Chapter Four

Dawn stood with a puzzled look on her face, lost in thought. Alain could tell she was struggling to find the right words. "How do I begin to explain all this to him?" she wondered.

"Great, now she's lost for words," Alain thought, growing impatient. He was tired of waiting for an explanation and didn't want to wait until they were back at the lab.

"Alright, before you start explaining where the hell you got those Pokémon—if they even are Pokémon—how about you start by telling me if there are any other surprises?"

Dawn laughed nervously. "Well… maybe just a few. I think I've pushed my luck enough today. Thankfully, no one else has seen any of the Pokémon yet, or Professor Rowan would kill me. But I'll show you this instead." Dawn reached into her backpack and pulled out a worn notebook. "Take a look through this—it might make some things clearer without exposing any more Pokémon."

Alain took the notebook and began flipping through the pages. They were filled with sketches of Pokémon that were both familiar and strange. The Braviary had wild, untamed feathers, almost like a fierce tribal warrior, and the Typhlosion's flames burned with a dark, purple hue instead of the usual orange. Each sketch was accompanied by detailed notes, describing differences in their appearance and behavior, as well as the unique moves they used.

Alain looked up, his mind racing. "What… how… where?"

Dawn could see the flood of questions in his eyes, so she decided to ask him one instead. "Have you ever heard of the Sinnoh Underground?"

"Of course. Professor Sycamore was planning on sending me there for research until we got word of you."

"Well, I went down there one day, and after a while, these blue and pink flashes started appearing. At first, they were slow and dull, but eventually, they became brighter and faster—like lightning bolts. That's when I started running. Then, these circles started appearing. I didn't know what they were at first, but now I know they were portals, created by Dialga and Palkia. One of the portals opened on the ground beneath my feet, and I fell through. I just kept falling through this dark void with the same blue and pink flashes. I don't know how long I was in there, but eventually, I saw a bright light. That's the last thing I remember until I woke up on a beach."

Alain's mind was struggling to keep up with the fantastical tale. "I'm guessing where the portal took you is where you found those Pokémon?"

Dawn nodded, her breathing becoming heavier and her body tensing up. Alain realized this was distressing for her to recall. He had always been more comfortable with research and battles than with emotions, and he found himself wishing he were better at handling these situations. "Do I just wait for her to keep talking? Am I supposed to say something? What if she cries?" His thoughts raced as he tried to decide what to do.

Stepping closer, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Dawn looked up at him, tilting her head slightly in confusion. "Hmm? Why are you sorry?"

"Um… just that you had to go through that. You must have been scared."

Dawn's eyes softened as she saw the genuine concern in his face. 'He really is a softie deep down,' she thought. She gave him a small smile and replied, "I was."

Feeling her body relax, Alain removed his hand from her shoulder and let it drop to his side. "How long were you gone?"

"I honestly don't know. They don't keep track of time there like we do. When I came back, no time had passed, so no one even knew I was gone. I would have thought the whole thing was a dream if I didn't have my notebook."

"So how does the Professor know all about this?"

"I brought my notebook to Professor Rowan. I knew it was a long shot that he'd know anything about this, let alone believe me. But apart from Cynthia, I didn't know who else could help. Not even my mother knows—I told her I was just off, feeling lost after saying goodbye to my friends and not knowing what to do next."

Alain's eyes widened as he finally made the connection. "Wait—Cynthia, the champion of Sinnoh? You can't mean that Cynthia."

Dawn laughed, her spirits lifting slightly. She was so used to seeing Cynthia now that she almost forgot how famous she was. Cynthia never carried herself like a champion, but in a way, that made her all the more impressive to Dawn. Having that much power yet remaining so sweet and humble was something Dawn admired deeply.

"Yeah, that Cynthia," Dawn chuckled. "I met up with her a bunch when I travelled throughout Sinnoh."

"I get that she's strong and all, but how would that have helped?"

"She's really into history, and she's also an archaeologist. The only problem is she's so busy that it's hard to get her for even a moment. Your best bet is to hope you randomly bump into her."

"I see… So, about the notebook—who wrote it?"

"I did. When I woke up on the beach, a man in a white coat found me and took me back to his village. They didn't take too kindly to outsiders, especially ones who appeared from the sky. They saw me as a bad omen. To earn my place there, I had to help the professor document the Pokémon of the island. He wanted to create the first-ever Pokédex. I thought it would be easy, since I realised the land was Sinnoh in an ancient past, so I knew what to expect. But I soon learned that the Pokémon were much more savage. These weren't Pokémon battles—they fought to kill. I even found some Pokémon I'd never seen before and some that looked kind of familiar, but different in unsettling ways. So, I decided to make my own Pokédex."

Alain looked at the notebook with newfound respect. Seeing how well her Braviary, Typhlosion, and Garchomp matched her sketches and notes, he realized the rest of the Pokémon in the notebook must be real, too.

"I don't know what I'm more surprised by—how well you documented everything, or that you managed to survive."

"Well, my mother is a top coordinator, so brilliance runs in the family," Dawn said with a playful grin.

Alain gave her a deadpan stare. "I'm guessing you mean dumb luck runs in your family."

"Hey, take that back right now!"

"Given how many accidents I've witnessed in less than twenty-four hours, I stand by my statement."

"Excuse me, but I'll have you know I ended up thriving there. You would have died."

"And how did you reach that conclusion?"

"Oh, please. You've seen how savage my Pokémon are—you can't beat them in battle with our Pokémon. That leaves using your charm to befriend them."

"So you annoyed them into submission?"

"Ha! Aren't you funny. If only we could put your sarcasm to the test."

"You put my patience to the test".

Dawn crossed her arms and turned her head and let out an audible annoyed grunt.

Alain flipped through the notebook once more, his mind racing with possibilities. Dawn's story was incredible, almost too incredible. Yet, the evidence was right in front of him—the Pokémon she described, the detailed sketches, the sheer strangeness of it all. This wasn't something she could have fabricated.

"What are you thinking?" Dawn asked, noticing his intense focus.

Alain snapped out of his thoughts, "What was it like there?" Alain asked, closing the notebook. His eyes had a determined glint.

"It's… I don't know how to describe it. It's like Sinnoh, but older, wilder, they called it Hisui. The land itself feels alive like it's aware of your presence. There are ruins everywhere, and the people… they don't know anything about modern technology. They live in fear of Pokémon, it's a hard life."

"And you think there are more of these portals?"

"Well I haven't seen any since I came back, But when I was in Hisui whenever a terrible storm started you knew a portal was forming. I couldn't tell what the weather was in the underground obviously so I can't say for certain if they form the same way in our time"

Alain felt a chill run down his spine. The idea of another world, one where time and space were warped, was both thrilling and terrifying. But more than that, his eyes had been opened to a world of new possibilities. Before his goal was to master Mega evolution, believing this would give him the edge to be the strongest. Now he realised Mega Evolution was only the tip of the iceberg. Now, he knew he had so much more to learn. Filled with a new sense of determination he would set out to unlock all the secrets of the Pokémon world.

Alain handed the notebook back to Dawn and remarked they needed to start walking again otherwise they wouldn't make it back before nightfall and he didn't wish to worry the Professor or keep him waiting. Dawn nodded in agreement and put the notebook back in her backpack.

Once again, they set off on their journey to Lumiose City.