A Time Before

“Nip! Pay attention!”

Small golden pebbles smacked Nip across the cheek. He yelped, rubbing a paw against the stinging spot as the snickers of his denmates rose up around him. His attacker, a grey-pelted persian, stalked into his line of sight, her expression disgruntled.

“S-sorry,” he mumbled, lowering his head submissively. “What did you need, Lorekeeper Glimmer?”

The persian, Glimmer, sighed and flicked her tail in agitation before using it to point to a drawing on the cave wall. “I asked you to explain the legend this image is depicting.”

Nip stared in the dim light. The painting showed Celebi approaching the great Yveltal with head bowed.

“This is… the story of Celebi asking for Yveltal’s allegiance? Asking for help?”

“Close,” Glimmer said. “But why is Celebi asking for help?”

“To… request aid in the war against Palkia?” Nip guessed, his voice clearly hesitant.

Glimmer sighed. “Again, only a partial answer. This is why you need to pay attention, Nip, especially if you are to be a lorekeeper.” With a snort, she turned to look at the art. “This painting is the moment that Celebi came with the message that a battle would come to Yveltal’s nesting grounds, whether she wanted to participate or not. He asked that Yveltal provide aid — both through getting her followers to fight, and through enlisting the aid of the spirits of the dead.”

“Oh! I know what happened next!” chimed a stunky to Nip’s right. “Yveltal refused to provide her powers, saying that it was wrong to use the spirits of the departed for battle. But that she was willing to speak with her followers, and battle alongside them, if they chose to side with Dialga.”

“Very good, Holly,” Glimmer purred. “At least someone is paying attention.”

Nip’s fur grew hot with embarrassment and resentment. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to learn, he just didn’t want to be forced into the path of a lorekeeper. It wasn’t fair. Just because he was undersized, didn’t mean he couldn’t hunt and fight as well as everyone else.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Glimmer said, shaking Nip out of his thoughts. “We’ll continue after the group lesson, tomorrow.”

Nip waited for the other students to get up before scampering out of the cave. He squinted as he emerged into midday light. The main clearing, a common area where most of the tribe gathered during rest times, was relatively empty.

Ten or so pokemon milled about in small groups, most of them still at the training age. Several were gathered just outside a den surrounding Umbra, a mawile training to specialize in fighting, as she recounted a story from the day’s sparring matches. She glanced his way, and he quickly averted his gaze, uninterested in getting involved with her group.

“Hey, Nip.”

A shy voice caught his attention. Turning his head, he saw Holly sidle up to him. She gave a cheerful chirp once she had caught his attention. “I was wondering if you might want to spend recreation time with me?”

It was a kind offer. Holly always seemed willing to spend time with him – more so than many of his other peers. Nip replied with a slow blink, bringing his claws together. “Maybe another time. I sort of… Already had something planned.”

Holly tilted her head. “Off with Tempest again?”

Nip’s heart skipped a beat. “How did you hear about that?” No one was supposed to know about those meetings.

She sat down. “I saw you leave the other day. When you came back, you smelled like you’d been around him.”

“O-oh,” Nip stammered. “I-it’s nothing special. He’s just… been giving me some extra hunting practice.” He hesitated. “Don’t tell anyone, please? I don’t want others to get the idea that I’m a bad hunter.”

“Alright,” Holly replied, mimicking his slow blink. “I’ll see you later, then.”

With that, she trotted away to catch up with another of their peers, a skittish mewoth.

Nip let out a sigh. He felt bad, brushing her off, but his training with Tempest was more important. Speaking of which, he was going to be late if he didn’t get moving.

The sun had just passed its apex when Nip reached the glade he usually met Tempest in. A thin layer of snow crunched under paw. The soft drip-dripping of snowmelt surrounded him, signaling the end of the cold season.

Sitting in the center, lit by a sunbeam was the familiar ninetales. Frost shimmered around his waving tales as he watched Nip approach quietly.

“Greetings,” Tempest said, not moving even as Nip approached. “I trust your daily training went well?”

“As well as it could,” Nip said with a twitch of his tail feathers. Mostly lorekeeping, as usual.” His voice dropped to a grumble. “It’s fine and all but I’m sick of being treated like a kit.”

“Knowing the tribe’s history is important,” Tempest pointed out. “And the legends, too. I do understand your frustrations, though.” He stood up, tails fanning out, before dropping into a crouch. “But that’s why you are here, is it not? Attack me.”

To the point, as Tempest often was at the beginning of their training sessions. Nip took a deep breath, then sprang back and forth from foot to foot, dancing around Tempest as he looked for an opening. The ninetales regarded him with a quiet, guarded expression, giving nothing away.

Nip feinted to the right, then dashed forward so quickly that Tempest didn’t have time to track his movement. Icy shards formed on his legs as he flash-froze the air around him, and he leaped to strike at Tempest’s head with spinning kicks. The first landed perfectly, but the second only grazed him, and the third missed entirely.

“Your form is good,” Tempest grunted, knocking him back by forming an icy wind, “but your accuracy could use some work. Now, again.”

They continued to train for some time, until, exhausted, the two of them collapsed in a heap. They rested for a while in each other’s company, grooming and discussing recent events.

“You heard the announcement yesterday, right?” Nip asked, pausing between licks on his shoulder. “About the trials?”

“That they’d be starting soon?” Tempest asked. “Yes, I did. I figured that was why you were so eager to train.”

Nip hummed in response. “I just… I don’t want to be stuck as a lorekeeper, just because of my size. Because of my origins, you know?”

He felt Tempest tense beside him. “Yes, I understand very well,” Tempest replied, though his voice was strained.

Nip’s brow furrowed. What about his statement made Tempest stressed? He supposed it was because Tempest was an outsider, like him. Tempest had joined the tribe as a grown pokemon, and had to prove himself trustworthy. Nip had been born in the tribe, but his egg had been taken from elsewhere. He knew it to be true, because there were no other of his kind in the tribe. There had been an elderly weavile when he was a kit, but he had passed, and everyone said he had no heirs.

“But I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Tempest finally said, giving a quick nuzzle. “What is this training for after all?”

He was right. All this training would do him good in the trials. If he did well in the hunting and fighting assessments, he’d be able to become a primary hunter or guard, like he wanted.

Letting out a frosty puff of air, Nip twitched his ear and glanced towards the setting sun, just dipping behind the trees. “I suppose we should get back. We can hunt along the way. I imagine you don’t want to return empty-jawed.”

Tempest grunted in response. He stood, stretched, then shook out his fur. “Indeed. Come on, we can hunt together.”

Nip stood up as well. Together, they pushed into the undergrowth, both hopeful for the future.