The SUV rolled off the countryside road and into a mountain tunnel, eventually pulling up at Professor Rowan's Pokémon Research Lab in Sandgem Town.
Lucas and Cynthia stepped out together, greeted warmly by Professor Rowan himself. The older man, with his neatly groomed white mustache and casual clothes, smiled broadly.
"Haha! You two must be Professor Carolina's grandchildren! I can see you've been close since you were kids!"
Lucas smiled politely. "That's us. It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Rowan."
"Welcome to my lab," Rowan said. "It's already late, so let me show you to your room so you can get some rest."
He turned to lead them inside.
Lucas paused. "Should we ask him for separate rooms?"
Cynthia blinked. "...Maybe?"
Before either could say anything, Cynthia grabbed his arm and pulled him in after her.
Back at Professor Carolina's house, they always had separate rooms. But here… there was only one bed.
The room was spacious and well-furnished. Clean, comfortable—but undeniably cozy.
______
Cynthia shook Lucas gently awake. He opened his eyes and froze.
Her cheeks were flushed. His arms were wrapped around her. Their legs were tangled together.
He had apparently used her as a body pillow in his sleep.
Mortified, Lucas jerked back.
Cynthia said nothing—her expression unreadable—and quickly went to the bathroom.
Beside the bed, Axew and Gible were also stirring.
They all met up for breakfast in the lab cafeteria a little while later, acting like nothing happened.
The next few days passed in a blur of training and study.
Under Professor Rowan's guidance, Lucas and Cynthia learned the foundations of Pokémon breeding, battle tactics, survival skills, and basic first aid.
Rowan, though known for his work on Pokémon evolution, had a wild streak in his youth—traveling across the Sinnoh region and diving headfirst into ancient ruins and unexplored forests.
"There's no better teacher than the world outside," he often said. "Pokémon and people both evolve through adventure."
______
Day 13
Professor Rowan was suddenly summoned by Professors Oak and Elm to assist with an urgent research collaboration involving wild Pokémon migration patterns.
With Rowan away, the lab grew quiet.
Only a few cleaning staff remained, along with two assistant researchers. One of them, Dr. Akari, had a four-year-old daughter named Dawn.
That morning, Cynthia nudged Lucas.
"We're supposed to look after Dawn today. Come on."
Lucas picked up Axew and nodded. "Let's go."
They walked across town to Dr. Akari's house. Dawn opened the door herself and squealed with delight.
"Lucas! Cynthia! You're here!"
Cynthia smiled and crouched down. "Want to go to the beach today?"
Sandgem Beach, on the southern edge of town, stretched out along the sparkling sea.
With Axew perched on Lucas's shoulder and Gible running happily alongside, they walked down to the shore.
The breeze was cool and salty, the sand soft underfoot. Dawn dashed ahead with a joyful laugh. Cynthia followed her, expression softening.
Dawn's laughter echoed across the beach as she played with the Pokémon.
______
As the sun began to set, they packed up and started heading home—only to be stopped by two unfamiliar figures.
One was tall and lanky, wearing green shades and chewing gum. The other was short and broad-shouldered.
The tall one stepped forward, eyes on Lucas.
"Hey, kid. Where's Rowan's lab?"
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Who's asking?"
The short one cut in. "Quit dodging the question. Just tell us."
Then his eyes landed on Axew. The dragon-type shimmered faintly in the light.
"Boss Gao, that Axew's a shiny!"
Lucas instinctively held Axew closer.
The man referred to as Boss Gao took a step forward.
"That's worth a fortune. Hand it over."
Lucas glanced at Cynthia and gave a small nod.
She understood immediately—grabbing Dawn and preparing to run.
Lucas scooped a handful of sand and flung it at the two men.
"Go!"
Cynthia bolted with Dawn in her arms.
The two thugs reacted fast.
Two Poké Balls flashed open.
Houndoom and Mightyena leapt forward.
"Dark Pulse!" Boss Gao ordered.
A swirling mass of shadow energy flew at them. Lucas barely dodged, but the shockwave knocked Cynthia and Dawn to the ground.
"Axew—battle stance!" Lucas called.
The little dragon roared and took a defensive position.
"Get help!" Cynthia shouted as she clutched Dawn and ran.
Lucas crouched beside Axew as his system interface flashed:
Enemy Scan:
Houndoom ♂ – Lv. 39 – Ability: Early Bird
Moves: Crunch, Dark Pulse, Fire Fang, Nasty Plot, Flamethrower
Mightyena ♂ – Lv. 34 – Ability: Moxie
Moves: Crunch, Sand Attack, Thief, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, Howl
"Axew, use Dragon Dance!"
Axew glowed, speed and strength rising. Then—Brick Break.
A clean strike hit Houndoom hard across the skull.
Even with the level gap, Axew wasn't backing down.
Boss Gao scowled and threw out two more Poké Balls.
Garbodor ♀ – Lv. 37 – Ability: Stench
Moves: Smog, Metal Claw, Acid Spray, Pound, Body Slam
Honchkrow ♂ – Lv. 32 – Ability: Insomnia
Moves: Wing Attack, Haze, Night Slash, Sucker Punch, Night Shade
Now it was four against one.
Axew was bloodied but still standing.
Lucas clenched his fists. "You did your best."
From his system inventory, he pulled out a black device.
Weezing Bomb – Mega Detonation
Radius: 30m
Toxic Gas: Extreme
Explosion Power: Equivalent to 100 tons of TNT
It was a special item—his third-year system reward.
He glanced toward Sandgem Lab.
He armed the device and threw it skyward.
At the same moment, the system flashed again:
Main Quest Triggered: "Rise of Hisui"
Upon acceptance, user will be forcibly transported to the Hisui region.Accept?
"Confirmed"
He smiled bitterly. "Guess this is goodbye."
BOOM.
______
Hisui – Cobalt Coastlands, Windbreak Stand
A spatial distortion crackled overhead.
Time seemed to slow within the shimmering dome. Lightning split the air—and a glowing Thunder Stone struck Lucas square on the head.
"Ow—what the—"
He rubbed his head and looked up. Axew, fully healed, stirred in his arms.
The system buzzed again:
Warning: Dialga and Palkia have gone berserk.
Peace across space and time has been shattered by a secret power.As the chosen one, restore balance.
Mission Reward: Return to your world + full system unlock.
Lucas stared up at the swirling sky.
"I just wanted to travel with Cynthia… Now I'm stuck in the past?"
He sighed. "Fine. If this is what it takes—then I'll fight my way back."
The area around him was eerily empty. No people. No Pokémon. But plenty of scattered loot—items left behind by the distortion.
Axew stretched and growled playfully.
Lucas smirked.
"Alright, Axew. Let's loot everything."
"Axew!"
And with that, they vanished into the forest—ready to survive Hisui.