Cyrus sat cross-legged on the end of his bed, tablet resting across his lap. Outside his window, the lights of home felt strangely steady after two months of shifting ice, seismic rumblings, and ancient titans breathing beneath his feet.
His room was warm.Too warm.His body was still tuned for arctic winds and cavern chill.
Blue Tyrunt snored upside-down on the carpet, tiny legs twitching like it was chasing something in its dreams. Meltan hovered beside the desk lamp, absorbing the metallic buzz with satisfied plink noises. Ditto sprawled across Cyrus's pillow like a smug, jiggly housecat. Charcadet perched on the windowsill, armor plates faintly glowing as if it was preparing to fistfight the sun. And Gengar phased in and out of the back wall because being a menace was its life's calling.
Cyrus exhaled, thumb hovering over the call icon. He fiddled with the corner of the tablet—nervous habit he'd never admit to—then muttered to himself, "Alright. Let's hope she doesn't hang up after two rings again."
He tapped.
The holo-screen pulsed.Rang once.Twice—
Then clicked.
A sleepy voice drifted through faint static.
"…Hello?"
Her voice. Kina's.
Cyrus straightened immediately. "Hey! Kina, sorry—did I wake you?"
There was shuffling—the kind that absolutely sounded like blankets being peeled off someone who was not awake a minute ago.
"…No," she said, in a way that wasn't even trying to be convincing. "I was, uh… meditating."
Gengar snorted loudly behind him. Cyrus elbowed it without looking.
"Sooo," Kina continued, voice sharpening as her brain woke up, "you calling because you missed me, or because something exploded again?"
"A little of both," he said. "Mostly the second one."
Sharp inhale. "Cyrus. What did you do?"
"Nothing! I didn't break a continent or anything this time. It's more of a… assignment."
That woke her fully.
"Assignment? From your parents' company?"
"Yeah," he said softly. "They want me to head out again. This time to Bloodmoon Mountain."
Silence.A long, heavy kind.
Then—
"…You're messing with me."
"I really wish I was."
Kina sat up so fast the holo-bracelet camera dipped, spun, and—finally—locked onto her face. Her hair was a mess, blanket-crease stamped across one cheek, and somehow she still looked like she could lecture a legendary Pokémon into behaving.
"You mean the Bloodmoon Mountain? The one with the aggressive Ursaring swarms? The one every school safety video uses as a cautionary tale?" Her voice pitched up. "The birthplace of the Bloodmoon Ursaluna?"
"Yeah," he admitted. "That one."
"Cyrus!"
"What?! I didn't volunteer! They need someone who's… familiar with weird legend stuff."
"You mean someone who wakes up ancient giants by accident?"
He winced. "I prefer the term qualified, but… sure."
Kina scrubbed a hand through her hair, instantly more alert. "Okay. Keep talking. What's the mission?"
Cyrus explained.
The aggression spikes.The abnormal migrations.The Bloodmoon cycle slipping out of pattern.The fear that something big—legendary-big—was interfering.
Kina didn't interrupt. She watched, eyes narrowing the way they did when she was mentally assembling puzzle pieces. A tiny notebook appeared in her hand halfway through—classic Kina—jotting something down even while half awake.
"And," Cyrus added, lowering his voice, "they want me to bring a partner. Someone who's not from the company. Someone I trust."
"Oh," Kina said flatly. "So I'm the emergency backup."
"You're the only person I'd choose."
That made her pause. A softness flickered behind her eyes.
"…You mean that?"
"I wouldn't have called you first if I didn't."
She studied his face a moment longer, weighing something unspoken.
"Alright," she said. "Tell me what the job includes."
"Travel light. Climb fast. Stay sharp. We get dropped at the base, gather intel from locals, then head up the mountain. No crew. Just us."
"And your nightmare squad," she added, nodding.
Charcadet puffed up proudly, flames flaring at the mention of Bloodmoon Mountain.Gengar waved from the ceiling like a gremlin.Meltan tried to nibble the corner of the tablet.Ditto morphed into a tiny, wobbly Ursaluna for dramatic effect.
Cyrus sighed. "Yes. Them too."
Kina smirked. "Then I'm in."
Cyrus blinked. "…Wait. Really?"
"You think I'm letting you walk into Bloodmoon territory alone?" She shrugged. "Plus… we haven't traveled together in forever. I kinda missed that."
Warmth crawled up Cyrus's neck. He pretended it was just the too-warm room.
"Good," he said quietly. "I'm glad."
"Just promise me one thing," Kina added.
"Anything."
"No waking swarms of Pokémon."
"I want to say that was one time… but I can't promise that."
She groaned. "Ugh. Fine. How am I getting to you?"
"I'll have a plane sent over in the morning."
"Make it the afternoon," she said, already jotting a list. "I need to prep some things."
"Just remember to pack light," he murmured.
"Night, Cyrus."
"Night, Kina."
The call ended.
Cyrus stared at the blank holo-screen, heart beating faster than he wanted to admit.
A whisper slid across his ear—
"Geeeeengar…"
He jolted. "Not now."
But he couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face.