When I jolted upright amid the pure white bedding, I found myself in what seemed to be an inn room. Gentle sunlight streamed through the window, bathing me in its warmth. My backpack and six Poké Balls sat on a table nearby. Inside the Poké Balls, my companions were all sleeping peacefully.
Was it only a dream? I wondered forlornly as I sat on the edge of the bed. Yet when I packed my things to leave, I discovered a pure white Poké Ball, decorated with nothing but a straight red line, resting quietly in a corner of my backpack. I couldn't see inside through its surface, and pressing the button in the center did nothing. It was as though it were a broken Poké Ball, or perhaps just a souvenir I had stowed away at some forgotten point during my long journey.
Remembering that morning's dream, I smiled and tucked the Poké Ball back into the corner of my backpack. After paying for the room, Vaporeon and I stepped through the inn's wooden doors to the pleasant chime of a bell. Gazing at the sunlit street and the trees swaying gently in the breeze on either side, Vaporeon and I stretched contentedly. Then, getting our bearings, we set off toward the next town.
Whatever happened, our journey would continue.
Unbroken mountains, sheer cliffs, and desolate valleys formed a rugged, winding ridgeline, painting a landscape at once magnificent, bleak, and timeless.
"A great wind rises, the clouds fly high; my might spans the realm, I return home in glory. Where shall I find brave warriors to guard the four corners?" Along a narrow ridgeline, a man in a martial arts uniform slowly climbed the winding mountain path. Beside him walked a massive beast clad in steel armor, two sharp steel