Unova Region – Victory Road
Here lay the path to the greatest honor in Unova.
Victory Road stretched across towering mountains, lush forests, roaring rivers, perilous waterfalls, and jagged cliffs—every ounce of nature's beauty and danger converged here.
It was a place where majesty and peril coexisted.
At the end of Victory Road stood the grandest hall of Unova, where all major events took place—the Champion's League, the Elite Four challenges, and more.
Every few years, countless boys and girls, armed with their badges, ventured through this final trial to chase the honor they had dreamed of all their lives.
Originally, this road had no name. But ever since the path to the Indigo Plateau in Kanto had been christened Victory Road, Unova's League followed suit, naming its own path to glory the same.
Deep inside a cave within Victory Road…
"Just a little more—don't let it get away! Sigilyph, stay on it!"
A young blonde girl, her hair beautiful yet dirtied by the wilderness, gritted her teeth in determination. Even in the pitch-black cave, her golden locks glowed faintly. She commanded the totem-like bird Pokémon beside her to pursue the small dragon ahead, which was desperately stumbling through the dark.
"Of all things—it just had to be a Dark-type!"
Caitlin muttered bitterly through clenched teeth.
Victory Road was so remote that the wild Pokémon here were far stronger than those outside.
Even participants of the grand tournaments rarely dared to tread this deep. The League had long carved out a safe path through Victory Road for challengers to reach the Champion's Hall. That road was difficult—but not impossible.
But Caitlin had ventured far beyond the safe path, into the true heart of Victory Road. Here, even if you flew above the ground, brutal predators could strike you down. This was a land where humans were prey.
Even for someone of Caitlin's caliber, one careless step meant certain death.
But she had no choice. Her research, along with survivors' testimonies, all pointed to one thing: deep within Victory Road, someone had sighted the Pokémon she sought.
Her earlier expeditions had nearly cost her her life, with nothing to show for it. But now, after almost two years of training in Unova, Caitlin was no longer the spoiled, whimsical girl she once had been. Hardship had forged her into a true trainer, hardened and resilient.
This time, she was prepared. This time, she had found her target.
Yet the sight of the tiny figure ahead made her both anxious and frustrated.
Had it been any other type of Pokémon, she could have trapped it with her Psychic-types. But this dragon—a Deino—was also a Dark-type. Her psychic powers were useless. Combined with the cave's darkness, treacherous terrain, and lurking dangers, catching this dragon was proving maddeningly difficult.
The air around Caitlin shimmered with unstable psychic energy, on the verge of bursting from her frustration. But she forced herself to take a deep breath, regaining control, and urged Sigilyph to continue the chase.
The little dragon was a mess. It had no eyes, and ran blindly into walls, wailing each time before staggering onward. Soon, its body was covered in scratches and bruises.
No wonder the Hydreigon species was so rare in Unova. Even setting aside their low birth rates, with such a frail and clumsy first stage, how many Deino could possibly survive long enough to evolve? Most were probably hunted down before they grew strong.
And yet, Caitlin couldn't help but respect this Deino. Despite its battered body, it refused to stop running. That sheer tenacity alone was admirable.
"You're not getting away. I finally found you—I won't let you escape!"
She ordered Sigilyph to carry her forward through the cave, but Sigilyph wasn't particularly fast in flight, especially in such narrow, twisting tunnels. At best, she could only trail behind the stumbling Deino.
Then—light appeared ahead. Caitlin's heart leapt. The tunnel opened onto the outside world.
Perfect. Deino couldn't fly. Once it left the cave, unless the exit was blocked by thick jungle, it had no hope of escaping her.
Certain of victory, Caitlin urged Sigilyph to accelerate, chasing the little dragon out into the open.
But the moment she emerged, her face went pale.
"RAAAHHHH!"
A deafening roar shook the mountainside. Caitlin's instincts screamed danger. At the last possible moment, she ordered Sigilyph to carry her skyward, barely avoiding a devastating blast that obliterated the cave mouth.
Standing at the ruined entrance was a wild Hydreigon.
The Deino hadn't been running aimlessly—it had been running home, to its kin.
From high above, Caitlin's face drained of color as she looked upon the savage dragon. Relief came only slightly when she realized its size and power weren't beyond her reach. Wild Pokémon, no matter how strong, rarely exceeded their natural limits.
But the relief didn't last. Her hand moved to her belt—and froze.
Her other Pokémon were all exhausted from earlier battles. Only Sigilyph remained battle-ready.
And Hydreigon… was both Flying and Dark-type. Her strongest weapon, Psychic power, was worthless.
Could Sigilyph fight it? Yes. But the battle would drag on far too long, and in Victory Road, long battles spelled certain doom. The noise would draw other predators. To exhaust Sigilyph here would be suicide.
Caitlin hesitated. She could escape now. But the next time she came here, would she ever find such a strong Deino again?
"Damn it… this is the best chance I'll ever get. If I give up now—it's all for nothing!"
She bit down hard, silver teeth clenched, and steeled herself to gamble her life.
Then, from the skies above, a calm, elegant voice called down:
"Foolish girl. Is this really worth staking your life on?"
Caitlin froze. For a heartbeat, her despair vanished. She turned toward the voice with sudden joy.
"Cynthia!"
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