Cherreads

Chapter 6 - Chapter 6 – A Clash of Legends

In the forest clearing, surrounded by a thick mist, Cyan and Dawn watched in disbelief the strange figure riding a spectral steed. The pressure that Pokémon exuded was suffocating, but Cynthia, the current Sinnoh League Champion, stood firm—without a single sign of fatigue before the enemy.

'As expected of a true champion!' Cyan thought. Her eyes focused on the Garchomp beside her. A slight current ran through her body. Fear? No. Absolutely not. As an Ultra Beast, Cyan possessed a highly keen battle instinct. Seeing a Dragon-type Pokémon with such combat power, her entire body yearned for a fight.

Sensing that aggressive intention coming from the bushes, Garchomp turned its head. Its fierce, sharp eyes met Cyan's.

'Even with such a small body, it exudes the aura of a warrior... albeit inexperienced,' thought Garchomp.

Following the gaze of her loyal Pokémon, Cynthia noticed the movement of a bush. Her golden eyes met Dawn's, who panicked upon being discovered.

Ignoring the girl hiding, Cynthia returned her determined gaze to the supposed Calyrex. The steed beneath him began to become partially translucent, as if about to disappear.

'Strange... Since the beginning of the battle, this Calyrex hasn't acted according to the rumors from Galar. Could we have made a mistake?' Cynthia reflected, narrowing her eyes.

A few days ago, she had received an urgent mission from the Pokémon League. Around Route 202, a Ghost-type Pokémon had been seen terrorizing passersby. Although no direct attack had been recorded, consistent reports pointed to a creature affecting the local climate and causing chills to those who approached. After some composite sketches, it was confirmed that the culprit was supposedly Calyrex—more precisely, its form with Spectrier, a Psychic/Ghost-type variant.

---

Now, with the field taken by mist and the silhouettes in contrast, the true battle was finally about to begin. Cynthia stepped forward, eyes fixed on the opponent. Garchomp beside her kept an attack posture, muscles tense and eyes half-closed.

"Let's test what you're capable of... Garchomp, Dragon Claw!"

-CHAAAAARP!-

The dragon lunged forward with brutal speed, claws surrounded by a sharp blue light. In a fluid motion, it zigzagged until reaching the target. Calyrex, still silent, raised one hand with supernatural elegance.

A translucent barrier appeared before him.

-TCHUUUUM!-

The impact was intense. Garchomp's claws struck the barrier hard, releasing a shockwave that shook the leaves and dispersed part of the mist.

'Protect... He has mastery over defensive moves as well,' Cynthia thought.

"Garchomp, change the rhythm. Crunch! Aim for Spectrier!"

In a sideways leap, Garchomp spun in the air and descended with its jaw enveloped in black energy. Its fangs sank into Spectrier's side, eliciting a sharp neigh from the steed.

-HIIIIIIIRR!!-

The spectral creature writhed, momentarily losing altitude. The aura around Calyrex flickered for the first time.

But still... silence.

Calyrex slowly raised both hands, and the mist around began to distort, taking the shape of purple and bluish spheres.

"Astral Barrage..." Cynthia murmured, her eyes alert.

The orbs descended like projectiles, cutting through the air with a sharp, threatening sound. Garchomp tried to retreat but was hit by three of the attacks. He grunted and dropped to his knees, dragging claws on the ground to keep balance.

-GRRAAAR!!-

Cynthia frowned.

"Impressive... But still not enough. Stone Edge!"

The ground responded to the command. Crystal-like stone spikes rose beneath Spectrier's hooves, exploding with force. The impact was violent enough to unbalance the steed. Calyrex reacted with a brief head movement, retreating several meters in the air.

The barrier around his body began to shatter into fragments.

'Not a common enemy... but also not exactly the Calyrex from the Galar legends...'

The mist seemed to come alive. Suddenly, it gathered around the dark duo, covering them like a cloak. The figures began to glow faintly, as if dissolving into the air.

"Disappearing?" Cynthia murmured, narrowing her eyes.

Garchomp took a hesitant step, growling low.

But the battle was over.

The strange Calyrex vanished completely, without a word. Without a response.

Silence.

Dawn and Cyan, who had witnessed the epic battle, now stared with jaws dropped at the figure in Calyrex's place.

"A Ditto!?!" they all exclaimed in unison.

Exactly. Where Calyrex had stood, there was now a small pink gooey blob melted on the ground like a scoop of ice cream. Its tiny melting face had eyes spinning in spirals.

"You want to introduce yourself now, Miss Dawn?" Cynthia asked without taking her eyes off Ditto.

Inside the bushes, Dawn froze for a few moments—not because she was caught, as she had noticed she was found as soon as she arrived.

'As expected of a champion!' she thought, giving a thumbs-up.

Her real surprise was that Cynthia knew her name.

Stepping out of the bushes a bit embarrassed, Dawn approached Cynthia. Cyan, as a loyal companion, followed her. His serpentine body, like that of an oriental dragon, slithered through the air. Cynthia's attention was drawn to him.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" she asked curiously while activating her Pokédex, pointing it at Cyan.

Pokédex of the Sinnoh League – Synchronizing regional data...

Beep... Beep... Data found. Displaying updated entry.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

No. ??? – Cyantherion

Species: Celestial Ultra Beast

Type: Dragon / Fairy

Height: 2.7 m

Weight: 88.8 kg

Classification: Legendary Pokémon

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

> "Cyantherion, the Celestial Ultra Beast. Its body emits a shimmering energy that defies conventional analysis. Although its origin remains a mystery, tests conducted by Professor Rowan confirm its genetic structure does not resemble any known Pokémon."

Official notes – Prof. Rowan:

> "This specimen exhibits unique traits of selective empathy and tactical intelligence. It is currently under the custody of Trainer Dawn, under direct and authorized observation. There are no indications of evolution or known habitat."

Registration Status:

Active registration in the Sinnoh regional Pokédex

Official number pending

Classification confirmed as an atypical Legendary

Containment protocol: not necessary (peaceful behavior observed)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Linked Trainer: Dawn

Last analysis performed by: Prof. Rowan – Sandgem Laboratory

End of entry.

---

Dazed by the flood of information, Cynthia shifted her gaze to Cyan, then to the Pokédex, repeating the action a few times before rubbing her head with an exasperated sigh.

'What is Professor Rowan thinking, handing a new Legendary Pokémon to Johanna's daughter?' she complained inwardly.

It was the first time she had seen such a detailed Pokédex. Even though some essential data were missing, it was still possible to perceive Cyantherion's true value.

Garchomp, standing beside her, looked at Cyan like a lioness who had found a good lion to mate with. Feeling that fiery gaze, Cyan stepped back a little behind Dawn.

Noticing the strange atmosphere, Cynthia smiled and teased Dawn a bit.

"Looks like my Garchomp likes your Cyantherion!"

Hearing the term "my," Cyantherion froze, looking back at Garchomp.

'She's a female???'

While Cyantherion was being observed by Garchomp as prey, Dawn was still trying to understand how Cynthia knew her, and the Ditto that had been transformed into Calyrex earlier still slept deeply, sprawled on the clearing floor.

Even while joking with Dawn and Cyan, Cynthia still kept her eyes on the strange Ditto. This was the first time she had seen one with such a perfect transformation that even she and her Garchomp were fooled.

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