Pokemon: Echoes of the dusk

The sky stretched wide and pale blue overhead, not a cloud in sight.

The road curved gently between rolling hills of green and gold, with wildflowers painting the landscape in lazy, windswept strokes. A river occasionally followed their path, its waters glinting under the sun like a mirror.

And through it all, the cart rolled on.

Its wheels creaked steadily as the Mudsdale trudged forward, patient and powerful. The reins were loose in Jareth's hands, the rocky adventurer guiding the beast with lazy expertise as he hummed an off-key tavern song.

Fena sat beside him on the driver's bench, legs swinging as she scribbled notes in her travel log, occasionally glancing up to sketch the silhouette of a distant mountain or strange bird overhead.

Dunlin reclined in the back, hat tipped low, eyes closed as he snored lightly in a position that defied all laws of comfort.

And Shion?

Shion sat quietly, arms crossed, his back against a barrel of dried fruit and grain. He watched the world go by in silence, his scarf fluttering gently in the breeze, the green fabric catching on every gust.

His eyes were distant.

They were close now.

Ravios.

Three days, maybe less. If the weather held, if the roads stayed clear, if Mudsdale didn't throw a shoe or Bidoof didn't decide to eat the reins.

Ravios.

The capital.

The place where Ren and Mila lived now. Where the Academy stood in marble and ivy, where the Guild had towers tall enough to brush the clouds. Where knights trained, nobles plotted, and legends were born.

The place where he would have to say goodbye.

---

The cart bumped slightly as it hit a rut in the dirt path.

Kiba's Poké Ball shifted at his belt. Bidoof snorted from inside his pack, mumbling something about pie and destiny.

Shion exhaled slowly, leaning his head back against the wooden slats of the cart.

He wasn't sad, not really.

But there was something heavy in his chest.

This team… this odd, scrappy crew of merchants and adventurers… they had become family, in a way. Jareth, with his deadpan sarcasm and dependable strength. Fena, whose teasing masked genuine concern. Dunlin, who always complained but never let them down.

And they were almost at the end.

Once they reached Ravios, their paths would split.

He wasn't ready for that.

Not yet.

---

The cart slowed as they approached a shallow creek. Jareth clicked his tongue and guided Mudsdale to a shaded patch beneath the trees.

"Break time," he called without looking back.

"Finally," Fena sighed, stretching her arms. "My legs are going numb."

Dunlin snorted awake. "If my back ever straightens again, it'll be a miracle."

They disembarked slowly, one by one, like limbs stretching after too long asleep. The air was fresh here, and the creek babbled quietly, its waters cold and clear.

Shion took a moment to release his team.

Kiba appeared first, yawning, then sniffed the air and trotted toward the water.

Raku the Treecko stretched his limbs and immediately found a sunny patch of moss to sprawl on.

Even Rune, towering and massive, was released today just for a short moment. His enormous form stood by the trees, still and solid like an ancient statue, eyes glowing dimly.

"Still too big to nap next to," Jareth muttered.

"Still too polite to step on you," Shion replied.

Fena sat beside Shion by the creek, her feet bare and dipped in the water. She glanced at him sideways.

"You've been quiet."

Shion shrugged.

"More than usual," she clarified.

Another shrug.

She nudged him with her elbow.

"Nervous?"

Shion was quiet for a beat, then finally nodded. "Ravios is close."

Fena leaned back on her hands, eyes on the sky. "And we all know what that means."

"Yeah."

Another pause.

"I'll miss it," he said softly. "This... You guys."

Fena didn't answer right away. Then she looked at him and smiled gently.

"We'll miss you too, farm boy."

Jareth walked by with a bag of feed, grumbling. "Speak for yourself."

Dunlin groaned from where he was trying to pry open a fruit crate. "I told you this would happen. He'd get too tall and sentimental."

"I'm literally the shortest person here."

"Exactly," Dunlin said. "It's a dangerous combination."

Shion laughed, the tension in his chest breaking a little.

Later that evening, they made camp just off the road near a field of tall grass that shimmered silver in the moonlight.

A fire crackled softly.

Jareth tended it while sharpening his Lairon's claws.

Fena brewed tea and poked at her notes.

Dunlin told a story about a "ghost merchant" who once tried to sell him an invisible Whiscash.

Shion lay on his back with Kiba curled beside him, staring up at the stars.

Bidoof had found someone's cooking pot and was trying to use it as a helmet.

Raku watched him, mildly concerned.

Everything felt still.

Simple.

The kind of quiet that only exists right before something important changes.

They traveled again the next morning.

And the next.

Through forest trails where Sawsbuck watched them from behind trees.

Through winding hills where wild Ponyta raced alongside them for half a mile.

Through silent stone ruins with ivy-covered carvings, remnants of a time when the land was ruled by kings long forgotten.

At night they'd camp. Tell stories. Share food. Watch the sky.

Shion spoke more now. Not much, but enough.

He laughed when Fena teased him. He helped Dunlin fix a broken wheel. He asked Jareth about his hometown.

And he watched the road ahead.

Ravios.

Close now.

He could almost see the spires in the far distance when the clouds parted just right.

That final night, the stars were especially bright.

And as the fire crackled low, Shion leaned back in his bedroll and whispered to himself:

"Almost there."

Bidoof, half-buried in a loaf of bread, snorted.

"About time."

The road began to slope gently downward.

From the crest of the hill, the spires of Ravios finally broke the horizon white towers glinting in the morning light, banners barely visible fluttering atop distant parapets. Even from here, Shion could feel the scale of it, the gravity. The capital of the Ravelle Kingdom. His journey's next turning point.

But fate, as ever, had a way of interrupting quiet moments.

It started with a rustle. Then a whistle.

Then a sharp twang of a rope snapping taut.

"Woah!"

The cart lurched to a sudden stop.

Mudsdale reared slightly as a net trap tangled around its hooves. Dunlin nearly rolled out of the back, arms flailing as his ledgers spilled across the floorboards.

"Bandits," Jareth said simply, as if someone had announced light rain.

Shion blinked and stood up from the cart's edge.

Sure enough, figures emerged from both sides of the road a group of five, faces half-covered with rough scarves, blades glinting, and one of them holding a crackling Poké Ball like he'd won the lottery.

"Nice cart," one growled. "You can leave it here and walk away."

Fena stood up on the driver's bench, smirking. "Wow. You're really gonna do this now?"

The lead bandit stepped forward. "Yeah. You look like you've got supplies. Maybe even something special."

Shion… laughed.

Everyone, including the bandits, blinked at him.

He stepped down from the cart, shaking his head, hands on his hips as Kiba padded beside him.

"The first time we left Avia hollow ," Shion said with a grin, "we got stopped by bandits too. One almost stabbed me back then."

Fena laughed sharply. "Oh yeah. You were still green as spring grass."

Jareth rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Hm. Tradition, then."

Shion's eyes narrowed as he glanced at his friends his traveling companions all now stepping down from the cart.

"Guess it's fitting," he said, drawing a Poké Ball. "We started this journey fighting together…"

He looked up at the bandits, the grin still lingering.

"…So we'll end it that way too."

The battle began.

The lead bandit threw his Poké Ball first a snarling Mightyena, its eyes flicking rapidly between targets.

Shion countered.

"Kiba, let's go!"

The orange-furred Lycanroc hit the ground with a growl, fangs bared.

Jareth stepped forward and tossed two Poké Balls in silence. Lairon and Rhydon appeared at his side like stone monuments awakened, both already locking eyes with their targets: a Golbat and a Machoke called out by two more bandits.

Fena spun her wrist and released her Roselia, which landed in a crouch, thorns twitching. "Let's make this quick, Rose."

The remaining two bandits sent out a Krokorok and a Raticate, both sneering and circling.

Five bandits. Five trainers.

One team.

Together, one last time.

"Accelerock, circle it!"

Kiba vanished in a blur, streaking around the Mightyena in sharp arcs, kicking up dust. The dark-type growled and tried to follow, teeth bared, but Kiba was too fast.

"Crunch!" the bandit yelled.

"Feint around it strike low!"

Kiba shot forward. Mightyena lunged.

Claws scraped fur and then CRACK Kiba's glowing paw slammed into Mightyena's ribs, flipping it sideways.

Before it could recover

"Rock Slide!"

Boulders erupted around the dark-type, crashing down in a cascade of stone.

---

The muscular fighting-type leapt into the air, fist glowing white for a Dynamic Punch.

"Counter it, now!" Jareth barked.

Rhydon took the hit absorbed it and then slammed its horn forward in a brutal Megahorn, knocking Machoke clean off its feet.

It hit the ground, rolled once, and didn't get up.

"Next," Jareth muttered.

---

Golbat swooped low, hissing.

Lairon stood perfectly still.

"Thunder Fang," Jareth called.

At the last second, Lairon lunged up, jaws glowing with electrical energy, and bit down midair.

Golbat shrieked and spasmed, stunned by the voltage, and Lairon hurled it into a tree.

---

The ground-type lashed its tail and darted around.

Fena's eyes glittered.

"Sleep Powder."

A cloud of shimmering dust burst from Roselia's flowers.

Krokorok staggered, eyes drooping.

"Now Magical Leaf."

Razor-sharp petals formed a glowing ring and then sliced through the air, hitting Krokorok with a flurry of precision strikes.

Krokorok crumpled.

The last bandit tried to call his Raticate back but it was too late.

"Raku, your turn!"

Treecko leapt from Shion's shoulder, landing nimbly with his tail swaying.

Raticate lunged.

"Quick Attack!"

"Detect!"

Raku's eyes sharpened. At the last moment, he slipped sideways, just barely dodging the lunge.

"Bullet Seed!"

Rapid bursts of energy sprayed forward, pelting Raticate with wild, snapping strikes.

Fena joined in. "Poison Sting!"

Roselia fired a needle-thin bolt of purple light, which hit true.

Raticate shivered and dropped.

It was over.

The five bandits stared in disbelief as all their Pokémon collapsed, one after the other.

Shion dusted off his coat.

Fena gave an exaggerated bow.

Jareth said nothing. Just crossed his arms and stared them down.

Dunlin who had apparently stayed in the cart and poured himself a drink raised a mug and said, "Should've picked another cart."

The bandits turned and ran.

Silence returned.

The wind blew across the empty path.

Shion stood at the center of it all, Kiba beside him, Raku perched on his arm.

He exhaled slowly.

"That's the last time, huh?"

Fena walked up beside him. "Before Ravios?"

"Yeah."

She looked up the road.

"Then yeah. One last time."

They climbed back into the cart.

The road curved downward.

The sun rose higher.

And just beyond the next bend…

The walls of Ravios waited.