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Chapter 3 - Greetings and Farewells

Dirt flew, and pebbles skidded out of the way as Iskander dashed madly down the dirt road towards his best friend's farm, weaving around the occasional and irritated passer-by. The spring-time sun was at its apex in the clear and cloudless sky, and shone its blinding, life-giving beams of warmth onto his neatly kept, brown fur, shading it in a lighter tone than it actually was. Air swept past him, billowing through his fur, and caressing his skin underneath, instilling a sense of joyous freedom, and augmenting the excitement within himself first created by the idea of going to travel the land, accompanied by a new friend, and most definitely his best friend as well – how could Galen say no to such a proposal?

Iskander felt as though a fresh breath of life had been blown into him, and he felt like a newborn kit again – the world recreated into something new and wonderful, beckoning him to come and explore it, and witness all of its wonders. Thinking back on how he felt only an hour ago, or maybe it was two? He couldn't exactly remember, he had lost track of time when he decided to take that nap, the young and excited eevee couldn't help but laugh at his previous demeanour. How could've he been so down, and angry earlier? Had he honestly been sad and angry just because of what his inconsiderate, abominable, loathsome, despicable mother had done? And the townspeople? They were all ignorant, selfish, inconsiderate morons who knew nothing about his kind, for they forgot who is father was, and what he stood up for; and Rosa! She seemed pretty nice, and he couldn't forget about Galen, and his family whom helped take care of him.

Iskander managed a short chuckle out amidst his sprint, unable to fully understand how the Patrasians could be so hateful and vulgar towards his species just because a small group that may have done a poor job of presenting themselves. Surely their attitude was merely misplaced and the crimes they spoke of were exaggerated, right?

No matter, he would see soon enough for himself just how wrong everyone was about eevee and eon kind, and when he returned home from his journey, he would put an end to their ignorant points of view, and finally set things right. He would honour his father's memories by making him proud!

Passing left, right past his friend's home, Iskander made his way down the path, and stopped at the small building that marked the entrance to the wide expanse of fenced off land. He was just about to push the cloth door aside when he was stopped by the sudden shouting of his female companion.

"Wait!" Rosa shouted in exclamation, stopping Iskander from setting a single paw into the wooden structure. Perplexed, he turned around to face her as she caught up to him.

"Why, what's the matter?"

"You can't just barge into someone's workplace unannounced; you have to request permission to enter first!" Rosa replied, giving him a look as though he was crazy.

"Huh? Sure I can," he said, cocking his head to the side in confusion, "besides, Galen's parents are pretty much my parents too at this point. They won't mind in the least, and I've done this many times before."

"Yes, but-"

"Come on, you should relax," Iskander replied, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation. "Just wait until you meet his parents, they're two of the calmest, and happy pokemon I've ever met. I don't think we could upset them, even if we tried. Now come on, I want to get this show on the road as soon as possible!"

Seeing that there was no room for further argument, Rosa let out a long sigh, and reluctantly followed her companion into the building. Walking around a counter, Iskander lead them through a doorway and down a hall past a few rooms whose purpose he never was able to discern, nor did he care about right now. Brushing past another clothed doorway, the two exited, and found themselves standing before a large expanse of cultivated land.

Laid out in front of them was a long, tightly packed dirt path that ran in between rows of ploughed and dug up earth. Along the boundaries of the area was an orchard of various fruits and berries, their heights and colours varying widely from every spectrum of the rainbow, helping protect the inside view of the area. It didn't take a grass-type to appreciate the safe, secluded and serene scenery. It was very therapeutic, and helped calm Iskander down from his overly excited mood; even Rosa visibly relaxed, much to his benefit. He knew he would need all the help he could get to make sure everything went according to plan with getting both eevees to come together with him. While he had no doubt in his mind that neither friend would object to travelling as a trio, he wasn't going to take any chances. Surely his two friends would get along, even if they may somewhat be polar opposites. Galen had never objected to another 'mon's presence, and Rosa didn't seem to mind him inviting his friend along. At least, he didn't remember her seeming bothered by it…

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Iskander let out a gasp when he lifted his head up to the sudden appearance of a lavender body appearing right before him. The unexpected arrival caused him to take a step back in shock, but when he did, he was pressed into the stranger's chest as they wrapped two slender forelegs around him in a warm embrace. For a moment, Iskander thought that he was under attack, alarmed by the sensation of being completely immobile. His unknown assailant's grip was strong enough to make him realize that they were more powerful than him, and if they meant him harm, then he was in less than a favourable position. He let go of such silly thoughts upon hearing the familiar voice, knowing full well they would never even think of harming him in any way.

"Iskander, what a lovely surprise! It's so good to see you here," the voice exclaimed jubilantly, letting him go from their grip.

Distancing himself from the feline pokemon, Iskander had to take a few deep breaths to fully recompose himself before he was able to look up and return the espeon's smile. Galen's mother had always been a source of never ending joy and happiness, posing as a stark contrast in comparison to everyone else he had ever come to know or meet in Patras. Even living in a community that shunned her kind could not dampen that merry smile that was ever present on her face. Iskander wondered how she could keep such an outward attitude like that all the time; perhaps it was because she always kept her eyes closed, maybe she couldn't see what a terrible place she lived in, or perhaps she had seen it all, and merely found no use for them anymore.

"So what brings you to our humble abode? Is something the matter?"

Shaking his head once more, Iskander cursed himself inwardly for losing track of his surroundings, only imagining how strange he must seem right now, standing there like a lost kit. Mirroring the espeon's smile again, Iskander looked up at her in a reassuring way.

"No, nothing is the matter. Sorry for making you think otherwise, Luus," Iskander replied. Looking behind him, he saw Rosa looking at the espeon with a strange look. "Right… I should probably introduce you to my friend here, but first, is Galen around? It'd be easier if I explained everything with him here, rather than doing it twice."

"Of course he is, I'll go get him right away," and with that, Luus disappeared with a flash of light, leaving the two eevees behind momentarily. Taking the lapse in conversation as an opportunity to get an answer to a question of his own, Iskander rounded on Rosa, giving her a quizzical look.

"Nice pokemon, isn't she? I bet you're wondering why and how she walks around without using her eyes all the time," Iskander said, giving a light chuckle. "I wish I could answer that, but honestly, I've never been able to figure it out, even after all of these years of knowing her."

Shifting her paws slightly, Rosa glanced off to the side, "Psychic-types can read your thoughts and mind right?" Rosa questioned, taking the conversation in a different direction, but a direction that Iskander was hoping for anyway. Nodding his head, Rosa continued on.

"How can you tell if they're, you know…" she now shifted her gaze, staring right into his eyes now, "reading it. Is there any telltale signs of it?"

So that's what she was nervous about, she was just worried about her privacy.

Holding her gaze while he dug through his memory for what he had been taught about psychics by his adoptive mother, Iskander recalled what he knew about telepathy and mind reading. "Well, the most obvious sign that a psychic is going through your mind is that you'll feel their conscience within your own. Of course, you can only detect them if you're a strong psychic yourself, or their skills are not very adept, so often you won't be able to tell they're there. The other sign is that their eyes will glow a certain colour, an effect that is even more difficult to hide than the presence of their mind," upon mentioning this, Rosa visibly flinched, but Iskander expected this.

"Don't worry, Luus would never intrude in your mind unless she had reason to suspect that you might be a danger to Galen or I, and like I said, she's the kindest, most gentle pokemon alive, so you have nothing to worry about anyway," Iskander reassured.

Nodding slowly, Rosa said no more, seemingly convinced that she was in no danger. Her body language said otherwise, and Iskander couldn't help but frown slightly, unsure of why she was still unnerved by the kind and gentle espeon. He didn't force the issue any further though, and turned around again to await Luus's return with her son.

Sure enough, moments later there was two flashes of light, and materializing from them were two quadrupeds, the larger one of the two he recognized as Luus. The other was smaller by a decent proportion, only slightly smaller than himself, though with a much larger frame. The bodies of light burst, and in their places stood the same espeon as before, and a slightly dazed eevee. The eevee's violet eyes adjusted themselves to the sudden change of surroundings, and his caramel coloured fur settled back into place as he finally got a hold of his surroundings.

With his body and mind fully recovered, the eevee noticed him standing a few feet away, a buoyant smile present on his features. "Iskander? It really is you," the eevee said with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Of course it is, who else would I be?" he responded with a chuckle, amused by his friend's disbelief. "Why do you sound so shocked to see me, you're acting as though me being here is the strangest thing you've seen all week!"

At this, Galen couldn't help but frown a little, "That's because it is. You never come here to see me while I'm working, and we usually plan ahead of time if and when we're going to meet up and do something." The eevee's violet eyes glimmered from the sunlight cast down from above as they began to soften with worry and uncertainty, "Is everything okay? Did some bad happen, and you've come to ask for help?"

"What? No, nothing happened. Well… okay something happened, but it didn't happen to me, but I did have to get involved, and…" Iskander shook his head, "Gah, look I'm okay. In fact, for once something good happened, and that's why I'm here."

Galen's gaze had shifted to behind Iskander while he was talking, redirecting it to him, he nervously responded, "O-oh? N-nothing bad, huh?"

"Yeah, but before I get to that, let me first introduce you to my newest friend," Iskander replied. "Galen," he said, turning around to gesture at the female standing behind him, "meet Rosa. Rosa, meet Galen," paying no heed to her oddly neutral expression.

Stepping away from between the two so as to allow them both a better view of each other, and grant him sight on both of them, Iskander sat down on the ground and waited for them to exchange greetings of their own, his tail wagging slowly, excited to see how the two would interact each other. Galen could only stare in silence, a nervous and frightened air surrounding him as his female counterpart mimicked his posture, albeit in a much less tense manner.

Misinterpreting the situation, Iskander decided to intervene. "Come on Gale, no need to be shy, she won't bite, I promise. Heck, let me help you out here just to show you I'm right," grabbing him by his fluffy cream coloured mane, Iskander unceremoniously swung his petrified friend into Rosa, surprisingly not even causing her to budge in the slightest. However now, Iskander could see the furious scowl present on her face, and the sheer terror his best friend was experiencing now.

"Err… maybe we should start things over," he said, realizing that the situation had only been made worse now. Gently pulling Galen back to his original position, Iskander cleared his throat before beginning, "Rosa, I'd like to introduce to you my best and only friend, Galen. Him and his family have been there for and taken care of me ever since everyone… vacated. They've been the moral supports in my life, and have helped me cope with everything, being the one constant and positive aspect of my life. Without them, I don't think I would've made it this far in life, and for that," he said, turning to smile at his best friend, "I owe them everything that I have and ever hope to gain."

Embarrassed by his praise, Galen diverted his attention to the ground in front of him, while Rosa's scowl had reverted back to its previous neutral form, however, there was something about it that set it apart from the one she had before. Her eyes; they looked like they now held… gratefulness? Whatever it is, it seems that I made things right again, Iskander thought, smiling inwardly. Spending no more time on speculation and interpretation, Iskander quickly resumed his introduction.

"Galen, meet Rosa. She's a 'mon from Tidania travelling around Evolia as a form of training before she takes the lead position at the librory-"

"Do you mean library?" Galen corrected.

"Yeah, that," Iskander replied, surprised by his friend knowing what a library was. "I met her while I was napping by the lake – she was about to be attacked by those group of idiots again, but I-"

"So you are here because something bad happened," Galen interrupted again.

"No! I mean, sure it had a part in why I'm here, but that's not-"

"Did she get hurt? Is that why you're here, because you need help treating her for injuries?" Galen questioned.

"Does she look hurt to you? She's fine; and before you ask, I'm fine too, but if you want to know why I'm here, then stop interrupting me," Iskander said, exasperated now by his friend overly concerned nature.

Luus on the other hand, whom had been quietly watching the exchange ever since fetching her son, had other plans, instead becoming intrigued by the circumstances under which Rosa was travelling under. "My, what an interesting young eevee you've happened across, Iskander! Sixteen and already taking on a challenge so daring as traveling the entire continent by yourself. There's no doubt that such a feat would require one to be competent in the ways of battle; such skills not befitting nor appropriate for a profession such as that of a librarian," the espeon said.

"T-that's true. I took lessons in combat before I set out. If I had never decided to make this trip, I w-would've never taken up such training," Rosa responded.

"And what is your reason then, for making such a trip?" Luus asked.

"W-w-well, I thought it would aid in my duties as a l-librarian, a-and honestly, I-I'm kind of-of nervous about taking over the duties of my parents… th-they kind of held themselves, and me, to high standards… I-I don't want to soil my memory of them by taking over as an incompetent ruler," the young eevee replied, scuffing the dirt with a paw.

"You don't want to soil your memory of them?" Luus questioned.

For a moment, all her nerves seemed to disappear as the question struck a tender cord in Rosa's heart, "They're not around anymore, they were murdered six years ago…"

At her response, Luus' smile faded, and her voice became eerily sympathetic and serious. "I'm sorry to hear that, I hope that your parents' killer is brought to justice one day for their actions," she said. Taking a brief pause to acknowledge everything said, the espeon then posed her next question, "You said that you work as a… librarian in Tidania, correct?" she asked, seeking confirmation about the eevee. When Rosa responded with a nod, Luus continued, "And you just turned sixteen not too long ago, most likely before you left, which means that someone else was running the place for you for the past six years, as you already implied."

'Where is she going with this?' Iskander thought, unnerved as well by the espeon's change in behaviour. The psychic-type rarely, if ever presented herself with anything other than her jubilant nature, so to see her acting the way she was now, even Iskander knew now that Rosa hadn't been completely truthful about who she was, or at least even less truthful than he had first guessed. He trusted Luus with his life though, and knew if there was anyone who was a good judge of character, it was her, and that she would deal with the whole situation in the best way possible; deciding now to remain silent, he watched how things would play out.

"How did you know that?" Rosa asked, posing the obvious question, not comfortable with where the discussion was heading once again.

"A mixture of common sense, and the fact that I'm well aware of your kingdom's laws, having travelled all over the continent myself when I was younger," Luus answered with a soft laugh. "My question to you now though is," opening her eyes now slightly to gaze into the young female's, daring her to lie on her answer, "who is the name of your guardian?"

The question drained the blood right out of the eevee's face, her eyes widening in shock and finality. Her reaction caused Galen to tilt his head to the side as he tried to figure what was so upsetting about such a simple and arbitrary question, while Iskander continued to stare on with a blank expression, waiting to see what Rosa would answer with, and how Luus would respond.

Luus' piercing gaze held Rosa's own petrified one, and as the silence stretched out for what felt like an eternity, it was clear that whatever the espeon wanted to hear, she was going to get it no matter what, and giving a false answer could result in consequences that Rosa did not want to find out about, so bracing herself for whatever would come next, she finally answered the name of the pokemon her interrogator had been waiting for.

"…Camilla."

The answer left both male eevees surprisingly unsatisfied, as the name held no meaning to either of them. Luus on the other hand seemed quite the opposite, as she closed her eyes once more, freeing Rosa from her paralysing gaze, causing the eevee to let go of her breath she had unknowingly been holding. Luus patiently waited for her to get a hold of herself before responding, "It would seem you are exactly who I first thought you to be." Iskander could now see in her eyes that Rosa was on the verge of a panic attack, and was now certain for sure that Rosa had indeed been untruthful to him, a fact that gripped his heart tightly. He may not know who Rosa was, but Luus did and it was only after watching how his adoptive mother dealt with her, would Iskander then finally fully gauge his understanding of Rosa, before making his move, remaining outwardly calm through out.

When Rosa made no attempt to speak, Luus continued, "You see, Camilla is actually a long-time acquaintance of my mate and me. Our work history go back… rather far, so we're well aware of your future endeavours as taking over as the head of the library."

Luus' statement had caused Rosa's panic to now melt into that of confusion, then uncertainty, and finally stopping on surprise, her mouth opening then closing as she sought out an appropriate response. "Long-time acquaintance… library?" she tried saying, but too many thoughts and ideas were whirling around in her head, causing her response to barely stumble out and come out broken. Her eyebrows knitted together in focus and thought. The eevee did not elaborate on her response, instead choosing to stare quizzically now at the eon.

The already nonsensical and confusing conversation became even more so as Luus threw out more names that Iskander was unfamiliar with, "I'm sorry once again about Porfirio and Elda. They were… good pokemon with rather… interesting morales."

It seemed though that Galen had gotten a hold of the situation now as he spoke out, "Porfirio and Elda? But wait mother, aren't those the names of the Tidanian m-"only to be cut off by his mouth being forced shut. Now Iskander was the only one who was completely unaware of Rosa's true identity; a fact that greatly vexed him.

The espeon waited to see how the eevee would react, but she seemingly didn't care about having been discovered anymore, or perhaps something else had grabbed her interest? Whatever the reason may be, Iskander would have to wait and find out for himself, though it seemed that whoever Rosa actually was, she posed no real threat to neither him nor Galen, otherwise he doubted that the fully-grown espeon would be acting in such a docile manner.

"It's understandable that you would feel the need to keep yourself up to such high standards," her radiant personality returning once again, "they accomplished a lot in their time so you have rather large foot prints to fit into. I'm sure you'll fit into them just fine though, and I wish you the best of luck in your travels. Now with all those 'not-so-important' facts and the formalities out of the way," now turning towards Iskander, "why don't you tell us now why you came to visit?"

"Oh, right…" Iskander said, dragging his mind away from the enigmatic conversation he just listened to. "Well, after I helped sort Rosa out of a run-in with the local 'gang', she offered me the chance to join her on her journey. Of course I accepted, I mean, why not? Change in scenery, little exercise, and I think the only ones who will miss my presence around here are you guys. It seemed exactly like what I needed in my life, but then I thought to myself, 'You know what would make it even better? If I got a certain workaholic eevee to tag along with us, since I thought he needed it even more than me.' So what do you think, buddy? Up for exploring the grand, wide ol' Frontier with two of your closest friends?" he asked, giving Galen the biggest eyes and smile he could muster.

The bright-eyed eevee seemed to share the same attitude attitude as him, as he immediately turned around to look at his mother, earning a curt nod of approval from her before turning back around to acknowledge his friend's request. "That's a great idea, Isk! I've always wanted to see all the other kingdoms after reading… so much… into… it…" his voice now trailing off.

"So is that a yes?" Iskander asked. He noticed that his friend's gaze had momentarily shifted behind him again, so he looked back to see what he was looking at, only to see an innocent looking eevee.

"Well you see… I mean, you kind of already have a travelling partner, so I don't know if you really need me to be there…" Galen spoke uncertainly.

"Sure I do. Remember that saying that I told you I heard about once? 'Three's a crowd'," Iskander responded.

"That's kind of what I mean."

"So you'll come?"

"Yes… no! Look, I don't think you fully understand the meaning behind that saying," Galen replied, still seeking a way to convince his friend to go on without him.

"Sure I do! It means three pokemon make a crowd, and everyone knows that crowds are a good thing."

Swiping a paw across his face in exasperation, Galen took a deep breath before speaking again, "That's not what it means. What it actually means is… well," he turned towards his mother once again for help.

"Aww, I see what's the matter, sweetie! You're worried that your father might not let you go, is that it?" Luus asked.

"Yes! That's it! You know how father is about me, all protective and stuff. He'll never let me go on this adventure," Galen said, relieved that he had a legitimate excuse to not go.

'That's a good point,' Iskander thought, knowing if there was ever to be a reason that Galen couldn't go, it would be because of his father. While the male espeon had the same outward happy manner as his mate did, he knew inwardly just how protective he was of Galen, ensuring that the young eevee would only be able to go anywhere he knew there was no chance of his son would be harmed. Travelling around Evolia, no matter how prepared, came with a lot of inherent and unpredictable risks, and there was no telling who or what they could run into. Now it seemed that the perfect trip might not be so perfect anymore, as if he had to go on without his best friend by his side, it would no longer be as enjoyable as it could possibly be. Besides, he knew now that Galen or no Galen, he had to make this trip; he had a duty to fulfil that he was destined to inherit…

"Well you'll never know until you actually ask him," Iskander replied.

"I don't see much point in do so, he'll probably say no anyw-"

"I'll call him over right now!" Luus interrupted, ceasing all body movements, earning a wide-eyed and surprised look from her son who did not expect her obvious and planned out betrayal, as she used her telepathic powers to call out to her mate.

No more than a few seconds past before a glowing white silhouette appeared beside her. With a flash of light, now sitting before the three eevees was a second espeon, his frame similar to that of his son's, and his facial expression an exact replica of his mate's. Turning towards him, most pokemon would've felt reassured by the psychic's jovial attitude, but Iskander knew well enough that it meant nothing towards his chances of getting his friend to tag along; if anything, it actually made him feel worse, knowing that whatever decision he was about to make, he was obviously already set upon. It wouldn't surprise Iskander if he had been somehow listening in on their entire conversation already; a psychic-type's powers were versatile, and as much as they cared and trusted Iskander, they never divulged what exactly boundaries their abilities stretched to.

"Iskander, what a wonderful surprise to have you here!" the male espeon exclaimed happily, the smile on his face never wavering. "What's the matter? Does what you're doing here have something to do with your mysterious young friend standing behind you, making rude and unwelcome looks towards my son?"

'What?'

Turning around to look towards Rosa again, he found that she wore a shocked and frightened expression. Iskander's attention was torn away from her though as he heard an audible smack sound come from the direction he just turned away from. When he looked back, Galen's father had finished righting his head up again, acting as though nothing had ever happened.

"Pankaja, Iskander and his friend Rosa here are preparing to take a trip around Evolia and they invited our son to travel with them. He already has my approval, but he would like yours as well," Luus said.

At this, Pankaja's wide smile stretched even further across his face, and he turned to direct it towards his son, "Hmm, a dangerous and potentially life-threatening journey across an entire continent with two pokemon who are far from being strong enough to defend you? I think the answer is obviously n-"he never got to finish his answer before it was swiftly cut off by his jaw being forced shut by an unseen force. Turning towards Luus, the two espeons looked towards each other with their unseeing gazes, resembling two lifelike statues as they entered what Iskander could only assume to be a telepathic conversation.

Of course he was listening in the whole time; I wonder how many times he's done that in the past? Not that it really matters now; there's no he'll ever change his mind, Iskander thought to himself pessimistically, already preparing for the worst. It would seem that he would have to make this journey with less pokemon by his side.

Silence blanketed the area, the three eevees observing the adults as they had their silent exchange; the only signs of life they showed was the odd quivering of Pankaja's mouth as he struggled to maintain his smile, Luus on the other hand never wavered; a fact that gave Iskander a small sense of hope, that perhaps maybe, just maybe, she would be able to persuade the overprotective parent to let their only child go. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours as Iskander stared nervously on at the two, his gaze never wavering, silently willing Pankaja to give in. Iskander understood where Galen's father was coming from, but he thought that Galen was old enough to make these kinds of decisions for himself. Galen understood that there was every chance that he could get hurt out there, but was still willing to take that risk.

Not only that, Iskander himself was about to transition into the next part of his life, a part that he knew from talking to his father all those years ago, would end up transforming him into someone else for the rest of his life, and he didn't want to do that alone. It was nice that he would at least have Rosa there when he finally initiated himself into his father's old position, and he was more than thankful for her presence after helping him more than she could possibly realize, but he wanted his best friend to be there too. His closest companion, the one who had seen him through his worst, someone who's seen where he's come from, and what this all means to him, to see how far he's come, to witness the true momentousness of his decision, and to make him feel like he wasn't doing this alone. Iskander had lost those he had cared for the most before, and it had increased Galen's worth in his eyes all the more. That's why it meant so much to him to have his best friend come along with him.

At last the two espeons began to show signs of life once more, as they broke "eye contact" from each other to meet the quizzical and nervous stares of the eevees patiently waiting for the verdict on the matter at hand. Not a word was spoken at first, as no one could seem to find the will nor words to do so, causing tension to set into place and nerves to rise, until at last, it became too much and Galen broke the ice.

"W-well father? Did you two come to a consensus?" he spoke nervously after clearing clearing his throat.

The espeon did not speak right away, instead allowing his facial muscles to drop down, his expression becoming unreadable. He merely looked at his son, contemplating if he really was sure about what he had decided upon. That uncertainty however seemed to disappear soon after, as he straightened himself upward, having decided now that he wouldn't go back on what he had planned. "Yes son, I have. After discussing everything with your mother, we have both decided that it would be best to let you go."

Was that a yes? Did Pankaja really just say that? Had the impossible actually been done? Iskander couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe what he had just heard. Pankaja had just granted Galen permission to join him on his journey! He knew all along that there was a chance, a small and tiny chance that maybe he would let him go, but it was like praying for a miracle to happen; this went against everything that Galen's father was known for about his son. Iskander was beyond happy that he had been convinced, but what had pushed him over the edge? What could've possibly been the reason that finally convinced him? Risking his son's safety in any way was almost beyond imaginable to Iskander: so what did it? What reason could've possibly been so large and important?

And then it hit him. 'It wasn't because of me, was it? Because of who I- what I am…' letting the thought drift off quietly, not wishing to consider the idea that a parent was willing to risk something they cherished so much such as their own child, just to keep him satisfied. Then again, how was that reasoning any different than his own? He was already willing to risk having Galen get hurt just for his own selfish reasons…

"Really? You mean it, father?" Galen said, his tail wagging back and forth in glee.

"Yes, I am," Pankaja replied, his smile coming back, this time however, it was a different smile, one that was more genuine, as he couldn't help but do so given his son's reaction.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! You won't regret this, I promise you! Even if something goes wrong, Iskander will be there to help take care of it!" he stopped though when he quickly looked over and remembered that he was traveling with more than one other pokemon, "Oh, err… and Rosa will be there too, so I'll be extra safe! Don't you worry at all!"

Iskander nodded in agreement, "All three of us will be there to take care of each other. There's no way I'll come back home without Galen making it back in one piece, that's a promise."

"I wouldn't doubt for a moment that you would, though I trust that all three of you will come back in the same shape as well," Luus said, standing up. "We'll start packing Galen's things while you prepare your own. Once you're ready, meet us on the north-western outskirts of town: I assume that you'll be heading to your grandparent's place first?"

Iskander nods, "I have most of my stuff picked out already, so we shouldn't be long."

"Then we'll see you two soon," she said, motioning Galen over towards her.

"See you guys there!" Galen said, waving at the two eevees with his parents shortly before they all disappeared with a flash of light, heading home.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Iskander turns towards his new friend as he was prepared to go finish packing of his own. "Let's go," he said, heading towards the entrance. He didn't make it too far though before noticing that Rosa had not moved from her spot, merely staring at him, making it clear that she had something she wanted to say. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just," she paused for a moment.

"You're weirded out that Galen's parents know who you are?" he asked, deciding to hide his own apprehension on Rosa's true identity.

"I am kind of shocked by that," she replied, squinting her eyes in thought, "but that's not what really concerns me. What really concerns me is how they know who I am," she said, lifting her gaze up to him, giving her a questioning gaze, urging her to continue. "Have you ever noticed anything, you know, peculiar about them in the past?"

Did she know? There's no way she possibly could. Luus and Pankaja's secret was one that they hid from everyone, even Galen. It was of utmost importance that they did; it was for everyone's good, and the only reason Iskander knew about it was because of their relationship to him, and even then they had been skeptical about passing off such information to him.

Staring at her in a mixture of thought in deciding he should answer, and pretending to think longer than he actually had: "No," he replied, before walking away without another word. He didn't look behind him to check how she reacted to his short and terse response, nor to see if she was following him; he did not want to give anything away to her. He paid the subject no more mind, completely shifting his focus towards the task of deciding everything that he wanted to take with him, as he made his way back home.

The rest of the walk back as well as all of the time spent packing was done without an exchange of a single word. Making their way to the rendezvous point, Iskander did whatever he could to keep his mind off of all the possibilities of things that could dampen his mood and threaten what should be one of the happiest days he had had in a long time. He didn't think about his family, he didn't think about Rosa's ambiguousness, nor his adoptive parents secrets. He wanted to think of all the positive things ahead of himself, how everything was finally going to change, and he would be able to leave his past and all of its issues behind him.

And so he did; and he did so in silence. Having caught on quickly to his emotional tendencies, Rosa thankfully respected his need for mental solitude, though while he decided to take this as a chance to distract himself from all of his problems, Rosa took it as an opportunity to do the opposite, keeping a mental note to revisit some of them with Iskander at a later time.

As the sun found itself in its early afternoon position in the sky, the two eevees found themselves coming upon their destination; two espeons, and a slightly nervous eevee awaiting their arrival. Upon seeing the three quadrupeds sitting and waiting patiently for them, Iskander snapped himself out of his reticent attitude, smiling at the family. Situated by Galen, Iskander noticed that his friend's normally plain travelling bag that he took on their trips to his grandparent's had been replaced by one identical to Rosa's, as well as the fact that the pack was unusually full, with everything just barely fitting inside.

"Did you two have everything you need?" Luus asked, seeking confirmation that everything was in order for their big trip.

"Yeah, we should have everything we need to at least make it to Tanta," Iskander replied. "Besides, anything we may end up needing the rest of the way, we can pick up at their place, and not to mention we'll be able to restock if need be. We should have no problems making it there."

Luus nodded, "I thought as much, but I packed a few extra things just in-case into Galen's stuff – and yes, before you worry your poor heart away, Galen's more than capable of carrying the extra baggage for you. In fact, it was his idea to throw in a few extra things for you. He seemed rather adamant towards making this trip as smooth for you as possible," the last part eliciting an embarrassed gesture out of her son.

"Just remember that all three of you are on this journey together; that means you stick together at all times, and never leave anyone behind. No doubt you'll come to have some issues with each other – that's unavoidable, and so you'll have to learn to sort them out like the mature young adults that you all are. No one gets left behind, no one wanders off, no one picks fight with the natives, and no one gets themselves caught in life-threatening situations. I want both my children – yes, that means you too Iskander, coming back in one piece. Am I understood?" Luus demanded politely.

Galen and Iskander both nodded in response. "Don't worry mother, we'll come back without a scratch on us as the same pokemon that we are now," Galen said, attempting to soothe his mother's nerves.

"Oh, I hope that's not the case," she replied incredulously.

"Really?" Galen said, surprised.

Turning towards her son, she placed a paw on his head as she spoke, "That's the whole reason we are letting you take this trip: so that you can grow as a pokemon! What you'll see out there will be very different from not just what you've seen staying here with us, but also in Blazidia. You'll find that pokemon in other kingdoms function in much different ways than you; both positively and negatively. You may not like everything that you see, but it's important that you see it, because if you don't now, you will eventually, at least, that is what we want you to. You don't want to be like the rest of the pokemon who've lived in this town and place their entire lives, and never seeing what the rest of the world looks like. There's so much to see and do, it'd be such a waste, and selfish of us as your parents to keep you away from it. I want the both of you to come back to me not as the same innocent eevees that you are, but ones who are grown up, and can tell me all about what is out there. I want you to come back, and tell me everything that there is that you've seen."

"I want you to live a full life; to your very best. You think going on this trip only means something to you two," telekinetically grabbing Iskander, she embraced the two eevees in a hug, now speaking quietly, with a slight unevenness to her voice, "but it actually means just as much to us as your parents. That's why no matter how important you are to us, we're willing to letting you go despite all of the risks."

Luus' words caught Iskander off-guard. He could sense the sincerity in what she said, and for that one moment, he could see nothing more than a mother who was reluctant and sad to see the two most important pokemon in the world to her leaving. For that one moment, Luus didn't feel like an adoptive mother to him, but instead his actual, biological one. He returned the espeon's embrace with one just as sincere, and for that one moment, everything in the world felt right for him.

"Thank you, mother," causing Luus to flinch in surprise by his use of the name he never used for her in his life, "we promise to do everything we can to get the most out of this journey. When we see you again, we'll be new and improved pokemon; inside and out. Isn't that right, Galen?" he asked, looking at his shocked best friend.

"Yeah! Twenty years from now, we'll look back on this day and laugh at how much we've changed," Galen laughed.

"And to think you were going to deny our son this opportunity, honey," Luus said, teasing her mate. Pankaja said nothing, but merely replied by smiling at his son and best friend's enthusiasm.

Slipping his pack onto his back once more, causing his two companions to do the same with theirs, Iskander took a few steps down the path before turning around to look at the espeons. "Well, I guess this is finally it," he said, looking up at the sky to observe the sun's position. "If we leave now, we should make it to Trikala by tomorrow evening."

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Iskander waved goodbye, "We'll see you again someday, whenever that may be! See you then!" Turning back around, the eevee started walking away down the trail.

"Goodbye mother! Goodbye father! See you again someday!" Galen said, before running to quickly catching up to Iskander.

Rosa hesitated before deciding it was best to say nothing. However, just before she could go anywhere, calling out her name, Luus stopped her in her tracks. When she turned around to look at the espeon, she had that same cold expression etched onto her face, and for a few moments, the two held each other's gaze as they held a private discussion, the espeon's words ringing through her mind with an icy clarity. The psychic-types words froze her to the ground as their implications set in. Then, without an outward utterance or so much as a simple flinch, she ran to catch up with her two companions, her temporary absence having gone unnoticed.

The two espeons sat on the road, watching the three brown and cream coloured quadrupeds slowly fade into the distance. Though through their own past experiences of having travelled across Evolia, and seen even more beyond that, and though they anticipated that no matter how optimistic they were that they knew the journey the three would make would change them forever, years later when they looked back on this day, they realized they would've never been truly capable of anticipating what future events were in store for the trio.

For if they had, they would've never let the two of them go on the pious odyssey that would change, revolutionize, and scar them for the rest of their lives.