[PKMN FULL] 💎 Together Forever 💎 [M] [Invite] [IC]

Emma and Maeve, both in their fused form, seem to have taken most of the attention off Douglas when he speaks up again, getting up from where he's been sitting and scribbling down notes. "Those are great results, four of you got it down already!" He exclaims, his eyes gleaming, his left fist in the air as a sign of victory.

"Yes! You did… better than my first time, for sure." Emma-Musharna smiles, her eyes still closed but her head turning towards Nia, Paul and Gin.

"As for you though, no worries. It's okay to not get it right! And that's also why…" She takes the spotlight, or at least tries to get the attention of Kent, Mira and Bexley. Charlotte-Sundae, or rather "Grace", is still flying about, but Maeve-geist is sort of looking after her anyways. "Right, I can help you out on your next attempt if you want! I retain Musharna's powers on dreams, and I can use them to help you focus on your fusion."

"I can confirm it's helpful, haha!" Maeve-geist chime in, interrupting their friend as the cloud of smoke twirls faster around her body.

"Well thanks!" The Psychic-type fusion continues then, "anyone who wants to try again?"

"Oh, and then I can do the thing, right?" The Ghost-type speaks up again gleefully, as Emma nods back with a smile. "Yes, sure thing."

Mira has seen enough to feel more confident by now. From Charlie and Paul who seemed to wholeheartedly enjoy their fused states, through Nia and Gin who seemed… Different but still in control, to Bex and Kent who didn't quite grasp how to stay fused yet, Mira now feels like she dares to try once more. She really does want to manage it, after all.

"We'll go again," she says, and crouches down to her Vulpix once more.

"You've got to think of Roger! Be in sync," Aiden recommends.

"I think actually he has to think more of me," Mira smirks. "You hear, that you little troll?"

Roger looks up at her with playful offense.

"You'll get clothes and arms and a mouth that can talk. I'll be able to experience your powers. We were always in this together, to protect the things we care about from unnatural invaders. We were always good at it. This, this is how we get really good. But you have to consider me, just as I will consider you. It won't just be you and I anymore. It'll be we."

Roger seems bothered by her monologue, but she can tell that he's actually listening. He's probably just as curious as she is, and can't wait to be able to speak with human words via her brain. She just knows it, because she knows him.

"Yes! You can do it, Roger!" Aiden then shouts through the earpods, loud enough to slightly hurt his mom's eardrums but also making Roger hear him and give off a smirk of his own.

Alright, then.

The blonde ranger holds up the crystal between them once more, staring intently into the big dark eyes of her Vulpix partner. He gives a feisty stare back, before he touches the crystal with his nose again.

Lights envelop them, the world blurs, and when Mira can see again, she is prepared this time. It's not just she who sees, it's both of them. And when they smile, unmistakably canine fangs peek out from under their lips. They laugh a little. It feels nice. They look down at their hands. Brown fur cover them, and the nails have dark claws, much like Roger's. But they are still hands, human hands. And there are human feet and legs - their whole body is nothing strangely shaped, aside from the numerous fluffy tails sticking out at the end of their spine. How cuddly; they're larger than they appear on tiny Roger. Hey, don't call me tiny! I'm very imposing. Yes, of course you are. But we're more imposing. Yes… Yes, we certainly are. Awesome.

They swirl around to the rest of the rangers, their new getup swirling with them. The clothes still retain similar colors to the ranger outfit - coral red, dark gray - but their upper body is enveloped in a dark grey aikido style top, and from the waist and down the coral red has taken the shape of a wide aikido styled bottom. The fusion smiles widely, with a small giggle, before they make a quick bow. As they back up again, the kimono shifts slightly, revealing the gleaming crystal embedded in their chest, just beneath their throat.

"Better? Yes. Much better! Hello, everybody," they say to the others, but then suddenly look a bit worried. "We don't need to act like this. It doesn't hurt though. It might hurt. Ah. Stop it."

They back off slightly and hold their hands to their head.

"Mom! Calm down! You can't fight Roger, you have to cooperate." Aiden says, not sounding entirely calm.

"He's just a bit… Much," Mira groans.

Her head doesn't feel quite like her own. She maybe just has to get used to it. Maybe she shouldn't fight it. Of course you shouldn't fight me. Let's have fun together! You like me, right? And you trust me?

Mira ends the fusion, on purpose.

The human and the pokémon sit back down in the grass again as the light dissipates, Mira panting heavily. Roger looks up at her, very annoyed.

"We'll try again later… It worked now, at least. Right?" she adds towards the researchers.

Maeve-geist looks… a bit disappointed, actually. That's one less person they can play with later - and in fact, they're about to tell Mira to try again, but Emma and Musharna stop them before that happens. "Alright, alright!" She says, "Those were good attempts and I'm sure that if you keep at it you'll be able to last for hours on end!"

Her eyes still remain closed, and partially hidden by the pink smoke surrounding her, but she still looks serious, in control, and very calm. As much as Maeve and Chai are pawing for attention behind her, they know it's better to let her do her thing. "We still have Bexley with Klefki, and Kent with Stoutland. Correct?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to pass." Kent states bluntly. "Maybe I can attempt again another time, but not right now. I haven't even fully processed what happened during my first attempt..."

"Aw, not even if Emma helps you out and we all cheer for you, Kent?" Grace swoops down from above, grinning towards the other ranger. Emma herself nods, but from a distance. "I can do that, yes…"

"Somehow I feel anything from you would only make things worse, Ranger Berkeley…" Kent says through his teeth while his fist impulsively clenches.

"Oh please, they don't call me Happiness Pokémon for nothing!" Is the reply he gets, alongside a playful nudge on his shoulder. "I'll take away your worries and fears and…"

"Ok, wait, that's my job usually…" Emma interrupts Grace, much to the relief of Kent, and for a moment her eyes are actually open, revealing a red iris. "But fine, if we can't convince you, we can still give you some more time. Just report back to us when you succeed, it's important!"

"Of course." Kent readjusts his glasses, returning to his regular obedient self. "I'll be sure to inform you when the time arrives."

Their eyes then turn to Bex. She chews her nails distractedly, mulling over the best course of action—whether a second attempt is worth the fuss. But all she can really think about is heading back inside for a cool bevvy.

"Tch, alright, I'll give it another go. Though you might've said you could make things easier from the start with those funny powers you got," she remarks to Emma.

"Uh, we're supposed to test your bond the first time around, so we couldn't help you then, but now…" Emma's eyes open again as she floats closer to Bexley. "Alright, I'm in position."

Bex takes the Poke Ball from her belt. "You'd better behave yourself this time," she says with a tired sigh. "This ain't Spikemuth, mate. We're in civilised society here, that understood?"

Things seem to go well when she releases Tink from his ball. At least, that's what Bex would've liked to think. In some ideal world, where Klefki aren't total prats, maybe that would've been the case. But this Klefki had other plans.

"Oi, Tink! Where the bloody hell are you going?" Bex cries when he flies high out of reach and darts into the nearby vegetation—with his rare ability, Magnet Rise made him fast, and he was out of sight before she could throw the ball at him.

"I'm not coming after you, if that's what you're thinkin'!" No way she was going through that tangle of weeds and vines, not after blow-drying her hair this morning. But then Tink was an idiot. What if he got lost out there? No, he'll be fine. But there are wild Pokémon. He's only a little thing. What possessed him? Oh, sod it, she'd have to go after him.

"Well, there you go. My horoscope said I'd be in for trouble," she says to the crowd with an awkward smile and shrug. "Let's write this off as a bit of a bad day, shall we? Right... well. I'll be going then. Into the jungle. Into the sodding jungle..."

Nia-Leila crossed her arms and shook her head, clearly showing their disapproval of the pair. "There they go."

Grace tries to follow Tink as well, flying from above, but a single Klefki is too hard to track down and the trees act as an impassable barrier. Her flight pattern is wobblier the faster she goes, too, and that prompts the fusion to desist. "Aren't we going to help or something?" She asks the other rangers with urgency, hoping they'd be better fits for the task at hand.

Honestly, with how Mira felt right now, she wasn't keen on pushing anyone else further - not even Kent, and especially not the attitude-rich Bex.

"Let them sort it out on their own," she called up to Charl- no, Grace the fusion. "With all we've been told of fusion so far, they won't succeed anyways if they're not agreeing on things." She glanced down at Roger, who glared back up at her. Indeed.

"Aw…" is all that Grace says in response, as she gracefully, or so she thinks, lands besides Mira. "I just hope they'll be ok, you know…"

"I'll go!" Paul eagerly leans in the direction that Bex and Tink had gone. He seems confused, leaning forward more and falling to the ground. "Oh. Gravity works…"

After an undignified bit of flailing he manages to stand back up, as though his limbs are more heavy than he's used to. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Nothing too dangerous out there, we already checked. Mira's right, let them sort it out."

"We can second that," Maeve-geist chimes in. "And before you leave or something, there's one last thing I need to show you…"

Emma can be seen giggling, as she begins the process of separating back into herself and Musharna. The smoke around her fades away and white light surrounds her, concealing the fusion and only revealing the Psychic-type Pokémon now floating above Emma, who is sitting down on the ground and still looking a bit drowsy. "Not my best ending, haha! But sure, go ahead Maeve and Chai."

"Finally!" They exclaim, quickly moving towards the center of the backyard. "Right, do you still have the berries I gave you? Because if you do…"

Now the fusion starts to move around in some sort of small dance, the inside of the big teapot glowing in yellow. A weird scent spreads through the air as Maeve smirks… "It's Tea time, my dear fusions!"

Gin's left hand starts moving up on its own. Another Slimy's thought runs through his head confirms that it's not Slimy's doing. The hand, holding the berry that Slimy originally picked up, now moved towards the fusion's open mouth, dropping the berry inside. Both Gin and Slimy are clueless about what is happening, as they munch the berry down.

Grace feels just as confused as she twirls in the air, struggling to not plummet to the ground. She's overwhelmed by an intense urge to just eat the berry she was given before, so much so that she can't really process any other thought - including how to keep herself afloat. And while she doesn't feel directly threatened by that, Grace still isn't sure where that urge is coming from or how she could let it take control of her… or if she's even being possessed at all!

She doesn't ponder that enough to get rid of the effect though, or at least that's what it seems. Because after trying to regain control of her wings, Grace dashes towards Mira quickly, snatching up even her own Pecha Berry from her hands. "Look, they're just my favorite!" She laughs, after gulping the berry in just two bites. Are they really though? It may as well be Tea time still doing its magic. Mira barely shrugs, but Roger looks quite annoyed at the Togetic-fusion, even if he didn't even know that the berry was there until it was taken.

The ghostly energy washes over Paul, making him shudder slightly. His pupils dilate, making his eyes appear large and beady as he fishes the Pecha Berry from his vest pocket. With a flick of the wrist, he tosses the berry into the air, opening his mouth unnaturally wide to catch it and swallow it whole. "Ahh… delicious, delicious! Is there more, I'm still hungry! More! MORE!"

Paul is consumed by light, and when it fades he finds himself sitting on the ground, Carnivine sprawled in his lap. "Oh, what's this? ...did the fusion work?"

Soon after Paul and Carnivine, the fused pair of Nia and Leila are similarly hit with a sudden urge to eat the berry that they had been holding on to. With a shrug, they deftly popped the berry into their mouth with a subtle smile on their face as they enjoyed its sweet flavor.

Maeve giggles as she separates from Chai, who goes from surrounding his trainer to being comfortably held in her hands. "That was a good result overall - the stronger a fusion is, the more it responds, so… I have to say it, I'm impressed!"

"Yeah, and without our help either… that's very promising! They could probably start executing moves in less than a week!"

Emma speaks up from behind Maeve, who was really just thinking aloud. The blonde assistant turns around with a nervous smile, and lets out a sigh. "Rangers must've done a very hard selection, wow…"

"It's ok Maeve," the older assistant smiles, likely catching onto how her friend is feeling. "They sure are good, but they can't beat my favorite tea pot…" She chuckles, reassuring her friend with a pat on her shoulder.

Mira & Charlie & Roger & Sundae
JP between adventure and eleanor

According to Douglas, the seven rangers now have "plenty of time" to master fusing with their Pokémon, and he will be glad to visit the lodge again in a week or so, to evaluate everyone's progress.

That leaves a lot of potential time to relax, explore the islands, pranking Kent, and… actually nevermind. At lunch, fusing was by far the most common topic of conversation - at least for most of the people who were sitting close to Charlotte - and with a few exceptions, people appeared to be rather eager to keep improving. The pink haired girl easily jumped into the fusion talk, enthusiastic to share her feelings about it, and by the end of her meal she had already changed her plans for the day. One reason also being that one certain other ranger didn't seem at all as enthusiastic about this as Charlie did, and Charlie just had to try to change that.

Not even one hour after that, Charlie is now at the edge of the lodge's backyard, her back right against the first line of bushes and trees. Above her, Sundae, of course. In front of her, it's just Mira and Roger. "Shall we start?" she asks with a grin.

Mira glances back towards the lodge. "Mm. Can't we go a bit further? Just… Everyone was watching, before, with the professor. Maybe it will go easier if there's more… Privacy. Like, in the forest."

"Sure thing, but we'll need a bit of a clearing if we don't want trouble!" The younger girl smirks.

Charlie lets Mira lead the way onwards, Vulpix following closely in the blonde woman's steps. She seems to relax a bit as they enter the growth, and as trees and foliage begin to obscure the view back to the building. It isn't more than a minute before they find a decently sized clearing, a few rock boulders strewn out near a small creek at the edge of the open area, which isn't much larger than the lodge's front yard. Roger immediately jumps up and claims one of the boulders a few meters away as his resting spot.

"Is this enough?" Mira asks, then adds a bit shyly: "You don't have to come with me, Charlotte. We can practice on our own."

"What if I ask you to stick together though?" The other girl quickly replies, letting her intentions known. She looks in awe at the canopy above her, but there's a hint of wariness in her eyes too, as she tries to find Sundae as she quietly floats above her.

Mira seems to give up, or accept that reasoning, because she just shrugs. "Can we watch you fuse again, before we try?" she then asks, eyes darting up to the Togetic.

The crystal that is needed to fuse is already in Charlotte's hand by the time Mira finishes speaking. "We'll be glad to!" She smiles, gesturing for Sundae to come closer.

The Flying-type once again perches herself on her trainer's head and touches the crystal, and much like before, not much really happens for a couple seconds. But then some flickers of light appear around Sundae, and then around Charlotte, and then they're both engulfed in light again. Grace greets Mira and Roger for the second time that day, playfully flying in circles above them as long as the tree branches give her enough space.

"Sorry I couldn't give more details, but this requires a lot of focus!" She winks, before landing right beside Mira.

Mira shakes her head in honest wonder, while Roger growls quietly at her feet; Sundae is not his favorite person, so neither is Grace.

"You make it look easy," Mira says with a small smile. "We've got to learn to do this too. Together," she adds pointedly and crouches down to Roger's level with a stern glare.

He visibly sighs at her. You're no fun, she just knows that he'd say if he could.

"We can have fun when we're in sync. You can't try to take over, and…" She stops herself and thinks for a moment, realizing something. "Or maybe you should… Maybe I'm the one who needs to give up control?"

Roger's ears shoot up and he nods fervently, as if he's known that all the time and she's pretty stupid.

"I've been trying to resist your actions and will the previous times… But Charlotte and Grace just seem to get along and give in to each other, don't they? So, alright. I will do that."

She isn't entirely convinced it is the right way to go, but it is different than before, and clearly what they were doing before was not working. And Aiden is busy and not in her ears to tell her otherwise. She holds up the crystal, and they fuse.

The light quickly dissipates, and the Vulpix-Mira fusion stands in front of the Togetic-Charlie fusion in the clearing, quickly putting on a wide smile on their lips. Slightly enlarged canines are just visible. Just like before, their clothes retain similar colors to the ranger outfit - coral red, dark gray - but their upper body is enveloped in a dark grey aikido style top, and from the waist and down the coral red has taken the shape of a wide aikido styled bottom. Brown fur covers their hands, and their nails have dark claws, and there are numerous fluffy tails sticking out at the end of their spine.

"Ah. There we go," Mirager says, in a voice that sounds very satisfied. They look up at their pinkish companion and raise an eyebrow. "So… Let's play around with our powers in this form, shall we?"

"Powers uh? Let's see what you can do… without causing too much damage!" Grace laughs, one hand in front of her mouth. "But hey, congrats. That fusion is looking great already!"

Mirager rolls their eyes. "Where's the fun in holding back?" They take a deep breath, fix their stare at a nearby tree stem… And then basically barks out into the air.

The barking noise is all that happens. Mirager blinks and looks confused.

"Ha! That's how it is then…" Grace chuckles, but then goes back to a more reassuring smile. "No worries though, I should know just the right move to calm your fiery spirits!"

She springs up again, eyes closed and arms around her chest, and then… even as she extends them outwards, nothing. No healing water, no water at all in fact, no cute sparkles in the air.

The same thing happens on her second attempt, leaving Grace somewhat disappointed. But, as if Sundae wanted to make it clear she was involved, it only took a few seconds for the fusion to start laughing again. "Well… that was a great performance. High five?"

Mirager mostly looks annoyed, and definitely doesn't give her any high five.

"What do you mean 'great performance'? Nothing happened! Where is my power?"

They plant their feet firmly into the grassy ground and really try to gather their energy. "Energy Ball!"

Nothing, again. Mirager suddenly seems to calm down a bit though, perhaps Mira slipping into more control all of a sudden.

"Maybe we can't do it with our mouth now. Maybe moves work differently when a human is involved." The statement is punctuated by a sideways smile back at Grace though. "Jeez, so complicated. If not even you can do it…"

"Aw, I was just joking!" The flying fusion laughs. "But at first I also thought I could do it. It's really harder than expected… but it's fine, we got this!" She adds, trying to sound enthusiastic and encouraging.

Mirager still just looks at her, thoughtfully. "How are you always so… Cheerful?"

"Who knows, I was born this way!" Grace smiles back from above. "I'm just a natural for spreading happiness!" She proudly concludes as she runs a hand through her (still) pink hair.

Mirager shrugs with another sideways smile, and walks over to the tree they just attempted to fry, absent-mindedly touching its bark. It feels different than touching with a paw, Roger thinks. At the same time, Mira thinks that it feels different than touching something with her human hand. This hand is more coarse, has fur on the back of the fingers and palms, and thick claws that can retract and extend somewhat, much like Roger's.

They keep swirling around each other inside their unified mind. Still two minds, really, but occasionally one takes over, or the two actually manage to agree on a course of action or choice of words, and that's when Mirager manages to do or say something comprehensible to the world around them.

Mira swirls to the top for a moment, and their head turns back to the brighter fusion. "Charlotte... What do you think the professor really wants us to do as fusions?"

Grace, possibly noticing Mirager's different tone, tries to collect herself. "Honestly? I don't know… but maybe there's no second end at all!" She quietly floats in the air, as if she's letting herself float in the sea water. "Maybe he's just curious to know what we're capable of, nothing more and nothing less. In fact… that's what I hope, too."

"Well so far we're not capable of anything," Mirager pouts, arms crossed now as Roger takes over slightly more again. "Uh. What if he'll take away our crystals if we don't manage to use our powers! Not that that'd be the end of the world, I mean… Well yes, okay, it is kind of cool to speak like this and walk like this. I mean. I want to feel what using the powers would be like though. I already know. I don't. I- ahh…"

Mirager clutches their head and shuts themself up for a few moments. "Sorry. Two minds in one brain is really something else. Do Sundae and Charlotte just get along perfectly or?"

"Most of the time!" Grace smiles. "But even then adjusting to the new body weight and lifting it all up was not exactly a walk in the park… or maybe it was since I'm not that fat! but…"

"Oops, sorry." The airborne fusion laughs after a moment of apparent confusion. "What I mean is that being in this state alone is lots of work and you're already doing very well, and being able to use actual moves shouldn't take much longer now… we'll be fine!"

"Okay, if you say so," Mirager sighs. "Must be weird to be able to fly also," they add. "I wonder how fast I am…"

Without further warning, they take off. Running as fast as their new body can carry them, off into the jungle. Both Mira and Roger are well acquainted with navigating difficult forest terrain and their combined senses seem to find decent enough spots to put their feet, as well as support to grab with their claws. They're faster than Mira would have been, but perhaps not as fast as Roger could have.

"Is that how it is? Well…" Grace giggles, then quickly flies after them. And for a bit, it feels so thrilling, so fun… when Sundae is left in control of the wings (a rather easy thing to achieve since Charlotte never had wings in the first place), everything feels seamless. But the canopy she gets herself into soon gets too dense for her. The branches hit her body various times before she reluctantly decides to go back to the clearing, waiting for Mirager there.

Mirager runs until they've tired themselves out, then Mira manages to steer them back towards the clearing. They're sweating when they step out again, flashing a broad smile with very distinct canines towards the fairy fusion. "I was fast. Fast-ish," they say proudly. "Couldn't keep up, could you? Wings are not all there is in a dense jungle."

"Hmpf, not everywhere is a dense jungle… but you're right! Steering quickly through the branches is hard." Grace giggles. "I will concede defeat for now, but it's not over!"

Mira is satisfied with that, but Roger had wished for more of a fight. As a result, Mirager looks conflicted for a moment, but then seems to relax at last. Only for a moment though, because next thing, they bark out at a tree again. No fire or other form of attack comes out this time either.

"Ugh," they groan. "Maybe we just need better inner balance. I'm perfectly well balanced, actually. But it's the two of us that need balancing, not just you, Roger. I mean. I. We. Ah."

And just like that, the Vulpix fusion splits apart again, leaving a sighing Mira and confused Roger sitting on the ground. They're really not balanced at all, yet, clearly.

"Hehe… I mean, it's fine, it's fine! And actually…" Grace quickly speaks up. She then quickly splits back into Charlotte and Sundae, with the Fairy-type floating above her trainer as she clumsily falls down to the ground. "Hey, that was still too early!" She complains as she gets up, but then she quickly walks up to Mira and offers her a hand as well.

Mira cautiously takes it and gets back up. "I… I love Roger. I do. But…" she admits, feeling suddenly like she can tell Charlie what she hasn't told Aiden. "But he's frankly an asshole sometimes."

Roger pouts, but doesn't go away to sulk or anything, at least.

"I'm not really sure what to do, to make us more in-tune," Mira continues quietly. "I know we're a bit different but we always worked well when we're in two bodies. Or so I thought."

"Well, at least you-" Charlie tries to reply, but is interrupted by what feels like rain coming from above. It feels good, though, and it is in fact Sundae's Life Dew. "I was saying…" She tries to continue in between a few giggles, "You know each other quite well, don't you? If you keep bonding that way, I'm sure the fusion will become even better."

"I suppose," Mira says, glancing down at her pokémon who does not seem happy in the light rain.

When Sundae gracefully lands beside her trainer, she keeps talking. "I got Sundae from an egg, so I have an advantage here. I think. But there are some moments when we disagree, too! So, like… you're good to go, Mira!" She gives the older Ranger a thumbs up.

Mira leans her head to the side as she looks back at the other trainer. She's super optimistic, this one. Normally, Mira would probably find that annoying. But in this current situation… It actually helps.

"Thanks, Charlotte," she says. "I think I'm done fusing for now. It takes a bit of a toll on me. Maybe on him too," she adds with a gesture.

Roger is glaring up at Sundae, barking at her to stop her Life Dew, blatantly ignoring the fact that it probably does make him feel better in some way.

"You're welcome! Well, we have to help each other out, I guess." The pink haired girl giggles. "Shall we go back to base now, though?"

"Sounds good. I need a shower, I think," Mira says, realizing that the run Mirager did before has left her quite parched. "You - get over her," she adds to the bothered Vulpix, who reluctantly leaves the Togetic alone at last and trots after his trainer.

"You're not getting rid of us easily, might as well suit yourselves…" Charlotte smiles at that. It's almost like a threatening tone, but it's meant to be playful more than anything - Sundae is in fact, giggling at that once again. "And now, let's get back to the lodge!"

Turns out that being afraid of fusing was totally unmotivated. By now, Charlotte Grace and Sundae (or better, Sundae Grace) take every chance they get to combine their beings into what's being known as just Grace.

It's almost addicting for the both of them, really - Charlotte can't get enough of flying and feeling free from negative thoughts, Sundae is loving the thought of becoming even more close to her trainer and giving her all the happiness she can. Surprisingly, these feelings kept the two very close to the Lodge, the only place where they know Grace can manifest without harmful consequences, even if both Charlotte and Sundae seemed so eager to leave and explore Knot or Kin Island instead, at least when they were just settling in.

But even when they are so in sync, there is something that is bothering Charlotte. Because of this, Grace is never really at ease to try something that for Sundae is vital - not until at least a few days have passed and she feels confident enough.

The first successful attempt consists in a small bubble coming out of Grace's open, yawning mouth. It floats in the air for a few seconds before going off with a small pop, and that's it. The second time, it's already bigger and it lasts longer, proving Charlotte that if she lets Sundae handle these things… the move will succeed. And so, for the third time, Grace changes things up, and creates three small orbs in front of her. Yellow, Red, Blue… they fizzle out quite soon, but they stay around enough to make her ecstatic about her accomplishments.

From here, things seem to get better quickly, with Grace actually practicing her moves - certainly without any rigorous training or diligence, but still more often than Charlotte and Sundae themselves would have expected going into it. But of course… there's another roadblock, and it comes up quite soon too.

When Grace, or possibly just Sundae, waddles her finger, something happens. In record time, the bond is broken, with Charlotte falling down on the ground as beams of light leave her body, only to connect into what eventually becomes Sundae once again. The Pokémon still continues with the move, and below her the soil starts to disaggregate in smaller clods and little green particles, eventually reaching Charlotte herself… whose clothes are looking quite dusty by the time she gets up.

She's not exactly sure what that move even was, only later on some internet searches will tell her that it's called "Rototiller", and that it's simply meant to power up Grass-types that touch the tilled soil it creates. Very situational anyways. But it's still a better outcome than the one unfolding inside her head.

"I'm so sorry Sundae, really, but.." She runs towards her Pokémon, who happily flies into her arms for a warm hug. "I just remembered something important!"

Rototiller was called by Metronome, the same move that could call things such as, well… Earthquake, Eruption, or Explosion. It's something that can happen, yes, but the thought of it happening to Grace, and so to Charlotte, makes shivers go down her spine. Even if Sundae doesn't seem worried.

Pokémon faint all the time, it's what they do. They give up their ability to fight and use their moves, in exchange for self healing… or so the Ranger Academy said. Humans cannot do that though, and incidentally, there's a little detail that Douglas and his assistants seem to have skipped. What happens if a fusion faints? Does it faint to begin with? Does it separate? Does it actually hurt the human?

Charlotte has never thought about this, and probably neither has Sundae. As a result, Grace has never bothered with it as well… not until the right situation comes around. That's when Charlotte, or at least Grace's part that is under her control, wakes up and is scared. All of a sudden, because that's how the girl is.

Usually, all is fine in a few minutes. Charlie will recover, Sundae will understand what went through in her head, and they'll be good, and then they will probably get themselves in the same situation, dancing closer and closer to danger until they somehow manage to live through it and tell the tale… maybe. But at this point, the girl is rightfully concerned. Is this really worth the risk?

She'll need to reach out to other people if she ever wants to find out… safely.

Chapter 1 💎 Tremors​

When all the required quests are completed, you will all receive a Rainbow Pass, which will allow you to visit the entirety of Sevii Islands, starting from next chapter. Check in with the Boon Island Rangers HQ to claim your own!

Please let everyone know about which missions you'd like to pick in the Discord~

Here's a list of the Pokémon that you'll be able to find, in the wild, around the new areas available to explore. Italics is there for much rarer Pokémon, should you need to include them in your posts. For the encounters available in previously visited areas, check the Chapter 0 post here!

Mount Ember:
💖 Slugma / Magcargo
💖 Magby / Magmar
💖 Torkoal
💖 Numel / Camerupt
💖 Geodude / Graveler / Golem (Kanto)
💖 Onix / Steelix
💖 Cubone / Marowak (Alola)

Reginald Rawlings

Chapter 2
Boon Island's forest

For the next couple of weeks, Mira is having a rough time. Aiden can tell, even though she doesn't explicitly tell him that's the case. Together with Charlie and her Togetic, his mom seems to have mastered fusing quickly with Roger now. But after every day they've been out training as Mirager, or just been existing as the fusion for a longer amount of time, Mira seems more grumpy and anxious. Aiden doesn't understand why.

When she speaks about what it is like to be fused... Well, she doesn't describe it much, actually. Even though he's asked. Mirager has become able to use Roger's moves and move efficiently enough on two legs through the forest now. Their personality is very different from Mira's - Aiden notices it very strongly when they're in contact during fusion. They should be a mix of Roger's and Mira's personalities, but he can't help but feeling like things aren't like they should be... But Mira isn't giving him much feedback on those thoughts. She just carries on, and grumbles a bit about general things.

At least they seem to be getting along with the other rangers and their fusions in the lodge. Aiden thinks the rest seem really cool - especially Bex and Charlie! Mira isn't sending him at all enough photos of them and their pokémon, but he doesn't want to seem desperate. They'll be there for a long while, after all.

Then, one day, it seems like trouble is starting to stir in the archipelago, and Mira and Roger are getting actual missions. Aiden can't help but being worried for them. Or, for his mom at least. For Roger's part, the Vulpix seems to be enjoying their fusion business much more than his human partner... Aiden's started insisting that Mira let him be connected more often. It's a real pity that he has to go to school most days. He'd much rather study in the nighttime and hang out on satellite connection with his mom during the day. It isn't easy being pre-teen.

It's probably a good thing that he isn't aware of just how difficult it is to be Mira now.