"So... um... are you and mister Dusknoir, and, and mister Grovyle too... are you all really explorers, miss Celebi?"

"Uh? Oh, um... well," Celebi said with a start, her wings buzzing as she fluttered in front of Silver and Bronze, and she peered at Dusknoir, who floated behind both of the Eevee children. Hugging the ends of her scarf close, she thought hard for a moment about what to say. "Yep! Yep, I guess you could call us explorers!"

Silver was practically jumping with every step as he walked along, his bushy tail wagged in awe as he gazed at his babysitter; the pink fairy giggled to herself as she watched Bronze get smacked in his face a couple times thanks to his sibling, shaking a pouch hanging loosely from his neck. Before she could fly over and nudge the brown-furred Pokemon away, Dusknoir beat her to the punch, reaching out with a large hand and pulling Bronze back a couple steps. Both he, and Celebi, gave him a grateful look, a look that he answered with a strange, blank, one-red-eyed stare.

"Wow..." Silver said, totally oblivious to the two others behind him, keeping his gaze focused excitedly on Celebi. "So you must have been on a lot of adventures, then! Do you have a name for your team? And a badge? I didn't see one yesterday, does mister Grovyle have it?"

Celebi dropped a little in the air, once again unsure of how to answer. She pulled a face at nobody in particular and put her wrists on her hips, blowing her antennae out of her eyes as she flew back up. "Er, well..."

"We weren't trained at an exploration guild," Dusknoir replied in a low voice, glancing briefly to the side as he leaned in close. Silver cocked his head, the sparkle of amazement in his face vanishing somewhat, then returning, even stronger than it had been before, as the ghost type folded his arms and looked away.

"You're freelance explorers?" Bronze asked suddenly, his ears folding over from the cold. Celebi nodded in response, shivering herself as a mild wind drifted through the village. She looked over her shoulder for a moment to see where she was going. "Mom's told us about freelancers before. She said that they don't come here that much, though..."

"But then... oh wow, you must have had a lot of cool adventures if you don't get to work with the guilds like all the other explorers do!" Silver piped up, swinging his head back over to Celebi, snow crunching loudly under his paws as he continued walking. "Can you tell us about one? C'mooon, I wanna hear about the cool stuff you do!"

"I don't think you would be very interested in our travels-" Dusknoir started to say, but Celebi's cheerfully-nodding head made him pause. Was she really thinking about-?

"Sure, a story sounds like fun!" The fairy smiled at the kids, and Dusknoir's eye widened somewhat, a nervous twinge rippling through his body. He reached up and scratched at his shawl collar, tightening his grip on the coins in his fist, trying to quash the unpleasant feeling.

"Celebi, I think we could wait until we get to the inn. We're already treating them by bringing them out to lunch, with what little money we have..." He interrupted coolly, ignoring the disappointment that fell over Silver and Bronze, instead drumming his fingers against his arm as he stared at his friend. He hoped that she would pick up on his hesitation – neither chasing after Dialga, nor his time as her and Grovyle's enemy, seemed like worthwhile tales to tell. Unfortunately, she simply stared back at him in confusion, her fingers clasped gently behind her back.

"What do you mean, Dusknoir? I don't see why we couldn't start now," She said, shaking her head lightly and turning her attention back to the pair of Eevee between them. With a flourish, she brought a hand to her chest, jokingly lifting her nose in the air. "We've been on a lot of great adventures, you know! So, let me think for a moment... hmmm... what could we tell you about..."

Dusknoir grimaced as the grass type brought a fist to her mouth and cleared her throat. She then crossed her legs, thinking hard to herself, or at least that's how it looked. The two kids snickered under their breath at the display, turning towards each other in excitement.

"Oh! I know!" Celebi snapped her fingers as the group of four passed through the village gates, turning at the crossroads and heading down the path to the beach again. Celebi breathed into her palms, rubbing them together as she spoke. "There was this one time, when Grovyle, Dusknoir, and me too, of course, all had to fight..."

The pink fairy trailed off, letting the tension build, and she barely restrained herself from laughing at Silver and Bronze, who were already staring intently at her, enraptured by her playful storytelling. She noticed Dusknoir furrow his brow, and rolled her eyes at him.

"Who was it, miss Celebi?" Bronze finally broke the silence. "Who did you have to fight?"

"We had to fight a... dragon type Pokemon!" At that, Celebi dramatically flung all her limbs out, grinning widely as the children gasped right on cue – Silver's tail even stopped waving around for a full second – and she let another couple moments pass before continuing. "We were all climbing up a big mountain, chasing after him, you see. He was trying to run away, and Grovyle, Dusknoir and I had to go and stop him!"

"Run away? What did he do?"

"He... he stole a lot of things from a lot of Pokemon." The gears in Celebi's head were starting to turn, Dusknoir mused, as she devised a makeshift motive right on the spot. "He stole a lot of things that the Pokemon needed to live. But there were a lot of wild Pokemon up on the mountain too..."

Dusknoir's nerves stayed on-edge, despite Celebi's vague descriptions as she continued to weave her yarn. The occasional visitors, most of them likely heading towards Snowrest Village, either took one look at him and stepped to the side with a polite, if just as nervous, smile, or found themselves staring at the little pink grass type in the front. The ghost sneaked a shifty peek behind him, raising his head to see just over his scarf and collar, and sighed inwardly at some of the still-gawking Pokemon, who were trying to walk backwards through the snow, still caught off-guard by Celebi.

Despite his annoyance, he knew that he couldn't blame them. His size was enough to intimidate some Pokemon outright; he had gotten used to it back when he and the Sableye had been working with... Primal Dialga. And Celebi was... well... Guildmaster Delibird, Azul, and others had already commented on the legendary Pokemon. His mind drifted back to his time in Treasure Town, distantly hearing the oodles of praise and adoration he had been given just for being a 'famous explorer' alone.

Then the ghost remembered what he had done afterward, and shook his head, dropping his arms to his sides as he tried to break out of his daze before it dredged that memory up. The tips of his fingers barely grazed against a rather thick pile of snow, helping him to come back to his senses, and he looked ahead. Waves flowed onto the beach, Silver and Bronze were still walking and listening, Celebi was still speaking, and...

Dusknoir blinked as they came to the foot of the inn. "We're here."

His three companions didn't seem to hear him, and he watched as Celebi kept going. "Celebi, we're here."

That time, Silver and Bronze both slowed to a stop, but their other babysitter didn't. Dusknoir inhaled sharply, raising his voice a tad higher, his friend's head inches from the door as a blurry figure appeared on the other side of its window. "Celebi!"

"Huh?" Celebi said, looking confused as she noticed the ghost's expression, and she spun around just as the doorknob began to turn. She gasped and hastily dashed out of the way as the hinges squeaked and screeched. "Oh! W-woah!"

Dusknoir quickly scooped Silver and Bronze up in his arms as a Poliwrath exited the building, giving them a grumpy glance of acknowledgment before stomping away, leaving the group of four to themselves. After a moment, Celebi exhaled, giggling, her amusement a bit hard to hear above the noise coming from inside the inn.

"Oho, oops! I guess I got so caught up in the story that I forgot all about the inn!" She said, scratching at her cheeks as they lightly turned red from embarrassment. She sheepishly flew down and patted Dusknoir's shoulder. "Thanks, Dusknoir!"

The ghost nodded at her, earning a smile from the grass type in the process, and floated forward, still carrying the two young Eevee with him as he squeezed through the wooden frame. "We shouldn't leave the door open."

The inn was warm and as crowded as it had been the other night, the sound of a dozen or more voices coming together in a raucous racket. Dusknoir scanned across the large room, trying to spot an empty table for the four of them to go, a task made more than a little difficult by the visiting explorers, or thirsty locals, or other Pokemon, that blocked his view.

Something ticklish squirmed against his chest, and he was shaken out of his search as Silver dug his heels into the 'eye' of his chest's face, scrambling onto his shawl collar. Bronze soon climbed up on the opposite side, and the little kids settled comfortably into his scarf. He reached up, about to pluck them off and return them to the floor, but a light jab from Celebi stole his attention instead.

"I think I found an open spot," She said, beckoning him to follow her. "C'mon!"

The pink fairy fluttered just over his head, and Dusknoir followed, shuffling past a few seated patrons, who didn't even notice the bumping and jostling. Sure enough, there was a small table sitting near the middle of the room, unoccupied and looking recently cleaned. Celebi sat down on the edge of the wooden surface, and Dusknoir grabbed a chair, pulling it away and taking its spot for himself. He waited for his passengers to hop off and seat themselves, and when they never did, he picked them up by the scruffs of their necks and plunked them down.

"E-eheheh!" Silver laughed to himself as he spun in a circle, awkwardly hunching his head as he looked at Dusknoir. He quickly turned away, grinning at Celebi, who sat across from him. "So what happened next? You escaped from the big Metagross, and then what?"

"A Metagross?" Dusknoir asked, confused. Three pairs of eyes stared at him in response, and the ghost folded his arms, resting them on the table. Oh, wait a minute. An irritating thought hit him head on: now that he interrupted, he was going to have to play along too, wasn't he? "Oh... yes, I remember it now. It was a very fierce foe."

"Woah..." Bronze said, smiling almost as wide as his brother. The sight helped to ease Dusknoir's tension, if only a little, and he leaned forward, letting his shoulders slump. He still kept his senses sharp, listening intently for the sound of either innkeeper.

"Hu-hurgh..."

Tiny, clawed feet scratched against the sleet-laden rock, the incessant noise echoing around the rising path, only accompanied by the muffled gusts coming from far above. The purple imp wondered if his numb legs would freeze to the ground if he stopped, and the thought forced him to keep moving, taking step after step after step, shivering all the while. Ever since that night from a while ago, when they had all gotten separated, the cold had finally started to get to him. Even staying out of the wind didn't help anymore.

"H-h-how... does an-n-nyone live in thu-this stup-pid place anywh-way?" The Sableye muttered darkly through chattering teeth, peering around at the gray, featureless cave; it was so dark that even his topaz had lost its sparkle. He dug his heels into a jagged foothold sticking out from the slope, and marched forward, holding his arms around his body in a vain attempt to keep warm. "Wheh... h-heh..."

Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl as he hiked through the cavern, a feeling that wasn't nearly as welcome as the imp seemed to remember. Had he really gotten used to this new, windy, sunny, snowy world so fast?

A sudden, wet crunch made the Sableye yelp loudly in shock, and he stopped in his tracks, staring at his own two feet. He was ankle-deep in fluffy white slush, and the roar of the wind seemed to be louder.

Slush. Wind.

An exit!

The Sableye jumped, remembering his thoughts from earlier, and a surge of newfound energy pulsed through his bones. He swung his arms back and forth, fingers curling into fists, the movement in his joints coming easier now. He ran wildly up the last stretch of the dreary passage, stone grays melting into powdery whites and vivid blues and-

He burst forth into a great plateau, a flattened peak of solid ice, coated by a layer of snow. A massive blast of wind, gone as quick as it had come, nearly bowled him over, and he hunkered down onto all fours, having to crawl as he made his way near the edge of the mountain. He could see the ocean stretching far off in the distance, and a big forest... and was that that village where master Dusknoir was!? It was hard to tell, since his vision was getting weird and watery, and his strength from just moments ago was running out...

He went limp, landing on his side in the soft snow.

"Grr, Drilbur, will you just shaddup and try to keep up with me?"

"Huuuuuh! Hmph, I'm going as fast as I caaaan!"

Dusknoir was about to continue Celebi's story when a loud, scratchy scolding sounded inside of the inn, followed by a deep whine, and the ghost rose up a little, looking for the owners of the voices. Some tables across from them, Combusken and Drilbur weaved a path through the cafe's visitors, awkwardly carrying a small tray between them; the former was hunching over, and Dusknoir leaned from side to side, managing to glimpse the chicken's partner, who was having to jog on his tiptoes.

"Oh boy, there they go..." Bronze said, and both Celebi and Dusknoir looked at him. Dusknoir scratched at his neck as the brown-furred Eevee shrugged. "Mom doesn't take us here very much, but whenever she does, mister Combusken and Drilbur are always arguing like that."

"They were a little grumpy when we came here with Lin and Yama," Celebi thought aloud, getting to her feet and pushing into the air, holding her hands up to her eyes as she spotted both Pokemon. "I didn't think they were always like that, though! No wonder it seemed like they needed some extra help."

Dusknoir nodded in agreement – it was certainly as busy as it had been before – and scratched his neck, the woolen scarf making it itch. He furrowed his brow not a second later as someone inched their chair out, readying themselves to leave... right in the way of Combusken and Drilbur! Celebi had noticed it too, stifling a gasp, and before he knew it, his fairy friend fluttered away, her arms firmly held forward.

"Hey, look out!" She called, swooping just past the startled patron and bumping against Combusken's shoulders. He squawked in surprise and stopped walking; Drilbur was content to take a breath of relief and lower his heels to the ground. Celebi fluttered back a couple steps, smiling brightly at the chicken as he glanced over his shoulder, his orange plumage bristling in places.

"Waah!? What, what is it what's going on now!?" He barked loudly, only noticing the chair in his way after he finished yelling. "...oh."

The offending Pokemon averted his gaze in embarrassment as Combusken shot him an annoyed glare, and quickly got up and left, vanishing into the crowd. Drilbur shuffled his feet, still not entirely sure what was going on.

"Thanks... ohhhhh, it's you again!" Combusken said half-thankfully, half-accusingly; Celebi blinked at his tone, then spun around, seeing Dusknoir waving stoically from their table. "Alright, hang on, then, go and fly back to wherever you and your pals are sitting and we'll get to you when we can get to you, bah-hah-hahaaaaaa!"

"Get to who, Combusken?" Drilbur asked in confusion. "Heeey, who are you talking toooo?"

Combusken passed the tray over to a nearby group of Pokemon, dusting his claws off before walking back the way he had come, and Drilbur gave Celebi a short wave before turning around and trundling after his taller friend. The pink fairy took a couple seconds to watch them go, before nodding happily and returning to the other table, landing next to Silver and walking the last few steps to her spot.

"That was close!" The normal type remarked spiritedly, his tail wagging again from the excitement. Celebi curled up her knees and rested her arms on top of them, bashfully shrugging at the impressed child. "It's a good thing you can fly like that, miss Celebi! Hehehe... oohh..."

Silver's stomach suddenly rumbled, and Bronze laughed, making the pouch on his neck bounce.

A few more quick minutes passed, Celebi and Dusknoir's story left forgotten, and soon enough the attention of all four Pokemon was drawn to the pair of innkeepers that were pushing past the tables and chairs, slowing to a stop behind Silver's seat. The young kid scooted in a circle to face them, his mouth starting to water a little.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here again so soon... eh?" Combusken started to say, blinking at the two fuzzy little Eevees. His eyes narrowed soon after. "Ohhh, I see how it is now. Drilbur and I noticed you playing out on the beach yesterday. That was a pretty nasty snowball you took, miss Celebi, bwaha!"

"Oh! Heehee, yeah, I guess it was," Celebi perked up, giggling under her breath.

"Sooooo, what are you all gonna be having, anyway?" The chicken continued. "And where's Grovyle? I didn't see him yesterday, either!"

"Combuskeeen, I told you about that once I got back from Azul's shop... after you tricked me!" Drilbur replied, frowning at his coworker. "He's working there now, you beak-brain!"

"Oh, yeah..."

Dusknoir drummed his fingers against the table. Silver and Bronze both muttered to themselves, debating on what to order, the latter scratching at his neck before his sibling moved around and undid the string on the pouch he carried. Combusken recoiled slightly. Was it from Drilbur's insult or something else?

"He's working at Azul's shop?" He repeated lamely, scratching at the feathers on his head. Celebi looked up at him, and Dusknoir followed her gaze. The fire type let out an 'ohhhhh!' of understanding after taking a little time to think, and Dusknoir noticed his friend cover her mouth, probably stifling a laugh. "No, I remember now, Lin said you were, ehh, freeloaders! No, wait, freelancers. Right?"

"Yes..." Dusknoir replied, feeling a twinge of annoyance at the chicken's slip of his tongue. "That's why we are with Silver and Bronze. Officer Glaceon has asked us to watch them for her while she is busy."

"Oh yeah, some police were mentioning extra work. That was nice of you!" Drilbur said cheerily, hopping up and down to try and be seen. Combusken grunted, leaning over and hoisting him up, and the mole chuckled, twiddling his claws together with a scraping noise.

"Well, shhhoooooot!" Combusken drawled, throwing his free arm in the air. Silver and Bronze looked up from their chat in curiosity, watching the older Pokemon. "If I knew that you were needing something to do, I would have asked Grovyle to help us when he mentioned it the other day. Sheesh!"

Celebi's eyes widened, and she stood up, her antennae bouncing and her wings flapping a couple times instinctively. Dusknoir coughed, glancing at the grass type out of the corner of his eye as she spoke up. "R-Really? You're looking for help here in the cafe?"

"Yeah, I guess! You can have the job instead of Grovyle, then! Come by tomorrow morning and we'll show you the ropes!" The chicken quickly replied, then turned and gestured at the two Eevee with a shake of his head, bending down and digging his claws into the bottom of the table. Both kids perked up as the innkeeper turned towards them, withheld enthusiasm finally spilling into their expressions. "So what are you wanting now, huh? These two aren't here just to say hi, bah-hah-hahaaaa!"

"I- wait, w-what?" The pink fairy blurted out, but neither Combusken or Drilbur heard her, giving their attention to the two excited children that gleefully ordered their food, their bushy tails wagging in excitement. "But I-"

"Celebi, are you leaving me to deal with those kids all by myself?" Dusknoir murmured, lowering his voice enough so that the other Pokemon wouldn't hear him. Celebi spun on her heels, the loose ends of her scarf whipping into her arms as she looked at the ghost with a confused expression, but she gasped and tumbled onto her backside when a large gray finger poked her forehead. She blinked a few rapid times, craning her neck to stare at her friend, who continued to speak, deadpan. "I suppose I do have more experience working with littler Pokemon than you do."

"Hey!" The little legendary fluttered up onto her feet and folded her arms in mock indignation, glancing around the busy building, some visitors getting up to leave while others wandered in from the cold. "I... well, I guess I was interested in helping out here, but what am I going to tell officer Glaceon? She probably won't be happy to hear that I got roped into working somewhere else."

"Miss Celebi?" Both Celebi and Dusknoir turned around. Bronze was gazing thoughtfully at the two of them, idly pawing at the scruff of tan fur around his neck. "Um... Silver and I could try and talk to our mom for you, if you wanted. When she dropped us off at miss Lin's house yesterday, we heard her say you were looking for work, so if mister Dusknoir took care of us and you worked here, that would be good for both of you, wouldn't it?"

Celebi smiled, sitting down and dangling her legs off the edge of the table, kicking her heels against the wood as she nodded at the young Pokemon. She briefly glanced at Combusken and Silver, the latter still pondering over what to get to eat. "Yeah, it'd be really good. I still don't think your mom would be very happy about it, though."

"She'll probably be unhappy with mister Combusken instead of you," Bronze remarked, tilting his head somewhat. "Mom doesn't take us here that much because they argue, but she seems to butt heads with mister Combusken a lot anyway. She says he's direct, whatever that means!"

"Hrm. I think I know exactly what she means." Dusknoir reached up to scratch underneath his scarf, letting out a weary sigh when Drilbur finally jotted down what Silver wanted to order, and Celebi tried and failed to stifle a chuckle, eliciting a cheerful laugh out of Bronze in the process.

An incredible storm raged outside of the small, cramped cavern, layer after layer of sleet and slush pelting down from the huge, gray clouds that hung, unmoving, in the night sky, blotting out the light of the moon and the stars. Tall, jagged icicles hung from the top of the tunnel's entrance, still gleaming against the backdrop of pure white snow, and the harsh wind sent echoing roars deeper underground, constant noises that bounced through the cave. The blizzard was loud enough to even drown out a particularly loose rock that suddenly began to move, scraping and shifting, until it toppled over, slamming hard onto the icy floor and sending puffs of dust up from the ground.

A Pokemon warily poked its head out, looking around before easing its way out of the hole in the wall, glancing over its shoulder at the prone form tied to its back, then tightening its grip on the other load it held close to its chest. It made a short hop and slid down the curved slope, hunching low and slowing to a stop near the fallen stone. A few moments passed as the Pokemon got its balance back, and it rose to its full height, letting out a low grunt when it peered out, the world beyond completely hidden from view. "Storm's still going... the nightly rounds must be finished by now. I'm just in time."

"Yes, you are." A hoarse croak replied, barely audible above the snowstorm. Accelgor tensed up, whirling around and staring at the path leading further into the tunnel, his eyes tracing the thin, glowing seams of ice that ran through the rocky walls and faintly illuminated the darkness. The bug type tried his best to locate the source of the voice, but eventually gave up after a minute or two of fruitless searching, slowly shuffling his way into the depths of the cave afterward.

"Sorry for making you wait for me, master," Accelgor said curtly, wincing when the light from one of the veins of ice reflected against the diamond-studded body he carried, a glare flashing in his vision. He glanced away, blinking rapidly. "The test worked out okay, as far as I know-"

"I already know about the test, Accelgor. We performed another one while you were busy," The croaking voice interrupted matter-of-factly.

Accelgor frowned at the dismissive remark, but shook it off, craning his neck to peer up at the ceiling. A few tiny pinpricks of light shined within the stone, and the blue-colored thief briefly caught a glimpse of the other speaker: a thin, lanky figure that was clinging to the top of the passage. It still managed to keep up with him despite being upside-down. "So we know how far we can go?"

"Crevice Cave at best. Any farther and things start to wear off."

The Pokemon fell silent, leaving the bug type below to mull things over. After a minute or two of wandering around the mystery dungeon, the ice-lit path as empty and uninteresting as ever, Accelgor glanced around, shaking his head at the Snorunt that was slung over his back. "As you can see, I found our little runaway making friends, so we don't have to worry about that anymore."

"And the village?"

"Ah... mm," He trailed off, slowing his pace somewhat as the other Pokemon got right to the point. "I found a good mark and picked something up, but a few explorers managed to tail me. I had to give up the take so I could get away."

The bug type glanced upward again when he heard a grumble in response, but quickly snapped his head back downward when he reached a steep drop, hunching low, then leaping off of the small cliff. Pain ran through his feet when he hit the ground, and he paused for a moment to catch his breath while waiting for the ache to fade. Up ahead, he could see the a warm orange light intruding on the white sheen of the natural ice, accompanied by a distant crackle.

Accelgor let out a sigh, making a move towards the end of the tunnel, but stopped in his tracks when the tall, lanky Pokemon abruptly landed right in front of him, holding its arms out to its sides and letting a long, scarf-like appendage fall down from its mouth. The bug type stood at attention as the other figure circled around and untied the Snorunt – a strange, rather unpleasant scent wafted through the air, and Accelgor hoped the other Pokemon couldn't see him cringing.

The silhouette eventually walked back in front, holding the Snorunt by one of its stubby feet and dragging it against the floor. "That's good enough, then. As long as they keep to themselves and don't try to sniff out our business, then we're in no danger."

"Are you sure, master?" The blue bug said, reaching over and scratching his red head in confusion. The unconscious Sableye hung limply in its other elbow, its gemstone eyes dull.

"Of course I'm sure. The police would have gone on high alert if you had managed to steal something or not," The other thief snapped, bringing his arm up to stare into the Snorunt's face. Its eyes weakly fluttered open, a pained 'gi?' escaping its lips. "And as for you...!"

The Pokemon suddenly whirled around, flinging the Snorunt towards the wall. Accelgor sucked in a breath, letting his other load slide to the ground as he dashed forward, pouncing at the snow hat Pokemon and catching it just before it crashed. The bug type grunted when he slammed onto his side, clutching the ice type close to his chest as they rolled to a stop, and he quickly got his bearings back, picking himself up and dusting himself off as best he could. When he turned his head to stare at his master, he found that he was alone in the cave, save for the purple imp splayed out a few paces away.

"Toss them both in with the rest. That's all."

Accelgor bowed his head, his brow furrowing as fatigue started to set in. "Very well."