Chapter 9: A Home To Call Yours

  The house looked a little less daunting in the morning light of the next day.

  Maybe it was the way the sun cut through the early mist, scattering soft gold across the overgrown path. Maybe it was just sleep and breakfast and the simple act of knowing the house was his now, not just some crumbling structure Yuki dragged him to on a whim. But when Auri stepped up to the crooked front door again, scarf brushing gently at his side, he didn’t feel overwhelmed. Just… ready to do what was necessary to make that place liveable again.

  "Well," Yuki said from behind him, stretching her wings wide as she padded up the steps, "Day one of 'Operation: Not a Disaster' begins!"

  Auri glanced over his shoulder. "That’s what we’re calling it?"

  "Unless you have a better name?" she chirped.

  "I was simply going to go with 'cleaning' and be done with it."

  "Boring! No flair! Zero drama!"

  "...You don’t need drama to sweep a floor, Yuki."

  "You say that, but just wait!"

  He huffed a small laugh, pushing the door open again. Dust swirled in the sunlight. The same stale warmth as the day before lingered inside, but it already felt different somehow. More like a place with potential. They stepped in together.

  The first hour passed in a flurry of activity. They threw open every window they could, letting fresh air pour through the rooms. Yuki darted from one end of the house to the other with the energy of five Torchic, flinging dust covers off old furniture like she was starting a battle. Auri followed at a more measured pace, wiping down surfaces with rags borrowed from Juno’s supplies and taking mental inventory of every broken hinge and cracked windowpane.

  The living room, while small, had a surprising amount of built-in shelving, most of it empty now, save for a single carved wooden figure of what might have once been a Lucario, though time and dust had weathered its features. Auri picked it up gently, brushing his paw along the ridges of its ears.

  "Someone used to care about this place," he said softly.

  Yuki poked her head in from the next room, a broom in her beak. "We’re gonna make someone care again," she said around the handle.

  Auri blinked. "Are you planning to sweep with your face?"

  She spat it out and grinned. “You’ve got paws! I have a beak, talons, and wings! We'll make it work!"

  There were cobwebs in every corner, the floor creaked in places it definitely shouldn’t have, and half the doors didn’t close properly, but even so, there was something grounding in the work. In the rhythm of dusting and sweeping and dragging old furniture out onto the porch to see what could be salvaged.

  By midmorning, the central room looked almost livable. The old cot they found tucked into the corner wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it didn’t smell like mildew and didn’t collapse when he sat on it, which was already more than he’d hoped for. Yuki had started on the windows, tying scraps of clean cloth around her beak to protect against the dust while she wiped down the glass with unholy vigor.

  "You’re going to break that if you keep going," Auri warned, watching her furiously polish a pane.

  She huffed. "It’s called dedication!"

  "It’s called stress cleaning."

  "Same difference!"

  He smirked and shook his head, then paused, ears flicking. "Hey… what’s that sound?"

  Yuki paused too. For a moment, there was only the sound of wind rustling outside. Then-

  "aaaaAAHH-!" a distant voice shrieked, followed by the unmistakable crash of a metal bucket.

  Auri blinked. "Was that-?"

  "The others!" Yuki groaned, already heading for the door. She pushed the door open just in time for a blur of light brown fur to tumble through it.

  "MINA!" a voice yelled from behind the house. "You can’t just kick the bucket into the wall!"

  "But it was IN MY WAY," Mina shouted back from the floor, voice unapologetically dramatic. The little Rockruff rolled onto her back like a dropped berry, paws sprawled wide. "How was I supposed to reach the window if it won’t stay put!?"

  "You could’ve asked!" A tired groan followed , Lio, unmistakably, as he trudged in after her. The Riolu looked like he had been dragged through a toolbox, one eye twitching as he tried to brush dust off his tail.

  Behind him, the smallest of the trio padded in on silent paws, Neku, the Shinx. He didn’t say anything at first, just blinked at Auri and then stared at the room as if measuring it against some invisible blueprint.

  "…It’s not bad," Neku finally said. "Better than I thought."

  Auri blinked, looking at the three unexpected guests. "Hi…?"

  Yuki sighed, closing the door behind them. "I may have mentioned you got a house now."

  "You definitely told us!" Mina provlaimed, now springing to her feet. "And you didn’t say it was THIS cool! Look at all this dust! It’s like a free indoor cloud!"

  "Don’t encourage the dust," Lio muttered, already walking over to inspect a half-fixed shelf. "You’re the one who’s gonna sneeze for an hour."

  "Totally worth it!"

  Auri rubbed the side of his head. "Are they always like this when there's no one at risk of dying?" he quietly asked Yuki, who stood next to him,

  "Only on days ending in ‘y’!" Yuki replied cheerfully. "And you’re stuck with them now as well!"

  Despite himself, Auri found a small smile creeping up. He’d expected help from Yuki, expected maybe the tailor Eri to offer advice, or Juno to come by with supplies, but this? Kids who barged in like they’d lived here all along, who argued over buckets and gave unsolicited advice about shelf stability? It was… kind of nice.

  "You guys didn’t have to come," he said, stepping aside so Lio could inspect a wobbly chair.

  "We know," Lio replied rubbing his arms against each other. "But you’re new. And this is what we do. Sort of."

  "I said it first!" Mina added, puffing out her chest proudly. "I said, 'We should help Auri out, he helped us as well after all!' and Neku said-!"

  "I said he might be cursed," Neku interrupted flatly.

  "You what?" Auri asked, turning to him in disbelief.

  The Shinx blinked. "I mean, look at your story! You just randomly appear to help us out, while not having any memories but are still suspiciously strong! I think there's a fair chance you're just cursed! But probably just a 50/50 chance in the end."

  "...That’s not reassuring," Auri muttered.

  Yuki burst out laughing. "Don’t take it personally! Neku thinks everyone is probably cursed."

  "I don't!" Neku denied. "I just keep the possibility in mind!" And somehow, just like that, the tension lifted.

  Soon enough, the little house became a whirlwind of voices and movement. Mina insisted on scrubbing the floor, which led to several slips and a triumphant shout of "I AM A MOP NOW!" Lio, with quiet focus, fixed two of the shelves and made a list of things that would need replacing. Neku mostly worked in the corners, occasionally muttering theories or strange facts about wood rot, but somehow he still managed to do the best cleaning job out off all of them.

  Auri worked alongside them all, surprised at how quickly time passed. By midday, the little house looked transformed. Cleaner, brighter and less like some ancient relic. Thoguh it was still a work in progress. Auri stepped outside to breathe for a moment, gazing up at the curve of the crater wall. The sun cast dappled shadows across the village rooftops, and in the breeze, he could hear laughter. This… this could be real.

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  Yuki plopped down beside him with a heavy sigh and a triumphant grin. "Progress!"

  He smiled. "Definitely progress."

  "Next we tackle the roof!"

  He groaned. "You mean I’ll tackle the roof."

  "Well yeah," she said. "I don’t have arms after all!"

  Laughter bubbled out of him, genuine and unforced. Yuki just looked at him for a second and then grinned wider.

  "See?" she said. "I told you soooo many times you’d fit right in with everyone!"

  Slowly but surely, the repairs went on into the early afternoon. The repair effort had shifted into steady rhythm. Boards were set, weeds pulled, beams reinforced. While Yuki had taken the lead organizing everyone into tasks, Auri had thrown himself into the work on the roof, partly out of duty, and partly to avoid how strange it still felt to be doing this at all.

  Zekel arrived midway through the effort. The Pangoro’s heavy footfalls gave away his presence long before his deep voice rumbled across the clearing.

  "You’re all actually doing this?" he asked, eyeing the makeshift scaffolding Mina had rigged from discarded crates and rope. "Color me surprised."

  "Nice to see you too," Yuki muttered, brushing sawdust from her feathers.

  Zekel folded his arms and surveyed the team. "This wasn’t your assignment. You’re not Architect Norris and his crew. What exactly do you think this is?"

  "Helping," Lio replied, not looking up from where he was carefully aligning support beams with Auri. "That’s what this is."

  Zekel’s brow rose. "Is that so?"

  Auri turned to him, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I didn’t ask them to help. But they did anyway. Not because they had to."

  Yuki shot the Pangoro a defiant look. "So if you came here to drag us away for slacking off or something, forget it! We’re busy right now! It would take weeks at the least for Architect Norris to find time for fixing the house up! We won't let Auri wait that long!"

  Zekel snorted but didn’t object. Instead, he stepped forward, knelt down, and inspected one of the mounted planks. He knocked it once. "You used those vine-ties Eri made?"

  Mina nodded. "Tighter than rope! We tested it!"

  "Hmm." Zekel rose again and cracked his knuckles. "Well. Can’t have the whole thing fall over next time the wind sighs too hard. Scoot over, pups." Without further complaint, he joined them.

  For a while, the effort became communal, even joyful. Yuki and Neku cleared overgrowth. Mina and Lio worked with Zekel to realign the outer deck. Auri stayed inside, brushing away cobwebs, letting his claws settle into the natural rhythms of cleaning. It felt… strange. And more than a little bit like healing.

  By mid-afternoon, the inside of the home looked almost livable again. Not perfect yet, but definitely promising. The three younger kids had all collapsed under the shade outside, proudly surveying their work. Mina was sipping water from a carved gourd, while Lio and Neku argued over which beam had been the most important.

  "I say the roof beam," Neku declared, paw raised. "Without it, everything falls!"

  "Not true," Lio countered. "The main support under the foundation was rotting! That was the most important one! Zekel said so!"

  Yuki, lying on her back in the grass, grinned toward Auri as he exited the house. "It’s starting to look like a real home."

  He glanced back at the building, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. It does."

  Auri’s words still hung in the air when a sharp buzz echoed from above. He looked up just in time to see a streak of yellow and black descending in a controlled glide, wings beating with precision. The Beedrill landed near the house with practiced ease, two long forelegs clicking against the path as he straightened to his full, surprisingly tall posture.

  "Oh no," Yuki whispered dramatically. "It’s the bee!"

  Auri blinked. "The… what?"

  "Architect Norris," Lio supplied helpfully, eyes wide.

  "The bee," Neku whispered as well, as if it explained everything.

  Architect Norris scanned the scene with a frown etched so deeply into his face it looked permanent. His compound eyes gleamed as he hovered slowly along the front of the house, inspecting every corner, every beam, every joint. He circled once. Twice. Then: "Hmph."

  "Is that good or bad?" Mina muttered.

  Architect Norris tapped a support beam with one bladed limb, then ran the edge of his stinger down the window frame. He gave a sharp nod to himself before turning back to the group. "Who was responsible for the western supports?"

  Lio raised a shy paw. "Uh… me, and Zekel helped with the angle…"

  "Hm." Architect Norris’s antennae twitched. "Reinforced well. Anchor depth could be better next time. But it’ll hold." He turned toward Yuki. "You supervised this mess?"

  "Mess is a generous term to use," she replied proudly. "And yes."

  "Hm." Another nod. "Passable."

  Yuki beamed like she’d just won a medal.

  Norris turned to Auri last, regarding him with an unreadable look. "This your place now?"

  Auri stood straighter. "Yeah."

  The Beedrill hummed low in his throat. "I wasn’t sure anyone would actually take it. Good structure, but bad bones. Needed quite a bit of fixing. You all did… better than expected."

  A pause. "…That’s his version of high praise," Yuki whispered out of the side of her beak.

  Norris buzzed once, loud and sharp. "You’ll keep it up?"

  "I will," Auri said, without hesitation.

  "Good." A beat. "Then me and my crew won’t have to come back. But get the back fixed and the Elders will complain if you don't do the garden as well."

  With that, the Beedrill launched upward again, slicing through the air in a controlled spiral before disappearing behind the tree line with barely a sound. Silence followed for a moment, then Neku spoke.

  "...Did we just get complimented by the village’s angriest bug?"

  Yuki nodded. "Yup!"

  Mina whooped and threw her paws in the air. "Victory!"

  Zekel actually chuckled. "You've heard him. Seems like we're closing in on the end of our work."

  Yuki was already scrambling onto a small ledge to adjust a crooked rafter. "One final push!" she declared, clearly energized again. "We’re not stopping until it looks perfect!"

  "I thought we weren’t perfectionists?" Auri called up, hauling a bundle of fresh reeds for patching the insulation near the base.

  "We’re not!" Yuki replied, already there and half-scaling the scaffolding like it was a playground. "But I want this part to be perfect, so it still counts! Let’s make it the best part yet!"

  Auri followed close behind, shouldering a bundle of beams and reeds. His legs ached, his paws were sore, and his fur was still sticky with dust, but his heart felt light. They were actually going to get this done!

  "Reckon we’ve got it in us?" he asked, glancing up toward Yuki.

  She gave a mock-offended squawk. "Excuse me!? Have I ever let you down!?"

  "Only when you tried to hammer in nails sideways," Neku mumbled helpfully.

  "That was artistic expression!" Yuki shouted from above.

  Mina zipped past carrying tools, laughing. "It was a structural hazard!"

  Even Lio cracked the faintest smile as he passed Auri a bucket of pitch.

  They got to work, a seamless rhythm forming between them now, each move as practiced as if they’d done this for weeks. Zekel didn’t need to give many instructions anymore. Auri already knew where to step, when to brace, how to secure the rafters just so.

  Yuki scrambled along the top edge, pushing and tugging awkward tiles into place with pure stubbornness. Lio silently mirrored Zekel, helping brace each new plank. Neku moved between them with quiet precision, measuring distances twice before passing up each piece. Mina, blur-fast as always, darted around with supplies and last-minute fixes.

  Time passed, marked only by the rustle of wind and the gentle creak of wood settling into place. Sweat glistened in fur and feathers alike. No one complained. The wall rose like a promise, each nail and beam a sign that this wasn’t just some temporary shelter anymore. When the final panel was locked in, Zekel stood back, arms crossed, and gave it a slow, approving nod. Then he knocked his paw against it twice, a low, hollow sound, solid and clean.

  "This should hold through any storm now," he declared his verdict.

  Auri stepped back beside him, his chest rising with a deep breath. "It doesn’t even feel real."

  "It’s as real as you can make it," Zekel simply replied.

  They stood in silence for a moment, the others drifting closer to admire the final work. The light behind them was softer now, not fading, exactly, but turning golden in that particular way the crater sometimes did, when the sky caught fire just before night.

  Then, something else stirred. A subtle breeze rolled in, warm and fragrant, carrying the faint scent of moss and crushed herbs. It felt different than before, not just wind, but memory. A hush settled over the group.

  Auri turned, and from the overgrown path that led toward the herb garden, a small figure emerged. Delicate, soft and unmistakably mythical. White fur with grassy tufts. Leaf-shaped ears. Pink petals blooming at her side like part of her body, not just decoration. The Shaymin Shae stepped into the light.

  Mina’s breath caught. "Is that-!?"

  "Shae!" Yuki cried out in elation. "You're here to help too!?"

  The small Pokemon said nothing at first. Her steps were quiet, deliberate, as she padded slowly toward the edge of the garden. Where her paws touched soil, the earth seemed to loosen, not violently, but gently, like something exhaling after a long sleep. Shae stopped, nose twitching, and dipped her head.

  Zekel stepped back instinctively. "Honorable Shae. We didn’t send word," he said, quiet and respectful.

  "I heard the house was alive again," Shae replied simply, her voice like wind through tall grass. "The garden asked to match."

  She turned toward the patchy, worn earth beside the home. Most of it was still overgrown with weeds, thin grass, brittle stems, and herbs that had long lost their bloom. A forgotten place.

  Auri blinked, stepping forward. "You’re… going to help out?"

  Shae’s gaze met his, eyes full of quiet weight. "Not help," she said. "But I will restore what once was."

  And so she did. There were no flourishes. No blinding lights. Just the gentle rhythm of life returning.

  She padded through the garden with grace, brushing past wilted plants, and wherever she moved, things changed. Buds opened. Stems stood straighter. Dull greens turned vibrant. The earth, dry and cracked in some places, darkened and softened beneath her steps. New shoots emerged, curling vines and delicate herbs that hadn't grown in years. Berry bushes shook off dust and leaned toward the sun. Even the grass thickened into something lush, soft underpaw.

  No one dared interrupt. They just watched, still and reverent, while oberserving a fraction of the mythicals power.

  Shae finally reached the edge of the plot and stopped. She turned back toward Auri once more. "Take good care of it," she murmured. "It remembers kindness. As do I."

  Then, as quietly as she’d come, she disappeared between two bushes, into the wind.

  Yuki exhaled slowly. "Well. That happened."

  "That happened," Neku echoed.

  "It’s so green now!" Mina exclaimed, eyes wide.

  Auri crouched and brushed his paw along a thick patch of moss. It was soft. Cool. Vibrant. And definitely living.

  "She really just did all that like it was nothing," he said quietly. "Just because the house was whole again."

  Zekel gave a faint grunt of agreement. "There lies power in healing. Some Pokemon feel it more than others, like Juno. But honorable Shae feels it most of all. She's a protector and keeper at heart."

  Lio nodded once. They stayed there for another moment, just taking it in. The house at their backs. The garden blooming at their feet. A sky just beginning to darken above.

  Finally, Yuki flopped backward onto the new grass, arms stretched out like a star. "Alright!" she declared. "Now we’re done!"

  Auri lay down beside her, letting the soft blades tickle his fur. "Think it’ll last?"

  "Sure!" Yuki said confidently. "Unless we mess it up somehow, at least!"

  He smiled. "Let's try not to."

  Her wing nudged his side. "Of course!"

  From the edge of the path, Zekel watched them both with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  The house was done. As the others began saying their goodbyes, promising to come by again soon, Auri stepped back into the doorway and looked out.

  He saw a village that had worked for him, beside him. He saw friends. He saw home.

  Important characters in the chapter:

  Pikachu (Auri) – Level 13

  Ability: Lightning Rod

  Battle Nature: Lonely

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 62

  Attack: 41

  Ranged Attack: 36

  Defense: 43

  Speed: 48

  Total: 230 (Strength Level: Kid)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Nuzzle], [Tail Whip], [Quick Attack], [Thunder Wave], [Feint]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Thunder Shock], [Electro Ball], [Swift]

  Utility Moves: [Nasty Plot], [Charm], [Double Team], [Growl], [Agility], [Dig]

  Torchic (Yuki) – Level 15

  Ability: Speed Boost

  Battle Nature: Hasty

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 69

  Attack: 37

  Ranged Attack: 40

  Defense: 44

  Speed: 35

  Total: 225 (Strength Level: Kid)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Scratch], [Quick Attack], [Feint], [Fire Spin], [Flame Charge], [Aerial Ace], [Counter], [Slash]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Ember], [Sand Attack]

  Utility Moves: [Growl], [Detect], [Dig]

  Riolu (Lio) - Level 11

  Ability: Inner Focus

  Battle Nature: Careful

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 53

  Attack: 30

  Ranged Attack: 20

  Defense: 37

  Speed: 28

  Total: 168 (Strength Level: Kid)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Quick Attack], [Feint], [Metal Claw], [Counter], [Rock Smash]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Vacuum Wave]

  Utility Moves: [Endure]

  Rockruff (Mina) - Level 11

  Ability: Vital Spirit

  Battle Nature: Naughty

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 52

  Attack: 31

  Ranged Attack: 21

  Defense: 35

  Speed: 28

  Total: 167 (Strength Level: Kid)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Tackle], [Bite]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Sand Attack], [Rock Throw]

  Utility Moves: [Leer], [Double Team], [Howl]

  Shinx (Neku) - Level 10

  Ability: Guts

  Battle Nature: Timid

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 49

  Attack: 24

  Ranged Attack: 22

  Defense: 32

  Speed: 25

  Total: 152 (Strength Level: Kid)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Tackle], [Bite], [Spark], [Quick Attack]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Thunder Shock]

  Utility Moves: [Leer], [Charge]

  Pangoro (Zekel) - Level 45

  Ability: Iron Fist

  Battle Nature: Adamant

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 238

  Attack: 173

  Ranged Attack: 98

  Defense: 173

  Speed: 99

  Total: 781 (Strength Level: Adult)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Tackle], [Bullet Punch], [Arm Thrust], [Circle Throw], [Low Sweep], [Slash], [Vital Throw], [Crunch], [Body Slam], [Aerial Ace], [Mega Punch], [Mega Kick], [Fire Punch], [Ice Punch], [Thunder Punch], [Drain Punch], [Throat Chop], [Giga Impact]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Night Slash], [Parting Shot]

  Utility Moves: [Leer], [Taunt], [Work Up], [Quick Guard], [Coaching]