I reached the top of the ladder out of breath. Despite now being outside, the shouting inside only seemed to get louder. [i]I wonder how it all got so out of control. Does the Exploration Team Federation know about this place?[/i] I started walking down the stairs, still thinking about the condition of that guild. [i]On the other hand, I guess I shouldn’t think too harshly of them. Something horrible must have happened to turn the guild members on one another like that...[/i] I reached the crossroads and stopped. The Bidoof from earlier was walking down the path in front of me. Considering how the other guild members were acting, it would probably be best to keep my distance from him. To my right was the town where my bag had been stolen. If the thief knew what they were doing, they would have already left the scene of the crime. My only other option was the left road, leading to the place called Allure Town. [i]It’s strange how they refer to these places as separate towns. Even so close to each other, they’re still not nearly as big as Scale City.[/i]

	If I were the thief, I’d probably go there. It was just far enough from where my bag was stolen, but also had crowds to hide in. [i]Maybe there’s even another guild over there![/i] As I walked into Allure Town, I noticed how similar its architecture was to Treasure Town. I might have even mistaken it for the same place if I hadn’t known better! Still, what these towns lacked in size they made up for in variety. It was refreshing to see a place where no two buildings looked the same. I continued walking until I noticed a Zweilous running a store nearby. Even though I didn’t know them, the sight of another dragon type was comforting somehow.

	“Hey!” A voice shouted from behind me. I turned around and saw a Wurmple trying to catch up to me. “Heeeeey!” He shouted again, apparently oblivious that I heard him the first time. He soon reached me out of breath and stood hunched over with his eyes closed. An explorer’s bag heavy with items was draped around him, perhaps explaining his difficulty.
	“Are you okay?” I asked as he tried to catch his breath, “Who are you?” The second question came out a bit more defensively than I intended, but I had no reason to trust this Pokémon.
	“Thought I’d never catch up to ya...” He managed to say in between gasps for air. “It’s nice to meet ya!... The name’s Hudson!”
	“Nice to meet you... Is there something I can do for you?” I asked, wondering what he wanted from me.
	“Nope, but there [i]is[/i] something I can do for you!” Hudson replied, gesturing with his arm for emphasis, “I heard about yer bag - them Kecleon bros told me all about it.”
	“Oh, they did?” Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think. Wouldn’t more thieves target me if everyone knew about that?
	“Of course, they did! Luckily for you, I just so happen to be a member of this town's guild!"
	“Wait, really!?” I said, shifting from cautious to excited in a heartbeat, “So you can help me get my stuff back?”
	“You bet yer berries I can! Missions like this are usually pretty darn expensive, but I’ll cut ya a deal. Since it’s yer first day in town, I’ll only charge ya 1000 Poké!”
	“What!? 1000 Poké!?”
	“Ha!” he shouted, patting me on the back, “I’m just messin’ with ya, don’t worry. Anyways, the daylight’s wasting, so let’s head out. I’ve been tryin’ a track down these pickpockets for ages. Let’s go...” He paused for a moment to get his bearings. “This way!” Before I knew it, he was hobbling past an Audino-shaped building off towards the forest. “Are ya waitin’ for yer bag to just walk itself back to town or what? C’mon!” He shouted back to me. Not being one to turn down a free offer for help, I ran to catch up with my new friend.