The sun poured golden light through the wide, arched windows of Ravios Royal Academy's west tower. The training fields outside shimmered under the morning dew, and the rhythmic sound of sparring echoed faintly through the stone walls.
Ren sat in silence.
He was perched on a bench just beyond the edge of the practice field, arms resting loosely on his knees, his Lucario sitting beside him in stillness, their breathing almost perfectly synced.
It had been two days since the Tyranitar attack.
Two days since he was handed an envelope bearing the Royal Knight Corps seal.
And the words still echoed in his mind.
'You wouldn't be a tool. You'd be the edge of the blade.'
His fingers curled slightly.
He had wanted this a path to knighthood. That was why he came to Ravios. Why he trained harder than anyone. Why he ignored the sneers of the nobles, why he memorized every form, every move, every piece of aura theory he could get his hands on.
Now that the door had opened…
Why did he feel like turning away?
---
"Is that him?"
"The second-year who fought the corrupted Tyranitar?"
"Yeah. Him and that Lucario. They said he used aura."
Ren didn't look at them.
He heard the whispers wherever he went. The halls, the field, the mess hall.
Some were reverent.
Others were jealous.
And a few… just scared.
"Doesn't he come from some farming village?"
"Riverleaf, I think. Commoner, but scary strong. You should've seen how Vince lost to him."
"He's too quiet. Gives me the creeps."
Ren kept walking.
He didn't care what they thought. Or so he told himself.
But the voices were always there.
Echoes in every hallway. Buzzing under every conversation.
---
He still trained every morning.
Still studied every evening.
Still ate lunch with Mila, though their conversations had grown shorter.
She noticed the change.
Even though he hadn't told her about Seris's offer.
"You're quiet lately," she said once, while pushing around the last of her salad. "Quieter than usual."
Ren blinked at her.
"Nothing's wrong," he said.
Mila didn't believe him. But she didn't press.
Instead, she talked about the rumors she'd heard from the Tornadus Shrine how the wind patterns had shifted, how shrine maidens claimed they could feel the storm god's restlessness.
Ren listened, or at least pretended to.
But his mind was always somewhere else.
---
That night, he returned to his dorm alone.
Lucario padded silently behind him, always present, always alert.
Ren unstrapped his belt, set his bag down, and placed the sealed letter from Commander Seris on his desk. The parchment was creased now from being opened and folded again too many times.
He sat in the dark, only moonlight spilling across the stone floor.
"I've worked my whole life for this," he whispered.
Lucario looked at him.
"Why am I hesitating?"
The Pokémon didn't answer but its eyes were warm.
Ren closed his own.
He saw flashes of memory.
Riverleaf.
He and Mila, running through the fields.
Shion, quiet, always watching, always smiling, always the first to cheer for them even when he never battled seriously himself.
The academy's gate, the first time he saw it.
The exam. The letter of acceptance.
The first duel he won here.
He had a dream.
A clear one.
So why… did he feel like he was walking toward something he couldn't come back from?
---
The sun rose again.
Another morning. A crisp wind carried the smell of parchment and lavender from the academy gardens.
Students walked past Ren like nothing had changed. But he could feel it. Time was narrowing.
One day left.
He sat alone at the edge of the dueling terrace, where he'd first beaten Vince in their first-year finals.
Lucario sat beside him.
He watched others spar.
Watched one student cry when her Pokémon was knocked out.
Watched another celebrate with his Tyrogue after landing a surprise win.
He remembered feeling that, once.
That purity. That simple joy.
Now?
Everything felt heavier.
---
The academy grounds bustled with life once again. In the days following the incident in the market district, security had doubled around Ravios, but within the academy walls, life marched on with unsettling normalcy.
Students studied. Sparred. Laughed in the halls.
Even the latest issue of the campus bulletin had gone out, complete with a bold headline:
> "SECOND-YEAR STUDENT STOPS CORRUPTED TYRANITAR: IS REN THE STRONGEST IN THE ACADEMY?"
The article included eyewitness reports, interviews, and an artist's dramatic sketch of Ren and Lucario standing defiant before the monster. It had already become something of a legend among the younger students.
But Ren ignored the noise.
He sat in his usual spot in the upper training field, eating quietly with Lucario by his side. His classmates walked by, some stealing glances, others whispering.
He'd long stopped caring about what people said about him.
But today, his thoughts wouldn't leave him alone.
The letter from Commander Seris felt heavier with each passing hour.
---
"Ren."
He looked up, blinked once.
Mila stood before him, arms crossed, pink hair tied back today, her Gardevoir floating silently behind her.
He gave a brief nod.
"Hey."
"You've been off lately."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not." She sat beside him with a huff. "You eat like you're in a trance, train like your brain's elsewhere, and you've been brushing off everyone including me."
Ren didn't answer.
Mila squinted. "So. What's going on?"
Silence.
Mila tapped her foot.
Still nothing.
"Okay, that's it."
She stood and grabbed his sleeve.
"Come on."
"What—?"
"Garden. Now."
---
The academy's central garden was a peaceful place small marble paths winding through flowerbeds, benches tucked beneath flowering trees, and a small stone fountain in the center. Even now, in the early autumn light, the air was filled with the soft rustling of leaves and the faint scent of lavender.
Mila dragged Ren to a bench and shoved him down.
She sat beside him, arms crossed.
"Well?"
Ren rubbed his face with one hand.
Then exhaled.
"She offered me a place."
Mila blinked. "Who did?"
"Commander Seris. A provisional recruitment into the Royal Knight Corps."
The words hung between them.
"Wait," Mila said, blinking again. "You're serious?"
Ren nodded.
Her eyes widened. "That's huge. Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't know if I was going to accept it."
"But… this is what you've always wanted. Isn't it?"
Ren nodded again.
"But?"
He didn't answer at first. Then he leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
"I don't know. I should want it. And I do. I've worked for this since we were kids. Every day at the academy has been building toward this."
Mila leaned slightly closer.
"But?"
Ren's voice dropped.
"But something in me… hesitated. Every time I looked at that letter. I thought about taking that step. Committing."
Mila stared at him.
Then, with no warning, smacked him on the shoulder.
"Ow—what was that for?!"
"You're thinking too much," she said with a grin. "Just pick one. Whatever it is. Don't waffle in the middle. You'll get sick."
Ren blinked.
Mila smiled at him. "You've always done what you believe in. If you want it, take it. If you're not ready, don't. I'll back you either way."
Ren looked at her, silent for a moment.
Then he smiled softly, but real.
"I think I figured it out."
"Oh?"
"I thought I was hesitating because I didn't want it. But that's not it."
He stared at the flower petals falling from the nearby bush.
"I'm hesitating… because I'm scared I don't deserve it."
Mila didn't say anything.
"I thought I was strong," Ren continued. "Then I fought Vince. He nearly beat me. Then the Tyranitar I couldn't even scratch it. Seris finished it in seconds. I thought I was further ahead."
Mila let the silence sit for a beat.
Then she looked at him.
"You're still growing Ren. Everyone is. Even Seris didn't get to where she is by being perfect from the start."
He looked at her again, as she smiled and leaned back on the bench.
"You've got time to make your decision ," she said, standing up. "Whatever you choose just don't regret it. That's what matters."
She gave him a mock salute, her usual grin back on her face.
Ren nodded slowly, watching her leave.
"…Thanks, Mila."
---
The next morning, the air in Ravios was clear.
Ren stood at the top of the academy's main staircase, his uniform clean, his boots polished, and Lucario at his side.
He walked the streets of the city alone, the parchment in his pocket no longer heavy.
And when he arrived at the outer bastion, where the Royal Knight Corps held their regional command
Commander Seris was waiting.
She turned as he entered.
"You've made your choice?"
Ren stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
Seris's expression didn't shift, but her eyes sharpened.
"Then your new path begins now."
---
Far from the walls of Ravios, beneath the wide open skies of central Elvaris, the wind howled across a quiet training camp.
Two figures stood in a clearing, surrounded by tall grass.
Shion exhaled deeply, wiping sweat from his brow. Kiba, his Dusk Lycanroc, stood panting beside him.
Across from them stood Jareth, arms crossed, watching calmly.
"That was cleaner," Jareth said. "But your footing's still too light. Rock types don't dance they fight."
Shion nodded, steadying his stance.
"Again?"
Jareth grinned. "You're finally asking the right question."
And so, they sparred again under open skies, far from the courts of kings and knights, where another journey was quietly forging its edge.