The balance Cyrus had been studying in theory was now unfolding before him—though he didn't know it yet. Just beyond Hau'oli's outskirts, another story was beginning to move through golden grass.
The grasslands shimmered under the afternoon sun, a living ocean of gold. Wind rustled softly through the reeds, bending them like waves, whispering of hidden nests and wild hearts.
Kina crouched low, breath measured, every muscle taut like a coiled spring. Ahead, at the edge of a shallow stream, stood her target — a Growlithe, its orange coat glowing like embers in the silver reflection of the water. It lapped slowly from the stone edge, ears twitching at every subtle shift in the breeze.
"Steady… just a few more steps," she murmured, voice barely audible above the hum of insects.
Her hand hovered over a worn Poké Ball, thumb pressing halfway against the release toggle. She'd been tracking this one since morning — not just any Growlithe, but the one locals called the Firetrack Phantom. A wild-born male, larger than most, marked by a streak of silver along its spine, said to have survived a lightning storm that wiped out its pack.
Kina didn't chase myths. She chased challenges. Her instincts told her this one wasn't just strong — it was aware.
Something slick and lilac shifted near her boot. Goomy, eyes soft and curious, inched forward through the damp grass with a faint squelch.
"Shhh… not yet," Kina whispered. One knee pressed into the soil. The humidity was perfect — enough to keep Goomy comfortable, enough to mask her scent. Everything aligned.
Until the world shattered with sound.
A sharp electronic chirp sliced the silence—mechanical, clean, unnatural.
Growlithe froze, nostrils flaring.
"No—no, no!" Kina lunged forward. "Goomy, Water Pulse!"
The soft, cooing dragon summoned a sphere of rippling water that shot through the reeds. It struck near Growlithe's paws—close, but not quite direct. The fire-type yelped, stumbling, breath quickening.
Kina saw her opening. "I've got it," she whispered, pulling a Poké Ball from her belt. It expanded with a click—
Then another beep. Louder. Closer.
Growlithe's head snapped toward the sound. With a snarl, it bolted, mud and reed dust spraying behind it, vanishing into the tall grass.
"Gah—!" Kina sprinted, frustration burning. The clearing was empty… except for that maddening, pulsing chirp.
She spun.
Standing beyond the reeds, a young man adjusted a wrist display linked to a hovering orb. The device hummed faintly, lights blinking as it projected holographic data across his forearm. His focus was absolute, entirely oblivious to her glare.
"So the humidity flux correlates with—oh. That explains the displacement signal," he murmured.
"Excuse me!" Kina's voice cut like a whip.
He blinked, startled. "Huh?"
"I had that Growlithe!" she snapped, striding through shallow water. "Do you have any idea what you just ruined?"
The stranger straightened. "I… might have triggered a frequency anomaly," he admitted, almost sheepish. "Testing environmental response equipment. Didn't mean to—"
"Didn't mean to?" Kina threw her hands up. "That was a once-in-a-season track! I've been following him since sunrise!"
The orb beside him blinked yellow, logging her rising tone. He sighed, tapping a control. The chirping stopped.
"I'm sorry," he said, calm but sincere. "I didn't realize anyone else was operating out here."
Kina folded her arms. "You didn't realize? You're walking through the wild with a beacon that sounds like a Magneton convention, and you didn't realize?"
Goomy let out a sympathetic burble, climbing her boot in damp protest. The man — unflappable, quiet, oddly analytical — regarded her more with curiosity than offense. His gaze measured things without needing to judge them.
"I'm Cyrus," he said finally, sarcasm curling his words like a smirk. "Field research. Mapping Pokémon populations. Elemental interactions. Basically, I poke at things until the universe grudgingly tells me its secrets."
"Kina," she replied tersely. "Trainer. I find Pokémon by instinct, not algorithms. And you're trespassing in my study area."
He blinked. "Study area? You're a researcher too?"
"Trainer," she repeated flatly. "I train them. You just scan them."
Before he could respond, the reeds shook violently. Both turned — Growlithe had returned, hackles raised, eyes locked on the still-glowing orb, flame flickering at its corners.
"Looks like he's angry," Kina said, dropping into stance. "Goomy, ready—"
"Wait," Cyrus said quickly, hands raising. "Vitals are unstable. If we force a fight—"
"Too late!"
Growlithe roared, launching a searing burst of flame that scorched the ground. Kina dove, shielding Goomy. Steam hissed where fire met wet earth.
"Goomy, Water Pulse!"
A sphere of rippling energy struck true this time. Growlithe staggered, panting, steam curling from fur.
"Cyrus, do something!" she shouted.
He hesitated, frowning at the chaos. "Hmm… yeah. Let me just… throw a pink blob at it. Brilliant strategy." Then he unclipped a Poké Ball.
"Ditto, go!"
The familiar pink mass emerged, bouncing, stretching, solidifying into a mirrored Growlithe, silver streak intact. Always free, always observing, Ditto mirrored the wild one perfectly.
They faced off—wild and clone, snarling, steam and embers swirling.
They lunged. Shockwave rolled through the grass as claws and flame met with mirrored precision.
Kina shielded her face. "Call it off! You're making it worse!"
"If I stop, it'll attack you!" Cyrus called back, scanning, muttering under his breath, "And I really didn't bring my superhero cape today."
"Then I'll stop it!"
She charged, boots slipping in mud, dropping near the panting Growlithe. Its eyes burned with exhaustion and confusion rather than rage. Her voice softened, low and steady.
"Hey… easy, boy. You don't have to fight anymore."
Growlithe's chest heaved, faint whimper beneath its growl.
"You're tired, huh?" Kina murmured, lowering her hand. "It's okay. You just want to be seen."
For a heartbeat, tension broke. Its ears flicked back, eyes softening. Kina moved smoothly, underhanding a Poké Ball.
It tapped Growlithe's paw. A flash of red. One rock. Two. Click.
Silence.
Steam drifted. Goomy slid closer, pressing its cool head to her wrist. Kina exhaled, shoulders relaxing.
Cyrus powered down his device. "Handled that well," he said, sarcasm in his tone but awe lingering. "I was about to suggest a slightly less dramatic method… but hey, your style works too."
Kina brushed dirt from her gloves, half-grinning. "You almost cost me that capture, you know."
"Yeah, yeah," he replied, smirk tugging at his mouth. "I've been observing the world like a lab for so long I forget it's alive. Thanks for reminding me it isn't all charts and graphs."
"You can't just measure wild things, Cyrus," she said, clipping the Poké Ball to her belt. "You have to feel them."
He nodded slowly. "Maybe I needed to see that… with my eyes, not my sensors."
For a long moment, only wind in the reeds. Two paths crossed by accident—each changed by the other's shadow.
Kina glanced at the distant city. "You coming back to town?"
He hesitated. "I should. Gear needs recalibration."
She smirked. "Then you can buy me a drink for ruining my morning."
Cyrus chuckled. "Deal. But only if I get to choose the poison. No Water Pulse cocktails, please."
They walked back, the grass swaying like a curtain closing. The Poké Ball at Kina's belt pulsed once—quiet, steady, alive.
For the first time in a long while, Cyrus felt something beyond data: a heartbeat in the wild, messy, unmeasured, utterly real.