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The southeast monsoon rolling in from the Cyril Strait carried with it the faint, briny scent unique to the Emerald Sea, circulating high above Ignis City.
Moisture thickened the air.
Warmth settled in.
Even though summer hadn't fully arrived yet, people across the city had already switched to light shirts, chasing whatever brief comfort they could find.
Tap… tap…
White chalk scraped across a dark green board, fine powder drifting down as it moved.
"Nidoran's horn contains highly concentrated toxins. During combat, if envenomation occurs, the first priority is—"
A middle-aged man with thinning hair and black-rimmed glasses stood at the podium, a heavy textbook tucked under his arm, voice steady and strict.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, filling the spacious classroom with warmth.
By the window sat Earl.
His slim right hand propped up his chin as platinum-blond hair fluttered lightly in the breeze. His green eyes stared past the glass, fixed on the lush shrubs outside clearly somewhere else in thought.
It had been just over three months since he'd entered the Pokémon League Academy.
Life had been stable.
Quiet.
Though his body was still as frail as when he first arrived, there was now a trace of youthful vitality that hadn't existed before.
"Earl."
The teacher's voice snapped him back.
"After being poisoned by Nidoran, what's the correct response?"
Earl blinked once but didn't panic.
He stood smoothly and answered with calm confidence.
"Avoid strenuous activity and remain calm."
"Wild Pecha Berries can help neutralize toxins and slow their spread through the bloodstream."
"Administer ten milliliters of antitoxin orally, then apply the remaining solution evenly to the wound."
His voice echoed clearly through the quiet classroom.
"Well said," the teacher nodded approvingly. "Dosage timing is especially—"
He gestured for Earl to sit and continued the tightly scheduled lecture.
Earl exhaled quietly as he straightened in his seat.
Absentmindedly, a black-metal fountain pen spun between his pale fingers with practiced ease.
Because of his exceptional Trainer aptitude, the League had placed him into one of the academy's priority classes.
Perhaps out of guilt over what had happened at Whiteleaf Town, the League had gone out of its way to provide him with support free housing, free meals, and even hints that his future starter Pokémon selection would be… adjusted in his favor.
Earl was grateful.
Though Whiteleaf Town's destruction had occurred, in part, due to the League's oversight—
He didn't hate the League.
He knew who the real enemy was.
The Nightmare Pokémon roam the wilds.
Only by eradicating them completely could tragedies like his be prevented.
His parents had died at the hands of those monsters.
His hometown had been reduced to ruins.
By all logic, Earl had nothing left.
…And yet—
He didn't feel empty.
The grief, the anger, the sorrow buried deep in his chest—
He'd forged it all into fuel.
Fuel that carried him forward along a dark road, one he intended to follow until dawn finally broke.
"No…"
"Maybe I'm not completely alone."
His emerald eyes shifted, thoughts stirring.
Faces surfaced in his mind—
Friends at the academy, laughing together.
A confident girl with fiery red hair and a bright, fearless smile.
And finally—
A tall, powerful figure, dark and silent.
A figure whose presence felt distant… yet unforgettable.
Earl's gaze drifted back out the window.
"What are you doing now…?"
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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