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There’s sand in every crevice of Mumei’s clothes, threatening to poke at her eyes. She fights a shiver from behind the cover of a rock, gritting her teeth at the incessant buzzing of her Pokédex reminding her that she is, in fact, in a sandstorm.
It’s the norm for the Desert Resort; the reason lies in its name. A gloved hand traces the edge of her water flask, throat already tightening against the raging storm, the threat of a cough tickling at the back of her mouth. Her companion nudges at her side, paper bag crinkling against his ghostly body, the barest hint of a mask poking from behind his barrier.
Mumei bats the Yamask away, clicking her tongue in a tsk . “Friend, we only just started— you don’t need water yet. Man up!”
The Yamask chimes, a monotone call that Mumei can barely sense a complaint in. She rustles the paper bag covering his face with a snort, fighting back a laugh at his antics as she rechecks her notes.
An angry Volcarona shook the grounds of Relic Castle— that was really all she knew. Other researchers had claimed madness, some sort of gas devised by Team Plasma to stir up trouble for the resort goers; Mumei immediately crossed that theory off her list. Another theory pointed to overcrowding her habitat, also crossed off. She resided within the raging sandstorm for too long to only start caring about trainers now .
Her notebook closed with a slap , mood sinking at the lack of proper preparation. She had her own theories, her own motivations for researching this outbreak by herself.
A little preparation would’ve been nice, though. A particularly strong gust of wind crept over the rock she hid behind, sending her hood flying over her head, a small reminder of where she lay.
The entrance to Relic Castle only dim light in the distance. Friend seemed to groan beside her, the paper bag-laden Yamask nestling into the crook of her neck, preparing for the journey.
Sand quickly filled Mumei’s boots as she trudged through the dense ground. Chirps of Sandile echoed around her, small embers danced around smiling Darumaka. The music of swaying Maracatus combined with constant gusts of wind harmonizing as she walked along the path.
Even in the horrible conditions, moments of being surrounded purely by Pokémon reminded her why she left everything behind to become a researcher. No weight against her name, her own chosen future lay ahead of her, one surrounded by the cries of Pokémon of all regions. Experiencing all sorts of different adventures in the name of science rather than fate .
The stone nestled deep in her bag seemed to groan at the reminder of Mumei’s divergence. Friend quickly nuzzled into Mumei’s cheek, a welcome distraction against the reminder of the life she left behind.
A break from the storm was also welcomed with open arms, sandstone walls finally signifying the entrance to the ruins. Mumei slipped into the torch-lit sanctuary with a long sigh, Friend all but collapsing onto the ground beside her. She kicked against his body, a light tap that immediately sent sand pouring out of his bag.
Yamask were known to be calm, even referred to as timid. Friend’s immediate, unnatural shriek at the sand nestling into his mask proved otherwise.
Mumei had stopped offering him the safety of his Pokéball long ago. His stubbornness had nearly broken the vessel ages ago, dents and scratched against the red and white surface a reminder of their early days. The scuffed ball shook in her belt, empty against a second ball that twitched at her hip.
She unhooked the vessel with a small laugh, successfully distracting Friend from his tantrum. “You’ve started a party, Friend,” Mumei laughed, clicking her thumb against the protruding button, watching a large shape spring from the Pokéball. “Hope you brought cake!”
Decidueye remained unnamed since she first received her, a gift marking the official start of her long journey. Friend had taken a liking to her immediately, Decidueye deciding then and there he would be her charge— even if she was just a small Rowlet at the time.
The trait remained true, with Decidueye barely sparing Mumei a small coo before checking over the sand-laden Yamask. Mumei shook her head at their antics, watching her partners with a content smile as she shrugged her pack off her shoulders.
Her smile faded at the heavy thunk of stone against sandstone, barely muffled by the contents of her pack. It prompted the attention of her partners, the immediate shift in atmosphere drawing the Pokémon to glare at the bag.
Mumei waved them off, kicking the pack with a bit more force than needed, watching it flop against the crumbling wall. “Just ignore it. We’ll… figure out what to do about it later. Let’s get a fire going.”
It was enough to distract her partners, Decidueye plucking unlit torches off the wall, Friend lighting the crumbling wood with Will-o-Wisp . A haunting fire soon engulfed their repose, warm against the howling sandstorm at the entrance.
Despite the small distractions, Mumei’s thoughts continued to drift to her pack, to the stone hidden beneath papers and clothes. The low groan emitted from it seemed to nestle deep in the back of her head, a constant reminder of the monumental task she abandoned in favor of ‘normality’.
“I wasn’t ready,” Mumei announced to no one in particular, her partners ignoring the sudden voicing of thoughts in favor of resting against the crackling fire. “I wasn’t…”
“Yes, you were.”
The sudden voice trailed off, interrupted by the immediate arrow fired by Decidueye. It whizzed past Mumei’s face, piercing towards the figure looming in the sandstorm outside. The arrow shattered against the shadow, accompanied by a familiar, low hiss.
Mumei expected her blood to run cold at the reunion. Instead, relief washed over her, the sentiment shared by Decidueyes relaxing form.
Heels waded out of the sand, clicking against the solid ground of sandstone. The Serperior at the woman’s side dipped his head in a small greeting, his partner sparing her a small wave. “Your professor friends were right when they said you might be here. Could’ve chosen a… cleaner spot, hm?”
Same old Kronii. Same old flashy entrances.
Well-manicured fingers carded through short blue hair, sand falling out, gathering at her heels. The disgusted look Kronii reflexively gave had Mumei laughing silently, a reaction that made Kronii’s lips threaten a smile. Her Serperior had already trailed off from her side, hissing contently at the soft coo Decidueye uttered– some form of an apology for the arrow, no doubt.
“Boros seems to be doing well,” Mumei commented, skirting over the elephant in the room. The Serperior seemed to puff out his chest at the comment, Kronii shaking her head at the Pokémon fondly.
“Of course he is. He’s actually getting exercise, battling every day. Unlike whatever you’re dragging Decidueye around to do,” Kronii’s lecture paused, blue eyes scanning their dimly-lit repose. “Where’s Friend?”
Mumei’s cloak twitched at the question. The crinkling of Friend’s paper bag gave Kronii the answer she needed, shaking her head at the skittish Yamask.
A gloved hand held up silenced Kronii’s upcoming sarcastic remark. “Battling won’t help his nature, Kronii. Let him be a little scaredy-cat.”
She didn’t stay silenced for long. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
Mumei couldn’t stop herself from flinching at her tone, at the comparison. A long sigh left the taller woman as she moved closer to the fire, seating herself by a now-sulking Mumei; she found herself leaning into Kronii’s shoulder, blue hair resting against brown as Kronii rested her cheek against Mumei’s head. The action sent Friend scurrying out from under Mumei’s cloak, quickly joining the reuniting Pokémon on the other side of the campfire.
Kronii’s actions came as an unspoken apology, one Mumei found herself accepting with a nudge against Kronii’s shoulder. “It’s in my bag, by the way. If you’re here to take it from me.”
The stone seemed to groan in protest. Kronii’s lips formed a line, a grimace at the echo of a noise. “Nah, it’s your problem. I don’t think I can handle Regigigas– I have my own problems.”
In the flickers of their campfire, Mumei could almost make out the helm she last saw Kronii wear– Dialga’s presence radiating through a woman she had called her friend, what would have been something more if Mumei hadn’t turned tail and ran. The possession still lingered at the back of her mind, the promise of the slumbering form of Regigigas doing the same to her a fresh wound.
Kronii, at least, seemed unchanged from the possession. Her dull wit hadn’t changed, only the addition of deep eyebags showing something had even happened to her. The sight didn’t comfort her.
“Kronii,” Mumei started, slowly pushing against her friend’s form, meeting tired eyes. “If you’re not here for the stone… why are you here?”
Her mouth opened, closed. Opened again. The sudden loss of words had Mumei raising an eye, watching as Kronii began to draw into herself. Despite the change in demeanor, Dialga’s helm never seemed to appear, a small comfort to Mumei despite Kronii’s growing discomfort.
A minute slowly ticked by, no doubt counted in seconds by the taller woman. She relented with a loud sigh, drawing the attention of the now-dozing Pokémon.
“I just– I missed you, okay? I can’t do this without you, Mumei.”
Frustrated tears began to mist over Kronii’s eyes, a sight that had Mumei reaching towards her friend. Her hand was quickly batted away, Kronii shooting up to stand over her, hand shaking as she lifted it to her face.
“This is
insane
, isn’t it? Dialga actually chose me, like Regigigas chose you, how Yveltal chose
Bae
of all people,” a pained laugh escaped Kronii, quickly shut down by the gritting of her teeth. “Irys stuck herself underground with Zygarde for some
fucking
reason. Sana has been missing for weeks now, Mumei. We think she’s in space somewhere– who
knows
what Palkia is doing to her. I can’t even begin to tell you how nervous it makes me.”
Mumei traced her face, following how the campfire’s light shadowed her eyes. “Where’s Fauna? Did Xerneas…”
“We don’t know. It’s been three days since she’s gone missing as well.” Mumei’s eyebrows shot up at Kronii’s admission, tensing at how Kronii slumped back to her side in defeat. “It’s only a matter of time before we all end up missing.”
Except for me
. Mumei shivered at Kronii’s side, at how the stone’s groan began to shift in pitch, whining for her touch. Asking for her acceptance into whatever fate lay in store for the two of them, a horrible gift neither wanted.
“I’m not asking for you to join us in this, Mumei,” Kronii whispered, barely audible over the crackling of their campfire. “I just need to know you’ll be there for me. Keep me grounded. You’re… good at that.”
Their fingers threaded together, Kronii’s vulnerability cracking through just enough to seek out Mumei’s touch. Her hand was warm despite the raging winds outside, trembling at her outburst. The urge to lift her hand to her mouth, press her lips against it, went ignored.
“Are you actually complimenting me for once?” Wit escaped her instead, making Kronii snort out a laugh. “Damn, you really are going insane.”
Kronii’s response lay in the tightening of their joined hands, squeezing them closer together. The helplessness from an otherwise confident woman made her frown, searching for ways to cheer her up– any way that didn’t involve her taking the stone out of her bag and throwing it into the fire.
She found only one answer; the very conclusion she came to herself.
“Run away with me,” Mumei announced, holding their joined hand up to Kronii’s face. “We’ll change our names, maybe move to Paldea or something. You’ll still have Dialga, but you’ll be with
me
instead of the rest of the council.”
Mumei continued before Kronii could respond, already sensing the denial. “I heard they have a professor researching the past down there. Dialga is all about time stuff– maybe she can help. Maybe she won’t, and we’ll just accept the end of times as completely different people. I already have a name for myself.”
Kronii blinked. Her eyes focused on their joined hands before glancing back to Mumei’s face, forced positivity despite the pinprick of Regigigas’s groaning in the back of her mind. “What name are you picking?”
A smile quickly formed at the lack of denial, at how Kronii’s features began to soften from her previous distraught. “Namu. It’s a nice combination. No last name.”
Decidueye was already nodding, prodding Boros with her wings. Kronii glanced away from Mumei’s reassuring smile to gaze at their partners, watching as Boros looked up from his own pouting to stare back at Kronii. “Do you actually think it would work? Would the professor help ?”
Mumei had to strain her ears to hear the question. “I don’t know. But it’s worth a try, isn’t it?”
The crackling of the fire filled the silence as Kronii watched Boros, her lifetime partner prodding Decidueye with his tail, hissing as he gestured from Mumei to Kronii. Decidueye cooed sagely, nestling into Boros’ side.
“Mumei?” Kronii finally said, looking back to their joined hands.
“Yes?”
“Call me Kora. I’ll speak in a bad Galarian accent and rave about how cool Leon is in every conversation.”
The itch to press her lips into Kronii’s hand was finally scratched, Mumei leaning in to dust lightly against the ridge of her knuckles. “I look forward to our new life together, myth free,
Kora
.”