Fanta awoke to a claw prodding him. He started up, looking for some light, any light, and then settled for listening for whomever had poked him, as he remembered exactly why he couldn't see.
"Up." The gruff voice of Scar whispered. "Omen's allowed us to leave."
Fanta nodded, hitting his chin on the ground below, and stood, cautiously, but more confident than he had been two weeks before, when he had first woken up.
He could walk now (more or less) without help, though hills still gave him trouble. Fanta made his way to where he thought the others were gathered.
Kira glanced at him, Fanta standing at an odd angle, head pointed just to the left of the group, ears still ragged holes in his head, and felt a pang of guilt.
"Don't be stupid." Scar said, in his usual tactful way, seeing her looking at Fanta."Nothing you could do." But he still nudged her with his shoulder, which for him was like giving a bear hug.
"I know." Kira said. "I just wish i could've done something."
"You did." Scar said. "You saved that scrawny eevee."
Kira almost laughed, a small smile flickering across her face.
Nifa turned to the whole of them, a sour expression on his face. "Celebi won't be coming with." He said. "She must see to a few of her duties. And I will accompany her."
Charcoal grimaced, but nodded. Nifa sighed, and then continued. "So Omen has offered to send one of her own with us. Everyone, meet Blaze."
And out from behind him stepped the same flareon that had attacked Fanta. "Yes, yes, I know." Nifa said, staring into Charcoals snarl and deadly glare. "But she is an accomplished fighter, and you'll need more than Scar if you really want to make it in this world."
"Excuse me? Hello, accomplished fighter right here." Charcoal said.
Nifa gave her a disbelieving smile, saying. "Keep going and maybe one day you will be. Now I will take my leave." Nifa bowed, flipping backwards into the forest, off to help Celebi in whatever it was the tiny legend did. 
Charcoal was still sputtering as Blaze sauntered over, grinning smugly.
"Well, we meet again, eevee." She said to Fanta. "I hope your condition will not slow us down."
"I hope your claws are as sharp as your tongue." Fanta said, unfazed.
    Blaze glared at him for a moment, before turning from them, and to the zangoose and kirlia that had been watching their interaction. "Who are these two runts?" She asked.
Kira seemed taken back for a moment, but put her arm in front of the ever violent Scar, who was ready to lunge for the flareon.
"You volunteered for this because you want to find a suitable mate, and you fear there are none here, though you convinced yourself that you volunteered to protect your tribe." Kira said elegantly. "And you don't really dislike any of us, you just want to give that impression so that you don't become attached, which you fear, because you believe that if you become attached to anyone, they will betray you. And you fear that you will never fall in love for that reason." Kira finished.
Blaze was moving her mouth, though no sound came out, and Fanta was chuckling.
Scar was the first to speak. "That was impressive." He said. "Don't do it to me."
Blaze had resigned herself to dark grumblings, and the occasional curse.
"Well, now that we can move on, let's get going." Fanta said.
"Where, exactly, are we going?" Scar asked.
"Sunnyshore, where we'll get a boat to the Hoenn region." Charcoal said.
"That is by far the stupidest plan I have ever heard." Scar said. "Let's hurry up so I can say I told you so." Kira rolled her eyes, following Charcoal, who had taken the lead in Nifa's absence.
"So, Blaze." Fanta said.
"Don't even start." Blaze growled.
"Just saying, there are a lot of eligible guys out there. What kind are you looking for?" Fanta asked.
Blaze glared at him, but Kira answered for her.
"Someone tall, handsome, though that is not important. Someone sure of themselves, confident, and not as serious as she is." Blaze turned her glare on Kira, which was mainly ineffectual, seeing as she had a burly zangoose to glare back for her.
"Oooh, now we're talking." Fanta said, giggling. "We have got to find you someone before we make it to Hoenn." Blaze sighed.
"Why does the world hate me?" She asked.
"Please. You'll thank us later" Fanta said.
    And thus, the new five traveled onward, towards their destiny, whether they knew it or not. And unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes were already on them, aiding them from the stars above. And soon, there would be more, and a war that would span years would be fought around them, the eight, some known, some still hidden, who could change the fate of the universe.
So ends this story. And so starts another.