Like No One Ever Was

“So, I’ve told you all about my past and the possible future of this world. With that in mind, should I go to school?”

The four Pokemon in front of me looked a little confused before they all started speaking (and chiming) up.

“Ok, ok, calm down, one at a time. Nightwing, you first.” I pointed to her, mostly because she was sitting to the far left of me in my room, with Miles on the right, and I felt I’d get the most fruitful conversation from them to go off of after hearing the rest.

“Gligar, ar, ligar.” Nightwing said in a huff, looking off to the side.

“You’re interested in getting to fly around more, fair.” I didn’t expect much more from her, and honestly, she’s learned a lot of patience in the time we’ve been training together. But even so, it’s in her nature to want to fly free. A part of me wondered how much that was true for my own nature, given my Aura.

Notch chimed out next, and I still had trouble understanding them, especially on such a nuanced topic. “You’re saying I shouldn’t go?” I tried, getting a low chime to indicate I wasn’t right. “That I should be careful?” The sounds that followed after probably meant ‘close enough.’

Before Nightwing could start an argument with Notch over that, I turned to Dun. “What are your thoughts on the matter?”

My starter frowned, flopping a bit on my bed, and said, “Dudun.”

You trust me no matter what, huh? “I appreciate the support.”

Miles was next to speak and began by saying, “I understand your concerns, bzzt. The threats in the future are real and, on a personal and public level, could have huge repercussions. But are they truly tied to you going on a journey?”

“Maybe? If I’m at school early, that might shift things regarding Penny and Team Star. Or I might miss out on them entirely if I graduate early.” It was possible to spend longer at Uva Academy, with even adults being ‘students’, but the curriculum was vastly different for such courses, so I wouldn’t have the time to be close to the canon characters. And it means leaving Arven on his own as well.

Notch looked confused at me, so I explained, “Most people go on journeys in Paldea during their time at Uva Academy. The costs of such trips are subsidized by the school during their annual Treasure Hunt.”

“Sparce,” Dun pointed out, which made me stop and think for a moment. Huh. I guess he’s right that with my family I don’t need to wait for that. Heck, Cyan managed to get five badges during her Treasure Hunt but was able to take Flying Taxis to other cities through her final term of the first year at Uva and just got her eighth badge.

“Ok, fair point, I could go on my journey now without going to school. There is still the question of if I should go to school or not. I could just travel the world for the next few years, but... I’d also like to learn more. And yeah, I’ll learn through travel too, but there are a lot of subjects, especially scientific and mathematical, that I won’t be able to learn about as easily outside of a classroom. My tutors have been great, but there’s so much more I want to study.”

“Dunsparce,” Dun spoke up, which provoked some discordant chimes from Notch. Huh, wonder why that riled them up so much? If I’m reading him right, it’s a legitimate question, even if I disagree.

“I get that idea, Dun, but I think we can’t just say that everything will be butterfly-effected away. No, I don’t care if it’s called ‘the Butterfree effect’ here, this is talking about my personal timeline, so I’ll use my original world’s phrases!” Letting out an exasperated breath, I got back on track. “Grusha got injured snowboarding just like he would have originally.”

“Could that not be a one-off occurrence, bzzt?” Miles pointed out, drifting back and forth in the air, their version of pacing in thought. “And even were that true, Grusha was someone whom you had never before interacted with. You could attempt to take early action even now and resolve the issues at Uva Academy.”

“Like I’ve tried with Turo. I interacted tons with him, and he still seems set on the same path as ever, no matter how many subtle nudges I give him. And overt could be just as problematic.

“Gli,” Nightwing expressed her displeasure, her tail angrily whipping about over my bed sheets.

“Hey! Careful with that, I don’t want you damaging the bed.” She looked entirely unimpressed with me. “Fine, yes, I’m needlessly worrying, but it’s hard! Every bit of future information I spend, the less valuable the rest of it becomes. I- I'm just worried. I want to go on adventure, I want to go around Paldea as my first journey; it's my home. But the moment I begin, it's all going to feel... real. Every change I make deliberate, not just something that happened in the moment."

I've always been bad at starting new things, hesitant to change course. But I can't let those fears hold me back. I've already made changes to the world, and while they might not have paid off much yet, I can't act like they won't impact the future. If going out now means I miss out on being the student council president or being close to Penny during the Team Star stuff, I'll find ways to deal with things then.

Dun brushed up beside me encouragingly, and I scratched the top of his head. “Thanks for putting up with me, guys.” Taking a deep breath, I said, “I’ve made up my mind! I’m going to go to school and go on a journey, even if it’s early. Whatever problems might occur, I’ll deal with them later.”

“Bzzt, that’s great to hear! We support that decision, but if you have any doubts, it’s not like you have to go to Uva Academy right now? You could travel to a different region and study there for a while before coming back to Uva, bzzt.” Miles offered, and I scratched my chin, thinking about it.

“Uva Academy is quite prestigious, but I’m sure there’s plenty I could study at other schools. Let me look into that.” At my words, Nightwing anxiously hopped off of me, tapping her foot on the wooden floor.

“Yes, yes, we’ll still get some training in.” The team had recovered well from their defeat at Hassel’s hands, but within all of my Pokemon burned a fire to prove themselves. And that same fire is within me too - I want him to see just how far we’ve come.

***

After a few days studying, I’d narrowed my options down to two choices. First and foremost came Uva Academy. It had the advantage of being near home, but several others as well.

Uva Academy had been around for almost 800 years. A bastion of knowledge and a major reason why we still had details of the empires and kingdoms that had been around thousands of years before even it (though the exact figures could be scarce and subject to some guesswork in some cases). That might not seem like a lot from the perspective of someone in a Poke-less world, but it was a huge deal here.

Pokemon could help people rebuild from nothing, make grand civilizations… but they could also destroy them just as fast. Oftentimes faster, and people sometimes didn’t understand (or didn’t care about) the whims of Legendaries, god-like Pokemon that could and had utterly destroyed them in times past. It was also possible that such nations could destroy themselves, the greed of men pushing people against each other. Either way, such devastation tended to leave few records left for successor nations, and those nations often did not care enough to keep detailed records of the past.

Paldea was different, with luck tending to cause any cataclysm to avoid the stores of knowledge and great pains taken by the people of the ages to retain them. The works that the Academy had stored, reproduced, and then advanced on in all those generations kept Paldea at the cutting edge of academic and technical prowess. We might not be seen as incredible battlers, but there’s a reason why students come from around the globe to study at Uva Academy. Few can match it for the level of education it can give. With that in mind, it wasn’t surprising that we had three full Pokemon Professors within a single generation (Friede, Sada, and Turo).

A bit of checking had also shown that it wouldn’t be that hard to make sure I would be close to Penny and the others when we got near canon. I could be a teacher’s assistant instead of the student council president and intervene when the other kids tried to bully them. Hopefully, the details around all that were pretty sketchy in the games.

Given the prestige and proximity, there were few other schools, even in all the known regions, that could compete with Uva Academy. Blueberry Academy 'in' my birth nation of Unova was one of them, however.

If Uva was on the cutting edge, Blueberry was on the bleeding edge. It was a massive state-of-the-art facility that covered everything a student could need. They had a heavier focus on battling and technology than Uva, with less on history and arts, but both schools boasted incredibly in-depth courses on everything under the sun. I’d hardly be missing out in either area, though I couldn’t deny that the battle opportunities there sounded tempting. Double Battles offer up so many more intricate strategies and combinations, I kinda wish more places had them. They even had their own Elite Four! Wow, that sounds awesome. Kinda weird that they have that though, since Unova has their own League too…

Looking into it deeper, I was able to piece together why. Blueberry Academy had been around for quite some time, but in a rather different form than before. Back a few decades ago, they were an ordinary, if advanced, school. Then they suddenly shifted, becoming more isolated from the League, building a new facility. With the help of scientists like Colress and others from Paldea, the new so-called ‘sister school’ of Uva was built not on Unova’s shores but rather off of them. They had a submarine to shuttle them to and fro the main land, with most of Blueberry Academy existing underwater.

That’s both incredibly cool and dumbfounding in scope. Underwater cities have often been an idea of science fiction, and with the power of Pokemon, I can totally see it happening, but still. Blueberry Academy is enormous! Their largest level is a vast multi-biome dome that’s nearly the size of Galar’s Wild Area!! What the hell? I mean, so freaking cool, but seriously, that must have taken so much work and money to make. And for the rest, they have tons of facilities to teach, learn, and live. Their own currency in ‘BB points’, heavy ties to another nation, their own Elite Four... If they had a Gym Circuit, they’d probably qualify as their own region in the eyes of the League.

I imagined that all of this was very intentional, even if no brochure or history book came outright and said it. What Team Plasma did terrified a lot of people. Evil Teams rose up many times in the past, and often with heinous goals, but none got as close to achieving them as Plasma did. None managed as much lasting, wide-scale harm. A lot of people and Pokemon were separated, and the Unovan League fell before N and Reshiram, even if he was stopped shortly after. It’s clear that Blueberry Academy was quite unimpressed with this, and so they went out of their way to make themselves as independent as possible. Not completely splitting off from Unova either, I noted. There were likely a number of complex political reasons why people on both sides chose to retain those ties, but I couldn’t discern them from a quick outside glance.

What I could figure out was that this was an incredible place. Possible civil strife aside (and even that was something I doubted would be happening imminently, with the knowledge that DLC I never got around to playing would take place there and doubting Nintendo would ever go that deep into such a complicated issue), it seemed great. Everything I could want to study there, and all the battles I could ever desire.

I didn’t remember much of my childhood there, but I did technically have a dual citizenship in Unova, for however much that mattered, too. Not that I thought there would be any problems entering the academy from that end. The only issue was my age.

Today was my ninth birthday, and looking over the online application forms, I saw that Blueberry Academy did have an age limit. I’d need to be at least ten to go to Blueberry. For all of the fancy stuff to explore there, it doesn’t give you the means to participate on a Journey/Gym Circuit while you’re there. From what I had read, most students in Unova either did so before applying to the academy or after they finished.

“Young Miss,” a knock came at my door, and I straightened up, closing my laptop.

“Come in.” Leah entered, smiling at me.

“Look at you, all dressed. Are you eager for your birthday party?”

“Yeah! Are they all here yet?”

“Not yet, silly girl. They should be here by noon, though. And Arven has already arrived with-” She was cut off by my hug. “What’s this all about?”

“Just wanted to thank you. I wouldn’t have even thought of inviting Carmine, Kieran, and Lacey if you hadn’t suggested it.” I was going to talk with them online today, but it was Leah who pointed out that my parents could easily afford flights for my other friends to come over for my birthday.

“It’s no problem at all, Young Miss. As I was saying, your friend is downstairs, and he’s got Professor Turo on a call from Area Zero, looking to wish you a happy birthday.”

Blinking in surprise, I quickly sped out of my room. “Best not keep him waiting then, thank you!” I shouted as I literally flew down the stairs. In the large living room, Arven sat on the sofa, his Rotom Phone extended out and hovering horizontally like a tablet.

“Hey Arven,” I got the boy’s attention, waving to him as I walked around behind the couch to see Professor Turo on the screen of the phone. “And T- Professor Turo, good to see you.” While the man on the screen appeared just a bit too animated to be a machine, the background behind him was eerily familiar. The messy desk and scrawled diagrams on the chalkboards in the background gave me flashbacks to the game I played a lifetime ago.

“Nemona!” Arven cheered and turned to look at me while his father nodded his head and said the same.

“Happy birthday, Nemona. As is customary, I have a gift for you.” He pointed at a plain brown box Arven had by his side. Cautiously, I held it up. What could this be?

Before I opened it, the man added, “Additionally, my son, I have something in there for you as well. The rest of the package is for Nemona, alongside a machine that should arrive at her house soon; however, the Pokeball is for you.”

My curiosity piqued, I began ripping off the brown paper wrapping covering it and opening the cardboard box. Inside was an ordinary-looking Pokeball and several glimmering crystals, each one housed in a smaller glass case. Eighteen of them, to be exact.

“Are these Tera Crystals?”

“Indeed. While they have generally been considered merely a curious geological phenomenon-”

“You can use them to change a Pokemon’s Tera Type!” I exclaimed, leaving Turo blinking in surprise.

“That is correct. How did you figure that out?” He questioned.

“Oh, uhh, I just kinda assumed. The Gym Leaders of Paldea recently have had a bunch of Pokemon with different Tera Types, to match their Gyms but also give Type diversity in battles. It was too common a trend to just be naturally occurring, and said natural occurrence of Tera Pokemon in the wild could be easily explained by the crystals that pop out of the ground all around Paldea.” I ‘explained’. Having the answers already makes it easier to work backwards and come up with the reason for why that might be.

The Professor nodded, his hand rubbing against the bristles on the side of his face. Looks like shaving takes a bit less of a priority down in Area Zero than all the science he’s doing.

“Your hypothesis is correct. Technically, mere exposure over a long enough time will do for changing a Pokemon’s Tera Type, but I’ve developed a machine that can streamline the process. All you will have to do when it arrives is place your Pokeball and the Type of crystal you want in the machine, and it should change their Tera Type. I’ve attached some instructions.” True to his words, I saw a small booklet inside the box.

“Well, all I can say is thank you. This will be a huge boon when battling. Notch, that is my Carbink, had a huge problem with Hassel’s Dragons and the Steel Type Moves they knew. I used a Nabiri Berry, which helped a bit, but if I could free them up for a different held item. Fairy Feather? Or maybe Lax Incense? No, Light Clay, if the screens lasted longer I could have done so much-”

My rant was interrupted by the sound of Arven’s laughter, making me realize I was going off on a tangent. Professor Turo was smiling, and I felt an odd kinship to him. I always feel nervous when getting someone a gift and so happy when I see that I’ve gotten them something they really like. And I love this - my battle against Hassel was so tough because of the limited usefulness of my Pokemon’s Tera Types against him. The double weaknesses that my two newest Pokemon have were especially crippling. The best I could do with either of them would have been removing one half of the weakness and not actually getting too much of a boost in damage against his Dragons.

“I’m glad to hear you like it. My battling skills are lacking, so I wasn’t sure. Now, did you say you had a Carbink? Where did you find them?”

The man seemed oddly curious about my team, but I figured there was no harm in answering. “Kitakami. I went there on a family trip. Caught a Gligar as well there, actually.”

“Ah, I see. I thought you might have found one here in Paldea.”

Scratching the back of my head, I racked my mind. “That would be quite the find, wouldn’t it? I don't think they’re native here, are they?”

Turo’s eyes lit up. “While I didn’t believe so before this experiment, I’ve found signs that there might be Carbinks dwelling deep, deep within Area Zero.”

“Where there are tons of Tera Crystals! I found the small pack of Carbinks in Kitakami right beside Crystal Pool, which has a massive Tera Crystal at the bottom of the lake! They said that the crystal came from the sky millions of years ago - or at least, that was as best as I could interpret from them. None of them had ever left their little cave in eons before Notch joined me.”

“Fascinating. I wish I could explore that region to see if that is true and what implications it might mean for our own Area Zero.” There’s my chance, yes!

“I mean, who’s to say you can’t? Might be good to get out of Area Zero once in a wh- for a bit of a longer trip. You could even take Arven with you to Kitakami; the people there are quite friendly.” Debatable on some of those points, but if he could just leave Area Zero...

To his credit, Turo had visited his son a couple of times in the past year. To his detriment, however, it was only a couple of times, and he never stayed long. I knew they would have phone and video calls fairly regularly, which was nice, but not enough for a growing kid.

The man frowned, pausing for a moment and even running a hand through his messy hair. Sighing, he said, "Unfortunately, I cannot. Not while I’m studying here, and there is still much to do. The League poured quite a bit of funding into this project, and I need to see that it pays off.” Dammit! I know you’re lying; the League doesn’t want you researching time travel, they don’t even know half the shit you’re getting up to! Studying the crystals in Kitakami could totally be worked into a comparison with the crystals in Area Zero, and the League would be thrilled at whatever discoveries you could get on Terastalization, which is why you’re down in that pit in the first place!

Holding back on screaming all that at him, well aware it wouldn’t help, Turo continued. “I have made great strides, however, and in more than just those Tera Crystals. Open the Pokeball, my son.”

Arven, who had been holding on tightly to the Pokeball, eagerly pressed the button on the red-and-white ball, pointing it at the open space in my large living room. Out of it popped a metallic-looking purple Pokemon. While I knew it could take on the form of a motorcycle, the swell of its neck and uncoiled lashing tail behind it showed the more draconic nature of the Legendary beast that had suddenly made itself known within my home. The barely contained electrical energy pouring out of it would have made the power this creature had apparent even if someone didn’t already know this was one of the strongest Pokemon on the planet.

“Miraidon…” He’s begun using the Paradox machine already. I thought I’d have more time, but I don’t. He’s going to bring in more Paradox Pokemon until-

“... Nemona, how do you know that name?” The Professor’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I saw the usually composed man openly gaping at me. Usually I might have relished the look of horror on his face (and the joy on his son, ignoring us and utterly enraptured by this new Pokemon), but my mind was racing at ten thousand kilometers a second, trying to figure out what exactly I could say to cover this up.

“Uhmmm, they sure do look like a Miraidon, don’t you think?” I tried.

“Well- yes, that is why I named them that, but how could-”

“So it makes perfect sense then!” I said brightly, hoping my bullshit could let me push past this conversation for the moment so I could come back to it more prepared.

Luckily, Arven swooped in to (inadvertently) save me. “You got me a Pokemon, Dad?!?” He screeched his question, forcing the man to refocus.

“Ah, yes. That is an incredibly rare Pokemon I found in Area Zero called... Miraidon, as Nemona ‘deduced.’” The man didn’t use finger quotes for the word (mostly because that would have required him to take both hands out of his pocket, something he almost never did), but I could tell he was thinking them really hard. “You mentioned how lonely things could be up there. I still haven’t achieved my goal, but Miraidon has proven quite friendly, and I hoped they might help you feel less lonely.”

Aww, so sweet. A shame that when he pulls the next one through, it’s going to rip him to shreds. Or electrocute him? I don’t actually know how the other Miraidon killed him, but it won’t be pretty.

“Thank you so much, Daddy!” Arven shouted, the boy leaping up and opening his arms as if to hug him, then remembering he was just on the other end of the screen. “I’ll take really good care of Myrideon and feed them all the tastiest foods. Oh, what does their diet uh subsist of?” It’s cute to see him try and remember the words I use to explain that stuff to him. He cares a ton, and I think he’d make a great dietician or chef someday. Still, there weren’t any problems with Miraidon in canon, so I don’t think he’ll accidentally do anything wrong in raising or feeding him here.

“I am uncertain as to the exact nature of their diet. Pokechow works just fine.” Arven wrinkled his nose, and while I made no outward sign, I agreed with the sentiment.

Sure, it works ‘fine,’ just like ration bars work ‘fine’ for humans. Technically enough to get by on, but they’ll prefer other food. Or at least some of the more specialized varieties of Pokechow. The bags that were divided by Type and/or by further characteristics got a lot more expensive.

Turo seemed to notice and offered, “Why don’t you experiment? See what different foods they like and take well too, within reason, of course. You can tell me all about the results of your research.” The small boy’s face lit up at that, and I bit back a sigh. Of course Arven is happy to be doing something ‘important’ for his father, but I’ll be the one making sure the reports he sends are properly labeled and detailed.

There was a slight fluctuation of light from Turo’s side, indicating someone had entered the room down in his lab. Quickly, I asked, “If you find any Diancies or signs of them down by the Carbinks, could you let me know? I’m working on finding a way to induce the mutation in Notch.”

“Fascinating,” he said distractedly, but seeming honest. After turning to the other person off-screen for a minute (the sound muted during their talk), he said, "Apologies, children, but I must go now. There’s an urgent matter that needs my attention. Goodbye.”

With that, the call ended, and there was a flicker of a frown on Arven’s face before he shook it off, vigorously slapping his own cheeks. “Enough of that,” he muttered to himself before brightly turning to his newest Pokemon.

Said Pokemon was simply looking around the room with incredible curiosity. What was the world it was from like? Or at least, what memories do they have of them? I remembered reading a lot of debate online on the existence of the Paradox Pokemon and whether they were actually from the past/future or just figments of the Professor’s imagination brought to life by whatever strange forces existed in Area Zero.

Pressing a Pokeball, I released Dun while simultaneously tapping for Miles to come out of my pocket. “Hey Arven, why don’t we play some games? Get to know your new Pokemon, Miraidon.”

Arven’s sharp intake of breath covered the hiss my starter let off, recognizing this Pokemon for the sign it was. “That sounds awesome!”

***

We played some games, at first trying the indoor ones, but then going outside as Miraidon clearly didn’t get the idea of Pokeoply or how one was supposed to play it.

To be fair, a lot of Pokemon are more instinctual and active about this stuff. Miles was the most ‘cerebral’ of my Pokemon, often doing crosswords and word games with me in the morning. Dun could do such activities and board games, but would only really do so for me and had more interest in physical games like sports or activities like training. Notch seemed to enjoy novel experiences above all else, no matter what they were, and Nightwing...

Gazing over on the beach, I saw my overly competitive Gligar diving down to ‘tag’ Miraidon on the snout before flying above the motorcycle Pokemon’s head. Sticking her tongue out, she taunted the Electric Type, laughing at the Paradox Pokemon. Nightwing isn’t the brightest Pokemon out there, enjoys physical activities the most, and is a sore loser. It made game nights a bit difficult for the first few months until I just asked her if she wanted to play with the rest of us, and she indicated 'no' and I stopped trying to force it.

“Behind you,” I called out to Nightwing, who had turned away from Arven’s newest Pokemon, assuming herself invincible. Her eyes bulged nearly out of her head as she saw the Legendary Pokemon changing forms. Pulling its body in, Miraidons back legs shifted to become jets, and it extended the electric streamers by its head into wide wings. Shooting upwards, it rocketed past Nightwing, sending her tumbling through the air as it brushed by.

My competitive flying scorpion didn’t take that lying down, and after regaining her bearings, she shot off through the sky, chasing after Miraidon.

“Whoa! Did you know they could do that?” Arven exclaimed, pointing up at the aerial game of tag that was now taking place between our Pokemon.

“It’s certainly surprising.” My non-answer was a little distracted as I kept a close eye on them. I don’t think there will be a problem between them, but the other Miraidon was quite territorial, and Nightwing can sometimes be a bit too aggressive. She’d improved a lot with that under my training, but she was always going to be a tad more aggressive than my other Pokemon.

Luckily, my fears were overblown with the two of them engaging in a bit of roughhousing but having a good time before they called their game quits, landing down. I got the feeling Nightwing had declared herself the ‘winner’ of their impromptu game, simply because she still had the energy left to do so, while Miraidon’s eyes had dimmed and they gave off a few whines. Looks like the stamina training paid off. Also, the speed training too. I expected her to be more maneuverable in the air, which she was, but she also kept up or slightly outraced Miraidon in some of the longer stretches. Considering I vaguely remember that box cover Legendary being quite a fast Pokemon, that’s a testament to her experience. Or his inexperience. Or both.

“Let’s get this guy inside, shall we? They seem tired out, and it’s getting close to our lunch time too.” I offered to Arven, who eagerly took me up on that idea.

“Yeah! What do you think they like to eat?”

Hiding a sly grin as I recalled my future knowledge, I suggested, “Why not try making them a sandwich?”

“You? You of all people are suggesting I make a sandwich?” Arven asked incredulously as we strode inside the kitchen as if we owned the place, much to the shock of the chefs. Well, pretty common for us, less so with a large, overly curious Pokemon behind us.

“Sorry! Could we use some space to make Arven’s new friend a sandwich?” I asked them, while Arven tried to ensure Miraidon stayed outside, giving up as they kept poking their head inside to smell the food.

Turning back to Arven, I said, “I have no problem with most of the ingredients in a sandwich; I just don’t like mixing them together. Besides, that’s just a personal thing, and I know sandwiches are common here in Paldea, so might as well give Miraidon a try with the local cuisine.”

He thought about it for a moment, nodding sagely as if all of my reasoning made perfect sense to him. “Ok then, let’s get to work!” He pumped a fist up in the air as he cried out before grabbing some ingredients. “Yeeeeeeart! Hwacha! Hyah!” He grunted as he worked, and I couldn’t help but grin at the infectious joy that radiated off from him.

***

While none of our culinary masterpieces caused quite as large a reaction as seen from the in-game version of Miraidon eating the protagonist’s mother’s sandwich or a Herba Mystica sandwich, they nonetheless seemed quite happy with our results. He polished off at least a dozen of them before the doorbell rang.

“That must be the others!” I yelled as I raced across the house to open the door. Alas, for all my speed and Aura, I couldn't beat Leah’s sixth sense for these things, arriving right as she was opening up the door.

“Happy Birthday!” Lacey cheered, the girl rushing past Leah and glomping onto me.

“Oof. Hey there,” I said, hugging her back, then disentangling myself to see her properly. She looked much the same as before, wearing a pastel pink dress and her gold and green hair clips above her ears. She was also carrying a small gift bag in one hand. Behind her, literally popping into existence, Amethio appeared alongside his Armarouge.

The older boy waited politely to be let inside, returning his Pokemon to his Pokeball, before greeting me. “Nemona, it’s good to see you,” he said, looking down at me. Wow, he’s out of that old grunt uniform.

Amethio was wearing a predominantly purple outfit, with a dress shirt and black slacks, each highlighted with a bright purple stripe on opposite sides. He had on dress shoes and small black gloves. He was much taller than last I saw him as well, probably having gone through a growth spurt. Well, I probably will have another one soon, or a couple of ones. I remember Nemona was one of the taller characters in the game, only beat out amongst the kids by Eri and-

“Are you sure you’re going the right way?”

“Of course I am, shut up, Kiki! It’s not my fault this land is so confusing.”

Catching those two distant voices on the wind, I let out a fond sigh before telling Miles. “Hey Miles, could you go and guide the last two guests here? They should be about halfway in between us and the Lighthouse.”

The Rotom floating beside me said, “Sure thing, Nemona, bzzt.” Then zipped off out the door and up the path between mine and Arven’s house.

Turning to Amethio, I said, “Sorry about that, just trying to wrangle everyone together.” I gave him a quick hug, which he stiffly accepted, somewhat unused to the action. “It’s great to see you again too, both of you. I’m so glad you could make it. Oh, and feel free to have your Pokemon out and about; we’ve made sure to make the house safe for them.”

“More like safe for the artwork and expensive furniture from half-a-dozen children and their Pokemon.” Wow, it’s impressive how Leah can discontentedly grumble, all while keeping a beatific smile on her face. The maid gracefully stepped by us, grabbing the gift bag from Lacey as she did so.

Lacey cheered and released her adorable Drilbur as we walked to the kitchen, chasing after her mole Pokemon, who was eagerly sniffing everything out and exploring the new house. Amethio hung back a bit and shook his head. “Armarouge teleported us from a fair distance away, so he needs a bit of time to rest up.” Then, in a smaller voice, he added, “Should I- I didn’t bring a gift with me, I’m sorry-”

Waving him off before he could continue, I said, “It’s fine. Really, I’m just happy you’re here. If you want to give me something, well, you can owe me a battle later!” I said with a grin that was absolutely not ‘too wide’ or ‘like a Sharpedo’ no matter what my friends said.

When we got to the kitchen, Amethio and I bumped into Lacey, who had stopped, frozen. The boy turned to yell at her for that before stopping himself. “What is… that?” He asked, staring at Miraidon, standing overtop of a plate covered in sandwich crumbs.

“They. Are. Gorgeous!” Lacey squee’d, rushing forward to examine the Paradox Pokemon. “What’s their name? I’ve never seen a Pokemon like this before, and Daddy battles all kinds! Are they a boy or a girl?” As she peppered Arven with questions, she turned her head to look closer at Miraidon, who turned their head in turn, seeming just as fascinated with the girl as she was with them.

“Uh, hi. This is Miraidon, the super cool Pokemon my Dad got for me! Genderless, I think?” Arven’s answers just led to more questions from Lacey, only interrupted by delighted giggles when Miraidon stretched their head out and licked the girl lightly.

“So that’s the kind of reach a Professor has. Miraidon…” Amethio muttered, committing the Pokemon to memory. Ah right, the Explorers might be interested in that. Hopefully not, however. While the Pokemon might be seen as strong and ‘rare’, it won’t have any legends attached to it. There’s no reason for the Explorers or any other nefarious group to try and take them.

I heard them marching through the house behind me, so I wasn’t surprised when Carmine and Kieran entered the kitchen. “Hey guys,” I waved at them as they crowded in the kitchen to the sight of Arven being hounded by Lacey, Amethio and I talking to the side, and Drilbur riding atop Miraidon’s back. “Welcome to the party.”

“What- oh, yeah, Happy Birthday, and whatever.” Carmine said with a small blush. “We left you our gift with the maid. Can’t believe you guys have maids here.” She seemed a bit overwhelmed with the whole experience. Fair, considering her whole home could fit into our living room.

“Is this everyone?” My sister asked, entering the room. I nodded, and she said, “We’ve got some snacks and stuff set up in the living room; c’mon, let’s go there so you can let the chefs work in peace.”

“Chefs too? Wowzers,” I caught Kieran saying quietly as we moved over to the living room. The staff had set up long tables to the sides, piled with everything from the fanciest of treats to dollar store chips. Most of the furniture, besides a few couches, had been moved back or out of the room to give us and our Pokemon plenty of space to hang out. There was still a television attached to the wall, so at my suggestion (and Cyan’s groans) we started playing recordings of her gym matches on it.

“You got lucky with that evolution there,” Amethio pointed out as we reviewed Cyan’s latest battle, which only occurred a few weeks ago.

My sister scoffed, “That was just the result of all our hard effort!”

“Primarina!” Her starter cried out in support as well.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. They really have worked hard together this past year, but that was the third time Cyan went against Thyme, and without that evolution there, I don’t think she would have won her eighth badge. I didn’t voice those thoughts aloud, however, simply taking in the enjoyable sights of all my friends and Pokemon hanging out together.

Cyan had her whole team out, which consisted of Primarina, her fully evolved starter, elegantly lounging behind his trainer. Off to the side, her Kingdra drifted about, sampling a few Pokesnacks from the bowls laid out. Toxapex was climbing the walls, hanging off the ceiling, and generally enjoying cheering on her past self in the fights on screen and lurking over Quaxwell sitting underneath, the duck-like Pokemon carefully brushing the top of his head with his wings.

Amethio sat across from my sister on the couch, his Drakloak floating by his side. The Ghost Type was content to just watch what was going on, joined by Poltchageist, Carmine’s starter, who was mixing different drinks within its clay pot body. I will never get that, but then again, there are people who drink juice straight out of a Shuckle’s body, which I find even more disturbing.

The Kitakami kids were sitting in chairs near the coffee table. Carmine would constantly poke Kieran, pointing out stuff that was clearly happening on the screen, while her brother barely gave a token effort to waving her off, clearly used to this behavior. At their feet, undisturbed by the siblings' antics, Poochyena and Applin lay, looking out the window.

Lacey, Arven, and myself sat on a plush chaise lounge chair. The other two children were getting crumbs everywhere, while I was trying not to, an attempt with increased difficulty as Miraidon kept on bumping into the seat. Not on purpose, just as a result of getting used to this environment and being distracted, conversing with Maschiff and Miles.

Notch hovered above us, glaring down at the Paradox Pokemon - because they were a Dragon or because of the meta knowledge I had shared, I didn’t know. Thankfully, the new Pokemon didn’t notice, too caught up with their surroundings and unfamiliar with Notch’s subtle body language. I’ll have to tell them to knock it off. Speaking of which..

Nightwing hung off the back of the chair, and I wondered if anyone else noticed how she would lightning fast zip out a pincer to grab food from any plates as people passed by her. I should teach her Thief, though she does already know Knock Off. Plus, with all the work we’ve put into mastering her Hidden Ability, we haven’t had time for her to learn the more supporting Moves she has access to. Assuming she sticks around after I give her the gift I picked out.

“Does everyone in Paldea wear that uniform while battling?” Carmine bluntly asked my sister as the videos had transitioned to showing some other students in their Gym battles.

“No, that’s just the student uniform. You’re still supposed to wear it on the Treasure Hunt, and for the battles after I decided to keep it consistent.” Cyan responded. My sister was wearing a skirt and tank top currently, happy to be out of the school uniform for summer. I don’t really get that, it’s not like the uniform is uncomfortable or that she has her own ‘style’.

Style was something important in this world; famous people and especially Trainers were known for distinctive signature outfits they constantly wore, like Steven Stone’s suit, Cynthia’s black dress, or Ash’s cap.

“Seems boring to have everyone wearing the same thing like that. We might have uniforms, but at least we get a greater degree of customization at Blueberry Academy.”

Carmine’s words caused Lacey to whip around, jostling Drilbur in her lap. “Did you say Blueberry Academy! Are you going there?!”

“We-well, not right now,” Kieran stuttered. “But we’ll go when we’re older. Our parents went to Blueberry, so they would have wanted us to go, probably.” His voice died down as he spoke, barely a whisper at the end.

If Lacey recognized any of the subtext or delicacy of the topic there, she didn’t show it, trampling over the topic with the lack of care only a child can have. “That’s wonderful! My father will likely send me to Blueberry as well in a few years.”

Carmine grinned. “I knew you were a smart one,” she said to Lacey. “Nemona should join us at Blueberry instead of getting stuck with Uva uniforms.”

“Hey! Our uniforms might not be the best, but we have the best school in any region! We have the most Pokemon Professors out of anywhere!” Not exactly true, but it’s true that more people who have become Pokemon Professors have studied at Uva than any other. Because Uva is so well known for it’s education, the best and brightest are often sent here to learn before going back to their home regions.

Arven cheered alongside my sister, standing up from his seat. “Yeah! My Dad went to Uva, and he’s the smartest man alive!” Debatable. Very debatable.

A glance over at Amethio had the older boy quirk an eyebrow before shaking his head. He clearly wants nothing to do with this, and fair. Homeschool boy doesn’t have a horse in this race. Seeing the other kids standing up to match Arven, I decided to intervene. About as good a time for this anyway. Besides, Dun is glaring at them yelling over the battles he’s still watching.

“I’m applying to Blueberry Academy next year,” I said loudly enough to be heard over the arguments and videos. It shouldn’t have been that shocking, but for a few seconds the room was so quiet that you could have heard a penny hit the ground. “I’ve been doing a lot of research, and Blueberry Academy looks cool for a variety of reasons-”

Before I could extrapolate on those reasons, Carmine started cheering, and my big sister groaned. “Ha! In your face!” The Kitakami girl jeered.

“Sis…” Kieran pulled at his sister’s arm, hoping to get her to show a bit more tact. He was grinning brightly at me though, so he seemed pretty happy with the news too.

“I can’t believe you’re betraying us,” my sister sighed dramatically, and I rolled my eyes in response.

"Oh, this is going to be so fun going to school together!” Lacey clapped her hands together. I mean, that would be fun, but...

“Uh, won’t I be graduating before you go to school? Any of you, actually,” I added, looking at both her and my friends from Kitakami. “The school can accept students as young as ten, but the usual age students enroll is fourteen to sixteen.”

“But- I- we’ll just go early too!”

“Are you sure? It’s going to be a lot of work to study that hard.” I questioned the tall girl, ignoring the fact that it wouldn’t be all that much work for myself. Not that I plan on slacking off there, but there are going to be other things taking up my attention this upcoming year.

Carmine was undaunted; if anything, she was even more enthused by my ‘challenge.’ “As if I would possibly let my rival surpass me! Kiki and I will study day and night if we have to!”

“Aw man,” her brother said, slumping his shoulders as he resigned himself to that fate.

“Your rival? If anything, she’s my rival.” Amethio bristled, the older boy making his presence known and reminding us all that he wasn’t that much older than the rest of us.

“I’m gonna go all-out too! Let’s go to Blueberry Academy together!” Lacey cheered.

The mood seemed like it might have cleared up, were it not for the sight of Arven out of the corner of my eye. The young boy stood there, his fists trembling at his sides and expression blocked by his hair, until he turned suddenly and cried, “No! You can’t just leave like that.” Looking into his eyes, I could see tears already starting to well up in them. “All of you going off to some foreign school.”

Carmine frowned "Well, don’t blame us, just come along too.” She said insensitively, and I winced. The boy himself started crying too. I love Arven like a brother, but we both know that he’s just not some super genius and especially has trouble with book learning. He won’t be able to make it in such a course.

Amethio gave an attempt of his own, perhaps correctly intuiting that Arven wouldn’t be able to enroll at Blueberry. “Don’t get so fixated on this school stuff, you’ll learn plenty outside of it.”

“Hey buddy, it’ll be ok-” I tried to reach out to him only for him to knock my hand away. The action was so shocking that I couldn’t even stop it.

“Arven!” I said sharply, my raised voice causing Miraidon to move to his Trainer’s side, growling lowly - and almost as instantly, Dun had interposed himself between me and the Paradox Pokemon, glaring up at him. Dun might not be the fastest of my Pokemon, but he’s sharp enough to pick up on such growing tension and ready himself to intervene.

Arven continued, too caught up to listen to me. “No! It won’t! You’re just going to leave me, like- I won’t let you! You still haven’t applied yet, right?”

“Well no, there’s a whole year I have to wait, and we can hang out a ton then-” I tried, but Arven stared me dead in the eyes.

“I challenge you to a battle! If I win, you have to stay here.” The Professor’s son declared, while all the other children looked on uncomfortably. There was an etiquette (as well as actual laws) to what you could demand from a battle, and anything more than pocket change was seen as crass at best.

And unbeknownst to him, he has the power of a Legendary on his side, albeit an entirely untrained one. Part of me just wants to reject this, that it isn’t right. But the rest of me... for the rest of my plans, I’ll need to face incredible challenges to stop the future. Possibly even face another Miraidon. And hopefully, just maybe, I’ll be able to reach Arven through our clash.

“Fine, I accept,” I said to the surprised gasps from the rest of the guests. “Let’s go down to the beach; we’ll fight there.”

Arven blinked, as if he hadn’t thought that would happen, before scrunching up his face in concentration. Maschiff looked up worriedly at his Trainer’s side but dutifully marched after the boy as he stomped off to the arena.

I followed, the other kids awkwardly trailing behind. I recalled most of my Pokemon, mentally preparing for the fight. On the surface, Nightwing and Notch are the best suited to this battle, each one immune to one of the Types that Miraidon has. However, Miles in Mow Form has double resistance against the Electric Type and a few Moves that I think will be better suited to win this fight.

Taking my place opposite Arven, I fiddled around with my bag for a moment, getting what I needed ready. I could hear the boy gulping, the weight of this match pressing down on him now that he had a moment to think. He believes this is hopeless, he’s never won a battle against me before. But still, he’s trying. He’ll give it his all, so I have to do the same.

“Are you ready or what?” He asked, nerves getting the best of him as he snapped at me. While some small part of me was upset at his behavior, I understood all too well where it was coming from.

“I’m ready,” I pulled out the lawn mower from my bag, tossing it up for Miles to shoot out of my phone and possess. The red lawn mower was surrounded by a green plasmic field as my Rotom took control of it. Miles looked confused for a second before its teeth settled into a jagged grin, recognizing my strategy. Facing our opponent straight ahead, I asked. “How about you?”

Arven hesitated for a moment, and I got worried that I might need to hurry him up for my plan to work before he put Miraidon up first. "Alright, Miraidon, let’s win this battle!” When Miraidon, now fully recharged and back in battle mode, entered the arena, electricity danced all around them.

With a tap of my foot, I triggered the arena barrier as well as an automated battle countdown to speed things up. Small speakers from the edges announced, “Battle begins in three, two, one, start!”

“Trick!” I immediately yelled, hoping it wasn’t too late, and thankfully, it was not. Glowing a faint pink Psychic energy, the Toxic Orb within their body was shot out of Miles’ spinning front blades. Miraidon was entranced, instinctively snatching it out of the air and holding it in their mouth.

“What?” Arven said, looking confused, before recognizing what the orb was. “No, spit that out!” Miraidon looked confused, like they didn’t understand the command, still proudly holding it in their mouth. The Trick was indeed part mental trick, and it was hard for Miraidon to shake off, at least until it was too late.

After a moment, they did spit it out, but that was only in response to the pain, the virulent poison spreading from their beak-like metallic mouth. Miraidon whimpered, and I felt a little bad for the Pokemon, who might have never experienced anything like that before pushing those thoughts away. We’ll heal them up later. Pokemon are naturally good at battling and dealing with stuff like this, none of this is going to be permanent.

As I rationalized, Arven recovered. “Whatever, just hit them!” He shouted, pointing at Miles. The Paradox Pokemon let out a burst of electricity that ripped through the entire arena, giving no room to dodge. The barrier flashed and wobbled slightly from the sheer force, and Miles winced as the electricity coursed through them, in spite of their resistances. Damn! I knew that they’d be powerful, but without any training... well, I can fight smarter, not just harder.

“Eerie Impulse.” An odd sound was coming out of Miles, the electrical currents from the Terrain Miraidon had created reacting weirdly nearby. For the Paradox Pokemon’s part, they began growling and shaking their limbs, like they were trying to brush off an unpleasant sensation.

“Shake it off! Use umm, Dragon Pulse!” Miraidon squinted their digital eyes for a moment before opening their mouth wide and letting loose a stream of multicolored yellow and purple-ish fire. Miles took this attack about as well as the first, wobbling in the air. Damn, my debuff strategy will only work so well, I need to put them off balance before trying anything else.

“Confuse Ray!” The glowing balls of light Miles conjured hit Miraidon smack in the face, leaving them dazed.

“Dragon Pulse, again! We’re so close!”

Miraidon was still fixed onto my Pokemon, so I decided to counter with a quick call for “Protect!” It was close, the Dragon Type attack nearly hitting Miles before the shield came up around them, blocking the strike.

While we would have been open for a follow-up attack, Miraidon’s gaze began to slip, darting all around the arena. Firing Dragon Breath up in a wide arc that completely went around us, I called out “Hex,” thinking I could get some damage in.

We did, the conjured shades surrounding the Dragon Type and causing them to thrash about in pain. But that same pain freed them from the Confusion that had been ailing them and led to a fierce counterattack. Great gouts of dragonfire mixed with pulses of electricity, consuming the whole field.

Miles cried out in pain before I tried, “Protect!” The new forcefield held for a few seconds, but under sustained barrage from a Legendary, it broke and Miles was knocked out. Returning them to their Pokeball, I considered my options.

They’re badly hurt by all that poison. I might be able to just stall them out by having Gligar burrow underground. “Go, Nightwing! Dig!”

“Stop them!” Arven desperately shouted, and Miraidon complied in a very basic manner. Bursting forward and scooping Nightwing up with their claws, they tossed her up in the air before they could sink beneath the arena.

“Dragon Blast” was Arven’s follow-up ‘command’ and one that had me frowning. C’mon Arven! You know that’s not a real attack. Miraidon understood it well enough to continue blasting dragonfire at Nightwing, who artfully dodged around the worst of the attack, only getting clipped here and there.

“Keep at it, just dodge them.” While Miraidon could keep them from digging down, they couldn’t do so and hit Nightwing with their shots while doing so.

Miraidon wasn’t looking so great either, wincing more as the poison wracked their body with no recourse. “Gah, just- hit everywhere!” Arven’s frustrated command led to Miraidon letting off a great burst of electricity, which I thought would do nothing… only for Nightwing to flinch in pain as the Shockwave hit her.

“What?!” My mind raced for answers. How did they- damn it, Pikachu managed to shock Ground Types too, they’re a Legendary. Type matchup charts are merely a suggestion for them. And if they can hurt a Ground Type like that, then maybe...

With a reckless idea taking root in my head, I shouted, “Sand Attack! Tailwind, together!” Nightwing had fallen close enough for her to dive down and smack the ground with her tail, launching a bunch of sand at Miraidon’s eyes while simultaneously flapping her wings furiously to kick up the wind behind her.

“Shockwave!” Well, at least he’s calling out the correct attacks now. That was all I had time to think before the lightning sparked off the dust in the air, creating a massive explosion.

“What? What did you do?” Arven demanded, looking around in shock. Miraidon was shaking off the blow, only a little hurt by the attack and looking more confused than anything.

“It’s called a dust explosion. A spark can trigger it when there’s large quantities of dust in the air. Usually, this doesn’t happen from Ground Type Moves, their nature neutralizing the effect, but Miraidon is so strong that they’re actually overcoming that. I’m taking what you used against Nightwing and using it against you!”

“Stop it,” he sniffled, and suddenly I felt bad about how smug I had been acting. “You and Dad and Mom, you’re all so smart, and you keep on leaving me! It’s not fair!”

My heart broke a little. “Arven, I’m not leaving you. We’ll still have plenty of time to hang out during summer breaks, and we’ll call and message each other tons too.”

His sniffles dried up. “And you’re not leaving for a year, right? We can play for all that time.”

“We’ll play together tons, maybe not all of it. I do want to go on my journey before I go to school-”

“Or you can just stay here and never go to that dumb school!” Ignoring Carmine’s ‘Hey!’ in the background, Arven continued, commanding his Paradox Pokemon. “Take Down that- wait, where’d she go?”

Miraidon mimicked their Trainer, scanning the field but not seeing the Gligar anywhere. Then the ground it was hovering above shifted, causing them to look down for just a moment as Nightwing burst out of it, the earth and her body slamming into the Electric Type as she blasted up.

Miraidon let out a howl, following the Flying scorpion with some vicious blows, heavily beating into her. Outrage? Shit, they’re pretty much grappling, too close for Protect, at least for Nightwing, she’s not as skilled with the Move as Dun or Miles.

“Ice Fang” was my last ditch attempt to stop the onslaught, and it worked. Her Ice coated fangs sunk into the Dragon Type and caused them to recoil, falling back down. “Bulldoze!” I cried, and Nightwing swooped after the falling Pokemon, beating them into the ground.

With one last, pained screech, Miraidon collapsed, half buried under the ground, defeated. Arven slowly recalled his Pokemon before trying to send out Maschiff. Trying being the key word, as the small dog Pokemon shook his head, refusing to move forward. “C’mon, don’t be afraid!” Arven tried to cajole him, but Maschiff still stubbornly refused.

“He’s not afraid,” I said calmly, causing Arven to turn around as he saw me walking across the arena towards.

“Hey, you’re supposed to stay over there,” Arven shot at me before turning back to Maschiff and stopping. He sees what I’m seeing. Maschiff isn’t shaking in fear or hiding behind Arven's leg.

“With how much Miraidon beat her up, this is probably the best shot he’s ever had against us, and Maschiff is giving it up. Because he knows this isn't right.” Arven’s starter nodded his head, barking in agreement at my words.

He looked up at me, crying. “You’re not going to leave me alone? You promise?”

“I promise. You will always be welcome at our house, and I’ll always try to make time for you, no matter how far apart we are. And besides, you’ll never be alone, because you’ll always have your Pokemon by your side, too.” I gestured at Miraidon’s Pokeball and at Maschiff. The dog leapt up to Arven - and started glowing.

All of us gasped as the dog grew in size, his fur becoming darker and shaggier. He also grew much heavier, nearly quadrupling in weight as he flattened the boy, knocking him down and licking the tears off his face.

“Oof! Oh Arceus, you’re heavy now,” Arven groaned, but there was still a smile on his tear-stained face as he tried futilely to push Mabosstiff off.

We all laughed a little, the mood of the group brightening as the situation was resolved. Nightwing returned to her Pokeball and I was just about to suggest we go to the music room so I could play some stuff for them when my phone started ringing.

After a second, I remembered I would have to pick it up since Miles was still knocked out and not possessing it. Pulling it out of my pocket, I saw the caller ID. “Oh, it’s Friede. Probably just looking to wish me a happy birthday,” I said, more for the benefit of the group than myself.

“Hey Friede. Oh, why could you be calling me on this da-”

“I did it!” He shouted from the other end, exuberance clear in his voice.

“Oh, umm, great for you. What is it exactly that you did?”

“Well, it’s more like what we did- wait did I forget to acknowledge you on these papers? Whoops, I’ll fix that,” he said manically. “You gave me the inspiration and advice I needed to run a successful project to recreate a Hisuain variant of Pokemon!” Oh neat, I’m glad I helpe- “We have a new Hisuian Zorua!”

“What.” My blood ran cold as my mind raced, thinking back to our prior conversations. I said it had the best Typing but I never told him how to- did he, did he actually torture a Zorua to death? Kill it and make it hate him so much that it came back to life as a Hisuian Zorua!?

I tuned out his meaningless exclamations of joy and self-praise, interrupting him to ask, “Where are you?”

“Oh? I’m over at this abandoned mansion slash Zoroark reserve; it’s not far from Zapapico, I’ll send you the coordinates.” The phone ‘binged’ alerting me to the message I got with the location.

“I’ll be there soon.”

“Uh ok. No rush or anything, oh, and happy birthd-” I hung up on him, taking a deep breath.

“FUCK!” Yelling at the sky unfortunately, did nothing but cause all the other kids to fall completely silent. Racking my brain, I tried to think about how this could have happened.

Everything I’ve done to stop one mad Professor from messing with the future, and I go and help another revive past horrors to the world. Ok, stop catastrophizing; everyone is staring at me and freaking out because I’m freaking out. Just... take a deep breath and assess the situation. Which I can’t do accurately from here.

“Are you alr-” I marched by my sister trying to reach out to me and stopped right before Amethio.

“I need you to take me here,” I said, shoving my phone in his face. “Does Armarouge have any teleportation locations nearby there?”

“Wh- just Zapapico, which is several kilometers away... and you still want me to take you there, don’t you?”

“Yes.” I answered tersely.

“Wait, what’s going on? We should go with you to whatever this is,” Cyan said, still looking a little freaked out at me.

Lacey nodded her head. “If it’s serious, we can come too and help.”

“No, you can’t,” Amethio said, shaking his head as he released Armarouge. “That’s a pretty far jump, even with just me and Nemona going there. We can’t take the full group.”

Arven had managed to push Mabosstiff off and gathered with the others, wondering what was going on. “Nemona?”

“Sorry everyone, I have to- screw it, I’ll explain later. Let’s go.” Grabbing on to Armarouge’s hand with Amethio on the other side, my last glance was of my friends’ and sister’s worried faces before we blinked out of existence.