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cresvalkyrie · 2 years ago

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Shepherd to the Stars: Ch1

First chapter: Escape from the S.S. Oceana

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Thud!

Wha-? How? Where?

Confusion overtook Hauyne as she scrambled back to her feet, absentmindedly rubbing at where her body had impacted solid ground. She frantically scanned her surroundings, trying to find something remotely familiar to reorient herself.

Something was… wrong, for a lack of a better term. She certainly wasn’t in her room anymore; last she checked, it was built on solid ground, in the outskirts of the fishing village and therefore quite some distance away from the sea. It definitely didn’t - or rather, couldn’t - sway like a baby’s cradle in time to the reposeful rhythm of a lullaby, nor would it be possible for her to hear just the faintest crashes of the waves colliding against land from there.

And that was without taking the opulent furnishings of the room into account. Hauyne frowned. It reminded her of the first-class hotels she’d seen on the Internet… though it was very unlikely she was in a hotel, with how she could feel the room shift. Was she on some sort of ship, then? A luxury liner, maybe? Not to mention that the design seemed vaguely familiar… now where has she-

Suddenly, it clicked.

It’s not just any liner… it’s the S.S. Oceana. The place where-

She hastily cut off that line of thought. Horror and dread churned inside of Hauyne as memories of the conversation she had in that faerie-ring of a forest clearing flooded her mind, twisting her gut into uncomfortable knots. That’s right… She's the Interceptor now. The deciding factor of a millennia-long conflict’s finale.

Glancing downwards, she clenched her fist, feeling her fingertips pressing against her palm. It certainly felt real enough. Not a dream, then. She really was here, on the S.S. Oceana, in the flesh.

Wait. If she’s here, does that mean…?

Bang!

Hauyne flinched, instinctively directing her gaze towards the source of the loud noise. Whatever morbid thoughts that ran through her mind had disappeared, too stunned and transfixed by the woman standing at the doorway - her posture crouched slightly in anticipation - to even think of anything else.

She was certainly a familiar face, even though Hauyne had never met her in person until now; fuchsia hair trimmed neatly into a chin-length bob, dignified white clothes, a pale face creased with laugh lines, and wine red eyes gleaming with emotion - an impossibility given what she is. Then again… like so many things in this world, Nancy was an anomaly in her own right. Yet, right now, she wasn’t smiling; if anything, her guarded expression made it seem as though she was prepared for a fight.

Hauyne tensed as Nancy’s eyes met hers. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw the briefest flicker of astonishment passing over the woman’s face, but it was quickly overridden by a look of worried concern.

Before she could even open her mouth, Nancy had already rushed to her side.

“Are you alright?” she whispered, inspecting her for any injuries.

Hauyne shook her head. “I’m fine. Just fell out of bed.”

Nancy seemed to buy the excuse, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Thank Arceus, I thought…” said Nancy, relieved.

She glanced away, as though trying to rein in her emotions. A sombre look clouded her features.

“...Are you okay?” asked Hauyne, tentatively. Something isn’t right here, that much she could tell.

Nancy started, as though she wasn’t expecting anyone to be concerned for her. Which is… rather depressing, actually. In the game’s storyline, the only one who gave a damn about her was the protagonist - the Interceptor. Her creator certainly didn’t care about her, other than whether she was capable of fulfilling her purpose as a caretaker. This just made her eventual fate all the more tragic.

An event which will never come to pass, if Hauyne had any say in the matter.

“Y-yes, I’m alright. Thank you, dear,” replied Nancy, a gentle smile passing over her features. “You had me worried sick when you just… shut yourself out.”

The woman let out a weary sigh. “I know I should’ve discussed this matter with you first… perhaps you wouldn’t be so upset with me if I did. I understand. It's hard leaving behind everything you’ve ever known, but it’s for the best. I promise.”

Hauyne didn’t respond, shifting her gaze downwards to conceal the turmoil of emotions raging in her eyes. Then, in a quiet voice, she spoke.

“Sorry.”

“Whatever for?” exclaimed Nancy, surprise overtaking her face.

“For making you worry,” she answered, inwardly cringing at how easily the lie had slipped past her lips. Technically, it wasn’t her who shut everyone out as part of some childish tantrum, but Nancy doesn’t, and didn’t need to, know that. She just wanted to cheer her up.

“It’s all right. I’m just glad to see that you’re fine,” said the woman, a smile lighting up her previously dark expression. “Tell you what. Why don’t you go and register for the Aevium League? I know you’ve been itching to try out the League challenge yourself.”

She donned a small smile of her own. “Sounds like a good idea.”

It was, in fact, a horrible idea in Hauyne’s sincere opinion. She knew that the life of a trainer was a hazardous one, and she liked to think that she had a working sense of self-preservation.

Sure, it was glamorous in the sense that they could befriend creatures that wielded all sorts of fantastical abilities and make use of their gifts… but it took immense skill, prudence and talent to pull it off; one wrong move, and they’ve signed their death warrants. As much as she loved to imagine herself as a trainer, particularly when she was younger, she wasn’t like the protagonists of the games - talented child prodigies who took down crime syndicates and worked miracles like it was an average Tuesday - and frankly, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be proven wrong.

But then again, Hauyne wasn’t afforded a choice in the matter. If she were to survive long enough to be the butterfly that alters the course of fate, her mission as the Interceptor, she must become a trainer - a powerful one.

And the best way to do so is to conquer the Aevium League.

…She was beginning to regret every decision she had made thus far, and she had a horrible feeling that this is how it’s going to be for the entirety of her journey.

“Wonderful!” said Nancy, clasping her hands together. The seeming abruptness startled Hauyne, jolting out of her reverie; she had almost forgotten that she was still in a conversation. “The registration room is right around the corner. It’s the first room you’ll see just after the stairs.”

“Got it,” Hauyne said with a nod. “I’ll go on ahead then. See you later… Mom.”

She dashed out of the cabin just as she awkwardly uttered the last word, not wanting to see the woman’s reaction. Unbeknownst to her, Nancy had stared after her in open bewilderment, shaking her head in amused exasperation when it finally registered. Perhaps this might not be so bad after all…

What am I doing…?

So thought Hauyne as she leaned against a wall, taking the time to catch her breath and reorganise her jumbled thoughts. It had been in the heat of the moment when she called Nancy… that, though she couldn’t say whether she regretted doing so or not. Not that she had any emotional attachments to the word, truth be told, but it still felt strange to call a woman she just met ‘Mom’.

Hauyne looked to her side, towards the door to the registration room. She couldn’t help but feel like it was looming over her like a demented beast, despite its actual innocuous appearance, filling her with a heavy sense of dread and terror. She paused. Entering the room would commence the beginning of the storyline as she knew it, the onset of a life mired by strife and unspeakable hardships. It was something that she wasn’t quite ready to confront.

She sighed, inwardly berating herself for her impulsiveness and cowardice. She’d made her bed, so she’ll have to lay on it. There was no way she would let herself flee from the consequences of her rash decisions.

Bracing herself, she took a deep breath and went inside.

Under better circumstances, Hauyne would have found the place warm and inviting. Warm lights illuminated the room from above, creating a welcoming atmosphere that was well-complemented by the mellow tones of the room’s colour scheme. Unfortunately, in her current situation, she felt nothing but trepidation; the cheery vibes emanated by the room’s furnishings had only served to accentuate her feelings of unease even more.

Pushing all thoughts out of her mind, Hauyne made her way to the clerk’s desk. She perked up upon the sight of the teen nervously approaching her.

“Good afternoon,” greeted the clerk, donning a cordial smile. “Here to register for the Aevium League?”

“Um, yes,” stammered Hauyne, unable to keep the agitation from her voice.

“Great! Just take one of the PCs here and follow the instructions given,” instructed the clerk cheerfully, pointing at the rows of computers situated at the side of the room. “Come back here once you’re done and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Hauyne nodded, moving to the PC nearest to her to get started with the registration process. It took a while for her to boot it up, with how badly her hands were trembling and partly because of her lack of familiarity with the PC’s unintuitive interface. After a few minutes of fumbling around, she finally figured out how to use it and initiated the registration process.

God, how is it possible for this world to be simultaneously advanced and backwards?!

She exhaled, trying to release as much tension from her body as possible. This was it, Hauyne thought, as she watched the message “Registration process beginning…” flash across the screen multiple times. The dark background gradually transformed into a familiar skyline - the outline of East Gearen at night, she presumed; it was what any player would first see when they started a new game, provided that they skipped the prologue (which was a sacrilegious thing to do, in her personal opinion). And having played through the game countless times, Hauyne was rather well-acquainted with the registration process.

“‘Scuse me?” a woman’s voice - Amanda’s - rang out from the PC’s speakers. There was no sign of the person in question on the screen, however. “Can you hear me through that thing?”

“Loud and clear,” Hauyne replied, dryly.

“Oh, good!” exclaimed Amanda. There was a faint crashing noise, followed by a series of clicks and the sound of something being jostled around. “Alright, just gimme a sec… my camera’s acting up again.”

Some moments later, a woman of dusky complexion appeared onscreen. Her eyes sparkled with exuberance, though it was somewhat diminished by how her brows were furrowed slightly from weariness. Had managing the entire Aevium League taken a toll on her? It couldn’t be, could it? If Hauyne recalled correctly, her brother Jan had shared the position of League Manager with her…

“Ah, that’s better!” sighed the woman on the computer screen. A sheepish smile spread across her face. “Sorry about the holdup. Damn camera’s got a mind of its own, I swear…”

“It’s fine. I’m in no hurry,” said Hauyne.

“Anyway, my name’s Amanda. It’s nice to meet you!” Amanda introduced herself, her enthusiasm so infectious that Hauyne couldn’t help but smile as well. “I’m what you call a scout. It’s my job to guide newcomers like you into the world of Pokémon.”

She nodded attentively.

“Before we continue, do you need any extra assistance?”

Hauyne shook her head, “No.”

“Fantastic!” Amanda’s smile widened into a beam. “Now, let’s talk about the expectations and requirements of the League.”

Amanda’s explanation was something Hauyne had already heard (read?) many times over, but she decided to listen anyway just in case. As expected, what the League scout said completely aligned with what she already knew about the Aevium League: eighteen gyms - each one specialising in one of the eighteen known Pokémon types - for the challenger to conquer, along with a gauntlet of eight elite trainers plus the Champion to tackle afterwards. Not to mention that Pokémon would not obey their trainer if they deemed them unworthy, regardless of whether the Pokémon was traded or captured/hand-raised by the trainer themself.

Certainly a daunting challenge that would attract nothing but the most ambitious, perhaps even the toughest, of trainers to the region.

“Right, speaking of which,” began Amanda, having concluded her explanation of how the Aevium League works. “We should probably set up your Trainer’s Card now. Just to be safe, what gender do you identify as?”

“Female,” Hauyne answered without a second thought.

Though, come to think of it, wasn’t it confirmed in the latest update that the Interceptor’s appearance differs on the beholder? If so, how would she appear to others? As herself? One of the playable characters? …Maybe she should’ve said that she’s non-binary to avoid the potential confusion, or are the people here so open-minded that they wouldn’t even bat an eye if a masculine-looking person identified as female and et cetera?

“Okay, I got it!” she chirped, tapping away at her keyboard.

Well, too late for that now.

“‘Kay, so I have a few profiles on hand. Mind going through them?”

The screen, previously occupied by the video call window, was replaced by a series of profiles, each of them containing photos of people aspiring to sign up for the league. At a leisurely pace, Hauyne sifted through them, not wanting to miss out on anything by mistake. She didn’t exactly know what she was expecting to find as she went through the profiles, but she definitely wasn’t expecting this .

Snowy white waves tied back into a messy ponytail, a feathered hair accessory inlaid with cerulean gems tucked over her left temple, electric blue eyes that seemed to shine with an odd light, a petite feminine frame, and her trademark solemn frown… there was no mistaking it; this was definitely a photo of herself. The sight was nothing short of alarming to Hauyne, bordering on disconcerting even. How the hell did the Aevium League have a profile of her on hand when she didn’t even exist in this world until a few minutes ago?!

…Still, she refused to lie and claim some random stranger’s profile as her own. As tempting as it was.

“This one,” stated Hauyne, barely keeping the stammer out of her voice.

The profile containing her headshot disappeared. The window to the video call popped back into view, showing Amanda preoccupied with something on her monitor. With a few clicks and taps of her keyboard, she processed the profile into a brand-new Trainer’s Card. Then, she turned her attention back to the video call.

“Alright, now that we have that settled, I’m going to need a name.”

“Hauyne,” she said, curtly.

“So you’re Hauyne?” clarified Amanda.

“Yes,” she replied with a firm nod.

“Alright, everything seems settled!” Amanda said, beaming from ear to ear. “I’ll see you once you get to East Gearen City, then! I’ll be waiting for you at the East Gearen Laboratory. Don’t forget! Safe travels, Hauyne.”

With that, Amanda ended the video call, a friendly wave being the last she saw of the scout before the window blinked into oblivion. Having concluded her business, Hauyne turned off the PC and returned to the clerk’s desk. The lady perked up, noticing that she was approaching her desk.

“Ah, have you finished your registration process?” she asked.

“Yeah,” responded Hauyne.

“In that case, let me print out your Trainer Card for you.”

The clerk turned to her computer behind her desk and typed something on her keyboard. Moments later, the printer behind her whirred to life, producing a gleaming rectangular object the size of an identification card into a tray. She retrieved the card without a second glance, returning her attention back to Hauyne.

“There! All done and ready for you,” she chimed, presenting a shiny new Trainer Card to Hauyne. “Please, take this.”

She accepted the card from the clerk’s hand, murmuring a quiet ‘thanks’ as she did so.

“With this, you are officially registered,” the clerk remarked with a bright voice. “Best of luck to you!”

Nodding once more in appreciation, Hauyne turned and headed to the exit. She brought the Trainer Card to her line of sight as she walked, carefully scrutinising its details. It was almost identical to the one she saw in the game: a light azure background, mugshot at the right, her particulars listed in four neat rows to the left, and the amount of badges she had under her belt displayed at the bottom. Which, given that she had just registered and didn’t have a Pokémon yet, was completely empty.

Strangely enough, there was absolutely no mention of the level caps on the card at all; perhaps the concept of ‘levels’ did not exist in this reality? Hauyne could only assume so.

Taking one last look at her new Trainer Card, she pocketed it, doing her utmost to quash down the torrent of conflicting emotions welling inside her chest.

“Oh, Hauyne!”

Hauyne perked, hearing her name being called. She swivelled towards the source of the voice, which turned out to be Nancy. It seemed that she had long since finished her chat with her old friend - Captain Augustus, if she were to hazard a guess - and had been patiently waiting for her to finish her errand. With a smile, Nancy walked over to her.

“I was just on my way to see how things were going,” she explained. “So how is it?”

“Smoothly,” replied Hauyne, showing her brand-new Trainer Card to Nancy.

“Is that your Trainer Card? How lovely!” exclaimed Nancy, clasping her hands together in joy. Her eyes practically lit up in delight upon seeing the card. “That means you’re officially ready to go! Aevium is a beautiful region with lots to do and see. Once we disembark at Oceana Pier, we’re off to Akuwa Town. It’s a colder, but cosy place to spend our days, you’ll see!”

Yeah, right…

“Dear, are you feeling alright?”

The sudden question made Hauyne jump in surprise. She hastily shoved the card back into her pocket. “Um… never better. Why?”

“...Are you still upset?” asked Nancy, after a moment of hesitation. A solemn countenance fell upon her.

“I… guess?” she responded, not entirely sure on how to manoeuvre her way out of this. Nancy had somehow noticed her forlornness, but she didn’t - couldn’t - understand the reason why. She let out a weary sigh. “I don’t know.”

“I know moving is hard,” consoled Nancy, mustering up a comforting smile. It seemed that her excuse had placated the woman for the time being. “But this is for the best, I promise.”

“Yeah, I know,” murmured Hauyne, her eyes downcast.

“In the meantime, why don’t you go and speak with the Captain?” suggested Nancy, in an attempt to cheer her up. “He’s a long time friend of mine. He can tell you more about Aevium.”

“What about you?” asked Hauyne, feigning curiosity. Even though she already knew the answer to that question.

“I… I have somewhere else to be right now,” she replied with some hesitance. “Please take care, Hauyne. I love you.”

After saying what she needed to, Nancy hurried down the stairs and towards the cabins. Hauyne stared after her as she disappeared from sight, wondering if she should eavesdrop on the meeting. Not that it would change anything; being at the introduction/prologue of the plot, there’s little she could alter due to her nonexistent influence. And even if she could change anything at this point, it ran the risk of derailing the entire sequence of events far beyond the point of no return and thus rendering her foreknowledge useless.

In other words, Hauyne had no other choice but to follow the plot closely. Though…

You know what, why not? It’s not like it's going to kill me.

For whatever reason that Hauyne simply couldn’t fathom, there was a hole the size of a peephole in the eastern wall of the cabin.

If this were a game, Hauyne could sort of understand it to be a deliberate design by the developers; it usually hinted that interacting with it would uncover a hidden item, lore or whatnot. But this was reality. And she’s on a luxury cruise ship. There is no reason why an interactive detail from the game would carry over to reality, since flaws like these would normally be detected and rectified quickly.

Not that she’s complaining, honestly. If anything, it only made it easier for her to spy on the conversation.

Pressing herself against the wall as silently as possible, Hauyne positioned an eye over the peephole and gazed in.

There was Crescent and her Shiny Gothitelle, which was to be expected… but there were two others present as well. Two individuals whose presence almost made Hauyne reel back in shock. One of them was a young woman - probably around Crescent’s age, judging from her outward appearance - with jade green eyes and pale silver hair worn in a low ponytail. Her face was contorted into a displeased scowl as she impatiently tapped a finger against her arm. The second… was an honest-to-god Zeraora.

What the hell?! What’s Alain doing here? She looks older than I remember… but still! And why does she have a Zeraora? This makes no sense!

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a door opening and closing, followed by nervous footfalls. Before long, Nancy appeared in her line of sight, trembling ever so imperceptibly from apprehension.

A tense silence permeated the room. Scarcely a moment after, Alain turned a sharp gaze at Nancy, causing the latter to flinch before she hesitantly broke the uneasy quiet.

“...Hauyne woke up today,” she explained. “She seems to be doing exceptionally well, all things considered. Things are looking up, I hope.”

Alain’s eyes widened in astonishment at Nancy’s words, as did Zeraora. Hauyne couldn’t see Crescent’s reaction, with her back turned to them, but from how her posture had gone rigid at the news she could hazard a guess that it had caught her by surprise as well.

Woke up? …What does she mean by that?

Then, Alain huffed, the ghost of a fond smile flitting across her face.

“It’s just like them to make the impossible happen…” mused Alain, her stiff posture relaxing somewhat.

Hauyne noted Alain’s strange choice of pronouns. Perhaps she wanted to be on the safe side? Or was this the result of Variya’s “editing” to correct any discrepancies that may arise from her transmigration? Too bad she couldn’t contact Variya to grill her about this matter.

“Do you not have faith in them?” questioned Zeraora, sending a cool glance at Alain’s way. Her mouth did not move at all despite having ‘spoken’, so she was most likely using telepathy to communicate.

Alain’s scowled, offended by the remark. “Of course I did! What kind of a stupid question is that?”

“It doesn’t matter,” interrupted Crescent, her back still turned towards the rest of the meeting-goers. “What’s most important is that Hauyne’s alright.”

“Perhaps I should go talk to them after they’ve settled down… I only hope that they’ll understand.” she heard Crescent mumble underneath her breath. How she was able to catch the near-inaudible words, Hauyne has no idea.

Zeraora's gaze locked onto hers. Hauyne froze. Her imploring stare seemed to convey a silent message.

Please leave. For your own sake.

Unnerved, Hauyne rushed out of the cabin, not at all caring that her stomps could have alerted her presence to the meeting-goers next door. Just as she was ascending the stairs, she caught a final snippet of the group’s discussion before going out of earshot.

“Kali, is there something you’re not telling us?”

“...‘Tis nothing, Crescent.”

Hauyne made a beeline straight towards Augustus’ office, her mind whirling from what she had seen.

Alain’s… alive? But how? What’s going on here?

She shook her head violently, clearing her head of the puzzling thoughts as she ascended the last of the steps. Not that she really needed the talk, to be honest, but it would suffice as a distraction.

The conversation had gone exactly as she expected it to go: Augustus warmly welcomed her, followed by a game of twenty questions. Hauyne would ask a question, and the captain would answer with an enthusiasm befitting a man passionate about his career. And since she was no longer constrained by the limitations of a game, she made sure to be extremely thorough in her inquiries, covering as much ground as she could so she wouldn’t be caught flat-footed in the future.

To her dismay, the talk did not yield any new information whatsoever. Everything Augustus had told her was nothing Hauyne didn’t already know: Aevium originally being a single large landmass before Storm-9 sundered it into four (though the kindly old captain had called it a “mysterious event” and admitted that he knew very little about the Calamity itself), how the Pokémon in Aevium tend to appear and behave differently than their counterparts in other regions, and that the S.S. Oceana should be docking at Floria Island tonight. He also briefly talked about the Aevium League, though he didn’t go into detail.

Swallowing her disappointment at the lack of new intel, she thanked Augustus for his time and ended the conversation.

Having nothing else better to do, Hauyne decided to wander aimlessly around the S.S. Oceana. While it had been an enjoyable pastime, she soon grew bored; there was only so much she could explore, with many areas off-limits to guests and having revisited the few places she could access countless times already. The only noteworthy event was when she found a suspicious group near the cargo hold, muttering in hushed tones amongst themselves. It didn't take a genius to realise who these people were and what they’re trying to do, though Hauyne couldn’t do much to intervene so she was forced to leave them be.

…That had left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.

After exhausting all of the places she could explore, Hauyne returned to the ship’s lounge - the area where the registration room was located - to catch her breath, as well as mull over how best to prepare for the arduous trials ahead.

Releasing a weary exhale, Hauyne rested her forearms against the railings, idly watching the bustle of the other guests at the lounge below her. In the heart of the area, a crowd had gathered around Piano Lady, some enraptured by her skillful performance on the piano while others fawned over the Jigglypuff singing along to her melody. She paid no mind to it, opting to lose herself in her thoughts of the future.

“Fufufu… something on your mind, dearie?”

Hauyne flinched, snapping out of her daze. She looked around wildly, trying to ascertain the source of the voice, but only found a familiar Gothitelle giggling in amusement.

“Gothitelle!” scolded Crescent. She rushed over to the duo, shooting an annoyed glare at Gothitelle as she did so. It seemed that her partner had ditched her without warning. “Don’t sneak up on Hauyne like that. Apologise to them!”

“Of course. Apologies,” apologised Gothitelle, her tone unrepentant.

Hauyne’s breath hitched in shock. She wasn’t sure which of the two was more alarming: Crescent approaching and talking to her, or the fact that she could understand Gothitelle's words perfectly as if she were speaking English. It was extremely peculiar: she clearly heard the vocalisations that Pokémon used as the basis of their spoken language, and yet her mind was able to interpret its meaning without any difficulty whatsoever.

This… this makes no sense!

“...Are you alright?”

Hauyne shook her head, trying to clear out the confusing thoughts. “Fine.”

Crescent doesn’t seem convinced by her response, but made no attempt to press further.

“That’s good,” she muttered. “I’m sorry about Gothitelle. She can be a bit of a prankster, but she’s harmless.”

A bit…? Gross understatement of the century, Crescent.

“If you say so,” Hauyne muttered with a shrug.

An awkward pause.

“...Hauyne, do you know who I am?” asked Crescent, breaking the silence. Her hesitation all but evident to those who listened, yet she could detect the faintest traces of hope within her words.

Hauyne bit on her lower lip, unsure of how to respond. Sure, she knew who she was, but she never knew her as a friend. It didn’t feel right to answer ‘yes’, as it would be leading her on and ultimately condemning her to bitter disappointment. On the other hand, answering ‘no’ would not only be lying, but it would also upset Crescent. The most logical choice would be to deny it and leave it at that, and yet…

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “Though… you do seem familiar. Have we met?”

Well, it wasn’t a complete lie anyway. Hauyne had met Crescent before, as player and NPC, but meeting the real deal in the flesh? There was no way it could have happened until now, therefore she could say that she had no prior recollection of it.

“I-I see,” choked Crescent, her voice strained like she had just swallowed something particularly unpleasant.

She looked away, conflicted.

“...I have to go,” she blurted. “Sorry for bothering you.”

Before Hauyne could even react, Crescent had already fled the scene. Gothitelle remained briefly to giggle ominously at her, then left to find her trainer.

Maybe I should’ve just kept my mouth shut…

“Oh, Hauyne!” called Nancy, as she approached Hauyne. “Come along now. The banquet’s about to start. You don’t want to be late now, do you?”

“Y-yeah,” stammered Hauyne, a pit forming in her stomach.

“Dear, are you sure you’re alright?” frowned Nancy. “You’re as pale as a sheet!”

“I’m fine, really!” she exclaimed with forced cheer.

Nancy hesitated, like she wanted to protest, but ultimately acquiesced to her ward’s wishes and led Hauyne to the banquet hall in silence.

Hauyne felt restless.

Actually, restless was a gross oversimplification of the emotions running high and wild inside her. She was terrified, apprehensive and completely on edge, but dared not move a muscle, not wanting Nancy to realise that something was wrong. Every so often, she would furtively throw a glance at the banquet hall’s exit, then at the stage, and finally a quick scan of her general surroundings.

(She noted with mild surprise that Crescent and Alain sat on separate tables, their backs turned as if they were trying to avoid each other. Weird. Weren’t they close friends? Did something cause a rift to form between them?)

So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary yet; Augustus had not made his appearance, so the spotlight was currently on the pianist entertaining the guests with a recital while they waited for the captain to deliver his speech.

Paranoia and last-minute regret seized Hauyne in a vice grip. Maybe she should have told someone - anyone - about the explosives. Maybe she should have told Augustus that the S.S. Oceana had been infiltrated by Team Xen grunts disguised as guests. Maybe, just maybe…

And a voice rang out, snapping Hauyne out of the swirl of ‘maybes’ that threatened to consume her whole.

“Hello everyone, I am Augustus.”

Those were the only words she heard from the captain’s opening speech; the rest had faded into the background, for she was too anxious to listen. Not that it mattered, this was only a precursor of what’s to come. And if her memory served her right, the hijack would commence…

“...I’m sure you’re all starving. So let’s beg-”

“Sorry, but there’s something that needs taking care of first.”

Now.

Deafening booms shook the hall, eliciting frightened yelps from the guests. Augustus himself was caught flat-footed by the interruption, too stunned by the spectacle to do anything but look around the vicinity with wild eyes, much less stop the trio of disguised Xen Grunts from swaggering onto the stage like they owned the place. Given the current situation, they might as well be.

Unable to contain herself, Hauyne acted.

“Mom!” she hissed. “They’re with Team Xen. They’re going to take over the ship!”

Alarm fell over Nancy’s face. Without any hesitation, she moved, and in a flash, she stood between Augustus and the disguised grunts. Hauyne didn’t see her sending out her Sylveon, but the Intertwining Pokémon was already out and ready for battle by the time Nancy had reached them. Sylveon lowered herself into a battle-ready stance, growling and hissing her fury at the Xen Grunts.

Silence descended upon the room.

“Nancy, what is the meaning of this?” demanded Augustus.

“They’re criminals, Augustus,” she replied, coldly glaring at the astonished Grunts. “They’re here to cause trouble!”

“...So you know what’s going on, huh?” sneered one of the Grunts. “In that case, there’s no point keeping up the facade!”

At that declaration, all the Grunts in the hall discarded their disguises, revealing the dark uniforms underneath. The room exploded into panic and pandemonium in that instant; the civilians shrieked in panic and swarmed towards the exit, futilely trying to get as far away from the danger as possible, only to realise with horror that the doors had been locked from the outside. The trainers among the crowd stood their ground, calling upon their Pokémon to help them in the upcoming fight. The Grunts, too, sent out their own Pokémon to deal with the trainers obstructing their way.

“Crescent!” shouted Nancy. “Get Hauyne out of here!”

Hauyne snapped her gaze towards Crescent and her Gothitelle. She said nothing, but the world-traveller could clearly see the distress gleaming in her eyes. Wordlessly, she gestured at Gothitelle, her unspoken command obvious.

“Fufufufu… as the lady commands.”

Hauyne’s world shifted .

The first thing that registered was the blistering heat. Next the crimson incandescent glow, then the acrid stench of black smoke… and finally the tendrils of amber flames clawing the air. Belatedly, Hauyne realised that the world - no, the S.S. Oceana - was set ablaze.

And she was in the ruins of what was formerly Augustus’s office.

Terror gnawed at Hauyne’s nerves; the attack has begun, and now all that’s left was to survive the rest of the onslaught and flee to fight another day. There was absolutely no time for fear or regrets. She needed to get to Nancy in time, or else everyone would be doomed.

Steeling herself, she hastened back to the banquet hall as fast as her legs could carry her.

All the lights in the ship had failed, leaving the ravaging fires the only source of light for Hauyne to navigate through the corridors. Hauyne shivered despite the rising heat; the sinister ambience produced by the conflagration and its resulting smog had gotten to her… whenever the flames faltered, the shadows distorted, making it seem as if she were stalked by something unseen . Entities incomprehensible to the human consciousness.

Hauyne was exhausted. Her lungs burned. Her body ached . Her eyes watered in irritation. She felt clammy. The urge to wheeze and cough was unbearable. Everything hurts . Yet, she pressed on. The consequences of her failure were too daunting for her to even consider stopping.

Mustering up a final burst of energy, she barged into the flaming hall with reckless abandon… and promptly collapsed onto her knees, panting.

“Hey, look who it is!”

Piano Lady ran up to her. She looked relieved to see her alive and relatively unharmed.

“I gotta say, kid, I’m glad to see you…” she exhaled, releasing the tension in her body. “I don’t know how you knew that these guys were up to no good, or how you managed to weasel your way out of this explosion, but kudos to you!”

Hauyne grimaced. She sluggishly forced herself upright, despite her body’s protests. “You heard that?”

“Of course!” exclaimed Piano Lady, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Everyone did, actually. You’re not exactly quiet, you know?”

She felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

“A-anyway,” she stammered, both from bashfulness and fatigue. “You and the captain alright?”

“Um, yes,” said Piano Lady, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. “I passed out for a bit, but otherwise fine. The Captain managed to stay conscious through all of this and doesn’t seem to be hurt, though… he isn’t responding to anything I say. I think he’s in shock.”

“I see,” nodded Hauyne, shifting her gaze towards the massive hole at where the stage used to be. “...Take care of him. There’s something I need to do. Don’t try and stop me.”

“W-wait, what are you saying kid?” yelled Piano Lady, alarm and horror setting in. “Don’t be reckless! We need to get out of here. It isn’t safe!”

Turning a deaf ear to her cries, Hauyne sprinted towards the gaping chasm and leapt in. Weightlessness took hold of her. Seconds later, her feet impacted solid ground; they buckled painfully, yet she forced herself to remain upright, gritting her teeth in silent agony, and ran like her life depended on it. Her legs shuddered from exertion and pain. She endured them through clenched teeth. Those were insignificant. What mattered was that she got to Nancy in time; she can deal with the side-effects later.

Deep down, Hauyne wished she could heed Piano Lady’s words of reason. It didn’t matter if she was risking her life through this act of recklessness; she had already lost the privilege of safety when she became the Interceptor. From the moment she accepted Variya’s contract, she must either rise up to the challenge… or fail and be forced to watch everything she held dear perish before her eyes.

And failure was never an option to Hauyne. Not if she wished to live.

The flooring collapsed as Hauyne was about to make a turn. Startled, she reeled back, lost her balance and fell painfully onto her rear. The next thing she knew in her panicked haze, a dark-skinned man in a buzzcut - Neved - leapt out of the chasm in a feat of superhuman athletics. He landed, gracefully and practically soundlessly, on the opposite side. Barely a moment later, Gothitelle emerged from the shadows below like a demented phantom, her body flaring magenta with psychic energy.

“And where do you think you’re going?” crooned Gothitelle, menacingly drifting towards Neved.

He fled. Gothitelle giggled, launched a blast of concentrated psychic energy towards him, and gave pursuit. Hauyne could feel the attack detonating even at a distance, its impact producing shockwaves that quaked the entire ship.

S-Such power! It’s unreal!

Rattled by Gothitelle’s casual display of power, Hauyne bolted. Before she knew it, she had reached the cargo hold. The place where the confrontation was set to transpire.

It seemed that she had made it in time. She watched Nastasia dart across the stacks of cargo like a shinobi, moving too fast to be seen as anything but a dark blur. Nancy, meanwhile, was too distracted by the acrobatics to notice Hauyne, her face set in a determined countenance as she warily observed her foe. In the blink of an eye, Nastasia materialised before Nancy and her growling Sylveon, regarding the latter with crossed arms and a cool stare behind the tinted lenses of her shades; it appeared she had gotten weary of toying with the fuchsia-haired woman. Was she so confident that she could take on Nancy without any effort?

For a brief moment, Nastasia locked eyes with Hauyne. The latter stilled, too apprehensive to react to the sudden attention. Without any rhyme nor reason, she averted her gaze, suddenly fascinated by the drab walls around them.

“I’ve had enough of this!” Nancy snarled out in agitation. “No more running around! What are you doing, and why?!”

“...Perhaps you should be less concerned about me,” drawled Nastasia, eyeing Hauyne once more. “And more concerned about our guest that just joined us.”

“What?”

Confused, Nancy turned to inspect what - or rather, who - had caught Nastasia’s attention. Her eyes widened in alarm.

“Hauyne?! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed, confusion and panic seeping into her tone. “I thought… Crescent. She was supposed to send you somewhere safe!”

“Sorry, safety is long gone for the both of you,” said Nastasia in a droning, almost lazy, voice. “For now, we’re going to take our target: you.”

“Me…?” parroted Nancy, bewildered.

“That’s right,” affirmed Nastasia, a hand on her hip. “Did you really think our target was Hauyne or something?”

The Xen Executive shrugged.

“Anyway, I was only going after you, but since both of you decided to just deliver yourselves to me…”

Nastasia snapped her fingers. Twin blobs materialised from thin air, rapidly taking the form of Deoxys.

“I’ll be happy to take you back to HQ on silver platters.”

Clicking her tongue in agitation, Hauyne backed away from the Deoxys clones. Nancy, too, assumed a defensive posture, angling herself to better protect her ward from further danger.

“Now do you understand?” asked Nastasia rhetorically.

“...There isn’t any future for this ship, or for anyone else you’ve put through this,” admitted Nancy, her words taking on a solemn tone.

“Glad you see things my way,”

“But I will create hope for at least one person,” declared Nancy, her voice filled with determination.

She turned to face Hauyne, donning a sickeningly familiar smile. She knew that sort of smile; it was the kind only those who had fully accepted their impending demise would wear. It was, dare she admit it, the kind of smile that she despised the most.

Because it only made their departure hurt more.

“Hauyne…” began Nancy, her tone poignant and sincere. “I know that we’ve been distant, but know that I only want you to be happy. And while it hasn’t been for a long time, I was glad to be able to share time with you on this ship.

“I will hold her off for as long as I can, but I want you to run. Even in a place as confined as this vessel, you must run anyway. Even in the times where a future seems impossible, you must keep on! For it is through that pursuit of hope, that opportunity shines through. And wherever you end up… Find new friends. New opportunities, new love. Know that no matter where you are, or what you’re doing… I’m looking upon you. Smiling. Protecting. That’s my love for you, Hauyne. A mother’s love.”

It was all she could do to not let the tears fall. She shook her head, wanting so badly to protest against the unfairness of it all… but she understood.

There was nothing she could have done to prevent this. As painful as it was to admit it.

“Go, my child. Run.”

As though possessed, Hauyne fled. She ran, faster than she had ever done in her entire life, towards the one place she knew she’d be rescued. Her vision blurred and teetered. Hot tears trickled down her face. She swept them away, barely suppressing a hiccup that threatened to escape. Without warning, the ship shuddered with a drawn out groan , the abrupt movement throwing her off-balance and into the adjacent wall. White-hot pain flared in her shoulder. She bit back an agonised scream as she slid helplessly onto the floor, one hand over her throbbing shoulder.

Damn it… not now!

Shadows crept up behind her. Hauyne noticed, but reacted far too late. A Deoxys clone wrapped its tendrils tightly around her torso and wrists, practically squeezing the air out of her lungs. It effortlessly hoisted her up, paying no heed to its captive’s feeble struggles for freedom, and whisked her away to who-knows-where. Her heart felt as if it had plummeted into her stomach, and she struggled - this time in a more desperate fervour.

The clone’s grip remained iron-clad.

Terror and disbelief engulfed her whole. Was… was this how it was going to end? It couldn’t be! She refused!

She squeezed her eyes shut, a lump in her throat and it was all she could do to not cry in fear. As though her prayers had been answered, Hauyne felt the pressure on her torso vanish; the next thing she knew, her body hit the floor, splinters from the damaged wooden flooring digging into her exposed skin. Distantly, she could hear the clone let out an ungodly screech as something collided into it with a mighty boom like thunder. She tentatively opened her eyes. The clone was nowhere in sight, with only a smoking crater shaped suspiciously like a Deoxys within eyeshot as the only trace of its presence. Soft footfalls resounded in the silence, and a familiar Pokémon - Alain’s Zeraora - towered over her fallen form. Her eyes gleamed with an unreadable emotion.

“Go!” she commanded. “This will not delay it for long.”

Hauyne didn’t need to be told twice. Mustering up a second wind, she took off. Behind her, Zeraora yowled a challenge, and she heard the sounds of crackling electricity.

Her heart racing, Hauyne barrelled through the final exit and into the pouring rain. Thunder rumbled overhead; it seemed that a storm had begun sometime during the fiasco. Something roared under the deck, and her world tilted. She barely had time to let out a surprised yelp as the S.S. Oceana abruptly lurched to its tipping point, casting her overboard.

By reflex, Hauyne grabbed onto the damaged railings; she glanced down, a primal fear shooting up her spine. At that moment, she didn’t care about how raw her hands had gotten from the sharp metal cutting into her flesh, the warm and sticky liquid which smelled faintly of iron - blood, her blood, she belatedly realised through the haze of panic - flowing down her arms, or the painful chafing of her arms scraping against the rough, almost serrated edges of the sinking liner. All she could think of was holding on, desperate to not plummet into the grey waves below and possibly towards her death. Especially when her grip was slipping. Fast, and terrifyingly so.

“There she is!”

Hauyne didn’t know who found her. All she knew was alarm, panicked shrieks, then falling, falling, falling…

Splash!

Cold jolted Hauyne out of her stupor. She gasped, only to gag when saltwater rushed into her lungs instead of air. Instinct took hold. Raindrops pelted her face like icy needles the moment she breached the surface, gasping and looking around frantically. She could barely see past her own hands through the heavy rainfall. Thunderclaps boomed in the distance, accompanied by the eerie howls of the S.S. Oceana falling apart by its rivets. Panic surged through her as her strength began to flag-

CRACKA-BOOOOM!

White. Pure, brilliant, blinding white. Numbness. Muscles convulsing. Sinking. Watery frigidness entombed her in its suffocating embrace. Darkness consumed all. Haunting, muffled silence soon followed. Ears ringing. Pain. So, so much pain. N-need air… But… she can’t move… Her body refused to. So, so tired… Maybe the pain will go away if she sleeps…

BAWWW!!!

Something grabbed - its grip firm but not uncomfortably so - at her shoulders. Weightlessness. The cold receded into a more tolerable chill. Sweet, sweet air filled her lungs. She coughed, hacking out the water that had clogged her airways. Harsh winds battered at her limp form and whistled its piercing melody into her ears.

Before she could fully process what had happened, Hauyne felt the… something loosen its grip, gently depositing her onto solid ground. She fell face-first onto the surface - wooden boards, her mind supplied woozily - slipping in and out of consciousness, all while trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. In her daze, she saw a red and grey blob approaching her, talons clacking softly against the pier with every step. Something soft and feathery wriggled beneath her, carefully manoeuvring her onto itself, and carried her off to… wherever.

Warmth blossomed in her chest.

She blinked, feeling her lightheadedness beginning to abate. Slowly, she weakly pushed herself up, glancing around through bleary eyes. Drab warehouses and docks stretched as far as the eye can see, interspersed by the occasional street lamps. It took her a while for her to realise that she was in Oceana Pier, the place where the S.S. Oceana was scheduled to dock.

“You’re awake!” said the lump beneath her, surprised and relieved in equal measure. The voice sounded masculine. “How are you feeling, kid?”

“Terrible,” rasped Hauyne, only to break out into a violent fit of coughing. The next thing she knew, she was puking up a mixture of seawater and bile.

“Arceus forfend! Don’t throw up on me!” screeched the Voice, throwing her off his back in his panic to avoid the vomit.

She slumped onto the ground, knees first. By then, she had already emptied out everything in her stomach, and was now alternating between dry retches and feeble coughs. She clumsily slapped a hand over her mouth, as though it would be of any help keeping the puke back in.

“...You done?” asked the Voice, cautiously.

“Why don’t you stick around and find out?” snarked Hauyne in between coughs. At long last, the coughing fit subsided, allowing her to breathe freely.

She looked up, curious to know the identity of her saviour. To her surprise, it wasn’t a person as she had initially assumed. He was, instead, a Talonflame. One that was currently eyeing her with suspicion and concern.

“Well… if you’re sassing me, you’re probably fine,” concluded Talonflame, shimmying in a way that almost resembled a human shrug. “That’s pretty impressive, actually. Considering you got struck by lightning. Humans don’t usually survive that, much less coming out of it relatively unscathed.”

“Excuse me, I what ?” sputtered Hauyne, dumbfounded by Talonflame’s casual bombshell.

Talonflame snapped his head towards her, astonished. “You… you can understand me, kid?”

Just as Hauyne was about to respond to his question, they were interrupted by the sounds of a yacht docking into the pier. The shutters of a nearby warehouse opened, and out came a fetching woman with vibrant red hair - Tesla. Her eyes widened - from shock, worry or concern, maybe a combination of all three, she couldn’t say for certain - as soon as she spotted Hauyne kneeling on the ground.

“Oh dear,” she whispered in abject horror, running towards Hauyne. “When I saw the lightning, I didn’t think… Can you stand?”

“N-no,” stammered Hauyne, teeth chattering from the wet and cold. “Talonflame carried me out of the pier.”

“I see,” Tesla bit her lip, worry and concern evident on her face.

Without a second thought, she picked Hauyne up and draped an arm over her shoulders, carefully supporting the teen’s weight like a crutch. Her legs felt like they had turned into gelatin, and if she didn’t have Tesla helping her up it would be impossible for her to stand without crumpling to the ground.

“Come, let’s talk inside,” murmured Tesla, rubbing soothing circles on Hauyne’s back. “You’re going to fall sick at this rate!”

Hauyne nodded weakly. Soon, she was sitting on a couch inside the yacht, swathed head to toe in blankets and towels Tesla had dredged up from some hidden compartments. Talonflame huddled beside her, his wings wrapped around her to provide the extra warmth she needed to stave off a potential hypothermia. Tesla, on the other hand, had disappeared into the captain’s room once she was satisfied with the amount of layers she had bundled Hauyne in, muttering something about a first-aid kit.

Despite everything, she couldn’t help but quaver underneath the thick layers, an odd chill seeping into her bones.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” piped Tesla, returning with a first-aid kit in hand. She took a seat beside Hauyne, placing the box on the coffee table. “If you don’t mind, can we talk while I treat your wounds? I’ve patched up injuries like these many times in the past, so leave it to me.”

“Wounds?” repeated Hauyne, stunned.

Tesla gestured at her arms, not saying anything. Hauyne examined herself, and promptly recoiled in disgust. A gruesome assortment of bruises, scrapes, chafes and blisters splotched across her exposed flesh, almost reminiscent of an abstract painting. Patches of skin peeled off - a few still oozing pinpricks of crimson - from her forearms and hands, most likely a consequence of how she had gripped onto the broken railings like death was nipping at her heels. Congealed and freshly-shed blood alike caked her forearms in broad strokes, carving out a criss-cross of angry jagged streaks.

How did she not notice them before?

“...Oh,” said Hauyne lamely. Nodding tentatively, she raised her bloodied arms to let Tesla take a look at them.

“Thank you,” smiled Tesla, her ruby red eyes gleaming with appreciation for her cooperation. She deftly opened up the first-aid kit and got to work on patching her up. “By the way, my name is Tesla. Tesla von Brandt. I’m from Terajuma, the tropical island of Aevium. What’s your name?”

“I’m Hauyne,” she replied, hissing as her wounds stung from the disinfection. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Tesla.”

“No need to be so formal! ‘Tesla’ is fine,” giggled Tesla. “Hauyne, is it? That’s a wonderful name!”

The girl blushed at the compliment.

“Now, if you’re alright with it, can you tell me what happened?” inquired Tesla softly, her voice gentle and empathetic. “I was on my way to East Gearen when I picked up a distress call. Talonflame and I made our way to that location as fast as we could, but… well, we only managed to find one survivor - you.”

Hauyne stiffened at that reminder. Dare she reveal the truth to her? Brazenly claim that it was by fate’s design that she was the only one who managed to escape, out of the hundreds of passengers and staff that were on the S.S. Oceana? …No. That sounded far too outlandish, even in her mind and with the foreknowledge that assured her it was meant to be. And even then, it was only by Zeraora’s intervention that she actually managed to get out at all. The fact she was thrown overboard, apparently got struck by lightning and nearly drowned notwithstanding.

The censored version it is, then.

Letting out a tired sigh, she began to recount the events that transpired, carefully leaving out the parts that hinted at her peculiar origins. By the time her tall tale came to a close, all of her wounds had already been bandaged, and the medical equipment returned to their rightful places in the kit. Meanwhile, Tesla listened to her tale in rapt attention, as did Talonflame - judging from the way he ceased to fidget about restlessly as she spoke.

“I see…” spoke Tesla, after a long pause that followed when Hauyne finished her tale. Her eyes shone with sympathy and sorrow. “That’s a harrowing tale. I’m so sorry that you went through all of that.”

“I agree,” stated Talonflame with a solemn nod. “A kid shouldn’t have to go through all that.”

Hauyne smiled sadly at Talonflame’s statement. She didn’t dare reply verbally to his words lest she alert Tesla to her strange ability, so instead she rubbed his crest feathers in a show of appreciation. The raptor leaned into her touch, crooning softly. Hauyne idly noted that his plumage felt warm - abnormally so for a Fire-type - to the touch, like a dying ember in an open palm. She wondered if Talonflame had Flame Body as his ability; if so, it was rather unusual. Most competitive trainers would go for Talonflames with the rarer Gale Wings ability, ordinarily for a Tailwind setup or a revenge-kill sweep.

“Judging from your description, it looks like the group that attacked the ship was Team Xen,” continued Tesla, snapping Hauyne out of her idle musings. Her expression turned solemn. “They’re a criminal organisation that seemed to just have popped up in Aevium out of nowhere. But they’re usually known to be somewhat incompetent, or at least, rarely active. That’s what is so confusing about this. I believe this is their first actual attack?”

You’d be correct. This will be the first… of many.

“Is that so?” said Hauyne, nervously fidgeting with her hands.

“Are you worried about your mother?”

Hauyne tensed. Then, she nodded, nervously averting her gaze.

“That’s alright. It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Tesla smiled comfortingly. “It’s only natural that you’d be worried. But, I wouldn’t worry too much about your mother. Based on what you told me, it sounded like she’s quite strong. I have a feeling she can take care of herself.”

Hauyne already knew that. Yet, hearing the reassurance coming from someone else - especially coming from someone as compassionate as Tesla - set her mind at ease.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Hauyne, mustering a feeble smile. “She’s strong… she’ll find a way to survive.”

Talonflame nuzzled her side consolingly.

“Come to think about it, you’re all alone now, aren’t you?” mused Tesla, her face set in a frown. “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you plan on doing now?”

“I… don’t know,” she admitted. The notion of her becoming a trainer unnerved her more than it reasonably should, for reasons she couldn’t understand. “I was supposed to go to Gearen Laboratory to finish the registration process as soon as I arrived, so I'm going to do that. Maybe I’ll have things figured out by then.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Tesla remarked with an approving smile. “The lab offers starter Pokémon for beginner trainers like you, so you’ll be able to get a Pokémon of your own from there. You’ll need one if you’re going to be travelling the Aevium region. But… I think that can wait until tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

“I know you’re eager to start your journey,” explained Tesla, her tone patient and understanding. “But you’ve had more than enough excitement for the night. Just look at yourself! You’re so exhausted that you can’t even stand. I think it’ll do you some good to get some rest.”

“But…” Hauyne trailed off. “I don’t have a place to stay.”

“Here,” Tesla produced a plastic card from one of her pockets and offered it to her. “This is the keycard to my room in Chrisola Hotel. If you’re feeling up to it, you can head over to the hotel and rest there. Show this to the receptionist and let him know about your situation. He’ll tell you how to get there.”

“A-are you sure?” Hauyne stared at Tesla with wide eyes, taken aback by her generosity. “What about you? Don’t you need it?”

“Positive,” she replied with a firm nod. “I won’t be using the room for tonight, and you need it more than I do. So please, take the card.”

Hauyne reluctantly accepted the keycard. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I’m heading to the wreck site,” answered Tesla, a determined look on her face. “I’m going to search the area and see if I can find any more survivors.”

You’re not going to find anyone else… no one else escaped except for me. Nastasia made sure of that.

Well, except for Crescent and probably Alain. Being a Stormchaser, Crescent was likely trained to handle threats such as these and thus had the highest chance of making it out. Alain… was uncertain, being a total enigma to her, but if she was with Crescent and apparently a skilled enough trainer to earn the respect of a Mythical like Zeraora, then there’s a distinct possibility that she got out as well. Either way, Hauyne made sure to keep a lid on herself. It wouldn’t do for her to blab her secrets out for the world to hear again, even if she knew - without a shadow of doubt - that Tesla was trustworthy.

With that declaration, the Elite Eight member made her leave. Talonflame perked up from his makeshift nest of blankets, hopping down from the couch and joined her side like a faithful partner.

Just as Tesla was about to exit the yacht, she paused, turning to Hauyne for the last time.

“Will you be alright on your own?” asked Tesla, her expression marred by worry and motherly concern. “After… what happened to you earlier.”

“I’ll be fine,” Hauyne reassured her.

Tesla didn’t seem convinced, but relents nevertheless. “If you’re sure. I just want you to know that it’s okay for you to stay here if you’re not well enough to walk to the hotel. I won’t blame you for that.

“And one more thing, Hauyne.”

“Yes?”

“Be strong, and don’t lose hope,” advised Tesla, in the kindest voice Hauyne had ever heard in her entire life. “I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Things will eventually work out if you’re patient enough.”

Having said her piece, she and Talonflame disappeared into the stormy night.

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#pokemon rejuvenation #fanfiction #interceptor oc: hauyne #crescent pokemon rejuvenation #alain pokemon rejuvenation #tesla von brandt pokemon rejuvenation #chroniclerverse

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