The sun had already set when Nori sat down for dinner in the evening. It was a simple meal that involved ramen, a staple of his and his mom's diet. It was a matter of affordability in the past. Even now, the fact that it lasted in the trailer's cupboards made it appealing to stock up on. They had also cooked the remaining vegetables his mom had picked up the other day, which needed to be eaten as soon as possible with no refrigeration at their disposal. It was rounded out with some western-style pepperoni sticks.

Since he was halfway through the meal, Nori popped his multivitamin gummies into his mouth. He'd started buying them since getting his paycheck as a way of getting extra nutrition. Then he got a spoonful of ramen; he was used to the balancing act. The boy never understood lowering your face to the bowl while trying to use sticks. That was like, using the wrong tool for the job.

"So how did your training go today?" his mom asked between casual bites of the pepperoni. Nori had suggested them.

He shook his head. "I didn't do much. I've mostly been thinking about what Mrs. Kurusu said." What was she getting at?

She raised her eyebrows. "You went out after you got back," she said, polishing the meat off. "What were you doing?"

He took a huge bite of noodles and broth. He wasn't about to bluntly admit that he thought about going to a proper training spot, only to stall and idle around doing basically nothing. How should he word this? "Couldn't focus," he blurted after swallowing his food.

That alone got the message across. His mom frowned. "You're going to have to overcome this eventually, Nori," she metaphorically slapped him in the face, albeit with a bitter edge. "Hate to say it. The bastards are trying to force you."

He shrank back, clutching at his arms. "I know."

"And the damn shrine won't help. Some upstanding people they are." She shook her head and picked up her own spoon, but only squeezed it. "There's a Pokemon in need, and the trainer's a friend of the heir to the damn place, and they won't give it a chance because their leader has a personal grudge." She said 'their leader' vindictively and threw her arms and head up in faux worship.

He raised his palms and waved them. "It's not like that, mom!" he protested. "Mrs. Kurusu wasn't too happy about it! People disagree with him!"

She put her hands on her hips. "I hope you read that right and they do something about it. At least they had the decency to send someone to tell you." She sighed and grumbled. "What about your other assignment? How's Pawniard coming along?"

He tapped a finger on the table. Technically, Nori was still actively rehabilitating the Pokemon which once belonged to a serial killer. "I haven't been focusing on him lately. He's still belligerent at times. So no progress with him, but he hasn't regressed either."

"Let's hope it stays that way." She finished the last of her noodles. "Anyway, I'm going to go read my library book. Thanks for the pepperoni. We'll have to get that again."

He gently nodded. "You're welcome, mom. Thanks for the soup and veggies."

With nods to each other, his mom went to her bed at the back and shut the curtain.

The boy sighed, leaning back and patting the soundly sleeping Pachi beside him. He hadn't told him that they might not be able to see Prema ever again. No doubt it was going to hurt him almost as badly, since Shu was a good friend of his.

He looked up, wondering how Prema was taking the news. And for that matter, what everyone else he knew that he hadn't already heard from thought of it.


The heir to the Kannagi Shrine was sitting in her room, deep in thought. The shrine was closed to visitors for the day, so there was no longer a need to keep up appearances. Right after closing the door, she slumped onto her gray futon and sat there thinking about the events of the weekend.

Her room was simple and compact. There was a small entryway which only had a light switch. A desk was parallel to it along one side of the room, with a bookshelf to the left of it. On the opposite wall was a small window with glass as soundproof as the rest of the room; in front of it was a table on which a bonsai tree sat. A large closet took up one side of the room; it had a two-color mural of a field of flowers on it. Her bed was across from that.

Prema thought of all her Pokemon as friends. While she was finding out that they were no substitute for humans, they were nevertheless very important to her. Nestled beside her was the only one who comfortably fit in the small room.

Shu was her first Pokemon, given to her as a companion when she was almost nine. While the bird-like fairy enjoyed being outside his Poke Ball, it was not something Prema could allow him to do too frequently while indoors. Despite training to help him better control his scents, it still accumulated over time. To speak nothing of what could happen when he got worked up and accidentally let loose. The strange part was that Prema barely noticed it anymore unless there was a lot of it in the air. It was a result of being around him so much.

"A lot has been happening these past two days, Shu," she told her companion. She patted him on the tuft of hair on his head, which he leaned into. "Do you mind if I simply speak to you for a while?"

Shu peered up, batting his eyelashes and tilting his body. After a second, he scooted away, shook his form, and took to the air. He hovered while chirping. Prema was uncertain what that meant; had she been thinking more clearly, she might have been able to. After ten seconds passed without her being able to process it, he landed on her desk and pointed to his beak. His mouth.

Prema folded her hands on her lap and asked a question for clarification. Though she could not understand his words, she had a general idea of what he was trying to convey. "You are saying that you want to tell me something?"

Shu squeaked and bobbed upward with powerful flutters. It was one of his ways of saying 'yes' to her. What could be so important that he wanted to communicate directly?

Prema closed her eyes. Shu would not ask this if he did not feel it necessary. Yet she saw the sense in it. "Very well. Give me a few moments."

There was an uneven divide in understanding between humanity and Pokemon. Each had their own strengths. The meaning of their words did not inherently reach the ears of people as it did in reverse; in fact, it could be difficult to hear regardless, due to how differently they spoke. Yet many people were unaware of how much could be picked up through simple pattern recognition. Instructing them to give nonverbal cues as answers was also possible. It simply took effort.

For Prema herself, empathy and learning to read body language did much when it came to understanding Pokemon. Yet with her spiritual abilities as a diviner, Prema could completely dispel the language barrier and hear their words directly. It was one of the greatest techniques of the Kannagi Clan. There were a few complications when using it. For one, it was physically and mentally taxing. Potential social issues were another. Therefore, she only used it sparingly. This felt as good a time as any; it was just between them, and she did need to talk to someone about the issues plaguing her mind. It might as well be with one who could respond.

She stood, eyelids still shut. This was as much physical as it was mental. She had to keep her fingers slack while bending her wrists up, and lean forward without bending her knees. Inhale through the mouth, exhale through the nostrils. Repeat. She opened her mind, focusing intently upon Shu. It was about free flowing air. Even the lightest whisper moved the air. Prema envisioned it flowing into her ears and through her body to reach her heart and mind.

"Prema! Prema!" came the boyish voice of Shu before too long. "Can you hear me?" While he was speaking the terrestrial language of Pokemon, her brain was interpreting it as the common tongue of humanity. The only limitation was that it could not translate words that had no equivalent. For example, she would hear Akeresa as Pokemon, but she would more complex terms would sound as they were spoken.

She was able to open her eyes and relax her body. While inexperienced with the technique, she was able to do that much. "Yes, I am now able to hear you. It is nice to speak with you, Shu," she replied, giving him a light bow. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

He clicked his beak. "No reason like that! I just thought you might want to talk with words!"

Prema chuckled. "That is very considerate of you. It was not something I had considered as an option, so thank you."

"You're welcome, Prema!" He swelled with pride. "So what's wrong?"

There was a lot that was wrong. So she began with what was troubling her the most. "This morning I was called to investigate a situation at the waterfront. There had been reports of people abusing Qwilfish."

"Those are the spiny spheres, right?" For the most part, it was humans who named their species. They even had different names in different languages. Likewise, Pokemon had their own names for each other, which were usually simple descriptions. There were only a few exceptions, such as revered Legendary Pokemon.

"Yes. Qwilfish are round and they are spiny," she confirmed.

"Was it true?" Shu tentatively asked.

She lowered her head. "Unfortunately so. Some had lost their lives due to the actions of misguided people. They were…"

Prema remembered that horrific sight. They had all been pierced. She did not want to reminiscence further on the details. The looks on them…

No. That was too much. "I apologize." She bowed and sniffed to punctuate it. "I do not wish to describe it."

The fact that she said that was more than enough to get the message across to Shu. His retinas dilated. "What! Really? Why?! How could they?" he rattled off in shock and disdain.

"I cannot begin to understand it myself, Shu." Just because she could understand their motivations did not mean she understood their thought process. "I have seen many cases of Pokemon abuse, yet this was the worst when accounting for scale. It was not just one person who could have done this, but several."

"No, no! How could they?" Shu repeated, shaking in denial. "fakynota! It sounds like a fakynota! Why would their friends agree to hurt them? Why would they hurt them?"

Prema sighed. While she heard the untranslatable word verbatim, she knew what it meant; her Dartrix, Yahata, had taught it to her. It was not pleasant. In fact, it was proof that Pokemon were just as capable of committing atrocities as humanity. While she believed their passing was quick from the nature of the wounds, the simple thought of someone prolonging it made her shudder with nausea and repugnance.

"I cannot speak for any Pokemon that were involved," she admitted to her friend. "It could be anything from reluctant loyalty to being complicit. In any case, I believe revenge was the underlying motivation."

"But they never did anything! Did they?" Shu cocked his head.

"What I am saying is that it is hatred against the species. The actions of one can affect how others perceive the many. It is not right. Yet it is how some people think." She shook her head after elaborating on the situation. "The same can be said for individual accounts of behavior; misinformation about several species of Pokemon has spread as common knowledge in this way."

There were far too many examples to name, most of which were in old books and even early Pokedexes. For instance, there was a claim that the scent of a Spritzee is enrapturing; naturally, this is a matter of opinion that was taken from their use in perfumes in medieval Europe. It is not to the liking of everyone; if it was, Shu's presence would be tolerated at all times indoors. Or there were accounts that Sinnohian Qwilfish are more aggressive and spread poison everywhere they go. In truth, they actually consume poison (sometimes too much to where they have to sweat out the excess) and are no more aggressive than their standard brethren.

Shu's beak creaked open. "Individuals? The one? But the only one I can think of is…" He flapped hard as the realization sank in. "Pachi's new friend!"

Prema nodded gravely. "Innocent Pokemon are being hurt and…" The next word got caught in her throat on instinct, but there was no other way of putting it. "And killed, Shu. It is unlikely that this is or will be an isolated incident. More Qwilfish may be attacked. In the worst case, this incident could permanently damage people's perception of their Sinnohian variant." Her voice began to quiver. It rose in register with her next words. "This is not something we of the Kannagi Shrine should stand for. We need to make that clear. We have the power and respect to make a difference."

Prema had to pause because of how badly her throat was tightening. Shu batted his eyes in concern while he listened intently. After a moment of breathing, in through her mouth and out through her nose, Prema felt she had regained her composure enough to continue.

"Yet Father…" Tears were trying to cloud her vision. Her head felt like she had been hanging upside down for hours. Her heart was pounding forcefully enough that she could feel it. "Father does not…" This was the worst part. This was why they could not–

Everything became a blur for a moment. When it passed, Prema's knees were buckling and she was falling backwards. Her focus had broken. While she only heard Shu chirping, the alarm in his tone was palpable.

Prema tried to step back, yet her body was too slow to answer the call of her brain. She gasped and threw her arms back, only to halt when she was partway to the floor.

Shu became enveloped in a warm glow even pinker than his body. He screeched lowly, squinting yet keeping his gaze upon her. Psychic was one of his most powerful moves; using it as a means of telekinesis instead of a blast of force was strenuous for all but the strongest Pokemon of the same type, let alone a Spritzee. Prema was able to move her limbs by happenstance or him only being able to hold her body. It worked out; she was able to plant her feet firmly on the floor and keep her balance when Shu pulled her upright.

Nevertheless, the fatigue overran Prema. She often felt groggy after using this ability, yet this time she just felt tired. She pulled herself over to the futon and sat down.

"Thank you, Shu," Prema said to her friend as he floated over to her. She gave him a tight hug and leaned back. "I must be more worn out than I thought." There was too much to think about, so much to worry about. Everyone had their limits as to how much they could endure. Prema knew there was no shame in it, even if she could only show this weakness to a select few.

The Fairy-type chirped soothingly. She could no longer understand the words of her friend, but the context told her everything regardless. Shu was almost certainly telling her to get some sleep.

"I am just going to rest and catch my breath for a short while," she stated. It was only a little past eight in the evening. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her pillow. Despite her intentions to stay up a bit longer, sleep overtook the exhausted teenager within minutes. It may not have been what she wanted, but it was what she needed.