Chapter 19: …and Battle comes Swiftly.

Scowling, Rin glared at the walls of the corridor they were carefully moving down, as if expecting something to leap out and attack them at any moment.

“Nee-san, I don’t think that glaring at the walls is going to give you the reason why there’s seemingly no defenses on this floor,” Sakura sighed, giving her sister a consoling pat on the back, “Libra and Other are scouting, they should be back soon.”

N frowned as he spotted his friend emerge from the wall, both the little fox and the lantern following. He reached up, cradling Drifloon as he came to rest on his hands. <<Are you alright?>>

“Mostly. They know we’re coming,” The flying type explained.

“We barely managed to avoid detection. All of the remaining bandits have retreated to the top floor, and are preparing a gauntlet,” Libra elaborated, her glass scuffed. “...I will be honest, we have a serious fight ahead of us.”

“Unless we cheat, or go lethal and don’t stop… we may not make it out,” Other said dully. “And if we do go lethal…”

“They’ll take the kiddie gloves off as well,” Rin stated grimly, narrowing her eyes and placing a hand on her chin, looking at Agate. “How long, Agate.”

“... They should have been here already, honestly. There’s no reason that it should be taking someone from the League this long to reach us. Something’s either delayed them, or I was somehow deceived.” The Espeon stated tiredly, eyes sorrowful as she continued to breath heavily. She was still tired, and she’d been pushing herself to make sure everyone was able to fight.

“Likely the former,” Sakura murmured. “...I think… they’re coming. But they’re not here yet,” she murmured, her eyes flashing purple for a moment. “I’m not sure.”

“We have got to find you a proper psychic tutor,” Rin grumbled. “Nothing against your therapist, but she’s an instinctive psychic, you need a human teacher.”

N coughed. “Everyone is the best they will be. Except they’re tired.” He frowned. “I will have Leppa berries for next time.”

“Let’s hope there’s not a next time,” Ren muttered, trotting over from the gathered wild and rescued Pokemon, Noibat perched on his back. “We gathered some more allies from the tunnels, but not many. Most of them, if they’d hidden this long from the Reapers, weren’t willing to try helping us push them out.”

“I can’t blame them.” Ana grumbled, finally breaking her silence, “These guys… they aren’t a joke, and it shows.”

“No, they’re not.” Ren said. “This was a regional hub for them; the biggest safehouse they had on the peninsula.” He eyed Rin. “They cleared out their stockpiles as they fell back to the first floor, but the watcher says they saw lots of shinies being carried up.”

“How the heck did we end up in their Regional Stronghold again?” Rin asked rhetorically, sighing in both exasperation and exhaustion. This had been a hard fight, and she’d been burning mana the whole time in addition to directing her team while listening to Sakura’s overall direction.

Shit wasn’t easy.

“...it doesn’t matter. We need to push, before they decide to just sweep down on us,” Sakura muttered. “If we’re caught, this turns into a hostage scenario. We need to keep moving.” She looked at Noibat. “Is everyone ready to move?”

“As much as we can be,” she replied grimly. “The grass and ground types have some new abilities now that we’re above solid rock, but other than that, this will be a slog.”

“... A Last Stand, then.” Libra sighed, shaking her whole body in lue of a nonexistent head, “All we must do is hold out for as long as we can… Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do or die…”

Rin blinked, “That poem exists here too?”

“Hmmm? Ah, yes, Charge of the Light Brigade. A Galarian noble wrote it an odd century or two ago,” Libra blinked, ghostly flame shutting off momentarily before it flared back into being. “Wait… What do you mean here too?”

Whatever Rin was going to say next was cut off by the bug on her hat chuckling. “Ah, we are not going to go down and die, lasses.” He sprang off the hat, darting through the gathered Pokemon, sparking as he charged ahead. “We are going to triumph! CHARGE!”

Sakura blinked, then shrugged, dashing after him. “Gordon, wait up!”

The entire group charged ahead, N blinking a few times before he joined in the rush, snatching up an abandoned tool in the rush.

---------------

Daniel looked up, hearing yelling down the passage. “Well, the outer guards are…” A small explosion echoed in the middle distance. “Serving their purpose.” He looked around the antechamber, the entrance to the chamber, fifteen men and women each with their Pokemon arrayed around them. This last entryway was not the only room these kids hadn’t trampled through yet; but none of the others mattered. “Alright everyone, these kids have more gumption and power than most. Don’t treat them or their allies lightly.” He looked back as the makeshift doors separating the mine’s former staging chamber from the maze of passages blew open.

The first figures to stalk through were a pair of young women, one dressed like a witch, the other in more traditional trainer gear, both heavily scuffed. At their heels trotted a pair of Eeveelutions, the Espeon at one side panting heavily, while the Umbreon remained stalwart despite the bandages on his barrel. A Snivy, a Hisuian Zorua, and a Lampent finished off the front ranks of the motley crew. Behind them, a swarm of Pokemon, many bandaged or similarly obviously wounded, filled the entryway, spreading out. Behind them, a young man with green hair stood between the battle group and a menagerie of pets and baby pokemon, a dented shovel held like a stave.

“...you know, in five years, you two might have beaten my men like kettle drums.” Daniel acknowledged, stepping forward. The girls fixed their gaze on him, and he knew immediately that they’d seen the two Pokemon flanking him; Slyveon at his left, and Basculegion at his left. “Honestly? I can’t blame you for trying. But I can see your teams are tired, and you’re not doing so hot yourselves. Give it up, and I won’t break a finger for every one of my boys you laid out down below.” He promised, letting a wicked smile cross his face..

“We’ll have to decline, Daniel.” The brunette replied, sass oozing from her voice despite her exhaustion, “We know what the Reapers do to the people they capture, and we’d rather not, thank you.”

Daniel blinked, before, ever so fleetingly, a look of genuine respect flickered across his face, so ephemeral that the two girls were likely to consider it a trick of light, an illusion. “You two are, by far, the most professional trainers that we’ve clashed with.” He shook his head sadly, “You would have made fantastic members of the Reapers. Such a shame.”

“We’d make terrible Reapers. Money is such a… stupid thing to shed blood for. The only thing more stupid is pride.” The purple haired girl said quietly. “This is a land of plenty. And you pervert it for a quick profit.”

Daniel sighed. “Perhaps you are just naive. There is always going to be crime, and organizations to conduct it.”

“But not those who trade in flesh and chattel slavery.” The violette hissed.

Daniel frowned. “There’s a lot of trainers willing to pay for a particular Pokemon. We just bring down the price.” He shook his head, gesturing forward. “I don’t think we’re going to come to an agreement. On your fingers be it.” Without another word, every one of his allies leapt forward, and the girls and their battered army met them with a barrage. Daniel grinned. “Ah, a little excitement… honestly, this should be fun.”

----------------

“This was more fun when I was hanging out in your head,” Other groused, ducking a blast of fairy energy from a Whimsicott, responding with an Icy Wind. “On your left, sis!”

A shadowy tendril grabbed the offending Braviary and cratered them into a nearby wall, Sakura drawing deep into the abilities that Other had given her access to when she’d been reborn. “I see it! Rin-”

The sound of her sister’s attacker being launched into the ceiling met her ears, Agate taking care of the Gurdurr before they could harm her trainer. “You stay the fuck away from her,” the Espeon snarled, even as she shone with inner light, Dazzling Gleam being launched against one of the many groups fighting it out in the hallway.

Noibat fluttered through the crowds, supersonics disrupting several brawlers. She winced as she saw an allied Boldore flattened by a Simisage, turning her Air Cutter on the grass monkey. Even as the simian pokemon fell back with a screech, the massive head of an Onix interposed itself in the way of her attacks, blocking her from finishing the job. She fell back to avoid a rock throw, circling back to N, who’d just floored a man with his shovel. “We’re getting surrounded! Can we fall back to the corridor, force them to come to us?”

“A couple of them got around behind us.” Other panted, emerging from the floor and shooting an icy wind into the heaving brawl. “The non-combatants were fresh enough to charge the lines and break through; they’re free. But it let them circle up the rest of us.”

“I’ve got the Onix!” Ana cried, darting up to the giant rock snake and slamming her tail down on its body, the Leaf Blade eliciting a roar of pain and annoyance from the giant Pokemon. She glared at the larger Pokemon, the massive rock snake bearing its entire weight down on the much smaller serpent. “...yeah… this is… heavy…” Her eyes narrowed. “Not… going to stop me!” She screamed, light shining through her skin as she pushed back, tail flaring as she grew larger. Her tail blade tore into the skin of the rock-type, sending it tumbling back. The Servine thrashed her tail. “Yeah! Come on, you bastards! I’m riding this high!”

Daniel raised both eyebrows. “...they’re doing better than I thought.” He motioned forward. “I don’t think we want to give them any more chances. Puck, Ironside; go ahead and wipe them out.”

With a nasty smirk, Puck yowled in delight, diving into the barely holding lines that Rin and Sakura’s teams were maintaining, nailing Ren with a surprise Play Rough that sent the Umbreon reeling. “Aww, what’s the matter, squirt? Can’t handle the big leagues?”

Agate spun to fire at the malicious Eeveelution, only to be bowled over by Ironside dropping out of phase with reality. “Stay down, child.” He rumbled. “You cannot fight the tide.”

Ana snarled, spitting a Leaf Storm to knock the water type aside, her power surging as she battled through her pain and exhaustion. “Get off her!” She snarled, even as Libra descended to blast the Sylveon with Smog. But as the group turned inward to deal with the two monsters in their midst, the storm of attacking Pokemon outside began to cut down their allies.

Sakura lashed out with a shadowy punch, knocking an enemy back, but she was forced to give ground, inch by inch as more Pokemon and their trainers filled the gap. N swung his shovel in an arc, warding off the attacking enemies, while Rin scabbled for her last usable gem.

Everything looked hopeless…

Until it wasn’t.

“Houndoom, Fire Blast,” a new voice called, his tone hard, the room dimming slightly, Sakura and Rin blinking as a weight lifted from their shoulders.

Other felt the heat only a short bit before she saw the colossal blast of flames shaped in the kanji for “big” speeding towards them at a speed most people would call “hax”. Yelping, the fox broke free from the Swoobat she had been brawling with and dived into the wall; a move that proved unnecessary as Puck dove to intercept the blast as it headed straight for his trainer.

Daniel stumbled back, watching as his starter tumbled to the ground, scorched and unconscious. “Puck! Who the hell did that?” He yanked out two Pokeballs, returning Puck as he palmed another ball. “Krook-”

A gloved hand wrapped around the Pokeball, a thin man stepping from the shadows. “Ah, I think… you’re out of luck.” The entire room froze as a weight passed through the room. “Man oh man… Daniel, it’s been a long time.”

“...Grimsley?” Daniel swallowed. “We’re fucked, aren’t we?”

“Oh most certainly.” Grimsley declared, his hand tightening painfully around Daniel’s wrist, “I didn’t expect the Reapers to have moles so highly placed in the League though,” he stated casually, noting the complete confusion on Daniel’s face, “Ah, I see, it wasn’t the Reapers. Then I suppose you had a guest. You will give me his name, now, and I’ll see if I can convince the courts to lighten the sentence a little.”

Daniel winced. “...pretty sure he was using a fake name. But hey, we have his kid! Though I don’t know his name, either. I mean, who calls themselves R and N, right?”

From his place amidst the wounded Pokemon, N blinked. The surrounding gang members were busy surrendering to the myriad Dark-types who’d broken loose of the shadows. “Ah… is my name really that strange?”

“YES!” Sakura, Rin, and Other spoke as one, glaring at their new maybe friend.

Daniel blinked. “...okay, so he’s actually named N. Is your dad actually named R?”

“...no. Though…” N frowned, trotting through the Pokemon to stand before the Elite four and the Reaper underboss. “Why was he meeting with you?”

“Kid, everyone wants Pokemon. Strong ones, from the wilds? Without badges to get past the rangers? We earn a lot of money selling those.” He chuckled, only for Grimsley to sigh and smack his former friend.

“Well young man… I’ve never had to interrogate a child, and I’m not starting now,” Grimsley said. “For now, if you ever want to talk about your father… you should be able to reach out to me.” He looked up. “Alright, Reaper scum!” he called out, even as a group of Policemen and Jennies entered the room at a run, a squad of Joy medics at their backs. “Don’t make any trouble, and we’ll not have any unnecessary injuries today!”

Rin groaned, landing on her butt as she finally relaxed, feeling her circuits burn beneath her skin. “Thank the gods…” she muttered, dragging Agate into her lap. “...that was brutal.”

Sakura limped over to her team, Ana supporting Ren’s unconscious body. “Other, are you alright?” She asked as she sat herself down.

“My fucking everything hurts,” the Hisuian Zorua griped, slipping into Sakura’s arms and shivering violently. “And I got a taste of what the nastier parts of this world look like. I’m not all that great, to be honest.”

“That was… less than jolly,” Gordon mumbled, sparks firing off his fuzz. “Lassies, I’m happy to travel with ye, but please tell me we are not going to be having battles of this magnitude regularly.”

“I hope not…” Rin muttered. She looked up as Grimsley walked over, trailed by an Absol and a Houndoom.

“Man o man… I never thought Juni would ever have to ask me to bail out her kids.” The Elite Four member shook his head as he walked over to the girls. “We all knew she was a honeylove… well, not that it matters.” He folded his arms. “Glad your bets paid off, kids. This could’ve gone very badly.”

Sakura smiled wanly. “We are very much aware, Elite Grimsley. Thank you, for coming to rescue us. Given your questioning of their leader, I assume you were intentionally delayed?”

“Either way, we’ve got a few more Reapers tied up or otherwise incapacitated deeper in the mines,” Rin added, sagging in exhaustion now that everything was over. “You’ll want to bring them to me so I can release the hypnosis I put them under.”

“...scary girl. You didn’t teach either of your moms how to do that, did you?” He asked Rin.

“I mean, they did ask. Aurea more to try and use it for research, though Ivy wanted the hypnosis techniques for her dream research.” Rin said.

Grimsely groaned. “Poker night… ruined.” He turned to look at Sakura. “And to answer your question… ongoing investigation, can’t talk about it.” He shrugged. “Though I can say we are going to need to do a deep check of our transportation branch.”

“Sakura, Rin, if you could ask Elite Grimsley what took the local police forces so long to arrive, that would be appreciated as well, let alone the local Area Rangers,” Ren asked softly, still quite literally licking his wounds from earlier.

“I can understand you, darkling.” Grimsely chuckled. “And that’s also part of the investigation, though on that front, I can say that there’s at least one man whose finances are a little too flush, if you know what I mean.” His eyes went half lidded, and Absol grinned wickedly. “Don’t go spreading that around. We need him as bait.”

“We shall not,” Agate promised darkly, eyes flashing with hidden darkness. “No one touches my skulk and gets away with it.”

“Well said, sister,” Libra added, malice dripping from her words.

“Hear hear!” Ana added in, pumping her tiny fist in the air.

“Imma rip the bastard to shreds, after he stops being bait,” Other growled, the Zorua leaping onto Sakura’s shoulders and butting her head against her sister’s neck. “Now gimme pets, big sis. I’m tired.”

Grimsely blinked as he saw the ghost type lifted into his sister’s arms. “...you know, I don’t speak ghost. So I shouldn’t have understood her. But I’m not going to ask.” He looked over at N, who’d had his hands wrapped in bandages, then back at the girls. “Will you all need stretchers? I can offer you a teleport or a ride, as the case may be.”

“We would greatly appreciate that, Elite Grimsley,” Rin stated professionally as she could from her position flopped on the floor, looking completely wiped. None of the others were doing much better, after all.

Grimsely nodded, waving up a group of medics and Jennies. “Alright, stretchers and carriers for three young warriors.” He watched as his men hauled out the Reapers. “Least we can do for their help cleaning out this rot.”

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“...Grimsely managed to root most of our suborned and bribed members in the Nacrene Peninsula. Thankfully, most of them believe our middlemen to be agents of the Reapers or Uptown Men, so we remain mostly out of sight,” Devon spoke, his facemask hiding the set of his mouth.

Ghetsis frowned as he looked at the Shadow, his brow furrowed. “A setback, though not a major one. There will always be greedy men, and the chaos of the loss of so many officials will allow our home-grown supporters to rise into the ranks.” He turned to face Rood. “Make it so. We will need supporters in the right place to allow our words to spread upon N’s coronation.”

“At once, Regent Ghetsis,” Rood bowed, before turning and walking from the room. Ghetsis waited until his fellow ‘sage’ departed before turning back to his head Shadow.

“And what of N? I assume he has been taken into custody?” Ghetsis ventured, striding past his agent. “We will need to time freeing him carefully. Enough time for him to be frightened, for the League to relax their attention, but not so much that he might cave.”

“... No, the League did not take N into custody,” Devon began speaking, for the first time since years ago sounding nervous. “He has taken to accompanying the pair of trainers that ruined our operations with the Reapers and disrupted our moles.”

“...say that again?” Ghetsis asked, incredulous.

-------------------------------------------

N blinked twice as he was pulled into the firm grip of a taller woman. Aurea Juniper smiled as she held the boy, mom-enhanced strength bearing him off his feet. “Thank you so much for helping my girls. They’re good for their age, but…”

N wiggled slightly, a tad nonplussed by the affection. “They did good. Didn’t need me for much.”

“Yes, but they don’t take care of themselves like they should. It’s good you’re going with them; they could use a medic.” Ivy added from nearby, watching the tableau with amusement.

“Hey! We know first aid!” Rin complained moments later, scowling at her adoptive mother.

Sakura nodded. “And some healing magic.”

“Maybe, but there’s a lot to be said for specialization,” Ivy retorted. “And you’re sure you’re all well enough to resume your journey?” She asked skeptically. “You could hold off until the recent unpleasantness is sorted out…”

Both girls shook their heads. “Absolutely not. We’re going to continue with our Journey, mom, regardless of what happens,” Rin pointed out firmly, Sakura nodding her agreement even as her sister spoke. “We’ve come too far to stop now, and, honestly, it was kinda fun, in a terrifying way.”

“We understand,” Aurea sighed, setting N down. “Still, we all worry.”

Sakura hummed slightly. “It’s nice to have people worried about me. Excluding Sempai,” she said softly.

Ivy arched one eyebrow. “Oh? Do you have a Lillipup Crush on that boy– Shirou, was it?”

“No,” Sakura quickly demurred, shaking her head. “He just made a good first and second and third impression, that’s all.”

Ivy chuckled. “Well, you should give him a chance to make a fourth! Send him a letter, or a call.” She tapped her lower lip. “And us, for that matter. You need to stay in touch with your family.”

N froze slightly. “...letters to family… I should write my sisters when we stop tonight.” He frowned, swapping to Pokespeak. “Ah, Noble Agate? Do you think you could lock onto a psychic signature to deliver a letter?”

“... Probably not.” Agate replied after a few moments thought, “Though, if you give me a general location, I can probably deliver it to that.”

“Maybe I could have you reach out to my sisters’ companions? Anthea has a Gothorita, and Concordia has a Kirlia,” N mused, then shook his head. “Not an urgent issue, we can work it out as we travel.”

The kids and adults stepped out of the Pokemon center as they spoke, with Rin sighing at the road ahead. “...a full day and a half lost, and we’re back where we started.”

“Aye, but it’s the journey, not the destination!” Gregor chuckled, poking his head out from under her hat. He then tilted his head up. “Hah, not often to see one of your kind out in the day.”

“Oi, you’re not leaving me behind!” Noibat fluttered down, alighting on N’s shoulder. “I can stand the sun if it means not having to track you all down later.”

N looked at his shoulder. “You do know I am no trainer, correct?”

“Yes, but you’re in need of a minder, and I can train myself against the girls easily enough.” She pointed outward with one wing. “And I’d like a chance to take a proper bite out of those Reaper assholes. Preferably post-evolving. It’ll hurt more.”

“Biting your problems is always good, but have you considered screaming at them?” Rin offered, somehow being genuinely serious. “Noibat and Noivern both can learn Boomburst, after all~”

“If I knew that, don’t you think I would’ve used it?” Noibat complained. “Unless you’re willing to teach me? I’d like that.”

“Oooh. I can’t but I know who can~” Rin grinned, rubbing her hands together evilly. It was about time she checked in with the Emiya and Einzbern heirs, after all~

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Team Plasma’s Castle was a wonder of engineering, built by hundreds of loyal workers and teams of rock, ground, steel, and fighting types, working in tandem to create a monument to the organization and its young king. It was also perpetually under construction, renovation, and development, as the requirements of the Lord Regent and his dreams of a grandiose introduction to Unova changed constantly. With that in mind, it was no wonder that a single Pelipper carrying a special delivery slipped through the constant stream of workers, bypassing the overworked guards and avoiding the attentions of the leaders of Plasma.

Rising through the air, the flying type flew in one of the upper windows, his keen eyes having spotted the appropriate targets for his delivery. With a cheerful quark, the large bird swooped into the sitting room, where two young girls were idly reviewing their schoolwork. Three pokemon, a Lillipup, Gothorita, and Kirlia looked up from their space on the floor as the larger Pokemon buffeted the air with his wings.

Anthea looked up as the Pelipper landed on the table, blinking twice. “Umm. Hello?” She asked. Pelipper look pretty dopey at a distance, but up close the bird had a beak large enough that she could curl up inside.

The bird’s beak quirked into an odd grin before he flexed one wing to reach inside. Now that his arms were visible, the young girl could see the bands fitted around each wing; UNOVA POSTAL SERVICE written in white on a blue background. The bird withdrew an envelope, blue-on-cream paper naked with ‘Special Delivery; direct air mail’ written above the names ‘Anthea and Concordia Gropius.’ The big bird held out the letter in one flexible wing.

Anthea blinked twice, a little shell shocked by the abrupt arrival of the messenger bird. Her delay allowed Concordia to reach out and take the letter before her sister could snag it.

“...who would know to write a letter to us?” Concordia asked, opening the envelope with a puzzled expression. As she began to read, her eyes lit up. “It’s N!”

“What?” Anthea scooted around, looking at the letter with shock. “Didn’t father leave him with one of the other branches for a time?”

Concordia frowned. “That’s not what this says… although maybe he was kidnapped? He says-”

N sat back against the log, Noibat perched on his hat as he started writing. “First of all, don’t worry. I know father would have told you about the villains I encountered, but I managed to escape them with help from some friends.” The boy looked up, gaze passing over the party of Pokemon and humans tending the fire, Sakura laying a pan over the coals while Rin washed some leeks. “And, for the first time in my life, I can count humans among them. The Reapers who had waylayed me had also captured two young girls, a little younger than yourselves. Concordia, Anthea– I think you’d like them. But they confuse me greatly. Both of them can talk to Pokemon, however neither of them see anything wrong with keeping Pokemon as slaves. Though the way they treat their teams makes me doubt the term, at least in this case.”

N paused, nibbling the end of his pen. He resumed writing after a few moments. “There have been members of Team Plasma who have treated their Pokemon well, but they were always few in number. And the Pokemon partnered with the criminals who captured us were misled and trained into evil. But neither Rin nor Sakura treat their Pokemon as anything less than firm partners, or family.” Ren and Agate trotted by, each of them carrying more wood for the fire, passing off the branches and logs to Libra. “Since gaining our freedom, I have been traveling with them for a time. Their simple resolve and arguments are not conclusive, but traveling with them has been interesting and insightful regardless. I have met other trainers and other Pokemon. So many varieties! They travel with a Hisuian Zorua, who once was human herself! And the earnest bonds shared by many we meet… it gives me hope.”

N sighed, setting his pen aside to take a drink of water, a few drops spilling on the page. He winced, blotting the marks. “It’s not all good, of course. There are many more criminals who misuse Pokemon, leading them astray, and Rin has spoken about abusive trainers before. But she also speaks of a group called the Rangers– an organization which eschews Pokeballs entirely. How have I not heard of these people before? Apparently they live in other regions or tend to the wild areas, but I have not yet met them. Are they real? Are these stylers merely another form of captivity? Or are they possible allies for Team Plasma?”

“The more I hear and see, the more I need to understand. In truth, even if Father were to come to me now, I would have to turn him away. I need to see more, to learn more. It is only through finding the Truth of how the world is that I can become worthy of summoning the Dragon we seek. And perhaps, enforce less of a severance between Pokemon and people, and a rule of law inviolate. Something to think about.” N blew on the pages, drying the ink as Sakura finished her meal. “I will write to you further later. For now, I will try to be safe on my journey, and do not worry too much for me. I am in good company.”

N(atural Harmonia Gropius)

Concordia set the letter down as her sister finished penning her reply. “How earnest do you think he’s being? This does not seem forced.”

“But it is different from how he normally is,” Anthea responded. “I wish we could go to him, but there’s not a way to leave.”

Both girls sighed, even as Gothorita and Kirlia moved to comfort them. As they did, a quiet squeak sounded as their door opened. Looking up, the girls saw Lillipup nose his way into the room, darting over with a book of stamps clenched in his jaws. Concordia chuckled as she took the stamps from his mouth. “Thank you, but I did not need so many.”

The Lillipup yipped, then sprung up onto the table before the patiently waiting Pelipper, standing in front of his beak. With a shimmer, the little canine’s form collapsed into shadow, red and black fur peeking through for a brief instant before it reformed into a small, brown box. Crudely marked on the outside was a green ‘N’, with a small space labeled ‘stamps’ on the lid.

“...I don’t think that–” Concordia began, before a loud squawk cut her off. Pelipper reached over, plucking the stamp booklet from her and pulling off four of the little squares. Applying them to the outside of the ‘box’, he winged the booklet back to her and scooped the ‘package’ into his beak. Settling back, he eyed the letter and opened his beak expectedly.

After a stunned second, Anthea chuckled. “I don’t think that’s proper postage… but thank you,” she said to both the Pelipper and his passenger. Peering into the open beak, she reached out and stroked the outside of the false box. “Take good care of him, please.” The little box wiggled in the vaguest suggestion of a nod.

Concordia put her sister’s letter in on top of the ‘package’ before waving. “Thank you for the letter, Mr. Postbird! Have a safe flight!” As the large pelican began to flap his wings for takeoff, the young woman couldn’t help but feel her spirits rise with his journey. Her little brother was having an adventure; and that was something worth being happy about.