" Drew?"

Drew let out a soft snore. " Mmm?"

" Is the moon supposed to be close to the earth?"

" It's probably a dream, May. Go back to sleep." He yawned and turned over in his sleeping bag.

" Drew, I'm serious!" May shook Drew. " I just looked outside! Drew, I think something's going on!"

Drew groaned as May shook him more urgently. "Alright, alright, I’m up!” he grumbled, sitting up in his sleeping bag and rubbing his eyes. “What’s got you so worked up at—” He glanced at his PokéNav. “—2 AM?”

“The moon!” May hissed, pointing dramatically toward the tent flap. “It looks way too close to the Earth! I think something’s happening!”

Drew gave her a skeptical look. “The moon? May, it’s not going to just fall out of the sky.”

“I’m not joking!” May insisted, grabbing his arm. “I went outside to grab some water, and I swear it looks huge! Like it’s about to crash into us or something!”

With a heavy sigh, Drew crawled out of his sleeping bag and zipped open the tent. Stepping outside into the cool night air, he looked up at the sky. Sure enough, the moon appeared massive, its light glowing eerily over the trees and reflecting in the calm surface of a nearby lake.

“See?” May said, standing beside him, her voice laced with panic. “It’s way too big, right?!”

Drew squinted at the sky, then at the lake. A second later, realization hit him. “Oh, for the love of—May, that’s just the moon’s reflection in the lake.”

“What?!” May turned to the lake, then back to the sky, her face growing red.

“Yes,” Drew said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The actual moon is up there, normal-sized, doing its usual moon things. That giant moon you’re freaking out about? That’s just a reflection on the water!”

May blinked, her panic slowly morphing into embarrassment. “Oh… well… I mean, it looked weird!”

Drew groaned, running a hand through his hair. “You woke me up—at 2 AM—for this? May, you moron! You didn’t even think to check before shaking me out of my sleep?”

“Hey!” May snapped, her embarrassment turning to indignation. “It looked creepy, okay? How was I supposed to know it was just the lake?”

Drew sighed, shaking his head as he turned back toward the tent. “Next time, maybe don’t jump to conclusions before assuming the moon’s crashing into us.”

May folded her arms, still flustered. “I just wanted to be safe! For all we know, Mars could be trying to take over the world, and this could’ve been the first sign!”

Drew paused in the tent’s entrance and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “Mars? Seriously, May?”

“Yes! Or maybe aliens or something! You can’t prove it’s not!”

Drew rolled his eyes, crawling back into his sleeping bag. “Goodnight, May. Try not to let your imagination destroy the solar system while I’m asleep.”

“Fine!” May huffed, retreating to her own sleeping bag. “But if Mars does try to take over the world, don’t come crying to me when I save the day!”

Drew chuckled softly, already drifting back to sleep. “Sure thing, hero. Goodnight.”

May glared at him for a moment, then turned toward the tent wall, mumbling to herself. “It could happen…”

The peaceful quiet of the night was shattered when Drew was jolted awake by a loud, panicked scream.

“DREW! WAKE UP! MARS IS CLOSER TO EARTH! WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!” May shrieked, shaking him with the urgency of someone trying to escape a collapsing cave.

Drew let out a groggy groan, sitting up and rubbing his temples. “May, for the love of Arceus, what is it now?” he asked, his voice flat and exhausted.

“Mars! Look outside!” May wailed, pointing frantically toward the tent flap. “It’s glowing, and it’s HUGE! It’s right there! It’s going to crash into us or something!”

Drew sighed heavily, running a hand down his face. “May,” he said, his tone monotone as he crawled out of his sleeping bag yet again. “If this is another reflection—”

“It’s not!” she interrupted, dragging him outside. “It’s real this time! I swear!”

Drew squinted at the horizon, where a massive, fiery orange ball of light was rising slowly into the sky. He stared at it for a long moment before speaking, his voice deadpan.

“May, that’s the sun.”

“What?!” May blinked at him, then back at the glowing sphere, her face a mixture of confusion and lingering panic.

“Yes, the sun. You know, the thing that rises every morning and keeps us from freezing to death?” Drew said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

May’s jaw dropped. “No way! That’s way too big to be the sun!”

Drew rolled his eyes. “It’s not ‘too big,’ May. It’s the same size it always is when it rises. You’re just sleep-deprived and freaking out over nothing—again.”

But May wasn’t done. “Okay, fine, maybe it’s the sun. But what if Saturn turned evil and sent the sun closer to Earth to fry us all?”

Drew blinked at her, his exhaustion giving way to sheer disbelief. “...Saturn turned evil? And sent the sun after us? May, are you even listening to yourself?”

“It’s possible!” May insisted, throwing her hands up. “Have you met Saturn? No, because we don’t know what it’s capable of!”

Drew groaned, pressing his palms to his temples. “Saturn is a planet. It doesn’t have a personality, a brain, or an evil plan. It’s just floating out there, minding its own business.”

“That’s what it wants you to think!” May argued, pacing back and forth. “This is exactly how it starts! First Mars, then Saturn, then the whole solar system teams up to take us out!”

Drew flopped back into his sleeping bag, pulling it over his head. “Wake me up when Jupiter’s plotting against us. Goodnight, May.”

“Drew, I’m serious!” May shouted, but when she turned back to the horizon, the sun had risen higher, casting a golden glow over the campsite. She froze, realizing how ridiculous she sounded.

“...Okay, maybe Saturn isn’t evil,” she mumbled, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

From under the sleeping bag, Drew’s muffled voice replied, “Glad you’re finally catching up. Now, please let me sleep before you decide Uranus is the mastermind.”

May groaned, flopping onto her sleeping bag and muttering, “It could happen...”

Ten minutes of peace was all Drew got before May’s panicked screams pierced the night again.

“DREW! ASTEROIDS! THEY’RE FALLING FROM THE SKY! WE’RE GONNA DIE!” she yelled, yanking his sleeping bag.

Drew groaned loudly, sitting up with a glare. “May, what now?!”

She pointed to the sky with trembling hands. “LOOK! They’re everywhere! They’re going to hit us!”

Drew rubbed his eyes and stumbled out of the tent to see what she was yelling about. His heart sank as he saw glowing orbs of fire streaking across the sky, followed by faint booms in the distance.

"Wait..." Drew’s tired expression shifted into one of alarm. “Those aren’t asteroids!”

“What?!” May gasped. “What are they?!”

Drew’s sharp green eyes scanned the horizon. The faint silhouette of a hot air balloon came into view, its telltale Meowth head shape unmistakable. “It’s Team Rocket! They’re dropping bombs!”

“Bombs?!” May shrieked, her panic doubling.

Drew didn’t waste any time. Grabbing her hand, he yanked her toward the forest edge. “Come on, May! We need to get out of here before we’re toast!”

“But what about our stuff?!” May cried, glancing back at the tent as Drew pulled her along.

“Forget it! It’s not worth getting blown up!” Drew snapped, dodging falling debris as the explosions grew louder.

The forest was lit up by the fiery blasts, the ground shaking beneath their feet as they ran. May stumbled, but Drew caught her, pulling her close.

“Keep moving!” he urged, his voice firm but protective.

Above them, the Team Rocket balloon hovered menacingly. Jessie’s voice echoed through the chaos.

“Prepare for trouble, campers!”

“And make it double—boom!” James added, laughing as another explosion shook the ground.

“Not these clowns again!” Drew growled, glaring up at the balloon as they ducked behind a large boulder for cover.

“What do we do?!” May asked, clutching Drew’s arm tightly.

“We fight,” Drew said, pulling a Pokéball from his pocket. “Roselia, let’s go!”

With a flash of light, Roselia appeared, ready for action. Drew turned to May. “Are you with me, or are you going to keep screaming about planets?”

May’s eyes narrowed. “I’m with you! Let’s take these guys down!”

“Good,” Drew said with a smirk. “Then let’s show Team Rocket what happens when they mess with us.”

In the Pokémon Center’s cozy lounge, Drew leaned against the wall near the videophone, holding a casual yet slightly awkward conversation with Caroline, May’s mom. Meanwhile, May sat cross-legged on the couch, giggling as her Torchic hopped around, chasing a loose thread on her sweater.

“You’re so responsible, Drew,” Caroline said warmly, her face lighting up on the screen. “You always seem to take such good care of my little May. A perfect match for her, really.”

Drew’s cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, but he quickly masked it with a cool smile. “I’m just looking out for her, that’s all. She’d probably get herself into a thousand messes if someone didn’t keep an eye on her.”

“Hey!” May called from the couch, catching just enough of the conversation to know she was being teased. “I don’t get into that much trouble!”

Drew glanced at her with a smirk. “Oh, really? Should I remind you about the ‘asteroid’ incident earlier?”

May’s face flushed red as she muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, Torchic chirping happily in her lap, oblivious to her embarrassment.

Caroline chuckled, clearly amused. “See? You two balance each other out perfectly. May has the energy, and you keep her grounded. It’s sweet.”

Drew rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to respond. “Uh, thanks, Mrs. Maple.”

“You can call me Caroline, dear,” she said with a playful wink. “I’m glad May has someone like you with her. It makes me feel better knowing she’s not out there all alone.”

May, trying to change the subject, spoke up. “Mom! Stop embarrassing me! We’re just traveling partners!”

“Traveling partners,” Caroline echoed with a knowing smile. “Sure, sweetie. Whatever you say.”

Drew turned his attention back to the screen. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know she’s fine. We’ve had a few… interesting moments, but nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“Interesting moments?” Caroline raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s just say your daughter has quite the imagination,” Drew said dryly.

May huffed from the couch. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about that anymore!”

Caroline laughed, her voice warm. “Oh, Drew, I really do like you. Take care of my May, okay?”

“I will,” Drew replied sincerely.

As the call ended, May glared at him, her cheeks still flushed. “You didn’t have to tell her everything!”

“I didn’t,” Drew said with a shrug, sitting down next to her. “Just enough to make her think I’m a saint for putting up with you.”

“Drew!” May smacked his arm, though she couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips.

Torchic chirped in agreement, jumping into Drew’s lap as if to say, Be nice to her!

Drew chuckled, scratching the Pokémon’s head. “Alright, alright, Sweet Pea. Let’s call it even.”

May groaned. “Don’t call me that!”

But deep down, she didn’t mind at all.