"Floe~! (Julian, look at yourself! You're a ss!)"
Floette's voice was a sharp, tiny bell that finally cut through Julian's daze. He was standing in the middle of the Snowpoint Gym, his breath still coming in shallow hitches, staring at his hands as if they belonged to a stranger. It was only when Floette's tiny, glowing fingers started tugging at his jacket that he realized the damage.
His expensive down coat was shredded—covered in deep claw marks from Growlithe's earlier 'tantrum,' splattered with half-frozen mud, and singed at the edges from the heat of the Misty Explosion. Floette, with a look of pure maternal disapproval, gave one final, psychic yank, peeling the ruined outer layer off his shoulders to reveal his damp blue t-shirt underneath.
"I'm fine, Floette. Really," Julian muttered, though his teeth were starting to chatter as the internal heat of the gym began to dissipate. He reached into his pack, pulling out a small towel he usually used for drying his hair after a rainy trek, and started haphazardly wiping the soot from his forehead.
"Floe~Floe~? (Fine? You look like you got into a fight with an Exploud and lost!)" Floette hovered in front of his face, her pink-and-blue flower glowing softly as she used a tiny wisp of psychic energy to pluck a splinter of ice out of his hair.
"It's just aesthetic, okay? Adds character," Julian joked weakly, but his eyes kept darting back to her. "Just... stay still. We need the photo. Sixth badge, rember? It's a milestone. And then we are sprinting—and I an sprinting—to the Pokémon Center. Growlithe is out cold and you're... well, you're glowing like a neon sign."
"Floe~ (Fine, fine. But don't bla if the fans think you've turned into a mountain man.)"
Click.
The cara flashed, capturing Julian's tired, lopsided grin and Floette's triumphant pose on his shoulder. The second the shutter closed, Julian was a whirlwind of motion. He didn't even bother putting his shredded coat back on; he just stuffed it into his bag, gave a frantic wave to a very confused-looking Jira, and bolted for the exit.
"Thanks for the badge, Jira! If I don't freeze to death on the way to Nurse Joy, I'll definitely check out that academy of yours!"
Julian's voice echoed off the icy walls of the gym as he disappeared into the Snowpoint blizzard. Jira watched him go, a slow smile spreading across his face. "The Snowpoint Instructor Training Academy could use a lunatic like him," the Leader chuckled to himself. "Teaching the kids that 'plans' are just suggestions."
An hour and a half later, the Snowpoint City Pokémon Center was a sanctuary of warm air and the sll of antiseptic.
Julian was pacing. He had been pacing for forty-five minutes, his boots leaving a rhythmic thump-thump-thump on the linoleum floor. He was muttering to himself, his fingers twisting a loose thread on his damp shirt.
"I pushed too hard. I knew the stone was high-purity, I should have calculated the atmospheric interference. What if the cold crystallized the evolutionary energy before it could reach her core? What if she's stuck in a half-state?"
"Toge~! (Julian, breathe! Unnie Floette literally said she feels like a superhero!)" Togetic, who had been healed earlier, was fluttering beside him, trying to distract him by tugging on his ear.
Ding-dong.
The chi of the ergency room door was like a gunshot. Julian nearly tripped over his own feet as Nurse Joy stepped out, followed by a Chansey pushing a small dical cart. Growlithe was sprawled out on a plush cushion, looking groggy but content, while Floette was sitting upright, currently sharing a piece of Sitrus Berry with the Chansey.
"Nurse Joy! Tell the truth," Julian blurted out before the doors had even fully closed. "The energy levels, the cellular stability—is Floette okay? And Growlithe? Did I overtax his internal furnace?"
"Floe~~ (Julian, for the tenth ti, I am literally glowing with health!)"
Nurse Joy chuckled softly, pulling a digital tablet from the cart and handing it to Julian. "Relax, Trainer. I've seen so intense battle-strain in my ti, but these two are remarkably resilient. Growlithe has successfully transitioned into the Elite Class; his muscular density has increased, and his fla-sac is functioning at peak efficiency. He just needs a high-protein al and a long nap."
Julian's eyes scanned the report, his shoulders finally dropping two inches. "And Floette? The stone... the failed evolution?"
Nurse Joy's expression turned thoughtful. "That is the curious part. Physically? She is in perfect condition. In fact, her energy output is currently matching that of a fully evolved Florges. It's as if her body took all the energy from that Shining Stone and, instead of using it to change her physical form, used it to hyper-compress her existing cells."
She looked at the pink-and-blue flower Floette was holding. "It's extrely rare, especially outside of the Kalos region. Evolutionary stones are usually 'all or nothing.' For it to trigger a power-up without a physical change... it defies the standard textbooks."
"So it was a failure," Julian whispered, his heart sinking.
"Not necessarily," Joy countered gently. "Pokémon are creatures of infinite adaptation. Perhaps her bond with you—or her own internal desire to stay small and fast—overrode the stone's genetic instructions. If you want a deeper answer, you might need to contact soone in Kalos, like Professor Sycamore. They deal with the Floette line daily. But as far as her health goes? She's a marvel."
Julian took the report, his mind a ss of relief and lingering anxiety. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. Seriously. I think I've aged ten years in the last hour."
"Floe~~! (I told you! I'm amazing!)" Floette leaped off the cart and began doing laps around Julian's head, her dual-colored flower trailing a faint, sparkling pink dust.
Julian reached out, letting her land in his palm. He looked at the flower—the way the blue and pink swirled together like a sunset. It was beautiful, but it was a mystery he didn't have the tools to solve yet.
"Alright, alright. I believe you," Julian said, his voice finally regaining its warmth. He looked down at Growlithe, who had hopped off the cart and was currently leaning his heavy head against Julian's thigh. "And you... you absolute tank. You're Elite now. No more 'puppy' excuses when it cos to training, okay?"
"Woof! (Bring it on! Just as long as the training involves snacks!)" Growlithe wagged his tail, his new, softer fur brushing against Julian's skin.
"Okay, team. Everyone back in. I'm going to go buy the biggest, most expensive set of ingredients Snowpoint has to offer. We're having a feast tonight," Julian said, pulling out their Poké Balls.
"Florges-sound! (Food! Finally!)" Floette didn't even wait for the beam; she tapped her own ball and disappeared in a flash of red light.
"Togekiss? (Can I help cook?)" Togetic asked, eyes wide.
"Not a chance, little guy. You fought hard today too. Get so rest. I've got this."
Once his team was safely tucked away, Julian stood in the quiet lobby of the Pokémon Center, the weight of the day finally catching up to him. He looked down at his damp t-shirt and realized he was shivering.
"Woof? (Julian? Where's your coat?)"
He hadn't recalled Growlithe yet. The fire-dog was staring at him with a tilted head, looking at the thin blue shirt Julian was wearing.
"Oh... right. I left it back at the gym. It was shredded anyway," Julian sighed. "I'll just borrow a blanket or sothing from the front desk."
"Woof woof! (See? This is what I'm talking about!)" Growlithe barked, his eyes narrowing in that way that ant Julian was being 'too human' for his own good.
"What? I'm fine, I'll just—"
"Woof! (If you were the 'normal' Julian, you'd be bragging about how the cold doesn't bother you because of your 'Aura training,' or you'd be asking to let you use my fur as a hand-warr to 'test my temperature regulation' after the evolution. You're acting weird because you're still scared.)"
Julian went silent. He looked at the floor, the truth of the dog's words stinging more than the Snowpoint wind.
"I am worried, Growlithe," Julian admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I know she says she's fine. I know the report says she's healthy. But I'm the one who pushed for that move. I'm the one who threw the stone. If sothing changes a week from now... if she loses her spark because I wanted to win a badge... I don't think I could look her in the eye."
Growlithe stepped forward, biting Julian's trouser leg and tugging him—not toward the exit, but toward the video-phone booths in the corner of the lobby.
"Woof! (Then stop moping and call the old man! If anyone knows about weird Pokémon stuff, it's the Professor!)"
Julian laughed, a genuine, tired sound. "You're right. Professor Rowan is probably going to call an idiot for trying an in-battle evolution with a high-purity stone, but at least he'll have the data."
User Comments
0 comments from readers