>CHAPTER 1
Two Step
The sun stood proudly in the sky.
A warm breeze ran along the rolling hills, gently rocking the flora and fauna of the land below. Accompanied by the intense sunlight, the land comfortably baked in the splendor of nature. The sun and the air worked together in harmony, delivering a comfortable heat across the land. The temperature had risen comfortably over the past few weeks, bringing in the end of mild spring days and welcoming a nostalgic heat that would serve as a preview of things to come.
Another summer was born, eager to take the place of its predecessor.
The inhabitants of the lands, both the Pokemon and the natural life alike, had wished another spring farewell, but not without the usual sense of lament that would come alongside it. Subtle changes in scenery began to dot the landscape; many of the flowers had finished blooming into a brilliant display of colors. The grass was crisp and fresh, snugly blanketing the silty loam across the rolling hills. And the more nomadic groups of Pokemon began their travels to colder climates, contrasting with the local inhabitants preparing for the incoming heat in the days to come.
Not too far off from the scene, an old, dusty trail sat longingly across the terrain. It had been paved long ago, having lost much of luster since that day. Nevertheless, it served as a stark contrast against the overgrown grassy patches, even though its better days were now behind it.
But before long, the lonesome trail would perk back up as a group of voyagers traveled down it once more.
The serene calm of nature was replaced with the steady sound of movement as dirt and rocks were kicked about to make way for the wide-eyed travelers barreling through. And just as abruptly as they had arrived, they suddenly stopped, before two new sets of feet impacted the soft soil below them. On the side of the road stood three Pokemon: an Abra wearing a long black cloak, a Litten sporting a sharp black bandana and scarf combo, and a massive Revavroom, carrying two moderately sized bags.
"And that's as far as I can take you! Capim Town should be just past those hills in the distance, there!" The Revavroom roared.
"Thank you, sir. We really appreciate the help," the Abra said.
"Of course! A nice couple of hitchhikers like yourselves; I'm humbled to have helped you two out," said the Revavroom.
"Here, don't forget your luggage!"
"Of course. Thank you," the Abra said, flashing a gratitude filled smile.
The Revavroom lowered itself closer to the ground so the other two Pokemon could carefully reacquire their respective bags and sling them over their shoulders. The Abra reached into a smaller satchel that had been secured tightly around his waist. Pulling out a handful of shiny coins, he tenderly deposited them into a side pouch that was fastened against the massive vehicular Pokemon.
"That should cover both of us. And a little extra, as another thank you."
The Abra smiled.
The Revavroom returned an equally cheery expression.
"That's mighty nice of you. You folks have a great time in town!"
The Revavroom lifted up an appendage and shook it about, as if to wave farewell. Afterwards, it sped down a fork in the road, heading off on its own adventure.
An awkward silence filled the air as the two made their way towards the steeper hills in the distance, still following the winding old path. As confirmed by a nearby signpost, Capim Town was just a stone's toss away. Although the two journeying Pokemon were relieved that their destination was so close, there was still an anxiety shared between them.
The Abra would be the one to break the shared silence of the two.
"Hey Bethel. Are you doing alright?" The Abra inquired to his partner.
"I'd be doing better if we didn't just spend the last of our Poke on a joyride," Bethel said angrily.
"Come on, we've been walking for days. My feet were about to fall off," moaned the Abra.
"Besides, we'd still be pretty far back on the trail if we hadn't hitched a ride with that fellow."
"...Fine. I guess it was alright," sighed Bethel.
"I mean, the intensity of that speed, the wind whipping past my ears..."
Bethel stifled a laugh.
"And of course, the look of sheer terror on your face the whole ride through. I would've paid to get a painting of that," Bethel chortled, slugging the Abra on the shoulder with her right paw.
The Abra gently rubbed his shoulder in recoil but also cracked a slight smile in response.
"Sorry... I'm not used to going that fast. But it's great to hear you admit you had some fun."
His grin was now stretched from ear to ear.
"I could say the same thing about you, Alphonse."
Bethel replied in a mocking tone, while putting extra emphasis on her partner's name. But before long, her smile would regress back into a scowl.
"All things considered, it's probably the last bit of fun we're going to have for a while."
"Oh, c'mon, I'm sure it won't be that bad," Alphonse replied as the two steadily began to climb up the largest hill.
"Cleaning duty. At a group full of freaks and strangers. With no end in sight."
Bethel continued to groan.
"How do you see anything good about that?"
"Well..."
Alphonse began to trail off. But he realized Bethel was no longer paying any attention to him. Her attention was totally fixated on the lands now below them, as the two stood at the peak of the hill.
In the distance was Capim Town, in all its glory. The architecture of the seaside town was unlike anything they'd ever seen before. It had a rustic, natural, and homely feeling, all in one. The buildings were tall tree stumps that were covered in dense foliage. Several bridges and winding paths could be made out. And right next to the array of hollowed-out tree stumps was a glistening bay.
As Alphonse and Bethel inspected Capim Town from afar, their levels of anxiety began to recede steadily. The marvels of nature, history, and civilization coming together as once were nothing for the two to scoff at.
Bethel inhaled loudly, struck with awe at the scenery.
"It's amazing. I never would've imagined it to look like this," Alphonse said.
The two stood side by side, briefly dropping their luggage and relaxing their bodies to better take in the sights before them. After about a solid minute of being lost in the beauty of the land, the two exchanged glances with one another.
"Maybe you're right, Al. Maybe it won't be so bad," Bethel said, smiling dreamily.
"Right. We've got to go in as open-minded as possible. At least, that's what everyone back home would probably want, right?" Alphonse said.
"Yeah. It won't be easy, but we've already gotten through worse," Bethel said.
"If we give it enough time, I'm sure things will come around for us again."
Alphonse smiled back.
Bethel turned her body towards Alphonse, directing all of her attention towards her partner.
"How long do you think we should give it?" she inquired.
"Hm... Well, if we can gain their favor, who knows, maybe a few years?" Alphonse said.
"You mean, a few months," Bethel interrupted.
Alphonse turned to her swiftly. As he began to prepare a reply, she spoke up again.
"You must be insane if you think I'm spending any longer playing housekeeper," Bethel hissed.
Alphonse tried to hide his strained reaction, instead offering a compromise.
"Beth, I really don't think-"
"Fine. six months it is. But any longer than that, and I'm bailing," Bethel said.
Alphonse hesitated.
"Six months is still on the low side; what about-"
"Alright. One year. But that's it. And we're definitely not going to be janitors for the whole year," Bethel decided.
"We'll find something more interesting than that. Mark my words."
"So, it's a promise then?" Alphonse spoke.
"Nothing binding. If I change my mind, I change my mind," Bethel drawled.
"Come on, Beth. Work with me here," Alphonse pleaded.
Bethel rolled her eyes and looked away from Alphonse, who had reached out a hand towards his partner. Alphonse stood as still as a statue, despite all his inner voices screaming at him to just surrender to the stubborn Litten's demands. Thankfully, his holdout would pay off.
"...ughh.... Fine. We'll shake on it," Bethel said, angrily throwing up a paw.
"One year."
Alphonse smiled heartily. With Bethel's paw now secure in his hand, the two steadily shook their grasp up and down, sealing their pact.
"One year."
Alphonse grinned.
Bethel was quick to smirk back.
"And that's going to apply retroactively," she said.
Alphonse shot back a confused look.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we've already been hanging out for a good three months now, right? Between the night we met, arriving here at Capim Town, and everything in between, we're already a quarter of the way there."
A sly grin wrapped across Bethel's face.
"Well, that is true, I suppose," Alphonse pondered.
Bethel flung her paw to the side, playfully wrestling it out of Alphonse's grasp.
"Alright now, you got a deal. Now let's get moving! The last one down the hill has to carry all the luggage!" Bethel screamed. She was already in a mad dash down the declining path that led into the heart of the town.
"And no teleporting, neither! Use your own two feet!" she hollered.
Alphonse chuckled and sighed, realizing she had "forgotten" to take her bag anyway. With no other choice, he grabbed both luggages and slung them over each of his shoulders.
"One year," he thought to himself.
"After everything I've been through... this is probably the last way I expected to spend my life."
"Goodness... I'm still not sure if I can even handle what I agreed to. But hey, just like she said, we've been through worse, right?"
"Plus, I'll take a mostly boring life over more conflict any day. And thankfully, conflict seems to be far beyond us now."
Alphonse nodded, agreeing with himself. Without further ado, he began to dash down the hill with equal fervor, barely able to match the pace of his partner.
The duo steadily wandered along the flower fields on the outskirts of the town, taking in the wondrous sights of the area. Casually strolling about the fields while making sure to step lightly to not trample any flowers, Alphonse and Bethel lazily grew closer and closer to their destination. Except there was one problem.
"Hey Al, where are we supposed to go again?" Bethel pondered.
Alphonse looked up, directing his focus from the flowers to Bethel.
"We're looking for the Clover Guild, as far as I know."
"Right. But do we know where exactly that is?" Bethel spoke with a hint of frustration.
Alphonse gulped.
"Um..."
"As nice as the sights are here, I'd rather not be wandering aimlessly around town. Especially with all of our luggage," Bethel said sternly.
"I don't think we have to worry about thieves here, Beth," Alphonse said, hoping to reason with his partner.
"That sort of reasoning is exactly what makes you a target," Bethel sighed.
"I mean, think back to our meeting in the cave. You didn't worry about running into any thieves back then, and I robbed you blind as a result."
"Wow. Great example," said Alphonse sarcastically.
As Alphonse tried not to take any further offense, his attention diverted to a nearby rustling noise and a faint voice in the distance, albeit not too far away.
"Speaking of... get ready, Al, this could be trouble," Bethel said, readying herself into an imposing stance.
"I really don't think it's anything to be worried about—" Alphonse said.
"Oh, what do we have here? A pair of new faces?" cheered the formerly distant voice.
The voice belonged to a tall figure that now stood behind Alphonse, looming over him. As Alphonse began to turn around to return a greeting back to the Pokemon and get a better look at them, he barely heard Bethel holler an order at him.
"Al, step out of the way!" Bethel cried out.
No longer facing Bethel or the unknown Pokemon behind him, Alphonse began to swirl his head back at Bethel to figure out what was the cause for her sudden outburst. But before he could react, he was side swiped by a slashing attack from Bethel, which knocked him off his feet and spiraled him into a nearby bed of flowers.
The unknown Pokemon recoiled backward, unharmed from the attack, but still shocked nonetheless.
"Oh my goodness! Are you alright, little guy? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you two!"
Alphonse slowly rose from the dirt and began to brush himself off when he felt himself picked up by two stubby paws. Now suspended in the air, he was being shaken rather violently by the unknown Pokemon. Amidst his dizziness, he was finally able to get a look, albeit a blurry one, at the Pokemon, a Furret.
“Are you alright? Uh oh, your beautiful cloak is all dirty now too! Here, let me help!” The Furret exclaimed.
She then began to violently shake Alphonse in an attempt to get the dirt off him.
Bethel sighed.
"Al, when I say step out of the way, you should listen, not just stand there."
"How is this my fault?" Alphonse thought, as he was still being shaken.
"Ah, Furret, I was wondering where you sped off to," a fourth voice exclaimed.
Afterwards, the owner of the fourth voice scuttled towards the crowd. This voice belonged to a smaller, insectoid Pokemon, a Skorupi.
"Oh, I'm sorry, little buddy! I heard some voices coming this way, and I wanted to get a better look, and they were two Pokemon I've never seen around here, and I..." explained the Furret as she began to shake Alphonse with doubled intensity.
"You should probably put him down," the Skorupi sighed.
"Oh, right! He looks much cleaner now, and I suppose we can scrub the dirt and stains out of his cloak back in town!" The Furret said joyously, all signs of her previous sorrow now gone. She tenderly set Alphonse back on the ground.
Alphonse was barely able to stand without falling back over, but focused as much as he could to avoid doing so so as not to upset the Furret any further.
"Uhm... nice to meet you too, miss..." Alphonse spoke in a daze.
"Oh right, where are our manners? You can call me Furret! And this here is my little buddy!" she cheered.
"Yeah, you can call me Smith," he said, elaborating further.
"Right... well, we're—" Alphonse explained.
"Litten and Abra," Bethel said plainly as she slowly walked towards Alphonse's side, shooting him a stern look.
"Awesome! It's always super fun to meet new Pokemon!" Furret said.
"You two are definitely new faces! There's been a lot of visitors in town lately, likely due to the change of seasons! Summers in Capim Town are simply wonderful; there's no shortage of fun things to see and do here!"
"We're here to see the guild," Bethel explained.
"You're here for the Clover Guild? Why?" Smith wondered.
"None of your-" Bethel began to hiss.
Luckily, Alphonse was quick to cut her off with a nervous laugh.
"Erm, we're here on business... I suppose."
"Wow!!! New recruits? How exciting! Isn't that exciting, little buddy?" Furret brightly exclaimed.
Alphonse had finally regained his composure and had begun to observe the characteristics of the two Pokemon he and Bethel had encountered. The difference in their sizes was definitely something, but he was more drawn to the accessories and clothing they had on. The Furret was wearing a prim pink bow on one of her ears and a black sequined scarf draped over her shoulders, showing off her extravagant taste in clothing. The Skorupi, however, was definitely an uncommon sight, sporting a lacey white bow tie atop his head.
As Alphonse's gaze was focused on Smith, he was barely able to contain his laughter at the bizarre spectacle before him.
Smith, noticing full and well Alphonse's reaction to his clothing choice, began to get peeved.
"What's so funny, Abra?" Smith growled.
Alphonse's face flushed, realizing he was doing a poor job at holding back his glee.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, it's nothing. I just, erm, thought of a funny joke."
But the laughter didn't stop, and to make matters worse, Bethel had now chimed in with twice the force.
"Ahahahaha! You look RIDICULOUS!" Bethel cried.
"And here I thought you two were bandits or something! Hahaha!"
"And what makes you think that we aren't?" Smith said angrily.
"Oh please, any self-respecting outlaw wouldn't be caught dead in clothes like THAT!" Bethel was now doubled over in laughter.
"You won't be laughing when I—" Smith threatened as he arched up his body.
"Now now, little buddy! Some Pokemon just don't have an eye for fashion! Besides, our new and improved accessories complement our badges quite well, don't you think?" Furret smiled, reassuring her companion.
Alphonse realized he was so perplexed at the sight of their accessories that he glossed over the two bright, round, silver and green badges each of them wore. Putting two and two together after seeing the shape of a four-leaf clover on each of them, he rapidly stood at attention, nudging over to Bethel in an attempt to ease her laughter.
"Pst... Bethel, I think these two are Clover Guild members. We probably shouldn't anger them."
Bethel wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly rose up from the ground, taking a deep breath to resume her stoic posture.
"That's right, Abra! You've got two bona fide Clover Guild members at your service!" Furret yelled with pride as she struck a triumphant pose.
"You mentioned you were looking for the guild, right? We'd be happy to lead you and Litten there! C'mon, follow us!"
"Now, Furret, we had a lot to do today. Are you sure we have time for this?" Smith said, flashing a concerned look at Al and Beth.
"Of course we do! And besides, as members of the Clover Guild, it is our sworn duty to represent and assist any Pokemon, especially ones that are interested in us as well! Now, c'mon, let's get going!" Furret said excitedly, practically ready to sprint off without them.
"That would be great. Come on, Be-, err... Litten."
Alphonse motioned towards his partner as he picked up the luggage once more.
"Right. Let's get this show on the road." Bethel sighed.
The four Pokemon stood before the entrance of the Clover Guild. Each of them was varied in their level of excitement.
Alphonse was as anxious as ever. He wasn't sure what to expect behind these doors and was about ready to jump out of his skin in anticipation. What would these Pokemon think of him? What would he think of them? Are they all freaks? Are they all combat veterans who would use him as a punching bag? Even while worrying about himself, he also worried about Bethel. How would she react to these situations? He hoped with all his heart that she wouldn't get the duo into any more trouble, but he knew that was wishful thinking more than anything else.
Alphonse looked over at his partner Bethel, whose facial expression indicated she really couldn't care any less about the whole situation. However, he could make out there was a slight spring in her step, which he assumed was her way of showing relief over having finally reached their destination. Alphonse knew that if anything, a nice bed to rest in at this moment would greatly outweigh any sort of hardships that were still to come, and he could tell Bethel felt the same way.
Next, he looked over at Smith, who was mostly unenthusiastic. Alphonse could tell that Smith didn't feel strongly towards the two new recruits, even if first impressions proved to be a bit rough.
And as Alphonse looked over at Furret, he could tell she was still overjoyed. She hadn't stopped talking the entire walk through, going on and on about how cute the two's accessories were, how much they'll love getting to know the others, and of course, how happy she was to have new faces to socialize with.
"And we all have our own rooms and our own tasks, and the Pokemon here are so quirky it's funny, and-" Furret went on and on, but she was cut short by the loud creaking of the doors as they slowly opened before her. Smith skittered in first, followed by Bethel.
Alphonse was frozen in place, still consumed in thought.
"Will these Pokemon like me? Will I like them? Oh man, will me and Bethel have to share a room? Will-"
"Come along, my new friend! We can't keep the door open forever; it'll let the summer heat in!" Furret instructed cheerily.
Alphonse began to shake himself back to reality, but before he could move, he found Furret behind him, extending her two stubby paws and pushing Alphonse forward. His legs, however, didn't get the memo, and he fell right on his face on the hard wooden floor, spilling some of the luggage out of the bags.
"Oh man, not again..." Smith groaned.
Furret was now rapidly skittering about, trying to reorganize the luggage back into the bags.
"Are you alright—wait a moment, what is this thing?" Her question was cut off and replaced with a piqued curiosity.
She slowly knelt over to get a better look, but Bethel had already scrambled towards the unknown object, hastily shoving it back inside the bag.
"It's nothing. Just a piece of junk we found on the way here," Bethel exhaled.
Alphonse rose from the floor, steadily regaining his bearings. Looking over at the mess they just made and Bethel frantically shoveling things back inside her bag, he slowly began to help her reorganize her belongings.
"That wasn't your guitar, was it?" Alphonse whispered.
Bethel's face flushed.
At the same time, Furrets' ears perked up, as a new curiosity had befallen the fiendishly friendly Pokemon. Her attention towards Bethel had now doubled in intensity.
"Oh, a guitar? Do you play music? That's so cool! What do you like to play? How did you learn to become a musician? Isn't it hard to play with four le-"
A sickly pale complexion washed over Bethel's face. As her mouth began to move toxically into forming venomous words that would silence the nosey Furret, Alphonse noticed her blood boiling intensely and decided to swoop in before any harm could be done.
"Erm, actually it's mine..." Alphonse said.
He slumped over, defeated, realizing he might've just dug the two into an even deeper hole than before.
"Oh, that's cool! In that case, the same questions apply, except for the 'playing on four legs' one! Ooh, do you two play together?" Furret hyperventilated between questions, hardly able to conceal her excitement.
"Now, Furret, let's slow down a bit on the questions. They've hardly even made it in the door, and I'm sure they're going to be getting asked questions all day. Let's give them at least a few more minutes of peace," Smith said.
He exhaled heavily, feeling second-hand exhaustion well up inside him.
"Oh, right you are, little buddy! Besides, they're going to be with us for a loooong time, right? There's plenty of room for questions later!" Furret cheered.
After Alphonse and Bethel had reorganized their belongings back into their bags, Alphonse began to speak up once again.
"Um... so where do we go? I mean, where should we unpack our stuff?"
Right on cue with Alphonse's question, a new voice rang out throughout the entrance hall of the guild.
"What's all the commotion out here?"
This voice belonged to a Combusken. He was tall and proud in stature, imposing but not overtly frightening. One look at him, and Alphonse could tell he was a battle-hardened veteran and likely a figure of authority here at this strange guild. Just like the other two Pokemon Alphonse and Bethel had hastily been introduced to, he wore his own share of accessories, specifically an eyepatch on the left side of his face and a long, flowing red and white scarf.
"Nothing KFC, just some klutziness," Smith said.
He extended a gentle claw towards Furret and patted her on the back, as to imply that it wasn't her fault for the situation.
"We found some outsiders on the outskirts of town. They claim to be new recruits."
"New recruits, huh? Interesting; I don't recall the guildmaster requesting any more new recruits."
KFC furrowed his brow and extended a talon along his beak, pondering the circumstances surrounding these two newcomers.
"Nevertheless, I suppose we shouldn't be adverse to anyone willing to lend a helping hand."
"That's what I thought too!" Furret smiled and gave a hearty salute back at KFC, who couldn't help but smirk at the gesture. Meanwhile, Alphonse and Bethel awkwardly stood on the side, unsure of how to advance the conversation.
An uncomfortable air filled the room as the five Pokemon stared each other down intensely.
KFC exhaled, directing his attention back at Alphonse and Bethel. They were staring at him in a similar fashion.
"Well, if that's true, then I suppose you two should come along with me."
KFC turned around and began to walk off in the direction he came from, giving a subtle nod and gesture to indicate Alphonse and Bethel should follow him.
"We'll get things sorted out here."
As the duo awkwardly hobbled along with their luggage behind Smith, Furret, and KFC, they remained silent. Meanwhile, the trio of Clover Guild members discussed the new arrivals amongst themselves.
"They seem a bit strange," Smith plainly stated.
"In that case, they'll fit in just fine," KFC smiled slyly back at Smith.
"Yeah, I guess so," Smith returned.
"I love the clothing they have on!" Furret beamed.
“Of course, they’re no match for our style, right little buddy?”
Smith covered his face with his tail and sighed loudly. KFC looked over his shoulder, seeing that Alphonse and Bethel were staring back at the three, knowing full well the conversation was about them.
"Err... we don't mean any harm. We're both just tired from our long journey."
Alphonse sighed and flopped his head down, directing his gaze toward the ground.
"Mm," Bethel said, nodding unenthusiastically.
"It’s fine. See you two around." Smith exhaled in an unenthusiastic tone.
Motioning to Furret, the two skittered off down a separate hallway as Furret turned around and gave one last friendly wave at the two. Alphonse sheepishly returned the gesture, and Bethel pretended not to see it.
As the now-party-of-three walked through the halls of the guild, they heard various cries, uproars of laughter, exaggerated yells, and various other hooting and hollering reverberating throughout the area. The walls were plenty thick, but they were no match for the sounds of the rowdy Pokemon that inhabited the hallowed halls of the Clover Guild.
KFC began to start up, hoping to break the silence as they continued walking towards the guildmaster's office.
"You two can call me KFC. What are your names?"
"Uhm... call us Abra and Litten, if you wouldn't mind..." Alphonse shyly replied.
KFC nodded wistfully, knowing full well that those weren't their actual names.
"You mentioned you had a long journey. Where are you two coming from?"
"North," Bethel said blankly.
KFC blinked.
"Right,” he replied in an equally plain tone.
Alphonse began to panic.
"No, no, that's not true."
KFC raised his eyebrows and frowned at the pair.
"I mean, yeah, we're from farther up on the northern shores of the Grass Continent. But, erm, it was a smaller town, probably not one most Pokemon have heard of." Alphonse stammered.
KFC closed his eyes slowly, turned his head away, and continued walking without a word. Alphonse and Bethel exchanged frustrated looks at one another.
The sounds of laughter and side conversations surrounding the three gradually faded, and all that was left was the sound of three sets of feet walking against the hard wooden floor. The party had approached another shut door when KFC gave a steady knock and began cracking it open.
"Lliam, it's me. I've got some... recruits with me. Can we come in?"
An interesting dialect replied through the door, loud enough that Alphonse and Bethel could hear it as well.
"New recruits, you say? Fascinating~" the sing-songy voice called out.
"Bring them in, if you'd please."
KFC held the door open graciously for Alphonse and Bethel. As they passed through, Alphonse made sure to thank him for the friendly gesture twice over, once for him and once for Bethel.
The three, now four with the guild master, stood together in the guild's main office, which served as something of a throne room for the guildmaster within.
"Ah, how interesting. These are two faces I definitely have not yet seen before," sang a Meowstic from behind a large wooden desk.
He wore a long black cape that wrapped around his shoulders and flew elegantly off to the side. His eyes flashed between the two new recruits, a deep blue set of eyes that told whoever looked in them that he was simply more than most Pokemon would ever expect him to be.
"Come in, and feel free to take a seat anywhere."
"I'll stand," Bethel frowned back at Lliam, the mysterious-looking Meowstic.
KFC took careful note of the bold move just displayed by the newbie. He then looked towards Alphonse, who had already had his legs crossed along each other as he sat attentively on a nearby cushion.
"Oh? Interesting..."
Lliam smirked. He peered a curious gaze at Bethel, who stared back at him totally deadpan.
Amused by her lack of expression, he began to giggle before urgently fixating back on Alphonse.
"I see the Abra at least has some manners, fufufu~"
Alphonse felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead as he swallowed audibly and quietly spoke back up.
"Sir, we were hoping to join your guild here; I believe we were expected."
Lliam slowly closed and reopened his eyes in a lazy blink. Without a word, he swiveled around, reaching into a nearby stack of papers and parsing through it slowly. Although to Alphonse's trained eye, he could tell that this Lliam character was simply feigning looking busy.
"Hum... we've had a lot of new recruits recently." The Meowstic stretched and stood up from his chair, striking a quirky pose.
"I am Guildmaster Lliam! Welcome to the Clover Guild! What might your names be?"
"We're..." Alphonse began to explain.
Lliam opened his eyes wide and made a suspicious face.
"Of course, of course! You are the new... 'janitorial volunteers', correct?"
Alphonse recoiled back slightly, surprised at the sudden outburst.
"Well yes... um, how did you know that?"
"Ahahahaha... you're a psychic type. I'm sure you would already know how!!" the eccentric Meowstic yowled.
"Of course you CAN read minds, correct? That's a staple of any psychic type. Tell me, what am I thinking now?"
"Err... admittedly I was never the best at mind reading, actually."
Alphonse stared back longingly.
"Oh? Didn't your parents teach you anything~" Lliam said.
Alphonse felt a sudden wave of anger and violence fall over him, but luckily he was steadfast in making sure it would not make itself known. Unfortunate for Alphonse, he was dealing with another psychic type who easily picked up on the pang of anger.
"Ah, I didn't mean to strike a nerve," Lliam said in his usual singsongy voice.
Bethel began hissing.
"Look, are you going to let us in the guild or not?"
Lliam began to giggle with doubled intensity, obviously amused by the entire situation.
"Oh, come now, just having some fun, after all~"
"Anyway, I'm afraid that those positions were filled quite a while ago."
Alphonse and Bethel exchanged surprised looks.
"Yes, yes... We already have two diligent janitors, Maxi and Maddi. And I'm afraid we don't have any paying positions open right now, anyway," Lliam said.
"So sorry to be the bearer of bad news~"
"That's ridiculous, so we came all the way here for nothing!? What kind of..." growled Bethel.
But before she could spare more rage, the realization of a new plan came to her.
"Oh, we were just kidding about that whole 'janitor' thing. In fact, we're actually a Rescue Team."
"We are?" Alphonse spoke in a hushed tone to his partner.
"Al, play along; if you screw this up, so help me." Bethel reprimanded in angry whispers.
"Oh yes, oh yes! There's no shortage of work to be done when it comes to rescue missions and catching outlaws~" Lliam spoke with stark contrast to how he sounded before. He gave a sly glance over at KFC, who rolled his eyes right back at Lliam.
"So, what's your team name?"
"Our team name?" Bethel frowned.
"Well, I believe my compatriot and very loyal second-in-command can give you the story on that. Abra?"
"G-guh..." Alphonse choked.
"Don't blow it, Al. I gave you the perfect setup here," threatened Bethel under her breath.
Alphonse was shaking like a leaf.
"Uh... yeah... we're a team... team... uh..."
"Team, what?" Lliam smiled.
"Uh... team..."
Alphonse's sights rapidly darted around the room as he tried to gather inspiration for an object to name his imaginary team. Focusing his panicked gaze at a long extravagant banner proudly displaying a four-leaf clover perched upon the wall behind Lliam and KFC, his mind continued to race around ideas faster than his mouth could move.
"Team... erm..."
"Hm????" Lliam said with a long, exaggerated hum.
"Team... Green..." murmured Alphonse.
"Ah yes, the infamous Team Green! We're surprised you two were allowed back into the Federation at all, what with all of your countless run-ins with them and those rumors that you steal from other rescue teams~" Lliam giggled malevolently.
"Do tell, what sort of tricks did you pull to get back into the Federation's favor?"
In that moment, if looks could have killed, Bethel would've been responsible for the mauling of Alphonse the Abra.
"Ah... uh... well, it's a long story..."
Alphonse's face flushed, and his body became increasingly heavier. His legs looked as if they would give out any minute.
"What with all those testimonials about that time you two burned down an entire village looking for an outlaw... such brutish methods, very heartbreaking stuff..." Lliam said, shedding fake tears.
But thanks to KFC, the sobering reality of the sticky situation at hand would prematurely finish slapping Al and Beth square in the face.
"Alright, Lliam, that's enough."
"You two clearly aren't in a Rescue Team. So don't waste our time any further."
"W-wait! We'll do anything! We've come so far to be here! The two of us have nothing else to go off on! We don't have to be janitors; we'll do anything! Please, we'll even work for free!!!" Alphonse cried out.
Bethel let out an exaggerated exhale and began extending and retracting her claws rhythmically.
"Hmph... great job bartering, Al..."
A wave of excitement now washed over Lliam.
"You'd actually work for free?" Lliam exclaimed.
"Yeah, we simply wish to help out... any way we can... we can even get our own food... you won't have to feed us." Alphonse huffed through heaving breaths.
Motioning the palm of his hand over his forehead as he wobbled back and forth, he was seconds from falling over onto the floor.
"Well, janitor duty is taken care of, but there are certainly other positions that could use some helping hands," KFC replied.
"Right you are, KFC. Besides, with an offer like that, how could we refuse your services?" Lliam purred.
It was clear as day to Bethel that Lliam had played Alphonse like a fiddle, and this entire situation was calculated and flawlessly executed the second that her and Alphonse entered the room. But she was already too filled with malicious intent towards Alphonse to share any towards the coy Meowstic.
"If you would just pressent the application letters, we can go ahead and start getting you two processed." Lliam said.
"Yeah, no problem," Alphonse said, shuffling through his bag awkwardly. After a moment of searching, he pulled out two letters, both featuring a giant stamp in the shape of a clover in the middle, and handed them to Lliam.
Lliam carefully opened the letters and began reading over them. Before long, he spoke up again.
"I'll tell you what! We have several open quarters that have already been set up for resting in. You two can room in there for the night with the others! And tomorrow, we will see just where we can fit you two first."
"Unfortunately, I'm much too busy with this paperwork, so I'll leave the duties to KFC for now," Lliam said as he let out an exaggerated weeping noise.
For extra effect, he took some papers he had strewn about his desk and threw them up in the air.
Alphonse and Bethel exchanged hopeful, albeit exhausted, looks at one another.
"One more thing before that, though. Consider it a little introductory gesture."
Lliam clapped his hands together and suddenly appeared in front of Alphonse.
"Hold my hands, Alphonse. Just for a moment~"
"Eh?!" Alphonse recoiled back.
Lliam began to pout.
"Oh, don't tell me you've never heard of aura reading either." Lliam frowned.
"No wonder you were applying to be a janitor... he whispered.
Alphonse angrily held his hands out and grasped them tightly against Lliam's. Focusing intensely, he stared Lliam right in the eyes, refusing to break any form of eye contact, not even for a second.
Lliam squinted his eyes curiously, grasped a bit tighter, and then hastily let go.
"Ah, yes... very interesting... KFC, how about you do the other one?"
KFC nodded and walked casually over towards Bethel. Bethel gave her best impersonation of a statue in the meantime, refusing to extend her paws, much to KFC's confusion.
"No way. I'm not interested in whatever psychic freak tricks you're trying to pull," Bethel said.
"Bethel, please... just do it," Alphonse said in an exhausted tone.
Just wanting to get it over with, Bethel then held out a single paw, turning her head to the side to glare back at Alphonse.
"Actually, physical contact isn't a necessity when it comes to reading auras. Instead, close your eyes and try to breathe naturally," KFC returned.
Bethel nodded and closed her eyes wearily. KFC closed his eyes shut next and began to enter a sort of trance. After a pause, his eyes opened again, and he broke free from whatever bizarre realm he was currently vacationing in.
"Primarily red," KFC said.
"Yes, similar to the Abra's... interesting..." Lliam purred.
"KFC, I'll look through our files here and figure out where we can set up our two new recruits first. Could you show them to their room for the night?"
"Yeah, sure," KFC said.
He was eager to see how events would play out with the two strange newbies, but he figured it could wait until tomorrow.
"Come along you two," he called, motioning a single beckon and heading off into the hall.
Bethel eagerly followed suit, and just as Alphonse was about to shut the door to the guildmaster's office, he heard Lliam call back to him.
"Oh, and Alphonse?"
Alphonse jumped a bit.
"Erm... how did you know my name? I didn't tell you."
"I can read minds, remember? Ohoho~"
"Anyway, you two would be best advised to not cause too much of a commotion while you're here. We have medical care here at the guild, but we'd rather not waste any supplies~"
"R-right. Uhm, thanks, I guess... Guildmaster," Alphonse said.
"Of course, bye for now~" Lliam hummed as he began to rummage through stacks and stacks of papers.
"So, assuming that you two were actually sent to us three months ago... I suppose we'll get you introduced and working tomorrow." the one-eyed Combusken stated stoically.
"Uhm... KFC, we're sorry for the trouble earlier..." Alphonse said quietly.
KFC scratched his head and then gave his response, all while the three continued to walk through the halls back to the guild members quarters.
"It's fine. I never would've thought we'd see such eager applicants for volunteer work."
"Suckers, all in all..." Bethel exhaled.
"We've definitely had our share of interesting applicants. They're more common than you'd think," KFC said brusquely.
"We haven't talked with anyone else from the Clover Guild, other than Smith and Furret," Alphonse admitted.
"We still really have no idea what to expect..."
KFC shook his head from side to side.
"Don't worry. It'll be much easier on you guys to not sweat the situation so much."
"Besides, if you guys prove to be useful, we shouldn't have much issue at all with the logistics of keeping you around. Sure, it'll be mouths for Beast to feed, but as long as you keep on his good side, he won't have any issues."
KFC stopped in his tracks, as they had arrived at another room. He held the door open once more as Alphonse and Bethel walked in, both making sure to thank him as they entered the room.
"And uh, KFC, what was the deal with that, erm, 'aura' reading?" Alphonse's tone was rich with curiosity.
"Ah, just a formality. Don't worry about it too much," KFC said before suddenly stopping halfway down the hall.
"These are your quarters. Feel free to just throw your stuff on the side, and unload your bags properly whenever you feel like it."
KFC's expression changed into a warm smile.
"Make yourselves at home for tonight. You'll get started with your duties tomorrow."
"Thank you very much, KFC. Again, we're sorry for the trouble earlier. We're, um, not very used to hanging out with, well, 'normal' Pokemon." Alphonse smiled tenderly.
KFC grinned at the comment.
"It's funny you think we're normal. Ah whatever, I'll take that as a compliment."
"I'll be sure to have your badges ready in the morning, too. Welcome to the Clover Guild."
"Thanks, KFC," Bethel said, smiling slightly.
KFC nodded once more and gently shut the door behind him as he left the room.
The duo both gave a quick glance out the nearby window, revealing to them that the sun had almost finished setting into the horizon.
Alphonse and Bethel began unpacking their bags and moving the existing belongings of the room's previous inhabitant. In painful silence, they sternly make sure everything was squared away and that nothing was lost, misplaced, or damaged during the journey. After the last of their belongings were packed away, the two briefly made eye contact, looked away from each other, and flopped into their respective hay beds.
"Bethel, we've really got to work on this... 'civilized' type stuff." Alphonse said in a pained voice.
Bethel growled fiercely back at her partner.
"Yeah, especially you."
"Me!? Most of that was your fault!" Alphonse howled back.
"Oh yeah, it's my fault you get knocked over by the smallest gust of wind and drop all of our things!!"
"I wouldn't be knocking over our things if you would've carried your load for more than a few minutes that entire trip! I'm surprised I still have legs! Besides, what was all that about not telling everyone our names?!"
"First rule of being a stranger in unknown territory: you don't give the enemy your real name!"
"Enemy? These Pokemon aren't our enemies! Why do you always assume everyone's your enemy?"
"Why do you assume everyone's always our friend!?"
"Well, maybe because my 'aura' is hot! That must mean I'm just that crazy, huh?"
"Oh, you think you're 'aura' is hotter than mine? You don't want to see me when I'm REALLY angry, you..."
As the duo dug their heels further and further into their anger, the intensity of the argument grew ever fiercer.
"WORKING FOR FREE?! YOU ALREADY ROPED ME INTO BEING A JANITOR; NOW I'M NOT EVEN GETTING PAID FOR IT!?"
"HEY, NOBODY'S FORCING YOU TO BE HERE! GO AHEAD AND LEAVE IF YOU FEEL SO ADVERSE TO EVERYTHING I TRY TO DO FOR YOU!"
Bethel grabbed an empty sack and flung it angrily towards Alphonse, who ducked just in time. With equal force, he snatched a small sack and began filling it back up with some smaller goods. With ferocity, he then chucked it directly at Bethel. What followed was another swift dodge, this time by Bethel. The sack slammed into the wall abruptly, with the sound of impact reverberating throughout the area.
"I DIDN'T FILL MINE WITH ANYTHING WHEN I THREW IT AT YOU!"
"HEY, ITS FAIR GAME WHEN FIGHTING THE ENEMY, HUH!?"
The two rapidly scrambled about, gathering more of their belongings back into their sacks and hurling them at one another. Not a single blow connected with their intended targets, but the kerfuffle was exponentially growing in volume.
Before long, more murmurs and angry yells were heard behind the walls.
"DAMNIT, WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOME SLEEP! PIPE DOWN!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
"CYNDAQUIL, THAT BETTER NOT BE YOU THRASHING AROUND IN THERE!"
The two sensed the argument was going nowhere and quickly shut back up. Bethel flopped off her bed and lazily moved toward a nearby drawer. She looked over her things and pulled out the instrument that had fallen out of her bag before—a sleek black-stringed device, resembling a guitar. She gently began to strum it. Meanwhile, Alphonse clutched his cloak tightly and wrapped himself in it like a security blanket.
"I'm... I'm glad your guitar isn't damaged after I dropped it," an embarrassed Alphonse admitted.
"Me too," Bethel grumbled.
After a long pause, she spoke back up, this time in a more sorrowful tone.
"I'm sorry, Al. I'm just tired from the trip."
Alphonse was taken aback.
"...I'm sorry too. I'm still not used to this whole thing," Alphonse said, grieving along with her.
"And yeah, I'm exhausted as well. These past few days of walking have really worn me down."
The air of tension gradually lifted, slowly leaving another uncomfortable silence in its wake.
"So you really can't read minds, huh?" Bethel said bluntly.
But despite the suddenness of the question, there was an obvious sorrow in how it was pitched.
"No," Alphonse responded with equal bluntness.
"I meant no offense, but I'm curious as to why. Was it something to do with your par-" Bethel started up.
"We are not talking about this," Alphonse growled.
Bethel was hurt by the ferocity of her friend's tone.
"Damn, I just wanted to ask a simple question! But everything has to be a secret with you, huh?" Bethel said.
"Hey, I don't know everything about YOU! Don't get on my case for the exact same thing you do to me!"
"I'M NOT ONE OF YOUR BOOKS, AL! I'M NOT HERE TO JUST BE READ AT YOUR LEISURE!!!"
"THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING ABOUT MYSELF! BUT YOU'RE TOO BLIND TO SEE THAT, AREN'T YOU!?"
"ARGH SHUT UPPPPPPPPPPP"
"WHO THE HELL IS THAT?"
"YOU'RE COMPROMISING TEAM COZY'S BEAUTY REST AND I SWEAR I WILL FIND YOU AND I WILL KILL YOU FOR DISTURBING THEIR SACRED AESTHETIC AND UNBREAKABLE BOND FOR TEAM COZY IS THE ULTIMATE IN ALL THINGS RESCUE TEAMERY-"
Alphonse and Bethel fearfully leapt into their beds and shut their eyes, pretending to sleep in case anyone came investigating further. Before long, the commotion had died back down, and there was no sound to be heard except for the wind blowing from outside against the walls of the guild. The gusts gently rocked the great structure subtly back and forth. It was hardly apparent, but maybe, just maybe, if one focused their attention hard enough, they could feel the great walls gently rumble as they diligently worked to comfort the slumbering guild members inside.
The silence was by far the most painful thing Alphonse and Bethel had faced since they set off on their journey to the guild. Sure, their legs ached from the arduous journey towards their destination, and their throats were sore from the envenomed words that had slung at one another, but nothing ached more than their hearts as they were choked by the fear of harboring any more resentment towards one another.
Carefully treading the waters to make sure the coast was clear, Alphonse spoke to Bethel one last time.
"I'm sorry, Bethel... This all has just been so much harder than I ever thought it'd be."
Silence.
"I know I'm pretty secretive with my upbringing... heck, it's not just you; I really haven't told any other Pokemon the whole ordeal... It's just... I'm not ready to relive it so soon."
Still no response.
"It's hard for me to accept change, no matter how harmless it may be. And I hate being coy with you. I hate it so much. But no matter what I feel and what I've felt before..."
Not a sound.
"Nothing will ever excuse treating you like that. You're a great friend, Bethel, and I don't want to lose you."
A subtle creaking of the floorboards could barely be made out.
"I'm really sorry, Bethel."
Alphonse felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. But as he turned positions in his bed to look behind him, he saw that Bethel had already resumed wrapping herself in her blankets.
"...Al?" Bethel whispered.
"...Yes, Beth?" Alphonse replied.
"...One more year..." she yawned, curling up into a ball and quickly falling asleep.
"...Heh."
Alphonse blinked sleepily and shut his eyes, also curling up into a restful stance.
"It's not going to be easy... but as long as I have you... it won't be so bad..."
Alphonse let out one last yawn and promptly fell asleep.
Ch. 2 (COMING SOON)