had been just over a week since Shion first arrived in Avia's Hollow, and though he'd grown used to the bustle and rhythm of the town, a quiet ache had begun to settle in his chest.
He missed the river sounds of home. The early chirps from the fields. His sister's gleeful hugs and his father's tired jokes.
More than that, he could feel the weight of stillness.
Bidoof, of course, had no trouble making that known.
---
"This is a disgrace!" the chubby Pokémon declared from atop Shion's bag, puffing out like a bloated berry. "We've been here too long. The Plates aren't going to collect themselves while we sip honey tea and sleep on feather beds!"
Shion, crouched near the town riverbank, tossed a stone into the water.
"It's not like we've done nothing. I needed time to learn how to survive outside the village."
"You're learning how to idle."
"We helped the shrine. We gathered herbs. We fought that group of Bug-types."
"Fought?" Bidoof sniffed. "You stepped on a Caterpie."
Shion gave him a flat look. Kiba, lounging beside them, let out a soft bark of laughter.
"…Fine," Shion admitted, standing. "You're right. Tomorrow, we move."
---
That afternoon, while passing through the bazaar to pick up supplies, Shion heard a booming voice from across the stalls.
"Ahhh, if it isn't the young hero of the Hollow!"
He turned to see Dunlin—merchant, exaggerator, professional loudmouth—waving his short arms over crates of spice bundles.
Shion smiled. "Mr. Dunlin!"
The round merchant waddled over, arms wide. "Shion, my boy! Still bright-eyed and not horribly maimed, I see! Splendid!"
Shion scratched his head. "It's been a week…"
"And you've already become an adventurer! Bold, brave, probably a little reckless—but with excellent hair, I might add!"
"Uh… thank you?"
Dunlin straightened his tunic and leaned in conspiratorially. "Now. About that favor I mentioned…"
Shion blinked. "Favor?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten! I promised you a free inn night for saving my goods from those ruffians. All I asked was one simple thing—when the time came…"
Shion's stomach fluttered. "Okay… what is it?"
"Escort me. Simple as that. I'm heading back to Ravios—capital of the Ravelle Kingdom. Long road, bandit rumors, and I hate walking alone."
Shion's jaw dropped.
"R-Ravios?"
"Yes! The city of towers! Home of politics, scholars, and more overpriced taverns than you could count with both hands and a Rapidash's hooves!"
Shion swallowed. "That's where Ren and Mila are…"
"Friends of yours?"
"They went to the academy there. I haven't seen them in two years."
Dunlin winked. "Then the stars align, my boy. You escort me, I give you transport and safety. Fair deal?"
Shion grinned.
"Deal."
---
That evening, back at the Hollow Hearth Inn, Shion packed in silence.
His old satchel was repacked with supplies—dried meat, flint, traveler's bread, a second waterskin. He'd purchased two empty Poké Balls, though he wasn't sure when or how he'd use them. And tucked into his belt was a small, plain dagger. Just in case.
Bidoof sprawled on the bed. "Finally. Progress."
Kiba dozed peacefully near the hearth, his orange fur gleaming in the firelight.
Shion found himself staring at Kaela's usual table downstairs, now empty.
He hadn't seen her in days.
"Hope she's okay," he murmured.
Bidoof cracked one eye. "She's tougher than you."
"…True."
---
Morning came crisp and quiet. A breeze rolled in from the mountains, fluttering prayer ribbons in the shrine towers. The sound of market carts and bells had not yet begun.
Shion left the inn before sunrise.
He bought a few more rations, double-checked his gear, and clipped Kiba's Poké Ball securely to his side. As he walked through the stone-paved streets, he passed a pair of older men whispering near a fountain.
"…Shrine winds are moving backwards, they say."
"Could be a bad omen."
Shion frowned but kept walking.
---
Outside the adventurer's guild, Dunlin waited by a four-wheeled merchant cart, pulled by a stubborn-looking Mudsdale and flanked by two other travelers.
"This," Dunlin declared grandly, "is Jareth former caravan guard, sword-for-hire, and currently grumpy about morning travel!"
A tall man with short gray hair and a heavy sword across his back gave Shion a nod.
"Hey."
"And this is Fena scholar-in-training, alchemy enthusiast, and somehow more cheerful than a Ponyta with fireworks!"
A younger girl, barely older than Shion, gave a little wave. She wore goggles around her neck and had a bag full of herbs slung across one shoulder.
"Hi! You're the one who helped Dunlin with the bandits, right?"
Shion smiled, still surprised. "I guess."
"Good," she said. "You've got the 'nervous-but-reliable' vibe. We'll get along."
-----
Far, far from Avia's Hollow, within a forgotten amphitheater carved into a stone basin of the eastern wilds, white-cloaked figures gathered.
Each bore a mask made from old Pokémon skulls Houndoom, Mandibuzz, even Kabutops. Their Pokémon stood beside them eyes glowing red, but calm. Controlled.
At the center, standing upon a smooth rock pedestal, the Apostle held a small, blond -haired girl in his arms.
She giggled softly and held up a drawing scrawled in red chalk.
The Apostle smiled.
"Brothers. Sisters."
His voice echoed across the stone.
"Too long has this world been blind. Too long have they prayed to a silent god who does not speak."
He held the girl tighter.
"But she speaks. She sings in my dreams. She guides me now, as my daughter once did."
The cloaked figures murmured in reverent tones.
"The Plates have scattered. The balance is broken. And in the cracks of this world's order… we rise."
He raised a hand, and the Pokémon at their sides Rhydon, Absol, Skarmory, even a Gengar glowed with a thin line of pulsing violet beneath their skins.
"This is our time."
And far behind him, deep in the shadows, Nihilego shimmered watching.
---
By midmorning, Shion and the escort caravan were already on the dirt road winding toward Ravios.
The sky was wide and blue.
Kiba ran ahead, ears perked, enjoying the open space. Bidoof snoozed on top of a bundle of silk, snoring loudly.
"Don't let the calm fool you," Jareth warned. "The southern trails have had bandit trouble lately."
Shion nodded, trying to walk with confidence. But his eyes scanned the horizon.
Ren. Mila.
I'm coming.