Inkedust
Harbinger of Sunrise
Silverglint was born a runt. Weak compared to his siblings and other pokémon his age had left him an easy target. However, one seemingly normal day, Silverglint is presented with a strange object which, unbeknownst to him will become a gateway into a new life.
A oneshot that acts as a brief glimpse into the backstory of the Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky partner character.
(no cover because the site seems to hate me)
*
A oneshot that acts as a brief glimpse into the backstory of the Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky partner character.
*
Pokémon Square was as peaceful as ever. Shopkeepers tended to their stalls, engaging in conversation with the occasional customer; pelipper were flying high above the clouds, with the mail’s daily rounds; adventurers were filtering their way in and out of the main square; all the while gentle afternoon light filtered its way through browning leaves, detaching themselves from their branches. It was yet another uneventful day for the residents of Pokémon Square.
Or so it had seemed in that very moment.
Stillness broke with the desperate scampers of a persian carrying a generous supply of Energy Seeds in his maw. To see the poised and regal banker in such a state was unheard of, but contrary to the mundane atmosphere, today was different. Very different. At least five bystanders were bowled over by his inelegant bounds before he’d finally reached his destination.
The tiny hut that he’d called his home hummed with occasional mewling. He turned his frantic gaze to the furthest end of the room where he bore witness to his mate, laying atop a thick layer of bedding. Though she appeared to be completely exhausted, the perrserker was kneading and purring deeply as six newborn kittens were having their first meal.
“Willowsheen!”
The perrserker lifted her head towards her approaching mate as he rubbed his head against hers, careful to avoid her horns, before he examined the litter. Of the six, four were Ironclad —indicated by the tiny, black coins on their foreheads; the other two were Golden.
“Two sons and four daughters Silkstone,” Willowsheen uttered breathlessly. Tears of joy pricked the corners of her eyes. She watched as her mate moved behind her to lay down, absorbing every second of the moment.
“Have you named them yet?”
“No. I wanted to do it together. You know how powerful names are, it wouldn’t feel right if I did it myself.”
“Of course,” Silkstone whispered as he studied the litter. Willowsheen was completely right. It would’ve been entirely wrong if only one of them had decided on the names of their kittens. After a brief exchange of glances, the two began naming the kittens, together. Silkstone was confident enough with the names of the first five but he could not for the life of him decide a name for the final kitten. The dusty silver tabby was the smallest of the lot by a fair margin, undoubtedly, the runt of the litter. However, the beautiful sheen of his gold coin indicated that he was in perfect health. Willowsheen on the other hand, seemed to have known what to name him the moment she’d laid eyes on him. She lowered her head, whispering softly into the kitten’s ear—
“Glint of a Speckled Silver.”
*
The months passed. Autumn gave way to Winter and then to Spring and then to Summer before going back to Autumn again. During this time, Willowsheen watched her kittens grow with confidence. Now nearing adolescence, they’d managed to pick out preferred names for themselves and had grown to become quite capable; helping out with several errands such as aiding Willowsheen with a few small chores, or helping their father’s business by helping count the stored coins, or helping him memorize which stack of coins belonged to which team. Yet they continued to play as if they hadn’t aged a day.
The morning was mild, if a bit windy, but fine enough to play at the pond at the behest of her children. From there, Willowsheen watched her mate entertain a Rescue Team composed of a charmander and a psyduck, a grim reminder of current events. Rescue Teams had always been plentiful in the area, however, a recent surge of natural disasters had made them even more common. The chance of her family becoming a victim of these disasters drenched Willowsheen with worry. What could she do if such a thing were to happen? What if the square was suddenly struck by a common earthquake? She dared not to entertain the possibility of what she’d do if she’d lost—
“MAMA!”
Willowsheen’s train of thought was brought to a halt by Quicksteel, one of her Ironclad daughters. “Wh-what is it dear?” she inquired of her panicked daughter.
“Ferric pushed Silverglint into the pond and now he won’t stand up!”
“What!?”
“Yeah, Ferric wouldn't stop teasing Silverglint for being the coward he is so Silverglint tried to attack him before he was shoved into the pond!”
Willowsheen’s blood turned to ice as she turned to make a dash for the pond, begging for Oriana’s or any other deity’s mercy. Quicksteel followed closely. Silverglint had always been noticeably weaker than his siblings and his shyer disposition had made making friends difficult. It was incredibly easy for others —including his siblings— to pick on him, but none of that mattered to Willowsheen. Silverglint was still her son and right now, he was in mortal danger.
Upon her arrival, Willowsheen saw Ferric sitting at the edge of the pond, right besides Whiscash. A mortified look was plastered on his face, however he seemed to be more afraid of any potential punishments he’d be facing rather than the realization as to what he had potentially done. At Ferric’s paws laid Silverglint’s body, unmoving but still breathing. A warm wave of relief flooded Willowsheen upon noticing Silverglint’s shallow breaths. Relief that quickly manifested itself as anger directed towards her other son. Meeting Ferric’s eyes, Willowsheen let out a quiet snarl, “Go to your father, right now. We’ll talk about what you’ve done once I’m done making sure that your brother is safe.”
“But I—”
“GO!”
Ferric knew better than to push his luck against his mother’s anger. He plodded back towards the square, head hung low as if he was not only trying to avoid the furious glare of his mother but also the bewildered stares of his siblings.
Once Ferric had left her sight, Willowsheen turned all her attention to her son, flattening his fur back to his body and clearing him of any dirt and grime. By the time Silverglint opened his eyes, he had completely dried off. He hadn’t the time to process what had happened and even less after being smothered by his mother who had begun babbling about how worried she was that anything might have happened to him. He could barely process her words and before he knew it, he was picked up by the scruff of his neck. Dragging him around the place had always been an easy feat. To his parents, he was the easiest to carry; to his siblings, he was the easiest target. So easy to bait and overpower, it was not the first time Ferric had done this. It left Silverglint with the burden of being useless. So, very useless.
*
Parents distracted by Ferric, Silverglint snuck his way back to the pond. The skies were being painted by the evening at this point, his siblings long gone. Only Whiscash remained, as he always did, half-awake and bobbing in the water. Silverglint sat himself by the pond’s edge, his amber-eyed reflection staring dumbly back at him. He had always been small, he had always been scrawny, he had always been weak and being weak made him a burden; he was why he couldn't make any friends. In the midst of his sulking, something gleaned in the corner of his eye.
Despite his best attempts, he could not ignore it and instinctively searched for the source. Upon grabbing the supposed treasure, he was greeted by a bout of disappointment —it was just a rock with a flat edge. It fit perfectly in his paw and as he turned it over, an intricate pattern carved on the flat-side revealed itself. Silverglint had never seen anything like it. It felt… important. Somehow.
As Silverglint continued to examine the strange rock, a deep, amused hum rang out from behind him, causing him to jump back in shock and to nearly drop the odd stone back into the pond.
“Oho! What have you fished for yourself, young one?” It was Whiscash, who Silverglint thought to be sleeping or daydreaming or not paying any attention to him at all.
“I, uh—” Silverglint began to stutter, “noticed this strange rock… I-If I’m stealing or anything I can return it, I was just a bit curious.”
“A strange rock you say? How strange indeed! May I see it?”
“Uh, sure?” In a movement, nothing more than awkward, Silverglint presented his finding pattern-side up to Whiscash.
“Now where did that come from? I’ve certainly never seen or felt it anywhere in my pond. It couldn’t have been dropped in here either, I would’ve noticed the moment it touched the water.”
“F-Felt?
“My whiskers tell me of every little thing that resides in this pond, from their shapes, sizes to the very way they move but I haven’t noticed this thing until you scooped it up. The only explanation I can come up here is that it just manifested itself out of thin air!”
“Why would that happen?” Silverglint asked, bewildered. “Things just don’t appear out of thin air for no reason!”
“Ah, but perhaps there is a reason for its sudden appearance. Perhaps,” Whiscash’s voice trilled with fascination. “It appeared just for you to find it.”
“Appeared… for me?” It made no sense! Things just don’t appear out of nowhere for a specific mon, especially not one like him. “I-I don’t think that something would appear for me like that. It’s probably meant for someone else…”
“Oho, I wouldn’t say that. You’re the one who found it so I think you should keep it either way! Besides, that pattern is remarkable, I’d say that you’ve found a real treasure there.”
Their conversation continued for a little while longer —it was only when the skies had taken on a deep red hue that Silverglint realized how much time he had spent studying the rock with Whiscash. The moon would be rising at full light and if his parents were already done with Ferric, they'd be worried sick after that display from earlier. Hastily, he bid his farewell to Whiscash before picking up the rock with his mouth and taking off on all-fours.
*
Silverglint had trouble sleeping, that weird rock that he found two weeks ago was gnawing at the edges of his mind. He was still unsure what to make of it. Its sudden appearance was one thing but that strange pattern had captivated him. He had to find out what it meant, he just had to. So far, he’d kept the rock to himself but he at least wanted to show his ma. As luck would have it, Ferric was still receiving the lecture of his lifetime by the time Silverglint had returned, he’d managed to overhear what punishment Ferric was saddled with: forced to count the Poké in da’s bank for the next month and no one else was allowed to cover for him.
As Silverglint deliberated on what to do, he cast his gaze out the window to be met with the sight of a countless number of stars illuminating the Autumn night. The moon was nowhere to be seen, according to da, it meant that the night was something called the “Quiescence”. It had something to do with the moon needing rest, meaning that only the stars watched over the night sky. It also meant that it was darker, which meant that it was easier to sneak around. Careful not to awaken his sisters, Silverglint slowly stalked his way towards his parent's room. His da was knocked out but ma still seemed to be somewhat awake.
“Hey, hey ma, you awake? I needa show you somethin’”
Gradually, Willowsheen opened her eyes. “Eh? What is it?” she mumbled.
“It’s this thing I've found,” Silverglint whispered. If the tone of his voice hadn't already given his enthusiasm away, then his purring put it on full display. Boldly, he produced the strange rock. “See, there's a weird lookin' pattern on the flat part, Whiscash said he’s seen nothing like it and he’s really old, but maybe you’ve seen anything like this?”
One look from his mother told Silverglint that she was just as ignorant as Whiscash was but was just as eager to theorize about its existence. “…No, I don't think so, but it does look as if it's some sort of fragment.”
“Fragment?”
“A piece of something,” she explained. “Looks like that it may have come from some sort of relic.”
“Oh?” Silverglint buzzed with a new type of excitement. “Like something made by the Ancients in those stories you told us?”
“Why yes! It could very well be Ancient-made! Oh Silverglint, you've found a real treasure now, haven't you?” his ma purred deeply.
“I have, I have, I have!" Silverglint hollered in delight. So much so that he forgot entirely that his da was sleeping right beside him, which resulted in a string of hastily made apologies.
“Anyway,” Silverglint whispered in an attempt to control his voice. “I really want to find this relic that this fragment comes from and maybe on the way, I can find tons of new treasure!”
“Really?” his da asked, midway through a yawn. “If that’s the case, then maybe you should consider joining an Exploration Team.”
“An Exploration Team?”
“Yes, I’m sure that you are well aware of the many Rescue Teams in the area, such as A.C.T.” Silkstone yawned once again before continuing, “Well, instead of rescuing Pokémon, some teams prefer to explore undiscovered areas to search for treasures or discover the many wonders of the world. If you do that, then maybe you might find the secret behind that treasure that you found. Heh, I always knew that you were special from the day you hatched!”
“Hatched?” Silverglint looked visibly confused. “But Ferric said that that's just a story adults tell children before they're old enough to learn about the chatots and the combees—”
“A discussion that you are far too young to be having,” Silkstone said firmly. “Now, I think it's time for bed for all of us, don't you think?” The conversation ended there, despite Silverglint’s attempts to get a few extra words in.
Silverglint made his way back to his room, not noticing his mother’s brief flash of worry. He took another look at his treasure, so a fragment of a relic that was most likely made by Ancients? He smiled to himself, he'd do just what his Da suggested, he'd join an Exploration Team, discover a bunch of new dungeons and many treasures to go along with it and then uncover the mystery of his Relic Fragment.
*
Early the very next morning, Willowsheen left to do the weekly shopping at the kecleon brothers’ stall. The morning chill was a sign that Winter was approaching briskly. Opening shop so early had started to become unpleasant these days, especially after the Quiescence. Willowsheen reflected on the conversation she and Silkstone had with her son last night. He wanted to become an explorer? By all accounts, she should have been thrilled to hear that he’d found a calling in life but she was left wracked with concern. Exploration, though exciting, was extremely dangerous —and much as she wished that it wasn’t the case— it would be too much for her runty son. Silverglint would have to get far stronger somehow before he'd even have a chance to join a team, let alone go on any large-scale explorations.
“Can I help you with anything, Perrserker?”
In the midst of her thoughts, it hadn’t occurred to Willowsheen that she’d taken a wrong turn. She was heading in the direction of the Pelipper Post Office, which led her straight to Wigglytuff's stall. Wigglytuff had always struck Willowsheen as… odd. Willowsheen had little to no idea what Wigglytuff was selling and she was friendly towards everyone; Willowsheen was no exception. Caught off-guard, Willowsheen could only respond with a “Oh, hello! I’m sorry, I just got a little distracted and went the wrong way…”
“It's not a problem~” Wigglytuff chimed in her singsong voice. “You just looked a bit distracted. Is anything the matter?”
“Oh, uh… It’s nothing, really.” Could she really tell her? There seemed to be no harm in it. “I'm just a bit worried about one of my sons. He told me that he wants to become an explorer but I’m afraid that the whole thing would be too dangerous for him. He’s not very strong and—”
“Not strong enough to be an explorer? Well! That shouldn't be too bad so long he gets the proper training!”
“Proper training? Where? Wigglytuff, I admire your optimism but everyone here knows that the only teams in the area are of the Rescue Division and by extension any and all training grounds and facilities are dedicated to them.” That was another big problem with Silverglint’s ambition: even if he were to become strong enough to tackle exploration; no institute in the area would recognize him. The experiences of being a rescuer and explorer were two entirely different things. Simply put: training to become an explorer in Pokémon Square was unfeasible.
“Yes!” Wigglytuff continued, unfazed by Willowsheen's comment. “I'm sure that you’re aware that the world is much larger than Pokémon Square and its surrounding areas. After all, some areas are teeming with Exploration Teams, just like how Pokémon Square is teeming with Rescue Teams. Take Treasure Town for example! My son runs a guild there, dedicated to training aspiring explorers and if this is the son I think you're referring to, I bet that it’d also be a great boon to his confidence! Although, he’ll have to be a bit older before they’d even consider letting him join.”
Willowsheen ruminated on those words. A guild dedicated to training aspiring explorers? It sounded amazing and perhaps it was something that Silverglint needed, but Treasure Town was on a completely separate continent, so far away from the square. The thought was almost selfish. She had no real reason to hold this potential path away from him, however. And it was then when Willowsheen reached a conclusion: Perhaps, when Silverglint was older and his aspirations of becoming an explorer hadn't faded, she could run the idea by him with the promise that he'd be able to achieve great things if he chooses to go.
*
Wordlessly, Silverglint stood before a large tent shaped like a wigglytuff. This is the place, he thought. This was the place where his Relic Fragment had brought him. In front of his paws laid a small grate, inviting him to take that step forwards into a new life. His heart hammered in a mixture of fear and excitement and he couldn’t bring his breaths to steady themselves in an effort to calm down. He tried to steel his nerves by remembering what he was here for. Several weeks after he had shown his parents the fragment, his mother told him that she had heard word of a guild that would take up and train aspiring explorers, all the way in Treasure Town. It had been a year since then and after making several arrangements with the travel-liner and many tearful hugs and farewells from his ma, he had begun his journey to Treasure Town.
A brief moment of silence echoed through the air as Silverglint clutched his treasure by his chest. Breathing deeply, he counted down… 3-2-1. His foot met the grate.
“POKÉMON DETECTED! POKÉMON DETECTED!”
“WHOSE FOOTPRINT!? WHOSE FOOTPRINT!?”
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