•
Bonus Chapter

"My role"

"Hey, freeloaders! Get the heck outta here before I toss all of you out the window!"

Kacha, kacha!

Blue flattened himself against the side of the corridor as a crowd of panicked Spinarak scrambled past him. He watched with mild curiosity as the wave of green – bodied bugs disappeared into the many nooks and crannies surrounding the cave – like corridor of his guildhouse. One particular Spinarak lagged behind the rest, taking the time to spittle at Loudred and clack its mandibles out of indignation before scuttling away into a small crack on the wall.

Loudred tromped into the corridor, and jammed his eye against the wall. He glared into the crack, and growled at the Spinarak hiding inside. All of a sudden, a green head popped out, and spat a glob of white goop onto Loudred's face. Yelping, Loudred recoiled and fell onto his rear with a dull thump as the Spinarak clacked its mandible in amusement.

"Guh..." Loudred reached up with a wide hand and wiped the goop off his face. He smeared it onto his thigh and glared back at the wall. The Spinarak made another quick, insulting clack of its mandible and vanished back into the crack.

"Yeah, you better hide!" Loudred warned, shaking his fist at the hidden Spinarak. "If I see any of your green faces again, you'll all be in for some serious trouble!"

He waited for a response, but the only sound that came back was his own echoing voice. Satisfied, Loudred snorted and turned back around with a smug look on his face, and his hands on his hips. He thumped his chest with a fist as he sauntered back to Blue.

"Spinarak, what can you do?" He made a big show of shaking his head, and sighing. "Every time we turn our heads, a ton of those lousy critters move in and think that they own the place. And since they all live inside the walls, we can't get rid of'em either."

"That one seemed to know you pretty well," Blue remarked, jabbing a paw toward the crack on the wall. "or at least, he wasn't afraid of you at all."

Loudred shrugged, "Eh, how would I know? They all look the same to me." He glanced down at the smudge of white goo on his finger and snorted. "If that cheeky little one was the ringleader of his gang, then I wouldn't be surprised. It's got spunk." He waved his hand and turned around, grinning. "Either way, let's quit talkin' about bugs out here and get you to your new room."

At the end of the corridor was a mess of thick, leafy vines trailing down from the ceiling. At first, Blue thought nothing of it. He thought that it was just a wall that was overgrown with vegetation. But then, Loudred took his arm and jammed it through the curtain of green. His eyes widened as Loudred brushed aside all the vines, revealing a doorway to another room behind it.

"Come on in, Blue," Loudred said as he held the vines clear for Blue. "take a gander at where you'll be sleeping from now on!"

Blue trotted underneath Loudred's outstretched arm and through the thick greens. Once he was through, Blue took a gander around at his surroundings. The room wasn't very big, but it wasn't what one would call small either. It took the shape of a rough circle, with the walls curving inward near the top to form a domed ceiling.

Compared to the rest of the guild, the room looked to be in a very rough shape. Outcroppings of rough stone and tree roots protruded from the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling above. Furthermore, there were no furniture at all. The only form of décor in the room was a single circular window, carved out of the wall with a pair of wooden logs fitted inside in the shape of a cross.

No matter where Blue looked, he could find small piles of dust and junk lying around. Thin lines of Spinarak webbing gleamed on the floor and walls, illuminated by the dim moonlight streaming in from the window. He walked over to the side of the room, and bent down to pick up a plank of wood that had been snapped in half.

"Ah..." Loudred's voice made Blue turn around, still holding the plank. His guildmate stood in the center of the derelict room, looking sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. "I didn't think it'd be this bad... I mean, I guess it would be stupid to think otherwise... After all, nobody stayed in this room for over four seasons... heh."

"No one else has slept here before?" Blue asked as he tossed the plank over his shoulder. "Shouldn't there have been other apprentices before me?"

"Yeah, about that," Loudred held his hand up to his large mouth and feigned a cough. "lately, we've been pretty down on our luck when it comes to getting new apprentices. Just a while ago, we had a pair of newbies – just like you and Fée – quit all of a sudden."

Loudred sighed and shrugged, "Other than Bidoof and the two of ya, we've been in kind of a slump with recruiting newcomers. Heh..." He slumped his head and shoulders as he muttered, "we might be the most well – known guild out of the three here in town, but when it comes to getting new apprentices, we're the least – lucky..."

Blue tapped his chin and mulled over his own experiences. To be honest, had he not been introduced to Wigglytuff's Guild by Fée, he might not have even given it a thought. After all, compared to the showy exhibition that Machoke had thrown back at the Town Plaza, Wigglytuff's Guild seemed almost boring in comparison. It also doesn't help that the Wigglytuff's Guildhouse has a rather terrifying entrance, if Fée's comments were anything to go by.

"Don't tell Chatot I went and blabbed to you about that, though!" Loudred said, his eyes bugging out. "He's still in a bit of a high after the two of you decided to join, and if he catches wind that I've been talking about our misfortunes again, he'll be in a bad mood again for weeks!"

Loudred held up his hand to his mouth and made an extravagant show of zipping his lips to Blue. Grinning, Blue nodded and mimed the motion back at him.

"Great!" Loudred said as he pounded his fist against his chest. "Now I don't have to worry about my big mouth getting me into trouble again! Haha!"

He let out a hearty chuckle and slapped Blue on the back, making the wincing Riolu regret standing so close to him. While Blue recovered from his new, hand – shaped bruise, Loudred strolled over to left side of the room. There, a long root stretched out from the ceiling and burrowed its way into the floor like a rather crooked pillar.

Loudred glanced left and right around the root for a moment, before ducking behind it. Blue watched through teary eyes as his boisterous guildmate rummaged around behind the root. A few noisy seconds later, Loudred reappeared with a large bushel of yellow hay in his arms.

"Here we are!" Loudred grinned wide as he let go of the hay, letting it fall onto the floor with an unceremonious thump.

"What's this?" Blue asked. He picked up a single straw and spun it around his fingers. "Your dinner?"

"Oho, very funny," Loudred snatched the straw out of Blue's paws and threw it back down onto the pile. "if it was, then you'd be sleeping on the stone tonight!"

"Sleeping on the... wait, you mean this is my bed?"

Loudred chortled and folded his arms, "What, were you expecting a soft mattress and a blanket?"

"Kinda."

Loudred let out a roaring laugh, forcing Blue to cringe and clamp his paws over his ears. The deafening guildmate threw his arm around the Riolu's shoulders, and sat the two of them down beside the haystack. Blue looked over at Loudred, and saw a beaming grin directed at him.

"Don't look so disappointed, Blue!" Loudred said. "Go on, take a lie down! I betcha it's a lot more comfortable than you'd think!"

The thought of sleeping on a pile of straw made Blue hesitate a bit. In no way did that sharp and spindly pile look like a comfortable place to sleep. In the moonlight, it looked more like a pit of spikes than a soft place to rest. To the Riolu, even the stone floor seemed like a more attractive alternative to his 'bed.'

"Hoy, if you keep waffling around, none of us will be getting any sleep soon!"

Blue shot Loudred a skeptical look, but his gleeful guildmate just stepped back and gestured toward the pile of hay with his fingers. Sighing, Blue looked away from his beaming grin and back to the pile of yellow.

"Here goes nothing..." Blue turned around and flopped onto the pile of hay. He squeezed his eyes tight, tucked in his arms and shoulders, and held his breath as he assumed the worst. His back touched the straw, sending a tingle down his spine and making him shudder. Images of tiny needles poking against his back flashed through his mind, making it even more of a mental ordeal for the boy to just lie down on a pile of hay.

Whumpfh!

"Gah!" The pile couldn't hold up under the Riolu's weight. It flattened down like a pancake, sending dust, straw and a single Spinarak flying around the room as Blue sank down into the pile of yellow. The Spinarak spun around a few times in the air before landing back down on the floor.

Clack, clack! Indignant at being evicted from its home, the Spinarak shook its front legs at Loudred and Blue before scuttling out the door to join the rest of its brethren.

"So? Was it as bad as you thought, Blue?"

Blue laid on his now – flat as a pancake bed with his arms and legs all splayed out over the straw. He glanced over at his right arm, and curled his paw a few times. Despite his prior worries, his bed did feel somewhat comfortable. While it was nowhere near as soft or warm as the bed he had slept on back at Machoke's, it wasn't as bad as he had imagined.

Sighing, Blue straightened himself out and stretched his arms and legs. In a way, the roughness of the straw felt pretty good against his fur. It wasn't spiky, or scratchy, but had a strange texture all of its own. It made him feel more comforted than irritated.

"It's not bad," he said. "I think I like this."

"Ha, I knew you would!"

Blue patted the sides of his straw bed, and looked around. Something odd popped out to him as an idle thought flew through his mind. The size of his bed was just enough to fit himself, but...

"Say, where will Fée be sleeping?" Blue glanced back to the vine – covered doorway. He was expecting to see Fée standing there, but to no avail. There was nobody at the door, only the slight movement from the vines being blown about by the wind. He turned back to Loudred and folded his arms. "There's hardly any space left when I'm lying on it. Is there another pile of straw lying somewhere in here?"

"Hooh?" A snide look flitted onto Loudred's broad face as he rubbed his chin. "Feeling a little lonely, are we?"

Blue cocked his head to the side, "What?"

"Ha!" Loudred strode over and sat down beside Blue's bed, grinning into his confused face. "Sorry to disappoint you, loverboy, but your partner's off sleeping with Sunflora and Chimecho!"

"Eh?"

"It's a shame, I know," Loudred folded his arms and sent the frowning Riolu a sympathetic nod. "our last pair of apprentices voiced the same complaint at being separated like this. But this here's a guildhouse! We can't be having any funny business going on at night, y'know?"

"Then... that means I'll be sleeping in this room by myself?"

"I gotta say sorry about that, Blue. If I had my way, you'd be sleeping with me, Corphish and ol' Doofy. But as it stands right now, our room's a bit of a disaster zone with three guys lying around."

Loudred clutched his belly and chortled, "There'd be no place for you to sleep, ha! Unless you'd like to curl up into a ball in a corner with your tail tucked between your arms and legs!"

"Ugh..." Blue cringed as he imagined having to sleep in a position like that. He shook his head, which elicited a snort and a nod from his companion.

"Count your lucky stars that you got your own room, Blue." Loudred said. "Even though you might be sleepin' alone for a while, at least you got your privacy. So don't look so down, alright?"

"I suppose..." The Riolu sighed and shook his head. "I've never had to sleep alone before though. It feels a bit weird..."

"What, you and Fée've been sleeping together every day or something?" Loudred asked, a knowing smile plastered on his mug.

Blue thought back to the prior few days. From the Beach Cave, and all the way to the Forlorn Forest, he had never been separated from his partner at nights. Sleeping alone, being away from his friend, even if it was for just a night... Just the thought of that made him shiver a bit. He couldn't quite understand what it was, but he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Ah, I'm just teasing you! No need to put on a pouty face like that!" Loudred balled his hand into a fist and thumped it against Blue's chest. He gave Blue another grin and added, "Lookie here, Blue. You're a strong little guy, I can see that. After all, I don't know a many Pokémon your age that'd rush out to adventure and excitement with a banged up leg!"

"I didn't do that by myself though," Blue admitted.

Loudred slapped his hand over his own face as he let out another roaring laugh, "If you can handle protectin' that little Azurill while beatin' down that scumbag Drowzee, then you can handle sleepin' by yourself for a while, Blue!"

Even though the big – mouthed Pokémon was a bit on the boisterous side – maybe a bit too much so – Blue couldn't help but crack a smile at his antics. As he waited for the ringing noise inside his head to die down, Blue began to mull over what Loudred said.

Protecting... That word seemed to peal far louder than Loudred's voice. He held his paw up to his mouth, and closed his eyes as he thought back to the times he had to raise his fists. He thought of his partner, of Azurill, of Brin...

"Hey Loudred, I have a question."

"Mrgh?" Loudred's mouth clamped shut as he cut his laugh short. He turned back to Blue with an awkward – looking grin on his face. "What is it? I can answer anything as long as it's not about girls, haha!"

Blue shook his head, "Girls? No, it's not about that. I just want to ask you something about exploring."

"Exploring eh?" Loudred chuckled and folded his arms. "Well, you're asking the right Pokémon! What do'ya wanna know?"

"Um..." Blue coughed into his fist as he tried to figure out how to best phrase his question. "It's... erm, Loudred. You've been an explorer... for a while now, right?"

"Eh? The heck kinda question is that?" Loudred unhooked a hand and leaned his chin on top of his fist, looking disgruntled. "Of course I have! I've been explorin' since before you even learned how to read, I bet!"

I still don't know how to read, though... Blue muttered inside his head. He coughed into his fist again and threw that thought away. "What I mean is... when you go out exploring, do you often get into fights?"

"What do'ya mean by fights?" Loudred tapped his finger against his chin. "You talkin' about hunting down outlaws or something?"

"Yeah," Blue nodded. "something like that. I'm just wondering... When you get into a fight, do you like it?"

Loudred made a pensive hum and laid down on his side, resting the side of his face on his palm. He looked away from Blue, and turned his gaze over to the moonlight shining in from the window. He kept silent for a while – a feat for the loud Pokémon – as he ruminated over how to respond.

"Fighting... huh?" Loudred sighed and waved an arm around above him. "To be honest with you, I ain't too keen on fighting, especially when I'm out on an expedition. If I ever find myself in a situation where someone's rearing to get a piece of me, I'd prefer to get outta there instead of staying for a scrap. It's much safer that way, you know?"

"But..." Blue glanced toward the vine – covered door again before looking back at Loudred. "what if you can't avoid it?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean… what if I can't just run away? What if I have to fight, to protect someone?"

"Hm, hm… someone, eh?" A grin slid onto the big Pokémon's face. Loudred planted his hands against the ground and shoved himself back up. He folded his arms across his chest and looked into Blue's troubled face.

"I got a question for ya, Blue! Listen up!"

"Huh?"

Loudred chuckled and thumped his chest with a fist, "Think of this: when you're out on an adventure, and you spot someone being harassed by a bunch of no – good ruffians, what is the first thing you'd do?"

"Why are you even asking? I'd go help that Pokémon!" Blue stated with no hesitation. "I mean, isn't that the normal thing to do?"

"Hah! Now that's the answer I was looking for!" As if to punctuate his words, Loudred reared back and let out a roaring laugh. Blue winced and clamped his paws over his heads again, trying to block out the horrid echo filling his small room.

"You're a strong one, Blue. Ain't no one's gonna be denying that with all you've done so far." Loudred chuckled as he nodded to himself. "But y'know? It doesn't matter if you're strong or if you're weak if you don't use that power you have in a meaningful way."

"A meaningful way?" Blue repeated.

"That's right! A meaningful way!" Loudred spun around, showing Blue his back. He held up his right arm, and jabbed a finger at his right shoulder. "Take a look!"

The Riolu cringed as Loudred shunted his broad back closer to his face. Confusion and a little bit of repulsion ran through his mind. What was he meant to see? Loudred had a very impressive physique, yes, but he doubted that all he wanted to do was show off his bulging muscles. He had enough of that from Machoke.

"Y'got a good look yet?" Loudred asked. He spun around and puffed out his chest. "I can see that you're impressed!"

"Erm... I guess?" Blue coughed and looked away. "What is this about?"

"Heh... I ain't showing you my muscles just to show off," Loudred said as he flexed his biceps. He reached out with his right arm, curled it in front of his chest and presented his shoulder to Blue. "but more importantly, this is what I mean."

"Your... shoulder?"

"That's right," Loudred nodded. "you're strong – I've said that already – ain't no one's gonna be contestin' that. But what if you're with someone who isn't as strong as you? Like... 'ferinstance, that cute Eevee friend of yours?"

"Fée's strong!" Blue growled.

"Haha, I didn't mean it that way, Blue!" Loudred shook his head and prodded Blue in the chest with a finger. "But even you have to admit, you're a ways stronger than your partner. I'll be willing to bet that, if anything dangerous rears its ugly head, you'd jump in front of her without even thinkin', wouldn't ya?"

"I… guess I would...?"

A memory resurfaced inside of Blue's mind. It was a scene from yesterday, of him and Fée. Before they had set off to the Forlorn Forest, Fée ran into trouble with a threatening dragon by the name of Lazur. Even though his leg was in an awful condition, he still rushed in front of his friend with the intent of fighting the dragon off. All for the sake of keeping his partner safe.

The same happened when he saw Fée fighting Oro. Even though she promised to protect him while he was injured, he couldn't just sit back and let her get hurt. He needed to protect her, he wanted to. Like Loudred said, he had charged in without even thinking. He wrapped his arms around one of the Trevenant's fallen claws, and swung it at Oro as a weapon. All for the sake of keeping his friend safe.

One last memory appeared. He remembered seeing Fée's unconscious body, covered in dirt and wounds after the fight with Zubat and Koffing. It was a sight that made him feel disgusted and horrified. Not at anyone else, but at himself. He hated himself for being unable to prevent that, and cursed himself for letting such a thing happen.

After all, Fée was his partner. And not just that, the Eevee was also his first friend. The first Pokémon he met upon waking up into this world. To the amnesiac Riolu, she was all he had. It doesn't matter if he got hurt, or if he was forced to fight. As long as she, and everyone else he cared about was safe, he could feel satisfied.

But... that day, in that clearing. Had Fée got hurt even worse... if she had an injury more severe than just that cut on her head. How could he ever forgive himself? There was no excuse he could've made – and even if there was, he would never accept it. He wouldn't. He couldn't...

"H – hey, what's the matter?"

Loudred's voice pierced through his thoughts, and brought him back to reality. Blue shook his head, and held up his paw. As he did though, he felt something wet splash onto his fur. He looked down, and saw a dark, wet patch on the back of his paw.

"Huh?" He touched his face, and felt a stream of tears trickle down from his eyes. "What... am I crying?"

"You just noticed?!" Loudreds eyes bugged out as his jaw crashed onto the floor. Shaking his head, Loudred recovered and coughed into his hand while Blue wiped the water off of his fur with the back of his paw.

"Sorry... I don't know what came over me there," Blue muttered. "I'm alright now, don't worry."

"Was I something I said?" Loudred grumbled, folding his arms. "Sunflora always told me I'm kinda tactless, but I've never made another guy cry before..."

"It's not your fault, Loudred," Blue said, shaking his head. "I just... thought of something sad... no, something bad. That's why I... I guess that's why I couldn't help but cry a bit... heh..."

"Lemme guess: you were thinking of your friend, weren't ya?"

"Erm..." Blue looked away, and plucked up a pawful of straw from his bed. He fiddled around with the strands, tossing them between his two paws as he struggled to find a way to answer the grinning Loudred.

"Bingo then," Loudred sighed and reached over his arm, snatching the straws out of Blue's paws. He separated the bundle, leaving only two strands of yellow in his hand. He stuck one inside his mouth, balancing it between his lips. He handed the other over to Blue, who accepted it with a look of confusion on his face.

"Lemme make another guess," Loudred said. "when you and Fée were out there on your first expedition, something bad happened and she got hurt. And you couldn't prevent it. That's why she has that big bandage wrapped about her head, am I right?"

Blue felt a pang of regret rise up inside his chest, and he averted his gaze from Loudred again. His guildmate chuckled, and patted the Riolu on the shoulder.

"Look Blue, I know exactly what you're feeling right now," he moved his hand from Blue's shoulder, and pressed the tip of his finger against the Riolu's chest. "in here, you probably feel like a big, ol' pile of dirt, dont'cha?"

"...yeah," Blue muttered, imagining himself as a blob of mud instead of a Riolu. Loudred made another loud sigh and shook his head.

"Wasn't expecting you to agree with me there, err..." He looked away for a moment to reorganize his thoughts. After feigning a cough into his fist, Loudred turned back to the despondent Riolu with his chest puffed out and his jaw set.

"Listen to me, Blue," Loudred started again, this time with a bit more force behind his voice. He held his finger up to Blue's forehead, and pushed his head back up. "I've seen more than my fair share of my friends and partners get hurt before. Every time, I wonder to myself afterward. What could've I done to prevent that from happening?"

Loudred sighed, "But whenever I play back those scenes in my head, I just feel worse and worse. I shout at my past self, 'why was I such an idiot?' or 'why couldn't you have went along with her to begin with?'"

Blue found himself nodding along with Loudred's words. Even though he didn't know what Loudred had been through, the Riolu could tell that Loudred's experiences mirrored his own. The sense of guilt that Loudred felt then, was no doubt the same as his own now. His respect for his fellow guildmate grew, and he wanted to learn a little bit more from Loudred.

"But, you know?" Loudred continued, snapping Blue out of his reverie. "After I spent a long time moping, feeling sorry and angry at myself. I came to a realization."

"A realization?" Blue echoed. "What was it?"

Loudred pointed at the straw that Blue held in his paw, and grinned. He gestured to the straw that he was balancing on his lip, and motioned for the Riolu to do the same. Blue glanced down at the strand of yellow for a moment, and nodded. Loudred waited for Blue to bite down on his own bit of straw, before continuing with his lecture.

"No matter how much we wish that we could've fixed what happened, we can't! We can sit here, whine, cry and scream at the 'us' back then for messing up as much as we want, but at the end, crying and wishing won't fix anything at all!"

Loudred nibbled on his straw as he closed his eyes, "But... if we have all this time to cry, why not spend the time doing something a bit more productive?! After all, what's done is done. There's no way for any of us to go back into the past and change things, no matter how much we want to."

"So... then what do we do?" Blue asked, flicking the straw in his mouth from side to side.

Grinning, Loudred held out his right arm, and flexed it. He turned a bit to the side, and thrust his shoulder toward Blue. Confusion flooded the Riolu's face again as his gaze flitted between Loudred's muscled back, and his grinning face. Loudred raised up his other arm, and knocked against his shoulder with his knuckles.

"To be a strong partner..." Loudred puffed out his chest and snorted. "you need to have a strong shoulder!"

Blue turned around and glanced at his own shoulder, perplexed at what Loudred was saying. After seeing Loudred's shoulder, his own seemed small and insignificant in comparison.

Loudred relaxed his arms and reached out toward the Riolu. "You know, a strong shoulder to carry the weight of all your burdens, all the responsibility you have dumped onto you! Even if it feels like the heaviest thing in the world, even if it feels like your back is about to break into two, you can't just let it drop! You have to handle it all, because that's your job – your role as a partner!"

"What do you mean, my role?"

Loudred's fingers tightened around Blue's shoulder, digging themselves into his fur and forcing the boy to wince from his guildmate's surprising force. He opened one red eye, and saw Loudred staring right at him – his eyes shining with a serious gleam, and his mouth curled into a slight, confident smile.

"You're Fée's partner, aren't ya?" Loudred chuckled as he shook his head. "The both of you are still young. You both have plenty of time and space to grow, so don't feel so down about a few scrapes and scratches! Even if you fall down, you get back up! Even if the going seems impossible, you keep trying! That's your role – your responsibility! To protect the ones close to us!"

"You might feel like you're buried deep in the mud right now, Blue. But you can't let that hold you back! Go ahead, cry, whine, rage at yourself as much as y'want – but y'still have to stand up in the end! Wipe those tears away from your cheeks, and stand up straight! If y'let your self – pity stand in your way, you'll never grow stronger, trust me on that!"

A shoulder that can carry even the heaviest of burdens, and the strength to protect those that are close to him. What Loudred told him resonated within his heart, bringing with it a small – yet radiant flame that drove away the icy shame chilling his insides. The Riolu held his paw over his chest, imagining the flame burning against his palm.

Even if he couldn't prevent Fée from getting hurt, he still kept her safe in the end. Scrapes, and scratches. He'll keep those away from his friend in the future. He'll get stronger – strong enough that he'll never have to see her in danger. Because...

"Fée's my partner." Blue held his paw to his shoulder and tapped it with his knuckles. A grin appeared on his face as he gave a nod to Loudred. "No – not just my partner. She's my friend, and the most important Pokémon to me."

"Oh?" Loudred's eyes grew wide at the Riolu's sudden, confident statement.

"For her sake, I'll get stronger." Blue continued. His grin grew broader, and the light in his red eyes brighter as he felt more and more confident. "I'll become as strong as I can, and then stronger than that! So much so that I'll be able to protect her from anything! Because... that's my job, my role, and my responsibility as a partner – and a friend!"

"Hahah!" Loudred clapped his hands together, and reared his head back to unleash a loud wave of laughter. Blue didn't cringe, nor did he wince. Instead, the Riolu twitched his ears and stayed firm until his guildmate's explosive laughter ended.

"Hoo...! You're tryin' to knock me out with that, are ya?" Loudred said as he held his heaving chest. He shook his head and wiped a bit of sweat off of his brow before continuing. "Couldn't have said it better m'self, you little charmer! But you should save those lines for your partner, not me!"

"Erm?" Blue's confident look slipped away a bit as he tried to parse what Loudred meant. He didn't get far though, as a sudden weight crashed down upon his head – forcing him to cough and cringe. He glanced up, and saw that Loudred has planted his hand atop his head.

"You're a good Pokémon, Blue," Loudred said as he rubbed Blue's head. "Fée's lucky to have made a friend like you."

Blue just sat still, letting his guildmate chuckle and ruffle his fur. He felt a little strange to be on the receiving end of something like this. It wasn't a bad feeling though – being petted like this by someone else, Blue admitted. After all, he was used to petting and rubbing Fée's head whenever she felt down.

He thought about Fée, and how much she had grown since he first met the Eevee back at the beach. He recalled her shining face back when they stood in the middle of the Guildmaster's office. That day, he saw his friend recite her dream to Chatot and the Guildmaster, about how she wished to go out and see the world with her own eyes. It was her dream, the one thing she sought most to fulfill.

A dream...

Blue reached up to his lips, and pulled the straw out of his mouth. He stared at the single strand of yellow on his palm. As he watched it gleam in the moonlight, a single question floated into mind, burning bright like a torch in the middle of the night.

"Loudred?" Blue muttered, not looking up. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

Grinning, Loudred pulled his hand off of Blue's head and folded his arms, "Go ahead!"

The Riolu gripped the straw in his palm, and looked up into Loudred's waiting expression. But right as he opened his mouth, a sudden jolt of pain shot through his gut. The shock wrapped itself around his question, strangling it and forcing it back down right as he was about to speak – leaving behind a burning, nauseating feeling in its wake.

"Ggh...!" Blue clamped his paws over his mouth and doubled over as he began to cough.

"H – hey, what's the matter?" Startled, Loudred clamped his hands onto Blue's shoulders and gave him a shake. "Did'ja choke on your spit or something? Hey!"

Blue shook his head. He moved his paws away from his mouth, and sucked in a lungful of cool air. He didn't understand what just happened. He took his paw and patted his chest, then his belly. It couldn't have been from something he ate; Duskull's bread was too good to cause such a reaction. Perplexed, Blue couldn't figure out why that just happened.

"Aagh... maybe y'shouldn't have bit down on that straw," Loudred scratched his cheek as he shot the Riolu an embarrassed look. He plucked out the straw from his own mouth and flicked it away. "must've been something bad on it. Blasted Spinarak. You alright now?"

"Y... yeah, I think I'm fine now," Blue gave his stomach another wary pat. The pain disappeared as quick as it came. He felt fine, almost as if that coughing fit had never happened...

"Hrm... well, y'still got that question for me?" Loudred asked.

"Erm..." Blue held a paw up to his forehead. The abruptness of that coughing fit had blown away all his thoughts at that moment – including what he was planning to ask Loudred about. Feeling sheepish, Blue scratched his brow and gave Loudred an embarrassed shake of his head. "I can't seem to remember it after that, sorry."

"Ah, well." Loudred gave Blue a thump on the chest with his fist and grinned. "Don't sweat it! We're guildmates, after all. If you ever remember what you wanted to ask, just punch me in the shoulder sometime. I'll hear y'out."

"Thanks, Loudred."

"Hah, no need for thanks!" Loudred said. "You're one of my precious little apprentices, after all. If I don't give a hand along when you're havin' trouble, then I'm being an awful mentor! Haha!"

Loudred held out his hand, balled it into a fist and gave his chest a strong, resounding thump! After that, he motioned to Blue, and gestured for the Riolu to do the same.

"Heh," Blue nodded, and held out his paw in front of his chest.

Becoming a good partner, keeping Fée safe, and helping her fulfill her dream. In order to do that, he'll have to reach farther – to take a hold of a strength that he lacked now. A strong shoulder, the strength to carry even the heaviest of burdens. So even if the going gets rough, he can be sure that his partner has someone to lean against. Someone that'll support her.

Thump!

That would be his goal.

"Aaagh..."

After bidding his little buddy good night, Loudred made his way back to the darkened corridor. A loud yawn escaped his wide mouth as he stretched out his arms above his head. He hadn't expected to spend so much time talking with the boy, but it didn't bother him. He's Blue's mentor, after all. Having to console the Riolu's fears – as well as give him some encouragement – was an obligation that he has no qualms about fulfilling.

"Heh... to think that even he had some little worries buried inside that handsome face," Loudred mused to himself. "he's more like me than I thought! Hah!"

Loudred shook his head and opened his mouth wide to laugh. But a sudden thought rushed into his head, and he slammed his hands over his lips. It was late, and if he started reveling in his amusement, he'd cause the entire guildhouse to be shaken awake.

"Sunflora'll bury me again..." Loudred grumbled in a muffled voice. The memory of that horrid experience came flooding into his mind, bringing with it a violent shudder and an ugly frown. Shaking his head, Loudred clamped his hands over his long ears to try and throw that scene away before he ended up getting nightmares.

"U – um, excuse me?"

A quiet voice drew his attention backward. In the dark, he could just make out a small splotch of color huddled against the wall beside the viney doorway to Blue's room. It was a little blob of brown, with a dash of bright blue splashed on top of it. Loudred squinted his eyes, trying to focus his night vision a bit more.

"Gah... y'must be kiddin' me," Loudred slapped his face with his palm. "he's not like me at all... that lucky brat. This world's unfair, I swear."

"Huh?" Confused, Fée took a timid step toward the grumbling Loudred and tilted her head. "D – did I say something wrong?"

"Nah, I'm just cursin' my luck," Loudred muttered as he shook his head. He noticed that the bandage wrapped around Fée's head was still there. He straightened out his back and jabbed a finger at the doorway behind the Eevee. "you're not here to visit him, are'ya, Fée?"

"Oh, um... sorta," Fée's cheeks tinted pink as she rubbed her paws around the patch of blue she had wrapped around her neck. "Blue's not very good with the cold, so I thought I'd bring him an extra blanket just in case he wasn't feeling very comfortable."

"You're bringing him a blanket..." Loudred repeated. He felt a boiling sense of jealousy gurgling around inside his gut as he watched the blushing Eevee fumble around with the blanket tied around her neck. He sighed, and slumped down again – feeling defeated.

"I – is that bad?" Fée stammered, looking startled at her guildmate's odd reaction. "I – I know I'm not allowed to sleep in the same room as Blue, but I – I thought I could at least do something like this..."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Loudred said, shaking his head again. He slapped a wide grin on his face, and planted his knuckles on his hips. "go ahead and give that lucky boy your gift. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. He's got himself a pretty chilly room in there."

"Ah, alright!" Fée beamed as she gave Loudred a quick bow, her tail flicking left to right like a metronome. "I wont stay long, I'll just give him the blanket and be out in a jiffy!"

Loudred chuckled as he held out his right hand, "Oh what the hey. We're already this late at night anyway. Y'can take as much time as y'want in there, just make sure you're back in your room by the mornin' call tomorrow, right?"

"I – I wont stay long!" Fée reiterated, blushing. "T – thanks, Loudred!"

The Eevee gave him one more bow, before turning around and pushing her way through the wall of vines. Now alone again, Loudred scratched his head and sighed. Such was the way of youth, he mused to himself. Who was he to stand in the way of such shining affection like that? He'd be a villain! Chuckling, Loudred shrugged and gave himself a pat on a back for his 'good deed.'

"Oh... um, Loudred?"

"Agh?" Startled, Loudred turned around to see Fée still standing behind him. "W – what is it? I thought you're givin' Blue that blanket?"

"I... I just wanted to ask you something quick first," Fée said. She pawed at the ground, her face red and her ears flat on her head.

Ah gosh, Loudred couldn't help but smirk as he let out a sigh. It's gonna be the same as Blue, ain't it?

The exasperated guildmate swallowed his amusement and puffed out his chest, "What is it Fée? I'll try to answer whatever question y'got, as long as it's not about boys! Haha!"

"Eh?!" Fée's face flushed even redder at Loudred's words. "N – no, it's not!... well, it's kinda... but, erm..!"

Gah. Loudred shook his head and slapped his forehead with his palm. It is.

"What I wanted to know is..." Fée mumbled. "do you think that it's wrong for me to rely on Blue all the time?"

"Eh?" Loudred squinted his eyes. "What d'ya mean by that?"

"Blue... he's both tougher, and braver than I am. When I'm out with him, I feel safe, and protected just by standing beside him."

"Ain't that a good thing though?" Loudred said. "I mean, it's good that you trust him that much. Partners like the two of ya need to have that kind'a trust, otherwise it'd be hard to cooperate when you're out explorin', after all."

"I understand that," Fée said, nodding. "but... that's also what worries me a bit. Blue's strong, and he's always protecting me." Fée reached up with her paws and pulled at the blanket around her neck. "I feel like I can't give back all that he's giving me, Loudred."

"It's even worse when he gets hurt for my sake," she continued. "I want to be able to keep him safe, the same way he does for me. But I can't fight as well as he can, nor am I as tough or brave as he is..."

Fée closed her eyes and shook her head, "I want to pursue my dream of becoming an explorer, but I know I can't do it if I'm always relying on Blue. Loudred, what do you think I should do?"

Loudred shook his head, "You're askin' me some difficult stuff here, Fée." He watched as the Eevee's face fell. Chuckling, Loudred shook his head again and added, "But that doesn't mean I ain't got some advice for you."

"Huh?"

"You've just became an apprentice, Fée, and you're already doubtin' yourself like that," Loudred said. "that ain't a good mindset to keep while you're climbin' up to become an explorer. You need to be more–" Loudred thumped his chest with a fist, "–about yourself, Fée."

Fée cocked her head to the side, confused, "More... what?"

"Confident, of course!" Loudred chuckled. "Listen, you're a smart one, Fée. I'm willin' to bet my savings on that. But y'know? You can't be thinking of yourself as a burden on Blue all the time. That's silly."

"I'm thinking of myself as a burden?" Fée echoed.

Loudred folded his arms as he nodded, "Uh – huh! 'Relying' on Blue, 'being protected' by Blue. You can't be treating yourself as lower than your own partner, y'know? You and Blue, you're both equals when you're out there, exploring the frontier."

"But, I..."

"Fée, I know you probably feel like you can't match up to that boy when it comes to muscles and punch – power," Loudred watched as the Eevee made a meek nod. "but you can't be thinkin' of yourself in his role all the time. We're not all the same Pokémon, we're all made for different things. Blue's strong, and he's only gonna get stronger from hereon out. And you..."

"But what about me?" Fée asked. "What can I do? What is my role?"

Loudred folded his arms before his chest, and closed his eyes. An acute sense of deja vu washed over him as he mulled over Fée's dilemma. Something similar to this happened in the past before. Loudred remembered it very well. After all, it was the same question, the same worries that was asked of him. And the Pokémon that held that question...

Smiling, Loudred waved his hand and said, "Fée, you're bunkin' with Sunflora and Chimecho right now, aren't you?"

"Eh?" The sudden change in topic startled the Eevee. "Y – yes, I'm staying in the same room as them right now. What about it?"

"Heh, well," Loudred chuckled and jabbed a finger over his shoulder, pointing it toward the hallway. "I think the Pokémon that can best answer your question there, is Sunflora. I'm willin' to bet that she'd be more than pleased to help you with your worries, Fée."

"Sunflora?" Fée tapped her chin with her paw. "She's sleeping right now though..."

"Shake her awake and ask her then!" Loudred said, grinning. "You're a member of our guild now, Fée. One of our precious apprentices! You can ask her anything you want, any time. I'm sure she wouldn't mind!"

"Eh?! I can't do that!" Fée retorted, looking shocked. "That'd be rude!"

"Ah, well go ask her tomorrow them, if you're so worried." Loudred chuckled. "But what I'm sayin' is the truth. Sunflora'll be able to help you with figuring out your 'role.' Much better than I can."

"I see..." Fée held her paw over her chest and took a deep breath. When she finished exhaling, a small smile replaced her despondent frown. She nodded one more time at Loudred, and said, "Okay. I'll be sure to ask Sunflora for some advice. Thank you Loudred!"

"Y'don't have to thank me," Loudred said, waving his hand. "anyway, aren't you supposed to be giving your boyfriend that blanket there? He's probably shiverin' while he's sleepin' right now. If you're gonna tuck him in, you better do it before he freezes."

"Oh, you're right!" Fée's ears shot straight up as she fumbled around with the blue cloth around her neck. "I'll get to that right now! Thank you, Loudred!"

"I said, you don't need to thank me!" Loudred's complaints fell on deaf ears though, as the Eevee just smiled and bowed at him before pushing her way through the vines. Sighing, Loudred shrugged and shook his head.

"To think that she had been sittin' outside his door, waiting for a chance to give him a blanket..." Loudred chuckled at the thought of Fée waiting outside while he and Blue were chatting together. "Ain't that an adorable thought?..."

"Eh?" A sudden realization popped into his head. If Fée had been waiting outside while they were talking, then wouldn't that mean she heard the long conversation that the two of them had in there?

...I guess that explains why she was so eager to ask me for some advice as well, Loudred scratched his head. Agh… I should've tried to make her feel a little better before letting her go. Oh well, I'll just have to leave it to Sunflora then. He turned around and began to make his way down the corridor again.

She's in good hands, I'm sure of that. Or should I say good leaves? Haha!

Chuckling, Loudred took one last look at the vine – covered doorway and waved his hand. Then, with a proud feeling welling up inside his chest, he left the two alone and made his way back to his room.

Basked in the shadow of night, a solitary figure stumbled through the now – empty Main Plaza. With a ragged green cloak swathed around his body, the figure made for a suspicious sight as it headed toward the large fountain in the center of the plaza. From the way the figure moved its body, one uneven step at a time, it was clear that the cloaked Pokémon was suffering from extreme exhaustion.

Once it reached the fountain, it slammed its side against the stone walls of the fountain pool. His chest heaved as he slid down the wall and onto the ground, using the fountain as a support as he tried to catch his breath.

"Gah... hagh...!" A ragged cough escaped his mouth as he tried to swallow a lungful of air. A green claw extended from the folds of his cloak, reaching up into his hooded face. His throat was parched to the point that even just breathing was causing him immense pain. The insides of his mouth, from his tongue all the way down to his throat felt like one long strip of sandpaper.

When his coughing fit subsided, he struggled back onto his feet, and grabbed a hold of the fountain wall. His arms, and his legs both felt like they were restrained by heavy chains. He strained his muscles to pull himself up until he could see into the fountain pool. There, a wonderful bounty of clear, cool water lay before him.

Without even hesitating, the Pokémon dunked his claws into the pool and scooped up a veritable amount of water. In his haste, he ended up splashing it all over his face. Only a small fraction of the liquid entered his awaiting mouth, but what little water he got to taste was enough to revitalize him.

Breathing deep, the cloaked figure stared at his soaked claws for a moment. Then, he dove his claws back toward the fountain pool for another helping. However, as he was about to dip his claws back in, something caught his eye. A reflection in the clear surface of the fountain pool. A reflection of a certain face.

Hovering above him, watching him as he tried to sate his thirst were the four statues of the Founders of Treasure Town: Torkoal, Sigilyph, Golurk and Dusknoir. The hooded figure tore his attention away from the water for just a moment, and stared back at the motionless Pokémon above him. His eyes moved from one statue to the next, each giving him pause until his gaze fell upon the last.

"Dusknoir..." his voice was that of a low hiss. A gleam appeared from within his hood as he bared a fang at the immobile stone statue. He held out a claw, and pointed it at Dusknoir's single eye.

"Good evening."

Startled by the sudden voice behind him, the figure spun around with his claw still extended. Water sprayed from the tips of his claws, as well as his cloak as he forced himself into a defensive stance. However, the sudden jerking of his limbs like that sent a ripple of pain through his nerves, making him falter and cough.

"Who's there?" He hissed in between coughs. "Show yourself!"

A pair of pink and white ribbons floated into view, drawing the hooded figure's attention with it. There, standing in the shadow of a nearby building was a rather handsome Pokémon. Two bows adorned the Pokémon's body, one on his ear and the other underneath his chin. There was a small pink bag hanging off the Pokemon's neck, with something cylindrical poking out of the top. A smile decorated his face as he walked toward the figure, his ribbons held out to his sides in a display of nonaggression.

"My, I'm sorry if I startled you," the Pokémon swept one of his ribbon over his chest, bowing his head. "I was just surprised to find someone else out this late at night."

"What... what do you want...?" The figure held one of his claws pointed at the stranger's face, but moved his other one up to his mouth to cover up another cough.

"Before that, allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Barie, a Sylveon that works at the cafe over there," he said, pointing a ribbon back at the building he just came from. "it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Mrgh..." the cloaked figure didn't lower his guard. He didn't know what to expect from this stranger, and he had no interest in throwing himself into any unnecessary risk. He settled for a quick nod, and a noncommittal grumble to this 'Barie.'

"As for what I want..." the Sylveon let out a deep chuckle and waved a paw. "well, I do work at a cafe. And for me to spot a Pokémon drinking out of a fountain instead of something more... appealing is appalling to me. In fact, I'd say it's quite horrifying even."

"Get to the point..." the figure growled.

"My, no time for a little chat, hm?" Barie shook his head and strolled over to the figure's side, earning himself a hiss and a claw beside his cheek. The Sylveon didn't flinch, and instead laid one of his ribbons atop the figure's arm. "How about I offer you a drink, then? I assure you, what I make is quite a ways better than fountain water."

"A drink." The figure's tone of voice was skeptical. "What are you talking about?"

"My, I'm not talking about much," Barie shook his head, and moved his ribbons over to his purse. He pulled out the cylindrical canister nestled inside, and showed it to the figure with a wink. "all I'm doing is offering you something better than fountain water."

Barie gave the canister a quick shake, letting the quiet sound of liquid sloshing sound out between them. "As for what it is, it is a warm broth made from a mixture of Yache and Oran. While it is a bit on the sour side, I guarantee that you will enjoy it far more than plain water." The Sylveon made another teasing wink as he untwisted the cap of the canister, letting the fresh scent of the drink waft out.

Despite still feeling suspicious, the figure couldn't deny that what Barie was offering smelled very enticing. However, even with that, he wasn't so foolish as to just let his guard down over a delectable scent. After all, he had just got done poisoning another Pokémon with a berry broth of his own. He kept his distance, and his eyes on the handsome Pokémon's face.

"What's the catch...?" He growled. "A Pokémon out in the middle of the night, offering drinks to strangers... doesn't that seem suspicious to you?"

"My, my," Barie chuckled as he shook his head. "I suppose you have a point. To the average Pokémon, I guess my offer does seem odd, doesn't it?"

The figure didn't respond. Instead, he continued his silent vigil, watching the Sylveon for anything suspicious.

"If you keep staring at me like that, you're going to make me blush," Barie said. "but I suppose if I can't convince you with just words, I'll have to resort to something a bit more... concrete."

Barie took his canister of broth, and unscrewed the cap off. He first tilted the opening toward the suspicious figure, showing him the bright blue liquid steaming inside. Then, he took the cap and poured a small amount of broth inside. With a smile, Barie brought it up to his lips.

"Cheers."

He opened his mouth and took a sip. The hooded Pokémon watched as the Sylveon smacked his blue – stained lips. He took a look at the hooded Pokémon and offered the entire canister. "Trust me now? Here, you can have the entire thing – I'm fine with just this much."

The hooded Pokémon grumbled as he accepted the canister into his claws. Yache and Oran were the ingredients, or so the Sylveon claimed... It shouldn't have any adverse affects if he ingested it, seeing as how those two berries don't hold any sort of debilitating effect on him. However, just to be on the safe side, he decided to dip the tip of his claw into the drink first.

"Mmgh..." He stared at the glob of blue wobbling on his claw. Judging from sight and scent, he couldn't detect any sort of poison or otherwise tampering. He looked up, and saw the Sylveon sitting down and enjoying his own little cup of broth. His throat tickled, and ached as he watched Barie sip his drink.

"Forget it..." the figure grumbled, and opened his mouth. Throwing caution to the wind, he tipped the broth into his mouth. As soon as the hot drink touched his tongue, he felt a sudden burst of energy flood through his body.

This... this is good! All of his previous hesitation was blown away as he partook in the broth. The warm soup slid down his throat, healing all the little aches and scrapes along the way. A comfortable warmth spread out from his chest, flooding his entire body with energy. Invigorated, he held the canister with both claws and continued downing the broth until there was none left inside. And even then, he tried to shake out some more leftover drops onto his outstretched tongue.

"My, enjoying it?"

Putting the canister down onto the ground, he put a claw over his neck and took a deep breath. His breathing was no longer pained and ragged. He tapped his feet against the ground, and swiped at the air with his claws. All the weight laden in his limbs had vanished. He could move again...!

He turned to face his benefactor, and nodded his hooded head, "Barie... was it?" His voice was back to normal now as well. It was no longer hoarse and pained, but that of his normal tone.

"I'm glad you remembered my name," the Sylveon said, smiling. "did the broth help?"

"Yes... yes it did," he replied. The cloaked Pokémon held out his claw before him, and stared at it for a moment. Then, he pointed it at the Sylveon's face and asked, "Why did you help me? Had I any desire to, I could attack you right now and robbed you."

"Ah, but you aren't, are you?" Barie said with a wave of his ribbon. The cloaked Pokémon paused for a moment as the Sylveon stared at him, as if waiting for him to either support or deny the statement. Seeing as how there was no reason to attack someone who helped him, he tucked his claw back inside his cloak.

Barie smiled and reached out with his ribbon to pick up the now – empty canister. He brought it back toward him, and looked inside, "As for why I decided to help you... well, let's say I felt a little camaraderie from you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You looked like you were a bit down on your luck," Barie said as he put the canister back down. "I'm no stranger to that myself. I figured that if anyone needed a little bit of a pick – me – up, it would be the ragged – looking Pokémon struggling to drink from the fountain."

"Mrgh..." the ragged – looking Pokémon grumbled as he watched Barie chuckle at his expense.

"Mind you, I mean you no insult," Barie said. "but I do speak the truth. I suppose the wise thing would've been to stay inside and let the suspicious Pokémon be on his way instead of making a drink for him – but I've been told before that I'm a bit of an idiot."

"I'm glad that you're an idiot then," the cloaked Pokémon said. "I appreciate your idiocy."

"Ah, a sense of humor, I see," Barie chuckled. "well, that's good to know."

"Is there anything you want from me, then? For the drink."

"My, my, a sense of honor as well! You're quite interesting." Barie rubbed his chin with his ribbon and thought for a moment. "Normally, I'd ask for you to sit down and we can have a chat over some drinks. You seem like someone who has seen many exciting things."

"A... chat?" The strange request took the cloaked Pokémon aback. He expected the Sylveon to request for something like valuables, or perhaps a favor.

"That's right," Barie said. "but it's late, and I'm sure you wouldn't be interested in spending the rest of the night humoring me. So I'll settle for your name instead."

"My name..." The figure held his hood with his claws, drawing it further down his face. "is that all you want?"

"Or would you prefer me call you 'Raggedy – Looking?' I have no preference either way."

"I can't tell if you're insulting me or not," he grumbled as he sent a glare at the Sylveon. Barie responded by giving him another teasing wink.

The cloaked Pokémon couldn't quite get a grasp on how much he could trust this strange Sylveon. While his instincts told him to keep his distance, and keep his mouth shut; he felt as though he would be doing Barie a disservice by ignoring him and leaving. Still, to give this stranger something like a name... well, it wasn't like he was going to lose anything by doing so.

The figure held out his claw to his chest and said, "'Green.'"

"Pardon?" Barie looked confused. "Are you talking about the color of your cloak?"

'Green' shook his head, "That's my name. You may call me 'Green.'"

Barie fell silent. He held his paw over the bow on his chest, and brought it up to cover his mouth. 'Green' stood there, waiting for the chatty Sylveon to respond. However, Barie remained silent, almost as if he was stuck deep in thought.

Was name too outlandish? 'Green' wondered. I should've thought of something a bit more believable.

After a minute passed, Barie dropped his bow and smiled. He held out his ribbon and said, "Green, hm? It's an interesting name, for sure."

"You... what?" Dumbfounded, Green stared at the Sylveon. That wasn't the response he expected. Perhaps the Sylveon was more gullible than he thought. Either way, he figured that he better play it safe.

"I... I mean, yes. That's my name."

"Well, I hope we do meet again sometime, Green." Barie said, bowing. "I'd love to have you partake in another one of my drinks again."

"...yeah," Green had to admit, having another drink made by this Sylveon interested him. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he took a step back. "I'll be sure to visit you some time again, Barie."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Barie said with a smile. "perhaps you can tell me some interesting stories the next time we meet."

"...maybe," Green muttered.

"My, that's something to look forward to then!" Barie nodded. "Farewell then, Green. And... well, best of luck to you."

"Likewise, Barie."

He watched as Barie bowed one more time before turning around and disappearing into the building behind him. Green was about to turn around as well, but a sudden glint of light caught his eye. The canister that held the Sylveon's broth was still on the ground. He walked toward it, and picked it up.

Green reached inside his cloak, and withdrew a dull, weathered – looking stone. He held it over the canister, and saw that the opening was just enough to fit the stone.

"Best of luck... huh?" Green muttered. He slid the stone into the canister, and replaced the lid on top before tucking it back inside his cloak. Reaching up with his claws, he adjusted his hood as he looked up into the sky – at the bright moon shining overhead. Sighing, he shook his head and turned his back to the cafe.

"Eleven more to go… no time to waste..."