"–celebrate the 54th anniversary of New League founding! Join us as we explore how far humanity has come in the seven centuries since our ancestors first stepped foot upon this hostile world, and how, despite all the challenges Mankind has faced, we have finally achieved a lasting and prosperous future for all within the New League!

In other news, the reconstruction of Cerulean City after the devastation brought about by Thunderhawk is well underway, with analysts expecting a full recovery to be had a whole six months ahead of schedule! Both humanitarian personnel and trainer volunteers from all over the Kanto and Johto regions are pouring into the settlement, lending their aid to the rescue and reconstruction efforts…"

"You would think the news would stop talking about the same disaster over and over again after two weeks of this crap…"

"It's the first semi-victory the League had over the Calamities in years. Cut them some slack. Besides, two weeks isn't that long, considering the damage. Last I checked, most of the city is still flooded."

"What do you mean 'last you checked'? You have been lying your injured ass on that bed ever since I dragged us both back from that disastrous attempt at a Deicide. I was the only one who had to go back and help the old man with the rescue efforts in that waterlogged hellhole."

"Yes, yes… I would have come along too if I could, you know?"

"... Among these valiant and compassionate souls is popular League Competitor and hopeful gym leader candidate, Misty Brooks, who has returned to her hometown to lend her support. With a trainer popularity poll of a record-breaking 86% and a stellar battler record, the beautiful Water-type specialist is a welcome sight to both victims and rescue crews alike. Her aquatic pokemons' aid in fixing the storm flooding and her quick actions on the ground have saved the lives of many fortunate civilians trapped in the rubble of the tempest's aftermath…"

"... Think she will be the next?"

"Is that even a question? You've seen the interview recordings. Out of all the candidates the League approached, she was the only one who didn't immediately tell them to screw off. Considering the state Cerulean is in, they are lucky anyone even wants the job."

"Just because she's the only one who's considering the role, doesn't mean she's a good fit for it. You heard the rumours…"

"And just because she's a little promiscuous, doesn't mean she won't make a good Gym Leader. You and I both know how bad it gets out there. Past a certain level of experience, everyone in the Battling career starts developing their own quirks and ways of handling the stress and trauma. You try finding a mentally healthy League Competitor out there, see how well that goes ..."

"Maybe. I suppose she's not all bad. I saw her in action at the disaster site while you were still in bed. She knows how to play a crowd. The mood was bleaker than a mass funeral before she showed up."

"At the very least, her presence is good for public morale. And besides, Cerulean was her birth home. Kasumi will fit in fine."

"... remarks that of all the triannual attacks led by the Three Birds of Calamity in the last decade, this was the incident with the lowest casualty percentages recorded to date. Lorelei of the Elite Four, who had personally overseen the coordination of the city's defence during the attack, remarked that this was the natural outcome of the League's continuous efforts to counter the heinous Legendaries, and the day may soon come when our Champion takes the fight to them…"

"... Her help with removing the waterlogged corpses was useful. Those flooded bunkers were a nightmare to clean up. Excellent actor as well; held herself together throughout all those news reporters like a champ. Don't think I ever saw anyone who could still smile for the cameras like that after seeing that many drowned or half-eaten children."

Chapter 1: The Product Of Foolish Pride

"You shouldn't be doing this, you know?"

I did not let the literal voice in my head distract me. To do so at that juncture could be fatal. One false grip, one misplaced foot, or one careless lapse of judgement, and my tenuous hold on this sheer cliff would be lost, sending me tumbling down dozens of metres to a near-assured death. Every loss of focus was a gamble that carried the potential of fatal consequences.

"Don't be so dramatic. A fall like this won't be fatal unless you somehow struck the ground head-first and cracked open your skull like an egg. Although knowing your luck, that would just somehow happ–"

With practised ease, I blocked out the unbidden commentator rooting around in my psyche and continued my ascension of the sheer, rocky elevation before me. Pain flared throughout my body each time I managed to scale another step, a sharp reminder of the wounds that had yet to fully heal even after weeks of treatment. My breathing was laboured, no thanks to the winter air that made my climb even more insufferable than it already was. My fingers ached and my arms burned from exhaustion.

Yet I stubbornly carried on, teeth gritted and sweat dripping off my forehead as I climbed. The small, traitorous (and possibly rational) part of my mind began seeding thoughts of weakness and regrets into my head, moaning at how bad of a decision this was. The much larger part that consisted of my foolish pride slapped it down, and I forced myself to ascend yet another step.

I will freely admit to the stupidity and recklessness of my actions. There was no purpose in scaling this cliff, save for getting to the top to prove that I could. The need to constantly seek challenges, to give myself proof, or at least an illusion, of progress and control in my life even as it kept deteriorating. These life-threatening adventures that I partake in were no more than the product of my own deranged ego.

Or perhaps, not entirely my ego. After all, this little misadventure of mine would not have been possible without the aid of my equally deranged companion.

"Do not blame me. Bored I may have been, it was not I who suggested this trip, nor was it I who sought out means of bodily harm from the first moments we got here."

Memories of our previous argument involuntarily flooded my mind. The disorientating imagery caused a lapse in concentration that made my left foot slip from its foothold. The suddenness of the drop nearly made my arms give out and sent me tumbling down to my death, or at the very least to a very painful descent. I hissed out a curse and steadied myself, my fingers clenching tightly even as my body trembled from the strain. The familiar sense of fear and thrill was a heady mix that set my soul alight. I could not help but grin widely even as my body shook in fear and burning fatigue.

Here I was, an entire continent away from my home and likely dozens of miles from any human civilisation, with no travelling equipment of any sort. Aside from an inkling of the region, I had no idea where this place was. I had purposefully chosen to warp out here in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on my back to waste a few hours, as the alternative would have been to stay cooped up in my room-turned-makeshift medical bay for the rest of the day. Again.

Normally, I would not have teleported to a place so far or so dangerously foreign to sate my wanderlust. However, the persistent lingering thunderstorms back in my hometown of Pallet — caused by the tantrums of a certain oversized avian — refused to clear up, so my usual option of trekking through the nearby routes in Kanto was lost to me.

But it was only when the known avenues of excitement were closed off that one began exploring previously, self-imposed restricted routes of stimulation. Trapped as I was for so long, the call to explore something forbidden and unknown became that much more alluring for me. Was it not the nature of Man to break the cage of comfort and repetition, to blaze new trails and seek new experiences no matter the era or region they lived in?

Was it not the essence of a true trainer to brave the strange and unexplored wonders of the world, not just for the sake of personal advancement, but simply for the sheer thrill of it?

"The nature and essence of hedonistic idiots and suicidal battlers, maybe. Don't try to justify what you are doing with philosophical waxing; its stupidity is already beyond question."

Despite my restlessness, even I will admit that wandering in the forest under a heavy downpour was the special kind of recklessness that Darwinism had to draw a line at. Yet rather than wait out the rain, like a good patient, I had instead decided to ask my companion to warp us to another continent to appease my boredom.

"Perhaps the blame should be placed on our caretaker instead? She should have known you would not stay still, reckless and thrill-addicted man-child that you are."

The warp wasn't unpleasant, nor was the hike that came after. Utterly unconcerned about my foreign, forested surroundings, I had simply chosen a random direction and started trekking. The air was dry and painfully cold, a prelude to the heavy winter that would soon engulf the region. What little of the sky I could see past the dense foliage overhead was grey and thick with dark clouds. It was an interesting change from the constant rain, humidity, and heat of my home.

Wandering brought a new and welcomed experience. There were signs of recent activity everywhere. A fallen tree, a burnt clearing, even a mess of giant webs, torn and hanging from the cleanly sliced branches of the towering foliage above my head. The scenery was a mess of brown, green, and the occasional splash of red or blue from the more obvious blood splatters. Strange, inhuman sounds and cries could be heard occasionally. The rustle of leaves as an unnatural wind blew through the overhead vegetation, the bubbling of running water from a nearby stream, or the cries of a nearby beast. Sometimes, I would pass an area where the faint smell of ash and burnt wood hung in the air, almost entirely hidden beneath the cloying scent of fresh, violently upturned dirt, and decaying razor-sharp leaves.

Despite the obvious signs of danger, I wasn't at all concerned with the possible threats coming from the local, hostile wildlife. No living creature had crossed my path during my entire hike. Normally, such a thing would be impossible, especially in an untamed forest as densely populated as this. It wasn't that the inhabitants weren't curious about this new foreigner that had just brazenly appeared within their territory mere hours ago. In fact, there were more than a few who were quite enraged by it.

Yet while many had tried to confront me, none had succeeded in coming close. Despite their efforts at stealth, none would be able to approach me unnoticed by my hidden companion, who would handle them without any need for my intervention. With the knowledge of my safety assured, I simply had to pay attention to the path in front of my feet, careful not to trip on the many broken branches and fallen trees, or fall into the odd smoking crater here and there. My invisible ally kept my company as we traversed and explored this new area that we had warped ourselves into.

"Curious, that there are signs of battle everywhere. The inhabitants seem rather restless."

My wanderings eventually led me to my current predicament. A rocky slope, too steep to hike on but not so to the point where it was untraversable. That was no reason for me to climb it, and had I truly wanted to reach the top of the slope, it would have been far easier to go around and find another path up. Yet, reckless youth that I was, when presented with such a pointless challenge, how could I refuse?

Now, I found myself panting as I struggled upwards, inch by painful inch. The slope had seemed so much easier to traverse from the bottom. I was by no means unfit or untrained. In fact, I was quite confident in my athleticism. My own training regime and frequent adventuring would not allow for anything else. Yet this time was a little different.

To put it simply, I was and still am healing from a life-threatening injury that nearly killed me three weeks back. My body wasn't just out of shape, it was also still recovering from being eviscerated when I got too intimate with a living lightning bolt a while back.

It was a wound that should have surely killed a man. That I was still whole and healthy despite such a harrowing experience was nothing short of a miracle. A regular man would have been eternally thankful for his recovery. A regular man would not be out on a jaunt when his body was still rehabilitating.

A regular man would not attempt to climb a wall out of a pointless need to challenge himself.

But being a regular man was not a luxury I could afford.

And as my companion had mentioned, pride was a stupid thing that seldom heeded common sense.

I pressed myself against the rocky slope, taking a moment to control my ragged breathing as my arms burned in anguish. It was a little disheartening, really. Before the incident, climbing such a cliff, even sheer as it was, would have been child's play. Hell, it would even be enjoyable.

"The old man would throw a fit if he knew how far we jumped to this time, not to mention how upset Blue would be when he realises we didn't bring him along."

I didn't let the voice distract me, even as I smiled at the thought of their reactions when they found out I had gone out again without telling them. I took a glance back down to the base of the slope. It was high enough now that should I slip, I would find myself tumbling down fast with no rope or physical lifeline of any sort to save me. In the best-case scenario, I would only get a broken limb. The worst case would be a broken neck.

"I'm still here, you know; watching and making sure to catch you when you slip. Although I'll admit letting you die is a temptation that is harder to resist each time you pull a stunt like this."

Rather than replying, my attention was instead focused on another rocky edge just a little out of left reach. I mentally calculated my chances of grabbing it from my unsteady position. Deciding that the risk was minimal, I leapt off from my spot, my left arm outstretched to grab the edge.

"Shirona would be disappointed if she knew you were so reckless with your own life."

The comment made me freeze up for a moment, just as my fingers brushed against the handhold edge. That hesitation cost me my grip, turning what would have been a sure hold into a desperate scramble as I nearly slipped off the climb.

I didn't waste my breath cursing, solely focused on reinforcing my fragile hold on the cliff pocket as my other limbs hurried to find any purchase before my left hand gave out. Mentally, I knew that my companion wouldn't let me fall to my death even if I did lose my anchor, but it was still hard to acknowledge that fact as my body brushed roughly against the rocky slope, with only a single, out-of-place grip on my left hand to position myself.

The jagged surface pressed uncomfortably through my jacket, but thankfully failed to pierce through the reinforced fabric. It would have been a pain to repair it again. My heart pounded and sweat poured out from my forehead as I forced my left arm to pull me up despite the protesting ache. Inch by inch I rose, until finally, my right foot was able to find a good enough spot for me to place my weight on. My other limbs soon found a suitable hold as well.

After stabilizing myself, I breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with a non-inconsiderable amount of effort and malice, I sent a sharp mental probe against my companion's mind. The attempt gave me a mild headache, but sensing her flinch from the jab made the pain worth it.

"You wouldn't have died."

The fact that she would have prevented my death went unsaid, but the detail that she had still distracted me for her own amusement didn't go unnoticed. Normally I would have engaged in some form of banter with her, but the toil that the climb was inflicting on my recovering body made it difficult to indulge in our usual back-and-forth.

It took another few more minutes of ragged scrambling before I eventually reached the top of the rocky incline. I lay down on the ground, my breathing rough and uneven as I tried to bring it back under control. My companion had taken some pity on me as she had kept herself silent after I resumed my ascension, a fact that I was both grateful for and irrationally irritated by. In the past, such an obstacle would have hardly kept me from exchanging discourse with her as I overcame it. That my condition, both mental and physical, had been reduced to such was slightly infuriating.

It would recover in time, this I knew, but I loathe the hours wasted in bed while my body healed.

"You would recover faster if you weren't so restless. Most people would simply be grateful to be alive after being disembowelled by the manifestation of a god-storm."

Bold of her to say that, I thought, especially since she was the one who willingly brought me here to sate her own boredom as well. As my breathing steadied, I looked up at the vegetation above me. Wisps of sunlight shone past the mess of thick webs and trees, their light revealing patches of both crimson red and sanguine blue blood on the giant, tattered mess. The signs of conflict were clear in the broken and damaged surroundings.

"I know I've already said this, but it bears mentioning again. This level of activity is unusual, especially this close to winter."

My companion's thoughts aligned with my own. It was a curious thing for the beasts of the forest to be so restless when the cold frost was right on their doorstep. We exchanged several theories as we 'spoke', bouncing off ideas that grew increasingly absurd as we debated and mocked against each other. In the end, however, we concluded that it wasn't our concern, and our curiosity about the situation wasn't great enough for us to go investigate it.

Confident as we were with our psychic abilities, there were still some dangers we would rather not involve ourselves in, especially if it was something influential enough to affect the entire forest.

After a moment's rest, I carried on wandering. Although I could not see her, I could still sense my companion's presence nearby, silently warding away threats before they could come close. I was not concerned for her safety. Despite the dangers of the forest, few would be able to catch her by surprise. Fewer still would ever be able to match her in a straight fight.

I walked mindlessly for another hour, taking in the sights, and exchanging pointless banter with my companion. We talked about our overbearing guardian back home, about Blue and the Professor's secrecy, about the deteriorating geopolitical situation in Sinnoh with its upcoming League tournament, about the people back home being unable to decide whether to hate, fear, or be friendly with me.

But after an hour of pointless meandering, the sun began to set, and I knew that I should return soon. Disregarding the obvious dangers that came with nightfall, I wouldn't be able to traverse this messy terrain in complete darkness. I was about to inform my companion to get us back home, but her thoughts reached me first with some rather surprising and urgent news.

"I sense another person's presence. He is alone and badly wounded."

The New League

The New League is the principal governing authority overseeing the majority of the surviving, known human population. It operates under the central mandate of ensuring the survival of the human race through the advancement of science and the adoption of a defensive stance toward the planet's hostile inhabitants. Rather than pursuing expansion and conquest as the Old League had, the New League prioritises safeguarding humanity's future and fostering technological progress to better the lives of its citizens.

It was established in the year 640 AC by the famed and legendary Professor Samuel Oak, before which Humanity had been fractured into tribalistic feudal societies following the Old League's collapse in 330 AC.

As of today, League Command oversees four distinct nation-states—Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh—that collectively represent all known remaining human civilisations. Although these regions are not fully centralised under a single governing authority and often experience conflicts over resources and territories, the current state of affairs is widely regarded as a vast improvement over the Dark Ages that preceded the New League, when humanity teetered on the brink of extinction. According to the latest records, the human population currently stands at approximately 300 million — A far cry from the two billion human population that existed pre-Collapse in the early 4th Century AC.

AN:

Thanks for reading. The next Chapter will be next Friday.