The next morning, Lucien sat in his tent, listening as Elif reported on the latest affairs in the territory.
Dratini was curled up on the table, happily munching on fish balls Lucien had prepared from perch caught in the river.
Just then, a cheerful voice rang out from outside.
"Teacher!"
Lucien looked up as Anna burst in, clutching Zorua tightly in her arms. Her eyes sparkled with joy.
"Teacher, my Zorua has learned a new move!"
"Oh?" Lucien raised a brow in surprise.
"Zorua, show him!" Anna urged.
Zorua gave a soft cry, then its form shimmered, phantoms rippled across its fur, and one after another, illusions sprang into existence.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of identical Zorua stood inside the tent, their crimson eyes all locked on Lucien.
Lucien instantly recognized the technique.
"That's Double Team," he praised. "A very useful move."
"Double Team?" Anna repeated curiously. "So that's what it's called?"
Lucien nodded. "You and Zorua have made excellent progress. I'm impressed."
Anna beamed, her excitement barely contained. "That's not all, Zorua's getting better with its other moves too!"
"Then it's time for you to learn something new," Lucien said.
Anna leaned forward eagerly. "What is it?"
"The abilities of Pokémon," Lucien explained. He beckoned, and Dratini floated over. "Every Pokémon is born with a special ability. For example, Dratini's ability is Marvel Scale. When it suffers from conditions like paralysis or poison, the hidden power in its scales activates, boosting its defenses."
"Marvel Scale…" Anna's eyes widened as if a new world had opened before her. "Then does Zorua also have an ability like that?"
Lucien smiled. "Yes, but not the same one. Even Pokémon of the same species can differ. Your Zorua's ability is Illusion, you've already seen it in action."
"Huh? When?" Anna blinked.
"The night you first met," Lucien reminded her. "When Zorua created an illusion to scare off that Beartic and protect you. That was Illusion at work. Zorua can use it to disguise itself, even take on the form of a human."
Anna gasped. "That's amazing!"
"It is," Lucien agreed. "Illusion can save you when you face a powerful foe you can't defeat directly. Your next task is to train Zorua's Illusion until it can maintain a human form."
"And once you've mastered that," he continued, "I'll teach you the most important skill of a trainer, command."
"Command…" Anna whispered, her eyes burning with determination. "Yes, teacher!"
Lucien handed her a parchment. "Here. Study this as well, it's a type effectiveness chart and notes on some common Pokémon."
Anna clutched it tightly. "We'll study hard!"
Lucien gave a faint smile as he watched Anna and Zorua leave. "Anna… grow strong, quickly. With Zorua's illusions, you'll make the perfect scout."
His thoughts shifted to the others he had sent out. Cleveland, Ryan, and Christina… It had been days since they departed.
"I wonder how their mission is going…" he murmured.
Five kilometers away, atop a snowy ridge, Christina sat bundled in a thick cashmere hat and woolen gloves. With her sketchbook open, she carefully drew the rivers, peaks, and valleys below.
Ryan and Cleveland stood watch nearby, their eyes sweeping the horizon.
Several days had passed since they left the settlement. Their food supply was running low; it was nearly time to return.
Along the journey they had encountered many wild Pokémon. Some were hostile, but thanks to Cleveland's veteran instincts, they'd managed to avoid danger, while still recording each Pokémon's appearance and habitat.
Of course, not every creature attacked on sight.
For example, there was a monster, shaped like a stone pot, hiding under the rocks. The moment it sensed humans, it shrank its head and flippers deep into its shell, trembling in fear.
Another time, they spotted a bird-like Pokémon with wings as soft and fluffy as cotton clouds, completely unafraid of humans as it fluttered past.
Ryan even witnessed a massive herd of Mamoswine, their gigantic tusks glinting white as they trudged slowly across the snow.
Back in the royal city, they had never truly felt it, but now, traveling through the wilderness, Ryan and Christina were deeply struck by the beauty and magnificence of this world. These monsters were so unique, so full of charm, that they couldn't help but explore with wide-eyed curiosity.
"His Highness Lucien's mission is already a success!" Ryan muttered with a hint of regret. "It's just a shame I didn't meet any monsters willing to follow me..."
Christina laughed softly. "Ryan, you're too blunt. What monsters would want someone like you?"
The three had shared danger after danger on this journey, growing closer with each step. Teasing had become second nature.
Ryan clenched his fists. "Nonsense! I'm not a bad guy!"
Christina only chuckled again.
Cleveland stood nearby, sword in hand, his tall, muscular frame like a living wall. Suddenly, his ears twitched. He caught a low, earth-shaking rumble.
Something enormous was coming.
"Danger!" Cleveland barked.
The words had barely left his mouth before a colossal figure burst from the undergrowth.
It was a monster, over two meters tall, with a massive body.
The wild Pokémon pounded its chest with both arms, roaring furiously.
"Roooaaar!"
Then it lunged straight for Cleveland.
Cleveland braced himself, raising his sword to block, but the monster's raw strength was overwhelming. The impact hurled him backward, weapon and all.
"Cleveland!" Ryan's eyes widened. He drew his own sword in panic and shouted, "Christina, get back!"
But before he could even finish, the ground erupted beneath them with a deafening boom. The sheer force sent Ryan flying, his body crashing hard into the snow.
"Ryan!"
Christina's face went pale. She stuffed her pen and notebook away and scrambled to his side.
The monster bellowed again, muscles rippling as it prepared to charge.
At the critical moment, Cleveland forced himself to his feet, blocking the beast's path with his sword. His years of battle experience screamed the truth, this opponent was far beyond anything they could handle.
Escape was impossible now.
"Take Ryan and get back to the territory!" he commanded harshly.
Christina looked stricken as she helped Ryan up. "But what about you?"
"I'll hold it off! You two go!"
Her hesitation nearly cost them.
"Don't argue!" Cleveland roared. "Take the map back to His Highness Lucien, or none of us will make it out alive!"
Tears welled in Christina's eyes. She gave him one last, pained look, then gritted her teeth and half-dragged Ryan down the path they'd come.
Seeing the two retreat, Cleveland let out a faint breath of relief. But in the very next moment, a massive force slammed into him. His body was flung violently down the snow-covered mountain, tumbling end over end until he crashed to a stop.
Darkness claimed him.
Cleveland drifted into a dream.
He saw himself as a young soldier, freshly enlisted. Before he marched to war, the girl he loved had whispered to him, voice trembling with hope: "Come back alive."
But when the war finally ended, everything was gone. His parents had passed, and the girl he loved… had married another.
Left with nothing, Cleveland had taken one last, aching look at her before returning to the army once more. That was his life, until the day new orders arrived: to accompany Lord Lucien to his fiefdom.
Even now, in the haze between life and death, those words echoed again:
"Come back alive."
But this time, the voice wasn't hers.
It was Lucien's.
Cleveland's eyes snapped open.
He lay sprawled across a snow-laden hillside, pain shooting through every bone. He realized he must have rolled down the mountain.
"Not dead."
He tried to move, but a searing pain jolted through his arm. His right forearm was fractured. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright. The injury wasn't fatal.
Step by step, Cleveland tried to find his way back through the endless expanse of white. But after hours of wandering, all he found was the same hillside where he'd first landed.
He was lost.
The snow thickened, the cold sharpened its claws. His strength dwindled. He found shelter behind a jagged rock, curling into himself as his body heat bled away.
His consciousness dimmed.
'Was this the end? Would I die here, nameless in the snow?'
And then;
A brilliant form cut through the storm.
A great bird descended, wings vast and crystalline, its plumage glistening in shades of deep sapphire. Its crown shimmered with three long, prismatic feathers, and its long, ribbon-like tail streamed behind it like a banner of ice.
The air froze around it. Snowflakes halted midair, suspended in silence, as if time itself bowed before its majesty.
Cleveland's eyes widened, locking with its gaze.
...
STONES PLEASE. 5 Bonus Chapters @ top 50 this week . Will release those chapters in tomorrow's update
Read chapters ahead @patreon.com/Keepsmiling818