Morning came quietly.
No rush of excitement, no victory energy, just the slow, unavoidable ache that settled into muscles after a hard day. Grant woke to the sound of fabric shifting and controlled breathing.
Nyra was already up.
She stood near the edge of camp, back straight, arms raised above her head as she stretched. Every movement was precise, disciplined. Too disciplined.
Pignite sat in front of her, eyes half-lidded but alert. Venipede traced tight circles in the dirt, stopping every few seconds as if waiting for instruction.
Grant sat up, Sewaddle stirring in the hood of his jacket.
"Morning," he said.
Nyra didn't turn immediately. "You're up early."
"You're up earlier."
She lowered her arms and finally faced him. "Couldn't sleep."
Grant studied her. There was a faint shadow under her eyes, the kind she always brushed off as lighting. A small wrap was tied around her wrist, new.
"Your hand," he said.
Nyra flexed it once. "Just sore."
Grant didn't argue, but Dewott, who sat sharpening one blade against the other with soft clinks, paused and looked up. Its eyes lingered on Nyra longer than usual.
Training, Unspoken
They trained anyway.
Not because it was planned, but because stopping would have meant thinking.
Grant set up controlled drills near camp. Footwork, evasion, reaction time. Nothing extreme.
Nyra pushed past that.
"Venipede, again," she said after the fourth run. "Faster."
Venipede hesitated. Its legs trembled slightly before it obeyed, launching forward in a blur that ended with a skid and a clumsy tumble.
Nyra clicked her tongue. "You lost balance."
Grant stepped in. "It's tired."
Venipede buzzed defensively, trying to rise again.
Nyra opened her mouth...
"Enough," Grant said, sharper than he meant to. "That's enough."
Silence.
Venipede slowly curled back, relief and frustration tangled together.
Nyra stared at Grant.
"You're interfering again," she said.
"I'm protecting them."
Her jaw tightened. "That's my job."
Grant met her gaze. "Then do it without breaking them."
For a second, he thought she might snap back.
Instead, she turned away.
The distance between them grew
They packed camp in near silence.
The road ahead was long and dusty, winding toward the next town. Grant walked slightly behind this time, watching Nyra's posture, the way she favored her wrist when she thought no one was looking.
Sewaddle crawled down his sleeve and peered toward Nyra.
"She's tired," Grant murmured.
Sewaddle chirped softly.
Dewott walked with purpose, blades resting calmly at its sides—but its eyes flicked toward Nyra often, alert in a way Grant recognized too well.
The same way Dewott had watched him after the bridge incident.
Grant couldn't help but feel that everything was rushed.
They reached another roadside settlement by late afternoon.
Smaller than the last. Quieter.
Grant was relieved—until he saw the quest board.
Nyra stopped instantly.
Grant sighed. "Already?"
She scanned the notices quickly. "Escort job. Clearing wild Pokémon near a storage route."
Grant read the details. "Pay's decent. Not insane."
Nyra nodded. "Which means it's safe."
"Or boring."
She gave him a look. "We don't get to pick 'interesting'."
Grant rubbed the back of his neck. "Nyra… maybe we skip this one. Restock, rest."
She stared at him, incredulous. "We just rested."
"You trained at dawn."
"That's normal."
Grant lowered his voice. "You're not listening."
Nyra folded the paper. "We're taking it."
The decision was already made.
They went for the escort.
The job started simple enough.
A merchant wagon loaded with crates of machine parts. The path cut through tall grass and scattered rock formations—prime territory for territorial Pokémon.
Grant stayed alert.
Nyra stayed ahead.
The first encounter was minor, a pair of Scraggy that fled after a warning display.
The second wasn't.
A sudden rustle. A sharp cry.
A group of wild Pokémon burst from the grass, angrier, more desperate than expected.
"Positions!" Nyra snapped.
Pignite surged forward.
Venipede shot out wide.
Grant opened his mouth, then closed it.
He trusted her.
The fight escalated fast.
One of the wild Pokémon lunged unexpectedly, slipping past Pignite's guard.
"Dewott!" Grant shouted.
Dewott intercepted, Shell Block absorbing the hit, but the impact drove it back hard.
Nyra turned. "Pignite, cover!!"
Too slow.
A second strike landed.
Dewott hit the ground, skidding.
"Dewott!" Grant's voice cracked as he ran forward.
Dewott tried to rise.
Its legs shook.
"Stop!" Grant ordered. "Stay down!"
Dewott hesitated, then obeyed.
Nyra froze for half a heartbeat.
Grant stepped in without waiting. "Sewaddle, web the left! Venipede, flank with me!"
Nyra snapped out of it and followed his lead.
Together, they drove the attackers back, not cleanly, not perfectly, but effectively.
When it was over, the wagon stood intact.
Dewott lay breathing hard.
Nyra knelt beside Pignite, hands trembling as she checked for injuries.
Grant was already with Dewott, pressing a potion gently against its shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Dewott shook its head weakly and nudged his hand.
After the Job
The merchant paid quickly and left even faster.
Grant sat on a crate, exhaustion finally catching up with him.
Nyra stood a few steps away, arms wrapped around herself.
"I should've adjusted," she said quietly.
Grant looked up, surprised.
"I didn't see the second angle," she continued. "I was too focused on finishing fast."
Grant waited.
She exhaled. "That's on me."
It wasn't an apology, but it was close.
Grant nodded. "We're all learning."
Nyra finally met his eyes. "You stepped in without hesitation."
"I had to."
She hesitated. "You trusted your call."
"I trusted us."
Something shifted.
At the night watch:
That night, they shared watch.
No words at first.
The fire crackled softly. Dewott slept close to Grant, Sewaddle tucked between his scarf folds. Venipede rested coiled near Nyra's boot. Pignite's flame burned low and steady.
Nyra broke the silence. "When you stepped in… I felt relieved."
Grant glanced at her.
"Not angry," she clarified. "Relieved."
She swallowed. "That scares me."
Grant didn't respond right away.
"Why?" he asked gently.
"Because if I need someone," she said, voice barely above a whisper, "what does that say about me?"
Grant stared into the fire. "It says you're human."
She laughed softly. "Elite trainers aren't supposed to be."
He turned to her. "Maybe that's the problem."
Nyra looked at him for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she leaned her head against his shoulder.
Just for a second.
Grant didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
When she pulled back, her expression was composed again, but something fragile had been exposed.
"Tomorrow," she said, standing, "we rest."
Grant blinked. "Really?"
She nodded. "Really."
He smiled, small but genuine.
Above them, the stars burned steadily.
The cracks hadn't broken them yet.
But they were there now.
And neither of them could pretend otherwise.