The stone remained in the air for four seconds during the next attempt.
On the third, it reached six.
On the fourth, Lucian lost his concentration when a drop of sweat entered his eye, and the stone shot toward one of the targets.
Alaric recorded the result in his notebook.
“Your control is still terrible.”
Lucian wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
“An hour ago, I couldn’t even move it.”
“Progress and incompetence can exist at the same time.”
Atlas made a sound that suspiciously resembled laughter.
Lucian glanced at the Alakazam.
“I’d like to see you try it at five years old.”
Atlas’s response reached his mind directly.
An image appeared for an instant: a small Abra sitting on a rock, surrounded by more than twenty stones rotating perfectly around him.
Lucian fell silent.
Alaric raised an eyebrow.
“Is something wrong?”
“Atlas is boasting about his childhood achievements.”
“He was four years old when he managed to do that.”
Lucian looked at the Pokémon again.
“That didn’t help.”
Atlas closed his eyes with evident satisfaction.
They had continued training for another hour after receiving the report from the Astral Mountains.
Alaric refused to allow Lucian to use large amounts of psychic energy, so the exercise focused on precision and repetition.
Lift the stone.
Keep it stable.
Rotate it.
Lower it.
Rest.
Repeat.
The task appeared simple, but it demanded constant concentration.
Using his powers through intense emotion had been almost instinctive.
Controlling them consciously was entirely different.
Whenever Lucian applied too much force, the stone shot away.
When he used too little, it barely trembled.
Whenever he thought about more than one thing, his energy dispersed.
After several dozen attempts, he managed to lift the stone and slowly rotate it.
A system notification appeared.
[Psychic Control increased.]
[Deficient → Basic Low.]
Lucian smiled.
It was the first time he had witnessed a change in his own information.
He had not received experience points or an instantaneous improvement.
The system had simply recognized progress he had achieved through training.
That confirmed another of his suspicions.
The system could help him, but it would not train in his place.
“We’re finished for now,” Alaric said.
“I can still continue.”
Atlas raised one of his spoons.
Lucian felt the pressure surrounding his mind disappear.
He had not realized that the Pokémon had been maintaining an additional protective layer around him.
The moment the barrier vanished, exhaustion struck him.
His legs lost their strength, and he had to place one hand on the table for support.
Alaric caught him before he could fall.
“That,” he explained, “is why I do not trust a five-year-old child’s opinion regarding his own limits.”
“Atlas was hiding the exhaustion.”
“He was preventing the pain from interfering with the exercise. The exhaustion is still yours.”
Lucian accepted his help without arguing.
Alaric led him to a bench beneath the shade of a nearby tree.
Atlas handed him a drink made from water, honey, and a small amount of Leppa Berry juice.
Lucian drank slowly.
“When do we begin working on the mental barrier?”
“After lunch.”
“That leaves us with less than three days.”
“It leaves us with exactly the amount of time I decided to give you.”
Alaric reviewed his notes.
“Your problem is not the amount of energy you possess. For someone who has only just awakened, your reserves are considerable. Your problem is that you are attempting to control it as if it were something external.”
“Because it feels external.”
“For now. You will learn to recognize it as an extension of your mind.”
“And the barrier?”
“You do not construct it by gathering energy in front of yourself like a wall. You must begin by recognizing where your thoughts end and where those of others begin.”
Lucian remembered Elena’s emotions, Atlas’s nostalgia, and the Beldum’s fear.
“That doesn’t sound simple.”
“It isn’t.”
“How long did it take you to learn?”
Alaric closed his notebook.
“I never awakened psychic powers. Everything I know comes from family records and decades of training alongside Atlas.”
Lucian looked at the Alakazam.
“Then he will be the one actually teaching me.”
“I will design the exercises.”
“And he will prevent my brain from melting.”
“In less scientific terms, yes.”
Lucian finished his drink.
A figure came running from the gardens.
Elena wore a straw hat, boots covered in dirt, and carried a basket filled with Berries.
Mrs.
Mara followed behind her at a much more reasonable pace.
“Lucian!”
“Don’t run with the basket,” Mara warned.
The girl ignored the advice, tripped over a root, and pitched forward.
The basket escaped from her hands.
Lucian reacted instinctively.
Violet light surrounded the container before it could strike the ground.
The basket remained suspended in the air, and several Berries that had flown out stopped around it.
Elena regained her balance.
Lucian slowly moved the basket until it rested on the bench.
Not a single piece of fruit fell.
The system appeared again.
[Successful use of telekinesis under pressure.]
[Psychic Control increased slightly.]
Alaric observed the basket before looking at his grandson.
“Interesting.”
“Was that better?”
“You did not launch the Berries at Elena. I will consider that an improvement.”
Elena approached the basket and picked up a Pecha Berry.
“I knew you could catch them.”
“You didn’t even know you were going to fall.”
“But you caught them.”
For her, that seemed to settle the matter.
Mara arrived a few seconds later.
She was a woman in her early fifties, with dark hair tied into a bun and the patience of someone who had spent many years caring for children, Pokémon, and stubborn members of the Starfall family.
She examined Elena’s knees.
“You aren’t hurt.”
“Lucian saved the Berries.”
“I was more worried about you than the Berries.”
“I’m fine too.”
Mara looked at Alaric.
“I suppose that means the training is working.”
“It means he responded correctly once.”
“In that case, make sure you tell him. Children also need to hear when they have done something well.”
Alaric remained silent.
Lucian hid a smile.
Mara was one of the few people on the island who could scold the former Elite Four candidate without showing the slightest fear.
“Good work,” Alaric finally said.
“Thank you.”
“Now rest.”
The approval had not lasted long, but Lucian decided to accept it.
The real training began after lunch.
Atlas led Lucian to a circular room beneath the library.
The walls were covered with plates of dark metal that blocked external psychic interference.
At the center were two cushions, and an ancient symbol of the Starfall family had been engraved into the floor.
An eight-pointed star surrounded by two rings.
Alaric activated several soft lights around the chamber.
“This room was once used to train children who awakened psychic abilities.”
Lucian studied the metal plates.
“When was the last time?”
“Eighty-seven years ago.”
“Then none of the people in the recent photographs used this room.”
“Not for its original purpose.”
Alaric brushed a thin layer of dust from one of the plates.
“My grandmother was the last Starfall to manifest the gift. She could communicate with her Pokémon from several miles away.”
“Did you know her?”
“She died when I was very young. I only have a few pictures and her journals.”
“Are they inside the protected archive?”
“Yes.”
“I want to read them.”
“If you complete your training, I will allow you to read the first volume.”
Lucian immediately sat on one of the cushions.
“You could have started with that.”
Alaric shook his head.
Atlas took his place across from him.
“The first exercise consists of recognizing your own thoughts,” Alaric explained.
“Atlas will project simple emotions. You must identify them and separate them from what you are feeling.”
“What happens if I fail?”
“Nothing during the initial stages. Later, he will increase the pressure.”
Lucian closed his eyes.
At first, he felt nothing.
Then a sudden happiness appeared within him.
It was not connected to any particular thought.
It simply existed, powerful and artificial.
“Happiness.”
The emotion disappeared.
It was replaced by sadness.
“Sadness.”
Fear.
“Fear.”
Anger.
“Anger.”
The first examples were easy.
Then Atlas began combining them.
Happiness mixed with concern.
Sadness mixed with relief.
Fear combined with determination.
Lucian needed more time to identify them.
During the final exercise, he felt a deep sense of loss accompanied by quiet pride.
He thought about the family photograph.
“Nostalgia,” he answered.
“But it isn’t an artificial emotion. It belongs to you.”
Atlas opened his eyes.
Alaric stopped writing.
The emotion immediately disappeared.
“Are you certain?” the elderly man asked.
“It’s the same thing I felt this morning when Atlas looked at the photograph.”
Alakazam slowly nodded.
Alaric wrote something down.
“Your sensitivity is greater than I expected.”
“Is that good?”
“It can be. It also means you will have more difficulty ignoring the emotions of others.”
Lucian opened his eyes.
“Then I’ll need to build a better barrier.”
“Exactly.”
The second exercise was more complicated.
Alaric asked Lucian to choose a memory capable of representing his identity.
He had to use it as the central point around which he would organize his thoughts.
Lucian immediately discovered the problem.
His identity did not belong exclusively to this world.
He possessed memories of another life, another home, and another family.
He knew stories that, to the people of this world, had not happened yet.
At times, even he found it difficult to decide whether he thought like Lucian Starfall or the person he had been before his reincarnation.
He could not show those memories to Atlas.
No matter how much he trusted the Pokémon, he was not ready to share his secret.
He searched for something more recent.
He remembered the first time Alaric had held him after a nightmare.
He remembered Elena taking his hand while they explored the gardens and the first time a wild Ponyta had allowed him to approach.
He thought about the mansion, the orchards, the breeding center, and the mountains.
They were not borrowed memories from his previous life.
They belonged to Lucian Starfall.
Violet light began to surround him.
“Do not attempt to push everything else away,” Alaric said.
“Simply define what you are.”
Lucian took a deep breath.
I am Lucian Starfall.
Energy spread around his mind.
At first, it took the form of an uneven layer.
Some areas were too thick, while others were almost nonexistent.
Atlas projected an emotion of fear.
The barrier opened.
Fear entered, and Lucian lost his concentration.
“Again,” Alaric ordered.
Lucian rebuilt the defense.
Atlas used sadness.
The barrier endured for two seconds.
Then it shattered.
“Again.”
The third attempt lasted four seconds.
The fifth reached ten.
On the eighth, Lucian maintained the barrier for almost half a minute before a wave of anger broke through his defenses.
By the end of the session, he was covered in sweat and felt as if he had spent hours solving mathematics problems without rest.
“How long?” he asked.
“Twenty-eight seconds.”
“I need ten minutes.”
“Not today.”
Lucian tried to protest, but Atlas gently tapped him with one of his spoons again.
“I’m beginning to think you enjoy doing that.”
The Pokémon smiled.
During dinner, Elena attempted to interrogate him about the training.
Lucian answered between bites while Alaric reviewed the reports from the mountain.
“Can you read thoughts?”
“Not exactly.”
Elena thought of something and leaned toward him.
“What number am I thinking about?”
Lucian observed her.
“Seven.”
Her eyes widened.
“Yes!”
“You always choose seven.”
“Again.”
Elena tightly closed her eyes.
“Three.”
“Yes!”
“That’s your second favorite number.”
She looked at him suspiciously.
“You’re cheating.”
“You asked me to guess.”
“I’ll choose a difficult one this time.”
Lucian sighed.
“Twenty-two.”
Elena’s mouth fell open.
“How did you know?”
“Your lips moved that time.”
Alaric placed the documents on the table.
“Do not attempt to read another person’s mind without permission.”
“I wasn’t.”
“I am speaking to both of you.”
Elena pointed toward Lucian.
“He can do it. I can’t.”
“Even so, I suspect you would find a way to try.”
After dinner, Lucian spent an hour in the library.
He did not receive access to the promised journals, but Alaric gave him a book about mental discipline written by one of their ancestors.
It was an ancient text filled with observations and breathing exercises.
The author insisted that a barrier should never be constructed from fear.
A completely closed mind could protect itself from external influences, but it would also lose the ability to establish deep bonds with its Pokémon.
The objective was not to raise an impenetrable wall.
It was to build a door whose owner could decide when to open it.
Lucian repeated that sentence several times before going to sleep.
That night, he dreamed of the Beldum again.
There were no words or clear images.
Only a distant feeling of cold.
When he awakened, the system displayed new information within the primary mission.
[Progress: 11%.]
The second day was more difficult.
Alaric added physical exercises to his routine.
Lucian had to run around the field, maintain his balance on moving platforms, and control his breathing while Atlas projected minor mental distractions.
“What does running have to do with building a barrier?” he asked after the fifth lap.
“You will not remain comfortably seated on a cushion while in the mountains.”
“I was expecting a more scientific answer.”
“You must maintain control while your body is tired, frightened, or under pressure.”
That made sense, although Lucian had no intention of admitting it while his legs were aching.
During one of the breaks, he used Analysis on several Berries Mara had brought to the field.
The system identified their quality, ripeness, and primary uses.
Some of the Pecha Berries were more effective for treating mild toxins.
One Cheri Berry possessed a higher-than-average concentration of energy, while an Oran Berry had begun developing an internal infection that was impossible to detect from the outside.
Alaric cut the fruit open and confirmed the existence of a small dark spot near its center.
“A young Pokémon could have become ill after consuming this,” he said.
“The system recommended destroying it.”
“Do so.”
Lucian had not expected an ability capable of evaluating extraordinary talents to find its first truly useful application in a damaged piece of fruit.
But that was also part of a breeder’s work.
It was not always about discovering rare Pokémon or creating revolutionary methods.
Sometimes, protecting a life depended on recognizing a spoiled Berry.
That afternoon, Lucian managed to maintain his barrier for two minutes and fourteen seconds.
Atlas slightly increased the pressure.
The defense collapsed immediately.
“That wasn’t fair.”
Alakazam raised an eyebrow.
“Will your opponents warn you before attacking with greater strength?” Alaric asked.
“I’m beginning to understand why you and Professor Oak are rivals.”
“Oak would have turned this lesson into a two-hour lecture.”
“You turned it into two days of torture.”
“That is why my method is more efficient.”
That night, Elena found Lucian practicing on one of the balconies.
He had placed three small stones along the railing and was attempting to keep them floating while reinforcing his mental barrier.
“Your grandfather said you needed to rest.”
One of the stones fell.
Lucian managed to catch it before it struck the ground.
“I’m resting from the difficult exercises.”
“That still looks like training.”
Elena sat beside him.
For a moment, they remained silent as they watched the lights of the breeding center.
Several Growlithe patrolled the paths alongside the caretakers, while a group of Oddish hid among the nocturnal crops.
“Are you afraid to go to the mountain?” she asked.
Lucian took a moment to answer.
“Yes.”
“You don’t look scared.”
“I can be afraid without running away.”
Elena swung her legs over the edge of the seat.
“I would be very scared.”
“That’s why you aren’t coming.”
“I know.”
She did not argue that time.
She removed something from the pocket of her jacket and placed it in Lucian’s hand.
It was a small blue ribbon.
“What is this?”
“So you remember to come back.”
“I don’t think a mountain can make me forget where I live.”
“It isn’t to remember the house.”
Elena pointed toward the ribbon and then toward herself.
“It’s so you remember me.”
Lucian stopped smiling.
He tied the ribbon around his wrist.
“I couldn’t forget you even if I tried.”
Elena appeared satisfied.
“Good. Because if you don’t come back, I’ll go looking for you.”
“That is exactly what you must not do.”
“Then you’d better come back.”
Before leaving, she hugged him tightly.
Lucian felt her concern.
He did not invade her mind.
The emotion reached him through the natural bond that existed between them.
Instead of blocking it, he accepted it.
That was what the book had been trying to teach him.
A barrier was not meant to isolate him from the world.
It allowed him to choose.
Violet light appeared around his body.
All three stones stabilized at the same time.
The system released a notification.
[Partial understanding achieved.]
[Basic Mental Barrier acquired.]
Lucian closed his eyes.
For the first time since his awakening, every external voice disappeared.
Not because Atlas had created a defense around him.
The barrier was his.
On the third day, Alaric brought Lucian back to the underground chamber.
Atlas was waiting at the center.
“The test will last ten minutes,” Alaric explained.
“Atlas will gradually increase the pressure. If he believes your mind is at risk at any point, he will end the exercise.”
“Understood.”
“You do not need to defeat him. You only need to preserve your identity and prevent his emotions from becoming mixed with your own.”
Lucian sat across from Alakazam.
He touched the blue ribbon tied around his wrist.
Then he closed his eyes.
I am Lucian Starfall.
He remembered Alaric’s voice.
Elena’s laughter.
The island’s paths.
The Pokémon in the breeding center.
The mansion that was far too large for the few people still living in it.
He also remembered his previous life.
This time, he did not try to hide it from himself.
It was part of him, even if no one else could know about it yet.
Two lives.
One mind.
The barrier rose.
Atlas began with light pressure.
Happiness, sadness, fear, and anger struck the defense.
Lucian recognized them but did not allow them to enter.
The intensity increased.
False images appeared.
The mountain collapsing.
The Beldum vanishing into the darkness.
Elena crying.
Alaric turning his back on him.
Lucian felt the barrier tremble.
They aren’t real.
An image of the empty mansion appeared before him.
The paintings had disappeared, and the gardens were abandoned.
A voice assured him that he would be the last Starfall.
Lucian clenched his fists.
Perhaps he would be.
That did not mean he would remain alone.
His psychic energy flowed through the barrier and closed the cracks.
The pressure increased again.
Lucian stopped hearing the outside world.
He did not know how much time had passed.
He could only feel Atlas striking his defenses from different angles, searching for a weakness.
Lucian did not turn his mind into an unmoving fortress.
He imagined the door described in the book.
He allowed some emotions to brush against the surface and rejected those that attempted to dominate him.
The pressure disappeared.
Lucian kept the barrier raised.
He waited.
Finally, Alaric’s voice reached him from the outside.
“You can open your eyes.”
Lucian did so.
Atlas remained seated across from him.
Alaric was holding a stopwatch.
“Ten minutes and thirty-seven seconds.”
Lucian let his shoulders fall.
Exhaustion struck immediately, but this time, he did not lose his balance.
A screen appeared.
[Secondary Mission Completed.]
[The First Step of a Psychic]
[Primary Objective Completed.]
[Additional Objective Completed.]
[Reward Obtained: Basic Telepathy Technique.]
[Additional Reward Obtained: Crystal of Mental Clarity.]
[The rewards have been deposited in Storage.]
New information appeared inside his mind.
It was neither an overwhelming collection of memories nor instantaneous mastery.
It was an organized explanation of how to form a mental message, direct it toward a target willing to receive it, and maintain the connection without exposing the rest of his thoughts.
Lucian would still need to practice.
But now, he knew the path.
“I did it,” he said.
Alaric nodded.
“You fulfilled the condition.”
“Then I’m going to the mountains.”
“We leave tomorrow at dawn.”
Lucian rose to his feet.
“Who is coming?”
“Atlas, my Metagross, two breeding center guards, and me. We will meet the guardian of the pass before entering the colony’s territory.”
“What kind of Pokémon is it?”
“You will find out tomorrow.”
Alaric walked toward the door.
“Prepare durable clothing, water, and only what you can carry by yourself. I will handle the provisions and equipment.”
Lucian followed him.
“How long will the expedition take?”
“If everything goes well, we will return on the same day.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
Alaric stopped.
“Then it will depend on what we find there.”
The following morning, the island was still covered in darkness when Lucian arrived in the main courtyard.
He wore mountain boots, durable trousers, a dark blue jacket, and a small backpack.
The ribbon Elena had given him remained tied around his wrist.
Alaric was already waiting for him.
Atlas floated by his side.
Behind them stood an enormous Metagross.
Its steel body reflected the light from the lamps, and an ancient scar crossed part of the golden X on its face.
Lucian instinctively activated Analysis.
[Metagross]
[Name: Asterion]
[Insufficient Information.]
[The difference in Strength exceeds the current capacity of Analysis.]
Asterion’s red eyes focused on him.
Lucian immediately deactivated the system.
“I suppose he noticed it too.”
“Naturally,” Alaric answered.
“Asterion has been with me for more than forty years. Very few things happen around him without his notice.”
Elena appeared at the mansion’s entrance with Mara.
She was still wearing her nightgown beneath a coat.
She ran toward Lucian and hugged him.
“Remember the ribbon.”
“I’m wearing it.”
“And don’t make the mountain explode.”
“I’ll try to avoid it.”
“Don’t try. Avoid it.”
Lucian smiled.
“I’ll return before you have time to miss me.”
“I already miss you.”
He did not immediately find an answer.
Alaric waited without rushing them.
Finally, Lucian separated from Elena and walked toward his grandfather.
The courtyard gates opened.
Beyond them began the path leading toward the center of Celestia Island.
Toward the Astral Mountains.
Toward the Beldum colony.
And toward the voice that had spent three nights calling to him among the stars.
Asterion lowered his enormous body so Alaric and Lucian could climb aboard.
Lucian sat behind his grandfather.
Atlas floated beside them as the two guards approached on their respective Pokémon.
When Metagross rose into the air, the mansion began to grow smaller.
Lucian stared at the cloud-covered mountains.
Something awakened in the depths.
A weak presence brushed against his new mental barrier.
This time, Lucian did not allow it to pass through his defenses without restraint.
He opened a small door.
He formed his first telepathic message and sent it toward that lonely presence.
“I’m on my way.”