Welcome back.

Some stories don't focus on a single protagonist character, but on many. When such is the case, surely one cannot expect them all to keep together at all times, right? One could argue such is the case with life: it is a wonderful gargantuan tale with thousands upon thousands of protagonists, and while many of them are in constant contact with each other, there are many more that cross paths only once to never meet again. Kind of sad.

But I digress. As far as our little story is concerned, we're counting eight protagonists. That's quite a few, so it is to be expected that they would eventually split up.

Now, let us resume our tale.


"And there was a weird pokémon there, and they said it was a criminal or something."

Zephyr was retelling the other eeveelutions what he had witnessed the previous night, while Kizuna, Tesla and Linze were discussing up some matters in the Linoone's room. They had promised him they would talk about last night's events in the morning, but that didn't seem to be the case. Perhaps they were deciding what to reveal, exactly?

This seemed ridiculous to the Jolteon. It's just a random criminal, after all, like the many he was used to catching. Why the secrecy?

"A criminal?" Ivy asked, doubting her ears. "In our house? A criminal in our very house?"

"What kind of pokémon it was?" Scylla asked.

Unfortunately, Zephyr had never seen the species of the fugitive before. "I dunno. It was like some kind of… fox or something."

Needless to say, that description was unsatisfying. Lumis considered various possibilities. "Ninetales? Zoroark? Delphox?"

"Not a Ninetales. I don't know what the other two are." Zephyr scratched his head for a moment. Maybe a description could help? "It was standing on two legs, had black-fur all over and had this weird red mane on her head."

"Sounds like a Zoroark," Lumis concluded.

"How in the world did she escape from you?" Agni wondered. "You're a relatively good fighter. It's not like you to be defeated so easily."

"That wasn't even a battle, she just… vanished or something." Zephyr growled lowly, recalling the previous night events. Could he have done something to stop her? No, it was pointless to think about that now. "I thought she was dark/psychic at first, but if she can fade away then I guess she was actually part-ghost after all."

"I… might be mistaken, but I think Zoroark are pure dark-types," Lumis said.

"Then how did she…?"

"Isn't Zoroark that pokémon that can control illusions?" Safira suggested, gathering all eyes on her. She immediately regretted it. She wasn't particularly fond of the attention. "I think… maybe…"

"Yes, I think I remember reading something about that," Lumis said, "about how Zoroark can alter the senses of other pokémon and such."

Skoll nodded. "Using illusions to hide and fight cheap? That sounds like a dark-type all right." The Umbreon's commentary was not meant in a deprecating kind of way. He was actually quite proud of the trick-ridden fighting style that dark-type pokémon such as himself used.

They all stayed silent for some seconds. They had been waiting for the Sylveon and the other two pokémon for a while now, but they were still inside the Linoone's room, door closed. They all wondered what took them so long.

Ivy was the one to break the dull silence. "Anyway, for a criminal to suddenly attack my father in the middle of the night… What the hell was she thinking?"

"Maybe she wasn't even after your father, y'know," Zephyr said. "I mean, like I told you, there were two other pokémon."

"Yeah, the ones Dad is talking to right now. Wonder what's taking them so long." Ivy sighed, and many of the other eeveelutions followed after. "By the way, who were the other two pokémon? When we woke up Dad just locked himself in his room and didn't even let us see them."

"One was like… a yellow spider. You know Ariados? A bit like that, but yellow and blue."

Lumis thought about his description for a moment, and a possibility came to his mind. "A Galvantula, maybe?"

"I dunno. I detected some electric potential on it, so I'm guessing it was an electric-type like me too."

"Yes, Galvantula are electric-types too."

"Okay, then… And the other was a Sylveon."

The mention of a fellow eeveelution caught everyone's attention on the spot. It was highly improbable to find such a high concentration of eeveelutions in the same place, but if what Zephyr was saying was true, then it meant all eight possible Eevee evolutions were gathered in the Haecceity right now.

"A Sylveon, really?" Scylla asked, her siren-tail wagging left and right. "That's the fairy-type evolution of Eevee, isn't it? That was actually my second choice after Vaporeon!"

Meanwhile, Skoll's interest resided in a simple question. "Male or female?"

Everyone waited expectantly for the Jolteon's answer. Well, no reason to make them wait, he thought. "Fem. Bit of a cutie, too."

"Woo-hoo!" Skoll's rings started to shine. "And a Sylveon of all things? We hit the jackpot here, mates!"

The Umbreon's comment made Ivy roll her eyes. "Boys…"

"Hey, don't throw us all in the same bag. I couldn't care less," Agni said with a slight sign of impatience in his voice. "And why are we still here anyway? Why are we even waiting for them? We should be on our way back to the Amber Crane."

"And we should be going back to the Azure Nightingale, too," Lumis said to the Umbreon by his side.

"C'mon, dude, let's at least wait for the Sylveon babe!" Skoll complained.

Lumis knew well enough that it was useless to try to change his friend's mind when his rings shined so brightly. Oh well, it's not like he was in any particular haste to get back to his node.

"But you know what the weirdest thing is?" Zephyr asked. "I didn't give her my name, but I swear I heard her say it."

"Maybe Dad told her…?" was Ivy's offered explanation.

"We didn't introduce ourselves to your father, though," Agni said, before lowering his head a tad. "Which was a bit impolite on our part, now I think about it."

"Then maybe she was an admirer?" Scylla's suggestion was met with incredulous gazes. "Aren't you a defender from the Cerulean Warbler? Those tend to be popular."

Zephyr considered the idea for a second before discarding it. No, that was stupid, why would he even entertain such a bizarre idea? "Nah, no way."

Agni snickered at his apparent flustering. Well, that was unusual. "I've been to the Warbler with my cousin a few times, and he's actually kind of popular with the girls. And some boys."

"Not nearly that much."

After a few more minutes of idle discussion, the door to the leader's room finally opened, and a Sylveon emerged from it. She closed the door after her using her feelers, leaving the other two pokémon conversing inside.

Kizuna's face illuminated when she saw the crowd that was waiting to receive her. So many eeveelutions! One, two, three… there were seven of them! And every single one of them was of a different type than the others, what are the chances? What should she do now? She had to make sure she made a good first impression!

Why not start with a simple introduction? "I'm Kizuna, but you can call me Kizzie!"

Okay, so far so good. Now what? They were all looking at her expectantly, some of them whispering among themselves. Maybe it would be better if she spoke to them one by one? Who should she start with? Zephyr seemed like the obvious answer. After all, he was the only one she had met already.

Kizuna dashed to the Jolteon's side, needing all her force of will to keep herself from enveloping him with her bows. "Hi, Zephyr! How're you?"

"Good…?" Zephyr took a single step back for caution. There was no doubt now, this quirky Sylveon knew his name somehow.

Scylla couldn't help but giggle girlishly at this. "You really have a fangirl after all!"

Kizuna shifted her attention to the Vaporeon who had just spoken. She was a female just like her, so maybe she wouldn't freak out if she suddenly hugged her. Only one way to know.

She embraced the water evolution with all her might, surrounding her with both paws and bows. "Scylla, the Genteel Mermaid! You're sooooo awesome! Your shows are the best!"

Scylla winced a bit at the absurd strength she was exerting, hardly consistent with her small frame. Just another crazed fan, she thought. Nothing she hadn't seen before.

"I'm glad too but… ugh… could you… let me breathe a bit…?" Once Scylla was free from the Sylveon's fatal grip and felt oxygen return to her lungs, she resumed speaking. "Ugh… Nice to meet another fan, Kizzie… Always a pleasure."

Kizuna's bows still leisurely danced along her fins. "Your fur is so shiny and your fins so cute and elegant! Weeeee! And you're so very beautiful!"

Okay, Scylla had to admit she was starting to get a little creepy. She gently pushed her back with a paw, hoping she would get the message.

She didn't.

Agni was starting to get a bit tired of their badly scripted comedy routine. This was going to stop even if he had to intercede personally. "Hey, uh, 'Kizzie', how about you try to be less pushy with her? I get she's a star and all, but–"

"And you're Agni, Zephyr's cousin!" Kizuna now jumped at the Flareon and buried her head in his lustrous mane, completely forgetting about the Vaporeon she was bothering mere seconds ago.

Everyone gave the Sylveon a perplexed look, most notably Agni. Not because she was getting overly affectionate with him – although that didn't help – but because she had just called the Flareon by his name and correctly guessed his relation to Zephyr, without being told. Now, knowing the name of a famous performer or a renowned warrior was one thing, but knowing the name of an ordinary everyday worker? That was just too much.

"Wait a… How do you know who I am?"

Agni put some distance between him and the Sylveon. She just cut that distance back.

"Aw, you're so fluffy and so warm! Your inner temperature might reach 1650 degrees Fahrenheit, but your fur is at snugly-warm degrees!"

"Enough!" Agni shouted firmly, giving her his more imposing glare. Unluckily for him, his excess of fluff made him much less threatening than he had hoped. However, this did serve to make the Sylveon notice she was importuning him, and she withdrew her head from within his mane on her own. "I made a question. How do you know who I am?"

"Oh, that's easy! It's because I'm a chronicler!" she said with the most innocent smile in the world. She had said it so naturally that it would've been impossible to doubt her words if it weren't because what she had just said sounded like the delusions of a crazy person.

Surely they must have misheard her.

"A… A what now?"

"A chronicler!"

Nope, they didn't mishear her.

Lumis was the first to express his discord. "Pardon me but… do you think we're little kids? Chroniclers, seriously?"

"Uh? What's the matter?"

"Kizuna, you d–"

"You can call me Kizzie!"

"…Kizuna, you don't seriously expect us to believe that you're a magical omniscient pokémon that fell from the skies, do you?"

"Mm. Well, no, I'm not omniscient and I didn't fall from the sky. But I'm a chronicler, that's true, Lumis!"

Another name she logically shouldn't have known. Anyway, now that she was embroiled in a conversation with the Espeon, she might as well get closer to her interlocutor, no?

But, as Kizuna rashly approached the violet feline, he raised a mauve psychic barrier to isolate himself from the incoming Sylveon. She stopped short on her tracks just before hitting the magical wall.

Upon seeing the Sylveon mere inches away from him, with only his barrier splitting them apart, Lumis' expression turned into a mixture of alarm and bashfulness. "B-Back away, you bubbly succubus!"

"C'mon, doll-eyes, who actually are you?" Skoll asked the Sylveon, perhaps in an attempt to save his friend from her.

"I already told you!" Kizuna shouted, now turning her attention to the Umbreon and running up to him. "I'm a chronicler! You believe me, right, Skoll?"

"So, Kizzie… You're a magical pokémon that lives in a magical observatory in the sky that magically watches over everything and magically records everything that happens in the Heptagonal Ring. Very believable. And magical."

The normally perky Sylveon lowered her head pouting, looking on the verge of tears. This almost made Skoll feel bad. Had he been too harsh? But her story was quite silly. A chronicler…

Anyway, he wouldn't forgive himself if he made such a cute girl cry, so he tried to cheer her up with a hug. It seemed to work wonders! Kizuna gladly returned the embrace with all her bows, her tail shaking as if it was a twister. Saying she loved hugs would be an understatement.

Showing caution, Lumis removed the magical barrier he had kept up until now, but still remained vigilant. "Uh, Skoll… If I were you I wouldn't be touching a Sylveon of the opposite gender…"

"Ah? Why?"

"Cute Charm…"

Skoll rapidly pushed her away when he heard his friend say Cute Charm. That was the kind of ability that could make someone subconsciously infatuated on close contact. Even worse, its effect was an instinctive reflex, the 'user' of the ability couldn't even control when it activated. "Good try, Kizzie. Good try."

Kizuna was going to complain to Skoll for fleeing so fast, but what she found before herself was a Leafeon with an angry stare. "Okay, enough fooling arou–"

"Aw, you've come to me on your own!" Kizuna stopped Ivy's reprimand with yet another hug. "I've always admired you Ivy! You're so strong and so cool!"

That Kizuna would also know the Leafeon's name came as no surprise to anyone. But what really irked Ivy was the Sylveon's encumbering embrace, which she promptly stopped by pushing her away. "D-Don't suddenly hug me! And tell me who you guys are and why Dad is still in his room and –"

"Safira!" Kizuna's shriek cut the Leafeon short as she darted to the last of the eeveelutions she hadn't spoken with. Needless to say, the first thing the Sylveon did once she was close enough was to throw her bows around the Glaceon. "You're so cute! I don't care that your fur is a tad cold, you're still the cutest thing ever!"

For a moment Safira wished she had evolved into an Espeon just so she could teleport away, or maybe a Vaporeon so she could melt away into water and flee. As a Glaceon, all she could do is stay there feeling her cheeks heat up. She felt like she could melt any moment, but at least that would mean escaping the grip of the overbearing Sylveon. She couldn't even muster the courage to utter a single word.

Ivy had had enough. "Hey! Get your paws off my sister!"

But she needed to do no more, for as soon as the door to her father's room opened, Kizuna got away from Safira and started running towards the Linoone and the Galvantula emerging from that room.

"Master Tesla! You're back!" Kizuna yelled.

The Galvantula languidly wandered towards the center of the room and then faced the seven eeveelutions he was not yet acquainted with.

Well, maybe that isn't entirely correct. As a chronicler, he did know them fairly well, but he had not yet spoken to any of them, except for maybe the Jolteon the previous night, and even then only very briefly.

"First of all, allow me to introduce myself. As my pupil has just said – or rather shouted – my name is Tesla. We're just … travelers in a pilgrimage." While the Galvantula's voice had initially been cordial and candid, it had turned murky for the last sentence. "The criminal that attacked us last night, the Zoroark, was just… a random thief that assaults unassuming travelers such as us."

There was something about his tone that seemed off, his voice was almost quivering. But maybe that was normal for an insect, or perhaps it was just due to his advanced age.

But Skoll knew better. Being a dark-type made knowing when another pokémon is lying a second nature. Not everyone could trick a dark-type, and this Galvantula wasn't the kind that could.

"Hey, spidey, why would a random thief burst into a Haecceity in the middle of the night? She wanted to go to jail, maybe? She wanted those three meals a day?"

Tesla remained stoic even under the Umbreon's pressure. "She was following us in the middle of the night, so naturally she had no way of knowing where we were going."

"Oh… So she couldn't see in the dark?"

"I guess…"

Skoll twisted his head to Espeon near him. "Hey, Lum, what type was Zoroark again?"

"Dark?"

"What a twist, a dark-type that can't see in the dark. Someone call the press."

"Boy, there's no need to be rude," Tesla said, frowning. "Well, maybe we don't know why she followed us, but that doesn't change the fact that she was a random burglar. We'd appreciate it you just forgot about this incident and let law enforcement do their job. The Garnet Oriole, de-facto police force of the Heptagonal Ring, can take care of this case."

That sounded reasonable enough for most of them. Agni and Lumis just wanted to go back to their respective nodes, Scylla had a show scheduled for later that day, and Ivy and Safira were just glad their father was fine. The thief had nothing to do with them, letting the police take care of it seemed like the most sensible option.

Meanwhile, Zephyr was worried about something else: how did this Sylveon know all of their names? Was she a particularly resourceful eeveelution stalker? No, there was something weird she mentioned before…

"Hey, does this have anything to do with the chroniclers?"

Tesla's face turned so blue that anyone would have mistaken him for a bug/ice. Instead of answering the Jolteon's question, though, he turned to the Sylveon flanking him. "Kizuna… You were complaining before that our conversation with Linze was, in your own words, super-duper-boring, and that you wanted to meet these folks present here."

Kizuna nodded, unsure of why he seemed so uneasy. "Yes, Master. Then you told me I could come out and play while you kept talking to Mr. Linze, on the condition that I didn't tell them anything secret about us."

"Yes, Kizuna, that's exactly correct. Then why, may I ask, did you tell them we are chroniclers?"

She stared at him befuddled for an unnecessarily long time, trying to process what he had just said. Her reaction finally came in the form of a naïve gasp. "A-Ah? But… that was supposed to be a secret?"

"Yes, Kizuna, dear, the existence of our secret society is supposed to be a secret."

"Oh heavens, I didn't even notice! I-I swear I didn't do it on purpose! May Manaphy swap my heart with that of a Trubbish if I lie!"

This all seemed surreal to the eeveelution group. Was this Galvantula implying that they were, in fact, chroniclers?

"Hey, hold it," Lumis sad. "You're kidding, right? You mean to tell us you two are chroniclers?"

Tesla momentarily contemplated lying to the cat. However, the dark-type Umbreon present in the room made any attempts at lying futile. He might as well just be sincere. "Yes, we're both chroniclers. Well, she's still in training, but you can consider her one too."

"I find that… hard to believe."

"Why so, lad?"

"I thought chroniclers were a mere myth."

"Well, if we're frank, most things you've heard about us are indeed just baseless myths. Chroniclers are a community of… academics that reside in the Observatory, the greatest source of knowledge in the whole Heptagonal Ring. You could see it as a markedly extensive library, if you will."

That was of course not enough to convince the inquisitive mind of a psychic-type like Lumis. "Could you prove what you're saying, somehow?"

"Gladly. Kizuna, if you'd be so kind…"

"Sure thing, Master." Kizuna took two steps towards the Espeon, and he went back five. "Lumis, Espeon, male, pure psychic, 2'09'', 57.8 lbs. Ability: Magic Bounce. Preferred berry: Persim. Egg group: Field. IV spread: 16, 5–"

"Okay, enough."

"How many did she get right, Lum?" Skoll asked.

"Every single one. Including some I didn't know myself."

"Well, damn."

"Are you now convinced that we're chroniclers?" Tesla's question was directed not just at the Espeon, but at everyone else in the room too. With time, all of them ended up nodding or muttering a faint 'yes'. They figured if he had been lying, the Umbreon would have said something about it. "With that out of the way… Kizuna, what did you exactly tell them about the Zoroark?"

"About Naamah? I didn't tell them that she was from the Beacon!"

"Kizuna…"

"And I didn't tell them that they're a group that's trying to wipe out all Adamantium! Nor that they're gonna appear in the 7777th annual Heptagonal Ring celebration at the Conflux!"

"Kizuna, are you doing this on purpose?"

"Nuh-uh! What makes you think I want them to help us?"

"I didn't say anything like that."

"Yeah, because it would be untrue. That's why you didn't say anything like that, because it was untrue and you are a reasonable gentleman who doesn't say things that are untrue. Master, I'm so proud of you!"

Tesla pondered for a second whether he should scold the chirpy Sylveon or not. No, why bother at all? It's not like she ever listened. More worrying were the many glances directed at them, expecting answers.

The Flareon was the first to express his disquiet. "What do you mean 'wipe out all Adamantium'? What kind of lunatic maniac would want something like that?"

"Yeah, that's comic-book level villainy right there," Skoll said. "Does she also want to, I dunno, teach a Shedinja Sandstorm or something?"

"The Beacon is without any doubt a dangerous group," Kizuna said. "And that's why we need your help to sto–!"

"No, we don't," Tesla said, interrupting his pupil. "Whether they are a menace or not is still up to debate, but any rate, you should just let us chroniclers and the Garnet Oriole take care of this. Just like any other criminal."

"Sounds good to me," Agni said. "I should be going back to the Amber Crane already."

Agni stood up, tired of waiting around for almost an hour, and more than ready to go back to his home node. But the Jolteon and the Vaporeon in his proximity wouldn't let him abscond so easily.

"Hey!" Scylla yelled to catch his attention. "Are you really going to leave just like that?"

"Yeah, this sounds like it might be serious," Zephyr said. "Maybe we should lend a paw?"

It wasn't Agni, but Lumis who responded. "It's better to let the police handle this. This is out of our hands."

Skoll raised an eyebrow. "Uh? We aren't gonna do anything 'bout it?"

"The Garnet Oriole and these… chroniclers are more than prepared for this. We'd be little more than a bother."

"At least you seem reasonable," Tesla said. "I'm aware some of you know how to fight, but that Zoroark was an ex-chronicler, and thus knows all about your fighting styles. And the way she used illusions… A common Zoroark isn't capable of such feats."

"Why did she do, exactly?" Ivy asked, feeling a bit curious about the whole ordeal.

"I have motives to think she didn't even use a single attack during our strife, and perhaps didn't even move at all."

This didn't coincide with what Zephyr had witnessed the previous night. "What are you talking about? You were pretty beaten up yesterday."

"Her illusions somehow… made me feel pain."

"But you passed out!"

"Her illusions made me faint, too. Look, I don't understand it either, usually Zoroark can only use visual tricks."

"Tesla doesn't show any signs of having being attacked at all," Linze said. "No scratches, no grazes, no scrapes, no cuts of any kind, nothing. He's as good as new."

"Well, that's weird…" Ivy thought about it for a bit. Could there really be a Zoroark with such a sharp mastery of illusions, capable even of inflicting pain by illusions alone? It didn't really matter in the end, for this wasn't her fight. "So you guys can solve this on your own, right?"

"Yes, little lady. You can leave this matter to us," Tesla assured her, glad that at least some of them chose to stay away from the conflict. He couldn't just let some civilians put themselves in danger for no good reason. "All we need to do is contact the leader of the Garnet Oriole, Garm. He knows me, so there shouldn't be any problem."

"Wait, how are you two going to get there?" Linze asked.

"Through the Conflux, evidently. Why would we use any other route?"

Okay, time out. I think this deserves an explanation.

The Heptagonal Ring is, as its name implies, a heptagonal structure sitting in the middle of a desert. Now, if you were in a vertex in a heptagon and wanted to go to another vertex in the opposite side, you would have to run around the periphery of the heptagon, crossing many sides, yes? For the Heptagonal Ring that would mean that to travel between two distant nodes, you would have to cross many intermediate nodes, unless you were the kind of pokémon who can directly travel through the desert. For those of us not fortunate enough, the Conflux was created.

The Conflux is, put bluntly, the center of the heptagon, an enormous neutral node in the middle of the desert that interconnects all of the seven nodes for easier travel. That way, journeys that would take many days can be shortened to half a day or so. It's also where all the celebrations and gatherings pertaining to the seven nodes as a whole are hold, by virtue of being neutral territory.

Tesla's idea of going through the Conflux was reasonable enough except for one little detail, which Linze gladly reminded him of. "But, Tesla, access to the Conflux is cut off this whole week due to preparations for the 7777th anniversary of the Heptagonal Ring."

"Oh wait, you're right…" Tesla muttered. "Can't you… allow us access, exceptionally? You're one of the most influential leaders of the Heptagonal Ring, they will listen to you."

"They probably will, yes… but they're using heavy Adamantium-based machinery and I don't know how long it would take them to resume their activities if I ordered them to stop, even if only for a few hours. The festival is just four days away…"

"Four days…" Tesla mumbled. That was more than enough time to go by foot around the nodes. Plus, forcing them to stop their activities would mean interfering in civilians' affairs, and that was strictly forbidden for chroniclers. That was what he had scolded Kizuna for earlier, what kind of role model would he be if he didn't uphold the chroniclers' rules himself?

"Master, we could just go around the nodes!" Kizuna proposed, having reached the same conclusion that the Galvantula.

"It should take us three days to go through the Amber Crane, the Coral Sittella and finally arrive at the Garnet Oriole. One day should be enough for Garm to maximize his defenses. I mean, he must have already planned to deploy some security forces for such an important event, we just have to warn him to also prepare some pokémon who can see through illusions."

"That sounds good! But, uh, didn't you also say we should go back to the Observatory to try and dig up some info on the Beacon?"

The arachnoid sighed. "That's the problem. With the Observatory malfunctioning, I don't know how much time it would take us to gather some intel on the enemy."

"Then how about you go back to the Observatory and leave warning Garm to me?"

Tesla stared at his apprentice for a second. Certainly, that would solve his little problem. "That's… I'm not entirely convinced. Are you sure you are ready for something like this…?"

"Well, it's just going from point A to point B, right? Easy peasy lemon squeezy."

Scylla darted to the Sylveon's side. "We should go with her just in case anything happens."

"Yeah, she'll be safer with us," Zephyr said, also moving beside her. "It's rare to find a mugger these days, but you never know."

Kizuna was delighted with their support, fighting back tears of joy. She excitedly looked around at the rest of eeveelutions in hopes that some more would join her cause. But no such luck.

"Anyone else…?"

"As I already told you, I should be going back to the Amber Crane," Agni said.

"The Amber Crane? That's our first stop in our epic journey to the Garnet Oriole! Come with us!"

"I don't particularly have anything against that, but remember that I'm staying at the Amber Crane once we get there."

"We'll see…"

"You said something?"

"Yep, I said 'we'll see', expressing my doubts about your notion of staying at the Amber Crane."

Agni didn't bother answering back. Let her say whatever she wants, he thought. It's not like she had a say in the matter in the end.

Now that she had gained the Flareon's support, even if only for one node, she turned to the Umbreon and the Espeon in hopes of further increasing the size of her team.

Skoll took notice of this. "So are we going, Lum?"

"Back to the Azure Nightingale? Right away."

"Ah? We aren't joining pink cupcake's cause?"

"It's not like we have anything against them, but we don't have much to offer."

"It's just warning Garm, right?" Ivy said. "Then we don't need to send a mob."

"I'd rather everything about the chroniclers and the Beacon remain a secret to the general public," Tesla said. "I think it would be preferable if Kizuna went alone. If you really want to go with her I won't stop you, but please try to be discrete about all this."

Scylla giggled. "No worries! Our lips are sealed!"

"Aren't you being way too paranoid, though?" Zephyr asked the Galvantula. "We don't even know if the Beacon is that dangerous after all. Who knows, maybe they're just some harmless pranksters or a bunch of low grade outlaws."

Tesla shook his head from side to side. "They have at least one ex-chronicler among their ranks. That's not something we can simply overlook."

"Well, if you say so."

Kizuna looked enthusiastically at the group of eeveelutions surrounding her. She couldn't care less about the ex-chronicler on the run or the group that wanted to eliminate Adamantium, those things mattered little to her. What was important was that she now could finally spend some time with new friends, a term that few chroniclers were familiarized with. In fact she almost wanted to give her thanks to Naamah, since the Zoroark had given her an excuse to mingle with other pokémon her age, and of her same evolutionary species, no less!

"Zephyr, Scylla and Agni. Anyone else coming? No…?"

It seemed like no one else would join her, but she was perfectly fine with that. The mere fact that she could hang out with any pokémon at all already made her the happiest girl in the world, there was no reason to be sad. So what if those four didn't want to come? So what if Agni didn't want to follow her until the end? She had Zephyr and Scylla by her side, and that was more than enough.

With everything talked through, they decided it was about time they left for their respective destinations. It was still early in the morning, if they started moving right away they could easily reach an adjacent node by early evening.

Kizuna, flanked by Zephyr and Scylla, would head to the Garnet Oriole, with Agni accompanying her until they reached the Amber Crane, Skoll and Lumis would go back to their Azure Nightingale, Ivy and Safira would stay at the Beryl Calandra with their father, and Tesla would go back to the Observatory for reconnaissance.

While Linze stayed inside and Tesla bolted towards the Observatory, the eeveelutions decided to stop at the exit of the Haecceity to say goodbye to each other.

"I'm sorry, Ivy," Scylla said. "I had a show scheduled for today at the Beryl Calandra, but I'll have to miss it or we won't get to the Amber Crane today. I know you wanted to see it…"

"Nah, don't worry. I'm sure there will be another time."

"I also have to tell my troupe that I won't be travelling with them for a few days, at least until the day of the 7777th anniversary. We have a performance arranged for that day, so I'll meet them again at the Conflux in four days."

"I will see you there, then! Nobody is gonna miss the 7777th anniversary."

"Yeah, we will be at the four-seven too," Skoll said. "So I guess we'll see you guys again in four days. Don't you get splashed to death by a Magikarp until then!" was Skoll's final parting remark before he left, followed by Lumis.

"We should be on our way, too," Agni said, impatience obvious in his voice.

Zephyr nodded. He had made his cousin wait long enough. "Okay, okay, we're leaving already."

"We should first go tell my troupe, though," Scylla reminded them. "Let's go back to their hostel real quick."

After they all said their goodbyes, Kizuna and her 'protectors' finally started their long journey to the Garnet Oriole, leaving the Leafeon and the Glaceon behind at the gates of the Haecceity.

Generally, Ivy would train under Higure for a bit and then walk around the market watching and analyzing all kinds of transactions until dusk, while Safira would lock herself in the library the whole day. Occasionally Ivy would be sent to arrange some trades with neighboring nodes, but most of their days were spent in monotony. Not that they minded. It was a peaceful, relaxing monotony.

"Well, I'm gonna take a little stroll around town and then I'll go to Higure," Ivy informed her younger relative. "Hey, wanna come, Saf?"

Safira's plan for the day consisted of visiting the library to see if they got any new interesting books, but she could do that later. Spending time with her sister? That trumped any other plan.

"Sure, I'll go."

"Neat!"

Before they could take off, they heard the gate to the Haecceity opening and their Linoone father emerging from it. He wore a rugged bag around his small body that almost doubled him in size. It was a miracle he could even walk around with it.

"Oh, good thing you're still here. I completely forgot to tell you but I have to go to the Cerulean Warbler."

"Business?" Ivy wondered. Of course it was business. Their father never left home for any other reason.

"Yes, the leader of the Cerulean Warbler himself has requested a trade. He wanted to buy some things from us. A messenger came yesterday saying it was quite urgent."

"But isn't the Conflux closed?" Safira asked, more confident around her family. "It will take you two days to get to their node."

"Yes, that's why I wanted to talk with you two. Since the 7777th anniversary's celebration will take place in four days, I won't be able to make it there and back, so I won't see you again until that day at the Conflux."

"Oh, sure, no problem…" Ivy said. "But don't you have to direct the preparations for the festival? Being a leader and all."

"Ugh… Yes, I also wanted you girls to take care of that in my absence."

"Saf and me?" The sisters looked at each other and shared a look of worry. "Wait, this celebration is very important, isn't it? I think you should involve yourself personally, we'd probably do a sloppy job. In fact, why don't we go to the Warbler in your place, so that you can dedicate yourself fully to that task?"

"That… doesn't sound like a bad idea…"

Interpreting his hesitation as a yes, Ivy took the bag away from his father and promptly wore it around her neck. It was much better suited for her, since both sisters almost doubled their father in size, weird as that was.

"The leader of the Cerulean Warbler, yes? That's, uh… Zvonimir…?"

"Yes, Ivy. Are you sure about this, though? Everyone is occupied with the festival, I'm not sure if I can afford to send someone for protection."

"Argh, c'mon. We'll be fine."

"Mmh, maybe I'm worrying too mu – Uh, we? Is Safira going with you?"

"I guess. I mean, you want to, right?" Ivy asked her.

Did she want to go with her? Safira briefly pondered that question, that really silly question. But of course she did! She'd be away from her library for four days, but her sister was more important than all the books in the world. "Of course!"

Their father briefly explained to them what they had to do: go to the Cerulean Warbler and sell his leader the medicines in the bag. It sounded simple enough, so they didn't want to waste more time. After all, with the festival around the corner their father should be very busy. Plus, weren't the Umbreon and the Espeon from before going to the Azure Nightingale? The sisters had to cross trough that node in order to reach the Cerulean Warbler. If they left right away maybe they could still join them, and Ivy thought that would make the journey safer and perhaps a bit less monotonous.

They bid their father farewell before finally departing.


"What do you mean you aren't coming with us, Scylla?"

"Don't worry! I'll be there for our show at the Conflux in four days!"

Scylla was breaking the news about her future absence to her troupe, specifically to the Ludicolo, who apparently acted as a manager and spokesman for the whole group. A sad Ludicolo was certainly an unusual sight, although not an enjoyable one.

"B-But… you're the star of our show, the Genteel Mermaid! We can't perform without you!"

"Oh, of course you can, I've been ill before and you could act without me just fine! You're one of the best troupes in all the Lilac Kiwi, people aren't even going to notice I'm absent!"

Perhaps that was an overstatement. Of course people would notice the absence of the star of the show, but it's not like the others didn't have talent of their own. They could do without her if it was necessary, but only if it was absolutely necessary.

"Why, though?" the Ludicolo asked. She better had a good reason, it was not like her to skip on their shows like that. She was always professional to a fault.

"We have to help the chroniclmmph-"

A red paw shut her up before she could disclose any more information. She looked at the Flareon and met a disapproving glare, which made her remember that their little 'mission' was supposed to remain a secret to the citizens of the Heptagonal Ring. Of course, she fully trusted her troupe and knew there would be no danger in telling them, but still Tesla had been very specific about not spilling the beans. The Galvantula had only let them go with Kizuna begrudgingly and Scylla didn't want to risk it.

Then, what should she tell Mr. Ludicolo to avoid making him worry? She needed to improvise a white lie, so she thought about it for a moment… and… she drew a blank, she couldn't think of anything and the Ludicolo was growing desperate. Quick, something, anything. Let's look around the room, uh… a wall, a small table, some chairs, a beautiful plant in a luxurious pot, a Flareon, a…

Wait, a Flareon.

Oh dear, he was so gonna kill her for this, but she really couldn't think of anything else. She pushed her cheek against his and, putting on her most convincing smile, hoped for the best.

"We're going on a little date."

The death stare Agni gave her served to confirm that she was right, that he wasn't exactly fond of her idea. Well, at least as a water-type she had little to fear from a fire-type. She was lucky Zephyr and Kizuna had decided to stay back, or she might've seen the Jolteon first and chosen him for her plan instead of Agni. Although maybe Zephyr would've taken it more graciously. What's more, since the Jolteon wasn't in the room, she wouldn't have had to put on an act in front of the Ludicolo if she had chosen him instead. Okay, maybe she didn't quite think this through, but too late.

And hey, it was Agni himself who had insisted on coming with her just in case she messed up, which she almost did, but he still had followed her on his own volition so he'd have to man up to it now.

To her surprise, the Ludicolo wasn't angry, mostly intrigued. Wait, why was that a surprise? He never got mad at anything. "Oh, so you two are an item?"

"I know we met only yesterday but he's so lovely!" Scylla started nuzzling his cheek over-affectionately. "He's just so warm and fluffy!" That part was true, at least. As cranky as he was, his fur was really cozy to brush against, although that was true for all Flareon and most fire-types.

"Yeah, uh, well…" Agni was getting a bit fed up with her faked affection. How could the Ludicolo not notice? "But, um, it's just an experimental date, it's not like we're –"

"Hahaha, don't be shy, muchacho!" the Ludicolo chirpily encouraged him, back to this usual cackling self. "You don't know how many would pay to be in your situation!"

What the Ludicolo didn't know is how much the Flareon would pay to be out of this situation. "W-Well, how about we leave already, Scylla?"

"Aw, you want us to be alone, just the two of us, honey?" Scylla once again nuzzled him, this time also plating a kiss on his cheek.

Okay, this act had gone on for too long. Agni was starting to feel a bit awkward and feared what she might dare to do next, he wanted out of there right now. "Y-Yeah, so can we go now?"

"Haha! I sure am not getting in the way of two lovebirds, and I don't think the rest of the troupe will have a problem with this either!" The Ludicolo waved at them, finally indicating that they could leave. "Go and have fun! I'll see you again at the Conflux in four days! Adios!"

Agni took this as his cue to flee, and that's exactly what he did, with Scylla walking by his side. That hadn't been easy for either of them, even less so for Agni since he wasn't an actor, but it seemed like they had managed to fool the Ludicolo in the end, so all was good. Not sharing a single word on the way out of the hostel, they finally found a familiar Jolteon and a Sylveon waiting outside and started their journey to the Garnet Oriole, with the Amber Crane as their first stop.