“Mmmm…” I mumbled as a warm ticklish feeling rubbed against my cheek. I rolled over to get away from it, my movements were slightly restricted, but in a comfortable way.

“Ruu.” A soft cooing noise called out before a light but very warm weight crashed into me, forcing me to roll back over. “Ru!” Something small and bright called out as I opened and shut my eyes from the light.

“What the?! Trouble!” I yelled at the blinding light of the small hot being on my chest.

“Kaw?” Trouble asked from a short distance away.

“Help me!” I cover my face, ready to be attacked.

“Ru?” The bright being on my chest asked in a cute tone.

“Buwak kaw.” Trouble replied to it.

“Roo.” The critter hopped off my chest and walked away.

“What the…” I blink the blindness out of my eyes.

“Kaw?” Trouble tilts his head in a questioning look at me.

“What time is it?... Is this a bed, and a-ah, um, a shack?” I slowly start to realize I’m in the most comfortable bed I can remember, while housed in a not too shabby three walled wooden camping shack. “Is that a fire?!” I toss off the covers and jump out of bed the moment I spot the campfire.

“Kaw kaw!” Trouble smacks the back of my head with his wing.

“What do you mean an idiot, how did this all happen?” I look around while noticing the constant background noise of labor. “Who are they?” I point at the group of Pals striking rocks and trees within what appears to be a small construction site.

[Different Pals can be assigned to work at specific Base Work Stations.] My Paldex chimed out. [Please use the Pal Box to adjust your current party, as well as your Base party.] A small holographic arrow pointed towards a blue box-like structure.

“Looks like some sort of sci-fi arcade game.” I walk around the Pal Box, it resembles a self help kiosk with a large clear screen on the top half. There is a Pal Sphere stuck on one side of the device. “Do I just touch this thing?” I placed my hand on the protruding half of the sphere, the console lit up as the screen went transparent as my vision expanded past what I knew was possible.

“What the hell!” I screamed as I yanked my hand away and the rush of the view shrank back to normal. My legs gave out and I fell onto my rear while panting. “What was that?” I huffed, my breathing was unstable due to the shocking experience.

[That was the subspace where your extra Pals are kept in a healing and stasis environment.] My Paldex beeped. [If you can save the Pal before it’s death, you can place it in the Pal Box for a time to revive it back to full health in days.]

“Sure, that’s cool and all. But why was it so big?!” I shouted at the thing on my wrist.

[The size of the Pal Box is linked to your sou- power level, the higher your level, among other things, will lead to a larger available space.] The Paldex chimed out, unaffected by my outburst. [At first, the Pal Box can hold enough for a few parties. If you achieve higher levels, it can hold enough for a Raid.] A few locked information screens appeared.

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“How many are in a raid party?” I ask the device.

[The minimum number of Pals for a Raid are 40, with 50 being the maximum.] The Paldex beeped as it closed the screens.

“And how many Pals can my Pal Box hold?” I ask it while holding it over the Pal Box console.

[According to your power level, your Pal Box should hold up to 15 Pals.] The Paldex beeped.

“So how many can it actually hold?” I ask while my eye twitches in anger.

[Scanning….] The Paldex shoots a beam of energy that connects to the sphere, and the whole device lights up. [Free Space for Pals remaining, 480…Error!] The Paldex screams out with a blaring alarm before it shuts down while going dark.

“Did I just break it, shit… Now what.” I take in a few deep breaths to calm down some. “So, Trouble, did we do all this-” I stare at the bird while pointing at the shack and new work stations. “-last night while I was a bit sleep deprived?” I start to sniff at the air, noticing a pleasing scent.

“Buwakah kuwa, kaw.” Trouble motioned to everything with his tiny wings.

“I seriously don’t remember a single moment of it all buddy.” I shook my head with a smirk as his look of triumph turned into a crestfallen chicken.

“Kaw kaw?” He looked at me with big wet eyes.

“I bet you did, great job.” I humored the fluffy magical birb and patted his head. “Keep up the great work.” I chuckled at his cooing due to the head pats.

“Ruu!” The cute cry turned my attention to a fox made out of fire sitting by a campfire with something sizzling on it.

“Are you the little bright light that woke me up?” I walked up to the little fox, it was sitting at attention by a roaring bonfire. I could sniff out something tasty in the air over the smell of burning pinewood. “What is that delicious aroma?” I closed my eyes to sniff it out.

“Roo!” The firefox called out, and to my amazement, there was a bowl filled with steaming berries before it. Using its cute flaming snout, it gently pushed the dish towards me.

“For me?” I asked in shock, my eyes darting from the fox to the bowl. “Did you cook this?” I ask as I pick up the bowl of steaming berries.

“Ruuru.” The fox cooed and curled up on the ground, watching me while shaking. The poor thing looked a bit frightened, like if the food displeased me, it would be the end of its life.

“Thank you for the breakfast.” I tried to smile at it, only for the fear to intensify. I dropped the smile and picked up the dish. “Smells great, wonder if it’ll-” I take a whiff of it before using my finger to taste test it. The moment I taste it, I shut up and shovel it into my mouth. “Real, hot, food…” I stare at the empty bowl while licking my lips.

“Kawkaka!” Trouble bursts out laughing and rolls on the ground.

“Ruu!..” The little fox tries to shout at him, but has to turn its head to keep from laughing too.

“That was great, just a bit messy.” I drop the bowl as it vanishes into particles. My hands to my elbows, most of my face, neck, and shoulders somehow have sticking berry jam covering it. “I wish there was a way to get utensils.” I try to shake my hands around to remove the mess.

“Buwrak!” Trouble bursts out even louder.

“What do you mean-” I glared at him.

“Kaw!” His tiny wings hold out a spoon and fork made of the same wood as the bowl.

“You!-” I shouted before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. A dark smile crept onto my face. “Oh Trouble, that was sooo funny, you deserve a biiiig hug for that.” I open my messy arms wide, as I slowly advance towards him.

“Buwak, ka. Kaw? KAW!” Trouble stops laughing as he tries to hand me the stolen utensils, only to realize my intent and turns to run.