"Man, he's definitely a strange Zorua," Calvin muttered, crouching down to eye the little fox perched comfortably on the park bench. The longer he observed it, the more questions bubbled up.

  The color was off. The symbols etched faintly across its fur were unrecognizable. Its mane and tail looked like a fusion of both known Zorua forms. Hell, it was even hard to tell if it was the same type at all.

  Alphen rubbed the back of his head, sighing. He'd spent the whole night trying to make sense of the unexpected gift and the cryptic note his sister left behind.

  "Has Celestia—sorry, Celeste—reached out to you since then?" Calvin asked, correcting himself. Everyone in the region called her by her title now: Celestia, the Radiant Star.

  Alphen shook his head. "Not at all. She usually gets back to me pretty quick."

  Which was strange.

  Over the years, life had quietly steered them down different paths. They didn’t talk much—not because of any fallout, but because the world had its way of keeping them busy. Alphen had accepted that her journey took priority. Still, they always tried to find their way back to one another whenever they could.

  He let out another frustrated sigh. "I can’t even figure out what the note means."

  Zorua looked up at him, its glowing eyes calm and curious. Their gazes met, like they were still figuring each other out.

  "Hey, didn’t you just get a Pokédex?" Alphen asked.

  "Oh—yeah! Good idea." Calvin pulled the device from his pocket and pointed it at the Pokémon.

  Zorua. Species identified… error—variation unknown. This specimen does not match any recorded regional forms. Typing: unregistered. Behavior and abilities—data inconclusive. Further research required. Warning: this Pokémon exhibits traits not documented in current databases.

  "Damn it!" Alphen muttered under his breath.

  "Makes you wonder where she found him," Calvin said. "So... what are you gonna do?"

  Alphen glanced at Zorua again, who now watched him quietly. Furrowing his brow, he shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe give him to a professor or a student who actually knows what they’re doing. I mean, I’m not a trainer. I wouldn’t even know where to start."

  "What the hell kind of Zorua is that?" a new voice cut in.

  They both turned. A guy about their age stood nearby, eyes fixed on the small Pokémon with a hungry look. His tousled dirty-blonde hair and cold stare didn’t help the unease settling in Alphen’s chest.

  "Do you need something?" Alphen asked, trying to steady his voice. Zorua immediately leapt onto his shoulder, clinging to him.

  "Yeah, I do," the stranger said. "I want that Zorua."

  "He’s not for sale."

  "You were just talking about giving him away," the guy smirked. "Why keep a Pokémon you can’t even handle?"

  Alphen’s eyes narrowed at him. Sure, he’d admitted he wasn’t cut out to be a trainer—but he wasn’t going to hand Zorua over to just anyone.

  "Back off, man," Calvin snapped. His Litten stepped forward, hissing. "This has nothing to do with you."

  "Oh, but I think it does," the stranger grinned, tossing a Pokéball into the air.

  It burst open, revealing a massive Tyrantrum that landed with a quake. Its roar shook the ground.

  "Shit," Alphen cursed under his breath. Calvin might’ve had battle experience, but Litten wasn’t going to do much against a beast like that.

  "I’ll take you both on," the stranger said. "Tyrantrum—Ancient Power!"

  Chunks of rock levitated and launched toward them.

  Alphen and Calvin dove to opposite sides, clutching their Pokémon. The attack shattered the bench behind them with destructive force.

  "You could’ve hit us, asshole!" Alphen shouted. Zorua leapt from his arms, growling.

  "Litten, Ember!" Calvin commanded, wasting no time.

  Litten launched fiery sparks at Tyrantrum, who took the hit with little more than a scoff.

  "Wow! You guys suck!” the guy laughed.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Zorua turned to Alphen expectantly. He was waiting—for a command. Alphen’s heart pounded.

  What do I do?

  "Iron Head, Tyrantrum!"

  Zorua didn’t flinch. He opened his mouth and summoned a strange ball of dark and white energy, hurling it forward. It struck Tyrantrum head-on, exploding in smoke and pushing the beast back several feet.

  "Was that... Shadow Ball?" Calvin asked.

  "No," Alphen murmured. "It was... something else!" It looked vastly different from a typical Shadow Ball, unlike anything he had seen.

  Tyrantrum snarled, now fully enraged.

  "Stone Edge—"

  A burst of blue light streaked in from the side, slamming into Tyrantrum and sending it crashing several yards away. It barely managed to get back on his feet weakly.

  Everyone turned. A girl and her Lucario stood nearby, Lucario’s hand still raised. Her hazel eyes narrowed.

  "That’s enough, Jace."

  Jace's eyes glared heavily at her. "Nice to see you too, Lyrielle," He sneered. "What brings you here?"

  "Nothing you need to worry about," she snapped. "I think you should leave. Unless you're ready to get a second ass beating this week.”

  He scoffed, returning his Tyrantrum. "Next time, sweetheart."

  He gave a final look to Alphen and Zorua. "I’ll be seeing both your cute faces sometime soon.”

  As he walked off, the tension began to fade. Alphen and his friend could feel their bodies finally relax.

  "You guys okay?" Lyrielle asked, approaching calmly. Her Lucario stayed alert.

  "You couldn’t have shown up at a better time," Calvin laughed, Litten back on his shoulder.

  "Thanks to you, yeah," Alphen added, still catching his breath. "Do you know that guy?"

  Lyrielle rolled her eyes at the question. "Unfortunately you could say that. We started our journeys around the same time. He’s a pain in the ass every time."

  "Well, thanks for saving us. I’m Alphen. This is Calvin and his Litten."

  "Nice to meet you both," she smiled, but her gaze drifted to Zorua. "He’s... different. Where did you find him?"

  Alphen gave a nervous laugh. "Kind of a weird story..."

  —

  “Your sister is THE Celestia?” Lyrielle’s question came out breathless, her hazel eyes wide with disbelief. Even her Lucario looked stunned.

  “Yes!” Alphen confirmed.

  “And you're not a trainer?!”

  “Exactly what I’ve been saying!” Calvin added eagerly.

  Alphen sighed, tilting his head back. “Yeah, yeah—I know. I just never got into it like she did.”

  The group made their way down the sidewalk, Lyrielle having agreed to walk with them in case that jerk from earlier returned. But truthfully, she was also intrigued by the story Alphen had started telling.

  Zorua walked beside him, occasionally brushing against his leg as they neared Calvin's house. The sun dipped lower in the sky, painting the clouds gold and violet.

  “Why would she give you a Pokémon then?” Lyrielle asked, brows furrowing. “Especially one that's just so strangely different?"

  “I don’t know,” Alphen said with a shrug. “Doesn’t make sense to me either. She left this note too.” He reached into his pocket and handed her the folded piece of paper.

  “‘Where the darkest of stars shine,’” Lyrielle read aloud. “‘Awaits you at the bottom?’”

  She stopped walking, her expression sharpening as she looked at Alphen. “What if she means the bottom of the Great Beyond?”

  “The pit?” Calvin’s jaw dropped.

  “There’s no way she’d want me to go somewhere that dangerous!” Alphen protested.

  “Think about it!” Lyrielle pointed toward the distant silhouette of the jagged mountains. “If she's referring to the bottom of the pit, it lines up. And as far as anyone knows, no one’s ever come back from the bottom. We don’t know what’s really down there. What if this Zorua is the ‘darkest of stars’?”

  Alphen started to reply but stopped himself. Her theory wasn’t as far-fetched as it first sounded. It would explain the strange move Zorua used against Jace’s Tyrantrum.

  “I guess it could explain his typing and abilities,” Alphen admitted.

  “Almost like a Void type?” Calvin mentioned. “If some Pokémon here can use Astral energy, then maybe this Zorua’s like... Void. Like a counterpart.”

  “If that’s true, why would she want me to go into the Great Beyond?” Alphen asked.

  Lyrielle shrugged. “It’s just a theory. But everyone knows only trainers capable of facing the Elite Four can go that deep into the pit.”

  The Elite Four of the Astryn Region were known to be notoriously... unstable. Most trainers who got the chance to meet them often stated they were a little crazy in the head. Each of them specialized in some sort of theme, rather than a single type.

  There was Pandora, the Omenweaver. Lucid, the Dream Phantom. Artorias, the Revenant Blade. Valtheron, the Scales of Ruin.

  And Celestia—the Radiant Star of Astryn. His sister.

  The Elite Four were known for descending into the Great Beyond. And few who entered ever returned. Some called it the Gate to All Worlds. Others simply called it suicide.

  “I guess it makes sense,” Alphen said quietly, glancing at Zorua trotting beside him. Maybe that’s why Celestia hadn’t written back.

  “If that’s what she means, would you go?” Lyrielle asked.

  Alphen chuckled weakly. “I’m not a trainer. I wouldn’t last a day.”

  “You and me both!” Calvin laughed. He spotted his house just a few blocks away. “Anyway, I’ll catch you guys later this week. Thanks again, Lyrielle.”

  “Of course!”

  “Later, man.”

  As Calvin waved and turned down his street, Alphen turned to Lyrielle. “I can walk home from here.”

  “You sure?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I’m just a few blocks that way.” Zorua hopped up onto his shoulder again, earning a small wince from Alphen. He wasn't quite used to having a tiny creature dangle on his arm.

  “Thanks again for saving us,” he added sincerely.

  “Well, if you say so.” Lyrielle extended a hand to shake his. “Also…”

  “Hm?”

  She glanced at Zorua, then back to him. “You should think about going into the Great Beyond. If my sister left me something like that… I’d want to know why.”

  “I already said I wouldn’t survive,” he said with a small, sheepish laugh.

  “If you decide to, I’ll go with you,” she offered.

  Alphen stared at her, dumbfounded. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am!” she grinned. “I’ve always wanted to see what’s down there. And now? That little guy makes me even more curious.” She scratched gently behind Zorua’s ear, earning a pleased purr.

  “I don’t know…” Alphen exhaled slowly. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Good,” she said, handing him a slip of paper with her number. “Let me know. I mean it.”

  “Thank you, Lyrielle.”

  “Call me Elle,” she added with a small wave. She and Lucario turned to walk the other direction, disappearing into the orange haze of the evening.

  Alphen stood still, holding her number. His thoughts spun as the weight of the day settled in. Zorua gave him a little lick on the cheek.

  “Yeah… I’ve got a lot to think about.”

  He turned and made his way home beneath the fading light, Zorua nestled against his shoulder like he belonged there all along.