Wayker

Interlude 2: Nothing like them

Roselia lay sprawled on the rock, letting the heat wash over his petals as his Aura flowed in tandem with the sun’s warmth. It felt good, soothing, even, though he knew the sun wouldn’t last much longer. Even so, that should have been enough: a chance to relax, to simply enjoy the well-earned rest.

But honestly, he wasn’t good at staying still.

Roselia tiled his face, letting his gaze drifting to the humans below. They had settled into a loose circle and, lacking a ...

Chapter 24: Just not to yourself

Cynthia woke up to the faint chirping of a flock of Starly.

She dragged herself out of her sleeping bag.

She dug into her backpack.

She found clothes that weren’t sopping wet.

She got dressed.

She unzipped the tent.

The scent of wet grass hit her.

The stink of ash followed.

Cynthia curled her nose at the smell and sighed softly. After a moment, she glanced around and paused when her eyes found Myst. He was already awake, hunched beneath a tree...

Chapter 23: But, sometimes, you had to lie to survive

It wasn’t Myst’s.

Cynthia froze as she stared at the red-and-black Pokémon as it took a halting step forward, close enough now that she could have reached out and touched it.

She didn’t recognize it.

Not from any of the books she’d devoured, not from her Pokédex logs, not even from half-remembered myths.

All she knew, all she had seen, was that it could create illusions.

That was it.

But still… if it had been Myst who said its ...

Chapter 22: They were both lies

The adrenaline that flooded Cynthia’s system burned away the last traces of cold, leaving only raw tension behind. The hair on the back of her neck rose slowly.

She’d seen them on the way in, picking at their food, sipping their drinks. She’d seen them turn, one by one, to look at her.

She just couldn’t hear them.

Slowly, she turned away from the flickering fire, lifting her chin just high enough to peek over the back of the sofa. The fabric brushed against ...

Chapter 21: He, on the other hand, was better at lying

Now, was yesterday’s break day necessary?

Yes, she would honestly say it was.

It was the first full day in what felt like forever where she could relax, train her Pokémon, and just breathe without constantly checking the time or worrying about what came next.

More than that, even she had woken up exhausted, her feet aching and her muscles stiff.

Myst?

Myst had been dead.

Well, not actually dead, obviously, but it felt like a close thing...

Chapter 20: She was honest like that

Myst’s mouth was pursed into a tight line, his hands balled, with only his two index fingers extended, pointing straight at Cynthia.

“I don’t get it,” he said simply.

Cynthia let out a sigh.

“What part? Because I think I explained it pretty clearly.”

Myst brought both fingers up to his lips.

“First of all, all you said was that custom moves are,” he mimicked her voice, “like super hard.” Then he shifted back to his normal tone. “And...

Chapter 19: That didn't mean she was giving him permission

The first thing Cynthia heard was the steady beeping of her alarm, a blaring reminder that she was supposed to be awake.

She frowned and yanked the quilt over her head, as if that would somehow muffle the sound. It didn’t, mostly because she’d specifically chosen the most obnoxious alarm she could find, one that could cut through fabric, dreams, and the will to live.

Still, she tried.

She groaned, grabbed a pillow, and mashed it over her ear.

Defeat came quickly. 2025-04-18 19:59:48 +0000 UTC View Post