The pitch black had barely gained a hint of blue and Ember was already up. Waking up this early was the norm; after all 'the early Taillow gets the Wurmple'. But it wasn't like the turmoil in her head allowed much sleep either way.

Before rolling on her bed akin to someone who had swallowed a handful of Worry Seeds whole, she had made a to-do list, an extensive one. Firstly, carry out her morning appointments as normal and have her absence from the town known. Secondly and by far the most difficult item in the list, visit Uncle Rim over lunch and break the news of her trip, reading the letter she painstakingly wrote and rewrote overnight. Then, go to Burr's shop and purchase all the travel supplies necessary for her two-day trek to Oran Stead. Late afternoon and early evening were to make sure everything was packed and have the routes revisited for the next day. Before bed, double check everything so tomorrow it was breakfast and hitting the road.

The morning was excruciatingly long, yet exactly as planned. Otto's stove had its interior replaced, the remnants of the exploded Apple Soufflé cleaned up and its Flame Orb reinstalled. Serenity's new door had the new lock affixed and oiled up, all brand new and to the highest standard Ember always held herself up to. On the town square's notice board, Ember pinned a note stating her extended absence due to her trip.

Now, It was time for the second and most difficult item of her list.

The smell of Uncle Rim's Rawst Stew on the pathway, other times soothing and even exciting, now served to only rile her already built anxiety. Once she reached the front of his house within the large oak, her paw hesitated to reach the bell. Would Uncle Rim feel abandoned, left behind? He knew Dad was important to her, but how understanding would he be? Her breath shuddered. She didn't have a clue of what to do. Maybe… "act natural"? That is what many books said when in stressful situations. She always arrived at Uncle Rim's with a smile, so that's what her "natural" should be. Yeah, smile.

She swung the bell and bared her teeth, curling her lips upwards. She didn't even need a mirror to tell how forced it was. Lying and pretending never really came to her. That was not going to—

"Hello, young lady." The door swung open. Ember jumped in place, wide-eyed at the Rillaboom. How could she have missed his steps? Focus. No time to improvise. Stick to the plan. She scrambled upright and waved.

"Hey Uncle Rim!" Her inflection as hard as plastic.

"A bit early for lunch today. Is the young lady that hungry?"

"I-I'm… Yeah! I'm starving!" She forced a smile.

"Good! Because lunch is ready already." He nodded and motioned her in. "I was just finishing setting up the table. You can already take a seat. Come in, let's not keep the starving lady hungry now."

Ember silently entered the house, making a beeline to the kitchen's table. She took a seat and plopped her bag right next to her. Her stomach churned. Everything about how she behaved so far was way too off, and there was no way Uncle Rim hadn't noticed. Deep breath in, release. Another one, deeper and longer, release. He most likely did not bring it up because he thought she was starving. It was, so far, justified.

The Rillaboom finished setting the table and served her plate, upbeat as always. However, aside from her forced smiles and well-mannered 'thank yous', Ember spent the next few minutes eerily quiet. Each spoonful of the bitter-savory stew was a force fed lump down her throat she fought not to come back, and as lunch went on, it was harder and harder to keep up the facade.

"Ember. Is everything alright?" Uncle Rim had finally brought it up.

"Y-yeah… It is… everything is fine!" Ember looked away for a split second, but then looked at him and forced yet another smile. To sell it further, she took a mouthful of stew and stuffed it in her mouth. His frown didn't go away. It didn't work.

"It doesn't seem like it. You have barely eaten half of your bowl, and you told me you were starving when you got here."

Now, all the stew in her stomach threatened to back up. Pretending really never came to her. She took a deep breath, then another one, deeper. There was no escaping now. It was time to tell him.

Ember gingerly put the spoon on the table, but her heart began to race. Her paw went to the front pocket of her bag, but with each second, adrenaline began to build. By the time she pulled the folded piece of paper, the edges of her vision began to blur. She focused all of her into the scribbled letters, but it was like one line mashed into another.

"I…" Ember paused. A deep breath, then a deeper one. She opened her eyes to the letter again. She couldn't focus on the letter, she couldn't read it. Her gaze went upwards, to Rim's concerned gaze. It wasn't going to work. She folded the letter, then looked down. "I… received a letter from Dad."

"Oh, another one?" Rim said and Ember replied with a nod. "What did it say? Did he give any news? Were they that bad for you to be like this?"

Were they that—"No! Thank Uxie, no!" Ember panicked, shaking her head vehemently. "Not bad news! The opposite, really! Dad is back and he wants me to meet him in Oran Stead!"

"Wait a minute. Onnophrius is back!?" Rim let out a single chuckle and clutched the side of the table. "This is actually fantastic news! You'll finally meet him!"

"Yeah…" Ember said, deflated.

Rim's smirk vanished. "But you don't seem excited at all about it. I thought you were looking forward to meeting him."

"Oh, nonono! It's not that!" She once again panicked and shook her head. "I'm really really happy and anxious to see him! I really miss Dad, and I'll be visiting Burr's shop later to buy some supplies for the trip. I will leave for Oran Stead tomorrow at sunrise. That has already been decided and planned!"

"Right…" Uncle Rim slowly nodded his head. "Then… What is the problem?"

That question crashed on her like a collapsing building. The courage Ember's panicked fits gave her to look at Uncle Rim directly in the eye vanished. Dread replaced its stead and forced her to look down. She glanced at the letter she wrote. The words and letters were there, but she just couldn't get to speaking them aloud. Not from the letter at least. Writing everything beforehand didn't work. Her shoulders lowered, she deflated even more. She had to speak it out of her head.

"Well… The problem is that I… I don't know for how long I'll be out. I don't know if Dad just wants to see me or if he wants me to go help him with his research. The letter he sent was weird, encrypted by a bunch of questions. I don't know why, but I have this feeling that I will be away from Pidove's Nest for a long time, and I… I don't know when I'm going to see you again."

Uncle Rim's unmoving silence was deafening. Ember's clutch on the paper became a stranglehold. Her throat ached from how much she held her tears.

"Ember… Look." Rim leaned down to Ember's level. It took everything in her to not flinch at his big eyes peering onto her. "You are going to meet your Dad, and I'm very happy that you will meet him."

Ember's gaze slowly went up to meet his. Uncle Rim had warmth in face, reassurance. She gulped the lump down, but her voice still came as a raspy whisper. "Y-you do?"

"Of course I do." He smiled. "You are already of age, and if for some reason Onnophrius thinks you are mature and capable of aiding him with his complex projects and theories, then I can't do anything but feel proud of you."

"But… I would be abandoning you…" She once again looked away.

"Ember… You are not abandoning me." The Rillaboom gently caressed her head. "You are doing what you are supposed to do, which is to help change the world with your bright intellect. I've been around enough Emmetts in my life to know that this day would come sooner or later. I knew all along that this moment was a matter of time. I am not angry at you, I am actually happy for you that you will be meeting Onnophrius. So you don't have to worry about me. I will be fine, really."

Ember rubbed her eyes and stared deeply at his again. He really meant it. The hold on her heart eased a little. She finally mirrored his smile. "Okay."

"Now, since you're so worried about being distant from me." Rim eyed Ember's goggles. "These Safety Goggles you're always wearing are the ones your dad gave you, right?"

"Mhm." She nodded, removing them from her head and holding them in her paws. "He gifted them to me the day he left for his research."

"Alright." Rim stood up and purposefully walked to the living room. "Back when I was younger—still a Thwackey—I used to be part of a Rescue Team. This is actually how I met your father; an escort mission through Graphite Caldera, waaay to the Northwest of the continent. Onnophrius wanted to investigate some rocks because he had a theory that ones spewed by volcanoes had a lot more ore in them than the ones folks mined in caves. And just to sate your curiosity, the result was—quote-on-quote—'inconclusive'."

Uncle Rim had quashed her urge to ask before she could even process the question. She nodded silently whilst observing the Rillaboom fiddle with something on the living room walls.

"Now, I want you to imagine that Graphite Caldera is a tough Mystery Dungeon and that it is crawling with Fire-Types. Picture me, a Grass-Type, utterly terrified, with nothing but Grass moves that did barely anything on all the Pokémon swarming the place. It was not a good time, I will tell you. Anyone who looked at my situation back then would say that I was deadweight, or even worse, a detriment to the team. But… they would be all wrong. They would be wrong because I had these." Uncle Rim returned to the kitchen. In his large hands, a varnished oak sling and a hefty leaf-pattern belt pouch rested.

Ember stared at the items. Her ears twitched at the sight. She looked quizzically at the Rillaboom. "Isn't that the sling we shoot cans with sometimes?"

Uncle Rim nodded. "Yes it is. This sling here has helped me not only protect myself, but many friends and allies alike many times—including your father. I remember you saying many times that, as an engineer, you can always fix anything as long as you have the right tools for the job. That is also true for Guild Members and adventurers like me; when our combat capabilities are limited for any reason whatsoever, we resort to these." The Grass-type unbuttoned the pouch bag, and a bunch of small marble-sized stones rolled out of it.

Once again, Ember looked puzzled at what her uncle showed her. "Geopebbles?"

"Good eye. They might seem small, but they do pack quite the punch." Uncle Rim chuckled, then tossed one into the air with a hand and grabbed it with the other. "They're common and easy to find in any guild shop since most Pokémon just prefer to use moves. But most forget that these little things can put a dent even on the hardest Steel-type shells or get a good hit on pesky little Ghost-types that like to phase through anything."

"I… did not know that. I mean, I knew Geopebbles had elemental properties, but that they could actually do those things…"

"Yeah. Underestimated, but potent if used the right way. They're fantastic tools for any job that might require combat. And that is why I want you to have them." Uncle Rim pushed the items before her.

"You want me to…?" She stared at the pebbles and the sling for a few seconds, but then shook her head. "Uncle Rim, I really appreciate it, but I can't accept it. It is yours, and it clearly has a lot of sentimental value to you—you said it used to be yours and— "

Rim interrupted her with a head shake. He gingerly picked the items with one hand, and carefully planted them in her paws. "You always wear Onnophrius' Goggles because it is a piece of him that will always protect you wherever you go. I want this gift to be the same while you travel to meet your Dad. You already know how to use them—you were always a good shot. Now that you know how strong they can be, I can rest at ease knowing you can use them to protect yourself if push ever comes to shove."

Ember lifted the sling and the pouch and stared at them. A piece of Uncle Rim she could always carry with herself. Her still damp eyes teared up again. She mouthed a "thank you", but her voice strained into a raspy whisper. She gently placed the items on her lap and opened her arms wide. She leaned in closer and wrapped as much of Uncle Rim as she could. And Uncle Rim, with a single arm, hugged her back whole.