Skylar sat beneath a shaded rock formation, the cool breeze from a ventilation fan stirring dust around the makeshift forward base. A medical wrap still circled his ribs, and one arm remained stiff, but he was sitting up—breathing deep, flame in his chest flickering with quiet purpose.
Across from him, Gary Oak stood, arms crossed, tablet in hand.
—"Let's review," Gary said. "You entered Mt. Moon on your first badge journey. Got caught in a living nest of corrupted Pokémon. Fought off a mutated Nidoking. Encountered an entirely new species—twice. Unleashed a full aura barrier you've never trained for. Collapsed part of a hive structure… and nearly died."
Skylar winced. "That's… mostly correct."
Gary arched a brow. "I left out the part where Misty was holding your hand and crying while we thought you weren't going to make it."
Skylar flushed.
—"You're a terrible," he muttered.
Gary grinned. "I'm also the guy pulling strings to make sure the League doesn't lock you up for using aura powers without certification. So you're welcome."
Skylar rolled his eyes.
But behind the banter, the weight of everything that had happened pressed on him like a storm that had passed but left the sky cracked.
Gary grew serious.
—"We've confirmed the infection isn't spreading—for now. Your aura burst disrupted the hive's internal frequency. The watchers are confused, and the core has sealed itself off."
He paused.
—"But that's temporary. We give it a week, maybe two, before it adjusts. And then… it finishes what it started."
Skylar nodded. "Then I need to go back in."
Gary didn't argue.
Instead, he turned to the far side of the camp and raised a hand.
A tall figure stepped forward from the shadows.
She wore a silver cloak lined with dark blue trim, her hair tied back in a braid. A pendant shaped like a Lucario fang rested at her neck. Her eyes were sharp—but not unkind.
—"Skylar," Gary said. "Meet Kalei. Aura user. Former League enforcer. She studied with the same monks who trained Sir Aaron's line."
Skylar blinked. "Wait… Sir Aaron? The one with the Lucario from Sinnoh legend?"
Kalei gave a small bow. "The stories are exaggerated. But the power is real."
She stepped forward, raising one hand—and Skylar felt it immediately. A soft warmth against his chest, his pulse syncing to a higher rhythm.
—"Your aura is strong," she said. "Raw. Untrained. You reached instinctual resonance under extreme stress. That's rare."
Skylar stood—slowly.
Kalei extended a wooden staff.
—"Strike it."
Skylar glanced at Gary, who shrugged. "She means it."
Skylar inhaled, summoned the flicker of light inside him, and moved.
His palm met the staff.
A ripple of blue fire sparked on contact.
But it faded just as quickly.
Kalei nodded. "We begin again. From the start. You're not a weapon, Skylar. You're a conduit. A protector. You cannot just burn—you must learn to shape the flame."
Skylar exhaled.
He understood.
—"When do we start?"
Kalei smiled faintly. "We already did."
Two days later.
Skylar stood atop a high stone ledge, overlooking Mt. Moon's southern ridge.
The mountain's surface looked unchanged—peaceful even. But beneath it, he knew the pulse remained. Slower now. Dormant. But still watching.
Behind him, Misty approached, dressed in fresh gear, Froakie now walking proudly at her side.
—"How's the training?" she asked.
Skylar lifted a hand.
A small orb of blue aura flickered into existence between his fingers—stable.
—"Better."
She nodded. "Good. Because when we go back in… I'm not letting you shield me again."
Skylar grinned. "Fine. Then you shield me."
She bumped his shoulder.
—"Deal."
From the cave below, the wind howled.
And deep within Mt. Moon…
Something stirred.