Chapter 27: Fading Hills

  The first thing Auri noticed was the quiet. It wasn’t the deep, comforting silence of Vian’s woods, nor the rustling calm of Newleaf’s edge, No, this was thinner, hollow somehow, like the air had lost part of its weight overnight.

  The cave around him was small, little more than a shallow pocket carved into stone, but it was enough to keep the wind out. A faint chill still lingered across the floor, creeping through the blanket of dried moss he and Yuki had spread out the night before.

  He blinked the haze of sleep from his eyes, the dim light outside still muted by mist. The sunrise hadn’t yet reached them, only pale slants of silver touched the mouth of the cave, catching faint motes of dust in the air. Beyond, he could see the faint shimmer of dew clinging to the rocks, the outlines of the hills fading into fog. It was a quiet, colorless morning.

  Auri sat up slowly, stretching one paw before the other, letting the stiffness fade from his limbs. The faint hum of static followed his movements, a tiny instinctive charge that rippled through the fur on his tail and vanished again. The air felt dry here, and thin. He could taste it when he breathed in, less sweetness, more stone.

  He looked out toward the horizon, or what little of it he could see through the haze. The forest lay behind them now. Its green canopy was nothing more than a distant blur, half-buried in fog. The thought of it made something in him stir, a quiet ache, almost nostalgic, though he wasn’t sure for what exactly. Maybe it was the sound of the wind through those trees. Or maybe it was simply knowing that beyond that blur, Newleaf Village still slept.

  Today at the latest, the others would notice that something was off, woudn't they? It could be excused that he and Yuki disappeared for a day without a word, and it wouldn't even be that surprising that they didn't show up in the evening. That could happen, after all. But a second day without anyone seeing the two of them? It would definitely be noticed.

  A small groan broke the silence behind him. "Ugh… why is everything made of stone out here?"

  Yuki’s voice came out muffled as she pushed herself upright, feathers sticking out at odd angles. She looked half-buried in her scarf, still tangled from sleep, her eyes half-lidded but sparkling with reluctant life.

  Auri turned, quietly amused. "Because you refused the moss pile."

  She frowned, squinting. “"eah, well, the moss pile smelled weird. Like wet dirt."

  "That’s because it was wet dirt. Wetness that your [Ember] easily got rid of," he replied flatly, turning his gaze back outside.

  Yuki stared at him for a moment before puffing out her cheeks and hopping to her feet. "You could’ve told me it’d get cold though."

  "I did."

  "No, you didn’t! You said it’d be fine!"

  Auri raised an ear slightly, a subtle flicker of amusement crossing his face. "No. I said you’d be fine. And you are. I never said you're not going to be cold."

  She blinked at him, realization dawning before letting out a dramatic sigh as she slumped against the cave wall. "You’re impossible!"

  He didn’t respond, and that just seemed to encourage her. She started muttering something about 'next time we bring a blanket' and :maybe I’ll just evolve into a Blaziken for the warmth', pacing back and forth until the rest of her sleepiness and stiffness wore off.

  By the time she finally stopped, the light had shifted, the first strands of sunlight spilling through the mist, breaking it apart in thin golden layers. The world outside seemed to exhale.

  Yuki stretched her wings, stepping toward the edge of the cave. "It’s kinda pretty, though," she said softly. "Like the world’s just waking up too!"

  Auri joined her after a moment, standing beside her in silence. From their height, they could see how the fog curled through the valleys below, swirling like smoke between the uneven hills. The light made the grass glimmer faintly, catching beads of dew that shimmered like glass.

  Yuki tilted her head. "Do you think this is still Vian’s territory?"

  Auri paused, considering. "Maybe. Barely. But I don't think Vian's territory or Shae's territory makes any difference to us. Both will be occupied otherwise and support Newleaf Village, even mostly sharing their territory with each other. But in the end, it's simply hard to tell where one Mythicals territory ends and the next ones begins. The Mythicals don’t draw borders for us non-Mythicals, after all.

  "They should," Yuki muttered. "Would make things easier."

  Auri’s mouth twitched slightly, something between a smirk and a sigh. "Do you really think someone like MIu would respect a simple singpost?"

  That made Yuki laugh, a small, tired laugh, but it echoed warmly off the cave walls. She flopped down beside him, feathers puffed. "No, I guess not."

  The wind shifted through the cave mouth, carrying the faint scent of dry grass. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it made the air feel less alive. He watched as a few leaves tumbled past the cave entrance, carried by the wind until they vanished down the slope.

  "Hey," Yuki said suddenly, breaking the thought. "You okay?"

  He blinked and looked at her. "Yeah. Just thinking."

  He glanced at her, then out toward the horizon again. The fog was breaking apart now, revealing more of the land, rolling hills stretching far ahead, some sharp with stone, others soft with grass. Beyond them, the horizon shimmered faintly, where the light caught what might have been the faint edge of forest again.

  "Whatever, it doesn't matter right now. We should start walking."

  Yuki blinked. "Already?"

  He looked up. "Unless you’d rather wait for the fog to consume us."

  She groaned, wings drooping dramatically. "You’re so dramatic, you know that?"

  "You’re the one who said the world’s waking up," he countered, already moving out of the small cave.

  "That was poetic!" she protested, following him toward the cave mouth. "Not an invitation to start walking before breakfast!"

  He stopped, turning back slightly. "Yuki. Our reserves are for situations where we cannot simply go and forage for some food. A bunch of lush hills definitely don't count as unforageable."

  For a long moment, Yuki just stared at him in silent betrayal, then let out a long, defeated sigh. "Fine. Let's get going. I'm starving and now I really hope we manage to forage some berries quickly!"

  Outside, the wind caught the edge of Yuki’s scarf, lifting it for a moment as she bounded down the slope. Auri paused just long enough to look back one last time, toward the forest now veiled in mist, the faint shimmer of what they’d left behind. It was smaller already, distant and fading, yet he could still feel its calm echo in the air.

  The path led them through a series of uneven ridges, half rock and half soil, where the grass grew in loose, uneven patches. The morning fog clung to everything, from the stones, to the blades of grass that brushed their paws.

  Auri led the way, steady and wordless as usual. His paws slipped once on the loose gravel, but he caught himself before Yuki could say anything. She was a few paces behind, wings half-spread for balance, hopping down the slope more than walking. Every now and then she kicked a small pebble off the path just to watch it tumble into the mist below.

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  The hills stretched out before them, not tall enough to feel grand, not low enough to feel safe. It was a landscape in motion, like the world hadn’t quite decided what shape it wanted to take here. Ridges rolled one into the next, and the mist pooled thickly between them, curling through every dip and hollow. The sound of Dungeon Pokemon could be faintly heard in the distance.

  The path began to flatten near the base of the ridge, where the grass gave way to stretches of bare earth, scattered with shards of pale stone. The mist had thinned by then, but the light still felt dim, diffused through the thin clouds that hung overhead.

  Yuki tilted her head, watching the wind stir the grass in uneven waves. "It feels… empty," she said quietly. "So much unlike the forest, really."

  Auri’s ears twitched. "Well, from my undertsanding Vian's territory encompasses more than just the forest," he said. "I'm honestly surprised you aren't more used to it."

  She frowned at him. "Of course I've been outside the forest! But honestly, I rarely strayed this far from Newleaf Village and everything that's reachable within a day lies inside the forest. So yeah, I'm not really used to it, I guess."

  "Yeah, I imagine if you did something like this more often, the adults would put much less trust in you and supervise you far stronger," Auri replied as he slowed to a stop at the bottom of the hill, his gaze sweeping across the expanse ahead. The land rolled out in folds and rises, stretching endlessly toward the west. Somewhere beyond that horizon, Shae's domain was supposed to begin. Another forest from what he'd heard.

  He just breathed in, slow and even, then nodded to himself. "Let’s keep moving. I'd prefer to find the next forest line on the horizon before sundown."

  Yuki gave a half-hearted salute. "Aye aye, fearless leader!"

  He glanced back at her. "Could you stop calling me names like that?"

  "Why would I? After alll we're real explorers rght now!" she said, grinning despite the chill.

  He sighed, but she caught the faintest trace of a smirk before he turned away again.

  The wind picked up as they continued, weaving through the grass with uneven rhythm. It tugged at their scarves, ruffled Yuki’s feathers, and swept away the last traces of warmth from behind them.

  The sun had climbed higher by now, its light cutting through the last ribbons of fog that clung stubbornly to the hillsides. What had begun as soft morning gray turned to gold and then to a muted white beneath the open sky. It had also the very welcome effect of slightly warming them against the chilly winds.

  The hills continued to stretch on and on seemingly without ending, ridges folding into one another like waves in one big sea of dirt and stone. The ground underpaw was rough, uneven, scattered with roots and shards of pale stone that glinted faintly.

  Sometimes a narrow trail would appear, etched into the slope, only to vanish again between rocks or patches of dry moss. They followed what paths they could, which in many cases helped them to progress faster. But mostly they walked by instinct.

  Auri looked around in interest. The way the soil darkened where water used to run, the faint grooves in a boulder that hinted at tools or Pokemon moves used there far in the past, the moss-covered arch of what might've once been a marker or shrine. It was interesting, seeing all these small signs of past civilisation.

  Yuki, being the explorer she always claimed to be, had of course spotted all these things far sooner than him. And it mmade clear that she truly was an explorer at heart, not a dungeoneer. "These hills must've been one of the spots where Newleaf Village had once stood! Or at least somewhere around here!" she announced excitedly.

  Auri brushed the dust on an old stone away with his paw, revealing a faint swirl etched into it. "What do you mean by that? How can a city move?" he asked her genuinly curious.

  "Right, you wouldn't know that. The terrain of the crater is ever-changing thanks to the different type energies of all the Mythicals messing with the natural energy flow! Together with the expanding Dungeons, once fertile land can turn into wasteland in a less than a decade. Or, alternatively, be stable for over 20 years like the current location! Newleaf Village always wanders from one location within another whenever the surrounding terrain becomes worse for a living," she explained. "I mean, just look around! Barely fertile hills, mostly stone with little to no vegetation! Also incredibly dry, so not much water. We're clearly seeing how Vian's fire-type enrgy has probably caused this shift at some point in time and the Pokemon of Newleaf Village moved somewhere else."

  He straightened, thoughtful. "That makes sense. But isn't it incredibly hard to build a new settlement every decade or two?"

  Yuki shrugged at that. "I wouldn't know. I've never experienced one of these relocations for myself after all! The last one was eight or nine years before I was born. The next one is probably only a few years away though!"

  He nodded along. "I really need to speak with Architect Norris then. I think it sounds interesting how they manage to relocate over 400 Pokemon in what must be less than a year."

  "You want to talk with the bee!? You know how much of a grump he can be! He'll probably just send you away!"

  Auri just shrugged. "Asking won't hurt, now will it."

  "You know what? That's fair. But I'll still bet my money on you not getting any information out of him."

  "Regarding that, how much do you even have left? After refusing to let me pay-"

  "Anyways, I really wonder how's the situation back home right now!" Yuki suddenly announced and quickened her pace. As if a little more distance would see him unable to ask his question. "Everyone must've already noticed we're gone by now. But do you think Shae and Vian actually talk to each other?"

  Auri glanced sidelong at her. Of course he'd noticed how Yuki had just changed the topic of the conversation, but he'd let it slide. "You mean, like friends?"

  “Yeah! Or maybe like rivals!. Or something in between, who knows? Maybe they gossip, with both of them living in Newleaf Village. 'Hey, have you seen that Pikachu and Torchic wandering around my territory? Yeah, they’re headed your way now Shae.' or something like that!" Yuki said in a poor imitation of Vian's voice.

  That drew a small lough from him. "I don’t think they gossip right now, though generally speaking they probably do," he said after a moment. "I don't think they even know about us. It's unlikely they actually spend much attention on their territories right now."

  Yuki tilted her head. "Because of Lord Noctem's awakening?"

  "I'd guess. With Sia too busy to even meet up with us and Vian already turning us away, they might take note of the situation but are incredibly unlikely to actually act on it."

  Yuki'S talons clicked softly on a stretch of old stone as the trail curved again. "I wonder," she murmured, "what Shae’s territory will feel like. I've never been on another Mythicals territory. Do you think it will be much different?"

  "It's in correlation with a Pokemon's type energy right? Based on that it must be flourishing thanks to Shae's grass-type energy. Probably much more like the forest around Newleaf Village, if I had to guess."

  They walked on. In the afternoon, they passed what looked like the remains of an old path, a series of worn stones half-swallowed by grass, running parallel to a trickling creek that barely held any water. Yuki crouched beside it, peering at the ground.

  "This must be the path to the actual previous location of Newleaf Village. We might be able to find actual remnants of the old settlement there! C'mon let's check it out!" Yuki said exitedly, already bouncing down the path.

  "Yuki wait! Wouldn't it be better to continue towards the ruins we're actually searching for right now? We can check this location out on the way back if you want to!" Auri called after her. She stopped and visibly deflated before trudging back to him.

  "...Yeah, you're right. Unfortunately..." she muttered. "We should probably what we actually plan to do first and get sidetracked afterwards."

  They continued on along their path, though Yuki was now visibly less excited than before. Auri felt sorry for her, but it was for the best. He felt incredibly uneasy at the thought of delaying meeting Sia longer than strictly necessary.

  By now the sun had already begun to set again. Beyond them stretched the sea of low slopes they had just crossed, shadows pooling in the dips. Newleaf Village and the forest it lay in had long since vanished beyond the horizon, with the gigantic inner walls of the Umbral Abyss filling out their view into the distance. They did, however, look less imposing the closer they moved towards the center of the crater and away from its walls.

  Now, as the light dimmed, they stopped on a flatter rise, where a small hollow curved into the hill, just enough to break the wind and serve as a place to rest.

  Yuki dropped her satchel with a quiet thud and flopped down beside it. "My paws are done for!" she complained, rubbing one talon against the other before chuckling softly. "I thought I was used to long walks, but these hills are something else! How are you looking completely unaffected?"

  Auri set down next to her. He might not appear tired to her, but he felt slightly strained from the long walk as well. "They aren’t exactly kind terrain and did prove more challanging than expected," he agreed with her.

  "That’s one way to put it," Yuki sighed, leaning back on her paws. Her gaze drifted towards the distant horizon, where the sun’s edge brushed the world with a faint, molten red. The last of the sunlight caught the side of her face as she turned to look at him. Still, neither of them spoke.

  As twilight crept in, the colors of the world shifted: orange to red, red to violet, then into the cool wash of night. The ridge cast long shadows, stretching like old scars over the land. Auri began arranging a few stones into a small ring for a campfire, which Yuki lit up with a small [Ember] soon after. The warmth was more than welcome after tracking through the chilly wind the entire day.

  Yuki leaned forward, resting her chin on her knees. "Tomorrow we should reach Shae's territory pretty soon, right?"

  Auri nodded. "Yeah, we already get more and more vegetation, and though I'm unsure, I might've already seen a forest at the horizon. We should reach it in just a few hours of walking."

  They sat there until the light had fully faded, until the world turned to silver outlines and the air carried only the faintest hum of night insects. Yuki eventually curled up beside her satchel, scarf pulled loosely over her shoulders. Within minutes, her breathing slowed as she fell asleep.

  With a sigh, Auri did the same. Tomorrow they would cross into Shae's domain and that promised to be a long day.

  Important characters in the chapter:

  Pikachu (Auri) – Level 15

  Ability: Lightning Rod

  Battle Nature: Lonely

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 71

  Attack: 47

  Ranged Attack: 41

  Defense: 49

  Speed: 55

  Total: 263 (Strength Level: Teenager)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Nuzzle], [Tail Whip], [Quick Attack], [Brick Break], [Thunder Wave], [Feint]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Thunder Shock], [Electro Ball], [Swift], [Thunder Bolt]

  Utility Moves: [Nasty Plot], [Charm], [Double Team], [Growl], [Agility], [Dig]

  Torchic (Yuki) – Level 16 (Evolution Requirements Not Met, Stat Boost Applied)

  Ability: Speed Boost

  Battle Nature: Hasty

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 80

  Attack: 47

  Ranged Attack: 47

  Defense: 55

  Speed: 40

  Total: 269 (Strength Level: Teenager)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Scratch], [Quick Attack], [Feint], [Fire Spin], [Flame Charge], [Aerial Ace], [Counter], [Slash]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Ember], [Sand Attack]

  Utility Moves: [Growl], [Detect], [Dig]