The fire crackled low beneath the stone overhang, casting ripples of amber light across Aiden's face. Morning hadn't broken yet, but the first ghost-blush of dawn seeped into the sky, dull and pale behind Mt. Thorne's looming silhouette. The climb awaited.
Sneasel stirred beside him, already alert. Its feline eyes reflected the dancing flame, and its claws twitched in anticipation.
"Time to move," Aiden murmured.
He rose slowly, packed his gear, and recalled the others, leaving only Sneasel out. The mountain trail began almost immediately—a steep incline broken by jagged steps of ancient, weather-blasted rock. Loose gravel, dried moss, and the occasional remnant of an old campsite littered the path.
Mt. Thorne was less a mountain and more a layered colossus, an endless maze of caverns, fissures, and subterranean rivers—legend said it had once touched the clouds and held within its heart the dreams of sleeping gods. What was certain, however, was that the climb demanded vigilance.
As they ascended, a cold mist hugged the ledges. The further they climbed, the more the mist thickened, and soon the path dipped inward into one of the mountain's countless mouths.
The interior was different.
Gone was the airy chill of the outside—here, warmth and dampness clung to the walls. The rock pulsed with veins of luminous blue crystal, faint and humming, like veins of the earth itself. Aiden's boots squelched in shallow water.
A rustle.
A growl.
"Get ready," he whispered.
A shape lunged from the shadows—a wild Mawile, sharp-jawed and feral-eyed, leaping from a high ridge.
"Feint Attack!"
Sneasel vanished into shadow and reappeared behind the Steel-type, striking true. The Mawile hissed and countered with Iron Head, catching Sneasel in the flank.
"Icy Wind! Slow it down!"
Frost danced through the air, catching on the Mawile's limbs. Its movement dulled.
Another strike—Quick Attack—and the Steel-type slumped.
Aiden didn't linger. He gave a nod of thanks and pressed on.
Over the next hours, the cave revealed more of its residents.
A nosey Nosepass guarding a dead end, dispatched with Roselia's Energy Ball.
A skittering swarm of Sableye, scattering under Golbat's Air Cutter.
And finally—something different.
It was deep within the second level of the mountain. A wider chamber, half-flooded, with a ceiling lost in shadows. Echoes bounced wildly across the space. As they crossed it, something emerged from a tunnel ahead.
A lone Aron.
Its plating shimmered oddly in the blue light.
It wasn't gray.
It was deep blue—a rare mutation, seen perhaps once in a thousand.
The Aron stared at them. Unafraid. Maybe even curious.
"You're alone?" Aiden asked softly.
It pawed the ground. Growled, low and warning.
A challenge.
He nodded.
"Sneasel. Let's dance."
It was a short, fierce fight.
Aron charged with Headbutt—raw and heavy. Sneasel absorbed the hit, retaliated with Crush Claw. Aron answered with Iron Tail, slick and brutal. The two exchanged blows in silence, the kind shared by warriors more than beasts.
When the Aron finally faltered, panting, Aiden stepped forward.
From his belt, he selected a unique Poké Ball—a dusk-shaded shell with a radiant blue core.
"You want a battle that will test you forever? Come."
He threw.
One shake.
Two.
Three.
Click.
Somewhere far away...
A quiet clearing bathed in afternoon light. Tall trees rimmed the edges, and flowers bloomed in geometric patterns impossible in wild nature. A time-distorted oasis.
At its center stood Celebi.
Not walking. Not floating. Simply being.
The Forest Guardian's wings gave off pulses, like breathing light, and time itself hummed in rhythm.
Beside it, seated on a stone bench worn smooth by ages, was a woman.
She cradled a small child—Wally—nestled against her shoulder. Her eyes were pale green, like birch leaves in late spring. She wore a soft gray dress, her hair pinned with a clip shaped like a Bellossom. She hummed an old lullaby, one Celebi seemed to harmonize with silently.
From the path behind them came a man. Tall, angular, with sandy brown hair tied back and a gentle limp in his step.
He smiled as he approached.
"Verdona," he said. His voice was warm, cautious.
She looked up. "He's napping, Rydan."
Rydan nodded and glanced toward Celebi, then to the child. "Wally's getting stronger. His aura doesn't fade so quickly anymore."
"He's learning to match time's rhythm," she whispered, rocking the child gently. Then, to Celebi: "So... he started his journey. It will be fun."
Celebi tilted its head.
Verdona reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small photo—a man, older, eyes stern but sad, standing at the edge of some forest path. Aiden, aged by time not yet passed.
She traced the image with one thumb.
"Protector of Time," she said softly. "We'll see how it turns out in this timeline."
Rydan frowned. "You still think we should tell him?"
She shook her head.
"Spies don't knock. And time doesn't forgive early truths."
She looked again at Celebi, who seemed not to blink at all.
Then the scene blurred.
Back on Mt. Thorne...
Aiden rested against a stone wall near the third inner gate of the mountain's rise. He'd found an old outpost—ruined, but dry. A place where travelers once meditated before making the final push.
He was bruised, tired, but more complete than he had been hours ago.
The rare Aron's Poké Ball rested beside him. He hadn't named it yet.
It had earned more than a name.
It had earned belonging.
He looked at his team—one by one.
Sneasel
Stage: Apprentice → Veteran
Talent Color: Purple
Move Expertise:
Quick Attack — Expert
Feint Attack — Expert
Icy Wind — Advanced
Leer — Intermediate
Crush Claw — Advanced
Metal Claw — Intermediate
Throat Chop — Intermediate
Shadow Claw — Beginner
Roselia(Previously Budew)
Stage: Apprentice → Veteran
Talent Color: Blue
Move Expertise:
Absorb — Intermediate
Growth — Advanced
Stun Spore — Advanced
Mega Drain — Advanced
Energy Ball — Intermediate
Aromatherapy — Beginner
Golbat(Previously Zubat)
Stage: Youth → Apprentice
Talent Color: Purple
Move Expertise:
Leech Life — Advanced
Supersonic — Advanced
Astonish — Intermediate
Gust — Advanced
Bite — Intermediate
Air Cutter — Intermediate
U-turn — Beginner
Poison Fang — Beginner
Ponyta
Stage: Youth → Apprentice
Talent Color: Blue
Move Expertise:
Ember — Beginner
Quick Attack — Beginner
Tackle — Beginner
Agility — Advanced
Flame Wheel — Advanced
High Horsepower — Intermediate
Double Kick — Beginner
Flame Charge — Beginner
Riolu
Stage: Child → Youth
Talent Color: Purple
Move Expertise:
Quick Attack — Advanced
Growl — Intermediate
Force Palm — Advanced
Metal Claw — Intermediate
Blaze Kick — Intermediate
Vacuum Wave — Beginner
Aron(New)
Stage: Youth
Talent Color: Blue
Move Expertise:
Headbutt — Intermediate
Iron Tail — Beginner
Rock Tomb — Beginner
Harden — Intermediate
Metal Claw — Beginner
Aiden let the silence sit.
Not all victories were loud. Some, like now, were just a breath taken in the right direction.
He looked toward the final ridge.
Tomorrow, he'd reach the summit.
And beyond it, Florecial.
But for tonight, with six companions and one flickering fire, he let himself feel—if only briefly—like he was exactly where he was meant to be.