Chapter 64: Tangela Grows!
The rain had stopped by morning, but the city still dripped.
Water ran in thin streams down the crystal towers, collecting in the gutters and canals, reflecting the pale gray sky like scattered mirrors. The floating bridges swayed gently in the aftermath of the storm, their chains creaking, their wooden planks slick and dark.
Nicola stood at the window of her room, watching the city wake up.
She hadn't slept.
Not really.
She'd tried. She'd lain in the dark with her eyes closed and her breathing slow, counting the hours until dawn, but sleep had never come. Every time she drifted close, she saw Kay's face—that cold, knowing smile, those dead eyes—and she jerked awake again.
So she'd given up.
She'd spent the night sitting by the window with Tangela curled in her lap, its vines wrapped loosely around her wrist, its white eyes watching her with quiet concern. It hadn't asked questions. It hadn't tried to comfort her with sounds or gestures. It had just stayed.
That was enough.
Now, as the first light of morning crept over the rooftops, she made a decision.
They were going to train.
Not the kind of training she'd been doing—the half-hearted drills, the mechanical repetitions, the going-through-the-motions that had defined the past week. Real training. The kind that left bruises and broke limits and forced evolution.
She needed to be stronger.
She needed Tangela to be stronger.
Because the League was coming.
And she wasn't ready.
---
She found a training ground on the eastern edge of the city, tucked between a row of abandoned warehouses and a canal that had gone stagnant. It was a forgotten place—the kind of place trainers avoided because it was too far from the main roads, too quiet, too empty. The ground was cracked and uneven, overgrown with weeds, littered with broken glass and rusted metal.
Perfect.
No distractions.
No spectators.
Just her and Tangela and the work.
She released Tangela from its ball.
The Grass-type materialized in a swirl of green light, its vines unfurling slowly, its white eyes blinking against the pale morning sun. It looked around the training ground with curiosity, its tendrils twitching as they explored the new environment.
"Alright," Nicola said. "We're going to try something new today."
Tangela turned to face her.
"Have you ever heard of Ancient Power?"
The vines shifted.
"I didn't think so." Nicola pulled a small notebook from her jacket pocket and flipped it open. "It's an old move. Rare. Powerful. It taps into something... primal. Something that existed before Pokémon were Pokémon."
She looked at Tangela.
"It's going to be hard."
Tangela's eyes narrowed with determination.
"That's what I thought."
---
They started with the basics.
Nicola had studied Ancient Power extensively—read every book she could find, watched every video, talked to every trainer who claimed to have taught it to their Pokémon. The move was ancient, yes, but it wasn't simple. It required the user to connect with something deep inside themselves, something that most Pokémon never knew existed.
It required them to remember.
"Close your eyes," Nicola said.
Tangela closed its eyes.
"Breathe. Slow. In through the vines, out through the tendrils."
The Grass-type's body expanded and contracted with each breath.
"Now I want you to think back. Before the training. Before the League. Before I found you. Think back to where you came from."
Tangela shuddered.
"I know it's hard. I know it hurts. But I need you to try."
The vines around Tangela's body began to glow—faintly, weakly, like the last embers of a dying fire.
"That's it. Keep going."
The glow flickered.
Then faded.
Tangela opened its eyes.
It looked disappointed.
"It's okay," Nicola said. "That was a start. We'll try again."
---
They tried again.
And again.
And again.
Each attempt ended the same way—a flicker of light, a surge of energy, and then nothing. Tangela would reach for something it couldn't quite touch, and the connection would break, and they would have to start over.
The sun climbed higher.
The shadows shortened.
The stagnant water in the canal began to stink.
Nicola didn't stop.
"We're not leaving until you get this," she said. "I don't care how long it takes."
Tangela didn't argue.
It never argued.
It just kept trying.
---
By midday, they had made no progress.
Nicola sat on a crumbling concrete block with her head in her hands, her notebook open on her lap, her notes covered in angry red circles and arrows that led nowhere. Tangela stood a few feet away, its vines drooping, its breathing heavy.
"I don't understand," Nicola muttered. "It should be working. The theory is sound. The technique is sound. Why isn't it—"
She stopped.
Tangela was watching her.
Not with frustration.
Not with impatience.
With something else.
Something softer.
"What?" Nicola said.
Tangela extended a vine and touched her cheek.
The touch was gentle. Tender. Almost human.
Nicola felt something crack inside her chest.
"I'm fine," she said.
Tangela didn't move.
"I said I'm fine."
The vine stayed.
Nicola's eyes burned.
She didn't cry.
She hadn't cried since she was twelve years old, since the day her mother left and her father told her that tears were for the weak. She had built walls around that part of herself—high walls, thick walls, walls that nothing could penetrate.
But Tangela's vine was still there.
And the walls were cracking.
"I miss her," Nicola whispered.
She didn't know she was going to say it until it was out.
"I miss her so much it hurts. And I don't know why. She wasn't... she wasn't good for me. She wasn't good to me. But she was there. She was always there. And now she's not."
Tangela wrapped another vine around Nicola's hand.
"I thought I was over it. I thought I was stronger than this. But I'm not. I'm not strong. I'm just... I'm just pretending."
The tears came.
Finally.
After all these years.
They came.
Nicola didn't wipe them away. She didn't try to stop them. She just sat there on the crumbling concrete block and let them fall, and Tangela held her hand through all of it.
---
The tears stopped eventually.
Nicola wiped her face with the back of her sleeve and looked at Tangela.
"I'm sorry," she said. "You shouldn't have to see that."
Tangela shook its head.
"Right. You don't care about that." Nicola laughed—a small, broken sound. "You just care about me."
Tangela nodded.
"I don't deserve you."
Tangela disagreed.
"Don't argue with me. I'm the trainer. I know these things."
Tangela's eyes crinkled—the closest thing it had to a smile.
Nicola stood up.
She stretched her arms over her head, feeling the tightness in her shoulders, the ache in her back, the exhaustion that had settled into her bones like a second skin.
"Okay," she said. "Let's try again."
Tangela looked at her.
"Not the same way. Something different. Something..." She paused. "Something that matters."
She walked to the edge of the canal and looked down at the stagnant water. It was dark and murky and smelled like rot, but beneath the surface, something was moving. Something alive.
"Come here," she said.
Tangela joined her at the water's edge.
"I want you to look at this."
Tangela looked.
"This water is disgusting. It's dirty. It's dead. Nothing should be able to live here." Nicola knelt down and dipped her fingers into the water. "But something is. Do you see it?"
Tangela leaned closer.
Below the surface, tiny shapes were swimming—minnows, insects, creatures too small to name. They moved through the murk with purpose, with determination, with a stubborn refusal to die.
"That's what I want you to tap into," Nicola said. "Not the past. Not some ancient memory. This. Right here. The thing that keeps going even when everything says it should stop."
She stood up and turned to face Tangela.
"The thing that survives."
Tangela's eyes widened.
"Ancient Power isn't about remembering. It's about enduring. It's about the part of you that existed before everything else—the part that crawled out of the muck and refused to die. That's what you're reaching for."
Tangela's vines began to glow.
"That's it."
The glow intensified.
"Keep going."
The ground beneath Tangela's feet began to tremble.
"Yes."
Energy swirled around the Grass-type—not green, not gold, but something older. Something gray and primal and immense. The air grew heavy. The water in the canal rippled. The broken glass on the ground rattled.
And then—
Tangela released it.
The energy exploded outward in a shockwave that cracked the concrete and sent dust billowing into the sky. Nicola threw her arm over her face and staggered backward, her boots sliding on the uneven ground.
When the dust cleared, Tangela was standing in the center of a crater.
It was glowing.
"Did you just—" Nicola started.
She didn't finish.
Because Tangela was changing.
---
The glow intensified.
It wasn't just light anymore. It was something deeper—something that seemed to come from inside the Pokémon, from the very core of its being. The vines around Tangela's body began to grow, multiplying, lengthening, twisting into new configurations.
The ground shook again.
Nicola's breath caught.
"What the—"
The glow erupted.
A whirlwind of green energy spiraled upward, lifting debris from the ground and scattering it into the air. The air smelled of ozone and earth and something ancient, something that hadn't been disturbed in thousands of years.
Inside the whirlwind, Tangela was growing.
Its body expanded—first slowly, then rapidly, then all at once. The vines multiplied and thickened and tangled together into a massive, shaggy form. The eyes—those familiar, knowing white eyes—grew larger, sharper, more expressive.
The whirlwind died.
The dust settled.
And standing before Nicola was something she had never seen before.
A Pokémon that was massive and ancient and impossibly old, its body covered in thick blue vines that cascaded down its back and arms like a living cloak. Two large eyes peered out from beneath the tangle, intelligent and calm, and a pair of red-tipped appendages extended from its feet like roots searching for soil.
It was beautiful.
It was terrifying.
It was Tangela.
No—not Tangela anymore.
Tangrowth.
Nicola stared.
"I'll be damned."
Tangrowth looked at her. Those eyes—they were the same. The same eyes that had watched her through all those sleepless nights. The same eyes that had held her hand while she cried. The same eyes that had always known exactly what she needed.
"Hey," Nicola said, softly.
Tangrowth reached out with a vine and touched her cheek.
Just like before.
"I guess we're both stronger than we thought," Nicola whispered.
Tangrowth nodded.
---
They stayed at the training ground for another hour.
Nicola wanted to test the new form, to see what Tangrowth could do, to understand its new limits and its new power. But more than that, she wanted to be with it. To sit beside it. To feel the warmth of its presence, the weight of its loyalty.
Tangrowth was slower now—bulkier, heavier, built for endurance rather than speed. But its vines were stronger, its reach longer, its connection to the ancient power deeper than ever before.
"Do you feel different?" Nicola asked.
Tangrowth considered the question.
Then it extended a vine toward a nearby patch of weeds and touched the ground.
The weeds grew.
Not slowly—not the gradual creep of natural growth. They exploded upward, shooting toward the sky, twisting into thick green vines that wrapped around the broken concrete and climbed toward the rooftops.
Nicola's jaw dropped.
"Holy shit."
Tangrowth looked pleased.
"That's..." Nicola shook her head. "That's not Ancient Power."
Tangrowth tilted its body.
"It's something else. Something new." She walked to the vines and touched them. They were warm. Alive. Vibrating with a quiet, constant energy. "You're not just controlling the power anymore. You're part of it."
Tangrowth rumbled—a low, satisfied sound.
"Good," Nicola said. "That's good."
She turned to face the city.
The crystal towers rose in the distance, their spires catching the afternoon light. The canals shimmered. The bridges swayed. Everywhere, life was moving, breathing, existing.
And somewhere out there, the Eclipse Squad was watching.
Waiting.
But now—for the first time in weeks—Nicola felt like she could fight back.
"Come on, big guy," she said. "Let's go show the others."
Tangrowth followed.
Its footsteps were heavy, but its heart was light.
---
They reached the inn just as the sun began to set.
The common room was empty—Patricia and Dariana were out, Briv was training, Samuel was presumably somewhere making music. Only Axel was there, sitting at a corner table with Rotom flickering at his shoulder and a cup of tea cooling in front of him.
He looked up when Nicola entered.
Then he looked at Tangrowth.
His eyebrows rose.
"Huh."
"That's all you have to say?" Nicola said.
"Pretty much." Axel took a sip of his tea. "It suits you."
Nicola sat down across from him.
Tangrowth settled onto the floor, its massive body taking up more space than Nicola expected. It didn't seem to mind. It just closed its eyes and began to breathe—slow, steady, content.
It was peaceful.
Then the door burst open.
Briv stood in the doorway, covered in sweat, Shinx perched on his shoulder like a very tired cat. Behind him, Patricia and Dariana were lugging a collection of training gear and what appeared to be an enormous bag of snacks.
They all stopped.
They all stared.
"Is that—" Patricia started.
"Tangrowth," Nicola said.
"Your Tangela evolved?"
"Yes."
"Into that?"
"Yes."
Patricia set down the gear bag.
"Okay, we need to talk about how you just casually dropped this on us."
"What's to talk about?" Nicola shrugged. "It happened. It's cool. I'm happy."
"That's not—" Patricia laughed. "That's not how Pokémon evolution works! There's supposed to be buildup! And drama! And—"
Nicola raised an eyebrow.
"We cried, actually."
Patricia stared.
"We cried, and then it evolved," Nicola said. "Good enough for you?"
Patricia laughed again.
"Yeah, actually. That is." She crossed the room and hugged Nicola. "I'm proud of you."
"Don't make it weird."
"Too late."
Dariana joined them, Eevee in her arms and Croagunk trailing behind her. She looked at Tangrowth with wide eyes, her dancer's grace momentarily stilled.
"He's beautiful," she said.
"She," Nicola corrected. "I think."
Tangrowth rumbled.
"Okay, we'll figure it out later."
Briv finally approached, Shinx hopping down from his shoulder to sniff at Tangrowth's vines. The two Pokémon regarded each other with cautious curiosity, and then Shinx chirped and rubbed against Tangrowth's side like it had found a new pillow.
"I'll be damned," Briv said. "You actually did it."
"Did you expect anything less?"
"Honestly? No." He grinned. "You're too stubborn to fail."
"Damn right."
They stood together—all of them—in the common room as the last light of day faded and the city lights flickered to life beyond the windows. There were still battles to fight. There were still enemies to face. The League was coming, and the Eclipse Squad was watching, and none of them knew what tomorrow would bring.
But for now—for this one moment—they were together.
And that was enough.
---
Later that night, Nicola sat on the balcony with Tangrowth beside her.
The city sprawled below them, glittering and vast and full of secrets. Somewhere out there, Blackfire was nursing her wounds. Somewhere, Raven was watching. Somewhere, Roger and Callum were plotting their next move.
Somewhere.
But not here.
Here, there was just the quiet, and the stars, and the steady breathing of a Pokémon who had grown stronger because it believed in its trainer.
Nicola leaned against Tangrowth's side.
"I don't know if I'm ready," she said.
Tangrowth rumbled.
"I know. I know you believe in me. That's not the problem." She closed her eyes. "The problem is I don't believe in myself."
Tangrowth wrapped a vine around her hand.
"You're going to keep doing that, aren't you?"
The vine tightened gently.
"Fine." Nicola smiled. "But only because you're warm."
They sat like that for a long time.
The stars turned.
The city slept.
And somewhere in the distance, a storm was gathering.
But they would weather it.
Together.
---
The countdown continued.
=====
The countdown continued.
---
Three days passed in a blur of training and quiet preparation.
Nicola worked with Tangrowth every morning in the abandoned lot by the canal, learning the new shape of her Pokémon's body, the reach of its vines, the weight of its movements. Tangrowth was slower now—there was no denying that—but what it lacked in speed it made up for in reach and raw power.
The Ancient Power had awakened something in it.
Something old.
Something patient.
Shieldon trained with Starly in the afternoons, the two of them developing a rhythm that surprised even Nicola. Shieldon was the wall, Starly was the blade. One held the line, the other struck from above. They weren't perfect, but they were learning.
By the evening of the third day, Nicola felt something she hadn't felt in weeks.
Ready.
---
The woman arrived on the fourth morning.
She was tall, with honey-blonde hair pulled back in a practical ponytail and sharp gray eyes that seemed to catalog everything they saw. She wore a sleeveless orange top that hugged her athletic frame and khaki shorts that left her muscular legs bare. On her belt hung three Poké Balls.
She stood in the doorway of the training yard like she owned it.
"You're Nicola Sunfall."
It wasn't a question.
Nicola looked up from where she was stretching. Tangrowth stood behind her, vines coiled, eyes watchful.
"Who's asking?"
"Roxanne." The woman stepped into the yard, her boots clicking against the cobblestones. "I'm a trainer. I've been watching you."
"Creepy."
Roxanne smiled.
"Not like that. I've been watching your battles. The ones you've won, the ones you've lost. You fight with precision. Control. You don't waste moves." She crossed her arms. "I respect that."
Nicola straightened.
"And?"
"And I want to battle you." Roxanne pulled a Poké Ball from her belt and held it up. "Three on three. Right now."
Nicola looked at her.
Then she looked at Tangrowth.
Tangrowth rumbled—a low, approving sound.
"Fine," Nicola said. "But you should know I don't lose."
Roxanne's smile widened.
"Neither do I."
---
Axel appeared from behind the inn, Rotom floating at his shoulder like a flickering ghost.
"I'll referee," he said.
Nicola didn't ask how he'd known. She'd stopped asking those questions a while ago.
"Standard rules," Axel continued. "Three on three. No substitutions. The battle ends when one trainer has no Pokémon remaining."
Both trainers nodded.
They took their positions—Nicola on the east side of the yard, Roxanne on the west. The morning sun cast long shadows across the cobblestones, and the air smelled of rain and old stone.
Nicola's hand moved to her first Poké Ball.
"Shieldon," she said.
The ball opened in a flash of gray light that solidified into a small, sturdy Pokémon with a broad, armor-plated face and a body built for endurance. Shieldon planted its feet and lowered its head, its pale eyes fixed on Roxanne.
Roxanne tilted her head.
"Interesting choice."
She threw her ball.
"Lileep."
The Pokémon that materialized was strange—a flower-like creature with a dark purple body, feathery tentacles, and a pair of bright yellow eyes set atop stalks. Lileep swayed gently, its tentacles drifting like sea grass in a current.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Roxanne moved first.
"Lileep—Confuse Ray."
Lileep's eyes flashed, and a beam of distorted light shot toward Shieldon.
"Shieldon—Iron Defense!"
Shieldon's body glowed silver, and it braced itself. The Confuse Ray struck, but Shieldon's mind held steady—the attack scattered against its will like water on stone.
"Ancient Power," Roxanne said.
Lileep's body pulsed with gray energy, and rocks lifted from the ground, spiraling around it before launching at Shieldon.
Shieldon didn't flinch. The rocks hammered against its armor and shattered.
"Take Down," Nicola said.
Shieldon charged forward, its head lowered, and slammed into Lileep's body. The impact sent the Grass-type tumbling backward, its tentacles flailing.
"Again," Nicola said.
Shieldon struck again, and again, its attacks relentless, its endurance seemingly bottomless.
"Lileep—Giga Drain!" Roxanne shouted.
Lileep's tentacles latched onto Shieldon's body, and green energy flowed from the Steel-type into the Grass-type.
Shieldon shuddered but didn't fall.
"Metal Sound," Nicola said.
Shieldon opened its mouth, and a horrible screech filled the air—a sound that made Lileep recoil, its special defense dropping sharply.
"Now—Flash Cannon."
Shieldon's body gleamed, and a beam of silver light shot from its mouth, striking Lileep directly.
Lileep screamed.
And collapsed.
"Lileep is unable to battle," Axel said. "Shieldon wins."
---
Roxanne recalled Lileep without a word.
She looked at Nicola.
Then she smiled.
"Corsola," she said.
The ball opened in a flash of pink light, and a Pokémon emerged that looked like a living piece of coral—round, pink, and covered in branching growths. Corsola bounced on its stubby legs, its expression cheerful.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Corsola moved first.
"Power Gem."
A gemstone of pure energy formed above Corsola's head and shot toward Shieldon.
"Shieldon—Protect!"
A barrier of green light surrounded Shieldon, and the Power Gem shattered against it.
"Again," Roxanne said.
Corsola fired another gem.
"Shieldon—Iron Head!"
Shieldon charged through the attack, ignoring the impact, and slammed its skull into Corsola's body.
Corsola flew backward, landed hard, and rolled to its feet.
"Recover," Roxanne said.
Corsola glowed pink, and its wounds began to close.
Nicola's jaw tightened.
"Shieldon—keep hitting it. Don't let it heal."
Shieldon charged again.
Corsola dodged.
"Bubble Beam," Roxanne said.
A stream of bubbles struck Shieldon's face, and the Steel-type staggered.
"Mirror Coat," Roxanne said.
Corsola's body shimmered.
"Shieldon—stop! Don't attack!"
Too late.
Shieldon rammed into Corsola, and the Mirror Coat reflected double the damage back into Shieldon's body.
Shieldon cried out.
And fell.
"Shieldon is unable to battle," Axel said. "Corsola wins."
---
Nicola recalled Shieldon.
She whispered something to the ball before clipping it back to her belt.
"Starly," she said.
Starly materialized in a burst of gray light, its wings spread, its sharp eyes locked on Corsola. It let out a fierce cry.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Starly moved first.
"Quick Attack!"
Starly blurred forward, slamming into Corsola before it could react. The Water-type tumbled backward, its branches rattling.
"Again!"
Starly struck again.
And again.
Each hit was faster than the last, a blur of gray feathers and fury that Corsola couldn't track.
"Power Gem!" Roxanne shouted.
Corsola fired a gemstone at Starly.
Starly dodged.
The gem clipped its wing.
Starly faltered.
"Now—Recover!" Roxanne said.
Corsola glowed pink.
"Don't let it!" Nicola shouted. "Wing Attack!"
Starly dove, its wings glowing, and struck Corsola before the healing could take effect.
Corsola stumbled.
"Again!"
Starly struck again.
Corsola fell.
"Argh—Mirror Coat!" Roxanne shouted.
Corsola's body shimmered.
"Starly—stop!"
Starly pulled up.
Corsola was breathing hard now, its pink body scuffed and battered.
"You can't keep dodging forever," Roxanne said.
"Watch me," Nicola replied. "Starly—Aerial Ace."
Starly's body glowed, and it shot forward—not fast, but certain. The attack couldn't miss.
It struck Corsola dead center.
Corsola collapsed.
"Corsola is unable to battle," Axel said. "Starly wins."
---
Roxanne recalled Corsola.
She looked at Nicola.
"You're better than I thought."
"I know."
Roxanne laughed.
"Armaldo," she said.
The ball opened in a flash of brown light, and a massive Pokémon emerged—a creature of armored plates and sharp claws, its body built for destruction. Armaldo stood tall, its eyes burning with ancient fury, its presence dominating the field.
Starly's wings trembled.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Armaldo moved first.
"X-Scissor."
Armaldo lunged, its claws slicing through the air.
"Starly—dodge!"
Starly dodged.
Barely.
"Rock Blast," Roxanne said.
Armaldo's claws glowed, and a barrage of stones shot toward Starly.
Starly weaved through them, its movements desperate, its breathing ragged. It was tired. It was hurt. But it was still fighting.
"Starly—Brave Bird!" Nicola shouted.
Starly's body glowed with blue energy, and it dove at Armaldo with everything it had left.
The impact shook the ground.
Armaldo staggered.
Starly fell.
It didn't get up.
"Starly is unable to battle," Axel said. "Armaldo wins."
---
Nicola recalled Starly.
Two down.
One left.
She looked at the Poké Ball in her hand.
Tangrowth.
She'd been saving it for this.
She released it onto the field, and the massive Grass-type materialized in a swirl of green light. Its vines unfurled slowly, deliberately, and its eyes fixed on Armaldo with calm, patient focus.
Armaldo roared.
Tangrowth didn't flinch.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Roxanne moved first.
"X-Scissor!"
Armaldo lunged, claws extended.
"Tangrowth—Power Whip."
Tangrowth's vine lashed out, meeting Armaldo's claws in midair. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground.
"Again!" Roxanne shouted.
Armaldo struck again.
Tangrowth blocked again.
"Rock Blast!"
Armaldo fired a barrage of stones.
"Tangrowth—Ancient Power."
Tangrowth's body pulsed with gray energy, and the stones stopped midair. They hovered there, suspended by an invisible force, then turned and shot back at Armaldo.
Armaldo screamed as the rocks struck its armor.
"Now—Giga Drain!" Nicola shouted.
Tangrowth's vines wrapped around Armaldo's body, and green energy flowed from the Bug-type into the Grass-type.
Armaldo struggled.
It couldn't break free.
"Armaldo—X-Scissor! Cut yourself loose!"
Armaldo's claws slashed through the vines.
Tangrowth recoiled.
But the damage was done.
Armaldo was weaker now. Slower. The Giga Drain had sapped its strength and given it to Tangrowth.
"Power Whip," Nicola said.
Tangrowth's vine lashed out and struck Armaldo across the chest.
Armaldo staggered.
"Again."
Another strike.
Armaldo fell to one knee.
"Again."
The final blow sent Armaldo crashing to the ground.
It didn't get up.
"Armaldo is unable to battle," Axel said. "Tangrowth wins. Nicola wins the match."
---
The silence lasted three seconds.
Then Tangrowth was wrapping its vines around Nicola and lifting her into the air. She laughed—loud and genuine—as the massive Grass-type spun her around like a child.
"Okay, okay! Put me down!"
Tangrowth set her down gently.
Roxanne approached, her expression thoughtful.
"That was a battle," she said.
Nicola nodded.
"Thank you."
Roxanne extended her hand.
"Seven wins," she said. "That's impressive."
Nicola took it.
"It's not enough."
"It never is." Roxanne let go and stepped back. "But it's closer than you were yesterday."
She turned and walked away.
Nicola watched her go.
Then she looked at Tangrowth.
"We did it."
Tangrowth rumbled.
"Seven wins. One more than before."
Tangrowth's vines curled around her hand.
"One step closer."
The countdown continued.
---
Later that night, Nicola sat on the balcony with Tangrowth beside her and the city sprawled below like a field of fallen stars. She felt lighter than she had in weeks—not healed, not whole, but lighter. Like something inside her had loosened.
Tangrowth's vines were warm around her hand.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Tangrowth didn't respond.
It didn't need to.
They sat together in the quiet, watching the lights flicker and the bridges sway, and for the first time in a long time, Nicola felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
The storm was still coming.
But she was ready.
---
The countdown continued.