After leaving her hometown, Dawn and Cyan — now inseparable companions — set off toward their next destination: Jubilife City.
Cyan floated with watchful eyes, vigilant of any movement. He orbited around Dawn like a small protective satellite. The trainer let out a soft giggle when she noticed her partner's behavior.
"He's like a guardian... fufu~", she thought fondly.
Only four hours had passed since their departure, but the weather wasn't cooperating. The sky was heavy — not like dusk, but like the silent prelude to a storm.
Quickening their pace a little, the two arrived at the entrance of a forest. A thick mist dragged itself among the trees, and combined with the dark sky, it created an atmosphere straight out of a horror movie.
"Is this really the Pokémon world I know...?" Cyan cast a suspicious look at the sky, then at the forest ahead. "Creepy!"
Despite being a Pokémon, Cyantherion still harbored a slight fear of ghosts... and that place didn't exactly feel welcoming.
Dawn stared at the eerie woods in front of her and shivered at the sight.
"I think... something's not right..." she murmured, with goosebumps all over her body.
Upon hearing his trainer, Cyan gave her a skeptical look.
"Raaawn?!" — You think?!
Unfortunately, his owner still didn't understand Pokémon speech, but upon hearing her partner's low growl, she took it as confirmation.
"Really, little Cyan! We need to be careful in this forest... If I'm not mistaken, this should be Route 202!" she said with a hint of enthusiasm, trying to hide her nervousness.
Cyan tilted his head to the side and spotted a sign half-hidden among the bushes.
[Sign: Route 202.]
He looked back at his trainer and let out a helpless sigh.
"She really doesn't pay attention to her surroundings..."
Still, he decided to ignore the detail. They were on the right path — that was all that mattered for now.
As they entered the forest, the already tense atmosphere grew even heavier. Strange laughter echoed from all directions, sounding like mocking whispers. Sensing the sudden shift in the air, Cyan moved closer and stuck to Dawn's side, his eyes scanning every shadow between the trees. He was on high alert.
Although he was now a Pokémon, Cyan retained vivid memories of his past life as a human — more specifically, as a hardcore Pokémon fan. Based on his knowledge of the games, there wasn't supposed to be any haunted village at the start of a journey. The closest thing was Lavender Town in Kanto — a small village famous for its tower that served as a cemetery for deceased Pokémon.
"Come to think of it, I should visit that place someday... Even if I'm afraid of ghosts. If I get a Gengar like Ash's, I won't fear anything. A well-trained Pokémon is like Batman with plot armor."
Cyan began sketching out a mental plan to deal with his one weakness: fear of ghosts.
With the mist growing ever thicker, they kept moving forward cautiously, analyzing every shifting shadow, every echoing laugh in the woods. After a few hours, Dawn was clearly in a sour mood.
"Mom said stress is bad for the skin..." she murmured, her frown deepening.
Noticing his trainer's bad mood, Cyan approached and rubbed his draconic cheeks against hers, slightly lifting the girl's spirits.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
"!!!!!"
Alarmed by the explosions, Dawn prepared to run toward the noise, but Cyan quickly stopped her, placing himself in front of her.
"What are you doing, little Cyan?! We need to go see what it is!" Dawn said, trying to convince her little partner.
"Raawwn!!" — Are you crazy?! What if it's dangerous?! — he growled indignantly.
Perhaps sensing her partner's emotions, Dawn softened her voice. Even if she couldn't understand what he was saying, she still felt his concern.
"But... what if someone needs help?" she asked more gently.
That threw Cyan's mind into contradiction.
"She's right... What if someone's in danger? I can't keep hesitating..."
During his first life, he had always been an exceptional player — but the extremely cautious type. He was that guy who only challenged the Water-type gym after training six Grass-type Pokémon to level 30... just to face a gym whose strongest Pokémon was level 16.
"Ridiculous, but safe. I truly am a cautious man... or rather, a Pokémon now."
After deciding, he nodded to his master.
"Dawn's right. And if someone really is in danger? I'm no hero... but I'm not a Chinese protagonist who bullies the weak and runs from the strong either."
He puffed out his chest with courage.
"Besides, I'm just at the beginning. What could go wrong?!"
With that settled, he followed Dawn toward the source of the explosions.
---
As they approached the origin of the blasts, Cyan's eyes widened, freezing for a moment at the sight before him.
A striking young woman stood at the center of the clearing. Tall and slender, with long cream-blonde hair flowing down to her knees, she wore bangs that covered her left eye. Her grey eyes held a cold, almost hypnotic depth.
She was dressed in black pants and a long coat of the same color, with black fur trim on the cuffs and hem. A teardrop-shaped pendant shimmered on her chest, contrasting with the black shirt beneath.
But it wasn't just her beauty that was impressive.
In front of her stood a creature that seemed born from a nightmare — or a legendary battle.
A monster that combined the essence of a dragon and a shark, with dark blue shimmering scales and fiery red markings across its torso. Fin-like wings extended from its arms, making it look capable of slicing through the air like a missile.
Its piercing yellow eyes resembled those of an apex predator, and its mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth, looked ready to tear any foe apart.
Muscular legs, clawed feet, and a long tail helped the creature stay grounded — on land or in the sky.
"Carchomp..." Cyan muttered, recognizing the iconic form of Sinnoh's powerful dragon.
He wanted to curse his bad luck.
"How the hell did a newbie like me run into the Champion at the very start of the journey?!"
Luckily, the woman seemed to be an ally... but the relief didn't last long.
On the other side of the clearing, cloaked in dense, sinister mist that seemed to corrode even the light, a terrifying silhouette emerged.
It was a Pokémon mounted on a spectral steed.
The true body of the being — slender, with a pulsing crown and ancient gaze — rested atop a creature wrapped in shadows, with glowing eyes and hooves that barely touched the ground.
"Shadow Rider Calyrex...?!" Cyan gasped, sweat dripping from his face.
Even without having played Pokémon Sword and Shield, he recognized that legendary Pokémon from the Galar region.
But... what was it doing here, on Route 202 in Sinnoh?
None of this made any sense.
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Sorry for the delay, my assistant/chatGPT wasn't working, I had to use another AI for review and translation, the damn thing kept changing the story, I had to reread this chapter about 100 times to ensure quality.