Chapter 19: The Light of Dawn
Recap: Fang Yuan defeated the Wu Clan leader using his Moonlight Gu—his first and weakest Subject—and earned his fifth badge. Now he travels east toward the sea, where the sixth Gym Leader awaits.
---
The eastern road was long and winding.
Fang Yuan walked through forests of bamboo, across rivers of clear water, past villages that grew larger and busier with each passing day. The land here was rich, the people prosperous, the Gu plentiful. He captured as he walked—a Water Snake Gu in a stream, a Thunderbird Gu on a cliff, a Moss Gu in a cave—adding them to his growing collection.
But his mind was elsewhere.
The Moonlight Gu. It was different in the temple. Its light… it didn't just illuminate. It transformed.
He pulled out the Moonlight Gu's sphere and studied it. Through the translucent top, the silver insect floated serenely, its glow steady. It looked the same as always. But he knew it wasn't.
He opened its status screen.
Moonlight Gu
Type: Light
Rank: 1
Moves: Flash, Light Screen
Ability: Illuminate
Potential: ???
Fusion Compatibility: ???
Potential: Unknown. Fusion Compatibility: Unknown. The system doesn't know what it is anymore. Not since the temple.
He tucked the sphere back into his pocket and kept walking.
---
By evening, he reached the coast.
The sea stretched before him, vast and dark, its waves crashing against the cliffs below. The air was salt and spray, the wind cold, the sky clear. In the distance, a city rose from the water—a city of bridges and towers, its walls white, its banners blue.
Eastern Sea City. The capital of the water clans. The home of the sixth Gym Leader.
Fang Yuan stood on the cliffs, looking down at the city. It was beautiful, gleaming in the setting sun, its towers reflected in the calm waters of the harbor. But he knew what lay beneath the beauty. The sixth Gym Leader was Rank 5. A water specialist. Her Gu were said to be the strongest in the east.
I need a plan. I need more power. I need—
A soft chime interrupted his thoughts. The Ranch System was alerting him.
[Egg Hatching]
Your Light-type egg is ready to hatch.
Do you wish to witness the hatching?
He selected Yes.
The egg materialized before him, floating in the air, its white shell pulsing with a soft, golden light. Cracks appeared, spreading across the surface, and the light grew brighter, warmer. When the shell fell away, a creature emerged.
It was small—no larger than his hand—its body a swirl of silver and gold, its wings like petals, its eyes two points of light. It hovered in the air, its glow soft, and when it saw Fang Yuan, it chirped—a sound like wind chimes.
[Hatchling Acquired]
Name: Lumina Gu
Type: Light
Rank: 1
Moves: Flash, Light Screen, Heal Pulse
Ability: Illuminate
Potential: High
Heal Pulse. A healing move. Light type. This could be useful.
He placed the Lumina Gu in his active party, beside the Moonlight Gu. Two Light types. Two sources of illumination in the darkness of what was to come.
He descended the cliffs toward the city.
---
Eastern Sea City was alive with light.
Lanterns hung from every bridge, their flames reflected in the canals below. Music drifted from open windows, laughter from crowded taverns. The streets were filled with merchants, sailors, Gu Masters, all of them moving, talking, living.
Fang Yuan walked through it all, unnoticed, unremarkable. A boy in grey robes, his face young, his eyes old. No one looked at him twice.
He found an inn near the harbor, paid for a room, and sat by the window, watching the water.
The sixth Gym Leader was Shi Lei, the Tide Caller. Rank 5. Her Gu were a Rank 4 Sea Dragon, a Rank 3 Wave Gu, and a Rank 3 Storm Gu. She had never lost a match in thirty years. Her domain was the sea, and the sea was everywhere.
I can't beat her in the water. I need to fight on land. I need to draw her away from the sea.
He opened his Status screen.
TRAINER: Fang Yuan
Rank: 1 (Mortal)
Badges: 5/8
Primeval Stones: 681
Immortal Essence Stones: 0
Active Subjects: 13/36
Total Captures: 18
Key Subjects:
· Moonlight Gu (Light, Rank 1)
· Lumina Gu (Light, Rank 1)
· Stone Dragon Gu (Rock/Dragon, Rank 3)
· Wildfire Stallion (Fire, Rank 2)
· Thunderbird Gu (Electric/Flying, Rank 2)
· Water Snake Gu (Water, Rank 2)
· Moss Gu (Grass, Rank 1)
I have water. I have grass. I have electric. But against a Rank 4 Sea Dragon, they're not enough. I need something stronger. Something she hasn't seen.
He reached into his pocket and touched the cracked stone. The creature stirred.
You need to evolve them. Use the stones. Convert your primeval stones to immortal essence.
Fang Yuan opened the Shop. Conversion: 100 PS = 1 IES. He had 681 stones. He could convert 600, leaving 81 for supplies.
He did it.
[Conversion Complete]
600 Primeval Stones → 6 Immortal Essence Stones
He now had 6 IES. Enough for two evolution stones.
He scrolled through the options. Fire Stone. Water Stone. Thunder Stone. Moon Stone. Leaf Stone. Ice Stone. Dusk Stone. Dawn Stone. Shiny Stone.
Which ones? I need to evolve my strongest Subjects. The ones that can counter water.
He selected Thunder Stone (3 IES) and Leaf Stone (3 IES). His IES dropped to 0.
He held the two stones in his hands. The Thunder Stone crackled with electricity, the Leaf Stone pulsed with green light.
He released his Thunderbird Gu and his Moss Gu.
The Thunderbird Gu was a creature of storm and sky—its wings blue-black, its eyes yellow, its feathers crackling with energy. Rank 2. Electric/Flying. The Moss Gu was small, unremarkable—a patch of green, its tendrils waving. Rank 1. Grass.
He pressed the Thunder Stone to the Thunderbird Gu's chest.
The creature convulsed. Lightning erupted from its body, striking the walls, the ceiling, the floor. Its wings grew larger, its feathers darker, its eyes brighter. When the light faded, it was transformed.
[Evolution Complete]
Thunderbird Gu → Storm Phoenix Gu
Type: Electric/Flying
Rank: 3
Moves: Thunder Shock, Gust, Storm Call
Ability: Lightning Rod
He pressed the Leaf Stone to the Moss Gu's body.
The Moss Gu expanded, its tendrils lengthening, its color deepening from green to gold. Flowers bloomed along its branches, their petals glowing with soft light. When the growth stopped, it was a creature of beauty and power.
[Evolution Complete]
Moss Gu → Solar Vine Gu
Type: Grass/Light
Rank: 2
Moves: Vine Whip, Absorb, Solar Beam
Ability: Chlorophyll
Grass/Light. Rank 2. Solar Beam. A powerful move, but it needs sunlight to charge. In the dark, it's useless.
He recalled both Subjects and looked at his remaining stones: 81 PS.
Not enough for anything else. But it's enough for supplies. Enough for food. Enough for what comes next.
He lay back on his bed and closed his eyes.
---
He dreamed of the sea.
It was vast, dark, endless. Waves crashed against a shore of black sand, their foam glowing with faint, blue light. And in the water, something moved—a shape, massive, serpentine, its scales gleaming like stars.
The Tide Caller rose from the waves.
She was beautiful, terrible, her hair the color of deep water, her eyes the color of the sky before a storm. She wore armor of scale and shell, and in her hands, she held a trident that crackled with lightning.
"You are the one who carries the fragments," she said. Her voice was the sound of waves breaking against stone. "The one who seeks the door."
Fang Yuan stood on the shore, the black sand cold beneath his feet. "I seek the badge."
"The badge." She laughed. "You think a badge will save you? The door you are opening, the thing you are becoming—no badge can stop what comes next."
She raised her trident. The sea rose with it, a wave taller than mountains, its crest white with foam.
"I will not give you the badge, little demon. I will drown you. I will scatter your fragments across the ocean floor. I will—"
Fang Yuan smiled. "You're afraid."
The wave stopped. The Tide Caller's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"You're afraid of what I'm becoming. Afraid of what's on the other side of the door. Afraid that when I open it, you won't be able to close it again."
The Tide Caller's face twisted. "I am not afraid of—"
"Then why are you trying to stop me?"
She was silent. The wave hung above him, frozen, its weight crushing.
"Because," she said finally, "I have seen what lies beyond the door. I have seen the darkness that waits. And I know that when it comes, even your light will not be enough."
She lowered her trident. The wave receded.
"Come to my arena tomorrow, little demon. Face me in the light of day. And if you win..." She smiled, and it was not a kind smile. "If you win, you can have your badge. And whatever comes next."
The dream shattered.
---
Fang Yuan woke with the sun.
He dressed in his grey robes, checked his Subjects, and walked to the harbor.
The Tide Caller's arena was a platform of white stone, floating on the water, connected to the city by a single bridge. Around it, the sea churned, waves crashing against the platform's edges, spray rising in plumes of white.
Shi Lei stood at the center of the platform, her armor gleaming, her trident in her hand. Behind her, three Gu hovered: a Sea Dragon, its scales blue, its eyes gold; a Wave Gu, its body a swirl of water; a Storm Gu, its form crackling with lightning.
Fang Yuan walked across the bridge. The waves crashed around him, but he did not falter. His feet were steady. His eyes were fixed on the woman before him.
"You came," Shi Lei said.
"I said I would."
She studied him for a long moment. "You are different from the others. The ones who came before. They were afraid. You are not."
Fang Yuan reached into his robe and pulled out a Pokeball. "Fear is useless."
She smiled. "Yes. It is."
She raised her trident. The match began.
---
End of Chapter 19