Treasure Town at dusk was truly a scene to behold. The summer breeze gently ruffled on the treetop, blending into the dim rays of light that lit up the whole town at its closing hours with a palette of brilliant yellow and orange. Every now and then, you could hear the two Kecleon brothers arguing over the remaining stocks or Chansey humming a melody to put the newborns to sleep.

Kaze was sitting at the end of Sharpedo Bluff, staring at the setting sun over the glistening horizon. Sound of waves clashing against the shores resonated inside his ears like a sonate of life being performed at a grand orchestra. His eyes closed, and a faint smile flickered across his sincere face.

"Sunset gazing again, Kaze?"

Flare came into his view with a warm-hearted smile towards the somber Riolu. Kaze heaved a sigh, staring at his Flareon companion. Gazing far beyond sight, he whispered, "Do you remember Yuki?"

His eyes darkened as they showed a sign of loss and concealment. Flare looked at Kaze with surprise. It had been a long time since that event happened and he thought Kaze had forgotten about her.

"What makes you ask that?" Flare asked, sitting next to Kaze. "We all keep her in our heart. You, the Guild's members and even I start to feel a little empty without her presence nearby."

Patting on Kaze's shoulders, he continued, "But we have to move on, right? She's fulfilled her duty in this world. You should be glad that things have all turned back to normal because of her."

"I guess you're right," Kaze replied halfheartedly, turning in another direction.

"Anyway..." Flare stood up on four, his voice becoming serious. "...tomorrow is going to be graduation day. So take a good rest and be prepared, will you Kaze?"

The Riolu nodded airily. Seeing that only made Flare shook his head in discomfort.

...

"Follow me, Kaze! We're almost there!"

"Hey, wait up! You know I can't run that fast!"

Kaze was running on a shiny green grassy hill, chasing after the blurry shadow of Yuki. A smile gladly blossomed on his face as Yuki turned around to see if he could catch up with her. The soaring wind blew through him, sending the scent of fresh grass across the air.

"I can feel it! We're not far from it!" she said, still sprinting ahead of him.

"Where exactly are we going, Yuki?" Kaze asked, stopping midway to catch his breath.

Yuki turned back and walked slowly to Kaze. She lifted his face up with her paws and her eyes sparkled in excitement.

"We're heading there, Kaze, to the place only for two of us. To our forever, Kaze!" She beamed with all her grace.

"To our... forever?"

Kaze's face became perplexed. Yuki had never said such words to him. She then just turned around, assumingly preparing to dash forward again, but then, realization struck him hard. No, this isn't right. These words... they are not from...her.

"What's wrong, Kaze?"

In stead of a reply, Kaze remained silent with his eyes turning black.

"Sunshine Hill, what happened on that day?"

"What are you saying, Kaze?"

Just as Yuki was reaching out her paw to comfort him, he swatted it away while growling angrily.

"Just answer me!"

"..."

"Just as I thought, you are not Yuki," Kaze said, getting into a fighting position. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

There was no response. Suddenly, the sky around him turned into a total dark abyss as the grass all died out, blackening into ashes. The previous wind now possessed a haunting aura, cutting through his bones.

The Eevee standing in front of Kaze started shaking violently, beams of crimson red light shooting out from its eyes. Kaze took a step backward, but to no avail as he gradually felt the darkness engulfing him into a state of unconsciousness.

"You'll never find her again..." The moment before Kaze's mind blackened out, a voice echoed, entering his head. "...Your future will be full of remorse and sorrow. You've suffered this since you were born and the ones you love will perish in front of your own eyes..."

"...This is your future!"

"No! I refuse it!"

"Kaze, wake up! Wake up!"

Kaze's eyes shot open. He quickly looked around him, only to see the familiar sight of his straw bed with the faint light from the torch hanging on the wall. He let out a deep sigh of relief. Then, as he turned to his left, Flare entered his sight.

"You were shouting in your dream. What's the matter?" Flare asked with care. "Having nightmare again?"

It took Kaze a moment to make his mind back into senses. He nodded. These dreams had been happening to him lately, and each time it got into his sleep, there were only thorough despair and fear that ensnared him completely.

"If only you were still here with me..." Kaze remarked, biting his lips while glancing at the nearby empty straw bed.

Flare nearly facepawed upon hearing that saying of him.

"About Yuki again? You should forget about her already, Kaze. It will only do you more harm than good in the long run." Flare advised.

Kaze shook his head. Something was not right, he could feel it. There must be a way to get her back somehow, he knew there would be. But as the moon was high above his head and the neighboring Kricketunes had begun their performance, a good sleep was what he needed right now.

"Sorry for waking you up, Flare," Kaze said mildly. "Have a good night."

"You too, Kaze," Flare replied, checking on Kaze one last time before shutting the door.

...

"Up and at 'em!"

The usual morning alarm from Loudred roused Kaze from his sleepy state. He yawned a bit, stretching his muscles out before responding.

"Good morning, Loudred," Kaze said, swiping the sleepiness off his eyes.

"The morning cheer is a moment to spare, Kaze." Loudred rushed over his words. "You'd better hurry up."

Kaze nodded, putting on the Guild's badge and his white scarf. However, the moment he reached for his scarf, Yuki's headband caught him dead in track again. Vivid recollection about her appearance the days before flashed through his head like a slow tape of film. He embraced his feelings, and with Loudred, they slowly walked out of the room.

Wigglytuff's Guild in the early morning was always crowded. There was team Fitzle getting order from their client, a terrified Pachirisu, apparently going on a rescue mission shorly afterwards or in the corner of the room, Chimecho was ready for her assembly service. Kaze's thought was vague as this morning to him was different. Usually, there would be Yuki running around, greeting everyone cheerfully before coming back to his place with a radiant smile, preparing for whatever task Chatot would put up for them that day.

But now she'd gone, everything just... changed.

"And three, smiles go for miles!"

The morning cheer came in a flash, quickly enough to get Kaze a moment before heading to work. Just as then, there was Chatot and the Guildmaster, Wigglytuff coming over to him.

"We're sorry for that event to happen, Kaze." Wigglytuff started first. Kaze just shrugged his shoulders. What else could he do? Trying to prevent everyone from reopening his own sore? Like losing her was the only bad thing that had come into his life.

"But you know team Snowflake had to operate regardless of her or not," Chatot continued. "That and you have to recruit a new member."

The last sentence from Chatot caught Kaze surprised.

"A new recruit, but why?" Kaze asked back immediately, not looking pleasant.

"You see..." Chatot lowered his voice, apparently trying to comfort Kaze. "...there was never any precedences of a team run on a solo explorer, so we thought you could need a new companion, just to sooth the pain of losing Yuki away."

"How could you think of that!?" Kaze exclaimed, barely keeping his calm. "Team Snowflake will only have Yuki and I as its members, no more no less!"

"Kaze, I k-"

Wigglytuff stopped Chatot. "Let's me do the talking from this point, Chatot," he said calmly. "Why don't you do me a favor and keep an eye on the Perfect Apple stock, will you?"

Chatot looked at his Guildmaster in disbelief, but knowing what he was up to something, Chatot left the place. Wigglytuff then turned to Kaze, and with a sincere smile, he whispered.

"I believe I need to show you something. Something that I should have handed to you a long time ago."

Said so and he led Kaze to his room where he opened the large wooden chest, the one that he had opened the same day Yuki and Kaze registered into the Guild. From the chest, he took out a piece of writing that had blurred a bit assumingly because of time. The moment the paper was handed to Kaze, he just could not hold his tears anymore.

"T-this is f-from Yuki."

Kaze looked at Wigglytuff in shock, only to receive from the pink Pokémon a nod.

"Go on, read it."

...

"Dear my only and forever companion,

It feels weird writing a letter to someone you were just with, but...

You're the worst, Kaze!

Indecisive. Predictable. And careless.

The first moment I met you in this world, you were acting a total mess.

But, there was something inside you that compelled me to put all my faith in you. I knew it from your smile, from the way you showed your care towards all the people you met that one day you could become a brilliant explorer, just as what you had always dreamed to be one.

Back then, I never get a chance to actually express my feelings to you. The initial shock of being of a Pokémon had trapped my thought inside a cage for almost half of the time we had been together. It wasn't until that time at Fogbound Lake, staring at the magnificent light above the water that I realized what I had been missing the whole time.

You know what Kaze, the moment I heard that from Grovyle, my heart sank, like a lot. I knew that there was only little time for me left and I just had that amount of time to make things up to you. But in the end, I just couldn't do anything.

I just feel so guilty about myself, having deceived my emotions towards you the whole time.

Please say sorry to Flare for me. He deserves a more trustful Pokémon to put his heart into than I am. I never actually had a chance to tell him that. I think being friend with him is more than a blessing for me already.

And please send my sorry to everyone too, for making them worry about me. You remembered those smiles I made the day before my departure from this world? I think that was the only thing I could do, at least, to tell the others that they should continue with their work regardless of me.

It was darker. And shallower. And somewhat thoughtless.

And softer. And more memorable. And stronger.

Remember the river inside Apple Woods? The water was refreshing and the picnic was beyond my dream. Racing with you along the Northern Desert, I really thought I could win. The moon we saw at the Hidden Land that day was a delicious-looking apple to me. Singing the explorers' choir with you. Then falling out time. We were horrible explorers, couldn't get a single mission done right.

It's strange to feel these feelings going alongside with me every single task we went on. They're unforgettable scenes to me. But they're such little things. It feels weird, right?

What do you think? Do you think I made it into anyone's heart like that?

I wonder if I made it into yours. I wonder if you'll still remember me.

If you forget me, I'll just come back and...

No, I don't want to start over.

Please don't forget me. Promise me you won't forget me!

I'm glad that it was you.

I love you, Kaze.

I'm sorry we couldn't eat all the gummies. I'm sorry I hit you too much. I'm sorry I was so selfish.

I'm so, so, so, so sorry. Thank you for everything.

Yuki."