A Little Bit of Courage Goes a Long Way

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear." -Mark Twain

As the town slowly awakened to the early morning, the sun casted shafts of light, throwing its beams everywhere, leaving no trace of darkness behind. Pidgies and Pellipers flew across the sky, protecting the earth from the sun's battering, their shadows letting the raw ground sigh in pleasure. The Guild sat in the north, looking quite impressive against the shops.

A lone figure seemed to hesitate near the area to the Guild, looking like...they were trembling a little; maybe awed by the Guild's height. The white figure took a tentative step forward, almost testing the ground to make sure it was actually stable. The sun's light seemed to reflect off of the pure white figure, giving him or her a sort of shine. Though it was instantly destroyed when a wandering cloud obstructed the sun's light. As soon as the light stopped reflecting off of the figure, they seemed to hesitate even more now. The cloud slowly drifted away, as if it had done nothing wrong.

The lone figure shook their head, slowly turning away from the Guild. Had it been worth it to actually come here?

"Aaare yoouu going to the guild?" whispered a voice from behind. No, sorry, that was wrong. Not one voice, but many many voices. Some male, some female, whispering slightly out of tune with the 'leading' female speech. Like a unity, all at once and repeating the exact words, similar if not the same to an echo. The voices, or many if you want to go that route, belonged to a spiritomb. Its purple mist-like body swaying gently in the wind, back and forth, back and forth, shimmering like the gentle waters the lone figure was gazing into. Iris-lacking eyes bored holes into the white body, that single swirling eye continuing to swirl as it spoke, in rhythm with its ever-moving ethereal body. Mouth twisted and turned into a jagged, cackling grin, and that floating keystone in the middle locking everything together. Like a key. A very annoying, hateful key full of burden.

"Mmmm... of coouurse not. You're leaving, correct?" she asked, leaning forward ever so slowly, those green eyes looking to and fro over the little body, "Or aare you but a coooward?" She hesitated for but a moment, a single wisp of purple flicked from her body to tap her nonexistent chin before fading into the air even after that simplest of acts. Thinking. She spoke again and a final time; "Mussst be a sshame - not being able to follow your dreamss because you're too ssscared of the unknown. A limitation. One which mussst be conquered, no?"

The figure stopped short, as they were about to almost crash into someone.  Or maybe they would go through the other figure, she -by the sounds of the voices, it seemed like one certain female voice was the dominate one- seemed to only be made out of gas...  Whatever the case, this Pokémon seemed to have been watching the little figure for a while.  The white armored figure seemed to hesitate a little, probably disoriented from the many voices that came from only one person.
 
The figure frowned at the Pokémon's blunt comment, a little irked at it.  Though the Pokémon was right, unfortunately, the figure's actions were quite cowardly.  A little disgruntled, the figure replied, a little hotly,  "So what if I am?  The idea of being denied..."  Here the figure paused, looking like they were going to continue, though in the end they didn't.
 
The figure's head tilted to the side, as they retaliated with a question, "And what about you? I don't see you walking, or floating, up to the Guild." It was a bad retort, almost kid-like, but it was all that the little figure could actually think of.

That sly grin across its face spread further still, the collection of purple, swirling mists hovering closer to the small armored figure as she continued to speak, both eyes locked onto his. "One cannooot adventuure and seeek disscovery withoout a paartner, no?" she asked, his little question would have raised an eyebrow if one were on that make-do face of the spiritomb, "It isss ssafer to have company than without, and perhaps..." he paused for a moment, those eyes closing and thus vanishing completely in deep thought, contemplating, before they appeared once more and continued to stare, "...moore enjoyable with another who ssharess dessires."

Ko whisked around, her 'back' against his face, that unsettling gaze finally removed from him and instead focused on the guild itself. The great tall building looming on ahead. Just taking a glance at it offered so many opportunities. So many chances. So many options. And, just for that single moment, there was a pause where the spiritomb payed no heed to the aron and simply... paused, examining the building ahead. While the face itself was incapable of showing much emotion, there was certainly feelings being formed from looking at that guild of opportunity. They were not very fuzzy, however.

That brief moment passed, as she directed her attention to the little pokemon once more, yet still not facing him. Not yet. There needed to be answers first. "If we musst make it more obvioouus, we are heeaavily implying we are loooking for a paartner. We are offering this fine place to you."

...

"Ah, and we haave no haands to hoold iteems. That isss an isssue."

The Aaron nodded a tiny bit at the Pokémon's comment.  It was true, being with a partner was a lot better than just being by yourself; the tiny Pokémon had heard of Pokémon who had gone insane because they didn't have anyone to talk to.  Though that couldn't be right, it was just a subject of gossip, right?  And besides, the metal Pokémon had grown bored and tired of just being with herself...  Maybe this strange Pokémon could be her ticket to become stronger...
 
She tipped her head to the side, considering the purple haze.  Yes, this Pokémon seemed to know what she was doing, regarding words and such, but still.  He, she, it, whatever the gender was, could be a huge asset to what the Aaron wanted.  "Well, I guess I could team up with you," she slowly said, like she was internally debating about this.
 
Smiling a little at the Pokémon's last comment, the Aaron replied, "I don't think that matters.  Just as long as we can actually enter the Guild."

'Guess' was the keyword there. A hint of hesitation. Uncertain. She was teetering back and forth, back and forth between joining, and leaving without a partner. The latter the spiritomb cared little about, after all the small aron could do what it wanted and Ko wouldn't really bat a nonexistent eyelid. But she needed her. A partner. A shield. One she could fight with, could adventure with, to 'help' reach her goal. That was the only thing which mattered, and an aron was such a sturdy pokemon, after all. She could not go down easily. It was something like that she wanted.

And she always got what she wanted. It just required a little bit of patience sometimes.

"Eenteering itself is the eassy part," she replied, hovering ever so slightly towards that magnificent building, stopping every few seconds to look back to ensure her soon-to-be partner was still intact and had not inconveniently burst into flames. That would be a shame. "We haave no worriess with that. Why would they sshy uss away?" she asked rhetorically, continuing seconds after she spoke, "Whaat is to be focusssed on is creating a team, nooo? Why, if yoouu were to join mee... I would alloow yoouu to name our partnership. Conssider such an honor as... a... thank you."

The Aaron felt like this was a little important to the other Pokémon, for one reason or another. Maybe she needed something done as well; a goal, an idea that seemed so far away, though was close if something happened before it. The two might get along after all, despite the big difference in stature. Though was the other going to be committed fully? It looked like the Spiritomb was, though the Aaron didn't want to be in the middle of a something and have the other Pokémon run away. Then again, the Steel Pokémon shouldn't be talking; it would be a miracle if that didn't happen to her...

"Is naming a team so valuable?" She asked, actually curious. "You make it sound like it's a big deal..." The Aaron hadn't implicated that she had agreed to be the purple haze's partner, though she didn't deny it. It was almost like she was quizzing her, pushing the Spiritomb to see if she would crack. It was a little ironic, if someone would think about it for a while.

This could get a little interesting...

Ko gave a low chuckle, her small, ethereal wisps of smoke from her body flicking off and fading into the air, like one would wave a hand in dismissal, that plastered green grin across her face twitching upwards at the aron's question. What a talkative, inquisitive little pokemon she was. "Aaahhh... but if we weere tooo.... saay..." the spiritomb paused her words, as of the words of one hundred others, for a moment as she contemplating her words once more, before continuing with that twitching sneer, "...becoome famouss. A teeaam otherss look up to, assspire to be... Is a naame not impoortant then?"

Ko did wonder about this little pokemon, with the questions, with that hesitation. An uncertain mind was dangerous. It expected questions to be asked, the mind to wander, made one take things without a pinch of salt and rather pause before deciding to take it at all. But on the other metaphorical hand, she was useful. An uncertain mind could prove well in dungeons, in exploring. It meant she wasn't brainless, but could think, could decide for her own. Good for puzzle-solving. Good to do all the work. Perhaps the old spiritomb may be kind - may offer suggestions. Gain the iron pokemon's trust. That was wise.

"It labeels us. Showss who we are. A naame is the mossst important part of a team - words to othersss which may cause joy. Or feeaar. It dependss on the reputation, no? Aand, of coouurse, we are expeected to inspiire."

"I guess so," the Aron slowly replied. Though she tilted her head to the side and looked questioningly up at the Spirittomb. "Though why are you allowing me to choose the name? You sound like you would know of a better name, anyways." The Aron couldn't help but feel a little jealous of how the Ghost Pokemon was able to speak so freely about this, and how she made things to sound more special than they were.

Maybe, maybe the Spirittomb would be useful after all; who knows, maybe there would be a time when the Aron needed a charismatic team mate. And it seemed like she would fit the job perfectly.

"The fiiirst steeep of gaining confideence is to haave confideence in yourseeelf," she replied with that everlasting emerald grin, her body shuffling ever so slowly towards the entrance of the guild as she spoke, a soundless indication for the little steel-type pokemon to follow with her, "The faact that you beelieve yoouu cannot do betteer thaan I ceeertainly says soomething, hm? Perhaaps choosing the naame yourseelf is the first steep." She paused for a moment to glance back, the very edges of her jagged grin forming almost to that of a smirk. A partner. At last. It had certainly be a long time, but the first step would be complete towards her goal. Obtaining a pokemon who trusts her. Who believes in her. Who will do as she says. She grew tired of talking, and this ghost type was usually not one to be so impatient.

"Shall we?"