Beach Runners - The Construction Job

Of all the places in the world, there was none quite like the quaint town of Lakeside. Though it was but a humble little hamlet situated nearby the Vile Wilds, it was also popular for being home to three Guilds: the adventurous Partisans, led by Nadia the Jangmo-o and Cherry the Audino; the calculated Solacers, led by Cecil the Lucario and Hermes the Nuzleaf; and last, but certainly not least, the cunning Moonlighters, led by Flint the Ghost Marowak and Lily the Milotic.

Today, however, that humble little hamlet was about to get a bit bigger.

"Coming through!" came the bellowing voice of a Quagsire as he rallied several Water Wooper in what appeared to be a construction zone. Some of the Wooper were busy scooping up dirt with their tails and flinging it in a nearby pile. Others were banging hammers against nails and chopping up wood with axes.

All that banging and chopping managed to snag the attention of one young Wattrel, who had just returned from his morning flight to check out the commotion. Finding a perfect place to perch upon, he landed right down on a seemingly thin plank of wood and observed in amazement at the Pokémon hard at work. "Huh, I wonder what's going on here," he murmured to himself.

"Why howdy there!" Guthrie's attention was immediately yanked from the site and to the Quagsire. The Water Fish Pokémon had his fins on his hips as he stood there with a tremendously big grin on his face. "I ain't seen you 'round these parts. Whatch'a been doing?"

"Uhhh..." Guthrie stammered. "I just got back from my morning flight around town, and then I noticed that you guys were busy building something. I just thought I'd drop by and see what's up, s'all."

The Quagsire let out a bellowed laughter. "Well, aren't you a keen observationist?" he said. He stepped back and gestured Guthrie towards the massive pit as well as the planks of wood being built into...well, something. "What you see here is a work in progress. But when it's done, it'll be a nice hot spring for all you guildies and your leaders to enjoy...for free, of course! Yup yup!"

Guthrie grimaced. "With all those Wooper doing the construction, it looks like that hot spring won't be for a long time," he pointed out.

This didn't seem to bother the Quagsire one bit. "True," he said. "But your guild leaders did say they'd help out with the construction. We've got a lot of work to do - like digging up holes, chopping up wood. Or if that ain't your thing, you can always bring out some snacks for the workers. After all, they do deserve a break every once in a while."

Before Guthrie could utter a response, he heard a feminine voice call out his name. He looked down to find an East Sea Shellos slithering towards him, her purple ribbon flapping in the gentle breeze.

"What's the hold up, Guthrie?" Lani asked him. "Normally, you'd have been done with your...flight...by...now..." She trailed off once she noticed the Quagsire standing next to the Storm Petrel Pokémon. Her eyes lit up with recognition. "No way!" she squealed. "You're Boss Bloop, aren't you? The famed adventurer who took on Heatran all by himself? What are you doing here at Lakeside?"

"Oh?" The Quagsire grinned as he glanced down at Lani, then back at Guthrie. "Who might this cutie be? Your girlfriend, perchance?"

Guthrie's face went bright red the very moment the Quagsire mentioned that word. "S-she's not my girlfriend!" he squawked in protest. "W-we're just... we're just friends, a-and teammates! Th-that's all. Been that way since forever."

Boss Bloop let out another laughter. "Relax, I'm just teasing you," he chuckled. He then turned to Lani. "Still, you've got a pretty good memory there, kiddo. I am indeed Boss Bloop, the famed adventurer. Though, these days, I've decided it's time to throw in the towel and hang up my Wonder Badge and Bag." He pointed to the construction site. "As I've told your partner here, I've decided to make Lakeside my new home, and pursue my second passion: managing a hot spring. But it's a lot of work, especially with a bunch of Wooper. If you can help us out, we'll let you use it for free!"

A tingle of excitement coursed through Lani's entire being. Helping out with the construction, and being able to use it free of charge? Now that was something worth writing a letter back home to! Maybe, if Boss Bloop was generous enough, she could invite her whole family over...and maybe even Guthrie's.

She turned to Guthrie with a grin on her face. "I think we should do it, Guthrie," she suggested. "It would really help build up some experience."

Guthrie put a wing to his chin, looking thoughtful for a moment. Then, he smiled. "Sure," he replied. He turned to Boss Bloop. "You got yourself a deal, big guy!"

"Great!" Boss Bloop said. "Now, first things first - what kind of task would you like to do?"

Under the agreement that escorting the Wooper to gather the wood from the Vile Wilds would be a tremendous help, Lani and Guthrie gathered up a small squadron for the collection. It wasn't long before the group found themselves at the entrance to the dungeon itself.

Lani gulped nervously. Last time they had been there, they had taken a simple job to rescue a lost Sunkern, but Guthrie had almost gotten his feathers shredded by a feral Noctowl. Thankfully, they all got out relatively unscathed, but it was still a bit of a scary experience. This time around, they knew what they were up against. Yet, at the same time, Lani couldn't help but worry that the Wooper might not be able to keep their focus on the task at hand. What if one of them went astray due to the local fauna? What if they ran into a super-strong feral that proved too much for them?

As Guthrie lighted down to give Lani words of reassurance, he noticed a particular Buizel wearing a dark blue sash around her waist, accompanied by a Pikipek wearing a yellow ribbon around her neck as the two were gathering another platoon of Wooper. "Oh, that must be Izumi and Lark," he said. "I didn't think they'd be up to the task."

Lani turned to find the two members of Cresting Crescendo. "Huh? Oh," she replied. "If they're doing to same task as us, then there's a good chance we might run into them."

Guthrie nodded. "Yeah," he replied, rather absentmindedly. He was much more focused on Lark as she followed her teammate into the thickness of the trees, reminiscing that short-lived moment where she had developed a huge crush on him. And all because they both had unique wing patterns, which Lark thought automatically translated to a potential date that would never happen. Of course, he felt guilty for turning her down, but at least he tried to be as gentle as he could with his words. The memory slowly but inexorably came back to him as he began to recall that day...

Guthrie remembered how, after their successful dungeon run in Tourmaline Forest that involved a feral Hatterene helping with catching three members of a group called the Blight Brigade (emphasis on "helping"), Lani had suggested the foursome head over to the Cup-O-Cream Café for a celebration. The experience there was much more wonderful than he'd thought, and the Cornn biscuits he'd ordered admittedly beat out the seaweed that his mother would bring to him and his siblings. Lani had opted to go for Rabuta biscuits, with some peppermint tea added. She'd never actually tried tea before, so this was also just as wonderful for her.

As Guthrie continued to eat his fill, he couldn't help but notice the way Lark stared at him. Her cheeks were rosier than usual, like she'd caught a fever. Yet, the look in her eyes betrayed her true emotions. Guthrie knew that look all too well: it was a clear signal that the Pikipek had a crush on him, just like every other girl before her.

Just like Lani did, once.

Well, he supposed that was entirely on him for being so good-looking, just like his big brother. And besides, it wasn't his fault he fumbled his first (as well as his last and only) date with Lani. He knew he had to break the news to Lark somehow, but he needed the right time to do so.

He would have to wait until they were alone. Just the two of them.

The sun had just barely left the horizon and gave way to the first light of the stars when the two teams decided to part ways. Just as Lani was about to say her farewell, Guthrie stepped forward and offered a wing to Lark. "Lark," he began. "May I have a chat with you? Alone?"

He saw the way Lark's eyes sparkled, and she eagerly accepted. She even followed him to a nearby treetop where no one else would try to interfere. After making sure there was absolutely no one else within their vicinity, Guthrie turned to Lark. "So," he began, trying to find the right words. "I've been noticing the way you stuck with me throughout the mission we did together. And I've also noticed the way you've been looking at me. And, honestly, I can't fault you for either of those."

Lark giggled. "W-well, it's just that..." she gulped, suddenly feeling nervous. "I-I mean, you are a bit on the rash side, but...I thought i-it was cool that y-you had wing patterns, j-just like me. A-and I also found it neat that you g-got yours from y-your father, too."

Guthrie unfolded his wing, revealing the bright yellow eye pattern underneath - a clear sign of a loving relationship between a Kilowattrel and a Masquerain. Still, he kept himself attentive and quiet, allowing Lark to continue on.

To his surprise, Lark suddenly hopped just a little too closer to him, her face now as red as a Razz Berry. "S-so, I-I was thinking...m-maybe we could go on a date sometime? J-just the t-two of us?"

And there it was. An invitation to a date. Something that he'd experienced all too well. The same old song and dance routine he'd gone through many times before. He never thought he'd have to do it again, though.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Guthrie stepped away. "I'm sorry, Lark," he said softly, trying to collect his thoughts. "I just... I can't accept it."

He casually brushed his breast feathers with one wing as he went over his sentences in a more accurate fashion. "Truth is, I think it's weird, dating someone you just met. I-I mean, first of all, I barely know you. And secondly, I'm not interested in forming a relationship." He glanced away as the memory of his disastrous lone date with Lani came to the forefront of his mind again. "Furthermore, I don't feel the same way about you. S-so, I don't think it would be fair for either of us if I said yes."

He could sense Lark's disappointment. Sighing to himself, he turned around to face her again, noticing the way her blue eyes were beginning to water. As gently as he could, he took hold of her wing and slowly spread it to reveal the flat-and-a-half mark underneath, and spread his own wing to her. "However, that doesn't mean we can't be friends," he told her. "Perhaps we can be wing buddies instead...or something like that. I think that's a more suitable idea, don't you?"

Lark glanced over at her wing, and then at Guthrie's. He wasn't quite sure what was circulating inside her head. Finally, she let out a sniffle and used her unfolded wing to wipe the tears from her eyes. "N-no problem," she chirped. "I...I understand. A-and...I'm glad we can still be friends."

Her words made the Wattrel smile. "That really makes me happy to hear," he said. "Still, I wish you good luck in finding a more suitable partner."

Despite the waterworks that still leaked from her eyes, Lark managed to maintain a positive expression. "Th-thank you," she told him. Though she was disappointed that he didn't give her the answer she'd hoped for, at least they could still remain as friends...or wing buddies, as Guthrie had suggested.

As for Guthrie, he was relieved that he'd managed to resolve the matter peacefully, and that things didn't get worse. Plus, he had a new friend now, which was always a bonus for him.

"Guthrie? Guthrie!"

Lani's voice snapped Guthrie out of his thoughts, drawing his attention to the annoyed-looking Shellos. "Y-yeah?" he asked with a stammer.

The Shellos let out a huff as she composed herself. "You seemed pretty deep in thought," she said, her voice gentler this time. "Is something the matter?"

Guthrie quickly shook his head. "N-no," he lied. "No, no, no, everything's fine. You don't need to worry about me. Besides, we need to keep moving and get that lumber."

Lani narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Guthrie gulped, hoping that she would just let it go and move on. Finally, she shrugged. "Well, if you say so," she said. "Lead the way!"

Guthrie nodded before taking off to the air, lighting up his wings to serve as a beacon for him and the rest of the squad to follow as they began their venture into the Vile Wilds. As Guthrie took the lead, Lani hung back to make sure there weren't any stragglers, all while keeping a close eye on her surroundings to make sure they didn't get jumped. It was pretty easy, all things considered, since her slow movements made it easier for her to quicken the pace and help up any Wooper that had tripped over before returning to her slower one.

Though the journey was long and slow (maybe a bit too slow for Guthrie), their efforts were rewarded when they came upon a pile of fallen branches. Some of the branches were covered in white patches of melting snow, giving away the reason why they ended up the way they were, and why they fell to begin with.

Guthrie grinned. "Jackpot," he announced as he circled the Wooper overhead. "Alright, you lot! Let's get you tied up to these bad boys so we can bring them back to Lakeside. If we do that, who knows? The boss might give the lot of you a promotion!"

"That's not what he said, Guthrie," Lani sighed with exasperation as she tied a piece of rope around each of the Wooper's waists. She then proceeded to take the other ends and tie them around several areas of the biggest branch in the pile. Once that was done, she quickly moved out of the way and motioned the Wooper to start heaving. To make sure that the branch got moving, she and Guthrie went over and pulled on their own piece of rope, using all their combined strength to do so.

The branch came down with a hard thud on the forest floor, followed by a loud clattering of wood. Guthrie flinched. "Let's hope no one was underneath all of that," he said with a shudder. Lani nodded in response as she took the lead in pulling the branch with the Wooper. Guthrie, meanwhile, took to scanning the area around him, keeping an eye out for any ferals.

As the group pressed onward to the exit of the Vile Wilds, Guthrie noticed that some of the Wooper were starting to grow exhausted from pulling on the branch. A glint of worry crossed his face as he glanced around for any shadows among the treetops. This wasn't good...not good at all. What if they got attacked by a feral? Then what?

Thankfully, Lani immediately sprung into action. Dropping her rope, she scurried over and fired off as many Water Pulses as she could manage, trying to keep the Wooper rehydrated. Thankfully, a good number of them were revitalized, but their physical strength still had a long way to return. They turned to her and began complaining.

Confused, Guthrie lighted down next to his friend and teammate. "What are they trying to say?" he asked.

"Shush! I'm trying to concentrate," Lani hissed. Guthrie clamped his beak shut and listened intently.

Finally, Lani turned to face him. "It seems like this branch is too heavy for them," she said. "If they keep going at this rate, we'll never be able to get this out of the Vile Wilds come sundown."

"So what can we do?" Guthrie asked. "My wings were built for flapping, not cutting!"

Lani bit her lower lip. "As much as it pains me to say it..." she said, hesitantly. "I don't think we have much of a choice here. We can either carry the smaller branches...or we can chop this big piece of lumber into smaller piles. I just want to make it easier for the Wooper to carry the wood."

A pang of guilt stabbed at Guthrie as he looked down. As much as he hated to admit it, Lani did have a point: if things kept going the way they were now, the Wooper would have spent all of their energy before they even found the exit to the Vile Wilds. But if they tried to lighten the load a little, there wouldn't be as much wood...but at least they'd get their lumber out faster.

Finally, the Wattrel let out a sigh. "Y'know what, Lani," he said. "You're right. I was a fool to think we'd get this giant hunk of lumber out. I just thought, since it was a really big branch, there would be plenty of wood to go around. Any spare wood left over could be used for, I dunno, furniture?"

Lani snorted. "Like benches?"

Guthrie turned away, his face red-hot with embarrassment. "Well...something like that, yeah."

Lani let out a soft laugh that echoed throughout the forest. "You're so funny sometime, Guthrie," she said. "But I'm glad to see you've learned from that mistake."

Guthire smiled and nodded. "Y-yeah. Me too."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's leave that big branch for someone else to carry, while we take the other branches from that pile."

As Lani went over to untie the ropes from the Wooper and the big branch, Guthrie couldn't help but smile. Sure, he was a little disappointed that they wouldn't be carrying such a large and heavy chunk of wood, but even that would never outweight the great relief he felt that they'd get something delivered to Boss Bloop come sundown.

Less was more, after all.

It was already late afternoon when Team Beach Runners and their Wooper entourage had returned to Lakeside. By now, much of the construction had been a little over halfway done, though the lumber pile was already beginning to run low. Luckily, Lani and Guthrie had already brought more than enough to keep things going until nightfall. They went over and placed the branches to be chopped up by some of the Pokémon with cutting abilities before letting them do their own thing.

As Lani hauled off her load, she took a glance back at a blue Bisharp among the cutters. She seemed to be down in her own blues, which worried Lani a little bit. However, she also noticed a Mime Jr. walking over to comfort the Bisharp, giving her some words of reassurance. Despite this, the Bisharp's saddened expression didn't seem to change one bit; all she did was slowly nod her head before letting out a sigh as she proceeded to cut the wood.

I wonder what happened that made her so sad, thought Lani. She then sighed and shook her head before heading towards the Cup-O-Cream Café. It had been a favourite place of hers to go to after a long day since coming to Lakeside, and today was no different. She remembered loving the peppermint tea she'd ordered, and thought about doing so again.

As she waited patiently for her order to come through, she sensed the presence of another Pokémon.

"Is this booth taken?" asked a feminine voice.

Lani looked up and found an Audino standing opposite of her table - none other than Cherry, one of the Partisan Guild Leaders. Smiling, the Shellos shook her head. "Nope, you can go on ahead, Cherry," she answered.

Cherry smiled as she took her seat opposite of Lani. After adjusting herself to feel comfortable, she then clasped her hands and fixed her gaze on Lani. "So, Miss...Kailani, was it?"

"You can just call me Lani," Lani interjected. "I don't mind."

"Right then, Lani. I just want to know how things are going with you and Guthrie since you two joined the Partisans Guild."

"Great," came a quick reply from the Shellos. "Things have been going rather smoothly...well, at least for the most part."

Cherry smiled softly. "That's great to hear," she said. Her smile soon faded into a slight frown. "Though, I'm kind of confused by what you mean by 'for the most part'."

A soft clink brought Lani's attention to the mug of peppermint tea that had just been placed in front of her. She grabbed it with one foot and began taking a sip out of it. "Well," she said, after gulping it down. "It's just that... I know Guthrie is a reliable partner. After all, the two of us have been friends since we were kids. So, I know I can count on him to do the fighting." She then paused to look down, viewing a faint reflection of herself within the tea. "But, at the same time, he can be reckless at times. Too reckless, I might add. And I worry for him, y'know?"

Cherry nodded. "Yes," she answered. "I understand where you're coming from. And what would be the solution?"

Lani glanced away with a frown. "I... I don't know," she replied. "I'm his best friend and his teammate - not to mention the team leader. And it's my responsibility to make sure he's safe, and not trying anything stupid. But at the same time, I don't know what I can do. I wish I could help with healing his wounds, but my Recover only lets me heal my own. If he gets hurt...or worse..." Her eyes began to mist a little, and she had to take a deep breath to calm down.

"I see." Cherry put a hand to her chin and began to think. "So, what you're saying is, you would like to be able to make sure he stays on his own two feet after a rough patch, and that he doesn't come out with life-threatening wounds. Is that what I'm getting at?"

Lani said nothing, but slowly nodded.

"Hmm..." Cherry looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, she turned her attention back to Lani. "Well, I have no straight answer for you," she finally said. "But what I do know - and can tell you - is this: everyone on the team has a role to play. Your role is team leader, so it should be obvious that you would be making the decisions...even the hardest choices. You could have Guthrie's role be the scout - the one who goes ahead of the others to scope out any danger that lies ahead, and reports any findings back to you."

Guthrie? A scout? That was certainly something Lani didn't think about. Then again, he was the one who took the lead back in Tourmaline Forest, and he was also the one who found that pile of lumber today.

"Granted, you two could have some minor roles to take on as well," Cherry continued. "Like healer, or forward attacker. But if you want my advice, I think you two should stick to what makes you feel most comfortable. After all, that's what being a team is all about, right?"

Lani remained silent for a moment. Then, she smiled. "You know what, you're right," she answered. "And I'll make sure to keep that in mind for the future."

Cherry smiled. "That's great to hear!" she said with a giggle. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What's that?"

The Audino gave her a playful wink. "This can be our little secret, alright? Just something between you and me."

Lani took another gulp of her peppermint tea and smiled. "Sure thing!"