"Recruit. You may enter."

I stumbled into Cyllene's office. "Uh- I made this for you- I'll just leave it here- bye bye!"

Cyllene's pen paused mid-stroke.

She blinked once.

Twice.

Slowly, she set the quill down and steepled her fingers as she watched me hover awkwardly in the doorway like a skittish Starly about to flee.

"...Recruit," she said calmly, "come back."

I froze. Absolutely froze.
Pikachu—waiting out in the hall—peeked in and tilted her head.

I turned back just enough to make eye contact. "Y–yes, Captain?"

Cyllene gestured toward the small bowl of pudding on her desk, its surface perfectly smooth, faintly pink and blue mixed together like a shy sunset.

"You made this," she said.

I nodded quickly. "Y-yes—I mean—yes ma'am. I, um... I had extra berries and... you work very hard, so I... just thought maybe you'd want something sweet and—uh—I'll go now—"

"Stay."

My mouth snapped shut.

Cyllene picked up the spoon with meticulous care, as though she were evaluating evidence from a crime scene.
She tasted a small bite.

Then she blinked again.

But this time it wasn't confusion.

"...This is excellent."

My soul nearly left my body.

"E-excellent?" I squeaked.

She took another bite—still completely stone-faced—but she nodded. "Balanced, not overly sweet. Berries are fresh. Good texture."

My face warmed. "O-oh... thank you, Captain..."

She ate a third spoonful, then set the bowl down as if she had to maintain her dignity by not devouring the entire thing at once.

"...Recruit," she said, voice steady, "you are... very thoughtful."

The praise hit me harder than any Hisuian Pokémon ever had.

I stood there, stunned, opening and closing my mouth like a Magikarp.

Cyllene raised an eyebrow. "...Is something wrong?"

"N-no! No—just... um..." I bowed stiffly. "Th-thank you for enjoying it, Captain!"

She nodded once. Professional. Composed.
But the corner of her mouth softened, only barely.

"If you ever have surplus berries again," she added, "I would not object to more."

My heart absolutely melted.

"I—yes—of course—!"

Then I bolted out the door before my embarrassment could physically kill me.

Pikachu scampered after me.

Behind us, in the quiet of her office, Cyllene gave the pudding another small bite—
and for half a second, she smiled.