Once again, the sun rose over the vaunted land of Verus, as it had thousands of times before… Its pleasant golden light roused the diurnal Pokemon and signalled their nocturnal brethren to return to their nests. The routine progressed, and the cycle continued again…

...and again… and again… and…

Tsuki stretched her paws and yawned. She lifted her head from her bedroll and peered into the gloomy early morning of the forest ahead of her. The swaying leaves concealed nothing but Caterpie and Heracross, at least to her eyes…

“...ugh.”

She stood, and shook her fur out. It puffed back to usual fuzzy perfection, electricity arching and buzzing throughout. Tsuki had an unusually voluminous pelt, and the soft strands that replaced the usual firm spines could glow like filament wires when she was excited.

She turned and dug in her pack to pull out her scarf, her ‘uniform’, and put it about her neck… The Team colours she had on were a tawny orange, and the scarf was marked by an encompassing red stripe that signalled Tsuki’s role as a medic in the team. She left her bag for a moment and walked back onto the main trail to peer around…

Her companions were there, as expected; two other Pokemon, a Raichu and a Chesnaut, who were idly discussing what they had to do that day. The Raichu glanced as Tsuki emerged from where she’d bedded down for the night. The smug face of the thundering rodent was matched only by the amount of scars festooning their rubbery skin…

“...finally. Do you always have to take so long in the morning…?”

Tsuki eyed him with irritation…

“Not all of us are content to go around caked in mud and grime, Hob.”

The Raichu glanced self-consciously at their pelt, then glared at the now smug Tsuki. The Chesnaut smirked and gestured their broad arm…
“And if indeed we didn’t stop to argue and nitpick each other’s habits, we’d be finished and back at home by now, eh? So the two of you, shush…”

“But I…” Tsuki began… but she thought better of it, and merely sighed in frustration instead. The Raichu rolled his eyes and flicked a leaf that was clinging to his haunch…

“Come on. Don’t complain, just get your bedroll packed and let’s go, doc.”

Tsuki pouted softly, but indeed turned and stepped off the trail to gather her bag and place it on her back. By the time she had emerged again, the two Pokemon who were supposedly on her team were a good distance down the trail, as if they were leaving her behind.

Her brow furrowed, and she trotted quickly after them. Her species allowed her to catch up, and she told herself that they knew that too, and left her to save time… but…

“Okay…” The Chesnaut’s idle chatting to the Raichu ended as Tsuki rejoined them and walked next to them… “We all know what this mission is… simple exploration. We have a band of mean Pokemon gathered up in this forest and they’ve been snatching supplies and terrorizing innocent ‘mons. Our goal isn’t to clear a nest out or even to thin their numbers… We go in, we scout the situation, and we get out…”

“Aaaaand… Tsuki is here to carry the bandages. Juuuust in case one of us trips and scrapes our knee, eh?”

Tsuki’s already poofy fur puffed out even more…

“I also carry the FOOD, you know…”

“Feh…” Hob muttered, and then stretched his arms to fold them behind his head as he walked… “You’d do well if you didn’t have such an attitude, Sook. Most of the other nurses at least have some bedside manner, hmm…? But you’re always…”

“Hob…” The Chesnaut muttered, glancing down at the diminutive mouse… “You’re one to talk. How many times has your attitude gotten you in trouble with the Guild?”

“Hey, HEY. If I curse at a dumb Caterpie who can barely follow us to the entrance of a cave, that’s not my fault. It isn’t! Just because they can cry so hard…”

The chatter stopped abruptly, as the three emerged unto a clearing that was marked by violence…

The trees were clawed, and the grass was stained here and there with splatters of crimson. Clearly, some kind of scuffle had happened, and it had not ended well…

“...Do we have any missing Pokemon in our village, Rook? Because I feel like we just found what is left of them…”

The Chesnaut nudged the Raichu with annoyance before carefully stepping forward. Tsuki brought up the rear somewhat nervously, glancing behind her…

She wasn’t a terrible battler, for certain… But at the same time, she didn’t prefer violence… Yet, whether she was a maniac or a saint, the state of the clearing warned of a terrible fate to anyone who went up against… whatever had done this…

“...no missing Pokemon, no…” Rook muttered, the spikes on his shell subtly extending as he glanced around… “Thank Mew for that… But this kind of scene, this close to our village? This is unacceptable…”

“Heh.” Tsuki muttered, as she padded around a gruesome splatter in the mud… “And here I thought we were going to find another simple bandit pack. This is…”

“Definitely not simple…” Hob grumbled, as he kicked a fallen branch aside. The mouse had a rough exterior, but the sight of the scene was enough to make him look increasingly furious… “This is… just cruelty. Or two ‘mon who really wanted each other dead, for some reason… Maybe they were patients of yours, eh Sook?”

Tsuki’s initial glare turned to a mirthful smirk once more as Rook lightly smacked the back of the Raichu’s head. The mouse took his lumps gracefully, knowing he deserved them in that instance. He huffed and took a couple steps…

“...GAH!”

“Ah, easy…!” Rook said, his thorns extending briefly to their full length as he was startled. He picked up the Raichu gingerly, clutching him lightly to prevent the mouse from squirming too hard…

“…Tsuki, if you would please…”

Tsuki came forward and grimaced. A jagged piece of metal was embedded a few millimetres into the Raichu’s foot. She carefully took hold of it and pulled it out…

“Damn the careless Steel type that shed a scale and didn’t even have the courtesy to clean it up! Is the wound bad, Tsuki?!”

“Calm down Hob, quit squirming…”

Rook set Hob down, and the Raichu continued to be dramatic as Tsuki fished in her pack and found some balm. The Chesnaut let his medic do her work, while he picked up and inspected the shard of metal…

“...This is a badge, of some sort… A medallion. It was damaged pretty badly in the battle, it seems… But…”

Tsuki tugged the bandages with her teeth and pressed on the spot gingerly. Hob flinched and whined at the pain, but at least it was better than having a ragged wound shoved into the dirt with every step…

“But what?! Please tell me it’s useful, or I just gained a limp for no reason…”

“I have no idea.” Rook answered. He held out the shard for them both to see, and they found indeed that it appeared to be one piece of a larger metal… The design that was intact had a weaving mass of tentacles reaching downwards, arranged to look like a grasping hand…

“...I bet the rest of it shows the planet. We’re definitely not dealing with some lazy bandits here…”

“Then… What?” Hob asked nervously. He stood with a little difficulty, but he was a seasoned enough explorer by now that a simple puncture to his foot wouldn’t put him out of commission…
...it was a good thing too. His tail suddenly whipped, and Tsuki’s fur poofed hard. The two Electric types could sense a shift in the energy around them…

“...something is coming.” Tsuki said, in a hushed and nervous tone. Rook moved closer to them and looked around nervously as he began to hear footfalls spreading out all around them… Surrounding them…!

The Pokemon were hooded in rough robes of pale lavender. Though their species were diverse, they looked almost amorphous in their matching, concealing garb…

Tsuki stepped back, her eyes widening as she realized they were all around them. They were whispering, and at first Tsuki strained to hear what they were saying… until of course she realized they were merely muttering dark prayers… Preparations for a sacrifice…

“...W-What is going on…?” The Jolteon asked, swallowing. The Chesnaut’s jaw set as he glanced back and forth…

“...Hob, you still able to run on that foot?”

“Going to be bitching about the pain for weeks, but… Yeah.”

“...Alright… Go and get help. Quick as you can…”

“What do you mean, Rook?! We’re surrounded… It’s not as if I can fly over their he-”

Without another word, Rook reached down and grabbed the Raichu to fling him over the heads of the cultist ring about them.

Tsuki gasped, as the electric rodent disappeared down the path with a screech of surprise. A couple of the cultists peeled off from the dozen or so around them to chase, but unless they were Raichu as well, they’d never catch a creature as zippy as Hob.

Yet that left the poor poofy Jolteon and the burly Chesnaut surrounded, and alone…

“What… Do WE do?! Surely we aren’t just going to lie down and let them…!?”
“Please, Tsuki… You really think I would let scoundrels like this take me down?” the Chesnaut grinned down at Tsuki, as reassuringly as he could… “You know me. I’m going to die facing down the might of Giratina itself, and my glory will…”

Tsuki hopped from one foot to another, her fur poofing even further with the crackling energy running through it…

“Rook, I know you’re trying to reassure me, but I really don’t need you to be long-winded right now, we need to…”

Move! The Chesnaut scooped up Tsuki and dodged aside suddenly, as a gush of water lanced at them from under one of the hoods. Another skittered forward, the burnt patches on its cloak indicating it was a Fire type even before it reared back and flung a gout of flame…

Rook wasn’t intimidated. He skidded to a stop on his knees and crouched down to hide under his sharp shell, shielding Tsuki below him…

“Stay down, and if I give you an opening, you bolt too… You got it, Tsuki?”

The poor Jolteon whimpered in frustration at the idea of abandoning her team-mate to a doubtlessly gruesome fate… She could hear blows pelting the thick, hardened barrier around them, while the brawniest cloaked Pokemon circled and looked for an opening to pry the shell up… or crack it entirely.

“W-Where did they come from… Why are they being so aggressive?!”

“I don’t… Nhhh…”

A wash of heat went over them both. Rook grit his teeth in pain, but absorbed it…

“We should have run!” Tsuki barked… “You’re going to be so injured…”

“Heh. We would have been caught and torn to pieces… Can’t allow that… H-Hah, Tsuki, I’m going to look for that opening… Are you ready?”

“...Rook… I’m n-not leaving… I won’t!”

“Just run for the gap I find on the count of three, okay? One… Two…”
Tsuki desperately tried to babble some excuse to get him to stop pushing her away. But he was indeed tucking his legs under his body, so that he could rear up and toss her away like he had Hob… He’d be left behind with shattered defences, and only the comfort of knowing he’d take an attacker or two down with him…

“Rook… Rook!”

“Thr-…!”

But before the Chesnaut could execute his suicidal plan… Something dashed forward and bowled into the gathered cultists!

They had squished themselves into a firmer circle around Rook’s hunched form, and the Giga Impact sent nearly all of them flying into the foliage. Rook gasped and jerked his head around. Tsuki looked too, but couldn’t see whatever had saved them…

Those Pokemon who were still on their feet stepped forward again in a furious attempt to finish Rook off, but a burst of dust suddenly had them reeling. From the greenery leapt a shaggy white Furfrou, who slid to a stop and posed happily with an early pregnancy swaying gently below her…

“Right, that’s what I think of louts who assume they’re strong because they prey on innocent Pokemon in packs!” snapped the Furfrou prissily, her voice overly-annunciated and exaggerated. Everything but the fur trim on this hound screamed ‘posh’, making their dishevelled appearance all the more surprising…

“Who are you?” Rook snapped instantly. His arms were still defensively about Tsuki, though the Jolteon struggled past them and stood in front of the Furfrou instead…

“Me?” the dog hummed pleasantly, turning about a couple times… “Why, my name is Farri~ I’m an artefact hunter, an explorer, and a proud member of Team-…”

WHACK!

One the blinded cultists finally managed to clear their eyes, and their response to Farri distracting herself with her own chatter was to swing a firm blow to the back of her head. 
She stumbled forward, and Tsuki growled sharply in anger. Without thinking, her fur poofed to ridiculous volume as she gathered a bolt of energy and struck the offending Pokemon with Thunder…

“A-Ah, well, yes… I, ouh… dizzy… I am here to help. I should probably explain later…?”

“Would be best, I think…” Rook growled, as those cultists who were still conscious after being flung away gathered again…

“Six of them, it seems… Six on three! This is hardly fair… For you~” Farri laughed, as she recovered her focus and shook her head firmly… “I assume that you each can take at least one of these fools… Ah! You, Jolteon, are a medic. I didn’t notice, but if you want to stay away from the fighting…”

Tsuki huffed, yet didn’t back down entirely… But she did move to Rook’s side, to be safer. Farri nodded once and then turned back to the advancing cultists with a smirk…

“Then let’s make short work of this, and you can treat our wounds after. Ah, and if you have any Belue Oil on you… That would be greatly appreciated too!”

Tsuki’s eyes went blank for a moment with confusion as to why the hound would be asking for skincare at this moment, but the Furfrou smirked and batted their belly with a back leg to indicate. Tsuki gasped gently in realization and nodded; that oil was often used by expectant mothers for strain relief and to avoid stretch marks…

The Jolteon was enamoured as the Furfrou turned, despite a belly that would have had anyone in her home village on nest-rest, and darted into battle. Tsuki couldn’t help but be intrigued by the difference in attitude to what had been spoken down to her all her life...
“...Tsuki. Tsuki, you aren’t paying attention again. Are you taking this seriously…?”

The Eevee’s ears folded and her distant, dreamy eyes focused suddenly. By the poofiness of the adolescent’s fur, most predicted she was on the path to becoming a Flareon. None of them seemed to notice her boundless energy, and attributed the static that snapped from her fur to its soft volume…

The Audino, however, couldn’t care less whether she was a Palkia, or a Tentacool. She slapped the twig she was using to point at the parchment against a palm… Usually, her kind were seen as soft and matronly by those who had clearly never actually been a nurse… They were effective healers, and for some, it wasn’t because they were gentle…

“You have been training to become a doctor for how many years at this point? You claim to want to help, and especially the higher calling of bringing children into the world. But then you sit here and space out. Is learning how to set a Fearow’s wing boring to you? Too bad. It’s part of your job…”

Tsuki drooped softly and receded a bit, as if to hide behind her fellow students. The Audino rolled her eyes and tapped on the parchment, hanging there against a wall for them all to study. The young Eevee was soon glanced away again, staring across the small village and at the hut that was near its entrance…

It was an unassuming hut… But a banner hung from it, emblazoned with a simple egg symbol. The maternity ward, for lack of a better term…

Her own mother had worked there. The Eevee still vividly recalled her years as an innocent kit, hiding under her mother or on her back as she pressed other Poke-mothers legs apart, counted contractions, and helped newborns slip free into her paws…

“...of course, the females among you will at some point bear children of your own. Wonderful kits, chicks, spawnlings… Whatever your species has, it is a blessing from mother Mew that your life would be so simple; remain in your nest, where it is safe, so that your mate can tend to you and you in turn can tend to your babies…”
The class was rapt with attention. Tsuki made sure to at least be facing forward, so it didn’t look like she’d lost interest again… With the way the nurses spoke about her future, she might as well be paired off already… While she could technically still be a doctor as a mother… None of it felt right…

She was beginning to wonder if indeed Mew’s path was right for her… then, lo and behold…

“TSUKI!”

“A-AH! I’m paying attention! Please, miss…”

Tsuki blinked rapidly and looked confusedly up at Rook, who was staring down with equal confusion. Farri was in the background, nudging the robes of the fallen Pokemon with her nose in search of clues of their affiliation…

“Goodness! Was it that worrisome that you passed out midway through, Doctor?” Farri called, without looking. Tsuki’s face went red with silent embarrassment, and then she spoke up…

“Sorry. Is everything okay? I… I wasn’t sure what to do during all of that. I didn’t want to accidentally zap Rook again…”

“Please. I’m a big target, and I’m pretty sure one of my ancestors was a Ground type, so I’m fine.” Rook’s pleasant smile had ingratiated him to friend and client alike, and he could rightly be said to be the most popular captain of their little Guild. Tsuki smiled up at him appreciatively, and then walked over to Farri to peer down…

“...bizarre. They are indeed normal Pokemon. No marks, no sickness, no mental control that I can see…” Farri muttered… “Obviously I am not a Psychic type, but I work very closely with one and…”

“Erm. Sorry to interrupt, but, we never really got a proper introduction… I’m Tsuki. This is Rook. And we appreciate your help… It’s pretty obvious you’re part of a Team too…”

Farri turned around to face her, grinning gently…

“I am indeed. Perhaps you’ve heard of Team Wellspring…?”

Tsuki was about to shake her head, but Rook choked as he heard the name…

“...Wellspring, eh? That Team who took over that backwater town?”

Farri rolled her eyes and subtly kicked a bit of dirt towards Rook. The taller Pokemon didn’t seem to notice…

“No indeed!” Farri huffed… “Well… I mean, we did indeed meet and save a town from utter disaster. Since then, it has been flourishing!”

“...the new lake that appeared on the maps probably helped that.”

The Furfrou paused and tilted her head slowly. Tsuki blinked, seeing an expression of mixed embarrassment and pride competing fervently for real estate on her face…

“Well! It isn’t as if we planned it, even if we got our name from it. It’s quite a tale… I, of course, have written an extensive piece on the events, and I’m certain if Sayl was here, (and not so laden with eggs that they can’t even fly right now), that they would have a copy in their satchel! But…”

Tsuki hopped a couple times, her ears folding. Great… Another long winded tale-teller like Rook. Except even Rook was starting to look irritated at the post-amble that was attached to each answer…

“But.” Rook cut in… “You’re a long way from that new lake…”

“Hm, the lake on Mew’s Nest, of course~”

“Mew’s Nest is what you called your village…?” Tsuki spoke up. Farri beamed…

“Indeed! There was some confusion about the name, I think we’ve settled on that now though.”

“Awfully pretentious, to think you have the right to name your village something so lofty, hound…” Rook said, eyeing her. Farri didn’t seem the least bit perturbed…

“It would be, yes, were it not Mew herself that inspired it.”
Rook’s laughter rattled the leaves of the trees around them. He turned and started to walk away…

“Come on, Tsuki. Helpful as she was, this is just a mad female, out adventuring far past when her nesting time should have began…”

Tsuki bit her lip. Farri shook her head gently and circled the unconscious Pokemon cultists at her feet, giving them one last look before turning back to the others…

“If you say so. I needn’t prove myself to any random Pokemon like you, after all. The proof is hanging below me, hm hm~”

The Jolteon knew all too well. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from it. Farri had noticed her staring, but was being coy… or as she would say, respectful. She walked back to Tsuki…

“...Your beliefs seem so different to ours…” the nurse-mon said, “I’ve only ever heard of Mew being a legend. A Pokemon who lived a long time ago, if that. Maybe not even a creature of divinity as much as just… A strong Pokemon.”

Farri smirked softly, to hide the grimace. It was a common sentiment after all, for those who had grown up with the common interpretation of the old beliefs…

“I can assure you, dear doctor, she is quite real. More involved than you seem to think… And she wholeheartedly endorses me being here. In THIS condition, might I add!”

She turned to show off again. Rook had leaned against a nearby tree, waiting for Tsuki and ignoring the mad mutt who would get herself and her litter killed with her insistence on adventuring. Surely.

“How can you… Tell? I-I mean, many have claimed to see or even meet Mew, but… It’s always a lie. A hoax. A grab for power…”

And yet, the Furfrou seemed different. She wasn’t liked the proselytizing zealots who wanted more coin and food for their insight. She seemed content… Even more knowledgable than Rook, who Tsuki had seen as well-travelled until just this moment...
...then again, it might be a terrible case of being tricked, and lead into the Pyroar’s den. After all, she WAS standing over the fainted bodies of a literal cult… It wouldn’t be out of sorts to have a con-mon beat up the thugs to make herself look good, then drag Tsuki into servitude with honeyed words…

And yet, Farri merely smiled and posed again, as she seemed wont to do…

“Well. As I said, I’ve met her, but… That’s not exactly good enough for proof to you, is it? Mm… Aha. I know!”

She walked up to Tsuki, reaching into her bag and fishing out a small page. It was marked with a simple symbol…

“...Here. Give this to the Pokemon guarding the hut nearest the South gate of your town. You’ll be able to meet someone who will enlighten you.”

“Like hell she’s going anywhere like that… Our town’s doctors are precious!”

“Oh, indeed.” Farri said, pleasantly… “Then go with her. Speak to the guarding Pokemon and set a meeting elsewhere. Whatever makes you feel safe, so long as you let Yatzil speak her wisdom to you…”

“Yatzil?” Tsuki probed, but as Farri opened their muzzle to speak, the leaves rustled once more… 

Hob burst forth, ready to fight… and then his shoulders slumped as he saw the scene…

“...ah, skun-tail. I was a little late… I had to convince the guild I wasn’t just slacking off because of my damn injury!”

Rook smirked and looked at the other three, as Pokemon wearing orange scarves emerged from the trail and started to go about documenting the scene, and more importantly; capturing the cultists…

“Well, it ended up fine… We need to return to the village, recover, and regroup. I’d be just as happy not stepping foot in these woods any more, but I doubt the Guild will just idly allow these… creatures… to remain here. So we should restock and be ready for a struggle...”
Farri perked, and walked up to Rook…

“Wellspring was in the area investigating this very incident. On the way back to the village, perhaps we can compare notes…?”

“...this IS our job, you know.” Rook said, defensively. Farri swayed her hips playfully…

“Oh yes! And you’ll get all the glory. It just seemed clear you might… Heh, need our help?”

The Furfrou glanced behind her, at the groggy cultists being lead into a cage to be carried back…

“I mean, you seemed to handle this incident just fine… Honestly. No insult meant. But you also don’t know what you’re going up against… And I just might.”

The words seemed to remind Rook, and he reached into his pack to pull out the slightly discoloured shard that Hob had stepped on…

“Hm. In that case, if you’re offering… We found this in the clearing as well. I wouldn’t wager it belonged to any other mon but them…”

The Chesnaut gestured to the caged Pokemon, and then extended it to show Farri. Her eyes darted over the image, and she bit her lip nervously…

“...I see…”

“What is it?” Tsuki and Hob asked, at nearly the same moment…

“I’m not entirely certain, but I have indeed seen this symbol. It used to be very rare, and isolated to the furthest reaches of Verus. Now… Now it’s this far in-land that… hm.”

The other guild members were starting to head back down the trail. Hob leapt up and landed lightly on Rook’s shoulder. Tsuki fell in behind, and Farri beside her…

“I suppose I’ll have to tell you about them on the return journey… They are a particularly cruel group, known as… The Fading...”
Deep within the woods, the trees were charred and brittle…

There was no light allowed here… The cracked canopy was festooned with blankets and other coverings, creating a little square of perpetual night. Within, only the flicker of the scattered candles illuminated the dancing shadows, in which a group of the gathered cultists stood…

Some were busy with cages, and experiments. Others were merely bowed in fervent prayer to twisting idols, while still others moved among the branches and ensured not a sliver of light could permeate this sacred place…

At the centre of this remote hideaway was a hut, pieced together by stolen and roughly hewn wood. It was the only structure here… And it looked like it had been here for a long time…

A cultist entered the hut. Inside, it was pitch black… save for a dim, ominous, lavender glow…

“...Mother Casia…”

The glow flared… Ethereal flames guttered to life with a whispering rush of air. A pair of grim eyes opened, glowing even brighter than the smoulder on her back…

The strange breed of Quilava was rare, with her mane of flames replaced by a swirl of ethereal purple fire. They came from across the sea, so it was said, and were known mainly as Oracles… This one slowly pushed herself to sit up. Her body was slender, and young… but her expression was the deep and worrisome gaze of someone who had seen too much, and who delighted in spreading that misery…

“...Casey.” she said. Her voice was rough, and perhaps a bit masculine… yet, no one would ever mistake her for a male. Her hips were a birthing female’s figure…

“Casey is my name… You can adhere to the tenants of our order all you like, but ‘Casia’ isn’t what I’m called. Casey.”

“...apologies, mother. But Casey sounds so… plain…”

Before another thought could run through the neonate’s mind, the Quilava’s flames flared in anger. She became a beacon there in the gloom, albeit one that would lead to your destruction if you were fool enough to follow it…

“...then I will make it a feared name. If you think it’s mundane… We will form it into something FAR WORSE…”

“I-I meant no offence, I never did, I just…!”

The strange breed of Quilava had rarely been seen in Verus, and that alone could make up for the female’s smaller size when it came to intimidation. The shadows danced and swirled, and the fire on her back briefly turned a blighted shade of pale, festering green…

...but she backed off. Her eyes dimmed, and her fire returned to embers. The cultist had to actively fight against their body’s instinct to slump against the floor with relief…

“See it doesn’t happen again. I like my name… What are you in here for, anyway? You interrupted my rest just to…”

“I… I have news! I’m sorry, I am merely a humble messenger… I haven’t been here long enough to…”

“SHUT IT!”

Casey stamped a foot and stepped forward. She looked the creature up and down for a moment, trying to discern their species… The cloaks deliberately concealed many features, so apart from ‘two legged’, she wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter much anyway…

“...morons. If I was able to do this myself, I would have been done ages ago. What is the news…?”

“...The group who extended themselves to the lesser villages have been captured. All of them.”

Casey flared again, and she set her jaw. She shoved past the neonate and stomped from the hut, and into the clearing…
If her leadership role didn’t attract eyes immediately, then the glower of her flame would for certain. It pierced the shadows all around her and cast them against trees and across the ground. They undulated… writhed… reached and grasped all about, as if trying to pull the Pokemon there under… Or claw their way free…

“I’ve been informed our SUPPLY team has been TAKEN. The fools in the nearby village assume their laws supersede all… They are blinded by the harshness of a sun that stares down, unblinking and uncaring…! And now our brethren will be there in their cells… Among their warmth, their so called LOVE…”

The cultists gathered slowly on the edge of Casey’s light. She turned and looked around at each of them. Despite her stature being much smaller than most of the gathered Pokemon’s, all seemed cowed by her very presence…

“True, our fallen comrades are touched by the sight of what is to come… The smothering night… Heh. But some are weak willed… They will take the hospitality as genuine… The affection as earned, as deserved…! They will be suckered into the SUCKLING life, pulling at their mama’s TIT until they grow withered and return to the dust…!”

The cultists were becoming riled now… Excited whispers became hissed chanting… 

“You are wiser… You know that when your blood is wasted on the grass, you will meet the same fate as all others…!”

She looked around at them… And then flared her fires once more…

“OBLIVION…!”

The chanting became frenzied. Each gathered Pokemon was staring into the swirl of spirits that were apparent in the flames…

“The only truth is this… The end is dark… The shadows are hungry… Feed them, and perhaps your eternity will be cool, and sedate… But these fools defy and cling to their hope… What will you do…!?”

“TAKE IT FROM THEM!” the crowd roared. Casey smirked wide, and turned again…

“The darkness beyond our sight hears your zeal… It is merciful… Nothingness will be a rest after the burden of a so called… LIFE!”

The cultists were in a frenzy now. Casey stepped back and climbed the few stairs to the hut, then turned…

“...At sundown, we attack that village. We wipe it from the face of the map, we take all we wish, we return our brethren and DRAG NEW ONES INTO THE FOLD, KICKING AND SCREAMING IF WE MUST!”

The cultist in the hut had since exited and was among the crowd. Casey stamped her paw and gave one last proclamation to them…

“Prepare… Tonight is the night we finally begin to extend our reach from this murky depth… To the sanctuaries… To the homes…! TO THE VERY EDGES OF VERUS ITSELF, UNTIL ALL IS QUIET AND STILL!”

“UNTIL ALL IS QUIET AND STILL!!!” the crowd roared, and then immediately began preparations for their horrid raid. Casey backed away and into her hut, thumping the door closed and collapsing heavily on her bed again…

“...morons and suckers… indeed…” she muttered, looking troubled… Her mind was already a step ahead, and working out what would be needed next… for herself, of course, and none of these lowly sheep who wandered in her shadow…

“...Hmph. If you were still here, big brother, none of this would ever have happened…”

She yawned, stretched, and curled up to return to her rest with a gentle sigh…

“Then again… You always had a way of making things worse, so… Perhaps it’s best you’re not here for this… Still…”

Her eyes closed slowly, and she muttered to herself as she returned to blessed slumber…

“...wish I knew where you were… Dak...”
“A dour, apocalyptic cult. They have a tendency to burst up without warning, and then slink back to the shadows when threatened. Shadows, indeed! They despise the light, hence their ‘creative’ name. They seem to assume that the only end for every Pokemon is the unending void, and if they curry favour with it, their non-existence would be soft and restful… Meanwhile, us ‘sun worshipping’ ‘mons are going to be so used to the light that it will be an eternity of sorrow and madness!”

“...and… And they want to bring that about, I assume…”

Farri chuckled softly, glancing at the cage that was being carried behind them. The cultists were all in various supplicated poses, whispering prayers or hissing curses. As they walked back through the forest lanes, the shade of the canopy became less oppressive… Shafts of light glittered down through the leaves, and brought each of the respective creatures out of their tension bit by bit…

“Yes indeed, Ms. Tsuki. They claim to be in contact with some dark god, something perhaps not even Pokemon. But at the same time, every cult would claim that. Who knows what their true agenda is… Death, or some kind of subtle subjugation of Verus. They wouldn’t be the first, after all, to try…”

Tsuki glanced down at the ground in front of her, frowning softly. Hob noticed her introspective expression from where he reclined on Rook’s back. He bit his lip, his tail flicking back and forth…

“...Hey, Farri, right?”

“Yes indeed, architect of the glorious museum that will soon stand proud on the shores of the new lake that the glorious mother Mew has granted us~”

Hob rolled his eyes and flexed his injured foot idly…

“Yeah yeah. You claim to be so loyal to Mew, but at the same time… Why are you out here with a stomach so big that you look ready to pop?”

Farri snorted and flicked a bit of sand aside, in a dismissive gesture…

“This is what you consider big? Oh dear… I’m not even half term yet.”

Hob blinked in shock. A few other Pokemon nearby did as well...
...Tsuki merely glanced away, glad that her cheek fur hid her light blush. Farri pranced a bit on the trail, seemingly not even noticing the heavy bag bouncing against her similarly heavy flank…

“Honestly, I suppose it makes sense! I’ve learned much from my time researching the ancient ways of Verus, and it’s entirely understandable that so many have strayed from the true path…”

“If it is indeed the true path…” Rook’s bassy voice hummed… “And not, of course, just another cult…”

Farri’s face fell into an annoyed frown, and she quickly trotted about to walk in front of Rook, so she could speak to them all equally…

“When I say I have glimpsed mother Mew, I know you think I’m mad… But I have. And I know what she wants of us; it isn’t dull squatting in a nest when we are at the apex of our maternal trial… She wishes us to…”

“To put yourself, and your litter, in a bunch of danger?” Hob sighed heavily, his arms folding behind his head… “Cult. For sure. Every smart ‘mon knows that if you’re laden, you nest. It’s not our instinct for no reason…”

Farri couldn’t help but give a soft growl. Usually she didn’t engage this firmly while she travelled, content instead to spread her knowledge and let it flourish on its own. The worthy would come to the dear goddess of their own will. Yet, something about this group prodded her the wrong way. She fell back to walk alongside the silent Tsuki, who bit her lip and glanced away as the Furfrou returned…

“Well, it’s difficult to convince males either way, as I said… But you… I can see your eyes at my haunch every moment you think you can get away with it… Why do you not carry your own, as of yet?”

Tsuki’s face scrunched gently in annoyance, and she sighed heavily…

“...well, apart from the fact I don’t have a male I could trust to put a litter in me?”

Farri smirked. Rook chuckled. Hob glanced away silently...
“...honestly, it’s because I would indeed be confined to my nest. I don’t have wanderlust to the point where my dreams are to scale the highest peaks or sail across the ocean, but… The way they treat the females here, once they’re impregnated… Like… I don’t know, like…”

“Perhaps, as if the child inside was more important than the mother?”

Tsuki lifted her head, surprised. Farri was staring forward as she walked, seeming a bit distant… and troubled.

“Yes. Yes, it’s a common assumption. Sons are more important than daughters, mothers should be kept safe. But the faithless assume that Mew will not protect them…”

“Or that she’d expect us to do what our instincts say… And NOT fight while we’re pregnant?” Hob asked, his voice dripping with more venomous sardonism than before. He was glaring mildly at Farri, though the hound didn’t seem to notice. Their eyes were back on Tsuki…

“Well dear. As I said, I believe I know someone who can enlighten you. They are a true priestess of Mew... In fact…”

They emerged from the treeline and crested a small hillock. Down below, the docile village could be seen in the late afternoon glow of the sky…

“I’m certain you’d usually have stodgy nurses to answer to, after such a trip as this…”

“...yes. Those at our ward are… Demanding. The fact Hob even got injured in such a stupid way will reflect poorly on me…”

“It wasn’t your fault…” Hob grumbled, his venom directed elsewhere, suddenly. Tsuki shook her head gently…

“I’m responsible for any injuries… And the Audino who runs the place is as hard as a Steelix when it comes to all this.”

“Tsk! As if you were matron of an entire city ward, or could have done anything BUT bandage such an incidental injury…” Farri puffed… “Don’t go to them. I will intercept if need be, but you must speak to Yatzil… I think she will be expecting you.”
“Expecting… me?”

“Yes, my dear Jolteon~ Mew does not send Yatzil frivolously about like a Spinda’s steps; each place she travels is a new task set before her… A new holy mission to ensure the brightest future our goddess can foresee!”

Tsuki poofed her fur gently in surprise, as they walked through along the village outskirts. The captured cultists were dragged away to the halls of justice, where their de-conversion would at the least be attempted before any other drastic measures. Rook turned immediately towards the Guild hall, with Hob in tow. Hob glanced between Farri and Tsuki, then managed a wry smirk…

“Yeah, Sook. Go talk with this priestess. Anything to tick off the whiny matrons. We’ll cover for you, say you’re busy there while Farri says you’re busy with us.”

“Sneaky little mouse, eh? Thank you, Hob. Your help in all this is appreciated, despite what I’ve said or implied.”

Hob shook his head and waved a paw at Farri as Rook carried him away. Farri sighed and turned back to Tsuki, then lifted her own paw to point out a small, unassuming hut that was usually rented by travellers…

“There you are. If she does not know who you are, then mention my name. But I’m certain that if you truly believe that this village does not hold the key to the way of life you are happiest with… Well. She will certainly set you on the right path.”

Farri smiled perkily once more, before turning and trotting off towards the medical ward’s hut that sat near the centre of the village. Tsuki was left to stand there unsure of herself, looking between the place she was supposed to be, and the hut that contained this priestess. She bit her bottom lip and nervously padded forward, her puffy pelt crackling with energy as she approached the hut. In front of it was a sleepy looking Gardevoir who, once shown the symbol, let Tsuki pass and enter the hut. She tried desperately to flatten her fur to look more presentable, at least a bit. When she realized she couldn’t…

“...wait a moment, this isn’t just my static…”
The door swung open, and in the small single room, she could see a Heliolisk cinching the strings on a pack tight. She looked up as the sunlight fell across her, and her frill brightened subtly alongside her smile…

“Well well… The town nursemaid at last, hm? I’ve heard much about you…”

“P… Pardon? Are you… Yatzil?”

“I am indeed. And when I say I’ve heard much, I mean that I of course inspected this village’s ward. The amount of mothers sat miserably in there as their pregnancy comes to an end. Hmph. Their children will be stunted, surely…”

She yanked the straps on her bag once more, and then turned back to her. She used her tail to hook a staff from nearby, and lean against it as she took a few steps to stand in front of Tsuki. This close up, the Jolteon could see her middle was subtly curved… She was laden too…?

“Hm hm hm. In any case, the matrons had nothing but poor words for you… Nervous, too insistent on field work, far past the breeding age and still with a sunken tummy, hm?”

“...Yeah, that sounds like them for sure…” Tsuki muttered, ears drooping. Yatzil’s face looked almost smug, perhaps indulging in a bit of superiority over such backwards fools. The light of mother Mew was glorious, and when it was denied directly, one couldn’t help but gloat over a fool’s folly…

Yet Tsuki was different for certain. Her goals had always been to have children, and yet she remained without any… because she knew what a torment it would be to have them under the thumb of those who saw population as commodity instead of blessing…

“There are many ways to conceive, rear, and raise a child… This is not one of them. The cowards of this village sequester themselves in tighter and tighter circles, unwilling to risk losing even a single mote of growth to their numbers. Do you know, long ago, there did not used to be villages… There was merely a gathering place for all of the faithful to breed and tend their babies… Ahah, but, that is literal ancient history. If indeed a female is burdened by her middle, and wishes protection and rest… Then she should have it! But equally… None should be denied their calling simply because they were born with the blessing of child-bearing…”

Tsuki stared in admiration at the female before her, and all of her old frustrations at the mundane village life bubbled swiftly to the surface as they were finally put into crystal-clear words. Yatzil’s eyes gleamed with recognition, and her smile broadened…

“Indeed. Why should you be denied? The joy of parenthood is something that all should experience, and as you can see, one such as Farri is still able to have many passions. But her style of motherhood seems to have gone out of favour, replaced by the need to dictate every moment of a life from conception, ‘til their bones are scattered into the fire. Feh. Being a mother should not steal away ambition, nor potential! And that is Mew’s teaching. Is there danger in carrying the children abroad from a nest…? There always is. There is danger if you remain within the nest... If you are as still and quiet as a Shedinja, there are STILL risks. Mew protects the worthy equally, from the mothers striding into dangerous catacombs, to the mothers grooming their first litter and anticipating the birth of their next. All are equal, and none shall be denied their destiny…”

The Heliolisk swayed gently on her feet. One of her claws was settled against her middle, and her frill shimmered in patterns with contentment. Tsuki nearly had to hold back tears as this mysterious reptile extended an offer with everything she’d ever wanted… To have her children, and still to feel useful…

“...I don’t need to adventure much. I just need to… To not feel chained… To a male, or to a nest, or… Or any of that. I… I know how to deliver Pokemon safely, but I… I couldn’t work in our ward for long, knowing what awaited…”

“And if you had, you likely would be trapped there one way or another. Perhaps that is still your path, Tsuki. Perhaps you will find someone in this village who will make sitting on that nest worthwhile. Or perhaps… Well.”

The priestess turned and walked back to her pack, hefting it up and settling it on her shoulders. She huffed, but she seemed more than capable of it. After all, she was used to carrying it alongside a burden on her front…

“I must go. I was here to investigate this bloody cult, but the winds have changed. I must make haste, if I am to be where I need to be…”

“W-Wait… that’s it? No more of Mew’s teachings or… No… Nothing else?”

“Hm? Tsuki dear, it is only the beginning. An offer. If you wish, you may follow Farri home. If there is nothing tying you here but miserable sense of duty… Perhaps it is time that you seek your happiness elsewhere.”

Tsuki looked a bit taken aback… 

“You’re… You’re asking me to uproot, and follow strangers who I barely know…”

“No, dear. I am asking you to shake what few meagre anchors you are beholden to here, and follow someone you know all too well…”

Yatzil patted her shoulder, and then walked past her and onto the path. She trekked towards the forest, but diverted to another road that would take her further into Verus, and ever forward on her mission…

Tsuki was left to stare after her. She turned around, confused about Yatzil’s final words… until her eyes caught the ratty old quilt hung on the wall, depicting Mew’s silhouette.

The Jolteon sighed heavily and exited the hut. She glanced around, unsure whether to go to the Guild hall, or the… The ward...

...well, no. In the end, that was an easy decision. Hesitantly, she wandered towards the Guild hall, measuring her steps to give herself time to contemplate all she’d been told. By the time she climbed into the dusty old building that represented the vaunted protectors of Pokemon kind, her head was a spinning mess… but she knew her thoughts entirely revolved around avoiding the question;

‘Why not?’

She didn’t have anyone here that she could call a friend. Just work colleagues and associates. An appreciative mother or patient, who occasionally sent her a nicely baked berry treat…

Was that worth not pursuing her dreams…?

“Tsuki, you’re going to walk straight into a wall.”

The Jolteon lifted her head and blinked in confusion. Rook stood nearby, arms crossed and face looking bemused, while Tsuki’s face was indeed a pace or two away from planting itself into the clay bricks in front of her…

“...oop. Sorry. I was distracted…”

“That much is obvious. Lots on your mind, I take, from that so called priestess?”

Tsuki didn’t answer. She merely glanced away, but it was enough to confirm Rook’s question. He sighed gently and moved to crouch next to her…

“Look… I can tell she said some things that… got into your head… Do you want to talk about it, or…?”

“...she… offered me to come with her. Or, rather, Farri. To this other village…”

“Mew’s Nest, hm? A pretentious name for a little squalid hamlet…”

“Is it?”

Rook blinked, and stood again. Tsuki didn’t meet his gaze, glancing away silently…

“...Hm. She really did get into your head then… But…”

Rook sighed and turned, his arms folding gently once more…

“Honestly, Tsuki, this place barely needs protection. There are a half dozen matrons, and a half dozen nursemaids in training. Your presence wouldn’t be missed all that much…”

Tsuki’s head whipped around and she glared… until she realized Rook was stood silent and stoic. He wasn’t insulting her… merely giving her the scissors needed to snip things free…

“You would be just another wanderer. You stayed for awhile, and you left. That’s how our town has always worked, and how it will always work. If you’re worried about that… Then maybe you should go elsewhere. See what they have to say, at the least…”

“...you aren’t worried?”

“No. And to be honest, I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s just because that mutt saved us from the cultists, or… or maybe it’s just the way you look at them and their teachings…”

He sighed and turned around to look down at her. His face looked a bit morose, but he was good at putting on a grim and unwavering facade…

“Maybe it really is what you need. And if it doesn’t work out… well, you know there’s a place for you here, if you ever wanted to return…”

The wayward female wasn’t sure what to say to that… despite the fact that she was sure by now where she wanted to be. She didn’t know if this Mew’s Nest would be a perfect fit for her, but…

“...mm. Well… I still feel bad leaving you…”

Rook finally smiled, albeit a slightly bitter one…

“Well, don’t be. Like I said, I expect you to return. Even if you live elsewhere, you had better make it out to see us every once and again. It’s all I can stand of your fussing over my scars anyway.”

Tsuki returned the smile and chuckled softly. She was about to say more, when the door burst open and Hob stumbled in, limping and cursing…

“Blasted metal scrap… Nnnh, it damn near went THROUGH my foot… By Arcy’s DROPPINGS this hurts…”

“Hob? Are you okay?”

“No! There’s something coming from the forest… A crowd.”

Rook’s face hardened. Tsuki’s did too…

“How many?” Rook plied. Hob smacked his paws on his head a couple times…

“Oh, yeah! I stopped to count after spying them, obviously! Ugh... I was walking home, and dusk is coming, so I could barely see them. But it’s hard to miss those robes, even in the dark…”

Tsuki’s fur poofed hard…

“There’s… More cultists…!?”

“A couple DOZEN more, by the looks of it… And they’re headed this way.”

The team left the Guild hall quickly and exited into the growing dusk. The other members of their group had gathered as well, glaring and flexing their spines, fists, and internal elemental pouches. Rook nudged to the front, staring with confusion at the slow procession towards the town. Each cultist of varying size and species was holding a candle in front of them that was rapidly burning down to its stump…

“Are they surrendering…?” some naive fool in the crowd asked, nervously…

“...No.” Rook growled, and extended the spikes from his shell suddenly, preparing… “They’re here to get their friends back… And probably worse…”

The sun slipped further and further down below the horizon… Its glowering heat wobbled the air above it as it sank out of sight, leaving only its dusky orange light in its trail… Even that was being rapidly eaten by the encroaching, starless night…

It was a new moon. The scene was dark…

The candles flickered out rapidly, one by one…

“…BRACE!”

Rook’s voice came just in time, as he turned and held his shell shield defensively. The crowd of cultists had rushed forward, dousing their candles with the motion as they barrelled helter skelter towards the village…

They broke like a tidal wave upon the lined Guild members. The good guys were outnumbered four to one, but their frantic and fanatical assault was far less focused than the well trained Pokemon who stood in defence…

Tsuki ducked, and darted through the crowd. With her speed, it was easy for her to get from one place to another. She skidded to a stop, noticing a team-mate who had been knocked down. A Thunderbolt was flung at the encroaching cultist, who shrieked and fell back with a twitch…
“Hey… You okay?!” Tsuki called. The Machoke who’d fallen growled and moved their limbs stiffly in an attempt to get back to the fight. Tsuki bit her lip, then smacked her paws together sharply. A soft bell’s tone rang out, and the Machoke’s burly body loosened… They snarled softly, and shoved themselves up, much more limber…

“We need one of your eggs over here, Matron!” The Jolteon called, before darting away again. She was doing her best to use her energies to deflect cultists who were gaining the upper hand… Between that, and her ability to heal the minor wounds that the brave defenders were taking, she hoped it was enough… but…

She skidded to a stop near Hob, whose tail was lashing back and forth to slam into an assault of furious cultists…

“Tsuki…!” he gasped, as he noticed her… “Back off!”

“No!” she growled. She looked up in surprise as a burly cultist emerged from the fray… Even under their robe their Ursaring form, and might, couldn’t be hidden. Hob took a step back, eyes widening… But he glanced at Tsuki, whose pelt was crackling fiercely with energy… 

Hob set his jaw and crouched. He ignored the injury to his foot entirely, as if it wasn’t there… He darted in front of Tsuki, who blinked and stepped back, but then set her paws and flung a bolt of energy…

...not at the massive bear that stalked forward, but at Hob. The bolt hit him and sunk into his body harmlessly, as Tsuki stood ready to help with the next attack…

Hob’s cheeks crackled and his body became covered in static. He braced himself, then dashed forward… Empowered by the Jolteon who always stood at his back, he rammed headlong into the Ursaring. They flew back through the air with a roar. Without thinking, Hob dashed after their target, even if it meant separating himself from his group…

“Hob… NO!” Tsuki called, taking a few steps forward before terror overwhelmed her. A pair of cultists had turned and their eyes locked on her from the shadows of their hood…

“...Mother Casia will devour your souls…” a gravely voice growled. Tsuki quickly backed away, recognizing from the tremble in the dust below her feet that these two were Ground types…

“She will purge you in the fire she nurtures… You will end… You will sink into the darkness, and despair!”

Tsuki glared at them both, puffed her fur to try and look intimidating…
Her breathing became faster as the two closed in… There didn’t seem to be a way to avoid the seismic tremors that threatened to split beneath her, and ground her forever…

“Back off…! I’m… I’m not letting you hurt any more innocent Pokemon…!”

“None of you are innocent… You are ours… And you shall pay the ultimate price for your disrespect towards the tender shadows that wish only to…”

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh…”

Tsuki blinked softly, and dared a glance behind her. As the whirling glare of fire, electricity, and other energies lit up the night around her, she spied someone approaching that she didn’t recognize… They were moving swiftly, purposefully… Yet their muzzle was stretched gently with a grin…

“By Mew’s hind end, you guys are dull. Every single one of you is the same thing… ‘Ooo, we’re shadow worshippers, we don’t like the sun, Noah, please stop hitting us!’…”

The Dewott chuckled and stood next to Tsuki, confidently placing his paws on his hips, near the scallops that shimmered softly even in the dim flashes…

“So unless you have any other information for us, like who this Mother Casia is…”

“Casia! Mother Casia!” hissed one of the Ground types, simultaneously filled with fury, and fear… “She will devour you all!”

“I’m certain.” Noah said, cheerfully… “Now make the first move, so I have a better excuse… Not that I need one, with the destruction you fools are trying to bring to this village…”

His playful demeanour briefly dropped, and his face got serious. One paw was gently rubbing his chin… The other was crossed over his body, tapping at his scallop. The two cultists nervously looked at one another…

...then turned and barrelled forward!

Tsuki squeaked, but Noah just sighed… “...never learn, do they…”

In the strobe of illumination, Tsuki’s eyes widened in admiration and surprise as Noah gracefully spun his blades and slipped past the defences of the Pokemon that threatened him. His movements were like a dance, and the mist he trailed glinted with rainbows, even in such a dim arena…

Tsuki’s gaze darted to the side. The other cultists seem to be taking notice of this one… Noah… Yes, even Tsuki had heard the name before, though there wasn’t much she could associate it with… Mew’s Nest was all the way across Verus, and rumours travelled slow along the roads. 

Still, she needed no better introduction than this… While he’d seem relaxed, his movements were precise. Even Rook, the eldest Guild member there, seemed to pale in comparison to the sure-footed show that this Water type put on…

The Ground types were put down swiftly. A swipe of his blades, and a Fire type nearby was put down too… With his help, the tide of the melee turned swiftly. Tsuki noticed Farri darting between the cultists too, making them fall where she impacted…

Within a few moments, it was all over, but the crying. The cultists were fleeing in fear and screeching their vows of revenge. Any guild member left standing pursued after them, hopefully to round up the rest. Any of the vile creatures who had been subdued or fainted were tied up with vines and tentacles, and dragged off towards the hall of justice…

“We don’t have near as many cages as we need… Some of these are just going to be tied up all night… Ugh, guard duty…” A Maractus whined, dragging a bound cultist behind. Tsuki was still poofed and on edge, but as everything calmed down, she tried to as well…

“...shadows… Mother Casia… Ouf. I think it’s more than this Guild usually handles…” she muttered to herself, collapsing to a sit with a heavy sigh…

“Well, unfortunately, we’re going to have to get used to it, perhaps…”

Tsuki lifted her head and looked. Noah and Farri were approaching her. Farri sat down in front of her, while Noah merely settled his paws on his hips once more, in a far more casual stance…

“...after all…” Farri continued, glancing down at her softly wriggling middle… “They are becoming bolder, no? It won’t be the last of them we face…”

“What…?” Tsuki huffed… “That wasn’t the whole cult…?”

Farri chuckled darkly…

“No, no indeed. This was just another little cell of them, as cancerous as the rest. We cut out the malignant parts that cause harm, but…”

“...but the root is still gone. And it’ll just pop up somewhere and start to grow again.” Noah rolled his eyes… “This is the first time we’ve had one stupid enough to give a name. Mother Casia. But I went to the clearing in the woods earlier today, and the only thing there was a burnt-down hut. One that had been burned so recently, it was still smouldering…”

Tsuki blinked… Then winced heavily…

“So that means… Their leader got away.”

“Mmph, more than that. An especially bad leader, it seems, who sent this many cultists to be captured as a distraction for her escape. It means that she’ll be back later, with a new set of rubes to do her bidding… Ugh.” Farri growled, gritting her teeth… “I was sure that if we came out here, we’d be able to corner her…”

“But she was one step ahead. As she always is…”

“...so the cult, their power… it isn’t real?” Tsuki asked, unsure of herself. Farri and Noah looked at one another with a suddenly very tired expression…

“...well... Just because the leader is using all this as a con… Doesn’t mean she hasn’t connected with a very evil Pokemon, or force, of some kind… She’s just being pragmatic with it…”

Noah stretched and sighed heavily, folding his arms behind his head…

“She’s building up resources, or trying to find something specific. Whenever she gets cornered, she apparently slips away. She isn’t using these cults for anything but an end to a means… But that end might be far worse than if she was merely some blind, hopeless, apocalyptic fanatic. She wants something… And she’s smart enough to pursue it…”

Tsuki bit her lip firmly and glanced away…

She looked out over the crowd, glancing back and forth among the crowd of gathered Pokemon…

Many of the Guild members were lovingly nuzzling their mates or children, who were happy to see them relatively unharmed in the attack… Others were staunchly discussing business… In particular, the nurse Matron was sternly speaking to one of her underlings… Tsuki didn’t catch her eye, but she knew an ear-full was coming either way… Probably a restriction on her field travel too…

Then she spotted, and locked eyes instead with Rook. The tired old Chesnaut was leaned against a nearby tree, resting and letting the sting of his wounds relax away. But he was staring intently at her… And as she looked, he merely gave a light smile, and nodded once as if to reassure her…

Somehow, it was all she needed. Her shoulders squared, and she looked up at Noah and Farri, who were quietly discussing with one another…

“...Farri… Noah.”

They both looked towards her…

“I met with Yatzil earlier… The priestess. And she said if I am not happy, nor appreciated here… That I should return with you to Mew’s Nest. I… I feel that’s the best course of action for me. I would be happy to use my talents to help you, and everyone else there of course… And I’d do so eagerly for a chance to help catch this Mother Casia… A-After all, I…”

She turned softly to look at the retreating crowd, filtering bit by bit into houses to rest, or huts to work overtime, and process all that had happened that day…
“...I want to make sure they’re all okay. I don’t hate them… I just…”

...she just needed freedom.

Noah smiled knowingly. He rubbed his chin again, looking her up and down, probing…

“...you’re a nurse, right?”

Tsuki hesitantly glanced towards the somewhat irate Audino, still chewing out an underling…

“Yes, sir.”

“No need for the sir part. Well… I guess I am your leader now, either way, eh?”

Tsuki blinked and looked up at him. His warm smile was broken only by a chuckle that he shared with Farri…

“Well dear…!” the hound cooed… “Welcome to Team Wellspring…!”
Tsuki nearly fell over with surprise. She squealed with delight and practically skipped in a circle. She felt the urge to dart around the open fields, and relished the idea of telling her crusty old Matron to get bent…

...and yet… Still… There was something missing… An irritating little thorn in her side…

Thankfully, the matron didn’t seem to have time, nor patience, to glance twice when Tsuki informed her she was leaving. The Audino snapped her fingers and pointed at the scarf… When Tsuki removed it and gave it back, she made a shooing motion.

That was it. Service to this village since she was a kit, and she got a ‘shoo’. She grit her teeth, but turned and walked haughtily out…

Farri and Noah used the hut that Yatzil had been in before to rest and regroup after a night spent well. Tsuki returned to her own personal little hut, and gathered up her few belongings…

All she had could fit into a pack… The books were a bit heavy, the rolled-up illustrations were awkward to fit… Yet in the end her life could indeed be reduced to less weight than a half-day pack of supplies…

She sat heavily on her bed and watched the sun rise from the circular window above her. She tapped her paws against one another with nervous energy, trying to focus away the nibble of desire that was stirring within her core…

Heat.

It started as a tingle, and then it spread throughout until her insides felt on fire indeed. She’d had to put up with this horrid cycle for most of her life, denying it from its true purpose and simply… waiting…

Before, she had barely noticed it. But somehow, the image of Noah in her mind...

...no. It wasn’t the Dewott. He was just a fine example of the kind of male she’d like. Powerful, reliable… And he hadn’t glanced twice at Farri’s middle, like the other disapproving males from Tsuki’s village would…

It was instead the moment when Farri was speaking to her on the trail… and promising her a midsection that was as heavy as she could stand...

She shook her head firmly, and glanced away. Her face was a mess of confusion… She’d of course been attracted to males of her village before, but it had never been so potent as to make her heat flare like this. In her dour, day to day routine of waking up and being miserable, she found it easy to ignore…

...now, suddenly, she was being told that her dream was coming true… And even that was enough to make her salivate with anticipation. Every moment left in this sweltering blaze was torment...

...when a cool, soothing drink from a spring was standing right there… Waiting…

“...It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, you know…?”

Tsuki nearly whirled so fast that she spun twice… She straightened herself out and saw Noah leaned lightly against her door frame. In the daylight, his handsome features were all the more enticing…

Tsuki shuddered, and then glanced away. She tried to mutter some deflection, but gave up halfway through.

“I… I’m not embarrassed over my heat… unless it was so bad you could scent it from your hut.”

Noah chuckled and stepped forward. For a moment, Tsuki’s fear that she had walked into a trap boiled briefly to the surface… But if reason couldn’t drown out that paranoia, instinct could. She was drooling from more than her mouth by now…

It was a strong enough scent to send most males around her into their ‘courtship’ mode… Yet Noah didn’t seem phased. More likely, ‘courtship’ was just his default state anyway.

“Nah. I could tell from how you were acting. When Illy gets ‘hot’ like that, even she can lose focus. And she’s a trained shinobi…”

He stretched casually and leaned against the wall, just a bit closer...
“...also I smelled you when we were battling the cultists.”

Tsuki’s shoulders HAD been relaxing, but they tensed up again. She hissed a sharp sigh from her nose and eyed him…

“...Fine. But what are YOU here for?”

Noah grinned softly. His knowing smile was of one who had heard that question asked to him a hundred times before. Almost every female member of Mew’s Nest whom he’d greeted had asked something similar. It was understandable… but sometimes, they needed a little… jolt… to get over their bashful nerves…

“If you want, I can douse if for you…”

“...what?!”

Noah’s smile shifted, and became more genuine and understanding. He rubbed the back of his head, then lightly stroked a whisker...

“Usually, even I’m not that forward. But if you wanted some TLC, I could certainly give it to you. It’s part of Mew’s tenants, after all, to make sure females who are wanting do not go unburdened…”

The Jolteon fizzed softly where she sat, vibrating with nerves…

“You’re offering to IMPREGNATE me, Noah…!”

She expected him to back off once his impropriety was called out. Instead, he put his paws on his cheeks in faux horror… Tsuki paled…

“Oh noooooo… As if you don’t have an entire village to help raise your children now. Including the one who can put them in you…”

“N-Noah…”

“Tsuki.” he cut her off, and stepped forward. Now that he was directly in front of her, she could more clearly scent him too… And it was causing her insides to gnaw all the more hungrily…
“...I’m not telling you what to do. I’m making an offer. You clearly want kids… Don’t you?”

“...I… I wanna be a mama, so bad Noah…”

The Dewott nodded and put his arms behind his head, then closed his eyes contemplatively…

“I know… I mean, I’m the other side of things, obviously… But I can feel it too. That never ending urge to reproduce… To swell with life. I might not carry, but every kick or wiggle I feel when I place my paw on my wife’s middle is… Is…”

He fell silent. But both understood, especially in that moment, what he was trying to say… It was scarcely something that could be put into words anyway…

“...Well. Like I said, it’s part of Mew’s teachings to make sure that itch gets scratched. She told us to cover the lands, and by her will, we shall. If you want to wait for a proper mate to start a family… Then do so. Just letting you know that you don’t HAVE to…”

He finally opened his eyes to see her quivering form sitting there, otherwise unmoving. Her eyes were locked on his, likely to avoid wandering any lower…

“...heh. And… Well, like I said, we’ll treat you right… Do plenty to make you comfortable before, during, and after. And hey, once you DO get knocked up, you can come to me whenever you want, and I’ll…”

“Alright, ALRIGHT! Just a moment… This is all too much. I’ve never been further than a few leagues from this village, and now I’m planning to move to a place that’s barely on the maps yet. And you want me to do so with children! I only just got out of one paw and…”

Noah’s paws placed on her shoulders. She stiffened, and looked up at him with a soft gasp…

“...And I’m not giving you orders, Tsuki… I called myself your leader… But that doesn’t just mean I saunter about and tell my Guild what to do, as I please. It means I try to direct you to what I think you’re going to be happiest with… And you are more than free to reject it.”
He released her, patting her head to reassure her. She seemed a little stunned…

“...Well, it’s an open offer. So you don’t have to take it now… And much as I think you’re cute, I’ve got other things to attend to as well. So for once, we gotta be responsible… Just once.”

He grinned, and then lowered his head a little to try and meet her distant eye-line. She looked up at him again…

“…You’re in good paws. You always have been. Remember that, yeah?”

He turned after that, and exited her room. As he closed the door behind him, it revealed the quilt that hung on it. The image of Mew’s silhouette now faced Tsuki head on…

...it had been so meticulously cared for, compared to the tattered specimen on the guest house wall...
“...sook… soooook…”

It was hours later. The sun was long since risen. Everything had been squared away, the few belongings that the Jolteon had were packed, and the relevant parties were informed…

Now, she was on the back of a stagecoach, being driven by a Mudsdale on towards her new home, with nothing but the whisper on the wind to remind her of the rapidly fading village in the distance…

“TSUKI!!!”

She gasped and stood up in the back of the coach. Farri blinked and lifted her head sleepily, but then grinned and returned to resting as she saw a Raichu leap up and land next to Tsuki… and promptly fall to a sit, hugging his injured foot…

“...ow… ow… ow…”

“...Hob?”

Tsuki blinked… The Raichu glanced away, his yellow cheeks reddening…

“...didn’t even say goodbye, dammit. What kind of friend are you if you toddle off on some new adventure without telling...?”

The Jolteon blinked, and then flustered with embarrassment… She sighed softly…

“I genuinely forgot. It was a bit of a rush… I… I had already talked with Rook about it, and… And I just… Forgot.”

She didn’t look at Hob’s face, but she could tell that he was staring with immense disappointment… He seemed genuinely hurt by her words… But he managed his relaxed smile, tinged with upset as it was…

“Well, you always were scatterbrained, Sook… And I had to catch you before you got out too far, on this damn paw…! So… You owe me at least one visit. Better be before I visit you… You hear…?”
The last couple of words were softer… Pleading… Seemingly begging, rather than demanding… Tsuki smiled, and leaned to nuzzle him affectionately. His eyes brightened a bit…

“Yes, Hob. I only had two reasons to visit that village, and Rook was one…”

“...let me guess, the Audino was the other?”

She batted at him with her paw. He fell over with a mock cry of pain, and then chuckled alongside her. For a few moments, as the caravan rumbled along, the only noises were the soft creaking, and the gentle chattering of nature all about them…

Eventually, Hob sat up… He rubbed his cheeks, then his paw. He sighed and smiled at her, before standing gingerly…

“...I’d better turn back, before I follow you all the way across Verus… You… You stay safe, alright? Take it easy and… I’ll… I’ll talk to you soon, Tsuki…”

“Talk to you soon, Hob…”

The Raichu stared at her for a few more moments before seemingly turning with reluctance, and hopping down back into the dusty trail…

...he made his way back to the village much slower than he had made his way to Tsuki...
Mew’s Nest… Tsuki anticipated her new home, feeling they couldn’t be there soon enough. Yet as they crested the hill and finally spied the growing village around the pristine, sapphire lake... she suddenly felt it was all too soon...

Noah was greeted eagerly. Farri was welcomed warmly. Tsuki was immediately entranced by the paradise she saw all around her. There were pregnant Pokemon all about…! Not every single female, of course, sported a belly… But many of them at least had a child clinging to them… She fought the sting behind her eyes, tears of joy threatening to spill forth unbidden...

She was directed to the nursing station. The old Shiftry there would teach her, and then take a much deserved retirement. She then met with the other members of Team Wellspring; the surly ‘big sister’ Li, the gentle and inquisitive scholar, Mu… And of course, meeting them meant meeting their many children too...

Sayl was bloated beyond belief and laid against Farri in the Guild hall when Tsuki had entered. Another, identical looking Furfrou, (though male), was laid against her as well, and when they noticed Tsuki staring, they chuckled and spoke in unison;

“Long story.”

...it felt like the beginning of her own long story in many ways, so Tsuki didn’t push. She returned the soft chuckle and continued on her tour with awe...

Ilianna was greeted with respect. Noah, confident and swaggering, was unusually humbled around her. The Jolteon could have pegged them as mates from a mile away…

In the end… She was finally somewhere new. Once she was given the chance to settle in, she became less afraid that she’d made a mistake in leaving her miserable old life behind for the one she’d been cloying for in her dreams since she first realized how much she wanted to be a mother...
Months passed. For awhile, she was simply focused on acclimating herself to a new village. To her relief, many of the other villagers were relatively new as well, having come there in recent years after the lake had formed. She fit in more than she had expected, and especially with the illustrious team…

It took only a mission or two to show they hadn’t made a mistake in recruiting her. She was protective, keen, and swift. More than that, now that she was no longer pressured and distracted by her constant nerves, she could prove to be even more effective…

As Yatzil had said, she couldn’t deny her destiny any longer. In truth, every day that she walked past another dozen examples of the maternity she longed for, she grew ever closer to the inevitable conclusion…

She invited Noah to her home one evening. It was a hut attached to the back of the ward, giving her privacy while letting her monitor her patients. At the moment, she was far more focused on the privacy part…

“...You’re giving me bedroom eyes. You can’t deny it.”

The Dewott grinned, and settled back on the bed. Tsuki didn’t answer. She was staring with a lidded gaze, savouring the moment for just a bit longer.

Yet Noah took it as hesitation. She needed another ‘jolt’, eh? He sighed and leaned his head back on his folded arms, closing his eyes and pretending to be disinterested…

“Well, I guess you can. I mean, a lot of the mothers complain all the time about pregnancy, because ultimately it is a TRIAL to motherhood, yeah? All those aches and pains, strains and kicks and… Well, all of that is...”

He snapped his eyes open, upon realizing that Tsuki had hopped on the bed too… In fact, she was now straddling him… Her eyes were wide, and she wore a red blush so bright that Noah could see it through the poofy yellow fuzz on her cheeks…

“...Is exactly what you wanna feel, I take it…”
Without another word, Tsuki pressed her spade firmly to Noah’s sheath. He didn’t need to be told twice, and put his paws firmly on her hips to guide them, so he could grind himself to an erection and shove it deep inside her…

She arched and squealed… The fire inside her midsection seemed to burst into a full on inferno. Her eyes snapped wider and her fur crackled with energy…

“Mmph! Ffff… Farrow feathers, Electric types are always so damned tingly…”

Tsuki huffed hard and nervously tried to pull up, interpreting the words as a complaint. Noah made it incredibly clear that he didn’t mean them as such, when he forced her hips hard down against his…

There was another squeal. With a whirl, the positions were changed… Noah was behind her, and draping over her back like a proper member of her four legged species would have… He penetrated even deeper, and Tsuki’s legs went numb as she felt his sharp tip prodding at the sensitive, unbreached opening of her cervix…

“...A-Alright, love… I’m gonna… I’m gonna put that flame out for you… Gonna relieve the heat… And… And when you start swelling… J-Just… Remember… how much I like rubbing the bellies I make… Hah...”

He huffed out hard and shoved his hips forward again, so that their thighs smacked together. Tsuki wasn’t so experienced, but from what little she had felt, Noah was far more practised… His cocky attitude was suddenly that much more deserved in her eyes...

Her body sparked and whimpered for more… It needed that wonderful sensation... it had been anticipated for years, since the first stirring when she was still little more than a pup…

“Noah…! Hah, NOAH!”

“Shh… Just about there, Tsuki… Mnnnhhhh… Relax… You’re about to… To…”

He hilted, after the thrusts became almost too wild and rough. Tsuki felt a rush of warmth in her belly… She moaned softly in ecstasy…
The room was a thunderstorm for most of the night. Noah’s wandering paws and slick, conductive fur crackled with Tsuki’s static, as he made sure to give her all that he could… He wasn’t worried about conception chances… But he liked to think that he was inflating the size of the inevitable litter with each peak… 

It was only by the grey hours of the morning that they were finished. Noah splayed on the bed next to her, his chest rising and falling as he tried to regain his composure. Tsuki didn’t move much from where she was collapsed on her side... she felt her stomach was bloated, and fluid was leaking softly from her...

“...gah…” she moaned weakly. Noah smirked softly and placed his paw on her middle, to massage it. It was indeed firmly swollen with its contents already… 

A small preview of what was to come…

===

“...How does it feel, Tsuki… To be a mama?”

A routine had been formed… The sun rose, and the cycle continued again and again…

The Jolteon had never been happier for it.

She crested a small hill and peered down into a crevice. She stuck her tongue out thoughtfully, distracting herself from the question… until she started to tilt forward…

Her litter-burdened belly still put her off balance now and again…

Luckily, the one who asked the question reached out and snagged the sea-blue scarf that was tied so firmly and lovingly around her neck, still emblazoned with the proud stripe of a nurse…

“Careful, careful. That’d be annoying to climb back out of on our own, we might have to let Mua help us down...”
Tsuki sighed and turned to look up at Noah. His face had gone from a sight she wished she could see every day… to her wish coming true, and his suave grin often greeting her alongside the sunrise…

“Well?”

“Eh? If you want her to help, then…”

Noah chuckled and patted her flank firmly…

“I meant about being a mama… Was it everything you hoped it would be?”

Tsuki blushed… Her fur puffed up, as it often was nowadays, as she turned to face him. Her expression deepened as she contemplated this… And then, she smiled warmly…

“...no. Not yet… But I only just joined Team Wellspring! I’m not even done with my first pregnancy... I think in a couple decades or so, when I’m starting to feel my bones creak, I’ll be able to give you an answer then…!”

Tsuki wasn’t able to stop herself from prancing about in a small circle, showing off her swaying tummy, and making the little ones inside squirm with activity. Noah gently ran his paw through her luxurious pelt and returned her warm smile…

“And I suppose you expect me to keep your family growing throughout that time. Maybe whether you find a male to share your nest with or not…?”

Tsuki flustered instantly and huffed…

“Expect…!? You’re the one who offered…!”

Noah stepped up and hugged about her firmly, giving her a soft and tingly kiss on the cheek…

“I did. And it’s never an offer I’ll take back, Sook…”

Her ears perked, but before she could say much more, Ilianna suddenly leapt from the crevice and landed next to them. Tsuki tried to pull away from Noah by sheer instinct. He playfully held the embrace a bit longer before letting go and sauntering up to Ilianna… whose own middle was gently curved with the tell-tale sign of her devotion...
“Any news?”

“Lots of Excadrills. Maybe a Steelix or two. You probably won’t be able to do much down there, Tsuki…”

Tsuki took a moment to un-poof, then stood a little taller…

“What do you mean? I’m here to make sure you all come home with every limb! I can do plenty…”

The Jolteon turned a bit prissily. Either Farri was rubbing off on her, or she was simply so excited by her midsection that she couldn’t help but be this excited…

“Unless you’re going to tell me no, because of this belly…?”

Ilianna crossed her arms and smirked. Noah chuckled softly, and then put his arm around Illy’s waist…

“We’ll have Mua come and lower us less agile ‘mons down to where we can do some good for Verus, eh?”

Tsuki nodded, and turned to move back towards the nearby village she had come to inhabit. She did so with more boundless energy and happiness than even the unburdened male behind her could match, and her pleasure tingled across her skin like static…

She was home.
...nearby… A pair of eyes watched, and narrowed ominously…

“...Noah…” muttered Casey, as if tasting the word. She knew many things about this infamous little ‘hero’ of a Water type… But she had been apart from him, and his exploits, for some time…

All she could truly recall was how much he was hated…

A rival. Not to her…

...but to someone important to her…

The wolf was nearby. She could feel it with every step… A tremble in her very core…

A demand that burned not too dissimilar to that of the happy Jolteon she watched prance down the path…

“...Mew’s Nest, eh…?”

She made note of the village’s location… The cloak on her back fluttered softly, as the cold fire there began to flare…

“I’ll see you soon then… ‘Wellspring’...”