The roar of the Gym crowd had faded.
The cheers. The hum of strategy discussion. Even the whir of the rotating platforms had been silenced, powered down after the official end of the match.
Nathan stood at the edge of the now-still pool, still catching his breath.
Nidorino rested beside him, flank damp and scraped but eyes alert, his pride unspoken, but clear in every solid step.
The referee returned with a sleek, water-blue case and held it out.
"For your victory," he said. "The Cascade Badge."
Nathan accepted it silently.
The badge was shaped like a raindrop caught in motion, smooth, translucent, and heavier than it looked. A symbol not just of power, but of rhythm, balance… and adaptability.
He clipped it into the side panel of his badge case.
Two down.
Six to go.
Misty approached, drying her hands with a small towel, now dressed in her jacket again.
She met his gaze and offered her hand.
"Well fought."
He shook it.
"Your Gym doesn't just reward strength," he said. "It rewards awareness."
Misty tilted her head slightly, considering.
Then added, "You'll need both in Vermilion."
And walked away.
𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 – 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝟐/𝟖
𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥: 𝟔 → 𝟕 | 𝐄𝐗𝐏 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝: +𝟐𝟏𝟓 | 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤: 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐜 (𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐈)
𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐏𝐨𝐤é𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬
𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬
𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 (+𝟓%)
Nathan exhaled, quietly grateful he'd prepared as deeply as he had.
The battle had cost him, Zorua was worn to the edge, and Nidorino wasn't battle-ready for another day or two but they'd earned this.
He left the field and made his way down a side corridor, toward the Gym's auxiliary exit.
Only halfway down the quiet hallway did he realise he wasn't alone.
A figure leaned against the tiled wall just ahead.
Pale hair. Grey-black jacket. Calm gaze.
The stranger from Mt. Moon.
Again.
Nathan didn't slow.
Neither did the boy speak until they were almost even.
"Gyarados is a rare pull for a second badge match," he said. "She doesn't use it unless she's interested."
Nathan stopped.
"She didn't hold back," he replied.
The boy glanced sideways. "Neither did you."
Then, with a subtle flick of his wrist, he revealed a small black case.
Two badges inside. One shaped like a boulder.
The other, unmistakably, the Cascade Badge.
"You challenged her recently."
The boy didn't confirm. He didn't have to.
Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You followed me through Mt. Moon."
"I observed," the boy corrected. "You stood out."
Nathan waited.
"Your System signature's unusual. You're not hiding it well."
That triggered a pulse in Nathan's interface.
𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 – 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 – 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐜 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 – 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲
𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
Nathan said slowly. "So what are you?"
The boy looked at him, gaze level.
"Someone who's also trying to understand why we were given this."
He pushed off the wall.
"I'll see you again, Nathan."
"How do you know my name?"
He was already walking away.
No answer.
Just a half-turn before he reached the far door.
"Try Route 24 next. You'll find more than just trainers."
And he was gone.
Nathan stood there a moment longer.
Then opened the System and marked a note.
𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝: 𝐌𝐭. 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐬: 𝐔𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 | 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝐀𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟐
𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦: 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 (𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞)
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 | 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: 𝐔𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧
𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 – 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐟 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧
He finally stepped outside, where sunlight danced on the canals again.
Nidorino waited at his side.
Together, they began the walk back into Cerulean proper.
Tomorrow, they'd begin prepping for the northern routes.
But today?
Today they'd earned stillness.
Even if the current below was already shifting again.