A Shattered Sense of Normalcy

"We have come to an agreement, it seems."

Jhorlo's voice rang clear as he stood in front of the small crowd, Jaques and Lotte sitting at attention behind him. Behind them lay the icy ninetales who, despite his condition, held his head high and proud, meeting the looks of the villagers that had decided his fate. Whisper stood at attention by his side.

"As you all have voted," Jhorlo continued, "we will continue to monitor him over the next moon or so, putting him to community service while also teaching the laws of our region. If he behaves well, we will reconvene on the afternoon of the next full moon to decide whether he is free to leave. I hope this is all agreeable to everyone, yes?"

Mixed Murmurs rose from the crowd around Haru. Some seemed displeased with this outcome, but most were neutral or even happy with it. Haru glanced towards Toshi, hoping to catch his eye, but he avoided her gaze. Almost three days had passed since they'd had their argument, yet Toshi still seemed uncomfortable. The two of them had barely exchanged any words since.

Figuring the meeting was over, she took a step towards her brother, but stopped when Jhorlo cleared his throat.

"Ah, Whisper, you said you had something you wanted to bring to the attention of the village before we adjourned, correct?"

"I did," Whisper said, stepping forward. She looked over the crowd with a stern expression. "I apologize for taking time out of your busy days. As you all know, Vale, Siles, and myself are currently the only full-time guards. Romi, Stati, Essra, and Anu have all been helping with the work, but they also have their own obligations. As it is, we have been stretched thin, monitoring the sneasel during his long-term community service. And with the ninetales now needing to be watched as well, that is even more true."

She paused, taking a deep breath. "I am asking for volunteers to help out for at least the next moon. We need pokemon that are willing to watch either the sneasel or the ninetales for periods of the day, while they do their work. Anyone that does so will be paid for their time. If you are interested, come see me after this meeting, as there will be a short test to be certain you are fit to handle a fight, should one happen. Thank you, that is all."

Jhorlo sat on his haunches, silently watching Whisper as she spoke. When she finished, he stood back up and returned his attention to the crowd. "Thank you, Whisper. With that in mind, you are all dismissed." He waited just a few heartbeats before turning around to face Jaques and Lotte. One gesture from his paw and they stood in unison, flanking him as he headed back towards his villa.

The crowd began to disperse, most pokemon leaving to go about their daily duties. Haru, however, stayed in place for a moment before standing on her hind legs, trying to look over some of the shorter pokemon in search of Toshi. She spotted him approaching Whisper, and got down on all fours to follow him.

She made it within earshot just as Whisper cocked her head, her expression concerned and skeptical. "Are you… sure about this, Toshi?" Whisper asked.

"Positive!" Toshi replied. "I-I've been practicing my attacks and everything. I don't think I'd need to fight, but if I did, I'd be able to take care of myself!"

The hawlucha looked unconvinced. Haru wasn't sure that Whisper could frown, but she certainly looked like she was. Whisper opened her mouth to say something else, but then caught Haru's gaze and quickly straightened up, clearing her throat. "Ah, are you here to volunteer as well, Haru?"

Toshi turned his head, following Whisper's gaze. The look on his face — some mix of surprise, skepticism, and some third emotion Haru couldn't place — made her quickly avert her gaze.

"O-oh. No. Not at all," Haru replied quickly. "I was just…" I wanted to talk to Toshi, privately. "I was going to. Check. On Toshi. I should probably go." This was embarrassing.

Speaking of embarrassing, a familiar chipper voice piped up from behind Haru. "Well, we're here to volunteer. Aren't we, Musey?"

Haru bit back a groan and turned back to look at Shimmer and Muse. Well, even if she had considered volunteering, she definitely wasn't going to now.

"You as well?" Whisper asked. "I am… hesitant."

"Oh, come on," Shimmer pressed, her voice staying up-beat. "You said you needed all the help you could get, right? Well, I'm help. Muse is help. That's two whole helps! Besides, I'm totally feeling better."

Muse turned her head. "Two whole helps? Shimmer, I am not convinced you are as well as you claim."

"I'm fine, Muse, really. You're not gonna convince me to stop."

The absol sighed, lowering her head. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Whisper, Shimmer would not be working alone. It is my duty as her bodyguard and as her friend to keep her safe. And thus, I would be working with her at all times. I won't request you to pay me, of course, as I'm already paid plenty working for Shimmer."

What a headache, Haru thought, glad she wasn't Whisper right now.

Whisper looked up over Haru. Haru turned to look behind and noted that only two other pokemon had stepped forward: the swallot that ran the local inn and eatery, and Twi, of all pokemon. Great. Another pokemon that got on her nerves.

Whisper let out a long breath, turning her attention back to Shimmer as she picked up a cloth bag that was sitting at her feet. "Very well. I am willing to give you all a chance. But you'll have to prove yourself fit for the job. Come on now."

Whirling around on one foot, Whisper began to walk away, leaving the others to share a look before following behind. Haru looked towards the retreating group, then back towards the square. Despite her hesitations, she followed. If nothing else, she could support Toshi in his test, right?

"You didn't sign up just because I did, did you?" Toshi awkwardly avoided Shimmer's gaze, keeping his head facing forward.

Shimmer let out a little gasp, dramatically clasping her hands against her cheeks. "What? Noooo, of course not! Although, now that you mention it…"

Toshi let out an alarmed squeak and slowed his pace so that he was no longer walking beside the kirlia. But Shimmer shifted on Muse's back so that she could turn and continue the conversation. "Really though, cutie, I joined because I thought it would be fun. And important, that too. Besides, I figured Musey would want to keep an eye on things, you know?" She punctuated her last words by giving Muse a pat on the back.

"I-I never said that!" Muse stammered, faltering.

"Never denied it either."

Haru tuned out the rest of the conversation, brushing up against Toshi as they made their way towards a field just a bit outside of the village. Though she'd never used it herself, it wasn't uncommon to see a couple mon from the village sparring or otherwise honing their skills.

The grass at the center was relatively short, easy enough to maneuver in for training purposes. It was also relatively flat, with few rocks or stones laying around to trip up any fighters. A few boulders dotted the tall grass beyond.

Whisper came to a stop and spun around to face the following pokemon. "We'll do the assessment here. Would all of you please stand off to the side? Except you, Toshi. Come with me."

Toshi shot the others a quick, somewhat nervous glance before stepping forward, following Whisper to the center of the grass. "So, um, what did you want me to do?"

Whisper pulled the cloth bag off of her shoulder and tossed it aside, then crossed her wings and faced Toshi. "Like I said, I need to ascertain that you can handle yourself in a fight, should either of our… guests get rowdy." She uncrossed her wings, crouching forward into a fighting pose. "You'll be sparring against me."

"Wh-what?" Toshi squeaked. "Against you?"

"Of course," Whisper replied promptly. "How better to test your prowess than to do so myself. Now, prepare yourself!"

Toshi stared, eyes wide like a noctowl. But then he shook off the shock and shifted into a battle stance, pawing at the ground.

Whisper waited for just a few heartbeats longer to give him time to prepare. Then she charged forward with a battle cry. Her wings took on a metallic sheen, sunlight gleaming off the top. Toshi flinched, then shook it off and charged, curling into a ball to rush forward. Bidoof collided with wing and the two fighters bounced back. Toshi uncurled and landed on his feet, wincing slightly.

By the time he had recovered, Whisper was already rushing towards him. She sprang into the air, rocketing back towards Toshi beak first. She turned so that she'd land shoulder first, attempting to crush him under her weight.

Toshi leaped forward and curled into a ball again, this time using the rollout to dodge. Whisper landed where he'd been just a heartbeat before. She was quick to recover, though. One somersault and she was already back on her feet.

To Haru's right, Shimmer bounced up and down. "Woo, Go, Toshi! You've got this!" Haru kept her eyes on the field, though.

The bidoof rolled in a wide circle, turning back to rush down Whisper. But she was ready for him. She rushed forward to meet his challenge and lunged, striking him with her knee. He let out a pained squeal, thrown backwards by the blow, and hit the ground with a dull thud.

Everything went quiet. Haru stood tense, expecting that to be the end. Yet Toshi still struggled back to his feet.

Whisper raised a wing and opened her mouth to speak, but Toshi charged again with a shrill cry. Moisture gathered around his stubby tail, forming into a swirling vortex of water as he ran. She moved to sidestep him, but he nimbly changed directions, spinning on his front paws so that he could slam the aqua tail into Whisper's side.

Toshi rebounded from the attack and tensely stared Whisper down, panting. The feathers on the side he'd struck were disheveled and damp, though it was hard to tell how much damage he might have actually done. She stared him down with a fierce gaze for several heartbeats. Haru waited with bated breath, expecting Whisper to launch another attack. Instead, she relaxed, though her expression was unreadable.

"I think I've seen enough. Please stand to the side while I assess the others. We'll talk in a bit."

Toshi tilted his head and shrank down slightly. "Did… did I pass?"

Whisper tilted her head up to look at the other pokemon. "I'll discuss it with you after I've finished assessing everyone else. Consider it a maybe, for the moment."

Her words seemed to satisfy Toshi well enough; with his head held high and a sparkle in his eyes, he ran back to the sidelines with renewed vigor. Shimmer passed him on the way back, called forth for her assessment. Muse pawed at the grown nervously, glancing back and forth between Toshi and Shimmer, before finally settling her attention on the bidoof. Haru hesitantly approached behind her.

"Your fighting was excellent, Toshi," Muse said. "Between this and the fights back in Sunglow Thicket, it's obvious that you've been training the last few seasons, haven't you?"

Toshi grinned. "I have to if I'm going to join the rescuers or the society! I need to be in tip-top shape, or else they may not take me seriously."

Haru bit her lip. "Are you serious, then? About leaving?"

Toshi flinched and avoided Haru's gaze. Muse shot Haru a questioning look but said nothing. "Well… yeah. I mean, not right away, obviously. But maybe in a couple moons… maybe when spring comes around, after Blue comes back from his expedition."

But you have a place here, Haru wanted to argue. She kneaded the ground in hopes of holding her tongue. It's dangerous out there, more so than this relatively safe village. What if something happens? What if… No, she needed to stop those thoughts.

She took a deep breath. "Look. Toshi, um… I know you're kind of busy right now. But maybe we could talk when you're done? I'd… I'd appreciate it."

Toshi tilted his head, his brow knit with worry. "I, um… sure? I guess I'll catch you back at home."

"That'll work," Haru agreed. "I'll see you there."

She turned. As she walked away, she heard Muse quietly ask Toshi if everything was okay. He mumbled something back, though Haru couldn't hear it. She decided not to try and eavesdrop. She wasn't sure she'd like the answer.

Haru's troubled feelings did not go away as she returned to the village square. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get thoughts about Toshi out of her head. She should be happy for him. He was figuring out what he wanted to do in life and moving on. So why did it make her feel so… bad?

She was so caught up in her thoughts, that she did not realize she'd wandered over to the guard's hut until she stood just outside. She wasn't the only one outside, though. So absorbed in her thoughts, she hadn't even noticed Vale pacing around the entrance until the two collided with each other.

"Hey, watch it!" the manectric snarled, before realizing who he was talking to. He straightened up slightly, though he still addressed Haru in a low growl. "What are you doing here?"

Who put iron thorns in his nest? "Walking. Is that a problem?"

At her leading comment, he straightened up a bit more and averted his gaze. "Er… Right, sorry. You caught me at a bad time. "

His problems were really none of her business, but she had noticed how agitated the manectric had been recently. Curiosity and concern led her to ask, "Is everything alright?"

Vale blinked once. Twice. A growl rumbled in his throat and he shook his head back and forth before beginning to pace once again. "Does everything look alright? This whole village has decided that it's for the better to waste our time babysitting those two-" he violently jerked his head in the direction of the hut "-while we have much more important things to do! Fall is coming fast. We should be fixing up the town gate. Preparing preserves for winter, focusing on trade with the neighboring village, anything but this! And all for what? Just to supposedly rehabilitate a couple of pokemon that are just going to run off and contribute nothing the moment they get the chance? It's pointless! Meaningless!"

While Haru was inclined to agree, she couldn't help but think to the pokemon sparring in the field. "I mean… you probably — no, definitely — have a point, but isn't that why Whisper is asking for volunteers? To help relieve you guys?"

He paused, then scraped one paw against the ground. "Tch… that's true. But it still wastes our time. They should be doing their own jobs. Besides, do you have any idea how much of Whisper's budget is going into feeding those two? And now she's going to pay volunteers as well? At this rate I'm going to end up with a pay cut."

More scraping. Vale let out a huff through his nose. "It's a waste! Why couldn't Jhorlo just make a decision himself? But no, he's too sentimental about running things the way Lady Gratitude did. Says it builds community. Builds community my ass! It just divides us further!"

Haru shifted uncomfortably. Again, Vale's sentiments resonated with her own, albeit with a much more aggressive approach. "I… guess you have a point," she mumbled.

Vale stared for a moment, then sat down and scratched behind his ear. "See, you get it, Haru. I'm glad someone around here has a bit of sense. I oughta talk to Jhorlo about this. Not that it'll do any good." Haru let out a hum of agreement. Vale, in response, stood back up and continued his agitated pacing. "If Whisper would just hurry up and get back, maybe I could actually talk to Jhorlo before he retires for the evening. But no, I'm sitting here babysitting a couple of pokemon that are barely any more civilized than a wildener!"

Maybe he was right. Maybe he should talk to Jhorlo about this. If nothing else, maybe Vale could get him to understand that Nip should be someone else's problem. Maybe something for the enforcers to deal with, not something for a village about as far from the hotspots of civilization as could be.

She hesitated for a second, not sure if she should offer her thought. She wanted to get back home, and she had things to do. But she said it anyways. "I… If you think you're only going to be a few minutes, I guess I could watch them so you can go talk to Jhorlo."

Vale tilted his head. "Wait, really? I don't know… are you sure, Haru? If something goes wrong, you're not exactly a fighter."

"Well… No, you're right. But we are in the middle of the village. Besides, I held my own against Nip well enough before." She elected to omit that she had to use an orb to stop him last time.

The manectric gave her a hard stare for a moment longer. A strange, unreadable expression crossed his face. It almost seemed like… frustration? Then he shook it off and stretched out his forelegs, raising his back into the air. He yawned. "Well, if you insist. No skin off my back. Just hang around inside, I'll be back soon."

He turned and rushed off, leaving Haru alone in front of the entrance.

Haru hesitated outside, suddenly having second thoughts. She was just one bidoof. What was she supposed to do if both Nip and Tempest came after her? She barely held her own against Nip. How was she supposed to handle both of them?

Relax, she told herself. They're locked up in there and I'm out here, and I'm in change. They can't do anything to me.

Resolved, she stepped inside the hut.

Tempest was lying with his back up against the bars, his head on the ground. His eyes were closed, and his expression was relatively relaxed. Fortunately, she couldn't see the nasty scars on his neck at this angle. He flicked his ears at the rustling sound of Haru entering the room, but otherwise didn't move.

Nip, too, was up against the bars, stretching a paw across the small space between the two cells to just barely brush his claws through Tempest's fur. He barely glanced at Haru, then spoke to Tempest in a low voice, his voice so quiet that Haru couldn't hear the words.

She shifted uncomfortably. Why was he being so quiet? What didn't he want her to hear? Was he maybe… planning an escape? Despite her earlier bravado, she suddenly felt very, very weak.

"H-hey," she began nervously, coming to a stop in front of the two cells. "Mind telling me what you're so keen on keeping quiet about?"

Nip glanced up at her with a frown and narrowed eyes. "We'll talk later," he said to Tempest before retracting his arm, standing up, and walking to sit on his nest in the back of the cell, facing Haru.

Still, he said nothing to her, and she didn't like that. "Come on, just fess up. Or should I tell Whisper that you're plotting something, because that's the only thing I can think of that you'd want to keep quiet."

Nip was back on his feet in an instant. He slunk to the front of the cell, his ear laid flat and his maw twisted into a snarl. "What is wrong with you? It's like you're trying to get me killed!"

Haru stumbled backwards before remembering that he couldn't get to her. "T-that's not true! But you're already on thin ice, and you've given me no reason to just blindly trust you. Look where that got us already."

He scoffed, turning his head. "Fine. If you must know, I was telling Tempest about the hardships I endured to get here. It's not easy to outrun a pokemon that knows how to track you, you know. But that was none of your business, so I don't see why I needed to tell you. Besides, our previous conversations suggest that you wouldn't believe me anyways. You probably still don't, so why should I bother?"

"T-that's—" Haru cut off. He did have a point. There was very little he could say that would have changed her opinion. But she wasn't about to let him win. Not now. "W-well, your actions speak louder than your words. You try to act like you feel remorse, but you're just scared of the consequences! Here you are, hiding behind the village's protection, doing the bare minimum to act like you've changed. But in the end, you're the one that went and stole an egg from the mons that helped you like some… some lawless wildener!"

Nip stumbled backwards, his eyes wide. Tempest rose to his feet, his tails lashing. Although his gaze was neutral and steady, there was a fierceness in his eyes that almost made Haru regret opening her mouth.

"How dare you," Nip growled. His head was down where Haru couldn't see his face, but the way his claws trembled at his sides betrayed his emotions. "I'm not asking you to like me, or act like I haven't made mistakes. But by the gods, Haru, can't you give me the benefit of the doubt that I'm trying?!"

By the time he finished speaking, he was shouting. He looked up, his face nearly unreadable. Was it anger? Hurt? Something else? A combination of conflicting emotions? Haru couldn't tell. All she knew was that she hadn't expected such a volatile response. Her heart raced as she stared wide-eyed back at the sneasel, expecting him to try and strike her from beyond the bars.

"Haru? What are you doing here?"

The tense atmosphere shifted to the entryway. Whisper stood within the doorframe, her beak hanging slightly open. She took one heartbeat to assess the room, then her gaze turned stern and she straightened up. "Will you please explain what exactly you are doing here? Where is Vale?"

Haru scrambled to stand at attention. "Vale wanted to talk with Jhorlo! Said he wouldn't be long so I offered to give him a few minutes break, that's all!"

Whisper tilted her head, skeptical. "Really now? Even though you had no interest in helping out?"

Haru felt her body grow warm with embarrassment. "W-well… it was only supposed to be a few minutes and… he made a good point…"

Whisper stared a moment longer before sighing. "I'll talk to him later. You're free to go, Haru. No. You need to go. That's an order."

"Wait, are you done with the sparring matches already?"

"They were just quick sparring matches. Only took a few minutes." Whisper dusted off one of her wings, approaching one of the chests. A burst of cold air — the remnants of a hail orb used in the confined space — escaped before Whisper retrieved a package of… nope, Haru didn't want to know what was inside. She had a good enough idea.

"Your brother will be partnering up with Twi to watch the sneasel every few days," Whisper continued. Nip let out a groan at Twi's name, but a sharp look from Whisper made him quickly avert his gaze.

"I… see," Haru said. "I guess I should get going, then. I have work to do, after all."

"As do I. Take care of yourself, Haru, and may the gods light your path."

Recognizing that the statement was well-intentioned, Haru held her tongue and turned to leave, not even daring to look at Nip as she left. Still, she swore she could feel his gaze glaring at her back, and had a feeling he was in no rush to see her again. Good, the feeling was mutual.

She'd barely made it across the square before she heard a voice calling her name. Glancing up, she caught sight of Toshi making his way from the clinic, smelling faintly of oran berries and medicinal herbs. There was a cheerful, fierce, perhaps even defiant, look in his eye as he approached.

"Guess who's helping the guard," he said with excitement as soon as she was close.

"I already heard, Whisper told me," she replied.

He tilted his head. "Really? What were you doing talking to Whisper? In fact… Why are you still here? I thought you'd be back near home by now."

"Well, I stopped to talk to Vale," Haru explained, deciding to leave her altercation with Nip out of the discussion. She didn't need a repeat of their last conversation. "But I guess this works out, because I wanted to talk to you anyways."

Toshi averted his gaze, shifting in place. "I mean… I guess? What do you want to talk about?"

Haru nibbled at her lip. "Walk with me," she mumbled, turning towards the path home. Toshi hesitated before following her. She was silent for a while, trying to carefully think about what she wanted to say. There were all sorts of ways she could word it, but in the end, she just let out a sigh and stopped walking.

"Look, I'm sorry about my outburst the other day. I… might have gotten a bit heated, and I shouldn't have directed my anger at you."

Toshi blinked. "A bit? I'd… argue that was more than a bit heated. But… apology accepted, anyways."

Haru waited for him to say something more. But when he didn't, she continued. "I just… I'm frustrated. It just feels like everyone is letting things go too easily. With Nip and, to a lesser extent, Tempest. And besides that… I'm… worried about you."

"Worried? Why?"

"Well, because you want to go off to the bigger towns and put yourself in danger! Rescuing, exploring, they're both dangerous jobs. Besides that, the bigger towns, they're just more dangerous in general. It's safe here. Jhorlo and the guards, they all work so hard to keep everyone safe, and that's not something you can say of other places."

Toshi was silent now. "I get it, Haru. You're worried about me. And maybe you're right to be worried. But in the end, it's my decision to go, and I want to go because I want to help people. Rescuers, they make sure everyone stays safe. Explorers chart new land, but they also figure out what places are too dangerous for everyone else to go to, you know?"

Haru opened her mouth, hesitated, closed it. Then she breathed once, preparing her reply. "I just…I know you've always had an interest, but this all seems so sudden. I'm used to slow days, but lately it feels like time has flown by and there's never been a quiet moment. But… I'll… try to be more considerate of what you want out of your life, okay?"

Toshi smiled. "I appreciate it, Sis. Thanks."

Haru let out a breath, and it felt like some of what had been weighing her down was gone. "Thanks, Toshi. Come on. We should get home."

Despite her frustrations, Haru's evening was uneventful, and her morning was equally quiet, breezing by without much thought. Stretch. Breakfast. Work. And now it was lunch time. She meandered down the path back from the area they'd been logging from, expecting to pick up a warm lunch of roasted carrots and potatoes from her mom. To her left, the river bubbled, a few early autumn leaves drifting by in the current. To her right was an old wooden fence, a gentle slope up into Ruffle and Roselei's oran field just beyond.

Familiar voices drifted from above. Not Roselei nor Ruffle's but instead Shimmer and Muse. The only reason she could think of for them to be there was if they were watching Nip already. She paused, tuning in to their conversation. Shimmer's louder voice came through much clearer.

"Here's what I'm thinking, Musey. We should make Toshi a cute little goodbye package, so that when he leaves for the expedition society, he'll know just how much I- I mean, all of us care. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Are you… other motive?" Came Muse's voice.

"None whatsoever!" Shimmer cheerfully responded.

Haru sighed and scrunched up her nose before turning away. Shimmer was being Shimmer again. No ulterior motive, what a joke.

The voices went quiet and Haru began to walk again. But before she could get far, a white figure appeared at the top of the slope. "Miss Haru, is that you? Shimmer said you were nearby. She wanted to talk to you for a moment."

How did she- oh right. Psychic. Empath. Whatever. Biting back a groan, Haru considered just ignoring Muse and moving on. But that would be rude to her, and Muse had done nothing wrong. Besides, she'd just end up hearing an earful from Shimmer later. Resigned, she stepped off the path, wood scratching at her back as she just barely squeezed under the fence. Muse waited for her at the top before leading the way back between rows of the pale-pink-leafed plants.

They made their way to a path that broke the rows in two. Muse paused to wait for Haru before continuing further down the path, where she cut back into another row. Further down the path was Shimmer, who was happily babbling on about whatever nonsense came across her brain, though she never took her eyes off Nip, who was quietly using his claws to slice berries off at the stem. He glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps but went right back to his work as soon as he saw that it was just Muse and Haru. A bit further down stood a roserade, who was looking over the crops with a stern expression, glancing back at Nip and Shimmer every once in a while.

"Ah there you are Haru, I knew I sensed a bundle of sunshine and anger."

Haru tried her best to ignore what was probably meant to be a light-hearted jab. "What do you want, Shimmer?"

"Can't a gal just want to talk?" Shimmer replied in a teasing tone, sauntering towards Muse. She brushed green hair away from her face before leaning against the absol. "Really though, I just wanted to get your opinion on something is all. I know it's a ways off, but Toshi's not gonna be around forever. I want to get him something to remember me by. At least until he's ready to come back and settle down. You know him best. What kind of gift would he like best?"

"Peace and quiet," Haru said without missing a beat. "In fact, both of us would like that. All you need to do is leave him alone."

"Awww, what's the fun in that? It's not like I'm going to message him every day to make sure he doesn't forget me or anything."

Haru couldn't tell if that was a joke. She really hoped that was a joke.

"Really, though," Shimmer continued. "It's not like mon from this area leave all that often. Dad says we've had more pokemon come to the village than we've had leave. Getting out of the bigger towns, or settling down in something more secure than the wildener life. Like Whisper. Or your mom, in the former case. I think the last mon that moved out was… Jaques and Lotte's dad, and that was cycles ago. Like. I was barely a hatchling long ago. And…" She leaned in and cupped one hand to the side of her mouth, lowering her voice. "I'm sure you know, but the circumstances around his leaving were rather questionable, considering he left his kids behind, and his mate had just… mysteriously vanished."

Haru fought the urge to snap at Shimmer. "You know, it's kind of rude to gossip about such serious matters."

Shimmer looked taken aback. She glanced down, speaking in a mumble. "Yeah. You're probably right. Sorry." Then she was back to her usual hyper self. "But that's besides the point. Back to the gifting."

A huff escaped Haru. "Look. He's not going anywhere for a few more seasons at least. I'm pretty sure they said they weren't accepting any new recruits until Blue returns from the other side of the Great Misty Canyon. And that could be moons away.

At the mention of the canyon, Nip glanced up, tilting his head. But as soon as he caught Haru's eye, he quickly averted his gaze and returned to his work.

Shimmer, however, did not miss Nip's glance. "Did you have something to say, Nippy-Nip?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

Oh stars, she's giving him nicknames now? Haru could feel a headache coming on.

"Nothing," Nip grunted without looking up. He pulled another oran off the stem and dropped it into a basket.

"Come on," Shimer said, draping one arm over Muse's back. She waved at Nip with the other. "You know you can talk, right? Make conversation? We're not going to bite. Well. Haru might but that's just because she's grumpy as usual."

"E-excuse me?" Haru stammered.

Nip said nothing, continuing to quietly harvest the berries. For a moment, it seemed like he was just going to ignore them entirely. Then he finally said, "I…. Have to admit, it's impressive that you can grow so many berries. So efficiently, too. But do you really have need for so many? I know orans are valuable for healing, but…"

"You have that much right," Roselei said gruffly, approaching the group. A thorny vine shot out from under her blue flower, wrapping around the basket beside Nip. Another vine came from her red flower, and she used it to sit a fresh, empty basket to his side.

"Orans stay fresh for an obscenely long time, and are an ingredient in most healing medicines, besides just being used on their own. Everyone needs them for that, so there's a need to grow them, and they do well in trade. Plus, they have a very smooth taste and texture, so they're a common cooking ingredient, too."

"Maybe you should learn a bit about growing them," Shimmer suggested. "I'm sure that kind of knowledge would be useful up where you're from, right?"

"It's not like I'm going back there," Nip grumbled. "Why would I go back where I'm unwanted? No, wait, where I'm wanted dead?"

An awkward silence fell over the group. Haru shifted uncomfortably, while Muse turned her attention elsewhere, her tail twitching. "Are we done here?" Haru asked. "I was headed home for lunch."

Shimmer waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. If we're putting the gifting idea on ice then we can chat later. Say hi to Toshi for me will ya?"

She certainly would not. "Sure," she said.

Haru turned to leave. But before she could take more than a step back towards the path, Muse tensed up, holding a paw in front of her.

"Muse, what—"

"Something's wrong," Muse said tersely, her eyes on the sky. "Something might… it's… There!"

The absol raised her paw to point vaguely in the direction of the village square. Haru followed the gesture. It was hard for her to pick out at first, but then she noticed something off. A ring of light pulsed in the sky, nearly the same blue, only visible against the clouds.

The first pulse was slow, like a gentle wave at the edge of a lake. But then the pulses grew faster, more frequent. Five sets of eyes stared transfixed as there was one final flash of pulsing light. A short pause followed, then something burst through the center, whizzing through the air like a falling star. But just as quick as it had appeared, Haru lost sight of it below the trees. She didn't miss the crash that followed.

"We need to get back to town," Shimmer said, her voice uncharacteristically firm and serious. She looked at Nip. "You, Nip, you gotta stick with us. Get on Muse's back. I'll run alongside. Haru, come on. You too, Roselei."

Nip stood up, pushing the basket away, he shot Shimmer an uncertain look before complying.

"Shouldn't we be going away from the big bang?" Haru said, incredulous. "It could be dangerous!"

Muse let out a breath as Nip climbed on her back, waiting for him to steady himself. "Come or don't, it's your choice, Haru. But if there are others that are hurt… we could use all the help we can get."

With that, she turned and raced into the oran bushes, Shimmer following close behind.

"I'll catch up with them in a moment," Roselei said. "I'll get a pack of orans, in case they're needed."

Haru looked at the roserade, then back in the direction Shimmer and Muse had gone. She really didn't want to put herself in danger. But if there were pokemon that were hurt, and she ignored that…

She turned and ran after Shimmer and Muse.

By the time she stumbled down the slope and scooted under the fence, gasping to catch her breath, the other three were already well on their way up the path. Muse had dashed ahead, but now paused to give Shimmer a chance to catch up. Haru began to stumble in their general direction, but the others ran ahead without her, soon disappearing out of sight as the path curved around a small copse.

As she passed by the houses of other mon, they were noticeably quiet. Anxiety wormed its way into her belly. This wasn't right. Normally there'd be at least a mon or two loitering about along the residential path. Had everyone else gone to investigate the crash? Or else, were they hiding away? She certainly wanted to hide.

Reaching the village square only worsened that feeling. The outer edges were eerily quiet; only Tor and the ghost children were nearby, Tor quietly murmuring in an admittedly awful attempt at calming them down as he herded them away.

She left them behind, catching sight of more pokemon further away, close to Ruffle's berry stand. Or where the stand used to be, at least. Bits of wood, loose berries, and other debris had been strewn about the area. Haru weaved her way between the mess and the crowd. She caught sight of her father and began to make her way towards him, then saw Shimmer pushing her way through the gathered pokemon. Morbid curiosity won out, and she followed the kirlia, catching sound of nervous rumblings from nearby pokemon.

"I don't like this," Romi murmured, nervously striking her hoof against the ground. "This has to be an ill omen, right?"

"Where's Anu?" a pidove, Numi, said. He fluttered up to settle on Romi's back as Haru passed. "Surely, he would know, right?"

"He went to fetch Jhorlo," Phoel said. "Said he'd be back shortly."

An ill omen? Looking to Anu instead of a pokemon that could help with the injured, like Lecha? That was dumb. This was obviously something serious, but how was she supposed to take it seriously if all anyone was doing was striking it up as some sign from the gods?

But as she finally reached the front of the crowd, she stopped short, her mouth hanging agape.

Ruffle sat to the side, her leaves stained with berry juices and from the sap that leaked from a nasty gash along her right side. She trembled, struggling to eat an oran berry, as Twi pressed a rag to her side. Her eyes were still glued to her stand — or what was left of it, at least.

Splintered wood was bent every which way, shattered to bits. All the baskets had been upturned or destroyed, and the ground just behind was torn apart from the impact of something. A something that Lecha was now leaning over next to the impact site, her hands glowing with pulses of psychic energy.

As she moved so that she could see who Lecha was working on, she could see just how badly they were injured: sap leaked across the ground from the cuts that shredded their arms, their head, and every other part of their body. One arm was shriveled from a nasty burn, and there was at least one other nasty burn on their back.

But despite the pokemon's mangled form, and despite the fact that the injured pokemon was something Haru had never seen for real, their shape was still recognizable enough. Her mind went back to a loosely bound book of pictures. An elderly bibarel sat beside her, flipping the page to a picture of a small green pokemon that flitted through the trees, fingers pulsing with blue energy as it prepared to travel through time.

Some way, somehow, Celebi was laying half-dead in front of her.