Mayor Azumarill finishes with some files on her desk before the riolu takes them away. “Thanks, Zach… Hey, are you okay?”
“Just a bit of a bruise on my butt,” Zach tells her. “Nothing to serious…”
“That was wrong of Cindy to yell at you and push you like that. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”
“It’s not your fault, Mayor… I’ve been dealing with her and the team’s treatment of me for a long time…”
“That gives them no right to do that!”
Ezma comes flying in through the open door of the office. “Sorry I’m late, Mayor Azumarill… I didn’t mean to miss the head councilwoman…”
Mary faces her. “Oh really? Any reason for this?”
“Yeah, I was… busy trying to calm Kenji down after he started a fight with Jay…”
The mayor gives her a smirk. “I knew you were going to pull that. So, I told you the wrong time, intentionally. That way, you’d be here for our important meeting.”
Ezma grunts. “You know me too well, I see…” She looks at Zach. “You have some nerve over what you did yesterday.”
Zach stares at her. “What…? I didn’t do anything, Ezma…”
“Zach’s right,” says the mayor. “Zach was trying to do his job. Cindy was the one who instigated.”
“And you believe him?” asks Ezma. “Just like you believe Luther Lucario and all of the misfits?!”
“Stop overreacting! What Luther did was wrong, too. That is not the way to go about things.” She pivots to see the lucario standing in the doorway. “Hello, Luther Lucario. Are you looking for Cindy, or here for me?”
“Somewhat,” Luther says. “I also came to see when Ezma’s going to stop being a big baby and actually listen to me for once.”
“Go ahead, Lieutenant,” the mew says, sarcastically. “I’m all ears… I would be surprised if you actually apologized.”
“This is ridiculous… Cindy should be the one apologizing to me, for how she acted toward me yesterday!”
“Cindy does not need to apologize,” Ezma states. “You were the one who should be sorry.”
“I see where Cindy gets her arrogant behavior… Her sorry excuse of a master.”
“Pokemon, please!” shouts mayor Azumarill, slamming her paws on her desk. “I will not tolerate fighting in my office! If anything, both parties need to apologize and move on from this childish act!”
“Cindy and I did nothing wrong,” Ezma claims.
“I find that hard to believe,” Luther adds.
“Enough!” the mayor orders. Her toxicroak worker comes in to inform her of an important arrival before being dismissed. “Thank you…” She turns to Ezma. “Come with me. Councilwoman Shirley Lilligant is here.”
“Ugh, do we really have to?” asks Ezma.
“Ezma, meeting room, now!” The mew grunts and floats away. She turns to the soldier lucario. “I’ll be back to discuss whatever with you. I shouldn’t be long.”
“Will do,” Luther responds. When the mayor disappears, the jackal pokemon turns to the riolu, noticing him keeping his head away. “You okay, Riolu?”
Zach faces him. “Huh…? Uh, y-yeah… I suppose…”
“Don’t worry about that celebi and mew. They’re just bitter pokemon who focus on their private agendas, and don’t care about anyone else. Same for the rest of the team.”
“I know that already… I’ve lived through their constant bullying and prejudice for years…”
“Yes, I am aware. You are the riolu they claimed they’ve raised, only to find your way into the circus, and now as mayor Azumarill’s secretary.”
“You’ve heard of me? Why am I not surprised…?”
“Word travels fast inside and outside of Heroto,” Luther claims. “Still looking to be part of action and adventure?”
“What’s it to you?”
“I want to provide you with something Team Rescuers never did; opportunity and choice.”
“You’d get me into a guild?”
“I could do that… Or, you could join the Aura Army and develop your skills beyond what traditional guilds see.”
“What even is the Aura Army?”
“An organized combat force comprised of pokemon far and near, fighting for peace, security, justice, and freedom. Unlike the local guilds, we utilize latest technology and are not confined to one territory. We serve only to protect and save.”
“Sounds interesting,” Zach tells him. “Something I could think about…”
“What’s your name?”
“Zach…”
“Zach, let me give you my card.” The lucario hands him a contact slip with information about the Aura Army. “If you’re still interested, just look for me on the address.”
“Gee, I’m not sure if you guys would accept a misfit like me…”
“What?! Nonsense! You’d do well! I’ve seen how you were in the Great Guildsmon challenge, and we could help you improve. Hell, you’d show those disgraceful pokemon what for.”
“I… Thank you, Mister…”
“Luther. Lieutenant Luther Lucario.”
“Thank you, Sir…”
“Tell your new misfit friends about it, too. They may be compelled to join you in the army as well.”
***
Meanwhile, on the other side of town hall, Mayor Azumarill walks into a dark wood, paneled room with red carpet and elegant furniture; mint green sofas and chairs with a dark wood table. She stops before a lilligant in a blue suit and round spectacles. “Ah, Madam Shirley Lilligant,” she says. “Welcome to Heroto.” Ezma flies in and appears beside the azumarill. “You remember Ezma the Mew, correct?”
“Ah yes,” begins Shirley. “The guildmaster of Team Rescuers. I am very fond, indeed. The same mew who stood by as her team attacked a convoy of a merchant guild.”
“Come on!” Ezma spurts. “What do you expect? Those pokemon should know better than to smuggle things in, especially when it comes to pokemon who aren’t supposed to be there. Not to mention the-”
Mary grabs her by the foot, interrupting her. “Stop it…” She looks to the lilligant. “Well, now you know where Cindy gets her sense of nature.”
“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” Shirley says, taking a seat in one of the chairs behind her.
Both the mayor and mew follow her lead and sit in the sofa across from her. “Oh, we’re aware of the border incident. That’s not going to happen again.”
“Thanks, but there’s a bigger problem in the fact that all the pokemon think my administration is weak from all of that.” Mary turns to Ezma, who catches her snickering, causing the mew to cease before looking back at the grass pokemon. “Cindy has been accumulating notoriety, we’ve noticed. Now, we think she’s doing this because she’s more focused on her own personal needs than on the pokemon of her community and beyond. We believe she is shirking her duty.”
“Shirking her duty?!” repeats Ezma, floating up. “What in Arceus name do you-”
Mary pulls her back down, quickly. “We… know Cindy’s been involved in a couple of incidents…”
“It’s more than a couple of incidents, Mayor Azumarill,” continues Shirley. “Cindy’s been attacking and harassing random pokemon, especially ones different than her, she’s been destroying property and possessions with no regard to those, violating privacy of many, forcing pokemon to comply with her, getting her followers to carry out her bidding… Cindy’s not even doing this on accident… I’m afraid that celebi’s on the council’s concern list. And what’s worse, the rest of the team seems to be following her lead...”
Shock appears on the mayor’s face. “My Arceus! Really?! If you knew this was a big problem, why did you wait so long to reach out to us?!”
“I sent a letter to your office. It was sent back, signed.”
“I never saw or signed any letter…” Mary then turns to Ezma with dipped eyebrows and a frown.
Ezma looks away. “Nor did I…”
“Ezma…!”
The mew turns to the mayor. “What? I didn’t…”
“Fortunately, I have it right here.” Shirley takes out a paper. “The signature is Mayor Azumarill’'s.” She hands it over to the water pokemon.
“Oh, thank Arceus,” says Ezma. She points to the paper. “Blame me for this, huh?”
“Of course, the celebi was the one who presented this to me.”
Mary examines the letter and the signature. “I can’t believe this… Cindy forged it!”
“Cindy’s behavior is only going to get worse… So, this is what I need the both of you to do; sit down and have a thorough conversation with her.” She gives them another slip of paper. “Have her sign this contract. It states that she is aware of the warnings given to her and will do everything to make up all of the atrocities committed. If not, it spells out the consequences.”
After looking at the contract, the mayor looks up to the head councilwoman. “Which may retain?”
“Wait a minute,” starts Ezma. “You’re going to have her barred from the guild…!”
Shirley raises her hand. “No, no… Think of it this way; we remove her from any community-related position so she can reflect on her actions, while admiring the safety and respect of the citizens.” Ezma stares at her. “Yes, she’s going to be barred from the guild… And looking at what she’s done, I’d say she will be arrested and put on trial for her actions. Same goes for you and the rest of the guild.”
Ezma grabs the contract from Azumarill’s grasps and floats in the air. “Well, that’s not going to happen! I promised that Heroto would be a better place with the pokemon I’ve selected, and I am going to keep that promise! Cindy will remain in the guild regardless of anyone else’s word, and I am going to keep it that way!”
“Ezma!” shouts Mary. Ezma flies off. The mayor turns to Shirley and gives an awkward smile.
“I suppose we should start an inquiry into Ezma as well,” says Shirley.
