Author's Note:
This chapter contains a mild scene with slightly more mature undertones, presented subtly and respectfully within the context of the story. Reader discretion is advised for younger audiences.
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Looking away from Cyan's body, Cynthia picked up her Pokétch.
The Pokétch — short for Pokémon Watch — functions as a multifunctional device, with various useful applications: map, calculator, item counter, drawing pad, among others. Unfortunately, Dawn hadn't acquired hers yet. That was one of the reasons she wanted to go to Jubilife City. Currently, there was a festival going on that happens once a year. After finding three special coupons in the city, you could exchange them for a Pokétch.
Scrolling through the contact list on her Pokétch, her finger stopped over the image of a kind-looking lady. The woman in the image had short, light brown hair, cut in a bob that reached her chin, with bangs covering her forehead. She had small eyes and a subtle smile. She was wearing a long white coat that reached her knees, over a dark pink blouse and a dark purple skirt that also went to her knees. A thin dark belt marked her waist. On her feet, black low-heeled shoes. She also wore a simple necklace with a small pendant.
Clicking on the image, her Pokétch began to vibrate slightly.
-Beeep... Beeep...-
"Oh my, it looks like you remembered I'm still alive!" spoke the voice on the Pokétch.
Sighing a little, Cynthia shrugged. "Well, you know the life of a Pokémon Champion isn't that simple."
Dawn, who had been watching her Pokémon closely, turned her attention to the conversation between Cynthia and the stranger on the Pokétch.
Cynthia moved a little away to have privacy. Dawn didn't follow. She simply approached Cyan and Lina, who were completely exposed. Without taking her eyes off Cyan, she started rummaging through her bag.
"Here, take this!" she said, pulling out the blanket she used to sleep when camping outdoors.
At first, Lina was a bit confused by Dawn's sudden action.
"Shouldn't you give that to Cyan?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"No, no, no! Cyan is just a baby. You're already a grown woman… or a Pokémon, I don't know how to refer to you now." Even though Dawn didn't say it out loud, Lina had already noticed the real reason she was being given the blanket instead of Cyan.
'This girl... She wants to stop Cyan from seeing my perfect body and at the same time keep looking at his.' Gritting her teeth, Lina took the blanket and tore it in two. Covering herself with one half, she handed the other half to Cyan, who quickly covered himself.
When Dawn saw this "betrayal" scene, she looked at Lina, who now had a slight smile on her lips. Before the two had a chance to start a confrontation right there, Cynthia returned, rubbing her head.
"After talking a bit with my grandmother, she said she'll send someone to take us to the lab in Celestic Town."
Cynthia was worried about the strange transformation presented by Lina and Cyan. The only person she could trust at the moment was her grandmother, Professor Carolina of Celestic Town.
"In the meantime, let's find clothes for these two and wait for them in Jubilife City. Is that alright with you?"
Dawn quickly agreed with Cynthia's plan. For her, it was all benefits: she would understand what was happening to her beloved Pokémon and, at the same time, have the chance to find the coupons in Jubilife City.
Soon, the group of four set off toward Jubilife City.
After they left, a group dressed in the black and gray uniforms of Team Vortex — reinforced with bluish details that reflected the dim light of the cave — appeared at the entrance. Their boots touched the damp ground, echoing between the stone walls as the agents advanced cautiously.
Argos led the squad, the visor of his helmet slightly raised, allowing his eyes to scan the surroundings without the glare from the equipment lights. The air still carried the scent of ancient dust mixed with the metallic aroma of the prismaric crystal.
"Scan everything. I want the sensor report and camera data on my desk in less than five minutes," he ordered, his voice low and controlled.
The team members dispersed, connecting their devices to the surveillance terminals hidden in the rocks. Small green lights began to flash, signaling the recovery of the recordings.
Argos's visor beeped.
"Download complete. Images ready for analysis."
He touched the communicator.
"Commander Virelya, this is Argos. Confirmed: the group of unknowns passed through this cave entrance a few hours ago. We have footage. They approached the prismaric crystal… apparently by accident. The energy spike matches the moment they disappeared from the perimeter."
On the other end, Virelya's voice sounded through the communicator, cold and curious:
"Send the images. Now."
.....
Team Vortex Base — Control Room
The room was bathed in shadows, illuminated only by the bluish-green glow of the monitors lined up on the wall. Virelya stood alone, eyes fixed on the images projected before her. The data passed quickly: energy spectrums, biological readings, diagrams incomprehensible to most. But what truly held her attention were the images captured by the probes hidden in the forest near the base.
There, on the central screen, Cyantherion. Or rather, what remained of the Ultra Beast. A young man with almost ethereal features, pale skin with a subtle bluish sheen, silver hair falling smoothly to his shoulders, the ends dyed in a cyan blue that resembled the crystal's own glow. And beside him, the Garchomp… or what had once been Garchomp, now in the form of a woman with striking curves and a determined expression.
Virelya remained motionless for a moment, her heart beating faster than she cared to admit.
"What... is this?" she whispered to herself, her trembling fingers sliding over the panel to enlarge Cyantherion's image.
Her eyes traced every detail of that face. The alien features, yet strangely perfect, the intense gaze, and the body... a body that, even in the footage distorted by trees and mist, exuded a hypnotic beauty. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she found herself biting her lower lip, gaze fixed on the screen as if it were a forbidden dream.
"A monster… no, impossible… something like this shouldn't exist..." Her voice faltered between the rationality of a researcher and the feminine awe she couldn't suppress.
She leaned closer to the monitor, her red eyes glowing in the interface light.
"How foolish. It's just a target. Just a... target." But even she didn't believe her own lie.
Her finger slid again, and now the image was of Garchomp. Virelya let out a short sigh as she noticed the elegant lines of the newly transformed body. But no, it wasn't there that her attention stayed. Her eyes returned to the silver-haired youth.
"You... who are you really?" she murmured, almost like a confession. "Why do you provoke me like this with just a frozen look on a monitor?"
The monitor beeped discreetly, alerting her to new crystal readings. Virelya didn't look away. A smile, almost imperceptible, formed on her lips.
"Whatever you are... Cyantherion... I will capture you. For science... and for myself."
She leaned back in the chair, her eyes still gleaming. For the first time, Virelya's heart beat not just for ambition, but for a desire she herself didn't understand.
Without realizing it, her hand slowly moved down... Virelya paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on the screen, as if searching for an answer in Cyantherion's features, frozen by the magnified image. The warmth in her body seemed to grow by the second, as if the distant presence of that being, even through a monitor, had the power to cross walls and circuits, touching something deep within her. The sound of the zipper sliding down was almost imperceptible amid the faint hum of the equipment around, but to her it seemed to echo in her ears, a sign she had crossed a line she never thought she would in the middle of a mission.
The tight fabric of her pants opened just enough for her hand, once trembling with restrained excitement, to find the warm skin of her own waist. The fingers, hesitant for a moment, began to explore, guided by a desire that mixed fascination, curiosity, and forbidden pleasure. The air in the room felt heavier, as if the very environment were complicit in that moment.
Virelya's breathing quickened, her eyes still locked on the image of the prismaric youth, who to her was no longer just a target or a rare specimen. Cyantherion had become a living temptation, a mystery that awakened in her more than the thirst for scientific answers.
But then, suddenly, the monitor emitted a sharp beep — the arrival of a priority report. Reality hit her like a bucket of cold water. Virelya stopped, her chest heaving, cheeks flushed, fingers still resting on her skin.
With effort, she slowly zipped up and forced a cold smile onto her face as she straightened her posture.
"How pathetic I am..." she muttered, leaning back in the chair and letting the screen once again serve as her window into the mystery that was Cyantherion.