Chapter 9: Onsra

The door creaked open, wafting in a burst of sunlight and fresh air. A small, bud-like pokémon creeped in, taking in the cold atmosphere of the gymnasium, lit up only by a small circle of wisps in the center. A row of benches lined up against the two longer walls of the room, reaching from the front to the back doors. The wall was seemingly made of a stiff bark-like texture, holding up the roof to a Milotic’s length in height.

“P-principal?”

The pokémon creeped towards the center across the wooden floor, noticing an Armarouge meditating within the circle of wisps. The psychic started to glow in an orangey pink color as more steps were taken, a clear sign that they could feel the approach.

The Armarouge’s eyes slowly awakened, widening at the sight of the other pokémon. “Ah, Ruby. You have come.”

“Y-you called for me?”

“Yes, yes, I did. Hush for one moment please, and close that door. One must be able to have peace to make use of it.”

“Yes sir.”

Ruby skipped back to the gymnasium door, shutting it quietly.

“So how has life been for you as of late? Have your friends been treating you well? Is there any strange activity around the school I should be aware of?”

“N-no” Ruby mumbled, returning to him. “My friends haven’t changed; it’s been rather uneventful.”

“Ah, I see then. Though it is not my duty to pry on your social life, it is still my job to care for my staff and students at this school, so they can live peacefully without fear of being hurt.”

“Yes sir.”

“Please, call me Austin. Take a seat young lady, meditate with me.”

With a wave of his hands, he moved the wisps out of the way, giving space so that she could move into his circle. Ruby awkwardly shuffled in, squatting in front of him.

“S-si- Austin, this posture is rather uncomfortable.”

“If it bothers you so much, feel free to unwrap your layer and loosen yourself of those… chains, so that you can be at peace. You are a Cherrim, no? A newly-evolved yes, but I’m sure it will not be an issue for you.”

“I’m still g-getting used to it.”

“As such with evolution. Now, you are awfully jittery this afternoon, so we shall meditate. That is an order.”

Austin shut his eyes and placed his hands on his hips, quickly radiating the same-colored aura as he had before. The wisps danced and fluttered in response, levitating back and forth in multiple directions. Ruby’s eyes widened from within her small opening, aweing as the principal’s aura and flames moved in sync, movements that could be unread from the psychic’s blank expression.

“The power of aura is impressive” Austin muttered, slowly opening his eyes again. He locked eyes with Ruby, who flinched as he saw her. “You did not meditate. Your aura did not seem calm in the slightest.”

The Armarouge stood up from his current sitting position, dissipating the wisps in a single snap of his fingers. The light shut out completely, but returned as the mon used their psychic energy to flip on a switch on the other side of the room.

Austin sneered, eyes locked with Ruby. “You have failed the first exam. But we must not dwell on past failures. Come, we will enact the second.”

Ruby stood up. “Th-this was a test?”

“Yes, young lady. Now, I need to ask.” He turned around and crossed his arms. “Did your aunt ever teach you any of your lessons?”

“Lessons?”

“Ruby, do not fool with me. Your aunt is your legal guardian. So I ask now. Did she ever teach you any of your lessons!?”

“S-sir, I do not-“

“Do not have attitude” he snarled. “Fine with it. Your emotions have clearly infected your thoughts. We will see how far they will carry you.”

Ruby got up, and Austin turned around. He spread his legs, his arms, and his chest, leaving room for an easy blow. “The second exam will be one of combat. Fail this, and you are a lost cause to me. I will use only the most basic attacks: dodging, light punches, kicks, and rolling. Meanwhile, I will allow you to use any moves of choice, as well as maneuvers or combo moves. I do not care in the slightest. If I knock you over, you lose and leave. If you knock me over, you pass.”

He snorted, continuing. “Weaponize your inner aura, and don’t disappoint your parents. Nor me for that matter.”

“Y-you can’t be a little easier on me?” Ruby sighed.

“Young lady, life gives the hardest lessons first. Now, enough talk. Go, launch your first attack, but you may feel free to start when it feels natural. Weaponize your aura and trust your instinct. Thinking too hard will lead you to tripping over yourself.”

Ruby backed up, staring Austin down. His eyes burned with a blue flame, waiting patiently for movement, equal to that of a Mandibuzz flying over a dead carcass. His stance was locked and straight, making scratches along his armor appear more noticeable. There was not a flinch in him. He was determined.

It had been a while since she had done sparring with something that wasn’t feral. The strategy was all different, as civil mons could learn quicker, and were not easy to trick. Nor were they predictable. Austin was a titan of a fighter, even with his self-inflicted handicap. No living organism had to breathe to understand the simplicity and trueness of it.

There were probably a few hundred fights he had been in that were never told.

Ruby held herself straight, and relaxed her outer layer, of which she was still getting used to and struggled at first. A battle of footwork and strategy would require relaxation, especially in such a disadvantage in this.

Every cell in her body would have to keep her from tripping over herself. The hardest battle of all: keeping and finding a rhythm.

Not her greatest strength.

After a minute or two of dull standing, Ruby snapped into movement with a Magical Leaf aimed at his face, quickly blocked off by Austin’s shielded arms. With the small distraction, she tried to trip him with a Grass Knot aimed under his feet, only to be avoided as the mon quickly barrel rolled out of the way.

A few floorboards were scathed as she missed another attack, avoided by another barrel roll to the left. Taking the small window of opportunity, Austin aimed for a dropkick but barely missed as Ruby spun away from him. He got up, shielding his face from another special attack.

“You’re doing decent!” he commended.

Ruby lit up at the praise, but was smacked in the back a second later, tumbling to the right as she noticed Austin had taken the distraction as an opener. She bounced out of the way, missing another Magical Leaf.

He shifted away slowly, taking a defensive stance as small leaves bounced off his armor. “Your current strategy is helping you none. I know you have other moves, young lady. Where are they?”

“I forgot them” she hissed. “No use.”

“Two years ago, you were using Tackle like a warrior. Nowadays it seems you only stick to those awful two. Your movement lacks flavor!”

Ruby huffed in frustration and darted straight towards him, aiming for an up-close attack. Austin saw her and slapped her away with the swipe of his hands, sending her spinning across the wooden floor.

Her mind was dazed, and she was at a worse disadvantage, but it didn’t matter anymore. She needed this guy to shut up and stop berating her.

“You are only proving my points, Ruby. You are predictable, and you are doing nothing to help it.”

She seethed with anger, letting out her rage in the form of another Magical Leaf, which sharply landed a scratch in his armor.

Critical.

But one wasn’t enough. She needed two.

“Enough with it!”

Ruby bounced forward, making the best use of her anger. Austin saw her and aimed for a dropkick but was blinded as a Grass Knot got too close to the both of them, launching in the form of a crackling echo. A hard dent was bit into Austin’s armor as the collision caused both of them to tumble against the hardwood floor, faltering.

When he got back up, he noticed a new scar on his left leg, and winced.

“No blood. But a scratch.”

“I-I’m sorry” Ruby mumbled, sitting upwards.

“This did not go the way I expected. Alas, this would have been a tie if this weren’t the second round.”

“R-round?”

Austin got up and dusted himself off. The gym was the same as it had been before, aside from a wrecked floorboard or two. Sighing, he walked up to Ruby, shielding his face.

“Go!” he snarled, pointing to the door. “You have disappointed me enough already! I’m sure your parents would be just as disappointed if they saw you here now, putting your potential to waste.”

“B-but I-“

“Go waste your life doing something else. You have shown me enough that important things don’t matter to you anymore. Keep pursuing medicine, or whatever stupid shit you’ve been fantasizing over for the past fifteen years. Throw me to waste, and I will do the same to you.”

He finally looked her in the eyes, kneeling down close and glowering with disgust. “Your father was an old friend to me back in the day. Yet here is his daughter, not carrying on everything he’s lived for, everything he’s cared for and held dear to him, and instead doing the exact opposite. May you and your aunt be damned.”

With that, Ruby scampered out the door, not wanting to talk further.

 

~

 

A Torracat lay quietly on a blanket under the porch of a fruit stand, watching as a Whimsicott and a Cherrim walked by. Noticing the bag around the latter’s shoulder, a clicking sound went off in their head.

“Heya folks! It’s a pretty hot day down in Blubluk isn’t it?” they shouted. “Wanna take a break from the heat and try out some on-sale Payapa berries!? That’s right! Payapa! The best selling Payapa parlor in the Na-“

“No thanks” the Cherrim interrupted. “We’re doing errands, so we’re kind of in a rush.”

The Torracat grinned with fake enthusiasm, meeting ‘eye contact’ with the mon. “Ah, but what some for the road? If Payapa ain’t your style, we got Oran and Pecha too!”

“I said we’re busy. C’mon Tori, let’s get out of here.”

The sound of a groan could be heard behind her as they ventured farther down the alley. The Whimsicott glanced back, eyes blinking with confusion.

“What was that about?”

“Berry sellers.”

“Oh, cool. How far is the college from here?”

“W-we’re real close” Ruby mumbled.

“Great. But wait- I thought you said we already moved your things back to my house? What are we coming back for?”

“I’m just gonna return my key, then I file a paper or two that shows that I’m no longer paying the college, a-and that I’ve dropped out of my courses. It might look bad on me if I try and sign up to a different college, especially since I dropped out of another, but I’ll probably be dead before I get the chance.”

“Right. Jirachi and shit. Hmm… now that I think about it, I don’t think me or Gabi have much to pack up.”

“N-nice. Maybe we can take a break tonight for ourselves, since we’re probably sleeping through most of sun-up tomorrow.”

“Hell yeah. We should organize a party for your college drop out.”

“H-huh…”

“Any chance for a party is a great one” Tori remarked. She looked around the city as the alley led them back into the heat of the streets. “And hey. If worse comes to worse and we end up dying on this old fart’s expedition, we’ll die together! Gotta think positive!”

“D-d-did you just call Mallku an old fart!?”

“His words, not mine.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Eventually they made it to the college gates, guarded by a Spidops and a Combusken. Their stances were firm and unmoving, completely ignorant of the heat. As Tori and Ruby tried to shuffle between them, they were quickly stopped as the Spidops snatched Tori by the arms.

“H-hey let go of her!” Ruby snapped, preparing to fight.

The Combusken locked eyes with her. “Guests aren’t allowed on college campus. Not my rules, so deal with it. Either leave her here or both of you don’t come here in the first place.”

“Fine” Ruby sighed, her stem drooping. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

“Alright” Tori muttered, crossing her arms, and leaning on the fence within the guard’s eye-reach.

Talk to Curtis, return the key, avoid all flirting, and sign the papers. Should be easy.

Ruby skittered towards the main building, shuffling down the dirt path and through the glass doors. Once she tumbled inside, she quickly recognized a familiar-looking Morgrem at the front desk chatting amiably with a Pawmot.

“I’ve been working on this new move I learned recently” the electric type chirped. “It works like a Reviver Seed, without the expenses. I-I’ve been studying with the health coach, and he seems just as interested. If we get a bit more time to study and practice it, we’ll be able to unearth a whole new level of scientific knowledge!”

Curtis grinned. “Ah, well then. Stay safe beautiful, I’ll see you around.”

She walked away, giggling. Curtis turned his head, and quickly noticed Ruby approaching the front desk. “Welcome back!”

“W-were you flirting with her?”

“I’m not” he huffed. “It’s simply called staying sharp, gurl. Wouldn’t expec’ someone like you to understand.”

“Like me to understand?”

Curtis glowered in response. “You clearly don’t know what yer watching. It’s called… keeping the ladies impressed. If I ain’t wooing them every chance I get, they’ll treat me lik’ a fool. And ‘onestly I don’t want that.”

“Huh?”

“I’m just… just tryin’ to keep things in check. Keep mons like you in check.”

“Excuse me?”

Curtis’ glowering turned into a desperate and thirsty plead in the snap of a claw. He leaped over his desk and mimicked a soldier begging for mercy, with his eyes fearful and palms clasped. “I’m sorry babe. I didn’t mean any o’ that. I’m just a little desperate, ye hear!”

Ruby stood up straight. “Curtis?”

“I can make it up to you, Ruby darling. I’ll take yeh down to the diner downtown and we can have a night for just the two of us. Just us, okay?”

“I came here to sign papers, not get flirted at!” she snapped. “How many times do I have to tell you this!? I’m not into you!”

“Fine” Curtis grumbled, a few fake tears streaming from his eyes. He got out of his current position and back to his desk. He shuffled some papers, sliding a document towards Ruby, winking as he went. “Not our wedding papers, but it should still be okay.”

“You make me sick.”

“Think about it” Curtis continued. Ruby scribbled on the paper with her stubs, using a pen she found on the desk, making out a signature. “We can get time to ourselves, and when no one’s in the house I can unwrap you like a present, and we can get funky with it. You’re my present, gurl. I bet you look even cuter without that nasty budding, don’t you?”

Ruby writhed at the thought.

“Keep talking and you ruin your reputation more.”

“Ruining my reputation at the cost of you? Darling, I’d pay that any day.”

“P-please, be quiet.”

“I’ll yap all I want, gurl” Curtis snapped.

After Ruby finished writing, she took a key out of her bag and placed it on the countertop. “I hope you treat other girls better than this.”

“Buzzkill.”

She swiftly exited out the doors she came, anxiously racing down the main path. When she caught sight of Tori at the front gate, her muscles and nerves relaxed.

That’ll be the last time I’ll see that guy again. For once, I can breathe.

Outside the college, the two happily reunited. Ruby reorganized her satchel strap, sighing with relief.

“I’m back. I had small difficulties, b-but it was mostly quick.”

“Nice” Tori chirped. “What was the difficulty?”

“The guy at the front desk was… harassing me, I th-think. I’ve told him for the past few months I’m not into him… b-but he keeps pushing my feelings aside and trying to make some sort of clever comeback to try and get me to love him. I don’t understand what his problem is. I know he does it w-with other girls too, I saw him talking with one of the health assistants and flirting with her.”

“Phew.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, nothing. Sorry he was being such a shithead to you.”

“It’s okay” Ruby mumbled. “C’mon, I got one last errand. It shouldn’t be too hard.”

“What is it?”

“Saying… goodbye to my aunt.”

 

~

 

Through a turn off the main road, the street curved into a forested line of houses, leaning further down to other neighboring streets in the same area. The neighborhood was very humanized, with similar looking brick homes and cottages, all close in shape and design. Many trees and shrubbery were strewn along the grass, with a mailbox placed at every corner of the driveways.

“Southeast Blubluk” Ruby whispered. “A popular place for the elderly and the middle-class.”

“Your aunt lives in one of these houses?”

“She’s stayed in the same place as when we first moved in. Then I left for college, and the house became quieter. But she’s been doing pretty well on her own as far I’m aware. She has friends from her gardening club that keep her company.”

“Gardening?”

“Y-yeah? She’s a grass type also, so it’s only natural for her to want to.”

Tori sighed. “How old is this woman?”

“Don’t remember. C’mon, let’s be quick.”

Ruby led the way down the street, dashing along the side of the road with Tori floating behind her. They took a left at an intersection, passing down a few more streets before Ruby’s movements started to slow, and the neighborhood reeked of familiarity.

“Are we close?” Tori blurted.

“Y-yeah.”

“What are you slowing down for?”

Ruby turned around, meeting her eyes. “I’m just… anxious. I haven’t seen my aunt in a long while. I don’t know how much has changed, wh-whether she sees me as a disappointment in my current state… I-”

“I’m here” Tori assured. Her smile was soft, becoming softer as the fairy patted Ruby on the back. “I’ll be here no matter what. You can always trust me, and even if you don’t, I trust you. If you don’t want to see your aunt, we can just go home, and that’d be fine also.”

A small sigh escaped Ruby’s lips. “Thank you for that.”

“Always.”

The Cherrim glanced away from Tori, looking back at the street ahead. “If she d-doesn’t love me anymore, and everyone else didn’t either, wi- would you?”

“I think that sounds a little absurd. But if that did happen I’d do my best to defend you. But I wouldn’t ever see that being more than a nightmare, to be honest.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Ruby led Tori a little farther down the road, eventually stopping at a house that stood similar to the rest, though embracing a large bed of petunias below the front porch, making the house seem prettier as a result. A few other colorful flowers bloomed in the yard, providing a deep contrast to the rest of the estate and brick building behind them.

The two mons proceeded to the door.

“Should I wait out here and let you talk with her alone or go inside with you?”

“I-I should probably go in alone. I have a deeper relationship with my aunt, so it might be better if it’s a private conversation. I don’t know if she has guests or not, or if she’s even here.”

Ruby extended a stub to reach the door, wincing as it creaked open.

Welp, no avoiding now.

“You got this.”

“O-okay.”

Tori saluted her as she crept inside the house, slamming it behind her. The mustiness of wooden flooring and open windows quickly enveloped the Cherrim, causing her to let out a shaky breath. Ruby jolted off the carpet below her, glancing around the living room that connected to the entrance hall.

The house was vaguely similar to her last visit yet stuck out like a sore thumb the way slight adjustments had been made to noticeable parts of the room, from the placing of chairs to the rearranged shelves. The lack of potted plants on the windowsill was also unnerving, but Ruby made no further notice of it after a second or two. A part of her felt claustrophobic in the room, squeezing her like a thin strip of paper in a crumpled folder.

So much had changed to the layout of the house while she was gone. Like a mystery dungeon, but less dangerous. The question would remain unsolved unless she actually pushed herself to ask, though.

One more step taken is another less.

Ruby proceeded down the hall, moving through the living room until she reached the dining room. In the middle of the space was a short-but-stout wooden table, with several pillows around it. A hushed candle sat atop the table surface, silencing any trace of fragrance. The seats were empty, just like the rest of the rooms so far, but the curiosity within Ruby was just as much burning as her anxiousness, and it kept her going for as long as she could handle.

In the kitchen, it was just as silent. Several china dishes and plates were stacked inside one of the cupboards, a sight that seemed strange due to the fact that her aunt was never much of an antique collector during Ruby’s childhood, but it was here regardless, and it puzzled her. A glass door connected to the porch, but she was met with disappointment to find the yard barren, just like the others.

Ruby took a step back, trying to calm herself. She wouldn’t just leave a house unlocked without being here… too, would she?

This is my fault isn’t it? Had my selfish dreams really caused her to go insane? O-or maybe this was someone else’s fault… or she invited a friend that killed her and took possession of her things and reorganized everything… o-or maybe she got married and this is a result of that person taking control over her life… o-or… no, it can’t…

She turned around, and quickly noticed a figure behind her, a white amalgamation that Ruby almost didn’t quite recognize due to her current panicking, a creature bearing small wings and smaller, stubby limbs. Something that wasn’t her aunt… something that didn’t belong here…

“Oh? Who are you?”

Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin. “I-I’m sorry I-“

“Are you Jemma’s daughter?”

“Y-you know her?”

Behind the mon, the Lilligant quickly came into view, wearing a golden necklace fashioned from beads over her sepals. She let out a small giggle, standing next to the stranger.

“Ruby dear, how nice it is to have you! Did you come here to see me?”

Too many emotions, congested like a lump in her throat that was too afraid to spit out. The overwhelming of it all made Ruby dizzy, but it didn’t stop her from trying to make conversation.

“I-I-I’m sorry” she blurted.

“Sorry? What for?”

“F-for barging in without telling you I was coming. It-it’s…”

Jemma’s eyes softened. “Honey, it’s okay. As long as you don’t do it again, I’m happy to have you here, always. C’mon and give me a hug! I miss my little girl.”

Ruby stumbled forward, sighing as Jemma reached out and squeezed her. In a loving embrace, she felt at home, just like things used to be before she left.

“Th-thank you…”

“Thank you for coming. It’s been awfully lonely without you in the house.”

Once Jemma let her free, Ruby turned towards towards the other mon in the room. “Wh-who is this? A friend?”

The Lilligant chuckled. “More than a friend, dear. Meet Iris the Togetic, your new… ‘unct’.”

Now that Ruby was less anxious, her vision started to shape itself, revealing things she hadn’t clearly seen before. Her aunt was… older than she last remembered. A few wrinkles had shown themselves, very small but noticeable, pairing with the slight bagginess under her pearly eyes. The Togetic, as she could see now, looked to be slightly younger, but still had a hintable trace of middle age.

It was evident that she was an adult that things around her… were getting older, whether or not she could see it.

“I think ‘auncle’ suits me better” the fairy replied.

“Anything that makes you feel happier, honey.”

The dizziness weighed in, suffocating Ruby. “B-but, I thought you said relationships weren’t your thing… h-how then do you-“

Without skipping a beat, Jemma interrupted her. “Sometimes people can be wrong at first, dear. How foolish I was thinking that things would stay the same.” She sighed, looking towards the porch. “Things changed when I met Iris. Something within me that had never presented itself before started appearing, and it appeared only when I was with them.”

“B-but how-“

“I will admit I felt awfully guilty when I found out I did have feelings. Iris made me feel a… different kind of love, which was something I thought was impossible for me, as it had been years before. I felt scared and strange and uncomfortable.”

Iris looked Jemma in the eyes. “Thank Solgaleo you opened your heart to me.”

“Thank him indeed.”

Ruby felt defeated, looking up to the two of them. “I guess that means you’ll have someone to keep you company now.”

“I do, dear. I’m sorry if this upsets you but… I’m happier. I won’t have to constantly stress about keeping up a job and watching you, but I know time has passed and you can quite clearly take care of yourself. It’s a great feeling having someone to love this deeply, and I’m honestly surprised it took this long to feel.”

“S-so Iris is a part of the f-family now?”

“They are” Jemma replied, blushing. “You’d be surprised to find out about how we met.”

“I’m… okay with that. G-go ahead.”

Iris started off. “We met during a therapy class. The class involved a lot of group therapy sessions between strangers and… my first partner ended up being your aunt. We worked surprisingly well together, and after becoming great friends we eventually decided to meet outside of the office just for fun, since we both had nothing to do that day. I won’t go into further details but… I told her my feelings, and she said she was surprised, because she did too. We had some more time together, we closer over time, married and I moved in with her.”

“I didn’t want to move out of here because I didn’t want you to think I had died” Jemma announced.

It was all starting to piece together.

“B-but how did you feel love so late in life?” the Cherrim mumbled. “Isn’t that kind of a… paradox?”

“Dear, life is a mystery. Sometimes you just have to thank your god for any blessings given and move on with life.”

“O-okay. It’s different for everyone then?”

“As it is.”

Iris giggled. “I have a quote for this scenario, but I don’t think any of you would understand. Maybe not Jemma, but I know Ruby graduated school based on what I’ve been told, so she might.”

“You two… didn’t?”

“Nope” Iris replied. “Not as big as this generation, but we were still taught basic stuff like numbers and reading and a bit of math. Human knowledge was scarce until now, but now we get kids these days learning dark magic like calculus and geometry. I don’t know what any of it means, but I hear society is developing pretty damn fast with this new knowledge, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Y-yeah.”

“And it never does stop changing, does it?” Iris continued. “But I’m getting off topic. You came here for something, didn’t you?”

Ruby sighed. “I did.”

Jemma inched towards the kitchen cupboards. “Would you like a snack while you chat?”

“No thanks, Aunt Jemma. B-but thank you for the offer.”

“Not even your own kid by birth but you still treat her better than any parent I’ve ever seen?” Iris sneered. “You’re something else, Jem.”

“I try my best. Now, let’s all have a seat, as I am sure she has had a long walk to get here.”

The three of them sat down quietly at the kitchen table, eyes fixed on Ruby, patient and attentive.

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

“W-well, there was something I wanted to tell you” Ruby blurted. “Tori came with me, but she was fine if I just talked with you alone. I… don’t know if I would even be here without her.”

“Bless her” Jemma whispered.

“A-a-anyways, I got an offer for a… job out of continent, but it required me to move away from college. I wasn’t really happy with my current standpoint anyways, and two of close my friends, Tori and Gabi, wanted to go with me, so I decided to take the offer.”

Iris nodded. “When do you suppose you’ll leave?”

“Tomorrow night. Sorry for not telling you… and Iris earlier. I know excuses are bad, but- I am sorry. I was busy with my final workdays… s-so I had to push in extra hours, a-and I was struggling to balance a few other things outside of school and work.”

“Tomorrow night?” Jemma repeated. “Ah, dear, it’s unfortunate you can’t stay with us longer. I’d love if you could get to know your new auncle a little better. But… work is important, and you have your friends with you, and I know you’re a tough one for your size. Even if you won’t be with us physically, you’ll be with us in our hearts.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t know if I’m coming back alive or not.”

“Regardless, we’ll be praying for you.”

A few tears ran from Ruby’s eyes, soaking through her petals and drying on the pillow cushioning below her.

“Th-thanks.”

“Dear, you are my daughter in heart. You’re a brave soul, and I’m proud you’ve gone so far in life. Your potential is still there inside you, and I know it will lead you very far. Even if your mother and father aren’t with us, I am, and I wish you safe and happy travels, wherever your heart aches.”

“Even if it leads to my own death?”

“By Mew’s grace, please be more careful than that.”

Iris smirked. “You’re a great woman and mother, Jem. Now then Ruby, would you want to stay the night with us? We’d love to have you.”

“We would” Jemma added.

Ruby sighed. “I can’t sorry. Tori’s out there waiting for me, and I can’t just abandon her at a time at this.”

“That’s alright, dear. But would you at least hug me a little more before you leave?”

Ruby nodded, and her aunt quickly leapt into an embrace, laughing alongside her. Iris watched from the other side of the table, grinning. Jemma quickly noticed and extended a leafy arm towards them.

“Honey, you aren’t just going to watch and do nothing, are you? Join us, you are family now.”

The Togetic flew towards the two grass types and hugged alongside them. Despite feeling claustrophobic, Ruby still felt warm and at home, smiling from within her petals as the other two chatted amiably, talking about something that was too muffled for her to hear.

She almost felt like unfolding.

And yet, despite feeling like true family, she still felt like something was holding her back.

Not that she was fully aware anyway.