A new day for an outsider, a new adventure for team Friendship Alliance

The mighty gates of the western side of Grassveil stood open in front of Yigo. He couldn´t help but chuckle when he was about to cross it. His last day in the settlement was special: he made a friend. The explorer named Alki was kind enough to guide him around and helped him to overcome his fear for society. The sight of the explorers near the gate was now a common picture and getting past them to get into Grassveil was not troublesome anymore.

The front street leads to the northern part of Grassveil, where the guild stands. Those streets that once induced nightmares on him became a pleasure to cross on due to the explorer´s help. He enjoyed the time visiting the various places along the path. Moreover, that was the reason Yigo wanted to go to the guild that day: he intended to have another day with Alki.

It didn´t take long to reach the guild´s entrance where Yigo decided to stay. He didn´t have any reason to go through the waves of explorers inside the guild when he could just wait at the almost empty entrance. Alki would come, eventually, and he could just greet her from where he was to catch her attention. Aside from him, there were only a Treecko counting orbs from his satchel and a Spearow about to take off, both of them wearing scarfs and ribbons of various colours with a shiny badge attached to them while paying no attention to him. It looked like the Sandshrew would go unnoticed by those two; however, he had to admit it: those scarves were good looking. Maybe he should go find one for himself but, which colour would suit him? And how would he wear it? Those thoughts were enough to keep him occupied until something demanded his attention.

Alki wondered how she’d explain her new clothing to Darcy. The fabric was certainly nice, and the cream color was pleasant to look at. Surprisingly clean, considering she’d found it in a pile of trash. And therein lay the problem. She had a hard time figuring out why anyone would ever throw away such a nice hood, but now that she had it… It was so nice! She couldn’t just let it go to waste…

Whatever. She’d been through worse, and after a bit of cleaning from Alki, nobody would even be able to tell where she’d gotten it. There were worse things than dumpster-diving out there, but still, she’d rather no one know about how she’d gotten it at all. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door to her team’s room, hoping to find Darcy.

“Hey, um, Darcy?” She called out as she opened the door, laying eyes on her friend. She couldn’t help but smile in spite of recent events -- Darcy was still the closest thing she’d ever had and ever would have to a sister, and there was no way Alki would ever feel anything but affection towards the Skitty. She tugged on the fringes of the hood as a small smile tugged at her mouth. The hood felt a bit sticky, but surely that was something that would go away once… it’d go away.

“Well, I was wondering, what… if we could do a mission? Well, I read one on the boards earlier, it was hard since a lot of people were looking at ‘em, but… there’s one that seemed pretty nice to me. And, well, I told you and Morty I’d work harder so I’ve been, well, reading and, uh, practicing and…  I saw a mission I liked, I was wondering if you’d be willing to work on it with me? And… and a friend, well, I made one recently, so… I sorta already invited him over and I gotta go meet him…  it’s about some kid’s dad, and he got lost in some really cold place so I was wondering… anywho. Take it or leave it, I really gotta go meet him before he thinks I left him hanging, so… see ya soon?” Alki explained in a jumble, before bouncing out of the guild quickly. She wanted to inspire some confidence in her team-mates, and if she’d seek out jobs on her own initiative, that’d help out.

And she’d get to see Yigo again! That’d be nice, he’d been good to her when they’d met, even if it had been under some unfortunate circumstances. But things were better now, and less taxing for the both of them, and maybe once he saw what guild teams were like, he’d like to join one himself? Who knew, but there he was! Alki waved at him, before realizing that he hadn’t really seen her with her hood on. She had her guild badge pinned onto it, and was carrying her explorer’s bag in one hand. “Yigo!” She called excitedly, as she rushed towards him. She stopped just in front of him, trembling excitedly. “W-Whaddaya think?” She asked, referring to her hood. She tugged on it again, before shaking her head. That didn’t matter. “N-Nevermind that, it’s really nice to see you again!” She said, her small, usually shy voice unusually excited. “M-Me and Darcy are gonna go out and do a, um, guild mission so… if… w-would you like to come with us? She should be out here any second...” She said, setting the bag down as she waited. “I-I’m really happy you came, by the way, t-thanks...”

”OOC”:

Deep within the Grassveil guild, inside of a small, cozy room, one of Alki's teammates was lying in her bed, a heavy book propped open in front of her.  The Skitty had steadily been working through all of the books her father had recommended to her when she started working at the guild, all of them either lined up on the windowsill or stacked clumsily next to her bed.  Just as she had expected from her dad, some of the books were a little stuffy, or difficult for her to understand.  But the one that she was reading today had truly captured her attention.  It was a book about famous exploration teams.  Why they had become explorers, how they trained and honed their skills, their most daring accomplishments...

...It made her want to keep reading, but the sounds of the other guildmembers going about their morning routines had grown louder, and the Skitty decided it was time to join them.  With a sigh, she pushed the book shut and took a long moment to stretch out her body.  It was fun to read about such skilled explorers, but at the same time, it all seemed so distant to her...  Her team was still the lowest rank it could be.  Trying to imagine herself as a famous explorer just made her laugh a little.

...Though it also made her feel a little guilty.  She couldn't imagine herself as being famous, but...  It wasn't hard for her to imagine her teammates becoming that way.  Morty was far tougher than she would ever have expected a novice guild member to be, and even Alki had her Heal Pulse, the sort of technique that even experienced teams would beg to have access too. ...The Skitty couldn't quell the nagging feeling that maybe, at least in the long run, she might end up holding her friends back..?  ...She needed to try harder.  Maybe she could ask for help from some of the older guild members sometime..?

But then the door creaked open, and Darcy saw Alki peek inside, and none of those concerns seemed to matter too much anymore. Getting to spend time together always cheered her up.  "Hey, Alki!" she said with a warm smile as she hopped out of bed and took a few steps closer.  Her teammate sure seemed excited about something.  And was the hood she was wearing new?  Darcy wanted to compliment her on it, but the Igglybuff had so much to say...

...All of which quickly made Darcy just as excited as her Igglybuff friend.  "T-that's great!  Hold on, I'll be right outside!" she said with a laugh as she hurried about gathering her belongings.  It was wonderful to hear that their reading lessons together were working, but even more wonderful was that Alki had made a new friend, all on her own!  What would he be like?  Darcy had always hoped that Alki would expand her social circle a little, but now that it was actually happening, the Skitty felt a little anxious!  Alki could be sensitive.  Would she be okay with her new friend..?

As quickly as she could manage, Darcy had thrown on her scarf and badge and bag and was bounding upstairs towards the guild's exit.  She burst outside and skidded to a halt, taking a moment to scan the crowd for Alki...  And she spotted her not too far away, speaking with a brown and white Pokemon.  "Hey!  Are you the one Alki was talking about?" Darcy shouted as she loped towards him, a huge smile on her face.  "My name's Darcy!  Alki and I work on a team together.  It's really great to meet you!"  He seemed alright, at least based on first impressions!  With her tail wagging behind her, and a sunny expression on her face, Darcy gave him a respectful little bow and then took a seat, eager to learn more about him.

(hey guys)

Morty's nap must have worked, because once he woke up, he felt completely refreshed, as if the day's events prior to now hadn't even happened. At last, he was back to his normal self, ready to start doing anything. Though, once he'd woken up, it seemed that Alki and Darcy had already left... being new, he didn't really know what to do or where to go. That was troublesome. He decided to leave his room and begin looking for the two, so he could figure out what he was supposed to do next.

The first place he checked was the garden. It was moderately full, mostly other guild members sparring with each other, or ones just relaxing in the sun. As Morty walked through the garden, he remembered excited about it he had been upon hearing of it for the first time. That excitement must have resurfaced quite prominently, because before he could realize it, he had forgotten about finding Alki and Darcy. Instead, his attention was drawn to a group of 2 Pokemon training together, a Riolu and a Buizel. He didn't know either of them, but regardless, he walked up to the two. "Hey! I saw you guys training, and wanted to know, mind if I join you? You both look fun to fight with.", Morty asked them. Surprised, the two paused their activities and began whispering with each other. Eventually, they both turned to face him, grinning. The Riolu said, "Sure. If ya want, you can join in. More training'll be great for us!" As he spoke, the Buizel was nodding his head in agreement. Morty returned their grins. He lived finding new challengers!

He hadn't been keeping track of time, and as far as he knew, neither had they. However long they had trained, it must've had been a while. Morty had stopped to rest, sweating from the physical strain. As he cleared his thoughts, he felt like he wad forgetting something... something probably important...

Oh, no. He was supposed to be looking for Alki and Darcy!

This wasn't good. He had no idea what time it was, and there was a good chance that it would be too late to do any missions or other... guild things? It had probably been at least an hour, which was not good. He jumped up from his relaxed state, hurriedly exclaiming to his sparring partners, "U-uh, uh, short notice guys, but I've gotta get going!". He didn't stop to hear their responses. Morty dashed into the guild building, slowing down once he was inside so as to not raise suspicion (his heavy breathing probably did not help). He checked their bedroom to see if they were their, but it was empty. Secondly, he ran out the front entrance and continued his search. Most members had left for guild-y type stuff, so if they were here it wouldn't be hard to spot them. A quick scan of the area, and at first his efforts proved futile, when he spotted a familiar pink feline. Next to them was a brown Pokemon he hadn't seen before, and a small round Pokemon wearing some kind of cloak... no doubt about it, that was Alki and Darcy!

Relieved, Morty ran towards them, shouting, "Heeeey! Alki! Darcy!". He stopped next to them, out of breath. In-between gasps, he uttered, "Hah... Hey, Alki... and Darcy... and... ...uh. Who is this, guys? And... Alki, what's with that hood?". He settled onto the ground, trying to catch his breath. He felt dumb for losing track of time like that... hopefully it wouldn't happen again, and he wouldn't get into any trouble with Faye. He REALLY didn't want that, for there was a good chance it would involve seeing her face to face, something that Morty definitely not prepared to do anytime soon... or ever again...

Maybe he got there too late? Was she already gone? As time passed, Yigo considered getting inside the guild to check if she was there. The sole thought was terrifying. He wasn´t even sure if he would be able to make it past the gates, at least not on his own. He could just wait there, couldn´t he? After all, she had to go back there sometime... unless she went on a mission, meaning that he could wait for her for weeks without having the slightest clue about where she was.

Out of nowhere, someone called out his name and, knowing that just a single Pokemon knew about it, got nervous and excited at the same time. However, instead of finding the pink balloon wearing a blue ribbon, a bouncing figure almost covered in cloth surprised him, carrying a bag in one of its hands. It wasn´t until she started talking again that Yigo recognised Alki´s voice asking him what he was thinking about. Before he even had time to greet her or to think a proper answer, the Igglybuff changed subject expressing her gratitude for his presence and asking him to join her and Darcy on a mission of all things.

"A mission?! U-Uh... m-me?" a cold shiver run down the Sandshrew´s spine. That wasn´t exactly how he was expecting to spend the day with Alki. He couldn´t even join the guild due to his cowardice. How was he supposed to work for it? "B-But I c-ca-"

“I-I’m really happy you came, by the way, t-thanks...”

Those words were enough to shut the mouth that tried to spill nothing but excuses, leaving place for a shaky but sincere smile. That´s why Yigo liked Alki, she was able to make him feel special, confident and brave, even if he wasn´t. Yigo laid down to be at Alki´s level... and to be able to look at her eyes directly without the piece of cloth getting on the way, tail slowly wagging. "A-Alright... let´s do it!"

"Hey, are you the one Alki was talking about?

Of course, an inconvenience of being at Alki´s level was the inability of seeing anything past her. Just as he heard that voice, Yigo jumped back on his feet and stepped back from Alki. A Skitty got near them... claiming to be Darcy! She was Alki´s team leader! He got a lump in his throat just by imagining working alongside them, with a real exploration team.

"E-Erm... Lady! I... I-I won´t disappoint you...! I´ll b-be worthy of-"

"Heeeey! Alki! Darcy!" Another voice was calling them both. Was it another member of the team? Their customer? The guildmaster? Apparently, it was a purple bug type, its body covered with shivs and blades while its sting suggested that it was poisonous. At the sight of such creature, Yigo could do nothing else than to waver and step back even further. His mouth let out a quiet squeak that he hoped that no one noticed before answering its question.

"M-My n-na... I-m... Yigo" he managed to let out, avoiding direct contact with the insect type as it unnerved him without even trying to. And there they were, two explorers, a purple insect that seemed to be exhausted from a battle, and him. They all looked professional, trained and ready to engage in a mission. Wasn´t that what Yigo was trying to avoid all this time? That´s why he had avoided joining the guild after all, because he didn´t think that he was ready to be a member but, if that made Alki happy, he would join them on their quest. Who knew, maybe that counted as training if he decided to join after all.

The Sandshrew gathered himself and breathed deeply before stepping forward once more "h-happy to meet you... D-Darcy a-and... s-sorry... I d-don´t know your name yet..." he said, extending his hand towards Alki´s companions.

Alki blushed, thankful that the hood protected her from the eyes of Morty and Darcy. Yigo was looking her in the eyes, crouched down in front of her. It wasn’t a big action, but it made a big impact on her. She wasn’t so small anymore! Everyone of her friends seemed to be at least double her size, but Yigo made her feel bigger, made her feel like she mattered. As the Sandshrew began to smile, a parallel one began to form on Alki’s face. She sensed the nervousness in his voice still, but before she had a chance to comment on it, she heard Darcy coming up behind them.

She felt even warmer inside, her two best friends were right next to her! She wondered what Yigo would think of Darcy, would they like each other? Would they be friends too? Alki certainly hoped so. Right now, he seemed a bit nervous, but then, hadn’tthat  been the case back when they’d met too? And now he seemed quite thrilled to see her again. They’d warm up to each other, Alki was sure, it had happened before. The way their first encounter in the alleyway had gone, Alki had doubted they’d turn out to be friends, but now, there they were, and Alki was once again feeling grateful she’d taken that risk.

She shook her head, clearing it of all these thoughts bouncing around. Best to focus on what was going on in front of her, she wanted to savor each moment of it. “Y-Yigo, you can’t disappoint Darcy! She’s been putting up with me, after all...” She said, giggling. She passed it off as a joke, but it was only half of one. She was sure, even if Yigo was nervous right now, he’d do better than Alki could. He seemed smart, and tough like that. “Y-You’ll do f-fine...” She managed to say, before hearing the voice of the third member of her team, and the newest.

“H-Hey, Morty.” She said, in greeting, turning around to face him. From the way Yigo was stammering, it would seem he was equally nervous. Alki didn’t dislike anything about Morty, but after recent events, she didn’t feel too comfortable around him, if only because she was afraid she’d mess something up again. He seemed awfully tired though. “I-Is anything wrong, w-with my hood? I… I found it.” She said, pulling her hood down over her eyes as she addressed the Skorupi. “This… T-This is my friend Yigo, guys. And these are my t-teammates, Yigo, Darcy and Morty...” She mumbled, introducing them to each other, before falling silent.

Darcy wagged her tail as she awaited a response from the Sandshrew.  But before he could do anything, she heard another familiar voice--Morty!  She smiled as he scuttled forward to join their little group.  It was good to see him again.  She understood why he was so exhausted, though.  She had spotted him training earlier, in the gardens behind the guild.  His work ethic was admirable, she had to admit.  Or maybe he just thought sparring was fun?  She knew that it was fun to watch...  But either way, having someone like that on her team made her feel a lot more comfortable...

"Good morning Morty!  You haven't missed much yet, don't worry.  Though if you're ever in the mood for training again, I'd be happy if you brought me with you sometime..." she said with a tiny laugh, sitting up straight and wagging her tail.  If her teammates were going to try so hard, she needed to do her best too.  Even if the thought of sparring with Morty sounded...  Kind of scary, if she was being honest.  But that just meant it would be good practice, right?  And maybe it would give them a chance to get to know each other better?

She turned back to face the Sandshrew, who had begun cowering backwards a little while he stumbled over his words.  Oh dear...  Maybe he was shy.  Maybe the three of them shouldn't have all tried to introduce themselves so quickly.  Thankfully, Alki stepped forward, doing her best to reassure him while she told everyone his name.

"Well, our team still isn't very high ranked, you know," Darcy said with a small frown.  "We're not allowed to go too far from town or to tackle jobs that are too dangerous until we've proven ourselves first.  So whatever we do, it won't be anything too scary, Yigo.  It probably won't pay very well either, but..."

She shook her head.  "Ummm, Alki, I'm proud of you for picking out a mission for us.  But yesterday, I think I remember reading the one that you chose.  It was marked as too difficult for our team..." she said, exhaling softly.  "We'll have to leave that one to our seniors.  B-but it works out.  The Icicle Woods are far away from town.  I don't think Yigo would want to spend more than a day on this.  Plus I don't think he would want to be somewhere snowy the whole time."

"Ummm, when I was looking at the boards yesterday, I did take a mission that I know our team qualifies for, though," she said, perking up as she poked her head into her bag and rummaged around for a moment.  Eventually she emerged with a small slip of paper in her mouth, which she set down on the ground in the center of the little group.  "I-it's a lot less dramatic.  But it's just in Pecha Forest.  There's been a Pidgey bothering some of the bug Pokemon who live there, and they sent this request to the guild.  Our job would be to go talk some sense into her."

She took a step back and glanced over the other three Pokemon.  Yes, this seemed like it would be a simple mission for their team.  "What do you all think?  Shall we go liberate the bug Pokemon of Pecha Forest?" she asked, giggling slightly.

ooc:

Darcy brought up bringing her to train with Morty again sometime... wait. Again? Did that mean... she knew Morty wasn't working? Oh, he had messed up now. Though, she didn't seem angry with him. Was that good? Morty's expression changed to one of regret. "Y-you saw m-... I mean, uh, I guess I can bring you somtime, sure.... That was pretty embarrasing. But again, at least she didn't seem angry.

His expression changed back to a neutral one. The new Pokemon with Alki and Darcy came to Morty's attention, and he was stuttering as he spoke. Most likely he was nervous, which was understandable. No doubt that a lot of other Pokemon were nervous around the Guild their first time. When first laying eyes upon him, the newcomer stepped back a little bit, presumably out of fear. While he hadn't thought about it much, Morty's appearance probably spooked a lot of Pokemon, what with all the sharp edges and pointy bits. Fear was a reaction that he had gotten used to from first impressions, and at this point it didn't faze him. They finally managed to stammer out, "I-m... Yigo.". He examined Yigo for a second, before pausing, and saying, "Well, glad to meet you, Yigo. I'm Morty. If you're interested in the guild, it's not that bad, I promise.". After finishing his sentence, he slightly waved his tail, as a "hello".

According to Alki, she "found it". He wasn't sure what she meant by that, but it didn't bother him. The hood actually looked kinda nice on her. Morty gave her a little smile, before brining his focus on Darcy. She had suggested a mission for the team to take part in. A bully in the woods? Sounded underwhelming, but hey, you gotta start small. The mission sounded pretty easy, he doubted that anything could go wrong. The Pecha Forest definitely didn't have many strong Pokemon in there. The mission would likely be quick, actually quite suitable for his first mission. Morty nodded, adding "Sounds alright to me.".

The Sandshrew withdrew his hand. Did he get the gesture wrong? The Skitty had bent her front legs in front of him when they met while the purple insect seemed to just wave his tail calmly. It looked like his greeting got unnoticed as the members of team Friendship Alliance started talking to each other. The purple insect seemed like an experienced warrior as suggested by the little cut on his face and his training habit. Oddly enough, Alki looked like she was trying to avoid getting noticed by him, pulling her hood down so no one could look at her eyes. On the other hand, Darcy seemed smart and a great leader. With just looking at Yigo, she knew that he didn´t particularly enjoy snow even though he didn´t actually mind spending more than a single day on a journey with them. He had nowhere to go anyways, therefore going on an adventure with Alki was probably something he´d agreed to. Yigo chuckled at the idea of spending his days with an exploration team and, if they are turned out to be as nice as Alki, he could introduce them to his mother back at Scorchfall.

The Skitty admitted that they were not allowed to take dangerous jobs. To be honest, the Sandshrew had never thought of that before, of having his life at risk when going on a mission. The only fear he actually had was the fear of disappointing Alki but that didn´t mean that he wasn´t feeling safer after hearing that.

His thoughts were dissipated when he saw the Skitty dropping a piece of paper to the floor. Looking around, everyone seemed focused on it but Yigo couldn´t understand. To him, it was filled with strange markings that formed no picture, like the ones he found in front of the Police Station. The "picture" seemed important, but he couldn´t figure out why. Clearly lost, he relied on the leader´s words as she explained their mission´s objective. Exactly as he expected, the way the explorers planned to solve the problem was by the use of words. Yigo, being trained in scouting and scavenging, found this solution adequate for his skills... if it wasn´t for the fact that he wasn´t able to talk properly in public. He´d just be... there. The Sandshrew tried to address the issue right there but, just as he opened his mouth, he realised that anything he could say was not of any importance to the team therefore, he kept quiet. Maybe some skill he had could make up for his flaws. He knew quite a bit about Pidgey´s since they used to migrate to the desert. They were skilled at making the sand flow through wind currents and never hesitated in using it to blind predators. However, instead of sharing that information, he imagined that the team of explorers did their research already, so he just stood silently.

The Sandshrew cocked his head to the side, sat down scratching his left ear with his back leg and nodded after hearing Darcy´s orders "I´ll... uhm... I-I can do that... I think...". Finding the strength to find word pained him, it burned him from the inside like he had a little fire in his heart. Letting out a low groan, he searched for Alki´s eyes "I.... I-I hope... I hope I don´t mess it up..."

Alki only half listened to what Darcy and Morty were talking about. Something about training? Alki thought that Morty’s work ethic was admirable, and something she wished to have. Sure, a friend of hers had helped her out in that regard pretty recently, but her natural aptitude for fighting was still very, very low. There aren't many places a small, featherweight balloon can go when it comes to fights, after all. That wouldn't stop her from being as good a guild member as she could be. Sure, she couldn't fight, but there were other things she could learn. Reading, for example. She'd made quite a lot of progress there, no one could deny. In the time since Darcy had started to read to her, Alki had learned quite a lot; she could even make out paragraphs of Darcy’s books! Still, sometimes she pretended not to know, if only to have Darcy read to her at night. Besides, Alki felt she learned more on her own.

A phrase caught Alki’s attention, and she looked up at Darcy curiously, even as the Skitty spoke to their newest teammate. Why shouldn't it pay well? They were doing work, and it was helpful too! Weren't they going to go save a Pokemon in the forest? Sure, they probably wouldn't have to fight anything, but if anyone deserved more money, it was Darcy. Alki’s first mission had been long, difficult, and perhaps a bit painful, yet they'd been paid chump change for all their hard work. Alki couldn't help but feel like it was a bit unfair. Maybe she'd talk with Darcy about it. Or Faye. Then again, a talk with the Guild master probably wouldn't go down well for her…

  The sound of her name interrupted her thoughts. The distant look in her eyes lifted as she focused on Darcy. “W-Wha…? What about me? Oh! The mission… She said, her eyes lighting up as she comprehended what was going on, before they took on an air of confusion again. Thankfully, Darcy explained why her mission choice wouldn't have worked. That didn't stop her from feeling a bit flustered, and she began to apologize as her pink cheeks gave way to a flushing, embarrassed red. “S-Sorry, Darcy, I… I didn't know there were… ranks and… r-requirements. I'll read more carefully in the future!” She said, looking up at her teammate, a gleam of panic in Alki’s eyes. If there was one thing she wouldn't ever want in her life, it was to disappoint Darcy.

The Igglybuff looked over at the Sandshrew, and noticed a bit of panic in his eyes too. The more they were around each other, the more Alki felt they were similar in more than a few ways. They were both rather insecure, and Alki had noticed a similar sort of dependency in him as there was in her. She found it rather endearing, actually, the way he acted and talked and smiled. A small grin appeared on her face as the red of her cheeks began to fade away. Yigo was a really nice Pokemon...

A small paper diverted her attention away from the cute Sandshrew. This… this must be the mission Darcy had mentioned! Alki began to read the details of the mission. The (awfully small) amount of money they’d earn, the Pokemon they’d help. She couldn’t help but feel proud of herself, her newfound ability to read these mission details, read them fast and read them right . Alki flashed a grin at Darcy, and then at Yigo. “I got it! I understood it! L-Let’s… go?” Her statement, intended to be cheery and confident, a change from her usual self, quickly took on an air of puzzlement. Yigo seemed to be talking about… he was nervous. Alki stepped forward and gave him a small hug. “You’ll do great, Yigo. I promise! It’s… we’ll both do fine. Alright? Anything… just tell me if ya need help, or want t-to ask me something. We’ll help ya. I promise! We all will!” She exclaimed, turning to look at Darcy and Morty, suddenly feeling very happy and calm with Yigo by her side.

With her explanation finished, Darcy swished her tail back and forth while she waited to see what her friends thought.  Morty was the first to speak up, nodding and calmly stating his approval.  Darcy gave him a nod in return.  She had chosen this mission with him in mind, hoping that something simple and close to town would be a good introduction to the guild, and a good way to spend his first day working as a member there.  It seemed she had chosen well in that regard!  She smiled and swished her tail a little faster.  She sure did want to leave a good impression on him.  It wasn't every day that someone new joined her team...

Alki didn't seem quite so enthused, though, perhaps embarrassed that she had picked a mission their team didn't qualify for.  The Skitty felt a twinge of guilt as she saw her friend's cheeks flush red.  She had never explained the guild's rank system to Alki before, now that she thought about it.  She resolved to teach Alki and Morty about them as soon as she got the chance.  

The Igglybuff's mood seemed to bounce back quickly though.  First she flashed her new friend a shy smile, then leaned forward to try reading the job description for herself...  And judging by the grin she gave Darcy after a few moments, she'd found it to be a breeze.  Darcy shot a grin right back at her, filled with a sense of pride and excitement for her closest friend.  Alki was such a fast learner!  And it had been so much fun to help her and watch her progress.  The Skitty was starting to understand why her dad enjoyed being a teacher so much.  She was going to miss their lessons together once Alki didn't need them anymore.  She almost wished they could last a little longer...

Finally, she looked to Yigo, the newest member of their little team.  Darcy tilted her head.  He didn't seem quite as confident as the others...  But Alki was quick to notice too.  The Skitty broke into a toothy smile as Alki stepped forward and gave him a hug, offering him some words of encouragement.  "Alki's right.  We're all here to help each other," Darcy said with a small laugh as she picked up the piece of paper and stowed it away in her bag before looking back to Yigo.  "We're still new to the guild too.  This will be Morty's first time on a real mission, just like you, so...  You don't have to feel scared or out of place, okay?  Let's all try to have fun."

With her belongings packed up, and her explanation done, Darcy rose to her feet and took a few steps along the road to Grassveil Town.  "Pecha Forest is to the south, so going through town is the fastest way to get there.  We can leave right now, if everyone's ready," she said.  Before she could get very far, though, her ears perked up and she turned to face Alki's new friend once again.  "O-oh, and of course, you'll get a share of the reward, Yigo.  You're a member of our team today, after all."

She turned back to the road and her eyes drifted towards the ground.  "It won't be a lot, though..." she sighed.  But she quickly shook her head, forcing a smile and giving her Skorupi teammate a sideways glance.  "Hey, Morty, maybe we should run a tutoring business in the evenings.  You could teach Pokemon how to fight, and I could teach them how to read.  That would be fun..."

But despite her efforts to stay cheerful, the Skitty's ears lay flat against her head.  Evidence that there was something weighing on her mind, something that couldn't just be laughed off...

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