Pokemon: Skybound

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"Yes!"

Hearing Kai agree to let her stay, Misty nearly cheered aloud.

However, rather than sleeping near Sabrina, she deliberately chose the other side, placing Kai between them.

Since their separation after the Indigo League, Misty and Kai hadn't spent much time alone together.

Now that she finally had a chance without Ash being around as an annoying third wheel she was bursting with excitement.

She chattered non-stop, completely ignoring Sabrina's presence.

For a moment, the tent was filled with laughter as Misty happily talked about everything that had happened since they last met.

Sabrina glanced at Misty, then sighed.

She had no intention of competing for attention.

To her, Misty was just a child, someone who posed no real threat to her relationship with Kai.

Not wanting to listen, she pulled out a pair of headphones, put them on, and closed her eyes, choosing to tune them out.

Misty noticed this, which only emboldened her further.

With no hesitation, she openly expressed how much she had missed Kai.

"Kai, guess who I dreamt about last night?"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Hehe, of course, it was you!" Misty blushed but maintained eye contact, her voice filled with excitement.

"I dreamt about the time we went to the hot springs on Cinnabar Island… It was such a nice memory, don't you think? And now, just a few hours later, here we are together again! It's like my dream came true!"

Kai felt a twinge of awkwardness, 'Cinnabar Island… The hot springs…'

The memory surfaced in his mind, causing his nose to itch slightly.

She was definitely bringing that up on purpose.

If Misty were a few years older, he might have actually reacted differently but she was still too young.

Even though her intentions were clear, Kai chose to play dumb.

"Uh… yeah, haha… what a coincidence," he responded vaguely, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

Misty didn't notice his hesitation, or if she did, she didn't care. As long as she could talk to Kai, she was completely happy.

—

Outside, a gentle breeze made the tent fabric tremble slightly.

At some point, Sabrina had fallen asleep, and Kai lowered his voice so as not to wake her.

He and Misty continued chatting casually, but as the night wore on and the time crept past 11 PM, he started urging her to sleep.

"Misty, you should get some rest. If you don't sleep properly, you won't grow taller. And you wouldn't want dull skin, would you?"

Misty pouted. "Fine…"

Though reluctant, she finally laid down, quieting down. However, the moment she closed her eyes, a smile crept onto her face.

'I'm sleeping right next to Kai… In the same tent…'

'Such a small space… breathing the same air…'

'Doesn't this count as living under the same roof?'

She blushed at the thought.

Before she knew it, sleep took her over, and she drifted off with a contented smile.

Kai let out a silent sigh of relief.

As much as he liked Misty, she was far too bold and unpredictable at times.

Handling her can sometimes be harder than dealing with Sabrina…

Finally, as silence settled over the tent, Kai allowed himself to rest.

—

Deep into the Night…

The campground was quiet.

The only sounds were the crackling of the dying fire and the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind.

Near the fire, Quackenpoker remained awake, occasionally tossing more wood into the flames.

Knowing that he was too old to stay up without help, he had prepared a strong pot of tea, using its bitter taste and stimulants to keep himself alert.

Sip.

He let the warmth spread through his body, fighting off the chill of the night air.

Then—

SPLASH!

A loud disturbance in the lake snapped him to attention.

His eyebrows lifted.

"Could it be…?"

His heart raced with excitement.

Had the Magikarp finally begun their mass evolution?!

Grabbing his binoculars, he rushed toward the lake to investigate.

—

Meanwhile…

Inside the tent, Kai stirred.

A low mechanical humming rumbled in the distance, growing louder.

At first, he ignored it, thinking it was just part of the environment.

But after a while, the persistent noise made it impossible to sleep, With a frustrated sigh, he forced his eyes open and reached for his lamp.

As he switched it on, he checked the time—

3 AM.

Just as he was about to get up, he noticed something odd.

Something felt off.

When he looked down, he froze.

Misty was curled up against him, wrapped in his blanket and his arm was around her.

Kai's mind went blank for a moment.

'Wait, what?!'

Somehow, at some point in the night, Misty had ended up in his sleeping space and in his half-asleep state, he had mistakenly treated her like Sabrina, instinctively holding her close.

'How did this happen?!'

He quickly released her, praying she wouldn't wake up and misunderstand the situation.

Just as he pulled his arm away, Misty's eyelids fluttered.

"Mm…?"

She stirred, her voice groggy.

Kai froze again.

As Misty sleepily sat up, she blinked at him in confusion.

"Kai…? What's wrong?"

Before he could answer, she suddenly shivered.

She looked down, realizing her pyjama buttons had come undone slightly, exposing a bit more than intended.

With a gasp, she quickly covered her chest and turned away.

Kai cleared his throat.

"Uh… I was just… going outside to check something," he said casually, trying to brush past the awkwardness.

Misty frowned slightly, still half-asleep, but didn't press the issue.

She blinked drowsily before muttering, "Oh… okay…" and flopped back down, still too tired to think straight.

At that moment, Sabrina woke up as well.

Noticing Kai getting dressed, she raised an eyebrow.

"What's happening?" she asked, her voice still smooth despite her grogginess.

Kai sighed, "Not sure… but something's going on outside."

With that, the three of them got dressed and stepped out of the tent.

—

Outside, the air was cold and crisp, making Kai feel instantly more awake.

Nearby, Ash and Tracey were also stirring, rubbing their eyes and yawning as they crawled out of their sleeping bags.

Everyone exchanged confused glances, still half-asleep.

Turning toward the lake, they spotted Quackenpoker.

The old scientist stood at the water's edge, gripping his binoculars tightly, his expression serious.

His gaze was fixed on the lake.

Something was happening.

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