In a world full of floating islands, sky pirates, exiled magicians, and Pokémon, peace is difficult to maintain.
Shaymin, kind Pokémon who'd guided travelers once man learned how to fly, were hunted to extinction for their Gracideas: magical flowers...
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Eleven-year-old August grinned to herself as she bounded along the countryside, loving the sensation of air pushing her hair back and the sunshine warming her skin. She waved at passing workers using massive Pokémon—today they were Camerupt—to guide heavy wagons from the orchard to town.
A woven basket full of fruits teetered in her arms, threatening to topple every time her feet scuffed the uneven earth. She'd just come back from Shadeview where crowds had swerved around her, eying the precariously stacked berries and suggesting how she should've taken more care loading them.
Sard off, she'd thought. It's like you lot can do any better.
Shadeview, one of the richest agriculture centers in the country of Rubrelum, was known for three things: its sprawling orchards, prestigious military fort-turned-academy, and meticulous villagers who cared too much about matters that didn't concern them.
The elderly loitered in the town square with merchants to haggle, yet they complained when their pestering failed and shunned the foreigner who'd mistakenly stopped in their area. Wealthier citizens, those associated with the navy or who owned farmland, gossiped about others because they believed they were important enough to do so. Children picked up on the adults' behavior and mimicked them, bullying whoever thought differently.
If there was one thing August knew about Rubrelum, it was that its natives loathed unorthodox choices. Shadeview was the perfect example of that—it was why she ran home so quickly.
August readjusted her grip as she trekked the worn path to her house. The old, grand mansion was painted white with scarlet red Rubre-themed decals. Workers joked it was one step away from being an official government building. It was all thanks to her ultra-patriotic father, Captain Augustus Gold of the Rubre Navy, of course.
As she entered the house, she remembered that her father mentioned he'd have company over today for a meeting. She was forbidden to near the study. Curiosity got the better of August. What were they discussing? This required a spying mission.
The study was on the first floor, but she couldn't just crack the door and peek in. Also, the windows in the study were small ones lined at the top of the walls for privacy.
August dropped off the basket in the kitchen then went to her room on the second story and locked its door. She tied her skirts so they didn't swoosh when she walked and opened her window. A gigantic oak tree blocked her view from the outside while also stopping onlookers from seeing into her room, as well.
Carefully, she slid her legs over the windowsill and crept onto the nearest branches. She gripped the rough bark and grunted as she slunk around the trunk, grasping onto easier holds. Despite bunching her skirts, they still caught on twigs and made her let loose the three curses she knew.
