Margery hums to herself as the two of us ride along on her cart towards the nearest settlement. I can't help but stare off into the surroundings. Trees fill the horizon line to my left as far as my eyes can see. To my right is Margery, who is driving the cart along the dirt path paved from the extensive travels of others.

As I mindlessly stare at her side, I note more minute details of her. She has pursed lips, as if she's always in thought. Pronouncing cheek bones make her look more masculine than I remember any human woman appearing. As I scan her clothing, I realize they're more tattered and worn than I remember at first glance. Despite the wear and tear, they seem to be holding together nicely with high grade quality. Her rag over her head hides her black hair that's as dark as the circles around my eyes.

"Rule number three: never excessively stare at a lady. Regardless of the reason," Margery says, her eyes still straight forward. I realize that I'm starting to lean in towards her, and I suspect she noticed. Thus, she retaliates with her quip about treating women.

"Oops, sorry about that," I apologize. She chuckles to herself as she looks over at me.

"Well don't you worry. You'll have time to learn how to properly respect people—especially women. Trust me, it'll help in the long run, even if you're originally a Pokémon," she lectures as she pulls back on the reins. I look forward and see the approaching settlement's wall, which I assume is some sort of gate for some reason. The gate stretches maybe twenty feet skyward. Its brown wood structure stands steadfast, like an unflinching Lucario. Metal chains and nails hold the fortress-like edifice together, giving it an air of stability. Two soldiers reside vigilantly at the door to pass through. Shining, polished metal armor clad the two of them, both wielding spears that are easily another foot taller than their six foot statures.

Margery slowly approaches the gatekeepers standing at attention. She rears up about three feet in front of them and hops off the cart to her right. She walks up to the guard on the right as she looks up at them. They're both easily a foot taller than her, but she seems confident regardless.

"Hey guys! It's your favorite merchant, Margery! Please let me through!" she beams as she gallantly puts her fists on her hips. The guard stares off into the distance as he replies.

"Merchant license please," the guard replies blandly. Margery responds with a huff.

"Fine, fine. Here." Margery pulls some sort of small wooden tablet out of an inside pocket of her jacket. She hands it to the soldier while waving it in the air for him to grab. He plucks it from her grasp and scrutinizes it closely, narrowing his eyes at whatever information the hunk of wood holds. He nods to himself and looks over to the other soldier, who also responds with a silent nod. Did they have telepathic powers like a Kadabra or something?

"You're free to pass," the soldier grunts, adjusting his stature to stand straighter than the garrison he guards.

Margery grins as she bows. "But of course." She then dashes back to the driver's side of the cart and grabs the reins.

"Hyah! We're entering Mahogany Town!" she shouts as her Sawsbuck Roscoe trots forward. The cart proceeds as the gate opens to reveal a town behind it, perfectly hidden from the vantage point of the other side. Stone structures in the shapes of houses, shops, and stables come into view as the sun casts a shadow from behind us. People and stalls line the main street just ahead of us, where the foot traffic is visible unlike the spot where Margery and I are at. I can hear the various shouts of the people ahead, from the calls of those looking for others to those looking for sales. As I turn to Margery, I notice her relaxed—I could even describe it as pleasured—expression.

"This, Celebi," Margery starts, "is the place I look forward to every single time I get on this cart."

"Mahogany Town?" I ask, turning to her. She chuckles at my question as she pulls her reins and guides Roscoe towards a nearby stable that adjoins a taller structure. Someone can be seen sweeping the cobblestone street out front of the building.

"Not specifically. Lets just say it's something maybe you'll grow to understand as we make our way to Ilex Forest," Margery smiles. The person sweeping turns to us, presumably from hearing our approach, and waves to us. Margery grips the reins in her right hand and waves back with her left. The person motions over to the stable, where Margery promptly guides Roscoe in the respective direction. As the two of us approach the stable, a young boy dashes out from inside and approaches Margery's side of the cart. Margery mumbles something out of my earshot to the child, who nods in response.

"Time to get off," she says to me, nudging me to jump off my side. I scoot my long body over to the edge.

Unfortunately for my lack of coordination in a new body after sitting for so long, I stumble and fall face first to the ground. I feel my face smash in, the cold stone reminding me how hard rocks can be.

"Hahaha! Careful there, Renault!" Margery laughs as she hops off deftly from her side. I grumble as I pull my body up and dust myself off. I look up and see her standing above me with a confident grin on her face.

"This way," she smiles, pointing over at the door a few feet away. The building it's connected to is a three story structure made of cobblestone bricks. The outside is smooth as the silver bricks round out at each of the corners, letting each of their centers protrude outwards. The door is a dark brown made of vertical wood planks held together with metal hinges while adorned with a round handle in the shape of a hoop. At the top, I can barely make out what seems to be some sort of chimney, which I only assume due to the smoke slowly billowing out of it. Margery and I walk up to the door, which Margery promptly grasps the door handle and heaves it open. With a creak, the door swings open to reveal a dimly lit interior.

"Hello! Anyone here?" Margery calls out. She peers around the left corner into some room I can barely make out. The room itself save for the door we came through is so dim that I can hardly make out the inside itself.

"Is that a customer?" a gruff voice calls out. From around the corner appears an elderly man. He's about Margery's height with tattered clothing and a long nose. All of the hair on his head seems to be only coming out of his chin. A low-pitched thud in equal intervals echoes through the silent room. He slowly approaches us as the room's dark shadows veil half of his body.

"It's me Margery, you old coot!" Margery shouts back. She crosses her arms in frustration.

"Margery? Well, what a coincidence. I had a customer not a day ago named Margery who said she was going north to the Lake of Rage," the old man chuckles. He takes another step forward to reveal his stature is due to a hunched back. The thud from earlier seems to be from his wooden quarterstaff in his left hand functioning as a walking cane.

"That's because I am that Margery!" Margery shouts at him. She sighs in defeat, turning to me.

"That guy is Jericho, the owner of this inn. He's owned this place for a long time, and I've been coming here for awhile now. He's past his prime for sure, but he keeps a well-maintained place. Apparently he's got a successor too so..." Margery whispers to me as she keeps an eye on Jericho. The old man blinks slowly, as he breathes in and out deeply. His left hand grasping his cane seems to tremble slightly. He turns his head towards Margery as he nods.

"Ahh, Margery! Welcome!" he smiles. I can tell this guy is acting as if he just met Margery for the first time. Which, to no surprise, seems to agitate Margery.

"Anyway, I'm going to my room!" she shouts at the man. She storms off angrily, stomping on the wooden floor, as she heads into the darkness. Jericho sniffles as he lifts up the cane in his hand. He taps it three times in succession—thud, thud, thud—which causes a bright light to illuminate the room. I look over and see a Flaaffy lounging comfortably in the corner of the room. Judging from its lit tail, it's the source of the light in the room. It yawns as it stretches out its body, the nitid glow from its tail providing a beacon to the rest of the area. With the room now visible, I spot the hallway that Margery marched off into. I bound in that direction to catch up to her, shuffling up the creaky wooden stairs that double back before reaching the second floor.

As I reach the second floor hallway, five doors line the right end of the wall. On the left is an open balcony that extends over into the street with dark wooden columns holding up the roof above. It provides a view of the Mahogany street down below, where all the bustling business thrives in the open air.

As I look to the end of the hall, I spot Margery exiting the room furthest from where I'm standing. It seems whatever grumpiness Jericho caused her earlier seemingly melted away. Anyone could tell from her grinning face that her mood improved drastically within the last minute.

"Celebi! Glad you found your way up!" she grins as she pats me on the shoulder. I don't understand her praise if it's supposed to be mocking or not. It somewhat reminds me of Dialga, but there's no way that those two are the same person.

"Yes, once Jericho lit up the room, I spotted the path you most likely took. And here I am," I explain to her. She nods as she leans in towards my face, her left hand on my right shoulder.

"Look out there. Do you see it?" she asks me as she turns my body in the direction of the street. I scan the vicinity, not really knowing what I'm supposed to be focused on.

"Umm...no?" I answer.

"It's opportunity," she smiles. I turn back to her as our eyes meet. She nods happily.

"There's no possible way I could have seen-" I start.

"Let's go! Opportunity waits for no one! You have to seize it yourself!" she shouts as she grasps my arm and pulls me with her. I stumble to keep my balance as we somehow make twenty steps of stairs into ten.

In my defense, there's no way I could have seen something as abstract as opportunity.

"We're going out there," Margery says to me as we move through the inn's main lobby towards a door at the other end of the wall. She looks at me as I eye her, confused.

"Rule nine, always be ready to assist a lady. And that begins now," she says to me as she grabs the handle on the door. With my wobbly gait, Margery manages to pull me into her world I never fathomed experiencing.