Morning sunlight filtered through the blinds of Niyah's Pokémon Center room, casting soft golden lines across her bed. Mimikyu's shadow stretched lazily across the floor while Litwick's small flame flickered near the window, tracing faint trails of smoke into the cool morning air.
Roty hovered near the desk, mumbling to himself as Niyah folded her spare clothes and tucked her items neatly into her pack. "Alright, team," she said, tightening her bag's strap. "Wedgehurst has been fun, but it's time we-"
Her words were cut off by the familiar, metallic ping of the system.
[System Notification: Quest Activated]
Objective: Receive an endorsement to take on the Gym Challenge.
Reward: 1 Mega-Evolution Stone Ticket
Penalty: None
Time Limit: 14 Hours
Accept / Decline
Niyah blinked. "...An endorsement? Like the ones Hop and Leon talked about?"
Roty beeped curiously. "Btzz, btzz, seems like it. It's basically a golden ticket to the Gym Circuit. But… how exactly are you gonna get someone to endorse you?"
Niyah grinned, tapping the holographic Accept button. "No clue. But hey, no penalty. So why not?"
—
She slung her bag over her shoulder and left the room, humming lightly as she returned Mimikyu and Litwick to their Luxury Balls. The Pokémon Center lobby was already alive with trainers. Breakfast chatter, clinking dishes, the hum of Poké Balls being registered for healing.
Niyah was halfway across the lobby when she felt a sudden sniffing sound behind her. Something warm and fuzzy bumped into her leg.
She looked down, right into the wagging tail of a Yamper. Its heart-shaped butt wiggled with excitement as it circled her feet, barking happily.
"Uh… hi?" Niyah said, crouching a little. "You lost, buddy?"
Before she could touch the Electric-type, a familiar, calm voice spoke from behind her.
"Ah. So you're the mysterious person who broke into my lab."
Niyah froze.
Standing just inside the Center's doorway was Professor Magnolia herself, poised, sharp-eyed, and unmistakably amused.
The older woman crossed her arms, the corners of her mouth twitching upward. "I should've known it was you. Yamper here has an impeccable sense of smell. He caught your scent from the lab and led me straight here."
Niyah blinked, mouth slightly open. "Wait, you mean this little guy…?"
Magnolia nodded, adjusting her glasses. "Indeed. His sense of smell can trace anything, has never gotten it wrong yet."
Roty gave an alarmed beep, but Niyah just laughed nervously. "Guess I'm not as sneaky as I thought."
Magnolia's eyes twinkled. "Hardly. But I'm more intrigued than upset. Come along, child. There's something I'd like to discuss."
Niyah tilted her head, pretending to think. "If I say no?"
"You'll make me very curious," the professor replied with a knowing smile.
That alone was enough for Niyah to shrug and follow. Still, as they walked through Wedgehurst's cobbled streets, she subtly loosened a Poké Ball on her belt.
"Alright, Mimikyu," she whispered under her breath, releasing a faint shimmer of ghostly shadow at her feet. 'Hide in my shadow. Don't move unless I say.'
Mimikyu's presence vanished, her voice a whisper in Niyah's mind. 'Got it. I'll be watching.'
—
The Pokémon Research Lab was just as Niyah remembered. Warm lights, polished wood floors, shelves of glowing Poké Balls and research notes stacked to the ceiling. Magnolia moved gracefully between the tables, Yamper padding at her heels.
"So," the professor began, gesturing for Niyah to sit, "why don't you tell me what you were doing in my lab the other day?"
Niyah sat cross-legged on a stool, feigning innocence. "I just wanted to learn. I didn't take anything, did I?"
Magnolia raised a brow. "True. You ignored several very valuable items, including the Dynamax Band that was sitting in plain sight."
Niyah smirked faintly. "Yeah, I noticed that. Didn't need it."
Magnolia paused, clearly not expecting such an honest answer. "Then what did you want?"
"Information," Niyah said simply, leaning her chin on her hand. "About strong trainers. People who've made it far. I wanted to see what kind of battles shape a champion."
The professor studied her carefully. "You speak like someone with ambition… and secrets."
"Maybe both," Niyah said with a small grin.
Magnolia smiled faintly. "You remind me of a few trainers I've met before, always chasing knowledge instead of power. But tell me, where exactly did you come from? Your Pokémon are… quite unusual. That Mimikyu's strength, for example, and your Litwick's unnatural control over its flame."
Niyah blinked. "How do you know about them?"
"Because," Magnolia replied, tapping her tablet, "I have access to the Pokémon Center database. Every nurse in Galar reports curious cases. You've been mentioned… twice."
Roty made a small electronic sigh. "We're so on the radar now…"
Niyah rubbed the back of her neck, pretending to look sheepish. "Guess I've made an impression."
Magnolia chuckled softly. "That's one word for it. But impressions can be good… or dangerous. Which one are you, I wonder?"
Niyah only smirked, saying nothing.
The professor's gaze softened. "Perhaps both."
After a long silence, Magnolia stood, walked to her desk, and shuffled through a few drawers. She returned holding a folded slip of parchment embossed with a silver seal.
"Here," she said, handing it to Niyah. "An endorsement letter. It's an invitation to join Galar's Gym Challenge."
Niyah blinked in surprise. "You're… serious? Why?"
Magnolia smiled. "Because you're interesting, my dear. And I want to see what happens when someone like you is given opportunity instead of suspicion. Consider it a test."
Niyah turned the slip over in her hands, awe flashing across her expression before she masked it with her usual mischievous grin. "You might regret that, Professor."
"Oh, I doubt it," Magnolia replied, chuckling. "Galar could use a bit of unpredictability."
As Niyah stood, she felt the familiar ping of her system once more:
[System Notification: Quest Completed]
Objective: Receive an endorsement to take on the Gym Challenge.
Reward: 1 Mega-Evolution Stone Ticket
She slipped the letter into her bag, heart thumping with excitement. Gym battles, another mysterious ticket, more chance for power later.
—
Back at the Pokémon Center, Niyah sat on her bed, staring at her two golden tickets within the system menu. One for a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, the other for a Mega-Evolution Stone.
She smiled faintly. "Not yet," she whispered to herself. "We'll wait until we're strong enough to use them properly."
Mimikyu peeked out of her shadow with a sly grin. 'You mean strong enough to cause even more trouble.'
Litwick floated beside her, his blue flame flickering approvingly.
Niyah laughed quietly. "Exactly."
The team settled down for the night, Wedgehurst's lights flickering outside the window. Tomorrow, they would head toward Turrfield, their first Gym City. But for now, the air was calm, carrying only the faint hum of ambition and the glow of a young trainer's destiny beginning to burn brighter.
—
Meanwhile…
The door to the Pokémon Research Lab clicked softly shut as Niyah vanished down the path toward Wedgehurst's Pokémon Center, her shadow rippling faintly with Mimikyu's hidden presence. Professor Magnolia stood at the window for a long moment, watching the girl's small figure grow distant beneath the pale morning sun.
"She's… peculiar," Magnolia murmured to Yamper, who barked softly in reply. "Too clever for her age, too calm for her inexperience. And that energy around her…"
She turned back to her desk, thoughts spinning. The moment the girl had entered the lab, Magnolia had felt it, a faint hum, like the charged air before a thunderstorm. Psychic energy, raw and unrefined, layered with something deeper. Something foreign.
"Let's see what the Pokémon Centers' Trainer Informatipn System makes of her," Magnolia said quietly.
Yamper wagged his tail as the professor sat before her computer, the screen's blue light reflecting in her glasses. She opened the Trainer Information Network, the secure database that connected every Pokémon Center, Gym, and League record in Galar and beyond.
She began typing a new entry under Trainer ID: Unregistered – Alias 'Niyah' Profile.
Notes (Nurse Joy):
Trainer exhibits strong unnatural energy.
Possesses a Rotom Dex — unregistered model.
Traveling with a Mimikyu and Litwick displaying irregular power signatures.
Age estimated: 12 years old (unconfirmed / Word of Mouth)
Notes (Professor Magnolia):
Recently granted Gym Challenge endorsement.
Trainer exhibits strong psychic energy readings.
Avoids questions about past.
Magnolia paused, fingers hovering over the keys. She exhaled softly, then continued:
Trainer was observed wearing a Dynamax Band. No such item is currently registered to this Trainer ID or distributed through official League channels.
I did not question her about it directly — I believe she would have fled or gone into hiding if pressed.
It is unclear how she obtained the Band. Possible unauthorized acquisition. Further observation recommended.
Magnolia frowned thoughtfully. "A child her age, acquiring items through… unconventional means," she said under her breath. "And yet, no theft reports. No tampering signs. It's as if the world itself gives her what she needs."
Yamper tilted his head with a questioning yip.
"She's not malicious, at least not violently. I can tell from her people she's a mischievous little girl," Magnolia added softly. "Just, out of place. Like she's trying to find her rhythm in a song she didn't write."
She leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. The quiet hum of machines filled the room, mingling with the faint scent of wildflowers from the open window.
After a long silence, she opened another message window, this one labeled Recipient: Pokémon Center Network – Administrative Records.
Message:
Trainer "Niyah" — endorsed for Gym Challenge by Professor Magnolia.
Trainer's background: Unverified.
Notable equipment: Unregistered Rotom Dex, unregistered Dynamax Band.
Recommendation: Observe quietly, do not intervene unless the League instructs otherwise.
Personal Note: She may be far more than she appears.
With a faint sigh, Magnolia hit Send.
The message flickered away into the network, destined to be read by every Nurse Joy, Gym Official, and League Representative across Galar.
She removed her glasses, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "We'll see what you do with your chance, Niyah," she murmured. "The League will either fear you… or praise you."
Yamper jumped onto her lap, curling against her arm. Magnolia smiled faintly and scratched his ears.
"We'll have to keep an eye on her, won't we, little one? I suspect her story is only just beginning."
The lab lights dimmed to evening mode as Magnolia's monitor went dark, her final notes sealed into the system.
Outside, far beyond the hill, a girl and her Pokémon sleep, dreaming about their next adventure.