Kalei did not announce her arrival.
She simply appeared—stepping through the front gate of Lavender Town before dawn, her black cloak trailing behind her, boots silent on the cobblestone path. Her long, dark hair was tied behind her head in a tight braid, her eyes cold as moonlight, her presence like a still blade waiting to strike.
The air shifted when she entered.
Even Charizard, resting by the Pokémon Center's front garden, lifted his head sharply as she passed.
Skylar was already waiting outside.
Their eyes met.
Neither bowed.
But both smiled.
"Skylar," she said, voice calm but strong. "You look less like a kid now."
"You still look like a nightmare that walks," he replied.
She smirked faintly. "And yet here I am, summoned by your reckless legend."
Inside the Pokémon Center, the ten aura-sensitive children sat quietly around a low table, playing with small wooden puzzles Nurse Joy had given them. When Kalei entered, every single child looked up in perfect silence.
They felt her.
She didn't speak.
She just looked.
Slowly, she walked between them, examining them one by one. Her hand hovered near their chests, fingers twitching faintly, reading their energy like heat off a fire.
After several minutes, she turned to Skylar and Gary.
"They're cracked open," she said. "Not broken. Not whole. But open."
"Can they be trained?" Skylar asked.
Kalei turned her back to the children.
"They must be."
A few hours later, Kalei and Skylar stood in the clearing where he'd been training with his Pokémon. The others watched from a distance—Misty, Gary, the children, and even Charizard, who knew better than to interrupt when she was watching.
Skylar took a breath.
Kalei raised a single hand. "No aura weapons. No boosts. Just instinct. Show me what's changed."
Skylar exhaled, eyes sharp.
Then moved.
He slid forward, his footwork swift and precise, ducking a feint strike from Kalei and attempting a counter-palm aimed at her centerline. She parried it easily, turned his momentum into a stumble, and spun low for a sweeping kick.
Skylar flipped backward to recover.
"Good reflex," she said. "Sloppy retreat."
They continued for nearly fifteen minutes, no words, only blows—silent steps, close-range locks, aura pulses woven between instinct and discipline.
Skylar's strikes were sharper than before.
Cleaner.
Focused.
His breathing measured.
Not desperate.
Finally, Kalei stepped back.
Skylar lowered his guard.
"You're still holding back," she said plainly.
"I've been… cautious."
"No more. These children need a sword, not a shield."
Skylar looked to the kids watching from a distance, wide-eyed and silent.
He nodded.
"I'll sharpen."
Kalei gave a rare, faint smile.
"I expect it."
That afternoon, Kalei gathered the children outside. She didn't raise her voice. She didn't explain herself.
She simply began teaching.
Slow breathing.
Stillness.
Awareness.
The way wind moves across skin.
The way aura stirs beneath breath.
Some children stumbled.
Some excelled.
All of them listened.
Gary watched from a distance, arms crossed.
"She hasn't changed."
Skylar stood beside him, bruised from training.
"She's exactly who they need."
Misty approached with Arcanine trotting beside her.
"Looks like she's already got them working harder than we did."
Skylar smirked. "She has that effect."
That night, Skylar sat with Kalei beside the fire outside the Pokémon Center.
She poured him tea.
No words.
Just comfort.
After a moment, she finally spoke.
"You've grown into your aura. But you haven't mastered it."
"I know," Skylar said.
"I'll push you further. Harder. But you can't stay."
He looked up.
Kalei's gaze was still calm.
"But they can. And I'll train them like I trained myself. If they break, I'll rebuild them. If they fall, I'll stand them up."
Skylar looked into the flames.
Then nodded.
"Thank you."
The next morning, Skylar and Misty stood at the edge of Lavender Town.
Their bags were packed. Their Pokémon rested and ready.
Charizard flapped his wings once. Arcanine stretched with a low growl of excitement. Frogadier climbed up onto Skylar's shoulder with a confident smirk.
Misty turned toward Kalei, who stood beside the children now seated in perfect formation.
Skylar stepped forward.
The children looked at him.
He nodded to each one.
"You're stronger than you know. Don't stop until you prove it to yourselves."
One of the youngest raised his hand, face serious.
"Will you come back?"
Skylar smiled.
"If I do it right—maybe I won't have to."
The child beamed.
Kalei crossed her arms, approving.
Skylar turned to her one last time.
No words.
Just a look.
She gave him a single nod.
"Go."
And with that—
Skylar and Misty walked down the road, sun rising ahead of them.