"I will be fine…"
The words had barely left my lips when my strength finally gave out.
My body pitched forward, my full weight slumping against Kirlia's small frame and the cold wall behind her.
"Kir?!"
She gasped in panic, tiny arms pushing against me as she tried to keep me from collapsing.
I was far too heavy for her to hold. My body sagged helplessly in her grasp.
I couldn't move. My head drooped forward against her shoulder, each breath leaving me in shallow, ragged gasps.
"Kir… lia…"
Panic flooded her heart. She shook me desperately, but I couldn't respond. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
For a moment, the chaotic battle around us faded from her mind. Memories rose instead.
She remembered when she had still been a tiny Ralts. Fear had filled her days. Strange voices. Battles she never wanted.
Then I came into her life. I saved her from the darkness. Carried her on my shoulder during long journeys. Shared tasty food under open skies. Protected her without question.
We watched sunsets together. Walked side by side on quiet paths. She saw the closeness I shared with Meowscarada and Lopunny.
Those tender, intimate moments filled her with longing. She dreamed of evolving into Gardevoir so she could stand beside us fully. Share those same touches. Be part of that warmth.
But now… I lay unconscious in her arms.
Even like this, my body was still protecting her.
Kirlia's small body trembled. Her tears slowly stopped.
Something inside her chest began to burn. Not fear. Not sadness. Resolve.
"Kir… lia…"
…
Across the atrium, Viper watched with narrowed eyes.
A slow smile crept across her lips when she saw me collapse. For a moment she thought I was finished.
But when she noticed my body still shielding the Kirlia beneath me, the smile faded. Irritation twisted across her face.
Even unconscious… and I was still protecting it.
Her gaze hardened.
She lifted a hand.
"Gengar. Shadow Ball again."
The other Team Rocket members followed instantly.
"Golbat, Air Cutter!"
"Arbok, Acid Spray!"
"Houndoom, Flamethrower!"
Four deadly attacks surged forward once more.
Kirlia slowly lifted her head from my chest.
Tears still glistened on her face, but the fear was gone, replaced by something colder, more protective.
"Kir…!"
Light burst from her body.
A brilliant white glow spread outward like a blooming flower, bright and unstoppable.
The energy intensified with every heartbeat.
Kirlia's small form, along with my body she clutched tightly, lifted gently from the ground as swirling psychic mist gathered around us.
The attacks rushed closer.
Flames roared. Acid hissed. Dark energy churned through the air.
But before they could strike, the pink light exploded outward in a blinding wave.
Kirlia's body stretched taller within the radiant storm. Limbs lengthened gracefully as the light reshaped her form.
The glow swirled violently for a moment.
Then the radiance shattered.