Blake's P.O.V.
*****
I heard a loud crash from the kitchen, jolting me awake from my sleep. I rushed outside my room to check out what was going on, only to see Kate covered with a few shards of broken plates, some of them scattering on the ground.
"Ow..." She groaned, rubbing the side of her head. "Ugh, out of all things, why did they have to fall on my head? They could've just fallen directly on the floor..."
The Glaceon was about to take a step, but I raised my paw and stopped her right on her tracks.
"Don't move!" I hollered, standing in front of her. "Geez, it's early in the morning, Kate. If you're hungry, you could've asked me. What were you doing?"
"I'm not the one who is hungry." Kate sighed, turning behind her back. "Kila, you can come out now."
"Huh? Who's Kila?"
As if by magic, an adorable fox-like Pokémon appeared beside her, helping itself to one of the macarons I made last night.
"She named me!" It giggled, making me realize who was it.
"W-Wha...?!" I cried out, stumbling back, falling on my bottom. "What the heck is it doing here?!"
"Hey!" Victini, now Kila, wailed, dropping the macaron it ate. "Don't you dare call me 'it'! That was way rude of you to call a girl 'it'!"
"D-Don't blame me!" I growled, slightly annoyed. "I don't even know what you're gonna do to me or my house!"
"Well then, we'll settle this fire type to fire type!"
"Guys..." Kate laughed nervously, shedding a trail of sweat down her face. "Please, don't."
"Oh, yeah?" Victini snapped, forcing her tiny paws to ball into fists. "I'll show you!"
"Oh no, you don't," The ice fox deadpanned, grabbing ahold of her wing. "You may be a hundred or a thousand years old, and Blake may be an inch to sixteen, but you're still like a little cub to me. Please, show him some respect."
"He started it..." The mythical whined, giving an annoying raspberry.
"Kila." Kate scolded.
"Fine. I'm... sowwieee..." She huffed, giving a breath of relief as the Glaceon let go.
"Good. Now let us clean up this mess, shall we?"
"I'll take care of it," Kila sighed, using her psychic powers to pick the broken plates from the ground and one by one, all of them were thrown outside, landing on the grass.
"Wow," Was all I managed to utter in a few seconds. Phew, at least I didn't have to do the cleaning. After all, I was only the non-quadruped Pokémon that can hold the broom right. Thank Arceus!
"By the way..." I leaned, whispering to Kate's ear. "Where the heck did you find it– er... her?"
Kate paused for entirely a moment, briefly snapping out from her emotionless state. She shook her head at herself, turning to me with erected ears.
"I don't know. She just came to my room last night." She said with a matching shrug of her shoulders. "Anyways... I have something to tell you. It involves something kinda... risky. I'm not sure if you care, but I had to..."
"Of course I care!" I grinned. "After all, we're best friends! Even it's crazy or stupid, I'll be sure to listen!"
My words caused a surge of a genuine smile to cross on her face, and it reached from ear to ear. Kate took a deep breath, opening her muzzle to speak.
"It's something about Jirachi." She whispered, followed with an expression of hesitation. "We must leave and find the dungeon he is in. I know I shouldn't just let Norsoe get to him first, and tell Lonnie and Philip about this."
"What? Then what happens if he did?"
"If he happens to make a wish against the prophecy..." Kate continued with a frown. "Who knows what kind of things he could do to us. I... I couldn't just screw this up, and if I do, everyone themselves will fall."
-------
"So, are you saying that we need to find Jirachi, take it with us, and never let Norsoe find him?" Lonnie asked, adding a string of curiosity in her voice.
"That's exactly what we're gonna do. Jirachi's one of the kind to sleep away years after years in a dungeon somewhere in this place. All we have to do is track him down and warn him about Norsoe. One problem is we couldn't use the dreamworld anymore. It's quite difficult not to be in contact with the legendaries." Kate nodded, gesturing at the mythical Pokémon beside her. Kila raised her paw and a three dimensional map appeared around us, depicting everything around us.
"We'll start at the guild and inform Plasma about our absence. Some of the deepest dungeons we have are somewhere between in Elkisra and the Sierran parts of Ammolia. Elkisra's town is the nearest place beside Clearwater, so I'll guess we're gonna have to take the forest route as it was shorter than the main path. So uh, who wants to go then?"
I'd say she did a good job stating the facts. She was the Alpha's Alpha after all.
"That's..." The Leafeon says, taking a pause to breath. "–awesome! I'm in!"
"Wait, you're actually coming?" The ice fox asked in surprize.
"Well, after all, number one, you're one of my best friends. And two, I could use this as an opportunity to explore!"
"Me too." I answered, taking a step forward. Philip took a deep breath, breaking his silence. He sighed, turning to us with a distant glance.
"I'm coming with you," The Jolteon said with a firm, but hesitant voice. He sounded way too insecure about his decision, but Kate took it as a 'yes'. Shortly after we told Plasma about our decision, she said it would be alright and sent us on our way, wishing us good luck before we left, leaving a cloud of dust. She wasn't even sceptical about her decision, and knew about the prophecy itself, told by the town elders.
"I know it wasn't just a story," I recalled her telling that to us. "You may be between a rock and a hard place, but I believe you can do it."
Anyway, things are getting pretty awkward facing Kate, Philip and Kila with Lonnie and me being together. The three didn't mind at all; just took it off with a shrug of their shoulders. In fact, I was pretty relieved and all. And in addition to that, Lonnie even gave me a kiss, which pretty much surprized me.
She's just perfect. Too bad that my partner wasn't here to congratulate me. If he was.
Katherine's P.O.V.
*****
I panted as I pushed away bush after bush, drawing a sigh of exhaustion as we stepped into a clearing. My paws were trembling both from lack of ease and fatigue, as if they could break down any moment. I didn't even bother to rest even when they had insisted me to. I just couldn't allow them be in danger as we are out in the open, knowing we are Norsoe's most wanted targets, even when I was glad I had them with me.
"I-I guess this is it," I said, not caring that I managed to let out a restrained wheeze. "We should probably set camp in here. You... you guys... b-better take a rest now."
"The forest route sure isn't as simpler as I though..." Blake murmured as we gathered some fallen sticks. I let out a quite sigh as I carried mine with a paw, limping clumsily as we gathered them close in a circle of fallen logs. I noticed that Philip wasn't making no bones about his decision, for he seemed quite hesitant. I couldn't blame him. After all, all of these just came out of the blue.
Blake inhaled deeply, carefully releasing a blast of fire that lit the dark woods, finally sitting beside Lonnie. Kila nodded, munching on another batch of macaroons. Time had compelled me to eventually slump down like a heap of torn rags, breathing quietly as my eyes wandered around the place. Sparks crackled in rhythm as the fire grew slowly along with time, keeping my teammates warm in the cold night.
"So, if we did happen to find Jirachi..." Lonnie started. "For example, what would you wish for?"
It became silent once again, until Blake managed to break it with a raise of his right paw.
"My wish is quite simple," He said, leaning back on the log, crossing one leg over the other. "I just wanted my partner back. He shouldn't be missing out from all adventures. He may be quite cold at first, but he's a really nice guy once you get to know him. Lonnie?"
"Me? Oh, nothing much. I just wanted a happy life, that's all."
"That's it?" Philip asked, facing the Leafeon. "You seem like the type that would wish more than that kind of stuff."
"My appearance is not what I seem to be." Lonnie sighed, almost rolling her eyes. I shook my head, sitting up.
"She's right." I spoke, merely startling them at the sound of my voice. "If that's that, what would be your wish, Philip?"
"It's a secret," He deadpanned, turning away.
"Hey, that's not fair!"
"Then would it be called a secret if I'll happen to tell you all?" He answered. It sounded bleak, not like anything I've heard coming out from his own voice.
"You're not being funny." I pouted as we exchanged looks. The electric fox just chuckled, ruffling my fur as usual. It had became a habit.
"Sorry to disappoint. What about you, Victini?"
"I'd wish for more of this macaroons!" Kila giggled, gobbling another piece as she went. We laughed, watching as Blake wrapped a paw around Lonnie.
"Of course you do. You eat like a pig, after all."
"Hey!"
"What about you, Kate?" Lonnie asked as the whole group turned to stare at me. "What is your wish?"
A sad smile made its way into my lips as I hugged my hind legs to my chest, laying my head on top. Emotions I strongly deplored, hated, despised threatened to flow back through my restraint, so much I had to bite my lower lip and shut my eyes tight. Some of them are under by a shelter of sheer bliss, yet most of them are pelted by an eternal rain of grief that makes you want to cry real badly, almost to the point when I hated myself for being that weak. Hating myself for being dragged around, helpless around my fate.
"I wish..." I murmured, too low as if I'd choke on my own words if I dared to speak it out loud. "...for my parents to come back. If only I had known that eight years were the only times I had to spend with them, I could've realized it sooner. It all happened so fast, I would've needed a playback button in my life. Now I realize it's too late."
The whole group went quiet, expecting for me to continue. I shrugged, giving a quiet laugh despite my pierced heart.
"He he, but at least... if it weren't for the prophecy, I wouldn't have met you all. Thanks for being with me all the way until now."
That smile was real, but it was mostly fake. The past still hurts, but of course, I couldn't do anything about it, just let it come but with a restriction that'll eventually break.
"That's a nice wish," Philip remarked, adding a pat on my back as a light blush flowed into my cheeks. He never fails on that.
We chatted, laughed, and shared stories, spending half the night. It went on just like that, until moments later, Blake yawned, stretching his arms as he lied down.
"I guess I'll better sleep now. Good night."
"Good night, Blakie." Lonnie greeted back.
"Don't let the grass bugs bite..." Kila giggled and drifted off.
"They'll be dead if I find out." Philip laughed, preparing to sleep.
"Night..." I said, lying down on the soft grass, resting my head on my paws. My mind has been dreaming about having a good night's sleep, but the following hours were just unbearable. I couldn't sleep the way it should've, and whenever I do I'd wake up eventually after drifting off in a few minutes. I had tossed, turned, shifted, and even hit my head accidentally on the log, but none didn't seem to work out.
Restless, I sighed, taking my gaze to the stars instead. The night sky was brightly lit, beautiful as before. Stars were pretty. People and Pokémon had praised them all for thousands of years. Those lived with normal, simple and quiet lives, motionless like ice. If I were foolish enough, I could've wished I were a star myself. For hours, I had lied against the grass. It was still undoubtly autumn, and winter was nearing, yet some remained green, not affected by the change of season.
"Are you still awake?"
A simple question, seeming to appear out of nowhere had defeated the deafeaning, noise-less moment, drawing me out from my thought filled mind, drawing my inner voice to settle down. Opening my eyes, I looked up and stared, seeing it was none other than Philip, his face defining boredom and concern.
"I guess..." I replied, shuffling for a tiny bit. "How long have you been... restless?"
"About four hours." The electric fox yawned. "You seemed to be unable to sleep too."
I nodded, watching as he sat up, taking his blue scarf off his neck, displaying his white, tintless mane. It had been the second time I've seen him without the firm, sturdy cloth partly covering the fringe of long hairs around his neck. The Jolteon sighed, holding the scarf close around his paw.
"Here," He said, tossing it over my back, fitting close like a small, cosy blanket. "It'll help you feel more comfortable. I'm not really that sleepless as you think I am."
"But..." I gaped, attempting to sit up in protest. "Are you sure you're not that cold without your scarf?"
Philip just grinned, laughing gently.
"Don't worry. I'm tougher than any old Jolteon." He chuckled, and I myself blushed at his cute dopiness. I giggled, though I was trying hard not to smile. The scarf seemed like a few years old, the edges just partly tattered from age, yet it was still in good condition. As I stared at it in wonder, I made out something written hastily just on the corner of my eye.
PHILIP
"Hey, Philip?"
"Huh?"
"About your scarf, you had it for a few years, right?"
"Yeah, that." He whispered, turning to me. "That scarf was the only thing I had with me at the time where I lost my memories. It's a good thing it has my name, or else I wouldn't have a clue to who I am right now. I couldn't lose it."
"I know what you feel." I told him. "My scarf was the first thing I had when I first came here."
The Jolteon nodded, eyeing me amusingly. Then he smiled, tearing his gaze to the stars once more.
"It does look good on you." He commented, making me blush once again. Philip stretched, lying down on his back on the grass along with me.
"Well, everything here is better than the city." I said, and he clearly looked confused.
"What's a city?" He asked, making me giggle. Philip blushed, amusingly turning away.
"To start off, a city is a large, urban area full of people and Pokémon. Large buildings are commonly there, so sometimes, you can get a little lost unless you knew them well. Cars- or
vehicles, can seldom fill the roads, and they're kind of annoying at times. Don't get me wrong. Cities can be beautiful, but sometimes some of them really took up space from the forests. You can't really see the stars clearly on night."
"Your world sure is strange," Philip laughed, still abashed of his embarassment. It was halfly perfect, lying down under the firmament of countless stars, casually just talking to each other. I sighed, fiddling with my own straps. The rest of the day wasn't that good, full of twists and obstacles on the path.
I looked at him instead. His face exhibited a smile, and his golden fur was ruffled with the small breeze of wind, not that it was smooth the days before. He turned, beginning to stare at me. My breathing grew heavy as he leaned close, until his muzzle was slightly brushing against my nose. Was he?
"You have a leaf on your head." The Jolteon chuckled, his paw casting a small zephyr as he took a small, dead leaf just perched between my crystal and forehead.
"E-Eh? H-How come I didn't notice that?" I chatechized, realizing how much my face had turned red.
"You were just too deep in your thoughts. Riding on fantasy train, huh?"
"Oh, the tickets just ran out when I was seven years old."
"Let me guess, with your imaginary friends?"
"No. But I do play a lot with my aunt's Audino, Potts. I used to call her 'Mama Potts' all the time."
"You capture Pokémon inside the things you call Poké Balls, right? I always wonder how it was inside."
"Yeah. How did you know?" I asked him, raising my brows in question.
"I... uh, read it in a book." Philip responded, turning away. He sat up and stared, shifting his forepaws in motion. "You know what? Sometimes, I would wish I was lucky as you. You didn't have to do anything when you were just a child. You were nice, and I wasn't. You remember all the good times you had and the moments you perished in your past, while here I am having a mind devoid of the years back since the time I lost them. All you had to do was smile and you'll find Pokémon smiling back and trust you, while I had to do some really hard work just to earn those things real badly. Every time I had to find a job, they would just turn their backs and say I'm not worthy. And even that I did, I would always get dismissed in the second day or the third. Can you tell me, Kate? Am I really that bad?"
I laughed quietly, sitting beside him and set a paw against his shoulder. His jaw dropped slightly as both of us blushed beneath the moonlight, locking eyes with me.
"You silly Jolteon." I giggled, throwing a light punch on his arm. "Of course you're not bad. You're not even that nice either, I can tell."
"What does that even mean?"
"I see the way. I see the way you treat Sun and Lance. You usually didn't greet them something good and rather portray yourself as rough and a little... errant. Or, maybe that's just the way how you show your love towards them. My little advice to you is to show them how you appreciate them, even with the tiniest way. Because..."
"Because?"
"...You'll never know when they're gone." I continued in a low voice. "But wait, seriously? You- you tend to get kicked out so soon?" I laughed as I almost fell on my back. I was laughing hard like a child who just saw a ridiculously painted face.
"H-H-Hey! S-Stop laughing! It's not funny!"
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Y-You're funny!"
"S-Shut up!"
"Ha! Ha! I-It's hard to stop! Ha! Ha!"
"If you won't stop, I think I know how to silence you."
"Ha! Ha! Silence who, P-Philly?" I asked as I turned to face him, watching his muzzle slip into a smirk. Then he did something I didn't even expect him to do. He kissed me. It was just a light, tender peck that had lasted for a moment, and it made me stand paralyzed, shocked with what had happened. I froze, mouth ajar as he took his turn to laugh.
"What? It's your fault that you won't shut up," Philip chuckled as he ruffled my fur with a blush. "I'm going to sleep right now. Have a good night's sleep, Kate-ey cake."
He left me standing there while he slept, and I could still feel the burning flush on my cheeks. I blinked as I touched both my lips with a paw. It had been my first kiss. I was feeling those cliché Butterfree in my stomach, like the one from books. I couldn't do anything instead of smile, releasing into a sigh. I was really going to have a good night's sleep.