Azzie

Happy December, everyone!! In past years, we've had a big party each winter! It's always a super fun time, with lots of awards, games, and 12 hours of partying! It's always been a real hit here, and I personally have loved spending time with everyone! It's a bit much sometimes, though, and this year, we were thinking of making our Winter Festivities a bit more low-key. Everyone's got a lot going on, and so we were thinking- what about just a cozy time with the community we love? Still a way to meet up and share some laughs and fun, but a bit less overwhelming. So, with that in mind... Next Saturday, December 17th, at 2PM EST, Reborn will be hosting a Snug Social! We'll have Jackbox games, watch a couple of movies, and just enjoy a fun time together! We'll be hosting it on the Reborn Evolved discord, so there'll be no need to join any extra servers or anything. We're all really hoping you can make it! Except Posty, who's too busy stealing Christmas!

*slides these in at the last second* 1. MOTY: @Bearadactyl 4. Carmen Sandiego: @Ice and @Prad I'm sorry I don't know his forum name ;; 5. Sugarpop Sunbeam: @ARandomName 6. K-Kawaii: @Dreamy 7. Auspicious Auth: @Ikaru and @Marcello 10. Memer: @crimsoncrim and @MatthewRatford 11. Dorkiest: @ARandomName @Marcello and @Felix~ 12. All Eyes On Me: @Cad 15. Emojis: @yume 16: Banter buddy: @Posty and also @MatthewRatford 18. Helping Hand: @Toothpastefairy (because he's saved my butt on more than one occasion) 19. Nerd (affectionate): @Hellscythe 21. BOOMER: @Ceratisa 22. Coolest Clown: @crimsoncrim @Marcello @Hat'n'Clogs 23. Needs A Dang Hug: @Kingoflife24 @crimsoncrim @Khrona 24. Supportive Cinnamon Roll: @familiarfawn @lukatales 25. Pets In Show: @zervixen and Jade 26. Chaos Gremlin (affectionate): @Jan 27. Lovely Lurkers: @familiarfawn @Morogreeneye 28. GIRLBOSS: @Evi Crystal @Zumi 29. MALEWIFE: @Mike @Caz 32. WOOORLD DOMINATION: @Khrona 33. Cult Leader: @Pyvetal 34. The Next Reborn Hunger Games Winner: @cicada 36. Never Gonna Give You Up: @Ceratisa 37. Pretty Dang Sus: @Khrona 38. Future Adoptee: @chxxo 39. B-baka!: @Cad

I love this so much.

I definitely didn't forget! I'd like to additionally nom @Khrona and @Winter for Sovereign! @smeargletail for our lovely King And @SailorMercury and @𝒞𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒 for Queens!

I nominate @crimsoncrim for Queen!

The event has ended! Thanks to everyone who came and participated! Come one, come all! Reborn's annual Summer Social swings into town on Saturday, June 26th! For anyone who's new around here- or just hasn't attended one of our parties before- I'll give you a brief rundown! Reborn has two parties each year- the Winter Revel and the Summer Social. And given that I don't see any snow around (not here, at least- you folks in the southern hemisphere probably have a different story) it must be time for the Summer Social! We'll have music, games, movie showings, and Reborn Royalty, all hosted in a special dedicated party server! So, without further ado... the Main Events! Main Movie Feature: Kiki's Delivery Service Every year we do a group anime movie showing during the party! This year, we'll be watching Kiki's Delivery Service from director Hayao Miyazaki! (It turns out a surprising number of Rebornians haven't seen it yet!) Plus, now that Discord allows up to 50 people in a broadcast, it's easier than ever to join! Below is the description for Kiki's Delivery Service: Risk Reborn Last year's debut event, Risk Reborn is back and better than ever! We'll be improving the game based on last year's test run, with a focus on speeding things up so it doesn't take quite so long. For any newcomers: You might be familiar with the classic world domination game! But isn't the world just a little big? At this party, join with Team Meteor or one of their opposing factions and fight for conquest over a Reborn Map divided into territories! You are the armies and the tacticians! Reborn Royalty The popularity contest returns! Vote for your favorites for Ember King, Midsummer Queen, and Sunlit Sovereign Nominations will open about a week before the party! Anyone can be nominated for any category! Except last years' winners, Marcello, Chxxo, Azzie, Ruby, Posty, Cera and Ceri. We cannot be nominated because we are too cool for your noms. And 5/7 are busy helping with the party anyway. Voting will be done the day of the party! Game Room Curses Battle it out in a free-for-all Q&A as each player stacks up more and more 'curses' restricting how they can type! Spite other players with creative curses to knock them out! These games go so far off the rails it's hard to see where the tracks even were to begin with! Mad Libs We'll be kicking things off this summer with an <adjective> game of Mad Libs, turning these parts of speech into a party of speech! Everyone in the group will get a chance to contribute whatever <adjective> kind of <noun> they wish so put on your <verb ending in ing> hats and get ready to <verb> this stuff up! Party Quirk Battle Royale Everything must be a battle royale and that includes Who's Line's classic Party Quirk game! Everyone is assigned a Secret Quirk to act out in chat while they try and guess the other players' quirks! If your quirk is guessed, you're out! Last man standing is the winner! BNHA fans still don't interact Never Have I Lights dim, the sun's done, but the fun's not! Stay up late with us-- our soul-baring Never Have I sessions are a breath of fresh life into the late night party! What happens here stays here, so make sure to stay tuned for it! Free For All As always, you, our lovcly community members, are free and encouraged to host your own events!, Past parties have had many, including Among Us, Mafia Games, CaH, Jackbox games, and of course the ubiquitous fan favorite Reborn Hunger Games. Our custom Hunger Games setup, made by our lovely Zumi, will be positively coursing through our server and you know we're all curious who's going to become the victors! (And I'm personally going to be watching to see who is a meanie and punts a Shaymin. Just. I just want to talk.) Our lovely DJ G'doots, who never makes us wait for him, is here to spread the greatest tunes this side of Teila Resort! At many of our parties, there is a Reborn Wonder Trade Fiesta going on at the same time! It's a great time to gather up your breedjects and send them off in search of new homes, and see what new Pokemon friends you can find! The splashdown starts on June 26th! Everyone is welcome whether you're a community veteran, a bright and bushy-tailed newbie, or a lurker who's never said a word before! The party is the perfect time to jump in and meet folks! See you there! ♥

I'm gonna take this opportunity to talk about my favourite parts of rejuv's story and characters! Because I usually try and hold back but this thread is a good opportunity, I'll try and mark major spoilers, but this is just a warning- this post will be spoily! so read at your own risk! I actually really like how Rejuvenation brings you into a world that feels alive and busy. With so many games- particularly the mainline ones- it tends to feel like the conflicts are only just starting when you start playing. As soon as you start Rejuv, you can tell this world is active and already has lots going on. Lots of fangames pull this off this well, but I remember especially when I arrived at Gearen Labs- there were people bustling around, Jan and Amanda were there to show me the ropes, there was the brief scene with Jenner, there was even that strange person in the upper corner who seemed scared of me. (Still think they're going to be relevant, by the way.) And right from the getgo there's so much established that the world feels alive, and active, and I loved it. this is very specific but I also love how the game immediately tries to coax you into being curious. The prologue, little snatches of scene implying something's going on at Gearen Labs, but especially- "If you leave now, you'll never solve all this". That Hoenn trip's "are you sure" message was a freakin callout, and I loved it. Madame X is a further callout, Nymiera and Anju, and the Puppet Master's the biggest callout of all but I'll get to that part. All of them just sort of gently tease, "You don't know things. You want to know. Keep wondering, it'll be worth it." and I hate when things tease that and then don't follow through but when they do? It's the best. And Rejuv always does. I love the characters. I have to disagree with a lot of people on this thread- I actually like Melia and her arc. You actually see her go from someone who's sweet, a bit sheltered and maybe a little selfish and thoughtless, to her realizing how her mistakes have hurt people- and even taking that too far, taking responsibility for things that aren't on her. To a strong, somewhat boisterous person who's learning what matters to her, and also trying to figure out a lot of Weird Things about herself and her own life. She's without a doubt a dynamic character, and there's no way her development's done- I'm excited to see what happens next.. But she's only one character. That's another thing I love- Rejuv, more than any other fangame I think, has an ensemble cast. And I tend to really love things with ensemble casts just because it allows for more variety and focus on how the characters interact. And there're so many awesome characters! If you've ever seen me talk Rejuv on discord you might've seen my "Top 3" from Zumi's character sorter is actually ten characters, because I have so many favourites. I love Dylan and Ana- that entire sidequest is easily my favourite in the game, because their dynamic is so precious and also it feels really really important. (Ana and Maggy know I would move mountains for them, right? I hope so.) I love Nymiera and her mystery and I think she needs a dang hug. I love the Puppet Master- the first time I played through that arc, I basically felt the starry-eyed emoji in my soul. I can get really embarrassingly gushy about that whole arc if I don't stop myself because it's just hilarious and beautiful and ominous and heartbreaking all at the same time. (Speaking of? I adore Zetta. Must protecc.) I love and Narcissa and Ren and Aelita and Venam and just. So many good people. I love how much this game cares about its story. The way things come together- I always feel such joy when I recognize The humour. The gentle moments- hanging out with Saki, Adam, Val and Braixen, playing catch with Growlithe and Aelita (pupper's never leaving my team by the way), hanging out with Melia on Route 1 and Val in Aquamarine Cave. And especially on my second playthrough, noticing the foreshadowing? There's so much and it's amazing. The team really wants you to care about this story and it shows, and it gently nestles my heart into the story. Finally, I just... love how engaged the team is. The constant updates, Zumi's gorgeous art, the ARG on Twitter- that's still one of my favourite uses of nontraditional media to tell a story ever, by the way. But also just... they listen. They comment on fanart, they giggle at theories, and they generally are extremely kind. Jan's a teasing troll, Zumi's a clown, Az is a boomer- but they're also wonderful people and excellent friends and they interact with fans so much and I appreciate them a lot. (All the devs are excellent! I just see these folks around mostly.) Rejuvenation's brought me a lot of joy. It's been a quiet place to play when I need to destress, it's given me puzzles that were just completely delightful, it's helped me make really lovely friends. And this story is very important to me and I'm super delighted and excited to carry on this journey. <3

Let! Creators! Make! Things! That! Make! Them! Happy! (and be! patient!)

okay it's my turn now! MOTY: Crim, Chxxo, Newt ROTY: Toothpastefairy Sugarpop: Ame, Newt Kawaii: Caddy Auspicious Auth: ICSW, Marcello Most Helpful Content Creator: Cass, for her magic squares guide Memer: Azery, Scythe Profile Pic: Crim Crazy Conspirator: Azery, Ceri Emoji: Crim Himbo: Jarred Needs A Hug: Newt, Ame, Cass Cinnamoroll: Posty, Ice, Ame Madame X: Zumi, Cass Most Likely to Be Auth: Ama, Bibs Wallflower: Dream, Ikaru 2020 Superstar: Crim Impostor: Posty, Ruby Never Gonna Give You Up: Hycrox

Welcome, one and all, to the (slightly late, I'm sorry) nominations for the Reborn 2020 Member of the Year awards! If you've attended our Winter Revels before, this should be familiar to you! But if not, I'll explain briefly. Every year, we open nominations for a variety of categories. You can nominate as many users as you like, for as many categories as you like. However! Different from past years, we have three changes: -Please no nominations that are just "____ for everything!" -Winners of last year's awards are not eligible to win this year for the same category. You're more than welcome to nominate anyone for any other categories, however- while Azery can't be nominated for Smelliest Auth this year, you're all free to call him a big memer! -In past years, we've had an Artist Of The Year and Writer Of The Year award. This year, we decided to do something different. On the day of the party, we'll be opening a Creative Gallery where everyone can post 1-3 things they've made this year that they're most proud of. We're hoping this encourages more people to contribute- there are more forms of creativity than just writing and drawing, and we want to celebrate all the many creative people in our community! Nominations are open as of this posting, and will be open until December 17th. Voting will take place all day on December 18th, and at the Winter Revel on the 19th we'll announce the winners! Voting will take place on Reborn's Discord server, so please join up if you haven't already! Categories are as follows, and this post will be updated as people are nominated! Member of the Year The big, the classic-- this is for the member who's made the biggest splash with the sharpest shine! Nominees: -Cass -Brave -Adrian -Caz -Nicki -Ceratisa -Posty -Crim -Chxxo -Newt -Khrona -Bluetowel -Azzie -Ceri -Arnie Rookie of the Year For the most upstart and standout member who arrived this year! Nominees: -Arnie -Crim -Yume -Cerise -Ceratisa -Toothpastefairy -Newt -Goose -Mercury -Storm Comeback of the Year For the most beloved member who returned to us this year after a long absence! Nominees: -Brave -Sini/Hexagon -Caz -Huggy -Kaito -Soloclus The Carmen Sandiego Award For the face since missing in action that we'd most want to see in the crowd once more! Nominees: -Chubb -Trevore -Kaito -Ice -Skitty -Maelstrom -Neil -Rosesong The Sugarpop Sunbeam Award For the member this year who's been sweeter than any candy store could hope to be! Nominees: -Crim -Nicki -Ruby -Candy -Kyle -Chxxo -Amethyst -Newt -Cera -Starry The K-K-K-Kawaii Award For the super-cutest member who's been around this year! Nominees: -Kyra -Everyone's Pets -Chxxo -Ruby -Crim -Yume -Cerise -Azzie -Ceratisa -Hellscythe -Ama (ZEL) -ICSW -Caddy -Drago -Hexa -Nicki -cass. The Auspicious Auth Award For the most helpful staff member who's been around to help out this year! this is definitely not a thinly veiled performance review. Nominees: -Starry -Ceratisa -Posty -Cass -Abyss -ICSW -Marcello -Amethyst -Cera -Azzie -Brave The Smelliest Auth Award For the auth member who, regardless of conduct, most desperately needs to take a shower! Nominees: -Posty -Brave -Marcello -Zumi -Godot -Azzie Most Helpful Content Creator Award For the member whose mod/videos/walkthroughs have rescued you through the most sticky situations! Nominees: -Icy Tails -Bluetowel -Cass -Lostelle -ICSW Memer of the Year For the member who's posted the freshest, most crispy clean memes this year! Nominees: -90skid -Robotnik -Caz -Ame2 -Kyle -Quinn -Azery -Hellscythe Dorkiest Dork Award This description has been removed due to creative disagreements among the writers of this thread. Nominees: -Bibs -Khrona -Nicki -Soloclus -Cass -Azery -Brave -Ceratisa -Crim The Profile Picture Perfection Award For the member who's had the best avatars around this year! Nominees: -Bluetowel -Posty -Kenneth -Adrian -Hellscythe -Ikaru -Ruby -Fezz -Nicki -Crim -Azzie The Craziest Conspirator Award For the member who just knows, man. Nominees: -Nicki -Node15 -Ricki -Bibs -Ame2 -Azery -Cerise -Soloclus Emoji Excellence Award For the member who's wowed us all with creative use of emoji this year! Nominees: -Sleepy Goblin -Punch -Ruby -Newt -Crim -Candy -Cad Smollest Bean For the member who is just so smol and pure. Nominees: -Azzie -Cerise -Ruby -Chxxo -Bibs -Crim -Caddy Archbishop of Banterbury For the member with the best banter on the block! Nominees: -Nicki -Newt -Brave -Ceratisa -Bibs -Amethyst -Rotherfucking Jorcerer Biggest Grumpy of the Year For the >:(est member around this year! (All in fun, of course!) Nominees: -Cass -Kyle -Godot -Khrona The Pointedest Poindexter Award For the biggest NERD this year! Nominees: -Azery -Kyle -Adrian -Ame -Mindlack -Arkhi -Cass -Swamp -Mercury -Wendel The Hippest Himbo Award For everyone's favourite himbo (or herbo, or thembo)! Nominees: -Alex -Psosty -Kyle -Jarred -Huggy -Brave Coolest Clown in Town For the member that's the entire circus! Nominees: -Zumi -Bibs -Posty -Crim -Hexa -Marcello -Khrona -Jan Most In Need Of A Hug For the member who just really needs a hug right away! Nominees: -The Emotional Support Channel -Cass -Ruby -Crim -Ceratisa -Nicki -Mercury -Cerise -Brave -Khrona -Amethyst -Newt -Bluetowel -Yumi -Tim -Arnie -Ikaru Supportive Cinnamon Roll For the member who is an actual cinnamon roll and always tried to support others! Nominees: -Starry -Bluetowel -Azzie -Cass -Kyle -Mercury -Ceratisa -Crim -Ikaru -Posty -Ice -Amethyst -Gardevoir Most Likely To Be Madame X For the member who has secretly been the primary antagonist of Rejuvenation this whole time. Nominees: -Kyle -Ruby -Azzie -Jan -Zumi -Cass -Caz -Caddy Most Likely to Become Auth For the most helpful member who should totally be on the team! this is definitely not a thinly-veiled screening process. Nominees: -Bluetowel -Huggy -Arnie -Crim -Ama -Bibs -Ikaru Most Likely to Become Champion For the member most likely to take the ranks when another gym leader champion inevitably dies or something! Nominees: -Quinn -Bibs -Brave -Goose -Adrian Most Likely to Take Over the World For the member most poised to overpower society as we know it! Nominees: -Ama (ZEL) -Bibs -Ceratisa -Posty -Brave -Cass Wonderfullest Wallflower For the member whose presence is quiet, but beloved. Nominees: -Caddy -Hellscythe -ICSW -Azzie -Yume -Candy -Punch -Dream -Ikaru -Soloclus -Cerise -Drago -Hexa -Ceratisa -Crim -Starry -Bluetowel -Mercury Most Likely to Start a Religious Cult For the member you'd most quickly offer your soul to in a ritual of deepest darkness! Nominees: -Cass -Sleepy Goblin and Storm -Brave -Bibs -Evi Crystal -Wendel -Godot -Ruby (about Douma) -Caz -Nicki -Khrona -Ikaru Apocalypse 2020 Superstar It's been a year. For the member who's managed to make the most of it! Nominees: -Ame -Kyle -Brave -Ruby -Crim -Caz Most Likely to Have Just Been A Dream All Along What is a dream? For the member who's what dreams are made of. Nominees: -Dream -Mercury -Ice -Bibs -Caz (Jarred) Most Likely to Win the Reborn Hunger Games For the member who's most likely to escape the wrath of Tree! Nominees: -Cerise -Zumi -Tree -Kyle -Chxxo -Aeodyn -ICSW Most Likely to Be Impostor For the member who's pretty sus, tbh. Nominees: -Bibs -ICSW -Caddy -Khrona -Punch -Abyss -Aldo -Kiet -Posty -Ruby -Caddy -Ceratisa -Wendel -Nicki -Goose -Fezz Most Likely to be Adopted by a Staff Member For the member who's likely to find a new parental unit in Reborn's auth team! Nominees: -Cerise -Chxxo -Mercury -Yume -Everyone Who Already Has -Crim -Arnie Most Likely to Win Third Place Self-explanatory. Nominees: -Dream -Azery -Posty -Ikaru -Bibs -Khrona -Storm -Bluetowel -Hexagon Member Most Likely to Never Give You Up For the member who would never let you down, nor run around, nor desert you! Nominees: -Caddy -Bibs -Cass -Skid -Brave -Arkhi -Azzie -Posty -Hycrox -Crim -Nicki -King -Goose I-it's Not Like I Wanted to Win or Anything Award This member isn't tsundere or anything, b-baka!! Nominees: -Nicki -Alex -Cerise -Bibs -Posty -Caddy -Amethyst cass Cna't Spel Awrad Fro thh menber taht jsut dosnt kno hwo 2 wrods! Nominees: -Alex -Storm -Adrian -Lia -Nicki -Wendel -Kam -Cass -Goose -Amethyst Award Award Award Award award award award award award award award award award award award award award award Nominees: -Hellscythe -Mercury -Arnie -Jan -Abyss -Every Staff Member Ever -Ame -Crim -Caddy -The Entirety Of Reborn -Kyra -Bluetowel's Cats -Newt -BIGFriv -Glow -Lumi

(Please note that the bit about Taka wanting to bury himself in the sand and do nothing is courtesy of our lovely Ame and not me!) Day 17 Faith woke Romi the next morning, her cold, wet nose against their cheek. They opened their eyes and the first thing they saw was her, looming over them. The instant she saw Romi wake up she let out a happy bark, and shifted backward to let them sit up. Taka was still sound asleep, but most of his Pokemon- all except Gliscor and Minior- had gathered together with Romi’s around something on the ground. They all seemed puzzled. Romi barely had time to register this before something bumped their leg from beneath the sand, and they rolled quickly and silently out of the way. A small whine sounded, and Faith let out a little bark of laughter as Romi looked back where they had been a moment earlier. Nino shook the sand off his head and shot Romi a wounded look. “Sorry,” Romi said. “Here.” They held out a hand and Nino ran to it, butting his head against it. “Gib,” he whined. The sound attracted the other Pokemon’s attention, and they looked around. Chatot happened to see Romi and Nino, and with a little crow he hopped over toward them. The others quickly followed, and with a grunt of alarm Nino hopped onto Romi’s lap and sat there, looking up at them. “Hey, it’s okay,” they said. To the other Pokemon, who had hurried over to them, they said, “Everyone, this is Nino. He’s a bit shy.” Nino grumbled nervously, but the presence of his Trainer seemed to calm him a bit; he shivered only slightly as Klefki chirped a greeting and Shimmer sniffed him, and when Faith patted his head with her paw he actually looked happy. Romi’s face lit up with pride at their new friend’s courage, and as Nino relaxed a bit Romi was able to say good morning to the other Pokemon, some of whom were trying to get their attention too. “Chatot, what the heck!” Romi turned and laughed softly. Taka was sitting up, and based on the look on Chatot’s face, he had just woken him up. “Morning,” they said. “Morning,” Taka repeated. “Hey, Chatot, did Romi put you up to this?” Chatot clucked with laughter, and Romi shook their head. “That was all him. Everyone else just realized Nino’s out and about.” Nino waved a paw at Taka, and he grinned. “Hey, buddy. Good for you.” The little crowd dispersed then, most of them wandering over to greet Taka, and Nino hopped off Romi’s lap and went to grab a Berry from the pile. After a brief detour to let Taka pet her, Betty went along with Nino, and before long Pokemon and Trainers alike were munching and relaxing. Taka suggested taking off before the sun rose too high, and Romi agreed readily, so they let their Pokemon play while they packed up the Berries into their bags and collected some more leaves for later fires. Faith dove into the pool for one last swim, and Madison and Chatot raced around the trees. “Hey, Ro, when we were talking about Light Shards last night, did you happen to see where the one for this place is? Assuming there’s one here?” Taka asked. Romi shook their head. “I sort of looked, but I didn’t see it. It must be farther along.” They finished packing, and with a few gentle words each recalled their Pokemon to their Balls. Taka scattered the remnants of the fire pit with his shoe, and then they were off, walking slowly around the pond as Romi looked carefully for any signs. Finally, after half an hour of walking, Romi spotted it- a golden glow in the water that didn’t quite match the sunlight’s reflection. They stepped closer, and sure enough, a golden shard gleamed about two feet below the water’s surface. Taka watched Romi peer into the water, the tips of their shoes just barely avoiding getting wet, and made a face. “Is it actually in there?” “Right there,” Romi pointed uselessly. “…Hey, Taka, come over here?” He obliged, standing next to Romi and looking where they were looking, but he still couldn’t see anything. “Sorry, Ro, all I see is dirt. And water.” “No, it’s just- here.” They waded into the pond, not stopping until the water was nearly waist high. “I want to try something.” Taka didn’t miss the implication, and he shook his head. “Romi, I’m not exactly a water kind of guy. I’m pretty sure I’d sink like a rock if I tried to swim.” “You don’t have to swim. I just… what would happen if we both touched it, at the same time? It’s right by my foot, it isn’t deep here.” Romi glanced down, then back over at Taka. “You don’t have to, I just… wonder.” Taka removed his shoes, wondering why Romi hadn’t thought to do the same, and shook his head. “Remember I touched it before and it didn’t do anything,” he said as he waded in. The water was cool, and he bent down to douse his scarf before walking out to Romi. “Good idea,” Romi smiled, nodding at the scarf. “I just wondered if we both touched it at the same time, what would happen. Maybe nothing. Or maybe… not.” “I’m kinda curious too,” Taka admitted. “Where exactly is it, again?” “There,” Romi pointed again, right in front of their shoe. “On three?” “Sure,” Taka said. “One…” “Two…” “Three!” They both leaned forward. Taka watched Romi’s hand and aimed for the same place. It happened quickly. Their fingers brushed together under the water, and then Taka felt something warm and pleasant jolt from beneath his hand and spread through his body. And it may have been a trick of the sunlight, but he could have sworn he saw gold behind his eyes, for a split second. And then the lake was gone, and the gold was gone, and the only proof that it had been there was his and Romi’s soaking wet clothes and a gentle feeling of health settling through him. Romi was watching his face carefully. “What happened?” Taka stared. “Romi… is that what it’s like, every time?” He looked down at his hand again, wonderingly. Romi’s eyes widened. “You felt it?” “I felt something,” Taka said. “It was… warm. And happy. And I saw something golden, for a second. I think it worked, Ro.” Romi’s face broke into a smile. “That’s great. I wondered if maybe it would change anything, but…” “I honestly didn’t think anything would happen,” Taka admitted. “But… Ro, that was incredible. My hand’s still kind of tingling. And I’m just… happy. I’m not sure whether that’s the Shard or just being glad I could actually feel it, though, haha.” The smile of pure wonder on Taka’s face was beautiful. Romi was struck by it. They felt their own face grow bright with the sheer happiness of it. “I’m so glad,” they said. “Me too,” Taka grinned. “I can’t…” He trailed off. “Romi, do you see that?” Romi turned to follow his gaze. A single palm tree, not far off from where they stood- near enough that it must have been part of the oasis. And it was still there. “That’s weird,” he said. “Do you think it was both of us touching the Shard that did that?” Romi frowned. “Why would it just leave one tree?” “I guess,” Taka said. “Maybe it was already here? When the oasis sprung up, I mean? So it wasn’t connected to the Light Shard in the first place.” Romi looked thoughtful. “It does look pretty big.” “It kind of does. Hey, let’s go check it out before the sun dries us off too much.” They took off quickly at first, but both quickly discovered that the added weight of drenched pants- and, in Romi’s case, shoes- made a difference in running, and slowed down. As they got closer to the tree, it was clear that they’d been right about it being ‘pretty big’. It stretched up, and by the time they reached its base the tree towered over them. “This has to’ve been the tallest one,” Taka said, staring up at it. “…I think it’s the one Komala was in.” “I think you’re right,” Romi agreed. “I wonder how old it is.” “Gotta be pretty old, if it’s this big.” Taka leaned against the trunk, looking up at the leaves and fruits far above his head. “It’s a nice one.” “Nino liked it,” Romi said. “I don’t know if he ever really saw a tree before, living in- Taka, move!” Taka frowned. “What’s up?” Romi pointed above his head. “Look.” Taka looked up. The tree- tree?- was bending, arching its trunk as the top stretched closer and closer to the two. Taka scrambled away from the trunk and toward Romi, but the tree simply stretched out further, until the leaves were drooping down and the three fruits- which they could see now had faces- were on eye level. It was smiling at them. “Um. Hi?” Taka said. “Hi,” Romi echoed. “Cuu!” The sound the Exeggutor made was somewhere between a rumble and a roar, with a faint whistle to its voice, and its tone sounded curious. “I’m sorry we took away your oasis,” Romi said. “Yeah, and I’m sorry Komala was sleeping on you yesterday,” Taka added, realizing. “He just really likes to climb, but-” Exeggutor’s face lit up with excitement, and it let out another cry. The ground began to tremble, and Taka stepped back again as the tremor grew to a shake, and then a quake. Sand began to fly around the Pokemon as the quake went on, and both Taka and Romi had to brace themselves to avoid falling over. After a short time, however, the shaking died down, and as the sand settled once more they could see that the Exeggutor had completely unearthed itself. “…Huh,” Taka said. “Well, I can’t really blame you. I, too, would love to bury myself half-underground and do nothing for hours on end.” “You practically have,” Romi deadpanned. Taka looked down and laughed. The sand Exeggutor had displaced was sticking to every inch of Taka’s clothes that had gotten wet. He wasn’t the only one. “I guess we’re all in the sand club,” he shrugged, still grinning, and when Romi noticed how covered they also were, they were set off laughing too. Exeggutor joined in, its laughter coming in heavy waves that nearly shook the ground on their own. Romi grinned. “You’re awfully friendly.” “Torr,” Exeggutor said. Now that he was uncovered from the sand, they could see his tail whipping back and forth behind him, and as if to prove Romi’s point the Exeggutor stuck his faces between the two Trainers and smiled. “Pretty cute,” Taka agreed. “…Hey. Romi, you’re probably gonna tell me I didn’t think this through, but… what if we brought him with us?” Exeggutor’s tail wagged faster. “I mean, he gets along with Komala, and we did kind of just steal his home.” Taka gestured around to where the oasis had been, and turned to Exeggutor. “Would you want to come?” “Torr! Tor!” The great Pokemon shifted from foot to foot in excitement, pounding the sand each time, and he nudged Taka with his faces. Romi smiled softly. “Sounds like he’s already adopted you,” they said. “Haha. All right, big guy, here.” Taka pulled out a Great Ball, and tossed it against the Pokemon’s trunk. Exeggutor was drawn inside, and the ball wobbled once after hitting the sand before it settled closed. “…Wow,” Taka said, after a few moments. “Hm?” “I honestly didn’t expect it to be that easy,” he said, staring at the ball on the sand. “It was kind of an impulse, but… I sort of felt bad for him.” “He probably counted on that,” Romi grinned. “He definitely seemed happy to have some company, and did you see that dance when you asked if he wanted to come?” “Yeah,” Taka smiled. “It was pretty cute.” “It was.” Taka stooped down to pick up the Pokeball, clipped it to his belt, and shrugged. “Well, guess it’s time to get going again.” They set off once more, following the direction of the sunrise and veering north. The coolness from the water on their clothes was a welcome relief for as long as it lasted- which was sadly not very long, in the scorching sun. After a couple of hours, Romi stopped walking abruptly and turned to Taka. “We got off course somehow.” Taka turned to the mountains and frowned. “I thought they should’ve been closer. I guess… that sandstorm the other day, maybe? Or was it yesterday? I’ve completely lost track of time out here.” “I’m not sure,” Romi shrugged. “It kind of blends together. But you’re right, I think it must’ve been the sandstorm.” “Hopefully we didn’t pass the Gym.” Romi’s eyes widened for a moment before they shook their head. “Once we get closer, past the dunes, it’ll be easier to see if there’s anything back that way.” Taka nodded. “Shouldn’t take too long to get back.” Without any further discussion, they stopped heading north and simply focused on walking due east, dodging around some of the larger sand hills and scaling the smaller ones. Shortly before dusk, a wind picked up, and with it, a cloud of sand; fortunately the shadow of the mountain was near enough now that the two Trainers could still use it to guide their way. After a few hours, the wind faded, and Taka and Romi used the last traces of daylight to make camp next to a massive boulder half-covered by sand, near enough to the mountain that only a few low dunes lay between them. This time, when Romi released their Pokemon, Nino was among them. The others seemed to have learned their lesson from the morning; Faith nosed Nino gently and Shimmer whistled in greeting, but they all gave the little Gible space, and in turn Nino seemed relaxed and happy. Taka released his team next- all but one. “Okay, guys, I made a new friend this morning. He’s kind of big. But I think you’ll all get along okay.” He addressed Romi’s Pokemon, too, and they looked to Romi with curiosity. Their Trainer simply smiled. Taka activated the Great Ball. The beam of light shot upwards like a flare, and with a yawn, Exeggutor appeared. “Torr?” “Ko!” Komala had already begun to doze off, nestling up against Gliscor’s tail, but at Exeggutor’s cry his eyes opened. And with clear excitement, the little Pokemon scampered over to sit by the giant’s feet. Exeggutor made a sound- Taka couldn’t interpret it from so far up- and turned his body slightly, Komala sitting patiently as he did. He shifted until the tiny head on his tail was near enough to Komala to see him properly. The moment it did, it began to wag. Exeggutor shifted from one foot to the other in excitement, and Taka stepped out of the way as the great creature bent its neck to bring its heads closer. Komala reached up, and when Exeggutor’s heads were near enough to properly see the little Pokemon, all of them were smiling broadly. He made a sound like a yawn and a rumble as Komala actually hopped, not quite reaching the bigger Pokemon. Taka looked from one to the other before picking Komala up and holding him at eye level with Exeggutor. Exeggutor rubbed his nearest face against Komala’s fuzzy cheek, and Komala purred. “So, uh. I guess you know each other?” “Ko! Ko!” Komala wriggled out of Taka’s grasp and climbed onto his head, and began chattering to Exeggutor. The bigger Pokemon made soft sounds in response, and Taka simply stood there. “Romi, you seeing this?” Romi, who had been grinning since Komala sat next to Exeggutor, walked over to stand near Taka. “Must’ve met last night.” “So Komala knew,” Taka mused. “That makes it easier, I guess. Maybe that’s why he liked us.” Exeggutor hummed, and lowered his faces slightly so that the nearest one could lick Taka’s cheek. Romi burst out laughing. “What-” Taka started, shock and alarm written across his features. A brief pause, and he relaxed, grinning. “Heh. Well, welcome to the team, big guy. Apparently you’re among friends.” “Cu cu,” Exeggutor said happily. They built their fire quickly, and spent the rest of the evening munching on Berries and watching Nino and Exeggutor- Eggs, Taka had taken to calling him- get used to the rest of their Pokemon. It was a surprisingly smooth integration; even apart from Komala, the others were relaxed around the giant, and by the time they settled in for the night Taka began to wonder if he and Romi had been the only ones not to know Exeggutor was there. He turned to ask Romi, but they were sound asleep already. Their hand was loose on the sand- for a change, no Pokemon had ducked under it or on it- and Taka remembered the morning, how they had both touched the Light Shard at the same instant. How Romi had tried, repeatedly, to let him feel its warmth, and how it had worked this time. The memory brought back the sense of wellbeing and happiness, and in his drowsy state he realized that it had been there in the background of his mind all day. As he fell asleep, he made a mental note to ask Romi in the morning why they hadn’t told him Light Shards kept working over time.