The Ternstone Adventurer Guild was alive with sound and motion.
Voices echoed through the vaulted stone halls. Footsteps both human and Pokémon tromped along the reinforced flooring. Sparks burst occasionally from forge-tuned Pokémon like Magmar or Coalossal assisting blacksmiths near the open atrium. A Lairon clanked past Shion's leg as a Scyther swept above in the rafters.
It was noisy, industrious, and chaotic.
Shion barely blinked anymore. Compared to his first time entering the guild in Avia Hollow, this was practically routine.
Still, his nerves curled in his stomach.
He approached the front desk a sturdy counter of ironwood behind which stood a calm-eyed woman with short black hair, scribbling onto a parchment logbook. A Clefairy stood on a stool beside her, sorting stamped documents with practiced efficiency.
"Excuse me," Shion said, clearing his throat.
The woman looked up. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yes. I'd like to request a meeting with Chief Malden."
Her eyebrow twitched slightly. "Chief's currently in a meeting, I'm afraid. He's not available for open appointments today."
"Oh…" Shion's shoulders sagged a little. "I see."
"You can check back later," she offered. "But it might take a while. Depends on how many issues from the mining commission he's got stacked up."
Shion nodded in thanks and stepped away, trying not to let his disappointment show.
---
He found himself drifting to the quest board again, though he had no intention of taking one. Not today.
His eyes scanned the parchment slips: courier runs to the lower canyon, mine tunnel maintenance assistance, hunting a runaway Miltank that had charged into a gully. Normal work for adventurers.
But none of it mattered. Not now. Not when he knew what lay hidden just behind the locked bars of that cave entrance.
A Plate.
He could almost feel it vibrating beneath his boots.
But he couldn't barge into a restricted area. Not only would it break guild rules he could be arrested, or worse, bring down suspicion on himself heck even on the others.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Taking a quest, Shion?"
The voice startled him. He turned to see Jareth, arms crossed, standing casually behind him.
"Ah—no," Shion replied quickly. "Just thinking."
Jareth took a step forward and studied him. "You've got that look."
"What look?"
"The kind of look someone wears when they're stuck between doing something smart and something reckless."
Shion chuckled weakly. "Is it that obvious?"
"Yeah," Jareth said, then tilted his head. "What's going on?"
Shion hesitated… then sighed again.
"I was trying to see Chief Malden. I thought maybe he'd give me permission to check out the closed mining tunnel near the edge of the quarry."
"The one with the restricted access signs?"
"Yeah."
Jareth didn't look surprised. He just nodded slowly. "And I'm guessing the front desk turned you away?"
"Meeting, apparently."
"Lucky for you," Jareth said, turning on his heel, "I have an idea."
"Huh?"
"Come on. Let's go meet the chief."
---
Shion followed Jareth as they wound up a set of spiral stone stairs, ascending toward the second floor of the guild a place he hadn't even realized civilians could access.
"Wait," he asked, voice low. "How can we just go up here?"
Jareth didn't slow his stride. "It's fine."
Shion didn't press. The way Jareth walked confident, steady it was clear this wasn't his first time up here.
They reached a corridor lined with reinforced doors, most of them marked with brass nameplates and guild emblems. At the far end stood a heavy door with a circular window through which Shion could just barely glimpse the silhouette of someone seated behind a desk.
Jareth knocked twice, firmly.
"Enter," came the voice from within gruff and authoritative.
Jareth opened the door.
Inside, the Guild Chief's office looked more like a war room than a bureaucracy chamber. Wall maps marked various dig sites and tunnel routes. Documents cluttered two desks. On the floor lay a massive sleeping Excadrill, claws curled into the stone as it dozed peacefully.
Behind the desk sat Chief Malden a man in his early sixties with a strong jaw, sun-worn skin, and piercing dark eyes.
He glanced up, clearly expecting someone else then blinked.
"…You again?" Malden grunted.
Jareth gave a respectful nod. "Didn't expect you to be surprised, old man."
The Chief snorted. "You bring someone to pester me this time?"
"I did."
Jareth gestured for Shion to step forward. Nervous but determined, Shion approached the desk and offered a polite bow.
"Shion. From Riverleaf," he said. "Bronze-rank adventurer."
"Mm-hm," Malden muttered, eyes flicking from Shion to Jareth. "So what's this about?"
"He wants access to Tunnel 5C," Jareth said simply.
Malden frowned, fingers tapping the wood. "Dangerous request for a bronze."
"I'm not going alone," Shion added quickly. "I won't do anything reckless. I just… need to check it."
"For what?"
Shion opened his mouth then hesitated.
Bidoof, poking out from his satchel, whispered: "Be vague."
"I… heard something about Golurk acting up. I want to understand why."
Malden's eyes narrowed.
"Chief," Jareth interjected, "he's not like the other greenhorns. He's handled himself in the wild. Helped stop a rampaging Ursaring in his home village. And a certain someone used to wander into restricted caves without clearance, if I remember correctly."
Malden snorted again. "That someone got his ear boxed more than once."
Now that Shion looked again… they really did look alike.
Both had strong builds, dark eyes, and even similar smirks. It clicked.
"…You're related?" Shion blurted.
Jareth shrugged. "Son."
Malden crossed his arms. "Don't make a thing of it."
Shion flushed, immediately embarrassed. "Sorry. I just didn't know."
"Didn't come here for a family reunion," Malden said with a grunt. "Look. That tunnel's restricted for good reason. One of the Golurk Designation Seven-One has been moving strangely. Not violent, but erratic. It's triggered minor cave-ins."
Shion's heart quickened.
"And you said… you just want to observe?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then you'll do it on my terms."
Malden reached into his desk and pulled out a stamped form.
"You'll go with an escort. A proper one. I'll assign one of my senior miners to accompany you. If the Golurk gets aggressive, you back off. No heroics."
Shion nodded quickly.
"And if I find out you broke formation or went deeper than authorized, you'll be on the first cart out of Ternstone."
"Understood."
Malden stamped the paper with his guild seal, then passed it to Jareth.
"Get this cleared with the foreman in the outer quarry. You go tomorrow morning. That'll give us time to prepare."
Jareth accepted it with a nod.
"Thank you, Chief."
As they turned to go, Shion glanced back one more time. Malden had already returned to his paperwork.
But a small frown played at the edge of his mouth.
As the heavy guild office door shut behind them, Shion let out a quiet breath and glanced sideways at Jareth, who descended the stairs with his usual firm pace. The guild hall hadn't quieted—it was just as bustling and lively as when they entered—but something about the noise felt distant to Shion now.
He frowned softly, muttering under his breath. "…Tomorrow, huh?"
Jareth, a step ahead, turned his head. "Something wrong?"
Shion hesitated. "Just… we were supposed to be back on the road tomorrow. I don't want to slow you guys down."
Jareth stopped on the stair and looked back at him, one brow raised. "Shion."
"Yeah?"
"It's fine. One day won't kill the schedule. Dunlin will live."
"But still…"
"I'll talk to him."
Shion stared, uncertain for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
The two exited the guild building and stepped back into the warm canyon light. The sun was dipping lower now, casting long shadows through the crevices and veins of Ternstone.
"So," Jareth said, rolling his shoulders. "You want to see the town properly?"
Shion blinked. "Really?"
Jareth grinned slightly. "You've earned it. Come on."
They walked slowly through the winding stone alleys and wide marketplace terraces. Jareth, for someone usually so reserved, seemed animated here alive in a way Shion hadn't quite seen before.
"There used to be a stall right here," Jareth said, stopping in front of a now-empty space. "Sold roasted roots soaked in magma salt. My brother swore by them. Said they could fix a broken ankle and heartbreak in the same bite."
"You have a brother?"
"Older. Got married. Left town a while back."
Jareth pointed up toward a building nestled into a high ridge wall. "That smithy? I apprenticed there for three years. Learned how to temper steel. Still can't stitch a tunic without making it look like I fought it."
Shion laughed softly. "Sounds like Riverleaf… in a much louder, heavier way."
Jareth gave a nod. "Yeah. We're built differently here. But it's home."
As they continued through the town, Shion saw a group of kids chasing a Sandshrew through the plaza. A Gurdurr was lifting beams into place with rhythmic stomps that shook the ground. A Graveler rolled down a quarry path to the sound of an angry shopkeeper yelling after it.
And amidst it all… life.
Eventually, they looped near the outer quarry where Mine 5C—the restricted tunnel waited silently behind locked steel bars.
Shion's step slowed. His eyes locked on something just ahead.
A Golett.
It stood motionless near the mouth of the blocked tunnel, arms limp at its sides, staring at the barred gate with quiet intensity.
The faintest flicker of bluish runes pulsed along the edge of its head—faint, but real. Like it was… listening.
Waiting.
Shion froze.
Jareth stopped beside him. "What's up?"
Shion blinked, startled from his thoughts. "Nothing. Just… just looking."
Jareth followed his gaze. "That one's been there most days," he said. "It doesn't move much. People say it's waiting for something."
"Waiting?" Shion echoed.
"Yeah. Or maybe remembering."
They didn't linger long.
By the time they returned to the inn, the sun had vanished behind the canyon cliffs. Warm lantern light illuminated the town's terraces and paths, casting amber shadows on the stone.
Fena was already in the inn's common room, sipping tea and reading. Dunlin sat by the window, sipping from a mug and muttering about "map changes."
"Good timing," jareth said as he and Shion approached.
"We've got a slight change of plans," Jareth said, sliding into a seat. "Shion got permission to enter the restricted mine tomorrow. Observing he said ."
Shion flinched.
"I mean… not that. Just investigating. For reasons."
Fena raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Dunlin, however, just waved a hand.
"It's fine as long as no one's dying and we're not being chased by wild mighteyena again, I can delay a day. Gives me time to recheck the supply inventory."
"You're sure?" Shion asked.
"Of course. We've got a long way to Ravios. Better be prepared."
---
That night, Shion lay awake in his rented room at the inn. The moonlight filtered through the wooden shutters, painting stripes across the stone floor.
Bidoof snored once then snorted and sat upright in Shion's pack, cheeks puffed out.
"You're not sleeping," he muttered.
"I'm thinking," Shion replied, eyes still on the ceiling.
"About tomorrow?"
Shion nodded faintly. "You said the Plate's in there. But if we're being escorted, if someone's watching us… it might be hard to find it."
Bidoof stretched, his fluffy belly wobbling slightly. "Yeah. I've been thinking about that too."
He hopped onto the bed beside Shion and stared at the moon.
"We'll need to be careful. I'll help you sense when we're close. But you'll need to get creative."
Shion sighed. "You always say that."
"Because you never plan ahead."
"…Fair."
The silence stretched on for a while. Kiba lay curled up by the door, his breathing soft and even.
"Is it weird?" Shion asked quietly. "That I'm not excited?"
"not weird" Bidoof said. "you'll do fine " it added and went back to sleep
Shion didn't reply as he look out the window