being in the Pokemon world

Chapter 6: Chapter 6 –town made of stone



The path out of the woods was winding and uneven, overgrown with brambles that clawed at Alex's clothes. His legs were sore from walking, and his shoulders ached beneath the weight of the gear he'd thrown together—nothing more than a stitched bag made of wild bark and hide. Riolu walked at his left, silent and alert. Charcadet was on his right, flames low but steady, flickering with a cautious energy.

They had been walking since dawn. alex would have wanted to go to a town to see how it was.

Their water supply was running low, and the last Oran Berry was eaten the night before. It was survival now, more than ever. But Alex had heard whispers—old signs, cracked wooden posts—pointing to a nearby settlement.

A town. Civilization.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that. he was looking for it but.

It had been days since he saw another human face.

Finally, the forest gave way to a break in the trees.

The three stepped onto a dirt road, and just ahead—half-shrouded in mist and sunlight—was a gate of stone. Weathered, moss-covered, with a crooked sign above it that read:

"Welcome to Emberhollow."

Alex blinked. "This... isn't a gym I remember in Sinnoh," he whispered.

It was an old town, maybe forgotten. Cobblestone paths stretched between timber houses, their roofs draped in ivy. Smoke curled from chimneys. Lanterns hung on crooked posts. It was peaceful—but beneath that peace was something else. A tension. A quietness too sharp to be normal.

As they entered, a few townspeople glanced their way. Some stared at Charcadet—clearly not a native Pokémon—but no one spoke. No greetings. No smiles.

Alex kept walking.

The town square opened up, revealing a central plaza built around a stone statue of a Blaziken locked in battle with a Garchomp. Moss covered most of it, but the carving was still powerful—violent, yet noble.

"Is that… a Gym?" Alex asked under his breath.

At the far end of the square stood a large stone building, darker than the rest, with polished obsidian doors and a towering sigil above them: two crossed axes behind a burning mountain.

It was unmistakable.

A Pokémon Gym.

But unlike the one's he had seen on the games, this one felt ancient. Raw. More like a fortress than a training facility.

Riolu stepped closer, sniffing the air. His aura trembled. There was power behind those walls—hostile, burning power.

Charcadet clenched his fists, smoke curling from his wrists.

"Not now," Alex whispered. "We're not ready yet."

He turned away from the Gym and began exploring the streets.

They passed a marketplace—half-empty—and a run-down PokéMart built into the side of a house. The prices were absurd. Healing herbs were three times what they should've been. Even basic Pokéballs looked rare here.

Alex sighed. "Either this town's cut off… or something bad happened recently."

They found an inn with a public water pump beside it. Alex knelt and filled their flasks. Riolu drank quietly. Charcadet soaked his flames for a moment, letting out a relaxed hiss as the steam curled into the air.

Then a voice called out behind them.

"You've got some strange company, boy."

Alex turned slowly.

An older man leaned against the inn wall, pipe in his mouth, eyes narrowed beneath a weather-worn cap. His clothes were dusty, patched. He had a Luxio beside him, its electric mane crackling faintly.

"That Charcadet's not from here," the man muttered. "Paldean, right? What's a kid like you doing dragging him into a town like this?"

Alex didn't answer.

He didn't need to.

The man eyed him for a long time, then scoffed. "Don't start trouble. Emberhollow's quiet… but only because it's learned how to bury its noise."

He disappeared into the inn.

Alex exhaled and stood. Riolu was already watching the Gym again. Charcadet was flexing his arm, testing a new flame. They were restless—itching for a challenge.

Alex looked toward the Gym doors again.

He could feel something calling him.

It wasn't just about getting stronger now. There was a purpose here—a test. A way to prove that the pain they endured in the woods hadn't been for nothing.

"We'll come back," Alex said, finally. "When I know you're both ready."

Riolu nodded silently.

Charcadet's flames flared, bright and sharp.

They left the square behind, following the curve of the town toward a nearby cliff. There, they found a small meadow, quiet and sunlit. It was a good place to rest—and to train.

Because Alex knew 

They would face whatever waited behind that Gym's black doors.

And they would be ready.


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