14
The fire crackled in the heart of Petalburg Woods, casting long, dancing shadows against the ancient trees. I leaned back against a mossy log, my legs feeling like they'd been through a meat grinder after the gym spar.
Lens hovered at head height, the blue light of the stream chat reflecting off my face. "Alright, Chat. The 'After-Dark' special. No training, no running from Aggrons. Just vibes and lore."
May sat across from me, her eyes sparkling in the firelight. She reached for a Poké Ball on her belt. "Oh! I almost forgot! I haven't officially introduced him to the stream yet! Come on out, Blaze!"
With a flash of light, a tiny Torchic appeared. He didn't just stand there; he immediately started doing high-speed laps around the campfire, chirping like a maniac. He had a tiny, red bandana tied around his neck that matched May's.
"He's been training with me since he hatched," May beamed, catching the bird mid-sprint and nuzzling him. "He's got the spirit of a Blaziken already!"
[Chat Log]
IceCreamQueen_C: What a spirited little fellow. He matches May perfectly.
PervySage: The 'Bird and the Brawn' combo. I dig it.
SilentRed: [GIF: Elmo fire]
The Retelling: The Tales of the Titans
Raven, the Absol, sat on the edge of the light, her red eyes fixed on me. She was waiting. I cleared my throat, my Nat 20 Charisma turning my voice into a rich, cinematic baritone.
"I promised Raven a story," I began. "A story about a group of teenagers who shouldn't have worked. A boy with no powers but a brilliant mind, a princess from the stars, a machine with a human soul, a boy who could be any beast... and a girl named Raven."
I described their first meeting—how they were all outcasts, feared or misunderstood by the world. I saw Kage stop sharpening his stick to listen. Even Jerry paused his grooming.
"They lived in a giant 'T' shaped tower," I continued. "And they fought the biggest threats you can imagine. But, Chat... being a hero isn't always epic. Sometimes, it's just weird."
May leaned in, her chin in her hands. "Tell us a funny one!"
"Okay," I chuckled. "There was the time the team got obsessed with... The Perfect Sandwich."
I narrated the "Legendary Sandwich" episode—how Beast Boy and Cyborg went on a quest to find ingredients like 'Bacon from the future' and 'Lettuce from the Forbidden Forest.' I acted out the voices: Cyborg's boisterous "Booyah!", Beast Boy's high-pitched antics, and Raven's deadpan sarcasm.
"The girl Raven," I said, looking at our Raven, "she just wanted to read her book in peace. But her friends were so loud, so chaotic, that she eventually realized... the silence she thought she wanted was actually lonely. She realized that having a group of idiots fighting over a sandwich was better than being a queen in a void."
[Chat Log]
Clone_02: A 'Future Bacon' quest? Highly illogical. Yet... I find myself wanting to know the flavor profile.
WaterFlower_Misty: I feel that. My sisters are basically the loud idiots in my life.
IceCreamQueen_C: You have a way with words, Jake. It's almost as if you were there.
The Secret Weight
As I finished the story, the team settled down. Tammy was curled up near the fire, her opal collar glowing softly. Jerry was tucked into his silk scarf, looking like a tiny, silver king. Raven had laid her head on her paws, her gaze softer than I'd ever seen it.
I looked over at May. She was laughing, feeding Blaze a small piece of a Poffin. She looked so happy, so full of life.
I reached into my pocket and felt the weight of the Everstone shard Norman had given me.
Human Pokémon. The thought sat heavy in my gut. I looked at the chat—thousands of people watching us, loving the "content." They didn't know that the girl they were calling 'Best Girl' was a living battery of Primal energy that could snap if pushed too far.
I'll keep you grounded, May, I thought, the Nat 20 Charisma failing to hide the flicker of worry in my eyes. Even if I have zero stamina, I'll be the anchor.
"Jake?" May asked, noticing my silence. "Are you okay? You look like you're thinking about math or something gross."
"I'm good," I smiled, flashing that signature grin for the camera. "Just thinking about what kind of sandwich we're making tomorrow. Lens, wrap it up for the night. We've got a 'Forest King' to find in the morning."
"Zzzzt! Logging off! Don't forget to check the merch link for the 'Ninja Kage' hoodies! Goodnight, world!"
The red light went dark. The woods reclaimed the silence.