The Tale of Team Pioneer

The Tale of Team Pioneer is a prequel to the series written entirely by Karserus revolving around Tiber, Raize and Pangoro (Who was a Pancham at the time). It is viewable on the Discord Server.

## Chapter 1 - Rescuing Strays

"Can you believe the first real mission we get from the guild is to rescue a Caterpie? Don't they normally, I dunno, live in the forest? How is it lost out here?"

"I don't know. It's probably stuck avoiding some ferals."

"...Is it re-"

"Yes. Caterpie can be that helpless."

"Pbbbttt...."

A young Riolu and Pancham debated back and forth as they wandered past root and bush in the forest. They were both marked by plain red bandanas that indicated they were rookies in the continent's Rescue Team Organization. For them this was their first true adventure, and excitement was only tempered by the absolute drollness of their task. Anyone could walk into the forests closest to Baram Town and receive only a token resistance from the feral inhabitants, if any at all! Since the old days of yore and the many threats lain upon the world pokemon have advanced significantly by comparison to back then.

The Riolu's extrasensory organs prickled and his eyes glowed silver as he felt an ambient hostility further out, causing his ears and tail to prick up. "Hey, there's something going on out there!" He pointed in the direction of the aggressive sensations, which to him appeared as foggy waves of red in his vision.

"It might be the Caterpie being attacked, let's go." Though dour, the Pancham nodded to his friend and took the lead, running and hopping over large root into a bush in his way. Along the way he plucked the bamboo sprig from his mouth and tucked it safely into the bandana on his arm, choosing to focus on the task ahead.

"Geez...that's not fair, you're being so serious this isn't even fun anymore." Shaking his head the Riolu activated  quick attack, leaping over the root after his friend, tumbling into the brush and moving on ahead. "See you at the finish line Pancham!" He called with a mischievous grin.

"It's not a competition!" Pancham called out, grumbling as he was left in the dust of his fellow Rescuer's wake.

Up ahead of the pair a group of feral pokemon had cornered a Purrloin that now lay on the forest floor, battered by their attacks and struggling to stand. They were disoriented and the ferals around them could sense that, making the violet feline rather easy prey for the pickings. Weepinbell, Vulpix, Beedrill, and Spearow were all grouped up to surround their victim. An odd bunch, to be sure, but in the wilderness such strange gatherings are more commonplace than one would think; alliances of opportunity.

Not that this alliance would last much longer. One Spearow, more eager than its kin, cawed and dove for the prone Purrloin, only to be knocked from the air by a flying kick by a blue blur! This startled a few of the wild pokemon, allowing Pancham to grab the Vulpix by one paw (at least he was smart enough to not immediately go for the tails) and fling it about, knocking the pair of Beedrill present to the ground with their fiery ally's body. Interposing himself between the ferals and the fallen pokemon the Pancham glared at the encroaching foes while the Riolu continued to flail after the rest of the Spearow, even chucking their knocked-out comrade at them for good measure.

"Back off. This one isn't for you." Pancham intensified his glare, intimidating a few of the ferals into fleeing, though as expected not all of them were warded off by a pair of weak-looking interlopers. A groan sounded from behind the panda pokemon, causing him to turn his head to look back at the fallen Purrloin as they managed to finally sit up, allowing an opportunistic Weepinbell to fling razor leaves at the both of them.

"A-ah! Hey, look out!"

Too late, though the Pancham stood firm before the verdant volley, closing his eyes and covering his face with his arms. "Ugh! Cheap shot!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Quit having fun without me!" Riolu shouted, hucking his fifth rock up at the harrying Spearow above. "Can't you do something about that? I'm busy!"

The Storyteller — 28/12/2020

"Why don't you try getting pelted by razor leaves while I chuck rocks at Spearow, huh?" Pancham snarled at his teammate, holding one arm up as he began moving toward the relentless Weepinbell. "Stupid...urgh...persistent...guh...bucket plant!" Just as soon as he was close enoug Pancham swung his free arm, sending the Weepinbell sprawling across the ground, giving Pancham some breathing room. Shaking off the sting of the many cuts he'd received, he looked back to check on the Purrloin they were saving.

They were on their feet now, wobbling awkwardly and covered in injuries both old and new. Whoever they were, this feline had been out in the woods a while now and it had done them no favors. Leaning to one side the Purrloin hugged themself, blinking bleary eyes that traced back and forth between their saviors. They seemed so dazed and confused, and that was perhaps more concerning to Pancham than the easily treated injuries.

A vine lashed out, grabbing Pancham's ankle and hoisting him up with a yelp from the black and white ursine. "Ack! Okay, Riolu, can you DO SOMETHING PLEASE?!" He finally shouted, flailing as the Weepinbell began to draw him closer to its gaping maw to...eat him? Whatever it is Weepinbell did, he didn't want to know!

"Hup!" One last rock was thrown, beaning a Spearow on the beak, and Riolu turned and cracked his knuckles. "Oi! Get off my friend you soon-to-be-salad!" Quick attack brought him in close with a shoulder charge followed by a Force Palm that not only stunned the gaping plant, but sent it hurtling into a tree, unconcious. Unfortunately it dragged Pancham with it, stranding the dour little bear on a branch, strung up as if caught in a hunting trap. As soon as the adrenaline of combat wore off Riolu snickered, unable to help it at the sight of his friend hampered so. "Pfft...oh gosh...uh...sorry dude?"

Arms folded and glaring like no tomorrow, Pancham stuck their bamboo sprig back in their mouth. "No, no, just...leave me here..."

"Okay." Riolu shrugged, much to the vocal chagrin of their Rescue Partner, and walked over to the Purrloin. "Hey, you okay?" He extended a hand with a friendly smile, though his expression dropped as the Purrloin recoiled from the peaceable offer, head swiveling between the pair in confusion and worry. "Uhh...w-we're not...uhm...Pancham?"

"Still hanging here." Came the very dry response.

"Uh...uh..." Looking between his partner and their rescue, Riolu nervously hopped from one foot to the other. "Uhm...just stay here, okay? Don't run off!" Zipping over he began punching the Weepinbell's unconscious face to try and make it let go of Pancham, shaking it in anxious frustration until Pancham was jostled loose...and fell into a bush. Riolu just grinned sheepishly as his partner came out of the bush with an annoyed scowl on their face. "Eheh...at least it was a soft landing?"

"...you're lucky we're friends." Pancham huffed and walked over to the Purrloin, getting a similarly reticent response even as he pulled out some blue-tinted bandages. "Relax, let me help with those injuries." He stood there and stared until the Purrloin finally stepped forward, braving the potential that they might, somehow, be there to capture and enslave him or something.

Wincing as the bandages were applied, the purrloin hissed and looked away, feeling the sting of medicine on his wounds. "H-h-OW! How...did you know I was...n-not like them?" Their voice was soft, an edge of fear to it as they slowly looked at the pair that had saved them.

"We just did. Ask him." Pancham jerked a thumb over to Riolu, focusing on bandaging as many of the freshest wounds that he could. "Dang...we need to get you to town, you're really beat up."

When he received a questioning look Riolu shrugged, letting his eyes glow. "I could tell. You don't ping like ferals do. To be honest we didn't know you were out here, we thought you were someone else we were supposed to rescue." He smiled warmly.

The smile was disarming, though the Purrloin still seemed unsure of things. "There's...a town? I...I don't...ow!" Flinching, he pulled his arm away from a sighing Pancham, hugging himself again. "I'm...uh..." Putting one paw on their head, the Purrloin grimaced, hearing the ring of static in their ears. "R-raize...who are...you?" After a few moments the pain and ringing cleared, but it did nothing to help his general sense of confusion.

Pancham and Riolu shared a look, Riolu tugging his friend aside, just far enough so they could whisper without being overheard. Though, like a fool, Riolu held a paw up to hide their muzzles as they conversed. "Pancham, he has a name! That's weird, right? Why would someone with a name be in trouble out here?"

"I don't know!" Pancham hissed, tapping his foot in frustration at his friend's secretive antics. "Clearly they're out of it. We should find Caterpie quick and bring them both to town. They're probably delirious from all those wounds and-" As if on cue the Purrloin's stomach growled loudly, drawing the rescuers' attention to the suddenly embarrassed feline. "...that."

Nodding, Riolu moved up to Raize the Purrloin, putting on a cheery face. "Hey Raize, I'm Riolu and this is Pancham! We're rescuers! We're still looking for a Caterpie out here, but we'll keep you safe until we can make it to town, okay?" Holding out his paw again, Riolu grinned wide, flickers of silver outlining his face in the dappled sunlight of the forest. With a slow, hesitant nod Raize placed his paw in the Riolu's, though as he took a step to do so he favored one leg.

"O-okay...uhm...what what do I call you? I'm hurt but...I can tell you're a Pancham and a Riolu..." This earned the Purrloin more looks of concern from his saviors, but he didn't receive any answers yet.

"Let's...just get moving, okay? We'll take care of all that in town." Riolu chuckled nervously, gently tugging on the Purrloin's paw.

It didn't take the trio long to find the errant Caterpie stuck high up in a tree and crying for its mother. Riolu, taking the chance to show off, left Pancham and Raize the Purrloin on the ground, climbing to the lowest branch and hopping up to the Caterpie's perch. Once the skittish little bug-type was calmed down Riolu grabbed them and leapt down to the ground, landing with a heavy impact that left them briefly stunned, but perfectly fine otherwise. Getting back to town provided an entire other endeavor, however, as they found their path back obstructed by multiple bug and grass-type pokemon that saw them as intruders or food. Riolu and Pancham, when the time came, left aside most of their showmanship, but such energetic youths are always wont to show off at least a little to new friends, and it certainly helped cheer up the Caterpie, even if the Purrloin continued to remain somewhat aloof.

Soon enough the group passed a windmill standing amongst the edge of the forest and the Caterpie exclaimed they knew where they were, trying to inch ahead toward the path leading to some stone bridges. As they passed the last trees obstructing view of the town Raize gasped at the sight of the built up stone-brick layers of Baram Town and its huge windmill at its peak. The wonderment made pride swell in the two rescuers' chests and they began to let their excitement show by helping along their rescue charges into town.

The hustle and bustle of town pokemon was a welcome noise to the adventuring pair, but for the Purrloin his anxiety seemed to increase by several magnitudes. Raize huddled close to Pancham and Riolu, even clinging to them and peering worriedly over their shoulders when other pokemon would pass by. When it came time to enter the cafe and get Caterpie back to its mother Raize hesitated as if unwilling to enter the building.

"Hey, what's up?" Riolu asked obliviously, one paw on his hip as he cocked his head to one side. Pancham jabbed his elbow into Riolu's side, motioning with his head to the door of the cafe. "Wh-ow! What? What'd I do?"

"Can you take Caterpie in? It doesn't look like he-" Pancham glanced over at the Purrloin holding their own tail now and fretting over it- "looks like he's not ready for a closed space."

Shrugging, Riolu didn't quite understand what his friend meant but he picked up the Caterpie anyway and sent another grin Raize's way. "Be right back! Don't let Pancham bore you to death~" He snickered, joking at his friend's expense as he went to fulfill their very first team mission so they could report in.

Staying outside, Pancham moved slowly and took Raize by the elbow, bringing him away from the center of town to a spot with less pokemon around, which seemed ease the feline's anxiety more than a little bit. "Are you okay?" He asked bluntly, sitting off to the side on a bridge ridge, noting that Raize had trouble getting down by himself to do the same.

"I...I'm not sure. My head's fuzzy a-and I've been out there a while...and there's a town a-and so many pokemon and it's..." Sniffling, his eyes began to water as he hunched forward, tail curling around his legs. "...it's so much!" Burying his face in his paws the Purrloin began to cry, the overwhelming everything overflowing even if he didn't even quite understand the why.

Crying was not, however, what Pancham expected and he started a bit as this pokemon he'd just met began bawling their eyes out next to him. "...crap Riolu is better at this than me..." He muttered, taking a deep breath and leaning over to lightly pat the feline's back. "H-hey...it's all right. Look, my friend and I will sort you out, okay? We'll go to the guild and see if someone's looking for you and go from there." The reassurance seeemed to help a little, the Purrloin going down to sniffling rather than sobbing his eyes out.

"Snrf O...okay...I'm sorry..." Raize rubbed at his eyes trying to clear away the tears. Everything hurt and all the new stuff wasn't helping him any.

Riolu left the cafe in search of Pancham and the Purrloin they'd found, zipping around town at high speeds and weaving around the townsfolk...mostly. To his credit, Riolu only mildly faceplanted into the side of Miss Bouffalant, but a quick apology rectified any issues and she was happy to point the eager young Rescuer to his friend. Waving ecstatically as he ran up, Riolu finally let himself catch his breath from running all over Baram looking for them.

"Ya coulda told me where you were going, dummy." He laughed breathlessly, earning an eye roll from Pancham. "C'mon, we need to get to Rescue HQ so we can get actual money!" The Riolu's eyes sparkled as he thought about having his own coin for once in his life.

"And check if P- er...Raize is missing around here." Pancham pointed out, helping the Purrloin to their feet.

It was a slow walk to the giant windmill at the peak of Baram Town but the two rescuers seemed more than happy to keep pace with their charge. Riolu and Pancham asked frequently if Raize needed anything, though the feline pokemon kept shaking their head in response. That is until his stomach growled again and Riolu produced a trio of Oran Berries from his bag. Unsurprisingly Raize nearly consumed his whole, causing his two saviors to briefly panic and flail at getting him to slow down, lest he choke and perish before they'd even gotten to the guild!

Once inside Rescue HQ the three were bombarded with the noise of dozens of pokemon talking and performing work within, making it even more noisome than the town square in some respects. Raize began to tremble, his senses once again becoming overwhelmed, but this time Pancham and Riolu held his paws, helping him along to the front desk where a bespectacled Swellow was perched, carefully perusing documents and looking up to direct rescuers and dispense information. It took a good 3 minutes before Swellow even noticed the smallish group standing at her desk with varyingly wide and waiting eyes.

"Hi Mrs. Swellow!" Riolu greeted loud enough for all three, giggling childishly when the desk clerk had to adjust her glasses.

"Good morning, rookies. Finish the Caterpie mission?" She managed to smile, at least as much as one with a beak can smile, and peered down at the Purrloin in particular. "Oh. Pardon me, I don't recognize you. Is this someone you two rescued out there?"

Pancham nodded while Riolu began to excitedly play up the battle they'd been through to save the battered Purrloin. For the most part both Swellow and Pancham let the aura pup go on while they got down to business.

"He seems to have amnesia and-" A wing swept out, pressing its tip to Pancham's lips to shush him.

"We'll discuss that later. Come with me, we'll get Chansey and see if there's any missing Purrloin requests." Pausing, Swellow looked over to the Riolu who was panting for breath and the Purrloin patting their back in effectually. "Riolu, why don't you take a seat on the bench over there with your friend? We'll be right back with your mission reward."

Nodding emphatically Riolu gently tugged on Raize's paw, leading him to a bench situated under a window letting the sun in. The Purrloin curled up on the wood seating, mumbling softly to himself. "Reward? Like money?"

"Well duh, what else would we use for stuff? What'd you use out there, acorns?" Dense as can be, Riolu began to press the frazzled feline for answers to his curiosity.

"I...wha- I dunno..." Rubbing his arms Raize kept his eyes on the floor, trying to avoid thinking about the noise or his injuries aching.

"Huh...I wonder if your parents were wilds?" Riolu posited as he put a paw to his chin, looking up as he thought to himself, leaning back on the wall.

"Huh?" Looking up, the Purrloin blinked in true confusion. Shaking his head to clear some of the fog he leaned a bit closer to Riolu. "What do you mean?"

Having his attention caught, it took a minute for Riolu to figure out what, exactly, his friend was asking about. "Wilds? Well, I'm not saying they're ferals like the ones that attacked you. My mom says wilds are pokemon that choose not to live in towns and stuff and just sorta...do...whatever it is out there. You were out there, so maybe your parents are wilds?" Cocking his head to the side he looked at Raize, hoping he'd answered the question. For an energetic blockhead he was brighter than he appeared.

Shaking his head again as the pain returned, the Purrloin placed a paw to his forehead and looked away, a grimace coming to his face. "I-I don't...re..member...I don't know my parents...I just remember th-the forest...and days of running a-and...and...it's all so..." He began to tear up again, shoulders shaking as a sob slipped out, the pain as much as the lack of knowing weighing down on him.

"Whoa...hey..." Realizing he may have made a mistake Riolu reached out at first, pulling back his paw when Raize began to really cry again. Chewing on his lip he glanced around and took a breath, silver outlining the pup's figure as he reached out again. Closing his eyes Riolu reached out, and silver wrapped itself around Raize...and slowly, slowly, the Purrloin stopped crying, looking up at the Riolu, unsure of what he was doing. Yet...it didn't hurt anymore

This went on for a little while until Riolu retracted his paw, and with it the silver aura. He gave his best warm smile, nervously fidgeting with his hands in his lap. "So...uh...better?"

Nodding as he looked himself over Raize noted none of his injuries were gone, but his head didn't hurt and the wounds no longer ached. "Yeah. Thank you...er...Riolu. What did you...? How did you...?" It was strangely fascinating, even if it was probably temporary, but something about what Riolu had done had simply calmed everything roiling inside like a storm had passed and all was clear.

"Oh, that? Haha! That's nothing, my mom used to use Calm Mind on me when I had nightmares, or before I could control all this." Motioning at his sensory organs he let his eyes glow briefly again. "Heh, it's funny, but my earliest memories are of when we moved to the Grass Continent. My parents used me to basically tell if someone was good or not by avoiding anyone I was hiding from." Rubbing the back of his head Riolu chuckled sheepishly. "I feel bad since I was so little then sometimes I didn't know better...but that's also where I met Pancham! He's been my best friend for years, we wanted to become Explorers together!"

Scooting a bit closer Raize  nodded, rather enthralled by the Riolu's story. Enough so that he didn't even notice the hustle and bustle of the guild anymore. It was just the warm sun from the window, the bench, and Riolu babbling about his experiences. "I...didn't know you were Explorers...but...thanks again for rescuing me. I guess I should've known that, huh? Another thing I don't know..."

Waving a paw dismissively Riolu tugged at the bandana tied around his neck, smirking proudly. "Naw, we're Rescue Agents...sorta. We were on our first rescue when we found you, so I'm glad we didn't end up Explorers or who knows what woulda happened?"

"Oh, so you're not Explorers? Why not?"

Getting an awkward look on his face Riolu braced one paw on the bench and leaned back, rubbing at his shoulder. "Well...my parents move a lot. We only stayed a few years so I could get a handle on my aura sense and then they decided we were gonna move here..." He looked a little sad, his ears and dangles drooping for a few moments. "But! Right after we moved to Baram Town it was the most awesome thing!" Brightening into a big, toothy grin Riolu leaned back forward, tail wagging with excitement. "Pancham showed up with a pack on his back and breathing all hard like he'd run from the dock and y'know what he said?!"

Leaning back at the enthusiasm Raize tried not to giggle a bit- mostly because his ribs were still sore and probably fractured- as he formulated his reply. "I...don't know?"

Pancham poked Riolu's shoulder, making the pup jump in his seat. Smirking at having gotten his friend back for the earlier humiliation he decided to finish the story. "I told him I wasn't gonna become an Explorer without my best friend. We made a promise, didn't we?" He held out a hand to pull Riolu up off the bench, smiling earnestly as it was accepted.

"Yeah, we did!" Looking up, Riolu saw Mrs. Swellow hovering there as well as Chansey with the medical kit waiting patiently for the younglings to be done with their heartwarming little moment. "Hi Mrs. Swellow, hi Chansey. Think you can patch up our new friend?"

Leaning in for some observation, Chansey noted how the Purrloin recoiled nervously from her gaze. "I'm glad we supply rookies with Oran Bandages now or some of these would need stitches. You poor thing, you look like you've spent a week in a dungeon all alone!"

"That's what I was telling Mrs. Swellow before, Chansey, it sounds like he basically did." Pancham interjected while the medic began taking out her supplies and using healing moves on Raize. "He nearly choked on an Oran Berry we gave him on the way up here."

"H-hey! I'm starving here, gimme a break!" The Purrloin was the most animated they'd been all day and their embarrassment was enough to make everyone but the present medic start laughing. Chansey warned Raize to stay still or she would give him stitches for good measure, and that was enough to make him settle down.

"Hahaha~ Oh! Hey! Pancham did we get the reward? Maybe we can treat Raize to some actual food. You know my dad can't cook for his life." Riolu hopped in place energetically, grinning wider and wider as Pancham produced a small pouch that jingled with some coins. However, Mrs. Swellow made it a point to land just behind Pancham and clear her throat to catch their attention.

"Before you two go galavanting off like some Mist Continent knights, you should know Pancham and I searched the recent history of Rescue Requests. No Purrloins I'm afraid. Whatever's happened to your friend, either they were lost a long time ago or they're not from the Air Continent." She noted how this brought down the mood and gently lay her wing upon each of the rookie rescuers. "Now, now, you've done well today. Well enough you're both official Rescuers now. There's only two of you so it's not a proper team yet, but as soon as you have a third member we'll have your registration done lickety-split!"

"Really? Awesome!" Both young boys exclaimed with bright eyes, though Pancham was quicker to realize a matter not yet addressed.

"So...what happens to Raize? He's got a name and he doesn't know where he lives. Is there any room here?" It almost sounded like the little ursine fellow was pleading, not that his determined expression betrayed such.

Shaking her head, Mrs. Swellow adjusted her spectacles. "I'm sorry Pancham, but rules are rules. We can't offer a room to a non-rescuer indefinitely. I'll see what I can do while you're out, and if you can't find him a place to stay maybe we'll put him up in the infirmary....just to be safe, right Chansey?"

"Just to be safe." She replied.

When he was finally finished getting treated the poor Purrloin looked more like some halloween mummy than a pokemon proper- including a splint for his injured leg- but he could now move awkwardly of his own accord with relative safety. "Urf...ah...sorry to be such a bother everyone..." He sighed, making a feline yowl as he was tugged toward the front door of Rescue HQ by Pancham and Riolu, both of them smiling with a friendly sort of confidence.

"Don't worry about it! It's what Rescuers do, anyway." Riolu grinned his toothy grin to Pancham, who nodded.

"Yeah, we rescued you so it's our responsibility to help you out until everything's settled. For now let's go back to the cafe so we can eat!"

Remembering the many pokemon around and the possibility of many being in the cafe Raize only nodded nervously, following along with his new friends. They'd just met but these two simply felt safe to be around. Maybe it was the fact they'd saved him or Pancham taking the time to talk to him and Riolu doing...whatever he did...to make the pain go away. Whatever it was, they seemed nice and anything was better than going back to the forest.

The sun was starting to dip in the sky as they made their way back down to Baram Town's square so many of the shops were trying to hawk their wares to the many pokemon about for their midday/early afternoon breaks and meals. To distract himself from the crowds and feeling of claustrophobia the Purrloin turned his attention to Pancham and Riolu, who were kind enough to slow down once they left the guild building.

"So...uhm...you guys wanted to be Explorers, but now you're not, and that was on the Grass Continent and this is...Air? And what did you do to me that calmed me down, Riolu? Was it that Calm Mind thing?" He asked, inwardly hoping he wasn't prying too much or being a nuisance to the pair. A feeling that didn't get better as he saw Pancham give Riolu a hard look that was returned by the pup tugging at one of his dangles.

"Yeah, yeah, I know my dad doesn't like me doing that in front of other pokemon, you don't need to remind me." Riolu pre-empted his friend, holding open the door to the cafe so they could come in. "We couldn't be Explorers out here, so we decided to do the next best thing until we can save enough to go to the Grass Continent and register there." He continued, following Pancham back to a corner booth, tugging Raize along so the Purrloin didn't get lost in the late lunch crowd. "As for what I did...I basically shared myself with you?"

The answer made the feline blush as he was helped into the booth, sandwiched between Pancham and Riolu while the former perused the cafe menu. "Y-you...did what?"

"Shared myself. According to my dad I have an ability called Inner Focus, it helps keep me calm in stressful situations like battle. I just used my aura to share the calm with you, that's all." Riolu shrugged, leaning over to peer at the menu. "Ooooohh magikarp biscuitssss..." He began drooling, getting shoved back to his side of the booth by a Pancham paw to the face.

"Eugh, you're drooling! You seriously like those? Whatever, more than enough to cover what we want. Oh, hey, Raize, can you read?" Pancham asked curiously, moving the menu in front of the flustered feline.

"Uhm...I guess?" For the first time since entering town the Purrloin looked at something with words. It was...weird, and his confusion was evident enough to make Pancham concerned. "Can you...point out the magikarp biscuits?" He asked, squinting a bit and leaning in as they were indicated. "Oh...huh...oh! Okay." It was like something clicked in his head and the letters fell into place. "Uhm...is it weird I want the bacon and munchwaffles?"

"Heh! Better taste than you, Pancham! You always get the catergreens." Riolu stuck out his tongue, getting one stuck back by the indignant teammate.

"I like veggies, thank you! And no, Raize, it's not wrong to want the bacon and munchwaffles."

Making the order, Pancham handed over their table's menu to the Mienshao server and sat back with a sigh, chewing on his little bamboo shoot as he waited for their food to arrive. It wouldn't take long, though Raize simply marvelled at the thickness of the munchwaffles that were brought before him, Riolu drooling and staring at them even as his own magikarp biscuits arrived.

"U-uhm...do you...want one?" The Purrloin offered, barely getting the offer out before one of the big waffles was stolen from the top and stuffed into the pup's ravenous maw. "Eheh...seems like you're more hungry than I am!" The Raize's stomach growled and he was reminded of how little he'd really eaten, and began digging in as well. Pancham, on the other paw, was a bit more dignified in how he ate compared to his friend and teammate. Sadly, before any of them knew it the food was gone and they were left only with full bellies and a lighter coinpurse than when they arrived at the cafe.

"So Riolu?" Raize asked as they left the cafe, shielding his eyes from the evening sunlight, wincing as the sudden action tugged his bandages poorly.

"Hm? Yeah, what is it?" Riolu asked with a satisfied belch, arms thrown behind his head as he took the lead on taking the trio through Baram Town.

"You said you weren't supposed to do what you did before...for me...is it really okay?" He asked, hanging onto his tail as he shuffled along, glad that there were fewer pokemon out at this hour.

"It'll be fine, just don't mention it to his dad." Pancham waved a hand dismissively, cocking his from side to side and rolling his shoulders. "Mr. Lucario is grumpy enough I stay with them,  not that he'll ever say anything since I pull my weight around town, and now Riolu and I are Rescuers."

Nodding, the aura pup let out an exasperated sigh, hunching forward while he walked with sagging shoulders like some sort of blue-and-black canine zombie. "Uuuuugh, don't remind me how frustrating dad is, please!"

"Geez, not so loud, aren't we heading home to see if Raize can stay, anyway? Won't you wanna shmooze Mr. Lucario a little in case your mom isn't there?" Smirking, Pancham poked at his best friend's back, making the Riolu growl and groan in disappointment. "C'moooon, you and I both know we were thinking iiiiit~"

Pausing for a moment to process what was being said Raize let out something of a squeak, jogging painfully for a few moments to catch up alongside the two Rescuers. "W-w-wait, what?! Y-you two live together? You want me to stay with you?! I-Isn't that a lot to do for some pokemon you just met in the woods?! I-I-I could be a...a bandit o-or some sorta evil person or...or..." Sighing a bit, his panicked expression faded into a sad one as his large ears drooped back, squeezing his paws together as he stopped walking for real this time. "...or a burden?"

Turning their heads, the two youths looked baffled by the line of inquiry being thrown their way. "Why're you so worried? No one who's actually bad would be as sorry as you are about us just doing our job." Pancham replied matter-of-factly, arms folding as his ears twitched.

"Yeah, and if you really were bad I woulda sensed it when I calmed you down." Riolu shrugged, straightening up and walking over to take up the Purrloin's paws in his own. "My dad can be a jerk, but we'll figure something out! Sure, we can't just do this for everyone, but we saved you because we wanted to, and now we're helping you because we want to. So..." He looked at Pancham, getting a nod of approval before he turned back to Raize with a toothy grin. "Just shut up and accept our kindness!"

Blinking a few times, Raize took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, looking up into those sparkling, adorable blue puppy dog eyes. "Okay...I'm so-"

"Sorry! We know! Geez, you apologized like...16 times over lunch! We're heading to our place now so we're not taking you back to the infirmary in the dark in case Mr. Lucario actually says no." Pancham rolled his eyes, waiting for Riolu to take the lead and making sure Raize kept walking and didn't get left behind as they made their way to the edge of Baram Town.

The house the trio came up to was an unassuming brick affair like much of the other buildings in the town with an orange shingle roof and a single window with wooden bars in it. The front door seemed to be some sort of sturdy wood- likely old oak- with a rope handle. There was no knocking or ceremony from the boys, however, as Pancham just walked in, Riolu dragging the hesitant feline into the house. Inside was relatively simple, too, with a wooden floor, a simple stump table with log chairs, and some form of kitchen setup along one wall connected to a chimney.

Of all the features of the house that gave Raize pause, one did not make him marvel: the presence of a tall, scar-riddled Lucario leaning on the back wall near a doorway that led to another room. His eyes gleamed a bestial sunset orange hue, claw scars running on his chest and cut marks along one arm. A necklace with topaz gemstones hung about his neck and his expression was a rather disapproving scowl.

"Son. Pancham." Mr. Lucario spoke curtly, Pancham nodding respectfully to his friend's father even as the older pokemon moved up to them with long strides, leaning down to look at the Purrloin they'd dragged home. Those gleaming eyes narrowed and instilled fear in the little feline, who whimpered and shrank back. "And who, boys, is this?" His voice rumbled like a rockslide, and his presence was like a bonfire when you got just a little too close to the flame.

"Hey dad..." Riolu sighed through his nose, scooting in front of Raize to get the intimidating staring to stop. "...this is...Raize. We rescued him today when we were on our first mission."

Putting his hands on his hips Mr. Lucario quirked an eyebrow as he barely leaned to get another look at the cowering cat. "A Named One?" He gave a long, hard look at Raize then straightened up, turning away on his heel. "Doesn't look impressive enough for a name. Is there a reason you're bringing work like that home with you?" The hardened canine sounded dismissive as he opened a cabinet, the clinking of glass jars coming from inside.

"With all due respect, sir, he doesn't remember where he's from or...a lot of things, it looks like. When we found him he wasn't even fending off the ferals, not that he looked like he had a death wish." Pancham explained, holding a hand out to quiet Riolu from interjecting with some sass. However he did look to Raize just to make sure his explanation was accurate and after a few moments received some quiet nods. "He knew he had a name, and even if he's not a proper Named One does that matter? It's helping him for us to call him that."

"I don't care if he's a proper Named One or not, Pancham." Mr. Lucario growled, pulling out a bottle with a dark, syrupy liquid inside from the depths of the cabinet. "I want to know why you're bringing him here of all places. Rescues get processed at the guild, don't they?" His disapproval was becoming something of an irritated snarl by the time he strode back over. "Step aside, son."

At first Riolu was glaring up at his father, opening his mouth to sass, but then he saw the bottle and he got this squeamish look. "Ew, dad, the medicine? Really? Chansey already looked after him!" He whined as he was pushed aside with a surprising gentleness, the pup's feet just sliding on the wood floor as his dad knelt down and offered the bottle to the Purrloin.

"U-uhm...I...uhh..." Raize looked into those glowing eyes, and though his gaze wavered he could not truly look away. He began to hyperventilate...and then Riolu's father blinked slowly, opening the bottle and holding it up again. "E-eurgh! Wha?"

"Drink it. Just one swig."

The command seemed absolute, eliciting a nod from the bandaged feline as he gingerly took the bottle with his trembling paws. He looked so unsure, but as he glanced over at Pancham and Riolu neither of them seemed like they were going to stop this. In fact Riolu just looked green around the gills if nothing else. Well...if the worst part was it tasted awful then... Pressing the bottle to his mouth Raize tilted his head back quickly for a short swig and was greeted by a noxious smell and a foul taste! He nearly doubled over forward gagging and coughing, dropping to all fours as Mr. Lucario took the bottle and capped it, replacing it in the cabinet.

"Akh! Gakh! Kaf! Wh- cough wha wuz tha?" Raize asked with his tongue hanging out, tempted to lick the floor just to make the horrible, cloying taste go away. He teared up, whining as he managed to sit there, unwilling to retract his tongue for the time being.

"Medicine. My mate makes it. If your wounds weren't festering already from being out in the forest untreated and unhealed, that'll keep them from getting worse. I don't trust Chansey, especially when she leaves pokemon like you looking like some wrapped corpse." Mr. Lucario scoffed, turning his gaze to his son and Pancham. "You two never answered my question."

Growling, Riolu balled his hands into fists, dangles raised as his eyes flashed silver. "Didn't you hear Pancham, dad?! Raize doesn't have anywhere to go! He's not a Rescuer, and he doesn't belong to any of the other guilds according to Mrs. Swellow!" Slapping a paw to his face the young pup looked toward the back room. "Geez, you're worse than a Roggenrola, where's mom? She'll understand."

Taking the outburst in stride the Lucario simply sighed and leaned on the counter with one hand. "Your mother isn't here. She'll be out on a mission for a few days. So, yes, you're stuck with my cooking. Make sure to get up before breakfast is cold tomorrow."

"Tch! Not like straight up berries get cold..." Riolu grumbled, grabbing at Raize's arm to start dragging him toward the other room. "C'mon."

"Ah! O-ow! Hey, Riolu that's...that's starting to hurt..." The Purrloin whimpered, tugging his arm away and looking worriedly up at the Lucario observing the spectacle with a strange passivity. "I...u-uhm...please...please, sir, if it's not too much trouble, may I stay? I promise I'll pull my weight! Y-you can have me do anything!"

Raising his eyebrows Riolu's father tilted his head to one side, a flick of his right ear revealing a ring with an amethyst pearl set in it near the tip. "Really? Anything? You think a little thing like you could keep up with my demands?" He paused, noting that Pancham hadn't spoke up yet, but chose to continue anyway. "I don't know why you'd want to stay here. I'd think you'd be better off in the guild to find out what's missing in that head of yours."

Riolu began to protest but rather than his best friend intervening, it was the Purrloin who interrupted a potential shouting match. "I...want to repay the kindness Pancham and Riolu have shown me. I know...I've...I know I don't remember a lot, but I'll help however I can. I don't want to be a burden on them after they've gone so far to help me after having just met me." Getting a determined look, Raize turned his eyes to the cabinet. "How much is the medicine? Will you let me stay if I promise to repay you for anything used on me?"

Dragging a hand over his face with an exasperated sigh the golden-eyed Lucario let this shoulders sag in defeat. "Good Arceus, you three won't quit, will you? Fine, you can stay. It's not like we're running out of food and it will keep my son from sulking. Just don't get in the way. If you're as useful as Pancham I suppose I can...tolerate your presence." Pointing at the Purrloin he gave Raize a look that chilled the young feline to the bone. "Do not disappoint me, Purrloin, or I'll toss you out."

Turning his gaze to Pancham, the Lucario curled his lip in a distasteful scowl. "I don't want to hear about you living at the guild, either. You're actually helpful around here, unlike my layabout son."

"Hey! I do too do stuff around here!" Riolu protested petulantly.

Counting off on his fingers Mr. Lucario almost boredly rattled off the things his son didn't do: "You slack on your training, you don't clean the dishes, the last time you helped collect firewood we were in the Grass Continent, your best friend lives here but you can't even make the beds in appreciation, and do I need to keep going?"

Puffing his cheeks out the frustrated young pup let out an exaggerated 'BAH!' and stomped into the back. Based on the noises that followed he'd flopped onto a bed and begun screaming into it. Pancham had to cover his mouth to muffle his own snickering. He'd been found out, after all, and it really seemed like nothing got past Mr. Lucario's eyes. The whole scene was rather off-putting for Raize, but something about Riolu's indignance was endearing and he shared a little giggle with Pancham over it.

"So...how often do you deal with all that?" He shuffled close to whisper, hoping that if they were overheard it wouldn't be too stern a scolding.

"Almost every day." Pancham smirked and shrugged, shifting around the position of his bamboo shoot in his mouth. "He was a lot grumpier before we started Rescuer training. Doesn't make me toss Riolu out the window if he sleeps in on training anymore."

Raize was incredibly glad he didn't have anything in his mouth at the time because he would have spat it out trying not to laugh at the absurdity. Somehow the image simply came to his mind and it was more than enough! While the youngsters talked amongst themselves, however, the adult grabbed a knapsack and slung its strap over his shoulder, heading for the door.

"I'm heading out. Remember-"

"If we aren't on a mission be inside after dark. I remember sir." Pancham replied.

With a nod the Lucario left the trio on their own in the house, having given them basic permission to allow Raize to stay. Pancham led his new friend to the back, revealing it to be a bedroom with another wall and a curtain-covered doorway separating it from the place angry Riolu noises were coming from. The bed here was big enough for two moderately sized pokemon and there was a side table with drawers and some sort of plant on it. The bulbs of it glowed softly in shifting hues of blue and violet, the shine catching the Purrloin's eyes, drawing him to it like a bug-type until Pancham dragged him off through the curtain.

The final room of the house was a smaller one but it was definitely a kid's room. Two smaller, padded beds that looked like oversized cushions next to each other with a pair of blankets, one of which was occupied by a face-down Riolu still screaming out his frustration into the cushions. A desk just behind the cushion-beds served like a sort of backboard and was divided by a chalk line shakily drawn down the middle. As Raize looked around he saw behind him was a chest that was partially propped open by a poorly stored training dummy of sorts, though it looked like there were probably some toys inside too.

"Heeeeey buddy, you done bein' mad at dad yet?" Pancham smirked as he sidled up behind his venting friend.

"MmmmMMMMRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!" Lifting up his head midway through his latest scream, Riolu took a deep breath and then groaned, flopping his head back down without even looking. "Dad can be the worst sometimes...it's not like we don't have room left back here...why's he gotta ruin anything good 'n fun Pancham?"

"Iunno!" Pancham shrugged, plopping down on his bed, looking rather pleased with himself. "Your dad didn't seem that bad today. He coulda totally hucked Raize out the window without a second thought, but he didn't."

"Wait...he didn't?" Riolu looked back, seeing a sheepish feline standing there, waving at his new roommates.

Inhaling in a huge gasp Riolu pushed himself up to run over and hug Raize, ending up falling all over himself as he tripped at the edge of his bed, falling flat. Pancham burst out laughing at his friend's mild misfortune, falling back and holding his rocking sides. Though the Purrloin, startled by the sudden lunge, backed up at first only to rush forward and help Riolu up. He was greeted by a slightly scuffed up puppy grin that, somehow, put him at ease.

"A-are you okay?" Raize gently brushed off some dust from the pup's face and shoulders, getting waved away as Riolu turned his head to avoid face-touching like any kid who's had their parents attempt to wash their face before. "Sorry! Sorry...and...thanks."

"Bleh! Bluh! Huh? But I probably didn't help at all..." Sighing, Riolu grumped and got to his feet, padding over to the chest to rummage through it. "...stupid dad...why couldn't he just say 'yeah, son, sure your friend can stay if they help around the house!' instead of being a jerk."

"You know everything he said was right, though, right Riolu?" Pancham crossed his legs as he looked at the beds. "And where is Raize gonna sleep? We only have two beds, and we don't have enough from the mission to get another..."

"I'll sleep on the floor and he can have mine!" Riolu declared with absolute certainty, causing the present feline to blush and fidget where he stood. "A-HAAaaa...ah...dangit!" At first victorious in cry, Riolu pulled out a blanket only to find it had some holes in it. "Ugh, looks like a Venomoth ate it..." He complained, peering into the chest before leaving it and holding the blanket up to check the damage. Sadly the deep blue cloth had a large hole in the  middle and a few smaller ones dotting the rest of its meager expanse. Even so, Riolu wrapped it around himself and walked over to the others with a smile. "It's...not so bad. I'll be okay, it's not too cold out yet!" His bravado was met with disapproving looks from both Pancham and the Purrloin.

"Pancham..." Purrloin started, earning a nod from the similarly annoyed-looking little panda.

"Yep, say no more." He began walking over to Riolu even as the aura pup stuttered protests. Without ceremony Pancham lifted up his friend and sat them, flailing, on their own bed. "Iunno if you're just dense but you're starting to make our guest uncomfortable. Seriously, have some tact!"

"Wuh-?! I'm just trying to be nice!" Growling indignantly Riolu tossed off his ratty old blank. "He's probably been sleeping in trees or somethin' so he deserves a bed! I can just save my cuts til I can get a new one for me."

Sighing, the Purrloin clasped his paws before him, forcing his eyes up from the floor despite the anxiety now encompassing his early flusterment. "Riolu...r-really, I appreciate this. All of this. I promise I'll repay you both, but..." Sighing again he took a deep breath, giving Riolu a concerned look. "...it's almost too much! This is your home, and you even fought your dad over me. Just...will you trust me when I say I don't mind the floor? It's gotta be better than the forest. I know we just met but...I trust both of you...so...?" His tail was flicking back and forth nervously as he stood there, still looking beat up as could be with all his bandages.

"Rrrnnh...okay..." Hopping up he kicked one foot at the floor. "I'm sorry...Pancham's like...my only friend...I guess I was just...excited to have a new one?" He flinched when Pancham punched his shoulder playfully, cracking a smile. "That and it felt so awesome saving you today."

"Aww, well..eheh...thanks for saving me. I don't know if I said that before." Rubbing at his more bandaged arm Raize smiled, seeing the two before him start a playful shoving match. "Is it okay if I sleep?"

"Sure, I'll make sure this numbskull doesn't wake you up!" Pancham snickered, dashing ahead of Riolu, shouting something about doing some training outside, the blue pup taking that as a challenge and rushing off without hesitation.

Golden daylight waned into scorching amber, creeping toward transitional scarlet as Riolu's father walked through town with a stern look upon his face. Most of the townsfolk avoided him when they noticed, but he'd become adept at sidestepping their gazes. It was almost as if he were a ghost despite how his eyes and gemstone jewelry glowed with internalized power. His footsteps led him to one of the windmills situated just within the outer edges of the forest about Baram Town, and he knocked on the door at its base. The rusted hinges creaked as the door was slowly pulled open, a pair of red eyes peering up at the Lucario briefly before the tall pokemon pushed his way in.

"Ack! Hey, Skallus, what's the big idea?! Have some patience will ya?!" The squeaky, mildly grating voice of the Pineco came as it hopped out of the way of the Lucario barging in. "I don't have arms but this is my windmill ya know." The bagworm pokemon bristled, shoving the door shut. "Where's the wife, isn't she going to help?"

"She is on a mission. Do you still want my help, or not?" Skallus replied without hesitation as he took off his bag, setting it down on the stone table with a heavy thud.

"Well yeah, but I thought you'd be a little more considerate." Pineco grumbled, hopping over and firing a stringshot into the first floor ceiling. "Did you bring the tablets? We're gonna need 'em."

"You mean I'm going to need them." The Lucario sighed, taking a seat and crossing one leg over the other, pulling out a thick tome with a burgundy cover and a bottle with some pressed, green tablets. "You can't even use them and your carapace will protect you from the darts we encountered last time we went in."

Swinging over, Pineco landed with a few short hops on the table, peering at the book as the Lucario opened it up. "You can't seriously be saying those traps reset?" The look they received was enough to tell them that, yes, they had reset. "Noted."

"If they didn't reset because it's an MD, they reset because G-Cubed are hiding in there." The Lucario flipped through a few pages of the burgundy book, stopping on a pair of pages with an old illustration and some sort of entry alongside it. "They probably don't even know what they're hiding in. Then again if they did they'd be bolder."

"Those bandits...aren't you hunting them?" Squinting their eyes Pineco shimmied about to read the book, finding it to be in some odd, cubic language. "Geez, how can you ruin hunters read this babble?" They shifted their attention to the image, which appeared to be some crumbling edifice marked with iconography reminiscent of beams of light and pokemon silhouettes. "You're sure there's still loot in there, though?"

With a nod Skallus lifted his medicine bottle, giving it a light shake as he observed the tablets inside. "Positive. G-Cubed know they're infamous. They'd be insane to believe they could trade treasures in town. Rescuers might not be Enforcers but they won't abide thieves and murderers in broad daylight. Keep an eye out in case someone suddenly starts looking wealthy, though."

"Aye, aye, captain 'cario! You sure it's fine for you to go, though? Those kids will notice if you're gone long."

Glaring from the nickname, Skallus slammed the book shut, nearly catching Pineco in the process. "I'm just scouting. I'll take out the traps again and check tomorrow night if they've been reset. The more we know before going after G-Cubed and the treasure the better." He collected up the book, taking a trip to a nearby chest and pulling out some citrus berries.

"W-woah,  hey, Skallus those are expensive y'know!" Pineco hopped off the table after the long-legged lug, starting to sweat through their carapace. "I'm not made of money yet!"

"Relax, they're just in case I'm ambushed in a bad spot. I'll bring them back." Stuffing the berries in his pack Skallus made for the door. "If I can."

In the middle of the night the recently rescued Purrloin awoke with a start, gasping and whimpering as his injuries ached from the sudden movement. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as it was before, but it was the nightmare that woke the young feline that gave him such grief. Putting a paw to his sweat-drenched forehead Raize tried to make sense of the images that had frightened him, but already they were fading as if receding behind a curtain of fog. Yet he knew if he tried to sleep again they'd only return.

Looking up he saw the soundly sleeping forms of Riolu and Pancham on their beds, conked out after a hard day of work and some friendly sparring. Not wishing to disturb his new friends Raize slowly pushed up to his feet, tentatively testing the nearby floorboards before he silently padded to the divider curtain, peering through. Oddly enough Mr. Lucario wasn't there, but he wasn't going to complain about the absence of the stern patriarch. Sneaking around the edge of the room he crept out to the main space of the brick abode until he got to the stovetop.

Pulling up to peer at the cooking surface, he noted a simple plate with what looked like a small firestone installed beneath. Feline eyes swept around, noting the cabinets above and what looked to be an oven door just under the stove, a large rectangular box off to the side. A few sniffs and a twitch of his whiskers told the Purrloin the big box probably held temporary foodstuffs, so he can probably find a pan above.

Wait...what am I doing? Raize thought as he hung there on the edge of the stove, the tips of his paws just barely grazing the floor. I can't possibly cook...can I? Why am I trying to do that when I don't know how?! Sighing, he let himself down and tapped at his chin in thought. But...it'd be nice if I could make something for Pancham and Riolu for all they've done for me. But would Mr. Lucario even let me...?

As he contemplated these problems the door slowly opened with a soft creak...

The Purrloin's head snapped up, tired eyes going wide as he saw the gleaming orange of Mr. Lucario's eyes in the darkness of the earliest hours of the day. The tall bipedal moved in and shut the door quietly, setting down his bag on the table as if Raize wasn't even there. For a few moments he even thought he'd gone unnoticed...and then promptly nearly flew to the ceiling when a soft 'hey' was directed at him.

Skallus eyed his son's new friend as they tried not to hyperventilate, staring at him like he was Giratina incarnate. "Why aren't you sleeping? Your injuries won't heal if you don't rest." A simple, pragmatic question. Even as the Purrloin fumbled to answer the Lucario focused, but found no ill intent in the flustered houseguest- only fear, confusion, and trepidation.

"I-I...w-well..." Poking his fingers together Raize looked away, feeling more than a little self-conscious. "...I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to try and make breakfast for everyone...but..." The little poke's ears, shoulders, and tail all drooped as he whimpered, keeping his voice down. "...I don't know how. I don't know why I wanted to even try, not like I have any memories..."

Mr. Lucario stared hard at the Purrloin but could find no hint of deception no matter how hard he looked. He really does have amnesia...of all the times for my wife to be away... He thought, broken from his mental reverie by the sound of a soft sniffle. "Why are you crying? Clearly your body remembers something your mind doesn't. At least if you know cooking you aren't a wild." Not the most comforting thing he could have said, but it wasn't like he was in the business of sugarcoating the facts. "What did you even want to make? We just have berries and mushrooms."

Sniffling again Raize shook his head, unsure what he'd even had in mind. If he'd even had anything in his mind in the first place. He just didn't want to go to sleep again and he just...automatically wanted to do something nice. "I...don't know..."

"Well I can't cook and I'm tired." Mr. Lucario waved dismissively, moving closer and crouching down. "I never said you had to cook to stay here, but if you want to try you're on your own. Just don't wake me up doing this. Hmm?" His voice was still stern but the way he spoke he was definitely making an effort to be kind of comforting.

Nodding, the Purrloin hugged his friend's father, eyes squeezed shut to fight back any further tears of frustration. "Okay!" With a sniff, he blinked when his paw nudged something stuck in the Lucario's side. "U-uhm...Mr. Lucario? I think something's stuck on you." He moved back and fidgeted, knowing he may have overstepped his bounds giving the hug.

The hug wasn't entirely unexpected, but Skallus could only have a deadpan expression as he allowed it. Why did his son have to bring home a hugger? Why not an obedient Poochyena or Growlithe? "Eh?" He blinked and twisted, seeing a drugged dart still stuck in his back. "Oh...huh, thought I got all of those." Pulling the dart out he winced, moving quickly to his bag and stuffing the thing inside, taking a tablet from the medicine bottle for good measure. "Gnnhh...good eye, kid. I'm gonna lay down. Good luck with your...cooking." With that dealt with he shuffled past the Purrloin to the main bedroom, flopping face-down on the soft bedding. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, releasing the tension built up from his reconnaisance mission, aiming to get a few hours of rest before Riolu and Pancham woke up.

Raize, for his part, watched Mr. Lucario go with some concern. Still, this only left him with permission to cook, not the knowledge on how to cook. Huffing through his nose the sleepless feline looked back up at the cabinets and steeled what resolve he could.

With tiny grunts of effort and whimpers as he pulled at his bandages the smallish feline clambered his way on top of the stove top and looked up at the cabinet. Balancing somewhat precariously as he pulled the cabinet open, he flicked his tail this way and that to find equilibrium while he peered into the dark recesses of the storage space. Spices, cups, and utensils met the Purrloin's eyes, but all of it was in a state of disorganization making it hard to gain bearings on what was where. Further up in the cabinet it looked like there was a pan and a few containers that probably had medicine or something meant to be out of the reach of children.

Letting out a whiny sigh Raize shut the cabinet and carefully got down from the stovetop. Next destination was the foodbox, which he found much easier to reach. Sadly a few common berries lay within and he had no idea what was what aside from the fact the blue berries- he was pretty sure the menu yesterday called them Oran berries- were good and the hard, bitter ones could help you stay awake. The selection was meager but if he could cook them they'd probably taste better! The problem now was how to cook them if he didn't have a pan!

Tapping his chin Raize shut the food box and did his best to quietly head outside, tired eyes scouring the ground fo twigs. "Maybe if I find a sharp twig I can but the berries on it and just cook'em over the plate..." He muttered to himself, moving away from the house and scavenging a few decently sized sticks before heading back inside. The sticks weren't particularly sharp, but they'd need to do, even if he didn't have a way of clearing bark from them.

With these improvised skewers Raize pulled out a few berries and stuck them on kind of haphazardly, not having enough to make organized skewers and no knife to cut up the ones they had. I'm just glad I have hands, this would suck if I didn't. He thought, setting the berry kabobs on the stove plate and hopping up again to attempt cooking.

The curious cat could not, despite his efforts, find any sort of switch or button to activate the fire stones. So, with great caution, Raize slid his tail under the cooking plate to poke at the fire stones to see if that worked. To his credit it did, indeed, work though his poor tail became singed before he could yank it back. Stifling squeaky whimpers of pain the Purrloin hugged at his tail and licked at it to soothe the mild burn, trying to keep an eye on the skewers now that cooking had finally begun.

It would be hours before the sun crested the horizon and shone its golden light upon Baram Town and its many windmills. Pancham rose from his bed with a long yawn, sniffing the air and finding the scent of something cooking in it. Blinking sleepily the young Rescuer leaned over and shook his best friend awake. Riolu rose with his eyes closed, groaning at being up so early despite that being rather the new time for him to be up now that he was a Rescuer too.

"Mrrmmh? Pancham it's earlyyyyy...." Riolu rubbed the sleep from his eyes, tilting his head back with a loud, canine yawn.

"Yeah, but it smells like something's cooking! Maybe your mom came home early?" Pancham smiled, scooting off his bed. Then he noticed the lack of a sleeping Purrloin on the floor and cast his gaze this way and that. "Huh, where's Raize?"

"Iunno, but there's no way mom's back and dad can't cook." Riolu kept his ratty blanket wrapped around himself as he shuffled out of the bedroom, finding his father snoring face-down on his bed. Rather than disturb his dad Riolu went ahead to the living area, stopping just a few steps in and staring at Raize sitting on the stove frantically batting his paws over the unheated surfaces. Pancham followed his friend but was stopped by an outstretched paw.

"Oof! Riolu what's the big idea?" Pancham grumbled, met by the pup pointing at Raize. It took a minute for the panda's eyes to finally reach their intended destination, at which point they conveyed concern.

"Nyaaah! Turn off, turn off!" Raize hissed quietly as he tried to find a button or something on this blasted thing to turn off the fire stones. He didn't even noticed Pancham and Riolu creeping up behind him nor the pair moving a sliding lever off to the side that covered the fire stones. "Ah?! Haha! I can't believe that worked!"

"It didn't" Pancham replied, startling the sleep-deprived feline. Both he and Riolu watched as Raize yowled and fell off the stove, flopping onto the floor with a rather ungraceful thud. "A...are you okay?"

"Mrewr...I-I'm fine...sorry if I woke you." Picking himself up the Purrloin shook his head, yawning a bit.

Moving up, Riolu stood on his tip-toes and grabbed a skewer, biting into it before anyone could really stop him. He got a punch to the arm by Pancham for his rudeness and though he tried to respond his mouth was rather full of well-cooked berry.

"Hey, you could at least say thank you! Geez...so you can cook, Raize?" Turning his attention away from his feeding friend Pancham smiled, feeling like perhaps the Purrloin was already recovering. "It smells good at least, better than anything Mr. Lucario makes."

Smiling shyly Raize giggled at seeing the two friends and their morning drowsiness, though he was just glad Riolu hadn't started throwing up. "Thanks...I couldn't sleep so I thought I should try and do something. As a thank you, you know? ...then I realized I have no idea how to cook."

"Agh uldent awl dis moh idea!" Riolu said with their mouth full, taking a minute to chew the rest of his berry kabob and swallow. "It's not cafe quality but it's way better than dad cooking! Think you'd do it again?" He asked excitedly, tail wagging through one of the holes in his blanket.

"Really? C'mon he's still injured-"

"Sure!" Raize cut off Pancham with a bright smile. The praise really did make him feel better, and by the look of things he wasn't a half-bad amatuer cook. "Er...if that's still okay with Mr. Lucario..."

Rolling his eyes Riolu grabbed another skewer and began marching back to his father. Pancham grabbed two, holding one out to Raize with a warm smile. "It's only right you have some too. Thanks for breakfast!" He only started to eat as soon as the Purrloin took the other skewer.

The flavor of a cooked berry is usually enhanced, and it was no less true in this case! Pancham practically purred in delight as he took his skewer to the table to sit down, leaving Raize to stand there and stare at his own handiwork in amazement. He took a bite and squeaked in surprise as berry juices drooled down his chin warm and sweet. Rushing over to the table the frantic feline leaned over the surface to catch dripping juice so he didn't make a mess on the floor while he ate, blushing in embarrassment as Pancham snickered at his predicament.

Riolu came back out with his empty skewer, hoping up onto a seat and waving the twig around. "Ya know ya could've prolly sharpened these with your claws." He noted, trying to get some errant berry from his teeth with his tongue.

As Raize looked at his paw in contemplation, wondering how he might get his claws to come out, Riolu's father came by and collected the makeshift skewers. Wordlessly the Lucario went and set them on the stovetop, adding his own to the bundle soon after. He definitely looked tired, but at least he didn't appear so irritable at the moment.

"U-uhm...I hope you liked it Mr. 'cario." Fidgeting, the Purrloin twisted to look at the patriarch of the household, feeling as though his chest couldn't get any tighter.

"Mmh? It's decent. I'd have just given the boys berries an' sent 'em off." Shrugging, he took a moment to inspect the Purrloin's bandages. "Have Chansey replace these when you take your friend back to Rescue HQ today. They're mostly clean but it's good practice. They'll understand." When he was done poking and prodding Skallus excused himself to return to bed...if just leaving the room counted as excusing himself.

Riolu watched his dad go then turned to look at Raize and Pancham. "How'd he know we were even gonna? I swear dad's part psychic or something." Huffing, he began licking his fingers of berry juice.

"Because what else were we gonna do?" Pancham sighed, offering a cleaning rag to Raize as he got up, checking his bandana and pulling out his bamboo sprig. "Sorry for not asking you about it before. It's okay if you want to stay here or not do anything today. We'd understand." Pancham gave Riolu a look when the aura pup motioned like he was gonna protest to that last bit.

Chuckling, Raize looked at himself as he cleaned the berry juices from his face and paws. "It's okay, I wouldn't know what to do with myself anyway, and I'd feel bad doing nothing! I said I'd repay you both somehow." Pausing, the feline's eyes were drawn to the bandanas his two rescuers were sporting. "...maybe I could even become a Rescue Agent." He mused, which earned a HUUUUUGE grin from Riolu as they made their way out to Baram Town beneath the morning rays of the sun.

Getting to Rescue HQ wasn't nearly so bad for Raize today; it was early with few pokemon and he was feeling a bit more confident with Riolu and Pancham at his side despite his lack of a good night's sleep. As before the trio made their way up to the front desk where a rather well-rested looking Mrs. Swellow was sitting with her usual amount of morning paperwork.

"Hi Mrs. Swellow!" Riolu was still grinning as he pulled himself up to eye level with the avian pokemon. "We need Chansey to check Raizes...er...Raizuhzes...uhm..." He pointed at the Purrloin as he fell back to the floor. "His bandages. Also can he be a Rescuer too so we can be our own team?"

Mrs. Swellow rather calmly waited for the excitable young canine to finish before leaning over to appraise the situation in front of her desk. "One thing at a time, young Rescuer, one thing at a time! Let's all go see Chansey and we can conduct an interview during the check-up."

The excitement was palpable from the rookie Rescuers as they were led toward the infirmary with their half-mummified friend in tow. While Pancham was a bit more reserved about it, it seemed like nothing could keep the little panda from grinning ear-to-ear. If Raize could become a Rescue Agent and they all teamed up they would be a fully-fledged team allowed to start picking their own missions instead of just getting assignments from Mrs. Swellow! Riolu was of a similar mind, though he was more so excited to have Raize on their team in general. They were already living together (no matter how recent that arrangement was) so it was almost like they were already an established team with their own home base!

    Chansey was seeing to a poor little Teddiursa with more than a few bandages around their hands. From the sound of things the little bear had a habit of getting paper-cuts and Chansey was darn near demanding they start wearing gloves while they did their reading. It took a minute or two for them to finish with their ursine patient before they could turn their attention to the new arrivals in the rather small infirmary. Mrs. Swellow exchanged pleasantries with the HQ medic while Pancham and Riolu helped Raize up onto one of the inspection tables.

“So.” Chansey started as they moved over to the return patient, gingerly peeling away the Purrloin’s old bandages to check their wounds. “I hear you want to join Pancham and Riolu here as a Rescuer?” Though they were gentle there was a steely tone to their voice that caused the mentioned youths to shiver. “Are you sure you’re up for that? You’re liable to get more than scraped up like this if you do.”

    Sighing a bit, Raize winced as one of the wrappings on his arm tugged at a healing scratch. “I...w-well…” He looked down at his new friends, then over at Mrs. Swellow pleadingly, having hoped she might be doing the interview. “...I want to repay them, and maybe along the way I can get my memory back.”

    “That so?” Chansey leveled a glare at the two rookies standing by, causing them to jump and look away nervously. “How good of a fighter are you? Climber? Swimmer? How quick are you? How strong?” The guild medic was looking increasingly irritated as their patient kept leaning back and whimpering. “These two have worked hard to be rookies and they still got banged up saving you yesterday!” Huffing, once more Chansey glared at Pancham and Riolu, just to get the point across. “Am I going to see you after every job? Every morning?”

    Something broke and the poor cat shut his eyes, putting his paws on his head. “I DON’T KNOW!” He shouted loud enough to nearly put a Whismur to shame. After a few moments of heavy breathing and not getting a response Raize opened his eyes slowly, seeing everyone was staring at him. “I...I don’t know how to fight, but I’ll learn.” Slowly lowering his paws to his lap he looked ahead, trying to keep a determined face. “I don’t remember much, but I can climb, I can run...and I want to be useful!”

Hopping closer Mrs. Swellow fluttered onto the table and put a wing around the frustrated young feline. “We all understand wanting to be useful, dear, but we want to make sure it’s not a misplaced feeling. It’s one thing to feel indebted to those who rescued you and another to join them in rescuing others.” It was easy for her to see by the disappointment on the Purrloin’s face that he really hadn’t been thinking it through. “However, there are ways to help and not put yourself in harm’s way all the time.” Though the aspiring Rescuer ‘neath her wing seemed confused the two rookies brightened up and stepped closer...at least until Chansey gave them a glare as she set about re-binding what few healing wounds remained.

    “Really, Mrs. Swellow? Desk duty? Do you think these energetic little things will be content with desk duty?” Chansey huffed, reviewing her handiwork. “Though at least the worst you’ll need to worry about is papercuts.”

    “It’s not glamorous, but it will give Purrloin time to heal and become acquainted with how things work here.” Mrs. Swellow replied cheerily, adjusting her specs. “You won’t just become a Rescue Agent right off the Zubat, but if you really want to continue doing this by the time you’re certified then we can just set you up with Pancham and Riolu. Again, if that’s what you want, dear.”

    Pushing off the inspection table Raize nodded, looking at himself as he turned around. “I can’t believe I healed that fast! I remember being in the forest for days and I’m sure some of those scratches were from before that…” The statement was enough to make Chansey puff out her chest with pride, though she didn’t interrupt. “It’s what I want Ms. Swellow. Please? I’ll do whatever it takes!”

“Ahahahaha~ It’s Mrs, dear, but all right. I can tell you’re coming from a good place. As long as these two don’t push you into anything then I don’t see why we can’t get you started.” Spreading her wings the amiable avian let out a pleased trill. “We can always use new recruits anyway! Come along, we’ll get your friends a new mission to work on while we’re at it.”

    The trio all shared warm smiles, rushing to catch up as Mrs. Swellow flew out of the infirmary back to her desk. They all shared a bit of a laugh as Chansey tried to berate the desk clerk for flying inside, quick to avoid the potent healer’s potentially painful wrath. When they slowed down it was Riolu who was still grinning with stars in his eyes.

    “Awesome! We gotta think of a team name now Pancham. That way we got it ready when Raize is certified!” He insisted despite the fact they were nowhere near that point. “How about...Team Awesome?”

    “I’m pretty sure that’s already taken. Besides, shouldn’t we wait to see if Raize still wants to team up with us after dealing with Rescue HQ for so long?” Pancham countered, folding his arms as he tried to be the voice of reason. “Also clearly we should be called Team Stray since you have a habit of collecting stray pokemon.” He smirked, motioning to himself and to Raize.

Giggling as he listened in Raize turned the corner first, nearly bumping into the Teddiursa from earlier in the process. “Oop! Sorry!” He apologized quickly before turning toward his saviors and walking backward. “Well you two wanted to be Explorers, right?” Pancham and Riolu nodded, not quite sure where this was going. “Why not Team Pioneer? Don’t pioneers go out to unexplored places in search of things or to settle wild lands?”

    “Huh...never heard of pioneers before. That sounds pretty cool to me. Riolu?” Pancham rubbed at his chin, feeling like the name just ‘clicked’ with them.

    Nodding ecstatically Riolu hopped up and down on their way to the front desk, his signature toothy grin bright and present. “Yes, yes yes!! We’re gonna be the best team ever! We’ll be Team Pioneer now and forever!”

    A declaration of intent that none of them would ever forget. Their story had only just begun, and they wouldn’t rest until they’d fulfilled their dreams and found Raize’s memories. After that? Well...they could wing it from there, right? No sense in looking too far ahead!

## Chapter 2 - The Meaning of 'Human'

A certain Purrloin sat at the front desk of Rescue HQ, fretting over paperwork he'd only just begun to understand. He was so tired he didn't even notice one of his unofficial team members coming in; a yawn and endless plain of papers obscuring his vision. The latest thing Raize had been staring at today was a series of certification documents and all the many, tiny words that made up its verbal bulk. He was just getting to the part about compensation in the event of expiration in the line of duty when someone dinged the bell at the desk, making him jump in his seat.

"Hi! How ya doin' on desk duty?" Riolu grinned up at his friend, flashing his pearly whites with a mischievous snicker. This bloody prankster knew exactly what he'd done.

"Can I be honest?" Raize asked as he leaned forward on his elbows. When Riolu nodded he continued. "It's..." Sighing, he looked away with his ears drooping from the shame. "...how can you tell everyone apart? It's embarrassing but there's been, like, 4 other Riolu I've had to deal with today and I couldn't tell who was who!" Practically laying on the desk- and his paperwork- now the Purrloin whined. "I've needed Mrs. Swellow's help six times today because of that...mrewr..."

Riolu couldn't help but giggle at his friend's plight, even if it was a silly one. "Really? I didn't know there were so many of me!" His joke was met with a tired feline glare, which only made him keep grinning. "C'mon, it's not that bad."

"Isn't there a way you can help me tell pokemon apart? I almost gave an 'A' mission to a 'C' agent!" Poor Raize had only been on this job for 3 days and he was starting to be frustrated.

Pondering on a possible solution to this problem, Riolu tugged at the end of his bandana. “I don’t think I can really help you?” Shrugging helplessly he waved his paws before him as he received an incredulous look. “I’m serious! The way I tell other Pokemon apart is different. Remember this?” As he’d done before Riolu activated his aura, causing his eyes to gleam silver for but a moment. “I tell everyone apart because their auras are different. Even if there are similar ones they might not be the same pokemon or have the same voice.” The more he talked the more he could tell this really wasn’t helping his friend. “You’d be better off asking Pancham to help you.”

    Raize groaned his dissatisfaction as he pushed back off the desk and into his provided chair. His tail swished back and forth, causing the rookie bandana tied to the end to flutter about. “I guess…” His dejected sigh transitioned into a fatigued yawn, rubbing at his tired eyes. “Wanna know how I can tell it’s you?” Opening one eye of his own the Purrloin smiled. “You’re the only one with blue eyes.”

“W-wha...uh...well…” Coughing into his paw the young Riolu looked away, kicking his foot on the floor. “...g-glad I stand out.” Flicking his gaze up he noted another yawn as Raize returned to doing desk work. “Still can’t sleep?”

    Shaking his head the tired cat shuffled some papers to get them nice and orderly. “I’m doing my best not to wake you guys up, but the nightmares haven’t stopped.”

“I’m sorry...but it’s okay! I came to tell you mom’s back from her trip, so maybe she can help you?” Riolu hopped up, clinging to the edge of the desk as he smiled brightly to try and cheer up his down friend. “Also turning in mission because Pancham got caught by old Mr. Politoad. I swear he’ll talk your ears off over nothing…”

Taking his turn to snicker and smirk Raize flipped through the papers he had available. “You’re lucky Mrs. Swellow trusts me enough for this.” On finding the requisite form he pulled out a stamp, slapping it down on the quest notification with a circular ‘complete’ stamp. “She’s in the office on floor two. Said if anyone came back they’d know where to go.” Sliding the paper forward, he watched Riolu snag it and head around the desk toward the main stairs.

    “Thanks Raize! See you after work!” Riolu replied as he bound off to get the reward for his team’s latest rescue. Despite his carefree response he was always thinking on how to make it easier for Raize to recognize him and Pancham when Raize would finally get to take to the field.

    When finally his shift was done for the day the Purrloin left the guild hall, just barely starting to trudge along when he was shoved from behind by an eager Froakie hopping down the steps and off into town. “H-hey, watch it!” Raize shook his paw at the fleeing frog, receiving a stuck-out tongue in response. Being the new recruit hadn’t done the feline any favors but most of the grief had been harmless pranks and teasing. Thankfully nobody had asked about his name or past yet, but that was probably thanks to Mrs. Swellow keeping everything quiet.

    Following the cobblestone road back to Riolu’s home he didn’t even make it five feet from the door before it was thrown open by an excitable aura pup and his black-and-white friend. Raize didn’t even manage a mew as he was dragged inside and immediately things felt...different than the past few days. Riolu’s father was sitting at the table not glaring at anyone and the home was being warmed by something cooking in the oven. Standing at it was a female lucario bearing an amethyst necklace similar to Skallus’ and on one ear she bore an earring with an emerald green gemstone. Unlike when he’d first seen Riolu’s father, Raize didn’t feel fear or apprehension at the mere sight of Mrs. Lucario, instead he felt at ease.

    “Oh! Hello there! You must be Riolu’s new friend.” Padding over with a beatific smile Mrs. Lucario knelt down, offering her hand over to the awestruck Purrloin. “He’s been talking about you ever since I got home. You’d think he’d replaced poor Pancham here as his bestie.” She chuckled, her voice sounding like the lilting ring of small bells.

    Stuttering at first, Raize reached out to shake Mrs. Lucario’s hand, barely even registering a snarky outburst by Pancham regarding her playful commentary. Despite how put-off the little bear was, the matriarch of the family was calm, her gentle touch soothing to the mildly dazed feline. “I...uh...h-hello miss...er...Mrs. Lucario. I’m Raize.”

One of her ears flicked as she quirked an eyebrow, though her smile did not falter. “Oh-ho~ my son must be doing well if he’s friends with a Named One.” Leaning in, she put another paw to Raize’s head as if checking for a fever, though this made her chest-spike central to the young cat’s vision. “My pup tells me you’ve been having nightmares. I can tell your mind is troubled, but if I believe all the boys are saying I can’t be surprised.” Moving away, the female Lucario stood and checked the oven, the smell of cooking food wafting into the room. “Almost done! Why don’t you three play a while, okay? I can help Raize when it’s time for bed.”

    The sight of the sharp looking spike so close to his face made Raize nervous, but there was something about Mrs. Lucario’s demeanor that didn’t make him want to immediately bolt. “Y-you really don’t have to.” Hugging himself, Raize looked from side to side at Riolu and Pancham, feeling guilty for the efforts being brought toward his health. “I don’t want to be a bother...I can’t even fight so...it’s not like a little lost sleep will hurt my desk work.”

    “Hey, don’t be like that!” Pancham patted at the Purrloin’s back, a determined expression on his face as he swapped which side of his mouth his bamboo sprig was in. “It ain’t nothin’ for Mrs. Lucario! She can even heal pokemon with aura, she’s amazing! A lil’ old nightmare won’t be any match for her!”

    Nodding, Riolu joined in on the encouragement, hopping around in front of Raize. “Yeah! Even I can’t do that sorta stuff. Mom’s super awesome even for a Lucario!”

Giggling as she pulled a tray with some sort of cooked fowl on it from the oven Mrs. Lucario shook her head. “You all are so sweet, but it’s really not a bother. I do all sorts of apothecary work here in town. I was actually out on a mission to gather herbs for remedies. My husband and I aren’t Rescuers so we do what we can. Now go play before he makes you train!”

    “Ack! C’mon Pancham, grab Raize and let’s get out of here!” Riolu zipped out the front door, giggling childishly as he ran around the side of the house to get closer to the trees. Pancham tugged Raize along, leaving the adults inside to tend to dinner.

    Rolling his eyes, Skallus sighed and looked down at his cup of water. He didn’t get why his son- or sons if he chose to consider Pancham that as well- didn’t keep up with training the way he had as a child. “Letting them run free and play is all well and good, but that won’t prepare them for dungeons or the rest of the world.” He didn’t need to look to feel the presence of his wife moving up behind him, her arms draping about his neck in a light hug.

    “My dear...you cannot expect them to train so often as we did. That isn’t the life they were born into.” Resting her head atop his, she allowed their auras to mingle, soothing her mate’s tense body. “You went into the ruin again. I see where our son gets his independence.”

    Scoffing, the male Lucario sipped at his water, sighing through his nostrils as his wife’s mere embrace relaxed him. “G-Cubed jumped me, I couldn’t contend with them and the traps. Pineco is getting antsy, but I didn’t use his items so that buys some patience.” Shrugging, he glanced at his bag sitting at the foot of the table and the book peeking out from within. “I just want him to be ready, Ea. Pancham is dutiful, but a lone pokemon is in constant danger out there, and they’re just kids. And that cat…” He growled a bit, the water in his cup rippling as his amber aura seeped out.

Tightening her hug, Mrs. Lucario- Ea- allowed her chest spike to dig between Skallus’ shoulders. “Is also just a child. Name or not. We don’t know why they have a name, but it doesn’t matter. It comforts them to be called it. Wouldn’t you be upset if someone who knew your name refused to use it?” Easing up as soon as her husband flinched, she turned away and moved to add the finishing touches to the avian meal she’d been cooking.

    Grunting, Mr. Lucario moved to rub at his back, feeling sore from his wife’s spike in his back. “You know pokemon shouldn’t have my name on their minds. Not after the Sand Continent, but you’ve made your point for now.” Finishing his water he got up, taking the bag toward the parental bedroom. “I’m going to review some notes. Maybe with your help I can start training that Purrloin, too.”

    When her husband didn’t use Raize’s name it made Ea sigh, but she’d made her case. It would be up to the both of them to resolve that sort of issue, not her. Instead Mrs. Lucario focused on cutting meat into edible slices, adding herbal spices to each plate and some berries for garnish. When she was done she went outside, calling for the young trio to come in for dinner.

    The family dinner was a much more lively affair now that Mrs. Lucario was home. Whereas before Skallus would just take a berry and eat it in the bedroom he now sat at the table and engaged in some (minor) conversation. Riolu and Pancham were both more animated, eagerly retelling how they’d saved Raize to Mrs. Lucario and what they’d done over the last three days besides. It was a big difference, and though he was sheepish to share his own stories Raize opened up enough to talk about his deskwork at Rescue HQ.

After dinner Riolu and Pancham pulled Raize back to their bedroom to play and plan for future rescue missions. Throughout this period of time Raize kept starting to nod off, his exhaustion increasingly clear. A filling, warm meal was always helpful to nudge one toward sleep, and the feline was already sleepy to begin with. With a wide, drawn-out yawn the tired cat flopped back on the floor. “H-hey Riolu, think your mom can do her calming thing now? Sorry…”

    Shaking their head Riolu waved off the apology and went to get his mother while Pancham dragged their friend onto Riolu’s bed for good measure. It didn’t take long for Riolu to lead his mom in by the hand and she knelt beside the kitten struggling to keep his eyes open. “It’s okay. I know nightmares are scary, but like my son you’ll get past them.” Her hands became wreathed in a gentle lavender light as she laid them on Raize, closing her eyes. “Just rest, little one. You are safe and with friends.”

    Ever so slowly Raize allowed his heavy eyelids to drift shut, feeling his healing body and troubled mind relax beneath Mrs. Lucario’s soothing touch. A mewling sigh left him as he descended into the pleasant depths of slumber with the hope he would not awaken again from strange places and looming silhouettes plaguing his dreams.

## Trivia

* Raize being found with no memories, struggling with moving his body at first, and having difficulty distinguishing Pokémon of the same species apart serves as strong evidence that Raize is human. This calls into question Raize's statements in Session 10 of the series, where he tells Team Cheer about where he, Tiber and Pangoro came from.