Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Somehow, against all odds, she and Rei managed to catch all the goomy. Sure, it involved a lot of avoiding being hit by Water Pulse, but they eventually managed it.
The next day, they—accompanied by Professor Laventon—made the long trek back to Jubilife. Even if now one said anything, Akari felt a bit guilty—they'd probably make better time if she didn't get worn out so easily.
Once they'd returned to Jubilife, Akari headed towards Anise's place to drop off one of the petilil she'd caught.
Once she arrived at the right place, she timidly knocked; the door almost immediately slid open to reveal an elderly woman Akari had seen in the infirmary working alongside Pesselle and Mitsu.
"Oh, the skyfaller," Anise said. "I assume Eizo delivered my message then? It's—Akari, correct?"
Akari nodded.
"Come on," Anise said; Akari did so. Anise's place wasn't much different than Akari's quarters, but was a tad smaller.
"I—um, brought a petilil," Akari muttered, taking out a pokéball containing the aforementioned Pokémon. "Like you asked."
"My, already?" Anise said. "You Survey Corps types certainly work quickly."
This gave Akari some pause; it had been a whole two days since Eizo had come to her with Shinon's request. Ursaluna had taken priority, of course, but that had never mattered before coming here.
"I—wanted to get it to you as quickly as possible," Akari said.
Anise nodded.
"Come in," she said. Akari did so, and Anise shut the door.
Akari wordlessly handed over the pokéball.
Anise let out the petilil.
"Now then, Petilil, you don't mind sharing some of your leaves, do you?" Anise asked.
Akari wasn't sure what she expected—but it certainly wasn't Anise reaching over to pluck the petilil's leaves.
A plant was one thing—but a Pokémon was a sentient, living, breathing creature. They felt pain. Wasn't this like removing part of an animal?
A horrified protest rose to her lips, but it was too late; Anise just pulled the leaves off the top of the petilil's head.
Akari's stomach clenched, prepared for wails of pain—but none came.
There wasn't even any blood.
Some of Akari's shock and distress must have shown on her face, because Anise spoke up.
"Petilil don't usually mind giving up their leaves," Anise explained. "The leaves grow back, and it doesn't hurt them. You don't need to worry."
…oh. Of course, it was stupid to assume Ansie would just mutilate a Pokémon.
"Sorry," Akari squeaked, feeling her face heating up in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have assumed…"
"It's fine," Anise said. "It can seem strange if you haven't seen it before."
Still, Akari felt guilty—and a bit stupid. Of course things were different here. This was an entirely different world. What would be torture for an animal from her world might not even be a big deal to a Pokémon.
"Still, I'm sorry…" Akari mumbled, but was interrupted by a younger woman walking into the house.
"Anise, do you have the plant—oh. What's she doing here?" the woman—Shinon, probably—said, glancing at Akari.
Before anyone had a chance to answer, however, Shinon's gaze went downwards, towards the petilil.
"A Pokémon!" Shinon cried, taking a step back. Akari instinctively clasped her hands together, watching anxiously.
"Oh my," Anise said. "It seems we've been discovered." She turned to Shinon. "Petilil here just shared her leaves so we can make the medicine. No need to panic."
Unfortunately, Shinon seemed to think it was a perfectly good reason to panic.
"B–but—the leaves came from a Pokémon this whole time?" Shinon cried, looking to Anise—then shot a look at Akari, as if she was somehow responsible for this. Akari automatically wrapped her arms around herself. "What if it attacks me? What if it destroys the village? You never know with Pokémon when they'll get violent! I'm sorry, but I just can't make this medicine anymore!"
Akari blinked; Shinon's statement sounded…strangely familiar. But why? She wasn't afraid of Pokémon. Typically, if you were nice to a Pokémon, they'd be nice to you in return.
No reason to fear.
Anise heaved a sigh.
"This phobia of yours has gone on long enough," Anise said. "Pokémon scare you because you don't know anything about them. But it your fear will only get worse if you continue to remain ignorant. The Survey Corps do what they do so we can learn more about Pokémon. Do you really want their efforts to go to waste?"
Akari blinked, a bit taken aback at being brought into the conversation, albeit indirectly.
She shifted—and steeling herself, let her arms fall to her side.
"I get what you're saying, but—I can't get over my fear right away," Shinon said. "Though—the Survey Corps works out there every day, where it's scary…"
Shinon looked at the ground and took a deep breath.
"Okay. I'll try to get used to Pokémon," she said, and took a step towards Petilil. "Maybe I can start with this one."
Akari looked at Shinon, something like hope stirring in her.
If Shinon could move past her fear, then maybe other villagers could, too. Then everyone would see how wonderful Pokémon were.
Akari just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.
Over the course of the next couple of days, Akari spent her time working with the alpha sliggoo. The goomy had been sent to the Agriculture Corps so they could help keep the crop fields watered.
The sliggoo was in the pastures, as everyone would freak out if Akari released an alpha in town. The sliggoo hadn't tried to attack her (Laventon had identified the sliggoo as a female), but she'd also taken care to show the sliggoo her children were safe.
From a distance, where no one could see them, of course.
Currently, Akari was the only one who'd so much as approach the sliggoo. Even Marie, who managed the pastures, would not get near the sliggoo, deeming her "too dangerous".
Today, Akari had brought plump beans for the sliggoo's breakfast. Since catching her a couple days ago, Akari had been experimenting to try and figure out the sliggoo's preferred food.
As she set the plump beans down, the sliggoo seemed to perk up slightly before glancing at her then digging in.
Akari took a seat next to her.
"You're not dangerous," Akari said. "You're just lonely. And scared. Being in a new place with all these people can be overwhelming, can't it?"
The sliggoo continued to eat.
"I—well, I get freaked out by people, too. I think that might be part of the reason I like working outside Jubilife so much. Well, besides getting to see all the Pokémon," Akari said, reaching out to pet the sliggoo's shell. The sliggoo perked up a little. "If you wanted, you could stay with me…you wouldn't have to stay in the pastures then. You'd get to see the wilds, were there aren't as many people. Or, if you want, we could just take you back to your mound in the Mirelands once Professor Laventon finishes the dex entry."
The sliggoo responded by nuzzling up to her.
Akari ended up naming the sliggoo 'Sasha'.
Later, Rei found her giving Sasha a bath.
"Akari?" he said warily, hanging back. At the sound of his voice, Sasha stiffened..
"It's okay, he's a friend," Akari told Sasha, then looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah?" she said.
"It's almost six. Wanna head down to the Wallflower to get dinner?" he said.
Akari blinked; it was that late already?
"Okay," she said. "Um—you don't mind if I finish up with Sasha, do you?"
"No, of course n—wait. You named i—her?" Rei asked.
"Sure," Akari said, not sure what the big deal was. "I asked her if she wanted to stay—with me, I mean. She agreed."
"...that was quick," Rei said.
"She's really not that scary! She just gets overwhelmed by people, I think. Besides, I think it'll be easier to get her used to humans this way. Slowly instead of just dropping a bomb on her, I mean." Akari said.
"Yeah, I guess," Rei said, still not getting any closer. "Still, what if she hurts you?"
Akari dumped more water on Sasha, who trilled in joy.
"Rei, Lord Kleavor nearly cut me in half," Akari deadpanned. "Not on purpose, but—I think when Pokémon attack humans, they're just trying to protect themselves. Or they're not in their right mind, like Kleavor. It's not malicious. Not like—"
Akari cut herself off before she could finish the sentence.
Not like it is when people hurt you.
Rei hesitated, then—
"Not like people, you mean," Rei finished.
Akari stayed silent for a moment.
"Yeah," Akari finally said softly, as she finished up Sasha's bath. "Like people."
She fell silent, hoping Rei would take the hint.
"They're not that bad," Rei said, a bit desperately. "Really. You just have to get to know them."
Well, it appeared they were having this conversation, after all.
"People are unpredictable and dangerous. It's impossible to tell what will set them off," Akari said, keeping her gaze on Sasha. "It's better to keep your head down so you don't upset anyone."
"Isn't that what people say about Pokémon?" Rei asked.
Akari blinked, then tensed.
"It's not the same thing," she said stiffly.
"It's not?" Rei said. "The villagers are too afraid to give Pokémon a chance, like you're…"
"The difference is that Pokémon are nice once you get to know them," Akari snapped. "It's people who'll hurt you on purpose."
"Maybe that was true in your world," Rei said. "But you don't know if that's true here. And you'll never know if you don't give yourself the chance to find out."
Akari deflated, feeling guilt and bitterness settled in her stomach. He didn't understand. How could he? His mother didn't—
"Just give them a chance. Jubilife's really nice—my mom and I haven't felt this at home since—since my dad died. I just—want you to feel like that, too."
Akari looked at him, a lump in her throat. Maybe Rei was right. Hell, maybe if she did give them a chance, they'd stop whispering about her.
But how was she supposed to do that? Anytime she got near anyone who wasn't Rei, Volo, or Laventon, she wanted to hide away.
"I—" Akari choked. "I don't know if I can ."
"Well, I can help you!" Rei said. "I can go with you. You know, as moral support."
That did make her feel a tiny bit better.
"O-okay," Akari nodded, taking a deep breath. "I'll—I'll give it a shot."
And Akari thought maybe it was worth it for the smile that crossed Rei's face.
Akari recalled Sasha and stood up—and was promptly hit with a wave of dizziness.
She bit back a swear; she hated it when this happened.
"You okay?" Rei asked.
"Fine," Akari muttered. "Just stood up too quickly. You know how it is."
"My mom says that'll happen less if you get more greens into your diet," Rei said.
Akari glanced at him; she'd always gotten dizzy spells. Was it really that big of a deal? It didn't stop her from doing her job.
But it was clearly important to Rei , so Akari just nodded and said she'd try..
They were about to head to the Wallflower when a member of the Security Corps came over with a message.
Akari instantly took a step behind Rei.
Commander Kamado wanted to see Akari in his office immediately.
"Wonder what that's about," Rei said as the Security Corps member left. He turned to face Akari. "I'll go with you. Like I promised."
When Akari and Rei got to Kamado's office, Akari saw not only Kamado, but Adaman and Beni, of all people, there as well.
Beni did not seem to like her any more than Kamado did, but he didn't deny her food at the Wallflower, so it wasn't like he was cruel to her.
Though if he was here, this begged the question as to who was currently manning the Wallflower—if Beni hadn't closed it, that was.
"Akari! We have a situation here!" Beni cried.
Akari was fairly certain that was the first time he'd used her name.
"Let me explain," Adaman said. "Lilligant, our clan's Lady of the Ridge, is in a frenzy—and Arezu didn't tell me!"
"The Lady of…what?" Akari asked. "Um. Sorry."
"Lady of the Ridge," Adaman said. "One of our noble Pokémon. There are only female lilligant, which this honored one our Lady of the Ridge. But this isn't the time for our cultural lessons! I'd like to find out just what Arezu was thinking, but she's nowhere in Jubilife VIllage."
"Last I saw, she was at the Wallflower, polishing off a big ol' plate of potato mochi," Beni said.
Akari could have sworn Beni had once told her that only expedition team members got to eat at the Wallflower, but she wasn't about to bring that up.
"Not that I blame her," Beni added. "My cooking is simply irresistible, after all."
"If Arezu of the Diamond Clan was somehow involved with Ursaluna's frenzy, it could lead to the two clans going at each other's throats again!" Kamado burst out.
Akari jumped at the sudden shout, and remained quiet—best not to provoke anyone. She edged closer to Rei.
"Tell me, Commander," Adaman said. "If we end up in a struggle with the Pearl Clan, what will your people do?"
Kamado turned away, appearing to be deep in thought. Akari, despite her trepidation (or perhaps because of it) waited for the answer.
"We would be forced to remain neutral," he finally said.
Oh. Like Switzerland, then, Akari thought.
"Meaning what?" Adaman asked.
That he isn't going to take sides…? Akari thought.
"If we were to show support for one side, it would put us at odds with the other," Kamado said. "We came here to create a home for ourselves, not to take part in tearing the land apart."
"Right. Of course," Adaman said. "You have your own settlement to protect. I suppose it's obvious you'd refuse to intervene if trouble were to break out again."
Kamado turned back around.
"Akari, perhaps you have some idea how we might address the situation?" he asked.
Akari picked up on the underlying order—she needed to think of something. Staying quiet wasn't an option here.
"Um—well, maybe I could call Ursaluna," Akari said. Her voice was quiet and wavered. Rei gave her an encouraging nod, signaling her to continue. She silently counted to ten, and pressed on. The waver, at least, left her voice. "Warden Calaba said he's good at finding things…he uses the scent. So maybe he'd be able to find Warden Arezu."
"Ursaluna?" Adaman said. "So he and Warden Calaba found you worthy? That's perfect, then."
"If you are strong enough that Ursaluna deemed you worthy, then you should be ready to quell Lilligant's frenzy as well," Kamado said.
Akari swallowed, and nodded. She was—less than thrilled about quelling another noble considering the last time she did that, she got an axe in the side.
But she couldn't just let Lilligant stay frenzied, either.
(She still remembered Kleavor's pain-filled shrieks, the way he lashed out in a feral blind rage, the tears that had dripped down his face. Akari would not have wished that on any living creature.)
Kamado's word was absolute, anyway; he was the one letting her stay here. If she refused—as cruel as that would be to Lilligant—she'd probably find herself in the wilds without shelter and a guaranteed food source.
A huge weight settled into her stomach; it was horribly, horribly selfish of her, but while she wanted to help Lilligant, she also was terrified of losing what she had here in Jubilife.
She couldn't survive on her own. And she definitely couldn't go back to constantly being hungry, wondering if she'd get food today.
Besides, if Akari didn't help Lilligant, she knew that no one else would .
Adaman looked slightly conflicted, but nodded.
"I'll head to Lilligant's seat then," he said. "Brava Arena, it's called. If you'll excuse me!"
Adaman left, and Beni followed (most likely to return to the Wallflower), leaving Akari alone with Kamado.
"Listen well, Akari," Kamado said. "You must quell any Pokémon that could cause harm to the people of Hisui."
Make yourself useful. Just make sure you're useful , and you'll be fine, Akari told herself. She would be fine; and so would Lilligant once Akari helped her.
And while Kamado did not trust her, he did genuinely care about the people of Hisui. That was admirable.
At any rate, he hadn't hurt her; so she had nothing to complain about.
"Always remember: we came here to make a new home where we could live without war or strife," Kamado went on.
A new home…
Would it be like that for her eventually? Maybe, if she kept helping everyone—the Pokémon, the clans, Jubilife—then it could be home for her, too, and Kamado would accept her.
Stop it, Akari told herself as a wave of self-loathing swept over her. You're so damn selfish . You're doing this to help Lilligant , not so you can make your boss like you.
Kamado dismissed her; maybe she wouldn't get much sleep tonight, but with Lilligant in a frenzy and no one knowing where Arezu was, Akari had more important things to take care of, anyway.
The next day (Rei forced them to stop on the road for sleep), Ursaluna traced Arezu's scent to the center of the Crimson Mirelands, near the Scarlet Bog. It was around noon and as was normal for the Crimson Mirelands, a sprinkle of rain was falling from the sky.
Arezu was sitting on the ground, grimacing, like she was in pain.
"Oh, that's not good," Rei whispered.
They scrambled off Ursaluna and ran over to her.
"Oh—Akari," Arezu said as they approached, seeming to recall Akari from when they'd briefly met in the village prior to the whole Ursaluna incident. "And…?"
"Rei," Rei said.
Arezu nodded.
"How did it go with Ursaluna?" Arezu asked.
"Oh—he's okay now," Akari said softly, nodding in Ursaluna's direction. "I calmed him down and Warden Calaba gave him some medicine."
"You really calmed him down?" Arezu asked. "You really are strong. But—how'd you find me all the way out here?"
"Ursaluna followed your scent," Rei said.
"Wait—really?" Arezu asked, looking impressed. "That Ursaluna sure is something. I know he's descended from one of the Pokémon that were blessed by almighty Sinnoh, but still—wow!"
"Are you okay?" Akari asked hesitantly. "It seemed like…"
Her nerve left her and she trailed off.
"Like you were hurt," Rei finished for her.
Arezu looked miserably at her ankle.
"My luck's run out," she said. "As you noticed. I got chased by a Pokémon and sprained my ankle pretty bad as I was running away. It's almost like the world wants to punish me."
"You should elevate it more," Rei said. "Hang on, we should find something to bandage it with."
"I have some," Akari said, pulling some bandages out of her satchel.
"Oh—okay," Rei said, taking them. "How do you fit all that in your satchel, anyway?"
"Very, very carefully," Akari said. "Actually, I've been taking lessons from Bagin."
"You know that guy's a scam artist, right?" Rei said conversationally as he bandaged Arezu's foot.
Akari did—the prices for his lessons somehow got more and more expensive each time. But she needed room in her satchel, so she forked over the cash.
Besides, she was a five-star rank—she earned quite a bit of money now for her Survey Corps work.
Akari suddenly heard footsteps approaching; she tensed and turned to see Calaba.
"There you are," Calaba said. "Arezu, right?"
Arezu let out a squeak.
Calaba walked over to Arezu.
"M-Mistress Calaba!" Arezu stammered. "Uh—I-I-I didn't—"
"I owe you an apology," Calaba said. "I was disrespectful towards you, thinking you were just some whelp from the Diamond Clan. I'm sorry—I shouldn't have brushed you off like that."
"Huh? Wait. But—" Arezu said.
"It's not your fault that Lilligant became frenzied nor that mine that Ursaluna was so enraged. You were trying to help them both, weren't you? And I didn't even listen to you. You'd think someone who's lived as long as I have would know better."
"It's okay," Arezu said. "I didn't do a good job explaining myself, either. Ursaluna only started acting weird after he got too close to Lilligant and smelled her perfume. She was already frenzied by that point, so I'm sure that's what caused it."
"Ah, that explains the powder on Ursaluna," Calaba said. "It must have been residue from Lilligant's perfume. But what happened to your leg, dear?"
"I was gathering ingredients to make balms," Arezu said. "But I—I fell and sprained my ankle. The reason I went to Jubilife was to get help for Ursaluna and learn about crafting. While I was there, I bumped into Professor Laventon, and he told me about the balms you used to quell Kleavor. So I thought I'd make some for Lilligant using her favorite foods."
Akari herself had a lot to learn about this world; she'd only been here about a month and half. Just then, however, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Adaman. Wasn't he supposed to be at Brava Arena?
"Well then, we'd better take care of our lady and get this mess resolved first!" Adaman said.
"Adaman!" Arezu said.
"What were you thinking , doing all this yourself?" Adaman demanded. "Did you think I couldn't help you? Though—no one would blame you for thinking so. Not much of a leader, am I? I've never even seen almighty Sinnoh with my own eyes."
"Uh—I don't think anyone else has, either," Rei pointed out.
Akari thought back to her Arc Phone; true, she hadn't seen Arceus—not that she could recall, anyway—but it was irrelevant. The being on the other end of her phone called themself 'Arceus', not 'Sinnoh'. She was fairly certain that the Clans would know the name of their own deity.
Adaman appeared to consider what Rei said.
"Maybe, but I also didn't even think of the possibility that Lilligant could become frenzied," he said. "Listen up, Akari. I'll take the balms that Arezu made and meet you at Brava Arena!"
Akari just nodded.
"Don't you worry, Arezu," Calaba said. "Akari will calm Lilligant, and that will be that. Things should settle down." She looked up at Akari. "I'll take care of Arezu. My bibarel and I will make sure she reaches her lady."
"Okay," Akari said. "We'll get going then."
And with a nod from Calaba, she and Rei headed towards Brava Arena.
About an hour later, Akari was fumbling for Matchbox's pokéball as she sat on the ground, her right ankle at an odd angle and feeling light-headed.
Lilligant, as it turned out, liked dancing even while frenzied. And when she hit the ground, massive shockwaves were sent across the arena.
She was letting out the same shrieks of agony that Kleavor had; she was crying like Kleavor had.
Akari had been sent scrambling—and without anything to hide behind, like at Grand Tree Arena, she couldn't do anything but fling herself out of the way of Lilligant's moves and throw balms.
But Akari had long since started to tire, and had gotten lightheaded; at the same time, she barely dodged Lilligant trying to kick her, but failed to dodge the resulting shockwave.
And something in her right ankle had snapped, and pain exploded.
Akari had managed to hurl another balm before she hit the ground—and that balm seemed to have stunned Lilligant.
Upon finding Matchbox's ball, she threw it, sending him out.
Matchbox's nervous gaze darted between the frenzied Lady Lilligant and Akari on the ground—and he'd stood protectively in front of her, his flames flaring up.
"Flame Wheel, Agile Style!" Akari cried, clutching her throbbing ankle.
In a blur or fire, Matchbox unleashed the attack; Akari could tell it hit hard, but Lilligant stood strong.
"Now, Flame Wheel again! Strong Style!" Akari said.
This time, Matchbox's flames grew more intense, and he unleashed another attack.
This time, when after the attack connected, Lilligant let out a shriek as the flames licked her and seemed to linger for a moment.
Matchbox was her oldest Pokémon partner, and Akari knew what this meant; the last attack had inflicted a burn.
The burn didn't stop Lilligant from attacking; first, Lilligant did a sort of…intense dance. It was a move Akari didn't recognize.
Then, with a furious and agonizing cry, Lilligant jumped next to Matchbox and unleashed a move she thought was Rock Smash.
The force of the blow sent Matchbox skidding across the arena; it clearly did massive damage despite there being no type weakness.
"Matchbox!" Akari cried.
For a moment, Matchbox didn't move; then he pushed himself to his feet, and his flames flared up again.
He wanted to continue.
Meanwhile, Lilligant let out a cry; most likely, her burn had acted up.
"Matchbox! Quick Attack, Agile Style! Then follow it up with a Strong Style Ember!" Akari said, thinking quickly. She had to end this battle as quickly as possible.
In her time in Hisui, Akari had found that Pokémon's species names sometimes gave away their typing; and with a name like "Lilligant", the frenzied noble in front of her was most likely at least part grass-type.
Which meant Matchbox had the advantage.
Lilligant jumped away from Matchbox with a few pirouettes; but her moves had become a bit clunky. Akari suspected that she was running low on energy, especially with that burn.
Matchbox unleashed a Quick Attack, colliding with Lilligant, before transitioning into Ember.
He let out large bursts of flame—before it suddenly turned into a continuous stream of fire.
…what…?
It looked like a new move—and at the idea, Akari's heart swelled with both pride and excitement (Matchbox was so strong!), but she didn't have time to stop and marvel right now.
The stream of flames hit Lilligant; she let out another cry and fell to her knees, still glowing, but not getting back up, either.
Akari pulled out another balm from her place on the ground; it collided with Lilligant, then light exploded into the sky.
And then, like that, it was over.
Lilligant was now standing, now no longer glowing, and her tears were gone. She looked much calmer and seemed much happier and serene. Still, Akari tossed Lilligant a sitrus berry.
Lilligant did a pirouette; she gave Akari a plate, this one a darker green than the Insect Plate. It also thrummed with the same power as the Arc Phone.
It had an inscription on the back.
As she stashed the plate into her satchel, Matchbox came running back to her, concern evident on his face. She reached out to pet him.
"You did amazing," she cooed, and pulled out another sitrus berry. "Here."
Matchbox tried to nudge it back towards her, glancing at her right ankle.
"Um—no, that won't work," Akari said. "Sorry."
Matchbox looked crestfallen, but ate the berry.
The others were approaching now, too; Akari recalled Matchbox.
"Akari!" Rei cried, kneeling next to her. "Are you okay? Don't move, I'll—um—I'll just carry you back."
"I'm fine, Rei, really," Akari said. "You don't have to do that."
"I don't—your ankle is broken!" Rei said.
Akari flinched at his tone, whispering an apology; Rei immediately softened.
"Sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have snapped. But I was kinda of hoping I wouldn't end up dragging you back to camp with a bunch of broken bones."
"I could call Wyrdeer," Akari said, shame fluttering in her stomach. "Then you wouldn't have to—"
"No, that's not what I meant," Rei said. "And you're not riding Wyrdeer like this. That'll probably make it worse, actually."
Akari took in his worried face, and felt even guiltier. He shouldn't have to worry about her.
But at the same time, it was nice that he did.
"Um—okay," Akari said. "Thank you, Rei."
"Someone's gotta be looking out for you," Rei said, but he looked a touch relieved.
Their friendly conversation tapered off as the adults approached.
"Akari? You alright?" Adaman asked. "That ankle looks bad."
Akari nodded; Adaman didn't look like he believed her, but went on.
"I want to thank you," he said. "You saved Lilligant—and not just her. You saved Arezu, too."
"You're welcome," Akari said after a moment.
"I was so afraid it'd all be over after Lilligant used Victory Dance," Arezu said. "But you pulled through anyway! And the way your quilava learned Flamethrower was awesome! Being all frenzied didn't suit Lilligant one bit. I'm so happy she's back to her graceful self."
Lilligant did another pirouette, and let out a sound that sounded like a giggle.
"Arezu, there's someone else you should apologize to," Adaman said.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Calaba said. "A young one like her is bound to get caught up in some trouble from time to time."
Calaba turned to face Arezu.
"Don't try to solve everything by yourself, Arezu," Calaba said. "You're a warden. Of all people, we should know how to stand in solidarity with others. It's our job to stand side-by-side with Pokémon, after all."
"Yes, I know," Arezu said, her face pinching with regret. "I'm sorry."
"Well, I can hardly start yelling at you now that Calaba wrapped all that up so nicely," Adaman said. "Just one more thing, Arezu. I know you were just trying to do the right thing, and I can't be mad at you for that. Just no more hiding things, alright?"
Arezu nodded.
Akari tried very hard not to think about the fact that she was hiding her things.
"Let's work together from now on to keep the mirelands safe, Arezu," Calaba said. "I'll be sure to inform Irida that both the Diamond Clan and Galaxy Team helped save Ursaluna."
Calaba turned to Akari, handing her a sort of medicine.
Akari couldn't help but flinch; Rei took the medication.
"It'll help with the pain," Calaba said. "But you should get your foot checked out as soon as possible.
Rei gently applied the medicine to Akari's foot.
"Well, I'd better be on my way," Calaba said. "Good work today, Akari."
Akari nodded, but couldn't bite back a smile at the praise.
"Should we get going, then?" Rei asked. Akari nodded after a moment. She braced herself as Rei hoisted her up onto his back.
"Akari?" Adaman said. "I kind of get the feeling we'll end up working together again sometime. I look forward to it."
"Yeah," Akari said, relieved to find out that there was a bit of truth to her response. "I am, too."
Rei headed in the direction of camp.
By the time they made it back to camp, Akari's foot was numb. Which was fine, it was preferable to pain. Laventon and Rei got her foot elevated, and were waiting for the Security Corps to come fetch them to bring them back to Jubilife—with a cart, since Akari walking was "out of the question".
"You're a real wonder!" a familiar voice said. Akari looked over to see Volo.
"I saw the light disappearing into the space-time rift," Volo explained. "Quelled another frenzied Pokémon, have you?"
"Yeah," Akari said. "Lilligant. I've got two more plates, now, too."
She took them out and showed him; Volo's face lit up.
"Excellent! These are the Earth and Meadow Plates," he said. "Would you like me to translate them?"
Akari nodded eagerly. While old Plates weren't as interesting as Pokémon themselves, she was curious to see if these Plates had some kind of message.
"I'll gladly be of service!" Volo said, and looked at the Earth Plate. " When the universe was created, its shards became this Plate."
Akari whipped out her pokédex, grabbed a loose piece of parchment that was stashed in it, and jotted that down. Ever since Volo had translated the Mind and Insect Plates, she'd been keeping track of the Plates' engravings.
Volo went to the Meadow Plate.
"The power of Plates are shared among Pokémon," he read. "My, my! This is all so fascinating, don't you think, Akari? I look forward to seeing you find more Plates!"
He handed the Plates back to her as she finished writing; Akari put everything back in her satchel.
"And you go on quelling Pokémon without a hint of fear!" Volo marveled. "Even when we don't even know what causes them to become frenzied to begin with!"
"They're hurting," Akari said. "They're confused and scared. It would be cruel to leave them in that state."
"You might even change the entire course of history here in Hisui," Volo said.
Akari blinked; wasn't that…a bit much? Still, she decided to take the compliment. It was impossible to deny at this point that she was doing some good for Hisui—and that something warm and light flutter in her chest.
"And I definitely want to be in the good books of someone like that!" Volo went on. "Let's stay in touch, friend!"
With a cheerful wave, Volo departed.
The next day, Akari was sitting in the infirmary while Mitsu fussed over her. Mitsu's hair—the same color as her son's—seemed to be falling out of her cap a little. Pesselle was over in another corner of the room, tending to a Supply Corps member who'd been attacked by something called a 'mamoswine' up north.
"Honestly," Mitsu said, prepping Akari's foot. "What's with all these frenzies lately? Is it too much to ask for some peace around here? And sending the Survey Corps to deal with them when two out of the three members are children . What the commander is thinking, I'll never know."
Mitsu turned to her happiny—which Akari had gotten for her on request—and had her use Heal Pulse.
The effect was almost instantaneous; Akari's ankle returned to normal, if still a little bit ginger.
Wow. This was way better than any medical care in North Dakota.
Not that Akari would know ; the Thalers had always refused to take her to a doctor.
"Akari," Mitsu said. "Professor Laventon has discovered that tea made from petilil leaves is incredibly invigorating. Rei told me you get worn out quickly; I'd like you to work it into your diet, if you can. Since we now have a petilil in town, it shouldn't be any trouble to make it. And in the future, be careful. I don't want to see someone as young as you in here all the time."
Akari felt touched.
Maybe Rei was right , and not even the adults here would hurt her. Maybe she really did just need to give them a chance.
Akari looked Mitsu in the face, and resisted the urge to shrink down and look away.
She nodded.
She could do this. She just needed to work at it.
Akari's current team:
Matchbox - Quilava (M)
Brooke - Buizel (F)
Aurora - Eevee (F)
Sasha - alpha Hisuian Sliggoo (F)