>CHAPTER 2
Clean Slate
The roaring of waves danced throughout Alphonse's ears.
As waves of salty green seawater tickled his legs and his head baked in the sun, he peacefully lay on the beach, taking in the sounds and sights of the sea. There was nothing to see in front of him but miles and miles of water, blending endlessly into the horizon. There he was, totally at peace, flourishing by himself, alone. Just him and the sea. Just how he liked it.
At least, that's what he thought at first.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Alphonse leapt up from the ground, positioning himself into an aggressive posture. He tried to look around at his surroundings to find the Pokemon who had intruded on his paradise, but his sight was still totally locked on the sea, as if he couldn't move his body enough to swivel around. It was almost as if the beauty before him had him paralyzed.
"Take it easy; I mean no harm."
"Then show yourself," Alphonse said, demandingly.
Within a second, a Butterfree appeared between him and the ocean, right on command.
"What are you doing out here by yourself?" the Butterfree asked softly.
Alphonse took a moment to ponder. He felt his mouth move in several ways, but no words would come out. The harder he tried to speak, the more contorted his face got, and the more frustrated he began to feel. Deciding any further struggling would be futile, he motioned to instead raise his elbows slightly up and down to form a sort of shrugging motion.
"You don't know?" The Butterfree had flashed a look of concern, but it faded as quickly as it came, leaving behind the same caring face from before.
"That's a shame. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Alphonse shrugged once more, still unable to find his voice.
"Well, I suppose I can stay with you until we find out," the Butterfree sighed.
"I have a few friends who might be able to help you, but they're a ways away from here. Are you able to walk, or better yet, swim?"
Alphonse gave a slow nod to affirm.
"Excellent. Take my hand and follow me."
Before he could reject the offer, he suddenly felt himself whisked away by the Butterfree. His legs moved on their own in a robotic manner, acting independently from the rest of his body. As he walked further and further, he realized the water was getting deeper and deeper, up to his waistline. He felt a sense of panic start to swell within him. But the Butterfree, despite being smaller than him by a margin, was flying higher and higher into the air, narrowly avoiding getting her wings wet. As Alphonse began to struggle and pull back more, the Butterfree turned to him with a smile, still refusing to stop.
"You'll be okay. Just hold your breath— it'll be over in a jiffy," she said.
Alphonse didn't get the memo, as he still spasmed and struggled to go backwards. But both the Butterfree and his legs took him deeper and deeper, to the point when they were both totally submerged in the water. Much to Alphonse's surprise, the Butterfree was still flying, even underwater. And as he tired out and stopped struggling, he found himself able to walk alongside her just as effortlessly.
"Keep holding your breath; we've still got a way to go," the Butterfree promised.
Alphonse nodded but found himself still cracking under the pressure. Suddenly a sharp pain hit him in his lungs, forcing him to breathe in. And as soon as he inhaled, he was met with a huge plume of water splashing him in his face.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!! ARGHH!!" Alphonse began to scream.
His scream left his mouth agape, which was unfortunate, as another jet of water sprayed out towards him, hitting the back of his throat and sending him into a coughing fit. As he tried to cough up all of the warm water that had entered his lungs, he slowly realized his surroundings had changed completely. No longer was he on a beach, but instead he found himself sitting up in his bed, inside his dorm room at the Clover Guild.
"I told you that would work," Bethel said.
Alphonse gasped for air while his vision began to fully fade back in. He sat in a pool of water amongst his sheets that were now soaking wet.
"Wow, you're right! He woke up instantly!" cheered a new voice.
After taking several deep breaths, Alphonse looked squarely at the two unfamiliar Pokemon who had now stood in front of him: a Wooper and a Chespin, with Bethel sitting off to the side.
"Heavy sleeper, huh?" the Wooper said.
"Sorry for waking you like that, but your partner assured me it was the best way to get you up and at 'em!"
"Are you sure that was necessary? He looks scared out of his wits now," the Chespin sighed.
"I assure you it was. And besides, now he can answer any questions you may have about us," Bethel said with glee.
Without skipping a beat, the jubilant Wooper hopped close over to Alphonse with a grin as wide as can be.
"My name's Wooper! And this is my friend Chespin! What's your name?" Wooper said.
"Huff... huff..." Alphonse breathed heavily, still coming off the adrenaline rush from before.
"Oh, you have a name, right?" Wooper said.
Alphonse slowly turned to face Wooper, still shaken by his rude awakening and unsure of how to proceed with the rapid-fire of questions directed at him.
"You can speak, right?" Wooper said with a frown.
"...Yeah," Alphonse exhaled.
"Oh, awesome! Your voice sounds so cool! You must've eaten a lot of nuts to get a voice like that, huh?" Wooper cheered.
"Like, a whole 'bofa' worth, right?"
"...What's a 'bofa'?" Alphonse said, totally bewildered.
Wooper flashed a brief smirk and paused for effect before delivering the punchline.
"Well, a 'bofa' deez nuts, of course!"
Alphonse stared blankly at Wooper, his mouth agape, unsure of what was meant by that response. Off in the corner, Bethel snickered fiercely. Although she was laughing more at the reaction of Alphonse than the joke itself, Wooper was overjoyed to see that his joke was a success.
"Alright, Wooper, that's enough. Let him wake up a bit first at least," Chespin said.
"Don't worry about him; he does this to all the new arrivals," Chespin whispered to Alphonse.
Alphonse looked up and down at the stalwart Chespin and the jolly Wooper, who were both sporting bright red bandanas. After seeing the Clover Guild symbol on it, he realized that these two must be his fellow guild mates, rather than overly curious intruders who happened to be in his room. Knowing that he was in good company, he began to let his guard down a bit.
"Oh, come on, Chespin! It's not every day we get more former humans at the guild! I couldn't wait any longer; I had to see them for myself!" Wooper cheered.
"And besides, she told us to wake him anyway, or else she was going to eat his breakfast!"
"Former humans!?" Alphonse thought.
"Still... maybe we should give them a bit more time to settle in," Chespin said.
"Especially after last night's commotion—I heard quite a few Pokemon got woken up due to that racket."
Alphonse realized the commotion Chespin was referring to was his little spat with Bethel and began to turn an awkward shade of red. Not wanting to expose himself as the source of the commotion, he instead tried to change the subject.
"Ah yeah, that kept me up too. But, uh, you guys said something about breakfast, right?"
"Yeah. We had something made special, one of the more popular 'human-approved' dishes for you guys," Chespin said, giving a slight smile toward Alphonse.
"Yours is getting cold, Al. I suggest you get up and at 'em, unless you want me to have it," Bethel said with a wink.
Wooper did a little flip up in the air and jumped in to give his thoughts next.
"Al, huh? That's a pretty cool name for a human!"
"Erm, I don't know what gave you the impression, but I'm just a regular Ab—" Alphonse said.
Chespin's face sunk, and Wooper's grin was swiftly replaced with a pout. Luckily, Bethel was quick with an interruption.
"No buts! Now, Chespin, Wooper, if you could give the two of us just a moment in private, we'll meet you in the mess hall," Bethel said.
"Gotcha. Come along, Wooper," Chespin said.
"We'll save a seat for you, Al!" Wooper said.
And with that, the duo headed off for the cafeteria once more, still eager to hear more about the new arrivals.
Once the coast was clear, Alphonse quietly grabbed his sopping wet cloak off the bed, trying to wring it out on the already soaked floor on the side.
"You're certainly a feminine-sounding screamer," Bethel chuckled.
"Bethel, what in the world was that!? Why couldn't you just wake me normally?" Alphonse growled.
Just as he was about to further scold Bethel for that little wake-up call, she was already at his side, primed and ready with an explanation for her latest plan.
"Alright, Al, listen good because I'm only going to explain this once, and no interrupting either," Bethel reprimanded.
"While you were asleep, I was able to gather some intel about this place. To start off, it turns out a lot of them were formerly humans."
"Humans? Wait, like, from the legends?" Alphonse said.
"Alphonse," Bethel said sternly.
"Ah, right. Sorry, continue," Alphonse said.
"Now, something isn't adding up here. A lot of them claim upfront to just be 'human enthusiasts,' whereas a few others, like that Wooper, claim that most of them were in fact, formerly human. What or why this has happened, I'm not sure, but one thing is for sure: if there truly are humans here that were turned into Pokemon, and so many of them, they must be up to something big, and we have to be in on it."
Alphonse waited briefly for Bethel to continue explaining.
"So far they seem pretty mundane and uninteresting. I don't know if they're hiding their true natures because they're planning some big project or have some secret trove of human knowledge hidden away, but whatever they have, I want in on it. Besides, chances are if we get in good enough favor with them, there's got to be something big we can get, and we won't have to live in this dump any more."
Bethel slowly paced back and forth alongside Alphonse's bed.
"Here's the plan: we also used to be human. I've soaked up enough lore on humans and their technology from our old buddy Gattz's ramblings to fake it, and so long as you follow my every word and don't screw anything else up, we can fit in just fine. After that, it's just a waiting game to see what they have in store."
Bethel abruptly stopped pacing and looked back at Alphonse.
"Now, you may speak."
"For starters, I can see you've definitely picked a thing or two up on reconnaissance from our old friend Ephie," Alphonse sighed.
Bethel smiled slyly at the compliment.
"And I see your mind is already made up, and there's no way I can sway you."
"Correct," Bethel said.
"Well, as long as things don't get too out of control, I'm in," Alphonse smiled.
Bethel closed her eyes shut and smiled wide, barely able to contain her glee.
"Excellent!"
"Just remember, though, Lazlo and Del both agreed to send us here so we could work on ourselves for the better. We can't fall totally back into our old ways; we can't let them down," Alphonse said.
Bethel's delightful stomping about suddenly halted, as memories came flooding back into her and Alphonse alike.
Alphonse and Bethel stood side by side at the outskirts of Arcade, carefully clutching their bags filled with their belongings. In front of them stood the old-timer Lazlo the Smeargle, right next to Bethel's old crew: Del the Pangoro, Ephie the Misdreavius, and Gattz the Reuniclus. All of them were standing tall.
"Thanks again fer comin' back 'ere to see our youngsters off, y' three," Lazlo said with a smile.
"Don't mention it," Del replied.
Lazlo then turned to face Alphonse and Bethel, who were eagerly waiting to hear the wisdom he would instill upon the duo.
"Now remember, youngins, this is yer chance at new, better lives," Lazlo said.
"Me an' Del woulda never come to allow this 'less we believed it'd really help ya two out."
"He's right. We only want the best for you two," Del said in a low growl.
"Oh, I will miss you two so much! But I know this is the best for you both and that you'll both do just fine!" Ephie said.
There wasn't a hint of doubt in her voice.
"Remember what we, and especially I, taught you two, and you'll do just fine," Gattz said.
"And besides, if things don't work out, maybe I can take your guy's place?"
The group stared daggers at Gattz, who began to chuckle awkwardly.
"Ah, I'm just kidding! Totally kidding," Gattz said.
"But really, nobody deserves a 'vacation' more than me... what a missed opportunity," Gattz moaned under his breath.
"Awright, folks. If ya could just give me one last heart-t-heart wit' our pal Al here before we send 'em off, that'd be mighty fine," Lazlo said.
"Okay. We'd like to speak a bit with Bethel as well," Del said.
"Excellent. Th' two fo us 'll head over there," Lazlo said, pointing towards a nearby shady tree, as Alphonse and Lazlo slowly walked over in that direction.
"Thanks again, Del. 'Twas a pleasure meetin' ya," Lazlo said, smiling wide.
"You're not too bad yourself, old timer," Del said, grinning back.
After the two groups were no longer within earshot of each other, Del knelt down and began to speak softly to Bethel, while Ephie and Gattz also lowered themselves into the huddle.
"Beth," Del said.
Bethel looked up at the Pangoro, as tears began to form in her eyes.
"You know how much I love you. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect kid, even if you aren't truly my kin."
"And you know how much I would hate to put you in harm's way. But this... no matter how silly it may seem, this opportunity... this might just be the life I wanted for you all along. And I'd be an even greater fool to stand in the way of that."
Del continued to speak in a low tone, with his voice showing the slightest sign of quivering.
"You picked a good partner to take this journey with, all those nights ago. I wasn't sure about him at first, but I can tell that he truly cares about you as much as I do. And between me, him, and that old man, I can tell we all truly want to see you excel and your heart soar."
"At times, it's going to be boring. It's going to be rough. It's going to be scary. But in the end, it's going to be alright. And if you need any of us, especially me, I promise you we will answer the call."
Bethel was shaking like a leaf, now totally brushed up against Del, as his eyes grew misty while he cradled her in his arms.
"...Dad..." Bethel said through pained sobs.
"Heh," Del laughed, as a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"You know how much it gets me to hear you call me that," he said, giving a subtle chuckle.
Meanwhile, Ephie, and even Gattz, clutched the group tighter, also unable to hold back their tears.
"Oh, oh... you two... you're just so... exquisite... I love you all so much..." Ephie wept.
"Please, please, please keep in touch. I just know Lazlo will be asking the same of Alphonse: please write to us as soon as you get there, and let us know if you need anything, no matter how big of an ask it might be."
"Ah... I promised myself I wouldn't cry... but hearing the big man talk like that... augh..." Gattz moaned.
"You guys... please send me plenty of souvenirs, and keep safe."
Bethel eased gently out of the huddle, wiping her tears with her paws.
"I... I will. Thank you, everyone. And I hope whatever comes in store for you three next is just as good."
"By the way... did you guys ever figure out what your plans are?"
"Yes... I'm still planning on touring the Grass Continent's finest settlements; I'm sure our paths will cross again soon," Ephie said.
"And I decided to tag along. I'm hoping we'll run into a few dungeons along the way, or better yet, more remnants of human technology," Gattz said.
"I was going to go to, but I have some business to tend to first. Who knows, we'll probably all come across each other before we know it. Fate is funny that way," Del said.
"I wish all of you the best," Bethel said.
"You too," the three said in unison as they all huddled together once more.
Meanwhile, Alphonse and Lazlo sat at the base of a tree, gently lounging in the shade provided by the leaves of the giant oak.
"Now, kid, I need you to promise me three things," Lazlo said, looking deeply into Alphonse's gaze.
"I hear you; fire away, Laz," Alphonse said.
"Now, this... 'Clover Guild', 's filled wit all kinds a' characters. Real colorful folk, so I'm told," Lazlo said.
"Don't let them rub ya the wrong way. They certainly ain't like any Pokemon you've met before. But I know it's that kind of crowd that you need t' truly find that inner peace ya've been searchin' for fer so long."
"Do ya understand?"
"Yes, Lazlo," Alphonse said confidently.
"I trust you. I know you're not putting us in harm's way."
"Good. Glad ya get the picture," Lazlo beamed.
"As fer my second request..."
Alphonse's ears perked up.
"With such... abnormal folk, 'm sure there's plenty a great untapped stories to be written about."
"I want ya to keep in touch. I don't want ya ghostin' on me now, so 'm entrustin' ya with this."
Lazlo reached into the satchel tucked under his trusty duster and pulled out a blank stack of envelopes, handing them over to Alphonse.
"Envelopes?" Alphonse said, making a puzzled expression.
"Yawp," Lazlo nodded.
"Write t' me. So long as ya mail it, I promise I can read it."
"But you'll still be traveling around, I thought? How will they get delivered to you?" Alphonse said.
"Trust me, I got my ways," Lazlo said, twinkling his eyes.
"Alright, Laz, it's a deal. I'll be sure to give you all the crazy stories I can," Alphonse smiled.
Lazlo patted him heartily on the back, causing Alphonse's smile to widen twice as large.
"Excellent."
"What was the third thing?" Alphonse asked.
Lazlo paused. Alphonse shot back a confused, yet concerned look at the old Smeargle.
"Take care of y'self."
Alphonse's bewilderment grew, but he felt a warmth grow in his chest.
"I respect ya, kid. Even though ya still refuse t' give me ya full story, I feel like I've really gotten t' know ya."
"But knowin' what I know, especially with what happened t' ya folks... I don't blame ya for hurtin' for so long."
"Ya can't hold onto that anger, that fire. And this'll be a great way t' finally let go, surrounded by a buncha interestin' honest folk and that trusty partner of yers. In th' three months I've known ya, and th' three months you've known her, you two have truly come a long ways."
"Yer journeys ain't over yet; not by a long shot. And I hope with all my heart when I say this..."
Alphonse looked toward Lazlo once more, noticing the twinkling in his eyes had gradually been replaced with tears.
"...I hope ya soar, kid."
Alphonse choked back tears, but as he inspected the old Smeargle's rapidly falling wall of security that held back his true emotions, he couldn't help but follow suit.
"Lazlo... thank you. Thank you so much. You're giving me my life back... and I hope I can repay you someday," Alphonse said.
And before he could act any further, Lazlo rushed in and hugged him tight.
The two sat in silence. How much time had passed? They had been lost in the past for quite some time and just suddenly come back to the present. As reality sank back in, they looked towards each other, both noticing their emotions had gotten the best of them. Taking a moment to look each other up and down, they stared intensely, stopping only briefly to succumb to heavily sniffling and then experiencing both of their frowns crack back into smiles.
"Nah, you're right, Al," Bethel said.
"You're absolutely right. This is our chance, our new leaf to be turned."
"Exactly. We owe it to ourselves and to our friends to keep making good on that."
Alphonse replied.
"But..."
Bethel's ears perked up, and her tail began to twitch anxiously. Alphonse's smile turned even wider.
"I'm sure we can get into a little trouble along the way, so long as we don't blow the roof of the guild off."
"Right," Bethel nodded, returning an equally wide grin.
"Alright. Lead the way, Bethel the Human," Alphonse said.
"Follow closely, fellow human Alphonse," Bethel said, still smiling.
After a few minutes of stumbling about the halls of the Clover Guild, the duo arrived at the mess hall together. Along the way, Bethel had informed Alphonse that had it not been for the carefully guiding signs placed throughout the building, they would've likely been wandering for much, much longer. They both had noticed an oddity about all of the signs in the guild upon arrival; only half of their contents were readable. Sure, they could understand the writings in their native language, but accompanying every line of text was another in a strange, unfamiliar language. The runes were bewildering to the pair, but they figured it was some sort of human form of communication above all else. So long as everything was still written in both languages, they figured their "human disguises" would continue to exist.
As morning hunger gripped Alphonse, Bethel led Alphonse through the cafeteria doors, instructing him to continue to follow close behind. As he followed, he observed several tables filled with Pokemon, happily enjoying their breakfasts. As for those who had already finished their meals, they sat idly by, making casual chit-chat and cracking indecipherable jokes that were immediately met with uproars of laughter. Alphonse could pick out several species of Pokemon he recognized: he saw a Nidorina, a Poochyena, and a Maractus at one table; a Zorua and a Ninetales, both with oddly colored furs, sitting at another; and many more...
"Over here, you two!" Wooper yelled.
Alphonse suddenly felt the eyes of every Pokemon in the cafeteria on him, taking in a look at the newbie, sizing him up. At least, that's what he assumed. It was another moment he sorely wished he was able to read minds; were these Pokemon already brimming with questions to ask him just like that curious Wooper, in which he would struggle to find more answers? Or even worse, would they be wise to his game, knowing he's just a basic native that will inevitably stick out like a sore thumb? Alphonse grumbled, trying to puff out his chest a bit and give off an air of resilience so that the others would hopefully get the message he was not one to be messed with. But despite his display of "macho-ness", he rapidly felt their interest in him decline. Thanking his lucky stars, he grumbled to himself slightly while trying to keep his wits about him as he and Bethel sat down at the table, joining Chespin and Wooper.
"You look weary, Al. You alright?" Chespin asked.
"Nah. I didn't sleep well at all," Alphonse replied coldly.
"It's probably because of the bed," Chespin sighed.
"Hay is so uncomfortable, I can't stand it. I don't know how everyone else seems okay sleeping on it out here."
"If you'd like, we can get you some fresh cotton to sleep on, like us!" Wooper said.
"Ah, that won't be necessary," Alphonse said.
Sensing the disappointment shared by the duo for turning down the request, he quickly had a change of heart.
"But thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
Chespin shot an inquisitive glance towards Alphonse.
"Besides, it's not like humans to sleep on hay, right?"
"No... uhm, wait, I mean yeah," Alphonse stammered.
With a response as flimsy as that, Chespin would begin to wonder if these two new faces, or at least Alphonse, were truly ever humans or not. Taking a quick mental note of the possibility, he would begin to think on how to find out the true origin of the pair.
Bethel gave Alphonse a nudge with one paw while passing over a plate with food on it with the other.
"Eat up. I don't want you keeling over on me," she said.
Alphonse looked down at the plate. The food on it did not look unappealing by any means; in fact, it looked delectable. But something about it rubbed Alphonse the wrong way, mainly because it was unlike anything he had ever seen, let alone eaten, before. Two buns, stacked on top of each other, with something resembling rolls of rice and seaweed wrapping savory pieces of berries together in the middle.
"Psst, Beth, what exactly is this?" Alphonse whispered.
"I don't know, but I ate it, and it didn't kill me, so you're up next," Bethel shot back.
"Apparently these guys call it a hamburger."
"Erm, I'm not really sure about—" Alphonse said, before being cut off by Bethel's stern request.
"Eat your hamburger, Alphonse," Bethel growled.
Alphonse scowled but realized he was already backed into a corner, with no way of fighting himself out of it. As he awkwardly picked it up with both of his hands, he took a small, uneven bite, causing half of the filling to fall out of the 'hamburger' onto the plate beneath. Slowly chewing at the food, his caution faded into bliss as he realized the strangely named food was actually quite tasty. Before he knew it, one bite turned into several, and he ravenously began to devour the food laid out before him, only momentarily stopping to make sure he wasn't acting too feral and disgusting in front of his dining partners.
"See, I knew you'd like it," Bethel said, patting Alphonse hard on the back, causing him to almost choke.
"We've got some 'jelly donuts' as well, if you're interested," Chespin said with a smirk.
Alphonse's ears perked up. Lucky for him, jelly was one of the foods that catered the most to his elusive yet ever-present sweet tooth.
"Ah... yeah... that would... be great!" Alphonse said between delighted munches and chews.
Chespin rose up from his seat and walked off towards the kitchen area. At the same time, Alphonse noticed a familiar duo had entered the dining room, as Wooper called them over to come join them for the remainder of breakfast. Smith and Furret got the memo and leisurely sat down on the remaining seats of the table.
"Hey, good morning, you two! Great to see you again!" Furret said.
"Likewise," Bethel said, while preparing herself for another encounter with the oppressive ray of sunshine that was Furret.
"We actually already had breakfast, but we'd be happy to join you two for a bit before we run our errands for the day, isn't that right, little buddy?" Furret said.
"Yeah, sure," Smith said.
As Alphonse and Bethel looked at their new company, they realized they had on different clothing from the day before. Furret was now sporting a bandana with a rainbow of colors on it, and Smith was wearing a dapper little bowtie. With all of their strength present, they tried once again not to burst out into laughter at the peculiar attire of the Skorupi, lest they invoke his wrath again.
Thankfully, Chespin came back just in time with a nice plate of food. Alphonse gently took the plate from him, setting it down before him. Only there was one problem: these certainly weren't the jelly donuts Alphonse was expecting. In fact, they looked very similar to the filling that was inside this mysterious "hamburger"; triangles of rice wrapped in a dark green seaweed.
"These are—I mean, these look great. Thanks, Chespin," Alphonse said, trying to hide his disappointment before digging back in.
"Something wrong? They're just some good old jelly donuts," Chespin said.
"Nah, they're just smaller than I expected," Alphonse said.
"Ah. Well, we don't have four stomachs anymore like when we were humans, so the portions have to be adjusted here," Chespin said.
"Right. That makes sense," Alphonse said, unwise to Chespin's game.
As Chespin leaned over to Wooper and whispered something to his partner, Furret seized her opportunity to speak.
"So, what plans do you two have today?" she asked.
"We're not sure just yet; we actually have to report back to Lliam and KFC right after breakfast," Alphonse said.
"They'll probably have you introduce yourselves in front of the guild, or something like that," Smith said.
"That would be awesome! We're all super excited to learn more about you two," Furret said.
"Ah, I mean, we don't really have a job here yet..." Alphonse sighed.
The other Clover Guild members exchanged looks of bewilderment towards Alphonse and Bethel.
"Really? Aren't you guys trying to be a rescue team, or something?" Chespin said.
"Yeah, then you'd be like us, Team Cozy!" Wooper said.
"Maybe we could even go on missions together!"
"My little buddy and I are a rescue team as well! We're Team MLG!!" Furret said.
"Which stands for Miracle Lucky Golden..." Smith said with a sigh.
"Do you two have a team name in mind?" Furret asked.
"Not really," Bethel said.
"We're not really into that whole rescuing nonsense, honestly."
"Oh, but rescuing Pokemon in need is such a great act of heroism! How could you not want to be a hero?" Furret said.
Alphonse could sense the situation beginning to sour, so he was quick with a diversion.
"Hey Furret, that bandana looks especially nice on you; where did you get it?" Alphonse said, pointing towards the bandana.
"Oh, I'm so glad you asked! So, this one specifically I got at the market in town; I picked it out because..."
As Alphonse successfully leveraged Furret's shifted train of thought and incoming story to diffuse the situation, he anxiously listened for a good several minutes as Furret told the story of her bandana in vivid detail. Explaining everything from the colors to the pattern to the texture and sensation, as well as the fashion appeal and complimentary nature of the design, passing minutes felt like hours to the others.
"...and the blue color here really compliments the shade of orange here..." Furret said as she guided her paws along the bandana.
The instant an opportunity to interject presented itself, Bethel seized the chance.
"Ah, that's... very interesting. But we should probably go see the guildmaster now; thanks for breakfast."
"Yeah, thank you. Our compliments to the chef," Alphonse said.
"Later, you two! I can't wait to hear more about our newest recruits!" Wooper cried out.
"Take care! We can't wait to hear what role you two will take on!" Furret said.
"The role we take on..." Alphonse thought to himself.
Alphonse pondered the thought intensely; maybe forming a team would actually work out quite nicely. After all, it would serve as a nice way for him and Bethel to get some funds, as well as win over the favor of the rest of the guild while helping out other Pokemon in the process. It wouldn't be so bad of an idea, depending on what Bethel would decide.
But before he could give any further thought to the notion, he took off to catch up with Bethel, who had already made her way out of the dining room and down the hall.
Ascending the stairs and following the hallway the same way as they did the day prior with KFC, Alphonse and Bethel headed once again towards the guildmaster's office while they chatted further about their little game of pretend they had begun to play with the guild.
"Well, I have to give credit where it's due, and you haven't blown it yet. Good job, Al," Bethel said.
"Thanks, I guess," Alphonse said.
"So, this'll be the final threshold here; if we can convince that freaky Meowstic that we're humans, then we'll truly be in the clear. Remember, be subtle. We can't get ourselves backed into a corner, so let's keep giving them just enough reason to believe us, nothing more, nothing less. Deal?"
"Deal," Alphonse said slyly.
Despite his cool reply, he still found a looming sense of dread for what might come next, but he figured as long as he could tap into that "other side" of himself, in addition to having Bethel back him up, the two could handle anything that would dare stand in their way.
Bethel gently tapped on the ajar door to the guildmaster's quarters, sending it open ever so slightly. In her cheeriest voice possible, she sang out to the Pokemon inside.
"Oh Lliam, it's Bethel and Alphonse, reporting for duty! May we come in?" With that, she gave a heartfelt wink to Alphonse as they anxiously waited for the go-ahead.
"...Come in," Lliam said after a brief pause. His tone was certainly not his usual chipper self.
As the pair once again entered Lliam's quarters, they strolled into the center of the room and sat down ever so attentively, making sure to contrast their standoffish encounter from the day before. Inside, Lliam sat behind his paperwork-covered desk as he read from a larger sheet of paper that obscured the lower half of his face. Among the paperwork, Alphonse, sure enough, saw the two letters of recommendation received from Lazlo on top of the stack. While reading the room, especially around Lliam, who definitely seemed to be in a great deal of focus, Alphonse noticed a new Pokemon he hadn't seen before in the corner of the room: a Togetic.
The Togetic fidgeted silently with some papers of his own in his corner of the room. Alphonse observed the Togetic was wearing a cyan-colored bandana with another Clover Guild badge placed firmly upon it. Inspecting further, he also noticed a bandage neatly placed upon the Togetic's forehead; it was certainly hard to miss, and Alphonse found himself wondering the cause behind the bandage. Looking the Togetic up and down alongside Bethel, he didn't appear to be very threatening or battle-hardened in his posture, build, or anything else, so the reason behind the bandage remained a sort of enigma. Even then, the hunch Alphonse got from the Togetic was that he would not size up to be any sort of threat to the duo, which led him to relax his guard even more.
"Is everything alright with the paperwork?" Alphonse asked Lliam.
"...Yes, yes... just a moment..." Lliam replied.
As Lliam's ears and eyes began to glow a radiant shade of blue, he parted the sea of paperwork on his desk while simultaneously lowering the paper that he had held up to his face prior onto the newly created spot on his surface. Like the flick of a switch, Lliam instantly returned to his demeanor from the day before.
"Excellent, I see you two haven't been scared off yet! And sitting without being told, what a delight to see~"
Alphonse and Bethel returned an awkward laugh to entertain Lliam's comment.
"So, I'll cut right to the chase—your paperwork checks out, and we could definitely use some helping hands about the guild! So we will stay true to our offer discussed yesterday; you two will be our first 'apprentices,' in which you will have no official role or pay but rather serve whoever needs another pair of helping hands for the time being."
Alphonse smiled while glancing over at Bethel, who, despite the anger welling up inside her being forced to do free labor, remained deceptively pleasant.
"That's great to hear! We're very happy to be on board, Guildmaster."
"Please, call me Lliam~"
"There's only one outlying question, though..."
Alphonse and Bethel gulped as Lliam paused for dramatic effect.
"What exactly does a guild filled with humans and human enthusiasts mean to a pair of foreign natives?" Lliam inquired.
"Well, Guildmaster, I mean, Lliam, we're not actually natives; we're both humans as well," Alphonse said.
"Or at least, we used to be."
"He's right. Must've been omitted from the letter, but given the assumptions surrounding humans, can you really blame us?" Bethel said.
"No, I certainly cannot~" Lliam said.
"We've had rough lives, to put it simply. Being humans turned into Pokemon and all, we were always cast unto the lowest rungs of society, left to be forgotten and ridiculed, while those above us would do whatever they could to keep us down in the dirt."
"Both Al and I vowed to never be like them, and one day, we would be able to rise above their ilk and make our own fortune independent of their meddling. A bunch of no-good Pokemon like them... they build their lives upon the misfortune of others, and we've sworn that we'd give them a taste of their own malice... I wish nothing other than to see them fall, crushed under the weight of their own greed..."
Alphonse peered over at Bethel, whose frustrations were escalating fast. Having known her well enough by now, it was obvious that despite her masquerade, she was still speaking from her heart against her own, real upbringing. Alphonse could also feel an anger well up alongside him—thinking in part of his own less-than-savory childhood that forced him into a life of shallow isolation. As a dark flame began to light within his heart, a sweet voice allured to him from the corner of his mind.
"You'll be okay. Just hold your breath; it'll be over in a jiffy..."
As if he had suddenly been slapped awake with another stream of water, recollections from his dream the night before began to dance within him, easing his anger back into the ugly corner it was banished to for the time being. Obeying the words of the gentle Butterfree from his dream, he breathed in steadily, held it, and then exhaled, feeling serenity overtake him once more.
Amidst her ranting, Bethel looked over at Alphonse, surprised to see him in such a zen-like state. Although Alphonse had no experience with telepathy, she still felt his serenity to be infectious, as she had begun to calm herself down in tow.
"...my apologies. I get a bit carried away when I think of those... events," Bethel stammered.
"It's fine. We just have to be glad those days are over now and that we're finally among Pokemon, no, ex-humans, that share our blight," Alphonse smiled.
Bethel smiled, not a sly smile, but a genuine showing of appreciation towards Alphonse's words, as she nodded alongside him and inched a bit closer to where he sat.
"Th-that sounds horrible... I'm s-sorry that you both experienced that..."
Revealing his voice, the Togetic looked up from what he was doing prior, his attention now granted to Alphonse and Bethel. He lifted himself from the ground ever so slightly and began to move towards the duo.
"I should probably m-mention... I-I'm the qu-quartermaster here at the Clover Guild..."
Alphonse glanced over at the Togetic, inspecting him carefully.
"Nice to meet you. I haven't come across many Togetic before."
Lliam smiled.
"Indeed, you have our condolences and our support. But, no rest for the wicked, eh~"
"You two will directly report to our quartermaster for the time being. If you have any questions about your role, see him. KFC should also be out and about if you need anything from him. And of course, my door is always open too~"
Alphonse bowed his head.
"Thanks, everyone. We really appreciate the opportunity to be amongst friends at last."
"I-if you two follow me down to the storage closets, w-we can discuss today's work..." Toge said.
"Excellent. Lead the way," Bethel said.
The trio began to leave out of Lliam's quarters, and as Alphonse trailed behind the tree, Lliam exclaimed something.
"Ah, Alphonse! Wait! Two more things!"
Alphonse swiveled his head towards the call of Lliam, as Lliam waited until Toge and Bethel were halfway down the hall.
"I know your little secret~"
"You... you do?" Alphonse said through a strained face.
"You really don't think you could've fooled me after the aura reading, I hope, fufufu~"
"Yes, you and she are natives, as plain as day, at least to me and KFC."
Alphonse's heart sank.
"But... I must give you two credit for the attempt. And hey, it might be fun to see how the guild members react to your little ploy."
"So tell you what, I'm in. I won't say anything about you two being natives, and you both can keep up the illusion, at least until you slip up, hehehe~"
"I'll be watching your interactions with the others carefully. This should prove to be a fun little experiment..." Lliam deviously rubbed his paws together.
"Erm... alright. Thanks, I guess..." Alphonse sighed.
"And you mentioned there was a second thing?"
"Oh yes, your badges!" Lliam sang.
Right on cue, Lliam hovered two Clover Guild badges towards Alphonse, who took them awkwardly from their levitation. Fastening the first on his cloak, he carefully slid the other one into his bag to give to Bethel later.
"Run along now, and take care, my dear tricksters~" Lliam called out with glee.
As Alphonse sprinted through the hall to catch up with Bethel and Toge, the only thing going faster than his two feet was the hundreds of panicked thoughts running through his head.
"Damn, damn, damn! I should've known this would've backfired, and so soon too!!"
"I have to tell Bethel as soon as possible! The entire mission is jeopardized—there's no way we can keep this ruse up; we have to come clean; we've got to—"
BANG!
Alphonse tripped, faceplanted onto the hard wooden floor, groaning in pain as he squirmed himself back up to a standing position.
"Whoa, walk much, Al?" Bethel smiled from above.
Slyly reeling back the hind paw she had extended out, she offered a helping paw to her fallen comrade, steadily lifting him back up off the ground as he grabbed on.
"O-oh dear, are you alright? W-we sh-should have some extra bandages in the storage closet... that looked b-bad..." Toge frowned.
"Ah, yeah, I'll be alright, thanks," Alphonse said as he straightened himself out.
"So, quartermaster? I'm sure Lliam already gave you our names, right?" Bethel said, totally unconcerned with Alphonse.
"Do you have a name you'd like us to call you?"
"You can call me Toge... everyone else does..." Toge said.
"And yes, I-I've been told. A-Alphonse and B-Bethel... those are nice n-names... nice to meet you t-two..."
Bethel flashed an awkward smile. She was not yet entirely comfortable with her name being thrown about out of her control, but she at least could appreciate the compliment.
I-I'm not super used to having o-others report to me... b-but I'll do the b-best I can to h-help, too..." Toge said.
"That's fine. It's a learning experience for all of us," Bethel said with a smile.
Continuing on with her totally out-of-character ruse, she ignored Alphonse's whispers and pleas to speak to her, instead continuing to focus her attention on Toge.
"We're still getting used to all the folks here, after all."
"Th-that's fair... it took me some time to get used to e-everyone, too..." Toge sighed.
"I-if I may ask, wh-who have you met so far?"
"Bethel, I need to discuss something urgent..." Alphonse angrily whispered.
"Well, besides KFC and Lliam, we've met with Team MLG, and this morning, we had breakfast with them and Team Cozy," Bethel explained.
A sudden hush fell over the room, and Toge stopped in his tracks, inches from the supply closet.
"T-Team... Cozy?"
"Yeah, that's what they called themselves," Bethel said.
"You got to meet Team Cozy already? Wh-what an honor!" Toge exclaimed.
"Aren't they truly magnificent? I can hardly think of a better duo in the wh-whole Clover Guild!"
"Yeah, they seemed alright, I guess... but if you really want to know, that Chespin seemed a bit dull, and I could do without the constant annoying questions from that Wooper," Bethel said slyly.
Toge began to inhale as Alphonse continued nudging Bethel, trying to get her attention.
"J-just alright? Dull? Annoying? But Team Cozy is absolutely flawless! They're the penultimate rescue team here at the Clover Guild! And you two have truly been BLESSED to partake in breakfast, the MOST important meal of the day, with them, on your first day no less! MANY can only dream of sharing SUCH a comfortable meal with the absolutely peak-powered duo of all things warm and snug, and you two have done that, and you're THAT nonchalant about it!? For we all stand on the shoulders of GIANTS whenever TEAM COZY is in the room..."
"...alright. That should distract him for a bit. What's up?" Bethel said under her breath, still looking at Toge.
"...how the heck did you know he was going to go on a rant like that?" Alphonse exhaled.
"Never underestimate the intelligence-gathering capabilities of a breakfast conversation, Al."
"Anyway, make it snappy; we have about thirteen seconds before he stops."
"The guildmaster knows we weren't ever humans," Alphonse said with as straight of a face as he could keep.
"...And?" Bethel said, bored.
"And??? Isn't that a major flaw in our plan!?" Alphonse whispered angrily.
"No. In fact, I was sort of counting on that," Bethel said.
"Elaborate," Alphonse pleaded.
"You saw him yourself. He plays games, and he's not going to miss an opportunity to do so. Sure, we're not slipping any secrets past him any time soon, but if we can play to his angle of mischief, then we don't have to worry about him whatsoever," Bethel said.
"...I'm beginning to worry about how much of this you've planned out," Alphonse said.
"Just keep leaving the sneaky stuff to me, and we'll be fine," Bethel said.
"Now shut up and smile; he's going to stop any second now."
"-with an ABSOLUTE, UNDYING LOVE for one another, THAT TRANSCENDS ALL BOUNDARIES!"
Toge stopped, took in a deep breath, and looked anxiously at his subordinates, who were still carefully listening to whatever he had to say next. Blushing, he closed his eyes and looked away, covering his face with his tiny arms.
"O-oh, sorry, I must've gotten carried away again, h-huh..." Toge groaned.
"It's no sweat, Mister Toge. It's just, um... refreshing to see you so passionate about something, haha," Alphonse chuckled.
Bethel gave a nod of approval to Alphonse's response as she prepared hers.
"Well put, Al. And don't sweat it, Toge; it's nice to see you're so passionate about something."
Despite saying it to save face, there truly was no lying or falsifications in her statement.
"A-anyway... if you follow me in here, I can show you where the supplies are for cleaning..."
"And please, p-please, make sure you keep things organized as I have done... I s-spent a lot of time on getting this right..."
"Understood," the two said in unison.
Looking around the shelves of the supply room, everything was tightly packed and neatly organized, without as much as a single speck of dust or a jar slightly off center. There was an extraordinary amount of care put into getting things sorted out just right, to be assembled in ways that would complement even the most contrasting things. True harmony was shared between everything inside the storage closet, as if they were atomic building blocks coming together to form a perfect summation of the land in which we walk on, a picture within a picture within a picture of the sum of its parts being just as beautiful as everything that made it up. Compared to the storage cellars of the thieves den that Alphonse and Bethel used to hang out in, this place was heaven—absolutely not even the slightest imperfection would be present, and if it dared to exist, it would find itself vanquished without a trace by the intense organizational skills of Quartermaster Toge. This was not just a chore to be done; this was an art form that was to be, and had been, perfected, and Toge himself might as well have been a world-renowned artist in a past life. No matter how hard the gang could've whipped Gattz into cleaning things up, he would never compare in getting things as neat and organized as the humble Togetic that Alphonse and Bethel had the pleasure of being in the blessed presence of.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything so clean," Bethel said, mouth still agape.
"You did all of this yourself, Toge?" Alphonse gasped.
"Y-yeah... i-it was an absolute nightmare in here before I came along... not to brag, or anything..." Toge said shyly, trying to hide his appreciation for the admiration of his handiwork.
"And you actually enjoyed doing this? I mean, there's undeniably a lot of care put into the organization in here," Bethel said.
"Y-yes..." Toge said, covering his face with his tiny arms once more.
Bethel tiptoed over to Toge, making sure not to kick up any dust or position anything out of the way. She gave him a gentle pat on his left wing, hoping to coax the young savant of organization out of his metaphorical shell.
"I'll tell you what, where I came from, we had to force others into cleaning things and organizing their stuff. You're a real interesting one to do it of your own free will. I respect that."
Alphonse awkwardly looked at Bethel, still unfamiliar with her angle or her sudden change to such a warm personality.
"Th-thanks... that's nice of you to say," Toge said, uncovering his face.
Bethel motioned a beckoning paw to Alphonse, goading him into also providing some words of assurance.
"Well, if we're going to butter him up like this... I guess I'll follow suit," Alphonse thought to himself before speaking.
"It's definitely neat... do you have a sort of system you use to keep track of everything? I can't imagine this would be as easy as it looks..."
"W-well... I have several..." Toge said, inhaling steadily.
"I tend to default to a-alphabetical if I can't get things right with anything else... then it comes down to shapes, sizes... oh, and w-weights... can't forget that... and not necessarily in that o-order either... urgency is another point—food and medical supplies come before things like parchment and drawing materials..."
As Alphonse and Bethel stood at attention taking mental notes, Toge began to gradually increase the pace and fervor of his explanation.
"Color coding is probably pretty helpful, right?" Alphonse asked.
"If you're going to do something b-basic like color code, that's such a beginner's mistake, because we all see colors differently... one Pokemon is going to place it differently than another, and that's just going to confuse everyone and make more busy work for y-you..."
"Understood. But what about keeping things safe from prying eyes and sticky fingers?" Bethel said.
"...don't, and I mean, DON'T, ever try to complicate things by trying to obfuscate or cut corners, because that's just going to make things harder for everyone else, especially you in the future, and with how BADLY some of the Pokemon here organize, I have to keep things INCREDIBLY SIMPLE, because your weakest link in the bunch is your baseline, not the median, which means that the BIGGEST, ABSOLUTE SLOPPIEST EXCUSE FOR A POKEMON, WILL ALWAYS BRING OTHERS DOWN WITH THEM..."
"I take it there's plenty of slobs in the guild?" Alphonse said.
"OH BOY, DO WE HAVE SEVERAL OF THOSE!!! THAT ELM, HE'S A DUSKULL, I DON'T THINK YOU'VE MET HIM YET. HE'S A GREAT GUY, BUT OH MY GOODNESS, WOULD IT KILL HIM TO THROW OUT SOME OF THOSE OLD FRISMS, OR AT LEAST PUT THEM IN A BOX AND NOT JUST SPRAWL THEM OUT ACROSS HIS BEDROOM FLOOR? OR THAT DRUNKARD TOTODILE, HE CONSTANTLY LEAVES A TRAIL OF BOOZE AND BOTTLES WHEREVER HE ROAMS; HE'S ALMOST WORSE THAN THAT DAMNED CYNDAQUIL, OH DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HIS UTTER DISPLAY OF FILTH..."
"He... definitely has a way with words," Alphonse murmured.
"The passion he shows is infectious, I'll give him that," Bethel smirked.
"SOME OF THEM CAN'T HELP IT; I KNOW ROSS DOESN'T LEAVE PAINT EVERYWHERE ON PURPOSE, BUT THAT DOESN'T EXCUSE THE OTHERS!!! THEY ARE TOTALLY HELPLESS, AND THAT'S WHY IT RELIES SOLELY ON ME TO ORGANIZE EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY OF THE CLOVER GUILD, EVEN THE NIGHTS I MUST SNEAK INTO OTHER GUILD MEMBERS BEDROOMS AND STRAIGHTEN THINGS OUT, LIKE SOME SORT OF MYSTICAL 'CLEANLINESS FAIRY', I MEAN, SURE, I ENJOY IT, BUT WOULD IT KILL THEM TO CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES?! AND THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN CLEAN AND ORGANIZED; MADDI AND MAXI DO A STELLAR JOB CLEANING, BUT DO THEY SORT!? NO, THAT'S WHERE I MUST COME IN!!"
Toge was now bright red in the face and panting heavily after delivering yet another tirade. This rant was even more intense than his last, and with such a short duration between this one and his last, he had begun to stumble about a bit from the excitement. Alphonse and Bethel cautiously propped themselves on his left and right, holding him up carefully so he wouldn't fall over and mess up his life's work.
"Easy there, fella. Breathe with me, slow, steady breaths, all right?" Bethel assured.
"Yeah, it's alright; you're among friends, and we're here to help," Alphonse added on.
"Haah... huff... r-right... wow..." Toge panted.
"S-sorry... I got carried away again."
"It's fine. It's pretty amusing to see," Bethel chuckled.
"And we certainly aren't having fun at your expense," Alphonse said, giving a sly glare at Bethel.
"Anyway, how about we sit you down, and then we can discuss what you need us to do today?"
"That... th-that would be best," Toge sighed.
"A-and after that... we can get started on sorting things for the day..."
As the trio left the storage room, they carefully walked Toge to a nearby stool, sitting him down gently for him to continue catching his breath.
"I'll get you a glass of water from the dining room; sit tight," Alphonse said.
"Beth, stay here and make sure he relaxes himself."
"I-I'll be okay, honest... b-but, a water would be nice, i-if it's no trouble..." Toge said.
"Sit tight, Toge; we'll be right back," Bethel promised.
After making sure Toge could sit upright on his own, the two began to head back up to the dining room on the ground floor of the guild.
"He's... certainly a character," Alphonse said.
"Aren't we all?" Bethel shot back.
"What do you mean?" Alphonse said inquisitively.
"Maybe I'm just riding the high he was on, but this might not be so bad after all," Bethel said, explaining further.
"I mean, c'mon, that Toge guy is pretty funny. And the others from breakfast don't seem to be all that bad. I was half expecting a guild filled with stuck-up, incompetent losers and goody two-shoes, but I can already tell that there's just going to be a bunch of goofballs here."
Alphonse paused in his tracks, barely able to believe what was coming from Bethel's mouth.
"Well, well, you're actually warming up to this whole thing. And much faster than I expected," Alphonse teased.
Bethel slugged him on the shoulder in a gentle, yet harsh, motion.
"Don't get smart with me, Al; I've still got my wits about me. And I suggest you keep yours up, too."
Alphonse smiled sincerely, awkwardly rubbing his shoulder at the same time.
"Let's just see what kind of business we can get ourselves up to here," Bethel said with a twisted smile.
Ch. 3 (COMING SOON) <- Ch. 1