Bonne année et bonne santé!

This chapter is more of a series of short scenes. It's quite relaxed and no headaches. In short I teased you in the previous chapter for not much in the end, sorry ^^'.

I'm finding it much easier to create moments dedicated to the rest of Serena's team since I've defined them better with Lavaridge's part. I feel like I know more about their character, their hopes, their doubts, and it makes me want to write a little more about them.

However, there were still a lot of passages cut from this chapter. The original idea was for Sylveon to meet all the team members and see (and thus the reader) what they were up to. Except that the chapter (the chapters, actually), once written, didn't pass the final test: do I find the time long while reading the chapter, or on the contrary, do I get to the end without even noticing it? If it's the former, I either try to make the pacing or the writing more energetic, or I just cut scenes.

Falling among bleuets isn't so bad

Braixen thought back to her trainer's last words as she walked alone through the forest. Oh, she wouldn't say that this dense, dark cluster of trees worried her, of course not. Just as she would assure you that she had seen other forests, and far more terrifying ones, no doubt. But to do what the others had done and go straight off the main path... There was already enough going on beside the path without having to deviate from it. She wasn't lying - one only had to see the magnificent brambles or the sublime peat mixed with rotting leaves and pine thorns to be convinced.

In any case, it wasn't a good idea to venture too far into the undergrowth. Not that she doubted her sense of direction, but she'd never really used it before and didn't want to put it to the test on the day of the trainers' party. True, she could think of a better gift than a night out hunting for the fox pokemon.

Splock. The soft sound of his paw sinking a good five centimeters into the swamp pulled her out of her thoughts for a moment. She resumed her walk, knowing full well that without water, she wouldn't be able to remove the mud from her fur and might even make the damage worse.

Why had she agreed to do this in the first place? Especially since she'd done it with a smile on her face, just to push the... the branch! The damn branch, which of course couldn't bend under her foot, it had to play hardball and show that it wasn't just a twig. Braixen tore off the piece that had nearly crippled her and nibbled on it - at least her revenge tasted good.

The piece of wood burned in her mouth as she wondered why she was reacting this way. After all, it wasn't the first time she'd found herself in this position... Well, it was true that she had been separated from Serena before, but she had never been completely alone.

Braixen carefully inspected the thick clumps of blackberries and other plants that, while seemingly less dangerous, might hide some poisonous juices. All she would probably find if she continued to follow the path was the next town. Come on! She was a pokemon, orientation was an instinctive thing! Instinctive like spitting flames, but you saw Ash. Yeah, yeah, I know it's not a real pokemon, but you're not what we'd call a "forest pokemon" either. Braixen's ear twitched, her capillaries swollen with blood. That little voice didn't bother her when she was talking to other pokemons, but when it turned against her, how annoying it was.

Braixen pushed the obstacles away with the tip of her wand. It would have been easier to burn them down directly, but if she started, the whole forest would be in danger. At least the problem would be solved. Again, why had she agreed? Because if it was to avoid looking stupid in front of Pancham, well... What if he was spying on her? What if he was actually laughing at her for her lack of courage? Yes, Pancham, not everyone is born in the forest. There are pokemons whose eggs were hatched in a comfortable greenhouse under the protection of Professor Sycamore and Garchomp. But you know that, and that's why you suggested we split up, so you could admire me completely lost in your playground!

Braixen had wandered into a thicket of overgrown undergrowth. When the woody plants reached her waist and threatened to reach her chest, she decided to turn back and look for another way through. The vixen sighed when she saw the yellow pompons now decorating the wild grasses. No matter how thick her fur was, if more tufts were plucked, she would end up with holes.

Not her best idea, especially since the bark was so damp that even when she crawled along with her claws, she feared she would slip, and it was only by a miracle that she made it safely to the other side. Not that it made her happy. I walk, I walk, but it would be good to come up with some ideas and... Braixen no longer thought about the damp moss matting her fur or the itchy nettle stings. All she could think about now was the giant pokemon that didn't seem very pleased to see her.

Worst of all, it looked like a pangoro. Granted, the classic black and white had changed to brown fur, but in terms of size and angry face, it was a ten out of ten in resemblance. I will be destroyed by that idiot's cousin... Until the bitter end! A brilliant idea right to the end, my little Pancham! the vixen despaired.

Braixen stared at the huge claws at the end of those tree-trunk-sized arms. Even if it miraculously decided to give her only a warning blow with its paw, the fox had no doubt that she would fly back to the path she should never have left. She snapped the branch against her fur. Who knows, maybe the fire would scare him off... Or just piss him off.

The vixen waved her torch, concentrating on the yellow circle on the monster's belly to avoid thinking about the hundred kilos of muscle around it. She'd met more pokemons like that, threatening creatures that would come after Serena if she couldn't defeat them. Ash is human, he will become human again, and when he does, you won't be able to unload on him. So take the lead and show him what a Kalos pokemon is worth!

Except Ursaring wasn't too interested in the vixen. At best, he was curious about this pokemon he'd never seen before, but the scent that tickled his nostrils soon took over all his thoughts. He walked over to the tree and crushed it between his paws to extract the honey, the Kalos pokemon being the least of his concerns.

Braixen put down her weapon. The honey smelled delicious, but the beast had established an unspoken rule that she intended to respect. So she prepared to leave, promising herself to thank Pancham for this "wonderful day".

Her ear twitched as she heard movement in the foliage. She lifted her head and squinted to get a better look at what was going on. The wood fairy. Her white coat, her big pink ears, and her train of long ribbons. She was leaping from tree to tree, her movements fluid and graceful, her old instincts still intact. Braixen checked to make sure the pokemon was still eating before asking in a low voice:

"I dawdled too long, didn't I?"

The fairy type shook her head in denial.

"It will be a while before the sun sets. And that's fine with me."

"Still looking for your gift?"

"Obviously, coming here doesn't help me much. I'm just running around in circles without a plan."

It wasn't sadness that Braixen heard in her friend's voice, but real desperation. Only, if the vixen got too direct and asked her what was wrong, Sylveon wouldn't answer her, even if Sylveon wanted to talk somewhere. That was the most annoying thing about her: the wood fairy wouldn't grant any wishes if you didn't have the art and manner to question her.

"I'm not much better," the vixen grinned. "And frankly, I don't see what Serena could possibly like here."

"Pancham seemed to have an idea already."

"This one... He does what he likes, and then I'm the one who has to follow."

"Didn't you want to come here?" Sylveon understood.

Braixen swallowed her pride and spread her arms wide to show her dirty fur.

"I think it shows. By hanging around here, I'm going to win the ground type, unless some generous soul decides to help me."

Sylveon chuckled at the vixen's poorly acted plea. She didn't have to go to such lengths to ask for her company.

"If I can count on your help," the pokemon said, holding out her ribbon.

The vixen took it with a big, ironic smile that said nothing to Sylveon.

"That's what I always do, isn't it? Have you forgotten all the evenings I spent trying to explain to you why Serena blushed so much in Ash's presence?"

"You made me think it was a disease..."

"You were just much more innocent and naive than I thought."

Braixen burst out laughing. Oh yes, she remembered how little Eevee had brought herbs to her trainer to cure her of her so-called illness.

"It's not... I've... You know, I lived on my own until we met, so I don't always understand this sort of thing very well, least of all with humans."

The vixen didn't speak because it would have been the worst thing to say at this moment. She had to wait, give her space to express herself, accept that the silence didn't have to be filled despite the fear it caused.

"Maybe that's why I have so much trouble... You know, it's silly, but my whole way of life was based on not being seen or heard. That's right, I didn't have to worry about what other people thought, I just had to worry about me, dancing while everyone else slept. But then Serena came along and decided to take me with her, to show my dance to more and more people. I was happy, Braixen. Even happier when I evolved, but I still didn't understand what it meant, how much I would be needed, and how much I could do... Plusle didn't blame me for being like that."

"No one blamed you."

Braixen bit her tongue, she couldn't help it.

"You don't understand! Even though I've evolved, even though I can sense the feelings of those around me with a touch... Serena. I was dangerous for Serena."

Sylveon's ribbons wrapped around her paws. Braixen had seen it all: how the fairy pokemon avoided her trainer's gaze, how uncomfortable she felt in her presence. And now the vixen had no doubt why Sylveon hadn't entered the contest.

"You say that. But you were the one who calmed her. You kept holding her hand, even if it meant enduring her fear, exhausting yourself, not being able to sleep."

Sylveon inhaled deeply, her sides heaving, ready to explode. She held back, and it was this kind of behavior that irritated the vixen the most.

"It's really going to get dark if we stay here and talk."

"It'll be dark no matter what, talk won't help," Braixen growled.

Serena had always been good at making things. A talent that had been honed during her participation in Pokémon Showcases, where she was sometimes asked to make outfits for the little monsters.

"I thought I'd seen you before, you just won the Fallarbor contest, didn't you?"

Serena gave one too many scissors. Now that her sheet of rice paper was ruined, all she had to do was get a new one.

"You're going to be famous," Brendan, sitting next to her, teased gently.

"I knew it!" Nancy replied, startling all the other trainers who were engaged in the same activity.

The coordinator blushed with embarrassment as she felt all the eyes on her, especially that of the girl who had just recognized her.

"A little smile for your fans?" teased Brendan.

The chisel's blade rippled and nicked the girl's finger. She grimaced and hurried to bring the wound back to her mouth, grumbling in passing:

"I didn't want to leave them alone."

"It would have spoiled the surprise," the boy remarked.

"If it was just Braixen or Sylveon... But the others aren't as calm and responsible as they are. Not to mention Charizard's tendency to get into trouble."

"I think a Charizard causes more trouble than it attracts," a boy across from her remarked, a certain Dylan.

"And yet this one..."

She didn't dare tell them that, after the dragon's fever, she really thought he was sick. In a way, he had, since the nurse thought it had something to do with the recent malnutrition. But she didn't seem too convinced.

"Now that you mention it, you're the coordinator who challenged Lisia with a charmander," Dylan suddenly remembered.

The Kalosian buried her head deep in her shoulders. Why did people remember that?

"He was trying to encourage me, but he didn't really realize that..." she blushed.

"Don't laugh, she still has two ribbons while you don't have a single badge," a woman at the other end of the table shouted.

"She fights with a charizard! There's no need to make your opponent lose points when you can take out its pokemon in one move."

"But it's something to be able to train one, don't you think? As far as I know, these pokemons aren't known for their gentle obedience. Aren't they, Serena?"

"Well, it's true that I don't always understand what's going on in his head, but his character is rather..."

"You see!" the woman exclaimed victoriously.

And they resumed their debates, while Serena did her best to convince herself that all was well with her pokemons.

"By the way, wouldn't you be interested in a trade? Like my friend said, I don't have any badges right now, and maybe it's because some of my pokemons are more suited for contests than gyms, so..."

"He stays with me," the young girl stopped him.

There was a respectful silence among the trainers, and even Brendan didn't try to comment until:

"Serena, while we're on the subject, isn't that your Charizard outside?" remarked Nancy, who had gotten up to fetch some gold paper.

The Kalosian moved closer to the window, and it was indeed her pokemon, using Flamethrower repeatedly.

"What are you doing?" she despaired.

"Your gift?" Brendan offered.

He scoffed, but it was still a possibility, and he'd resent her spying on him. Reluctantly, she started to lower the blind, but stopped short.

"Oh, my!" she screamed.

She ran out of the room before the surprised eyes of her colleagues. Some of them stood up to get a better look at what had startled the girl, and noticed the flames rising from the ornamental trees. And now, the pokemon was flapping its wings in the hope of extinguishing the flames, though it might just be a matter of scattering them.

"Does anyone have any water pokemon?!" exclaimed Brendan.

"Mine must still be in the Center," one trainer recalled.

The others stayed in the room, watching Serena scold her pokemon as she threw sand on the embers.

"All right, she wasn't wrong about her Charizard," Dylan said from the window.

The closer she got to the Pokemon Center, the more Sylveon caught the scent of burning. There, she found a lethargic Ash, whose only activity was picking up a handful of dirt and scooping it into his hand.

"Things didn't go as planned," she guessed the obvious.

"I almost set the Center on fire."

He lowered his head as if he wanted to bury it in the ground.

"Punished?"

"No, the other trainers and Joy managed to talk her down. But I can't get my flames into the shape I want, and I don't know if I'll be able to before tonight."

Then it'll be just the two of us, Sylveon thought sadly.

"How are the others?"

"A certain Ursaring offered Braixen his help," the fairy type explained.

In fact, Sylveon was grateful to him; without that pokemon, she would never have been able to free herself from the Vixen's clutches.

"An ursaring?" Ash asked in amazement.

"Braixen was just as surprised as you. But contrary to what you might think, it's far from the most terrifying pokemon in the forest, as Plusle and Minun will attest."

Sylveon chuckled at the fake pokemon's confused expression. How could she explain that the two rabbits had asked a group of volbeats and illumises for help and... the demands of artists, you might say.

"As for Pancham," she continued before the shapeshifter asked the fateful question, "I didn't quite understand what he was trying to do. He explained to me that it was a tradition from home: a bamboo stick and a story of psychic blessing. But I couldn't understand why he was coming back to town..."

"At the same time, there didn't seem to be much bamboo in the forest," Ash admitted. "What about you? Are you done yet?"

She lowered her ears, and the false-pokemon easily understood what that meant.

"Oh... Don't worry, you still have time."

"I don't think I have the right to offer her anything," she confessed.

"What are you talking about? It's not a question of right!" the former human snapped.

"Don't you remember? I accepted the Serena who wanted to hurt herself, I even admired her. So how could I do her any good?"

Ash remembered all too well when he'd seen the same look between Sylveon and her trainer.

"Charizard! I brought you a fire extinguisher. I'll show you how it works, and then you can..."

Sylveon had hidden behind the reptile a hair too late. Serena silently questioned the fire type, who confirmed her fears.

"Sylveon, a trainer I've just met would like to see what a showcase performance is like. Since you're the first one home, would you be so kind as to help me?"

"Sylve," the pokemon offered, pointing a ribbon at the fake pokemon.

"I don't think Charizard is the best one for this... No offense," she hastened to add.

"Char," Ash agreed, knowing better than anyone what he was worth.

Sylveon lowered her ears and stalked after her trainer. How could she explain that she had no desire to dance, that the passion that once drove her had withered to the point where she wondered if it would ever blossom again?

"It's been a long time since we've performed together," the girl remarked, "and besides... you no longer wrap your ribbons around my arm when we walk together."

"Sylv," the pokemon denied. But she had slowed down and pressed her antennae against her fur.

"Was it that disgusting?"

"Veon?"

"In Lavaridge Town, you spent a lot of time trying to calm me down, and... You must have sensed it too: my mood, my feelings, I guess it wasn't very pleasant for you. Not at all, in fact."

This time Sylveon had finally stopped. She watched the city, the trees a little further away, and thought she had to go back and find her present. Serena would understand, wouldn't she? That she couldn't stay, that she had to... She felt herself being lifted. Serena held her tightly in her arms, ignoring the struggling pokemon's protests.

"It's always better to dance with a clean coat, don't you think?"

All the way to their rooms, Sylveon kept her antennae from brushing against her trainer's skin, a difficult task given how tightly Serena held her.

"I can walk! I can walk by myself!" she pleaded.

Serena finally set her down on the bed and rummaged through her bag. She was smiling, full of energy, free of the nightmares the fairy type had never been able to keep away. How did you do it, Ash? How did you turn her? Serena was coming back, if Sylveon was going to escape, it had to be now. She tensed her muscles, her eyes riveted to her landing spot.

"I'm sorry I was such a bad example."

The pokemon pricked up its ears, its jump blocked, all its attention now focused on its trainer.

"Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm still trying to read someone's feelings too quickly, but... You were lost, you didn't know how to help me, and finally you said it was your fault that things got worse."

Because it was. Because she'd almost stopped the only one who could save Serena.

"Stop Sylveon. Stop," the trainer hinted.

She sat down next to the pokemon and twisted her hands on the brush.

"I know how it feels, I know exactly how it feels, and that's why I want to stop you from making the same mistake I did."

The bands tightened around Sylveon's body. Dead leaves clung to her fur, mud stained her white coat, how could a simple brush remove all that dirt? But Serena tried anyway, first at arm's length, then gradually approaching the pokemon.

"I don't want you to take my place, I don't want you to show me what I could have become if you hadn't saved me."

Sylveon scanned her trainer's eyes, waiting for the slightest sign of rejection as she approached her ribbons.

"You can have it all," the trainer murmured.

Sylveon wrapped her senses around her trainer's arm and let herself go. Soothing, calm, serene, Serena smiled at her and held her a little tighter so she could hear the soothing beat of her heart. But you didn't get that from me.

"Of course you did," Serena whispered.

Sylveon smiled softly as the girl closed her eyes. The taste in her ribbons was savory, sweet, sometimes full-bodied, a far cry from the pungency of the nights of terror. She found herself wanting more, wanting to devour these tastes longer, but exhausted, Serena had stretched out and drifted off to sleep.

"All is too much for a human," the pokemon scoffed. She lay down next to her trainer and began to radiate her calming aura. "But... I'd like to look a little like what you just gave me to taste, do you think that's possible?"

The young girl mumbled a vague answer in the fog of unconsciousness. Sylveon rubbed her cheek against her trainer's hand, a sweet reminder of their first meeting.

Nancy was embarrassed as she checked the clock. Serena had said she only had five minutes, and they were well over. But, no one else seemed to care, not even Brendan, who was concentrating on his final touches. If the humans didn't care, maybe she should ask the pokemon, although the dragon probably didn't want to be disturbed in his training.

"Hello."

The two reptilian eyes immediately focused on the trainer. Nancy felt uncomfortable with the way he was staring at her, not knowing that the former human actually vaguely remembered her face as well as the pink ribbon in her hair.

"My name is Nancy, and we had a little chat with Serena, your trainer."

Her voice trembled, and she was glad she'd kept a safe distance. Not that he scared her, but she preferred to be cautious with this kind of pokemon.

"Charichar."

She hadn't expected the dragon to greet her in such a friendly way, let alone smile at her with all his teeth.

"Uh... I was looking for her and wondered if you had any idea where she was."

He craned his head to one side. Serena had said she was showing her performance to a certain Nancy, and he had no doubt it was the one in front of him. He opened his mouth and sniffed the air, his trainer's footsteps leading him toward the Center.

"Charicha, chari!"

The reptile's concern was palpable as he walked briskly toward the building. Nancy hadn't meant to panic him, but she knew very little about charizards, and she'd never thought he'd go on alert so quickly.

"Zard!" the pokemon exclaimed in relief.

Serena was rubbing her eyes at the bottom of the stairs when they arrived. She quickly apologized for taking so long, but now she and Sylveon were more than ready for the demonstration.

Indeed, Nancy was not disappointed by the show, having only just started the contests, and was still in awe of the combinations and the way Serena synchronized with her pokemon. Her amazement was shared by the reptile, who remained in good spirits. In fact, he was so captivated that Nancy could understand why Serena kept him as a partner.

"What did you think?" Serena asked after the last greeting.

"It's another thing to see it in real life. Right, Gorebyss?"

The pokemon wagged its tail in delight, and it wasn't the only one. Noticing this, Serena discreetly approached the dragon and asked:

"And what did you think? I'm getting better, aren't I?"

She moved her arm to prove her suppleness, though she almost flinched several times. Ash grabbed her shoulder gently, not wanting her to strain her wound, even if it was just to reassure him.

"Well?" she waited for his opinion.

The shapeshifter followed the beads of sweat that ran down the girl's lips. Ah, true, she was waiting for an answer, but what could he say? Keep it simple, classic style: "It was very good." Yes, that was the answer.

"It was..."

With his heart on the edge of his lips, it finally escaped, rising in a pale red flame with quivering edges. He watched it fly, stunned, all those hours spent trying to create a circle of fire, and now...

"It's very cute," Nancy remarked. "I didn't think he could do it."

"Neither did I," the trainer confessed, brushing her finger across the flame that had approached her. "So this is what you had in mind?"

The fiery heart had vanished into thin air as the one inside Ash signaled its presence, as if to compensate for the recent loss.

"Would you do it again?" asked Serena. "Unless you have other forms in reserve... Or if you want to wait until tonight to show me everything."

"No!" he shouted.

A new cloud rose into the air. Some died instantly, but most reached the coordinator, grazing her hair, her clothes, her ribbon, her skin, and for a few seconds Ash imagined his lips instead of flames.

"Doesn't it burn?" worried Nancy.

Serena had asked herself the same question the moment the fire surrounded and trapped her. These moving shapes, however beautiful, were still dangerous, burning, and Serena expected to suffer quickly. But strangely enough, even after several minutes...

"No. It doesn't burn, it really doesn't."

A few flames died out under her breath. She turned around, her movements followed by flames, her skin caressed by their heat.

"It'll be perfect for the next contest. But I'm curious: why hearts?"

Ah yes, Ash, good question, why hearts? he heard a voice taunting him. And if the shapeshifter could scream right now, his only answer would be: It's you, Serena! You're the one who screwed me up!

"Just a thought," he finally replied.

In the deserted kitchen, Ash scraped the whisk against the glass of the salad bowl. If only he had accepted Plusle's suggestion this morning, he wouldn't have to check every five minutes to make sure his flames had returned to normal.

"Char!"

He crushed the tea towel with one wing, smothering the fire just in time. Why did everything ignite so quickly? His scales suddenly reddened, the blood in his heart boiling. He threw his head into the sink and turned the faucet on full blast to flood his burning face. But the water would have to reach him before it turned to steam.

Yes, we can say that it goes fast, much too fast! He wanted to spend more time with Serena and, as time went on, feel more comfortable with what he was feeling without the constant urge to push it away. Only now, things were getting out of control.

He let out a pitiful groan when a little water finally managed to reach his scales. Putting off the problem was all very well, but one day he would be human again, and the problem was that he would be Ash again. Yes, yes, that famous boy who had to answer the airport's goodbye. The trainer who thought he'd be able to get away from it all thanks to a new journey, only to have it catch up with him, nipping at his heels... well, actually, it was already nipping at him.

The shapeshifter returned to his workbench with clumsy steps and spat out a few flames. No hearts, no circles, just their normal shapes. Reassured, he grabbed the spatula, taming it in his hand before going back to work...or not. He'd just hit himself on the tip of the snout with the flared end, and it still felt terrible. But he could feel it, his heart racing as if the girl would suddenly appear and ease his pain. Ash swallowed, no longer content to wait, he was really looking, trying to accept that he and Serena... Plus? Well, he didn't mean Plus like Plusle's attack boost, but... plus.

You remind me of your father.

All his scales bristled. He watched his reflection in the glass; what resembled those orange scales and fangs? And then, if only on the day he had earned his eight badges, he had proven, he had proved to himself, that he was different from this man!

His head fell back. Sure, badges, as if those pieces of metal or victories in gyms proved that things would be okay with Serena when... Maybe he should try to say it.

"I..." he articulated painfully.

If only to hear it, to know what it sounded like, to discover the shape of his symptoms now that the incubation period was over.

"Serena, I... I..."

Because somewhere he hoped the answer was there, that it would tell him if he was like the one who'd left his mother or not.

"Iiii-ron Tail Pikachu," he gave up.

"Weren't you told not to cook alone?"

Ash winced, as much from fear that his poor performance had been overheard as from the sudden arrival of the boy he'd found so difficult to bear.

"They had already finished the workshop," the fake pokemon explained, "and I took my precautions."

He raised the fire extinguisher as proof, but Brendan took no notice. He frowned and watched the workbench carefully.

"What were you going to do?"

Brendan wasn't going to try anyway, so what did he care?

"Charrr Chari!"

The boy picked up the wide-open cookbook on the table. He read the page diagonally, then carefully observed the measuring glass filled with milk in the correct graduation and the scale indicating the same weight of flour as the recipe.

"Do you understand what it says?" exclaimed Brendan.

Ash puffed out his chest; of course he understood, and with Serena's lessons he was no longer trapped by ½ and other such monstrosities.

"You'd better stick to what Serena teaches you, it'll keep you out of trouble."

The book slammed into his hand, and he kicked the trash can over to the table. Without further ado, he began throwing everything away under the monster's stunned gaze.

"Stop it! You're making a mess!" growled Ash.

He knew that there was a good chance that the ingredients would be wasted no matter what, but we could at least give him a chance.

"Brendan!"

He had grabbed the trainer's wrist, his lips curled to stop him for good from continuing his little maneuver.

"I'll explain later, Charizard."

He jerked out of the reptile's grip.

"Why later? Why not now?" growled Ash, who definitely had a bad feeling about this.

The boy tapped the table, apparently considering the fake pokemon's proposal.

"I'm offering my help, you should take advantage of it... Because it might not last, and a lot faster than you think."

He burst out laughing, as if amused by a joke he'd just made up, as his hand shook the green book.

"What's funny..."

Ash stared at the fingers curled close to his nose as if they were the tip of a sword. Tense and breathless, he waited for Brendan to finish his gesture.

"I was only joking," the boy laughed, patting the reptile's cheek. "Besides, I don't want to upset Serena again." He slipped the recipe book into the fake pokemon's docile hands. "Here, you can put this away."