Ties of Fate

by Fusion Phoenix

Follow behind Rio and his group of friends as they prepare themselves to save the world! From what, or how, they don't know, but by god will they try anyway! They might be under qualified, and mostly inexperienced, but it can't be that hard to save a world, right? Right?

38. From Cerulean Seas to Azure Skies

Having pretty much everyone in one room, even a large one, meant that the sound of chatter was almost deafening, as Rio found out. He also found out that being the first to sit in a round booth seat meant being literally squished between everyone else, or more specifically Z on his left, and Eva on his right. That probably wouldn't have been a problem, but everyone else in the booth decided to scoot in close as well, so the poor Lucario was being smothered by fur and fluff. The only ones not sitting down were Kai and Mia, who ran back and forth playing tag.

"I think it's still early enough for breakfast, yea?" Minerva huffed, a cheeky grin on her face as she stood on the table before everyone. "I ain't ate nothin' cuz I had to get up early to do all this liftin' shit!"

"Language, Minerva," Diana said calmly from behind the bar, eyeing all the drinks they had aboard. "As soon as Frost gets down here, we'll get started on some cooking. He shouldn't be long." She looked back at everyone, then glaring slightly at the Meowth. "And please get off the table, Minerva."

Nate, sitting at the bar with Zeke, nodded and snickered. "If you need a booster seat we could find a step ladder or something for ya."

Minerva shot the Feraligatr a glare and grit her teeth. "Ya lucky pops doesn't want us wreckin' the ship," she hissed, then grinned and crossed her arms. "So I'll just have to toss ya overboard next chance I get, huh?"

"You'll be threatenin' to throw everyone overboard I bet," Kane rolled his eyes and scoffed from beside Eva. "Can't believe the only thing shorter than you is still your temper."

"As if you're one to talk, lizard brain," Minerva scoffed back, focusing her glare on the Scrafty. "If ya wanna try your luck in the ocean just keep runnin' that trap o' yours an' see what happens."

Kane leaned forward, glaring back. "Guess that pea brain is good for somethin' after all, you just read my mind."

"Wow, it's like looking at a mirror between the both of you, isn't it?" Eva tittered, pushing Kane back. "But please don't joke about throwing each other off?"

"Joke? And the hell are ya talkin' about mirrors for?" Kane and Minerva asked, blinking. Eva sighed and shook her head, and everyone else laughed. Including Rio, who was still stuck in a bunch of fur.

Z suddenly perked up, and with a shy titter, shuffled his mane more behind him to reveal the Lucario hidden by it. "Oops! Sorry Rio! I didn't realize you were there!" he snickered.

"It's fine. Other than not being able to breathe, it was pretty nice," Rio replied as he took a few long breaths. He looked around for a moment, noticing a significant lack of pink, but decided not to say anything about it.

From across the table, Jay, with Nina and Lucas sitting in regular chairs beside him, grinned at Rio and spoke. "What's wrong, Rio? Something catch your eye?" he asked, then his grin grew more smug. "Or are you looking for something?"

Nina leaned next to Jay, sharing his grin. "Or some one?"

Lucas leaned in as well, but far less smug than his friends. "If you're looking for Kora, I don't think he came down yet. Or maybe he went to his room? I can't remember…"

Rio puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms. "No, I'm not looking for someone," he said, then turned up his snout. "And nothing caught my eye either."

"Sure thing buddy," Jay chuckled. He then dropped the grin and crossed his arms. "But honestly, I am getting hungry. Wonder what's keeping Frost?"

"Pretty sure it's just boat stuff," Zeke said with a dismissive wave. "Knowing him, he probably just got in contact with one of his sailing buddies on his radio. They're gonna chat for forever so we might as well get comfortable." He turned over to Diana, who was looking between a bottle of wine and a bottle of whiskey. "You sure we can't get the food started at least? I'm sure he wouldn't mind, right?"

Diana simply shook her head, then set down the wine back on the wall. "He's already told us that nobody enters the kitchen without his permission, as captain."

Zeke groaned, resting his cheek on a fist. "He also said we can't drink anything without his say-so, so what're you doing little miss rule follower?"

"He never said we couldn't look, and I'm just curious," Diana answered, looking at the whiskey bottle more closely. The glass itself was shaped like a fancy, ancient vase. The ones with the tiny handles at the top that could barely fit a finger in. "It's been a long time since I last had store bought or professionally distilled spirits… I forgot how ornate the bottles could be. Or that vanilla was a flavor of alcohol one could buy."

Nari, also at the bar, whistled and shook her head. "I keep telling you that we could bring you and the boys to the mainland every once in a while instead of just bringing you back stuff, Didi," she said, then quickly lit up, faint sparks dancing off her bright red cheeks. "How about once we all get settled, us girls go out on the town together, huh? Like old times?"

On the last barstool, Heather tapped her claws on the bar and hummed. "That would be fun, assuming we aren't immediately swamped with work." She then looked to Diana, frowning slightly. "I know we won't be for a few days, but what about you?"

Diana paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I won't know until we arrive, but I imagine it wouldn't take me long to get my business in order."

"Uh, actually…" Rio spoke up, tilting his head. "I don't think I… actually know where we're going? I mean, I think it's called Azure City, right? It kinda sounds like everyone else has been there before."

Everyone else, except Z, looked at each other, then back at Rio and nodded. "Seems like it," they all said in slightly unnerving unison.

"U-Uh, yeah, ok," Rio tittered, his ear twitching slightly. "Since we gotta pass the time until Frost comes back, why not talk about this Azure place?"

"Azure city is a pitiful hole for the morally corrupt to fester and grow," a voice answered, followed by the creak of metal and a more serious shift in the air. Everyone turned to the front of the room, where Zen had just entered, his cold stare focused on Rio specifically. "The city itself is larger than Sunset Valley, at least it was when I left half a decade ago. No doubt it has expanded since then. Both in size, and in depravity."

Minerva winced, taking a seat on the edge of the table. "Yeesh, way to kill the mood, metalhead," she scoffed. Minerva then crossed her arms and sucked her teeth. "And Azure ain't all like that. I don't like it, but it's… livable. Helps that Pops had a place in one of those high rises, and I ain't go out much."

"Honestly, as long as you stay outta the pits of the city, it's real nice," Kane added. "Plenty of food, fun people, and when the guild's around it's actually safe. As long as you ain't gettin' on those blue beaters bad sides, I mean." The Scrafty grit his teeth, crossing his arms. "Better you get on their bad sides than anyone else, though."

Rio looked between the three, curious and… partially concerned. A sentiment shared with Nina and Lucas, apparently. "Sounds like you guys didn't have the uh, best experience with Azure, huh?" Rio tittered.

"You guys make it sound like it's a nightmare. If I didn't already live there, I'd never wanna go there hearing all that," Nina shuddered.

"Yeah, like… I don't think it was nearly as bad when I left a year or two ago," Lucas gulped.

"And the Azure Guard have only been helpful and kind in my experience," Jay hummed, turning a suspicious eye on Kane specifically. Kane met it for a moment, then turned away, silent.

Zen walked over to the booth, standing beside it. "Some of us have seen the worst it has to offer. But like Kane said, the luxuries are plenty," he said. "In truth, being a part of a guild and where most of us will be staying, will give us more secure ground to stand on."

"Yea. Any guild folk in the city get special treatment, almost as good as the humans," Minerva scoffed. "Which means I oughta get my fancy badge ASAP if I really wanna live it big."

Kai and Mia suddenly appeared on Z's lap, who was staring into space for some time. "Oh! The badges! Like Z's badge!" Kai cheered, startling the Zoroark in question. "The badges are super cool!"

"H-Huh? What?" Z stuttered. "What happened? Did I miss something?" Z quickly found himself with nearly everyone else's eyes on him, with Minerva's specifically being a fierce glare. "Wh-What? What's going on?" Z swallowed, shrinking back.

Minerva hopped onto Z's lap, still glaring at him, and reached for the badge on his neck. "...The hell? Why do you have a badge already?" she asked.

"It's cool, isn't it?" Kai beamed. Mia smiled as well. "And pretty too!"

"And a… choker, apparently?" Eva blinked. "Didn't know that was an option. I hope there's more than just that though."

"Choker, fittin', since a got nice pair of chokers right here if Z ain't explain what's goin' on," Minerva growled.

Z squeaked, frightened. "I-I would but you guys keep talking!" he whimpered. "Th-The guildmaster gave it to me to keep me in check! I-It's like a tracker or something! I swear!"

Nina tilted her head. "...Why is the tracker in the shape of a choker?"

"I dunno what a choker is, but why's the tracker thing around Z's neck?" Lucas thought aloud.

"Probably to keep it somewhere safe?" Jay shrugged.

"Y-You guys really like talking, huh?" Z tittered, but when Minerva pulled on his badge as a result, he whimpered and shrank again. "S-Sorry! I, uh… The guildmaster said it changes shape to whatever I want if I put my aura in it! I could probably change it to something else but I don't wanna risk taking it off!"

Nari stood up on her barstool and clapped to get everyone's attention. "Alright, you can cut the interrogation now, Minerva. But thanks for reminding us about the badges, I nearly forgot about them."

"Must've been drinking before the rest of us," Nate quietly jabbed, getting a not-as-quiet punch to the shoulder from the Pikachu.

"For Jay, Nina, and Lucas, your badges will be given to you when we get to the Sunset Residence in Azure. As for the rest of you, you will also get temp badges when you reach your abode," Nari explained, then gestured to Zen. "Once Zen guides you there, he'll hand them out to you."

"Zen?" Kane scoffed, looking at the Bisharp with a grin. "Wow, I knew you had cash, but your place is the one we're all bunkin' in? Guess you weren't lyin' when you said luxuries, huh?"

Zen looked back at Kane, unresponsive, then shut his eyes and scoffed. "When we arrive at Azure, it will take us most of the day to get to our destination. So be sure to stick close to me, and do as I say. The last thing we need is someone being lost."

Kane raised a brow, then shrugged. "Sure, but I doubt I'll get lost if I know where we're headed. Which would be?" he asked.

There was some slight hesitation before Zen answered. "Azure has undoubtedly changed since you last walked its streets, Kane. So leave the directions to me, and do as I say." His voice was stern, and colder than usual.

"Sheesh, alright, whatever," Kane muttered. "If you wanna surprise us, just say so dude."

Again, Zen hesitated, then addressed everyone as a whole. "I will go see if we can arrange our arrival to be in the morning, so we don't have to walk through Azure at night," he said, then just… walked away.

"...Weird," Rio said as Zen left. "I know he's grouchy but that felt, just, like… I dunno."

"Yeah, that was definitely strange," Eva nodded, then nudged Kane with an elbow. "We should go talk to him. Later. Right now I dunno if he'll talk to us or toss us overboard."

Kane shrugged and leaned back on the booth seat. "If he throws us off I'm pullin' him over with me. But, eh, I say we leave him for later. I'm still starved…"

"And I'm getting thirsty," Zeke sighed, glancing back at Diana. "If it's an emergency, can we skip the waiting for Frost part and just make ourselves food?"

Diana shook her head. "Not until Frost says so."

"Of course…" Zeke groaned. The Blaziken then got off his seat and stretched. "Then I'll drag him down here before we pass away on the first night." As he walked off, he pulled Nate along with him. "You're comin' too big guy."

"I was gonna come anyway, you don't have to drag me!" Nate huffed, giving no resistance whatsoever.

"I might as well go with 'em. You guys don't have too much fun without me," Nari said, giving the group a wave before following after the gator and bird.

Minerva groaned, taking a seat in Z's lap with Kai and Mia. "So we're just gonna wait for 'em, then?"

"Looks like it," Rio chuckled. He wanted to add that he didn't mind, but felt it was best not to for some reason. "We can just do what we were already doing to pass the time and talk. That was nice, right?"

---

The aimless chatter lasted for quite a while. About an hour had passed before Frost was free, Diana let herself join him in the kitchen, and they cooked up lunch. It was mostly grilled fish and fries, which Kai and Mia adored. To the point of annoying everyone for one extra fry. Several times. Sometimes several times towards one person.

Before long, though, everyone decided it was time to do other things. Almost everyone returned to their rooms, but Rio and Z didn't. Z wanted to go up on deck and tried, and failed, to drag Rio up with him, and Rio really didn't have a choice other than to oblige. This other Zoroark's inability to actually move Rio was still funny to the Lucario.

On deck, it was far more obvious that they were out on the water. The boat gently rocked back and forth, the waves splashed against its giant wooden body, sails and ropes flapped and rustled in the wind, and the afternoon sun shimmered on the water below. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. With how warm the sun felt, Rio doubted they were coming in on winter. The Lucario found himself with his eyes closed and face turned to the sky, silently taking it in while Z did basically the opposite: leaning so far over the railing and gawking at the sea that he nearly fell off.

"...Hey Z?" Rio spoke, letting out a long exhale, keeping his face skyward. "Have you been to Azure?"

Z quickly pulled himself back, giggling for a moment. "Azure? Yeah. Why?"

Rio opened his eyes and turned to Z. "Did… you miss when we were talking about Azure?"

"Probably. I zoned out after Minerva grabbed my choker," Z nodded, snickering. "But, yeah, I've been there. Lee too. We just kinda walked around it for a few days until we got to the docks. Then rode a boat to Sunset Valley."

"Really..?" Rio blinked, then looked over the sea. He weighed which question was better to ask; more about Azure, or… "What's Lee actually like?" Apparently, Rio didn't need that much time to figure out what was better to ask.

Z's bubbliness faded pretty quickly, and he too looked out to sea. The waves gently rose and fell, and the ship did the same. A silence fell over the two, where Rio noticed that Z was… actually a bit taller than he realized. And his mane seemed poofier too. Strange.

"Do you still believe me after I said Lee isn't as bad as he seems?" Z asked, his voice softer than normal.

"I…" Rio wanted to give a straight answer right then and there, but… he couldn't. Before either could even escape him, "yes" and "no" got jumbled and twisted in his head. The Lucario leaned over the railing and sighed through his nose. "...Would you be upset if I couldn't say yes?"

"Not at all. I wouldn't blame anyone for that. It's understandable," Z replied, crossing his arms and looking over at Rio. "But, he really is a good man. It's hard to see under that sinister aura and razor sharp claws and smugness, I know."

"And the fact he stole a time gear, forced us to fight each other, and left Kora and Kai in some… weird berserk state," Rio added, tittering and rubbing his neck. "He… really doesn't have a good record, Z."

The Zoroark sighed. The grip on his biceps tightened, and he looked away. "I know, I know… He's hard-headed and stubborn as hell. And full of himself." A moment passed, then Z looked back at Rio in slight desperation. "But he's really not evil. I promise he isn't."

Rio stared back, not knowing what to say at first. A sentiment he felt he'd feel a lot for some reason. The Lucario shook his head, then put on a small smile. "If you say so, I'll believe that. Or… at least try to." He tapped his claws on the railing, then tittered. "It'd be a whole lot easier if he was here and I could ask him to explain himself, you know? Having someone else vouch for him feels weird."

'And I can't help but feel like Z isn't telling me everything,' Rio thought, but kept it to himself. It felt even weirder to him to have to try and pry the truth from someone else… Some part of him felt it was hypocritical.

"You would… want to talk to him still?" Z asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Yeah? I mean… You seem to really care for him after all, and it'd be hard to get a read on him if I don't," Rio chuckled lightly. "Kinda hard to do it any other way, right?"

Z nodded, looking away again. "Oh, yeah… right."

Rio felt Z was disappointed or something. So, wanting to change the subject and brighten the Zoroark up again, Rio put an arm over Z's shoulder and grinned. "So, what do ya wanna do, Z? I don't really know what we can do on a ship, but anything could be fun."

"Fun?" Z blinked, looking at Rio's arm, then to his face and the grin that greeted him. Z slowly grinned back, then put an arm over Rio's shoulder and beamed. "I wanna check out the storage stuff. I think it's just, like, the bottom of the ship, right? I wanna know how big it is!"

"Cool, we'll go and check that out then," Rio nodded. "And after that, we'll do something I wanna do."

Z tilted his head, curious. "And what's that?"

"I have–" Rio put on a bright, cheeky grin, "-no idea!" Z snickered and rolled his eyes playfully, which was enough for Rio honestly. He looked over the sea before the two left below deck.

---

The Captain's Quarters on BoraBora was a large room split into two levels, following the same aesthetic as the rest of the ship, and the same level of polish and cleanliness. The top level had a large, circular wooden table with a large paper map and a big radio on it, sitting under a sturdy-looking chandelier. Bookshelves full of books and bottles and rolled up maps sat along the walls, each having a low-hung lanturn and a regularly hung one attached on one side. The top level had a railing looking over the lower level, which was like a living room, but with a bed right below the edge of the top level. Stairs on either side of the room led down to the lower level, and next to the stairs on the right, was a door leading to a bathroom. The door to the left led to a storage closet. A booth sofa sat before the wall of windows looking out behind the ship, and small desks with more decorative candles and candle holders sat on either wall, one such desk had a smaller radio on it instead of waxy decor.

Pacing back and forth on the upper level table was Frost, reading through some papers and mumbling things under his breath, his feather-like ears twitching again and again as he walked and thought. Standing around were Zen, Nate, Zeke, and Nari, the last of which was also on the table. Nate and Zeke each held a plate of food, and were casually eating some fries. To Zen, the room was rather pleasant, but admittedly the smell of fried foods clashed with the smoky charcoal scent the rest of the ship had.

"I take it this is about the warning you received earlier?" Zen asked, crossing his arms and tapping his bicep. "The one about that ship sinking?"

"Aye. Ain't heard of a ship sinkin' around here in ages. Sounds like we're half a day off of where it happened, too. We'd be crossin' right over it by midnight," Frost replied. "If I was a bettin' man, I'd say it was a feral Gyrados or Wailord, but ain't neither of 'em s'posed to be around this season."

Nari went to the radio and twisted some knobs, which Frost quickly fixed back without even looking. "Could've been a freak accident, right? What kinda ship was it?" she asked, messing with the knobs again.

"Report says it was a large adventure carrier, fit enough to tear through ice like paper. Then it got torn to shreds with only one survivor," Frost sighed, gritting his teeth. "Maybe it was two Gyrados?"

Nate popped a fry in his mouth, hardly chewing. "Maybe it was attacked by pirates? Those are still an issue, right?"

Frost shook his head. "A pirate crew ain't likely to tear a ship to pieces, even if they just wanted everythin' on board. It's like bannin' old customers from a shop after the first or second visit."

Zen hummed, thoughtful. "Then it had to have been something powerful and ruthless. Perhaps a Gyrados lagged behind during migration and is tearing down boats in its fury," he suggested. He then gripped his arm tightly, a scowl forming on his lips. "But what exactly are the chances it was Lee? None of us saw him leave Sunset, and I would not be surprised if he tore that ship down for getting in his way of escape."

The room fell silent for a moment, aside from the subtle crunch of fried potatoes from Zeke. The Blaziken quickly swallowed, then set his plate down. "Somehow I… think it's possible. But there would have been a report or something about him specifically, right? He isn't a face you can just forget, and surely the survivor would've mentioned him?"

"Apparently not," Frost said, taking a piece of fish off Zeke's plate. "The survivor said it was a sea beast of some kind, accordin' to the fisherman that gave it in. And that survivor was some merc for hire tryin' to help out on that expedition in the first place, least that's what the report says."

Zen's face lightly twitched, and his scowl remained. That didn't feel right to him, but he wasn't in the right place to say either the survivor or the fisherman were lying. It sounded plausible, just… not right. A ship sinking in remarkably safe waters when Lee was definitely traveling those waters couldn't be unrelated. Even if it was just a hunch, Zen knew there was something there.

"Zen?" A light shake on his shoulder, and Zen turned to the source. Zeke. "You feeling alright? I know your default face is "pissed and disinterested," but right now you just seem pissed."

Zen looked back at the avian, then scoffed and pulled his shoulder away, facing Frost. "If you want to avoid those waters, Frost, I already suggested a slight detour to alter our time of arrival to Azure."

"Ya say "slight", but addin' half a day of travel ain't slight," Frost said, crossing his arms. "'sides, it's up to James and Nate. They'd be the ones takin' swim duty to make sure we ain't gotta worry 'bout any Gyradoses or Wailords lookin' to smash my baby."

Nari groaned and rolled her eyes, also taking fries from Zeke's plate. "You care way too much about this dinky ol' ship. It'd be admirable if it wasn't so sad."

"Don't be jealous ya ain't got nothin' to ya name," Frost snorted, jabbing a fry at Nari's nose. "Ain't my fault ya got stuck with teachin' duty." He then grinned and snickered. "Oh wait…"

Nari grabbed a fry and used it to smack the one out of Frost's claws. "For your information, I adore my job. And unlike you, I have nothing to compensate for," she huffed, smug.

"Yea, I know. It'd be kinda admirable if it wasn't so sad," Frost cooed, taking another fry and pointing it smugly at Nari.

Zeke pouted as he picked back up his plate. "Stop taking my fries to argue with each other."

Zen huffed quietly to himself, rolling his eyes. His "superiors" hardly felt more mature than his peers. And that was already a low bar to meet. Wanting to keep things on track, Zen turned to Nate and asked, "So? Would a twelve hour detour be alright with you?"

"Me?" Nate asked, eating a handful of fries. He got a stern glare from Zen for asking an obvious question, then swallowed and went on. "Honestly, I don't mind it. I'd prefer a six hour one, but I think then we'd be showing up… at about midnight. Which would defeat the purpose of the detour at all, wouldn't it?" he chuckled.

"Quite," Zen answered stiffly. He then turned to leave, raising a hand in a wave. "Then see to it that James is fine with it as well, although I don't see why he would object when you don't."

Frost and Nari were standing up in each other's faces, about ready to fight then and there, until they noticed Zen start to leave. Still staying close to each other, Frost asked, "Where're ya goin'?"

"Anywhere more quiet," Zen replied coldly. "I have much to prepare for, returning to the mainland." For a moment, Zen hesitated and shifted uncomfortably. And oddity for him, and one the others quickly picked up on. But the only one to act on it was Frost.

"Well, if ya really need a place to think, this room is better than anywhere else. Anyone else who's been on this ship with Nate an' Zeke can tell ya, the crew rooms ain't soundproof," Frost said with a laugh.

"Yeah th–" Nate began, then quickly snapped to Frost with a sudden purple blush and a look of absolute bafflement on his face. "What!?"

Zeke seemed equally shaken up. "The hell Frost?!" he squawked.

"What? The two of ya've been constant crew members for decades. More than anyone else," Frost chuckled with a smug grin. "I thought ya'd know the ship inside and out by now, right? 'Less I'm treadin' on somethin' I ain't know about?"

"Of course not," Nari said, equally smug as she leaned against the Weavile. "I can't say I've heard of two harder working crewmates in my life."

"Nari I will bribe you with a week's worth of food if you shut up for the rest of the day," Zeke said calmly, although his claws shook holding his plate.

"Oh please, that'd go straight to my hips," the Pikachu scoffed, crossing her arms. She gave Zeke a smug grin and continued, "But, maybe that's what you want, considering your type…"

"Haha! Hilarious!" Nate laughed awkwardly and loudly, then grabbed Zeke and carried him out the door. "See y'all later! Bye-bye! Toodaloo!"

Zen blinked as the two left. He'd never seen either of them act that way before… He never knew Feraligatr's blushed purple either, but frankly that made sense. He turned to Frost and Nari, brow raised. "You did not do that just to let me have your quarters to myself, did you?"

"Eh, kinda sorta," Frost shrugged, hopping off the table with Nari and heading for the door. He gave Zen a wave as he passed, but spun around and pointed a claw at him. "Don't wreck my room, alright?"

"Do not assume so little of me. I wished to be alone, remember?" Zen scoffed.

"Just makin' sure," Frost chuckled as he left.

A second passed after Frost left, then Nari said, "If you're interested, Frost's closet should be unlocked. And if you take anything, tell him I said you could."

Zen didn't respond to that, but nodded and saw Nari out. The silence of the room afterwards, and the faint splash of waves against the ship outside, was comforting. Zen took a deep breath, then sighed, and walked to the lower level of the quarters on the left stairs. With how spacious it was, it felt like descending into another room entirely. The bed, the sofa… even the empty space in the middle felt like it was intended to hold a number of guests instead of just the captain, especially considering the size of the captain in question.

But that was quickly off Zen's mind, as he moved to the windows at the back of the room, peering over the ocean behind the ship. Very, very far in the distance was Sunset Valley, now covered in a mirage-like blue as it was certainly miles upon miles away by now.

"Hmph. To think I would be leaving it so soon," Zen hissed under his breath. "Perfect weather, serene landscapes, fertile soil… A paradise of boredom and stagnation." He grimaced, tightening his fists and crimson energy crackling around his gauntlets. "And yet I…"

Zen's grimace sharpened, and the energy crackling around him raced along his body like electricity in a conductor. He looked down at his hands, his black aura burning now around him. His hands were shaking.

"No," Zen spat, throwing an arm to the side and quickly dispersing his aura. "This hesitation, it is simply anticipation. The world has certainly changed in my absence. It has grown, and whatever awaits me will be the perfect challenge. And that includes that wretched wolf."

A beat passed, then another, and another… Zen sucked his teeth and crossed his arms, still staring out to sea. Sunset Valley was getting further and further away with each passing second. Every passing breath. Eventually, Zen glared and turned around, looking over the empty cabin. Well, mostly empty, as there was a silent, large Paras staring him in the face from Frost's sofa.

"Paras," Zen muttered, his glare fading into a disinterested gaze.

"Ah! L-Lord Zen!" Paras chittered excitedly. "Y-Y-You are well! That is glorious news!"

"And why wouldn't I be?" Zen asked as he narrowed his eyes.

Paras shrank and chittered anxiously to itself. "O-Of course y-you would be! F-Forgive me for ever assuming otherwise! H-How foolish of m-me!"

Zen stared for a moment longer before sighing and shaking his head. "I will admit, I am surprised you so willingly left the island. But then again, what do you have to tie you to it? Coming from nothing and knowing even less?"

"I-I, well, er…" Paras swallowed. "I still dream o-of witnessing your rage, L-Lord Zen..! That is the m-main reason I am on this… thing." The insect looked around, then back to Zen, curious. "Wh-What is it, if it is not a burden to ask?"

"A ship. A vessel to carry us over the seas," Zen explained. "And before you ask, the seas are bodies of water covering the planet."

Paras nodded, then chittered. "I… I-I… already knew of what a sea was," it muttered, getting a cold stare from Zen and shrinking. "B-B-But it is an honor to have you explain it anyway!"

"Hmph," Zen scoffed, glancing behind him at the sea before walking over to the desks on the right side of the room. "And why, pray tell, would an insect from deep underground know of the sea?"

"A-Ah, well… M-My people were not always underground. S-Some of the oldest know of the sun, and the s-sea, and of the w-world from long ago," Paras said, crawling off the sofa and over to Zen. "O-Our minds were interconnected, a-and memories shared between us all. Even without b-being fully integrated, I-I could still f-feel these memories f-from time to time."

"Curious," Zen hummed as he idly looked over the desk and the radio on it. It was dusty and unused, which put a slight frown on Zen's face. "So? Are you still partially integrated?"

"N-No… Perhaps if I were allowed to s-sprout my mushrooms, b-but considering w-we ar eso far from the Swarm, I-I do not think even that would keep me connected for long They do not know where I am, nor I them," Paras chittered as an anxious expression formed in its eyes. "I-If my people were able to follow us outside, I-I fear what they would have done…"

Zen's eyes fell to Paras for only a moment before the Bisharp grit his teeth and crossed his arms. "If they had, they would have perished the second I noticed. Whatever numbers they carry will fall to my might." As he said this, Zen's aura burned around him suddenly.

"A-Ah! Y-Yes! How f-foolish of me to fear such a p-pitiful force in comparison to your own!" Paras chittered, an odd joy in its eyes. "Perhaps they should have followed us to the surface? I-It would be comical to watch them all struggle and suffer u-under your strength!"

At that, Zen scoffed and nodded. "Hmph, of course." The two fell into a silence, until Zen spoke up to break it. "I doubt you would have a room. Tell me, where are you staying on the ship?"

"Where am I..?" Paras muttered, thinking about it. "I am… n-near the bottom. I-Is that alright?"

"It is what you would be used to, so I am not surprised," Zen said, then started walking to the upper level of the quarters. While passing the stairs, he noticed the bathroom door cracked up. He didn't bother to check it, but kept it in his mind. "I will assume you already made yourself comfortable there. We will be reaching the mainland in a few days."

"O-Of course," Paras said, following behind Zen. "Um… M-Might I ask where you are going?"

"No," Zen plainly said as he walked out the door.

---

The day passed on to night quicker than most expected. A pleasant reminder to some that winter was truly settling in. Granted, with everything else that happened until now, keeping track of the passing seasons or even the time was probably a lot to ask of most on the ship. This, of course, didn't apply to everyone on board.

"Eighty-four hours," Zen muttered, standing on the deck of the ship. His only accompaniment being the winds and the waves, both loud enough to easily replace idle chatter on a lively day. "Three and a half days until landing. I cannot even train to pass the time, but it will be worth it."

"Worth what, exactly?" A voice spoke from beside Zen. An Abra floated just above the railing, being Maxwell. He looked at Zen, and the Bisharp's near-permanent cold stare, and chuckled lightly. "I knew better than to assume you'd be startled from that, but some emotion would be appreciated."

"What do you need, Guildmaster?" Zen asked, his tone as cold as his stare. "Coming to someone two nights in a row feels excessive, does it not?"

"Is it truly a crime to want to check in on one of my own guild?" Maxwell chuckled again, shaking his head slightly. "But, alas, you are as sharp as they come. Fitting, no?" Zen responded to that with silence, pushing Maxwell to get on with it. "Alright, alright… I simply wish to see if you changed your mind on my offer, is all. To find a mentor."

Zen scoffed and rolled his eyes. "That is not an offer, it is an insult. One I should have cut you down last night for even considering giving to me. The only reason I do not now is because cleaning your blood would be a hassle."

"Hm, sharp, with matching edge," Maxwell hummed, holding his hands behind his back. "Even the most skilled warriors have much to learn, especially at your age, Zen. When I was twice your age I was still figuring out how to properly and effectively use psionics and telepathy."

"Do not project your ineptitude onto me," Zen spat, crimson sparks crackling around him. "I am my own mentor, and if you cared for your feeble life, you would stop this idiocy before I finish what Diana started."

Maxwell gave a calm, unfazed look to Zen. "You truly have a way with words."

"And you have a death wish," Zen scoffed.

Maxwell gave a tired sigh and looked out to sea. The stars above glistened on its surface, creating a world of nothing but stars as far as the eye could see. "I see that I won't get to you like this. With so much on your mind, that is to be expected."

"Do not speak as if you know what is going on," Zen said sternly.

"I know more than you think," Maxwell chuckled, a small, amused smile on his muzzle. "Something has you doubting yourself. No matter how you try to hide it, I can see it clear as day."

"Then you are blind," Zen said, unamused.

"Partially. Which serves to show how terrible you are at masking yourself," Maxwell said matter-of-factly. "I doubt you will tell me, but you are on a ship full of your friends, and have plenty of time to talk to them."

The Bisharp fell silent, and his face contorted with a silent anger. "I cannot," he grimaced. "It is my business, and mine alone."

"For someone aiming to lead a team, you are awfully selfish," Maxwell remarked, shaking his head. "But I digress. Who am I to judge another for keeping to himself?" The Abra rose and started floating back further onto the ship. "If there was anything about you I was sure of, it would be proficiency in decision making. If you won't tell them now, I know you will in time, when you feel it appropriate."

Zen snapped his gaze at the reptile, energy crackling around his body. "You–" he began, until the last part of what Maxwell said replayed in his mind. After which, Zen grit his teeth and turned away. "You should get back to minding your own business."

Maxwell clicked his tongue, floating over to Zen's side. "Sensitive, are we?" he chuckled. Zen swung his arm at Maxwell, but only hit air. The Abra had vanished in a puff of purple staticy aura, and reappeared on the other side of Zen. "Apologies," Maxwell apologized with a bow. "I should be off, I know when I am overstepping. And besides, I have other business to attend to."

"Then stop wasting both of our time," Zen growled.

With that, Maxwell left without another word. Either that or went dead silent. Zen didn't bother to check. He looked down at the water below, at the waves still splashing on the sides of Bora Bora. His anger left his body in a somber sigh, then the Bisharp slumped his shoulders and shook his head. "I will tell them… when it is appropriate," he muttered. "I will… I will tell Kane, when it is appropriate."

---

Rio realized that hanging out on a ship was fun, but there was only so much they could do outside of talking and joking and eating. They couldn't even rough house or spar because Frost probably meant it when he said he'd toss anyone breaking his rules overboard. But all that… "nothing" made him antsy, at least that's what he thought. He couldn't tell if being able to fight would make him feel better or not.

It… probably wouldn't, though. In the dead of night, as the ship swayed back and forth thanks to the waves underneath, and Z's soft snores and mutterings blended with the silence of the room, Rio laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Thinking about where he was heading; Azure City. It sounded fantastic, and it sounded terrible. Both better and worse than Sunset Valley, which Rio was already starting to miss. For how little he had been there, or how long? It felt like he was leaving a part of him behind…

"But that isn't everything that's bothering you isn't it, Outlander," came Jirachi's voice out of nowhere, causing Rio to jump and fall out of his bed with a heavy thud. The star sprite floated just above where he fell, and despite the noise, Z was still asleep.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Rio whisper-shouted, picking himself up and glaring at Jirachi. "A-And are you reading my mind? Why?!"

Jirachi remained stoic, uncaring of Rio's reaction. "I have a favor to ask," he said simply, holding a hand out to Rio. "Take my hand."

Rio looked at Jirachi, then the sprite's hand, then back to the sprite himself. "...Ok," he nodded, then slowly did as he was told. As soon as Rio's comparatively large paw landed on Jirachi's small hand, the Lucario was met with a massive headache as a wave of psychic aura crashed into his mind. He winced and growled, but didn't let go.

Jirachi sighed, and in a blink of blue light–

---

– the two were on top of the ship. Far above it, in the crow's nest. It was roomy, was basically a seat wrapping around the mast, and, despite how high up it was, felt very secure. Which didn't stop Rio from nearly having a heart attack and hugging the mast of the ship for dear life.

"A-ARE YOU INSANE?!" Rio cried out, his voice muffled by the winds around him. "WHY THE HELL ARE WE UP HERE!?"

Jirachi floated to Rio's side. "I don't need that other Zoroark listening to this. I already said too much around him, but…" Jirachi looked at the sky, sighing. "I wanted… I needed privacy."

"So you brought me on probably the most DANGEROUS PART OF THE SHIP?!" Rio barked, furious at first, until he read Jirachi's face. The star sprite, usually stoic or angry, was soft… and Rio would even say vulnerable, in some way. Rio's fear and anger left almost instantly. "...What's wrong?"

"I have to leave," Jirachi said, clenching his fists. "There's something I need to do. Something important. Mostly to me, but… It'd be useful to all of us." He looked Rio dead in the eye. "Useful for you, specifically."

"Me?" Rio muttered, letting go of the mast and sitting down. "How?"

"You're an Outworlder, and an important one at that. Your task is to save the world, so I need to make sure someone is… still on our side," Jirachi replied. His fists shook and he bit his lip. "And I have to go alone."

Rio's ear flicked, and concern fell over his face. "What about Mew?"

"Is she really the first thing to come to your mind right now?" Jirachi said, attempting to chuckle, but wincing instead. "...No, she has to stay here with you all. Where it's safe. And she can't know where I'm going either. No matter what. Which… brings us into my favor." Jirachi floated close to Rio, clenching his fists and tightly closing his eyes. "Please… Please keep her safe. If she asks, just tell her I'm off exploring. That I'm… I'm looking for something." Jirachi's body shook. He gritted his teeth. Yet he held a stern, serious expression on his face. It was forced. "She must be by your side, always. You can not let anything happen to her. Nothing. Not ever."

The way Jirachi's voice and body trembled, how he was practically begging behind a brave face… It actually hurt, to the point where Rio had to look away. "Wh-What's gotten into you? What's actually going on?"

"I am not asking you to ask questions, Outlander. Can you do this for me or not?" Jirachi growled, floating up to Rio and grabbing him by the shoulders. This close, Rio could practically see the worry in Jirachi's eyes. His sadness, and desperation too. "And I shouldn't have to tell you that "no" is not an answer I will take from you."

"A-Alright, I will!" Rio sputtered, holding up his paws. "I wasn't gonna let anything happen to her anyway! Or you for that matter!" He sighed, holding his chest, then slowly put his hands down. "So… So I need to know what you're doing. I need to know you're gonna be safe too."

Jirachi froze and his eyes widened. His hands shook and tightened on Rio's shoulders for a moment before loosening with a sigh. "If I tell you, then Mew will find out, eventually. She'll read your passing thoughts on the matter, most likely accidentally. I can not let that happen. I can not let her know," he said weakly, lowering his head. "You're the only one I… I can trust to protect her, so I can't tell you. But I will be safe." Once again, Jirachi's grip tightened, and he let out shaky, frail breaths. "I can… I can say as much, at least."

Rio frowned, then sighed. "If you say so," he muttered, putting a paw on Jirachi's hand. He fully expected some sort of retaliation, but that never came. "I trust you, so I'll keep you to that. That you'll be safe."

"...Y-You are… just as naive as I hoped you'd be," Jirachi chuckled as he let go of Rio. He made sure to keep his face hidden. "And that is a compliment."

"And it was backhanded at best," Rio tittered with a sigh. "So, when are you gonna be leaving?"

Jirachi took a quick breath, then a long exhale. "When this conversation ends," he answered. "I don't think I will be returning before you all hit the shore, or even before you're settled in Azure. Which is to say, I will be gone for at least a week or two… maybe more."

"You… don't seem to have a date in mind… Are you sure you're gonna be alright?" Rio said, worried again. "I'm serious, by the way. If you come back to us hurt, I'm gonna let Minerva have her way with you. Which is to say, she'll kick your ass."

"I'll be fine," Jirachi nodded, still looking away from Rio. "It's just… the travel will be a strain, I would need to rest for days after I get there, and several more when I return. And while I have my fingers crossed for the best…" his voice trailed off, and he shook his head.

Again, Rio frowned. With how reclusive and violent Jirachi was usually, some part of Rio hoped he'd be more open around "the only one he could trust". "You've got a long road ahead of you, huh?" he said. "I hope I'm a good enough sendoff for that, but it's not like you're gonna vanish forever, so I'll just work on giving you the best welcome back party I can."

At that, Jirachi chuckled, which rose into weak, troubled laughter. "Somehow I doubt your welcome back party will be as decent as this sendoff. And that's already a low bar."

"Yeah, I know," Rio said with a sigh. "...Listen, I know we aren't friends, bu–"

"Don't," Jirachi said firmly, sounding more like his usual self. "That wasn't an invitation for you to try and make this sendoff better. This, how it already is, is for the best."

Rio shook his head. "I know that. I'm just saying I hope you find what you're looking for, and whatever happens, or whatever you find, we'll be waiting for you to come back."

Jirachi fell silent, and his body trembled again, worse than before. He silently extended a hand to Rio, shaky and frail, and the Lucario wordlessly took it–

---

–and in an instant, he was back in his room. Alone, aside from Z's still resting form. He stared down at his paw, then brought it to his chest, looking out the round window to the midnight sea outside.

"Take care, Jirachi," Rio whispered.

---

Much like Rio, Kora was wide awake as the night dragged on. It felt like it went on forever, and he could feel every second of it. Each one felt longer than the last as he was carried farther and farther from his home. From safety… even if it wasn't safe. From what he knew… even if he knew little. He could swear he felt the distance pulling at his skin, even if he didn't know how far they'd gone. He wanted to go back, but he couldn't. He couldn't.

In his room, not plagued with these worries, was Kane. Instead, Kane just didn't want to sleep. And out of convenience, he decided to stay in Kora's bed at the fox's request. Well, no, "convenience" is too nice a word, as there was barely any space for the both of them to lay on the bed comfortably unless Kora laid on his stomach and Kane was in Kora's mane, which was nice except for all of the hairs getting in the Scrafty's mouth.

"You out yet?" Kane grumbled.

"...No," Kora muttered, scratching at his chest. "You?"

"Out like a light," Kane said, rolling his eyes. "You gonna tell me what's eatin' at ya so I can stop lyin' every time I say that?"

Kora went quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "It's… hard to explain. I dunno…"

"Well, can I make a guess?" Kane asked, resting his cheek on his fist. "You're not takin' your first night offshore well, right? You feelin' seasick?"

Kora shook his head.

"Homesick?"

Kora paused, then shook his head.

Kane clicked his tongue, closing his eyes as he thought, then huffed as an idea came to mind. "Then… you're missin' your pops, ain't ya?"

Kora flinched, then nodded his head. "...Is it that obvious?"

"Nah, I just know you don't get worried over a whole lot about outside of him," Kane said. "Last I checked, the only things you cared about was your pops, your bro, your ma, and that c– twat, Minerva. And all but one of 'em are on this ship." Kane shuffled in Kora's mane until his back was to the Zoroark's. "And… Shit, did you get to say goodbye before we left?"

"...Yeah. It was the middle of the night," Kora muttered, holding his elbows. "I know I'm not as good at sensing as him, but I swear I felt him then. Like he's… he's right there, almost close enough to hug."

Kane nodded his head, reaching an arm down to pat Kora's side. "That's good. I heard stories that spirits like to come out at night, so who knows, maybe he came up to see you off."

"Maybe," Kora said softly. "I wonder if he hugged me, and I didn't realize it…" A pause, then Kora sniffled. "I should've hugged him back."

"Hey now, it's not like you coulda known," Kane said, patting Kora again. "Honestly, I'd just be glad that I got a ghost hug at all if I was in your shoes. Er, paws. Basically, it ain't somethin' to beat yourself up over."

"I guess," Kora said, sighing. "...Where did you say your dad was buried again?"

"My old man? I still don't know, but he'd better be at our old home," Kane said, chuckling. "Honestly, I'm just glad I'm headin' back so soon. I'll finally get to see my old man off."

Kora rolled onto his side, letting his legs and arms hang over the side of the bed to let Kane lay down comfortably. "Oh right, you didn't get to say goodbye, did you?" Kora whispered. "...I'm sorry."

"I said it before, it ain't nothin' you gotta apologize about," Kane said, waving it off. "I still don't got the full details of what happened, but safe to say you ain't on the suspect list." The Scrafty punched his fist, growling lowly. "But I know I got a few skulls to crack that are."

"But first we gotta do guild stuff, don't we?" Kora hummed. "I uh… don't think you can crack any heads until we do… Or maybe you should do it before?"

Kane shrugged, turning back around to pull Kora onto the bed proper, then rolled over the Zoroark to get off the bed. "I'll see what happens," he chuckled, stretching out his back. "But is all this talk helpin' you go to sleep at all?"

Kora sheepishly shook his head. "N-No… I think I'm still shaking off all the dungeon… stuff."

"You an' me both. And… everyone else too, probably," Kane chuckled, then sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his tail on his lap. He looked down at himself, his built, lean figure, his no-longer loose skin… For a Scrafty, he'd looked like a freak. Or a nudist at least. "That place was messed up. Really did a number on all of us."

"Right?" Kora snickered. "It felt like a year-long nightmare."

"You don't gotta tell me, I lived it," Kane laughed, then blinked and looked back at Kora. "...No, were you stuck in there a year too?"

Kora stared back, then shrank and shook his head. "...I don't know," he muttered. "I… I lost track."

For once, Kane looked soft and concerned. "Holy shit, dude," he said. "I'm… I'm sorry. Goddamn…"

"It's fine, we all made it out in the end," Kora said, attempting to smile. "And we're all together again, so it's fine!" He then winced, and whimpered quietly as he wrapped his arms around himself. "...Everyone but our dads."

"Kora…" Kane whispered. He looked at the fox, then sighed and shook his head. "Geez, why'd you have to go an' say that? Our dads weren't even a part of all that dungeon bullshit," he said. "You know what, fine. I'm allowing it. At this point I'd be a dick not to."

Kora blinked at Kane, his ear twitching. "...Really?"

"Before I change my mind," Kane scoffed, grinning. "And you better not tell nobody I did this either or I am never, ever, doing this again. Got it?"

Kora lit up almost instantly, and before Kane had a chance to think thrice, the Zoroark pulled him into a tight, powerful hug. "Thanks, Kane," Kora purred, squeezing the reptile as he did so.

"G-God…dammit..!" Kane choked out, patting Kora on the back. "Y-You're gonna pop me like a d-damn grape! Let up a bit, will ya?!"

"Oh, uh, sorry," Kora tittered, loosening his grip enough to let Kane breathe. "I forgot I got stronger, hehe."

"No kiddin'," Kane said weakly before falling limp in Kora's arms. "Just… remember I need air, and you can hug me as hard as you need. For tonight. And this stays between us, remember?"

Kora happily nodded, then went back to squeezing the life out of Kane. It was like being wrapped in the loving, crushing arms of a stone sculpture, but at least one covered in moss. A lot of moss, and somehow still not enough to make up for being stuck here in the first place. But, if the slight wag of Kane's tail meant anything, it's that he didn't totally mind it.

---

The following days went mostly the same as the first. As it turned out, the seafaring life was almost as mundane as island life, much to Z's dismay. And without the ability to spar, that slowly turned into everyone's dismay, especially thanks to the detour Zen suggested. The days felt longer, the nights more unbearable, as sheer boredom washed over everyone on board. It was so overbearing that the absence of one or two members of the ship was overlooked.

But Zen, still keeping track of the hours, and perhaps even the minutes and seconds, nothing was different. The eighty-four hours remaining became eighty, then seventy-six. Sixty-three. Fifty-eight. Forty-four. Thirty-two. Twelve. Five, four… three…

By the time two hours remained, Azure City was in sight. Shimmering in the early morning sun like jewels in a sky-blue pond. It looked like it stretched on forever on either side. Zen stood alone at the front of the ship, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the slowly approaching city. A tense grimace was fixed on his face, accompanied by a look of disgust… But all that faded as only an hour remained until they arrived.

"Thirty-six hundred, thirty-five ninety-nine, thirty five ninety-eight…" Zen started counting down, not the minutes, but the seconds.

At only two thousand thirty-four seconds remaining, Zen was joined by Frost holding two cups of coffee, one of which had a heady, boozy smell. The Weavile offered one to Zen, the one that was just coffee, but the Bisharp remained focused on counting, barely giving Frost any mind. "And here I thought you'd be a coffee lover," Frost chuckled, hopping onto the railing and setting one cup down, sipping from the other. "You nervous?"

"Twenty twenty-five, twenty twenty-four, twenty twenty-three," Zen went on, gripping his arms tightly.

"Yeah, you're right, why would I even think such a thing," Frost scoffed and gave a low, sarcastic bow. "You'll have to pardon my hubris, m'lord."

"Twenty nineteen, twenty eighteen, twenty seventeen."

Frost let out a yawn, sipping more coffee. "Jokes aside, I don't blame ya. But it's been, what, half a decade since ya left Azure, right? Things can't be as bad as you left it."

Zen finally stopped counting, looking down at Frost coldly. "Half a decade is hardly even a passing thought to most of us. Especially in Azure," he said. "But that does not apply to everyone within."

"Eh, maybe, maybe not," Frost shrugged. "But is counting the seconds gonna make that any better? You're gettin' all riled up, and for what? Somethin' that probably shouldn't bother ya anyway?"

"I am not bothered by anything," Zen spat.

"Absolutely," Frost said with blatant sarcasm, not believing that for a second. "You've just been up since midnight because you're determined to get to shore as the clock hits seven." That didn't get a response from Zen, so Frost sighed and shook his head. "Anyway, the dinghy is all set up. I'm droppin' it in half an hour whether you're on it or not. And just like with the rest of my ship, if it comes back with a scratch, you're leavin' with a dent."

"Noted," Zen said flatly, refocusing on the city before them. "...Nineteen forty-four, nineteen forty-three…"

Frost gave Zen a tired look, then hopped off the rail and went about his business. Someone had to make sure everyone was awake after all.

---

"Alright everybody, time to get outta bed!" Frost's voice boomed through the entire lower deck of the ship. It sounded like there were speakers in every room, but where was the question. And, understandably, as everyone was scared awake or startled from the voice, nobody knew the answer to that. "We're comin' up on Azure in less than an hour. Diana and I already made breakfast, so make sure y'all get somethin' to eat before we dock!"

Rio was one of the unlucky few who had Frost's voice wake them up from blissful rest, and was possibly the only one who fell off their bed in a panic. He let out a long, tired groan, but didn't bother to help himself up off the ground. Unlike Rio, Z woke up as if nothing happened; yawning and stretching out his back and arms, then smacking his lips before hopping right out of bed.

"Gooooooooooooood morning!" Z happily chirped, standing over Rio with a bright smile. "You fall outta bed a lot, huh? That's like… the third morning in a row."

"It's a living," Rio scoffed. He rolled over and pushed himself off the ground, dusting his body off. "Anyway, dunno if you heard, but we're coming up on Azure. Honestly, I'm almost gonna miss this boat ride."

Z beamed, clapping his paws. "I knew the sailor's life rubbed off on you!" he snickered. "Oh! We should hurry and eat a big breakfast! I know for a fact that we got a lot of walking to do once we get off this grand ol' thing!"

"Well it is a city. Wonder just how big it is," Rio muttered as he rubbed his neck. "...I might miss this ship but my neck sure won't. I hope wherever we're supposed to be staying has some comfy pillows…"

"You're probably gonna need a chiropractor," Z snorted before running out the door. "Oooo! Breakfast smells delicious!"

And just getting a whiff of it from the cracked door, Rio had to agree. He didn't have to step out to pick out some of his favorites from scent alone. Eggs, cheese, sausages… And probably a ton of other things too! Maybe falling out of bed one last time was worth it.

It looked like almost everyone else had much the same idea, as once they stepped out of their rooms, their tired faces lit up and turned to the source of the delectable aroma coming from the living area. Even Minerva and Kane walked past each other without any fuss as they groggily marched towards what must've been a feast set out for them. Rio even caught a glimpse of Paras scuttling up from the ship's storage. He didn't know it could be enticed by food.

Unfortunately for Rio, everyone else had already beaten him to the breakfast line. Which was split between the bar and the large booth table being stacked with food. Like, a lot of food. Definitely way more than was necessary. There were eggs and sausages of course, but also waffles and pancakes, hash browns and fried potatoes, bacon bits and freshly shredded cheese, diced fruits and oatmeal, pitchers of coffee, and pitchers of juice that were so sweet Rio could already feel the cavities just by looking at them. It was enough to make Rio think he hadn't woken up at all, and certainly didn't want to either. And, standing before it all, between the food and the hungry, groggy passengers of BoraBora, was Diana and Frost. Both wearing aprons and proud, accomplished smiles.

"Help yourselves," Diana said with a slight bow. "We wanted to make our last breakfast of the trip something substantial."

"We bein' her. Dragged me outta bed at the crack of dawn just to get all this ready for y'all," Frost scoffed, puffing out his chest. "So for my lackin' sleep, y'all better eat your fill and like it!"

The room was filled with a resounding "Yes sir!" from almost everyone present, or excited cheers at the realization that this was all indeed real. Then all hell broke loose as everyone grabbed plates and stacked them high with more food than they should've been able to eat. But, miraculously, no plates were left half-eaten, and no leftovers remained to be tossed. Afterwards, Nate and Zeke were put on kitchen duty under Nari's watch, and everyone was led up on deck for one last announcement.

---

Zen held his hands behind his back, tapping on his gauntlet as he mentally kept track of his countdown. Just over two thousand seconds remained. He'd have to make this quick if he wanted to honor Frost's deadline. Even if it wasn't likely the Weavile would just… let his dinghy go without a passenger.

He waited as long as he could for everyone to gather, then immediately jumped into what he had to say. He barely gave them the chance to admire the vast city ahead of them. "I, and Kane, will not be joining you as we all go to shore," Zen said curtly. "For reasons we will get into once we reach our abode."

Confusion circled the air at that, even from Kane. "Huh?" the Scrafty blinked, staring at Zen for a moment before his eyes widened and he recalled something. "Oh, yeah, right. Nearly forgot about that," he chuckled, then walked over to Zen's side. "It's complicated, can't exactly get into it now. Couldn't do it earlier either," he said, giving a passing glance to Diana before chuckling again.

That, obviously, didn't do much to clear the air and only made it worse, but before any questions came in, Zen held up a hand to quiet everyone. "It is nothing to worry about, honestly. In fact, we should be able to join back up with you all once you are let into Azure. It should take no longer than ten minutes, maybe even fifteen."

"Yeah, so just stick with all the old folks and things'll pass quick," Kane added, crossing his arms and grinning. "Shortstack might throw a fit though, so keep an eye on her, alright?" he said with a smug nod towards Minerva.

"Ya wanna run that by me again?" Minerva growled, electricity crackling around her whiskers.

"Nah, don't feel like gettin a megaphone to let ya hear me a second time. Wonder if you can even pass the height limit they got at customs," Kane snorted as Minerva practically foamed at the mouth. Kane then tapped Zen with a fist. "When're we gettin' off?"

Zen looked at Kane, then Minerva. "A minute and a half," he said, loud enough for the feline to hear before taking a step away from Kane.

"...What?" Kane said. A second later a wooden bucket was thrown at his head, which he just barely ducked out of the way of. "O-Oh shit!"

"Then I got a minute an' a half to rip you in two!" Minerva barked, lunging at Kane with death in her eyes. Everyone else could only watch as Kane was torn apart, desperately trying to fend for himself. Not even Frost stepped in to enforce his "No fighting" rule. Inversely, Mew started cheering them both on, which got Kai and Mia to do the same, and eventually Lucas, Nina, and Jay as well.

Ignoring the chaos entirely, Zen walked over to the other side of the deck where a small boat sat in wait, just as well kept as the rest of the ship. It had two paddles, a retractable sail, and enough room for two or three to sit and sail comfortably. Frost joined him standing on the edge of the dinghy with crossed arms.

"You started a fight on my ship," Frost huffed.

"We both saw that Kane brought it on himself," Zen said flatly. "If anyone here is to blame, it's his hubris."

"That's rich, comin' from you," Frost scoffed, then stepped to the side to let Zen onto the small boat. "But I ain't gonna rib ya on it any more. This'll be so long for a while. Hopefully not until we got news on Lee." He paused for a moment, then looked Zen in the eye. "You sure you got the resources still to search with us? I dunno how your… business lasted with you gone, but half a decade without a boss would break anythin' down."

Zen gave a dismissive wave as he sat down. "If they know what is good for them, they have been waiting for me, or they died," he said, his voice as cold as his steel. "If I cannot find news of Lee in a week, I will step down and focus on… other things."

"And ya sure these other things ain't gonna get in the way the second you get on shore?" Frost asked, tapping his bicep.

Zen sharpened his glare at Frost. "You know better than to assume you know my business."

"An' you know better than to give me lip," Frost said, rolling his eyes. "Really thought you'd grow outta this by now but–" Frost suddenly stepped to the side, and Kane's beaten body crashed into the dinghy beside Zen. The Scrafty muttered incoherently, and looked barely conscious, "–to each their own I s'pose." He hopped off the side of the boat, raising a claw as ice crystals circled around him. "Take care, metalhead."

Zen only gave a polite nod, then put a hand on Kane to hold him down. A pillar of ice rose the dinghy into the air, then formed a ramp into the sea that the boat followed at surprising speed. As soon as the boat hit the water, Zen opened the sail and he and Kane sped off towards the city. Frost watched for a moment or two longer, putting a claw on his ice to break it down, then went over to the others. Some of them were parading Minerva around for her victory, others looked worried, most likely about Kane, and Mew was still cheering for both contenders despite the fight long since ending.

"Alright, we had a whole trip and only one of my rules were broken," Frost said with a laugh. "I'm surprised y'all held out to the very end, but now, this is it. Keep your watches at the ready, we got thirty minutes 'till we hit land." He put his paws together, then pointed up at the sky. "Then after that, the world is yours!"

"Really?" Rio asked, an excited grin on his snout.

"Yeah, really?" Jay said with a sarcastic scoff. "That's the cheesiest line I've heard in a while."

"Just 'cuz it's cheesy don't mean it ain't accurate, Leaf," Minerva scoffed, basking in the radiance of her victory still. "I'm gonna take everythin' I can 'till I'm filthy stinkin' rich!"

Mew floated over, giggling and laughing to herself. "If it helps, I think you're already plenty dirty!" she chirped at Minerva. "So you only got a third of the way to go!"

"You what?!" Minerva barked, lunging at the pink cat and missing horribly. She hit the ground, but got up and shook a fist at Mew. "Get down here an' lemme clobber ya! Ya lousy pink cat!"

"You'll have to catch me with your filthy stinkin' mitts first~!" Mew cooed, floating just out of reach of Minerva.

Frost watched his daughter and Mew run and float over the ship, chasing after each other. And then the others joining in after. It was nice to watch, and looked fun too. He had a smile on his face before he returned to the front of the ship, and took in a long, deep breath of the salty sea air as Azure was fast approaching.

"...Fifteen hundred, right?" Frost muttered to himself, seeing his dinghy with Zen and Kane just before they turned into a blur in the ocean. "Those kids better stay in one piece."

---

Azure looked big before, but now… it looked vast. It actually looked like it stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction. The skyline was something else… The buildings looked more like mountains in front of the endless sky. Almost all of them pierced through the clouds, but one in particular, a tall spire that looked to be in the center of Azure, was the tallest of them all. It shimmered in the golds and oranges of the morning sky, enough that Rio thought it was made of gold. The sight felt familiar to Rio, like a nostalgic memory from a different perspective. Seeing the colors of fall in the winter sky from ground level, instead of from above. It reminded him of how small he was… but that didn't feel like a bad thing either.

And that feeling only grew as the closer to Azure the ship got, the size of the city became apparent. Even the dock was incredibly huge. Wooden paths stretched out to sea before the shore was even in sight. Ships of all sizes, including larger than the vast sailing vessel that was the BoraBora, lined up in rows. It bustled with more Pokemon than Rio had ever seen in one place, swarming like Nize's hive of giant feral Galvantula, but somehow far more crowded. Some departed from ships, others climbed out of the water, and others still departed on ships and sailed right out to sea.

There was this thick, cool… buzz of life in the air, or for a better way to put it, a ton of aura coming from basically everything around. It was like walking into a cool fog. Rio was glad that his aura sense was out now, because if he tried to use it at all, he knew he'd be fighting a migraine for days. That "fog" only got thicker and stronger as BoraBora cruised closer to shore. Rio could practically feel the fog rolling off from Azure itself. The smallness he felt crept into a claustrophobic tightness around his head, specifically his bangles that he always forgot were there. It got hard to breath, and the buzz of aura grew louder and colder in his head. He almost had to step away, when Diana put a paw on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, dear?" Diana asked with that familiar, calming, motherly tone. "Is it the city's aura?"

"I-I think so," Rio muttered, holding his head. "I can't even sense and it's still a lot to take in… W-What's that about?" He looked around at the others, and much to his surprise, another person showing any negative reaction was Kora, staring at Azure with wide, frightened eyes. Rio took a step towards the Zoroark, aided by Diana, and tried to get his attention. "Hey, partner? You feeling alright?"

Kora blinked and shook his head, then looked down at Rio. "Me? Uh, yeah… I mean, no," he said with an antsy shift in his stance. "This is… I mean… I dunno, it feels so weird here," he said before he looked back at Azure. "What's with everything being so… big? And everyone here feels so strong… Wait no, I…" Kora shook his head again. "There's just so much."

Diana held Kora's head in her paws, giving a warm smile. "It'll be alright, sweetheart," she spoke softly, bringing his forehead to hers. "I'm surprised too, seeing and feeling a city of this size for the first time. But we will manage."

Kai and Mia ran between Diana's and Kora's legs, smiling up at both of the grown foxes. "This place feels great!" Kai chirped. "I feel like I could run and run and run and run for days!"

"Since when was Azure this big?" Eva muttered, holding her elbows. "I know for a fact it wasn't this big when we left it a few years back…"

Her mother, Heather, shook her head. "Azure's growth is one of its selling points. I think the last time you saw it, it was half this size." The mother Zangoose patted her daughter on the head. "But what really matters is that the layout mostly stayed the same. So with that good memory of yours, you should be fine."

"I don't… believe it," Nina said, a look of awe on her face.

"It's way way way bigger than I remember," Lucas added, his awe matching Nina's.

"We were only gone a year, weren't we? How much construction could they have done?" Jay finished, rubbing his chin in thought.

Nari stepped before her trio and shrugged. "Didn't you three live here? Guess it's hard to notice it growing from the inside, huh?"

Minerva hopped onto Kora's mane with a greedy grin. "Look at this place! It's just got an air of luxury!" she laughed, then fell back into Kora's hair. "I can feel the pool o' cash now! Hehehehe!"

"Honestly, I thought it'd be bigger," Zeke snorted, his claws on his hips. The Blaziken then let out a laugh. "But even then I'm still seeing new buildings, even out on the edge! Maybe getting a construction gig here could rack in some cash, Minerva. You'd be perfect at that."

Mew suddenly descended to Rio's shoulder, and she held the same expression Kora did, again to Rio's surprise. His mind quickly went to his meeting with Jirachi several nights before, and remembering that Mew might read his mind, decided to focus on other things. Like Mew. "Hey, you doing alright?" he asked, shaking his shoulder slightly.

"...Yeah," Mew replied quietly. "This is just… a lot. A lot a lot." She glanced down at Rio, then shook her head and put on a smile. "But look at you! Worried about me, how sweet~!"

"Oh don't start that," Rio scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, which reminds me, we do gotta talk about something when we're landed. Maybe once we settle down at wherever we're going," he said offhandedly, trying to remain as cool as he could.

Until he realized that everyone else's eyes were on him. "...What?"

"Are you… I mean…" Eva muttered, blinking.

"Like, uh, the two of you..?" Minerva went on.

Zeke looked Rio over analytically. "Huh, I got a totally different read off him, but hey, this still works I think."

"What?" Rio asked, looking at everyone as his face grew red. "Wh-What are you talking about? Why are you staring at me?"

Jay shut his eyes and cleared his throat. "...I guess we teased too much. We just changed reality."

"Wait, really?!" Lucas exclaimed. "You mean we all made them get together?"

"And on a romantic boat ride too!" Nina giggled. "I wish I had a camera, but I'll just have to keep this in mind until I can get my hands on one!"

Rio put his face in his paws and groaned loudly. Then he wiped his face and pointed a claw at everyone present. "THIS IS NOTHING LIKE THAT! FOR THE LOVE OF GODS CAN WE JUST DROP THAT ALREADY?!"

"Maybe when you drop the wedding date," Heather snickered.

"I GET EVERYONE ELSE AND ZEKE PLAYING ALONG, BUT YOU'RE AN ADULT!" Rio snapped.

"So you admit you're getting worked up over some teasing?" Diana said with a soft giggle. "It's almost as if you're hiding something from us. Maybe we hit too close to home?"

Rio's shoulder drooped, defeated. "N-Not you too, Diana…"

"I still think you two look cute together," Z snorted, hugging himself. "Just the thought of it is enough to give me the warm-fuzzies!"

"Alright everyone! We're about to dock!" he said loudly." Suddenly, Frost's voice echoed over the ship. Which was excessive because he was with the group. And weird, because he was with the group. "Quit bullying Rio and his lady and get ready to disembark!"

"I hate it here…" Rio groaned. He did hear Mew giggle from all this at least, so she was in better spirits. Nice to know someone benefitted from this.

Everyone gathered at the edge of the ship to watch Nate and James pull it in to this reserved space, just big enough for BoraBora to sit in. Curiously enough, there was a crowd of Pokemon watching the ship dock, some families with kids excitedly pointing at the vessel, some just surprised by the size, and others that helped Nate and James guide it in. Those last folk all had satchels or hats or scarves with the insignia of the Sunrise Guild, and a few waved at the passengers on board.

As soon as the boat docked, Frost created an ice staircase to let everyone down, and Nate opened the side of the ship to let some of those of the Sunrise Guild in to unpack. Before anyone left, Frost turned to everyone with a smile on his face. "Alright, I got some business to do, and I gotta make sure these mooks don't mess up my ship. So y'all just follow Nari's lead to customs, get let into Azure, an' I'll meet ya in no time."

"Oh you son of a– You're leaving all the paperwork to me, aren't ya?!" Nari barked, crackling with electricity. But before she could strike the Weavile where he stood, he already leapt off the side of the boat. As a parting gift, Frost flipped her double bird as he fell. Nari leaned overboard and spat. "You rat!"

"Actually I'm a cat!" Frost laughed back, then crashed onto his head and fell flat on his stomach. Nari burst out laughing, then slipped off the rail and fell off herself.

Diana let out a sigh, walking down the ice staircase. "And we call ourselves professional," she chuckled. "Come now, everyone."

"Alright…" Kora gulped, looking out at the city again with a shudder before following his mom. "Aw man…"

"Hey, we got your back, twerp," Minerva said, scratching behind Kora's ear. "Especially me. Since when am I ever gonna leave ya out to dry?"

"Yeah dude, we're a team, remember?" Rio beamed, patting Kora's shoulder. "I'm sure this place'll grow on us in a day or two. Or three."

Z crept up behind Kora, then gave the fox a big ol' hug. "You'll do fine! This is gonna be more fun than you can even imagine, just you watch!"

Nina, Lucas, and Jay each popped up at Kora's side, and Nina spoke up first. "Trust me, you'll love this place! There's so much food, and games, and people! And don't think I forgot about havin' all y'all meet my family, hehe!" the Frogadier snickered.

"Just think of this as a big ol' vacation!" Lucas chirped. "I think all of us earned that anyway, right?"

"Honestly, I think you'll fit right in," Jay nodded to Kora. "You just need to stop letting us stall you with affirmations to see for yourself."

Kora tittered and rubbed the back of his head. "I-I guess," he muttered. "Thanks guys. Here goes."

Everyone else descended the staircase behind Diana, saying hello to the other Sunrise members, who greeted them back with friendly smiles and waves. Nari's trio helped her up, dusted her off, and stopped her from trying to pummel Frost into the floor when he made a remark of her almost crushing him with her rotund body.

The dock itself was wide, wide enough for several groups of 'mon to walk with ample room in between, even those carrying cargo from ships, or those of noticeable size. Even Kora, Z, and Diana, the giants they were, seemed to fit right in in regards to size. Although the three Zoroarks did catch a few eyes, with one having her mane cut short, and the other having his unruly and unkept. Even the more "normal" looking Z was met with cold gazes from time to time. There were also a few individuals that gave only a passing glance and decided to space themselves from the foxes. Those were met with a furious glare from Minerva and Nari's trio.

Kora and Diana weren't the only ones drawing attention either, as Mew was back to her playful, friendly self. She flew about, sang hellos, and levitated some of the children as she went on by. Which inevitably included Kai and Mia as well, who were quick to make friends with other kids. Rio himself got some eyes, but he didn't know what to do so he tried his best to politely ignore them.

---

Eventually, everyone made it to a large staircase headed inland, with the expanse of Azure sitting above it, and a large building sat at the top. It was made of stone and metal, which was painted white and gold, with streaks of light blue and speckles of emerald, and had giant windows that looked out to sea. There was a figure embedded on the front of it, like some sort of crest that felt familiar to Rio but… he couldn't really place it.

Once inside the group was met with somehow even more Pokemon than were outside. All going about their business inside this building that definitely looked smaller on the outside. All the lights, ceiling fans, tiled floors and industrial rugs made Sunset feel archaic with their tents and campfires. Even more apparent, to Rio at least, was the swirling aura all around this place. From the Pokemon walking around, and from… inside the walls? Just how much aura was running through this place? But despite all of the aura flying around, it wasn't nearly as bad as what Rio felt outside.

On the walls were also these monitors showing off some Pokemon doing poses. A serious looking 'mon in a dress, a Gardevoir, wielding a staff whose name was Reme, apparently. Then a short, stoic fox appeared on screen, a Braixen, with a surprisingly cold but cool expression, in contrast to the swirling fire around them. Or her, and whose name was Amber. And the last one, who caught Rio's attention the most, was… a Lucario. They looked energetic, and like they were the only one of the three shown having fun. Even their pose was unprofessional, and more flashy and dynamic, with an aura bone in each paw, a worn blue hoodie, and a… phone? With a weird angular duck?

"What… is this place?" Kora muttered, spinning around as he tried to look at everything in both shock and awe. "What's with all the lights? The crystals at the guild don't shine that bright, and… the floor is… not-rock?" His attention fell on the monitors, and he tilted his head, curious. "...Why are those guys stuck on the wall? And how are there so many of them?"

"Oh boy, you're that clueless?" Nina snickered, nudging Kora with her elbow. "Those light crystals are powered by electric aura, and the floor is made of tile. Which is… kinda like not-rock."

"Yeah, they made the rocks all pretty and sturdy so we don't have to walk on dirt," Lucas added. "And those are TVs! They show moving pictures! Like shows and movies!"

"And to answer your first question, this is Azure's Customs. It's basically where we sign ourselves in to the city," Jay finished.

"Yeah, more like I have to," Nari groaned, leaning the group to a counter in the middle of the building.

Sitting behind it was a Kangaskan, who was chatting with another group of Pokemon, all of which were wearing light blue scarves and satchels with emblems resembling that giant spire Rio saw outside. They must've been from another guild, he figured. The Kangaskan at the counter gave the group a quick once-over, then a smile and a wave. "Greetings! And salutations! I love seeing a group of brand new faces!"

"Oh? You can tell we're strangers with just a glance?" Diana asked, stepping forward and bowing slightly. "You are absolutely correct, mostly. We're coming from Sunset Valley."

Kangskhan waved a paw dismissively at the bow. "Oh I can tell. I've only ever seen one Zoroark, and his do isn't half as dashing as yours," she giggled, then gave Kora a look and a smile. "And it isn't nearly as big as his either." She then looked to Z, who was still staring at everything else in utter amazement. "That one seems more familiar though. Kinda."

"Why thank you," Diana smiled. "I guess that explains why we were getting so many looks on the docks, I hadn't heard of another Zoroark in… Goodness, I can't even recall."

"Sorry to cut this short, but I'm on a schedule." Nari hopped onto Diana's shoulder, giving the Kangaskhan a saluting wave. "Hey there Tiana, I got a bunch of freeloaders that hitched a ride on BoraBora. Figured I oughta get them in the system before I let 'em loose on the town," she said with a grin.

Heather also stepped to the front, leaning on the counter and shooting Tiana a wink. "Honestly I said we should've let 'em drown, but there's this cute kid we found. Looks just like me. Figured I'd keep her."

"I see, so Frost left you two on paper duty again?" Tiana chuckled. "And let me guess…James, Nate and Zeke are with him too I presume? He did give an early heads up to get his spot cleared and some workers at the ready. I have no idea why he needed it so early."

"Jax and Tia are here too, guess they "slept in" again," Nari shrugged. "And yeah, had to play it safe. Didn't want to beeline it through that wreck area, and we wanted to get these stowaways to their new place before sundown." She then looked over he shoulder and waved her trio over. "Speakin' of, guess who passed their guild test?"

"What? No?" Tiana looked surprised, then leaned over the counter to see Nina, Lucas, and Jay. Her eyes lit up and her smile became bright and warm. "You're kidding? Already? It feels like just yesterday I sent you three off, and now you come back as fully-fledged Sunrisers?"

Nina gave a bright smile and snickered.. "It was just a year! That's not that long, right?"

Lucas flexed his arms and puffed out his chest. "I could've graduated in half that time!"

Jay rolled his eyes and grinned. "Says the guy that set the record for most retakes of the entrance exam in a year."

"Alright, alright you three," Tiana said, waving a hand. "It's nice to see you all are in good spirits. I'll try and get in touch with your families if you want, or did you plan on surprising them with the good news?"

"Of course we're gonna surprise them!" Nina beamed. "Dad's gonna be so surprised! I can already see it now, he might even blow another hole in the wall!"

"That old turtle keeps saying that happens on instinct, but I think he just likes firing indoors," Tiana snorted, then cleared her throat and looked at the rest. "Anyway, I know you all are pressed for time, so I'll take Nari and Heather and…" she paused as her eyes fell on Mew. Tiana tilted her head, raised a brow, and hummed. "...That's new."

"Actually, her name's Mew," Minerva corrected.

"Mew? Is that her… real name, or species name?" Tiana asked. Nobody gave an answer, and Mew just smiled and gave a cute wave, to which the Kangaskan shrugged and smiled it off. "I'll put it as both in the papers, just to be safe. Speaking of which, I'll be taking Nari and Heather to do just that."

Nari threw her head back in a groan. "Oh what fun. Sitting around with the buzz of the populace as I write down names."

"Nari, please. You know we're going to my office. It's been a while since we last talked, so this'll be the perfect time to catch up," Tiana said with a sly chuckle. She then gave the others a nod as she stood up from her desk. "We will be a while, and since this shouldn't have any setbacks, let's just say you're all welcomed into Azure with open arms. There will be this nice Ledian out front, he'll give you all maps and directions to anywhere you need." With that, she got from behind her desk and walked to the other side of the building, with Heather at her side, and Nari on her shoulder.

"L-Ledian?" Kora muttered, eyes wide at the mere mention of the name. "There's bug types here?"

Minerva groaned and rested her head on Kora's. "It's alright big guy, we'll do all the talkin' if we gotta. Plus, we got three natives with us. An' me, an' Kane and Zen whenever those clowns join. We might not even need this Ledian guy's help."

"Don't forget me," Eva scoffed, crossing her arms. "I… remember a lot, surprisingly. Kinda. Sorta."

Minerva raised a brow, then rolled her eyes. "Don't kid yourself doll, I've only been off this rock for five years. Ya got a whole ass decade, or close to it at least."

"Well it's better than nothing," Eva huffed, glancing at Kora before turning to the exit. "Let's get going anyway, we got a long way to go. I think."

Minerva looked at Rio, and they both shrugged, not knowing what that was about. The group pushed through the masses, heading towards the front of the building. There was still so much to see inside, but the second the rest of Azure came into view, and the glass doors leading to it were right in front of them, the customs building was the last thing on anyone's mind.

---

They were on the edge of Azure City, the waves were still audible behind them and the air was still cool and salty. But just outside the customs building, after taking that first into Azure, it was like everything changed. Buildings were everywhere they looked, starting out short near the edge, but getting taller, wider, more decorated and ornate, and they all led into the center of the city. Where every building touched the clouds and were shining and shimmering in the sunlight. And at the heart was that spire, of course.

Pokemon were everywhere too. Crowding the roads, soaring in the air. Some of them were bare like one would expect, others wore comfy, stylish, or purely decorative clothing. Some carried boxes and packages from the docks, coming from another exit that didn't need to go through customs. Plenty of groups had those same blue scarves or bags, and seemed to watch over everyone passing by.

"Whoa…" Rio muttered. "This place just keeps getting bigger, doesn't it."

"And that weird feeling is… gone?" Kora said, looking down and flexing his paws. "I actually feel kinda… great, now."

"That's because the aura in customs was purposefully constructed to tune one's aura to that of Azure's collective one!" A voice, bright and chipper, spoke from behind. Everyone turned to see a Ledian, whose blue hat somehow perfectly went with his red exoskeleton. "Hi there! For the sake of privacy, please just call me Ledian, and this–" he stepped to the side, revealing a… purple Kangaskhan with a blue scarf, who looked a lot like Tiana, "This, is Kangaskhan."

"Kangaskhan" rolled their eyes, then cleared their throat and nodded. "For simplicity's sake, you can call me Jay-Jay. Or just Jay. Or JJ to make it even simpler," she said, then looked right at Nina and smiled smugly. "Took you long enough to get back here Nini."

"JJ!" Nina squealed, swiftly wrapping the purple 'mon in her arms and squeezing tightly. "Oh my goodness, you graduated too?! What are the odds!"

JJ let out a choked gasp, not at all prepared for the hug. "H-Hey wait a sec! You're gonna pop me like a grape!"

"Oop, sorry," Nina giggled. "I missed you! If I didn't leave my phone behind I'd have called, or texted! Anything! We just ran into your mom too!"

"So you told her the news before me? Can't believe I'm playing second fiddle to my own ma," Jay snickered. "Nice to have you back. And strong as hell too, what they hell do they do to you on that island?"

"What didn't they do to us," Jay chuckled. "The training was intense, but hey, it paid off in the end."

"Alright poindexter, nice to see you too," JJ scoffed. "I hope you didn't wear my name out out there?"

Jay scoffed back, crossing his arms. "Well I'm sure you wore out mines in here, creampuff."

Lucas blinked, then shook his head. "Oh man, this is gonna mess with my head again… Which one do I just call Jay again?"

"And you haven't changed a bit, knucklehead," JJ sighed, then stood up straight and cleared her throat. "Anyway, we're here to welcome you all to Azure. Ledian has some maps to pass out, as Azure has changed since you three last came. It'll come in handy."

"Oh! I didn't even have to reel you in this time! Well done!" Ledian said, clapping his hands before grabbing several things from his bag and handing them out. Instead of maps made of paper, they were… silver metal balls, with gems in the middle. "These are our latest models of Azure Eyes, or AEs for short! Thanks to the super malleable Aurmetal, it'll change into whatever shape you see fit with just the slightest channeling of aura!" Ledian gave an example by holding one up, and with a lemony green glow of aura, the ball morphed into a strap, then a wristlet, then a necklace. "Then all you have to do is put it on, and then channel aura through the gem to bring up the map!" His aura flickered again, then a map made of the same color appeared in the air. "Right now we're on the edge of the Entertainment District, if you have housing plans already settled, they're most likely to be in the Residential District, which is to the west! Oh, and this will also show you the time, and can be easily integrated into any cell you might buy later on! If you don't buy a cell, you can also get your aurmetal tempered into a wide variety of colors and textures!"

The show of technology was still captivating most of the group. Aside from Nari's trio and Z, everyone was blinking and staring at their gifted Aurmetal ball and tried to shape it like Ledian did. However, Ledian spoke up once again. "Um… Weren't there three Zoroarks?" he asked, holding two extra maps in his hand. "I know I saw a third. I think I answered him too." The bug then looked up to see Minerva in mid air. "...And how are you flying?"

"Huh?" Minerva blinked, then looked down. "Oh, uh, I'm on the last guy. He's invisible."

"D-Don't just say that!" squeaked the wind in the sound of Kora's panicky voice. But how could that be? There was nothing there.

"Oh, I see," JJ nodded. "I never did figure out that Zoroark ability. But when you only ever hear about one and he's way above you on the ladder, guess it makes sense. Adds to the mystery, ya know?"

"Indeed," Ledian said, then tossed the two maps up to Minerva. "Perhaps your friend shouldn't be invisible for long. Getting bumped into is a bit of an issue at time, and not seeing him will only add to that."

Minerva suddenly dropped down, or whatever invisible mass under her did. Whatever could it be? "D-Did he say getting bugged into?!" the wind cried.

"Oh quit it will ya?" Minerva spat, sighing. "Sorry about 'im. He's got a terrible phobia."

Ledian smiled and shook his head. "I don't mind at all. Type phobias are a dime a dozen, especially the irrational ones. I think he'll be happy to hear that bug types aren't as common in Azure, at least those that stick to the surface. As long as he doesn't go above or below that, he should be fine!" Ledian looked down at his aurmetal wristlet, specifically the time, then lit up. "Oh, we must go make our rounds! You all take care, and have a divine time here in Azure!"

"Wait, really?" JJ blinked, then snapped and groaned. "Geez, guess there ain't no rest for the wicked. Later Nini, keep poindexter and knucklehead outta trouble!" she said with a wave as she followed Ledian elsewhere.

"Alright! See ya later!" Nina waved back.

"Azure Eyes?" Z muttered, rolling his ball in his paw before pushing it to his collar. The metal shifted into each other, the gems slid to be side by side, and the collar grew just slightly to let a necklace-like attachment hang at the bottom. "Interesting name."

"Look at mine! Look at mine!" Mew giggled. She morphed her Azure Eye into a band around her waist. Then it moved up and down on her body, spiraled around her, and even changed into a pink hue. "I can do a lotta crazy things!"

"That's… really impressive," Eva hummed. "I'll just stick with making mines a ring. It's uh… kinda hard to do all that."

"No kiddin'," Minerva said, and she could barely even manage a ring with hers. It became a square, then a circle, then round again, then spiky. But she couldn't get it to open up and be a ring. "Screw this!" Minerva barked and threw the thing.

Mew caught it, easily shaped it, and then offered it back to Minerva. "Here ya go~" she cooed.

Minerva shot Mew a glare before sliding the ring on her tail. "...Thanks."

Rio chuckled, then looked at his own AE. It needed aura to work… and he couldn't use his at all right now. "I'll shape mines later," he muttered.

"Really? I can do it for ya!" Mew chirped as she sat back on his shoulder. "Lemme see! Lemme see!"

"Ok, alright!" Rio tittered, then handed his AE over. Mew, again, effortlessly formed it into a ring and presented it to the Lucario with a bright smile.

"Ta-da!" Mew said, then held out her paw. "Now gimme."

Rio tilted his head. "Gimme?"

"Your paw, of course!" Mew snickered.

Rio shrugged and held his paw up to Mew. The feline carefully held it, then slipped the ring on his middle digit. He flexed his paw and smiled. "Huh, fits like a glove. Thanks Mew," he said with a grateful smile.

Noticing it had gone silent, however, Rio turned to see everyone staring at him again. The jackal frowned and glared at each of them. "What now?"

"Nothing," everyone said at once, looking away with faux innocence. Everyone except Kora, who had returned and looked lost.

"What?" Kora blinked. "What happened this time? Did I miss it?"

"Don't worry about it," Diana said softly, having formed her AE into an earring. She looked at everyone else, then Azure, then specifically the spire in the middle, and finally sighed. "...I believe this is where we part ways, for now," Diana said, putting her paw on her chest. "I have somewhere I need to go, so I can't join you all at your new abode."

Kai, who was making his AE spin on his snout until now, suddenly stopped and looked up at Diana. "Oh yeah, you're leaving…" he muttered, sliding his AE around his ear. "When will you be back?"

"At least a week or two," Diana said begrudgingly. "...Maybe more."

"But… I mean…" Kora stammered. "Where do you have to go? Why do you have to go?"

Diana paused for a moment, then turned to Kora and smiled. "I get that you're scared, but you're my big boy now, aren't you?" she said softly. "Azure is big, but you aren't in it alone. You'll be alright?" She then knelt down to Kai, lifting him in her arms. "And you as well, my darling boy."

"Th-That didn't answer big bro's question," Kai muttered, sniffling. "O-Or mine."

Diana planted a kiss on his forehead, then sighed, relenting somewhat. "It's business, which is all I can say for now. It is for the best I tell you both little, but I can at least say I will be fine, and I will be back."

Kora looked like he wanted to protest, but closed his eyes and gave in. "...Alright," he said under his breath, then wrapped his arms around Diana and held her tight.

"It will be alright, sweetheart. Make sure you keep an eye on your brother," Diana said, holding both her sons close before letting go. "Just know, no matter what happens, Arceus is watching and will protect you, and no matter what danger you may be in, I will never be too far away." Diana took a step back, giving everyone one last warm smile before vanishing in a flash of lighting.

"Bye… mom," Kora muttered, holding Kai in his arms. He let out a quick exhale, then chuckled. "What a bummer."

"I know, right," Kai sighed, nuzzling into Kora's chest, where he was soon joined by Mia.

Nina hopped in front of the two and tittered. "Well it doesn't have to be a bummer, she knows what she's doing! Your mom is literally, like, a super hero!" she exclaimed. "If anything, I bet she'll be back before you know it!"

"Right, yeah," Kora muttered, then chuckled and shook his head. "I dunno why I gotta be so worried, mom's rad."

"Isn't she?" Kai snickered, brightening back up.

"'Sides, she wouldn't want ya both mopin' around. Don't forget we got work to do too," Minerva scoffed from atop her crimson resting place. "First, find dumb an' dumber, then get to our new home, then all this guild nonsense."

"It's all so very exciting, isn't it? Can you imagine what we're gonna do here?" Z said with an excited snicker. "It's gonna be awesome!"

Eva grinned and pumped a fist. "I'm already wondering what we have to do to pass into Sunrise. It can't be worse than that dungeon!"

"Oh please, nothing can ever be that bad," Jay scoffed.

"We only heard stories, but it still gives me the shivers," Nina shuddered.

"I bet I coulda went in and got out perfectly fine," Lucas laughed.

Rio rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "We'll have to see about that. Nothing stopping us from going back to Sunset and throwing you insiiiiiide," he said with an ominous, spooky voice.

Lucas shook in place, then snapped a glare at Rio. "A-As if we'd go all the way back to do just that!" he huffed. "So how about we, uh, d-don't joke about it!"

Laughter rolled over the group, quickly lost in the endless chatter of Azure, but it still brought a pleasant warmth with it. For this… big, new step in their lives, getting into Azure was surprisingly easy, and so far everyone was so nice. Even the aura coming from Azure was little more than unnoticable by now. Rio felt that this was a good sign of things to come. Maybe they could beat Lee without killing him, maybe Jirachi will be back unharmed, and Diana too.

Unfortunately, Rio's thoughts were stopped short when someone approached him. He couldn't even feel them coming, and even with him looking right at them, he still didn't feel anything. Which is what he should have felt this entire time, aura-wise. Anyway, a tall, slender figure in a white dress, with a red horn in her chest, and luxurious green hair stood before Rio. She looked unfamiliar for a moment, until Rio quickly recalled one of the Pokemon he saw on the monitors in the customs building.

"...Hold on, are you…" Rio blinked, tilting his head. "That Gardevoir on the screens in there? Uh, Reme?"

"The one and only," the Gardevoir said with a nod. She sounded just as serious as her image made her out to be. "And you are Rio, I assume?"

Rio… didn't know what to do about that. He took a step back, concerned. "H-How do you know my name?" he stuttered.

"Because Tiana works fast. Truly she deserves a raise," Reme said, holding up a hand to calm Rio. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. For now."

"F-For now?" Rio gulped.

That was probably a joke, but Reme didn't laugh before or after she said it or Rio reacted. She looked at the rest of the group, her eyes falling on Mew for a second longer than the rest. "You all are from Sunset Valley, and just disembarked from the BoraBora earlier this morning, correct?" she asked. The surprise from her just… being here hadn't passed yet, so she didn't wait for an answer. "I am Reme, Gardevoir, and highest commanding officer of the Azure Skies guild, or simply the Azure Guild. You all, not including Nina, Lucas, and Jay, are to come with me."

"Wh-What?" Kora froze up, holding Kai and Mia tighter. "Why?"

"Yea, an' I hope ya ain't throwin' around your title like it means somethin'," Minerva growled. "I can show ya what it's really like to throw somethin' in a sec."

"C-Calm down, Minerva!" Eva and Rio both whispered-shouted, then anxiously stood side by side in front of Reme. Rio spoke up first. "S-Sorry about that, b-but, uh…"

"Why a-are you taking us away?" Eva finished, her paws shaking.

Reme looked at Minerva, then Eva and Rio, and finally Kora and the rest. "Simple. I will be taking you to your new abode," she said flatly.

"...Huh?" came from the group, stunned into silence yet again. Even Mew was quiet.

"You all are an easy bunch to surprise. Island life must've been too calm in comparison to the city," Reme noted aloud, then shook her head. "It is exactly as I said. I will be your escort to your abode. Nina, Lucas, Jay, Kai, and Mia are members of the Sunrise Guild, and will be escorted to the Sunrise building when Tiana lets go of Nari or Heather, or when Frost joins again," she explained, gesturing to the trio in question before doing the same to everyone else. "And you all, will be living separately. Is that not the case?"

"Uh, y-yeah, it is," Rio muttered. "We just… didn't know you would be taking us, miss."

"Please, just call me Reme. I'm hardly any older than any you," Reme said with the smallest smile on her face. She then seemed to frown for a moment, then turned around and raised a hand. "Now then, if you would all follow me. We have quite a walk ahead of us, and I am rather pushed for time."

Before anyone could say anything, Reme started walking away. Not wanting to be left behind, Nari's trio were given a quick goodbye, a hug or two, and then the rest were off. Kai and Mia, however, didn't stick around with their fellow guild members, choosing to hide in Kora's mane. No one would be any the wiser.

---

One would expect that while the main area of the customs building was bright and warm and welcoming, the offices in the back of it were more standard and business-like. Organized and uniform, with dull buzzing lights and boring wallpaper decorating the halls and rooms. Instead, it was just as alive as the rest of the building. Monitors on the walls set to different shows, idle chatter between workmates, and enough space and room to breathe and for the larger 'mon to move around with ease. The office rooms were no different, and each was customized for the employee who worked there. Tiana's, for example, was large and wide, with a comfortably large sofa and coffee table in the middle. Pictures of her and her daughter, and of her and her friends like Nari and Heather, and even Frost, hung on the walls. Her desk was an organized mess of papers and knick knacks, all without a speck of dust in sight.

Tiana sat on the sofa with Nari and Heather, the Pikachu sitting firmly in her lap, and each with a fizzy drink in hand. "No way. That was Diana? Arceus's Knight?" she gasped. "I didn't even recognize her. Why'd she cut her hair? And… uh… was she always so…"

"Di was always built like a brick wall, but something happened recently and she decided to bulk up even further," Nari explained with a wave of her paw. "And the hair was a part of that I guess. Makes sense, I still don't know how a Zoroark can fight with that damn thing."

Heather shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "She could kick our asses with ease in spite of it. I'd hate to get on her bad side now."

"Oh, no, I wasn't talking about that," Tiana tittered. "I mean… she's a bit too formal, don't you think? Bowing and all that?"

"That? Eh, you get used to it," Nari said, leaning her head back into Tiana. "She follows her knightly code to a "T" in public, trust me, she isn't that stiff all the time. Not that you'll really have to worry about that. She's gonna be gone for a while."

Tiana tittered again. "Right. But… She didn't say where? Is that… not weird?"

"It absolutely is, but knowing her, it's Arceus related," Heather hummed, frowning slightly. "Speaking of… how long until Mawile comes and gets these papers? Did she give you a time or did she just tell you to hold us until she felt like it?" The Zangoose then yawned and nudged Tiana with an elbow while flashing a slight grin. "Not that we mind, really. You're great company."

"Oh, please, you're just saying that," Tiana giggled, then looked down at her cup and sighed. "But that's literally what she said. "Until I feel like letting them out," so, really, just a few words off."

Nari groaned and crackled with sparks. "Seriously? She's not even hiding how bossy she is now," she scoffed. "What a stuck-up b–"

The door to Tiana's office shut suddenly, and papers fluttered in the wind. "My ears are ringing. I see you haven't learned to shut that mouth of yours, Nari," a voice chuckled. The source quickly revealed to be a Mawile, with her hands behind her back and her head tilted slightly upwards. She walked to the other side of the coffee table and sat on her back mouth, which was… quite large, in fact. "For badmouthing me behind my back, I should have you deported and your aura signature revoked, but I'm in a good mood so I'll let this slide."

"Speak of the devil…" Nari growled through gritted teeth. Electricity crackled more around her, enough that Tiana was starting to look worried.

"Is there a reason you called for us?" Heather spoke up, putting a hand on Nari to calm her down. "It must be important if you came all the way from Central, so I doubt it's just a hello."

Mawile laughed, crossing a leg over the other. "Actually, that's exactly it," she said smugly. "What, can't a dear old friend say hello?"

"Yeah, when you can find one, go right the hell ahead," Nari spat, putting a paw on Heather's and sighing. "We're all busy, so get to the point already."

"I already said my point, I'm just here to say hi," Mawile said, a toothy, unsettling smile on her face. "I've been looking forward to seeing you again. And Heather. A shame Frost left the paperwork to the both of you."

Nari gripped Heather's paw tighter and gritted her teeth more. "Then get the hell outta here. Or better yet, we can leave ourselves." She looked at Heather, then Tiana, before hopping to the ground and making her way to the door. "I hope the door breaks your nose on the way out."

Before Nari could reach the door, though, Mawile was already there. She was only so much taller than Nari, but somehow managed to tower over her regardless. Nari glared at her and scoffed. "Showoff."

"Why the rush? Which actually reminds me, I did have something work related to discuss with you," Mawile said, extending a hand to Nari with another toothy, unsettling smile. "Do take a seat."

"Piss off," Nari spat, slapping Mawile's hand away, but as soon as she touched Mawile's hand, she was back on the sofa in Tiana's lap. Tiana, who was lost on whatever was going on and decided it was for the best to just be quiet. She did reach for Heather's paw, who silently took it and gave her a reassuring smile and a nod.

"Now then," Mawile cleared her throat. "I've already had someone pick up the important part of your squad and sent them off. She should be escorting them now," she said, raising a claw before anyone could speak. "As they aren't members of Sunrise, they are now under my supervision, and mine alone. Whatever happens to them is also my responsibility, and I wanted to, in person, give you my word that they will be well taken care of."

Silence fell over the room, which was broken by Nari exclaiming, "huh?" in response.

"That's… all?" Heather asked, blinking. "That is… well, that is kind of you, but…"

"That's also absolutely unlike you, creep," Nari huffed and shook her head. "The hell are you gaining from any of this?"

Mawile shrugged,putting on a more neutral, serious look. "Other than keeping an eye on those acquainted with that Bisharp, nothing. I trust you wouldn't bring to-be criminals into Azure, but I have a duty to my people and this group of unknowns is a liability from where I'm standing."

"You know about Zen? He split from us and everything," Nari sighed. "That's… fair then. Yeah. Whatever."

"Thanks, Mawile…" Heather said, uncertainty hanging on the edge of her voice. "If it means anything, we were still aiming to keep an eye on them. We weren't going to let them loose without supervision."

"Oh I know, but I have more hands than Sunrise does. If something happens, we'll be the first to respond," Mawile nodded. "You're still free to do… whatever it is you had planned. Just know that I will be doing it better than you can. Which I don't mean as an insult, just a statement."

Nari narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "And I'm braindead."

"If you say so," Mawile hummed. Which got a snort out of Tiana.

Nari shot a somewhat hurt look at Tiana, then sighed and crossed her arms. "Anyway, are we done here? We got places to be and shit to unpack."

"You're free to go, yes," Mawile said with a nod. "I hope the both of you get plenty of rest, I know sailing can take a lot out of a person."

Nari and Heather hopped off the sofa, but before they left, they gave Tiana a hug and made for the door. Tiana told them to call sometime, and Mawile insisted they get some phones, but both were met with a curt wave as the two left. They traveled down the office halls until they were alone, then Nari hopped onto Heather's shoulder.

"Something's up," Nari muttered. "Outlander or not, or "important" or not, Mawile wouldn't give a rat's ass about watching someone." She paused for a moment, then sighed and gritted her teeth. "Gods…"

"I get being skeptical, but…" Heather's voice trailed off, then she sucked her teeth. "Alright I have nothing for her, but you can't say she doesn't have a point. Kora, Kane, Zen… and Rio all went berserk. Even Tia and Lucas did… and I don't know if that'll happen again."

Nari poked Heather's cheek, grimacing slightly. "How about you don't play devil's advocate when the devil is Mawile," she growled. "But yeah. It's good to have eyes on them, but remember who those eyes belong to."

"I know, Nari," Heather sighed. "But what are we going to do? We can't let up our search for Lee because we're watching Mawile watch Kora and the others, not to mention those six have their own growing to do that we can't help with. I say we just… let things play out until we can focus on something other than Lee, alright?"

"...Just because your idea is the only one that works right now doesn't make it the best one," Nari sucked her teeth. "Whatever, we'll see what happens. And if you're wrong I will not let you live it down."

Heather chuckled, poking Nari's cheek. "And when I'm right, I'll make sure you don't hear the end of it."

The pair walked down the hall, falling into idle chatter to help time pass, unaware of the toothy, unsettling smile that had vanished from behind them.