Chapter 1: Pidove’s Nest
by kbludoh“Here are the glasses I had promised to fix for you, Mr. Tapi.” The Quilava extended the small, featureless wooden container towards him.
“Oh! Thank you so much, Miss Ember!” The old Drowzee reached for it with a smile as large as his nose-trunk. “Would you mind if I tried them now?”
“Oh, I don’t. Quite the opposite, really!” Ember said. The elder Pokémon was already opening the small box and haphazardly unwrapping the soft fabric from the glasses. “I’ve made some adjustments to the bridge and the pads, and I was actually going to ask you to try them and see if they’re comfortable.”
It was impossible for Ember to hide her smile, seeing the well-lived Drowzee akin to a marveled hatchling when they finally got their gift from Winter Delibird. The delivery was Ember’s last task of the morning in Pidove’s Nest, a clump of about ten blocks of wooden buildings and houses shaped after the different Pokémon who lived there. It was a peaceful town with peaceful Pokémon, located in the heart of the rolling hills that made up Tranquill Forest.
Ember adjusted the Safety Goggles over her forehead and snuck a glance at her notepad while she gave him space to explore his improved eyesight. As the sole engineer in town, the demand for her services was constant. Scratched off from the list of this morning alone, Ember had unclogged Granny Flower’s plumbing, fixed Blacksmith Hammer’s furnace, and delivered the powdered mix of White Herb and Aspear Seed to Doctor Bella to her exact specifications. Now, as the final item, she gleefully scratched Mr. Tapi’s glasses.
“They are perfect!” Mr. Tapi finally turned to Ember. “I can go back to reading my grandson’s favorite books when I visit them in Oran Stead. I have no way to thank you enough.”
“I’m glad you like them!” Ember was radiant. “Knowing that is more than enough to make me happy.”
The elder took one step to his left and reached for a shelf just outside of view. “Here is the payment for the glasses, ma’am.”
Ember eyed the small bag of Poké and shook her head. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about it, Mr. Tapi. It wasn’t that complic—”
Mr. Tapi gently took one of Ember’s paws with one hand and placed the bag with his other. “You worked for it, Miss Ember. If there is a lesson that someone who has lived as long as I can teach a young Pokémon like you, it is that you should never work for free.”
Ember sheepishly smiled. There was no way out of it. “O-okay, Mr. Tapi… Thank you for the kindness.”
The two said their goodbyes and Ember slowly made her way to the edge of town. Among the warm greetings and the short joyful conversations with the people she had grown and known for her entire life, so came in more jobs. Otto the Pidgeot didn’t quite know how where to hide his face when he asked for his stove to be fixed after a culinary accident involving an Apple Soufflé and too much yeast, and Serenity excitedly requested her lock be replaced as she was replacing her house’s main door in her most recent spree of house renovations. Those had to be bumped up to ‘top priorities’. Now it was time to go home to prepare everything for their work orders at her workshop.
Before she did, however, she needed to make a stop.
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Tink-a-tink-a-tink.
Ember released the bell’s rope and waited patiently in the front doorway, a few paces away from the beaten dirt road. The wooden house, built inside what was the biggest oak tree she had ever seen in Tranquill Forest, had an open window that allowed the delicious bitter-savory scent to fill a long stretch of her way there. Rawst stew, her favorite! A few heavy steps preceded the door opening. The usual toothy smile of the Rillaboom greeted her as warmly as the midday’s sun.
“Hey Uncle Rim!” Ember waved excitedly.
“Hey, young lady! Right as lunch got ready.”
“I promised I’d come at noon sharp.” Ember raised a finger. “I kept my word!”
“That you did!” He chuckled. The large gorilla hunched down and squeezed her tight. “Now come in. The table’s already set.”
She walked in, entering the living room. The furniture within was a healthy mix of the browns and greens, similar to the surrounding oaks. The walls were lined with books, trinkets and remembrances of the Rillaboom’s past, with three shown in prominence; a large collection of books named ‘Uxiepedia’, a varnished wooden sling framed into an intrinsicate wooden display, and a golden-winged guild ribbon hung in a silver chain.
The kitchen had the table set for the two, complete with berries, juice, water, and the hearty Rawst Stew. This daily gathering had become their sacred little ritual: whenever Ember had a job in Pidove’s Nest, she had lunch at Uncle Rim’s. The spirited conversations were also part of the event; despite them mostly being the Rillaboom listening to how the Quilava figured out each problem she fixed that day and what she had done to fix it, the duo wouldn’t want it any other way. Rim was the first to confess he was not the most versed in Ember’s technical mumbo-jumbo, but over years of theories and concepts being explained over and over, he picked up enough to mirror a fraction of her complex vocabulary—if only to the end of poking little jokes with it.
“So, you used this ‘pie’ to measure Mr. Tapi’s trunk and adjust his glasses?” He said, scratching his cheek. “Didn’t know pastries could measure anything.”
Ember chuckled. “Not that kind of ‘pie’. ‘Pi’ is a number that represents the proportion between a line from the middle of the circle to its side—or its radius—and the length of its outside—or its circumference.”
“‘Pie’ sounds way less delicious that way.” Rim shrugged.
Ember could barely hold her face straight. “It is a delicious food for thought, though.”
“Look whose mind is becoming sharper with witty jokes, now.”
“Learning from the best.” Ember puffed her chest proudly.
“I’m not gonna be beaten this easily, young lady. ” Rim had a single eye open and a barely contained smirk. “You may have won this battle, but not the war.”
Ember giggled. She would not make it easy on him! As it subdued, she picked the bowl up with both paws and took a long sip. A satisfied smile permeated as she finished, the stew’s warmth gently spreading through her body. It was just like when she used to be a Cyndaquil, like when…
“Uncle Rim?”
“Yes?” The Rillaboom said, already standing and picking up the dishes.
“Thank you.” Ember said, eyes closed.
“Bah, it’s nothing.” he waved it off. “You’re excellent company, and I’d cook way more than I could eat, anyway. If I already do that for two, imagine for only one good old me.”
“Not only for the stew, but for also staying with me throughout all these years.” Ember said, unmoving. “Dad and I used to have lunch and dinner together. Since he left for his research five years ago, you’ve always been here for me whenever I felt lonely. I still miss Dad, but you make missing him a little easier.”
Ember opened her eyes, a sincere smile pointed at the dumbfounded Rillaboom. “So, thank you for everything.”
Rim set the dirty dishes aside and wordlessly approached Ember. He crouched, eye to eye with her. A second later, he broke a gentle smile and gingerly booped her nose. “Your Dad and I have been friends since before you were an egg. I’ve seen you grow up since you were a wee little badger to the bright engineer you are today. You know that, even though we’re not the same blood, we’re still family.”
Ember leaned and stretched her arms as wide as she could to envelop as much of the Rillaboom. With a single arm, he embraced her whole.
“You know I’ll always be your Uncle Rim, right?”
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The mid afternoon sun brought its warmth to the tall canopies of Tranquill Forest. Atop its hills, with a vantage point to Pidove’s Nest, hid a small building complex loosely connected to the main road by a few stepping stones. The brick-and-mortar house in its middle was the largest of them, standing two stories tall with a ‘welcome’ mat by its front door. Next to the main door of the house was a large, kettle-like whistle welded to a tall steel beam and a rope hanging from it. Three other buildings surrounded the immediate vicinity of the main house; a glass and steel greenhouse to its right with flowers and plants of all shapes and sizes overflowing from it, a rough-looking, metal-sheet covered warehouse to its back filled to the brim with an assortment of boxes and crates, and a rustic stone workshop with thick puffs sprouting out of its chimney to its left. They were all loosely connected by the same stepping stones which led to the main road.
A large Pelipper firmly landed in front of the main house’s door. He removed his cap and fanned himself for a minute before taking a moment to make sure his messenger bag was in order. Satisfied, he reached for the rope and pulled. A loud hissing whistle screeched for the full three seconds the bird held it.
“Mail!”
“One moment, please!”
Ember stepped out of her workshop and squinted her eyes, wiping her black greasy paws in a piece of already blackened cloth. Was it Peppo? It seemed so! She waved enthusiastically and glanced at her arms. Be careful with grease next time, you never know when someone will surprise you with a visit, Ember. She hastily wiped herself and tossed the cloth into one of the leather apron’s pockets. It wasn’t enough, but it was the best that could be done. She walked towards the Pelipper, pulling her Safety Goggles up to her forehead. Her eyes watered when her face was struck with sunlight, and her nose began to itch. With each step the itch grew stronger, and right before she reached the mailmon, it overwhelmed her.
“Atchee!”
“Xerneas bless you, Miss Ember!” The mailmon said, taking his cap and holding it over his chest. “Not catching a cold now, are you?”
“Thank you, Peppo.” Ember said rubbing her damp eyes, her nose still a little stuffy. “I’m fine. I just sneeze when I leave somewhere dark and go under the sun.”
“Ah, yes. My little grandson has the same thing. Every morning when he goes out to spend the day flying around the beach, he just ‘atchoos’. Heh… I need to visit the little daredevil soon. Been some time since I last seen him.” Peppo chuckled heartily, putting his cap back on. “But I digress. Great to see you, Ember!”
Ember mirrored his smile. He always loved talking about his family. “Great to see you, too! I wasn’t expecting you to come today. Is it my Bluk Ink shipment? Burr said it was bound to arrive this week.”
“Eh, it hasn’t arrived yet. He said the shipment was delayed ‘cause of that storm down South. Been up a couple weeks, now. You know how that Kecleon is, though, he’ll probably make up for you with something extra.”
“I told him he doesn’t have to do that anymore.” Ember scratched the back of her head.
“You know how he is. He gave you his word, he won’t be able to keep it, so he’ll make up for it. He has way too much pride in him, no way you can convince him otherwise.” The Pelipper once again chuckled.
All Ember could do was smile and nod.“I guess so…”
“But, let’s get to why I actually came here for…” Peppo went through his bag. “This.”
The mailmonr held an envelope out to the Quilava. It was not of a fancy paper, but the sheet was thick, clearly meant to be durable. Taking it in paws, Ember flipped it back and forth; its front contained an unbroken wax seal depicting a wrench and a screwdriver, its back only had her full name written on it: ‘Ember Emmett.’
“Oh… It doesn’t have a sender.” She said, looking puzzled at Peppo. “Any idea who could have been?”
“Nope. Just found it in the community mailbox after lunch. Saw your name on it and included you in this afternoon’s route last minute.”
“Oh… Okay.” She stared at the letter again. Who could have sent it? Maybe someone was ordering something specific? She would have to look at it later, when the grease wouldn’t ruin it. “Thank you for delivering it. If you could send the word that I’ll be taking a look at Otto’s stove first thing in the morning and that I’ll be installing Serenity’s new lock right after, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
“You don’t have to worry about it, young lady. I will be the bearer of news of yours!” The Pelipper playfully bowed.
Ember giggled. His mood was always infectious. “Thank you again, Peppo.”
“My pleasure!” He tipped his cap.
Ember waved her goodbye as the Pelipper took flight, then once more she stared at the letter. There was something weird about it. No sender, only her name, being dropped straight in the town’s community mailbox… and that seal. It felt oddly familiar, but she couldn’t quite place why.
But again, later. She still had work to do.
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