Episode 13: The Power of Team Daybreak

“So this is how you deal with me mocking you, huh? You come up with an excuse to beat me up?” Pola snickered. “Not that I’m complaining. You don’t stand a chance against me.”

“This isn’t an excuse to ‘beat you up’. While we’re waiting for May, we might as well do a little training,” Kayla grinned.

The team were gathered outside in one of the open spaces of the school, away from a lot of the exercise apparatus. With the help of Moby, the redheaded Audino who gave Kayla a brief tour when she first arrived, the group were given clearance to use one of the battle spaces. White markings on the ground indicated an arena, where Moby, Kari, and Shannon stood on the edge to watch.

“I dig it. A team leader wanting to see what their comrades are made of is healthy knowledge,” Moby commented, folding her arms.

“See, she gets it,” Kayla agreed. “Oh and also, I don’t want any holding back. All that magic you keep bragging to me about, come at me full force with it!”

“I can’t do that, I’ll kill you!” Pola cried.

“That makes it even better,” Kayla’s grin grew.

“Seriously? Ugh, you’re outta your mind. Fine, but you’ll regret offering,” Pola warned, taking a pose. “On your mark.”

“This is a friendly training session. Battle concedes when either side is unable to battle, or when I call for ceasefire,” Moby announced. She raised a hand high, and then brought it down. “Ready? Begin!”

“Last chance, Kayla. You sure you want this babe’s full shtick?” Pola challenged. “It’ll be worse than your nightmares!”

“You’re so… alright then. I’ll do you one better. You get one free shot,” Kayla stood straight.

“What…?” Pola leaned back.

“If I just come at you, you’re never going to finish casting. But I wanna see what you’re made of, so I’m gonna let you show off to me,” she reasoned. “Gimme your best shot, and I’ll try and dodge it and fight properly.”

“Kayla, I’m not kidding when I say—”

“Oh and not some arbitrary, stylish thing,” Kayla’s tone lowered. “Give me, your best shot.”

At last, the Plusle frowned and took her pose again. “Alright. You asked for it.”

Kayla grinned as she posed too, shifting a foot back. The moment Pola put a paw to her mouth, Kayla’s world of battle took over. Clear, midday skies turned the scenery into a pattern of light blues and whites that was easy on the eyes. Kari and the others vanished from her focus, leaving only Pola and herself in the action.

“I call upon the elements of the sacred trio, rise forth and run my enemy through!” Pola recited, and with it came a swirl of light and energy around her form. She raised her paw high, and then thrust it at Kayla. “Nature Power! Tri Attack!”

With her cast finished, three spheres of light appeared before the Plusle in a triangle formation, one blue, one red, and one yellow. Each sphere spiked with the light energy Pola had gathered, and all three fired massive beams their respective colours directly at Kayla. She was surprised at how fast the beams came, as even though she launched into Quick Attack in attempt to avoid it, she found herself hit by the blast of the beams hitting the ground.

It was enough to make Kayla cough and stumble, the way the concussive blasts showered her. One was frigid, another felt like it burnt, and the other left her legs jittery. She might as well have been hit, as she shut an eye and shivered as pain lingered. With smoke all around her however, she had the time to embrace it and return to Quick Attack, hoping to surprise Pola.

The moment she emerged from the smoke, she would have to rethink her plans. The orbs were still around Pola. Even worse, the red one fired another beam at her. Although it missed, Kayla had a clear view of the live flames it left behind.

Talk about coming in hot! She remarked, eyes widened at the remains. She had to hop over a blue beam that was more accurate this time, which froze the floor where she just was. The yellow beam came next, which Kayla skidded to change direction. The beam hit where she would have gone if she kept running, leaving behind sizzled grass like a lightning strike.

Pola kept both paws pointed at Kayla, and with flicks of her digits, her Tri Attack continued to fire one after the other. The Buneary kept using Quick Attack to dart around the field to avoid them, yet didn’t dare to go closer. “Can’t run forever, tubby! Can’t say I didn’t warn ya!”

“Pola, you’re doing too much! Kayla, that’s enough!” worried Kari.

“Don’t be silly. We’re just getting started!” Kayla bragged, skidding to another stop. She locked her eyes onto Pola and unrolled both ears, realising she would need full focus to stand a chance. Bracing for Quick Attack once again, she charged straight at the Plusle this time.

“Straight ahead?” Pola’s eyes narrowed.

The moment one beam fired; Kayla’s ears told her everything. What type it was, where the beam would land, and even how big the potential blast would be. This one was smaller than the previous beams, so she merely needed to sidestep it. The next beam came, this one fire, so she leapt up high to avoid the resulting burst.

“Think you’re smart?” Pola growled, and her eyes narrowed further.

Kayla’s heart skipped a beat when the orbs began to draw a circle in front of Pola, but they only seemed to be drawing in more energy. They fired in rapid succession now, requiring Kayla to curl her way around again, but she kept up her approach. As long as her ears tracked those beams, she could dodge them. A second later and she was right up in Pola’s face.

With grit fangs and a fierce thrust of her arms, Pola made the orbs close together to fire simultaneously again. To her surprise, Kayla danced away from it, relieving her Quick Attack to curl her form out of the way entirely. It was a girly movement for the Buneary, like a little girl pretending to perform a ballet twirl, and yet it worked perfectly. Kayla was right behind Pola, who was locked into her beam attack. Keeping up her spin, Kayla leapt into Double Kick, the first kick striking Pola’s cheek as she turned around, where the second kick sent the Plusle flying.

The orbs vanished as Pola skidded into the dirt. To Kayla’s surprise, she flipped back to her feet, landing in the same pose as if to cast another move. In fact, her mouth was moving as if she was, yet Kayla’s ears couldn’t pick up on a sound.

Do I attack before she can finish? Kayla leaned forward and braced for Quick Attack once again.

“Cease!” Moby’s voice cut in. Kayla’s world faded back to reality, and she slowly turned to her audience. “You two are… That was really impressive. You know your way around a battle, don’t you, Kayla?”

“Yeah, that was AWESOME! Kayla had me worried but then you just moved super fast and dodged everything! You could actually have won if you kept fighting!” Kari squealed, bouncing with excitement.

“Yeah, yeah,” Pola folded her arms as the Furret’s praises turned into squeaky gibberish. “You’re kinda smooth. For a fatso. I’ll give ya that.”

“You have the right instincts, but perhaps we can work on your resourcefulness, both of you. Kayla, you took a bit too long to get close, and you could do with a harder hitting move to take advantage of that situation,” Moby explained. “Likewise, Pola, you could do with a backup for when your Visionary Magic is getting dodged like that.”

“I’m the only one at this school who can use ‘em, though. What the heck could anyone else teach me?” Pola snapped.

“Your magic works like heavy Pokémon moves. I’m sure our slower, harder hitters could offer some advice on what to do against fast opponents,” Moby nodded.

“We’re not done here yet, by the way. Kari, it’s your turn,” Kayla called out.

“M-me?” the Furret squeaked, freezing in midair.

“Yeah, you too. I wanna see and fight your extraordinary power,” she grinned cockily.

“Her head’s gonna get bigger than her belly at this rate,” Pola rolled her eyes.

“I, um- we- d-do we… sh-shouldn’t Shannon go first?” Kari started playing with her paws.

“Me?” the Pachirisu flinched.

“C’mon, I took damage back there. You’ve got an advantage,” Kayla said.

“I was going to say… you don’t want to take a break first?” Moby asked.

“No Heal Pulse?” Kayla cocked her head.

“I can’t use Heal Pulse. I’m a fighter, not a healer,” the Audino informed.

“See? It’s best we take a break now. That was tough stuff, Kayla!” Kari suggested.

“You’re gonna keep putting off showing me your power, and I’m gonna keep digging for it. You might as well get it outta the way sooner rather than later,” Kayla frowned. Kari blushed and shivered as she played with her paws again.

“I um… I’ve gotta pee!” Kari yelled.

“Kari!” Kayla shouted, making them yelp. “What’re you so afraid of, anyway?”

There was a long moment of pondering and hesitation. Kayla observed without showing emotion herself. Maybe she was pushing too hard, or this really was a deeper issue than was let on. Kari’s tail had stopped wagging and was now flicking, and she was picking at her nails in a way that looked like it hurt. The silence was broken by a hoarse sigh from Pola, who kicked the Furret lightly.

“You always get like this. Y’know Kayla’s weirder than you, right? You’ve seen her reaction to everyone else. She’s not gonna freak out at you,” Pola pointed out. “She doesn’t really care; she just wants to flex her strut. Go kick ‘er down a notch.”

“M-me? But I… I probably can’t win,” Kari looked down.

“You don’t think you can?” Kayla grinned. Kari looked at her. “That’s okay. I just want you to try.”

“Try?” Kari replied.

“Yeah. Won’t you try for me? Give it your all in a little friendly battle,” Kayla’s grin grew.

“… Do I have to use my powers?” Kari cocked her head.

“I wanna see them. And I kinda have to know if I’m gonna be leader here,” Kayla’s smile grew sheepish. If she could scratch the back of her head now, she would. “Pola’s not kidding, either. Whatever your powers are, don’t hold back. I wanna see everything you’re made of.”

“Hnng… f-f-fine. O-only for a little while, and for training. A-and if it’s okay if… Never mind. I’ll try my best,” Kari agreed at last. She audibly gulped and made her way to the opposite end of the battlefield, walking on her hind feet while picking at her paws the entire time.

She’s so nervous… Whatever her power is, it’s making me nervous, Kayla watched her for a moment, and then took position herself. “No Shovel Claws?”

“I can’t use my Shovel Claws at the same time as my power, so if I’m gonna fight you with it, I have to go without,” Kari replied. She dropped to all fours and raised her rear, showing a level of focus Kayla hadn’t seen before. It was all she needed to rev herself up however, and she grinned as she shifted a foot back.

“Same procedure as before. This is a friendly battle. Combat concedes when either side is unable to battle, or I call for ceasefire. Ready? Begin!” Moby brought her hand down.

Silence fell, and Kayla returned to her world of battle, this time with only Kari as the focus. The Furret froze in her position, and stared back with what felt like even more focus. Those individually coloured eyes didn’t so much as blink, locked directly onto Kayla with the precision of a machine. Her tail stopped moving, too.

Is she like me? Kayla realised. Neither moved from their starting position for what felt like forever. She knew that if she made a single bad move, Kari would pounce and be on her backside in a flash. That Furret was that fast. She shifted a foot back ever so slightly to test, and surely enough, Kari’s claws bared. Without moving from the spot, or revealing them at all, Kayla picked up on the subtle noise of nails digging into the soil.

She is. She won’t make a move until the enemy does. You’d think she’d be the impatient one, Kayla smirked. She took off toward Kari without using Quick Attack, charging straight at her. The moment she tries to counter, I need to be faster!

She would get alarmingly close to the Furret before a move came out, leaving her with very little time to react. Kari swung one arm forward with her claws elongated, to which Kayla leapt forward in attempt to attack before those Fury Swipes could come out. To her surprise, Kari swung her whole body with her attack, sending her swerving in a circular arc that avoided Kayla completely. A woosh of air kept Kayla on her toes, and she avoided the slashes that followed.

What just happened? Kayla asked herself as she spun and bounced into a new position. Her eyes widened and her heart jumped – Kari was in the air right up close to her. She hopped back from the Furret’s slam, but what followed, she could barely comprehend. Kari thrust a paw at her and it stretched, punching her stomach from what should have been a safe distance. The claws were still out too, so she felt that sharp pain and yelped as she was knocked to the floor.

“Oh no, I—” Kari squeaked.

“Ugh,” Kayla groaned as she sat up. Kari was flustered, but calmed down when she saw her friend get up. I didn’t just imagine that, did it? That was either speed, or my eyes were playing tricks on me.

There was another moment of silence. Kari remained nervous even as Kayla frowned and reassessed the situation. The Furret got the message at least, and returned to her earlier pose: on all fours and tail raised, eyes focused hard on Kayla. Seeing that, Kayla grinned again.

Hopping on the spot a bit, Kayla brought up an Ice beam and shot straight at Kari, making the Furret jump to the side. The moment they moved, she let up her beam and charged forward again, this time using Quick Attack to ensure she was at full speed. Kari once again retaliated with Fury Swipes, only to miss each hit. Kayla darted about the spot rather than trying to hit Kari.

One swipe to the left, another to the right, a third coming from above so hard that Kari’s claw hammered into the floor. Gritting her teeth, Kayla saw a fourth slash coming from the side and hopped back. The claw in the floor came in for a fifth and final slash, to which Kayla slid to the side the same way she avoided Pola’s beams, with a fancy spin. Unlike Pola however, Kari seemed to be able to move her whole body, keeping out of Kayla’s range.

Kayla wouldn’t give up, but it didn’t seem to matter. The Furret was either as fast, or faster than her, and obnoxiously nimble. No matter how much she swerved, danced, or blitzed her way around close quarters, Kari always seemed to be a few steps out of range, or two steps ahead of her and throwing out an attack of her own. Those attacks kept hitting as well, even though Kayla was sure she was keeping herself mobile enough to avoid the bigger Pokémon.

Eventually she backed off from the close combat, and that was when she had the clearest view of Kari’s extraordinary power, and what was really going on. Kari was tangled up like a noose, or some other crazy knot of rope… and came undone like it was nothing. Her arms, her tail, every inch of her body stretched back into place, as if she was some sort of stretchy noodle toy.

“What the…” Kayla’s mouth dropped.

“A-ah! See, it is weird! You said you wouldn’t freak out!” Kari cried, hiding behind her paws.

“I’m… ah, don’t call off the fight yet!” Kayla cried, surprising the others. She tensed up and planted her feet this time, glaring at Kari with a new level of seriousness. She can stretch? And she barely makes a sound, too. Her attacks just aren’t that heavy, it’s too hard for me to track her. How in the world do I beat something like this?

“Kayla…” Kari said softly.

“Don’t let up! This is a battle, Kari,” Kayla raised her voice. The only way for me to win is to somehow lock off her movements!

Kayla went with Ice Beam again, managing to surprise Kari enough to flinch. The beam hit, making her yelp and cringe in an effort to resist. Seeing that she hit, Kayla kept her attack going for as long as she could. Ice formed around Kari’s side, quickly spreading and encasing her in a large block. She had to catch her breath after, but at least she succeeded.

She wasn’t about to let the opportunity go to waste, either. Kayla charged forward once more, her feet turning red to signal her use of Double Kick. She leapt up high and spun to put as much force into her attack as she could. Before she hit however, the ice shattered, and Kari roared as her powers truly erupted. In the span of a few seconds, she grew, and Kayla found herself colliding with a huge layer of Furret.
“Ack!” Kayla bounced off up high. Kari stretched her body in such a way that her whole form grew, and even now, was still growing. Kayla didn’t even land on the ground, she landed on Kari’s side. The Furret had grown larger than an Onix, and though she was naturally softer and fluffier, felt sturdier than a rubber band ball, complete with the level of bounciness.

Kayla’s mouth and eyes were wide with disbelief, but at least Kari got the message this time. With her new size came the inevitable rumbling and whooshing that large things made when they moved, so Kayla was thrown right back into battle. Kari attempted to swipe her away, so she bounced off the Furret’s body to avoid it, and then ran up towards her head, only for it to get further away as the Furret stretched even more.

She can still stretch? Kayla cried internally, skidding to a stop. Kari took the opportunity to lunge her head straight at the Buneary, finally hitting Kayla head on and knocking her to the ground, the real ground. Kayla rolled and skidded uncontrollably, and shivered as it felt like soil and grass pinned her down. When she opened her eyes, Kari’s giant form was plummeting towards her. “Wai-wai-wai-wai-wait—”

BADOOMP! The surrounding Pokémon flinched at the impact, sharing awkward glances with one another. Kari returned to normal size quickly, revealing Kayla flattened into the ground in a hole the shape of her body. She gurgled with swirly eyes.

“Oh no, did I overdo it? I overdid it, didn’t I, I’m sorry!” Kari backed off, pawing at her face.

“I mean… you knocked her down a peg. Literally,” Pola’s eyes were wide.

“Kayla is unable to battle. This round goes to: Kari!” Moby announced. Kari yelped cutely. “As overwhelming as ever. Seriously, good work.”

“But I didn’t mean to hurt her!” cried the Furret. “Kayla, Kayla please! Are you okay? Sh-should we get a—”

“I’m… fine,” Kayla gurgled as her senses returned. She tried to kick herself up, but just trying to move was a strain that had her growl. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been defeated like this.

“I’m sorry… I mean it, I’m sorry,” Kari moaned as she pulled Kayla by the hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt you so bad. This is why I didn’t—”

“Never apologize for winning,” Kayla snapped. She must’ve looked more intimidating than she expected, as Kari recoiled and let go of her and she nearly fell back down. “I don’t get it… was all that stuff before you playing along? You’re faster than me, and your extraordinary power makes you that strong. Why didn’t you ever use it until now?”

“I- no, I wa-wasn’t pitying you or anything…” Kari prodded her paws together. “I… I just- I… it’s super weird, okay? And everything always goes wrong!”

“The only thing that went wrong here was for me,” Kayla sighed. “I couldn’t figure out how to touch you. Turns out I’ve got some stuff to learn here after all.”

“Did you think you didn’t?” Pola came over, paws tucked behind her head while sporting a smirk. “I hope you get it too; you didn’t defeat me. I still held back, and Moby called our fight off.”

“Pretty sure I’d have won even if you didn’t. Did you forget I gave you a starting handicap, too? We’re one-for-one there,” Kayla said. “But seriously, Kari? That was amazing. Why’d you keep that bottled up for so long?”

“Because it’s weird! And kinda… hard to control. I always end up upsetting everyone,” Kari replied.

“Just to make sure I’m getting it right… you can stretch your body, and even grow as much as you want?” Kayla inquired.

“Ye-yeah… Um, the rules are sorta weird. Even if I grow really big, I like, don’t actually get any stronger?” Kari prodded her paws together and turned away. Her face was bright red. “Me and Pola tested it a while ago. The same moves hurt just as much whether I’m big or normal sized. I get like, leverage that can make me seem stronger? But I can’t go around picking up buildings and stuff. If I eat too much, I still get a tummy ache, and trying to curl up and use myself as a pillow and blanket somehow doesn’t work, either. I’m still cold”

Kayla raised an eyebrow. “It’s almost like the only thing that changes is you getting longer.”

“Sometimes I don’t realise I’m getting longer, too! And then everyone trips up on my tail, or I eat more than I’m supposed to, and, and, and – oh everyone just hates it! It’s not even useful in battle, I’m just a big dumb weirdo and I—”

“Hey, hey, that’s enough of that one,” Kayla smiled at last. “Moby’s right. You fought a good fight. It’s becoming more of a wonder why you made me your team leader.”

Slow clapping was her answer. She assumed it was Moby, but the Audino merely watched with hands tucked behind her back. It came from the Pokémon beside her, a Pichu with a lot of extra fur on her head, which she wore as a large bang over her right eye. They wore a large red scarf, and a band the same colour over their left ear. They came forward and stopped clapping once they had everyone’s attention.

“Apologies for the interruption, but I’m impressed,” Pichu began. Her voice was posh to the highest degree, but a lot more grown up than Kayla expected. “I wasn’t aware our newest student, and team for that matter, would be so capable in battle.”

Oh, is this May? She really is an adult Pichu, Kayla came forward and smiled sheepishly. “Wish you didn’t see me get defeated, though.”

“In battles between friends, anything can happen. You showed intriguing prowess that will only grow as you continue to train with your teammates,” Pichu smiled. “Don’t forget to switch off friendly fire on your badges, now.”

“Oh, right. Lemme get that for ya,” Kari perked back up. Kayla’s PET flew out, letting her tap a few things before handing it back.

“I hate to interrupt, but if your training session is done, might we get down to business? I assume what you called me for was of importance,” Pichu continued.

“Yeesh, think we’d waste time calling you if it wasn’t important?” Pola spat.

“Well, you are part of the team, Pola,” Pichu replied.

The Plusle’s fists closed. “Rgck- man, you didn’t even fucking introduce yourself and you’re already being an ass!”

Kayla sighed. “Please, this is important. If you don’t like her, just let me and Kari do the talking?”

“Well, she is correct to a degree. My apologies for not introducing myself earlier,” May shrugged. “I am professor May Curtiss, 4th year adult student. I’m an inventor who aids RSE through mechanics maintenance. I meant to introduce myself to you as a new student sooner, but the specs of your requirements kept me busier than I planned. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Er, Kayla Brunswick,” Kayla smiled back. “My… requirements?”

“Your PET. I’m the one who built it, same as all the other students with specific needs,” May informed.

“Whoa, seriously?” Kayla leaned back.

“I told ya May was awesome! She’s one-of-a-kind, everyone at school loves her!” Kari cheered.

“Love being heavily subjective,” Pola grumbled.

“You’ve been here for way longer than four years though, right? You were here before me,” Kari cocked her head.

“Correct. I officially started as a student four years ago. Although I might call myself above RSE’s curriculum, I never officially passed it, so it’s more of a formal procedure to get official papers than anything else,” May explained.

“I was confused when I heard you were a Pichu, but I’m getting pretty confident you’ll be able to help us now,” Kayla remarked. “Er, I don’t mean that in a bad way or anything. Pardon me.”

“It’s fine. I get that a lot. It’s common practice for Pokémon to evolve as they grow older, after all,” May tucked her arms behind her back. “Unique cases such as yourself should not be judged.”

“Should we return to the dorm? Talking about this out here is…” Shannon spoke up.

“Oh, right. Geez you’re so quiet I almost overlooked you. You weren’t trying to hide out of battling me, were you?” Kayla leaned toward him. “May, this is Shannon. He’s new here, too. Recruited straight into the team.”

“Nice to meet you. And thanks for hearing us out,” Shannon held out a paw. May kept her paws behind her back however, and her smile faded.

“Shall, we? I am busy, so I would appreciate some haste,” she turned back to Kayla, who glanced at Shannon.

“Uh… sure,” she cocked her head. What was that all about?

…

“That’s about it. Everything we know about the Dream World and my powers, you now know,” Kayla finished. Everyone was sat relaxed in the dorm except May, who chose to stand by the exit. Her paws were tucked behind her back until now, though she only removed one to rub her chin.

“And that would make that sleeping fellow the real Jirachi?” she asked. Jirachi was sound asleep, sat up on Kayla’s bed.

“Ye-yeah. The key to all this,” Kayla glanced at him.

“Hmm… I can’t deny, this is one of the strangest requests I’ve ever received. I have some theories, but they’ll require experimentation,” May started to go quiet. “If you give me some time, I believe I can try a few things. Just to make sure: what you’re looking for specifically is a way to ensure the Dream Pool forms within your vicinity, yes?”

“Exactly that. We’ll worry about other problems as they come up,” Kayla nodded. “Are you saying you’ll do it? You’ll help us?”

“Just great,” Pola grumbled.

May’s chin rubbing slowed, and her face changed. She was odder than Kayla thought, almost appearing annoyed about whatever was in her thoughts. Her arms went behind her back, but that was it. There were no other movements. No ear ticks, tail wags, not even a sign she was breathing. The Pichu hid everything.

“I have a lot to research, but there are a few things I can try. Before then, I have a request,” she resumed, still unmoving.

“Well it wouldn’t be fair if you helped us out big time and got nothing for it. But if it’s money, it might take a bit for us to scrounge up some savings,” Kayla admitted.

“I wouldn’t ask a new team of it. I’m talking about getting something out of your powers,” May clarified. The others were surprised. “You can effectively grant wishes by dreaming them into reality, yes? That is what I’m made to understand.”

“That’s supposed to be what I can do, yeah. I won’t know if it works until I can actually try it,” Kayla went quiet.

“If I help you, will you promise to grant my wish?” May requested. “And commit to it. Grant my wish without question, no matter what it is.”

Silence fell for a second, and then Pola stepped up. “Yo man, that’s suspect as hell. What weird ass shit are you plotting?”

“I don’t really get the problem. We were all gonna get our wishes granted too, right? What’s one more?” Kari wondered.

“Yeah, but everyone here knows what each other’s gonna wish for. None of us know May at all. She could ask for something super weird and totally unreasonable,” Pola argued.

Says the one who wants the ultimate boyfriend… I could do without that noise, to be honest, Kayla turned back to May and cocked her head. “You’d have to tell me at least, anyway.”

“Naturally. What I want, I’d just need your powers to fulfil,” May clarified, now with an elbow in hand. “Really and truly, I’m just asking for your equal commitment. Would you grant my wish, no questions asked, if I help you on your endeavours?”

Kayla was hesitant. As cool as she was with things, May’s wording felt almost antagonistic. Plus, even now in the quiet of their dorm, she couldn’t read May at all. It was as if the Pichu had an invisible barrier around her – no emotion, no tone in her voice, nothing gave away the Pichu’s feelings.

Even so, it’s not like we have a choice. She’s smart enough to build my PET, she can probably work some sort of miracle here. And if she doesn’t help, we’re just stuck at square one for heck knows how long… Kayla surmised, and then nodded. “Okay. I’ll do what I can if this works out.”

“That’s all I can ask for. A pleasure doing business with you, Miss Brunswick,” May smiled and nodded at last.

“Just go with Kayla, please. Er, if we’re both students, then all that ‘young master, miss and misses’ stuff gets weird,” Kayla smiled, too. May obliged with a bow.

“Seriously? If she asks for somethin’ super weird, then it’s all on you, y’know,” Pola grumbled.

“So like everything else so far?” Kayla gave her a cheeky grin. “Besides, it can’t be weirder than your wish.”

Pola flinched. “Ksfk- shut up.”

“I’ll go and get started on that now. Given the secrecy of the operation, I’ll need a few days at least, but I’ll come to you when I’ve found a solution. For the time being, you should consider other solutions yourself,” May suggested. “Until then, I bid you farewell.”

Kari waved with both paws while the others watched her leave. The moment they were alone, Kayla sighed and hopped up to her bed. “Okay, so that’s in place. What now? Anyone got any other ideas for where we can figure out this Dream World stuff?”

“I’m all out I’m afraid. And my tummy’s all outta food, too. I’m hungry!” Kari said cheerfully.

“Already? Ashe’s breakfast was pretty big,” Kayla remarked. “I guess if we’ve got nothing better to do, then back to having the day off… sorta.”

“That… doesn’t mean?” Shannon replied.

“Oh, it means,” the Buneary grinned.

“I’ll tell you now, I can’t fight,” Shannon stated. “No seriously. I can’t battle you.”

“Huh?” the whole room replied.

“Yeah…” Shannon looked down, almost guilty about it. “I don’t know any moves that deal damage. And don’t ask me to throw a punch or use a weapon. That’s why I was so eager to pick up Visionary Magic from you.”

“Oh no ya don’t. Today ain’t it for that,” Pola growled. “But seriously? If any of us took you on, you’d just be a punching bag? Is that it?”

Shannon leaned away from her. “I know moves to protect myself! Stuff like Thunder Wave… they just don’t do damage.”

“So you’ve been running away from every fight. Gods… it’s kinda pathetic, but you’re cute, so I’ll let you off with it,” Pola gave him a pat on the cheek. He didn’t react. “I’ve got a better idea.”

“Oh no,” Kayla rolled her eyes.

“Ya don’t even know what it is yet!”

“Even Kayla knows you enough to know your ideas are trouble,” Kari giggled.

“I’m hearing you out, at least,” Kayla said tiredly.

“Humph. Ya promised me you’d go to one of my parties, yeah? So let’s chill, proper,” Pola was quiet and sneaky. “We’ve gotta go through Twinight, so we’ll still be physically training. A good chance to see how we do in battle together, ‘ey?”

“But nothing attacks there,” Kayla paid attention now. “Uh, well I did say I’d join sometime. I guess, the sooner the better.”

“You had a real scare when Shannon joined us, but you already wanna go back out? Didn’t you learn anything?” Kari complained.

“Hey Kari, it’s the Waking Wake. Wanna get some pizza?” Pola sung, half-lidded.

Kari flinched and then started drooling. “Hnng, umm… ooh, pizza does sound good…”

“They do pizza there? With pineapple?” Kayla became interested.

“Oh yeah. And stuffed crust, the real good stuff,” Kari added.

“Ugh, you’re a pineapple on pizza girl? Do you have taste anywhere?” Pola pretended to heave.

“I wouldn’t knock it. It’s no peanut butter crust, but it’s good stuff,” Shannon stepped in.

“Peanut butt- blegh, there are two kinds of Pokémon,” Pola really heaved this time.

“Either way, I’m surprised you want to go back there so soon considering what happened last time. That Maushold and his group could still be searching for you,” Shannon was desperate this time.

“Oh them? They can come, they’ll get a Tri Attack up their ass if they try anything. And I’m not exactly hiding. If they wanted me, they’d have come by now,” Pola swished a paw at him.

“Maushold?” Kayla cocked her head.

“There was this Maushold guy… guys? Group? What do you even call a single one? Anyway, one that spiked Pola’s drink. She was lucky I found her. They were going to take her elsewhere,” he recalled.

“Isn’t that kinda serious? I had no idea that happened,” Kayla remarked.

Pola tipped her head back with a mighty groan. “Ugh, it’s not that serious. I’m here, aren’t I? And you know how strong I am now.”

“But it could have been serious. And none of you even know who that guy is?” Kari cried.

“Seriously, Kari? Ugh, whatever,” Pola crossed her arms. “Look, I’m going whether you wanna or not. You either keep your promise and join me, or I fly solo tonight. Pick your poison.”

“Going clubbing’s really worth your safety, huh?” Kayla slumped.

“Is it really any fun if it’s safe?” Pola said. Silence fell. “Ya can’t argue ‘cos you’ve been the same up ‘til now.”

“Fine. What do we do about Jirachi?” Kayla gave in with a sigh.

“Kayla, no!” Kari cried.

“I did say I would go. Better sooner than later, if she’s gonna bug me about it. And me being there means I can help if something bad does happen. But yeah, what do we do about Jirachi?” Kayla turned to him. The little mythical was fast asleep, still sat straight up in Kayla’s bed. “It’s pretty irresponsible to leave him here.”

“So it’s irresponsible when we leave him here to go do my thing, but for yours, it’s alright?” Pola leaned toward her.

“We were right here training! Your thing is going out a whole dang dungeon away. If something happens, we could be gone for more than a day,” Kayla argued.

“Then bring him with us. I’d hate to wake the sweepy wittle baby from his pweddy bweauty sweep,” Pola wiggled her backside. “Seriously, just leave ‘im here. He’s been sleeping all day, he’s not gonna wake up overnight. No one can get into these dorms either, so no one’ll find him. Seriously, it’s fine. You’re worrying about nothing.”

“And if he gets hungry or something?” Kayla was annoyed, now.

“Then he can suck it up and wait! Kid’s gotta pay his rent like the rest of us!” Pola whipped a paw up as she made her way out.

“Pola…” Kari said quietly. Pola actually stopped for her. “Err… do me a favour and never have kids in the future.”

“Wow. Just, wow. Really, girls?” Pola slumped. “You’re the ones who’re comin’ with me!”

“When I opted to be leader, I didn’t think I’d be babysitting,” Kayla added as she joined them outside.