Echos of the cursed forest

Chapter 2 : The jolteon

The sun began to rise after a long night filled with practice, as Steel made her way to the den, eager to show her father the new and improved version of herself. "He's going to be so proud of me," Steel thought to herself.

"Steel?" she heard her dad's voice from the dean's office. She sprinted inside to greet him.

With excitement, Steel ran up and playfully nudged him.

However, Shawn pulled away, giving Steel a puzzled look. 'Why is he looking at me like that?' she wondered.

"Hey, Dad! I evolved! Aren't you happy for me?" she exclaimed, a smile lighting up her face.

Shawn simply nodded, "Yeah... that's great," but his gaze dropped to the floor. Steel was confused; he had never behaved this way before. She lowered her head, feeling a sense of disappointment.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Steel asked, concern creeping into her voice. Shawn took a step closer and offered a sad smile. "It's just... you... ugh, it's nothing," he muttered, looking away. A sense of hurt washed over Steel. "Well, I'm going to take a nap," she said quietly, turning away.

As she wandered outside, towering trees adorned with golden leaves surrounded her. Steel could hear the cheerful chirps of Pidgeys, yet she continued to walk on the smooth grass, puzzled. "Where am I?" she asked herself, gazing at the unfamiliar forest. "I've never seen this place... but it feels oddly familiar." To her left, her eyes widened at the sight of a Pikachu. "Huh?" she whispered, staring in disbelief. "He's... shiny." It was difficult to articulate, not only because he was shiny, but also because he was covered in blood.

Steel felt her body freeze in shock and fear.

But wait, the Pikachu was holding something in his paws. Steel squinted to see better. "...Is that an egg? Wait, what's he doing?" Her breath quickened as she watched in horror as the Pikachu tossed the egg into the river.

"NO, WAIT—YOU CAN'T!!"

Steel's eyes snapped open, her entire body trembling. She struggled to see through her blurred vision as she took deep breaths, questioning herself, "What was that... a dream? No, it felt too real."

"Steel!" she heard a voice from outside the dean's office.

Steel jumped to her feet and stepped outside, the sun now halfway in the sky. "I must have slept for a long time." She looked around to see a daylight Lycanroc.

"Um, sorry, do I know you?" she inquired.

The Lycanroc grinned. "Haha! Steel, it's me, Dusty!" Steel's jaw dropped in surprise. "Dusty, when did you evolve?" she asked, excitement bubbling within her.

Dusty settled down, "Well, earlier today my pack helped me train. They needed more daylight hunters, and now I'm a full member of the pack!" he said, pride radiating from him. Steel felt a pang of sadness—if Dusty was now a full member of his pack, he might not have time to spend with her anymore.

"That sounds great," she replied, forcing a smile. Dusty wagged his tail happily. "Yeah, I know... Well, I gotta go find some food. See ya!" he said, running off.

Steel began her own walk, meandering around the mountains to pass the time. Suddenly, she heard a sound coming from the river. "Hmm?" she thought, heading towards the noise.