Sighing, I sat on the floor.
My bag laid next to me as I was reading a book.
Unknown Date
3:20 PM
Midnight Village
Sky: What's wrong with my wings…?
Looking down, I just continued to read in silence.
Sky: I guess it's okay… I didn't want to join anyway…
Trying not to think about it, I've just kept reading. But after a while, I gave up. Closing the book, I sat there. I sat on the floor for a bit before standing up and thought about heading out for a bit.
Stepping out of the library, I started walking the streets and walked into the forest. After walking for a bit, I found a good place to relax. Before I was able to sit, I heard it.
Azu: Hey, Sky…!
Looking back, I noticed Azu who was a pinkish red Absol.
Sky: Oh, hey… Weren't you with some others?
Azu: Yep, but I decided to come find you. Err… After I saw others push you away. Just wanted to see if you're doing fine.
Sky: Huh? Y- yeah. I'm fine. It doesn't really bother me anymore…
Azu: Kaz is such a jerk… Don't listen to him, alright?
She walked up to me.
Azu: Anyway…! There was another reason why I came to find you.
Tilting my head, she continued.
Azu: Remember your time with Zaki a week ago? Well… I sorta heard some stuff and wanted to invite you to the beach tonight.
Sky: Huh…? Didn't… Knew anyone was listening in…
Looking away, Azu continued.
Azu: Yeah, that's why I want you to meet me at the beach tonight, okay?
Sky: I… Don't have anything to do, so sure. I'll meet you there.
Azu smiled and told me to meet her there around 10 PM. She then left me. Sighing, I looked down. I sat against a tree and closed my eyes.
Not really wanting to head to the village, I just decided to sit there. Gently brushing my wings, I remained silent. Time went on as I spent time around here just enjoying my alone time. When the time did come though, I placed my book away and started walking to the beach. I did wonder why she wanted to meet me.
So when I reached the beach, I started looking around. I didn't see her at first, but as I walked around, I was suddenly caught off guard as Azu jumped on my back.
Thankfully not falling, I spoke out.
Sky: U- uh… Hey… Did not expect this.
Azu jumped off my back and chuckled gently.
Azu: Glad you came by. Wasn't sure if you would come…
Sky: Yeah, um… I didn't have anything to do.
Azu: Perfect! Now…
Azu walked to a tree and picked up a tiny box. It was just a plain looking box as she gave me it. I looked confused and reached to open it. Upon opening it, I was even more confused to find a bite size cake. Not any bigger than my paw.
Azu: I… Wanted to make a bigger one, but it wasn't easy finding flour since there is a shortage.
Sky: This is, uh… For?
Azu just giggled and spoke.
Azu: Others may not remember, but I did remember your birthday, heh.
Stopping, I looked a bit surprised.
Sky: Thought… No one cared. This is… Surprising. Thanks…
Azu: Of course!
Azu rubbed part of her body against me before walking down the beach some more. I turned and followed her and after walking for a bit, we reached a large hut. She turned to face me and then looked at the door.
Azu: I wonder if Zaki is awake. The lights do seem to be on. I'll keep my eavesdropping a secret.
Nodding, she ran to the door and knocked. Standing to the side, the door soon opened. Zaki, a white and black Absol looked out and tilted his head.
Zaki: Eh? Azu…? Didn't expect you to come visit at this time.
He then looked at me.
Zaki: Sky? Guess you two are out enjoying the night, hmm?
Azu: Yep! I wanted to spend some time with him on his birthday.
Zaki: Heh… That's nice. Hmm… Azu? Mind if I speak with you for a moment? Was gonna hold it off until tomorrow, but since you are here…
Azu: Oh? Okay.
She turned to face me and told me to stay put just for a moment. She then entered Zaki's place as the door closed.
Sky: Wonder what's that all about…
Shrugging, I walked to the shore and sat down. I ate the cake and watched the water. This talk with the two took a bit longer than I expected and I started to doze off.
With my eyes closed, I nearly fell asleep but was startled back awake by Azu shaking me gently.
Azu: Sorry for the long wait. He just wanted to ask about some stuff. So…! How about we continue our night?
Nodding gently, I stood up and the two of us spent most of the night together and we ended up leaving each other around 3 AM. Exhausted, I made my way back home. I made it home and fell onto my bed.
The next morning passed quickly as I awoke to it being almost one in the afternoon. Sighing, I stood up and made my way outside.
Sky: Last night felt pretty nice…
Azu: Is that so?
I jumped at the voice of Azu and looked to the side to see her standing next to the door.
Azu: Heh, sorry. Was gonna knock. I was told by Zaki to come get you. He seems to want you.
Sky: Huh…? Okay, I guess.
Azu: I would tell you why, but he didn't say anything. But after you're done, why don't we meet up at the library?
Sky: Sure.
She smiled and walked off. I started my way towards Zaki's place.
Sky: Wonder why Zaki wants me… Didn't he want me a week from now?
Shrugging it off, I just made my way there.
After ten minutes, I made it to the hut and knocked on the door. After a moment, Zaki opened the door and walked out. He was only wearing shorts and sighed.
Zaki: For a place with no sun, it sure is hot as hell. Anyway… I'm glad you came by.
He motioned me to follow as he walked down the beach.
Zaki: I wanted to tell you this… Um. I'm not sure what to tell the others though. Since well… I'm so well known here.
He then lead me to a boat.
Zaki: You see… That war I was told about… It destroyed so much. But since it happened so long ago, everything must be rebuilt and normal again. And well… I've been wanting to finally explore the world outside of this place.
Sky: Wait… You're leaving?
Zaki: Absol's are very disliked. I know that. But I really want to explore everything. I hope you understand.
Nodding, he continued.
Zaki: That's good. I know I'm one of your only friends… I would bring you with me. But… You're a mega Absol. It will bring a lot of unwanted attention and don't want anything to happen. I have a feeling I'll bring enough unwanted attention to myself alone. But I do want to explore.
Nodding gently, I looked down. Zaki proceeded to move some bags onto the boat.
Zaki: I am unsure what to do with the others. So… I wrote some stuff down. You can find it in my place. Mind showing it to everyone else?
I agreed as he placed the last few bags onto this boat.
Zaki went on to prepare for sailing.
Zaki: Of course I won't be gone forever. I won't simply leave.
He then stopped for a moment.
Zaki: Azu is going to be pretty upset. Take care of her, alright? She certainly looks up to you.
Sky: She likes spending time with me.
Zaki nodded and boarded the boat.
Zaki: Oh, before I forget…
Watching him, he removed the medallion from his horn. He looked at it and reached down. I was confused and took his medallion. Looking at it, the medallion had his name engraved on it. Staring back up at him, he smiled gently.
Zaki: I don't wanna lose it. Keep it safe, eh…?
Sky: O- okay…
He kept smiling and nodded.
Zaki: Well… I guess this is goodbye for now. I'll bring back some stuff for everyone, heh.
I watched as he walked off. The engine soon started up and sailed away. Standing there, I watched the boat fade away into the mist.
Looking at Zaki's medallion, I gave out a sigh and looked at my own which hung from my neck. I then reached up and tied his medallion around my horn like he had. Once that was done, I turned back and walked to his hut. I entered his place and found the notebook he had mentioned. Taking it, I started heading back to the village.
I made it back to the village and was stopped by Azu who was standing next to the library. She looked up and noticed the second medallion. She instantly slowed and looked confused.
Azu: Sky? Isn't that… Zaki's?
Sky: Yeah…
Looking down, I closed my eyes and sighed. I then proceeded to tell her what happened. Once finished, she looked completely stunned as she looked hurt.
Azu: Z- Zaki… Left?
She clearly looked upset and stared down. She shook her head and sighed.
Azu: I didn't expect him to leave… He didn't tell me last night about these plans…
Azu crossed her arms.
Azu: H- hope you don't mind, but I need a little time to think… Why don't we meet up tomorrow?
Sky: Yeah, that sounds good.
She smiled weakly and turned around. She walked off as I made my way home.
Once home, I sat down on my bed and stared at a mirror hanging from my wall. Looking at my reflection, I looked at Zaki's medallion. Reaching up, I gently took it before letting go.
Sky: I've never been out there before… I hope he's going to be okay…
Falling back, I laid on my bed for a good few minutes before sitting up quickly.
Sky: R- right… The notebook.
Reaching for my bag, I took it out and stared at it.
Sky: I think it'd be better waiting for the right time… Maybe later today…
Placing the book on a nightstand, I walked outside and tired taking my mind off things for a bit.
Time went on as I found myself wandering what felt like endless forest. I wasn't entirely sure where I was heading. The fog was so heavy. That's when I felt the ground underneath me disappear. Through the fog, I didn't see the cliff ahead of me and I began to fall. I wasn't sure what to do as I fell for a few seconds.
But while I thought I was about to hit the ground, I instead froze in the air. I looked surprised as I glided across a very spiky terrain just ten or so feet below me. For some reason I felt like a feather, simply getting blown in the wind. That's when I turned and noticed my wings. The wings that were proven useless to me for so long. They were stretched out wide.
Turning back to look forward, I was heading straight towards more trees. Tensing, I tried moving my wings but it was somewhat pointless. They were locked in place as I tried steering my way out of the trees path. But I ended up slamming into a few. Thankfully not many as I soon exited the dense forest and over the ocean. I looked amazed at this. I was so high up. I must've been at the peak of the island. The view just looked amazing. But after flying forward for another 30 seconds, I shot through the mist and into a storm. I was stunned as I saw for miles through the rain. Being so high up allowed me to see land in the very far distance. It did look awesome, but I didn't want to stray too far. So I tried turning myself and thankfully did after a bit of effort.
So after returning into the mist and back to the island, I tried landing on the beach. This failed badly as I was unable to control my wings. I began to nosedive as I attempted to recover. I did gain a little control to the point I wasn't going to crash face first, but still slammed into the ground as I slid across the sand. After taking a massive blow and rolling multiple times, I finally stopped. My wings twitched as I laid there.
Sky: O- ow…
Lifting my head, I looked around with blurred vision.
Sky: G- graceful…
After a moment, I gathered enough strength to sit up. Tilting my head up, I closed my eyes. Inhaling sharply, I finally stood up.
Sky: Nothing f- feels broken…
Sighing in relief, I stumbled around.
Sky: Seriously hurts though…
I leaned against a tree and shivered. I was still shocked at what happened though.
Sky: I… Did it? Zaki… Tried teaching me… For months… And he wasn't here to see…
Gently brushing my wings, I looked forward.
Sky: Hope I can show him when he's back…
Thinking for a moment, I decided to head home. Mainly because my body feels sore all over from the crash landing.
It wasn't fun limping back to the village which took 30 minutes. The pain was pretty bad as I made it back to the village. No one really paid attention as I entered my house and fell onto my bed. Groaning, I reached up and took off Zaki's medallion. Holding it close, I sighed.
Sky: I hope you return one day…
Current Day
6:00 AM
Midnight Island
Shaymin: Sky?
Shaking him, he opened his eyes and yawned.
Sky: Huh? Must've dozed off while reading.
Shock walked into the room and looked at us.
Shock: Oh, you two are up? That's good. I was just inspecting the ship for any damage. Looks perfect. Glad Bolt added this… Anyway, I think we'll be heading out soon to Kuri City. We need to get there before tomorrow.
He then left the room as Sky looked at me.
Sky: It was kinda nice visiting here again. Even if it is crumbling… But I think I'm ready to head out.
Shaymin: Sounds good. I'll wake up the others.
I walked towards the door and woke the others. Once everyone was up, Shock started to sail away from the island. The mist faded and we were able to see once more. Sitting next to a window, I just watched the waves crash against the ship, waiting for our next destination...