According to their invitations, the pair would have to make their way to the nation's capital city to participate in the adventurer's internship exam. Now, the capital city, as Crystal's mind recalled it, was a massive concrete jungle as far off from their humble village as it could be. It's where dreams go to either live and soar or sink and die. An intimidating place, but it wasn't like they would be alone.
Janice insisted that they look up her daughter when they got there, promising that she'd be more than generous to keep them afloat in the unpredictable current of urban living.
"She runs a boutique in the town square called Plush. You can't miss it." Janice explained to Crystal, handing her a card with the necessary information about her daughter's business.
"Thanks, we'll be sure to do that." Crystal nodded, smiling up at the delcatty while her paws placed the card into her bag.
Janice eyed the article by her side, its midnight colors still beautiful and vibrant to Crystal's untrained eyes but the designer could see that the sun and the earth had worked hard together to make them fade. She gave a short chuckle, "By time we see you again, you'll be needing a new one." she said, pointing to the gift with proud affection in her eyes.
"Huh?" Crystal looked down at it, staring at the still intact edges and its sturdy seams, "You really think so?" she asked.
"Oh, I know so, darling. With how fondly you carry it around and all the places it'll see on your journey, it won't be long until it's ready to retire. We'll have to make you a stronger one when you get back, one befitting a professional adventurer." she told her, a bubbly excitement dotting her refined voice with bouncy little pops.
Crystal couldn't say no to her offer, not even a little for modesty and politeness's sake. "In that case, thank you very much in advance. I'm sure I'll love it." she said with a gentle sway of her tail.
She wondered what she had done in her past life—who she was in her past life—to feel as fortunate and blessed as she did right now. She wanted her mind to bathe in this happy feeling, to let her thoughts soak itself in every pleasant interaction she had in this place. But the brighter that light shined, the sharper and more defined the shadows became.
Susie's words echoed from the back of her memories, echoing deep from her subconscious to remind her of her warning. "You signal the destruction of our world." But she didn't want to hurt anyone. She didn't want to think that her mere existence could hurt anyone. "Nothing you do will save anyone."
No, not right now. Crystal shook it away, Not today. Today, we're happy. Today, we'll only think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts…
"Crystal?" the familiar voice of her teacher broke through her mental mantra.
Its gentle, encouraging sound gave Crystal something else to think about, something more hopeful than a supposed prophecy to the end of the world. She'd take Scarlet's soothing voice over worrisome ramblings any day.
"Scarlet!" she called her before those fluffy appendages found her face. She giggled as they tickled her nose, "Down here. I'm right here."
"Oh," Scarlet's tails rose up and her body settled, "Sorry about that."
Crystal shook her head, "Don't be. I'm honestly going to miss your tails." She truly would. What with their plump softness and luscious, rich feel, she was going to miss them feeling for her and sliding over her. She'd miss her teacher's little reassuring touches and the way she'd tenderly remind her that she would be okay during every one of their sessions. "I wish I could have trained more with you before I had to go. There's still so much more I wanted to learn." she confessed.
Scarlet's smile softened, "That's good. It's always good wanting to continue to learn and grow. But I've taught you the basics, now it's time for you to learn and carry on from me."
"But is it enough?"
"Tell me, Crystal, are you scared? Are you still just as scared as when we first met?"
"…no."
Scarlet breathed out a short laugh, "Then its more than enough." she said in a kind, soft voice, cradling Crystal's ears with its nurturing touch while a paw petted and stroked her head. "As long as you're not afraid, then it's enough. As long as you don't let fear keep you down and as long as you continue to rise up to meet it head-on, then I know I've taught you all I needed to teach."
Crystal stared up at her for a moment before colliding her face into Scarlet's downy stomach, letting her fur hide her tears and soft sniffles. She was grateful Scarlet showed no surprise over the sudden solid force pushing into her, remaining still and soft for the silently weeping fennekin.
"You'll be just fine…" Scarlet whispered, an arm wrapping around Crystal's back while her tails gave her one last memory of their warm, calming embrace.
"…thank you…" she murmured against her body, taking in a deep breath to settle her nose before moving away to dry her eyes.
When her vision cleared and her eyes shimmered their pristine summer sunset hue, she took in Scarlet's towering, graceful figure. She engraved the look of those distant eyes that couldn't see a thing but understood so much. This was her teacher. No matter who she learned from, no matter what levels she reached beyond her lessons, she would always be her teacher. And Crystal would always be her student.
"It's truly been a pleasure." Scarlet nodded, her tails loosening the grip on Crystal's small body until she was fully out of their reach.
The short walk it took to get from the shopping area to the corner of the village square where the scared Tree of Being slept away peacefully was enough paces to get in a few more deep breaths to help quell the bittersweet feeling in her heart. Crystal wondered if she had ever been good at goodbyes, if she had always been one to cry at farewell. Her mind could tell her that it was fine all day long. It could repeat for her that the goodbye wouldn't be forever, only until next time. But it didn't help it feel any less sad. At least it was good motivation to not come back a failure. What would be the point in all these tears if she didn't have anything at all to show for it?
She looked on ahead at the sky carriage that would be taking them far past the forest and this village towards their future. Such a simple little black box… Crystal overheard that there were larger sizes for bigger passengers but its small size didn't deter the excitement of the children gathered around its sleek, clean body. A pidgeot, their pilot for the trip, leisurely sipped away at Elder Pine's offering, idly chatting while she rested her wings before her flight.
"Okay, okay. Any more and we'll be over the weight limit." And there was Emizella, packing away the last of their things into the cargo hold, stuffing in the last sack before slamming down the door with a firm click.
"You sure that's everything?" Tim asked, a green claw pressing to him pondering lip.
"I checked it, double checked it and triple checked it." Emizella counted off on her hand, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we've got everything."
"But-"
"Leave her alone, Tim." his sister pulled at him before he could offer her any more gifts for their trip. "Give her anymore and you'll be putting a dent in our inventory."
"You know how expensive the city is. They overcharge everything there. It's best to stock them up now while it's free than have them pay those exorbitant prices."
"Believe me, we're stocked up, alright. We'll be fine, this is more than enough." Emizella declared with a couple gentle slaps to the cargo door, a thick thunk sounding behind the metal sheet.
"You see? Now c'mon, before you try giving her our entire store." Kim pulled at her brother's arm, dragging him away despite his skipping steps.
"Alright, you don't have to pull so hard. Slow down a bit, will you?" Tim complained to his sister.
They both passed Crystal on their way back to where she just came from. Kim gave a short wave, "Good luck out there." she smiled with her brother's body kept just a bit closer to her.
"If all goes well, expect a congratulations package from us." Tim added immediately after, pointing out the fact before he was pulled away and back towards their livelihood.
Crystal giggled at the pair, still hearing Tim's griping over how his sister was going to pull his arm off while Kim was insisting that he was just as bad as their dad. She shook her head slowly, such are the joys of working with family, she supposed.
Her attention turned back to Emizella, catching her creeping herself over to Ezekiel who kept away from the small farewell get-together, hiding beneath the shade of one of the bordering trees. Laying down as he was, his dark fur blended perfectly well with the deep, layered shadows, keeping his eyes closed so their rich, golden hue wouldn't give him away. Every inch of him silently pleaded not to be bothered, but Emizella had something to say that was too important to pay his body language any mind.
His ear twitched before she got too close, an eye peeking open and stopping her in her tracks with its penetrative gaze. "What do you want?"
"Why do you think I want something? Can't I just come over to say goodbye?"
He stared at her for a moment before standing up, his body turning towards the tree to find his peace and quiet up in its branches. "Okay, bye then." He bent forward, getting ready to leap up to the first branch but keeping each motion meticulously slow and calculated.
"Okay, so I do want something." she admitted.
His shoulders relaxed and his body rotated back, "See what honesty gets you?" he asked, seating himself back on the ground. "What is it?"
Emizella hummed, "You were an adventurer, right? So you already passed the exam. What was it like when you took it?"
"I can't answer that." Ezekiel said quickly, "Everyone who takes the test has to swear to never talk about the nature of it to anyone. It would be an unfair advantage, otherwise."
"Seriously? You can't even give me just an itty-bitty hint?"
He grumbled, mulling over it in his head for a short time. He began to stand again, turning back to the tree to properly leave the question unanswered. At least, that's what it looked like from a distance, but Crystal could hear him mutter one last piece of advice for the riolu. "As long as you both don't lose sight of yourselves, you'll have nothing to worry about."
And then he was gone, running away into the canopies and stepping across branches to get even further away. Crystal could still hear him making the leaves rustle and shake when she joined Emizella's side, but her eyes couldn't pick him out between the thick bundles and green summertime bunches.
"Looks like he got away." Crystal noted, leaning closer in her whisper while her eyes continued to stare into the same place as Emizella's.
"He's a slippery one…" Emizella said under her breath, "But he said way more than I thought he was going to so that's good. You heard him, right? With those big ears and acute hearing." She grinned impishly, her digit's threatening to tease Crystal's ears with little pinches that crept closer and closer with every menacing chuckle.
Crystal's forelimbs wrapped themselves over her head, pressing her ears flat over her forehead before Emizella's digits could make contact. Her lips pouted and her eyes stared up at the riolu cautiously. Even without mentioning their sensitivity, their size alone made them a prime target for Emizella to pick on. Their large shape was just too tempting and fun to leave them alone.
"Aw, why you gotta look at me like that? I wasn't going to do anything mean to them. I was just going to show them some love and affection. Like this," Her hands changed up their tactic, moving to Crystal's cheek and the underside of her jaw. They sunk past the clean white fur, scratching gently at her skin. Not hard enough that it irritated her but not so soft that she couldn't feel it. "See?" she asked, pulling Crystal further away from her defenses with every tender scritch.
Crystal really did try to keep the fluttering feeling from erupting from her chest. She really tried keeping her face strong and stern and uninterested in her little scratches. But there was this one spot, this one spot that Emizella would brush over every other second, that made it impossible to keep those tingly little pinpricks from tickling the base of her spine and demanding that he tail show her immense appreciation for the attention.
Through her slacked jaw, Crystal managed to mutter, "Alright, I believe you… Now quit it before my legs give out."
Emizella's hands retreated, pulling back to her body and surrendering with her palms up. It didn't save Crystal from stumbling a few steps forward, the lingering sensations taking a long while to work their way out of her body. She was much too small for so much stimulation…
She tried shaking out most of the remainder and sighing out the rest but both attempts couldn't rid her of the soft buzzing that hummed just beneath her skin. She turned her eyes up at Emizella, hearing her trying to restrain her snickers behind a tightly pressed hand. Just you wait, Crystal plotted away behind narrowed eyes, as soon as I have hands, I'll pay you back triple.
"What's so funny over here?" Lillian asked, scooting up closer to the two with Jezebel stepping by her side. There was a smile pulling at her lips, familiar yet different. Off in the smallest way that made it feel more like an imitation than the real, genuine article.
"Nothing much. Crystal's just being cute again." Emizella answered with a shrug of her shoulders.
"More like Emi's having too much fun by herself." Crystal corrected, turning her nose up at the riolu's inaccuracies. "But where have you been, Lily? I thought we were going to end up missing each other."
"Oh, I was just… taking care of a few things… It took a bit longer than expected…but I wasn't going to miss saying goodbye." she said, pushing herself to say the words with her cheery disposition but faltering with every shaky breath.
Crystal felt her body shrinking, feeling her muscles pull themselves together in a small ball of concern. "Lily? Are you okay?"
"What?" Lillian's smile fell away for a second before she pulled the corners of her lips back up again, "Of course I'm okay. I mean, why wouldn't I be? This is a happy day! You two are going to the capital city and becoming big-time adventurers."
Jezebel looked to her with a pitiable look, her well-seasoned eyes peering through the deception that just didn't look right on Lillian's face. Her bubbly personality just felt heavy in trying to keep up her happy façade. Not light or floaty or refreshing, just… heavy.
"Sure… I might not see from you again for the next couple of years… you might not even come back to such a small village… But it's okay… because you're finally reaching your dream…" Tears dripped past her trembling lips, the corners cracking and crumbling away with each drop. "No…" she tried to hide them away behind her flippers, "I'm sorry. I promised myself I wouldn't cry in front of you. I am happy for you… really, I am. I just…" A sob choked out the remaining words that might have come. Or, perhaps, she didn't really have any excuse for crying during the happy occasion, just knowing that her heart wanted to cry and her body would oblige no matter what her mind told it to do.
"C'mon, Lily, there's no need for so many tears." Jezebel tried to reassure her despite her own eyes beginning to water. "Brave faces. We both said we'd put on brave faces." she tried to remind her but her own waterworks were already flowing down her cheeks to join Lillian's on the ground.
"I know, but-"
"It's okay." Crystal said, taking a step forward. She sat in front of Lillian, balancing herself on her hind legs to give her good friend the best hug she could manage in this quadrupeded body. She squeezed a little tighter, "I'm going to miss you too…"
All other words died in Lillian's throat, drowned beneath an ocean of sobs and a tidal wave of crumbled whimpers. She wrapped her arms around the small shape of Crystal's body, holding onto her tightly refusing to let go but knowing she would have to eventually.
"Aw geez…" Emizella sniffled behind her, "Now I gotta get in on this. C'mon, Jesse, you too." she said, turning the two-way embrace into a group hug.
"Seriously?" Jezebel asked, given no other option by anyone to pull away from Emizella's pull. Not even her own body objected as she sank into their little pile. "Fine… if I have to…" she muttered, clinging on even tighter than anyone else.
Crystal could feel the light tugging of Jezebel's claws gripping into her but it felt more warm and comforting than anything else. She nuzzled under Lillian's chin, rubbing her tears into the cool, smooth surface. "We'll be back," she promised, "We'll definitely be back."
"Yeah. As soon as we're both professionals, we'll be back." Emizella continued.
"Really? This place isn't too small for you?" Lillian asked, hiding the voice of her insecurities further into Crystal's fur.
"Not at all. The world may be big and vast and exciting, but this is our home. No grand adventure will ever make me forget that." Emizella declared, speaking her vow with a certainty that engraved the promise into the winds of destiny and fate.
Crystal nodded, "I'll be sure to write so you don't get too worried, alright?"
"Okay…" Lillian whispered, her voice sounding just a bit lighter past her sorrow and gloom. Crystal realized letters couldn't quite replace the feeling of being able to see each other whenever the whim pleased them, but it would be just enough to quell the loneliness such a long and far distance was bound to bring.
The soft scraping of dirt and rocks sounded behind their tightly woven together bodies, talons not really meant for walking long distances brought their pilot closer while her shadow loomed hesitantly over their heads. "I do hate to cut this short, loves, but we really must be taking off soon, less the winds turn against our favor."
Emizella volunteered her voice to answer, "Alright. We'll be there in just a second."
Their pilot nodded, turning and pushing the air from her flapping wings over their bodies. She flew to her perch atop the metal box, making a few twisting motions to test the stability of her equipment.
Their hug slowly broke apart. One after the other, arms were unraveling and grips were loosening to form four separate beings once more. Emizella inhaled deeply, pressing her hands into her eyes and rubbing the remaining moisture into her fur. They ran over her ears and down the back of her head.
"Alright, we better get going." she said softly. She gave a light smirk past her lingering sadness to Jezebel, jabbing at her shoulder as playfully as she would on any normal, average day. "Don't go getting rusty while I'm gone."
Jezebel shoved her back, "You too. Don't let those guys up in the capital turn you soft."
"You really will write, right? You weren't just saying you would to make me feel better, right?" Lillian asked, drying off the last of her tears.
"Of course." Crystal smiled big for her, "I'll use my mouth if I have to, but I'll definitely write as many times as I can."
Lillian's giggle felt light on her heart, like foaming bubbles tickling her love for her and making her feel giddy again. This was Lillian's smile, the one that said everything would be alright and the one that made everything alright.
"Then I'll be looking forward to them."
Respecting their pilot's time and schedule, the two boarded the sky carriage, Emizella jumping up first and Crystal following immediately after. Jezebel was the one who pushed the door shut with a soft slam behind Crystal's tail, the dropping of a bolt sounding just overhead with a secured click.
"Do me a favor and jimmy the doors a bit, would you?" their pilot asked through an intercom speaker resting just at the upper corner of the cabin.
Emizella immediately obliged but it took Crystal a moment before the request went through her mind into her comprehension. Although her voice sounded rough coming from the small black box hanging against the wall, it was her first time seeing such technology in this world. In the back of her mind, within the library of knowledge resting undisturbed and waiting in her brain, she knew that such things existed. She knew that several items of convenience existed in some parts of the world, just not in the little slice she had grown used to over the past few months. Now she was leaving the only area she knew, starting over again from scratch to get used to a new place. A new town. The capital city with all the hustle and bustle that went with it.
"Crystal? You going to do your side?" Emizella asked, point to the door.
Crystal blinked out of her thoughts, moving them back to the background so she may continue to function as a living being. "Oh, yeah. I got it." She pushed and shook the door a couple times, feeling how tightly secured it was with her jerking motions. That wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"Excellent! We're ready for takeoff." their pilot announced, eager and ready to soar. The wind around them began to pick up, the grass blades dancing and swaying along the ground while the fallen, scattered leaves cleared out of the way. The villagers looked on in awe, their eyes glued to the pidgeot's craft as she slowly inched off the solid earth. "We thank you for choosing Corvi-Flights for your aerial transportation needs. Please hang on tight as we begin our ascent."
They rose higher and higher, pulling away from the seas of goodbyes and their accompanying good lucks. Crystal pressed her nose to the window to watch the waving limbs sending them off. She caught Scarlet and Ace's little trio putting together a tower with their bodies, their youngest sister sitting at the top prompted to wave goodbye by her siblings. She could pick out Luna sitting up to wave at them with both of her paws stretching as far as their short lengths could reach and Lilac sitting beside her and one-upping her efforts with the addition of her swaying tail. Even the great Tree of Being looked to be waving to them as they reached even higher into the sky, her branches swaying in the gentle breeze after them. Crystal imagined that even their goddess Xerneas was giving them fair wishes and blessings for their safe travel.
It's not the same, Crystal realized as they rose over the trees where she could look out one window and see the training grounds and school and look out another window to see the stores and inn of the shopping district.
It's not the same at all, she let the idea sink in deeper as they became high enough to see the whole village in one frame of the carriage.
In the beginning she had no one. Then she had Emizella and Emizella led her to Jezebel and Lillian. One by one, she grew a connection with the village, interwoven herself into their tightly knit community and found a family in their kind, friendly faces. Even now, as they slowly left the village behind with every flap of their pilot's wings, Crystal still couldn't say this move was like the first time. Emizella was standing by her side and behind her was her home with pokemon who cherished her.
It's not the same… because I'm not alone.