Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Infrared

Chapter 20 (Old): Who's That Mastermind? It's...

Just when Arven recovered from his scare, Sada—from out of nowhere—stumbled. She almost fell, but he caught her before she could.

"Whoa, Mom. Are you okay?" No longer did Arven blush.

Sada straightened herself. "Yeah, I'm fine, Arven. I'm just going to lie down for a while if you don't mind. You take care of Meowscarada." She patted Arven's shoulder and left him, Miraidon, and Koraidon who still glared at one another.

With a concerned look on his face, Arven watched her. He rubbed beads of sweat from his forehead and shouted, "Mom!" when Sada did fall. Luckily, she landed on her hands and knees and not her head. Regardless, the crown still bounced off her braids and rolled to Penny's feet.

She picked it up.

Arven helped Sada stand (he struggled some under her mechanical body) and escorted her to her bed.

"Thank you," she said, sitting down. She rubbed out a few wrinkles on her bedsheet.

Grasping her shoulder blades, Arven forced her to look at him. "Mom, we can't help you unless you tell us who it is you're trying to protect."

Sada said nothing. She swung her legs over her bed and propped her back up on her pillows and bedrest. She looked away from Arven.

"I'm just tired," Sada lied, reaching for her chest. "Please, Arven, don't worry about me. Just go help your friends."

Arven kept on pushing her. "Not until you at least tell me his name."

Again, Sada did not answer. She pulled her pillows down and fluffed them, coughing through the dust. Once she cleaned them up, she fell onto her side.

Arven inhaled. His nostrils flared with how large it was. He returned to his friends and said, "It's not easy getting answers out of her."

"No chizz," Penny said, "but with a little rest, I'm sure she'll come around, Arven. In the meantime, did you find any leftover herba mysticas?"

"Oh, yes I did!" Arven stuck his upper body into his knapsack. He rummaged and re-emerged with a handful of green, seaweed-like plants in his palm. They shimmered like the crystals on Sada. "Here you go," Arven said, offering them to Nemona. "This one boosts the immune system."

"Oh my gosh! Thank you, Arven!" Nemona snatched the plants out of his hand. "This will really help Meowscarada."

"All we need to do now is grind them up and put them in a sandwich," Arven explained. "We can do that in the kitchen." He led the way; however, he stopped temporarily to check on Sada.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the cabin's ceiling.

Nemona gave Arven a quick pat. "You can be with her after we make the sandwiches."

Arven moved his head back and forth. "I-I'm sorry, Nemona. I just don't know what's wrong with her."

"We'll figure it out... together," Nemona said. "I promise, Arven."

Penny overheard their conversation. She slumped over and turned away from her friends. Penny crossed her right leg behind her left one.

It wasn't long until footsteps stopped next to her. Scarlet pulled her hair out of its high ponytail and let it dangle over her shoulders. She slipped the scrunchie over her wrist. "Penny," she said in a low voice, "is there something you're not telling Arven?"

"I-I can't," Penny stuttered. "He's not ready."

"Oh, so there is," Scarlet confirmed.

Penny nodded.