Sorry for the wait, important notice at the bottom.

So let go
Jump in
Oh well whatcha waiting for
It's alright
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
Let Go by Frou Frou

Rena had turned and walked away from Shard. She was a dirty hypocrite, and she knew it, but she really hated him at that moment. She marched straight over to Amber, glaring at their feet. Then, however, 'Amber' reached down and clamped her fingers forcefully around Rena's upper arm, to the point where it hurt. Rena's head snapped up to glare at the Blaziken, eyes widening in shock. "Who are you? YOU'RE NOT AMBER!" She shrieked, immediately trying to get away.

"You aren't the brightest, are you, Rei?" The use of her nickname stopped her in surprise. Rena had to do a double take, just to make sure that it really wasn't her Blaziken. Nope.

"Let me go, who are you? Where's Amber?" The girl resumed struggling, clawing in vain at his iron grip on her. "Let me go, let me go! Amber! GRYFF! Shard! SHARD!" Rena screamed, if only to spite Keahi and try to attract some help. (Indeed, he hissed and pressed his free hand to one ear.)

"Don't, that hurt! Shut up, be quiet. Now come on, little Rei, we-" He was cut off abruptly as Rena grabbed his wrist in a stranglehold and somehow flipped him over her head and into the ground. She was at the tree line before Keahi even got his breath back. "Sweet Ho-oh, that little Rei has some strength…" Even before he was breathing properly again, he was chasing after her. It would not do to lose his bargaining chip, even if it wasn't originally in his plan.

Squee perked up, rotating her large ears, frozen in place. The kitten was wedged between Gryff's shoulder blades, nestled into her feathers comfortably. But she was also alert. "I hear…I heard Cookie. Scream. That way!" She dipped her ears and pointed with a blunt paw. Gryff didn't even have to say anything in reply. She just curved her flight path to the direction the black pokemon was pointing, cursing herself for even getting lost in the first place.

"What did she say? Did she say anything, Squee?" More twitching and moving of the large ears, then finally, a slow nod.

"Um…she say-said something," correcting herself, she continued, while Gryff marveled at how rapidly the Naki had been learning recently, "Cookie called for you. And icicle-Shard." Gryff pressed on with an increased speed; Rena must be in trouble. The Aiglas missed the dispirited look the Naki had on her face that her trainer hadn't bothered to call her name.

Devon couldn't help but chuckle, although he managed to turn it into a cough. Elvina and Drake weren't even pretending to feel sympathetic or concerned. And Sara was just watching Pocky pace back and forth across the rug, petting Star absently as she watched. The Swellow occasionally gave a miffed chirp when her feathers were ruffled the wrong way, but otherwise, was watching Pocky as intently as her trainer.

"She left, she left, oh Mew, she left…" she muttered, turning on her heel. She strode back across the room, and repeated the turn.

"You're going to wear a hole in the rug. Nurse Joy won't like that, and you'll get us kicked out into the snow." The bluette idly flipped a page of the magazine she was browsing through.

"The snow…dear Mew, she's out there…"

"I don't think she can hear you." Devon replied for her. "She's…being her usual emotional self." The last phrase made him sigh at the unfortunate truth in it. Pocky stopped her pacing, but didn't look at him. She was looking at Elvina, eyebrows raised.

"I'm not emotional. I'm going out to look for her." Although everyone present heartily complained and argued, she ignored them all, released her it-Wooper, and stormed out the door.

Her dark and enigmatic departure was ruined, however. When Pyro had melted the snow around the door to get out, it left water, and it had frozen back into a smooth sheet of glass. Pocky skittered, flailing but staying in place, but finally fell on her bottom and slid gently into a snowdrift.

Important Notice: ReiShine has been discontinued. I have loved this fanfiction so much it hurts to think of how I'm abandoning it, but there's no other way. ReiShine, I love you, and it's not you, it's me. Thank you all for bearing with all of this. I'm sorry it has to end like this.

-Skitty