The League airship soared through the clouds, slicing through the morning light as it traveled from Sinnoh to Kanto.
Skylar leaned against the reinforced glass of the observation window, watching the white wisps float past like dreams. Ralts sat on his shoulder, unusually tense. Even Growlithe, usually the energetic one, lay still by his boots.
Across the cabin, Cynthia sat with her legs crossed, sketching something in a leather-bound notebook—battle strategies, perhaps. Gible was curled beside her, snoring faintly.
"Nervous?" she asked without looking up.
"Not really," Skylar lied.
She raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it.
He wasn't nervous about the camp.
He was nervous because something else was with them on this ship.
He hadn't seen it, but he'd felt it. Since they boarded. Since takeoff. It was quiet. Careful. But unmistakable.
It was there.
Watching.
Waiting.
The airship touched down at a private landing site near Pallet Town. A League escort guided them along a winding forest path until the trees gave way to a vast clearing overlooking the sea.
There it stood: Professor Oak's Camp.
It wasn't some ordinary school retreat. It was a sprawling research hub disguised as a nature reserve—wooden lodges, battle arenas, digital labs, and open fields designed for both training and discovery.
Skylar stood in awe. He'd seen Pallet Town in games, in shows—but seeing it like this, alive, with Pidgeotto soaring overhead and Bellsprout waving in the wind—it was overwhelming.
Professor Oak himself was waiting at the camp entrance.
Older than Skylar remembered, yet still sharp-eyed and smiling, he stepped forward and greeted them with warmth.
"Skylar Adams. Cynthia Celestine. Welcome to Kanto."
Skylar shook his hand. There was something… calculating behind Oak's smile. The kind of wisdom that came from years of secrets.
"It's an honor, sir."
"I'm the one honored," Oak replied. "You two have made quite the impression on both sides of the world."
He guided them through the camp, introducing them to the facilities and the other students—many older, some younger, and all buzzing with curiosity over the "Sinnoh prodigies."
As the sun set, they were shown their quarters—cozy cabins overlooking a serene lake.
But Skylar didn't sleep that night.
He stood outside, staring across the dark water.
The trees beyond the lake were motionless.
Then—a ripple.
No sound.
No breeze.
Just a shimmer of something wrong.
Ralts stirred at his side, eyes glowing faintly.
"Still there, huh?" Skylar whispered.
He clenched his fists.
Why are you following me? What do you want?
The next day began with a schedule of orientation and assignment pairings.
Oak stood in front of a large board and addressed the group.
"You're not here just to train. You're here to learn. Each of you will be paired with a local researcher or field operative. You'll assist in gathering data on Pokémon behaviors, habitats, or anomalies."
Skylar's name appeared on the board.
Skylar Adams – Assigned to Field Group: 'Event Anomalies'Supervisor: Gary Oak
He blinked. Gary Oak? The Professor's grandson?
Next to him, Cynthia chuckled. "Lucky. I got 'Pokémon Behavioral Studies'. Sounds like babysitting baby Eevee for a week."
But then she saw something else—her name, right beside his.
Cynthia Celestine – Assigned to Field Group: 'Event Anomalies'
Skylar smiled. "Guess you're stuck with me."
"Better than babysitting," she admitted.
Later that afternoon, they met Gary—taller, cocky, but more mature than the stories made him seem. He wore a black coat with the League insignia on the shoulder.
"I've read your files," he said, walking with them through the deeper trails of the Pallet Reserve. "You two are making waves."
"We're not trying to," Skylar said honestly.
Gary stopped walking. "Then you need to start paying attention."
He held up a tablet showing a map of western Kanto.
Energy signatures.
Anomalous readings.
Distortions.
"This area? Route 9? There's been something warping the aura levels there. Trees wilting. Wild Pokémon relocating. Sound familiar?"
Skylar felt the hairs on his arms stand.
"Yeah," he whispered. "Very."
Gary eyed him. "I don't know what followed you from Sinnoh, but Oak thinks it's no coincidence."
Cynthia looked at Skylar. "You knew?"
Skylar sighed. "I've been feeling it for weeks. Since the forest mission. I didn't want to say anything until I was sure."
"You should've told me," she said, more hurt than angry.
"I didn't want to worry you."
"I'm not here to be protected, Skylar," she snapped. "I'm here to fight beside you."
He nodded, quietly ashamed. "You're right."
Gary cleared his throat. "Good. Because if what we're seeing is real, it might not just be watching you anymore. It might be… calling others."
That night, as a storm rolled over the camp, thunder cracking above, Skylar stepped out onto the porch.
The clouds above swirled unnaturally.
And across the lake, beyond the fog and trees…
two red eyes opened once more.
This time, they didn't blink.
They watched.
And waited.