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Greetings, young one. “What is this… W-who are you?”Who I am is irrelevant. You have a long journey ahead of you. I am merely here to prepare you before you go. “Go where-?”But first, I have some questions… Please try to answer them as truthfully as possible. First, would you consider family to be the most important thing, above all else? “Well, uh… Yeah. Doesn’t everyone?” No. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. You would be surprised, young one, by the callousness in others… hard hearts do not love easy. Nonetheless, we must proceed. Do you tend to look before you leap?“...I guess?” Do you find it easy to complete tasks you set out to do? “To be honest, not always… but I never stop trying.” That’s good. Now, what would you say is your greatest flaw? “My greatest flaw? Easy… I’m a coward. I can never seem to stand up for myself. Sometimes I manage to find my way around trouble, but for the most part, I’m just a big chicken.” Interesting…. Do you believe that there is a peaceful resolution to every conflict? “Most of the time, yeah.” Well, young one, I would say that I agree with you. What a curious power words have... To form and change the opinions of others. Is that something you value? Diplomacy over power? “Well… no, not really. I bet it would be a lot easier to be brave if I were a little stronger.” Some would say that being tactful and swift is a valuable skill in itself. “I wouldn’t say that.” I see...I supposed that can’t be helped. Nevertheless, I believe I’ve heard enough for now. Correct me if I’m wrong, but to me, you seem like the Reasoning type. Where others may dive headfirst into a decision, you think things through diligently and usually find a better solution, solutions that often yield greater outcomes for everyone around you. You are utterly loyal to those you are close to, and your friends benefit the most from your logical thinking and problem solving in turn. I can tell that you are also protective of your loved ones; you put them before all else, including yourself. A very admirable trait… Have I been accurate so far? “...Disturbingly accurate. You got all that from a couple of questions?” You needn’t worry about that, young one. I do believe I have just the fit for you. What is your name?“My name? I think my name is Kai…” Well, Kai, it seems that our time is up. Your vessel is now complete. It is time for you to return to the living realm and fulfil your great purpose.“That can’t be right. A purpose? Me?” Do not question the will of the world, Kai. Our knowledge is a mere raindrop in the sea of all that has ever been, and you have only barely begun to drink... All things have purpose, young one. Yours will reveal itself when the universe is ready to show you. For now, a reasonable person like you should be… ...Night casts deep shadows over the Everwood Forest as a lone figure charged hastily through the brush. The resilient foliage whipped back across the lycanroc’s face and chest, stinging, but with every stride the beacon’s light drew nearer and closer. It’s rays shone boldly against the evening’s dark canvas, permitting her to follow its beam with ease, her explorer’s badge glowing brighter with every step until she was streaking through the forest like a fallen star. They would know what to do, she thought. If anyone can help me, it’s them… It wasn’t long before she plowed through a wall of ferns and arrived at the deepest part of the forest, a tiny, starlit clearing. Immediately, the beacon disappeared, revealing two pokemon standing in its wake, a luxray and a sandslash. The pair wore badges of a similar fashion, the moonlight turning their pelts to a pale silver. When the lycanroc came face to face with her old teammates, she felt herself relax. “Sterling. Miles….” She was awash with gratitude. “It’s good to see you two.” The sandslash, Miles, nodded with a smile, still as amiable as ever. “It’s good to see you too, Sapphire.” Sterling had remained stoic for the most part, the luxray’s features hard and revealing nothing just yet. “Is it true?” he asked. “Have you found him?” “I think so… I’m not sure to make of what I found just yet. A growlithe, unconscious in The Crossing. He’s been unresponsive for days, but it’s only a matter of time before he awakens.” “How do you know it’s really him?” Asked Sterling. “Arcanine don’t just reanimate as growlithe when they die.” The team stared at her, expectant, but all she could possibly offer in response was a feeble shrug. “I can’t explain it… It’s just a feeling I get. Like he’s finally come home.” “I don’t get it,” said the sandslash. “How can this be possible? We saw him die.” “It doesn’t make any sense, but it has to be true. When was the last time any of us have seen a growlithe?” The lycanroc was pleading now. She’d always had such a strong connection to him when he was alive, when she found that growlithe she just knew deep in her heart that he’d come back to her. There was no other way to explain it. “We can’t just ignore that, can we?” The two explorers exchanged a glance. “We?” That look. Hope was written clear on their faces. Sapphire knew they wanted her back on the team. Her heart longed to be with them too, to go back to the way things were before when her team was complete, but her resolve ran deep; her place was no longer with them. “I will do everything that I can, but I will not leave the Everwood.” More softly, she added, “You know I can’t. Not after all that’s happened.” The sandslash nodded, accepting of this, but the luxray’s great, star-shaped tail lashed from one side to another in clear displeasure. Sapphire sensed his frustration, but her situation left little room for compromise. There wasn’t much more she could do. “How can we help?” Asked Miles. “I can’t keep him with me in the Everwood; it just wouldn’t be safe. Besides, the other pack leaders won’t take the chance of taking in another growlithe after…” Quickly, she broke off, remembering the horrible fate that their entire species faced in the beginning months of the Year-Long grief. The other two pokemon looked visibly disturbed by the thought as well, and so she was confident that they understood the gravity of this task. “We need to get him somewhere protected. Somewhere out of the Emperor’s reach.” Miles put a claw to his chin, pensive. “Treasure Town is still a free city. Why don’t we bring him to the guild and put him under protective custody?” “Good idea,” said Sterling. “That guildmaster is a force to be reckoned with. The growlithe would be in good hands while we try to figure out our next step.”Sapphire accepted this proposal with a nod. It was a reasonable plan, after all. “Then it’s settled. When the growlithe awakens and is ready to travel, I will turn him over to you, and you both can deliver him to the guild in Treasure Town.”“Sounds like a plan,” said the sandslash. Sapphire felt the slightest bit of envy, wishing she could go with them to Treasure Town and see everything she’d left behind when she assumed leadership of her pack. It had been so long since she’d been there last, and she had so many fond memories of training to become an explorer with Lex and Miles. Nostalgia weighed down on her chest like a heavy stone, but nonetheless she forced herself to smile. She’d made her choice long ago, after all. “Thanks guys,” she said, her tone genuine. “Seriously. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” “Anytime, Sapph,” Miles said back. The warmth in his gaze was infectious. Sapphire bowed her head and extended a paw in response, a gesture of deep respect among the lycanroc of Everwood, and it was Sterling who wordlessly reflected the same movement, his gaze shifting to hers. Through his wordless gesture, the luxray’s message was clear. He did not like it, but he respected her decision to stay behind for her pack. The duo then bid their former partner farewell and called forth the beacon one last time to take them away, leaving Sapphire alone in the starlit clearing. The lycanroc sighed, finally allowing herself to relax for the first time in days. Her mind could be at ease knowing that the growlithe would be under the protection of the guildmaster himself, who wouldn’t go down in a fight easily. Furthermore, Sapphire knew that as long as the guildmaster resided in Treasure Town, no villain or wrongdoer would ever dare come close. ...“What do you MEAN the guildmaster is gone?” The chatot, who was frantically searching the guildmaster’s chamber for any evidence of his departure, silenced the loud-mouthed explorer with a harsh whisper. “Hush, will you? Are you trying to start an uproar?”“SORRY,” said the loudred, his voice only lowering minimally. “Is he really missing?” Asked a sunflora, who was fidgeting with her bandana nervously. “Should we organize a search party?” The chatot shook his head. “I’m afraid we wouldn’t know where to start. He’s left without a trace.” “What are we going to DO, then?” The sunflora’s leafy hands covered her cheeks. “This is not good at all!” She cried. “You’ll have to take over the guildmaster’s duties! No one else is capable!” The brightly colored avian winced. “Don’t you think I know that?” He was feeling the pressure building up now, insurmountable. The guildmaster wouldn’t just up and leave without telling him, of all pokemon. If he was missing, it was the chatot’s duty as his second-in-command to locate the wigglytuff and bring him home safely. He knew that if the roles were reversed, there was no question that the guildmaster would do everything he could and more for his partner. “Get Team Siege in here. Tell them that it’s urgent.”With an earnest nod, the sunflora hurried off to relay the message. “And you,” the chatot continued, turning to the loudred. “Go on about your normal duties for now--and please keep quiet about this whole ordeal until I figure out what we’re going to do. Got that?” “I’ll try my BEST.” He responded with a salute, prompting the chatot to sigh again, pinching the bridge of his beak with his wingtip. And with that the pokemon was gone, leaving the winged songbird in the guildmaster’s quarters alone. It was only a matter of time until the others figured out that their leader had vanished. He knew they wouldn’t handle the news well, either. The chatot tried to think of what could have happened to the guildmaster, but no explanation seemed to come together quite right. He was powerful. He was a leader. Few pokemon could even remotely match his strength, and there was no way he could have simply wandered off on his own and gotten lost. The guildmaster was a seasoned explorer himself, after all. Nonetheless, wherever he was, they would find him. If he’d left with a purpose, the chatot hoped he could fulfil it quickly and return before the guild began to fall apart. ...It was a chilly night in the Everwood when Kai had finally roused from his slumber. His body was cold and aching, but a nearby campfire provided some warmth to soothe his ailing to some degree. From across the campfire, a stranger stared with bewildered eyes, her jaw hung in astonishment.“Where am I?” Kai asked the lycanroc. He was surprised by how feeble his voice sounded. The lycanroc only stared back, her eyes wide and reflecting the same confusion that Kai felt. She was silent for what felt like an eternity, and for a moment Kai wondered if she’d even heard him. After a lengthy beat of silence, she’d finally responded. “It’s really you,” she breathed, awed. “You’re in the Everwood… don’t you remember this place?” Still not entirely sure what an Everwood is, Kai took a moment to think about the last thing he could remember, hoping it could provide some clarity to his situation. The name ‘Everwood’ did not sound familiar, and truthfully, this lycanroc was a stranger to him. And, now that he’s thought about it, he doesn’t remember anything prior to this moment. The only thing he was sure of was his name. Panic flares in the back of his mind, but he forces the rampant emotions back with a deep, steady breath. “No, I don’t remember this place… Should I?” The lycanroc opened her mouth to speak, but her voice faltered before her words could be heard. She was visibly hesitant, but she managed to steel herself and venture forth with a single question. “....Do you remember me?” The desperate hope in her eyes was suffocating. Kai tried to think hard, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t change that he was looking at a stranger. “I’m sorry, but… I really don’t.” The lycanroc deflated. She was visibly hurt by this, Kai knew, and he felt racked with guilt, but there was truthfully nothing he could do to change the fact that he was looking at a complete stranger. “Do you know how I got here?” he asked next. The lycanroc shook her head. “I’m afraid not. When I found you some nights ago in The Crossing, your body was cold and you weren’t even breathing. Anyone else would have mistook you for dead. It was my Guide who predicted you would awaken on the next claw moon.” She spared a glance upward to view the moon’s perfectly hooked form. “And, well, here you are.” This whole scenario sounded bizarre to Kai. How could he sleep for days without food or water? Without breathing? There were a million questions that he needed to ask her, but he settled on the first one that crossed his mind. “Why?” The lycanroc looked away, and again Kai’s question was met with silence. It was clear that she did not know the answer, and the reality made his skin prickle uncomfortably. What’s happened to him? After another beat of tense silence, the lycanroc’s gaze settles on Kai seriously. “You’d be safer with me in the village tonight. We’ll get you rested and fed, and then we can talk about finding out where you came from.” She rose to stand with a furtive glance toward the treeline. Kai, also struggling to his paws, noticed this and briefly wondered what or who she was looking for. He hesitated, but surely going with her was the better alternative to wandering this forest alone and in the dark. “Sure, that sounds reasonable,” he said, “do you live close by?” “Relatively,” she responded, taking off into the darkness beyond the clearing. “Right this way, follow me.” Kai faltered by the edge of the light their little campfire provided, shadows dancing across the ground as the lycanroc pushed past a wall of ferns. A cold chill flew through him just then. He wished the fire’s light could follow him beyond this clearing and through the denser part of the forest. The thought that something could be lurking out there was more than a little unnerving. Nonetheless, on four short, unsteady paws, he hurried to the lycanroc’s side, following her into the darkness, hoping she would bring him somewhere safer, more protected. Preferably somewhere less spooky, with something to eat.