The sky darkened earlier than expected.
Thick ash spread across the heavens, dimming the sun into a muted orange disc. Alex felt the temperature shift—slightly cooler, but heavier… almost like a pressure building overhead. Poliwag swam restless circles in the pond, blowing bubbles rapidly. Its spiral pulsed in narrow, anxious ripples.
"Yeah," Alex murmured. "I feel it too."
Not danger.Not exactly.
Attention.
The island was watching.
Alex stretched his aching legs, stepping away from the shelter and toward the open clearing. Every muscle reminded him of the previous day's training. But Roshi's lessons insisted on movement through pain—controlled, careful, but persistent.
The system chimed:
[DAILY TRAINING SEQUENCE ACTIVATED]– Evasion Kata Lv. 1– Directional Step Drills– Low-Impact Ki Flow Rotation
Alex readied himself.
Evasion Kata Lv. 1
This wasn't punching or kicking.It was slipping.Weaving.Gliding around imaginary attacks.
The system projected the mental outline of Master Roshi's earliest movement techniques—based on turtle school philosophy:
"A shell is strong, but strength is meaningless without movement. Dodge first, strike later."
Alex moved slowly.
Step right.Sidestep.Drop hips.Shift weight.Rotate shoulders without turning feet.
The motions felt clumsy. His coordination lagged behind his intent. But gradually—slowly—a rhythm formed. His feet began gliding in arcs rather than jagged hops. Breath aligned with motion. Ki, faint like a candle flame, flickered with his steps.
Poliwag noticed.
The Water-type watched intensely, round eyes following Alex's feet. Then—almost experimentally—it hopped forward, imitating the sidestep.
Badly.Clumsily.Falling flat onto its belly.
Alex snorted.
"Careful. You don't even have legs."
Poliwag chirped indignantly, lifting itself again and trying to move in semicircle hops—its version of footwork.
The system pinged:
[UNLOCKED: Primitive Bond – "Mirroring Behavior"]Poliwag has begun subconsciously learning from your movements.
Alex froze.
He wasn't trying to train it.He wasn't even allowed to catch Pokémon yet.
But mirroring wasn't obedience.It was the first step of recognizing another creature as part of its environment—not a threat. Maybe even a benefit.
He resumed the kata.
Poliwag hopped in awkward arcs behind him.
The Jungle Shifts
Halfway through the exercise, the clearing changed.Not visually—through sound.
Bird calls stopped.Leaves stilled.Wind died.
Poliwag froze mid-hop.
Alex turned.
A figure crouched atop a branch—the same mysterious Pokémon from yesterday.
Ash-grey fur.Long limbs.Tail wrapped like a coil around bark.
Its eyes were the same—unblinking, calculating.
But now Alex noticed something else:
It wasn't observing him.It was evaluating his training.
The system whispered sharply:
[UNKNOWN SPECIES – LEVEL RANGE 14–18][Behavior: Higher cognitive function detected][RECOMMENDATION: Do NOT demonstrate offensive techniques]
Alex swallowed.
"Okay," he whispered to himself. "Stay calm."
The Pokémon tilted its head slowly, like a teacher judging a student's posture. Its gaze flicked to Poliwag. Then back to Alex.
A soft vibration rolled through the jungle—the distant rumble of the volcano.
The ash-grey Pokémon's ears twitched.Its eyes narrowed.
It vanished.
Not jumped.Not climbed.
Disappeared into the treetops like smoke.
Poliwag whimpered and fled to the pond.
Alex let out a shaky breath.
The system chimed softly:
[HOST NOTE: Subject displays non-standard intelligence. Possible connection to research station.]
Alex's gut tightened.
Whatever it was—it wasn't wild in the normal sense.
It had purpose.
Exploration Near Dusk
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Alex traveled deeper toward the volcanic ridge, hoping to find fruit trees or edible plants. Poliwag followed cautiously, sticking close to the stream.
The ground sloped upward.
Steam vents hissed from cracks.Lava-heated stone warmed the air.Weird plants clung to the soil—twisted shapes, dry leaves with metallic scents.
Then Alex saw it.
A narrow tunnel—half-collapsed, framed with rusting support beams.
Another sign of the abandoned research team.
He knelt, brushing away ash.Footprints? No.Claw marks again.
Deep.Parallel.Fresh.
Something big had forced its way inside.
Poliwag tugged on his pant leg with its mouth, pulling urgently.
"Yeah," Alex said quietly. "We're not going in there yet."
As he turned to leave—
A low growl echoed from inside the tunnel.
Alex froze.
The system screamed warnings:
[IMMEDIATE DANGER – LEVEL 12 POKÉMON APPROACHING]
He grabbed Poliwag, holding it close without touching its skin.
A shadow moved inside the tunnel.Slow.Heavy.Deliberate.
Alex backed away step by step.
A glowing pair of red eyes appeared in the darkness—
Then a Mightyena burst from the entrance, snarling as it leaped to block their path.