Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

by S'moresOfMore

Coming from a time before humans and Pokémon coexisted, Felix finds himself transformed into a Riolu in a world of talking monsters. Roped into an Exploration team alongside a faithful Vulpix, a snarky Petilil, and a sneering Wimpod, he searches for a way home while growing to see Pokémon as more than monsters in a small-scale adventure littered with Space-Time Distortions.

16. Chapter 16: In From The Cold

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

Chapter 16

In From The Cold

It was a cold enough afternoon, in Felix's eyes. All around him, many of the inhabitants of the village had begun to bundle up to combat the coming chill. Strips of fur wrapped around layers of plain cloaks seemed to become the norm as he looked around, dressing smaller critters like wurmples into densely packed bundles of linen as they inched across perched in golden trees, whilst larger Pokémon like zebstrika traveled away on the cleaned roads from the market's center, bundled alike, and having harnessed behind them on wheelbarrows some rubble and hacked segments of a fallen tree. The battle of yesterday left a mess, but with time, the damages and debris would be sorted. With Cobb out of the picture for the foreseeable future, many would look toward the coming change eagerly.

Felix was not among them. He and Star stood somberly side-by-side, heads hanging low in front of the displeased bundled sylveon before them.

He knew Petal was nearby, failing to watch the scene discreetly through side-glances as she helped her mother reopen the stall they had run in the square. He had seen her eyeing him from atop a wooden ladder as she hung a rope of hanging red, green, and white decorations, then quickly feigning focusing back on her work when he looked at her. Wimpod was undoubtedly close by as well, likely hidden in the shimmering breadth of the trees above, though he had not seen him.

"Is that so?" the sylveon finally asked calmly. Riley's tone sagged, dripping with disappointment and laden with a subdued frustration.

Felix remained silent, looking down.

"It is," Star replied in his stead, also ashamed. "We could not get him, and he's likely… away by now."

Riley's lips shifted back and forth, his eyes glazing over the pair with displeasement. "So, you couldn't get him," he murmured. "You had well over a week for this. And as you know, I won't pay for what I don't get."

A soft breath left Felix's nose. "I know."

One of Riley's ribbons tapped impatiently against his shoulder as he stared at the silent pair. "It was quite important that I had brought him in," Riley finally lamented. "Very important." He sighed. "I suppose there isn't anything more we can discuss." Riley retracted his ribbons, wrapping them around himself as he turned away. "Goodbye." He began walking down the path, not looking back as he slipped into the afternoon crowd. Gone.

Their heads remained hanging low. Glancing to the side, he saw Petal say something he could not quite hear to her mother, then carefully hopping down the rungs of the ladder and coming to them, an inquisitive look on her small face.

"Hey there, Blue," she hesitantly said as she came to his side. "What, uh… what's got you so blue, Blue?"

"Kind of hungry, I guess," he muttered.

Petal's expression seemed to stiffen. "Oh, ha-ha," she sarcastically laughed. "Come on, Blue, spill the beans: what's got you so glum?"

"Oh, you know," he shrugged, "don't have the money to pay for a ride that'll be here tomorrow to head back on home to my country, so now I'm stuck here with no plan," he explained, only just barely hiding the frustration behind his voice.

Her eyes shot open. "Oh," she softly murmured. "Oooh," was her next open attempt at forming a thought as the situation became clear to her, causing her to wince and her leaves to curl. "Sooo, what's the plan now?" she finally managed to get out.

"I've got nothing," Felix spoke frankly.

"Right, right…" She looked over at Star, the vulpix's head hanging deep in thought. "Well, what about you? Got a plan brewing for our boy here?"

Star's lips shifted back and forth as she hummed, her brows furrowed. "I…" she finally spoke, "don't know."

The three stood silently.

After a moment, Petal's face seemed to quiver with a building vigor, the sound of a small grumble growing inside her as Felix and Star worriedly looked at her. "Okay!" she finally boomed out, turning around and quickly heading back to her mother's stall. "Be back in a minute, Blue!"

The pair squinted at her, watching Petal as she prodded at her mother's side as she put down a box of fruits and began frantically speaking to her. They could not hear much, but judging as the lilligant's head reeled back once Petal had finished, it could not have been good.

"What do you think that sprout's trying to do…?" Felix asked as he looked on. The lilligant folded her arms and glanced at him, then turning back to her daughter as she began speaking once again.

"I don't know," Star added. "But she seems to be trying… something."

The lilligant began tapping the tip of one of her leafy arms as she looked to the sky in thought. Petal herself seemed still now, waiting eagerly for some sort of answer. She dropped her arms, raising one hand and telling something to Petal in but one sentence.

Petal hopped into the air with joy, hugging her mother as she leaned down and then breaking away to come back towards Felix and Star as her mother returned to tend to the stall.

"Okay, okay!" she beamed. "Okay. Nothing is set yet, but I think I can butter my mom up some more today while we work."

Felix leered at her suspiciously. Petal seemed quite excited: her small body was bobbing in place, and despite having only eyes and no mouth, a certain confidence seemed to be radiating from her expression. "What exactly are you planning?"

"Nope. Not saying a thing," she dismissively said as she looked away. "Like I said, nothing is set yet, so I ain't gonna give you false hope or whatever, but I'll try to warm my mom up to the idea and see if it works out."

"Alright, alright," he grumbled. A stray thought entered his head. "Say: so now that the Cobb-thing is done, are you going back to working with your mom?"

"Huh?" Petal murmured. "Oh, nah. I'll still buddy-up with you if you're still taking these jobs that are way out of our league and almost certain to get us killed!" she joked. "It's kinda fun! But two things: one, you're not on any jobs right now, yeah?"

"I mean… yeah," he halfheartedly agreed with a small wave of his hand.

"Uh-huh, 'yeah,' he says…" she mocked with a poor, deep imitation of his voice. "And two: are your eyes working?"

He chuckled as he wiped his eyes. "Last I checked, yes, they're fine."

"Oh, wonderful!" Petal snarkily congratulated. "Then I'm sure you noticed the mess we have around the place ever since yesterday's little hoedown!" She gestured to the locale around them. Plenty of others around had been gathering debris and scrap from the messes made, and piled them up into small heaps of trash at each corner of the road. Numerous pop-up tents lay in ruin, and many trees had their bark chipped or torn away in great numbers, not to mention the upheaved soil around. Even with the muscles of a conkeldurr among them, it was still evident it would take some time to restore the village back into the neatly kept hamlet it was before. "So while I'm sure it'd be fun to do nothing and be a bum with you all day, I'm gonna help my mom reopen shop today… and also beg her to make that idea happen," she quickly added.

Felix planted his face into the palm of his hand. "...Do I even wanna know what you're being so giddy about?"

She nodded. "Trust me, you'll love it! And stop by our place tonight! If everything works out as I so masterfully planned, you'll- you know- wanna be there!"

"What, just like that? Show up unannounced?"

"It wouldn't be unannounced! By the time you show up, mom should be on board with this!"

Felix and Star leered at her, though her posture remained self-assured. "Should be?" Star asked in his place, sitting down. Her face scrunched as she hunched over, as if taken by a cramp. She quickly recomposed herself; straightened her posture, and cleared her throat. "Sorry, small cramp."

Petal looked at her, and if Felix had not known better, he swore he could see the cognitive gears behind Petal's honey-glazed-eyes begin churning as her gaze narrowed. "Please stop thinking," he jokingly asked with small concern. He began chuckling. "You're scaring me."

"Okay-okay, hear me out: you come tonight too, Star!" Petal finally blurted.

"Huh?" Star murmured. "Me?"

"Yeah, you! Let's get the whole gang together for this… awesome thing! Me, Blue, you, and yeah, even that little fella!" she explained. "I'll let the bugger know when I see him."

Star's head listed to the side. "...You're not too far off from his size, you know…" she mumbled under her breath. After her remark Petal had failed to hear, she nodded. "But sure! I'd love to come tonight! I have some things I'll be attending to beforehand, but I'll be there."

Petal hopped on over to them, rubbing the top of Star's lowered head whilst the two smiled sympathetically to each other. "Heck yeah, you will! And you!" Her attention snapped to Felix. "You better come! This whole thing is for you!"

"Bah…" Felix grumbled, kicking the dirt. "Sure, why not. Not like I have anywhere better to be, anyhow."

"Great! Alright, I'll see you all there, then!" Having said her piece, Petal gave a brief bow and turned to return to her mother's stall, waving her leaves as she left. "Toodles!"

Felix and Star watched as Petal returned to her mother's side, helping her lift a box of colorful fruits with the splay of her leaves and placing it on the low countertop, a conversation resuming between the pair.

"Should I be worried about this idea of hers?" Felix half-jokingly asked.

"It should be fine," Star dismissed. A low hum tranquilly left her as she gave the idea a second thought. "Should be, anyway." She raised herself off the ground, shaking herself vigorously to be rid of any dirt on her coat. "How are you holding up, if you don't mind my asking? You took some hits last night, last I recall."

"Me?" Felix repeated. "Last I recall, you got sent flying into the ceiling from some rock attack below you. But I'm fine." He rolled his shoulders as if to demonstrate. "How about you?"

She let out a small snort of fire. "A little winded. The occasional ache here and there, but nothing I won't recover from." She took a deep breath and leaned forward in a great stretch, then stood firm again. "I've got some things I need to do, but I will try to make it for… whatever it is Petal has planned- or is planning- tonight. I want to help clean up around the location for a bit, see how everyone is doing, and there is a group prayer I'll be leading this evening beneath the briar."

"Sounds like quite the plan for you today, then," Felix remarked.

"Oh, certainly! It's busy work, but work I enjoy." She cocked her head away for a moment in thought. "Actually…" she mumbled, "you aren't too busy today, right?"

"Besides moping around without money to get home, sure, guess I ain't too busy."

"Good!" she beamed. "Distinctly not that first part! But good! Want to come with me until the night, then?"

"I…" he grumbled. He looked around. A number of creatures were loading a small cart ahead with rubble and torn canvas ahead, likely to dispose of it later. It was a mess he was partly responsible for with his plan. And some work might help to keep his mind off his situation. At least, for a time. "Sure."

Star's tails flicked, and a smile crept onto her face. Turning towards the bustling crowd down the path, she began walking with Felix joining her. "Excellent," she continued. "Let's make ourselves useful."

—-

They had worked for quite some time: heaving rubbish and ruin into carts, gathering debris scattered about the area, and with the time remaining, Star had guided them from home to home to help how they could. From those small like metapods suspending themselves from trees, or those larger like a zebstrika. Star had taken herself and Felix to listen to their grievances from yesterday's attack or daily troubles, and she responded kindly with counseling and a smile. Truthfully, Felix felt out of his element in these social calls, and opted to excuse himself off to the side whilst they occurred, leaving him with time to himself to think and reflect.

Before all this had transpired- before he had found himself transported to his unfamiliar land in the body not of his own- he would had never even fathomed the possibility of these Pokémon being capable of such human actions or ideas. Every single creature and beast he had ever known ever only acted like animals should. Yet here he was, in a budding village constructed by their own actions, and holding their own ideas and thoughts. The world had been bigger than he knew.

But that was this afternoon. Now, in the darkening evening, he found himself pushing through a growing crowd, all murmuring about the event or discussing recent events. They had gathered at the foot of the blazing briar, forcing many to take off their cold-wear underneath its influence of heat. The tower alone had been heavily focused on by many during the cleaning process, leaving it near pristine by the work-day's end.

Rope had been strung up from branch to branch between trees, holding above glowing lantern fruits hung by their stems and painted wooden tabs, reflecting those oh-so familiar colors of red, green, and white he had always seen displayed here. It was a sight he had grown to appreciate, and one he might have commented on were he not left alone.

Star had excused herself some time earlier whilst the sun still rested on the horizon. His patience worn thin as the night encroached and the crowd grew, he now found himself searching for her, squeezing past legs that towered over his small form as he headed towards the tower.

Filing past the clean, silk-smooth coat of a persian, something caught his eye: Dimas, the gholdengo merchant; and Jeral, the hakamo-o who had assisted Felix and his team before, both appeared to be carrying something between them he could not see as they walked through the crowd, heading away from the briar. It was something small and silvery- he knew that much.

"Wait- you?" a light, crisp voice pierced Felix from behind. Turning around, there was Lyniar and her son, Trace. The linoone's child had scampered up onto her head and was fidgeting with his mother's sturdy pair of goggles, not that she cared much. "Felix? That you?" she asked again.

"Maybe," he replied. "Why?"

"Ha! Your mask of indifference betrays you, Felix!" she smiled. Reaching up with her elongated claws, she grabbed her squirming child and placed him back on the ground, patting him as he gnawed on a claw. "Last I heard, you went after Cobb finally, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. 'Didn't really go our way, but he should be out of the picture for now."

"Right, right," Lyniar murmured. Her attention was latched onto Trace. The zigzagoon had thoroughly latched onto her claw, and remained attached even as she lifted her palm into the air, taking the little biter with it. "Now, I'm not sure you remember," she continued as she tried to pry Trace off with a free claw, "but Cobb stole a little valuable something from me: a little round device used by the Paldean Empire back in their era."

He scoffed at those last words. Time and time again, they alluded to the empire he himself had been a part of as a thing of the past, but he knew better.

He had too.

"Now, I know you wouldn't know exactly what it was, but I am professionally obligated as someone who's worked her tail off over old stuff like this to tell you that this thingamabob was very important to my research, both in relevance to our understanding of the distortion-phenomenon we see here today, and to better grasp the technology of an empire past," Lyniar emphasized. "For, you see, that thing was-"

"A tera orb," Felix interrupted.

Lyniar blinked in surprise. "Yeah," she mumbled. "You… know about it?"

"Let's just say I read about it," he lied. "What about it?"

Lyniar had finally pried Trace off of her, and had now been fidgeting with her claws, softly clacking them together. "Well…" A pensive, sour expression had taken hold of her. "Was it there, when- you know- when you got there?"

Felix cupped his chin as he thought back to what he had overhead the previous night, recalling the conversation he had overheard from Cobb. "No, it's long gone by now," he bluntly stated. "Got taken hold of by some sandcastle or the like."

"Oh…" Lyniar breathed. She balled up her paw into a fist, lightly beating her head over and over again as she groaned. "I'm so gonna get fired over this."

"Well, if it's any consolation… Cobb didn't exactly get paid for the orb," Felix feebly consoled. It had only taken a second after those to leave his mouth for him to realize that was no help.

Lyniar looked up, her eyes peering out from between the spread of claws. "You know… that actually makes me feel a bit better."

Felix's cheeks puffed up, and he shrugged. Looks like it did help.

Picking up her son, she twisted and placed the squirming zigzagoon on her back, then readjusting the goggles on her pointed head. "I mean, I'm probably not gonna get fired over this; I'm like one of the only gals or who-have-you around who can even begin to understand how it functioned!"

"Well, good for you!" he congratulated, having felt obligated to. "I'm sure they're glad to have an egghead like you around."

"Yeah, thanks!" The smile of her face held for a brief moment, but seemed to fade. "Though they're definitely gonna cut some of our funding…" she whispered, rubbing her head. "Ugh, this was supposed to be a quick trip."

The chime of a pure bell chimed through the air, ringing softly and clearly. At once, the murmurs and the shuffling of the crowd ceased, their attention focused on the source at the height of the briar.

Up on high, at a platform seated just below the iron-cast basin which held the emerald blaze, the figure of a vulpix stood at the floor's edge. Nestled behind her ears were a pair of holy feathers, reflecting the flicker of torchlight flame stationed around her. Around her neck, a gold talisman: simple in its form and function, it was round at its center, with the sprouting of smooth wings and tail feathers on its sides and bottom. And grasped between her jaws, twine that held up a small silver bell.

"That's her!" Felix heard from somewhere within the crowd, in muffled tones.

"Quiet!" a voiced hushed. "This is the first time she's done this in a long while! I want to pay attention!"

The crowd fell silent.

"Wait…" Felix whispered underneath his breath. "Star?"

Moving regardfully, Star silently placed the silver bell down beside herself, then sitting. At once, the crowd followed suit and knelt if they were able, or sat humbly down otherwise. Be it perched in the breadth of the trees above, or amongst the mass below, all submitted. Be it the strong and tall, or the weak and small.

Save for Felix.

Star looked down from above, spying Felix with a cold focus he had never seen from her before. She stared at him for but a second, then lowered her head and closed her eyes serenely.

All present, but one, mirrored her action.

"Knowledge most fruitful," Star recited clearly.

"Enlighten us," the crowd echoed back.

"Honor most virtuous."

"Save us."

"Faith most enduring."

"Steel us."

"Wisdom most understanding."

"Compose us."

"Fellowship most bonded."

"Unite us."

"Duty most sacred."

"Deliver us."

"Justice most assured."

"Protect us."

"Loyalty most absolute."

"Lead us."

"Compassion most true."

"Inspire us."

Star stood back up, opening her eyes, which seemed to relieve the crowd of the same pious posture. The brief recitement had left Felix feeling somewhat unnerved, especially in his absence of their practice around him.

"I thank you all who have come to attend today's brief prayer," Star announced. "I know very well that many of you are busy: taken by obligations for your work or your family, or for the village itself in selflessly volunteering for its repair and helping those who've come to need of it. Sincerely," Star knelt down on one front leg, "I thank all you who've worked tirelessly for everyone around you."

"Yeah, I think I did a pretty good job!" came in hushed words from an unself-aware timburr nearby, an equally unaware grin worn on its face.

She stood upright once more. "As we are all undoubtedly aware, the terrible raid led by the outlaw Cobb had left this village in tatters. But I bring most welcome news: as of yesterday night, Cobb and his gang will no longer prey on the village or her commerce, for Cobb has fled east for the depths of the Undercast!"

A small round of applause rose from the crowd, as did a few cheers. A modest clap was given by Felix as well. He looked over at Lyniar, who had been clapping as well with the base of her paws. Trace was lying on her back, seemingly not understanding the occasion as he simply remained laying still and wide-eyed.

"Once more, thanks to everyone's cooperation and goodwill, I believe we can recover in no time!" she continued, to more sustained applause.

Felix leaned closer to the spec'ed linoone, careful not to startle her. "Hey," he whispered. Lyniar looked at him, still clapping and smiling. "What's she doing up there?" he asked, pointing a thumb up towards Star.

The genuine smile Lyniar wore became seamlessly replaced by a more sarcastic one. "I don't know," she teased. "You tell me: what is she doing up there?"

The applause had died down, allowing the faint sound of clattering metal to reach Felix's ears. From where he stood, he could scarcely see a silver pot being dragged near the ledge by its thick wooden handles by Star. A scalding red-hot glow had turned the lid and its handle atop a bright cherry-red, though the base retained its silver sheen. Just by looking at her, Felix felt uncomfortable with how close the incinerating metal was to her.

"I will not hold you all for long, and so, I will be brief in this prayer," she explained.

Opening her mouth, she gently grabbed the scorching red-hot handle of the pot and lifted it off. Taken by shock and surprise, as well as feeling his own mouth seemingly feel torched by the mere sight, Felix quickly looked away, a pained exhale being blown through his clenched teeth.

Once a second had passed- and having not heard a scream or the like brought by the scalding iron-, he cautiously looked back up. Star had reseated herself, the scorching lid beside her, and the crowd once more had begun kneeling. "When we pray," she instructed clearly, "pray not simply for good fortunes to be swung your way, or for favors or pleasantries." Star looked down directly into Felix's eyes, the serene gaze of her eyes gently melting over him like honey. "Pray for those around you, who had not yet experienced their just reward, who have been swept into ill-tidings. For those who need a light to look towards." She stopped, though she held her stare. As everyone else had been holding their heads down, only Felix noticed as Star's brows furrowed. The mental debate within herself was apparent as her ears twitched and tails flicked, dueling with her own thoughts. A soft sigh escaped her, and the subtle movements ceased. "And if I may be so bold," she announced, "if you struggle to find who to pray for, or find yourself with goodwill to spare, then please: pray for my own good friend, Felix."

"What?" Felix blurted out.

The heads of some members of the crowd began slowly creeping up from Star's sudden request, forming a jagged outline of the gathering as pointed and rounded ears from Pokémon big and small, soon formed an irregular askew pattern of heads raising up.

"Psst, hey," Lyniar whispered over to him. Her head had remained low on her hunched back, but her eyes still were sneakily peering over towards him. "She means you, right?" she grinned. Overhearing the not-so-subtle conversation, a cramorant perched on branches overhead and the persian he had squeezed past shot him a quick glance, but quickly looked back down when Felix caught them. Looking back at Lyniar with a soft glare, she returned the expression with her own smirk, then shutting her eyes gently.

Star returned to focus, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and prayed.

"O, Heavenly Sacred Fire, vigilant and without end.

Sacred is one's body, mind, spirit, and mission.

Divine is your providence, over seas, mountains, and heavens.

Who has self-sacrificed in the name of all."

"Grant us mercy when we fall.

That we may have lived our matchless life.

And for those who have lived with flaw,

Deliver them not into strife and sin,

But into embrace and purpose.

For yours is the cycle of eternal return."

Star finished her recitement of the prayer. While she had spoken, the crowd below had softly murmured the prayer alongside her, word for word.

Without a single word more, Star stood and delicately brushed her tails within the circumference of the pot, pulling them out grayed and heavily layered with ash. "Our prayer has concluded," Star announced. With a great spin, she swung her tails outward and dispersed much of the ash over the crowd, which tenderly floated down like snowflakes in the wind. "Go now, and bring peace." Presenting a final bow, she withdrew herself from the ledge.

Everyone rose back up and began softly speaking amongst themselves, discussing small trivialities, and the crowd began to slowly disperse.

"Hey," Lyniar called Felix's attention. She plucked her son off her back and tucked him close to her furry chest, smiling. "This one has something to say to you, doesn't he?" she babbled as she rubbed her nose against his.

"Felix!" Trace squeaked out.

At once, his mother gave him a small, playful flick on his beady black nose, making him flinch. "Nuh-uh," she reminded, "is that how you address grown-ups?"

Trace squinted, his small claws rolling along his paws as he growled in thought. His eyes then lit up and his face perked in glee. "Oh! Mister Felix!" he babbled. He looked back up to his mother for her approval, and she nodded with a pleased smile. "Mister Felix! I prayed for you!"

He blinked. "Huh… Well, thank you, I guess."

"Mm-hm! Hope you feel better, mister Felix!" Trace gave him a genuine, toothy grin from his pointed face.

Lyniar patted his head, then nuzzled him. "That's my boy." Heaving him back onto her back to latch onto, she gave Felix her own smile. "I'm not sure what sort of trouble you're in that you can have miss fuzzypants up there asking for everyone here to spare a thought for you, but keep on chugging, right?"

A small smile was coaxed out him. "Right."

"That's the spirit! Take care, alright? I've gotta make dinner for two of us, so see ya!" With a flick of her wrist, she turned and began walking away on all fours. On her back, Trace turned to face him on last time, and gave a small wave before the two vanished from sight, lost in the chatting crowd.

"Felix!" he heard Star call out to him. Looking behind himself, he could see Star just departing off of the winding wooden ramp that had led up to the platform she had been on. The tip of her tails were still darkened by ash- not that she seemed to particularly care. "Felix, sorry for the sudden… attention, just then," she continued. "It was a spur of the moment idea. I want to help you anyway I can, so maybe- I thought- I could send some good wishes your way."

"Huh," was his immediate response. "I… appreciate it."

A sudden thought seemed to cross Star's mind as her eyes seemed to slightly widen. "Oh, I suppose I should've asked that and another thing beforehand," she abashedly stated. "Considering your… unique situation, I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you don't practice the same faith as us. And I probably should've asked if you wanted the attention, too." A forced smile was now on her.

He snorted. "Or any, for the record. But still, I do appreciate it. Really." His lips shifted back and forth. There was something else on his mind. "Say, why were you up there? Some kind of volunteer work you were happy to fill?"

"Huh?" She cocked her head, but immediately shot right back up. "Oh! That! This wasn't meant to be a secret, but I suppose I just…"

"Just what?"

"Just sort-of, maybe, perhaps… sort of forgot." She winced and pulled her ears flat. "Without exception, everyone I've met already knew about me and my station, so I've never had to state this. Truly! I never intended to hide this from you."

"Don't worry, I know you meant nothing by it. You're smart, you've got a good head on your shoulders…" He playfully pointed a finger at her, a smirk crossing his lips. "But you ain't wise. We know this."

Star lowered her head, and nodded. A self-aware smile beamed from her. "Ha. I suppose that's one way to put it."

"Come on, get on with it, then," Felix said as he motioned for her to continue, "what's so important?"

Star sat herself down before him, fixing her posture into a sublime curve and proudly displaying her six tails behind her. Her wonderfully kept scarlet fur coat and curls shined brilliantly in the lights that encompassed them. Even the feathers nestled on her head seemed to glow in the serene atmosphere.

Putting on a soft, compassionate smile, she looked into Felix's eyes with a fire behind her own. "I am the next Illumini."

He was speechless. Truly, he had no words to express how he felt at her grand reveal. "Wow," he said. "I have no idea what that means," he said bluntly, dropping the facade.

Star began giggling. "Heh, I suppose that's to be expected; you're not really accustomed to our customs." She got off the ground and began walking, Felix joining her as they navigated their way around those who had remained and were speaking with one another.

"So… is this a recent development sort of thing? Or-" In that instant, he remembered his conversation with the gholdengo merchant back when he and Wimpod were gathering supplies: how Dimas had remarked about the previous Illumini's passing. The strange remarks as well form Cobb last night, and the exasperation that tyrogue had when he had realized something Felix had not, as well. And of course, Star's own very apparent devoutness. "...You're her kid? And now you're sort of… picking up for her? As this Ill-lum-i?" He fumbled that last word; it was still new to him.

"First of all," she fondly leered at him, "it's not ill-lum-i," she mocked in his voice, " it's ill-loom-in-ai."

"Ill-loom-in-ai. Illumini," he repeated back.

She smiled at his grammatical accomplishment. "There you go. And secondly: yes, I am her kin." She turned her head away from him and leaned a bit closer, showing off the feathers tucked behind her ears: a brilliant red bottom, a pure white middle, and emerald green top colored them. "See these feathers? I've had them for just about a year now. They were worn by my mother before me. I received them last year when she had… suddenly passed away."

"Well, I'm… sorry to hear that."

She gave him a solemn shake of her head. "Don't be. I've had time to grieve. And I know I'll meet her again… in this life, or the next. But these feathers are important to our faith. They come from the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh themself, when they had gifted them to her early in her duty as the first Illumini. They signified by divine providence her duty to spread the faith." Her eyes fell to the ground, as if suddenly weighted. "And now, the task falls to me."

"Ho-Oh?" Felix repeated with a tinge of doubt. "As in the legend? Went and gave those feathers itself to her?"

"Believe what you will," she smiled, "I know I have, and I know the story, these feathers, and my faith to be genuine."

"Excuse me!" a voice called out to them. Just up ahead, a persian was coming to them eagerly alongside a machop, both looking to Star with respect. "Sorry to interrupt, miss, but we were wondering if you could do something for us," the machop explained. He reached behind his back and pulled out an amulet similar to the one Star was presently wearing.

Knowing what they wanted, she gave Felix a nod and excused herself from him. "This will be a moment, Felix," she explained. "I remember our mutual planty friend inviting us over to her house tonight for a… event. Why don't you go there now? I'll be there soon."

—-

A brisk walk later, through the towering trees and through the dark bush, Felix found himself at Petal's house for the second time. It was much the same since his last visit: the wooden planks that made up the walls were still darkened and chipped through their years of service, the roof still was weathered and had holes here and there, and the windows were as ever, cracked or outright shattered. Warm, inviting yellow light poured from the inside, and fine smoke seemed to be billowing out the bricked chimney above. A modest home, in the optimistic sense. Further still, the expansive garden beside the home still held a myriad of colorful fruits and plants that either glowed, or pulsed, or sometimes both, something that Felix still could not wrap his head around.

Standing in front of the old latched door, he raised his hand to knock, but hesitated. Clattering pots and pans ringed hollowly beyond the old walls, and the air carried the scent of rich spices and the sweet aroma of meat and fat put to flame. Quite busy, he imagined; maybe for the Petals' line of work as a catering family.

Nonetheless, he was invited- by one member of the Petal lineage, at least- to this home. All he had to do was knock.

Clearing his throat, he knocked thrice on the rattled door, putting some extra force behind his knuckles to overcome the chorus of kitchen-work. There was a brief cease on the racket, which resumed at a lesser intensity nearly instantaneously. Having thought that perhaps he was not heard, Felix raised his hand to knock once more but stopped once he saw the custom, elongated handle of the door begin to turn.

The door ached open, spilling gentle light onto the damp grass and Felix, momentarily making him squint away. "Still keeping up with the busy work, huh, Petal?" he casually asked.

"I suppose we are," a more mature voice than he expected answered. Looking back up, he could see a lilligant holding the door open, examining him up and down with focused, beady eyes. Noticing his hesitant stance, the old lilligant chuckled. "I'm guessing I'm not the Petal you expected to answer?" Petal the twelfth asked.

He rocked his head to the side. "Something like that," he admitted.

Petal continued holding her gaze on him, making Felix feel quite uncertain as to what he might have been expected to do.

"Well… your daughter invited me here, so…"

The lilligant opened the door fully and stepped aside, easing the tense stare on him she had held. "I'm aware. Please, come on in and have a seat at the dining table. We're nearly done fixing up dinner." She motioned to her side, towards a modest wooden table draped in a white cover, and tall chairs seated nearby.

"Oh… thanks." He stepped through the doorway and into the warm interior of the house, Petal closing the door behind him. He had half expected her to close the door on him like the last time.

He made his way past her after presenting a courteous nod as she returned to the kitchen, and headed for the table. Opposite the way was the kitchen, where he could hear the unmistakable racket of the culinary creation process, as well as some steam that was exfiltrating out a cracked window he could spy around the corner. He passed the upwards stairway that led to the bedrooms above, and was once more focused on the frames of various other lilligants that had come before, all with similar placid expressions. Twelve in all, he counted, with enough space left open for one more.

"Blue?" he heard from behind. Before he even had the opportunity to turn around, he felt something small collide with the back of his legs, wrapping its little nubs for arms around legs. "Blue!"

"Good to see you, too, Petal," he smiled, knowing exactly who it was. Looking behind his raised arms, he could see the little petilil hugging him tightly from behind. She was covered in dull white flour and spots of tantalizingly rich brown and red sauces, her nubs-for-arms especially caked with the material. This close, he could smell how a sweet aroma wafted from her. "Where's this coming from?" he asked, patting her on the back.

Petal released her embrace, and releasing what she had done, quickly looked away and cleared her throat. "Oh, you'll see!" she beamed. "I did it, Blue! No, I mean, we did it!"

Felix squinted at her suspiciously, though as he looked at her unusually bashful form, it softened into something less inquisitive. "Just what have you gone and done...?" he asked with a smile.

"Bup-bup-bup!" she instantly hushed him, pushing her triage of leaves up to his mouth. "We'll talk about that soon when everyone's here! Promise!" Walking back and away, she shot him a wink as she hurried back to the kitchen. "Wait at the table with the bug 'til then, Blue!" And with that, she vanished around the corner.

"The bug…?" he repeated back to himself.

"She means me," a voice as smooth as sandpaper answered from the table. Turning to the dining room, he could scarcely see the purple antennas of Wimpod standing out from the tabletop, the bug's eyes focused on him unassumingly. "Humble little performance the brat put on tonight," he commented.

Felix climbed up the chair's lower rungs, seating himself at the table opposite the bug. Were he back in his old body, he would had simply have to sit himself down normally, but this one was vertically-challenged for the time being. He leaned forward, planting his arms beside some utensils and folded napkins on the table. "What, Star? Can't say I expected a service today, but it was fairly interesting to see, I suppose." He lifted a tall glass of water to his lips.

"Don't doubt it was," Wimpod agreed. "Tried to watch, myself. Couldn't." The tells of contempt fell onto Wimpod, burrowing his brows into a scowl. "But it must have been quite a strange sight, especially to a foreigner like you."

Felix stopped drinking, and softly placed the glass back down. "Suppose I am foreign to this place and its cultures and comforts," he admitted. "Can't help not knowing what I not know."

"Mmm, right. I won't beat around the bush," Wimpod grumbled. "What's your story, human?"

Felix froze. Uneasily, he slowly slid his gaze unto Wimpod, scanning the bug up and down as if searching for how he could have known.

His stare must have betrayed his feelings, as a sly chuckle rose out of the bug. "I know what you're thinking: 'How did he know?' you're wondering. 'I thought he was just some insignificant bug.'"

"...Something like that," Felix grumbled.

"Not even going to try and deny it?" Wimpod slowly nodded in recognition. "Good. I hate people who commit to sinking ships. I'm guessing you already told the brat; it would explain the subtle phrases she uses for you. But the shrub? No, you didn't. I can tell by the way she looks at you she thinks you're just a riolu… but not just any other riolu to her," he smirked.

Felix continued suspiciously leering at the bug, one glaring question in his mind. "What gave it away?"

"Everything," Wimpod simply replied. "Just from our one little afternoon together, it was as clear as crystal. You had all the tells: this fish-out-of-water look, that desperation for a job out of your depth, your general lack of skill in the most simple of moves that any other real riolu would have grasped by now, not to mention showing up around here- lost as only a stranger could- right around when a distortion appears close by. I look at all that, then I look at you." Wimpod twitched his antennas, as if to shrug. "Hasn't failed yet."

A certain part of that speech stuck to Felix. "I had 'all the tells?'" he repeated.

A smug grin creased the small bug's flat face. "Did you think you were the only one?"

"Wait," Felix breathed. "Then are you…?"

"No," Wimpod replied flatly. "I'm not one of you. Born a bug, will die a bug. But I've been around enough to pick up on these things. You're not exactly a singularity. Though we are not the same, we do share one thing: bad luck around dimensional holes."

A series of small thuds rocked the door, making their conversation grind to a halt. The clattering of someone hastily dropped a pan onto a countertop rang out from the kitchen, and from the corner came Petal the thirteenth eagerly running to the door and grabbing the elongated handle that just narrowly reached her diminutive stature. With a heavy grunt, she swung the handle down and pried open the door, revealing a well-groomed Star standing in the night air behind it.

"I believe I was invited?" she asked with a smile. Looking at the well-seasoned and sauced petilil, her smile seamlessly transitioned into a look of half concern. "And I believe you've confused yourself for the salad," she joked as Petal ushered her in.

"Yeah, yeah, you've got jokes, fluffbutt. But you came just in time! We're about to set food out, so get your hind to a seat!" Petal broke away from Star as the vulpix made her way to the table, the small petilil making her way back to the kitchen. "Be back soon!"

With a simple leap, Star had pounced up to a free chair next to Wimpod, and sat herself politely with perfect posture. Spotting the two who had come here before her, she once more pulled back the corners of her lips and gave a tender smile. "Nice to see we all could make it!"

Wimpod looked away, his face clouded in a sudden downcast. "I suppose it is nice," he grumbled.

Star opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped when a chorus of clattering plates and a tidal wave of strong, rich scents of seared fatty meats and sweet bread washed over them. "Ding ding ding, bozos!" Petal announced, carrying a wide tray on her head, laden with meats and appetizers. It looked like she had cleaned herself, as well. "Food's on!"

From behind her, her mother came out carrying two trays in her arms: one topped with robust white breads and rich cheeses, and the other carrying mugs that remained perfectly upright as she moved.

Together, they presented the dishes onto the table and the mugs in front of them, bringing that oh-so tempting smell right in front of them, feeling the heat of the freshly baked meals rise to their faces.

Felix, Star, and Wimpod all looked at the wonderful spread in astonishment. This was far more than they had ever expected.

"Oh my god," Felix finally said quietly.

Her mother lightly scoffed. "Please, Petal. You can at least pretend to take tonight seriously."

Petal painstakingly hopped up the rung on the last free chair beside Felix, seating herself with the others. "Right, right!" she bubbled. She cleared her throat. "Right," she said again in a jokingly deep voice.

Standing at the head of the table, the old lilligant cleared her throat herself. "Now, to address the reason for such an occasion tonight," she spoke. She turned to a meager counter that lay against the wall, grabbing a modest chest off from it. In one brisk movement, she hefted the container onto the edge of the table beside Felix. It was slight, but a barrage of loose, dull clinks seemed to rise from within it. "The riolu… Felix, is it?"

Felix briskly cleared his throat and straightened his back. "Sometimes go by 'Blue,' but that is me." It was just a quick glance, but he could swear he had seen Petal intently watching him.

"Now… me and my daughter… we had a discussion. She's been rattling off many, many small things and pieces about you: what you're like, the jobs you've been pulling with…" the lilligant seemed lost for words as she looked at the four seated before her. "Your little friend group," she chuckled as she waved her hand over them. "And of course, your predicament." She stared at Felix contemplatively with her beady brown eyes.

He rocked his head in despairing agreement. "Yeah, sort of… find myself here for the foreseeable future."

Briskly with no more words, the lilligant flipped the latch of the chest and creaked the lid open, then gently pushing the opened coffer across the table to Felix.

He glanced between her and the chest. Only when she raised an arm towards it and motioned for him to look did he move to peer inside.

He became still.

A dazzling array of gold and silver coins lined the coffer wall to wall. Each so brilliantly gleaning, every one perfectly round and uniform. All so precious. He had never seen anything like it in his entire life. Why, if he were human, these prized metals could buy an estate with change to spare.

His neck slowly turned itself back at the lilligant at a rate which made molasses envious. Like her daughter, she had no mouth to form smiles or frowns with, yet he knew- felt- an aura of prestige, pride, and charity from her.

"This ride or ferry or what-have-you to get you back to this home of yours: it was five thousand total, yes?"

Felix meagerly nodded, his mouth still partially agape.

"Good," she proudly said. "Eat well tonight, Felix. You've a ride to catch tomorrow morning. And feel free to spend the night with your friends. Enjoy the evening with them fully."

Felix was fixated on the coins. Then he was smiling. After that, he was laughing, and laughing, and laughing. Looking around the table everyone else seemed to be in chaotic mix of sheer astonishment and sympathetic joy as well.

"Why, I…" Star stammered through her own giggles, a broad smile seizing her. "Felix! This… This is just excellent! Our prayers have come to pass!"

He felt as Petal leaned over and squeezed him tightly on his side, patting him on his back as she did so. "See, Blue?" she laughed. "Told ya I had an awesome idea stewing!"

During the excitement and jubilation he felt in the moment, he looked across the table and saw Wimpod. The bug's eyes seemed just in awe as he was, almost entranced or envious of the treasure within. It took a moment for Wimpod to join in on the joy around him, but a small smile seemed to break through under his carapace'd body. "Good for you," he said.

Having shown the goods, Petal's mother locked the chest and pulled it back to the edge, giving the container a firm pat. "But of course, this isn't quite settled, yet," she announced. The laughs and smiles around the table came to a halt, as Felix and the others came to focus on her.

Except for Petal. Despite her best efforts to control herself, small tremors of excitement seemed to rock her body every moment or so, quite joyously.

The old lilligant clasped her arms together behind her back, and began pacing the floor. "As you know, I'm something of a business owner: for generations, the Petals have operated this establishment, worked her fields, and served her bounty." She came to a stop, twisting her body to face Felix and Petal. "But before I am an owner, I am a mother first," she said whilst lifting an arm to Petal. "And in recent times, I've come to realize that perhaps… too much love can be stifling for my daughter to grow into the wonderful woman I know she can be. That sometimes, I need to trust her and her wishes."

"Dang right you do," Petal said.

A quick, affectionate leer hushed her. "So, Felix, you must understand that from my perspective, this money isn't just considered a gift, but perhaps also an investment into the growth of my daughter."

Felix's eyes began to narrow. "Alright," he calmly spoke. "What?" That's all he could ask: a simple 'what.' By his side, he could hear as Petal seemed to shift in her seat excitedly.

"If I am to give this money to you, I must ask you to consider one great favor for me and my family: permit my daughter to travel with you."

Felix blinked. Had he heard that right? Even Star and Wimpod seemed to be stunned. "Excuse me?"

Petal jumped in her seat, and laughed heartily. "You hear that, Blue? We get to travel to your homeland together! Aw, this is gonna be so great!" she giggled.

"Yeah, I heard that part! But…" Petal? Joining with him to Marea? He was worried how just he might be received there himself given his transformation, how he might be reacted to if he showed up back home and luck be had, it was still there, but along with a true-blooded Pokémon? He had grown to overcome his own biases towards them, but he knew the sentiment back home was far more glacial. But there were also doubts stirring within him… and not towards Petal. For a while now while he has been here, all around him were passing snips and pieces of people referring to his homeland as a relic of the past; a memory. If dimensional hole had transported him across space, what of time?

If what he dare not dream to happen had occurred…

He shook the thought out of his head. But he knew he might need help if the worst had happened. "I'm not sure…" he mumbled.

"Oh, come on Blue!" Petal chimed. "Think of it like this: we could call it, 'The Tale of Petal! …Plus that one guy.' If you say you'll bring me, I'll help your butt off! And maybe offer some snarky commentary to help the miles travel."

Truth to be told, he knew he did not have much choice. It was either take an insurmountable risk and go into a likely dangerous pile of the unknown alone, or take a slightly-surmountable risk and go into a likely dangerous pile of the unknown with a friend. "Alright," he lightly sighed. "I'll keep her safe."

Petal squealed in delight. "You hear that, mom? I'm actually going to go see the world!"

"I've heard, dear," her mother responded. "If all's been settled, then I wish you all a pleasant dinner," she said with a bow, then turning to the main entrance.

Felix was puzzled. "Wait, you're not gonna spend the last night you'll see your daughter for who-knows-how-long with her?"

The lilligant shrugged. "We discussed this, as I had said. This evening, the night is yours for you and your friends who you will also not be seeing for 'who-knows-how-long' after tomorrow morning."

That gave Felix pause. He had not thought of that. Looking across the table at Star and Wimpod as they listened intently- well, Star had at least- he might never see them again if all went to plan.

"And I'm not going to leave her tonight completely, anyhow," she continued at the base of the stairs. "Much as my baby-girl won't like it, we'll be having a good talk once you all settle down for the night. I could use the time to explore town, maybe visit the briar while you all mingle. It's been a while."

"Yeah, don't sweat it, Blue," Petal reassured. "I think we're starting to get this 'family' thing down to a tee."

Fair enough, he supposed.

"Have a good evening, everyone." A tinge of bittersweet acceptance seemed to cross the lilligant's voice. Before long, she had opened the door and left, leaving the team alone.

The four sat for a moment, glancing between each other almost as if wondering who would be the one to break the silence and kickstart their extravagant dinner. Once they all came to that same realization, all eyes fell to Petal.

"You guys really volunteering me for this?" she cheerfully asked.

"I don't think it could happen any other way," Star smiled.

Petal shrugged and clasped a mug with her leaves. Felix followed suit and grabbed his own cup. "Well, gang," she announced as the two lifted their mugs together. "Here's to us kicking butt, and taking names!"

"And to good health!" Star added.

"Sure, that too!"

"Let's add some luck for money, while we're at it," Wimpod suggested.

"Yeah, okay I guess! Let's add that!"

"Maybe a cheer for you not to get in over your head on this trip?" Felix offered.

"Let's not push it!"

Petal raised her mug to the center of the table alongside Felix. Star carefully grasped the handles of her drink and lifted it to them, whilst Wimpod meagerly slid his drink towards them.

"Here's to us!"

—-

It had been a hearty and wonderful meal, that much was certain. The still-hot seasoned sausages packed a wonderful sizzled texture and marvelous, meaty juice beneath their plump skin; the mild cheeses and fluffy white bread paired wonderfully with the spiced sausages, serving to temper their addictive flare; and the sweet milk within the mugs provided much needed relief within their nectar. This beautiful culinary assortment had been both a treasure for their mouths and noses. Truly, they were well-fed this night as they exchanged small stories and recounted their time together.

Even if Petal's unique method of consumption left dried husks of meat and cheese, as well as one slightly disturbed Felix at seeing her roots again.

Star licked up a small slick of juice on her plate left from one of the sausages, still relishing their taste. "Oh, that was so good," she breathed, having had her fill.

Felix slouched over after finishing his cold drink, firmly stuffed himself. "Now that… was a meal. Better than anything they served me back in training," he let slip.

Petal picked her head up off the table, looking at him curiously. "Wait, you were in some kind of training? You can't even do stuff most riolus can do, but you had training?"

He scratched his nose, wondering if he should continue, but found no harm in doing so. "Yeah, it was… training. Joined up with a pal in it, thought we'd be doing our home a service," he continued, wincing at the memories. "Boy-oh-boy, did they put us through the ringer. Hardly got any sleep the first week, and not for a lack of trying. But hey, felt… good being a part of something bigger than you are. We were the Toreros, we were to defend our homes from her enemies, should the need had ever risen."

"Yeah?" Petal asked as she stacked her own dishes. "And who was this bud of yours, exactly? Kept hearing you peep about him here and there. We gonna meet him back at your home?"

"He was an old friend of mine named Jhett," he reminisced. "Not much to say about him, really. He was always the upbeat sort-of type." A smile began to form as he thought. "You know, he always loved the idea of flying up in the clouds, weaving through gusts and gale, knowing true freedom up in the open air, like the flocks of birds he'd always seen. Or at least, that's how he'd always describe it. Always was sort of the romantic type in that regard."

"Sounds like a pleasant guy to be around!" Star added. "I'm sure you'll see him soon."

"How about moves? Unlike you, I'm guessing he knew moves," Petal teased.

"I've got moves," Felix smiled. Petal shot him a look that made it clear she did not believe him. "I've been told I could hold my own on the floor for some late-night song and dance. That counts as 'moves,' right?" he joked with a shrug.

"Oh, ha-ha," Petal dryly said. "You know what I meant. Did this Jhett dude at least have a grasp on how to actually fight and not throw punches, you know, unlike a certain Blue I know?"

Felix sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Well…"

"Like, seriously, Blue. How did you get this far in life without knowing stuff like that 'aura' thing, or that 'force hand' or whatever? Like, and I'm not trying to be mean, but like isn't all that stuff learned by even little tykes by about now?" she continued, exasperated. "How old even are you, Blue?"

"Me? Twenty-one. Why?"

A sharp, blubbering exhale left Petal as she heard what he had said, followed by her trying to control some bewildered laughter. "No way you're a twenty-something! Look, I may be situationally air-headed and may not give off the best smarty-pants impressions, but even I know that riolus only live like fifteen years tops. If you really are like twenty-whatever, you'd be a skeleton by now."

"Well- I-" Felix stammered. "What's it matter, anyhow? How old even are you, shrub?"

"One. What's it to you?"

Felix began hacking, almost as if that absurd statement were a punch to his gut. "Ooh, me being twenty-one is a wild thing, but you being a wee sprout is much better?" He looked over to Star, and saw as she was looking away trying to contain her amusement. "Hey, come on," he said to get her attention. "Tell me if she's pulling one over on me or not."

"Well… she's not lying," Star said.

"Oh, come off it," Felix replied. "How does that even work?"

"Listen good, Blue, cause I ain't repeating this," Petal cut in. "Petilils like me and lilligants like my mom? Three years. We've got three years at the most of it with a good run."

That made him shut up. "Three years?"

"Yeah," Petal murmured. "I mean, like… I don't really want to go into it, but it's a big part of why I just… want to get out there, you know?" Glancing around the table, Petal noticed how everyone's looks seemed to be far less happy and jovial than they were a moment ago. "Anyway!" she blurted. "What's the deal with you guys, huh? You know about Blue being a fossil and me being normal, but what about you guys?"

Star hummed. "I'm nine, myself."

"Nine?" Felix repeated in disbelief. He shook his head. "Okay, what about you?" he asked Wimpod. "What single digits are you in?"

Wimpod grumbled, thinking if he should answer or not. "Ten."

"Of course…" Felix chuckled, his head hanging low. "I've been leading a team of preschoolers!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Star said. "We're all adults here, Felix."

Felix lifted his arm towards Petal with a placid look. "She's one."

"And if I were twenty, Blue, I'd be a pile of dust on the floor," Petal shot back. "Come on, it isn't that complicated. You can't expect petilils or riolus or whatever to be like… you just can't expect them all to have the same life cycles! Okay?"

"I mean… I guess."

Amidst their friendly jabberings, one could notice as Wimpod shifted in his seat, hunched over the table with his eyes searching every inch of the room, as if they were following some specter only he could see.

"Hey, bug-boy," Petal called to him. "You feeling okay? We got ghosts in here or something?"

"No," Wimpod said. "But gatherings like this one, haven't been to many. They just make me twitchy. I'm not happy with crowds."

"I'd hardly call this a crowd…"

Star looked beside herself to Wimpod, leering half-jokingly, and half seriously, humming again to draw his attention.

He leered back. "What?"

"Nothing," she sung, "just thinking about how it's strange we know your age, but not your name."

"Oh, that." He looked away again. "Calling me 'Wimpod' has worked this long. Why change it?"

"Why not just tell us your name?" she countered back. "We've been through a fair bit together as a small team. Surely you can trust us with at least your name?"

"It goes deeper than that." A heavy glower fell upon him.

"Well, we've gotta call you something," Petal said. "If we're not gonna see you for a while, and you end up evolving or something, I don't think 'Wimpod' is gonna cut it. Or make sense."

Felix rubbed his nose, entertaining a thought in his head. Wimpod had been following them- well, Star- for a fair while now. The bug made it clear he was not a fan of it, but still felt an obligation, always trailing behind her heels and watching over her. If that was not loyalty, then what was? "You know, I think I have an idea for a name for him," Felix stated, garnering everyone's attention. "Why not 'Perro'?"

"Perro?" Wimpod repeated back.

"Yeah, 'Perro.' It's Paldean. Don't worry, it mostly fits. I think it might suit you."

"Perro…" Petal said, letting the world tumble out of her. "Perro… What do you think?"

Star's lips shifted back and forth, her brows dancing upon her forehead as she lingered on the idea. "It would certainly be an improvement."

The bug's antennas twitched. His eyes seemed to flicker off to the side, running through the idea again and again in his head. "Fine," he said. "Perro will do for now," Perro said.

"Hey, now we're getting somewhere!" Petal beamed. She hopped down from her chair and stretched her petite, stubby limbs to the sky. "Hey, you guys want to try a little something before we settle down for the night?"

Everyone else climbed down as well, though Felix was the first to speak. "Why? What do you have in mind?"

Petal crossed into a wide-open room next over towards a closet embedded in a buckled wall. Pulling the cover to the side, she dragged out an old phonograph, and used her leaves to fan off a coat of dust. By the time the others had reached her, Petal had already reached behind it the old music player. She pulled out a thin paper package and -satisfied by its title- retrieved a disc and set it on the player. "You said you could dance, right?" She flipped its modest lever, sputtering the box to life. "Show a girl a good time."

The old record player daintily dropped its spindle onto the black-as-coal disc, gently spinning the plate, spitting out old scratches and dings from the disc.

And began singing.

Through the bent horn of the historied player, soft, slow pings and plucks of a piano tenderly glided out alongside the serenade of violins and swooning flutes and robust horns, filling the room around them, the soft words of a woman guiding them through rhythm and order.

A human's voice, though one speaking in a language he had not known. Unovian, if he hazarded a guess. It still was a pleasant and most welcome sound to his now perked ears, though.

"Me? Dance with you?" he asked as he stepped up. "You know, this isn't quite the music I was talking about. It was much more… strung."

"I'm sure you'll manage," she reassured. She planted herself in front of him, offering up one of her small, knotted arms. She raised her brows, looking at him expectantly with beady, honeyed eyes. "Going once…" she muttered. "Going twice…"

He blew out a wrangled chuckle through his nose. He gently grabbed her offered hand and placed his palm on her side. "You get one."

"That's more than enough, Blue."

Together- though mostly led by Felix- the two swept across the room, shifting their weight back and forth on their feet like the pendulum of a metronome, swinging softly with the rhythm of the melody. Star and Perro both remained quiet on the sidelines: one watching with an empathetic smile, and the other studying their movements.

"You know, Blue," Petal murmured as Felix spun her, "looking back, it's kinda hard to believe we ended up here, considering how we first met."

He threw them apart from one another, though they remained tethered at the hand and receded back into each other's embrace. "What do you-" The memory struck him like a cold slap. "Oh, that," he winced.

"Yeah-huh, that," she mimicked in his voice.

"I've got to hear this," Perro sneered. "What'd he do?"

Petal broke away in a spin, rejoining Felix after a flourish. "Oh, you know, the usual friendly-things he does, like trying to steal from my family's farm and running away from me and I jokingly said I was gonna spore him. The usual."

Wimpod's face lit up in a dry chuckle, in a way they had never seen before. "Nice."

Star was not as amused. "Felix!"

"It was one time!" he countered. He suddenly dipped Petal down, making her yelp.

"Yeah, it's all in the past and whatever," Petal added. She rebounded back up and gently pried herself loose, giving Felix a bow. "Thanks for the dance, good sir," she said wryly.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, Star, you want a turn?" Petal asked, stepping away.

Felix raised his arms in protest, but before he could get in a word, Star's tails were already swaying as she crossed the carpet to him. "Oh, that sounds fun!"

"Now hold on, now!" Felix said, looking Star in the eye. She knew he meant to object, but her face displayed no intent of faltering behind her unusually wry smile. "She's a dog! You're vaguely person-shaped, but she's mutt through-and-through! I don't know how to dance with a dog!"

Star raised herself up, planting her paws into Felix's hands as he instinctively raised and grabbed them in defense. His face turned sour: he knew he had made a mistake.

"Looks like we're already well on the way to adapting around that, aren't we?"

Felix grunted, and once more, he moved to the rhythms and swings of the music, guiding his awkwardly stanced partner through the notes and holds.

"On the topic of first impressions…" Star remained smiling, though her furrowed brows betrayed her slight frustration or perhaps disbelief. Regardless, Felix himself picked on what she had been referring to and clenched his teeth.

"Ooh, this should be good," Petal laughed. "Spill the beans, fluffbutt. I wanna hear about Blue-boy here."

Felix swung Star away on her stumbling feet. "We don't really need to-"

"I think we need to," Star continued unimpeded. "From what I recall, you struck me across the face with a tree branch!"

Perro broke out into open laughter. "Nice."

Petal, on the other hand, was far less amused. "Wait- Blue did what now?!" She leered over to him, eyes like daggers threatening to bore through his skull.

"Alright, look-" he began stammering. "I had just woken up in someplace I didn't know, she startled me, I panicked and swung, okay?" His feet became tangled as he frantically explained his side of the story, threatening to topple himself over along with Star with one more misstep.

Star shook her head, fits of giggles sewn into between her sigh. "It's okay, Petal. I don't fault him for it." She looked at him with a pondering stare. "Even if I had approached more slowly and told him in quiet words I was there to help, several times by that point," she quickly added under breath.

"What?" Petal asked.

Star reeled her paws from Felix's grasp, kneeling on one leg with a curt bow. "I said 'this has been quite fun,' to our good friend here," she sung, wiggling her ears. "Just saying my thanks." She rejoined the others, but as soon as she and Perro locked eyes, a most sinister, sly smile born of an instantaneous thought became smeared across her pointed face. "Say, these dances you know are quite nice, Felix. I'm quite happy to have experienced them with you."

He made no effort to move. A dire warning bell had been sounded in his mind, rattling between the marrows of his skull. "Yeah… They're pretty fun, right?"

She glanced over to Perro with a modest grin, unnerving even him by the sudden attention. "It'd be hardly fair for just us girls to have all the fun. Why don't you and Perro here have a go as well?"

Both Felix and Perro seemed to recoil back at the suggestion, glancing between themselves and Star in haste.

"What do you think-"

"He's a bug!"

"I did not come here for-"

"How would that even-" The two kept yammering over one another. Star sat calmly back down, maintaining her warm smile as the two either kept pointing at problematic limbs or irritably quaked antennas.

"Yeah, do it, Blue!" Petal chimed, looked perked herself. Try as she might, she could not conceal her excitement at the prospect like Star had. She may have not even cared, openly reveling in the idea. "Come on, it's the last chance you guys will see each other for who knows how long!"

Both Felix and Perro leered at them.

"Just this once?" Star asked with a small tilt of her head. "Please?"

Felix took in a long, deep breath. He could at the very least humor them, considering the generosity shown to him. Looking over to Perro, he could see the same mental tug-of-war being fought between his rounded head.

"Fine," Perro growled, scuttling to Felix with no urgency. "But not a word to anyone."

The two fiends began lightly cheering and laughing happily with each other as Perro and Felix looked at one another awkwardly, unsure how to proceed, the beckoning of the earnest, reposeful music calling them to act.

Lowering his hands down to Perro's stubby front legs, grasping and twisting his palms in the air as he various frowns and grunts of confusion rose out of the flustered two like steam from boiling water.

Steeling himself, Felix plucked Perro's cold, carapace'd legs up off the ground, electing to focus on the rhythm cast by its belled owner, than the shiver down his spine. The girls seemed over the moon over their dance, despite its performance being a stark contrast from the ones before; the fluid footsteps and grand posturing Felix had displayed seemed to have faltered, becoming as stiff and awkward as their dancers.

Between their unintended mockery of the art of dance, Wimpod seemed to have accepted his own situation, and looked Felix dead in the eyes- though he tried to glance away. "So, how's your day been?" Perro dryly asked.

Felix rocked his head to the side. "Been pretty good, all things considered."

He tried to think of any sort of flourish he could attempt with the bug to appease the girls' insatiable appetite for their artistic suffering, but thankfully, the music began warbling and warping, becoming an incoherent mess of lyric and rhyme that faded into scratches, then silence. Seeing their opportunity, the two broke away from each other.

"Your hands are sweaty," Perro growled.

"At least I've got hands," Felix countered as he wiped his palms on his sides.

"Tch, and it was a great performance, too," Star sighed. She leaned forward and opened her chops in a large yawn.

Petal crossed the carpet, giving the phonograph a half-hearted kick. At its failure to respond, she grumbled and began packing it back inside the closet. "Consider yourself lucky, Blue. I would've loved to see you dance some more."

"Oh, I'm sure you would've."

—-

After some chatter through the night whilst the team helped Petal clean up, they all had decided to finally settle down for the night.

Petal's room was just as drafty and cold as Felix had remembered it, which was a given considering the late fall weather, her room's seating on the second floor, and the gaping hole that had taken out a whole corner of her room when it had collapsed who-knows-when. Not that it mattered too much as he and Star lay in separate bundled heaps on the floor, courtesy of some wonderfully soft and insulating blankets their shrub friend had provided. Perro seemed to have found comfort in simply resting on the ceiling, and Petal was absent for the moment, waiting downstairs for her and her mother's talk.

For all the nipping cold and piercing gales the hole had offered, he was still thankful for it, as it presented Felix an opportunity to better gaze heavenwards into the clear night sky.

There it was, just where it had always been: nine stairs, brightly gleaming and arranged in the night sky to guide his way home: the Splintered Seat constellation. It still had not quite hit him how he would be leaving tomorrow; he could only be transfixed as he pondered the stars above, either thinking fathomless thoughts or simply appreciative of their existence, thankful for their shine and simple beauty.

He was not quite sure himself. But these flares in the night, these beacons of hope that he might get home and see his old house, his friends, family, and the sanded plains he grew up in… It gave him a simple idea.

Just in the floor below, the soft thud of a door closing disclosed that Petal's mother was home. Try as he might to be a better person and ignore their conversation, he could not help but roll over in his cotton-sewn fortress and peep down the very same gash in the floor board he and Petal had snooped on prior. It was simply in his nature to be in the know, one way or another.

Just below through the waning board, he could see Petal and her mother patrolling the floor back and forth, making minor adjustments and brushing here or there to satisfy their need of clean. Once well and truly happy with the floor's state, the old lilligant gently placed a hand on her proud petilil's shoulder, guiding them to a worn couch in the living space and seating themselves. The two looked to each other.

"So…" Petal murmured. She looked down and away. To her surprise, her mother began fixing the leaves on Petal's head, rubbing them back and straightening them out, then carefully brushed her daughter's green collar she had for a neck. "Hey, what are you-" she began to lightly protest. Her mother's gentle stare hushed her. She knew what was coming. And she intended to listen.

"We aren't blessed with years and years of life like many others have been. It's something of our 'thousand-day' curse, our great-great-great-" She shook her head. "The very first Petal liked to call it," the twelfth Petal said with a dry chuckle. Her daughter remained silent, but slowly nodded. "Whereas linoones or musharnas or what-have-you get these precious years to spend with family, friends, to have fun and live their lives with the world around them… We've only got the thousand days or so. I thought maybe, like all our mothers before me, we could make a name for ourselves with this humble little farm. For all of their lives, and most of mine, we thought we could be something greater than who we are by ourselves. They lived, they died, and they gifted this land from one Petal to the next. And soon, we had ourselves a wonderful family business."

Petal's tensed shoulders relaxed. "I mean…" she breathed. "I guess that was always pretty cool."

"So when I heard you say you wanted to leave this home- our home- I didn't want to see you make a mistake. We've only got so little time here in this big, beautiful world, and I had wanted you to have the best life you could here. There are Pokémon who can burrow through the planet's crust, those who can soar where clouds can't reach, and I have always been fine knowing that. Sure, I could sell the land, or travel with a merchant's group, or whole number of other things. But would I want to? We have everything we need, right here."

"And that's great and all," Petal stammered, "but-"

"But that's not the life for you. I know that now. You want to explore dark chams, want to feel the whip of the wind below heaven. You want to experience it all. And this village, this home, but most of all, me: we can't give my baby girl that. I've always tried to make sure she had a home she could come home to, knowing she was loved and safe, always tried to make sure she knew she had a future here, where she could prosper and grow. That she belongs here. But that was the life for me. Not for you. I know my baby girl wants something that can't be found here. She wants to do great big things and live the best life she can. What I worried about most was that no one would look out for you, no one will come and help you when you need it. But now I see not only friends around you who can do all of that, but what I see now most of all…" She gave Petal a light nudge. "Is that my baby girl is strong."

At those words, Petal could not look her mother in the eyes, nearly turned away so she could not see something."

"So-" the old lilligant lovingly grabbed her cheek, pulling her face back towards her so she could see her.

Her eyes were wet.

"When you go out there, into that wide open world with these friends of yours, I want a promise: promise me that you'll never stop being this baby girl. That she never feels alone, never doubts she is loved, and that she never lets anyone she meets at these new places ever tell her that she isn't wonderful."

Petal solemnly nodded.

"And when my baby girl finally comes home, I want her to tell her mother about all these places she's been, all the people she met, all the fun and challenges she's experienced: to tell the story of her life." Petal remained silent. She was slightly trembling. "Promise?"

"Promise."

That pledge came out quiet, but it never lacked resolve.

The pair held a reflective stare at each other, until the old lilligant hugged her daughter close. Though she had no true limbs of her own, Petal pressed herself close into her mother's embrace, soaking in every ounce of her mother's love while she still could. The faint glimmer of a small stream of tears ran from her.

"Now go on," she warmly said, ending their embrace. "Get yourself to sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow."

Petal nodded, a weak sniffle coming from her. "Wait, give me a sec," she asked, wiping her tears with her stubby arms. "I, uh… don't want them to see."

Her mother patted her on the head, and let herself off the beaten couch. "Of course, dear. We can't let the others know about you and your beating heart, can we?" she teased.

"Shut it, mom," she giggled. After another moment of drying herself, she got off as well. She glanced to her mother, and quickly gave her one last hug at the base of the lilligant's dress-like bulb. "Love you, mom."

She happily lowered herself down, giving Petal one last quick hug as well. "Love you, too. Now, come along now. You'll need every last bit of sleep."

Together, the two left the living room, vanishing from sight from Felix's surveillance crack. The slow, rhythmic pacing of creaks of the stairs outside the room told him they were coming up. Rolling himself back into place, he waited.

The old door creaked open at its hinges and clicked shut soon after, followed by the meek footsteps of Petal's small body coming closer to him. "Hey uh- Blue?" she whispered. "You still up?"

He stretched his limbs and yawned. "Just woke up," he lied. "Why?"

"Okay, good. You mind making space in that blanket? Kinda don't want to sleep out in the cold."

Felix frowned. "Weren't there three blankets in that closet up here? Me and her got one," he said, pointing to Star's slumbering sprawl on the floor. "Why don't you just-"

"Nope!" Petal interrupted, drawing even closer. "Nah, I lived here my whole life, Blue. There's never been three blankets in there. Believe me, I would know."

"Really? Could've sworn-"

"Scoot!"

Begrudgingly at her request, and thinking he may have been mistaken, he slid across inside the bundle of the blanket to make room for her, lifting up a corner which she dove right into. "Aah, so this is what being a furry-little thing like you is like," she remarked, shifting her body around within the warm sheet. "Nice and toasty!"

"You know, I just thought of something," Felix said, staring up to the shining stars in the great night sky. "We never really did have a name for our little gang, did we?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Ain't my fault."

These constellations, these flares in the night that would guide him home. They had given him comfort and security both, and a flash of inspiration to tie up one last loose end in his time here at Fango.

"Something that tells people this team will help them, something that tells them that we will guide them. A shining light that leads out of darkness," he murmured. "How does Team Beacon sound?"

Petal remained silent, turning her head towards him and giving him an absent stare.

"Pretty good, right?"

"We waited a week for that?"

"I mean… is it not good?"

"It's fine! It works good, but right when we finish everything here, that's when we get a team name going? Not before we chased an outlaw or defended the village? You know, when we could've used the name to spread how great we are?"

He just passed her a hollow stare. He had no retort.

"Never change, Blue," she giggled. "Never change." She tossed and turned underneath the blanket, getting comfortable. "Goodnight, Blue. We've got one last big day tomorrow."

"Yeah. Night."

Pulling his half of the sheets closer, he nestled into the warmth around him, and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow was his final day here. He had met some strange characters here, but most of all, allies who had helped him: a strong-willed vulpix of faith, a headstrong petilil who ironically had a running mouth despite not having a mouth at all, and a begrudging wimpod who seems to know more than he lets on.

They all had helped him secure a way home back to Marea. And that made them dear friends to him, who still liked him in spite of how he may have treated them when they first met.

Knowing this, he let himself ease into slumber, surrounded by these close friends, feeling a whir of change within him.

Tomorrow would come.