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Chapter Text

The sound of someone yelling and pounding on her quarter’s doors dragged Akari out of her sleep.

Her eyes gritty, Akari shifted on her mattress, better facing the door, trying to figure out why there was screaming and banging on her door.

“Akari! AKARI!”

Akari groaned quietly, grimacing as the shouting--Rei’s shouting, she realized--sounded as if he was yelling at her from the opposite end of a tunnel. She was exhausted, she was going to pass out during survey work if she didn’t get adequate sleep. She was already collapsing into her bedding every night, too tired to change out of her clothes or even take off her satchel, instantly falling asleep. Maybe not the safest state to be in when camping in the wilderness, as she often was, but even after months of survey work, she was always so tired….

She managed to drag her heavy limbs out from under her blanket, stepping into the snowboots she’d been wearing earlier when she, Laventon, Rei, and various Security and Supply Corps members had returned from the Alabaster Icelands earlier that evening and reached for the door, rubbing her bleary eyes, inhaling a sharp comment of What, Rei? I’m exhausted! as she opened the door.

The retort died in her throat.

The sky was bleeding. 

A viscous spread of red stretched across the sky, replacing the normally black, starry night with all-encompassing bloody red, interspersed with patterns of purple and green. It was as if the village--or maybe all of Hisui--had been moved to an alternate dimension, the spread and patterns moving in the sky.

She looked at Rei, the whites of his wide eyes reflected in the reddish-purple light. “Rei--wh- what?”

“I don’t know,” he said, his face pale, likely a mirror of hers. “I was sleeping, we all were, and then we heard the sentries at the gates shouting; they said the sky around Mt. Coronet, where the space-time rift was, had changed, and was spreading rapidly everywhere across Hisui, it was here in minutes--”

Akari instinctively glanced at the mountain in question, where the space-time rift had been swirling and festering ever since she’d arrived. The dark, swirling vortex that had been at the mountain’s peak was gone. Although the white slash that had been in the midst of the distortion remained, the red, purple, and green in the sky seemed to be resonating from the white slash.

“The sky’s never changed like this,” Rei said, wringing his hands, a habit he seemed to have picked up from Laventon.

Rei had been looking at the sky as he explained what Akari had slept through, but now, he returned his gaze to her. “Kamado wants to see you. That’s why I woke you. I’m sorry, Akari. I know you’re tired, but he told me to get you. You deserve to sleep, but he’s the commander…” Rei trailed off, glazing at the sky again as he walked in the direction of Galaxy Hall, stopping when he realized Akari wasn’t following him.

Her attention was back on the sky. Once, when surveying in the Crimson Mirelands, she’d come across the recently-slaughtered carcass of a Skuntank. It had been brutally eviscerated--perhaps by an Ursaring that had wandered through the bogs Stunky and Stuntank lived--and it had been the worst thing Akari had ever smelled and seen. The sight and smell had caused her to gag, and the sight of the sky now reminded her of the colors she’d seen in its innards. 

“Akari,” Rei said, walking back to her. “You know the commander already doesn’t like you, we really shouldn’t keep him waiting…”

Wow, thanks, Rei, Akari thought sardonically. He was right, though, as within the months she’d lived in the village, Kamado and Beni were some of the few people who seemed to actively dislike her. Even if the majority of the village was not openly antagonistic to her, did Akari feel like she belonged in the village? Absolutely not. There had been clear coldness and hostility when she’d first arrived, which had mostly simmered into indifference, apathy, and social exclusion. People didn’t include or talk to her, unless it was to bombard her with questions about her original home, which mostly made her frustrated or upset, due to how little she remembered--she remembered vague ideas of concepts like technology or Gym Leaders and the like, but almost never anything specific about her life or interests, and besides, she was always worried that telling someone from centuries before her own time about modern technology would be bad--or if they wanted something from her. Those questions had eventually died out as people were disappointed with her vague non-answers. Laventon and Rei treated her more like a person rather than some oddity, but even then, much of their conversations were dominated by discussions of or stories related to work. She was lucky enough that outside of the villagers, she got along well with Arezu as well. Going into her hair salon every week to get her hair washed and fixed (by 19th century standards) was one of the few times Akari felt she could relax, and there was something about relaxing in a chair as Arezu did her hair that made Akari feel nostalgic--or maybe that was deja vu--and prompted her to be more talkative with her hairstylist. She was gradually warming up to Irida and Adaman, despite the way they'd initially been somewhat xenophobic as well. They'd gotten better, at least, and unlike many of the villagers, were more friendly and openly supportive of her, with Irida vouching for her just the other day in the Icelands.

But either way, even if there were still people who clearly had some xenophobia-fueled antagonism to her, what was she supposed to do when someone insulted her to her face? Kamado didn’t like her, and Cyllene had been fine with Akari dying in the wilderness if she had failed her induction test. She wouldn’t care, either, Akari assumed, and Akari’s pride kept her from complaining to her superiors, anyways. That, and the fact that Beni and Kamado were apparently old friends. Kamado wouldn’t care if Beni antagonized her.

But Rei was right. Kamado was always bringing her to his office when something major was happening, such as the frenzies. Maybe Adaman and Irida were already there with some sort of plan. The thought of getting no sleep, being immediately sent out to do something about the sky nearly made her begin to cry because she just wanted a moment to rest, but Kamdo wouldn’t let her do that if he’d summoned her. And the sky was clearly a very, very bad sign. She knew by now that her own feelings and health didn’t matter compared to what her superiors wanted and so she began to follow Rei. 

Opening the door to Galaxy Hall revealed pandemonium. Members of the various corps were running about the building, shouting instructions and questions at each other, words and phrases like “evacuation,” “supplies,” and “investigation” audible. Cyllene’s office was empty, although Professor Laventon was in his lab next to Cyllene’s office, however, and he quickly joined Rei and Akari climbing the stairs, seeming to be the only person paying attention to them.

“Akari, are you alright?” he asked. Not waiting for a response, he continued in a nervous ramble. “I don’t suppose you have an inkling as to what’s causing this? I’ve poured over the data you’ve collected and found nothing that could explain all of this. My first thought was perhaps some Ghost or Psychic type, but it is simply a mystery to me! Akari, do you have an idea as to what is happening? Anything you have come across in your survey work?”

He looked at her with such hope, as if she could fix everything. As if the weight of the village rested on her shoulders. She shook her head at Laventon and his face fell. “No? Oh, dear, oh dear, at least we ought to be grateful the sky is not emitting a foul odor or oppressive weight to affect our breath.”

They ascended the third flight of stairs to Kamado’s office, the doors, for once, closed. Rei knocked on the door and a moment later it opened, revealing a clearly unhappy Kamado. The stern lines on his face seemed even more pronounced, although it always looked as if Kamado was glaring. Or maybe it was just how he looked when talking to Akari.

“Here she is, Commander,” Rei said, unnecessarily gesturing to her.

Kamado nodded. “Laventon. Rei. Attend to the villagers and their Pokemon. Prepare to contain any frightened Pokemon that may begin to ramage.”

“Commander,” Laventon said. “If Akari was with us, our tasks would by far eas--”

“Professor, do not concern yourself with her,” Kamado said. “Leave us. The rest of the village may require your aid.”

Despite the sky being her main concern, Akari did not like the prospect of being alone with Kamado. He didn’t like her, and even if it was childish, she wanted someone who at least sort of liked or trusted her to be with her to help her with whatever Kamado was about to tell her to do.

But Laventon merely met her gaze and gave her a somewhat weak smile. “Rei and I will see you outside, Akari. We’ll see this through yet…surely.” He shuddered and gave her a pat on the shoulder before walking from the office. 

Rei shot Akari a worried glance but obeyed the commander, shutting the door behind him.

Kamado pushed the door open further, and Akari stepped inside the office, realizing she was not the only other sole occupant. Cyllene, Irida, and Adaman were in the office, Cyllene with her hands folded behind her back, her stoic expression present even now, Adaman with his arms crossed and brow furrowed, and Irida with her hands clasped in front of her waist, a clear look of distress upon her features, the only occupant of the room clearly demonstrating her fear. The sight of the Clan leaders was at least somewhat comforting, and Akari focused on them, turning her back to Cyllene and towards Adaman and Irida, even if that meant she was turned towards a small window in the door leading to the balcony and therefore, the sky. The sky, the sky, the sky, as if the atmosphere had been polluted.

“Do you have something to say in your defense, Akari?”

Kamado’s words cut through her thoughts, attention jerked towards him. “I--what?” 

“The sky, Akari,” Kamado said, indicating towards it. “As you were proving your use to the Survey Corps, I was content to shelve any suspicions I had at the time, in favor of the work you have done for our village. But the rift has grown, and now it covers the entire land. I cannot in good conscience ignore the correlations any longer.”

“I--” Akari’s thoughts fumbled together, struggling to focus on Kamado instead of the sky. “Correlations?”

“Irida,” Kamado said, ignoring Akari and turning towards the Pearl Clan leader. “Kleavor was frenzied by that lightning strike very shortly after Akari fell out of the rift into Hisui, correct?”

Irida started slightly at being directly addressed, as she had been sneaking glances out the window. “Well, yes, I suppose so, but surely that is a coinci--”

“And Adaman, your Noble Pokemon also became frenzied in rapid succession shortly thereafter, yes?”

Adaman, who looked as if he had been making a point not to glance outside, pushed his hand against his forehead, something Akari had noticed was a common sign of annoyance, stress, or frustration from him. “Yes, Commander, we have discussed this, but we have no reason to think that--”

“So you both say,” Kamado said, his volume slightly rising. “You claim it can be nothing but coincidence. You see the surface value positives she has brought. But you are failing to see the calamity her actions, intentional or otherwise, have caused. She quelled the frenzied Nobles, and yet the sky became exactly what we are witnessing now! So I say, Akari, what are you? What have you done to these Pokemon? What do you intend to do to us?”

“Nothing!” Akari said, hating the slightly shrill edge to her voice. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked! How on earth am I supposed to control all of this? ” She gestured to the window. 

“Yes, it seems unlikely an unassuming young woman would be capable of causing these frenzies,” Kamado said, crossing his arms, his glower intensifying. “And yet it also seems unlikely that people falling from rifts in the sky, accompanied by lighting causing violent Pokemon frenzies, could be anything but a blight, a curse!”

Unable to prevent herself from doing so, Akari scoffed and rolled her eyes. She shouldn’t, she knew she shouldn’t, because if anything besides her being useless would not be tolerated, it was disrespect, but the sky was bleeding and Kamado was sounding like a conspiracy theorist. “I’ve just been doing whatever you’ve ordered me to! If this is anyone’s fault, it’s yours, for giving me orders that are backfiring! If quelling the Nobles somehow made everything worse, it’s your fault!”

Kamado struck her across the face. Akari staggered backwards as Irida gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Akari leaned against a wall, her face stinging as she stared at the ground, tears pricking her eyes. Blinking rapidly, furiously, she turned back towards him. “I’ve done everything you asked! You can’t blame me! I’ve just been trying to--”

“Everything I have done as the leader of this village has been for the protection and benefit of Jubilife!” he said, advancing towards her again, causing her to nearly stumble backwards into Cyllene. “You have no idea of any of the sacrifices I have made, the bloodshed I have seen, the companions I have buried! You are a foreigner in this land who has no right to accuse me of any wrongdoing!”
“Commander Kamado, stop!” Irida said. “Akari has aided the people of my clan beyond her duties as a member of your Galaxy Team, we owe her our safety and lives!”

Adaman’s frown had deepend. “Commander, Irida is correct. You are not being reasonable, we have no reason to suspect Akari of anything wrong.”

“Well, then, answer me this honestly,” Kamado said. “Can either of you prove without a shadow of doubt that Akari is not guilty of wrongdoing?”

“That’s impossible!” Irida said. “You’re asking us to prove a negative; how are we supposed to prove any supposed guilt doesn’t exist?”

“Commander, regardless of…that,” Adaman said, gesturing to the sky, finally acknowledging it. “Akari has solved several problems for us already. Don’t you think she should be given the benefit of the doubt? She’s talented, and surely she could help somehow. But we must all calms ourselves and--”

“Perhaps she could,” Kamado interrupted, turning his attention back to Akari, who was trying not to touch her face where she’d been struck, especially after she’d made eye contact with Cyllene and seen no trace of pity or compassion in the captain. “And if she truly cares for Hisui and wants to help us,  I would expect her to find a way to fix the problem she may have caused. But she will not be doing so as a member of the Galaxy Team, or the village.”

Akari’s blood froze over, feeling as if she’d been hit in the stomach.

“You are no longer welcome here in the village. Consider yourself banished, Akari,” Kamado said, ignoring, or more likely, not caring, about the way her face had drained of its color. “I still suspect you have caused this calamity, and normally if someone has committed an egregious crime such as treason or purposeful endangerment of others, we would clap them in chains and throw them to their fate in the wild, regardless of their age. It is only because of the good you have appeared to have done for Hisui that you are avoiding such a fate. But you are to leave the village. Now.”

“How can you be so HEARTLESS?!” Irida shouted. “She has risked her life for you! For all of us! And this is how you repay her?!” 

“Akari,” Adaman said. “You have aided the Diamond Clan, and in your task of investigating the sky, we will ensure that you are--”

“No, you will not, Adaman,” Kamado said. “Neither the Diamond nor Pearl Clans are permitted to aid her. If you do, you can guarantee trade and good relations will cease between your clans and Jubilife.”

“You’re trying to kill me!” Akari said, her voice strangled. Despite the months that had passed from her arrival in Hisui, she was still not entirely accustomed to living without heaters, plumbing, efficient ways to wash her clothing, modern hygienic practices, and sleeping in tents. She couldn’t even craft anything besides medicine for her Pokemon, as Rei was always in charge of crafting Pokeballs, and her knowledge of what was and wasn’t edible for humans to eat in the wild was shaky at best, considering the Supply Corps often took care of food and water for the Survey Corps’ expeditions. With no shelter, no materials she could carry with her, no food, and no materials to purify water, she knew she would not last long in the wilderness.

Komado met her gaze with cold steadfastness. 

Desperation clawing at her insides, a horribly unpleasant, nauseous feeling coating the inside of her mouth, Akari turned to Cyllene, hoping that despite the fact that Cyllene had been cold and indifferent at best ever since she had first seen Akari and told her she would be sent to die in the wilderness if she couldn’t prove her usefulness, she would find at least a small glimmer of pity, or some resistance to Kamado, saying Akari was hard-working and didn’t deserve this. 

But instead, the only thing Cyllene said was, “Follow me, Akari,” her face devoid of emotion as per usual.

Akari hesitated, her heartbeat racing, as she looked at Adaman and Irida, her only defenders (ironic, given the village’s laws posted in her quarters), and Irida approached her.

“Irida!” Kamado said, walking towards the Pearl Clan leader. “I told you that you and Adaman are forbidden to help her!”

Adaman stepped between Kamado and Irida. “Commander, she merely wants to bid farewell to Akari.”

Irida suddenly enveloped Akari in a hug. Akari froze momentarily, the concept of a hug conflicting with everything she had seen and experienced in Hisui, before she returned the gesture, gripping onto Irida like a lifeline, her breathing unsteady.

“Go with your captain,” Irida whispered into Akari’s ear. “I do not want you to risk being chained and abandoned in the wilderness. Adaman and I will later find and help you. Almighty Sinnoh will bless and guide you.”

Akari’s breath hitched, her eyes suddenly watering again, before Irida released her, even if Akari wished she’d held onto her for a few moments longer. Akari made eye contact with Adaman, who gave her the briefest of nods. While he was distracted, however, the Commander pushed past him and approached Akari and Irida.

Akari stepped away from Irida, not wanting to be hit again or cause Irida to be struck and followed Cyllene down the stairs, trying to blink back her tears. Even if Irida and Adaman had just thrown her a lifeline and her death alone in the wilderness seemed at least like less of a possibility, where could she go so that Irida and Adaman could find her? The obvious solution was either the Diamond or Pearl Settlements, but what if Kamado sent someone to follow her? Not to save her from any danger she might find herself in, but to make sure she was not receiving or seeking aid from the clans? How much did they rely on trade and resources from the village? Even if Akari used either her own Pokemon or called upon a Noble Ride Pokemon to quickly transport her to the settlements, what if Kamado sent one of the village’s messenger Pokemon ahead to the settlements to warn the other residents about inviting her in? What would happen to Irida and Adaman if they were caught helping her? Akari knew Irida was a fairly new Clan leader and her leadership was slightly tenuous, with the occasional Pearl Clan member believing Palina would have been a better leader than her. Would one of her detractors betray their leader to Kamado? 

Anger flashed through Akari, and her nails dug into her palms. After everything she’d done for the village, she was being forced to rely on the Clan leaders for safety and help, at hers and their own risks. 

‘Behave with courtesy to others. Those who are weaker must be helped.’ Two of the five principles of the village posted in her quarters. Principles that didn’t matter when related to her, apparently. She’d been injured for the village, covered in scars from cuts and burns. Cyllene had made it clear Akari would be cast out if she stopped pulling her weight--so much for helping the weak, apparently an amnesiac teenager didn’t count as one of the weak. Akari had evidently worked herself to the bone for nothing. 

Cyllene stepped outside and Akari followed her, glaring at her back, gritting her teeth to prevent herself from telling Cyllene what a hypocrite she was being, even if it was more than likely that Cyllene would be entirely unphased by such accusations, almost walking into Rei and the professor, who were waiting outside of the building.

“What happened?” Rei asked, looking between Cyllene and Akari.

“The Commander has banished Akari from the village,” Cyllene said, walking past them without a backwards glance. “Akari! Come.”

“He did what?!” Rei said, his jaw dropping.

“Cyllene, can I please at least pack some belongings?” Akari called after her. She knew she would be in trouble if it took Irida and Adaman long to find her from wherever she was dropped off. 

“No. Follow me.”

“How could he have banished you? After all you’ve done for us?” Rei continued. “You have done everything he has asked of you!”

“Captain Cyllene, you must let us help young Akari!” Laventon said. “How do you expect her to survive without the proper supplies?”

“Both of you, silent,” Cyllene snapped. “You will both be in trouble and perhaps even find yourself in exile if you fight against and disobey the Commander. He has ordered no one to help her. And you will make Akari feel worse if you are exiled as well.”

At least they’d be company in exile and probably have better survival skills than me!

Villagers were beginning to stare, and Akari silently cursed Rei and Laventon for making a quiet, dignified exit from the village impossible. What would happen if she tried to go to her quarters and grab something, even if just blankets? Dignity was gone now that more people than needed knew she was being exiled, and so she followed Cyllene, her head down, face burning as she eyed her quarters, ready to make a dash if necessary to grab materials. 

Then the whispers started.

“No wonder they’ve finally had enough of her…”

Akari’s palms were hurting from how much her nails were digging into her skin. She’d done everything that was asked of her, from Kamado’s orders to stupid requests from the villagers. She’d made sure there wouldn’t be a point where they’d had “enough” of her and decided to let her die. She’d forced smiles and ignored antagonistic comments so nobody had even the smallest foundation of something they could use against her. 

“...Survey Corps can survive without her…”

Unlikely. Laventon didn’t collect any data in the field, he merely analyzed and studied the Pokemon that were brought to him. Cyllene sat at her desk all day and had a partner Pokemon, her Abra, that was good for teleporting around materials and Pokeballs, but little else. Rei was an excellent Pokeball crafter, but rarely ventured into the wilderness to actually catch Pokemon.. Survey work would come to a screeching halt without her, especially because at least half of the village was too scared of Pokemon to even own one. Only a few villagers could actually properly battle, but they had their own duties they couldn’t abandon in favor of catching and battling Pokemon for the sake of the Pokedex.

“Well, what else could you expect from an outsider? We should’ve thrown her back out to die the moment she entered our village!” someone said loudly, not even bothering to whisper. 

Akari’s head snapped up. She recognized that voice. Beni. Of course it had been him. The man had been speaking to Anthe outside of her clothier. The way he’d refused to serve her food until ordered to by Cyllene when she’d first arrived, the way she swore he was deliberately making her food taste worse, the way she was certain he had caused her to get sick from it, to the point she preferred not to eat anything he made for her, the way he never budged from his open dislike of her. If she was getting expelled, there really was no reason to censor herself, she rationalized, and she opened her mouth, about to retort, when Cyllene interrupted her. 

“Akari. Follow me, this way!”

“No.”

Cyllene’s stoic gaze morphed into a more stern look. “Akari, you are simply making this a more long, drawn-out process.”

Akari ignored her and advanced towards Beni. “I don’t even see you gathering materials for your recipes. You just sit in your restaurant all day, letting other people protect you, get your materials for you, keep you safe! You’re obviously too old to actually be able to pull your weight anymore, you are more of a strain on resources than me!”

He shot her a look of disgust. “You are a spawn, a creature of the rift, who has brought a plague upon our sky, our land! You have attempted to worm your way into our community despite our troubles only compounding, the rift growing, since you have arrived!” He glared at Cyllene. “Captain, accepting her into your ranks was a mistake!” 

“I’ve risked my life for all of you useless people!” Akari shouted, gesturing widely to the village residents, who were now forming a very sizable crowd. “None of you were even able to look at Pokemon without freaking out, you’ve been worthless, you’ve been--”

“Cyllene, I thought you would be able to remove her from the village quietly, ” Kamado said behind her; he had apparently left his room to witness her banishment outside. “She is attacking the character of those in our village who work to make their keep, who have proven their worth--”

“Commander, wait,” Arezu, who had been staring slightly wide-eyed at the procession from her bench outside of her hair salon, said. “I get that this and the sky and all is…bad…but Akari’s helped the Diamond Clan and everyone else, I don’t think she would ever cause--”

“Arezu, keep your mouth shut if you wish to keep your profession in this village,” Kamado said. “You may be a warden of a Noble Pokemon, but you are not a leader of people, you do not have their lives in your hands, and Adaman has seen enough reason to agree to let me do my job in order to protect those who look to me for guidance!”

“But Adaman wouldn’t--”

“Arezu,” Adaman, who had approached behind Kamado, followed by Irida, said. “Do as you’re told.”

Even though Akari knew Adaman and Irida planned to help her, his comment, and Arezu’s face falling as she looked at Akari uncertainly, still twisted the metaphorical knife, and spurned Akari to turn to Kamado and say, “You are all hypocrites! Those platitudes, those principles, on the walls of our quarters--what are they even for if you’re just going to ignore them?!”

By now, Akari and Kamada’s shouting had attracted likely the entire village, a sea of fearful, angry, and disgusted faces illuminated in the purple and red light of the sky. Among them, Akari saw two familiar people--Zeke and his sister, Wanda, members of the Security Corps. Both of them, through primarily Wanda, had gotten lost around Hisui, leading to the other begging for Akari to find their sibling, even though rescue missions weren’t her job. 

“You!” she said, pointing at the siblings. “You two would be DEAD without me! And you two are completely useless, if I was constantly getting lost and making people waste time looking for me, I would have been evicted, thrown out, you would have all said I wasn’t pulling my weight!”

Wanda and Zeke both broke eye contact with her, looking at the dirt, as Kamado said, “I will not have a foreigner like you criticize the honest, hardworking residents of my village!”

“Then tell me,” Akari said, not backing up as Kamado advanced towards her, “Why the same rules that apply to me don’t apply to them?”

“Because you have brought calamity and fear upon us!” Kamado shouted. “Beni, Wanda, Zeke, the other members of the Corps, have proven themselves worthy and useful of our limited resources, but--”

“Of course they have!”’ Akari said. “Anyone in the village can do anything, and you’d forgive them just ‘cause they were born here, and you’re just do desperate not to be seen as outsiders yourself by the Clans, that you’ll double down on treating me or anyone else who immigrates here like crap to feel better about yourself--”

“YOU KNOW NOTHING OF ME!” Kamado shouted. “You have not the slightest idea of the destruction and violence I have seen! I am protecting this village, and I have made the difficult decision to execute and banish others who have broken our rules! You, however, are making my decision more justified by the second! Regardless of what challenges you passed when you first arrived, what you did and have done to further our research, you should have been left to your fate in the wild! And you will leave the village now , even if you must be dragged out in chains! Security Corps! Remove her!”

Two members of the Security Corps reached for her. One of them grabbed her arm, but with a scream of, “Don’t touch me !” Akari reached for two Pokeballs on her right hip, where she kept the Pokemon that were her constant companions, heralded with a status beyond Pokemon that were constantly swapped out for research purposes. 

Screams erupted throughout the villagers as Akari released Cupid, her Slyveon, and Dionysis, her Ursaluna, the ursine Pokemon roaring and slashing with its claws at the Security Corps men who stumbled backwards, barely avoiding a potentially lethal swipe. Cupid elicited less terror from the villagers, until, Akari said, her eyes boring into Kamado’s, “Use Fairy Wind on him!”

Kamado stumbled backwards as the mystical wind struck him, Akari’s Sylveon loyal enough that it attacked a human--something it had never done before--without question. Although he did not fall onto the ground, Kamado was driven back away from Akari, and once he had regained his balance, he fixed a look of absolute fury on her and reached for his own belt, perhaps for Pokeballs of his own, but Akari had already climbed onto her Ursaluna’s back and recalled Cupid.

Within seconds, she had rode past the village gates towards the wilderness, the tears that had been stinging and swimming in her eyes finally allowed to fall down her face.

Chapter Text

The village was behind her, well out of sight, when Dionysis finally slowed his pace and looked up at Akari.

“Thanks,” she whispered, sliding off his back. She rarely rode on top of him like such considering her ability to call Wyrdeer with her flute, who could sprint through Hisui faster than nearly any other Pokemon. But in the heat of the moment with Kamado, she obviously hadn’t had time to call upon a Noble Ride Pokemon. 

They were near one of the rivers of the Obsidian Fieldlands. Maybe that was why Dionysis had wanted to stop here, she thought, as he walked to the water and dipped his head into it, drinking.

Him doing so made Akari suddenly become hyper aware that she had just been crying, and therefore had been losing water. Precious water. Water that she didn’t have the adequate means to replenish. She was wearing her satchel, yes, but her water jug and canteen were in her quarters. Impossible to get to now. She had no means of purifying water, and she had no desire to get sick and lose even more water through doing so. Rei had assured her that running water was safe to drink without first purifying it, but Akari had tried to drink water from a running stream in the Coronet Highlands and shortly thereafter became sick. Evidently, Rei and the others were far more accustomed to drinking unpurified water than her. That river water seemed to be fitting her Ursaluna just fine, but she doubted she’d be able to stomach it. Was water from Water-type Pokemon safe to drink? She had no idea, and cursed herself for never asking Laventon or Rei such a question. If she had to, she could try, but if doing so just made her sick…

She pressed her palms against her eyes, trying to push back tears before they fell. No. No. No, I can’t cry, I can’t, I can’tIcan’tIcan’t

A choked-sounding noise emanated from her throat as she attempted to physically repress her tears, and a moment later, Dionysis' head pressed against her side. The feel of him pushing against her arm provided some type of distraction. Having had his fill of water, he stared at her intently, only momentarily distracted by a Driftloon materializing near the two of them. Dionysis growled at it, and the Driftloon quickly vanished. 

Needing something to ground herself, needing to feel something physical to stop her potentially lethal spiraling and panicking, she reached for Dionysis, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in his coarse fur, not caring that he smelled musty and earthly, and like, well, a Pokemon. Dionysis rested on the ground, a low, almost purr-like rumble in his chest. 

Dionysis had been with her ever since he was a shy, small Teddiursa Akari had taken a liking to during survey work. When he’d evolved, he'd become larger, braver, and much more aggressive towards wild Pokemon, and didn't like other people, but was never violent towards Akari herself. While he was undoubtedly protective of her, a benefit in Hisui where wild Pokemon attacked on sight, he was also antagonistic to Pokemon Akari swapped around for research purposes. He'd growl and bare his fangs and claws at any new Pokemon on her team, regardless of how much larger or smaller they were, what type they were, not caring if the research Pokemon held a type advantage over Dionysis. Akari had learned she couldn't have him and any of the research Pokemon out at the same time, and considering research Pokemon came and went, there wasn't a point she could see in trying to get Dionysis used to them. 

It was no wonder that he’d burst out of his Pokeball, roaring, ready to defend her from those who tried to drag her out of the village. She hadn't even needed to say anything to Dionysus, but she’d had to command Cupid to defend her.

Defend her against--

Kamado.

Using Cupid, she had commanded a Pokemon to attack a human.

She stopped moving her hands through Dionysis' fur abruptly, the realization slamming into her. He noticed that she had stopped her rhythmic hand motions, her body language changed, and her Pokemon looked at her. 

“I ordered him to attack Kamado,” she said, her breath trembling. “I ordered my Pokemon to do something violent! I’m a bad person, I proved them right! They think I’m dangerous, what if they attack me on sight? What if they tell the Clans I’m dangerous?”

The what ifs spiraled in her head, her shaking intensified. Barely feeling Dionysus increasingly pushing against her, making agitated noises as he tried to get her attention, tears burned at her eyes -no! NO! She couldn’t cry if she wanted to survive. She’d suppressed tears before around villagers and Cyllene, knowing tears would only be seen as weakness and an excuse to throw her out. Now, they weren’t around, but tears meant losing water. She could survive some time without food, and had lost weight since she had come to Hisui, but could only last a couple days without water. I can't waste water. I can't. 

I told Cupid to use Fairy Wind. His weakest attack. I said the first attack that came to mind, and the fact that I chose his weakest meant I wasn’t trying to kill Kamado.

He was probably about to attack me with his own Pokemon. He’d told the guards to drag me out of the village. It was self-defense.

I’d be in much more trouble if I hadn’t defended myself. 

He was attacking me. He was accusing me. He was trying to get rid of me. He doesn’t care if I die.

A deep shudder ran through her. The way they’d referred to how they executed people--leaving them to be torn apart by Pokemon in the wild or left to the elements--was nothing short of barbaric.

That’s what he would have done to me if I hadn’t made a move first…

And Cupid was a sweetheart. He’d been nothing but gentle and kind to anyone and everyone in the village, no matter how much they’d flinched at him. If he had deigned it appropriate to attack--and clearly not with great strength, considering all he did was knock Kamado backwards--she hadn’t done anything wrong. It was just self-defense. That was all it was. She couldn’t cry. She couldn’t think of anything like the morality of attacking people with Pokemon. She just needed to survive.

She could trust Cupid and his judgement. From the research Leventon had conducted on Sylveons, he’d arrived at the conclusion that they were able to admit some sort of calming aura from their appendages. If a Pokemon who calmed people saw fit to attack them instead, that meant something. 

Calming aura…she needed that. 

She acknowledged Dionysis nudging against her side, resting against him as she released Cupid. He appeared with a flash and, in a testament to his calming abilities, Dionysis barely blinked at him. While Dionysiss didn’t exactly make room for Cupid, he let him rest against Akari’s legs. 

Feeling his weight and the warmth from his ribbon-like appendages was enough to cause her to exhale, slumping slightly as she relaxed, shoulders drooping. Her heartbeat slowed, and her eyelids began to droop--no, I don’t want to fall asleep in the open. She forced herself to sit up.  

As ironically “unnatural” as her Pokemon’s calming, soothing aura was, it did help her think.

“Adaman and Irida said they would help me,” she told her Pokemon. As silly it was, she felt more self-assured just looking at her Pokemon, even if their conversation was one-sided. “Irida was the most passionate about helping us.” After a moment of silence where Cupid blinked his cloudy, blue eyes at her, Akari said, “I think we should try to go to the Grandtree Arena.” Not only did a warden of Irida’s Clan guard the hollow where Noble Kleavor lived, the grandiose power the Lord of the Woods would likely intimidate anyone from the Galaxy Team, and therefore anyone who might attempt to track her. 

Although maybe no one would bother following me to make sure that I’m not getting anyone to help me. That would be a waste of resources, and Dionysis would have smelled anything or anyone hostile. Akari credited her logical conclusions to Cupid making her think clearer. 

Considering Lord Kleavor was vaguely a demigod, it felt inappropriate to sleep in his hollow, but the rest of The Heartwood was thick with trees and foliage that could provide shelter from any bad weather or wild Pokemon.

Rummaging about in her satchel--thank goodness she had fallen asleep wearing it--she removed the Celestica Flute, unintentionally slightly shifting Cupid off her legs, and played Noble Braviary’s tune, the flute melody ringing through the air even after she lowered the instrument from her mouth. The Celestica Flute’s music always carried throughout the surroundings for several seconds after she stopped playing. No matter where she was in Hisui, within a few minutes, the Ride Pokemon she’d summounded appeared to carry her to her destination. 

“Let’s have you return,” Akari murmured to Cupid. “I don’t want to fall asleep in the air with Braviary.”

Despite the sun having long since set--although even if it wasn’t nighttime, Akari didn’t know if sunlight would even shine through the bloody sky--Akari’s hands moved towards another Pokemon after returning Cupid.

There were two Pokeballs she had on herself for research purposes: a Froslass and an Avalug, both caught in the Alabaster Icelands. There was a third Pokemon she had acquired in the Icelands, however, that was in a strange space of not being for research purposes but also not a fighter on her team.

When she, Rei, Laventon, and Supply and Survey Corps members had arrived at the Icelands some days ago, they had been joined by a member of the village who owned a group of Alolan Vulpix. The man was one of the few members of the village who both had a party of Pokemon and left the village on trips, with his most common destination being the Icelands, for the benefit of his Ice types. However, during the expedition with Akari and the others, he’d lost most of his Vulpix, who’d run off to, he presumed, play in the snow. Too frightened to venture into the Icelands by himself, he’d begged Akari to find his lost Pokemon. She hadn’t want to, one, because she rarely wanted to do favors for the people who usually, at best, tolerated or ignored her, when she had actual work to do, and two, because finding white Pokemon in a snowy landscape would be incredibly hard, but the last thing she wanted was word of her being uncooperative getting back to Cyllene or worse, Kamado. So she had agreed, and strained her eyes looking for the Pokemon. 

But it hadn’t been entirely awful, because one of the Vulpix she’d found, a sweet, young one, had taken a liking to Akari, sticking near her at the camp and even letting her pet her. In a move of kindness that had surprised Akari--or maybe it was just him wanting to keep track of one less Pokemon--the Vulpix villager had given Akari the Pokemon that had taken a liking to her. 

Now, already in the short time Akari had had her, the Vulpix had been a source of comfort. It was therapeutic to pet the Pokemon, despite the inherent chill that came from petting an Ice-type. She hadn’t yet nicknamed the Pokemon, despite her affection for her (mostly because she hadn’t been able to think of something fitting, although maybe she would eventually receive a nickname). Logically, the harshness of Hisui and the dangerous work Akari did shouldn’t have permitted what was essentially a pet, but Akari wanted to keep and protect the Pokemon.

And so now, as she waited for Braviary, despite the nighttime cold, she released her Vulpix into her lap, partly for comfort, and partly to wake her up from the drowsiness Cupid had caused.

The snow-white Pokemon appeared, its white fur slightly reflecting some of the colors of the sky. Akari tried to ignore the ominous sky as she looked into her eyes, gently petting the sides of Vulpix’s head.

And then Akari promptly burst into tears. 

From where he had been resting on the ground, Dionysis picked ip his head, a growl rumbling in his chest as he swiveled his head around to survey their surroundings for any potential threat. Vulpix made a distressed noise and nuzzled closer to Akari, Akari’s tears falling onto her Pokemon.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffed at her Pokemon, hugging Vulpix to her chest, its icy body chilling her through her jacket, although it did effectively wake her up from the drowsiness Cupid had caused. “I shouldn’t be crying, it’ll just make things worse, but I did everything right!” 

Months of not being able to have any say in how she was feeling, months of being invalidated, was resulting in her emotions spilling out, and if she kept them suppressed any longer, she was afraid she would be genuinely sick. “I did everything for them, I did everything to make sure this wouldn’t happen, but they were just looking for an excuse to get rid of me, weren’t they?!”

Vulpix made an uncomfortable-sounding yip, and abruptly, Akari realized she had begun to unintentionally squeeze Vulpix in a way that was probably hurting her.

“Sorry! Sorry…” she whispered, releasing her Pokemon and wiping at her face. Vulpix, fortunately, seemed to understand that Akari hadn’t meant to hurt her, and still nestled against her, as Akari herself rested against Dionysus. Tears still wet on her face, Akari gave a shaky, exhausted breath. At least Pokemon didn’t care about village politics. They didn’t judge based on stupid human societal structures. Pokmeon could obviously be dangerous, but at least they were more predictable.

Akari started as a loud caw pierced through the sky. Noble Braviary was diving towards her, landing on the ground with a sweep and ruffle of its wings. It was a testament to the power the Noble Ride Pokemon radiated that Dionysis had never made aggressive moves towards any of them. Granted, Dionysis had growled quietly upon meeting Braviary for the first time, but had never done anything else towards Braviary; ever since then, he had deferred to Braviary and all other Noble Pokemon. Now, he merely closely watched the Ride Pokemon, not making any sort of dominant or threatening display towards it. Far more relaxed than he often was with Pokemon not in her party, and much more quickly trusting of Braviary than nearly any other Pokemon,  including ones Akari did add to her party. Akari had been lucky that despite the type advantage Vulpix had over Dionysis, she was gentle, little, and comforting enough that Dionysis left her alone, not growling at or scaring her.

Akari returned Vulpix and Dionysis to their Pokeballs and climbed into Braviary’s glider. “Lord Kleavor’s Grandtree Arena, please.”

Braviary swooped into the air, once again leaving Akari with an unpleasant dropping feeling in her stomach as Braviary quickly soared. The wind swept through Akari’s hair, mussing it and whistling in her ears. The glider was surprisingly (and thankfully) secure, comparatively, even if it left her feeling rather cold this high up with Hisui’s winds. 

Akari couldn’t help a glance at the sky. It was largely the same sight as on the ground, albeit with the colors more clearly defined as they swirled together. There was no change in the atmosphere or breathability of the air closer to the distortion, either. She supposed that was a small positive glimmer in a sea of uncertainty and fear. 

But looking at the sky made her stomach twist, and so she swallowed, forcing her gaze toward the approaching thicket of the Heartwood. After several minutes of flying, Akari’s willpower being tested as her eyes kept wanting to betray her by flicking up to the sky, Braviary approached the Grandtree Arena. He began his typical rapid descent, leaving Akari’s stomach back in the air as she gripped the glider, her knuckles white. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but Braviary’s steep descents often gave her a horrible feeling like she was about to slip out of the glider. 

She dismounted from and thanked Braviary before attempting to quietly approach the arena, not wanting to disturb the sanctity of the hollow, even given the circumstances. Despite the unnatural light provided by the sky, the thick tree covers made visibility difficult, meaning she didn’t notice Lian until he called out to her.

“You,” he said, causing Akari to jump. “What have you done?”

“I--what?” Akari said, turning in a circle, probably looking stupid, until she was able to make out Lian’s small form sitting on a rock.

“You know what I mean,” he said, and, despite Akari not being able to clearly see his facial features, his tone indicated he was likely glaring at her. “The sky. What happened? It hasn’t been lost on me that despite your quelling of the Nobles and Irida’s insistence, the rift has only increased. Whether you intended it or not, you’re doing something, or at least, your quelling isn’t helping…that.” He gestured upwards, faint rays of the swirling colors leaking through the trees. “The distortion is now far bigger than from when you first fell out of it, and if lightning starts shooting down at the Nobles again, they could become even more frenzied than they were originally! What do you suppose you’d do if that happened?”

Akari made a noise that was a mix of a frustrated exhale and a huff of incredulity. “So you’re believing in conspiracies now, too? Don’t you realize that your leader supports me and my actions, the Noble Pokemon quelling? You’re what, seven years old? You think you know more than your own leader?” 

“I’m not seven!” he snapped. “But that’s not important, I--” He sighed in frustration, dragging one of his hands down his face. “Fine, I doubt that you are deliberately causing anything to happen, considering all of this seems to come from a power far beyond what a human, even one from the distortions themselves, could manage. But you aren’t getting rid of the distortion, and now I worry what would happen if Noble Kleavor or any of the others were struck again!” His gestured to the branches of the tree in the arena, and a dark silhouette shifted in the foliage, Kleavor likely watching Lian and her argue. “If Noble Kleavor were to lose himself again, and on a greater scale than last time, he could kill someone. Go on a rampage even an Alpha Pokemon, or one of the other Noble Pokemon, would be unable to quell. I left the Pearl Clan settlement to come to Lord Kleavor when I saw the rift grow over Mount Coronet, and the clan was already in a panic. If our guardian starts to attack humans, it would be a disaster.” There was an unsteadiness in his voice, a vulnerability he was perhaps unconsciously displaying. 

Akari held her tongue, biting back another inflammatory remark. Lian’s defenses were slightly lowered, and she was suddenly aware that if Lord Kleavor sensed any disrespect to Lian or himself or defilement to his arena, he could leap from the tree and slice her in half within a moment. Akari didn’t know the Noble Pokemon well enough to know if they would react with violence or aggression if they sensed their wardens were being threatened by a non-Hisuin. Trying to make her own voice as even as possible, her fingers twitching to her Pokeballs, wondering if she should call out Cupid to calm herself and Lian, Akari said, “Lian, I need help. Jubilife threw me out, and I have nowhere to go. They blamed me for the sky, and left me to die in the wilderness. And Irida said she would help me.”

Lian looked back up at her, although the arena was too dark for Akari to clearly read his facial expression. “Did they? I suppose it’s no secret that Kamado has never trusted you.” 

Silence hung between them as Akari waited, silently pleading for him to offer to provide her with some sort of aid, some promise that she would find protection with him and Kleavor, or some assurance that would make her circumstances remotely less dire.

But instead, he sighed. “You do not deserve to die, especially because you did calm Lord Kleavor once. But I cannot help you. There are still those in the Pearl Clan who dislike you, and if they discovered I was aiding you and told Kamado, it would jeopardize trade between the village and our clan. We rely on them for resources, especially in the wintertime.”

Akari wanted to cry all over again. Hisui was vast, and she had no idea where she should go in order to find help. She didn’t know the other Pearl Clan wardens very well, even Ingo, apparently her fellow space-time rift traveller. If Lian, technically the one she had known the longest, was unwilling to help her, she couldn’t expect any of the others to express anything beyond sympathy but unwillingness to help. If Lian was any indication, the wardens valued relations with the village over her safety, even as the sky bled. “But Irida said--”

“Perhaps she did make a promise,” Lian said. “But I have not seen her since she left for the village and I came here. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to take your claims at your word without orders from her. At most, I can offer you a place to sleep for the night. You are welcome to sleep under the trees around the hollow. Lord Kleavor’s presence is often enough to dissuade wild Pokemon from venturing near. You will be safe if you stay here.” 

Feeling pathetic to be begging to a child, Akari whispered, “But where will I go afterwards?”

“Perhaps the Diamond Clan could help you?” Lian suggested. “Mai is a caring woman, and I know Adaman likes you. She and Adaman are close, so if Adaman has plans to help you, perhaps he has told her to look for you? She spends much of her time at the Worn Bridge here in the Fieldlands. I doubt she is there right now, given how late it is, but perhaps if you go there tomorrow morning, you can find her. But as for now, I suggest you and your Pokemon rest under the trees. If you are to be wanderers in Hisui, you will need rest and strength for your journeys about the region. Now excuse me, but I must converse with Lord Kleavor.”

Lian inclined his hat towards her before entering the arena, leaving Akari alone, bathed in tree shadows and slivers of light from the sky.

Chapter Text

Akari awoke with the taste of mud and dirt in her mouth.

She’d fallen asleep against Dionysus, feeling, at the very least, comforted by his presence protecting her when she was at her most vulnerable. She slowly sat up, stirring Cupid, who had been sleeping on her lap. Maybe he was the reason why, despite it all, her sleep had been surprisingly nightmare-free. 

Looking at the sky, however, chased away any lingering peace left from her sleep.

The sky was the same mix of colors as it had been the previous night. There was no way to tell if it was day time at all, save for her body naturally waking her up. Could wild Pokemon even tell what time it was? She imagined that a large part of their daily rhythms and routines likely depended on seeing and being guided by the sun, moon, and stars. 

Is this going to cause mass extinctions? she suddenly thought. If no one can see the sky at all?

No, probably not for Pokemon. At least, not for all of them. They were resilient. The sun obviously hadn’t gone out or anything, otherwise everything and everyone, including her, would already be dead. But then again, plants. Would plants start to die if there was no visible sun, even if the sun’s rays were still warming the land? If plants died, Pokemon species would surely follow. She was sure that she’d learned about extinction events somewhere in her actual, proper time. Not that she could pull specific historical knowledge about such major events from her mind, but Pokemon existed in the future. They’d obviously survived major ecological and natural events. Not all of them, though. She seemed to remember the existence of fossils.

Then again, probably nothing like distortion and holes in reality had ever happened before. Or at least, not to her knowledge. Had what was happening to her now already happened in the future/the present she was from? If she did return home, would the present she returned to be different from the one she’d left? Not that she would know the difference given how little she remembered. 

No. She dragged her eyes from the sky. No, she wasn’t going to waste time thinking about the logic of time travel. Especially since that being, the entity, that had plucked her out of her time likely didn’t follow the same logic she did. She didn’t remember what she had been doing when she had been taken from her proper time; her first clear, distinct, comprehensible memory was waking up on the beach near the village with a mouthful of sand. The being that had given her the task of seeking out all Pokemon was a clearer memory than her previous life, but was still somewhat fuzzy, indistinct. She remembered a void, but the not a clear image of the being itself. Maybe that was because whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t of the mortal plane of existence. She remembered its voice, though. Its command. Seeking out all Pokemon had proved to be dangerous work, but it was the only way she had to maybe getting home. But if she was given more tasks by the creature in the void instead…

“Stop thinking about that,” she snapped to herself, hitting the sides of her face. “It’ll do you no good.”

Dionysis grumbled next to her as he shifted his weight. He was probably hungry and thirsty. Her entire team likely was. She certainly was. The fear of dehydration and starvation crept on her again, her gut twisting. She couldn’t throw up. That would be even more of a death sentence than crying, in terms of how much more dehydrated it would make her. 

“I’d start traveling to Mai if I were you.”

Akari started; she hadn’t noticed Lian approaching her. 

“A--Alright.” Akari returned her Pokemon to their Pokeballs, figuring that they would be more comfortable and last longer in there than out in the open. Something she’d forgotten to ask Lian the previous night came to mind. “By the way, is water from Water-type Pokemon safe to drink?”

“I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.”

Akari quietly cursed under her breath before biting her lip. She was already feeling thirsty, and she knew she would become vastly impaired within a day if she couldn’t find any water to drink. 

Looking at Lian’s water flask, which was slung around his shoulder, she asked hopefully. “Can I have some of your water?”

Lian glanced down at his flask before shifting its strap behind him. “It’s almost empty.”

Akari lowered her head to make direct eye contact with Lian, trying to determine if he was being honest. He stared back at her for several seconds until he cleared his throat and lowered his gaze before quickly adding, “I can tell you what plants are safe to eat.” 

A retort, maybe an accusation, was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. With Adaman and Irida nowhere to be found, it would be foolish to reject any help. “Alright.” After a moment, she added, “Please.”

“Okay.” He relaxed, likely relieved that she had accepted his conversation changer.

“So, there’s some mushrooms that are safe to eat, but they look very similar to poisonous mushrooms, and you don’t have enough experience to know the difference, so don’t eat any mushrooms.”

Half of Akari wanted to be offended, but she knew he was right.

“Medicinal leeks are edible, but they won’t cure you like they will your Pokemon by themselves. All Berries are edible, some taste better than others, but like the leeks, they won’t cure poisonoing, paralysis, or anything else by itself. And cook any meat.”

She wasn’t stupid. She knew that last part.

“Do you know how to start a fire?”

It was one of the few survival skills she’d picked up decently well enough in Hisui, so she nodded.

“Good. That will be crucial to survival.”

“But I need water--”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with that,” he interrupted. “No one in my Clan can give you any resources. Even if you claim Irida wishes to. I am sure she does, but I cannot risk our standing with Kamado for the sake of one person. I told you already. Mai may be able to give aid I cannot.” After a moment, he broke eye contact with her. “I am sorry.”

Where in the world were Adaman and Irida? Surely they’d have to realize that she had only a certain window of time before she died of dehydration. What were they doing now? Trying to calm their Clans? Expecting her to find her way to them? Expecting her to survive several days on her own? Because right now, clearly, Irida hadn’t told Lian anything of worth. 

But the Pearl Clan was significantly further away than the Diamond Clan. It could be possible that Adaman had instructed Mai to help her in some way. News would travel quicker between the Diomand Clan and Mai than the Pearl Clan and Lian.

Lian. She gave him another look. He looked up at her before turning away and saying, “I need to converse more with Lord Kleavor.”

Akari gave a humorless scoff, again aware she was being ordered around by a much younger child. Logically, she knew she should be thanking him for shelter for the night and information on edible plants. But his obvious dismissal was not making her feel very grateful.

Akari forced a bitter, “Thank you for trying to help,” but it sounded as hollow and insincere as she felt as she once more played the Celestica Flute to call Noble Braviary.

A few minutes later, Akari was soaring above the Fieldlands in Braviary’s glider.

She squinted as she looked down, even though looking at what would certainly be a fatal drop scared her. Her thoughts about potential Pokemon extinction and the disasters that the distortion in the sky would cause hadn’t left her. She was trying to figure out how the Pokemon she was flying over were handling the sky changing, but, while she had caught most if not all of the Pokemon in the Fieldlands, she didn’t understand their patterns or behavior enough to be able to pick up any signs of distress or changes in their patterns, especially from Braviary’s glider. Something, something…maybe their natural body cycles would be enough to regulate at least their daily patterns and routines? She had no idea. This would have been a question for the professor and maybe Rei, but they weren’t exactly currently available. 

She suddenly slid slightly forward in the glider and let out an undignified yelp, gripping the handles tighter. Falling to her death wouldn’t be the worse way to die in Hisui (that honor likely went to burning or roasting to death in lava, as she was sure she would have done when attempting to quell Lord Arcanine had she not flown on a Staraptor she’d had on-hand to drop balms onto the raging Pokemon), but she still hardly wanted to fall. She focused on keeping her eyes looking ahead, not down. 

Some minutes later, Braviary approached the Worn Bridge, where Akari had directed him. She strained her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of Mai’s blue clothes or her Munchlax from the sky as Braviary made a (thankfully) much more controlled descent to the ground compared to what he’d done the previous night. 

She thanked him again, even as her gaze haphazardly jumped across the landscape, trying to find Mai. She suddenly wondered how Braviary was reacting to the sky situation. He hadn’t been acting skittish. Did he have mildly ruffled feathers, the occasional glance at the sky, something subtle she’d been too preoccupied to notice? However, as she turned to look back at Braviary, he was already flying back into the sky, leaving a singular feather behind that fell at Akari’s feet. After a moment’s hesitation, she picked it up and pocketed it. It seemed silly, but maybe having the feather of a vaguely-demigod-like Pokemon would bring her luck. She needed some of it, anyways. 

Is that sacrilegious? Based on the conflicts the Diamond and Pearl Clans had with each other, people in Hisui obviously took their religions very seriously. Her hand twitched, wondering if she should put the feather back on the ground, but ultimately decided against it as she pushed her hand into her pocket, running her fingers over the feather as she began calling Mai’s name as she walked up the stony overpass overlooking the river, avoiding the edges of the natural bridge. Even though Rei (probably correctly) insisted she needed to learn how to swim, she still didn’t know how to.

Several Starly flew past her, chittering loudly, and she jumped, accidently stumbling towards the edge of the bridge. She glanced nervously at the drop to the water before calling out her Deciduye, Ares. 

The Pokemon that had been with her the longest, Ares was wise, mature, capable, keen, and strong. Unlike Dionysis, he was not outwardly aggressive with research Pokemon or wild Pokemon, but regarded them sharply under his hood, his eyes following their movement as he stood tall. When wild Pokemon bothered him, he was quick to take a stance against them. He probably knew how to fight the best out of all of her Pokemon: Dionysis could be violent and aggressive, but slightly uncontrolled, in his fighting, while Ares was much more collected and precise in his movements, but still ready to fight when necessary. 

Ares swiveled his head around the Fieldlands as he rested on the edge of the bridge, unconcerned by the drop. Although he couldn’t carry her on his back, he had no issue with flying unburdened by himself for short distances, soaring and gliding to graceful, controlled stops. 

“Look out for anything, okay?” Akari said before she continued to call Mai’s name as she walked up the bridge.

A moment later, her shouting paid off as Mai emerged from behind a tree, her Munchlax following her, the normally content-looking Pokemon shifting nervously. “Akari? Is that you?”

“Yes, it is--sorry, Mai, but can I please have some of your water?” Akari said, looking at Mai’s water flask slung over her shoulder. At Mai’s hesitation, she added, “I haven’t had any to drink since last night before I fell asleep before the distortion. I was just with Lian, but he wouldn’t give me any.”

Mai sighed and slung off her water canteen. “Don’t drink all of it.”

“I won’t.” Akari would usually not be keen on sharing water with Hisuians due to sanitary concerns, given that they certainly harbored bacteria and who knows what else in their saliva that she wasn’t used to, but she hoped Mai’s water was clean enough to keep down. 

“Did you get this from running water?” Akari asked as she unscrewed the canteen lid. “Like, from a river?”

“No,” Mai said. “I brought it from our settlement. I have heard you have a weak stomach, but even you should be able to tolerate it.”

That might have been a slight jab, but Akari didn’t care. Still trying not to put her mouth on the canteen lip, she poured water for herself without touching the canteen.

“My, my, what a frightful sky,” Mai mused as Akari took another swallow of water. “Such a disturbing sight would be enough to put anyone ill at ease.”

Akari swallowed again and laughed bitterly. “You could say that happened with Kamado.”

“You don’t know what brought this about, do you?”

“Of course I don’t!” Akari said, barely refraining from snapping at Mai. “Have you heard what happened to me? Kamado threw me out! He’s sent me here to die! What, do you think I wanted to be expelled from the only sort of safe place I know here?” She poured another gulp of water into her mouth before she could start cursing Hisui and its dangers. 

Mai held up her hands placatingly. “I’m sorry, Akari. I did not meant to accuse you, but merely ask if you had an idea of what was causing this particular disaster. Since you have seemed to solve problems for the Diamond and Pearl clans alike.” Mai shook her head. “But I suppose it was too much to hope that you could already have an answer to this.”

Yeah. It was.

How did you people handle anything before I came along? You really had no proper backup plan if the Nobles turned against you?

Mai reached for her water canteen, and as Akari reluctantly capped it--at least the mud and dirt taste was gone from her mouth and she wasn’t feeling as thirsty anymore--Mai said, “I’ve heard from Adaman about your plight. About how you cannot return to your village.” 

Akari’s breath caught in her throat, a rare sensation--hope--fluttering in her stomach. Someone was recognizing her needs. Adaman had sent Mai to help her.

But as quickly as Mai had sparked Akari’s hope, she extinguished it as she said, “But I’m afraid the Diamond Clan cannot be the ones to help you.”

            Akari stared at her, the fluttering in her stomach turning into heavy, jagged edges of dread. “What?”

“If we helped you, the Diamond Clan could be at war with the Galaxy Team. I know how hot-headed and stubborn your commander can be. Who knows what vengeance he could inflict upon us?”

“But I need help!” Akari said, her mouth feeling like it was coated with bile despite just drinking Mai’s water, as tears burned at the corners of her eyes. “I’m going to die if someone doesn’t help me! Adaman told me he was going to help me; he hasn’t told you anything?”

“He has?” Mai said skeptically. “He mentioned no such thing to me.”

The jagged edges in Akari’s stomach felt like they were twisting and piercing her insides as a sob caught in her throat, threatening to spill out. If Adaman and Irida did not trust their own wardens to reach out to and help Akari, she had no idea how she was going to seek asylum with them. If the wardens were unwilling to aid her, other members of the Clans would immediately turn her away. She’d never been able to directly “prove” herself to them, prove that she wasn’t inferior to them, that she deserved to be treated properly.

Upon seeing Akari’s face, Mai sighed. “I truly am sorry. The great Wrydeer took a liking to you. Of course, you are free to call upon him whenever you may need, even in your exile. Kamado cannot stop you from doing that. I would like to offer my support, but I cannot. Please forgive me.”

“Forgive you?!” Akari said shrilly, tears blurring her vision. “You’re just letting me die out here! Why should I think about forgiveness when I can barely think straight at all? When I don’t even know how I’ll get food, water, shelter?”

Mai sighed again. Akari wanted to hit her for thinking sighing was a proper expression of remorse. “I know you are in a tough spot. Do not abandon hope. Time solves all things.”

Akari gave a humorless, sardonic, short laugh. Time is something I don’t have.

“I have faith in you, Akari,” Mai pressed. “Ever since you have arrived in Hisui, you have a remarkable talent of making your way in the world. I have no doubt you’ll continue to find a path to walk. Now, if you’ll please excuse me.”

Mai turned her back to Akari, walking down the path Akari had climbed up. 

Akari watched her leave, wanting to properly chase after her, as sobs built up in her throat and chest. It hurt to keep them repressed, and even despite thoughts of water and dehydration warning her not to allow more tears to fall, she was entirely unable to prevent them from sliding down her face. 

Ares had been watching Akari and Mai speak, and he moved to Akari, brushing against her, a worried trill warbling from him.

She barely felt his feathers against her as she collapsed to the ground, the water she’d drunk sour from the queasiness in her mouth, exhaustion weaving its way through her bones.

Akari bent over to the ground, her forehead pressing against the grass, and screamed.

Some hours later, with thirst creeping back up on her and exhaustion even more deeply settled into her skin and bones, Akari sat at the edge of a river in the Fieldlands. She’d gone longer without food, mostly when she was feeling too overwhelmed and anxious to eat. But then, at least she had nervous energy. Now, she had nothing.

She didn’t know what to do. She’d screamed and hadn’t been able to stop crying, despite Ares’ presence as he covered her with his wings. She must’ve dozed off after screaming until her throat hurt, because she’d awoken resting against Ares’ feathers as he lay next to her. Knowing none of this was their fault, she’d released her Pokemon to find food and water for themselves. She picked some berries for herself and Vulpix, but, after staring at the berries and being hyperaware of her twisting, churning, stomach, she’d just given Vulpix her share. 

Now, however, she was sitting on the embankment of the river, staring listlessly at the rushing brook.

There was no indication that Adaman and Irida were still willing to help her. 

She was now too nauseous with anxiety to eat, worried it would come back up. She knew she had to get water in her, but was still scared to drink water without purifying it. Maybe she could fill her waistpack with water and try to start a fire under the pack to purify the water, but she worried about her pack catching on fire and therefore her losing the ability to carry supplies. But she knew that if she didn’t drink sooner rather than later, she’d start to rapidly deteriorate. But if she lost the water she’d drunk by getting sick, she’d deteriorate that way, too.

She didn’t know how to swim. She could ride on Noble Basculegion on the water, albeit with a death grip on his harness. She’d fallen off once and had screamed, water getting in her mouth, as she’d flailed about until she could grab the Ride Pokemon again, spending the next several minutes coughing.

She continued to stare dully at the water.

The thought had originally come as a tiny whisper, part of a thread of despair when she’d been screaming herself into exhaustion. It hadn’t left as she’d woken up and not found the energy to eat. 

She was going to die anyways. No one was coming for her.

…Maybe she should just get it over with before she slowly and painfully deteriorated. 

Her hands twitched to her Pokeballs. It wouldn’t be fair to her Pokemon to drag them down with her. They could survive on their own in the wild. Maybe not Vulpix, but the others could look after her. They wouldn’t abandon her.

No… she thought weakly. The point was she didn’t want to die. Drowning herself was such an extreme to leap to.

But there was no one, nothing to help her. She was too sick too eat. The alternate was suffering a slow death by dehydration, exposure, or whatever Hisui wanted to throw at her. 

Maybe it was for the best to get it over with. She knew she couldn’t survive in the wilderness. She had no one to fall back to. The Clans were too afraid to help her. Kamado could kill or injure her if she came back to the village. The bandits in the land obviously could survive on their own, but Akari felt they were more likely to kill her than anything else. There was the merchants, but they relied on the village to sell their wares. It seemed unlikely they would want to help her. And even if they did, Akari had no idea where to even begin looking for them.

Maybe Hisui was too wild to live in alone. Even those three bandit sisters that roamed the land had each other, and knew how to live off the region they had grown up in, even if they separated themselves from civilization. Akari had had several close calls with death before, but had always managed to avoid it. But that was when she had the aid of the village, even if reluctantly from their part. 

Maybe she should take her fate into her own hands to deny Hisui its final victory over her.

She removed one of the Pokeballs from her belt, but then--

“Strange events seem to follow you wherever you go, don’t they?”