Dinner is served; a grand feast of various berries, meat, plants, and other food sprawled out on a huge, long, wooden table with the pokemon sitting around it all. They pass around each dish to each other, taking a little of everything. Zach sits at the end, being the newest “guest of honor.” Betty and Ralph sit on either side of him. Diego even gives a speech to welcome him as the newest member, as well as give a warm greeting for Betty for being a visitor. Afterwards, the pokemon continue to pig out on the food.
“So,” Olly begins to the riolu. “How did you end up with us?”
“The forest bandits brought me here,” Zach explains. “I was poisoned by a bad mushroom they cooked… Diego cured me with herbal remedies.”
“I know that. I mean, how did you end up out here?”
“Oh… Well, I wanted to leave Heroto to start a new life after I talked to Betty about it… I wasn’t happy with my life… I still am… I went out into the woods, and that’s when Gas and Gem found me…”
“Team Rescuers and Heroto labeled you as a misfit, I imagine, right?”
Zach nods. “A ‘runt’ is what they call me… Mostly from Cindy and Ezma…”
“I understand how you feel… I’m a similar story with my family…”
He turns to the green-masked oshawott. “What happened with you and your family, anyway?”
Olly sighs. “I’ve mostly dealt with neglect and favoritism in my life… I was the second child to my family… My father became mates with another pokemon, who became my step mother, and her son became my half-brother.”
“You had a half-brother?”
“Yes... He was better than me in a lot of things…”
“Must’ve been nice to be able to go to him for help.”
“Help? No… He was no help at all… He always belittled me for my struggles and failed attempts…”
“Gee, I know how that feels…”
“What’s worse was, my dad and step mom never understood me… They always took his side and assumed I was weak… That I needed to better myself… It was constant with their lectures… ‘Why can’t you be better like your buizel half-brother?’ ‘You’re so weak, you’ll never make it in life!’ ‘You need to learn and work harder!’ Even when I succeeded in some things and finally caught on, it was never enough for them… And my half-brother was never any help… He would laugh in my face… Of course, he went on to become part of the ‘great guild of Heroto,’ Team Rescuers…”
Zach pauses. His eyes widen. “Jay the Buizel…”
Betty freezes. “What…?”
Olly nods. “Figured you know him already.”
“Too well,” says Zach. “I know the others all too well, too… So, what happened next? You decided to run away?”
“Yep… Had enough of it all and didn’t want to deal with it anymore… Diego found me and took me under his wing… No pun intended.”
“At least you had a family,” says a zangoose in a lavender bandana beside him. “Mine died in a ‘tragic accident.’ It was mostly Team Rescuers’ doing.” She looks to Zach and Betty. “Forgive me, I’m Amber… Pleasure… and welcome…”
“What happened?” Betty asks her. “How did your parents die?”
“Robbery gone wrong… At least, that was the story Team Rescuers told me… I didn’t believe it… I know they murdered them…”
“How do you know…?”
“They were disputing with them over the land they occupied… My parents had lived on that land… We had a nice little cottage on the hill and we were friendly among others. It wasn’t until the mew came up to our door and told my mom and dad they needed the property for ‘more important things.’ They refused, even showed them the deed that they had settled before. Mom and Dad even won the case in court. Days later, when I came home from school, Team Rescuers closed off my home… I witnessed the bodies of my parents being carried out. They told me some maniac tried to rob them, and ended up killing them. At first, I believed it… But then, I caught them talking about how the site has been left vacant now. I wasn’t allowed to own the estate, being too young at the time. It was handed over to Team Rescuers as I was sent off to live in with a foster family… They were horrible… I left before I came of age…”
“What happened to the house? What did Team Rescuers do?”
“Flattened everything until it was unrecognizable… Built it up for their own operations…”
Zach turns to surprise. “You mean… Team Rescuers’ base was… your old home…?” She nods to him. “Holy fuck… And the whole time, I called that place ‘home,’ myself… I’m… sort of glad not to be there anymore…”
“I know the feeling of losing your home to ‘monsters,’” begins a shiny sableye in a cloak, similar to Gem. “I’ve lived in the tunnel system inside of Mount Krako. You know of that place, right?”
“Yes,” Zach answers. “Mount Krako is a dormant volcano… Its eruption gave nutrients to the soil of the region and sprouted the forests… That was long before my time…”
“It also was responsible for the glimmering crystal cave known as ‘Colored Caves.’”
“I heard those caves hold a vast amount of untold riches,” adds Betty.
“My family had lived there for generations,” Apatite continues. “That all ended when Team Rescuers came and evicted all of us from our home…”
“Yeah, that was rough, Cousin,” comments Gem. “I’m sorry that happened… I should’ve been there…”
“You’re both cousins?” asks Zach.
“We are,” the shiny sableye says. “My name’s Apatite… I’m named after one of the gems from the cave…”
“What happened when Team Rescuers booted you out? Did you and your family fight them?”
“No… We were outmatched… We couldn’t stand against them… They pushed us off because they wanted the cave’s riches… We didn’t mind sharing, but the celebi and mew wanted it all to themselves… All to fund their guild… What’s more, they labeled us as bandits… I got the worst of it… They labeled me a misfit because I couldn’t fight too well… Even after they took over our home, I was constantly picked on by them…”
“Should’ve fought them,” Gem adds. “Even when the cave dwellers were compliant, Team Rescuers attacked them anyway! They’re cruel and barbaric! Yet, they call us criminals and thieves…” Gas agrees.
“You don’t have to say that, twice,” says a nuzleaf with orange tribal paint. “I’m already too familiar with their beliefs and ways.” He turns to Zach. “I’m Niko, by the way. My tribe and I have settled these lands before those wicked ‘do-gooders.’”
“Let me guess,” Zach begins. “They kicked you, your family, and other pokemon of your tribe off…”
“You are somewhat right,” Niko says. “My tribe have lived in harmony with other pokemon for a long, long time… We even cared for some of the pokemon who were unable to provide… That is, until Team Rescuers came along… Just like Apatite, they attacked us, too… Claimed we were enemies and hostiles of the newfound town of Heroto… We were labeled misfits under the story of ‘non-adapting to current times’ or ‘understanding their way of life.’ Did they really have to kill innocents and force us off for it…?”
Betty puts her hand on her mouth. “Arceus…”
“You guys aren’t the only victims,” claims a buneary with a white flower by her ear and wearing a purple bandana, identifying herself as Clara the Buneary. She sits next to another buneary, who wears a green bowtie on his neck. “My good friend, Barnaby, and I had to flee our hometown because of those violent pokemon… Our town was peaceful until they showed up… Everything changed… We were forced out because they labeled Barnaby as a misfit, mostly for his learning habits. They marked me the same, as well, mostly because I stood by him… If we had stayed, they would’ve surely hurt us both… or worse… We left so those assholes wouldn’t target us…” Barnaby turns his head away in shame. “Don’t worry, Barnaby…” She puts her paw on his shoulder. “We’re well away from them… They can’t hurt us.”
“Mental disorders aren’t the only thing they target,” says a light-colored pichu with one stripe on each ear rather than a normal pattern. He introduces himself as Hachi. “I was singled out because of my physical appearance, different from a typical pichu… I thought it was normal for me to be singled out, until I found out about everything else those pokemon have done…”
Betty keeps a frown on her face. “I… didn’t realize there were way more pokemon who have been wronged by Team Rescuers… And to think they were a team doing good… Never knew they were truly evil…”
“Oh, it wasn’t always that way,” Ralph tells her. “When Ezma was brought on as the newest leader, things changed… As well as all of Heroto… Not just because of Cindy’s influence, but Ezma’s as well. All of these shared opinions made their way to all the pokemon who looked up to them… They began to follow in their example…”
“And to think they were my family…?” Zach asks himself. “Why did I think that…? Not to mention, why did I develop a crush on Cindy…?”
“You didn’t know about all of this at the time, Zach,” Betty tells him. “Neither have I…”
“But, I’m confused… Why hasn’t Cindy and the others targeted you or anyone of the circus… Aren’t pokemon there misfits?”
“Yes… But she was one of us before starting her career as a guildsmon… Which is probably why she doesn’t think of us that way…”
“One thing is certain,” begins Diego. “Team Rescuers, Lana Latias, and many others of Heroto cannot be trusted… We have been left on our own and have made a community ourselves…”
“What about my cousin?” she asks him. “She’s been helping you guys, right? Surely, she can do something about it…”
“I’m afraid not,” the dragonite tells her. “Even with the support she gives now, it’s not enough, and she won’t be able to forever… It’s only delaying Team Rescuers…”
“What about the other guilds?” asks Zach. “This is clearly a crime against pokemon and a violation of civil rights! Someone in the council must know, as well!”
“The council already does… And many of the guilds know, too… They aren’t too bothered, however… They don’t see the urgency of our situation… Though, there has been some border disputes.”
“So, there’s no protection?”
“The only thing that saves us from Team Rescuers attacking is that the manor sits on neutral territory, and nearest to other territories… Team Rescuers risks starting conflict with neighboring states… as well as causing tensions for the region.”
“Sorry I’m late, everyone!” The pokemon turn and see Audrey Audino, the nurse from the clinic, standing in the archway. “Had a lot of pokemon to deal with at the end of my shift… I managed to-” She notices the riolu and brionne sitting at the end. “Um… Do I dare ask why you two are here?”
“It’s a long story, Audrey,” Zach says. “Rather not get into it… Must we ask why you’re here? Or should we assume you are also part of the ‘misfit pokemon?’”
“Audrey’s a part of this community, too,” Diego states. “She’s skilled at giving medical attention to all of the pokemon here. Right, Audrey?”
Audrey nods. “Oh yes… Ever since Team Rescuers took my sister away from me, I’ve been helping the pokemon of this community…” Zach and Betty ask her what happened. “I’ll spare you the details: Team Rescuers refused to help my sister because she was a ‘misfit’ in their eyes… Her death had changed me… I devoted my life to helping pokemon who were in need…”
Zach looks down, then back up at her. “Gee, I… never knew… I’m sorry… I definitely owe you for the times I’ve been toward you…”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s my job to help pokemon, medically.”
Betty looks at the clock on the wall. “Oh geez, it’s nearly showtime for me… I need to get going…”
“Hold on a minute, Betty,” Diego orders. “I want to ask you something…” She waits and listens to what he has to say. “When you go back to Heroto, promise all of us you won’t do anything to endanger us?”
“I have no intention to sell you all out,” she tells him. “It’s not my business to talk about pokemon trying to make a living… No one needs to know, not even Team Rescuers…” She turns to the riolu. “I’ll see you back in Heroto…”
He gives a nod to her. “See you in Heroto…” She takes off and heads for the exit. Before going through the door, she takes one last look back to see Zach, Ralph, and the other pokemon continue to have their dinner.
