POV: Sophia

  Okay. Today is the day. I’m gonna catch my own damn Pokémon.

  I don’t care what Mom and Dad say anymore. I love them, really, but they’re seriously stuck in prehistoric times or something. They keep saying, “You have Ember and Bany around. Why do you need your own partner already?” Like, hello? Ember is Dad’s Pokémon. She’s amazing, sure—actually she’s the best—but she’s not mine. And Bany? Don’t even get me started on that ghostly menace. That little bastard would prank a Jigglypuff mid-song just to ruin the mood.

  Half of my class has already caught their first Pokémon. It’s like a whole rite of passage at this point. They strut around talking about training and battling like they're mini Champions, and here I am stuck partnerless. The embarrassment is unreal.

  So I saved up. I scrimped and scrounged every allowance coin, every chore reward, even stole a few coins from Dad’s “secret cookie stash jar” (sorry Papa, but desperate times). And I finally had enough to buy one single Poké Ball.

  One chance. One partner.

  I slip out of the house early, while the sky’s still grey with the kind of gloom that promises rain but doesn’t quite deliver. Ember is with me, of course. She follows like she always does, protective and silent, like my personal dragon-shaped shadow. I didn’t even need to ask her. She just knew.

  The beach near Lilycove is empty, like always. The ocean hums with that eerie stillness that always comes before a storm, and the wind’s got a bite to it, but nothing too crazy yet. Just enough to lift my hair and make me feel alive.

  I walk barefoot across the wet sand, the Poké Ball warm in my jacket pocket, fingers gripping it like a lifeline.

  Then I see it.

  A splash. A shimmer. Something thrashing in the tide pool near the rocks. I get closer and my eyes widen.

  A Staryu—its gem flickering weakly—is trying to fend off a savage Carvanha. The shark is relentless, darting in and taking bloody nips out of the Staryu's edges. The poor thing’s barely holding on, spinning in weak circles as it tries to keep up a defense.

  My heart spikes. My breath catches in my throat.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Ember! Help it!”

  No hesitation. My girl leaps into action like a damn war machine. Her wings flare and her claws dig into the sand as she lunges toward the Carvanha.

  “Dragon Claw!” I yell, even though she already knows.

  Carvanha whips around, eyes flashing red. It snarls, lunging out of the water like some pissed-off demon fish.

  Ember doesn’t even flinch. Her claw glows with that familiar ominous purple, crackling with raw dragon energy as she slams it down on the water’s edge.

  Carvanha gets yeeted straight out of the tide pool, crashing into the sand with a nasty flop. It flips wildly, trying to bite anything it can, but Ember snarls, standing between it and the injured Staryu.

  “Scare it off with a roar!” I shout.

  She lets out a deep, guttural growl that shakes the air, eyes glowing crimson.

  Carvanha doesn't need a second warning. With a final hiss, it slinks back into the ocean, disappearing beneath the waves.

  I run over to the Staryu. It’s lying half-submerged, its gem flickering dimly now, cracks forming along the edges of its body.

  “Oh no no no—hang in there, please!” I scoop it into my arms carefully, its body surprisingly cold and faintly pulsing. “You’re gonna be okay, I swear. Just hold on.”

  I don’t think. I just run.

  Feet slapping the wet pavement, Ember galloping beside me like a guard dog, I rush through the quiet city streets toward the Pokémon Center. The clouds finally open up, soft rain soaking my hoodie and hair, but I don’t stop. I hold that Staryu like it’s the most precious thing I’ve ever touched.

  By the time I burst through the automatic doors, I’m drenched, breathless, and clutching the fading light of a life.

  “Nurse Joy!” I shout.

  The nurse turns, eyes widening instantly. She rushes forward, calling out to a nearby Chansey who waddles in quickly, cart already prepped.

  “What happened?” she demands, voice sharp but not unkind.

  “Carvanha… It was getting attacked… I—Ember saved it. But it’s bad.”

  She nods, taking Staryu from me as carefully as possible and placing it on the cart. Chansey coos and immediately starts applying some kind of spray to its wounds.

  “Wait here,” Joy says, already moving down the hallway with her patient.

  And then I’m left standing there. Soaked. Cold. Heart pounding.

  I slump onto the waiting room bench, my soaked hoodie clinging to my skin, and Ember presses her warm body close to mine. I lean against her, breathing slowly, trying not to panic.

  Minutes stretch. Then an hour. Maybe two?

  Finally, Nurse Joy returns, her eyes sharp but her expression softer.

  “Are you the one who brought in the Staryu?” she asks.

  I nod quickly, standing up straight. “Yeah, is—is it okay?”

  “It’s stable now. You brought it just in time.” She pauses. “But I need to ask you a few questions.”

  Oh great.

  “What’s your name?” she starts.

  “Sophia Kairen.”

  “Is this your Pokémon?”

  “No. Not… not yet.”

  She narrows her eyes. “Then how did it get so injured?”

  “I wasn’t battling it or anything!” I rush to explain. “I was at the beach with my dad’s Druddigon, Ember. We saw it being attacked by a Carvanha and saved it. I didn’t hurt it, I swear.”

  She studies me for a long second before her expression softens. “Okay. I believe you. But next time, be careful. Wild Pokémon are unpredictable, especially around children.”

  “I know,” I mumble.

  She smiles, though, the tension in her shoulders easing. “But you did good today, Sophia. You saved a life.”

  That hits me harder than I expect.

  Me. I saved someone. I didn’t just watch—I acted. That… that actually feels kind of amazing.

  “Can I… see it?”

  She nods. “It’s resting. But it should be awake soon. If it wants to see you, we’ll let you know.”

  ---

  Hours later, I’m back home. Mom and Dad both look at me like I’ve committed war crimes when they find out what I did, but once the yelling dies down, even Mom sighs and admits I did something brave.

  Still, I get grounded.

  Totally worth it.

  And Staryu? Nurse Joy says it’s recovering fast. She even lets me visit it each day after school. The first time it sees me, its gem pulses slightly brighter. I swear that means something.

  I haven’t asked it to be my partner. Not yet. I want it to choose me, not the other way around.