The sun crested high over Brookmill, spilling golden light across its moss-covered rooftops and gently turning waterwheels. The town hummed with the warmth of a late-morning breeze, and the sounds of chatter, trotting hooves, and the occasional squawk of bird Pokémon filled the air.
Shion stretched his arms high above his head, spine cracking satisfyingly.
Today was, surprisingly, a day off.
Jareth had decided to use the time to repair some of his armor and check the local forge. Fena was already talking with a local herbalist, deep in conversation about regional plants and their Pokémon care properties. Dunlin? He'd vanished somewhere toward the inn's attached tavern muttering something about "trading opportunity" and "fresh buttered cider."
That left Shion.
And a whole new town to explore.
"I'll see you all later ," he told them with a cheerful wave, Kiba walking beside him with its nose low to the ground, sniffing every inch of this new place.
Bidoof, poking its head out of Shion's bag, yawned obnoxiously.
"Just don't get lost, country boy."
"I grew up in a village. Not a cave," Shion muttered back.
"You sure?" Bidoof smirked. "You act like you've never seen cobblestone."
---
Brookmill's adventurer guild outpost was a squat, half-stone building tucked into the side of a hill, its thatched roof looking like it could sprout daisies any moment. A wooden sign above the door swung in the breeze, shaped like a crossed sword and scroll.
As Shion stepped inside, the comforting scent of worn leather and parchment hit him.
A few adventurers milled about one polishing his boots with a fiery Litleo nearby, another loudly retelling a tale of single-handedly wrestling a Golem off a cliff. His bruised arm and lopsided haircut didn't quite match the heroics.
The quest board stood proudly on one side of the hall layers of parchment fluttering with every step someone took nearby.
Shion walked over, scanning the available quests.
**- Foraging Help Needed – reward: 30 Copper coin and sweet root pie
Herding Mareep – reward: 25 copper coin and wool cloak
Lost Skitty – please help! She's my precious baby – reward: 50 copper coin and a mystery gift**
Shion blinked.
"Lost Skitty?"
Kiba tilted its head.
"You're not seriously going to take that one," Bidoof yawned from the bag.
"I don't see why not. It sounds easy," Shion replied, already pulling the quest slip.
"Easy," Bidoof repeated flatly. "You know Skitty, right? The one with the energy of a caffeine-fueled toddler?"
"How bad can it be?"
Kiba barked once in amusement.
---
The quest directed Shion to a house near the edge of the river small, clean, and practically smothered in potted flowers and windchimes. The front door had a pawprint-shaped knocker.
He knocked.
Moments later, the door burst open with the force of a Thunder Fang and nearly knocked Shion backward.
"Oh thank Arceus you're here!" cried a short, round-cheeked woman with hair the color of buttercream frosting. "You're the adventurer, right?"
Shion nodded, startled. "Um yes, ma'am. I'm Shion."
"I'm Lenna. Please, come in no time to lose!"
Shion and his Pokémon stepped inside. The home was… overwhelmingly pink. Doilies. Cushions. Skitty-shaped curtains. Even the wallpaper featured small hearts and paw patterns.
"My darling Skitty her name's Muffin
ran off last night!" Lenna said, wringing her hands. "She always chases Wurmple around the garden, but last night… she didn't come back!"
"Any idea where she might've gone?"
"She's very playful. Likes shiny things. And she loves the riverside market."
Bidoof groaned in the bag. "You're chasing a literal feline with klepto issues."
"You'll find her, right?" Lenna's eyes were wide with tears. "She's my heart and soul!"
"I promise I'll try my best," Shion said, chest puffed with resolve.
Lenna pressed a small bag of Poké Puffs into his hands. "She loves the honey ones. Use them to lure her!"
As they left the house, Shion glanced at Bidoof.
"Still think this is going to be easy?"
"I hope she bites you," Bidoof grumbled.
---
The next few hours of Shion's life could be best described as: a wild Skitty chase.
They started at the market, where a fruit vendor said a pink blur had barreled into their stall and stolen a handful of berries.
"Fast lil' critter. Had a bell on her neck?"
"Yes!"
"Yeah. She took an Oran and kicked a Pidgey in the face."
Shion winced. "...Great."
Next, they followed a trail of tiny paw prints along the riverbank. Kiba did his best to track the scent, but it zig-zagged wildly.
Then came the children.
"Have you seen a Skitty?"
"YES!" one girl said. "She was fighting a Pidove on the roof!"
"Fighting?!"
"She won."
More panic.
Eventually, they followed a tipped-over basket trail and a wet trail of paw prints toward a park bench… where Muffin sat like a smug queen, gnawing on a silver pendant.
"There!" Shion whispered.
Kiba growled softly in readiness.
"Okay… let's approach carefully. Quietly…"
Shion crouched low, inching forward, Poké Puff in hand.
One step…
Two steps…
"Gotcha!"
Muffin blinked once then exploded into motion.
She screamed an ear-piercing "SKIIIII!" and launched backward, tail spinning like a propeller.
"Why is she so fast?!"
"She's the unholy spawn of Meowth and caffeine!" Bidoof shouted.
Kiba leapt into pursuit, weaving through barrels and startled townsfolk.
Muffin bounded over a cart, somersaulted onto a fence, and hissed at a passing Pelipper before vanishing under a bridge.
Shion dove after her and landed in mud.
---
After almost an hour of chase, Shion and Kiba finally managed to corner Muffin behind the town bakery, luring her with two honey Poké Puffs and the soothing sound of Kiba's low growl.
Muffin blinked at Shion once.
Then padded forward, purring, rubbing her head against his arm like she hadn't just spent the last hour terrorizing Brookmill.
"Unbelievable," Bidoof muttered. "She has the brain of a trickster god."
Shion let out a long sigh of relief and gently scooped her into his arms.
"Let's get her home before she runs off again."
---
Miss Lenna burst into tears the second Muffin was returned, showering Shion with praise and fluffing Muffin like a throw pillow.
"You're a hero! A knight! A treasure!"
"It was… nothing," Shion said, voice slightly hoarse.
"You must stay for tea!"
Bidoof groaned.
Shion declined the tea but accepted the reward a pouch of coins and the promised "mystery gift," which turned out to be a Skitty-shaped brooch.
Back at the inn, Shion slumped into a chair, covered in dust and bite marks.
Fena raised a brow. "Rough quest?"
"She was faster than most flying types," Shion said flatly.
Jareth just grinned. "Welcome to the adventurer's life."
The Brookmill Inn was modest but charming.
Its walls were decorated with handwoven banners, and its wooden beams creaked in a comforting way, like the building was exhaling after a long day. The smell of stewed meat, fresh bread, and spiced cider drifted from the kitchens.
Shion sat at a round table near the hearth, still wearing the faint bruises of his Skitty hunt. Across from him sat Fena, sipping tea with her usual grace, and Jareth, already halfway through his second bowl of stew.
"You should've seen her," Shion muttered, poking at his food. "She tackled a Pidgey, ran across half the market, and somehow showed up behind me at one point."
"She sounds delightful," Fena said, without looking up.
"She bit my hand."
Jareth chuckled. "Skitty are tiny tornadoes. You're lucky you didn't get your bag shredded."
Shion glanced down. "Actually… she did take a berry from it."
"Then you've officially been hazed by your 'simple' adventurer quest," Jareth said with a grin. "Congratulations."
Fena smirked, placing her teacup down. "Every new adventurer thinks gathering herbs or finding lost Pokémon is the easy stuff. Then a Skitty steals your lunch, or a sleeping Miltank blocks the only bridge across a canyon."
"That… sounds oddly specific."
"I don't want to talk about it," she muttered.
The fire crackled beside them as Kiba slept peacefully under the table, tail curled around his legs. Bidoof sat on a chair beside Shion, hoarding crumbs from the bread basket and glaring at anyone who looked like they might try to share.
Shion leaned back, letting the warmth of the fire soak into his tired bones.
For the first time in days, he felt content.
---
Later that night, the inn was quiet.
Outside, the wind gently rustled the trees, and the moon shone faintly through the old windowpanes of Shion's room.
He sat by the edge of the bed, brushing Kiba's fur while the Lycanroc softly dozed.
Bidoof lay on his back, snoring from a pile of folded linens, one leg twitching.
Shion smiled faintly, pulling out his old satchel.
Inside was the bracelet Miya had given him the little charm she'd made with twine and beads, one of them painted to look like a Poké Ball.
He held it in his hand, turning it gently.
His thoughts drifted to Riverleaf.
To the smell of soil after rain, his father's boisterous laugh, Miya's high-pitched giggles as she ran through the fields with Kiba. His mother's gentle voice calling them in for dinner.
Were they okay?
Had the Ursaring attack left a scar on the village?
He hadn't written. Not once since he'd left.
"I should send a letter soon," he whispered, staring out the window.
A pang of guilt settled in his chest. He had left so suddenly… and he didn't want them to worry.
But part of him was scared to write.
Scared that hearing from them again would make it harder to keep going.
He sighed and looked over at Bidoof.
"Anything on the Plate?"
The Bidoof stirred, blinked blearily. "Mmm… yeah. Still faint. East-ish. Like, 'you'll get there eventually' kind of faint."
Shion nodded. "So, not nearby."
"Nope."
There was a beat of silence.
"I'm trying," Shion murmured.
Bidoof rolled over, now facing away. "I know."
---
Shion opened his notebook one that he'd started back in Avia Hollow. He flipped through the pages.
Some had notes on wild Pokémon behavior.
Others had rough sketches of towns he'd visited, herbs Fena had shown him, and battle tips Jareth had drilled into him.
The last page was a drawing of Kiba. From the day he evolved. The lines were shakier his hand had been trembling with excitement.
He smiled, then slowly laid back on the bed.
His muscles ached from the chase, and his mind was heavy with thoughts, but still… there was peace in the weight.
"Almost a month since I left," he whispered.
Kiba opened one eye and whined softly, as if to say, "We're still going."
"Yeah," Shion said, smiling. "We are."
---
The wind outside shifted suddenly.
Not strong. Not dangerous.
But strange.
It stirred the grass in a direction it usually didn't.
And somewhere far to the east, a stone buried deep beneath a cave s of an ancient energy pulsed once, faintly.
The Plate was waiting.