Ouch, that's one late chapter. Two extra this weekend as a 'sorry' for publishing this one so late, I had my entire day taken up with three traumatic events one after the other, I will never go to a friend's wedding again...
| May POV |
"Just leave them with us for now," Dad says gently, like he's not talking about locking a Lucario, a corrupted fire-dragon from another dimension, and a half awake Treecko in a research-grade time bomb room."They're stable, sedated, and surrounded by more Light Screens than a Battle Tower mirror match. You could use a break."
I want to argue.
Really, I do.
But the slight shake in my hands says otherwise.I've been running damage control for Rio's chaos parade since day one, and I think my stress bar evolved.
I exhale slowly and glance through the reinforced glass one last time.
Rio's sitting in a containment box, looking like someone who just lost a staring contest with reality. Trishout is curled up against him, totally content, like she didn't almost melt a forest last week. Treecko's asleep in a padded room next door, hooked to more machines than a Magnezone rave.
"...Fine," I mutter. "But if one of them explodes, I'm not saying I told you so. I'm screaming and running."
Birch smiles. "Fair."
"Also, I'm pretty sure Rio can punch through this entire lap now, he's doing the 'With the power of friendship and plot armour!' face."
"The power of what now?" I ignore professor Oak and start heading out the door, already dreaming of my next cup of coffee... Wait a minute, where's Ralts?
Ten minutes later, I'm wandering outside the lab compound, arms crossed, shoes crunching against sun-warmed gravel. It's quiet — too quiet. The kind of quiet that usually means something's plotting.
The local Audinos wave cheerfully from their snack stall.
I don't wave back. I'm on a mission.
"Okay…" I mutter to myself, spinning slowly in place. "If I were a tiny psychic with abandonment issues and a jealous streak the size of Mt. Coronet… where would I hide?"
My PokéNav pings faintly.
No new signals.
I glance up at the skyline.
Clear blue skies. Peaceful. Boring.
The exact kind of weather where something weird is about to happen.
"Ralts?" I call out softly. "Hey. You mad? Wanna talk about it? I brought your favorite Oran chips?"
No answer.
I pause.
Then—
A gust of wind brushes my back.
I turn—
Nothing.
But the feeling doesn't go away.
That soft pressure behind my ribs, the kind that says someone's watching.
I tighten my grip on the juice pouch and chip bag I borrowed from the Audino stand.
"...Okay, Star," I whisper, scanning the tree line. "If this is a prank, I'm telling Rio. And he'll probably write you a passive-aggressive poem about it."
Still nothing.
But the air just got colder, and the snacks I bought disappeared from my hand... Well, at least I know she's safe.
| Star POV |
I'm not crying.
I'm not mad.
I'm just... emotionally reallocating resources.
From the top of the lab's roof — which is totally not off-limits, thank you very much — I sit with my legs pulled in, dress flapping dramatically in the breeze like some tiny mysterious anime rival. Somewhere between "tragic loner" and "grumpy marshmallow."
Below me, May's pacing around with that worried mom energy, holding out snacks like that'll fix the universe.
It might.
But I'm committed to this bit now.
I teleport three feet to her left so she won't spot me when she looks up. Then I do it again just to be petty.
She holds up my favourite chips.
I teleport the bag out of her hand.
She startles.
Heh. Good.
That's what she gets for calling her Rio's girlfriend.
I take a crunchy bite and glare at the sky, trying to ignore the ugly flutter in my chest. Stupid lizard. Stupid smug fire-breathing lizard. Acting like she owns the lap I found first. Curling up like she belongs there.
Rio's lap is mine.
Well. Not mine mine. But... I sit there. And he pats my head. And I make sure he doesn't explode from bad decisions.
I huff and take another chip. Psychic-pull the juice pouch too. It's warm.
Ugh.
I pout harder.
I summon an Icy wind to cool it to acceptable levels.
From up here, I can sense him in the lab. His aura's all... twitchy. Not bad, exactly. Just stressed. Kind of like a rubber band being stretched over an open flame while six professors ask invasive questions at once.
He's not breaking.
But he's not okay, either.
... Maybe I should go back.
Just to check.
Not because I care. I mean, I do care. Obviously. But only enough to make sure he doesn't do something dumb like nuke a research facility full of high-end glassware with his 'Divine fire'... I told him that Ho-oh might be offended...
And besides, it's not like he actually likes that lizard.
Right?
Trishout was clinging to him pretty hard. And smug. Did I mention smug?
Should I send her back to her universe? If I use up all of my energy i should be able to make a blackhole strong enough o rip through space....
| May POV |
I sigh, stretching under the shade of a tree. No sign of her yet. Just a few missing snacks, a half-empty juice pouch, and the distant feeling that I'm about to get scolded by something that's not even old enough to vote.
Then I feel it.
The air shifts.
A ripple of cold judgment passes through the atmosphere like a judgmental psychic wave in a frilly hoodie.
I turn around—
Star floats down from the rooftop like the ghost of poor decisions and grudge energy, her arms crossed, expression blank in the most accusatory way imaginable.
She lands with a soft plap.
"...Oh. Hi."
No response.
Just the blank stare of someone preparing to absolutely end your whole career with a passive-aggressive shrug.
I offer a weak smile. "I brought you Oran chips?"
She blinks once.
Slowly.
Then her voice echoes directly into my head — flat, sweet, and frosty enough to chill a Moltres:
"I know... I ate them."
You picked up too many bad habits from Combusken and Rio...
"Where is Rio?"
I hesitate.
She leans forward just slightly. Her horn glows.
"...He's with the professors," I say cautiously. "In a containment box. With Trishout."
That's when it happens.
Her expression doesn't change — but the sky does.
A pulse of light explodes outward from her chest.
The world freezes. A psychic tremor rattles the pebbles at our feet. Air bends. Time hiccups. One of the snack stall Audinos screams and dives under the counter.
Star glows.
And I realize, too late—
"I should learn to shut up..."
Light erupts around her like she's powering up for a boss fight.
Her body lifts off the ground, spinning in place as her form stretches, brightens, ascends. Her hair lengthens. Her cape flares. Her legs appear.
She lands in a cloud of shimmer-dust and drama.
Kirlia.
And she is not smiling.
"...You evolved from jealousy?!"
She says nothing.
Just flicks her new hair and vanishes, teleporting directly toward the lab.
Probably to vaporize the containment box and assert romantic dominance.
I chug my new juice pouch.
"I'm gonna pretend that's normal."
"I am going to obliterate that building...."
"No friendly fire! Rio and my Dad are still in there!"
"Rio can easily survive..."
Word Count: 1207
When a Pokémon evolves out of pure emotional stimuli, you know shit is about to go down.
MC: DUDE WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I thought you died?
Eh, I might as well have...
MC: Care to elaborate on that?
No.