Morning light rolled across Cinnabar like liquid gold, catching the volcanic ridges and turning them into glowing embers. The ocean was calm, waves sighing against the black-stone shoreline as though the island itself was finally taking a breath after the chaos of recent weeks.
For once, Alex wasn't sprinting off to a collapsing node or intercepting an ambush. He walked through the market at an easy pace, hands in his pockets, Infernape strolling beside him with its flames kept low out of respect for the vendors. The air smelled of roasted seaweed, volcanic herbs, and something sweet that Alex suspected Marina was baking again.
Cinnabar was never quiet, but it was never rushed either—that was its magic. A rhythm and warmth that no other part of Indigo could replicate. People greeted Alex not as an official or as a hero but as someone who belonged to the island as naturally as the sea breeze.
"Morning, Alex!" Ferris Ito called out from his dock stall, Quagsire waving lazily at Infernape. "Heard your flames were lighting up Johto last week. Cinnabar's volcanic vents got jealous."
"They'll get over it," Alex replied with a faint smile. "But I'll be sure to assure them personally."
Ferris barked a laugh. "Bring back some ash samples next time. Doc Kurogane says the flow patterns have been weird lately."
"Has he slept?" Alex asked.
"Define 'slept,'" Ferris said, then shrugged. "He closed his eyes on a bench for twenty minutes."
"Close enough."
They exchanged a nod and Alex continued down the row. Mira waved from a stall where she was interrogating a fisherman about rumored sightings of a massive Tentacruel. Jonah was helping repair a damaged fishing net, Lanturn floating beside him and humming toward children gathered at its side. A group of kids called out excitedly when they spotted Infernape, who responded by touching its flaming fist to the ground, causing tiny sparks to dance across the stone. The children clapped.
Cinnabar lived.It breathed.And Alex felt its pulse sync with his own.
Lila found him halfway through the market, Arcanine at her hip, Roserade walking with perfect posture. She held two steaming cups and shoved one into Alex's hand.
"You forgot breakfast again," she said.
"I was—"
"Definitely forgetting breakfast," she cut in.
He gave her a wry look. "Technically I remembered it on the way here."
"That's not remembering. That's improvising."
Kai joined them a moment later, Jolteon zigzagging through the crowd with youthful sparks popping off its fur. "Good," Kai said. "You're both here. I need help."
"That sentence concerns me," Alex said.
Kai thrust a tablet at him. "I'm trying to design a new gym challenge and I need your opinion."
Alex scrolled. Then paused. Then blinked. "Kai… this is a death maze."
"A challenging death maze," Kai corrected.
"You put a lava pit in the first room."
"Gotta keep trainers on their toes."
Lila leaned over Alex's shoulder. "Is that a rotating boulder trap?"
Kai grinned. "Inspired by the Orange Islands. Classic."
Alex handed the tablet back. "We are not building a death maze."
Kai sighed dramatically. "Fine. But we're keeping the boulder."
"No."
"A small boulder?"
"No."
"Infernape?" Kai begged.
Infernape folded its arms and shook its head.
Kai groaned. "Traitor."
They walked together toward the gym, enjoying the slow quiet. The gym stood tall at the center of the island, a structure of black volcanic glass and deep-red stone that shimmered in the sunlight. Small fire-type Pokémon rested outside—Vulpix curled under lanterns, Magmar lounging near heat vents, a pack of Growlithe playing in the side courtyard.
As they entered, the gym buzzed with activity. Trainers sparred in controlled rings, flames and energy flashing in arcs. Cassian, the young Ranger trainee, nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw Alex and dropped into a salute so fast he almost headbutted Growlithe.
"Morning, Cassian," Alex said.
"M-morning, sir! Growlithe and I completed the patrol route! No anomalies! Everything stable! Uh—sir!"
Growlithe barked in agreement, tail wagging so aggressively its whole body bounced.
"Good work," Alex said, gentle enough to calm the boy's frantic energy.
Cassian beamed like he'd just been given a medal.
Alex found a quiet moment on the gym balcony overlooking the ocean. Infernape sat beside him, elbows resting on its knees, flames drifting lazily. Talonflame swooped overhead with a practiced glide. Hydreigon circled farther out, keeping watch even on restful days. Garchomp was underground somewhere, patrolling out of habit, and Roserade tended the small flower garden that Lila had convinced Alex to plant there.
For the first time in days, he wasn't strategizing, wasn't responding, wasn't calculating threat vectors.He was simply—here.
"Feels different," Lila said from the doorway.
Alex glanced over. "The quiet?"
"The peace." She stepped beside him, Arcanine settling behind her like a shadow. "You're letting yourself feel it. That's new."
He didn't deny it. "Feels like the island is waking up again. Stronger. Brighter."
"It's because you're here," she said, eyes softening. "People feel safe. The island feels safe."
He looked over the town—glittering roofs, boats bobbing in the bay, children running through warm streets, volcanic stone gleaming like polished jewels.
"I'm just doing my part," Alex murmured.
Lila shook her head. "You're the heart of this place. Don't pretend you're not."
He didn't argue.Not because he believed her—but because something in her tone made him quiet.
Before he could respond, Kai jogged up the stairs, out of breath.
"Alex—something weird just came through the Ranger dispatch."
Alex straightened instantly.Not tense—alert.
"What happened?"
Kai held out his tablet. A map of Indigo flickered to life, marked with red. Not an attack. Not a node collapse.
A disturbance.
At three separate locations.
One in the forests near Fuchsia.One near the Johto border.One… near the Indigo Plateau.
Lila stepped closer. "These aren't natural readings."
"No," Alex said quietly. "They're coordinated."
Infernape's flames rose, not violently—knowingly.
Alex looked toward the horizon where sea met sky, where the hope of peace stretched thin across the water.
"Looks like our break just ended."
But he didn't sound afraid.Not weary.Not reluctant.
Just ready.
Because this was his island.His region.His people.And no one—no manipulator, no operative, no shadow—would dim the Jewel of Kanto.