Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The silence in the train car had grown thick, broken only by the rhythmic clattering of the train and the occasional sound of Patrasche snoring in my lap.

Beatrice remained by my side, arms crossed and scowling, radiating an aura of resentment that could have soured milk. However, I noticed how her butterfly-like eyes darted toward me every few seconds. Her fury was losing the battle against her intellectual curiosity.

Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

—Say it —she demanded, without looking directly at me.

—Hmm? —I replied with a mouthful. I had taken out a sandwich from the backpack my mother had packed.

Beatrice turned her head sharply, her curls hitting the back of the seat.

—Tell me exactly what you said to Mother, I suppose! —she shrieked, poking her finger into my shoulder—. What magic words did you use to make her consider your hypothesis 'superior' to Betty's, when fundamentally we reached the same conclusion?

I swallowed the bite of sandwich, genuinely confused.

—Huh? How should I know? I didn't know you were competing. I just... spoke.

She huffed, unsatisfied.

—Don't play dumb. Mother said you didn't look for an 'empty throne,' but functional patterns. Betty needs to know... —She paused, gritting her teeth as if the next words burned her tongue—. Betty needs to know where her structured approach failed against your... improvised babbling.

I shrugged, taking another bite of the sandwich. I didn't really understand her family drama, but if she wanted to know my 'theory,' I had no problem sharing it.

—Look, I don't know anything about empty thrones —I began, speaking casually while reaching into the snack bag—. You saw that something was missing in Galar, right? A hole where a god should be.

—Precisely. The absence of a resident deity in the regional theology —she confirmed, sitting up with pride.

—Right. You saw the hole. —I pulled out a bag of colorful gummy bears—. What I saw was the patch they put over it to cover it up.

I opened the bag. Beatrice watched me, waiting for me to continue. Without thinking much about it, I took out a red gummy and held it up to her mouth while I kept talking.

—Think about it. In almost every region, there are trios. Two equals, and the one that maintains the balance. Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza. Dialga, Palkia, Giratina. It's a complete scheme. A working system.

Beatrice opened her mouth and accepted the candy automatically, out of pure conditioned reflex, probably used to Gothorita feeding her snacks while she read without looking up from her books. She chewed the gummy without realizing what she was doing, entirely focused on my words.

—But in Galar... —I continued, popping a green gummy into my own mouth—. Not only is the trio missing. It's that the legend they gave us is ridiculous. Humans with weapons stopping an energy catastrophe?

It doesn't add up.

I leaned in a little, using my free hand to gesture.

—My idea isn't that 'something is missing.' My idea is that the entire original scheme was erased and replaced by a cheap lie. I didn't look for a hole in the library; I realized that all the books in the history section had been rewritten with crayons.

Beatrice's gaze unfocused. She stopped chewing.

—The false legend... as an active cover-up... —she muttered, and I could see the gears in her brain turning at full speed.

I was just spouting ideas based on my memories, my dream, and the stories I liked, plus my desperation to be believed. To me, it was a chaos of intuitions.

But for Beatrice, it was a painful revelation.

She had spent twenty minutes measuring the perimeter of the 'empty throne' with a ruler. I had walked in, looked at the pile of fresh dirt over where the throne should be, and said: —Hey, they buried something huge here.

Echidna had valued speed and broad-mindedness over meticulous precision.

Beatrice looked at the gummy left in her hand. Then she looked at me, who was still casually eating while offering her another one.

She realized she had just been fed like a pet, and her cheeks turned red again, but this time there was no yelling.

She accepted the second gummy with a quick, jerky shake of her head.

—Hmph. —She chewed forcefully, looking out the window—. It's still a sloppy and poorly founded theory. But... Betty admits that your approach has a slightly broader angle of vision, I suppose.

I smiled internally. Coming from her, that was practically a standing ovation.

The train began to slow down. Over the loudspeakers, a metallic voice announced:

«Next stop: South Entrance of the Wild Area. Passengers destined for Professor Echidna's Research Laboratory, please prepare to disembark.»

—We're here —I said, brushing the crumbs off my new vest and gently waking Patrasche.

Beatrice jumped to her feet, smoothing her dress with renewed dignity.

—Good. It's time for Betty to oversee if your chaotic mind can survive a real conversation with Mother, in fact. —She glared at me with fierce determination—. And don't think this theory matter is settled, commoner.

—Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Betty.

The train screeched to a halt. The doors opened, and the fresh, wild air of the Galar plains hit our faces.

The real journey had just begun.

—Don't call me Betty! —she shrieked, following me off the platform with quick, annoyed steps.

I ignored her complaints as we stepped onto the trail that connected the station to the vast plains of the Wild Area. The wind blew strong here, carrying the scents of wet earth and distant danger.

As we walked, I picked up the thread of the conversation, trying to calm her temper with academic theory.

—Think about it, Betty... I mean, Beatrice. —I corrected myself before she could kick my shin—. My theory holds up better if we consider symbiosis. The humans from the legend were real, yes. But the 'Sword' and the 'Shield' weren't inanimate objects. It was them. The Major Legendaries of Galar.

Beatrice frowned thoughtfully, her patent leather shoes tapping against the dirt path.

—That would explain why, when you wandered into my library like a vagrant, the first thing you asked about was 'wolves' —she said, looking at me sharply—. At the time, I thought you were hallucinating. But if your initial premise was always that the artifacts were Pokémon... then your question had a logical basis.

She paused for a moment and looked into my eyes, searching for the source of my information.

—Where did you get the physical description? The magenta color, the scars? There are no books on that.

I felt a cold sweat on the back of my neck. I couldn't tell her: —Oh, yeah, I saw it in a vision of the future where we all die horribly.

—It's... complex —I replied, looking away toward the horizon—. Let's just say it's a mix of intuition, lucid dreams, and subconscious patterns. —I offered her the bag of gummies again—. Trust me, if I explained it in detail, you wouldn't see any academic value in it. You'd say they were the ravings of a madman.

Beatrice held my gaze for a few seconds longer, evaluating my honesty. Finally, she huffed and took another red gummy from the bag.

—Betty is an expert at separating the wheat from the chaff. But if you admit that your methodology is flawed, Betty will accept it as a 'lucky hunch,' I suppose.

She popped the candy into her mouth, chewing with that childish arrogance.

We kept walking. The grass around us was growing taller.

Crack.

The sound of a snapping branch stopped us in our tracks.

From the tall weeds, about ten meters in front of us, glowing eyes emerged. A Galarian Linoone, with its black-and-white fur and that long tongue hanging out, blocked our path. It growled, tearing at the ground with its claws, clearly looking for a fight or food.

My heart skipped a beat.

My instinct screamed: Run!

My muscles tensed to do what I always did as a rescuer in Kanto. Throw a Smoke Ball. Use a Repel. Find an alternate route. Avoid conflict. Save your own skin.

It was the logical thing. It was the safe thing.

But then, I felt the weight of the presence beside me.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Beatrice. She didn't look scared, just bored, waiting to see what I would do. She was under my 'care' (or supervision), technically.

I looked down. Patrasche was standing in front of me, the flame on her tail burning brightly, looking up at me, waiting for an order. There was no fear in his eyes, just a blind trust that I knew what to do.

And then there was Umbreon, my partner, sitting beside me, watching me, waiting for my reaction, my action.

I stood anchored to the ground.

Running away was no longer an option. That old version of me, the cowardly pacifist who hid behind columns, died this morning when I decided to save them all.

I wasn't just a rescuer anymore. Now I was a Trainer. And Trainers don't run away when destiny blocks their path.

I clenched my fists inside my new gloves. I felt the adrenaline, but this time I didn't let it consume me.

—Alright —I muttered, and my voice sounded strangely firm.

I pointed at the wild Linoone, who was preparing to charge.

—Patrasche, use...!

The command reached the tip of my tongue, but it died there, strangled by an invisible, freezing knot.

The instant my vocal cords tried to form the word "Ember," my treacherous brain superimposed another image over reality. The flame on Charmander's tail wasn't orange; it darkened until it turned black and purple. The Linoone leaping toward us no longer had soft fur; it had a hard exoskeleton and broken wings.

No. Not again.

A pulsing, viscous, and primitive fear bloomed from the pit of my stomach, spreading like poison through my veins.

—A... ah... —I gasped.

I felt the ground disappear beneath my feet. My legs, which a second ago were tense for combat, turned to jelly and failed. I fell to my knees, hitting the dirt hard.

The air. There was no air. My lungs contracted desperately, searching for oxygen, but finding only guilt.

You're going to kill it. If you attack, you'll kill it. You'll kill it, you'll kill it. You'll kill it, you'll kill it. You'll kill it, you'll kill it. You'll kill it, you'll kill it. You'll kill it, you'll kill it, you'll kill it. You'll kill it, you'll kill it. You'll kill it, you'll kill it.

The world around me began to blur into a smear of fuzzy colors. The blue sky turned gray. Beatrice's groans sounded like they were underwater. My vision closed into a dark tunnel, and the blackness threatened to swallow me whole.

In front of me, the Linoone's claws glinted, approaching us in slow motion. And I, unable to lift a finger, could only close my eyes, waiting for the punishment I had deserved for years.

Meanwhile, in the air-conditioned safety of the hotel suite, the atmosphere was heavy.

The door opened and Emilia walked in, closing it quickly behind her to muffle the distant shouts of Team Yell. She leaned against the wood, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.

—I'm so sorry —she said, smoothing her hair—. Those fanatics are impossible. I lost Subaru in the confusion... I hope he made it to the train okay.

She looked up, expecting to see farewell smiles, but was met with silence.

Kenichi was standing by the window, looking in the direction of the Wild Area with his arms crossed and his back rigid. Naoko was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands intertwined in her lap, squeezing them so tightly that her knuckles were white.

—Is something wrong? —Emilia asked, worried, approaching them—. Is it about Subaru?

Naoko nodded slightly, without looking up.

—Now he'll have to battle on his own —the mother muttered—. All by himself.

Emilia tilted her head, confused by the gravity in their voices.

—Why are you worrying so much? —she asked, trying to sound cheerful—. I saw Subaru and Umbreon beat Obstagoon without even touching him! He has incredible reflexes.

Emilia smiled, remembering the story of the Dragonite.

—And you yourselves said he is an expert rescuer. With his new Charmander, attacking a few wild Pokémon won't be a problem for him. He has the talent.

Kenichi turned around slowly. He no longer wore his "cool dad" smile. His expression was somber, almost painful.

—That's not the problem, Emilia —Kenichi said in a grave voice—. Subaru has talent, but that's not what binds him. It's something deeper, something that won't let him attack.

—What? —Emilia blinked—. But if he's a trainer...

—He stopped being one eight years ago —Naoko interrupted, her voice trembling—. Subaru isn't a pacifist by choice, Emilia. He's a pacifist by trauma.

Kenichi walked toward the sofa and sat down heavily, gesturing for Emilia to do the same.

—Do you think he retired from battles because they bored him? Because he was afraid of losing? The truth is that he abandoned his dream because he is terrified of his own potential to cause harm.

Kenichi looked Emilia directly in her violet eyes.

—If you want to understand my son, you have to know what happened that day in the forest. You have to know why Umbreon evolved.

Emilia felt a chill run down her spine. The parents' concern wasn't about whether Subaru would win or lose. It was about whether his mind would break in the attempt.

—Tell me, please —she whispered.

Back in the Wild Area, my knees hit the dirt with a dull thud that I barely felt.

My world had shrunk to the erratic sound of my own heart, hammering against my ribs like a caged bird trying to break its own chest to escape.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

But I couldn't. My throat had closed up. The image of the dead Beedrill and the living Linoone overlapped in a macabre dance.

In front of me, I blearily saw Umbreon tensing every muscle, his rings glowing with protective fury. I felt the heat of Patrasche beside me, ready to spit fire. I even saw Beatrice's Gothorita out of the corner of my eye, charging psychic energy.

They were going to attack. They were going to kill for me. It was going to happen again.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the sound of impact. Waiting for the crunch.

ZHIUUUUUUUUUM!

A sharp sound cut through the air, followed by an explosion of pure, clean, and resonant blue light.

BOOM!

It wasn't a dark attack. It wasn't uncontrolled fire. It was a sphere of concentrated energy, perfect and disciplined.

I snapped my eyes open.

The ground in front of the Linoone had exploded. The shockwave of the Aura Sphere sent dirt flying into the air, creating a deterrent barrier. The wild Pokémon, realizing it was outmatched by a vastly superior force, let out a shriek of terror and bolted, disappearing into the tall grass within seconds.

Silence.

The buzzing in my ears began to fade. My heart, though still galloping, stopped hurting.

And then, a voice broke the silence.

—Is everyone alright? Is anyone hurt?

It was as if a bucket of cool water had been poured over my soul.

That voice. Sweet. Gentle. Loaded with a genuine and almost maternal concern.

The panic attack stopped dead in its tracks, not of my own free will, but because my brain recognized that auditory frequency. I had heard it in my dreams. I had heard it in those "memories" of futures I never lived. And in that beautiful past.

Slowly, trembling, I looked up.

In front of us, standing with an elegant yet firm posture, was a girl. Beside her, a Lucario stepped closer, scanning the surroundings, alert, with blue aura still emanating from its paws.

But I only had eyes for her.

She wore a soft blue blouse, the same pastel shade as her hair, and a black skirt. Travel clothes, the clothes of a normal girl, but at that moment, she seemed like the most beautiful vision in the world.

The residual breeze generated by the Aura Sphere's explosion blew at that exact instant, lifting the blue bangs that, out of habit, always covered half of her face.

Time stopped.

For an ephemeral second, I could see them. Two eyes. Two precious sapphires, clear as crystal, bright and full of life.

Normally, one was hidden, guarding her emotions, her insecurities. But now, under the Galar sky and in front of my disaster, both looked at me with a transparency that stole my breath.

I didn't know how, but I knew who she was. My soul knew it.

Beside me, Patrasche let out a small whine, pressing her head against my side, seeking comfort, or perhaps giving it to me.

But I couldn't focus on them. Not when soft footsteps crunched in the grass in front of me.

I didn't stand up. I couldn't. My legs were still jelly. Instead of looking down at me, the girl in the black skirt did something that completely disarmed me: she knelt in the dirt. Without caring about staining her clothes, she brought herself down to my level, ignoring the Lucario guarding the perimeter and centering all her attention on the trembling disaster that was me.

—Subaru? —she said again. Her voice was soft, like a spring breeze dissipating the winter.

I looked up. And there she was.

Years had passed, yes. Her features were a bit more mature, her posture more confident. But those eyes... those immense sky-blue eyes that now looked at me with a mixture of relief and tenderness, were the same ones I remembered from our childhood.

—Rem...? —My voice cracked, sounding hoarse and weak—. Is it you... really?

She smiled, and I swear the sun seemed to shine a little brighter.

—It's me, Subaru. I'm here.

Slowly, she reached out a hand. She wasn't wearing gloves. Her fingers, slender and pale, touched my cheek with extreme delicacy, as if she feared I was made of glass and might break from the contact. Her skin was warm.

That warmth was what finally stopped my trembling. She was real. She wasn't a ghost from my past or a hallucination born of my panic.

—You're pale —she murmured, tracing a gentle line under my eye with her thumb, wiping away a smudge of dirt—. And you're freezing.

I closed my eyes at her touch, feeling an unbearable shame rise up my neck.

—I'm sorry... —I whispered, lowering my head—. So much time without seeing each other... years... and this is the welcome I give you. Sprawled on the ground, crying, frozen by a simple Linoone.

I let out a bitter laugh, full of self-loathing.

—You wanted to see your childhood friend, and you ran into this. How pathetic, right?

I waited for the awkward silence. I waited for the pity.

—Subaru is a dummy.

I snapped my eyes open. Rem was looking at me with an expression that simulated anger, puffing out her cheeks slightly, though her eyes shone with sweetness.

—Eh?

—I said you're a dummy —she repeated firmly—. I didn't see anyone pathetic.

She took my gloved hands into hers and squeezed them tightly, as if she feared she might lose me again if she loosened her grip.

—What kind of monster would I be —she continued, with a voice that combined reproach and care in equal measure— if I saw someone so dear to me in this state and the first thing I thought was 'how pathetic'?

I shook my head barely, unable to answer.

—I don't know what is overwhelming you right now, or why Lucario felt so much fear in your aura. But what I do know... —she squeezed my hands a bit tighter— is that the Subaru-kun I know wouldn't break down like this over nothing.

I swallowed hard.

—You must be carrying a lot, right?

The question wasn't accusatory. It was gentle. Painfully understanding.

I was struck dumb.

She was taking my failure... and rewriting it. Not as weakness, but as proof of weight, of wear and tear, of endurance.

—You've always been like this —she continued, her voice dropping to a near whisper—. Even when you're afraid.

She lifted my hands slightly, forcing me to look at her.

—You stayed. For those you care about. You didn't run away. You didn't look away.

My eyes stung.

—And if in the end you felt overwhelmed... —she shook her head— I can't simply point a finger at you for that.

Her thumbs brushed over my knuckles, a small, intimate gesture.

—That isn't failing, Subaru.

I felt the tears, which I had managed to contain during the panic attack, threatening to spill now for a completely different reason.

—Rem... you're... too good to me —I said, my voice strangled.

—I'm just being honest —she replied with a radiant smile.

We stayed like that for a few more seconds, kneeling in the grass, her hands holding mine, creating a bubble of peace in the middle of the Wild Area. The scent of blue flowers that always accompanied her filled my senses, erasing the metallic smell of fear.

I didn't want to let go of her. I didn't want this moment to end.

—Ahem.

A cough, dry, loud, and deliberately unpleasant, cut through the air like shattering glass.

We both startled. Rem gently withdrew her hands, and I turned my head.

Beatrice was standing two meters away, her arms crossed so tightly it looked like she wanted to cut off her circulation. She tapped the ground rhythmically with the tip of her patent leather shoe. Tap. Tap. Tap.

—If you two are done filming your cheap soap opera —Beatrice drawled, glaring at us with a look that could have frozen a volcano—, I would like to remind you that the world keeps spinning.

She pointed to an imaginary watch on her wrist with impatience.

—Mother said 'before noon.' There are twenty minutes left. And Betty has no intention of explaining to the most impatient scientist in Galar that we arrived late because the noisy boy needed a romantic therapy session on the ground.

Rem blinked, surprised by the little girl's intensity, and then let out a soft chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand. She stood up elegantly and offered me her hand to help me up.

—I think your companion is right, Subaru. You are in a hurry.

I accepted her hand and stood up, dusting the dirt off my knees, feeling much lighter than I had five minutes ago.

—Yeah... she's Beatrice. And she's... well, she's Beatrice —I introduced, scratching the back of my neck—. Sorry, Beako. We're on our way.

Beatrice huffed, turning around to hide the fact that, for a split second, she had been truly relieved to see me on my feet.

—Less talking, more walking —she ordered, starting to march toward the laboratory—. And wipe your face again. You have a stupid smile plastered all over it.

I looked at Rem. She returned my gaze with those two bright sapphires.

—Are you coming? —I asked her—. We're going to see Echidna.

—Yes —she nodded, calling her Lucario—. In fact, I was heading there myself. It seems our paths are crossing once again.

—Perfect —I said, and for the first time all day, I felt like we could really pull this off.

With Rem by my side and Beatrice leading the way (and complaining), the team was complete.

As we resumed our pace toward the imposing structure rising on the horizon, Rem walked beside me, matching her stride to mine.

—So... when exactly did you arrive in Galar, Subaru? —she asked, curiously.

—I landed yesterday —I replied, kicking a small stone on the path—. I've barely been here for twenty-four hours.

Rem stopped for a second, surprised, before jogging slightly to catch up to me. Her eyes widened.

—Yesterday?! —she exclaimed, incredulous—. Wait... you've been in the region for a single day and you already got a private audience with Professor Echidna?

I nodded, scratching my nose a bit sheepishly.

—Well, let's just say I crashed a phone call and convinced her.

—That's incredible —Rem said, and her admiration was so genuine it made me blush—. Echidna is the greatest researcher in Galar, but she's famous for turning away Gym Leaders and even the Champion because they disrupt her reading. For her to receive you on your second day... —She clasped her hands together, smiling radiantly—. That only proves how great you are, Subaru. You have a special magnetism.

I felt my face burning. After feeling like trash just a few minutes ago, her praise was like medicine.

Rem opened her mouth again. I could see in her eyes that admiration was giving way to worry. She was going to ask about the panic attack. She was going to ask if my internal wound hurt a lot.

But before she could form the question, a flash of white light burst from her belt.

—Veeeee!

A quadrupedal figure emerged in midair. It wasn't an ordinary pink Sylveon. Its fur was pure white, but its ears, paws, and ribbons gleamed with a beautiful sky-blue color, identical to her trainer's hair. A Shiny Sylveon.

The Fairy-type Pokémon landed gracefully and, the moment her large blue eyes detected the black figure beside me, she let out a screech of pure joy.

—Syl! Sylveon!

Without warning, she pounced on Umbreon.

My partner, who would usually dodge any physical contact with his usual stoicism, stood still this time, resigned, letting the Sylveon tackle him into a warm hug, rubbing her ribbons against the Dark-type's black fur. They were night and day, blue and black, old friends reuniting.

—Wow... —I let out a laugh, seeing my bitter Umbreon tolerating the affection—. That was way more direct than with Glaceon.

The air froze.

Rem's smile froze imperceptibly at the corners.

—Glaceon? —she repeated. Her tone was still sweet, but it had lost that childhood friend warmth—. Do you mean...?

—Ah, yeah —I replied, totally oblivious to the change in atmosphere, watching Sylveon try to lick Umbreon's face—. I ran into Emilia yesterday. In fact, it was her Glaceon that brought us together. Originally we planned to come here together today, but... well, a problem came up with some fans and she had to stay behind.

There was silence. Not the comfortable silence from before, but a heavy one, as if gravity had suddenly increased.

Beatrice, who was walking a few steps ahead, stopped and looked back, noticing the shift in the aura.

Rem lowered her gaze toward the path. Her bangs hid her eyes for a moment.

—Emilia... —she murmured.

—Eh? Is something wrong?

Rem looked up. Her expression was calm, but her sapphire eyes held a strange glint, a mixture of pain and coldness.

—Emilia and I text each other often — she said softly—. We talk about various things, the weather, recipes, Pokémon...

She paused, slightly tightening her grip on her bag's strap.

—We spoke last night. And yet... she didn't have the courtesy to inform me that Subaru was in Galar.

I swallowed hard. Suddenly, the Wild Area wind felt a lot colder.

—Oh.

Rem looked toward the horizon, where Echidna's laboratory was growing larger and larger.

—It's funny, isn't it? —she said, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes—. That she forgot to mention such an important detail.

I looked at Beatrice seeking help, but the girl simply shook her head and kept walking, muttering something like: —Brat problems, don't count on me, I suppose.

Sylveon, oblivious to the tension, kept hugging Umbreon, but I felt like I had just entered a different kind of battlefield than I expected.

Rem's silence wasn't hostile, but it carried a specific weight that made walking difficult. I could feel the gears in her mind turning, processing Emilia's omission, and with every passing second, the temperature around me seemed to drop another degree.

I didn't like seeing her like this. Not when we had just reunited.

I built up some courage and, with a calculated clumsiness, gave her a couple of friendly pats on the back, right between her shoulder blades.

—Come on, Rem, don't look so serious —I said, forcing a carefree smile—. I'm sure she didn't mean anything bad by it. You know how Emilia is, sometimes things just slip her mind, she's a bit scatterbrained.

Rem blinked at the physical contact, and her shoulders, which had been as tense as violin strings, relaxed a bit. She looked at me, and the coldness in her eyes melted slightly upon seeing my attempt to cheer her up.

—It's possible... —she conceded softly.

I took advantage of the opening to keep talking, trying to rationalize the situation with my profile of low self-esteem logic.

—Besides, she mentioned to me that you've been really busy lately with your sister and family matters, right? —I continued, gesturing as we walked—. Ram is always demanding, and I guess your schedule is packed. Emilia probably thought: Rem is working hard, I won't bother her with texts about something so trivial.

I shrugged, laughing softly.

—I mean, it's me. I'm just Subaru. I didn't want to disrupt your day with something as insignificant as my arrival.

I took another step, hoping she would nod and we could leave the subject behind.

But there was no next step.

Suddenly, Rem stopped dead in her tracks. The sound of her boots against the dirt ceased.

—Insignificant? —she repeated. Her voice was a whisper, but it cut through the air louder than a Sonic Boom.

—Eh? —I turned around, confused—. Yeah, you know, I'm not a celebrity or anything, so...

In a swift, fluid motion, Rem stepped forward and planted herself right in front of me, blocking my path. I had to brake hard to avoid bumping into her.

She lifted her head. Her blue bangs fluttered, and this time, the intensity in her gaze pinned me to the spot. There was no trace of the shy girl left. There was blue fire in those eyes.

—Subaru could never be insignificant! —she exclaimed with a firmness that made even Beatrice stop a few meters ahead.

—R-Rem, wait, I just... —I stammered, taking half a step back, intimidated by her closeness.

She advanced that half step, keeping the distance at zero.

—For me, knowing that Subaru-kun is here, breathing the same air, stepping on the same ground... is the most important news in the world —she declared, bringing a hand to her chest with an overwhelming sincerity—. It's not a bother. It's not trivial. It's... it's vital.

Her face was slightly flushed, but she didn't avert her gaze elsewhere.

—For someone to think your presence is a minor thing, something that can be omitted from a conversation... —She pressed her lips together, and for a second, I saw a flash of something dark and protective—. That is what bothers me. You are not just Subaru. You are the hero who just faced his fears for his Pokémon. So please... never say you are insignificant again.

I was trapped. Completely cornered.

Cold sweat started running down my back. I felt incredibly flattered, yes, my heart was racing at a thousand miles an hour, but I also felt overwhelmed. Her devotion was so pure, so immense, that I felt like I was drowning in it. I didn't know how to respond to that without sounding like an idiot or hurting her.

I looked around. Umbreon and Sylveon kept playing, ignoring me. Beatrice was looking at the sky, whistling, refusing to intervene.

Earth, swallow me whole! Someone, please! I need an out! I begged mentally, feeling Rem's expectant gaze on me, waiting for an answer to her declaration.

And then, the universe (or rather, science) answered.

BZZZZZZZZT!

A screeching static sound echoed from hidden speakers in the metallic structure ahead of us.

—If you are quite finished exchanging emotional fluids on my property, I would appreciate it if you came inside already —Echidna's voice boomed through the speakers, amplified, loaded with sarcasm and boredom—. My blood sugar meter is rising just from listening to you, and that alters my mood.

Rem blinked, snapping out of her passionate trance, and took a step back, realizing where we were.

—Ah... —she murmured, quickly correcting her posture.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, my shoulders dropping with relief.

—Thanks, moody witch! —I thought, though out loud I only said—: Y-Yes! We're coming! Sorry!

I gently grabbed Rem by the elbow, guiding her toward the entrance before she could bring up the topic again.

—Let's go, Rem. Science awaits us. And we don't want to keep Echidna waiting... any longer than we already have.

Rem nodded, following me meekly, though she shot me one last sidelong glance that clearly said: This conversation isn't over.

The laboratory's automatic doors slid open with a pneumatic hiss, revealing a spacious, white, sterile room cluttered with holographic whiteboards, ancient books stacked in precarious towers, and machinery humming softly.

In the center, sitting in front of a tea table that completely clashed with the futuristic technology, was her.

Skin as white as porcelain, hair as white as snow, and a dress as black as mourning. Professor Echidna.

—Welcome —she said, slamming a thick book shut—. You've arrived three minutes early. Punctuality is a variable I appreciate.

She made an elegant gesture toward the steaming porcelain teapot on the table.

—Would you care for some tea? It's a... personal blend. It helps lubricate the synapses and open the mind.

The aroma of the tea reached my nose. It smelled sweet, citrusy, but... strange.

Instantly, a primitive alarm blared at the base of my skull. It wasn't logic; it was instinct. Something deep in my soul screamed: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DRINK THAT!

—Ah, no, thank you! —I rushed to decline, raising my hands defensively—. I've already had a big breakfast.

Echidna arched an eyebrow, amused, and then looked beside me.

—Oh. I see you brought Beatrice with you. —Her tone held a hint of curiosity—. I didn't know you knew each other. I thought she was here to present her... independent work.

Beatrice visibly tensed. Her little hands gripped the ruffles of her dress. She was about to be judged again. She was about to have her mother expose her as a fraud or a copycat in front of everyone.

I looked at the girl. She was trembling slightly.

I remembered what she said on the train. She wanted validation. She wanted to be useful. And even though she threatened to kill me five times today, she was part of my team.

A mischievous smile spread across my face. Alright, Beako. Let's play.

—Independent work? —I let out an exaggerated laugh, stepping forward—. Oh, no, Professor! I think there was a misunderstanding in the communication.

Without warning, I grabbed Beatrice by the waist. She was light as a feather.

—W-What are you doing, I suppose?! —she shrieked.

I lifted her off the ground, walked toward the chair in front of Echidna, sat down, and quite naturally placed Beatrice on my lap like a ventriloquist's dummy.

—LET GO OF BETTY! INSOLENT FOOL!

—Come on, Master Beako, don't be shy! —I wrapped an arm around her so she couldn't escape, smiling brilliantly at an Echidna who was watching us, fascinated—. She is my dear master.

—Master? —Echidna repeated, tilting her head.

—That's right! —I lied shamelessly, but with conviction—. You see, I had the raw intuition, the direct questions, and the chaos. But it was Beako-sensei right here who shaped it. I laid the bricks, but she drew up the blueprints.

I patted Beatrice's head; she was as red as a tomato, vibrating with fury.

—She insisted on focusing on the methodology and academic rigor to make sure my hunches had a scientific basis, while I focused on the crazy connections. We worked together on this. Without her supervision, I would just be a madman screaming theories, right, Beako?

Beatrice opened her mouth to scream. She was going to deny everything. She was going to say that I was a liar, that she hated me, and that her theory was hers alone.

But then, she saw Echidna's face.

The Witch was smiling. Not mockingly, but with genuine approval.

—I see... —Echidna murmured, nodding slowly—. Interdisciplinary collaboration. You bring the chaotic creativity, and Beatrice brings the analytical structure. You turned two incomplete approaches into a solid thesis. —She looked Beatrice in the eyes—. That changes things. Managing and channeling the potential of an external subject is a high-level skill, Beatrice. Well done.

Beatrice froze.

Her mouth snapped shut.

If she pushed me away now... if she screamed 'It's a lie!'... then she would go back to being the child who 'arrived late' and poorly copied an idea. She would be a disappointment once again.

But if she stayed quiet... if she accepted the humiliation of sitting on this commoner's lap and being treated like a little child... then she was a collaborative genius. She was respected.

The trap was perfect.

Beatrice trembled. Her fists clenched against my arm. I could feel the heat of her indignation.

But she didn't move.

—...Hmph —she huffed, crossing her arms and looking away, bitterly accepting her fate—. It was necessary, I suppose. This ignoramus wouldn't have gotten anywhere without my... direction.

Echidna let out an enchanted chuckle.

—Excellent.

I smiled victoriously, resting my chin on Beatrice's head.

—See, Professor? We make a great team.

Beatrice stealthily kicked me hard in the shin with her heel, but I endured the pain without losing my smile. I had won. Intellectually, I had cornered her to save her.

And now, we had the undivided attention of the smartest person in Galar.

For the next twenty minutes, the laboratory became a stage where two opposing minds danced an unexpectedly perfect intellectual tango.

Rem watched from a corner, her eyes gleaming with awe. To her, seeing Subaru debating as an equal with the most important researcher in the region only confirmed her belief: her hero was capable of anything.

—It's a matter of fundamental symmetry —I began, moving my hands through the air to sketch invisible shapes—. In Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova... there is always a Triad. The opposites yet complementaries, and the Balance.

—The standard theological structure —Beatrice intervened from my lap, arms crossed but unable to resist correcting my vocabulary—. The existence of a 'Third Vector' is necessary to prevent the collapse of reality before two opposing forces. But in Galar, the historical record of the Darkest Day presents an anomaly.

—Exactly! —I pointed at Echidna—. They tell us there was a 'Storm' (The Darkest Day) and that two 'Humans' stopped it. That breaks the rule. A storm has no will. And humans don't have the power to stop a god.

—Therefore —Beatrice continued, her voice picking up rhythm, synchronizing with mine—, the logical deduction is that the 'Darkest Day' was not a meteorological phenomenon. It was an Entity. A 'Major Legendary' of a destructive nature.

—And if the villain was a Pokémon —I finished, leaning forward, feeling the adrenaline of the deduction—, then the heroes had to be one as well. The 'Sword' and the 'Shield' weren't tools of metal. They were living beings. They were the Guardians of the region that history erased to put humans in their place.

Echidna watched us, her black eyes moving from me to Beatrice as if she were watching the most fascinating tennis match of her life. She nodded slowly, taking a sip of her suspicious tea.

—Brilliant —the Witch admitted—. Subaru's 'Theory of the Lost Triad' merges with Beatrice's 'Hypothesis of the Empty Throne.' You have dismantled three thousand years of official history in a casual chat.

She placed the cup back on the saucer with a soft clink.

—But... —Echidna leaned forward, and her smile grew sharp—. For this theory to transition from 'entertaining fiction' to 'science,' you need to identify the variables. If the Sword and the Shield were Pokémon... what were they?

The laboratory fell silent. Beatrice remained quiet; her books didn't hold that answer. Rem held her breath.

I knew I was treading dangerous ground. I had no physical proof. I only had memories of a video game from another life and nightmare visions. But I had to say it. I had to put the name on the table so Echidna would look for it.

I swallowed hard and decided to take a leap of faith.

—Wolves —I said firmly.

Echidna blinked.

—Wolves?

—Yes. —I clung to my foundational lie—. Two siblings. One wolf who carried the sword in its jaws, and another whose mane formed an impenetrable shield. They are the lost kings of Galar.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Beatrice turned her head to look at me, an eyebrow raised, as if to say: 'You've overshot the mark. That's no longer deduction, that's invention.'

Echidna, however, did not laugh. Her expression became unreadable, cold and calculating.

—That... is a very specific claim, Subaru Natsuki —she said softly—. The deduction that they were Pokémon is logical. But specifying the biological species? Without fossils? Without tapestries? Without records?

She rose from her chair and walked slowly toward me, circling the table.

—What is your basis for saying they are canines? Why not dragons? Why not bears? —She stopped in front of me, leaning down until her face was inches from mine—. A hypothesis without support is just fantasy. Give me something tangible. Why wolves?

I froze.

I couldn't tell her the truth. And my brain, exhausted by the day's stress, went blank searching for a lie that could satisfy a genius.

I had no way to support that last part. I had flipped the coin, and now it was spinning in the air, about to land on the wrong side.

But I needed her to focus on the wolf; otherwise, she would look for something else. Making her accept the wolf theory was the easiest path; it would guide her to look for what I already knew lay at the end of the journey.

I closed my eyes tightly. The darkness behind my eyelids offered a moment of respite, but no answers.

My mind was working at a thousand miles an hour. How do I explain this to her? I can't tell her: 'Hey, I come from a future where everyone dies, and by the way, why am I the only one? I don't know, just listen to me.' She would lock me up in an asylum or, worse, dissect me to see how my brain works.

I had to give her something. Proof that my 'source,' however inexplicable, was veracious.

—Hey, Echidna —I blurted out, opening one eye.

I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my thigh. Beatrice, without changing her cross-armed expression, had pinched me with the precision of industrial pliers.

—Ouch!

—Address Mother with her proper title, you uneducated brat —she hissed through her teeth.

I ignored the pain and looked back at the Witch, turning serious.

—Just to corroborate... you haven't had any strange dreams lately, have you? —I asked, lowering my voice—. Yesterday, for example. Didn't you dream of a giant skeletal hand opening the sky and ripping through the clouds?

Echidna blinked. The question caught her off guard. She tilted her head, analyzing my micro-expressions for any sign of mockery.

—A giant hand? —she repeated—. Is this some kind of metaphorical riddle? My dreams are usually quite orderly, thank you. No, I have no records of such an image.

I sighed internally. Fine. So I am alone in this. No one else remembers the future.

—It's more of a corroboration —I admitted, leaning back in the chair with Beatrice still on my lap—. Look, I can't tell you how I know about the wolves. I just can't. But I can tell you that the source I drew it from gave me more information. Things that... technically, a tourist like me shouldn't know.

My eyes scanned the laboratory. I noticed the holographic screens Echidna had active behind her. Wave graphs, energy readings, Nexus maps.

Everything glowed with a very specific pink/magenta color.

I remembered the future. I remembered the Dynamax Pokémon.

It was a leap of faith. But if I wanted to buy her trust, I had to pay with a high-value currency.

—You research the Dynamax phenomenon, right? —I asked, pointing at the screens—. You look for its origin, its composition.

—It is the greatest mystery of Galar's physics —Echidna conceded, cautiously—. What of it?

—My source says you're looking at the problem completely backward —I said, locking my eyes with hers—. Dynamax isn't a natural energy that was always here.

I paused, letting the weight of the words fill the room.

And perhaps filling the gaps in my own mind as I recalled the glow of that being in the sky emitting that pink light—so similar to that of Pokémon using Dynamax during the tournament, the exact same color as the particles on the screens around me—I ventured to drop a theory. Outlandish enough to catch her interest. Solid enough to be believable. Ambiguous enough not to commit myself. Incomplete enough to convince her that I needed help, and juicy enough that she would offer to help me herself.

—Dynamax was born during the Darkest Day. That pink energy... it's particles. Radiation. Residuals.

I pointed to the ceiling, as if I could see the monster through the metal.

—That 'missing Legendary,' the villain of history... he is the origin. Dynamax and Gigamax are not gifts from nature. They are the radiation that monster left behind. It's his poison.

Silence.

A heavy, dense, almost physical silence fell over the laboratory.

Beatrice stopped moving on my lap. Rem covered her mouth with her hands.

Echidna didn't move. Her tea cup remained suspended halfway to her lips. Her black eyes dilated, fixed on me. There was no longer any mockery. No longer any academic superiority.

There was hunger.

It was the look of a scientist who had just witnessed someone solve an impossible equation by scribbling the answer on a napkin.

—...The radiation of a biological entity... —she murmured, her voice trembling slightly with excitement—. That would explain why the particles react to willpower... why they alter behavior... why it only happens in Galar...

She set the cup down on the table with a sharp thud. She stood up and walked toward me, invading my personal space, completely ignoring Beatrice.

—Subaru Natsuki —she said, her smile now terrifying and brilliant—. You have just become my favorite subject of study.

It had worked.

—Professor, please! —Rem exclaimed, stepping forward with a frown, her protective instinct (and perhaps something more) activating as she saw the woman in black invade my safety zone—. Respect Subaru's personal space, he just...!

But Rem was too slow for the speed of scientific curiosity.

Before she could intercede, Echidna had already closed the distance. Her hands, cold and smooth as marble, clamped around my cheeks, trapping my face in a firm grip that forced me to look directly into those bottomless black eyes.

—Mmph! —I tried to protest, but my lips were squished into a fish face.

Beatrice, who was still trapped on my lap, found herself compressed between my chest and her mother's dress, letting out a muffled groan of indignation, but Echidna didn't even notice her. Her attention was one hundred percent focused on my brain.

—It's elegant! It's terribly elegant! —Echidna exclaimed, turning my head from side to side as if looking for a barcode printed on my skin—. How did I not see it before? The answer lay in comparative biology!

She let go of my face only to start gesturing frantically, walking in circles around us.

—There are precedents! Of course there are! —Her voice rose in pitch, loaded with intellectual ecstasy—. In the Alola region, Z-Moves aren't environmental magic; they are the residual light of Necrozma, a prismatic entity that shares its power. It's a symbiotic relationship at a quantum level!

She stopped in front of a whiteboard and wiped away a complex equation with her bare hand, ignoring the digital chalk.

—And in Paldea! My colleagues there talk about Terastalization. They believe it is mineralogy, but the most recent reports suggest that the entire phenomenon emanates from a creature in Area Zero! Terapagos!

She turned toward me, her eyes shining like headlights.

—If the Galar phenomenon follows that cosmological pattern... then Dynamax is not a "glitch" in reality. It's an ecosystem! The Galar Particles are the scales, the breath, the blood of that "Third Entity" you mentioned!

Echidna approached again, but this time she stopped right in front of Beatrice. She looked down at her.

I felt the little girl's body tense up on my lap. I was expecting a scolding. I was expecting the "but."

Echidna, however, smiled. It was a strange, crooked smile, but undoubtedly proud.

—I was looking for a geological source. I was blinded by traditional physics. —Echidna extended a hand and, with an unusually gentle gesture, touched one of Beatrice's hair drills—. But you, Beatrice... you brought the human element. You brought the variable of the "Lost King."

Beatrice looked up, her eyes glassy, incredulous.

—Mother... me...?

—Without your insistence on the "Empty Throne Hypothesis," we would have never connected biology with legend —Echidna stated—. And without your management to filter this boy's madness and turn it into usable data, this hypothesis would have been lost.

Echidna straightened up, crossing her arms with satisfaction.

—You have facilitated the greatest breakthrough in my research over the last decade, Beatrice. I am... pleasantly surprised. Well done.

Time seemed to stand still for the little librarian.

Beatrice quickly lowered her head, hiding her face in my vest. I felt her shoulders tremble, and though she tried to hide it with a haughty huff, her voice came out cracked and small:

—Hmph... it was obvious, I suppose. Betty always meets expectations.

I smiled, covertly stroking her back.

We had won. Not only had we bought our entry into Echidna's team, but we had given Beatrice the one thing she desired more than knowledge: the recognition of her creator.

—So... —I said, trying to free my cheeks, which still ached from the Witch's grip—. Does this mean you believe us? About the wolves and the danger?

Echidna turned around, and her gaze sharpened again.

—I believe you that a biological source exists, Subaru Natsuki. And if that source is the origin of Dynamax... and Dynamax is driving Pokémon mad...

Her smile vanished, replaced by a frigid seriousness.

—Then we have a much bigger problem than a simple forgotten legend. We have a biological time bomb beneath our feet. And I want to know how to defuse it.

I knew I was walking on thin ice. I had the Witch's attention, yes, but if I took a false step and blurted out something like "I know because I come from a failed future" or "In my world this is a video game for children," my credibility would go down the drain. She would take me for a madman or, worse, a threat.

I had to maintain my facade of an "intuitive sage."

—Look, Echidna —I said, gently lowering Beatrice from my lap to stand up—. I know what is happening. I know history is wrong and I know what is missing. But... —I paused, opening my hands in a gesture of calculated honesty—. I have no idea how to connect with them. I don't know where the wolves sleep, or how to wake them.

I stared at her.

—I have the puzzle pieces, but I'm missing the map. If you have any clue, some ancient record we might have overlooked... that's what I need. You are the expert in this world, not me.

Echidna remained pensive, drumming her long fingers on the tea table. Her eyes scanned the void, processing terabytes of information in her mind.

—Records of a dormant biological entity... —she murmured—. If my original hypothesis was wrong and I was looking for geological energy, then I have been filtering my own data incorrectly. I've been looking for earthquakes when I should have been looking for heartbeats.

She turned toward her holographic screens, which began flashing with new lines of code.

—I don't have it on hand, Subaru. Not under this new paradigm. —She bit her lower lip, a sign of her academic obsession—. I need to reconfigure the search algorithms for the entire Galar network. I need to review the historical archives looking for biological mentions instead of metaphorical ones.

She looked at me.

—Give me half a day. Twelve hours. If those wolves exist, I will find their den.

I nodded. Twelve hours was a long time in an apocalypse, but it was record time for a three-millennium research project.

—Twelve hours is fine.

—Then, I need to concentrate. —Echidna turned to head toward the main console, but stopped halfway. She seemed to hesitate for a second—. It would be faster if I had someone who knew the structure of ancient texts to cross-reference while I handle the raw data.

There was a silence. Beatrice, who was standing beside me adjusting her dress, suddenly snapped her head up.

Her eyes gleamed. It was her chance.

—Betty can do it —she said. Her voice tried to sound casual, but anxiety seeped into every syllable—. Betty has memorized every book in your personal library, I suppose. She knows ancient syntax better than anyone.

Echidna slowly turned and looked at her daughter.

—It's true. Your text-processing capability is superior to my current algorithms. —Echidna nodded, gesturing for her to come closer—. Come, Beatrice. Sit at terminal two. We are going to dissect this region's history.

Beatrice's face lit up as if she had evolved at that very instant.

—Y-Yes! —she exclaimed, rushing toward the terminal with her quick little steps, completely forgetting her usual decorum—. Leave it to me, Mother! Betty will show you her efficiency!

I stood there, standing beside Rem, watching how mother and daughter began typing at a dizzying speed, tossing book names and data codes back and forth between them.

—"Cross-reference the Stow-on-Side Codex, year 300 before the League." —"Loading, I suppose. Filtering for mentions of 'fang' and 'shield'." —"Good. Keep it up."

I let out a long, deep sigh, feeling the tension drain from my shoulders. My legs, which had been stiff this whole time, relaxed.

—I did it... —I whispered to myself.

I had avoided disaster. I had secured Galar's most powerful ally. And, in the process, I had mended the librarian's dysfunctional relationship a bit.

The negotiations with the "Witch of Greed" had gone perfectly.

—Subaru is incredible —Rem whispered beside me, watching the scene with a soft smile—. You brought those two together in a matter of minutes.

—I'm only good at getting into trouble and dragging people along with me, Rem —I replied, returning her smile, though internally I thought: Now we just need them to find the wolves before the sky falls on our heads.

The automatic doors closed behind us, silencing the hum of the machines and the frantic typing of the two witches.

The silence of the Wild Area enveloped us once more. The wind blew, moving the tall grass in green waves that vanished into the horizon.

Rem walked beside me, her hands clasped behind her back with a slight bounce in her step, as if she were floating.

—It's incredible, Subaru —she said, breaking the silence with a voice full of wonder—. You've barely been in Galar for two days.

She turned toward me, walking backward so she could look me in the face.

—And in such a short time, you've already managed to get an audience with the most elusive researcher in the world, turn her lab upside down, and rewrite the region's history. —She paused slightly, and her eyes averted for an instant, her smile tensing imperceptibly—. And that's not counting that you spent your entire first day on a... "date" with the idol Emilia.

There was a hint of bitterness in that last phrase. A small sting of jealousy that she couldn't entirely hide, though she quickly covered it up with a bright, devoted smile.

—You are just as cool as in the old days, Subaru. Always in the center of the hurricane. Always doing the impossible.

Her words, which should have inflated my ego, felt like stones in my pockets.

"Cool." "The old days."

She was seeing a mirage. She was seeing the Subaru who ran through the park shouting that he would be the best. She didn't see the Subaru who froze in front of a Linoone half an hour ago. She didn't see the Subaru who was only moving because the apocalypse clock was ticking.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

—Rem... —I said, looking at my boots—. You're wrong.

She stopped too, tilting her head, confused.

—Eh? What am I wrong about?

I tightened the straps of my backpack. The leather creaked under my fingers. I had already told Emilia, and it had been hard. But telling Rem... her, who looked at me as if I were the sun... it hurt twice as much.

—I'm not the same as before —I said, looking up to meet her eyes—. And I'm not cool.

I took a step toward her, needing her to understand the truth, however ugly it might be.

—I didn't come to Galar looking for adventures, Rem. I didn't come to "turn the region upside down." —I swallowed hard, feeling the knot in my throat—. I came because my father forced me to. He dragged me to the airport and shoved me onto that plane because he couldn't stand seeing me locked in my room anymore, rotting away alive.

Rem's smile faltered.

—Subaru...?

—If it were up to me, I'd still be in that hotel, hiding under the sheets —I confessed, and every word was a wound to my pride—. If I went out... if I'm here right now... it's out of pure necessity. Because I'm afraid of what will happen if I do nothing. It's not willpower, Rem. It's desperation.

I took a breath. The hardest part was left. The part that would shatter her expectations about my future here.

—And there's something else. Something I already told Emilia, and that I need you to know too.

I stared at her, preparing myself to see the disappointment in her sapphire eyes.

—I am not taking part in the Gym Challenge. I am not entering the Pokémon League.

The wind blew harder between us.

—That dream... the dream of the Subaru from the "old days"... died in that forest eight years ago. I'm just a tourist with too much information, Rem. I am not a Trainer.

I waited. I waited for the illusion to shatter. I waited for her to realize that the hero she admired was just an empty shell trying to survive.

Umbreon, who had been playing around with Sylveon, stopped. His black ears twitched toward us. His red eyes looked at me for an instant and then, with a wisdom no Pokémon should possess, he sat on his haunches.

He didn't approach. He didn't come to comfort me. He stayed at a safe distance, watching in silence. He knew that his affection couldn't cure this. He knew that what came next was the open-heart surgery I desperately needed.

I waited for Rem to accept my resignation. I waited for her to nod sadly and say, "I understand, Subaru. It's a shame."

But Rem didn't move. Not a millimeter.

—I see. Then, if that were what Subaru-kun wants, I would accept it —she said, in a voice so serene it completely disarmed me.

At first, I felt a freezing pang in my chest upon hearing Rem accept my surrender just like that. It was exactly what I had asked for, but it hurt as if a stake were driven through me. However, before I could sink into that disappointment, my brain processed the hidden condition in her words.

—If...? —I murmured, almost trembling.

Rem took a step closer. The physical distance between us shortened, but the pressure in the air multiplied a thousandfold.

—If those were the words from Subaru-kun's heart, saying that he doesn't want to... if he truly didn't want to, Rem would accept it without hesitation.

She looked me in the eyes. Not with pity, not with disappointment. She looked at me as if she were scanning something inside me; a truth that I refused to admit, but that was tragically obvious to everyone around me.

—But it's a lie —she continued, taking another step—. Everything you just said is an excuse to protect yourself.

—It's not! —I stepped back, stumbling over my own words.

—Subaru-kun trembles, yes —she accepted, relentless in her understanding—. But even while trembling, you stood in front of us. If you truly didn't care, if you truly were just an "empty shell," you wouldn't suffer so much upon watching battles.

Rem took the final step, closing the distance between us until she stood just a few inches away. Her hand, soft and warm, rose slowly toward my face. She wanted to force me to look at her, to shatter the mask I had imposed upon myself. Her sapphire gaze silently pleaded with me to stop hiding.

But seeing that absolute compassion triggered something broken inside me. A jolt of pure, visceral panic, born from the fear of being completely exposed.

Out of pure defensive instinct, my hand moved.

—DON'T TALK LIKE YOU COULD POSSIBLY KNOW!

Slap!

The sharp crack echoed through the Wild Area. I batted her hand away with a violent swat.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Rem blinked, stunned, holding her hand in midair. In her eyes there was no anger, no resentment; only a deep, heartbreaking shock.

I looked at my own hand, trembling harder than before, and then I looked at her. The horror of what I had just done hit my stomach like a punch. Bile rose to my throat.

—I'm... I'm sorry... —I whispered, slurring the words.

I backed away, unable to tear my eyes from hers, from that stunned gaze that completely disarmed me.

—I... I... —I felt a regret so fierce it threatened to steal my breath away.

I couldn't take it anymore. Like I always do, like it seems to be the only thing I know how to do when faced with any real problem, like I've been doing my entire damn life... I fled.

I didn't see the path. I didn't see the direction. I didn't see Rem's regretful look, nor the worry from Umbreon or Patrasche. In the end, I only took refuge in blindness to escape.

I don't know how much time passed, how much distance I covered, or how many shouts I ignored. I simply ran. I ran until my legs burned, until I lost track of where I had ended up, until I forgot the path that brought me here. I ran until I felt my chest was going to burst, desperate for the image of Rem's shocked face and Sylveon's frightened, upset expression to leave my mind.

I wanted to run until I could forget the look of pain on Rem's face in my past life, when she saw me hiding in the crowd on the day of her defeat. Until I could erase that gaze of hers, so tender and protective, right before she died... even though that last part never actually happened.

When I couldn't take another step, I fell to my knees against the trunk of a tree, panting, trying to catch my breath.

—Damn it...

I struck the tree with my fist. Once, and again, and again, and again. The dull thud echoed until a wild berry fell straight from the canopy onto my head. That ridiculous blow made me even angrier; it was the spark that ignited everything. In my fury, I grabbed the berry with both hands, squeezing it with pure rage.

—Shit! Why, why, why?! —I screamed.

The berry exploded under the pressure. Its juice splattered across my shirt and my shoes, ruining the outfit my mother had prepared for me, but at that moment, I was too suffocated by my own frustration to care.

—Weren't you supposed to save them? —I berated myself, starting to pace in circles, gesturing with hands trembling with rage—. Weren't you supposed to have a second chance precisely so you wouldn't keep making the same mistakes?!

I stopped dead in my tracks, gritting my teeth.

—And how the hell did you plan on doing it? You're just a damn second-rate rescuer. A hopeless coward who does nothing but hide and run away again, and again, and again.

I threw a punch straight into the bark of the tree, splitting the skin of my knuckles. The sharp pain anchored me to reality, but it didn't halt my fury.

—Well?! What the shit were you going to change? How the hell did you plan on doing it? Huh?! —I struck again—. How?

The splintering crack of wood accompanied my words.

—How?

I saw my own blood stain the tree trunk, but neither that nor the pain stopped me.

—How?!

A final, powerful blow shook the tree, bringing a rain of berries down around me. The last impact stole what little energy I had left.

I collapsed at the base of the trunk, burying my face in my knees as I hugged my legs. Exactly as I had done so many years ago. Exactly what I seem incapable of stopping myself from doing: crying pathetically in a forest. Except this time, I was completely alone.

—...How?

My cries of frustration escaped as my mind drifted back to that very same memory.

It happened eight years ago, during a summer night on the outskirts of Vermilion City.

—Come on, Eevee! We're going to catch our first partner! If we have two Pokémon before we even get our starter from the lab, we'll have a massive advantage when my journey as a trainer officially begins!

I walked with my chest puffed out, striding carelessly through the tall grass under the moonlight. In my right hand, I tightly gripped a Poké Ball that gleamed in the darkness; a Poké Ball I had taken from the drawer at home without my parents' permission. I felt like a true explorer, a brilliant strategist who was a step ahead of every other kid my age.

—Eevee!

My partner trotted beside me, infected by my overflowing enthusiasm. Wagging his tail energetically, he leaped through the thickets, blindly trusting every single bit of nonsense that came out of my mouth.

In my ten-year-old head, everything made sense. I believed that if I pulled off a feat as cool as catching a wild Pokémon on my own, I would finally take the first step toward living up to what people expected of Kenichi Natsuki's son. I wanted to be that prodigio everyone talked about. That's why, with a childish stupidity that makes my stomach churn today, I walked straight into the lion's den without noticing any of the warning signs.

—I wonder who will join us... Maybe a stubborn Growlithe, or a Farfetch'd! Oh, or maybe a Munchlax! —I said excitedly, gesturing exaggeratedly in the midst of the dim light.

Without knowing it, we left the marked trails behind. We crossed an old, fallen wire fence and ventured deep into a restricted zone of the forest, a wild territory where rookie trainers were strictly forbidden to enter. But I was too blinded by glory to notice the change in the atmosphere.

—Though... now that I think about it, I don't know if Mom will be in a very good mood about feeding a Snorlax when that little guy grows up... We'd have to empty the kitchen every single day! —I joked out loud, letting out a clean, loud laugh that echoed far too loudly among the trees.

A laugh that, a second later, was buried by a violent, furious buzzing that froze the smile right off my face.

Among the bushes, the leaves rustled violently. I stepped forward with the Poké Ball raised high, holding my breath, expecting to see imposing claws or majestic fur. But from the undergrowth, only a small brown caterpillar emerged, with a yellow stinger on its forehead and a round, pink nose.

A Weedle.

Disappointment immediately hit me in the stomach. It wasn't a Growlithe, or a Munchlax, or anything remotely like the cool Pokémon real trainers had. It was the most common, weak, and boring creature in the entire region. Yet, childish impatience and stubbornness won out. I wanted to return home with a trophy at all costs; I wanted to prove I could do it alone.

—Well... you're not much, but you'll be our first partner! —I exclaimed, pointing my finger at the creature, trying to sound imposing—. Eevee, use Tackle!

Eevee nodded and leaped forward with enthusiasm, colliding cleanly with the small caterpillar. The Weedle rolled across the damp earth, emitting a sharp, frightened, and pained screech.

It was exactly that screech that unleashed everything.

Before I could even savor the hit or throw the Poké Ball in my hand, the air around us turned dense, almost unbreathable. A violent, low buzzing, multiplied by the dozens, vibrated through the ground, freezing the smile on my face. The bushes didn't just move; they burst open, torn apart by the sheer force of the air.

Without knowing it, in my stupid arrogance, I had attacked a baby in the middle of its own territory. I had triggered the nest's alarm.

From the gloom of the forest, they descended. The protectors. A horde of gigantic Beedrill with blood-red eyes full of wild fury and twin stingers gleaming like white lances. They came to defend with blood the baby I had decided to hurt out of pure whim.

I froze. All my superficial bravery evaporated in a fraction of a second, leaving me as what I truly was: a helpless child, my back pressed against the trunk of a tree, trembling while death buzzed just inches from my face.

The lead Beedrill, the largest and most dangerous of the hive, broke away from the group. It locked its killer eyes directly onto me and lunged at a terrifying speed, its main stinger pointing straight at my chest.

—Eevee!! —I screamed with all my might, but it wasn't a tactical command. It was a pathetic cry for help.

Eevee didn't hesitate. Even though I had dragged him into that hell for my own ego, even though his little paws were also trembling with terror, he leaped fiercely to interpose himself between the monster and me. In that millisecond where death was inevitable, the miracle occurred. It was a warm, intense energy, born from the blind, unconditional devotion Eevee felt for me. He loved me so much that, to save a coward of a trainer who wouldn't lift a finger for him...

His brown fur transformed into jet black. His ears sharpened, and golden rings glowed with a mystical light on his paws and forehead. Eevee was gone. Before me stood Umbreon.

The lead Beedrill didn't halt its attack, but Umbreon was no longer a defenseless prey. Driven by a fierce, protective instinct, he bared his fangs. Sinister energy condensed in a blink, distorting the air around us, and unleashed a point-blank Dark Pulse.

The impact was visceral. Dull. Massive.

It wasn't a clean knockout like the ones seen in sports battles on television. The lead Beedrill was sent flying and crashed against the ground with a sickening crunch. It lay completely motionless, broken by the raw violence of the dark attack. The rest of the swarm, terrified to see their alpha fall before such a display of lethal power, retreated and fled in panic into the blackness of the trees.

The silence that followed was a thousand times worse than the buzzing of wings.

I fell to my knees, my chest heaving with sobs and tears streaming down my cheeks. Umbreon walked slowly toward me, his new golden rings flashing softly in the dim light. There was no malice in him; he approached with infinite tenderness and rubbed his head against my chest, emitting a low, comforting purr. He was looking for my approval. He expected me to congratulate him for saving our lives.

But I couldn't move. I didn't see a hero. I only saw the Beedrill's body a few meters away, and I understood the monstrosity I had brought about. My weakness, my pride, and my incompetence had forced a pure, innocent creature to dirty its own hands to make up for my mistakes. I had pushed him to cross a line from which there was no turning back.

That night, the dream of the Subaru from the "old days" died in that forest. And I was the one who murdered it.