Aegis Mountain Pathway, Noon

	“Soo… Uuh… Team Fulcrum huh? That’s a cool team name!” Frost finished with a smile. 
“Oh! You really think so!?” The low-key form Toxtricity looked at him in surprise.
The Weavile nodded. “Of course! A team’s name is worthy of respect no matter what their name is! It reflects the beliefs and intentions of the team’s leader and their partners!” He couldn’t help but stick his nose up in pride as the explanation dawned over the Toxtricity more. He smirked as he saw a Staraptor nudge at the pokemon.
“Heh! Told ya Bass! Our team’s name wasn’t stupid like you thought!”
Bass scratched the back of his head. “Y-Yeah. I guess so~…”
The area would grow quiet again as the group of pokemon continued their walk. Frost and the three other pokemon had just left Stoneaegis and began their journey to the mountain. Upon, Charon dumping the Weavile in front of the Investigation team the air during the whole walk just felt… off.
Before Frost could break the ice with his question, he could have sworn he sensed an aura of contempt from them. Thankfully, it was probably just nothing. It sort of made sense that Bass would be a bit angered. It really did seem like Charon was punishing the team for doing something they weren’t meaning to. Not to mention, the Weavile couldn’t help but think back to a Toxtricity that was worried he was taking a job away from the town. The details were fuzzy but the longer he walked, the more vivid the moment became.
Frost would calm himself down at is small conversational victory. “Soo uuh… What’s the history behind “Fulcrum”?
Bass, Ara and the quiet Lurantis would look back at him in shock and concern. Bass would stumble over his words. “W-Why would you want to know?”
Frost winced slightly as his victory seemed to have dissipated as soon as it came. “I-I umm… Simply out of curiosity! E-Every team’s name has a history!”
Bass’s face quickly seemed to relax. “Oh! You were still referring to our name?”
Frost latched onto the safety thread the Toxtricity was leaving him with. “Y-Yeah! For instance, my team’s name is Signis. It’s supposed to be a cool sounding mashup of the words “Silence” and “Ignis”. Silence refers to how sneakily our team likes to complete missions. And Ignis refers to the fiery spirit and unbreakable will we all have.
The Lurantis seemed to let out a curious whisper. ““Unbreakable”…”
Frost flicked his ear and looked back in the pokemon’s direction. The Lurantis always looked meek and quiet. While Bass was polite and soft-spoken and Ara seemed pretty jovial and peaceful, their Lurantis teammate was a total mystery. With the few glances he was able to take at them, they always seemed distracted with something random. He couldn’t help but find it unnerving. Even more so with the pokemon repeating his words quietly. “Uhh… What was that?”
The Lurantis seemingly looked through him before turning his head to survey something else. “An “Unbreakable will” he has…”
“Y-Yeah?” Frost raised an eyebrow before Ara came over to brush by him.
“Haha~! You don’t need to worry about Tzel, Frost! He’s just our team’s wildcard.”
Frost couldn’t help but perk up at the title. ““Wildcard”!? You mean he has his moments?”
Bass chimed in with a smile. “Of course! He has his own talents that complement our team very well!”
“Gotcha...”  
  The group grew quiet again as Frost didn’t wish to make anything go worse. Alas, something always had to anyways…
Frost couldn’t tell when, but he was beginning to feel lightheaded. Aegis Mountain was still a ways away, but everything began to sound muffled and distant. He was compelled to stop but still felt the need to push forwards. “Ugghh… W-Wh-What’s happen- ” 
The Weavile winced and collapsed on the ground. It felt like something was pressing down on him. It felt… gentle. It was stern in its command but loving in its tone… 
“Sleep…”
He couldn’t stop himself from agreeing… It’s been a long day… Maybe he should… sleep…

Stonehaven’s Marketplace, Stonehaven, Noon
Zendus and Kollack

“OOF! O-Ouch!” Zen winced slightly as he felt some of his fur get caught between the basket and the berries his mate just dumped in.
Kol gasped as he witnessed the Zoroark flinch. “Oh no! Did I hurt you again Zen!?” He quickly began pulling out the berries he just placed until he felt a clawed hand hold his firmly.
Zen smiled at the Lycanroc. “You’re fine Love~… I just wasn’t expecting so much that time…”
“Poor, poor, Zen. Good at giving much but bad at taking much…”
The two males looked over the counter to find a Numel rustling through some more berry baskets.
Zen rolled his eyes while Kol chuckled. “Nice to see you too Vark~…”
The Numel pulled his head from the crates and looked up at the two with a mix of annoyance and tiredness. “I’ve been here the whole time Kol…”
Kol’s ears flattened in sadness. “O-Oh…”
“Sorry…” He and Zen ended up saying it at the same time while the Numel merely sighed.
“Nahh. Don’t worry about it. Just one of the glories of living here ‘eh?” He gave the two a tired smile. “Soo… What brings you two to Aston’s Glorious Berry Surplus?”
Kol matched the smile. “Hehe~ We’ll be stocking up on all of these berries if you please~…” He gestured over to the basket Zen was holding.
Vark nodded and walked over to a stool. Zen and Kol quietly followed while rummaging through their bags.
“So. How much do me and Kol owe you?” Zen swung the basket off of him and placed it in front of the Numel.
Vark looked over the produce before giving them his best shrug. “I’ll be honest… I don’t really know how Aston likes to price these things… Lemme go get him…”
Zen wanted to say something but as soon as Vark got off the stool, he seemingly disappeared into the back of the stand again.
In the few moments they waited, Kol turned to Zen. “So… uhmm… Thought of a good apology for Aston?”
Zen returned a look of slight worry. “No… Do you?”
Kol frowned deeply. “Nope… You think we might be screwed?”
Before Zen could say anything the door in the back slowly opened, revealing a medium sized figure saunter forwards.
“To answer y’all two’s question, the answer is likely “Yes”…”
Zen and Kol shook their heads and looked in slight surprise to see Vark back on his stool. “Here they are Boss…”
The pair gulped slightly as the figure walked into the lit part of stand, revealing a tired and angered Politoed. He held a closed umbrella in his hand that also supported him like a cane. 
A tired sigh escaped the old pokemon. He slowly walked towards the stand and took one quick look at the basket. He then motioned to Vark.
“Oh right…” The Numel leaned over to the frog.
Aston leaned over and began inaudibly whispering to him.
Zen and Kol waited until the two merchants were finished.
After a few moments Aston pulled back and stared at the two with a neutral smile.
Vark cleared his throat before speaking. “Ahem… First of all, Aston would like to wish you all a good morning and welcomes you to his stand. He’s glad you found some berries you like from his freshly picked produce…” He stopped to glance back at the Politoed who simply nodded. “Your contents come down to 2,600p.”
“HUUUH!?” Zen and Kol stared at the now smirking Politoed in shock.
Kol would try to let his gasp turn into a small nervous chuckle. “Heheh… D-Does that include our “sex tax” possibly?”
Vark tilted his head and turned back to the old pokemon. They both leaned in briefly and only broke away when Aston’s silent mouth stopped moving. “…Hmm… With the “sex tax”, including what happened earlier last night, your total would be 5,800p…”
The Lycanroc gulped heavily as his husband’s face turned more exasperated. “Aston. Heheh… Isn’t that a bit extortionate?”
Vark gave the two an unamused look. “I personally think it’s fair enough… Especially with the lack of sleep both of us were barely able to get with y’all two’s… “activities” last night…”
Zen would finally find words to speak. “W-Well… We were so happy that we started turning Icy into a Worker! Surely you can understand!?”
Aston sighed before whispering to Vark again.
“We’re happy too. Why else did we cheer? It’s just that you two need to be more aware of things and more cognizant of others…”
Both of the pokemon were at a loss of words. They just stared at the merchants with lowered ears and frowns.
“Hahaha~! Aston really destroyed your minds without even speaking did he~!”
Zen and Kol’s faces soon turned from shock to surprise as Guildmaster Pyre tipped up his sunhat at them. He adjusted his basket and began looking over some of the available berries.
“G-Guildmaster!” Both of them bowed in respect.
“Heh! At ease you two. You’re on your Restdays you know no bowing is required.”
The pair smiled nervously. “S-Sorry Guildmaster. Force of habit for me and Kol…”
The Typhlosion chuckled again while picking up a few berries. “Well, you two are definitely going to need to fix those habits because it’s not only you two in your house now~…” He then stopped briefly and looked around. “Speaking of that, where is the cutie?”
Zen tilted his head. “I thought you and Chief met him already… He needed to go report to you and Chief came to our house to say he had walked to the guild.”
Pyre lifted his head and pondered. “Odd… I definitely would have noticed him at some point then. I left Charon in charge of things while I left for here.”
“Charon really does stump everyone that didn’t grow up with him…”
Everyone but Aston looked to Vark who had made his way to the back of the stand. He was balancing several crates of berries on his head.
He met everyone else’s looks with slight confusion. “What? I thought it was common knowledge that he’s from Aston’s House?”
The Politoed chuckled silently as Zen and Kol stared in pure confusion. Pyre closed his eyes briefly and pondered.
“You know… That does make sense…” The Guildmaster would then open his eyes and give Aston a polite smile. “Hahaha~! Aston you really do raise the strangest children…”
The old Politoed blushed and scratched the back of his head with a smile.
Vark would let out a playful scoff. “Heh… Yeah all of us certainly do end up with the strangest talents…”
They would all end up laughing for a bit before calming down.
“So… Why are you actually here Guildmaster?” Vark tilted his head and smirked.
 The Typhlosion chuckled. “Heheh~ I couldn’t help but overhear how high your sleep tax was.” He then turned Zen and Kol. “So~ How much is Aston charging you?”
Just as the Overseers were about to speak Vark quickly spoke up. “It was only 800p…”
Zen and Kol stared in shock while the Guildmaster only smiled wider. “The ‘Guildmaster Discount’ really lowers the total by that much huh~?”
The two merchants nodded with smiles.
Kol gave the Typhlosion a questioning look. “Wh-What’s a ‘Guildmaster Discount’!?”
“Kekeke~ It’s a discount for being the Guildmaster~! Self-explanatory really~.”
“We’ve never heard of that before…”
The Guildmaster waved it off. “Of course not~…” His face then contorted into a sinister smile. “Unless you do want my job~…” Everyone but Aston couldn’t help but shiver slightly. 
Zen quickly stepped in. “A-Ah~! We-We’re fine Guildmaster. That job would be too much of a confusing mess for me and Kol!” The Zoroark then turned to his mate. “R-Right Love~?”
Kol nodded frantically.
The aura around the Typhlosion dissipated instantly. He walked over and patted the two’s backs. “Attaboyos~! I can see exactly why Sparks chose you two for Overseers! Ya know exactly where your place is~!” His now jovial expression caused everyone to smile with joy.
“Yessir!” Zen raised a fist excitedly. Kol started clapping happily.
“Alright~! 800p for the two lucky Overseers~” The Typhlosion began rummaging through his bag.
“W-Wait! You’re paying for us Guildmaster!?”
“Heh! Of course! Consider this one of your many gifts for your hard work~…”
The two pokemon began tearing up. “Y-You’re the greatest Guildmaster EVER!!!”
Vark rolled his eyes. “Classy you two… Very classy…”
Aston silently chuckled.
“Kekeke~ I would do the same for any other Overseer who did what you two did~…” The Typhlosion pulled out a handful of coins and placed them on the counter. “800p plus 40 for you Vark~…”
The Numel smiled as Aston picked up the coins and gave him the amount meant for him. “Thanks Guildmaster Pyre.”
He nodded before turning back to Zen and Kol. “Now then~… I’m off to go see what the Vet did with your Pet. See ya at sundown~!”
Zen and Kol instinctively saluted in acknowledgement as the Typhlosion waved at the merchants and began walking towards the guild.
There was a short silence with the group before Kol remembered something. “OH! Zen! Now that we have berries, I just thought of another few things we’re gonna need for Icy!”
Zen lit up with a smile. “Awesome! Let’s go get them for Icy!”
Vark and Aston watched the two happily bound away in the opposite direction of the Guildmaster, looking for their next supplies.
The Numel waited until both were out of earshot before giving Aston a side-glance… “I’m sure you already noticed Father, but Guildmaster did get away without paying…”
The old Politoed remained unmoved. He kept the smile the Typhlosion gave him up before silently mouthing something along the lines of “… on his tab…”
“Hmm… If you say so…” Vark simply shrugged before moving to another task. 

Aegis Mountain Investigation Post, ???

“… Wake.”
Frost woke up with a low hum in his ears. His body felt both light and heavy at the same time. His muscles ached while feeling sluggish. The only thing that felt normal was his eyes. He creaked them open to find Team Fulcrum staring at him with looks of worry and curiosity. “…Huu-Huuh~…? Wh-What happened?”
Bass wore a look of worry. “Uuh… Y-You kind of passed out once we got to a checkpoint.”
Frost only tilted his head in confusion. “B-But… How?”
The Toxtricity merely shrugged.
Tzel would gaze at Frost with intrigue. “Well… There are exactly two ways… First is that the subject did not get as much sleep last night as they had perceived. The second…” The Lurantis’s face seemingly darkened as he continued his whisper. “…the subject is corrupted and is reacting to Aegis Mountain…”
Frost and Bass stared at him in shock while Ara began laughing.
“Pshhh~ HAHAHA! That’s a funny joke Tzel! You almost sound SERIOUS!” The Staraptor’s laugh slowly petered out, leaving the dead air even heavier. “Uuhm…” She because to turn from uneasy and worried. “Y-You are j-just… joking r-right?” 
Tzel’s demeanor remained, only causing Ara to positivity to crumble further. Her eyes then darted quickly to Bass. “B-Bass h-he is joking right!? RIGHT!? Surely we aren’t standing near a CORRUPTED Pokemon!” Her fragile smile broke when the Toxtricity simply kept his shocked and saddened face. “O-Oh no…”
She flapped over to Frost and held out a wing to him. “I-I’m so sorry…”
The whole time Frost’s mind was spiraling. The world seemed to be moving slowly. The flat ground he was stepping on seemed gritty and uneven. His breathing quickly became labored. I-I’m… CORRUPTED!? T-There’s no way…
All of the Weavile’s dreams and aspirations flashed through his mind. The long road he took to get here. All of the bad pokemon he faced. All of the good pokemon he saved. All of the friends he made. Was being thrown away now… “I… I-I… was tainted… b-by this mountain…”
Ara flapped her wings furiously. “N-NOT YET! It’s merely a hypothesis that Tzel came up with! You’re not an Archeops! Don’t go defeatist from something like this!”
“N-No…” It took a bit, but the more Frost thought about it, the more the statement made sense. Ever since his first day here, he had been acting strange. He felt pulled and sucked into the sexual antics of the Workers who mined this mountain. He felt sore and horny when he woke up in Zen and Kol’s house. Charon showed extreme concern for him giving his report while having fallen asleep. Not to mention, that any sexual thoughts he had involving bottoming in any way sounded even louder than it should have! “I-I think Tzel is right… I-I have been corrupted…”
His words hung in the air, only letting silence permeate through it. It took several long moments before Bass broke it.
“So… What are you going to do now Frost?”
Frost stared back at the Toxtricity with resolve. “I’m getting my bag… And I’m leaving…”