Delia's voice had barely left her lips when everything around us seemed to tilt.

  People turned. Conversations ceased. Even the crackle of the bonfire felt distant.

  I stepped forward.

  "No… I haven't."

  Her hands trembled at her sides. Ashley rushed to her first, placing a steady hand on her back. Clancy hovered awkwardly, eyes wide. A few other aides and townsfolk closed in around her, murmuring words of comfort.

  Then Professor Oak approached us quickly.

  His face was grim and serious. He released his Alakazam, which floated beside him, its spoons raised and eyes glowing.

  I stepped aside to let them through.

  "Delia," Oak said gently, "take a breath. Tell me, when did you last see Ash?"

  Her voice cracked. "When we were getting ready, I told him we'd meet at the beach. I thought he was with Gary… I thought…"

  She squeezed her eyes shut, her shoulders shaking. "I didn't even check if he arrived."

  Oak's jaw tightened as he looked up at the sky.

  Then he looked back at her.

  He said quietly, "Gary is missing too."

  A ripple of dread swept through the people around us.

  Oak straightened, his voice suddenly sharp.

  "I'm going to track their trail. The police are already on their way."

  Before any of us could respond, Alakazam lifted its arms, and in an instant, they were gone, teleported, leaving only faint psychic energy where it had stood.

  The beach fell into a deep, heavy silence.

  Delia's knees buckled slightly, and Ashley and another woman caught her, guiding her toward a mat near the fire. They eased her down, murmuring softly.

  Delia wasn't crying, not yet. She looked… emptied. Hollow.

  I crossed my arms and sighed as I looked around.

  A few tense minutes later, headlights cut across the sand.

  A police jeep bounced down the slope, tires kicking up sand. It skidded to a stop, and two officers, Officer Jenny and a male patrolman, jumped out.

  They ran straight to Delia.

  "Ma'am," Jenny said, kneeling, "we need to know the last time you saw your son."

  Delia's gaze was unfocused and hollow.

  "Hours ago," she whispered. "Before we left for the beach. He said he'd meet Gary."

  Jenny softened. "We'll find them. I promise."

  Delia's face crumpled as guilt washed over her.

  "I should've checked. I should've..."

  "Ma'am." Jenny placed a steady hand on her arm. "This isn't your fault."

  Before Delia could respond, the male officer's radio crackled to life.

  "Dispatch to Unit Three: Oak's Arcanine picked up the boys' trail but lost it at the edge of the eastern forest. No other scents with them. Requesting all available units for search."

  Everyone nearby froze.

  The kids were in a forest at night, surrounded by wild Pokémon.

  Even though I hadn't been a Ranger for long, I understood the implications. Most missing-person cases in the forests ended the same way: bodies found days later or never at all.

  Jenny immediately stood up, her eyes sharp. "We're moving. Now."

  She turned toward the jeep, and I stepped forward.

  "I'm coming."

  She paused mid-step, eyebrows shooting up.

  "No. Absolutely not. You're a kid."

  I exhaled, pulled out my Ranger Nav, and flipped it open for her to see my ID.

  Her eyes widened.

  "Junior Ranger...? From Vermillion?"

  "Yes," I replied. "I have experience navigating forests. I can help."

  She hesitated for just a second, but it was enough.

  "Fine," she muttered. "Get in."

  Before I could move, Delia stumbled toward us.

  "No.... no, I'm coming too..."

  Jenny raised both hands. "Ma'am, you can't enter the forest. It's not safe..."

  "I don't care," Delia snapped, her voice cracking. "He's my son... "

  "Delia." I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "You need to stay here. Ash… Ash would want you to stay here."

  Her mouth trembled as she swayed slightly.

  A friend, one of the women from earlier, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, whispering reassurances.

  Delia's gaze finally dropped, and she nodded, tears welling as she looked at the officers and then at me.

  "Please…" she whispered. "Bring him home."

  I wasn't sure I should make that promise, but...

  I swallowed the knot in my throat.

  "I will."

  Jenny jerked her thumb toward the jeep. "Let's go."

  I climbed into the passenger seat beside the officer. Jenny took the driver's seat, and the other officer jumped onto the back step, gripping the rail.

  "Unit Three," Jenny barked into her radio. "Moving in for search."

  The jeep roared to life, tires spitting sand as we sped toward the eastern forest.

  The jeep skidded to a halt at the edge of the terrain, where the sand gave way to jagged rock.

  Jenny clicked her tongue. "We go on foot from here." She turned off the engine.

  I opened the door and hopped out, suddenly aware that I was still in swim trunks, a thin shirt, and my Ranger belt clipped hastily around my waist, with a flashlight I had borrowed from the officer.

  Not ideal for navigating a forest. Not even close.

  We jogged up the slope toward the tree line, flashlights cutting thin beams through the dark. The forest ahead was dense and black, the canopy swallowing the moonlight whole.

  Jenny raised her radio to her mouth.

  "Unit Three to Dispatch, beginning search from Sector Beach-South. Junior Ranger Arata joining the search effort."

  A crackle responded. "Confirmed. Proceed with caution."

  She lowered the radio, exhaled, then looked at me properly for the first time since we'd arrived as she reached for her Pokémon.

  "Release your mons."

  The male officer beside her nodded, already unclipping his Poké Ball. In two flashes of red light, a Growlithe, gloom, and a Machoke appeared, both alert, ears perked toward the treeline.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Jenny turned to me, concern etched on her face. "Are you sure you'll be okay? We'll need to split up to cover more ground. If you can't..."

  I tapped the balls at my hip.

  A tremor ran through the air as I released Caesar and Livia.

  Caesar landed with a heavy thud, his tusks glinting in the dim moonlight. Livia shook out her wings, her feathers catching the sparse light filtering through the clouds.

  Both officers stared.

  Jenny blinked twice. "Okay. Yeah, you're fine."

  The male officer muttered, "Arceus... thats a Dragon... "

  Jenny raised a hand to cut him off. "Enough Focus."

  Then, with a pointed look at

  me, she added, "Before we go in… avoid the rock caverns on the beach side. There's an old Charizard nesting there. Very territorial."

  I stopped mid-step. "A Charizard?"

  She shot me a side glance, as if it were obvious.

  "Yes, everyone in Pallet knows to avoid it."

  Great.

  The two officers split off, heading left and right into the trees. Growlithe sniffed the ground urgently while Machoke and Gloom followed their trainers into the forest.

  I watched their silhouettes fade between the trunks before turning to my partners.

  "Caesar. Livia."

  Both looked at me immediately.

  "Two kids are missing. Ash and Gary."

  Caesar's expression shifted at the mention of Ash, concern flickering in his eyes. His tail hit the ground once, hard.

  Livia stepped closer, her wings folding slightly as her gaze sharpened. A soft coo vibrated from deep in her chest.

  "I need you both with me," I said quietly. "We're going to find them."

  Caesar bared his teeth in a promise.

  Livia hopped back and spread her wings.

  "You'll have to search from above," I instructed. "Even if it's dark… try to find anything, alright?"

  She chirped sharply in affirmation, then launched into the air. Her wings cut through the night, stirring a chill in the air before she vanished above the tree canopy.

  I turned to Caesar.

  "Let's go."

  He nodded once and stepped forward, his claws slicing through vines and brush effortlessly. I followed closely behind, using his bulk as a living battering ram.

  The forest enveloped us instantly, branches scraping against my arms and legs. Caesar's low growl rumbled every few moments, warding off whatever lurked in the shadows.

  The deeper we ventured, the colder it became.

  Somewhere in the distance, a Noctowl hooted.

  I tightened my grip on the flashlight.

  I could still hear the faint sound of waves in the background, indicating that we were close to the edge of the forest.

  We continued searching for another thirty minutes.

  Nothing.

  No footprints. No signs of small children running through in panic. I kept glancing up at the canopy whenever a gap opened.

  Livia's silhouette circled far above, her wings cutting through the darkness.

  Still searching, still finding nothing.

  My jaw clenched.

  This wasn't working.

  I slowed to think, which almost proved to be a mistake.

  Something hissed.

  Instinct kicked in as I ducked.

  A string shot whizzed over my head, splattering against a tree trunk.

  "Caesar !"

  He was already in motion.

  A blur of dark green scales, a Dragon Claw flashed, a single clean

  strike, and a Spinarak dropped like dead weight.

  Then I noticed movement. Dozens of red eyes stared back at us from the branches above.

  "UP!"

  Caesar inhaled.

  The forest lit up with the sickly blue-green glow of Dragon Breath. The flames surged through the branches, and the Spinaraks screeched, scattering in every direction. The blast illuminated the dark forest like a flare.

  "Enough!" I hissed.

  Caesar snorted and stepped back toward me, satisfied.

  I looked up again, catching Livia's shadow circling, her flight pattern tight and tense.

  Still no sign of the boys.

  Two kids that young didn't wander into the forest by accident, and Oak's Arcanine hadn't picked up any other scent, so it wasn't a kidnapping.

  I squinted into the dark, trying to think.

  Where would Ash and Gary go?

  Didn't Ash want a Charmander in the anime?

  Jenny's earlier words about the Charizard echoed in my head.

  My stomach dropped.

  "…Oh no."

  I rubbed my face harshly.

  "Caesar, Livia, we're changing direction."

  Livia swooped lower, understanding filtering through our bond. Caesar huffed, his tusks twitching with alertness.

  I prayed that I was wrong. That Oak or the officers had already found the boys somewhere safer.

  But my instincts and the knot in my stomach said otherwise.

  We veered right, heading for the rocky slope. It took nearly twenty more minutes, scrambling over sharp stones and weaving around tide pools, the moonlight barely enough to prevent me from slipping.

  Finally, we reached a rise overlooking the sea cliffs.

  A cavern yawned open halfway down the rock face. Quiet. Still. Waves crashed below, sending mist into the air.

  It looked peaceful.

  Too peaceful.

  I exhaled shakily through my nose.

  "Maybe… maybe I'm wrong."

  But then...

  Both Livia and Caesar froze.

  Caesar's body tensed, every muscle going rigid. Livia landed silently beside me, her wings folded tightly, her pupils narrowed to slits.

  A heavy pressure filled the air, reminiscent of the heat before a wildfire.

  ROOOOAAAR !!.

  A deep sound that vibrated through the stone.

  The cavern trembled.

  My heart raced.

  "…Oh, shit."