By the time Jaune made it back to Twinleaf Town, news of the incident at Lake Verity had already spread. People were talking about Team Galactic's attack, about Mesprit appearing, about some mysterious fighter who'd held off twenty operatives alone.
Jaune kept his head down and headed straight for Johanna's house.
Dawn was waiting on the porch. She spotted him and immediately ran over.
"Jaune! You're okay!" She looked him over, checking for injuries. "We heard there was a huge battle at the lake! Professor Rowan said you fought all of Team Galactic by yourself!"
"Not all of them. Just the ones who were there." Jaune managed a tired smile. "And I had help when it mattered. Officer Jenny showed up with reinforcements."
"Still! That's incredible!" Dawn's Piplup waddled over and chirped loudly, pecking at Jaune's boot. "Piplup agrees. He says you're really brave."
"Thanks, I think."
"Come on, Mom's been worried sick. She made lunch."
Inside, Johanna was setting food on the table. She looked up when they entered and immediately pulled Jaune into a hug.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For protecting my daughter. For stopping those criminals."
"Just doing what needed to be done," Jaune said, slightly uncomfortable with the gratitude.
"Nonsense. You could have run. You could have hidden. But you went back to that lake and faced them." Johanna pulled back, looking at him seriously. "That takes courage. Real courage."
They sat down for lunch, and Dawn peppered him with questions. How did he fight so many Pokemon? What was that glowing shield? Where did he learn to use a sword like that?
Jaune answered carefully, keeping his story vague. Trained from a young age. Family tradition. The "shield" was just a technique he'd learned. Nothing special.
'Just dimensional travel and anime protagonist powers. Totally normal stuff.'
Dawn didn't look entirely convinced, but she let it go.
After lunch, Professor Rowan stopped by. The older man had a thoughtful expression as he studied Jaune.
"Officer Jenny finished processing the scene at the lake," Rowan said. "Team Galactic left behind some equipment, but nothing that tells us their next move. They'll likely lay low for a while after this failure."
"Good," Johanna said. "Maybe they'll leave Sinnoh entirely."
"Unlikely. Commander Cyrus is determined. This was a setback, not a defeat." Rowan turned to Jaune. "Which brings me to you, young man. I'm curious about your background."
Here we go. The questions he'd been expecting.
"What would you like to know?" Jaune asked.
"That energy technique you use. The shield. It's fascinating. Similar in concept to Aura as understood by specialists in Rota, but the density and control are remarkable. Where did you study?"
"Family training. My father taught me."
"And your father learned from?"
"His father. Goes back several generations."
Rowan nodded slowly. "A family tradition. And the sword work?"
"Same source. My family has a long history with combat training."
"I see." Rowan didn't look entirely satisfied with those answers, but he was too polite to push further. "Well, regardless of where you learned, you have considerable talent. Have you considered working with Pokemon? With your abilities, you'd make an excellent trainer or ranger."
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm just passing through. I've got commitments elsewhere."
"A shame. Though I understand. The path of a wandering warrior has its own rewards." Rowan pulled out a card. "If you change your mind, or if you need anything during your time in Sinnoh, contact me. I owe you a debt for protecting the lake guardian."
Jaune took the card. "Thank you, Professor."
After Rowan left, Dawn turned to him with an excited expression.
"So where are you going next? Are you traveling through Sinnoh? Oh! You should come with me to Jubilife City! There's a contest coming up and I'm competing!"
"Dawn," Johanna said with a warning tone. "Jaune probably has his own plans."
"Actually, I don't have specific plans," Jaune admitted. He had two more days in this world before the system pulled him back. Might as well spend them doing something useful. "What's in Jubilife City?"
"It's the biggest city in Sinnoh! There's the GTS, the Poketch Company, the TV station, and the Contest Hall!" Dawn was practically bouncing. "The contest is in two days. It's my first official contest since I started my journey. I was planning to leave tomorrow morning."
Two days. That lined up perfectly with his remaining time here.
"Sure, I'll travel with you. At least until the contest. After that, I'll need to move on."
Dawn squealed and hugged him. "This is going to be great! Oh, we need to plan the route. It's about a day's walk, but there are some good training spots along the way. And I can show you how Pokemon contests work!"
Johanna smiled. "I'm glad you'll be traveling together. I'll worry less knowing Dawn has someone capable watching her back."
"Mom!" Dawn protested, embarrassed.
"I'm serious. Team Galactic tried to go after you once. Until they're caught, I want you to be careful." Johanna looked at Jaune. "Thank you for agreeing to travel with her. I know she can be a handful."
"I heard that!"
Jaune spent the rest of the afternoon helping Dawn prepare for the journey. She showed him her Pokemon team.
Piplup waddled over first, puffing out his chest. "Pip piplup!"
"That's Piplup, my starter and partner," Dawn said proudly. "He's a little proud, but he's really reliable."
Next, a brown rabbit Pokemon hopped forward, waving her paw shyly. "Bun bun."
"This is Buneary. She's still getting used to battling, but she's amazing at appeals."
Finally, an electric squirrel bounced around energetically, chattering. "Pachi pachi pachi!"
"And that's Pachirisu. I just caught her recently. She's got tons of energy but not much focus yet."
Jaune crouched down to their level. The three Pokemon studied him curiously. Piplup poked at his sword with his beak. "Piplup?"
"It's just a sword," Jaune said. "For protection."
Pachirisu climbed onto his shoulder, chattering excitedly. "Pachi pachi pachi!"
"She likes you!" Dawn laughed. "That's a good sign. Pachirisu is really picky about people."
"They're all trained for contests, right?" Jaune asked. "Not battles?"
"Yeah. They know appeals and combinations for performances, but actual fighting isn't their strong suit. Piplup can hold his own in a pinch though." Dawn patted her starter's head. "Right, Piplup?"
"Pip!" The penguin Pokemon puffed up with pride.
"That's fine. If we run into trouble, I can handle it."
"You're really confident, you know that?"
"Just realistic. I've been training for a while."
That evening, Dawn showed him her contest appeal routines. Her Pokemon performed coordinated moves, creating visual effects with their attacks. Bubbles from Piplup, ice beam sparkles from Buneary, electric patterns from Pachirisu.
It was impressive in its own way. Not combat focused, but beautiful and requiring precise timing.
"See, contests are about showing your Pokemon's best qualities," Dawn explained. "Their beauty, their coolness, their cuteness. You combine their moves to create appeals that wow the judges and the audience."
"Sounds complicated."
"It is! But it's also really fun. Battling is great, but contests let you express your bond with your Pokemon in a different way." Dawn smiled at her team. "Right, everyone?"
"Piplup!" "Buneary!" "Pachi!"
Jaune watched them interact, seeing the genuine affection between trainer and Pokemon. This world was strange to him, but there was something pure about it. Kids going on adventures with creature companions, growing together, facing challenges.
Simpler than Remnant in some ways. More dangerous in others.
That night, Johanna insisted Jaune stay in their guest room rather than finding an inn. He accepted gratefully, happy to save money and sleep somewhere comfortable.
Alone in the room, he pulled up the system.
[Day 1 Complete]
[Mission Status: Primary objective secured]
[Days Remaining: 2]
[Current Objectives: Maintain Dawn's safety until quest completion]
[Optional Activities: Explore world, gather information, build relationships]
Two more days. Then he'd return to Remnant, collect his rewards, and prepare for Beacon.
"System, how's the time dilation looking?"
[Remnant Time Passage: Currently tracking at 1.2x normal flow]
[Estimated: 3 days here = approximately 3.6 days in Remnant]
[You will likely return with 9-10 days remaining before Beacon entrance exam]
So slightly faster time here than in Remnant. Close enough to one-to-one that it wouldn't matter much. He'd have plenty of time to get to Beacon.
"Any other updates I should know about?"
[Combat performance analysis: Excellent]
[Aura efficiency in combat: 82% (increased from 81%)]
[Tactical decision making: Sound]
[Recommendation: Current approach is optimal for tutorial difficulty]
Jaune closed the screen and lay back on the bed. His body was tired but satisfied. The fight at the lake had been his first real test, and he'd passed.
Six months of training with his father had worked. He wasn't helpless anymore. He could actually protect people.
Tomorrow they'd head to Jubilife City. Dawn would do her contest. He'd keep her safe from any Team Galactic interference.
Then he'd go home.
Simple. Straightforward. Exactly what a tutorial mission should be.
Jaune closed his eyes and let sleep take him, his aura regenerating slowly as he rested.
Outside, the moon hung over Sinnoh, whole and unbroken. So different from Remnant's shattered moon.
Just one of many differences between worlds.
But the fundamentals were the same. People needed protection. Bad guys needed stopping. And he was getting good at both.