The next morning Zoe stood in her apartment's cluttered kitchen, packing a bag with an assortment of snacks that ranged from the usual junk food to more experimental choices. She paused, looking at Snacks, who sat on the counter eagerly swishing his tail, his eyes glued to the bag.
"Alright, buddy," she said, ruffling his head. "Today, we're figuring out what else you can do." Snacks chirped, his eyes bright as Zoe closed her bag and gestured for him to follow her. They were about to test Snacks' abilities further, and Zoe was both nervous and excited.
They made their way to an empty lot, surrounded by trees that provided just enough cover to hide their activities from prying eyes. It was still early morning, the kind of crisp, quiet time when people were too busy with coffee or sleep to be out and about.
"Okay, Snacks, let's see what you've got," Zoe said, pulling a bag of cheese puffs from her backpack. She tore it open and tossed a few to Snacks. He snatched them up, chewing happily. At first, nothing happened, but then Zoe noticed a few sparks leaping off his scales.
"Whoa! Easy, little dude," she laughed as a crackling noise built up and, with a sudden burst, Snacks shot a small arc of electricity straight at a bush, making it fizzle and smoke.
"Great, electric dragon!" Zoe grinned, giving Snacks a playful thumbs-up. "You'd make a perfect starter Pocket Monster. I'd say, level 3, maybe?"
Snacks tilted his head, chirping in confusion.
"Alright, how about I bump you up to level 4?" she teased, laughing as he puffed up with pride, clearly delighted with himself.
"Alright, let's tone it down before you set the whole lot on fire," Zoe said, reaching into her bag again. Next up were marshmallows. Snacks eyed them curiously as she handed him a couple.
After Snacks gobbled them up, he let out a small burp and began floating upwards. His wings flapped in surprise as he gained height, clumsily drifting a few feet off the ground.
"Oh, this is new," Zoe muttered, watching Snacks hover like a helium balloon. She stifled a laugh, directing him to try moving forward. Snacks, looking slightly confused, made awkward glides, his paws flailing as he tried to maintain balance.
"Alright, I guess we'll call that a win for aerial maneuvers," Zoe said, grabbing him gently and setting him back down. Snacks looked at her, clearly pleased, as she reached into her bag for the next snack.
"Alright, spicy chips," she said, opening the bag with a crinkle. Snacks chomped down on the red, triangle-shaped chips. Zoe leaned in, smirking, "I'd say these bad boys are adding a few points to your fire element." She watched as his eyes widened, and suddenly, he sneezed—a burst of flame erupted from his nostrils, singeing the patch of grass in front of him.
"Whoa! Okay, that's like… level 8 firepower at least," Zoe laughed, reaching into her bag for more potential "power-ups." Zoe watched as his eyes widened, and suddenly, he sneezed—a burst of flame erupted from his nostrils, singeing the patch of grass in front of him.
"Whoa!" Zoe jumped back, looking at the scorched ground. "Spicy equals fire. Got it." She made a mental note to keep a fire extinguisher handy next time. Snacks shook his head and looked at her, a grin curling on his snout. He liked this power.
"Okay, okay, you little flamethrower. Let's try something more... chill." Zoe pulled out the ice cubes she had wrapped in a cloth. Snacks licked his lips and crunched down on the ice. Almost immediately, he let out a frosty breath, a mist forming and creating tiny icicles on the bush Snacks had previously zapped.
Zoe let out a low whistle. "Frozen breath? Now we're talking." She encouraged Snacks to focus his breath, and after a few tries, he managed to freeze over a small puddle entirely, his frosty breath giving him a slightly frozen look.
"You're full of surprises," she said, kneeling down to rub his head, which felt cooler to the touch now. Snacks let out a pleased chirp, his wings fluttering slightly as he basked in Zoe's praise.
Suddenly, a sharp sound interrupted them—a blaring car alarm. Zoe snapped her head up, seeing that Snacks had inadvertently shot another small spark, which must have hit a car parked nearby.
"Oh, great," Zoe muttered. She stuffed the remaining snacks back into her bag and hurriedly picked Snacks up. He squirmed in her arms, curious about the noise. "No, no, buddy, this is not something we need to check out." She put him on her shoulder. "In the backpack, now."
Snacks let out an indignant huff, his eyes narrowing as if to say, 'Really?' He flared his wings slightly before finally slipping inside with a sulky shuffle. Zoe pulled it shut with a tug and turned towards Scoot-scoot.
Before she could get far, she heard voices approaching—two figures emerging from around the corner. One was a tall man with binoculars slung around his neck, and the other, a shorter woman holding a notepad.
"Packard Park Watchers," Zoe whispered, groaning inwardly.
They had made themselves known in the neighborhood over the past few weeks, self-appointed sentinels against the strange happenings increasingly common since the shard's arrival.
"Hey! Did you see that? The car just went off!" called the man. His eyes were sharp, and he seemed far too interested in whatever was happening.
Zoe plastered on her best casual smile. "Oh, yeah, that was me," she said, giving an awkward chuckle. "Faulty spark from my old electric scooter. Happens all the time." She gestured at Scoot-Scoot, which was leaning against a tree nearby.
The woman with the notepad frowned, scribbling something down. "Uh-huh. Weird, there've been a lot of electrical issues lately," she muttered, exchanging a glance with her partner.
Zoe nodded quickly. "Yeah, weird, right? Anyway, I better get going. Wouldn't want to, uh, accidentally set off any more alarms." She forced a laugh, edging her way back toward Scoot-Scoot.
The Watchers exchanged looks but seemed to let it slide, at least for now. As Zoe hopped on her scooter, Snacks peeking out of her backpack, she heard them whispering about the unusual events in the area.
"We've got to be more careful," she murmured to Snacks, who gave her a soft, questioning chirp. "This shard thing… it's getting worse. Feels like it's spreading, somehow. We can't just ignore this anymore, can we?" Zoe's gaze drifted towards the general direction of Packard Park, the unease in her gut growing. "I think people are starting to get suspicious."
The ride home was quiet, save for the faint hum of Scoot-Scoot's engine. Zoe couldn't shake the strange buzzing feeling in her bones, the same one she'd felt every time she got close to the shard. The influence of the shard was expanding, reaching beyond Packard Park, and she could feel it tightening around her.
As they returned to the apartment, Zoe dismounted and let out a sigh. Snacks hopped out of the backpack, scuttling towards the door before pausing and turning back to look at her, tilting his head.
Zoe smiled, though her expression was tinged with concern. She took a moment, crouching down to look Snacks in the eyes. "You know, you're getting pretty strong, buddy. We're both changing." Snacks blinked at her, then chirped, as if to say he was ready for whatever was next.
She knew that Snacks was becoming more powerful and that they needed to understand his abilities if they were going to face the challenges ahead.
The shard wasn't just some distant problem anymore—it was spreading, and the strange, uncomfortable feeling in her bones told her they were running out of time.
As they made their way inside, Zoe glanced at her reflection in the hallway mirror. She paused, noting how her jeans seemed a bit looser than before. She frowned, pulling at the waistband thoughtfully.
"All this running around must be doing something," she muttered. But she knew it wasn't just exercise. Something about using magic was changing her, and she wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing.
She gave Snacks a final pat as they entered the apartment. "Alright, buddy. Let's figure out our next move. We need to be ready—whatever's coming, we'll face it together." Snacks chirped in agreement, his eyes alight with excitement, and Zoe felt her resolve harden.
Unpredictable or not, they were in this together, and she was going to make sure they were ready for whatever came next.
Zoe flicked on the light in her apartment, the familiar clutter of takeout containers and scattered game controllers greeting them as they walked in.
Snacks immediately made a beeline for his favorite spot—the plush cushion on the couch, which he had claimed as his personal throne. He curled up, only the tips of his wings sticking out.
"Don't get too comfy," Zoe called out, plopping her backpack on the table. She dug through it, making sure they had everything for their next practice round tomorrow. "We've got to step up training. If we're gonna handle whatever that shard's cooking up, we need you in top form."
Snacks looked over from the couch, one eye half-closed, giving her a look that said, I'm ready anytime—are you?
Zoe shook her head, smiling as she sat down beside him. "Yeah, yeah, I know you're tough. But this is gonna be different, Snacks. This isn't just games or running around for fun."
She gently scratched under his chin, his eyes closing as he let out a contented chirp.
As she looked at him, Zoe found herself lost in thought.
Her fingers traced the slight shimmer on Snacks' scales, and she remembered when she'd first found him—tiny, scared, just as out of place as she felt back then.
Who would've guessed he'd end up breathing fire, zapping bushes, and floating like a marshmallow balloon?
"Maybe we're both changing, huh?" she whispered, almost to herself.
Snacks cracked an eye open, chirping sleepily in response.
"Guess it's time we both figure out what we're really capable of." Zoe stood up, giving Snacks one last pat before heading to her computer. There was more to learn, and they had work to do.