This story was co-developed by Titan127 and beta read by ShonnaRose and JhinoftheOpera.

[6-4] Go Beyond

With his mother's notebook tucked under his arm, Saber knew that the Sinnoh Region belonged to him.

The yellowed grasses on Valor Lakefront brushed against his calves, and he watched schools of Seaking and Goldeen leap from the water. Ice crawled around the perimeter of the lake, reaching for the center. Beyond the lake and the trees, the ever-present silhouette of Mt. Coronet stalked the horizon to claw at the overcast sky.

It had been so long since he had traveled on foot. When he first received his Trainer Card five years prior, he took on the Gym Challenges of both Sinnoh and Johto. He had the option of simply flying to the next Gym destination in short order—it was what his sister had decided to do, unwilling to juggle travel while she was preparing for her entrance examinations in her final year of high school—but he dedicated himself to the quintessential experience of any Pokémon trainer. He toured the countryside with his Pokémon, perpetuating the myth of adventure that many others watched in awe. To have the time to reclaim that sense of wonder was a blessing.

"—International Police is conducting a large-scale operation in search of the missing Sebastian Masuta, last seen in west Sunyshore." His Pokétch, tuned to an FM signal from the nearby resort city, played a constant stream of updates. "He's described as impressively tall with reddish hair, and resembles his late father, Lance Masuta. If any civilians in the area have knowledge on his whereabouts, please contact the International Police, which is offering a reward for cooperation."

He hummed to himself and checked his bag, realizing he shouldn't stay in place for much longer. It must have weighed sixty kilograms, multiple textbooks and research papers jammed around that precious notebook at the center. His survey of the cave on the lake had turned up little useful material, though he captured photographs for future review. Any information could be essential to decipher the puzzle his mother put together.

For unknown reason, his father had resisted her further research into the language, but her notes abruptly returned to the language shortly before the final page. Something sparked her interest, her need. It must have been that mysterious perpetrator inside the Ruins of Alph. His mother had written about him, and Mr. Fauder implied that both of his parents became involved soon after that fateful day. The Ruins of Alph were protected by the Johto Heritage Foundation, an arm of the Blackthorn Dragon Clan that his father led, and they had some impetus to keep the information suppressed.

It was all intertwined, he just needed to understand why. The Unown mural at the end of the notebook was his key. Saber had to believe that at all costs.

All his father's Pokémon were now merged with his account. Poké Balls didn't store location data for every use, but he didn't want to risk giving away his position, so he merely kept a single Pokémon active at all times. He whistled into the trees.

His partner's powerful wings sent a gust across the lakefront when he appeared beside him. His Dragonite stared him down while polling the atmosphere with his antennae, and Saber took a commanding tone.

"We're moving out," he said, earning an acceptant hum.

On the back of his Dragonite, carrying a legacy over his shoulder, Saber took to the skies. He was prepared to search the entire Sinnoh Region to understand the Unown language, and he refused to let anyone hold him back.

Short chapter, huh? It didn't feel right putting this together with the previous, so instead we get a little brief look into Saber's journey beyond the Sinnoh League. Let's just call it a prelude for Volume 7.

Next time is Volume 7, Part 1: Alone If I Have To