Metang Rough Draft

	Two pokémon sat in a sparsely-filled office going over the final details of a job offer.  The owner of the office, and mayor of her city, was an emboar.  She sat at her desk, arms resting on top as she spoke with the other pokémon.

	“You’re certain you want to take it?  I mean you’d be a perfect fit for the job, but you’re sure you want to work here?” she asked.  Her voice carried with it a hint of concern, and for good reason.

	“If I wasn’t sure then I wouldn’t be here, correct?” replied the other after a heavy sigh.

	“True,” said the emboar.  “And I doubt any pokémon would have come all this way for the job if they weren’t determined to get it.  Even with the biases held against your kind, after all.  I just know how some can be and I don’t want good pokémon harmed by the, shall we say ‘less informed.’”  Her guest nodded as best as he could.

	“I acknowledge the risk involved, but I accepted that long ago.  It only depends on if they don’t run me out of town like so many have done before.”  The emboar nodded solemnly.  Biases were a nasty thing to encounter, especially ones that could become so hateful towards certain kinds of pokémon.  She could only hope for the best for this specific pokémon.

	Standing up, she walked past her desk and extended a paw to the metang floating on the other side.  The pokémon grasped it with his claw and shook, his steely glance meeting the fire-type’s less-certain one.

	“Then I guess you’ve got the job,” she said to the steel-type.  “Thanks for helping fulfill a long-missed role for our city, Head Librarian.”  The metang’s eyes expressed his joy as he practically cheered over his success.

	“More than happy to do it, Mayor Candace!  Thanks for giving me the opportunity.”

---

	The doors of the old library creaked open as the metang pushed them aside, peering into the dark building.  If what he could see inside was any proof, then the city of Dusty was certainly aptly named.  Though as he looked back outside at the arid landscape around him, it was like that no matter where you were.  With a slight sigh he made his way inside, making sure to close the door behind him.  The building wasn’t massive, but it certainly wasn’t that small either. The soft light shining through the windows weren’t doing the best job at making the building seem welcoming, he noted.

	Looking around, the metang couldn’t find a light switch anywhere.  To his chagrin, it seemed the only things available for light were the windows, and the occasional oil lamp or torch he saw dotting the walls and tables.  Sighing once more, he tapped the top of his head creating a soft clanging sound.

	“Okay Dorian, better figure this out.  We have an entire library to ourselves.  We need to get this place in running order, and that will mean bringing a few luxuries to the table.  First update on the list…power,” he said as he glumly brought a torch over to his claw using his psychic abilities.  He didn’t have anything on him to ignite it, and it seemed the front desk didn’t carry anything either.  As he floated around in thought, an idea sprang to mind.

	The metang floated over to one of the stone walls of the building.  Like many times before, he quickly began to strike his right arm repeatedly against the wall.  His idea was rewarded almost instantly as sparks burst from the impact, showering the dusty stone floor of the library.  Striking his arm a few more times, he created more sparks onto the torch until it finally lit up and provided more light for him.  Satisfied with his work, the steel-type began to explore the rest of the building in order to become acquainted with his job and, more or less, his home.

	“Looks like I won’t need to worry about stocking up on too many books,” he mused as he wandered the aisles.  “Guess I’ll count myself lucky there.  Though it has been a good decade or two since this place was open so…perhaps some new titles would be a wise investment.”

Every aisle provided only more dust-covered books, their appearances dull and gray from the years of neglect.  Some titles were centuries old, others were more recent.  Some shelves were empty; others only seemed to be missing a book or two.  More ideas for the library sprang to Dorian’s mind as he kept perusing the building and its contents, his excitement for the job beginning to return once more.

As he reached the back of the library, he noted a few doors leading to back rooms where various books and supplies had been kept, a lot of which would need replacing no doubt.  One doorway however lead to a stairwell leading both upstairs and down.  Deciding to go up, the metang was greeting with an open rooftop covered in dirt.  He could see the many buildings throughout the rest of the city, most staying hardly taller than a single story.

“Perhaps…home could be set up here?  Or one of those backrooms might be easier.  Arceus knows I don’t need that many of them to begin with,” he muttered as he made his way back inside.

Traveling back down, he continued further as the stairs lead him to what appeared to be a basement used for storage.  As he moved around, he took notice of the various books and objects strewn about the room.  It certainly carried a different atmosphere than the main floor did, and it wasn’t because of the darkness that would have swallowed him if not for the torch.  Instead, it felt as if something was almost speaking to the metang.  Looking around, he realized there were many artifacts, books, maps, and all sort of materials that look ancient.  Taking a look at one of the larger books, he read the title aloud.

	“‘Genesect’s Betrayal:  A Legendary Gone Rogue’, huh?” he whispered as he stared at the large book.  He had heard of that name before.  Genesect.  It was a name he heard many times in the past though he didn’t know much about it, even with all of his vast knowledge.  He hoped the book would give him answers when he was able to take the time to look through it.

Pushing it aside for the moment, he began looking at the other pieces lying about the room.  Many maps depicted the world as he knew it, only showing the continents and many islands of the world highly stylized, with monstrous pokémon illustrated on several.  He noted the three continents had what appeared to be far more monstrous versions of Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza around them.  Some islands had other Legendary or Mythical pokémon depicted across them.  Dorian was able to identify most, though some left him scratching his head.

Had it not been for the torch’s light beginning to die, he likely would have spent many more hours studying what he saw.  Instead, the steel-type had to call it good and began to head back upstairs.  The library job had been interesting when he caught word of it weeks before.  Now however, it was becoming far more than even he could have expected.

---

In the weeks that followed, Dorian spent much of his time preparing the library for its grand reopening.  Candace would stop by every day or two to check in on his progress, sometimes lending a hand when she wasn’t too busy tending to her duties as mayor and as head of a branch of the peacekeeping organization, Union.  Dorian had appreciated the help, and in time the building was brought back to a more respectable condition.  As a side project, he had even managed to install some basic electrical lighting into the building, powering it with a few small windmills he had built behind the library.

As the preparations were made, Dorian was constantly in and out of the library.  Supplies for the lighting, cleaning, and a variety of other things like new books and bookshelves were bought from a variety of merchants and moved into the building.  For better or worse, his activities was gaining attention from the local pokémon, too.  Even for a city of its size, word traveled quick of the work he was doing.  A few excitable young pokémon even made a point to come by every other day to check in on him.

“Is it almost done, Mr. Dorian?” a bright-eyed shinx had asked one afternoon.  He and a small group of kids were all standing near the door, chattering excitedly.  Said metang had just come back after another trip out, this time returning with a cart full of brand new books.

“Not quite yet, but it won’t be long now.  Maybe another week or so,” he told them.  “I still need to organize a lot of these books and finish up some last minute cleaning.”

When he heard the collective whines from the kids, Dorian couldn’t help but laugh softly to himself.  The shinx, Owen, had been coming by frequently, first showing up just a few days after Dorian himself had moved in.  The electric-type had never known what the library was since it had been closed for so long, but after Dorian had explained the concept when they first met, the little shinx couldn’t wait to see and experience it for himself.

Owen smiled brightly after the initial disappointment wore off.  “Well in that case, we’re just gonna go play!  Have fun getting the library done!  Bye!”

The small shinx sped off down the road, with the group of kids trailing behind him.  Dorian blinked a few times, taken aback by just how much energy they seemed to have.  “What I’d do to be that spry again…”

With another laugh, the steel-type grabbed the cart and began to pull it the rest of the way.  He had planned to organize them and the rest of the books he had collected in the past few weeks, something he had neglected to do for a while now.  As he was opening the door, the sound of a throat being cleared caught him.  Turning around he saw a tauros nearby, glaring daggers.  Dorian had seen that look before.  A few too many times if you asked him.

“Can I help you?” he asked, doing his best not to sound irritated.  The tauros snorted and walked closer to the steel-type, until he was only a few inches away.

	“You have got some nerve, don’tcha?” he growled, his voice deep and throaty.  Dorian impulsively floated back, not at all liking the confrontation.  He narrowed his eyes slightly despite this, refusing to break the stare-down with the tauros’.

	“I apologize, though I don’t believe I’ve done anything inherently wrong here.”

	“Bullshit.  I’ve seen your type before, Mech.  Act innocent when you’re really still trying to wipe the rest of us out!  I know the stories!”

	Metang winced.  Yep, still the same old thing.  His mind flashed to what he saw in the basement of the library that first time.  He had gone back down there only a few times since, but wasn’t able to glean much more information yet.  Still, that was probably going to be vital to understanding what happened in the past, and why he continued to deal with incidents throughout his life.  Incidents much like what was happening now.

	“I know Genesect left a whole buncha you when he disappeared with the rest o’ his army!” the normal-type continued.  “And I know you’re all just waiting for when he comes back, aren’tcha?  Then you’ll slaughter us all!”  Dorian winced again.

	“Sir, I can assure you that I have nothing to do with that.  I don’t even know who Genesect really is.”  Not a complete lie.  He still hadn’t taken the time to sit down and look at that book.  He made a note to sit down and read through when he got the chance later.

	“Now if you’ll just let me get back to my work, I would truly appreciate that,” he said calmly, still staring the tauros down.  The bull snorted again and stamped the ground with a hoof.

	“Just stay away from them kids and keep to yourself.  Candace seems to think you can be free to roam around without a problem, but guess what?  I got a problem, Mech.  And I’ll be keeping a careful eye on you.”

	With another snort, the tauros turned around and began to walk away.  Dorian breathed a sigh of relief once he was far enough away, glad the tense air had cleared.

	“Every town, village, and city this happens,” he mumbled as he pulled the cart inside.  “Why are the sins of Genesect blamed on Mechanicals?”

With another sigh, he tried to push it out of mind and get back to work.  The tauros’ warning still weighed heavy on his mind however.  Even though he could handle himself, and he had the backing of many citizens, including the mayor, Dorian couldn’t help but worry.  He had been ousted out of many places over the years. After having this opportunity come by, he wasn’t going to give it up so easily.

---

When it came time to finally open, Dorian could hardly contain his excitement.  He knew not to expect any real fanfare for something as simple as a library, but he couldn’t help it.  This was his first job in some time after all.  And to top it off, it was his dream job, too.  To share his knowledge with the pokémon around him and to encourage them to learn more for themselves was something the metang had wanted for centuries.  Most places before either had no need for another librarian or were too small to even consider the idea.  Now that he was having his big change, Dorian intended to do it right.

“Okay, everything looks good, yes?  Books where they belong, shelves in order, lights working, nothing messy left lying around?”  He whizzed through the building in the late morning light as he did the final checks.  He was never this obsessive or particular about things, but he couldn’t help it!  It was the first day after all, and he wanted to leave a good impression on anyone that came through.  He’d be helpful, answer every question asked, offer suggestions, or whatever else he felt he needed to do in order to make this work!

…On second thought, maybe he’d tone it down just a bit.  Scaring off a visitor with his enthusiasm was definitely not something he wanted to have happen.

“Deep breathes, Dorian,” he said to himself.  “You totally got this!  Just relax, let things go their pace and everything will work out!”

“You know, I don’t think muttering to yourself will work completely in your favor,” a new voice said in amusement, breaking Dorian out of his thoughts.  He stopped moving around and looked for the source, smiling when he saw a familiar emboar striding into the building.

“Mayor!  Er, Peacemaker!  Uh, I mean…”

“Come on, Dorian, it’s just Candace.  I appreciate the desire to be formal, but you should know by now that I don’t care for titles anymore.  Especially when nobody is sure which to refer to me by,” she said, muttering the last part in slight irritation.  She shook it off with a laugh, the smile once again returning to her face.

“Now I know I’ve come by on several occasions already, but I still can’t get over how much better it looks in here.  You really turned this place around and made it your own!”

If metangs could blush, Dorian was sure he would be.  Still, while he appreciated the praise it wasn’t as if Candace didn’t know about the improvements before.  The real judges would be everyone who would be coming in later that day and in the days to come.  As if sensing his tension, the emboar put a reassuring paw on his shoulder.

“Just relax.  Whether you’re worried about the job or the pokémon, I’m sure things will work out.  And if they don’t, you let me know, especially if that tauros or another pokémon gives you trouble.  I’m not the head of the Peacemakers in the area for nothing!” As if to prove her point, Candace cupped a fist and began cracking her knuckles.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Dorian said after a slight pause.  “However, if it comes down to it, at least I know who to go to.  Thanks for all of your help, Candace.”

The emboar smiled once again.  “Anytime.  I have to keep an eye out on my citizens, especially the ones I fear the most for their safety.  This is just a part of the job, even though I do care for your wellbeing.”

“Anyways, I’ll go on and get going.  I just wanted to make a quick stop by and check on you before the job really gets going!”

“Thank you Candace, that means a lot.  You’re sure you can’t stick around for the opening?”  The emboar shook her head at this.

“As much as I’d love to, I have plenty of work to complete after I finish making my rounds,” she said, crossing her arms.  “You know, running the town and making sure pokémon stay safe.  That kind of stuff.”

Dorian waved her off at this and began to return to checking through everything in the library.  “I know, I know.  You’re a busy pokémon, I can’t expect anything more.  Still, thanks for the visit!”

Candace made her way out, leaving Dorian to pick up his fretting where he left off.  He spent the next few hours doing this until he was completely satisfied, but also more or less exhausted.  He took a moment to take a break, up until he noticed the sun’s placement outside.

“It’s time!  Crap, get moving, get those doors open!” he shouted and blasted across the room until he reached said doors.  Using his psychic abilities, he slowly pulled them open and let more of the sun’s light pool through, giving what was already a fairly warmly-lit building even more of a welcoming appearance.  Looking over to the main desk he pulled a wooden sign out and brought it over to where he was.  Noting the painted lettering stating “Now Open,” he smiled inwardly at how he was finally achieving a dream.  He brought the sign outside and propped it up a little ways from the entrance.  Satisfied, with it, he floated back inside and stayed near the desk as he eagerly awaited visitors.

Sure enough, they began coming.  Some he knew already, such as Owen and a few of the young shinx’s friends, and some that were new faces entirely.  Even though he didn’t want to come off as overbearing, he still made a point to speak with every pokémon that walked through the doors, usually after giving them some time to walk around and explore for themselves.

To say it went without a hitch would be a perfect summary of the day by the time it ended, too.  Not a single pokémon that came in had a thing to say about Dorian’s species beyond wondering what kind of pokémon he even was.  For that much, he was pleased.  He was even happier to have found others like himself, intellectuals and lovers of knowledge.  Those pokémon praised him for bringing the library back and in such a well-done way, and it made Dorian excited for the future.  If this was how day one went, then the days to come could only be good.