RENEGADE

Chapter 40

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Renegade

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Avery followed closed behind Nivanee as they stepped onto the cold tile of the Guild Hall. The Eevee shed her look of contemplation and sadness, letting a warm smile spread over her face as she saw two others standing on the large carpet.

 

There, Lahnae stood, the Torchic bouncing from one foot to another, excitedly talking to Loshjno. Hanging off her back was a massive backpack that easily dwarfed her, lumpy and lopsided, with pots clanking together on the side.

 

Noticeably, she didn’t look the least burdened by the massive load.

 

Avery smiled at that, running over quickly.

 

“…Jeez, Lahnae, are you planning on going on a day trip, or are you moving out?” the Plusle chuckled, hoisting his own pack up on his back. “I take it your planning went okay…! I got the tent and wood for the fire, and some extra rations just in case we can’t figure something out ourselves down there.”

 

Lahnae jumped to face Avery, a wide smile spread over her beak. Her massive pack swayed and bobbed but didn’t make her tilt whatsoever.

 

“Oh, DUDE, you got a tent?! Nice!!” Lahnae shouted with a flutter of her wings, the Squirtle next to her chuckling. “I was wondering why Losh told me not to get a tent this morning! I was like, ‘oh is he thinking bare ground sleeping is better’ but THIS WORKS!”

 

“We got her set up with some food, sleeping bags, flint and a stove and grill you can build a fire under.” Loshjno said, patting Lahnae’s backpack. “Plus medical kits, just in case.”

 

“BUT YEAH, I’m so HYPED for this, dude!! It’s been FOREVER since I got out of Arceliaze for fun!!” Lahnae cheered!! Nivanee folded her ears from the volume. Even Sarfallinus had to peek his head out the office to see what all the noise was about.

 

“Well, good. This kind of vacation sounds right up your alley, Lahnae.” The Eevee nodded, working a paw in her no doubt aching ear. Lahnae lowered her volume at once with an apologetic look.

 

“Yeah…! It might be! Avery’s gunna show me how it’s done!”

 

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Avery said, rolling his eyes. “You remember the story how my last camping trip went, right, Lahnae?”

 

That last bit came with a knowing smirk.

 

“Let’s hope that there aren’t any bark-stripping beasties out there this time…!”

 

“You know I’ve been thinking of that but you KNOW WHAT?!” Lahnae stomped a foot! “I’d like to see any bark-muncher TRY to square up against us! Ooooo, you slob on sticks, yeah I killed a GOD, so what?!”

 

She snickered, kicking her feet excitedly, even as Nivanee looked lost as to what she was talking about. But the Eevee didn’t press.

 

Avery hiked his pack up on his back, taking a deep breath.

 

“Well…hopefully I’ve retained enough innate memories about camping to make this trip a good one…!” The Plusle sighed. “You have anything else you’d like to do before we head out, bud?”

 

“Nnnnnope! I’m all good here, RIVAL.” The Torchic said, adjusting her backpack. “Even if I’m learning about camping for fun you can bet I ain’t gunna FALL BEHIND!!”

 

Loshjno smiled, watching her bounce excitedly, patting her on her shoulder.

 

“That’s the spirit, Lahnae. You go on and have fun out there, okay?” The Squirtle said. “And, oh, be sure to watch for any trees that look like a Meowth.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Loshjno cocked an eyebrow, his smile remaining firm as he looked at Lahnae, The implication was clear. Loshjno’s warning sent a little shiver down Avery’s spine, but he gave a nod along with Lahnae.

 

“Ohhhh, gotcha. Okay!” The Torchic said, looking back to Avery. “I already said my goodbyes to Kipuuna!”

 

“I managed to pry him away from her.” The Squirtle added.

 

“So if you’re ready, Aves, I sure am!” The Torchic finished.

 

“Yeah, I’m ready…! Without further ado…”

 

Avery turned on his heel, gave Nivanee a little smile and a salute –

 

“Let’s get going!”

 

“See you two!” Nivanee waved back, hopping over to Loshjno’s side who gave a wave of his own. “Be safe but have fun!”

 

“Oh we TOTALLY will!!” Lahnae called back, running over to the Plusle’s side, her backpack jingling and bouncing with her movements as she waved goodbye to the pair until she and Avery hit the stairs, climbing up to exit the Guild.

 

While the pair walked to the entrance, there was still no sign of Vizon yet. But, perhaps even to his relief, Lahnae’s excitement distracted Avery from thinking on it.

 

“Duuuuude! I’m SO PSYCHED for this! Loshjno was telling me about this thing you can make with, like…chocolate, cinnamon sticks and marshmallows, yeah? And I was like ‘YO THAT’S SICK I WANNA MAKE ONE AS BIG AS MY HEAD’, you ever hear of that Avery? Yo, I wonder what’s the first thing we’re gunna get up to! I’m just-!!”

 

She was rambling on and on, almost shaking. She’d clearly had a lot of pent up questions and statements built up over a whole morning of excited preparing.

 

“OH, and should we take a carriage out to Souljraan you think?!” Lahnae asked. “I dunno if you wanted to trek on foot like we do during work!”

 

“If you think we can handle the walk, I’d like to walk,” Avery replied. “Taking a carriage this time of day might mean sharing it with other people, which I’m not…super stoked to think about doing. Plus, you get to appreciate nature more when you’re walking through it rather than being in a vehicle, you know?”

 

The other questions he let pass for now, though…he was definitely going to show her the art of making s’mores.

 

‘At least, after I let her burn the first few marshmallows.’

 

“It doesn’t have to be walking like work, though.” He continued. “We aren’t really in a hurry to get anywhere. We just…walk, and settle down wherever we feel’s a good place to settle down.”

 

“Ohhh.” Lahnae nodded, looking ahead. “Yeah, easy peasy, no problem can I handle a walk. It’s not even a march like it usually is with work!”

 

She smiled wide as they exited the guild front entrance. The day was starting to just enter late afternoon, so the both of them had plenty of time to make a walk to Souljraan and the Rocky hills.

 

“So really, that’s how it works, huh? We just pick whatever place we like up there? Works for me!” Lahnae asked, pulling ahead a little, making tracks to the southwest; The general direction of Souljraan. “Is there anything in particular we’re looking for in a camping spot? Like during work Loshjno usually has us plonk down a sleeping mat wherever has shelter and is safe from ambush, but this is different from that kind of thing, right?”

 

“Well, in bare necessities, we want to follow the 200 foot rule,” Avery said, starting the walk. “Two hundred feet from hiking trails, to avoid being walked in on. Two hundred feet from bodies of water, to prevent ecological damage. Aaand, two hundred feet from where we wash up, to keep things sanitary. Other than that, there’s level ground, checking for drainage spots in case of precipitation – we don’t want to wake up in a puddle – making sure we don’t set up near trees likely to fall…”

 

The Plusle looked to Lahnae.

 

“Besides that though, the main thing I look for is a good view to wake up to in the morning. To me that’s the best part of camping.”

 

“Woooahh…” Lahnae sounded genuinely amazed by his explanation. “Man, even if we have to camp on a mission, Loshjno and I just make sure we’re hidden and eat whatever we packed. That’s a lot of thought to put into a spot…!”

 

She hummed, reaching into her pack and pulling out a map of Arcea.

 

“Let’s see…200, 200, 200…Well…” Lahnae squinted at the map, leaning over to you as she read. “There’s a few streams that split off the river coming down from the Ice Pennisula, a bunch going into Rocky Hills. But even terrain’s gunna be super hard to find. I mean ‘Rocky’ is right in the name! It’s all bumps and hills.”

 

As if the words she said were a spell, her frown turned to a wicked smile.

 

“Niiiice, that’ll just make it harder! TRIAL BY FIRE!!” She cheered with a bounce. “Heck, anywhere we sit down at Rocky Hills is bound to have a good view! I hear the nights are clear and the vistas are SPRAWLING. But you don’t get to see them much when screwing around in caves.”

 

“I mean, not having even terrain isn’t the end of the world either,” Avery said. “If we have to camp on a slope, we could elevate our feet to ease hiking pains, or elevate our heads to help with congestion if either of us are susceptible to allergies. So in some cases a gentle slope might be better.”

 

As they both trudged through Arceliaze, the pair of them garnered occasional curious looks from a few of the smartly dressed Market District Poke’mon. A pair of members of the famous Arceali guild, trundling down the stone roads with huge packs, ready for camping. A few passerby even excitedly waved to the pair…recognizing Avery! Shouting a ‘hello’ to Team Azure’s captain!

 

Lahnae ignored the fact none of them batted an eye at her.

 

Avery was sure to wave simple hellos back to a few of the people calling out to him. But he felt a bit bad that nobody was saying hi to Team Spade’s captain, but…if she wasn’t bothered, he wouldn’t be either.

 

This was their time together, Avery wouldn’t let the lack of something get in the way of that.

 

“Oh hey!” The Torchic said, turning her eyes squarely on Avery. “I was so excited I forgot to ask: How’ve you been today?? What’d you get up to, huh? I’ve been running around doing all this preparing and stuff-! I just couldn’t sit still at all!!”

 

“Hah, it’s been a bit of running around. I got a few books from Sekurae about learning Illaminian, since that’s in my list of things I want to do.”

 

“Oh yeah?! You’re learning Illaminian, too?!” Lahnae’s face brightened. “D’ya got the books with you? I can totally help tonight if you want! I’ve always want to try and flex a lil~!”

 

She and Avery shared a little snicker.

 

“Well, after that, Niv and Team Aquashock helped me shop for the trip…! I talked to Vizon a bit too, since his parents live in Souljraan. He’s been spending most of the day with Team Ganusi though.”

 

“Ohh, right. Vizon’s a Souljraan kid, isn’t he? But he moved down to Arceliaze…I wonder why.” Lahnae shrugged. “Musta not liked being around his parents too much…unless he’s, like, one of those ‘strike out on my own’ kinds of Poke’mon, which I totally respect!”

 

She paused a moment, hopping over a puddle as the pair crossed into the X-Eye District to go down into the Southern Farming District.

 

“Wonder what Vizon’s been doing with Team Ganusi, though.” The Torchic hummed. “They seemed nice but I never really knew ’em like Nivanee did. They were waaay before me n’ Losh’s time.”

 

“All I know is when I was talking to him, the Whimsicott just…” Avery’s face turned to a frown. “…Kept talking over him a lot. Barely let him speak. Maybe that’s just the kind of person they are, but…”

 

His ears sunk as his brow furrowed in mild annoyance from recalling the scene.

 

“… She rubbed me the wrong way, is all. “

 

“Oh boy…where have I heard that before…”

 

Lahnae’s tone said it all.

 

The Torchic shook her head with a sigh, her brow furrowing.

 

“Man, what is it with all those old guildies? How’d they all end up getting all these issues.” She huffed. “Heck, even Losh n’ I had issues! Issues for days! Then all that…”

 

Her voice hitched.

 

“…stuff with you and Vizon…” She let out a laugh, as though trying to dispel the air. “Man, this Guild’s a magnet for trouble. And yet…it’s also where all my friends are so…”

 

She shrugged again, smile returning.

 

“…what can ya do? Guess we just gotta get through this, too.”

 

“Magnet for trouble,” Avery sighed, looking up at the sky. “… Maybe even by design.”

 

…

 

‘…No, no no, I won’t think about that. Not right now. No time for conspiracies.’

 

“We just have to make do with where we are and what we’ve got.”

 

Lahnae batted Avery’s arm encouragingly.

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! That’s the attitude to have!” She said with a cheer. “Who cares if it’s by design? Screw the design! I’d be HAPPY if it was by design, because then it can be UN-designed!!”

 

She pushed into him, the weight of her backpack making her stumble a little into Avery as she gave a big cheer.

 

“If stuff can just be HOWEVER others make it then WE CAN DO THE SAME and make it GREAT!!”

 

Lahnae’s shout bellowed over the stones. The Torchic ignored the stares she got from the roughshod Poke’mon of the X-Eye District.

 

Avery let himself smile a little.

 

She was right. If it was designed to be this way, that meant it could be dismantled.

 

“In any case…” The Plusle sighed, feeling the warmth return to him. “I’m just glad that the cloud over the guild is starting to dissipate. For the most part, anyhow, heh. There’s the whole thing with Vizon, but… It seems like everyone else is doing better. I’m really glad for that.”

 

“Hey, no worries about Vizon. He’ll come around! Even if it’s not in the way we, like, first thought it’d work out, I’m happy for it to work out in whatever way makes everyone happy!” Lahnae said, almost rambled, her eyes twinkling as she thought about it. “But you’re right…like, it’s hard to even imagine all that…RESENTMENT and stuff now, and it’s only been a few days!”

 

She looked up towards the sky, the clear and cloudless blue, as the two passed the south gate of the Farming District, going up the path of the Village district. Even with their packs weighing them down, Lahnae didn’t falter one bit.

 

And she certainly didn’t doubt Avery to be able to carry it, too.

 

“Like, Arceus, it was years of us just hating each other! Me n’ Losh had only been in this guild three years! Everyone else has been stewing in all this even longer than any of us…” Lahnae hummed, her brow furrowing. “And like…it took just a couple moments of just…talking…to fix all of it. Like, was it really that easy all this time?”

 

She paused a moment to think.

 

“Okay well…maybe psycho-universities and fights with Thunder Gods are a little more than just a talk but c’mooon is that all we were missing all that time?” The Torchic snickered. “Maybe you and Vizon just need to fight two gods to resolve your stuff, no sweat!”

 

A little joke on her part, keeping focus on the conversation as the pair trudged up the steep gradient of the Village District, side-stepping carriages rolling up and down the dirt pathways.

 

“I mean it sure seems that we’ve got a conga line of deities that we’re going up against, huh?” Avery said with a little laugh. “What do you reckon next, we’ve done sky and sea, maybe Vizon and I have to split the land apart or something. Fight the very ground we walk on…!”

 

It was a pretty tough climb with the heavy packs on their backs, but in his time at the guild Avery had gotten pretty fit… At least as fit as he could have gotten in a couple of months. This was nothing, comparatively.

 

“Still though…” Avery continued. “with all of the Pearl stuff done finally…maybe we won’t have to fight gods anymore. We’re in a stalemate now. We’ve got peace. Maybe I can do an actual boring job for once.”

 

“Yeaaah, maybe…honestly, I’m with you there. Stalemate’s good. Nothing changed.” Lahnae scratched her head. “I mean, if we actually got all the pearls then that’d just mean they’d all be in one convenient spot to snatch em’ up and then we’d really be in hot water, huh?”

 

She turned her head to Avery, trying to not let the relief on her face show as they crested the valley. A gust of wind billowed over the both of them from Breezy Plains, the grass rustling loudly as the pair pulled westward toward the line of trees.

 

Even here, on the dirt road toward Souljraan, Avery could see a few carriages carrying passengers, supplies and even mail to and from Arceliaze. Seemed to be a particularly busy day.

 

“Heck, you know what kind of stuff we were doing before the whole pearl thing happened? Mostly petty arrests, y’know? Some pickpocket would get really cocky and then would snatch the Roppi stone off some Market District lady and then oh boy gotta get the Guild cuz it’s a Family Heirloom or whatever.”

 

Lahnae rolled her eyes.

 

“Then we’d get thrashed, thrown in the gutter and all our money stolen…that’s half the reason I never have much money with me anymore.”

 

The Torchic stuck her tongue out.

 

“Other than that it was stupid stuff like giving pep talks to kids at school…not that I didn’t like doing it just that…well…” Lahnae laughed awkwardly. “…they always wanted to see Nivanee and not us…”

 

“… I getcha,” Avery said sympathetically. It’d make sense, since Nivanee was…well. She had a better track record of success than Spade did. “Still, I think it’s way easier not to give up when you’re winning all the time. The fact that you’ve failed so many missions but haven’t given up says a lot about your character. Niv’s good for the straight A students, but I think you’re a success story for the people who struggle, who don’t have everything come to them easy. Sometimes you’re skilled, you work hard, you do everything right, and things still don’t work out the way you want. That’s life, and you can’t give up at that.”

 

Avery bumped her a little.

 

“… And I dunno. Between you and Niv, I like your pep talks a little more anyway.”

 

Lahane perked up at that, glancing at him. Her heart was visibly swelling with every word.

 

“Aw…dude…” She huffed with a wide smile, orange cheeks slowly taking on a red hue. “Well…then your pep talks would be for the underdogs, I guess…! Poke’mon that start from nothing and turn into the coolest dudes ever!”

 

She smirked.

 

“And hey, I’ve heard the wonders that your pep talks do~!”

 

The Torchic paused, she and Avery taking a moment to side-step another carriage, painted red and white. Several Poke’mon were sat inside the carriage, standing on the sides and even on the top, tightly packed, shoulder to shoulder.

 

On the side of the carriage read: Vseptovu hsevaovu op Arceliazini qis hmo Illamini

 

Avery furrowed his brow as he watched the carriage creak by, the Poke’mon on board quietly chatting with one another.

 

“Hey, Lahnae? What’s that say?” He pointed up toward the red and white carriage.

 

“Huh?”

 

Lahnae turned around to glance at the carriage passing. She cocked her head to the side, squinting as she read the text.

 

“Vuh..sep..tovu…Huhsay…vah-oh vu…Op…”

 

Her expression darkened a little as her voice cut off.

 

She turned around immediately, brow furrowed, looking a little sour.

 

“…It says ‘Free Transit to Arceliaze for Illaminians’…” She said quietly.

 

“Free trans-” Avery’s words stopped as he looked to Lahnae in confusion. “Doesn’t…this city not like Illaminian people, generally? Why would they be encouraging more Illaminians to move in with something like free transit…?”

 

Lahnae gave an…aggravated huff, shaking her head.

 

“Man, I have no idea…” She grumbled, looking ahead, as though trying to banish the image of the carriage from her mind. “I’m sure it’s some big, ultra messed up thing I can’t wrap my head around ‘cuz I’m not smart enough for this stuff.”

 

She took a deep breath…

 

…and quickened her pace towards the forest.

 

“I hate this city sometimes, man.” She said curtly. “Gunna be honest: I’m excited to get out of it for a night.”

 

…Avery ended up doing the same thing, looking back at the carriage with trepidation.

 

After his conversations with Kellixae about everything this city was up to…he was starting to get a rather scary idea of what that carriage could mean.

 

Lahnae was a quiet for a moment. Her face was unmoving, stuck in that same contemplative look for a while as they trudged along westward, backpacks jingling, accompanied only by the sound of rustling grass and the wind.

 

Slowly, with a few huffs and sighs, Lahnae’s chipper mood returned to her, as though the further from Arceliaze she got, the better she felt.

 

Eventually, she looked back at Avery, silently locking eyes with him. Whether for comfort or solidarity, it was hard to tell, but she seemed to find her resolve again in that look, giving a nod and trudging onward with full gusto again.

 

“Man…you smell that…?” Lahnae said, just to break the ice. She took a long, exaggerated huff.

 

Avery could smell it, too. Clean air, the scent of dried grass and hay flowed over Breezy Plains on the cool Spring wind.

 

“…Arceliaze stinks. And it’s never until I get out that I realize it.” Lahnae said with a smile. “There’s more to the world than just a rank old city. A whole world.”

 

Avery tilted his head, breathing in the air.

 

He was…pretty sure he had always loved that about camping. Getting away from civilization and just breathing in the wilderness, whether that’s mountains or trails or forests.

 

“Have you ever thought about moving?” He asked in a long sigh after his breath. “Y’know, once you’re done with all this guild business? There’s a few other places you could settle down, right?”

 

“Pff, c’mon, Avery.” Lahnae laughed. “You’re asking me if I thought ahead like that? You do know who you’re talking to, right?”

 

She sighed, looking ahead as the path approached the forest. She opted for the hard way, of course, trudging right off the path and going straight into Tall Woods.

 

It was almost nostalgic, returning to Tall Woods like this. The trees, the atmosphere, even the thick canopy that blotted out the sky…it was a small reminder of days long passed.

 

Then, as they both began to follow a trail in the woods, she spoke again.

 

“Honestly…I’ve lived in Arceliaze all my life.” She said. “I was born there, raised there, went to Novitiary, Intermediary and Adeptiary there, and with Loshjno at my side at all times, to boot.”

 

She clicked her tongue, thinking.

 

“My parents lived there all their lives, too…and I never got to meet my grandparents, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the same.”

 

The Torchic looked back at Avery, frowning.

 

“So after all that time…the thought’s never really crossed my mind…some days it feels like Arceliaze is all there is.” She said. “I mean, it’s not like Quayoff, with villages and landmarks aplenty. There’s a lot of nothing outside of Arceliaze. Forests, mountains and plains but…nothing else. Even all the villages that used to be out there in Arcea just…aren’t anymore. Shut down long before I was born.”

 

She laughed a little.

 

“So…honestly my choices are kinda slim. Arceliaze, Souljraan, Yahneri Port…Steeljag I guess…maybe Pauwe Kollovani, but I’ve never visited. But that’s all there is anymore in Arcea.” Her voice was quiet, even a bit sad. “Everything else is dust and ruins. I pass ’em by all the time in the field. All these crumbling houses, some of them still full of rotting furniture. It’s kinda spooky.”

 

She pasued.

 

“…and a little sad.”

 

Avery looked around.

 

If that was true…this seemed almost like a dead country. Like Arceliaze was a blight that was sucking the life out of the rest of the country. At least…that’s how it seemed to him. He’d barely gotten a good look at anywhere else, so it was tough to really say.

 

The woods around them were nice, but…did they have ghosts of people past, too?

 

“Maybe you could live in one of those ruins,” Avery said, a wry smile on his face. “Be one of those weird hermit ladies that kids like to tell spooky stories about.”

 

Immediately, Avery once again managed to brighten Lahnae’s mood. The comment made her whip around with a massive smile on her face.

 

“Oh DUDE, that’s a SICK idea! I’ve always wanted to be a fire witch o’ the wood!” She said, flapping her wings.

 

She stopped, getting a serious look on her face, leeeaaning in to whisper.

 

“Tall Woods would be perfect for that kinda thing…I mean do you hear of the ghost stories about this place? Kids’d think I’m Yulina of Souljraan, the ghost lady of the old stone briiiiidge~.”

 

She cocked her head to the side, eyes rolling upward as though she were possessed as she made a spooky voice, deep and guttural.

 

“All ye wicked children tresspass an’ sully the soil widcha foul footsteps shall walk n’more when I cut them off and serve em’ to ye in my stew”

 

Almost on queue, as the old trail rounded a bend, came the sight of a few structures in the dark foliage of the forest.

 

Overgrown shacks with their roofs collapsed and rotten wood walls, with shrubbery practically bursting from the windows. They could barely even be seen behind thick layers of bramble and bushes.

 

The buildings sat on either side of the pathway, each one sat a little ways from it, with high grass separating the pair from the structures.

 

Lahnae perked up, looking around with an interested look.

 

 

“Oh heyyy, lookit that…it’s one of those old micro villages. Tall woods is full of ’em.”

 

“…Whoa…” Avery’s eyes went wide upon seeing the overgrown structures. He looked over at her, a little smile on his face. “…You wanna go scout it out? I’ve never actually seen a place like that before…abandoned, I mean.”

 

“Uhhhh DO I?!” Lahnae laughed, DROPPING her pack on the ground and moving it over to a bush. “I always wanted to clamber around these weirdo structures but there was never any time. I friggin love spooky stuff like this!!”

 

A smirk spread over her face as she stepped over the bramble, the girl wiggling her wings ominously.

 

“Maybe we’ll see a ghooooost~”

 

Avery slipped his own pack off, the bells jangling loudly as he shoved it into the bush nearby.

 

“It looks really cool…our own pseudo-urban jungle gym, huh?” He looked upwards, and smirked at her. “…Last one to the top of that house has to set up the tent later!”

 

With that, he bolted towards the village.

 

“AS IF I’D BACK DOWN FROM WINNING AND SETTING UP THE TENT!!”

 

Lahnae SHOT into the foliage. Sticks and bramble cracked and snapped as they both leapt and shuffled through the leaves and plants, darting over the logs and old wood fixtures.

 

Lahnae spun, narrowly avoiding an old well, LEAPING over to the house right beside you, THROWING herself to the wall.

 

“HAH! Got it! Keeping pace, rival?! I don’t wanna see you SLACKING just cuz it’s a vacation!!”

 

“Please-“ Avery huffed, scrambling up an uneven cobblestone wall. The moss made one of his paws slip, but he managed to keep hold. He pulled himself up, scampering up onto a broken down wall of an adjacent building, coiling himself up for a jump.

 

“You’ve got five seconds to get there before me, rival-! I’m about to jump-!” Avery’s knees sprung forwards as he reached out for the wood of the roof!

 

“AND YOU ONLY GOT TWO BEFORE I GET THERE FIRST!”

 

Lahnae BENT her legs, SHOOTING up into the air and-

 

W H A P

 

–struck a branch, sent into a spin and CRASHING into a bush with a roar of snapping bramble and an explosion of leaves.

 

“YEOWCH!!”

 

“Oh shoot-“ Avery grabbed onto the side of the roof, hanging off the edge, and shimmied to one side, looking over. “Lahnae! You good??”

 

Down below, a bush rustled, the leaves shimmying and shuddering.

 

pomf

 

Another puff of leaves as Lahnae lifted herself, picking sticks from her feathers and rubbing her head, but otherwise looking no worse for wear.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good! But what was…”

 

She lifted her head, looking at the branch she hit. Her eyes traced it to the tree it belonged to.

 

It was an odd tree. The branch she hit was like an extended arm. with the other arm lifted up in the air. The leaves made a circle with two pointed protrusions at the top and one large oval tuft of leaves right in the cener, on the crown…it almost looked like…

 

“…a meowth…”

 

Lahnae snorted, near to laughing.

 

“…he did it again…!”

 

Avery dropped down to the ground, looking over at her.

 

“….huh? Who did what?” Avery looked up at the tree, then back down to Lahnae. “…You, uh…know someone out here?”

 

“No, no, remember…?” Lahnae said with a defeated grin as she stood, dusting the leaves off herself. “Loshjno said so: watch out for any trees that look like a Meowth!”

 

Avery stared up at it…and his jaw dropped.

 

“…Okay. Okay he…he has to be magic. Right?? That’s…that’s just magic-“

 

“I dunno what it is.” Lahnae said, staring up at the tree. “He’s got a memory like a steel trap, is observant to a scary degree and knows me like the back of his hand. Maybe he knew these houses were here, noticed this tree, knew the route we’d take, knew we’d screw around these structures, AND knew we’d race up a house since we’re rivals.”

 

She paused, looking back at Avery with a little shrug.

 

“S’just my guess, dude! I dunno how the guy does it!”

 

With that, she ran towards the house again, LEAPING up to the roof, talons gripping the wood shingles firmly.

 

“Man, look at this old thing…” The Torchic hummed from up above, scraping her claws on the hay roof. “This must be from, like…early 5th turn or something…”

 

Avery scrambled up the side of the roof to join her, settling on the hay next to her.

 

“Fifth turn…” The Plusle mumbled, looking over at her. “How long ago is that, exactly? It looks pretty old…”

 

“Oh that’d be like…”

 

Lahnae lifted her wings, sticking her tongue out to count.

 

“Well…100 years would’ve been 5th Turn 62…soooo early 5th turn would’ve been more like 150 years ago.” She said, looking to Avery. “Think of that! These old buildings just sittin’ here for a century and a half!”

 

She leaned over, looking in a hole in the roof, down into the home. Though the inside was dark, she could see the floor had become entirely grass and bramble. There was a soggy and moldy couch practically melting into the ground, as well as a table crumbled to dust, not even splinters. An old stone stove sat blackened and covered in moss.

 

“Man, look there.” Lahnae said, pointing towards another collapsed table inside. There Avery could see blackened tatters of what was once cloth. “Looks like that might’ve been clothes forever ago. This house might’ve belonged to someone kinda wealthy if so…you don’t just have clothes, especially not today…”

 

She hummed.

 

“At least I don’t think…”

 

“…That’s funny,” Avery said with a little laugh. “It’s just fabric, isn’t it? I mean…sure, we don’t really need it because of the fur, but…it wouldn’t be that much more of a price tag to express yourself better, right?”

 

Avery looked back down, observing the overgrown inside of the silent house.

 

“Still, though…maybe this’ll be what Arceliaze’s like, a hundred and fifty years from now.” Avery eased himself down into the house properly, looking around. “Still. It seems nice, living out here in a place like this. Somewhere more…out of the way, quiet. Serene.”

 

“Yeah, Loshjno says that’s why these old villages exist. It was a bunch of nobles and tradesmen making private villages for themselves, their families and sometimes even their employees.” Lahnae said, picking at all that was left of the wood tiling. “Just wanting to get away from the noise of the city, cultivate their own private noise, I guess.”

 

 

She paused a little, looking about to the other decayed structures surrounding them both in the forest. Some were wood, some were old and crumbling brick, with metal beams eaten and dissolved near to nothing by rust.

 

“But you know…you’re right. Maybe one day Arceliaze will be like this. I mean…it’d be the last to go, yeah, it’s the biggest city in the country but…”

 

She gave a little laugh.

 

“Man these guys sure learned stuff doesn’t last…I wonder where they all went when they ditched this place? Heck, they didn’t even take the furniture, look-“

 

She pointed a wing over to a collapsed building. Avery could see rotten, soggy mounds of blackened gunk, congealed into a homogenized nothing and surrounded by rotted wood and steel.

 

“I wonder if that used to be, like, a bookcase full of books…right next to a chair.” Lahnae wondered aloud.

 

Beside the black lump Avery could see another blackened easy chair, the legs having rotted away and the seat having sunk into the mud partways.

 

“Dude, like…that just messes with me.” She laughed, cocking her head. “Imagine that…a century and a half ago…Poke’mon were right here where we are. Bustling around…just…living and stuff. Reading books. Cooking food, talking.”

 

She looked over to Avery, her eyes sparkling.

 

“You wonder what they were like? If they were nice? Maybe if they knew good jokes?”

 

“…I mean…think about it,” Avery said, looking over to her. “…Hundred and fifty years from now, people could be standing where we are, asking the same thing about the footprints we left behind,”

 

He gave a tiny shrug.

 

“And I for one, think I know some very good jokes~” The Plusle finished.

 

“Wondering where we went…and I wonder what the answer would be…” Lahnae mused, laying down on the wood, staring up at the canopy. A quiet wind blew through the trees. “Stuff just keeps goin’ and goin…Man, 150 years from now would be like…uhhh…”

 

She lifted her wings again, counting to herself.

 

“8th Turn, 12…that feels like such future-y stuff. Like what’s the world even going to look like by then…?”

 

She was quiet for a second before lifting herself up onto her feet.

 

“…you know what I like about being out here…?” Lahnae said, smiling. “…it’s so quiet. Kinda lonely. Which would suck, but when we’re lonely together it kinda…rules.”

 

Avery sat himself down on mossy cobblestone and just looked at the village around him.

 

“…It’s nice.” Avery sighed. “Being alone with your thoughts by yourself can let a lot of things get away from you, but…being alone with someone else helps keep you in check. Or…that’s what I’ve noticed, anyway.”

 

A pause.

 

“…That’s what I’ve noticed with me and you,” He corrected.

 

Lahnae was quiet.

 

For a second, there was no sound between the both of them. The buildings did not creak. The leaves gently rustled in a soft wind rolling betwixt the branches. A gentle, lonely rumble filled the air.

 

Pure nothing. Nothing but they two.

 

The moment lasted…then Lahnae took a breath, filling the silence with that sound…then spoke.

 

“…you think so…?” She asked, still looking up at the canopy above. “…I think so, too. I don’t like being alone. I don’t like sitting and stewing in my own thoughts. Not because it’s anything bad, just…”

 

She hesitated, as though thinking of what to say next.

 

“…like…maybe it’s just because I’m a city girl at heart but…y’know…”

 

She pulled her legs closer.

 

“…it feels too lonely. If someone isn’t there, who even am I? Like…I know me…or I think I know me. But that’s just a meaningless vacuum. I don’t crave approval, like, no, not at all. It’s more like…”

 

She bounced her head from side to side, trying to find the words.

 

“…I like existing to others. I like being real to others.”

 

She paused again, glancing over to Avery.

 

“…am I sounding too weird? This feels like weird-ramble. Losh’d probably look at me like I’m nuts, hehehe…”

 

“You aren’t nuts, dork,” Avery said, nudging her with his elbow. “You’re fine. I think I get where you’re coming from. Getting approval’s one thing, but…it’s another to just feel like you’re being heard. Whether good or foul, that your words matter to someone. I get that want.”

 

He smiled softly.

 

“I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

 

Lahnae let out a sigh, as though she were relieved.

 

“Okay, good. Yeah, you get it.” She breathed, smiling. “To me that’s just…what it’s all about. Even if it’s hard…heck, especially when it’s hard, having connections is just like…”

 

She gestured vaguely with her wings.

 

“…just living. That’s what living is. That’s what life is all about. Just being connected to friends, enemies…heh, rivals.” She gave Avery a nudge playfully. “Everyone. Even when they make life harder, it wouldn’t be life without struggling and stuff. I could probably coast by with no worries if I was alone and never had to worry about anything…if I never had to work nor accomplish anything…”

 

She laughed a little, looking back up.

 

“…and if that were the case, I may as well be dead. What’d be the point? No scuffles or scrapes? No crushing lows to compliment dizzying highs? No defeat to make triumph all the sweeter? No thanks.”

 

Avery let out a laugh from the little play on words.

 

“…Y’know, Loshjno gets a lot of praise for his mind and everything. Top of his class in all the which ways, but…”

 

He turned his gaze upwards to look at the leaves swaying in the wind.

 

“… You’re pretty darn smart too, Lahnae. I don’t really know how long Pokemon live, but… You’ve gotta be pretty young. But you’ve already figured out your entire reason for living. Struggling. Adapting. Overcoming. That’s… That’s what makes you you. And you just laid it out plain as day.”

 

Avery couldn’t help but look away, his gaze wandering to the thicket of trees.

 

“…I still don’t know what I want to do with myself yet.” He confessed with a sigh. “Everything I’ve done has just been…”

 

He…stretched his hands out, as if trying to grab – strangle something.

 

“Just been defined by this whole guild thing. The Pearls, the Illaminian people, the divide, the Conduicy, the lies and deceit and…the city.”

 

His arms dropped into the hay roof beside him in defeat.

 

“…but what am I besides that? In the moments like this, where I’m not letting myself think about that. Where I’m just…letting myself be. There’s these afterimages in my head, little hints of something I could be instead, that disappear when I try to look at them.”

 

He laughed dryly.

 

“I’m not going to lie…” Avery said, his tone becoming more miserable. “Part of me was afraid as soon as this Pearl business was done I’d just cease to exist.”

 

“Screw that.”

 

The statement came out the moment the final word left Avery’s lip. Lahnae’s wing was at his back at once, an encouraging look on her face.

 

“Screw the city. Screw the pearls. Screw the guild.” The Torchic said confidently, without missing a beat. “Love my guild mates, but the guild is just a job.”

 

She leaned forward, looking Avery in the eye.

 

“But this right now?? Sittin’ here and gabbing off? This is who you are!! The stuff you like doing!” She gestured a wing to Avery’s chest. “THIS right here is the Poke’mon – er – human that has a side-gig with the guild!! Y’know what I mean? Off-time is the time for the real you!!”

 

The Torchic huffed, shaking her head. She leaned back to slide down the roof, dropping onto the grass with a light crunch, turning to look back up at Avery.

 

“That one day off after Lightning Wastes does not count.”

 

That got another laugh out of Avery, and he slid back down to the ground.

 

“I’m glad that I get a longer amount of time off after the island.” He said. “It’s been ‘move move move’ from the word go for Vizon and I. So… Being able to just do stuff like this is nice.”

 

He landed on the ground, dusting himself off.

 

“… Should we keep going? We’ve still got some good ground to cover before getting to Souljraan.”

 

“Yeah totally!” Lahnae nodded, swiping grass and bramble aside to get to the packs lying on the trail. “Maybe whenever we get back I’ll ask Loshjno what village this is!! Or, you know, was.”

 

She ducked down, taking her large backpack once more, ready to go.

 

“Seriously, the last few days have been really weirdly hectic, practically as soon as you got here.” The Torchic shook her head. “If I had a first few weeks like yours…man!! What a trial by fire!”

 

She puffed a few tiny embers as though to enunciate the point.

 

“But WHATEVER, who cares, let’s pretend it doesn’t even exist!! RIght now it’s just us and camping!! We’re probably going to crest the hill and see the Souljreini valley soon!”

 

Avery hiked his pack back up onto his back and took a deep breath. He didn’t speak for a bit. He just looked at Lahnae as she spoke.

 

Some people might say Lahnae loved hearing the sound of her own voice, maybe.

 

But Avery bet she’d felt it before even he did. That he’d been descending. He’d been falling into a trap of his own making yet again, spiralling through a pitfall of rhetoric during a day off.

 

And what had she said in response?

 

‘Screw that.’

 

And as easily as that it was dismissed. Gone, like it didn’t even matter. At least for now. And watching her move to put the pack on, thinking about this trip with her, it started Avery down a rhetoric pitfall of a different kind.

 

“Let’s see if you’re right, then,” He said, setting off down the path again.

 

“I’ll take you up on that challenge, RIVAL!” Lahnae laughed with a flutter of her wings as she bounced after him down the trail.

 

Chapter 40

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Renegade

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