----
Southwest of the Koron Plains, hidden among tall cypress trees, lay a body of water the locals once called Emerald Lake.
At barely three thousand square meters, it wasn't vast but in the endless plains, it was the largest lake for miles.
Without human interference for centuries, its waters had become pristine and luminous.
Countless Pokémon had gathered there, drawn by its purity, building nests along the glimmering shore.
From above, the lake looked like a perfect mirror framed in green jade tranquil, flawless, and deceptively serene.
But any experienced explorer knew the rule of the wild:
The calmer the surface, the darker the depths.
Splash!
Ripples broke the still water as two crimson fins pierced the surface.
They shimmered under the morning sun, drinking in its warmth.
Beneath the water, a massive shadow stirred.
A Feraligatr, muscular, scaled, and scarred, slowly arched its back, letting the sunlight heat its blood.
A deep, rumbling growl of satisfaction escaped its throat.
It was the undisputed king of Emerald Lake.
Powerful, ruthless, perfectly adapted to its watery throne.
But today, as it floated lazily in the shallows, something pricked its instincts.
The nostrils on its snout twitched.
A scent, faint but maddeningly familiar, human.
The Feraligatr's golden slit pupils snapped open, glowing with a feral red gleam.
Living prey.
Without a sound, its dorsal fins sank below the surface.
A shimmer of Water-type energy cloaked its entire body, blending it into the reflections like a phantom.
It glided forward, muscles rippling beneath armored skin.
At over a hundred kilometers per hour, it was a living torpedo, racing toward the scent at the shoreline.
The predator's mind filled with anticipation.
It could already imagine the fragile skull crunching between its jaws the hot, metallic taste of blood on its tongue.
Soon.
With a violent burst, it surged upward.
BOOM!
Water exploded skyward in a spiral of glittering droplets.
The massive reptile erupted from the lake, jaws wide, teeth flashing like knives beneath the sun.
Its shadow swallowed the figure standing by the shore.
Time seemed to freeze.
And then—
Shhhhkk!
A line of silver cut through the air like a falling star.
A ripple shimmered across space itself.
A heartbeat later, crimson rain fell.
The Feraligatr's eyes widened.
A black gash split cleanly down its armored torso and its body fell apart mid-air, neatly sliced in two.
The remains hit the ground with a wet thud, sending blood streaming into the grass.
A gentle breeze passed over the lake, scattering the metallic scent of death.
Golden hair shimmered under the sunlight.
The man who stood there lowered his arm, the faint outline of a spectral blade fading beside him.
His expression was calm almost weary.
"...Ah."
He sighed softly. "Guess I took the wrong path again."
His azure eyes reflected the lake's still surface as he muttered to himself, exasperated.
This blond man was an operative from the Phantom Order, one of their elite hunters and, apparently, directionally hopeless.
He'd been pursuing the culprit who destroyed the Order's southern laboratory for nearly a full night…
In the wrong direction.
If he turned back now, he'd lose another day.
If he returned empty-handed, Master would kill him.
"Perfect. Just perfect," he groaned, tapping the heel of his polished black shoe against the ground.
He looked around the silent lake.
No witnesses. No answers.
"…Alright. Screw it."
Closing his eyes, he spun in a lazy circle a few times, stopped, and pointed straight ahead.
"Fate, take the wheel. This way!"
And so, with absolutely no logic and uncanny luck He began walking in the exact direction of his target.
Somewhere unseen, the invisible threads of destiny trembled ever so slightly.
---
Whiteleaf Town – Morning
Hooowwwl!
A distant howl rolled across the plains.
Kael's eyes snapped open.
Sunlight streamed through the cracked window, scattering golden flecks across the white sheets.
The warmth soaked into his skin, soft and familiar.
For a brief moment, he simply lay there, dazed.
Then, memories from another life surfaced on quiet weekends after long workdays, lounging on a couch with the TV murmuring in the background, pulling a cold soda from the fridge, and savoring that sharp, carbonated bite as it fizzed down his throat, cooling him from chest to stomach.
Or the laughter of friends at a late-night barbecue stall, complaining about their jobs, talking about upcoming games, dreaming about futures that, now, would never come.
Simple moments.
Beautiful.
Gone.
Kael chuckled faintly and shook his head.
"Yeah… nostalgia won't help me now."
He threw off the blanket, stretching under the morning light.
The golden rays spilled across his frame, casting soft shadows along the floorboards.
The past deserved remembrance, but the present and the future were what truly mattered.
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