Note: Another chapter will be posted after I have my dinner, and as you can see this one is shorter than usual. And it's because... well, I don't think this chapter should be extended, because it's already enough.
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The living room on the second floor of Random Play had ceased to be a cozy home theater. In the span of three seconds, it had transformed into something that looked like a secret research facility built inside a bunker.
The silence that followed Wise's question was heavy, suffocating, and broken only by the rhythmic, mechanical sounds of the intruders.
Whirrrrr... went the high-performance cooling fans, cycling air through the chambers. Thump-Thump... Thump-Thump... beat the heart of the monster in the black chamber, a sound so deep it seemed to resonate in the marrow of their bones.
The LED lights from the incubators—one blood-red, one deep-sea blue—washed over the exposed brick walls, casting long, distorted shadows that danced with the flickering displays. The air temperature in the room fluctuated wildly, hot waves rolling off the black machine clashing with the chilling mist drifting from the blue one.
Cedric stood frozen. His hand gripped the wooden railing so hard that his knuckles were white, the veins on the back of his hand standing out like cords.
His heart was hammering against his ribs, a frantic rhythm that rivaled the egg's pulse.
He looked at Wise.
She was standing right next to his monsters. The teal of her eyes was blown wide, reflecting the red warning lights of the Mark-IV incubator.
In Cedric's mind, a worst-case scenario—one he had been subconsciously preparing for since he woke up in this world—began to play out like a corrupted video file.
'They will call Public Security. They will look at me like I am a terrorist. They will see a threat. A biological weapon. I will be arrested. The eggs will be confiscated. They will be destroyed. I will lose everything again.'
"I..." Cedric opened his mouth. His voice was a broken, dry croak. "I can explain."
The lie was ready on his tongue. Props. Movie props. Special effects.
But looking at Wise, the lie died in his throat. She won't be fooled.
Wise didn't scream.
She took a deep, shuddering breath. Her chest rose and fell. Her hand, which had been hovering in the air, slowly lowered.
She turned her head. She didn't look at Cedric yet. She looked at Belle, who was still staring at the machines with her mouth hanging open, the piece of dried squid lying forgotten on the rug.
"Belle," Wise said. Her voice was low, but it had changed. The warmth of the "Big Sister" was gone, replaced by a steel-core calmness. It was the voice of Phaethon, the legendary Proxy, taking command of a disaster.
"Close the blinds. Now."
Belle jumped, snapping out of her trance. "Huh? Oh... Right! On it!"
The younger sister moved with a speed that belied her shock. She scrambled over the sofa, rushing to the window. She yanked the thick blackout curtains down, plunging the room into darkness, save for the alien red and blue glow of the machines.
"Front door?" Wise asked, her eyes never leaving the pulsating egg.
"Locked!" Belle reported, her voice tight. "I flipped the sign and bolted it when Cedric tried to leave."
"Good. Check the HDD system downstairs. Activate the signal jammers. Make sure no Ether signatures are leaking out onto the street. Turn off the Wi-Fi."
"Got it." Belle didn't ask questions. She vaulted over the railing and slid down the banister, disappearing into the HDD room below.
Cedric watched this unfold with a sense of complete bewilderment.
'Why?'
'Why are they closing the curtains? Why are they cutting the signal?'
Wise stood alone in the room with him and the eggs.
She walked slowly around the black machine. She moved cautiously, like one would approach a ticking bomb or a sleeping tiger. Her eyes traced the metallic plating, the complex vents, the digital displays showing biological metrics she couldn't quite understand.
She stopped in front of the glass. She raised a hand and placed her palm against the reinforced surface, right over where the creature inside was kicking.
Thump.
She flinched as the vibration traveled up her arm.
"It's warm," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "It's... alive. And it's strong."
She turned around. The red light from the machine backlighted her silhouette, leaving her face in shadow.
"Cedric," she said. It wasn't a question anymore. It was a summons. "Come here."
Cedric's legs felt like lead. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to bolt out the door and disappear into the night. But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't carry two fridge-sized machines. He couldn't leave them behind. They were his responsibility.
He forced himself to move. He walked up the stairs, step by agonizing step, until he stood in the living room again.
He stopped three feet away from her. He stared at his feet, unable to meet her eyes. He felt like a criminal awaiting sentencing.
"Is it an Ethereal?" Wise asked. Her voice wasn't angry. It was clinical. Precise.
Cedric shook his head violently. "No."
"Is it dangerous?"
Cedric paused. He looked at the jagged scales on the egg. He remembered the System calling it a 'Pseudo-Legendary'. He remembered the destructive power dormant inside.
"It... it will be strong," he whispered. "Very strong. But... it is my family. It won't hurt you. I won't let it."
Wise was silent for a long moment. She studied his face—the fear, the protectiveness, the desperation. Then, she sighed. It was a long exhale that seemed to deflate the tension in the room.
"Sit down, Cedric."
Cedric sat on the edge of the sofa, his posture rigid. Wise pulled up a chair and sat opposite him, knee to knee.
Belle came running back up the stairs, breathless. "Signal blockers active. We're a black hole on the map now. No scanner in New Eridu can see inside this room."
She flopped onto the sofa next to Cedric, staring at the blue machine with intense curiosity. She tapped the glass. "Hello? Anyone home?"
"Okay," Belle said, turning to Cedric. "Explain. Fast. Before my brain explodes. What are these? Where did you get them? And why is that one glowing like a rave party?"
Cedric swallowed. His mind raced.
'Lie,' a voice in his head whispered. 'Tell them they are props. Tell them they are robots. Tell them anything but the truth.'
He looked at the eggs. They were pulsing with life. No one would believe they were fake.
'Then tell a better lie. Tell them you found them in a Hollow. Tell them you stole them.'
He looked at Wise. Her teal eyes were searching his face, filled not with suspicion, but with a deep, patient concern. She had fed him. She had dried his hair. She had given him a notebook full of her own hard work.
Lying to her felt... heavy. It felt like swallowing stones.
He clenched his fists on his knees. He couldn't tell them everything—the System, the reincarnation—that was too much. But he couldn't just feed her a complete fabrication. He owed her more than that.
He decided to trust her. Just a little.
"They are... Pokémon," he said, the truth feeling strange on his tongue. "Pocket Monsters. They are creatures... partners. They have intelligence. They have souls."
He walked over to the black machine and placed his hand on the glass.
"And where did you get them?" Wise asked softly.
"From my distant relative," Cedric lied, his face sincere. "The same ones who sent the berries. They live far away. In the Old Lands. It is a family tradition. When a child comes of age, they are sent an egg. A partner to raise. To protect them. It is my heritage."
Wise looked at Cedric. She looked at the advanced technology. It made sense in a strange way. If his family had access to resources like those berries, maybe they had access to this, too.
But then, her expression softened into something sadder.
"But Cedric..." Wise asked gently. "Why didn't you tell us? You were walking around with two giant monster eggs on your belt?"
Cedric looked down at his shoes. His shoulders hunched in a defensive posture.
"I thought... you would be scared," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I thought you would think I was dangerous."
The room went quiet.
Wise stood up. She walked over to him and flicked him lightly on the forehead.
"Gah-" Cedric rubbed his head, blinking up at her.
"Silly," Wise said, shaking her head with a small smile. "Look where we live, Cedric. This is New Eridu. We see strange things every day. We've seen Bangboos fight, we've seen people mutate."
She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
"But more importantly... we know you. You aren't dangerous, Cedric. You're just... protecting your family. Did you really think we would turn you away for that?"
"Yeah!" Belle chimed in, pressing her face against the glass of the black incubator. "We're basically a magnet for weird stuff anyway. Hello in there! Can you hear me? I'm your cool Auntie Belle!"
Cedric blinked. "Auntie?"
"Duh," Belle grinned. "If Wise is your Big Sister, that makes me your other Big Sister. Which means we are practically family. Which means these little guys are my nephews. Or nieces."
A wave of relief washed over Cedric, so strong it almost made him dizzy. They weren't scared. They weren't rejecting him.
Wise looked at him. Her expression shifted. It became serious, the playful 'Big Sister' demeanor dropping away to reveal something sharper, more dangerous underneath.
"Cedric," she said quietly. "You trusted us with your secret. You showed us the most important thing in your life."
She glanced at Belle, who nodded solemnly.
Wise turned back to Cedric. "It's only fair that we trust you with ours. To make it even."
Cedric blinked. "Your secret?"
"Do you know what a Proxy is?" Wise asked.
"Guides. They navigate the Hollows," Cedric recited.
"Exactly," Wise said. She gestured around the room, then pointed downstairs to the HDD room.
"Random Play is just a front, Cedric. We aren't just video store clerks."
She leaned in closer, her teal eyes locking onto his purple ones.
"We are Proxies. We are Phaethon."
Cedric's eyes widened. He had read that name online. The legendary Proxy.
"You?" he whispered.
"Us," Belle corrected, grinning and pointing to herself. "The best in the business. And also highly illegal."
Wise smiled, a conspiratorial glint in her eye. "So you see, Cedric? You are hiding illegal monster eggs. We are hiding an illegal Hollow investigation network. We're in the same boat."
She extended her hand. "If you keep our secret, we keep yours. We're accomplices now."
Cedric took her hand. "Accomplices."
Ding!
A gentle chime rang in Cedric's mind, different from the usual alert tone.
[HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETE: MUTUAL TRUST]
Condition: Establish a bond with Wise & Belle to the point where they voluntarily reveal their true identity.
Description: Trust is a two-way street. You showed them your monsters, and they showed you their masks.
Reward: [Passive Skill: Empathy]
Effect: Allows the Host to sense the emotions and intentions of Pokémon and humans—through a spiritual connection. The barrier between hearts is thinned.
"Yeah!" Belle suddenly chimed in, leaning over the back of the sofa to stare at the black egg again.
"So," Belle turned to him, eyes sparkling. "Since we are harboring fugitives now... I get naming rights, right?"
"Naming rights?" Cedric repeated, wary.
"Yeah! I want to name one." She pointed at the black egg. "If that one comes out looking like a lizard, I'm naming it 'Godzilla Junior'. Or maybe... 'Spicy Nugget'."
Cedric's face twisted in horror. "Spicy... Nugget? No. Absolutely not."
"Why not? It's cute!" Belle argued. "And the blue one can be 'Blueberry'. Or 'Bubbles'!"
"No food names," Cedric said firmly. "They need other names."
Wise laughed. It was a bright, relieved sound. "I think I'm with Cedric on this one, Belle. We aren't naming them 'Nugget'."
"Okay, logistics," Wise clapped her hands. "Can you shrink them back down?"
"Yes." Cedric approached the machines and pressed the blue button. Zzzzzip. The massive machines collapsed back into two heavy canisters.
"Whoa," Belle whistled. "That spatial compression tech is insane. Your 'relatives' must be geniuses."
"They are... very traditional," Cedric said, reclipping the belt around his waist.
Wise walked him to the door. She peeked through the blinds to check the street. It was empty.
"The coast is clear," she said. She turned to him, serious again. "Cedric, listen. If they start to hatch... don't do it alone in your apartment. Bring them here. Our storage room downstairs is soundproof and secure. Do not let the neighbors hear. Understand?"
Cedric nodded. "I understand. I will come here."
"Good." She opened the door. "Get home safe. And... try not to drop them again."
Cedric stepped out into the night air.
He walked back to the Northwest District. The weight on his hips felt heavy, but his step was light.
He touched the incubators.
[Congratulations,] The System said in his head.
[You have upgraded from 'Friends' to 'Family'. You have allies. You have a base. And you didn't get arrested.]
"Yeah," Cedric murmured, looking up at the neon stars of New Eridu. "Accomplices."
It was a good word. It sounded like family.
…
…
…
The walk back to the Northwest District was quiet. The door of Random Play had clicked shut behind
Cedric, but the warmth of the loft seemed to cling to his skin like a protective layer against the cool night air of Sixth Street.
He rested his hand on the shrunken metal canisters clipped to his belt. They felt heavier now—not physically, but with the weight of the trust that had been placed in him.
'Accomplices,' he thought. It was a dangerous word. But it felt... secure.
[You survived,] The System's voice broke the silence, sounding genuinely impressed.
[I calculated a 60% chance of you fleeing the country and a 30% chance of arrest. This outcome falls into the top 10% of best-case scenarios.]
"They are good people," Cedric murmured.
[They are. And now you have a support network. Don't waste it.]
When he reached Apartment 237, the room was dark and silent, but it didn't feel as empty as before. He unclipped the belt and pressed the deploy buttons. The two machines expanded back to their full size, taking up their usual spots next to his bed.
He looked at the displays.
The digital counter on the black machine burned with a steady, unmoving crimson light: 65%.
In stark contrast, the blue machine's display was a blur of motion. The numbers were scrolling upward at a dizzying pace, ticking up in rapid increments—2.5%... 2.51%... 2.52%... constantly jumping by 0,1% every few seconds as the high-speed nutrient injection flooded the chamber.
[Don't worry about the time,] The System explained as the numbers flickered.
[That blue incubator isn't standard issue. It accelerates Water-type development by 300%. It will sync up with the big guy.]
Cedric watched the blue numbers blur, the light reflecting in his eyes. "When will they be ready?"
The System processed the data. Invisible lines of code cascaded down Cedric's retinal display, comparing the slow, deep gestation of the pseudo-legendary against the rapid acceleration of the starter.
[Calculating growth curves...]
[According to my estimation] The System announced.
[7 Days. They will hatch in 7 days.]
"Seven days," Cedric whispered. "One week."
One week until his life changed forever. One week until he wasn't just a boy with secrets, but a Trainer with partners.