I closed my eyes, feeling the world shift and fold around . When I opened them, I was standing on the long, bridged path leading to the replica floating island of the Aether Foundation. The white spires of the facility glead brilliantly under the artificial sun. As I approached the sliding glass doors, they hissed open to reveal Lusamine.
She stood there with her arms crossed, looking as regal and composed as ever. For a long ti, our relationship had been defined by her coldness—she had been a captured woman who looked at with distaste on her best days. But the woman before now was different. The ice had lted, replaced by a quiet, steady fire that burned beside rather than trying to consu .
"You're back," she said, her voice smooth with that signature lodic lilt. "I assu this Giovanni was as insufferable as the one from my tiline? A man obsessed with his own shadow."
"Ugh, he’s a piece of work, Lusamine," I said, stopping a few feet from her.
As I stared into her erald eyes, I finally felt the pressure of the last few days begin to lift. Lusamine was my rock. While my other girls were living their best lives, she was the one who truly understood what was at stake. She wouldn’t sugarcoat reality or offer empty platitudes.
I let out a heavy sigh, my shoulders slumping. "He thinks he can calculate every variable, including . He’s trying to push in a direction I’m not sure I’m ready for."
"He would. And he will try to change you," she replied, stepping closer. She reached out, her fingers brushing the fabric of my new compression top, tracing the lines of my now much more prominent physique. It was a small gesture, but from her, it felt like a mountain moving. "You are the ruler of this world, Landon. He may have the tal and the labs, but he doesn't have your system. Don't let him turn you into sothing you aren’t. I like you this way."
"I won't," I promised. She draped her arms around the back of my neck, and I saw a genuine respect in her gaze—a bond that went beyond the system’s programming.
"Good. I know you’ve been through a lot, but we can talk about that tomorrow. You need a break, Landon. Now, go see your other 'queens.' I have research to finish now that we have… ‘connected’ and I can actually use these facilities again. I believe Nemona is currently trying to break the sound barrier in the stadium."
I looked at Lusamine one last ti, the soft glow of the lab reflecting in her eyes. No more words were needed; the weight of our shared history and the uncertainty of the future hung between us. I reached out, pulling her close for a firm, lingering kiss. It was a silent vow that no matter how deep the shadows of Colress, the Endbringers, or Giovanni reached, I would find my way back.
When I pulled away, the world began to blur. I closed my eyes, letting the system shift my data. The salty ocean scent of Aether vanished, replaced instantly by the sll of scorched earth, sun-baked concrete, and the sharp tang of ozone.
My boots t the gritty surface of the Pokémon Stadium habitat. I stood outside the massive structure, which now anchored a sprawling 3km radius—a monolithic tribute to Nemona’s fighting spirit. Tucked deep beneath the towering stands was her ho: a labyrinth of training rooms and tactical displays.
I headed into the stadium through a tunnel entrance I hadn't noticed before. Walking through it felt like the footage I’d seen as a child—champions walking out onto the field—but on a scale I could have never dread of.
A sudden, low hum vibrated through the air. I looked up to see a streak of orange and gold light descending from the rafters. Nemona was in her Star Fire Flare form. Her skin glowed like a nebula, pulsing with solar heat, and her hair flowed behind her like a solar flare. Twelve miniature stars orbited her head in a slow, rhythmic circle, casting dancing shadows across the concrete. She touched down with the grace of a falling cot, her stars flaring briefly before settling into a defensive halo.
She didn't lunge for a hug. She stood a few feet away, her glowing eyes scanning with an intensity that made my skin crawl.
"You're back," she said, her voice carrying a celestial echo. "I felt the pulse of your energy the second you hit the grass in Joy’s Garden. I was going to co to you right away, but I knew you’d find your way here in ti."
"Nemona—"
"Don't 'Nemona' , Landon," she interrupted, the stars above her head twitching with her frustration. Her high-energy persona was tempered by the mory of Sector 4. "I was there. I saw you catch that Bullet Punch like a slow-motion toss. I saw what you almost did to Guzma's throat. Grusha and I... we didn't know if the man coming out of that white and red light was ever going to be our Landon again."
She stepped closer, the heat radiating from her warming my face. One of her orbiting stars drifted down, hovering near my chest as if inspecting my heartbeat.
"I grew up in Paldea, Landon. People always told my drive was 'too much.' I spent my life learning how to dial it back so I wouldn't hurt people. But that power you tapped into? The Primordial?" She looked up, her expression raw and vulnerable despite her goddess-like appearance. "That thing doesn't have a dial. It just has 'Erase.' It scared . Not because of what it could do to Guzma... but because of what it was doing to you."
I reached out, cautiously placing a hand on her glowing shoulder. The skin felt like vibrant, living energy. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I just... I couldn’t lose you or Grusha, Nemona. No Cryo, no rules. I didn’t hesitate. Only the urge to protect you two mattered."
She leaned into my touch, her glowing skin flickering as she let out a long, shaky breath. The twelve stars slowed their rotation, losing their aggressive edge.
"I know," she whispered. "But you need to rember that we can defend ourselves. Our conversion ti isn't great yet, but that will change with practice. You can’t do everything alone. And don't you dare think that being so kind of legendary anomaly ans you get to leave us behind. I've worked too hard to find a rival—and a man—who can actually keep up with ."
She pulled back, the celestial glow dimming as she suppressed the Flare form. Returning to her human appearance, she wiped a stray bit of soot from her forehead and forced a grin.
"Sparring tomorrow. First thing. No Primordial shortcuts, no ga-Evolution cheats. Just you, , and my teams. I’ve been working on a new combination with Luxray, and I need to know your head is back in the ga before we face whatever Giovanni throws at us."
"It's a date," I said, realizing she was still diligently training her Pokémon even within this world.
"Good," she said, turning back toward the stadium. "Now go. I know you have a dozen other 'family mbers' waiting. But Landon?" She paused at the entrance, looking back over her shoulder. "If you ever do that again, and I think you’re going too far... I’m summoning the Cot. I won't let you lose yourself to that abyss."
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