One hour later…
The forest had grown quiet once more.
I lay flat on my back against the cool moss, my breathing finally slowing. My three Pokémon stayed curled warmly around me, soft, relaxed, and completely content.
Meowscarada pressed close against my shoulder and chest, purring softly into my neck. Her leafy tail brushed lazily across my thigh now and then, each gentle sweep sending a tiny shiver through me.
Gardevoir nestled right in front of me, closest to my chest, her arms wrapped around me in a steady, loving hold. She rested her head on my shoulder, her ring catching faint glints of sunlight as her fingers traced slow circles over my skin.
Lopunny stayed curled along my side, her long ears draped happily over my lap. A soft, satisfied smile played on her face as she nuzzled closer.
All three looked utterly at peace, eyes heavy with post-climax bliss. Every now and then one would lean in, press a lazy kiss to my skin, and let out a quiet sigh that melted into the warm air.
Seeing them like this filled me with a deep, quiet warmth I could barely name.
High above, a few curious wild Pikipek tilted their heads from the branches, but I barely noticed. To them, this was probably nothing more than another peaceful afternoon under the trees.
We stayed like that for a long while, golden light filtering gently through the leaves.
Eventually I sat up and started gathering my scattered clothes. That was when I noticed something…
None of them made any move to clean themselves. Instead they shifted carefully, legs pressed together, as if trying to hold everything inside.
At first I barely registered it.
Then the realization settled in slowly.
This wasn't the first time I had seen them do it.
"…Girls?"
They looked up at once, eyes bright.
I hesitated, then asked softly, "Why are you trying to keep it inside?"
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
They exchanged quick glances before turning back to me.
Meowscarada's tail swayed happily. She pressed a paw lightly to her stomach and gave me a small, eager smile.
"Nyaa~♡"
Lopunny followed right after, cheeks turning a faint pink as she hugged her own stomach with an excited little grin.
Even Gardevoir lowered her gaze, fingers resting there almost protectively.
And just like that, it clicked.
My chest tightened.
No…
Was it already that time…?
I remembered reading about it years ago, how most Pokémon only went through the season once a year, for just a few short weeks. Their instincts pulled them hard toward bonding, nesting… and starting a family.
My eyes drifted back to them. Those hopeful smiles. The careful way they guarded what they held inside. The quiet excitement shining in every glance they gave me.
They didn't need words.
I understood.
And the understanding hurt more than I ever expected.
Because humans and Pokémon could not have children together. No matter how much we loved each other. No matter how deeply we belonged to one another.
Biology would never allow it.
Yet here they were, looking so happy, clinging to that tiny hope with such pure sincerity that my chest ached like it might crack open.
I stepped closer without thinking and pulled all three of them into my arms.
Meowscarada murmured softly and tilted her masked face against my shoulder, her leafy cape brushing my chest.
Gardevoir whispered in quiet worry, her arms already tightening around me.
Lopunny added a gentle sound, her long ears drooping as she pressed her fluffy cheek closer.
Their voices carried soft concern, but those trusting smiles never left their faces.
My throat tightened. I tried to speak, but the words stuck. Instead I hugged them harder and buried my face in their soft fur and gentle warmth.
"I'm sorry…" I whispered, voice shaking. "I'm really sorry… it's all my fault…"
A tear slipped free and disappeared into the pink petals around Meowscarada's neck. Another landed on Gardevoir's shoulder.
Then another…
I couldn't stop them.
Meowscarada held me tighter, her paw moving in slow, steady circles across my back.
Gardevoir's fingers traced soft, calming lines over my chest, gentle and unbroken.
Lopunny pressed in close with a quiet whimper, her fluffy form trembling as her ears draped over my arm and she kept nuzzling me again and again, trying her best to ease something she couldn't understand.
They didn't know what was hurting me… but they could feel it. It had been a long time since they had seen me like this, raw, unsteady, undone…
To them, Ryan had always been the strong one, the one who caught them when they fell apart, who held their world together without ever asking for anything in return..
But now his shoulders trembled under their touch, and none of them fully understood why.
Only that something inside him was breaking.
And that realization hurt them more than they knew how to express.
So they stayed.
All three of them held me in their own quiet, desperate ways, like if they didn't let go, they could somehow keep me from falling apart completely.
I swallowed hard.
And finally, I forced the words out…
"You want eggs," I whispered thickly. "A family… with me..."
They went still in my arms. My breath shook.
"But humans and Pokémon…" My voice cracked. "It doesn't work like that. No matter how much we love each other… we can't have children together."
The forest fell silent.
Meowscarada's leafy tail lowered. Gardevoir's crimson eyes widened, then softened with deep sadness. Lopunny's fluffy body trembled once as a tear slipped down her cheek.
They didn't understand the science behind it. But they understood my sadness. And that alone was enough to shake them too.
Meowscarada wrapped both arms around me. "Nyaa…"
Gardevoir rested her forehead against mine. "Gar…"
Lopunny clung tightly. "Lopuu…"
I held them closer beneath the golden light, rocking us gently while warm tears mixed into skin, fur, and fabric.
No one spoke for a long while. Only quiet sniffles, shaky breaths, and the distant rustle of leaves filled the air.
"I love you…" I kept whispering again and again. "I love you all so much… I'm sorry… it's my fault. If only I wasn't human… if only you had found someone… someone…"
The words barely finished leaving my mouth before the air changed.
Meowscarada moved first. Her paw came up and pressed gently over my lips, silencing me mid-sentence.
Gardevoir followed instantly, cupping my cheek with both hands and turning my face toward hers, holding me there with trembling fingers so I could not drift further into those thoughts.
Lopunny pressed in from the other side, wrapping her fluffy arms tightly around my waist, locking me in place as she shook her head against my chest, refusing to let me pull away even an inch.
It wasn't just comfort anymore.
It was refusal.
And I had no right to argue… as their eyes were shimmering with fresh tears, but none of them broke contact with me.
Not once.
As if the very idea of me thinking I was replaceable, that they could have loved someone else, had hurt them more deeply than anything else I had said…
So I stopped talking.
I just held them.
And they held me back just as tightly, as if neither of us knew how to let go anymore.
"Ahem… Ahem…"