Silence.
Heavy. Deep.
Skylar floated in a space where breath felt optional and time meant nothing. There was warmth on his left side. Cold on the right. A soft pulse in his chest—slow, but steady.
Then pain.
A dull, crushing pressure bloomed from his ribs. His back ached like he'd been trampled by a Rhyperior. His fingers twitched, and he felt rough cloth—sheets? A cot?
Voices echoed faintly.
He blinked.
The world came back in pieces.
A cave ceiling, lit by electric lanterns. The sound of a generator humming somewhere deeper in the tunnel. The scent of antiseptic… and the faintest aroma of berries.
And Misty.
She sat beside him, elbows on her knees, head bowed, her fiery hair messy and tangled from days without rest. Her eyes were closed, but not asleep. She was guarding him.
Skylar tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
He tried again.
—"You're still here."
Misty's head jerked up.
Her eyes widened, then filled instantly with tears.
—"You idiot," she whispered.
She leaned over him, gently grabbing his hand.
—"I told you not to die."
Skylar smiled faintly. "I didn't. You'd be too smug."
She laughed—wet and trembling. "You nearly did. That aura blast overloaded your nervous system. You had internal bleeding. You collapsed every sensor they had tracking your vitals. Gary nearly had a heart attack."
Skylar winced. "How long?"
—"Two days," she said. "They set up a forward outpost here while the Ranger Corps scans the mountain. You've been asleep. Barely responsive."
She brushed a hand through her hair. "I thought I lost you."
He met her gaze.
—"You didn't."
Silence passed between them like a fragile thread.
Then Misty reached into her bag and pulled something out.
Skylar blinked.
—"Is that… my scarf?"
It was torn, scorched, and blood-stained.
She'd folded it neatly.
—"You dropped it when you hit the floor. I almost stepped on it while running to catch you."
She placed it beside him carefully.
—"It was the first thing I ever saw you wear. At Professor Oak's camp."
Skylar smiled. "Back when you were too proud to talk to me."
—"Back when you acted too cool to notice I beat you in physical drills."
They both chuckled—gently. Painfully.
Then she leaned forward, just slightly.
Her forehead touched his.
—"Don't ever make me watch you fall like that again."
Skylar's voice was almost a whisper. "I didn't plan to fall. I planned to protect you."
Her eyes flickered.
And this time, she didn't argue.
Instead, she kissed his forehead and sat beside him again, one hand never leaving his.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Until footsteps echoed from the tunnel.
Gary entered, carrying a tablet and flanked by a Ranger scout.
He paused when he saw Skylar awake.
—"Well, well. Look who finally decided to rejoin the land of the conscious."
Skylar smirked. "You know me. Never miss a dramatic return."
Gary rolled his eyes, but relief washed across his face.
—"We've got a lot to go over. But for now, just listen."
He tapped the screen.
It showed scans of the hive core, now partially collapsed.
—"Your aura burst severed its connection to the upper layer. The watchers are scattering. The corrupted Pokémon are weakening."
Skylar nodded slowly. "We bought time."
—"Exactly," Gary said. "We're preparing a larger sweep team—Rangers, League scientists, even some old Champions. The League's taking this seriously now."
He looked Skylar dead in the eye.
—"Because of what you did."
Skylar swallowed hard.
Gary turned to Misty. "I'll give you two more minutes. Then I need him for debrief."
Misty nodded.
Gary disappeared back into the tunnel.
Skylar looked at her.
—"When I'm healed… we go back down."
She didn't hesitate.
—"Together."
He smiled.
Then rested his head against the pillow.
But deep inside, he could still feel the faint, broken pulse of the hive.
It wasn't over.
Not yet.