Galar. Circhester City. Day.
It was the next day in the morning. And at this time, Sci-Twi and Volo had reached Circhester City, having travelled from the Wild Area and other areas to here.
Once here, Volo would gaze at this compass, seeing how the shards were moving once more. He looked in one direction, pointing at a specific location. "It looks like it's coming from over there. Not too far, but not too close either." Volo turned to Sci-Twi. "What do you say we check it out? See if we find anything?"
"Sure." Sci-Twi nodded, ready to follow him as they went towards the source. Of course, the duo couldn't just leave Kubfu and Bulbasaur behind. So, the two Pokemon were let out of their Pokeballs, accompanying the pair as they walked along the streets. She took Volo's advice from last night to heart, hoping that she would get stronger in the process.
"Fu!" Kubfu immediately ran off, eager to grow stronger since he absolutely loved to battle. He wanted to train right away, causing Sci-Twi to sigh. She didn't want to have to stop him all the time.
"Kubfu, wait! Come back!" Sci-Twi called out, chasing after her Pokemon. But he wasn't going to listen. The Baby Fighting Type kept running, hopping over any obstacle in his way. "Where is he heading off to now...?" She sighed, knowing Kubu was far too energetic when it came to wanting to train.
"Hmmm..." Volo would then observe Circhester while also looking at the compass, focusing on the location of the shard. He wasn't 100% sure if it was in Circhester itself or somewhere around it. There was a high possibility that it was in another location entirely. That was what he predicted.
The compass was acting strongly in every direction near Circhester, making it harder for Volo to figure it out. He would need to cover everything that the compass was strongly reacting to if he wanted to find that shard.
"Hoooh..." Sci-Twi hugged herself, feeling the chill. "Brr...I knew I should've worn something warmer. It's so much colder here compared to other towns and cities in Galar."
"Buy yourself a coat then. And then, see if you can find the location of this shard. We'll have to cover everywhere since the bracelet isn't even sure itself."
"If you say so." Sci-Twi shrugged, keeping her eyes on Kubfu. The two would split up, with Sci-Twi chasing after Kubfu so she could keep him from getting into trouble. She went straight into the store to buy a new coat. It didn't take long to find one that would suit her. Bulbasaur was also freezing since he was naturally vulnerable to the cold.
"Saur..."
Sci-Twi was wise enough to pack some money, having prepared for this trip ahead of time. She made sure to carry plenty of cash before leaving her world, especially since she wasn't going to return home anytime soon. This was the perfect opportunity for her to spend all the cash in her pockets without worrying about saving it.
Once she got her hands on the coat, Sci-Twi quickly put it on, already feeling the warmth coming from it. The coat would hug her body, giving her the warmth that she needed to survive in this environment. She bought an extra one for Bulbasaur too. One his size. "Here you go, Bulbasaur."
"Bulba! Saur!" Bulbasaur happily accepted it, wearing it right away. But before they could leave, Bulbsaur's eyes were already on the other coats here. His eyes lit up, not because he wanted to wear them, but because he was thinking about his friends. "Bulba!" He pointed at one of the coats, signalling Sci-Twi to get it for someone else.
"Oh. For Fluttershy?" Sci-Twi uttered before thinking about her friends. She stayed silent for a moment once her friends were brought up again. She still felt guilty about what happened. "Yeah...maybe I should get something for the others."
In Bulbasaur's eyes, he wasn't afraid to think about them at all. The Grass-Poison-Type could already see which coats would fit all of them perfectly. Sci-Twi giggled a bit seeing Bulbasaur run all over this section of the store, viewing the coats here with great detail, inspecting them closely.
He then looked back at Sci-Twi with starry eyes, wanting her to purchase some of them. "Bulba! Bulbasaur!"
"You want me to buy them? I don't know...we need to save up some money during this search and we can't afford to waste our money like that." Sci-Twi reasoned, knowing how expensive these coats were. Even if they were discounted, they weren't exactly cheap. She only spent so much because it was an emergency.
She didn't expect to do this on such short notice.
"Saur..." Bulbasaur lowered his head, disappointed with his trainer. He understood where she was coming from, but it didn't stop him from looking at them with such longing eyes. All he wanted was for his friends to have the same warmth as well. "Bulba..." He let out a sad cry.
"Ugh...alright. Alright, I'll get them. Just...stop crying, please." Sci-Twi sighed, making Bulbasaur smile widely. He was now filled with happiness, jumping around and cheering for joy. Sci-Twi couldn't help but giggle at Bulbasaur's happy reaction. "Alright. You win. We'll get some coats for the others too."
She began browsing and gathering the coats Bulbasaur picked out. There was one for Sunset Shimmer, one for Fluttershy, one for Rainbow Dash, one for Pinkie Pie, one for Rarity and one for Applejack. But while browsing, she came across a familiar face here who spotted her.
"Twilight, sweetie! Is that you?" A voice called out to her as Sci-Twi grabbed one of the coats, revealing the person in front of her. It was none other than Melony, the Circhester Gym Leader herself. "Why it is you! Wonderful to see you again."
"Melony...?" Sci-Twi blinked.
"Ah. You're the Human Variant, aren't you? Sometimes I mistake the both of you." Melony giggled. "It's nice to see you again anyways. I see you're focused on those coats. Enjoying the thrill of shopping? Maybe trying to keep yourself warm?"
"Yeah...kinda." Sci-Twi nodded. "I'm here with my friend, Volo. We're in this world for a little trip together."
"Oh? Not with Ash this time? That's a bit new. I thought you'd be with him instead since you're with him most of the time I hear." Melony asked. "It's so lovely seeing the two of you as a wonderful item."
"Wha?! N-No! Ash and I aren't a thing!" Sci-Twi retorted, blushing bright red. "But I... um...!"
"Ohoho! I kid, I kid. Anyways, did you come here for some training with the Circhester Gym? Or perhaps you've been taking on the Gym Challenge recently?" Melony questioned.
"Not really...I'm just here on a search for something. That's all. Once I find it, I'll be gone somewhere else by now."
"Ah...Searching for something?" Melony would then put on a light smile. "By any chance...would it have to do with some shards?"
"Eh?! You know?!" Sci-Twi pulled back, stunned that Melony was already aware of the shards and Sci-Twi's search for them.
"Of course, sweetie. My pen pal Delia told me all about it." Melony then approached her. "I heard you had a massive falling out with your friends, didn't you? So I'm guessing you haven't seen them in a while and you don't plan to see them until you find the last shards."
"Yeah..." Sci-Twi nodded. "You're pretty much correct. Everything went so wrong and now I'm distant from them. But I never wanted it to be like this." She lowered her head while looking at Melony. "I'm even afraid to face them when I get all the shards. I already put all my faith in Volo..."
"Hm." Melony thought for a moment. "Come with me, Twilight." Melony suggested that Sci-Twi come with her, specifically to her home. Of course, she would purchase the coats first, having to buy enough for all of her friends. The ones she could think of at least. She even got one for Spike and Starlight, just in case they came here.
She didn't want them to freeze either.
Melony's Home.
After making the purchases, Sci-Twi would follow Melony, going into her home where she lived with her five children. The house in question was rather large, giving the family plenty of space to move around. They weren't too far from the Pokemon Center, allowing Melony to leave quickly if an emergency occurred.
"Oh..." Sci-Twi admired the interior, seeing how nice and cozy this place was. It reminded her of her own home back in her world. A part of her began to miss the comfort of her home. If only she could return there once more. But for now, she had to stay here with Volo.
The pair would soon find themselves in the living room, with Melony offering her a seat. She even served her some tea, preparing it perfectly as it was warm, steam rising up from the cup. It looked very appetizing for Sci-Twi to drink. She accepted the offer, enjoying the warmth of the cup against her skin.
"This is great. Thank you." Sci-Twi uttered before taking a sip.
Sci-Twi gazed upon it, realizing what she was talking about. This photo was of Melony herself, standing in front of a castle that had many shards surrounding it. They were bright blue and radiant, shining in the sunlight. Her eyes widened in shock when gazing at the photo.
"Th-That's it! That's one of them!" Sci-Twi jumped out of her seat, rushing over to the picture. "Where is that? What is this place?"
"A place I visited two months ago. A nice little trip there. They were handing out souvenirs and gifts at the end and I received that one. The locals say it's one of a kind, made of an unknown material that they've never seen or heard of before. Wonderful, isn't it?"
"Wait! Does that mean you have it with you right now?! Can I see it?!" Sci-Twi asked, filled with enthusiasm.
"Sure. It should be upstairs. But...I wonder if I should really give it to you."
"Huh?" Sci-Twi blinked in confusion, not understanding why she wouldn't just let her have it.
"Twilight. Sweetie. You've been disturbed as of recently. I know it. That falling out with your friends left an impact on you more than you expected. Am I correct?" Melony asked.
"Y-Yeah..." Sci-Twi nodded, looking down. "I can't stop thinking about it. About them. Especially Ash and Sunset. Sunset is probably still mad at me and I don't even know what Ash is thinking...He hasn't even contacted me."
"Ah..." Melony saw how this girl was struggling, but she had to be strong for herself. "What about your friend Volo? Didn't you mention him?"
"Right. He's my current companion right now. But I'm worried he may be hiding something from me too. That I'm being lied to again...And then I'll have to face everyone else knowing I failed..." Sci-Twi sighed. "It's hard enough already."
"Hmm...I'm not too sure about Volo, but one thing is for sure, Ash isn't upset with you. Not in the slightest."
"Huh?" Sci-Twi gazed up, wondering what she meant by that. "But how would you know? Did Mrs Ketchum tell you?"
"I didn't need Delia to tell me that." Melony giggled a bit. "I could already figure it out knowing who Ash is. After I had my battle with him and even before that during the yard sale, I can understand him very well. And I can safely say that he would understand you completely."
"He would?"
"Of course. He would want you to see this through to the end instead of forcing you to stop. He knows that you've put your faith in Volo, so it'd be wrong of him to go against that. Ash wouldn't dare ruin your relationship with your friend."
"Well...When you put it that way...I guess that does make sense." Sci-Twi felt a bit better after hearing Melony's words. Being friends wit Delia allowed her to see who Ash truly was and that battle she had with him boosted that view. Perhaps it was because of her children or her own skills. Either way, it showed how much she understood the boy.
"Besides. Either he'll come to you when the time is right, or you'll go to him when you're ready." Melony would stand up. "As for the shard, I'll let you have it, sweetie."
Melony would gladly hand over the shard to Twilight, trusting in her. Melony could see all the good in her, knowing she was banking it all on trusting Volo and seeing the good in him. Whether she could see all that goodness til the end was up in the air.
She returned with a shard similar to the one in the picture. It was just like it, shining with a blue aura. There was no mistake about it. This was another shard from the same group. And it seemed to be the Ice-Type Shard.
"Here you go." Melony handed over the shard to Sci-Twi. "Now run along now. You need to get going."
"Thank you!" Sci-Twi took the shard with her, running off to find Volo. "I really appreciate everything you told me." She smiled at Melony before leaving, thanking her for her hospitality as well.
"Of course! Come back anytime, alright?" Melony waved her goodbye as Sci-Twi left with Kubfu and Bulbasaur, rushing through Circhester as fast as possible to locate Volo.
The Human World.
Back in the Human World, Sunset Shimmer was on her way to meet with her counterpart, hoping to make amends with Twilight. They were going to try and reunite the two of them together. But before that, she had to speak with Ash. With her phone out, she was already speaking with him.
"So that's the gist of it, Ash. I wanna make things right with her as soon as possible. I know you said we should wait for her and let her decide on her path and all...And you even said that we would cross paths at some point, but just for this, let me speak with her."
"No need to worry. I gotcha." Ash was already understanding of her situation, having listened to every word. "If that's what you want, then go for it.
"Thanks." Sunset smiled, feeling a lot better about herself. "I'll make sure I won't mess this up! I'm going with my counterpart and my friends to find her. School's out since Summer Vacation's here, so we have all the time in the world to try and find her."
"Hey, do your best! I'm rooting for you guys too!" Ash cheered on from the other side of the call. "You might even meet up with my ancestor along the way. She's looking for the shards too after all."
"Got it. I'll keep in touch with you!" Sunset would hang up, keeping her eyes forward. In the distance, her counterpart was already waiting, ready to leave at a moment's notice. Sunset arrived at her destination, smiling at her counterpart. "Sorry if I kept you waiting."
"Don't worry, you didn't keep me waiting long. Now let's go already. We need to find Twilight first. And there's no time to waste." She smirked, eager to get going. The two counterparts were in perfect agreement on what had to be done. Sunset was just hoping it wasn't too late at all.
Galar. Circhester.
Back at Circhester, Volo had searched the place for minutes, gazing around the streets of the city. Try as he might, he couldn't find one here. Thus, he decided to try the outskirts. If the shard wasn't in Circhester, then it must be outside.
He looked at the compass, seeing the shards moving around once more. This made his eyes widen. "It seems that it's heading somewhere towards Route 9. To think that they can move on their own...How interesting..." He muttered as he gazed upon the compass. "Maybe the next one will be found there instead."
Volo would then proceed to head on over to Route 9, walking across the streets until he reached the area where the bracelet would continue to light up, informing him that it was somewhere nearby. "Alright. It looks like this is the right place. Where could it be though?"
He then stopped by the area known as Circhester Bay which can only be found here on Route 9. It was a large body of water largely covered in floating chunks of ice, creating a natural maze for anyone who ventured here. There were also some parts that weren't frozen at all, showing that this location had some warmer waters here.
Volo would stand by the docks, gazing at this body of water while holding onto the compass. The shards continued to move around, but the direction was everywhere in this entire lake. No matter where he looked, it was still acting up, making it hard for Volo to pinpoint its location.
It started to confuse Volo. He wondered why the shards were now moving all of a sudden. It didn't seem right for them to act like this. So why was it moving around? As far as he knew, they don't just move without any warning or reason. But it was doing exactly that. Moving all over the place.
"This doesn't make any sense at all. It was never like this before." He uttered, confused. "It was always straight ahead but now it's not anymore. Why are you acting strange now?" He asked the bracelet. "Unless...Someone else aside from us is in possession of them. Is Lena near?"
He looked around the area, searching for Lena. Since she was capable of finding the shards through other means, she may have had a hand in this. Volo wouldn't put it past her to do something like that.
"Is she really here?" Volo narrowed his eyes, looking around the area with caution. If Lena was indeed here, he'd prefer to get this over with and find the shards before her. However, it wasn't Lena. Not at all.
Nearby on one of the smaller lands of ice in this area, was none other than Sonia. She was wearing a coat much like Sci-Twi's, having gotten herself one of these since she was already freezing. Just like Melony said, the weather in Circhester was way too cold for someone like her.
The redhead stood around as she held a shard in her hand. It was a shard of a light green colouring, indicating it to be the Bug-Type shard. The bracelet confirmed that it was another shard as seen by how bright the light was.
Volo narrowed his eyes when seeing her in possession of the shards. He wasn't sure if she was just some random person finding interest in the shards for vanity purposes or if she actually knew what they were about. He needed to take a closer look at her to figure it out.
Sonia would then close her eyes, trying to concentrate on the shard. In an instant, she saw the image of Arceus. A very brief one to be exact. This caused her to pull back, almost dropping the shard in the process. But luckily, she kept a firm grip on the object, holding it safely.
"What was that all about...It didn't do that before." Sonia gasped. She then felt a sudden chill run down her spine, but it was not from the weather. It was from the person nearby, behind her. She turned to see Volo right there, standing a few feet away from her.
"Afternoon. Mind if we have a chat?"
As the journey continues.
Chapter 509 End.