Pokemon: As Cynthia's Fiance

Want to read ahead, you know where.

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Canalave City.

Behind the Pokémon Center, a custom-built Tolkowsky pool shimmered under the late morning light.

Designed specifically for injured aquatic Pokémon, it was now serving as a sanctuary for a certain beloved sea creature.

Lapras floated quietly in the water, its once-vibrant eyes dull and lifeless.

Its breathing was slow, steady, but strained.

The injury from human abuse had left more than just physical wounds.

Every time footsteps echoed nearby, Lapras flinched, its muscles tensing beneath the surface.

The trauma ran deep.

Behind a reinforced glass window, Sam stood alongside Nurse Joy, observing the injured Pokémon in silence.

"Professor Samuel, your timing was perfect," Joy said softly, her voice tinged with a hint of relief.

"If you'd been even a little later… the venom might have reached the nervous system. There could've been permanent damage."

Sam's eyes remained fixed on Lapras as he shook his head.

"Its body might be healing, but the mental scars… those take time. Trust. Patience. It's going to be a long road."

Joy sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"Yes. Unfortunately, that's something medicine can't fix."

He turned to her, pulling out a small note from his pocket.

"Here," he said, handing it to her.

"That's my number. If Lapras shows any behavioral signs you're unsure about, or if anything else comes up, call me. Don't hesitate."

Joy nodded gratefully and tucked the note into her coat.

"Thank you, Professor Samuel."

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Safe travels," she replied.

"And… thank you again. Truly."

After leaving the Pokémon Center, Sam made his way to the harbor.

His destination? Newmoon Island.

Rumors had been circulating about strange phenomena, thick haze constantly drifting from a mysterious cave on the island's far side.

The same island that didn't appear on most tourist maps.

He had to see it for himself.

Because Canalave City was composed of several interconnected islands, charter boats were a thriving business here.

After some quick negotiation, Sam completed the rental process, paying 20,000 Alliance Coins upfront, along with a hefty deposit of 100,000.

Standard procedure.

He picked up some basic supplies, food, water, and a spare battery for his Nav, then boarded the yacht.

It wasn't his first time piloting a vessel.

Driving a yacht wasn't all that different from steering a car.

Both relied on a wheel, though boats were a bit slower to respond.

Thankfully, the one he'd rented had a semi-autonomous navigation assist.

Nothing fancy, but good enough to avoid getting stranded.

As the yacht pulled away from the harbor, the sea breeze swept across his face, carrying the scent of salt and freedom.

The sunlight danced on the water's surface, casting patterns like scattered diamonds.

He leaned back against the railing, letting himself breathe. For a moment, it felt like a vacation.

The ocean was alive. Wingull circled above, their sharp cries blending with the hum of the waves.

Schools of Finneon and Lumineon darted beneath the surface, their bodies glimmering like neon lights.

A Gorebyss coiled through the waves nearby, then slipped out of sight.

But what caught Sam's attention the most…

A group of Mantine glided past, large and elegant, like kites in the current. He watched in quiet awe, until something bizarre happened.

One of the Mantine suddenly arched its back mid-swim, and, 

"No way…" Sam blinked.

A rainbow-colored streak trailed behind it. Not metaphorical. Literal.

A multi-colored waste trail, like someone had spilled paint into the sea.

"...Did I just see Mantine poop a rainbow?" he murmured to himself, stunned.

Sure enough, floating in the aftermath were several Remoraid, eagerly darting after the… uh, 'trail.'

"Eating it?!" Sam nearly dropped his PokéNav.

It was a surreal, slightly horrifying, and oddly majestic sight, like watching fireworks being consumed by confetti-loving fish.

He leaned on the railing, speechless for a long moment.

"…The Pokémon world never stops surprising me."

After a full day and night of sailing across the calm, glimmering waters, Sam finally spotted land in the early morning light.

Newmoon Island, shrouded in an eerie mist, just as the legends described.

He steered the yacht to a narrow inlet, tucked safely between two jagged outcrops.

The engine purred to a halt.

With a practiced hand, Sam secured the vessel, grabbed his pack, and stepped off onto the rocky shore.

He wasn't alone.

Two Pokémon materialized beside him in flashes of white light, his ever-reliable partners, Lucario and Darkrai.

The island itself wasn't huge, he estimated it to be around 25 square kilometers, but its terrain was wild and unwelcoming.

Craggy cliffs surrounded much of the coastline, and thick trees choked the interior.

No paths. No signs of civilization. Just raw, untouched wilderness.

Given it was uninhabited, and rumored to be cursed, Sam chose caution.

He kept both Pokémon close as he ventured further inland.

They hadn't walked far when it happened.

A sharp, low hiss escaped from Darkrai.

Its crimson eyes narrowed, and its body tensed in the air like smoke caught in a crosswind.

Sam immediately understood the signal.

He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.

A soft blue shimmer began to radiate from his body as he activated his Aura, connecting his consciousness with his Pokémon.

"Sam," Darkrai's voice echoed in his mind, deep and whisper-like.

"There. In that direction. I sense a cave."

"There's a power inside. Familiar… like my original essence. It resonates with me. I need to reach it."

Sam opened his eyes and nodded.

"Understood."

He wasn't surprised that Darkrai was the first to notice it.

According to the legends, and the data he'd studied, Newmoon Island was blanketed in an unnatural Haze. And that Haze… was directly tied to Darkrai's power.

"Darkrai," he said aloud, "lead the way."

"Hisss~"

With a low cry, the shadowy Pokémon glided ahead like a ghost across the overgrown terrain.

Despite the island's small size, the pace was slow.

The underbrush was thick and tangled, with weeds tall enough to reach Sam's waist.

Each step was a struggle, forcing him to rely on Lucario to slice through the vegetation with swift strikes of its paws.

"I really need a flying Pokémon…" Sam muttered to himself, swatting at some thorny leaves.

"Would make this so much easier."

Meanwhile, Darkrai floated effortlessly ahead, its incorporeal form passing through trees and boulders like mist.

No obstacle slowed it down.

Eventually, after nearly an hour of slow progress and careful navigation, Sam arrived at the mouth of a cave tucked into the base of a rocky hill.

The entrance was wide, framed by jagged stone and dense moss, and exuded a bone-deep chill that made his breath fog in the air.

As he stepped closer, a cold wind rushed out from within, carrying with it a damp, rotting stench.

He shivered.

"Stay alert," he said to both Pokémon.

Lucario stepped closer, while Darkrai drifted silently over his shoulder.

And then Sam stepped into the cave.

The deeper they went, the colder it got.

The walls were slick with condensation, and the air was heavy, stagnant.

The faint sound of dripping water echoed off the stone, but it couldn't mask the creeping stench that intensified with every step.

It wasn't just rot, it was something older, more unnatural.

A wrongness in the very air.

The ground underfoot grew soft. Spongy.

It gave slightly with each step, like walking on thick, matted fur or a moldy blanket.

Lucario grimaced but said nothing.

As the light from the cave mouth faded behind them, Sam lit a small Aura flame in his palm, just enough to illuminate the walls around him.

He could see the way the stone had warped in the deeper chambers, as if something had once twisted reality here.

A gradient of shadows spread across the cave like bruises.

Sam's brows furrowed as understanding began to dawn.

"I see now…" he muttered, staring ahead into the suffocating black.

"Why no one ever makes it out of this place alive…"