#And Yes I changed her Eyes a lil (Probably made em bigger) Because Small Round eyes looked a Bit Unsettling on her 😭

[r0tt1ngr4bb1t]

Since it'z Day 4 of Twomp Week I decided 2 draw Agnes :3

@twompweek I hope this counts 😭)

[faunusrights]

OFFAL HUNT REMASTERED LIVEBLOG // CHAPTER 19

IN THIS EPISODE OF MURPHY IS SCREAMING, CONSTANTLY, TRAPPED IN THEIR PERFECT NIGHTMARE:

Glynda was saying: “I know we aren’t friends. I know we aren’t partners. I know you’re a criminal. But—I think I can trust you. I think I have to trust you, even if you’ve done awful things before.”

EVERYTHING GOES WRONG BUT LIKE SOMEHOW WORSE THAN EVER? LIKE A WHOLE NEW BRAND OF LOW. LIKE CINDER’S GOT A PICKAXE AND THE CENTRE OF THE PLANET CALLS FOR AID.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE HUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but dw offal hunt, like the rising of the sun, the arrival of winter, and the eventual downfall of capitalism, always returns. so lets go.

(i just quickly reread chapter 18 liveblog to remember what happened and Ah Yes I Remember Now. The Suppressed Memories)

The place was emptier without Glynda. Quieter.

/gunshot oh we’re in danger right out of the gate huh? we got some yearning right out here? right now? how quickly the turn do tables.

Cinder appraised her work, holding the beige coat up to the light and squinting.

man i forgot. i FORGET. how much i just love cinder in this fic. sometimes she kinda zones to the back of my mind where she sits waiting for me to start thinking about her again, but now i remember that this cinder is Peaque. look at her GO, minding her own BUSINESS. im proud of her. does she know i love her.

It didn’t take long to don her new, fire-proofed clothes.

in another world, in a more comical plot, she used asbestos. it didnt go well.

The subtle warmth of the Dust teased tension from Cinder’s stiff muscles, even as she marvelled at the strangeness of her own bedroom’s space. It seemed bigger now than it had the last two nights.

h

She chose not to dwell on it.

h

i choose to dwell on it! ME!!!! I CHOOSE TO DWELL ON IT. HEY CINDER WHAT THIS GAY SHIT. hello. ma’am. can we look deeper into this. i, for one, would like to, and i, for one, think its of value to think abt this. that said, small segue

Quietly, Cinder murmured, “I didn’t freak out.”

THE FACT SHE SAYS IT ALOUD LIKE EM AND MERC CAN HEEEEEEAR HEEEEEEEER i am. INFATUATED with this family. cant wait for the 100k spinoff thats basically an elongated beach episode where they go to like. alton towers. or butlins. six flags??? thats a thing in america right??? anyway. beach episode. call me. (wink wink nudge nudge push push shove shove)

 We had to stop back in because Merc left his favorite binder, and it was 2 in the morning, so it was easier to crash here for the night than mess with the ship’s autopilot.

them,,, THEM!!!! mercury is just a son and childe. thast it. he canot change this. i love these kids so much i am SHAKING THE MONITOR RN!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAA

Stuck here in one of the homes they’d shared, Cinder missed them terribly. Missed the sound of their voices and the easy comfort of their presence. Finding the time to contact them had been difficult, between managing Glynda and Hati both, but Glynda was gone, and she’d sent Hati onwards to Atlas. She remembered her call with Emerald, before arriving in Umbraroot; she knew it had not soothed her or her fears.

im sorry was this chapter targeted at me, specifically, as a human being on planet earth? GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS FAMILY!!!!!!!!! THIS WONKY OLD BANDAGED UP FAMILY UNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!! i thrive every time they are mentioned on the page. it is a blessing. my succulents grow stronger each time they show up.

“No,” Cinder argued softly, “I had to. Mercury, you deserve to hear it from me as well. I am sorry. And I am promising you: I’ll come back.”

For a long, heart-wrenching moment, he was completely quiet. It was good that Cinder was alone in the apartment; laying herself bare like this would be unbearable with an audience.

GODDDDDDDDDDD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

i am OBSESSED WITH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT THIS UNTIL I D I E. of all thing the remaster does better than og, this is just. SPEEDING AHEAD. this whole CONFLICT this whole MESS just makes everything so much RICHER its like when u splash some wine in yr fancy food or stick some cinnamon on yr favourite desserts u dont NEED TO but it adds that lil SOMETHING,,, that little KICK that just ties the flavour profile together and in this case ofgughugguhu it just GIVES SO MUCH. im making SNOW ANGELS in the WORDS on the PAGE.

“Mercury. If I could prove it to you, I would. But you have to—trust me. For just a while longer.”

“It’s getting harder,” he said. He didn’t sound like he was lying just to hurt her. That wasn’t spite. That was honest anger. And it made her feel like dirt.

im less picking these for specific instances of like, things i want to say, but more just because bits of this r rly just so /chef kiss. cinder has these.... endearingly (take that whichever way u like) human qualities in OG to rly make u realise she had ties to add to her #Doubt but the remaster is just AMPING it up and u FEEL IT and ive never been more SYMPATHETIC to a round-faced sinnamon bun of assholery and fire id DIE for cinder fall and this is a fact PUT IT ON MY GRAVESTONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Is there anything you need?” What was this? Cinder could barely focus on her words. It felt like... “Anything? At all?”

“We’re fine.”

“Mercury, wait please—” She was losing him. “I think—”

“Just hurry up.”

The line went dead.

this place is not a place of honor.................. no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here........................ nothing valued is here................ IM DYING

Cinder began to type out her response, and that was when the nausea really kicked in. 

[...] 

She recognized this now.

Glynda.

stress stress stress stress STRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

There shouldn’t be anybody. Cinder had done everything in her power to cut Glynda from people who would interfere. To isolate her. Make it easier to bring her to Atlas, to the frozen north, to her mother and the machine…

Cinder’s esophagus quivered; furiously, she shut her eyes and thought of nothing.

god cinder don’t remind me that you’re an asshole and dipshit and also a moron im trying to be NICE and CARE ABT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP REMINDING ME YOU’RE A PIECE OF SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

FOR FIVE MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The front door clicked open.

Cinder couldn’t have said how much time had passed, only that it had passed slowly. What she did know was that it was Glynda returning, the sensation of boils bursting wafting off her soul. It crawled over Cinder’s flesh. She curled in on herself.

There were mites under every nailbed. Salt in her weeping mouth.

offal hunt’s brilliant use of this horror aspect is something i have tried previously to emulate and here’s a fact, take it from me: that shit is HARD. offal hunt consistently able to whack those real nasty, really Disgusting vibes on the head EVERY TIME is a work of art. i mean, kc and diesel do not fuck around, and therefore i am NOT surprised, but it’s only when u try this shit yourself that you realise: this is hard! this is difficult! it’s a huge testament to how GOOD this fic is in every way. also this whole fucking body horror aspect is something i didnt know this fic needed, but it did, and here we are. 

Thickly: “Things were going okay. If you hadn’t gotten nasty, I might have smoothed things over. I could have fixed things with my son.”

with my son

with my son

with my son

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I CANT TAKE IT EVERY TIME ITS TOO MUCH FOR TO BEAR I CANNOT HANDLE IT I CANNOT STAND IT ITS LIKE BEING SHOT JUST DIRECTLY IN MY DICK

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

im like sweating rn

Glynda said, “I’m scared.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to tell you.”

I SAID IM SWEATING

Glynda asked, “Are you lying to me?”

And Cinder said, “What?”

“About me. About Witches. About Ozpin—” Cinder’s guts went sour. “—About anything. I need to know if I can trust you.”

I SAID I! AM! S W E A T I N G

“I know you’ve lied to people. Hurt people.”

Adrenaline and the image of her kids’ faces behind her eyes made a potent, sick cocktail. “—Not. Now.”

so lets like double back to when i said hey was this chapter written to target me specifically and as it turns out, yes. yes it was. yes it was and as MUCH AS I AM LIVING FOR THIS MOMENT THIS SWEET BUILDUP THE EXPLOSION AND THE CRATER IT ALL LEAVES BEHIND

I

AM

so this next bit is like. i cant really quote one section but as i was saying in Vague DMs, this whole bit feels like wading through mud. usually if you say something consumes energy to Read it’s in a Bad Way when yr bored but this is more like. you Feel cinder all over everything feels so sluggish and it’s like dragging your own corpse around as you try and leave and you’re TIRED and your LEGS HURT and you’re kinda thinking god what if i just fell face down for just a moment of my LIFE.

The putrid weight of Glynda’s soul filled the room until there was no space left for her.

it’s like being trapped in a sauna, like getting stuck in a humid waiting room. where do you GO. what do you DO. god this whole section is fantastic and offal hunt NEVER fails to fucking nail the Vibes but reading it is HARD. i literally keep having to stop and breathe like ive been holding my breath. jesus h christ.

a small intermission for a mood:

“Get fucked.”

back to regularly scheduled hell

Out of the bedroom. Down the hall. The walls were sweating with heat. She tasted smoke. 

i love that i just said how i feel like im trapped in a sauna and it turns out: thats because me and cinder both, baybee!!!! hahahaha help

Glynda’s soul chewed her to the marrow. “Move, Glynda.” 

cinder being hunted at the start of this fic: teehee! im running away! now im gonna getcha! heehee! arent i clever :) cinder being hunted now: this uh. this blows, actually,

Cinder’s pulse roared in her ears. Her hands twitched. She smelled Ochre Brown’s round face melting off. His wide smile shattered with each of his teeth, going black and popping like corn.

this chapter is probably my favourite so far for this blending of so many elements. i cant even begin to like. THINK STRAIGHT about how all of this is tying together. the lore. the THEMATICS. like i said this character rly is just Rich with what og lacked and oh is it RICH. im gonna read this chapter in future and see so much that i know ive already missed. holy shit.

“Ms. Fall,” she said. “The White Fang requires your presence immediately.”

NOT NOW

Cinder stood there looking at it for a moment. Her thoughts were slow. Copper-tinged. Something small and indulgent whispered to her through the blood-fog.

It was obvious enough what would happen if she got into this car. The driver would take her to a secluded place, where she would be ambushed by a squadron of battle-hungry White Fang grunts.

They’d try to take her down. And she was a killer, wasn’t she? Ochre Brown wailed in her ears with every thump of her runaway heart. Her hands itched for action; her teeth, for blood.

She’d burn them black.

never mind! you are already dead,

She thought about Glynda. About her saying that if there was trouble with the Fang, she wanted to come. That she would fight for Cinder.

She thought of Glynda’s question: What aren’t you telling me about Ochre Brown?

Yeah, fuck that.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! WHAT A CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!!!!! WHAT A MOMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!! MORE MOMENTOUSLY: WHAT A CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is EASILY my favourite chapter so far. EASILY. everything about this was peak offal. the relationships. the dynamics. the dialogue. the vibes. the Grossness. the fighting. the EVERYTHING. this is some other level and its BITCHIN. PEAK. that said im now very tired. im going to have a cup of tea and Consider Things for a few hours. brb.

[coldace24]

Dynamax Chronicles (Pokémon Sword & Shield Fanfic)

Dynamax Chronicles (Pokémon Sword & Shield Fanfic)

"Shhhh, they're comin'." In a sort of panic to shut me up, she grabbed my head and stuffed my face on her chest. Of course, the only thing I could do was to keep quiet and not make obvious movements, otherwise I'd end up escalating my already precarious situation. A few minutes pass by and the sound of footsteps disappeared into the distance. Fortunately, the guards hadn't noticed us hunched down beside the crates and continued on with their patrol.

"Tha' was close, wuzinit?" She seemed to relax; I could tell from the way her chest eased up as she breathed out a long sigh. Yet instead of replying to her, all I could think of were the soft, ample mounds that were squished against my face, and her alluring scent that kept invading my nostrils.

"I knew this wou'n't be easy, but I di'n't think the security would be this tight. Now wha' are we supposed to do?" I wanted to answer, I really did, but the things in front of me wouldn't allow it; how awkward would it be to open my mouth in such a dangerous place, so yet again I had to keep quiet.

"...Ray..?" This time she called my name. Still, I couldn't respond.

"...you a'right?" Her words came with a bit of worry now. "Why are you so...quiet?"

Finally, she loosened her pull on my head, and I slowly lifted my face away from her chest; perhaps it was out of guilt or maybe just embarassment, but by then, I couldn't manage to look at her eye to eye, which seemed to only confuse her.

"Is sumthin' the matter..?"

"Well..." I managed to open my mouth and answer this time. "I just didn't think it would be proper to talk when I was in such a...provocative place."

"Provocative...?" She seemed confused at first, then finally realized as she looked down at her chest. "...ahh."

"Well le's jus' call tha' a free sample, shall we?" She gave me a wink. "Do well, and you might ge' the whole package next time."

I could hear her chuckle as she stood up, and patted off the dust on her backside. Of course she'd throw a dirty joke at it, because why not.

"So, now wha'?" She finally turns to me.

"Guess we'll just have to push forward. But I don't think we'll be able to just ghost our way over. We'll probably have to deal with the thugs sooner or later."

"So it seems." She looked disgruntled, but that soon changed to a look of determination. "Well a'right. I trust you to take care o' things if it comes down to tha'."

I smile. Although I was glad that she would put so much faith in me, it would still have been too dangerous to initiate every guard we pass by; I had to get us moving without being seen as much as I could. Thankfully, I found our magic ticket.

"What do you think about getting on top?" I pointed up towards the hatch on the ceiling. "They don't have patrols on the roofs for sure, but it might be a tad dangerous."

"Well it can't be more dangerous than facin' the dimwits head-on, can it?"

"True." I started climbing up the crates, opening the hatch just above the stack I was standing on. "Come on then, this way, missy."

"Missy?" She crossed her arms. "Tha's Miss Sonia to you, lad."

I rolled my eyes as I extended my hand, offering to pull her up. "Yes yes, Madamoiselle Sonia. Now may I have your hand, please."

"Well aren't you gettin' ahead of yourself? Askin' for my hand should come after the dates, Monseiur Ray." She couldn't hold back her laugh as she joined me above the crates. Soon after, we had made our way up to the hatch and outside.

Phwoooot ksssh!

The loud hissing of the steam engine blasted throughout the air; the carriages behind it rumbled and rattled as the whole train moved forward at amazing speeds. As soon as we stood outside, the force of the winds almost pushed us off our balance. Luckily, we somehow managed to stumble into a low crouch, slowly making our way forward on all fours.

Unfortunately, the roofed carriages soon ran out, and what was left in front of us was a wide, open wagon filled with covered crates. On each side was a guard on the look out for nosy trespassers like us.

"That's a problem." I motion to Sonia. "Guess we'll have to get rough. Hopefully we don't blow the whistle and alarm everyone

"Oh you can do it. Jus' hafta hit 'em fast n' hard."

"You make it sound so easy." I reached for my bag, pulling out a small round ball the size of a marble; its surface colored half red and half white. I press the button on its center, making it expand to the size of my hand.

"A pokéball?" Her brow raised in doubt. "I thought we were tryin' not to draw attention."

"Trust me." I smiled at her as I held the pokéball close and softly whispered commands to the pokémon inside.

Moving as softly as I could, I descended down towards the platform and snuck by until I was a few feet away from both of the guards. As agile as I could, I threw the pokéball to the right while I dashed towards the one on the left. Once the pokéball reached the guard, it popped open, releasing a large Corviknight; without a delay, it used its steel wings to knock out the guard in one sweeping motion. Meanwhile, I managed to hit the other guard at the back of his head, catching him as he crumpled down into unconsciousness. Slowly, I dragged his body underneath the covers of the crates, then doing the same to the other.

"Nice work, Corvus." The black bird softly cawed as it landed on my arm, happy with my immediate praise.

"Okay, I hafta admit, tha' was pretty brilliant." Sonia had gotten down as well, making her way towards us and looking rather impressed at our display.

"So, do I get the whole package now?" I throw back her previous joke.

"Perhaps." She smirked. Stopping just in front of me, her gaze fell upon the crates, eyeing them with suspicion. "Do you think...these could be it?"

She pulled out her GPS device, and turned on the holo-display. It showed our current location, marked with a dot at the center. Just beside it, where the crates were at, was a red blip, the symbol for the other end of the tracking device.

"Bingo." She started pulling off the sheets that covered them, then stopped midway and turned to me. "Well don't jus' stand there. Help me."

"Oh right."

. . .

The train was now passing through the canyon, and below the rails was a huge drop towards the bottom of the valley; a rather deadly drop if we ever fell off. A few minutes later and we'd managed to remove most of the covers, revealing crates with the initials D.M.B. printed on their surface; it seems we had found the right cargo.

Unfortunately, before we could pry open the lid and search the contents, a loud screeching noise drew our attention forward. At the edge of the platform, where our open car was connected with the main locomotive, was a Weavile grinding its claws against the iron floor as it slowly moved towards us. Behind the pokémon was a man dressed raggedly in black leather clothes; his loud bellow threatening to overpower even the train's noise.

"Well well well, if it ain't Magnolia's lil' twerp!" The grin below his thick mustache seemed sinister. "Now what brings ye on our old, rickety train, eh?"

"Oh shut it, thief! I'm takin' back wha' you stole from Gran!" Her tone was sharp and serious, very different from how she normally talks with me.

"And what makes ye think I'll be letting ye, huh?" As if on cue, the Weavile up front charged at us, its sharp claws aimed at Sonia. Fortunately, I managed to get my Corviknight to intercept its attack; steel against steel clashed, sending out sparks with every strike and parry, until they both pulled back.

"Corvus, Aerial Ace!" I shouted to my Corviknight. Before the Weavile could even react, my Corviknight dove at an incredible speed, hitting the poor pokémon square on its chest and knocking it out in the process.

"Hah! Well ain't ye quite the trainer, ei lad?" Another loud laugh came from him as he returned Weavile into its pokéball. "But this is the end of the line. I don't plan on losing my loot today."

His lips contorted into a wide, ugly grin. In that moment, an ominous feeling surfaced inside me, like I knew something bad was gonna happen unless I did something. The man pulled out a different pokéball, then from beneath his sleeve, he revealed a white metallic bracelet.

"Looks familiar, ei twerp?"

"You wou'n't dare." Sonia stared him down.

"Oh but I would..."

The pokéball on the man's hand started to glow red, enlarging to the size of a sports ball. Before he could do anything with it however, Corvus dove in for a quick attack at my command, hitting him on the chest and sending him flying towards the next car, unconscious. Unfortunately, the enlarged pokéball flew out of his hand, rolling off the platform and into the deep valley.

"Oh dear..." Sonia frowned. "Tha' can't be good."

Before I could ask her what she meant, the whole train started to shudder and rattle. Then I realized it wasn't just the train, but the whole canyon seemed to be shaking. I grab hold of Sonia, pulling her close as I leaned against the crates for balance. All of a sudden, a gigantic Gyarados appeared just a few meters away beside the rails. The pokémon was a terrifying sight to behold, measuring almost around fifty meters in size; much much bigger than what they should be. Its eyes turned towards us, releasing a loud, deafening roar that turned my legs into jelly.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" I screamed.

"It's a Dynamaxed Gyarados!" Sonia replied. "We might be in a bit of a pickle!"

"Oh sure, a bit.... DOES THAT THING LOOK LIKE A BIT FOR YOU???"

"Don't worry, it doesn't last long! We jus' hafta survive 'til it runs out o' juice!"

"And how do you expect us to do that!?" I asked.

"Well, since it's come to this..." She pulled out a pokéball from her bag. "I guess I'll hafta use it as well."

"...what?"

Sonia pulled back her sleeve, revealing a metal bracelet similar to the one the man in black used, although hers was black in color. The pokéball in her hand started to glow red, which soon grew larger in size. Then, with both hands, she threw it off the rails, towards the direction of the giant Gyarados. The large pokéball popped open and out came an equally gigantic Raichu; all of a sudden, it became a battle of titans.

The Gyarados roared in rage, charging at the Raichu with incredible speed. Raichu managed to dodge its charge, side-stepping with a quick turn, but Gyarados circled around and started wrapping itself around the pokémon. Its coil around Raichu's body started getting tighter and tighter, until it constricted its poor prey, crushing it in slow, painful agony.

"Raichu, time for Max Lightnin'!" Sonia shouted. On cue, Raichu's eyes started glowing, electric sparks lashed out everywhere, and a loud rumble came from the heavens. Next thing I knew, a large column of lightning blinded us, its force so immense, it sent out a huge shockwave that completely covered the place with smoke and dust.

When it cleared, I took notice of two important things: first, Sonia managed to defeat the gigantic Gyarados; second, the shockwave threw it towards the rails, destroying the train's path in the process.

"...crap."

Before we could even do anything, the main locomotive nosedived as it ran out of tracks; our car soon followed suit, and we plummeted into the depths of the canyon. I pulled Sonia into my arms, making sure I embraced her tightly as I shouted to Corvus. The black bird flew in fast, grabbing ahold of my backpack as he tried to pull us up. Of course, even as Corviknights were strong enough to carry a person and fly, lifting up two was too much, so we ended up gliding down instead until we reached the bottom of the canyon. Our landing wasn't very good though, as the exhaustion of having to carry two people in a slow descent caught up to Corvus, the bird had to let go of us a few feet higher than intended. We stumbled and rolled on hard ground until we finally stopped; a bit dirty, but still alive at least.

"Well aren't you jus' dashin'?" Sonia smiled at me. "And for tha', I give you permission to le' go of me now."

"What if I don't want to?" I smirk.

"Well, tha' would be quite the problem, wou'n't it?"

"Alright, alright. Just...give me a few a seconds." I breath out a sigh. "I think my body's still in shock."

She laughed, and god was it a beautiful laugh. Now that we were so close, literally a breath away, I couldn't help but stare; her eyes, her lips, her features, there was just something about her that was so captivating that I couldn't help but be...attracted to her.

"Are you quite done starin' at me now?" Her voice pulled me back from my daze. She was staring at me, her brow raised in question, perhaps still wondering when I would decide to let go of her.

But I couldn't. At least, not yet. Not until I've made the moment count. It was the perfect chance, and I was damn sure I wouldn't ever be able to get another one. So I mustered up my courage, held her by the cheek, and gave her a soft, gentle kiss on the forehead.

"I'm glad you're safe, Sonia."

Her body tensed at my sudden action, and the only response she could mutter was an awkward "oh". For a moment, she was quiet; her gaze, initially aimed at me, shifted towards the ground to her left. In those few seconds of silence, my heart was pounding like crazy, worried that my action was something unwanted and unnecessary. Then, she finally spoke.

"Can I... take tha' at face value?" She asked in a low voice.

"Y-yeah. Sure." I replied, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

"Wonderful." Her smile returned, looking beautiful and somewhat rather mischievous. "But darling, if you're gonna kiss someone, you might as well do it right."

With that, she moved closer and pressed her lips against mine. The soft feeling and the taste of peaches held my mind hostage, not letting me think about anything else but the boldness of the moment. It lasted for a good few seconds, until she finally pulled away with a shy but contented smile.

"Tha's how you're supposed to kiss me."

"Wai-.... you.....but....I-.. huh..?" She could only laugh at my inability to form coherent sentences.

"Now come on, we've got a train wreck to check." She stood up and brushed off the dust from her clothes while constantly having to hold back giggles and chuckles.

A few jogs forward and we soon reached the wreckage; a massive pile of train carriages and cargo, all spread out across the width of the canyon.

"We screwed up spectacularly, di'n't we?" Sonia's face was now sullen, her bubbly smile gone without a trace. We started to search around the area, but surprisingly found nobody at all, not even that man we fought; perhaps the thugs had a contingency escape plan in case things went awry like it did. That gave us some relief.

"What about those crates?" I asked as we met up at the train's main locomotive.

"I found them but... they were empty." She could only shake her head in disbelief. "We hafta report this to Gran, and I don't think she'll be happy when she hears it."

. . .

"Have you two completely lost the plot!?" Professor Magnolia, Sonia's grandmother, could only shout in anger. "What were you two thinking, doing something so dangerous!?"

"But Gran, we-"

"Not another word from you, young lady!" Sonia could only purse her lips as Professor Magnolia cut her off.

It was a few hours after the train incident at the canyon. Rescuers had arrived at our location, analyzing the wreckage and giving us a lift back to the professor's lab. Of course, we told her about our encounters with the thugs, and how they seemed to have disappeared after the crash along with the cargo. The professor was understandably upset, but mostly because we decided to interfere with the thugs and got into a dangerous situation; she was probably more worried about Sonia than the cargo.

After a flurry of lectures, the professor finally cooled down a bit. Although still visibly mad, she pulled Sonia into a hug, giving her a head pat. Sonia seemed to get teary eyed, but managed to hold it in as she returned the professor's hug. With a low voice, Professor Magnolia asked her to go to her room and rest, hinting that she had some things to discuss with me.

Free from the professors arms, Sonia turned to me, lightly tugging my sleeve as she motioned to her room upstairs. I nod in silence, understanding her intentions and motioning for her to go. Soon after, it was just me and Professor Magnolia left in the room.

"Now then, I have a few questions for you, Ray." She took a seat down at her desk. "And I'm sure you have some for me too, so shall we begin?"

"Of course, Professor."

"So tell me, did something happen between you and Sonia?" Her question caught me off guard.

"W-why would you think that, Professor?"

"Well, putting aside how she was all giggly and fidgety when you two arrived, she seems to look at you differently now..."

"R-really? I didn't notice." I answered, in hopes of ending the topic.

"Bah, stop denying it, you skirtchaser." She laughed, presumably at the new nickname she gave me. "You two have been chatting up, haven't you?

"Uhh..."

"Well truth be told, I'm actually gobsmacked that it took you this long to get together." She shrugged, then pointed her cane at me. "But now that you have, I need you to promise me that you'll take good care of my Sonia. Otherwise..."

"O-okay, okay, Professor. I get what you mean." I raise my hand up in surrender. "So...does that mean I have your blessing?"

"That's for marriage, you bloody idiot! You want me to end you!?"

"It was a joke!!! It was a joke, Professor!!!"

"Bah. Kids these days." She shook her head in dismay. "Anyway, that aside, I believe you have some questions for me, am I right?"

"Just one." I reply. "What in the world is Dynamax exactly?"

"Heh, of course it would be that." She turned to her desk, opening up the drawer and pulling out what seemed to be a metal bracelet, the same kind of bracelet that Sonia and that man had. "This here is called a Dynamax Band. It's a special bracelet that I created which allows the wearer's pokémon to adapt the phenomenon known as Dynamaxing."

"As you've already seen before, Dynamaxing makes the pokémon gigantic in size, which not only enhances their strength, but also gives them special attacks known as Max Moves."

She puts the Dynamax Band away, then breathes out a sigh. "But of course, even sich tremendous power has its weaknesses. The transformation only lasts about the time it takes for the pokémon to do around three attacks, plus the D.M.B.'s have a very long cooldown period before it can be used again. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that you can only use it once per battle, on a single pokemon."

"But still, Professor, being able to use something like that, even if it's just for a bit, is insane! Just look at what happened at the canyon. That's thing's just too dangerous!"

"I know, lad. I know. But we need it if we're ever gonna survive an onslaught of a naturally Dynamaxed pokémon." She turns to the papers on her desk. "Those things are different...once Dynamaxed, they'll forever stay Dynamaxed, rampaging throughout the lands unless we deal with them."

"Naturally Dynamaxed? I thought you created this?"

"I only created the device to harness the phenomenon. The phenomenon itself is what we've been trying to understand for the past years. What it means...and why it exists."

"...I see." I breath a heavy sigh. "But it's still a dangerous power, and I'm afraid, because of my failure, some of it fell into the wrong hands."

"Indeed." She stood up and planted her hand on my shoulder. "Worry not though, lad. You'll be able to get them back. After all, your skills are the reason why I chose you."

"Yes, Professor."

"What I didn't count on was how you'd be hitting on my granddaughter."

"I- well..."

"I kid, lad. I kid." She laughed as she patted me on the back. "Now go. I believe Sonia is waiting for you."

. . .

knock knock knock!

"Is tha' you, Ray?" Sonia's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, it's me." The door opened as soon as I answered. Inside, she sat on her bed, motioning for me to sit beside her. It was my first time being inside her room, and the first thing I noticed was the scent in the air; a sweet, flowery aroma, very much like the scent of Sonia herself. As I settled down beside her, she immediately rested her head on my shoulder, giving out a long, relaxed sigh.

"Did she need anythin' from you?" She asked, turning her head up a little so our eyes would meet.

"Well...not really. She just asked some questions." Then I realized that it probably wasn't such a good idea to say that. Too late.

"Really? Like what?"

"Uhh... she asked if uhh... something happened between us."

"Oh?" She had that beautiful, mischievous grin on her face again. "You know, I don't exactly remember either. Was there something tha' happened to us, huh, Ray? Was there?"

"Uhh..."

Before I could answer, she took hold of my hand, intertwining her fingers with mine. It surprised me for a bit, but the warmth of her hand made me feel so relaxed and comfortable, as if all my worries and troubles were being melted away.

She looked at me, waiting, and I knew that this time it had to come from me. So with my free hand, I held her by the cheek, slowly pulling her close until our lips touched, then the same feeling and taste burst into full bloom as we kissed, embraced in each others arms like true lovers.

. . .

"So...I guess it's official now?" I ask Sonia who was snuggled up against my arm.

"Did you think it was a one off?" She questioned back teasingly.

"Well, I hoped it wasn't."

"Oh come on. Do you need another kiss jus' to be sure we're official?" She pouted.

"No, but I certainly wouldn't mind another one."

"You sly fox." She laughed. "Well a'right, maybe jus' one more."

[ END ]

. . .

Glossary (Slang):

Tad = a bit Lost the plot = gone crazy Chatting up = flirting Gobsmacked = amazed One off = one time only