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Maybe she shouldn’t be walking on the route at night. It wasn’t the first time the thought had occurred to her. But so long as she stayed on the path, and so long as Ceridwen stayed by her side, it should be okay- after all, route 1 wasn’t the largest of routes, and she had walked it once before. Besides, she’d hear that there was a swarm of ghost pokemon meandering towards the route. What better time to encounter a ghost than at night?

It was close to midnight; the full moon hung high in the sky, casting silver beams of light across the fields that lined the walking path. Her grimer was safely tucked away in her pokeball, in the pocket of Fane’s jacket for easy access should anything happen- though for now the breeder was content to let the poison type sleep soundly. A clip flashlight hung from the strap of her messenger bag, gently swinging to and fro with each step. It was easy to reach should she lose her way, though the moon and starlight illuminated the path enough that she wouldn’t trip over rocks every three seconds.

She was far enough from Cassiopeia village now that the lights there were just a glimmer through the tall grasses. Ahead of her, translucent shadows flickered across the path. She squinted- were those ghosts, or just her imagination? She didn’t think she’d get so lucky as to encounter any right away, even if there was a swarm going on…

A faint, lilting voice to her left caught her attention. <Oh dear, what a conundrum...> Fane peered into the grass, and though it shook every so often, it was so dense she couldn’t make out anything that lay beyond it.

“Hello?” She called, standing on her tip-toes and trying to glance over the wall of plants. “Is someone there?”

<Oh~ Is that a trainer?> The sing-song voice called back. <I seem to be in a bit of a quandary. If you wouldn’t mind, I could use some help...>

Others may have taken pause, considering it was very likely a ghost pokemon trying to lure her off the relatively safe path, but Fane didn’t think twice before parting the grass and stepping through. Rough, leafy blades scratched at her face, but she persisted several feet. “Where are you?” She said, and was answered by a call just up ahead, which she pursued.

At last, Fane spotted the source of the voice. A purple balloon-like pokemon- a drifloon, she quickly corrected herself- was wrapped around a wily looking wild rose bush taller than her. Dark roses waved in the light breeze, but so did the mass of razor-sharp thorns that threatened to cut the breeder if she wandered any closer. Just at eye-level was the dual type pokemon, her heart-shaped hands and stringy arms entangled in the vines. <Hello~> The drifloon greeted. <I seem to be a bit stuck… I don’t suppose you could-?>

“Of course, just give me one second,” Fane said quickly, pulling her sleeves down to cover her arms and her hood up to shield her face. The flashlight flickered to life as she pressed the button and started forward, navigating the worst of the thorny brambles, though she couldn't avoid the occasional scratch and prick here and there.

The wild pokemon watched as she stepped closer. Holding the end of the flashlight between her teeth so she could see, Fane set to work carefully untying the drifloon where she could, doing her best not to tug too hard lest she hurt it. It was trying work; she found herself wishing she had a pocket knife on her to hack away the branches instead. But after a few intense minutes and a few dexterous movements, the pokemon was freed.

Her strings immediately wrapped around Fane’s wrist as the trainer backed a safe distance away from the rose bush and clipped the flashlight back in place. <Thank you so~ That feels much better now,> the ghost cooed.

A thought occurred to Fane. “Aren’t… aren’t you a ghost type?” She inquired, not intending to be rude, but curious all the same. “Could you have just… phased through the bushes, I guess?”

<Hmmm,> The drifloon thought aloud, <I suppose I could have.> She made no attempt to elaborate on why she didn’t in the first place, instead continuing on. <We drifloon do float around a lot, winds of change and all that, going where the fates choose~> Fane’s face took on a puzzled expression. <And usually, we look out for one another, warn ahead of things to get stuck on and whatnot. Though the others don’t like me all that much.>

There was the barest touch of sadness in that last sentence, and a pang resounded in Fane’s chest. She gently bobbed her arm up and down to get the drifloon’s attention.

“Hey, I think you’re great,” she said, smiling cheerfully up at her. It was true- sure, the drifloon seemed a little absent-minded, but she was pleasant enough, and she had a lovely voice to listen to.

<Ah, I fear you are too kind~> The wild pokemon unwrapped one of her arms and brought it to her face, as if to hide a blush.

“I mean it,” Fane insisted. “And if you’re feeling ignored- well, I know that can suck.” It happened often enough in highschool that she knew how that could be. “But if you want, you know, I don’t know if you’re interested in travelling with a human, but you’re more than welcome to tag along with me if you want?”

The question was far more meandering than she intended it to be, but the drifloon seemed to inflate a little at the idea.