Search results

“Sure thing.” Astrid looked down and poked at the sand beneath her, flattered. “You’ve always got a friend in me.” <><><>

Astrid frowned; in truth, neither did she. This was well beyond her qualifications. Whenever someone at the ES would have some kind of internal issue such as this—not that it was super common—there were special doctors in Lively Town that could handle it best. ‘Therapists,’ they were called...

Astrid soaked in every last bit of the story, at one point moving Cynthian off of her back to face her. “Cynthian… I’m so sorry. Um, f-for whatever it’s worth, if Dark Matter was making you do those things, that means it wasn’t you doing them. Right? I mean, we don’t really have mind control...

“Yeah, okay, no no no.” Astrid was at his side at once, wrapping two tails around his body and lifting him onto her back. All things considered, he weighed less than she expected. “You’re going to the doctor or something.” They got to walking—not that Astrid intended to do so in silence. Right...

For a moment, frustration flared up in Astrid’s chest. “No, Cynthian, you—you aren’t dropping anything on me. Nothing… specific, at least.” Relaxing again, she sat down in the sand and spoke soberly. “Seriously, what’s wrong? You’ve been distant for—what, months? I-if this is about something...

No breeze swept across the beach today. A soft, crystalline mist had settled like a dense fog, pierced only by snowflakes. With each one that fell among the hundreds, Cynthian’s physical stature continued to deteriorate before her. Clearly there were bigger problems than the weather. “H-hey.”...

“Wait, so,” Astrid started, “is this memory something that was suppressed entirely? Or are you describing more of a perspective change about something that had previously happened?” Now that she thought about it, either one probably wouldn’t affect the final outcome all that much. She abruptly...

Astrid tilted her head, but didn’t press any further. “Yeah, yeah… fresh air. I need to do some deep thinking, and I love the beach, and I love snow, so,” she shrugged, managing a grin, “here I am, heh.” Her forepaw jingled. “—Oh! And, the bracelet you gave me is in good shape. I thought I’d...

“Well, no. I wish,” Astrid said bluntly. “Wouldn’t mind some good fortune right about now. For the whole team, y’know? We could use it.” By now she’d noticed Cynthian’s appearance—not unlike a plant that hadn’t been watered in a while. Where had his pot gone? “…Are you sure everything is okay...

“Mm?” The beach wasn’t at all crowded, thankfully; she could tell right away who that was. Astrid increased her walking speed until she was right in front of him. “Hey Cynthian!” she chirped with enthusiasm, her troubles temporarily forgotten, “How’ve you been?”

A full day had passed since she was dismissed from the infirmary, and Astrid already felt like the world had passed her by. She didn’t have the willpower to confront Karat or the nerve to hypothesize who their moles might be—if they existed. A walk. That was what she needed. It wasn’t going to...

Astrid nodded. “Yes. It is. That’s why Diyem sent us here, and that’s why we train so hard with these bodies that we’ll only have for a small fraction of our lifetimes.” She began to walk away, but paused. “And… you were right. About the familiar being a sibling thing. Um, part of me wanted to...

She nodded. “You’re all really strong—probably a lot stronger than any of us individually—but until you can figure out a way to land your attacks, it doesn’t matter much. “But… what happens if you do figure it out? What then?”

“But you can’t save this world, can you. Nothing you try works. Not without Team Spectrum leading the charge and taking down every last threat. Is that why you care?”

“Because,” Astrid said, face turned to iron. “Your team has paid every bill, covered every need, and set us up in a town full of unspeakably powerful Pokémon.” A step closer. Or further away? “Because Maple gave us these powers for free while knowing we had Shadows in our system already...

Normally, Astrid would’ve cut her losses right here. It was the best decision available. Take the money and run. Her reward was right there. Was that what Soda would do? Or would he keep going? Astrid already knew, and grinned, a surge of confidence swelling up in her chest. “You will answer...

Huuuuuaaaahhhhhh I’m glad that’s over. She didn’t show it though. “How did you first meet Maple? And how did you get Radiance? I bet it was different from how I got it, huh?” Astrid looked him up and down, searching for any discrepancies in the illusion. There were none. Was he actually...

“Sibl—?” Astrid blinked, then shrugged again. Harder this time. “Aha, um, no. Where I was born, Ninetales and Vulpix roamed the icecaps in packs. We had big families, but there were plenty of those that traveled together, settled together, fought together… and so on. I met a lot of my kind that...

Her grin plummeted into the sand. “Myles? Myles is… ” … “He’s my ex.” She shrugged suddenly. Two of her tails began drawing a circle in the sand as she talked. “We… used to explore together in the mountains of the Grass Continent. Sometimes Water too. Dated for… a year. And a half. But. Mmm.”...

The edge of her mouth ticked upwards. “…And I take it you aren’t going to show me those cards now?”