Pokemon: The Yellow Guardian

| Rio POV |

"RIOOOOOO!!"

Not now, May.

I've got a natural disaster to stop.

Lightning cracks the sky again as Nue spreads its wings, vast and terrible. The thing isn't just big — it's monstrous, electric, and angry. Each beat of its wings distorts the air, its form too unstable, too wild, like the world itself is trying to erase it from existence and failing.

"Okay, okay," I breathe, backpedaling a few steps. "Let's not jump to conclusions, maybe It won't actually try to kill me—"

A bolt of cursed lightning slams down two feet from me.

"—YEP, we're jumping to conclusions! Definitely trying to kill me!"

The rooftop tiles crack under the pressure. Nue's shriek splits the air, its beak opening to unleash a screech that sends alarms howling across the lab before they shut down jsut as fast, there goes my promise not to ruin millions of pokedolllars worth of equipment.

Kirlia appears in a burst of pink light. "Rio... I thought it would have been manageable for you..."

"It is manageable!" I yell, diving behind a steel pillar. "I just... Need to reach it!"

"Is it supposed to be this powerful?"

"No! I mean—yes?! Not like this! It's way too big!—" 

(A/N: That's what she said.)

And then I feel it.

A twisted surge of cursed energy, raw and bitter, clawing its way up from the pit of my chest like bile.

That familiar weight.

The memory of talons.

Of snapping wings.

Of me, helpless and newborn, getting yeeted across the forest clearing by a wild Pidgey like a particularly crunchy chew toy.

And I realize—

"Oh, come on," I mutter. "Bird trauma? Seriously?! That's what you got this boost from?"

Nue pulses with dark light, lightning dancing around its wings in arcs of unstable power. It stares me down with eyes that flash like storm clouds.

"It's energy is getting amplified by that goddamn KFC bucket's memories! I swear I'm tracking it down the moment we go back to Hoenn!" I shout.

Kirlia blinks. "...It's being powered up by PTSD."

"I hate this world."

A tremor ripples through the rooftop as Nue lunges.

I dodge. Barely. A bolt clips the edge of my scarf, singeing it.

"I HAVE TO TAME IT!" I scream as I sprint across the rooftop. "I have to beat it in a duel!"

"Then why is it nuking everything!?"

"I might've... skipped the instructions...!"

"You think?"

Another blast of lightning fries a reinforced antenna behind me. The metal warps and melts.

I call up my cursed energy. Channel it. Focus on the shadow behind me — not the storm above. Not the fear. Not the hate.

Just me.

My energy.

My rules.

"Alright, Big Bird," I growl, sliding into a stance. "You wanna throw hands? Fine."

I dash forward, jumping into the storm, lightning howling around me.

"Let's dance, feather freak."

| A very tired Trainer's POV |

"Does this happen often?" Sada asks, far too calm for someone witnessing a Lucario fistfight a thunderstorm with an Alolan face mask.

I stare at Rio — mid-air, screaming obscenities at a cursed sky-bird with the voltage of an entire power plant and the grace of a drunken kite.

"Not really," I sigh. "This is the first time he's stumbled into an actual boss battle... Wait, this is the second time... I forgot about Trishout."

She hums thoughtfully. "Fascinating…"

Null shifts beside me, posture stiff like he's about to do something.

"You don't count, you lost to belly rubs and praise, It was hardly a 'battle'." A soft growl answers my statement.

He perks up, contemplating heading over to help before realising he can do much at that height, and going back to lying down besides me.

"...How is he even flying?" Oak asks, eyes narrowed at the chaos above.

I blink, remembering the very stupid explanation I got earlier.

"He's not. He's just teleporting in place. Something about his 'cursed lightbulbs' floating up there in the clouds."

A quiet pop of displacement — and a blue haired Kirlia teleports onto the rooftop, calm as anything.

If not for her immediately going after the bag of Oran chips in my backpack, I would have thought this wasn't Star with how little interest she is showing the fight up above.

"…Are you not worried about Rio?" I ask, one brow raised.

She pauses just long enough to make eye contact — then shrugs.

"Are you?"

Damn. She's got me there.

Because honestly? I'm not.

Not when the bird above is currently getting choked out by a very pink, very much on-fire Lucario.

Poor thing never stood a chance…

I sigh, finally turning away from the ongoing light show before my retinas commit treason. Time for something actually important.

"So… why did you storm off earlier?" I ask, tone casual. "I didn't think hearing Rio's voice would get annoying that fast. Especially for you."

Kirlia munches an Oran chip. Swallows. Doesn't even look up.

"I thought he didn't need me anymore," she says simply. "So I panicked."

I blink.

...Huh.

She says it like it doesn't matter anymore.

Like she already processed it, filed it away, and moved on.

Which, knowing her, she probably did in the time it took me to blink twice and sigh once.

"I see…" I nod slowly. "So… what do you think of him suddenly getting a voice and all that?"

"It's fine, I don't need to keep my telepathy open for everyone at the same time now," she says, tone calm. Almost too calm. "Now we can talk privately. Just in our minds. No need to include anyone else. Just the two of us… Alone…"

…

I think I should stop asking questions before I regret it.

She reminds me of Nemona.

In the worst way.

(To be continued)

I don't know who I would rather face, full power Mahoraga, or Star.

MC: That idea alone terrifies me...

Well, at least now you can Kamikaze without killing yourself as long as she's around.