c1: Snow, Moon, and the Shiny Ralts
The snowflakes drifted down like silken catkins, fluttering gently.
Moonlight, clear and bright, spilled like quicksilver across the Galar Region's snowbound Muguang Forest. The icy wind whistled through the trees, sweeping up fine snow into ghostly wisps that swirled into the woods and vanished.
Galar Region – Muguang Forest
Crunch
Subtle footsteps pressed into the virgin snow, leaving tiny, deep imprints.
A small figure moved forward, white and nearly blending into the landscape, its short legs nearly submerged in the powder.
Sky-blue hair curled atop its head like a split melon cap, covering much of its pale, emotionless face. When the wind briefly lifted the bangs, the glow of deep amber eyes shimmered faintly in the cold moonlight.
Two small, flat horns an identifying trait of the species protruded from the top of its head, the front larger and pointed slightly forward, the rear horn smaller and angled back.
It was a Shiny Ralts, its coloring a rare deviation from the usual green and red palette.
Even for a Psychic/Fairy-type with limited teleportation ability, surviving alone in the wild midwinter was a grueling challenge.
Ralts were diurnal and extremely sensitive to emotion, yet this one had emerged at night. Hunger had overridden its cautious nature.
"Ra…lts?"
Suddenly, Ralts tilted its head. The twin amber horns twitched as it sensed something. Its gaze shifted sharply toward a snowy rise nearby.
Something there was subtly wrong: a fold of black cloth protruded from the snow, barely visible.
The lump beneath the snow stirred suddenly, and a figure rolled over, gasping for breath as though waking from a nightmare.
"Ra—Ralts?!"
Startled, Ralts staggered backward and fell hard onto the snow. A flurry of powder rose as it landed on its rear.
Its sudden movement drew the stranger's attention. His eyes, initially fogged with confusion, slowly cleared as he blinked up at the snowy sky.
Memories came rushing in like a flood, making his temples throb. He clutched his head, trying to make sense of it.
He had grown up an orphan in Turffield Town, under the care of a local volunteer home. His life had been dull but stable, shaped by the rules of the Pokémon world.
He'd always dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer. But he never received a Pokédex nor the League's official blessing to receive a starter—Galar's current system limited Trainer licenses due to overpopulation and resource control.
So, instead, he had saved money by working part-time jobs and training himself, studying both field manuals and televised Gym battles. By sixteen, he used his meager savings to buy camping supplies and ventured into Muguang Forest, hoping to bond with a wild Pokémon the old-fashioned way.
That's when disaster struck an avalanche, most likely triggered by Galar particles emitted by a Dynamaxed Pokémon nearby. He had died.
"Still trying to catch one on my own..." he muttered weakly, lips pale.
Even if he disapproved of the Pokémon black market, he could've adopted a partner through the official Pokémon Day Care in Ballonlea or used the Y-Comm exchange for common species.
But the previous "him" had clung to the romantic notion of destiny of meeting a Pokémon in the wild, forming a bond, and earning its trust.
Even if that sentiment was foolish, it was...admirable.
"Ralts!"
Suddenly, the shiny Ralts, already tense and hungry, leapt at him.
Its tiny hand flared with orange light, a Fire Punch?
"Fire Punch? From a Ralts?! A Shiny with an Egg Move…?" Xu Qiansu was stunned. He tried to move, but his limbs were stiff from prolonged exposure. The fiery strike connected right to the face.
But there was no pain.
Just heat. Dull and tingly.
Either his nerves were frozen, or the Ralts had pulled its punch. Or perhaps... it wasn't proficient at all. Fire Punch was an unusual move for Ralts, learnable only through breeding.
Lying on his back, Xu Qiansu looked at the little Pokémon. Beneath the sky-blue fringe, the amber eyes glinted warily but not cruelly.
It was...cute.
Whoosh—
Two Corviknight soared above Muguang Forest, casting momentary shadows under the moon.
Nearby, a trio of Greedent peeked out of a tree, their cheeks stuffed with berries. They blinked curiously at the man and the Ralts, then scampered upward, rustling the snowy branches.
A Diggersby's massive ears poked out from under a snowy mound, sniffed once, then buried itself again.
By a tree trunk's shadow, a Blipbug sat motionless, its big eyes fixed on the odd pair in the snow, antennae twitching.
Xu Qiansu laughed, breath fogging.
He was really in the Pokémon world. This was no simulation, no dream.
"Ralts!" the shiny Pokémon squeaked in protest, its cheeks flushing pink.
Was he… laughing at her?
She threw herself at him again, flailing tiny fists.
"You're Psychic and Fairy-type, strong in special moves!" Xu Qiansu chuckled as he shielded himself. "Why are you using fists?"
"And you, Ralts aren't supposed to be this fearless. Most flee at the sight of humans!"
She pounded at his chest with all the force of a cotton puff. Despite that, the movement helped warm Xu Qiansu's frozen limbs. He could feel the sensation returning.
Then
"My lord! Over here! We spotted the shiny Ralts in this area!"
The voice broke through the night, and everything stopped.
Crunch
Boots stomped through the snow. Two dark silhouettes cut through the curtain of white, emerging into view.
Ralts tensed. Her horns twitched.
She leapt from Xu Qiansu's chest and faced the newcomers. Her tiny body radiated tension.
As an empath, she felt it: hatred, greed, malice—the kind of emotional filth that repelled her very being.
Her earlier strike against Xu Qiansu had been reactive, a combination of hunger and indignation. But this, this was different.
These men stank of cruelty.
One of them was massive, bundled tight, only his eyes visible and those were full of menace. His gaze lingered on Ralts with an undisguised hunger.
Shiny Ralts were more than rare they were a fortune.
If sold on the black market, she could fetch over two million PokéDollars. Some collectors would pay triple.
The man reached behind him, withdrew a Poké Ball, and released a Pokémon in a flash of blue light.
A red-furred Nickit stood on the snow. Its white belly and black-tipped limbs contrasted with its smug, narrow-eyed expression. A green ribbon was tied to its tail, oddly decorative.
Common or not, it was still a Pokémon and this man was clearly a Trainer.
Then, chaos.
The Nickit sprang suddenly—not toward Ralts, but toward the second man.
Its fangs clamped around the companion's neck. A crimson spray painted the snow.
The man gurgled, eyes wide in disbelief as he collapsed, blood pouring from his mouth and pooling around his head.
Nickit landed gracefully, its tail flicking. Blood dripped from its jaws as it licked the mess with eerie calm.
No command had been given.
This wasn't loyalty—this was routine.
"The fewer the witnesses, the lower the risk," the man muttered, brushing snow off his coat. His eyes never left Ralts.
The forest fell silent. Even the Greedent had vanished, fleeing with frightened squeaks, leaving their berries behind.
The electric bug—likely a Grubbin, native to Galar buried its tiny body deeper into the powdery snow, its blue eyes flickering nervously, trying desperately to avoid the man's line of sight.
In an instant, the forest fell into a dead silence.
Snowflakes continued to fall lazily, shrouding the trees in a quiet veil of white. Through the drifting curtain of snow, Xu Qiansu squinted toward the man and the Nickit, then glanced at Lalu Lasi.
The different-colored Ralts looked tense, its amber eyes filled with defiance. It faced the poacher and the dark-type Pokémon without retreating, but its small body trembled slightly in the freezing wind.
From the cold… or from fear?
Xu Qiansu slowly turned back, clapped the snow off his sleeves, and stood up. His sudden movement drew the attention of all present—both humans and Pokémon.
The aggressive behavior of Nickit confirmed the man's identity.
A Pokémon poacher.
Even in a world that celebrates the bond between humans and Pokémon, where Trainers and their partners pursue growth and dreams together, there exists a darker undercurrent one made of shadow trades, exploitation, and greed. The Pokémon world, like a clear spring, has its silt at the bottom.
Xu Qiansu had always understood this concept intellectually. He just hadn't expected to confront it this soon.
Nickit's earlier pounce had been swift and calculated, showing signs of training. It was fast and well-coordinated, likely with high EVs in Speed and trained to act on nonverbal cues. Against such a foe, and given Lalu Lasi's earlier weakened Flame Punch likely undertrained or lacking proper IVs—it was obvious this Ralts wouldn't win alone.
If the poacher got Lalu Lasi, Xu Qiansu would be disposable.
He could only bluff.
He forced a smile, rummaged through his pack, and produced a newly purchased Poké Ball, holding it out with both hands.
"Big bro," he said with a submissive grin, "I'm no idiot. To be honest, I just caught this Ralts a few hours ago got lucky, I guess. Here's its ball. I just want to walk away alive."
"…?"
Lalu Lasi stared at him, wide-eyed. "Lalu?"
When was I caught?
More importantly, he was offering me to someone else but I don't sense any malicious intent from him…
The poacher narrowed his eyes. He stared at the Poké Ball for a beat, then at Xu Qiansu, then back to the ball.
So that explains it… The Ralts wasn't naturally trusting it was caught. That tracks better with their typically timid disposition.
He didn't reply. But his eyes cold, calculating remained fixed on the offered Poké Ball.
Two humans. Two Pokémon.
But the tension was so thick, it seemed the air itself refused to carry sound.
Xu Qiansu held his breath and gripped the ball tighter.
Then beneath his scarf—the man's mouth curled into a grin.
"Smart kid," he said. "Saves me a fight. Toss it over, and we're good."
He raised his hand lazily.
"Nickit. Go."
Sa——!
Even before the final syllable, Nickit lunged forward in a crimson blur. Its eyes glinted as its fangs flashed in the moonlight, leaping not just for the Poké Ball but straight for Xu Qiansu's throat.
The Pokémon didn't just aim to disarm.
It aimed to kill.
Nickit, like its evolved form Thievul, is often associated with stealth and deception but this was no ordinary dark-type behavior. This one was trained to eliminate threats. Not capture. Eliminate.
"Tch—" Xu Qiansu cursed. He had hoped the poacher might personally grab the Poké Ball. Clearly not.
But that wasn't the real plan.
Xu Qiansu had thrown the ball high—not toward the man, but straight upward. It arced under the moonlight.
The motion drew both Nickit and the poacher's eyes for the briefest second.
That was the moment.
Xu Qiansu yanked his foot free from the snow and kicked upward, sending a flurry of powdery snow into the air.
A sudden mist-like explosion visual interference akin to the move Sand Attack, reducing visibility and likely lowering accuracy. It worked.
Nickit, mid-leap, recoiled instinctively, snarling.
Xu Qiansu ducked and rolled to the side, barely avoiding the attack. As Nickit turned to strike again, he grabbed it mid-turn right around the neck.
"Nickit!?" The creature's narrow crimson eyes widened in disbelief.
A human… grabbed me?!
Even the poacher stiffened.
Even Lalu Lasi gasped.
Nickit thrashed wildly and bit into Xu Qiansu's forearm—blood spurted instantly. But Xu Qiansu, gritting his teeth through the blinding pain, didn't let go.
Instead, he reached with his other hand and gripped Nickit's plush, luxurious tail.
The tail often compared to a fox's pride was a vulnerable area. It twitched violently at the touch, and the Pokémon's fur bristled.
Before Nickit could recover, Xu Qiansu brought his knee up into its belly and pinned it down with his body weight.
"Lalu Lasi—Flame Punch, now!"
Lalu Lasi flinched, startled but then, nodding slightly, clenched its tiny fist.
With a crackling whoosh, flame ignited around its right hand much more intense than before.
It punched downward, hitting Nickit right between the eyes.
Thump!
Though Nickit's Dark typing resisted Psychic and Ghost moves, Flame Punch was Fire-type—neutral. But this wasn't about type advantages. It was raw impact. The strike was clean. Direct.
Nickit's pupils shrank. Its body slackened. The bite released.
In those few seconds, Xu Qiansu had turned the tide.
But not for long.
The poacher didn't flinch.
He dropped the Poké Ball he'd been fumbling for—Xu Qiansu hadn't noticed until now and reached behind him again.
Another ball.
A second Pokémon.
Xu Qiansu reacted instantly.
With no time to think, he swung the dazed Nickit by the tail like a sack and hurled it directly into the poacher's chest.
The poacher staggered, slipping.
Xu Qiansu grabbed Lalu Lasi by the back of its scarf-like head fin and bolted.
He didn't stop.
He couldn't stop.
Taking down a single dark-type with an improvised combo was pure luck. A second opponent? That was suicide. Who knows if there was a third or fourth?
But the poacher wouldn't give up easily.
He kicked Nickit off himself and scrambled to retrieve the dropped Poké Ball.
"Nickit! Cry out, use Echoed Voice!"
"Wooo—!"
The cry wasn't just loud—it was disorienting. Waves of sound shimmered like visible ripples, scattering the snow midair.
Xu Qiansu winced and covered his ears, Lalu Lasi still in his arms, blinking away tears from the shockwave.
But the problem wasn't just the sound.
It was the mountain.
The snowpack, already unstable from the earlier Thievul-induced disturbance and the avalanche from Chapter 1, now loosened further.
A sharp rumble shook the forest.
The avalanche started again.
"Not again!" Xu Qiansu hissed.
Within seconds, a white wall of snow thundered down. Trees cracked. Boulders tumbled.
There was no time to run.
The wave swallowed them whole.
Darkness. Pressure. Cold.
Lalu Lasi clung to him, its tiny hands trembling.
Then suddenly a drop.
They'd fallen off a ledge, swept over a cliffside.
Their bodies fell through the air as the snow mist parted around them.
And in that impossible moment gravity paused.
Far below, an enormous silver lake glimmered in the moonlight. It was Lake Axewell, known in both manga and game lore as one of Galar's legendary lakes tied to psychic-type phenomena.
A massive Milotic burst from the surface of the lake, spiraling upward. Its scales glimmered with iridescent beauty, refracting the moonlight in all directions. Its eyes calm, crimson, dignified seemed to lock with theirs.
It hovered midair for a second, poised like it was stepping across moonlight, before plunging back into the lake, sending up a spray of light and water.
Time moved again.
Xu Qiansu and Lalu Lasi plummeted downward, into the white abyss, that divine image burned into their eyes.
---
——Xu Qiansu's Pokémon Research Notes——
"Pokémon elusive, unreasonable, magical."
"But when I first arrived, the dumbest thought I had was: Can I eat a Farfetch'd with leek?"
"In my defense… the original body never said anything about how rare it is."
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