Duck--

Pebble drops to her belly as the angry Zorua lunges over her, where her ear had been a second ago.

Now up!

She surges upwards, knocking her off balance and twisting around to grab her scruff, pulling herself out from under the much larger Zorua and pushing a paw down on her back.

The other Zorua snarls and wrenches free of her jaws, sliding backwards. She's panting; Pebble had been using similar evasion tactics for the whole of the long battle, and the bigger Zorua's lunges and leaps had gotten more ragged and desperate the whole time.

"Why don't you just attack me head on, little speck?" she growls while catching her breath.

Pebble's hackles go up at the taunt. "I don't need to!" she spits back, claws digging into the ground.

"More like you don't want to. You're too much of a coward, runt. Go back to where you belong." The older Zorua bares her teeth and snarls at Pebble.

"I belong on top!" Pebble yells, charging towards her.

The older Zorua side steps easily and Faint Attacks into her side, sending the little Zorua flying.

"I beg to differ," she says haughtily, leisurely padding over to her. "A runt like you will never be on top."

Pebble rolls to a crouching position, eyeing the larger Zorua.

"Oh yeah? Come put me in my place, then!" she says, leering and baring her teeth in a challenge.

The larger Zorua snarls and leaps at her... only for Pebble to dive beneath her and twist around in a feat of remarkable agility, to headbutt her stomach and send her flying into a tree.

While her opponent is dazed, Pebble Faint Attacks her into the trunk again and again, claws swiping out during each attack to claw her side. After a little while, the other Zorua droops in defeat and passes out.

Pebble stays crouched a little farther off, then warily crawls over to her, sniffing, prepared to fend off any attack that might be made. Finally, satisfied she is truly the victor, the little Zorua sits up, ears pricked, and lets out a gleeful howl.

"I won!" she crows, turning towards the pack of Zorua watching the battle, expecting to find sudden respect and admiration.

She is blindsided by their looks of contempt and disgust. A few pad forward to sniff at Pebble's fallen opponent and carry her off. Pebble's ears droop a little.

"How dare she."

"A little runt taking on Cassandra? Disgraceful."

"Poor Cassie, having to deal with that challenge."

"She should learn her place and leave us alone."

Pebble droops further and crawls over to her older brother, who stands impassively, watching her coldly.

"Seeker," she says, a little hopefully, "I won."

"Don't talk to me. And don't you ever challenge one of us again."

He bowls her over with one blow to the head and turns, stalking off with the rest of the pack following. Pebble watches them go, eyes wide, ears pinned back against her head and tail between her legs. A shadow falls over her and she looks up to see her father, the chief of the tribe. She smiles hopefully at him--surely, he'd seen the fight, surely he would be impressed--

"I never want to see you start a fight again. Understand?" the Zoroark growls in his deep voice.

Pebble nods, eyes wide, and he moves on, leaving the little Zorua to curl into a tight ball, nose against her belly and tail over her ears, playing out in her mind the reception such a fight would usually have for a young Zorua, and placing herself in the position to be showered with pride and respect.

Several weeks later, the entirety of Pebble's year of Zorua lines up solemnly in the main clearing of the camp, with a sponsor or parent at their shoulder. The red light of the sunset lends a fierce glint to their eyes, and a bright sheen on the collars of fur about their necks. To a mon, they stand at attention, unmoving, the fierce joy and excitement of this day, the day they have all looked forward to for their entire lives, bottled up carefully, shown not even in a quivering of the whiskers.

Pebble stares straight ahead, ears pricked and tail lowered, aware of Darwin at her shoulder, and trying very hard not to be aware of her mother standing at the shoulder of Seeker. She had resigned herself to this long before the day; and could not have wished for another sponsor, even if Darwin had not been as dear to her as he was: there were few Zoroark as respected in the tribe, as she had slowly come to discover in recent times, as Darwin.

The members of the pack not involved in the ceremony were gathered among the shadows of the surrounding trees. Younger Zoroark looked on with excitement, older Zoroark with nostalgia, and younger Zorua with envy.

What little murmuring among the surrounding pack ceased as Pebble's father steps out from the trees and stands before the first Zorua in the line: a female named Cassandra, who Pebble thought of only in the most unfavorable terms, though she was much admired among the other Zorua for her beauty and strength. She doesn't move under his piercing gaze, and her father behind her bows low to the chief.

"I present to the tribe Cassandra. She is prepared."

Pebble's father nods back and makes a sweeping turn to the assembled tribe.

"Who will step forward and aid Cassandra?" he calls out.

The Zorua would often speculate among themselves about this step in the ceremony. Some where convinced that it was staged, and the member of the tribe that would come forward and present themselves to the Zorua in question had been selected otherwise. Others were adamant that it was purely up to the tribe at that moment to volunteer. Either way, many took great pains to make friends among the older members of the tribe.

"I will step forward to aid my niece, Cassandra." A large, bulky female Zoroark steps forward; Pebble couldn't recall her name, but knew her to be Cassandra's aunt and one of the foremost warriors of the tribe.

Pebble's father stands aside, and the female bows to Cassandra. The Zorua finally breaks her stony stillness to lower her forelegs in a bow back to her, then lifts her claws. The female lifts her own, and crosses them with the much smaller ones of the Zorua.

The two proceed to perform a slow, choreographed sparring match, matching claws and teeth and stepping around each other in intricate maneuvers. Then the Zoroark bows low to Cassandra, who draws her claws lightly over her muzzle. The Zoroark lets out a loud howl, and the entire tribe waits, shivering, in anticipation.

Cassandra steps into the space between the Zorua and the rest of the tribe, and suddenly begins to glow with a white light.

All eyes of the waiting tribe--the Zorua remain in rigid stillness--fix upon her as Cassandra slowly grows and lifts up to her hind legs. As the glow fades, Cassandra stands proudly: a Zoroark more beautiful than she ever was as a Zorua, and much taller than the aunt beside her. She lifts her head and lets out a triumphant howl, which is added to by the tribe. She turns to Pebble's father and he bows low, which she returns.

"Welcome to the tribe, Cassandra Zoroark."

"I vow to serve with my life."

"We vow to protect you with ours."

Vows exchanged, Cassandra steps back to stand beside her father, and the two back away from the line of Zorua.

Pebble watches from the corner of her eye as her father steps down along the line, ever close to where she stands at the end. Though she soon becomes sore from standing stock still for what seems like hours, she refuses to move and so disrupt the ceremony. The runty Zorua has other things on her mind, anyway: though a Zoroark steps forward to complete the sparring match with each waiting Zorua, Pebble can't help but wonder who might possibly step forward for her. She had no friends among the tribe besides Darwin; she had no idea who might be willing to step up to assist the least respected of the Zorua.

As she watches a Zorua named Spectra evolve, only two down the line from her, she fixes her eyes on a tree straight ahead of her and silently panics.

Her father approaches her and Darwin bows low.

"I present to you and the tribe your daughter Pebble; she has trained and prepared to the utmost, and is ready."

Pebble inwardly winces at the variation on the usual words; any change to the ritual is likely to curry disfavor among the tribe. Her father gives him a withering look, but nods and turns to the tribe.

"Who will step forward to aid Pebble?"

There is a silence. Pebble fixes her eyes on the tree and prepares herself for the worst. She hadn't heard of any member of the tribe to ever have no partner in the spar. Desperately, she wonders if she'd be allowed to perform it with Darwin, or if she would be barred from--

"I will step forward to aid my friend Pebble."

The little Zorua's eyes dart up in surprise, though she manages to stay still. She looks carefully at the Zoroark that has stepped forward. One of the younger members of the tribe, and one that as far as she could tell, well-liked. Her name was Delia, she knew; the young female had often offered a bit of her own catch to the more unsuccessful Zorua, and had stepped in more than once to ensure Pebble got a fair share. She was rather plain-looking, but had kind eyes.

She bows to Pebble, smiling warmly. Pebble gathers her wits about her and bows back, perhaps a bit lower than necessary. She lifts her claws, and Delia crosses them with her own. The two begin the slow dance, each gliding gracefully through the steps, remembering long hours spent practicing in preparation for this moment. Pebble was sure that Delia was young enough to remember them nearly as vividly as she herself did.

After what seems like an eternity spent crossing claws with the young Zoroark, Delia bows low, and Pebble glides her claws against the lowered muzzle, filled with apprehension. Delia lets out a chilling howl, and Pebble turns to face the tribe.

She is very conscious of their eyes boring into her, wondering, daring to doubt. But her awareness fades as the warmth grows.

It was so very, very, warm. Pebble half-closes her eyes and basks in it, distantly aware of the fact that she is changing, rapidly changing. All too quickly, the light fades, and Pebble is left standing to face the shocked stares of the tribe.

She is no longer the runty Zorua she was; while she is hardly large, and is certainly rather lean, Pebble is at least as tall as her neighbor; and her claws are wickedly long, and her mane nearly brushes her paws. She raises her head and lets out a fierce, triumphant howl that rings out around the clearing.

Pebble turns to her father and he gives her a long, measured look, then bows; perhaps not as low as he had to some of the others, but without disrespect. Pebble bows back very low, her muzzle nearly brushing the ground.

"Welcome to the tribe, Pebble Zoroark," he says in a low rumble.

"I vow to serve with my life!" she calls out proudly, tossing her head back.

"Then we vow to protect you with ours," he says, eyes boring into her own.

Pebble retreats to stand by Delia and Darwin, and her father turns to the tribe.

"Your tribemates, my friends!"

Their howl rings out across the woods, and Pebble closes her eyes and imagines herself flying above the trees, riding on the waves of the tribes' approval and welcome. Far away, she is aware of Darwin bowing low to Delia.

"Thank you, my dear," he murmurs.

"She deserves the same chance everyone has," Delia replies, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I do hope we can be friends now that she has some respect."

"I only hope it lasts," Darwin says, then shakes his head. "But enough of that; it's time to celebrate."

Pebble turns to them and suddenly rushes Darwin and hugs him tightly.

"It's now, Darwin!" she whispers fiercely. "Now is when it all becomes worthwhile."

"My dearest Pebble," he murmurs back. "I promise I'll do my best to ensure that."

And as Pebble steps back and joins her patron and volunteer in the line of newly formed Zoroarks, she watches the moon rise with her head raised and a proud gleam in her eye.

She was hunting when it happened.

It was her own fault, really, that she didn't have enough pack mates to help her. After Delia had gone out with a pack of several of her friends, she had approached Ring and a few others to and asked to make another pack, hoping that perhaps, if nothing else, pity might convince them to take her out. She had earned a decent reputation for her hunting skills.

They had, however, refused. Ring's friends had laughed in her face and left to go hunting on their own, leaving only the clumsy male to awkwardly try and phrase a more polite refusal, eyes on a watching Seeker.

Pebble had been about to leave and go alone, or else perhaps ask Darwin, when Seeker had been called away by the chief and Ring had stuttered through an awkward acceptance of her invitation.

Pleasantly surprised, Pebble and Ring leave the camp--Ring in somewhat of a hurry. It's not until they're far from the clearing that he relaxes.

The hunting trip was pleasant enough; out from under the eye of Seeker and Rosaleen, Ring turned out to be friendly and funny company, if his hunting skills left something to desire: something which they had in common, and so gave neither cause to look down on the other.

However, it did give them both cause to go far afield in finding prey, as both tended to scare off what was around them.

And so, they found themselves in the thinner trees near Anville, farther from camp than either had ever been.

In a way, you could blame the Deerling.

Deerling were prey much sought-after by the Zoroark tribe; more substantial than Watchog or Herdier, if not as plentiful or easily caught. Bringing one home often earned the hunter at the least a few respectful nods and words of praise, which Pebble craved. The other members of a hunting pack would stay away and allow the one who spotted it a fair chance at taking it down on its own.

And so Pebble found herself straying away from Ring in pursuit of a Deerling, focusing with her entire being on remain unnoticed by the smaller Pokemon.

So that, even when the foreign scent came her way, she didn't notice until she felt a massive pain in her side and turned to see an Escavalier.

"Good job, Joan! Use X-Scissor again!"

Pebble's head snaps over to look at the source of the voice and her eyes widen as she sees a teenage human girl, standing a little ways away, surrounded by a Sigilyph, Milotic, and Venusaur.

"What--" Pebble is cut off by the Escavalier jabbing at her again, and she barely has time to block the attack with claws wreathed in Obscura.

"Hey! What's going on here?" she demands, shoving the attacking Pokemon backwards.

She grunts. "Catherine's trying to catch you, you dolt. What did you think was going on?"

"Who's trying to do what?" Pebble demands, alarmed.

The Escavalier, having decided the Zoroark is too dim to bother talking too, simply jabs back in with an X-Scissor. Still caught off guard from her earlier statement, Pebble takes quite a bit of damage from it. Panting now, she takes several steps back.

"Don't let her escape, Joanie! Use False Swipe!"

The Escavalier lunges again, and Pebble darts to the side, swiping up her lance with a Night Slash.

Joan makes a face and draws her lance away, issuing an irritated hiss in the direction of the Zoroark. Pebble snarls and lifts another paw with a Night Slash ready, when suddenly--

"Pebble! What's going on?"

She's startled by the sudden voice and turns to see Ring, running towards her with his usual clumsy gait.

"Ring! That Trainer's trying to--"

"Come on, Joanie, finish this up!" the girl calls impatiently.

The Escavalier grunts and lunges at Pebble again, swiping her lance across the other Pokemon's side. Pebble cries out and falls forward, just barely clinging to consciousness.

"Ring…" she gasps out. "Run…"

She's vaguely aware of the girl's voice praising the Escavalier, her eyes fixed on Ring's as he slowly backs up. He turns and flees just as Pebble feels a dull impact against her back, and then a strange, tingling feeling.

And then it all goes dark.

"Night Slash!"

Swipe.

The Gyarados is knocked off balance, and its Hyper Beam fires uselessly over her left shoulder.

"A bit close, darling, don't you think?"

"Oh, man, Shimmer! That was awesome!"

Efficiently executed. Excellent.

"Dark Pulse!"

Shimmer smiles. Ever since the girl had seen her doing the exercises Garret had taught all those weeks ago, Catherine had been eager to use it in battle. Shimmer leans to the right, as if preparing to fire off to the left, as she had several times over the course of the battle. The Gyarados was not dumb, exhausted by the Hyper Beam as it may be, and noticed this, twisting away to the right. Shimmer immediately pivots and fires off to the other side--not quite as under control, but she had a large target. The Gyarados takes the hit and is knocked backwards, unconscious by the time it hits the ground.

The other Trainer grudgingly recalls it and goes to shake Catherine's hand and give her the money she had won, then nods in the general direction of the team and walks away, presumably to find a Pokemon Center.

Catherine immediately hugs Shimmer, petting her long mane.

"Great job, Shimmer! I thought the Gyarados had you with that Hyper Beam?"

"Me? That overgrown water snake couldn't touch me if I was twice his size and standing still," Shimmer grumbles, nosing the girl's hair. She laughs and pats her muzzle.

"But I bet you had it under control the whole time, huh?" Catherine gives her one last pat, then turns to her team. "What d'you think, Joanie? A worthwhile recruit?"

The Escavalier looks Shimmer up and down impassively, then nods once. Catherine grins at Shimmer.

"You've got the official Joan Nod of Approval! That's more than Hal ever got."

Hal abruptly straightens, indignant. "Hey! The pointy snail just doesn't appreciate my charms."

Joan snorts in his direction. "Less charm. More competence."

"I am so incredibly competent, it looks like incompetence to everyone else, because I'm just so awesome they can't process it."

"Or you are incompetent. I prefer simple answers."

Philip growls a warning, putting an end to the conversation before it can turn ugly.

Catherine suddenly claps her hands together, making a short little hop in place. "Oh, I almost forgot! I got presents for all of you!" She dashes off in the direction of the small campsite the team was currently occupying while training, leaving the Pokemon standing around. Hal goes over to Gill and starts bothering him with his vines, while the Sigilyph (would she ever find out her name? Catherine didn't seem to use her for battles much) and Joan stare at each other, evidently deep in conversation.

Shimmer takes a seat beside Philip, who looks down at her and nods.

"Why didn't you battle that Gyarados, Philip? It seems kind of dumb to have me do it." she asks, tilting her head.

"Far be it from me to question my Trainer's decisions in battle--something that, indeed, none of us should do," he says gently. Shimmer puts back her ears, admonished, and Philip continues. "But, if I were to speculate as to her intentions... I daresay she wanted to see how you handled yourself in a battle without the advantages lined up in your favor; you dispatched the Claydol too quickly to give a clear understanding of the way you battle."

"Oh. Um, so do you think I did well?" she asks hesitantly.

"I believe you performed excellently," Philip confirms, looking down at her warmly, though he still doesn't smile. Shimmer, on the other hand, beams up at him, just as Catherine comes running back, holding her backpack.

"Okay, okay, everyone gather 'round! ... Not you, Joanie, you've already gotten all the presents I can give you. Hal, you first, buddy!"

Catherine reaches into the bag and pulls out a TM.

"Ta-da! It's Earthquake! Much better than Bulldoze, right, bud?" She chuckles at her own pun and presses the TM to his head, then immediately turns back to the bag.

"Okay, next up is Phil... It was a real pain to get this one, but here it is: Natural Gift!" She takes the fragile TM and applies it, not bothering to wait for it to fully load before switching her attention to the next Pokemon.

"Gill, your turn... I finally found you Dragon Pulse! I know you've been itching to try it out." She pets the Milotic's snout, then applies the TM.

"Poe, love, I found you Pluck. That means there's only one left!" Catherine offers the Sigilyph a TM. She considers it carefully, then psychically levitates it to apply herself.

Aha! So her name is Poe!

Not necessarily, neophyte.

Rather baffled by this response (and intrusion into her thoughts--shouldn't her Dark type repel that sort of thing?), Catherine has to say her name twice to get her attention.

"Shimmer! I'm glad you weren't this distracted during the battle! But anyway, I found something for you that I realized I used on Philip a long time ago, then lost. A Flamethrower TM! You did so great, you deserve it."

Shimmer blinks and leans forward to sniff it. Catherine presses it to her snout and it whirs, spinning.

A few things suddenly made sense. She becomes aware of an organ that she had no previous use of, and how to use it in one particular way to produce flames, and how to breathe just right and expel it.

She lifts her head and watches the fire pour forth into the sky, hearing Catherine's delighted laughter over the sound of the crackling flames.

Surprisingly speedy study. Stupendous.

Shimmer lets the flames die down and nudges Catherine affectionately. The girl strokes her mane.

"You picked that up real quick, didn't you? You definitely deserved Joanie's approval. You'll do great on this team."

Shimmer sighs happily, nudging the Trainer again.

I hope so, Catherine. I hope so.

It hadn't taken all of the ensuing months after this dream for Shimmer to settle into her new life with the team; in fact, it had only taken about a week or so. The daily routine of waking on her own time, training either alone (to perfect individual tactics, or work on a new TM) or in tandem with another team member, and then either spending the rest of the day traveling, resting in a Pokeball, or relaxing with her teammates.

She soon learned to avoid Poe when the Sigilyph got to talking with Catherine, to avoid Joan when the Escavalier was training on her own, and never to wake Gill from his naps (or, as he insistently referred to them, "rests to regenerate my alluring charms"). On the other hand, she had consistently found a steadfast friend and companion in Hal, and was always tolerated (she liked to tell herself it was much more than toleration) by Philip.

It had, however, taken that much time before Catherine trusted her with a place in a Gym battle.

It was Hal's place, in truth. Catherine never took more than five Pokemon into battle with her at once; only Poe, Philip, and Joan seemed to know why, and they weren't sharing it with the younger members of the team. If truth be told, Hal likely would never have seen the battlefield anyway, this being a battle against Flying types, but there was something else--Hal had been rather distracted lately, missing easy hits and taking ones he could perhaps have dodged, and occasionally disappeared for stretches of time when the team reached a city. His only response, when asked about it, was "Foxglove". This completely baffled Shimmer, but Gill giggled to himself every time he heard it.

Regardless of the reasoning, however, Shimmer was brimming with pride and determination when she was released from her ball to face off against a glaring Skarmory.

"We're starting off with the tough stuff, Shimmer! So let's give you the best chance of winning this thing. Use Sunny Day!"

"If they're gonna set up first, let's do the same! Skarmory, use Agility!"

The Skarmory lets out a loud call as it relaxes itself, preparing to dash quickly.

Shimmer ignores it as she takes a deep breath and focuses on heat. It was similar to using Flamethrower, in a way, she had reflected as she practiced long and hard in a small clearing under the supervision of Catherine and Hal. Just as that move had, this one had come rather quickly to her--heat seemed natural to her, easy to manipulate. This move had been a bit harder to master, indirect as it is, but it was altogether not a difficult feat to call into being a heat source above the battlefield.

"Way to go, Shimmer! Okay, now use Flamethrower!"

"Get out of the way, sweetie! Then use X-Scissor!"

Shimmer smiles to herself and eyes the Skarmory, lunging towards him and opening her maw. The heat came naturally to her, and she felt it welling up in the back of her throat. As the first flames shot out, the Skarmory darts to the side, much lighter on its feet than would normally be expected, thanks to Agility. As soon as it moves, Shimmer's eyes flash and she whips her head around to follow it. The Skarmory was blasted with the main body of the sun-enhanced flames, having dodged only a few embers.

Shimmer growls in triumph as the Skarmory skrees in pain and alarm.

"Shimmer, move over!"

Shimmer blinks and yelps in alarm as the Skarmory charges her, wings crossed in front of it. She whirls to the side, taking a painful cut to her shoulder from the X-Scissor.

"C'mon, Shimmer, get your head in the game! Flamethrower again!"

Shimmer lunges after the Skarmory and grabs its wings in her claws, firing another Flamethrower directly onto its body. It screeches in pain and stumbles. Shimmer slashes a Night Slash across its neck before leaping off and shoving it to the ground.

"Don't give up, Skarmory, we're not beat yet!"

"Oh yes, you are. Flamethrower."

Shimmer snarls in acknowledgement and blasts the Skarmory with another Flamethrower as it tries to scramble to its feet. It skrees weakly, and falls to the floor, unconscious.

"Awww... That's okay, it was a good fight, Skarmory! Go, Sigilyph! Teach this Zoroark a lesson!"

"The only thing she's learning is how pathetic of a Leader you are. Shimmer, take care of it."

Shimmer growls at the Sigilyph, a wolfish smile lighting up her face.

The battle finished when Philip took out the Swanna--with ease, she was certain, though she hadn't seen it. She didn't much care who struck the finishing blow, however--she might have swept through the entire team, and then battled a few Gym Trainers as well, for the fierce pride she felt in battling for Catherine. And the hug and praise the girl had given her afterwards, in the Pokecenter for all to see, had left enough of an impression to carry her through for days.

It wasn't until afterwards, when she had ridden the tide of high emotions and went looking for a friend, that she realized she hadn't seen Hal for days.

Hal didn't want to listen to Shimmer's warnings. He spent the first day back reassuring her of Foxglove's good intentions (Foxglove, it seems, was a female Venusaur) and the harmlessness of his "vacation". The next few days, he wasn't quite so tolerant.

"Look, man," he told her after hearing her recount the story Joan had told her over and over. "This Gatlocke dude wasn't so good at battling, right? So he got replaced. By me. 'Cause I'm way awesomer, right? I'm not being replaced. I'm as awesome as ever. I'm just takin' some vacations, okay? Some quality time with Foxglove."

"But--Joan said you weren't coming back," Shimmer says insistently, taking a step forward.

Hal snorts, waving his vines around. "Joan is a pointy snail with, like, zero taste. She should keep her sticks out of my business."

"But she knows Catherine better than anyone!" Shimmer lashes her tail anxiously.

"Dude, Catherine raised me from an egg. I think I know her. She wouldn't dump me. That Cacturne was probably just too prickly to hug. But I'm totally huggable, and I kick ass. Think about it! Why would she get rid of me?"

"I... I don't know Hal, I just..."

"Stop worrying, man! We'll be fine! Cath wouldn't do that to me." Hal flicks his vines in dismissal and lumbers off. Shimmer watches him go, then goes to find Phillip.

The Manectric, being one of Catherine's oldest Pokemon, was rarely taken out for serious training, and was content to stretch out in the sun for much of the day on the nearest flat stretch of land or rock. It was here that Shimmer found him. He seemed to be sleeping when she came upon him, but as she reached out to wake him up, he opened his eyes and sat up.

"Hello, my dear Shimmer," he says, nodding to her. "What brings you here?"

Shimmer sits down beside him, ears back against her head. "I'm worried about Hal, Phillip."

"Hal, hm? He's back, is he not? What is there to be worried about?" He sniffs at her mane.

"Well, Joan said he wasn't gonna come back, and I'm afraid he's gonna leave the team," Shimmer confesses, huddling up to the Manectric.

"My dear, if Catherine decides that Hal no longer belongs on the team, that is no business of ours. We are hers, are we not?"

That was not something she wanted to hear. "I... I guess we're her team, but what if she takes our friends away? I don't want to lose Hal, even if he is being really frustrating about this Foxglove Pokemon."

Philip makes a displeased rumbling sound in his throat, not quite a growl, and draws away from her. "Shimmer. It is not our place to dictate who remains on the team. There was once a Pokemon--"

"Gatlocke?" Shimmer asks. "Joan told me about him."

Phillip shakes his head. "No. That Cacturne was rather infuriating, my dear, be glad you don't know him. As I was saying, there was a Pokemon once, a Tentacruel. She was called Brooke. We were good friends, Brooke and I. But she's gone now, my dear, and our friend Gill battles in her place. It is my place not to question her departure, and to welcome her replacement. Would you have Gill leave the team so that my friend could come back?" He looks down at her sternly, and Shimmer squirmed.

"Well... no, I don't want Gill to leave either... But... don't you miss her? Brooke?"

Phillip smiles a little sadly. "It is not my place to miss her; perhaps I should not have told you this story. It should be as if Brooke was never here."

Shimmer frowns and gets up. "I... I gotta go."

"Very well, my dear. Remember, enjoy your friends' company while they are here; but do not mourn when they go." Phillip stretches out again and Shimmers walks over, frowning.

She finds Catherine and spends the rest of the night in her Pokeball. The next morning, she wanders the camp to find Hal. When there is no sign of the Venusaur, Shimmer breaks into an anxious run, only to trip over something and go sprawling. Scrambling back onto her feet, she turns to see what she'd tripped over, only to come face to face with a young Bulbasaur.

"Ow! Why'd you do that, ma'am?" he asks.

"I... I didn't see you," Shimmer gasps, her front paws beginning to tremble. "Who are you?"

"Oh, well, I am still little. My name is Oliver! What's yours?" the Bulbasaur smiles up at her, sitting back on his haunches.

... to welcome her replacement...

"I'm Shimmer," she hears herself say, and bends to pat the Bulbasaur on the head. "Welcome to the team, Oliver."

After the eggs appeared, Shimmer didn't come out of her ball. She was distantly aware of the sound of Catherine's bike beyond her ball, but no voices; it seemed no one was out. With little else to do, Shimmer took to sleeping the days away... and dreaming. Today, having woken up in the dream world, the Zoroark immediately sets out to find Darwin. She moves urgently, ignoring the greetings of various strange Pokemon. Normally she might stop and talk briefly, but she is entirely focused, her mind sharpened by fear.

Coming suddenly upon the slumbering old male, she shakes his shoulder to wake him. Darwin's eyes open immediately and he looks up at her.

"Why, Pebble, dear... You look frightened." He rises to his knees, and Shimmer drops down in front of him.

"Darwin, I have eggs," she says, a desperate light in her eyes.

Darwin looks startled, then smiles warmly. "I see. So you are happy with this new team, then. You may be a bit young, but congratulations, Pebble. I'm sure they'll be wonderful."

Shimmer shakes her head, ears pinned back against her skull. "No, you don't understand. When the eggs hatch, I'm going to have to leave! They'll be better than me, and Catherine will get rid of me, like she did to Hal!"

Darwin rests his paws on her shoulders. "Pebble. Calm down."

Shimmer quiets down, trembling slightly under his paws. "Darwin, I'm scared. What will happen to me if I leave?"

Darwin smiles and smoothes down her mane with one paw. "Why, you'll come home, of course. I promised to be faithful, didn't I? If you ever need a place to go, your home is waiting for you."

Shimmer stops trembling, but still looks worried. "How different is it now? Who leads the tribe? Is everyone still there? What if it isn't anything like I remember?"

The old male makes soothing sounds. "It is very much the same as it is; your brother Seeker took over where your father left off. For the most part, the tribe is intact. A new litter was born recently. Everything will be fine, Pebble, you'll see. Whenever you need to come home, I will be waiting for you, and we will welcome you back with open arms." He pulls her into his arms, making a soft purring sound.

Shimmer hugs him back. "Thank you, Darwin... Maybe I'll see you soon."

"Perhaps." Darwin steps back. "Be well, Pebble."

Shimmer nuzzles him. "I should wake up now, I suppose. Good bye, Darwin."

"Good bye, my dear."

Shimmer gets to her feet and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she's once again in the all-enveloping nothingness of her Pokeball. She'd learned long ago to find it relaxing, and relaxes now, tuning out the whirr of the bike wheels beyond.

Shimmer.

Odd. A voice in her head. It must be a remnant of a dream; Poe had never spoken to her in her Pokeball before.

Shimmer.

More insistent this time. Shimmer growls to herself, annoyed. She was relaxing!

You fool of a Zoroark, this is urgent. Do you not recognize my voice? Is it because I do not alliterate? Times have changed. Adapt. Adjust. Alliteration, attend! Acceptable? Awake!

... Poe?

Ah, so she does hear! There is no time for poetry here, Zoroark, as amusing as alliteration is. Your eggs have hatched.

The eggs! So quickly? Shimmer stirrs in her ball. She had less time left than she had thought.

They are lovely, if you are worried about that. I'm sure you'll appreciate it. Catherine is asking me for advice where to take you to release you. Where does Darwin live?

The Zoroark starts. But--how would she? Shimmer didn't recall ever mentioning Darwin to Poe, or to anyone else, for that matter. How would the Sigilyph have--

Dream Eater. Keep up with me now, Catherine runs out of patience. Where is your home?

I used to live in the woods by the train. I can't remember the name.

Anville Town. You will return there, then.

Thank you, Poe. I owe you.

You owe me nothing. That is not the way this team works. I will watch over your children, if you like. I can reach you wherever you are.

Will you talk like this? Or alliterated?

Whatever suits me best at the time. There's no predicting. Prepare, Pebble. Adjustment advances.

Poe departs as soon as she arrived, and Shimmer suddenly feels lonely in her own head. She takes several deep breaths to prepare herself, before she's suddenly blinded by the flash of light heralding a release from her ball.