10
The doors to the Petalburg Pokémon Center didn't just open; they were nearly blasted off their hinges as May skidded across the linoleum floor, still carrying me and Raven like we were light groceries.
"NURSE JOY! EMERGENCY!" May's voice echoed like a Hyper Voice attack.
The lobby was packed with local trainers and "Callison Corner" fans who had tracked my GPS. The moment they saw the "Charisma King" disheveled, sweaty, and holding a fainted Disaster Pokémon, the room turned into a mosh pit of flashing cameras and worried gasps.
Part 1: The Vigil and the Sceptilite
Nurse Joy and her Chansey whisked Raven away behind the frosted glass of the ICU. I collapsed into a plastic chair, my legs finally giving out. Lens was still hovering, the red "LIVE" light a constant companion.
[Chat Log]
IceCreamQueen_C: Breathe, Jake. You did the right thing. The tracker's toxin is manageable if caught early.
PervySage: Look at Kage. He hasn't moved.
Kage was sitting on the edge of the fountain in the lobby. He wasn't brooding anymore; he was staring at the Sceptilite I'd placed on the table between us. The Mega Stone pulsed with a deep, rhythmic green light, reflecting in his slitted pupils. He knew. He felt the destiny locked inside that marble, a power that could turn his "Solar Tanto" into a sun-surface blade.
But he didn't touch it. He just tightened his Focus Sash and looked toward the ICU doors. His loyalty was currently outstripping his ambition.
Part 2: The Confrontation
The sliding doors opened again. This time, it wasn't a fan. Four men in charcoal-grey suits walked in, looking far too "corporate" for a quiet town like Petalburg. The lead man, wearing a pair of high-tech shades, walked straight up to my table.
"Mr. Callison," he said, his voice like grinding gravel. "You picked up a briefcase that belongs to the Aether-Frontier Research Group. We'd like it back. Along with the Absol."
The lobby went silent. May stood up, her knuckles cracking like small explosions. "The 'property' is currently in surgery because you poisoned her. And the 'briefcase' is evidence."
The man ignored her, leaning over me to grab the stone. I didn't move my hand, but I looked him dead in the eye. My Nat 20 Charisma wasn't a "charming smile" right now; it was a cold, immovable wall of authority.
"Chat," I said, my voice low and amplified by the Rotom-mic. "I want you to record this. Every single one of the 80,000 of you. This man is threatening a licensed trainer in a public healing facility." I turned to the suit. "If you touch this stone, your face, your company's name, and your legal violations will be the #1 trending topic on every Holo-caster from Kanto to Paldea before you can reach the exit. Do you really want to be 'canceled' by the entire Pokémon world today?"
[Chat Log]
OfficerJenny_12: I'm two blocks away. Hold them, Jake!
DragonTamer_Lance: I am currently contacting the Hoenn League Council. Nobody touches that boy.
SilentRed: [GIF: John Wick loading a clip]
The man hesitated. My Charisma was holding him in place like a Mean Look attack. He saw the thousands of "Recording" icons on the chat feed and realized he wasn't fighting a kid; he was fighting a global audience.
Part 3: The Unexpected Evolution
The tension was broken by a sound from the ICU—a pained, high-pitched cry. Raven was reacting to the toxin's final purge.
In that moment of high stress, something in our group snapped. But it wasn't Kage.
Jerry jumped onto the table, his Silk Scarf beginning to glow with a blinding, iridescent white light. "I will not... HAVE... such unrefined scoundrels... threatening my benefactor!" he shrieked, his British accent hitting a fever pitch.
"Jerry?!" I shielded my eyes.
The light expanded, stretching his small frame. Jerry wasn't becoming a Raticate. The energy of the Silk Scarf, combined with the presence of the Mega Stone and his own sheer indignation, forced a mutation. His fur turned a sleek, platinum silver, his tail elongated into a whip-like cord, and his ears sharpened.
He had evolved into something the Pokedex struggled to identify—a Noble Rattata, a variant born of high-class living and extreme loyalty.
[Chat Log]
Master_Oak: Incredible! A regional variant evolution triggered by emotional resonance and held items!
Clone_02: The mouse has... ascended.
Jerry, now nearly the size of a small dog and looking incredibly dapper in his glowing scarf, didn't use a move. He simply stood on the briefcase and hissed. The sheer aura of a newly evolved Pokémon, backed by the arrival of Officer Jenny's sirens outside, was enough. The suits backed off, retreating into the street just as Jenny's Manectric burst through the door.
I slumped back, my heart rate finally slowing.
"Zzzzt! We are trending! #NinjaKage, #NobleJerry, and #MayMask are the top three tags!" Lens chirped.
Nurse Joy walked out, wiping her brow. "She's stable. The Absol... Raven... she wants to see you, Jake."
I looked at my team. Kage with his sash, Tammy with her opal, and the newly evolved Jerry looking for a mirror to check his fur.
"Let's go, guys," I said, looking at the camera. "End stream, Lens. Some things are just for the family."