The Odyssey lay anchored just off Frostveil's southern shore, the morning sun finally breaking through a gauze of gray cloud. A soft mist hung over the beach, and the air carried that briny, metallic scent of salt and silt.
Cyrus stepped barefoot into the sand, the cool grit pushing between his toes. Tyrunt trailed after him, tail swaying clumsily, letting out a half-growl, half-chirp as the sea breeze ruffled its scales. Ditto perched on Cyrus's shoulder, loosely mimicking a sunhat, while Meltan toddled at his heel, leaving tiny ring-shaped impressions in the sand.
Charcadet remained near the edge of the dunes, the heat from its armor shimmering faintly against the morning chill. Gengar, naturally, kept to the shadows of the ship's hull visible only when the light hit just right, eyes flashing like twin embers.
For the first time since arriving on Frostveil, the day felt unhurried. No cliffs to climb, no fossils to chase just quiet moments and breathing space.
Tyrunt stopped near the surf, testing the water with one clawed foot before recoiling with a startled squeak. Cyrus laughed. "Too cold? You'll get used to it."
The little dinosaur huffed, puffing its chest, then stomped forward defiantly — only to leap back when a wave lapped over its toes. Ditto quivered with amusement, echoing Cyrus's chuckle. Meltan approached next, curious, dipping a bolt into the tide before retracting it with a hiss of steam.
"Careful," Cyrus said gently. "That's saltwater, not your kind of metal."
He sat down near a flat rock, letting the warmth of the rising sun soak into his skin. The Pokémon settled around him, Charcadet perched nearby, flame flickering low; Meltan humming softly; Ditto flattening into a lazy puddle that reflected the sky. Tyrunt sniffed curiously at a shell, then at Cyrus's boot, then finally flopped down beside him, resting its chin on his leg.
"Yeah," Cyrus murmured, scratching lightly under its jaw. "You're not so bad."
He took out his tablet, not to record data this time, but to sketch. Slowly drawing rough lines of Tyrunt's silhouette against the sea. Notes in the margin read less like science and more like poetry: 'Confidence masked by curiosity. Trust formed by patience.'
A sudden rustle caught his ear. Across the beach, a group of wild Pokémon emerged from the brush, a few Krabby scuttling sideways, and what looked like a small Lapras calf gliding close to shore, humming softly. Tyrunt stiffened, tail twitching. Cyrus placed a steady hand on its back.
"It's alright," he whispered. "Not every creature's a threat."
The Lapras calf lingered near the waves, curious eyes meeting Tyrunt's. The tension broke when Ditto...still wearing its sunhat form, bounced forward and transformed into a perfect, wobbling imitation of a Krabby, making Meltan giggle.
For a long moment, there was no sound but the ocean and the soft rustle of sand, a rare peace, fragile but real.
Cyrus leaned back, the wind carrying a hint of salt and warmth. "Maybe," he said softly, almost to himself, "this is what learning's supposed to feel like."
