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Chapter Text

There were flashes of images I could vaguely recall; lightning striking, an imposing cliff, waves tossing me to-and-fro, and then nothing for what felt like a very long time.

I could hear... a voice. It was distant.

"...Hey! Are you okay?"

I didn't understand it, but I felt compelled to follow it.

"Come on! Wake up!"

It was nearer. Other sounds were reaching me. Waves were crashing gently on a shore. Grass rustled from a lazy breeze.

"Wake up!"

My eyes jolted open and I immediately regretted doing so. Everything was so bright, I could feel it stabbing my skull. I groaned and shifted.

I felt... strange. Unfamiliar with every sensation I was experiencing. The sand beneath me clung bizarrely. I could smell the salt in the water nearby, the sharp tang of stony iron, and an entirely new scent that belonged to something alive.

I tried to find my footing and stumbled back onto the ground.

"Are you okay?" asked the voice, now entirely too loud.

Clearly, I wasn't.

I managed to crack open my eyes hesitantly, still adjusting to the brightness, when I finally could take in my surroundings.

A Pokémon was peering down at me with wide eyes. I recognized it as a Riolu. It was watching me, concern plainly written on its face.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" it spoke.

I stared, dumbfounded at the speaking Riolu as it continued.

"I saw you unconscious here by the shore and honestly assumed the worse!"

"How are you talking?" I asked. Stated.

"Huh?"

"You're... talking. Speaking. I can understand you."

"Well, uh, I would assume you could?"

"How?"

"I'm not sure I understand..."

I paused to process things.

"You're a talking Pokémon."

"Y-yeah? So are you?"

So was I?

"...what?"

The Riolu blinked in response. It then shifted uncomfortably, one of its paws reaching up to hold something tied around its neck.

"Are... are you a bad Pokémon?"

"I... what?" I'm... not a Pokémon?"

The Riolu blinked again.

"Uh... Then... What are you?"

"I'm a human!"

A moment passed. I sensed some sort of... energy pulsing and my eye caught the two feelers hanging from the Riolu's head twitching. It spoke again, cautiously.

"Did you hit your head before you washed up here? You're obviously not human."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're a Shinx!"

...huh?

In my disoriented state, I once again tried standing up. My body reacted to the impulse but began moving in such an unfamiliar way that I gasped. I could feel dread creeping its way from the base of my tail (what?) to my ears and rushed towards the water.

Reflected back at me was, in fact, a Shinx. A Pokémon that mimicked my every movement.

"This can't be happening."

"Uh," the Riolu started. "Are you alright?"

"No?" I turned towards it. "No, I'm not?"

"Oh."

"I'm a Pokémon!"

"Y-yeah, I thought that was-"

"I was a human! I mean, I am a human!"

"Wait, you're saying you turned into a Pokémon?"

"I... I guess!"

"How?"

I gave the Riolu a flat stare. Its pointed ears drooped.

"Do you remember anything else, then?"

"Yeah, I-"

I blanked. I tried recalling... something, but nothing came to me. Did I have a home? A family? Friends? Did I have Pokémon of my own? Did I even have a name?

"My name…"

"Your name?"

"Yes... My name is Booker..."

The Riolu seemed to judge the sincerity of my statement and I caught its feelers twitching again.

"You're not lying." I must have looked confused as it continued. "I can read auras. I can usually tell when Pokémon are lying."

Of course. Riolu; the Emanation Pokémon.

There was a sort of awkward pause between us as we stood on the beach. I noticed the sun was setting.

"So, uh, what-" the Riolu started.

Quite suddenly, two other Pokémon appeared and shoved it hard, knocking it into the sand. I jumped at the sudden attack as a Zubat and Koffing quickly scanned the area.

"Hehehe, ah!" the Zubat giggled. "There it is!"

It was referring to a small stone now lying next to the Riolu. It was attached to a thin piece of broken string. The necklace I had noticed earlier.

"Don't mind if we do!" said the Koffing.

The Zubat swooped down and grabbed the stone by its string with its fangs. It dangled comically as it continued to speak.

"Thanks for the treasure, wimp!"

"Yeah, thanks! Woah-ho-ho!"

The twosome drifted off into a nearby cave, tucked just out of sight between rocks and green shrubbery.

The Riolu sat up. It was crying.

"They stole my Relic Fragment!"

"Your what?"

"There's no time! Can you help me?"

"Help you get back your rock?"

"Yes! Please!"

I could tell it meant a lot to the Riolu. Fat wet tears were streaming down its cheeks and dripping on the sand beneath us.

"Uh... Okay..."

"R-really?" it said, its face changing so drastically I flinched.

"Y-yeah..."

"Right! Let's go!"

The Riolu didn't hesitate a moment, running off with surprising speed into the cave ahead as I stumbled along behind it with my new Shinx legs.

Chapter Text

I tried to recall what I knew about the Pokémon Shinx. Through a thick fog of missing information, I remembered it was categorized as an Electric type. The Flash Pokémon. Aggressive, more suited for direct physical attacks with a wicked bite.

I must have been lost in thought as I bumped into the Riolu ahead. It had stopped in its hurried tracks.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I looked around us.

"This is a Mystery Dungeon..." it said.

The confusion on my face was plain to read. The Riolu continued.

"Oh, right. I guess you wouldn't know what they are. Mystery Dungeons are, uh, locations that are... well, mysterious."

"Gathered that."

The Riolu's ears lowered, as if scolded. I felt a little bad.

"They're peculiar because the layout in them changes every time."

"How?"

"No one really knows," it said, looking around at the coral growing along the rocky walls. "But they're fascinating! You can find rare items, Poké - that's the currency we use, and all sorts of secrets!"

"Huh."

The Riolu looked around the room we had stopped in. With a deep breath, it closed its eyes and I watched curiously as the feelers dangling on the sides of its head began to shiver. A moment passed and with sudden clarity, the Riolu pointed in the direction of a tunnel.

"This way."

I didn't argue as we moved deeper within the cave.

I was thankful for my heightened senses, I realized; the cave soon became quite dark and no doubt my human eyes wouldn't have been able to perceive even the Pokémon only a few steps ahead of me. It felt inexplicable to be a stranger in my own body.

How had I turned into a Pokémon? I tried again to recall any human memory, but was only met with a dream-like sequence of bright flashes, booming thunder, violent waves... and a voice. A yell. Several. Trying desperately to hold on.

A sound pulled me back into the present. Something skittering against rock.

"There's something here." I warned.

The Riolu jumped at the sound of my voice, and no sooner had I spoken, a Pokémon lunged at us. I reacted instinctively; I pounced towards the aggressor, fangs and claws bared, and crashed my body into it. A sharp claw raked against my side and I cried out before slamming my weight against the Pokémon again. It stopped moving and exhaled a gasp as it crashed to the cave floor, knocked out.

I only noticed it was a Kabuto afterwards. Explained the harsh scratch.

"Are you okay?!" the Riolu cried out. I turned to face it; the Pokémon was frozen in fear, shaking.

"Yeah... I think so."

"Thank goodness," it breathed. The Riolu blinked, noticing my wound. "You're hurt."

"I'm okay."

It frowned and, again, closed its eyes before its feelers twitched. Sensing something, the Riolu rushed and turned a corner ahead before returning holding what looked to be a fruit.

"It's an Oran berry!" it exclaimed. "Here, eat it. It'll help you heal faster."

A little hesitant, I moved closer towards the Pokémon and leaned in to bite the berry in its paws. With shocking speed, I felt a cool wave rush through my body, numbing the pain at my side into a dull awareness.

"Wow, that's... kind of scary."

"Right?!" the Riolu said, smiling wide. I couldn't help but return the expression.

"Thanks."

"No problem! Now come on, we need to find those thugs!"

I nodded in agreement, resolute.

It wasn't long before we arrived at what seemed to be the depths of this cave; a sandy enclave surrounded by seawater. The Zubat and Koffing had stopped at the furthest end; it seemed as if they were bickering with each other before noticing our arrival.

"Woah-ho-ho!" the Koffing chortled. "Seems the wimp was able to make it all the way here!"

I noticed the Riolu flinching at the thief's words. I was about to respond when, to my surprise, it took a shaking step towards the twosome.

"G-give me back what you stole! That's my precious treasure!"

A flash of pure greed swept across the two's faces at the Riolu's words.

"So this is valuable treasure!" the Zubat said. "Who knows? Maybe we'll rake in a good amount of cash for this, heh-heh-heh!"

"No!"

"You want it back so bad? You'll have to fight for it!" the Koffing declared.

In an instant, the Zubat swooped down towards us and, taking advantage of its surprise, bit down hard on the Riolu's shoulder. Without hesitation I reared back and slammed myself against the perpetrator. It was knocked back, letting out a harsh growl and flying straight towards me in order to bite back. I raised my hackles instinctively and stared it down hard as I let the Zubat attack me. I cringed at the sharp pain and waited until its fangs retreated from my skin with a sickeningly wet "pop!" before throwing myself at it. A loud "crack!" resounded in the hollow cave and the Zubat cried out before crumpling down against a stalagmite, defeated.

In the chaos, I had forgotten about the Koffing and noticed it barrelling towards the Riolu with tremendous speed. I could tell I wouldn't have been able to make it in time to help and was about to call out to the Pokémon in distress when I took notice of its stance.

It was readying something.

I watched as the thief slammed itself into the Riolu, a confident grin on its face quickly wiped away as the Fighting type Pokémon used its weight and countered the tackle with equal force. The Koffing bounced back with a comical "oof!" and I jumped towards it, using this opportunity to deliver one final hit against our foe.

We stood defiantly, victorious over our enemy, as they sheepishly composed themselves. The Koffing let out a horrid cough and out tumbled the stone from one of its pores, landing squarely before the Riolu.

"Don't think this means you've won," the Zubat said. "This was just a fluke!"

And with that, the two thieves scampered away, leaving a trail of dust behind them.

"We... we did it..." the Riolu stated.

"We did."

It looked over at me, unbelieving that we had defeated the petty thugs, and cracked an incredulous grin. It was infectious.

The Riolu hurried to grab the stone and sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad we got it back... Come on," it said, turning towards me again. "Let's get out of here."

We made our way back out of the cave considerably faster than our descent (another mystical feature to the mystery dungeons, the Riolu explained to me) and soon found ourselves once again at the shores I came to on. The sunset was low and the sky was painted with deep oranges and reds. I couldn't help but admire its beauty.

"Thank you for helping me out, Booker."

I was somewhat surprised the Riolu remembered my name.

"I realize I don't know your name." I said.

The Riolu blinked at me.

"We don't usually have names," it explained. "They're often only reserved for, uh, outstanding figures."

"Oh. Interesting."

A beat. I stared at the rock the Pokémon was clutching in its paw.

"What is it?" I asked. "Your treasure."

Lighting up with surprising enthusiasm, the Riolu delicately uncurled its digits to reveal its item: a stone, no bigger than a coin, with jagged edges and an intricate pattern drawn upon it that I hadn't noticed.

"This is my Relic Fragment," the Pokémon began. "I found it one day while... I don't actually remember, but I've had it for a long time."

The pattern was complex and repeated its intricacies within itself, almost flowering along the grey stone. It looked like it had been chipped out of something much larger.

"Ever since, I've been determined to find out where it came from."

I looked up at the Riolu and watched as it gazed into the sunset. A dreamy resolve steeled itself into the Pokémon's eyes, a confidence I hadn't seen yet in them.

"Things like that have always made me excited. Legends and lore, ruins and temples... And treasure! Unimaginable amounts of treasure!"

Its excitement was contagious; I could feel the call to adventure rallying within me.

"But most importantly? The history! Could you imagine discovering a rich history, lost to our kind for who knows how long?!"

It was definitely appealing.

"That's why I tried to join an exploration guild earlier, but..." the Riolu trailed off, a sadness overtaking it. "I got too scared. That's why I was here, at the beach."

I nodded, listening to its story. The Riolu looked at me and, suddenly, an idea seemed to flash across its face.

"Say, what are you going to be doing now?" it asked.

I blinked in response. I had no idea what my next steps would be. How could I discover my forgotten past when I was so unfamiliar to this world?

"If you don't know, well," the Riolu continued sheepishly. "Could I ask you a huge favour?"

"Uh, sure?"

"Would you be willing to form an exploration team with me?" the words came out all at once.

"Uh..."

"I know it'd be asking a lot, but I'm sure that along our travels we'd find out something!"

A fair point. And it would mean someone I could turn to in order to guide me.

"So, will you consider it?"

"I don't need to consider it. I'll join you." I said.

The Riolu's eyes widened to an impossible degree and its paws began trembling with excitement.

"Really? You will?"

"I already said yes."

"Ah! Sorry! Of course! I'm just," the Pokémon seemed fit to bursting. "so excited!"

The Riolu jumped joyfully in place, a display of emotion I wasn't particularly used to.

"You'll need a name, though." I said.

"I will?"

"It'll be easier for me."

"Oh. I guess so."

The nameless Pokémon thought for a moment before shrugging.

"I can't really think of anything!"

I stopped to think as well. As I considered possibilities, my eyes were drawn again to the stone in its paws.

"...Chip."

"Huh?"

"Chip. Like your Relic Fragment. A chipped stone."

"Oh! Oh, I like it!"

I smiled.

"I'm glad to meet you, Chip."

Chip flashed a wide grin at that. I guess I could have found a worse partner.

Chapter Text

Chip explained to me in greater detail what exploration teams were on our way to the guild we would apprentice at; Wigglytuff's Guild.

"They carry out missions sent by clients to the Rescue Team Federation," he said. "which then get sent to the guild nearest the request. Some Pokémon write directly to the guild, though."

"What kind of missions are they?"

"There's all sorts, really! But most involve rescue requests from within mystery dungeons."

"Are the dungeons that much of a problem?"

"Hm, only recently," Chip said, thinking hard on the matter. "There've been a lot more bad and feral Pokémon turning up lately, which have made mystery dungeons more dangerous."

I thought back to the Kabuto that had attacked us. My flank throbbed dully.

"Is there a reason for the increased aggression?"

"Oh, the flow of time has been going out of whack," he said, matter-of-factly.

I paused.

"Time? As in... minutes and hours?"

Chip nodded.

"Some Pokémon think it has something to do with the Time Gears." Chip continued at my quizzical look. "They regulate the flow of time so even really bad Pokémon know not to mess with them."

It was a difficult concept to wrap my head around. Time acting strangely, causing Pokémon to become more vicious.

"But no one really knows why it's happening?"

"No," Chip sighed. "A lot of us are worried."

I hummed in agreement.

"This is it!" Chip exclaimed as he stopped.

A large tent in the shape of a Wigglytuff's head stood on the precipice of a cliff, with two large braziers cracking with flames and an equal set of totems, adorned with the faces of several different Pokémon. Just before the gated entrance was a circular grate covering a dark pit in the ground.

I couldn't help but understand now why Chip had felt so intimidated to join; the sight was imposing. Even now, I noticed him staring up into the Wigglytuff tent's eyes, his body trembling.

"I can do this... I've got Booker alongside me, now," he mumbled to himself. I felt oddly embarrassed.

Chip stepped up onto the grate and seemed to wait patiently for something. I was about to ask when a high pitched voice called out, making the two of us jump.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected! " the voice cried out in a rehearsed manner. "Whose footprint? Whose footprint? "

A pause. Chip was full-on shaking now, his paws balled up into fists.

"The footprint belongs to Riolu! The footprint belongs to Riolu! "

We waited for the verdict.

"There's another Pokémon with you! " the voice said, surprising me. "Have them stand on the grate, please! "

Chip breathed out a sigh of relief and hurriedly stepped aside.

"I think they mean you."

I approached the edge of the grate and peeked down into the pit. It was purely dark, with seemingly no end to it. I shivered.

"HEY! " a new voice rang up from it, loud and catching me so by surprise my fur crackled with electricity (a new unfamiliar sensation). "STOP STANDING AROUND AND GET ON THE GRATE! "

Unwilling to further upset and risk confrontation with whatever Pokémon that voice belonged to, I quickly stood on the grate.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected! " the first voice repeated. "Whose footprint? Whose footprint? The footprint belongs to..."

The voice trailed off and at first, I wondered if it had simply gone too quiet for us to hear.

"The footprint belongs to, um... " it said again.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER, SENTRY DIGLETT? " the second voice asked.

"The footprint belongs to, uh... Maybe Shinx? Maybe Shinx? " the Diglett said, far less sure than it was earlier.

"WHAT?! MAYBE?! IS IT SHINX OR NOT?! "

"I'm not sure! It's not exactly a footprint you see around these parts often! "

"SENTRY DUTY IS YOUR JOB, DIGLETT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO IDENTIFY WHO'S UP THERE! "

"W-well, I can't identify what I don't know! "

My eyes shifted towards Chip who looked just as incredulous as I was.

"Are they... arguing?" he whispered to me. I stifled a snort of laughter, making Chip giggle quietly himself.

"SORRY ABOUT THAT! " the loud voice returned, making us both steel our faces into something more serious. "IT'S TRUE WE DON'T SEE A LOT OF SHINX AROUND THESE PARTS, BUT YOU DON'T SEEM LIKE A BAD POKÉMON... YOU MAY ENTER! "

At that, the ground began to rumble. I jumped off the grate quickly, worried it might pull back and drop me down the dark pit, only to realize the gate at the entrance of the tent was lowering. Once it had fully disappeared into the ground, I looked over at Chip; his eyes were wide with wonder and fear. I nodded in encouragement at him and with newfound determination, Chip and I stepped inside.

We were greeted with a rather small circular room, with only a ladder leading down into the ground. Chip seemed surprised at the sight before climbing down. I tried to follow suit but found my grip to be quite clumsy, unfamiliar in a quadruped body. As I tried placing a hind leg on one of the lower rungs, my paw slipped and I tumbled down, hitting the Riolu along the way as we crashed spectacularly onto the ground below.

I let out a loud groan, the pain from earlier rearing its ugly claw into my side. I noticed, then, that several Pokémon were staring at our catastrophic entrance and felt the skin under my fur tingle with warmth and electricity. Hurriedly, I tried to compose myself, only realizing I had been laying on top of Chip as one of my paws landed on the back of his head.

"Oh! Sorry!"

I jumped off and Chip stood up shakily, dazed.

"It's fine..." he said, teary-eyed.

Incredibly embarrassed, I sat near him quietly and let my gaze linger on anything other than the crowd of unimpressed Pokémon. Once he had composed himself, Chip looked over at me, wiping his paw against his snout.

"I am so sorry," I hurried to say. "I'm not... used to this body..."

The Riolu's eyes flashed with sudden understanding and he nodded. He was about to speak when a flutter of wings swooped past and landed squarely before us.

A Chatot was studying us, its head turning from one side to the other curiously.

"Welcome to Wigglytuff's Guild!" it squawked. "Are you two alright?"

"Ah, yes, we're fine!" Chip said with a high pitched warble.

"Good! I'm glad to hear it!" the Chatot said. "I assume it was the two of you that our sentries just let in?"

"Yes!"

"I see! Well, unfortunately our guild isn't interested in any surveys or sales, so I'll ask you to please leave!"

Chip and I blinked.

"W-we actually wanted to sign up as apprentices!" the Riolu explained.

It was the Chatot's turn to blink in response. Composing itself quickly, it flapped its wings in a grandiose gesture.

"Well! Why didn't you say so in the first place!" it said, voice at an impossibly high screech. "Although I have to admit, I'm surprised to see Pokémon as young as yourselves willing to become apprentices!"

I frowned. Did I seem young? Maybe my body gave the impression of that of a child's. I could certainly understand the assumption when it came to Chip.

"After all, our training is very rigorous!" the Chatot continued. "A lot of Pokémon who train here end up quitting due to how strict it is!"

Chip gulped as the Chatot made a show of scratching its chin in thought. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Is it r-really that severe?"

Suddenly realizing that the Riolu was intimidated, the Chatot squawked and flapped its wings again.

"No! No no no!" it hurriedly said. "Our training is actually quite easy! Easy as can be!"

My eyes slid in the direction of Chip, unimpressed, as he sighed in relief.

"Well then! Let's get you signed up properly! Come along~!" the Chatot sing-songed.

What am I getting myself into?

Begrudgingly, I followed Chip as we descended a second ladder (I made sure this time to go down before anyone else, very carefully). This floor was less populated than the previous one, with only a few Pokémon milling about. At our (far less grandiose) arrival, some of them stared briefly before whispering among each other.

The other recruits, I assumed.

Chip, meanwhile, had hurried over to a large window revealing the twilit sky.

"Booker, look! We're two floors underground and you can still see outside!"

"Hush now!" the Chatot scolded. "The guild is established on the side of a cliff! It's only natural that you would be able to see outside!"

"O-oh." Chip looked dejected.

"There's no need to be rude." I said, speaking to the Chatot for the first time.

I noticed I had caught it off guard with my comment. The Pokémon turned to face me, its feathers puffed up. I made sure to keep my gaze with the Chatot until it broke eye contact first.

"Now then," it huffed as we stopped in front of a door built into the rocky wall. "I will introduce you to the Guildmaster. Under no circumstances - and I repeat, under no circumstances," the Chatot warned, glancing in my direction, "should you be discourteous to him."

While I didn't necessarily trust this Pokémon, I could sense the weight behind its words. Resolute, Chip and I nodded before the Chatot knocked on the door.

"Guildmaster~!" it sang. "It's Chatot! I'm here with two new recruits to our guild!"

Without waiting for an answer, it opened the door and extended a wing, allowing us to enter first.

A modestly sized room with several personal belongings, papers, and a throne-like chair at the furthest end greeted us upon our entry. Sitting rather politely was the aforementioned Wigglytuff himself, large unblinking green eyes staring off into the distance.

The Chatot closed the door and flew off to perch itself comfortably at the Wigglytuff's right-hand side.

"Guildmaster, I'd like to introduce you to our two newest recruits!" it said theatrically.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Chip and I stood side-by-side, watching the Guildmaster carefully. Finally, the Chatot seemed to notice the awkward air and blinked.

"Guildmaster?" it asked. Still no response. "Uh... Guildmaster?"

It was about to extend a wing before the Wigglytuff's face when, so suddenly, life seemed to return to him and he cracked a wide dopey smile.

"Hiyah!" he greeted, loud enough to make us both jump and the Chatot to tumble to the side. I snorted.

"It's nice to meet'cha! I'm Wigglytuff!" he said, obviously. "Before we register the two of you as guild apprentices, we'll need your exploration team name!"

I blinked and looked over at Chip who seemed equally as surprised as me.

"Our team name? I didn't really think of one," he said. "Do you have any ideas, Booker?"

I thought for a moment. I was reminded of our exploration in the Beach Cave; Chip worried at my injury and rushing to find a way to help this stranger.

"...Oran Berry."

"Huh?"

"Team Oran Berry." I declared.

"Yeah... Yeah! Because we both have blue fur!" Chip said, a wide grin on his face.

I didn't correct him.

"Oh, how fun!" the Guildmaster said. "Team Oran Berry!"

The Wigglytuff jumped out of his chair and began to dance goofily. I stared, shocked.

"Registering~! Registering~! All registered!" he sang during his weird dance.

"Yoom-TAH! "

Suddenly, his voice rang loud; a crisp shout that made both me and Chip flinch.

"Congratulations, Team Oran Berry," he continued, my ears still ringing. "You are now officially members of Wigglytuff's Guild!"

A "pop!" of confetti flew into the air; the Chatot had grabbed a party popper without our noticing. Chip, meanwhile, was ecstatic: his paws and feelers were trembling as he jumped for joy.

Ridiculous enough as the situation was, I couldn't help but smile.

"Now that you've been registered, allow me to gift you with this!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff said.

He waddled towards a pile of curious trinkets I couldn't recognize and began carelessly searching through it before pulling out a small golden chest. Then, in an exaggerated manner, he twirled and bowed low before placing it before the two of us.

What is this clown show?

"Oh! I know what this is!" Chip exclaimed. "It's a Pokémon Exploration Team Kit!"

"Right you are! Open it up, quick quick!" Wigglytuff said excitedly.

Chip hurried to open the small chest and revealed its contents: a frumpy looking bag with a sash to carry it, a rolled up piece of parchment, and two small badges in the shape of a pink and white egg with golden wings. The Riolu gasped at its contents and grabbed the parchment first, eagerly unfurling it.

"Booker, look! This is a Wonder Map!" he explained, bouncing from one leg to the other. "It's a map of the whole continent with notable towns, guilds, and locations!"

I peered down at it and, to my surprise, noticed most of it was covered in lazily shifting clouds.

"Those clouds will move the more places we discover!" Chip continued.

"It really is wonderful!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff chimed in.

"And these," Chip had moved on and was proudly presenting one of the badges. "are our Explorer Badges! They're what shows we're an official Exploration Federation Team!"

I nodded, looking at the design carefully.

"They'll also allow you to teleport Pokémon out of mystery dungeons!" the Chatot added.

"And this is our Treasure Bag! It'll hold all the supplies we'll need on missions, like berries!"

"Open it up, there's another gift for the two of you!" Wigglytuff said.

Nearly tripping over his excitement, Chip opened the bag and pulled out two accessories: a white scarf with black dots near its extremities and a red bowtie peppered with white polka-dots.

"That scarf there is a Defense Scarf," the Chatot explained. "It'll make you tougher in the fights to come."

"And that," Wigglytuff added, "is a Joy Ribbon. It'll help you grow faster and learn skills quicker."

Chip stared in awe at the two items, holding each in one paw.

"Oh, I can't decide which one I want! Booker, you pick first!"

I weighed the pros of either item in my head: the Defense Scarf was certainly useful, especially if I was to do more of the fighting between the two of us, but the Joy Ribbon offered a chance to adapt to my new body faster.

"I'll take the Joy Ribbon, if that's okay."

Chip nodded and eagerly began tying it around my neck. I felt a warm tingle spread across my face.

"I believe that's about everything!" the Chatot exclaimed. "Make sure to do your duties with the utmost diligence!"

"We will, Chatot!" Chip said as he finished tying up his Defense Scarf around his own neck.

After he had picked up the Treasure Bag and slung it over his shoulder with our Wonder Map stuffed within, my partner turned towards me with great determination.

"Let's make sure to work hard, Booker!"

Was this whole situation ridiculous? Absolutely. But seeing the sheer will on Chip's face softened my apprehension and I nodded, ready to take on the world.