It was only from the very tip of the stern that Panne was able to see the Grass Continent, and only a tiny strip on the horizon at that. For as often as she'd seen this exact sight in her life, few times did it feel as relieving as now. A call from the krow's nest only served to reassure her hopes. It was no cause for celebration, however. For the sailors, it was time for the meddlesome troublemakers who brought misfortune in their wake to finally take off. For that band of troublemakers, it was merely the land portion of the long journey ahead. They'd leave the Viridian in shambles for their next set of problems and worries. But it was a step forward nonetheless.

"Hey, you better get ready," Panne said to the Servine, bending over just barely to keep from towering over him completely in her transformed body. "First time seeing Grass Continent again! It's not exactly the most inviting place for most, but I think you'll like it anyway! Better suits your species, anyways. Humid and sunny, great for your scales!"

Vallion barely turned his nose towards her. "Hm? Oh...Yeah, I'll check it out." Then he went right back to glaring at the planks beneath his feet. The Delphox caught a breath in her throat, a stab of pain jabbing right past her ribs. Maybe he just needed a little more time to pull out of his slump? Maybe. Hopefully. She glanced back to the approaching shore with considerably less enthusiasm. It was just Grass Continent again, after all.

Above the sandstone cliffs were intermingled layers of green, canopy ceilings and long-grass carpets both. The storm didn't seem to knock them too far off course after all. Out in the shallows, the outlines of water types stood out against the pearly sand as they hunted for their midday meal. Their movements were mimicked by the flying types above who were likely sought the same thing. It wasn't too impressive for how this region usually was, but the fact that there were pokemon around at all was a huge boon in disguise. Wildlings meant that the Spiritomb wasn't around.

They traveled northwards up the coast. Before too long, they started to see primitive house built into the jungle. The small abodes started to blend into larger, more modern buildings until they finally turned the corner of the cliff and saw the rest of the village. It encircled a bay of beautiful cyan waters, sparse waves sparkling in the distance as more of it came into view. A group of children on the beach paused their game to stare at the massive ship that had just come into view. Kind of like home, Panne thought. She waved at the kids, but only one waved back.

A clinking rhythm filled the air as both anchors plunged into the soft sand. The disembarking process didn't move particularly quickly, even with the help of the crew. A distinct lack of sleep for almost everyone on the ship was to be blamed for that. What was left of the supplies they'd brought for the ride were moved up the the deck while Viridian was parked beside the shallows. Now that she'd evolved, Panne found it easier to use telekinesis than ever, her maximum weight limit and mental capacity well above what they used to be. She found herself at the top of the supply chain with Kadabra, lowering several smaller crates at a time down to the others in the shallows, who then moved the rest to the beach.

A crowd was starting to form from the edge of the sand. It consisted mostly of curious villagers, but there were definitely some particular faces pushing through the masses that had arrived here not too much earlier. Ampharos quickly forgot about the task at hand and hobbled out of the surf to debrief both Dedenne and a worried-looking Altaria. Mismagius could be seen off in the distance just before the treeline, and Volcarona flew in circles high up above the village. As soon as Vallion came up onto the shore, absolutely everyone converged on him like a pack of hungry Mightyena. He already seemed like he wasn't in a great mood, this probably wasn't going to help.

After the last of the Society's belongings were transferred to the beach, Clefable very strongly hinted that he wanted all trouble-making adventurers off his ship before he stranded them on an island somewhere. Jirachi, who still wasn't quite one-hundred percent after last night, drifted sleepily down to crowd while Kadabra and Panne had to wade through the waves like everyone else. The Delphox slid down the rope ladder and took the plunge first, both pleasantly surprised at the temperature and appalled that she had to get wet again. And worse yet, her fur dress immediately sunk waist-deep into the water and spread out atop the waves. Damn, now she'd have to wring it out a second time!

Nobody even glanced Panne's direction when she came up onto the sand. Everyone was so enamored with Vallion's condition or catching up or just anything else, those who hadn't seen her evolve already didn't stare long enough to recognize her. She shoved all the way up to the Servine and stood beside him with her arms crossed, frowning at her colleagues until one of them caught on.

Dedenne was the first to figure it out, even if it was after a few moments. "Wait, you- Panne? Panne! Oh my god I thought you were one of the sailors! When the hell did that happen?"

"What?! AAAH!" Altaria stifled a shriek. "You were still a Braixen two days ago! How could you have evolved without me around, Panne? Oooh, I definitely would've have wanted to be there! Where did it happen? What did it feel like? Did you have any symptoms of it beforehand?"

"Okay, I-" the Delphox paused. Were the migraines a symptom? "Whatever! Look, alright? We don't really have time to be worrying about how I evolved. Save it for later. We're here to do whatever it was we're supposed to do to bring Vallion's memories back. Where'd Hydreigon even go, I just saw him around here!"

"They flew off past the village as soon as the ship was unloaded," Mismagius answered in a sing-song voice with a roll of his eyes. "There seems to be a lot to discuss, isn't there? I'm sure we don't have to be in a hurry quite yet. I taste quite a bit of...Well, it seems nobody's too happy right now. Perhaps it would be wise to take a break here? It's quite comfortable, and the locals are rather friendly to us."

"But I wanted to help Vallion already!" Volcarona whined, her wings vibrating with pent-up energy. "I've been waiting for days for exactly that, and it's getting totally unbearable! Where's the action?! The excitement?!"

"If they need to rest then we'll let them!" Altaria shouted back. "Our travels here shouldn't have been nearly as exhausting as theirs! Don't you see the condition of that ship they came in on? Standing on solid land must be an absolute relief right now!"

Mawile gave a weak chuckle. "You have no idea."

Now that they'd finally got all their crap onto land, it was time to haul it up into where the building the Society had been staying in. It was busywork at its rawest, barely enough to keep Panne's mind off of her troubles. The Delphox juggled a few boxes through the air with her psychic powers as she climbed up a steep dirt path. A few huts stood upright on the difficult terrain of the hill, but most of the village was built on a flat clearing cut from the surrounding forest. There was a rather large plaza in the middle with an impressively large bonfire pit in the center. Though Serene Village itself had grown over the years, this place gave it a run for its money in terms of size.

"You look troubled," there was a soft, enchanting voice just behind her. Mismagius appeared out of thin air like usual, humming to himself at the sidelong look she shot him, already too distracted to be frightened. "You and Vallion both. The way you two taste is far too bitter. Him especially."

"Everything's fine," she lied, her cargo intentionally floating between her and the ghost.

Mismagius appeared on the other side of the Delphox and followed along. "I knew there was bound to be some turmoil with what happened. The baggage comes with the problem, I suppose. And what of the Hydreigon that Mawile found first? Are they the right ones for the job?"

"You know Ampharos was probably going to do a briefing on everything that's happened. right? I don't need to waste my breath explaining something that you're going to hear anyway."

"Meetings aren't personal. Meetings don't have feelings. I want to hear from you." Like a passing gust of wind, Mismagius brushed past her and drifted just ahead. The hut Dedenne had described as their own was obscured by the ghost type. "I see the bandages you and Vallion are wearing, and I see the relic looplets you wear on your necks. This has turned more serious that we've been let on, right? You're the heroes of a thousand years ago. Nothing that happens to you is by sheer coincidence."

Panne spat at the title, but stared down at her feet all the while. Dust had caked onto her wet fur and between her toes. "This Hydreigon is definitely something else. They're not fooling around, especially with the kinds of things they know that normal pokemon shouldn't. But..." She bit at her lip. "Pokemon that know too much might know the right reasons to turn their backs. I'll leave it at that."

The glorious abode that had been given to the Society was in fact a very large palm-roof hut. Admittedly, it was extremely spacious for even those standards, with a great thatch pillar in the center to keep it all stable. Several straw beds lined the outside walls, a couple showing some clear use while the rest were pristine and ready for new arrivals. She just set her cargo down wherever and pressed out again, chastising Mismagius for helping absolutely none in the endeavor. He shrugged and disappeared into thin air, probably to go startle someone else.

On the way back to the beach, Panne passed by Vallion as he carried a pack on the back of his neck and slithered uphill, though it seemed like Altaria's doting was more of a burden to him than the weight. The Delphox tried her best to get that point across in the short span they crossed paths and only succeeded in getting Altaria to worry about her instead. How was she taking the larger body? Did she drink enough water while on the ship? Was the ghost still something she was worried about? Of course, unlike Vallion in his current state, she remembered the tactics in how to deal with her barrage of questions.

Once all their surviving belongings were accounted for and moved somewhere less sandy, the meeting was called in. Ampharos gathered everyone up on the inner curve of the bay with some booming shouts and a few hinting grunts. Everyone formed up into their usual ranks, with even Vallion finding his spot next to her through process of eliminations, and perhaps a pinch of familiarity. She shot a smile at him, but he wasn't even looking.

All the while, Ampharos was clearly enjoying the relapse back into his Expedition Chief habits. "Ah, good! Everyone's showed up! Now I only have to bring us up to speed once! Now, for those who came here on their own-how was the journey? Any, uh...storms cross your paths? Multiple times?"

Dedenne that answered with a scoff. "No, but Volcarona forgot to charge her gadget before she left the first time. Again. I had to call her myself almost half a day after everyone else. She got here only three hours ago."

"Hey! That wasn't my fault!" Volcarona's wings buzzed. "There's nothing that says how much charge is left to begin with! If anything, Jirachi should make a new version of the gadgets already! Shouldn't it say how much juice's left in them in the first place? Kinda makes sense, right?"

"These gadgets are cutting-edge technology as it is!" Dedenne shot back. "I used to physically have to be there to make a long-distance call across the seas, you know! Now you can just do it whenever and wherever you please, all at the drop of a hat! The act of just charging it shouldn't be that far outside of your responsibilities."

Jirachi placed a finger on their lips. "I could've put in a charge meter?"

"Water under the bridge now!" Ampharos tried to reign everyone back in with a wave of his arms. "There is still so much to prepare for, we'll have plenty of time for bickering later! There's a rather harsh journey ahead of us in the coming days. I know a few of us, Kadabra and Vallion mostly, haven't exactly been on an expedition like this before. Grass Continent isn't the worst land to hike through, but we're not exactly picking the easiest park to stroll in. Frankly, for now, I just want to eat a full meal again..."

To this, Altaria's eyes lit up. "Well you won't have to worry about that much longer, then! This little village is absolutely darling, couldn't have picked a better place I tell you. When they heard the rest of us were going to show up they started preparing a feast! It's difficult to express how humbling an experience it was when I heard it."

"Seriously? A feast?" Mawile's head went lopsided. "What's the occasion? We brought gifts, sure, but I don't tend to trust hospitality like that. This place isn't too far off from wild."

Mismagius hummed. "Altaria was the one assigned to search the Grass Continent in the first place. She's been here longer than any of us, and has told more than a few stories about the Society to the locals. Don't be surprised if you get asked about some exploit you barely remember that's been blown completely out or proportion. Unless your Vallion, in which case be very surprised."

"I guess that makes wasting a day almost worth it..." muttered Volcarona.

"I suppose it does!" Ampharos agreed cheerily. He cleared his throat and let his voice fall back down to business levels. "We can't let ourselves get too comfortable, though. This is no vacation, as Hydreigon might have said if they hadn't flew off somewhere immediately upon our landing. The foul creature that did this to Vallion is still after us, even now. The distance we put between us and the Spiritomb will not last forever, and after what we ended up learning tonight, there's no hope that it ever will until we deal with it. There are several..."

Ugh, there's the recap. Panne tuned the conversation out and turned her idle gaze to the curious audience of villagers they'd gathered. There were tons of different species, though a majority of which were understandably grass or bug type. This place was pretty far off the beaten path, too. You wouldn't even be able to get a Kecleon caravan up here if you wanted to. Must be weird to see a bunch of strange faces you'd never see in these parts all gathered up in rows near the bottom of town. Hopefully they'd end up being a little less than xenophobic.

And then there was Val. Stone-faced, staring straight forward without even a flicker of movement towards the interesting tribal civilization all around him. Not a care in the world for anything except whatever was floating around in his head. She wanted to know. She needed to know. The sooner it was figured out and dealt with the better. This simply couldn't go on.

...

The jungle was rather dense in these parts, even just a few short steps off into the treeline. Everyone else was waiting in front of the elder's hut so that the Society could make its arrival proper to their hosts. Everyone except Panne and Vallion. She had pulled the Servine well off the beaten path now, leering into the tall brush for any eavesdroppers or large dragons. He had no opinion on it one way or the other and simply allowed himself to be pulled around.

"Where are we going?" Val muttered as she ducked her ears into the sea of green.

"Here, probably." The Delphox got down on her knees to match his general height, sputtering at the blades that tried to stick up her nose. How was she about to word this? This could be her only way in, but if he closes up again... "I get that there's a lot going on for you. Things are changing, the ghost is still after us. I was just wondering if...if there's anything you need help with that I could do something about, you would ask, right?"

There was a soft rumbling in his throat. "Hrm...No thanks. I don't want to talk about anything."

"Is it something Hydreigon said to you?" Her mind jumped back to yesterday, images of the hushed conversation the two of them had flashing past. The Servine blinked at her, turned his eyes back to the ocean, and refused to look at her again. He didn't even do her the kindness of dissuading the notion. "Listen, Val, I know how important that pokemon is right now. They're the only way we're aware of to get your memories back. And I know it seems like they know what they're talking about, but we just can't trust them one-hundred percent. We have no way of knowing if they're being entirely honest with us."

Vallion snorted. "Aren't you just being a little too paranoid?"

It took her a moment to register his words. "What? No, of course not! That Hydreigon's definitely a shifty-kinda person! They're not the lying types maybe, but the kind you won't hear the whole truth from!"

"Is that not enough? Maybe it's not necessary that we know the full truth to everything. I certainly think that we've been told enough. Maybe I would have even liked to know a little less." A breeze jostled the leaves above and allowed a beam of sunlight to filter down and glint off his eyes.

"They could be dangerous, Val." The Delphox shook her head. "Listen. You remember back at the compound when Hydreigon was talking about how their favorite human got into a fight with another? Alexander, they said? That was our fault. You ended up being the reason Alexander got hurt. You were the one he fought with. That's where I got the scar that's on my chest, too! If Hydreigon knows that it was you, they could be playing dumb to get their revenge! They're an immortal, and a dark type! Both of those things get exceptionally vengeful about stupid stuff!"

"Meh. I don't think they knew it was me. I mean, I didn't know it was me either, so why blame me personally for something my past self did?"

Her fists started to uncurl. "Why wouldn't they know, though? With all the information and knowledge they dumped on us, you'd think that they would figure out something as important to them as this! It was only three months after Dark Matter too! As if there were any other two humans on the Water Continent! I swear to god, they know."

"Nobody can know everything," the Servine lowered his nose. "Maybe they didn't want to know, so that if a situation like this happened they wouldn't have any biases? Why don't you just ask Hydreigon instead so that you can actually know for sure?"

"I'm trying to help you! I don't mean to be overly-paranoid, I'm just to make sure nothing goes wrong!" Panne glanced away, unable to keep staring him in the eyes. "This whole trip and everyone on it, they're here for you! We're all here so that you can get better. The Society scattered across the continents to find a single dragon who could have been anywhere. And even after all that, you're still more important to me. But it can take so little for everything to start going wrong. Please, I'm not trying to hurt anyone. There's just too much I don't know about Hydreigon to feel comfortable."

"Then solve the mystery. Find out yourself instead of telling me to not trust them. I'll believe what I want to."

She took a deep, quivering breath. "I'm just- If they told you anything to make you feel any worse, just remember to take it with a grain of salt, okay? Nobody really knows who they are or what they want. You've been really out of it since yesterday. Since even before the Spiritomb attacked. I only want to make sure you're safe and sound."

Vallion started to mumble, "You're not making this any easier."

"What?"

"...I'm going back to the village now." He turned around, and in just a brief moment completely disappeared into the tall grass.

The rustling faded. The howl of the sea remained. Second by second ebbed away, each leaving only more frustration in its wake. The Delphox snarled as tears began to form in her eyes. She tensed up and dug her claws into the taut wood of a nearby tree, its bark cracking beneath the weight of her grip. The only thing that kept her from shouting out loud was the chance that he might hear her.

...

"Well it took you long enough!" Volcarona's voice bounced throughout the hut as soon as the Delphox stepped through the grass curtain. "You know we were supposed to start like ten minutes ago, right? We've still got things to do!"

Panne's eyes adjusted to the smoky gloom of the circular hut. It was built in a similar fashion to the one the Society had been housed in, but was clearly much more meticulously decorated. In the center burned a small pyre that gave the whole building its eerie lighting, supporting pillars surrounding it all the way up. Log seats and engraved braziers encircled the fire all the way out towards the thatch walls. The meeting hall, huh?

Most of the building was already occupied. The Society clearly was meant to sit on one side, with many elder residents already sat on the other. A Sceptile with patches of cracked scales and a cloak of dyed reeds silently beckoned her in. Beside them on the village's corner was a Staraptor whose eyes seemed to glare at anything that moved. Panne tried not to shrink in the bird's gaze and found a spot beside her kind on the western portion.

"I suppose most of us are here, then! No use putting off business." Altaria cleared her throat, her kindly eyes narrowing in the dimness. If Floatzel hadn't already lined up for chief a long time ago, she would've been a strong candidate for her talent in foreign relations alone. "For formality's sake and for sincerity, the Expedition Society is extremely grateful for your generosity Elder Sceptile. We humbly accept your invitation to stay at your village so that we might regroup and recover for the next leg in our journey. We have brought gifts as thanks for your service- exotic tools and supplies from our home on Water Continent. We hope that you can use them well and learn from our stay."

"It'sh no problem at aull," the old Sceptile said with a shrug, their dangling ornaments clattering together with the motion. "You have been wonderful guestsh, and the thingsh we learn from outsidersh like you are truly amazing. Our home ish your home for ash long ash you need! Though I undershtand you're here becaushe one of your own was injured, right? Now that we're aull here, may I ashk what happened, or ish that too far?"

Ampharos shook his head. "It's nothing so sensitive. Someone who's been with us for many years has come under a rather serious bout of amnesia, and we're on our way with a guide to hopefully find a cure." The electric type turned towards Panne expectantly. "Though he doesn't seem to be around right about now. I thought he would be with when you returned, Panne. Where'd he run off to?"

"What? I thought he was already here." The Delphox craned her neck to scan the room once over. He definitely wasn't around now that she was looking. She was barely looking up when she entered the hut in the first place. "I- I thought he would come here, too."

"Not to worry! No harm will come to him in theshe partsh." The Sceptile nodded. "If he ish ill, we will do what we can. Your burden may not be the lightesht, but it hash been sho long shince the lasht time we've had gueshts like yourshelves! Pleashe, try to enjoy today if only! It ish a time of shelebration!"

Altaria shot them a smile. "Of course! I told them about the feast when they got here. And we do have a cause for celebration after all, since the Delphox sitting with us was still a Braixen just a few days ago. What better time to have a feast than now?" There are plenty of better times than right now, Panne thought to herself.

"Ah, a matchurity sheremony! I washn't expecting one of thoshe today! All the more reashon! More preparashons must be made!" The elder motioned to get up, but the Staraptor's wing extended to settle him back down.

The Delphox began to stutter. "Uh. N-no thanks, I don't think I need the ceremony part. The feast is more than enough, I believe."

More bureaucracy passed in through Panne's massive ear and out the other. The Sceptile cheerily overreacted, the Staraptor wordlessly settled him down. It was all so tiring. It was always this tiring, but especially now. Her claws curled and uncurled as nervous tendons fired off. One hand on Val's scarf, the other fidgeting with the long fur that fell from her waist, and everywhere else in a constant state of slow-burn panic. There wasn't even any danger to worry about, but it was probably the lack of danger that made everything feel worse.

"And thish Shpiritomb-you shay it'sh going to come here?" Panne's ears perked back up to the conversation. Like clockwork, even the brief thought of that demon brings it back around somehow.

Ampharos gave an affirmative grunt. "IF it's still in pursuit of us, that is, which we're not so certain about at the moment. Not that I'd want to suggest that okaying our stay will bring you misfortune, but I do want to warn of anything that might come of it. This creature's been after us for quite a while. That may also mean a typhoon could hit this coastline within the next few days, since that appears to be one of its warning signs. There may be flooding and high winds to prepare for."

The Sceptile leaned forward in his seat. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. Our huntersh are plenty prepared to take on mosht threatsh like that. And after lasht shummer, we know how to defend againsht a shtorm well enough."

"Well this is no natural storm, to be sure!" Mawile pressed. "There are some rather acute symptoms associated with it, and it's definitely claimed a few lives back home! Even above our own shelter comes the safety of your people, and we would hate-"

"We will be fine," said a Seismitoad in the back-the first pokemon on that end besides the elder to speak. "We are built on the hill. Before, the storm ripped away our homes. Now we are high, and the waters will not reach. The storm will do nothing."

A shrill voice suddenly stole the room's attention as the Staraptor finally spoke up. "We have been attacked by creatures like this before. There are patterns to their movements, and ways to fight them. Do not concern yourselves with our well-being. Enjoy yourselves and be on your way at your leisure."

"Ah, shee?" the elder said and nodded. "Dalo is right. Shpirits of the dead have haunted thish land plenty of timesh! A shortm shpirit is just two problemsh we can handle wrapped into one ish aull! You have enough to worry about."

Jirachi's head tilted. "Dalo? Is that the Staraptor's name?"

"Indeed! He earned it from the Fearow before him-and many more before them, for that matter. It ish a tradition we carry from a time before even theshe woodsh were young. I notished that the Delphoksh had a name, ash well. Shomething you earned during your time in thish glorioush guild, yesh?"

Panne shrugged. "A little before that, yeah."

"Namesh are a great reshponshibility." The Sceptile lifted his wrinkled head and glared into her eyes, and in his narrow pupils she suddenly felt a cold authority. "They are like a tall cliff you shtand upon, built from the dirt that shurroundsh it and packed down by the feet of your peersh. If shomeone upholdsh a name, they are making the ashertion of power. It'sh not shomething you shee often around here, though I'm not shurtain how it ish where you come from. I'm shure shomeone like you hash done plenty to earn your title, anyway. Perhapsh you could tell ush shome of the shtories tonight?"

Just as quickly as it came, the intensity faded away for the almost jovial atmosphere that came before it. The Delphox slumped back down and let her eyes be drawn towards the dancing fires. Names didn't have to be a title. You could just be you, and that's completely okay. It didn't have to matter how much weight a name has, or the gravity of the acts you performed under that name. Vallion could just be Vallion if he wanted to be. The pyre began to flicker as if it were trying to nod. She blinked, and its motions had returned to normal.