Chapter Text
It had been a while since she had last visited Cerise Town, perhaps a year or so; the Meowscarada wasn’t entirely sure herself. Had it really been that long since they last visited? With all her work and responsibilities the thought of visiting her quaint hometown was the furthest thing from her mind. Regardless, they were here now, and they intended to make the most of their precious day off.
Despite everything, Cerise Town was just as they remembered it. It was comforting. The world had changed so much within the past year, the grounded sense of familiarity put her racing mind at ease. She recognised every twist and turn in the streets, every crack in the cobbled pathway and every building that stood proudly under the azure sky. Even the pokemon who lined the streets felt the same; the Meowscarada could vividly picture her younger-self racing and weaving through the crowds to go see her friends. That thought made her smile to herself, it had been too long after all, maybe she should pay her old friends a visit.
A quiet murmur disturbed her from her reminiscence. “-speaking of which, have you heard the rumour?”
Rumour? Now that sounded interesting. They were fully aware of how rude it is to eavesdrop, of course, but it’s not like that’s ever stopped them before. Her dark ears pointed up in attentive intrigue.
The little Hoppip glanced around before continuing their sentence, conscious of any eyes drawn to them, and whispered, “They say that it’s humans- that they’re the ones causing the natural disasters!”
Their Pansage companion threw them a sceptical stare, “Come on, you know all that human stuff is a bunch of legends, right?”
“But there’s a group of ‘mons looking for them, really scary guys too! They really seem to believe it!” the Hoppip exclaimed with a glint of excitement in their voice.
Oh. She had heard of them before, a group of thugs going around scaring pokemon, these trying times had created a wave of paranoia amongst some pokemon. When things go wrong it’s natural to look for something or someone to blame. The Meowscarada wasn’t a firm believer in humans herself, they were just fiction from grand tales of days long gone by. However there was a part of her that wanted to believe in those old fantastical tales, yet the rational part of her brain disregarded those notions. She decided to pay the trivial rumours and gossip no more heed, and continued her way through memory lane.
Besides, even if humans did exist, they couldn’t possibly be responsible for the natural disasters that plagued the Moon Continent. At least that’s what she told herself.
A pleasant aroma began to fill the air, stirring her from her thoughts. It was just as she recalled, The Sugar Swirl Cafe. They could feel their heart begin to flicker with excitement as they pushed on the carved wooden door, their arrival announced by the gentle chime of a bell. They were quickly enveloped by a wave of warm nostalgia that painted their face with a wide smile.
A colourful Alcremie twirled around at the sound of the chime and greeted them in a cheery voice, “Well hello! And welcome to-” she gasped, her face lighting up, “Oh my goodness! Raiyne! It’s so lovely to see you again!”
“Jubilee! It’s been too long!”
Raiyne found herself gazing out the window, transfixed on the rolling green hills that encased her hometown, a sight that she rarely got to view. It had been a few hours since she had arrived in town, the blue sky that had greeted her arrival had now faded into a brilliant orange. Today had flown by so quickly, she almost didn't want it to end, but she was content to spend her final hours of freedom here. All this reminiscence began to make her feel old.
A gentle clatter of crockery caused Raiyne to stir from their thoughts once again. It was Jubilee.
“Would you mind if I sat here? I brought you something, on the house of course~” The rainbow Alcremie smiled, bearing a small tray of arranged sweets and cakes. Rayine bowed her head in reply, eager to catch up with her old friend.
“It was such a lovely surprise to see you again! Goodness it must have been a year by now?” Jubilee spoke with a warm tone, “I’m sure you’ve been busy haven’t you? Being the Guildmaster must be tough!”
Raiyne laughed in response, “Sure is! If we weren’t so busy all the time you’d be seeing a lot more of me around! You’d get sick of me!”
“Oh? Let me know when you’re free, we’ll slap you in an apron and put you to work!” she retorted jokingly.
Jubilee was a good friend to them. She was one of the few pokemon she could relax her guard around. Being a Guildmaster, Raiyne had to keep up appearances, leaving little room for goofing off or vulnerability. Being back home felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. She wasn’t the Guildmaster here, she was simply Raiyne, simply herself.
“How are things on your end? Oh! How’s Velvet doing?” The Meowscarada continued.
Jubilee smiled widely at the mention of her beloved Slurpuff partner, “Vel is great! The cafe has gotten more popular, we’ve had a hands full, but this was always our dream! I don’t know what I’d do without her. I’m so lucky…” her smile wavered slightly as she continued, losing herself in thought.
The yellow Alcremie looked sheepishly downwards, almost embarrassed, “Actually, there’s also something else too…and I was wondering if you’d help us with it.”
Raiyne peered at Jubilee inquisitively with her violet eyes. Jubilee never liked asking for help, but even so, the Alcremie looked so uncertain in her request. Was it something to be embarrassed over? Or did she simply think that they wouldn’t help her?
A small sigh escaped from the Alcremie’s lips as she tightened her grip on her teacup, “You see, a few months ago we found a lost child.” She paused, as if to choose her next words delicately, “Her situation is a bit…unique…and we’re concerned that we won’t be able to keep her safe here.”
“So, I have a very important favour to ask you-”
