Chapter 5

All Fun And Games

"And then… he fell into a Pitfall Trap!" Roark finished abruptly as he slammed his mug back onto the table, roaring with laughter.

Gloria started to giggle, but that soon turned into full blown laughter as the entirety of Roark's story sunk in. A tired Liam on the other hand just seemed confused thinking it over.

"How would you even get out of a pitfall in a Mystery Dungeon?" Liam asked.

Roark waved a claw, "Well, let's say you aren't issued rope at the guild for nothing."

The previous day of surveying the archives and libraries had taken a toll on the two Pokémon, mostly Gloria. After their last stop at a quiet fountain plaza, the sun began to set across the city, signaling the end of their ventures. Liam, being the only one awake, scooped up the napping Vulpix and headed off home. To which he would hand off her to the recently arrived and amused Roark.

She was quite heavy. Although, he would never tell that straight to her face.

Afterward, he stayed up the majority of the night still muzzle-deep in the book about all the Pokémon in the world. The average word heavy novel wouldn't suffice his appetite for knowledge, but the descriptions of certain Pokémon fascinated him to no end. Goliaths of rock and steel, fire breathing beasts, and even sentient piles of grime.

The Riolu would admit, accompanied by some shame, that he had lost a lot of sleep that night. Now, in the morning of a new day, they were sitting and eating breakfast, listening to another one of Roark's tales of the guild. Liam was still blinking away remnants of a bad night's rest.

"Anyway, I-"

A rapid series of knocks on the front door cut through Roark's story as a familiar but muffled surly voice came from outside.

"Roark! Open up, the guild's got some news."

Roark's open mouth transformed into a grin as he ejected himself from his seat. He spared a look towards the two Pokémon still seating, who were looking at him in anticipation. Gloria's eyes shrunk a little as she bit her lip, a nervous sweat almost beginning to form around her brow. Liam would blink away any notion of sleep in him as he heard those words.

'The guild… is here to determine if we enter or not?'

A bit of excitement crept into him as his heart started to thump slowly into his chest. If he was correct in his assumption, then this would decide if they would get in or not. He gulped, trying to alleviate any worry forming in him.

'We totally got this then, I know it.'

"Moment of truth, eh?" Roark suddenly asked them.

They both gave quick nods, the Zoroark snorting and walking towards the door before any more knocks could come out of it.

The door swung open to reveal a rather bored Monferno, who took the opportunity to lean on the now vacant door frame. Liam noticed in one of his hands was an envelope in a curiously cosmic-themed layer. That same thump in his heart began to beat and beat.

Monferno raised a free hand over his mouth as he yawned into it. "Well, the Guildmaster has made his decision," he said, a bit more monotone than usual.

Liam hopped out of his chair after hearing that, making his way near the door. Gloria stayed seated in her chair, waiting for the dreaded words to come out of Monferno's mouth - Roark's came instead.

"Well? Don't leave us hanging then, 'Mony'." He emphasized this by pointing a red claw towards the dazzling envelope.

Monferno grunted in response, handing over the envelope. "Just know the Guildmaster's word is final, for now at least. I don't want to be sent out as their errand boy any longer."

Roark held the envelope in both claws, chuckling as he looked it over. "Ah, did the Guildmaster or Scizor find you a worthy position now?"

A sharp laugh came from Monferno, breaking him out of his disinterested state, sending a playful glare Roark's way - who returned. "Yeah, yeah. Well, after I put in the report of what those two didx the Guildmaster wanted any new recruit requests out of the way. With no jobs for me or Braixen?" He gave a shrug. "I had to be bearer of good or bad news."

Roark scoffed, "Well, I hope Braix-"

"Please!"

A loud outburst from a rather soft voice at the table interrupted Roark and Monferno's conversation. Gloria was stiff as a board as she realized all eyes were on her, quickly following up with another request.

"... Sorry, but can you please just open it? The wait is killing me!" she squeaked.

Liam was caught off guard when the envelope was shoved in front of him, waiting for him to take it. A quick glance upwards to the holder's owner was a smiling Roark.

"I would give the honors to Gloria, but she looks like she's about to pass out any moment from the wait." He gave the envelope another enticing push the Riolu's way.

Liam hesitantly grabbed it, looking behind him towards the sweating and visibly nervous Vulpix, who offered him quick eager nods to continue - he gave one back.

He slid his paw over the enveloped slits, taking each side and pulling it open. Peering inside was a medium-sized slip of paper, and at the bottom sat a few plastic-card like objects. He chose to take the paper out first.

It was colored a dark blue, similar to the background of the star-embezzled envelope. Sharp yellow handwriting was etched into the paper, giving it more officiality. Noticing everyone was waiting on him, he cleared his throat before reading straight from the top.

"'This is the official new recruit list managed by the Guildmaster of the Cosmic Quilt Guild. The names listed below will be mentioned as either accepted or declined. It goes as follows:"

His eyes shifted towards the bottom to read the names written. You could almost hear a pin drop in the home from the silence of the foreboding list. It was lost on a yawning Monferno, however, who already knew the names.

"'Machop - Declined.'"

"'Vullaby - Declined.'"

"'Pinsir - Declined.'"

"'Vigoroth - Declined.'"

"'Rockruff - Accepted.'"

"'Bagon - Declined.'"

Liam wet his lips as he began to read the last few names, a seed of unusual doubt beginning to form in his stomach.

"'Grotle - Declined.'"

His breath in his throat hitched as his eyes glazed over the last two names - their names. The beat in his chest seemed to return as he began to read.

"'Riolu (Liam) - Accepted.'"

"'Vulpix (Gloria) - Accepted.'"

A collective sigh of relief washed over Liam and Gloria, her more so. This calm moment was soon shattered by Roark's outburst of celebration as he rose his claws into the air and clenched them shut.

"YES!"

In almost a blink of an eye, he was right behind a now bewildered Gloria as he latched his claws around her stomach and lifted her into the air, above his head. A surprised squeak came out her as the now airborne Vulpix was at the whims of a positively giddy Zoroark.

"You're in the guild! You're in the guild!" He thrusted her up and down in the air, much to the dismay of Gloria.

"Roark! Put me down!" she screeched in protest to the deaf ears of Roark, who continued his celebration chant. "Okay! Okay! I think I'm getting a bit dizzy!" she quickly added.

The unusual outburst from Roark was being witnessed by a shocked Liam, mouth agape.

Monfero shrugged, "I'm not sure why you're so surprised, Roark. I could see this a mile away. What these two found was no laughing matter to the Guildmaster - seeing as how he was looking for exactly those types of Pokémon."

Roark was still preoccupied with his mission to embarrass and shower Gloria in much praise as possible to hear the Pokémon's words.

"Please, Roark! Ahahah yo- ha! Tickling... me!" Gloria resisted against his claws.

There was no stoppage.

"We haven't finished your victory lap yet!" Roark proclaimed, attempting to make a circle around the living room, firmly holding the squirming Vulpix.

Monferno turned towards Liam, who was still gaping at the sight before him, slightly entertained. He received a light fist into the shoulder by the primate Pokémon, knocking him out of his trance.

"You should've seen the look of the Guildmaster when I told him of your exploits. The moment he caught wind of your names… his eyes went so wide. I don't think I've seen him that caught off guard. Even asked me if Roark was involved, which…" He turned to look at the vulpine duo again. "Obviously he was - anything for the little sister, I guess."

Liam's brow furrowed, "Wait, does the Guildmaster know Gloria? Or… is he just close with Roark?"

Monferno shrugged, "Roark says they met when they first entered Empyrean City. He's been with the guild a strong amount of years. However, they seem a bit… I don't know, cold to each other?"

Liam found that pretty odd, for them to have roots in the past but still be so cold. 'Maybe Roark did something? The guy seems pretty harmless, though…' he mused in his mind as Monferno snorted.

"Bastard can be a bit irritating, but the Guildmaster can be pretty strange himself. Besides, I think maybe he was more freaked out by your name."

Liam's brow raised at this. "Is he not used to seeing a Pokémon with a name before? Or…" He trailed off as his thoughts resurfaced.

'Maybe, he recognizes me from somewhere?' The thought sparked some curiosity within him, the need for answers.

Monferno shrugged again, "I mean, yeah, that is a pretty weird thing around here. I wouldn't worry about him giving you the cold shoulder too much, seeing how he and Scizor need Pokémon like you and Gloria."

"Pokémon… like me or Gloria?" Liam didn't quite follow.

"Pokémon that can find hidden things - new dungeons, new discoveries. Any 'mon can walk into a Mystery Dungeon and come out with the same experience. But it's 'mons that can find things; things that lead to the guild's goal."

"The guild's goal? Isn't it just to rescue Pokémon and explore Mystery Dungeons?"

A palm reached behind Monferno's head as he scratched it. "Weeell, that may be the case for other guild's, but the Guildmaster founded his own guild for a reason, and I should leave that for him to tell you, considering he gave that long boring spiel to me a few years back."

Liam soaked in this information. He never gave much thought to any greater purpose of the guild. He wanted to explore this world, find new discoveries, see more amazing things like he had seen before. Gloria seemed a bit more noble in her pursuits, so he wondered if both of them could meet the same goal together.

A palm from Monferno was then clamped on his shoulder.

"Just don't be an irritating asshole like Roark is; I don't need a younger rival."

Liam huffed, brushing the palm off his shoulder as a bit of snark travelled into his voice. "I don't think you could be classified as my rival… Mony." He added the dreaded nickname of Monferno near the end, who 'tched' and grinded his teeth.

"I told Braixen not to call me that. Anyway…" His gaze wandered back to Roark and Gloria, who now were finishing their fourth victory lap around the living room. "ROARK!"

Laughter bubbled out of the Zoroark as he carefully placed a flustered Gloria back onto the carpet, the Vulpix trying to regain her bearings. Roark strode over back to his original place near the door, facing Liam and Monferno.

The Zoroark cleared his throat, "Ahem, sorry for the little display. I just needed to blow off some much needed steam with the cutest little sister in the world over there."

Monferno nodded, "Right, now… I don't forget deals, even if-" he sighed. "Even if I lose them… They're in the bag."

A knowing smile crossed Roark's features. "Thanks. Perchance will we see you today at the festival?"

Liam blinked. 'I remember seeing the festival being prepared yesterday. They must've gotten it done fast.'

"Of course I will be. First off, we helped build the damn thing. Second off…" Monferno scoffed, "There's food there! Not the same stuff the guild feeds you. No offense to Leafeon, of course, " he quickly added, waving his hands, "Anyway, you should probably come back to the guild, Roark. I imagine the Guildmaster wants to have a word with you."

Roark's brow raised hearing that. "I hope you're insinuating a good kind of word, seeing that I gifted him two promising recruits." He then nabbed the envelope from Liam's grasp, giving him and Gloria behind him a look before swinging open the door. "You two will hold the fort - later we're heading off to the festival, so don't keep me waiting if you run off."

A final wave of the ruse fox's claw was sent their way before he made his exit.

Monferno remained to tell them the rest of the details. "You two should probably head to the guild the day after tomorrow's premiere of Eden Theater, considering the majority of the guild will be gone. I'll see you at the festival later. Congratulations, newbies."

With a brief wave of his own, he took after Roark, closing the door on his way out.

Liam let out a vacant sigh, finalling exiting the rollercoaster of emotions they had both been taken on. Everything had appeared to have worked out fine though in the end, and now only came the hard part. He turned around to check on Gloria, who was just taking her first step again, clearly disorientated.

"You okay? Don't need to lie down or anything?" he asked, closing in on her.

She let out a breath of much needed air. "Y-Yeah, just a bit dizzy. Roark goes a bit overboard sometimes." She took another step, finding her back to her seat at the table. Liam hopped up back on his seat, too.

Another gasp of breath came from her as she opened her mouth, trying to find words. "Right now, I'm having a difficult time seeing this as reality." She placed her paws onto the table and stared deep into the wood. "I feel so happy right now, but also so very sick, and, um, not just from the spinning around - it's like my stomach is fluttering, but is also knotted." She shook her head. "You know what I mean… right?"

Liam could never fully understand what was happening in the Vulpix's mind. However, he still could grasp the gist of it.

"I think you just need to accept it, y'know? You're in now. We're in now. We shouldn't squander what we got."

She slowly nodded, trying to digest his words. "I feel so confident sometimes then… so helpless other times." She gulped. "I don't want to disappoint Roark, Leafeon, Buneary, you, or even myself. And now that this great opportunity is upon me, I feel so... pressured."

He could understand. Guild work seemed to be so professional, even if some of its members weren't so professional. However, to him, the riches beyond that blockade of pressure seemed immense in wealth. Perhaps it was just his amnesiac mind building off things he'd already seen, but it felt like it was right in front of them.

He was determined, but he needed to also give some of that determination to Gloria, who sorely needed it.

"Remember what you told me yesterday in the library? About wanting to help Pokémon?" She nodded, giving him the floor to continue. "You've already proven yourself by helping a Pokémon like me, and the same with Buneary. I want... this to continue, and I'm sure you do, too. If Buneary knew, she'd want you to continue as well." He made sure to lock eyes with her as he said the next part. "We just have to keep moving forward into the unknown. Hold onto your dream, and fight for it."

"... If you think I'm going to back out, don't worry. I... made a promise, to Roark, to my parents, and to myself that I would go through with this." She bit her lip as she continued, "Even if, even if it's difficult for me to. I want to help Pokémon, I want to help you, even. I also need to help myself."

He smiled at her conviction. The Riolu knew past all the layers of doubt there was something that he also shared. Will. They would need it more than ever if they were to join the guild. If they lost it, then there would be no hope to move forward.

Since it was still the morning, and Liam knew they had plenty of time to burn until the festival, he wanted to alleviate some of the fears in the future.

"Now that we have a lot of time to ourselves, what do you think about heading back to the library? I know there's a section we missed last time." he poked at her addiction to literature.

A genuine, warm smile found its way on Gloria's face as a wag in her tails appeared.

"Yeah, I'd like that..."

The door to the white Vulpix home swung open to meet night as two occupants exited the home. The festival had started around sunset and was now raging on. Even from this distance, they could hear the booming of music and other noises of festivity. So many lights were on in the city that the stars were hidden by shining yellow beacons, with only a blanket of black seen above.

Liam patted the saddlebag wrapped around his shoulder, making sure all of its contents were there and secure. They had decided to take along the one-thousand Poké given by Miss Lopunny for the job request. Considering they were going to a festival, they didn't expect everything would exactly be cheap.

Roark stretched his arms out to the heavens. "I know you two aren't children, but don't go spending all of it now. I mean, that's a job's pay without the ludicrous guild tax," he grumbled, before staring at Gloria, who had just come out of the house after freshening up. "Now, I don't need to keep you on a chain, right? There's tons of sweets they're selling, and you might go a little cra- oof" his teasing was interrupted by a white paw being thrusted into his rib.

"I can control myself," Gloria steamed. "You should probably control how much alcohol you consume, though."

Roark laughed, reaching down to ruffle the Vulpix's tuft. "Trust me, I'm not going to. It's only once every while I can indulge in killing my liver."

She rolled her eyes, trotting down the neighborhood road, further towards the huge bundle of orange-yellow lights in the distance. Liam believed that must be where the main festival took place, with all its attractions. Both he and Roark exchanged looks, before following down the same road Gloria was taking. The further they got, the more Pokémon they could see in the distance. It wasn't until when they finally reached the true entrance of the festival did everything come into perspective.

Strings of multicolored streamers stretched across stands, across walls, across rooftops, bringing a vibrant amalgamation of colors across the usually dull wooden and concrete structures. Tiny flakes of confetti fluttered in the wind amongst the flapping streamers. Liam thought of when he first entered Empyrean City and its bustling market district, except times tenfold here.

Glowing orange lanterns hung underneath the stands everywhere, basking the entire area in a warm hue. Banners ran across the front of the stands of shops advertising games, food, knickknacks, whatever. Mask-like objects with Pokémon faces were plastered around all the faces of the stands and shops. An array of instruments claimed Liam's ears. The smacking of tambourines, the hum of wind instruments, and the beating of large drums echoed throughout the air, mixing in with the large amounts of talking Pokemon.

A pair of red claws would snap him out of his analysis by digging into a section of the saddlebag he wore. From there, Roark dug out a decent amount of the gold coins, clutching it in one claw as he smiled sneakily.

"You two go enjoy yourselves. I'll be off doing 'business'..." He snickered as he went down the road, further into the sea of the crowd. "Don't be out too late! I know I will!" he shouted with a wave, merging into the crowd of Pokémon.

Liam tucked away and sealed the pouch to the Poké that Roark had made. At the same time, a white paw tapped him on his shoulder.

"Let's go deeper in, there's probably some fun things we can attend."

He wholeheartedly agreed.

From what he could see from his spot in the crowd of Pokémon, were a pair of Escavalier, a type of bug Pokemon covered in a grey knight-like armored shell. Attached to their body seemed to be two long lance-like objects, ready to jab into an enemy Pokémon. They also seemed content in simply floating above the ground, defying any logic.

From what Gloria told him, this was 'Escavalier Joust', where two opposing Escavalier on opposite sides would charge at each other with their lances, aiming to slash the other in their run. This would go on until one Pokémon was knocked out.

As it were, it was about to begin now. With a loud blurt from a trumpet and wave of a flag, the Escavalier were off, travelling at blistering fast speeds Liam didn't think was possible with that heavy armor. When the two Pokémon met, each of them exchanged a devastating jab into the armor from one of their lances, still moving in the same direction. As they connected, a 'woo' from the crowd would come out, eager to see more.

Each time the two Escavalier reached their opposite end, they'd turn around and get ready for another charge. After a while of exchanging blows, the Escavalier closest to the crowd simply could not take the beating any longer, collapsing as the final lance stab pierced its armor. With a cry from a trumpet and a wave of a flag, it was over. The cheers of the crowd signaled their entertainment, and the end of the event.

The next event they attended seemed to be more straightforward. 'Diving Contest'. There was a large pool of water before the stands. Here, different kinds of Water-type would show off their form in their most suited environment. Much like any other diving contest, they initially would dive off a platform held over the pool into the sparkling water below. However, once they were in the water, they would perform a series of moves and tricks to the audience.

Liam would see many types of Pokemon, such as a Vaporeon who would create a mystifying veil over the pool with Aqua Ring, whipping and rippling water around itself - or a Primarina who used Sparkling Aria and shocked the audience with bursts of water into the air like fireworks, accompanied by its amazing singing ability.

Near the end, each contestant would stand at a podium and be judged by the audience. As each stood forward, the cheers of the crowd would gauge their effectiveness in swaying them over to their side. Unsurprisingly, Primarina stole the competition with its amazing technique. As the crowd boomed, it gave a bow as thanks. The contest was over.

The last event they happened to go to was much like the 'Diving Contest'. But instead of moves and flowing form, this one was all about raw power - a 'Strength Contest'. Pokémon would test their strength on various objects. Certain Pokemon would pull actual boulders across the terrain in harnesses. Others would smash towers of brick, rock, and concrete to test their physical strength.

As each round continued, the weakest Pokemon would be purged as the tasks provided would get much more tough. Soon, it was all down to two Pokémon - a Machamp and a Conkeldurr. A solid square of concrete was put in front of them and a time limit for them to smash it to pieces. The crowd waited with bated breath as each swing of their fists connected with their respective blocks, sending bits and pieces of it crumbling to the floor. Near the end, it was a decisive victory for Machamp, as its entire concrete cube was nothing but dust and rubble.

With a clear winner, the show was over.

After the thrill of seeing all the events and features, the two were back wandering through the festival, weaving through countless other Pokémon in their way. Their appetite had also been building up, so they decided on heading to where the food stands were.

As usual for this city, tons of food were almost in the likeness of other Pokémon. Liam could swore he saw an ice cream cone looking almost identical to a Vanilite he had previously seen floating around. However, it didn't bug Gloria as she continued, looking at each stand, wondering where they should stop. It wasn't until she looked at one stand in particular and noticed an amassing crowd, her eyes widening once she realized who was behind the stand.

"It's Leafeon! And... a few other members from the guild, I think!" she told Liam, who followed her gaze.

It was indeed a Leafeon, along with a Sylveon. He wondered if that was the same one who ran Sylveon's Sweets, shuddering at that thought. Across the stand were two stools that sat a Monferno and a Braixen, happily chatting away with the two stand owners.

'That has to be them.'

Gloria ran over to the stand, Liam swiftly following, just happy he could finally put his aching stomach to rest.

The Leafeon's ears perked up, looking up to see the white Vulpix sprinting its way over. "Gloria?" a honey-like female voice flowed out of the Pokemon.

"Leafeon! Did you hear? I'm going to-"

Gloria was interrupted by a sheepish smile and nod from Leafeon. "Join the guild, right? Monferno already spilled the Pokebeans."

A palm from the counter shot upright as Monferno lifted his face from his meal. "Guilty as charged," he admitted, quickly bringing his head back to continue eating.

Braixen gave Gloria a warm smile to greet her. "It's very nice to see you again, Gloria. I look forward to working with you in the guild."

The Sylveon, who occupied a space next to Leafeon, gasped, a ribbon-like feeler extending over its mouth in shock. "Gloria? You're in the guild now?!"

Liam could sadly confirm it was the same Sylveon from the shop.

The Vulpix nodded, "Yes, we just got news of it today! I'm… a bit nervous and all, but I still want to try my best."

Sylveon smiled, extending her feelers over the stand and wrapping around an accepting paw of Gloria, who giggled with glee at the sensation. "Oh! And the Pokémon next to you is… Liam, right? The Riolu, correct?"

Liam blinked, wanting to say 'no' to avoid what was coming, but had already accepted it. The white and pink feeler extended his way as he hesitantly put his paw into it, wrapping around the rest of his arm.

"Yeah, that's…" He shuddered at the feelings of raw positive emotions coursing through him. He stumbled a bit, regaining his footing as he let go of the feeler - it went back to its owner. "Me," he finished, a bit woozy from the exchange.

Sylveon went into a giggling fit. "And where is Roark? Did he not come to the festival?"

Gloria shook her head, "No, he was here, but went off to the more... adult section, I think." A chorus of laughter came from Monferno at the counter.

"Of course the bastard can't help himself. I think I'll go join him, since Scizor doesn't allow us stuff like that anymore," he brooded. "I'll be on my way. Thanks for the grub, Leafeon." Monferno scooted out his stool, standing up to stretch and taking his leave.

"Wait, you're going to miss out on the mayor's speech? It doesn't start long from now," Leafeon said

"Bah, it's nothing we don't know already. See you at the guild, newbies!" And with one wave of a hand, he was gone, in search of what alcohol Roark sought.

Liam was confused, "Speech? When is that happening?"

"Not long from now," Leafeon replied, leaning over the counter and pointing to a large stadium across the festival grounds. "The mayor will give a speech about the premier of the Eden Theater there. Me, Sylveon, and Braixen were going to catch it before it starts in about an hour. You two care to join us?" she propositioned.

Liam gave Gloria a look of wondering as well; she returned a 'yes' in the form of a nod. "Yeah, we'll attend it. But we're pretty hungry, so what do you have to offer?"

The Grass-type clapped her front paws together. "I'll be glad to show you! Gloria, you should take notes. I've got a new recipe for Persim Berry scones!"

The stadium itself was massive, obviously built for large scale tournaments of some sort, Liam theorized. Massive colored concrete walls stretched upward, leaving the roof exposed to the open sky. The interior seemed to be refitted for the festival, with a wooden plateau was built in the middle of the stadium, and a wooden podium on top of it. Surrounding the plateau were rows and rows of seats, allowing Pokémon a good view of what to come.

Once they had gotten there, it was still quiet. There weren't many Pokémon present yet, giving them a chance to score some good seats. Over time though, swathes of multicolored attendants entered, quickly filling any vacant seat, and ushering the entire stadium in a cacophony of chatter and other noises.

Liam observed the crowd, trying to spot any Pokémon he'd recognize. Corphish, Beedrill, Bouffalant, Braviary, Bisharp, Weavile. He made a game out of it while they waited.

After quite a bit of tedious mind games, Liam noticed a large door opening across the stadium. First came out a row of what appeared to be guards, who had something strapped to their backs or sides - a kind of metal tube. From how far away he was, he couldn't exactly tell what it was, but knew it must've been some sort of weapon.

The Pokemon that came out next he had seen before in the book. It was an Empoleon, a simple black bowtie nestled beneath its neck. Liam guessed that he was pretty important, possibly the mayor himself, seeing at how much the crowd went wild when he showed up.

All of them moved in a unified group across the stadium grounds, reaching the wooden plateau. The 'guards' then took their positions around the plateau, keeping their firm stance. The Empoleon climbed the stairs up to the podium, waving a flipper to the chorus of the audience's bombastic cheers. Once near the podium, it tapped the mic setup with a flipper, sending a popping noise across the stadium.

The stadium fell quiet, giving Empoleon the floor to talk.

"ATTENTION ALL! THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THIS PREMIERE FESTIVAL!" an authoritative male boomed over the microphone. "THIS IS A HISTORIC MOMENT, NOT JUST IN EMPYREAN CITY, BUT THE ENTIRE POKEMON WORLD!"

The crowd roared in agreement, their excitement bubbling.

Empoleon continued, "THE EDEN THEATER IS A TECHNOLOGICAL MILESTONE THAT WILL SET A PRECEDENT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. TOMORROW WILL GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE INTO THAT FUTURE!"

Again the crowd hollered, with whistles, whoops, and applause that could be heard reverberating off the stadium walls.

"I WANT TO SHOW YOU THE BRILLIANT MINDS BEHIND ALL OF THIS. THE ARCHITECTS OF THE FUTURE, AND DESIGNERS OF THIS GREAT FEAT!"

Liam noticed three new Pokémon stepping up the stairs to the podium, waving to the excited crowd. Along the limbs of those Pokémon, he could see an armband on them. The Riolu racked his brain, swearing he saw those same Pokémon with armbands before. However, he quickly brushed the thought aside, given how many Pokémon there were in the city wearing strange apparel.

"BY LENDING US THEIR TECHNILOGICAL AID, WE HAVE SPENT THE PAST FEW YEARS BUILDING UP THE TALLEST STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD - THE EDEN THEATER! OUR WORK TOGETHER WILL BUILD A NEW FOUNDATION, NOT JUST FOR EMPYREAN CITY, BUT FOR ALL POKEMON ACROSS THE WORLD! TO THOSE IN THE AUDIENCE, GIVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF APPLAUSE TO THE ALIGNMENT!"

Empoleon motioned a flipper to the nearby Pokémon on stage, a Simisage. The crowd rose in applause, very thankful for the efforts provided.

Liam paused to stare up into the sky, directly at the giant sleek black building towering over everything else. 'The... Alignment? They helped make Eden Theater? If so, are they the ones with the armbands that I saw the other day?' His thoughts were interrupted as Empoleon continued his speech.

"I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YOU, THE POKEMON GIFTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THIS AMAZING PREMIERE TOMORROW! WE HOPE IT WILL BE AS AMAZING AND LIFE CHANGING AS WE THINK IT WILL BE."

Liam grimaced - it was a shame that they wouldn't be able to witness the premiere themselves. If the outside looked as alien, he wondered what the inside looked like.

"AND TO THOSE WHO WERE NOT CHOSEN, I APOLOGIZE, BUT DO NOT WORRY! THIS IS BUT A GLIMPSE! EVERYONE WILL EXPERIENCE A NEW FUTURE, A BRIGHTER FUTURE AHEAD! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, AND CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE FESTIVAL!

And with perfect timing - multiple plumes of firework trails shot up into the open sky above the stadium.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The sky lit up with spectacular color; crackles and pops filled the air, with streams of multicolored fire that shot across the sky. The crowd cheered as hard as they could, their outcries fading as the colorful pyrotechnics began to fizzle out into nothing in the night.

The audience of the stands began to disperse, getting up out of their seats, content with the speech and ready to leave.

Weavile laughed hard - she expected nothing, and was delivered nothing. "Don't stare at me, Bishy, let's just leave already."

He didn't bother offering a response, feeling the same as her, like he was robbed of his time. They stood out of their seats and followed the traffic of the exiting crowd out of the stadium. Once they were outside, they quickly made their way out into the nearest alleyway, away from the loud music and attendees, and free from prying eyes and ears.

Weavile cackled yet again. "Man, I can't believe Empoleon actually brought those scumbags out for the Pokémon to see."

Bisharp scoffed, "Still think we can trust Sceptile then? He is one of them, y'know."

"I saw that Simisage with my own eyes - it's him, our target. That measly Sceptile wasn't lying, which is good because we'll need him still for our message to the Allfather," she explained, flexing a claw. "The Alignment has their claws so far up Empoleon's ass, he's already more of a puppet than he was before."

They kept walking through the dark and dingy alleyway, away from the bustling festival behind them.

"You think it's just money? Empyrean lining up its pockets, or…" Bisharp wondered.

"They're getting more cocky, the Alignment, which is why we still need to show them that little thorn in their side is going to soon become a very large spike up their ass."

"And do you think our anonymous client is one of them? His tactics of wanting information seem to be the same if I'm basing it off past experiences."

"Well, if he is, he's stuffing us with so much cash it doesn't matter. Enough where we could find the answers ourselves without his help."

"Anyway, Magmortar is in position for tomorrow, right? Does he know that place is swarming with Empyrean and Alignment guards? It's a suicide mission."

"Of course it's a suicide mission - the guy is a pyromaniac and a psychopath! He'll be with the staff at the private theater, where that Simisage will go after the main show. There he will strike."

"And where do you want us to be... claws up our ass?"

"The bar up top, away from the inevitable flames of trouble." She sighed. "I think I'll need a stiff drink afterward."

Celebrations today... showtime tomorrow.

If you would like to check for news about the latest chapter progress, discuss the story as it goes on, give criticism on anything, point out mistakes, give your appreciation, ask questions, or simply chat about the story, then my DM's are open and I will respond to all meaningful messages. You can also add me on Discord and talk/send me things if you prefer that, for the same reasons. Discord = Z2H#7239

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Next Time: Curtain Call