The kitchen in the Snowpoint hotel suite was usually a place of organized chaos and delicious slls, but tonight, the rhythm was all wrong. Instead of the rhythmic, confident tap-tap-tap of a chef at work, there was a frantic, heavy clack-thud of a knife hitting wood with way too much force.
Sylveon sat on the plush rug just outside the kitchen door, her feelers twitching with every erratic sound. "Sly-veon... (Julian is losing it. That knife sounds like it's trying to fight the cutting board.)"
Carbink floated beside her, its gems dimming slightly in sympathy. "Mishi-mishi... (He's still got that 'scary' energy from earlier. It's like his brain is stuck in a loop.)"
Togetic, who had been the only one to witness the fallout at the Pokémon Center, drifted down to join them. "Jia-gei... (It's the 'Expert's Curse.' He thinks because he couldn't explain Floette's evolution with his books, he failed her. He won't snap out of it until he sees them both eating and complaining like usual.)"
"Sly? (But the Professor said they were fine, right? Why is he still acting like the sky is falling?)" Sylveon asked, her ribbons curling anxiously.
"Jia-gei! (You know Julian. He doesn't trust 'fine.' He wants to know why it's fine. Until then, he's going to overthink himself into a hole. Let's just stick to the plan—be extra cute, eat the food, and make him feel like the world is normal.)"
The kitchen door swung open, and Julian stepped out. He looked... functional. He had changed into a clean hoodie, but his hair was a bird's nest and his eyes were bloodshot. He was carrying a tray with a flourish that felt just a bit too theatrical.
"Alright, the wait is over! Victory feast is served!" Julian announced, his voice booming in the small room. "We've got a triple-berry layered cake for the MVP of the support team, artisanal pudding for our aerial ace, and a custom batch of mineral-rich Poffins for our resident diamond!"
"Sly-veon! (Finally! Sugar is the best dicine!)" Sylveon chirped, putting on her best 'happy' face and hopping onto her chair.
Togetic and Carbink followed suit, making a show of being absolutely starved to boost Julian's morale. Julian set the plates down with a wide, forced grin. "Go ahead, dig in! I went all out on the ingredients."
The three Pokémon didn't hesitate. Sylveon took a huge, graceful bite of the cake. Togetic scooped up a spoonful of pudding. Carbink crunched down on a Poffin.
For three seconds, the room was silent. Then, the collective disaster hit.
"PTUI! Ptooey-ptooey!" Sylveon's face twisted into a mask of pure horror as she spat the cake onto her napkin.
"JIA-GEI! (My tongue! It's on fire!)" Togetic shrieked, clutching his throat and frantically looking for water.
"Mishi... (So... bitter... the world is ending...)" Carbink slumped onto the table, its eyes swirling.
Julian's grin vanished instantly. "Wait, what? Is it cold? Did I undercook the base?"
"Sly! (Julian, did you mistake the salt for the sugar again?!)" Sylveon barked, her ribbons frantically fanning her mouth.
"Jia-gei! (And why is there spicy Tamato berry in the sweet pudding?! I'm an aerial ace, not a Magmar!)"
Julian's eyes went wide. He grabbed a spare spoon and tasted a bit of each dish. The second the 'cake' hit his tongue, his face went pale. It wasn't just salty; it was like eating a block of sea salt mixed with flour. The pudding tasted like a chemical accident involving hot peppers and sour peaches.
He dropped the spoon, his shoulders sagging as he stumbled back into the kitchen.
"I... I used the sea salt jar for the frosting," Julian whispered, staring at the counter. "And the Jaboca berries... they look just like the sweet Wiki berries when they're peeled. I wasn't looking. I was thinking about the transfer data and I just... I wasn't looking."
He ca back out, looking utterly defeated. "I'm so sorry, guys. I ruined it. I even managed to mix Growlithe's spicy 'Elite' treat into Carbink's batch. I'm a disaster today."
Sylveon's annoyance lted instantly. She saw the way his hands were shaking. "Sly... (It's okay, Julian. You're just exhausted. You've been running on adrenaline since the gym.)"
"Mishi-mishi! (Yeah, Julian! We still have the ergency stash!)" Carbink added, nudging a jar of high-quality Pokéblocks toward the center of the table with its psychic power.
"No, I should redo it. You guys deserve a real al," Julian said, turning back toward the kitchen.
Togetic flew in front of him, blocking the door. "Jia-gei! (Absolutely not! You're going to burn the hotel down if you go back in there. Sit. Eat a piece of bread. We're perfectly happy with the Pokéblocks tonight.)"
Julian sighed, finally relenting. "Maybe you're right. I'm... I'm not really 'here' right now."
He sat down and started clearing away the 'accidental' dishes. As he reached for Sylveon's plate, his sleeve pulled back, revealing two thick bandages wrapped around his index and middle fingers.
"Sly?! (Julian, your hand! What happened?!)" Sylveon lunged forward, her feelers gently brushing the bandages.
"Oh, that?" Julian looked at his hand as if he'd forgotten it was attached to his body. "I just slipped with the paring knife. The salt was in my eyes—literally—and I just slipped. It's a clean cut, Joy gave so antiseptic before I left. It's fine."
Sylveon didn't say anything. She just leaned forward and gently licked the back of his hand, her ribbons wrapping around his wrist in a comforting, warm embrace.
"Jia-gei... (Go take a shower, Julian. Wash the Snowpoint off your skin. We'll handle the cleanup.)" Togetic nudged him toward the bathroom, his expression firm.
"Okay... okay. If you guys are sure. There's more snacks in the blue bag if you're still hungry," Julian muttered, heading for the bathroom like a zombie.
Late that night, the only sound in the suite was the low hum of the heater and the distant whistle of the wind outside.
Julian was tossing and turning, his blankets a tangled ss. Every ti he closed his eyes, he saw the flash of the Shining Stone. He saw Floette's confused face. He saw the cold, clinical red light of the transfer machine.
Are they eating? Did the Professor rember the Tamato seasoning? What if the 'failed' evolution is actually a slow-acting energy poison? I shouldn't have been so cocky. I should have let her grow at her own pace...
The thoughts were like a swarm of Beedrill, stinging his brain every ti he tried to drift off.
Sylveon, sleeping on her own cushion at the foot of the bed, opened one sky-blue eye. She could feel the spikes of anxiety radiating off Julian's Aura. It was a jagged, ssy signal that was keeping the whole room on edge.
She stood up, padding silently across the carpet on her tiptoes. She hopped onto the mattress, looking down at Julian's pained expression.
"Sly-veon... (You're doing it again, Julian. You're fighting a battle that's already over.)"
She leaned down, her ribbons glowing with a soft, ethereal light. She took a deep breath and exhaled a shimring, translucent bubble—a Yawn move, soft and heavy with the scent of lavender and peace.
The bubble popped right over Julian's face.
"Wha...?" Julian's eyes fluttered. He tried to finish a thought about cellular density, but his jaw gave way to a massive, uncontrollable yawn. "Oh... wow. Sylveon...?"
His eyelids felt like lead. The tension in his shoulders simply evaporated. Within seconds, his breathing evened out, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Sylveon let out a tiny, satisfied huff. She walked up to his side, wrapping one ribbon gently around his bandaged hand, and curled up right against his arm. Togetic and Carbink, seeing the coast was clear, drifted over and tucked themselves into the blankets on the other side.
"Sly... (Sleep, you idiot trainer. They'll be back tomorrow, and they'll probably be mad you didn't save them any of that salty cake.)"
Outside, the snow continued to fall, but inside, for the first ti since the battle, the room was finally at peace.
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