The light of the afternoon sun danced over the lake, casting golden ripples across its calm surface. The peaceful breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, and in the distance, distant Pidgeotto sang over the Viridian woods.
Skylar stood still at the edge of the water, eyes locked on the figure emerging from the lake.
The girl brushed wet strands of orange hair out of her face, her confident blue eyes locking onto his.
For a moment, she didn't say anything.
Then her brows lifted in surprise.
"Wait a second… Skylar?"
Skylar blinked. "Misty?"
She stepped onto the grassy shore, water dripping from her form as she grabbed a towel lying nearby. Her lean, athletic frame spoke of years of discipline, and her posture was proud—unshaken, even now.
"I didn't expect to see you here," she said, smiling slightly as she wrapped the towel around herself. "Especially in Kanto. I thought you were from Sinnoh."
Skylar rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, born and raised in Sunyshore. Just started my journey. I'm beginning in Kanto on Professor Oak's invitation."
Misty raised an eyebrow.
"Makes sense," she murmured. "You were the best Trainer in that camp, after all."
Skylar blinked. "You think so?"
"Everyone knew so," she said, glancing at him sideways. "Smart, calm, always ahead of the curve… Even when I thought I had a strategy figured out, you already had a counter waiting."
She looked away, cheeks flushed just slightly.
"I guess I'm not surprised you're starting strong."
"What about you?" he asked. "You're training here?"
She nodded.
"Yeah. I'm not the Cerulean Gym Leader yet. My dad still holds the title. He's... pretty much at Elite Four level, so it's going to take a while to earn it."
Skylar gave a low whistle. "Sounds intense."
"It is," she said with a proud smile. "But I'm getting there."
She paused.
"So... are you here alone?"
"More or less. Just me, Gardevoir, Charmander… and, well, Arcanine's being trained back in Sinnoh."
Her tone softened.
"And Cynthia?"
Skylar blinked. "Huh?"
"You know, Cynthia. You two were kind of inseparable at the camp. Everyone figured you were... something."
Skylar smiled faintly. "She's in Sinnoh. We're walking different paths for now. We… made a promise to meet again as Champions."
Misty looked away, expression unreadable.
"Of course you did," she said softly.
The silence was broken by a deep rumble beneath the lake.
Both turned sharply.
The water churned violently—white foam spiraling into a column.
From the center of the disturbance, a massive shadow rose.
A loud, ear-splitting roar shattered the calm.
GYARADOS.
The lake exploded outward as the massive Water/Flying-type emerged, scales glistening, eyes wild with fury.
"That's not normal," Misty said, instantly dropping her towel and stepping forward. "That thing's enraged."
"Probably territorial," Skylar muttered. "Or someone disturbed its nest."
The Gyarados thrashed and roared again—this time charging directly at them from the water's edge.
Skylar reached for his Poké Balls. "We'll talk later."
"Right," Misty said, already summoning her Starmie with a flick of her wrist.
Gardevoir stepped forward, eyes glowing.
Skylar threw out Charmander's ball, the tiny dragon roaring with surprising defiance.
"Let's bring it down—fast and clean."
And just like that, the lake erupted into chaos.