Morning fog clung to the trees as I left Viridian City, heading not toward Pewter City, but west, along a side trail few trainers walked.
[SYSTEM ALERT – Regional Route: Unmapped Trail]Caution: Ranger Authority Low – Wild Activity ElevatedEstimated Threat Level: Moderate to HighRewards: Unknown
The sign at the fork had been half-buried under moss. What was once a known checkpoint had long since faded only a wooden arrow remained, the words barely legible:"ROUTE 5.5 – OLD RANGER STATION"
Charmegabyte walked beside me. Bulbasaur trotted along too, alert but calm.
I didn't know what I was searching for.
Maybe just something real, untouched by the usual League routes. A story hidden beneath the polished Gym Challenge path.
And we found it.
The Forgotten Station
By mid-afternoon, we reached the clearing.
An old Ranger outpost sat in ruins partially collapsed, overgrown. A rusted Poké Ball symbol still hung above the entrance, tilted and cracked.
But something moved inside.
I stepped carefully through the threshold, eyes scanning
A stone pedestal in the center of the lobby. Covered in vines. No dust. It had been recently disturbed.
[SYSTEM PING – Artifact Detected]Item: Obsidian Badge Fragment – Non-standardOrigin: Unknown / Pre-League FormationStatus: Inert
I knelt and picked it up.
The fragment shimmered faintly in my hand smooth black glass, like onyx, etched with a spiral that pulsed faintly with heat.
[You have obtained: Obsidian Fragment]Effect: Unknown. System compatibility... minimal.Caution: Relic energy detected.
"What the hell are you?" I whispered.
Charmegabyte sniffed it and recoiled slightly. Even he felt something.
A cold presence settled over the ruined building. Not evil just old. Watching.
Then
A twig snapped.
We turned sharply.
Standing at the doorway was a girl in dark green Ranger gear, her face half-shadowed by a wide-brimmed hat.
"You shouldn't be here," she said simply. Her voice was low, calm.
"I didn't know this place was off-limits."
"It's not. Just... forgotten."
She stepped closer, eyes on the shard in my hand.
"That doesn't belong to the League."
"I didn't take it from anyone."
She stared a moment longer, then sighed and knelt beside the pedestal.
"Most people don't find this place. Fewer still feel drawn to that."
"You've seen it before?"
She nodded once. "The Rangers say it's just leftover junk from the old days. But there's a story that once, before the League, before the Eight Badges, there were nine. And the ninth was lost... because it wasn't earned. It was given."
I frowned. "To who?"
She looked up at me.
"To the one who walked both worlds."
And just like that, I froze.
The System didn't react. It didn't buzz. But my pulse roared like thunder in my ears.
She knew. Somehow, she knew.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm just a Ranger," she said, standing. "But if you want answers don't head to Pewter yet. Go east. There's a place they buried. On purpose."
I narrowed my eyes. "Where?"
Her eyes flashed.
"Cerulean Caverns."
Nightfall
I left the ruins in silence, the Obsidian Fragment tucked into my bag. It didn't glow. Didn't whisper.
But somehow, it felt like a key.
Not to power.
But to truth.
And truth was a rarer reward than any badge.