The decision

You approach the meeting room once again after being called back, but this time you notice that most of the leaders are already leaving. Only Delia and Lance remain behind, quietly chatting while waiting for you.

"Here you are, dear" Delia says with a warm smile.

"Yes, though… why is everyone leaving?" you ask.

"Their presence is no longer necessary to communicate our decision. Miss Delia and I will handle the rest, so let us head back inside" Lance explains.

You follow them back into the meeting room, and the three of you take seats around the large table.

"S-so… what did you decide, Lord Lance?" you ask nervously.

"After a rather intense discussion, with strong arguments from both sides… we decided to place our trust in you, for now, Mister Scarlett" he says calmly.

"You can just call me Erik, sir Lance. I’m not really the important one here" you reply awkwardly.

"Then you may stop calling me 'sir' as well. Such formalities are unnecessary right now" he answers with a faint smile.

"I understand."

Lance folds his hands together before continuing.

"From this point onward, we will work together to protect the region from these mysterious monsters that have recently begun appearing. You will act as a special agent for the council, moving to investigate incidents and threats as they arise."

He pauses briefly.

"At the same time, you will also have freedom to travel and train. You are still inexperienced, and growing stronger will be necessary. To check on your progress you will stabilize a base near Sapphire city."

You nod carefully.

"I understand. Though… finding a suitable place to stay near Sapphire City could take some time."

"Oh, don’t worry about that, dear. We already thought about it," Delia says proudly.

"Near Sapphire City there is a valley surrounding a large lake, and at its center stands a massive building that could serve as your headquarters," Lance explains.

"It was once the laboratory of the great Professor Oak."

Samuel Oak.

A genius of biology and one of the most famous researchers of the last decades. He had been an old friend of the legendary Terrance Rainer and one of the people who worked the hardest to improve the relationship between humans and pokemusus.

Thanks to his research on musu biology, many tools and technologies were developed to help musus adapt more easily to human settlements.

Sadly, he passed away around ten years ago.

"Since his project collapsed a few years after his ****, due to none of his grandchildren being ready to continue it at the time, the place has remained abandoned. However, the structure should still be in good condition."

Lance looks directly at you.

"It would be large enough for you, your companions… and anyone else who may decide to join your cause."

You immediately understand the hidden meaning behind those words and feel your face heat up slightly.

"W-wow… I honestly don’t know what to say."

"You do not need words," Lance replies.

"You simply need to prove that our trust was well placed."

He then leans back slightly.

"To help with that, the council decided that you will travel through the various major cities of Kanto. Each leader wishes to evaluate you personally."

"I see… guess I’ll have to work hard then."

"And lastly," Lance continues, "we also decided to provide you with reinforcements."

You blink in surprise.

"Reinforcements?"

"Or rather… some people volunteered themselves."

"Who wants to help us?" you ask curiously.

"You will see soon enough," Lance says with a mysterious smile.

"For now, we still need permission to let you use the old laboratory."

"Wait… you discussed giving me the place before even asking the owner?" you ask incredulously.

"One of the owners owes me a favor," Lance replies calmly.

"And frankly, allowing such a place to gather dust is a terrible waste."

"I guess that makes sense… though who owns it now?"

"The grandchildren of Professor Oak. However, the one I intend to speak with is the elder brother."

Lance smirks slightly.

"You have probably heard of him. Blue Oak, Grand Master of the Adventurer's Guild."

Blue Oak.

One of the strongest and most respected adventurers in Kanto, and the youngest Guild Grand Master in history, having earned the position while still in his late twenties.

People often described him as difficult to handle, but also as an incredibly capable leader.

He had also once been Lance’s apprentice.

"I’ll send him a message, and we can visit him later this afternoon. Until then, I suggest you take a proper break. Delia told me you already had to fight earlier today."

"Thank you, si—" you stop yourself.

"...Thank you, Lance."

After parting ways with them, you head toward the dining hall and enjoy a proper lunch, far more filling than the small snack from earlier.

Once finished, you return to the mansion’s backyard.

Now it is quiet and empty. Brock and Misty have probably gone elsewhere.

At the far edge of the garden, you notice a peaceful patch of grass beneath a few large trees.

You decide to rest there for a while.

Leaning your back against one of the trees, you let out a long sigh of relief.

But then…

You hear soft breathing nearby.

Curious, you peek around the tree and realize someone is already there.

Lady Erika.

She is peacefully napping in the shade.

As soon as you notice her, her eyes slowly open.

"Oh, sorry, Lady Erika. I didn’t mean to interrupt your rest."

She yawns softly.

"Oh hello, Erik. There is no need to worry."

Her usual gentle smile appears again.

"In fact, why don’t you join me?"

"Are you sure, miss—"

"No 'miss'," she interrupts gently.

"Just Erika. We are around the same age, after all."

"I see… then I’ll gladly accept."

You sit beside her beneath the tree, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

"I’m happy the council accepted you, Erik," Erika suddenly says.

"You said this before too, though what do you mean with that Erika?" you ask.

"You mentioned before that you think I’m a real hero… what exactly do you mean by that?" you ask.

Erika looks toward the sky for a moment.

"Ever since I was a child, I have been able to perceive the 'self' of certain people. Their soul, in a sense."

She looks slightly embarrassed.

"I know it probably sounds strange."

"Honestly? After everything that happened during the last few days, that doesn’t sound strange at all anymore."

She giggles softly.

"Thank you."

Then she suddenly glances upward.

"See? I told you he was nice."

You follow her gaze and notice someone hiding among the branches above.

A musu entirely covered in thick blue vines. A Tangela musu.

"Wow… I’ve never seen a mus like that before. You're a Tangela right?"

The musu looks at Erika before quietly nodding.

"Her name is Tangle, she is my partner. Like most Tangela musus, she rarely speaks, but thanks to my ability, I can understand her perfectly."

"So that’s why you were sleeping here out in the open. You had a bodyguard."

"That too," Erika laughs softly.

"But honestly… I just really enjoy naps."

You continue chatting with Erika for quite a while, until eventually Leaf approaches you.

"Oh, there you are—"

"Oh… hello, Lady Erika."

Erika pouts slightly.

"I told you already, just Erika."

"Ah… right, sorry."

Leaf clears her throat.

"Anyway, Lance asked me to come get you. You’re supposed to go meet the Guild Master."

"Oh… it’s already that late?" you ask, surprised by how much time had passed.

"It seems so," Erika says as she slowly stands up.

Tangle climbs down from the tree and quietly follows beside her.

"We shall meet again another time, Erik."

"Sure. It was really nice meeting you, Erika."

She waves at you with a gentle smile before leaving.

You then turn toward Leaf and notice she seems strangely bothered.

"...What? Something wrong?" you ask.

"Nothing. Let’s just go."

Without another word, she grabs your arm and starts pulling you along.

Soon, you arrive near the mansion entrance, where Lance is already waiting.

There you are, Erik. Ready to go?"

"I am. Is Leaf coming too?" you ask.

"She seemed interested in the matter, so I thought she could join us as well" Lance answers.

"H-hey, I never said that… though I don’t mind coming," Leaf mutters awkwardly.

Lance chuckles lightly before guiding you both through the city.

To avoid unnecessary attention, you move through quieter side streets until finally arriving behind the Adventurer Guild headquarters.

Lance knocks on the back door, and a young woman opens it before politely welcoming you inside.

The building feels completely different from the luxurious mansion.

It is elegant, but also warm and lively, filled with movement and conversation.

The woman guides your group upstairs before stopping in front of a large office.

"The Grand Master is inside," she says before returning to work.

Lance knocks on the door before he slowly opens it.

Lance knocks and slowly opens the door.

Inside, a man sits with his feet casually resting on his desk while reading several papers.

He wears stylish yet comfortable clothes, and his messy brown hair gives him a somewhat wild appearance

"Oh, you’re here already? Give me a second."

He quickly finishes reading before casually tossing the papers behind him.

"Blue, could you try having at least a little composure? We have guests," Lance sighs.

"Yeah, yeah."

The man stands up with a grin before approaching you.

"Nice meeting you folks. Blue Oak. Guild Master and owner of way too many other titles."

"I’m Erik Scarlett, and this is my friend Leaf."

You shake his hand.

"Alright then, let’s get to business. Lance told me you want to use my grandpa’s old lab."

"Correct," Lance says.

"We would like to lend it to Erik as a base of operations."

Blue sits back on his desk and crosses his arms.

"I don’t really mind. But I’ve got two conditions."

He raises one finger.

"First, I want the guild to be allowed to assign missions to mr. hero here as well."

"I don’t have any problem with that," you answer immediately.

"Good. I like determined people."

Then he raises a second finger.

"Second condition: you’ll need to obtain the key yourselves, cause i'm not the one that has it"

"T-then who has it?" Leaf asks.

"My sister. Yellow."

Blue sighs quietly.

"It was one of the last things Grandpa left behind. But she was still too young to understand what he hoped she would inherit."

"I understand. So where can we find her?" you ask.

"Near the outskirts of the city. She runs a small clinic there."

Then I accept the second condition too."

"Good luck with that" Gary laughs.

After a few final words, you leave the guild headquarters.

By now the sun is beginning to set, painting the city in warm orange colors.

Lance parts ways with you to return home, while you and Leaf begin walking back toward the inn.

However, along the way, you are greeted by a rather depressing sight.

Midori, Charlie, and Marine are trying to comfort a sobbing Katy while heading to the inn.

The Caterpie girl looks absolutely devastated.

"Girls… what happened here?" you ask as you approach.

"Oh, hey Erik," Midori sighs.

"We brought Katy to the interview, but because of the delay caused by the monster attack, she arrived too late. They had already hired someone else."

Midori’s expression darkens slightly.

"And then the owner started making jokes about Caterpies being slow…"

Katy sniffles loudly.

"We tried cheering her up, but she ended up drinking more than she can handle…"

"I-I’m not slow…" Katy drunkenly mumbles between sobs.

"...Yeah, definitely drunk," Marine whispers.

"I see… what a mess."

You sigh before gently patting Katy’s head.

"It’s already late, so maybe she should stay with us tonight. I can give her my—"

"No need," Leaf interrupts immediately.

"I’ll let her use my bed. You already had a long day."

"Are you sure?"

She nods firmly.

After deciding what to do, you all head back to the inn.

Katy is carefully tucked into Leaf’s bed while the rest of you enjoy a quick dinner together.

Everyone ends up going to sleep early due to exhaustion.

Eventually, you also return to your room, ready to finally rest—

But just before climbing into bed, you hear a knock on the door.

You open it and find…

Leaf.

"Hey… can I come in?" she asks quietly, her cheeks slightly red.