Chapter 3: Distorted!

Through the gloom of the night,

the midnight shadow fled.

Over the rooftops, absent of light.

Darkened by moonlight, stricken with dread.

It was midnight in the city of Falsetto Bay. Bright lights pierced through darkened fog, illuminating the empty streets of a now silent boulevard. The moon hung gloomily in the sky, its brilliance obscured by clouds as a cloaked figure leap from rooftop to rooftop with no destination in sight. Threatened by city lights, they kept to the shadows, slinking through rotten alleyways until they stumbled to a stop at the foot of a peculiar light house. The structure looked almost haunted, its catwalk devoid of the light offered by its tampered lantern and lens.

The figure stood before the structure for but a moment before entering through a broken window and dropping down into its dimly lit interior. Stacks of abandoned furniture cluttered the space below the stairs, dust clinging to every surface and cluttering the air as the figure maneuvered over heaps of broken glass and furniture, coming to a stop at an abandoned desk in the center of the room, lit by solemn, unornamented lightbulb.

"So, you decided to show after all?" A voice sounded from the darkness. "One would've thought you'd have gone by now. This place isn't exactly your...preferred venue." A monferno broke from the shadows, regarding the figure with a distrustful glare.

The figure laughed tantalizingly and removed their cloak, revealing a snivy with violet eyes. Their scales were muted in color. Darkened green scales accompanied shady beige, ending in a lavender, heart-shaped mark upon their leaf-like tail. "Hello Coal." The snivy returned a tender grin, bringing their leafy hand to the monferno's cheek. "You have no idea what venue I prefer." Their expression fell. All semblance of emotion vanished from their expression. "I'd suggest you keep it that way." They pulled away. "Besides. This place holds a certain... charm at night. It reminds me of home."

The monferno maintained a guarded expression. "Alright." They nodded. "Then why are you here? You never told me."

"I wonder..." The snivy pondered, pacing around the monferno slowly. "Why that's where you come in, Coal. I've been in this city for some time now and I haven't received any information. I'm afraid news doesn't circulate well around here..."

"News? Surely you called me here for more than that! I have more important things to be doing. I'm a thief, not a reporter." Coal sneered. "What are you really here for?" He inquired, his tone full of suspicion.

The snivy sighed, then, in one smooth motion, bent the monferno over the desk with her vines and bound his wrists. "I know you've seen the old man." Malice filled the snivy's tone, lowering her voice to a whisper as she neared one of the fire-type's ears. "Don't make this harder for yourself. What do you know?"

"Ugh! What are you doing!? Let me go!" Coal shouted, flames kicking up around his wrists, only to sputter out before they could threaten the snivy's vines. "Wha..." He struggled. "You're a grass type! What'd you do to my flames?"

"As if those pitiful embers could touch me." The snivy sneered. "Last chance." She drove a knife into the desk, letting it stick not far from the monferno's ear. "Where have you seen him?"

Dream's House - Ruby:

"Oh, it's so good to meet you!" Warm, motherly squeals escaped the snout of a servine as Sky's mother, Autumn, welcomed us at her doorstep. Serena had been the one to receive the brunt of it, being met with a hug the moment she said hello. "See Sky? I told you today would be the day!" Autumn flashed a grin the snivy's way before setting my girl free, leaving her to sway unsteadily on her paws. Unlike Sky, the servine's scales were the color of autumn leaves. Her eyes, though also blue, were much darker, like the color of the open ocean. "Come in, come in!" She scooted aside, using her vines to open the door for us to enter as we gawked at her welcoming disposition. "I'll hurry along and make some snacks! Why don't you show your friends to your room, Sweetie?" She rubbed the snivy's head before ushering us inside and closing the door behind us.

"Oh, uh." Serena hesitated. "Thanks, Miss Autumn!"

Autumn shook her head as she tended to cabinets in the kitchen. "Just call me Autumn, Dear." She returned a smile before turning to focus on the task at hand. And speaking of tasks. Did she get any rest at all? The living room was spotless! And you're telling me this 'mon also does community work?!

"Nice to meet you too, Autumn." I bowed my head. "I hope we're not causing too much trouble." I glanced around curiously. "Where's Serena's mom?"

The golden servine pointed a vine toward the back entrance to the house. "Outside, Dear." She smiled. "We agreed to your last minute sleep over in exchange for a little shared responsibility." She chuckled. "Summer's always so quiet during our discussions about Sky, so I was surprised when she met me at the door for a day of bonding." She giggled. "Though uh. Perhaps I should've been the one to tend to the garden."

"Woah! Check out this room!" Ryan hollered from down the hall. I quickly bid Autumn farewell and chased after the others, falling in line beside the vulpix and snivy as we neared Sky's room. The riolu hadn't even spared a moment to say farewell to Sky's mother before bolting down the hall, temped by whatever untold fantasies lie in wait in the imaginative snivy's room. The rest of the small cottage had been fairly ordinary for a small family house in the middle of nowhere. In fact, Serena's place held a similar feel, minus the addition of a formal office space for her mother of course. I found it hard to believe a sweet servine like Sky's mother would deny her son's choice of decor, yet at the same time, some of his claims were outlandish. Even by the standards of the rumors at school! Nonetheless, as we padded down the hall and through another homely doorway, I couldn't help but shivver as my pads pressed down against something cold and...smooth?

"Is this ice?" I exclaimed, bunching up my shoulders into a crouch as if I might slip and fall. Out from below our paws stretched a thin, clear sheet of ice, below which rested the familiar, unblemished floorboards of a typical wooden floor. The ice sheet was devoid of cracks or gaps of any kind, as if the room had been built around a frozen bond, its frosty complexion as clear as freshly-cleaned glass. "It's pretty, but kind of cold, don't you think?" I inquired, lifting one paw at a time to shake the chill from my pads.

Sky offered a perplexed expression in return. "Really? I know it's not exactly carpet, but I never really thought it was cold." He planted his feet firmly on the ice for emphasis. You sure it's not because you're a fire type?"

Serena shook her head in response. "I think it's more because you don't have paws, Sky. Even Ryan's sitting down." She gestured to the riolu, who had taken to Sky's vibrantly-garnished bed.

The snivy's curiosity deepened as he tapped his foot against the ice. "Is that really all there is to it?" He planted it firmly against the ice once more. The moment he did so; however, a strange glow encompassed the leafy appendage as it began to shift before my eyes! It appeared to thicken, gaining multiple times its former mass as it rounded out and expanded. At the same time, what had been cream colored scales were steadily replaced by patches of white fur! "Let's test it out, then!" Sky declared. The snivy gained a small amount of height as his feet rose on newly-formed heels, becoming the hind paws of some untold mon.

"Wait. Sky, you don't have to..." Serena met the snivy with a look of concern, only to be silenced by a whimsical flick from his morphing tail. The changing snivy abandoned his climbing gloves and dropped down to all fours as the changes that afflicted his feet mirrored in his hands. The leafy limbs fattened up, becoming more fluffy and less dexterous as the fingers curled upon themselves, becoming the digits of his newfound forepaws. Snowy-whites faded to grassy tufts, the fur continuing its climb along his arms before making its escape out and along his back as he shifted to a stance more befitting of a quadruped. Before the former snivy could grow accustomed to his newfound posture; however, his tail, now consumed in the grassy fluff, began to shrink, snaking along the ice-coated floorboards behind him until it drew inward into a short, yet cottony paintbrush. His snout soon followed, becoming slimmer and less pronounced as it shortened into the petit muzzle of a feline, complete with its own pink button nose.

As light green fur adorned his cheeks, white, furry freckles accompanied his growing whiskers, further emphasized by the growth of snowy tufts that encompassed his chest. Darker, more forest-like greens began to tackle his muzzle, expanding outward and around his eyes like a mask as it formed into the shape of a leaf. His eyes, though still a brilliant, sky blue, began to widen out at the iris as the pupils dilated, becoming rounder and more cat-like. Finally, as the newly-formed sprigatito sat up, large, floppy triangles sprung forth from the top of his fully-coated head, flicking about with life as they experienced sound for the first time.

"Finally!" The former snivy leaned forward into an elated stretch. "That always takes me forever." A hearty laugh escaped from Sky's white-furred underbelly as he sat back up and addressed Serena with a mischievous grin. "Don't tell me you're still surprised."

Serena blinked in disbelief, though perhaps not at what she'd just experienced. I think the poor vulpix was more perplexed by Sky's exuberant attitude than anything else. "Always?" She replied. "Do you do this often?"

The sprigatito shrugged, taking a moment to fluff out his leafy mane with his forepaws. "It's a bit of a hobby." He admitted. "Though I only fully transform on occasion. It's easier to swim if you're a water type, for instance!" He chuckled. "Comes in handy if I want to hear a little better, too." He shrugged.

"Otherwise, I prefer this form during the winter. It gets really cold out here at night, you know! I'd rather avoid summoning a heatwave in my bedroom, so a coat of fur is the best alternative." He flicked his cotton-ball tail to and fro before glancing down over at his bed. "There's only so much that sheets and blankets can do. Especially with my poor tail leaf taking the full brunt of it." He shuddered. "If only my mom would let me go to school like this." He snickered. "Maybe then I wouldn't have to deal with Burn."

"Speaking of." Ryan spoke. "Why not a fire type?" He frowned. "I mean, come on. If I could try out another form, there's no way I wouldn't see what it's like to use flamethrower!"

Sky shook his head. "No way. Baaaaad idea." He looked almost pained as he said so. "I tried that once. It's pretty fun until you realize that you still have to know how to use the move. Burned my throat up pretty bad." He winced. "I told you before that there's limits to my powers, right Serena?" The vulpix nodded in kind. "Well, I can make myself into another type and try out their moves, but I can't give myself knowledge on how to use them. Most of the time it ends pretty poorly if I try to do it without practice." He shook his head. "And don't even get me started on the time I tried to power a lightbulb by hand." He winced.

"On another note. "He stood up, a look of discomfort twisting at the corners of his muzzle. "That really is cold!" He shuddered, shaking the chill out of his paws in the same manner as I had a moment before.

"You've never noticed?" I tilted my head in confusion. "Even though you take this form a lot?"

Sky shook his head, using a free paw to adjust his scarf which had grown loose during his transformation. "The ice isn't always here. I change things up around this time of year when things start to get cold. Having an ice floor doesn't exactly help to warm up a frosty room." Right on cue, the ice sheet seemed to dissolve beneath our paws, leaving nothing but dry furniture to rest upon unblemished oak.

"Anyway, there's more to the room than that!" He pranced about, stopping at a nearby wall to sniff at some roses. Come to think of it, the room smelled profoundly like a garden. Sure enough, the walls were decorated in an array of colorful flowers and vegetation. The ceiling was much of the same, layered with a canopy's worth of foliage up until it reached the center, where a clear, crystalline chandelier hung. "Come on, check it out!" He beaconed us with a paw. "I cleared the floor and all. Let's have some fun!"

Dream's House - Outer Garden:

I wasn't sure whether we'd fallen asleep late, or if our enjoyment had made us blind to time, but morning came at us quick! One moment we were asleep, the next we were being helped to a generous serving of breakfast by Sky's mother...and Serena's mother? Something was up! The ninetales had nearly denied Serena's request to hang out with Sky the day prior, yet here the principal was spending the night here herself! Not only that, but the uptight fox 'mon was actually...laughing?

"I don't get it." Serena stared suspiciously at her mother. "You told me you didn't know Autumn. You two are acting like you've been friends for years."

The cherry blossom ninetales took a break from her chatter with the golden-scaled servine to address her daughter. "Oh? Did I say that?" She seemed to ponder, a hint of her more professional demeanor beginning to show in her expression as she replied. "Well, to be fair. Your request did involve staying the night with a boy. As your mother, an excuse like that only makes sense." She chuckled. "But as your principle, I suppose I hold some degree of responsibility in making sure my students are making friends." She met Sky's gaze. Despite claiming his mother wouldn't allow him to school in his newfound feline form, he'd yet to change back. "All of my students." She shook her head.

"I've known Autumn for a long while. Not only is she a valuable member of our town's community, but we were friends in school." She nudged Autumn playfully. "Though, she was certainly more soft spoken in those days."

Autumn sighed. "Lying to the students, Summer? You sure you don't want to tell them about our dates?" The servine snickered. "That proper attitude of yours really is just for show, huh?"

"Your what?" Serena glanced between her mother and the servine as if she were watching a drama in progress. "I thought Dad was your first."

For the first time, it seemed Miss Summer was at a loss for words. The flustered ninetales looked away for a moment, then back down at her daughter. Oh boy! We hadn't even been friends with Dream a full day and things were already getting good! "He was second, and last. Our relationship is more of a professional courtesy." Her eyes widened. "In the best way possible, Dear!"

Serena was far from upset; however. The girl looked halfway between ecstatic and... Wait! Was that mischief I saw? "I get it, you both love me." She shook her head. "Go on, keep talking. I wanna hear this!"

"Now now, don't tease your mother." Autumn chuckled. Letting Miss Summer hide her face behind her tail leaf, the brownish servine glanced at Sky. "Are you heading out like that?" She inquired. The question wasn't forceful in the slightest. Rather, it came off a bit concerned. Nonetheless, Sky began to shake his head.

"I think he should." The principal spoke up, stopping the sprigatito in his tracks. "If my daughter is willing to accept Sky for who he is, perhaps it's fitting to let the rest of the student body decide for themselves." She glanced at her friend with sympathy in her eyes. "I know it's scary to be in your position, but I feel there's been enough secrecy. The townsfolk have a right to know about this just as much as you have a right to privacy. I'll make sure that both are thoroughly achieved. "She glanced back at Sky." Until then, stay the way you are, Sky. I'm sure there are those who will recognize you right away, just as I did. In fact..." She glanced at a nearby wall clock. "I believe you start class with one such pokemon soon! How about we wrap up breakfast and head on out, hmm?"

Sky had already cleaned up his mess by the time she finished her suggestion, skipping about merrily as he approached the door. Did the guy catch any of that at all? This involved his mother too! "Sure thing! Thanks, Principal Summer." He grinned, motioning for us to follow before kicking the door ajar and trotting along outside. "Hurry! I want to see what running feels like!"

Serena shot me a humorous look. "Let's just hope he doesn't eat dirt."

I giggled along. "Agreed."

Fermata High School:

Unlike the day prior, Sky and Serena had no trouble making it to class on time. Heck, we'd even managed to fix Ryan's streak of tardiness, quite to his dismay. Mrs. Jade was more than happy to have every student in their seats for once, though it seemed, like yesterday, today's class would be an unfocused one.

"Alright, settle down now!" The espeon called from her podium. "So, seeing as every student is on time today, I would like to forgo today's class in favor of a proposal from the principal." She grinned. "Principal Summer is concerned that some students have yet to grow accustomed to their new environment, so in light of that, today we'll be relaxing in the courtyard." The reveal was met with cheers by most, if not all of our classmates. "In addition, you lot will be with me for the whole day. That means no wandering off." She eyed the class with strict, albeit lighthearted eyes. "Please keep to the courtyard only, and don't bother any visitors!" She warned. "It's ok for you to visit the Melody tree, but try not to get in the way of any families or tourists." She cautioned once more before cutting us loose. Before we could hit the courtyard for ourselves; however, Mrs. Jade held the door on us. "Just a moment, you four." The espeon glanced curiously at her newfound sprigatito student. "Is someone lost?"

Sky glanced back at her with confusion plain across his muzzle. "It's me, ma'am. Sky."

The espeon seemed to chuckled in response. "I'm aware, Dear." Her expression softened. "Still, you've looked lost ever since you stepped into class this morning." She laid a lavender forepaw on the sprigatito's shoulder. "You let me know if anyone gives you trouble, hmm? I won't have bullying in my class. No matter the reason." She took her leave, beaconing us forward with her tail as she closed the door behind us.

The courtyard was, as usual, the most pleasant place in all of Fermata. Minus, of course, the outskirts. I'd heard of some particularly peaceful clearings out in the forest surrounding the town, and of course Sky wasn't shy on showing off his stash! Still, I wasn't one to waste a free day. "Oh, Sky? Do you know about the Melody tree?" I tapped the sprigatito's shoulder curiously.

The new feline nodded his response, adjusting his scarf once more so it wouldn't fly away with the wind. His mother had taken extra care to fasten his climbing gloves to the coiled up cloth, said garments hanging from a chain around his neck as if part of a necklace. "Kinda...sorta?" He shrugged. "I used to take naps here all the time. That count?"

"That was you?" I exclaimed, my tail kicking up speed. "I knew there was a student that always took a nap under the tree after school. Didn't think it was you." I snickered. "Gotta wonder why you and Ryan didn't meet up earlier. That's his favorite spot to hide from class." I teased, resulting in a glare from the drowsy, honey-eyed riolu.

"Yeah, yeah." He shook his head. "Though speaking of, I could use a nap right about now. Wanna check it out together?"

I crouched down low and pounced the riolu, using his back as support and as I glanced at him over his shoulder. "Sure thing! Only, I'm pretty sure we're supposed to stay awake?" I poked at his muzzle. "Come on. We got you to class early and everything. Don't ruin it now!"

Ryan whirled around and swept me off my hind legs, taking the opportunity to lift me in his arms, despite my flails of protest. "Fine, but I get to carry you up the hill." He chuckled.

"Someone's got a girlfriend~" Serena teased, prompting a sigh from the fighting type.

"Are you going to say that every time." He shook his head. "We're just friends."

I smirked back at the rosy-furred vulpix. "As if. If anything, he's like a twin brother." I punched Ryan's shoulder lightly. "If I really wanted a boyfriend, I could've had one by now." I bragged, using my paws to fluff up my cheek fur for emphasis. "If only the boys knew I wasn't in their market. But, then again, it wouldn't be as fun if they did." I giggled.

"Their market?" Sky titled his head in confusion. The poor sprigatito appeared lost amidst the conversation. Not that I could blame him, but Serena could've at least given him the briefing!

"Serena? You didn't tell him?" I shook my head. "Sky, Honey." I placed a paw on the feline's grassy shoulder and did my best to ham it up. "Males are great. You're great! Don't get me wrong. You're awesome!" I gave him a playful jab in the shoulder and my best mock-grin. "But I'm interested in females. Try not to fall in love with me, 'kay?"

The poor grass type stumbled back in alarm. No amount of fancy powers could save the guy from my theatrics! "E-excuse me?"

"Oh, leave him alone, Ruby!" Serena leapt to his rescue. Look at her, rolling her sapphire eyes at my display. What a spoil sport. "See Sky? Told ya she'd rope you in."

I stuck my nose up at the notion. "I did no such thing." I snickered, then flashed the feline a look of apology. "I'm kidding! Sheesh!" I strutted forward, swishing my tail about with glee, then stopped. If Serena was up for a little mischief, then so was I! "You can't blame me too much, ya know. Your mom clearly has her eyes set on our principal."

Aaand... Sky was down for a second time. Poor guy couldn't catch a break, and Serena wasn't close behind, despite her curiosity about her mother's relationship this morning. "She does?" The former snivy tilted his head, confusion written plain across his furry cheeks.

Serena slapped a paw across her muzzle and shook her head. "Now's not the time to go spreading rumors. If word gets out, I'll be grounded for life!"

I flicked my tail dismissively. "We'll just blame it on Burn. He's a rumor guy." I shrugged. "Come on! We've gotta do something! I saw that smirk earlier." I padded over to the vulpix and pressed my nose to hers. The girl couldn't hide a thing if I could see what she was thinking. "You know you wanna! Let's meddle around!" I nudged her eagerly. "What do ya say?"

"It's fine by me." Sky volunteered, this time taking the lead, if only to get a head start for the tree. "My mom could use the company, if everything is as true as you say. That is assuming she didn't make up the dating thing." He shrugged. "But not right now. Pretty sure sneaking off to play match maker is out of the range of what Miss Jade is willing to allow for the ol' field trip."

"Ooh! Fair enough." I winced. The last thing I needed was my own mom thinking I was cheeping out on the grades. "Well? Show us this napping spot then, genius!" I chuckled and nudged Sky forward as we neared the peak of the hill where the Melody tree lie. "Anyway. Even if I were into males, Ryan wouldn't cut it. Half of the guys here wouldn't." I shook my head. "I'm looking for someone special. Ryan's great, but I've known him for too long. Our parents know each other. Heck, we even spend holidays together. My mom babysat us together." I eyed Sky closely. "We took baths together!" I admitted in a hushed voice. The only downside of your parents being friends is that, when push came to shove, they didn't mind cutting corners if it meant saving the poke. "We can't be anything other than siblings." I gasped. "Just like you and Serena might be~"

"Aight, that's enough out of you." Ryan dragged me down near the base of the tree and stepped aside to stretch his legs. "Welp. If I'm not gonna nap, I might as well do some reps." He glanced at Sky. "I'd ask if you wanted to join. But, you know. Quadruped."

Sky shook his head adamantly. "No, no!" He chuckled nervously. "Us grass types are not built for that sort of stuff. There's only so much stress our leaves and vines can take." The sprigatito curled up beneath the tree to relax. I joined him and directed his attention up and around at the tree's limbs with my tail.

"Ever wondered how old this thing is?" I asked. The tree was practically begging to be trimmed at this point. The town had erected steel supports for the famous tree's limbs, the largest of which requiring at least two or three as they drooped down and over the edge of the hill. At the very least, that made it perfectly equipped to offer shade during hot days. The entirety of the hill was shielded from the sun, with hardly any rays peaking through the cracks. What little light managed to break through speckled the ground like glitter, creating a mesmerizing scene for any 'mon who made the climb to rest. "As much as I love the shade, I wish they'd trim the poor thing already."

"I don't think they can." Sky crossed his forelegs. "You already know this, but my mom does a lot of work for the town. Apparently it's too old to have work done on it. It wouldn't survive any cutting they'd do." He licked at the back of his paw instinctively. "Either way, that's gotta mean it's way older than any tree in the area. Who knows what it looked like in its prime!" His eyes filled with wonder at the thought, yet, as soon as the look entered his eyes, it vanished, replaced with a look of concern as his ears perked up cautiously. Before I could ask what was wrong; however, the sprigatito scrambled to his feet and threw up his forepaws. In the space facing toward the exit of the courtyard, a thin, transparent barrier appeared, spreading out just below the foliage of the tree until it was as wide as the hill itself. The second the barrier finished its growth, a green ball of energy collided with it, exploding with far greater force than should've been possible from a move like energy ball. To add to the bizarre sight, not a speck of dust resulted from the explosion. Not even the air was displaced. It was as if the attack only had an effect on the thing it collided with.

"An energy ball?" Serena took a step back, shifting into a defensive stance as Sky dropped his barrier, the sprigatito huffing and panting as if he'd just committed to a five-mile sprint. "Sky?" The rosy vulpix lent her shoulder for support. "Are you ok?"

The sprigatito took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm fine, but..." He stared ahead wearily, searching around the empty courtyard for threats. "Think some students were messing around and got careless?"

"Hardly." A snide voice cut through the distant chatter of our classmates as another snivy climbed the slope. Her scales were of a darker shade than sky's were, and her eyes, though darkened by the shade of the tree, were a brilliant shade of lavender. "Hmm..." She brought a hand to her cheek as she silently observed our group. "Curious. I wouldn't think pokemon such as yourselves could throw up a barrier so thick." Her expression only seemed to grow more serious as she continued to stare us down, her gaze fixating on Sky in particular. "Out of breath?" She smirked. "So it was you?" The snivy took a step closer. "Where'd a kit like you learn a trick like that?"

Sky returned a dubious glare. "Who are you, and what was with the energy ball?" He spat. "Come on! Launching attacks like that in a populated area is dangerous. Someone could get hurt!"

The snivy simply cackled in response, arms raised. A careless shrug fit for a heartless demeanor. "Hurt?" She covered up a smirk with her hand. "Oh, you're precious." She took a few more steps closer. "That's hardly of my concern." Her expression soured immediately, her gaze flipping between Sky and the tree. "Move aside, squirt! I have business with the tree. Not with a bunch of pesky kits," she threatened, a harsh breeze kicking up behind her as loose leaves and blades of grass danced about in the air behind her. Sky; however, stood his ground.

Serena stepped up alongside him, flames sizzling at the corners of her maw. "Ryan, go get a teacher!" she ordered, pushing the riolu back toward the opposite edge of the slope with her tails. "Miss Jade or my mom if you can. I don't like the way she's speaking..."

Ryan looked about ready to complain, but he didn't argue, taking the opportunity the vulpix had bought him to scramble along down the hill and out into the greater courtyard below.

"Wait, where do you think you're..." She clasped her head in her hand and cursed beneath her breath. "Hey! Didn't you lot hear me?" she shouted. "I told you to..." She began, but before she could take another step forward, Serena was already on top of her, attempting to snap at her with fiery jaws. The snivy was quicker; however, side stepping her advance and smashing her forward with her tail, nearly sending her toppling down the slope. "You kits don't know what you're in for." She groaned, a sinister smile stretching its way across her snout as she made her advance. Before I could react, she lunged toward Sky, gliding along the grass-covered ground as if it were ice. In the same motion, the snivy's arm appeared to sharpen, becoming less leafy and more blade-like as she rushed the sprigatito down.

Sky was prepared; however. Before she could strike, the same cloud-like material from yesterday appeared from his paw pads, forming into a sort of shield and trapping the purple-eyed snivy in its grasp. "I'm not letting you touch that tree!" He spat, an unfamiliar fury breaching his usual kind-looking eyes. "I don't know who you are, but you need to leave!"

The snivy invader looked surprised, digging her feet into the hill's fertile soil as she struggled to free her arm. "What is this stuff?" She eyed the cloudy material with immense curiosity, reaching forward with her other hand to grab at its plush surface. Right as she did so; however, it vanished, sending her tumbling backward from the force of her pulls. "That... That was like..." She sputtered, struggling to regain her footing. Before she could stand back up, I rushed her with a fire fang of my own, but she simply rolled out of the way, flipping around into a back flip before stumbling to a stop a few feet away, an exhilarated look plastered across her face. "So that's how it is?" Suddenly the ground beneath her feet began to tremble as it ripped apart at the seams, a wide grin stretching across her features as a large chunk of rock appeared to levitate above her outstretched hand. I scrambled back toward the tree, witnessing the impossible as she appeared to levitate herself. The chunk of missing ground beneath her feet had yet to shake her balance. No. Instead, she simply stood in mid air as the ground continued to crack apart at her command. Not only that, but the wind from earlier continued to pick up steam, grass and leaves swirling about her form like a tornado. "Another dream walker, eh?" Her expression darkened. She held her gaze skyward, hand to her forehead in apparent elation as manic cackles escaped her snout. That elation didn't last long; however. The moment her gaze locked with Sky's, she was forced to dodge to the side of a massive torrent of fire, some of which managed to singe her cheek as she stumbled to a halt. Principal Summer soon approached from where Ryan had fled, a snarl twisting at her features as she glared daggers at our attacker.

"You there!" she spat. "Drop the rock and back away from my students." She padded forward with daring intensity, her nine tails flared upward with rage, making her appear twice as tall as they crackled to life with flames. "Leave now." She took another step toward the snivy, a threatening tone tearing at her voice. "This is not a warning." She snarled.

The snivy bit back a whine and stumbled backward, fear flashing momentarily in her eyes until she met eyes with Sky once more. "Very well then," she scoffed, turning her snout up at he ninetale's threatening advances. "I suppose I'll be off then." She turned to leave. "Oh, but before I go." She glanced curiously at Sky. "My name is Umbral." She snuck a mischievous grin. "Of course, now that I've given you the pleasure of my name, you must divulge your own, no doubt?"

"Sky, her words mean nothing." The ninetales flung her tails in front of the sprigatito who, oddly, appeared more curious himself than scared. "Do not indulge a criminal!"

"It's Sky," the sprigatito admitted, a calmness encompassing his features, despite the warning of our principal.

The darker-toned snivy smiled in response. "Sky then." She nodded and whirled around toward the exit of the courtyard. "Perhaps we'll run into each other again. Until then, a parting gift." The snivy clutched a golden feather between her fingers. Then, as she vanished down the other side of the cliff, she launched it backwards, sending it flying through the air at an unnatural pace until it came to a stop, embedding itself deep within the trunk of the Melody tree.

As soon as Umbral was gone, Principal Summer lowered her guard and sighed, using her tails to search us for injuries. Finding none, she sat down, offering a curious glance toward Sky. "Why give her your name?" she inquired. "A criminal such as her has no right to know your private information." She shook her head. "That's not even to mention that she attacked you. Why humor her?"

Sky seemed conflicted himself, yet, rather than argue, the sprigatito simply shrugged. "I don't know. Her powers, among other things just looked... familiar?" He clutched his head, as if wracking his brain for answers that didn't exist. "And... Something about her just seemed... sad."

"She'd better be sad after what she tried to pull!" Serena whirled on Sky as if he were insane. "That girl attacked us, Sky. If she's sad, she sure deserves it! She could've seriously hurt you!"

Sky eyed her without the slightest hint of surprise. "I know, I know. I get it." He chuckled, raising his forepaws in defense. "But..." He sighed. "Did you see what she did? It was like my powers. And she's a snivy too, no less!"

"That's... a good point." I cut in. "She didn't look like you, but that was pretty similar." I padded over to the tree and stared at the golden feather, unsure of its connection to the lavender-eyed snivy. "And what's up with this thing?" As I stepped forward to get a closer look; however, the bark around the feather began to darken, as if someone had painted the bark with fresh, black paint. As soon as it appeared, it began to stretch, consuming a large portion of the tree in a matter of seconds as I drew away from the tree in shock. "W-what's happening to the tree?" I sputtered, drawing the attention of the others as I stumbled onto my rear. We could only look onward as a swirling void seemed to engulf the tree's trunk, stretching further and further, threatening to consume the entirety of the tree. As if in response, a fountain of mystical, golden light poured out from the feather as glowing, golden lines spread out from the quill, attaching themselves to the corners of the void and putting a stop to its expansion. "What kind of gift is this?"

"A feather from the legendary ho-oh if I had to guess." The velvety-smooth tones of Miss Jade's voice cut through our chatter as the espeon approached to inspect the feather. Then, in one smooth action, the psychic type wrapped her forelegs around my form and pulled me into a hug. "Don't you ever worry me like that again, young lady!" Her voice seemed to shake as she searched me over for injuries with her paws. "The same goes for the rest of you kits. A tree is a tree. Doesn't matter how old it is." She let me go to glare at the lot of us. "If the Melody tree were to be damaged, it could be replanted. We can't replace you three. Next time something like this happens, you run. You hear me?" She flared her jade-furred twin tails in concern before settling down on her haunches once we nodded our understanding. "Good." She sighed, glancing over at the principal. "Summer, is Obsidian free?"

The principal ninetales shook her head. "No, but he'll have to be." She shook her head, eying Serena apologetically. "Listen up you three. I've sent Ryan home along with the rest of the students. Class is cancelled, but I'm afraid this warrants a meeting with the mayor. As you were the only ones aside from me who witnessed the assailant, I'll need you to come along and make a statement."

Serena looked like she wanted to curl up into a ball, but perhaps the presence of Sky kept her from doing so. "Great. Just... great." She scowled. "As if anyone wants to see that waste of..."

"Serena!" Her mother warned. "He is the mayor." She sighed. "If you'd like, you can stay out in the hall." She relented, then turned to address Sky and I. "I'll expect the two of you to be on your best behavior, though." She flipped around, careful not to hit any of us with her tail as she joined Mrs. Jade in leading us down the hill and out of the courtyard.

"Are you ok, Serena?" Sky asked tentatively, yet in perhaps the first time since she's met him, the vulpix didn't return a smile.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Fermata Town Hall:

Apparently, since we were the only ones around at the time of the incident, that meant we were the ones who were responsible for answering the questions. Not, you know, the actual criminal. But I suppose that couldn't be helped. The mysterious snivy had vanished without a trace as we stood around talking on that hill. Not even the authorities could find her, and supposedly they'd been contacted before our confrontation had even ended. Nonetheless, we were all currently seated in the office of Fermata's mayor. The dark blue-furred lucario was Serena's father, yet the vulpix refused to join us in his office as we sat alongside our principal and homeroom teacher.

"Hey." Sky nudged my side, whispering as the adults conversed their side of the story. "What's up with Serena? She seemed upset."

"Pfft. No kidding." I shook my head. "Look, don't ask me. All I know is that her father wasn't around one time when I came to visit. After that..." I sighed. "Never again. And she doesn't talk about him." After a moment spent conversing with the adults and re-organizing the books on his bookshelf, the mayor, Obsidian, sat down in his chair and faced the two of us. "So, Dream was it? I don't believe I've met you before, but Summer tells me that you've recently become friends with our daughter, Serena. Correct?"

Sky nodded, not really having much else to say. I had never really been in the mayor's office before, much less town hall. It was a bit intimidating to say the least. I'll bet he was feeling much the same.

"Ahh, yes. Well it's nice to meet you. Any new friend my daughter makes is a friend of mine." He smiled warmly. "Now, can you two tell me anything about what happened to the tree? Anything at all will help." He paused. "Oh! And your assailant as well."

Sky and I exchanged a nervous look. "Well, we decided to stop at the tree to rest with Ryan. We took a short break, during which Sky noticed...something." I shook my head. How was anyone supposed to describe that encounter? "I don't know what it was, but he protected us from an attack, and shortly after, the snivy appeared. Her name is Umbral. She had dark green scales and lavender colored eyes... and she was dangerous!" I bit my lip. "She could do crazy stuff." I paused. "Oh, but not in the way Sky does. He would never!"

The mayor raised his paws reassuringly. "Now now. No one suspects Sky of anything. I've heard he's a fine young lad." He smiled. "More to the point, this feather." He glanced to Miss Jade. "Anything regarding that?"

While he was preoccupied with our teacher, Sky nudged me once more. "So umm... What's up with you and Miss Jade? She was treating you like... well."

"Her kit?" I giggled quietly. "That's because I am. She's my mom." I sighed. "It's a bit hard having a teacher for a mom, but nothing close to the principal, so I can't complain."

The mayor raised an eyebrow at the suggestion that Ho-oh could be involved. "The legendary Ho-oh?" He frowned, conflicted. "I suppose it's the only lead we have." He shook his head. "In any case, these powers that you said she had. If they are indeed similar to your own, Sky, then perhaps you can help us cure our tree. If your powers were capable of countering hers, then you might be able to counteract their effects."

Sky's eyes widened with fear. "What?! But then everyone would know!"

Obsidian chuckled. "Sky, I'm afraid they'll find out eventually. Not much can explain your sudden transformation into a sprigatito, after all." He smiled reassuringly. "Besides, you shouldn't have to live your life in fear. Show them, young man! Prove to everyone you're nothing to fear." The lucario clutched his fist in front of his chest, as if to motivate Sky. "How about it? You'd be able to use that form whenever you'd like if there's no longer a reason to hide." He offered.

I gave Sky a supportive look. "You don't have to do it, Sky."

"It's ok, he's right..." The blue-eyed sprigatito sighed. "Who knows how long the effects of that feather will last. The town could die if I don't do this. Pokemon could lose their homes." He grinned. "Besides, I have you guys to help me."

The mayor stood up once more. "That's the spirit!" He grinned. "Well then, shall we make our way to the tree then?"

Principal Summer stood in his way. "Hold up." She eyed him closely. "You're not coming. Serena can hardly look at you, the poor thing." She sighed. "Besides, you have work to do, I'm sure." She glanced over toward the door. "If you'd like, I can try to arrange a meeting for us as family in the future, but only when she's ready."

Obsidian appeared crestfallen, but he didn't argue. He simply sat back down and shot us a supportive glance. "Go ahead then, you two. You have my full support!"

Melody Tree:

By the time we arrived back at the monument, a large crowd had gathered to observe the strange dark void that continued to cling to the tree's trunk. We had to push our way through the crowd in order to get to the tree, so it's easy to say that a handful of pokemon had already noticed us. Upon reaching the tree, Principal Summer turned around and cupped her forepaws around her muzzle. "Attention everyone! I have a plan that could possibly fix our beloved tree, but in order for it to work I need your full cooperation!" She gestured toward Sky. The sprigatito looked about ready to run away, but he managed to dig his claws into the dirt and stick it out. "Now! A lot of you may recognize this young sprigatito up here as Dream. Or, better yet, snivy." She scowled. "To some of you, he might be better know as a public nuisance." She sounded less enthusiastic about that title. "I realize that all of you have mixed feeling towards this young 'mon, and to some extent it's understandable, but right now we need him to fix our beloved town monument and heal this town's spirit!" She shouted above the crowd. "I believe this young sprigatito is a fine young 'mon. It's my hope that you will believe in him too!"

"And why should we believe that he can fix anything?! He's nothing but bad luck!" Shouted someone from the crowd. I immediately recognized the voice to be Burn's.

"Because he has something that none of us have. The ability to combat the dark power that has overtaken our precious tree. The superstition that you have cast over him his entire life. Everything you have suspected is true, but trust me when I say this. Dream is not bad luck! He is one of the purest people you will ever meet!" She answered back. "I urge you all. Do not let rumors dictate the content of another's soul!" She demanded, then, realizing she likely wouldn't get through to them with simple words, the ninetales glanced our way.

Sky nodded and walked towards the tree. Placing a paw on its bark, the void, along with its feather prison, began to respond to his touch. Closer inspection of the tree revealed that the void had opened a bit, flexing against the constraints of its prison as hints of landscape and trees could be seen just beyond it."

"That a forest?" Ryan frowned. The riolu had been urged to stay at home; however, he'd ambushed us the moment we exited town hall and demanded we bring him along. Thus there were four of us once more. "This thing some kind of portal?"

Serena approached Sky from behind. "Well Sky." She eyed him supportively. "We'll do what you think is best."

Sky took a moment to respond. "I... think we're supposed to jump into this portal. Maybe it leads to some kind of dream world or something?" He theorized. "Maybe if we go into it, we can fix the tree from within!" Serena nodded as we walked over to her mom to brief her on our plan.

She nodded her approval. "I see... Well then, bring Ruby and Ryan along as well. Something tells me you'll need their help." She suggested, eyeing the strange portal with caution. "Just make sure you come back safe!"

Serena nodded reassuringly, then led the way as we gathered around the portal. The void pulsed once more, causing the portal to swell in response as we approached. After a few more steps, my vision began to blur. My breath caught in my throat, tempting me to scream, yet no sound would come out. In its place, a nauseatingly twisting sensation began to set in as darkness began to overtake my vision. Whatever it was we were heading for, I could only hope there was a nice cushion waiting for us on the other side!