Piro & Mana
Guild Hall
Mayor Yoruno answered the group of Pokémon hounding him about the guild with the enthusiasm expected of a recruiter – that is, almost none at all. “The Guild Master of this guild welcomes everyone willing to fight for peace into the guild,” he stated, “That’s really the only condition though we call upon you we hope that you will help and fight with us. Also you must treat everyone justly however that doesn’t mean you have to like them.” At his last few words, Piro and Mana exchanged agreeing nods. After all, they had learned that lesson well through their experience.
The Mayor paused, his eyes closed, and, for a second, the two wondered if he had changed his mind. Finally, he opened his eyes again. “I believe that answers all of your questions…” he finished, “If you have any more questions about the guild please feel free to ask otherwise you can get your supplies from the Lulu, the Riolu over there.”
“Oh yeah, we’re in!” Mana cheered. As they walked away from the Noctowl, the two partook in a high-five. Of course, that was only the beginning of their scheme… but hey, their scheme was pretty basic to begin with. They sauntered into the Guild Hall with prideful steps, walking up to the Riolu handing out supplies to everyone. How she managed to carry all of the supplies in one hand was beyond them.
“Here you go everyone and welcome to the guild!” she said, tossing a bag filled with items. Mana dragged the bag with them as they made their way towards the dorm rooms. Carefully, they examined each room, looking for the most out-of-the-way one that they could find. Silently, they peeked around the hallways, searching for a good hideout.
Eventually, after making their way beyond hallway after hallway, they came to a place in the guild that was almost completely deserted. It was a back hallway, one overlooked by the many energetic recruits. It couldn’t have been much older than the rest of the building… and yet, it gave off a certain rustic charm, as if it had been some other building in its previous life. They chose the first door on the corner, and walked inside, the door creaking as they entered.
The room was huge, big enough for a Snorlax to fit comfortably inside. On the left of the door was a bunk bed – one mattress sitting low to the floor, and another kept close to the wooden ceiling. A thin ladder connected the second bed to the ground. On the right were a long desk and several shelves, vacant and covered in a thin layer of dust. In the middle was a neat, fuzzy carpet to add some warm, and, on the far wall, a window looked out into the crowds of people walking through some semi-lit alleyway.
“Whoa! This place is AM-A-ZING!” Mana exclaimed. Upon seeing the bunk bed, she shouted, “Mine! Mine!” and flew up to the tallest bunk, collapsing into a dusty pillow. Piro stepped inside himself, noting the ambiance and architecture of the room with contentment. “It’s not half-bad,” he decided aloud, though he closed the shades to the outside window. Mana flew down and landed happily by Piro, dragging the two bags with her. Smiling, Piro picked up the bag Lulu had given them and set it on the desk.
“Now… let’s see what we’ve got here,” he said with a smirk, and pried open the bag. Mana hopped up on the desk and began taking the things out herself.
“So, there’s healing stuff…” she counted, throwing the items to the side, “Status-healing stuff, some money… and an elf badge!” She held up the three-triangled symbol above her head, humming “Dah da-da-da-dah!” for effect.
“... Put it back.” Piro commanded. Mana threw everything back into the bag, and then, in her own clever way, stuffed that bag into her usual bag. The brown sack grew big and suddenly deflated, once again empty. Smiling, Mana leapt up into the air and flew out the door, making her way towards the front of the Guild. Piro followed close behind, running on all fours.
“You know, you could’ve just teleported all the items without putting them into your bag…” Piro commented, stating what should have been obvious.
“But, but then it wouldn’t-“ Mana began to answer, but her words were cut off by a hideous cry. The two stopped short of the corner into the Guild’s main hallway, covering their ears from the attack.
“What the heck is that?!” Piro cried. Quickly, he peeked out from behind the corner; Mana flew up and looked out as well. A battle was taking place; standing in the middle of the hallway was a Darkrai, fighting an Umbreon, a Jolteon, and a Sneasel.
“Holy… that’s the notorious Knight of Black Light himself!” Piro muttered, his eyes wide, “This is… oh man, this is bad.”
Mana watched the battle, her eyes fixed on each Pokémon’s movements. Finally, she said, “Well, he doesn’t look that bad…”
Piro glared up at her with disbelief. “Are you insane?!” He shouted in a whisper, trying not to draw attention, “Haven’t you heard all the rumors?! This guy’s a silent killer, a murderer. And, from what I’ve heard, he’s got a pretty big beef with the Shadow clan. Trust me, Mana, he’s bad.” He glanced over at the Darkrai, cringing at the thoughts of the stories he had heard, “I’m not sure I’d even sell him a Gear if I got the chance.”
“But… but he’s not attacking…” Mana muttered, “He just keep yelling his name and dodging stuff…” She watched, silent, her eyes determinedly on the battle. Finally, she muttered the words under her breath, “I’m going in.” And, in one swift motion, she charged into the fray.
“Mana, don’t! MANA!” Piro shouted her name frantically, but the Murkrow didn’t turn around. Instead, she landed right in the middle of the battlefield, barely avoided a powerful Aura Sphere in the process, touching the shadows cast by the Guild’s side. Piro watched, his eyes wide. She was only so little… even a stray blast could probably harm her… and that Darkrai, that Darkrai would kill her if he got the chance! He glanced at Mana, staring at the shadows, when he noticed something… a faint darkening of the ground, cast by the sun’s reflection off of a metal door, overlapping just so with the Guild Pokemons’ shadows.
She’s trying to calm both sides down by sucking away some of their energy, Piro realized.
“EVERYONE, STOP!” Mana’s loud cry echoed through the Guild. “STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE!” Her eyes welling up with tears, she continued, “Why, Why are you guys all fighting?! Mr. Darkrai hasn’t even done anything! Why would you attack someone who isn’t even fighting back?” She turned to the Guild members, then added, “Isn’t this guild trying to stop prejudice? Then, then why add to that prejudice by attacking someone who doesn’t even want to fight back?”
Suddenly, she felt a warm paw land on her shoulder. Her teary eyes looked up to see Piro, standing protectively in front of her. The two exchanged warm smirks.
“Listen up, everybody!” Piro shouted, “If any of you have a problem with what my friend is saying, then you’ll have to deal directly with me!” He ignited his flames to their full power, turning them slightly blue in the process, and preparing to use his greatest ability, Fiery Demise.
He didn’t think he could beat this Darkrai. Honestly, he didn’t think he could beat any of the Pokémon sitting in the room. But for Mana, he was about ready to burn the Guild Hall and everyone in it to the ground.
Slowly, Mana turned her big, teary eyes towards the Darkrai. “I’m sorry, Mr. Darkrai… maybe now isn’t the time for you to be here…” She flashed a sad smile in his direction.