Chapter Text
Jubilife Village buzzes with life, each and every resident out on the streets to celebrate the…
Well, no one is really sure what to call it. The not-end of the world? The stopping of the end of the world? Only the highest up in the Galaxy Expedition Team know what happened – how the sky turned red, and how it turned back to normal a week or so later. But no one minds that they don’t know the details. They’ve been assured that they’re safe, and that calls for a party.
Commander Kamado parades the hero of the hour up and down the street, telling everyone how good a job she did. It makes a change from before. Everyone was told that this was all her fault, rumours flying across the village before anyone could figure out the source. Even if it was her fault, she fixed the problem, and the sky remains a nice normal colour. As the party continues, the sun sets, and someone makes a joke about the redness of this sky being much nicer.
Everyone loses track of time after a while, the wine going to their heads as music starts up. Jubilife Village has grown in the last year, and now boasts a whole range of musicians, from those who make their living through travelling around to those who have brought their musical talents from afar, keeping all sorts of instruments in their houses.
Irida from the Pearl Clan gets pushed forward, Celestica Flute in her hand. The instrument is supposed to summon Warden Pokémon, but she has a talent with it far beyond its normal scope. Though this is well known across Hisui, she still looks embarrassed as she takes to the stage, encouraged by her fellow Pearl Clan members, also invited to this very important party.
Palina claps in an attempt to cheer her on, and from somewhere near the restaurant comes a whistle from the leader of the Diamond Clan, to which Irida turns and glares. Adaman waves back, cheeks a little pink from the alcohol. She turns her attention away from him, rather pointedly, and begins to play.
Everyone falls silent, the melody weaving its way through the gathered crowed. The melodies known by the older Hisui people sound completely different to the gathered tunes so popular in the west of the region. There, tunes from all over the world have melded into one, a distinctly Jubilife sound. But in the north, and in the west, the Celestica Flute creates a sound that is so unheard, dissonant notes, winding melodies. The Pearl Clan’s music differs to that of the Diamond Clan too, but everyone is familiar with Irida’s talents.
One the impromptu performance comes to an end, Irida is met with raucous applause, and disappears off the way she came, embarrassed. The Jubilife residents pick up a livelier tune, and some of those who have had a little more to drink than perhaps they should have get up to dance. It doesn’t take long for others to decide that this is a good idea, and soon Floaro Street hives with people dancing, no two couples doing the same dance.
Out of the corner of his eye, Adaman spots an incoming threat, complete with fleece hat and long purple hair. He pushes himself off the facade of the Wallflower and turns away, finding himself almost walking into Sabi, who holds her hands out to him.
“I want to go home,” she mumbles.
“We’re all staying here tonight,” he explains, taking her hands, still covered with thick mittens, in his own.
“But I’m tired. Can’t I call Braviary and get him to take me back?”
“The Pearl Clan have already agreed to see you back up north tomorrow. I can’t ask anyone to go now, Sabi. I’m sorry.”
It is getting late, and though the party shows no signs of slowing down of stopping, Adaman knows that Sabi must be tired, given that she’s younger than everyone else. She also must be bored, he reasons – when he looks around, most of the other kids, either from the Clans or from the village itself, are younger than her again.
“Why don’t I find Arezu for you? She’ll probably let you have a nap in the hairdresser.”
“Fine,” Sabi says, turning away. “I’ll go wait there.”
She walks away from him, rubbing her eyes as she goes. Adaman rarely gets to see Sabi – though she’s a full-fledged Diamond Clan member, she spends more time with the Pearl Clan, given that her Ward is so far north. While he’s glad he got to spend a little time with her, he selfishly wishes that it wasn’t so he could solve one of her problems.
Finding Arezu is easy at least. She sits aside from everyone, Mai by her side, the two of them enjoying a comfortable silence. Adaman feels bad at interrupting them, but he fears Sabi’s wrath more than he fears whatever slightly mean comment Mai will make at his expense.
“Hey,” he says, trying not to look as drunk as he feels.
“Take this,” Mai says, pushing a glass into his hand. “You need to drink water before you say another word.”
“You look awful,” Arezu agrees. “How much have you had to drink?”
“More than I thought,” Adaman admits. “But hey, it’s a party, and I am technically off Clan Leader duties.”
“Why are you over here then?” Mai says, and though she doesn’t move a muscle in her face, Adaman can hear the smirk in her voice. “Surely if it’s not clan related, you don’t need to be bothering either of us on our day off?”
“No, it’s… well, it’s sort of clan stuff, but it’s also just being a nice person stuff.”
“Go on.”
“Sabi is really tired, and wants to go home, but obviously I can’t send her home on Braviary at this time of night on her own, especially when the Pearl Clan offered to see her safely back tomorrow. So…”
“You want us to go all the way up to Snowpoint Temple?” Arezu asks, scrunching up her nose. “I’d… really rather not.”
“No! No, that’s not it. I said to her that I’d ask if she could take a nap in the hairdressers. She looked pretty tired, so I’m sure a nap would turn into a whole night’s sleep.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll go let her in,” Arezu says, jumping to her feet. “Mai, you coming?”
“Not doing anything else interesting,” she says, and follows Arezu’s lead. “You’re welcome, Mr Clan Leader.”
“Thank you!” He calls after them, earning himself a wave from Mai over her shoulder.
He pauses then, for the first time in a while, wondering what to do with himself next. It’s been a long time since he’s had time to himself, what with looking after the clan, and in recent months, looking after the girl that fell from the sky. It’s been an interesting change of pace, but really, he’d like to maybe take a holiday, out to the Coastlands, to sit somewhere and not be disturbed by anyone.
“Why are you standing with your back to the party?” Comes a voice from behind him, and slowly he turns, trying his best not to let it look like his head is spinning.
“Good evening, Irida.”
“Oh,” she says, scrunching her nose up just like Arezu had before. This time, it’s not at the thought of going up to the far away north – it’s at him. “You’re drunk.”
“I am trying very hard not to be,” he tells her honestly.
“Well, that’s more than some people. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen Gaeric at the punch bowl tonight. You still haven’t explained why you’re standing over here by yourself. You look like a weirdo.”
“I was just sorting out sending our beloved little Sabi to bed, because she got tired.” He pouts at her, just as she does at him, which turns her expression back into a glare. “What are you doing over here talking to me? I thought you hated me.”
“I don’t. You know that. I do think you’re incredibly stupid, and you were standing with your back to the party, which is odd by anyone’s standards.”
“How drunk are you?” Adaman says, peering a little closer at her. “You don’t usually talk this much to me.”
“I’ve had a few glasses of wine,” she says, suddenly unable to meet his eye.
“Ah, the hypocritical Pearl Clan strikes again. With leaders like little accusatory Irida and drunk Gaeric, why would anyone bother listening to you?” He goads.
“With leaders like rude Adaman and twelve-year-old Sabi, why do you think no one listens to the Diamond Clan?” Irida shoots back, taking a step towards him, tilting her chin up to meet his eye.
“Sabi can’t help being twelve.”
“You can help being rude, though. Maybe you should start working on that instead of throwing insults around!”
“You started it,” Adaman points out. “And to think, I was going to see if I could find you to ask for a dance. But I don’t think it’d be worth my time.”
With that, he walks away, stuffing his shaking hands into the pockets of his coat. He ignores Irida’s complaints behind him, though he’s certain from the fact that her voice doesn’t seem to get farther away that she must be following him.
“I might have said yes if you’d asked me before you started with all that stupid stuff, but now I definitely don’t want to dance with a waste of space like you!”
In the morning, the sun rises hours before any person awakens. And when they do, closer to noon for some and long past it for others, it’s with the groan of a headache that only the worst hangover brings. No one can complain though, laughing to themselves as they look at the state the village has been left in. If it were between the hangover and the death that looked them in the eye before that, they’d drink as much all over again.
Everyone mucks in for the clean-up, and by the time mid-afternoon comes and everyone has roused themselves, the town is spotless once again. From his balcony atop the Galaxy building, Kamado looks down over the town, overseeing the operation. Dots of blue and white uniforms signal those who don’t belong under his care – those who are keen to leave as soon as possible.
Adaman spots her, his arch rival, chatting idly to the hero of the day, complete with her bedhead. When Irida spots him she turns her nose up, bids her goodbyes, and walks away. The Pearl Clan have been gathering by the gate for a while, ready to head back to the frigid north. While the Diamond Clan should be doing the same thing, Adaman finds himself the only one here.
Irida counts the members, and sighs when she realises that not everyone has made it yet. He stands behind her, waiting, until eventually she turns around. This time, she doesn’t look like she wants to kill him – her expression is a lot gentler, and has him raising an eyebrow. She glances back at her team, and then motions with her head to the side, to the smallest bridge in town. There, she leans against the posts, while Adaman stands opposite her.
“I wanted to say that I’m sorry for being rude to you last night,” Irida mumbles. “It’s… it’s not appropriate behaviour for a clan leader.”
“Well, I did make fun of you too, so… I’m sorry too.”
“I am truly glad that we can put our differences aside like this. I know it’ll take a while, but… I don’t know. I think seeing that Almighty Sinnoh was… not what we thought, really changed things for me.”
“We were both right,” Adaman concedes. “And yet our people have been fighting about it for generations. Makes you wonder if there’s something else, another Almighty Sinnoh that someone else saw right at the beginning. One that was… neither Dialga or Palkia.”
“I doubt we’ll ever know the origins of the clans,” Irida says with a shrug. “But if there is one thing I do know, it’s that travelling around Hisui with you hasn’t been all bad.”
She can barely look him in the eye, and Adaman laughs, earning him a glare – well deserved.
“Ah, so you can admit that we do get along pretty well, despite everything,” he teases. “Well, who am I to complain? Spending time with you has been a wonderful learning process.”
“Learning process? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think that I’ve learned a lot about you, and the Pearl Clan, that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Never mind everything that we’ve learned about Almighty Sinnoh and Hisui itself. It’s been an interesting couple of months to say the least.”
“Well… thanks. Thank you, for coming with me. For helping me learn too. Though it’s been tough going, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
She sticks her hand out then, floating in mid air while Adaman’s brain catches up to what he’s seeing. Irida coughs, and then he realises what’s happening. He takes her hand, and shakes it, an unofficial pact between the two of them, though neither quite know what for. When they let go, Adaman doesn’t fail to notice how Irida not so subtly wipes her hand against her shorts, childishly getting rid of the Diamond Clan germs.
“I’m sure we’ll see each other about, then,” she says, taking a step towards her gathering clan at the gate.
“I’m sure we will,” he echoes.
He can’t help but feel sad about this. Despite all their bickering, Irida has become a constant in his life in recent months, and now she’ll be gone, just like that. She turns back to smile at him, just briefly, and from the crinkling of her eyes he knows that she’s thinking the same thing.
But the moment passes as quickly as it came, and with a newfound appreciation for the Pearl Clan’s leader, Adaman turns around, leaving her behind, ready to find the rest of his own clan.
The early morning sunlight urges Adaman out of his tent, despite the fact that the early morning also brings cold temperatures. He’s never been able to cope with the cold, much preferring the temperate climate of the south. That’s one thing he’s extremely glad of now that his little journey is over – he won’t have to go back to the freezing Pearl Settlement any time soon.
His morning routine is nice and easy now that things have calmed down in Hisui. He doesn’t have to trek to Jubilife Village every day, instead going for walks around Lake Valor with Leafeon and praying that they don’t get attacked by Ursaring. He stretches and he swims, and when he’s not moving about somewhere he sits down with the older members of the clan and plans for the future.
There have been whisperings that the Pearl Clan are going to make a move and build a permanent settlement, though no one has been able to find out when or where or if it’s even true to begin with. One of the elders suggests that Adaman asks Irida, seeing as they get along a little better, but it’s with a sort of knowing hum that has the others laughing, and Adaman trying his best not to glare at them.
No matter what the Pearl Clan actually does, Adaman knows that it’s time for them to make a move. Where they are settled now is a nice area, but with the changing of the seasons, the Diamond Settlement is at risk of flooding. There’s an easy solution to this, and one that the elders are thankfully on board with – they all have to move south-west.
Adaman scouted the area out a few weeks ago, and with agreement from Calaba, they’re to move to a new area, closer to Ursaluna’s favoured location. The settlement’s children aren’t too keen about the walk, so Adaman promised that he’d get Ursaluna and Wyrdeer for them to ride upon. The Holm of Trials, as it’s long been known, will now be a new Diamond Settlement. He’d like to name it, call it something other than Diamon Settlement, but no name comes to Adaman’s tongue.
Mere days pass at this new settlement before a problem arises. Adaman planned for problems – he planned for flooding, for drought, for wild Pokémon attacks. None of his contingency plans accounted for Melli, though in retrospect, they probably should have.
He stands outside Adaman’s tent in the morning, waiting. Melli hovers for a moment, Adaman simply waving good morning to him. Not satisfied with the greeting, Melli follows him around the side of the tent, making his displeasure clear.
“Why did no one think to come up to the Highlands and let me know that the whole settlement had moved?!” He demands.
“I did send someone. Twice, in fact, but you weren’t at your post either time. And you’re not there now. Who’s looking after Electrode?” Adaman asks, finally stopping to look at Melli.
“I asked that weird Ingo fellow a favour.”
“He lives in Jubilife now. Irida gave him permission to leave since Sneasler can look after herself now. Who’s looking after Electrode?”
“Fine, it’s one of the Ginkgo Guild members. It’s temporary, I promise! I just was so desperate to find out where everyone had vanished to!”
“Well, here we are.”
“And why are we here?”
“You would know if you turned up to things when you were invited,” Adaman tells him, watching Melli’s expression sour further. “It was for the safety of the clan. The old settlement was prone to flooding, so we’ve moved to a safer area.”
“You’ve moved further into the bog, you mean. How is that safer?”
“We’re above the bog.”
“I still think this is a terrible idea,” Melli says, striding around Adaman when he turns his back.
“You could’ve had your say, but even if you wanted to object, Mai, Arezu, Sabi and Iscan all agreed to this.”
“Please, Iscan? He’s practically a Pearl Clan member! A lapdog to that Palina – fitting, since her ward is that brute of an Arcanine. They’re going to be married, didn’t you hear? He’ll have to leave the clan.”
“There’s nothing stopping him from staying a Diamond Clan member,” Adaman says, trying to steady his breathing. Melli is trying to rile him up, slowly but surely, and it’s working. There’s no reason for Iscan to stay in the Diamond Clan once he and Palina get married and he knows it – and there’s no way that Palina would join them.
“Maybe you’re just worried about being hypocritical,” Melli sneers, and Adaman pauses, his mind flashing in a direction he does not like.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asks, straightening up a little.
“You know.”
“Enlighten me.”
“I’ve seen the way you look at the Pearl Clan leader,” he says, lowering his voice. “You can’t be seen to shun Iscan, because that would make you a hypocrite of the highest order, my friend.”
“Sorry to hear that you have no friends, Melli. Irida and I are friends, which can only be good for both of the clans. If you had more friends, maybe you’d know what friendship looks like.”
“I’ve had enough of you and your silly games, Adaman,” Melli hisses, and Adaman takes a step back. “You’re running this clan into the ground. So I’m challenging you, here and now, for the title of clan leader!”
“You can’t-“
“He can,” Mai says, appearing at Adaman’s side. “And he did. You’re not allowed to turn him down, by the way.”
“I… just have to accept the challenge? Fine, then I do! What are your terms?”
“A Pokémon battle.”
“A battle?”
“I heard you battled against that girl. She’s fond of a battle, and though I detest her very being, she is good at it too. I want a chance to battle you too.”
“Neither of us are experienced…. What did she call them, Pokémon Trainers? No one can do it like her or Kamado. It’s not safe.”
“Just one on one, then. My Skuntank versus your Leafeon. It’s true that you don’t possess the skills that some others do, so I’ll be lenient.”
“Fine, I accept. Give me a few moments to prepare. I’ll extend that courtesy to you too. We’ll meet at Ursa’s Ring.”
Melli stalks away, leaving Adaman to sigh deeply. Beside him comes a laugh, and he turns to Mai with a glare painted on his features.
“You’ve really done it now,” she says. “You stand next to no chance at beating him. Leafeon isn’t strong enough to beat a Pokémon like his. You know, with type advantages and all of that.”
“I don’t have a choice though, do I? If I don’t win, the Diamond Clan will be run by Melli. I think that would be a disaster for everyone. And knowing my luck, he’d kick me out.”
“Hey, at least you could go and live in Jubilife Village,” Mai points out.
“That’s not the point. Are you coming? I need some backup so Melli doesn’t kill me no matter what happens.”
“I’m hardly the best judge of a Pokémon battle. But sure, how hard can it be?”
They walk in silence, Adaman stewing in his nerves. Ursa’s Ring is the safest place for them to battle – far away from the rest of the settlement, out of the reach of the Pokémon that make the mirelands their home. When they reach the base of the hill, Melli already stands in the arena. Mai stops Adaman before he ascends the stairs, a warm hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve been battling with that girl. You have much more practice than he does. You’ve got this. If not… well, I doubt Melli knows all the clan’s rules. I’ll just make something up.”
“Thanks, Mai. Let’s get this over with, then.”
They climb the steps together, and Adaman stops at the top, face to face with Melli. Mai moves between them, off to the side. Melli calls his Skuntank forward, while Leafeon moves out from behind Adaman’s legs.
“The fate of the clan is in this battle!” Melli calls. “Do give me a good fight, at least?”
“No promises,” Adaman responds through gritted teeth. “Leafeon, use Calm Mind!”
“You’re not even going to attack? Fine, then I will! Go, Flamethrower!”
“Jump out of the way!”
It's move finished, Leafeon jumps out of the way, leaving Melli’s Fire Type attack to fizzle out midair. He makes some sort of snarling sound, and Adaman manages a smile – if Leafeon can just manage to dodge everything, they’ll be able to get through the battle just fine.
“Time for an Iron Tail!”
Adaman knows that he has to think strategically – there are only so many moves that he can use that will do damage to Skuntank. That’s what he’s been learning about in Jubilife Village – Ingo and Zisu have been making sure that both he and Irida are well equipped to battle to protect their clans. He supposes that’s what this is now. Adaman imagined alpha Ursaring and Hippowdon, but the threat to the clan really came from within.
Leafeon jumps in the air, faster than Skuntank can react, and brings its tail down squarely on Skuntank’s head. The force of the attack pushes Melli’s Pokémon back, and he scowls, clearly not happy about the way things are developing.
“Skuntank, use Sludge Bomb!”
“Use Iron Tail again!”
Adaman smirks, confidence rising with every command. Steel Types aren’t affected by Poison moves, and he uses that to his advantage now – the steel move cuts right through Sludge Bomb, propelling Leafeon forward to hit Skuntank again.
“You only have one move!” Melli complains. “If you’re going to battle, do it properly! Skuntank, Night Slash!”
“I am battling properly,” Adaman says. “Leafeon, duck under that, then use Iron Tail again!”
Leafeon drops flat against the dirt, and before Melli has time to issue another command, it springs up and surges forward, hitting Skuntank for a third and final time. The Pokémon is barely out of breath as it turns back to Adaman, that look of pride in its eyes that he’s been seeing more and more of lately.
“That’s it, then,” Mai calls, taking a few steps forward. “Adaman wins, and keeps the title of clan leader for now.”
“I demand a rematch!” Melli calls, scooping up Skuntank who looks to be a little heavy for him.
“What, so he can beat you without taking a hit again? Not a good idea,” Mai says with a snort.
“You can challenge me again another time. When you’re stronger, maybe. For now, you should get back to your post.”
“You’ll be hearing from me again,” Melli says, the venom in his voice clear as he stalks past Adaman. Mai waits until he’s disappeared from view to speak up again.
“You’re better than I thought. All that training in Jubilife is paying off, clearly. Wouldn’t want anyone else as my clan leader.”
“Flattery? From you?” Adaman laughs. “Thanks for your help. I’m glad to have you around still.”
“I’ll be by your side, annoying you until you die.”
“What if you die first?”
“Unlikely. And if I do, I’ll just haunt you. That Arcanine noble that died came back as a ghost, so there’s no reason why I can’t too.”
Irida’s Glaceon is an odd creature, she’s come to learn over the years. Unlike her trainer, Glaceon is always on the cold side, preferring to sit in the sun, or huddle against someone’s legs for a bit of warmth. When she first evolved from an Eevee, Irida was convinced that she was going to melt, but Glaceon is content to be warmed up as much as possible.
Irida, on the other hand, is always too warm. She manages just fine at home in the Pearl Settlement, but taking her out of that environment and into any other will just leave her a sweating mess. Jubilife Village is a little easier to manage than some of the places she visited on her journey. The coastal breeze flows through the town, a climate that she can cope with, even if just for a short amount of time. It’s much preferable to the eastern coastlands and their volcano – she’s glad that it was just her when they visited the area before to help the Galaxy Team. If Adaman had been there, she certainly would never have heard the end of his teasing.
Why does he come to her mind so easily, she wonders? Her hand stops over the soft fabric of one of Anthe’s creations, the clothier making a humming sound of indication. Irida puts her hand back by her side, shooting her an apologetic look. Behind her, Glaceon mewls in excitement, and Irida turns to watch her Pokémon run a little ways away. She never goes far, and Irida knows that she can always trust her.
She selects some clothes as instructed by her village’s elders – clothes for them coming into the winter, clothes for the younger ones who are just coming of age. Never anything new for her, but she does like her clothes well enough at this point. Anthe bags her goods up, and as she’s about to head to the general store, she spots where Glaceon has run off to.
In the middle of Floaro Main Street, Glaceon cuddles up to a Leafon, whose trainer looks on amused. Irida can’t help but roll her eyes – of course he’s here, because he just can’t seem to leave her alone. But she’s seen him now, and it would be rude to pretend otherwise. Irida wanders towards him, waving as she approaches. He positively beams when he spots her, an expression that makes her heart rate speed up unexpectedly.
“I thought that was your Glaceon,” Adaman comments, motioning toward the two Pokémon. “They get on well! It’s sort of cute. We should probably make sure they don’t get too friendly and make little Eevee babies, though.”
“I am not sharing custody of baby Eevee with you.”
“Aw, I think we’d be good co-parents!”
“They get on better than we do,” Irida points out. She means for it to be harsh, but she laughs, the thought of having to grandparent tens of little Eevee with Adaman an amusing thought.
“We could probably get along better if we tried,” Adaman says, and when she looks up from their Pokémon to him, she knows that he means it, and she knows that he’s right.
“I mean… that’s true. There’s no reason for us not to.”
“We could both try a little harder.”
“I… I agree.”
“We probably should, given all that… that we’ve been through.”
“Yes. Oh, speaking of which, I… I had an idea,” Irida tells him. Adaman quirks an eyebrow.
“Oh? One that you want to tell me about?”
“One that specifically involves you, actually. Do you… would you be up to hang out sometime?” The words feel foreign on her lips, like she’s asking out a crush aged twelve all over again. But this is different – she doesn’t really want to hang out with Adaman, not really. And yet that thought entered her mind unprovoked. She pushes it away.
“Really?”
“No, I just said that as a joke. Ugh, forget about it.”
“Let me hear what you had in mind before I decide to say yes or no,” Adaman tells her, an easy smile falling on his mouth.
“It was going to be a secret, actually. It’s not all my idea,” Irida says quickly, lest he read more into the situation than necessary. “The clan elders want us to get on better.”
“My elders want that too,” he nods, and if she squints, she swears that he’s blushing.
“Then… let’s meet at the Coronet Highlands later this week. I’ll send a bird when I know what time.”
“Sounds good to me,” Adaman says, the smile returning. “I’ll see you then!”
“Yeah! See you then.”
He herds Leafeon past her, both Pokémon making their disappointment known. Irida stands in the middle of the avenue for who knows how long, until a Ginkgo Guild member needs past with their cart, and she has to dive out of the way, mumbling her apologies. Glaceon chirps by her feet, a sound that rings clear with disappointment. Irida moves along a few buildings to the general store, trying to get that accursed man from her mind.
Irida finds a particularly fluffy Rowlet later on in the week, and attaches a small paper note to its leg. She tells it to fly fast, but she knows that Rowlet aren’t the most accomplished long distance fliers. But there aren’t too many flying types up here in the icelands, and Rufflet is the easiest Pokémon to convince. While the thought of sending Braviary down to Adaman to wake him is hilarious, she knows that it wouldn’t go down well with the other Diamond Clan members.
By the time Rufflet gets to him, and he makes his way to the Coronet Highlands, she’ll have plenty of time to get there herself, and make sure that everything is prepared. She packs her back with the essentials for such a short trip, and lets the elders know that she’ll be away for the day. When they ask what she’s doing, she stumbles for a moment. A diplomatic meeting with the Diamond Clan is what she manages to come up with, and that seems to be an acceptable answer.
Clearly the Rufflet flew a lot faster than she anticipated, as Adaman waits for her as she crosses the gate towards the Galaxy Team’s first base camp. He smiles and waves, and as predicted, Leafeon and Glaceon say hello too.
“Your Rufflet is resting at the settlement. We’ll send him back tomorrow,” he tells her, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Oh, no worries. He was just a wild Pokémon, but we should do our best to return him to his habitat.”
“What did we come up here for, then?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there. Up for a bit of a walk?”
They walk in complete silence. Irida isn’t sure what to say to him. It strikes her in that moment that they’ve never had a conversation that hasn’t been about the clans, or the fate of the world, or something equally non-personal. She doesn’t know where he’s from, or his favourite food, or if he chose to evolve Leafeon or if it just happened like that.
She wonders if he’s thinking the same. She’s never divulged information about herself to him. Glancing over to him, she catches his eye, and he makes some attempt at a smile. Perhaps it’s too early for him to emote properly, but the crinkle around his eyes shows how he really feels. Then he opens his mouth, and shatters that illusion.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going? Because you’re taking me alone into the middle of the highlands. It feels like you’re going to kill me.”
“Do you want me to kill you? It wasn’t on the agenda, but I suppose I can add it,” she threatens, her mood ruined.
“No, I’m good,” he laughs, the sound as clear as the Chimecho that live around here. “Your surprise is keeping me on my toes.”
“We’re nearly there, I promise.”
“We’re nearly at the Temple of Sinnoh,” Adaman points out. “That’s not where we’re going, is it?”
“Not quite,” Irida says with a smile.
The two weave their way through the Celestica ruins, ending up at the summit camp. The rest of the mountain stretches high into the clouds above them, but Irida hasn’t brought him here to look at the scenery. Adaman raises an eyebrow at her.
“Please hear me out before you decide to… before you say anything.”
“Alright,” he agrees, leaning his weight onto one foot. “What’s this all about then?”
“This is where we realised that we were both wrong. Or more accurately, neither of us were wrong, but we had differing views on basically the same thing. Half of the story. I asked you to come up here with me after you suggested that we try to be nicer to each other, because the Coronet Highlands holds a lot of special memories for us.”
“That it does,” Adaman agrees. “I have to wonder where our clans will end up in years to come, now that we no longer have that ideal that we held for so many years. The truth of Almighty Sinnoh is undeniable, after all.”
“I don’t wish to think too far ahead,” Irida admits. “The future seems so strange now. But here, in the present, I wanted to give you something, and like I said before, please hear me out.”
She roots around in her bag and pulls out two Pokéballs – one blue, and one green. Adaman holds his hand out, and she sets the green one in his palm. He examines the object for a moment, and then turns his attention back to her.
“This doesn’t look like any Pokéball that I’ve ever seen.”
“Sabi has been growing some different coloured apricorns up near the Snowpoint Temple when she’s not looking after Braviary. The Pearl Clan bought some off her to experiment with making new Pokéballs. Most of them broke, but… these two haven’t”
“She’s a very talented horticulturist,” Adaman agrees, brimming with pride at his youngest warden’s efforts. “What do you suggest we do with these then?”
“I thought that we could catch Glaceon and Leafeon,” she tells him, looking up at him to gauge his reaction. He stops for a moment, his face melting into confusion, before he perks up again.
“Sounds like a good idea to me! That girl is very good with her Pokémon, and it seems like the Pokéball helps her bond with them. Leafeon and I are already close, so maybe this will make us an even better team?”
Adaman hunches on the ground beside his Pokémon, holding the ball out to it. Leafeon sniffs it carefully, glancing between the ball and Adaman and Glaceon, and then back to the ball. It taps the mechanism with its nose, and before Adaman can respond, the ball envelops Leafeon, and he drops it to the ground in surprise. The ball shakes and jumps and pops with smoke and stars before it stills, Leafeon encapsulated inside.
“Well, that’s that!” Adaman says, reaching down to lift the ball. “Guess I’m going to have to find somewhere to put this. For now, my pockets will do, I guess.” He tucks Leafeon away before turning his attention back to Irida.
“Guess it’s my turn now, huh?” She says gently, reaching the blue Pokéball out to Glaceon. She’s less interested in the object than Leafeon was, but she sits down, allowing Irida to press the ball into her forehead. Like Leafeon, Glaceon disappears, replaced by the pop of the Pokéball’s stars.
“And that’s that for you too.”
“Weird, isn’t it? I thought it would feel more… momentous. But it’s over, just like that.”
“I wonder if Pokémon enjoy being in the balls? It’s like a little home for them, I suppose.”
“I don’t think we’ll ever know,” Irida says, straightening up so she’s something approaching eye level with him.
“Why don’t we have a battle?” He suggests. “I battled with Melli a few weeks ago – it was fun, actually, if a little stressful.”
“You battled Melli? Why?”
“He… he challenged me for leadership of the clan,” Adaman admits, though he looks to her like he’d rather forget the whole thing. “He doesn’t like the way I lead, apparently. And he doesn’t like… forget it. You don’t need to know the ins and outs of the Diamond Clan’s running.”
“It might help me run the Pearl Clan better if I know what you’re all up to,” Irida says quietly. “Why does Melli have such a problem with you?”
“He doesn’t like me, and never has. And he doesn’t like you, and he doesn’t like how we’re friends.”
Just like before, Irida can swear that she sees his cheeks colour, but he manages to get a hold of himself quickly and the colour disappears once again. Melli doesn’t like how they’re friends? She wouldn’t have really described them as friends – more as acquaintances. But clearly Adaman thinks that way, and has talked about her in the confines of the clan. She’s not sure what she makes of that, but she can’t say it’s wholly negative.
“You… we’re friends?” She asks, the only coherent thought she can manage.
“I mean, yeah. Unless you don’t… think that.”
“I hadn’t thought of it, to be honest. But I guess we are. This is the sort of thing that friends do, right?”
“Commemorate life changing moments? I think that goes a little beyond just normal friendship,” he laughs. “Maybe we’re just bonding over the terrible things we witnessed up there.” He jerks his thumb in the direction of the peak, and Irida has to sigh.
“It was rather unpleasant, wasn’t it? I wouldn’t want to see anything like that again. I hope that’s the end of our encounters with legendary Pokémon.”
“Me too.” Irida notices that his fingers fidget by his side, and that he then suddenly stuffs them into his pockets.
“Let’s head back down. Thank you for humouring me today, Adaman.”
“Anytime.”
Jubilife Village comes further to life with every passing month. With research into the Pokédex winding down a little as the Professor and his team begin to complete entries, the Galaxy Team move funding into infrastructure. The medical corps move out of the main building and into an adjacent building all of their own, complete with an orange roof. This leaves their rooms free, and Sanqua designates them for a school.
In collaboration with the Diamond and Pearl clans, the Galaxy Team offer permanent buildings to the clans. These take a little longer to build – getting the materials out to their destinations without attack from Pokémon is the hardest part. But when they’re done, the results shine out across the Hisui region. There’s talk of the Galaxy Team expanding their settlements too – Canala is keen to head west.
Adaman doesn’t much like the new building that takes up a large portion of their settlement. For one, it means that they’re stuck here – if there’s any more issues with flooding, they have no choice but to stay put and hope for the best. And for another, the building is ugly – a large, multipurpose thing, designed by the clan elders with the help of the construction corps. They told him that he can repaint it if it offends him that much, and annoyed by constantly looking at the large grey stain in the landscape, Adaman heads to Jubilife Village.
It's been a while since he’s ventured westwards, and the expansion of the place surprises him. At the gate, he’s reliably informed that they’re calling it Jubilife Town now. The place is only three years old, and yet it has grown into a thriving settlement. Adaman isn’t sure where he’s supposed to get paint from, but the thought leaves his mind entirely when he spots who stands in front of the Galaxy Team building. His legs move towards her on instinct, and his brain has to tell him to slow down so it doesn’t look like he’s rushing towards her.
“Hey!” He calls out, and Irida turns, a curious look on her face that melts into something approaching a smile. “Long time no see.”
“Quite. Nice to see you again. How is Leafeon doing?” She asks, coming down the steps towards him.
“He’s great. Likes the ball, I think. And Glaceon? She was less excited.”
“Sometimes she doesn’t want to come out of the ball,” Irida sighs. “I think she enjoys having an excuse to lie down and rest. It saves me from having to carry her around all the time, at least.”
“Sounds very different from you. You’re always on the go, doing something or other. Why are you here today?"
“I just try to do the best I can to keep the Pearl Clan running smoothly. As for why I’m here… well, the building that they made us is very unsightly, so I was here to request some paint. It would be nice if it blended in with the surroundings a little better.”
“That’s why I’m here too,” Adaman laughs, smiling further when he spots Irida stifle a laugh of her own. “The Galaxy Building is nice, I don’t know why they had to make ours ugly. At least we can fix it, I guess.”
“What are you doing with your building? I bet you chose to have it as a nice house for yourself.”
“No,” he answers, his brow furrowing. Does she still think so badly of him? Surely by now he's proved to her, over and over again, that he’s nothing like the idea she originally had of him. “It’s a multipurpose building. Housing for the elders to keep them out of the cold, office space so that we can work on our plans for expansion, stuff like that. I still have my tent.”
Irida raises an eyebrow before her expression drops. She looks guilty, fiddling with the bangle around her wrist. Eventually, she lifts her gaze back up to him, a proper smile on her face.
“That’s nice to hear. We’re using our space as a medical building come school. We have quite a lot of little ones in our clan at the moment, so that makes the most sense.”
“Ooh, are you a teacher? I can’t imagine you telling anyone how to do things,” Adaman says. Her earlier comment has annoyed him, and he can’t help but say something sarcastic to her now.
“You’re so funny! But no, I’m not. I’m too busy running the clan to be teaching too. Calaba helps out, and so does Gaeric, when they’re not doing other things.”
“A good use of everyone’s time, then.”
“I like to think so at –“
In a split second, the sky darkens. When they look up, it’s not like before with the strange pattern in the sky. It’s like night-time has come early, though it’s still the middle of the afternoon. Jubilife falls silent around them, everyone transfixed on this sudden change. The change in the sky is followed by a loud rumbling sound that both the clan leaders know can’t be coming from anywhere near the village. Regardless, Adaman steps in front of Irida instinctively, and she grabs onto his arm, nails digging into his skin even through the bandages.
“What the hell was that?” He wonders aloud. Irida hums behind him.
“It sounded like it came from… from Mount Coronet.”
“Not again. I don’t want to deal with this again. I can’t.”
“You two!” Calls a voice from above, and the clan leaders look up to see Kamado standing on his balcony, looking down at them. They spring apart, mumbling brief apologies to the other. “Come with me. I’m afraid we have another situation on our hands.”