The quest board stood crooked near the bridge, its wooden planks warped by rain and sun. Most notices fluttered lazily in the breeze—lost Pokémon, berry runs, escort jobs. Ordinary things.
Grant scanned them with a practiced eye.
Then he saw the number.
He paused.
Nyra noticed immediately. "That one?"
Grant hesitated before reading it aloud.
"'Urgent removal request. Wild Pokémon interfering with construction near Route 4. High resistance expected. Compensation: 6,000 Pokédollars.'"
Nyra's eyebrows lifted.
Grant swallowed. "That's… a lot."
It was more than three berry runs combined. More than enough for supplies, potions, spare Poké Balls, maybe even new gear. Enough to stop counting coins at night.
Nyra didn't hesitate.
"We take it."
Grant turned to her. "Nyra—"
"It's a job," she said, already pulling the notice from the board. "Legal. Posted publicly."
"I know," he replied carefully. "But 'removal' can mean a lot of things."
Nyra met his gaze. "It means clearing the area. That's it."
Something in her voice was firm—too firm.
Grant looked past her, toward the river where Dewott practiced slow, deliberate swings with its twin blades. Sewaddle was reinforcing a web between reeds. Venipede raced the current and doubled back, laughing in its own buzzing way.
"They're wild Pokémon," Grant said. "If they're there, maybe it's because—"
"—because humans are building again?" Nyra finished. "Yeah. That's how the world works."
Grant frowned. "Does that make it right?"
Nyra folded the notice and tucked it into her pocket. "It makes it reality."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Nyra added, lighter, "Besides, we'll be careful. No unnecessary harm."
Grant nodded slowly, though the unease didn't fade.
They finnally decided to go on the quest.
They left the settlement by noon.
The road grew drier as the river fell behind, grass giving way to cracked earth and scattered shrubs. The sky was wide and pale, the kind that made you feel small if you stared too long.
Nyra walked a little ahead.
Grant noticed the way her shoulders stayed squared, her stride unbroken. He also noticed the faint limp she tried to hide when she thought he wasn't looking.
"You're pushing again," he said finally.
Nyra didn't turn. "We've got a job."
"That's not what I meant."
She stopped and exhaled through her nose. "Grant, I'm fine."
"That's not an answer."
She looked at him then—really looked. Her eyes were sharp, but there was something tired beneath them.
"I don't get to slow down," she said. "Not if I want to reach the League."
Grant opened his mouth, then closed it.
He didn't know how to argue with that.
They reached the site at evening.
They made camp near a cluster of boulders overlooking the construction site. Below, metal frames rose from the earth, half-built, surrounded by fencing. Beyond it, scrubland stretched toward the horizon.
Nyra took first watch.
Grant lay awake longer than he meant to, listening to the crackle of the fire and the soft sounds of Pokémon settling in.
Dewott sat upright, blades resting across its knees. Sewaddle slept curled in a leaf pocket near Grant's shoulder. Venipede coiled loosely near Nyra's boots, antennae twitching.
Grant sat up eventually and joined her.
"Can't sleep?" Nyra asked without looking.
"Not really."
They stood side by side, watching the distant lights of the construction camp.
Nyra broke the silence. "You don't like this job."
Grant hesitated. "I don't like that it pays so much."
She gave a quiet laugh. "Funny thing to say."
"It means someone wants the problem gone," he replied. "Badly."
Nyra leaned against a rock. "You're thinking too much."
"Someone has to."
She glanced at him. "You think I'm reckless."
"I think you're tired."
That landed.
For a moment, Nyra looked away. Then she straightened. "We finish this job. We get stronger. Then we move on."
Grant nodded, though the words didn't comfort him.
In the morning at the site
The wild Pokémon were territorial.
That much was obvious the moment they crossed the fence.
A group of Sandile surfaced from the dirt, eyes narrowed. A Watchog screeched from atop a crate, tail lashing. The air felt tight, charged.
Nyra stepped forward. "Pignite."
Pignite emerged, flames flaring instinctively.
Grant raised a hand. "Let's assess first."
Nyra didn't wait.
"Flame Charge—left flank!"
Pignite surged forward, scattering dust and heat. The Sandile recoiled, hissing.
Dewott tensed beside Grant.
"Hold," Grant murmured. "Not yet."
Nyra moved fast, commands crisp and sharp. Too sharp.
Venipede darted forward without being called, firing a quick Poison Sting to drive a Sandile back. Sewaddle anchored the perimeter with webbing, cautious but steady.
Grant saw it then—the way Nyra's breathing hitched between commands. The way she clenched her fist when Pignite stumbled.
"Nyra," he called. "Switch tactics. We can herd them away."
"I've got this," she snapped.
A Sandile lunged unexpectedly, jaws snapping toward Pignite's leg.
"Dewott—Shell Block!" Grant shouted.
Dewott leapt in, blades crossing defensively. The impact sent it skidding back, claws digging into dirt.
Nyra turned sharply. "I said I had it!"
"And I said we help each other!" Grant shot back.
The moment stretched—danger hanging between them.
Then the Watchog fled, screeching, followed by the Sandile retreating toward the scrublands.
Silence fell.
Nyra exhaled hard.
Pignite slumped, flames dimming.
Grant rushed forward. "Everyone okay?"
Dewott nodded, though its grip on the blades was tight.
Sewaddle peeked from behind a rock, eyes wide but unhurt.
Venipede buzzed, adrenaline still crackling through it.
Nyra knelt beside Pignite, checking its leg. Her hands trembled.
"I told you," Grant said quietly. "You don't have to do this alone."
She didn't answer.
The site manager was all smiles.
"Excellent work," he said, handing over the payment chip. "Didn't think you kids could handle that."
Nyra accepted it without comment.
Grant watched the man return to his machines, the wild Pokémon already distant shapes on the horizon.
Something felt wrong.
That Night, they didn't celebrate.
The fire burned low. The coins sat heavy in Grant's pack.
Nyra sat apart, staring into the dark.
Grant approached slowly and sat beside her.
"You didn't need to prove anything," he said.
Nyra's voice was quiet. "I wasn't proving it to you."
She looked at her hands. "I can't afford to fall behind."
Grant said nothing. He just stayed.
After a while, Nyra leaned back against the rock, exhaustion finally winning. Her shoulder brushed his.
She didn't pull away.
Grant stared at the stars, unease twisting in his chest.
They had the money.
But for the first time, he wondered what it was really costing them.
And whether this was only the beginning.