As the Grand Diviner of the Luofu, Fu Xuan's intuition was her sharpest blade. Even in a digital simulation, she gravitated toward Psychic-type Pokémon, finding their mysterious, mind-bending powers a natural reflection of her own life's work.
However, she was no fool. To conquer the "Real Version" of Julian Reed's world, one needed versatility.
"This mission is island-based. Aerial mobility and aquatic displacement are mandatory," she murmured, adjusting her belt. "Psychic foresight to bypass environmental traps... and I must continue honing my Gengar's shadows. If I am to eventually eclipse Mewtwo, I cannot rely on raw power alone."
With her team finalized, Fu Xuan mounted her Pidgeot. The bird's wings beat with a rhythmic hum, cutting through the air at speeds that rivaled a standard Star Skiff.
"We're entering the coordinate zone," she noted.
Ahead, the sea was an unnerving mirror—flat, sapphire blue, and perfectly calm. It contradicted every warning the researcher had given. Fu Xuan didn't hesitate; she closed her eyes and performed a mental divination, tracing the digital ley lines of the game's code.
"Fortune is a shifting tide... a formidable wall stands between the seeker and the sun. Break the predicament, and the clouds part. Remain trapped, and the stars themselves shall drift out of alignment..."
As the final syllable left her lips, the world screamed.
The sapphire sea turned into a churning cauldron of black ink. The sky didn't just darken; it collapsed, thick clouds pressing down with the weight of a mountain. Lightning spider-webbed across the horizon, and a gale-force wind threatened to pluck Fu Xuan right off her saddle.
"Found you!" she shouted over the roar of the storm. Her eyes weren't filled with fear, but with the spark of a true hunter of The Hunt. In this world, weather this unnatural could only mean one thing: a Legend.
Snap!
A bolt of jagged white lightning lanced toward her. Pidgeot, sensing the ozone-heavy air, banked hard to the left just as the strike vaporized the space they had occupied.
"Pidgeot, dive! We can't hold the sky!"
The bird swooped toward the white-capped waves. With the fluid grace of a high-ranking official, Fu Xuan drew two Poké Balls simultaneously. In one motion, she recalled her exhausted flyer and released her Blastoise.
Splash!
A massive swell immediately swallowed them. Fu Xuan choked on a mouthful of brine before Blastoise's powerful arms hauled her to the surface.
"Alakazam, out!" she gasped, coughing up water. "Blastoise, push for the shore! Alakazam, use Confusion to anchor the waves!"
The two Pokémon responded instantly. Alakazam's spoons glowed with a violet light, creating a telekinetic buffer that held back the worst of the crashing surf. But the current was sentient; it seemed to be actively pushing them away from the island's heart.
Fu Xuan watched the rhythm of the tides. "It's a cycle," she realized. "The outward push is followed by a vacuum. We ride the backflow!"
As the next mountain of water peaked, Fu Xuan pointed forward. "Blastoise, turn! Use Hydro Pump behind us, now!"
The turtle Pokémon swiveled and unleashed a high-pressure torrent of water. Combined with the receding tide, the recoil propelled them like a torpedo across the reef. After three more perfectly timed bursts, they slammed onto the sandy shore of the island.
The moment Fu Xuan's boots hit the sand, the storm vanished. The sun returned, the birds chirped, and the air turned sweet and floral. The transition was so seamless it felt like a slap in the face.
Fu Xuan shook the water from her hair, looking at her Blastoise. "To think... I, the Grand Diviner, would find such thrill in a simple puzzle of physics and timing."
She realized then the true charm of Julian's creation. Without the Path of Erudition or her physical authority, she was just a girl and her friends against the world. The sense of accomplishment was intoxicating.
"Business first," she said, straightening her robes. "I will be the first to document this phantom."
She stepped into the sparse jungle. The island was eerily quiet—no Rattata in the brush, no Caterpie on the leaves. Only a single, common Pidgey sat on a low branch, watching her.
Fu Xuan circled the island twice. Nothing.
"Strange. Why is there no life here except for..." She stopped, her eyes narrowing as she looked back at the Pidgey. It was still there, tilting its head. "If there are no other Pokémon on this island, then where did you come from?"
Her mind raced. Abilities like Ditto's transformation? Or something more divine?
"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump on that bird!"
The Pidgey chirped, leaping into the air with impossible speed to dodge the jet of water. Mid-flight, its form blurred and glowed. The brown feathers vanished, replaced by a sleek, pink, feline body with a long, elegant tail and large, curious blue eyes.
It looked like a smaller, softer, much cuter version of the terrifying Mewtwo.
Fu Xuan gasped, pulling out her Pokédex.
[Mew — LV70]
[Type: Psychic | Ability: Synchronize]
[The Mythical Pokémon. A creature so rare its existence is doubted by most. It is said to contain the genetic composition of all Pokémon and can master any move in existence.]
The little pink creature covered its mouth with its paws and let out a tinkling, bell-like giggle. Fu Xuan stared at the screen, then at the floating myth.
"Genetic ancestor..." she whispered. "Mewtwo's parent? Or perhaps... the original that the IPC's 'God' was copied from?"
The first major secret of the Pokémon world had finally been unsealed.
30+ chapters are available now and daily updates! @patreon.com/AgentTwilight