It was not until Sunday that Prema received any kind of indication as to how the shrine was going to proceed. Until then, she had isolated herself in her room, first out of shame and later for meditative silence. She actually might not have eaten if people hadn't brought her meals.

One advantage was that it allowed her to fully prepare herself. By the time she was summoned to her father's office that morning, a calm had drawn over her. It was not to say she was not still anguished, but that she was pushing her emotions aside. She did not even need to breathe in before speaking.

"I am here, Father," she said, bowing deeply before him. "Whatever your decision, I am prepared to accept it."

His eyes turned to narrow slits. "Prema, this is out of out-of-character for you. It makes me wonder if you are truly ready for the tasks you must perform to succeed me some day." Her father sat tall, yet still as a statue as he scolded her.

She should have known. She could not hide anything from him. All Prema could do was lower her head, though she made sure to avert her gaze for only a fleeting moment. She did not dare to answer with words. Nothing she said would have any positive effect.

The hard truth was that there was no excuse for her failure. There was also no excuse for her behavior afterwards. She was above that. She was Prema Kannagi, the future Head of the Kannagi Shrine. Any weakness, perceived or otherwise, could not be afforded. She had to be impassive, or at least put up an adequate facade. Her present feelings were threatening to warp people's perceptions of her and had no doubt already done some irreparable damage.

"However," he continued. The sharpness of his tone made Prema snap to attention. "Due the danger these spirits pose, you remain one of the few in the shrine with the spiritual power to deal with them. Furthermore, we cannot allow your failure to remain as it is, no matter how well we have handled the media situation."

She blinked slowly, processing his words. "So I am to attempt the ritual once more?" she inquired for full clarification.

"Correct," her father said. "I had always intended you to do so."

Prema closed her eyes. If this was the shrine's decision, she would not let everyone down a second time. It was rare to get a second chance in life. She vowed not to squander this one.

Nevertheless, there was still cause for concern. There were few she could confide in about it. Her father was one of them, but he still had the prejudice of being the Head of the shrine. The same could be said for Priestess Satomi, and to a certain extent for Nariya, those times she understood the issues. And speaking about it with those outside the shrine was not ideal for many reasons, if not forbidden.

"But what of my emotional state?" she voiced her biggest worry. At least this was something he could and would help with. "I must confess, there is a part of me that still wishes to avenge Nariya's injury. And what of tonight? I do not feel as if I can fulfill my duties properly."

"I am certain you will do fine tonight. As for your emotions, it is not cause for concern. For you of all would know," he started. He paused to allow it to sink in. Until he started speaking, Prema did not understand where he was going with it. "Let your knowledge guide you, but let not it chain you. Let your emotions push you…"

Prema peered at him as he paused. With a nod, she finished the saying, "But let not them control you. And let your will move you, but let not it force you."

It was a teaching of theirs. Its meaning was that while the gifts the Essences of the Soul had bestowed upon humanity were to be cherished, they were only part of a whole. There was nothing wrong with acting upon one's emotions, so long as one makes decisions with a sound mind. That was the proper way to approach this situation.

"I will not fail you again, Father." Though she still harbored doubts, Prema was able to say this with more confidence.

"I'm sure you won't, Prema. You'll be heading back there within the week." He rose from his seat with a smile. "Go and see Priestess Satomi. We'll ensure you're better prepared this time."

"Thank you, Father." With a bow, she set off.

It was not just relief that Prema felt about getting another attempt. If anything, she felt even more pressure. Although she presented a confident front to her followers, the truth was that she had doubts like everyone else. The very future of the Kannagi Shrine was on the line. If she were to fail again, what would become of their storied faith with over a millennium and several centuries of history? It was not something she wished to think about.


Like most streets in Japan, the northernmost main road in Veilstone City had no formal name. Nevertheless, people often referred to it colloquially as Saihokutan Street. It stretched two-thirds of the way across the city and encompassed several block numbers. The steps leading up to the Kannagi Shrine were on the easternmost side, whereas the mansions of Marble Tor peered down upon the west perimeter.

Kaede Minmei and Jack Bryell sat together in a small diner on this street. It was very compact, with just enough room for larger people to walk in the aisles of the L-shaped dining area. There were tables outside, although they had no cover from the elements. In spite of it, the food was good, and the owners kept the place immaculately clean. Because of it, the Hungry Hippodon (sic) was one of the more popular eateries along the road.

"Thanks for taking me up on this," said Jack as they were waiting for their order. They had not drawn much attention, much to their relief. They were only mentioned by name in the article, and evidently, most people didn't recognize them on sight.

Kaede shrugged. "Hey, gotta hear out those below you. Part of the Kannagi way, after all."

The man leaned back, nestling into his seat. "I've been a member of the shrine for a decade now. Master Haruto Kannagi and Lady Kannagi took a chance on me because of it, and I failed them." A small pout escaped him. "I know these are usually tests to see if people can get higher positions. So much for those hopes of mine."

True. She might get another chance several years down the line, but odds were he would not. The way he said it made the self-styled ninja's eyes narrow. "Why, did you want the power?" she inquired.

Jack shook off. "No. I just wanted to find some way to give something back to the shrine for all it's done to change my life, besides donations."

"Ah, so you're one of those, eh?" She flashed a knowing smirk. That cleared things up, and put them in a way better light. "I getcha."

"I was a deadbeat after high school. I didn't get good enough grades to get into college. My Pokemon were too out of shape to make a living off them. The parents threw me out when I was nineteen. I lived as a bum for a while, diving in dumpsters and begging on the streets. Then I wandered over to Celestic. The rest is history, as they say. I managed to get my caretaker's license a little over a year later. Wanted to open a Pokemon Sanctuary actually, but I didn't have the money to go that far."

She nodded as she took in his story. It was not one she had heard before. She had nothing to say about it, so she just gave him a reminder. "Keep in mind, a lot of your free time's taken up when you serve the shrine. You'd probably have to give that up if you want to serve the Kannagis like you want."

"I was hoping for something a little lower key than what you do, actually."

"Yeah, know what you mean." Kaede looked out of the window, thinking about how she had come to join the shrine. "But well, just because Lady Kannagi failed doesn't mean we did. We gave our accounts of what happened. Just need to wait for the verdict."

She said this, yet knew better than to be too optimistic. There was still a chance they would be made the scapegoats. No one had blamed them to their faces yet, but it was doubtful anyone would. How people acted would say more than their words.

Jack nodded, his shoulders untensing. "I guess you're right. I hope Nariya gets better soon, so we can find out."

She was silent for a few moments as she thought about that. As a shadow, she had learned to expect and prepare for anything. She doubted the shrine would cast blame on Nariya Yaznik, although from what she heard, her future with them was in doubt anyway. She could only answer him with an irreverent shrug. "Eh, whatever happens, happens."

"Glad at least one of us can be so carefree about this." Jack laughed a little.

It was how she liked to live: in the moment. "We should probably head back soon. Festival planning to take care of."

"Yeah."


The first thing Priestess Satomi did was make her eat breakfast. Prema was not hungry, but Satomi's insistence made it impossible to decline. After a simple meal of rice, sushi, and fresh vegetables, they set out for training.

The Kannagi Shrine in Veilstone City was built on the site of a radio station that had since moved operations to Hearthome City. Some rooms were soundproof – even a screaming Exploud couldn't penetrate their walls. Among them were what were now Prema and her father's quarters – formerly sound testing rooms – and the conference room they were headed to, once used for recording.

Priestess Satomi pulled out a chair for her, which she graciously accepted. The elderly woman sat to her right. It was only the two of them at the table which could accommodate ten times their number. Prema preferred it that way for the time being. There was only one person with whom she could speak openly about one of her current concerns, the only other person in the room with her.

"Before we begin, Priestess Satomi," said Prema. "May I ask you something?"

Her mentor grinned. "You want to know what everyone thinks about what happened a couple days ago, right?"

"That is correct." She was unsurprised that Priestess Satomi could tell what was troubling her.

"Well, I'm sorry to say, Lady Kannagi," she started, pausing to shake her head. Prema felt her chest lightly tighten. "I'm afraid that your concerns are completely and utterly…unfounded."

Priestess Satomi burst into laughter at her own words. Prema herself was unable to see the humor in it, although she understood that her elderly mentor figure did enjoy the occasional bit of teasing. For her part, she was relieved to hear the news, despite the way it was presented.

"It is a comfort to hear that. I must ask why they are so forgiving, however." How could people forgive her so easily?

Priestess Satomi smiled gently. "Oh, Lady Kannagi. People respect you, and they're more understanding than you might think. They do not see what happened and think you're weak. They think the spirits are strong."

"They?" The use of that word stood out. Priestess Satomi never said 'they' when speaking of the definite, except when someone used it as a personal pronoun or when she meant absolutely everyone. "So it is a different, if incorrect, interpretation with others."

"Lady Kannagi," said Priestess Satomi, suddenly very serious. "This type of self-deprecation is unbecoming of one of your station. You mustn't be seen like this by the shrine's followers."

Prema was momentarily stilled. Her father had said the same thing. Her bow was reflexive, and almost made her topple over. "You are correct," she admitted. "I suppose the expectations placed upon me have clouded my judgment."

"It's understandable. We all feel pressure, and you're under a lot of it. But I can tell you these things taking a single session is the exception."

So Father knew. Prema immediately understood what they might have been trying to do. The task was not only to prove herself, it was a learning experience as well. It was far from what was expected of her, but she had not failed entirely. At least not yet.

"Now, we didn't expect it to go as badly as it did, but part of that was out of our control." Prema could not deny that. A lot of it was on her, but the reporter's presence and actions were unexpected. "We put out a statement, and with that? The public's just fine, the Mitsutris aside, of course. Even the mighty Schraders are not immune to scandal." She chortled.

Prema nodded and shut her eyes serenely. While she had been avoiding the news, Akari Schrader's cowardly method of securing her material and subsequent escape would be damaging to her own reputation. The best case scenario would her article getting discredited altogether, although that was wishful thinking.

She opened her eyes. "One more thing, Priestess Satomi."

"What's on your mind?"

"What if I do fail again?" The possibility was in the back of her mind.

"We'll manage, we always have. As for the spirits, I guess the city will just trash the building and have done with it." She shrugged and laughed as if it were nothing.

The heir to the shrine frowned. "That would be inadvisable. The spirits would simply head elsewhere."

"Not our problem at that point. But anyhow, let's get started!" The elderly woman clapped her hands. "And when the time comes, I'll be coming with you."

"You?"

"Something wrong with that? Am I unworthy of aiding you?"

A nod. "I can think of no one else I would rather have by my side." Knowing her mentor would be there set her mind at ease.

Priestess Satomi tapped a finger on her lips. She always did so when considering something, yet she did not voice her thoughts. "We'll start you out by reviewing your communication techniques."

"Very well."

This training was to ensure that she would be better prepared the next time she approached the spirits of the warehouse. Prema was determined to succeed. For everyone's sake.


Her training ended after two and a half hours. Prema decided to step outside when Priestess Satomi left. Although the shrine was abuzz with preparations for the Tsukimi Festival that evening, she knew where she could find some privacy. There was a wooded path behind the shrine. No one went there, neither humans nor Pokemon. It was a good place for a quiet walk, contemplation, or private meetings if the shrine was not sufficient for any reason. There were some particular individuals she wished to speak with. She told only Priestess Satomi of her intentions, who would pass it along to her father.

The priestess walked until the path opened up into a small grove. It had small sprouts of grass poking up from the dirt, a few stray stones lying around, and a fallen tree on the north side. She sighed heavily as she sat upon the latter.

Prema's Pokemon were some of her only friends. She was closer to them than her followers in some ways. Yet, as she had been learning as of late, they were no substitute for those like Nariya. Even without a communication barrier, Pokemon could not understand everything about humanity. Still, there were no others she could turn to at the moment.

The priestess brought out her strongest and most experienced companion. "Hello, Taiyoko."

She received a polite and formal greeting in return, on the wind of chitters and clacks. Her ability to understand the language of Pokemon was nowhere near the level of, for instance, the Healers of Tokiwa. Nevertheless, her empathy and training – and some pattern recognition – was sufficient to passively understand them for the most part. It was also how all Pokemon themselves could understand humans, no matter the language, or communicate across their own languages.

However, it took something more to truly dispel the language barrier. Thus, Prema shut her eyes. She leaned forward without bending her knees, her fingers slack though bending her wrists up toward the side of her head. Focusing. It was a matter of the mind to let the air flow freely into one's ears. She breathed through her mouth and held it in, before letting it through her nostrils. Let any whisper reach anywhere, let its intent be known to your mind. Even certain Pokemon did things akin to this, such as those considered easy to raise for new trainers.

"Lady Kannagi," came a familiar voice. It did not come as actual words, but rather, akin to interpreted thoughts entering her mind. They were still bug sounds; Prema only heard them differently.

Prema opened her eyes again, but remained in her meditative trance. "Yes," she replied to Taiyoko. "I wished to seek your consul."

"Then these tympanic membranes are yours." The moth spoke the tongue of the underground in cacophonous dialect, a sign of leadership or the independent. Her formal words belied her harsh and powerful tone, but Prema knew it was merely akin to an accent. "Tell me of your dilemma."

Prema did so. The Volcarona was far older and wiser than her other Pokemon. Taiyoko once told her she had lived over a century, although Prema suspected it was much more than that. Most importantly, she had a lot of experience living in the wild, in a former human habitat no less. If there was any Pokemon who could give her insight into the actions of the phantom Pokemon, it would be her, one who had seen many Pokemon come into and go from the world.

"Most fascinating…" Taiyoko mused as she concluded.

"Did any part of their behavior stand out to you? Are you capable of providing any insight?"

Taiyoko beat her wings more intensely for two seconds. "The part that strikes me as odd is how three powerful Pokemon of different species have joined together. In the wild, Pokemon colonies are generally limited to their own subspecies, barring exceptional circumstances. There will be some mutualistic and commensalistic interactions, but when it comes to societies, it is never as biodiverse as some of you humans imagine."

"Yet they are working and living together. That much is a fact," Prema reiterated. She was aware from the start that this was an unusual gathering. Even if one took into account that interspecies mixing was more likely to occur closer to urban areas, there did not seem to be a logical reason for it. "What could possibly drive them to do this? Pokemon that live in human cities are generally not this aggressive."

"Indeed, for they know it is your species permitting them in your lands." Taiyoko let out a vocalization of disgust, directed towards the phantoms' lack of respect. "It is logical to assume that these ghosts and their Crobat companion share a common goal. Yet it cannot be survival, the most common reason to see such a drastically mixed group of Pokemon uniting."

"Yes, they are both far too powerful for that and would have already departed the warehouse if that were the case." Prema hummed. It went without saying that it could not have been their types, another common impetus for unity, due to the Crobat. It possibly being the soul of one did not change matters.

"When you confronted them," Taiyoko said, pausing slightly. "Were there any powerful emotions you sensed?"

"Malice, for one," came her reply. When she reflected on it, there was one other thing. "I also felt something akin to a sense of duty."

"The latter is evidence of a hierarchy in their ranks. In which case, you need only negotiate with their leader."

"That would be the logical conclusion, if it were clear who their leader is."

"If that is true, perhaps they are indeed equals with a common cause." What that cause might be, Prema could not say. After a few moments of silent fluttering, Taiyoko inquired, "Do you have any idea as to why these Pokemon attacked? Any clue as to what drew their ire?"

It was as if a light suddenly illuminated her path. "They emerged shortly after Acolyte Jack sent out his Pokemon to feed them. Now that you mention it, their malice was in the form of resentment." It was different from, say, Nori's Pawniard. The hatred of the spirits had a clear direction.

"So the attack was timed at the appearance of other Pokemon. Perhaps they are seeking worthy trainers, or are otherwise jealous."

"We can only speculate until we get a clearer picture when next we encounter them." Nevertheless, she had a clearer picture than before. The timing was too convenient. They did not answer her calls, and immediately went after Acolyte Jack's Pokemon. It could not have been a battle they were after, though, given they left in the face of Fohoshi challenging them.

She bowed in appreciation. "Thank you, Taiyoko. Your wisdom is ever appreciated."

"I am ever at your aid, Lady Kannagi. After all, I am your laryeique."

An untranslatable word she heard in its raw form. It roughly meant 'one who follows and gladly provides unquestioned service'. The closest equivalent in the human languages would be servant or its variants like kenin, but it did not have the negative connotations associated with said words. In fact, it had positive ones. To be a laryeique was to willfully follow a worthy leader, and was a term that expressed deep respect towards that individual, be it a trainer or fellow Pokemon.

"I appreciate your saying that, Taiyoko." She smiled at the fiery moth. Prema never considered herself worthy of such a majestic Pokemon due to the circumstances in which she obtained her. The fact that Taiyoko thought otherwise due to her subsequent actions always meant a lot to Prema.

With an inhale and exhale, Prema dropped her focus. She felt groggy after doing so, as if waking from a dream, a side effect of using her powers. It was not as simple as deciding to do it, or simply being able to do it, such as the aforementioned Healers.

She retrieved the capsules of her other two companions, sending out Shu and Yahata before her. The Spritzee floated gracefully, making an adorable squeak. The owl, by contrast, stood ready and waiting. This was not necessarily due to his personality, but rather because he had sensed Prema's intentions. She needed to talk with them about something.

"Shu, Yahata." Her first partner and formal starter respectively. "And you too, Taiyoko. I first wanted to let you know that not a day goes by that I do not appreciate you."

Shu immediately flew into her chest. Prema met him with a one-handed embrace. She patted him on the backside. His scent was nearly overpowering, but Prema kept her composure.

"As I was discussing with Taiyoko," she began, still holding Shu. The moth already knew the gist of the situation and the stakes at hand. "The motives of the spirits in the warehouse have become a little more clear. There is a possibility you may have to face them in battle. They will be dangerous opponents who have no qualms about harming not only you, but myself. Are you prepared to battle for me if necessary?"

It pained Prema to have to ask them to endanger themselves, but her two evolved Pokemon understood immediately. After all, battling was one of the many ways Pokemon and humanity bonded. It helped that neither of them disliked it. Shu seemed a little hesitant as she released him, shuffling away. If he was uncomfortable, Prema would accept that. But some encouragement, if not prodding from the others, was all it took for him to do a somersault in the air and cry out eagerly.

She chuckled softly at his sudden enthusiasm. "Thank you. I will do my best to prevent a conflict, but I want you three to be prepared in the event it proves unavoidable."

Prema believed that there was a way to get through to the spirits. There had to be a reason for their anger towards other Pokemon, and once she knew what it was, they could surely come to an accord. Hopefully, they would find relocation acceptable. Or perhaps their souls could truly be set at ease, and they would pass on to the next world.

"Until then…" She took a short breath in. "Do you mind if we simply spend some time out here, together?" Talking to Taiyoko was very helpful, but Prema had to admit that it did not alleviate all her concerns. She wanted to get her mind off them, if only briefly.

Shu and Taiyoko seemed to be happy about it, the former expressing it more than the latter by circling around her. Yahata waved a wing silently and stoically, perhaps a bit dismissively. Serious as always, but as loyal and caring as any of her companions.

They would have to return before long to serve at the festival in the evening. But until then, Prema would take the opportunity to relax and get into a proper frame of mind to do so.


Refreshed from a late lunch, Nori Carino walked down the road. He had been having some serious trouble with his own work, but for the most part, that was another story.

While his research on his assignment kept going in circles, his thoughts kept coming back to Prema. If he knew what he was doing, he felt he could find a clear direction to go with the murderous Pawniard he was rehabilitating. Instead, he was thinking about Prema's situation.

It wasn't totally unjustified. Like Nariya said, these were dangerous wild Pokemon. So Nori knew he should be able to become involved! He also knew that he was just using semantics, but he would use any excuse to help. Prema had done a lot for him, so how could he return the favor?

Maybe it was also his curiosity at work. It had started as a distraction at the library on Saturday. He wanted to clear his mind from his own situation, so he shifted gears. He had typed in "Veilstone City warehouse worker accident November 2014" and pressed return. The first thing he saw was a Seenit post, and the second was a small article from the Veilstone Times, dated November 28th.

The latter was vague, perhaps written when it was breaking news. There wasn't any follow-up. The Seenit post seemed to be automated, and had a link to a Sinnoh News article that was now deleted. He was starting to develop something of a reporter's instinct, but as far as he was concerned, it didn't take having one to see something was up.

That was how he came to find himself standing before the Veilstone Times building, ready to do some research.


A/N: Tactics Ogre Reborn was a major distraction. 310 hours. But, it's done now, so progress in both fics can hopefully speed back up.