Cobalt Coastlands.
Steven had been here for almost a week now.
In that short time, Skarmory had caught up to Aggron, breaking through to Champion Level entirely on its own. Even though a week wasn't very long, the training results for Steven's Pokémon had been remarkable. Even Pupitar and Doublade were showing small signs that an evolution might be coming. Pupitar simply needed to finish absorbing the energy building up inside it, while Doublade seemed to need a bit more combat experience to push it over the edge.
As for why Steven had lingered on the Cobalt Coastlands for a whole week, the truth was simple. He couldn't bring himself to leave while Growlithe was still grieving over Heatran's decision to go.
So he stayed, giving Heatran time to talk some sense into the young Pokémon. That had been Heatran's own request, after all. Heatran wanted Growlithe to take up its father's old duty and become the new Island King, but as long as Heatran remained close by, Growlithe would never feel it had to reach for that kind of responsibility. The loss of the previous Island King had left a wound in Growlithe's heart that hadn't fully healed.
Heatran had lived on Firespit Island in the Cobalt Coastlands for years, ever since its friendship with Growlithe's father began. And it hadn't been the only voice trying to guide Growlithe. Palina had once told the young Pokémon to listen to its own heart rather than let anyone force the title of Island King upon it. That was part of why Growlithe had run from the idea altogether.
Now Heatran had made up its mind to leave for good. Part of it came from gratitude — Steven had pulled it back from the very edge of spacetime, and Heatran respected his strength. But the larger reason was hope. Heatran wanted Growlithe to finally step up, protect the Cobalt Coastlands, and become its rightful Island King. For that to happen, Heatran needed to step aside.
Growlithe watched as Heatran returned to Steven's Poké Ball on its own, and watched Steven climb onto Metagross and ride off from the coast. It didn't cry out or make a scene. It simply stood there, eyes burning as it stared at Steven's shrinking silhouette.
Over the course of that week, Heatran had told Growlithe story after story about its father. Whenever Growlithe tried to slip away and avoid the conversations, Heatran always managed to track it down and drag it back for a stern scolding. In the end, the effort paid off. The night before Steven's departure, Growlithe finally settled its resolve to carry the weight it had been avoiding. A son should inherit what his father built, and carry the burden his father once carried. That would let its unrelated but beloved uncle leave with a clear conscience.
Steven sat astride Metagross's head with Diancie curled up in his arms. Holding Heatran's Poké Ball gently, he murmured, "I hope it grows into an even better King than its father was."
The Poké Ball gave a faint, quiet sway in response.
Let's hope so.
Steven had been planning to head back to Jubilife Village next, to ask Captain Cyllene whether any other Pokémon were still frenzied, and to search for whatever Relics remained scattered across the Hisui region. He also wanted to check in on Keito and Akari and see how they were getting along.
That was the plan, anyway.
Just as he'd arrived in Hisui in a rush, it seemed he was about to leave the same way.
Rumble—
The clear sky turned dark without warning, thunder rolling through the clouds. Threads of golden lightning flickered across the blackened sky.
"No way," Steven muttered.
He studied the strange disturbance above him, and oddly enough, felt no sense of danger at all. If anything, it felt strangely familiar.
Rip!
The sound was like paper tearing in half. Directly above Steven's head, the clouds split apart, a rift opening in the middle of the sky. A powerful pull radiated from its center, tugging hard at everything nearby — including Steven himself.
Metagross surged forward, trying to outrun the rift's pull. Diancie clung tightly to Steven's clothes, afraid of being dragged in. Steven's red scarf lifted off his shoulders, hovered for a moment, then was yanked upward and torn away.
Steven looked up at the tear in the sky. Something about it felt achingly familiar.
His mouth curved into a faint, knowing smile, and he called out, almost testing the air. "Dialga?"
As if in answer, the rift's pull grew stronger. In an instant, Steven was ripped away from Metagross and pulled toward the opening above.
"Metagross!" Metagross let out a startled cry and spun around, charging back toward Steven at full speed.
With Diancie held in one arm, Steven reached for Metagross's Poké Ball with the other. A beam of red light shot out, drawing Metagross safely inside.
Being summoned and dismissed without a moment's warning left Steven a little irritated. He hadn't even had the chance to properly explore Hisui. He'd arrived in a hurry, and now he was being swept off just as fast, like a background character whose scene had simply ended. Come on now, your part's done, off you go. And he didn't even get anything for it.
The moment Steven vanished into the rift, calm returned to the area. His scarf hadn't been pulled through with him — instead, it drifted quietly down and settled onto the ground.
Some time passed.
A boy in a red cap and a girl wearing a white headscarf arrived together at the very spot where Steven had disappeared. A small Pokémon rode on each of their shoulders — a Pikachu and an Oshawott.
"This is..." The boy bent down and picked up the scarf lying in the grass. He turned it over and found a tiny serial number stitched into the fabric, confirming exactly whose it was.
"This is Steven's scarf," Akari said, frowning as she looked up at the sky. "That spacetime distortion yesterday — do you think it had something to do with him?"
Keito glanced at the scarf in her hand and smiled faintly. "He told me he'd find a way back eventually."
"It seems..." Keito tilted his head back to study a lone white cloud drifting above them. It almost looked as though it had four long arms. "I think he's already gone."
Akari nodded slowly, understanding. "The day before he showed up, there were strange spacetime fluctuations at the foot of Mount Coronet. Now that he's leaving, it's happening again."
"It's a shame," she added. "I never even got to show him how much I've grown."
Keito let out a soft chuckle and turned to face her. "Didn't Perrin mention something a couple of days ago? That he calmed the Forest King, and stopped Heatran before it lost control completely?"
"Maybe," he went on, "we could carve his achievements into something back at Jubilife Village. If he ever comes back this way, he might see it for himself."
Akari's face lit up. "That could actually work!"
"Except Commander Kamado never met him personally," Keito said, his expression turning uncertain. "I'm not sure he'd approve something like that."
"Then let's ask Professor Laventon and Captain Cyllene to speak with him for us," Akari said quickly.
Calming the Forest King and stopping a Heatran on the verge of rampaging were no small feats. With Professor Laventon and Captain Cyllene backing the request, Commander Kamado would be hard-pressed to refuse.
"Good idea! Let's go — back to Jubilife Village!" Akari was already pulling Keito along before he could answer.
"Hold on a second," Keito said, tugging back. "We can't be completely sure yet. We should check the area first, just in case something's changed."
"Oh, right." Akari smacked her forehead. Keito's reminder had jogged her memory — before they could confirm anything, they needed to make sure the rift hadn't left any lasting damage behind. If there was truly no impact anywhere, that would all but confirm the rift had appeared for one purpose only: to take Steven away.
With that settled, the two split up to search the surrounding area for anything out of the ordinary.
...