Thanks again for all the support, everyone. It means quite a lot. Enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 55: Literal Growing Pains

Everything moved quickly after Tessa passed out. Silvally and Espeon came over from the other side of the Volcanic Wastes, bringing the Totems and the Western Tribe along with them. The cheerful reunions and celebrations were immediately put on hold when they spotted Shane panicking. His teammates descended on Tessa, with Spike-Skull and Healer following right behind them. Even Totem Salazzle looked alarmed at the sight of an unconscious Lucario lying on the ground, aura feelers spasming wildly.

Silvally scooped Tessa up while Spike-Skull grabbed her now soot-covered scarf. Healer tugged Silvally's neck and gestured toward one of the houses made of igneous rock. As they ran toward the house, Healer started barking orders for Pokémon to gather berries, towels, and rags soaked in water. Shane immediately ran off with Totem Salazzle and Totem Marowak, desperately hoping to get the supplies necessary to help his ailing teammate.

'I don't understand,' he thought as he watched Totem Salazzle emerge from her home with a handful of blankets and rags, 'evolution is supposed to be a good thing! The games celebrate it with fanfare. The anime had whole episodes dedicated to evolving… with triumphant music and everything!' Tessa's agonized cries flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning. A mental image of her horrified face stared back at him. Shane shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut. 'Why can't something good happen to Tessa for once? She deserves it, damn it!'

"Outsider."

Shane's ears pointed straight up. He found Totem Salazzle looking right at him. "I can see the worry for your lea– err, for your friendin your eyes. You must keep a level head. My daughter has nursed many in our tribe back to health. Lucario is in good hands." She held the rags in front of her. "Now, would you please douse these in your Frost Breath?"

"Y-yes! Of course," Shane squeaked. He released a cloud of icy air. It made it right up to the rags before the thick volcanic heat choked the attack, leaving the rags soaked in water. Totem Salazzle nodded and dashed off toward Healer's house. Shane followed hot on her heels. He entered the house and found Tessa lying on a straw bed, her rainbow scarf draped over a chair in the back of the room.

Healer stood beside her at a table, mashing up berries with a mortar and pestle. Spike-Skull coated the tip of his bone club in a colorless, sparkling gel. He proceeded to rub the club against Tessa's neck.

Tessa initially tensed, before her breathing steadied out. "What's going on? Why did she pass out like this? Is she going to be okay?" Shane asked. "What can I do to help?"

"Peace, outsider," Healer whispered, raising a hand. "You are giving off far too much nervous energy. That will complicate the healing process."

Shane whined softly and looked down. Silvally stepped to Shane's side and nudged him. "She's going to be okay," he assured her

"You don't know that for a fact," Shane said meekly. He looked up at Healer. "Please," he croaked, "let me do something to help. Anything!"

"Fan her with your tails."

Shane blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"You are a Vulpix," Healer said. "Your tails give off chilled air. Lucario is burning up right now. And the hot air of the Wastes will only make it harder for me to help her. Fan her head with your tails. We have to try and cool her off."

Shane nodded his understanding. He hopped up onto the table and took a look at Tessa. Even though she was unconscious, a grimace lay across her face. Her aura feelers twitched erratically, making Shane's heart skip a beat. He turned around and moved his tails up and down in unison.

"You're going to have to do it faster than that," Spike-Skull harrumphed.

Shane intensified his efforts. He looked over his shoulder and his spirits lifted at the sight of chilled air emerging from his tails and gently drifting across Tessa's face. Spike-Skull applied more of the gel around her neck. Tessa's breathing slowed down further. Healer nodded her approval and walked over with some of the wet blankets. She wrapped them around Tessa, leaving only her waist exposed. Shane watched as the twitches in Tessa's aura feelers gradually subsided.

"I think that's enough," Healer exclaimed, waving Shane off. She took one of her last remaining rags and wrung out a pair of berries over it. She placed the berry-soaked rag on Tessa's forehead and pressed down firmly. Healer snapped her fingers and pointed to the smaller of the two bowls sitting on her table. Shane leaped onto the table and scooped it up in his mouth. In the process, his rainbow scarf fell off. Spike-Skull grabbed it and tossed it over by Tessa's.

"Okay, what now?" Shane asked as Healer held the small bowl up toward Tessa's snout. She swirled the green powder inside it around. Tessa inhaled some vapors and descended into a coughing fit. Shane's tails shot up in panic. "How is that helping her?" he growled.

"Patience, outsider," Healer chided. "I have tended to something like this before. Please, just take a deep breath before you start making me nervous." Shane frowned but backed off and did as Healer instructed. "Good. Now, please get me the other bowl from my table," Healer requested. Silvally started to approach the bowl, but Shane once again jumped to the table. He picked up the bowl, hopped back onto the straw bed, and walked the bowl up to Healer.

"Thank you," Healer said. "However, I'm afraid that's all I can have you do. This next part is extremely sensitive and I must ask that you and your friends step outside and wait."

"Why?" Shane asked.

"It's essential that this berry juice mixture get into Lucario's body," Healer exclaimed. "But since she's unconscious, I can't simply have her drink it." She took a deep breath. "So, I'm going to need to use an… ahem… alternative method."

Espeon's and Silvally's expressions both blanched and they walked out of the room without a second thought. Shane still didn't understand, however. "What exactly is that supposed to mean, huh?" he asked.

Healer sighed and rubbed her temples. She leaned over and whispered to Shane. When she finished, Shane's tails shot up in alarm and then curled against his hips. He jumped off of the bed and ran out the door without looking back. Shane found his teammates waiting for him outside. He looked back at Healer's home and whimpered, "Why did this have to happen to Tessa?"

Silvally frowned. "Because, despite our best efforts, bad things happen to good Pokémon." He hung his head. "I think I'd know better than anyone else. Still…" He locked eyes with Shane. "Tessa's tough. She's going to make it through this. I'm confident."

Espeon sat down and curled her tail around her legs. "I think I've got a pretty good guess as to what might've happened." Shane looked at her expectantly, while Silvally furrowed his brow for a few seconds before his eyes widened in realization. "I believe Tessa evolved prematurely."

Shane's eyes narrowed. "That's it? Wasn't it you and Umbreon who suggested she use a Z-Move to kickstart her aura powers and evolve? I thought that was the whole point!"

"Could you please just let me finish talking for once before you start running your big mouth?" Espeon hissed. Shane's ears drooped and he stepped backward, poking dejectedly at the ground with a forepaw. Espeon took a calming breath. "The fact of the matter is that part of the evolution process involves a Pokémon mentally preparing themselves for the physical changes and influx of spiritual energy that accompanies an evolution. If that isn't done – if something happens to trigger an evolution that a Pokémon wasn't ready for – their mind may not be able to acclimate to all the changes."

The revelation alarmed Shane. "And what happens?"

"Usually the Pokémon ends up in such a great deal of pain that their mind shuts down and they go comatose," Espeon declared ominously. "In our research, Umbry and I read papers that claimed Pokémon had died trying to force an evolution before they were properly prepared."

"What?!" Shane shouted, panic spreading across his face. "Oh my god… Tessa! Tessa!" He tried to sprint back into Healer's house, but Silvally stepped in his path.

"Shane, you have to calm down. Let Salazzle and Marowak tend to Tessa," Silvally said. "I don't like this one bit, either. But this is the best chance that she has."

Shane gritted his teeth and looked away, blinking tears out of his eyes. "Tessa," he blubbered.

"I'm sorry things turned out this way," Espeon said. "I wish Umbry and I had never made that suggestion about using a Z-Move." She looked at Silvally. "Tessa… she had mentioned something about her aura sense being weak, didn't she?"

"She thought it was underdeveloped for someone her age," Silvally said.

Espeon sighed. "That must be it, then. You saw the size of her new aura feelers, right? They're larger than your average Lucario's. To go from being underdeveloped to that…" Espeon shook her head. "No wonder she just shut down. And that's not even getting into the physical changes. Doubling in size… growing in new fur… having metal coat her skeleton…"

"That's enough, okay!" Shane barked, shaking his head. His legs shook uncontrollably. "How can Pokémon stand to evolve if that'swhat could happen to them? All of this sounds terrifying!"

"Shane, you have to understand, it's rare that something like that happens," Espeon assured him.

Shane laughed uneasily. "Yeah… right. Knowing my luck, if I try evolving into Ninetales, I'm just gonna end up dead!"

"Outsiders."

Team Radiance snapped to attention. They turned toward Healer's house. She stood there, leaning on Spike-Skull's bone club and clutching the rainbow scarves in her other arm. "I'm finished. Lucario is resting. I think she's going to be okay."

Shane sped into Healer's home, nearly bowling her over in the process. Inside, he found Spike-Skull cleaning up the supplies. "Careful, Whi– no, Valiant-Bones," he cautioned. "You must let her wake up naturally. The medicine Salazzle used may still be working its way through her system." He carried his armful of supplies into the kitchen area.

Silvally and Espeon entered the house as Shane went up to the bed. His snout wrinkled at the sight of purple juice dripping off Tessa's hip and trickling down to the floor. He turned his gaze on Tessa's face. The pained grimace had gone away, replaced by a calm expression. Tessa's chest slowly rose and fell, moving her paws up and down along with it.

"She seems to look a bit better," Espeon observed, forehead gem flickering. "Her life force was unstable when I tried to sense it earlier. It's much steadier now."

"See? It's just like I told you, Shane. Salazzle and Marowak knew what they were doing," Silvally said. He walked up to Shane's side, looking Tessa over and nodding. "Now we just have to let her rest."

Shane ignored Silvally and hopped onto the bed. He sat down beside Tessa's head and looked right at her. The longer he stared, the more his vision blurred. Eventually, Tessa faded out entirely, along with the bed. Instead, Shane found himself looking at a lavender cushion. Instead of a Lucario, Lunala rested atop it. Shane focused on her red, spectral eyes, which blinked slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Shane heard himself ask in a deep voice.

"Awful," Lunala replied with a groan. She covered her face with part of her left wing. "How could I get food poisoning so easily? I thought we were immune to stuff like this."

"I did, too." Shane heard a deep sigh. He leaned over and licked Lunala on the cheek. "We're going to get through this. I promise… I'll have you up and flying about before you know it."

Shane jolted back into reality, shaking his head vigorously. "Something the matter?" Silvally asked, staring at him curiously. "You spaced out for a bit."

"I'm fine," Shane lied. "I just…" His voice trailed off and he looked down at Tessa. Even though she didn't appear to be in any pain, Shane's heart still sank. He craned his neck downward. Shane whined softly and nudged Tessa's cheek with the tip of his snout. "Please wake up." He whined again and licked the side of Tessa's face.

Silvally went wide-eyed. "Shane, what are you doing? Salazzle said to let Tessa rest."

Blood rushed into Shane's cheeks. He took a step back and looked away guiltily. "I… sorry. I just…" His shoulders sagged. "You wouldn't get it." Espeon raised a curious brow at this, but ultimately stayed silent.

"I know you want to make sure she's okay," Silvally continued. "Trust me, I feel the same way. But this is just one of those things that's out of our control, whether we like it or not." His head crest bristled and the energy blades slightly drooped. "So much seems to be out of control these days. I wish it were different."

Before Shane could respond, his ears twitched. They stuck straight up, enabling him to hear the sounds of crinkling straw. He looked down at his paws but saw that they weren't moving.

"Unnnnngh…"

"Tessa's stirring," Espeon gasped, pointing a forepaw ahead of her. Shane and Silvally both followed her gaze just in time to see Tessa's eyelids flutter open. Silvally's tail slowly wagged as Tessa sat up, clutching her head with a paw.

"T… Tessa…" Shane squeaked.

"Shane?" Tessa murmured. She took a look around at Healer's house and confusion spread across her face. "What are we doing in someone's house?" She looked at him with a furrowed brow. "And… did you shrink?"

Silvally stepped beside Shane, a worried look on his face. "Do you not remember what happened?"

Tessa frowned. "There was a volcanic meteor coming toward us. Shane was running away from the village but I went up toward it. And then I felt this tremendous surge of energy flowing through my body and…" Her voice trailed off and her gaze fell onto her left arm. She stared at the black fur covering her paw and running up past her wrist. Tessa held up her paws. Her arms trembled as she flipped her paws over and glanced at the metal spikes protruding from her flesh.

"I… I…" she stammered. She looked down and noticed a third metal spike protruding from her chest. Her cream-colored chest. "I'm a Lucario," she whispered. "But… but how?"

"It looks like Umbry's theory was right. You used a Z-Move. The energy you channeled jump-started your aura sense and triggered an evolution," Espeon explained. "We found you passed out on the ground with Shane calling for help. Our guides from earlier healed you."

Tessa's eyes widened. Silvally placed a foreleg on Tessa's thigh. "Hey. I know this is alarming for you, but you don't have to handle it alone. We're all here for you. If there's anything that any of us can do to help… just name it."

"Yeah," Shane said, stepping into Tessa's field of vision. "We were really worried about you."

"Some of us a bit more than others," Espeon whispered under her breath.

Tessa looked right into Shane's watery eyes. "I… I'm doing okay… I think," she said. "Is that true? Were you really calling for help?"

Silvally nodded. "And he had whipped himself up into a frenzy trying to help gather Salazzle's healing supplies."

"Oh," Tessa gasped. "Well, uh, thanks."

Shane sniffled. Without warning, he pressed his face against up Tessa's chest, avoiding the metal spike. Her aura feelers shot up in surprise. "I… I'm just so glad you're okay," he blubbered. "I was so worried! I thought we were gonna lose you!"

"Uh… well, I'm here now," Tessa said, arms raised and eyes darting about the room uncomfortably. "So, like, there's no need to worry, I guess."

Sensing Tessa's discomfort, Silvally grabbed one of Shane's tails in his beak and dragged him off of Tessa. "I think she wants a little personal space right now," Silvally muttered.

Shane's face reddened. "R-right," he stammered. "Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away." He rubbed his eyes with a foreleg. "I meant what I said, though. If there's anything I can do to make this whole situation better for you, tell me."

Tessa nodded. Her gaze fell back into her lap. "I understand," she said. "I'm sorry if I don't sound like myself. This is… a lot to take in." She held up her paws again and slowly turned them back and forth. "I just can't believe this is happening. I thought… that I was gonna be a Riolu my whole life."

"Aren't you at least a little bit happy?" Shane asked.

"I'm not really sure what to feel right now," Tessa said, lowering her arms. She hunched over and her shoulders sagged. "When I was little… I dreamed about evolving, sure. I heard such great things about the 'evolution high' that Pokémon get and how euphoric it is. But this… this is nothing like what I had in mind."

She looked up and spotted Healer walking out of the kitchen, a basket slung over her shoulder. "Um, excuse me? Do you have a mirror, by any chance?" Tessa asked.

Healer paused in the doorway. "Yes. I think I keep one in the supply closet. Hold on." She turned and reentered the kitchen. Healer returned a minute later with Spike-Skull in tow. They both carried a full-sized mirror into the room and lowered it to rest against the wall. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Uh…" Tessa rubbed her shoulder nervously. "Could I request some privacy, please?" She looked over at her teammates. "I need some time to myself… to gather my thoughts."

"I am not sure that's the wisest decision, outsider. Your life force could run out of control again, if you're not careful," Healer warned. Tessa looked at her pleadingly. Healer sighed in defeat. "Very well. I have work to do, anyway. It's not too important, but it'll keep me away from the house. Promise me that if something's going wrong, you'll yell for me at the top of your lungs."

Tessa nodded and watched as everyone departed the room, leaving her sitting on the straw bed. She looked over toward the mirror, unable to properly see her reflection. Slowly, Tessa pivoted, allowing her feet to touch the warm rocky floor. Tessa scooted to the bed's edge and cautiously stood up. But the instant she no longer had the bed supporting her, she collapsed onto her side with a startled yelp.

She propped herself up with her arms and looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes. Initially, they didn't seem too different than what she was used to. However, as she tried to stand herself back up, she realized that her feet now had more pronounced arches than they did before she evolved. Tessa shifted more of her weight onto her toes. She stumbled forward, panic spreading across her face as she braced herself to faceplant. Tessa threw her arms out to either side of her, barely managing to steady herself. She hesitantly took one step forward, remaining upright in the process. Then she took another. And another. Tessa walked up toward the front door, and then casually jogged toward the back of the room.

'Okay, so I can't rely on the balls of my feet anymore,' she concluded with a frown. 'I sure hope Lucario toes don't get sore easily.'Tessa shakily lifted her right leg up. Her left leg wobbled and threatened to give out from under her.

Suddenly, a strong prickling sensation fanned out across her aura feelers, which raised up in unison. The instant they all stiffened, the muscles in Tessa's left leg stopped twitching and tightened. She stood perfectly still on her left leg. Tessa raised a curious brow. She then kicked at the air in front of her with her right leg. To her surprise, she kept her balance through the entire motion.

Tessa resumed standing on two legs. At the same time, her aura feelers relaxed. Satisfied, Tessa walked up toward the mirror. She immediately tensed at the sight of her own reflection. Her eyes worriedly ran up and down the length of the mirror. Tessa's legs grew weak, so she shut her eyes and stepped away from the mirror, whimpering.

'Come on, Tessa. Snap out of it!' she scolded. 'This is who you are now. And you've got to come to grips with that. Your friends are counting on you to hold your own.' Tessa took a deep breath and gazed back into the mirror. She looked right into her reflection's eyes. Her irises were still red, but her pupils were less rounded. Instead, they were slit-shaped, giving her gaze a hint of ferocity. The thought prickled the fur on the back of her neck, but she steeled her resolve and continued examining her head in detail.

The only frame of reference Tessa had as far as real live Lucarios went was her mother. Because of that, she was surprised at the lack of any white, diamond-shaped patches of fur on her forehead. Instead, a stripe of black fur ran back from the bridge of her snout. A few quick glances at her body revealed other differences. She still had the extra tuft of fur atop each ear, but her ears themselves were longer and thinner than her mother's. Her shoulders were broader. Coupled with her wider hips, it gave her torso a pronounced hourglass shape to it. She also noticed her thighs were thicker; much closer to Incineroar's in size.

There were two big surprises awaiting her, however. The first lay on her chest, where the fur surrounding her new spike was black. Thin lines of black fur branched out from her chest spike, giving off the appearance of cracked glass. Tessa winced and pivoted to her right, revealing the second surprise: three concentric rings of black fur on her tail.

They immediately reminded her of her dad's arms. Memories of Incineroar wrapping her up in warm hugs flooded through her mind. Tessa's eyes watered and she tore herself away from the mirror, rubbing her face with a paw. She stood with her back to the mirror, trying her hardest to stop shivering and slow her breathing down.

"Why do I have all these extra features?" she whispered. Tessa looked down at her paws and her brow furrowed. Her attention fell on her right paw, which started shaking as she looked at it.

At first glance, it looked exactly like her left paw. But on closer inspection, Tessa saw something horrifying staring back at her: faint red fur taking the appearance of the winged heart sigil she had seen on Serperior's helmet… and her mother's robes. Her metal spike sat where the eye should've been, but there was no mistaking the sinister horns pointing down toward her digits.

"No," she squeaked. "Why is this here?" She wrung her paw out, as if she was trying to flick water off her fur. "This… this marking shouldn't be here! I… I'm not infected! I… I…"

Evolution is proof of an aura sense awakening. Something that you will never understand… because you're a lost cause.

Tessa looked up, right into the eyes of her mother's ghostly silhouette. The silhouette didn't speak, yet Prisma's voice echoed through Tessa's mind. Tessa stiffened, clasping her marked paw and placing it against her chest.

"I… I'm not a lost cause, Mom! Please… just let me try again! I'll get it right this time!" A slightly-younger Tessa squeaked.

The silhouette's eyes flashed purple. I gave you enough chances, Tessa. But you're undisciplined… unfocused. I can't work with you. This was all a mistake.

"N… no," Tessa whispered. "Please don't say that! It's not true! I–"

Tessa winced at the sight of the silhouette glaring daggers at her. It's futile, Tessa. Your aura feelers are too small. There's no way they could properly channel the aura surge a Riolu experiences when it evolves into a Lucario.

"You were wrong, Mom," Tessa whispered, raising up her paw and slowly rotating it. "I did it… on my own. Without you. I'm…" She clenched her paw into a fist. "I'm not a failure."

The sigil on her paw flashed. Tessa tensed. She looked back at Prisma's silhouette, only to recoil in horror. The mental image distorted. It flickered in and out of existence. Each time it returned, more and more of Prisma's body was covered in black, crystalline armor. Tessa staggered backward, trying to look away from the silhouette. But it kept following her, even popping up in her mind when she tried closing her eyes. Eventually, she found herself looking directly into Zero's lone red eye.

I gave you light! I gave you Z-Power! It was me! MEEE!

"That voice," Tessa gasped. Zero raised her left paw and vanished in a swirling cloud of smoke. "Mom, no!" Tessa shouted. She threw an arm up over her face, stumbling backwards as Necrozma flew toward her, wings spread wide and red eyes glowing brightly. The specter looked to wrap its wings around Tessa. She screamed and crumpled to the ground.

The silhouette abruptly dissolved into the air, leaving Tessa lying on the floor, wracked by shudders. She lost control and broke down crying. Cool metal contacted her shoulder and made her sit up in surprise. "S… Silvally?" she sputtered. "I just tripped."

"No, you didn't," he said. Tessa looked up into his eyes and realized they were bright pink. "You were in distress. Is it about your mom?"

"It's... um... see for yourself," Tessa whispered, rubbing her eyes with her arm. Trembling, she held her right paw up. Silvally's jaw tightened.

"Tessa," he whispered.

"The same symbol… it's etched into that gem on your looplet, isn't it?" Tessa said, sniffling.

"It is?" Silvally gasped. He looked down and his eyes widened. "It's faint… but it's there, yeah. I'm not surprised though. It popped up during some of the alchemical spells Golem used."

Tessa shook her head rapidly. "You don't understand, Silvally. I used Z-Power… Necrozma's power… to evolve," she squeaked, staring into her quivering paw. "I don't…" She choked back more tears. "What's going to happen to me? Have I been infected? Am I going to lose control like Mom? Am I going to turn into another Zero?!"

"Tessa… I have no idea," Silvally said.

She placed her paw against her chest, breathing heavily. "I can't… I can't go through that. Zero doesn't even look like a Lucario's supposed to. She doesn't have a tail. Her aura feelers reach down to her waist! I don't want my body to change on me anymore!"

"Tessa." Silvally scooted closer and offered up his shoulder. Tessa immediately lay against it. Silvally gently brought his beak to Tessa's forehead. Warmth flowed down Tessa's body, stemming from her head. They sat there in silence for several minutes, until Tessa's sobs died down.

"Your mom never told you, did she?" Silvally asked.

"About what?"

"Lucario can take on another form… beyond what they achieve when they evolve from Riolu," Silvally said. "Have you ever heard of Mega Evolution?"

"Um… maybe? I think Dad mentioned it a few times. Gallian might've, too."

"Some Pokémon can channel energy from Awakening Emeras to achieve a more powerful form in battle," Silvally said. "From the looks of things, Zero is a Mega Lucario." His eyelids lowered slightly. "Perhaps something in the Prism Virus is keeping her stuck in that form. A Pokémon should never stay Mega Evolved for too long. The risks are…" His voice trailed off as he noticed panic spreading across Tessa's face. "Hey now," he whispered, nudging her forehead again. "We're going to rescue her."

Tessa looked at her marked paw again. "But what about me?"

Silvally reached a foreleg up and clasped Tessa's chin. He tilted her head up until their gazes met. "We have each other," he said. "I won't let you turn into someone like Zero. And you'll help make sure I don't lose control… like I almost did with Serperior."

"Right," Tessa said, but her gaze fell toward the ground.

"Is something else bugging you?" Silvally asked.

Tessa rubbed her eyes with a paw. "When Mom started my aura training, she had such high expectations for me. She thought she could get me to evolve with just a year of hard work." Tessa hung her head. "But when weeks turned into months and I couldn't figure out how to use Force Palm, I could see the disappointment all over her face."

She teared up. "And that disappointment turned into frustration… and then Dad died, so she… she… she…"

Silvally pressed his face up against Tessa's, bringing her shuddering to an immediate stop. "It's okay. You can tell me anything."

Tessa sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. "Mom told me… that I was a lost cause." She dug her face into Silvally's hide. "After that, she left me behind to stay at the Observatory until she walked out on the guild."

"Tessa, I'm sorry," Silvally said. "You know that's not true, right? I mean… look at what just happened."

"I know," Tessa hiccuped. "It's just… all I can think about is how bad I want Mom to see me like this. But not because I'd expect her to be proud or anything." Her irises flickered blue. Silvally's head crest tensed. "I want her to see me… so I can show her how wrong she was… and give her a piece of my mind."

Before Silvally could respond, Tessa rubbed her left thigh with a paw. "I'm sorry. I bet this sounds pretty stupid. I'm complaining about evolving. That's, like," she laughed nervously, "a really dumb thing for me to do."

"I don't see it that way," Silvally said. "This was rough on you. And that's not getting into what else has happened today." He frowned and shook his head. "Speak your mind. Don't let this stuff eat away at you."

Tessa sighed. "You don't have to do that just for me, you know."

Silvally nudged Tessa's forehead. "I want to, since I seem to recall our situations being reversed two days ago."

"Yeah, but it was Shane who convinced me to find you," Tessa mumbled guiltily.

"You were still there for me. And I want to return that favor," Silvally said. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Tessa nodded slowly. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "I keep looking at myself – my new self – and remembering all the things I've lost and how bad I want it all back. Except I'll never get it back, no matter how hard I try." Her shoulders slumped. "Gallian always said that he was confident I'd evolve at the guild. He was willing to work with me to help me reach that goal. And when it happened, he'd make sure Dad was around to throw some sort of party." An uneasy smile crossed her muzzle. "I know that sounds super corny, but back then I was stoked at the idea."

"I don't blame you. An evolution party sounds fun," Silvally said. His tail lightly rapped Tessa's waist. Blood poured into her cheeks. She covered them with her paws.

"Yeah…" Her voice trailed off. "Only, well, that became an impossibility." She sat up and draped her arm over his back. "I had actually given up, you know."

"Huh?"

"When Mom left, I took her words to heart," Tessa continued. "I really believed that I was a failure as a Riolu. And that meant that I'd be stuck as one for my entire life. Weak… frail… no working aura sense…"

Silvally tensed. Tessa had some of his fur in her digits. Her fidgeting was making him uncomfortable, but he held his tongue. "Is that, y'know, what made you so depressed?"

Tessa nodded. "My life became an endless cycle of wishing I could be like my heroes... only to run away every time I got close to the guild. At least, until Shane showed up and started me down this... insane path we've been on."

"Well, I hope you know that you're not a failure," Silvally said. "I know things aren't great for you at the moment, but we're going to work through this… together. Shane really wants to help however he can, too." He smiled. "He actually told me he's confident you'll come to view your evolution as a good thing."

"He said that?" Tessa gasped.

"I was pretty surprised, too," Silvally admitted. "I think you've really changed him."

Tessa's ears stuck up in surprise. "M-Me? Oh… c-come now… I can't take credit for anything like that."

Silvally shrugged. "If it wasn't for you, Shane would still be acting like the whole world revolves around him." He turned to show the pink energy blades on his head crest. "Call it psychic intuition, if you want. But I believe you mean more to Shane than you realize. Possibly more than he realizes, too."

"That's… um… a lot to take in," Tessa said with a nervous laugh. "I'm just happy we're not fighting anymore. Let's leave it at that for now."

"Fair enough," Silvally said. Tessa slowly got to her feet and Silvally stood up beside her. "Something you want to do?" he asked.

"Um, kind of," Tessa replied. "I had wanted to do it by myself…"

"I can leave you alone, if you'd like."

"Oh, no." Tessa held up her paws and shook her head. "Now that I've had a moment to think on it, I'd rather have someone around in case something bad happens."

Silvally grew worried. "What is it you want to do?"

Tessa took a deep breath and her gaze sharpened. "I want to try out my aura sense. Right here, right now."

Silvally looked back at Tessa, his beak agape. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked, voice ripe with concern.

"Maybe not," Tessa admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "I can't exactly explain it well. There's this warmth." She brought her paw to tap her chest spike. "It's in my chest and the back of my head. It feels inviting, like a long-lost sibling that I just want to run toward and wrap up in a big hug."

Silvally sat down and raised a curious eyebrow. "Huh. Y'know, it sounds familiar when you phrase it like that.

"Well, it might be because there are Lucario spirits inside you," Tessa said.

"Probably, but this isn't about me," Silvally dismissed. "If you feel comfortable trying it, then try it. I'll be right here in case something happens."

Tessa nodded slowly. Her soft expression stiffened to a firm one as she brought her paws to her sides. She took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Aura is pure… and raw." She balled her paws into fists, and then relaxed them, flexing her digits. "Our spirits are all unique mixtures of the different types of life energy. Psychics sense living creatures as mosaics of different colors."

She curled both of her arms, bringing her paws up toward her shoulders as she took another breath. "But aura lies at the core of every spirit. Aura produces life energy. We draw on life energy to use our abilities." Tessa clasped her paws together in front of her chest. "With proper training and concentration, you can reach deep inside and pull your aura out!"

Tessa squeezed her eyes shut. The moment she did, her feelers twitched. They slowly rose up and tensed. Faint blue outlines appeared around them, drawing a surprised look from Silvally. He remained perfectly still, eyes locked on Tessa, wondering what was going to happen. Tessa slowly took in another breath. All she saw was the insides of her own eyelids. Darkness filled her world but she didn't react. She took another breath.

A silver flicker appeared in her eyelids. Tessa remained still. The light formed into a silver line. In a matter of seconds, dozens of silver lines raced onto Tessa's inner eyelids. Her heart rate spiked. Her head pounded. A wisp of blue fire appeared in the corner of her mental image. But when it did, the pressure on her head became so intense she forced her eyes open. Tessa's aura feelers relaxed and she dropped to one knee, panting heavily. Sweat pooled down her face, matting her new coat.

Silvally darted toward her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Tessa rubbed her forehead with her free paw. "I… uh…"

"Maybe you should focus on resting. You can always try this again, later," Silvally pointed out.

"No!" Tessa shouted, eyes widening in surprise at how loud she was. "S-sorry. That was…" She cut herself off and stood back up. "I don't mean to worry you, Silvally. It's just… I need to do this. For myself. If… if that makes any sense."

Silvally sighed. "It does. I don't like it… but I understand."

"Thanks," Tessa said. She stepped back from Silvally and closed her eyes again. This time, her aura feelers didn't immediately react. Instead, a memory formed in her mind's eye.

She was a Riolu again. Standing on the sands of Azure Cape and looking up at Prisma's stern face. "Mom, if aura is supposed to be pure, why is yours red? Aura's blue in all my picture books."

Prisma's lips twitched, offering Tessa a view of the single fang protruding from her mouth. "It's… nothing you need to be concerned with, Tessa," she replied, looking away from her daughter.

"Does it mean you're special?" Tessa asked. "Is my aura gonna be red, too?"

Prisma's expression fiercened. "No," she growled. "Yours won't be red. Neither of us are special. I found a way to change the color of my Aura Spheres to red because it's my favorite color. Nothing more. Nothing less"

"Will you tell me how to, then? I want make mine a rainbow!"

"Quiet, Tessa!" Prisma snapped, stomping down on the sand. Tessa skirted back, shrinking toward the ground. "None of this will mean anything if you keep slacking in your training. Understand?"

"Y… yes, Mom," Tessa squeaked.

"Good. Don't let me catch you thinking such ridiculous thoughts out loud again."

Tessa's eyes shot open, her irises smoldering with blue fire. Silvally jumped up in surprise, his gaze fixed on Tessa's right paw. The winged heart was glowing with the same intensity as Tessa's eyes. She turned to her right and, with a shout, lashed out at the nearby mirror. It shattered. Mirror shards dug into Tessa's paw, snapping her out of her trance. Tessa stumbled back from the mirror, looking in horror at the blood on her paw.

"Tessa," Silvally said, stepping toward her.

"No! Get back!" Tessa hollered, holding her healthy paw up. Her eyes were still burning blue. "I… I can see it," she whispered, cupping her injured paw against her stomach. She shut her eyes again and took a deep breath. Silver lights streaked through her vision. Her head and paw throbbed, but she refused to focus on them. Tessa remained fixated on the silver lines, watching as they formed a picture.

Tessa realized she was looking at the very room she stood in. Except the walls and ceiling were just faint silver outlines. Her mental image extended beyond Healer's house into Totem Salazzle's village. Similar houses popped up as faint silver squares.

"It… it's working," she whispered. Tessa turned to her left and nearly recoiled. A vibrant blue flame that was nearly her height stood right in front of her. She assumed it had to be Silvally. It would make sense for his aura to be large, given he was full of spirits.

She was focused so intently on Silvally that she wasn't prepared for a second, equally-brilliant flame pop up. Tessa jerked her head to her right and looked right at the door to Healer's house. "Shane?" she asked.

"How did you know? I didn't even get to say anything, yet!"

Tessa opened her eyes, but her vision of the room didn't return. She blinked several times, until finally her aura sight faded and her normal vision returned. Shane stared directly up at her, a look of concern on his face.

"I heard shouts… and glass shattering. So, I sprinted right over," Shane said. He did a double-take at Tessa's bloodstained fur. "What happened, Tessa? Oh god, we've gotta get Salazzle back here right away!"

"I'm fine," Tessa insisted. She walked back toward the straw bed and grabbed the rag soaked in berry juice from earlier. Tessa wrapped it around her injured paw, taking care to hide the marking on it. "I appreciate you coming to check on me, though. Still," her brow furrowed, "how did I know it was you?"

"Your aura sense must naturally know the auras of Pokémon you're familiar with," Silvally suggested. "At least, that's what came to mind for me."

Shane's ears perked up. "Wait, you got your aura sense working?" His tails wagged. "That's really great, Tessa! I'm so happy for you!"

"Y… yeah… I guess it is," Tessa muttered, rubbing her shoulder. She watched the smile fade from Shane's face.

"Is something wrong?" Shane asked, voice ripe with concern.

"Nuh… no! Of course not. I'm just… still a bit out of it, that's all," Tessa lied, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. She glanced Silvally's disapproving look out of the corner of her eye. His pink eyes glowed with psychic energy.

"Why don't I give you two some space?" Silvally said. "I think you ought to have a chat."

"Huh? What for?" Tessa asked, only for Silvally to walk out of the house. Her gaze returned to Shane, noting the mixture of worry and confusion in his face.

"If something's bothering you, you can tell me," Shane said. "Or maybe you just want to vent?"

"No. I–" Tessa cut herself off. She remembered Silvally's earlier comment about not bubbling up her thoughts. Tessa sighed and slumped back down to the floor. Shane cautiously approached her, but Tessa held up her healthy paw. "Shane, hold up. I need to get something off my chest."

Shane grinned sheepishly. "I don't think you can get that metal spike out," he quipped. Tessa responded with a scathing look that made Shane wilt. "Sorry… I was just joking."

"Shane," Tessa said. "I'm a bit worried… about you. About us."

Shane's ears stuck up. "H-Huh? What's there to be worried about?"

"When I sensed your aura, I remembered how much you gushed about Riolus and Lucarios when we first met," Tessa explained, fidgeting nervously with her bandages. She crossed one leg over the other, a defensive look on her face. "And after seeing what happened between you and Espeon, I… um…" Her brow furrowed. "Oh, the heck with it. Shane, I don't want you checking me out like you did to Espeon."

Shane took a step back, looking flabbergasted. "I… wait what? I don't… that's not…" His gaze darted around the room. "T… Tessa, that's not gonna happen." He met Tessa's gaze. But her smoldering blue irises made him look away, biting his lower lip. "You're reading my aura, aren't you?"

"Yes," Tessa replied. "And it's pulsating wildly. Your heart's racing, isn't it? Just like you said it did around Espeon."

"I can't help it! It's instinctual!" Shane protested. A tense silence fell between the two of them. Shane's ears and tails drooped. "I'm sorry," he squeaked. "You have my word… I'm not going to try or say anything stupid, okay?"

"Do you really mean that?"

Shane nodded repeatedly. "Tessa, I'm being serious here. I…" His voice trailed off and his face scrunched up in thought. "It's more important that we stay friends. I wouldn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable and put our friendship in jeopardy." He pawed sheepishly at the ground. "You deserve better than that. With all the stuff you've been through… you're definitely the strongest person I've ever met. And I, y'know, admire that."

"Shane," Tessa growled, turning away to hide the blush in her cheeks. "You're not keeping your promise."

Shane shut his eyes. "I'm sorry. The point I was trying to make is that it's not about what you look like. It's the Tessa on the inside that counts. The one who's always nervous, but selfless enough to try and help everyone around her… in spite of all her struggles. That's the Tessa I care about." He shuffled backwards, frowning. "Gah… that sounded so stupid. I'm making this all about me again." He shook his head and looked back at Tessa. "Listen. I know the circumstances around your evolution weren't great."

"Don't remind me," Tessa said.

"But I still think you deserve something special," Shane continued. "To celebrate. Evolving is still a big accomplishment. It's something to proud of. You ought to have something nice to remember this by, don't you think?"

Tessa rubbed the top of her snout. "I suppose you're right."

"I'm glad you think that."

Tessa and Shane looked toward the door in unison and found Healer standing in it. "Salazzle, were you eavesdropping?" Tessa gasped.

"A little bit," Healer admitted. "Sorry, it was getting late and I figured I should pop in and see how you're doing." She lazily flicked her tail to her right. "And, uh, both of you lost your scarves in all the commotion."

The realization finally dawned on the duo and they brought their paws up toward their necks. Shane and Tessa exchanged shocked expressions. "Tessa, I'm so sorry! I–" Shane started.

"Relax, you two," Healer said. "I scooped them up. And I figured that, with all the abuse they've taken, I could spruce them up a little bit." She stepped into the house and opened the basket over her shoulder. Two bandanas, each bearing the same rainbow fabric as the scarves Shane and Tessa had, sat inside the basket.

"You… you changed them!" Tessa gasped.

"They were starting to unravel, seeing as each one had a frayed edge," Healer explained. "Besides, with these, you'll look the part of seasoned explorers. Or so I've been told, anyway. I even had enough material to make one for your odd-looking partner. Go on, take 'em."

Shane and Tessa nodded to each other and walked up to Healer. A glimmer caught Tessa's eye. She looked down at her new scarf and did a double-take. "Wait. Did you weave my locket into the new scarf?"

Shane's eyes widened. "She did? I wanna see!" he said. Tessa picked up her scarf and unfurled it, showcasing the pendant sitting in the center of the moon pattern. "Whoa, that's incredible, Salazzle! How did you do that?"

"Oh, that? It's no big deal… really," Salazzle insisted. "I've done little patchwork projects like that before. Truthfully, it was a nice way to take my mind off the day's events."

Shane graciously accepted his new rainbow scarf, smiling at the sun pattern in its center. Tessa helped tie it around his neck. He nudged at it with his snout and then posed heroically. "Well, what do you think?" he asked, tails wagging.

Tessa smirked. "You look pretty stylish… for a small fry."

Shane's expression deflated. "S… seriously?" he groaned.

"Relax, Shane. You're fine," Tessa giggled. "Just a little friendly ribbing. I mean, you are the smallest one on the team now."

"By like a solid foot, I think," Healer added.

Shane's ears drooped. "Thanks for rubbing it in, guys."

Tessa rolled her eyes. She plucked Shane off the ground, much to his complete surprise. "Will you relax? We're only teasing." Minding her chest spike, she pulled him into a big hug. "Besides, you're all cute and snuggly like this."

Shane blinked in surprise, face turning bright red. "That was... another joke, right?" He shook his head about. Tessa laughed and set him back on the ground. "Okay, well, Salazzle kind of cut in before I had actually finished my thought from earlier." He looked up at Tessa. "So, listen. I talked to Totem Salazzle–"

"And she listened?" Tessa gasped.

"Yeah," Shane chuckled. "I was just as surprised as you are. Seems like Totem Marowak really got through to her. Anyway, she said she's willing to whip up a special meal for you, if you'd like."

"But what about the Sizzle Shard?" Tessa asked. "We have to go after Gallian before he does something reckless!"

Shane frowned. "And how do you propose we do that? We don't even have any idea where he went."

"Oh… right," Tessa muttered. "I guess we can just regroup tomorrow, then?" Her stomach gurgled loudly. She clutched it with a paw. "Oh… oh man…" she whispered. "A meal actually sounds really good. I'm positively famished! I don't think I've ever felt this hungry in my whole life!"

"Then I say we take Totem Salazzle up on her offer," Shane said.

Tessa nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely!" They started to walk toward the door with Healer in tow. "Think she could make us something with chocolate? I've got a massive chocolate craving right now."

"Uh, I don't think they keep any chocolate here. It's too hot. It would all melt," Shane mused.

"That's okay! Liquid chocolate's just as good," Tessa said, licking her lips to the sounds of Shane's laughter. As they walked through the village, they all failed to notice a black-tailed Salazzle leaning against Healer's house. Her eyes narrowed and her eyes flashed, turning her purple sclera white and her irises sky-blue.

"… so, they're after Gallian, huh?" the Salazzle muttered. "Then I'd better steer them in the right direction tomorrow. They may be my best shot at getting through to him."

This episode wound up getting extended by a chapter. I intended to add in some scenes to this one on revisions, but this chapter was long enough already. Let's get to review replies:

SuperOmegaGuest: I mean, you care enough to keep commenting and I consider that very important. It makes me happy!

Another guest: correct, Spike-Skull is just another member of the tribe. Totem Marowak doesn't have kids, only Totem Salazzle does. No plans for a Kirby fic, but there may be some references here and there.

Veralix: I would advise you to stay tuned for six or seven chapters and you might get an answer about that Zeraora question you've got rolling around.

Anon Omega: I think this would be a bit too long for a proper game. I'll have to take your word on the bible stuff because that is not something I'm familiar with. And thanks for the Independence Day wishes. Hope you had a good one, too.

Next time...

...

"I've finally found it! A Time Gear!"