Cerulean City shimmered like a gem under the afternoon sun, its lake reflecting the clouds like a mirror stretched across the earth. For the first time in weeks, Skylar felt warmth that wasn't from battle, fire, or aura—it was peace. Almost unfamiliar. Almost fragile.
Misty had already left for the Cerulean Gym, slipping through its grand waterfall entrance with Froakie on her shoulder, promising to return soon. She needed time with her sisters. With her family.
Skylar understood.
He needed silence.
By midmorning, he stood at the outer field of a training garden near the Pokémon Center. Scyther and Charmeleon were circling one another in a sparring drill, their movements more fluid than ever. There was no command—just instinct.
Skylar didn't speak. He let them move as one.
Breathe in.
Scyther blurred forward, swiping low.
Breathe out.
Charmeleon stepped back, tail flame dancing, then countered with a spinning Metal Claw that clashed with Scyther's twin blades midair.
They didn't need words anymore.
Skylar smiled.
And then his PokéGear buzzed.
He flipped it open. Cynthia's name flashed on the screen.
His pulse quickened slightly.
He stepped into the shade of a stone archway and accepted the call.
Cynthia's face flickered into view, wind tousling her hair. Behind her, a jagged cliff and a small campfire cast light across a rugged plateau.
She smiled softly. "You're alive."
Skylar grinned. "No zombie hive got me yet."
Cynthia tilted her head, studying him. "You look… different."
—"Aura awakening. Giant mutant Pokémon. Mild psychic trauma. I guess it changes a guy."
She chuckled, but her eyes were sharp.
—"Tell me everything."
Skylar did.
The watchers. The corruption. The fusion core. Misty. The spear of light.
When he finished, Cynthia was silent for a moment.
Then she pulled something from her pack.
—"I've been following tremors in Sinnoh's northern ridges. Not energy signatures—skyfall patterns."
She held up a fragmented tablet, etched with stylized imagery. One section showed a meteor burning through the sky. Another showed Rayquaza, mid-flight, its body curled protectively around the planet.
Skylar leaned closer.
—"That's… Rayquaza."
—"Yes. But not just in legend form," she said. "According to the temple archives, Rayquaza didn't just fight Groudon and Kyogre… it repelled things from space."
She pointed to another etching. A meteor cracked open—inside, faint humanoid silhouettes with hollow eyes, surrounded by black tendrils.
Skylar's breath caught.
—"The watchers."
Cynthia nodded.
—"It wasn't just weather that threatened the world—it was what came down with the stars. The ancients believed Rayquaza existed to guard the planet from skyborne invaders. Creatures… like what you faced in Mt. Moon."
—"So… these things aren't returning."
—"No," she said. "They were never from here. They're not ancient evil. They're alien."
Skylar sat down slowly against the archway.
That changed everything.
Cynthia continued, her voice lower now.
—"There are other impacts hidden across the regions. I've confirmed one near Lavender Town. Another might be buried in Route 217's glacier."
—"Have any of them… woken?"
She looked away.
—"Not yet. But the energy is stirring. Yours wasn't the first meteor, Skylar. It was just the first to… open."
Skylar exhaled. "We're not fighting myths anymore. We're fighting incursions."
Cynthia nodded. "And we may need Rayquaza… or someone capable of that level of power… sooner than we think."
They sat in silence for a few seconds.
Then she added, more gently:
—"And Misty?"
Skylar's voice softened. "At the Gym. She needed time."
Cynthia smiled faintly. "And you? Are you okay?"
Skylar didn't answer right away.
Then—
—"No. But I'm better."
She seemed satisfied with that.
—"Stay ready, Skylar. These things… they don't fall randomly. They fall with intention."
The call ended.
Skylar stared at the sky for a long moment, then looked back at his team. Scyther had stopped training and was watching him quietly. Charmeleon gave a low rumble, sensing the tension.
Skylar stood.
—"We're not just battling for badges anymore."
He clenched his fist.
—"We're fighting to protect the whole world."