The wind ran wild through the open glade.
It was late afternoon now the sun casting long golden beams across the hilltops outside Ravios, painting the grass in hues of fire and wheat. A small stream trickled nearby, and distant cries of wild bird Pokémon echoed through the forest. The sky was wide, the earth open and this place belonged to no one.
It was perfect for training.
"Alright," Shion said, pushing his sleeves up, "Rune, take your position."
The towering Golurk let out a low, echoing hum and marched forward. Each step caused a soft tremor beneath the grass. The ancient guardian took its place at the edge of the clearing and then stood still, arms crossed and faint blue light pulsing from the seams of its stone armor.
"Raku. Kiba. Ready?"
The orange Lycanroc gave a sharp bark and dug his claws into the earth.
Beside him, Grovyle sleek, green, and newly evolved leapt onto a flat stone, tail blade twitching, eyes focused and fierce.
Bidoof lay on his back atop a mossy stump nearby, chewing on a half-eaten root and watching with one eye open.
"This is a bad idea," he muttered through a mouthful.
Shion smiled faintly. "That's how most progress starts."
"Okay!" Shion called, snapping open his notebook. "We're focusing on coordination, mobility, and reaction speed. Rune's job is to pressure you non-lethal, but firm. You two disrupt him, create openings, and land hits where you can. Stay in motion!"
Rune let out a slow exhale like the rumble of distant thunder.
"Begin!"
Rune moved first.
Despite his size, Golurk didn't lumber he strode. Clean, efficient, deliberate steps, the kind of movement that could crush trees underfoot.
Shion's eyes tracked his team closely.
"Kiba circle wide. Flank!"
The Lycanroc became a blur, darting left with Accelerock, dust kicking up behind his paws.
"Raku draw his attention! Use Quick Attack!"
Grovyle dashed forward, bouncing between boulders, then zipped toward Rune in a flicker of green speed.
Rune responded immediately.
Its eyes glowed and it raised its massive arm, Shadow Punch building in the air.
Whoosh!
Raku ducked low, the ghostly fist slamming just inches above his crest.
"Now! Kiba, strike!"
Kiba appeared in a flash, fangs glowing black Crunch sank into Rune's stone shoulder. The Golurk flinched ever so slightly.
"Back!" Shion shouted.
But Rune didn't wait.
He stomped the ground Earthquake.
The ground shuddered violently. The stone Kiba stood on cracked like eggshell.
"Leap!"
Kiba sprang backward.
Raku used the tremor as momentum, flipping away to the edge of the glade.
Rune's arms began to glow again, building another Shadow Punch this time two at once.
Shion narrowed his eyes.
"He's adapting."
They had to adapt faster.
"Kiba Drill Run. Distract him. Raku circle and charge up Absorb!"
Kiba howled, tail low and claws extended. Energy coiled around his body like spiraling rock. He charged forward Rune turned to meet him, raising a stone-arm to block.
Raku vanished into the forest edge, sprinting low through the grass, the leafy blade of his tail glowing faintly with green-gold light.
Kiba's Drill Run connected
BOOM!
Rune slid back, the impact causing dirt to burst upward in a shockwave. But Golurk didn't fall. It raised a fist and struck Kiba square in the ribs.
"Kiba!" Shion called.
The Lycanroc flew back and rolled across the ground he snarled, staggered upright, legs shaking.
But before Rune could follow up
Raku struck.
From behind, leaping out of the canopy like a flash of emerald,Using absorb his leaf blade pierced Rune's shoulder seam, draining energy in a burst of green light.
Rune jerked, surprised.
Shion pumped his fist. "YES!"
But the Golurk wasn't done.
It spun with deceptive speed, sweeping a Heavy Slam sideways.
Raku gasped caught midair.
The attack connected he was flung like a dart across the clearing, smashing through a shrub and skidding in the dirt.
"Raku!"
Shion sprinted over.
The Grovyle staggered up, holding his side. He was bruised but not down.
Still, the strike had hurt.
He looked at Shion, eyes steady.
"...You okay?"
Raku nodded.
Then turned back toward Rune.
His eyes blazed.
Back in formation.
Shion's mind raced.
Rune was too tough to break directly. But with Kiba's speed and Raku's evolution, they had synergy now. One could lead. The other could finish.
He looked at them both.
"New plan."
Kiba's ears perked.
Raku blinked.
"You two… combo. Like we practiced before."
Raku smirked.
Kiba lowered into a crouch.
Rune raised both hands, arms glowing with twin Shadow Punches.
"Go!"
Kiba moved first, zig-zagging with Accelerock, a trail of dust behind him.
Rune struck with one arm.
Missed.
Struck again.
Missed.
Kiba leapt, feinting high Rune raised both arms
And that's when Raku appeared, using Kiba's leap as cover.
He jumped from Kiba's back, Quick Attack chaining into Mega Drain midair.
He struck Rune's neck seam hard.
Green light flared.
Rune's energy shuddered, and it knelt down slightly from the impact.
"Now, Kiba finish it!"
Drill Run.
The orange Lycanroc spun forward, claws tearing into the ground, and smashed directly into Rune's side.
The Golurk toppled, crashing into the earth with a thud that echoed through the trees.
Silence.
Then the sound of wind in the grass.
Rune didn't move.
Shion blinked.
Kiba panted. Raku stood, tail flicking.
"…They did it," Shion whispered.
He jogged to them.
"You guys!" He knelt down and hugged them both. "You did it!"
Rune groaned and sat up.
Even that small motion made the ground tremble.
But it raised a hand.
And gave them a thumbs-up.
They all burst into laughter except Bidoof, who was still snoring upside down on his stump.
Shion fell back into the grass, arms behind his head, chest heaving with joy.
Kiba curled beside him.
Raku climbed onto a branch above.
Rune sat silently across from them, his massive frame casting a long shadow as the sun dipped lower.
They had trained.
They had grown.
And tomorrow… they'd prove it again
---
Ravios wasn't what Kaela expected.
She stood at the edge of a rooftop, one boot on the stone ledge, arms crossed as the warm wind tugged at her long brown coat. The sun had nearly set, casting Ravios in a bronze glow that made the city look polished, clean, proud.
But Kaela knew better.
She'd been in cities like this before places with marble faces and rotting roots. Gold on the surface, rot in the cracks. And if there was one thing she knew how to do, it was crawl through the cracks.
Her Noivern circled lazily above, a blur against the deepening violet sky.
Kaela's violet eyes narrowed on the Grand Coliseum across the city. Even from this distance, she could hear the crowd. Cheers. Shouting. The explosive sound of Pokémon battles echoing through stone.
"Right where you want to hide," she murmured.
A hand rested lightly on the dagger at her belt not out of habit, but readiness.
She reached into her satchel and pulled out a thin parchment.
A letter. Short. Handwritten in slanted ink.
> Target confirmed in Ravios. Possible Apostle activity tied to the tournament. Eyes on a woman in violet, traveling with a Gengar. Confirmed red-eye incident in Bellmire outskirts. Stay sharp. —M
Kaela folded the paper.
That was enough.
She dropped down from the roof quiet, swift, practiced.
The alley below was narrow and dark, but she moved through it like a shadow. Her boots didn't make a sound. The lanterns above gave only slivered light, and her silhouette passed between it like smoke.
She didn't head toward the coliseum.
Not yet.
She needed leads.
And in Ravios, that meant only one place: The Underbelt.
The Underbelt was a part of Ravios not on any official map.
A semi-legal hub beneath the guild districts and merchant quarter built inside half-finished tunnels, forgotten basements, and collapsed cellars. There were traders there who dealt in rumors, rogues who sold secrets, and mercenaries who watched the political winds the way others read weather.
Kaela walked in without flinching.
The guards at the door recognized her.
They didn't stop her.
Inside, it smelled of fire smoke, wet stone, and spiced cider. The stone was uneven, the lighting dim, but the tension in the air was alive. People leaned in over tables, speaking low. Maps, names, prices, poisons all exchanged hands like coins.
Kaela found her target sitting in the corner.
A short guy almost like a dwarf with braided copper hair, eyes like coal, and a mug in each hand.
"Merrit," she said.
He looked up, grinned. "Kaela. I figured you'd show up eventually."
She sat across from him, arms still crossed.
"You have a name?"
He set down one of the mugs.
"Aye. A face, too. And a trail."
He leaned in, voice dropping.
"Woman in violet. Long braid. Gengar. Comes and goes like smoke. Bought strange herbs in the alchemist row. Not for healing paralytics, mostly. She's staying near the coliseum district, upper level inn. One of the fancy ones."
Kaela frowned. "She using a fake name?"
"Of course. Everyone does. But the barkeep said she never eats. Never sleeps. Tips well. Watches the street from the window."
Kaela's brow furrowed. "That's her."
Merrit tapped a knife against the table. "Word is, she's been asking about Aura users. Knights. Royal bloodlines."
Kaela's lips thinned.
"So it's not just corruption. She's tracking something."
"Or someone."
Kaela rose.
"Noivern's circling?"
"Always."
"Tell him to shadow her window. Quiet. I'll move at dawn."
Merrit nodded, handing her a single folded page. A map. Room marked.
As Kaela turned to go, Merrit raised a brow.
"You think she's one of the Apostles?"
Kaela's voice was low.
"I think she's worse."
As she emerged into the open streets once again, Ravios shimmered with firelight and celebration. The crowds swelled around the coliseum, people cheered, flags waved but Kaela only watched the windows.
She saw the tower the woman was staying in.
She saw a curtain move.
And in that split second, she swore the figure behind it looked straight at her.
Kaela narrowed her eyes.
"Let's see who blinks first."
---
The city slept but the shadows did not.
High above Ravios, in the noble tier of the Coliseum District, moonlight stretched across marble balconies and darkened courtyards. The lamps had dimmed. The cheers of the crowd had faded. Only the faint rustle of banners in the wind remained.
Kaela moved like a ghost through the stonework garden of the Ravensthorne Inn, her coat flaring with every step.
Her dagger remained sheathed at her hip, but her hand never left the hilt.
She turned the final corner and came face-to-face with the balcony of Room 4F the room Merrit had marked.
The curtain was open.
And behind it
A figure stood.
Long violet coat.
Lean frame.
Green eyes that shimmered like shards of crystal beneath the moonlight.
The woman stepped forward calmly, as if expecting her.
"Evening, stalker," she said, voice light and vaguely amused. "Enjoying the view?"
Kaela didn't flinch.
She stepped into the open.
"I've been following your trail since Bellmire," she said, low and sharp. "I've seen what you left behind. A poisoned village. A crimson-eyed Luxray torn in half. And a boy who took his own life to keep your secrets."
Orla smiled faintly, brushing a speck of dust from her glove.
"Ah. Yes. He was one of the dramatic ones. Didn't even finish the mission."
Kaela's hand clenched around her dagger.
"What's the plan?" she asked. "What are the Apostles doing in Ravios?"
Orla tilted her head. "Plan?"
A laugh. Low. Dismissive.
"Sweet girl. You think we're a military? Some great machine with wheels and scripts and schedules?"
She stepped forward.
"We're not that dull. Each Apostle follows the path they choose. Some hunger for money. Some want to end it all. Me?"
She leaned on the balcony rail, green eyes glinting.
"I joined because I was bored."
Kaela's breath caught. "What?"
Orla's smile widened.
"Power. Chaos. A little divinity on the side. It's better than grave-robbing."
"You're Insane."
"I've been called worse."
Kaela's patience snapped.
She raised her hand in a sharp whistle.
"Echo. Now."
A gust tore through the courtyard as Noivern burst from the shadows, shrieking with sonic fury. Its wings flared open, pulses of red light building between them.
"Air Slash now!"
Echo dove, twin blades of compressed air forming and launching straight at the balcony.
But Orla?
She didn't flinch.
"Gengar."
A ripple of shadow instant.
Her Gengar melted out of the wall, grinning with wide, fang-filled joy. With a flick of its claws, it conjured Protect, shielding Orla from the brunt of the Air Slash.
Echo veered off, circling again.
Kaela dashed forward, drawing her dagger close combat now. But the second her boots hit the stone
She froze.
A pulse of cold rushed up her legs.
Her limbs locked.
Muscles seized.
Her dagger dropped from her hand with a soft clink.
"Ngh!"
She gasped.
Her legs wouldn't move.
"Paralysis?"
Orla descended the stairs from her balcony, step by casual step.
"Just a little field trap," she said sweetly. "My Gengar laced the area hours ago. Delayed spectral infusion. Kicks in when blood pressure spikes."
She leaned forward and gently lifted Kaela's chin with a gloved finger.
"Funny how justice always walks straight into its own trap."
Kaela's jaw trembled but she said nothing.
Orla smiled wider. "I was going to kill you, you know. But…"
She glanced toward the distant coliseum, where the final match of the day had just ended. Fireworks echoed in the sky.
"…I've got a tournament to win."
She turned.
"And a plate to claim."
Her Gengar phased into the shadows after her, silent as ever.
Kaela's knees buckled but she caught herself against a pillar.
Her limbs twitched.
She watched as the woman walked away uncaring, unharmed, unstoppable.
"…Not over," she whispered, throat tight. "Not yet."
Echo landed beside her a moment later, letting out a concerned cry.
Kaela gritted her teeth.
She might be frozen now.
But she was far from done.