Darrell passed Helena an envelope with a red seal over the fold. "One of my team members brought you a letter from Laura," he said.
"Oh? Okay, thanks," Helena responded, taking it and narrowing her eyes at the seal. Back at her bank in Kyukonais, Helena kept financial records of all her businesses which she wouldn't want just anyone looking at, so she had a stamp empowered with the move Imprison. The stamp left seals that only she could open; it was similar to the bank's Imprison–powered ledger pen, whose ink was only erasable by the original writer. Why did Laura use my stamp? Helena wondered. Is there something strange in this letter that only I should see?
Helena excused herself from handing out food and headed to the edge of the camp. Once alone, she placed her paw over the red seal; it fizzled away. She pulled out the letter and got some good news: some pokémon from Skarmburg had settled into available apartments comfortably and were taking up jobs at the farms and factories. More were on the way, and the pokémon at Kyukonais were eager to welcome them. But then there was the bad news: food prices were rising because of how much she was purchasing for the army, and the new arrivals would accelerate the rise. Even worse for Helena was that her bank would soon run out of physical poké due to increased food prices. Laura's letter listed a detailed weekly record of her food purchases, the bank's reserves, and how much Helena owed to her citizens.
Helena felt incredibly grateful that Laura had the foresight to Imprison-seal the letter, but now she was faced with what to do. It was clear the bank would run out of physical poke to exchange for the paper notes within the next couple of weeks. Her citizens needed coins to buy imported food… which was also getting more expensive. And the number of coins they were rightfully owed was staggering. It would be catastrophic if someone was about to buy food but couldn't retrieve the poké that the ledger promised them. Helena needed coins fast!
Laura suggested raising taxes in her letter, but Helena thought that would be a terrible look for the pokémon she was about to send to the city. It might also make some of her citizens resent the newcomers instead of welcoming them…
Helena fetched Max and showed him the letter in private. "Do you think you can tag along with Darrell on the next trip to Miloa and secure some loans in my name?" Helena asked in a hushed tone.
"You speak of some risky business, my friend," Max muttered.
"It's not risky," said Helena. "I'll have plenty of tax income to pay it all off. The banks may have brushed me off when Kyukonais was a poor, corrupt, and forested province, but they'd be fools to not recognize our value now."
"Yes, we make a lot of money, but we are also at war. That is a risk to them."
Helena scoffed. "There's no way we'll lose this war with Luneland. Sure, we may not win, persay, but Luneland is certainly not in a position to cause any harm to our province."
"What if Haxony one day decides we look weak and strikes?" Max asked.
"Ha, then we can dump Duke Percival," Helena chuckled. Her grin flattened under Max's glare. "Alright, I understand why war looks risky to the bankers. Just… you don't have to spell out the adverse possibilities. Give them a positive spin! Say we're this close to total victory and just need some funds to get over the last set of walls."
"Ugh…" Max sighed into his paw.
"Hey, it's not that far from the truth," Helena smiled. "The pokémon of Denryushire really turned things around for us. Look, I'd love to go myself, but the dukes are going to question why I am not serving while they are. Should I send Terry with you? He can tell a good story," Helena grinned.
"No, no, I will handle it," Max promised.
The Solardian knights trickled back to the army camp throughout the evening, needing food and rest. King Ludwig gathered all the dukes, including the newly subjugated Duke Antonio. Many of the existing Solardian dukes eyed the Duke of Denryushire with suspicion, but Ludwig insisted on Duke Antonio's presence.
"This is preposterous!" Duke Ulysses screeched. "He is a Lunish duke! We cannot include him in our inner council!"
"Silence!" King Ludwig snapped, making everyone flinch. "Antonio has already proven his loyalty by fighting by my side and my father's side. Now, I demand to know how my wretched cousin escaped us this day!"
"Your Majesty," Duke Qasimir spoke up with a bow, "I heard reports that King Leinwig fled from the battlefield at the very first sign of trouble within his ranks. I imagine no one had the opportunity to engage him."
"Exactly like the coward he is," Ludwig sneered. "All strung up and smug when he holds the advantage, but a sniveling Wimpod at the first sign of consequences. Very well, we rest tonight and march to Rentoshire at dawn!" he announced. A few knights nearby heard his declaration and cheered in support.
Many of the dukes grimaced. "May I propose an alternative plan of action?" Duke Kendrick spoke up.
"Please do," Duke Brennan pushed.
"We hold our defeated enemies hostage until their families, lords, or subjects pay a ransom for their release. Our army will have to settle here to keep our enemies suppressed until we get the ransoms, but this is the best means of leveraging today's victory for lucrative riches."
"And grant Leinwig time to prepare defenses? Preposterous!" Ludwig hollered.
"I like Kendrick's suggestion. Some substantial ransom money will make up for our struggles to win the battle, especially since we cannot extract any wealth from Denryushire," said Duke Ulysses, glaring at the king.
"I agree," Helena spoke up. "Collecting ransom money now is the best use of our current position."
Duke Brennan and Duke Percival voiced their agreement as well. King Ludwig growled at his dukes, sparks flying. "You avaricious cowards! Have you no honor? Antonio! You will accompany me to Rentoshire, right?" he asked, turning to the Ampharos.
"O-of course, my liege," Duke Antonio bowed.
"Madelyn!" Ludwig said, whipping around to stare the Mienshao down. "You will march with me, yes?"
"I am in favor of camping here, locking down our defeated opponents, and awaiting ransoms," Duchess Madelyn responded with a bow.
"What?!"
"It would be a dishonor to march into battle without proper rest and preparation, Your Majesty."
"Qasimir!" Ludwig snapped, rounding on the Quagsire. "Tell me you and your knights will follow!"
Duke Qasimir averted his eyes, tapping his hands together. "I would, Your Majesty… but it appears my peers have already formed a consensus."
"Is that so?" Ludwig growled. "Fine, I will not waste my time with you lot. I will gather my army and lead the march to Rentoshire myself tomorrow!"
"Our knights would rather collect their hard-earned ransoms," Duke Brennan said.
"Your Majesty, I highly suggest you abide by our counsel," Duke Percival said. "Few will follow, and you may find yourself in a compromised position. Surely you do not wish to be under the mercy of your cousin once more?"
"No, which is why my whole army must destroy his army and capture him tomorrow!" Ludwig screeched.
"What do you plan to do once you get ahold of your cousin?" Helena asked.
"I will torture him," Ludwig stated.
Helena winced, taking a step back. "I meant what do you plan to do with Rentoshire," she continued. "Our original purpose was to assist your father to become King of Luneland, and I assume Duke of Rentoshire as well, but he is no longer with us. If you capture your cousin, what do you plan to do with his holdings?"
"Burn it all to the ground if you wish. I care not," Ludwig stated.
"Your Majesty," Duke Antonio gasped. "Your father would abhor the destruction of Rentoshire. You ought to continue the Rentororu family legacy as he would, however difficult. I swear to assist you in earning the trust of your other rightful vassals."
"I care little for Rentoshire," Ludwig scoffed. "Rentoshire never cared for me, only my cousin." He stomped off to attempt to persuade some knights to follow him. Duke Antonio held a hand to his forehead, slumping over.
"I daresay His Majesty may find some success in obtaining followers. He rallied the troops on the front lines by leading the charge and constantly speaking of his cousin's cruelty and ill-gotten fortune. He was, undeniably, a king in charge of his army," Duchess Madelyn said.
"We will maintain our camp and hold the defeated Lunish knights hostage. I will not allow His Majesty to sway my subjects otherwise," Duke Percival asserted. "I trust you will do the same." The dukes left to attend to their respective knights.
"Duke Antonio?" Helena addressed, approaching the lone Ampharos.
"Yes?" He focused on the Ninetales. "You are the one who spoke of my loyalty to His Majesty's late father on the battlefield. May I learn your name, my lady?"
"Princess Helena, Duchess of Kyukonais. I am Ludwig's cousin on his mother's side."
"An honor to speak with you," Duke Antonio bowed.
"Let me give you some words of advice," Helena said. "Ludwig's title holds very little sway. He has no land to his name beside the royal palace. There is no value in blindly following him. I advise you to make your own decisions."
Duke Antonio frowned. "You would disparage your liege minutes after being in his presence? And your family, too…"
"You just heard of how he does not care for his family's legacy," Helena reminded.
"He must be distraught and confused. I will allow him some time to understand the weight of his father's legacy."
Helena shook her head. "You will be waiting for a lifetime and you will lose everything by then. Do not expect much from Ludwig. He has no land to his name, and therefore no power. The ones who hold power in Solardie right now are the landholding dukes."
"I believe loyalty is more important than land," Duke Antonio stated. "Prince Ludwren assisted my family throughout my life, so I must do the same for his son."
"I too believe loyalty is more important than land, but not loyalty to a title or past familial connections. It must only be granted to those who deserve it. Is Ludwig deserving of your precious loyalty? He would have ordered the looting of your castle had I not stopped him," Helena surmised.
"If you believe me a fool, then why would you help me?" Duke Antonio glared.
"You are not a fool, just someone who must learn the new rules of the land. I was once in a precarious position like you, so I wish to guide you out of yours. I convinced Ludwig to proclaim you a duke of Solardie, but if you wish to maintain your place, you need to earn the respect of the other dukes and agree with them. As for why I am advising you? I see a sincere pokémon, and I hope I have proven to you that I am someone deserving of your trust."
"...I see. Very well, I shall do what I can to earn favor with the other dukes while also serving his Majesty to the best of my ability. Thank you, Duchess Helena," Duke Antonio said with a bow.
"You should thank your Arcanine captain, Windie," Helena told the duke. "He brought me to you. Your castle would have layed in ruins without him."
Helena went to part of the camp with her supply wagons, looking for Windie. The Kyukonais supply crew members greeted her, and pokémon thanked her from every direction.
"Hey, Helena!" Darrell called out. "I have a bunch of pokémon who can't wait to go to Kyukonais! I'll have someone take them there first thing in the morning."
"Excellent!" Helena smiled.
"There are also some unfortunate folks from Luneland who we defeated in the battle. Should we offer them food and an invitation to Kyukonais too?" Darrell asked.
"Yes, of course," Helena nodded, "but we are going to need more food from Miloa quickly."
"I bet I can get some folks from Denryushire to help us haul more wagons," Darrell said.
"Great," said Helena. She continued going through the flood of feasting peasants until she found the orange and black stripes and beige fluff she was looking for.
"Ah, the lady of the hour!" Windie cheered. His friends and neighbors from Denryushire around him cheered as well.
Helena smiled, puffing out her tails. "May I have a word with you, Windie?"
"Why, of couse, my lady!" Windie said, stepping forward with a small bow. "Talk to you all later, I have a date with the princess!" he told his peers.
"Hee, I don't know about that," Helena laughed.
Helena led Windie away from the crowd and found a nice grassy spot for them to sit down. "I spoke with Duke Antonio, urging him to secure his place in Solardie so that Denryushire doesn't come under any further harm. Hopefully, I've earned his trust. I also said that you were responsible for his fortune. Hopefully, it'll help you keep his favor even after he finds out how you plotted this whole turnaround."
"Oh, really? Well, thanks, but…" Windie shrugged. "I don't know if I should be talking to him anymore. He may have given me some things here and there, but now I've seen how much he's messed up the lives of other pokémon who just want a bite to eat every night."
"I've learned that sometimes you have to make friends with pokémon you don't always agree with to keep your pokémon safe," Helena stated.
"It's hard to consider my nobles as friends anymore," Windie sighed. "The more I've been thinking recently, the more I've come to realize all they do is take things from us. They never want to give us anything in return." He looked down at his forepaws, making them glow white with his power. "Even something as simple as teaching a tiny little Growlithe how to run away."
"Oh… I wouldn't've known. You're certainly stronger and more skillful than any knight now!" Helena praised.
Windie looked up. "You really think so?"
"Certainly," Helena nodded with a smile. "You took on that Golem in the middle of Rollout head-on without a shred of hesitation and stopped him in his tracks!"
"Oh, that. Well, I do have my high moments," Windie said proudly.
"What was that move you used to knock him out?" asked Helena.
"It's called 'High Horsepower,' a ground-type move," said Windie. "I saw my Rapidash knight doing it all the time while I followed him around, so I copied his movements and eventually figured it out."
"Whoa," Helena gasped, eyes wide. "That takes some serious dedication to learn a rarely-seen move without help! What else have you learned?"
"Crunch," Windie laughed. "I learned it from a Girafarig's tail. I was always sneaking up on him since I wasn't supposed to follow the knights around, so his tail was always trying to bite me with such viciousness. It took me forever to realize that same viciousness was what I needed to kick off a dark-type move like Crunch.
"That's amazing," Helena chuckled.
"Thanks," Windie beamed. "Hmm, I could never figure out Sir Griffin's Psychic, though. Wait, you know Psychic, right? You mentioned you were using Psychic back at my place yesterday."
"Yep," Helena confirmed. She cut some blades of grass with her small claws and floated them around using Psychic.
"Amazing... can you teach me?" Windie asked.
"Oh… I'm not sure if it'll be possible for you. Not every species can use Psychic," Helena said. "Then again, you figured out that High Horsepower of yours all on your own, so maybe it's worth a shot. We can give it a try later when things aren't so hectic."
"Sweet!" Windie cheered. He admired Helena twirling the grass blades around with her Psychic. "Your Psychic is a very pretty shade of blue," Windie complimented. "It reminds me of the ocean."
Helena dropped the grass as her cheeks flushed pink. "O-oh… thanks!" she giggled. "No one's ever said that before."
"I point out talent as I see it! I'm used to seeing just the same old purple Psychic until now," said Windie.
"Heh, well I'm glad you like it, but… having a blue shade is actually a sign that the Psychic carries less energy than the typical purple shades. I can't get it all the way to purple because I'm not a psychic type," said Helena.
"Would you prefer me to praise your fire abilities, then?" Windie grinned. "Because your move that enhances everyone else's fire attacks is more breathtaking than any other. I felt power I had never felt before streaming out of my muzzle when I fired my Flamethrower under your sun. Not to mention your sunlight is beautiful!"
Helena beamed, her tails fluttering and swishing behind her. 'Aw, thank you."
"How do you do it?" Windie asked.
"It's my ability, called Drought," Helena said. "Not the most flattering name… but here's why," she grinned. "Legend has it that Groudon and Kyogre fought over the area south of Solardie during ancient times. Groudon won and stopped the rain from ever falling, creating the desert. He bestowed upon the nearby ancient Ninetales clan his ability to create sunlight, and it's that ability that led to the Ninetales ruling the land and forming the Kingdom of Solardie in honor of Groudon's sun-bearing powers."
"Wow, so you wield the power of a legendary pokémon?" Windie gasped.
"Not quite," Helena chuckled. "It's only a myth, possibly even made up by my ancestors. In fact, the Ninetales haven't had this ability for a long time due to falling out of practice. I learned it from a Torkoal who lived in the desert. It took years of practice until my sun could actually empower other fire attacks. It sure didn't feel like there was any legendary intervention."
"But what makes Solardie sunnier than Luneland if not for Groudon?" Windie wondered.
"That would be because we are closer to the equator than you," Helena said.
Windie tilted his head. "What's the 'equator?'"
"Huh? Oh, right… Hmm, how do I explain?" Helena brought a tail between them and made a ball of light at the tail tip, which shone brightly in the dark evening. "Let's say this is the sun," Helena said. Then she formed a blue ball with her Psychic and floated some blades of grass to sit on the ball's surface. "Pretend that this is our world, and we're somewhere up here," she said, pointing at a spot of green on the top half. "The 'equator' is a line around the middle of the world. The closer you get to the equator, the more you face the sun and the more sunlight you get."
"Wait, so you're saying we live on a ball…?" Windie asked.
"A very big ball," Helena nodded. "When you look very far away, you can't see what's out there after a certain point, right? It's because the world curves down like the surface of a ball. Make sense?"
Windie looked at the horizons all around them. "Um, I guess?"
"There's also the fact that the world spins around, which is why we have day and night," Helena brought up, spinning her little psychic and grass model in place. "And we have years due to going around the sun," she added, acting it out, "and the rotation is tilted, which causes seasons."
"Umm… okay," Windie responded, scratching his head.
"Here's why all that stuff is important," Helena smiled. "There are other parts of the world so far away from us across the oceans, yet they have a very similar climate to Kyukonais by being the same distance from the equator. We figured that berries from those places would grow well in Kyukonais, and that's where our fortune started. We call this study of the world around us 'science.' I learned about it at the University of Miloa, where pokémon are constantly studying the world and finding ways to make our lives better. I'm teaching science at my schools in Kyukonais, so that's another reason for pokémon to move!"
"Science will make our lives better, huh? Well, I'm all for it!" Windie exclaimed. He asked Helena to explain the whole climate thing again, which she did while playing around with her model. Once Windie finally got a baseline understanding, he asked, "What do pokémon grow in places similar to here? What's the best thing we should grow in Denryushire?"
"Ooh, good question. You're asking the right questions already! Let me go look at a map." Helena and Windie went to find Darrell, saying hi to happy villagers along the way. Darrell fished out a worldwide map from the supply caravan for Helena to study. She looked across the regions with similar distances to the equator as Luneland, looking at both the northern and southern hemispheres, and thought of what plants were prevalent in those regions.
Potatoes, Helena thought. Potatoes grow in this climate. They could easily feed the entire peasant and bandit population of Denryushire, and if they made more farms, they could have a surplus to sell to Kyukonais. That would help lower food prices so much.
"Potatoes," Helena said to Windie affirmatively. "Potato fields provide so much more food than wheat fields. Your pokémon will never go hungry again and they'll be rich in no time! I'll go and tell Max right now to bring some biologists from Miloa back with him so we can get started."
Over the next few days, as the Solardian army camped at Denryushire, Helena and Windie paraded across the villages delivering food and helping pokémon get on safe trips to Kyukonais. Some were eager to leave their wartorn and exploited farmlands immediately, while others were hesitant to leave their villages behind. For those who wanted to stay, Helena promised food and building supplies until they could sustain themselves once more.
The Solardian knights fed and sometimes entertained their Lunish counterparts while waiting for ransom money to arrive. Meanwhile, captured Lunish peasants were released to fend for themselves. Some acted on their invitations to go to Kyukonais while others hung around Denryushire's villages, drawn by the supply carts. Most, however, went to find their way home across Luneland as they had friends and family to return to, however impoverished.
"Helena, I have some bad news," Darrell said as he returned with a new food shipment. "The nobles kicked our last supply group out of Skarmburg and stopped any more pokémon from departing to Kyukonais. They said they'll provide food for the occupied town, but I don't know…"
"It's okay," Helena immediately said. "It's about time the other provinces provide their fair share. We have a lot of mouths to feed across Denryushire, so let's redirect here. Do you have enough pokémon to move all the new wagons?"
"Yep, we had more than enough folks from Skarmburg and Denryushire join our crew," Darrell said. "Although our buddies from Skarmburg are not happy about being shut out from their town and their neighbors," he sighed.
"We can only do so much," Helena asserted, patting the Darmanitan's side with a tail. "You gave them supplies and a chance to start a new life, which you should be proud of. Keep up the great work, Darrell."
"Alright, will do," Darrell saluted, his flame brows intensifying.
Helena went to chat with the rest of the crew. She eventually came across Chadwyck trying to impress some female crew members. "Florina is done with you already?" she smirked.
"No!" Chadwyck huffed, crossing his arms at Helena. "Her dad caught her socializing with some Lunish bastards so he dragged her back to Waruvais. But she was totally into me and my incredible strength!" He saw the other ladies walking away out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, wait! Come back!"
"Enough fooling around, Chadwyck," Helena commanded. "Start preparing for the next fight, because we need to loot some nobles soon."
"Oh really? Now you've got my attention," Chadwyck grinned.
Nobles across Luneland showed up at Denryushire to pay the ransoms for the battle's losers. Until this point, the pokémon of Solardie's army endured the horrors of war only out of obligation. However, as word of the rewards spread across Solardie, nobles across the kingdom started voluntarily showing up at the army camp in Denryushire, desiring a piece of the Lunish royal coffers and any other valuables they could get ahold of in Luneland's capital. Denryushire's knights pledged their allegiance so they could have a chance to plunder Rentoshire, too. King Leinwig's army had looted their estates throughout the siege of Denryu Castle, so they needed to reclaim their wealth and exact their revenge.
Helena used her cut of the ransoms and the loans that Max secured to keep up her food purchases for the army and Denryushire's pokémon. She tried convincing the other nobles to supply themselves with some food from their own lands, but the dukes reiterated how she wasn't contributing to the army count and, therefore, must keep providing for them. With the army growing rather than shrinking and how long the war was going, Helena cursed her former self for making that deal before resigning to the belief that she had no other choice. She sent a letter to Eric and Laura in Kyukonais to ensure her city was training a fighting force for next time. Windie helped her find and convince capable fighters to make the move to Kyukonais.
Once the Solardian dukes were satisfied with the ransom money they collected, they decided to make the march to Rentoshire. After the war council meeting disbanded, Helena headed to her part of the camp. Windie and some others from Denryushire were chatting with her team and her supply crew. "Hey, everyone. We're going to be leaving for Rentoshire tomorrow," Helena announced.
"Yeah-heh!" Chadwyck whooped, flexing his wings.
"Aw, already?" Lily complained. "Everyone's so nice and welcoming here. I don't want to fight anymore."
"Me neither, but duty calls," Helena said.
"Alright."
"Hey Windie, would you join us on the campaign to Rentoshire?" Helena asked. "I could use a talented and persistent battler like you."
Windie's ears perked up, and his tail began to swish. "You want me on your team?"
"Yeah!" Helena nodded eagerly. "Um, if everyone else is okay with that, of course," she said, looking around sheepishly.
"Definitely!" Terry exclaimed.
"The more the merrier!" Lily cheered, hopping on her paws.
"Oh yeah, we'll be even more unstoppable with you, bud," Chadwyck declared.
"Your sense of responsibility would make a very welcome addition to the team," Max added.
Windie looked around at his new friends, especially Helena, with a warmth in his chest, but something nagged the back of his mind, holding his muzzle closed…
Windie was headed to his hut in Windswept Village to turn in for the night when Scully and April approached him. "Finally, we found you without that rich Ninetales from Solardie. Open your eyes, Windie! Look at all of them nobles hanging out together at their camp. The nobles who lost the battle just need to pay up, meanwhile, the commoners' lives are destroyed!"
"Calm down, Scully," Windie urged.
"It's true," April spoke up. "I talked to some pokémon who arrived from the fields of Rentoshire yesterday. The nobles are harvesting everything and hoarding the food for themselves at the castle, leaving everyone else with nothing. It's just like what happened here before the siege."
"And yet, even after seeing how the nobles manipulate and ruin us common pokémon, you still have a thing for noblewomen, huh?" Scully scoffed.
"Helena is different!" Windie defended. "Can't you see she's helping us all? I'm happy to support that."
"I just wanted to ask you to be a little cautious," April said. "She may have good intentions, but she must be working with all those other deceitful nobles. And unless she has bottomless coffers of poké, there's no way she can continue to provide all this food for free much longer. There has to be something going on that we don't know about."
"I'm not following Helena around just to thank her or beg her for more supplies," Windie asserted. "I've been learning so much from her over the past few days."
"Okay, good," April nodded. "I've been learning a lot too. Her acquaintances have been teaching us how to grow food better. I hope we'll have enough to feed everyone on our own soon."
"See, Scully? There's nothing to worry about," said Windie.
"But there will always be nobles who will try to take our hard work away from us," April added. "We must stick together and never give up anything. Can we trust you to help us when the time comes, Windie?"
"Of course," Windie promised.
"You're not going to run off to whatever shiny city?" Scully questioned.
Windie shook his head and placed his paw over his chest. "No. I am here to help the pokémon of Denryushire," he declared.
Helena fidgeted with her tails around her forepaws, watching Windie think to himself. "I'll certainly teach you more about the world along the way," she offered. "You'll have access to plenty of spoils, too."
Windie eventually sighed and shook his head. "I'd love to join you… but I have to stay in Denryushire. I'm sorry."
"Oh… Is it that you don't want to fight against Luneland?"
"No, that's not it… I just need to make sure all my fellow pokémon in Denryushire are taken care of. There's still a lot of uncertainty after all the things that happened in this province."
"My food shipments should help out the pokémon of Denryushire long enough for them to reestablish their farms," Helena said. "And if you help us finish the war, that would bring a lot more stability to the region. I think you could help us out a lot, Windie," Helena encouraged.
Windie took time to consider it again but ultimately put his promises over his prospects. "I'm sorry, but it's best if I stay here. The pokémon of Denryushire want me around. I'll do what I can for you from afar," Windie promised.
"Aw, okay," Helena sighed, looking away.
"Trust me, I would love to go along, and I wish I could pay you back for all that you've done for us-"
"No, don't worry about it," Helena interrupted, quickly bringing up a smile. "You don't owe me anything. I was just looking forward to a new team member, but I understand you have pokémon who look up to you!"
"If there's anything I can help you with from here, just name it," Windie offered.
"You can help ensure the supplies reach everyone in Denryushire who needs it," Helena said. "Oh, and also make sure the supplies for the army make it through Denryushire safely. Can I count on you?"
Windie stood up straight, grinning. "You sure can!"
A/N 10/24/22: Hopefully you didn't cringe too hard when I randomly busted out some science. XD Just put yourself in a peasant pokémon's paws and you might understand the appeal! Next stop: the Lunish capital of Rentoshire.