Akari sighed as she stared at the plate of potato mochi that she had left in front of Rei's door the night before.
It hadn't been touched, sitting out in the cool night air. That didn't stop the resident Bidoof from enjoying the cold snacks, emitting happy noises as they munched on the abandoned meal. Upon seeing Akari standing nearby, they scattered, dropping their half-eaten mochi.
One brave Bidoof returned seconds later, gathering up the rest of the potato mochi in its paws.
“Kaa!” Pikachu snarled, slapping a paw on Akari's shoulder as his cheeks sparked.
“Bi!” The Bidoof scampered off after shoving the potato mochi in its mouth.
Akari looked at Rei's door, disappointment and concern flowing through her. It had been at least a week since Rei had returned from Mt. Coronet and he had yet to emerge from his house. She was certain he wasn't even eating the food he had stored in AC's doors.
"Pii..." Pikachu glanced at Akari, ears drooped.
"We have to keep trying." Akari rubbed Pikachu's right ear. He loved to have that one rubbed instead of his scarred left one.
Pikachu leaned into the touch, closing his eyes with a quiet "Kaa..."
Taking a deep breath, Akari knocked on the wooden door frame beside the shoji doors. "Hey, Rei, are you awake?"
Normally, she wouldn't ask. Ever since he had arrived in Hisui, he was always up at daybreak, ready and excited for the day. But now, with him not emerging from the room, she wasn't certain if he was awake and laying in bed or if he was sleeping in.
She imagined he was still asleep; it was before dawn, but she hadn't been able to sleep so she came to see if Rei was awake as well.
For several moments there wasn't any noise in Rei's house except for the familiar electronic whirring from the Rotom coming from beyond the walls. Then, "I'm awake."
Hope rose in Akari when she heard Rei's voice. She grinned, clasping her hands behind her back to grip her wrists. She shouldn't get too excited until Rei said yes.
"Oh, good! Laventon and I were going to visit Alabaster Icelands to speak with Irida about setting up trade and communications with the Pearl Clan and Jubilife! We already got the Diamond Clan's approval yesterday."
Akari waited for Rei to respond to her mention of the Diamond Clan. He had seemed to like Adaman a lot more than Irida. She didn't blame him; Irida could be a little cold and distant at first impression, but she warmed up fast to those who gained her trust.
When that got no immediate response from Rei, Akari decided to get straight to the point.
"Well, we--I mean, I--wondered if you'd like to come join us."
"No," Rei responded. His voice seemed softer, more tired. "Thanks, though."
Akari's shoulders slumped. Like a lot of people, she didn't like the Icelands because it was so cold and snowy, but the brisk air and familiar company were bound to be good for Rei.
Pikachu glanced between Akari and the door before he settled on scowling at the doors like they had personally offended him, growling softly.
Akari fidgeted a bit, unsure if his denial should be taken as a dismissal, before she decided to see if she could push Rei's boundaries. Even if she made him mad, it would be worth it if he would come out of the house.
"A-are you sure? It shouldn't take long and--"
"Akari."
Akari looked over her shoulder to see Laventon approaching, pulling his lab coat on as he walked. Floaro’s Umbreon trotted beside him, glowing rings helping light Laventon's way in the pre-dawn gloom.
“Pi!” Pikachu's ears perked up and he leaped from Akari's shoulder to Laventon's, rubbing his cheek against Laventon's face.
The Galarian Professor was one of the few people Pikachu had warmed up to.
Laventon chuckled, scratching under Pikachu's chin, eliciting small sparks of happiness from the electric rodent’s cheeks. He turned his attention back to Akari. “Leave him be. He'll come out when he's ready."
Akari chewed on her bottom lip, glancing back at Rei's door, part of her hoping that he'd open it. "If you're sure..."
"Come on." Laventon set a hand on Akari's shoulder, a soft smile on his face. "Before we set out, why don't you help me on a project I've been working on?"
Laventon was attempting to distract her from all her thoughts surrounding Rei's current mental state. She was appreciative of his endeavor.
Nodding, Akari followed Laventon back to Galaxy Hall. "All right, what's the project?"
“It's quite fascinating. I'm thinking we should study Pokémon reproduction–”
Rei kept his ear towards the door until Akari and Laventon's footsteps and voices faded. He went back to staring at the trinkets he kept on the windowsill with his Poké doll. More than half of them were from Akari. They were random items that held no value other than sentimentality.
Some he had gotten from his travels through Hisui; items that reminded him of the home he couldn't return to or remember. A strange tooth and pink scale he had found while scouring the shore of the Coastlands for Pop Pods, the broken red, blue, and green shards gathered from Space-Time Distortions, a shed fang from a Gliscor stuck in the jagged shell of a Golem.
There were a few small shards of rocks with ancient plant life or spiral shells embedded in them as well as amber containing a small claw. Volo had given them to Rei, pieces of history he had found during his travels but held no value to him. Even now, Rei didn't know who the true Volo was. There had been so many sides he had seen to the merchant that any one side could have been Volo's true self. Was he the guy who doted on his Togepi and lit up when he was able to dump information on history and the fossils Rei held or was he the maniac atop Mt. Coronet who wished to wipe out the world and restart it using Arceus' power because he had been slighted at some point in his life? Part of Rei wanted it to be the former.
The funny twigs shaped like a question mark or flower, the rocks that formed a heart and the colorful shells were all from Akari. She had gotten them whenever she went out on her surveys, excited to show off the amusing twigs and beautiful shells. She had given him a few of the larger shells, the ones that made the sound of waves when put against the ear.
Akari had discovered the phenomenon by accident and had been ecstatic to show Rei, shoving the shell against his ear so he could hear the noise.
Rei didn't have the heart to shatter her excitement and tell her that there was a scientific explanation for why the shells made the sounds of the ocean.
Reaching towards the pile of shells, Rei picked up one of the conch shells that Akari had given to him. It was the most beautiful one: striped blue and silver, wrapping around the circumference of the shell like bands. The inside was a pretty pink, like the rising sun. The shell was longer than two Poké Balls put side by side.
Rei set the shell against his ear and listened to the waves crashing up against the shore, eyes closing.
He wanted to visit the Coastlands.
Opening his eyes, Rei set the shell back with the others and pushed himself to his feet.
AC, DC, and Jules popped out of their homes with curious whirrs, watching Rei walk to the door.
Instead of putting on his shoes, Rei opened the door, glancing outside.
He had lost track of time staying in his room, letting the days blur together in his aimless melancholy.
The village was still dark, hanging lamps lit with small flickering flames. Dawn was coming, swaths of pink and bright white spreading up from the east.
The doors to the village were still closed for the night, Ress still asleep in his house, leaving the gates pretty much unguarded. The only current guard, the village Mr. Mime, was snoozing in an invisible chair.
Looking around, Rei made sure that no one was nearby before he shut the door to his house quietly and made his way to the front gates. He didn't need unnecessary questions about where he was going at this time of day.
Pushing one of the gate doors open a crack, Rei slipped through and closed it behind him.
He walked down the path that led to the camp set outside the Fieldlands. The dirt felt cool beneath his bare feet. A light rain must have passed through the area, petrichor permeating the air. Faint mist blanketed the area, slowly dissipating with the coming of dawn.
Rei didn't mind wearing shoes, but having his bare feet touch the ground and soft grass made him feel more connected to the nature around him. He could see why many thought he was more Pokémon than human.
The camp was empty, fire extinguished until its next use and tents folded up to prevent wild Pokémon from treating them as dens.
Normally, Rei would use the Celestica Flute to call Wyrdeer, but he had thrown the flute in his rage, leaving it in the decimated temple on top of Mt. Coronet. That was all right. Rei didn't need the flute to call on Wyrdeer or the others.
Rei whistled Wyrdeer's tune. Soft like wind whistling through grass, rustling the leaves in the trees. Even without the flute, the noise reverberated through the air, reaching Wyrdeer's ears wherever the Lord roamed.
Moments later, Wyrdeer trotted up, dipping his head when he saw Rei. Wyrdeer's eyes traveled Rei up and down, taking in the state of the human, before he snorted and pawed the ground with a hoof.
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Rei could only just imagine how he looked. He hadn't taken a bath since his return and even without touching his shoulder length hair, he could feel it was tangled and greasy. He had managed to sneak to and from the canteen, but cleaning himself in the new open air bathhouse that had been recently constructed beside the Galaxy Hall felt like too much effort.
"It's a long story and not one I want to talk about," Rei said to Wyrdeer's silent question.
Wyrdeer tossed his head, then lowered himself to the ground so Rei could climb into the saddle on his back. When Rei was properly situated, he climbed to his feet.
"Take me to the Coastlands and drop me off by the road to Veilstone Cape."
Wyrdeer stared at Rei out of the corner of his eye before he started to walk. After a few moments the walk turned into a trot then a gallop.
Riding on the back of Wyrdeer was always an exhilarating experience with the Pokémon's speed blurring the landscape. Wyrdeer's swiftness allowed him to leap across rivers with ease and his stamina allowed him to travel long distances without tiring.
Normally, getting to the different regions of Hisui required a mixed help from Wyrdeer, Braviary and Sneasler to traverse the more mountainous areas that divided the Fieldlands from the Mirelands and the Coastlands. Wyrdeer, however, knew Rei did not want to take his time calling on the other two and merely wanted Wyrdeer's speed to reach his destination.
Wyrdeer cut across the small mountain range that separated the Mirelands from the Fieldlands, cloven hooves allowing him to traverse the treacherous landscape without fear of slipping on loose rocks. Once in the Mirelands, Wyrdeer found a hidden path past the Droning Meadow to reach the Coastlands, coming out on the crest of Crossing Slope.
Wyrder headed down towards Gingko Landing, passing by a group of Spheal sleeping in a pile on the beach. The Spheal on the top startled at the hooves pounding past it, rolling off the pile and into the surf.
Wyrdeer slowed to a stop at the slope that stretched up to Windbreak Stand which led to Veilstone Cape, the massive promontory overlooking the sea.
Rei slid down from Wyrdeer's saddle, running his fingers through the Lord's long neck fur. "Thank you."
As Rei turned to leave, Wyrdeer bumped his nose against Rei's shoulder.
Wyrdeer stared at Rei, expression telling Rei that he knew what Rei was thinking.
"It's alright." Rei set one hand under Wyrdeer's chin, rubbing the top of Wyrdeer's muzzle with his other one. "Go on."
The black orbs situated in Wyrdeer's antlers flickered faintly, but whatever Wyrdeer wanted to say did not come through. Instead, Wyrdeer gave a soft snort, expression softening. He then turned, giving Rei one last look over his shoulder then galloped away.
Rei watched the Pokémon leave before he began to walk up the slope.
It was still early enough in the day that the Pokémon who were commonly seen in the area were still asleep. In the trees were the sleeping Beautifly, hiding in the leaves to prevent predators from spotting them easily. Glameow, Vulpix, and Growlithe were gone, returned to their dens to sleep for the night. Any moment, they were bound to wake up and start hunting for breakfast.
Rei slowed his steps, eyes flicking from side to side.
The morning Pokémon weren't around, but the nocturnal Pokémon should have still been out for a while longer. Yet, he didn't see signs of the flitting Dustox or cawing Murkrow. It was strange to not see them.
As he came to the top of the slope, just beyond Windbreak Stand, Rei saw why the nocturnal Pokémon weren't in the vicinity.
Curled up right in the middle of the path leading to Veilstone Cape was an Alpha Steelix. Its presence had even scared off the Alpha Purugly that usually stalked the area.
Rei stopped, tilting his head to the side. He was not in the mood to take care of a Steelix in order to get where he wanted to go. He could just sneak around it, but the Steelix was obviously not where it was supposed to be. Steelix were supposed to be in the Highlands.
The Steelix snorted, eyes fluttering open as it sensed it was being watched. It locked eyes with Rei, unwinding its enormous body. The resulting noise was like claws screeching down metal. Staring down at Rei for several seconds, Steelix roared and slammed its tail against the ground.
Deep claw marks scored sections of Steelix's body and one of its larger protrusions was broken off.
Rei knew this Steelix. He had fought it once before with Blaze.
It had been a menace in the Highlands, gorging itself on Golem and Sudowoodo. Its habits turned careless, eventually killing more than it could eat. As a result, it left half-eaten bodies strewn around the area. The stench of rot and decay would attract scavengers and opportunists not native to the Highlands, risking the delicate ecosystem balance.
With Steelix's behavior growing out of control, Kamado had sent out a kill on sight order. Ingo–as one of the Highlands Wardens–had been the first to engage Steelix in battle, Melli joining him in a joint effort to stop Steelix's destruction.
Even with their combined strength, Steelix had proved too strong for them. Rei had been in the Highlands during that time on a survey and joined in the fight to assist, using Blaze alongside their Gliscor and Skuntank. Together, they overpowered the Steelix and in the battle, Blaze's attacks had scarred its harder than diamond body and broke a protrusion with a well placed strong style Iron Tail. As they were about to deal the finishing blow, Steelix had swiped out with its tail, sending up a blinding wave of dirt. Using that, it burrowed into the ground to escape. Since then, no one had seen it.
Steelix lowered its head, eyes fixated on Rei, a low rumbling growl emitting from its throat. It recognized Rei and held a grudge against him.
Rei sighed, grabbing Artemis' Poké Ball. He had no other choice but to take on the Steelix to continue his trek to Veilstone Cape.
"Let's finish this quickly, Artemis." Rei tossed up Artemis' Poké Ball. "Start it off with an agile style Feather Dance!"
Artemis screeched as she was released, flapping her wings to remain airborne. A blue aura surrounded her body, raising her attack speed while lowering the strength of her attacks. Shooting forward, Artemis barrel rolled towards Steelix, coating herself in shed feathers. When she was close enough, Artemis spread her wings then flapped them once, shooting the feathers in Steelix's face.
Steelix shook its head with a growl, cringing back as the feathers sapped its strength.
"Now, strong style Triple Arrows!"
Artemis kicked off Steelix's head, flipping once before she darted backwards, landing on the ground in a crouch. She raised one wing, using her other to grab three quills from her feathers, pulling them back on an invisible bow string. The sharp tips became coated in a red aura as Artemis focused all of her power into the attack.
Steelix snarled, grinding its teeth as its head turned sharply to pin Artemis with a glare. Sweeping its tail along the ground, it stirred up the dirt and whipped it into a Sandstorm, blinding even Artemis's sharp eyesight.
So, it had learned from its last battle against Rei. Instead of solely attacking with physical moves to overpower opponents, it was now using clever strategies.
Artemis remained still, Triple Arrows ready to fire at the slightest shadow that moved in the Sandstorm's swirling grains.
Rei squinted, ignoring the sand scratching his skin as he began searching for the Steelix's whereabouts.
For its size, it was very quiet.
Movement out of the corner of his eyes caught Rei's attention and he spotted a faint glow among the whipping sands.
"Iron Tail, behind you!"
Artemis twisted her head to look behind her, springing backward as the Steelix's glowing tail smashed into the ground where she had been standing. In the middle of her jump, Artemis released her arrows. Two missed their target, thudding into the ground just shy of the Steelix. The final arrow made its mark, tip wedging itself between one of the many segments that made up Steelix's body.
Steelix screeched, writhing in pain from the arrow's strike, body twisting and scraping against itself. Its movements managed to dislodge the arrow.
"Leaf Blade, while it's distracted!"
Artemis held her wings by her side, sharpening the topmost primaries until they glowed bright green. She lunged towards the writhing Steelix.
Steelix abruptly stopped in its movements, smirking at Artemis as it exhaled, breath coming out in a frozen plume.
Rei realized that the Steelix's dramatics had been a distraction to allow Artemis to get close to it. "Dodge it!"
Artemis had no time stop in her attack. Instead, she adjusted it, lashing out with one of her Leaf Blades as Steelix opened its jaws, now riddled with frozen fangs.
Steelix clamped down on Artemis' outstretched right wing, shattering the green blade with its jaw strength.
Artemis twisted her body so she could grip her talons into Steelix's metal upper lip. She swung her other wing horizontally so the green blade cut against Steelix's nose.
Steelix recoiled with a roar, releasing its grip on Artemis' wing.
Artemis pushed off Steelix the moment she was released, landing on the ground close to Rei. She staggered back, holding the wing that had gotten frostbitten from Steelix's Ice Fang.
"Can you keep going?" Rei asked, holding Artemis' Poké Ball. He was ready to recall her and switch her out with Blaze or Ace if she gave the signal.
Artemis could be a prideful Pokémon. Rei had found out that if he recalled her too soon before she was finished battling, she'd show her displeasure by pecking him.
Artemis glanced at Rei out of the corner of her eye before she nodded. She shook her wing once more before shifting her stance.
Rei put Artemis’ Poké Ball away. It appeared she wanted to keep going and he wasn't going to deny her.
That Ice Fang had been an effective attack. Using Synthesis would help Artemis recover from it, but the Sandstorm would weaken the healing effects. Rei needed to get Artemis out of it to take full effect of Synthesis.
"Can you fly?" Rei asked as Steelix growled, lowering its head before launching itself at Artemis.
Artemis nodded with a soft coo.
"Then fly up and use a strong style Synthesis!"
Artemis leaped up, avoiding the Ice Fang snap Steelix made at her. She flapped her wings to get airborne, faltering slightly as the frostbitten wing hindered her.
Steelix twisted its body, swinging its glowing tail at Artemis and smashing it against her side.
Artemis screeched as she collided with the ground.
The Iron Tail attack had been so quick. Rei knew the Sandstorm helped raise a Steelix's speed while hindering an opponent's evasion and accuracy, but there was no way the Sandstorm could raise its speed that much.
Wait a minute…
It could have been a trick of the Sandstorm, but Steelix's body appeared shinier than before.
Rei recalled the Steelix's writhing after being struck in a sensitive spot. That hadn't been any regular writhing; it had actually been using Rock Polish, shedding an outer layer of skin to lessen its body weight and raise its agility.
Rei grit his teeth as Artemis staggered to her feet, feathers in disarray. Steelix had responded to Artemis lowering its attack by raising its speed.
Fine. Rei could play at that game.
"Agile style Synthesis then use Feather Dance again!"
Artemis shook herself off before spreading her wings. The blue aura surrounding her body faded to white before dispersing in a shower of sparkles. Refreshed, Artemis launched herself towards Steelix.
Steelix lowered itself, mouth agape. Ice coated its teeth once more, sharpening them to fangs. It lashed out, snapping at Artemis. Steelix missed when she leaped over its head.
She blasted Steelix with a flurry of feathers, blinding the steel snake.
"Now, strong style Triple Arrows!"
Artemis slammed her foot into the crown of Steelix's head, crushing its bottom jaw into the ground, and bounced off. Turning in mid-air, Artemis nocked and aimed three arrows at Steelix.
Steelix growled softly, slowly dragging its body up and shaking its head from the stunning attack. It turned its head towards Artemis as she released her arrows.
The arrows struck the side of Steelix's face, slicing up the side of its eye.
Steelix screeched, reeling back from the attack. It rubbed its face against the ground then pinned Artemis with a glare. Three cuts ran vertically down its left eye, leaking red and silver fluid.
Artemis landed on the ground, nocking three more arrows without Rei's orders, staring at Steelix silently.
The Sandstorm dissipated as the two stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move.
Steelix released a grating hiss before burrowing into the ground and disappearing.
Artemis lowered her wings, returning her arrows to her quills. She turned to look at Rei with a concerned coo.
Battles usually made Rei excited. They were thrilling shows of strength and strategy between the human and their Pokémon partner. The battle against the Steelix, though, hadn't made Rei feel anything.
Rei returned Artemis to her Poké Ball then turned and continued walking to Veilstone Cape. The Steelix would be someone else's problem wherever it popped up next.
Rei passed by the Late Lord Arcanine's gravestone, idly running his hand over the top of the weathered rock as he went by. He halted at the edge of the Cape, staring at the sea that stretched out before him.
The sun was more than halfway risen from the horizon, soft pinks of early morning replaced with dawn's orange blanketing the rippling sea waves. Cries of bird Pokémon rang out in the air, their shadows flitting low over the water as they hunted for Finneon and Basculin that rose to the surface with the sun.
Even in the daylight, Firespit Island seemed to glow with the magma rivers that flowed down the sides of the volcano. Rei could almost feel its intense heat radiating from where he stood.
Rei let his eyelids close. The cool sea breeze ruffled his hair, sea salt stinging his nose. The waves rhythmically pounded against the Cape's rocky sides.
Sunrise in the Coastlands had always made Rei feel peaceful. This time was no different.
Exhaling, Rei opened his eyes, gazing at the horizon but not seeing it.
He had faced death a thousand times over. It no longer scared him. What was the worst that could happen at this point?
Rei took a step forward, air brushing against the bottom of his foot.