"D-Did you two… ever notice any smoke before?"

Proteus and Gabi looked at Ruby expectedly, making no reply. The Cherrim sighed, preparing to explain, only for a voice to cut her off before she could sound a word.

Tori stepped forward, standing on Ruby's left, crossing her arms. "We're trying to deal with a dumb fire that broke out. Have either of you seen it?"

"Uh… we got lost in a dungeon?" Proteus replied.

Tori groaned. "Is that a yes or a no?"

"It means no," Gabi said. "Whatever you're talking about, we never saw. That's it."

"Great." Tori turned tail, shaking her head. "We need help right now and you two just happened to show up at the perfect moment."

"But shouldn't we stay here!?" Liz shouted as the Whimsicott carelessly passed her, gesturing to the river.

Tori ignored her. She began the trek down the beach, tuning out anyone else.

Ruby took a few steps after her. "Tori?"

The fairy kept walking.

Still acting strange. I wonder why she's not being so hostile to me now, even though she was before.

"Welp, she's not going to be stopping any soon," Gabi moaned. "C'mon gang. Let's follow her."

Gabi led the pack as Proteus and Alice trailed shortly behind, muttering off about Tori's sudden charge to command and her behavior. Liz remained as they walked away, staring at Ruby half-incredulously, clutching her roses.

I should really talk to Tori.

Ruby strode up to her slowly. "Are you nervous?"

Liz nodded. "Just a little, but that may be an underestimation."

Figures. The forest around them was still oddly quiet, save for Gabi's chattering slowly dying out. The Bidoof and Bibarel by the stream's edge remained in blissful rest in the meanwhile, lounging about or crunching through bark, taking no mind.
The peace was unnerving. Almost painful.

"It's not just us."

"I'm well aware," Liz sighed. "But that's not what scares me."

Ruby looked at her quizzically. "Huh?"

Liz shook her head, gazing over the sky. The Roserade stood tautly, letting her cape drift slowly in the wind.

"I'm not sure, honestly. Maybe I'm scared of death, or grief, or growing connections with you all only to lose them. It's a terrifying idea, and I'd rather prevent that from happening." The way she expressed it felt evocative to Ruby, almost like there was a sense of
knowingness in them, fully conscious of its ordeal. "I'd do anything to prevent it, if I could."

"I-I'm sure those are some valid concerns."

"Real ones, too," Liz whispered. She took a deep breath and began walking ahead, beckoning the Cherrim to follow. "Let's go. It's better none of us become split up."

As if we haven't had enough of being separated.

Ruby moved to Liz's right, strolling alongside her.

"Do you see them yet!?" Proteus shouted from behind.

Tori cringed, stopping herself from responding. The answer was an obvious, hard "no" but they didn't need to know that just yet.

The stream eventually ceased at a dam guarded by a group of Bibarel and Lotad- Tori deciding on taking her own route through the forest. Yeah, she didn't really know where she was supposed to find Lucy or The Joes… but that wasn't a big issue, right? They couldn't have traveled too far.

"Tooorii!"

Ugh.

She began to pick up the pace but was stopped when Alice flew over her, nearly causing the two to collide.

"Hey uh, Proteus is calling to you!"

"I know," Tori groaned.

Alice frowned. "Oh.. sorry then. I just came over since you d-didn't seem to hea-"

"Stop." The Whimsicott held up her stubby arms, trying to hide her annoyance. "I haven't seen them yet, okay? Trying not to be rude, but it's…"

"Sorry," Alice murmured, looking down.

Tori moved past her, squeezing her eyes shut. "It's fine. Just… please don't apologize, it only makes things worse."

"Uh, okay."

Tori shook off any lingering agitation, pushing forward.

"Well… if you've got something on your mind, we could talk about something else," Ruby mumbled.

Liz faintly smiled. "That would help, I suppose."

"What things would you like to talk about?" Ruby asked.

"There's one thing that's been on my mind recently."

"Oh?"

"Mai and I haven't really done much planning for the big fight yet," Liz confessed. "We studied some before we left but haven't any discussion over battle tactics." "Tactics?" Do we really have to be talking about this?

The Roserade stopped walking, glancing over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Why do we need to talk about battling? I thought Mallku had it under cover already."

Liz sighed, placing a rose on her hip. "Ruby… we still need to be prepared."

The Cherrim shifted back. "I-I get that, but I'm still conflicted. Isn't the fighting stuff only a small part of the journey? Shouldn't we worry about… more important things?"

"But this is important."

"More important than treasuring our time while we have it?" Ruby could feel the sting in her throat, crawling through her words. She looked around frantically- to the sky, to the pokémon on the edge of the river, to the grass yet to be singed.

So delicate, so fragile.

"D-Don't you think preparing is needless? Nothing's going to change even if we spend hours spending the effort."

"We need to train to overcome those odds when we face them." Liz's expression weakened a little, but she stood firm. "We don't get any free passes with this, I'm sorry."

"I just… think you're focusing on the wrong things?"

Liz held up a rose, sighing. "Ruby, I think that's fine if you're scared. But I think you're sticking too tightly to your guns. If we delay the inevitable it's only going to come to bite us later. We need to be ready."

"I'm not trying to create conflict."

"I know that."

"I-I'm on your side here," Ruby blurted, kicking the dirt under her stubs. "I just think you have the wrong idea."

"Then what's your idea?" The Roserade beckoned with a rose. "Tell me."

"Uh…"

"It'll be fine. I won't judge."

"Okay."

A memory of Proteus's wild, concentrating eyes flashed in Ruby's mind. Like an itch to her skin, the memory was there in full vividness, full clarity, unable to be shaken off. She could never quite pinpoint what was strange about the Galvantula's behavior- he was always so discrepant.

In the least, he had made some good points before they left the city. Like how there was only so much trustworthiness in this group. Ruby needed to decide quickly who she was in good terms with, in case such a matter was necessary.

"Surely there's peaceful alternatives?" Ruby groaned. "What are we even fighting for? Do you even know?"

"Uh…" Liz awkwardly looked to the side, holding her roses behind her. "No, I don't know."

"So then what's the point? Wh..Why do we have to be involved?"

Liz shook her head, staring wistfully. "I'll have to ask Mallku later. For right now, we'll keep up the pace." The Roserade joined back in stride, adding, "We can talk later, okay?"

"Okay…"

I guess there's only so much I can do, then.

Ruby made her way towards Proteus, treading carefully with her eyes peeled through her petals. The hanging scent of distant smoke made it hard to pay attention to focus on the walk ahead of her, but she remained concentrated.

Up ahead, Gabi was still talking with Proteus and Alice.

"Do you have any more conspiracy theories you'd like to share?" the Reuniclus asked, smirking.

"I have a few. But I'll talk about them later, kek," Proteus said.

"Bet."
Alice hummed as she listened, drifting overhead, barely paying attention as her eyes wandered about. Eventually her gaze found Ruby trailing them, and her lips curved into a smile as she waved to the Cherrim with her tail.

"Hey Ruby! How did it go with Liz?"

"It went okay," Ruby answered, approaching. "She was d-definitely trying to help, but I don't think she was as certain as she sounded..."

"Oh?"

"Mallku and Jirachi are the only ones who know the true intentions behind the journey, I think."

"I thought it was just to beat up some powerful pokémon?" Gabi said, turning around. "Is that not what it is? Did those weirdos lie to me?"

"No, we're not sure," Alice stated calmly. "Maybe Lucy knows?"

Proteus shook his head. "You keep asking the wrong people and you're never going to get any valid answers."

"Well, we've got try somewhat.. right?"

Ruby pushed ahead, squeezing through Gabi and Proteus. "I want to go talk to Tori. It's been on my mind ever since I last saw her. I have to try to get something out of the conversation."

"Good luck," Proteus chirped.

"You know her the best," Gabi added with a fist bump in the air. "Go knock some sense into that girl."

Alice paused, flying ahead. "Wait! D-Do you even have a plan? I can uhm… come with you if you're feeling afraid."

"I think I can handle it," Ruby mumbled. "I've.. known her for most of my life; I'm somewhat experienced with reading her emotions. I know she often has a hard time properly expressing them though."

"O-Okay," Alice sighed. "We'll be behind you in case anything bad happens."

"Thanks."

Ruby ran ahead, drawing a breath, the others letting her pass on the way.

I just need to find her, talk to her, and figure out where we're going.

She just hoped that they wouldn't have an argument for the second time today. Ruby and Tori had some small disagreements many times before, but nothing this tense.

With orange hues peeking through the trees, she kept a steady pace, being careful not to accidentally zigzag off Tori's trail. The sunlight and foliage around her were renewing, yet her breaths were labored.

"Tori!?" Ruby shouted.

All she got was a weak noise back- a crinkling of leaves, somewhere nearby.

"Tori!?"

The crinkling came up again, and Ruby could immediately tell its direction, twisting her head around to see the Whimsicott kicking up a pile of leaves in proximity. Her stubs made the move impulsively, completely forgetting to call back the others.

"H-Hey, are you alright?" Ruby blurted, slowing down once she was a steps away, offering for an awkward stride instead.

Tori sighed, rubbing her arm. "I'm not going to run away, you know."

"Uh, thanks. I'm… sorry for making you feel upset."

"It's not a big deal, Ruby."

Why did she call me out by name…?

"Is there something you want to talk about that I'm not getting at?"

Tori sucked in a heavy breath, maybe even tears alongside it. She itched at her arm a little more, shutting her eyes before finally saying, "What do you mean by that?"

"I know w-we're supposed to be fighting something more important right now, but uh..
You've also been acting really strange these past few days. So I thought I'd let you know that your teamwork matters just as much as anyone else? And we do like having you around? We're not trying to kick you out or anything… sorry."

"Is that it?"

"Did it c-come out wrong?" Ruby whimpered.

Tori stood silently for a few moments, before finally exhaling.

"I'll concede. I think you're missing the point, but I haven't really been doing much aside from sobbing it up and being bitter all morning and afternoon."

"Point?"

"It's been a long day; I don't fucking know."

"Okay." Ruby walked forward to hug Tori, only for her to instantly jolt away.

"Uh, still not really over it," the Whimsicott replied with a frown. "Just... give me some space, okay? And no need to apologize all the time. You and Alice do it constantly and it just makes me feel worse."

"Okay."

They stood in silence looking at each other, before Ruby spoke up again.

"So, do you know where Lucy and The Joes went?"

"Somewhere around here," Tori sighed. "I heard their footsteps before but not anymore. They have to be close though. They've been gone for at least an hour, I bet. Surely that gives them enough time to wrap up the smoke."

"Alright." Ruby turned around, noticing Liz, Alice, Proteus and Gabi on their trail. "The rest have caught up."

Tori didn't make a reply, instead wandering about with her attention shifting back and forth. Eventually, she began moving without a word. Ruby followed, with the rest in tow.

"Hey uh, Ruby," the Whimsicott muttered back.

"Y-Yeah?"

"You don't.. have to stop apologizing. I uhm, like it when you do it actually.
Shows you're sincere, and I really do appreciate it. Like, a lot."

Ruby sighed. "Okay."

The rest was silent. Whatever Tori was using as a guide, Ruby wasn't sure, but she wanted to have trust that she knew what she was doing.

Even if yesterday and today had been a bit shaky.

After some time, Tori came to another stop in the middle of climbing a gradual slope.

"I hear them."

She turned to her right, pointing a stubby hand towards a thicket of foliage partially blocked off to view. The Whimsicott beckoned with her other, quietly pacing towards the shrubbery.

As Ruby got closer, Lucy's view stuck out, loud and clear.

"I'll come back tomorrow to check again, but for now I think we've covered most of the damage."

Followed by a smaller voice, yet stronger and more commanding.

"Hmph! And to think the rest of those layabouts did nothing but whine and chat all day!"

The Joes.

"How should we go up to them?" Ruby whispered to Tori.

"Just watch for a bit."

Tori gestured to her to hide in the bushes, crouching between the foliage. Through the leaves they could see Lucy and The Joes firing off moves at a patch of smoke, just on the other edge of the slope.

Would they be mad if they knew we were here?

Well, maybe Lucy would. She told us to stay put after al-

"What are you two doing?" Gabi shouted from behind.

Ruby and Tori immediately froze as Lucy and The Joes spotted them from afar, Tori glaring at Gabi with a soundless groan.

"Gabi!?" Lucy called out, barely recognizing the Reuniclus.

Proteus, Liz and Alice appeared shortly after, waving and giving greetings. Ruby meanwhile sluggishly got up, already feeling another argument about to unfold. As everyone else moved towards the middle, she simply braced herself.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy demanded. "I told you all I had the fire under control, and still you disobeyed my directions."

"I tried to warn them," Liz sighed.

"Yeah, why are you pissed?" Gabi reprimanded, pushing forward to confront Lucy. "All we did was check on you to make sure you didn't die and suddenly we're the assholes?"

"Hypocrite, much?" Proteus added.

Ruby winced as Lucy's flames instantly flared, backing up.

The Chandelure floated forward, meeting Gabi's eye level.
"Hypocrite? Is that the only thing you think of me as? I was given the command by Mallku to steer you from death, and it is my duty to keep you all in line. I cleared up all of this mess by myself. I had to deal with stupid Heatran for hours. And yet, you choose to treat me like rubbi-"

Proteus yawned, turning tail. "So where did you say camp was?"

"Do not interrupt me!" Lucy boomed, scaring Alice and Ruby. "Unless Mallku or Jirachi are around, I make the rules. I tell you when you leave."

As Tori rolled her eyes, Gabi only got angrier. "Listen man, Proteus can be a little annoying sometimes, but you've got some nerve pushing the rest of us around. If you're so full of yourself, then how about a fight, just you and me? I'd love to crush your dumb ego to a pulp."

Does she always have to do this?

Alice stuck close to Ruby as the Cherrim backed farther away, stopping next to a curiouseyed Proteus, who was all but concealing a grin, proud of the damage he'd successfully managed to stir up.

"I'm not looking for a fight. Even I was, my type advantage would be the end of you."

"Type advantage-shmantage," Gabi blabbered back, performing a strange gesture with her hands. "I'll have you know I graduated at the top of my class, survived a landslide, and have won numerous gold medals and trophies. You think you're better than me because you memorized some stupid chart?"

"Yeah!" the brass of The Joes egged, reaffirming his presence.

"It's like every time she says that she adds another random stunt she didn't do," Proteus whispered to Ruby, snorting.

"She never brought up the trophies before," Ruby mumbled.

"One more reason to not take anything she says seriously."

"At least she has a good heart.. kinda."

Proteus looked at Ruby directly, a mischievous gleam glistening upon his several irises.
"Proving my points, isn't it, kek?"

"Huh?"

"You simply do not understand…"

"Proteus, what are you on about?" the Cherrim sighed.

"It'll make more sense tomorrow."

Ruby glanced back to Lucy and Gabi, who were still arguing, before turning to Proteus again. "N-No, tell me now. What do you mean by 'proving points'?"

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you?" the Galvantula jested.

"If it m-means you'll explain."

"Fine then." He took a heavy breath, taking them both to a spot a little bit farther than the rest of the group. "I'll be straightforward. I like you and Alice, you're not easy to rile up. Tori, sorta in the middle. Gabi however? She takes everything personally, even if she's not the one involved. Do you see her back there, fighting a war I started?"

"Yeah…?"

"I like to keep her around, and not just as a toy for me to play with. She fights my battles, as you've seen, no matter how pointless or stupid. Lets me get away with things I shouldn't be allowed to."

"…Okay?"

"Do you see where I'm heading?"

"No, not really," Ruby sighed.

Proteus lightly chuckled, closing his eyes. "Would you bet Gabi would want to fight the creator of the universe, if she's so bold as to pick a fight with a Chandelure? I'm serious. Answer me."

"Uh… maybe she would?"

"Good. Keep an eye on her, as I am with you. People can have rather interesting behavior sometimes."

Ruby felt a chill as he said that, checking to make sure she still had her belongings. Why did he have to say that so creepily?

"I'll be keeping an extra eye on you though," Proteus whispered. "I'm of course still good friends with Todd- but considering that he didn't jump ship with us, he's probably after his own adventure."

"What about Gabi?"

"She's just a little antsy today, and I don't blame her. She'll be good as happy tomorrow, ya hear?"

"I guess."

"Good, good. Hey Tori! Alice!" Proteus called out, flashing a renewed smile. "Ready to go?"

Tori perked up, redirecting her gaze as Alice flew over with brighter positivity. Ruby could also see Liz behind them, who was quietly picking up her bags as The Joes scooted around Gabi and Lucy.

"Hey!" Alice chimed, drifting between Ruby and Proteus. "Are we heading out now?"

"I guess so," Tori said. "But I don't know remember the directions back to camp. You'll have to ask Liz; navigation's not my thing."

"It's quite shrimple actually," Proteus jested.

"God, your terrible puns make me want to krill myself," Tori moaned.

Alice let out a light giggle as Ruby winced, giving Proteus all the amusement he could ask for.

"You've gotta be squidding me. Shark my words, I'll get a better reaction out of you three next time."

Ruby loosened her petals. "I-I think you can stop with the puns now.."

"Damn right!" Tori barked. "Let's get going. I'm tired."

Ruby and Alice agreed, before Alice flew off to ask Liz for directions back to Mallku's camp.

"I hope we can find Heatran and make it back safely," Ruby mumbled, as she crouched against the bark of tree next to Tori.

And to make a long story short…

They did.

As with tradition, Heatran was not in the spot Lucy had told him to stay at. The legendary was simply wandering around the beach, firing Flash Cannons into the water. To make it worse, he was being nothing but vague, meaning any disaster could have existed without anyone else knowing, giving Lucy more of a reason to come back the next day.

Ruby and Liz were nervous about the smoke, but Lucy had given every reassurance that she would make sure everything was under control, boosted by Alice's overwhelming positivity, which eased the tension for tonight.

Proteus was extraordinarily mischievous, Tori was tired and groggy, and Gabi was restless. The Joes were surprisingly quiet, and Heatran was complaining the entire walk back, as usual.

It was about half past midnight when they arrived at camp, spooking Mallku out of his slumber.

The shipwreck accident's impacts had once again come to full tension, as without most of their supplies, everyone was forced to sleep outside. Tori completely conked out under a tree near immediately after reaching camp, leading Liz, Gabi and Alice to assemble a decently-sized shelter around her, made of sticks and various tree branches.

Ruby helped bloom some of the leaves around them a little, using the foliage as a soft cover and padding, while Proteus used Bor's business papers as "floor". Additionally, Mallku offered to let Ruby borrow his blanket for the night, which surprised her.

"You'll need it more than I do," the Weavile said with a dumb grin.

Mallku held out the blanket for Ruby to take, only for a wave of psychic energy to envelop it instead, drifting upwards as Alice flew by.

"I'll get that for you!"

Mallku waved back. "Hey, thanks!"

"You're welcome!" Alice sang back.

As the Chimecho flew inside the shelter, Ruby returned to the prior discussion.

"Hey, Mallku?"

"Yeah?" the Weavile replied.

"Liz reported to me that you never told her the plan for the trip." Ruby sighed, trying not to sound upset. "Have you?"

"About that…" Mallku awkwardly scratched his head, his grin faltering with subtle nervousness. "Jirachi does all the thinking stuff for me; people just think I know because I'm the leader."

"Has… Jirachi ever told you?"

"Only through angry murmurs," Mallku deadpanned.

That answers one question, Ruby mused. "What did they say?"

The Weavile crossed his arms. "We're headed through the desert next, I think. Then we find Darkrai and Hoopa, right before robbing Regigigas's shrine."

Good to know.

"Well, I'm gonna go check on the others," he said. "Y'all stay safe, ok?"

"Y-You too."

But finally, the tent was done, somewhere around an hour after midnight.

Gabi rested alone on the other side of camp, while Alice, Ruby, Tori and Proteus were to sleep inside the makeshift tent. With the other three already heading off to bed, Ruby offered a farewell to Liz, standing in front of the entrance.

"Thank you for everything you've done to help us," she said, shuddering from the cold.

Liz put a rose on her hip, smiling. "Of course. It pleasures me to know you all have survived well."

"I hope Mai shows up soon..."

"It's barely been more than a day. I'm sure she's toughing it out on her own."

"You know her better than I do, so you're probably right."

"Don't forget to sleep in," Liz remarked, winking. She turned her head to the beach, dusting herself off. "And take care. Good luck with Tori, I'm sure she means well."

"Good luck"?

"I'll s-see you tomorrow."

With that, Ruby moved back inside the tent, resting between Alice and Tori after setting down her bag. It was a little uncomfortable, but Ruby was far used to it.

Let's hope for the best, she thought to herself, moving the blanket over some.