November 23rd, First Year

Jaku- no, Burr. No point going off of what I'm called here in Hisui anymore- carefully slid down the steep grassy slope, reaching out to grab at Raptor's outstretched talons as the Mandibuzz hopped gracefully from ledge to ledge, easily hauling him back before a strong wind could drag him away. "Eeeasy there, partner. You may be made of feathers but you're no spring chicken."

Raptor huffed and clicked his beak at her. He smiled. "Who do you think you're talking to? I used to live in mountains like these all the time."

"Sure thing, old man." Burr landed hard in the dirt and quickly rose to her feet, letting out a spirited breath. "Let's get you back to bed- ack!" She floundered about theatrically when Raptor retaliated, quickly batting the back of her head with his foot. "Scoundrel!"

"That's what you get when you mock me!"

The two of them made their way back down the mountain, Burr taking a few minutes here and there to tend to the small wounds peppering her skin. After speaking with Adaman and leaving the Diamond Clan, all there was really left to do was go after the gears. And then die. That too, Burr snickered in the back of her mind. How many left? Four? Five? She made a quick tally on her fingers, struggling to keep up with Raptor's long strides as the sudden realization hit her. Three. There's three more left to go before it's time for me to head up to the tower and leave Hisui for good.

Pale sunlight broke through the thin clouds blanketing the mirelands, landing squarely on Raptor's tawny wings as the bird pokémon playfully splashed through a wide, ice-laden puddle, oblivious to the frown and wrinkled lip that Burr adorned. How time flies... The two pokémon ascended onto the windy moor and into a sunken hollow of settled know where the rest of Burr's pokémon laid in wait.

Lilith was first off of her paws, licking the remained of eaten prey from her lips. "How'd the expedition go? Did you get the gear?"

Burr reached into her treasure bag and held up the blood-spotted artifact. "Yeah, I've got it right here. The mission went fine; only got a few nicks to show for it." She shoved the gear back into her bag. "Did everybody eat while I was gone?"

Lilith nodded. "Yes. Everybody has eaten. We're all ready for the trek to the icelands up north."

"You say that now..." Burr murmured. Her voice drifted off as she caught sight of the massive rift spinning atop Mount Coronet. At least I don't have to deal with that. "Right... Raptor. You rest. Ride with Lilith on the way there."

"Me?" Raptor gave an indignant squawk, but he scrambled atop Lilith's broad back all the same, tucking in his wings and laying his head on top of Lilith's own, mostly obscured by the Arcanine's thick tawny fur. "What about you? You did all the fighting. You should rest."

"Can't."

"Won't, you mean?" Hydra fluttered overhead but the scathing look she sent Burr gave the ranger a moment to think. "We could just fly there. Like we did not too long ago."

Burr rolled her eyes. "Who's the one hurrying now? We can't stop to smell the roses along the way?"

Hydra sneered. "Who are you and what have you done with our trainer?"

"I trained a bunch of workaholics." Burr chuckled and stretched, only sensing the tension that had been building in her gut all day. "Tell you what. Once we make it out of the valley where the wind usually turns to rain, we'll fly to the icelands."

Hydra gave a half-accepting nod, clicking her mandibles together. "Bet. I'll hold you to it."

"I'm sure you will."

As the rest of her pokémon set out in front of her, chattering about this and that all in a good mood despite the weather, Burr felt a familiar chill run down her back. She turned, watching as Dusknoir appeared beside her, offering a hand her way.

"Would you like a lift?"

"I can walk. Thanks, though."

"I thought I might offer all the same." Dusknoir crossed his hands behind his back, but he continued to float alongside her as they trudged up into the snowy mountains. He made a humming noise in his throat- a tune that sounded so eery and so comforting- when Celebi appeared on Dusknoir's other side, pointedly looking away from Burr. Dusknoir cleared his throat. "...How many gears do you currently have, Burr?"

Burr's face instantly dropped, and she was reminded all too soon that was relaxing on borrowed time. "Seven."

"Seven?" Dusknoir repeated, his voice hoarse. "In our last encounter, there were only five... And how many more do you need to finish?"

"Three; one in the icelands and two in the highlands." Burr breathed in a lungful of crisp air, scenting nothing on the breeze. "I don't quite like backtracking, so I plan on knocking everything out all at once once we get to the highlands, of course. After the icelands. In case that wasn't obvious."

"Do... do your partners know...?"

"Of course they do." It was a half-lie. "They'll be with me until the bitter end- until I reach the tower, that is. Then it's parting ways for all of us." And Burr pointedly picked up the pace until she led the party, settling in comfortably beside Glacier and Castor who were deep in conversation about mud and where to find sheltering insects.

As morning waned and the afternoon sun fully peaked out, Burr paused in her distracted ambling, picking up the scent of something unnaturally sharp and oily. Snow and ice crunched. Burr took a cautious step back as two unfamiliar faces appeared from the reeds.

The first- a red-leafed Grotle- angled his head as he took a sniff at Burr. "You smell funny."

"You look funny," Burr retorted, crossing her arms. "What do you want? We're kind of busy."

"We know."

Burr paused. "'We'? Who's 'we'?"

Footsteps sounded in the snow again and Burr was suddenly tossed into shadow. A loud meandering voice broke through the relative peace of the mountains and so too did a familiar face. He sighed. "You again, huh? Are we going the same way or are you just following me at this point?"

Burr looked upward, immediately regretted her decision, and then pinched the bridge of her nose as she stared upward at Rei who grinned cheekily down at her. "Don't you need an adult or something? Adult supervision? Hello?"

"Aren't you an adult?" Rei retorted playfully. He squatted down to meet Burr at her eye level. "Sooo... We can finally understand one another, huh?" Rei scratched at the back of his head, his voice beginning to tremble. "Though- uh- it's really, really weird- uh, being able to uh talk to pokémon."

"Trust me. This is just as strange to me as it is to you, pal. What are you doing up here?"

"Scouting for some materials." Rei held up his satchel which looked fit to burst from all the random items stuffed into every pocket and cranny. "I had this super cool idea- after I pelted you with that pokéball from a day or two ago- sorry about that- and I figured I might as well experiment since I have all this time on my hands."

"Experiment, huh? With what? What'd'ya make?"

Rei's eyes lit up and his grin grew wider. He reached into his bag and produced a shiny pokéball, the apricorn shell crude but the stone mechanism polished. Sharper, even. "Look here! See! It's a new idea I had!" Rei then proceeded to explain the newest mechanism behind the pokéball he had invented. "There's a special component inside- a magnet that Tot helped me make- that detects when a pokémon has already been caught."

"Preventing pokémon from being captured twice?"

"Or stolen!" Rei beamed. "Genius, isn't it?"

Burr smiled back at him. Despite all of the trouble Rei had been put through, he was still just as jolly as the day she had met him. "Yeah, that's super smart, Rei!" She playfully cuffed his arm. "Look at you, mister engineer! I'm suprised you're a scout," she commented. "You should think about- "

"Becoming an engineer for the scouts instead?" Rei cut through. He and the rest of his pokémon followed behind Burr as they continued up into the mountains. "That's what Professor Laventon says too. He thinks I should become an engineer and join the construction corps but... I really like surveying." Rei tossed a beat-up pokéball into the air. "It's... challenging. It's new." He then gave Burr a thorough once-over before stopping dead in his tracks. "You're a pokémon... so you know how to fight, right? Using moves?"

Burr snorted. "Of course I do... Why do you ask?"

Rei's smile disappeared and he instead stared down at her with narrowed eyes and a tight lip. "Battle me. I want to see what I'm capable of; what my team and I are capable of." Before Burr could protest, Rei went on. "Both Warden Ingo and Akari are strong wielders." His frown deepened when he mentioned the latter. "I... I admire them. They're strong; frighteningly strong. And I want to be able to get that strong too. So that I can protect my clan and my clanmates while I'm out surveying. Please battle me."

Burr made a disapproving noise in the back of her throat. "What? By myself? That's what you want? Because if that's the case, I refuse. I'd overpower your team, point blank." Burr then turned to glance at her team who were all predictably looking excitedly at her. "However... if my team wishes, I'll battle you alongside them. You'll face down my team, number on number, but not me. Sounds fair?"

Rei nodded quickly, bouncing up-and-down on the balls of his feet. "Cool! That's fine with me! When can we start?"

"Slow your roll, kid. One sec." Burr turned to fully stare at her team. "Is that alright with you guys? Do you guys want to battle Rei and his team?" An exasperated grimace split her face when her entire team lit up with exited banter and cheers. "Alright, alright! Let's make this fair, though. Rei, how many pokémon do you have?"

Rei's grin widened. "Five."

Burr rolled her eyes, smiling. "Damn, kid. And you only used to have two! But I have six. Technically nine, sooo..."

"...If I may?" Dusknoir appeared from the back of the party. "I would... also like to join in."

"You? You want to battle alongside a human?" Burr exclaimed. "You know what? Bet. But don't think for a second that I'll go easy on you." She stared past Dusknoir directly at Rei. "Or you. I don't pull my punches and neither do my guys."

Rei rolled back his shoulders and his smile sharpened. "We won't go easy on you either!" He walked a distance away and stretched, Burr doing the same. She erected a large mound of earth to better see the terrain with and as she pulled herself to the top, she looked over at her team. It'll be unfair to use Lilith or Raptor here, so we'll go with Hisui pokémon only. She wordlessly gestured for the two senior pokémon to take a backseat. "Ready, Rei?"

"Ready!"

Burr wasn't much of a strategy battler and though she knew her battling skills were rusty at best- she hadn't had much experience battling anybody in Hisui- she knew for a fact that Rei had progressed quite a bit from where he had once been as a pokémon wielder. Their battle turned from playful- back-and-forth rounds of lucky hits- to downright destructive. Small brute tactics- punch-and-go turns- turned to carefully calculated plans carried out through multiple turns of tanking hits only to retaliate using twice the amount of power. Rei had grown especially keen of setup strategies to slowly weather her team down, favoring- of all things- poison.

Otto's hail-boosted Blizzard connected but it hadn't been enough to freeze Peanut solid. The Sylveon charged through with frost coating their pelt, far enough to sweep the Weavile's legs out from underneath them and pin them to the grass before dealing the fainting blow with a cheeky Draining Kiss. Peanut shuddered as he wobbled backward, the poison doing a number on him.

Rei threw his hat into the dirt. "Oh, come on! How did you not faint to that?!"

"A good defense is a good offense!" Burr called back, grinning. Maybe this is why those two brothers always get excited about battles. I didn't think Rei had been working this hard to get better. "Psych up!" She felt her grin widen as Peanut leaped back, sinking their claws into the terrain. "You know what happens now?"

"You're not winning this!" Rei called back. His gaze landed first on Dusknoir and he paused. "Sorry, Mister Dusknoir, but I want to win with my team! We've put in so much effort to get to where we are now!"

"No offense taken, Young Rei!"

Rei pulled for his last pokémon, a determined glint in his eye. "Last pokémon out!" he called. Tot- Rei's Pikachu- elegantly landed in the smushed snow, sparks of electricity flying from its pelt. "We'll win this fight together, Tot and I!"

Pride filled Burr from her head down to her toes. And to think, they used to hate each other! Time really does fly! She sneered instead. "I said I'm not pulling my punches! You've still got two of my buddies to deal with!"

"Tot can handle it, no problem!" And as if to back him up, Tot stomped his front paws into the earth, hard, his electrical cheek pouches flashing a dazzling white. "Let's go!"

Rei set up using Nasty Plot before immediately moving into an Agility-boosted Double Team, Peanut's Dazzling Gleam missing by a margin due to the poison in their system slowing them down marginally. Burr immediately called for Light Screen which came into effect not a moment too soon. A powerful Thunder dropped down onto Peanut, knocking them off of their paws... But not enough to faint them. With the command to wait, Tot flew across the grass and tackled Peanut only for the fairy-type to wrap their paws around Tot and haul them into the grass. Draining Kiss. Again.

Only a temporary fix for what's to come. Burr watched carefully as the two pokémon battled for dominance, Dusk's pokéball sitting beside her on her artificial mound. I don't have a ground type to resist his Pikachu but I'm almost certain Dusk can hold that rat off until I can command the final blow. "Peanut! Fake Tears! You did great!" It was the cue for the fairy-type to quit fighting. And so he did. Peanut dramatically flopped over into the grass and let out a shrill cry, fat tears streaming down his face. Tot immediately backed off only to quickly get out one last Quick Attack on Rei's command. Peanut sank into the dirt and finally fainted, Burr drawing her trusty partner back into his pokéball. Hopefully, that's enough set up. She eyed Rei from across the battlefield and cleared her throat before rearing back her tossing arm. "Last pokémon out!"

Dusk landed lightly in the scorched grass, violet flames erupting from their back as she arched defiantly at Tot.

"Tot! Rain Dance!" Tot immediately twitched back and angled his tail back-and-forth, a curtain of rain furiously descending upon the mountainside to the point where Burr could no longer see or predict where Rei nor Tot were. Rei's voice sounded strongly despite the creeping mist. "Thunder!"

"You one trick pony! Dig!" Dusk disappeared into the earth just as a wicked bolt of lightning blasted through the clouds, leaving an obvious mark on sunlight upon Rei who glared back at her. "What? You think I'd just let you abuse that move? Nah! Fair's fair!"

"I won't let it hit! Protect!" Just as Dusk erupted from the earth, Tot countered with a quick defensive wall of static, forcing Dusk away at the last moment. "Nuzzle!"

"Excuuuse me! Smokescreen!" She watched triumphantly as Tot's wide arms wrapped around nothing. Dusk slipped away and blew up a thick cloud of ash and soot directly into the Pikachu's face. "Two can play this game, you know!"

"Discharge!"

Burr called for Dusk to dig onto to pause. Too late. The move had easily connected via the heavy mist and Dusk stood frozen in place, pings of static zipping across their body. Shit. This isn't good. "Smokescreen!"

"Thunder!"

The clouds parted again. Burr had to turn away as despite the stat boosts, Thunder hit with a guaranteed accuracy due to Rain Dance; a status that Burr had dumbly forgotten to negate. And when she turned to look for Dusk, she stared. Her pokémon was still standing, muzzle in the dirt, legs trembling, determination burning in their eyes.

"Nicely done, Dusk!" Burr cheered loud enough for her partner to hear. She looked toward Rei who had paused to stare expectantly, evidently waiting for Dusk to drop, defeated. Not this time.

A sudden light flashed in the clearing and Burr's jaw dropped as Dusk was enveloped in a pale violet glow. "Oh for fuck's sake. Really? Now?" All words spoken incredulously, no venom or true exasperation behind them. She watched as Dusk changed forms, no longer huddling in the dirt. Now, Dusk stood up straight, eclipsing Tot in her shadow as the evolved Typhlosion rose onto her feet, smoke and violet flames pouring out of her neck. Hell. Yes.

Burr's gaze immediately flashed to Rei before focusing on Dusk who looked expectantly back at her. Static still ravaged her and it was clear through the billowing smoke that though Dusk's evolution brought more strength, the battle wasn't in their favor. But let's go out with a bang, shall we? "Sunny Day!"

"Thund- hey! Stop that!" Tot went to cast the move again but with no clouds and no more mist, the move failed to work, a welcoming warm wind settting over the battlefield. "I know what you're planning! It won't work!"

"You're sure about that?" There's a fifty percent chance that he uses Protect here and there's also a fifty percent chance that he calls my bluff and charges in. Burr's eyes narrowed. But which one? She glanced toward Dusk, finding a similarly cautious glint in her partner's eyes. She snorted. "Right. Quick Attack!"

Rei's irritated expression spoke volumes as their two pokémon clashed together in a whirl of teeth and claws. Clearly, Rei had called her bluff. Dusk's claws crashed down onto Tot's protective barrier, the space between them all but nothing. Face-to-face. Body against body. One last round.

"Thunder! Now!"

Before Burr could call a definitive move, Dusk acted on her own. Chunks of earth and fire exploded from beneath the arena in one terrifying display of power, smoke and brimstone littering the clearing. Eruption. All went quiet. The strong winds stirred and pushed the smog away until Burr could clearly see Dusk and Tot still locked onto each other, static and embers dancing between them.

Burr nodded. That'll do nicely. "Great work, Dusk! Go ahead!" She smiled and watched as Dusk let go and dropped motionless into the grass, Tot just barely managing to right themselves without the fire-type holding them up. She recalled her partner, beaming at Rei all the while. "Well done- woah!"

Both Rei and Tot had rushed her, Rei heaving her off of her feet as he excitedly did the same with his Pikachu. "I beat you!" he cried, swinging her around like a ragged doll. "I actually beat you!"

Burr rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Now put me down!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Rei carefully set her back down in the grass as he let out his own fainted pokémon. Tears trailed down his cheeks. "I won... I really won. I can't believe it."

"You should. My team and I tried our hardest and yet you surpassed us." Burr clapped Rei on the back hard, careful not to scratch him with her claws. "You've come a long, long way Rei. I'm proud of you."

Rei quickly drew Burr into a hug as he sniffled, the rest of his pokémon crowding around him to join in. Even Burr's pokémon celebrated Rei's victory. "I'm so happy..."

"Good." Burr slowly disentangled herself from Rei's embrace feeling very much uncomfortable at the sudden contact. She stared at the rolling clouds overhead and then at Dusk who was surrounded in a celebratory cuddle pile by Burr's entire team. She then locked gazes with Dusknoir who was studying Rei closely. "Something the matter?"

"...So this is why humans and pokémon collaborate in this world." His voice grew thoughtful. "Intriguing."

"...You really wanted to battle, didn't you?" she teased.

Dusknoir's singular eye burned a vivid shade of red and he turned away. "Preposterous. I would have been content to be included but it was not my main intention."

Burr snorted. "Suuure. Riiight. Let's believe that that's truly what you wanted. Okay, big guy." She checked on each of her pokémon again before pointedly clearing her throat. "Alright Rei. I hate to break up this celebration, but my team and I really should get going."

"To the highlands?" Rei guessed, shrugging on his pack.

"The icelands."

Rei made a noise of discontent and shuddered. "I don't envy you. It's way too cold to head there- especially now that it's winter. But- if you don't mind- can I escort you?" he asked instead. "To the highlands, I mean. I've never been this far out of the mirelands," he muttered, "and I was actually supposed to head toward the Secluded Encampment anyhow."

"Where?"

Rei shook his head, smiling. "The Survey Corps set up a brand new camp in the highlands near the southern peaks." He pointed toward a sharp-ridged set of mountains many miles away. "Over that set of mountains there. Or at least, that's what they marked on my map when the corps sent me off. If we go now, we could make it by nightfall."

Yeah, maybe if we're running! "You sure about that?"

Rei nodded. "Trust me. There's this shortcut that the other scouts mentioned. A tunnel that cuts underneath one of the mountains and right into the highlands. Otherwise, we'd have to walk all the way around to the east where the coastlands are."

"Aww, hell. No thanks. I've got shit to do and don't have time for any of that." Burr yawned and eyed Hydra who had been patiently waiting and watching. "I've got a better idea in mind. How do feel about heights?"

November 24th, First Year

A cold chill settled into the woods. Burr trudged the final distance around a huge, shuddering fir and sank onto an exposed root, watching as the sun finally set on the faraway horizon. She let out a deep sigh. "And this is why we didn't take the mountain route."

Rei sank to his feet and sprawled out against an adjacent tree, letting out a similar sigh as he shrugged off his pack, the two of them safe and sound behind the familiar wooden pike walls of the Secluded Encampment. "How was I supposed to know there would be bandits on the trails? This close to camp?"

Burr didn't respond. Under the guise that she was Rei's 'helper pokémon', she had been allowed access to the Secluded Encampment, having already set up a temporary den in the woods nearby the encampment. It'd been difficult weathering the turbulent winds over the southern highlands, nevermind the small pockets of outlander bandits set up along the standard merchant trails.

Burr's pokémon had already disappeared to find a suitable shelter, leaving Burr to gather resources for the long trip ahead of her. It would be the last time she'd be able to gather supplies until she'd meet her demise atop Mount Coronet. She relaxed. "I only joke... Still. I can't believe we had to take that shortcut of yours. Let's not fly in the middle of winter. Ever again. Where'd you learn that shortcut from anyhow?"

"Yuki told me all about it. Well, Warden Melli of the Diamond Clan taught him and then he passed that knowledge to me."

"Go figure."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rei retorted playfully, swatting at Burr's tail.

"Yeah? You're gonna stick your nasty hands in my face? Keep playing around, boyyo. I bite."

Rei only laughed it off and the two went back to lounging in silence. He pulled out a handful of jerky rations and shared them with Burr, his eased demeanor slowly shifting to one of concern. "...Hey. Jaku- "

"Call me Burr," she corrected him, reminding Rei that she was no longer beholden to any hisuian clan. "What's up?"

Rei swallowed his mouthful of jerky as he sat up, slightly hunched forward. "When was the last time you spoke to Akari?"

Burr paused. "A week or so ago. Why?" Burr then took another slow mouthful of jerky and swallowed, fixing Rei with a peculiar look. Does he know? Did Akari ever tell him the truth like she said she would? "Rei? Did Akari ever tell you what happened? In the mirelands?" Maybe I'm pushing it... No. He deserves to know and it's better I shove him in the right direction. Even if it does come to bite Akari in the ass later. "About the Sludge Encampment?"

Rei immediately whipped around to stare at Burr head-on, his eyes as round as two twin moons. His hands gripped the fabric of his trousers until his knuckles turned white. "So you do know!" he hissed. It was enough to force Burr to take a cautionary step back. "You, Akari, and Warden Ingo are all in kahoots! I've been having this idea- these weird memories lately- and it's always Akari- but I didn't know whether they were real or not!"

Burr tentatively met Rei's angry glare. "I don't know everything that Akari did; only one thing that she's asked for me to keep secret from you."

"But you knew!" Rei argued.

"Knew what exactly?" Burr replied cautiously. "What do you know? Depending on your answer, I may be able to tell you more. I mean, I told Akari to fess up, but I guess she's dragging her feet if it's taken this long to get around to it."

"Does Warden Ingo know?"

Burr reluctantly shook her head. Ingo already has enough on his plate to be entrenched with Akari's mess. "No. Akari only told me during a moment alone when I found a letter from Volo about their little activities. That was ages ago, and she said she would tell you and Professor Laventon- "

"She poisoned Professor Laventon too?"

"No. She erased his memories alongside yours. Something to do with Volo and Almighty Sinnoh- God, essentially- pressuring her into committing heinous acts for Their approval. I don't believe in Almighty Sinnoh so of course, I don't condone her behavior. I had enough on my plate at the time dealing with being a pokémon not to mention myself and Ingo being targeted by a serial attacker."

Rei only scoffed, crossing his arms. "Probably Volo," he commented snidely. "If Akari erased my memories and attacked me, what's to say she didn't attack you for knowing all that?"

Burr's blood turned to ice in her face. Her entire body tensed up. " ...Say that again."

Rei lifted an eyebrow. "What? That Volo or Akari probably attacked you or erased your memory? Just like they did to me? I wouldn't be surprised. She's probably defending his actions," Rei seethed. "I don't understand why she even likes Volo; he's creepy! What's his motive anyway hanging around a girl who's half his age? He's probably more than half her age."

A horrible sense of realization dawned upon Burr as she scrambled to her feet, the fire along her tail blazing to life. Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Why didn't I think of that? Burr could nearly slap herself in the face. He has a Gabite! Fuck! He was there the first time! Long hair? Obviously tied up! "I need to write some letters, pronto."

"You'd better clue me in." Rei's words forced Burr to pause, and he sneered down at her. "What? I remember what you did, too," Rei growled, poking her in the back. "When Yuki and I- when we found Warden Ingo's brother in that cave." His eyes rounded. "...Where is Mister Emmet?"

"He's fine," Burr absently murmured. "Sorry about that, by the way. I'll admit, I wiped your memories too; Yuki's as well. The two of you were way too much of a headache to deal with when I let you go the first time. Emmet's currently with Ingo and for some odd reason, he remembers everything. I can't wipe his memories. Go figure."

Rei sputtered with anger as he reached out to grab her, missing by an entire foot. "That's your apology?"

"Listen, I'm more worried about Ingo getting decapitated in his sleep by that psychopath," Burr gritted out. "I'm sorry. I really am. What I did to you was horrible and I can't make things right by you or Yuki. That much should be clear." As she drafted the warning letter, Dusknoir and Celebi appeared around her. "What?"

"We will deliver the letter. After all, none of your teammates know how to Teleport willingly."

"And you do?" Burr immediately bit back her own snark. "You know what? Fine! Fine. Just-" she shoved the ripped paper into Dusknoir's hands- "deliver this directly to Emmet first. Not Ingo; Emmet. He won't forget. Then, make sure Ingo gets it."

"Do you wish for us to... neutralize this 'Volo' character as well?" Dusknoir offered uncomfortably. "I could... possess him, if you wish."

Burr turned to Rei. "This is your circus; not mine. I won't be around for much longer to keep an eye on that lunatic, so this is your ball game. What do you think?"

"You're a ghost type, right?" Rei asked slowly. "Can't you just eat his soul? That would stop him."

Burr immediately put her hand out to stop Rei in his tracks. "Too far, buddy. You're gunning for literal murder. Let's calm down here and think rationally in a way that won't incriminate you in the future." Burr thought for a second before snapping her fingers. "Got it. Find Akari's letters and steal them," Burr instructed. "Keep them somewhere safe. Dig Volo a hole he can't worm out of once the evidence is tossed back into his face."

"That's it?" Rei complained. "But- "

"Not yet." Burr held up a finger. "Akari is working with Volo and yeah, you beat me but winning against Akari won't be nearly as easy. Ingo and Emmet were training her. She's bested a few nobles already and both her and Volo managed to kill Lord Ursaluna unintentionally. Wait, get stronger, and then take a stab at imprisoning Volo. You don't want a repeat of your last clash, do you?"

Rei stayed quiet though his burning gaze and shaking fists suggested he had much to say.

Burr sent the two future pokémon off with the news before sinking back down into the roots of the fir tree, shame and guilt making her feel slow and heavy. She sighed. "...I really am sorry about what I did to you and Yuki. Ambushing you both and wiping your memories. You're not the only ones that I've done it to," Burr admitted, "and if you'd like to get revenge on me- in whatever means you want- then I say go for it. I won't resist."

Rei snorted. "At least you're honest about it. I don't forgive you, though."

"Warranted. I expected as much, and I don't want you to forgive me." Burr looked away. "But listen. And I do mean listen, Rei. If you're serious about squeezing the truth out of Akari and Volo, be ready for a serious fight. I don't know the entirety of what's going on with Akari- I've got my own side mission to do, and I won't be here to see out what you do next, but I want you to be extra careful."

"...What do you mean you won't be here to see it out?" Rei asked quietly. "You're leaving?"

"Soon but not yet," Burr murmured back. "I'll be finishing up my end of these shenanigans that dragged me here and then I suppose Ingo and Akari will be wrapping up theirs. Figured I'd tell you. In case you want to beat me up and steal my money or maybe give me similar brain damage to get back at me," she joked, her heart lightening as the slight smile that appeared on Rei's face.

"...I'm not gonna beat you up, Burr."

"I'm just tossing it out there. My offer stands for as long as I'm here... But really. Be careful. Get stronger; stronger than you are now. Don't go into anything alone; go with Yuki if you can. Maybe tell him the truth, too. I don't know if Akari has told him anything yet, so you'll find an ally in him assuming Akari doesn't first."

Rei was silent for a long moment before he rose to his feet, dusting the thick snow and frost off of his tunic. "...I'll consider it." He turned back to Burr. "...Tomorrow. At dawn. Let's battle again. And this time, I want to face off against you. Not your team," Rei emphasized. "You."

Burr met Rei's challenging glare with a confident nod. She grinned. "No holding back, right?"

"Not at all. I'll get my revenge yet."

"You'd better beat me up something fierce. If I don't come out with a concussion or severe brain damage, I'll keep bullying you and your team until you do."

Rei snorted, breaking his serious facade. "It's hard to take you seriously when you're so small. This should be easy. I bet you were lying about how strong you are."

Burr immediately grimaced and playfully swatted at Rei's leg. "Dude... fuck you. I'll wipe the floor with you."

November 25th, First Year

Day came come and went. The battle with Rei had gone exactly as Burr had predicted, and he had lost five-to-zero with each of his pokémon dealing little to no damage against her brute force methods. The two of them had made another promise to battle again at sunrise the next day which left Burr to fully sleep off her exhaustion, leading to her being awake and alert in the middle of the night.

She yawned and laid her head back down, feeling Glacier shift beside her. Almost all of her other pokémon had elected to sleep in their respective pokéballs due to a sudden blizzard sweeping through the highlands. Right. We're in deep snow country now. Wish I could retreat into a water-tight den, too. And as she tossed and turned, Burr picked up the fading scent of Glacier who had wandered off when the blizzard had gotten worse. He'll be fine, she reassured herself. Glacier had promised to be back before dawn and Burr trusted that she wouldn't have to hunt him down come dawn.

Snow crouched and heavy footsteps sounded in her direction. Burr turned over to face the entrance of the den, but she didn't rise yet. Must be Glacier coming back. She moved aside in the warm dirt to prepare but froze when a new rank scent floated into the den as well ...That's not Glacier.

A huge shadow fell over the den and two voices could just barely be heard over the driving snow.

"Here?"

"Yes, here! In the dirt! That's what the little cub said!"

"I don't see anything! Or smell anything for that matter!"

Burr angrily got to her feet and braced against the den's inner entrance. "Hey! Who's out there?"

The first voice immediately picked up. "Don't be afraid! We're not here to harm nor hunt you!" A pale muzzle appeared in the entrance to the den. "We need help! Please!"

Burr carefully approached the outer entrance and to her surprise, she spotted what looked to be numerous miniature versions of Lady Zoroarks huddled over the den, their golden eyes and silvery fur glowing in the sparse moonlight. "Help?" she repeated, exhaustion lacing her voice. "What's the matter?" Her eyes caught on the spots of blood and fur caught in their teeth. "What do you want?"

Glacier suddenly appeared from the party and began widening the entrance to the den by scooping away the dirt. "I brought them here! They need shelter badly!"

Shelter? These guys? As uncomfortable at the prospect of sharing with strangers was, Burr bit her tongue and scooted Glacier to the side so to easily shift down the earthen floor, her nose wrinkling when the small pack of Zoroarks silently filed in around her, their pelts reeking of decay and death. When she turned, she found that the pack had curled up amongst one another, Glacier huddled in the center. "Care to tell me what's going on, Glacier? Who're your friends? And why do they smell like carrion?" She spared an apologetic glance at the largest. "No offense."

"Full offense taken," the large Zoroark muttered back, their ears pinned to the back of their neck. "Your... friend said that this would be a safe place to take refuge."

"Refuge...?" Burr immediately poked her head out into the cold, steam pouring from her scales. "Did you bring danger to me?"

"No." One of the other Zoroarks- a larger female- was the first off of her paws, anger flashing in her eyes as she padded up to stand nose-to-nose with Burr. "We were forced to flee. We were attacked in the dark and we are without a safe haven, but we do not bring danger. Not to you or Zorua-kin."

Burr snorted. "That's all I needed to hear." She returned to her soft patch of dirt, resting her muzzle under her tail. As she made herself comfortable, she felt small paws prod her side. "Hmm?"

Glacier let out an impatient huff. "We need your help for something else, too."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Burr's question was immediately answered when Glacier nosed two pitifully small Zorua cubs over to her, moving her tail aside with his teeth so that they could clamber up to her belly. Burr made a face. "Cubs?"

"They lost their home," Glacier murmured, "and these cubs are very cold. Ghost-types... it takes a lot to get warm again. Could you keep them warm?"

"Should've led with that, then. Sheesh. Yeah, I'll do it." Burr curled tightly around the whining Zoruas and gently rasped her tongue across their backs to warm them. "Not to worry; it'll get plenty warm in here all of us wedged in here like Magikarps." She didn't dare ask whose cubs they were, guessing from the patches of blood on the youngs' coats that the question was better off unsaid.

Glacier sealed the cubs in on the other side, laying his head down on his paws. "Sorry," he muttered under his breath. "They had nowhere to go and- "

Burr flicked her tail against his muzzle. "It's alright. I understand. You did the right thing bringing them to me in this horrible storm," and in a louder voice, added- "Maybe come morning- when I'm rested up- I might just go and take care of whatever drove those Zoroarks out. Sinnoh knows, this shoddy hole in the ground is way too small."

One of the Zoroarks snickered, their wispy red fur concealing their face. "There are far too many for you. We thank you for your shelter and your kindness, friend of Zorua-kin, but it is too much."

"Who attacked you, though?"

"...The dragons of the slopes. Garchomp." The female Zoroark picked up her head and looked squarely at Burr. "Do not fret. Zoroarks wander as our ancestral kin did. We... are-" they paused and gave a frustrated sigh- "used to finding new homes."

Burr spared a questioning glance at Glacier who looked just as uncomfortable as she was. And as the Zoruas got comfortable and eventually fell asleep, quietly, Glacier told Burr of what the large Zoroark female had been talking about. Or at least, he had tried before the rest of the Zoroarks began chiming in with their own accounts of their history.

Hisuian Zoroarks were scorned by humans. Such had always been the case. They had once lived in the warm mirelands and fieldlands where prey ran rich and where the weather was always favorable even in winter. A long, long time ago when the first Zoruas and Zoroarks populated ancient Hisui, they once lived in peace away from humans. Uncontested throughout the land. Respected. Welcomed. Loved by the sun and the forests and the grasslands. Misery stalked the Zoroark's words as they told their story.

This paradise ended abruptly once one of the Zoroarks mentioned talk of 'Lady Zoroark'. Though none knew how the story went or when it began, almost all of them agreed that through some misfortune, Lady Zoroark- the leader of the ancient Zoroark pack- had been cursed. Wherever they went, fire would follow at their heels of no fault of their own. And so it went on and on until the Zoroarks had been chased and driven from their homes only to wither away in the unyielding cold of the icelands.

In a hushed voice, the Zoroarks spoke of what came after. Lady Zoroark was enraged by the treatment of her pack and the rage that they carried was so strong and potent that it caused them to reincarnate as a ghost. Their fellow Zoroarks- using their tricks and cunning- copied their leader and they too learned to reincarnate, all of them gaining an immunity to the cold. Only recently- to Glacier's knowledge- had the Zoroark clans began to move southward again. But they had never quite lost their hatred of humans.

Burr picked angrily at her claws, staring at the four sleeping Zoruas curled at her belly. "...I'll look into the matter come morning." She spared a passing glance at Glacier, thankful that her partner hadn't given her true form away. "I hope you don't mind eating Garchomp flesh for the next week or so. I'll do the prepwork, of course."

Glacier's tail began to wag. "You're gonna chase them out? The Garchomps? We're gonna eat Garchomps for dinner?"

"Once I take off the skin, we will," Burr promised him. It'd been ages since she'd had some large land prey, and a feast would serve her hungry group of nine well. She gave a great big yawn and settled her head on her paws, closing her eyes. "Before dawn. Actually, once this blizzard dies down. You lead me and I'll clear them out."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew I could count on you to help!" Glacier bundled into Burr's side, trembling. "Thank you, master."

Burr snorted. "You know how I feel about that word, Glacier."

"It's true, isn't it?"

"Wrong. Use literally any other word."

"Oh? Like what?"

"...How about partner? You know, like a regular- "Burr was cut off as a sudden flash lit up the den. She was on her paws in an instant, hearing the scared scuffling of the Zoroarks as they too got up, a heady growl filling the den. When the light cut out, Burr saw nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary. She scoffed and resumed her position around the Zorua cubs, looking around for where Glacier went, cursing under her breath. "...The fuck was that?"

One of the Zoroarks beside her cleared his throat, sheepishly staring directly at her. "Sorry."

"Huh? What? What'd you do?"

The Zoroark rolled their eyes and settled down nearly on top of her, rasping their tongue over her face. "It's me, you idiot. Glacier."

Burr blinked. "...Oh." She then scowled. "First Dusk and now you? Back-to-back? What is this? Late bloomer hour?"

"The power of friendship, maybe."

"Shut up. Shut your mouth right now." She reached out and playfully batted Glacier across his much larger head only for him to swipe back. "Go back to being small so I can punt you like a pinecone."

"Not happening."

"Boo!" Burr rested her tail on Glacier's flank to make sure no real hard feelings were involved. "But seriously. You're squishing me."