“...and then Tentacool shot a rainbow at him, and he started getting covered in ice!” Astra exclaimed, splaying fake fingers in emphasis. “I realized that if we could get him completely frozen we might have a shot of winning, so I had Marill use a Water Gun. That really sped things up, and it was only moments before he was nearly coated!”

“May’s Tentacool knows Aurora beam?” Brendan asked. He leaned back and rubbed his chin, the hospital's lounge chair creaking beneath him as he shifted. “Interesting; if I recall correctly, they can only learn that through hereditary means. He must have had a—oh what was it...Shellder! A Shellder or Cloyster in his ancestry.” He nodded, looking pleased with himself. “That’s pretty rare outside captivity; May got really lucky to get a wild cross-breed.”

“Hey!” Astra reached over the small table and whapped Brendan’s head with a sleeve, pouting. “I’m telling a story here!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Brendan said, a hint of laughter in his voice as he raised his hands. “Unusual pokemon distract me! I’m a bit interested in them, see.”

Astra crossed her arms and huffed. “You’re the one who asked me to tell you! You could at least pay attention.”

“I have been!” Brendan protested. “You used a combination attack to freeze Steven’s Skarmory. Brilliant maneuver, by the way,” he added, giving her a grin. “If it had been anyone else I bet it would have worked.”

Astra shot him a sullen glare. “You say that like it didn’t.”

Brendan gave her a blank stare. “Did it?”

“...no,” Astra grudgingly admitted. She sighed. “He did this whole thing where he went ‘I’m actually not even trying!’ and, well, he hadn’t actually told Skarmory to do anything the whole time.”

And wasn’t that illuminating? Steven had been so far above them that he almost didn’t even need to bother fighting. Astra's team had gotten stronger since then, but she doubted Grovyle, Slakoth, and Nincada would’ve made much of a difference.

“He had Skarmory use ‘Steel Wing’,” Astra continued, her tone subdued. “Skarmory glowed white and shattered all the ice at once. A few moments later Tentacool and Marill were both down, and we lost.”

Brendan hummed, nodding. “Well, you two did fantastic considering who you were up against. Steven's considered a bit of a genius even amongst Champions, so pushing him that far is pretty impressive!”

“Didn’t feel very impressive,” Astra muttered, idly kicking the air. She sighed and looked at a clock on the wall. It had been quite some time since May had vanished into the depths of the medical center, and at this point it was looking to not be a ‘quick in-and-out’ as May had said.

Had something gone wrong? Or had their fears been validated? Were May’s injuries worse than she had claimed? Astra did another check and sensed that May was still deep within the halls, unchanged from the last time she had checked fifteen minutes ago.

“I don’t think losing will ever feel impressive,” Brendan said, jostling Astra from her thoughts. “Doesn’t mean it isn’t, though.”

Astra snorted, turning and giving him a flat grin. “Why don’t you go pick a fight with him then? I’m sure it’ll be majestic.”

“Hah. I’m a ways from doing anything like that. Not everyone can just walk up and challenge the champion; you’ve gotta go through the Elite 4 to even try.” Brendan paused, brows furrowed. “Well, professionally, anyway. Most people don’t just randomly run into Steven Stone on the road.”

“Well, we weren’t exactly on the road,” Astra clarified. “Me and May got lost in the woods and had an argument, Steven overheard us from the trail and helped us out. He said he’d just been taking a break while flying to Dewford. Then May got mad at him for...well, she was being kinda dumb and rude for no reason, really.”

“Eesh,” Brendan winced. “And you guys didn’t know—oh dang. That’s not a good look.”

“Yeah. So May challenged him to a fight, and, well, we fought.” Astra hesitated. “I mean, he was nice enough before the fight, but once May challenged him...well, he was kind of a jerk after that. He sort of said sorry at the end, but—I dunno. I don’t like him very much.”

That weird pressure she felt...Astra wasn’t sure what to think about that, either. It wasn’t likely to be anything good.

Brendan bit his lip for a moment, thinking. “Well, that kind of tracks, actually,” he said, nodding. “From what I heard, the man is very intense about training and battling; even champions in other regions have expressed admiration for his drive. I suppose you’d have to be pretty extreme to become Champion at seventeen.”

“Doesn’t excuse him smashing my team into the dirt when I wasn’t even part of the challenge,” Astra muttered. She blinked, frowning at the last thing Brendan had said. Was that how many years he’d been alive at the time? “Is seventeen young?” she asked, still unsure how age correlated to evolution. She assumed it was at least Kirlia-adjacent. Steven was clearly not either a tiny hatchling or Ralts and he didn’t show any signs of being an Elder.

“Ehh, depends,” Brendan said, waggling his hand. “Most long-term champions tend to be in their mid-to-late thirties, but it’s not unheard of for younger trainers to defeat them. The thing is, there hasn’t been anyone else below twenty to hold a championship for more than a year in a long time and Steven’s been holding it for eight.”

‘Alright but is seventeen years like a Kirlia or what?’ Astra didn’t ask.

“Wow!” Astra said instead, sounding impressed. She paused. “Still kind of a jerk, though.”

“Saving you from being lost didn’t win any points, eh?” Brendan asked, giving her an amused look. “Well, if he acted like that I wouldn’t blame you. Hopefully he’ll be nicer when we deliver that letter. But that’s a while off in any case; what else is new with you two? How about that violin, when did you get that?”

Astra perked up, happy to talk about her other new hobby. “Oh, did I never tell you? I actually got it right before we met in Petalburg—”

It took another twenty minutes before a sour-faced May emerged from the depths of the hospital, marching stiffly and holding some papers and a small bottle. Astra abandoned an interesting tangent about how she played during fights and ran over, Brendan not far behind.

“May!” Astra called, giving the taller girl a worried look as she came close. “Are you okay? You were back there for—”

“Broke a rib.” May interrupted, shrugging. Astra stared at her, speechless.

“Sorry, you what?” Brendan asked, blinking.

“Broke a rib,” May repeated, slowly. “What, do you need proof? I’ve got a cold-as-shit ice pack strapped to my chest and scans of my bones.” She shivered, grimacing. “Seriously, this thing’s freezing.”

“You broke—oh no, are you going to be okay?” Astra asked worriedly. “How bad was it? You’re not—I mean, will it heal?” Broken bones didn’t happen too often back home, but they could leave even the sturdiest of Kirlia bedridden or hobbled if they weren’t treated properly.

“Jeeze, relax.” May rolled her eyes, a small smile gracing her features. “I’ll be fine. Just gotta take some pills and take it easy. I’ll be all healed up by the end of the week.”

A week? That was...only seven days? Astra blinked, astonished. Wow, that was fast. Then again, should she be surprised anymore at this point? She’d seen the effectiveness of potions first hand, and the array of different cures available in the Pokemart. If they had medicine that incredible for pokemon, what wonders had humanity made for themselves?

“End of the week? It’s Saturday,” Brendan pointed out.

“Well whoop-de-doo, would you look at that? I’m fuckin’ cured,” May deadpanned. She slapped Brendan’s shoulder and glared. ”You know what I meant, jackass.”

“Hey, I thought you were supposed to take it easy!” Brendan complained, rubbing his shoulder. He paused, then gave May a smile. “Still, I’m glad you’re okay. I was starting to get worried.”

May stiffened, then turned away with a scoff. “Tch, as if a lousy Exploud could keep me down. You shouldn’t underestimate me, you know!”

May’s cheeks were turning a very interesting shade of red again, Astra noticed.

“I know, I know,” Brendan said. “Say, you said you had x-rays? Can I take a look?”

May blinked. “What? Why?”

Brendan shrugged. “X-rays are cool?”

“Ah. Yeah, sure,” May pulled a shiny piece of paper from the folder, but paused before handing it over. “Hm.” she murmured, smirking. “Are you sure you aren’t just after a peek of my chest?”

“I—” Brendan froze, one hand halted mid-grab. “Uh?”

“Oh man,” May drawled, fanning herself with the sheets. “Should I be worried about this sudden desire to see under my shirt? Didn’t think you had it in you~”

Brendan exhaled, slowly deflating as he held a hand to his head. “You are impossible,” he grumbled, utterly unimpressed.

“Can I see?” Astra asked. From what little she could peek at, they looked like a picture of bones, which was really weird but also kind of cool. “Please?” she added.

May gave Astra a blank look. “Wait, the pictures or my chest?”

“Eh?” Astra said, confused. “The pictures. Why would I want to see your chest again?”

“Aga—!?” Brendan let out a horrid wheezing noise. “What?” he choked out. “What is this conversation?”

“Fuck if I know but holy shit is it stopping.” May shoved the bundle of pictures—x-rays?—into Brendan’s hands with a huff. “Here, have the stupid pictures. Go nuts. What time is it?”

“Four-thirty, last I checked,” Brendan said, as he fanned the pictures out on the table.

“Let me see!” Astra said, sidling up and peering at the photos in fascination. They were completely monochrome, a collection of thin white lines forming a cage set against a pitch backdrop. This was May’s skeleton? How morbid. And cool! How did they get a picture of that? Some clever machine, no doubt.

Brendan tapped on one of the bones, and Astra noticed what looked to be an almost invisible line running through it. “Oh, here it is. That’s...barely a fracture. When you said break I was imagining—well, you’ll need some bedrest in any case. Speaking of...” He looked up. “Where are you two staying? It’s been a day and a half; we should turn in early.”

May shook her head. “Nuh-uh. There’s still a bit of daylight left and I am not going another night without you getting some actual clothes!” she declared, pointed at Astra.

“This again?” Astra sighed, exasperated. “My robe is fine!”

“A shopping trip? Brendan asked. “Really? After all of this?”

“Yes, after all this,” May said, firmly. “Look, today’s just been shit after shit after shit. Even the whole Devon thing is kinda sour now. All I wanted to do today was hang out, have fun, and get this girl some clothes so she doesn’t spend all morning in the bathroom.”

“Hey!” Astra protested. It didn’t take her that long! Maybe an hour, max. Getting all the cloth situated so it covered everything and wouldn’t unravel took time! And the wash took a while sometimes! And...it was kind of boring sitting in the bathroom for so long...

Alright, maybe she did need a more convenient disguise.

“And I haven’t done any of that!” May continued, throwing her hands up. “Instead, I had to—well, you were there, you know.” She sighed, arms dropping to her side. “I just want to do something and not have it turn to shit, alright?”

May’s tone was defensive, but to Astra’s senses the gloom hidden behind her words was obvious. She really wasn’t wrong, either. Astra sighed, scratching the back of her head. “I suppose getting a new outfit had to happen at some point.” she admitted.

“I mean, I get what you’re saying, I really do,” Brendan interjected, looking hesitant. “But, May, you just got treated for a fracture. I really don’t think you should be putting it under any more stress—”

“Brendan, it’s clothes shopping,” May stated, annoyed. “I’m not even going to be the one trying them on. How is that stressful?”

Brendan paused. “...do you want me to answer that honestly?” he ventured.

“No.” May clapped, abruptly putting on a cheerful grin. “It’s settled then, let's get moving!”

“Wait, I still didn’t agree to—hey, hey!”

“Why are you—wait you don’t need to—ah!”

Grabbing Brendan and Astra’s arms, May summarily dragged them both straight out of the hospital, to the relief of everyone else in the lobby.

She grinned. “Time to get you some new gear!”

Supe’s Styles was a rather spacious building, as wide as some of the skyscrapers had been long. It was situated around where Rustboro’s multi-story buildings started to transition into one to two floor houses, surrounded by what Astra thought was an excessive amount of parking space. It boasted of fair deals and an incredibly varied selection of fashion from all over the world, but to Astra it was notable only in that she had heard they were going to ‘Supe’s’ and had been briefly confused as to why they were shopping for clothes at a soup store. Apparently the name was ‘Kalosian’, whatever that meant.

“Kalos is another region,” Brendan explained, leaning against a pillar in the middle of an aisle crossroad. “They’re known for being fancy and beautiful, so people like to name things in their style to associate themselves with those concepts.”

May snorted. “Kalos is fancy so I gave my thing a Kalosian name to make it seem fancy. Doesn’t mean it is. Mom’s got a drawer full of crappy cosmetics with hoity-toity names and it’s all hot garbage.” She frowned at the rack of shirts before her, then shook her head and turned away. “Tch, too thin. Astra, are you gonna do anything or am I gonna do all the work here?”

“I don’t really know what to look for,” Astra admitted, hovering uncertainly at the entrance to an alley of pants. The sheer variety was overwhelming; so many colors and styles and varieties of cloth—what was she supposed to do here? “There’s so much. How do I even start...?”

“Well, maybe we can start with what you like,” Brendan suggested. “What kinds of outfits did you wear back home?”

Absolutely nothing, Astra wanted to say. Seeing as she had yet to see a single human go without clothing at all, even during sleeping hours, she suspected this would not be a good answer. But what did she like? She was fond of her current cloak and hat, but they were more a means to an end than anything.

There hadn’t been anything akin to human fashion back in the village. Any sort of personal decoration was inevitably made of plants or animal parts; A flower in the hair here, a necklace of teeth there, the occasional attempt at dyeing a coat with ash or pigment, or even a painting by her Grandpa. Everything else had been limited to scavenging things humans had left in the outer edges of the forest, like her mother’s red hair clip or a peculiar arrangement of colored glass spheres one Kirlia swept behind them as a prismatic cape on rare occasions.

Astra had never given thought to the matter, even when she had been preparing to leave. Looking nice had never been a consideration when her main goal had been—and still was—the avoidance of anyone looking at her at all. That said...she didn’t oppose looking nice, and it seemed that looking terrible was counterproductive. Well, best to start with what she needed and work out the rest from there.

“Nothing like what I have now,” Astra answered, picking at her robe. “But I still need what this gives me. Full body coverage and all. Maybe something that can work with my hat?”

“Sounds like we need to look at the big dresses,” May murmured, sighing. “Damn, and this one looked cute, too.”

Astra looked at the jacket May held up. It was a rather fetching dark blue, with long sleeves and two columns of gold buttons running down the center. Astra blinked. That did look pretty good, actually. “It’s nice, she agreed, “but it doesn’t cover my legs at all.”

“Well, yeah, but that’s what skirts and shorts are for,” May pointed out.

“Maybe, but I prefer things like what I have now.” Astra said, swishing the lower folds of her robe around in a twirl. “I like my clothes billowy, and in one piece.”

A separate lower garment would have been acceptable if Astra hadn’t grown one of her own yesterday. Her new ruffles wanted very badly to flare out around her waist, and while she had been able to manage them in her voluminous robes, an actual skirt would be either obviously hiding something or very, very uncomfortable. Not to speak of shorts or pants.

“Fair enough.” May shrugged, hanging the jacket back up. “I guess that’s more wintery anyway. C’mon, dresses are over there.”

“It might not be a bad idea to get something wintery,” Brendan said, pushing off the wall and following suit, Astra close behind. “We’ll be passing by Winter’s Eye on the way to Dewford and things get cold near there.”

“That’s the second time I’ve heard that,” May said, frowning. “Winter’s Eye. What the hell—oh!” She snapped her fingers, eyes widening. “Now I remember. Is that that weird fucking island that drops, like, a mile of snow on you guys randomly?”

“Wait, an island does that?” Astra asked, astounded. The weather had always just been a fact of the world. The sun shone, rain fell, and sometimes a sweeping blanket of white covered everything in ice for a few days. That there was a reason behind the snow, and even humans found it unusual? It blew the mind. “I thought that just happened! How can an island blast snow everywhere?”

“Nobody knows,” Brendan said, shrugging. “It’s one of Hoenn’s great mysteries, actually; just like the Ferrous Forest and Mirage Island. There have been a ton of theories but it gets absolutely glacial near the island itself so there’s not been much hard research.”

“One hell of a national landmark,” May muttered, wrapping her arms around herself. “Shit, maybe I should’ve brought my coat. I hate the cold. Even thinking about it...ugh.” She shivered.

“I always liked it,” Astra said, gazing as they passed into an aisle full of long dresses. “The cold never bothered me, and everyone always had fun with the snow. The bonfires always looked lovely too. Oh, what’s this?”

Astra broke off, stopping to look at a piece that had caught her eye. It was a narrow thing, long sleeved and divided into red and white halves like a pokeball. The waistline even sported a black line with a circle in the middle. She blinked at it, taking it off the rack and examining it at arm’s length.

May peeked over her shoulder. “Eh. Kinda tacky, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Astra agreed. It was certainly a bit silly. Who would want to wear a pokeball? Though, maybe in her case it would be a bit clever. Pokemon in a pokeball dress. Heh. Maybe a bit on the nose, but good for a laugh, at least. In any case there wasn’t enough room for her skirt and she didn’t think she’d look very good in it.

Astra shook her head and put it back. “I do not choose you,” she informed the dress.

“Terrible.” May snickered.

“Maybe something like this would be better?” Brendan asked.

Astra turned to see him proffering a bright yellow sundress. It bore a thin black sash around the waist and a white collar sporting a few buttons, but was otherwise unadorned. She hummed; it was certainly wide enough, and the sleeves long enough to hide her hands within, but it left her face and neck woefully exposed. Maybe if she fashioned her current black robe into a scarf of sorts...

“This looks nice,” Astra hedged, “but I’m not sure about the yellow. Also, it’s a bit thin.” She eyed the sheer fabric. With all the new chaos in her life, a thicker or tougher cloth would probably be best. Better to hide her legs, too.

“I think yellow would look good,” Brendan said, smiling. “As for the thinness, it’d be good for those hot summer days. Breathes easily, I bet.”

“Brendan,” May called out from the other end of the aisle. “Just a heads up: Astra needs a whole wardrobe so we’re using the bulk outfit discount. No side picks, we don’t have the money!”

“Oh! I didn’t—right, that makes sense.” Brendan sighed and put the sundress back on the rack. “We’ll have to find something that works everywhere, then. I didn’t realize you guys were strapped for cash,” he commented, turning to give Astra an inquisitive look.

“Mhmm,” Astra hummed, pulling out another red and white...thing. Gosh that was a lot of frills. And why were the shoulders missing? Wouldn’t the sleeves just fall right off your arms? She shook her head and put the dress back. Human fashion sure was...was. “Well, we do have a bit, but we have a lot of mouths to feed now, even more so after today. Plus all the time May booked at the hotel, and, well, we’re running low.”

“You have been fighting other trainers, right?” Brendan checked.

“Curb stomped everyone from here to Petalburg,” May confirmed. She grimaced. “Mostly,” she amended. “but they didn’t pay out much.”

“Random encounters don’t tend to,” Brendan agreed. “You should see about doing some minor exhibition matches or a small tournament. Failing that, a few wagered matches at the gym would keep you guys afloat.”

May’s reply was lost to Astra as she discarded another unsuitable garment and found herself staring at the next one on the rack. It was a wide, leaf-green dress, sporting a blue sash around the waist from which a faint swirl of pale-lime spiralled a third of the way down. The hems were decorated with waves of the same pale-lime, less intricate but still present on the ends of the long sleeves. And importantly, sitting atop the neck was a navy blue scarf-collar thing, which covered the shoulders and looked to be able to conceal the lower face as well.

“Ooh...” Astra marveled at the garment, pulling it off the rack and holding it up to herself. It wasn’t a perfect fit, slightly too big for her frame, but that wasn’t a problem. Beneficial in some respects, even, considering her plan to ramp her illusion up to her actual height over the next few days. It didn’t seem exceptionally suited for travel, but it wouldn’t have any more problems than her current outfit. On all accounts, this was exactly what she was looking for. She had to try it, and according to May, clothing stores came with an area to do just that.

“Guys,” Astra called out, grinning. May and Brendan looked up, curious. “Where’s the dressing room?”

A handful of minutes later, Astra emerged from the rather cramped booth in high spirits, newly clad in the spacious green dress. It fit a little oddly, not designed for a Kirlia’s proportions, but wow it was so much less irritating than her robes! The cloth—cotton, apparently, and she’d have to look into what that was later—felt very smooth and nearly didn’t itch at all. Marching proudly up to her friends, she spun in place and spread her arms wide, striking a pose.

“Ta-da!” she cheered.

From the bench, May and Brendan examined her in quiet contemplation.

“I like it,” Brendan decided, giving Astra a hearty thumbs up. “Very elegant.”

“It’s kind of old fashioned,” May said, nodding along. “But it works.” The corner of her mouth turned up in a wry smile. “Buuut there’s just one piece missing. Here,” she said, reaching back and tossing a green hat at Astra. “You said you wanted it to match, right? Try this on.”

“Ah—!” Astra started, fumbled the catch, then awkwardly grasped the headwear by slamming her hands together on both sides of the head cavity. Shooting a snickering May a dour glare, she held up the hat, giving it a once-over. It was large and colored the same shade of leaf-green as her dress, with a wide brim and a giant blue bow attached to the trim.

“Huh,” Astra said, blinking at it. A quick illusion to hide her head—and using the new hat like a shield regardless—she donned the headwear and smiled. It fit over her horns pretty well! Turning, she admired her reflection in a nearby mirror. “Wow,” she said, twisting herself around to see all the angles. “It fits perfectly! Thanks May!”

“No problem,” May grinned, flippantly brushing a hand through her bangs. “I wasn’t gonna leave a job half finished, don’t even mention it.”

“She rushed off to find it once you got in the booth,” Brendan mock-whispered. “I think she was excited—ow!” he yelped, rubbing at his shoulder.

May withdrew her fist and gave him an annoyed look. “Enough out of you. So,” she chirped, turning back to Astra, “we’re settled on this?”

“Yeah,” Astra confirmed, twirling around again. She grinned at her reflection. Wearing clothing wasn’t something she thought would ever become enjoyable, but she had to admit she looked a lot better now. “I think we’re good!”

“Great!” May said, clapping her hands. “I already have the tags, so we can get copies from the front. Now, how’s your shoe situation?”

Nonexistent, Astra thought. “Could be better,” she said. She shifted from leg to leg, wincing at the painful sores on the tips. Chasing after that Aqua grunt on human pavement had really done a number on her. “A lot better. Are we getting those too?” She wasn’t sure human shoes would work but today had made it very clear that something needed to change.

“Might as well,” Brendan said, pushing off the bench. "Good shoes are a lifesaver when you're traveling this much."

They travelled over to a section of the store filled with a massive collection of boxes. Astra eyed the shoes on display, feeling as lost as before. Her feet—or rather, the lack of them—made choosing even more difficult. Shoes were designed for human extremities, and from what little she’d observed of May’s, they were shaped like if someone tried to sculpt a hand but screwed up the thumb, made all the digits way too short, and then started to panic. In comparison, her legs just...ended.

A peculiar shape caught her eye, and she stopped at a fancy looking pedestal. A pair of weird black shoes were on display, the soles very nearly vertical and accompanied by what looked to be a long spike on the heel. Astra picked the footwear up, confused. Humans wore this? Weren’t their feet flat? She thought shoes were supposed to make walking more comfortable, not less. And why was this heel spike so sharp?

Was this honestly designed for a human? If anything, it seemed better suited to a Kirlia. It’d look a little silly, but her feet would fit in the hole much more comfortably than a human’s would. How much did it—?

Astra stared at the numbers on the placard. She put the spike-shoe back with a huff. Well! It looked flimsy anyway! It’d probably break the second she did anything faster than a jog. Turning around, she caught sight of a baffled May squinting at her.

Astra tilted her head. “What?”

May’s eyes darted between her and the spike-shoes for a moment before she shut her jaw with a click and shook her head, looking disturbed. “No,” she sighed, “Just...no. C’mon, the actual shoes are over here.”

Finding footwear that wasn’t designed by a madman was fairly quick. The issue of size came up, but a glance at a chart and some quick estimation let Astra confidently pick one that looked to be a size or two below May’s. Brendan then handed her a box of decent travelling shoes, light blue and covered in odd geometric patterns. Astra retreated to the dressing booth, then immediately ran into the rather urgent question of how exactly she was going to wear these.

Luckily the solution was the same as many of her recent troubles: Psychic Tomfoolery. The shoes came prefilled with several scrunched up paper balls for some reason, and Astra could simply psychically manipulate them to lift and turn the shoe in time with her footsteps. A package of long socks had also been obtained and provided a buffer of cushioning around the tip of her leg. It’d look odd if anyone actually saw her walk for a bit but the dress’s length made that unlikely. She’d have to see about finding some way to remove the need for her power later; the number of things she was doing with her powers at all hours was growing concerningly large.

Standing up, Astra took a few hesitant steps around the booth, grinning at the sensation of soft padding. Wow, she really should have done this earlier. It was like miniature beds strapped to the ends of her legs! No abrasion at all. This should stop the sores from showing up again in the future.

Striding out of the booth once more, Astra grinned at her friends and gave them a thumbs up. May had been absolutely right to bring them here, Astra thought to herself as they headed to the register. With all the chaos today, she really had needed a good, solid win.

After Astra—and May, because Astra didn’t have enough—paid, the trio stepped out of the store and walked back toward the city in high spirits.

“Well,” Brendan said, hefting up the bag of clothing he’d been tasked with carrying. “I’d call that a success.”

“I’ll say!” Astra exclaimed, spinning in place again. She watched the edges of her new dress flare out again, a giddy smile on her face. “This is amazing!”

“I’m glad you like it,” Brendan said, returning her smile. “It’s very elegant.”

“Much better than before,” May said, nodding. She smirked, then broke out into a cackle. “At long last!” she proclaimed, stretching her arms out to the world at large. “The shower will be mine in the morning!”

Astra rolled her eyes. “Oh, go stuff a rock in your face. Just for that I’m going to take even longer on purpose.”

Astra paused as a yawn overtook her, and she rubbed at her eyes as a postponed weariness finally made itself known. She looked up at the sky, noting the faint orange of the sun rapidly vanishing behind the skyline. The stars had yet to make an appearance, though many likely wouldn’t show while she was in the city, even in the depths of midnight. She never had made that complaint back at Petalburg, had she?

Another yawn answered hers, Brendan‘s eyes scrunching closed as he covered his mouth. He blinked sleepily. “Well, let’s make it to the morning first,” he said. “I’m done for the day; gonna drop these off at your place and head back to mine.”

“Sounds good,” May murmured, scratching at her bandages. She yawned as well, looking annoyed. “Damnit, you got me doing it too.”

Astra huffed in amusement, which triggered another yawn. Brendan followed up with his own once more, and May finished out round two with great annoyance.

“Alright, stop that,” May groused. “It’s getting irritating.”

Brendan raised an eyebrow. He yawned.

“Motherfu—hu—huaaaawker!”

They arrived at the hotel, the modest lobby and hallways absent of their usual bustle. Brendan had taken his leave after dropping Astra’s new clothes on a table and had promised to meet up in the lobby the next day. May collapsed on the bed with a groan, kicking her shoes toward the door and stretching out with a bevy of muffled pops.

“Well that sounded nasty,” Astra commented, while frowning at her own backpack and digging through its contents. She’d have to do some rearranging to fit her new clothes inside. “Feeling better now?

“Sore as hell, but glad to get off my feet again.” May sighed and rubbed at her bandages again. “Tch, this is gonna annoy the crap out of me.”

“Just get some rest and you’ll be better in no time!” Astra said, humming a small tune as she jostled some jars around. “It’s only a week or so, right?”

“Something like that, yeah.” May shifted around, then pulled herself upright. “Ugh, I should probably change.”

“Mmm.” Astra still didn’t have any proper sleepwear, so she’d have to finagle something with the towels again. “Wouldn’t want to ruin that soft bed with dirty clothes, right?” she asked, wryly remembering her first night in Petalburg.

May snorted. “Yeah, right. I still can’t believe you didn’t have a problem with that. What, have you been sleeping on a pile of straw or something?” she joked, discarding her shirt on a nearby chair.

“Grass, actually,” Astra absentmindedly corrected, delicately folding the dresses into a newly created space in her backpack. A silence broke out as she finished putting her clothes away, and Astra turned to see May staring up at the ceiling with a strange expression, lips thin and brow furrowed.

...she’d said something weird again, hadn’t she?

Astra quietly excused herself to the bathroom, silently berating herself as she turned on the faucet and splashed her face with water. She stared into the mirror and saw a face, tired and frustrated. A human face, with too-small eyes, a too-wide mouth, and a protruding mass of a nose. It melted away with a thought and Astra stared at her own features. They weren’t much happier, but at least they were hers, free of lies or misdirection.

“It’s hard,” Astra told the mirror. “It’s hard, and nobody understands.”

The mirror didn’t reply. It held no answers that Astra didn’t already know herself.

May had slipped under the covers while Astra readied herself for bed. Astra flipped the light switch, plunging the room into darkness, and slid under her side of the sheets. She snuggled in, resting her head on the pillow, and sighed.

It really was soft.

After a while, when Astra had started to drift off, May spoke up.

“Hey, Astra?”

Astra cracked an eye open. “Mmm?”

“Did you really sleep on a pile of grass?”

Astra stared at the ceiling. “...Yeah.”

“...Did your grandpa?” May asked, a hint of a steel lining the question.

“He covered his with fur.”

May considered that. “...Huh.”

“I was going to get my own cover, at some point,” Astra elaborated. “He says I have to make it myself.”

“Hm. From what?”

“I think he made his from Poochyena?”

“If you skin my dog I will end you,” May said, voice flat.

Astra let out a huff of laughter. “No promises.”

May scoffed, then fell silent. A few moments of quiet passed and Astra had just begun to wonder if May had fallen asleep when her voice rang out again. “Astra? You’ve...never really left home a lot, have you?”

Astra stared at the ceiling. May was fishing for something. Had she grown suspicious? Well, at this point, maybe it wasn’t such a surprise. Her ignorance of the human world was too pervasive—perhaps it was inevitable that something would have to give. But how miserable was it that she hadn’t even lasted a week? Ugh. She didn’t regret befriending May, or Brendan for that matter. But man, they made things complicated.

But what was May fishing for? The only thing Astra could sense was concern, curiosity, and an underlying hint of...envy? She was envious? Of what?

“No,” Astra finally admitted. “I’d never been very far, a few hours of walking at most. I guess that’s not much of a surprise, is it?” She chuckled nervously.

“A little obvious, yeah,” May said, a dash of humor in her tone. “You ask a lot of weird questions.”

“I guess I do, huh?” Astra sighed. “Thanks for answering them all the time.”

“Hey, if you don’t know, you don’t know.” May shrugged. “Can’t say that I know everything either. Camping would have been pretty shit if you weren’t around. Hell, you even taught me to start a fire. That was pretty cool.”

“Oh! Well, you’re welcome!” Astra grinned, feeling warm. “It was nothing, really. Everyone learns that super quickly.”

“Everyone, huh?” May pondered. “You mean people back home? Didn’t know you had neighbors. Not just you and your Gramps holed up in a cave, then?”

Astra thought back to the night before her departure, facing down the congregated masses of her home. How many had there been? Hundreds at least, maybe thousands. “We have a few, yeah. Their homes are made of wood, though.”

“Hm.” May twisted around, fiddling with the pillow before settling onto her side with a sigh, facing away. “What’s it like out there, anyway? Living out in the woods, I mean. I can handle roughing it for a few days, but I don’t think I’d ever want to stay out there.”

...that was the third question about her home in a row. Was that what the worry was about? Maybe the apparent lack of normal human amenities was a bigger cause of concern than Astra had initially thought. May’s concern had started to ebb a bit with every answer she received, and it occurred to Astra that by asking about all the things humans had, she may have been implying certain things about what her village lacked. Maybe May thought they didn’t have anything at all; no wonder she was worried.

“It’s not as…complex, as this room is,” Astra began, considering her words. “There are no lights, or plumbing, or tv, yeah, but it’s still home. A bonfire can cook food and keep you warm. The compost helps keep the garden healthy, and growing your own food makes it way tastier. Though sometimes the fruit gets too big and ends up mostly water,” she confided. “Soggy food is kinda gross.”

May let out an amused huff. “Remind me to tell you about cereal,” she murmured.

“Sure,” Astra agreed, “but I haven’t even told you about our stories yet! We’ve got tons of legends and songs, and there’s even a few people who can form silhouettes from a light or even shape the fire itself to act them out! The tv is pretty cool, but I’ll always love the shadow plays the best,” she finished, nodding firmly.

“Shadow puppet theater? God, you sound like such a hipster.” May snorted, turning back over. She looked at Astra, brown eyes meeting crimson in the dark. “But if you like it that much, I suppose it can’t be that bad,” she allowed, giving Astra a hint of a grin. It faded quickly. “...Do you miss it?”

Astra frowned at May, confused. “My home? Of course I do. Don’t you miss yours?”

“What’s there to miss?” May asked, fingers drumming on the pillow. “The house? I didn’t even spend a full day there before I left; hell, the closest thing I did to unpacking was set the clock. Mom’s a phone call away in the fuckin’ unlikely event I wanna talk to her, and dad—” May paused and made a face. “No.”

“Oh,” Astra said, lamely. “Er. Well, did you have anyone back in...Johto...?”

May’s lips thinned, and she gave her pillow a sullen glare. “Not since grade school,” she sighed, and rolled back to face the ceiling. “...You know, I take it back; I might’ve liked it better spending a decade in a single tree than all those fancy houses put together.”

Astra gave her a melancholic smile. If only it were so simple. “I know a guy who’d put up some walls for cheap if you ever wanna move in next door,” she joked.

“Heh, right,” May mumbled. “...Do you think I could visit, sometime?”

Astra paused, turning the question over in her mind. “I don’t know.” she replied after a moment’s thought. Disregarding the layers of issues to even reach that point, the villagers would freak out if May showed up out of the blue. “Maybe someday. But we’ve got a lot of Hoenn to cover, still.”

“Mmm. You know, I—”

“Preferably while well rested,” Astra hinted.

“Tch, fine.” May grumbled. She yawned and twisted away, pulling the sheets up higher. “Night, Astra.”

“Night, May,” Astra replied, pulling her side of the beddings closer to herself.

At long last, after a hectic chase, a thunderous battle, and myriad lesser incidents, she could lay down and recover. She hoped with all her heart that the rest of the week would not be nearly as eventful as her first few days in Rustboro.

As for tomorrow...well, she’d have to bring her team up to speed. A new member, and an evolution...maybe they could play some games again? Or she could decompress with her human friends. Both at once? She wondered if she could find that ‘ice cream’ somewhere as well. Ah, so many options.

Astra closed her eyes, shut out the human world's uncontrolled flood of emotion, fixed up her illusion to last the night, and finally let the faint sounds of the city carry her away.

...

“One last thing, where exactly—?”

Astra hit her with a pillow.