Chapter 44: Farewell

  The rain hadn’t stopped since dawn. A soft, endless drizzle clung to every leaf, every roof tile, every flicker of torchlight that marked the edges of Newleaf Village. It wasn’t enough to flood the paths, only enough to blur the horizon into gray, enough to erase tracks. In this case Auri's tracks dashing any hope the guards had to catch up to him again.

  Yuki sat curled on her bedding, feathers drooping, staring at the distorted outline of the forest beyond the window. The trees were little more than shadows behind the haze, their shapes warped by drifting veils of rain. It made the world look far away, distant and unreachable, like she was watching it through someone else’s dream.

  For her it felt like a mocery. Because somewhere out there, beyond the mist and the rain, Auri was, alone, wet, and probably cold. And she couldn't help him.

  Because she'd been held back from following him. She had been forced to watch him run for his life. And now she'd been confined into her house by orders of Elder Seori and uncle Kaen to 'keep her from doing something stupid' as they'd put it.

  The remaining day after Auri fled had also been nothing short of absolute chaos.

  Yuki hadn’t been allowed to step back outside again after Durro had brought her home, but the tension within Newleaf Village after Auri had actually managed to get away was still palpable. Half the guards were still out scouring the forest, even without any hopes of success. Others stayed behind, trying to calm whomever they passed, though Yuki heard the strain in their voices. A tremble here, a frustrated exhale there. No one was truly calm. Not between Zuko's reawakening and Auri's escape, their perfect scapegoat gone and on the run. They were simply trying not to show it.

  She knew exactly which assumtions and predictions rumored in the village. Cold conclusions about how far an exhausted half-trained, if talented, Pikachu with a sealed type energy reserve could get.

  About how long he’d survive before scurrying back and about whether he’d survive long enough to flee back into the village and accept his punishment at all. No one thought Auri would make it longer than a day without help.

  Myra however was something else entirely. After helping Auri escape she, just like him, had vanished. Maybe together, maybe not, who knew? Yuki still didn't understand why Myra of all people would turn against the guards for the sake of Auri, someone she had wanted gone with a passion. Now she was seen as a traitor, though nearly no one dared to speak that out loud, especially not around the other guards.

  And with both Auri and Myra gone with Vian off to fight the Stomr Menace, Newleaf Village had lost its newest arrival, one of its guardians, and the Mythical who safeguarded the region in the span of a few weeks. That was more excitement than the village normally saw in an entire year.

  That evening night settled over Newleaf Village like a thick blanket, slow and suffocating. The rain had finally thinned to a whisper, just enough to blur the edges of the world outside Yuki’s window. Shadows pooled in the corners of her room, gathering in the silence she hadn’t been able to escape all day.

  She still lay curled on her nest of blankets, wings tucked tight against her side, staring at the faint shimmer of wet leaves beyond the glass. She wasn’t crying anymore. She was past that stage, past the part where anger burned hot, past the part where guilt squeezed her chest so tight she couldn’t breathe.

  Now she was just felt… hollow. Maybe restless. But she felt decidedly alone. So when the door creaked open behind her, she actually flinched.

  "Yuki?" She whipped around, feathers puffing instinctively. Her heart lurched. Ayra stood in the doorway.

  At first, that alone made no sense. She had very clearly stated that she didn't want anyone bothering her today. And her family would've normally accepted that, even her sometimes annoying older sister.

  "A-Ayra?" Yuki managed, voice catching. "What are you doing-?"

  Ayra lifted a paw, gently signaling her to keep quiet. "In a moment," she replied and then stepped aside.

  And only then did Yuki see the others, because they’d been standing back in the dark hallway, silhouettes blending into the shadows. Neku first, his tufted ears twitching nervously. Lio followed behind him, his blue fur bristling with barely-contained tension. Then came Mina, hopping in excitedly and with a big grin on her face. Her parents, Daigo and Mira, were there too, both of them slightly smiling at her. —head lowered just enough to signal urgency without panic. And then, floating forward with a slow, steady weight that filled the corridor came Elder Gorun.

  Her breath caught in her throat. "What…?" Yuki whispered. It was all she could manage. "What’s going on? Why are you all here!?"

  After everyone had shuffled in Ayra closed the door behind her with practiced care. For a moment, none of them spoke. The silence pressed thickly between them. Then her older sister knelt beside her.

  "We’re here," she said softly, "because keeping you locked away like this isn’t right. And because you don’t deserve to sit alone while everything around you falls apart-"

  Daigo stepped past Ayra, the lamplight catching the tension in his jaw. His usual calm warmth was still there, but buried beneath something heavier.

  "Yuki," he said gently, "you’ve been hurting all day. We know that." He glanced at the others, then back at her. "And we're not going to just watch you."

  Gorun finally moved. He didn’t speak immediately. He simply floated up to her, his old eyes meeting hers, steady and far too knowing.

  "You’ve done enough sitting still," he said, voice low but firm. "Enough waiting. Enough punishment for something never born of your doing."

  She swallowed hard. "Elder Gorun… what do you mean by that?"

  "It means," Elder Gorun continued, "that you are not staying in this house tonight."

  Those words hit like a jolt of electricity. Her wings trembled and her breath hitched. She stared at all of them and felt the world tilt beneath her.

  "But… I’m not allowed to even leave the house by the orders of Elder Seori and uncle Kaen. The guards-"

  Mira reached out and placed his paw gently on her shoulder. "We know," she murmured. "And we also know it’s wrong."

  Ayra nodded. "We’re here to fix it."

  Elder Gorun’s gaze softened, just slightly. "Come, child. There’s someone waiting for us."

  A few minutes later Yuki walked through the village between Ayra and Mira as if carried by a dream, her steps small, her mind still half-latched onto the quiet shock of seeing them in her doorway at all.

  Mina padded along with nervous energy barely contained, her tail swishing so hard it smacked Lio in the face twice. Lio tolerated it, eyes sharp, scanning every alleyway as if he were the one responsible for avoiding guard patrols. Neku kept close to him, fur puffed with tension, sparks whispering quietly around his paws. Daigo walked in the rear, heavy steps silent despite his size, one clawed hand always angled toward Yuki as if ready to catch her if she collapsed. Not that she was in risk of doing so, but she appreciated the guesture nonetheless.

  And Elder Gorun… he floated with the ponderous calm of a storm cloud, silent, solemn, his eye fixed forward. Just his presence made her chest tighten. He didn’t break the rules lightly. He didn’t challenge decisions lightly. If he was here… Something massive was unfolding. And the Elders wre seemingly far less united in their opinions than she had expected.

  They wove through side paths and narrow gaps between huts, slipping like a group of Gastly through the sleeping village. Every time the faint glow of a patrol torch brushed the mist, Ayra’s arm shot out, pulling Yuki back into the shadows. Every time a breeze shifted, Mira hunched low, blocking the gleam of Yuki’s feathered body from sight. Not one of them spoke.

  At least not until they reached the far edges of the village, where the houses thinned and the path toward the crater sloped downward into fog that was more water than air. Ayra squeezed her shoulder gently. “Almost there.”

  Almost where? The answer came moments later.

  "Took you long enough."

  Yuki stopped so fast that Mina nearly skidded into her. Her heart hiccupped. That voice, it was unmistakable "Myra!?"

  The Talonflame stepped out from behind a half-collapsed archway, drizzle sliding over her feathers in thin rivulets of silver. She looked nothing like the proud guard who once raked the skies over Newleaf Village with frost-sharp vigilance. Her feathers were ruffled and darkened by damp, one wing held just slightly too stiff to be comfortable. A long scratch cut across her beak. Mud clung to her talons. She had clearly gotten injured quite a bit when fighting the other uards to give Auri a window to flee.

  But nevertheless she stood straight, unflinching, in the open. As if she wasn’t a wanted traitor who had disobeyed the Elders. As if the whole world had never turned against her in the span of a day.

  "You’re here?" Yuki whispered. "In the village? Out in the open!?"

  Myra snorted softly. "If they catch me, they catch me. Doesn't matter really, there's not much they can do against a well-liked guard that misstepped only once. Even if that one misstep was quite the drastic one."

  "So at least you’re alright…" Yuki breathed. The relief rushed out of her so fast her knees wobbled. "The other guards truly didn't get you."

  "They almost did,” Myra admitted with a shrug that made her wince. "My broken wing should be proof enough that the Captain still packs quite a punch if he wants. Risa and Vira aren't bad either. But they cannot keep up with my speed."

  The line should have sounded arrogant. Instead it sounded tired. Honest. A small piece of the weight in Yuki’s chest eased. For the first time in days, a tiny laugh broke out of her, thin and fragile but real.

  They led her beneath the archway, where mist curled like pale smoke around shattered stone. Her parents settled close, Mira on one side, Daigo on the other, forming a quiet shield as the others arranged themselves in a half-circle. Elder Gorun drifted forward.

  "You all deserve the truth," he said, his voice low, heavy as the rain-soaked air. "Especially you, Yuki."

  She swallowed hard. Her flame flickered weakly.

  Elder Gorun inclined his head. "It was I who called the rain that stopped the guards from trailing Auri."

  For a second she didn’t understand. Then her breath caught. "You were responsible for the drizzle!?"

  He nodded once. "[Rain Dance]. Enough to blur the scents. Enough to wash the ground clean. Enough to buy him the time necessary to run."

  Yuki stared at him, mind spinning, heart pounding in equal parts relief and confusion. "But why would you help him? You were the one that blocked his type energy reserve with [Imprison]!"

  "Only to spare Juno the pain of having to do so in my stead," Elder Gorun interrupted gently. "And I can assure you it's not permanent. It will fall apart in roughly a week by itself, with me not there to keep it fed on type energy. The [Rain Dance] was simply one more measure of many that we planned to help him."

  Ayra’s hand tightened around Yuki’s shoulder. Mira exhaled slowly, feathers rustling. Myra shifted her weight, feathers trembling once before settling. "We had planned to get him out. It wasn't just some spontaneous action on my part. But we had hope that the Elders would be more reasonable and that we didn't even have to go that far."

  Yuki blinked at her. “"ou and Elder Gorun? You planned that from the start!?"

  "From the moment they dragged him off towards the ancestral hall," Myra said bluntly. "Judgment like that? For something he couldn’t even explain? That wasn’t justice. It was fear."

  Yuki’s throat thickened. "But you... You hated him! You were suspicious of him the entire time and did your best to keep him out of the village, always arguing against him! And you could've stopped all of that by not telling the entire village Auri was once a human in the first play!"

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Myra looked away for a moment, jaw tight. "I still don’t want him in the village," she said honestly. "I still think letting strangers stay without knowing who they are is reckless. And I stand by every warning I ever gave you."

  Then she drew a slow breath. "I couldn't lie to the Elders when Vian teleported us back to the market square. I was exhausted, my mind clouded and I still distrust Auri. I wouldn't have had any idea how to explain anything that happened without admitting Auri's role in it. He was simply a too significant part in everything. And you know you cannot lie to Vira, at best you can hide a few details. There was no chance of me keeping Auri safe by lying. No, it would've only made it harder for me to help him at a later point in time."

  Her voice softened. "And even without all of that, I promised Sia to keep him as safe as I can, right? And no one deserves to get their type energy reserve shattered. And it doesn’t mean I didn’t see what kind of person he probably is."

  Yuki would've believed her. It all sounded perfectly reasonable. But... she knew Myra. And even she could tell that while the Talonflame wasn't lying, she wasn't telling her the entire truth either. Yuki's eyes narrowed in suspicion, which Myra of course immediately noticed.

  She hesitated, then sat down on a chunk of fallen stone, wings folding tightly at her sides. The fog wrapped around her like a veil. "That's not enough for you, is it? You want the real reason?" she asked quietly. Yuki nodded instantly.

  The Talonflame’s gaze drifted to the ground, past the stones, past the mist, somewhere distant, burried in her memories. "My parents, both Talonflames like me, were guards," she began. "In fact, they were two of the best we had at the time. Back then Newleaf Village was smaller but rapidly growing. We readily accepted newcomers almost yearly. And one day another stranger wandered in. Hurt. Weak. Asking for help."

  Yuki felt the breath leave her lungs. A stranger, huh? Just like Auri had been.

  Myra continued. "We welcomed him. Fed him. Gave him shelter. I even became good friends with him. And why wouldn’t we? He seemed like a gentle and friendly Pokemon that simply got lost. But he wasn’t." Her talons flexed, scraping the stone. "He was a Dungeon Pokemon. A Zoroark from a dungeon so deep and twisted, far away from Vian's territory. Probably from the unclaimed territory. In truth that thing had simply been scouting us. Looking for an easy mark." Neku’s fur bristled violently. Lio stiffened. Mina whimpered.

  "One day, children started vanishing," Myra said, voice trembling faintly. "Pulled off the paths. Lured away. No signs, no scents, nothing. That's what the illusions of a truly powerful Pokemon can do." Her wing fluttered weakly. "I was one of them." Yuki’s breath froze.

  "My parents found us while they were on regular air patrol," Myra went on. "It had been sheer luck. If one could call it that, They engaged the Dungeon Pokemon, fought through illusions, tricks, ambushes. Other dungeon Pokemon, probably from the same Dungeon, were waiting in the forest. It was a coordinated attack so far from the Dungeon Core we suspected, we'd never seen something like that before." Mira inhaled sharply. Daigo bowed his head.

  "My father took a blow meant for me," Myra whispered. "My mother fought until her type energy reserve got shattered. They saved every single child that day, including me, while anihilating an entire Dungeon army."

  The rain hissed softly around them. No one moved. "My father died the next morning," Myra said quietly. "My mother… she held on for months, surviving her initial injuries but never recovered from the destruction of her energy reserve. She simply disappeared one night. They found her in the forest days later." The silence cracked like ice. Yuki stared at her, throat tight, feathers trembling.

  "In the end Vian and Shae, joined by Nayru, ventured into the unclaimed territory and found the suspected Dungeon. It was a monstrosity that proved beyond dangerous even for a team of three Mythicals. Nayru nearly perished in their fight against the Dungeon boss, whatever monstrosity that thing must've been. But the Dungeon Core was shattered, the Dungeon broken and the danger banished," Myra finished her explanation.

  "That’s why I locked onto Auri the second he just suddenly appeared claiming to have no memories. It wasn’t fair. It probably wasn’t right either. But I will not watch another stranger walk into our home and destroy it!"

  Her eyes lifted at last completely ungarded and full of hurt. "Then I saw Auri protecting others. I saw him refuse the Storm Menace, refuse the best chance he had at finding out who he truly was. Just to keep others safe." She exhaled shakily. "He's reckless and stupid. I don't have to tell you that. But he's also brave and decidedly not the monster most of the village paints him as right now."

  Yuki’s tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

  "So yes," Myra finished, voice steadying. “We planned to get him out. Me and Elder Gorun. And I still don't want him in the village." A faint, reluctant smirk touched her beak. "However he’s as stubborn as you. Elder Gorun couldn't outright ask him for even in the ancestal hall there was no guarantee of no one listening in. The guards had been sent away, he had the perfect chance to flee in the early morning. But instead that stubborn Pikachu actually came to the trial and luckily we had contingencies over contingencies for that case as well."

  That earned another small, trembling laugh from Yuki. For the first time since Auri had vanished into the rain, she felt something flicker inside her chest. Maybe hope, but who could say for sure?

  They stayed beneath the crumbling archway for a long time, long enough for the world to feel suspended around them. The drizzle softened into a cool mist, weaving pale threads around the them. The faint blue glow rising from its depths flickered across their faces. Daigo’s solemn fire, Mira’s quiet worry, Ayra’s tight jaw, Lio’s trembling determination, Neku’s flickering sparks, Mina’s restless tail, Gorun’s glowing eye, and Myra’s damp, rust-red feathers.

  Yuki sat in the center of them all, her small body tucked close to the satchel someone had quietly set beside her legs. She hadn’t noticed anyone carrying it. She hadn’t even seen who had prepared it. But the moment she saw it, her satchel, repaired at the seams, freshly cleaned, carefully filled until it bulged with supplies, her breath hitched.

  They had packed it for her. Her heart squeezed so hard it hurt. She ran her wing over the strap. It shook under her touch. It couldn't be, right? They wouldn't.

  Elder Gorun finally lifted himself, the movement slow, deliberate, the kind of gesture that punctuated endings. "The patrols will change soon," he murmured. "If she goes, it must be now."

  The words struck Yuki like a spark, the final proof she'd needed. Her body went rigid.

  Ayra knelt beside her, arm slipping around her shoulders before she could pull away. "Yuki," she said softly. "You know why we brought you here… don’t you?"

  Yuki blinked at her, overwhelmed at the implications. "I… I thought you just wanted to tell me the truth. About Myra. About their plan."

  Mira’s warm paw slid over her back. "We did," she whispered. "But that was only half of it."

  Daigo stepped forward then, towering and imposing yes, but with a gentleness he showed rarely. He lowered himself to one knee, bringing his eyes level with hers. The deep fire behind them flickered with pride.

  "Our little Whirlwind," he said softly. "You’ve waited your whole life to see the world beyond these borders we guard. You dreamed of walking further than the Umbral Abyss. Of seeing what lies above. While not sharing your urge to explore, we did understand it and gave you a lot of leeway. Maybe even too much. But it's not nearly the same as actually going out there, is it?"

  Yuki swallowed, tears already burning her eyes. She remembered all the hushed childhood promises, drawing fake maps with Ayra on the dirt floor, tracing the borders of places she had only imagined. Later she and her sister had actually started exploring. First close to the village, than farther out. Ayra lost her interest in exploration soon after but she had kept that dream alive inside her. She had continued exploring the world beyond the village walls, seeing new places, finding new wonders.

  Often she'd looked up at the crater walls and asked herself what was behind them. She had always wanted to go and see the wider world. She had even confessed that to Auri. But she had never thought she’d go like this.

  "Dad…" she whispered. "It’s not the same! Leaving now, because Auri is gone, it’s not the dream I meant!"

  Daigo touched her satchel gently. "Dreams change and adapt to the currents, but they’re still dreams. And you’re needed out there now." His voice softened further. "He needs you."

  Mina suddenly shoved herself into the space between them, tail wagging so hard her whole body wobbled. Her eyes glistened but she kept her smile wide and toothy. "You always said you’d explore with someone brave! Auri’s plenty brave! And… and you’re not really leaving forever! Just for a while! I mean, it could be a long while, a super long while even, but you’ll be back!"

  Lio bopped her on the head, trying and failing to hide his cracked voice. "Don’t make it sound like she’s going off to die, Mina…"

  Then he looked at Yuki and the facade broke. His shoulders trembled as he leaned closer. "Just… find him. Okay? Don’t let him wander alone out there. He is out there alone and without access to his type energy. He doesn’t know the Umbral Abyss the same way you do. No one does. He needs you."

  Neku sniffed, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his paw. "And, uh… when you bring him back one day… I mean… he’ll probably be cool to talk to? And stuff?" His voice cracked three times, and he scowled as if that would hide it.

  Ayra hugged Yuki hard enough to nearly lift her off the ground. "You’re the strongest Torchic I know and the best little sister I could've ever wished for, no matter how much trouble you caused," she whispered fiercely. "I mean that. And I know you’ll find him. You always do."

  Mira moved close next, wrapping both arms around her daughters, drawing Ayra into the embrace as well. "Your spark was never meant to stay inside one little village in the middle of nowhere," she whispered into Yuki’s feathers. "And I think… I think Auri was the sign we didn’t want to see. The moment you brought him home and started telling us about all the adventures you two had we knew that day would come." Her voice trembled. "Even if it came years earlier than all of us expected. I thought I would say goodbye to a daring Combusken and not a small Torchic. But don’t think for a second that we don’t believe you’ll return. We know that together with Auri you two will manage."

  Yuki broke. Tears streamed freely, hot against the cool mist. She buried her face against her mother’s feathers, shaking, clutching at her wing as if she could anchor herself to the moment forever. "I don’t… want to leave you," she sobbed. "Not like this. Not without knowing when I’ll see you again. It could be years until we are strong enough to return, maybe longer."

  Daigo’s large, warm hand rested atop her head. "And yet," he murmured, "you already decided to go the moment you understood that we wouldn't stop you, am I right?"

  He wasn’t wrong. The moment she had seen the satchel she'd known what would happen. The thought made her knees tremble.

  Elder Gorun floated closer, lowering himself until his single eye met hers at a gentle angle. "I will watch over Newleaf Village just as I've always done," he promised. "And when Daigo finally ascends, we will stand together. The other Elders will not harm Myra for what she has done. We'll make sure of that."

  Yuki looked toward the Talonflame. Myra stood a little apart, wings slightly raised against the breeze, eyes soft, posture relaxed in that dangerous, ready way guards always held. But she wasn’t hiding. Wasn’t running. She held herself tall even as the fog swirled around her.

  Yuki approached her, stepping carefully over the cracked stone. "Myra," she said, voice shaking. "Do you want to join Auri and me?"

  The Talonflame blinked. Surprised. Touched, maybe. Then she shook her head. "No," she said gently. "You don’t need me to find him, you're more than capable enough. And I…" She hesitated, glancing away. "I’m not ready to meet him. Not after everything I said. Not after the way I treated him."

  "You just did what you thought necessary to protect Newleaf Village," Yuki protested softly.

  "And I judged him for something he never did, just because the situation was similar," Myra countered. "Let me sit with that. Let me face what’s coming here. I’ll camp at the crater for a few days, let the guards think I slipped deeper into the forest. Once things settle… I’ll return. I will continue to protect Newleaf Village like I've always done." Her voice quieted. "And I’ll hope the other Elders listen to Elder Gorun and Daigo.”

  Yuki felt her eyes sting again. "He’d forgive you," she whispered. "Auri… he forgives too easily."

  Myra gave a small, sad smile. "Then I’ll earn it. In time when you're back."

  The words sank into Yuki like warmth into cold feathers. She returned to her family, her friends, the Elder. Her satchel already hang over her head, neatly tied, carefully packed. Mira had slipped a small charm onto the strap, an ember-shaped bead Yuki had carved years ago. Ayra had tucked in a strip of cloth with fighting moves drawn sloppily in the margins. Mina had added a pebble 'for luck'. Lio had folded a small map. Neku… had added a spark-charged feather that hummed faintly with electricity.

  She touched them all with shaking wings.

  "Thank you," she said, voice breaking. "All of you."

  Elder Gorun nodded, before hesitating for a second. "There is… one last thing," he murmured.

  Yuki blinked as the Elder reached into the inner fold of his dark cloak. Metal clicked softly, three times, like distant chimes. When he opened his paw, three badges glimmered in the dim light, silver wrought into a swirling, mist-like pattern, each one polished with a care that made them seem almost unreal.

  Yuki, despite never having seen one, knew instantly what they were. These were clearly Team Badges. Not the simple kind young explorers wore. These radiated history.

  "Wh- where did you-?" Yuki whispered, unable to finish the sentence.

  Elder Gorun’s gaze softened. "These once belonged to those who guard this village now. Captain Kaen. Risa. And the Absol Irren, though she left the guards already." He let the names settle, heavy with meaning. "Before they settled here, before the Umbral Abyss claimed their loyalty… they were a rescue team. A quite respectable one."

  Yuki’s breath hitched. Her uncle’s badge… right there, in Elder Gorun’s paw.

  "And uncle Kaen he… he’s from outside?" The words barely made it out. She had grown up assuming everyone in the crater was born here. Myra had already explained that apparently quite a few villagers where actually from the outside. But she had never expected that twist!

  Elder Gorun nodded, slow and certain. "From far beyond these walls. They all came seeking peace, not purpose. I held onto these badges for them, decades ago… and I think they would forgive me for passing them on now. I believe you'll find good uses for them."

  He pressed the cool metal into her shaking wings. First one badge… then the next… then the last. Each one heavier than the one before, as if taking its place was not just permission, but inheritance.

  "These will mark you as silver-rank rescuers of the Mist Continent," he said softly. "Not in name alone. In spirit. In duty. And in the eyes of anyone you meet beyond the Umbral Abyss. Though you might want to exchange them for newer ones should you ever find yourself in Noe Town. The new capital of the continent after the destruction of Paradise."

  Yuki swallowed hard, heart pounding like she was about to leap off a cliff. She felt incredibly honored and chosen. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

  Elder Gorun only nodded silently and floated to the side. Daigo touched her back gently. "And remember, the Umbral Abyss may be your home, but the world is wider than any of us dreamed. Don't hesitate to create a new home for yourself."

  Mira pressed her forehead to hers. "Come back when you’re ready."

  Ayra held her one last time. "I'll miss you, but I know you'll come back."

  Mina hopped in place. "We’ll cheer super loud when you return!"

  Lio punched her shoulder gently. "Stay alive."

  Neku sniffed hard. "And make sure Auri doesn't do anything stupidly heroic!"

  Yuki laughed through tears. Real tears. Heavy tears. Then she turned towards the still burnt-down gate. No one was watching it accept some clearly napping guard trainees.

  The drizzle had turned to faint mist, hanging in the air like breath. The scent of wet earth and leaves wrapped around her, familiar and foreign all at once. Beyond the first line of trees, darkness pooled like an ocean waiting to be crossed. She paused on the threshold. Her heart pounded.

  "Wait for me, Auri," she muttered, closing her eyes. "You’re not going to go through all of this alone. Not any longer."

  She stepped past the sleeping guards and through the gate. Soon after she vanished into the forest and into the mist.

  No one called her back. Because they all understood, some promises were worth breaking the rules for. And Yuki had one such promise to keep.

  She didn't yet know how she would find Auri. But she knew that she would.

  Important characters in the chapter:

  Torchic (Yuki) – Level 17 (Evolution Requirements Not Met, Stat Boost Applied)

  Ability: Speed Boost

  Battle Nature: Hasty

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 84

  Attack: 49

  Ranged Attack: 49

  Defense: 57

  Speed: 42

  Total: 281 (Strength Level: Teenager)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Scratch], [Quick Attack], [Feint], [Fire Spin], [Flame Charge], [Aerial Ace], [Counter], [Slash]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Ember], [Sand Attack], [Overheat]

  Utility Moves: [Growl], [Detect], [Dig]