And their step forward.

"Oh, Sapphire! You're still around?"

Wattson was as surprised to see the girl as Citrine had been. Sapphire laughed sheepishly at that.

They were now at the Pokemon Centre, where Lombre was getting checked up and Citrine sat aside with a shock blanket over her, sipping on a cup of hot chocolate.

Sapphire was flabbergasted, being the first time she'd come into a building like this one (how much of a jungle girl could you be to not know what a Centre was?) but she got used to the 'strange refrigerators' quickly.

"I found this one in the forest," Sapphire gestured at Loudred, "it was lookin' for sumthin', so I stayed a bit to help."

Citrine turned to Loudred, who looked away defiantly-- and her face fell.

(Maybe Whismy was looking for Wurmy.)

Lombre found its place on her shoulders and stayed, content with the affection-- but Loudred would take a while longer, it seemed.

(Maybe Whismy still didn't forgive her.)

"Any-ways!" Sapphire spoke over the tension, then she began speaking in a sharp scolding tone, "you just leaped out there, what are you an idiot? It was super duper dangerous and you should never ever do it 'gain!"

"Sapphire, I recall you did something very similar a day ago..."

"I'm different!" she huffed, then crouched down to inspect Citrine's arms, "look at these, you got scratches all over even though your skin's so pretty!"

Citrine's honestly a little taken aback. Sapphire, a jungle girl with scratches and wounds all over, is lecturing Citrine about basic feminine skin care.

Wattson was equally appalled, but he had a degree of understanding there. Sapphire aside, Citrine really needed to learn self-preservation. Sapphire was accustomed to roughhousing-- Citrine wasn't. The difference was necessary.

"Ah, I'm... sorry," Citrine managed to say, "thanks so much, Mister Wattson, Zubat, and... and Whismy, too."

There was still a Zubat here, who hovered around simply to get an assurance that Citrine was okay. Wattson's Magnemite set themselves beside Citrine like a surrounding of guardians, which was kind of cute.

Loudred, though, yelled at her.

"Yeah, you tell her too, Loudred!" Sapphire cheered, "reckless and brave are two different things!"

Huh?

It seemed Lombre also got the drift, because soon Citrine was crowded in the unintelligible screaming of two Pokemon in front and behind her.

She found Wattson apologizing to the Poke Centre staff on the other end, but the man didn't make any move to stop the ruckus. Neither did the nurse.

"Ah, I get it, I'm sorry, no Whismy, I mean-- Lotty, I'm sorry too, wait, I can't understand any of you, I don't speak Pokemon--"

Soon, Citrine just gave up, pretending to understand what 'lombre, lombre' and 'loudred, loudred' meant.

Maybe she deserved this. She was going to scold Lombre for prioritizing the ring over its own safety, but it looked like history now.

Maybe she deserved this for Wurmy, then.

She needed a good scolding of what she did and didn't do, and what they were going to do from now on.

(They were going to continue, and move on from the Dustox, leaving it behind in this town as a free Pokemon.)

(They were going to set Dustox free, giving up on her.)

(Without being able to apologize.)

Just thinking about it made a pain bloom in her chest.

"Lotty, Whismy," she addressed the Pokemon slowly, a crestfallen expression on her face-- "would you still follow me as your trainer?"

She really didn't feel like she deserved anything from them.

"What are you talking about?" Sapphire was ready to snap, "of course you do! They love you, anyone can tell!"

Wattson stopped her, shaking his head slightly.

This was an issue they had to settle on their own, after all-- interference would not solve anything.

The two Pokemon stopped their lecture abruptly, then looked at each other as if contemplating the question.

"I mean, I'm reckless, I don't know how to take care of myself, I depend on you for everything-- even Leafeon doesn't listen to me," she told them, "I even lost Wurmy."

She's a burden that depended on Pokemon to survive.

Is that a good thing in the Pokemon world? It couldn't be. In the other world, this would be the equivalent of a parasite in a group of friends, one that leeches off benefit one-sidedly.

Can't she do anything on her own?

Even her dream was based on her brother's.

"That's right!" Sapphire clapped her hands together, "hey, Loudred, let's take that out! You got it for your trainer, right?"

"Huh?" Citrine looked up, confused.

Loudred huffed proudly, then reached behind a bush to peel out a whirl of flowers, tied together like a flower crown of vines, lilies, and nuts.

Citrine was surprised. Wattson watched in awe. Loudred looked so proud of its work, showing it off like it was precious jewellery.

"I haven't made a flower crown in ages, but thank god I still remember how to!" Sapphire laughed sheepishly.

Loudred set the flower crown on Citrine's head, and set his hands on his hips, waiting for praise.

Citrine blushed, feeling tearful.

Was this acceptance? Was this forgiveness? Was this a sign to move on, forget and progress?

"Thanks," she whispered, "it's beautiful, Whismy."

It's the most beautiful thing in the world.

In the sunlight, three things glinted a shining silver against the world. An earring on Loudred's ear, a pin on Lombre's lily pad, and a ring on Citrine's little finger.

"Lotty, Whismy," she told them, meeting them in the eyes, "we're not going to stop here, right?"

Lombre and Loudred cheered.