"Alright, alright. I’ll rest. But only for a little bit, okay?"
The Baby Pokémon cheered, snuggling against me before hopping off, satisfied that I wasn’t going anywhere for now.
As I stood up, Professor Bellis approached, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Mia, I want to thank you personally. You were willing to risk everything back there. But please, next time, don’t put yourself in such danger alone."
I rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah… I guess I should’ve been more careful."
Red, who had been quiet as usual, stepped forward. He met my gaze and simply gave me a small nod.
I smirked. "That’s all I get? A nod?"
Red hesitated, then gave me a rare, tiny smile.
Blue nearly fell over. "WHAT?! FIRST HE SPEAKS, NOW HE SMILES? Who are you, and what did you do with Red?!"
Paulo chuckled. "I think Mia’s rubbing off on him."
Lillie giggled. "It’s nice to see."
I huffed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah, I’m amazing. We all knew that already."
Blue groaned. "And there it is."
As we all laughed, the warmth of the moment settled over me. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t forget.
Giovanni had escaped.
And I knew this wasn’t over.
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Nido let out a soft cry and nuzzled against my cheek, his little paws pressing into my shoulders. The other baby Pokémon crowded around me, their eyes filled with concern.
I sighed, scratching behind Nido’s ears. “I’m okay, guys. Really.”
The blue Nidoran, Nini, nudged my arm again, shaking her head. "Nidooo..."
I frowned. “What? I’m fine—see?” I stretched out my arms dramatically. "Not a scratch on me!"
Blue crossed his arms. "Mia, you literally crash-landed into a forest. You’re lucky you don’t have broken ribs."
Lillie nodded, kneeling beside me. “We were really scared when we saw you fall.”
Paulo rubbed the back of his neck. "And now you're acting all serious. We know that look, Mia. You're worried about something."
I hesitated. Should I tell them? That I saw Giovanni escape? That he still had Mewtwo? That I had a sinking feeling this wasn't over?
Before I could answer, Pikachu patted my cheek with her tiny paw. "Pika!"
I blinked and turned to my partner. Pikachu stared at me with her big, round eyes, her expression soft but firm.
I exhaled through my nose. "Fine," I muttered, sitting up straighter. "Yeah, I'm worried. Giovanni got away. And he still has Mewtwo."
