Myst wasn’t entirely sure why he was still standing there—next to Cynthia, Graham, and everyone else who’d been in the meeting room. But he had a feeling that walking away now probably wouldn’t be the best look, not as Graham’s half-speech, half-debrief wound down.
“I won’t pretend this will be easy,” Graham said, his voice steady—hard as steel.
“As I said before, even crossing Sewaddle tribal territory carries risk. Facing a Royal Guard?” He shook h...
2025-12-23 21:33:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
Young.
About her height.
Surfer blond hair.
William, as he had introduced himself.
She knew him.
Probably.
Cynthia studied the Ranger in front of her for what felt like the tenth time since they started walking.
The only question was where she knew him from.
Celestic?
She tried to place him among the handful of semi-famous trainers back home and came up empty. A fact that, honestly, should have ruled out anyone fro...
2025-12-08 00:27:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
Even as the energy from the Teleport faded and Cynthia staggered, she almost instantly realized what was about to happen. And so, with the last dregs of adrenaline scraping through her system, her mind raced.
Most would probably assume the type she knew most about was one of the more common ones. After all, if you grew up with access to an entire region’s research archives, you’d naturally end up most familiar with the types that had been studied the longest and most thoroughly.
...
2025-11-27 18:09:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cynthia awoke slowly, her head heavy, dull, and throbbing. It hurt, like she had slept too long, but not in a way that had brought any rest.
“Elekid? Well, Leer, Quick Attack, Thunder Shock, and…”
The voice trailed off, like it was considering its next words. “Charge, probably. I mean, if he’s as young as you said, he probably hasn’t had time Swift or Shock Wave yet—right? Honestly, though, hard to say. Like, young isn’t exactly the greatest definition of ...
2025-11-17 18:03:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
Small PSA:
When posting the chapter where the ranger speaks, I made a slight edit to his dialogue about the royal guard. Originally, he described them as having red eyes, but after reviewing the Pokémon I planned to include in the royal guard, I realized that was kind of stupid. So I’ve changed it to bloodshot eyes instead, (honestly, a slightly better description of the reason behind it anyway) and that’s why Cynthia references that here...
2025-11-05 22:52:46 +0000 UTC
View Post
At first, Cynthia had focused on the forest. Then, realizing how exposed they were, her hand had dropped—fingertips brushing over the buttons of the Poké Balls hanging from her belt in their expanded form.
Queenie had appeared first, stretching with a low, guttural growl. A heartbeat later, Riolu had materialized beside her, eyes snapping toward the treeline in an instant.
But that had all been moments ago.
Right now?
She didn’t focus on Queenie.
Sh...
2025-10-25 02:42:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
She was never very good at packing.
Not just in the literal sense—she had a terrible habit of just shoving everything into her bag—but in the broader sense as well. Ever since she was a child, she’d always struggled to figure out what she actually needed to bring. And, well, that clearly hadn’t changed, the trip across Cycling Road had proven that much. Years of planning, only for her to instantly forget she’d need a proper rain jacket after the one she had packed was...
2025-10-14 17:25:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
One day after Myst vs Flint.
Luxio let out a roar of pain as Queenie tanked its Bite head-on, only to instantly retaliate with a sweeping Dragon Claw. The blue energy crashed into the Electric-type’s side with a resounding crack, breaking its hold on Queenie’s other arm and hurling it back.
“Make it pause!” Volkner barked—
Too late.
Even as Luxio twisted midair and landed nimbly on its paws, its eyes flared with a sharp, sil...
2025-10-12 23:43:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cynthia knew she should be paying attention. Normally she always did with this kind of thing, because, honestly, what could be more fascinating than a Pokémon battle? Archaeology, history, even learning about Pokémon, those were all right up there, sure, but in the end battling had always been… different.
Watching two strong trainers collide, feeling the rush in her chest, tracing each feint and counter, knowing that every second could tip the scales. She loved it. She alwa...
2025-09-28 20:53:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
Myst let his fingers sink into the dense muscle of Rei’s leg, working through the stubborn tension coiled beneath her fur. The little bunny let out a sharp, pained sound, but instead of pulling back, he pressed in deeper. The first time he’d heard that noise, it had stopped him cold, but, well, now he knew better. Rei wasn’t asking him to stop, she was asking him to keep going.
Harder, preferably.
His thumbs dug into the tight knot along her calf, and Rei’s body eased unde...
2025-09-19 23:58:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Myst didn’t look up when she wandered over. His pencil moved steadily across the page of his notebook, as if he hadn’t noticed her return—until his hand suddenly stilled. He lifted his head, but instead of turning toward her, as she half expected, his gaze lingered on the firelight, and before she knew it, a small smile tugged at his lips.
Cynthia followed his gaze, and when her eyes found what had caught him, the corners of her own mouth curved upward despite herself.
By th...
2025-08-29 00:54:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
Flint’s expression froze at Myst’s outstretched hand, the easy energy he’d been radiating cooling a notch. He took it slowly, then gave it a shake.
“Flint—and you are Cynthia’s… what exactly?”
Myst smiled back coolly. “Myst. Her traveling partner.”
Flint didn’t let go. His smile, which had dipped at the introduction, crept back. “Oh, her traveling companion, huh? Well, it’s nice to meet you.”
Cynthia stared at the back of M...
2025-08-18 04:06:46 +0000 UTC
View Post
“How far do you think it is until we reach the halfway house again?” Cynthia asked, glancing towards Johanna.
Johanna shrugged.
“Probably an hour, maybe two. Not really sure. I can never quite remember.” She waved vaguely toward a nearby rocky hill, a steep, jagged rise that looked impossible to climb from where they stood. “Like, I’m pretty sure it’s literally right behind that thing, but there’s no good path around it, so every time I’m here, I end up feeling l...
2025-08-03 17:53:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
Staring down at the egg, Cynthia could honestly say she had no idea why she’d felt so uneasy about it earlier. They’d avoided talking about it for over a week, and in hindsight, that felt a little silly. Understandable, maybe, but still silly. In the end it wasn’t that big of a deal.
She glanced up, meeting Myst’s questioning eyes.
…Of course, she wasn’t going to lie. In the end her feelings shifting on the matter probably came down to the simple fact that she...
2025-07-22 23:28:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cynthia had a problem.
Or, well, maybe calling it a problem was a bit of a misnomer. That made it sound trivial, like an overcooked dinner. This was… not that. She stole a glance to her side, eyes flicking briefly toward Myst. And, as if on cue, heat crept up her neck.
Again.
She forced herself to look away, fixing her gaze on the uneven tunnel floor. The stone beneath their feet was slick with mountain condensation, cold enough to soak through even sturdy hiking ...
2025-07-14 01:59:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Honestly, Cynthia had expected the hardest part of the day to be asking Johanna. Not because she thought it would be embarrassing, she had a pretty strong feeling Johanna wanted to join them anyway, but because rejection always lingered at the back of her mind.
Turned out, it shouldn’t have.
The second she asked, Johanna had lit up like a sunflower and agreed on the spot, only pausing to say she’d need an hour to gather her things and that they could meet at her hotel before s...
2025-07-07 23:41:56 +0000 UTC
View Post
Compared to just two days ago, the arena felt practically deserted, and the faint echo of his footsteps on the rocky walkway only seemed to emphasized that. Even the small crowd that had gathered to watch him last time had vanished.
Or, well, most of the crowd anyway.
Myst’s gaze flicked upward. Cynthia and Johanna were already seated, ready to watch. Cynthia’s presence was expected, of course. But Johanna’s? Yeah, that one caught him off guard. He’d known she wanted
2025-07-02 23:34:36 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cynthia let out a sigh as her number one fan stared up at her with wide, pleading eyes, more like a scolded Eevee than a kid asking for a favor.
“No.” she said flatly, her immunity to that exact gaze way beyond what Oliver could produce.
Oliver pouted, gaze dropping to the dirt.
“Why not? You can handle it…” he mumbled.
Beside her, Myst gave a noncommittal shrug.
“Maybe,” he admitted, “but we’re no...
2025-06-30 16:51:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
At Myst’s words, the kids' heads snapped toward them, and Cynthia’s hand, midway to Queenie’s Pokéball, froze in midair. Neither of them looked physically hurt, not a scratch on their clothes, no visible injuries, but…
She recognized one of them.
It was the girl who had asked for Johanna’s autograph. Grace, or something like that. She was still wearing the same outfit as when they’d met earlier today, hair styled the same way. The only thing that had changed ...
2025-06-22 14:36:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
That had been telepathy.
There wasn’t a single doubt in her mind.
Cynthia snapped her gaze toward Myst, but he had already turned to face the caves, eyes narrowed in thought. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed. She almost thought he would have, which was—
Well, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to call it unexpected or not, but in some sense, him not noticing was certainly on brand. Then again, maybe it was just that everyone was more focused on what N...
2025-06-13 22:36:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
The voice that rang out over the stadium barely snapped Myst out of his spiralling thoughts. He jerked his head toward the darkness where the sound had come from, blinking as his mind scrambled for footing.
He should switch out Rei—
Kids had gotten lost—
How was he going to beat Lairon when—
“Sorry, but I’m going to have to pause the match. An emergency’s come up. I ask everyone to remain calm and please exit the stands in an orde...
2025-06-08 20:01:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Took longer than expected, but I’m done with the rewrites. If you're trying to figure out what changed, focus on chapters 24 (where Cynthia talks about how Pokemon get stronger), 28 (where Cynthia starts to wonder why Rei seems to be lagging behind), and especially 29. I'd highly recommend re-reading the chapter 29 sequence just above the ending part , though it's not strictly necessary.
As for how it changed?
TL;DR:
Embedding is gone. (A...
2025-06-05 20:15:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
Double sorry to you guys. I can't really make any excuses, except I think the story will be better for it.
This was originally written for Spacebattles, but, of course, applies to every place where I post the story.
TL;DR: I'm officially removing the Embedding system from the story. Think of it like a Thanos snap, gone. Aura and Type Energy will still work the same way, but Pokémon will now grow stronger through more intuitive means: training, experienc...
2025-06-02 16:55:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cynthia forced her smile down as Johanna giggled beside her again. As much as she wanted to bask in the glow of someone asking for her autograph, she still needed to focus. So she simply rolled her eyes at Johanna’s grin and turned her attention back to the arena.
Myst looked as composed as ever as he walked calmly toward the center of the battlefield. He hadn’t even bothered to take his hands out of his pockets, and if it weren’t for the way he kept glancing around like he was sc...
2025-06-01 13:44:49 +0000 UTC
View Post
As she walked down the stairs to start another day, Cynthia let her gaze drift across the Pokémon Center’s lobby. Mornings were usually quiet, most trainers had a tendency to sleep in. Give teenagers unlimited freedom, and they’d take the extra hours every time.
But today?
The lobby buzzed with activity. Trainers lounged in chairs, chatted in clusters, and picked half-heartedly at breakfast trays. Of course, it wasn’t like everyone in Oreburgh had suddenly decided to become...
2025-05-27 21:48:45 +0000 UTC
View Post
She didn’t usually train with Myst.
Sure, they trained at the same time, but they usually ended up in separate corners, each absorbed in their own routines and focused on their own teams. It wasn’t something they’d ever discussed; it just naturally fell into place that way. Most of the time, they were working toward different goals, and even when they weren’t, watching someone else train was simply too distracting.
After all, training Pokémon was all about observ...
2025-05-24 00:27:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
“So, you’re the wildling my granddaughter’s been traveling with, huh?” her grandmother asked, aiming a fry at Myst like it was a spear.
Myst stiffened, blinking at the accusation disguised as a question.
“I… guess?” he replied hesitantly, his gaze flicking to Cynthia with a silent, panicked plea for answers.
Her grandmother raised an eyebrow at the answer, then stuck out her other hand.
“Almost forgot. Carolina Shirona, Cynthia’s maternal grandmother....
2025-05-20 16:27:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
Since Cynthia had left the city with her first badge nearly two months ago, Oreburgh hadn’t changed much.
It still looked more like a mining outpost than a proper city. Most of the buildings were carved straight into the mountainside, and the ones that weren’t were built from the very stone dug out of it. Everything here was functional, durable, unconcerned with beauty. It was like steel in that way. Unyielding. Cold.
She couldn’t say the same about herself.
Cynthia to...
2025-05-17 01:23:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
Half an hour ago, when Cynthia had slotted her rented bike into its dock and locked it with a decisive click, all she’d felt was relief. Cycling Road had always been one of those places she’d dreamed of crossing, one of those Routes only trainers on their Journey really bothered with. And so, of course, she’d wanted to do it too.
But after everything that had happened?
Yeah. She was just glad to be back on dirt and gravel, walking on her own two feet again.
…Not that...
2025-05-13 00:17:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
It was almost odd, how normal it felt to wake up the next day.
Maybe it was because she’d actually slept well. Maybe it was because she’d spent the day quietly sorting everything into neat little boxes. Either way, the result was the same. When Cynthia opened her eyes, she just felt…
Normal.
Cynthia raised a hand over her head and looked at it.
Even in the dimmed lighting through the tarp of the tent, she could make out the thin white stripes where her nails had ...
2025-05-11 12:17:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
