"Okay, last one for today. Make it good!" Scarlet called from the opposite side of the training grounds, her stance lowering and her body bracing for imminent impact.

Crystal took in a breath, fanning the fire into a lively blaze before letting it flow out. It felt smooth running up her throat and tasted just like warm sunshine on her tongue. She never knew her flame even had a flavor to it nor did she expect it to be so pleasant.

She watched her flames circle around Scarlet's body, climbing high into an impenetrable fortress that consumed everything inside. Its reddish-orange, glowing hue reflected against her eyes, engulfing its surroundings in a warm light. Perhaps she sounded a bit conceited in thinking this, but it really was a pretty fire.

The attack dispersed, Scarlet's tails moving to dust off its residue from her fur when it had disappeared completely. "Nicely done. They've definitely improved since our first time. Tell me, do they feel any different to you?"

"Completely! It hardly feels the same anymore." Crystal answered back, her voice sharp with pride over her own accomplishments. "They feel so much better, like I can run a marathon from my mouth! Wait, that didn't come out right."

Scarlet giggled, "No, no, that sounds just about right. Well then, would you like to learn a new move?"

Excitement filled Crystal's lungs to the point where she was pretty sure they should have popped. They remained intact inside her chest, letting her live long enough to enjoy her teacher's suggestion. "Really? You really think I'm ready to learn one?"

"I don't see why not. It's best to add something new once in a while to keep our lessons from going stale. And since you've gained a good amount of control, I think it's time to change things up a bit. Unless you think we're moving too fast."

"No! No! This is the perfect speed." Crystal declared, her tail swaying behind her into the dirt until it left a deep impression.

"Your enthusiasm is much appreciated. Now, this isn't really an attack but more of a status altering move. You've heard of will-o-wisp, right?"

"Of course." she nodded, calming her heart down so she could properly listen and respond to the conversation.

"It'll require a bit more control than your fire spins. Instead of pulling from the fire that dwells in your body, you'll be summoning and manifesting it by your side and willing it to attack your target. Here, allow me to demonstrate." Scarlet turned towards her attention towards the dummies, her eyes closing in her focus. The air around her grew quiet and still, a haunting chill surrounding her body.

If Crystal wasn't watching her as she was, she could have easily mistaken the ghostly presence for an uninvited guest. Was Crystal scared of ghosts? She didn't think she was, but there was a deeply embedded glint on a voice that told her to be wary. A distant voice, far off and deep into her subconscious, but something she couldn't quite ignore.

There was one flicker of light, a cold hue of blues and violets that dance beside its summoner. Then another and another and another until she had them twirling around her body in a ring of eerie little lights. When her eyes opened, Crystal saw the luminescent glow that overlapped their dulled color, a brilliant shine that was both beautiful and frightening.

They soared up from her, flying not quite in a line but aimed at one thing and one thing only. The dummy, poor soul that it was, was circled completely, the little flickers tightening their ring until there was no escape from their curse.

The glow remained in her eyes for a second longer until the last of her flames burrowed itself into the fabric of the training doll, the move completed and, had the dummy been a living creature, her burn sealed. "Now, had our target not been grounded into the earth, the will-o-wisps would have chased them down until either their job was complete or their summoner ceases their pursuit. Summon, manifestation and manipulation, that's what we'll have to work on to get you ready to use this attack practically. Still feeling enthusiastic?" she asked.

Enthusiastic was a start. Optimistic was another step in the right direction. If she could master this, if she could take control of all forms of power within her, then anything was possible, wasn't it? She can get stronger. She'll become stronger. "Yes," she breathed out, her lungs only allowing for the single syllable answer.

She was sure it amused Scarlet to no end to leave her student so breathless with her excitement. She probably stroked the fires of exhilaration on purpose just to hear it in her voice. Well, Crystal could forgive her for that. It wasn't like she disliked it, anyway.

"Perfect. Then, we'll get started next time. For now… I think your escort is waiting for you." she said, a paw pointing back towards the exit where a familiar face stood waiting against one of the trees.

"Emi!" Crystal exclaimed, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not-"

"She's been waiting there since your last fire spin." Scarlet intruded, smiling away while Emizella stammered to stop her.

"Just… out me, why don't you?" Emizella muttered, letting the brief moment of embarrassment fizzle out before clearing her throat. "Yeah, well, ready to head home, then? We can pick up a snack on the way."

"Oh! Yeah, sure." Crystal nodded, turning to look back at Scarlet and nodding her head, "Thanks for today as well."

"Not at all. Don't forget to practice and keep up your breathing exercises."

"Of course!" Crystal answered, trotting off to the exit of the practice grounds and joining Emizella's side.

Part of her felt a little guilty for not noticing she had been there for so long, but the other part hoped she really did see her. She hoped she saw how much better she was getting. And she hoped she liked what she saw.

~uwu~

"Oh man! I thought I knew you but I didn't know anything at all, did I? To think you could get even more incredible. And now you're going to start learning will-o-wisp? So cool!"

Good news was she did like it. Even better news? She was impressed. On a related note, this fire type was about ready to melt into a shamefully hot mess. Seriously, how could she just proclaim her praises in the middle of the road like this? Crystal wasn't ready for this. Her head wasn't ready for this. Her legs weren't ready to support her head that wasn't ready for this.

She said hello to gravity, falling down to the beaten path and tucking herself into a tight ball of fluid mush. "Emizella, please…"

"It's 'Emi', isn't it?" she crouched down low to the ground, her face much too mirthful to consider any of this accidental.

Crystal's eyes peeked over her arms, keeping the rosy flush on her cheeks hidden away as she eyed her tormentor. She didn't pay much mind to the growing slap of rubber coming in closer, harder, and faster.

"And it's going! It's going! It's gone, it's definitely gone."

"Watch it!"

Emizella's reaction speed was as on point as ever, turning gears at the drop of a coin. One second, she's relishing in Crystal's bashful and shy nature, the next she's slapping away a red rubber ball hurtling towards the both of them. The toy never stood a chance and neither did Damien's face, taking the deflected projectile point-blank. Fur coat came in handy for such occasions but that didn't keep the scowl from coming onto his face.

The skitty, the little perpetrator of the rubber runaway, slinked back to hide behind the poochyena, even going as far as to push her forward just a smidge.

Emizella covered her mouth, eyes widened at the mistake of her reflexes. "My bad, Damien! I didn't see you there."

Damien's eyes blinked back open from their tensed brace, shaking off the shock of the blow and walking it off like the fluffy champ he was. "No need for apologies, darling. I'm used to this. But you, young lady..." his gazed shot directly towards the pair that brought the ball into the equation in the first place, "What have I told you about playing ball by the shop?"

The poochyena looked back at her friend with a narrowed look in her eyes, knowing that the scolding gaze wasn't meant for her and pushing its subject back into view.

She yelped at the sudden shove, looking back to her before shrinking under her father's glare. "Not to play ball by the shop…"

"And what were you doing?"

"Playing ball by the shop… I'm sorry, Papa. I'll be more careful next time."

"I don't think it's me you should be apologizing to." Damien said with a nodding gesture of his head pointing to the ball's original target.

Her attention turned to Emizella, her body still standing in front of Crystal despite the ball having stilled to a complete stop. "Sorry, Emi. I got a bit carried away with my pass there."

"It's all good. But that was quite the toss. Think you and Luna are ready for the big leagues yet?"

"As if!" Luna blurted, "If Lilac could quit showboating, then maybe."

"Or maybe someone needs to learn how to catch the gosh dang ball!"

Sparks of competitive spirt flew between the two, an air of intensity crackling and popping all around them. But the smirks that took over their faces showed no real malice. Just playful prodding with a bit of truth lying just underneath.

"Guess we've got some more practicing to do." Luna was the first to say but Lilac was quick to follow suit.

"Yeah, you gotta hurry up and learn to keep up." she told her, taking up the ball with her tail and dashing down the road.

"Or maybe you should learn some restraint!" her friend shouted, running after her.

"Never!"

Damien let out a soft sigh, rubbing a paw over his forehead and down his muzzle. "That girl is going to give me wrinkles one day…"

"You doing alright there?" Emizella asked, her shoulders relaxing the further away the girls took their game.

"Just fine, darling. Better my face than the window, I always say."

"You've said that more than once?" Crystal asked, standing up slowly upon her now solidified legs.

"Unfortunately…" he answered while a gentle, adoring smile spread across his lips, "but it's nothing I can't handle. Her sister came out just fine, I'm sure she will too."

There was a certain brightness behind his words. An uplifting, shimmering light spoken from a place of parental affection and the belief in his own child. But that's a dad for you, isn't it? It got Crystal wondering about Emizella's parents. She had a pair, didn't she? Have they said the same thing about her as well? And what about Crystal herself? Did she have parents here? Are they waiting for me on the other side?

"Oh darn!" Damien tsked, "I forgot to give her Jasmine's letter…"

"I can take it to her, if you want." Crystal offered, the errand girl in her still running strong in her bones.

"No need. She'll be back for dinner anyhow. I'll give it to her then."

~uwu~

That night, a strange dream played in her head. Not quite a nightmare but it still carried a sense of heartache and dread that gripped at her chest until she was suffocating.

"This is it! With five seconds to go on the clock, it all comes down to PokéBall legend, Lilac, to make the play of a lifetime." the voice announced, intermitted with the tappings of the pair's rubber ball bouncing against the whippings of her tail, "Her eyes are squared, they're teamwork is looking on point. Will they do it? Can they make this winning shot?!"

"Not if she doesn't pass the ball!" her friend shouted, her patience wearing incredible thin.

"Fine!"

She bounced the ball a few more times, throwing it higher and higher before hitting it at its highest point with an audible slap.

"And here it is, folks!" she called out, watching her beautiful shot soar over to her friend, flying high out of her reach and tumbling into the bushes.

"And there it goes…"

"Ya know, you keep going off on me but it's going to look so cool when we're both bigger and you know it."

"Just get the ball."

"'Just get the ball.'" she mocked, blowing a raspberry into the sky before hopping to it.

She saw Lilac jump through the leaves and branches, stepping closer to the red ball before noticing something outside of her dream's vision.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did I hit you or something?"

It shook its head slowly.

"Then why are you crying?"

"What's taking so long?" her friend called from the other side.

"C'mere for a sec!" Lilac called back. She looked back at the weeping pokemon, "Don't worry, Luna just looks scary but she's actually a really good friend of mine."

"Please tell me you didn't lose- oh." Luna's head popped in next, eyes taken aback by the stranger and choosing to tread closer carefully. "A _-_-_? What are you doing out here by yourself?"

The voice is muffled, drowned by a static that ripped and clawed at Crystal's mind. She couldn't make out what it was saying but it was getting more panicked, more frantic, in its plea.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. We'll help you find your way. Let's just trace back your steps, and I'm sure we'll find something. Right, Luna?"

"Yeah!" They both stood by its side, "It'll be easier with a couple of friends helping you out."

The stranger nodded, the trio turning to find whatever it was that was missing. It left Crystal behind to watch while despair snaked up her throat and rung its ghastly claws around her neck. It tore into her flesh the more she fought to scream, a pressure growing on her back to keep her grounded. All she could do was claw at the sinking earth beneath her. Wait, when did she start to sink?

"What's your name?" their voice became faint and far, growing further beyond her reach.

" _-_-."

Crystal started up with a deep gasp, the fear from her dream seeped deep into her flesh and fluffing up every strand of fur on her body. She found Emizella coiled around her back in their base, the soft chirpings of the nocturnal woods reminding her of the difference between reality and dream.

The night was still heavy in the sky. How close to dawn was she? Well, judging by the stars lively dance and Emizella's gentle snoring, there was still a good amount of time before daybreak. She should go back to sleep. She should just go back to sleep. But her chest still had that awful feeling clinging around her heart. How could she possibly sleep when it felt like she was breathing through murky, swamp water?

This seemed like the perfect excuse to squeeze in a few minutes of her breathing exercises. If she wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon then she might as well do something productive. And, after a dream like that, she really needed her quiet place to wash out the funk. However, before she could do any of that, she first needed to get out of Emizella's hold. How was her grip stronger in her sleep?!

Crystal twisted in her arms, finding her head the most difficult part to pry out. Curse this big head… she grunted, tilting and squeezing through the gap that was the riolu's embrace. For a moment, her mind flashed to butter. She should not be thinking of butter.

Dammit, Emi, why… are you such… a heavy sleep-AH! She popped her head free, leaving her body loose enough to tumble back with all the extra force she put into her yanks and pulls. She rolled onto her back with a yelp, although the grass saved her from thunking her head too hard against the earth. Her voice carried through the still night air, prompting her paws to push against her lips when her own cry made it back to her ears.

She peeked down her stomach, spotting Emizella's slumbering figure groan before turning and readjusting her position. Even after all that, she was still sound asleep, unbothered and undisturbed. Really, was there any point in keeping her voice down? She supposed not, letting a sigh flow through her lungs and out her nose before her paws moved to relax over her chest.

Crystal stared up towards the stars, her mind too dazed to think straight and her thoughts too heavy to float away. But the heaviest of them all, the one grounded at the back of her eyes like wet sand, was that dream.

The more she called it a dream, the less right it felt to give it such a title. What was that? She tried to remember the little pieces that stirred up her stomach, the parts that riddled her heart with a sense of inadequacy and failure. Who were they talking to?

A soft cry into the night tickled her ear tufts and tuned her into the voice pleading with the trees and rustling leaves. What was it saying? Nothing much, mostly a call out for someone. But who, then?

Crystal rolled onto her feet, lifting herself up with an urgency she didn't realize she had until it pushed her out of their base to answer that plea.

"Luna! Luna!" the voice begged to the silent stars, teetering on the edge of tears.

The wails stopped for a second when Crystal got closer, the leaves trembling around her every step. It gave the voice the illusion of the one she called answering in turn, only to be disheartened upon seeing the fennekin's face pop out instead.

"Oh…" The mightyena's face sunk in sorrow, any form of intimidation lost behind tearful eyes. "I'm sorry, I know it's late, but I'm looking for my daughter."

"No need to apologize. You didn't wake me up or anything." Crystal said, hoping it would provide some amount of reassurance. It didn't. Crystal didn't think she even cared if her cries were disturbing the neighborhood. She jumped over the last branch of the bush, stepping closer to her. "You said you were looking for your daughter?"

The mightyena nodded, "My Luna… she was playing with her friend just this afternoon, but she hasn't come home yet. I'm really worried, I can't find her anywhere…"

"Luna… Luna and Lilac?"

"Yes!" she answered, her eyes growing more distraught by the second, "I tried asking if she was merely staying the night but even Janice and Damien haven't seen their little girl. It's not like them to stay out without letting us know." A paw raised to her mouth, looking like a pondering gesture for a moment before Crystal spotted the flashes of white digging into it.

"Maybe… maybe they lost track of time," Crystal offered, but even she felt it to be a subpar excuse for two missing children. "Maybe… they'll turn up in the morning."

Honestly, she felt like these words were more to drown out the unsteady feeling in her stomach than to settle the mightyena's worry but the mother took the excuse. Any form of reassurance that told her that her daughter was okay was reassurance she desperately needed.

"Perhaps… I'm… I'm going to look for a while longer. Please… if you see either of them, tell them to come home."

"Of course…"

Her heart sunk further watching the mightyena walk away from her, the cries for her child filling the air once more. And, as her figure was swallowed by the shadows of the forest, Crystal felt the failure eat its way further into her mind.

~uwu~

Neither Luna nor Lilac came home.