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The wide avenue was paved with dark stone tiles, neatly set in rows. Crowds filled the streets, their chatter and footsteps blending into a warm, living rhythm a sound that didn't belong to a world still haunted by disaster.
If Kael hadn't entered Ignis City from beyond the walls himself, he might have thought he'd stepped back into the old world before the Calamity ever happened.
Vendors called out their prices, children laughed and played, and the smell of baked bread drifted through the air.
It felt… normal. Comfortingly, painfully normal.
For someone who hadn't set foot in a city for so long, Kael found himself slowing just to take it all in that fragile illusion of peace.
But he hadn't forgotten why they were here. They needed to find the League headquarters and check in before anything else.
Beside him walked Earl, his clothes dusty from days of travel. Even so, the boy's bright green eyes and polite smile drew friendly looks from passersby. His youthful gentleness contrasted sharply with the towering, dark-skinned Machop-like Pokémon walking beside him Kael's current form.
It was an odd sight, but somehow, people were kind. Helpful.
And with a few "good Samaritans" pointing them in the right direction, they soon found themselves standing before the League's regional office.
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The building stood five stories tall a gray monolith against the shorter homes around it.
Its architecture was simple and efficient, stripped of any unnecessary decoration. The walls shimmered faintly with a metallic sheen under the sunlight, the same alloy used for Ignis City's outer defenses.
Above the wide glass doors, the familiar red-and-white Poké Ball insignia gleamed.
Kael and Earl stepped through the entrance.
Inside, the mood shifted immediately.
League Trainers moved quickly through the main hall, their expressions focused, their steps deliberate. No one was here to chat every person had a purpose.
Even Kael unconsciously lightened his footsteps.
Along one wall stood several reception counters. Behind them, uniformed League attendants worked briskly, helping Trainers with paperwork and registrations.
Earl scanned the counters until his face lit up.
"Found her!" he whispered, tugging Kael toward the far end.
Behind the glass window stood a young woman in a crisp League uniform. Her long teal hair was braided neatly into two plaits, resting softly over her chest. A pair of black-framed glasses sat on her nose, adding an air of calm professionalism to her kind face.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Fina?" Earl asked politely, hands resting on the counter.
"That's me," she said warmly, tapping the nameplate pinned to her chest. "How can I help you, sweetie?"
Earl reached into his bag and pulled out a silver League badge, handing it carefully through the window.
"This is from Miss Scarlet. She said I could come to you for help."
Fina blinked in surprise. She adjusted her glasses, turning the badge over in her hands. Her gaze lingered on the engraved ID number.
"…Yes, this really is Scarlet's," she murmured.
League-issued badges weren't just symbols they were credentials. Each one carried an encrypted Trainer ID that verified its owner's identity. Anyone holding one legitimately meant they had earned that Trainer's trust.
Realizing this, Fina's formal expression softened into genuine warmth.
"Well then," she said kindly, "what's your name?"
"I'm Earl."
"Nice to meet you, Earl. So, what brings yo—"
Her voice trailed off. Her eyes shifted past him… to the figure standing silently behind.
"Wait… is that a shiny Machop?" she blurted, her tone half in awe, half in disbelief.
"Ah— no, no!" Earl waved his hands quickly. "He's not mine! He's the one who saved me on the way here!"
Kael, arms folded across his chest, gave a brief nod of acknowledgment.
Through her glasses, Fina's pupils widened slightly.
Fully conscious Pokémon were rare inside League-controlled cities most were descendants of those raised by humans generations ago.
But a wild, intelligent Pokémon? One uncorrupted by the Nightmare Seeds? That shouldn't even be possible.
The realization sent a chill down her spine.
If the boy had run into a corrupted Pokémon instead… he wouldn't be standing here.
Before she could speak again, Earl continued softly,
"I'm from Whiteleaf Town — near the Koron Wasteland. A few weeks ago—"
"What?!"
The sudden shout turned every head in the lobby.
Ignoring the stares, Fina rushed out from behind the counter, grabbed Earl's arm, and pulled him toward the staff hallway.
For decades, Ignis City hadn't seen a large-scale civilian tragedy. The League's sweeps had cleansed the region of Nightmare Pokémon long ago.
For an entire town to vanish… that was no simple incident.
"Come with me!" she said urgently, her boots striking the floor in rapid succession as she led them down the corridor.
Kael followed silently, his expression unreadable.
---
In a dimly lit office, the rhythmic tapping of fingers against wood broke the silence.
Behind the desk sat a gray-haired man with a deep frown Director Alt, the regional League head. His sharp eyes studied the young boy across from him.
Earl sat quietly in the chair, clutching his knees.
Fina stood nearby, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her uniform.
"So," Alt said at last, his voice low, grave.
"You're saying everyone in Whiteleaf Town is gone?"
The ticking clock filled the silence that followed.
And as the weight of his words sank in, Earl realized this was just the beginning.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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