Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Infrared

Chapter 48: To Be Brave Is Something You Learn Over Time (Penny)

Sada was the one who had to learn to be brave to fight Infrared, so why did Penny feel fear? She didn't experience the same trauma as Infrared, only a thirteen-year-old girl one—her first crush. Perhaps that fear didn't come from her feelings for Arven but Andromeda, her new name for Turo/Kenji's Lab.

How was Penny supposed to navigate her way around the artificial galaxy? Oh, she knew. She had to confront a specific AI and convince her that the only way to fight her PTSD was to rely on her newborn human emotions. Simple, right? Wrong! There was no telling what she would do to Penny. Whatever was about to happen would end in only two results: success or failure. Gosh, where was Rotom when Penny needed it? She felt she needed more than words to help Infrared, but she had to try.

"Sada, you can't do this!" Penny yelled, standing. Why was she crawling again?

Infrared, at first, did not respond to Penny (she guessed it was because she wasn't Arven).

She nearly found Nemona and Scarlet, but Penny shouted, "Sada, stop!"

Again, Infrared ignored her.

What could Penny do unless... unless... That's it! Kenji said that Turo programmed Sada with Infrared, so she probably responded to her scientific name while under the influence of it, with no Arven to help. "Project Infrared!" Penny stamped her foot and stood tall.

It worked! Infrared faced her, looking like a soldier in a platoon. She relaxed her twitching shoulders and dropped her arms to her sides. Her deadpan expression and glowing red eyes were scary enough to make even an adult man cry.

The last time Sada looked this robotic was when Penny and her friends reached the past. Penny almost forgot this robot was carrying a baby. Astonishing! But she couldn't let her fascination with machines distract her because Sada was not one. She was just as human as Penny, her friends, and even Turo, and Sada had to prove that to Infrared. The first step was for her to remember Arven. That was where Rotom would've come in handy.

Did Penny say that out loud? She asked that because Arven's Rotom Phone suddenly appeared next to her.

It began to turn on. Rotom's screen flashed before turning black again. A loading bar appeared on it next.

"Go, Flutter Mane!" Infrared freed the pokéball from her back and pitched it.

"Rotom, you could be a little quicker!" Penny grabbed it and moved to the side to get out of range of Infrared's pokéball.

Flutter Mane, the Past Form of Misdreavus, appeared between them and Infrared. At first glance, it wasn't easy to tell the difference between Past and Present Misdreavus. The only real difference was that Flutter Mane's hair-like features were long and more feather-like.

"Rotom, please," Penny begged. "Sada needs those pictures." Hopefully, she would get them before Flutter Mane, like Drifloon, carried Penny to the Afterlife.

"I'm trying, Penny," Rotom said, "but I think Sada's interfering with my line."

"Well, then try harder!"

"What you can do now is stall her and lead her to Arven."

Great idea. Only Penny had no idea where Turo took him. Kenji mentioned the control room, but was it this way or that way? Luckily, he helped her.

Twitching, Kenji poked out of their hiding place and robotically pointed aside.

Flutter Mane, its hair-like features waving, crept toward Penny.

She tripped on her heel retreating and tumbled onto her back. What could she do now, beg for mercy? That wouldn't be a very noble way out of this, though.