Sitting on the couch at her dorm, Melody was reading a book. Not just with her hands - with her eyes. Since she had evolved into an Alakazam, a miraculous thing happened. "Now, where did I leave my lip balm..." Simone walked by, talking to herself. "Second drawer of the table near the door, left corner." Melody answered. Walking over to the small table there, Simone let out a gasp of success as she pulled them out. "There we go! Thank you, dear." "You should probably change that overshirt, it hasn't been washed." Melody looked over to her. "You wore that two days ago and put it away in the dresser while you were in the middle of a phone call." "Oh--You're right." Simone looked down to her shirt. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" "Just testing my memory. I wouldn't let you go out like that." Melody smiled. "You've gotta look good for your date." Simone giggled as she walked by, "You're adjusting nicely to your new memory powers." . . . It was just two weeks ago when it had happened. A couple months had passed after Faith's evolution - unfortunately, she ended up having a bit of an accident due to getting used to her new body, so she had been away from everyone for quite a while. Melody seemed busy with school so she hadn't been able to keep in contact apart from a couple quick phone calls. Now that she had only an arm cast to worry about, she was ready to put it on a sling and catch up with everyone. With her evolution, she notably had to adjust to her wider figure, but thankfully she had support from friends - and a significant other - to help her out now. "I'd say you fill out nicely." Karly remarked. At the mall, Karly, Simone, Melody and Faith sat at an outdoor pizza place. The Kadabra had her hands underneath the table, clutching her knees, only bringing them up for a bite of pizza. She had gone through so much change since she arrived, it's impressive to see her in such a timid state. "If you ask me, Melody really benefited from it." Faith added. She blushed, "I-I mean, from HER evolution. She's very pretty, yeah?" Melody snapped out of her deep thought and looked over. "Let's--not talk about me, huh? I mean... you all saw me evolve anyway. Heheh." She added nervously. "I'm surprised you took this long to go through with it." Simone told Faith. "Then again, everyone's different - I've been this way since 1st grade." She said with a clueless grin. "1st grade?!" Karly and Faith exclaimed. "Well, that explains why you're so in tune with your psychic powers..." Faith realized. Karly's phone started to play a ringtone. She pulled it out, sighing lightly. "Welp, break's over. Have fun at the movies!" "Nice talking to you~" Simone bid her farewell. "I need to use the restroom." Melody said quickly. With that, Melody used Karly's departure as a chance to get away. Without a table to hide it, she held her left hand closed and winced - it hurt to do that right now. . . . [Alakazam] Melody heard a knock at the door. She put the book down and walked over, greeting Faith in the hallway. Her injury, by this point, had been reduced to a wrist cast. "I was hoping you'd be here." Faith greeted with a meek smile. "Could I come in--" Suddenly, Melody hugged her close. There was more of a significant height difference between them, and Melody just about brought her off the floor as they embraced. Faith smiled and let it happen, just glad to see her. "I'm sorry about before, with--" "You told me why, it's okay." Faith stopped her. "I know." "I just hope you didn't think I was giving you the cold shoulder." Faith said. "Oh, uhm, could you put me down now?" "Whoops~" Melody placed Faith back down, and the two went back inside. Melody brought her over to the couch. "Like I was saying... I just figured you needed some time to yourself." Faith continued. "It's a lot to go through." "I really appreciate it." Sitting beside Melody, Faith noticed the book between them and picked it up. "Required reading." Melody told her. "They explicitly picked something that wasn't in braille." "Makes sense!" Faith looked to the cover. "How've your studies been going since you changed?" "Not as bad as I expected." Melody said. "They were already teaching me reading and writing since my aura vision was allowing me to see, so it's more of that." She looked off to the side, with an almost disappointed glare. "Almost exclusively that." "Well, can't have it be too easy." Faith giggled. She paused - she could see Melody blinking, and that was when she realized that the girl had been looking around... her eyes were in full use. It'd been so long since they just had some time together, she practically forgot Melody's mannerisms - or lack thereof. "I'd hate to bring it up now..." Faith brought up. "No no, it's okay." Melody picked up on it, getting a bit more timid now. "How've you been adjusting to your... vision?" Faith popped THE question. "Oh my god--!" Melody nearly shrieked in joy - this was practically the ONLY thing she had forgotten about, only because of how natural it had become. "Faith," She grabbed the girl's good hand, "I've been using it so much I forget it's even a thing!" . . . [Kadabra] Once Melody made her way to the mall restroom, she stumbled to one of the stalls and fell against the door in exhaustion. She was alone, thankfully, so no one could hear her breathing heavily. Her hand was still held tight. Melody's aura vision had gotten pretty sufficient at this point. At her best, she could practically start seeing the world around her, with enough concentration. However, at this moment, she wasn't using it to look at her friends, or the beautiful sunny surroundings of her school. With aura passing through her eyes, she opened them slightly to look at her open hand... her sight was blurry, and she could practically hear her heartbeat due to the stress. Her forearm had a couple of small but noticeable brown blotches running down the top, and not only that, but her nails were starting to crack along the base of the hand - a small chunk had even fallen off to reveal the raw black skin underneath. When she looked into the mirror this morning, she even saw that her shoulder was cracking, which she could feel even now. She tried seeing if she could easily cover that blotch, but pressing against it suddenly caused immense pain. Melody's knees almost buckled as she fell towards the sinks, using them to keep her standing. She whined lightly, using her good hand to brush back her hair. "J-Just..." Melody huffed. "... a little bit longer." Melody felt a chill down her back as she heard the door open. It seemed to just be an inattentive stranger, but she got some soap and washed her hands to seem natural - it was perhaps a poor choice, as she could feel the soap seeping into the cracks and passing over the exposed skin of her hand, which she did her best not to react to. Once Melody took a deep breath, she left the restroom to find the others. They had been nearby, so they left the pizza place to meet up with her. "The movie's starting in eight minutes." Simone said. "Let's head out now." "Eight minutes 'til Warcraft!" Faith said happily. "Alright, let's go." Melody nodded. This was good - in a dark room, no one could see the damage. This would technically mean she could sit alone, but considering Faith would be there, they would likely plan to sit together. She had to take what she could get. Once they left the mall, there was a noticeable line forming outside of the movie theater across from them, which was mildly discouraging. Simone had a hand on her hip as she checked her watch again. "Gosh, five now. Guess we'll miss some previews." "Come on~" Faith elbowed Melody. That's when it happened. Faith grabbed Melody's left wrist, running with Simone across the street. Simone went up ahead, but slowed down as she heard Melody shriek. Faith just about fell forward as she tried her best to stop, looking back at the Kadabra. Melody fell to her knees, tears running down. Her left shoulder was now crumbling to bits, falling out of her short sleeve. They could also see some cracks on the shell surrounding her neck when she looked down in shame. She hunched over and slammed her hand down in frustration, some of the cracked claws now falling apart and exposing fingers underneath. Nearby cars pulled to a halt, honking at her since she had collapsed in the middle of the street. "Melody, what--" Faith stopped. There was no time for words, she realized. She tried to help Melody up, pulling her to safety. "Goodness, this looks terrible!" Simone whined, getting out her phone. "I'm calling for an ambulance!" "N-No..." Melody whimpered in Faith's arm, too weak to be heard. . . . [Alakazam] "Really?" Faith blinked. "How often have you been using it?" "I'd been testing to see how long it takes for me to be exhausted, and it hasn't happened yet." Melody told her. "I think sleeping helps me recharge." "That's... That's wonderful!" Faith hugged her. "You've come so far, now you're able to see the world in full color!" "Thank you helping me get this far." Melody said, her voice cracking slightly. "I may not have an idea of what beauty is, but you're beautiful to me for making it possible." "Oh, you..." Faith giggled with a hint of romance in her tone. She ran her good hand down Melody's back. "Sooo... since we're alone here--" "About that." Melody stopped her. "This is a bit of a long shot, but do you know how to get paint out of panties?" Angela asked, walking out of her room. "Blue, if it matters. I'm still wearing them, I just put pants on." "Ah." Faith broke away from the hug. The moment was lost. "Are you two havin' a moment?" Angela snickered. "No... to the paint question." Melody gave her a look, blushing lightly. "I'mma ask someone else then. Arentcha suppose to know everything now?" Angela walked by them to head out, scoffing. "Well, ya haven't answered a single question right yet~!" "Actually, the fourth of your thirteen questions was about Thomas Edison, to which I said 'Unlikely'!" Melody corrected her angrily. "SHOWOFF!" Angela shouted as she shut the door. "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Faith remarked with a giggle. "We're alone now." Melody assured her. "Moment's gone." Faith clarified. "I know..." She sighed. . . . [Kadabra] Faith nervously sat in the waiting room of the hospital while Melody was being inspected. Simone paced around, which she realized may be worrying Faith - she had more of a reason to be worried. Especially since Melody couldn't explain this sudden phenomenon. "I'm sure she's fine." Simone stopped in front of Faith. "Maybe she just... got hurt in a match and didn't realize it until later. That can happen." "Excuse me, Sumisu?" A nurse called out. Faith rushed over, nearly pushing Simone aside. "She wants to see you." The nurse said. "The doctor will be there shortly." The nurse guided her to the room where Melody was being kept. It was a fairly spacious room, one where medical equipment would be brought in for an operation... or at least that's how Faith's mind warped it due to her fear of what was happening. The door was closed once Faith entered the room. Melody sat on the side of the bed, wearing her skirt and bra - the shirt had to be removed to examine the shoulders. One had cracked, while another was completely ripped off and patched up to avoid bleeding. As well, the claws on her right hand were starting to show wear and cracking, while the left hand was now wrapped up in bandages. "Are you okay...?" Faith asked simply. Melody lowered her head. "I'll be fine." "I think I deserve more of an answer than that." Faith stepped closer to her. "Melody, what on Earth happened to you--?" "That's what I'm here for." A doctor said, walking into the room. This suave Yungoos gave Faith a slight bow to greet her, then turned his attention to Melody. "Melody Summers, as I'm sure you know, these evolution pains are pretty dire. They appear to be self-inflicted." "Evolution pains?" Faith blinked. Melody nodded. "I... kind of held back evolution for a while now." "When did you start?" The doctor asked. "Five weeks ago." Melody said. The doctor idly tapped his pen on the clipboard, looking down at it. "You're a VCC student, so you must've had a lot of moments where you've had to hold it back." He assumed. "But considering you're a Kadabra, that bit of information is irrelevant." "What do you mean?" Faith questioned in worry. "Alakazam is an evolution anomaly." The doctor explained. "It's a form that can be triggered outside of combat, meaning that Ms. Summers would be repressing this on a daily basis." "Every other day." Melody whimpered lightly, seeming close to tears. "It's important to remember the dangers of repression like this. Your body wants to grow and you're not letting it." The doctor told her, his tone becoming more tense. Faith looked over to Melody. She was worried about her well being at this point, and confused... "The next time those pains come back, you're going to have to let it happen." The doctor continued. "What if... Ah!" Melody looked up, thrown off by his shift in tone. The doctor put his clipboard in Faith's hands, then stood there with his arms out, facing Melody. "I want you to hit me!" "Wh-What?" Melody questioned. "Doctor, isn't this a little--?" Faith cowered behind the clipboard. "A bit of combat will do the trick at this rate, so give me your best punch!" "This is..." Melody got herself out of bed, walking over to him. "Questionable." Using her aura vision, she looked to her good hand... even though it could hardly be called that at this point. Clenching it into a fist, she brought it back. Faith gulped and hid her face behind the clipboard, afraid of what could happen next. The doctor closed his eyes. Melody was not feeling her best, so she brought her fist forward at a moderate pace and gently bopped him in the chest. Of course, he was right - at this rate, it would be enough. Her claws began to chip and crumble, and a wave of energy started to escape her fist, whooshing past her at such an alarming rate that it was like a gust of wind. She had her aura vision active to see what was happening, but the room suddenly got brighter and brighter until it became all white. Melody was blown back by the force of that and her own energy, knocking her past the bed and to the wall on the other side. "Melody!" Faith peeked from behind the clipboard when she heard the sound. "Was that the attack?" The doctor opened an eye. "I didn't feel any-- Oh." Melody cringed. She could feel the evolution in full effect now - that pain came from her shell and body growing slightly taller, trying to grow simultaneously, while her claws had crumbled to dust to make way for exposed fingers. The shoulders also crumbled, along with all that covered her neck and parts of her thighs. It left her more exposed, but her skin somehow felt... tougher now. Not rough in feel, but more capable of taking impact. New shoulder armor grew in place, a dark shade of brown - the forearms and knees also took on this color now. Her forehead felt a strange sensation as the jewel now resting on it slowly sunk away into the shell, and two yellow, bushy bangs made their way to the front of her hair, practically becoming a part of the hair even though it seemed to be a part of her body in a different way... Finally, she left her tail grow longer, becoming more than a bushy little nub. Weakly, Melody grabbed the bed and got herself up. The bed was pulled away from her, but she seemed to be just fine, albeit feeling worn out. She had her eyes closed, signifying that her aura vision was not active now - she didn't wish to see anyone face to face right now. "I can't believe that worked." The doctor chuckled. "I-I mean... As expected!" After some tests to make sure everything checked out, Faith led the fully dressed Melody out to the waiting room. "I'm not seeing him when I need a cast removed..." Faith remarked. "Melody!" Simone called out. "Wow. You look... different! But not too much." She tried to find the words. "Let's just go." Melody said simply. Outside, the three walked through the parking lot, with Faith guiding her. "Melody, I'd hate to pry, but... why were you holding back your evolution?" Faith asked. "What happened while I was away?" Melody's face scrunched up in discomfort. She wished she hadn't asked. "I just... feel like I get so much attention from you two." She admitted. "You've done so much for me, and I wanted to not be the center of attention for once." "This isn't the way to do it, though." Simone told her. "Remember what I said? Holding back is unhealthy!" "I know!" Melody snapped. "I just... wanted to hold off on it for a while, that's all. For Faith." "Melody..." Faith tried to tell her something. "Maybe... we should go home." Simone told Melody. "You need to rest." Melody nodded. Faith let them go on their own, concerned about her loved one's safety. . . . [Alakazam] "Melody..." Faith brought up. "About what you said before." "About how you're beautiful to--" "Before that, the parking lot." "Oh..." "What I wanted to say at the time was... You're the center of attention to me for a reason." Faith pulled Melody close to her, smooching her lips quickly. "Remember that, okay? I understand that's your specialty now." Melody smiled warmly. "Thank you for still being here for me." "We should catch up. What else has happened over the last two months?" "Lots of matches." Melody brought up. "I finally got my match with Jerome." "I HAVE to hear this." Faith grinned. "How'd it go?!" With that, the two chatted away.