PMD: The Crystalight Age

Chapter 1: Sage

Fermion Forest:

Dim, artificial light beamed down upon nimble paws. Their short form moved too swiftly to track, padding in a low sweep, autumn leaves and bushes crackling and rustling beneath their prowling advance. Wearily, I peered around a barren tree, only to provoke the advance of eerie, neon purple eyes that peered through the low brush. Their lavender orbs vanished, and in an instant I found myself pinned to the tree I'd used as cover. I was trapped! No matter how hard I struggled, my back was turned, and she had me cornered.

"Violet!" I giggled, struggling to hold myself up. The sneaky fox had started tickling me! "That's enough. I give up!"

"What was that about beating quicker than me?" Violet teased as she pulled her weight off my shoulders. The flareon's smile was bright, even beneath the dim light of the forest lamps. "You surrender, then?"

I flipped onto my rear and patted down the fur of my six, curled tails. "More like stealthier." I smirked. "I still say I'd beat you in a race."

Violet looked thoughtful. "Perhaps…" She grinned. "Not like I'll give you the chance." She nudged her flame-colored cheek against my own, and suddenly my muzzle was buried beneath a mountain of fiery fluff.

"I'd like to breathe, please." I pleaded. Unfortunately, my muffled giggles betrayed my attempts at salvation.

"As if you wouldn't sleep in this fur." She snickered and pulled me to my paws. "The usual place, then?"

I sighed. "It's not like there's anywhere else to go." I nudged her forward. "You first, then. Lead the way. Come on!"

Fermion village was, for lack of a better word, a mess. By no means were the villagers unpleasant to be around. We were tight-knit in the truest sense, but every day was dark and cold. It was rare to find pokemon other than fire and ice type willing to brave such conditions, and even then the winters were annoying at best. Ever since our solar crystal ceased to function, our small community had slowly dwindled. "Hey Violet. You spend a lot of time in the library, right? I've never thought to ask about it." I asked as we treaded the dim-lit forest, her flank brushing lightly against my own.

The flareon exchanged an inquiring expression. "You're interested in books?" Her tail fluttered about with suspicion. "Okay… What about it?"

"Well…" I cast an absent glance at the star-filled sky. Not a cloud in sight. Perfect for a night under the stars. "Knowing you, I'm sure you've read the folklore stuff. Do you really think the sun was real? A giant ball of fire in the sky? I mean, come on."

Violet seemed almost offended. "Of course it did! Why else would the crystals reveal its light?" She shook her head. "The stars you're looking at should be proof enough. There are plenty of old scientific journals that describe the sun as a star. Just, you know, really close up."

"I dunno…" I frowned incredulously. "Wouldn't that be dangerous? I mean, it'd be really hot."

Violet shook her head. "The planet's atmosphere helps protect it. Besides, it wouldn't be that close."

"I guess… You're the smart one, so." I shrugged. Violet wasn't what I would call a nerd, or even really a bookworm, but she loved books. If anything, the flareon was more of the effeminate type. She loved fur care and all kinds of confusingly-named scents and accessories. Even if no one could see them most of the time, she loved importing scarves, hats and the like from brightened territories and customizing them to her liking. That being said, it didn't stop her from being a good fighter.

"Reading books doesn't have anything to do with being smart." She stuck her nose up at the thought. "You're plenty intelligent yourself. You should give yourself more credit." Violet and I stopped when as we approached the edge of a cliff. Supposedly it was meant to overlook our village, but no sun meant no moonlight, so the only sources of light for miles were the twinkling of household lanterns, and the dim glow of the forest-preservation lamps. Naturally we needed plants, so those were a necessity, but why couldn't they be a bit brighter?

"If I was smart, we wouldn't be stuck here in this freezing village." I grumbled and flipped over, observing the starry sky as if it were the ground. "Remind me again why they won't let us leave. My parents have a second house in Aurora City. We could live there if they didn't stop us."

Violet cast a tired expression. "We don't need to go anywhere, Fern." The flareon stood above me, her fiery scruff brushing against the cream of my underbelly. "Right here is fine." She pressed her nose against mine, then settled in for a night of cuddling. "This village is small, but it works."

"It would if there were something to do!" I huffed. "All we've got is this place." I whined. Violet and I had spoken about dating before, but cuddling was as far as we'd gotten in this dark little village. Admittedly I didn't know much about this stuff, but there had to be more to it than going on the same walk every day when we could barely see each other. "Even if your fur is nice." I sighed. Succumbing to her cottony locks, I buried my muzzle into her mane once more. "I wish I could see you fully. We've been friends since we were kits, and I haven't seen you under anything but those crummy lights." I shuddered at the thought of the dim, blue light altering the flareon's true appearance. What if her eyes weren't actually purple? What if she was shiny? Even under the light of a lantern, I could scarcely tell what my best friend actually looked like.

I couldn't see her face through all of the fur, but I could practically sense the amusement. "To be fair, I haven't seen my full reflection either, and we don't have any photos."

"That's fair…" I shrugged. "Unlike me, the flareon had evolved in the dark, and she hadn't properly seen herself since. It was hard to imagine how she felt, though she never complained.

"Hey, aren't they picking the new sage tomorrow? Maybe they'll finally find someone to operate the crystal." Violet offered, resting her muzzle atop my head.

"Maybe." I purred, half listening, half asleep. "If the elders can stop picking sticks in the mud. Seriously, they're too…" I yawned, "afraid to choose someone good."

Violet rested her head against my cheek and sighed. "I'm sure it's only a matter of time. The village'll have its light back, and you can stop this silly plan of yours to leave." She curled her tail around mine. "Now sleep. It'll be hard to hear anything at the ceremony over your grumbling." She urged; however, her fur was too comfy to resist, and before I knew it, her words were muffled by the veil of sleep.

Fermion Village - Central Plaza

Dull, fluorescent bulbs gave way to bright city lamps as we stepped out onto the red, brick streets of Fermion Village. In no way were they bright enough to illuminate buildings, but they were more than enough to light up the important paths and merchant stands. The village entrance opened straight into the central plaza, where a number of pokemon gathered noisily around a massive, pink crystal, its surface glowing ever so slightly, but nowhere near the scale of its former glory. Word had it that, once lit, the sky was as blue as it had been in the past, with rolling, puffy white things called "clouds", the trees green, dancing joyously in the sunless light. Of course, it was merely a projection, but supposedly its effects were very much real. So much so that it even affected the temperature. Such stories captivated young kits for decades, yet I found it hard to believe. How could some rock be capable of bringing back memories of a long lost star?

"Hello? Earth to fern." Violet waved an orange-ish paw before my muzzle, snapping me out of my trance. "You ok?" She giggled.

"O-oh!" I stammered, a slight tingling afflicting my cheeks. "Sorry. Must've drifted off." I muttered. "What is it?"

The flareon swished her tail, strutting ahead toward the crowd. "Come on! I think the ceremony's already started!" She smirked. "Don't let me beat ya!"

"Like I'd let that happen!" I grinned, and we took off. The flareon had the advantage of height, however, and as such made quick work of the race, and soon we were sitting toward the back, side by side amidst the cold morning air.

"…I'd like to thank you all for attending this year's crystal sage ceremony." The mayor continued. It seemed we had arrived a bit late, but as luck would have it, we hadn't missed much. "I understand you all have tight schedules to attend to, so we'll keep this brief." The leafeon gestured to a mix of tough looking males to his right. Not a single female and, curious enough, despite prior ceremonies including an elder or two, each candidate was lean, and as muscular as they were young. "As per usual, our candidates will take turns placing their paws on our sun crystal. The strongest reaction of the bunch will determine this year's sage." He sighed. "Now, I understand your unrest surrounding our lack of a true successor to the late Sir Lumin, but do know that our village is small. Though it has been quite some time since his passing, it's very likely that we'll be without light for years to come. Unfortunately, without the required training, the required affinity simply isn't within reach." With the mayor's apology came an uproar of displeased murmurs, yet not a soul bothered to raise their voice. Perhaps it was out of hope, or perhaps they were simply tired of ceremonies and wanted to move on with their day. Whatever the case may be, I didn't plan on sticking around for much longer.

"So…" whispered Violet. "That plan of yours. We're old enough." The flareon slowly lost interest with each failed candidate, and resorted to quiet banter. Not that I blamed her. Though they were fit, not a single one of the warrior-like pokemon managed to raise the crystal above a lamp-like state. The brightest one got was enough to give the square an eerie, pink hue and, though he'd been chosen as sage, he didn't look particularly happy about it. "How about it? You still interested?"

I raised an eyebrow. "The house in Goldridge?" I shrugged. "I've had that on the back burner since we were kits. Why bring it up now?"

"I want out." The flareon's head fell. "I…want to see you." She squinted at me. "For what you really look like. I can't do that here. Not with this darkness, and the council certainly won't stick their necks out for something like that." She sighed. "You know how I feel, don't you? We can't…"

"I know." I shifted my paws uneasily. My parents were wealthy businessmon with a passion for travel. As such, they owned several houses, one of which they'd set aside for me should I feel the need to flee my childhood home. The only issue was, if I were to bring Violet along, what would become of her parents? What would they think of me? "What about your parents?"

"They'll understand." She rolled onto her side. "Besides, it's not like we can't come back and visit and I can write to them!" She pumped her paw outward. "They're always encouraging me to write more. There's an opportunity!"

"I don't think that's what they meant. "I chuckled. "But uhh…if you're so sure, then I suppose." I glance back at the forest we'd come from. "I'm gonna miss our cuddling cliff." I swished my tail in a melancholic arc. "Oh!" I straightened. "But we're definitely meeting with your parents today to discuss it. I won't have them accusing me of abducting you. Then we'll never get to go on a date."

Violet rolled her eyes. "They've known you all your life. We used to take baths together."

"Yeah, well. A lot can change in 18 years." I chuckled. "And if I remember correctly, I was the splashing type. Me and water didn't mix. I've gotta be like, one mistake away from revenge, you think?" I stuck my tongue out at the flareon and stood up. "In all seriousness, let's blow this place before the sage tries to flirt with you. The last thing we need is a bruised light switch."

"Oof!" Violet cackled. "That's not fair. You didn't have to do that to him." She hopped to her paws, but her laughter made her wobbly, and so I was forced to support her hefty form. "Hey! Think you can keep that up? That's more than enough bonus points to negate your splash attack antics!" She teased.

"We'll see." I nudged her side, and soon we began our trot through town, slipping through narrow alleyways and across the market. Anything to avoid unnecessary attention. Today was the most annoying day of the year after all. The last thing we needed was a roadblock in our great escape.