[Pokémon] Fire

"Forward"​

"A-are you sure?" Gabby stammered, looking worriedly at her friend.

Silver remained quiet as she trained her glaring eyes at the bored-looking Torchic.

"Silver?"

Silver sighed before giving her friend a side glance and a small smile. "I'm serious, Gab," she said, her small smile growing a little wider. "Don't worry."

Gabby frowned. "But... B-but, we didn't start out training yet! I-I have ideas on how to help you!"

"I'll be fine, Gab," she said, smiling at her for a few moments before her smile turned into a serious frown as she turned back to Nic.

The said Torchic raised an eyebrow. "Someone's eager."

Silver stopped herself from smiling and saying a snarky reply. 'I shouldn't be feeling overconfident...'

"Whatever." Nic hid a talon behind the other, still looking bored. "The sooner we're done here, the quicker we can go back to the guild."

Gabby sighed, feeling defeated that she couldn't talk her friend out of this. She turned around and went to a safer distance.

'Nic's still powerful,' Silver thought as she prepared herself. 'But I can hit him, as long as I have the element of surprise.' She gritted her teeth as her heart started to pound harder. 'I only got one chance at this.' She took a slow and deep breath to calm herself a bit. She held it in for a few seconds, and suddenly, she sprinted towards the Torchic. 'I shouldn't blow it!'

"This again," Nic boringly said as he swiftly kicked some dirt towards the fast-approaching Eevee. The Eevee jumped out of the way, and he anticipated this, but the normal-type was too far for him to kick. He fought the urge to spit fumes of fire at her. Instead, he kicked the ground behind him and dashed towards the yelping Eevee, headbutting her and throwing her back.

"Oomf!" Silver gasped the air out of her lungs as pain surged through her body. She landed on her side, skidded a few seconds and stopped. She winced as she quickly pushed herself back on her paws. "...Ow."

"Had enough?"

"We just started!" Silver shouted at him.

"Your point?" Nic asked in a bored tone. "Whatever," he muttered under his breath as the normal-type dashed towards him again. He dashed towards her as well, preparing a kick, but decided to jump to the side at the last second when he saw Silver jumped at him and spun horizontally like a brown five-pointed boomerang. "What in—"

"Aaaaayiiiiiieeeeeee—oof!" Silver landed on her belly with a soft thud, dizzy. "Ugh... T-that looked better in my head..."

Nic was stunned for a few seconds from what he saw. He snapped back as Silver slowly went back on her paws again. "...I'll give you a star for creativity..."

"Keep it." She wobbled a bit. As soon as she steadied herself, she threw him a glare as she slowly created a shadow ball. 'Here goes nothing...'

Nic suddenly dashed towards the Eevee. He then sprinted to the side, where Silver couldn't angle her head at him, and dashed at her, preparing to headbutt her side.

Silver could barely see him, so she relied on her hearing. She couldn't afford to mess this up.

Nic decided to bite her tail, dragged her with him, jumped and swung her towards the bushes.

Silver suddenly saw herself flying towards the bushes. She panicked, accidentally firing her shadow ball at it. The small bush erupted into leaves, dirt and black smoke, and Silver flew through it with a yelp.

Nic landed not too far from the scene, his bored eyes gazing on the panting Eevee who was slowly pushing herself back on her paws. "Had enough?"

She growled as she slowly charged another shadow ball.

Nic sighed. "This ends now," he said before running away from her range of attack. Satisfied, he once again dashed towards her, aiming at her side. He knew that she knew that her attempt at hitting him with a shadow ball was her last and desperate attempt to land a hit on him. She may be stupid, but he knew she wasn't that stupid to try that tactic two times in a row. 'Whatever,' he thought, 'let's see what you're trying to do this time.'

Silver ignored how nervous she was as Nic got closer. She let him hit her earlier so she could learn how loud his footsteps sounded so she could spring her trap at the right moment. Nic's talon struck the green earth, and time seemed to stop as the sound of that footstep reached her ears. 'This is it!' she shouted in her head as time suddenly resumed, and she suddenly turned around, a large shadow ball at the ready, and fired it at him.

Nic was internally startled. He was going too fast to dodge the fast orb. Time seemed to stop for him as the orb slowly yet quickly flew towards him. And just before it struck him, a ghost of a smile appeared on his beak before the orb exploded, black smoke swallowing him.

Silver jumped back, but she stumbled and fell on her side. She panted, but a victorious smile was on her tired face. 'I did it...' she thought happily. 'I actually did it!'

As the smoke began to disappear, so was Silver's smile. Nic stood, still looking bored, with a semi-transparent purple barrier in front of him.

"N...n..." Silver stammered, shocked from what she was seeing. "B-but...! H-how...?"

Gabby slowly approached her. Her heart sank as she saw her friend, disbelief plastered on her face.

Silver's eyes started to water as the energy shield in front of the fire-type disappeared. She didn't bother stopping her tears from coming out.

Gabby sat beside her and rubbed her friend's back, wishing that it would make her feel better.

Silver choked on a sob, and the damn finally broke. She hung her head, tears rolling down on her face as she gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe it. She was so close to land a hit on him!

Nic boringly walked towards the two females. Soon, he stood in front of the sobbing normal-type. He ignored his friend's glare as he stared on Silver. "...Look up."

Nothing.

"Look up."

Silver choked on a sob. "...W-what's the use...?" She sniffed. "I... I-I thought I had you...! I thought I c-could finally...finally join you guys! B-but—"

Eye twitching, Nic stomped the ground, hard. "I said, look up!"

Silver winced, slowly looking up. She flinched at how serious the fire-type looked.

"First rule in my team," Nic said quietly, "do not make me repeat myself. Are we clear?"

Silver sniffed, confused. "W...wha?"

Nic rolled his eyes. "Congratulations, newbie," he said as he raised a slightly bruised talon in front of Silver's face. "You're in the team." He brought his talon back down, ruffled his feathers, turned around and started walking towards a direction. "We're going back to the guild now."

Gabby wanted to congratulate her friend, but, "Nic, wait!"

He stopped, turned and gave her a bored look.

"Um..." she looked back at Silver, who was still in the middle of processing what Nic just told her. She turned back at him with a frown. "...S-shouldn't we let her rest for a little bit?" Her stomach growled. She blushed slightly. "And, um... Eat breakfast?"

"You should have eaten breakfast during our little sparring session, and no, we're not wasting more time." He turned and continued walking. "Eat some berries on the way if you like."

"Gab..." Silver whispered with a small smile, catching her friend's attention. "...can you carry me the rest of the way there?"

Gabby smiled, placed a paw on her friend's shoulder, and glowed, making her friend glow slightly as she healed her. Seconds later, she was back to normal. "No." She stuck her tongue out at her as she stood up.

Silver rolled her eyes with a smirk. "...I like your 'no' better than Nic's."

"Custom"​

The trio emerged from the thick line of trees, and the afternoon sun greeted them brightly from the cloudless sky. Up ahead, a few paces away, the trio saw the base of a very, very tall hill. Gabby and even Nic were smiling as they looked up, trying to see the peak, spotting small flying dots around it, probably flying-types.

Silver, in contrast, was frowning. "Your guild is up there?"

"Yep," Gabby replied without tearing her gaze off of the peak.

The normal-type frowned further. "Wow... No wonder you didn't want to carry me all the way back to your guild. That hill's as tall as a mountain!"

Nic blinked and turned to the grass-type. "...Carry her?"

Gabby smiled sheepishly at him before she turned to Silver. "Now you're just exaggerating."

"I'm serious!" she barked at her before turning back at the peak. "I...can't imagine going up and down and again every single day!"

"Better start growing wings then," Nic replied as he walked onward with Gabby following close behind.

"..." Silver gaped at her friends. "...seriously?!"

The normal-type took a few more seconds staring at the peak before she ran after her friends. The two original members of the team were already talking to a Breloom when Silver caught up with them.

The fighting-type watcher blinked at her. "...Who's this?"

"Our newest member!" Gabby smiled brightly at the Eevee.

"Just ignore her until further notice," Nic said.

"Hey!" Silver snapped.

The Breloom blinked again. He looked down at the bored-looking Torchic. "Well... Alright." He gave them a small bow and smiled at the trio. "Welcome back to Alexison!"

Nic and Gabby nodded, the latter flashing a small smile, before the duo started climbing up the steep hill. Silver stood in place, mouth agape once again, her mind still trying to grasp at how steep the hill was.

The fighting-type blinked at her. "...Er... Young miss?"

"Um, right..." Silver said. She smiled awkwardly at him, ran after her friends and accepted Gabby's welcoming smile after she caught up with them. It was surprisingly easy to climb the hill, she noticed. "Oof!" Or so she thought, as her chin suddenly found the grassy ground.

"Careful," the grass-type chuckled as she helped her friend up.

"Ugh... T-that hurts..."

"Better get used to it," Nic said who was already a few paces ahead of them.

As the trio continued their ascent, Silver threw the fire-type a glare even though he wouldn't see it. She held the glare for a few seconds before she decided to concentrate on her footing. "So... You two actually live up there?"

"Yep."

"Must be pretty cold..."

Up ahead, "—aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!" a rolling blur was rolling downward and blurred past the trio.

Nic shook his head and continued his climb.

Silver bit her lip. "Um..."

Gabby smiled awkwardly at her. "... ... ...T-try not to lose your footing..."

"Gee, thanks. I'll try Natu," Silver replied with a nervous smirk.

Gabby chuckled at the horrible pun.

The trio continued their climb and it took them almost half an hour to reach the peak. They were more or less slowed down by their heavily-panting Eevee who slipped and stumbled a few times in their trek. Luckily, Gabby was with her to help her out. As they got closer to the peak, they could already hear the busy sounds from above. Flocks of flying-types flew to and fro and there were even a few ground-bound Pokémon in the area. Finally reaching the peak, the Eevee had forgotten how tired she was as her eyes swam on what she saw.

The peak was flat and formed an almost perfect circle with a diameter of her hometown multiplied by a few numbers more. It was large. Tall buildings stood around wide and paved walkways. Trees taller than the tall buildings stood in every which way, providing some shade as if the rooftops weren't enough to do the task. And Pokémon of different kinds crowded the streets. Some were walking to and fro their individual destinations, while others grouped with each other, discussing various topics.

Above, many flying-type Pokémon were flying. Most of them carried large bags around them, while others were simply having a lazy glide in the air.

Silver's ears twitched from the sound of roaring laughter. She turned and saw a large group of Pokémon standing in front of a large shop. They were holding various items and were all laughing at the angry-looking Absol with a large, pink ribbon tied on his horn.

"Are you going to stand there all day?"

Startled, Silver turned to Nic. She smiled sheepishly, ears drooped. "Eheheh... S-sorry. I-it's just..." She looked back at the marvellous city before them. "...so...lively." She slightly shook her head. "...I've never seen so many Pokémon before!"

"Cute," Nic said before he turned to his other friend. "Think you can give her a tour?"

Gabby nodded with a wide smile. "Sure."

"No," Silver shook her head. "Well... Maybe after we get to the guild?" She turned to Gabby. "It's...more important than a tour, right?"

"If you insist," Nic shrugged before he turned around and started walking towards a direction.

Silver sighed before turning to Gabby. "Is he going to be like that forever?"

"Like what?"

"That," Silver said as she glared at the retreating fire-type.

Gabby chuckled as the two females followed their leader. "You'll get used to it, I suppose."

Silver shook her head and decided to drop the issue for now.

As the duo followed the Torchic on the right side of the pavement, Gabby explained that every Pokémon should walk on their right to have order. Silver arched her an eyebrow before looking around, and sure enough, every Pokémon were indeed walking on their right. The Eevee noticed how orderly it was to have one side of the pavement heading in one direction.

As they walked the busy street, Silver turned her head here and there to take in the sights that she could see from her small height. The buildings were built on sturdy-looking wood and rock, and the pavement they were walking on were made of polished rocks with small grasses that grew in between the cracks. "Now why won't they build this kind of walkway on the side of the hill?" Looking up, she saw many wooden homes that hung from thick and sturdy branches of the tall trees.

The number of Pokémon ahead grew less and less. Silver wondered why until she saw a large body of water up ahead, where homes made of mud stood around the lake. Grass- and water-type Pokémon were on and around the lake. Some were having a swim while others were simply sitting around, enjoying a chat.

Silver suddenly felt how dry her throat was as she eyed the glorious lake. Without wasting a second, she sprinted towards the lake, ignoring Gabby's verbal attempts of stopping her. She stopped on the edge and quickly took a drink. Seconds later, a strong vine wrapped around her tail and pulled her away from the lake. She turned and frowned at her friend. "What's the big idea?" she asked, her mouth wet and dripping.

"You can't drink from there!"

"Why not?" the normal-type asked as her tail was released.

"Because...! Erm..." Gabby squirmed, feeling uncomfortable.

Nic finally reached them. "I can't believe how much I want to have arms now just so I could facepalm, or hit you on the head, or both."

"What are you guys saying?" Silver asked, almost growling. "It's almost like drinking water is a crime here!"

Gabby was visibly shaking now as her eyes shifted left and right. Nic took a deep, deep breath, and sighed.

Silver blinked and looked around. Every grass- and water-type Pokémon stopped what they were doing and were looking at them. Looking at her. Her annoyance suddenly forgotten, she suddenly felt how small she was from the many eyes that stared at her. She shrunk on the ground, wishing it would swallow her to hide her from whatever she did wrong.

"Let's just get outta here," Nic said as he turned around and walked away.

Gabby and Silver quickly followed suit as they tried their best to ignore those many eyes on them. Once the trio were back on the pavement, the two females ushered the fire-type to hurry up. They walked around the large lake before they continued towards the heart of the city.

Silver finally let out a nervous breath after she was satisfied with the distance between them and the lake behind them.

"P-please don't do that again," Gabby whispered to her with a nervous frown.

Silver's ears drooped. "S-sorry..." She frowned. "But... I don't understand what I did wrong."

"Well... You didn't really do anything wrong."

"Then why were they looking at me as if I suddenly lost all of my fur?"

"It's..." the grass-type paused, collecting her thoughts. "Well, the lake is kinda like...their home."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well... No one really drinks water there." the grass-type said.

"Why? It was delicious." Silver blinked. "...Probably the tastiest water I ever drank."

Gabby visibly winced before she pointed at a fountain, and her friend turned to look at it. "We...we have those for drinking..."

Silver turned back to her friend with a frown. "You still didn't answer my question. Is it, what, against the law or something? Social thing?"

"They piss and spit and sh*t on and around and under the lake," Nic suddenly blurted out. "That's why."

Silver suddenly turned greener than Gabby.

"Circles"​

The trio walked through one of the busy yet orderly streets of Alexison. As the golden sun began to set, the three stood on the end of the pavement, arriving at the heart of the city. Here, no houses nor shops, or any other artificial structures stood. Big and tall—very big and very tall—roots crawled out of the earth for a few meters before it dove down the ground again, making the green and grassy area look like a giant maze. And at the center stood a very, very tall and mighty tree, towering any other trees Silver had seen within the city. Its giant branches stretched wide and housed many giant leaves that swayed peacefully in the cold air.

Flocks of flying-type Pokémon flew in and out through the holes on the tree, carrying brown bags full of important envelops. Many ground-bound Pokémon of different shapes and sizes littered in the maze-like ground. Some were having a relaxing time by their lonesome or with a group of Pokémon, while some were busy training and sparring.

Nic didn't waste a second and continued walking towards the base of the giant tree, with Gabby following close behind. Silver snapped back to her senses after a couple of seconds and ran after her friends.

"Try not making it a habit," Nic said without looking back.

Gabby blinked in confusion.

Silver frowned. "...Shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

Nic said nothing.

Silver grunted. "Whatever."

"That's Nic's line," Gabby said with a smile, making the normal-type roll her eyes with an amused smirk.

The trio continued their trek, walking around the large exposed roots and greeting their fellow guild mates along the way. After turning around one final root, the trio saw a large hollow on the base of the gigantic tree up ahead. The said hollow served as the entrance and exit for the ground-bound Pokémon. Above the entrance hung an elegant wooden sign with the words 'Alexison Guild' written on it. Around the hollow, many Pokémon were walking to and fro, and some were simply sitting around enjoying a chat with one another.

"Hey, Gabby!" a voice called when the trio where only a few more paces away from the hollow.

The trio stopped and turned towards the source of the voice. On top of a tall and exposed root nearby, a Grovyle waved a clawed hand at them before he jumped down and landed gracefully on the grassy ground.

"Bay!" Gabby said, eyes sparkling as she ran towards him.

Nic rolled his eyes.

Silver blinked, confused as she watched her friend leaping towards the Grovyle's welcoming arms. The two embraced each other as the taller Pokémon spun them around, both laughing happily. She turned to her other friend. "So...are they best friends or something?"

"More than best friends," Nic said.

Silver frowned as she looked back at the two grass-types, who just stopped their spin and were now sharing a kiss. The normal-type winced. "...eewww..."

Nic nodded with a disgusted smile. "...I can't believe I'm with you on this one." He shook his head, turned and approached one of the guards of the guild, Silver immediately following close behind.

The Leafeon guard blinked at the Eevee before turning to the Torchic. "Who's she?"

Silver let out a low growl at the fire-type. "Tell her to ignore me again, and I'll bite your tail off."

Nic rolled his eyes. "A new member."

"Ahh," the Leafeon said, nodding with a smile as she turned to the Eevee. "I smell a future Flareon in you."

Silver blinked at her.

"The fluffiness will suit your charming personality," Nic said with a small smirk before he went inside the guild.

The Eevee blinked at her leader's retreating form. 'Did he just...?'

The Leafeon chuckled. "Don't worry. Despite his...sour attitude, he's a really good Pokémon once you get to know him."

Silver didn't know what to reply to that. Her ear twitched from the sound of cheerful laughter. She turned to look and saw Gabby and Bay sitting on the grassy ground and leaning on each other, enjoying a chat with other grass-type Pokémon. She made a face before turning back to Nic, who was standing inside and boringly looking at her.

"You coming or you prefer to stay and watch those two?" the Torchic asked.

"Eh," Silver quickly went inside. She looked around the 'ground floor' of the guild tree. The floor was spacious and lots of Pokémon were around. Some were discussing various topics while others were looking on two very tall and wide message boards, probably where the rescue team jobs were posted.

Nic waited for Silver to finish looking around before he turned around and walked up the wide and spiralling staircase leading up, the normal-type following close behind. "I'm meeting the guild master," he said.

Silver frowned. "Don't you mean 'we?'"

Nic didn't reply as they passed by three chatting Pokémon who were walking down the stairs. "We're...going to have a long talk, so I want you to train with the other newbies in the second floor until I'm done."

The normal-type frowned further but kept her mouth shut. She was still new to this whole rescue team thing so it would probably be best to have some training.

The two continued climbing up the stairs until they reached the large second floor of the guild tree. Here, she saw a large number of Pokémon grouped together in different types, training under the guidance of their trainors.

"This is the training hall," Nic explained as the duo looked around. "Normally, if you pass the entrance exam, you get to train here for a few months before you get to the second stage of your training."

Further ahead, Silver saw a large wall with a large opening. It was probably the sleeping area where trainees rest for the day, she assumed.

Nic led Silver to the normal-type group. The Torchic informed the normal-type instructor, a Vigoroth, that the Eevee was his new team mate but needed more training.

"Ah," the Vigoroth said as he scratched his chin. "A wild recruit, yes?"

Silver raised an eyebrow. "For your information, I was born and raised in Rediamond."

"Never heard of the place," the instructor quickly said as he ushered Nic to leave. "Don't worry about a thing, Nickie boy. I got this."

Nic sighed. "Please drop the nickname," he said before he turned to Silver, shrugged, and left.

Silver suddenly felt her back skin being grabbed as she was suddenly lifted up and turned to face the many normal-types before her.

"Listen up, larvas!" the Vigoroth said, catching the attention of the normal-type trainees.

"Larvae," one of the normal-types corrected him in a whisper.

The Vigoroth seemed to not have heard him. "This here's...uhm..."

"S-Silver," Silver said uncomfortably with a blush as she tried to cross her hind legs to hide something inappropriate. "And please put me down..."

"Silver! Right! And she's going to join you worms in training! Say hi and get back to work outs!"

The Eevee received a chorus of welcoming groans before her paws finally touched the wooden ground again. She hesitated from stepping on the training mat where the fifteen or so normal-types trained, but a strong hand slapped her rear, pushing her forward with a surprised yelp and bumping on a Sentret. She quickly apologized, gave the ferret some space, and started mimicking the push-ups everyone else were doing.

---

Nic reached the very top floor of the tree guild in almost half an hour. His original destination was the fourth floor, but after the Pokémon there informed him that the guild master was on the top floor, he immediately turned around and worked his way up through the spiralling staircase. Any ordinary ground-bound Pokémon would have been worn out even before they reach the top, but Nic had been training in the guild for almost three years now, so getting to the last floor almost didn't require any effort for him.

Here at the very top, there weren't any walls nor a ceiling, just the open space, the cold air, the sea of green leaves below and the sleeping sun's rays. The higher the floors, the smaller it gets, and here on the top, the area was small, but at this height, it felt big enough.

A lone figure sat by the edge, facing the setting sun, his back on the staircase and on Nic. The Torchic quietly approached the unmoving figure. When he was a few paces away, Nic stopped, and the figure's shoulders rose as he took a slow and deep breath.

"...So," the figure began without turning to face the newcomer. "...you're back."

"That I am," Nic slowly said.

"...And what did you find?"

Nic paused, trying to find a non-harsher word. He failed. "...Destruction."

"...Survivors?"

"A few."

Silence.

Nic fidgeted, feeling nervous. "...Uh... They took refuge in Nolafus."

More silence.

Nic took a calming breath to collect himself.

"...And?"

The Torchic winced. "Their testimonies are...uninformative."

Silence.

Nic fidgeted some more, uncertain of what to say. He didn't have to, for the figure finally stood up, casting his shadow over Nic's tiny figure. The tall and mighty Blaziken turned to face him fully, his amber eyes locked on him. "Uninformative?"

Nic took another breath to calm himself. "Y-yes... They... None of them knew what caused the fire."

The Blaziken stared down on him for a few seconds before he began to move towards the staircase. He walked pass the tiny Torchic and climbed down the stairs without saying another word.

Nic exhaled a breath after he could no longer hear the Blaziken's retreating footsteps. He hung his head, disappointment written all over his face. "Sorry, dad..." he whispered to the cold air.

"Temptation"​

The guild's mess hall on the third floor was full of life, chatter, laughter, food, and hungry guild members. Torches and glowing root flowers illuminated the happy and hungry faces of every Pokémon on the floor.

"So," Gabby grinned as she eyed her Eevee friend who sat across from her. "How was your first day of training in the guild?"

"I...want to die..." Silver groaned, her head was resting on the table. She hadn't eaten anything yet, her body too soar and painful to move. Her belly roared in hunger once more. "Ugh..."

Gabby chuckled before she ate a half-eaten berry the Grovyle offered her who sat beside her. "You should eat something, Silver," Gabby said as she chewed. "Before all the food disappears."

"Don't talk when your mouth's full," Silver groaned.

"Poor dear," Bay commented, smiling in pity as he eyed the Eevee. "But Gabby's right, dear Silver. You should try and eat something before you retire for the night."

"You...talk weird," Silver said quietly, giving the Grovyle a tired smile.

Gabby chuckled once again. "You'll get used to it, Silvie."

Raising an eyebrow almost felt like a chore, but nonetheless, Silver raised one. "...Silvie?"

"You're new nickname," Gabby winked. "I think it suits you."

"...Riiight..." Silver slowly rolled her eyes. She then turned her head, still resting on the table, and eyed their quiet leader who sat next to her. "So... Nickie?"

The Torchic turned to fully give her his glare. "Don't call me that."

"After you threw me to that training and survived, I think I've earned the right to call you that, Nickie," Silver said with a tired smirk. She was about to say something more when a berry was suddenly shoved in her mouth.

"Be quiet," Nic said as he pulled his talon back.

Bay, Gabby and a few fellow guild mates who sat around their table laughed at them. Silver rolled her eyes as she chewed.

"So," Bay said after his laughter died down. "You're from Rediamond, yes?"

"Mrf," Silver slowly nodded her head as she chewed.

The Grovyle wanted to ask something, but hesitated. He felt a soft paw on his long arms. He turned and saw the Chikorita frowning at him and shaking her head.

"No, no," Silver said after she gulped down the berry she was forced to eat. Her head still on the table, she turned to get a better look at the taller grass-type. "It's fine. Live and move on, right?" she shrugged.

"Strong kid," a Pinsir said with a nod. "I like her."

"I don't think she's into bugs," a Ponyta said, making the others laugh.

The Pinsir threw the fire horse a glare. "That was not what I was implying to say!" After a few more seconds of laughter, he rolled his eyes and laughed with his friends.

After the laughter died down, Bay asked Silver some questions about what happened to her home town. It was still a sensitive subject for her to talk about, but she hid it well and answered the Grovyle's questions. Soon, other Pokémon around their table took turns in asking her questions, since they were curious as well after the news of what happened there circulated around the guild. "How come that Vigoroth guy didn't know about it anyway?" Silver asked, but all she got were shrugs. She didn't know everything, but she tried to answer their questions anyway.

Nic didn't pay them any mind. He simply sat there on his seat, staring at the berry before him and staring at nothing as well. A vine poked his talon, returning him to the present. Blinking, he saw Gabby staring at him with a concerned frown. He shrugged before he ate the berry and listened to the questions and answers. By the end of it, he didn't learn anything new about what happened.

Not long after, the Pokémon started stretching and yawning. 'Goodnight' and 'see ya in the morning' echoed in the mess hall as trainees went to the second floor and rescue teams went to the fifth floor. As the guild staff started cleaning the tables, Nic and his team waited for the crowd by the stairs to lessen before they got off their chairs and climbed up the stairs.

"Should I be staying in the second floor?" Silver asked, hesitating to take a step on the stairs.

Nic turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "...Are you a part of my team or not?"

Silver frowned, ears drooping. "Well, yeah, but—"

"Then stop delaying and move," Nic said before he continued climbing up the stairs, passing by Gabby and Bay who were staring at him.

"Sheesh," the Eevee rolled her eyes as she climbed up, the two grass-types following her. "He seriously needs to learn how to loosen up."

Bay chuckled. "Can't be helped, dear, being the guild master's child and all."

Silver suddenly stopped, eyes twitching. Gabby accidentally bumped her rear.

"He's been trying hard to...uh, you alright, dear?" the Grovyle asked as he stopped beside her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Silver lied, throwing him a forced smile. "Uh, just sleepy and all," she said, following it with a big, fake yawn before she continued climbing the stairs.

The grass-types looked at each other, confused, before they followed after the normal-type. The trio saw Nic on the fourth floor, staring at the tall, closed double doors of the guild master that was across the room. He quickly turned and continued climbing the stairs before any of the three could even say anything.

The four reached the fifth floor in silence. The fifth floor consisted of 'rooms' for each team that was separated by wood. Silver noticed that each room didn't have a door for privacy, which was weird for her. She didn't have time to contemplate on the matter since Bay ushered her to follow Nic and Gabby who were already a few paces ahead.

"Wait," Silver said as she turned to face the Grovyle. "You're not coming?"

Bay smiled at her. "I'm not really a member of your team, dear Silver." He took a breath, closed his eyes, and sighed a dreamy sigh. "But I dream of the day when I can sleep with my beloved Gabby."

Silver blinked, a mischievous grin cracking on her lips. "...Sleep. Riiight. You know, if you want, we could switch places, just for the night."

Bay blushed redder than a ripe Cherri Berry, his throat felt drier than sun-baked deserts. "Um... No." He tried to flash the Eevee a small smile. He was failing at it. "I-I don't think Nic would agree to that. B-but, uhm, thanks for the offer, dear."

Silver shrugged before she turned and left. "Eh, if you say so."

Gabby stood at the entrance of their team's room. She blinked at the grinning Eevee, looked at the blushing Grovyle who awkwardly waved a clawed hand at her before he hastily retreated to his team's room, and looked back at the normal-type with an arched eyebrow. "...What did you tell him?"

Silver smiled innocently. "Oh, just a little something to help him sleep," she said as she went inside, ignoring her friend's curious look, her smile fading. "...We're sleeping on hay?"

The room was big enough to fit an adult Snorlax. A torch stood by the entrance, providing light to the room where three beds made out of dried leaves and mostly hay lay on the wooden ground. A few items were collecting dust on the far corner of the room, but Silver paid those no mind.

Nic, who was already sitting on one of the beds, arched her an eyebrow as Gabby chuckled and walked to her bed. "Yes. Sorry to ruin your expectations."

Silver sighed as she slowly climbed on her new bed. "...It's just," she frowned as she faced her two friends before she sat down. "...This...town... Alexison. It's so...grand! And your guild looks nothing like the one back in Nolafus!" She sighed, ears drooping. "I guess...I was expecting..."

"Grand beds?" Nic asked, still arching an eyebrow.

Silver sighed yet again as she nodded her head.

Gabby chuckled as she settled on her bed. "Good night, you two. Pleasant dreams."

"Likewise," Nic gave her a nod before he turned to their new member. "Lights on or off?"

"Eh," Silver said as she settled on her own bed. "Don't care. I'm kinda—" she yawned long and hard. "—kinda too sleepy now to care. Night night..."

Nic shook his head and turned to the torch in their room. He closed his eyes as he took a few more breaths to calm his thoughts. A minute or two passed before he heard his two friends' quiet snores. He opened his eyes and stared at the fire on the torch. He sighed before he focused on the torch, and soon the fire disappeared, leaving a trail of thin smoke that rose up from the now unlit torch. With another sigh, he lied down on the bed and stared at the dark ceiling of their room.

Nic had a lot on his thoughts lately, but he tried his best to shove them off so he could get some shut-eye. It took him a few minutes to finally feel the familiar feeling of slipping to sleep from consciousness.

"Mmmrf, b-brother..." Silver mumbled in her sleep, an ear twitching. "...I don't...want...a stupid ribbon..."

Nic tiredly rolled his eyes before he allowed sleep to embrace him. Maybe he could force her to wear a ribbon tomorrow if she annoys him again.

"Satisfied"​

"None of them knew..."

None of them knew... None of them knew... None of them...

None...

Something shifted in the darkness. There was a faint sound, but at the same time, the deafening silence persisted.

"What cause the fire...?"

What caused the fire...? Fire...? What caused it...?

What...?

Something broke the misty air. But nothing was there.

"A few survivors..."

A few survivors... A few... Few...

Survivors...

Something darker than the darkness moved. The mists parted as it broke through them.

"Blue fire... Gold fire... Alive... Moltres... Geyser..."

Blue fire... Gold fire... Alive... Moltres... Geyser...

The dark figure stood in the darkness and behind the misty air. None of its features could be seen, yet a feeling of it staring filled the air.

"The end of the world... Evil... Behind the wall of fire..."

End of the world... Behind... Wall of fire...

Chanting...

The figure disappeared.

BOOM!

Nic's eyes flew open, seeing nothing but a bright white light. Seconds later, the light faded and gave way to the darkness that was softly penetrated by the dim lights of the glowing root flowers inside his team's room. He heard the quiet snores of his two friends and the soft sounds of rainwater from outside. He stifled a groan as he stood up, ignoring the cold air. He blinked the remaining sleep off of his eyes and mentally cursed after another bright lightning flash temporarily blinded him, followed by the low growl of thunder.

None of them knew... None of them knew... None of them...

Brows furrowed, he walked out of the room and stood in the quiet and dark hallway. He looked around, but he saw no one. Everyone were probably still be asleep, he thought.

A much colder air blew past him, making the fire chick shiver and involuntarily making his feathers stand. After taking a breath, he looked around, hoping to spot...something.

None...

Nic jumped forward and immediately turned around, heart racing, beak fuming, eyes glaring at...nothing. He was about to turn when he noticed something stirred in the shadows inside his team's room. He steeled himself as he mentally prepa—

What caused the fire...? Fire...? What caused it...?

"Nnngh!" Nic's eye twitched as he violently shook his head. He quickly returned his glaring gaze inside the room, eyeing Silver's form who was stirring in her sleep, mumbling something before she settled down and continued sleeping.

What...?

"Who's there?" Nic whispered in the quiet air.

Lightning flashed, followed by a long and loud roar of thunder. Nic saw a shadow on the corner of his eye just as the light from the lightning disappeared. He immediately turned but his eyes were yet to adjust, yet he didn't hesitate to run after it. He turned around a corner, and he heard the unmistakeably sounds of footsteps. They were quiet, but not too quiet, and Nic quickened his pace as he turned a corner and another, hearing him getting closer and—

A few survivors... A few... Few...

"Grrr...!" Nic ignored the voices he kept hearing in his head as he turned one last corner where the footsteps had stopped.

"Mmmf?!"

Survivors...

Lightning flashed, and after the light began to fade, Nic's glaring eyes saw a frightened-looking Rattata.

"P-please don't hurt me!" the rodent squeaked as he leaned against the wall.

Nic kept his glare, although he felt relief to see that it wasn't some strange being running around the floor. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a firm voice.

"I...I-I was...just looking around." The Rattata gulped. "Please believe me! I didn't mean..." he trailed off as tears started to form in his eyes. "A-am I in trouble?"

Nic sighed. "Trainees are not supposed to be here."

"I-I know... And I, ah, um, s-sorry," the rodent said as his ears drooped. "I... Am I going to be k-kicked out?"

"Yes," Nic nodded. "But I won't—"

Blue fire... Gold fire... Alive... Moltres... Geyser...

"H-huh...?"

End of the world...

"Grrr—!" Nic clenched his eyes shut. "J-just...go back to sleep!" he said as he opened his fierce eyes.

The Rattata flinched with a squeak before he quietly and hurriedly ran past the annoyed Torchic. "I-I'm sorry," he whispered as he scampered off to the stairs.

Behind... Wall of fire...

"Guh!" Nic grunted as he turned and looked around and around, glaring at each possible spots on the floor, wall, ceiling and finally he turned to glare at his faint yet angry reflection on the window. Lightning flashed, but a dark and unmoving figure stood outside the window, casting its long and dark shadow over the Torchic's stunned form. Time seemed to have slowed has Nic held his breath, paralyzed by the feeling of the featureless figure staring right at him...smiling at him.

"Chanting..." it whispered.

Thunder roared as the white flash of light and the figure disappeared and gave way to red.

"Sweet"​

Nic ran and turned from one corner to another as the alarms and cries of the many Pokémon echoed in the guild tree, rousing those who were still slumbering. He expertly evaded the Pokémon who sleepily walked out of their rooms, wondering what was going on while veteran rescue teams rushed out of their rooms with little preparation as they dashed towards the stairs and some even jumped out of the windows.

"What's going on?"

"Why is it so loud?"

"Fire!"

"What?"

"Everyone get out!"

'Sh*t sh*t sh*t—' Nic cursed as he locked his glaring gaze on his team's room.

"There's a fire!"

"Whoa! That's a huge fire!"

"Let's head out and help!"

"Call the fire-types!"

"Screw the fire-types! Let's call the dousers!"

"Nic?!" Gabby yelped when the Torchic rushed into their room. "W-what's goi—"

"Leave! Run! NOW!" Nic exclaimed as he kicked the sleeping normal-type to wakefulness.

"Augh!" Silver yelped as she rolled on the floor. She quickly got up and turned to glare at her attacker. "What in Giratina's balls was that for?!"

"N-Nic?" Gabby frowned, ignoring the shouts and other noises outside. "That wasn't very ni—"

"We'd be dead if we linger any further!" Nic shouted at the two of them.

"Fire!"

"There's fire everywhere!"

Silver's ears twitched, her heart began to beat faster and harder and her breath became fast yet shallow.

Gabby's mouth hung open in disbelief. "N... N..."

"Nnngh!" Nic struck Silver's head with his own and quickly did the same to Gabby, snapping both females back. "Let's hurry up!"

"R...r-right," Gabby nodded with a wince. She turned to Silver, nodded, and the trio ran out of their room, heading towards the stairs, only to stop a few paces away from it.

The stairs were filled with waiting and rushing Pokémon heading down.

"Darn it," Nic yelled in annoyance.

"Gabby!" The trio turned around and saw Bay running towards them. He was panting for breath when he got to them, but it wasn't from exhaustion. "Fire... The town's surrounded by fire. We... We need to..."

"Bay," Gabby tried to calm him down with a fragile smile as she hugged him. "E-everything's going to be all right..."

"N-no, it won't," Silver whispered, turning to Nic as the many sounds continued to mix and echo. "We're...all going to die..."

Nic tried his best to ignore her as he looked up at the Grovyle who just broke the hug with the Chikorita. "Where's your team?"

"H-huh?" Bay blinked at him, thinking that it was a weird thing to ask considering what was happening. "Uh, they are probably already in the lower floors, or probably already outside by now, dear Nic." He bit his lip to stop himself from asking why the Torchic asked.

Nic nodded with a serious look on his face. "Carry us and jump down the window."

"Nic!" Gabby gasped.

"A-are you serious?" Bay asked in surprise.

Nic's eye twitched. "Either do that or we'll all die in this stupid piece of wood!"

Bay hesitated for a few seconds before he nodded. He easily carried Nic and Silver with one arm and held them against his chest. He carried Gabby with his other arm before he turned and dashed towards the nearby broken window.

Outside, they could see the large and tall wall of fire on the edge of Alexison.

"Arceus, watch over us," he whispered. The Grovyle took a quick breath to steel himself before he jumped out of the window, the cool night air and rainwater rushing at the four falling Pokémon.

As they fell, the trio looked at the wall of red and yellow fire. Large streaks of fire shot out from the wall in blinding speeds, striking the many flying-types who tried to escape by flying over the tall wall of flame.

"No, no, no, no—" Silver repeated as fear started to take over her.

Gabby whimpered as she held onto Bay's arms. "Pl-please... Let this be a d-dream..."

Nic's eye twitched as he heard Gabby's whisper.

Bay turned his head up. "Hold on, dears," he said as he tightened his hold on the three Pokémon. Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed him.

The mighty Blaziken struck the blurring trunk of the guild tree with his other clawed hand and two feet, slowing their descent. "Mmrrf!" he endured the pain as they slowed down and finally reached the base. He let the Grovyle go who then released the three smaller Pokémon on the grassy ground.

"T-thank you, sir," Bay said, bowing at the Blaziken.

The Blaziken said nothing as he stood tall, his eyes on the bright wall of fire that was slowly burning the city.

A Dugtrio suddenly popped out from the ground beside the Blaziken. "Sir! We... We couldn't dig underneath it..."

"Fire would suddenly appear in the tunnel if we dig pass the blaze, sir!" the other head said.

"Our team, sir... They..." the other head looked away. "...S-some died when the fire consumed them down there..."

"Sir!" A Pidgeot landed close by. "The fire has trapped us in! We can't fly over it!"

The Blaziken seemed to be ignoring them as he watched a white streak of fire shot out from the wall, striking a flying-type down.

A Starmie was spinning fast towards them, and stopped in front of the Blaziken. "Sir, our waters cannot stop the flames. We do not understand why, but at this rate..." it turned around, its red gem reflecting the fearsome blaze. "...it'll reach us..."

"Were there chanting?" Nic suddenly asked the water-type.

The Blaziken glanced at the small Torchic.

The Starmie looked at the Torchic, its gem shining and dimming. "...I...don't think so. I apologize..."

"Young Nic," the Pidgeot said, "please do not ask such nonsense. We need solutions on how to escape."

"Many have already died!" the Dugtrio exclaimed. "Most of them were civilians!"

"Who would do such a thing?!" one of its heads asked.

The Blaziken suddenly turned to the Dugtrio. "The fire..."

"Sir!"

"Underground... What was its color?"

"Uh..."

"Um..."

"...I think it was red, sir. Orangey red, maybe?"

"Sir, with all due respect," the Pidgeot said. "As I've told your son, now's not really the time to ask nonsense."

The Blaziken turned to the Pidgeot, who flinched under his fierce gaze. "Gather the magnetizers."

"S-sir?"

The Blaziken glared at him.

The Pidgeot flinched once again. "W-will do, sir!" He spread his mighty wings and took flight.

He then turned to the Dugtrio. "Gather the diggers."

"A-at once!" the Dugtrio said before they disappeared.

"Spread the word: everyone gather around the guild tree."

"Yes, sir!" the Starmie said before it spun towards the entrance of the guild. It told what their guild master has told them, and soon, many of the rescue team members and trainees ran in different directions.

Silver and Gabby looked at each other, sharing a confused and worried frown.

"You," the Blaziken turned to the Grovyle.

"S-sir!"

"Collect the messages."

Bay gasped. "B-but, sir! I'm only a silver ranking rescuer!" He flinched under his guild master's gaze. "I...I've only tried it once during training, sir..."

"I'll help," Gabby said, looking up at him.

The Grovyle looked down and saw her determined look. "...A-all right," he nodded. He sat down in front of her and the two closed their eyes to concentrate.

Silver blinked at the duo, not sure what they were doing. She turned to Nic, hoping for answers, but he wasn't looking at her. She then suddenly remembered their situation, making her ears droop. "B-brother..." she whispered quietly as she stared at the fire.

Nic was staring at the guild master in silence, wanting to say something but couldn't. He no longer had the chance to talk to him when Magnemites, Magnetons and other steel-types started showing up.

---

The blazing wall of fire slowly worked its way towards the center of Alexison, leaving behind burned-down structures and Pokémon in its wake.

Five cloaked figures stood behind the thick wall, quietly chanting words unfamiliar to the local ears as they took a step forward so they wouldn't be too far behind from the advancing blaze.

Suddenly, they felt the earth shook, but none of them regarded it. The earth shook once again. And again. And again.

And then the ground shook violently, making the five figures lose their concentration and footing. The wall of fire stopped its advance as the five figures tried to stand up, but the earth continued to shake violently.

Finally, as the earthquake was starting to die down, the five figures were finally able to stand on their feet again. They looked and nodded at each other before they turned to face the blazing wall. However, before they could go back to their chants, they heard the earth moving again, yet strangely the ground wasn't shaking.

The noise was quite loud and quite unfamiliar, but it was getting quieter and quieter as the seconds passed.

They ignored this and went back to their chants, making the fire wall advance again. A piece of rock fell on the head of one of the five, making it look up in confusion. The figure shook in surprise, earning its comrade's attention.

Above them, earth was floating and moving above the wall's reach. Faint cheering sound were heard from the floating earth as it slowly flew away from the blaze.

Suddenly, they saw movement from above. The five quickly jumped back in time to dodge a powerful impact that created a large crater from where they were standing not a few seconds earlier.

A kneeling Blaziken then stood tall in the middle of the crater, his amber eyes glaring daggers at the five shuffling figures a few paces before him.

"Innnnnteresting," the figure in the middle of the group snickered in a strange voice.

The other four snickered as well with strange, maddening voices that even made the Blaziken's eye twitched in annoyance from just hearing it.

"Hard-d t-t-to buuuuurn."

"Aaaaaaashes..."

"Stttoooooooop n-n-noooooow..."

"Fiiiiiiiiiiire..."

The tall wall of fire began to fade as flying and levitating Pokémon began to rain down from the floating earth, each one of them locked their glaring eyes at the shuffling and snickering figures.

One of the figures suddenly disappeared, leaving its dark cloak floating in the air, slowly turning into ashes. One by one, the other cloaked figures began to disappear as well, until only one of them remained, snickering as it stared at the glaring Blaziken.

"F-f-fi-fiiiiirst time..." the figure snickered before it disappeared in the air, leaving an echoed message: "It pleases us more to kill you all..."

"Masks"​

"...It sure is a lovely night tonight. How I wish I could spend watching the stars with my mate rather than standing on this here foot of Alexison.

Sigh...

Right... I should concentrate on my work.

...

...

...

...Damn... Who would have thought that being a Watcher could be so boring!

...Shoot. I know I'm not supposed to think things like that. To anyone who's listening to this root message, please, I beg of you, don't tell the higher ranks, especially the High Watcher, that I find this job...erm...you know.

I still need this job.

...Sigh. Well, if I do get fired, I might as well start thinking of other jobs. Let's see here... I can't be a rescuer since I don't like travelling and be away from home. Hm... Well, I guess I could try baking. Mom always used to say that I had a talent in baking, so I guess I'll try my luck on that line of job.

...Brr... The air's kinda chilly tonight. Hm...

...

...

...

...Nope. No clouds in sight. At least, not on this side of the hill.

...Aaaaand there's that connection feeling again. Sigh... I hope it's not the High Watcher..."

"Hey, dude."

"...Not in the mood to mind-talk with any of you guys right now."

"Sorry, dude. But this is important. I can't seem to connect with the other Watchers."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You know that we always chat, but then, strangely, the dudes became quiet, one by one."

"You guys really shouldn't be cutting your connection with the guild tree just to chat with each other for the whole night."

"Dude! I'm freaking out here at the moment. I don't have time for your lectu—who's there?!"

"Someone's there? Hey! Should we alert the guild?"

"He's a strange fellow, I can tell you that, dude. But he doesn't seem dangerous. Weird that he's wearing a cloak. Can't blame the dude. There's a storm coming, making the winds really chilly. I'm gonna talk to him, dude, and see what he needs. Cutting connection now."

"Well, all right.

...

...

...Shoot. There's a storm coming? Sheesh... Here's to a soaking night watch duty. Ugh, I hope I won't catch a cold."

"..."

"...Huh?"

"..."

"That's weird. Hey, if you're gonna say something, just say it."

"...W-we...weak..."

"...?"

"...Ca-can't...get...guild..."

"Hey. Are you asleep or something?"

"...Alert...the guild..."

"Alert the guild?"

"..."

"Of what? Hey! Damn, I can't connect to him... Sh*t. What's going on?

...I gotta connect with that other guy.

...

...

...I...what? I can't get to him for some reason.

****. I should call the guil—"

---

A cloaked figure appeared out of nowhere a few paces in front of the calm-looking Breloom. The figure was shivering slightly, tilting its 'head' at random directions while 'looking' at the grass-type.

"...Can I help you?" the Breloom asked with an arched eyebrow. 'Looks like a ghost-type if he showed up all too suddenly,' he thought, eyeing the shivering figure. 'Probably a prankster who hypnotised the others.'

They stood in their places, staring at each other in silence.

A minute or two later, the Breloom asked again: "Can I help you?"

The shivering figure started shivering violently, letting out a low chuckle in the air that made the Breloom shiver.

The grass-type's eye twitched as he took a step forward. "Okay, listen here—ugaaaaah!"

Two thin, sharp blades stabbed him from the back and went through his chest, hoisting him up. He coughed blood as his body shivered.

The figure before him shivered as it let out a low and weird laugh. Two other figures who stabbed the grass-type began to shiver and laugh as well as they slipped their blades off of the Breloom, dropping the dying Pokémon on the ground.

A quiet roar of thunder echoed form the sky. The Breloom clenched his bloody teeth as he glared daggers at the mysterious cloaked figures.

"Th-three..." he whispered. "...T-two..."

Suddenly, the two who stabbed him dropped to the ground, unmoving. Lifeless.

The Breloom grinned, vision blurring. His spores worked, but now he needed to warn the guild.

A cloaked figure suddenly stood in front of his field of vision. Ka-chiiiing! It held a blade up, aimed at the grass-type. "Innnnnteresting," the figure said as it struck the Breloom's head. "F-f-fi-fiiiiirst time..." it said, shivering violently. "It pleased me more to kill you..."

'W-warn guild...' was the Breloom's last thought as he took his last breath.

"Far Away"​

The news scattered around the region like wildfire. Every Pokémon—civilized or wild—have been informed about the 'ghostly phantoms' that 'burn towns and cities to ashes.' Panic erupted, and guilds spent a lot of time and energy to control the citizens in their homes.

Guild leaders put down their prides and rivalries from one another as they held meetings after meetings to discuss their courses of action, solutions and discoveries. While many of them shared plausible ideas for actions and solutions, they had none to share about their discoveries. They have sent teams to many different areas in their once-peaceful region in search for the phantoms' lair. But as the days became weeks and weeks became months, they found nothing.

Another fire incident occurred in a month after Alexison survived the fire. Bardothren was a large city in the mountainous parts of the region, and the fire happened at dusk. While many of their people died, the city survived the fire after they tried one of the proposed plans that was brought up during one of the many meetings their guild leader has attended, wherein they secretly assigned a number of their toughest rescue teams outside their border, pretending to be wild Pokémon. While saving their city was the top priority, catching at least one of the phantoms would greatly help their region in solving the crisis. None of the teams were able to catch one.

The very same tactic didn't save the town of Pendaflare however, which was attacked a week after Bardothren. Somehow, the five hooded phantoms anticipated this and annihilated a large number of wild Pokémon surrounding the town's border before they burned the town down. This made the guild leaders think that the phantoms have the ability to learn, making them even more threatening than before.

Other guilds tried other tactics, and while a great number of them survived the attacks, those that didn't brought nothing but more fear and insecurities in the whole region. Wild Pokémon, at first, blamed the civilized Pokémon for being civilized. It was unnatural and therefore they deserved to be burned. They even started worshipping the phantoms for they were the ones who were bold and brave enough to bring back the region and the Pokémon to their natural order. But after they've learned that their so-called 'saviors' started killing wild Pokémon, they became restless and more violent, and some even started attacking nearby towns and cities, adding more chaos and fear in the hearts of many.

Flying-types and water-types began escaping their region, and those who were bound on the earth created boats and rafts and set sail just to get away from the doomed region. Those who fled the region were never heard of again, and some Pokémon have reported that they have seen bright fires in the horizon, and some even saw and brought burned piles of wood that were washed ashore.

The region was no longer safe, and escaping it meant a quick death. This thought circulated around the minds of many Pokémon, fuelling them with grief and hopelessness. Some of them have even taken their own lives, while some became outlaws and some had simply lost their minds and started harming others.

Nic, Gabby and Silver stared at the many piles of reports and at the busy Pokémon staff members in the guild office. They looked at each other, sharing their frowns with one another for a second or two before they turned around the window, staring out at the sea of trees below, the blue horizon beyond and the white clouds above. They stared at the peaceful scene and wished that it would stay that way forever, but they knew that the peaceful region they once knew was no more but a distant memory.

"Determination"​

"We're going out."

"Again?!" two female voices shouted in unison. Gabby and Silver turned their tired and surprised faces towards Nic, who was standing at their team room's entryway.

Nic ignored the many busy sounds and voices that echoed in the hallway behind him as he gave his two teammates a bored look. He and his team just arrived yesterday from their week-long expedition in searching for the lair of the so-called 'Phantoms.' "We're leaving in an hour, so I need you two to be ready before then."

"Nic," Silver frowned. "I know that finding them is important and all, but can't you give us a little more time to rest?"

Nic eyed the Eevee for a short while before he shook his head, earning tired groans from the females. While Silver still had a lot of things to learn, he was proud to see a lot of improvement from the many months of training and from their (often times impromptu) expeditions.

"Nic," Gabby said, "we should really slow down and take some time to recover." She frowned. "Even if we do find them, what good will it be if we're not in our best?"

"Gabby's right," Silver nodded. "We'd be dead before we can even give word to anyone if we do find them."

The Chikorita winced.

"We will find them," Nic said, brows furrowed. "And we're leaving in fifty-eight minutes." He turned around and ignored his team's cries as he walked through the busy hallway. 'We can't waste time doing nothing,' the Torchic thought as he walked, dodging and walking around other Pokémon as if he was on auto-pilot. 'The more we do, the more innocent Pokémon die: civil and wild.' He turned around a corner and immediately bumped into someone. "Oof!"

"S-sorry!" the Rattata said quickly.

Nic was about to reply when he noticed the rodent's baggy and tired eyes. He blinked, and the Rattata was gone. He blinked again and turned around, spotting the rodent scampering in a hurry. He looked at the Pokémon around him, and noticed familiar features on them; they were tired and scared. He turned around once more and saw a window. He worked his way towards it and soon, he stood inches away from it. He stared at the crystal-blue sky for a short while before he shifted his focus on his reflection. His reflection on the window was faint, but it was enough for him to see the dark bags under his eyes.

He stared at his reflection for minutes as he just realized how tired he was as well. Everyone were tired...and scared, too. He closed his eyes and took a breath. 'This has to stop,' he thought as he reopened his eyes and stared at his reflection, hoping to see the determined Torchic that he wanted to see, but he still saw the tired and scared Torchic who needed to rest. 'I want to stop...' He hung his head and leaned it on the window. He stared at this talons and was quickly reminded of how sore and tired they were. He closed his eyes and took another breath. 'I want to go back...'

'But I can't stop...nor can I go back...'

'I'm tired... I don't want to feel...afraid anymore... I want the world to return to normal again... So I wouldn't feel so useless and hopeless again...'

'But the world won't go back to normal again...'

'I know that...'

He slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to see how blurry his vision had become. He sniffed, and he then realized that he was crying. 'I...never cried before...' He sniffed as he tried his best to wipe the tears off of his eyes with his short wings. 'At least, I don't remember ever crying before... I...always assumed crying means that one is weak, hopeless, and...tired...'

Nic slowly pulled his head from leaning on the window and turned his gaze on the blue sky. 'I can't stay like this, nor should I always wish for the world to return to normal...' He sniffed one last time before he nodded and turned around. 'I can't wish for the world to change, because it can't change on its own.' He walked through the busy hallways. 'If I want the world to change, or at least return to normal...' He turned around the corner and locked his gaze on his team's room. 'Then I shouldn't stay like this. I should change.' He went inside the room and stared at his two tired teamamtes who were lying on their own beds.

"One hour isn't over yet!" Silver cried

Nic rolled his eyes before giving her a flat look. 'We all should change.'

"Um...Nic?" Gabby called, catching her friend's attention. She blinked at him. "...Were you crying?"

The Torchic glared at her. "...No." He violently shook his head before he took a deep breath. "Change of plans—"

"No! I am not moving out of this bed!" Silver said, throwing her head back on her bed. "And you can't make me!"

Nic rolled his eyes again. "I don't plan to." He turned to Gabby. "We're taking a day off."

The females blinked at him.

"...That's a first," Gabby said.

Nic ignored her as he turned to Silver. "Tomorrow, we're going to train. Then in the evening, I'll grab a map and the three of us will decide on where to go next."

Silver blinked at him. "Uh..."

Nic nodded. "I'm going outside and find a good place for the three of us to train." He turned around and left without saying another word.

The Eevee blinked at the empty entryway before she turned to the Chikorita. "...What just happened?"

Gabby shook her head. "I've no idea."

"Earth"​

"You do realize that we've been here before, right?" a female Vaporeon said as she and her companion, a Heatmor, followed their leader, a Gabite.

The trio were on the western side of the region. They were walking on a low path which was surrounded by tall and craggy cliff walls. Rocks and boulders of different sizes littered the area, and there were a few green grasses that grew on random spots.

"What are we even doing here, anyway?" the Vaporeon asked again, her annoyance fuelled by the harsh rays of the noon sun.

The Gabite stopped walking, turning his head left and right as he examined the area they were in. "Well, remember the last time we were here?"

"How could I not?" the Vaporeon sighed, her fin-like ears drooping as she tried to ignore the harsh sun's rays irritating her. "There were other teams with us that time." She then bore a small smile. "I miss flirting with that Jolteon..."

The Heatmor rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. She instead looked around, studying the area.

"Right," the bipedal dragon said with a nod, still looking around. "I felt something weird around here, but before I could investigate, the town nearby was attacked by those Phantoms."

The aquatic vixen blinked at him. "Oh? Weird how?"

The Gabite fully turned to face a craggy rock wall. He approached it and began touching it in different spots.

The Vaporeon and the Heatmor looked at each other for a few seconds before they looked back at their leader.

"Um..." the water-type said, "what are you doing?"

"I used to live underground and inside mountains before I met you guys," their leader said.

The fire-type smiled, recalling the memory.

"Ah, I remember that." The water-type chuckled. "How could we forget? You were so wild back then and wanted to eat me...literally."

The bipedal dragon rolled his eyes as he frowned. "Yes, yes. That wasn't a fond memory of mine."

"And then I froze you solid and brought you back to the guild," the vixen grinned. "And then you became my frozen trophy for a week. It was funny when the ice thawed around your head. You had such colorful words."

The two females laughed, drowning their leader's groan.

The Gabite crouched down and tapped the rock wall near the ground. He blinked when he sensed a strange vibration on his sensitive feet. "Odd."

"Huh?" The water-type stopped her merry recollection with the Heatmor and turned to him. "You found something?"

He tapped the spot again, and he felt the strange vibration once more. He slowly nodded his head as his brows furrowed. "I...may have found something."

The Vaporeon approached him, the fire-type following close behind. She poked her head over his shoulder, blinking at the dragon-type's finger tapping the rock wall. She frowned. "I don't see anything on there."

"Well, there—" he said as he turned his head, but stopped when his snout bumped on the Vaporeon's cheeks. "Gah!" he scurried away with burning cheeks.

The vixen threw him a sly grin. "Oh my. Never knew you had a thing for—"

"Could you stop your annoying flirting for just one minute!" the dragon hissed. He shook his head and took a breath.

"He likes me," the Vaporeon said as she turned to their other companion.

The Heatmor rolled her eyes.

"Look, this is serious," the dragon said after he collected himself. He turned at the spot on the foot of the rock wall. "Something's down there."

"More gems, I suppose?" the vixen asked with a sweet smile. "I love shiny things."

"Of course you do," the dragon said, rolling his eyes. "There's a hollow space underneath," he said as he slowly trailed his eyes up, eyeing the craggy wall's massive height.

"...I can help with the digging," the Heatmor suddenly said, opening and closing her claws as she eyed the suspected spot.

"Sheesh," the vixen turned her head and glared at her. "You need to warn us next time when you're about to talk, girl. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The fire-type rolled her eyes.

The Gabite shook his head. "We can't." He turned and looked at his team mates. "Not yet, at least. Trust me when I say that whatever hollow space's down there isn't natural."

The Vaporeon blinked, and slowly her eyes grew wide. "You don't mean..."

The Gabite nodded with a serious look on his face. "Possibly." He turned to the Heatmor. "If what I think is true, then we can't risk checking it out on our lonesome."

"Quiiiiiiiiite riiiiiiiiight..."

The trio gasped and quickly turned towards the source of the voice. On top of a giant boulder stood a cloaked figure, shuddering as it eyed the trio preparing to battle.

"Oooohhh... Baaaaaaaattlllllllllllle...?"

"We're dead..." the water-type whispered quietly as she and her team fixed the Phantom with glaring eyes.

"I'll distract it," the Gabite whispered back, taking a bold step forward. "You two, retreat. Whatever happens, we need to inform the others about this discovery."

Suddenly, the Phantom began to shiver violently as it let out a strange cry that echoed around the walls, disrupting the trio's focus. Then, in a blink, it disappeared and instantly reappeared in front of the bipedal dragon. A thin and silvery blade emerged from its cloaked body.

The Gabite, living in the wilds since he was born, barely managed to parry the attack with his reflexes. He deflected the Phantom's blade to the side with his claw while he went in for a jab with his other claw, stabbing through the cloak...and nothing else.

'What?'

Another sharp blade emerged from the Phantom's cloak, stabbing the dragon on the chest.

"No!" the Vaporeon shouted before blasting the cloaked figure with a beam of ice, but her attack only went through the cloak.

The Phantom turned its 'head' towards the startled vixen and pulled—

"Grr—!" the Gabite growled through his bloody fanged jaws as he held the stabbed blade with both claws. Catching the Phantom's attention, he then quickly threw his murderous look at his companions. "Run! Arceusdamnit, ru—!"

The other blade stabbed him on his stomach.

More blood oozed from his mouth as he gave the Phantom a side-glare.

The Heatmor snapped back. She threw an apologetic glance at her dying leader as she grabbed the stunned Vaporeon's tail. "Sorry," she whispered as she quickly turned around and kicked her feet on the ground, eliciting a surprised yelp from the water-type.

"No! Stop!" the water-type cried as she was dragged, her teary eyes locked on the Gabite. "We can't leave him! He's gonna die!"

But the Heatmor kept on running as she fought her tears from falling down her face.

The Gabite eyed his retreating friends with a mixture of emotions. He was glad that they were running away from harm and were to report their discovery, but at the same time, he was sad that he won't be able to see them again. He began losing his strength on his claws and seconds later they were now hanging limply on his sides, yet the Phantom didn't pull his blades back and chase after them.

The retreating females turned around a corner, no longer in plain sight. However, the Phantom was still staring at where the two had just run off, shuddering less and less.

"..."

"T-too bad," the Gabite wheezed with a small smirk as he weakly eyed the Phantom before him. He wanted to ask why he didn't call its 'buddies,' but quickly decided against it. "They...soon bring back o-others..." He coughed weakly, his breaths becoming shallow and slow as he started feeling cold.

"..." Slowly, the Phantom turned its head and stared at its kill. "...Riiiiiisssssk liiiiiiife......t-to saaaaaaaave theeeem...whyyyyyyyyyyyy...?"

But the Phantom could no longer get an answer from him for he has already taken his last breath. Slowly, he pulled his blades off of him, dropping the Gabite on the ground. It stared at the dead dragon for a few seconds before it slowly lifted both its blades to eye level, eyeing the thick red blood slowly being absorbed by its blades.

"...I dooooooooon't uuuuunderstaaaaaaannnnnd..."

Just then, another Phantom appeared on top of the boulder, looking down at it. "...Deeeeeaaaaad...?"

"...Yeeeeeessssss..."

The newcomer nodded its head. "...Ooooootheeeers...?"

The Phantom below slowly dropped its blades on its side as it stared at the dragon. "...Oooonly thiiiiiis ooooone..."

The newcomer nodded its head once more before it, as well as the dead Gabite, disappeared in thin air, leaving behind the other Phantom staring at the pool of blood on the ground.

"..."