The laboratory alarm continued to sound.
Violet light passed through the reinforced windows and spread across the ground like the reflection of a storm.
The instruments inside produced irregular beeps while something repeatedly struck a metal surface.
Oak moved toward the door.
Alaric caught the back of his lab coat.
“Wait.”
“The containers could be failing.”
“That is precisely why you are not entering without protection.”
“The automatic systems should keep them isolated.”
“Your automatic systems nearly melted the second container ten minutes ago.”
“That was a controlled test.”
“The word controlled has lost all meaning since you arrived.”
Alaric turned toward Atlas.
Alakazam was already holding both spoons in front of his body.
A blue barrier covered the laboratory entrance.
Lucian kept his mental defense raised.
The external signal continued brushing against it.
It was not a voice like the one he had heard inside the mountain.
It possessed neither intent, hunger, nor consciousness.
It was more like a heartbeat.
A pulse.
An automatic response transmitted across an enormous distance.
Beldum positioned himself beside him.
“Stars connected.”
“Can you sense where it ends?”
The Pokémon slowly turned.
His eye pointed northwest.
Toward the mainland.
“Far.”
The system screen flickered.
[External resonance detected.]
[The Purified Astral Fragment has entered indirect contact with a linked sample.]
[Synchronization attempt in progress.]
[Warning: Synchronization may reactivate previously stabilized energy residue.]
That was dangerous.
The fragment from the system had been purified, but it remained connected to the same type of energy that existed beneath the Astral Mountains.
If Oak’s sample opened a bridge, the entity might regain a path to Beldum.
Lucian looked toward his partner.
Synchronization displayed an increase in his energy activity.
[Beldum]
[Physical Condition: Stable.]
[Mental Condition: Alert.]
[Astral Resonance: 4% and rising.]
“We need to separate the fragments,” Lucian said.
Oak stopped.
“How do you know?”
“The energy inside Beldum is reacting. It is still weak, but it is increasing.”
Alaric did not ask for further explanation.
“Atlas, maintain the barrier. Asterion.”
The enormous Metagross was in the nearby field.
He responded to Atlas’s mental call and appeared behind the building several seconds later.
The ground shook when he landed.
Alaric opened an emergency box beside the entrance and removed two bracelets made from dark metal.
He handed one to Oak.
“Psychic protection and electromagnetic isolation.”
“I’m familiar with your equipment.”
“You put one on backward the last time.”
“The design was confusing.”
“It has an arrow.”
Oak studied the bracelet.
A small arrow clearly indicated the correct direction.
Daisy held Swablu more carefully.
The Flying-type had begun trembling when the violet light appeared.
“Are they in danger?” she asked.
Oak softened his expression.
“No. We only need to stop the reaction.”
“That means there might be danger,” Daisy said.
Her grandfather opened his mouth.
Then he closed it.
“You will remain here with Helena.”
The doctor emerged from the medical center after hearing the alarm.
Chansey walked behind her while carrying emergency equipment.
Helena examined Beldum.
“His core remains stable, but the frequency is increasing.”
“Lucian stays with you,” Alaric ordered.
“I can help you locate the resonance,” Lucian replied.
“You can do that from outside.”
“The system will have more information if I directly observe the fragments.”
“And the entity will have a clearer connection to you and Beldum.”
Lucian could not argue with that.
Alaric put on the bracelet.
“Keep Synchronization active and warn us if the resonance exceeds ten percent.”
“Understood.”
“If you hear a voice, close your barrier immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Do not attempt to answer.”
“Grandfather.”
“Say it.”
Lucian released his breath.
“I will not attempt to answer.”
Alaric nodded.
Atlas opened a section of the barrier.
Alaric, Oak, and Asterion entered the laboratory.
The door closed.
The violet light became more intense.
Daisy moved closer to Lucian.
“What happened in the mountains?”
Elena was also watching him.
Until that moment, neither girl had known the complete details.
Lucian looked toward Helena.
The doctor did not answer for him.
“Beldum became connected to something inside an ancient meteorite,” Lucian explained.
“We managed to break the main connection, but a small amount of energy remained inside his core.”
Daisy stroked Swablu’s feathers.
“Is that something alive?”
“We don’t know.”
“But it spoke to you.”
Lucian remembered the voice calling him a vessel.
“Yes.”
Elena took his hand.
“You didn’t tell me that part.”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“I worry when you don’t tell me things.”
Lucian could not find an adequate defense.
“She’s right,” Daisy said.
Elena appeared surprised by the support.
“I promised to return,” Lucian replied.
“And I did.”
“That doesn’t mean you can hide every dangerous thing,” Elena insisted.
“Not everything.”
Both girls looked at him.
Lucian realized he had only made the situation worse.
Growlithe sat in front of him and produced a sound resembling a snort.
“Don’t you start.”
The puppy rested his head against Lucian’s knees.
Beldum continued watching the laboratory.
“Five percent,” he transmitted.
The resonance was still increasing.
A crash sounded inside the building.
Then another.
Oak’s voice came through the communicator.
“The primary container is stable, but the samples are attracting one another.”
Alaric responded through the same channel.
“Because you increased the frequency.”
“You can argue later,” Lucian interrupted.
“Beldum’s resonance has reached five percent.”
“Understood,” Alaric said.
“We will separate the samples.”
A metallic sound passed through the laboratory.
Asterion was moving one of the containers.
The light weakened for a second.
Then it returned with greater intensity.
Beldum abruptly descended.
Lucian caught him.
The bond between them opened by reflex.
He saw a map.
It was not a map drawn by humans.
Points of light were connected by violet lines.
One represented Celestia Island.
Another shone somewhere in western Kanto.
There were more.
Dozens.
Some faint.
Others concealed.
One stood out above the rest, located beneath a mountain shaped like a crescent moon.
Mt.
Moon.
Lucian recognized the location.
In the games and anime, it was famous for Moon Stones, Clefairy, and meteorite-related activity.
In this world, its importance might be far greater.
A line connected the mountain to Oak’s sample.
The fragment found near Pallet Town was not the destination.
It was a relay.
One piece of a network.
The system reacted.
[Partial pattern recorded.]
[Astral Resonance Network detected.]
[Nearby primary node identified.]
[Approximate Location: Mt. Moon, Kanto.]
[Insufficient information.]
[Danger Level: Unknown.]
[Recommendation: Do not investigate until the user and his partners have reached at least Advanced Strength.]
Lucian opened his eyes.
“Mt. Moon.”
Daisy heard him.
“What is at Mt. Moon?”
“A node of the same energy.”
Helena looked toward the laboratory.
“Are you certain?”
“The system showed a network. Oak’s sample is connected to another fragment or structure inside Mt. Moon.”
The communicator remained silent.
Then Oak responded.
“That matches the frequency’s direction.”
Alaric immediately spoke.
“We are not going.”
“I have not suggested—”
“You were about to.”
“I was considering proposing a scientific expedition.”
“Even more reason to refuse.”
Lucian studied the warning.
Advanced Strength.
He and his partners were far below that level.
“The system recommends that we do not investigate yet,” he said.
“The danger is unknown.”
Alaric answered without hesitation.
“For once, we will obey immediately.”
Oak took slightly longer.
“We will record the location and limit our research to remote observation.”
“Samuel.”
“No expedition,” the professor agreed.
“For now.”
Inside the laboratory, Asterion managed to move Oak’s container into a secondary chamber.
Atlas raised a barrier between the two samples.
The violet light weakened.
Beldum stopped trembling.
[Astral Resonance: 6%.]
[Astral Resonance: 5%.]
[Astral Resonance: 3%.]
[Condition stabilized.]
Lucian relaxed his shoulders.
“It’s decreasing.”
Daisy released her breath.
Swablu extended one of her cotton wings and touched Beldum’s surface.
The silver Pokémon turned.
“Soft.”
Swablu sang.
Beldum appeared confused by the texture.
Growlithe attempted to touch the wing with his nose.
Swablu covered his entire face.
The puppy was left with his head buried between the feathers.
Elena began to laugh.
The tension broke.
The laboratory door opened several minutes later.
Oak emerged first.
Part of his hair had risen because of the static energy.
Alaric appeared behind him with an expression of profound disapproval.
“Do not say anything,” Oak warned.
“I did not need to.”
Asterion came out last, carrying the secondary container inside a magnetic field.
Alaric approached Beldum.
“Condition?”
“Stable,” Lucian replied.
“The resonance dropped to three percent.”
Helena confirmed the reading with her instruments.
“There does not appear to be any damage.”
Oak knelt in front of Beldum.
He maintained a prudent distance.
“I’m sorry I exposed you to that.”
The Pokémon observed him.
“Loud stone.”
Lucian translated.
Oak nodded seriously.
“I will keep it away from you.”
Beldum moved slightly closer.
The professor did not attempt to touch him.
That earned more trust than any apology could have.
“May I ask you a question?” Oak said.
Beldum tilted his body.
“Did you sense the location before Lucian mentioned it?”
The Pokémon showed an image of multiple lights.
“Many stars. One large.”
“Mt. Moon,” Oak said.
Beldum confirmed it.
The professor stood.
His scientific enthusiasm remained, but it was now controlled.
“We have a network of astral fragments or deposits spread throughout Kanto. Some may be small and inactive. Others…”
“Could contain something similar to the entity,” Lucian finished.
“Exactly.”
Alaric crossed his arms.
“This information remains between us.”
“I will need to inform the League of a possible danger,” Oak replied.
“You may report that we detected anomalous energy activity. You will not mention the colony, the system, or Beldum’s condition.”
“Agreed.”
“We will need to review Kanto’s historical meteorite records,” Lucian said.
“Not only recent events. We should also examine legends, areas containing Moon Stones, and unusual changes among Psychic- or Steel-type Pokémon.”
Oak watched him with interest.
“What would you search for first?”
Lucian thought.
“Dates corresponding to meteor showers. Then I would compare the impact sites against unusual migrations, magnetic changes, and the appearance of new species.”
“I would use indirect sources. Local stories, changes in trade routes, Trainer accounts, and medical records.”
Oak smiled.
“Alaric, I want to take him to Pallet Town.”
“He is not a laboratory specimen.”
“I did not say he was.”
“You thought it like a researcher who has just discovered a new species.”
Lucian intervened before they could begin another argument.
“I want to study with Professor Oak.”
Alaric looked at him.
The silence continued.
“That does not mean I will leave the island immediately,” Lucian continued.
“We can begin with visits and remote work. But his records complement ours, and the Pallet Town laboratory has access to the League.”
“You also want to observe how the region’s Trainers begin their journeys,” Alaric said.
Lucian nodded.
It was a true reason, though not the complete one.
He also wanted to know the place where Ash’s story would begin.
“When?” his grandfather asked Oak.
The professor recovered a professional expression.
“I propose that he visit Pallet Town for one month after turning six. If everything goes well, he can return for longer periods. Daisy will be the same age, and they can study together.”
Daisy raised her head.
“Will Lucian stay at our house?”
“The residence is connected to the laboratory,” Oak replied.
“He will have his own room.”
“Then Swablu can stay there too.”
The Flying-type sang.
Oak looked toward his granddaughter.
“We still don’t know whether Swablu will go with you.”
Daisy lowered her gaze toward the creature resting in her arms.
The sadness was brief but obvious.
Swablu perceived it.
The Pokémon extended her neck and touched Daisy’s cheek.
Then she spread her wings.
Her injury had been treated, and she could make short flights, although Helena had recommended that she rest.
Swablu rose from Daisy’s arms.
The girl did not attempt to stop her.
The Pokémon flew around the courtyard.
She circled above the laboratory.
Then she headed toward the trees.
Daisy watched her disappear.
“She has to choose,” Lucian said.
“I know.”
Her words were firm.
Her hands were not.
Elena approached and took one of them.
“She might return.”
Daisy nodded.
The rest of the afternoon passed between reports and precautions.
Oak and Alaric transferred the samples to opposite ends of the laboratory.
The Purified Astral Fragment returned to the system’s Storage, nearly completely severing its signal.
Oak’s fragment remained behind three barriers.
Lucian recorded all the information inside a separate notebook that Alaric would store in the protected archive.
The system generated a new mission.
[Echoes Beneath the Moon]
[A node of the Astral Resonance Network has been detected at Mt. Moon.]
[Objective: Investigate the node and determine its relationship with the unknown entity.]
[Recommended Condition: User accompanied by Pokémon of Advanced Strength or higher.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[Reward: Unknown.]
Lucian archived the mission.
He would not travel to Mt.
Moon until he was prepared.
Knowledge of the future did not mean immunity to danger.
As night fell, everyone gathered for dinner.
Daisy spoke less than she had during lunch.
She looked toward the windows every few minutes.
Oak attempted to distract her with a story about a Squirtle that had stolen his shoes.
Elena added invented details until the Pokémon became the leader of a criminal gang.
Daisy smiled, but she continued waiting.
When they finished dessert, a soft tap sounded against the glass.
Daisy was the first to stand.
Swablu was on the other side of the window.
She held a small blue flower in her beak.
Mara opened it.
The Pokémon flew inside.
She circled the dining room and descended onto Daisy’s head.
Her wings covered part of the girl’s hair like a cotton hat.
Daisy closed her eyes.
“You came back.”
Swablu placed the flower in her hands.
Then she sang.
Lucian did not need the system to understand.
Even so, a notification appeared.
[Voluntary bond established.]
[Daisy Oak has been chosen by Swablu.]
Oak remained silent for several seconds.
Then he removed an empty Poké Ball from his suitcase.
“I brought it in case you found a compatible Pokémon during the trip,” he admitted.
Daisy took the sphere.
She looked at Swablu.
“You don’t have to enter if you don’t want to.”
The Pokémon flew from her head and touched the button with her beak.
Red light surrounded her.
The Poké Ball closed without moving.
Daisy opened it almost immediately.
Swablu reappeared on her shoulder.
Her wings wrapped around the girl’s neck like a scarf.
Elena applauded.
Growlithe barked.
Beldum transmitted a welcome.
Lucian smiled.
“It seems you found your first partner.”
Daisy stroked one of the cotton wings.
“She found me.”
Then she looked toward Lucian.
“Now we both have partners before beginning our journeys.”
“We’ll have time to train them.”
“And to learn together.”
Lucian nodded.
Daisy extended her little finger.
“Promise you will come to Pallet Town.”
Alaric opened his mouth.
Oak raised one hand.
For once, both adults stayed out of the conversation.
Lucian linked his finger with Daisy’s.
“I promise I’ll come.”
She smiled.
Elena looked at their hands.
Then she also extended her little finger.
“And promise you’ll return to the island.”
Lucian linked his other hand with hers.
“I promise that too.”
Beldum floated behind him.
Growlithe leaned against his legs.
Swablu sang from Daisy’s shoulder.
Alaric closed his eyes and massaged his forehead.
Oak appeared to be saving the scene so he could use it against his rival for many years.
Lucian ignored them both.
Mt.
Moon, the entity, and the future could wait.
That night, only three promises mattered.
To go.
To return.
And to grow together.