[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

A man she no longer knew stepped through the portal on his way home. But this time, Luka did not follow him.[break][break]

The moon hung pale and bulbous in the sky, reflecting off the watery crescent beneath her. In her hands was a feather, still warm. She gazed up into the sky where Cresselia had vanished, but nothing remained but the moon and stars, gazing back with an impassive coldness.[break][break]

Her work here was done. And yet she remained, fettered in place by some inexplicable desire to stay. Perhaps there was more she could do here. Perhaps this strange world still needed her.[break][break]

Or perhaps, she thought, gazing over at the crumpled form in the distance that wore her face, it just needed another sacrifice.[break][break]

Luka bowed her head once more before Cresselia’s shrine and departed, legs unsteady and chest still aching, though the wound above her heart had already closed. The battle had ceased around her— the remaining unown assassins had fled, and survivors had begun to emerge from the trees. But there was no celebrating, no jubilation. Instead, the air was thick with a mournful silence as those that remained began to attend to the wounded and collect their dead.[break][break]

She walked among them, her Togepi sprinkling life dew behind him. There were far more potent healers on her team, but she realized with a start that she had left them all behind. She had nothing here besides the Pokemon on her belt and the clothes on her back. Nowhere to go, except for with the strangers around her.[break][break]

The others around her openly stared and whispered among themselves. They made no attempt to hide it, but she pretended not to notice. She knew she didn’t belong here, but for better or worse she had made the choice to stay. [break][break]

Eventually, a man approached her. His hair shone platinum under the newly restored moon, and a scar illuminated the right side of his face.[break][break]

For a moment, he simply stared down at her. Then his gaze shifted behind her head, to something off in the distance. Luka turned to see two people carrying away a slim body. A Musharna hovered protectively above it.[break][break]

“...you should come with us,” the young man said eventually. Looking at him more closely, he seemed hardly older than a boy. “Eugene will have questions.”[break][break]

Luka nodded, tearing her eyes away from the body behind her. “Right, ah…thank you.”[break][break]

Questions hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them down. Whatever she had left to ask could wait.[break][break]

---

[break]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

"You think so?"[break][break]

Luka looks up from tending to Sugar, surprise coloring her face. The expression soon settles into a smile as she glances down at her Sylveon, stroking a hand through cream colored fur. "I think it's mostly thanks to her," she admits with an airy laugh, "And the rest of the team. I wouldn't be anywhere without them."[break][break]

Sugar mewls softly and butts her head against Luka's leg. Though she's battered, she still has a bit of spirit left in her. And while Luka has a team full of healers, another extra hand certainly won't hurt.[break][break]

"That would be lovely, if you don't mind! Thank you— oh, and you guys fought so well too! Your Scyther is really cool...you should be proud!"

[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

Her fingertip taps against a love ball and with a pulse of pink light, Sugar is recalled. She's sodden and a little annoyed, but she'll be just fine.[break][break]

"Eh?" Luka glances over at him, blinking in surprise before a smile settles onto her face.[break][break]

"Do you make all your challengers buy you a drink when they lose?" she asks with a playful innocence. "I think I'm free though...so it's a deal!"

[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

They won?[break][break]

Luka blinks, then looks down at Sugar. Her Sylveon seems far less surprised, instead yipping her glee as she prances up to Luka and rubs up against her leg.[break][break]

They won! It's a rarity, but it feels good. Is this how accomplished trainers feel most of the time?[break][break]

"Gosh, um, thank you!"[break][break]

She takes the offered hand, all flustered happiness and flushed cheeks. "But so did you! You and Tofu were incredible, really! I'll have to pick your brain about the dyna-stuff sometime, ehe!"

[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

This is over. Luka can't bear it anymore. The love ball she'd been anxiously squeezing glows pink as she recalls her Sylveon, and her opponent does the same.[break][break]

She's been able to bear most of her losses with a grin, but this one feels a little worse than most. They did their best, but Sugar will need a lot of rest after this fight. But even though their opponent's ferocity has a lot to do with the outcome, Luka doesn't blame the other woman entirely. This is just more proof that she has a long way to go as a trainer.[break][break]

Will her skin ever be thick enough for it?[break][break]

She's surprised when Tsubaki offers her hand, but she takes it on instinct, cursing her sweating palms. "Eh? Oh, um...t-thank you?"[break][break] She blinks. "You two were...really incredible."[break][break]

She hadn't expected this, and the encounter leaves her reeling. Confused, she turns to watch the woman leave before hurrying off to get Sugar some medical care.

[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

Ah- that's it then, isn't it?[break][break]

They'd paid for their moment of mercy with a swift and effective counterattack. So many battles has already left Sugar winded, and this is the last straw. Her legs start to buckle, and Luka is quick to grab her love ball and recall the Sylveon before any more damage can be done.[break][break]

It's disappointing to have lost, but she manages to keep her cheery smile intact. "You guys were amazing!" she compliments from her side of the field. And then, acting on nothing but impulse and bad taste, she makes a move. Kind of.[break][break]

"H-hey, um! Do you think— I mean, after this...are you like...d-do you want to maybe, um..."[break][break]

Her face is pink. "Hang out, sometime?"[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

Is this what she wants? To watch them struggle and fight for survival? It's a brutal mindset, or maybe Luka is just too soft in comparison. Despite all they've been through, Hoenn hasn't been able to beat all the kindness out of her.[break][break]

She frowns. She wants to prove this woman wrong, to show her that they're tougher than she assumes. But she also can't stand to see Sugar hurt like this, bitten and then pursued like prey. Though her Sylveon manages to escape the Arbok's grasp for a moment and struggles to get away, she's breathless and caught again almost as quickly.[break][break]

Her fingers grip Sugar's love ball, knuckle-white as the Sylveon fires yet another psyshock in a last-ditch effort to escape those crushing coils.

[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

Another max cuddle slams down onto the field. Sugar tries to run under the Eevee's legs to avoid it again, but the trembling ground makes it harder to move quickly, and she trips over her paws. The force of the attack slams down on her and she yowls, but still manages to get back on her feet.[break][break]

Despite all the attacks she's aimed towards the giant creature, nothing seems to break through. The match has been rather lighthearted until now, but when Sugar rears back her head to attack again, it's with an irritated little hiss. Her psyshock is a deeper, darker purple this time around as she attacks with all her might, trying to take the oversized Eevee down for good.[break][break]

[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

"Eh...oh!"[break][break]

Terastalization is a power Luka hasn't familiarized herself as much as she should. She's surprised when the dazzling gleam causes only a glancing blow, but after a few seconds too long, it clicks. This is bad— it's their first time battling a terastal Pokemon, and she isn't sure what to do next.[break][break]

But that's the whole reason they're here in the first place. Luka doesn't battle much when it's not necessary, so this tournament is a crash course in strategy without the threat of death looming overhead. She watches Freya and Lyune carefully, taking notes as best she can.[break][break]

Sugar, for her part, hisses her annoyance and shifts tactics. She darts around the field to try and avoid the encroaching vines, but her legs get tangled around the vegetation instead. With another hiss and a bit of flailing she attempts to throw a shadow ball at the Salamence, but it misses wildly.

[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

Much like Illeana, Luka sees every battle as a learning experience. If she were a scientist, perhaps she would view every match as data to analyze. Her mind isn't quite as good at compartmentalizing, but each loss- and the occasional win- gives her something to learn from. Watching her opponents gives her hints to strategies she might employ. It's a little overwhelming, but perhaps that's for the best. She's been here too long to be coddled anymore.[break][break]

So while the scientist's face remains even, Luka's smile is ever-present and cheerful. Even if they don't win this match, she's proud of her Sylveon for lasting this long against a Dynamaxed Pokemon. Who knows— maybe she'll try it out on one of her own Pokemon someday.[break][break]

The max cuddle is just as hard to avoid as the last max move, and this time Sugar isn't as lucky. For a move with such an adorable name, it . She bounces back but manages to quickly spring to her feet, shaking dirt out of her fur. As Luka continues to cheer for her from across the arena, she strikes back with springtide storm, enshrining the Eevee in a whirlwind of sakura petals and glittering dust.

[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

It's a smart move. The quick attack connects and throws Sugar's aim off kilter. Her ball goes flying uselessly to the side and slams into the edge of the arena instead.[break][break]

With her ribbons free she makes a grab for the wiggly rat instead. It's not an attack, not really— more of an attempt to get Pikachu away from her to avoid any more painful headbutts. Sugar places her down almost gently before she goes in for another attack, a psyshock that radiates from her glowing ribbons and tries to encircle the rat in a barrier psychic energy that quickly closes in.[break][break]

---

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","main"]

Someone else might find his dismissive reply rude, but to Luka, it seems so cool. She's always had questionable taste.[break][break]

But while she's busy swooning the battle presses on. Sugar blinks in surprise when her opponent is reduced back to rat size, and the winds she'd conjured begin to fade. All that's left is a lingering perfume and a few petals on the ground.[break][break]

She's back on equal footing with the Pikachu, so to speak. Her ribbons twitch as she summons another shadow ball and hoists it aloft, then throws it at Pikachu again. She's having some fun with the battle now; if the stakes weren't high, it would make for a pretty fun game!

---

[attr="class","bottom"]