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Description
Three sharp knocks rapped against a wooden door, piercing the threshold of a small Marill's consciousness. The blue mouse's ears folded against her head, retreating from the intrusion from her nap. However, with a begrudging mindset and a groan of discomfort, she stuck out her stubby arms in front of her to allow her to sit upright.

"Seryu, don't tell me you were studying again last night?" an effeminate voice called out from beyond the room, just behind the closed door. "You know today is acceptance day. If you don't make a good appearance, your designated team might not keep you and ask for a selection from the remainder."

The small mouse leaned forward so she could rub at her forehead, trying to rid herself of drowsiness. The mattress of straw beneath her crinkled with her rolling back and forth in her seat, before releasing tension altogether with the removal of her weight. The girl looked around her room, observing every last bit of it. In the far corner, sitting along the worn beige walls and dark brown dirt floor was her knapsack, a green and violet striped bag attached to the end of a long stick by a knot. By any means, it made the look of a stereotypical runaway or hitchhiker carry-on, but it fit the needs of the girl fairly well, the stick allowing for increased options on tension on her shoulder, while also providing a means of adjusting while still having stubby arms. She'd much rather bring along this bag than any form of modern pack, what with the shoulder straps built for the standard middle-sized 'mon. The bag was filled to the brim already, sheets of paper sticking out in all directions with notes and scribbles from her days within the daycare.

At the top of the bag, a small fluff of pink fur stuck out through the folds of the cloth. Slightly startled by the extrusion, the Marill quickly waddled over to her knapsack and stuffed the fuzz back in with a distinct fervor, pulling two sheets of looseleaf paper from underneath it to cover up the top. Worry overtaking her, the girl started to walk around her makeshift luggage, inspecting revealing portion from every angle she could, picking up the stick to see how applied tension on the cloth would affect the revealing characteristics of the open portion. Concluding that her findings were indeed satisfactory, the Marill let out a little sigh and picked up her bag.

The girl rested the stick on her shoulder, a small edge jutting out of the bulbous mass of her rounded body, just barely extruding enough to the point where the stick wouldn't roll off while walking. She took one last look around the room. To an extent, a very small extent, nostalgic feelings filled up the Marill while gazing upon the bare room. She had spent most of her memorable life within the confines of this daycare, commonly huddled in the back corner, studying some new finding in the fields to maximize the potency of berries, or perhaps rushing through a strategy guide on how to beat rush-down fighters. The clay walls, once filled with papers upon papers of diagrams for expanding her strength to the best possible route of maximization, tacks with string linking each stat to it's proper training mechanism, all torn down and tucked away. Books and scientific papers that used to make up a pseudo-side table of interchangeable knowledge, now either tossed or tied to her back for further studies. Berry pots with experiments of genetics that used to line the far wall for maximum sunlight potential from the confines of her room, or the telescope that mapped out her constellations, all tied down and tucked away. Everything she used to care for, everything that she had built her room into as the perfect study center, now torn down to harbor the next pupil to be assigned some no-name team. The Marill's eyes glanced about the empty walls, bare floor and slightly worn grass bed before turning towards her door. There was a new mission to attend to.

The Marill opened the door and found her ally throughout most of her time in the daycare, or at least the only one who seemed to pay her any mind in the few months the Sunflora had been there. Her name, though nearly never stated in conversation, was Lily, a rather simple-minded name for a flower in the Marill's opinion. Lily wasn't one to stand out and stick up for herself, and the bullies of the daycare knew this very well. After perhaps a week of torment, Lily fled to assist the Marill in her studies, acting as an assistant for all intents and purposes, but the Marill knew Lily saw her as a friend. Looking upon the evolved Pokemon now, it seemed as though her confidence had grown at least a little bit, standing more upright than usual, though still maintaining the strong slouch she did while wilted in the dark confines of the night. Perhaps her Chlorophyll was acting up again, or perhaps the prospect of working in the guilds had excited the flower enough to build self esteem. Neither option tickled the Marill's fancy, nor did the mouse entirely care for the feelings of the flower. Another assistant down the drain, only to forget her in due time.

Lily looked upon her partner, a bit of concern to her perpetually closed eyes, eyebrows arched to a point in the middle of her forehead. "You alright, Seryu?" she asked, twiddling her leaves just below her chin. "I thought you would've been excited to get out of here and be able to explore more, perhaps get in more field work."

The blue mouse sighed and started walking past her previous partner. "With every promotion comes new responsibilities in our line of work, Lily. Even an amateur such as yourself should know this."

"Well, yea, I suppose," Lily fumbled with her words, shuffling as quickly as her thin legs would allow her to in order to catch up to the surprisingly brisk waddle of her superior. "I dunno, I guess I just expected more emotion out of you to finally gain more responsibility, more freedom maybe."

The Marill shook her head, resulting in most of her body twisting to the motion, casually flapping the knapsack around her partner's face. "You don't understand my situation. Just for context's sake, please tell me once more about your team and why they chose you."

"Oh!" Lily's exclamation raised her tone from concern to happiness, the levity immediately irking the Marill into a scowl. "Well, I was picked by Team Dodecahedron, a merchant team with a bit of a lower social status, but a lot of heart. They said they picked me because of my endearing qualities and because of my endurance as a person to have dealt with what I went through here."

"That's exactly my point," the Marill said scornfully, face returning to a more stoic expression. "You were chosen for your qualities and how that contribution might assist a team in the future. Essentially, you're being picked for your abilities in the field. Now, due to my ability to gather intelligence, I was hoping I'd get some secret message from that guild. You know, the one that claims they don't exist. After going on a few case studies of some suspect characters as part of their guild, I thought my qualities would have attracted their attention, but it appears that I have not been even remotely considered by their high and mighty teams for a slice of the prospect in their guild."

"Are you really sure they exist, Seryu?" Lily asked, twinges of concern returning the the flower's voice as they turned down a narrow corridor. "I mean, if they insist th-"

The blue mouse turned on her heel and planted herself firmly in front of her much taller cohort. "Of course they exist, you imbecile! They wouldn't be so defensive over their nonexistence if they didn't have an agenda to cover up. They exist beyond any doubts."

Lily visibly shook in front of her master, twiddling with her leaves once more at a rapid pace. The Sunflora bit her bottom lip and looked down to the floor, narrowly avoiding eye contact with her small superior. "W-well," she stumbled out. "Who did pick you then?"

Seryu turned on her heel once more and continued down her path. "Some no-name Adventurer group. What's worse is that this might be one of the worst teams that belong to an already failing guild."

"A bad team in a failing guild?" Lily thought aloud. "How so?"

Seryu rolled her beady eyes and explained with an irritated voice. "The team I've been assigned titled themselves Team Leftovers, a team from the Adventurer's guild. Now, if you've been keeping up with guild news, you'll know the Adventurers have done the most piss-poor performances in comparison to all the other guilds, ranking last on all fronts. Team Leftovers, the group I've been assigned, is one of the worst among those pathetic teams, two of their teammates having been asked to leave their tasks in the last excursion. One of those two, by the way, is Balthasar Griffith, that theater dweeb that barely got out of here last time adoptions rolled around. Essentially, it seems the team is living up to their name by pulling together some ragtag group of nitwits prepared to take whatever scraps they can find for work and teammates, including me."

"Oh, come on Seryu," Lily's voice regained some of it's former levity, trying to coo the mouse. "You know you're a delight to have around! I mean, you took me in and helped me in my time of need. I bet they took you for your adept abilities in gaining intel, right?"

"I'd advise against that opinion," the Marill sighed. "I scored well on my tests of battle knowledge, item efficiency, and basically anything that involved fieldwork, but Syrena gave the warning of low emotional intelligence, saying I 'Don't work well with others.'" The blue mouse paused for a moment to let her information sink in with Lily. "It's because of this that most other teams didn't want me. I mean, who wants to take in someone who doesn't want to work with other people? When it came down to the wire, I was chosen by one of the last teams allowed to pick a new teammate, piled on top of the fact that they are specifically looking for Pokemon with an inability to work well in society, or at least misfits in the common atmosphere of our sanctuary here. It's an embarrassment, almost to the point where I wish I skipped this year's adoption."

Lily slowed her pace behind the Marill to fit with the mouse's now saddened stride, not as poised or directed as it was a moment before. She put a leaf on her leader's free shoulder and carefully chose her words. "You know that you weren't chosen because you're a misfit, Seryu. Nobody, not even a team built of generally uncoordinated Pokemon in society, would choose someone they knew wouldn't work well on their team. No, they chose you because they wanted you. They looked at your skills, your talents, your abilities and thought to themselves how amazing you must be. They could look past what you lack, and see that you can be a huge benefit to their team. And besides, that record doesn't account for everything. I mean, you have me! And I'll always be by your side for giving me a chance. So, these guys are giving you a chance. You are now to them what I was to you. I think you should go to them with hope and work with them until you can get every kink fixed and make for a functioning, well-oiled machine of a team."

A small smile crept up on the Marill's face, though she turned slightly away, making sure her partner wouldn't see it. "Lily you naive fool, that's wishful thinking. But, I appreciate the effort."

Lily put on a large smile. "No prob, Seryu! Just call me any time if you want to chat or if you've got a problem."

The Marill bobbed her body forward, as if to signify a yes, but she knew that she wouldn't have plans for anything close to that notion in the future. For all that Lily had done for her, being a test dummy to try out rain dance techniques and increased-power water attacks, testing the potency of specially bred Rindo berries, and being one of the most capable secretaries the mouse has had to date, there was no chance she'd be seen with the Sunflora in the future. Once they left this dungeon of a daycare, the Marill knew they'd be on different teams, in different guilds, entirely out of each other's lives. Trying to make contact past this point would be pointless, and largely fruitless. They would no longer have anything in common outside a past of four months. It was time for both of them to move on to their new lives and their new partners, whether she liked it or not.

Before she knew it, the duo had made it into the lobby, where an Axew, Tyrogue and Squirtle were waiting alongside the apron-wearing Marshtomp the Marill had come to see as the closest thing to a mother figure in her natural life. The trio was exactly as her case studies had warned her; a rough and rash dragon with muscle in the body, but lacking in the mind, a misty-eyed turtle with no sense of independence clutching to the side of the leader's leg, and Balthasar. Her old lunch buddy waved his humanoid paw at her, his dumb smile grinning widely at her appearance. The sight was so cringe-worthy, the Marill couldn't help but look away from the Shakespearow freak.

"Well mornin' Seryu!" Syrena greeted the recruit cheerily, fins locked behind her back in an endearing pose. "Did'ya sleep well last night?"

"Likely not," the Marill grumbled, shifting the weight of her knapsack on her shoulder as an idle action.

Syrena giggled lightly at the response. "Well, you need to get more sleep there, honey! If you spend every night studying in those papers, you're going to tire yourself out beyond the point of their usefulness."

"I'm aware of my physical capabilities, Ms. Syrena," the Marill grumbled once more.

Syrena giggled once more and reached out a fin to ruffle the thin layer of fur atop the mouse's head. "Oh, you'll be just precious with old Balthy again! I bet you two will have a great time, just like you did a couple months ago."

The mouse grimaced underneath the playful rubbing of her guardian. "We'll have to see..."

Syrena stopped rubbing the mouse's head for a moment, but got down onto one knee. The mud-fish leaned forward, pulling in the Marill for a tight squeeze, nuzzling her head into the free shoulder of her child. Behind the mouse, Lily joined in on the hug, giving a double dose of the love. "You be good, alrighty Bumpkaboo?" Syrena whispered to the departing rodent.

The Marill's lips pulled tight, unsure of how to react to the hug combo. "I will, Ms. Syrena. I will."

The grip of her two friends loosened, as Syrena and Lily pulled away from the Marill and moved aside, Syrena putting a fin around the shoulder of Lily, while raising another to wave goodbye, Lily quickly following suit in the recognition of the departing sign. The Marill, in recognition of her allies closed her eyes, steeling herself for the departure. Showing weakness now wouldn't help her in front of her new partners. She needed to show her loyalty. This was her new group now. Previous partners wouldn't matter in the future.''

Feeling satisfied with herself, the Marill waddled forward towards the Axew and reached out her free paw. "My name's Seryu Ubiquitos. It's a pleasure to have been chosen to join your team."

The Axew let out a breath of a chuckle, the heat of his breath forcing Seryu to lid her eyes, protecting them from any possible lingering attack of a dragon breath. Suddenly, the firm grasp of the team's leader met her hand, immediately proceeded by the hardy shake of his muscular build. "Nice to meet you as well, Seryu. I'm McKinley, your leader. At my side here is Vyn, and, from what I've heard, you already know Balthy, so there's no need to introduce you two." Seryu opened her eyes quick, finding a large smile on the Axew's face, clearly showing the might of his tusks. "I hope that'll help to create a bit of team chemistry and break down that rough shell of yours."

Seryu let out a breath of a laugh herself. Wishful thinking.

~~~

Seryu quickly closed the wooden door behind her, clutching her knapsack to herself. Before her was a fairly simplistic setup, as to be expected of a simplistic team. The middle of the room was occupied by a fresh stack of dried grass, just like her last room, but holding a few new items. The first that came to notice were the reading glasses she had asked for, a simplistic, thin-rimmed pair of spectacles. Laying alongside that were two other items, a picture frame, currently holding a black and white image of her three teammates, smiling in a pyramid of friendship. On the other side of the glasses, a decorative blanket was laid out, bearing the logo of her new team, a purple diamond pattern with a white apple core center, coinciding black diamonds for the creation of the pattern in the first place.

Seryu stepped forward and released her bag, allowing it to make a loud thud on the dirt floor next to her bed, rising dust into the beams of sunlight entering her room from the far wall. As she put on her new pair of glasses, Seryu looked about her room. Outside a plum coat of paint, there was nothing different from her room in the daycare. Blank walls with blank floors and a large, gaping window to use for observations. It already felt like home.

The mouse leaned down to untie her knapsack. The purple and jade cloth fell to the ground quickly, along with a few stray papers, revealing the stacks of books, pots, berry seed packs, and other miscelleneous items she had packed. However, instead of reaching to run through her data, Seryu brushed aside a few papers to reveal a bit of pink fuzz. Recognizing the item, the Marill tugged at the soft mess, pulling out a plush of a shiny Buneary. Seryu lifted it up to her face level, recognizing the plush once more. It was the gift Syrena had given her on a particularily low day in her studies, a day she had no meals for a couple days, not out of vigorous work, but out of mere depression of not being chosen once again. It was a fine plush, still fresh, having been well preserved over the time the mouse had kept it. Every stitch, every fiber of the rabbit had been maintained to a T, including the note held in the Buneary's paws.

For one more read, Seryu took the note out of the Buneary's paws and read it.

"Don't get too down, Seryu. Life can be rough sometimes, but you just have to hop back in and try something new. Don't give up. I believe in you and love you, Bumpkaboo!

Love, Syrena"

Seryu sighed with a nostalgic grin. "Thanks again... mom."

Description
Three sharp knocks rapped against a wooden door, piercing the threshold of a small Marill's consciousness. The blue mouse's ears folded against her head, retreating from the intrusion from her nap. However, with a begrudging mindset and a groan of discomfort, she stuck out her stubby arms in front of her to allow her to sit upright.

"Seryu, don't tell me you were studying again last night?" an effeminate voice called out from beyond the room, just behind the closed door. "You know today is acceptance day. If you don't make a good appearance, your designated team might not keep you and ask for a selection from the remainder."

The small mouse leaned forward so she could rub at her forehead, trying to rid herself of drowsiness. The mattress of straw beneath her crinkled with her rolling back and forth in her seat, before releasing tension altogether with the removal of her weight. The girl looked around her room, observing every last bit of it. In the far corner, sitting along the worn beige walls and dark brown dirt floor was her knapsack, a green and violet striped bag attached to the end of a long stick by a knot. By any means, it made the look of a stereotypical runaway or hitchhiker carry-on, but it fit the needs of the girl fairly well, the stick allowing for increased options on tension on her shoulder, while also providing a means of adjusting while still having stubby arms. She'd much rather bring along this bag than any form of modern pack, what with the shoulder straps built for the standard middle-sized 'mon. The bag was filled to the brim already, sheets of paper sticking out in all directions with notes and scribbles from her days within the daycare.

At the top of the bag, a small fluff of pink fur stuck out through the folds of the cloth. Slightly startled by the extrusion, the Marill quickly waddled over to her knapsack and stuffed the fuzz back in with a distinct fervor, pulling two sheets of looseleaf paper from underneath it to cover up the top. Worry overtaking her, the girl started to walk around her makeshift luggage, inspecting revealing portion from every angle she could, picking up the stick to see how applied tension on the cloth would affect the revealing characteristics of the open portion. Concluding that her findings were indeed satisfactory, the Marill let out a little sigh and picked up her bag.

The girl rested the stick on her shoulder, a small edge jutting out of the bulbous mass of her rounded body, just barely extruding enough to the point where the stick wouldn't roll off while walking. She took one last look around the room. To an extent, a very small extent, nostalgic feelings filled up the Marill while gazing upon the bare room. She had spent most of her memorable life within the confines of this daycare, commonly huddled in the back corner, studying some new finding in the fields to maximize the potency of berries, or perhaps rushing through a strategy guide on how to beat rush-down fighters. The clay walls, once filled with papers upon papers of diagrams for expanding her strength to the best possible route of maximization, tacks with string linking each stat to it's proper training mechanism, all torn down and tucked away. Books and scientific papers that used to make up a pseudo-side table of interchangeable knowledge, now either tossed or tied to her back for further studies. Berry pots with experiments of genetics that used to line the far wall for maximum sunlight potential from the confines of her room, or the telescope that mapped out her constellations, all tied down and tucked away. Everything she used to care for, everything that she had built her room into as the perfect study center, now torn down to harbor the next pupil to be assigned some no-name team. The Marill's eyes glanced about the empty walls, bare floor and slightly worn grass bed before turning towards her door. There was a new mission to attend to.

The Marill opened the door and found her ally throughout most of her time in the daycare, or at least the only one who seemed to pay her any mind in the few months the Sunflora had been there. Her name, though nearly never stated in conversation, was Lily, a rather simple-minded name for a flower in the Marill's opinion. Lily wasn't one to stand out and stick up for herself, and the bullies of the daycare knew this very well. After perhaps a week of torment, Lily fled to assist the Marill in her studies, acting as an assistant for all intents and purposes, but the Marill knew Lily saw her as a friend. Looking upon the evolved Pokemon now, it seemed as though her confidence had grown at least a little bit, standing more upright than usual, though still maintaining the strong slouch she did while wilted in the dark confines of the night. Perhaps her Chlorophyll was acting up again, or perhaps the prospect of working in the guilds had excited the flower enough to build self esteem. Neither option tickled the Marill's fancy, nor did the mouse entirely care for the feelings of the flower. Another assistant down the drain, only to forget her in due time.

Lily looked upon her partner, a bit of concern to her perpetually closed eyes, eyebrows arched to a point in the middle of her forehead. "You alright, Seryu?" she asked, twiddling her leaves just below her chin. "I thought you would've been excited to get out of here and be able to explore more, perhaps get in more field work."

The blue mouse sighed and started walking past her previous partner. "With every promotion comes new responsibilities in our line of work, Lily. Even an amateur such as yourself should know this."

"Well, yea, I suppose," Lily fumbled with her words, shuffling as quickly as her thin legs would allow her to in order to catch up to the surprisingly brisk waddle of her superior. "I dunno, I guess I just expected more emotion out of you to finally gain more responsibility, more freedom maybe."

The Marill shook her head, resulting in most of her body twisting to the motion, casually flapping the knapsack around her partner's face. "You don't understand my situation. Just for context's sake, please tell me once more about your team and why they chose you."

"Oh!" Lily's exclamation raised her tone from concern to happiness, the levity immediately irking the Marill into a scowl. "Well, I was picked by Team Dodecahedron, a merchant team with a bit of a lower social status, but a lot of heart. They said they picked me because of my endearing qualities and because of my endurance as a person to have dealt with what I went through here."

"That's exactly my point," the Marill said scornfully, face returning to a more stoic expression. "You were chosen for your qualities and how that contribution might assist a team in the future. Essentially, you're being picked for your abilities in the field. Now, due to my ability to gather intelligence, I was hoping I'd get some secret message from that guild. You know, the one that claims they don't exist. After going on a few case studies of some suspect characters as part of their guild, I thought my qualities would have attracted their attention, but it appears that I have not been even remotely considered by their high and mighty teams for a slice of the prospect in their guild."

"Are you really sure they exist, Seryu?" Lily asked, twinges of concern returning the the flower's voice as they turned down a narrow corridor. "I mean, if they insist th-"

The blue mouse turned on her heel and planted herself firmly in front of her much taller cohort. "Of course they exist, you imbecile! They wouldn't be so defensive over their nonexistence if they didn't have an agenda to cover up. They exist beyond any doubts."

Lily visibly shook in front of her master, twiddling with her leaves once more at a rapid pace. The Sunflora bit her bottom lip and looked down to the floor, narrowly avoiding eye contact with her small superior. "W-well," she stumbled out. "Who did pick you then?"

Seryu turned on her heel once more and continued down her path. "Some no-name Adventurer group. What's worse is that this might be one of the worst teams that belong to an already failing guild."

"A bad team in a failing guild?" Lily thought aloud. "How so?"

Seryu rolled her beady eyes and explained with an irritated voice. "The team I've been assigned titled themselves Team Leftovers, a team from the Adventurer's guild. Now, if you've been keeping up with guild news, you'll know the Adventurers have done the most piss-poor performances in comparison to all the other guilds, ranking last on all fronts. Team Leftovers, the group I've been assigned, is one of the worst among those pathetic teams, two of their teammates having been asked to leave their tasks in the last excursion. One of those two, by the way, is Balthasar Griffith, that theater dweeb that barely got out of here last time adoptions rolled around. Essentially, it seems the team is living up to their name by pulling together some ragtag group of nitwits prepared to take whatever scraps they can find for work and teammates, including me."

"Oh, come on Seryu," Lily's voice regained some of it's former levity, trying to coo the mouse. "You know you're a delight to have around! I mean, you took me in and helped me in my time of need. I bet they took you for your adept abilities in gaining intel, right?"

"I'd advise against that opinion," the Marill sighed. "I scored well on my tests of battle knowledge, item efficiency, and basically anything that involved fieldwork, but Syrena gave the warning of low emotional intelligence, saying I 'Don't work well with others.'" The blue mouse paused for a moment to let her information sink in with Lily. "It's because of this that most other teams didn't want me. I mean, who wants to take in someone who doesn't want to work with other people? When it came down to the wire, I was chosen by one of the last teams allowed to pick a new teammate, piled on top of the fact that they are specifically looking for Pokemon with an inability to work well in society, or at least misfits in the common atmosphere of our sanctuary here. It's an embarrassment, almost to the point where I wish I skipped this year's adoption."

Lily slowed her pace behind the Marill to fit with the mouse's now saddened stride, not as poised or directed as it was a moment before. She put a leaf on her leader's free shoulder and carefully chose her words. "You know that you weren't chosen because you're a misfit, Seryu. Nobody, not even a team built of generally uncoordinated Pokemon in society, would choose someone they knew wouldn't work well on their team. No, they chose you because they wanted you. They looked at your skills, your talents, your abilities and thought to themselves how amazing you must be. They could look past what you lack, and see that you can be a huge benefit to their team. And besides, that record doesn't account for everything. I mean, you have me! And I'll always be by your side for giving me a chance. So, these guys are giving you a chance. You are now to them what I was to you. I think you should go to them with hope and work with them until you can get every kink fixed and make for a functioning, well-oiled machine of a team."

A small smile crept up on the Marill's face, though she turned slightly away, making sure her partner wouldn't see it. "Lily you naive fool, that's wishful thinking. But, I appreciate the effort."

Lily put on a large smile. "No prob, Seryu! Just call me any time if you want to chat or if you've got a problem."

The Marill bobbed her body forward, as if to signify a yes, but she knew that she wouldn't have plans for anything close to that notion in the future. For all that Lily had done for her, being a test dummy to try out rain dance techniques and increased-power water attacks, testing the potency of specially bred Rindo berries, and being one of the most capable secretaries the mouse has had to date, there was no chance she'd be seen with the Sunflora in the future. Once they left this dungeon of a daycare, the Marill knew they'd be on different teams, in different guilds, entirely out of each other's lives. Trying to make contact past this point would be pointless, and largely fruitless. They would no longer have anything in common outside a past of four months. It was time for both of them to move on to their new lives and their new partners, whether she liked it or not.

Before she knew it, the duo had made it into the lobby, where an Axew, Tyrogue and Squirtle were waiting alongside the apron-wearing Marshtomp the Marill had come to see as the closest thing to a mother figure in her natural life. The trio was exactly as her case studies had warned her; a rough and rash dragon with muscle in the body, but lacking in the mind, a misty-eyed turtle with no sense of independence clutching to the side of the leader's leg, and Balthasar. Her old lunch buddy waved his humanoid paw at her, his dumb smile grinning widely at her appearance. The sight was so cringe-worthy, the Marill couldn't help but look away from the Shakespearow freak.

"Well mornin' Seryu!" Syrena greeted the recruit cheerily, fins locked behind her back in an endearing pose. "Did'ya sleep well last night?"

"Likely not," the Marill grumbled, shifting the weight of her knapsack on her shoulder as an idle action.

Syrena giggled lightly at the response. "Well, you need to get more sleep there, honey! If you spend every night studying in those papers, you're going to tire yourself out beyond the point of their usefulness."

"I'm aware of my physical capabilities, Ms. Syrena," the Marill grumbled once more.

Syrena giggled once more and reached out a fin to ruffle the thin layer of fur atop the mouse's head. "Oh, you'll be just precious with old Balthy again! I bet you two will have a great time, just like you did a couple months ago."

The mouse grimaced underneath the playful rubbing of her guardian. "We'll have to see..."

Syrena stopped rubbing the mouse's head for a moment, but got down onto one knee. The mud-fish leaned forward, pulling in the Marill for a tight squeeze, nuzzling her head into the free shoulder of her child. Behind the mouse, Lily joined in on the hug, giving a double dose of the love. "You be good, alrighty Bumpkaboo?" Syrena whispered to the departing rodent.

The Marill's lips pulled tight, unsure of how to react to the hug combo. "I will, Ms. Syrena. I will."

The grip of her two friends loosened, as Syrena and Lily pulled away from the Marill and moved aside, Syrena putting a fin around the shoulder of Lily, while raising another to wave goodbye, Lily quickly following suit in the recognition of the departing sign. The Marill, in recognition of her allies closed her eyes, steeling herself for the departure. Showing weakness now wouldn't help her in front of her new partners. She needed to show her loyalty. This was her new group now. Previous partners wouldn't matter in the future.''

Feeling satisfied with herself, the Marill waddled forward towards the Axew and reached out her free paw. "My name's Seryu Ubiquitos. It's a pleasure to have been chosen to join your team."

The Axew let out a breath of a chuckle, the heat of his breath forcing Seryu to lid her eyes, protecting them from any possible lingering attack of a dragon breath. Suddenly, the firm grasp of the team's leader met her hand, immediately proceeded by the hardy shake of his muscular build. "Nice to meet you as well, Seryu. I'm McKinley, your leader. At my side here is Vyn, and, from what I've heard, you already know Balthy, so there's no need to introduce you two." Seryu opened her eyes quick, finding a large smile on the Axew's face, clearly showing the might of his tusks. "I hope that'll help to create a bit of team chemistry and break down that rough shell of yours."

Seryu let out a breath of a laugh herself. Wishful thinking.

~~~

Seryu quickly closed the wooden door behind her, clutching her knapsack to herself. Before her was a fairly simplistic setup, as to be expected of a simplistic team. The middle of the room was occupied by a fresh stack of dried grass, just like her last room, but holding a few new items. The first that came to notice were the reading glasses she had asked for, a simplistic, thin-rimmed pair of spectacles. Laying alongside that were two other items, a picture frame, currently holding a black and white image of her three teammates, smiling in a pyramid of friendship. On the other side of the glasses, a decorative blanket was laid out, bearing the logo of her new team, a purple diamond pattern with a white apple core center, coinciding black diamonds for the creation of the pattern in the first place.

Seryu stepped forward and released her bag, allowing it to make a loud thud on the dirt floor next to her bed, rising dust into the beams of sunlight entering her room from the far wall. As she put on her new pair of glasses, Seryu looked about her room. Outside a plum coat of paint, there was nothing different from her room in the daycare. Blank walls with blank floors and a large, gaping window to use for observations. It already felt like home.

The mouse leaned down to untie her knapsack. The purple and jade cloth fell to the ground quickly, along with a few stray papers, revealing the stacks of books, pots, berry seed packs, and other miscelleneous items she had packed. However, instead of reaching to run through her data, Seryu brushed aside a few papers to reveal a bit of pink fuzz. Recognizing the item, the Marill tugged at the soft mess, pulling out a plush of a shiny Buneary. Seryu lifted it up to her face level, recognizing the plush once more. It was the gift Syrena had given her on a particularily low day in her studies, a day she had no meals for a couple days, not out of vigorous work, but out of mere depression of not being chosen once again. It was a fine plush, still fresh, having been well preserved over the time the mouse had kept it. Every stitch, every fiber of the rabbit had been maintained to a T, including the note held in the Buneary's paws.

For one more read, Seryu took the note out of the Buneary's paws and read it.

"Don't get too down, Seryu. Life can be rough sometimes, but you just have to hop back in and try something new. Don't give up. I believe in you and love you, Bumpkaboo!

Love, Syrena"

Seryu sighed with a nostalgic grin. "Thanks again... mom."