt, though. The fluff makes it sort of pleasant, actually… “Y-You don’t get to laugh at that! I was, like, nine years old! You’re laughing at a nine year old girl, Hopper!”

“Ok, sorry, sorry! No need to use the tail!”

She looks away from me like a child throwing a fit. “I didn’t have a choice. My paws are… occu… pied…” Eri must not have realized until now that she was still holding tightly to my paws. “Ah, um, sorry.” She buries her face in her scarf, which is about as red as she is.

“Looks like your poker face isn’t great either.”

“Hmph!”

“K-Kidding!”

PLOOF!