Time slipped away, minute by minute, second by second.
For two whole days, Sam hadn't moved from where he sat, his hand resting on the rough surface of the boulder.
The wind had changed directions twice.
The morning dew had come and gone. Yet Sam stayed perfectly still, eyes closed, face calm, breathing steady.
His Pokémon, at first curious, had grown restless.
One by one, they emerged from their Poké Balls, surrounding him in silent concern.
Lucario clenched his fists, golden eyes flickering with aura energy.
"Luka…" he murmured, practicing his punches in the air, every strike sharp and deliberate.
He didn't understand what Sam was doing, but he trusted him.
Darkrai floated nearby, its dark form rippling like smoke under the sunlight.
A faint hum surrounded it, Calm Mind.
Through their bond, it could feel Sam's aura shifting, pulsing with unfamiliar strength.
"Do not disturb him," Darkrai's voice whispered into their minds.
"He's growing stronger."
That reassurance eased the others. The tension in the air thinned as they took positions around their trainer, guarding him with quiet devotion.
Silver still young and playful, darted through the air above them.
"Lili!" it chirped, wings slicing the air in short bursts as it practiced tight maneuvers, weaving between invisible barriers.
Even in stillness, the little one couldn't help but train; it wanted to make Sam proud.
Only the huge Dragonite seemed out of sorts.
The massive Pokémon sat cross-legged on the grass, staring at the stack of energy cubes before it.
Its belly gave a low growl.
"Roaaar…" it grumbled weakly, resisting the urge to snack.
Those cubes were its following rations.
Sam always packed extras, but even the best-prepared trainer couldn't predict a two-day silence.
Dragonite's stomach rumbled again, and it cast a longing look at the cubes, then sighed and turned away.
No. If Sam didn't wake up soon, they'd need every bit of food they had.
So the Dragonite waited, fidgeting, hunger gnawing at its patience.
It wasn't just hunger, though; it was worry.
The kind that pressed heavy on your chest.
Across the clearing, Cynthia felt the same.
In the elegant stone halls of Castle, the Champion of Sinnoh paced back and forth, boots clicking sharply against the floor.
Her blonde hair, normally flowing perfectly, now looked slightly tousled.
Her expression was tight, worried.
"Cynthia, could you please stop pacing?" Diantha sighed from the sofa nearby, resting her chin in her hand.
"You're making me dizzy."
Cynthia ignored her.
"Two days, Diantha. Two whole days! Sam's phone isn't connecting, and none of his Pokémon have returned!"
She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm the uneasy pounding of her heart.
Sam had said he'd just be gone for a while, something about investigating a peculiar energy reading near Lumiose's outskirts.
She hadn't thought much of it then. But two days? Without contact? That wasn't like him.
Diantha stood, her expression softening.
"Maybe he's just… in an area without signal. You know, Sam, he gets too focused sometimes."
Cynthia shook her head.
"No. Even then, he'd find a way to reach out."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Something's wrong."
She clenched her fists.
"That's it. I'm going to find Professor Sycamore. If anyone knows what he was researching, it's him. Maybe he's the reason Sam's disappeared!"
"Wait, Cynthia, "
Too late.
Cynthia was already summoning her Garchomp, the dragon emerging in a flash of blue light and a sharp growl.
The ground shook beneath its claws.
"I'm going with you," Diantha said quickly, grabbing her coat.
"If Sam really hasn't been seen for two days, we can't take chances."
Cynthia nodded, determination flickering in her gray eyes.
"Then let's move."
With a powerful leap, Garchomp shot into the air, slicing through the clouds as Cynthia held tight.
The wind whipped against her face, carrying a mix of fear and resolve.
She didn't know what Sam was doing, or why he hadn't returned.
But one thing she did know, if anything had happened to him, she'd tear the world apart to bring him back.
----------
Lumiose City – Sycamore Laboratory
Inside the sleek white lab, Cynthia stood opposite Professor Sycamore, her expression tense and stormy.
The professor blinked at her words, clearly taken aback.
"Wait, what did you just say?" he stammered.
"Professor Sam… missing?"
He looked genuinely confused.
"But, Sam wasn't with me! We did meet a few days ago, yes, but only for about half an hour. After that, he left."
Sycamore's words spilled out fast, as if he feared being blamed for something.
His voice trembled slightly, caught between shock and guilt.
"Left? Do you know where he went?" Cynthia asked sharply, stepping closer.
The professor raised both hands in surrender.
"No, I swear I don't. He just said that our talk gave him a lot of inspiration, and that he wanted to test something, an experiment, I think."
"An experiment?" Cynthia repeated, her eyes narrowing.
"That's impossible! Sam's a history researcher, not a scientist! What sort of experiment would he even be doing?"
Her frustration cracked through her calm tone, and Diantha quickly stepped in.
"Cynthia, breathe," Diantha said gently.
"Maybe it's just research-related. You know how Sam gets when he's caught up in something. He might've just gone too deep into his work to notice time."
But Cynthia shook her head.
"No. He checks in. Always. Something's wrong, I can feel it."
Diantha frowned, but her words carried calm conviction.
"Listen to me. Sam will be fine. You know how strong his Pokémon are. Who could hurt him? Even if something unexpected happened, he's not helpless."
Cynthia wanted to believe that. She really did.
Lucario, Darkrai, and Dragonite are each powerful beyond reason.
And then there was the Light Stone. If things ever got truly dangerous, Sam could awaken Reshiram.
Even weakened, that Legendary's presence alone could shake mountains.
Still, none of it eased the tight knot in her chest.
She murmured softly, almost to herself, "Then where could he have gone? This is his first time in Kalos. The only people he knows here are you and Professor Sycamore…"
Her voice trailed off. Then, her eyes widened.
"Wait, Olympia!"
Sycamore blinked. "Olympia? The Anistar City Gym Leader?"
"Yes," Cynthia said quickly, her tone rising.
"She was there at that day. I remember how she kept watching Sam. Her eyes never left him."
Diantha hesitated. "Cynthia, don't tell me you think, "
"Could she have… tried to get close to him?" Cynthia clenched her fists.
"No, I need to see her myself!"
Before anyone could stop her, she was already calling out, "Garchomp!"
The dragon's cry split the air as it materialized beside her, towering and fierce.
Cynthia leapt onto its back, her golden hair whipping in the wind as the dragon's wings flared open.
"Cynthia, wait!" Diantha called, quickly summoning her own flying Pokémon.
"At least let me come with you!"
Moments later, the two Champions took off into the sky, leaving Professor Sycamore standing frozen in the lab doorway, utterly bewildered.
------
Anistar City – Anistar Gym
Boom.
Garchomp landed hard outside the Anistar Gym, the ground trembling beneath its claws.
Cynthia didn't even pause to return it to its Poké Ball; she stormed straight through the front doors, her long coat fluttering behind her.
The gym staff at the counter looked up in shock.
"Uh, hello, are you here to, "
He froze as Garchomp's eyes glared down at him, glowing faintly red with impatience.
The poor man stumbled back, trembling.
"R-right, um… I'll just, uh, call for the Gym Leader…"
Diantha rushed in behind her, smiling apologetically.
"Sorry about that, official business," she said quickly, motioning for him to stand down.
Inside, the gym's atmosphere was calm and dreamlike.
Purple light shimmered across the walls, reflecting the psychic energy flowing from the crystal at the center.
Olympia sat cross-legged near it, her twin Meowstics beside her, both lost in a shared meditation.
But Cynthia had no patience for the calm.
"Olympia!" she snapped.
"Is Sam with you?"
The psychic's eyes fluttered open, calm and unbothered. Her voice was serene.
"No, he isn't."
Cynthia's brows knitted.
"Then you don't know where he is?"
Olympia smiled faintly, as if she'd been expecting the question.
"I do, actually."
Cynthia's heart skipped a beat.
"You do?"
Finally, some hope. Relief and suspicion tangled together in her chest.
----------
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