A small building sat at the top of a tall hill on the northeast side of Veilstone City, the first branch location of the revered Kannagi Shrine. It originated in Celestic Town over fifteen hundred years ago, and actually provided the traditional Japanese name of the settlement. It was not hyperbole to say that they were a major influence on Kodo beliefs, and that many modern sentiments toward Pokemon could be traced back to the Kannagi clan. Though not as prominent as they once were, they were still of the most highly respected families in Japan.

A small and empty knoll sat in the shadow of the cliff. That was where the sole heir to the shrine, Prema Kannagi, stood on a makeshift wooden stage before a crowd of over two hundred people that was rapidly growing. It had been two days since the world had lost one of the greatest Pokemon conservationists of the modern era. All the priests and priestesses agreed that the shrine should do something; they and Pete Stephens stood for much the same things, and honoring the deceased was a large part of their faith. This was the best they could arrange on such short notice.

Two others were on either side of her. Acolyte Jirou Jinnai wore a kasa on his head and a jacket over his violet robe to shield himself from the rain. The man held a large umbrella over Prema. To her right, a tall elderly woman with silvery-green eyes stood proudly as drops fell on her face and body. Prema might have feared that someone her age would catch pneumonia, but it was Priestess Satomi Kurusu. One who had served four generations of Masters and showed no signs of slowing down even in her nineties.

So many people had come by despite the fact that their only advertisement for this was word of mouth. There were even several unfamiliar faces that she had never seen on the shrine grounds. It was evidence that he had touched the lives of so many people, and that they were looking for any form of closure they could find. Prema was unable to help herself from scanning the crowd. There was a person that she was hoping to see there. There was no chance Prema would have missed her given her height, her fashion, and her face. The only reason she was not disappointed was that it was a long shot to begin with.

She felt an elbow brush against her. Her mentor was smiling. "When you are ready, Lady Kannagi. Just don't keep'em waiting too long!" The elderly woman chuckled.

Prema nodded. "Yes, Priestess Satomi."

Ordinarily, it would be Father who would address an audience under these circumstances. Instead, he had given her the task and was standing somewhere in the crowd. Prema was no stranger to such speeches, and she fully intended to see it through. She took a deep breath and began.

The rest of the week sped by like a Ninjask for Nori. Their article turned out to be a smash hit, receiving praise from both peers and teachers for its quality. The immensely positive response left them all with huge smiles, but none more than Terrance.

The news club often stayed after school on Friday to talk about the newsletter for the week and continue work on the next edition. The meetings usually lasted no more than two hours, and not everyone could attend every week. This was one of the rare times Nori could not make it, but he stopped by after the last bell to check in on everyone regardless. The guy who handled his Official's stuff had asked him to meet after school in the usual spot in order to pick up his next assignment, as soon as possible. He already knew of one other person who would be absent as usual, but he was surprised to find only four people in the room.

"Hey," he announced his presence. Mitsu was at his usual computer, while the other three sat around a table that they had seemingly moved further away from him. "Where's Adelle and Yasmin? They're usually here first thing."

Reiko rolled her eyes. She had on a light blue shirt and her usual jeans. "They think they caught Chisaka's cold." She looked towards the culprit with an 'I told you so' expression before shaking her head and turning to Nori. "So they went home early."

"Don't friggin' blame me," Mitsu uncharacteristically fired back, slamming a fist on the desk and jostling his green metal water bottle.

Before Reiko could open her mouth to retaliate, Nori shouted, "Whoa!" He usually let the older girls play peacekeeper. But they were sick. So he instinctively sprang into action without much thought despite him being the one to get angry half the time. "What was that for?"

Mitsu held his head high. It was a relief when he sighed through pinched lips. "Sorry, I'm just still mad," he admitted. "I grew up on the Krookodile Tracker! And some bastard releases a Qwilfish that kills him? Why haven't they found them yet?"

"Mitsu." The orange-haired girl stood to address him. Her fingers curled. She exchanged a glance with Nori before speaking with a blunt edge. "He's gone. Staying pissed about it isn't going to help."

"Ah." Terrance turned to face the wall. After some hesitation, he made an uncharacteristic remark. "That's coming from the great Reiko Azuma."

Reiko recoiled, her mouth falling open as she took a step back. "T-Terrance!" she stammered, turning faintly red.

Nori couldn't help but laugh. Everyone actually laughed at least a little, except Mitsu, who gave a false smile given away by resting his arms on his legs and the cold, distant look in his eyes.

Saqid had laughed the hardest, a hardy guffaw. He actually had to wipe a tear from his black-tinted eyes. "Okay," he said, adjusting his thick black sweatshirt. "If you are cracking jokes Terrance, you are over it."

Reiko sat down next to her close friend and gave him a light pat on the back. He looked away again as she made physical content. "Not really," he forced out, squinting tightly as he did so. "I hope they find who did this, too. Just so we can get a bit of closure."

"I know, right?" Mitsu said, "It'd be one thing if this was an accident, but it wasn't."

"They're actually saying it was a freak accident," Nori spoke up. That's what was being reported, and that's what they had reported. "The Qwilfish attacked in panic and hit in just the right spot."

"But if it wasn't released…" Terrance squeaked.

"Yeah." Mitsu stomped a foot. "Doesn't matter. If it wasn't there in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. I don't even think it was an accident. The Dark-type is traditionally known as the Evil-type, after all."

Reiko nearly leapt out of her seat again. She gripped the side of the table, her arm shaking. She turned to Nori with a twitching lip and empty retinas. It was a look that pleaded, 'Please get him to shut up before I say something that might make Terrance upset by proxy.'

The Evil-type thing wasn't even true; it was much more nuanced. But pointing that out wouldn't do any good. Instead, he took the most basic approach to the problem. "All right, enough about him," he ordered, in the sternest tone of voice he could. He stood tall and put his hands on his hips like his mom would. "Just focus, people."

"Agree," Reiko instantly chimed in. Mitsu and Terrance reluctantly nodded. She changed the subject. "Hope those two get over their cold on the weekend."

Everyone was with her on that. Their skills at getting info from the student body were unparalleled. "Speaking of, I'm still surprised they got an interview with the battling team," Nori made a random remark, rolling his right ankle. "No one else could've gotten that. I didn't think those guys would want anything to do with me after what happened with Pawniard and Anthony."

"They apparently volunteered," Saqid said with a shrug. "It was not a factor, though they said you still have a couple supporters. But one against you, that Emi chick, really liked the Tracker. And you kept hers in editing."

He smirked. "Yeah, I guess." He hadn't interacted with Emi Pikaru in any meaningful way during or after the incident, but he knew who she was from reputation and research. The team having hard feelings didn't shock him, but some not having any was a small surprise.

"Hit everyone hard, they shouldn't be exceptions," Reiko remarked, shaking her head.

"Definitely." That much was clear from the response to their newsletter. In fact, they had so many statements from people that many of them had to be cut. Him keeping Emi's was mainly since it stood out. "Anyway, gotta get going. Saqid, you're in charge."

The tan-skinned teenager saluted. "I will not let you down."

"Later." Reiko gave an idle wave without looking up. She momentarily glanced in his direction. "Good luck with whatever the hell they're throwing at you this time."

"Thanks. See you guys next week."

Nori walked powerfully through the halls until he reached the front doors of the school. He shoved them apart and stepped out into the brisk autumn air. He zippered up his earth-brown jacket with black sleeves and approached the person sitting on a bench near the flagpole.

She was lightly slumped, not noticing him at first due to looking down. Her hands were folded between her knees and her ankles were crossed. She wore knee-length purple shorts, warm black leggings, and a nylon jacket which was pink on the outside and white on the inside, as well as her usual white sneakers. Her hair swayed gently in the breeze.

"Hey, Yumi," he called to her.

She uncrossed her arms and legs at the sound of his voice. The teenager rested her hands on the cement beside her as she looked up at him with somewhat distant eyes. "Hi."

They had made plans to go for a walk together after school, since Nori's destination and Yumi's home were in the same direction up to a point. "Ready to get going?"

She stood. "Okay."

They set out together, wordlessly enjoying spending time together for the first couple of blocks. After that, when they were further away from the noise of the schoolyard, Nori started speaking. "Another week, another newsletter in the books."

"Yeah."

"Woo!" Nori pumped both of his fists, resting them at chest level. "That was our best yet, I think. Only problem now is, how do we follow up from that? We need to put 110% into next week now that we got a lot more people's attention. Any thoughts?"

"I don't know."

Nori took momentary pause. Yumi wasn't looking at him while she was speaking. She was staring at the ground and gradually falling behind.

He slowed to keep pace and segued into something related, but even more positive. "You notice how Terrance has, like, been eating Blissey eggs over it the whole time?" Sure, there was his subtle elation over how well the article was received, but even before that. He was stressing sometimes over the quality, but he was refusing to let grief get the better of him.

"I know…"

Five terse responses in a row was too much. Nori felt a light quiver in his stomach. "What's wrong?" he asked. Was it something he said or did? Or if not, what was bothering her?

Her response was to stop in place. She clasped her hands together, pressing them against her upper body. "You're getting another assignment," she elaborated, her voice shaky, "That's what's wrong."

"Hey, it'll be fine!" he assured her. It wasn't the first time she'd been worried about one of the Pokemon he'd been rehabilitating. "I really appreciate that you're worried about me! But whatever it is can't be any worse than Pawniard, right?"

"Those are famous last words," she replied, her unsteady legs slightly swaying.

Nori snorted. "Maybe," he giggled.

Okay, point taken. That was a pretty funny way of putting it. But she didn't laugh with him, only huffing and fidgeting. Her concern was totally real.

"Hey. I think I'm right about this," he said, squatting down in front of her, so he could look her right in the eyes. He flashed the best smile he could muster.

"Why's that?" she asked, her voice monotonous but curious.

He had several days to think about it and finally came to a conclusion. "I dunno." He stood and shrugged. Nori could admit, part of it was just instinct. But that was a big thing. "It's just weird I'm getting another this quick. It's like something just came up, and they needed me for it."

Yumi shook her head. "I don't think that's a good sign," she said while rubbing her arms.

"Uh, maybe?"

Okay, that was also right. It could also be a very bad sign. It was one of the two. The thing that stood out was his handler's (as Reiko had eloquently put it) surprise. He gave the kooky man enough credit to be aware of the usual tempo of assignments and all signs pointed towards this being abnormal. Whatever the case, Nori was sure about one thing: whatever this was needed immediate attention. For some reason, it couldn't be held off until later.

Yumi started to walk again, mumbling dreadfully to herself in Japanese. He followed her while thinking about the situation. He would get his answers soon enough. But maybe Yumi getting answers would at least put her mind at ease? She was worrying about all the different possibilities, maybe to an irrational degree.

It came to him in a flash. "Do you want to come with me?"

Yumi stood up straight so quickly that Nori thought for a moment that she would leave her feet altogether. She again stopped dead in her tracks and whirled to face him. Her eyes were round as Voltorbs and her hands were in front of her defensively. "W-what?!"

"I was allowed to bring others last time I got a Pokemon." The guy hadn't complained at all when he showed up with his friends Prema and Maylene. "I don't see why not this time. It might help you if you know."

Yumi's tongue nearly tied itself into a knot as she sputtered. "No, I don't…" She winced and waved her palms wildly. "I mean, I can't!"

She was about to say she didn't want to. But she said she couldn't? "Even if you wanted to?"

"Yeah." She huffed and took a deep breath to compose herself. "You know how my parents are."

"Really strict, right."

He'd forgotten about that. Everything had to be planned out well in advance when it came to Yumi's parents. They even needed to get permission for this walk! If she was late because they went and did something different, well. Nothing good could come of it, that was for certain. If he could get away with giving them a piece of his mind, he would in a heartbeat. He might anyway even if he couldn't, knowing himself.

"I guess I could come by and show you later," he instead offered. He was sure if he phrased it right, they'd give him a few minutes.

"It's okay. I'm not in any rush to know." Yumi exhaled deeply. She shuffled forward vaguely and looked skyward. "I'll find out eventually."

He gave her a clap on the shoulder. She stiffened at the sudden physical contact. "Whatever it is, Yumi, I'm sure I can handle it."

She nodded lightly, face flushed. "I hope so," she said, leaning toward him. The faintest smile was on her lips. She was fearful to the point of anxiety, sure. But deep down, she had faith. And he was going to prove it was not misplaced.

After a few silent moments between them, Nori gave her a pat and let go. They started out again. They walked another block without speaking to one another. Yumi kept fidgeting, but their talk had improved her mood. She was walking a little closer, her steps were more lively, and she was smiling softly.

"I guess my weekend's set," Nori mused aloud. "But what about yours?"

"My grandfather has family activities planned for us." She gave her shoulders a roll. "No, it's more like a big family gathering. A few of my aunts and uncles, and…" She paused for three whole seconds. "Even great-grandma is coming to visit. I won't have time for anything else." Her tone faltered for a moment, but otherwise it was matter-of-fact.

It sounded like he wasn't going to be able to show her his next assignment after, even if she wanted to see it. Not before the weekend was over, at least. "Well, I hope they're fun," he said.

"I hope so too." She chuckled lightly. "And please. Be careful, Nori."

"I will be, I promise!" Even if it did turn out to be a dangerous Pokemon, he wasn't going to let it get the better of him. Nor would any of his other Pokemon let it.

They walked on. Nori lightly tilted his head, looking at her as they walked. He was glad to have a friend like her. Actually, he was glad to have friends at all, but that was another facet altogether. All her worrying meant that she cared. Maybe others were worried too, but they never spoke their minds like she did. It was a nice contrast to simple trust and encouragement.

Yumi stopped abruptly again and turned, her feet and body pointed at him. "Nori?" she said slowly.

He paused and faced her. "What's up?"

"I…" she squeaked, but her voice left her. Her tongue flitted out from her closed lips as her eyes darted away. "Sorry, it's nothing."

He blinked. "Oh, okay."

What was that about? It could have been any number of things. Nori had an idea, but like on Monday, he wasn't going to stress too much. Worst case, it was wanting to vent about her family and thinking better of it.

Yumi wore a contented smile, the type one has when happy to be with someone. Nori sort of felt the same. It would be several more blocks before he would have to head up Crescent Hills. The questions about what kind of Pokemon he would be receiving burned at the back of his mind. But until that time came, he was going to enjoy this walk.