Ecological Area – Rocky Mountain Zone.
Keqing and Hongyi arrived with more than twenty elite members of the newly formed Liyue Pokémon Guard. The scene was already crowded with famous faces from the group chat who had rushed over to witness the commotion. Aside from Lumine and Paimon, the primary "culprits," the audience included Hu Tao, Chongyun, Xingqiu, Yelan, and Tartaglia. Those who couldn't make it were blowing up the chat, demanding live video feeds.
Everyone was curious: how long could the Forest Overlord, Chesnaught, last against the power of the Research Institute?
Hu Tao: "I'll bet one Mora coin. If Goodra and Cresselia take action, that Chesnaught is toast in seconds!"
Tartaglia: "Oh, I won't bet against that. Only a fool would take that action!"
Yelan, however, was frowning. From a distance, she could see the sheer destructive power of the Overlord. The air vibrated with its roars, and she felt a genuine sense of oppression. If she were to fight it herself, she wasn't entirely sure of a victory.
"They're here!" Paimon pointed excitedly into the sky.
Cresselia, the guardian of the Research Institute, had used teleportation to bring Lurantis and Goodra to the scene. Cresselia remained floating high in the air, a celestial overseer with no intention of getting her hands dirty. Below, the "sisters"—Lurantis and Goodra—landed with a heavy thud near the rampaging Chesnaught.
The war was about to begin. Or rather, the unilateral beatdown was about to commence.
"Solar Blade!"
Click. Click. A sharp, blinding beam of sunlight condensed into Lurantis's petal-blades and struck the Overlord's carapace.
Goodra, being a Heavenly King-level Pokémon, didn't hold back either. She had formed a close bond with Lurantis recently and knew her "sister" had a history of being bullied by this Forest Tyrant. She was out for blood—or at least, for a knockout.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Iron Tail!"
"Mega Kick!"
Goodra unleashed a barrage of skills that required no cooldown, firing them off like an elemental machine gun. Chesnaught managed to dodge one or two, but the sheer volume was too much. Every hit made the ground tremble.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even the missed shots caused terrifying area-of-effect damage. Amidst the chaos, Chesnaught struggled to defend against Lurantis's treacherous "sneak attacks" and "cold arrows" (leafage shots). The Overlord let out a roar of pure grief and anger.
"Lurantis!! You weren't like this before! You used to be proud! We fought head-on! Come and fight me like a Pokémon, don't be a sneaky 'sixth-man' (camper)!"
But Lurantis had made up her mind. Why fight fair when you have a Heavenly King sister? After a few rounds of "mixed doubles," the armor-like shell of the Overlord was cracked and battered.
"Dragon Rush!!"
Goodra finished the combo with a magnificent draconic strike.
BOOM!
A deep pit dozens of meters wide appeared in the rocky landscape. As the dust settled, Goodra swaggered out, calling to Lurantis. They both looked up at Cresselia, signaling the end of the suppression.
Lumine, Paimon, Keqing, and the onlookers stood in stunned silence. The "sisters" from the institute were simply too strong. The majestic Forest Overlord had been pushed into the dirt before it could even land a significant blow.
"If that were us..." Tartaglia muttered, shuddering alongside the others. "We'd be pulverized."
Fatherly Love and the Abduction
Cresselia's clear, melodious voice echoed in everyone's hearts. "Lumine, Paimon. Bring that cub over here."
In the pit, Chesnaught hissed, trying to raise its head. It saw its cub—the Chespin—sitting obediently in Lumine's arms. The little guy looked at its father's bruised face with a certain degree of "careless" curiosity, seemingly unaffected by the violence.
Chesnaught's eyes turned red. This is my cub. So "kind" and "filial." [Father is kind, son is filial.jpg]
"The Overlord of the Forest," Cresselia spoke with the majesty of the Lunar Goddess. "Your cub has chosen this Trainer. From now on, it will grow with Lumine. Do you have any objections?"
The subtext was clear: Do you dare to have an objection?
Chesnaught looked at Cresselia, then at the massive Goodra still standing over him. A smile appeared on its face that was uglier than crying. "I... I agree."
He collapsed, his strength spent. "Human... take care of my son..."
Chespin jumped out of Lumine's arms, walked to its father's head, and wiped a tear from the Overlord's eye with a tiny paw.
"Well~? (Dad, your eyes are wet, where did the water come from?)"
Poof! Overlord Chesnaught nearly choked on a mouthful of blood. You little brat! Your father is crying! You have no heart! Fine, humans, take him away quickly! I'm afraid I'll die of a broken heart if I see this child again!
The Overlord's attitude changed instantly. He didn't set any conditions; he just wanted them gone. He dragged his heavy body away, thinking: It's fine. I'll go back to his mother and we'll make another one. This one is broken.
"So, from now on, we are family," Lumine smiled, touching Chespin's head and presenting a Poké Ball. Chespin hit the switch voluntarily and was subdued.
The Keystone and the Shadow of the Champion
The incident was retold in the group chat by Xingqiu and Tartaglia, causing a sensation.
Xiangling: "I'm so impressed! A starter in the wild!"
Kaeya: "Looking at the Pokédex, that line is basically a walking shield. Perfect for a Traveler."
Amber: "I feel like Lumine is going to be the dark horse of the competition!"
Lumine, feeling flush with success, remembered the strange stone she had found. She took a picture of the eerie, purple-hued ore and sent it to the chat.
Lumine: "Manager Hiroshi, what is this?"
Hiroshi: "I'm in Hisui, just catching some air... Wait. That is a Keystone. Where did you find that?"
Lumine: "Deep in the forest, near a hollow tree."
Hiroshi: "That is a container. It is the necessary anchor for a Pokémon called Spiritomb (Flower Rock Monster). Each Spiritomb must be attached to a Keystone to exist in this world!"
Paimon: "Is it worth a lot of Mora?!"
Hiroshi: "Why would you sell it? Spiritomb is a Ghost/Dark type. It doesn't evolve because its initial form is already top-tier! And here's a free piece of intelligence: A Spiritomb is a core member of the championship lineup of the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia!"
The chat went dead silent for ten minutes. The name "Champion" carried a weight that everyone was beginning to understand.
Tartaglia: "I blanch! I'm blanching like crazy! How does she have this luck?!"
Klee: "I feel like Klee's four-leaf clover luck has been defeated by Big Sis Traveler!"
Hiroshi: "Lumine, if you search where you found that stone, you'll likely find an underground cave. Ancient treasures always appear near their corresponding Pokémon."
Ningguang: [Dangerous Smile.jpg] "Hiroshi, stinky brother, aren't you talking a bit too much today? Sharing all this 'free' intel?"
Yelan: "To me, intelligence is Mora! Manager, you're being very generous to this Traveler. [Doubtful.jpg]"
Hisui – The Taming of the Sky
Meanwhile, in the Hisui region, Hiroshi stood in the Diamond Clan settlement. He had just finished a "friendly" sparring match with Adaman, the leader of the Diamond Team.
Hiroshi's Jirachi had single-handedly "pushed" Adaman's entire team of Eeveelutions—Leafeon, Vaporeon, and Umbreon.
"How about we use this video for tomorrow's promotional ad?" Hiroshi joked, recording the defeated look on the faces of the Diamond Clan's elite. "The Majesty of a Champion Trainer!"
Adaman and the wardens looked at Hiroshi as if he were a prehistoric monster. When Hiroshi approached Sabi, the youngest Warden who took care of the Braviary, the poor girl was trembling.
"Catching... catching the babies in batches?" she stuttered. "Yes... yes, of course!"
The green-haired loli was terrified. She looked at Hiroshi and whispered, "I saw a vision... A group of these eagles patrolling a land of wind and freedom. Warriors on their backs, heroic and romantic... windmills, lakes... and foreign gods?"
Hiroshi smiled. "That's right, Sabi. You're seeing the future of Mondstadt."
The Underground Discovery
Back in Teyvat, Lumine, Paimon, and Pikachu returned to the hollow tree.
"Pika-pika!" Pikachu pointed into the darkness of a root-covered hole.
Paimon dove in first. Her voice echoed from deep below, vibrating with excitement. "Eh! Lumine! There's a whole cave down here! Come down quickly, we're going to be rich!"
Lumine looked at the Keystone in her hand. It was glowing with a faint, pulsing purple light. She felt a cold, ancient presence reaching out.
"Did you sense that?" she whispered to herself.
She stepped into the darkness, the era of the "Trainer" leading her into the secrets of the earth.