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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Much to August's disappointment, her party had zero encounters with any sort of magicians. She'd been hoping at least one band would show up and give her an excuse to leave Omar for dead. Stealing his ship would save her a load of trouble, but fate willed her to do things the hard way.
Instead, she endured long hours of Omar's rambling and nothing else. He prattled on and on about White Lightning and his hopes and dreams for the ship. August didn't register most of it, preoccupied with trying to suppress her internal anguish borne from her throbbing brain. Her migraine was insufferable; she wanted to tear her head from her shoulders to end the pain.
Finally, they made it to Omar's homestead. His land was made up of rolling hills with soft grasses and dainty wildflowers. With each gentle gust of wind, the plants swayed in unison similar to a rolling, green lake. Quiet and clean-smelling, it felt like an oasis among the tall wheat.
In the center of the field was a steep hill where the house sat. The two were halfway up the grassy incline when August heard the first excited shouts.
"Akhee! Akhee!" a high-pitched voice cried.
August jerked to the side as a little girl barreled past her, straight into Omar's waiting arms. The shipbuilder laughed and picked her up to swing her around. She squealed in delight, causing Omar's gigantic smile to stretch even further.
"Tahani, how've you been?" Omar asked, kissing her cheeks.
Tahani giggled. "Good! I'm so happy you're here."
"I'm happy I'm here, too."
An involuntary shudder fell down August's spine as the two cooed at each other. She refused to believe siblings bonded that well; it had to be fake. Her gaze shifted away, the intimacy bothering her. She frowned in disgust. Well, she figured it had to be from disgust.
"Who's that?" Tahani asked, pointing at August.
"He's my friend," Omar said, flashing her a grin. "His name's Gold. He'll be protecting us."
The little girl faced August and said, "So you're very, very strong?"
August swallowed the bile in her throat. "Aye, the strongest."
Tahani's cheeks puffed out, similar to a Jigglypuff. "No way, akhee and baba are the strongest people in the whole entire world."
"I don't know who those people are," August said, her patience waning, "an' it don't matter. If I fought them, they'd die."
Surprise flashed across the siblings' faces at the sudden pirate accent spewing from August's retort. She bit her tongue, pissed at herself. The accent always emerged when her anger got the best of her. There was something about that way of speaking that made it easier to convey her rage.
